Makinley & Madison

Cheer and Dance Competition

2009-03-10T08:35:00.000-07:00

We had a Cheer and Dance Competition in Fort Worth in February. The girls did so great! Their dance team won Nationals as did their Cheer team! The really cool thing is that their cheer team was less than 1 point off of Overall High Point!!! That's out of all of the squads... even the older ones!! They ROCKED!!!!

More Random Pics

2009-03-10T08:13:00.001-07:00

Twas' the Night Before Christmas

Our tradition... Daddy reads and Mommy takes pictures
Sleepover fun with Maddie, Marti and Jayci

Happy New Year!

Frosting the Christmas cookies!

Tasting! the frosting!

Christmas cookies!

Being Silly!

The cutest Christmas dresses ever!!

Pajama day at school

Random Pictures... here and there

2009-03-10T07:13:00.000-07:00

Miss Tammy's Cheer

Speed Racer!

From the ice cream truck at Aunt Ava's

Wrapping Christmas presents

Sleepy heads... decorating the Christmas tree
At Wildcatter Ranch in Graham for Thanksgiving

A genie and a unicorn for Halloween... too cute

Sisters

Can you believe it!?!

2009-03-10T07:11:00.001-07:00

Can you believe it? I'm actually going to update this blog after months of neglect! There are so many things that we've missed!! First day of 1st grade... holidays... mini-vacations... so, so much! I'm feeling like a really bad Mommy!! But.. while I'm in between jobs (again!) I might as well take advantage of the opportunity to do some catching up!! Get ready!! Lots of pictures and posts to follow!!

A Few of My Favorite Pics

2008-08-07T13:24:00.000-07:00

I've been really lucky to get some really good shots of the girls this summer... here are just a few of my favorites.... Aren't they beautiful? (If I do say so myself!) And the really, really great thing is... they're just as pretty on the inside.

We are truly, truly blessed!

A Day at the Lake

2008-08-07T13:12:00.000-07:00

We spent a Sunday recently at the Cleburne State Park. We had the hardest time finding something to do that day. We drove to Glen Rose to go to the "big rocks" and it was closed... Splash Station was closed for the day to be hyper-chlorinated... everything we wanted to do just didn't work out. Daddy suggested the lake at the Cleburne State Park and it turned out to be a blast. We didn't get there until about 3:00 but we stayed and played... swimming, collecting shells, playing on the playground... til about 8:00! And the best part? We were only a few minutes from home! It was a perfect "family fun day"!

Hannah Montana 3D Movie!

2008-08-07T13:04:00.001-07:00

The Hannah Montana 3D Movie was on the Disney Channel recently. Of course, it was a very big deal around the Gittings household! We had to wear Hannah Montana clothes... have a pizza and soda party... break out the guitars and microphones... the works! We had fun, even though we'd already seen the movie in the theater! As always...

Hannah ROCKS!!!

A Weekend at The Villages

2008-08-07T11:57:00.000-07:00

Fun in the Sun!

The Birthday Boy, Cabe!

A late afternoon swim
Posin' at the Water Park!

Audra and her boys! Cabe, Riley, Asa
Cousin fun!
Cabe, Asa, Savannah, Madison, Makinley
The indoor water park ROCKED!

Savannah, Makinley, Cabe, Madison, Asa
Madison and the Birthday Boy!

Aunt Ava and Savannah

Aunt Audra and Uncle Todd invited us to their place at The Villages in East Texas for the weekend to celebrate Cabe's 7th birthday! What a GREAT place! There were several pools to choose from, putt-putt golf, a HUGE indoor water park and lots of other activities! It was a BLAST!!! Aunt Ava and Savannah and Jack were there too! We had so much fun! Lots of summer-time memories made with our cousins! What could be better than that? Thanks for inviting us Aunt Audra!

Happy Birthday Cabe!!

Fourth of July on Lake Graham

2008-08-07T11:43:00.001-07:00

We were fortunate to be invited by our wonderful friends Mike and Janie Sears to Mike's parent's lake house on Lake Graham for the 4th of July. We had such a great time! I'd never been to Lake Graham. When we've been to the lake up that way it's always been Possum Kingdom. Lake Graham is a lot smaller but just the perfect family lake. We had such a fun time on the wave-runners, cooking out, swimming and just visiting with old friends. Our hosts were amazing and we got to spend time with Maw-Maw and Paw-Paw too. It was a wonderful weekend!

Mims Family Reunion

2008-08-07T11:29:00.000-07:00

Next stop on the summer vacation... our annual Mims family reunion at the end of June. Guess who forgot her camera? ME!! Of course! Sorry! It was really beautiful there. We went to Artesian Springs Resort in Newton, Texas... far east Texas, about 10 miles from the Texas/Louisiana border.

We had a great time getting to hang out with everyone. Then Mom fell and broke both of her arms! Poor Mom! It was so scary! I've decided that there's just about nothing as horrifying as hearing a family member yell "Someone call 911!" especially when you don't know what's going on.. who is hurt.. how bad.. etc. Let's just say, I panicked!!

She's doing much better now but still is very limited in what she can do. She's getting stronger every day though. Please keep her in your prayers for a speedy recovery!

San Antonio Attractions!

2008-08-01T01:55:00.000-07:00

We had a great time in San Antonio. Lots and lots of time on the Riverwalk... a visit to the Alamo... a day at Six Flags Fiesta Texas... a Hibachi Grill dinner... a quick trip down to Pleasanton to see family and swim at Aunt Ann's... and yummy late night ROOM SERVICE dessert! But best of all... MEMORIES... lots and lots of sweet memories with our girls... and for our girls. We're blessed!!

Finally in San Antonio!

2008-08-01T01:35:00.000-07:00

Hotel tradition... JUMP ON THE BEDS immediately upon checking in of course!!

I love these next pictures. The girls went and sat on the balcony overlooking the Riverwalk and just talked and talked. They even pulled their chairs together after a little while. I imagined them sitting on the balcony of their apartment in Chicago or Manhattan... gazing at the skyline... best friends... cosmopolitan girls... planning their night on the town.

Then they came in and got ready to go to the pool... and struck these poses.... and I decided there will be no "nights on the town" in their future. At least until they're 38 or so.

Next Stop.. Natural Bridge Caverns

2008-08-01T01:22:00.000-07:00

Holy Humidity Batman! That place is HOT! Beautiful, but HOT! Mommy was sweatin in places that she'd never sweat before... and that's not pretty. The tops of my arms (my forearms for God's sake!) were sweating!! It really wasn't so much hot as it was HUMID! I couldn't believe it wasn't raining in there! I'm sure David Finfrock would tell me that's not meteorologist-ically possible, but it should have been raining!! It was HOT!! And beautiful. I'm glad the girls got to see it and experience it. But next time around... unless we go in the dead of winter... I'll be happy to wait in the car thanks.

Still in Austin!

2008-08-01T01:15:00.000-07:00

Uncle Mark is always such a great host! He always makes sure there's plenty to eat, plenty to drink, something fun to do and friends around to visit. The girls love staying at his house. Partly because it's Uncle Mark, partly because Randy and Curtis always come over, partly because he has Guitar Hero, partly because he has deer all over his neighborhood, but mainly because he has stairs. When exactly do they outgrow that? Thanks for always taking us in Uncle Mark!!

Austin, Texas

2008-08-01T01:05:00.000-07:00

On the first leg of our summer vacation, in Austin, Madison saw a sign that said "Keep Austin Weird" and it perplexed her. She just couldn't understand why they would want to be weird! Then I took a picture of her in a cow suit and she felt better.

The family that Rocks together... Stays together!

2008-08-01T00:51:00.000-07:00

First stop on vacation... Uncle Mark's in Austin! Guitar Hero here we come!! The girls and Daddy LOVE to play guitar hero... Daddy especially. Mommy... not so much! Mommy does however take full advantage of Uncle Mark's wicked massage chair every time we visit. In fact... that may have been the best part of Mommy's vacation!! Not really... but close!

Last Day of School!

2008-08-01T00:43:00.000-07:00

We never braid our hair. But for some strange reason, on the last day of school, they both wanted their hair braided. So we did it. It looked cute and they loved it. They were excited for school to be out, but they knew they were going to miss their friends... but mostly Mrs. Barrett. The fact that we were leaving for vacation the very next day made it a little easier though.

Apparently we weren't the only ones with new hair-do's! Doesn't Mrs. Barrett's haircut look great?!

Kindergarten Graduation

2008-08-01T00:32:00.000-07:00

My babies are growing up! They graduated Kindergarten! They did so very well this year. They loved their teacher, Mrs. Barrett, and made so many sweet friends. I loved having them in the same class because it made actually being present at all of their events so much fun. I didn't have to split myself between them, going back and forth to different rooms during parties and field trips. I'm happy to say that 1st grade will be the same way. They're going to be in dual language in the 1st grade, so once again they'll be in the same class. Yippee!! They're so independent that they don't really pay much attention to each other in class. Mrs. Barrett said they don't act like sisters in class. I guess that's a good thing... because these sisters fight... a lot!... at home at least!

Congratulations girls on doing so well in Kindergarten! You ROCK!!

Field Day!

2008-08-01T00:17:00.000-07:00

The girls had a blast at Field Day. They did so great! Makinley won first place in the sack race... Madison won second place in the 50 yard dash and the M&M TEAM took 2nd place in leap frog! It was a fun day for all!

A Jumbled Up Sleeping Mess!

2008-08-01T00:09:00.001-07:00

This just cracked me up. They don't sleep together all that often, but when they do, it's always just a jumbled up mess. It looked like Madison had a leg growing out of her stomach. It was hard to tell which legs went to which body. They weren't minding it though. They were both snoring!

Happy Mommy Day!

2008-07-31T23:59:00.001-07:00

Do I have great kids or what?!? There's nothing like being a Mommy! I always knew my Mother loved me more than life itself, but I sure never KNEW it... really, really got it, until I had these two little monkeys! I am blessed!!

I love both of the pictures they drew... but I especially love the roots on the flowers! They were studying plants in school that week! Too cute! And Makinley worked so hard to write her note just perfectly. Good job girls!!

Mrs. Cupit's Assistants

2008-07-31T23:45:00.000-07:00

Last summer, the girls and I went and helped Aunt Audra (I mean Mrs. Cupit) get her classroom ready for school. As a reward for all of their hard work of rearranging desks (mainly Mrs. Cupit's), writing on marker boards, moving boxes and fighting with Cabe and Asa, Aunt Audra (I mean Mrs. Cupit) offered to have them come up one day before school was out to be her "Assistants" on a school day. Well..... we're not ones to forget an offer! So, as luck would have it, Mommy had an appointment in Waco one day so Aunt Audra (I mean Mrs. Cupit) got to babysit for a few hours. The girls LOVED it! They even got to have lunch with the 3rd grade teachers! They loved all of the teachers, but were especially impressed with Mrs. McCommans... "She's sooooooo fashionable!"

(I think it was the pink/burgundy hair!)

And yes... Makinley is wearing the exact same outfit as in the post below at Sydney's party. Let's just say she was a little obsessed with this look for a couple of weeks.

The "Assistants"

Lunch with the teachers

Thanks Aunt Audra! (I mean... oh well, you know!)

Sydney's Birthday Party

2008-07-31T23:38:00.000-07:00

These pictures were too cute not to include! They're hammin it up before going to Sydney's birthday party. It was right after dance tryouts so they still have some makeup on and their hair was still dolled up. They thought they were big girls getting to go to a party all fancy! Can you tell?

Are You Ready for Some CATCH UP??

2008-07-31T22:57:00.000-07:00

I'm going to do my best to try to catch you up on some of the "major events" of the last few months! I'm sorry I've been so bad!! I finally got all of my computer problems resolved earlier this year and then darned if I didn't start having camera issues! Lots of pictures taken, just problems getting them to the computer! I think we're good now though! So read through and catch up!!

CHEER!

Cheer Tryouts in April (I think!) They did GREAT! They're getting bigger! They aren't the "babies" anymore! They are officially Mini-Stars now! Bye-Bye Mini-Tots!

DANCE!

These pictures are from Dance Tryouts in May. Again, they did GREAT! I'm amazed at their ability to keep the routines straight and not get the cheer dance mixed up with the dance dance! This is their first year to be on both. Wish me luck!! Not only are we at Miss Tammy's three nights a week now, but at competitions, I'll be doing costume changes, hair changes, probably a little bit of makeup change, etc. for TWO of them! Yikes!! What was I thinking?!?!

Marti, Madison, Makinley, Macy and Lia

I've been so bad!!

2008-07-07T12:05:00.000-07:00

I haven't updated since March! I feel terrible! There have been so many things that I've missed out on posting! All sorts of Kindergarten activities... field day, end of the year parties, graduation, etc. And then there's all of the fun summer stuff we've done so far... A trip to San Antonio, a family reunion... and Splash Station to name a few. I've been really busy with work and the girls and all of their extra-curricular activities! I know... excuses, excuses! I'm going to try to be better! I'll have some pictures uploaded soon and will try really hard to be better! Thanks for checking in! Check back soon!

Bowling!

2008-03-27T09:03:00.000-07:00

We went bowling a couple of times during spring break. The girls loved it and did really well! They bowled 104 and 105 our very first game. Mommy bowled 91 (and I was actually TRYING!).

Daddy Daughter Day!

2008-03-17T10:10:00.000-07:00

Double click the arrow to play

Today is St. Patricks Day and the first official day of Spring Break. Daddy and the girls are spending the day together while Mommy gets to have some time to herself! They're going to Arlington or Fort Worth or somewhere to do fun stuff! I sent the camera with Todd so hopefully I'll get some good pictures to share in another post. The girls managed to find something green to wear... which is not an easy task in the sea of pink that is their closet!!

Hiking in Glen Rose

2008-03-17T09:22:00.001-07:00

After our tour of Dinosaur World, we went to the Glen Rose Dinosaur Park to hike. It was such a beautiful day... not too hot... not too cold. It was perfect. We had so much fun. Madison was the adventurous one this time. Always staying way ahead of the rest of us and pretty much fearless about climbing up or down. Makinley was a little more hesitant and stuck pretty close to Daddy all day. They played in the river a little bit and had a blast. We promised to do it more often. We all really enjoyed ourselves.... and each other.

Dinosaur World!

2008-03-17T08:38:00.001-07:00

Even scary dinos can't keep her from posing!

Digging for fossils!

Makinley was almost this dinos LUNCH!
Madison's favorites are the "3-horns"

We went to Dinosaur World in Glen Rose on Sunday. It's only been open 1 week and we highly recommend that anyone within reasonable distance GO! It's soooo cool! There are over 100 life-sized dinosaurs! It's really quite amazing! After wandering through the trails to see all of the dinosaurs the kids get to dig for fossils and get to keep their 3 favorites! It was so much fun! The girls LOVED it!! Todd and I really enjoyed it too!

Easter at School

2008-03-17T07:44:00.000-07:00

My Makinley bunny, ready to hop off!
Sharing and comparing with friends Caylin and Amy

Double click the arrow to play

The girls had their Easter Egg hunt and party at school on Friday because we're on spring break all this week (yeah!!). They had a great time. Mommy and Daddy both were able to be there so they were happy! The last two photos are actually little videos for you to see!! Enjoy!

Singing at School

2008-03-14T10:10:00.000-07:00

With Amy and Lexi Wallen (they're twins too!)
With their Music teacher, Mrs. Bell
They're in front, left corner

The kindergarten and first grade classes sang several songs for the PTO meeting last night. The girls looked precious and sang their little hearts out! The last number was a kazoo number. It was really cute, but let me tell you... I was ready to hide the kazoos by the time we got home!!!

Hard to say Good-bye

2008-03-14T09:59:00.000-07:00

With Aunt Amy and Mammers
Mammers and Paw Paw

Cousins Cabe and Asa
I love this picture!

It's always so nice to visit, but always hard to say good-bye! We got to spend a little time with my parents during our trip down for Jessi's wedding. Luckily, we're all getting together for our annual family reunion in June so we'll see each other again before too long and spend some quality time together!

Jessi's Big Day!

2008-03-11T08:49:00.000-07:00

The beautiful bride before the ceremony

The girls and Savannah were in charge of passing out the programs.

The girls with their cousins Savannah, Emalee and Cabe

With Daddy

Jessi's cake was GORGEOUS!

The bride and groom

Todd and Bryan... telling jokes... as usual!

Makinley danced and danced and danced...
Makinley during the dollar dance with Jessi

Madison hung out in the babysitting room and watched movies a lot.

My beautiful niece Jessi Lynn got married this weekend to Mr. Jon Brymer. The wedding was beautiful! The girls were in charge of passing out brochures as people entered the church. They did a great job! I was so proud of them. The wedding was followed by a fabulous reception with dinner and dancing. One of the highlights of evening was when Jimmy (father of the bride) joined the band on stage and played his fiddle. It was awesome! Makinley danced the night away... dancing with her Daddy, the bride, the groom, Savannah, Erin.. and anyone else that would dance with her... or just by herself. She was so cute! Madison hung out in the babysitting room with some other kids and sitters watching movies for most of the night. Her eyes were still bothering her a little bit. We had such a great time. It was so wonderful all being together. We wish Jon and Jessi a long and happy life together! They sure did a great job of kicking it off!!

Snow Day!

2008-03-07T16:28:00.001-08:00

Look what we woke up to!!

Where's Bella!?!

I always show off Bella... but never Marti! Here she is! LOVING this weather with her thick coat!!
My angels making snow angels!

Little Madi's pink swollen eyes... they're SOOOO much better than before!

The girls have been home for three days with pink eye! It's been AWFUL! Especially for poor little Madison... hers have been just terrible... although they are much better today.. finally! Yesterday while we were home all day we had to watch on t.v. about all of the snow everywhere in the Metroplex EXCEPT Cleburne! All we got was RAIN all day! Then... we woke up this morning to a snowy wonderland! We immediately put coats, gloves and hats on (over pajamas) and went to play! The girls threw snowballs, made snow angels and "ice skated" on the trampoline. Bella ran around like a freak and Marti was loving finally having weather appropriate for her fur coat! The snow was all gone and melted within 2 hours, but we sure had fun while it lasted!!

Bella's 1st Haircut!

2008-03-07T16:23:00.001-08:00

When I dropped her off, I said "just a trim".... when I picked her up it was like a whole new dog!!! She looks like a white weenie dog with really loooonnnngggg legs!!! I prefer her puffy, but it's growing on me! She doesn't seem to care one way or the other!

Tea Party time!

2008-02-24T19:45:00.000-08:00

The girls were lecturing me the other night that I NEVER have tea parties with them anymore. So while they were in the bath tub, I set up a surprise tea party using our wedding china (sadly, the 1st time I've ever used it!!) complete with their favorites... butter/sugar bread finger sandwiches, apples slices, carrot slices and "Scooby Snack" graham crackers! Yum, Yum! What can I say... it was short notice!! They LOVED it! And so did I!!!

Bella Ballerina!

2008-02-24T19:39:00.000-08:00

Bella is obsessed with this little ballerina tu-tu of the girls. She loves to play with it, chew on it, drag it around, toss it up in the air, and WEAR it! She gets it around her neck and prances all around the house. It's adorable! She's six months old now and fits in with our gang perfectly!

Sometimes they're NOT so Sweet!!

2008-02-24T19:33:00.000-08:00

A couple of posts down I mentioned how sweet they are sometimes. Well.... that's not always the case. The girls were fighting the other night. Rarely, do they fight physically... mostly it's just arguing.... but this fight Madison pinched Makinley's cheek. I'm not sure if you can make it out or not in the pictures, but the mark it left was in the PERFECT shape of a heart. It was too weird! Not sure if it was in honor of Valentines Day or a sign that even fighting... they still LOVE each other!!

Happy ValenTIMES Day!

2008-02-24T19:22:00.000-08:00

With our beautifully decorated Valentine boxes!

With our friend Amy Wallen
With Rayven, Baylee and Chloe

We didn't have a "party" at school... but Mommy came up and brought cupcakes and helped Mrs. Barrett with helping the class distribute their valentines. It was a really good reminder to Mommy why she's not a Kindergarten teacher!! OMG!!! Mrs. Barrett is AWESOME! So patient and loving... and amazingly she still has a beautiful head of hair!! LOL!! The girls had a great time and gots tons of sweet valentines from their friends.

When we all woke up that morning... all three of us had roses waiting for us in our rooms that Daddy snuck in from his truck before he left for work before dawn. What a great guy! We're all so very blessed!!!

Miss Tammy's National Champions!!

2008-02-24T18:56:00.000-08:00

Macy, Madison, Addison, Makinley, Tennyson, Maddie and Kenzie at Rain Forest Cafe on the Riverwalk!

With a proud Miss Tammy after the big win!

Our very first National Champion cheer jackets!!

With Daddy on the Riverwalk!

We went to San Antonio for the Redline Cheer and Dance Nationals for two days on February 8th. Mommy and the girls drove down by ourselves (Daddy had to work) on Friday night and stayed in a hotel all by ourselves! It was so much fun! Daddy joined us as soon as he got off on Saturday and could get down there. We competed on Saturday against 3 other teams and ended up in 2nd place. On Sunday, we did the routine better than we'd done it all year and WON 1st place!! National Champs!! We got a huge team trophy, a team banner, a participant trophy and a JACKET!! We were so excited! When it was all said and done, every single participant from Miss Tammy's (cheer and dance) came home with a jacket! We SWEPT first place in everything!!!! It was AWESOME!!!

While we were there, we took advantage of getting to see Mammers and Paw-Paw! We drove down to Plesanton on Friday night and had dinner with them and Aunt Ada. It was so good seeing them and spending time together... even though it was only for a little while. Sunday, after our GREAT performance but before awards, we all went to the Rain Forest Cafe on the Riverwalk. We had a great time!!

They're So Sweet... Sometimes!!

2008-02-21T08:01:00.001-08:00

The girls decided to read by the fire the other night! Makinley pulled up her rocking chair that she got from Mammers and Paw-Paw for her 1st birthday and read to her sister. They are really too big for their chairs now, but we refuse to give them up!! Madison listened intently and didn't even try to help her or correct her! That doesn't happen often!!

I should be able to keep up with my blog now. I was completely out of space on my computer and couldn't download pictures at all. My wonderful boss, Tracy, paid our corporate IT guy to come out and upgrade my computer. He changed it from a 20 gig hard-drive to a 160 gig hard-drive. I have no idea what that means, but he said we have more space than we could ever possibly use. Whooo-Hoooo!!! I'm so excited!!

Updates!

2008-02-02T19:09:00.000-08:00

Sorry friends! Once again... I'm not able to download photos! Darn! I'm hoping to have memory added to the computer soon so that we won't keep having this problem!

There hasn't been too much to update lately though. The girls had a cheer competition in Garland last weekend, but I didn't take pictures. Hopefully some of the other Moms will email some and I can share. Other than that... we have all been really, really sick with the flu for days! Today is the first time since Wednesday that I've felt almost human. The girls have been running fever for 3 days and have missed two days of school. It's been soooo quiet around here! Everyone has been sleeping and just hanging out. But guess what? They're fighting as we speak... so I think we're ALL getting better (and back to normal!). Oh! I almost forgot! Both girls lost another tooth this week! The 2nd for both of them! Exciting! I'll post pictures as soon as I can!

Happy New Year!

2008-01-11T11:26:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year! We stayed up late and brought the new year in with sparkling water in the champagne glasses Mommy and Daddy toasted with at the their wedding almost 15 years ago!! Daddy had to work, but that didn't stop us from celebrating in style!! We are excited about a wonderful 2008 and wish you and yours the same!!

Christmas in Austin!

2008-01-11T11:18:00.001-08:00

With Uncle Mark and Peyton
A Baby Alive!!!
So Happy!

These are the only pictures that turned out from our Christmas in Austin with the Gittings! Darn!! We had such a nice time. Uncle Mark is always such a wonderful host and Maw-Maw is the best cook ever!! We love getting to see our aunts and uncles and cousins, but we really missed Brian, Aunt Gail, Uncle Mark, Zach and Graham this year!

Santa ROCKS!!

2008-01-11T11:00:00.000-08:00

Hannah Montana!!

Santa SPOILED us this year! We got tents, Hannah Montana microphones.. guitars.. wigs.. boots.. & concert clothes, Leapster games, Build-a-Bear clothes and so much more!! Madison even got her "family of unicorns" that she asked for! I was afraid Santa might have a problem finding a whole family of unicorns! But through what I'm guessing was a lot of perserverance, persistance, and creativity... he managed to pull it off!! Way to go Santa!!!

Twas' the Night Before Christmas!

2008-01-11T10:54:00.000-08:00

It's a tradition for Todd to read Twas' the Night Before Christmas to the girls on Christmas Eve night. I always videotape it, so I don't have still photos. But.... after Todd was done, the girls wanted to read it by themselves. They were so sweet! It was such a priceless moment... with photos to match!!

Cookies for Santa!

2008-01-11T10:44:00.000-08:00

We made cookies for Santa! Such a fun tradition! The pictures of actually making them didn't come out very well though! The girls decided to leave them on the coffee table for him in the living room this year so he could have them as soon as he came out of the chimney. Last year, he tracked soot from the fireplace to the bar in the kitchen and made a really big mess!!

Christmas in Pleasanton

2008-01-11T10:33:00.000-08:00

Mass-chaos is the general theme of Christmas at the Mims'! There are sooooo many of us!!! There are 50 of us! That's just my parents, my sisters and brother and their spouses and kids (and their spouses and kids) and us!! Nolan and Lisa and baby Miles couldn't be there this year because of Nolan's schedule :( so there were only 47 of us!! It's CRAZY but so much fun! Even Todd enjoys it!! We're so blessed! Paw-Paw wasn't feeling great... but he is now. He's doing so much better!!

Party at School

2008-01-11T10:23:00.000-08:00

Our great teacher, Mrs. Barrett

The girls had quite the feast at their Kindergarten Christmas party and book exchange! It was fun... but the girls weren't on their best behavior this time! Mommy was not happy! We had a long talk on the way home, and Daddy got involved when we got home. They've promised to be better next time. I don't know what was going on with them that day! They both had meltdowns!! Too much Christmas activity, I guess!

The Polar Express

2008-01-11T10:08:00.000-08:00

My little red-nosed DEARS
Initially Excited on the Train!
Just found out we're not actually going to the North Pole!!

My sweet little girls... the still "believe" in the magic of it all! They truly thought we were really going to the north pole (just like on the Polar Express movie) when we went on the "North Pole Express" (aka the Tarantula Train in Grapevine). Madison even said she didn't want to have to get out and get on the top of train if sister lost her ticket! Things were going really well until the train stopped.... starting going backwards toward the station.... and they put it all together! They were soooooo upset! Especially Madison! She was heartbroken AND angry! We got lectured all the way home!!! "Mommy! Why do grown ups tell children things that aren't true just to make them happy!!? Cause when we find out they're not true, we're NOT happy!!!" Good point!!

Decorating the Tree(s)

2008-01-11T10:01:00.000-08:00

The girls were such helpers this year when it came to tree decorating time! They really did a good job! Madison decorated hers in her room by herself. Makinley didn't want hers in her room this year... she wants a new one like sisters but I couldn't find one! She said she would just wait til next year. What a big girl!

The girls' Christmas Program

2008-01-11T09:57:00.000-08:00

The girls had their school Christmas Program at the high school. They got to sing a few songs on the "big stage". They were adorable in their little Christmas dresses (from last year!) and their new white fur boots! Too cute!!

Daddy being Sworn In!

2008-01-11T09:01:00.001-08:00

Daddy "officially" became an Arlington Firefighter. We went to his swearing in ceremony and actually got to pin his badge on him in front of everyone! We were so proud!! Mommy was in Pleasanton, because Paw-Paw was in the hospital. One of Daddy's nice friends made sure to take pictures for Mommy!

Back to Work!

2008-01-10T10:22:00.001-08:00

I've gone back to work! (You can probably hear Todd cheering!) I'm the new Marketing Director for LandAmerica American Title's Waddell Office! I started back on January 2nd and am loving it! I get to work from home which is such a blessing! Hopefully, Todd will have my computer fixed soon so that I can download pictures and get this blog caught up again! I'm HATING not being able to share my precious girls!! Keep checking back though... he'll get to it eventually!! Have a blessed day!!

Sorry for not updating!

2007-12-19T07:10:00.000-08:00

I'm having trouble with my computer. I'm not able to download photos lately... therefore, no blog updates! I'm HATING it!! I have so much fun Christmas stuff to share!! Hopefully we'll get it resolved soon and I can catch everyone up on happenings at the Gittings house! Merry Christmas!!

Bella is getting big!!

2007-11-25T14:39:00.000-08:00

Bella is getting bigger!! She was 15 weeks old on Friday and she weighs 4.5 pounds. She knows "sit" and "lay down". She's so much fun! I'm so very glad that we made the decision to get her!! She has brought a lot of joy into our house!!

Tea Party with Mammers

2007-11-25T14:07:00.000-08:00

We went to Pleasanton for Thanksgiving this year. Just me and the girls and Audra and her family. As always, Mammers planned a tea party for her and the girls.... hot tea and pumpkin pie by candle light! Aunt Amy brought hats for the girls to wear and even let them bring them home with them. They had such a great time. They look forward to having their tea party with Mammers each time we go to Pleasanton. I hope they will remember them always.

Kindergarten Fall Feast

2007-11-25T13:53:00.001-08:00

With our wonderful teacher, Mrs. Barrett

Makinley the Indian

Madison the Pilgrim

Makinley with her friend Amy Wallen

Our Turkey Cupcake Cake

The girls had a Fall Feast at school today (11/20). They had lots of great food and treats! I took a turkey inspired cupcake cake for their birthday and the class sang Happy Birthday to them (at Makinley's request of course!). It was a fun time!

Hannah Montana Concert!

2007-11-15T07:54:00.000-08:00

Our LIMO!

Our first time in a limo! So exciting!

Waiting on the others to arrive!

Putting on makeup... in the limo (she is only 5 years old... right?!?)

Girls Night Out!

Macy and Madison

Sweet Maddie

Makinley and Macy
Miley Cyrus... a.k.a. Hanna Montana!

Tuckered Out from our Big Night!

We went to the Hannah Montana concert tonight! The concert sold out almost immediately when tickets went on sale, but we heard the night before the concert that Ticketmaster had released a few more tickets! Mommy got online and was able to get floor seats to the biggest event in town! We spread the word and Miss Amy and Miss Melissa were able to get tickets too! Miss Hollie and Miss Mary had already gotten their tickets when they went on sale. Amazingly, they were ALL in the same section on the floor! Since parking was expected to be a nightmare (7,000 spaces and 12,000 tickets sold) we decided to get a limo! (Thank You Melissa!) That was almost as exciting as the concert itself! We had such a fun time! We are so blessed to get to do the things we get to do... and to have such great friends to do them with! By the way..... Hannah ROCKED!!

Our Birthday Party!

2007-11-12T08:37:00.001-08:00

Posing... before the party

We didn't really have a theme.. just decorations in red, black and white with stars

Brianna, Madison, Jaycie, Makinley, Marti

Asa in the Foam Pit
Cabe in the Foam Pit

Madison mid-jump on the trampoline
Savannah after her big jump off the jump wall

The girls had their 6 year old birthday party today (11/11)! Their birthday is on Thanksgiving Day this year (just like the year they were born!), so we had to have the party a little early. We had it at Peterson's Gym. What a blast!! The kids had a great time!! There were lots of trampolines, a foam pit, and a jump wall. Everyone stayed really busy! The girls had so many great friends come! I wish I had gotten more pictures! The cake was great and everyone was so sweet to bring awesome presents! It was a great time!! Makinley was such a little hostess! Greeting everyone... thanking them for coming... trying her very best to make everyone feel special. Madison... she was focused on PLAYING!! They're growing so fast. It's hard to believe they're almost six! It goes by WAY too fast!!! I love them so very much!!!

Kenzie's Birthday Party!

2007-11-10T18:02:00.000-08:00

Makinley chasing bubbles!

Madison Faith

My little Princesses!

Having cake with the birthday girl's sister, Maddie

Kenzie - The Birthday Princess!

Today we went to Kenzie Bates' birthday party! She turns 3 years old tomorrow! We had so much fun! Miss Hollie had a HUGE Princess jump house, a bubble machine, a yummy Cinderella cake and great goody bags for all of the Princesses (and a couple of Princes) that were in attendance at the royal affair. We had a great time!

Cheer Competition

2007-11-05T07:23:00.000-08:00

A room FULL of girls!

Madison and Maddie

Settling down...

Savannah, Macy and Madison

Makinley, Macy, Maddie, Jada, Tennyson, Brianna, Bailey, Addison, Madison

We had the season's first Cheer Competition... ASC Regionals in Denton this weekend. The girls did great! We took first place in our category... but we were the only ones in our category! I think we would have won even if we'd had competition. They were awesome! We went up on Friday night and all camped out in ONE tiny Motel 6 room... Mommy, Miss Amy, Miss Hollie, Aunt Ava, Makinley, Madison, Macy, Maddie and Savannah! We were packed in like sardines! But it was fun!! We were so happy that Aunt Ava and Savannah came with us. We hope to make it a tradition! Go STARS!!

Field Trip to Country Critters Farm

2007-11-04T18:37:00.000-08:00

Our very first time on a school bus!!

Very excited... but a little nervous!!

Nothing like fake smiles!!

Toe-Sack Races!

Stick Horse Races

Touching a REAL Reindeer!

(we ran into Santa at Walmart... he said it was Dasher!)

On the Hay Ride!

My little posers!

The girls had their first Kindergarten field trip to Country Critters Farm today! What fun! It was their first time on a school bus and that was almost as exciting as the trip itself. I didn't get emotional on the first day of school... but for some reason, seeing that bus drive off with my babies and me following several cars back did it to me! They're getting to be such big girls! Country Critters was GREAT! They had chickens, huge turkeys, goats and a real live reindeer! They had a tractor-train ride, a hay ride, a pumpkin patch, a jump house, pumpkin painting, stick-horse races, hoola-hooping, toe-sack races, story telling and a maze. It was a very full day and the girls loved it! I'm so glad to have the time to be with them during all of these "firsts" now that I'm not working. Makinley said to me during the field trip as we were walking and holding hands "Mommy... I love making memories with you." That pretty much says it all! I'm so very blessed!!

Kindergarten Fall Party

2007-11-04T18:24:00.000-08:00

With our friend Hailey LaFountain

Planting our "Magic Pumpkin Seeds"

Our magic seeds grew pumpkins!!

The girls had their first school party on October 31st! Mommy was in charge of activities (and cupcakes)! It was a blast, but way too short! There wasn't enough time to do everything we wanted to do! We played "Pass the Hot Pumpkin" and Mommy brought "Magic Pumpkin Seeds" for the whole class! We went out and planted them at the start of the party and by the time the party was over... each one of us had grown our very own pumpkin!!! The whole class loved it!!!

Happy Halloween!!

2007-11-04T18:04:00.000-08:00

Trick or Treat!

The girls with their friend, Maddie Bates.

The Little Mermaid at the church!

Face Painting Fun!

We had a great Halloween this year! Makinley was a beautiful bride and much to my dismay and pleading otherwise, Madison insisted on being Dora the Explorer. As it turned out, it was precious! I was glad that I gave in. She loved it! We started the night by going to visit Miss Debbie and Mr. Roger for a little while. It was great seeing them and they loved seeing the girls. After that, we went to "Trunk or Treat" at First United Methodist Church on Westhill. It was GREAT! They go all out!! We'll definitely be going back next year. We ran out of time before getting to the nursing home. We've gone there for the last 2 or 3 years... so I feel really guilty for not making it there this year. Next year, that will be our first stop. It's great for the girls and for "all of the grandmas and grandpas" too.

The State Fair

2007-10-29T10:08:00.000-07:00

Howdy Folks!

Daddy won us some "Stuffties"!

Madison at the Little Hands farm area

Makinley on the Ferris Wheel

Madison didn't care for the Ferris Wheel (or the gondola)!

In awe of one of the floats during the parade

Worn out!!

We went to the State Fair today (October 21st). We had a blast!! We rode the new Texas Skyway gondola and the Texas Star ferris wheel! A first for all three Gittings girls!! Makinley loved both... Mommy was only a little freaked out... and Madison hated every minute of it!! Madison and Makinley also went down the HUGE wavy slide for the first time. They both LOVED that! They did it twice. Daddy came through and won them each a couple of "stuffties" at the Midway.. and probably only spent about $60 doing it!!! The weather was perfect... cool and breezy. We couldn't have asked for a more perfect fall "family fun day".

Pumpkins & Mainstay Farm!

2007-10-29T09:09:00.000-07:00

Our Free Pumpkins!

At Mainstay Farm!

Always so happy to see each other!

Waiting in line for the Hayride with our friend Maddie Bates

Madison

Maddie and Makinley... such little posers!!

The Awesome 85 foot Slide!!

Madison.... Whoooo-Hooooo!!

Makinley threw on the brakes a little early and ran out!

Maddie had done it before! She was a pro!!

Maddie, Madison, Makinley and Kenzie

with freshly painted faces!

A great day... with great friends.

We started our fun Autumn day today (October 20th) by going to the Coldwell Banker pumpkin patch. They were taking pictures and giving away free pumpkins! What a deal! We didn't stay very long because we had a big day planned at Mainstay Farm! Daddy was working but we met up with our friends Hollie, Maddie and Kenzie Bates. We all had such a great time! Face-painting, a hayride, a 3 story treehouse, a wooden maze and playing on big bales of hay and an 85' slide!! We had a blast! We had so much fun that we're going back next weekend with Audra and the boys!!

Making Halloween Cupcakes!

2007-10-16T11:16:00.000-07:00

Multi-tasking!

(talking to Maw-Maw)

The best part!!

The girls and I made Halloween cupcakes tonight to take to their class tomorrow! It was fun, but note to self... a honey bun as an after-school snack... a couple of samples of the icing... licking the bowl... and then a cupcake when they're done is just a little too much sugar for Madison. She was WILD and talked even more than usual, if that's possible!!! The sugar o.d. didn't have near the effect on Makinley (she didn't have a honey bun though!)

Pumpkin Painting!

2007-10-14T19:48:00.000-07:00

Madison Originals!

Makinley's Rainbow Masterpiece

Tonight the girls painted pumpkins! What fun! Anytime painting is involved... they're happy girls!! They've been like that since they were little-bitty.... finger painting was always their favorite! Thankfully, they don't make quite the mess these days as they used to!!

Cheer Practice

2007-10-14T13:50:00.000-07:00

Mrs. Barrett, our Kindergarten teacher!

Miss Tammy

Brianna, Makinley, Katie,
Madison, Maddie, Sydney

The girls had Saturday cheer practice today... getting ready for competition in Denton on 11/3/07. Before the practice there was a baby shower for Miss Tammy. The girls loved getting to play in the gym outside of actual practice! I was shocked that they weren't completely worn out by the time practice actually started! Their teacher, Mrs. Barrett, came to watch them! They were so excited to see her there!

Homecoming!

2007-10-14T13:40:00.000-07:00

Makinley, Addison, Madison

The girls went to the homecoming game with Daddy Friday night. Mommy was sick and stayed home to rest. They got to play with their friend Addison Moore and had a great time. Cleburne played Crowley. Cleburne lost 21-0! So sad! Aren't their mums sweet? Daddy's idea... he always makes sure they get one... this is their 4th mum and they're only 5 years old!! (He does the same thing on Valentine's Day... always sends them flowers!)

Pajama Day at School!

2007-10-12T13:13:00.000-07:00

Madi in her Dora PJ's

Makinley's High School Muscial PJ's

In the Classroom!

Trisha, Madi, Amy & Makinley

Today was "Pajama Pig-Out Day" at school! Everyone wore their pj's and slippers and took snacks for the class beginning with the letter "P"! We took Pink Punch and Pudding!! Yum!! The girls were so excited!

Meet Bella!

2007-10-11T18:36:00.000-07:00

Meet Bella! Bella-Boo... Bella-Cinderella... Belle... she's already got nicknames! She is so sweet! She's a Malti-poo. (Maltese and Poodle). She was born on August 10th and we got her on October 3rd. She's really smart and very, very lively!! If we're lucky enough to have her with us for as long as we had our sweet Halston... the girls will be 20 years old!! That's really hard to believe!!! Todd even likes her!! He holds her and plays with her alot more than I thought he would. She's just precious and has done wonders to help fill the void in my heart after losing my buddy Halston.

Homecoming Parade

2007-10-11T18:13:00.000-07:00

Waiting for the Parade to begin!

Hands on our Hearts for the "Grand 'Ol Flag"

(carried by "soldiers")

We went to the Cleburne Homecoming Parade tonight. We had a great time, even though we waited for over an hour for it to begin. Last year we got there at 6:30 and missed the whole thing. This year we got there at 5:30 and it didn't start until about 6:40. I guess we should really start reading the paper!! We're going to the homecoming game tomorrow night... can't wait!!

Catching Up!!!

2007-10-11T10:45:00.000-07:00

Makinley

Madison

I won't be going back this far.....!!! But I am going to try to catch up on some of the girls significant moments... first day of Kindergarten, etc... So their blog won't be in the exact timeline order right away! Bear with me!!! There are just too many events and special moments to share!! Watch for more to come soon!!

Dress Up!

2007-10-11T09:27:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Aunt Karen for sharing Erica's old dance costumes during our visit to Pleasanton! The girls had such a great time! They got to play dress up with cousins Paige and Emalee and they have worn those costumes for 3 nights in a row since we've been home! They LOVE them!!

The Girls Visit Mammers & Paw-Paw

2007-10-11T09:11:00.000-07:00

Madison, Makinley, Paige & Emalee

We went to Pleasanton last weekend to see Mammers and Paw-Paw. Paw-Paw Bill hasn't been feeling very well lately. The girls always love going there despite the really long drive. Daddy didn't get to go... he was busy attending the Texas/OU game!!! We got to visit with lots of aunts, uncles and cousins. Aunt Karen broke out an old box of costumes for Makinley, Madison, Paige and Emalee. They had a BLAST dressing up!!