Christmas Program

Tonight was Jackson's Christmas Program for his little pre-school he goes to. It was so cute to see him up there dancing and shaking his bells. This school is by and far one of the best in the area and we are so blessed to be able to attend it. Here's an adorable video of his class performance. Jackson is the little blondie in the center with the white stripped shirt on, you can tell it's him cause he's the dancing :-).

As most of you may have heard the company that Travis works for, XTO Energy, has been sold to one of the major oil companies, ExxonMobil. When we 1st found out we were in shock and dismay thinking and wanting more details before we said anything. Well the details unfolded at work on Monday as the news was reporting of the exciting sale. It is going to be a good thing for the employees of XTO as far as we can see and Travis has plans to stick around now and not jump ship like his 1st reaction to the news. Some of the perks of a smaller business will be gone after May but the incentives to stay put out weigh a lot of that which feels is being jerked out from underneath us. God is still in control, we are all healthy and that is what matters the most to us right now.....Travis still having a great job helps a little too, I will admit.

On another note Jackson is saying some of the cutest things lately now that we can actually have conversations with each other. I want to share some of them so that I don't forget as I usually do.

Jackson: Ta mon, mommy, let's doe to stool

Me: You want to go to school today?

Jackson: Yah, it be fun!

Me: Jackson do you want to go pee pee in the potty like a big boy?

Jackson: No, I don't

Me: you don't want to be a big boy like daddy?

Jackson: No, I like a diapie

OK so I guess we won't be potty training like I thought, he's made his choice for now!

Jackson seeing Christmas lights on houses: Oh, it's a Tristmas lights...see dem mommy?

Jackson shopping with us for some new work clothes for daddy. Daddy picks up a shirt and asks me if I like it, I respond by saying yes and Jackson says: Oh, daddy dat's tute! (In his defense he hears his mommy say things are cute all day long, naturally he's going to talk like the parent he hears all day long)

In baby Jimmy news, he's perfectly healthy and right on schedule, which makes me 23 weeks now. He's been kicking a whole lot more and harder lately. His most feisty times are when I'm laying still, like 2 am, but I think it's because nothing is going on and I can finally focus on the tap show going on in my belly. I'm really tired a lot, get winded easily and feel like a cow but this is all normal, for which I am grateful for because it is a blessing to have all this. The nausea seems to be coming back again as the 2nd trimester rolls to an end. I've heard that happens, but didn't experience it with Jackson so it's new territory for me. There are a lot of things that are the same when I was pregnant with Jackson, like the way I "carry" the baby by not popping out there till around the last of the 2nd trimester. With Jackson I craved meat meat and more meat, especially BBQ. With Jimmy, I have a tinge of a sweet tooth which is not helping with the weigh ins at the Dr. I fight the cravings most of the day, but usually need something sweet once a day. I also want salads more, which you think would be balancing out all the sweet things, but unfortunately isn't. Go figure, by which I me mine!

In a Holding a Pattern

We are currently in a holding pattern with our housing situation. We closed on our 1st house last week and STILL haven't found "the one" yet. A shout out to our good friends the Herther's for letting us rent one of their houses here in Ft Worth, which by the way is on the market just in case you are looking to buy at 3/2/2 in the Wedgwood area, it's pretty nice and very roomy. So while we continue to scour the internet for new listings and reduced prices on houses we are patiently waiting for our house to be found....Lord please bring it to us before baby Jimmy gets here!

So we spent November packing, giving things away and getting ready for our family to come for a visit from Wyoming for Thanksgiving. Gramie and Papa came to see us along with Travis's sister Tammy, her husband Terry and our niece Sarah. It was a great time and we are so thankful that they love us enough to travel 18+ hours to see us. While they were here we did our annual Sunday-after-Thanksgiving-trip-to-the-Great-Wolf-Lodge. Jackson had even more fun than last year and is still talking about the huge water bucket.....we will definetely be making that a yearly Kinley tradition, especially with 2 boys!

Here's a bunch of pics, because those are so much more fun to look at than read my ramblings...

Helping daddy carve my 1st pumpkin!

Seeing it all lit up on the porch.....he was more interested in making sure the cap was on the pumpkin

I think this is the thing he will miss the most about our neighbors on Saldana...their trampoline

Look at that face! So funny

We didn't intend on going trick-or-treating but when our neighbors came by our house 1st to get some loot while we were eating dinner, Jackson wanted to be apart of the fun too. So I took him down the street with them in his regular clothes. It was so cute! Here he is taking full advantage of the offer Mrs Thompson had of letting him "grab what he wants"

After he discovered the pure sweetness and joy that is "candy" he was diving in the bowl we had for the trick-or-treaters. I was hoping to put it off one more year, but what they hey! Getting him to sleep that night was tricky but once the sugar high crashed he rode it right into a good nights sleep, ha! ha!

I realized that I didn't take any pictures between Halloween and when Travis's family came on the 26th....who does that?! Anyway this was him out our back window shoveling up leaves while all the rest of the family was playing on the slide. Such a work-a-holic!

He's so stinkin cute!!

Travis's family downtown at the Christmas parade.

Jackson watching the parade with his Gramie....now you can see exactly where he gets his hair color, no she doesn't dye it, and if I had a picture of them looking at the camera you would see where Jackson gets his sky blue eyes from....it's his Gramie!

Travis with our niece Sarah and Jackson at the parade

Still at the parade....I think that thing was at least an hour long....not good for a gal who's not so much a fan of the parade business....that would be me!

At the zoo with daddy, one of the many attractions we did while the family was visiting.

Jackson showing Sarah the peguins

With his Gramie....little boys have a special place for the women in their life who love them. He always talks about all his grandma's.....4 of them that he knows pretty well, what a blessed little boy!

waiting in line to ride the carousal at the zoo

riding with daddy!

showing Sarah the cool places to play at the zoo

Jackson and Sarah

testing the waters at the Great Wolf Lodge....I couldn't hardly get him to hold still so I could snap a picture

That serious face...he was working on squirting people with the toy jet ski

Trying to get a picture of a little boy in a water park....impossible. I think Travis had a death grip on him here

Sarah coming down the slide backwards

She is a water baby and I'm so proud of her swimming skills at such a young age. She'll be 4 next week, but swims AWESOME already! Too bad she couldn't of come and visited us when we had the pool at our house

FINALLY...I caught a smiley face with the camera before he ran off

Organizing the "boats" in the wave pool

Watching the Huge water bucket in the splash zone while enjoying a buffet of kid loving food

In the lazy river with mommy, although it was more rapid than lazy if you ask me. He was mad because I was stopping to let daddy take our pic

The next morning swimming again till we had to check out. The kids splashing Travis in the toddler play area....this is only 1/2 of it!!!

He found a rack with life jackets on it and wanted one on. I think from having to wear one on the boat all the time he thinks they are cool to have now. Plus in the summer we jump off the boat in the middle of the lake and float around a bit, so he's used to the freedom a life jacket can provide for a little guy

Swimming for a basket ball. He loved not having to be held on to in the big kid water sports area where the water was too deep for him to walk in

Taking on some of the agility course....such a dare devil

Snow, yes snow in Ft Worth. It happens only once or twice a year and this year it came about a month early on December 2. It was so nice to see out our windows. I love it when it snows, it's the cold and wind that I like to live with out

It was even sticking to the grass

At the Christmas tree lot with daddy to get our 1st real tree in 9 years.

Running thru the trees at the lot....he was in heaven, such an outdoor boy. Check out those gloves....yes he has gloves that fit him perfectly but insists on wearing daddy's.

sizing up a tree

No, this isn't even close to the price we paid for our tree, but I couldn't believe the price of these so I had to take a pic. I have to admit they were VERY impressive trees and they felt like silk when you touched them

In the back of the truck waiting for daddy to load up our tree

Helping daddy with the lights

Not too many pics with mommy since I'm usually the one running the camera, so I'll take what I can get.

Stealing a smooch from him

Giving mommy BIG hugs....he'll squeeze your head off if you let him. When he finally gives loves he gives them with all his strength....I love that about him!

His favorite game...jumping off the couch onto his pile of pillows

SOLD!

Our house sold in 5 days flat! We had our 1st showing on Friday evening and had an offer the next morning. We did a counter offer, they accepted it and we will be out of our 1st home by December 1. I know it's just a house but it still has so many memories with in these walls. It's our 1st house, it's the place we brought out 1st baby home to. It's where JT crawled for the 1st time, stood on his own for the 1st time and spoke many of his 1st words. I'm hoping the next house will be where we can stay for a long time and I can tell my future daughter-in-laws and grandchildren that this is where Jackson or his brother did something for the 1st time. I moved around so much as a kid that I really don't want that for my kids....such an un-settled feeling growing up, but the flip side is I've seen most of the east coast of America that most people will never get to see.

I have some adorable video from Halloween...we ended up trick-or-treating. I'll post it later...we have another ultra sound this am!!!

The low down on mommy

Because y'all are dying to know this right? ha! ha!

1. What is your favorite thing to snack on while your blogging?
I try not to eat and type, bad combo in Crissy's world

2. What is one thing you wouldn't want to live without?
My non-spiritual, unemotional answer would be a hairbrush

3. Beach, Mountains, or Farm? Where would you live if you had a choice?
This is a hard one to narrow down...I'm thinking the beach because I NEVER get to go there. My in-laws have a cabin in the mountains so I feel like I could just pop up there anytime I felt like I needed a mountain retreat. A farm?....not really digging animals lately. I don't hate them, I just don't want to take care of any right now.....still mourning Copper I guess. I didn't realize how much I loved that stupid dog!

4. What's your least favorite chore/household duty?
Keeping up with groceries.....what a beating!

5. Who do people say you remind them of?
They don't, because I usually hear that "He broke the mold when He made you!". It used to bother me, but now that I'm older I like it that I'm different

6. Prefer parties and socializing or staying home with the fam?
I like to socialize but I hate being gone too many nights in one week. I guess I like whatever I'm lacking.

7. What's your all time favorite movie?
Not much of a movie watcher....just takes so long and I have a million other things I could be doing. When I was a kid I watched Mary Poppins over and over. I can recite Steal Magnolias word for word from when I was in Jr high.

8. Do you sleep in your make-up or remove it like a good little girl every night?
Makeup? Who has time for that these days? But when I do wear it I admit I'm so lazy.....on a good night I will wipe it off with a wet rag, but usually I sleep in it.

9. Do you have a hidden talent or a deep desire to learn something that you've never had a chance to learn? What is it?
I would love to learn how to sew. I'm actually going to get a chance to do that this next semester with Miss K. We're going to make a patchwork quilt for JT's bed.

10. What's one strange thing you're really good at?
I can remember dates (birthdays, anniversaries) really well. I used to be good at phone #'s too but cell phones have stiffuled that talent. I'm also really good at remembering directions and shortcuts. Travis says that I'm a walking talking Mapquest. Pregnancy brain has made that a little more difficult lately

11. What first attracted you to your spouse?
He was funny and fun to be around (oh and the blonde hair and blue eyes....love that combo!)

12. What is something you love to smell?
The smell of newness. A newborn baby, new clothes, anything that is brand new has just a certain smell to it.

13. Tell something about you that you know irritates people.
Where do I start? I think I can be really bad about calling or returning calls. The only time I like talking on the phone is when I'm in the car.

14. When you have extra money, what's the first thing you think to do with it?
It used to go straight to savings, but I've slipped into a bad habit of spending it lately

15. Are you a silent laugher or a loud laugher? What makes you laugh the hardest?
I am a loud laugher. I don't like to be but it just happens. Unless it's super funny then Travis says I wheeze. Lately it's been Jackson and the things he does, but most of the time it's Travis. He has such a dry sense of humor and you never know what he's going to say sometimes.

16. Where is your favorite place to shop?
Hmmmm.....I don't like a lot of choices because it overwhelms me, so I would have to say Costco for groceries and household stuff, Old Navy or Ann Taylor Loft for clothes.

17. What's one thing you'd do more often if you had more time?
I'd probably read more books. Of course I could do that if I would turn off my computer.

18. Are you a big spender or frugal?
Depends on what it is. I'm a coupon clipper and a Walmart price matcher shopper, but when I'm tired of replacing junk things in my house every few years I then buy a better brand, which costs more. Travis always says "you get what you pay for!"

19. Who is your favorite character of all time?
Liz Lemon from 30 Rock ("suck it, you I-hop monkeys!")

20. Would you want to be famous?

Absolutely not! I love to go into hiding and would hate to have some creepy paparazzi people trying to snap pics of me in my pj's drinking coffee out back on the porch swing. When I'm out in public, I'm a public person, but I LOVE my privacy when I'm at home!

The prize for reading all this nonsense....an adorable pic of JT. Course only the grandparents will consider this a prize :-)

Happy Halloween!!!!!!!!

Some videos!

He's really coordinated, which DOES NOT come from his mama

Whenever he sees you with the camera I've trained him to say "cheese!" then he'll say "I see?" because he likes to look at the picture I just took of him....so cute!

That's a rock!

You don't have to say everything you're thinking

Hmmm, I'm going to make that my new mantra. I learned it yesterday in Bible Study and it sunk in hard and fast let me tell ya, especially since I don't say a lot of things in love which then just comes across harsh. With my close friends and family I think it's ok, cause a lot of the time I am just joking around, but I need to curb it with more sensitive people for sure!

Speaking of saying what you think. JT was feeling frisky before bed time last night, which is the norm, but our realtor was here taking pics for the virtual tour on his web site (how high tech huh?). JT must have gotten a good vibe from him cause normally he's not much of a stranger associater. Anyway, he was running around the living room trying to get daddy to catch him and he turned to Mr Larry (our realtor) with a fist held high, a huge smile on his face and told him "knuckle samich, right here buddy!" We seriously could not stop laughing. That kid is hilarious sometimes.

A baby named Mater

Apparently Cars is our favorite movie and Jackson would like to leave a legacy for this stage he's in right now. Let me explain the situation a little more....JT loves to wrestle and loves it even more when he can jump on you. Well for obvious reasons that had to stop with mommy a few months ago (which I hate cause I love to wrestle too). I would tell him no, can't jump on mommy because there's a baby in my belly and it hurts when you jump on it. Being the little copy cat that he is and only after hearing that a few times he still lifts his shirt and tells me that he has a baby in his belly too. He also watched his favorite lady in the world get bigger with a belly this summer and then suddenly have this tiny baby in her arms (Miss Bekah). I don't know if he's made the connection but when he asks to see them he includes baby Jackie in the game of Name-your-favorite-Elizalde. Ok so moving on......I told him that we were going to give the baby in mommy's belly a name and asked him if he wanted to help. Stay with me cause it gets cute at this point.....He kind of looked around for a minute and I wasn't sure if he really knew what I was asking him. He lifted up his shirt, pointed at his belly and said "baby". I replied, yes that's Jackson's baby. Do you want to name your baby too?. He still was looking around, kind of processing it, then he walked over to me, lifted my shirt up, pointed at my bulge and said "baby Mater?" At first I was confused but then I asked him "what was that?" (which by the way he's like his mommy and DOES NOT like to repeat himself) so he yelled and jammed his finger into my tummy saying "BABY MATER!" To defuse his frustration at my lack of listening skills I calmly replied..."OK we'll name the baby Mater". He smiled with a huge smile and trotted off.

I'm hoping that he'll forget this little conversation because he can be pretty intense at wanting his way at times and I just won't ever be able to fully explain to this little boy that he was named Mater because his strong willed brother had a true fiery love for the movie Cars. Maybe we'll give him the nickname Mater. I know Jackson gave him that name in love because Mater is his absolute favorite in that movie.

A word about potty training.....we are on a 2 week countdown and we'll be testing the potty training waters over here at the Kinley house. I fear this more than giving birth ;-).

Another note....our house is back on the market. We have a awesome realtor this time, we both feel completely at peace with it and are excited to see where God will have us end up. Course we can't agree on anything concerning a new house, so that will be a test of our marriage once again ;-)