Big Girl Bed!!!

Tonight is the night! Yes, we put the toddler bed in Sydney's room and now she is sleeping in a "Big Girl" bed. We caught a few pictures of her excitement as we were putting it in her room. A group shot!


A solo shot! And at this point I think she is getting a little concerned.


A close-up

And now, as I am writing this post and putting up these cute pictures, she is upstairs screaming her head off. She has now realized that she can get out of bed and this is a new power. However, there is a gate keeping her in her room so I am thinking she will fall asleep in front of it! Let's hope she gets over this "new bed phobia" she has. We'll keep ya posted!

Love Ya and God Bless, Tara G.

A sick Week!!!!

Well, last week Jordan didn't go to school Wednesday through Friday. And actually her fever didn't break until Saturday night. So, our week was a little different than usual but it was still a fun one. I caught a few pictures of the kids and some of the extra activities we did.

The next few pictures are of the kids with their sticker project. (And I use the word "project" loosely.) Some friends sent the kids each a sticker set of a Nativity Scene. We talked about where Jesus was born, the star in the sky, all the animals around and how the wise men came to visit. The pictures below are where the kids felt the stickers should be arranged. Isaac with his "closed eye" smile and his amazing work with stickers. I personally like how the wise men are falling over or in the sky with the angel!!!


And Jordan with hers. She did a pretty good job if I do say so myself.


I do have to disclose that I did help Sydney with hers. But she was just as proud as if she had done the entire thing all on her own. (The stars were all Sydney!)


And along with the stickers we made a ginger bread house. It was great. The kids were all coughing with runny noses and we were constructing a house made of cookie and candy that we would later eat when everyone got better (therefore reinfecting ourselves for another fun week of fevers and congestion!) However, it was a fun craft and the kids did have a good time. Here are pictures to prove it.

Sydney posing with the freshly made house.

And Isaac with the house. I am pretty sure he ate more candy while he was decorating than he put on it.

And Jordan, look how healthy she looks in this photo. You would never have guessed that she woke up with a fever of 105 that morning!


And finally a group shot of the three of them.

And I managed to get a picture of Isaac with his eyes open!!!!

And another thing Sydney and Jordan enjoy doing is riding the broom around the house like a horse. But Jordan insists that it is not a horse, it is a camel. "A camel?" I ask, "Yes" she replies, "a camel has two humps and can carry two people while horses only carry one person at a time." Camel sounded good to me so I just went with it.

Sydney and Isaac did have a good time while Jordan was home. Jordan, on the other hand, really missed school so she was excited to go this morning. But, I think she did have fun on her extra long weekend. I personally am glad that everyone now has a body temperature within normal and acceptable ranges and no one is coughing in my face. So, as the weather gets cooler here are to more sick days at home with the kids!

Love Ya and God Bless, Tara G.

No School!!!

Jordan woke up this morning with a slight fever and I decided that she should just stay home and hang out with the rest of us. She was really upset that she couldn't go to school so I had to come up with something even more cool and exciting than school. So, we busted out the paints and made paper Christmas trees "Gallegos Style." And of course I grabbed the camera to catch some memories

Here is one of Sydney. She kept trying to eat the paint. It was kind of hard to snap pictures and keep her from eating the art materials!

And here is one of Jordan and Isaac as they are just getting started on their trees!

Jordan about mid way through.
Isaac is done! And yes there was just as much paint on the table as there was on the tree!

And Sydney letting her internal artist out!

And the final products as they were drying in the garage. (This is the only place I could think of where they wouldn't get paint on everything.) So, as they were continuing to dry I caught this picture of the masterpieces! (except that I couldn't get the picture turned so you will have to tilt your head to get the full effect.)

So, here's to sick days. I hope Jordan is feeling better tomorrow. I think we will be creating a gingerbread house this afternoon, so we will see how well that goes for us!

Love Ya and God Bless, Tara G.

We've got a Kicker!!!!

Like any good parents do we went out this weekend, waited in 30 degree weather, ate candy canes and took a number to be seen the big red guy himself. Yes, that would be Santa. The following picture was taken at the beginning of the "Santa Trip." Key word is "Beginning." Notice how excited they all are. And yes, this is how Isaac smiles now. (His eyes are closed and all of his teeth are showing!) A close up of Isaac and his new found smile.

Sydney styling in my stocking hat!

And Jordan posing as well.
And after waiting for about an hour outside and then figuring out that our number wouldn't come up for about 3 hours we left, got some Christmas shopping done, and made our way back for our turn to see "Santa." Yes, everyone was excited; however, I don't think everyone knew what was in store. And when I say everyone I mean Sydney. She was not the least bit interested in actually going up and seeing Mr. Clause or Mrs. Clause. (As you can see from the following picture.)

Yes, Sydney is screaming and yelling as Patrick is attempting to set her on Mrs. Clause's lap. I have to say, it was pretty funny from where I was sitting.

Right after I stopped the video Mrs. Clause said "I think we have a kicker!" And I do have to say in her defense, she was right, she did have a kicker. So this is definitely a picture for the baby book. Also, notice how completely unbothered Isaac and Jordan are by Sydney screaming as if someone is abducting her. That also makes this video kind of funny. O' what fun we had this weekend! We hope all of you are enjoying the holiday season thus far as much as we are (except for maybe Sydney of course!)

Love Ya and God Bless, Tara G.

Thanksgiving Time

Well, it is hard to believe that Thanksgiving has come and gone. I am still amazed that Christmas is only about 3 weeks away. We had a great Thanksgiving and were very fortunate to have great friends to share it with. Our friends Jennifer and Erik from Iowa came over along with our friend Mike from Toledo. Erik, Mike and Patrick all did a residency together at Texas Tech so it was fun having everyone together again. I would have to say that overall we had too much food and a lot of fun.

We managed to get out a few times and show everyone some of the local attractions of the area. The following pictures are of our trip to Brandywine falls.Patrick and Isaac in front of the falls.

Patrick and Jordan in front of the falls.



A picture of Brandywine falls. (With no one in front of it!)

And we even managed to catch a shot of Sydney running around. And "Yes" that is Jordan in the background showing off her funky moves!

And the above picture is one of our "Thankful Turkey." We put a turkey body on the window at the beginning of the month and everyday we added a feather. And on the feather we put something we were thankful for. Everyone had a different color and turned out to be a really fun thing to do with the kids. It was fun to see what the kids were thankful for. And also what they thought Sydney was thankful for. The only change I will make for next year is that I will start at the bottom of the door. Towards the end of the month we had to bend over to see who was at the front door.

And here is a closer look at the turkey. Overall everyone really liked the "Thankful Turkey" idea and I think it may become a new tradition for the Gallegos Family.

And to finish this post there is a short video of the Brandywine Falls. Enjoy!!!

We hope all of you had a great Thanksgiving. Love Ya and God Bless, Tara G.

Waiting for Jordan's Bus

Jordan's bus gets home about 4:25 so that leaves most of the afternoon for Sydney, Isaac and I to play and have some fun. So, yesterday afternoon was no different and we headed outside for some play time. I caught a few pictures of Isaac and Sydney playing. (And if you notice, Sydney is wearing a dress-up dress. She screamed when I tried to take it off at nap time. So, she wore it until dinner.)

Riding a tricycle with a fancy dress on.
Isaac riding.
Sydney climbed into the stroller all by herself.
A close up of Sydney in her dress-up dress without the coat.

"She is clothed with strength and dignity..." Proverbs 31:25

Whatever my kids are dressed in may they always realize that through Christ they are clothed with strength and dignity. This is what I pray tonight for my children (and yours.)

Love Ya and God Bless, Tara G.

Happy Birthday Patrick!!!!

On Monday we celebrated Patrick's birthday and had a really great time. He is now the big 33! So that means I am officially married to an "Older Man!!!" (Since of course I am only 32 HAHA!) So, I caught some pictures of the kids along with a group shot of Patrick and the kids.

This is one of Isaac making one of his quirky faces. And Jordan posing as usual!
And Miss Sydney enjoying a nice piece of birthday cake
(Pineapple Upside-Down Cake.)
And last but not least a picture of the whole group before we dove into the cake.

Well Patrick, we hope you had a great birthday and we all love you very much!

Love Ya and God Bless, Tara, Jordan, Isaac and Sydney