Cousins

our little man, Tom :) 

How darling is he?

Kate and Brooke helped at the kids' school on Tuesday morning. It's always fun to see them outside of family events! :) 

Thanksgiving Break

Lainey's cute class on "Pajama Day", the day that school let out for Thanksgiving Break. Lainey is on the bottom row in the plaid pants. Her good friend Alina is next to her! :) 

On Saturday, we got some good cousin time in with Tom! He's so sweet!

He's such a happy boy! :) 

Walker thought Tom might be interested in playing with his toes. :) Haha!

Such a cutie pie. In this picture, he's showing us his strength in pulling this suction toy from the wall! 

On Sunday, we attended the Tree Lighting at the Shops at Legacy! :)

Left to Right: Rylie, Lainey, Kaitlyn, and Cami

Lainey with her BFF, the mayor :) 

Walker and his paper airplane on Thanksgiving Day. He has recently become obsessed with paper airplanes; he has SO many of them! ;) 

Walker also has developed an awkward smile. ;) His upper lip disappears. :) Ha! I'm pretty sure this is a phase. Hopefully.

The kids with Emmy and Tuck and Sofi.

Sofi is the world's most exhausted dog. All. The. Time.

She's the best. :) 

Most dogs play at the dog park...Sofi sits in cushioned chairs. She's truly unique and so very human-like, which makes her so easy to be around. :) 

Reagan is so not-laid-back. She is the protector of our house, at all times. :) Even though she's deaf and there's some debate as to whether she still has her sight. :) 

We finished the break "surfing" at the indoor surf shop in Plano. While this is a terribly blurry picture, I'd like to point out two things: 1. Walker is trying something new that he was very nervous about and 2. Walker is smiling. :) He didn't last as long as Lainey or his friend Hunter, but he tried, and I was SO proud of him for that. 

Lainey, on the other hand, had a blast. She couldn't get enough.

***

Back to school tomorrow!

End of a Phase

Today, we're saying good-bye to Lainey's furniture that she's had since she was little! We purchased the bed for her when she was 2-1/2 years old, and the dresser and the nightstand are from when she was an infant! 

We'll miss you, furniture! Thanks for being so good to us!

NYCDA Houston and a Stars Game

Lainey, on the stage in Houston! 

Here are two other shots that I grabbed from a friend. I want to remember the top picture forever! The girls in these "Liza Minelli" wigs are AMAZING. Lainey is on the front row, third from the right (our right). And the picture below shows their hip hop dance. Lainey's on the far left, wearing a black top, facing her friend Lauren. 

Eva and Lucie came to see Lainey dance! It was SO good to see them, and their mom. :) Thank you, Kate and Lucie and Eva!

Eva was fascinated with Lainey's fishnet tights. She kept trying to poke her finger through the holes. :) 

Charli and Andi ALSO came to see Lainey perform! We felt so lucky! So many loved ones in one place! :) Thank you, Esser family, for making the effort! It was wonderful to see y'all! :) 

Eva, Emerson, Jaci, Lainey, and Kennedy

Little tappers! (Lainey is in the middle on the bottom row.)

As a major highlight of the entire weekend, Lainey won Mini Female Outstanding Dancer. We were both SO excited! What an honor! I'm so proud of her for working her little tail off all weekend long...she really didn't stop. Way to go, sweet girl.

Lainey with her instructors and teammates...one of their pieces received a "Critics Choice Award." 

Lainey and Reese! Cute friends!

Meanwhile, back in Plano, Walker played a buncha baseball games in the freezing cold AND he got a haircut. :) It's always good to come home to that little face. We miss Ben and Walker when they aren't with us!

Walker and Brooke, eating some edamame at Yiyia's birthday celebration

AND, of course, we missed Belle. It always makes me laugh when I catch her in a deep sleep like this. She totally passes out!

And this is how Reagan looks when she totally passes out. She thinks she's a small human. This isn't staged. This is how she sleeps!

On Monday, we went to see the Stars play in Dallas. Walker's good friend Gregorio was there with his family. It was fun to see them! Walker and Gregorio have been friends since Kindergarten! :) Now...time to gear up for Thanksgiving!

Best of Plano

Last week, Ben was asked to give some remarks on behalf of Medical City of Plano, event sponsor for The Plano Chamber of Commerce's annual event titled Best of Plano. He did an amazing job, bringing many of us to tears AND he received a standing ovation! I was so very proud of him! To think that last year, at this time, we weren't sure if he was EVER going to break free from that ventilator, or walk, or eat properly... It's all a bit mind-boggling. We are continuing to be thankful each and every day for Ben's progress!

professional photo

my crummy photo :) 

A rare picture of the two of us!

Happy Halloween!

a huntress and a Skull Trooper from Fortnite, along with the headless horseman :)

The kids are getting tired of smiling. :) This is the sixth Halloween (out of nine total) that Walker has worn a skeleton costume, or some variation thereof. This year, his Fortnite Skull Trooper costume came with a mask but he never wore it...and I think we lost it along the way. :( Oh well. The kids had a blast running around with friends despite the intermittent rain and cold weather! 

Lainey's dance friends, having dressed up for dance on Monday evening

Lainey's school friends on Halloween 

Lainey's school friends plus younger sisters

Walker and his best buds from the neighborhood, minus a few!

Pictured: Walker, Declan, Nicco, and Daniel

the neighborhood friends, along with another buddy, Taven

Lainey dressed Belle as a fairy.

She did not enjoy it very much. :)

***

Happy Halloween!