March already???

WOW where does the time go? We are nearly 1/2 way through March and I'm not sure where all the time has gone. I have had great intentions whenit comes to updating my Blog, but the follow through is a bit on the slow side.

Today is a sad day...Japan was hit by a record Earthquake and resulting Tsunami. The Tsunami has hit Hawaii and the entire West Coast of the US in addition to the catastrophe in Japan. My thoughts and prayers go out to those affected and those who will continue to be affected for a long time to come.

On a muchbrighter side - the girls are doingvery well. Jade has her driver's permit and is getting more comfortable behind the wheel. She really needs to drive more so she can build moreconfidence, but she's doing very well. She even drove most of the way home from Lubbock a couple weeks ago. McKenna continues to grow and learn on a daily basis. Her humor and her natural good nature keep us on our toes! I picked her up from school the other day andMs. Lori told methat at lunch they had fish sticks. McKenna was peeling the breading off and turned to her friend, Harper, and said, "I'm peeling the scabs off so I can eat the fish". I cracked up! Then Ms. Lori told me that McKenna told her that she's going to have a baby in 2 years. I'm not sure where her imagination comes from, but it's always entertaining.

Feb and March have been good months for visiting family. We were honored to be able to attend the wedding of one of Darrell's cousin's in Lubbock in February. Not only did we get to witness Amanda and James say "I do", but we also got to spend some time with one of his favorite cousins and his family. We love to hang out with Corey, Deanna and their daughters, Laci & Haylee. McKenna is constantly an entertainer and Laci, Haylee and Deanna keep telling me that I should get her into pageant shows. Haylee and Laci put one of Haylee's crowns on her and had her posing in all sorts of pageant poses. It was so cute!

Then just last weekend, the girls and I were thankful to be able to fly to Indiana to visit Megan and her family. Mom and Dad flew in and met us at the airport and then we all drove down to Megan's house. We were there to support Justin as he goes through some difficult times, but despite the sad reason for the trip, we had a good time. The girls loved to ride the horses and especially loved hanging with their cousins. We also got to spend some time with my Grandpa. It was so good to see him!! Jadelyn is quite the horse woman! I am so proud of her courage to overcome her fears of loping and truly enjoy being on a horse. She was even excited to help Miranda feed, brush, and groom the horses. She was also quick to volunteer saddling a horse when the kids all wanted to go for a midnight ride. (we didn't realize it was almost 1am until it was too late to stop the plan) They all went out and rode inthe indoor arena.McKenna even got to ride a horse by herself. (with Miranda walking close by to coach the horse to keep going at the corners) it was such a great visit!!! I wish we could see them more often!!!

Now begins a few weeks of Darrell's travels. He started a new job mid-February and is currently in NYC for one of the big markets. He will be home for about two weeks before having to fly to North Carolina for the next market. I pray that this job becomes what he wants/needs it to be.

McKenna will be turning 3 years old in two weeks...I find myself asking again, where has the time gone? Sometimes we have to remind ourselves that she's 'only' 3...but it still seems like just yesterday when we were anxiously awaiting her arrival. We will be driving to Lubbock for her birthday and taking both girls to see George Strait, Reba McEntire, & Miranda Lambart in concert with Darrell's aunt and uncle. We can't wait!!!

Miranda & McKenna riding Fancy

Jadelyn riding Fancy

Jadelyn on Holly, Kenna on the fence and Grandpa Ah-ha

McKenna riding Fancy solo in the indoor arena. (lots of dust flying around, so it's fuzzy)

McKenna giving Tana a kiss

So January has been a fun month. We started it off right with Jadelyn Celebrating her Sweet 16! We haven't had the party yet, but she is definitely enjoying her new laptop!

We always love when visitors come and this month was no exception - Grandma and Grandpa flew down for a long weekend with us. We had a great Friday just hanging out and having fun. We did a little shopping at Grapevine Mills Mall...and tortured Grandpa by driving by the big Bass Pro Shops TWICE but not stopping! Darrell had to work, so when he got home, we went out for some YUMMY Mexican food!

Saturday was a lazy morning because Darrell had to work again - so the girls and I made breakfast for Grandma & Grandpa while we waited for Daddy to get home. Once he got back, we all piled into the truck and headed to the Stockyards. The weather was a bit cool, but we had a good time. The Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo was in town, so there were a lot of cowboys and cowgirls on horses for the girls to watch. We did the usual picture of the girls on a Longhorn.

Lunch was definitely a hit - we enjoyed All-You-Can-Eat-Ribs at Riskey's in the Stockyards. And I don't know if I should be proud or ashamed that I ate more than Mom & Dad combined! I just love ribs! Jade was a bit sad that she couldn't enjoy them because of her braces, but she did like the steak she got!

My two princesses looking at all the wonderful Build-A-Bear outfits we could buy at the Rainforest Cafe at Grapevine Mills Mall.

McKenna was thrilled with the Sit & Spin that Grandma & Grandpa brought her for her birthday. We were able to celebrate Christmas with them finally too! It was a great weekend and we are so thankful that they come visit us!!

I'm trying to figure out a better way to upload pictures...but for now, this is what you get! I'm also going to start updating this blog more often and earlier in the evening. I always seem to start it after midnight and then wonder why I'm so tired! :)

Sweet 16 & Snow in Fort Worth

Well I don't know why I bother updating this - almost a year later and I still don't have any followers. I guess it's a good way to record some of our memories.

So we had a good Christmas in Oklahoma with Darrell's mom and family. The girls truly love to spend time with family! We live so much closer now, so the traveling stress is a little lighter for us. Everyone had a good Christmas. I got an awesome new camera, so hopefully there will be more pictures that are clear and in focus. I'm going to look into some online album options so it will be easier to share pictures with family. Right now I rely on Facebook and email!!!

I can not believe it, but Jadelyn is 16!! Where does the time go! It seems like just yesterday when I was scared spitless that she wouldn't survive long enough to be born. She was two months early and I was in preterm labor almost the entire 7 months! I spent most of my pregnancy on bed rest just trying to get past each benchmark. Visiting the doctor two to three times a week was the only reason I was allowed to get out of bed. (other than to use the rest room) Each visit brought me one day closer to the prize. After 7 long months, they were unable to stop my labor any longer and my beautiful baby girl was born on January 5th by emergency c-section. It was a close one - we almost lost her several times. Then I had many complications and was unable to see her or visit her as often as I wanted. I was in the hospital for two weeks. The only positive to that was that I got to stay closer to my baby. One of the hardest things I've ever had to do in my life was walking out of that hospital without my baby girl. She was a fighter, though, and was able to come home after just 30 days in the NICU. Seems like yesterday. She has been a true blessing to me and I am so proud of the young woman she is becoming. She is a great big sister and a wonderful daughter...but I also see what a great friend she is to her friends! Everyone is lucky to have her in their lives!

Yesterday we had snow in Fort Worth! The girls loved it - it was fun to see the excitement as they planned to play in the snow. McKenna ran into our bedroom and hollered DADDY DADDY DADDY - IT'S SNOWING, COME SEE!!!

I am proud of both of my girls! They are the light of my life and I thank God every day for them. I am truly a blessed woman!!!

Halloween/Fall Fun/Thanksgiving

So I know it's almost Christmas and I'm really far behind, but I wanted to upload some pictures from Halloween. Jadelyn was a Sexy Samurai and McKenna was a pony. They both looked adorable!

We started the weekend with the girls carving their pumpkins. McKenna was not sure about the gross gunk inside her pumpkin, but she was brave and put her hand in there after some coaxing from Sissy. She finally decided that Jade could finish her pumpkin because the 'gross gunk' was just too much for her. They turned out great!

Halloween was on Sunday this year, and we started the day by meeting some friends at the Fort Worth Air Show for and amazing show. We love to watch the planes doing their tricks and especially LOVE watching the Blue Angels. I'm so glad we made it to the Fort Worth show - we moved right before the Houston Air Show and we were sad to have missed that. No worries - the FW show is just as good!

We left the show and went home to start getting ready for Trick or Treating. The weather could not have cooperated any better!!! We got both girls ready and then Grandma stayed home to hand out candy while Jade met her friends for one last year and Mommy, Daddy and Kenna went out and about. She did absolutely amazing! She said "trick or treat" as each door was opened and then "thank you" when they gave her treats. It was so much fun this year!

We had a fun fall and truly enjoyed the weather. The funny thing about fall in Fort Worth is that it can be really warm one day and very cold the next! Forty-five degrees in Fort Worth felt SO MUCH COLDER than forty-five degrees in Minnesota.

Our Thanksgiving was spent in Minnesota with the Van Brunt side of the family. Instead of heading to MN the weekend before Thanksgiving, we stopped in OK for a short visit. It was great to see Darrell's family and we had the opportunity to go through some of Mema's things. It was bittersweet. We all miss her so much!! Because Darrell had to travel the few days before Thanksgiving, he drove back to FW while the girls and I headed towards MN. It was awesome to have some time to visit not only my family, but also my friends that I left in MN. We had a great time and even got to see some snow!

McKenna doesn't remember snow because she was 11 months old when we moved to Houston. We picked Daddy up from the airport on Wednesday as it started to really come down. I had to dig out my Minnesota Driving skills, but we made it! We ran some errands and as the day progressed, the snow started piling up. I was absolutely amazed when McKenna looked at one of the storefronts and wondered what that guy was doing. He was shoveling! She was absolutely amazed by that and very curious about shoveling. It was so fun to watch winter through her eyes - something I guess I took for granted. We really threw her a snowball (pun intended) when we told her about snow blowers!

After a nice Thanksgiving meal and lots of game playing, Missy and I got up and participated in the traditional Black Friday craziness. Good deals were found and memories were made! While we were hunting for bargains, Darrell and Dad were hunting for deer Up North. I had much more success than they did!!

We have spent the last few weeks trying to get ready for Christmas. Our house is decorated and the tree is up. I love all the Santas and Snowmen that are scattered throughout our house. I have become a huge fan of yard ornaments... we even invested in our first blow up decoration - an 8 foot Snowman! I hope to find more in the After Christmas Sales!!!

I think this is enough babbling for now...I'm going to try to update the page with Christmas stuff sooner rather than later.

We're on the move

So it's been a while since my last update. Things have definitely changed for the Slough's!! We are in the process of unpacking after moving from Katy to Fort Worth!! Our new life should be fun and the last few weeks have been emotional ones to say the least! We hated to say good bye to the friends we had in the Houston area, but are looking forward to making new friends in Fort Worth! I start my new job in a few days and I'm nervous but excited. We are going to Jade's new school tomorrow to get her registered and are on a daycare hunt for McKenna. I will try to upload some pictures soon and will be better at updating the blog. In the mean time - please update your address books with our new address:
4417 Morning Song Dr
Fort Worth, TX 76244

Galveston Island with Nana and cousins

Nana, Donna, Jarod, Sage, M'Kayla, and Tori drove all the way from Oklahoma to visit us for a long weekend. This was the first time they've been to Houston and so we had a lot to see and do. Jade and McKenna stayed with Nana and Donna on Friday while Mommy and Daddy worked. They had fun playing Wii and making pancakes and having pizza for lunch. When Mommy and Daddy got home, we went to Willie's for dinner. That was another hit! Daddy and Jarod woke up early Saturday and headed to Galveston for some fishing. The rest of us girls woke up and headed to the Island after stopping for Kolaches. We found the perfect spot on the beach and set everything up and then the fun began! Everyone had a great time playing in the sand and water. We ate sandwiches and and then went back to playing. Pappasitos was in order for supper.

Nana had to change her plans and leave on Sunday instead of Monday. We got up and celebrated Daddy's birthday with his favorite breakfast and a cake. Then Nana and everybody started packing. McKenna decided she wanted to go to Oklahoma with Nana. After some talking it over, we decided she could try it. She was so excited! She helped Mommy pack her bag and got in the car before anyone could change their minds. Sissy went with her and as they pulled away - McKenna was waving and blowing kisses like crazy! She was so excited!!! The girls stayed a week and both had a great time with Nana and Pop.

2 going on 5

McKenna has always amazed us with her communication skills, but it seems like lately she is even more advanced than normal. It is so fun to drive with her in the car and carry on a full conversation. And her understanding is amazing! She comes up with some really funny comments. Tonight she was trying to tell me that Mr. Moon was out andI kept trying to correct her that Mr. Sun was out but going to sleep soon and then Mr. Moon would come out. We got home and she pointed to the sky and said "MR. MOON IS OUT". I noticed that yes he was out but it was a very light crescent moon. Later she and I ran to WalMart and it was dark out - so Mr. Moon was very bright. She ran to the truck and said "Mr. Moon is awake and Mr. Sun went night-night" I said 'Yes there's Mr. Moon'...to which she replied, "See, I TOLD you he was out". She repeated that lovely phrase in a sing-song voice about 10 times on our way to WalMart.

She notices nearly everything as we're driving down the road:
"Mommy, there was an RV"
"Mommy, did you see those motorcycles back there?"
"Daddy, the fire truck is not at the fire station, it's right there"
"There's Jason's Deli. I like Jason's Deli"
"Mommy, where's the hawk, is he out hunting?"
"Sissy, that guy is not safe. He doesn't have a helmet on."

It's always fun - she skipped the 'why' stage and went right to the tour conductor stage. She commentates EVERYTHING!!!