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!!!

Independence Day 2010

We were looking forward to a nice long weekend in Dallas to celebrate Independence Day. We had survived four straight days of rain in Katy thanks to Tropical Storm Alex and were looking forward to sight seeing in a dry area. Jadelyn has never been to the Ft. Worth Stockyards, so we were going to spend a day there. We were also going to give Hurricane Harbor a
try. I booked a hotel that would accept the dogs, so we were all set to go! After shopping for snacks and goodies for the car ride and for the hotel - I looked at the weather forecast and was heartbroken to learn that the entire state was expected to have rain ALL WEEKEND LONG!!! So instead of spending money on a weekend in the rain, we decided to stay home in the rain. Saturday turned out fairly decent - it rained off and on but we were able to get a couple errands run. Then we went to dinner with our friend Marie and her family. After dinner it was BOWLING time!!! We had a blast! McKenna loved bowling and was a trooper staying up WAY PAST her bedtime. Today, after sleeping in a bit, we went for breakfast and then shopping for fireworks. It was a quiet day as a family with the sporadic firecracker being lit in the backyard.

Darrell grilled some awesome ribeyes while I cooked up some mushrooms and Ranch Style Beans. We had a great dinner and then played some Wii, where we learned that Darrell doesn't like playing games he's not great at. We settled on more bowling and had fun taunting each other. Then it was time to go to the fireworks. We set our chairs up in the bed of the truck and watched all the fireworks around the Mall...then the real show began and we realized we were very close - felt like we could reach out and touch them! McKenna was too scared to look at the fireworks close by but loved watching for the far-off ones both before and after the main show. Happy Birthday to the greatest country in the entire WORLD!!!