Adolphus Children's Christmas Parade

On Saturday, we took the girls to the Adolphus Children's Christmas Parade in downtown Dallas.  The last time Aaron and I went, we were just dating, so the parade has definitely expanded over the years.  Despite the temperature being in the 30's, the girls seemed to have a good time.  Makenzie enjoyed hanging out with her cousins Megan and Caleb and her Aunt Tammy.  Ashlyn enjoyed cuddling with her daddy.  Below are a few pictures from the parade.

Makenzie just got a new bike from her cousin Madelyn (thanks Madelyn).  Here is a clip of her riding at the local elementary school.   Of course we are very proud of her - only 2 yrs 8 mos. old  - next stop Tour De France!

HALLOWEEN!  It actually stretched over 2 nights for the McGilvray family.  The city of Wylie had their "Boo on Ballard Street" with local stores handing out candy (pic with strollers) on Thursday evening.  Then, we took the kids to Aaron's parents' church for a fall festival - with games for the kids (rewarded with candy) and bounce houses.  Fun was had by all.

Oops-Mommy Left the Candy Out

After bath time, Aaron took Ashlyn to get dressed and I stayed in the bathroom to clean up after the girls.  I thought Makenzie was in her room waiting for us to read to her, but Aaron discovered a different scene.  Makenzie managed to climb up to the counter to get the bag of M&M's I left out earlier in the day. She apparently dropped the bag as she tried to sneak the candy and he found her sitting on the floor eating away.  Needless to say, I will have to be more mindful of leaving the sweet treats out for little hands to grab!

Ashlyn's First Tooth

Ashlyn's first tooth popped through about two weeks ago.  Her daddy and I hope her screaming episodes in the middle of the night were a  result of the pain she was feeling with her tooth.  We also hope and pray that she doesn't react the same way with EVERY tooth.  Otherwise, we are in for a long road ahead of us!  We never really knew when Makenzie was cutting a tooth-she is such a tough cookie compared to her sister.  Lucky for Aaron, Ashlyn and Makenzie both have pretty loud voices so that makes three of us in the family.  Things could be interesting in about 11 years (if not sooner).  The girls continue to bring joy in our lives and we are so blessed to have them as our daughters.  

Trip to Tomball

While Aaron was on his elk hunting trip, the girls and I made a visit to see my family.  My parents were still without electricity from Hurricane Ike, so we invaded my sister's house for the week.  Makenzie had fun playing with her cousin Madelyn and Aunt Heather while Ashlyn enjoyed loving on her Uncle JD.  My sister helped Makenzie ride a bike with training wheels for the first time.  She seemed to enjoy riding the bike, but I think she enjoyed riding her cousin's gator the best.  Here are a few pictures from our trip.

Elk Hunt in Utah

Aaron, his parents and brother just returned from a week of Elk hunting in NE Utah on the Deseret Ranch. As you can see from the pictures it was a successful hunt and we will be enjoying some good eating soon. Aside from the actual harvesting of the animals, the overall experience was indescribable. We saw (and heard) lots of elk each day - sometimes 30 at a time. Since it was the rut, the elk were constantly bugling and herding their cows. There were also multiple fights between competing bulls that were also witnessed by us. The accomdations were outstanding and the people were great. We also spent lots of time hiking up and down the mountains, so we definitely got our exercise. The scenery was also enjoyable with the aspens and maples changing colors. We also saw antelope, mule deer, moose, and a porcupine. This was the experience of a lifetime.

Owen's Spring Creek Farm Trip

This past Saturday, August 16, we took a morning trip to Owen's Spring Creek Farm with some friends of ours from church.  Makenzie enjoys playing with her friend Kylie and the two spent the morning feeding the goats and sheep, petting the horses, and looking at pot-bellied pigs.  We weren't able to take the hay ride due to rain earlier in the week, but the girls seemed to have a good time regardless.   We look forward to making another trip this October for the annual pumpkin patch.

Trip to Twin City Ranch

On July 11, we set out for our first official trip with both girls.  We headed to pawpaw and granny's ranch near Centerville, TX to see the cows, horses, donkey, and the new chicken farm. The chicken farm is quite a site-pawpaw and granny have six chicken houses with approximately 26,500 chickens in each house.  Makenzie had a great time riding the four-wheelers with mommy, daddy, and pawpaw, and swimming in the river with daddy and Montana.   Our yellow lab, Dakota, managed to keep himself from being chased by a herd of cows this time, but he did get chased by a deer protecting her fawn and Montana was chased by a stallion.  Makenzie talks about the "country" all of the time and she prays for granny, pawpaw and the animals every night.  We look forward to many more trips there.

Feeding Geese

On July 20, 2008, the four us went to feed the ducks at a neighborhood pond.  Lucky for us, a flock of Canadian geese were there.  We had a good time feeding them - although Makenzie was a little afraid once she got on the ground in the middle of all of the geese.  She also wasn't sure if she wanted to eat the bread or feed the geese.

On Wednesday July 1, 2008 Makenzie, Mommy & Daddy drove to Fossil Rim Wildlife Center in Glen Rose, TX.  We had a wonderful time driving through the park and feeding, petting and viewing all of the animals.  We saw rhinos, giraffes, zebras, ostriches and all sorts of deer and antelope.  Makenzie had a great time and fed some of the animals herself.  Mom was ecstatic, as you can see from the picture, that her favorite animal, the giraffe, stuck his head in the car.  This adventure is highly recommended to other parents of young children.