Play time!

Greg and Addison were playing with the camera last night...here's the outcome...

So cute!!!!

Sleeping Beauties

Greg and I decided to take pictures of our girls while they were sleeping the other night. They looked so calm and peaceful, we just couldn't resist! I was shocked that none of them woke up with the flash in their faces! Thought I'd share the beauty of our girls sleeping...

Now only if we could get them to be this calm a little more often...nothing wrong with a little wishful thinking is there?

Ice Cream Social

The girls have found a new way to entertain themselves in the evenings (when it's a little cooler outside). They have "ice cream socials" with all their Barbies!

We have a really cool (and now very weathered) pony swing in our front yard which is where the party guests sit to be served

Here is Emory, showing off her masterpiece

Those of you who know our princess will recognize this face, it's the one you get from her when she's in a good mood and doesn't really want to do what you're asking her to do (sometimes when she's embarrassed). I couldn't resist sharing it!

Summertime at the zoo

A couple of weeks ago we made our first visit of the summer to the zoo. We have a membership so we go quite often. We all had a great time visiting with our favorite animals. There's one gorilla (who's name I have forgotten) that is so great! He LOVES kids and will stare at them and play with them for hours! When he saw the girls walking up to the window he walked up to his window and just hung out with us for quite sometime. He would watch Addison everywhere she went! Once we got up to leave the window (the girls didn't think it was as cool as I did) he started playing chase with some of the rabbits who live in his forest.

I only got pictures of playing in the creek in the children's zoo. The girls all had a blast and it's their favorite part about every visit! The Dallas zoo has a great Children's Zoo! There's enough in that little area alone for a whole days visit, or at least as much time as you can squeeze in before naps.

Trinity couldn't wait to get in the creek to make "water angels"

Don't have any idea what the reason for this face was, but she's still pretty cute in my book:)

Addison was avoiding the water with all she had...at first

Maybe her big sister splashing like this had something to do with that

"Oh, wait a minute, I can blow bubbles in this thing...I'm so in!!!"

This spider web is a new addition to the zoo this summer and the girls thought it was pretty cool!

Last weekend

I'm really far behind on my blog posts and am trying to catch up so bear with me:)

Last weekend we had a blast! We started off Friday afternoon with brief visit to Club Libby Lu for some nail polish and sparkly stickers, then we met Daddy at The American Girl Doll Store at the Galleria. We didn't tell the girls we were going and they were so excited when they saw it! We had a blast looking at all of the (ridiculously expensive) really neat things you can buy for your doll and learning the history of several of the dolls we weren't very familiar with. Trinity got to take her doll, "Sally" to the salon for a new hairstyle and also got to get new t-shirts for the two of them for the new American Girl movie coming out. Emory made a list as big as Texas of all the stuff she wants for her Baby and all the other dolls she wants. She got a new outfit for her "baby Nana" and it is quite beautiful! The only picture I managed to take was while we were waiting on Sally to finish in the salon:

Saturday we went to a wedding of a good friend of mine from childhood. Even the girls were invited and thought they were so grown up! They spent almost as much time getting ready for it as I did!

A couple of things from the wedding I hope I don't forget:

~When the bride's mom (one of my mom's very best friends in the world) walked in, Emory said, "What kind of shoes is she wearing?" Trinity responded, "Silver high heels". Emory came back with, "hey, I have some of those, except mine make more noise than hers do".

~Addison was dying for some of the yummy cake! She had grabbed a fork and was reaching for them, but I knew she couldn't quite make it so I let her keep reaching. Next thing I know, I turn around and her fork is sticking into the bride's cake and taking a chunk out of it...the room erupts into cheers! I had no idea anyone, much less everyone was watching her!

~Every time the bride and groom kissed Trinity would say, "Ewwww!!!" at the top of her lungs, even during the ceremony!

~Trinity proclaimed she will wear underwear on her head instead of a veil and will smash the cake all over her husband's face when she gets married! I told her she can do whatever she wants on her wedding day!

Addison did finally get her very own slice of cake. They weren't serving them yet, although she felt the fact that they were sliced and sitting on the table gave her permission to walk up and start eating them. We quickly grabbed one and took it to the table where her Gommy fed her.

After the wedding my parents took the girls to their house for the evening and night while Greg and I went gallivanting around town. Okay so we actually just grabbed a quick bite of dinner and I was asleep in our hotel by 8 because I had a wicked headache...but we can pretend:)

The next day was Father's Day. We took it easy at the hotel then went and picked up the girls and visited with my parents for a while. After wishing Pappy a Happy Father's Day we headed to Greg's Dad's house and spent the day playing with their whole crew. We had a great time swimming and eating and playing with everyone! I know there wasn't much special on Greg's special day so we tried to carry the Father's Day theme through out the week. We did do some fun stuff for him almost every day!

Daddys

This is one of my favorite pictures ever! The girls sure do love their daddy! We didn't pose them, they just loved on him, and it was perfect!

Last Sunday was a very important day, it was the day we celebrate people who are very important to us and making who we are/have become. We celebrated the greatness of DADDYS!!!! I am blessed to have given my little girls the most amazing Daddy! He is wonderful with the girls and very helpful to me. He silly every chance he gets and has a great time playing with the girls, just like they do with him. He is serious and stern when the situation calls for it. Because of him our girls will grow up to be happy, intelligent, silly, confident (without arrogance), and have a great appreciation for music and sports! I remember the first time Greg realized he was going to be a daddy, he was so excited to have a baby and have the opportunity to guide a child through all the trials and tribulations as well as all the good time in life, but he was also terrified he wouldn't be good enough. I think that fear is a huge part of what makes him an amazing father! He constantly looks for ways to be even better than he already is and is always open to guidance and constructive criticism from others.

This was our very first picture as the Hinckley Family

Greg always finds time to teach the girls how to have fun and look for the joy in the world!

Even as a third time daddy he was just as proud and in love as the first time!

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Thank you Greg for all you do to be an amazing Daddy to our girls! We are all incredibly lucky to have you! HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!!!!

Now...for my Dad (aka Pappy, Big Nerd, Goober, Pappa Bear...). I am so glad to have the dad that I do! He was always there when I needed him. He was always supportive, caring, protective, and was a great teacher at being silly. I have always considered myself to be a Daddy's girl and I'm sure I always will. I'm glad my girls have the opportunity to spend so much time with Pappy and have so much fun with him. He spoils them rotten and always drives all the way to our house to help out if we/they need him to. He wouldn't miss a second of his grandaughters' lives for anything! The girls constantly talk about their Pappy and how he can fix anything and how silly he is. When Trinity was barely two years old she said she was going to have to "Throw Pappy in the trashcan and pretend he's trash because he's so silly". That has stuck and has moved on through her sisters too! Thanks Pappy for bein an incredible Dad and Pappy to all your girls! We hope you have an incredible Father's Day!!!!!

Pappy always finds room in his heart, time in his day and change in his pocket for his little girls!

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And last but not least, Greg's Dad (aka Pops). Allthough I didn't grow up with him as my dad he has always been more than willing to give me fatherly advice when I ask, always leading me in the right direction. He is full of wisdom and insight and knows the answer to any and every question we have every come up with (of course being the King of Google doesn't hurt). He is always around for a laugh or a serious conversation whenever we need him. I am so grateful to have you as my father-in-law and a grandfather to my little girls! HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!

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Pops loves to share his things with our girls! He has taught them many new things and I know it will make them better people for having had the opportunity to learn from Pops!

To all the rest of you daddys out there, I hope you had a wonderful day full of love from all around you!

Generous hearts, beautiful girls

I am so lucky to have two little girls that fit both of those descriptions!

We went for summer hair cuts today and Trinity decided she was going to get enough cut off so she could donate it to little girls who needed it. She got eight inches cut off! She has a ton of hair, so that will go a long way in making a wig for people in need!



Emory wanted to follow in suit with her sister and wanted to donate her hair too. Although her hair isn't nearly as long we were able to gather two little pony tails and trim them off to send in along with Trinity's hair. It won't be enough for Locks of Love to use in their wigs, but it will they should be able to sell it to offset a little of their costs.



I am so proud of my little girls and how generous they are! They both look precious with their new hair cuts and much older too! Trinity looks like she's at least 8 years old! Emory looks like she's 5! I guess being incredibly tall for their ages doesn't hurt either:)



Here are the before an after pictures of my little girls:

Emory and Trinity before haircuts

(we had just taken both of their hair out of french braids, it's not normally this wavy/frizzy)

Trinity after:

it's hard to see how short her hair is, but you can see how much she got cut off.

It looks great!

Emory after:

The pigtails aren't huge or long, but it's the thought that counts anyway! We had let it air dry while running around, so it's quite full of body:)

Just in case I haven't said it lately, I love my girls...all three of them! They are such amazing kids! Addison was a great sport and very well behaved the whole time!

When I grow up

Yesterday we went to the American Airlines Center to get some tickets at the box office for my sister and her youth group, so I decided to turn this errand into a whole adventure. After picking up the tickets we walked all the way around the AAC, looking in the windows, talking about the pictures and the different kinds of events that go on there and the different types of people who are at these events, which of course turned into what kinds of clothes you would wear to these events- go figure. After walking around the building we ventured into Victory Plaza to check everything out. First we noticed a mechanical bull set up in a bouncy house type thing, so we watched the bull riders; some professional, some had never been on a mechanical bull before. It was the most entertaining to watch the folks in business attire attempt the ride! Then we walked over to the Channel 8 studio window and talked about the news. Just after walking up to the window and giving the girls a quick visual tour of the place, one of the Meteorologists, Greg Fields walked up to his computers to get ready for the noon news. He immediately noticed the four of us watching him through the window and started waiving to us and making faces at the girls. They thought it was really cool! After just a minute or two of playing through the window he walked outside to talk to the girls; I was quite impressed! As if he has time to come out into the crazy heat just before going on the air to play with three little girls! The girls were a little intimidated so they didn't really talk to him or anything, but as soon as he went back inside they started asking a million questions. Emory really enjoyed watching the two female anchors (Alexa Conomos and Shelly Slater) prepare for the broadcast as well. She made a number of comments about their clothes, hair, make-up prep and talking into the camera. The girls were having such a great time, they didn't want to leave!

We did leave and did so just before they started the news (I was hot and hungry), but we immediately turned it on when we got home and the girls thought that was the coolest thing ever!!!

I guess they got a lot more out of it than I thought because they went on and on to Greg about it when he got home. How wonderful to have the opportunity to meet caring and friendly news professionals who will take time out of their work-day to come outside or at least play through the window with three little girls (Alexa and Shelly were very friendly even though they didn't venture outside). I've watched Channel 8 news for years, but now I have a whole new level of respect and appreciation for the crew there!

On the way home I asked Emory if she was going to go into Broadcast Journalism so she could be an anchor person just like the people we saw and at first she was really excited to say yes, but then declared she was going to be a ROCK STAR!!!! but she will keep this in mind in case rock star doesn't work out:) Trinity is still going to be a fashion designer and will make a special set of clothes for rock stars to wear so Emory can wear them in her concerts and help her sell them:) Addison had no response as to what she was going to be when she grows up, but I'll keep you posted.

Last day of school

I can't believe school is already out for the summer! The girls last day was Friday of last week. It was a sad day for me, since we are planning on moving this summer and won't be back with the school that has become such a huge part of our lives and the people who have become a great part of our family. Emory cried on her last day because she didn't want to leave her teachers, does that give you an idea of how wonderful they are?!?!?! Trinity was too distracted by the idea of two parties that day to get sad, but she talks about wanting to go back every day. I took a few pictures of the girls for them to look back on and remember.

Emory and her teacher, Mrs. Donna

Emory and her teacher aide, Mrs. Mary

Trinity headed into Chapel with her Chapel Buddy (and idol), Chloe (Mrs. Mary's daughter)

Trinity receiving her Certificate of Completion

Trinity and some of her classmates after receiving their certificates

Trinity and her Teacher Aide, Mrs. West

Such an amazing year and wonderful memories! Thanks to our school family for all you have done for us, all you have taught us and all you have given us! We are so blessed to have had these four incredible years with you guys; we will never forget you!

Swimming at Nana and Pops'

We spent the Sunday of Memorial Day weekend swimming at Greg's Dad's house, along with some of the family. The girls had a great time playing with their cousins and Greg had a great time playing with his brothers! I had a great time relaxing in the sun! Here are just a few of our pictures from the day:

Trinity is tall enough to stand in the "little pool" this year! She loves it!

Addison still likes playing with her Daddy. She even walked off the side of the pool into his arms (thank goodness he was watching!) and let him dunk her under water!

These two hung close most of the day

Boys and Babies!