Smells Like Awesome

Joshua's Birthday

2011-11-29T08:02:00.001-08:00

Yesterday was Joshua's birthday! I think back to the day he was born and how incredibly tiny he was. He was then and still is an amazing kid! Joshua has filled our lives with more joy and laughter than I could have ever imagined!

Joshua got to celebrate his birthday early at his party and then again with a few more presents over Thanksgivng...and then again Sunday evening with my parents...and then finally on his actual birthday. I think I've had more cupcakes this month than the whole of 2011 combined!

He got to wear a birthday crown at school which automatically boosted him an extra coolness level.

For dinner Joshua wanted to have a hot dog and fried pickles so we went to the place that does great hot dogs and fried pickles...Katz's Deli!

Not only do they have great fried pickles and hot dogs, but they also have all you can eat deli pickles! Joshua took advantage of this perk!

This is the kids hot dog!

and see the fried pickles...not just fried pickles, fried pickle spears!

A meal fit for a king!...or at least one fit for a birthday boy who loves hot dogs and pickles!

Once we had all the salt we could handle we headed home where Joshua enjoyed the rest of his birthday with his new toys!

Happy Birthday Joshua!!!

You are so loved!

Birthday Celebrations Continued

2011-11-29T07:35:00.001-08:00

Its been a while since we did a party at home. This year we found a great price for a bounce house rental. It was the best party investment EVER! We had the bounce house for 24 hours too so we set it up in the morning and the kids played on it from that time until late that evening!

After a few hours letting the kids bounce and scream we re-energized them with cupcakes!

Once everyone had eaten their cupcakes they went back out for a little while to bounce out the sugar and came back in for presents!

My memory of this part of the party, like this picture, is somewhat of a blur caused by hyper children and flying tissue paper!

The day ended happy and exhausted kids and tired parents!

1st Grade Thanksgiving

2011-11-29T06:56:00.001-08:00

First grade celebrated Thanksgiving with a cute presentation for the parents (which you know we are all suckers for) and a big feast!

The class did the alphabet of Thanksgiving. Joshua was the letter "U". He was so proud!

The kids all enjoyed a small feast afterwards and then got to go home early to start their vacation!

The next day was the birthday party!

Riley's Birthday

2011-11-29T06:26:00.001-08:00

My baby girl, THE baby, turned 5! As far as she is concerned though she turned 15! Riley is quite the little lady who loves to wear her dresses and skirts...with heels (either her Jasmine or Rapunzel heels of course). Everyone is still unclear as to where she got her girlie-ness but it suits her well.

For her birthday she asked for the Littlest Pet Shop Treehouse...which she wanted to shop for on her birthday...so we did!

and she also picked out a new Barbie scooter complete with light up wheels! This girl knows what she wants! When she saw her scooter in the store she picked it up and carried to the check out line. I caved and got it for her but told her she could not open it until her actual birthday. Even though she had hand picked her gift...and personally carried it out of the store after its purchase...and brought it into the house...and set it in the closet...

She wanted it gift wrapped. But not with any gift wrap we had in the house. Nope, she picked that out too.

And if you can tell from the motion blur in the picture she couldn't wait to tear into said wrapping paper on her birthday!

She picked Red Robin for dinner, probably because she knew that they give you a birthday sunday and she loooooooves ice cream!

And ice cream she got! Doesn't she look excited! Daddy refused to look at the camera because he was watching the TV overhead. I think I've come to accept that only one out of every 100 pictures I take might have everyone looking at the camera...adults included!

Now she is asking to get her ears pierced and she says she has even found "the perfect earrings!" Maybe for Christmas!

Riley got celebrate more at her birthday party that weekend!

That post to follow...

Happy Birthday to my little lady! We love you Riley!

The Princess, the Kitty, and the Astronaut

2011-11-13T18:21:00.001-08:00

Sounds like a great story right? I'll have to come up with one...could be a best seller!

The kids had their best Halloween ever! The whole neighborhood was filled with kids and parents everywhere! The kids had a blast trick or treating with their friends and I have to admit even I had a great time visiting with all of my neighbors!

Once the doors opened up everyone was pretty much out the door and down the street so getting pictures was pretty challenging Halloween night. Thankfully I managed to get a few pics of the kids the day before! Next year I know to start getting pictures early, like as soon as they get home from school!

This last picture took about six parents and ten minutes to wrangle these little guys together. This small herd grew and grew...and grew throughout the evening!

Everyone got a TON of candy! We made one lap through our small section of our subdivision. Half way through the lap Jason had to bring the kids new bags as their first bags were too full and heavy to continue! I think we're set for candy for most if not all of 2012!

My Favorite Planner

2011-08-31T20:41:00.000-07:00

I'm on a blog post roll here! Actually it has been an exceptionally productive day today and I don't want to waste a minute! I can honestly say that a part of my productivity today is a result of keeping my daily plans in check! The absolute best way I've found to do that is with this...

It is exactly what is says it is! It was my birthday gift to myself...and I love it!

It was designed by and made for moms (if the cover didn't give that away)!

...moms with lots o' kids (which to be fair is you know at least one)!

I love seeing a week in view with all the info neatly categorized.

If you are a mom, who maybe has a mild to severe addiction to organization...check them out here! They have lots of great styles and colors!

Kind of like a blank canvas

2011-08-31T20:24:00.000-07:00

With the current heat I am not too interested in winter wear or anything made of anything other than thin cotton! But I have a collection of yarn with some beautiful colors that have my little fingers itching to knit something. I don't know what just yet, but I am sure it will be lovely!

Someone likes the new fertilizer!

2011-08-31T20:18:00.000-07:00

I've read great reviews about a fertilizer called Neptune's Harvest. I bought some, started a weekly fertilizer routine and now I'm a believer! Even in 108 degree weather I've got this...

Look! Baby Cantaloupe!

Pre-School at Home

2011-08-31T20:11:00.000-07:00

For now Riley is doing pre-school at home. We have so many workbooks and school materials that I could open a small school! I have a Kindergarten program mapped out so even though she'll go through it next year I figured it wouldn't be a bad thing to get an early start. Riley does school work every day and so far has been a good student although she starts to lose focus around 2 pm so we have to start early! Her biggest motivation is the sticker she gets at the end of the day!

When Riley is not in school she is helping mommy around the house and with the errands...

I love the kid sized carts at Kroger...and so does she!

Back to School - Week 1

2011-08-31T19:40:00.000-07:00

Last week was the first week back to school for the kiddos! August is a full month with several birthdays and anniversaries but the majority of our focus was getting ready for that big day, the first day of school! So far, so good! They are even handling the early mornings surprisingly well. The one thing I was hoping for has not happened yet though. I thought once school started they would be tired at ten o'clock at night and easier to put to bed. I thought wrong! They are still wired late at night even with an early morning and a full day of school, homework, and playtime. Even half way through week 2, they're wired, mommy is exhausted!

Thankfully Jason has been brewing a strong pot of coffee for me before he leaves for work! I cling to it even as we walk to school with it being in the upper 80's outside. Mommy...must...have...coffee!

Out the door and ready for the first day of school!

Joshua getting straight to work in 1st grade!

Daniella and her class had to sort and organize all of their supplies.

Back in June on the last day of school we had dinner at Red Robin. Jason decided to kick the school year off with dinner there again! When we got in the car this is what we saw

Yeah, crazy! Next time we'll park in the non-Hades section!

Aside from the blistering heat the kids had a great first day of school! What made it even better was how normal it was. Last year was a little hectic for all of us so this year we all enjoyed the "simpler" start!

Like any mom, I'll be praying for a good and fun year for the kids filled with lots of fun memories! For all of you with kids in school, I will be praying that they too will have a great year!

Little Fishies

2011-08-11T18:55:00.000-07:00

With 100+ temps every day the best place to be is the pool...well actually maybe the beach but I'm not much for traveling these days so while we're keeping it close to home its the pool! Joshua started the season wearing his life vest or floaties but now we are working the different swimming strokes. I think both kids will enjoy the swim team next year! They love the water (really what kid doesn't) so we're letting them enjoy it as much as possible. We've even looked into diving school! The Woodlands has an amazing diving academy and we have the kiddos on a wait list to start. Fingers crossed we can get them in this Fall! We've got some light weight water loving kiddos so "flight school" should be a blast for them!

No, not a blurry picture...Daniella is coming up from deep end.

He's SO tan! Our "brown shark"

Joshua coming up from under water.

Baby girl with her sweet smile!

A Green-er Thumb

2011-08-08T15:11:00.000-07:00

I've never had a lot of success when it comes to gardening. I love pretty gardens and like the way they look but never have been able to grow plants that live longer than a few weeks. We tried a veggie garden a few years ago and did OK but I would be lying if I said I provided the proper attention to it and we got one tiny squash and one tiny green bean. Ultimately those too died off.

If you're a pro gardner and you want to start some seeds so you can have veggies and/or fruit for by summer you know to plant "after the last frost", which in our case would have been February-ish. So true to amateur form I started in mid April.

Deciding not to actively kill my plants this year I started studying "gardening 101 stuff" regularly and daily, several times a day work on my plants. I now know why its called a nursery!

I started with several seedlings have only a few survivors. Just my luck I decided to start to learn to garden properly the year we have a severe drought and months of 100+ degree temps. Don't get me wrong, I love a challenge, but really?!

My dreams of bountiful fruit and veggie harvest are, well, gone but I am hopeful that I might be getting A tomato this month and even if I don't, if my plants live I will call it a small success! At this point I'll take what I can get!

I've started a few winter harvest plants in hopes that those will go better.

Since this is something I've spent some serious time on this summer, I thought I'd share a few things I've learned over the past few months...more like a few FYI's!

To anyone, well, not me I'm sure it is all a big "duh!" but for giggles here ya go...

1. Store bought potting soil usually has small time release capsules called osmocote. If you use Miracle Grow potting soil, it will most likely be in there. Osmocote in the soil looks like small round yellowish balls. I thought (until I finally did a search for it) that these were tiny egg sacks of some pesky bug. You can "crack" them open and they will have a clear or sometimes milky liquid in them. Long story short, if you are working with garden soil and come across these tiny round egg looking balls. Don't fret, it is a fertilizer. There is no need to dig them out and crush them to ensure that the bugs inside die like someone I know.

2. A really good fertilizer is Miracle Grow Tomato and Garden Veggie fertilizer. It is inexpensive and lasts a while for small gardens. Also good fertilizers are egg shells (calcium bicarbonate), coffee (rich in nitrogen), banana peels (potassium), rabbit poo (a little bit of everything), and fish emulsion/seaweed blends. Egg shells, coffee, and banana peels are obviously easy to come by. Rabbit poo can be too if you know someone who has a rabbit or has wild rabbits that like to poo on all of the cut tree stumps around their new country home. Stump fresh rabbit poo will be my option! For fish emulsion/seaweed blends I've read that Neptune's Harvest is as good as gold to plants. I actually have some in route my house right now so if I have some one-pounder's in a few weeks, I'll let ya know!

3. Pests are a just that. Pests! For melons and squash plants beware of spider mites and mildew (usually noted as powdery mildew). For tomatoes (and I'm seeing on several plants too) beware of leafminers. Insecticide and fungicide are supposed to be easy solutions for these problems but by far my biggest problem is the leafminers. It took me a while to figure out what they even were. They leave these long winding white lines on the leaves, much like slug lines, but there is obvious deterioration of the leaf anywhere near those lines. I did searches on common pests, "white lines on plants", everything I could think of the figure out what was causing those lines. Finally I found it. Insecticide is supposed to work but so far I can't get rid of them. They are even attacking my baby butternut squash and baby heirloom tomato plants. I will be continuing my search on a solution but for now I just keep hosing down my plants with spray. I am trying to grow things "organic" so I am using insecticidal soap. It might be that it is not strong enough. Darn bugs!

If I can manage not to kill (or at least keep alive) the plants I have, I'll transition to updating the flower beds in the front of the house. They need a lot of work!

Red Currant Tomato Blossom

Baby Heirloom Tomatoes. I planted eight different kinds. You can see where the leafminers have been chowing down on the leaves.

Leafminer lines.

Baby Butternut Squash. Eight planted, but I'll be happy if one survives!

Lessons in Couponing, Part One

2011-08-05T13:42:00.000-07:00

Today I am thankful. Thankful for the many blessings in our life. Thankful for a working A/C (earlier this week it broke and we spent 12 hours without it). And right now, most of all I am thankful for our next door neighbors and their kids who are the same ages as my kids and have become BFFs to my three. Right now my kids are all next door playing happily and here I am with some unexpected but most welcome free time and nary a sound in the house. Can we all just take a moment for a collective "Ah!"

Nice ha?

So it seems I some time to divulge in a topic that I have become increasingly familiar in the past few months, couponing. I've tried a few times to work with coupons. And each time, it was a waste of time. I just didn't see how any savings could come from using them. Why save $0.50 of two higher priced name brand items when I could buy two generic brand items for less than the price of the two name brands minus the coupon? It just didn't make sense and the more I tried the more frustrated I got.

Then a few years ago I met through the Mommy Madness campaign my friend Stephanie. She is a couponer, a good one too. She is now even on our christian radio station, known as the Texas Money Mom. She recommended a site called The Grocery Game. Its good, but it was a paid thing and still I really wasn't seeing results.

Then a breakthrough! I am a member of a mom's group here and in our forum someone posted a link to a girl who offers couponing classes right here in The Woodlands. This girl has a great blog which I'll list at the bottom of this post. I started reading and then did searches for other blogs like hers and FINALLY it made sense!

Now I can use coupons, properly. But sadly I think I jumped on the wagon a bit late. There is a show on TLC that I won't even name because it angers me and it has shown what can happen when people grossly abuse the system. As a result, stores are cracking down on coupons as well as the manufacturers that produce them. I was only three weeks into my "training" when Kroger announced that they would no longer double or triple coupons in the state of Texas at all! Bummer. I don't think I'll ever have those amazing stats like $1000 worth of groceries for $.05 or anything even close to that but I can say that we have seen some major savings and shopping for us will never be the same.

So here are a few breakdowns of the stores I shop at and how to save at them.

Kroger

Kroger tends to be our last minute default because it is the closest (by a lot) grocery store us. I'm working to minimize our total amount spent there because I know up front that it is probably not the best deal. You still can get good deals at Kroger but it does take some planning. The best time to buy is when they are having their Mega Events. That usually involves something like "buy 10, get $5.00" although even those are becoming more skimpy. Their last Mega Event was buy ten, get $3.00. Anyway, like the name suggests buy 10 participating items (these will be marked in the store) and you receive $.50 off of each item at the register. Pair those discounts with manufacturer coupons to get the best savings.

The nice thing about Kroger is the gas discount. If you have a Kroger (or Albertsons) in your area then you are familiar with the 10 cents off discount for every $100 spent, 20 cents for $200, etc. Well if you did the math on that you would realize that you would have to spend a fortune to earn those discounts. What I didn't realize is that those discounts are for the retail value. So if you went in and bought $10 worth of items and coupons that reduced your final total by $5.00. You would still get credit for the $10. With some serious planning you can get cheap groceries AND cheap gas. May and June were our best months for both but as mentioned, they are cracking down on coupons and they deals are becoming more skimpy.

Randall's

Randall's always seems to have the highest prices on groceries to me. I look at their circulars and sometimes I wonder why someone would put some of their items in print. But, Randall's is also one of the places where I have a savings average of over 80%...regularly. So obviously its not all bad. Again, you have know exactly what the deals are and go in for ONLY those items to make it worthwhile. I was there Monday and spent $20 on $100 worth of groceries. We got a little bit of everything so I was pretty happy. A few things to note about Randall's and coupons. Randall's does double coupons up to 50 cents and triples coupons up to 35 cents. BUT, they will only double or triple one each kind. So if you have four 50 cent coupons for Cheerios (pretty common) and you present all four coupons at checkout, only one of them will be doubled. This means it takes a little more planning and execution if you want to double all of them. Unfortunately that means that on occasion you will need to do more than one transaction to get the full discounts on certain items. I've really only done that once and it was for an item that with the doubled coupon ended up free. I try not to pass up free if at all possible. In those kinds of cases, go early so there is no line!

Like Kroger, Randall's offers the same gas discounts and works the same way. After spending 20 bucks on Monday, my sweet checkout lady circled my new 10 cent discount on gas because the total retail value of my purchase was over $100. Cheap groceries and cheap gas...works for me!

Target

Target is one of those stores I really did not think of as a money saving store. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE Target but there was a major problem! Every time and I do mean every time I would go into Target I would spend no less that $60. Go in for detergent, spend $60. Dog food, $60. Toothpaste, $60. Tell me, am I the only one that happened to?

Now I rarely spend over $20 at Target regardless of what I am buying. In June I bought NINE tubes of John Freida shampoo and conditioner...the good stuff too! Hair Repair and Awakening. I paid ZERO dollars and earned $15 in Target gift cards because you got a $5 gift card with the purchase of 3 John Freida hair are items. See what I mean? How is this possible? Well I'll tell you! Target has their own coupons that you can print right from their website. The wonderful thing about Target is that you can use their Target specific coupons AND a manufacturing coupon together! Then if you find a Target coupon and a manufacturer coupon on something that is on sale you save a ton! I loved shopping there before and I really love shopping there now! Also, one little known fact about Target is they price match just like Walmart. This is something I actually haven't done there because well, I haven't had to. Their prices overall are really pretty good.

Walmart

For years we would do "the Walmart run". We would load up the family and grab a cart (or two) and stock up on everything we needed for the month and pay hundreds of dollars for it. Walmart is presents itself as being the cheapest place to shop and for the most part we believed that so that's where we did most of our shopping. Now I know better! One thing I've had to get good at is learning what would be considered a "good price" for each...and...every...single...thing...I...buy. Now that I have a grasp on what those good prices are I can walk through the aisles of Walmart and know that they are not the cheapest place to shop. If anything for some (if not most) items are much more expensive. Makes sense though. For the cheap items they do have they have to make up for it somewhere! So like any store, the savings come with planning.

Walmart is famous for price matching. I used to be in the mindset of price matching being kind of a nuisance. Fumbling through papers to get your price match, holding up the line, etc. Then I tried it. Now I price match at Walmart. For the most part I only shop there for items that I can get really cheap (like under $1, or free). It is actually pretty rare for us to go there now which is great! Honestly I think it is in our best interest to spend as little time as possible in Walmart! We still try to maximize our savings and try to go only when we have a pretty good list (and the coupons to match).

CVS & Walgreens

I used think people who shopped at CVS (and Walgreens) for anything other than prescriptions were insane. Their prices were just waaaaay to high. If you don't shop correctly, bank on it...it will be too high!

The running theme in couponing is planning and when shopping at these stores it is extremely important! The key to big saving here is to combine the sales with coupons and the coupons that print at the register. At CVS those are called Extra Care Bucks (ECBs) and at Walgreens they are called Register Rewards (RR).

When shopping at these stores it also necessary to do multiple transactions. This is called rolling your rewards. It took me a little while to grasp the concept but once in practice it makes sense. Say an item is $3.00 and it has a register reward of $2.00. At checkout you present your coupons (because why would you buy it without one) and pay $3.00 (minus the coupon, say $1.00) You'll either get a code on your receipt (at CVS) or a printed coupon (at Walgreens that has a value of $2.00. That $2.00 can be used to purchase absolutely anything in the store, but your subtotal cannot be below $2.00. Then you find another item for $3.00 (it can be another of the same or something else that also has a register reward, etc)...and you have a $1.00 coupon. You present your $1.00 coupon and your $2.00 register reward and your new total is 0.00. You then have two items for less than half the price. Make sense?

Like I said, it takes practice to get used to it. One thing to note though is for Walgreens you cannot have more coupons than items. So for the scenario above you would have to have one other item. These are called fillers and you would usually pick something like gum, jello, etc...something small and only a few cents. Because of this I shop less at Walgreens than CVS and I will only use coupons that have a substantial value. It is pointless to use a RR with a 50 cent coupon on one item when you have to find something (usually costing 25-50 cents) as a filler to comply with the coupon policy. That being said, I have seen a few exceptions when using Walgreen's store coupons. For some reason those tend to be OK when pairing with a manufacturer coupon.

Really a lot of trial and error.

H-E-B

I have a love/hate going on with H-E-B right now. For the most part they have got really good prices and they are definitely a great place to shop if you don't have coupons on you. They post their own store and manufacturer coupons on several items around the store so you can still save. I like that they will post a comparison price to Kroger on some items to show that they are cheaper. It makes it easier on me when trying to memorize which store regularly has the best price on any one item! With H-E-B their coupons have levels of sorts. There are M, B, & S. If it is an "M" coupon you can use that coupon or your own but not both.

I had one of those moments that reminded me of a scene out of The Wedding Singer a few months back. I went and grabbed a bunch of items that had those pretty yellow coupons that I had planned to pair with my own coupons only realize that I couldn't do it, paying literally double what I thought I was going to pay. After the explanation of M, B, and S coupons all that kept playing in my head was "That would have been useful information, YESTERDAY!"

A little wiser I now know that you can only pair manufacturer coupons with B or S coupons at H-E-B. Remember that! If by chance you come across those elusive B or S coupons you have the potential to save a lot! Last month I paid $17.82 for twelve boxes of cereal (Cheerios of all flavors, Lucky Charms, etc) and twelve boxes of Betty Crocker fruit snacks (roll ups, gushers, etc). That's an average of 74 cents per item. I've come to the conclusion that if you wait long enough you should never have to pay more than that for any box of cereal...and the good kind too!

That pretty much covers the major stores. I'll break down in another post other key necessities and strategies when in comes to collecting coupons. I'll also tell you what to do with the ones you don't need or use...send them to the troops!

In the meantime, because who knows how long it will be before I get another quiet afternoon, here are some of my favorite places in the world wide web that regularly list great deals and where to find them!

Blogs

My Litter (she is located here in The Woodlands)
Faithful Provisions (Florida I think)
Totally Target
Wild For Wags
Wild For CVS
I Heart The Mart
Couponing to Disney

Printables
*set your printer to print in grayscale to save on ink

Coupons.com
Campbell's Kitchen
Target
Kellogg's

That's a good start!

Time to get the kids! Have a great weekend!

The Space Center

2011-08-04T18:32:00.000-07:00

Two weeks ago Jason took a week off and while we didn't have any major plans we still did a few fun things on our summer bucket list. One was the Johnson Space Center.

Out of pure coincidence we made our trip on the very morning the shuttle landed after completing its last mission and we were there with a man who spent a good part (if not all) of his career working with the space program. I love it when little details like that all work together. Our lives are blessed with several of these "coincidences" where I can only point to our wonderful Father.

Because we got there so early and because we had "an insider" of sorts we were able to do a few tours where it was just us. The entire place was packed with people quite literally arriving by the bus load so these private tours were definitely a treat for us!

The kids had a blast and even with a full day of walking and playing they were not in the least bit tired when we left. Yup, that's what its like being mom to these three!

F1 Engine

Saturn V

Joshua and Daniella behind the F1 engines. Amazing how big they are!

Pops

Simulators

Everyone got a toy shuttle to take home.

One big tram, one family!

Summer observations

2011-08-04T12:31:00.000-07:00

I'm a science geek by nature and one thing I loved when I was doing research was crunching my data and looking at the stats. This summer I've been playing close attention to both the little and the big things in our daily life. I've been working on things such as couponing (more on that later), gardening (more this later too), and improving the overall efficiency of our household and I am aiming to see quantitatively how I'm doing.

So in the past few weeks here are a few things I've noted...

In the month of June my kids ate 20 pints of blackberries, 12 pounds of strawberries, 5 melons, and 2 lbs of grapes (they were only on sale once).

In a day's time the kids will eat 1 pint of blackberries, 2 lbs of strawberries, and/or 1 lb of grapes.

In a day's time the kids will also go through one 64 oz pitcher of juice.

The kids go through nearly one roll of tp per day.

Occasionally I find myself obsessing over which stores have the best price on tp.

CVS and Walgreens are not such a bad place to shop after all.

On average, in a day's time every person in the house will go through at least two towels.

We are severely lacking in the number of towels we own.

Eggshells, coffee, fish, and rabbit poo are said to be excellent fertilizers.

Despite excellent fertilizers tomato plants will not produce fruit in consistently high temperatures.

Most new animated movies have a song and/or dance scene.

I really am not a fan of songs and/or dance scenes in animated movies.

Garlic and herb brie cheese (Alouette brand) is "da bomb".

Sun dried tomato mozzarella (Laughing Cow) is also "da bomb".

I take on average 4 pictures per day on my phone.

On occasion though, I'll take closer to 40.

Our dog Domino has a loathing hatred for dogs on the other side of the fence.

Our dog Domino is perfectly OK with dogs that are not on the other side of the fence...even if the dog she comes in contact with is the same dog...that lives on the other side of the fence.

Stivali means "boot" in Italian.

One of my favorite wines this summer is a sweet red called Stivali, which so far can only be found at HEB.

If I go to HEB for any one item, I also seem to come home with a bottle (or two) of Stivali and a box of sushi rolls.

I have had to limit my trips to HEB.

From May to July I purchased $60 worth of Sunday newspapers to collect their coupons.

From May to July we have saved over $1100 in groceries, toiletries, and other misc items. For some items we have purchased enough to both donate and last for the rest of the year.

I am on the fence for the word "toiletries"...sometimes it makes me cringe. Sometimes it makes me smile.

And on that note I'll end this post!

We have three weeks till the start of school. Can you believe it? August is probably our busiest month out of the entire year so the next post could very likely arrive in mid September. But I do have several things I've been meaning to write about and so so so soooo many pictures that I've wanted to share so I will be working hard to get a few more posts in before the crazy kicks in.

Sunday Snapshots

2011-07-17T19:01:00.000-07:00

These are indeed Sunday snapshots. They are not however from this particular Sunday. This was 4th of July weekend when we celebrated with swimming, food, play time...you know 4th of July stuff...minus the fireworks of course...

Happy (late) 4th of July!

One Sick Kitty

2011-07-11T18:41:00.000-07:00

Eli has a little problem. Well not really a problem, more like a fetish or strange obsession. I don't really remember him having this little problem when he was a kitten. His habit is of a more recent occurrence although we don't know exactly why. I mean...why?

Eli LOVES (that's right all caps) feet! I know! Yuck! And he's not picky on whose feet either. Our feet, guests feet, hec if he were a wandering kitty perfect strangers would do too.

He is awfully soft though so when he does snuggle up to toes it is rather soothing.

Is it weird that I said that?

A New Creation

2011-06-21T20:05:00.000-07:00

A few years ago Daniella asked if she could be baptized. We knew she meant it and knew she understood what she was asking but we wanted her wait a little longer. We wanted her to mature a bit and grow even more in love and understanding of her Savior. I had planned to let her be baptized at Houston's First Baptist by Gregg Matte, our friend, pastor, and for Daniella, baseball coach. Now that we are in The Woodlands we have been going to Fellowship of The Woodlands and everyone has really liked it. A few weeks ago out of the blue Daniella asked to go to "big church" with me. Jason is on the technical team now and was working cameras at the Sunday night service. We all opted for night church that day so it was me and Daniella in "big church". Pastor Kerry spoke about rescue and the life of Noah and led up to the announcement of their summer baptisms. Daniella lit up looked over to me and said "Mama can I?".

It was time.

So two weeks ago she walked into the waters of that beautiful fountain and was baptized.

This is a still from the video I took. I was trying to "keep it together" and doing a terrible job at it so all of my footage is blurry and shakey but to me this shot is still beautiful. I had planned to do a great video of it all but it is not going to happen. Next time I'm facing "the ugly cry" while trying take pictures/video. I'll just hand the camera to steadier less emotional hands!

Pastor Kerry was right next to Daniella and he gave her congratulations and a high five!

The fountain where she was baptized. It is beautiful.

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come. The old has gone, the new is here!

2 Cor. 5:17

(Day of the Week) = Swim Day

2011-06-21T19:38:00.000-07:00

Our pool is open Tuesday through Sunday so we've been going Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday...you get the idea! I have to admit with our temps hanging in the 100s every day, visits to the pool are nice.

Joshua and Daniella are pretty much super swimmers now. Last week Joshua was swimming with his life vest or arm floats and now he is diving at the 9ft section of the pool and swimming along the bottom just for fun. I'm trying to let them both gain strength and confidence in their swimming but I am in a constant state of alert and keep going over my CPR and First Aid training. You know, just in case. Riley has always been scared of the water and her idea of swimming involved clinging for dear life to my or Jason's neck. Now she is perfectly comfortable in the water and with her new floral arm floats she swims around happily! One big treat for the kids is seeing their classmates regularly and they've even made some new friends. They love it!

Right now everyone's tan, freckled, and recovering from water log. Riley has a cough right now so I think this is a great opportunity to take a break from the pool!

The pool has several sections. Its almost a small water park! The lap pool has some water slides and it is fast!

We'll probably be here a lot over the next few weeks. I've already gone through two cans of sunscreen. Gonna need a lot more at this rate!

Daniella's Slide Show

2011-06-01T10:04:00.000-07:00

3rd grade doesn't have as many events as Kindergarten but Daniella got to enjoy a few rare honors including a gold medal for one of her art pieces! She had to work harder than she ever has when she started at Kaufman and did a great job! We are very proud of her and are eagerly awaiting 4th grade, a big year at Kaufman as it is the last grade in their elementary school. Now we're ready for some summer fun!

Kindergarten Slideshow

2011-05-27T14:12:00.000-07:00

There are still a few days left for school but I went ahead and created Joshua's slideshow. Maybe since I've done a few of these in the past for Daniella I was finally able to put one of these together and not bawl...although I think watching it a few more times would do it!

Daniella still has a few more events to go. Her slideshow will be posted next week.

Enjoy!

The Sparrow Fund

2011-05-20T18:54:00.000-07:00

Nearly a year ago we waited with great joy and anticipation as our friends Mike and Ashley made their journey to China to meet and bring home one beloved child. We followed along in their adoption process over the course of two years and we rejoiced when their family of now five was united. Mike and Ashley spent years praying, waiting, saving, and preparing for their journey of adoption. They were adopting a special needs child and so needed additional guidance and medical advice. There are programs that provide exactly this kind of support but they can be expensive and it is an expense that not every family can afford, especially in addition to the adoption itself.

Acknowledging this financial need, fellow adoptive parents and friends of Mike and Ashley, Mark and Kelly Raundenbush started The Sparrow Fund. The Sparrow Fund is an organization "committed to encouraging and supporting families as they prepare for the adventure of adoption."

The Sparrow Fund is led by a team with bright minds and big hearts and will no doubt be a tremendous blessing to many adoptive families!

To learn more about The Sparrow Fund and how you can donate or help visit sparrow-fund.org.

To hear Marks words about starting The Sparrow Fun you can go here. You can also read Kelly's words here.

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In support of The Sparrow Fund several retailers are donating 10% of their total sale during the month of May! I have to give fair warning though that when you click on some of the links you may find yourself compulsively purchasing a few gotta-have-its! You can find the full list of retailers here.

Ashley has also been doing a blurb for each of the retailers if you would like to take a sneak peak and you can visit her blog here.

A Bit of School Work

2011-05-20T08:03:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago Daniella brought home a form for me to sign allowing a piece of her artwork from her art class to be submitted for review and display for the district. I've heard about the art piece, was told by her art teacher "It is really good" but until a few days ago I could only guess what it looked like, "a dragonfly in mixed media".

It finally made it home. And, wow! I know she's my kid and so have the built in predisposition to think greatly of her...but this might be her best work yet. She will be receiving an award at the Fine Arts Award ceremony next week. Needless to say we are all very impressed and very proud!

I had a hard time getting a picture without a glare and the clarity could be better but you get the idea. I love all of the texture she worked in. Like I said, Wow!

Another bit of work to showcase...

The third graders had another big project to do, make a working volcano to go along with a report of a real volcano. Daniella chose to write about Mt. Shasta. Jason helped guide the making of her volcano over a two week span. Its huge and it works! She got a 100 on her project!

The Pool

2011-05-20T07:36:00.000-07:00

The pool opened up two weeks ago and we finally made it for some splash time! The kids beg to go back daily but it is only open on weekends through the month of May. The beautiful blue water was so inviting but it was COLD! Cold now, but I know it will be perfect as out Texas heat vamps up. I am going to have to stock up on the sunscreen as I can see swim time on the agenda daily later this summer!

Chronicling Kindergarten

2011-05-04T20:52:00.000-07:00

There are just a few weeks left for the remainder of the school year. Can you believe it? Another year, POOF! Gone! What is even more significant is that my baby boy will no longer be a Kindergartner. With a switch to a new school mid year, Joshua's Kindergarten days were a bit difficult for him. He had a rough start at both schools but still managed to have a good year.

The Spring semester was a fun one for Joshua and I tried to attend as many events as I could with the kids. The school year is not over yet and there are a few more fun events coming up! Kindergarten is such a fun year to chronicle! The kids are just precious and every day I look forward to seeing all of Joshua's school projects. I'll even share a few here :)

Here are a few shots from the past few weeks. I pretty much use my phone now for all of the daily shots so some are not the best quality.

Family night at the book fair

Mornings with Mom

*Mom is behind the camera...as usual.

Egg hunt time!

Joshua had a blast at Old MacDonald's Farm for his field trip.

And here are a few pages that make me smile...

Joshua has a writing assignment every day. The kids are told to write phonetically and to write as much as possible. Joshua has done well in reading and can correctly identify every word he writes when he is reading...but when he is writing he writes exactly the way he hears or says a word. I've added the "translations" to his writing. Some of his words are so funny! We'll work on this this summer!

He brought home his Mother's Day projects for me today....

This one makes me laugh out loud every time I look at it. Awesome!

Tomorrow is a Cinco De Mayo party for both kids and there is a field trip for Daniella, a Kindergarten program for Joshua, and last but not least yearbooks and fun day to close out the year. A full year and a fun semester!

Easter Fun

2011-04-26T18:51:00.000-07:00

Easter weekend started on Thursday with school egg hunts and ended late Sunday night. This was also birthday weekend for Daniella so she was given a double portion so to speak of weekend goodies. Five egg hunts and a few pounds of ham and candy later we found ourselves full and a little tired but extremely thankful for the good times with family and more importantly, thankful for our Savior.

The Birthday Girl

2011-04-25T07:05:00.000-07:00

How is it possible that 9 nine years have flown by since the birth of this baby girl?

I love this girl!

I love that she is not afraid to be herself.
I love that she is in no hurry to grow up.
I love that her new toy dragon lives in her doll house.

She loves the way the wind feels in her hair and so refuses to let me cut it and most days refuses to wear it up. So she comes home from school with big gnarly hair, sweaty cheeks, and smelly toes...I love that too!

She is a joy and a blessing to us and I am at a loss for words to describe how thankful I am to have her in my life.

Happy Birthday Baby Girl! We love you!

Almost Summer

2011-04-18T18:42:00.000-07:00

Summer is well on its way and while I am not looking forward to the Texas heat I do welcome with open arms (or mouth specifically) summer fruits and veggies. I've mentioned before how much I love food right? :)

The farmers market near out house finally opened up and we picked up a few things...one item being a very red, very juicy, and very sweet watermelon. Yea for summer!

Best. Snack. Ever.

Sunshine and More Sunshine

2011-04-12T21:45:00.000-07:00

The weather continues to be nice although it is beginning to warm up! We started walking to and from school since we have the sunshine and a great breeze! Riley and I headed to the park during the day and she was sure she was prepared with her bucket for the sand I finally remembered to bring bread for the ducks!

Just as a warning there are a lot of pictures here! Watching her try to build a sand castle with some very very dry sand was pretty amusing and darling at the same time!

Step 1: Fill bucket...

...with sand from several...

...select spots.

Fill bucket, check!

Step 2: Dig a hole. Hey, she's the architect!

Step 3: Flip the bucket over...

...and give a light tap.

And now the unveiling of the tower!
...or not.

"Where is the tower?"

"Hmm, oh well! Time to feed the ducks!"

Back to the playground!

Woodlands Art Festival

2011-04-12T21:03:00.000-07:00

The Waterway is a fun place to visit on any day, and last weekend it hosted the Woodlands Art Festival. Cheap, local, and, you know, an art festival...of course we went!

This is a beautiful fountain and it also does a water show something like the Bellagio, but of course on a much much much smaller scale! Joshua got soaked when one of the jets of water caught the wind and doused him! Luckily it was on our way out and it was hot so it was a nice refresher! For my Woodlands friends, did you know that they do a free movie on Saturday nights here? The first for weeks are all Pixar movies...guess where we'll be!

Heading to the entrance of the Art Festival we passed this guy working on some sidewalk art. More on him later!

Once in we didn't waste time checking out the art pieces. I didn't take too many pictures of the art because some artists are picky about people photographing their work but believe me when I say there was some amazing work there!

Speaking of amazing art work :) There was a large section just for children and I was really pleased with all of the activities they had. We've been to the art festival in Houston and there we've never seen a children's section there so this was a pleasant surprise! These are some paintings using media such as bubble wrap (the tree leaves) and pipe cleaners (the tree trunks). The kids loved it!

Another kid station...

Joshua loved the bongos!

This is where you can rent kayaks and row them out to Lake Woodlands! I know, nothing to do with the art festival. I am just excited to have found it! I knew this existed and I've been itching to find the row house and go kayaking!

Back to art stuff...

Remember the artist working on the sidewalk art? This is what he had completed while we were in the art festival. Impressive!

You can't tell but Joshua is soaked! The kids are enjoying the water show. I can imagine how pretty it is at night!

Bluebonnets, Bubbles, and Some Crazy Weather

2011-04-04T11:32:00.000-07:00

I read about a great park near here and wanted to go see it so Riley and I packed a snack bag and a bubble bucket and headed out. It is Rob Fleming Park and what really caught my attention is the bluebonnet and wild flower field there. With the drought and the bluebonnet season nearly over there weren't too many left, but they were still very pretty.

It was a bit overcast with the sun peeking from behind the clouds occasionally. Really a perfect day to be out with a light breeze and comfortable temp.

After a few bluebonnet pics Riley and I blew bubbles and played at the playground...

Then the clouds started rolling in...

Then, in an instant the winds picked up and the temp dropped. It was crazy! When we got in the car the temp read 80 degrees. When I pulled out of the parking spot a few seconds later it dropped it to 68 degrees. Less than a minute later it read 64! The winds blew huge clouds of dust everywhere, some of the dust clouds looking like mini twisters. It was weird and the sudden tropical storm like weather scared the crap out of Riley!

The pavilion when we got there...

The pavilion when we left!

Gotta love that Texas weather!

Another Hat

2011-04-01T15:53:00.000-07:00

Finished this hat up the other day and made Riley model it for me!

The Boy Loves Carrots!

2011-04-01T15:50:00.000-07:00

You don't understand...

The boy.

loves.

carrots!

and carrot juice! But still nothing with a sauce on it...aka ketchup, spaghetti sauce, ranch...NO sauce! And he is finally starting to eat meat but in small quantities. Guess I can't complain! I'd rather him run off with a frying pan full of sauteed carrots instead of a box of cookies or bag of candy!

Ha! April Fool's Day...but seriously...

2011-04-01T15:41:00.000-07:00

It was 5 years and 5 pregnancy tests ago that we found out about baby #3, our sweet Riley! There weren't any symptoms to speak of but there was that little voice and that little feeling that maybe I should take a pregnancy test, or five. The other two pregnancies started the same way. No symptoms whatsoever. That's actually what clued me in! I didn't feel pregnant, but the thought wouldn't leave me. I knew the answer before even peeing on one strip. Jason had to work that day (it was a Saturday) and I decided to greet him with a doctored pepper (also known as the daddy drink) when he got home as a start to the news. I knew this was going to be an April Fool's Day to remember! He walked in, took a look at his drink...and my smirk...and he knew!

I think I said something like "April Fool's! Yeah, but seriously Coming this Fall, baby 3!"

Once he downed his drink and got over the initial shock he was fine! Actually he really wasn't that surprised. He had even asked a few weeks prior if I was pregnant after I scarfed down some stroganoff and chased it with cottage cheese. I have a weird appetite so that was just me being me...granted I haven't had it since! We knew we wanted three so we were happy. It would have been nice to plan one though!

Now five years later April Fool's Day is no longer April Fool's Day. When you get a surprise like that, what else is there to top it? Instead we acknowledge it as the day we first knew we were a family of 5...complete! Truly I feel blessed to have been able to break the news on such a day! I feel it was God appeasing my sick humor...awesome!

Photobooth

2011-03-27T20:44:00.000-07:00

Ok, I know I said I would do no more posts about apps for the iphone...and this time I mean it...starting right after I finish this post!

Since I was on a photo app kick I did a search to see what other apps might be fun to play with and found this one called Pocketbooth. Fun stuff!

Pertty Places

2011-03-27T20:36:00.000-07:00

So I am 98.9% sure we have found our new church. We'll always be members of Houston's First but we knew we had to find a church for us up here to get involved with and we found one that we all really like. Jason did training to join the technical department and volunteered to work tonight so we were at the campus early. The kids and I grabbed drinks at the cafe and sat outside to enjoy the view and the weather. I've been wanting to get pictures at the church since our first visit. It is beautiful and the kids love to run around the courtyard...and Joshua is just itching to jump in the "big" fountain!

Joshua LOVES this fountain!

I wish I had gotten pictures of the chapel. It is one of the most beautiful buildings I've ever seen!

Fun App

2011-03-25T19:37:00.000-07:00

OK, I'm not one who goes gaga over Apple so this will be the one post per year I'll allow for my iphone! I read at the PW blog about an app called Instagram. I have a couple of fun photography apps on my phone and am always happy to play with new ones. I have to admit, its cool! Just have a look....

These were all taken earlier this week and last week on my iphone. The weather is so nice right now and Springtime here in Spring is amazing! Just look at the scenery around here! Going out for bike rides and playtime has been great!

Its finished!

2011-03-24T17:23:00.000-07:00

Finally finished my drying mat/dish towel! This shouldn't be that big a deal, but it has taken a full month to do! I'd love to have a few more but I think I need a break from that particular version! It does look pretty on my counter though!

"Better than McDanoo's?"

2011-03-24T17:19:00.000-07:00

If you've seen Eddie Murphy's Raw, you'll recognize the quote...and probably chuckle...and then think of a few more funny lines from the show...and chuckle some more...and then throw out random quotes from Raw all day making someone else chuckle...and the cycle begins!

If you haven't seen it, well you are probably a wholesome individual who would not lower your dignity to watch such a show...or you live under a rock or some undeveloped part of the world where you still hunt for your food. Either way, I had one of those "Better than McDanoo's" moments today.

It started with a trip to the grocery store with Riley in tow. We passed an aisle where the end cap was stocked with boxes of Rice Crispy Treats. Riley in her sweetest voice asked if we could get a box. I, in my mean mommy voice said No! I went on to explain that we had marshmallows at home and if she really wanted some we could make homemade rice crispy treats. To step up the game I even picked up a box of chocolate rice crispy treats! That will surely rival over the boxed version!

Unfortunately while I am an excellent cook, my baking skills, well they stink!

Exhibit A

I burned the butter...and the marshmallow...and the crispys are begging for mercy!

They do taste good but because of the overcooking of the marshmallow they turned to a toffee-like texture.

Mom's Crispy Treats! Not recommended for children under two, dogs, or anyone with fillings!

I'll leave the baking to Jason from now on!

Who Arted?

2011-03-23T08:53:00.000-07:00

Its been a while since I've done one of these! I still have to scan the stacks and boxes filled with artwork by the kids for the coffee table book I've been planning on creating for oh, about 3 years now! This is the year...at least that's what I keep telling myself! It will happen! Probably. Maybe.

First some artwork/schoolwork. One of Daniella's school projects this semester was to create a model of the solar system. Their work had to be completely original (aka no kits) and the planets had to be accurate in scale and distance from the sun. A lot of foam shapes and a lot of paint later Daniella completed her project.

Quoting Brian Regan "The yellow one is the SUN!" :)

She got a 100 on her project!

The kids love to paint so she spent hours meticulously painting each planet. Even Earth had its polar caps!

Not to be left out, Riley and Joshua helped paint the sun and a planet too...

This is Planet Riley. The planet that is in the background is Planet Riley also...and there is a twin planet beside it not shown...also Planet Riley!

This is Planet Joshua. There is only one Planet Joshua. Probably because that is all the universe can handle!

Up Inspired Art...The kids and I watched Up one night while Jason was camping. After watching the movie I thought of how neat it would be to have the painting of Paradise Falls framed somewhere in our house. Then I reminded myself of the many paints and canvas options we have sitting around and decided to try to recreate the painting. This is weak in comparison to the original but turned out better than expected. Digital art I'm OK at, hand drawn, not so much!

The kids wanted to paint something from Up too...

Daniella painted Kevin.

So did Riley.

"Hey Joshua, which Up character did you paint?"

"The monster that breathes fire!"

Alrighty then! Great job Josh!

Speaking of art from Josh, and schoolwork, here are two of my favorite projects he worked on this semester at school.

Joshua is not exactly precise in his work so I was very impressed by these when he brought them home!

Again, great job Josh although I am partial to the fire breathing monster!

Crafty Mama

2011-03-22T13:03:00.000-07:00

Did you know that March is National Arts and Crafts Month? Actually I didn't know myself until a trip to Michael's yesterday afternoon! I figured this was a post fitting for such an occasion, or event...or whatever a month of something qualifies as.

For my own amusement/curiosity/hormone appeasement I learned how to knit while I was pregnant with Riley. My first several projects were long skinny scarfs that used only one kind of stitch, the knit stitch (for anyone new to knitting, there are literally hundreds). Then I added a purl stitch (knit and purl are the two most basic and used stitches in knitting)...a year later! Then I learned to crochet...incorrectly. Two years, two trips to Missouri, and few more tutorials later I learned to crochet the correct way! Its not that I am an idiot (OK, maybe partially). It is that with three very young kids and a business to run I had very little time to do anything on a leisure level. Now that the kids are older and happily play with each other and entertain themselves I have found that I have a little bit of freedom with my time. Not that I get to do what I want! I still have to split my attention at nearly all times so picking up my knitting sticks or crochet hook is usually what happens.

I don't know why I find it so entertaining. Maybe its the x chromosomes! Thankfully Jason let me know that friends of ours from work were also fellow knitters/crocheters and artsy...like me! We've been friends for years and I never knew! Now I welcome every get together where we combine great food, wine, and lots of yarn with great laughs!

So here is what these little fingers have stitched out this month (and part of last month). To be honest, they are kind of tender now!

This one is really cute on Riley!

Cute bucket hat!

Adorable newsboy! This one is actually sized for a baby. Anyone with a baby girl need a hat?

I started this one in February! It is going to be a drying mat/dish towel for the kitchen. All of the stitches are tiny, which is what I wanted, but it has taken forever and still has a bit more to go!

Another towel for the kitchen. I plan on making a whole set of them but it may take the rest of 2011! This one was knitted with a seed stitch and is super soft! Love it!

Cable knit has been intimidating to me since I started knitting. I finally decided to try it and behold, the cable stitch!

I started with two crappy sets of yarn. Now I've managed to build up a decent collection of yarn. I have to carefully plan my trips to Hobby Lobby or Michael's lest I spend hours there!

Next post will be a long overdue Who Arted? Joshua has some awesome Kindergarten art. As expected Daniella and Riley have drawn and painted up enough work for a gallery, and even I spent a few hours on a little project for Jason while he was camping! All to be posted...later! I'm late to pick up the kids!

Ants On A Log

2011-03-16T18:43:00.000-07:00

Riley learned a recipe in her cooking class (you read that correctly) that she loves to make for the family...Ants On a Log. It is a simple recipe using celery, cream cheese, and raisins. Before this, she wouldn't eat either. Now, well she still really won't eat much of it (but does get a few bites in), and she loves making it so I indulge!

Look out Pioneer Woman! Another sassy cook in the making! ;)

Bad Kitty

2011-03-16T18:37:00.000-07:00

This can be cataloged under "a blog about nothing" but it makes me laugh so here ya go!

So, I've told you about Eli, the cat that looks like a cow (just look at his spots)! He is in time out here...well not really in time out, but I'd like to think I put him there because he is really a punk! It was actually a mosquito hawk that is holding his attention here.

That would be great though! Teach the cat to go to timeout. Like when he claws the couch (he's loosing he claws soon), or puts his toys in the water bowl (likes them to clean I guess), or attacks the dog...and our toes. Yes! I'm definitely on to something here!

Kitty time out, love it!

Good Ole Fashion Family Fun

2011-03-16T18:21:00.000-07:00

It is Spring Break and this week ALL of us are home! I go back and forth from overwhelming joy that we get to spend all of this time together and extreme agitation that we have to spend all this time together. I guess that's how it goes with big families! Either way, I know these are precious years and how quickly they fly by.

I remember a few years ago our church did a lovely ceremony for the presentation of the first bible to the 1st graders. Daniella was in 1st grade at FBA at the time and so was part of this. One of the women from the school read a book called "Let Me Hold You Longer". Honestly, I teared up just typing the title! I fought with every bit if strength, dignity, and pride not to bawl my eyes out and keep it together during the reading. Thick as my skin is, I don't think I made it past page 3! She closed with noting that "The days are long but the years are short." My children are still young and I can say from experience, yes! Why so sundry? I guess with all this time with my kids, I sometimes forget or take for granted how lucky I am. Jason and I pretty much stopped vacationing together after Joshua was born, we don't exactly get out much, and I have never (that's right never) hired a sitter even one night for my kids. Where we have gone, they have gone...and amidst the tragedy and heartbreak around the world, I find myself rejoicing with heartfelt thankfulness for each day with them. OK enough mush!

So, on the agenda for this quality time with the kiddos (ready to smile now) was a day at the rodeo. We did the usual, the carnival rides, petting zoo, spectators for the bull riding and bucking broncos...the turkey leg, etc. But this year the entertainment really came from a great performance by an iconic band! No pop stars or Beiber Fever for this crazy family! Nope, item #347 crossed off the bucket list...we saw Kiss! We saw them on the rodeo line up and rationed that this was probably the safest way to see them with the kids. And so we went!

This was backstage seconds before heading out the stage...their intro!

The only time Gene Simmons' makeup was pristine. He was sweating bullets during the whole show so his makeup wasn't as pretty by the end!

The trademark look for Simmons!

Joshua loved the show and gave them the thumbs up along with the rock n roll sign!

We haven't stayed till the end of a show in years but we knew they would be exiting the arena on our side and couldn't resist the chance to see them this close!

Oh and there are these pics from earlier in the day...

With three kids, carnival tickets go fast so we chose the best rides so everyone was sure to have fun!

The turkey leg...or at least what's left of it. I think I'm loosing my touch. Way too much meat left!

The seats we have are part of a set that get purchased every year. Every year the consideration to not to renew arises, and every year we end up here. They are just really really good seats...right next the tunnel where the grand parade enters the arena, and some of the bulls and broncs are brought through...

...and the um, view is great too!

Like I said, great seats!

On this particular night thousands of spectators and participants alike had their faces painted in some form of Kiss pattern! The face painting spanned all ages, genders, and ethnic groups! It really was quite entertaining!

We left the house just after lunch and returned at nearly midnight. All in all, a great family night out!

Gone Fishin'

2011-03-13T18:42:00.000-07:00

The weather has been wonderful this weekend (that's a lot of w's) and with a few fishing holes just minutes away we gathered up the gear and the kids for some Sunday afternoon fishing.

Northshore Park is probably my favorite park in all of The Woodlands and this is the first time we've ventured out there to fish. We discovered that for kayaking down Lake Woodlands, playing on the playground, concerts in the park, picnics, and feeding the ducks it is a perfect place. For fishing...not so much. At least not today! It was a bit windy and with the weather being so nice and the concert in park on Sundays it was packed!

We spent about an hour there and then headed down the street to a pond literally a stone's throw from where Jason works.

Jackpot!

Everyone, mommy and daddy included, caught a lot of fish! Riley officially holds the most bass record for the year beating even Jason! Not surprising I guess for a little girl who's first fish ever was a stingray caught in Galveston at the ripe age of 2!

With such a good fishing spot so close to Jason I fear he may be "working late" more often!

Kindergarten Rodeo Pot Luck

2011-03-04T10:20:00.000-08:00

Rodeo time is always fun for us...especially now that we have a bonified rodeo star :) Joshua's class celebrated the start of the rodeo with a pot luck lunch. All of the kids were adorable in their western best!

Jambo

2011-03-04T10:08:00.000-08:00

Houston is definitely not my favorite place on Earth but it does have its perks. One of them being one of the best zoos in the country. It is one of the few places we are always happy to go to. For nearly a year the zoo worked on a new expansion of sorts, their new African Forest. It opened in December and we finally made it there to check in out...back in February! I wish we had been able to in December. Jane Goodall (remember her) was there at the opening and even did a film special and a lecture while she was here. What an amazing woman!

Here are a few snap shots. Can't wait to go back!

This is a chimp print on the glass. I should have put my hand against it for reference. Its huge!

The new giraffe exhibit is really neat! There is a platform where you can feed them. We got in line, but apparently made it in just after the "lunch rush". While we were waiting, the giraffes decided they were no longer hungry. So we have a ticket to back and try again some other time. Now that I think of it, where did I put it??

Where to start?

2011-03-02T19:26:00.000-08:00

I know! Its been ages...months, not days or weeks since my last post! Bloggers, especially mommy bloggers would tell any would be blogger to "blog and blog often". Clearly I am not following my own advice these days (or at least this quarter)!

On several occasions I've come up to my computer with every intention to upload and edit pictures and write a post here and on those several occasions ended up staring at my screen waiting for my motivation to kick in.
I'm still working on it!

I was trying to pick a starting point from which to go back to as far as updates but ended up with...Monday. I've been wrestling with an upper respiratory and sinus infection and was finally starting feel somewhat normal at the beginning of the week so I decided to take the kids out to enjoy the beautiful weather we've been having here.

Its just in the past few weeks that we've been able to enjoy the scenery around here and I thank God for our location every morning, especially when I wake up to the beautiful mornings we've been having!

The afternoons have been equally beautiful and now that the sun is setting later we can all go out and enjoy being outside with time to spare!

Yeah for Technology!

2011-01-14T08:27:00.000-08:00

For those who didn't know, we moved...starting the Monday after Christmas. After years and years of working in The Woodlands (Jason's 10 year anniversary is coming up) we finally have moved there...well almost there. We are in north Spring in Woodlands territory...close enough!

Moving took a full two weeks (plus a few days...OK maybe three weeks) but its done! Now the unpacking part...the part I am least fond of! The neighborhood is beautiful and we have awesome waterfalls, ponds, and jogging trails all around us! Can't wait till it warms up enough to enjoy them!

Our internet was finally set up on Wednesday! So here I am blogging today! The kids are home from school today and Monday so Jason and I are taking turns with days off. I must say it is nice to sleep in and relax at the house...something I have yet to have done!

My camera was MIA over Christmas and the cord was is packing Neverland so pictures from the past few weeks are few. I'll update as soon as I email myself the ones from my iphone!

In the meantime, enjoy the video of the fireworks that were lighting up the sky New Year's Eve in our neighborhood. It was our first night in the house and I couldn't have asked for a better welcome! These fireworks displays started right after sunset and went on well into 2011! You can imagine the response from the kids!

More posts to come!

November Birthdays

2010-11-28T19:09:00.000-08:00

November is not only a time for Thanksgiving feasting, it is also when we celebrate birthdays for Joshua and Riley! The birthday celebrations usually last at least half the month and this year was no exception. We headed to Sea World the weekend before Riley's birthday to kick off the festivities!

Riley's birthday was on the 15th and she turned 4! I can't believe it! My baby is 4! I took the day off from work to spend the day with her. We went shopping and we picked up a big yummy cookie cake! She picked Olive Garden for dinner so that's where we ate and our waiter gave her the royal treatment, even bringing her an awesome dessert!

Riley is both sweet and sassy and she packs a lot of personality in a little body! Her hair in the morning gives her an "Einstein-ish" look. Combine those crazy locks with her big brown eyes and sweet dimpled smile and you've got a kid who it is near impossible to say no to! She loves to play with her brother and sister and has no problem sharing...well most of the time! She says adorable words I never tire of hearing such as "peuter" (computer), "perfett" (perfect), "ho-tayel" (hotel), "tomorno" (tomorrow)...and the list goes on!

We love you baby girl! Happy 4th birthday!

Joshua's birthday was today (the 28th). He turned 6 years old and had quite a special day! We were given tickets to the Texans / Titans game by some very generous friends so Jason and Joshua got have a fun daddy/son day at the game! What a game! The Texans who have not had a stellar season shut out the Titans with a score of 20 - 0! Not bad for Joshua's first live NFL game! Joshua didn't want to go out for a birthday meal but instead asked for hot dogs and mac and cheese. Today's menu, hot dogs and mac and cheese!

While Joshua is known for his outgoing personality, what few people get to see is how sweet and loving he is. He is super honest (even his teachers rave over his honesty) and equally random in humor! We love it! There is no telling what may fly out of his mouth. It may be a random phrase, or a new song, or a sound effect. He is a man of many talents!

Joshua you fill each day with laughter! We love you little man!

The Kitten and the Christmas Tree

2010-11-28T08:48:00.000-08:00

Eli being 5 months old can find the fun in just about anything. As far as he is concerned the whole house is his playground and everything in it, his toys. He is now thrilled that there is a new feature...an indoor tree, complete with sparkly lights, shiny toy balls, and other little trinkets to play with.

Our poor tree has never taken such abuse! Eli is constantly being scolded and we may be able to keep the tree climbing to a minimum when we are home, but as the saying goes "when away, the cat will play." The breakable ornaments may have to come down!

Saturday

2010-11-27T19:56:00.000-08:00

One tree, 12 boxes of ornaments/decorations, one pot of chili, and a few glasses of Sangria later...

Domino is such a tolerant dog!

We have a small Santa suit and it just so happens we also have a small cat that fits into said suit!

This is the prettiest holiday wreath I've ever seen! It was handmade by my very talented friend Erin. She has an awesome Etsy shop called Sassy Sparrow. I highly recommend taking a look!

the first bowl...

Nothing says Thanksgiving...

2010-11-27T18:47:00.000-08:00

...like a shrimp dump! This year the turkey was not front and center but rather a few feet of butcher paper and an assortment of shrimp, potatoes, and corn! It was awesome! Of course turkey was present...and stuffing...and pie, lots of pie! Everything was very good and I would have stuffed myself into a full waddle if I had not had Thanksgiving part 2 at our house with my parents...with more turkey...and stuffing...and veggies...and pie.

With good times, good food, and the Aggies winning, it was a good day indeed!

The kids had a blast playing outside and made good use of the many leaves that are now covering the ground!

Country Kids

2010-11-22T09:05:00.000-08:00

I love this time of year! Cooler weather, time with friends, holidays, birthdays, and lots of food! What's not to love!

It was another full weekend, but another fun one. We spent Saturday morning in Bellville where the kids (all 5 of them) had a blast playing outside!

Then we spent a few hours in Brenham for the poinsettia festival!

and met Santa!...

Then headed home for a night of chicken wings, friends,...and the Wrecking Crew :)

Sunday morning I was up before the sun and went to do a newborn photo shoot....SOOOOOOO Lucky! Our friends had their first baby on Nov. 4th and he is adorable! See the VGP blog for sneak peaks!

Zoo Boo 2010

2010-10-16T15:31:00.000-07:00

Zoo Boo is something we have gone to for several years. The kids love it and is usually our first Fall trip to the zoo. Today we got up early to beat the crowds and enjoy the cooler weather. If your a zoo goer it is a good time go anyway as that is one the times the animals are actually out.

This morning was no exception! Perfect weather, light crowds, and we got to see a lot of animals that are usually hiding during the day. This was one of those occasions where I took over 100 pics so here are a few. The rest will go in our Zenfolio gallery.

Even the sea turtles had a pumpkin!

Of the many years we've been going to the zoo, I've NEVER seen Smaug move. Today he was actually walking around. We were all so excited to see this!

I've gotten some good pictures of Jonathan the lion before but these have to be my favorite!

Eli

2010-10-16T15:04:00.000-07:00

Eli was adopted by my mom when he was around 6 weeks old. He was teeny tiny and adorable. She adopted him because he matched her behemoth dalmation. Seeing the two together was quite a site as her dog weighs around 80lbs and Eli weighed a few ounces.

He is still adorable but attacks absolutely everything. Lucky for Eli that Domino is a tolerant dog! I'd been trying to get a picture of him sitting still and finally got one. Now I am realizing that I should have just gone for the streak of black and white or the attack cat picture as that would have been the better representation.

Maybe for the next Eli post!

And just because she is still sweet and cute as ever, here is Domino....

2 Months Later

2010-10-16T14:53:00.000-07:00

I'm so far behind on the blog I don't even know where to start. I blame time. You know how it tends to go by in an ever increasing manner and how it allows me to occasionally waste and/or poorly manage it.

Rather than write a novel long entry I'll just give the sum up...

- The stomach flu of 2010 hit the whole family in early September. It took a month to clear it out completely. Not fun, not fun at all.

- Fluffy the cat was reunited with her 4th leg in kitty heaven on September 24th. It was a very sad day for the family. She was 16 and even though she literally couldn't move a muscle when we put her down she purred for Jason right down to her last breath. She was buried in one of the new gardens in Bellville. RIP Fluffy.

- Eli the cat, a 10 week old kitten who has been fostered by my mom, joined our family in October. I wanted Jason to fulfill his mourning for Fluffy so I didn't mention Eli coming home. Jason however noticed that Domino was acting a little depressed and knew what the kids were waiting eagerly and patiently for the day he could come home. Now a few weeks later we have a new feline friend to torture the dog...and our feet.

- My time at home with the kids (nearly 4 years) has come to an end. I've gone back to work full time (which has also contributed to the MIA blogger). It is something we've all had to adjust to. I am having to get adjusted to my 5:45 am alarm and I still miss my babies terribly during the day, two things that may in fact never get easier.

- I got an iphone. Its neat, but still can't see what all the hype is about.

- Jason went on a well deserved man-cation. He came back full (as they ate like kings), hairy, and had several days worth of stories to tell.

That's plenty for the recap. Hoping to be better with the blog in weeks to come!

Who Arted?

2010-08-25T12:43:00.000-07:00

I know I'm a little biased, but I really think the kids' artwork just keeps getting better and better!

I found myself being regularly amazed by their drawings and painting this summer and it is such a treat to see what new creations they come up with.

Yesterday I let them do some painting and here are some great works of art...

This one was done by Daniella. She took it to school today to give to her teacher. I thought she did a great job!

This one I really like and it was done by Riley. She blended her colors around the edges for outlines as well as in the blue part. Seriously, the kid is 3! I'm impressed!

I just realized that I did not get a picture of one of Joshua's paintings so I'll post one later. He had some good ones too!

We've got a Kindergartner!

2010-08-23T18:43:00.000-07:00

And a 3rd grader! I'm sure its a little repetitive to say "Where did the time go?"...but seriously, where'd it go?!

Joshua going to kindergarten was a lot harder for me than it was for Daniella. I think it was because he really didn't spend a lot of time in day care and was homeschooled for pre-school so there is an added attachment. Daniella pretty much spent most of her toddler years in day care or pre-school so Kindergarten wasn't as hard of an adjustment. We were excited for Joshua, worried for him...worried for his teacher. We really didn't know what to expect and although we joked that we'd take bets on when the first call would come, deep down we really weren't joking! Joshua is not for the faint of heart, or the dainty, or the germaphobe, or the neat freak, or one who likes silence...getting the drift?! It ~~was~~ is our hope that Joshua would contain the crazy during school hours and focus and have fun.

So far so good! He had a great first day!

Our 3rd grader is of course a seasoned first day of schooler and she was excited to meet her new class and teacher! Daniella was an awesome big sister helping Joshua when their paths crossed. Her teacher is an Aggie so I like her already ;) She's done really well every year of school so far and hopefully she will continue to be successful!

Two down, one to go!

Joshua with his chronic bedhead (that I love)!

Joshua and his Kindergarten teacher, Mrs. Harris.

Daniella with her teacher Mrs. Harness.

So we've got Mrs. Harris and Mrs. Harness. Hope I can keep the names straight!

Even More Country Critters

2010-08-23T18:16:00.000-07:00

These little guys (or gals) are awesome (at a reasonable distance)!

Come on! Ya gotta admit they are pretty cool (again, from a reasonable distance)! And yes, they are HUGE!

I'd hate to be a bug, well at all, but especially one in Bellville! Not only are the spiders big, their webs are pretty large too! Fortunately though, these spiders have set their webs up where there is no chance of accidentally walking through it and even if they did you'd still have a slim chance of going through it. I mean, do you think it is possible to not see this sucker?!

The Ice Beaker

2010-08-15T18:49:00.000-07:00

I wish I had gotten video of this!

If you've had the pleasure of spending time with Joshua you know he likes to sing! Loud and nonstop!
Sometimes he sings about what he is doing at the time, other times he sings his favorite songs from TV shows (like Scooby Doo or Phineas and Ferb)...and sometimes he sings about whatever is flying through his warped little mind! Like earlier today...

(in an 80's rock style) "I'm the ice breaker. I can break your ice. I'm the destroyer. I can destroy anything...except your underwear!"

Pops and Pat had the joy of hearing this composition over breakfast! Never ever ever ever a dull moment with this kid!

This, he'll eat...

2010-08-15T18:22:00.000-07:00

This ladies and gentlemen is a piece of pickle and piece of honey dew wrapped in a pancake. And as you can see this ensemble is being shoveled down Joshua's gullet. This he'll eat...

...but steak, nope won't eat that or any kind of red meat (I know, I'm confused too!). Or any kind of sauce or condiment...spaghetti with red sauce, nope...fries with ketchup, nope, pancakes with syrup, nope.

But this...this he'll eat. I may need to rethink the way I cook for him!

One Last Trip

2010-08-14T08:03:00.000-07:00

To complete our summer we made one last trip to see Jason's grandmother in Missouri. We love her dearly and I wish we could bring her back with us (we tried)!

We logged another 1600 miles on the old Quest to travel to and from. We are so blessed to have kids that travel well! Guess it helps that they had DVD players, my ipod, and a bunch of snacks to keep them happy. I always worry about movie overload on these long trips but to our surprise they would watch one or two and request to take a break from watching movies and instead listen to music or play games. They rarely sleep while on the road but on this trip they all took at least one cat nap. I know it takes longer, but I think this is my preferred method of travel! No lines, cramped spaces, rude passengers, checked bags, crappy movies, and all those fun "perks" of flying...plus it is waaaaay cheaper! The kids don't seem to mind either. They are pretty good about going with the flow and are always happy just to travel!

I really didn't take a lot of pictures on this trip but here are a few in no particular order...

We were less than an hour away from Grandmother's at this point. It was such a beautiful sunset!

This is a McDonalds that crosses over the highway in Oklahoma. The center part over the highway is the dining room of the restaurant. It has a McDonald's museum too. We passed under it last year and said we would stop this year. Its gross. It was dirty and there were flies everywhere! Been there...done that...never again!

This is a road hazard on all accounts! That is a rusty riding mower propped up on its side. We definitely questioned the safety (and sanity) of this setup and quickly got around them! This wasn't the only scary pickup truck bed we came across. We also found ourselves behind one pickup carrying a small bass boat NOT STRAPPED IN. It was just laying in the bed of the truck with half its length hanging out the back and not one rope, tie, or chain holding it in. Later on we saw another truck carrying a pile of logs...same thing. Back end open, no restraints! At least this truck made use of ropes!

This is the first time the kids all wanted to share the same space to sleep. I was a little worried because both Riley and Daniella are crazy (near violent) sleepers! I thought someone (or all of them) would wake up with bruises...or maybe a broken nose...but everyone made it through the night injury free!

The kids having lunch with Grandmother. I think we (OK, I) came back 10lbs heavier! She made pies, lemon bars, and a bunch of other sweets that we couldn't (OK, didn't) say no to as well as some of her specialty dishes which could very well be used as currency in our family! In all honesty, we've been back for over a week and I am still "full"!

Wish I had more pictures to share. Like I said I really didn't take too many. I'm glad we were able to go again and hopefully we'll make it back up there again soon.

Its my blog and I'll blog if I want too!

2010-08-12T13:28:00.000-07:00

That's right! Even if its a less-than-awesome topic on less-than-awesome day.

You may or may not know that I get occasional migraines. These occasional migraines have taken advantage of a hospitality never bestowed on them to begin with and lately have been springing up on a daily basis.

Migraines suck. I don't care how you feel about that word! I often here that "suck" should never be used in the vocabulary of educated persons...said the person/persons who drop f-bombs on a regular basis. I'll say it again, migraines suck! They really do and aside from signing up to a variety of medications that may or may not result seizures, neuropathy, or other not-so-fun sounding side effects, there is not a whole lot I can do on a migraine day. They are debilitating, nauseating, irritating...pick your "ing" word, or in short, they suck.

If its not completely obvious today is a migraine day. Yesterday was one too. Not fun. But I'm tired of burying my head under a pillow waiting for the darn thing to go away so I've been trying to keep myself busy...hence this blog post for all of you lucky readers!

While I'm at it, you know what else sucks? Kidney stones. I had two and now they are gone so I really don't have a legitimate complaint on them anymore. All the same, they suck too.

I promise I'll be cheerier next post.

Lightning is camera shy

2010-07-26T11:31:00.000-07:00

It really is...at least with me. Its like it knows I'm holding the camera, waiting.

We spent the day in Bellville on Saturday and on our drive home we noticed a storm in the distant night sky. It was really cool to watch and then we noticed what seemed to look like part of a funnel cloud, like it was half formed. I grabbed the Flip video camera because if we were about to witness a tornado form, I wanted it on camera. So I filmed, and filmed...and filmed, and nothing happened. The clouds were covering the lightning so it was more of a neat light show than anything else. Finally I pressed the stop button to stop filming. A millionth of a second later, BOOM! A GIANT blinding streak of lightning strikes right in front of us. It was beautiful. The kind you see in posters and books...and my camera was off! Jason and I were both shouting "OH, NO!" We couldn't believe it! Missing that shot will literally haunt me the rest of my life!

I figured surely there will be more so I turned on the camera again to start filming. I'd have my camera pointing in one direction and lightning would strike in the complete opposite direction. This happened over and over again. I never got a good or clear shot. I'm still cringing!

So here's my failed attempt at catching another amazingly beautiful streak of lightning.

this picture gives you an idea of how dark it was outside...

This is what it looked like outside with lightning! It almost looks like daylight!

The lightning streaks were big and bright...and always just out of reach! For having to drive in such horrible weather, it was really quite entertaining! Guess it also helps that we are family easily amused!

a new direction

2010-07-22T11:54:00.000-07:00

Writing this blog over the past few years has been such joy. I've lost count on the number of times I've changed the design (you probably have too)! When I started blogs were just starting to really take off and I thought it would be something fun to do. I never realized how much I'd enjoy it. I had no premise other than cataloging the day-to-days of our family with the occasional mindless rant that one in a billion people might find interesting. Trying to keep the family theme undisturbed I created other blogs that were supposed to be dedicated to other stuff I have an interest in since their content didn't fall in line with "family only".   I wasn't sure that I wanted so many categories in one blog. Maybe it was just me being OCD, who knows!

Now, I'm thinking I made a dumb choice. I have 4 blogs (that y'all know about) plus another 2 that I had started working on, but never published.   I think I have come to a "this is silly" revelation...because it is...at least for me.

The point...time to streamline things on the blog front.   I'm thinking it will move to typepad or wordpress (I like the way these platforms format pictures, plus they have a Blurb plugin) and have a little bit of everything. You might even learn a few things! The other blogs will be deleted and will be remembered with screen shots and saved posts.

I'll update links, etc as things progress.

A day at Sea World

2010-07-11T18:35:00.000-07:00

A few highlights from the day. I wasn't as picture happy as I usually am that day...can't imagine why!

A Not-So-Quick Trip

2010-07-11T18:30:00.000-07:00

We arrived back home from Florida Wednesday afternoon. A few minutes after getting everything out of the car and into the house the kids came up and asked "Can we go to Sea World tomorrow?" Our answer was "No!" But after a good night's sleep heading to Sea World to finish out our week didn't seem like a terrible idea. So we found a pet sitter and cheap hotel for a quick trip to Sea World. The plan was to leave Friday morning, drop off the pup, and head to Sea World. After Sea World check in at the hotel and go to bed. Day two would have us back at Sea World in the morning with us leaving in the early afternoon to return to Houston. Quick and simple right?

not so much!

our 3 hr drive to San Antonio turned into a 6 hr one

All was going according to plan and then 30 miles outside of San Antonio (in Seguin) while driving on the freeway the car died. We had just stopped for gas so the tank was full. The battery is only a few months old and there had been absolutely no problems with car up until that point.

Some nice people drove by and gave us a jump but the car quickly died. They tried again and this time the car would stay on but would no go when the gas pedal was pushed down. Nice!

We didn't waste time getting on the phone with our Nissan roadside service. Good thing too since it turns out they have no idea how to read a map! It took three hours to get a wrecker to us. They tried sending us three different wreckers with one coming from San Angelo, Texas and two from San Marcos. Did I mention that we were 30 miles outside of San Antonio? We gave them our location over and over again and I spoke with several reps trying to get them to understand how close we were to San Antonio and so there was no reason to send the car to places like Austin, TX or San Angelo or San Marcus (these were supposedly the locations of the closest Nissan dealerships). I mentioned we were outside Texas' 3rd largest city right?

Aside from a car stuck on the side of the road there was also the little problem of Texas temperatures in July. It was hot and thankfully we were traveling with our cooler (that cooler has logged thousands of miles over the years) and it was stocked with water and juice. We also had a full bag of snacks for the kids. They stayed pretty happy the whole time and were such troopers! Then there was the other little problem with Texas weather...the ever present "chance of rain". Any weather person can say "high in the 90's with a slight chance of rain" nearly every day and they would probably be right! Well as it so happens we had rain, a mini torrential downpour. Great to cool down right...maybe, but we had rolled down a window when the car was jump started and without the car starting there was no way to roll it back up! But thankfully this prepared family travels with towels! I think only Joshua is immune to car sickness so it is a constant threat. We travel with towels, wipes, and everything we would need to take care of a case of car sickness. On this day the towels were used to block the rain from soaking the car. The rain lasted all of 5 minutes so it wasn't terrible. Just another one of those things that we may look back (way back) and laugh about in years to come.

Our wrecker Ken and the people at the Nissan dealership (World Car Nissan) were very nice and extremely helpful and we owe them a big thanks. It turns out the car's alternator went out and had to be replaced. We got the car to them Friday night when we were finally towed there and they diagnosed and fixed the problem the next day. We were biting our nails that we'd be stuck in San Antonio for another day or worse that we would have to rent a car to get back to Houston if the repair took longer and then head back again to pick the car up.

We did make it to Sea World Saturday morning and stayed there all day while the car was being fixed. Not quite the trip we were hoping for, but we got it done!

I am just thankful that this happened here in Texas and not in route to Florida or back!

Earlier tonight Riley asked "Where are we going tomorrow?" My answer "NOWHERE!" I plan on traveling no further than our mailbox tomorrow!

The Train

2010-07-08T19:53:00.000-07:00

Last post for Florida! If you would like to see the full set of pics from the trip, check our Zenfolio page!

In the middle of a baseball field there is are three train cars, parked on a rail...a photographer's playground! The kids didn't quite feel the same way. They were ready to leave almost immediately after arriving, especially Riley...if you can't tell!

Things in the Backyard

2010-07-08T19:42:00.000-07:00

Marianna is really very pretty. I love all of the hills and tall trees everywhere! Even our little spider who lived in my rear view mirror was impressed. He apparently retired in Florida as his little nest is now empty...I don't blame him! With so much space and beauty why would anyone want to leave!

Walking around the yard...if you could call it that,m there were several things I had to marvel at...and at times, laugh!

Here are a few {of my favorite things...} in these Florida backyards...

a beautiful picturesque porch

a beautiful view from the picturesque porch

a vintage wagon holding a giant watermelon (that we brought home btw) next to a golf cart that the kids (all 5 of us) rode around in

a toilet that is a planter

the entrance to a Florida cavern

the most amazing garden I've ever seen!

...with some of the best tomatoes I've ever eaten!

a porch next to the pool...next to a pond

a homemade gazebo with a satellite dish roof...I love this thing! Makes me laugh every time I see it!

Fishing

2010-07-08T19:16:00.000-07:00

Jason's family knows how to do backyards...more on that later, but one of the best things that they have (besides the pools) is a fishing pond...aka Jason's playground!

Jason brought his fishing poles and tackle so we were ready for some serious fishing! By the end of the trip Daniella was doing all of her own baiting, casting, and reeling...and caught several fish including a large bass! Joshua caught several brim and once he caught one or two fish, he'd put his pole down and find something else to do!

Riley made everyone proud! She would do most of her casting but since she is so small she had a hard time keeping her lure out of the grass. She caught several fish but the one most noteworthy is a small (Riley-sized) fish that she reeled in all by herself! Needless to say daddy was proud!

Swimming

2010-07-08T19:01:00.000-07:00

We spent most of our time in Florida outdoors and a good chunk of that time swimming. One thing I was surprised about...Joshua can swim! Like Daniella not a day of swim lessons and behold, the boy can swim...but underwater only! He can swim laps under the water, but the second his head pops up from the water he sinks. Swimming above the water for Joshua is really just running in place! Luckily he is now tall enough to stand in shallow water so he had a little more freedom to play and practice. Riley was always excited to get in the water but either clung to me or Jason or wanted to stay on the steps/shore. Daniella also swims better under the water than regular swimming but her swimming is getting stronger!

At the pool...

Joshua Swimming from Valerie Gay on Vimeo.

At the beach...

Florida

2010-07-08T18:27:00.000-07:00

It has been a few years since our last trip to Florida but we finally made it back. We decided (I say that as if there was another option) to drive and to our amazement it was great! The kids were good 99.8% of the time (there was the occasional disagreement of movie or music choice) and we only made two stops both going and coming back.

These were pictures taken as we were pulling away from our driveway early Thursday morning. Not everyone was happy to be up that early!

While in Florida we spent the majority of our time either eating, swimming, or fishing. Sure we did plenty of other things but they always happened before or subsequent to one of those activities! Needless to say the kids had a blast and Jason and I went to bed exhausted every night.

Garden Envy

2010-06-21T17:07:00.000-07:00

Pat's neighbor has an amazing vegetable garden! Pat took a walk to visit her neighbor and came back with a huge box full of huge gorgeous vegetables! I was very happy to accept a few bring home! We had started a small veggie garden last year and my veggies looked like mini's compared to these!

More Critters...

2010-06-21T15:16:00.000-07:00

Baby gecko made an appearance again today as well as "Mama" or just maybe another very big gecko! Also spotted today were these guys...

These two small snakes (Texas Lined Snake) were hiding in a flower bed on the side of the house...our house!

It amazes me (and kinda makes me laugh) that our house (that backs up onto 1960 - equivalent to Westheimer for North Houston) has a few country elements including a horse pasture...and a cow pasture...within walking distance!

After Jason got home...

I caught one them and made it pose for pics!

It was not happy at all to be handled!

Good Times

2010-06-20T21:06:00.000-07:00

As the kids get older, the schedules get more hectic and the cousins don't get to play together as often so when they do get together, they play non-stop!

Bubbles...always a hit! I love this pic of Abby!

Emily goin green!

Daniella working really hard on that bubble!

Riley sporting her new boots and her first official pony tail! Poor girl wants long hair like her big sister, but it is no hurry to grow!

Love the boots and sock Emily and Abby are sporting!

Paint...another kid favorite! I say that but it is one of my favorite activities too!

Had to throw this last pic in here! One thing I decided to do this summer was treat the pool...yes I know it is an inflatable, but it has worked as far as keeping the water sparkling clear and clean so worth the time. We finally put the tent up over the pool so the kids can cut down on the UV rays and the pool can stay even cleaner. I'm a little OCD about the pool so everything we can do to keep it in pristine condition is a plus!

Here Joshua and Daniella did a synchronized cannonball and since Riley hates getting water on her face she turned away. She noticed me with a camera and so threw in last minute smile! Love it!

Lots O' Critters

2010-06-20T20:42:00.000-07:00

Really its not that were are looking for these guys (well most of the time anyway). They just seem to show up and I am almost always armed with a camera...and a kid/dog/hubby/any combo of the aforementioned!

Bellville Critters

You can tell from the blur this guy (or gal) was on the move! Its garter snake that I tried to go Steve Irwin on it but it got away before I could catch it. Domino was there to see all the fun and even got a little tangled up by it when it went the wrong way to get away!

*Update - I did a search and discovered it is an immature Eastern Lubber Grasshopper. They are actually kind of a nuisance for vegetable and fruit crops, esp in FL. They eventually grow wings and grow a little bigger...yikes...this guy was already pretty big!

I have no idea what this bug is! It had the shape of a grasshopper but no wings and the obvious weird black and yellow coloring. We'll have to look this one up!

This is a spider that was living inside the windmill. I've never seen so many spiders in one area. Not only that they are all pretty big! This one was fairly small but still pretty scary looking!

City Critters

This is a weird crabby shaped spider that moved into my passenger-side side view mirror months ago and is still there! Its been to San Antonio (Sea World) and back as well as thousands of miles around the city! For weeks I thought it would just blow away while we were on the freeway but it has always been able to make it up the web to its hiding place. For now we're not really bothered by the spider. Its never (to my knowledge) tried to get inside the car. Its perfectly happy where it is and seems not to care about people standing outside the door. He might just get a name in the next few weeks!

This is a baby gecko that was unfortunate enough to cross our path! Jason is the one who caught this little one and handed him to Joshua...who handed him to Daniella, etc! He was awfully cute!

When Good Mornings Go...Yucky.

2010-06-20T20:08:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago while watching Phineas and Ferb with the kids I decided to create a to-do list for the summer. The list is growing every day and I am hoping to get at least 90 days of "something" listed...and done! So far...we're a little behind schedule but not terribly!

Keeping three kids with as much as a 5 year age difference entertained and happy...at the same time...can be a bit consuming, not to mention exhausting.

On the list is to use our zoo membership. With the blazing heat trekking around the zoo seems less than fun so I've been avoiding it, but on one such morning we were going to be in the area so a trip was planned.

I should note that on this particular zoo morning I was sporting a shirt soaked with vomit! We were up early to run an errand and then headed to the zoo to beat the summer crowds. It had been a great morning and as we were walking up to the zoo entrance (approximately 50 ft from it) Riley (who I was holding) puked ALL over me! I immediately put her down (in the flower bed) where she continued to hurl another 4-5 times. It was curdled milk and capri sun. If you've never encountered this vomit blend be thankful! It is common knowledge in our family that we all easily get car sick so we keep with us a bunch of small towels should need arise. Riley made it through the trip nausea free and was complaining that she was thirsty so I gave her a Capri Sun when we arrived. She chugged it (big mistake) and we started our walk. I had one small towel packed with me and that combined with a whole pack of wipes provided a modest cleanup for us. The worst was cleaning up our shoes and feet. Being flip floppers, we both had soaked flip flops and soaked toes. YUCK!

I was nearly ready to call it, but Joshua and Daniella started arguing that we were so close and threw in the old "You Promised". Riley said she still wanted to go to the zoo so smelly and all we went. We did a power walk through the whole thing and made it out in under and hour. Promise kept! Happy kids, smelly mommy!

Today's project is...

2010-06-16T12:28:00.000-07:00

learning to sew! It turns out I can't do everything! I have a whole new respect for seamstresses! This simple dress took me all morning and while it looks cute from afar, if inspected closely one would see that I can't sew a straight stitch if my life depended on it! I'm just glad I got it finished and that it looks something like a dress! Maybe I should practice on something easier...like a napkin!

Sadly, this dress started out for Daniella but after trimming...and re-trimming and re-doing it got smaller and so went to Riley!

Who Arted?

2010-06-14T08:14:00.000-07:00

This morning we've got a sick kiddo :( Daniella started throwing up last night and is not much better this morning. I am hopeful that whatever she has will clear her system soon and that it is an isolated incident. Nothing like having three kids with a stomach virus. Yuck!

On to things less gross. The kids found my stack of blank 8 x 8 canvases and wanted to create some canvas art. This can get expensive so they are only allowed a few canvases a year. Here is the start of their quota!

From left to right: Daniella's wolf, Riley's doll, and Joshua's...blob.

Fun Summer Project

2010-06-11T13:39:00.000-07:00

I saw this idea in FamilyFun magazine. It was fun for the kids and mommy and we ended up with some cute stationary for the kids!

These were made using thumbs and toes! Can you guess which artwork goes with which kid? :)

I am going to run these through the printer (once I get the darn thing working) and ad a "from the desk of ..." for each one.

The kids also did more painting but on canvas. Once those dry I'll post the pics in the next who arted post!

Who Arted

2010-06-08T08:57:00.000-07:00

Its been a while since I did one of these posts but that doesn't mean we are lacking in kid original artwork!

Daniella has been learning origami which is great but now she has a ton of little cups, hats, planes, and animals all over the house!

Joshua painted this one and he said it was rain with a chicken television (lower left hand corner). Your guess is as good as mine!

A painting from Daniella. The kids were learning a little about color theory yesterday and she did her best to blend colors to make new ones for her painting.

This is one of Riley's paintings. She did another one that I wanted to feature instead of this one, but I can't find it! The other painting was painted on purple paper and she painted purple rain. What was even more interesting was yesterday was Prince's birthday. She has no idea who he is so I thought it was a fun coincidence!

Start of Summer - Day 2

2010-06-05T22:13:00.000-07:00

The kids are jumping right in, quite literally, to summer fun.

On the subject of eyes and photoshop...

2010-06-02T20:44:00.000-07:00

Still playing! Here's my adorable nephew and those beautiful baby blues!

Another photo contest

2010-06-02T14:46:00.000-07:00

I am entering another photo contest. The theme for this contest was eyes and it just so happened that I have a picture that I thought would make a good entry. This picture was cropped (big time) from the original and then I did some editing on it...used my handy dandy actions so it took all of five seconds but I love the way it turned out.

If you read the blog regularly you probably recognize the picture. It was one of the first ones I edited specifically for Valerie Gay Photography. I ended up not using it in the logo but it won't go to waste! Nope, not these eyes!

Fun with Photoshop

2010-05-31T18:27:00.000-07:00

Photoshop is one of those programs that is completely intimidating until you spend a few hours...or years learning the ins and outs of how it works. I once heard someone say that if you are a good photographer (brace yourselves fellow photogs) then you don't need Photoshop at all. I submit that this particular person is one who obviously was naive to the power of Photoshop and may have had a poor understanding to the art side of photography. Its true there's not a whole lot that you can with a bad picture, but it is very possible to turn a good picture or even a great picture into something even better, maybe even amazing.

With design on the brain constantly I don't usually have too many Photoshop breaks, but lately I've been using Lightroom for all of my photo editing and so haven't edited photos specifically through PS in the past few months. I've also never been too keen on using actions. I like to have complete control over each photo even if it means painstaking repetition. I finally gave "actions" a try and now I'm hooked. Not every action will work well with any picture for some it is like it was meant to be.

Last year I spent a few months creating and tweaking a few texture overlays...which I now rarely use...but hey I have em'! This summer I'll start with actions. What I love about these is it is very similar to writing a recipe...and if it isn't obvious...I'm a sucker for a good recipe! :)

Here's an example of actions at work. This is a picture I took at my favorite park in The Woodlands in January.

the original

With a few new favorite action...isn't it beautiful? Or maybe I am just waaay to into this stuff!

If you didn't notice that white spec in the sky is the moon. It was a beautiful day and I don't think I've seen a sky that clear since.

Back to the Country

2010-05-29T21:58:00.001-07:00

We spent the day in Bellville today. Jason worked with Pops on the yard and the kids even pitched in a little! It really is nice to get out of the city and spend some time in the country. We spent the evening on the back porch looking out into woods seeing the little flickers of lightning bugs in the distance and savoring the quiet around us.
Thankfully Daniella has some good eyes and spends a lot of time studying up on animals. She spotted a snake in the dark that was just inches from her. Talk about impressive. Not only was it dark (you know how dark it is in the country right) the snake was also perfectly camouflaged with the ground that was covered in leaves. She also spotted a scorpion…in the dark. I have horrible night vision so I’m glad she seems to not share this trait! We’ve been telling the kids to be on guard and watch every step when we are out there and now they finally have a healthy respect for their surroundings!
The trip only takes about an hour (from our driveway to theirs) so it is strange to go from pitch black, snakes, BIG spiders, and deer to bright lights and shopping centers 30 minutes later.
Its perfect!

The kids were given binoculars to do some bird watching. They carried these everywhere they went the whole time we were there!

This picture made me think of the phrase “city slicker”…plaid shorts and knee high socks…priceless! Joshua didn’t want to wear pants on the trip there because he said it was too hot for pants. We let him ride in comfort and packed jeans for him that he changed into shortly after we got there! I promise I didn’t let him sport this outfit too long!

Daniella’s turn with the binoculars!

I love this picture! Riley did not wear boots (mainly because we don’t have them for her yet) so she chose her sparkly pink converse shoes with matching pink socks and jumper! Add in a vintage Radio Flyer wagon and you’ve got a precious pic!

Guest Post…

2010-05-28T20:51:00.001-07:00

Daniella wants to make her blogging debut! So without further adieu…
Hello I am Daniella and I am going to end 2nd grade! I am writing my first blog.I want to show you my school work!

This is a poem about me!
y
My little sister helped me make this story.I’m good at drawing.

My friend Max and Susan is made by crayon pencil and paper.

Thanks for reading my blog!

Inspiration arriving in brown boxes

2010-05-28T12:27:00.001-07:00

I have so many ideas regarding photography that I literally sometimes cannot sit still! Most of these ideas originate from other very talented photographers around the world so I can’t claim them to be completely original, but rather my own expanded version of them.
One of these ideas…I’ve never had an opinion one way or the other as far as vintage things but I have found a new love and respect for them! So now I’m on a quest for beautifully stunning vintage art via photography. Like I said, can’t…sit…still!!!
I’ve got a couple of these coming, different styles from different years (1920 –1960). So exciting!

The shutter makes the most beautiful sound! Imagine this, some classic coke bottles, and a perfect abandoned gas station frozen in time from the 1960’s along with some adorable kids! Can you see it? Are you smiling? C’mon smile with me man!

Family Night Cont.

2010-05-28T09:03:00.001-07:00

The evening is the absolute best time to be at the zoo. The animals are out and more lively and it usually has little to no crowd. We stayed till closing time after we saw the dinos so we could make a lap to see some of our favorite residents.

This guy was chomping down on the grass and paid no attention to the many kids gathered to watch.

The tortoise and the hare!

You can’t quite see them, but there are three lions sleeping under the trees to the right! Brave bunny!

The bears were in a word, hot. Houston can’t be too comfortable for them in the summer!

This poor guy was sleeping in the water! I hope he was dreaming of snow in Montana!

This isn’t a great picture at all and doesn’t do this beautiful baby justice. They were in the indoor habitat so the light was low and the picture was taken through the glass.

This is the zoo’s newest resident…Baylor. He is just a few weeks old and absolutely precious!

I love watching these guys! Its no wonder there is an entire show dedicated to them! Look at that face!

We had to make one minor stop after leaving the zoo to pacify mommy! I’ve been wanting to get a few pictures of the kids with this phone booth. I wish I had one of these in my house!

These were taken with the point and shoot, but I will be heading back with the bigger camera soon!

We had dinner at Katz where I burned the roof of my mouth with fried pickles…as I always do when I eat them here. Its a fair trade…singed mouth for tasty fried pickles. The kids wanted to see the scenic view of Westheimer (OK maybe not so scenic) so headed to the windows for a few moments.
We headed home with the Phineas and Ferb soundtrack blaring where we all sang along to Gitchy Gitchy Goo and Squirrels in My Pants. Dinos, zoo animals, fried pickles (and did I mention the Death by Chocolate dessert), and a minivan sing along…all in all a great family night!

Houston Zoo’s Newest Exhibit

2010-05-28T08:34:00.001-07:00

Yesterday we got to do a members only sneak peak of the Houston Zoo’s newest exhibit…dinosaurs! The exhibit officially opens this weekend and while we were excited to see this we were not looking forward to the thick slow moving crowds that fill the zoo on special occasions such as this. We received our invite earlier this week and picked the first sneak peak day. Zoo member tip…ALWAYS pick the first day! I have no doubt tonight’s sneak peak will look very similar to opening weekend!
The exhibit was pretty cool. It was smaller than I was expecting but still great to see. The dinosaurs are animatronics so they move and make sounds. The kids have starting making their requests to return to the exhibit almost immediately. I have a feeling we will be spending a lot of time at the zoo this summer!

Visitor beware..this one squirts water!

Soooo Yummy

2010-05-28T08:09:00.001-07:00

Update: Jason just came home with two bags (24 count) of cheese sticks. I think he's ready for more! :)

Remember my little food rant? I listed fried and preferably stuffed or topped with cheese…well I have found the best recipe for fried cheese. Fried cheese is something that almost always order as an appetizer on the rare occasions that we eat out for dinner…unless there is the option of fried pickles, then we usually get those instead.
I have never been good at frying things but I finally figured out how to do it correctly and now the flood gates are open! I just may end up at the state fair next year! :)
I found the recipe on Ree Drummond’s (the Pioneer Woman) blog. If you don’t read it, start! She is great!

I bought one bag of cheese sticks (12 count), cut them in half, breaded and cooked them…and we ate every single one of them! Jason said we are never allowed to order these at a restaurant again because he’ll never like them the way he likes these. I have to agree!
Would it be weird to bring in your own appetizers to a restaurant? :)

Happy Birthday Domino!!!

2010-05-22T09:01:00.000-07:00

Domino turns 4 years old (or 28 if we are counting in dog years) today! I know Jason is still on the fence on this one (he's a cat person), but I think she was a great addition to our family!

She is a wonderfully patient dog who has tolerated quite a bit of ~~hazing~~ loving roughhousing from three very active kids...and some not so loving roughhousing from the cat.

Aside from eating the occasional cat turd and sneaking up on the couch she's the perfect dog. She's not yippy, she doesn't shed, she loves all of our family and friends, she growls at strangers who approach the door or the kids until I tell her not to (yes this a plus for me), and she's so darn cute!

Today we'll celebrate by a walk in the park, a few dog treats, and a few belly rubs!

Happy Birthday Pup!

8 weeks old, August 2006

Still cute as ever!

A Great Time Waster!

2010-05-21T10:26:00.000-07:00

If you have not been to Google today to do your daily search (everyone does these right) take a break from what your are doing and waste some perfectly good time playing Pac Man on the the new Google logo!

Genius!

Cloudy Skies = Fun Photos

2010-05-19T18:25:00.001-07:00

Today we spent the day at my home away from home, aka The Woodlands. We had lunch with Jason and one of my favorite people in the world and then we headed to our favorite park. I can’t wait till the kids get a little older so I can buy a kayak and go kayaking with them on Lake Woodlands. I’d considered using one of my grandfathers sailboats but lately they’ve been a little…faulty and I don’t want to risk capsizing another one…yes another one!
The kids love the ducks at the park and today they had a blast with them! I took some fun pictures of them (imagine that) and was happy to see that the sky, lake, and greenery made for the best backdrop!

A Tribute to Toes

2010-05-19T18:10:00.001-07:00

With our weather resuming its regular schizophrenia we are trying to take advantage of the pretty sunny days when they are around. Its either that or torrential downpours!
I decided to get a few pictures while we were at the park this week. The kids are tough to get on camera when they are in play mode but Riley found it humorous when I decided to take pictures of her cute shoes after I quit trying to get a picture of her face. I had to even it up when Josh stood still long enough to get a shot. He wasn’t nearly as amused as Riley. He just gave me the “why are you taking pictures of my feet” look and then went on about his business.

You may notice the changes in picture format. I have a new blog writer and it has several cool options as far as pictures go. Just testing a few out, although I am liking the rounded corners look! That one may be a keeper!

My First Photography Contest

2010-05-14T18:34:00.001-07:00

*Update: I changed my entry picture. Hopefully not a bad decision! I just really like this one!

I’ve always wanted to enter a photography contest but have always been a little intimidated. There is one that I was considering and finally said “Why not!” It is a cover contest for Professional Photographer Magazine. This photo was not my top choice, but fulfills what I think they are looking for (my assumptions based on reviewing past winners).
Here is the link to view my entry. Please vote if you feel so inclined! The votes are not what determines the winner, but it will be nice to see the support!

Shady Acres

2010-05-12T11:48:00.001-07:00

Jason’s parents officially now own the house in Bellville. It is a beautiful house and with a little TLC and some of Pat’s master gardening it will be even more so soon! Pat has been trying to think of a name to give her new home. She has come up with things like Whispering Creek but she hasn’t settled on any one name just yet. I have come up with the name Shady Acres! For one its funny and two its fitting! The land (5 acres) is in fact shady and this is the intended “retirement home” so to speak! So until another name has been assigned, I will be calling it Shady Acres!
The kids and I headed out to Shady Acres last weekend to leave a quiet empty house for Jason to work and to help Pops & Pat with the cleanup. Considering the size of the “yard” we barely made a dent as far as cleanup but the immediate 10 ft or so in by the back porch looks great! The kids picked blackberries (they are growing everywhere) and while they sat down to eat them a small herd of deer passed from end of the property to the other. The kids loved this! They are anxiously waiting for our next trip there!

I have no idea what this bug is but it was pretty cool…for a bug! I almost didn’t see it as it was camouflaged into the brick!

Deer view from the kitchen window.

Joshua is bird watching. There were two cardinals that were flying close by!

Daniella looking southern as ever!

I don’t know of a time the kids have ever been so happy to do yard work!

House Guests

2010-05-12T11:24:00.001-07:00

We were very happy to have the Milfords as house guests a few weeks ago. They had to come to our neck of the woods and we were happy to open up a few beds (more like air mattresses) for them! Its been years since we’ve seen them all but it was as if only a day had past since the last visit.

The kids were excited to have some new faces to play with and play they did…non stop! We invited our friends the Lowery’s (who had just returned from Disney…talk about a great end to a great week) over for dinner Saturday night and it was a reunion that we will be laughing about for months! It was a blast!

Daniella and Blair 4 out of the 5 crazies!

Junebug enjoying a movie and some oreo’s! June and Riley had a blast playing with

Riley’s baby stroller!

All 7 kids with homemade yummy cupcakes! Joshua was thrilled to have Reese to play

with a house full of little girls!