Ketchup

Teach me to take some time relaxing in bed. I guess ketchup really does make a good breakfast as I later discovered. I also discovered one does not need utencils to eat ketchup hands and mouth work really well at scooping up all that ketchup yumminess. After this experience I realized that I am a pro at Spencer's antics because I didn't panic I immediately went into action mode and got the camera and then put him in the tub. However, a week later and I am still finding dried ketchup on walls throughout the house. Just so you know Spencer's relationship with ketchup has been broken up and if you ask me the two are getting along better without each other.

Boys Weekend

Every fall Anthony cub scout pack goes on a campout, the families are welcome to come along as well but we usually just have Anthony and Grant go. This year I asked Grant if he wanted to take Spencer along. I knew Spencer would love it because he loves being outside and he loves camping. I then had the brillant idea that while the boys are away playing that the girls will play too, but we would do it hotel style. The first night (Friday) went well because everyone was on their own as the families arrived at different times. On Saturday is when they have their activities from sun up to sun down, and well Spencer didn't agree with their schedule. I got little reports from Grant throughout the day and the reports boiled down to the fact that Spencer wanted to go home. Grant presevered and was able to push Spencer along and find ways to include him in the cub scout fun and when everything wasn't working Grant let Spencer play in his car until Spencer fell asleep-Heaven. The rest of the pack stayed through Saturday, but we usually pack up and leave when it is lights out on Saturday, and when they got home I saw three tired boys. Next year, Spencer will stay with Madeline and I; we will try cubscout camping with Spencer when he is a scout himself maybe then he will like it.

PS: Spencer from time to time will still tell you that he doesn't want to go camping with the cubscouts and that he is all done camping

Tractor Derby

One of our kids' favorite things to do is ride on the tractors at Lowes. When we go to Lowes as a family they always ask to play on the tractors. This time Grant needed to get a few things for the tree house and decided to take all the kids himself (bless his heart). I handed him the camera because I knew playing on the tractors was going to be on the agenda.

Girls Weekend

While the boys were away at camping with the cubscouts, Madeline and I checked into a hotel for a little girls' weekend fun. Madeline had been sick with a cold that triggered her asthma all week long and there were a couple of times that I thought I was going to have to take her to the hospital; but luckily we didn't. I decided that I can take all her equipment with me so we could be miserable at home or be miserable at the hotel and so since we have been miserable at home all week long I decided to give the hotel a try. I am so glad that we did. Madeline had the time of her life, it was so rewarding to see her smile back after being sick for a week. We enjoyed happy hour in the lobby, a shopping trip to build a bear for some build a bear goodness, yummy dinner from panda express, and a trip down stairs for some hot chocolate before bed. In the morning we enjoyed a breakfast fit for a princess and then we lounge him bed playing with our build a bear loot and watching a movie on our portable DVD player. The "marshemellow" beds were divine and you know what was even better? No boys. Madeline was giddy with excitement. Our girls weekend lifted her spirits which was nice after being sick for a week. On our way home we did a little girl shopping and that evening we enjoyed some yummy broccoli and cheddar soup from Panera bread, and while waiting for the boys to come home we cuddle up to a fun Dora movie. Madeline said it was the best weekend and I have to agree, it simply was the best.

PS: There were a lot more pictures but for some reason they cannot be uploaded

Camping

Every year for Grant's birthday we go camping. This year we went the weekend before his birthday because the kids had Friday off. Our plan was to leave a little after lunch so that we would get to our campsite right when it was check in time. We wanted to have enough time to set up camp and not have to worry about fixing dinner right away. Well we left later than wanted and had a few stops along the way which lead arriving two hours after our desired time. However, a miracle happened and that was everyone happily pitched in with setting up camp and before we knew we were done and it only took us an hour. So we had plenty of time to go for a walk/scooter ride and even throw rocks in the water. We are under a burn ban so we could only use closed grills or propane stoves. No problem we have a propane stove with a griddle attachment so there endless meals that we could cook. I get everything set up to make dinner and then I ask Grant to light the propane and that is when we realized that we had no lighter. Now I need to back up a little bit. Earlier at our first attempt to cook dinner as I was gathering stuff to cook diner I asked Grant for the propane and it was then that he realized that he had forgotten to grab the propane. So we quickly hoped in the car and out we went to find the nearest place that would sell propane. We were lucky to find a nearby gas station. When we got back to the campsite we decided that since we had "everything" that we needed to make dinner we would wait a few minutes and enjoy the outdoors. Which now brings me back to having no lighter. It was dark now and the kids were ready to eat. Grant found some matches in his fishing vest because you know a scout is always prepared. The only problem he didn't have anything to strike them on, and there is also the problem that no one knows how old these matches really were. After trying to strike them on various things around us and having no luck we started to make dinner with what we had that needed no cooking. We are known to forget something but it usually pajamas not propane and matches. The kids enjoyed themselves immensely from jumping on the air mattresses to the scooter races and Spencer found his long lost best friend...dirt. That kid enjoyed rolling around in the dirt and even scooping it up and tossing it in the air so that as it came down it wrapped around him like a blanket.

The next morning Grant took the kids out for a boating ride which didn't go so well. The water was choppy which made Grant's canoe rock and that made Madeline very uneasy. Anthony was having a blast and well Spencer was bored. That goodness for modern technology. Grant called me to come and get the kids. We decided on meeting at a certain location where he would pick me up and drop me and the two younger kids off at the park to play. Well as this park was a beach area set up to play complete with water and all. Well Spencer other best friend is water and the magnetic force between him and water is so strong that there is no separating them. What started out with just getting our feet wet turned into Madeline and Spencer fully immersed in the water having a good time splashing and playing. Later on Anthony joined them for the fun. After a little bit of time the kids got cold ( don't know why it was only October). We decided it was a good time anyway to go back to camp and clean up and then we would come back to the day park eat lunch and then play until we were all plumed tired. Again a miracle of teamwork happened and it only took us an hour to tear down camp. The kids quickly ate their lunch and you guessed it they were back in the water play clothes and all. However, Daddy ended up in the water too and this was after he declared that he was not going to get wet (famous last words). They wrestled and splashed for a bit until they were all cold. Then it was off to running around in the sunshine to dry off because after all they swam in their play clothes. Grant then found a small channel area of the lake that was not choppy and so he took Anthony and Madeline out for a little boating and fishing. Spencer decided he wanted to stay behind and so waiting for Daddy to get back near water was very challenging in keeping Spencer from getting wet again. By this time it is 3:00 and we are all tired and wanting to be at home. It took longer then we wanted to get the boat tied down to the roof of the van but after accomplishing that huge task we were off for home and not too soon for a few minutes after we arrived home a rain storm came through.

Over all I think our fall camping experience was a success and we had a lot of fun together as a family.

Gator-thon

A week after Madeline and Anthony's run-a-thon, it was Spencer's turn at his school. I was a little bit late getting and so he had already started running. Since his class is in the afternoon and the school is finished by then, they had a few fifth grade classes to come out and cheer the preschoolers on and to help them run. As soon as Spencer saw me he ditched the boy that was helping him and wanted him Mommy only. He was also done running and so for the rest of the time I dragged him along and sometime I carried him on my back. There were a couple of rounds that his teachers took his hand and ran with him, Spencer was not too happy about that. He is still a Mommy's boy and when Mommy is around the rest of the world doesn't exist. He wasn't too happy when he learned that after the race I was going to go home and he would have to go back to class, he cried like it was the first day of school. However, I am sure he forgot all about the fact that I left when he saw the snacks waiting for him in the classroom, food always brings a smile and dries up any tears.

Trampoline Fun

Spencer had been asking to go camping for about a week when we decided to pitch the tent in the back yard. Well it hasn't rained since June (this was in September) and on the day that we decide to pitch the tent it rains. By the time it stops raining the ground was soaked and it was dark. Grant thought that sleeping out on the trampoline would cure Spencer's desire to go camping. Spencer was all on board until he saw that there was no tent. In Spencer's eyes when you go camping you have a tent. He thought that Daddy was going to put the tent on the trampoline. There was no consoling Spencer over his disappointment, so after a few failed attempts Grant brought Spencer in to sleep with me. A few minutes later Grant walks in with Madeline who is terrified because she is certain that it is going to thunder and rain. Grant and Anthony braved the night sleeping under the stars. It did rain, but only sprinkled. Anthony never noticed. The boys didn't get much sleep because when one would move or toss and turn it would move and toss and turn the other. Grant is a good sport, I on the other hand am smart.

Before everything went down and disappointment took over the kids did have fun jumping on the trampoline; too bad the excitement was short lived. The next weekend we pulled the tent out for Spencer to get his camping fix, I think I could safely say he was excited.

Longhorn Stampede

The kids no longer have catalog fundraising at school, which I am so happy about. Instead they do a run-a-thon. The kids can get donations for how many laps they run or just a flat donation altogether. The event is fun and the kids enjoy getting out and running. What I like is that they have other grade levels cheer on the runners; you just get a feel on school unity. Because of Madeline's heart condition she is not able to run without getting tired. Last year I carried her on my back, this year I was smart and used the jogging stroller. Though it was easier then carrying her on my back it still proved that I am out of shape. This year Grant was able to help and we tag teamed it because both of us is not in super great shape (we will have to do something about that for next year). I thought Madeline would want to run some and then sit in the stroller, but when you have your hat, sun glasses and your daddy's i-pod listening to music why would you want to get out of the stroller. For 30 minutes Grant and I ran along side the other second grade girls. Pushing a stroller on grass is not an easy task, but supporting a daughter makes it all worth it. At the end of the day we were surprised to learn that Madeline placed third in her class amongst the girls; the smile on her face was worth the 30 minutes of pushing a stroller in a grassy field. However, I am determined to get in shape so next year things will be a little easier.

After Madeline's race, it was Anthony's turn. Madeline was able to stay and cheer on her brother. I got several of the other kids in her class to cheer him on as he passed. Anthony brought his camel pack this which I think helped him to keep going. Anthony certainly is not amongst the fastest of the boys in his grade level, but when they were tiring out he just kept going. He never stopped to walk during their 30 minute time slot, he just kept going and going. He said he had one goal in mind and that was to do more laps this year than last year and he met his goal so he was happy.

Conference Time!

I know it has been almost a month since General Conference, but better late then never. We love General Conference time in our house, the kids actually get excited to listen to our prophet and leaders. Usually by the Sunday afternoon session they are all conferenced out and are just happy playing together in their rooms. What I love about General Conference is not only the spiritual feasting that we experience but the traditions that we have as a family. The traditions just make the weekend all that more exciting. This year I had great hopes in taking notes and starting the process of our FHE lessons based on the talks that were given; but I got slammed with allergies that turned into a cold or sinus infection. Because of this I was just happy to sitting up right with my eyes open. I was coherent for some of the talks and what I remember I felt that Heavenly Father answered every thing that troubled my heart. I just love that part of conference. I am so glad for the Ensign so I can go back and read and study what I missed during my brain fog.

For Conference our traditions include: 1. We start out the weekend with a trip to the donut shop and getting donuts for breakfast. 2. Getting out the 72 hour kits and updating them. It is during this time that we eat all the previous six months food, which the kids love. 3. Our Conference kits which provide excitement and learning for the kids and allows the parents to listen-a win win situation. 4. Pizza for dinner Saturday night. 5. Movie and desert making while Daddy is at Priesthood Session. 6. Enjoying our desert while Daddy tells us what he learned.

Something else this year that I thought was cute that the kids did was standing every time the prophet entered. I smiled as I sat back and watched them show their reverence and love for the Prophet. I didn't tell them, they did this on their own.

As always, after Conference I feel like I can go conquer the world; and though I was sick and felt like I was dead I was still able to raise my flag and say with excitement "I can do this!"

An Overdue Update

Wow life for us here has seem to fly by. With everything going on the weeks seem to go by in a blur and the weekends are never long enough. Lately there is something going on every night as a family; I sure cannot wait for summer when everything seems to slow down, at least I hope it will. We sure have been busy with work, school, homework, piano, and running a household. I am happy to say we have not been busy with doctor or hospital visits. We did hit our first major asthma attack but did not have to go to the hospital, just missed a week of school. The cold has made it rounds through the house and we all agreed that we did not like it so hopefully "Mr. Cold" got the memo and will not come back for a visit. I have been adjusting to my new way of life, I am still waiting for me to come above the water so I can figure things out and put together a plan that will help to prevent me from drowning. I haven't come out of the water, but I am not drowning just floating along. This year Madeline has really needed me a lot at school for emotional reasons. After I drop Spencer off at school, I go up and join Madeline for lunch and then recess. This has helped her make it through the day. Since I have started doing this a couple of months ago she has stayed in school more. I know I am doing the most important thing, but it sure poses a challenge in trying to figure out how to manage everything else when you feel that you are always up at the school. Also to help her do better in school, I have moved her bedtime to 7:00. This has been a challenge. I start making dinner while they are in school and then finish when they get home. We have dinner at 5:00 and then start getting ready for bed at 6:00. We also have do homework at this time because I am busily making dinner and Madeline is exhausted from the day at school to do homework any earlier. With all of Madeline's medications and other medical stuff getting her ready for bed is a long and sometimes tedious process. This schedule has been a challenge but we are doing it because I have a lot of help from Heavenly Father; and everyday I am able to see that with Him I can do anything. On the flip side it is nice having 2 of the 3 kids in bed by 7, but getting there sometimes is a challenge. Here are some random pictures that I took with my phone.

1. Anthony and Madeline's school had their run-a-thon to help raise money for their school. Grant and I go and our Madeline's legs so that she can participate. Madeline sits in the stroller and we run along with the kids. At the end of the day I was surprised to hear that Madeline won third place among the girls in her class. It is moments like these that I am glad for a camera phone and more important that I actually remember to take it with me and that it was charged.

2. One afternoon before Spencer's school, I took him to McDonald's for a little Mommy and Son time. I should do this more often. He was beyond excited to be going to McDonald's with Mommy and not having Anthony and Madeline around. I think he was especially excited that we were going inside and not drive thru and that I let him play in their play yard, something I never do. It was fun spending time with him and participating in his excitement.

3. Here is another time that I am glad for phone cameras. While eating lunch with Madeline at the end of the six weeks, the counselor was passing out the awards to those kids that were selected as winners of the virtue for that particular six weeks. The virtue for the first six weeks was responsibility. As a side note, Anthony has received this award every year since Kindergarten. I was glad that I was there to share in his excitement and to be able to snap a quick picture. I have to agree that Anthony amazes me with how responsible and dependable he is.

Labor Day 2011

We take Labor Day serious, we do like to have fun but we take this opportunity to Labor because after all it is Labor Day. As parents we feel that it is important to teach our kids the value of hard work and the satisfaction that comes from working hard. And so on Labor Day we work hard and then we make sure that there is time to play hard after our work. This Labor Day Grant was ready to get outside and work on some much neglected projects. The heat has finally left us, well it isn't 100 degrees anymore and Grant's summer business travel is finished. With those two obstacles out of the way Grant now has plenty of opportunity to work outside and since the kids enjoy being outside I am left to a quiet house to enjoy till my hearts content.

Safety Patrol

For the first six weeks Anthony was selected in his class to be a safety patrol leader. He gets to school when the door opens and he monitors a certain hallway. His jobs are to open the door the passing kids and help direct any kids that are lost or having a hard time finding the cafeteria. Anthony was so excited for this job and every morning he prays that he will do good as a safety patrol. I think he is one great safety patrol person.

First Day of School 2011

Back to School Feast

Every year on the night before school we have a Back to School Feast. It is a night where the kids get the royal treatment. We make a nice dinner and we eat our dinner on our "fancy" china (we used regular dishes this year because "fancy" china is missing and we cannot remember where we put it). Each kid has their own crown because after all they are royalty. We enjoy a nice dinner where the kids are served by Mommy and Daddy. After our dinner I give a spiritual message and this year I chose I am a Child of God. I wanted to leave them with something that would help them with whatever challenges may come up during their school year. I felt that if each one had a testimony and a knowledge that they are Children of God then there wouldn't be an obstacle too hard for them to over come. After our spiritual message it was time for Father's blessings. This is always my favorite part of the night. The spirit is always strong before our Father's blessings and I feel that is calms the children and makes going back to school a time of excitement. Spencer this year felt that his blessing was overrated and was not interested in having one; maybe next year.

The kids are excited for school and it is hard to believe that I have a fourth grader, a second grader, and a child in his last year of Pre-K. The kids are excited to start off their new adventures and I cannot wait for Summer Vacation. Having my kids around me brings me lots of joy; but the time to myself during the school year is also a welcome treat. We just have so much fun together as a family that I cannot wait for the next adventures to begin.

The Aquarium

A new aquarium opened up in our area and originally I wasn't going to take the kids because I knew it would be on the small size and I wouldn't want to the pay the price of admission. However, the summer heat was not letting up and the kids were starting to get stir crazy. We had season passes to the water park, but the water was really hot because of the heat; and also Madeline because of her health cannot be out in the heat. So I gave in and took the kids first thing in the morning before it got too crowded to check out the aquarium. Though it is small and the price of tickets I think is a bit much the aquarium was actually nice and had lots of good features. They sure do advertise the 360 degree shark tank as being this over the top main attraction, but don't let advertisement fool you. The shark tank is really small and before you know it you have walked through the tunnel and you are left with saying "What shark tank?" The kids really enjoyed themselves and I did too. Afterwards we had a nice lunch and then home to our nice air conditioned house.

Cyber Chase

It was near the end of summer and I was trying to figure out what activities to do that would interest all the kids and more important was inside. The problem with growing up here is we have done most of the museums and with that comes a lack of interest in seeing the same things over and over. I was lucky to find a new museum near the airport that had a Cyber Chase exhibit. My kids love Cyber Chase so they were excited to learn of our adventure. The museum was done by the American Airlines and was basically a history of the company. They had different airplane parts on display and had an old airplane that we were able to walk through and explore. They even had a volunteer at a flight simulator to help the kids fly their own plane. The volunteer kept things pretty controlled so the kids didn't have a chance to crash their plane. This didn't sit well with Spencer, for Spencer wanted to crash his plane in the water and he didn't understand why the volunteer wouldn't let him. I thought the same thing, if the kids want to crash their plane then let them crash their plane. There are times that crashing brings excitement to kids; I don't understand why but it does. We spent most of our time in the Cyber Chase exhibit and then when that started to fill up with kids we went and explored the rest of the museum. The one thing I remember is seeing Madeline next to a tire from an airplane and to see the tire taller than her, I know that doesn't say much but she looked like a speck up against that tire. The kids want to go back to the museum and explore it again but this time they want to bring their dad.

Tie Dye

I had bought some t-shirts and a tie-dye kit before our summer vacation. The goal was to tie-dye some shirts that we could wear as a family at our Family Reunion. Well life got busy and that activity didn't happen. However, after our vacation our supplies were waiting for us and so it made for a fun Friday night activity. I was a little worried about fabric dye and Spencer and how all that would play out. I was surprised to see Spencer listening and following what we told him. I am happy to report that with enough trash bags and gloves we all came away from the activity without any marks. The kids really enjoyed making their own designs with the rubber bands and then using the dye to finish off their creation. Now we have fun shirts to wear to bed or just around the house. I see more tie-dying activities in our future.

I Scream We All Scream for Ice Cream

To carry on with my creative and imaginative ways to make the miserably hot summer weather exciting and fun, I decided as a family that we would visit a different ice cream place every day. A lot of the ice cream stores have dollar nights so that helped out a lot. The kids were totally on board and at times I felt like visiting ice cream stores was the best thing that ever happened to them. So every night after dinner off we went to a new and different ice cream place. I noticed that Anthony pretty much was consistent in his ice cream selection no matter what place we went too. Spencer was all about color and that is how he chose his ice cream; flavor for him came in second it was the color that mattered the most. Madeline at times got creative in her ice cream selection but she mostly played it safe. As a side note, Madeline was excited to go ice cream hoping but what is ironic is she doesn't like ice cream. Madeline would take her couple of bites and then pass her ice cream off to Anthony. One would think I would just let her share with someone, but I have learned there is great importance in holding and having your own ice cream, even if it is only for a couple of bites. The one in our family that was the most adventurous with the ice cream, was Grant but that isn't a surprise. I went for the ice creams that had chocolate and peanut butter combined how could you go wrong with that. Ice cream hoping was fun and it allowed the kids to look forward to something that day. I believe the highlight for the day was when I revealed which ice cream we would visit. We will definitely keep this in mind for next year, it might become a new tradition; but I hope we can do it under better temperatures.

Fry an Egg

This Summer has been one for the record books. I would like to think it was one for the incredible fun things that we did, but the record goes to the heat. Texas is already known for how hot it is in the Summer time, but this year was beyond hot it was just plain miserable. You got all your outside stuff done by 8:00 or else you would just melt in the heat. Lucky for us the heat wave came after our two week long vacation and so the kids were more than willing to stay inside and happily play. One has to get pretty imaginative on what to do when such heat presents itself. I thought it would be fun to fry an egg on my car. I picked a day where the temperature was suppose to be 110 degrees and then let the pan sit outside all day and then at the heat of the day I braved the temperatures to fry my egg. Taking my cues from Mr. Genius I set out for my adventure. I didn't really ever managed to fry the egg, but I did scramble it. Don't worry I didn't eat the egg, I don't trust mother nature that much. It was fun and it made one miserably hot afternoon a little more exciting.

Welcome Home

It is always nice coming home to a nice clean house after a well deserve vacation, too bad it doesn't stay clean for long. Here is to hoping that I can get unpack, organized, and cleaned up before school starts.