Octoberfest

Whenever we go to my in-laws the kids love going to this pond in the forest to catch fish. It's very peaceful! My in-laws have been feeding the catfish and they also go fishing in the pond even without the grandkids. A couple weeks ago Marcus' dad, Marcus and Austin decided to have a "man night" and put up a tent by the pond. They even call it the "Secret Pond". It's really great for me when they all take off and leave me at the house to read my book!!

Austin's a pro!Cali catches fish after fish!!! (mostly little perch, but she LOVES it!!)I did head out for a bit to see what all the fuss was about...if I didn't have the kids, I'd bring my book and park it by the water in peace. Yeah right...no kids?? fat chance!A couple weeks ago, Austin was playing at a friend's house and got hit in the eye with a stick! (I didn't get pictures of his eye...sorry) We were at the pediatrician's office for an hour and a half! After that, they refered us to an ophthamologist and set the appointment for that afternoon. I didn't have enough time to go home, so we grabbed lunch, ate at a nearby park, and headed to the eye doctor. We were there for THREE HOURS!! Towards the end of this blessed event the kids were getting restless (duh) so I whipped out some bubblegum...that's what's in Peyton's hair! So...this was the end to a perfect day...ugh...This is Cali's funny face...not her best effort, but you get the idea. :P
My sister told me that I have the smiliest kids...I just don't see it!
This is my little munchkin that I swear is a big girl in a little girl's body! She gets into anything/everything she can and is already wanting to do EVERYTHING herself...she's only 14 months old!! sheesh! But she sure is funny!Our family home evening this week was finally getting to carve our pumpkin! Yay!I tried to catch her sucking her thumb (which is pretty much how she lives) but she's become such a ham when the camera comes out that she was smiling before I could catch her. She's a quick one!My poor little man has BAD allergies just like his Daddy. We finally got him tested this week...I promise we weren't torturing him! We found out that he's allergic to EVERY grass, cats, and dust/mites!! Just like Daddy. Of course we've been keeping up with our team...Go Ducks!!! I hope this wasn't too much in one sitting...soak it all in and I'll be back with Halloween Spooktacular asap!! Boo!!

Skool Dayz

My big girl has started preschool!! Ahhh...where does the time go? I can't believe she's even old enough to go. She's only going 2 days a week and loving it! The little girl sitting next to her is a friend that I've babysat while her mom (my friend) was pregnant and having to go to doctor appointments...they became close buddies. Funny thing is, the teacher didn't even know how close of friends they were when she put them next to each other at the beginning of school. But it definitely made the whole thing even more exciting when she walked in and saw her bff!!

It's perfect for me too. I get two days a week that I can schedule appointments for myself or Peyton, get grocery shopping or errands done with only one kid, or get some cleaning done while Peyton's sleeping. Niiiiice. Oh, and Cali gets to learn stuff too.

Day of Firsts

Tuesday was Austin's first day of First grade!! My little man...*sigh* We went Monday to meet his teacher and I really like her. I have friends that actually know the teachers and I've heard nothing but good things about her. Before she was the "GT" teacher, she was the one that all the parents requested for their kids to get!

Yeah for Us!!

When we walked in Tuesday morning Austin was dragging me to his room, quite excited, and knew exactly where he was going. A little different then last year when he was looking to me for where to go and following my lead...this year he took the lead. He went straight over and hung up his backpack, unloaded his lunch and sat in his seat (which we found the day before so he knew right where to go). I kept asking if he was ready for me to go, "Not yet" was what I got. I stayed for a couple minutes, but since his teacher already had stuff for them to get started on, I asked again if he was ready for me to go..."Not yet Mom". He finished his coloring and they were supposed to get a book and wait for the rest of the class to finish..."Can I go now?" "Now you can go Mom. I was born ready for this." What a character!!

Peyton and I walked to the end of the driveway to wait for the bus, but I didn't factor in that it's the first day and they would take a little longer to make sure everyone knew where they were going. So after waiting, and sweating, we gave up and headed back to the house. Not 2 minutes after walking in, the bus pulled up and I didn't even make it halfway down the road to meet him...ugh! But he was happy that we were even out there. He asked why the bus couldn't drop him off at the house like he did last year...we actually lived right on the main road last year. Now we live on a little dirt road with nowhere to turn around...silly boy.

And that evening Austin lost his FIRST TOOTH!! His first tooth on his first day of first grade!! Phew!! What an exciting day...I'm pooped.
I was actually the one that even got to pull the little booger out! Yay! He was wiggling it and wiggling it...and wiggling it, but it never really seemed to get any looser. He really wanted to lose a tooth, especially after seeing all his friends back at school and all their holes. (peer pressure already?) I told him it might hurt a little, but he wasn't worried. I started asking him questions about his day as I was wiggling it and kept his mind occupied. I got my nails under and popped that sucker right out! And Marcus REALLY wanted to be the one to pull it out...he walked into the bathroom right as I pulled it, so he was a witness. (a little bummed that he didn't get to, but excited for Austin!!)

The Tooth Fairy came and left him 2 quarters. We debated on $1, but hey, we're poor...we gotta have room to give more with each tooth. ;)

Yeah for Austin's day of Firsts!!!

The New 'Do'

My sister and I have been talking about donating our hair to "Locks of Love" since last Thanksgiving. We were going to do it in June, but she wasn't ready yet, so I cancelled my appointment. The summer was going by and I was ready for my hair to be gone, so I made another appointment, and this time I stuck to it. Cali needed a trim since I hadn't cut her hair in about a year, so she got the royal salon treatment...shampoo and everything. She even got her hair straightened and boy did she look grown up!!

What a pretty little girl...if I do say so myself!!

Then it was my turn...13" from scissors to tip!

In the end, she had cut just over another inch off for the style. I was a little sad to see it all go, but much cooler than when I walked in that morning! What do you think?

Happy 1st Birthday Peyton

Today my littlest peanut turned 1 year old!! She's such a crack-up and I love her SO much...how could you not love that face?A few things about my little ray of sunshine!!

Peyton has a couple different names: Peyton Queen, P-nut, PeyPey...it all depends on who's talking and what she's doing. She is a fun, crazy little girl that gets into just about anything she can get her hands on. She loves digging thru the drawers in the kitchen, throwing shoes that she finds, pulling apart my purse if I leave it too low, etc. But it's never in a mean way, just checking things out. She has toys of her own, but she prefers to play with the big-kid toys (of course) and she's favoring cars, brushing pony's hair (and her own), books, block...she's a big girl in her mind. She's just started taking steps on her own last week without holding onto the couch, and she's really taking off! She does the funniest little scoot when she's not trying to walk, I've got to get it on video. She's crawling, but she gets her right foot out in front like she might sit down, but pulls with that foot and her left knee...it hurts my hamstrings just watching her!!!

The BEST part of the whole birthday celebration, especially on their first, is the cake. (or in our case, cupcake.) She really went to town on that thing!! If you follow the pictures from top left around to the bottom right, you'll see the progression of...well...mess! And she couldn't get enough...she had 2! I don't think she ingested the equivalent of a whole cupcake, but she sure tried her very best.After we "hosed" that girl down, we had a couple presents for her (her siblings) to open. Each sibling got to "help" with one present, but as you can see from the picture where Peyton is just standing there watching, they simply took over. But she was just fine with her new little baby...she kept hugging and kissing her and even patting her on the back. She's so sweet!Please pay NO attention to the way we/I look...it's been a loooong day!! ;)

Wicked Weekend

My Loving Husband helped me with a Girlfriend Getaway, and it was perfect!

Two of my awesome girlfriends and I left on a Thursday afternoon and headed for Houston (where one of them happens to live). We got to shop, eat out, and sleep in (at least one morning) and all with no kids!! (One of my girlfriends did have kids for a little bit, but that's mainly because we stayed at her house and there's no getting out of "mom" duties when you're home.) We even awoke the next morning simply to get dressed and head out for more shopping. *sigh*

Then it was time to get ready for the main event: "Wicked". If you've never heard of or seen the Broadway production of "Wicked" I highly recommend it....AWESOME!! After the show we head to the Cheesecake Factory for some midnight cheesecake. The perfect ending to such a fun night. Then to the hotel for some sleep...right. But we did sleep in till 10am and I haven't done that in YEARS. At least not like that. After a baby doesn't count! Since we were up so late, we got ready and headed back to the Cheesecake Factory for a scrumptious lunch and since it's right there in the Galleria...more shopping!!

I'm SO thankful for Marcus' help/support in taking a little time for myself.

Ahhh...I'm ready to get back to work.

4th of July

The 4th of July was on a Sunday this year so Monday morning we loaded up and headed to the lake for a family 4th of July celebration.This is how you'll see Peyton 90% of the time...thumb in her mouth and playing with her hair.
This is our little set-up on the beach where we hung out for the day. My in-laws, brother and sister-in-law and my WHITE husband...don't get blinded!I love this picture! Austin and the boys hanging on the inner-tube and Cali happily playing with the mud.Cali loved playing with the older girls and they loved playing with her. :)Cali and one of her cousins, Tucker, chillin' while waiting for their lunch.I was trying to take a picture of Austin running in the water, but as soon as he saw the camera he stopped and smiled...what a ham!The trip home was a very quiet one...

We had a GREAT 4th of July weekend! I love seeing family and enjoying time at the lake...great memories!!

oops...

Horrible, horrible, horrible!!! I could blame it on moving (again), kids, etc...I'm just a slacker! I doubt anyone even remembers I'm alive, or at least my blog. It's not dead, just in a slacker coma. My inattention to my blog was brought to my attention and I promised I'd get right on it, so here I am.

So much has been happening, but I don't think I'll bombard my blog with pictures, maybe just a brief catch-up summary and a few fun photos. So, the last time I blogged was when we went camping over Easter weekend...ouch! Since then, Cali celebrated her 3rd Birthday and we've bought a little house (manufactured home...trailer house, if you will) and moved, again. We're liking it just fine. A little "snug" but we're making due. Marcus has quit his job and is back in school...yay... It's been really tough, but we're doing alright. We're finally feeling settled and having a fun summer!

Without getting into too much detail, that's about the extent of the summer. We've had swim lessons, fun with cousins, fun with grandparents, and fun with friends. But, the funnest part has been just recently. Marcus and I celebrated our 8th Anniversary in July!! And just this past weekend I was able to get away for a Girl's Weekend in Houston for 2 nights! We went and saw the Broadway production of "Wicked", at lots of good food, and did lots of good shopping!! What else could a girl want? I'm getting ready for my "baby" sister to come for a visit this coming weekend while my parents are in Africa. They'll be spending time in Ghana and returning home with my youngest brother from his mission. I can't believe it's already been two years, but he'll be home the day before Peyton's first Birthday!! No, I can't believe she'll be a year old already too!!! Much to blog about coming up too...I'll stay on top of things!

Here are a couple fun pictures of the things we've been up to this summer:

Cali in her swim lessons. She earned a pair of Tinkerbell flip-flops for doing so well!

Austin is a natural-born fish, but he did swim lessons to be able to swim "correctly"...like doing different strokes and breathing and diving. He did really great!

This was the day my nephew Hunter was Baptized! This is Marcus' entire family...his parents in the middle, his brother, Justin, beside him with his wife, Caryn, and their three kids (Hunter at the bottom by Austin, Taylor sitting with Grandma, and Tucker on Grandpa). And, of course, us.

We went out to Sam Rayburn Resevoir the day after 4th of July. Marcus' whole family came and even some extras...uncle, aunt, cousins, their kids...it was a blast! Definitely a post to come!

Whenever we go out and about, this is me and Peyton. She loves chillin on my back and getting to be up high and watching the kids. Not that I carried her for 9 months, or carry her around the house or anything, I guess Marcus did all that and he needed a break. ;) (We must have been out for a walk or something as a family.)

Peyton will get her own post when her birthday rolls around, but just a few things about this crazy little girl (because most of you don't know her from lack of information!!): She loves, loves, loves her Daddy. She could be on the other end of the house when he gets home, but as soon as she hears his voice she bee-lines it in his direction. No joke!

And she's quite the ham, just like the other two. She's shy when she meets someone new, but gets crazy quick. She loves blowing raspberries and sticking out her tongue. She eats lots of different things, but if she doesn't like something, she'll definitely let you know. She's cruising along the furniture and tries to stand on her own, but she can only do it for a couple seconds. She'll get there, hopefully not too soon. She's getting too big WAY too fast!! More to come when she hits the big 1st Birthday next month.

We're having a great summer and it's not over yet. We still have much to do and many events on the calendar, so I'll be better at sharing because it's gonna be a blast!

Spring is for Camping

I've always loved going camping. We used to go camping as a family when I was growing up in California, but we had mountains where we could hike and a stream for fishing. Southeast Texas camping is a little different, but it's still fun to simply go camping. A little challenging with little ones, but still tons of fun! Marcus starts getting the itch to go camping soon after Christmas. We can't really plan a weekend camping trip until about March because of the wonderfully unpredictable weather of southeast Texas, and even then we still take our chances. This year we've been camping twice already and both times we got rained on! The first time we were lucky enough to be in a shelter, but the second time, over Easter weekend, we were in a tent...ugh! Everyone and everything stayed dry, but it's not as fun when you can't sit around the campfire and enjoy the nightly ritual of camping...s'mores!! We made the most of it and had some really fun family time in our tent while Peyton slept. Ahhh...memories!

Marcus and his brother, Justin, matchy matchy....so cute!Cruisin' on the pontoon boat."These are MY chips Grandma"Austin and his cousin, Hunter, enjoying the ride on Grandpa's boat.JD and Caryn cruisin' kidless

The first time we went camping, we went with another family that has three kids....one's 15, one's 9 and one's 6. The exact opposite ages of ours and reverse gender...girl, girl, boy and ours is boy, girl, girl...which actually worked out nicely. Their oldest liked my baby, their middle girl played with Cali, and their little boy and Austin both turned 6 in January! Perfect! And we had a great time with the parents too. :)

The Men fishing

Marcus and his "mini me"

We went for a walk out on a trail and Cali found herself a "walking stick"....lol
Bringing up the rear

Peyton just couldn't last

Austin and his sticks....oops, I mean swords!

Crossing the bridge

Cleaning the catch for dinner...yum!

The kids liked being on the boat, even when it was docked.

I had a great time camping, but I got my fill and I'm done for the year. Time to rest up for camping 2011.