One Day At A Time

Halloween 2009

2009-11-01T20:12:00.000-08:00

Gettin' All Crafty

2009-08-31T18:24:00.000-07:00

I have come upon a problem since graduating in May. I just don't know what to do with myself sometimes! For those of you with endless schedules of running to this lesson or that, baking goodies as the homeroom mom for your child's class or sponsoring a mommy's-day-out group, all while trying to keep your house clean- don't be haters. I have lots of things I should be doing, just haven't been motivated to do them as often as I should...

Out of that has sprouted my latest series of craft projects. I did some scrapbooking, made some cards, and then...decided to take up sewing again. I went through a sewing phase some time back and produced several quilts that are now being used as absolutley nothing in a rubbermaid tote in the spare bedroom closet.

Another time, when I was pregnant with Mara, I made a couple of little summer dresses. That was fun (in a sort of torturous way), but after having her and then going to school for the past 2 years, I just didn't have the time or desire to sew anymore. Last week I decided to make her an outfit after being inspired by some boutique clothes I saw online. Here is the result:

It wasn't very hard, actually, just time consuming. It took me much longer than it will the next time I do it, mostly because I did a lot of things by trial and error. In my excitement to get going on the first outfit, I purchased some other fabric that will work for making another. When it's turned inside out it isn't pretty at all, but put it on Mara and the imperfections dissapear under her smile.

Almost First Day of School

2009-08-31T05:31:00.000-07:00

First day of First grade came and went without any "before" pics. Mike had my good camera, and my other was MIA, so Cam got off to school without any. Luckily, in his classroom, another mother was snapping photos of all the kids with their new teacher, Ms.Fuchs (pronounced Fox). So, eventually I will have some first school pictures of Cam, but for now, this will have to do.

The first week was a bit rough. On Tuesday, the first day of school, Cam was complaining of not feeling very well but I figured it was the nerves talking. Mara and I took him to school, walked in with him and left without any hesitation. He was very excited to see some old friends and meet new ones. I drove directly to Mara's daycare/pre-school where she attends on Tuesday and Thursdays. After she was settled in I was homefree!!! I couldn't wait to do something alone, so I went and ran a few errands. Exciting, I know.

10:30 rolls around and I recieve a phone call from Ms.Clara, the school nurse reporting Cam has a fever of 102.5 and has thrown up. Great. I went to pick my poor little guy up, came home and he layed down for most of the day. There were a few episodes of nausea, another vommitting, and then it was time to go get Mara. I made Cam hold a bowl in his lap just in case something came up....

Cam needed to stay home until his fever had been gone for 24 hours, so he missed the second day of school, too. Fortunatley, the first week of 1st grade isn't too heavy on homework, so he doesn't have make-up to do.

Thursday and Friday were normal, with him up and out the door bright and early. He is looking forward to this new year; learning new things and meeting new friends. His teacher seems to be really great. I like her a lot. Since I'm out of school now, I hope to have more time to participate in Cam's classroom. There are always lots of jobs for moms to do there.

Today we started week two and things seem to be just fine. I hope the rest of the year goes well!!

On my way back to the blogosphere...

2009-08-27T08:40:00.000-07:00

I have every intention of updating this blog very soon. I just need to think of something good to write about...
Acutally, I just made Mara a new outfit, so as soon as I have pics of it, I'll post them.

Until then, have a good day!!!

Graduation

2009-06-04T14:14:00.000-07:00

I forgot to mention that I graduated....Here are som pics from the big day. I have to take the state boards on June 11th, then will be an official RN!!!

Thanks to my friends that attended the ceremony, and of course my family who was also able to attend. It was great having us all together for a few days.

Congrats Justin!

2009-04-26T17:18:00.000-07:00

I went to Provo,UT this weekend to attend my little brother's college graduation from BYU. We were able to visit the Manti, Draper and Salt Lake City temples while we were there as well as going to two graduation ceremonies.

I'm so proud of Justin and his achievements! He's moving to San Diego soon to take his first job as a construction manager. Way to go!

Anything for a Buck

2009-03-17T19:41:00.001-07:00

Yesterday the kids and I were in the backyard pulling weeds. It was then that I realized we needed to get on some sort of poop-scooping routine. The conversation with Cam went something like this:

Me: Cam, we need to work on scooping up this poop.
Cam: No way! I'm not gonna do it!
Mara: poop is gwoss.
Me: Skyler does it at his house. His mommy pays him money to do it.
Cam: She gives him dollars? I'll do it if you give me some money. I'll do anything for money. Anything at all. Except walk in hot lava. I will not walk on lava. That can kill you. I wouldn't go in a volcano hole, either.

So, I guess he has his limits...

He's So Cute!

2009-03-09T18:05:00.001-07:00

That's what Mara said when one of this guy's pals was flying around our house. (S)he is a Mosquito Wasp. Good thing to have around if you're not fond of mosquito bites. Not what I would consider cute, though.

The Golden Apple Award- Excellence in Teaching

2009-03-06T17:18:00.000-08:00

Ask almost anyone who their favorite teacher was, and they'll remember. They will most likely remember the time, effort and love that person invested in their education. I remember hearing something in an interview of a famous athlete that earned millions of dollars every year. He said some of the most influential people to him were teachers in school growing up. One person who I know is making differences in young people's lives is my mom.

My mom has been a middle school science teacher for about 15 years. She really does an amazing job teaching with all kinds of fun activities. Some of the things that stand out in my mind are: dissecting hearts, having a greenhouse that the kids work in, having an invention competition, raising trout from eggs then releasing them into the wild, cleaning up a local lake and doing water testing, launching rockets, the list goes on and on.In addition to her teaching, she has an amazing classroom filled with animals of every sort, jobs the kids all have to participate in, a weather monitoring station, and they even have palm pilots to use for research under teacher supervision! While she is very humble and would never tell you how awesome she is (because she doesn't realize it), her peers and students would definitely report that she is great.

Recently, she was selected to receive a prestigious award for excellence in teaching. It's called The Golden Apple Award. "The Golden Apple Foundation of New Mexico (Golden Apple) is a nonprofit organization with a mission for recognizing excellent teachers and improving the quality of teaching. Each year Golden Apple recognizes seven teachers from around New Mexico with the Golden Apple Award for Excellence in Teaching. "

There was a pretty intense process in which the award winners were selected. They had to submit portfolios, their students, peers, student parents and administration were all interviewed, they had observers in their classrooms during a normal school day, and then they had an interview themselves.

My mom is the first person in her school to win this award, and I just wanted to say Congratulations! I'm so very proud to have such a great example as a mom. It's been a good lesson for me to see the hard work she puts into making someone else's life more meaningful through education.I can only hope my children will have teachers like her as they go through school! Way to go Mom!!!!

Our Growing Family

2009-03-04T17:37:00.000-08:00

That title lured you in, didn't it? Don't get too excited. We aren't pregnant, and in fact have no plans of increasing the population of Round Rock anytime soon, if ever. This is just a way of getting people to read my blog posts.

Mara made me laugh the other day. She says stuff that makes me laugh all the time, but this incident would be pretty funny to anyone, in my opinion. She and Cam were watching Disney channel the other day when I walked by and stopped. This is what I saw on the screen.

In case you are unfamilliar with this teenie-bopper, her name is Hannah Montana. She's has her own tv show, line of clothing, etc. Anyways, I walk by and see the kids watching her in concert on TV and know who it is but ask them just to see if they know.

"What are you guys watching?" I say.

"Hannah Montana." Is Cam's reply. (picture him staring into the TV without so much as turning his head to acknowledge me.)

Then little miss Muffet (as I refer to Mara) pipes up "Thats my sista!"

So you see, our family is now growing into one that includes pop stars. I didn't know I had such talented children...

HOW TO WORK OUT FROM HOME

2009-02-16T07:54:00.001-08:00

I saw this video on Kristi's blog, and laughed so hard I wanted to share it with you on my blog. I love how this dad really uses his resources!

Revision to Previous Plan

2009-02-10T16:33:00.000-08:00

Some people raise their small children in a way they believe is shielding them from what they view as inapropriate subject matter.(That's fine with me. Whatever floats your boat...)You might hear said people calling certain body parts by alternate names such as weenie,willie,boobie,pee-pee,vajayjay, etc. You know what I'm talking about.

At our home I have made a concious effort to use language that is more along the lines of what a mature adult would say- maybe what your doctor might call the nether regions of your body. You know...the given anatomical labels.

There are those of you who know this about our family, and have heard a funny story or two of my child speaking of his "privates" in a blunt manner using said label without realizing it might not be accepted by all. Because of this, I have revised my origional plan of staying strict on the anatomical labeling.

The revised plan now includes instructions to my children that they are to refer to their genitals as "privates" or "private parts" when discussing them in public. Don't get me wrong, they don't go around spouting off random remarks about them. It just so happens that when you're young and discovering the world around you there are lots of questions to ask and statements to make. Mara hasn't been the one to inspire the revised plan, if you know what I mean. Cam is the scientist of our two children.

I guess we have to improvise as parents. That's what I've come to learn,anyway! I really love this part about parenting, because it means I don't have to be perfect. Good thing, too, because I'm not by a long shot.

There might be another post to come about my discussion with Cam about where babies live before they're born. Interesting story. He really "gets it" (on a 6-year old level).

What revisions to your parenting plan have you made? Or better yet, do you have a plan? Do share!

I did it!!!

2009-02-07T18:43:00.001-08:00

So after a little thinking and reading like 2 lines of instructions, here is the video I mentioned. I still like the song in case you were wondering.

Rock N Roll

2009-02-06T06:03:00.000-08:00

I don't have much time these days with school, primary, family, etc. As I'm sure you've noticed, my posts are few and far between. Here is link to the video for my new favorite song. I don't really get the video's meaning, but the tune is oh so catchy. The artist is Eric Hutchinson.

www.erichutchinson.com/content/eric-hutchinson-rock-roll-official-video

p.s.
I tried to embed the video, but lack the necessary skilz to do so.

My Son's Honesty

2009-01-07T18:09:00.001-08:00

Alright people here goes. I know everyone sets New Year's resolutions each year. I know that most of them are self-improvement goals. I also know that a large population of people place weightloss, working out, or general health at the top of their list.

It has come to my attention that I too, must put some effort into losing some weight this year. The final clue or straw that broke the camel's back, so to speak was a funny conversation that I had with Cam tonight.

Let me set the scene for you. I'm slouched on the couch watching TV. Cam walks up and places his hand on my not-so-flat stomach and we have the following conversation:

CAM: Mommy, are we going to have a baby?
ME: What?
CAM: Are you going to have a baby?
ME: No, why did you ask?
CAM: Because your tummy keeps getting fatter.
ME: No, It's not a baby. It's just chubby.
CAM: Are you sure?
ME: Yes, I'm sure.
CAM: Maybe you should go to the Dr. and check.

Now, in addition to talking to me, he is rubbing and squishing his hand in my abdomen to make sure there's nothing in there of interest.

CAM: I think I feel the lump.
ME: No you don't. Quit squishing my fat.

So, I guess I better do something about this. I have been thinking about going back to the gym or Weight Watchers. I'm not sure yet. At any rate, it's pretty evident that I need to do something! I just think it's hillarious that Cam noticed.

Cutting Wood

2008-12-26T19:43:00.000-08:00

The kids and I drove to my parent's house in southwest New Mexico to spend Christmas with family. When we come here, it's always a reminder of how cushy our life in the city is.

My dad, brother Justin, Cam and I got to take a little drive up to one of my dad's horse pastures to cut some firewood. There was a big fire there a year and a half ago, so the dead trees needed cleared out. We were only working up there for a few hours, but were able to cut a good ammount of wood to last them at least through this winter. We will probably go back and cut some more before we leave if the weather permits. It was snowing when we were up there this time.

I love to come and do things like this with my family! I especially think it's good for Cam to experience hard work. It's one of those things you can only learn by doing. For the most part, Cam stayed in the truck where it was nice and cozy while my dad and Justin cut and I stacked the wood. He did get out to help load the trailer a couple of times, though. Here he is posing with my dad's chainsaw. (for the record, we did not let him opperate it!)

End of the Semester

2008-12-09T10:37:00.000-08:00

Hip, Hip, Horray!! I took my final today and am done with level 3!

It's been an interresting semester of nursing school- filled with lectures and clinical days all about labor, delivery and pediatrics. Coming into the start of the school year I knew I would most likley enjoy the L&D segment, but didn't think I'd enjoy Pediatrics nearly as much as I did. In fact, I'm considering working in a pediatric setting after graduation. Anyone who knows me really well is probably laughing right about now....ok get over it. People change, and yes, there was a time that I didn't want kids and even stated I didn't like kids all that much, but that's not the case now.

I love taking care of these little boys and girls!! Maybe working in primary has something to do with it? I'm not sure. All I know is that I'm one step closer to knowing what I want to do as a nurse when I graduate in May.

Thanks to all of you that have been my personal cheerleaders as I have labored through these past 3 semesters of school. Without your love and support and encouragement, I would have been tempted to give up at times.

My 4th and final semester of nursing school starts in January. I'm looking forward to getting this over with. I feel like I've been in school forever. Actually, it's only been a couple of years, but still. It's not that fun sometimes. Until then, I'm taking some time to read for fun, relax with my family in NM, and spend time with my kiddos.

Now I can take a deep breath and relax...

Camper

2008-12-04T18:37:00.000-08:00

Because I don't have anything good to blog about these days, I'm just going to randomly post pics of my kids. Keeps people coming back for more.

Good Feelings

2008-11-29T07:04:00.000-08:00

Note to Self: When experiencing a bad mood, simply look at this picture.

Mara in the Hospital

2008-11-10T05:45:00.000-08:00

First and foremost- do not worry. Mara is not currently in the hospital. She was in there almost a month ago, but I am just now documenting it.

I won't go on and on with the whole story, because to be honest, most of you reading this know the story anyways! I just wanted to say thanks and post some pictures.

In short, after getting an infection through an insect bite, we had to go to Dell Children's hospital because oral antibiotics weren't clearing it up. Luckily we only had to stay a little over 24 hours. Mara was quite the trooper, even after getting stuck 6 times for an IV that eventually failed. She has since made a complete recovery from her bout with cellulitis in her leg.

After a few days of eating very little, Mara's appetite returned for some pancakes, eggs and applesauce.

Thank you Nancy and Tammy for coming to visit us and bring Mara goodies and this giant Jack-o-Lantern! She loved it so much she carried it around the house until it totally deflated just a few days ago!

We would like to thank all of you for the thoughts and prayers and phone calls while we had our little scare. My heart goes out to all the families with children that have weeks and months of hospitalization to endure. I don't know how they do it. As I prepare to become a nurse myself, I know this experience will stay with me and help me relate to my patients better. I have gained a whole new perspective.

Dressing Like a Girl

2008-11-01T20:51:00.000-07:00

This is Mara’s go-to outfit these days. She wants to wear her “wetard” and her princess shoes all the time. Last night at the Halloween activity we went to, she got these superstar shades to complete the ensemble.

These little heels light up with blue flashing LED lights when she walks around.

Gotta love this little girly-girl!

Why Did the Chicken Cross the Road?

2008-10-28T19:36:00.000-07:00

I found this funny list on another blog. I believe it was taken from a pass along email. Here are some different answers to the age-old question: Why did the chicken cross the road?

According to some well known authorities...

SARAH PALIN: Before it got to the other side, I shot the chicken,
cleaned and dressed it, and had chicken burgers for lunch.

BARACK OBAMA: The chicken crossed the road because it was time for a change! The chicken wanted change!

JOHN MC CAIN: My friends, that chicken crossed the road because he
recognized the need to engage in cooperation and dialogue with all
the chickens on the other side of the road.

HILLARY CLINTON: When I was First Lady, I personally helped that
little chicken to cross the road. This experience makes me uniquely
qualified to ensure right from Day One! That every chicken in this
country gets the chance it deserves to cross the road. But then, this really isn't about me.

GEORGE W. BUSH: We don't really care why the chicken crossed the
road. We just want to know if the chicken is on our side of the road,or not. The chicken is either against us, or for us. There is no middle ground here.

DICK CHENEY: Where's my gun?

COLIN POWELL: Now to the left of the screen, you can clearly see the
satellite image of the chicken crossing the road.

BILL CLINTON: I did not cross the road with that chicken. What is
your definition of chicken?

AL GORE: I invented the chicken.

JOHN KERRY: Although I voted to let the chicken cross the road, I am
now against it! It was the wrong road to cross, and I was misled
about the chicken's intentions. I am not for it now, and will remain
against it.

AL SHARPTON: Why are all the chickens white? We need some black
chickens.

DR. PHIL: The problem we have here is that this chicken won't realize that he must first deal with the problem on this side of the road before it goes after the problem on the other side of the road. What we need to do is help him realize how stupid he's acting by not taking on his current problems before adding new problems.

OPRAH: Well, I understand that the chicken is having problems, which is why he wants to cross this road so bad. So instead of having the chicken learn from his mistakes and take falls, which is a part of life, I'm going to give this chicken a car so that he can just drive across the road and not live his life like the rest of the chickens.

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN: We have reason to believe there is a chicken,
but we have not yet been allowed to have access to the other side of
the road.

NANCY GRACE: That chicken crossed the road because he's guilty! You
can see it in his eyes and the way he walks.

PAT BUCHANAN: To steal the job of a decent, hardworking American.

MARTHA STEWART: No one called me to warn me which way that chicken
was going. I had a standing order at the Farmer's Market to sell my
eggs when the price dropped to a certain level. No little bird gave
me any insider information.

DR SEUSS: Did the chicken cross the road? Did he cross it with a
toad? Yes, the chicken crossed the road, but why it crossed I've not
been told.

GRANDPA: In my day we didn't ask why the chicken crossed the road.
Somebody told us the chicken crossed the road, and that was good
enough.

BARBARA WALTERS: Isn't that interesting? In a few moments, we will be listening to the chicken tell, for the first time, the heart warming story of how it experienced a serious case of molting, and went on to accomplish its lifelong dream of crossing the road.

ARISTOTLE: It is the nature of chickens to cross the road.

JOHN LENNON: Imagine all the chickens in the world crossing roads
together, in peace.

BILL GATES: I have just released eChicken 2008, which will not only
cross roads, but will lay eggs, file your important documents, and
balance your checkbook. Internet Explorer is an integral part of
eChicken 2008. This new platform is much more stable and will never
crash or need to be rebooted.

ALBERT EINSTEIN: Did the chicken really cross the road, or did the
road move beneath the chicken?

COLONEL SANDERS: Did I miss one?

You've Gotta Draw a Line Somewhere

2008-10-20T20:08:00.000-07:00

Warning: the following video contains content about breastfeeding. If you're a man, you probably don't want to hear it.
I'd like to know what others think about this lady who believes children should choose when to be weaned from breastfeeding. Luckily, I wasn't faced with any dilema since my kids stopped around 8 months. This lady has really taken it a step further.

Welcome Home, Ty!

2008-10-04T19:01:00.000-07:00

My youngest brother returned home from serving a 2 year mission for our church recently. We are so proud of him and the choice he made to go. He said it was a great experience- and the best decision of his life. He will be going to farrier school soon (to learn how to shoe horses), then will continue his studies in animal science at New Mexico State University.
Onto the next chapter of his life...

Monkey See Monkey Do

2008-10-03T05:19:00.001-07:00

Mara is forever copying Cam. She repeats what he says and mimics his every move. Cam came home and demonstrated to me the art of push-ups. He has been doing them in PE at school. Mara, always eager to participate had her own interpretation.

Happy Birthday Mom

2008-09-28T16:18:00.000-07:00

My mom's birthday is today. She's not old, but Cam thinks in a few years she'll be 99. He's learning to count by 10's, and that's only like 5 numbers away from where she is now.

Since moving here three years ago, I've really missed being around her and my dad in NM. Their house is always fun and different. They have horses and dogs and mules and a farm that we love to go to. Not a trip goes by that my dad doesn't have us doing some kind of manual labor. It's character building, and I miss it. The kids love ridding the tractor and picking up rocks and other misc. dirty things while we're there. Last weekend while visiting, we harvested some corn from their garden in one corner of the field. There were pumpkins ready, too, but we didn't bring any home on the plane. I was flying with them alone, and wasn't a fan of carrying on extra vegetables. (we'll have to get one at HEB like everyone else here).

Anyway, back to my mom. She's really cool in a makes-you-laugh-at-corny-jokes sort of way. She really loves her kids (especially Ty) and shows me all the time that being a peacemaker is how it's supposed to be done. (I really struggle with that one). I love that she know so much about plants and animals and other nerdy stuff (she's a science teacher), because I'm like that, too. Mostly, though, I love the way she grandmothers my kids. She's the best grandma ever. From sending Cam smashed pennies (they share a hobby of collecting them), to mailing letters addressed just to them, she makes them feel special. It's a good thing- because it compensates for my inadequacies!

Today the kids and I called to wish her a Happy Birthday, and she said that's all she needed as a gift. If I had a million dollars, I'd buy her something really great that she'd love- like a custom turtle habitat, or self-irrigating garden or something. Instead, I'm writing this blog and saying Happy Birthday, Mom. I love you!

Kindergarten

2008-08-27T12:44:00.000-07:00

Cam started Kindergarden yesterday. He was very excited to take his new red backpack and his Speed Racer lunchbox. His teacher Mrs. Canales is very nice and has been teaching at his school for 7 years. They seem to have hit it off right away. I'm sad that our little guy is growing up, but know he's going to do great. He has been doing "homework" all summer (its mostly pre-K workbook stuff) so I guess he's ready to do it for real now. He keeps telling me that "in school you have a lot of homework". Who knows who told him that- maybe he learned it from me! So far, his favorite part of the day was going to the caffeteria to eat his lunch. I packed some oreos for his desert which he thought was awesome. He has PE sometime this week, as well as music time. I'll keep everyone posted on his progress!

The Longest Eight Years of My Life......Just Kidding!

2008-08-19T16:57:00.001-07:00

I take much pleasure in torturing my husband. That’s right; I like to pick on him. I love to tickle him so he giggles like a girl. I like to sucker punch him when he’s not expecting it, and occasionally give him a charley horse in his leg and laugh as he nearly buckles. Oh, don’t worry, he gets his fair share of tickling in and he knows how to give a charley just as well as me. What I love most is that he and I can play like kids and don’t take ourselves too seriously (most of the time). It’s been like this for a long time now.

We just celebrated our 8th anniversary. Its crazy how time flies and before you know it you’re looking at almost a decade together. Before you know it, holidays sneak up so fast you don’t know what to get that will do the other person justice. You know what he got for his gift this year? A survival knife. Not some cheesy Rambo number. No, he got a SOG Seal Pup Elite with TiNi coating. Ever heard of Bear Grylls? He’s featured on “Man vs. Wild”. Bear uses a knife similar to Mikes in his expeditions. I know that it sounds weird to get a knife from your wife for your anniversary, but he was totally excited and was going on and on about how much he loved it. He was doing the whole looking at it from every angle, shaving his arm hair and feeling of the blade with his thumb thing. I’m so glad I know him well enough to get him just what he wanted.

We stayed overnight in Fredericksburg, TX as part of the anniversary experience this year also. It was short but fun. I’m hoping to go again for a longer length of time so we can visit some museums we missed this go-round. The main allure of the town is shopping for antiques and boutique style items along the historic main street. Mike knew I had been longing to do that for a couple of years- so he made it happen. It meant a lot considering Mike HATES to go shopping. He took it like a man, though. He planned ahead and wore comfortable clothes and brought along his Ipod to listen to as I browsed all the shops. In the end we had a great time.

There are so many things I love about Mike and want him to know, but for the sake of time and space, I’ll list my top 5:

(in no particular order)

1. Mike is the hardest working man (tied with my dad) that I know. He finds providing for his family very important.
2. I feel safe with Mike. Guns and other misc. weapons aside, I know Mike will defend and protect me and our children if the need ever arises. No pansies here.
3. He is the biggest cheerleader husband a girl could ask for. He thinks everything I do is important and turns out awesome- even if it isn’t that great in reality.
4. Honesty. Good, Bad or Ugly- Mike will tell you the truth if you ask for it.
5. He’s fun. The best times are when we’re being silly and playing around like kids. It’s great to be married to your best friend.

Happy Anniversary, Mike. I Love You Big.

Swimmin' with Friends

2008-07-31T18:56:00.000-07:00

My friend Brandi and her daughters Bailey and Briley as well as their cousin Taylor came over to hang out this afternoon. We had a great time soaking up some rays and splashing around down at the pool. The big girls and Cam had a blast on the slide. Mara and Briley stayed close to the shallow end since they can’t swim yet. Cam is working hard on his swimming, and has improved each time we’ve gone to the pool. He is able to swim underwater for a good distance now. Mara loves the water, too. She’s not afraid of getting right in there and sometimes just jumps right in. (Thanks goodness for floaties!)

After swimming we came back to the house and ate. Brandi and I hung out for a while the kids played. Cam introduced the girls to the world of “good guy/bad guy” with his guns and they hid and chased each other all over the house.

It was a good time that wouldn’t have been half as fun without our friends. Thanks for coming over, guys!

2008-07-26T19:40:00.000-07:00

Who's he trying to fool? I still know it's him with those big brown eyes!

Visit From Grandma

2008-07-24T18:09:00.000-07:00

How do you know you have a great mom? Well, I’m sure it’s different for each person, but for me it’s the little things she does for my kids when she visits.
My mom drove all the way from Mimbres, NM (12-ish hours) just to visit us this past week. While here she did some great stuff with the kids. I don’t have pictures for much of it since she hates having her picture taken. Here’s a sampling of the many activities she did with the kids:
- Went to the Austin Children’s Museum
- Took them to Zilker park and rode the train
- Made zucchini bread together (my favorite)
- Went fishing with the whole family
- Did leather project with Cam. (She taught him how to use a few leather working tools she picked up at a store while she was here). He made his very own coin purse/wallet.
- Went swimming and saw Cam doing the underwater doggie-paddle. Very funny.
- Helped Cam write and practice his talk on living the Gospel Standards
- Played go fish which ended in a three-way tie. (nobody lost)
- Did Mara’s hair pretty
- And last but not least she let them bounce on her sleeping arrangements (blow-up mattress) every day!

Thanks for visiting and making our week so much fun, Mom!! You’re a great example of what a great mom and grandmother are. We love you!

Photogenic? Sometimes.

2008-07-13T12:18:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures of Cam and Mara from a recent photo shoot with my friend Linda. The kids weren't in the best of cooperating moods this day, so I was very pleasantly supprised that we got some good pics out of it. Mara was a little cranky and getting a "real" smile from Cam was pretty hard. We didn't get any good ones of the two of them together, but I'm happy with their individuals. Especially Cam's. He has always been a good picture-taker. I had to break out the raisin snacks to bribe the kids to sit still at one point. One thing I did learn is that next time we should do this early in the morning and probably outside where the kids can run around instead of feeling cramped by the studio. I guess a little crankiness was worth it, though, because I just love these pics. Thanks Linda for all of your patience in getting these!!

Black Monkey

2008-06-21T19:49:00.000-07:00

More than 25 years ago, I stole a stuffed animal from some kid at my daycare. My mom tried to give it back, but in the end, I got to keep it. He became a very close attachment which I named Black Monkey. I don't remember if I used to take him with me places, but I do know there weren't many nights that I slept without my arm curled around him. Even after getting married I had him around. Eventually, though, Mike won out and Black Monkey was put away in a box.

Fast forward to 2004 when Cam was a little over a year old. I thought it would be so great if Cam wanted to hold my childhood companion. He actually cried any time I put Black Monkey near him. He was genuinely scarred of him! Back in the box he went until today. I had a yard sale this weekend, and in looking through stuff found the box with all the sentimental keepsake stuff. Out he came again. I thought I'd give it another try...this time with Mara. Guess what? She LOVES him!!! I'm so happy that she wants to carry him around and point to his shoes and eyes and tongue and (one)ear. Tonight she wanted to sleep with him and I was more than happy to let her.

That's the cute part. The funny part was when I told Cam (in an effort to get him to try to hold Black Monkey) that "Mara loves Black Monkey". Cam replied "He scares me. Every time I see his face I just get scared". I couldn't stop laughing, because so many people including my brothers and Mike have said how ugly this stuffed animal is.

I think there must be something about stuffed monkeys in my blood. My mom has one that is similar that she's had since childhood named Monkey Doodle and now my daughter has fallen in love with mine. I couldn't be happier. I hope she finds comfort in him the way I did as a child.

My little stars

2008-06-07T21:16:00.000-07:00

Mike took the kids out and about today so I could stay home and study in peace. They went fishing.(big suprise!).

First they went to Pflugerville Lake. They didn't have any sucess there, so they decided to go browse around Sportsman's Warehouse. Berkley (a company that sells fishing lures and equiptment) happened to be there with a promotional trailer and a fishing exhibit for the kids. There was a large pool filled with water and some fish. They supplied fishing poles,some bait and barbless hooks you couldcatch the fish with. Well, being the awesome little fisherpeople my kids are, they caught some! Unfortunatley, I wasn't there and Mike didn't have a camera handy, so the actual event wasn't caught on film. The Berkley people were having a little fishing "tournament" while this was going on and they won!! They each brought home a trophy.

Mike and I are so proud of them, but Uncle Justin and Ty will be even prouder! Looks like our kids are off to a great start.

Man, I love, love, love this song!

2008-06-04T16:04:00.000-07:00

Home was released back in 2005 by Michael Buble, and recently covered by country artist Blake Shelton. I think both versions are good, but Buble has that sensual raspy crooner thing going on that puts him over the top. Either way, I just can't get enough of this tune!

Here's the Michael Buble Version:

And here's the country version by Blake Shelton:

Mowing in the Heat

2008-05-31T16:11:00.001-07:00

Take a close look at this picture. Yes, that is Mike mowing. I wasn't feeling 100%, so he volunteered to help. Look again. No, that is not just a backpack. It is a Camlebak water backpack. He's working so hard in this Texas heat that he thinks he needs a hydration device! He has been wanting one of these for some time now and finally found one at a good price. We found it while browsing Sportsman's Warehouse the other day. It just makes me laugh seeing my manly-man using it while mowing the lawn! It's funny how much he exagerates and goes "over the top" sometimes.

The Best Fishing Day of My Life

2008-05-24T10:00:00.001-07:00

I come from a family of anglers. I, on the other hand have not historically been very good at hooking, let alone bringing in fish. That is why I’m dedicating this blog entry to the best fishing day of my life.

As you saw in the previous post, we went camping and fishing on the Gila River last weekend. It was a beautiful day and nearing evening when we walked the quarter mile or so to the river from our campsite. My mom and dad had their lines in before I even got to the water’s edge. They are so familiar with fishing they know exactly what they want to use as bait or lure and where to start casting right off.

Mike set up our poles for bottom fishing with a slider weight and hook for the night crawlers we packed in. Usually I make him impale the worm with the hook, but I guess after the trip in on horseback I was feeling rough and tough, so I baited my own. For those of you who have not experienced this- it’s not pleasant. The worm (still wiggling around) squirts out a liquid sometimes, and keeps squirming in attempts to escape. It totally grosses me out. Anyway, after my worm was on, I looked around for a place to cast.

The particular area where we stopped was pretty shallow, except for a few pooling areas. I decided that I would cast in one of the deeper areas upstream from where I stood. I threw out my line beyond the hole and slowly reeled it in as it floated back towards me. No luck on the first two tries, but on number three, I snagged a log…Or so I thought. The log (actually a fish) began to take my line upstream and fight. I was so excited that I had a fish on that I actually began to yell with excitement and jump up and down like a little kid. The battle to bring in my catch continued while my dad and Mike gave me instructions such as “tighten that drag” and “give him some line” as well as “don’t let him get under that bank with your line!” The fish surfaced a couple of times. (whether by his own efforts or mine I don’t know). This is when things got really exciting, because I saw just how BIG he was! We could also see that it was in fact a catfish, and for all intents and purposes, a lifetime record for me. Of course, as I mentioned before, it wouldn’t have taken much to surpass my other fish in size.

I reeled the lunker (as I was calling him) up to the bank where my dad got into the water and pulled him out. We estimate that my catfish was between 13-15 lbs. We took a lot of pictures and then I let him go back into the river.

After recovering from the adrenaline rush of my big catfish, I baited another hook and continued to fish in the same fashion and area. I brought in two more nice- sized catfish without more than 4 or 5 attempts/worms. I simply could not believe I was catching them! My dad had gone downstream after the first catch, so he missed seeing the others, but when he came back and saw the pictures, he was impressed with my domination of cats in his absence.

My mom, realizing that she really, really wanted a fish like what had been dragged out so far, decided to traipse across the river to the area where I was. She sacrificed the only dry shoes she brought on the trip to make it to the “sweet spot”. There were a few bites and one fish actually broke her line, but alas, not catfish. She did catch a mud sucker, though, so it wasn’t completely in vain.

The last fish we caught in that spot was another cat. I hooked it and let Cam reel it in. He was very excited, although not as excited as you’d expect for a 5 year old. He’s a seasoned fisherman by this time and casts his own line and reels his own fish in. He acted like it was just another day at the urban lake catching bluegills.

My dad returned from downstream with a nice rainbow trout. It had swallowed the hook, so he had to keep it. We kept Cam’s fish also and cooked them over the campfire at dinner time.

Other than these two, we released all the fish.

If we’re lucky, he (or she) will produce generations of fish just like my big one. If that’s the case, whoever catches them will have a good reason to take pictures, and even tell their friends about it!

Gila River Trip

2008-05-24T10:00:00.000-07:00

We are back from the Land of Enchantment and our camping trip in the Gila Wilderness. It was a great time that was too short in everyone's opinion.We took our time packing in horseback and found a great meadow to set up camp. The river and fishing was only a short walk. There were minimal problems on the way in even though Cam was on his own horse and Mike was carrying Mara on his lap or in his arms when she was restless.

Our trip on horseback started at the top of a mountain in the Gila Wilderness. It was 1 ½ miles to the Gila River almost straight down on a Forest Service Trail. Once at the river, we continued for another 1-2 miles to find a good spot to camp. My Dad led the group with a string of 4 pack mules. Since we were only staying one night, they weren't loaded very heavy, making it less stressful. (Good thinking, Dad!). Mike was next in line ridding Kate, followed by me on Chapo leading Cam on Tiny. Mom brought up the rear on Pat.After setting up camp, we went fishing.

I caught a few big catfish, my mom caught a mud sucker, and Dad caught a rainbow trout. It was a great time. There's a whole blog entry on my fishing experience coming up.Dinner was delicious fajitas made by mom followed by roasted marshmallows for desert. Does it get any better than this? We all slept ok, even Mara- not counting the 3 or so times she woke up crying in the middle of the night.

In the morning, we ate breakfast and headed back to the river in hopes of a repeat success. No such luck, though. Cam and I team-caught a sucker and that was it. I think there were a few others on that got away for Dad and Mom. Mike didn't fish much because he was busy watching after Mara and re-rigging Cam and my fishing poles. Cam played in the water a little bit and Mara played in the sand under a shade tree with Mike and Mom.

That afternoon, we broke camp and packed up the mules for the ride out. We made it almost all the way out without incident. Mara actually slept almost the whole time! About ¼ mile from the truck, Cam’s cinch on his saddle broke. We did some switching around and he ended up on Kate with Mike walking the last little bit with Mara on his shoulders. Before you feel bad for Mike you should know that he was jumping at the opportunity to walk. I think he was done with the whole ridding-while-carrying-a-toddler thing. All in all, it was a pretty easy ride. Nobody got hurt, and that’s what matters.

Back at the truck we unpacked the mules, loaded them up and headed home. Mike’s truck hauled the 13,500 or so pound load out without much trouble at all. His brakes heated up on the way in, but were ok going out.

We consider ourselves very blessed to have had the opportunity to go on this adventure. Thanks Mom and Dad for taking us and providing the four-legged transportation and all the food and equipment. Hopefully we can do this again next summer!

Going Home

2008-05-14T14:19:00.000-07:00

We are leaving in the morining for a week long trip to my parent's house in Mimbres, NM. While we are there, we will be attending a college graduation and going on an overnight horse-back fishing/camping trip. I'll post the details and pictures when I get back. See ya!

Cooling Off

2008-05-09T15:38:00.000-07:00

Today was pretty hot, so we broke out the ol' cheap water toy...the sprinkler. I had to take a few pics of the kids as usual. We uncoiled our hose, strung it out into the center of the front lawn, attached the oscillating sprinkler, and bingo bango had ourselves a little water park.

Cam thought he was so cool running over the arch of spraying droplets. He then discovered he could block the flow of some of the holes with his hands and make the other ones spray farther.

Those that went the furthest hit me, so that came to an end pretty fast. Mara was all about drinking (or licking) it up. For the most part, she just got it in the face.

I know you might be thinking a swimming pool would provide more refreshment, but seriously, I didn't want to make an ordeal out of playing in the water today. We have a community pool- two, actually, but to go to one involves hauling a bunch of stuff down there and then driving back home with two fussy, wet kids. Oh, and don't let me forget to mention, there's more action shots for the camera with an interactive toy such as a sprinkler. So there you have a quick rundown of our afternoon aqua therapy.

Life's a Beach

2008-04-29T17:48:00.001-07:00

Ha!Ha! Catchy title, right? Thanks, but it's not original. I can't take all the credit. It does lead you to the point of this entry, though.

Our good friends Tammy and Cory Townsend invited us to Port Aransas (near Corpus Christi,TX) for the weekend along with a few other families. We left Friday morning and came home Sunday. The weekend was fun with lots of time hanging out and playing with the kids.

The drive down to Port "A" as it's known was pretty uneventful, aside from the non-stop chattering from Cam and frequent fits of screaming from Mara, all went well. Mike thought it would be a good time to subject me to one of his books which he had come prepared with on his ipod. I really didn't want to listen to it, but sometimes a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do. The book is titled "Wild at Heart" and is basically a man's point of view self-help book. It could have been worse. I guess I should be completely honest here. It really wasn't that bad. At least the part I was listening to as I read my People magazine.The author had some valid points regarding the way men have been groomed into a more feminized version of who they were really intended to be. We didn't make it to the part where you learn how to be a better man or raise a better one at that, though. I guess we'll have to save that for another trip.

We got to the beach house around 3pm on Friday and met up with everyone. The families included the Townsends, Colquitts, Benoitts, and Petersons. All together, there were 21 people: 10 adults and 11 kids. I know what you're thinking....that is a lot of kids. They all got along and with all the parents around, it made for a great time. The beach house was a beautiful 3 story house with sleeping accommodations for all of us. I can't think of any better way to enjoy the beach than from the luxury of a furnished house walking distance from the water.

The beach itself had some nice sand. I was hoping to see more shells or sea glass, but overall, I thought it was nicer than Crystal Beach near Galveston where we went last summer. I guess it just depends on what you're going for. Port A has some nice sandcastle making material. (See Picture).

We walked on the beach, Cam swam a little, Mara mostly rode on Mike's shoulders (she didn't like the sand on her toes), and everyone just kinda hung out. We ordered in pizza one night and ate at a seafood restaurant the last night.

Sunday morning we had a little devotional courtesy of Steve Colquitt since we couldn't make it to church. It was nice. Too bad real church isn't only 15 minutes. Just kidding.

We loaded up and headed out about 10 or so. The drive home went pretty fast. Faster I'd say than the drive up especially since Mara slept for at least an hour and Mike played music instead of that book on the radio.

Overall, it was a great weekend. The only bad part was that the Benoitt's had to leave early because their daughter was sick. They made it home safely and got her the medical attention she needed, though, so that's good.

Hopefully we'll get to do this again. I never would have thought that spending the weekend with so many people in one house would be so much fun. I have a hunch it depends who you're with. These particular people are awesome, to say the least. Next time we will probably try to fish a little and maybe even make a fire on the beach. Come to think of it, that ties into the Wild at Heart book that we'll probably be listening to on the way down...

I don't have many pics to post yet, but they'll follow in a day or two.

Green Street

2008-04-21T22:03:00.000-07:00

I did some edging on the lawn today. I usually enjoy yard work, so Mike graciously lets me do it mostly by myself. Today as I was using my multitude of cool lawn machinery, a question arose. I've asked this question of myself several times, but have never come up with a definite answer. Where does the grass go when it gets "blown" away with the blower? Secondly, how do the lawn service guys get it to disperse so nicely? I don't even know if it's considered bad manners to blow your little clippings out into the street. I just do it because that's what the "professionals" do! I made sure to avoid blowing everything into my neighbor's driveway. The funny thing is that I think I should have just used a broom instead of my gas-powered 70 MPH wind generating blower. The end result of my attempt is a clean driveway and sidewalk, but there's a green tint to the street out in front of the house. Hopefully it will be breezy tomorrow so it will be less obvious what I did.

No thanks, I'll drive

2008-04-14T20:04:00.001-07:00

This video is funnier the 2nd time around. Aren't you glad you don't live in Japan and have to take mass transit during rush hour?

Fishing in the Park

2008-04-13T19:51:00.000-07:00

Mike is feeling very "outdoorsy" these days- nothing new, just more than usual with the beautiful spring weather. He wanted to take the kids fishing, so we just went down the street to a pond in our subdivision. It was a fun time, especially watching Cam cast his own line. We caught several fish- all tiny. Check out my big one.

Mara hasn't started with her own pole yet, but she gets a bird's eye view from Mike's back.

I'm so glad that our little family is making the most of the time we have to spend outdoors before it's too hot! I think we'll probably venture out on a camping trip pretty soon. That should be interresting. We went camping last April and Mara was up most of the night. Hopefully she will be old enough this year to enjoy it. Cam has embraced the whole camping/hiking/fishing/hunting thing with enthusiasm- it's no wonder- his grandpa is an Outfitter, all four of his uncles hunt as does his Daddy! Here is Cam trying to set up his own fishing pole. He only needed a little help this time.

Urban Cowgirl

2008-04-06T11:59:00.001-07:00

Mara is such a girl! It amazes me at times how strongly she gravitates toward things such as purses, pretty shoes and anything shiny. I know it doesn't come from me! There is no doubt that our little girl adds some kick to her country roots. She grabbed these "princess" boots as I was pushing our shopping cart down an isle at Target. I thought she would loose interest in them by the time we checked out, but she insisted on keeping them.

I can rationalize just about any purchase-after all, Mara didn't have any boots yet...

Chugging

2008-04-02T15:34:00.001-07:00

Only at BYU

2008-03-27T06:44:00.002-07:00

Any of you heard of a little online video website called YouTube? It's pretty much the fastest way to broadcast yourself to millions of people (hence the name). I just had to share a little piece of celebrity with my friends: Introducing my Bro Justin. He's the man, and yes, people, that's a ginger ale he's chugging!

Bad Idea

2008-03-27T06:44:00.001-07:00

So today after picking up the kids at daycare, I had to make a deposit at the bank. Cam sits on the same side of the truck as me and often rolls his window down for a better view when we're at a drive-thru of any kind. Well, the nice teller at Wells Fargo decided this cute little boy needed a lollipop. I didn't realize she sent one out until after Cam had seen it in the tube. Thinking quickly, I removed the sucker from the tube and placed it in the console. I had no intentions of giving it to Cam since there was only one lollipop and two kids in my backseat. For those of you who have never been a sibling or had children, you can't just give on of them a lollipop. That's cause for WWIII. Anyways, Cam innocently asked "is that sucker for me"? I said "No, it's not for anyone. They only sent one and that's not fair for you to get one if Mara doesn't." Then I had the bad idea. I said "I have and idea!" I thought that it made perfect sense (what was I thinking) to let Mara have the sucker and get Cam and I a sno-cone to share. Guess what happened? Mara chomped down the sucker, getting blue goo all over herself in the process, then proceeded to scream at the top of her lungs until Cam shared our sno-cone with her. The worst part is that I had almost 10 minutes of driving with them fighting over who's turn it was to have a bite of the delicious peaches and cream mess. Surprisingly, they didn't get any on my backseat, thanks of course to all the junk between their car seats.

Moral of the story: Just ask the teller to give you another lollipop for your second child.

So Far So Good

2008-03-27T06:44:00.000-07:00

This isn't so bad. I mean look- I already have two posts and 3 comments from friends. Well, Justin isn't really a friend, he's my brother which obligates him to leave a comment, but nonetheless-things are working out here at blogspot.

Thought I'd put a couple of pics up for your viewing pleasure. Spring weather has arrived here in Central Texas. Cam's tractor has been taken out of the garage, and this year we have something new to watch instead of him doing circles in the backyard. Now he hauls Mara around in circles with him. It's especially funny when she tries to get out before he stops. Oh wait...I'm the mom. That shouldn't be funny. Anyways, it brings me great joy to have children that are capable of entertaining each other. You know, takes the burden off of me. That was a joke...kinda. We tried to get Mara to drive, but she's still a little uncoordinated. She's got the sitting in the seat down pretty good now, but we're working on the pressing the accelerator and steering part. More updates on that as she progresses. :)

I can't believe I'm doing this....

2008-03-26T04:00:00.000-07:00

Call it peer pressure, envy, boredom or simply choosing to do something other than study for yet another test- I'm blogging!

This first post is really just a trial because, to be honest, I don't know if I'm doing it right. If all goes well, I will now be able to chronicle the ups, downs and side-to-sides of my little family's life.

In a big way this in for those of you who have been ignored/pushed asside/forgotten since I started nursing school full time. I'll try to update this on a semi-regular basis. It is a speaking-to-the-masses tool that in theory will improve my communication with each of you. We'll see how it goes.