Kindergarten

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!

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

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!

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

Visit From Grandma

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.

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

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.