Staring Victoria

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=afAyWULbsgM

We couldn't get our video to download to the blog, so we posted it on Youtube. Click the link to see Victoria perform Jar of Hearts... her favorite song!

Circus

Daddy, Victoria, and Mason went to the circus this weekend!  Having previously gone to a cheaper version way out on the east side of Austin (the lower economic status part), Daddy was prepared for the worse, but it ended up being a good time!  With an obvious larger budget and in downtown Austin, this circus was a good time and the kids had a blast! 

Tori the Clown

They both got temp tatoo's on their hands.

The lion cage!

Enjoying some popcorn and 10 dollar drinks (ouch) while watching the show.

Dancing on the stage before the show began.

The time has come...

For our oldest child to start public school! Mason was home schooled for kindergarten, so his first grade year will be his first year in a public school; and he couldn't be more excited! 

 Mason with his teacher, Mrs. Otto

 Already hard at work! He was ready for me to leave before I could even get his supplies in the right spot!

 Welcome home buddy! I was waiting for him at the end of the driveway. He was happy he got to ride the bus home. He was upset this morning when I told him I was driving him to school today. He wanted me to stay home so he could ride the bus!



Selling my car?

What I would post:

2004 Toyota Corolla - White
135,000 miles.
Good condition, some minor stains, probably can be cleaned, trunks a little dirty too.
A few dents and dings.
Original owner.
After market radio/CD player.
Sun roof, power everything, etc.


But what I think:
We've had this car longer than our kids.  We specially picked it out for all it's features.  We used it to travel to Utah many times, from Arizona to Texas, and all the other little trips Ashlee, Mason, and I would take, and eventually we sqeezed Victoria in there as well.  It was used to go to the hospital when we had the kids.  The stains are caused by the years of exercising and then climbing in the car all sweaty,Ashlee's water breaking,  the dog, the kids, and the occational frisky episode on date night with my wife.  The trunk is dirty because I filled it with firewood when I took Mason on his first camping trip.  The radio is after market, because Mason, as a little boy, filled the CD player with pennies "like a piggy bank, daddy!", he said.  It's never had any major wrecks, but many memories from little wrecks (mostly from Ashlee, but one from Brandi).  The windows are specially tinted to handle the Arizona sun.  And Mason's favorite thing to do is stick his head out the roof while we drove down our road. 

Yes, the car is old, dirty, and not so white anymore, but it has so many memories attached to it...how could I dare sell it? 

San Antonio

This weekend we decided to spend a day in San Antonio.   We love the San Antonio zoo, especially for the kids!  It's not a hand's off zoo and touching is encouraged!   Even though the temperature has been well into the 100 degrees for months...we decided to take on this adventure with lots of water and ice cream.  The zoo has a great water area for little kids to cool off and that was perfect.  Afterwards, we went downtown and walked along the river walk, ate dinner, and did a boat tour.  By the time the boat tour wrapped up, the kids, and us were so exhausted, but that's just the result of a great, fun day!

Looking for "Goober", a fish that Mason is friends with.

The first of many hand's on experiences, Tori and Mommy did the butterfly room.  Tori was in heaven chasing butterflies and one of them landed on her.  She LOVES butterflies.

The bird room...  This picture was taken seconds after this bird bit Mason in the arm...probably forever scarring his arm and mind of parrots.  He's okay though...now he just has a mark like Daddy.

Before the bird incident...

This bird decided to chew on Daddy's crazy hair.  The kids thought that was so funny, and Daddy was a good sport until it poo'd down his back.

Tori and Aryah feeding the birds.

Cooling off!

Waiting for ice cream....yum. 

The view from the tree top part of the zoo!

Mason, Tori, and a friend they made in line for the boat...we're on the boat...though you can't tell.

Mason was starting to lose his mind at this point.  It was getting late.

A bridge over the river.

Riverwalk

Ah...more ice cream.  103 degrees?  Super hot?  Doesn't matter if Daddy is willing to buy ice cream every hour.

Spiders!!

Umm...he wondered by while we were eating a snack.

How to Build a Fort

It's just too d*%# hot here right now, so with the kids feeling trapped indoors, we decided to make a fort.  Here's how you do it:

Start with a large room...preferably one with a TV and room to build.  Find a strong Daddy willing to move everything out of that room, and a happy Mommy willing to clean under everything once it's moved.

Empty everything not applicable to the fort from the room, and slide everything else away from the building zone.

Yes...that includes the dog.

Build the fort...find every blanket in the house, use chairs, tables, and to add more space, use a tent.  Cushions provide good walls for pathways and heavy weights provide good ways to hold the blankets in place.

Add some fun dinner items and a movie...throw in the kids mattresses, blankets, and pillows...

And you have happy kids!

*disclaimer - allowing the kids to sleep in the tent/fort will keep them up for an extra hour or two longer than normal...so be prepared to handle that.