A bad day at home is better than good day at work

Baby boy

2012-01-25T14:29:00.000-08:00

This little guy has been a stinker already. He has been giving us a good scare by not growing the way he should. The doctors don't know if he is just small like his Mommy, or if there is a problem. Unfortunatly we wont know until he is born. He will likely be delivered early, no later than 37 weeks. I will be going in to the doctor every week to get an ultrasound and non stress test to check up on him. At today's ultrasound we finally got some good pictures of his face for the first time!

Don't know why this uploaded sideways.. sorry!

2012-01-21T11:44:00.000-08:00

this is chop chop he is cool.

this one is the 4th one i got terrafin.

the 7th I got I love him he/s the best.hes name is eruptor

this is a secrit code ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.

this is the 6th I got his name is ghost roaster.

this is the 8th skylander I I LOVE HIM! his name is stump smash!

I accidently post this one too times .

this is the 3d one I got.

this is gill grunt he is the 2t I got.

this is the 1st one I got his name is Spyro.he is not the one with the blue stuff.

"Sew" proud of myself!

2012-01-15T09:44:00.000-08:00

If you are like I was a few weeks ago and had never made a quilt, you may not fully appreciate how hard, time consuming, frustrating, and tedious it is! I am proud to say I have finally finished my first quilt! It was made even more difficult because I chose the absolutely hardest type of quilting, free motion quilting. I didn't even know it had a name until I was already into the project. After many people giving me advice, a few youtube videos, one broken sewing machine and a consequential new one... I was able to get it done! I'm pretty dang proud of myself!

Now I have to make another one to match, since I have 2 daughters. Hopefully this time it will be easier, but I'm not counting on it!

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-30T18:53:00.000-08:00

Christmas was great this year! Santa came and the kids LOVED their presents. We started opening presents around 7am and didn't finish until 3pm. Victoria didn't open any presents for the first few hours because she was SO thrilled about her new Barbie doll house that she wouldn't stop playing with it. Aryah was going strong for a few presents until she couldn't handle it anymore and needed to stop and play. Mason did a great job being patient and taking his time. We had a great yummy breakfast from Mommy and spent lots of time cleaning up barbie toys and playing games! It was definitely a fun, relaxing family day.

Mason got a sweet hat!

Victoria playing with her doll house.

Aryah playing on Daddy with some new Barbies.

A scooter!

Matching robes with their names!

Aryah got an alligator sleeping bag, but all the kids had fun pretending to be eaten.

Fairies!

The destruction.

Going through her stocking.

Christmas Eve Party

2011-12-30T18:43:00.000-08:00

For a few years now on Christmas Eve we've had a "loner" party. A party for those without extended families to visit. This year was a little on the light side with only 3 additional families; however, it was fun as always. We didn't get many pictures this year, but the party involved lots of yummy food, a game of Gingerbread Man, and a gift exchange. The Gingerbread Man game is getting more and more violent the older the kids get, but always the key ingredient to a fun Christmas Eve.

Mason and Daddy tracked Santa all day on the internet and got really excited when he made his way up to the United States. Aryah, unfortunately, got an upset stomach (we think from too much candy) and threw up all over Daddy and Mommy multiple times during the party and during the night.

Besides that, the kids slept good and Santa came during the night!

The kids, and Daddy, got new PJ's on Christmas Eve! Aryah did as well, but she was asleep and didn't get to open until the morning.

SO EXCITED in their new PJ's!!

Mommy and Daddy were able to snap a quick picture after Santa had come before the kids destroyed the living room.

What the?

2011-12-30T18:37:00.001-08:00

Going through the Christmas pictures...I found this. Not sure what is going on, but everything must have been okay if time was taken to take a picture.

Ornament Selection

2011-12-30T18:36:00.000-08:00

One of our family traditions is selecting a new ornament each year. Well this year it didn't go so well. The kids usually pick one and then fight us to hold and play with them as we continue shopping or drive home. And against our best judgement...we let them. Yes...sure enough, they lost one and broke the other. So we ended up getting new ornaments for the girls. Here they are:

Mason got a big shiny airplane!

Victoria got a Dora ornament...which replaced the broken ballerina.

Aryah got dancing shoes...which replaced the lost puppy dog.

School Parties

2011-12-21T12:16:00.000-08:00

As if the kids aren't crazy enough with the holidays, their last day before the break was a fun-filled day of parties at school!

Christmas Time Photos

2011-12-21T12:12:00.000-08:00

It's Christmas time! The kids got new Christmas outfits on Thanksgiving, and we attempted to get a cute picture with them. Here are the results:

Thanksgiving

2011-12-21T12:08:00.000-08:00

We were fortunate enough to have family come down for Thanksgiving this year and while we had a little bad weather, we made the best of it! We drove to Bastrop and explored the damage from the fire one day. We also explored Austin. Since we wouldn't be together on Christmas, we decided to put up the Christmas decorations and have our white elephant game. It was a fun trip and really kicked off the Christmas season!

The biggest bowl of mac' she's seen!

Mason got a gun!

Super Spartan Race

2011-12-03T17:52:00.000-08:00

This weekend was the Super Spartan Race in Glen Rose, Texas.   Jes has been training for the Tough Mudder for months; however, it was rained out and he got the opportunity to do this race for free. Plus, this race had a smaller version that Mason could do.   So, we all packed up the car and drove to Glen Rose this weekend for a quick family trip.

Jes's race started first at 10AM.   It was raining and the wind was slightly blowing, but that didn't matter. The race was just over 8 miles and he can usually run this distance in about 1 hour 10 minutes, so he told Ashlee to watch for him around the finish line around 11:30AM.   Big mistake. They didn't release the obstacles or course design, so he really didn't know what he was getting into.   Here is what he recalls:

The race started out smooth. There was never a good running trail, always jumping over rocks, mud, plants, and cacti, but it was pretty flat. Then I had over-under-through obstacles. Jumping over 4 or 5 sets of 5 foot walls, the crawling under walls, then through windows.   First obstacle down... it tired me, but I kept running. The next obstacle was trenches...filled with water. You had to jump into them and then climb out. It was cold. There were multiple trenches...   It was a bit harder to run while went and muddy, but the course led you into a creek, running in water, through trees and mud, up waterfalls, into ditches, and so on.   We seemed to get muddier and muddier, but luckily the run kept us warm.   That is...until the lake. We had go swim across a lake. My guess is only 50-75 yards, but it was the coldest thing I've ever done. Once you emerged from the lake, you had to climb a rope 20 feet to hit a bell. Now, this was the first obstacle I couldn't do. And if you couldn't complete an obstacle, you had to do 30 "burpees" or squat thrusts. This was tiring and time consuming. Once I completed those, I moved on to the spear throw. I missed the target...30 more burbees.   Then to the slick wall climb. I was able to complete this and that's when I passed the 3 mile marker.   And I was very tired... Continuing to run, we climbed cargo nets, more trenches, climbed mud walls, under nets, dodged cacti fields, and eventually I got to the barbed-wire crawl. My guess was this was 100 yards or so through think mud and cacti, with barbed-wire about 1-2 feet from the ground. After scratching my forearms and legs up, I decided to roll.   I rolled for a while, but got dizzy.   Switching back and forth from rolling to crawling, I made it through...but very dizzy and sick.   I ran about 30 feet from that obstacle, and that's when it hit me. I puked into a bush and then sat down. It took me a good minute to re-orient myself but I started running again.
Now at this time, I started to realize that these obstacles were taking longer than I anticipated. I knew Mason's race started shortly after noon, and I REALLY wanted to see him run it. So I used that as inspiration to keep going. I accomplished pulling a heavy weight carefully 30 feet into the sky and slowly dropping it, then fell off the slick monkey bars, so I was faced with another 30 burbees, then I came to 4 sets of walls. The first being 6 feet, the second 8, the third 10, and the last 12 feet high. No ropes, just teamwork to climb over. Accomplishing that, I stepped up my running. I jumped over 6 foot high hay bales, slide down mud slides, and eventually made it to the bottom of a hill.   You had to pick up a sandbag and carry it to the top of the hill and back down another side.   This wasn't just some hill. Steep enough to require grabbing trees, many people were stuck half-way up, just sitting on their sandbag in despair. At this point, I got a second wind, and blasted up the hill and back down. Only to discover, the next obstacle was filling a "home depot" utility bucket with gravel and carrying it back up the hill...and back down.   This one was hard.   That bucket was slick, awkward, and hurt.

Now at this time, Mason was starting his race. Realizing I wasn't coming, he got in line and took off for his .5 mile race. He was assigned number 1 which was very cool to him! Taking on all the obstacles, such as a net crawl, balance beam, mud pit, and gladiator, he made it back and got his reward! He ran the whole thing and did great! We were so proud of him for accomplishing this.

And meanwhile, completed with the hills, I now passed the 7 mile mark. I knew I was close and I really started to run. However...little did I know, I still had many obstacles to go.   There was ANOTHER barbed-wire crawl..this time on gravel, but not as long. And you had to drag large bricks around in the mud. There was a balance beam that I accomplished, and a log hop, that I also finished (avoiding more burbees).   Finally, I had to crawl along a rope hanging above a pond and ring a bell. I made it half way before my arms gave out, falling into the water below. This forced another 30 burbees (after tiring from the effort to make it across) I couldn't complete a slippery wall obstacle near the end and was forced to do a final 30 burbees... before the jump over fire, battle with a Spartan (who hit you with all his might) and then over the finish line.

Bleeding, tired, muddy, and hurting, I was so happy to see everyone standing at the finish line. I was very sad I didn't get to see Mason run his race.   I did not expect this race to this hard, but I'm glad I finished and I know what I need to work on for the next time!

Before the race...

Standing in the start line, Mason was giving me encouragement.

Mason in his start line.

Mason has just crossed the finish line!

Crawling out from the 100 yards of barbed-wire.

Running down the fire path, almost finished!

Battling the Spartans at the end.

Finished...

Warrior Dash

2011-11-20T14:09:00.000-08:00

Jes and Jessica decided to get a little dirty and do the Warrior Dash. It was a 3 miles run with various obstacles, such as a junk car jump, wall climb, slippery slope, barbed wire army crawl, etc. It was a great time and they got mud everywhere!

Jessica in the trenches.

Jes with Jessica's muddy hand on his back.

Climbing over the cars, the second obstacle, Jessica was starting to freak out at what she got herself into.

The killer...this was the third obstacle. The mud was so thick, people kept losing their shoes. This added at least 10 pounds of weight to clothes and shoes from that point on.

Jes climbing down the wall.

Jes cut his leg!

Done, a happy Jessica, with mud in her teeth.

Comment of the Day

2011-11-15T19:25:00.000-08:00

Mason came home from school today and declared he had a "crush" on a girl in his class. He couldn't exactly explain what a crush was, but he knew that he wants her to be his girlfriend. When asked what a girlfriend was, he explained it was a girl that was your friend. "But you have lots of those," Daddy said. To which Mason replied, "Yes, and I want MORE!"

Victoria enjoys talking to people. She usually tells everyone, everything. When we leave the YMCA, her tradition is to say goodbye to everyone in the lobby (which thankfully is usually just the staff). Yelling goodbye to everyone, we walked out the doors. A man was sitting on over to the side of the doors, about 10 feet away, and Victoria turned to him and yelled, "Goodbye man with no hair!". Choking back laughter, Daddy quickly shuffled her to the car.

Veteran's Day Program

2011-11-14T17:35:00.000-08:00

Mason had his first school program last week. It was in honor of Veteran's Day. It was about 15 minutes long, and consisted of about 5 songs as well as the Pledge of Allegance and a moment of silence. Mason pretty much stood in one place, didn't smile, and sang the songs quietly. He seemed like he didn't want to be there...and I don't blame him.

Oh, so many more of these to come!

8-0 but who is counting?

2011-11-14T17:33:00.000-08:00

We were!

Yes, we're not suppose to keep score. And yes, it shouldn't matter how many wins you have. But we won. We won every game this season! Which really feels a lot better than losing every game which was the result of a year ago in our first season.

We were the fireballs this season! The kids were all great and it was super fun!

Doing the fireball cheer!

Mason getting his medal.

The team!

A Day for Nerds

2011-11-06T16:42:00.000-08:00

A Science and Tech Expo came through Austin for two days. It was free so only Mason and Daddy went, anticipating big crowds. At first, Mason took his time, trying to understand the makings of lightening, magnets, and energy. But eventually his focus broke down into a frantic mess of trying to do as many activities as possible with less learning. He got to build legos, play with slime, create a type of heat power, get fingerprinted, use microscopes, and mess around with planets. We even got to sit in a large dome and watch a movie. Daddy didn't like that one as he felt they jammed as many fat people as they could into a blow up tube and made us all look upwards for 15 minutes. At one point, they demonstrated fire and Mason says that was his favorite part. Mason loves robots and this sort of nerdy stuff, so he was in heaven. A great way to spend a Sunday afternoon.

Making Lightening!

This was a crazy slime that Mason got to play with.

Mason driving a robot.

Jupiter. Mason's favorite planet.

Lot's of treats, one trick

2011-11-01T07:36:00.000-07:00

Now that we have a kid in school we can no longer tell them that Jes's work party is "real" Halloween. The past 2 years we have skipped trick or treating on Halloween night and the kids were non the wiser! I guess those days are at an end though, as Mason knew exactly what we were suppose to be doing... and it wasn't staying home watching T.V.!

So we got the kids all dolled up again and headed to Whispering Hollow neighborhood near our home. We have never gotten any trick or treaters at our house because the houses are too far apart and there are very few street lights, making it very dark.

All hail King Mason!

Victoria wanted to have a 10 minute conversation with each person that gave her candy. This old lady was happy to talk to her for just as long. Mom finally had to pull her away, literally.

AAAHHH!!! This scared Tori!

Near the end of the night we did have one trick. The kids knocked on a door and a nice man came out. He had a little pug dog with him and after giving the kids candy and talking to them a bit he let them pet the dog. All of the sudden, the dog freaked out. It barked / growled and lunged at Aryah, knocking her to the ground. It pounced on her chest snarling. All the kids fell to the ground and started screaming! I grabbed Aryah and the man grabbed the dog. We looked her over carefully and found the dog didn't actually bite her. We were relieved. The dog on hind legs was the same height as Aryah so if it had bitten it would have gotten her face. I could have been very bad, but we were very lucky. The man and his wife, who had come running from the other room, told us the dog had never done that before and were very apologetic and worried about Aryah. He was very nice. We told them it was fine, she wasn't hurt. He insisted on giving her loads of more candy! We were just grateful she wasn't hurt!

After that we decided to call it a night!

From the stands!

2011-10-30T15:48:00.000-07:00

Soccer has been going really well this season! With 6 games behind us, the Fireballs haven't lost a game. We have a good team that is usually pretty responsive and plays their best. This week was Halloween weekend. So the kids painted their faces and/or colored their hair. While we usually have plenty of kids, this weekend we only had 6 players (5 play at a time). And during the 4th quarter, one kid didn't want to play anymore, and Mason was being grumpy, so I called in Victoria. We hurried and switched Mason's shin guards to Victoria and she was in to play! She did her best for a 3 year old, playing with 4 and 5 year olds. She even blocked someone (her own teammate). She loved it and is looking forward to when she can play for real.

Mason was a scary fireball!

Victoria, running down the field.

The Fireballs! (Daddy's face is courtesy of Mason)

This was when Tori blocked our player. They both hit the ground.

Grandma Visits

2011-10-28T18:21:00.000-07:00

Grandma Vickie came to visit for some time in October! She came to see Mason's solo violin performance in church and to do some Christmas shopping. We didn't get a lot of pictures during the stay, but we did manage some on one particular day. It was a good trip. Christmas shopping done, she got to see Mason play soccer, spend some time with the kids, and we spent a day in San Antonio. On this particular day, we went to a museum that had a pirate exhibit!

We all had some fun in the hurricane tube! It simulated 78 mile per hour winds.

PIRATES!

The kids were super sad when she left. Victoria cried for hours. Hopefully we'll see her again soon.

Halloween!

2011-10-28T17:46:00.000-07:00

Halloween is always a fun time with the Taylor's! For some reason it's turned into a crazy holiday with lots of decorations and many days of trick or treating. In the past we've tried to do theme costumes; however as the kids get older, the costumes start to vary. For this year, Mason decided to be a prince, Victoria a cat, and Aryah (by default) was a lady bug. Jes fretted over what to be and he didn't have enough time to come up with a plan. Hours before the first party, he pulled it together and with help from Ashlee's haircutting skills...he became an Indian. The mohawk is extensions...but the shaved head, is real.

Jes's work has a family party each Halloween, where the kids can trick or treat and play games.

Donut eating race! Who can eat a donut the fastest, without their hands?!? Victoria did great, but we lost!

Victoria got to dress up for school. This was her costume. She was a pretty kitty cat.

Daddy was a scary Warrior Indian!

At Jes's work again. This year the whole office went all out and REALLY decorated everywhere. One of the offices was so scary, the kids went in for candy...and came out crying!

Painting pumpkins.

Aryah daring to get candy from this scary monster!

Aryah checking out her lot at Jes's office.

The three kids in their costumes.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

For the record, next year, Mason says he'll be scary monster, Victoria says she'll be a princess, and Aryah wants to be a cute kitty.

October Activities!

2011-10-16T05:09:00.000-07:00

It's that time again! The weather cools down and the October activities come out. Painting pumpkins, making cookies, coloring hair, and decorating the house! We love the September birthday's because they kick off the season of holidays which start with October fun!

Aryah Turns 2

2011-10-08T16:34:00.000-07:00

Our baby turned 2! She is growing so fast! She is such a funny girl, always making funny faces and being silly. She loves to make us laugh and tries very hard! She thinks she can do anything her brother and sister can do and mimics them all day long! She is also very stubborn and defiant! She loves to challenge Mom and Dad in a battle of wills, we are afraid what this will mean when she becomes a teenager!

On her birthday we opened presents...

Then we went to Chilli's for dinner, and had brownies at home!

We are so glad you are part of our family Aryah!!! We love you very much!!!

Great Wolf Lodge

2011-09-28T18:48:00.000-07:00

As previously explained, for Mason's surprise birthday gift, we took him to Great Wolf Lodge in Dallas. The Lodge was amazing and had everything a little boy could want for his birthday. Not only did he get to sleep in a bunk-bed with his own TV, the indoor swimming area had slides, and a river, and wave pool, and great water toys! But when Mason didn't want to swim...he was on multiple quests and killing dragons! They had a game that took hours and hours to complete, but Mason was a Master Magi and proved he could kill dragons!
Everywhere he went with his wand, employees would call him "Magi" and treat him with respect. The game encompassed hours of fun and Mason's still talking about it. In the evening there was a bed-time story and animated show. In the morning was a nature lesson. With the arcade, ice cream/candy store, and Cub Club...there was never a non-fun moment!

Aryah loved the little window in the bunk beds.

The top players of the "magiquest" game were posted on the t.v. Mason's name was Magic Jewel (he came up with that on his own) and he placed in several catergories! He was really proud of himself!

The Killer Red Dragon in the background!

Victoria and her wand

The kids had to sit on this bear EVERY time we passed it.

After climbing onto this banana boat Aryah looked up and said "GO MOMMY! GOOOOO!"

Reading the book for clues...

Daddy and Mason on the only big slide Mason dared to ride.

Victoria loved the slides. She said it was the best part! We will have to go back when she is a little bigger so she can ride the big scary slides with Mommy!

Daddy and Aryah. Poor baby was scared of just about everything in the water park. Especially the gigantic bucket that dropped water every 10 minutes!

The sure sign of an awesome vacation!

Mason's Birthday

2011-09-28T18:39:00.000-07:00

Where did 6 years go? Mason turned 6 this weekend and, according to him, "this was my best birthday ever!". His birthday was on a Sunday, so we got up and he opened his presents. Then had a yummy breakfast and headed off to the big surprise present! We booked 2 nights at the Great Wolf Lodge in Dallas, Texas! At first, he was a bit confused about what he'd been given, but eventually he figured it out and was really excited.

Mason loves those little books and he got two this time!

Mason opening a present and Tori looking crazy!

This was Mason's birthday cake...after the fall. Mason wanted chocolate with chocolate frosting, so Ashlee made a cute cake with cars and a road and M&M's...but while walking into the Lodge in Dallas, it fell from the cart and was destroyed! Mason didn't care though...cake is cake! He just fished out the toy cars and we ate it anyway.

Mason and his cake...

Enjoying the cake at the Lodge.

Mason had a great birthday with a couple of Wii games, some books, workbooks, clothes, a spaceship lego toy, a puzzle, some games, etc! Best of all was the 3 days we all spent together having fun at the Lodge. We love you Mason and you are the BEST six year old around!

Hair blog?

2011-09-21T17:01:00.000-07:00

So, I have been toying with the idea of making a hair blog. This could include styles for little girls, that I do on Victoria and Aryah; and also clients. I'm still just thinking about it... not too sure yet. But in that spirit I thought I would go ahead and post a little sample of what I might do.

This style turned out very cute and was pretty easy, although time consuming. The advantage though was that it lasted 2 days, so I got a "day off" from little Miss's hair.

It consists of 4 french braids. One down the middle, one on each side, and then an upside down one in the back. Little Miss thought the upside down braid was very funny and giggled the whole time I was doing it!

To do the upside down braid I sat on the floor and had her lay on her tummy with her head in my lap. It was pretty simple.

After you do the braids and secure them with a clear elastic you will have 4 little pony tails that join in the middle. Take the hair from each one and pin them in loops with bobby pins. You can arrange the loops in whatever place you think looks good, but try to cover your elastics with some of them.

This hairstyle even survived gymnastics class! It would also be really cute with a big flower tucked into the loops somewhere!

I decided to do this after I had created the style, so I don't have step by step pictures. If I do go ahead with the blog I will do more step by steps. If you want step by steps of this style leave me a note in the comments and I will redo it!

Victoria's Words

2011-09-03T21:31:00.000-07:00

Victoria called scrapes, skerps. Whenever she falls, she cries, "I got a skerp!" Daddy loves when she says that, so he was trying to get her to say it and asked, "Tori? Do you have any scarps?", to which she replied, "nope, go fish!".

While at HEB, Victoria saw corn wrapped in the husks and exclaimed (at the top of her voice), "what is that? That looks weird! I would never eat that!" So Daddy picked one up, pulled the husk back and showed her the corn inside. Tori burst into laughter and continued to yell, "HEY! There is corn in there! Why is the corn hiding in there? That's silly corn!"

University of Texas

2011-09-03T20:54:00.000-07:00

We got two tickets to the first football game of the season for University of Texas vs Rice. So Mason and Daddy went to the game. It was super fun! It was our first game and we had a fun experience!

Since we had to park far away, we took a bike taxi to the stadium. Mason LOVED this and waved and yelled at everyone as he biked by. We were passing the Texas History Museum right when I snapped this picture.

This was the stadium as we approached it.

Our first stop...the First Aid station. As we walked through the gates, I looked over and Mason had blood all over his face and shirt. He had a bloody nose, and though it wasn't a big deal, this was the first place I saw where we could clean it up. They cleaned him, gave him a drink, and took good care of him. He actually asked if we could go back during the half-time...

Mason learning how to do the Longhorn cheer! Ashlee colored his hair purple...not sure why, but lots of people said he looked awesome. Next time...we'll do orange.

Daddy and Mason at the game.

Texas Flags that Mason loved.

The game was pretty loud and had cannon's blasting throughout, which, of course, scared Mason, so that was a bummer. But otherwise, it was fun to watch and cheer! Mason thought all the tackling was funny.

After the game, we stopped and got ice cream (of course).

Staring Victoria

2011-08-25T10:48:00.000-07:00

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

2011-08-23T17:01:00.000-07:00

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...

2011-08-22T13:51:00.000-07:00

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?

2011-08-21T08:32:00.000-07:00

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

2011-08-14T11:29:00.000-07:00

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

2011-08-14T10:08:00.000-07:00

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.

Aryah's new bed

2011-08-08T19:44:00.000-07:00

They say you can't stop time. It's true, you really can't! As much as it saddens me, my babies keep getting bigger and bigger!

Aryah has starting trying to climb out of the crib. It seems all my kids do this right around their second birthday, which Aryah will celebrate in October. So instead of risking a fatal fall, we moved her into a toddler bed. She was really excited! Since she watches everything Tori does and wants to be just like her she has been asking for a big girl bed for a while. She would always climb into Tori's bed at bed time!

Our first night took about an hour to get both girls asleep. Tonight, night 2, was actually even worse! Victoria fell asleep rather quickly, but Aryah didn't fall asleep for about 1 1/2 hours! Hopefully it will get better!

First friends

2011-08-08T19:16:00.000-07:00

Mason and Kelsie have been friends since we moved to Texas. They were both 2 at the time, Keslie is a week older than Mason. In fact, they met at Keslie's 2nd birthday party! Her Grandparents live next door to us and are surrogate Grandparents to our own kids. We love Tim and Cheryl (Maw Maw and Papa) and we love Keslie too!

Kelsie and her Mom, Nicky, just moved in with Maw Maw and Papa so we will get to see her a lot more often now! Mason and Kelsie will even get to ride the school bus together, although they will be in different grades. Keslie will be in Kindergarten and Mason will be starting first grade!

We only have two more weeks until school starts! I can't believe my baby is going to school! I was having a blubber fest over him the other day, saying I couldn't believe how old and big he has gotten. I told him it makes me sad that he is growing up so fast. He said to me
"Mom, it's just part of life".

And so it is.

Camp Mabry

2011-08-06T12:12:00.000-07:00

Daddy, Mason, and Victoria spent a few hours together at a museum at Camp Mabry, a local military base in Austin. There was lots of history to learn, but the kids mostly enjoyed looking at the big tanks, planes, and bombs! Mason thought it was cool to be on a real military base as a military person checked my ID and I think it made him feel special.

Afterwards, we drove through Austin and ended up walking up Guadalupe street by the University of Texas and had lunch at Which Wich. Daddy ordered "the wicked", an awesome sandwich with different meats, cheeses, dressings, etc.. Mason ordered a cheese sandwich. He tried my sandwich and liked it so much that he ate most of it. I ended up eating most of his cheese sandwich. I guess he's getting older!

No more naps

2011-08-02T14:33:00.000-07:00

There comes a time in each child's life that naps change. Suddenly they go from being a rest period, to a be naughty period. I remember clearly when this happened with Mason. He was about 2.5 years old, and he destroyed his room, 3 days in a row, by pulling out every toy from his closet and every article of clothing from his dresser. I am pretty sure Victoria has now hit that same milestone.

Last week I snuck into her room to check on her... and I found this! She somehow got into the pantry and helped herself to some chips. She ate about a quarter of the bag! Mostly I thought it was cute, and kind of funny. However, today she upped the ante.

Today I found this. A 3 year old and her room completely COVERED in an ENTIRE bottle of baby powder! There was a strong smell coming from her room and when I opened the door I was blasted with a thick fog hanging in the air. My daughter was also covered. She resembled a ghost.She said she was sorry, and she really looks it in the picture, but I know she is actually a really good actress. I don't think she is sorry at all!

I'm just glad it didn't happen to be one of those over the top stressed out about to loose it days for me. (I never have those days!) I was able to see the funny side, and actually I remember doing this same thing when I was a kid with my sister Lacey. We wanted to play in the "snow" in our playroom. I don't remember getting into trouble but I'm sure we did. Even though I wasn't particularly upset I put her in time out for good measure. You never know, next time I might not be so forgiving!

Summer!

2011-08-02T14:10:00.000-07:00

It wouldn't be summer without swimming... right! Aren't these two just so darling in there little suits? Admit it... they are! The kids love swimming and we have done plenty of it so far this summer, and I'm sure there will be plenty more before the hot weather subsides.

Aryah is getting pretty good at maneuvering around in the pool in her life jacket but frequently ends up unintentionally floating on her back when she looses her footing. She isn't a fan of that. Victoria is learning to swim really well but still not well enough to go solo, so most of the time she wears a life jacket too. She thinks she can do anything when she is wearing it so we have to keep a close eye on her. She is such a dare devil!!! If you don't believe me rewatch the video from our boat trip! Mason was so proud of himself this year because he passed the swim test at the YMCA and can go down the slide by himself! He didn't think he could do it so he was so surprised and proud when he did! It's so fun to watch them accomplish something and witness there reactions. It's one of the best parts of parenthood.

Dinner and a movie

2011-07-26T12:30:00.000-07:00

Since Daddy was working late, and that always makes the kids sad, I thought I would try and spice things up a bit and make dinner funner. We decided to have a picnic in the living room! It's too hot for outdoor picnic, so this was perfect! We ate on a blanket and watched a movie at the same time. And cleanup was a breeze!I'm glad they are still easy to entertain!

Fun Boat on Lake Travis

2011-07-16T18:39:00.000-07:00

Mommy, Mason and Victoria had the awesome opportunity to join a lot of our friends on a party boat on Lake Travis! The boat was a double Decker with a slide and 2 jump off ramps. Mason was the very first person to jump off! Everyone was cheering him on and shouting his name and I think that gave him the courage to jump! Victoria didn't ever even hesitate... she just went for it! She is so brave... no fear in that girl whatsoever! She reminds me of myself so much! I was always giving my parents heart attacks with the reckless stuff I did.

After jumping several times they moved on to the slide. At first it was your normal zoom down on your butt... but then Victoria started getting more creative! Everyone was so shocked at the stuff she was doing! I never told her to go down on her back or tummy, she did it all on her own! Crazy girl! Mason told Mom he really wanted to go down the slide on his tummy but he was just too scared. Poor kid. He's so much like his Dad! We had a really fun time and can't wait to do it again!

Victoria taking a rest as we got ready to depart back to the dock

Mason showing off his muscles!

Not sure what he is doing here...

Work Pranks

2011-07-16T17:56:00.000-07:00

Jes has a lot of fun at his job...

He plays pranks. He's convinced people their house is haunted, convinced others they are being stalk, convinced some their cars were towed, turns the volume up on their phones, changes their screens around, posts ad's in Craigslist for them, etc...

Well, he went on a business trip for a few days. And they got him back.

His entire, let me emphasize, entire office, from the pictures on the wall, to the phone, monitor, chair, pens, printer, lamp, books, papers, stapler, etc...were wrapped in paper. And shredded paper was filled in his drawers. In was grand payback by most of the office.

Like I say...they have a lot of fun there. Jes is in charge of HR and Finance, and they made him a sign to hang in front of his department based on one of his familiar sayings...see below.

(don't ask about Arnold...long story)

Home Depot Project

2011-07-16T17:47:00.000-07:00

Each month, Home Depot offers a free kid project. We usually make every effort to get there and do the little project. Usually anything from a planter box, a flag holder, a car, and this time...drink coasters and container.

Victoria is now old enough to participate, while Mason almost does he without assistance. It's usually a pretty good time, of course...why wouldn't it be? Put a bunch of kids in a room with hammers, wood, and glue and they are going to have a great time. I don't think I've left a session yet without a swollen finger from a misguided hammer, or glue crusted fingers, and ringing ears (because if you aren't hitting the nail, why not just pound on the table?)

CHL Class / Date Night

2011-07-16T17:38:00.000-07:00

At least, but typically, once a month, Ashlee and Jes get a date night. This month, we combined it into an entire day of attending CHL (conceled handgun license) training class. It was taught at Cabella's in Buda and we actually had a pretty fun time. Maybe not the flowers and dinner Ashlee usually expects, but Jack in the Box and guns worked just fine!

Here are pictures of our shooting exam. Ashlee enjoys pointing out that she missed the target less than Jes did. She does look pretty sexy with a gun!

Do you know your countries?

2011-07-16T17:31:00.000-07:00

Mason does funny things. He does smart things, and silly things, and the things he comes up with usually surprise us. Today was no exception. First..he colored one flag and asked Daddy to guess. Seeing the Moon and Crescent, Daddy knew it must be a Middle-Eastern flag, but guessed the wrong country. It was Algeria. For the next 30 minutes, Daddy was quizzed on flags of the world. Score: 3 right (Japan, Egypt, Afganistan), 2 wrong (Chad, Algeria).

What will Mason do next...?

That's what he said...

2011-07-14T14:11:00.000-07:00

Mason is going to be taking an exam next week to determine if he can be placed in first grade instead of Kindergarten in the fall. We gave him a chart to track his "studying", ie. 30 minutes of reading per day and 30 minutes of practicing other things like math per day. We told him if he could fill up his whole chart by the time he took the test, and then did his very best on the test that we would have a party and we could go anywhere he wanted, like Chuck- E- Cheese. His response...

"You mean like Hawaii?!?"

Grandma Kathy gave Mason a sand dollar last time she was here visiting. Unfortunately Victoria broke it. Mason started yelling at her, but then saw all the sand on the floor. He excitedly exclaimed MEXICAN SAND!!!!

Luckily we were able to glue it back together.

And finally...

We told Mason that if he finished his chores, he could play computer until 9PM. He tried to finish and ended up being done at 8:59PM. Looking at the clock, he said, "oh man", and pressed his hands to his eyes. Mommy asked him if he was going to cry, to which he responded, "no...my tears just popped out of my eyes...and I'm trying to pop them back in!"

4th of July Morning

2011-07-04T10:16:00.000-07:00

HAPPY 4TH OF JULY!

Buda had a kid parade, so we decorated the jeep and the kids drove it down main street! It was a lot of fun. It started at the old post office and ended at City Park where there were free blow-up slides, a magician, and a train. It was a good morning to celebrate.

Unfortunately, because it's been so dry and hot in Texas this year, pretty much everywhere has cancelled fireworks (and banned their use), so we will be playing games and enjoying a little charcoal smores this evening...but no fireworks! Maybe next year.

heavy work load

2011-07-02T12:21:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure how Daddy can get the lawn mowed while holding 2 kids, let alone not crash! Should they be in a car seat???

Ungrateful

2011-06-28T14:03:00.000-07:00

Lately I have been thinking a lot about how good I have it. My life is really quite ideal. I have 3 amazing kids who I love more than anything I could have ever imagined. I have a fabulous husband who treats me so well, and is so loving, giving, hard working... not to mention he is the best father I know. He is always worried about weather he is doing enough, doing what's right, teaching them what they need to know, spending enough time with them... is he to hard on them, not hard enough???? He is always evaluating his standing as husband, father, leader of our home and family; and adjusting if he sees fit. I have a beautiful house, that I love. I have a nice car, that I equally love! I have great extended family who love and support us in all we do even though we don't see them that often. I have a nanny who helps me out tremendously in my day to day life. She is such a blessing. I am so lucky that I can work a little and have my kids just outside my door. She helps out so I can get household chores done without interruption from my children. I get to do something most Moms only dream off... go grocery shopping alone! It makes it possible for me to have quality one on one time with each of my kids.

In short... I'm spoiled. And I know it.

So why do I feel so many emotions that are so contrary to all I have stated above? What are these wayward feelings I battle with?

1) guilt. I don't get enough done around the house. I should be able to do more with the time I have.

2) lack of gratitude. I get lost in my own world, my own issues. I forget sometimes how good I have it. I forget that most Mom's have it harder than me because they don't have a nanny to help them. A lot don't even have a supportive and helpful husband like I do. I find myself in a state of excuses. I'm too tired... not feeling well enough... too lazy... to take advantage of my blessings. Hence, feeling #1.

3) Feeling sorry for myself. I know what you are thinking. Sorry for yourself??? WHY? HOW? I know, I know... it doesn't make any sense to me either. I have nothing to complain about, but I seem determined to complain anyway. Feeling #1 is creaping in again...

4)Frustration / impatience. I shouldn't feel anything toward my kids but love and affection. I don't have them riding my nerves every second of every day like most Stay Home Mom's. I have 5 hours per day, 3 days per week without them. I shouldn't be irritated at them. But, I do. Again, cue feeling #1.

I need to push myself a little harder. Get more done with my "nanny" time. Be happier. How do I change my attitude and shed the ungratefulness/guilt cycle?

Grandma Visits Texas

2011-06-26T09:52:00.000-07:00

Grandma Kathy made a trip out to see us last week. Even though it was super hot (over 100 degrees some days), we still ventured outside and had some fun! We did the required trips to the outlets in San Marcos, made a day trip up to Old Town Bastrop, saw a show at Esther's Follies, ate yummy food at Whole Foods, and of course...stopped at Might Fine Burgers!

Tori wearing the Mighty Fine bag

Daddy and the kids stopped for some ice cream at the Drug Store in Old Town Bastrop while Grandma and Mommy shopped

Old Town Bastrop

You have to love the self-portraits...this was us at Esther's Follies.

Enjoying the river in Bastrop...though it was super hot that day!

Mommy at Esther's Follies

We're very sad to see Grandma go, but happy she could come see us!

Mason gets glasses!

2011-06-19T13:48:00.000-07:00

Mason failed his eye exam at his 5 year old check up. So Daddy took him to get his eyes checked by an optometrist, and sure enough, he needed glasses. He was so excited to pick them out! Mom was so nervous taking him to pick them out because she didn't want him to pick ugly ones, but still wanted to let him have a say in what he wanted. Luckily he picked the ones Mommy liked!

Mason's 1k Run

2011-06-18T15:38:00.000-07:00

Daddy is always doing races and Mason wanted to do one too. So we signed him up for a 1k at Camp Ben McCulloch. Luckily Grandma was in town so she got to watch as well! We all got up early, drove up to the camp, and got ready for our run. Daddy and Mason were going to run it together. The race started and Mason took off! He did AWESOME! He ran the entire race and didn't stop to walk once! He only stopped when his shoe fell off! We are so proud of him.

Mason getting ready for the run!

Mason and Daddy coming into the finish line!

Mason loved when everyone started cheering for him and he got really excited to cross the finish line!

Crossing the finish line, you see his time of 7 minutes 52 seconds.

Mason and Daddy after the race. Mason has his award for completing the race! He was so excited!

After the 1k, Daddy did a 5k. Here is Daddy coming in to the finish line. Daddy finished second in his division! That's great too!

Daddy slamming on the breaks after crossing the finish line.

Daddy and Mason at the start line getting ready.

New holes in body parts

2011-06-03T19:42:00.000-07:00

Victoria asked over and over... and over... for 2 days to get earrings. I finally told her she had to ask her Daddy. The second Dad walked in the door from work on Wednesday she ran to him and declared "I NEED earrings!"

Thursday afternoon I took her to get them.

Sitting in the chair waiting to get started. She was so excited! That may have been partly because I didn't tell her it was going to hurt. I was afraid that she might jerk her head at the last second if she knew what was coming so she was completely shocked when the earrings were jammed through her flesh. Poor baby!

After piercing photos. Notice the tears accompanying the smiles! She only cried for a minute. She was fine once I gave her a

lolly-pop!

I asked Victoria if we should get Aryah's ears pierced too. She yelled NO! I thought she was thinking she didn't want it to hurt Aryah, but she said "only I can have earrings and be a princess"! Lovely.

Mason's first story

2011-05-30T20:03:00.000-07:00

All through our school year Mom has tried to get Mason to write a story. He would only write 2 or 3 sentences and give up. Tonight Mom walked into Mason's room to find him writing a story, all on his own! I'm going to copy it just as he wrote it.

The bigist grape ever

bi Mason

One day it was evene (evening) and I was eating grapes and I fond (found) the bigist grape ever and I wantid to brin it to my camp it was so cool. and i have a dog to. and it is almost the same size as my thumb.

We are so proud of him! He is doing really well with his writing and spelling! He is really excited to start first grade!

Solution for bored kids

2011-05-30T15:13:00.000-07:00

Problem: Bored kids.
Solution: Stale Marshmellows and Toothpicks.

30 minutes of fun....

Minion

2011-05-29T20:09:00.000-07:00

We had been talking about getting a dog for months now. We went back and forth and could never reach a consensus. On a fluke, we dropped by the pound and found a 10 month old golden retriever. She was just found and they wouldn't let us interact with her for 3 days in case her owner called. After the 3 days, we got to see her and we decided to adopt her. We still had to wait for 2 more days for her to be fixed, but we finally brought her home on May 26th.

Her name is Minion...or Minnie for short.

Tori Turns Three!

2011-05-29T20:01:00.000-07:00

Our little Victoria turned three years old. Last year we took her to Chuck-e-cheese and she loved it, so we decided to take her again. Since she loves princesses, we made her a castle cake with hearts, and she LOVED it. She went around the house singing "happy birthday to me" for 3 days before her birthday. For her birthday, she got most of the Disney Princess dolls.

Tori's Cake

All of our tickets at Chuck-e-Cheese!

Tori with her new dolls and sunglasses!

Mason helped Tori open most of her gifts.

Mommy with her favorite doll, Mulan.

Enjoying her cake...we started with plates and forks...and ended up diving in with our faces!

Aryah loved the little rides and rode them over and over and over!

Daddy and Tori

Last year, Tori was scared of this horse, but she loved it this year!

There was a large wheel (like Price is Right) that you could spin to get tickets. The jackpot was 125 tickets. Daddy got 3 tickets and Mason got 2, but Tori hit the jackpot! This is her with all those tickets!

Mason was earning tickets like crazy!

Here is Aryah on the rides again....

Tori on her birthday.

Random

2011-05-29T06:41:00.000-07:00

Everytime we go through our video cards, we find random clips.... some taken by us, and some taken by Mason. Here are a few....

Mason said, "Look, I have an idea!"

Catching butterflies with their feet...

Daddy got REALLY dirty mowing the lawn one day...

Self-portrait

Blanket surfing!

I'm a fairy!

Our new pet Roomba

2011-05-21T11:35:00.000-07:00

We have a new pet, named Roomba, a robot vacuum. The kids love to follow it around and watch it clean. It was Ashlee's birthday present and a pre-qualification for any potential pets. Granted, it doesn't get every spot in the house clean, but when it's done, it has a full bin of trash and helps out a lot! Plus, it keeps the kids entertained for a while each day!

Welcome Roomba!

GO DRAGONS!

2011-05-21T10:10:00.000-07:00

Mason's second season of soccer went really well! Jes, the coach, tried to encorporate a few more fun activities to encourage the kids to play and they seemed to work great. Each kid go their "dragon stripes" (face paint). The dragon stripes were so popular, the kids stopped the game once when we forget to put them on! The kids earned badges and stickers too. Mason even scored a couple of goals throughout the season which was great!

Making their dragon faces! This was after the game and usually by the end, the dragon stripes had been smeared off.

Tori wants to play soccer so bad. She begs for dragon stripes and she sneaks onto the field now and then!

Mason guarding the goal!

Galveston Island

2011-05-16T18:22:00.000-07:00

There was a hair show in Galveston that Ashlee wanted to attend, so we took the opportunity to make it a family trip and spend some time at the beach. We dusted off our old beach gear from storage, packed the car, and headed down to Galveston, Texas for four days! The trip had it's challenges (what trip doesn't?), but overall was a really fun time!

Galveston isn't known for the best beaches around, but the packed, wet sand was perfect for making sand castles, and in this case, Sand Mer-People!

By later in the evening, seawood would start to gather on the shore, but each morning the City did a good job of clearing it from the beach.

This was Aryah's first dip in the Gulf. She didn't care much for it at first, but by the end of the trip, was enjoying charging the waves and finding seashells!

We walked around a bit looking at some shops on Seawall Blvd. The two girls were being extra cuddly that morning. Our hotel room door was probably 100 feet from the shore. It was a great location and allowed us to spend more time playing and exploring then traveling and setting up.

As the days progressed, so did our castle making skills...This was named "Boulder City", because it was made out of many "boulders" or rolled balls of sand. Mason was thrilled to learn that a city in Colorado had the same name.

Time for a quick nap..

At the hotel room. One of the only downsides to the trip was that everyone got sick on the first night. We all developed a cough and sore throat. During the day, the symptoms went down a bit (or were ignored) but they seemed to amplify in the confined hotel room during the night. That made for some long, rough nights, but we pushed through!

On our third night, we took the kids to Rainforest Cafe. Tori was in animal heaven and still declares that her favorite part of the trip was the alligator/crocodile/dragon (it changes each time) that she got to see (it was a man in a suit). The "Thunderstorm" every 30 minutes scared Mason a bit, but he was super brave.

Tori LOVED the animals!

For dessert, the kids got to eat "Lava Mud" which was gummi worms with crushed oreo and pudding. It made a bit mess, but they thought it was cool!

Even Daddy tried the worms!

While Ashlee was at the hair show, Daddy had some time with the kids. The first day, they spent the time at the beach, but the second time (the last day of the trip), we all went to Moody Gardens in Galveston. It was a bunch of pyramids and gardens with activities for all ages.

Mason looking up the side of a pyramid.

Playing in the fountains by the ocean.

One of the highlights of that day was the Dora/Diego 4D movie! Not only was it in 3D, but wind blew at you, water splashed you, it snowed, there was bubbles, and crazy smells! The kids LOVED it! Tori had a small problem keeping her glasses on, but she did her best.

Tori hanging out at the Acquarium. Every 30 seconds or so, a seal would swim by.

Looking at the fish!

Mothers Day

2011-05-08T13:01:00.000-07:00

Daddy took us kids to Walmart, the best place to find presents for Mommy. Any place that has large tubs of cheeseballs must have the perfect present for Mommy. We thought that Mommy would love some wooden spoons, shaving cream, and a Dora the Explorer dish rag, but Daddy gave us some other ideas. He told us some things she might like, and we finally picked the perfect presents. We picked a new pillow (Daddy says Mommy loves pillows), a bird feeder, and some fragrant oils. She was super excited to get them!

Afterwards, we all went hiking in Austin. Mason used his new backpack and hiking gear and we had a fun time. Except it's been so hot and dry here lately that their was no river to find. We explored all over. Afterwards, we stopped and had donuts!

That's what he said...

2011-05-05T19:27:00.000-07:00

I put Mason to bed tonight and he got up 4 different times to ask questions about his first tooth fairy experience.

1) Are you sure the tooth fairy will bring me money if I only leave a note? (since he swallowed his tooth)
2) Will the tooth fairy come if I'm asleep in your bed with my note under your pillow?
3) Does the tooth fairy have a phone?
4) Is the tooth fairy big or small?
5) Will the tooth fairy come if I'm not sleeping under my blankets?

Do you think he is over thinking this a bit?

lost tooth

2011-05-05T08:05:00.000-07:00

Mason has had a loose tooth for about 3 weeks. I started to wonder if it would ever come out because he wouldn't let anyone touch it and he didn't want to wiggle it, afraid it would hurt. It had actually gotten less loose over the passing days, which I didn't know was possible. I tried to talk him into letting me tie string to it and then to the doorknob and slam the door, but he said no. I tried to get him to let me use pliers (like my Dad did to me) but he said no to that too. So, we just waited... and waited... and...

waited.

As we were eating breakfast this morning he said "Mom, I think I just felt my hole". I wasn't really sure what he was talking about until he pulled down his lip. His tooth was gone! He had swallowed it! He was excited it fell out but was nervous that he may die from eating a tooth. He also had to confirm with Dad via phone call that the tooth fairy would still leave him money under his pillow.

Fire Alarm Trouble

2011-05-01T12:52:00.000-07:00

For some reason, one of our fire alarms has been randomly "alarming" for about 5 seconds every few hours. It's hard-wired in, so it's not a battery thing. Daddy hasn't had the time to figure it out, so we've been dealing with it for a few days. Finally, Mason decided to tackle it. Talking to Daddy he said, "It must be the toilets causing the alarm. If the toilets don't work, then the alarm goes off." And with that, he checked the toilets by flushing them all. When done, he returned, "nope, I guess that wasn't it..they all work".

Camping - Dinosaur Valley

2011-04-24T18:47:00.000-07:00

We had celebrated Easter early this year, so at the last minute, we decided to check available spaces for camping in Dinosaur Valley, Glen Rose, TX., and sure enough there was a spot! So very last minute, we decided to pack up our family and head out camping for a night. It's one night, what could go wrong?

Below are some cute pictures of our trip, at the campsite, at Dinosaur World, on the river, etc...but don't let the pictures fool you. I mean, who really decides to grab the camera in the midst of choas. First, because of the fire ban, we had to come up with a plan for meals that didn't involve cooking. Which, for us, meant nothing. We packed food for the kids, but not for us. Next, we knew the kids would get dirty, I mean, it's camping...but eating dirt is something new. We adapted well though and had a fun night in the river. The plan for sleeping was Aryah and Mommy in the car, and the other three of us in the tent. Well, it's been 15 degrees higher lately then normal and we felt it. It was in the 90's during the day and in the 80's when we climbed into bed. So it was hot. Aryah didn't go to bed and cried/fidgeted for well over an hour. Mason and Tori couldn't sleep and then...the rain started. I moved Tori to the car and Mason slept under my cot...but I laid there with the rain hitting my face. Lightening started and the thunder kept us awake more than the heat. All of that would have been managable; however, a Park Ranger entered our camp and warned us of "pending severe weather, including rain, lightening, high winds, and hail" and advised us to run to the bathrooms in the case of an alarm. What the hell did that mean? At this point, we were exhausted and the kids were asleep, so any parent would agree that the decision to challenge lightening, hail, and apparently a hurricane was acceptable. So we decided to ignore the Ranger. I'm not sure how much sleep we all ended up getting, but it was brutal. In the morning, we had a good time cooking eggs and bacon and then went to Dinosaur Land. After Dinosaur Land, we went back to the river and played for a long time. The kids loved that. One of Mason's favorite things was exploring the trails and climbing up "cliffs". Overall, by the time we left, we were very happy to be heading home, but it was a good first attempt and the kids all had a blast. That's what counts, right?

Mason enjoying the tent...until he realized it acts like an oven.

Tori was really good at helping Daddy put up the tent. All the kids were helpful.

On a walk down to the river.

This was a sign somewhere in the middle of Texas. It was so funny, we pulled over to take a picture.

Fossilized eggs....this was at the museum. (Mason took this picture)

Dinosaur tracks (Mason took this picture)

Dinosaur World! (They aren't real). Tori was a little hesitant about the larger dinosaurs with teeth. She knows they aren't real, but they still scared her and she stayed away.

Mason inside a dinosaur head!

Tori inside a dinosaur head!

A T-Rex trying to eat Daddy and Mason!

After the sun went down, we did some coloring for activities, but without a fire, it's hard to stay entertained with kids that young!

Aryah exploring a trail.

Playing in the river.

Tori was being so brave and getting close to a dinosaur. She was holding her lucky bug to giver her courage. She loves bugs.

A fossil dig at Dinosaur World.

Aryah enjoying a cookie at the campsite.

Aryah trying to escape from her sleeping quarters.

Dr Pepper Museum - Waco, TX

2011-04-24T17:54:00.000-07:00

For those who don't know, Ashlee is a HUGE Dr. Pepper fan. She is forced to limit herself on daily consumption. She has a Dr. Pepper shirt and enjoys any place that serves a cold Dr. Pepper (Sonic adds vanilla flavoring, which she thinks is awesome as well). But then we discovered a Dr. Pepper Museum only 2 hours from us in Waco, TX. So a trip was required.

It's hard to tell, but this horse is made completely from Dr. Pepper bottle caps. Tori loved that it was a horse.

Mason got a new job as a Dr. Pepper guy!

In the Ice Cream/Gift Shop, they had a Dr. Pepper shake. The kids settled for normal ice cream, but Ashlee enjoyed a bit of Dr. Pepper in her shake!

Mason spent some time watching old black and white Dr. Pepper commercials. He didn't really enjoy the museum as he doesn't like Dr. Pepper at ALL!

Surprisingly, there was a lot to do in Waco, but we didn't get to do all of it. The museum was interesting, but just that, a museum, so keep that in mind if you plan to go, but it's worth a stop if you are Waco looking for some things to do!

Early Easter

2011-04-15T12:17:00.000-07:00

With Grandma in town, we decided to have Easter a little early. We'd been busy making eggs, decorations, and fun Easter activities, so it just worked nicely to have the Easter Bunny come a little early this year.

Mason waiting so patiently for his egg to change color!

Having fun coloring eggs!

Aryah wanted in on the action, but she was only allowed to look, not touch.

Here is what we ended up with.

Mason found a hidden egg in a spoon hanging from the pot holder! Crazy Easter Bunny!

And Tori was finding them on top of pictures!

Aryah's, however, were a bit more easy to spot.

The girls after they found their baskets.

Mason found his basket hidden in the back of the closet under the stairs.

Eggs, Peeps, and More!

Aryah eating her first Peep for breakfast. She loved them!

Daddy helping the kids color eggs.

Sweet Berry Farm

2011-04-11T19:45:00.000-07:00

Grandma Vickie, Aryah, Mason and Victoria!

We went up to Marble Falls to Sweet Berry Farm. It was a beautiful city and we had a really fun time. The only problem was the mud! It was everywhere!!! After picking berries we went into town and had lunch, then went shopping in the all the cute boutiques!

Katrina and Victoria searching for berries!

Aryah liked picking the berries, but did not like the mud getting on her hands and clothes! At one point she slipped and fell on her butt in the mud and cried and cried until Mom could clean her off!

Mason and his friend Alaura.

Movie Night

2011-04-09T20:29:00.000-07:00

We borrowed a projection from Jes's work and had an outdoor movie night at our house. We watched the movie "Tangled" in our back yard. The kids grabbed sleeping bags, bean bags, and pillows, we had popcorn, drinks, and snacks, and enjoyed the movie. With the exception of the wind, it worked out well, and there was even a random firework show nearby that we got to enjoy.

We hope to do it again soon!

Slip'n Slide Fun

2011-04-09T20:26:00.000-07:00

With temperature's in the 90's already, we pulled out the summer stuff today. It started with the slip'n slide for the older kid's and a simple bucket of water for the younger ones! Eventually, the younger kids wanted to slide, so daddy sent them flying!

Aryah zooming with assistance from daddy

Tori crashing into a puddle of water after daddy gave her a small push!

Aryah in her bucket of water.

Tori in her bucket of water.

It was a fun time!

Austin Haunted Tour!

2011-04-02T21:53:00.000-07:00

Tonight we went on a tour of some of the "Haunted" places of Austin. It was pretty fun. It was a walking tour, that had us start at Moonshine restaurant, up to the Driskill, a Catholic Church, and a few stops along the way! It was pretty entertaining and a fun way to walk around Austin. Our tour guide told us stories and the history behind many of these places, and while Jes found it to be interesting, Ashlee found it to be spooky!! Jes was determined to take a picture of a ghost! At the end, they tried to play us some electronic recording of a ghost speaking from the same spot it was recorded. But other electronic disturbance prevented them from doing so? Coincidence?!? I think not!!

The Driskill Hotel - One of the most famous haunted places in Austin. The tour guide said well over 19 ghosts haunt The Driskill.

Ashlee looking freaked out! And our other friends deciding if they are believers!

A spooky church place!

Do we look scared?

Our tour guide, in front of a current lawyers office, former hospital! Many former dead people walk the halls of this I'm sure!!!!

What do you think? A reflection of my flash, or a light from BEYOND!!!!

What's that in the corner?!?!? AHHH!!

A fire escape...not part of the tour, but it looked scary and Jes took a picture of anything that looked scary.

Soccer

2011-03-26T09:52:00.000-07:00

Bring on the Dragons! This is Mason's second season, and Daddy's second season of coaching. Today was the first game and we did really well! All 10 team members showed up and they all played hard! We did a few more things this season to get the kids excited, such as make a banner, face painting, and iron-on patches. The kids loved and we all had a great time! GO DRAGONS!

Our banner with cheerleaders!

Tori on the side-lines. She cannot wait until she gets to play next year.

Family Pictures

2011-03-25T18:37:00.000-07:00

We made a noble effort to get our family pictures done today. Getting the three kids to pay attention and smile was a challenge.

Half way through Tori started crying for no reason. The photographer asked her to make a happy smile. And she said, "NO, I want to make a sad smile!"

Our Day of Fun

2011-03-20T07:27:00.000-07:00

Thinigs have been really crazy around here lately. Mason spent every day from 8-5 at a YMCA Spring Break Camp. He loved it! They did activities, field trips, swimming days, and crafts. He would come home exhausted every day. On top of that, we've had things going on in the evenings, as well as spring yard work, that's just taken a lot of our time lately. So we decided to have a day of fun.

Our day started out looking for garage sales. Believe it or not, that is considered a fun activity in our family. Mason loves the toys and treasures we usually find, and the prices are usually afforable, even for him! On this particular garage sale morning, we spent all our money in the first few garage sales! Not only did we find a toy train that Mason has wanted since he was a baby (but now outgrown, so we bought it for Aryah), we found a bounty of chapter books for Mason.

Next, we made a stop to Shipley's Donuts and each enjoyed our own donut while we watched they make the donuts through the window. The kids loved that (and we loved the donuts).

After a break for naps and some re-grouping, we headed bowling! It was a bit more challenging then we thought, but Mason did great, and it was pretty fun.

Finally, to end the day, we needed to get some yard work done, so Daddy hauled the two girls around in the wagon everywhere he went in the yard, and we filled up a big tub full of water. That gave the kids entertainment for at least an hour, splashing and playing in the mini-pool!

Overall, a good day of fun!

Donkey Kong Craziness

2011-02-26T06:03:00.000-08:00

Recently someone gave us the game "Donkey Kong Returns" for Wii. Mason started playing it, but needed a bit of help, so Daddy started playing. Little did we know, this would become an obsession for the next few weeks between Daddy and Mason. They would sit for hours (it seemed) and play levels and conquer bad guys, unlocking secret worlds, and in general warping their brains. Mason would ask all day long for extra playing time, and inpatiently wait for Daddy to get home from work when the playing would resume.

FINALLY, after a few weeks of playing each and every night, they won the game, unlocked all the secret worlds, and did everything they could do. This stopped Jes from further play...but Mason...not yet.

Kite Flying!

2011-02-26T05:56:00.001-08:00

Why do we do this? Yes, the pictures below look like a lot of fun. But every year, Daddy buys the kids kites, full of excitement, he puts them together, brings the kids outside, and sends the kites high into the sky. They kids exclaim "wow!"...pause for a moment, and then hand over the reins to Daddy. Next thing Daddy knows, he's standing there holding a Tinkerbell kite with no kids around. And it takes forever to slowly bring those kites back in. Oh well, we'll keep trying!

Tori holding her kite high in the sky!

Tori's princess kite! She loved it...for 5 minutes.

Even Ry-Ry held the kite for a minute...but didn't get the point.

Valentines Day

2011-02-26T05:46:00.000-08:00

Valentines Day has never been a big holiday at the Taylor household. In fact, it's gone pretty much unnoticed in past years; however, now with the kids, it's making a resurgence. This year, Tori and Mason got to make Valentines day "mailboxes". One night Ashlee was gone, so Daddy and the kids made Mommy valentines day cards and decorated cookies. The cookies were so greatly decorated, that Mommy just couldn't bring herself to eat them, so we ended up at Baskin Robbins (on behalf of Grandma Vickie).
Mason and Tori also made Daddy a couple of cookies and cards which he had no problem eating.

Baskin Robbins bounty!

Happy kids!

Mason took a picture of his ice cream cone.

This was Tori's cookie she made for Mommy.

Here was Mason's cookie that he made for Mommy.

Mason, making his cookie.

The cookie project. When given so many options, why wouldn't you use them all?!!?

Mason's valentine's box...

Friendly Neighbors

2011-02-26T05:27:00.001-08:00

Our neighbors have a bunch of random animals in their backyard. Now and then when our veggies start to wilt a little more than we'd like, we'll go over to the fence and feed them. When they realize we have veggies (versus a dead leaf or something) they come running! Sometimes we take it for granted that we can just walk about back into our own petting zoo!

2011-02-06T16:26:00.000-08:00

Snow in Austin doesn't happen very often. In fact, this is only second time we have seen it in the 4 years we have lived here, and the first time was much less than what we got Friday! We woke up to a winter wonderland of almost an inch! Mason was so excited. He has been asking to go see snow all winter.

Aryah wasn't too impressed. Her hands were really cold.

The front yard

Mommy teaching Mason and Tori how to make a snowball. It was hard cause it was just powder and didn't want to stick together much.

Tori's first snowball!

Aryah was a little happier after we put socks on her hands. I couldn't find her gloves anywhere and we just don't have the wardrobe for snow, or the 20 degree weather we have been having!

More snowballs.
Snow angels

Mason couldn't wait to get out in the snow. He ran out on the patio in his jammies and socks! He didn't care one bit that his feet were cold. I had to make him come back inside and get dressed.

The backyard

Snow in the morning, gone by noon! That's my kind of snow!!!

Grandpa

2011-01-19T11:35:00.000-08:00

My Dad flew into Dallas yesterday on a business trip so the kids and I drove up to see him. First we went to the Dallas World Aquarium, which if you Texans haven't been you should go because it's really cool! After the aquarium we went and picked my Dad up from the airport. As we were driving in circles waiting for him there was a man standing on the curb that looked a little like him. Mason kept yelling out "There he is!" every time we passed him and I would tell him that no, that wasn't him. I pointed out that this guy had a mustache, and Grandpa didn't. He was getting frustrated... and we kept circling. Finally on the 4th or 5th time around Mason yelled out

"GO AWAY MUSTACHE MAN!!! I'M TRYING TO FIND MY GRANDPA!!!"

We took Grandpa to his hotel and had a blast breaking in the bed for him by jumping on it! Then we drove around for about and hour with 3 starving, crying and complaining kids looking for a place to eat. The hotel person had given us directions to the headquarters of a restaurant, not the actual restaurant. So we ended up in the middle of nowhere! We did finally find some good eats, and then everyone was happy.

We dropped Grandpa off at the hotel and headed back home. We got home at 12:30 am.

3 1/2 hour drive up, 3 hours with Grandpa, 3 1/2 hour drive back.

It was worth it!

Too bad I forgot my camera...

Trampoline

2011-01-08T11:50:00.000-08:00

You have probably heard of the "family bed". As parents we strictly go against this practice. We feel it uncomfortable and and non sleep inducing!

However,

the family trampoline is a different story! We spent about an hour on the tramp as a family, and had a great time! Of course when I realized this was a good picture opp I ran to get the camera and when I got back the moment had passed, mostly because Daddy felt sick from swinging the kids in circles. I was able to catch a few last ones anyway.

Doggie pile on Daddy!
Crazy Tori

This isn't the best picture of Mason, but I thought the sky looked really cool!

All our poor kids have major face abrasions right now. Poor Mason had a picture frame fall off the mantle and gouge his cheek. Poor Tori fell flat on her face on the driveway cutting up her nose the next day. And the day after that Poor Aryah fell down 2 stairs also scratching her nose.

Maybe we should keep a better eye on the kids...

Purple princess

2011-01-04T19:12:00.000-08:00

Christmas Eve

2011-01-01T18:10:00.000-08:00

We have a tradition of inviting other "loner" families over for Christmas Eve. We decided that even though we would have our family here to celebrate this year that we would still throw our annual party. The crowd is different each year depending on who is in town. This year, besides us and our family, it was the Andersen's and the Barksdales.

Getting ready for the party!

Victoria and Jessica

Mason

Grandma, Aryah and Victoria

Grandma and Aryah

Caleb Barksdale, Jack, Sophie and Sam Andersen

Andrew and Rachel Andersen

Jule, Hazel and Hyrum Barksdale

Jack and Sophie Andersen

Grandma, Don, Shalynn, Juli and Eliza

Tori

Mommy Mason and Daddy

If only I was a little taller!

Hyrum, Hazel, Juli, Jessica and sophie

Hyrum opening his gift at the used toy exchange

Mason got a Mr. Potato head set at the used toy exchange.

Once everyone left we did our own family traditions. First the kids opened a gift from Mom and Dad.

Then it was the Pajama Race! Victoria won this year!

And then it was picture by the tree time! What cute kids!

After all the pictures we set out our cookies and milk for Santa and put the kids to bed. The fell asleep pretty fast, which was good because Santa was just down the street!

Merry Christmas!

2011-01-01T18:03:00.000-08:00

Aryah, 14 months

Grandma Kathy and Victoria, 2 1/2 years

My budding photographer

2010-12-31T19:48:00.000-08:00

Cuz everyone needs a self portrait of them picking their runny nose... right?

Mason loves to take pictures. I'm sometimes surprised at how good they turn out! I thought this one looked kind of artsy-fartsy!

The annual gingerbread house. Just lovely!

Mason took this one also.

Uncle Don tried to teach him how to play pool.

Ornament Pick

2010-12-31T19:22:00.000-08:00

We started a tradition 3 years ago to let the kids each pick out 1 new ornament for the Christmas tree. As we pulled out the ornaments we had a hard time remembering who picked out what. I originally thought I would just write there name on them, but they picked some that made that impossible. We have now added to the tradition... taking pictures of the kids with the ornament of choice!

Remember... they are allowed to pick WHATEVER they want... I am NOT responsible for any tackiness!

Aryah picked this one almost immediately and would not let go of it or be swayed!

Mason went back and forth between 2 or 3 until he saw this beauty! There was no changing his mind!

Victoria also picked this one very quickly and didn't want to let go of it, not even long enough for it to be scanned and paid for!