Playing Catch Up

This seems to be the theme of my life.  Trying to catch up, feeling caught up, only to turn around and be behind again!!  I guess that is what happens when you have 3 kids home for the summer to entertain.  In all fairness, I was behind before they got out of school.  Maybe it's just the 3 kids!!  Whatever it is, I wouldn't trade them for anything, and we sure have been having lots of fun this summer!!

Before Brooklyn finished kindergarten, I tried to get ready for summer and created a summer schedule.  Could one really expect less from my "type A" personality?!?!?  I don't stick to it religiously, but it sure has saved us from the "I'm bored" phrase - since there is always something  to be done!! 

I also picked up level 1 of her piano books.  She really has improved a lot with her playing and I'd almost venture to say that my patience has improved as I have been teaching her.  In the end I am not sure who is learning more here!!

We have had a few unexpected happenings this summer.  The last day of school brought with it some sad news as I learned my Uncle Walt was in the hospital.  His health declined rapidly and he passed away on June 6, 2009.  I made a last minute trip to Arizona for the funeral and to feel of the strong love of my family.  I truly feel so blessed to be a part of such a wonderful extended family and am grateful for the memories we all share and the strength we find when we are together.  I am so thankful for my friends who watched Brooklyn and Russell while I was gone, and really appreciated how well Whitney behaved for the flight out there and the long drive home.  I still can't believe she never fussed!!

Seriously, this was the best dog.  I can't believe how she let Whitney "torture" her.

When I got back, I was prepared to take summer head on, but was thwarted in my attempts by Brooklyn's case of swimmer's ear.  This was not fun, as I knew it was a strong likelihood and had begged her to let me put drops in her ears.  However, she fussed every time and it just wasn't worth the fight.  Had I know I would have shelled out almost $90 for the antibiotic drops I would have fought this battle.  Oh well, live and learn.  

We waited out the week before we could swim again, but come Tuesday when we could have been swimming, I learned that Russell had an ear infection and Whitney had a double ear infection.  This meant we had another 7-10 days without swimming and my creativity for indoor activities was waning.  

We have been working hard on reading for the various reading programs around town.  The kids completed the Public Library program, so we decided to head downtown to pick up their prizes (which were amazing: 2 Astros tickets, a free Adventure pass to the Downtown Aquarium, a circus ticket, free justaburger from Whataburger, and several free kids meals to Spaghetti Warehouse) and make a trip over to the Museum of Natural Science and visit the butterfly exhibit.  Grandpa joined us on our trip - it was nice to have extra hands as no strollers were allowed in the exhibit and I was uncertain of my ability to contain both Russell and Whitney.  

Grandpa joined the museum, so we also went and looked at some of the permanent exhibits.  Russell didn't like the dinosaurs at first, but must have warmed up to them, because he has asked me to go back.  It will be nice to be able to go back several times this next year, as Grandpa put my name on the membership as well.  

Arts and Crafts has probably been one of my kids' favorite summer days. I can't say that it is my favorite as the mess about does me in every week; though I love that it makes my kids happy and they are being creative. We have done tempra painting, watercolors, figurine painting, stitching (for Brooklyn) and the all time favorite (so far), sun catchers.

The inflatable slide has definitely been a good investment for the summer.  Since our neighborhood pool is closed on Mondays, we typically set up the slide for the kids to play.  It gives them a chance to get out some extra energy, and helps me maintain my sanity.  I even manage to read a few pages sometimes while we are outside. 

Mondays are also game day, and although we miss it sometimes, it has been fun watching my kids play together.  It's even better because we have a few games that all the kids can play.  You've got to love the classic bed bugs game - yep, it was mine as a kid!!

And since this post isn't long enough already, here is a cute picture of Whitney's crazy smile.  I love it.  It's our special practically teeth grinding smile, and when I try and get her to smile for others, she gets all shy and won't.  She cracks me up!!

Look Who's 30!!

It's hard to believe that Aaron is just now turning 30!!  A milestone, I have long since accomplished.  A few months back, Aaron purchased a BMW, and I told him at the time, that it was counting for his big 3-0 present (and probably for a few years more).  He didn't really get a whole lot of presents, aside from a few CD's, and a year's supply of starch.  However, I really wanted to celebrate his birthday Texas Style.

Well, as everyone knows, things are always bigger and better in Texas.  We invited several families from the ward (and would have loved to invite more, but our backyard and my sanity can only handle so much) for a Texas BBQ on Memorial Day.  Aaron was convinced that everyone would have other plans and be too busy to come to a BBQ.  He was very pleasantly surprised, to have so many people come and celebrate!!

As the day quickly approached, and my mind started picturing 20+ kids roaming around my house or my backyard with only a net-less trampoline I started contemplating entertainment options. I thought about renting a bounce house, but as the deadline loomed closer and no decision reached, Aaron and I decided our money would be better spent on an inflatable water slide.  

Early Monday morning, Aaron headed out to buy the slide that was on sale at Target (he got the last one), a folding table, and pick up a few odds and ends.  I made one final trip to the grocery store, and then spent my time working on cooking brisket, making chip dip, slicing vegetables, etc.  Once Aaron was back, he was busy setting up a volleyball net, and the water slide.  

Thanks to my parents help, the party went off without a hitch.  There was plenty of food and fun for everyone.  The slide worked it's magic and was worth every penny spent.  The kids were entertained the whole time, and many played for over an hour before even asking for food.  The adults sat around and chatted uninterrupted by kids.  Later on, the guys played volleyball and Aaron did a great job of fetching the ball when it went over the fence.

It was a great day, with family and friends.  Thanks for all who helped make Aaron's birthday special.  

As another special treat for Aaron's birthday.  His older brother that lives up in Dallas made a special trip down here the weekend after Aaron's birthday.  It was fun for cousins to get together and play and always fun to have family in town.  We enjoyed dinner out to Macaroni Grill and a musical performance from the kids later on that night.  Thanks again M&M for coming down!!

A Way Late Update on Our Lives

I really am embarrassed at my lack of ability to keep my blog updated.  It doesn't help that sometimes my computer wants to be finicky and not upload pictures.  So, this update includes events from last year - since they are finally on my computer!!

For Christmas, Santa Mouse brought me 2 tickets to the Houston Ballet Nutcracker.  I decided it would be fun for mother and daughter to go, since I remember going as a little girl with my Daddy.  Really, I contemplated sending Aaron, thinking it would be a fun memory for him to share with his daughter, but in the end I was too selfish.  Plus, Aaron doesn't really love the ballet, and I do.

Despite my best efforts to get Brooklyn to rest on December 26th, knowing the ballet would make for a late night, she refused to listen to me.  (Imagine that, a child not listening to their parent).  By evening time, she was exhausted, and irrational.  There was a lot of drama, tears, and pouting, but in the end I finally got Brooklyn dressed to go to the ballet and I think a small smile out of her for the picture.  This was definitely NOT how I had envisioned our night starting out.

We stopped at McDonald's on the way downtown for a happy meal.  Getting a My Little Pony toy seemed to turn the night into a better direction.  By the time we made it downtown, searched everywhere for free parking, I decided I'd rather pay $5 and be done with it.  (Should have done that first).  We made it to our seats, and I think Brooklyn had a pretty good time.  She did tell me a few times, "I don't know what is going on."  I think it was a little tricky for her that there wasn't any dialogue.  (We did read the story before we left).  At intermission we went out and Brooklyn picked out her very own Nutcracker.  After the second act, we went to the Blue Room to meet the cast.  My friend, Sara Webb, is a principal dancer for the Ballet, and she performed that night.
After meeting the other dancers, and taking pictures, and getting autographs, we were able to go on stage.  Brooklyn loved being able to see all the props on stage and twirl like a ballerina. This was definitely the highlight of her night.
Fast forward a few months.  On March 12th, we headed to the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo to see Brad Paisley.  Aaron had gotten 4 tickets from work, so we decided to take the kids with us as well.  We were a little late, so we didn't get to see all the cattle roping, but did see our fair share of bronco riding and bull riding.  Russell and Brooklyn loved it.  Russell still tells me, "I a buckin' bronco."  

I loved the concert.  Who wouldn't love Brad Paisley live?!?  That would be Russell.  He hated the loud noise.  I should have known better, and come prepared (saw a friend of mine took ear plugs for her kids - well noted for next year).  Aaron got the blessed task of wandering around the arena with a grumpy boy, while I sat and stared at Brad.  Brooklyn seemed to be okay with it, but I think was a little bored as well - they have NO idea who Brad is and I don't think she loved the noise either.  




I still am not sure how I was convinced that running 6.2 miles in a Texas torrential downpour would be a good idea (4-18).  I think it started by Charity saying something like, "We will just drive out there to see what the weather is like.  We need to get our packets anyway, but if it's lightning and thundering we won't run."  Sounded like a logical plan, so I agreed.  Somewhere in there she must have slipped in some incoherent code that said something more like, "no matter what we will be running.  There is nothing better than running while being soaking wet."  I think I will listen closer next time.

However, since my hearing was a little off, I did run in the rain.  Actually, it was kind of fun. Although, I am sure unlimited Blue Bell ice cream tastes a lot better when one is not wet and cold.  For whatever reason, it seems Charity and I are cursed to have rain at any race we run.  Here is crossing my fingers that my first sprint triathlon actually ends up being rain free!!

A few days later Russell turned 4.  For his actual birthday, things were pretty low-key. Grandma and Grandpa came for dinner, cake and ice cream.  Grandpa and Grandma brought pizza with them, which made my night A LOT easier!!  Not to mention, the kids actually ate without putting up a fight.  Russell (with some prodding from Brooklyn) chose to have a Diego party, which was probably good, since otherwise he would have most likely chosen Cars AGAIN!!  We opened presents, and we must have done okay because not only did he love the gifts, Brooklyn does too.  I'm sure we will have a few more arguments because of it :)

That weekend we had a birthday party for Russell.  He had a great time, and I think friends did too.  It was nice to keep it small because it wasn't too overwhelming for anyone (especially mom).  They decorated binoculars, and then went on an animal hunt.  They also played a listening animal bingo game.  Other games included Dora, Dora, Diego (duck, duck, goose) and Diego Says.  We did cake and ice-cream and opened gifts.  Russell was spoiled again and has been having lots of fun with all his new toys.  

May 5th Brooklyn had field day at school.  The days leading up to field day had been full of swine-flu pandemic news, and Brooklyn and I kept our fingers crossed that no cases would show up at her school - I because I didn't want to deal with the sickness, Brooklyn because she didn't want field day cancelled.

We both got our way!!  I had asked Brooklyn earlier if she wanted me to volunteer for field day, or come and watch her.  She really wanted me to volunteer, so I did.  However, I really did miss not being able to watch her at the various stations they had set up for the kids.  Grandma and Grandpa were there to help cheer her on, take pictures and take care of Whitney, so Brooklyn was definitely loved, but I did miss her.

This was the station I was responsible for.  It was funny how confident those kids were when they showed up to "roll the tires."  It didn't take them very long to figure out it was a lot harder than it looked!!
Brooklyn's kindergarten class after field day. Those kids sure did play hard.  I offered to bring Brooklyn home afterwards (actually to send her to Grandma and Grandpa's house), but she didn't want to miss out on watching movies and playing games in the classroom.  Oh, to be young again!!

I had to include these pictures, if for no other reason than to prove my children really are MINE!!  I had put the kids to bed and Russell was begging for another story.  I am pretty sure it was a night when I had had the kids all day and I was tired.  I told him I would read to him again in the morning.  Later that night I went in to check on the kids and this is how I found them.  Russell's picture cracks me up.

On May 8th, Brooklyn had a Mother's Day Tea to celebrate Mothers.  It was a nice presentation, where the kids sang a few songs and then we went back to their classroom.  I would post pictures of Brooklyn singing, but she avoided my camera like the plague.  It is actually amazing that there is any photo to commemorate this occasion at all.  I am pretty sure bribery was involved.  Grandma also came, and we did get a picture of them as well, but to spare Brooklyn the embarrassment of her expression, I did not post it.  She is a silly girl!!

When we got to the classroom, the students had set up the table with fruit kabobs,decorated plastic cups, painted flower pots and picture frames.  Brooklyn also had  picture and story she had worked on for me.  She had done a very good job.  I sure am proud of my girl!!

About a week later, on May 14th, Russell had preschool graduation.  Kind of funny, since he still has another year of preschool before he goes to kindergarten.  That is probably a really good thing - maybe next year he won't be quite so silly.  Though, it does make for memorable pictures - and is very representative of his funny personality.

Here he is walking up to get his certificate.  It would have been better as video, because then you could have heard the sound effects that accompanied these silly antics.  And below, the nice pose for the picture - notice his tongue sticking out.

Mya and Russell being "cool."

Mommy and Russell

Grandma, Grandpa and Russell

Snakes, Lizards, Turtles and Butterflies . . . Oh My!!

If I didn't know better, I would think my house had turned into a local zoo. However, aside from the butterflies that we "hatched" ourselves, all the animals made a very brief appearance at our house.

During a recent rainstorm (surprise, surprise) Grandma and Grandpa found a snake in their yard, and brought it over to show the kids. Actually, now that I am thinking about it, I am pretty sure it was on April 18th, the day I ran the Blue Bell 10k in the rain (a whole other post in and of itself). Surprisingly, all the kids enjoyed seeing the snake and I am pretty sure both Russell and Brooklyn touched the snake, though I only got a picture of Brooklyn.


The lizard was a Brooklyn find. He was hiding out in our garage. Little did the lizard know, that Brooklyn has a great eye for anything living. She quickly spotted him and proclaimed, "catch him, Mom!!" Had Aaron been home, this would have been the point when he said something like, "You really are crazy!! You don't even want a dog, but here you are catching lizards!!" He's right; I am crazy. However, I will do almost anything for an educational experience for my kids - especially if it is short lived (owning a dog or cat do NOT fit this criteria). Brooklyn held the lizard for a while, and I noticed that when he escaped a few times, she was catching him herself. It seems that the initial catch is the scariest for her.


Saturday, after Russell's birthday party (another post I should do), I headed over to Hobby Lobby. On my way back I saw a turtle crossing in the middle of the road out near the retention pond in our neighborhood. I couldn't believe it. I quickly called my parents to double check it wasn't a snapping turtle. After I figured out it was a slider, and completely harmless, I captured him in my Hobby Lobby bag (for a whole 2 blocks - so I didn't suffocate him) and brought him home. Russell was the funniest. "Mom, is it a REAL turtle?" "Can I touch him?" "Will he move?" Yes, to all. Brooklyn, Russell and Whitney all were fascinated by the turtle and loved watching him slowly walk around.  Later that night, Aaron and the kids took the turtle back to his home.  When Russell got back, he was crying and said, "I miss the (de) turtle.  I want to live with the turtle."  How sad, my son prefers life with turtles instead of with me.  I think I finally convinced him to stay here with us, but every time we pass the retention pond he mentions his turtle, "Slider."


At the same time, we decided to finally release our 5 painted lady butterflies out into nature. I had intended to be really good at taking pictures of all the different stages of the butterfly life cycle. However, in the end I have a picture of them in the box they came in, and these of Brooklyn letting them go. Looks like I fell a little bit short on that one :) The whole process has been fun, besides being a little nervous on transferring them from the original cup into the butterfly habitat (thanks Charity), and we just may do it again sometime. It was cute to hear Russell tell Grandma and Grandpa, "We have butterflies. They are chrysalis'. Wanna see our chrysalis'?" Nothing cuter than hearing a 4 year old talk about chrysalises!!



When we ordered the butterflies, they sent a coupon for 5% off our next purchase. Not much of a savings, but a savings nonetheless. So, I decided to check out the website. Turns out we can purchase a kit for any of the following: the ladybug life cycle, frog cycle, beetle cycle, or butterfly cycle. I might have missed some, but those are the ones that stuck out to me. Russell really wants to watch a bullfrog grow. Maybe next spring . . . Aaron knows I am crazy now!!

Teacher Tip #4

I probably won't be on blogger much for a while. I am trying to get my blurb book completed. It might just take f.o.r.e.v.e.r. I am almost done with 2006. The good thing is that I don't have a lot of post for 2008 and 2009 (okay, only good for this project, not so great for remembering my life one day).

Anyway, the teacher tip for today deals with helping your children develop fine motor skills. According to Sandra F. Reif, in her book, Ready, Start School!, "Fine motor skills require muscle tone and strength in the fingers, hands, and arms, and is the result of maturation that cannot be hurried." There are several activities parents can encourage to help their children build their fine motor skills.

Some of these ideas are ones I have tried, and others are ideas taken from Sandra's book. Pick a few to try during the week; there are enough ideas that your child (and you) shouldn't get bored.

*Lite Brite
*Making shapes out of play doh (or clay - requires greater fine motor strength)
*tracing pictures, letters, numbers
*lacing cards
*squeezing water out of a sponge
*stacking blocks
*opening and closing clothespins with thumb and forefinger
*stringing beads (or fruit loops - eat it later)
*flipping over coins as quickly as possible
*legos or K'nex
*buttoning, zipping and tying
*Popping plastic bubble wrap
*Use a eye dropper to transfer liquid from one container to another
*Pick up small items (rice, beans, candy, buttons) using tweezers (or fingers)
*Cutting with scissors (try drawing a straight line to cut along, progressively making the line more difficult (ie curvy, zig-zag, etc))
*Putting together puzzles

Hopefully, you found something useful here. If you have other ideas, please post them in comments. Now it's back to being the Mom, and trying to sneak a few more posts into my blurb book!!

A Poem for Brooklyn

There once was a girl named Brooklyn Arline
She was the cutest girl you've ever seen.

She loved to draw day and night,
and always tried to do what's right.

Outside with friends she loved to play,
But also loved reading stories at the end of the day.

She's wonderful, as anyone can see.
That's why we love having her in our family.

. . . . and the Pictures are Uploaded

Back to Life, Back to Reality

We are back from our week long cruise vacation to Mexico.  We had a great time, and if my house would just stop rocking back and forth, I think I'd be a lot better off right now.  Despite my best efforts at getting the house cleaned before leaving, there is still an endless list of things I need to do today, and all I really want to do is lay down and rest.  But, this is reality, so I will blog briefly, and then get back to folding laundry.

We arrived in LA on Sunday, March 22nd and boarded the Mariners of the Seas.  The ship was huge or "ginormous" according to Brooklyn.  There were 14 levels, with a shopping Promenade on level 5.  Other amenities included a rockwall, several pools and hottubs, a basketball court, inline skating track, ice rink, miniature golf, jogging track, and shuffleboard.  They also had a "child care" service for kids 3 and up, so Brooklyn and Russell spent a lot of time there along with their cousins.  Actually, Brooklyn said that the child center was her favorite part - aside from playing with cousins.  The ship was very kid friendly, and Aaron and I agree that we would cruise again with our kids - after Whitney was 3 :)

We spent our first full day at sea.  I started my morning off with a run on the upper deck.  It was amazing to look around and only see ocean.  Truly breathtaking.  However, I didn't really account for the shifting of the boat and did a number on my knee and am still having some trouble with it.  But, it was worth it, for one beautiful run.  Russell and Brooklyn tried ice skating for the first time.  It was more like Mom and Dad pushing them along and saving them from falling.  It worked pretty good until Brooklyn tried skating by crossing her feet, and made a nice little pretzel that ended with both her and myself sitting on the ice.  Monday was our first formal night, and we quite enjoyed the fine dining - I sure am going to miss someone bringing me delicious food, cutting the food for my kids and cleaning up the dinner mess. Afterwards, Aaron and I went to a show in the Savoy Theatre of the Royal Caribbean singers and dancers.  

Our first port was Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.  We had to take a tender boat to shore and there really wasn't a docking station there.  This was the only port that the whole family went to together (all 18 of us).  There were seagulls and pelicans everywhere - and they didn't fear us at all.  Along the rocks we saw a lot of crabs.  We walked to a nearby beach.  It didn't take Brooklyn long to swim out into the VERY cold water.  It took cousins a bit longer, but soon enough there was an ocean full of kids.  The water was crystal clear and Uncles Chad and Kevin along with Kimberly enjoyed snorkeling.  Uncle Chad found a sea urchin and sea anenome for the kids to see.  We did a little shopping while in Cabo, and then headed back to the ship so Whitney and Russell could nap and I could relax and read a book in the sun.

The next morning we woke up in Mazatlan and Aaron and I ventured out on our own - leaving Whitney with Grandma and Grandpa.  We took a taxi to the nearby Cathedral and had we know it was as close as it was, wouldn't have paid as much as we did.  I don't think I'd ever been in a Catholic church before, and found it an interesting experience.  Later we headed down to the Golden district to do some shopping.  We bought some musical instruments for the kids, a necklace for me, and some "bobble headed" fish and turtles.  The whole experience in Mexico was very humbling.  It was so sad to see people clambering for a sale - realizing that they were dependent upon making a sale.  Before we boarded the ship we bought the bobble heads for a total of $6 and the older man kissed me on the cheek and hugged me.  He was so thankful for a sale.  Definitely puts life in perspective and a great reminder of how truly "rich" we are in the United States.  

Puerto Vallerta was our final stop and in some ways was my favorite.  We were definitely jipped a little in the money department as we were running low on smaller USD amounts and not really quick on the skill of converting USD to pesos.  However, it was in Puerto Vallerta that I accomplished one of my "to do before I die" tasks.  Aaron and I went parasailing.  It was an amazing experience - I felt so free as I literally hung in the sky.  It was fun to look all around me and see such beauty.  I loved it and could have stayed in the sky much longer.  Aaron viewed the experience a little differently - he spent much of his time in the air contemplating how fast he would descend if something went wrong, an what he would throw down to break the surface of the water before he fell.  What a silly husband I have!!  

All the ports were fun, and yet very different.  Cabo seemed to be pretty dry and a poorer area, but with beautiful beaches, Mazatlan was very hot and humid and yet we enjoyed the people and Puerto Vallerta was more green and had beautiful mountains as well.  

The final few days were spent at sea again, and we tried to cram as much in as we could before our time on the ship came to an end.  We saw a couple of different shows: an 80's song night, a magic show, and a juggler/comedy wrap up night.  The kids had lots of fun in the child center creating different art projects daily, being in parades, getting their faces painted and reading stories.  Cousins ordered room service at night for the milk and cookies before bedtime.  We all ate ourselves full and then some.  New foods were tried and a few extra pounds managed to come home with us.  Once again we have fun memories to last a lifetime, tears at parting and the "oh so familiar" refrains of longing to live closer to cousins.  Thankfully they are just a phone call, email, letter away and the promise of seeing each other again next year.  How I loved reunions as a child and reconnecting with cousins and the joy is compounded now as I reunite with my siblings and watch the magic of reunions happen for my children.

I am hoping to get on the computer again tonight and create a slide show of our pictures.  Until then . . .  

Adios!!