Here's What We're Up To!

Dinoland

2008-09-08T16:36:00.001-05:00

The dinosaurs have come to Austin! We took a trip to Dinoland in Zilker Park where they have an exhibit of life-like dinosaurs. The kids had a good time trying to imagine what it would be like if dinosaurs were around today!

Joey's Homecoming!

2008-08-15T17:09:00.000-05:00

Getting off the airplane!

Eli and Alex were SO happy to see Joey, 12 days is a LONG time!

Trip to GA for Great Aunt and Uncle's 60th Wedding Anniversary!

2008-08-13T17:01:00.000-05:00

Corpus Christi weekend

2008-08-10T16:43:00.000-05:00

Too much playing Legos makes one sleepy...

2008-08-05T17:43:00.002-05:00

The Hardest Thing I've Ever Done!

2008-08-05T17:35:00.002-05:00

Yesterday Joey left for Nana's house, by himself on an airplane. I wasn't prepared for the overwhelming emotions I felt as he walked down the ramp on the way to the plane...saying goodbye to my baby was not easy! He said that he was crying a little on the plane but a really nice lady sat next to him and made him feel better.

I want to tell that really nice lady, THANK YOU!

I am happy to report that of course everything went fine and he is happily spending time with Nana!

Playing Cowboys and Indians during the hour-long delay...

Getting Instructions

Saying Goodbye!

Plane heading for CO!

Birthday Weekend in San Antonio

2008-08-05T16:51:00.002-05:00

Dinner at the "Texas Roadhouse" They make you ride on a saddle while they sing to you!

Waiting for the 4-D Pirate show to start! Quite an experience with bugs flying at you, water spraying on you, and air bowing in your face! Alex only made it half-way through the show before the 4-D was too much for him to handle!

Joey and I on the "Steel Eel"

Alex and Daddy watching "Shampu"

Eli thought this was amazing!

Underwear and Pull-Up Boys!

2008-08-05T16:50:00.001-05:00

It's been a while!

2008-08-05T16:39:00.002-05:00

Catching toads!

Alex's first swim without holding on to a grown-up!

Well, we have discovered that summer here is what as expected, HOT! Yesterday was the 42nd day over 100 this summer with only one day so far being under 90...

End of Baseball Season!

2008-05-15T13:15:00.000-05:00

Joey's first baseball season has come to an end. He did so great, had a terrific attitude and tried really hard. They made it three games into the tournament and lost in a nail-biter!

Way to go Joey, we love you!

Crowes Nest Farm

2008-05-13T09:41:00.000-05:00

Learning about EVERYTHING that comes from wheat
Fun time on the hayride!
Petting the donkey.

We went on a field trip with fellow homeschoolers to a working farm. They have dairy cows, and lots of animals to see and pet. They give a tour with great information on how a farm works and all the work that goes into producing the things that we buy from the grocery store.

Grandma and Grandpa's Visit

2008-05-12T09:24:00.000-05:00

Grandma and Grandpa came for a visit and we had so much fun! We tried to take them everywhere we had found down here to really show them a good time! We made a trip to Sea World, San Antonio's River Walk including a boat ride, hiking at a state park, farmer's market, driving around town, baseball game, "Cowboy Practice", many meals and lots of fun!

Sea World
"Shampu"

As Alex calls him!

Joey and Eli with Grandpa
Alex and myself with Grandma
Running after getting splashed by "Shampu"!

Thank you Grandma and Grandpa for coming to visit, we had such a great time with you!

Perdenales Falls State Park

2008-05-08T08:56:00.002-05:00

We were so excited to be able to see our friends the Bradleys. We always had so much fun with them in CO and they have moved to Dallas. They were down in Austin this week and we got to hang out! We went to lunch and to the park as well as Perdenales River and played in the water. It was so much fun to see them again and can't wait until their next visit!

Having a picnic
Playing in the water
Watching the dung beetle move his dung!
The beautiful falls and rocks!

Hope to see y'all soon!

2008-05-08T08:51:00.002-05:00

The guest room is ready, we would love to have you!
The view out your window, enticing isn't it?

(Free shuttle service to and from the airport, check Austin or San Antonio for great rates!)

"Cowboy Practice"

2008-05-06T08:45:00.000-05:00

After months of taking Joey to baseball practice, Eli has decided that he would like to go to "Cowboy Practice" aka horseback riding lessons! He wants to be a cowboy when he grows up and is always wearing his hat and boots. He had a great time learning about "Dawn" and how to take care of her, ride her, etc. This is a great place, The Little Buckaroo Ranch. They have miniature horses that the kids learn on so it isn't quite so intimidating to learn. He will be going to "cowboy practice" once a week.

Game Ball!

2008-05-01T08:42:00.000-05:00

Joey was awarded the "game ball" after todays game for excellent batting!

Way to go kiddo!

Houston/Galveston Trip

2008-04-30T22:47:00.000-05:00

Tony had to go to Houston on business again, so we of course invited ourselves along. Just so much to do in the big city, and we did the same thing we did last time, the zoo and the beach. It really is a great zoo, so many animals and very pretty. We then talked Tony into taking off work the next day since we were SO CLOSE to the beach, went to Target and got some tooth brushes, rented a hotel room and we were set! This girl has decided that I would much rather be 3 hours from the beach than skiing any day!

Building castles
Riding the waves~

Eli posing by a Stingray, wearing a stingray shirt!

Little Nemo swimming in his Anemone
Alex just chillin' with his blankie...someday he will hate me for this picture, but I just thought he looked so cute!
At the beach

Most Dangerous Book for Boys!

2008-04-26T22:38:00.000-05:00

If you aren't familiar with this book, it is a lot of fun and lists itself as the book of information every boy must know. Here Eli has managed to turn the paper airplane instructions into hat making! He is our creative one!

McKinney Falls State Park

2008-04-25T22:30:00.000-05:00

7 homeschooled boys, 7 and under...WATCH OUT HERE WE COME!!

We had such a great time hiking around this state park. It is right outside the city limits of Austin and has such beautiful scenery. I still can't get over how green everything is here in April. We have really been taking advantage of the beautiful weather and scenery we are finding here.

Founders Day Parade

2008-04-19T22:23:00.000-05:00

The town near us, Dripping Springs, has a Founders Day festival every year. We were in the parade with our neighborhood and the theme for the float was "Home Town Heroes". The kids were supposed to dress up in a sport they were in, or something they wanted to be when they grew up. Joey wore his baseball uniform, Alex also wore a baseball outfit, and Eli was a cowboy as this is what he wants to be when he grows up! We had a lot of fun. They have a fair with rides and different kinds of cooking competitions.

"Sweet Berry Farms"

2008-04-17T22:13:00.003-05:00

Joeys yummy strawberries!

Delicious Homemade Ice Cream!

Alex's basket of strawberries
Getting ready to shoot some strawberries!
Here we go, how fun!
Hunting for strawberries

This was a field trip with a great group of homeschoolers in Austin. They have field trips planned all the time for the kids!! It is great to hang out and have social activities with fellow homeschoolers.

Joey, Aunt Kim and Cousin Jakob Bday Celebration!

2008-03-27T22:06:00.001-05:00

While we were in CO we celebrated the bdays that are all with in a couple weeks of each other, Joey turned 7, Jakob 1, and Kim, well, we don't have to say her age!

Easter at Nana's

2008-03-23T19:30:00.001-05:00

Dyeing Easter Eggs!
Grandma and Grandpa
Cousin Jakob
Aunt Kim, Uncle Chad and Jakob
Mommy and Eli

2008-03-18T18:43:00.000-05:00

We came back to CO for Easter and were able to stay for 10 days. It was great to see so many of you that we have been missing so greatly! Here are some of the pictures from the fun afternoon we had in the snow!

Alex making a snowball!

Watch OUT!!

Coming straight at you!

Easter Egg Hunt in La Ventana (Our neighborhood)

2008-03-16T18:33:00.000-05:00

Every year they put on an Easter Egg hunt for the kids in our neighborhood. It was a lot of fun!

Six Flags with FRIENDS!

2008-03-10T12:44:00.001-05:00

Yes, you read that right, we have made friends! It is such a blessing to have found another homeschooling family, with 2 boys ages 6 and 4, that get along with my kids, and terrific parents that Tony and I both get along with! They are a great joy to us and we really enjoyed our day with them! I am sure there will be more with them on upcoming posts!

Farmers Market

2008-03-05T17:25:00.003-06:00

We went to the Farmers Market in a little town near us called Wimberley this afternoon. One of the vendors had farm-fresh eggs. Upon opening the container for inspection, Eli excitedly exlaimed, "COW EGGS!"

Kids say the funniest things!

Joey the Baseball Player!

2008-03-05T09:34:00.003-06:00

Waiting in the dugout

Up to bat
Getting ready to be catcher
Doing a great job!
After the game with all the players
Joey LOVES baseball. He looks forward to every practice and game. He is learning a lot, listens well to his coaches, and most of all, he is having FUN playing!

Swimming in...FEBRUARY

2008-02-25T21:29:00.000-06:00

The pool in our development is OPEN, and although the water isn't heated and still pretty chilly, the temp outside made it to 87 degrees today! We tested out the pool then spent our afternoon swimming in the hot tub, what a treat~

A Day at Blanco State Park

2008-02-24T21:17:00.000-06:00

Reeling in the "BIG ONE"

The "BIG ONE!"
Where is that bird?
Wading in the creek
How tall am I?

2008-02-18T09:14:00.000-06:00

Water Gun fight! Get him Joey!

Valentines Celebration

2008-02-15T09:08:00.000-06:00

For Valentines Day, we had our 2nd annual fondue, the kids love it and we do too!

Day in the Sun

2008-02-14T09:31:00.003-06:00

Just taking advantage of a beautiful February day!

What a Great Day!

2008-02-11T15:59:00.000-06:00

Wow, I just looked at Alex, really LOOKED at him I, and this is what I realized...he is a MESS! :) What a joy it is to be able to relax and be at home, not worrying about what we look like, if our hair is brushed, if we have marker and chocolate all over our face, or even if our clothes match...what a GREAT DAY!

Trip to Houston

2008-02-10T20:37:00.000-06:00

Tony needed to go to Houston for business, so the kids and I decided it would be fun to tag along. This picture was taken at the Houston Zoo. I couldn't believe the flowers in February!

The zoo was great, lots of animals and beautiful weather!

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Alex in a bald eagle nest

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Eli as a turtle!

Joey and his favorite, the Komodo Dragon!

We also went to Galveston for a little fun at the beach! Yes, the water was pretty cold, but we weren't the only crazy ones there! One other family was actually swimming, we were happy playing in the sand and feeding the seagulls!

"Mud Monster"

Feeding Seagulls!

The boys built this cool sandcastle! If you look closely there is a tunnel that goes all the way under and comes out on either side. Alex made a "sand bomb" and placed it at the top of the castle to get any "bad guys"!

Legos

2008-02-06T13:47:00.000-06:00

This room may look like a mess to some, but to these boys it is a room full of imagination, diligence and discovery. They can spend hours playing with these little tiny legos, building anything you could possible imagine!

We love homeschooling, the freedom to do our lessons and plenty of time to just be a little boy!

REMINDER...

2008-02-05T20:43:00.000-06:00

When yielding, make sure the person in front of you is also yielding, not STOPPING...or you just might lose your bumper.

Thankfully we are all OK. I just forgot this rule temporarily while trying to figure out where I was and where I was going! We have a rental van and ours should be fixed in just a couple of weeks.

Super Bowl Sunday

2008-02-05T20:34:00.000-06:00

On Super Bowl Sunday we had a picnic at a park here in Austin, Zilker Park. It is a huge park in the middle of the city, adjacent to downtown. It is a hustle and bustle of all types of people doing all sorts of activities. We were there to grill and play volleyball, enjoying the beautiful February weather. Some were playing soccer in one of the many soccer games being played, others at the playground, kayaking in the lake, running, even swimming in Barton Creek! We had a great time. After the park we watched the Super Bowl, I am not that into football, but thought it would be cool if the Patriots had a entire undefeated season, however in the fourth quarter I changed my mind, GO Giants! :)

Wow, has it really been 2 months?

2008-01-30T08:15:00.001-06:00

I have a few posts to catch up on! We had a wonderful Christmas with our family, everyone was able to get together, which was great. Then the day after Christmas, we had to hustle and get ready as the movers came on the 27th. Loading up the house was very sad, we really liked living on our cul-de-sac with our wonderful friends. As this process was happening I realized that I don't think I like change all that much! It was scary moving to a new place and not knowing the city or the people, moving out of the state for the first time, etc, etc. The first week was pretty tough on me and I was having a hard time not focusing on the negative, not knowing anyone, finding a scorpion in the house and learning that it might be a frequent occrence, wanting to go "home" to CO...However, remembering that I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me, I changed my focus and after leaning on God have decided that I LOVE it here! Everyone is so friendly, but it doesn't take much after spending my life in CO, where I think the people are, well, not so friendly! So maybe change isn't so bad...

The kids are having a great time playing outside in the warm January weather, the weatherman actually said the other night that "winter is on its way out" In January? Crazy! The "winter" he was referring to was the "arctic low" of 30 degrees at night, and 2 weeks of rain off and on. But now, it is on its way out! Yeah!

We are having fun exploring new places, but also just hanging out at home, which for those who know me well, is quite a change! We moved outside of Austin, about 20 minutes, and live on 2.5 acres. We have deer in our yard everyday and I can actually feel myself relaxing. It feels good. We do live in a "community" called LA Ventana, and everyone makes it feel like a community. The kids all get together at the tennis courts for a game of dodgeball or tag, they have monthly potlucks at the clubhouse, and like I said before, everyone is very friendly and welcoming. I think we made the right decision moving out "into the middle of nowhere"!

Homeschooling is going very well. Joey is flying through his 2nd grade math book, Eli is reading word families and Alex is working on his letters. We are reading Charlottes Web aloud and throwing in science experiments here and there!

Well, that is all for now, but I am going to try to post more often!

I hope everyone is doing great!

Snowman Symphony

2007-11-29T19:11:00.000-06:00

I love Christmas music, and I love Snowmen, but apparently not as much

as Alex who can watch them sing and dance over and over and over and OVER again! "We wish you a Merry Christmas" anyone?? :)

Cousins!

2007-11-29T17:05:00.001-06:00

What fun it is to have cousins! A family of all boys filling up the next generation, watch out!

Sunny and 55??

2007-11-29T16:49:00.000-06:00

Perfect weather, that is unless you are on a ski vacation in Vail! We went to Vail for Thanksgiving week with Grandma, Grandpa, Uncle Nathaniel and Uncle Andy to get some skiing in before we move to TX...Oh well, we had a great time anyway!

The Nutcracker

2007-11-29T16:45:00.000-06:00

My mom took us to the Nutcracker this weekend at the Pikes Peak Center. The boys really enjoyed it, especially Alex, whom you may not know LOVES princesses! He thought all the girls were bewtiful...

Time to Dance

2007-11-29T11:32:00.000-06:00

I guess when the urge to dance strikes, it doesn't matter where you are...even if it is standing in the trash can! Boogy Down Alex!!

This is still new for me...

2007-11-12T16:59:00.000-06:00

I am trying to get better at posting more often, it seems the time passes so quickly. Afterall, HOW long has it been since Halloween??

This past weekend I had a great time with my mom and my sisters, Christi and Kim. We took a "girls weekend" and headed up to Glenwood Springs for some much needed relaxation and bonding time. It was great to spend time with them (and baby Jakob!)

BLOG?

2007-10-31T15:35:00.000-05:00

Blog? What an odd word...but it seems to be the "thing to do" these days, so I thought I would join in! It is a great way to keep everyone "in the loop" so to speak, so here goes...

Happy Halloween! Today is the day all the little ghosts and goblins come out, or in our case 2 dragons and a knight. We plan on trick-or-treating around our neighborhood with ALL the other kids! In previous years the kids have had to stand in line at some of the houses! The colorado weather is pretty predictable for today, 65 yesterday, 65 tomorrow, and a balmy 40 today! Good thing the costumes are warm!

I look forward to documenting our day to day activities for those of you that are interested!

BOO!