The Weber Family Blog

Day 6- Magic Kingdom

2012-02-06T16:23:00.001-06:00

We spent several days at Magic Kingdom... this was our second day... it was the day we went for fireworks and the parade at night too... the kids loved it!

They call him Masey Mase

2012-02-06T10:49:00.002-06:00

When I was pregnant with Mason, I wanted a girl. I just didn't think I could love another boy the way I love Owen. I think God knew I felt this way (because there really is something about momma and her boys) so he sent me a baby that no one could help but love. Mason is the Sun. No one can look at him and not smile... it is a proven thing I will tell you... he has a contagious smile, is silly as all get out and loves everyone. Seriously, everyone.

Day 5- Epcot

2012-01-26T18:52:00.001-06:00

On the 5th day, we went to Epcot. We were all pretty tired on this day and Epcot was REALLY crowded. There was plenty of space, but every ride was packed and all the fast passes ran out or were many hours in advance. Some of these pictures aren't the greatest... we took the pictures on Dan's iphone.

Mason checking out the tank.

Suddenly a trainer comes over and we see a dolphin! Of course, Mason was staring at the trainers hand instead of the dolphin and I couldn't figure out how to turn off the flash. Go figure.

Sweet Sister.

Sweet Brother.

Sweet Ellie.

Here we were trying to kill some time. At this point there was about 3.5 hours until fireworks start. It was shortly after that we decided we just weren't going to make it. It's too bad because the Epcot fireworks are the best. Oh well, something for a future visit I suppose.

Ellie was the only one awake when we reached the exit. Dan's parents stayed to watch fireworks so it was pretty entertaining watching us get 3 sleeping kids and 3 strollers on the trolly back to the parking lot, but we made it!

Day 4- Hollywood Studios and More

2012-01-26T18:33:00.003-06:00

Christmas Eve, we opened what presents we brought. Mostly we got the kids some things to entertain them at the house during our off time... which, as it turns out, wasn't a lot of off time. One of the things we got was a United States floor puzzle. Owen was amazing with this puzzle!! I took away the box top so he couldn't see what it looked like and he completed the whole thing by himself without looking at the box or getting help! He knew where they all went! It was impressive.

Mom and Mason cuddling up.

Our 3rd day was spent at Hollywood Studios and it was also Christmas Day.

The kids got a special treat today and got their faces painted.

Mase didn't but I think he wanted to :).

The toy story characters were a big hit! Buzz doesn't sign his autograph, he has a stamp and uses that... the kids thought that was great. Owen was really excited to see them but stood off to the side and took his own pictures with his camera.

The kids in the toy story box.

We ate our Christmas day meal with the characters from Disney Junior.

Dan's Mom, Carolee, tried out for American Idol! Hollywood Studios has a set there and each day people try out and at the end of the day if you are a winner, I guess you get a golden ticket that will get you to the front of the line on the real auditions.

She was fun to watch! It was cool to see how they did the show. They made it seem real.

Dan and Erin.

We left and came back to Hollywood studios. It was really packed. Disney does a great job with crowd control, but Hollywood Studios and Epcot are not as big and do not have the rides and attractions to the degree that Magic Kingdom or Animal Kingdom do. Plus it being Christmas Day... it was a little more than crowded! We had to wait awhile for the Fantasmic show, but the kids enjoyed lighting themselves up!

Disney Christmas- Day 3 Animal Kingdom

2012-01-26T17:19:00.002-06:00

Day 3 in Florida was also Christmas Eve and we spent it at Animal Kingdom. It was just us the first half of the day because Grandpa and Grandma went to the airport to pick up Uncle Jordan. Then we were all together in the afternoon. It was nice to have more grown ups around to help herd the children! We purchased the kids all id bracelets that they wore either on their wrists or on their shoes. I am happy to say, they weren't needed!!!

All the kids with their Mickey ear hats. They have tons of different ear hats nowadays. I wanted to keep it classic and have the kids' names embroidered on the back.

The kids had a picture book with all the Disney characters in it. It was the best purchase ever because the kids loved, Loved, LOVED having the characters sign it and also get to hug all the characters. They also enjoyed looking at the book when we were off doing something else. Many hours of entertainment there.

Maggie has a thing for the GOOF. She and goofy are tight. It makes me laugh to know she loves goofy so much because we have called Maggie "goofy" since the day she was born!

Mom and Mason... cutest little mouse I ever saw!

The whole family with Mickey! Animal Kingdom was the best park for characters I'd say. They have a whole section of the park for meeting characters.

Ellie and Maggie with Chip and Dale... Owen was a bit hesitant to actually go over and love on the characters (really, that's good that he doesn't want to hug strangers actually). He liked to watch from a distance.

Once in awhile, a character would go over to him and coax him into a picture... Owen and Thumper.

Rafiki!

Rafiki really warmed Owen up. He was a funny guy...or monkey.

Daisy at our Character meal. The character meals were great we thought. It was nice to have a sit down break to our days and the character meals aren't too much difference in price to the regular sit down dining prices. Plus, most of them were buffets so we stuffed ourselves silly and weren't hungry for dinner... so really, two meals into one! :)

The characters also loved on Mason a lot... who wouldn't? Anyway, he was sorta into all their noses and beaks.

The Mickster.

Mickey and Owen. That's Owen's face for being really happy and also shy and embarrassed.

Mason waiting for the Lion King show to start. I was very impressed with the shows at Animal Kingdom. We saw the Lion King and Nemo -- they were both AWESOME and the perfect length of time so the kids don't go to crazy.

Disney Christmas- Day 2- The Magic Kingdom

2012-01-26T16:37:00.003-06:00

This vacation, we invited Dan's parents and brother to come to Florida with us. We rented a house that had a pool for the kids so we stayed in Florida comfortably. It was nice to have a house to go to when the kids got tired in the afternoons and needed a break and it was just nice to have our own rooms!

The first Disney day was spent at Magic Kingdom. We didn't take too many pictures the first day... It think we were all too excited and trying to take it all in!

Here is Maggie ready to head off to Magic Kingdom!

Owen is ready to go.

Ellie is ready with the Minnie back pack!

Even Mason is ready to go.

4 excited kids!

Riding the magic carpet ride with grandpa!

Dad and Mase

Mason enjoying the day... boy are we happy that we took him while he is NOT mobile!

We broke down and got a double rental stroller a couple of the days, but really, you are better off going to the store and buying a brand new stroller for what the rental costs are!

The MANY faces of Magdalyn Beth:

Disney Christmas- Day 1 at the Beach

2012-01-26T15:33:00.002-06:00

This year, we went to Florida for our Christmas vacation. We were feeling like we wanted to make a memory rather than buy presents just for the sake of buying something and buy toys for our kids that don't need them. We felt fortunate that we were able to go to Florida and spend a great Christmas with family.

We drove through the night--- not bad at all and much better than having the kids awake the whole time... Dan listened to pod casts, I listened to an audio book.. it was actually quite nice. We spent our first day meeting up with my family and going to the beach. My family was going on a cruise from Tampa so our trip overlapped with theirs a couple of the days.

The kids LOVED the beach and wasted no time jumping right in and building animals and castles in the sand.

Elise

Me, Mason and my grandpa.

We had to call the kids to shore a few times because they went out too far. They had no qualms about the cold water!

Mason enjoyed the beach from under the canopy.

Uncle Pat.

Me and my mom.

Maggie building castles in the sand.

Elise (and my hand shadow)

The kids burying their legs.

Of course, our trip wouldn't have been complete without a trip the ER. Owen woke up screaming one night-- I think that first night. He had an ear infection... obviously from the beach. I spent about an hour driving around to find an ER. Florida doesn't seem to have those 24 hour clinics on every corner like they do here in Houston. Ear infections are always annoying because you know what is wrong and there isn't anything over the counter to give him. So $100 copay and $40 worth of prescriptions later.... we were drugged enough for our second day.

Owen Turned 5!

2011-11-30T13:18:00.000-06:00

Owen turned 5 in November and I completely neglected to do a birthday post for him. I have always meant to but am just now getting around to it...

Owen, my sweet 5 year old, I love you more than words can say. In your 5 years of life so far, you have brought our family so much happiness.

As of your 5th birthday:
-you are the best big brother ever! You love your baby brother so much that I almost tear up every time the two of you are together. You annoy your little sister, but you two also have amazing fun together
-you think your big sister is pretty amazing. You are always eager for her to get home and play with you
-you can read- really well
-you can add and subtract a lot of numbers
-you are a bit video game crazy-- and you think Dad is the video game king
-you take the best pictures which is amazing since it is hard to keep you still enough and paying attention long enough for us to take one at all
-you love uncles. Uncles are the world to you. You are a "guys' guy"
-you are a big boy, always have been. You are easily at least a head bigger than all the kids your age. You weigh almost 80 pounds and are bigger than your sister and wear a size 2 shoe. Turning another year older is a bit of a relief for us in that the amazement on people's faces is a little less :)

-you are smart... SO smart, but you don't pay attention to anyone. You are independent and can entertain yourself for the most part.
-you are still a momma's boy and I typically find you right up against me in my bed whenever I wake up at night.
-you could eat hot dogs for every meal and be happy
-You are curious and are typically not the first one to try something out. You usually like to watch and then do it yourself and then usually amp it up a bit more and make it more exciting and dangerous than something needed to be
-you run a bit awkwardly. you keep your arms straight down and don't extend your legs... we are working on that though -- it's tough to get used to a body that grows as fast as yours :)
-You are my handsome boy and you love to hear that
-you are sweet and always want to love on someone when they aren't feeling well.
-you are a great "trash man" and always take out the trash whenever you are asked
-you also help out with anything that requires someone "strong"
-you like it when you have hair gel in your hair
-you love your teachers at school and church
-you are sweet and sensitive underneath the big and tough which makes you wonderful in many ways

I love you big 5 year old boy and can't wait to see what the years ahead will bring us!

Colorado Reunion Vacation- Part IV- The Pine Cone Collection

2011-08-01T16:17:00.000-05:00

As I mentioned before, we went on a lot of nature walks. A favorite past time for the kids was to pick up and save the pine cones. They had quite an extensive collection by the end of the trip!

This giant one was clearly the favorite!

They had a lot of pine cones!

We had a wonderful trip and are grateful to the Webers and the Adairs for inviting us along!!

Colorado Reunion Vacation- Part III

2011-08-01T16:14:00.002-05:00

Picture Taking: I have to be honest, I hate doing family pictures. It is so hard to get all the kids behaving and looking at the camera that it just becomes so stressful for me that it hardly seems worth it. However, I know that in the end, you have a family portrait that will be looked upon for many years and it really is worth it. So, this was family picture day... Everyone wore their newly dyed shirts.

First a little Masey Mase:

He is about as goofy as they come.... hey there good lookin'!

The Weber crew:

While waiting for other families, Uncle Steve was throwing his kids in the air. Then my kids wanted to be thrown! I was surprised he could throw Ellie...

... but really surprised when he threw up Owen!!

Sure he didn't get much higher than what is pictured but Steve did it! I mean, Owen is like 70 pounds, I am just glad Steve didn't throw out his back.

Lindsay and Steve.

There was this little meadow by where we were waiting and I actually got some cute shots of the kids:

Owen handing cousin Austin a flower.

Owen hanging out... proof that he WAS in a decent mood before the big group shot!! Right before the big group shot, Maggie stole a little rainbow pine cone from Owen. This set him off. He started wailing... right at the time the big group shot started. So, the whole time we were taking the picture, he was screaming. Ugh. What can I say? The boy is four and his sister took something from him-- this is expected but because I was also making him take a picture right after it was even worse! A few minutes after, we took a walk and laid out on the grass looking for animals in the clouds and all was well again:).

This is a strange picture of Ellie but also a little cool.

Colorado Reunion Vacation- Part II

2011-08-01T16:06:00.001-05:00

On one of the days, Daniel's cousin Megan showed the kids how to make and race cars. This was RIGHT up Owen's alley. All the kids had a blast but I think the boys really did!

First the kids all had to make their cars.. with dad's help.

Mason's Great Grandma holding him :).

The race:

Owen's car was on the right... he beat is competitor. The Weber family actually cleaned house! We must be some great car-making engineers!

Colorado Reunion Vacation- Part I

2011-08-01T16:01:00.002-05:00

Last week we had the opportunity to go to Colorado for Dan's Mom's family reunion. It was good to go and the kids had a blast! It was fun seeing everyone again. Because there is seriously something wrong with my brain, I didn't get a ton of pictures of all the events, but we enjoyed swimming, tubing, tye-dyeing, car making/racing, balloon animals, games and lots of nature walks.

Here are a few pictures of the kids swimming:

This is Elise and Miriam. Miriam is actually Daniel's cousin (so Ellie's second cousin), but they are the same age. Ellie actually went up to Dallas a few weeks ago and stayed at Miriam's place so she knew her before going to the reunion.

Mason at two months

2011-07-19T11:31:00.002-05:00

Admittedly, my fourth baby is not getting as many pictures as his other siblings got. I am going to try and be better at it, but honestly, it's just hard getting the camera out and taking pictures sometimes! Anyways, I thought I would brag on my baby a bit.

Mr. Mason is 13 pounds 1 ounce and 24 inches in length. This puts him in the 90th percentile in both categories. So, he is a pretty big boy, but I think it is hard for us to consider him as big after having Owen! When I took Mason to the doctor, four different doctors and nurses commented on how big his hands are and how I should watch out for him to grow into them! So, you never know, maybe he will end up being the biggest boy!

Mason has such a sweet disposition. He sleeps a lot still, which is awesome, but has really started coming into his smiley stage which I LOVE! He cries, of course, but really only when there is a need. He loves to be held but also seems to not mind his chair too much and really, really, really likes his swing. He takes naps that are many hours long in that swing... he probably needs to be weaned from the swing!

Mason enjoys his baths and that's a good thing because he gets a lot of them. He spits up (more like throws up) every time he eats, multiple times. So, he gets wardrobe changes a lot and so do we. The doctor prescribed some medicine to help with it but I haven't filled the prescription yet.

The kids really love Mason... a lot! Ellie especially is always eager to either feed him or hold him or just love on him. Owen loves to make him smile and he always succeeds! Maggie likes to give him kisses and especially loves to give him morning loves.

People say mostly he looks like Owen, but I think he looks a bit like all three. He just likes one of OUR babies. Even when he was born, I felt like it wasn't much of a surprise, he just looked like he belonged to us!

Around these parts, this boy is known as Mason, Mr. Mason, Masey, Masey Mase, Mase and Handsome :).

His hair is getting lighter and it likes to kind of do its own thing,

Mason is a pacifier baby and I don't mind that... it keeps him happy.

Life with four is definitely busier and my house is definitely messier and there is definitely more laundry, but it is a good life and we love Mason very much!

2 Months Old

2011-07-12T07:38:00.001-05:00

He's so handsome, I just can't help myself

2011-05-24T20:03:00.011-05:00

Here are some pictures that we took of Mason this week. We finally got him awake for more than five minutes today so we took a bunch of him this afternoon.

Notice the little hand with a pacifier in it... Mason's brother and sisters are always at the ready with his pacifier or anything else he might need!

His toes... a little dry... he needs more moisturizing, but my friend thinks his 'triangle toenails' are funny.

Found his thumb!

Sister Love!

Found Ellie's hair.

He looks a lot older in these pictures where we catch him awake. I don't know why, but he is a handsome fellow I think.

This is the whine face that he starts to put on when he is unhappy...classic Mason.

Happy 6th Birthday Elise!

2011-05-21T06:00:00.040-05:00

Oh my beautiful Elise, you are six years old today! I can't hardly believe that the time has gone by so fast and you are already already so big and yet still so little.

Some things I want to remember about you and this year are:

you have lost 4 teeth this year
you have LOVED going to school
you are a social being, even though you are quite shy
you're bossy
you get so tired but never lay down for a nap and never sleep in...ever
you are a wonderful big sister, the best any other 3 kids could ask for
you love to teach your siblings everything you learn. People always complement me at how much Owen and Maggie know and of course, it's mostly you who has taught them (heck, you even taught me what "nonoviparous" meant!)
you get excited about everything... holidays, vacations, friends coming over, going places, etc.
you hate to clean and fight me on it every day
you are independent but still love being held
you love to read, my goodness I have never seen a kid who loves to read like you and you love to read to your brothers and sister too
you love doing projects of all types
you have an active imagination
you love to swim and always have-- you love the waterslides... you have no fear there
Admittedly, you challenge your mom in ways I am still learning patience for
you give the best compliments to everyone
you can't wait to share good news

Sweet girl, there are so many wonderful things about you that I honestly couldn't list them all. We are lucky to have you in our family and can't wait to see how you grow and mature as a six year old. Happy Birthday!

Happy 3rd Birthday Magdalyn!

2011-05-20T06:00:00.013-05:00

Baby girl, you turn 3 today! 3 whole years old, though it kind of makes me laugh because the last six months or so, you have been telling me that you are going to turn 5 soon so you can be like your big sister and go to school. Not yet darling, you won't want to miss 3 or 4 and neither will I.

Oh Magdalyn Beth! Whenever me or your dad think about you, we always laugh. We knew from the first day you were born you would be our funny child, a character, a little firecracker, and boy you have lived up to that so far! Some things we are going to want to remember about you are:

you have so many facial expressions
you talk non-stop. When you have something to say you say it all the way and get really angry when anyone interrupts you
you have a temper... boy do you. When we finally took that pacifier away from you, we traded it for some major 2-year-old meltdowns. Seriously, they are dramatic and even a little scary. This is one we hope you grow out of.
you play really great with your siblings-- I don't think you realize there is any size difference between you and Ellie or you and Owen because you sure do think you can do all the same things!
you are a water baby. You love it! Hopefully this year, our pool lets you go down the slide... you were not really appreciative when they said no last year.
you pinch for comfort, and it hurts
you can operate an ipad really well... you show mom how to do it sometimes
you are so animated when you tell a story
you are a great helper and especially with this years' garden
For a child that wasn't a real big fan of anyone at first, you have really fallen in love with all your aunts and uncles and grandparents. You ESPECIALLY have a little thing for your great grandpa and always curl up with him for him to read to you...it's too cute.
you are impatient
you are bouncy and excited to do fun things
your dad especially loves your curls
you still climb into bed with mom and dad every night... no matter if you start there or not
you love juice
you have really long legs and will probably tower over your mom in a few short years
you enjoy taking baths

Magdals, there are so many things to love about you and remember about you that I just can't write it all here. Just know that we love you and will always love you. You are a sparkling light in our family and we couldn't live without your fun spirit. Mom and dad love you very much birthday girl!

5 days old and we are in love

2011-05-18T12:17:00.017-05:00

Mason is getting older and sweeter as the days go on. He really is a sweetheart and we could not be happier to have him in our family.

Of course, he is a newborn which means lots of sleeping, but the last day or so he has been more alert. Just this morning a lay next to him, about 12 inches between our faces, and we just stared at each other... it is neat to look at him and watch him discovering his new world.

He is starting to like his swing and spend some time in there, but certainly he enjoys being held more than anything else.... of course, he is one of OUR children!

Admittedly, this boy is a mama's boy. He knows when I am the one holding him and certainly knows when I am not the one holding him! I think Dan might be getting a little sad that he prefers me so much, but not to worry, he will start liking his dad more and more...I am just all he has known for the last 9 months!

The kids love having a little brother. We didn't realize how loud our house had gotten until we brought a baby home. Our kids are seriously LOUD! So, we have to hush them a lot but each one of them like to hold Mason. Owen especially has taken quite a liking to Mason. I hope he and Mason are as close as Elise and Maggie are.

Mason Daniel Weber

2011-05-15T16:15:00.009-05:00

Mason Daniel was born on May 12th at 5:34pm weighing in at 8lbs 10.5oz., 19.5" long.

Still adjusting to being the parents of four kids. Mason just eats and sleeps so far and is a real sweetheart. Currently we are trying to get the kids to leave him alone for awhile, they sure like to give him attention! It's a little strange looking behind us in the car and thinking to ourselves, "Sheesh, we have a lot of kids!". We really are lucky and blessed to have this cutie in our family.

Baby Predictions

2011-04-27T09:56:00.000-05:00

No baby yet. Nope, instead I have a horrible cold that has knocked me off my feet and am mostly on the couch. Ugh. However, I go to the doctor tomorrow for my 37 week checkup... in which I am considered full term. So, I thought it would be fun to get some predictions about this baby.

Here is how it works: Predict the date, time of day and weight of our little Mason. For example, I will give my prediction on May 3, 3:47 pm, and 9 lbs 1 oz. --- If I don't get the date right, I can still win the time or weight. THERE WILL BE A PRIZE FOR EACH WINNER! (I'll even mail out the prizes).

Let me give some background stats for you:

Elise was born at 37 weeks, induced due to pre-eclampsia, took 33 hours from the time they started my labor, she weighed 7lbs 10oz.

Owen was born at 39 weeks, induced by my choice, took 8 hours from the time they started my labor, he weighed 10 lbs 3oz.

Magdalyn was born at 34 3/7 weeks, induced due to pre-eclampsia, took 13 hours from the time they started my labor, she weighed 6 lbs 9oz.

THIS baby- no complications, at my 35 week appointment I was 1.5 cm dilated, 80% effaced, 36 week appointment I was 2 cm dilated, 80-90% effaced. So far, only sporadic contractions and not often.

Of course, I want this baby to come asap, Daniel wants me to wait another week and a half... because it would be most convenient for him... yeah, ok, I will totally work around that:). We are anxious to have Mason join our family!

Easter 2011

2011-04-27T09:39:00.000-05:00

Easter came and went with much anticipation and excitement. Every year the kids get a little better at dyeing eggs and are a little more careful with what they are doing. Plus, they are so proud of the results that just that makes it worth it.

Mom and dad had fun making some designs on the eggs and the kids really got a kick out of that!

On Sunday we went to church and I attempted to get some decent pictures of the kids outside. It is much better when they smile spontaneously because when I tell them to smile I often get some fake smiles. Oh well. I guess we will still keep them :).

This picture isn't lying... Owen really is taller than Ellie these days. Just by a bit, but if the pediatrician is right, I think Owen will almost always be taller than Ellie (predicts he will be over 6' 5"!!).

CHEESE!

2011-04-05T14:41:00.000-05:00

... and that makes 4.

Fun in the Sun

2011-04-04T10:32:00.000-05:00

The weather has gotten a lot warmer out which means the kids have been wanting to LIVE outside. They are always out in the backyard playing like crazy. On this day, we went to the spray park and playground for a bit.

Should be a fun summer ahead of us! These three are anxious for the pools to open and we still have at least a month before they open!!

What Erin has been up to

2011-04-04T10:17:00.000-05:00

Instead of complaining about being pregnant... which is what I do most of the time... after all, I am 8 months pregnant with what is sure to come out being a sumo-wrestler child and am highly uncomfortable, moody, overweight and cranky. SO, INSTEAD of complaining ... well, anymore, I will tell you what I have been up to.

Well, there is the normal stuff, but for the most part I have had to take it extra easy during this pregnancy. With all the problems in the past, I didn't want to risk overdoing it and causing me to have to deliver earlier than would be healthy for the baby. So, I have been put on a bedrest sorta regimen. Basically, I need to lay down for about 3 hours during the day and should sit or lay as much as possible and need to not do anything I don't HAVE to do. Um, ok. So, this has left me with a lot of time at home and therefore I decided I needed a new hobby.

It started in February when I told my mom that I wanted to learn how to sew a couple skirts for my girls. A couple skirts later, I decided I wanted to quilt something... well, since then, I haven't been able to be stopped....

Plus a few more not pictured and I have also gotten involved in several quilting bees and have made some really fun blocks!...

So, yeah... I have been working obsessively on quilting stuff. I am thinking it must be some sort of nesting instinct I am having, but I am enjoying it and now my mom and I have even more fun stuff to do together!

Fun with cousins

2011-04-04T09:48:00.000-05:00

About a month ago, we had my sister and her family in town while she went to a conference here in Houston. The kids LOVED having their cousins around... as they always do. We enjoyed going to a park we hadn't been to before and the kids (and some adults) really loved the large slides they had going down the hill.

Uncle Ryan was a trooper and took all the kids down the slides on top of him!!

Griffin

Kyra

Owen

Addy

Elise

Maggie

Uncle Evan joins the NAVY!

2011-04-04T09:31:00.000-05:00

Earlier this year, my baby brother left me and decided to join the military. It was bittersweet for me personally. I mean, I am glad that my brother has found this path that he is so excited about and is making a future for himself, but also I am quite sad that he won't be around all the time because he is my partner in crime. We often go out for wings, he plays with my children and watches them willingly and he is just a fun guy to be around.

The day he left, we took him out to Fogo de Chao and he was able to get a couple last minute texts in before he had to give up everything he owned and fly to Illinois (where bootcamp is).

After several long weeks... Uncle Evan graduated from bootcamp!

Now Evan is busy in school studying to learn his job in the NAVY. Couldn't be prouder! And you can't see it in the picture, but those are actually bell-bottoms folks... I would have killed to be there and harass him about those. :)

He's a Marathon Man!

2011-04-04T09:22:00.000-05:00

The last weekend in January, Daniel ran his first MARATHON!!! It was so impressive to watch and he always astonished me with his dedication to training for this huge event!! Dan ran the Houston Marathon which is HUGE! I mean, it was CRAZY.

Daniel is somewhere in this crowd. I looked crazy standing on benches trying to find him just to show him that we were there watching him!! I don't think he saw us but we spotted him just minutes before the race started!

Owen came along with me to support his dad in the race. We stopped around the half way point to wait for him and were both really excited when we saw him come by. Since the race, Owen makes random comments about going to see Dad run and how he ran for a REALLY long time! He did.

This is Owen waiting on the home stretch for Dad!

Here's Daniel running his heart out! He just looks so beat! I would be too, I am sure.

It must be said, when he ran by to finish this race, I could not have been prouder-- even though the weather conditions... a little rainy, very humid... were less than ideal, he gave it what he had and he FINISHED a MARATHON! That is just so huge.

At the end with his medal. I realize this was really a bucket-list item on Dan's list and it was just something he wanted to do to say he did it. I hope I can talk him into at least another half with me one day. But I can count the number of times he has gone running since this day... Zero.

Long time No post

2011-04-04T08:56:00.000-05:00

Hello all! Well, we haven't fell off the face of the earth or anything, but yikes, I can't believe I haven't blogged since January!! Eek.

In February- Owen, Daniel and Papa went to the Monster truck show (sorry no pics:() Since that was a fun "guys night out", us girls (myself, grammy, Ellie and Maggie) went out for a girls' night. We took the girls to Sweet and Sassy which is a little hair/dress up parlor that the girls got all dolled up at. We told them it was their princess night so they were able to pick out their hair dos for the evening and get their nails done. They were in heaven!

Maggie picked her hair style and it sorta turned out to look like horns. It was pretty funny, but still cute.

These princesses enjoyed their evening and I am continually asked when we are going back... umm, not for awhile!

Getting older and cuter :)

2011-01-10T10:27:00.000-06:00

The kids are getting older and that is making me sad and happy. Owen weighed in at the doctor the other day and is now heavier than Ellie weighing in at over 60 pounds (Geez!) and he is such a smart kid. Magdalyn is talking constantly... almost non-stop and Elise reads so well that I can't believe she is only 5.

Of course I am happy about their achievements and it makes me feel good that I am doing at least a couple things right. I can cope a little better knowing that a baby boy will be joining our family in a few months. We think we will name him Mason. He'll certainly be cute and sweet and we will love him dearly. Thinking about having a baby makes me think about when my other babies will small and makes me miss them as babies. Ugh, I want them small and I want them big. It would be nice if I could just choose each day how old I would like them to be that day. That sure would be nice. Unfortunately, that's not how it works so I will just have to try and soak up each age as it comes and cherish the times that I now get to look back on. Of course, there are lots more memories and love to be had. Looking forward to that.

We have a new niece!

2011-01-10T10:12:00.000-06:00

We have a new niece! Yippee!!! Steve and Lindsay added #3 to their mix and have their first daughter, Natalie Grace. Congrats!

New Camera Shots

2010-12-31T10:46:00.000-06:00

I had a very good Christmas and received both a new netbook and also a Coolpix P100 camera. The camera is a kind of "in the middle" camera that is more than a point and shoot but not as complex as a true professional camera. It has lots of features for me to learn and hopefully I can get some decent pictures from it. I haven't figured out most the features, but have just used what the automatic settings are and come up with a few pictures that turned out alright.

This picture is a litle creepy now that I am really looking at it, but it was really cute this morning as the kids all climbed up on a single stool and started washing the windows together.

I will get better but it is a fun thing to play around with and learn about, plus I don't mind my subjects I get to practice on!

Christmas Pictures

2010-12-31T10:20:00.000-06:00

It's been a great Christmas this year for our little family. We had lots of family in town and enjoyed celebrating with loved ones that we don't get to see too often. We still have family in town so I will spare some details. We also had some pictures taken...these are not the professionals, but I think we have some good ones just from a regular hand-held.

As you can see.. we have made a few beautiful children...speaking of children, we found out that #4 is a boy! We are stuck on names. Dan likes the more traditional names and I like something a little less common. So hopefully we figure out a name before too long. We are excited to even up the numbers and have our two girls and two boys.

The Bug Parade and Lunch with Ellie

2010-11-23T16:20:00.000-06:00

A few weeks ago, Elise starred in a the bug parade at school... all the kindergartners were bugs and her class were all lady bugs.

Above is Ellie's teacher, Mrs. Gehring who she LOVES.

After the parade, I stayed and had lunch with Ells... she eats lunch at 10:15... seriously. Which explains why she comes home and just about eats everything in the house.

She loved having mom come to the school and have lunch with her.

Happy 4th Birthday Owen!

2010-11-20T20:06:00.000-06:00

My baby boy turned 4 years old today. That seems so old to me but also seems a long time coming as well. Poor guy was up all night getting sick so it wasn't as lively of an event as I am sure he would have enjoyed had he felt better. Last year we had a big ol' party for him so this year we played things low key. All he wanted to do was "play Wii with the boys" (which meant his dad, his papa and his Uncle Evan). He was happy with the presents he received... a couple of Wii games, a couple of CARS things, a couple Toy Story things, a baseball T, some race tracks and a flashlight. All a boy could ever want.

Some things to know about Owen:

He's a big boy... I think he will be one of the biggest kindergartners ever
He is a cuddler.. with his momma
Even though he is big he can be very gentle and sweet
He loves cars
Owen is an observer at first... he likes to watch how things work before trying them out for himself
He has a great smile

He thinks Tom and Jerry is hilarious
Owen is an independent kid... he could play by himself all day
He is scared of his room and likes to sleep by mom whenever he can
He loves two foods: milk and hot dogs... he subsists primarily on the two
Owen is a great big brother... this has become more obvious as Ellie is now in school and Owen can now take care of Maggie more
He is sensitive... those alligator tears he has make me tear up every time
I love his half smile that he gets when he is amused by something
Owen is very stubborn-- an easy kid until you want him to do something that he doesn't want to do
loves the dentist
has huge feet... how many 3/4 year olds wear size 13?

likes cupcakes and muffins
loves to play and watch others play the Wii
thinks Uncles are the cat's meow
will follow any older boy... he wants to be one of the guys
likes to climb, throw things, swing things around and by rough... I guess that's just a boy for ya
He is very smart
He has a curious nature
Is a big time momma's boy
loves his puppy, Lucy... sometimes too much
wears size 6 clothes... almost size 7
Owen is really cute when he gets excited!
He thinks he is hot stuff when he gets to have "stud gel" (styling gel) in his hair
could take a bath or shower for hours if I would let him
can swim on his own
loves water slides... unless they're dark
has a sweet tooth
likes apples
loves his grandparents... a soft spot for his grandmas and is in love with his grandpas
likes to feel like people are proud of him
finally potty trained at 3 1/2... hasn't had an accident in months... still working on night time
always leaves the house with fistfuls of toys to bring in the car with him
responds more to one on one/eye to eye interaction and calm talk than being yelled at... it frazzles and frustrates him
will share his toys willingly as long as other kids are playing with them the way he would play with them

is my most comfortable kid to lay with
still rubs on mom's upper arm for comfort
really loves both Ellie and Maggie-- genuinely
is quite computer savvy
enjoys being outside and being adventurous
is both the easiest and hardest child

Oh my sweet boy, there is so much to love about you. Even though you are four already, you are still my baby boy and I love you very much. We are so lucky to have you in our family and have the opportunity to share each day with you. Happy Birthday Owen!

Busy couple months....

2010-11-15T16:43:00.000-06:00

It is fall which typically mean our lives get crazy and hectic. That is no different this year. Between church callings and assignments, school and preschool, work, play dates, pregnancy woes and trying to keep the house in some sort of running order, Dan and I have been pretty busy!

One of the major things that I did this last week was work on YW in Excellence. It turned out alright and I am forever lucky for the great women I get to work with. Seriously, I learn so much from the women I am around. I sometimes feel like I am a wife and mother in practice and am just learning from everyone around me. Sorry to my kids for having such a rookie mom!

Our theme was black and white and I think we did a pretty good job of transforming the cultural hall...it's not easy.

Dan has been busy working and training for a marathon. He is up to 10 or 11 miles these days and I have to admit I am a little jealous. I am missing the rush of training for a race. He seems to be enjoying it mostly and I am proud of his dedication. He also has been such a huge help this fall and taking care of a lot of responsibilities with the kids and around the house. I tell ya, sometimes I think I don't deserve him!

I am mostly whiny these days which is why my husband and rest of my family is getting sick of me. I am not a pleasant pregnant woman and that proves to be true the fourth time around as well. Mostly I am trying to overcome the reality that I am not one of those tiny women who just get a baby bump...no, my body wants to hold onto many, many more pounds than are recommended and wants to displace those pounds into most unflattering areas. I keep telling myself that this is temporary and I can work it all off this next summer. Just gotta start believing it. Anyway, you get the gist... I just whine a lot.

In other news, I've got to get a decent camera that inspires some more picture taking. I have been so bad this year about taking pictures. I will be better... always try to be better. Here are some kiddo updates:

Elise is an amazing kindergartener. She is exactly the kind of student I thought she would be...eager to please, quick to learn and anxious to do more. She is excelling in reading and recently to an advanced placement test. Not sure what sort of advancements are out there for kindergarteners, but no hurt in her taking a test. She works so hard to be good at school that she often comes home and stirs up trouble, but we are working on that. She loves to read, do art projects and teach her brother and sister all she knows.

Owen is enjoying joy school. He loves having his own set of friends and having something to go and be a part of. He is a smart kid and knows how to play his mom to get what he wants. Owen is in love with video games... he doesn't even have to play, he would watch for hours if we let him. He likes to sit back and figure out the world around him until he feels confident to try things out himself. Recently we toured the local fire station and Owen thought that was pretty cool. He especially enjoyed shooting water from the hose.

Maggie is a firecracker. She is the sweetest little cuddler and angel yet she'll turn on ya and transform into devil spawn in a blink of an eye. Her favorite meltdown statements are "You make-a me sad!" and "I don't love you anymore" (I know, dagger to the heart). She has matured quite a bit this fall and is constantly talking and has ideas and plans all her own. Finally we ditched the pacifier which was long overdue. She still asks for it, but we are done. Maggie is so expressive and says just what she is thinking.

#4 officially on his/her way!

2010-10-05T17:59:00.000-05:00

After a lot of soul searching, we decided to try for another baby. This was a hard decision after dealing with some difficult pregnancies, but also because I think we were starting to really enjoy the freedom of not having a baby that needed our constant care. However, we know our family is not complete quite yet, and I mean, when you make them as cute as we do... we can't deprive the world of more of our offspring.

So, we are officially announcing that we are expecting baby #4! Went to the doctor yesterday and the due date is May 19th. Maggie's birthday is May 20th and Ellie's is May 21st so that's going to be a busy week for us but I suppose it is convenient for grandparents to come visit and be able to be around for all three birthdays. We'll see if I last that long... I'm pro induction.

Daniel has conveniently planned a business trip for these past four weeks and has left me alone with the children when I am feeling most nauseous and most tired and most moody. Actually, I think the timing of the trip was actually quite convenient for him. We are certainly looking forward to Dan's return on Saturday.

So, hoping for a healthier, happier pregnancy and that this baby will come into the world healthy and happy as well.

PS- Kids all want a brother... Ellie just looks at the pattern and has decided that a boy is just the natural next gender to have, Owen wants another boy and gets mad that Ellie and Maggie won't play cars with him, Maggie just says boy since the other two say it.

There is a haunting behind our house!

2010-10-05T17:43:00.000-05:00

Our backyard is being haunted by three pretty cute little witches. Thank you dollar store for providing hours of fun and also providing my son with his first (of what I suspect will be many) capes.... he's been flying around the house ever since.

Halloween decor is out, parties are in the works, costumes are ordered and there are three kids who are pretty excited about Halloween this year.

Six Month Review

2010-09-25T08:00:00.000-05:00

A have very few pictures all together in one place of the last six months, so the pictures I do have are kind of from all over the place. So, here is a post of pictures to review the last six months.

Lots of mall trips to play on the play ground and ride the train. Maggie loves trains.

Ellie played soccer in the Spring but also is playing this Fall... this picture makes my kids look like babies... for some reason they look a lot younger in this picture... I think this was March.

Pat and I ran in several 5Ks, Evan joined us for his first 5K and I ran a half marathon back in March.

Ells got her hair cut.

Dad had major surgery to cut his cancer out...

Then made a miraculous recovery to get back to racquetball 6 weeks later.

Lucy passed puppy school... but has since digressed... though she is a perfect dog when the kids are not around.

LOTS of swimming and water play this summer.

Kids love the water and now Elise and Owen both swim on their own and Maggie is trying to learn... next year I bet she will get it.

Evan and I ate 50 wings at one sitting.

I love wings.

Erin went camping at Girls Camp with the youth at Church. Look at me... I am so ready to get my camp on!

Dan got a new hair do.

We've been loving life and our family!!

Totally lame 6-month wrap up, I know... oh well. Soccer pictures to come!

Haven't Blogged--- I've been cruising!!

2010-09-23T08:34:00.000-05:00

Yeah, we went on a cruise but probably not a 5 month long so my blog drought has nothing to do with the cruise really. Life just got busy and crazy and my time has been eaten up. I hope to make blogging more of a priority but we will see how things go.

Well, we went on a cruise!!! The stars aligned and Dan and I decided to go on a cruise with my parents and brother. Dan's mom was so amazing and willing to stay with our kids for 6 days... bless her. It was great to get away and have a vacation as a couple since we haven't enjoyed that luxury since we went on our honeymoon. My mom copied the pictures on a memory stick for me but only about a quarter of them are on there so I will have to post more pictures later, but here are a few...

You may not be able to tell but this is the tannest I have ever been. I know, I don't even look Caucasian.

Evan... he's a lucky man!! Evan has honed his mooching capabilities and was able to leech out a cruise on the parents. I am a master myself, but even I could learn a little from him. I think Ev had fun and didn't mind being the 5th wheel.-- The alternative was leaving him home with an empty house on his 21st birthday.

The men.

Dan having fun.

Mo and Pops.

Our feet. Dad had the camera. Something some of you may or may not know is that us McPhersons... specific to Dad, myself and Evan... love to take pictures of random things and ourselves.

Me and Ev.

The cruise was fun. We did a stop in Progresso where we did jet skis and then in Cozumel where we did zip lining and snorkeling. Pictures to come...

Elise turns 5 today!

2010-05-21T17:31:00.000-05:00

Happy Birthday Elise Louise! Every year you turn another year older is a year where I can't believe I was lucky enough to have you as my daughter... and also a year where I can't believe I am old enough to have a daughter your age.

Elise, there is so much in you that is good, but I will try to touch on a few of my favorite things about you...

you are a wonderful big sister...everyone tells me so
you take wonderful care of your siblings, like a little mama
you are incredible intelligent
we love your long blond locks
we love how excited you get about holidays.... it makes it so much better for everyone around you as they all get as excited as you do

you hardly ever make it to bed after 8, but no matter what time you go to sleep, you always wake up around 5
you like to poor everyone their own drink
you have a very creative imagination and enjoy making up scenarios while you play
you love to be told that you are beautiful... it always feels good to be told the truth
you are the cruise director around here and are always curious as to what we are doing next

you love to play with friends... you are a social child even though you are often shy at first
your memory is amazing... I can never get one over on you and all adults learn quickly never to promise something without coming through on time
you love all things girlie

you are bossy... must be a first child thing
you love swimming and will surely be doing laps by the end of this summer
you always want everyone to participate and are good at getting others to join in
you usually do what mom asks of you

you love to have books read to you.. we are now reading you chapter books and you love it
all of your grandparents adore you... why wouldn't they?
you enjoy baking and cooking
you love doing all sorts of arts and crafts projects

you have a sweet tooth... not your fault...genetic
you love being outside
you have a green thumb and are eager to get outside to check on our fruits and vegetables as soon as the sun is out
you love surprises as long as you don't know about them beforehand, then it's torture for you
you love to dress up and pretend you're a princess

you are very sweet and still love being held
you are learning how to match colors well, but still aren't quite perfect at matching patterns (you pick out some crazy clothes sometimes)
you are a crank when you are tired
you're incredibly excited about kindergarten

you love anything new... for a day
you want to be a princess all the time if you could
you have a cute smile that lights up all around you and also makes your dimple show

Ellie, we love you so very much. You made your mom and dad parents and helped us to discover the meaning of true love. Thank you for being the person you are. It's easy to see that you have amazing things ahead of you in your life and we couldn't be happier that we get to be around to see it all unfold for you. We hope you never lose your sweet and friendly spirit. We love you!! Happy Birthday darling!

Magdalyn turns 2 today!

2010-05-20T11:47:00.000-05:00

I can't believe my baby girl is 2 today. The time has gone by too fast.

Since it's your birthday Maggie, I'm going to write a list of accomplishments and things I love about you so we can always remember this time in your life.

you have a good sense of humor already
you love to eat but stay skinny
you think you can do anything your older brother and sister can do
you give the best kisses....simply delicious!
I think you might be the first teenager to still be sucking on a pacifier
you decided you wanted to use the potty in March and will go whenever you want to or I tell you to

you have a funny personality
we knew you were going to be a goofy kid from the very beginning and so far you have lived up to that
you make silly faces all the time
you have an attitude... a big one... I am scared for when you are a teenager

you have your father wrapped around your little finger
you fall asleep in your bed yet always wake up in ours...hmmm
you are in love with your brother and sister and want to do all that they do
thanks to your brother you like Lightning McQueen

you love to be outside
you enjoy helping mom do just about anything
you like to clean, I realize this will pass
you are sassy
you love to be held
you pinch for comfort and it hurts
you love to have your nails painted

you are very stubborn
you can throw a nasty fit
you love to look pretty and always remember to put a bow in your hair
you enjoy planting in the garden
you think your hot stuff when you get to carry the keys to the mailbox
you love the puppy... sometimes too much

you have a toothy grin
you love to go places and see new things
you LOVE the water...it's scary
you give really good squeezes (hugs)

you love it when mom takes your picture but aren't a fan of strangers taking your picture

you love looking at pictures
you really enjoy reading and constantly have books in your arms
you are a great snuggler

you have curly hair and we love it--even if your sister snipped some of the curls off
you're very concerned about dental hygiene and make sure that all the kids get their teeth brushed
you enjoy art projects, especially when you can do it all yourself

you are talking up a storm now but you really weren't that interested until 18 months
you are strong
you can beat up your brother and sister--you don't take guff from any kid
people always reference Maggie Simpson when you have your pacifier in your mouth...it's fitting
you're a good dancer and you love to sing
you can ride your trike like a champ... all by yourself

Magdalyn Beth... we love you so much. You put smiles on all our faces every day. We are privileged to have you as a member of our family. Happy 2nd birthday my darling baby girl!!!

Oh Mama...

2010-05-08T08:14:00.000-05:00

Oh Mama... yesterday was your birthday and tomorrow is Mother's Day. How is it that you scored such a supreme week? Anyway, just wanted to let you know that I am loving you. Glad we are close, glad you are a good Grammy, glad you put up with my crap... mostly.

Just wanted to let you know, the consensus at our house is that you are kind of a big deal and you rock. Love you!

Me as a Mother

2010-05-04T16:48:00.000-05:00

As Mother's Day approaches I find myself thinking about the last five years that I have spent in motherhood. I didn't always know what my purpose in life was, but five years ago, when Elise was born, it became very clear why I was placed on this earth. I was given a responsibility, a great responsibility, to help in raising these young souls and assisting them each in becoming intelligent, secure, happy and caring adults. It's a huge task, one that a hardly feel adequate for and am always unsure of the right way to go about.

I didn't know, I didn't understand how much love could be felt for another until I had children. It wasn't a magical connection when my first baby was born, in fact I didn't know she had such a profound pull on me until events occurred that tested that bond.

I'm a mom. It's a job/calling/position filled with many everyday, seemingly insignificant tasks that all together can make an incredibly significant in one's children.

It is my belief that we are able to take two things with us after this life, our knowledge and our families. Recently, I have learned quite a bit about my own lineage through family history. Through learning about the women and men I am related to that came before me, I have found a sense of pride and security in who I am, because I know who I came from. When I think about my grandparents, I think about their children- and I think about their children- and then I think about their children... It's incredible to me how so many can come from two. Just from my own parents, they have four children, two son-in-laws and 6 grand children! What a legacy they will one day leave behind. What will mine be? What sorts of knowledge will be passed down from me to my great-great grandchildren? I'm not sure, but I do know it starts here.

All that I have learned in life has been for the benefit of my children. They are better because of my experiences. They will know more because of what I have learned. I will do my best to teach them all I can while I am able to. Even though my days may be filled with housework, potty training, wiping noses, kissing boo boos, running errands and taking my children on outings... it is all for their good. I am their example and they will learn through me.

I realize that I have some who are not of my faith that read my blog, but I would feel completely ungrateful if I did not mention how my relationship with my Father in Heaven has evolved since my having children. Before I knew for myself, my Heavenly Father knew that I would be a mother one day and He has blessed me with certain qualities and talents that allow me to be the best mother I could possibly be.

Elise, Owen and Maggie- I love you. It has been my privilege to be your mother and as much as I try to teach you the things you need to know, you do the same for me. You have taught your dad and I about love and sacrifice. While some days are more challenging than others, I hope you will always remember me as a mother who gave all she could for your betterment.

Training Lucille

2010-04-28T06:59:00.000-05:00

Lucy has been in our family about a month now I guess. We love her. She's ours. So far she is has been a fairly good dog, very smart. She learned crate training quite easily. It took about 3 nights of letting her "cry it out" and since then she has done awesome and now we don't have to get up with her at all... she sleeps through the night. I'm teaching Lucy a few basic commands... she is good at "sit", is learning "stay" and "off". For being so young I think she is doing great on walks. Cesar Milan has taught me the best way to walk her and she does great... she gets distracted if the kids are going on the walk with me as they always run ahead and therefore she wants to as well... but I think she is learning who is the alpha in this pack! She also took to her bed very quickly. Wherever we put her bed, she usually chooses to lay.

All this being said, there are a few behaviors-- completely learned since being in our family-- that I am hoping to nip in the bud as soon as possible and therefore am exploring different training options. The biggest problem is nipping. Naturally, to play, puppies nip each other and when a puppy nips to hard, the other pup yelps and then ignores its playmate. Well, this is a hard thing to learn in our family. While I think she is learning how Dan and I will play with her, she doesn't understand as much from the kids. The kids run around, try pushing her off of them when she nips (she just sees this as physical contact which she assumes is playing), and drop food accidentally all over the place. Other behaviors we want to fix right away are begging (this just started and no doubt from food droppings), trying to take a chew dirty laundry-gross-, grabbing diapers-super gross-. Of course, these are all things that puppies and owners go through in the beginning and while I feel like I can teach her to do things, I have no clue how to teach her to stop doing things.

We are in love with this puppy and our children but it is very difficult to be consistent with our commands when the kids are around... she is just so excited to have them play with her and frankly, the kids don't know how to teach her what's right and wrong.

So, we are looking into training options. We could do a basic puppy class-- which they've informed me the whole family is encouraged to come and participate... totally laughable!! Can we say 'nightmare'?. We could do a private trainer or we could do a sort of boarding school where she can go for two weeks to learn the basics and how to listen in a consistent environment.

Maybe our situation is not unique but I sort of feel like it is in that we have several young children and a young pup. So, I'm not exactly sure which training route to go, but I do know that we will be doing something. We have years with our Lucy and we are committed to having a dog who will listen to us.

Here is Lucy with her two favorite toys... her rope and her bunny. She seriously loves this bunny and frolics all over the house with it, pouncing on it and jumping all around with it. The rope is a good tool for when she tries to chew on something... if we just replace her target with the rope, she is happy. We love our puppy so much and want her life and our lives to be in sync so that we can enjoy one another and know what to expect of one another. Hopefully we can find the right training for us all!

Uncle Pat is Home!

2010-04-28T06:23:00.000-05:00

Uncle Pat is home for the summer! Yea for us!!!

My children are so happy... pardon the undies...

We've got Green Thumbs!

2010-04-20T17:26:00.000-05:00

Inspired by many, I decided that we should grow our own garden this year. It has been a really fun project and the kids love it almost as much as I have come to love it! I'm a complete rookie at it, but hopefully we'll get a bit of production from this years' plants. I was originally concerned with remembering to water the plants each day, but they get quite a bit from our sprinkler system and I have my Ellie reminder... Ellie remembers everything... Plus, the kids and I venture out every morning and look at all our plants together

to see what changes have taken place each day. It's been wonderful to be able to show our kids how tending to and working on something can produce something useful. It's a good lesson about the importance of taking care of something... you know, in addition to that dog we bought! :)

The above picture was taken Easter weekend shortly after we planted. We planted about half already started plants and about half seeds. As you can see from the below pictures, they've both done well in just 2/3
weeks!

We planted quite a few things. As mentioned before, I am a rookie so I wasn't too sure what spacing I should do with the seeds and plants. From the bottom of the screen on the left up we have pumpkins, a row of herbs, carrots, broccoli, 2 rows of peas, corn, canteloupe, watermelon, raspberries and grapes. The second picture from the bottom up are several varieties of tomatoes, peppers, squash, zuchini, eggplants, corn. So, things will probably get crowded quickly. Our next phase of gardening work to be done is making another bed along the back fence in our yard where we will transplant some of the larger plants like the pumpkins, watermelons, corn, and probably our ichiban eggplant.

We have lots of our vegetable plants flowering and we've even got some tomatoes growing.

Ever since I went to Daniel's grandparents house and they had several fruit trees in their backyard, I've been dreaming about my own backyard fruit trees. I've dreamed of my children out harvesting all the fruit from the trees, collecting them in woven baskets. I've dreamed of the children and I together in the kitchen together working to can all the fruit for our food storage.... all while the angels are singing praises from the heavens... Well, it's a dream, not exactly my reality. Anyway, the dream was semi-crushed when I realized that we have a huge concrete slab underneath our entire yard. Our actual yard dirt is only about 4-6 inches deep, not exactly suitable for tree growth. So, after considering my options (like returning the trees, pawning them off to parents or giving them to friends) I discovered that we could grow them in large pots. Sure this may not last us more than 3-5 years, but it is our now solution and all we've got at this point. So, we'll see how they do!

Here is a closeup of our peach tree. We've already got several peaches growing so that has been very exciting to see!

This is a closeup of the orange tree. It is the smallest of the 3 at this point and I wonder how fast it will grow. Daniel says that those green circles underneath the flowers are actually oranges, but I'm not sure they aren't just little buds or something. We'll see, I hope my orange tree fruit comes to fruition. Get it, FRUITION! I am hilarious.

This is our lemon tree. Oh lemon tree, I love you already! Do you see that big ol' lemon growing already!? Awesome. And there are more little ones coming up behind it! It is growing quickly already and that makes me happy as I hope its growth will reach all the way over to cover up that hideous utility box we have in the corner of our yard. From what I've read, citrus trees grow well here in Texas, so I hope that's true.

Here are some of our strawberries. We originally planted them in the bed with the rest of our plants but they didn't seem to be doing very well, so we moved them. When we first got this plant it gave us a couple strawberries, but I haven't seen anything growing on it in awhile, so we will just have to watch and see what it does.

This is our newest addition... the TOPSY TURVY! I've heard mixed reviews about it, but I just filled it up with strawberry plants this weekend so we will see how it grows... I already see improvements in the way the plants look since being put in the topsy turvy, so this might be a good buy after all.

Finally, these are just flowers that the kids and I planted together. Well, we did it all together, but they got complete freedom to plant these how they wished. I think our front yard could use more color, but I don't want to buy anymore flowers. So, we are growing our own flowers! Hopefully these turn out nice and strong enough to use in our front flower beds this year.

Well, there you have it! Never thought I would be a gardener but I'm loving it and it is a good use of our backyard which isn't completely functional or safe for our kids to play in alone anyway. I'm sure we'll update pictures in a few weeks to show you how we're doing as first time gardeners and certainly when we eat our first fruits of our labor!

Easter was awhile ago...

2010-04-19T06:58:00.000-05:00

Easter was awhile ago, but I haven't posted any pictures as of yet. So, let's all pretend that yesterday was Easter Sunday and I am completely on the ball with my posting... shall we?

We had a great Easter. We had just got our little Lucy that week and we were also doing a lot of yard work, but mostly we were having fun and enjoying the holiday. Ellie is our child that gets excited about any and all things related to a holiday so she always makes sure we make the most out of each holiday.

Here are some pictures of the kids dyeing eggs:

This next sequence of pictures is kind of funny.... mostly because I forgot my picture was being taken and because I am one who always wears my emotions on my face... it's obvious what I am thinking!-- It's frightening watching your child dip breakable eggs into a dye that will stain everything.

All in all, a wonderful Easter celebration!

LUCY

2010-04-04T17:39:00.001-05:00

On Tuesday, Elise, Owen and myself drove an hour and a half away to go pick out a puppy. Dan and I had discussed it over the years and we are now at a time in our lives where we want to add a pet into the mix. I had researched years ago what sort of dog we should get. I was partial to soft breeds like labs and golden retrievers, but we wanted a dog with much shorter hair that wouldn't be as big of a nuisance when it shed. Plus, our future children could have the potential for some allergies. Anyway, BEAGLES are great family dogs and they are awfully cute, so we decided to get one!

Our little pup, Lucy, is actually a mini beagle so she should weigh less than 20 pounds. So, she will be a medium size dog. Lucy is just over 7 weeks... kind of a young pup, but she was eating so great already that they felt comfortable selling her. She has a wonderful temperament. Lucy is all about the kisses and loves playing with the kids. She isn't completely housebroken, but she has done a lot better than I thought she would!! I have cleaned up WAY messier messes than what she has left. Like I said, she is incredibly playful and doesn't mind being held by the kids at all. She loves being around people and is just a sweet little puppy.

Lucy has two tags so they clink together and make a little noise. We did this because sometimes she goes off under the couches or other places and we can't find her. She is still a young puppy so sleeps a lot but at least with the noise her tags make we can figure out the area of the house she might be in. Lucy is about 4 pounds right now. We are working on crate training her, but this requires some tough love of letting her 'cry it out' and not running to the rescue as soon as she starts whining (sound familiar?? Yeah, you have to do the same with kids!) All of the puppies are gorgeous so the way that I picked a puppy out was by seeing which puppy tolerated the endless holding of Ellie and Owen. I think we did alright.

All of us love Lucy. She is a great addition and we are working to train her the right way. I've been watching "The Dog Whisperer" a bit and have actually learned a lot of parenting tips from my buddy Cesar Millan!!! :) Turns out I need to be a better pack leader in my own home. :) Dan loves Lucy too. I thought it might take awhile, but I think he fell hard for her right away. So, welcome Lucy to the family!

Ellie started soccer

2010-03-16T16:27:00.000-05:00

Elise started soccer last week and her Papa took her for her first game....we had other commitments and I think Papa was eager to take her. I grew up in a home where we packed up and went to the soccer and softball fields every Saturday and I imagine we will carry that on in our own home. Ellie was pretty excited to start soccer. We bought the kids each a soccer ball and showed them the basics beforehand, but I knew going into that Ellie would probably be a shy one at first. Enjoy the videos... the last one is my favorite!

Hot weather already?

2010-03-09T15:58:00.000-06:00

Whether or not I am ready for it, it seems as though the temperatures are going high on me already. It was really warm today and I just keep thinking how I just want one more month of cold weather... hopefully another cold snap will come through. The nice thing about warm weather is it makes me feel like it is my motherly duty to entertain my children outdoors... so I oblige. Today it was just a short walk over to the neighborhood park.

Elise Louise has learned how to do the monkey bars. She is so excited about this but it still makes me very nervous. I broke my arm on a monkey bar sort of play equipment and that's the last thing I need her to do! She loves doing it though and is so proud of herself.

The boy loves outdoors.... so much so that he actually gave me quite a scare this week. The kids and I were in the backyard pulling weeds and playing until Owen said he wanted to go inside to watch Tom and Jerry (his recent obsession.. that and Dumbo). I went in and checked on him and about 2 minutes later I asked Ellie to look in the window just to make sure he was still sitting on the couch. He wasn't. I went in the house to look for him--he often will just go upstairs and play so I didn't think much of it. Well, I looked all over the house, every cupboard, closet and bathroom, but no Owen to be found! My heart is racing!!! I looked outside and towards the park, but still no Owen. I called my mom freaking out and then called 911. While on the phone with them, I spot him laying on a neighbors lawn ten houses down. Feeling furious and relieved all in one emotion I grab him and ask him what he was thinking. He responds, "I just wanted to lay on the grass and look at the sky to see the clouds". Seriously!!!??!!?? Ugh, that boy. -- I was never concerned that he had been kidnapped for I know the kidnapper would promptly return him after a few minutes anyway. But, I was concerned because it was around five and there were cars around and he is a boy who will dart into the street without looking. So, my first lost kid experience. Terrifying but a learning experience nonetheless.

This little cutie pie Mags did #1 and #2 in the potty today and has continued doing so all day. Perhaps she will be potty trained before her older brother... Likely.

Dare devil. This is a scary girl at the playground..... or anywhere where she can do anything.

Owen usually takes good pictures (and I think this is a good one) but for some reason most of the pictures I took of him made him look...well... special.

So, one of many park days we've had recently. It's good park weather right now. Usually in the 60s at least so it makes for perfect playground days.

Bye Bye Baby Bathtime?

2010-02-28T14:32:00.000-06:00

I wish I could say I bathed my children every day, but I don't. However, when they do get baths and aren't just wiped down with a baby wipe or smeared with smelly lotion, they bathe all together. Since Maggie was just a few months old, this has been the case and they have all had lots of fun bathtimes together. Sure, they are getting bigger and fight for spots on the bath and I have to keep telling Owen not to lay down, but besides that space isn't that big of an issue.

The issue is that I have a four year old. One very smart four year old. She has long since noticed the differences between boys and girls but hasn't really been too phased by it. Daniel hasn't undressed in front of Ellie in over a year I'd say and since I'm a girl I don't think it matters as much to her. Recently, however, she has been asking more questions, which is normal, but this morning when she told Owen she wanted to touch "it", I decided that my big girl needs to start bathing on her own. It makes me sad though, I don't know why. I guess because it is saying that she is too big to play in the water, in the tub with her brother and sister and now she has to bathe without them. Perhaps it is the realization that in just about 6 months she will be starting kindergarten and will be on her own that way too. I think it just makes me sad to realize that she isn't a baby anymore and she is losing that innocence that I wish she could hold onto forever.

Speaking of growing and getting big... my son is doing just that. I love my Obinator (he loves when I call him that!)

Oh my little Maggle-B!

Valentine's Party

2010-02-26T15:57:00.000-06:00

In my attempt to be an awesome mom, I threw a Valentine's Party at my house. I had so much red decor left over from Owen's party that it only seemed natural to carry over to a Valentine's party. It was lots of fun and I was smarter this time and had the moms each plan an activity. Each of the kids decorated a Valentine box. Here are some pictures of the kids doing theirs...

The ONE picture I took at the party... I am such a loser.

Maggie and I cuddling after the party was over... it was lots of fun... Easter party is next!

New Years Eve Run

2010-02-26T15:44:00.000-06:00

This Year for New Years Eve we ran a 5K... pretty awesome and also pretty dang cold.

The Runners... Pat, Ryan, Mom, Dad, Me, Dan, Carolee, Lindsay. Seriously, it was FREEZING.

Dan and I before the run... don't we look like serious runners!?

Lindsay and Carolee.

ME!! I am celebrating as they announce my name as the winner of my age group. Pretty rockin' if you ask me. I didn't run as fast as I did over Thanksgiving but still it was a good time. Dan actually beat me...but ended up being lower on the totem pole just because he is a guy. So, I'm #1!

Me when I received my medal (and $100 gift card) for winning my age group. The race was fun... maybe next year we will give it another go!

Past few months in pictures

2010-02-26T15:31:00.000-06:00

I took very few pictures these past couple of months... shame on me. I actually got really caught up in family history stuff and learning more about my family origins. I have a bit of an obsessive personality so I was all over that for a couple months and did not focus my attention on preserving my little family's memories very well. I'll be better. In no particular order, here are a couple of pictures from these past couple months...

Mom and Elise enjoying some hot chocolate after a family photo shoot. This was right before she spilt it all over my pants. I had to change into running pants in the car. Thankfully, we got a cute picture beforehand!

The cousins all sitting and eating yummy Christmas Eve dinner together (cousin Austin was in a high chair so he wasn't in this picture)... We got the kids this table as an early Christmas present and have used it quite a bit! Mostly it sits in our dining room... see! we have a dining room table!

Elise and Kyra

Elise and Maggie... this was at Grandpa and Grandma's house. Ellie helped put Maggie to sleep. That's pretty cute stuff right there.

Ellie building a tower on Christmas morning.

Me, my sister Kim and my sister in law Lindsay all with our 2nd born children... Owen, Addy and Austin.

CHOO CHOO!! It's always fun bringing the choo choo wagon to the zoo. Some love it more than others (get a load of Ellie's face in front!).

Mom and Mags.

The fam got some new technology.... Dad got himself a blackberry (aka crackberry), Elise and Owen each got a Leapster.

We did a lot of family picture taking... here we are!

The Weber Fam

The McPherson Clan

A Vow to be better...

2010-02-25T18:24:00.000-06:00

Seriously, I haven't posted since the end of November? Really? I guess the dates don't lie. Well, life has been crazy. It really has. I think I just got overwhelmed with over committing myself, working on much needed skills with my children and being a wife and mom. I'm, of course, quite disappointed in myself for not keeping up our family blog more. It's important to me to have these memories so I need to be better about it. Plus, it keeps family and friends informed about what's going on with us.

What's been going on?!

LOTS

We had a great Christmas with both sides of Dan and my family in town. The kids had a blast with all of their cousins and are still talking about it.

Dan was called as executive secretary and I got called as YW 2nd counselor at church and both have us quite busy and hardly seeing each other during the week.

The kids got involved in lots of play groups and co-ops which keep us busy.

I have a bigger house to clean and get overwhelmed easily... hence my not blogging so much.

My dad was diagnosed with stage III esophageal cancer... which sucks. I won't be writing about it here but you can go read about it more at http://www.ahardacttoswallow.blogspot.com/. All I will really say about it is that my dad is pretty great, even though it embarrasses me to say, I think he is cool. I am still struggling with what I think is FAIR in life and if I am willing to accept any challenge that God throws my way, but I am getting there. If you want more info, visit the cancer blog, this is my family blog so I won't be ranting away about cancer.

Dan is deeply involved in some training class and a big project at work... boo!

I am working on organizing pictures to post here soon. As I was going through the pictures on the camera I noticed that Elise and Owen had both gotten a hold of the camera and took many pictures of each other and themselves. Needless to say, we are going to have to have a talk about not taking pictures of body parts. Sometimes with kids I just have to sigh and think to myself, "REALLY!?"

Life is good. My family makes me happy... I will blog tomorrow with lots of pictures.... PROMISE!

Disney on Ice

2009-11-29T17:44:00.004-06:00

A couple weeks ago Dan and I took Elise and Owen to go see Disney on Ice. We had never been and thought it was a lot of fun. The costumes were pretty impressive and even the cheap seats were good seats. Owen liked it but was disappointed by there being "SO MANY" princess numbers and there not being a CARS number. Maybe next time... Ellie was in love.

We showed up a little early so we bought the kids a couple of these light up spinners to distract them and keep them happy (at $20 a pop! ugh).

My boy has been a little camera shy these days, not sure what's going on with that!

Not Ellie or mom... we love getting our pictures taken :).

Daddy and his daughter.

A desperate attempt at a family picture (sans Mags who was getting some Grammy attention). We had a good time and think this will be fun again next year. Daniel gets some good deals on shows like these through work so I think we will be able to take advantage in the future.

Turkey Dash 2009

2009-11-29T17:12:00.005-06:00

With all the running that's been going on around here, several members of our family decided to participate in the Katy YMCA Turkey Dash. I've been running for awhile now, Ryan has been running longer than I have, my mom has started in the last month or so... so we had a bit of a running group going on! Daniel talked a big game swearing he could beat me in the race only having run a handful of times in the past month. Kim also did great though had to take it easy considering her current condition.

Our running crew.

The girls.
The boys.

My friend Tiffany and I... she and I run a lot together and have done a couple races together now and plan on more this upcoming year.

Dan and I... we look SOOO ready to get out there and sprint past each other to the finish, don't we?

My mom was so awesome!! This was her first race (Dan's too) and it was so fun to be able to share it with those first timers because it really is very exciting (and addictive).

A pre-race picture before we have at it on the race course!

This was the group of us from our church that came to race on Thanksgiving morning. I loved cheering everyone on.

Here's my mom coming in for the finish-- WOO HOO!!!! Since I couldn't manage a decent picture of anyone else crossing the finish, I am happy that I got this shot of my mom!

FOR THE RECORD

Erin won!!!-- I ran the 5K in 23:53 (that's about a 7:42 pace)-- gun time

Dan came in second-- 5K in 25:02 (that's about a 8:04 pace)-- gun time

(stupid chip timing was messed up so you can probably subtract at least 30 seconds from that).

Also, I came in FIRST in my division and Dan came in 10th!! We did awesome!

So, off the block Daniel shot past me and I thought to myself, "Oh crap, he is totally going to beat me and I've been the one training like crazy!!". I was about 50 feet behind him for the first mile... we ran it in about 6:30 minutes! Then, I caught up to him, looked at him, smiled and knew that I wouldn't see him again until I watched him cross the finish line from the other side :). VICTORY!!! It is so sweet.

January 31 I am participating in a marathon relay with 3 of my friends in Waco. 3/4 of us are having our husbands run our legs of the race. It should be fun and I am excited to see if I can still beat Dan in 2 months. I'll keep you posted.

Houston ZOO

2009-11-25T06:46:00.004-06:00

On Monday, I decided to take the kids to the zoo. We had gone the week before, but because I bought a zoo membership we can now go anytime we want. It was a really good investment, we got a 25% discount through Dan's work and we got a supporting membership which allows us to bring in 3 adults and 10 kids every visit. All for about $90, so we will probably go at least monthly, if not bi-weekly or so. Mostly I like it because I don't have to feel obligated to stay when the kids melt down. We go in the morning and about lunch time or shortly after the kids start to go crazy and I know it is time to go home.

This past visit the kids and I and UNCLE PAT (who is home for Thanksgiving) went to the zoo together. The weather was gorgeous and I'm happy we went. Though we did spend a good chunk of the time at the zoo playground, the kids still enjoyed the animals.
We left before seeing the reptile exhibit last time so I was pleasantly surprised home much they enjoyed it when we went this time. They thought it was pretty cool. Ellie was way into the snakes and Owen loved the lizards. GROSS!

Ells bells seeing how her hand matches up to a monkey's hand.

This was a little crazy because she was right next to this HUGE ape (picture does not do him justice)... he did look a little hungry and kept eyeing my children.

The girls.

My brother and I cheesin' it up McPherson style.

This little Magdals... I am thinking about keeping her...snotty face and all.

Uncle Pat!!! Sure wish he lived closer.

Owen was so funny, he stayed in this little tunnel for like a half hour.

Mom and Ellie.

My boy.

Uncle Pat catching Maggie on the way down.

Magdalyn-- this girl makes too many goofy faces.

Owen having a little snack on the playground.

Elise thought it was pretty cool that the hippo was eating her. She kept asking me to go see the hippo at the zoo and I kept thinking that the Houston zoo doesn't have any hippos, but obviously, they have one!

The giraffes were fun as they have two baby giraffes and they are all always so easy to see!

Ellie riding in the choo choo wagon... which was so much better than the stroller I brought last time!!!

I love this picture for some reason. Owen and Uncle Pat. Owen is at this stage where he doesn't want his picture taken so it really is like a miracle when I get a decent one. McPherson cousin pictures are happening this week... should be interesting to see how that works out!

My Magdalyn chowing down on fruit snacks. This girl LOVES fruit snacks (I never have liked these much) and will eat several bags if I let her... thankfully she is also a good fruit eater and loves crackers as well.

Uncle Pat and Owen checking out the Sea Lions--- I told Pat on the way to the zoo that he is playing man to man (Uncle Pat to Owen) and I will play the zone defense. Worked out well I think! Certainly much easier with another set of hands around. We look forward to lots more zoo adventures this year.

Owen Turns 3!!!

2009-11-22T07:27:00.005-06:00

Our big boy turned 3 on Friday!!! We were all so excited. I was especially eager for him to turn 3 so people would stop being so surprised that this 45 pounder was still a two-year-old!! A long time ago I saw a great idea for a birthday party, "Puppet Theatre". It was perfect because I had been wanting to get the kids a puppet theatre for them to perform their own puppet shows (they are really into the pretend play right now) so I decided to combine the two and make a party out of it!!

We started about a month ago thinking of ideas and how we wanted to make it happen and I think it turned out alright. It's easy for me to think about all that I wish I had done and didn't or what things I could have done better, but I think it went well! So, here are the pictures for Owen's 3rd birthday-- "RED PUPPET THEATRE"

For food, we did Owen's absolute favorite... hot dogs, but the real show stoppers were the yummy cake and cupcakes my mom made!!!

We did have to put the cake away for a bit because Owen got a little too excited and wanted to have at it right then and there. But we did let him lick the icing with his fingers later on... he was the only one that got to eat that cake :).

... and yes, these were as good as they look!! Red velvet cake with red sprinkles!

The red food bar.

Flags, flags and more flags! I had one mom say, "when you said you were making flags, I thought you were just doing one little string to go across a table or something". Um, no. She apparently doesn't realize my tendencies to go a little overboard!

I also made hats and mini puppet theatres for each of the children but I didn't get any pictures of the mini theatres and they were so cute!!! GRR.

The Puppet Show.

The puppet show, complete with popcorn for everyone, went really well!! Dan and I kind of threw it together at the last minute so it was really surprising how much the kids loved it! I mean, the house was a zoo with around 20+ kids there most the time, but during this show, the kids were eyes were GLUED on the show!! It was great... and it must be said that Daniel and I might have a future as puppeteers.... ok, not.

Getting ready to play games (the front room came in very handy for this sort of thing--- and you can see in the right hand corner the mini theatres... a little anyway).

LUNCH--me making sure everyone has what they need... though I should mention that there were LOTS of moms helping me out and cleaning up too!!!

Someone enjoyed the cupcakes a little too much.

Opening presents:

Owen opened the first present. That's it. Just the one. He wanted to open it and play with it and hardly noticed another gift (until after the party).

So this is when all the kids jumped in to open his presents for him... and this is also when control was lost.... even with 10 moms around.

All and all, I think the party was very successful! We are lucky to have lots of kids around the same ages as our children. Owen loved all of his gifts. It's amazing how every gift was so perfect for him!!! He will be entertained until Christmas for sure!!!

Happy Birthday my sweet boy!! We love you so much and are so happy you are in our family. You keep me on my toes and say and do so many fun things. Can't wait to see what 3 has in store for us! (hopefully a mostly potty-trained year).

What's been going on...

2009-11-21T17:08:00.005-06:00

So much has been going on (the reason I haven't blogged in so long). We have settled into our new home nicely. The kids love our new house, as do Dan and I. Maggie stuck around me for the first week or so, unsure of her new space to roam, but now they all scatter all over the house to play. Keeping this house clean certainly takes a lot more time than did our other house, but as long as I get some time at home, I can keep a good groove as far as house work goes.

We have been very fortunate to fit right in and make lots of new friends here quickly. I realized from living in Austin that it was important for my own sanity and happiness to have friends and also for my kids to have friends and do things with them often. We've been lucky to do that and have so many already! There are so many great people here and we have probably got a busier life now than ever!!

I took the kids out of preschool a month or so ago. There were several reasons... it cost a lot of money, Owen still had two more years after this year of preschool to do, it was quite a distance from our house and I didn't care for the school they were in. I was concerned that them not going would be hard for all of us, but it has actually been great. We are involved in a babysitting co-op so I get out whenever I need to, we are always playing with friends, we go to the gym each day so they get to play in the play center there and we go places each day. It is actually working out great and I've enjoyed them all being home together every day. We are considering doing a preschool co-op with some people in the ward in January, but I am hoping it will be low stress.

In other news, I ran another race on Halloween. It was a 5K- 24:45 was my time. I ran with my friend Tiffany who I have been running with a lot on the weekends. We, along with lots of others and members of my family, will be running a 5K on Thanksgiving as well! Also, in January I am running in a marathon relay with 3 other friends--- I am so excited about it that I can hardly stand it!-- and I am ultimately training for a half marathon that I'll be running in March. I figure that I will never be this into running so I might as well do all that I can. I am amazed that I've been able to do it, that is for sure!!!

The weather here has been so gorgeous this past month. We have practically been living outside!!! The kids enjoy riding bikes and playing out there and I am able to weed and work on the flower beds (which I finally finished... it was quite the effort) while they play. It must be said that culdesac life is definitely the life for us! Here are lots of pictures of the kids playing outside:

Owen has been a busy boy these days. He is still his independent, happy self, but continues to be a pretty lovable guy as well. He is at a great age to have little conversations with and has realized that he can keep up with Ellie in the talking department. He is so smart and knows all of his letter sounds and is constantly telling us what words start with what letters and visa versa. His feet are bigger than Ellie's and he keeps catching up to her in size until she has another growth spurt of her own. Potty training hasn't happened yet. We tried before we moved here and he was good for a few weeks but then decided he wasn't going to do it. After talking with many moms I realized he is not unusual, but I do hope to get it done after the new year.... just in time to do Maggie.

Elise has been so great to have around these past couple months. I've enjoyed our time together and will miss her next year when she ventures off to kindergarten. She definitely rules our roost and has convinced herself that she is a mom as well. She is actually a wonderful big sister and always takes such great care of her brother and sister. Ellie does love to do lots of crafts and activities which gets hard when mom has to do other things around the house and can't always pay full attention to her. She is so beautiful and smart, we love her so much! Something about Ellie that always boggles our minds is how she has such a great memory. I mean, this girl can remember things and places and people from years ago and she is only 4! Certainly it is apparent that some gifts are innate and she definitely was born with a wonderful memory-- she is going to do awesome in school.

Our Magdalyn Beth... is growing!! She is 18 months now and cuter than ever. She has lots of curls so we are convinced she will have curly hair but you never know. She is such a sweet girl, loving to give everyone big hugs and kisses almost whenever requested!!! She thinks she is as big as her brother and sister and is always trying to keep up with them. Maggie is as goofy as she is cute and she is already our silly child. Just the past few weeks she has started trying to say more things. She doesn't have a real extensive vocabulary... why does she need it when she has a big brother and sister around to do all her talking for her and when she has got her parents jumping whenever she grunts and points?!? Maggie loves to sing and dance and run and play... she is so sweet!

Our goofy girl.

Daniel is busy with work and enjoying his new job. I think he wishes he didn't have to rely on others so much to accomplish what he needs to, but I am sure that will resolve itself over time. As you can tell, we are doing well and loving our new place. We miss Austin and our friends there but know this is where we were meant to be. We love it and are certainly staying entertained and busy.

Halloween 2009

2009-11-21T17:06:00.000-06:00

We have been MIA in the blogging world for quite awhile now, but I hope that I can catch back up and start documenting what is going on in our lives. I always regret not recording memories and posting pictures that we can look back on.

Halloween was fun this year. Maggie was an octopus, like Ellie was 3 years ago, Owen was the Lightning McQueen pit crew and Elise was Tinkerbell. I had fun with the costumes this year. They were really easy and maybe that is why it was so fun. Maggie's costume we already had, I spent $2 on ebay for Owen's costume and I bought Ellie's wings and tutu on Etsy. I was happy to have gotten the tutu because once I got it in the mail it was easy to figure out how to make them myself and can now make one whenever I want!

Here is our little family at our church Trunk or Treat. This was definitely the highlight of our Halloween celebration as our neighborhood kind of flopped as far as trick or treating goes. Now we know for next year to venture out to other neighborhoods. There seem to be a few that are the hot spots for trick or treating.

All of the kids really dug into the cupcakes, as you can see!

This is the best I've got of Owen.. he has been tough to photograph these days.

Magdalyn munching on a cupcake.

All in all it was a pretty fun Halloween. We enjoyed a couple of parties, various crafts, treats and endless amounts of candy. Another great Halloween for our family!

Holland

2009-11-08T08:13:00.000-06:00

I'm going to post a few pictures from my trip to the Netherlands last month in the hope that it inspires Erin to catch up on all the fun stuff the kids have done with Halloween, pumpkin painting, ear infections, etc. I stayed in Delft, which is minutes south of the Hague by train. It was nice, but I was there essentially by myself, and there's nothing more depressing than sight-seeing alone. It was rainy the whole time I was there, so I spent a lot of my free time in the hotel room watching Dutch TV. Good thing they broadcast a bunch of stuff in English with subtitles or I really would have been bored. As it was I caught up on reruns of "Two Guys, a Girl and a Pizza Place."

The street my hotel was on.

The "new" church

The building on the other side of the town square from the "new" church

Proof that I was actually there and that I'm not particularly good at taking pictures of myself.

The "old" church. Supposedly the tower leans a little to the left. But you can't really see it in this picture.

The canals - there were little kids playing in those big plastic bubbles.

Street singing

Strange sculpture (a blue heart?)

The one nice weather day (afternoon really). You can see the leaning tower a little better in this picture.

A sculpture of a guy in front of the new church. I don't remember who he is though.

And that's it. I'm sure I'll get to go again, so I wasn't too sad that I didn't really do anything. Mostly I realized that two weeks is a long time to be away from Erin and the kids. So, no offense to the Dutch people, but I hope my next trip is shorter.

2009-10-01T19:31:00.000-05:00

In the midst of this seriously long blogging drought, we really have been busy settling into our new home. Since I haven't taken pictures in an embarrassingly long time, I thought I ought to snap a few before Daniel takes the camera with him on his trip. Here are some pictures of the kids while we played with play dough.

Elise has started to settle into our new home. She still has a bit of a hard time grasping that she won't be seeing her old friends again, but is enjoying getting to know the new kids from church. She continues to want mom and dad to entertain her most of the day and loves to teach Owen and Maggie anything and everything.

Owen, who refuses to look at the camera long enough to snap a decent picture, is doing great. He is having a hard time transitioning back into preschool, but that is probably because he is two and gets to run wild every other minute of the day. He is starting to learn letter sounds and what words start with which letters. He is also finding several friends his age and talks about them often.

Magdalyn is kind of at a difficult age. Always on the go, hates riding in the car and can't be apart from mom for more than a nano second. Luckily, she is getting cuter and cuter by the day and has been handing out the kisses left and right. She also loves to sing and is finally starting to form a couple of words.

Maggie is such a goofball that I wanted to include all of these silly pictures.

And this will be me for the next 3 weeks as Daniel leaves for the Netherlands tomorrow. Wish me luck.

House Changes

2009-09-07T09:08:00.004-05:00

I was holding off to see if I was ever going to get more stuff on the walls, but it hasn't happened yet. So, I am going to go ahead and post a few before and afters. Some of the angles are different, but here is a sneak peek of what we have done so far.

Family Room Before:

After:

Ellie's Room Before:

After:

Playroom Before:

After:

Hall View Before:

After:

Breakfast Area Before:

After:

Erin's First Race- 10K

2009-09-07T09:04:00.000-05:00

Well, I did it! I ran in my first ever race. After my brother-in-law convinced me that I can run outside if I can run on a treadmill (I had NEVER run outside before), I decided to try a race. I found one online that was being held in about a week so I did two quick training runs and then went to the race. I had three goals for this 10K:

#1-Finish

#2- Keep Running- don't stop

#3- finish in less than an hour

Before the start of the 5K/10K, they had a 1K for the kids in the stadium, so this is me in the stadium before the race started... spandex and all! Yikes.

Ready to start the race... there were several hard core runners, but they were up in front right on the starting line.

This is me crossing the finish line. I have to admit, I was pretty proud of myself. I finished in 56:15...not bad for the first race. I ran the entire time, even as I was grabbing water on the side of the road... admittedly, I am going to have to work on the coordination that is involved in drinking water while running.... several times it went up my nose and was lucky to get a swallow before it all sloshed out of the cup. I passed many people and even passed people who looked in much better shape than me. After I finished and rested for less than a minute, I felt like I could keep going as well. PLUS, I didn't get lapped!

This is me getting my reward for finishing second in my division!!! The first place girl ran it in 38 minutes... uh, not even close!

This is Maggie and I right before we left... I was pretty sweaty!!! Now, I am thinking on working on the 10 mile run and then maybe, just maybe I can pull off a half marathon??? I don't know, we'll see.

First Day of Preschool

2009-09-07T08:49:00.000-05:00

Elise and Owen started at a new preschool this past Tuesday. We were all excited about it and the kids couldn't wait to get there. I expected to have a little bit of time for transitioning and what not, but this was the easiest thing ever!! They must have remembered how preschool works from when they went last year because they didn't skip a beat. They went in so easily and were good and followed directions the entire time! (I really need to figure out what they do at preschool that works so well because they sure don't follow MY directions).

Owen's teacher is Miss Nadja. He loves her already. He is in the 2's class and looks like he could eat his other classmates. He is easily and by far the biggest kid in the class and bigger than most kids in Ellie's class as well. He has been playing well says the teacher and has been going to the bathroom at school without issue. (Again, why won't this work at home?)

Elise's teacher is Miss Carrie. She was having a hard time remembering her name so I told her to think about how Miss Carrie rhymes with "scary". Well, it worked but I think she sometimes slips and calls Miss Carrie, Miss Scary. She loves preschool and is already considering her classmates as her best friends and doesn't know why mom isn't inviting them all to the house yet.

Saturday= Pool Day

2009-09-07T08:41:00.000-05:00

Continuing our fun weekend with our Zielke family, we went to our neighborhood pool (which is now only open on the weekends.. rip off). Anyways, there isn't much to say, but lots of pictures to share. I will say that despite some of the frightening expressions on some of the children's faces as they were coming down the slide, they actually had a blast!!!

Erin and Owen

Kyra

Uncle Ryan and Addy

Owen

Kim, Kyra and Elise

Grammy, Elise and Kyra

Addy

Kim striking a pose

Erin and Maggie

Owen and Kyra (you can't tell me this isn't cute)

Dan and Maggie

Erin and Papa (or dad)-- (again, you can't tell me this isn't cute :))

Kyra and Ellie, apparently after an unexpected dip

Elise and Owen

Ryan, Addy, Kyra and Elise... SCARY!

Maggie taking in some rays (I know, that pacifier... but really she doesn't want to give it up and I have more important things to do like potty train the boy)

Elise Louise

Papa enjoying the after-swim lounge chair.

Fun at the Park

2009-09-07T08:24:00.000-05:00

Last weekend Kim & Ryan and their kids came down for the weekend to celebrate Ryan's birthday. It was a lot of fun and something we did to keep the kids busy was head to the park. They really had a lot of fun and it was nice to find a park with some tree cover for shade. It was still really hot, but we went fairly early, so we survived.

The tire swing was a big hit and Uncle Ryan kept it going for the kids.

30 years old folks... yes, this man turned 30.

Only one of a sparse selection of pictures we were able to catch of Owen who was pretty much in motion the entire time.

Magdalyn Beth sure enjoys a slide.

Sisters.

Kids of all ages enjoyed the park.

I'm including this picture because I was about to kill Daniel during it. He was swinging SOOOO high and there were many kids around and if any of them had come near him, he would have completely wiped them out. That is me next to him and I am sure if one zoomed in, I would have a pretty furious expression on my face. Luckily for him, he flew off a few seconds later.

Our new pool!!!

2009-08-26T15:20:00.000-05:00

One of the best perks of where we live is that we are just a stone's throw from a pretty awesome neighborhood pool area. We just load the kiddos up in the choo choo wagon, cut through some bushes and we are there!

They have two water slides which they let anyone go on (so Ellie and Owen can go on these no problem, the life guards are so lax that they would probably let us throw Mags down by herself-- scary, I know). Owen will occasionally go down the enclosed slide but usually says it is too scary (it is)... Ellie will go down anything!

There are several areas, there are two splash pad areas, a baby pool, the slide area, volleyball area (not pictured) and a huge lap pool (not pictured).

Maggie always starts out over in the splash pad area and then after a few minutes makes her way over to the slides. Elise and Owen head right for the slides and occasionally take a dip in one of the other pools for a couple minutes before returning to the slides.

Water slides are a family affair:

Maggie is so cute! On the walkway to the slides there are spacings where water flows, so Maggie has to take these giant steps to get across. She looks so funny.

We really are loving this pool, but unfortunately with school starting, they've closed it down. It will be open for two more weekends before it closes for good until next summer. We are SOOOO sad about this as we only really got to enjoy it for a week. The kids are going to be incredibly disapointed. Next year....

Water Fun

2009-08-26T15:01:00.000-05:00

Last week we went to our favorite sprinkler place to eat dinner at Mission Burrito and to let the kids get worn out before bed. My mom came with us to watch the kiddos have fun. Maggie really loves the sprinklers and all of the kids are really fun to watch.

Of course, we could hardly get Owen to hold still for 2 seconds to get a decent picture of him, but we'll just keep on trying!

In our new home

2009-08-26T14:51:00.000-05:00

Well, we made it into our new home. We've been so excited about this next phase of our lives and now it is finally here. The bank was dumb and so we ended up closing two days late, but besides that, it was a relatively easy transition.

We painted every wall, most of the moldings, put in a couple new fixtures and had several service people out to make sure everything was running as it should. The painting was the most work but we were lucky enough to have family close by and even some help from the people in our new ward at church. We are still working on hanging things on the wall, getting things that need to be stored away into the attic, and definitely have quite a bit of yard work to do, but I think we have been able to do a lot in a short amount of time. Before and after pictures to come soon.

Here is our house after we left out the trash after moving in. Daniel was pretty proud of our mound of trash and took about 30 pictures of it. It's about 4 boxes deep. Originally the garbage men didn't take our boxes, but I caught them taking a little siesta under a tree and got them to come back and take it all.

Anyways, we love our house. Really we do!! Plenty of room to grow, plenty of space for everything we would ever need, the floorplan is great, the location is perfect... we couldn't have asked for anything more.

Dr. Daniel Weber

2009-08-26T14:43:00.000-05:00

In early August, Daniel presented his paper and then defended it. He said it went well and he felt good about it. He must have done well since they approved him for graduation and to receive his doctorate degree. Here are some pictures of the room and of Daniel the day of his defense.

We are, of course, incredibly proud of Daniel, his decisions, motivation and dedication in getting his degree. It was a great sacrifice for our family, but ultimately, so worth it! Daniel now is not answering to his name unless you put "Dr." before it.... Ok, that isn't true, but if I worked that hard to get that much education, I sure would be making people use the title to address me! Anyways, Dr. Dan, we love you and are very proud of you!