First day of...

WINTER...???!!!!

Never mind that our high today is 78 degrees.

I don't think we'll be having a White Christmas this year ;\

...Not that I was ever hoping for one.

Summer Weather

I went to the bathroom.

When I came back out I saw her like this:


She's notorious for changing her clothes several times a day, but never into her swimsuit. She got this on all by herself!

Okay, so maybe it's warm for December (75 degrees)....should we be thinking about swimming too?

The ultimate Christmas Train

A while back Aidan was talking to his Grandpa Fort on the phone about when we put up our Christmas Tree. Grandpa excitedly asked if we had a train going around it. Course, Aidan has to sigh a disappointing "no."

Mmmm....what a good idea!

We do have plenty of train track to make a track around the tree thanks to our insanely huge collection of GeoTrax that we've acquired over the years (we're addicted to them I think) . But, those tracks weren't "Christmasy" enough. So, this year we added a Christmas Train set (two actually) to our holiday decor. Using those, plus borrowing track from what we already owned, we went to work. Sure, we let the kids play around with the idea and create whatever they could come up with. But, once they went to bed Jaren and I gave it a shot. We certainly weren't okay with just a simple circle. We had to get extravagant! We are no engineers and never could quite figure out how to get the track just the way we wanted it. But, I think we did a pretty decent job!


So, yes--we DO have a train going around our tree this year! It's complete with 2 Santa Claus', elves, presents, holidays lights, wreaths, it's own roadside decor, 2 Christmas Trains, an ice rink, a toy shop--even borrowed the Golden Gate Bridge. Oh, what fun!!!


This picture doesn't quite do it justice because the details are lost. It would be better if we took a video of this fun toy!

Save a Horse

I had the opportunity to take my family up into the hill country of Texas to visit the home of my Wood Badge Troop Guide.

We got to meet some of his horses...one of which really took to Aidan & Robyn. The kids were able to take in some very light horseback riding. Robyn absolutely squealed with delight when she was around the horses.Be sure to ask Hunter all about it...he had the most adventure of all (and I'm not saying that it was all that grand of an adventure for him). We learned a lot about horses!

For lunch we feasted on smoked Brisket that we "helped" cook in the backyard: mmmmm, yum.....
Robyn was fascinated with their garden that was growing right out front...lots of nice green bell peppers to pick. And eat. She would eat them like an apple. We've always had peppers in our garden but she's never picked and eaten them like this! I guess the peppers here were much more tasty!

It was a new experience for us and our first time to really travel into this part of Texas. Country life really is inviting...if you're into that kind of thing!

When the bow breaks

It started about a week ago when we converted Robyn's crib into a toddler bed. Not a day later the mattress frame completely gave way...broke in four places. Luckily it sat only about two inches off the floor so no one was injured in the event.

This crib has served us well for all three of our children and for the babes and tots who used it before us (we bought it at a garage sale 10 years ago). I just got done taking the whole thing apart this afternoon...hence the post.

For now, Robyn just sleeps on her mattress that sits on the floor. If anyone has a toddler bed that needs a new home, I'm interested!

Was it Halloween?

Our minds have been on other things this past week so Halloween just kind of took a backseat. The boys had their "character book" parade at school...a great excuse for kiddos to wear their costumes--and probably the only reason why we even had costumes this year. We ended the evening with a trip to Lake Houston Park for a chance to enjoy the outdoors in costume.

Aidan dressed as "Hiccup" (from How to Train A Dragon)This costume was pretty much made from scratch fabric (but I did recycle some pants and a big shirt). Funny thing is, we've never seen the movie but Aidan LOVES the books!

Hunter is Draco Malfoy. Kept getting confused for Harry Potter. You could really tell who knew their Harry Potter characters and who didn't!

Robyn was our little Thing 1. Couldn't get her to stay still long enough for me to get a really good photo. Everyone kept asking where Thing 2 was. Umm, one is enough for me!

Saturday morning we headed down to the:on the Galveston Bay to celebrate Hunter's 8th birthday. It's kind of a cross between a carnival and an amusement park. This was Hunter and Aidan's first time riding any sort of roller coaster. Don't think Jaren and I have ridden one since our high school days. We quickly realized that we don't enjoy them the same now that we're much older.
Aidan and I became rather fond of Pharoah's Fury. We're in the fourth row!

The spinning teacup on the double-decker Carousel was also a hit!

If you ever want to venture down there I have one thing to say: go early!! Notice there are no crowds here yet in this photo! This was by far Hunter's favorite ride (The Bouncing Boardwalk). Sadly, it was shut down half way through the evening.

They had a really small Aquarium (and I mean REALLY SMALL) where you could touch and feed Stingrays. However, it took a long time to get my boys convinced that they would not lose their hand along with the fish they were feeding them! The Stingrays would literally "jump" at you!
We finished our weekend with Hunter's baptism (whom he shared with his cousin) and a birthday party afterwards. Course, it was at this point that my camera battery died...so no flash...

Tape

I'm sure you've seen those girls who walk around with duct tape purses.



How about a duct tape tie!


Seriously, when you need a Slytherin tie in time for Halloween, duct tape decorated with colored electric tape strategically placed in a symetrical pattern will do the trick! Just think of the possibilities!

Course, I'm going to leave it to Jaren to actually tie it.

He's 8!

We've made it this far Hunter!

A few tidbits about this big guy:

1. Though Robyn has learned the phrase "Don't push me" (usually directed at Hunter) I have to remember that in most cases his pushing is like saying "let's go Robyn" or "it'll be fun" or "come with me" or "go this way"...all with a smile on his face. Hardly ever does it actually mean "You're moving too slow, get out of my way!"
2. We also must mention his creativity. I love it when he goes off into his own world and creates something out of nothing--no matter what it is. He's the one that can play by himself rather willingly.

3. He's the one who lets me know when we've been somewhere too long and when it's time to go home. He's my clock whether I like it or not!

4. His grandpa says he's a natural at casting! Though, he has yet to catch a fish! For the longest time I don't even think Hunter knew why he was gracefully throwing fishing line out into the water...he just did it.

5. He appreciates gourmet foods! He may shy away from canned green beans and boxed mac n' cheese...or anything else that's totally canned or boxed but I LOVE cooking for him! What's on the menu tonight for his birthday dinner?! Creamy Dill Salmon (yes, Grandma Fort, your recipe).

6. He will ask the most complicated questions...literally. Many of them leave me speechless.

7. He's so well-rounded that I couldn't tell you what he's "into". He likes just about everything. Yes, it makes it hard when it comes to giving gifts but at the same time it's easy because he'll appreciate anything.

8. When he has an opinion, he'll let you know it--rather honestly and openly. This can be good and bad. He's not meaning to be rude--he just wants his opinion known.

9. Hunter is unusually sensitive--physically, mentally and spiritually. He's been that way since he was born. His sensitivity requires a bit of extra (creative) effort to calm him, motivate him and accommodate his needs so that he can be successful. I will tell you that he is a spiritual giant!

10. He loves to sing! Don't confuse this with the idea that he'll sing whenever asked (see #9) because he won't. He must know and love the songs that he's singing. That can be a challenge sometimes.

Happy Birthday Hunter! We love you!

Thanks friend

I had planned to do some serious birthday shopping for a certain boy in the family. I was going to be at it all morning and into the afternoon... I was preparing for a long (possibly frustrating) day shopping for the perfect gifts. Who knows if I would have been able to find what I was looking for.

Instead, I dropped it all and went for a nice long walk with a friend!

It made my day. It made my week!

Thanks friend! I sure needed it. I'll go out tomorrow or Monday...or Tuesday...

It was on and we were there...

Sam Houston Area Council here in Houston, TX hosted the LARGEST event, 2nd to National Jamboree, to help celebrate 100 Years of Scouting!

We headed up to the Texas World Speedway to participate in Cub Scout activities that took up space 1/4 mile long. Needless to say, we didn't get to it all. However, here's a few major highlights:

Getting to enter through a tunnel!

Making Samurai Hats


World Record Rocket Launch

When you see this in the Guiness Book of World Records in 2012, know that my two boys made rockets that went off in this launch! I think there were something like 3200 rockets in all!

The boys (with their cousins) LOVED the race cars on display...there were much more than I have room for pictures!
Aidan was all over the GIANT Twister Game (sorry, no pictures of that). And the magician/juggler was certainly appropriate for Cub Scouts!

How about those push carts?!

Aidan is at the top of the screen pushing his little cousin--they won that heat! Hunter is 2nd from the bottom pushing his cousin. He got a bit frustrated at the end when he had trouble steering and she fell out. But, she was fine and they finished the race!

Getting to take home a 7ft. Live Oak Tree :

A mighty oak, grown from a small acorn, has become a symbol of the growth and strength that a young person gains from Scouting. 5,000 trees that were planted from an acorn at the BSA 75th anniversary in 1985 were donated to SHAC Jam. The oak trees are small enough for a Cub to carry, but large enough to have a head-start on growth. By the time the Cub earns his Eagle rank, the tree will be taller and stronger – and so will the Cub-now-Eagle.

Jaren spent a few hours helping the kiddos make First Aid Kits. While I didn't volunteer AT SHAC Jam I did help my sisters put together the "This Is Cub Scouting" tent for use at the event. Let's just say I now have a very close relationship with vinyl, paint and modge podge! Some things included"fishing" for belt loop requirements and playing ring toss to learn what we had to do to earn the Texas badge!
We ended the afternoon with a Cub Scout Closing Ceremony and me catching up with my Wood Badge Troop Guide (hadn't seen him since Wood Badge) who was on staff for the event. (Notice how Robyn just "cozied" right up to him. She knows a grandpa when she sees one)

We left more sunburned and tired (and dusty) than when we came!
What we participated in as a Cub Scout Family is only a small fraction of all that went on...what we didn't see was what the Boy Scouts were up to. They took up the rest of the place and the other two days of the event.

Here's to another 100 years of Scouting!

In uniform

I can't get either of my boys to wear their complete uniform to Den Meetings. Maybe I can for Pack Meetings. They absolutely refuse to put on hat, neckerchief and slide...

But when the school announces that boys can wear their uniform to participate in a Flag Ceremony everything goes on...and Aidan was very adamant about making sure that his recently earned patches and pins were on for the occasion. They even wore their Cub Scout activity shirt underneath.


It's a chance to show off (a more humbling term wouldn't be appropriate for this age) their "bling".

...and for mom to snap a photo because this hardly ever happens.

Just wait Hunter, when you turn eight you'll get the pants and socks.

Hurricane Aidan

That would be the perfect day. When they name a Hurricane after my son. He does comment on some of the names they pick...Hermine? Igor? What kind of names are those? Aidan would be so much better. Course, then he complains that "his hurricane" wouldn't amount to much because it would form at the beginning of the season. Oh darn. Yep, I worry about those things too...all the time.

Sure enough, Aidan's been at it again all summer. Now that we've hit the peak of Hurricane season he's really anxious. Not sure if it's because activity seems to increase at this time of year or because he's sad that Hurricane Season is half over and therefore all the excitement goes away. Right now he's keeping a close eye on Hurricane Igor. But he keeps a close eye on every Tropical Storm although he missed Hermine because we were out of town. That one just kind of snuck up on us.

While I admire his love for knowledge sometimes it gets a little uncomfortable for me when he says "I need some action!" Hermine dropped a lot of rain on us but that of course wasn't enough for him.

Every year he understands more and it's gotten to the point where I'm not familiar with all the technical jargon that he uses when he's giving me the forecast. He introduced me to Stormpulse.com this morning. That website is a goldmine for him. It has EVERY recorded Tropical Storm in history. He's been studying up on his Weather history with that website.

I asked him the other day "If he wanted to go anywhere in the USA, where would you like to go?" And I really meant anywhere. You'd think he'd mention Disneyworld or Disneyland or some place like that. Maybe I hoped for him to mention Yellowstone, Washington or The Beach. Nope. He immediately screamed "The Weather Channel!" Caught me off guard. Unfortunately they don't do tours in their facility. So, then he said "The National Hurricane Center!" Again--not prepared for that response either. That one does tours but you have to be 12 years old. He melted and complained that he would have to wait another 2 1/2 yrs. before he could visit! It was the end of the world for just a moment...

Anybody else know of any other places that Aidan can visit?

New vehicle

I decided long ago that I was not a minivan person. But, I'm not an SUV person either. I was in between. Crossover vehicles really appeal to me. You get the seating and a bit of extra space--but not minivan space. I was okay with that. However, we came to learn that Crossovers just aren't as popular as everything else...near impossible to find THE perfect Crossover vehicle with an affordable price tag.

We finally opted to trade in the Ford Explorer. Let's face it, 4 seats--5 people in the family. It just wasn't working for us anymore. The search was on when child #3 came around and we knew a bigger vehicle would be in store. Until then our family vacations and outings would come to a stand still as there was no way 5 people and all of our belongings would fit in our Galant. This fact alone led us to purchase a bigger vehicle sooner rather than later! I've been itching to go on family outings (for longer than a day) and I just couldn't take it anymore!

After two weeks (and a new battery) I'm still not sold on the whole minivan idea.
But, a minivan owner we are! It'll take me a LONG while to figure out all the bells and whistles. This van is loaded with them! Let's see if it grows on me...and I'm sure it will.

AFTERTHOUGHT: After reading a few of your comments I have to agree that little ones do enjoy pushing the buttons that make the van do amazing things. Robyn loves being able to see out the windows. However, now she absolutely refuses to ride in the car!

Bow Board Project

Okay, I will confess that this is not my latest project. I actually made this last fall but I wanted to "fix it" before I posted it. When I made it I was in a hurry and therefore only used tape to tack on the fabric and ribbon to the back. Within days the ribbon was already falling off. Yesterday, I finally went around and glued all the ribbon and hung the board vertically so it fit better on the back of Robyn's door. I originally was just going to hang some ribbon in the bathroom but quickly realized that my two older boys probably wouldn't appreciate that.
This project probably cost me around $5--for the foam board and the ribbon. I just used left over yellow fabric and batting from a previous project. Very simple to make. It makes a wonderful wall hanging!

And, yes all those bows are homemade! Except for the Minnie Mouse Ear hairclips. Those were sent to Robyn from her wonderful aunt who vacationed at Disneyland! Thanks Megan!!

UPDATE: My craft area is ALL clean! It's still officially summer, so I got it done on time! In fact it was having that space back that motivated me to get the bow board done!

Thou shalt not steal

I have to be honest and say that in my 22 years (since I was eight--we won't count before that) I've never had an issue with stealing--ever. It just wasn't right. You just didn't do it. It was never okay to steal on purpose or on accident.

Today I had a moment where the urge to steal could have really taken over rather quickly. I walked out of a store with an empty cart through the "garden center" passing a store clerk who didn't check my receipt. As I was putting my purse and Robyn in the car I noticed a package of Huggies Little Swim Diapers in my cart. How did they get there? Did I put those there? Maybe I did put them in but later changed my mind and thought I had put them back on the shelf. Did I unconsciously put them back in my cart? Did Robyn put them there? A whole list of scenarios were running around in my head. Regardless of how they got there I knew I didn't pay for them. I actually didn't buy anything in the store! Oh my--did I just steal something?

I think everyone has that moment where they say, "I could take this and no one would ever know." The rationalizing...after all it was actually something on clearance that I could really use.

Are you kidding me?! It took me less than a minute to turn around and hand the item to the clerk by the door. She promptly said that she wondered about that when I walked out but just figured "it was nothing". She was absolutely astonished and overly appreciated my honesty. I guess she doesn't run into such honest people on a regular basis...that's too bad.

This incident made my day. I'm glad to know that even in the most innocent of circumstances, I had the power to be totally honest with myself and those around me. I absolutely believe that but it's good to be tested from time to time.

A year later

Remember my proud AFTER feeling that I felt when we finished decorating my craft area last summer?

Sadly, it didn't stay that way...Welcome to my end-of-summer project...getting it back to looking like it did a year ago. Wish me luck.

Course, we have plans to completely rearrange the living/dining room again. With the number of piano students that I teach, it's become necessary to move the piano back into the dining room. It will become the "study". Still not sure where the dining table is going...

I guess we're in clean-up mode this week!

Those Satin Edges

If you know Robyn, you know she has a thing for Satin Edges. I made a travel blanket (14x14) for her birthday that was rather easy for me. So, Jaren motivated me to make a whole new blanket (42x42) using satin blanket binding.

A Pain.
Nightmare.
"Pulling-my-hair-out" frustration.
Ran out of binding 4 inches from the end (nothing more frustrating). Naturally I went to buy some more and even though it's the EXACT same package...the color is note exactly the same. Luckily, it really isn't noticeable...not with my sewing abilities.
I couldn't keep my binding from going crooked so it doesn't lay completely flat. And, those miter corners??!! Wow--how do you get those perfect? I think it took me four tries there at the end to get that 4th corner done to my satisfaction. I did finish it and I'm rather content with the end result. I'm happy with how it turned out despite all the grumbling. (I still maintain that sewing in zippers is still harder). It has some flaws but as my in-laws would say, "it adds character!" Though, after adding up all that I spent on making that blanket (not including the cost of my labor) I probably could have bought one for less. That would be too easy and much less satisfying.

We call it the "froggy" blankie (yeah, my creativity is lacking right now). While it's a beautiful blanket that the rest of us have grown to love, Robyn will have nothing to do with it...go figure. She happily chooses to strut around with her older, beat up blanket with satin edges.

Family pictures dilemma...

Okay, I will confess that I never took Robyn in for professional photos. For the past two years I've been able to get some decent photos of her. But, such is not the case for everyone else in my family. And now I'm having issues with Robyn's pictures. But, I want the pictures done before she grows out of the pretty red dress that I made for her!

Every picture of me is horrid...absolutely worthless. Always shows me as old (which I'm not), worn down, tired and just plan unflattering.

Now, my dilemma: I have a beautiful picture of me and Jaren hanging in our living room that was taken on our cruise last November. Along with 5 empty frames nicely hanging around it. I'm itching to get some nice photos of my family to fill in the holes. But, all of my attempts at taking my own photos have been wasted. There's an exact look that I want...and I can't get it. I'm such an amateur photographer with a mediocre camera. Even the nicest camera won't take good pictures if your lighting is all wrong. And, Hunter's eyes always shine red!

I hesitate to use any generic portrait studio (ie Target or JcPenney) simply because you get what you pay for and I don't want to pay for pictures that don't capture exactly what I want. How I'd love to have a real professional photographer take over my dilemma but I have to be honest with myself...we simply cannot afford it right now. So, my dilemma continues...and my frames remain empty. And my frustration continues on....

Is there someone out there who truly does photography as a hobby and wouldn't mind trying their talent out on my family for little cost? Who might actually be able to capture the pictures that I want?

Milestone

Robyn's the big
2 yr. old

She received the perfect travel blanket (aka the woobie) for her birthday this year. Which could not have come at a better time since lately she's been very adamant about taking her blanket everywhere! It was my first time working with blanket binding. I gave myself a pat on the back for being successful! Those satin-edged blankets are the only thing she'll go for.

We had a small celebration with family! Where we ate Robyn's favorite finger foods and enjoyed perfectly pink cupcakes! Another first was me making my own frosting to frost those cupcakes. They turned out rather yummy!

Happy Birthday Robyn. It's such a wonderful adventure to have you in our lives!

One Short Day

Our Evening started out with dinner. For the last 11 years, everytime we eat at a seafood restaurant I always say I want to try this. And, every time I chicken out for some reason or another. On this day, I finally did it!

Choose it.Cook it.Eat it.Finish it!
Gotta say, while eating lobster is a bit time consuming--I think Jaren had his meal all eaten up before I had even started in on the claws--it is totally worth it! Although, I'm sure Jaren got a good laugh as he watched me!

The highlight of our evening was a trip to the Hobby Center to see the Broadway show Wicked. We fell in love with the music years ago! And, we've read the book--which really isn't saying much because the show is very different than the book--thank goodness. I didn't enjoy the book too much. In my opinion, it's not really worth reading.

We have the cheesy picture next to the poster! Gotta have that, right?Wicked was everything we wanted it to be. It is very entertaining and actually quite comical! We had front-row mezzanine seats and for the first time I didn't have to worry about tall people blocking my view!

If you haven't seen it yet--you'll love it! I won't give anything away! We were pleasantly surprised with the story!

Last Summer we saw Phantom of the Opera. This year was Wicked. I wonder what show we'll see next Summer?

Another year of Twilight Camp has come and gone!

Recap: I work with the Me-Toos--a delightful bunch of 3-5yr. olds who are the children of volunteers who help out at Cub Scout Twilight Camp. They usually have a Cub Scout sibling and they want to be just like their big brother--hence why they call the group Me-Toos. Frankly, I'd much rather hang out with this bunch than walk with Cub Scouts any day!

If you've read my Twilight Camp posts here and here in the past..you know I always make a list! I also realized that it's one annual activity that has made it onto my blog since I started this a little more than two years ago so I might as well keep it going!

1. Plasma Cars are THE BOMB! The best toy ever invented!
2. Popcorn is now the new favorite snack (over goldfish).
3. Watch out for flash flooding!
4. Bugs are NOT our friends.
5. Nothing like a thunderstorm to get us done faster!
6. Bigger is ALWAYS better!
7. Happy Hoppers aren't always happy.
8. Meet the Robinsons is a much better movie than Cars.
9. The only thing to do with pit balls is throw them...everywhere.
10. Cardboard boxes are great for building and they're FREE!

This year we were in a new location. And as I write this list it was actually pretty hard to come up with stuff. Things ran smoother than before and the kiddos had three times the space to eat, run and play.

Hunter attended camp for the first time as a Cub Scout (as a Wolf). Aidan was there as a Bear. Both of them had a wonderful time!

Hunter with his Wolf buddies.
Aidan enjoying his downtime.Even Jaren volunteered this year as the Sports Director. So, it was a big family event. Thanks mom and dad for letting Robyn hang out with you for the week.

Once again, something exploded in our home as we try to pick up after Twilight Camp. Gotta watch where we step for a while.

Will I do it again next year....

Shoe Obsession

I was going through my pictures and noticed a pattern:
She probably sports a different pair of shoes a dozen times daily--so I don't have pictures of every pair she tries. Which would explain why no one can ever find their shoes on a whim. It's likely that she has walked them off to a secret hiding place. While she's wearing ladies shoes in these pictures know that she does not favor any pair over another.

Speaking of shoes...my nine year old now wears the same size I do. Dang...he's growing up.

Another Reminder

Today was our Cub Scout Pack's bridging ceremony where Hunter moved from being a Tiger Cub to a Wolf...Hunter and me with our Cubmaster

...along with the other ten boys in his Den. As much as I absolutely love these boys, I will not be moving up with them as their Den Leader. I had already made this decision a while back and even got the new Den Leader(s) chosen and trained. I was confident that the Den would be in very good hands...I wouldn't have it any other way.

But, I was not prepared for the mixed feelings that I would experience. I didn't anticipate their sadness when I announced to the boys that I would not be their Wolf Den Leader next year. I was not prepared for the hugs and genuine "thank yous" that these handsome 7-yr. olds gave me today.

New Wolf Den, Pack 4154

I have to admit that there were times during this last year that I thought I must be crazy to take on this responsibility. Today was a simple reminder that I really DO love it! I did assure them that while I may not be their Den Leader, I will still be involved in the Pack. So, we'll still see each other from time to time.