The Murray Family

76ers

2012-02-17T19:05:00.000-06:00

Landon started his first season of YMCA basketball in January. His good buddy, Colton, is on the team too, as well as a few little friends from past seasons of t-ball and preschool. I always enjoy watching the boys play sports, and Landon seems to be having a blast. He excels on defense and sticks like glue to his opponent (they have color coded wrist bands so that the kiddos know who "their" person is to cover), but he often forgets to switch to offense and ends up guarding the other player even down by his team's basket. Hilarious.

Happy New Year!

2012-02-17T18:59:00.000-06:00

Happy 2012! We decided to ring in the new year with a murder mystery dinner...complete with an 80's theme...lots of big hair, 80's slang, Atari, denim jackets, leggings, good food and great friends. We had a blast, even though poor Tomi broke her toe, and no one really solved the mystery!

2nd Christmas collage

2012-02-17T18:55:00.000-06:00

highlights...
Santa at the airport, pilot giving out wings, in and out burger with Uncle John and Aunt Nancy, daycare reunion party, hanging out in Chico, being with Uncle John and Aunt Emily and Copper in Paradise, relaxing in Lake Almanor and Chester with Glo Glo and Bob Bob and Papa and Ya Ya, searching for (and finding) some snow to "play" in, ice snowman, scrabble, annual Christmas Eve in Stockton, Christmas in Paradise and Chester and Lake Almanor, Grandma Murray in Vallejo...coming home to piles of presents for the kids to open...boxes of presents from CA arriving a week later (thanks, Uncle John, our shipping genie!)...

Christmas 2011 Collage 1

2012-02-17T18:43:00.000-06:00

Impossible to recap it all...suffice it to "say" that we had a lovely holiday season. We did our usual Chuy's Toy Parade, Dell Diamond Round Rock Express Santa visit, Georgetown Parade, and our whirlwind trip to California to celebrate the season with family and friends.

Landon's 1st School Christmas Party

2012-02-17T18:34:00.000-06:00

I'm back! And trying to catch up. :-) Here is a collage of pictures from Landon's first school Christmas party...we did a duel Christmas party and baby shower for his teacher. All the kids had a blast and consumed way too much sugar.

Great Wolf Lodge and Happy Birthday, Aaron

2011-12-09T11:04:00.003-06:00

Aaron celebrated his 32nd birthday with a bang...we hosted a games and fun birthday party on Friday, Saturday he had UFC, and then Sunday we headed to Grapevine, near Dallas, to try out Great Wolf Lodge. We had heard amazing things about this place, and it lived up to all the hype. We all had a wonderful time. Highlights were the snow in the lobby during story time, the life size gingerbread house, and the magic quest game throughout the lodge. Lots of fun. Then, we squeezed in a visit to the Lego Discovery Center nearby. Happy Birthday, Aaron. Hope you had a good one and have a year full of more fun adventures ahead. I love you!

Santa

2011-12-09T10:48:00.002-06:00

We headed to our favorite location for Santa pictures again last weekend- Dell Diamond. Our Baseball Santa is always able to chat with the kiddos (sometimes for too long...he starts making expensive suggestions for what they should ask for Christmas!! yikes!) and there are always yummy treats and the option to buy our Spike Kid's Packs for the next baseball season. Thanks, Round Rock Express! Go Express and Go Rangers! ;-)

Team Green

2011-11-27T20:55:00.003-06:00

Aaron's friend, Patrick, organized a team for a local church softball league this fall. The guys had a great time, and the wives and kiddos had fun too cheering them on.

it's beginning to look a lot like

2011-11-27T20:53:00.003-06:00

Christmas :-)

Chuy's Toy Parade

2011-11-27T20:46:00.002-06:00

We made our annual trek to Austin for the Chuy's toy parade this past Saturday, in spite of the rain. I was determined to go, and was thankful when the rain stopped right as the parade was beginning. Our friends, the Blantons, joined us, and we all ate at Hula Hut after the parade (another tradition). The kiddos enjoyed seeing the big balloons (smurf, coke bear, reindeer), the marching bands, Tow Mater replica, and costumed characters (stormtroopers, Darth Vader, super heroes). Lots of fun!

1st ponytail

2011-11-27T20:44:00.002-06:00

...but it didn't last long...her hair is getting longer. :-)

Thanksgiving Gingerbread

2011-11-27T20:40:00.002-06:00

We enjoyed celebrating Thanksgiving with Uncle Gary, Aunt Glenda, and Cousin Hayley, and our new neighbors even came for dessert and scrabble. Glenda and Hayley brought all of the supplies to help the boys make a fabulous gingerbread house AND train, complete with gummy army men! The boys had a blast.

Happy Halloween!

2011-11-01T15:49:00.002-05:00

We all had a blast at the annual Ferguson Halloweenie. Landon was hard to keep up with this year as he ran from house to house to get as much candy as he could...next year I'm wearing my running shoes. :-) Leia got the hang of it all quickly and ate each piece of candy that was handed to her!

Patty

2011-10-26T14:02:00.002-05:00

Patty, Addison, and Ashton made the trip from Norco twice to see us in Anaheim (thank you!!!). Patty has been my friend since junior high. She stalked me when we moved from Northern California to very, very Southern California (about thirty minutes from the border). I was the new girl, and Patty was determined to be my friend. She was very persistent (and I'm so glad!). We played junior high and high school sports together, and when I moved back to Nor Cal two years later, remained good buds, traveled long distances several times to see each other, and ended up being in each other's weddings and being pregnant together. Such sweet memories. I love you, Patty! You are my favorite thing from my years in Brawley. ;-)

Landon at Jedi Academy

2011-10-26T13:52:00.000-05:00

Landon was chosen to be a volunteer and battle Darth Vader at the Tomorrowland Terrace Jedi Academy show. It was so neat- stormtroopers, Jedi Masters, Darth Vader rising up on a hidden stage, and Darth Maul!

DISNEYLAND!

2011-10-26T13:39:00.005-05:00

We had a blast at Disneyland last weekend. We were able to travel with the Huberts (Aaron and Chris hit up Blizzcon on Friday and Saturday, and then joined us on Sunday). My parents drove ten hours to meet us there! And my dear friend, Patty, drove down from Norco to meet us there also. The kiddos loved it... so much to see and do. The parades, World of Color show, and fireworks were just spectacular, and we were able to experience many rides at California Adventure and Disneyland. The boys were able to see Buzz, Woody, Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, and Pluto, and Landon was able to train in the Jedi Academy and actually battle Darth Vader (video to be posted soon)! Aaron took Landon on Splash Mountain, the Haunted House, Indiana Jones, and Space Mountain...we have one brave little guy! Lincoln loved the teacups (ick....my least favorite...makes me sick every time! Grandpa Bob was a trooper and even went twice with Lincoln!) and the Toy Story rides (we rode Buzz Lightyear Astro Blaster about eight times). Leia went on a bunch of rides also, and seemed to enjoy Small World and The Little Mermaid ride. A whirlwind, exhausting, three day trip with many late night and early mornings, but FULL of magic memories.

Go Bulls!

2011-10-11T13:12:00.003-05:00

Lincoln is doing great at Tball. All the kiddos seem to enjoy being out there...especially now that our weather has cooled off a little. :-)

Goodbye Avalanche

2011-10-11T13:09:00.002-05:00

We sold the Av to CarMax tonight. Sniffle. It was bittersweet. I will definitely miss that truck. Lots of good memories.

Murray swagger wagon

2011-09-19T21:17:00.000-05:00

Here is Leia in her very own "swagger wagon" video. :-)

Swagger Wagon

2011-09-19T21:13:00.004-05:00

It's official. We have a swagger wagon. Cue video:

Aaron spent many hours at the dealership with all of the kiddos while I was blissfully unaware and enjoying a day of reading at Barnes and Noble. So far, the magic doors are my favorite feature.

Lincoln is a Bull

2011-09-18T20:53:00.002-05:00

Lincoln started his first season of Tball last week- he is on the Bulls. He did great at practice on Tuesday, and it was fun to see Landon in "big brother" mode- showing Lincoln the ropes and even running alongside him and cheering him on as he ran the bases.

school lunch

2011-09-05T17:55:00.001-05:00

Leia and I joined Landon for lunch at school on Friday. Colton's family was also there, as well as Ava G's mom, a friend from church.

Swim Test

2011-09-05T17:50:00.003-05:00

Last week we went to the YMCA with the Ostendorf and Ferguson clans for a swim date after school. Both Landon and Kale passed their swim test for the first time and went down the water slide for the first time. It was a great day!

First Day of School

2011-08-23T20:52:00.004-05:00

Landon has not been very excited about school. He is a smart cookie and I think he realizes that his days of carefree video gaming are over (until college...well, and maybe summer breaks!). :-)

Today was his first day of kindergarten as a Teravista Tiger. He woke up right on time, and after only telling me once or twice that he wasn't going and he was too tired and seven hours was too long, he got dressed in his new Batman shirt, gathered his things, and I took him to school to eat breakfast. Our little friend, Madison, met us in the cafeteria, and we took her to her classroom first, and then went on to Landon's room. His teacher, Mrs. Goertz, greeted us, and had playdoh out on the tables for the kids to play with. Landon went right over to his table and sat down. My "Mr. Independent" was ready to go....see ya, Mom...thanks for five years of fun....now it's off to the "real" world to learn to read and write and all that other good stuff. ;-)

Lincoln, Leia, and I picked him up after school and he was in good spirits. He said the best part was free time where he got to play with blocks and playdoh. He also liked PE and recess. His teacher said, "it was an okay day for the first day of kindergarten." Hah! She has a challenging job, to say the least, and I'm already trying to show her we appreciate her by bringing her treats. The boys helped me make cookies tonight that we will bring tomorrow, and today we brought some Avon treats and a Sonic drink after school. I'm all about bribery and giving gifts and treats is my preferred way to encourage others and show them I care.

addicted to instagram

2011-08-16T21:09:00.003-05:00

it's so fun to play with...and I check the app way too often to see what other people I am following have posted (this is just another confirmation for me that I would waste way too much time and be way too voyeuristic if I had a Facebook page).Here are some recent pics.

more on Ministry of Motherhood

2011-08-07T21:42:00.002-05:00

Most Gracious Lord,
Help us remember, in all the moments of our days, that taking time to cultivate a close relationship with our children is what will open their hearts for you. Give us strength and grace to listen to their dreams, to comfort them in their sorrows, and to make ourselves available for their needs. Help us to remember that they want our attention more than our service. Thank you that you make yourself available to people and that you always make time for each of us.
Amen. -From Ministry of Motherhood by Sally Clarkson

...my kiddos want my attention more than my service...ouch. the way I show love is to serve...and I'm not so good at giving quality time. ouch. I am convicted that I prefer to take care of the "needs" of cooking, cleaning, shopping, etc, and not give much undivided attention. I have "attention deficit disorder" of the mommy variety. After just a few minutes of legos or reading books or imaginary play, I am bored and thinking of all the household tasks I could do, or e-mails I want to write or check...and so on. I fear that my children will not have many memories of my just playing with them and loving on them with quality time and focused attention. Oh sure, I know they will remember all of the fun outings and play dates I plan and take them too, but I am much better at getting out and doing activities with them than I am with staying at home and playing. Guessing maybe there are a few other moms out there that can relate to this....think it is mostly my sinful selfishness rearing up again, among other sin issues, but this chapter and prayer in the book made me pause and reflect and realize that I can do better, and in trying to give more attention and model Christ, perhaps the relationship that I build will help open my kiddos hearts to Christ. And that, is worth all of the lego sessions in the world. I will play "piggy" and "doggy" and "super heroes" til I am blue in the face if I can "see" the bigger picture of their eternal salvation and my role in guiding them and leading them to Christ...it just keeps slipping away and getting blurry as I focus on the practical needs...so easy to lose that bigger picture

Mission and Ministry of Motherhood by Sally Clarkson

2011-08-07T21:27:00.003-05:00

I've been on a reading kick lately. Started with the lovely trip to Cancun, and I've been devouring books ever since. And, if you know me, you know that I can go through a book in about three hours, and I've been reading every night for the last few nights, and during the day when I can, especially if I have a book on the kindle app on my phone (side note, I LOVE the kindle app and I think ebooks and kindles are great, EXCEPT for the fact that you can't share the books when you are done, and I never re-read a book and usually pass on the ones that I have enjoyed. now, they have added a "loan" feature, but the publisher has to approve it and allow it, and out of 15 or more kindle books I "own", only one can be loaned and this one for only 2 weeks to one person and that is it! so, that is my beef with kindle and I am sure the nook is the same...anyone have any ways around this? I would purchase ebooks all of the time if I could loan them to others and pass on the reading love).

So, recent favorites have been Divergent by Veronica Roth, and the "Uglies" series by Scott Westerfeld (all of these are dystopian lit of the young adult genre). In the non-fiction realm, I completed The Mission of Motherhood by Sally Clarkson shortly after Cancun, and found it to be inspiring and challenging, but also kind of unattainable and frustrating. However, I am about four chapters into the next book by Clarkson, The Ministry of Motherhood, and I'm loving this one and finding it inspiring, encouraging, challenging, and thought-provoking. My good friend, Linda, who is a prolific blogger, has started an encouragement post series on her blog http://mamamiamcmasters.blogspot.com/search/label/encouragement
and I've been trying to use the ideas to do one thing each day to encourage each of my kiddos. I've found, to my dismay, that I am issuing commands and being critical for most of the day, and I don't want to be that way, and think it is detrimental to my "mission" of motherhood to model Christ and make disciples of my kiddos and point them to the unconditional love of their Heavenly Father....so, to come back to the topic of this post, one of the chapters in the Ministry book addressed this topic, and at the end of each chapter there is a prayer...this one was spot on and just what I needed to hear and pray....

-A Mother's Prayer-
Father of Encouragement,
Thank you for taking the time to show your love to your disciples by affirming and encouraging them. Help us remember that our well-aimed words will carry life to the hearths of our children. Teach us to extol their positive characteristics whenever we can and to resist the temptation to use words only for correction. Give us lips that speak grace and that show the heart of your love through the things we say. Amen.

All Aboard 2011 Summer Reunion

2011-07-21T09:50:00.002-05:00

On our last day in CA we went to the Brandi home (my first daycare clients when I opened All Aboard Academic Daycare in Chico)for a pool party and we loved hanging out with The Richards, Brandis, Andersons, and Ms Marie.

Grandparents and Great-Grandparents

2011-07-21T09:46:00.001-05:00

sweet family

2011-07-21T09:45:00.000-05:00

summer fun in Nor Cal

Happy 4th of July in CA

2011-07-21T09:34:00.002-05:00

We had a blast celebrating the 4th of July in cool California. :-)

2011-07-21T09:14:00.000-05:00

Here are a few pictures from our tenth anniversary trip to Cancun. We had a wonderful time relaxing and being pampered.

Happy 1st Birthday, Leia

2011-06-24T15:41:00.003-05:00

My princess Leia...happy 1. We love you!

Happy Birthday, Leia

2011-06-24T15:40:00.000-05:00

1st Birthday party at Quarry Splash pad...so fun! :-)

Happy Birthday song

2011-06-15T22:21:00.000-05:00

Here are his sweet friends singing happy birthday :-)

1st Sleepover

2011-06-15T21:51:00.006-05:00

twas the night before his 5th birthday....and all through the house...all the little boys were running and yelling and eating :-) It's almost Landon's big 5 celebration, and we thought (well, me, mostly) that we'd kick it off early with a sleepover/camp out (ask Aaron how excited he is to be out in the 90 degree temps in a tent with five boys right now! He just texted me "I'm confident we could glaze homemade ash trays out here right now" LOL).

Landon invited a few friends (I had to cap it...he would have had at least ten boys crammed in that tent!) and we had dinner, dessert, lots of fun playing, and lots of fun with the glow sticks (party in a tube, let me tell you...fifty glowsticks for about $3 on sale at Hobby Lobby....wish there had been more than just one pack that I could find for that deal...the kids LOVED them and went nuts, as you can see from the pictures...we had our own little rave going on).

gorgeous night for a camp out though, in spite of the temps....a very full and colorful moon is shining in the sky- this picture doesn't do it justice, but, you get the idea

so fun!
Happy Birthday, Landon...about this time five years ago I was just starting to feel contractions for the very first time, and thought they were braxton hicks or a false alarm :-)

More walking

2011-06-14T13:22:00.000-05:00

She is getting good. :-) It always amazes me at how quickly babies improve...within a few weeks of those first steps, they are walking much longer distances. So fun to watch her grow.

1, 3, 5 photo shoot

2011-06-08T21:38:00.004-05:00

I'm a bit biased, but I think our wonderful friend and photographer, Ashley, did an amazing job capturing the essence of our kiddos for their 1st, 3rd, and 5th birthday photo shoot. She let us "borrow" her old train depot station backdrop that she used for her newborn's photo shoot recently, and I just love the look of these photos. Looking forward to sending out a collage greeting soon that she is creating for us.

baby blues

2011-06-08T21:24:00.003-05:00

thought this was such a sweet after-bath pic of Lincoln and Leia....check out those baby blues :-)

and one of Leia with a "mohawk" :-)

goofin' off with Leia's new sunglasses

More room decor

2011-06-08T21:18:00.002-05:00

still going....here are the latest pictures of Leia's room...complete with the princess herself. :-) I am still on the hunt for a chandelier and a night light to match the theme. the twin bedding set was a great find at Bed Bath and Beyond for only $30....not exactly what I wanted (found a set on-line of her exact theme in light pink and black, but it was over $200 with sheets and all!!! a bit much!), but it works for now.

what happens when 3 yr olds get breakfast

2011-06-07T11:33:00.004-05:00

here is the scene I woke up to one morning last week....

Landon has become quite proficient at getting his own cereal and helping Lincoln, but apparently Landon didn't want to help on this particular occasion, so Lincoln tried it on his own...to mixed results. :-) sometimes I feel my life is just cleaning up one mess after another (especially during the potty training days), but, lest I wallow too long in self-pity, I remind myself that someday (I've been told!) I will miss having messes to clean up and will long for the "good old days when the kids were young". :-)

Super Heroes

2011-06-01T21:02:00.002-05:00

Lincoln and Brynlee on a good day of friendship...they are few and far between these days, but this was a precious moment captured so well by Barie...I love it!

hanging out with my girl

2011-06-01T20:54:00.003-05:00

Leia kind of snuggled up with me on the couch this evening and was just sitting next to me, so Aaron captured this shot and I played with it on instagram. :-)

She's Walking!

2011-06-01T20:49:00.000-05:00

It's official, Princess Leia is walking. :-)She is just over 11 months old, so the boys both beat her by about a month.

our first sunflower

2011-06-01T20:47:00.002-05:00

The boys helped me plant some herbs and sunflowers a few months ago, and we have been watching them grow...yesterday Lincoln was the first to spot our first sunflower in bloom. He was so proud and excited to show me. Our herbs haven't done that well, due to my lack of watering and nurturing (no green thumb here).

more fun with instagram

2011-05-26T22:14:00.002-05:00

here are some more fun pics with instagram...the sweet baby gazing at her mom is Evie at RLG...such a precious girl :-)
the others are of the kiddos at the Texas State Aquarium in Corpus...

Happy 3rd Birthday, Lincoln

2011-05-24T21:53:00.002-05:00

...hard to believe you are 3, Linco boy. We love you and you bring our family a lot of joy and laughs.

a great smile

2011-05-23T07:37:00.001-05:00

she makes me smile :-)

Corpus Vacation

2011-05-22T22:32:00.000-05:00

We traveled to the Texas coast for the first time with our friends and neighbors the Bailiff family. We stayed in Corpus Christi at Embassy Suites, compliments of Sean and all his bonus travel points (thank you!) and made several visits to Padre Island and Port Aransas. We took the vehicle ferry across the channel (a first for the kiddos and I), and the boys were stung by jellyfish on Corpus Christi Beach (another first). Aaron and Lincoln enjoyed a tour of the USS Lexington, while the Bailiffs, Landon, Leia and I enjoyed exploring the Texas State Acquarium. The kiddos loved the time we spent at the beach, in spite of the jellyfish epidemic, and Landon said his favorite part of our vacation was sleeping at the hotel!

he spoiled me!

2011-05-19T21:29:00.002-05:00

Not one...not two....not three...but FOUR gorgeous floral arrangements! Happy tenth anniversary to me...thank you, Aaron, for spoiling me. It smells like a florist shop in here and I LOVE it!

Happy 10!

2011-05-19T17:47:00.002-05:00

Happy 10th Anniversary, Aaron. :-) I look forward to celebrating with you in Cancun this summer. Thank you for all of the flowers...you REALLY spoiled me. I love you!

The Proud Graduate

2011-05-17T15:29:00.003-05:00

Landon graduated from his mother's day out "preschool" program today. It was hopefully just the first of many scholarly accomplishments and graduation ceremonies. ;-)

instagram

2011-05-17T15:26:00.003-05:00

another fun and free app that Barie recommended to me...instagram...turns photos into works of art...here are a few photos that I have played with recently...

Mudfest

2011-05-17T15:24:00.003-05:00

Here are my boys, after they participated in a really fun and free family obstacle course full of mud. :-) Landon thought getting squirted off by a fire truck after the course was pretty cool.

Words with Friends

2011-05-17T15:19:00.003-05:00

Is anyone else out there addicted to Words With Friends on their smart phone? It's a free iphone app for me, and such a fun, turn-based scrabble game that I can play with friends...hence the game title. It's also a fun mental stimulant for me on the days where it feels like I am in a whirlwind of cleaning messes and getting slimed (I guess slimed is not a word...wonder if words with friends would accept it?!). :-)

Brothers

2011-05-17T15:10:00.000-05:00

one of the many wild and zany things the Murray brothers do...really, keeping them alive is at least half of my job as a parent :-)

Leia Driving Her ATV

2011-05-17T15:08:00.000-05:00

...not even walking yet, but she can drive! Thanks, Kelly, for the girly power wheels....she needed her own to keep up with her brothers :-)

Preschool grad

2011-05-17T15:03:00.000-05:00

Landon graduated from preschool today! :-)

Love Wins

2011-05-14T17:04:00.006-05:00

I have been wanting to join the discussion about Rob Bell's latest controversial book, Love Wins, for the past week. I have yet to discover a good solid chunk of time to collect and post my thoughts, but I will try to get a few down now and perhaps finish later. :-) An article in WORLD magazine piqued my curiosity about this book due to Bell's controversial take on eternity and specifically, eternal judgement (in my teenage years I watched a few NOOMA videos that Bell put out and was captivated by his creativity expressing Biblical truths, and so I have somewhat followed his progression to popular pastor and author...read and enjoyed Velvet Elvis. Anyway, all that to say, I've enjoyed Bell's work in the past and was surprised to discover that his latest work was stirring up a firestorm of controversy and that the blog world was going nuts. Aaron treated me to a day of reading and relaxation at Barnes and Noble for Mother's Day, and I decided to read Love Wins there. It was an easy read, and one that I mostly enjoyed...except I just felt a little bit confused and almost uneasy....like, it all "sounded" good, but something was just off and I couldn't quite put my finger on it. I mentioned my feelings to Barie, and she and Keith just finished reading it and both posted about it
Barie's Post
Keith's Post
....and Keith also referred me to another great blog post about it.....Kevin DeYoung's Post

After reading all of these posts and reviews I realized that I had fallen easy prey to Bell's skillful and creative way of communicating his beliefs. I felt a bit sheepish, I must say, since I have a minor in Biblical Studies and think that I have a pretty good grasp on the gospel and general Bible knowledge, to have read the entire book and not really be exactly sure what was off, until reading other reviews. I think I need a second read to go back and really study the texts he brings up in context, but I do feel that the above reviews covered that well, and Keith references several other reviews in his post that also extensively cover the problems with Bell's liberal and "creative" use and interpretations of scriptures.

If you have read Love Wins, I'd love to hear your thoughts. I'm especially interested to hear what a reader thinks that has previously enjoyed Bell and didn't know about the controversy, and just picked up the book to read it at face value. I think if you don't go in with your guard up and your brain ready to question Bell's many seemingly innocent questions, it is easy to get pulled into his wayward thinking and warped theological thesis (in my opinion).

End of April collage

2011-05-14T16:53:00.000-05:00

Easter Collage

2011-05-14T16:25:00.000-05:00

Leia's 1st Easter

2011-05-14T16:16:00.003-05:00

This is a bit late, but I had to at least post a few pics to commemorate Leia's first Easter. Auntie Nancy came out to visit, and our neighbors the Bailiff's came over for lunch, and the Blackman family (my aunt, uncle, and cousin). We had a lovely, very warm (the chocolate candy in all of the eggs melted during the egg hunt and we took the kids swimming afterwards!) Easter celebration.

REI

2011-05-06T21:08:00.004-05:00

Deju vu....I am the proud owner of a new BOB stroller for Mother's Day...again! The kids and I took the old BOB that Aaron surprised me with last year in tonight to see if we could get a few things fixed (the handlebar foam was destroyed and one piece of metal was rusting), and they swapped it out straight across for a brand new one! Whoa- let me tell you how excited and giddy I was.

I went with orange this time, and I just want to say, if I was on Facebook I would totally "like" the Round Rock REI. The manager there was so kind and helpful, and very generous to swap out my almost one year old stroller for a new one (it made me feel good, because Aaron had paid a pretty penny for it, and we got what we paid for this time- total satisfaction guaranteed- thank you BOB and REI!).

Then, we headed to IKEA to get a few things for Leia's room (now I am going to use the expedit cube bookcase with their cute black and pink bins for Leia's "dresser" in her closet- I don't like hanging up baby clothes and I think this will be a perfect solution). Lincoln was tall enough, and potty-trained enough (did I mention that we started potty-training this week officially...no, of course I didn't....I have been so behind on blogging...)- anyway, he got to go into smalland or magic land or whatever they call their fun childcare area....he and Landon had a blast while Leia and I shopped, and then, get this, it was kids eat free day, so all of the kids had a free meal and watched a movie and playing the child merchandise area and it was just a wonderful start to Mother's Day weekend!

And it gets better...tomorrow, Aaron is treating me to an afternoon off and I get to go to B&N and do my favorite thing- just sit and READ! hooray!!!

Landon at bat for Bulls

2011-04-03T14:33:00.000-05:00

Here is Landon's first at bat for the Bulls this season.

2nd at bat for Bulls

2011-04-03T14:31:00.001-05:00

Landon at bat again for the Bulls.

Bulls cheer

2011-04-03T14:31:00.000-05:00

The kiddos are always anxious to get their snacks at the end of the game, but they also love doing their "Bulls cheer". I get a kick out the huddle. :-) We are very thankful for Coach Keith and Coach Nick- they are both wonderful with the kids and we appreciate them.

Bulls Tball

2011-04-03T14:17:00.005-05:00

Landon had his first tball game as a Bull on Saturday. It was a gorgeous day and we all got some good vitamin D. Several of the parents, Aaron and I included, were surprised at how improved the kiddos were from the previous 3-4 yr old team division...there were actually a few "plays" that would have been outs at first base, which we didn't see at all last year, so that was fun.

Landon, Leif, and Kale...good buddies.

Check out Landon's old school baseball converse (thanks, Carol!). :-) Thought my dad would enjoy seeing Landon play ball in these...just like the old days. ;-)

Tent Video

2011-04-02T22:12:00.000-05:00

Here are the kiddos and Aaron enjoying the tent. It was easy to set up and tear down...10 minutes or so to to set up, and about five to tear down and fold up. The boys are excited to go camping.

New Tent

2011-04-02T22:00:00.004-05:00

Aaron has decided he wants to try camping again. He mentioned the other night that he would like the kiddos to have the camping experience...we both had lots of positive camping experiences as kids, although the last time he and I attempted camping on the CA coast with our Avalanche tent, it didn't go so well and we ended up checking into a hotel after the first night!

Aaron took the boys to REI last night and they picked out a tent, and set it up in the backyard this morning. Even Leia got into the action and enjoyed crawling in the tent. The boys played out there for a few hours, and Aaron hung out in the tent with them. At one point, I caught them all on camera playing their various handheld games...I got a kick out of that. :-) Camping with personal electronic games...how fun.

Austin Metro Rail

2011-04-02T21:50:00.002-05:00

I took the kiddos on the relatively new Austin Metro Rail on Friday. We drove about 10 miles to the station, purchased our tickets, and rode the train into downtown Austin, where we walked about 10 minutes to the children's museum and played with our friends, Kelly, Rory, and Payton, and then we took the train back to the station and our truck. The boys enjoyed their train ride, and I was very impressed with the metro...and the best part is that kids ride free! :-)

3DS

2011-04-02T21:46:00.003-05:00

Aaron pre-ordered the new 3D Nintendo DS and it arrived this week. He also got the new Star Wars game for Landon. Right now, he is telling the boys it is his, but letting them play with it. Both boys enjoyed playing it, and I'm pretty sure they have no idea how lucky they are to have a dad that enjoys all things video games and gets all the new systems.

Hoppin' Hippo

2011-04-02T21:40:00.003-05:00

On the last Wednesday of every month we go to Hoppin' Hippo in Hutto for a Zoe Kidz play date. Here are some shots of the kiddos and friends in the ball pit, and the first one is of Lincoln and his buddy, Elijah, in fun costumes.

Leia bean

2011-04-02T21:24:00.003-05:00

We've taken to calling Leia, "Leia bean"...a spin off "Leia Jean", and here she is having a little too much fun with her food. :-)

Baseball season

2011-04-02T21:16:00.003-05:00

is here again.... :-)
Landon is on the Bulls this season, with his good buddies, Kale, Kamden, Eli, and Leif. Here is a sweet picture at practice...just minutes before both Leif and Landon had their arms around each other as they listened to Coach Keith.

culture makers

2011-03-24T22:05:00.002-05:00

...this is a shout out to all of the mothers of small children out there...
"...I also wanted mothers to realize that the basic unit of culture is the family, and what happens in those first five years shapes people for the rest of their lives. That's as much culture making as anything that happens in the White House or on Fifth Avenue." -Andy Crouch (in a WORLD magazine interview about his book, Culture Making)

I was enjoying my WORLD magazine and catching up on what is going on in this world (since I rarely watch the news or check news on-line), and this quote struck me. It is so easy for me, and I would guess most mothers, to get caught up in all of the repetitive tasks that go along with the job, and forget to see the big picture. We are shaping young lives...impacting our world on the most basic and fundamental level! Many moms "give up" careers to stay at home, and have a difficult time with the loss of affirmation and tangible results that the professional world can offer, but this quote reminded me that if mothers can just hold the bigger picture in their hearts and realize the importance of their "job", it would make all the difference and change the mundane and repetitive into a daily opportunity to guide and direct a young child who can already have a positive impact in this world, even at a very young age.

On a related note, I was watching the news at the gym (the only time I usually see the news!), and caught a video of a young man fighting back when a bully was terrorizing him. This young man was accosted by the bully and the bully struck him across the face and was obviously verbally assaulting him as well (since I was at the gym, there was no sound and no captions, so I am guessing at some of the details...). The young man ( a 15 yr old) had enough and picked up the bully and body slammed him. Now, this young man made national headlines and of course was invited to all kinds of interviews, and I was happy that he stood up for himself, but the thing that struck me the most was at the beginning of the video when two young girls stood by while the bully attacked and did nothing. They simply watched, almost amusedly, while the bully struck this boy, and then walked away. It saddened me to see their apathy and made me wonder if they (and/or their parents) felt ashamed watching their heartlessness displayed on national television for all to see. Now, I know this kind of stuff happens every day, and that is horrible enough for me to think of, but I hope these girls do feel ashamed and I hope their parents have a long conversation with them. It made me ponder how I can raise my children to stand up for themselves and not be a victim, but also take a stand for others and help those that are seen as weaker or that need a little extra help. If I saw a video of one of my children bullying or being a silent and approving witness to bullying, I would feel so ashamed....and angry at them. But, how to raise a little person up to want to defend the weak....to be confident and yet not cocky, to be gentle and yet not a wimp, to use words but yet actions when needed, to be discerning and wise and not rash and foolish. Wow. I so want my kiddos to make a positive impact on this world and love others for the glory of God, and I think part of the formula for that involves realizing that the little daily talks, habits, traditions, etc. are shaping my children to be positive culture makers, and I need to take that seriously.

I'd love to hear your thoughts....

Leia at the splash pad

2011-03-24T21:50:00.003-05:00

Leia at the YMCA splash pad today on her 9 month old bday. :-) Isn't her ladybug suit just ADORABLE?!?! I'm having so much fun with the girl clothes and bows. Leia has about six different swimsuits that fit right now (all hand-me-downs) and of course I'm trying out them all. :-) Leia loves the Y splash pad and pool- see below for videos.

Landon swimming at Y

2011-03-24T21:48:00.000-05:00

Landon had such a great time swimming at the Y today. He made some new friends (he is very social and skilled at making friends- a character trait I love about him) and just had a blast. He is doing very well with his swimming, so I thought I would post this video of him showing off...I think the double thumbs up is a picture perfect ending. :-)

Leia in fountain

2011-03-24T21:45:00.000-05:00

I just love that Leia gets a kick out of everything these days and often expresses herself by clapping...makes me giggle. :-) Had to post this video of her in the fountain...makes me laugh.

Leia at Y splash pad

2011-03-24T21:44:00.000-05:00

Leia is 9 months old today, and she enjoyed playing at the wonderful indoor water area at the Y...she splashed and all of the kiddos enjoyed swimming in the pool too. Gorgeous spring weather in Round Rock today- sun and 80's! We love it.

Leia at Y splash pad

2011-03-24T21:42:00.000-05:00

Landon and Leif

2011-03-23T10:22:00.000-05:00

It is kind of hard to hear what the boys are saying, but I was trying to capture Landon and Leif as they were playing and "make-believing" out in the backyard at their last play date. I was just sitting inside chuckling at my bossy child and all of the fun and imaginative things they were saying and doing. Landon basically destroyed the little climber playhouse and the boys turned the pieces into boats for "batman" and "robin". Later, the climber became a step-stool for climbing over the back fence!

It's Baseball Season

2011-03-23T10:19:00.000-05:00

Landon started T-ball this week, and Aaron took both boys to practice....Lincoln enjoys playing too, and here he is at home practicing on the "ESPN better batter" my parents got the boys last year for their birthdays.

Leia is crawling!

2011-03-22T19:30:00.000-05:00

Leia is officially crawling....see the video below for more...
she is almost 9 months old....

Leia is crawling!

2011-03-22T19:27:00.000-05:00

Leia is crawling! Lincoln came running in today from the backyard, yelling, "Mom, Leia is crawling!" So of course I ran out to see and was able to capture some of the crawling action on camera a few minutes later.

Play dates

2011-03-20T15:33:00.002-05:00

Landon is addicted to play dates these days. Every day he will ask me if someone can come to his house or if he can go to a friend's house! Is that normal? :-) Thankfully, we have a nice selection of friends to petition for play. In the last week, he has played with the Ostendorfs, Bailiffs, Fergusons, DeFossets, Rivells, Wonderlys, Harners, Blantons, and Shocks!! And I'm probably leaving someone out! It's interesting for me to see him interact with the different children and watch how they all have their different preferences for play- Ryan and Kale will play video games for hours with Landon, while Leif, Madison, and Bailiff clan will play outside or more imaginative role playing adventures for hours. Leif is over right now and the boys are in the sand box while Lincoln and Leia nap....just invited me out to see the huge sand pile "castle" they had created. So fun! And I get time to blog- hooray! :-)

1st Dollhouse

2011-03-20T15:19:00.003-05:00

My sweet and generous friend and wonderful neighbor, Kelly, gave Leia her 1st dollhouse yesterday...complete with all of the furniture, three grandmas, two little girls, one mommy and daddy and one baby! So fun! She loves it, and I think Lincoln is more excited than she is...he enjoys playing with her (except he tends to start beating the little people against the walls or throwing them out the "windows"...hmmm...hope that isn't because he saw Landon fall out our window!!!). Thanks, Kelly, for passing lots of fun girl stuff on to us. Leia is a lucky girl to benefit from all of the things Lily is done with. :-)

Designs by Amy

2011-03-20T15:07:00.004-05:00

This morning I was able to capture the one and only, oh so talented Mrs. Amy Grunow at church with her adorable daughter, Reese....who is one of the best dressed little girls I know....so they could pose for a picture in their matching outfits that Amy designed and created....did I mention she is talented? Leia is just darling, if I may say so, in her custom Easter dress with little apron and matching bow and shoes (also made by Amy). Thanks, Amy, for sharing your gift with us. I'm enjoying decking my baby girl out in some very girly get-ups. :-)

And here are a few adorable pics of Leia that I took before church this morning. I hesitated to dress her in the Easter outfit today because I plan to take professional pictures of her in it soon, but I want her to get a lot of use out of it and I figured it was worth the risk of stains to show it off and enjoy it. :-) Apparently Amy and I had the same thought, as it was Reese's first time to wear her Easter-themed outfit.

done

2011-03-17T22:39:00.002-05:00

It's "blinged"-out! :-) DONE.

Chuys RLG

2011-03-17T22:29:00.002-05:00

Tonight we went to Chuys with a few of our friends from our Realife group (church small group). I had to post this picture of the receipt....there were 9 of us that ate dinner, and the total was just under $54!!! Granted, we all filled up on their free queso, chips, salsa, and jalepeno sauce...and we purchased our drinks from the bar while we waited for a table (that place is ALWAYS packed), but I thought that it was amazing that 9 people could eat for $54 (we have some very frugal friends!) and some of us even had dessert. :-) Sweet baby Willow joined us on the 8th day of her life for some delicious Chuy's, and we all gave Bret and Tomi a hard time because they requested a doggie bag for the left-over chips and tortillas to take home to their kiddos...so even more people got to eat off the $54!

St Patrick's day

2011-03-17T11:11:00.003-05:00

Happy St. Patrick's Day!
Thank you, Kelly, for inspiring me to get in the spirit of green fun and celebrate St. Patty's day with my kiddos. Kelly has a fun family tradition of a leprechaun visiting the house on the night before and messing it up a little...including putting some green pee in the toilet! Then, of course the leprechaun leaves a bunch of treats. So, Kelly picked up some green themed treats for me and the leprechaun visited our house too. I left a trail of gold rolos and green necklaces from the boys' room down the hall and stairs to the kitchen table, where there was a "pile of gold" and treats. We invited the Fergusons for breakfast before they left for their vacation, and the boys helped me make green eggs and pancakes.

still enjoying decorating her nursery

2011-03-16T21:07:00.007-05:00

here are a few of the latest additions to Leia's room....I made the window panel out of the crib sheet that came with her bedding set....and the custom bow holder complete with tiara is a fav of mine (over her changing table...probably will add some pics of her)...and I had fun using the Cricut that Aaron bought for me a few years back to experiment and cut vinyl lettering for her name over the closet (also put a little tiara over her light switch)....
lots of fun!

custom Easter basket

2011-03-16T21:02:00.002-05:00

Today I'm excited about the custom Easter basket that I created for Leia. As I was picking up random supplies at Home Depot I came across this plain metal bucket that I thought would look cute with some fixin' up. It came together quite nicely this afternoon, but I'm considering adding more bling (I want it to be over-the-top girly!)....thinkin' some pink rinestone/jewel accents hot glued on all around her monogram....what do you think? ;-)

Leia is clapping and under the bed

2011-03-15T16:05:00.000-05:00

new milestone...Leia is officially clapping...and oh so proud of herself :-)
and, she is so, so close to crawling.... she can sit up now when she is laying on the floor, and she gets her legs under her and starts to attempt to move, and then goes back into a sitting position...she rotates all around the room on her bottom and this morning she ended up under our bed...it was funny- the boys got a kick out of it :-)

FJ Cruiser

2011-03-15T15:37:00.001-05:00

This was one of the first times Leia pulled herself up to stand. She was in the FJ cruiser- so proud of herself, and Lincoln decided to hop in and push the pedal and give her a ride. She is a trooper- she didn't seem to mind!

Our miracle

2011-03-15T15:00:00.007-05:00

When he falls, he will not be hurled headlong, because the Lord is the one who holds his hand. Psalm 34:7 NASB

Landon fell out of our 2nd story window last night.

I'm happy to report that he is fine. Here we are trying to get Landon to tell us exactly where he fell.

I had all the windows wide open last night to vent some of the noxious fumes from the texture spray that I had applied yesterday afternoon (we are finishing off the server closet and prepping it for paint). We came home after a fun night where Landon attended Kamden's 6th birthday party, Aaron and Lincoln had special one on one time at Chuck E Cheese, and Leia and I had a Pei Wei date. :-) After bath, Landon requested his Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle costume from a few Halloweens back...complete with turtle "shell" on the back. He was hiding from Lincoln on the side of the couch in front of the window, and, from what we can figure out, was attempting to hide behind the couch when he leaned back (assuming the window was closed as it always is), and popped the screen out and fell about 16 feet to the ground, where he landed in our shrubs. We still can't figure out whether I had stepped into the office with Aaron for a minute and that is when he fell, or if I was actually in the playroom and cleaning up (the fan was on so it might have covered the sound of the screen popping off). Landon did not make a sound. No screams, nothing. Lincoln kept repeating, "where's Landon, where's Landon", and I told him he was hiding (we aren't sure if Lincoln saw him disappear, or if he was just asking that when he couldn't find him).

The first indication that something was wrong was when I heard Landon crying outside. Of course there are no words to explain all of the thoughts and feelings that ran through my head....from, how did he get downstairs and what is he doing outside, to, I just checked and it looked like the screen was on....to, "dear God- did he just fall out the window?!?"....I ran over and there was Landon...in the dark, standing on the grass, crying, saying, "mom, I fell out the window." I screamed for Aaron in a complete panic, and he came running out of the office asking, "did he fall?" (later he told me that he was hoping Landon was hanging there...which would be my first thought too as he usually has great balance and reflexes and can hang for a long time)....and then when he heard Landon outside he went racing down the stairs. He carefully brought Landon in and although at first glance he appeared to be fine, he raced off to the ER. I made some calls for prayer, and sweet Granny Bobbie came over to stay with Lincoln and Leia while they slept so I could head over to the ER. Both Keith and Barie came up separately and I am so grateful for our dear friends. Their son, Kade, was very thoughtful and brought Landon his pillow pet to borrow, which Landon loved and held close the whole night (perhaps the first pillow pet to get a ct scan!) and told all of the hospital staff that his friend Kade let him borrow it (thanks, Kade!). Thankfully, the hospital is minutes away and they got Landon in immediately. They did several scans and xrays and they all came back normal. Three hours later, we were all home and sleeping!

As of this morning, Landon is not complaining of any pain at all, and we are praising God for a miracle. Our son just fell about 16 feet backwards out of a 2nd story window and he has no bruises, scrapes, or injuries- thank you, God!

Here is Landon showing off the shell. We are convinced that the padding and shell helped protect him from some of the impact of the fall. Landon tells us that he closed his eyes when he was falling, and when he landed it was "soft"! We are not sure if he blacked-out for a little while or not, but regardless, there were a hundred things that could have gone wrong and every little thing went right. I think that he has a pretty great guardian angel. :-)

And, it's true what Dr. Dobson writes in his book, Bringing Up Boys, half the battle of raising boys (especially active and daring ones like Landon) really is keeping them alive!

Thank you all for your prayers and for checking in with us throughout the drama. We love you and are thankful for our wonderful friends and family.

another sweet friendship

2011-03-08T21:46:00.004-06:00

Barie and I get a lot of joy out of watching these two together.

sprinklers in February

2011-03-02T14:24:00.002-06:00

Here is how the boys spent the last day of February enjoying the lovely weather.

more nursery

2011-03-02T14:23:00.001-06:00

still working on it :-)

Austin Park and Pizza

2011-03-02T14:17:00.001-06:00

the kiddos had a blast last week at Austin Park and Pizza with our neighbors and their visiting family from Utah....

Leia swinging

2011-03-02T14:11:00.000-06:00

Our Princess Leia likes to swing. This video footage might make you a little sick....watching the swinging back and forth was messing with me! Notice our neighbor dog, Simon, in the background. The kids "borrow" him from time to time and play with him....just the way we like it...a dog to play with on the other side of the fence...where all its poo and mess stays too. Some of the fun, none of the responsibility! :-)