It's finally happening...

After a week with the Geeks, our computer is back in business...I have a lot to update "you" on, and it may take me a while to get caught up...but there are a few things I've been dying to post about. Here is one of them.

Our house work is actually starting! (Sort of.)

Remember this?

 Then it looked like this.

 Now it looks like this!

Woohoo! Don't hate us for demo-ing a cute old house...it was actually scooped up and moved. We don't know to where. Some fisherman got a nice little cabin. Something along those lines.

We still have some work to do with our architect to get our plans builder-ready, but seeing the house get move, and guys out there prepping the lot with giant machinery is VERY EXCITING!

Houston, we have a problem

I have a whole laundry list of stuff to post about (and pics!) but our computer is having a bad hair day and is going to spend the weekend with the Geek Squad (who if you are considering getting their help on a Mac...well, let's just say I think they contributed to if not caused the issues we're having). At least this time we're all backed up - learned that lesson the hard way.

Hopefully we'll be back up and running soon...

Happy "60 is the new 40"th Birthday Dahdo

The night before we headed camping we celebrated my dad's 60th birthday with a little family get-together. 

Pam and Maggie

 Dahdo (still in his work-out duds) and Maggie.

 Dahdo and all three. Nice faces kids.

 Owen spent his "quiet play time" that day helping me make Dahdo a gluten free carrot cake. It was actually really yummy. We kept the nuts out of the batter and just put them on top so Owen could eat a non-nutty piece. (That's supposed to be a 60! - not a 601.)

Once again, I missed the photo opp with my brother Alex. He does really exist, I promise. 

Because of bedtime schedules and party timing, etc., the kids and I just ended up crashing at their house - so fun! Kyle had to go back to work (he just came for a couple of hours) but I got to see how a sleepover at Dahdo and Pam's goes down for O & R...without really having to participate in actual parenting/bedtime activities. Ahhhhhhhhh. Then Dad and I stayed up way to late watching Fox New. Conservative Crack. It was a lovely evening if I do say so myself. To another sixty years Stanley...

"To meet or face courageously"

That is the dictionary.com definition of brave. Others might define it as "going overnight camping with 24 adults and 32 kiddos for TWO nights". Bravery is often only indistinguishable from foolishness by the outcome...and we all had a good time and everyone made it home safe and sound so I guess that makes us brave.

It was the Hill Country Camping Society's first (annual?) 2-night camping trip. Enchanted Rock was the lucky park to have us and our abundance of tents, camping chairs and children. We are starting to be of the opinion that it takes SO much work to pull this kind of thing off with 3 kids that two nights is the only way to go - it makes all the prep time on both ends worth it.

Here are our two youngest campers - Maggie and Blair hanging out while we set up camp Friday night. (In all fairness, I have to confess that Melissa and I and the babies stayed at a sweet friend's ranch house a few miles from the park - so Rebecca still holds the record for youngest camper - making her debut overnight stay at 3.5 months.)

I find the first thing people ask when we tell them we went to E-Rock is "did you go to the top?" Of course we did! Rebecca rode in the backpack and Maggie in the ergo (first time on the back) and Owen was a trooper and walked the whole way.

 That is the journey ahead...

 Once we got to the top (and over the 2-3 false summits - "bummer - there's more!?") we hung out on the backside near the cave entrance (which is now marked, unlike in our Camp Buckner days). It was a lot less windier so we sat in relative peace and quiet and ate our picnic lunch. Kyle reminisced about the good ol' days when he and other CB crazies did the cave without flashlights by memory.

 Some of the toddlers even went through part of it (with a couple of dads of course). Owen was content to climb up and over the back side. Here he and Kyle are emerging.

 Yea!

 Uh...Alison - did you know Rebecca had wondered off and was climbing up to find Kyle and Owen on her own? (She emerges - full of pride in her sneaky accomplishment.) Well, no Kyle, I didn't! Hi Rebecca! Hi Mommy!

Not our BOB (or our kids)...but it exemplifies the sentiment of most when we made it back down. If we had had room in our van for our BOB...this would have been us.

 Maggie did surprisingly well all weekend - she even managed to keep to her rough schedule - taking 2 naps a day in the tent! Here she is with Christal giving my back a break at the top of the rock.

 Does that camo suit look familiar? Life-saver. Saturday night she passed in Kyle's arms before I could get her loaded up to drive her to the ranch for a proper bedtime. Kyle just hated having to sit and hold her and have people bring him bowls of chili. (In all fairness - I don't think the man sat down for more than .45 nanoseconds all weekend.)

 Tuckered out.

 Just a little bit later she got passed off to me...and the peaceful sleep ended. We headed out for our little home away from camp shortly after.

I should mention that even though Mel and I didn't have to brave the cold nights, we did have some mishaps along the way - a mysterious water valve that eluded us, a snake (?) during our hunt for said water valve, an unplugged water heater (I know...we were really roughing it), and really comfy beds, couches and a flatscreen tv with DirectTV. I know...rough.

*Owen and Rebecca slept in their own tent, with Kyle in a tent right next to them. And it worked! Brave brave Kyle.

Okay, back to camp. Saturday afternoon, the King of Adventure himself (Mr. Trey), with his Fearless Sidekick (Mr. Kyle), set up 2 top-ropes so the kids could do some real rock climbing. Belay is on! (Or, Blaze on!!!) Here is Kyle getting Owen ready for his debut.

 Up he goes.

 I had to bail right before he went up (both girls were melting down), so didn't get to watch, but supposedly he wanted to use his knees a lot. Ahem. He gets that from me. Why climb when you can crawl?

 Daddy teaching him proper form.

 Getting there.

 Almost to the top...

 Woohoo!!!

 Now rappelling back down - with Daddy close behind.

 Weeeeeeeeeee!

 Meanwhile...back at camp. Have you ever seen a little girl in pink with a dirtier mouth? Seriously, this picture doesn't do it justice...

 A little better here? (That's her smile pose - head tilted.)

And when we weren't climbing E-Rock or helping the kids develop other very safe hobbies, there was a playground right at our campsite!

 And just lots of bike riding and wondering around. And pretending. With sticks.

 Another thing that made the weekend extra special is that it was Blake's 2nd Birthday! Mel made some super delicioso s'more cookie/bars to celebrate. Sweet boy.

 The only picture we have (thanks to Mel) of camp...and some men actually sitting down. Seriously, it takes a village to pull this kind of thing off - and even though we planned/brought the food for meals - everyone was sooooooo super hands on and helpful which meant no one ever stayed sitting down for long. From prepping the next meal to cleaning up to chasing after rogue children (usually Rebecca), it was a very successful team effort. Thanks HCCS!

Two nights next fall???

*A couple of fun statistics related to pulling this weekend off: 12 families, 200 eggs, 250 slices of bread, 5 crockpots of chili (we had leftovers), 3 carts at Cost-Co...

Melissa's take on the weekend for those who haven't had enough...

Springtime? Yes, Please.

Is spring really here? Is wintertime over? Can we go swimming yet? Are you (or your kids) as anxious for springtime as we are? (My only reservation is I know summer HEAT follows spring...)

We're ready to stop being sick and get outside and have some fun! - says Maggie (doing her breathing treatment)

 Valentine's Day snuck up on us (It's mid February already?!) But thankfully Melissa and I had an unusual amount of foresight last summer when we made these crayon's (for Owen and Bailey's 4th birthday party) - and we made enough for the kids to take to their preschool classes as Valentine's. Who does that?

 Thanks to Bee and Nana our Valentine's Day was filled with treats - and we finished the evening with heart-shaped ravioli and little heart brownies.

 But back to springtime. Seriously - we've had some beautiful days recently. So, of course we've been frequenting our favorite little park as much as possible. 

Maggie swinging for the first (?) time. Stiff as a board - but loving it.

 Rebecca loved pushing her. And Maggie loved it too.

 Weeeeeeeeeee!!!

 What could be better than swinging while playing peekaboo? Nothing!

 And a little (almost) naked baby play time in the backyard. (Have I mentioned how great it is that she is sitting up now? She's so much happier and more easily entertained.)

 Her two favorite accessories - her bib and her tongue. Rock it, girl!

 Before we can go outside to play...we have to put some clothes on. Come on Rebecca - we have to get dressed now. (What you're looking at is her preferred wardrobe - undies, and an assortment of play jewelry. She likes to put several necklaces around her head like a true Austin hipster.)

 Now that we're dressed, we can swing!

 If you have flowers in your yard - watch out - Rebecca WILL pick them. All of them. For you mommy!

 And like all good 2.5 year olds - if you have a sandbox - even if its only filled with rainwater and dirt - she will play in it.

 Who needs a playhouse when you can climb a real house?

 Owen likes spring but I don't think he'll be satisfied until we 1) go camping (next weekend!), and 2) can go swimming...

 Playing a little catch.

 Doing a little work.

 Remember our handprint Christmas tree? I realized I neglected to take it down with the rest of our Christmas stuff and it was still hanging in the playroom. Decided it needed a springtime replacement. So we made this cherry blossom tree with fingerprints. Isn't it fun and springy?

 I'm no artist but I had a lot of fun painting the tree. So free form. So unplanned. So not me! Plus there's something really fun about painting on a giant canvas. Makes me feel way more artistic than I am. And the kids enjoyed doing the fingerprint buds/leaves. Owen did the pink (because there were more of them - but he made sure to tell me several times that pink is NOT his favorite color), Rebecca did the yellow and Maggie's big toe did the green. Teamwork at its best.

Happy springtime to you!