We're so proud of our London. He does such a good job at Scouts and really seems to love it. Along with his Bear he also earned 5 more Belt Loops. His Scout belt is almost completely silver and gold now. 
Way to go London!Wednesday, March 31, 2010
London's Bear
I have been London's Bear Den Leader since he became a Bear. And we finally earned our Bear. I say OUR because it really was a group effort.
We're so proud of our London. He does such a good job at Scouts and really seems to love it. Along with his Bear he also earned 5 more Belt Loops. His Scout belt is almost completely silver and gold now.
Way to go London!
We're so proud of our London. He does such a good job at Scouts and really seems to love it. Along with his Bear he also earned 5 more Belt Loops. His Scout belt is almost completely silver and gold now. Way to go London!
I'm Stuck!
"Help, Help!!" Phoenix yells. But surprise, surprise he did it himself. Silly kid, really knows how to entertain himself even when his siblings are at school.
Lizard Attack
Phoenix found a friendly little lizard lurking on the Garage door. But once he snatched it off the wall we discovered it wasn't as friendly as we thought.
He really wasn't all that big, but he still scared Aunt Marlene pretty good.
He really wasn't all that big, but he still scared Aunt Marlene pretty good.
We wanted to catch him for my brother Evan. He has a green house and these little guys are pretty good at catching bugs. But in the end Evan said it'd cost a good $25 to ship him up to Utah, and Evan can buy one of these up there for only $7. So maybe next time we go home for a visit, we may just take a few of these with us. ;)
Though I don't think Esther (his wife) will be too happy about that.
Phoenix Turns 5 on March 21st
And FINALLY the pictures you've all been waiting for. Our sweet little Phoenix just turned 5!!! No he does not look like this every day, but it not an uncommon thing either. As you can see we had a Pirate theme this year (after much debate I might add).
I'm not really sure how many kids we had roaming through my house that night. We invited 11 friends, but since it was on a Monday night Family night we also told all the families to stay. Which most of them did. The more the merrier.
Phoenix is the best little boy there ever was. He's so sweet and kind to his friends and siblings. He's always willing to help out and teach others how to do things they are not able to do. Some of his favorite things are riding his bike, roller skating, jumping on the trampoline, swinging, Wii Mario Cart, Lego Star Wars, "Stink Moody" books, race cars, motorcycles, lizards, frogs, and of course any sport that involves a BALL. We love our all boy, boy. And we're so glad he's a part of our family.
Our cake came from 2 different cake books, but all tasted just as yummy. Notice the cute little "twinkie" Sharks. They were rather scrumptious.
I'm not really sure how many kids we had roaming through my house that night. We invited 11 friends, but since it was on a Monday night Family night we also told all the families to stay. Which most of them did. The more the merrier. Phoenix got this trampoline as his main gift. Jared put it together Saturday night, after the kids were in bed (almost froze to death), so Phoenix could wake up on his actual Birthday to play on his new gift. I think we definitely broke it in with this party, what do you think?
What good's a party with out a few games. We weren't sure what to Christen this game there were too many options. My favorite was "Drunken Sailors," but seeing as most of our guests were under 5 this probably wasn't appropriate. In the end Aunt Marlene named it, "Seasick Sailors."
Pin the Eye Patch on the Pirate. Marlene was hilarious, "Oh! Ya got me eye, me eye! AURG!" Those kids were cracking up.
Pizza, soda and chips. The ultimate party food.
Happy Birthday to you! We snuck on 5 trick candles so he had the joy of blowing them out a good 5 times or so. :)
Who wants some shark??!!
And the Treasure Hunt. I didn't know my swing set could support that many kids at once.
The Treasure was literally buried in the "Fire Pit of Doom." (note previous post)
It took a few good helpers and finally Jared to actually get it out though.
And when your 5, Pinata candy treasure is better than gold any day of the week.
Aunt Marlene brought an Ice Age #3 puzzle for Phoenix too. They all helped put it together.
What good's a party with out a few games. We weren't sure what to Christen this game there were too many options. My favorite was "Drunken Sailors," but seeing as most of our guests were under 5 this probably wasn't appropriate. In the end Aunt Marlene named it, "Seasick Sailors." Pin the Eye Patch on the Pirate. Marlene was hilarious, "Oh! Ya got me eye, me eye! AURG!" Those kids were cracking up.
Pizza, soda and chips. The ultimate party food.
Happy Birthday to you! We snuck on 5 trick candles so he had the joy of blowing them out a good 5 times or so. :)
Who wants some shark??!! 
And the Treasure Hunt. I didn't know my swing set could support that many kids at once.
The Treasure was literally buried in the "Fire Pit of Doom." (note previous post)
It took a few good helpers and finally Jared to actually get it out though. 
And when your 5, Pinata candy treasure is better than gold any day of the week.We had our own family party on his actual Birthday, Sunday March 21st. Much more quiet and personal, but still fun. He got a few more Deseret Book, Book of Mormon action figures to add to his collection of toys he's allowed to play with at church. Samuel the Lamenite and 2 Elders joined the ranks. It was funny to watch those Elders wrestle and attack the Nephites during Sacrament Meeting that morning.
And his new cool Rainbow Dragon kite. Way too awesome!
Aunt Marlene brought an Ice Age #3 puzzle for Phoenix too. They all helped put it together. Phoenix is the best little boy there ever was. He's so sweet and kind to his friends and siblings. He's always willing to help out and teach others how to do things they are not able to do. Some of his favorite things are riding his bike, roller skating, jumping on the trampoline, swinging, Wii Mario Cart, Lego Star Wars, "Stink Moody" books, race cars, motorcycles, lizards, frogs, and of course any sport that involves a BALL. We love our all boy, boy. And we're so glad he's a part of our family.
Let Me Out!
We've, not so, recently installed child locks on all our exterior doors. This occurred after I found Sicily walking BACK to our house, but still 2 houses away, all on her own. She doesn't mind so much that she can no longer break out, but every now and again (when her siblings are having fun outside with out her), she makes a rather valiant effort to GET OUT!
Spring Break Camp Out
We meant to go camping with some friends for a few nights over the long week, but there was just too much else going on. So instead we invited those friends over for a sleep-over-camp-out in our own back yard.
Jared loves setting up these tents, and it's moves much quicker when you have some helpers.
And since we just recently moved our garden to the other side of the house, this empty space was optimal for a fire pit. Now the debate is if we make it permanent.
The favorite part of the evening. Dancing around the camp fire. Just kidding. Plenty of marshmallows and smores to go around. They went through 2 whole bags of marshmallows! Though Charlie was hanging out rather close to it all, so I'm not too sure how many he may have snitched.
We tucked the kids all into bed around 11, and were out ourselves by 11:30. I woke up around 3:40 to boys laughing in the back yard, poked my head out the window, told them to put their DS's away and, "GO TO SLEEP!" I think they got a grand total of 3 hours that night. :) Whoever decided to call them SLEEP-overs, has obviously never been to one. :)
Jared loves setting up these tents, and it's moves much quicker when you have some helpers.
And since we just recently moved our garden to the other side of the house, this empty space was optimal for a fire pit. Now the debate is if we make it permanent.Jared and I have been married now for 10 years and had yet to have used the ice cream maker we were given as a present at our Reception. So 10 years too late we whipped up some rather yummy chocolate ice cream (though the raspberry version we made a few days later was MUCH better). This is not a normal at camp outs, so all the kids were rather excited. And I now understand why my parents always put the Ice Cream Maker on the bathroom counter while it worked. Those suckers are LOUD!
The favorite part of the evening. Dancing around the camp fire. Just kidding. Plenty of marshmallows and smores to go around. They went through 2 whole bags of marshmallows! Though Charlie was hanging out rather close to it all, so I'm not too sure how many he may have snitched.
We tucked the kids all into bed around 11, and were out ourselves by 11:30. I woke up around 3:40 to boys laughing in the back yard, poked my head out the window, told them to put their DS's away and, "GO TO SLEEP!" I think they got a grand total of 3 hours that night. :) Whoever decided to call them SLEEP-overs, has obviously never been to one. :)
Stomping Grounds
Since Houston is rather HOT in the summer there is a really COOL indoor playground that we found just around the corner for us. And since it was Spring Break we thought we'd spend a morning playing.
This building is Huge, and is chuck full of playground equipment.
And the best part was, I got to play too. No there are no pictures of me climbing through all those tiny spaces and jumping down the slides with my kids. It's hard enough to maneuver in there on my own. I was not about to take a camera in, swinging around my neck.
They even have a fun little spot for those under 3, lucky Sicily
We were all rather sweaty by the end of our 3 hour play. So much fun, but I'd suggest you get there when it opens. We had the whole place to ourselves the 1st hour, bit more crowded by the end though. Definitely going back this summer when it's stinking hot outside.
This building is Huge, and is chuck full of playground equipment.And the best part was, I got to play too. No there are no pictures of me climbing through all those tiny spaces and jumping down the slides with my kids. It's hard enough to maneuver in there on my own. I was not about to take a camera in, swinging around my neck.
They even have a fun little spot for those under 3, lucky Sicily
We were all rather sweaty by the end of our 3 hour play. So much fun, but I'd suggest you get there when it opens. We had the whole place to ourselves the 1st hour, bit more crowded by the end though. Definitely going back this summer when it's stinking hot outside.Sunday Stroll
Over by our soccer fields there are some beautiful trails to walk on. They're flat as a pancake, but this is as close to hiking as our kids will get to here in Texas. So we took a little stroll instead of a little hike.
The best part of all is Charlie doesn't HAVE to be on a leash. He loves it, though the little scaredy cat still stays pretty close.
Sicily got tired after not too long, so Daddy helped out. She's so funny, she always holds onto his face, not the hat or chin, but his face. Silly girl.
And yes, these boys are scared to death (not really). There are wild boar out in these here woods. We've seen their aftermath on the fields (they dig big ol' ruts and poop everywhere). I haven't actually seen one out here just yet. We saw one a few miles down the road, probably weighed 100-150 lbs, they are huge and apparently very mean.
The best part of all is Charlie doesn't HAVE to be on a leash. He loves it, though the little scaredy cat still stays pretty close. 
Sicily got tired after not too long, so Daddy helped out. She's so funny, she always holds onto his face, not the hat or chin, but his face. Silly girl.
And yes, these boys are scared to death (not really). There are wild boar out in these here woods. We've seen their aftermath on the fields (they dig big ol' ruts and poop everywhere). I haven't actually seen one out here just yet. We saw one a few miles down the road, probably weighed 100-150 lbs, they are huge and apparently very mean.
Monday, March 29, 2010
Sunday Drives
Now that we have 9-12 church, we have loads of time in the afternoon to spend as a family. So a few Sundays back we decided to warm up Jared's bike, it hasn't been out for a while. All the kids got turns going for a drive.
It's hard to say who loves these rides more...
Jared or the kids? :) We're definitely a motorcycle loving family.
Weeds Glorious Weeds
Well, not exactly glorious. I stepped outside a few Saturdays back to clean up the back yard. But what I could actually see from my window was not the real mess.
Back in corners and along the entire fence line were HUGE poky dandelion type weeds. So we got out the diggers, London and Aspen took turns holding the bags, and Jared and I dug up all these weeds. Needless to say we are putting down some weed killer this weekend. I am NOT wanting to go weed digging again any time soon.
Back in corners and along the entire fence line were HUGE poky dandelion type weeds. So we got out the diggers, London and Aspen took turns holding the bags, and Jared and I dug up all these weeds. Needless to say we are putting down some weed killer this weekend. I am NOT wanting to go weed digging again any time soon.
Sunday, March 28, 2010
Bruises
Phoenix came crashing in the house the other night with a horribly scuffed elbow, apparently his skateboard bucked him off. As I bathed him that evening we also discovered this on this thigh.
Problem is he bonked his left elbow and this is his right thigh. The kids spent the whole rest of the evening demonstrating to Jared and I how he could have landed and injured both appendages in the same fall. Problem is, it's not physically possible.
3 days later, Phoenix had an epiphany. He recalled getting out of my immensely large bath tub 4 days prior. He had slipped and whacked his hip on the tub rim. Low and behold!!! 2 separate injuries, 2 separate incidents.
Problem is he bonked his left elbow and this is his right thigh. The kids spent the whole rest of the evening demonstrating to Jared and I how he could have landed and injured both appendages in the same fall. Problem is, it's not physically possible.
3 days later, Phoenix had an epiphany. He recalled getting out of my immensely large bath tub 4 days prior. He had slipped and whacked his hip on the tub rim. Low and behold!!! 2 separate injuries, 2 separate incidents.
Houston Rodeo
Don't you just love those cheetah skin chaps, only at a professional Rodeo will you see those. :) So we didn't actually make it to the Rodeo, but we made it outside to all the other fun activities.
A few friends accompanied us to the Petting Zoo and on the Carnival rides. Sicily chased this rooster all over the place, he eventually jumped over the fence into the donkey pen. The ducks were hiding out in there too. Our roosters growing up would NEVER have let us chase them. Sicily's lucky she found a nice one.
I think this deer sucked on every ones shirt that came in here. Poor little Bailey had a rather slobbery shirt.
Gotcha! She's always trying to catch Charlies tail too. This tail was MUCH easier to get a hold of, shorter and doesn't wag as much.
Welcome back to Australia! They even had 2 little Wallabies.
These guys were much quicker than the other animals. I think they were sick of getting their tails stepped, on if you ask me.
Quilts, Quilts, Quilts. Aren't they beautiful? I not very good at sewing but I can quilt, so I appreciate a beautiful quilt when I see one.
Phoenix was excited about the milking demonstration. But, in the end, I think he was a little grossed out by where his ice cream actually comes from.
Everything's bigger in Texas. Check out those horns! Man, I don't know how he even keeps his head up. And he'll definitely never fit through a door.
Tractors, Tractors everywhere. I must say though, this is the cleanest tractor I've ever seen. It obviously has never been in a field.
So onto the carnival. We all really wanted to go on the Ferris Wheel, but our 2 littler ones were just too little. So Phoenix got to go with a friend and her Mom. I think they would have gone by themselves had we let them, apparently 3 can be a crowd sometimes.
If you don't want to get sick, don't watch this video. It made me sick filming it. I'm actually in the bouncy car with Sicily in front of Phoenix's bouncy car. So don't say I didn't warn you.
A few friends accompanied us to the Petting Zoo and on the Carnival rides. Sicily chased this rooster all over the place, he eventually jumped over the fence into the donkey pen. The ducks were hiding out in there too. Our roosters growing up would NEVER have let us chase them. Sicily's lucky she found a nice one.
I think this deer sucked on every ones shirt that came in here. Poor little Bailey had a rather slobbery shirt.
Gotcha! She's always trying to catch Charlies tail too. This tail was MUCH easier to get a hold of, shorter and doesn't wag as much.
Welcome back to Australia! They even had 2 little Wallabies.
These guys were much quicker than the other animals. I think they were sick of getting their tails stepped, on if you ask me.
Quilts, Quilts, Quilts. Aren't they beautiful? I not very good at sewing but I can quilt, so I appreciate a beautiful quilt when I see one.I always thought it would be fun to be a Rodeo Clown, never thought I'd do it with my kids at the same time. And if you're wondering, the insides of those barrels are made of pretty tough stuff.
Phoenix was excited about the milking demonstration. But, in the end, I think he was a little grossed out by where his ice cream actually comes from.Everything's bigger in Texas. Check out those horns! Man, I don't know how he even keeps his head up. And he'll definitely never fit through a door.
Tractors, Tractors everywhere. I must say though, this is the cleanest tractor I've ever seen. It obviously has never been in a field.
So onto the carnival. We all really wanted to go on the Ferris Wheel, but our 2 littler ones were just too little. So Phoenix got to go with a friend and her Mom. I think they would have gone by themselves had we let them, apparently 3 can be a crowd sometimes.
If you don't want to get sick, don't watch this video. It made me sick filming it. I'm actually in the bouncy car with Sicily in front of Phoenix's bouncy car. So don't say I didn't warn you.I finally tried my first Fried Twinkie. Everyone always brags about them and how good they are. But I'd have to say they are not my favorite. I'll take the funnel cake next time, thanx! But if anyone's up for some Fried Keylime Pie let me know, I'd like a bite.
Friday, March 19, 2010
A Day at the Beach
One way to welcome in the Spring is with a day at the beach. We're not as close to the coast as we once were, it now take 1 1/2 hours drive time instead of a 5 min walk, but we love the beach just the same.
It was at least 70 degrees when we got to the Gulf this afternoon, but by evening it was quite a bit colder. My kids, being my kids, do not feel the cold. They played hard in that water till we stuffed them in the car and drove home.
We enjoyed the perfect sand castle sand with 2 other families with kids our kids ages. It's always fun to have a friend along.
I actually got Addison to smile for the camera. That is a serious miracle right there. And to get Phoenix to look up at the same time and stop concentrating on his sand castle, WOW, I am one awesome Camera Mom.
So as the evening went by the temperature dropped but the wind picked up. Perfectly too! We got all our kites up in the air, and some of them are pretty big so that's saying something.
Sicily even got in on the action with our shark kite. Eventually it did get away from her but luckily hooked on the mirror of the car. You can see London's trick kite up there with the tail. That thing never stays airborne for long, but this time it never came down. He did loop-de-loops for a good 30 mins with that thing.
Proof that it is possible to use all the string on your reel. I was really hoping it was tied on at the end, never knew, never had a kite go up that high. Not too sure but I think this was a 100 ft kite string. It was our Dragon Fly Kite, the one Aspen's flying above.
After the water and most of the kites were down it was time for dinner. Do you think Sicily likes Cheetos? I'm not too sure.
Bonn Fire on the Beach. I've always wanted to do this but never had the chance. We were sure glad we had this fire by the end of the evening too. That wind was cold, and wet towels just don't cut it when it comes to warming up.
Hot Dogs and Smores. For those of you that don't know what Smores are, you roast a marshmallow or 2 then put it with a graham cracker (or simple cookie) add a good sized square of chocolate and you're good to go. I've never actually seen someone roast the chocolate too, like this. A bit risky if you ask me, marshmallows are cheep, but you just can't waste chocolate. He lost the 1st one, but his second one worked.
We parked right next to this big ol' tree trunk. We think Hurricane Ike put it here. Great playground for the kids. And Sicily's always up for a good smashing of her big brother.
It was at least 70 degrees when we got to the Gulf this afternoon, but by evening it was quite a bit colder. My kids, being my kids, do not feel the cold. They played hard in that water till we stuffed them in the car and drove home.
We enjoyed the perfect sand castle sand with 2 other families with kids our kids ages. It's always fun to have a friend along.
I actually got Addison to smile for the camera. That is a serious miracle right there. And to get Phoenix to look up at the same time and stop concentrating on his sand castle, WOW, I am one awesome Camera Mom.
So as the evening went by the temperature dropped but the wind picked up. Perfectly too! We got all our kites up in the air, and some of them are pretty big so that's saying something.
Sicily even got in on the action with our shark kite. Eventually it did get away from her but luckily hooked on the mirror of the car. You can see London's trick kite up there with the tail. That thing never stays airborne for long, but this time it never came down. He did loop-de-loops for a good 30 mins with that thing.
Proof that it is possible to use all the string on your reel. I was really hoping it was tied on at the end, never knew, never had a kite go up that high. Not too sure but I think this was a 100 ft kite string. It was our Dragon Fly Kite, the one Aspen's flying above.
After the water and most of the kites were down it was time for dinner. Do you think Sicily likes Cheetos? I'm not too sure.
Bonn Fire on the Beach. I've always wanted to do this but never had the chance. We were sure glad we had this fire by the end of the evening too. That wind was cold, and wet towels just don't cut it when it comes to warming up.
Hot Dogs and Smores. For those of you that don't know what Smores are, you roast a marshmallow or 2 then put it with a graham cracker (or simple cookie) add a good sized square of chocolate and you're good to go. I've never actually seen someone roast the chocolate too, like this. A bit risky if you ask me, marshmallows are cheep, but you just can't waste chocolate. He lost the 1st one, but his second one worked.
We parked right next to this big ol' tree trunk. We think Hurricane Ike put it here. Great playground for the kids. And Sicily's always up for a good smashing of her big brother.
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