Down at the Boardwalk!

Back on the 20th of May, I decided to take the kids to the boardwalk. We didn't stay long because of the heat, BUT what we did squeeze in was a blast!


The view from the parking garage!


We've been coming here for over 10 years .. I just love the look of all the rides!


One of these days we'll remember to bring change to actually LOOK out those things!




The WATER!!

End of the Year!

This past Friday I was able to go and join in on the fun of the end of school year activities. I have never really been able to do these things in the past due to work or things of the such. The kids are finishing up 2nd grade and this year they had a day packed of all kinds of fun.

First was a book signing! All of the children in the 2nd grade became published writers. They were able to write a story on how they have shown a random act of kindness to someone (or on about half the stories how someone has shown a random of act of kindness to them). The kids were able to sit with their classmates as the parents went around and had the kids sign next to their story. We were encouraged to get all the kids from our child's class and then if we wanted, linger on to the other children. Well as expected, I had 3 classes to go to so I seriously got about 60% of the 2nd grade class' signatures. :)


May I have your autograph?

Then right after they had an awards ceremony. Now in the kids' previous school they had an awards ceremony every 9 weeks. It included awards in all sorts of different categories. A couple of weeks ago, I got an email from 2 out of 3 teachers stating the kids won an award and they would have a ceremony. I went and all they were awarding was for fairness.



I found it odd, but just shrugged it off. Apparently they saved the big award ceremony for the end of the school year. They had all the kids sit on the stage and as they called on which kid won, they would stand and once the category ended we'd all clap and they'd sit. It was interesting, and I was glad all three got an award! It would have been heartbreaking had someone missed out. One of the awards was for perfect attendance!! I was shocked because I was for certain everyone had missed a day. I guess my girl beat out the boys and was healthy all year round!



The day just kept going. After all of that it was time for a picnic!! Hot dogs, chips & cookies. What a way to end the school year, and kick start the holiday weekend.



The kids were stoked about it all, had I brought Baby J, that would have been icing on the cake for them. But I couldn't pass up the fact that he was sound asleep and that would have left me hands free for the couple of hours I was there.

So the end of the school year is here and I now have three third graders! ... WOW!

I Swore I'd Never ...

So the question was put out there by Mama Kat's Writing Workshop .. "Name something you swore you'd never do when you had kids, but now find yourself doing." Here's a few things.

1. I always swore that two was the max.


Well we all know how THAT one turned out.

2. I would never dress my kids the same.


But they just looked so cute!

3. I would not let my boys play with dolls.


I guess there wasn't enough toys to play with that Christmas morning.

4. I would never cut my daughter's hair short.


She got lucky that was the shortest it ever got. I on the other hand .. was not.

5. I would not let my kids be dragged around and have their picture taken in the wildflowers.


I guess this is a battle I'll never win.

Also! Find me and other mothers of multiples linking up every Monday over at Multiples Monday.

A Picking We Will Go!

I remember, when I was a kid, a family friend taking us to go and pick strawberries. I don't remember it very well, but definitely have the faint memory of us bending over a bush and picking. A week or so ago while on Facebook, I saw a friend's pictures of her family at a local fruits and vegetable farm. After I saw this, I was determined to go.

Yesterday, I woke up early in excitement to go. And of course it being the weekend, so were the kids. I was so excited I was dreaming about it! But I dreamed it was raining and we didn't get to go! Yikes, glad that didn't happen. I forgot I had invited my sister, so after waiting at out local McDonald's for about 2 hours, we were READY to go!!

The fields were located right behind this little store. After going in, and being greeted by DELICIOUS samples of their homemade smoked sausage we headed towards the back. After purchasing a bucket and going over the rules, we were free to go.



The strawberries were beautiful. I'm used to seeing them in the store, where they're about to go bad and have bad spots. These we're just perfect.



There were just rows and rows full of the bushes. It seemed never ending.



And like I said before they had a little store in front. I'm guessing this was like a farmer's market type store, hint the name "fruit & vegetable farm" haha. I wish I was able to browse some more, everything looked so delicious. Huge onions, homemade fried pies, chocolate covered almonds & raisins .. Even a smokehouse just right next door.


Excuse the nail polish! I got smart and tested a polish on my thumb .. have yet to make the effort to clean it off. haha

This was a great way to spend the Sunday. Had I known my mother had the day off, it would've been a full family event.

Happy Earth Day!

I'm not real big into nature and all that jazz. I only say this because when you're from Houston it goes from "winter" straight to summer and so we don't get the chance to experience spring. Going outside to enjoy ANYTHING is impossible without having a heat stroke or getting bit by mosquitoes.

Well today, I decided to do a little something special for Earth Day. My kids have been counting down the days and constantly reminding me the day will be approaching. So I figured, why not? If I could have found my keys in a timely manner, the day would have been awesome. I was ready to leave about 9:30/10:00 and the weather outside was GREAT! About 65 degrees and a breeze, buuut we didn't head out 'til noon.

So everyday I pass by this place with a sign that says "Nature Center". I never think anything of it, but knew it'd be a great place to take the kids today. Basically all it is is a pathway, that probably equals out to a mile, where you can walk and enjoy the trees, some flowers and such. I personally would have liked it more had the trail been more manicured and maybe even a garden or something, but the kids loved it.



After walking for a bit, we came up to this sign that said "Bird Blind". Blind? What?

"Viewing blinds provide the chance to observe different species of birds without disturbing them."

So we go off the path into a more beaten up walkway and then come up to a board with holes. I have never seen such a thing. It was just a way to hide yourself and see everything. Had there been birds, I think that would have been a sight!



After a few more bird blinds, we decided to take the "Loop Path". Bad.Idea. This was a path OUTSIDE the wooded area. Another beaten up walk way that seemed to last forever. Friday, we got a full day of rain, so along this path there were still some puddles and such. You can add the mosquitoes now. Outside of the shade and with the tall grass and puddles it was just so muggy. See this is why I don't like nature. But we did see a bee on a flower and the kids gushed how that the bee was gathering its nectar. And then they saw random berry like things and the middle of the three had to let everyone know that it was "poisonous".



All in all, besides my Debbie Downer "It's too hot, why am I walking?" the kids had a great time .. ENJOYING NATURE!

Even this little one. :)

Tooth Fairy

Think of all the milestones kids go through, multiply those by three. Now usually it wouldn't be that big of deal: first steps, first words, etc. But what about teeth?! I don't know how many teeth we have *starts counting* like 20 something? But now multiply THAT by three! And think, a dollar a tooth! Now in our house the tooth fairy occasionally forgets. But I once told one of the boys (who lost 3 teeth within a week), when the fairy forgot, was to write a note asking for more money. He was a six year old kid already doubting the reality of the tooth fairy!! So that day she left two dollars.

Well now, since January, my daughter finally loses her third tooth. I told her to leave it on her dresser because the tooth fairy couldn't get up that high in her loft bed. Well looks like she forgot again! Well her brother came up to her and said, "if you write a note, the tooth fairy gives you more money."

So this is her letter:
Dear Tooth Fairy,
I think that you missed me, or I think you was giving the dollars to other kids and you ran out of dollars.

Oh my! If the fairy keeps getting letters like that, I'm sure she'll go broke REAL quick!

Wordless Wednesday - Halloween Woes

I know this is "WORDLESS" but I have to set the scene ..
His Superman costume had a miniature fan to blow up his muscles. He wouldn't go around with it on, until I made him so I could get a picture. And then he would say "I'm fat!"

15 Years Later...

Ever since moving into our new place, the boys have had their vcr just sitting on top of their tv. I never wanted to go searching for a cord, or messing with the digital converter box. You know, the in & out on the back of the vcr .. which one goes in which?

But one day this past week, I went in there to clean up. It was horrible as stuff was just jammed into the closet, clothes in the toy box .. I knew I'd be in there for a while. So I brought in the exersaucer for the baby and hooked up the vcr in hopes he'd be entertained by Elmo. So far my 5 month old is not intrigued with the tv .. show him an iPod and you got a different story.

When the kids got home and saw the vcr was hooked up they were already making a line up of what movies they'd watch. So far, The Goofy Movie has been on replay for a week now. No joke.

I think it's hilarious though, because this weekend I've been hearing one song in particular being played over and over. I told them, that I had seen the movie a hundred times when I was a little older than they were but they never knew what I used to do to that movie! lol

15 years ago, my sister and I would play that movie over and over as well. We would even take our Astroworld Bugs Bunny ears, which I think were supposed to substitute for Goofy ears haha, and act out the concert (which is the 2nd song on the video)! At the house we grew up in, our closet doors were the ones that opened from both sides (picture 2 doors that would swing open opposite sides) and we'd bust through them and sing and dance. We had it down!



I just can't believe that 15 years later, the kids are acting the same way we were.

006. Bleh

Well I don't know what is in the air, but since the 4th a few people in my family have been battling some sinus/allergy issues. Well I guess with that, that tells you what's in the air. haha And it has not been fun. My dad was supposed to come over to do some things on our house, the week before the 4th and couldn't because he was sick. He ended up coming ON the 4th and I was able to take him to Lowes and help him out, while he in turn did some things for me.

When we got home from fireworks that night, it kind of scared me because the baby was sounding congested and was coughing. To me, for a barely 3 month old to be coughing, doesn't settle right. I tried to suck up the nasty-ness in his nose, and noticed that his coughing was less when I did that. And as the days went on he seemed to be getting better and I was relieved. I called one of the nurses at the doctor's office and she suggest "Little Noses" (a saline solution) and suck it up with that. But that babies his age is normal for congestion. BUT then I started getting sick. I got that scratchy feeling at the back of my throat, my eyes were itchy & watery, and was sneezing to no end. Even my ears were itchy! So for the last of the week I spent it with my bff Benadryl. I can say I'm not 100% but I'm way better than I was.

While battling the allergies, I've had to deal with the agony that is "renting-to-own". As I've mentioned before, we moved not to long ago. We put down a good chunk for a down payment, and are paying rent up til the place is paid off. Should be about 5 years or less. Upon purchasing the place, we were given a 60-day guarantee on things like plumbing, a/c, roof .. things like that. But anything else was on an "as-is" basis.

WELL, we've had the A/C people come out twice, with word from the owner, and our A/C STILL isn't fixed properly. They come out, we get excited and then hours later something else is wrong. They came out Friday, and when I turned it off after being satisfied with the outcome, the inside fan motor was still going. After calling the owner & the A/C people and getting no answer I had to shut it off by the breaker box. I've been calling the owner since Friday. I've left messages, each with a more irritated tone added to it, and have not heard anything back. I got ahold of Tony, the A/C guy, on Monday and he was able to guide me over the phone about how to turn the fan motor off (he apparently had left the switch by the actual fan motor "on" instead of "auto") But at about 1 or 2 in the morning it starts blowing warm air, instead of cold air. So first thing Tuesday morning I was back calling Tony & the owner. Now it's Wednesday, and Tony says he can't get ahold of the owner. It's really quite irritating. Irritating that no one can get ahold of this guy and the guarantee is closing in. Oh but wait .. we did get ahold of the guy. How you ask? By calling from another number. Yeah! So apparently he's avoiding me. Not cool I tell you. Not cool.