Showing posts with label fun times with family. Show all posts
Showing posts with label fun times with family. Show all posts
Saturday, April 11, 2009
Easter Egg Hunt
Today, I took Zachary and Ashley to our neighborhood-sponsored Easter Egg Hunt...which wasn't actually in our neighborhood, but whatever. This is the first egg hunt they've been to that wasn't really Mom-sponsored, and they had a great time! Ashley loved the Easter Bunny the most (she wanted to know where he was at all times), and she was a pro at raking in the eggs. Zachary wasn't as interested in the bunny, neither was he as hard-pressed to gather up as many eggs as he could find, which is OK. I just didn't want him to be upset after they let the other kids back out for another run at 'em. Both Zachary and Ashley were so cute to watch, though I spent more of my time with Ashley, since the egg hunt for the under-3 crowd was in a different spot than the rest. Zachary was just excited to be with so many other kids and on a playground at the same time. Fun!
Monday, January 5, 2009
Ring in the New Year!
Happy New Year to you all! I haven't really been setting goals, have you? I like to think (or, perhaps, pretend) that I set mini-goals throughout the year so the New Year doesn't prompt me to get serious about goal-setting. If you have set goals, good for you! I would love to hear about them.
As for me, instead of listing my goals for the New Year, I have decided to compile a different sort of list:
12 Months of Things I'm Looking Forward to in 2009:
January: I am soooo enjoying having Chris off school for winter break! He doesn't have to return to classes until the day after Martin Luther King Day, so I'm lovin' that!
February: Hmmmm... OK, here's one: Chris will, of course, be BACK in school (that brings other untold blessings, like getting more of my own computer time back...ha ha) BUT he will only have Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday classes. How nice is that?! I intend to enjoy his easier schedule along with him.
March: This will be the month of finding out fun stuff, I think. If not, then the fun stuff will have already been found out and I'll be celebrating the knowing. Also, Spring Break! Maybe we'll make some fun plans for that.
April: There's always something to look forward to in April...nice spring weather, and Easter falls on the 12th. Also, I look forward to listening to prophets and apostles speak in the Church's semiannual General Conference at the beginning of the month.
May: Ashley turns 3, and I am so excited about that! Aside from celebrating her birthday (which I always enjoy), it means that she can start taking gymnastics and swimming lessons just like Zachary has gotten to do for the past year or so. She will no longer have to be the spectator. AND HOW COULD I POSSIBLY FORGET ABOUT GRADUATION?????? I keep forgetting that Chris will not be in school forever. He'll finish his finals around the 15th and officially graduate on the 23rd!
June: Zachary turns 5! June will mark the beginning of summer and that's always fun. Grandma will finish working so we can hang out more with her. Swimming lessons will probably start in June and, for the first time, both of my kids will get to take them.
July: Summer fun continues and the month culminates in some very important and exciting events. Chris takes the Bar Exam from July 28-30, which means that (presuming all goes well) our *new addition* will be born sometime the week before. We could just end with that, but I guess we'll probably celebrate my birthday, which falls on the 31st. With Chris having finished the Bar by then, we'll all have reason to party.
August: Chris can take this entire month off, but we haven't set any firm plans yet. Having a new baby at home, this will be especially nice if he can be around. Also, if we haven't done so already, we will probably be replacing my car with something bigger and more accommodating...or else I'll have no choice but to be sit at home and just take it easy until that happens. Call me crazy, but that sort of sounds nice to me, actually.
September: Chris will have started his new job by now! We are so thankful he was able to get the job he had been hoping for and that it's with a great place here in Austin. I hope that he will enjoy it (after all, that's the biggest reason he went back to school in the first place) and that we'll be able to count on it providing us with steady and stable employment and, oh yeah, something better than student benefits!
October: Fall finally kicks in, I guess, and that means cooler weather. Once again, General Conference takes place at the beginning of the month. Chris' birthday is on the 18th, and preparations for the holiday season can begin. Hopefully by then, I'll be getting more sleep at night!
November: Our anniversary falls on the 9th and Chris won't be getting ready for finals! Instead, he will find out this month that he (cross your fingers!) passed the Bar. And for that, among other things, we will be giving much thanks.
December: "Christmas time is here...Happiness and cheer..." I love enjoying the Christmas season with my family and friends. It's a busy month that gets stressful at times, but it is ultimately a season of peace, joy and unity as we celebrate the birth of Christ and give gifts to Him and to each other. Sharing this season with a new baby in our home will be one of the greatest gifts of all.
I hope that you, too, will enjoy many blessings throughout 2009. Happy New Year!
As for me, instead of listing my goals for the New Year, I have decided to compile a different sort of list:
12 Months of Things I'm Looking Forward to in 2009:
January: I am soooo enjoying having Chris off school for winter break! He doesn't have to return to classes until the day after Martin Luther King Day, so I'm lovin' that!
February: Hmmmm... OK, here's one: Chris will, of course, be BACK in school (that brings other untold blessings, like getting more of my own computer time back...ha ha) BUT he will only have Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday classes. How nice is that?! I intend to enjoy his easier schedule along with him.
March: This will be the month of finding out fun stuff, I think. If not, then the fun stuff will have already been found out and I'll be celebrating the knowing. Also, Spring Break! Maybe we'll make some fun plans for that.
April: There's always something to look forward to in April...nice spring weather, and Easter falls on the 12th. Also, I look forward to listening to prophets and apostles speak in the Church's semiannual General Conference at the beginning of the month.
May: Ashley turns 3, and I am so excited about that! Aside from celebrating her birthday (which I always enjoy), it means that she can start taking gymnastics and swimming lessons just like Zachary has gotten to do for the past year or so. She will no longer have to be the spectator. AND HOW COULD I POSSIBLY FORGET ABOUT GRADUATION?????? I keep forgetting that Chris will not be in school forever. He'll finish his finals around the 15th and officially graduate on the 23rd!
June: Zachary turns 5! June will mark the beginning of summer and that's always fun. Grandma will finish working so we can hang out more with her. Swimming lessons will probably start in June and, for the first time, both of my kids will get to take them.
July: Summer fun continues and the month culminates in some very important and exciting events. Chris takes the Bar Exam from July 28-30, which means that (presuming all goes well) our *new addition* will be born sometime the week before. We could just end with that, but I guess we'll probably celebrate my birthday, which falls on the 31st. With Chris having finished the Bar by then, we'll all have reason to party.
August: Chris can take this entire month off, but we haven't set any firm plans yet. Having a new baby at home, this will be especially nice if he can be around. Also, if we haven't done so already, we will probably be replacing my car with something bigger and more accommodating...or else I'll have no choice but to be sit at home and just take it easy until that happens. Call me crazy, but that sort of sounds nice to me, actually.
September: Chris will have started his new job by now! We are so thankful he was able to get the job he had been hoping for and that it's with a great place here in Austin. I hope that he will enjoy it (after all, that's the biggest reason he went back to school in the first place) and that we'll be able to count on it providing us with steady and stable employment and, oh yeah, something better than student benefits!
October: Fall finally kicks in, I guess, and that means cooler weather. Once again, General Conference takes place at the beginning of the month. Chris' birthday is on the 18th, and preparations for the holiday season can begin. Hopefully by then, I'll be getting more sleep at night!
November: Our anniversary falls on the 9th and Chris won't be getting ready for finals! Instead, he will find out this month that he (cross your fingers!) passed the Bar. And for that, among other things, we will be giving much thanks.
December: "Christmas time is here...Happiness and cheer..." I love enjoying the Christmas season with my family and friends. It's a busy month that gets stressful at times, but it is ultimately a season of peace, joy and unity as we celebrate the birth of Christ and give gifts to Him and to each other. Sharing this season with a new baby in our home will be one of the greatest gifts of all.
I hope that you, too, will enjoy many blessings throughout 2009. Happy New Year!
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Disowned!
Four months after she visited from Boston, I am just now posting pictures of the great times we had while Wendy was here. Such a loser, I know! Anyway, here they are!
Wendy flew into Austin on Father's Day (June 15th.) Since that was just a week after Zachary's 4th birthday, I decided we had to have a celebration that included her. Here's a picture of the birthday boy--happy about the cool Lightning McQueen cake his dad made for him and even more so because his "Chia" came for a visit.
Ready, Set, Play!
There were just a few mandatory things that Wendy really had to do while she was back in Austin. One of those included a trip to Rudy's for the "Worst BBQ in Texas."
Schlitterbahn Waterpark was another mandatory stop. The kids and I went down with Grandma, Wendy, and her friend, Yi Jeng, to New Braunfels for a day of fun in the sun. We got there right about when the park opened and found the perfect spot to stake our claim on picnic tables--right by a nice new kiddie area that was put in since the last time we visited. I was happy to notice that along with these and other improvements, the park, in general, was looking significantly cleaner, and it was not nearly as crowded as it has been on other past trips. We got to go on lots of rides and didn't have to wait in lines much. Grandma, Wendy, and Yi Jeng were a huge help with Zachary and Ashley, and the kids loved hanging out with them, too. Ashley went on a couple major tube rides (White Water and Cliffhanger) just to say she did. :) She pretty much spent the rest of her time in the kiddie areas. We took Zachary on just about everything, and even though some of the rides were a little scary for him, it was fun that he would brave them all for us. (I got some pictures with some disposable water cameras we bought, but there was no way I was taking my digital camera near the water, so you will just have to imagine the fun we had.)
Time to (Watch Them) Make the Doughnuts!
Zachary loves to see how our favorite foods are made, and since I hadn't gotten any pictures the first time we visited Krispy Kreme, we took Wendy along for our second trip. Wendy suggested we conduct a taste test to see who makes the better Boston Cream doughnut: Krispy Kreme vs. Dunkin Donuts. I'm pretty sure I remember Dunkin Donuts winning that one.
Halfway through the week, we drove to Houston. My mom had agreed to keep Zachary and Ashley's cousins (Scott and Karen's kids) while their parents went to San Francisco for Scott's business trip and a vacation. That had been pre-arranged before Wendy had her vacation time approved, so she had booked a return flight to Boston from Houston. I was either going to go down, too, or get cheated out of half of my time with my sister. Unacceptable! So why not make the trip a bit more fun?
I had always wanted to visit the Blue Bell Creamery in Brenham, TX where they make the "Best Ice Cream in the Country." I sort felt like I needed to do that at least once before I die. We were born and raised in Texas (on Blue Bell ice cream!) and yet we had never been. It was time for us to make a pilgrimage to Mecca. For a small fee, we got some complimentary paper hats and got to see how our favorite ice cream is made.
Blue Bell's Top Five Selling Flavors:
5) Cookies & Cream,
4) Dutch Chocolate
3) The Great Divide (half Dutch Chocolate, half Mexican Vanilla),
2) Buttered Pecan,
1) Homemade Vanilla
None of the above are my favorite flavors...and just so I don't keep you wondering:
Robin's (Current) Top Five Blue Bell Flavors:
5) Peppermint,
4) Banana Split,
3) Chocolate Almond Marshmallow,
2) Banana Pudding,
1) Chocolate Brownie Overload.
The best part of all came after the tour when we got to enjoy some of the "fruits" of their labors. The tour included a generous scoop of delicious Blue Bell ice cream in their nostalgic ice cream shop. Yum!
After a day or so in Houston, it was time for Wendy to go home. We were sad for her to have to leave, but Zachary and Ashley enjoyed hanging out with their cousins for several days before we, too, went home.
Wendy flew into Austin on Father's Day (June 15th.) Since that was just a week after Zachary's 4th birthday, I decided we had to have a celebration that included her. Here's a picture of the birthday boy--happy about the cool Lightning McQueen cake his dad made for him and even more so because his "Chia" came for a visit.
Ready, Set, Play!
There were just a few mandatory things that Wendy really had to do while she was back in Austin. One of those included a trip to Rudy's for the "Worst BBQ in Texas."
Schlitterbahn Waterpark was another mandatory stop. The kids and I went down with Grandma, Wendy, and her friend, Yi Jeng, to New Braunfels for a day of fun in the sun. We got there right about when the park opened and found the perfect spot to stake our claim on picnic tables--right by a nice new kiddie area that was put in since the last time we visited. I was happy to notice that along with these and other improvements, the park, in general, was looking significantly cleaner, and it was not nearly as crowded as it has been on other past trips. We got to go on lots of rides and didn't have to wait in lines much. Grandma, Wendy, and Yi Jeng were a huge help with Zachary and Ashley, and the kids loved hanging out with them, too. Ashley went on a couple major tube rides (White Water and Cliffhanger) just to say she did. :) She pretty much spent the rest of her time in the kiddie areas. We took Zachary on just about everything, and even though some of the rides were a little scary for him, it was fun that he would brave them all for us. (I got some pictures with some disposable water cameras we bought, but there was no way I was taking my digital camera near the water, so you will just have to imagine the fun we had.)
Time to (Watch Them) Make the Doughnuts!
Zachary loves to see how our favorite foods are made, and since I hadn't gotten any pictures the first time we visited Krispy Kreme, we took Wendy along for our second trip. Wendy suggested we conduct a taste test to see who makes the better Boston Cream doughnut: Krispy Kreme vs. Dunkin Donuts. I'm pretty sure I remember Dunkin Donuts winning that one.
Halfway through the week, we drove to Houston. My mom had agreed to keep Zachary and Ashley's cousins (Scott and Karen's kids) while their parents went to San Francisco for Scott's business trip and a vacation. That had been pre-arranged before Wendy had her vacation time approved, so she had booked a return flight to Boston from Houston. I was either going to go down, too, or get cheated out of half of my time with my sister. Unacceptable! So why not make the trip a bit more fun?
I had always wanted to visit the Blue Bell Creamery in Brenham, TX where they make the "Best Ice Cream in the Country." I sort felt like I needed to do that at least once before I die. We were born and raised in Texas (on Blue Bell ice cream!) and yet we had never been. It was time for us to make a pilgrimage to Mecca. For a small fee, we got some complimentary paper hats and got to see how our favorite ice cream is made.
Blue Bell's Top Five Selling Flavors:
5) Cookies & Cream,
4) Dutch Chocolate
3) The Great Divide (half Dutch Chocolate, half Mexican Vanilla),
2) Buttered Pecan,
1) Homemade Vanilla
None of the above are my favorite flavors...and just so I don't keep you wondering:
Robin's (Current) Top Five Blue Bell Flavors:
5) Peppermint,
4) Banana Split,
3) Chocolate Almond Marshmallow,
2) Banana Pudding,
1) Chocolate Brownie Overload.
The best part of all came after the tour when we got to enjoy some of the "fruits" of their labors. The tour included a generous scoop of delicious Blue Bell ice cream in their nostalgic ice cream shop. Yum!
After a day or so in Houston, it was time for Wendy to go home. We were sad for her to have to leave, but Zachary and Ashley enjoyed hanging out with their cousins for several days before we, too, went home.
Monday, October 20, 2008
Happy Birthday, Christopher!
Saturday was Chris' birthday. Lucky for him, he also had a lot of studying to do AND it was the weekend of Stake Conference. Not a terribly fun way to spend one's birthday, I would say, so the least I could do was to *let him* stay home with the kids while I attended the adult session of Conference on Saturday night by myself. Happy birthday to you, Chris! Next year will undoubtedly be better. :)
I tried to make his birthday a little special anyway by making him a yummy breakfast on Saturday morning. Breakfast burritos are, according to Chris, a "Texas thing" that he really likes but I never make. (The sausage, potato, egg, and cheese filling turned out great and there was enough leftover that he also ate some for his birthday dinner ALONE.) In the afternoon, we took the kids out to a local pumpkin patch to enjoy some pre-Halloween festivities and we let them choose their very first pumpkins for carving.
We had our actual celebration with Chris last night, and my mom and dad joined us for that. He requested that I make a roast for his birthday dinner. I hadn't made a roast in years probably. To my surprise, his birthday dinner was probably the best meal I have made all year! So, I told him that, once a year, for his birthday, I will make him a roast. :) More likely: How many times can I make roast without burning him out on that, too? For dessert, I made Chris' favorite double-layer triple chocolate cake which we ate with vanilla ice cream. That's EXACTLY how he likes it, so I was happy to oblige. While I was making the cake earlier in the afternoon, Zachary exclaimed, "Thank you, Mommy, for making the best chocolate cake EVER!" Isn't he the best KID ever?!
After Chris opened his presents, we ate that yummy cake and ice cream and enjoyed some fine entertainment that was the highlight of the evening. Enjoy!"Happy Birthday to Daddy!"
The encore:
Saturday, July 5, 2008
Out at the Old Ball Game
The law firm where Chris worked the first half of this summer hosted a family day at the Dell Diamond where our minor league team, the Round Rock Express, played against the Memphis Reds on June 13. It was our first time to take the kids to a game, and it was also my first time to see the Express play. It was very nice to get to meet Chris' colleagues (also for the first time.) What a great group of people he got to work with!
Lucky for all of us, it was a breezy summer night, otherwise, it would have been pretty hot. On the downside of that, the wind was blowing pretty hard, so food and plates and cups were flying. The kids were getting restless, so we visited the playscape which was conveniently located inside the ballpark on the lower level. Zachary and Ashley didn't mind that the place was crawling with kids and quickly lost sight of me. (I see how they are!)
We really didn't get to see much of the game, but we did visit quite a bit with the other families there. Probably the most memorable part of the night for me was when Ashley, who was being ornery and trying to run away from our party, heard the organ suddenly start playing "If You're Happy and You Know It" and she stopped dead in her tracks to go through all the motions. Everyone who was watching her got a kick out of that. In the end, the home team won, so that made for a great ending to an already fun night!
Lucky for all of us, it was a breezy summer night, otherwise, it would have been pretty hot. On the downside of that, the wind was blowing pretty hard, so food and plates and cups were flying. The kids were getting restless, so we visited the playscape which was conveniently located inside the ballpark on the lower level. Zachary and Ashley didn't mind that the place was crawling with kids and quickly lost sight of me. (I see how they are!)
We really didn't get to see much of the game, but we did visit quite a bit with the other families there. Probably the most memorable part of the night for me was when Ashley, who was being ornery and trying to run away from our party, heard the organ suddenly start playing "If You're Happy and You Know It" and she stopped dead in her tracks to go through all the motions. Everyone who was watching her got a kick out of that. In the end, the home team won, so that made for a great ending to an already fun night!
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