The Chronicles of Motherhood .....

The Trunk

2012-02-02T12:54:00.000-08:00

Jared has been out of town on business for a few weeks, so last week I took the kids back to my homestead in NE Iowa. My parents have 10 acres on the outskirts of town (a town of 1100 and dwindling). Seven miles NE of town lies the rolling hills of our family farm. Its no longer farmed by our family, many fields have sat dormant for the past two decades as family farms could no longer stay afloat. The fields were sold or went into the CRP program, where their labors would rest and the native grasslands it sustained generations before would slowly return.

I have watched many sunsets from these hills, its hard to describe the feeling of home, those who grew up on the ridge understand the link between family, blood and the land.

My father called me a few weeks ago and said he was cleaning out the barn (which is like an antique shop in itself). I always like poking around in the hay mow, its like a scene out of a movie, trunks, old furniture, books from the turn of the century, old art work sheeted in cloth with a layer of dust that makes everything look gray and mysterious. He said there was something of mine up there. Um ya, like a dozen landscape architectural models from my college years, to big to put in your house, too many hours invested to trash. I have cattle fair boxes and cc skis, old sleds and kayak parts. I hoisted myself up the boards nailed to the barn wall and into the musty old loft. Growing up we spent hours playing in this loft, this was my first visit back in years. And what I found surprised me, it was an old trunk, coated with dust and a simple yellowed sheet of paper that said Em. We dragged it down from the loft and threw it in the van.

The trunk, origin not completely verified, is thought to be my Gt. Gt. Grandparent(s) immigration trunk from England. Inside held few articles, a cookbook of my grandmothers, some of her text books when she was a teacher in the 1930's, a 1940's Webster Dictionary and a tarnished silver spoon. If it really is that trunk they immigrated to Iowa late, circa 1850-1860. The Alderson's would have broken true prairie sod to start their farms in NE Iowa. They would have built the massive Gothic barns at the height of their farming success that now crumble under years rural economic depression. They raised their families in these hills, worshiped in the rural congregations, endured the brutal winters, waiting patiently for technology to reach the area easing their daily burdens. This would become their land, their home. As generations passed their horses and mules would be replaced with machines, the worn harnesses stowed in hip roofs to collect dust, becoming artifacts of a forgotten lifestyle. And after a lifetime in the fields, they would return their worn bodies to the land that prospered them, buried in a peaceful rural cemetery at the base of the ridge, waiting for the following generations to join them for eternity.

As I brought the trunk in this week, it made me think about the sacrifice of previous generations. It took a night to carefully clean, but in the end the trunk itself was intact, the hinges functional, and the wood strong. For such a functional crate, to be boarded on a boat to the Americas and pulled across the plains, there is beauty in the design and the structure. It now has become part out our home, a daily reminder to me of who I am and and a feeling of overwhelming gratitude of the great sacrifices of my preceding generations. And maybe a better understanding of the yearnings to be connected with the land.

Before

After

Winter?

2012-02-02T12:29:00.001-08:00

Where have the past few months gone?? We had a wonderful Thanksgiving and Christmas with our families. It was nice for once not to speed two weeks in the car. We slowed work on the house to finish unpacking and enjoy the holidays. Jared spent late November/early December in Washington DC.

Even into the first weeks of January temperatures were in the 40's and 50's, unbelievable! I could get use to this global warming idea, this is much more bearable than the winters of my childhood.

The snow finally came a few weeks ago along with the sub-zero windchill, within a week we had two snow storms (both moderate, 4-6” each time) and an ice storm. After the ice storm our front yard became the sledding mecca for our street. The kids would start at the top of the hill and then continue down on the icy road making for an awesome run. Our morning entertainment was watching the school bus slide backwards down the massive hill outside our kitchen window. And this week its back into the 50's and 60's, today it will take the last of the snow, until the storm starting tomorrow night. I forgot, I can handle cold, its the drastic temperature shifts that are hard to deal with.

With Jared being gone so much I have decided to also have an “open marriage”. Only mine is with a 4-stage 26” craftsman snow thrower. The thing is a monster and does well on our nasty driveway. Its been a life saver when he is not around. We are hoping for at least a little more snow, however I could stand an early spring also.

Blast from the Past

2011-11-06T20:02:00.000-08:00

Time was short this fall so sadly I didn't get around to making the kids costumes. However we went to Jared's parents a few weeks ago and the kids found an old bin full on costumes that Grandma Linda had made over the years. They had a blast trying them on and were so excited she let them take them for Halloween. In fact we think Ike's batman was Jared's costume as a toddler which made it kind of fun!
We had our church trunk or treat, they had tons of games and the kids had a blast and came home with lots of candy.

Ike was so proud of his Batman Costume. He would walk up to any giver door and yell "I'M BATMAN! However note to self, snow white hair and black hair paint do not mix, his was a dusty gray for a few days. By the end of trick or treating Batman looked like he had a rough night :)Checking out their loot!

Fall Whirlwind

2011-11-06T19:06:00.000-08:00

The fall passed without notice. And yes it is officially winter here because Dairy Queen closed today. We have had beautiful weather. Even today was t-shirt weather for a few hours in the afternoon.

We finally moved in last Saturday, it was a long weekend, but is so nice not to be living in two places! One of these days I will get some house photos posted. We worked on the house night and day for three weeks, but probably don't have much to show for it. Most of it was cleaning, drywall and patching, plumbing and some painting. However we are loving it and this massive box on the hill is quickly becoming home.

Erin changed schools when we closed on Oct 7^th. She has adjusted well and is loving riding the bus (as is her mama!). She started Daisy scouts and is making friends quickly. We also changed wards for church. I got a calling first week in as RS secretary. Its something completely new and I feel like I am learning the ropes and Jared is next in line. It has been nice to have some down time the last few months, but life is soon going to hick into high gear again.

So this a snap shot of the last month...

The kids had their first experience with fall leaves. For a month I have found leaves in coat pockets, backpacks, seat pockets in the van and in lunch boxes, they were obsessed. As you can see by the attire it has been a mild fall.

Ike met Clifford and was terrified! In fact he was waving his booking in the photo yelling "Get away bad dog!". Ironically he LOVES the books (and real dogs).

Erin spent many afternoons serenading the neighbors and walkers on 5th ave with her 3-string out-of-tune guitar as we packed up the things at the rental. The girl can rock it!

The kids did great and played together so well as we worked on the house.....

sometimes they played well at Isaac's expense. Sadly he was just happy to get attention.

The owner of the house at the trail head posted this sign in his yard next to the trail.... our peaceful Sunday afternoon hike was disrupted by Erin thinking every movement (or person) was Sasquatch. It didn't help at Halloween he had a fire pit and the guy was dressed up like a serious Viking :).

Welcome Home

2011-10-08T04:58:00.000-07:00

View

Basement

Well almost.... We closed on our second home yesterday. As always it was a bumpy process but we finally made it to closing (which signing papers was much less stressful this time around)! We were planning to wait until the spring but we have been watching this house and with the current mortgage rates we were able to do a 15-year loan so we bit! This time we purchased a foreclosure (it was either pure genius or the most idiotic thing we have done) so it will not officially be home for about a month.

Short history on the house, built in 1996 by a single guy (its a man house, three-stall garage, tiny kitchen pantry). 2200 sq ft above grade, 3300 sqft with basement on .6 acres (mostly slopped). Completely builders grade, he never even painted a wall but I think he had a dart board on every wall because I have never seen a house with so man large and small holes in the dry wall.

The house itself is structurally in good condition but needs a new roof. There was a roof vent leak in the girls room (drywall repair = DR#1), vent leak in the upstairs bathroom (DR #2), he never used shower curtains so the kitchen and living room ceilings have water stains #3,4 &5. There was a toilet leak where the drywall was haphazardly cut out #6, and then he got miffed at the bank rolled a bowling ball down the stairs #7 and lastly peed in the downstairs corner carpet and drywall #8.

Not to mentions the hundreds of nail (dart) holes and dented corners.

The retaining wall are failing, the sink fixtures leak, the windows and siding are so dirty there is a coat of grime on them and the list goes on. However the view is specular, I can't see into any of my neighbors windows and we have a built in luge run that double as a driveway! I think with a little elbow grease and some arguments we can bring her to life.

So this weekend is seeing if we can salvage the carpet and starting the drywall repair process. Heather demanded that I start a project list again so to make her content I will and we'll see what we can learn during the process.

So come visit, we have plenty of room!

Mother of the Year Award

2011-09-28T19:31:00.000-07:00

So the blog has been a bit boring lately, here is a story for you. I FORGOT MY CHILD. I only have three, its not like it should be hard to keep track of them, but for some people like myself, it is.

Cedar Rapids has early dismissal every-other Wednesday for teacher in-service. Personally I think it's a little excessive but whatever. Today was one of those early out days. I was running left and right and at 1:30 my phone pinged with an email that I had a message on my home phone. It was a mother that I have met ONCE and the message said this.

“Emmaly, um Erin seems to think you forgot to pick her up, she is at my house, but we have to leave so I guess I'll swing by your house and if your not home we'll figure something out”.

I throw the other two in the car (we wouldn't want to lose another one) and race home, no one is there, I go to the woman's house, no one is home and she called from her home phone. So I head to the school thinking that she may have dropped her back there.

And that is where I earned the Mother-of-the-Year award. I walked in the office and said

“I forgot to pick up my child today (school has now been out 40 minutes). A mother in her class picked her up and I was wondering if you have her cell number on file.”

The secretary say “Sure, what is her name?”

I say “Umm, I think Molly. And Molly has a child in first grade (now looking sheepish)”.

She stares blankly at me for a second, then smiles and says we'll start with “Molly X”.

Sure why the heck not, so I called the cell number she gave me and asked the woman on the other end if she by chance had an extra child with her. Wheph she did and she even enrolled her in an afternoon cooking class with her daughter!

After almost and hour I could breathe. Seriously only in Iowa will a woman pick up your child after only meeting you once and take her in as one of her own. And the crazy thing was no one cared! The mother saw it as a favor, the secretary saw it as a parent helping out an idiot, Erin saw it as an extra play date and the day went on. In Texas this would have snowballed into a huge issue but Iowa kind of has this village raising mentality.

So my new goal for the week is not to forget anyone.

8 Years!

2011-09-28T19:07:00.000-07:00

Its hard to believe its been eight years and its been a wild ride....

In eight years we have:

Backpacked Belize and Guatemala, slept with the jaguars in the jungle and hitchhiked from village to village.
Had an authentic Charlie Brown tree
Graduated ISU and moved 1,000 miles away from friends, family and the familiar
Jared started his career working for the Space Shuttle Program
Watched our precious baby under go open heart surgery just days after birth, found out the blessing of good health care and good insurance
J and I were called as church clerk and YW respectively, where we would serve the remainder of our Texas years.
Evacuated with three million people running from Hurricane Rita and spent way too many hours stuck in traffic watching the monster churn towards us, came home to an untouched community.
Purchased our first home, made it a home and began to call Texas home. Friends became our family
Had child #2 in a wheelchair and learned to fight insurance (and laugh)
Jared started his Masters
Learned to balance life, learned to be real parents (thank you Eliza).
Evacuated from hurricane Ike, came home to a storm-ravaged community. Learned to count our blessings as we helped others tear down and clean up as we had minimal damage.
After Ike our relationship was tested by building fences and laying new floor :) I got addicted to DIY projects.
Ike was born ten months after Ike and self delivered in a bathroom by yours truly (and learned to say the hell with insurance, sometimes it's just easier to pay for services not rendered)
Purchased a minivan, a GOLD minivan
Learned that the space program was coming to a close and learned about faith and patience
J finished his Masters!
Watched the final Shuttle Launch from KSC
J started a new career, sold our first home, and ironically ended up back in Iowa where we started this Journey!

St. Louis and Foo Fighters

2011-09-28T19:04:00.001-07:00

Jared and I heard south last week. Now that we live near family we took full advantage and spent our first full weekend away from the kiddos. Jared's parents came to CR to watch the herd as we escaped to St. Louis to celebrate our anniversary. We price-lined a Marriott room that was downright swanky....it was missing a shower door (on purpose, I guess but complete random and not functional). The hotel was really nice.

Saturday morning we got up early and went to the St. Louis LDS temple, it always helps to check the schedule as they were closed for cleaning. So instead of participating in a session we watched them black top the parking lot and picked up some things at distribution. We stopped at Cabela's and picked up our sub-zero boots we ordered and then met some good friends of the family at the Cheese Cake factory. Is it hard to believe I am 30 and have NEVER been to a Cheesecake Factory???? It was fantastic!

We spent the afternoon lounging and then headed down to eat at a fancy Italian restaurant and then out to the Foo Fighters concert.... They played for almost three hours, awesome concert! I saw them back in college, they were an opening band, they have improved much over the years! After a hectic summer it was a well needed weekend.

Settling down in Iowa

2011-09-07T11:56:00.000-07:00

Our first month in Iowa has been great (a bit chaotic but it feels right). To start from where the last post left off, everything was fine and dandy, the moving truck was to leave Thursday and be in Cedar Rapids Monday or Tuesday of the following week. Jared was driving up with us to help unpack and fly back that Wednesday to complete his last two weeks with United Space Alliance. All was dandy until the truck driver informed us that there was a scheduling mix up and everything we owned (and I mean everything because we only packed the necessities for a two day drive) would be sitting in Plano, Tx for nine days. He had to drop the trailer and then make a run west before picking it up....WHAT THE WHAT??

It was too late to change plans so we headed out Saturday morning and stayed the week with my parents. Our stuff got in late the following Tuesday. Jared had already flown back to H-town. The truck pulled up on the hottest day of the summer. My wonderful mom stayed two days helping me unpack in the scorching heat and get things in order and by the time she left it looked like a home.

We are renting a really cute house for the fall on the SE side of town. It was built in 1900 and like any old house has its odd intricacies. For example there is no pantry (which I completely freaked out about). We believe what once was the pantry is now the downstairs half bath....however we have a wonderfully hideous wet bar in the basement that works perfectly for storage.

Entryway

Giant sliding door to close off the majority of the house so when people visit it can be trashed!....I personally think every house should have one of these, its awesome!

My first week in I decided to scrub down the porch, I have been away to long and forgot to check to see if the outside faucets were winterized and managed to flood out the basement. I spent a day getting to know my landlord as we gutted wet drywall and carpet in the basement. The damage was minimal, thank goodness.

Living Room

Attic

The house has this awesome attic that could be out of a book. Anyway the woodwork throughout is beautiful and the neighborhood is perfect. Lots of mature trees and rolling hills and turn-of-the-century mansions. The area is absolutely beautiful and super friendly. Two blocks west of us starts the ghetto and I am not joking we hear at least a gun shot a week and two blocks east is old school money, the 5000 sq/ft circa 1900-1920's mansions that are perfectly manured. We get to bike through the upscale neighborhood on our way to school everyday and I am completely enamored with it.

Erin's school is very diverse economically, everything from title 1 to the old school money. She is attending Grant Wood Elementary until we move (which is awesome, I am a HUGE Grant Wood fan). The halls are lined with his art work, I love love love it! Minus a staff member I ran into this week that dresses like a tramp ( I am sorry no 40 year old woman should be wearing what I would consider a swimming suit cover up to work, especially with little kids. I just wanted to say hello I could see your undies...you know if you were actually wearing some)...besides her everyone seems really down to earth and the teachers are awesome.

Jared finally made it in safely on Aug 15^th, unfortunately his golf clubs did not. Southwest lost them or someone snatched them (joke is on them J's left-handed). So he has been filing his claim and hoping for the best. But golf clubs or not we are happy to finally have him up here.

He seems to like his new job, he even met a nice group of boys to eat lunch with in the cafeteria. I was laughing one night as we sat at the dinner table and both J and Erin excitedly told about their new lunch friends.

And for the first time in month I feel like I can breathe. As much as we miss Texas this already feels like home.

Transition - Leaving Texas

2011-09-04T14:38:00.000-07:00

Time to dust off the blog, We are still alive and well! The past three months our lives have been a blur. While at the time it seemed like chaos ruled and logic was lost, we now are settling down to realize the great blessings and mercy the Lord has extended to our family through the process and that we are indeed where he would have us be (well almost, we missed the mark by five miles but thats another story!)

I typically don't back-blog much but I'll take a minute to touch on some major events.

First and foremost Jared graduated from the University of Colorado with his Masters in Engineering Management – Space Operations in May. What should have been a celebrated momentous occasion simply passed by with a sign of relief as we madly cleaned and fixed in preparation to place the house on the market. We are so proud of him, it was a long three years for the whole family but he balanced it all well.

With the move came our biggest concern, selling our home in League City. It was our first house, we moved in shortly before Erin turned two and soon it became home to a growing family. It was beautiful, and backed up to the park and we were surrounded by friendly neighbors who were wonderful. For five years I engineered my own soil, finally last spring I had a patch of fertile land that would actually yield produce.

We placed our house on the market Memorial Day weekend, ours would compete at the time with scores of homes with similar square footage and build. The local housing market was flooded because of the massive layoffs associated the shuttle program. While our house was in a good neighborhood and we kept it up, there was over a year of inventory on the market and could easily be a year or more before we sold simply because of the volume and economy.

Jared was swamped with interviews and work during the spring and I spent night and day prepping the house for sale. I am thankful for good friends who scrubbed walls unknown to people taller than 3'. The amount of showings was dismal, by the third week of June we only had three showings. Much to my surprise our Realtor called and said an offer had been submitted. The offer was acceptable, almost asking price, but the buyer was asking for $6,000 cash to close. Ouch, but after running the numbers what it would take to keep the house vacant, plus the concern of shifting foundation with the drought (which by the way I had nightmares all summer during the closing process that it shifted right before closing and the buyer backed out :) we accepted.

July was plain crazy. I am thankful for an excellent Realtor (Jeff Bulman for all your locals getting ready to put you house on the market) who kept everyone of their feet (much to the loan officers dismay at times). Their email banter back and forth provided entertainment while we were in a completely stressed state. The buyer had financing issues, and after a few weeks where we suspected the deal would fold, they worked it out. Long story but the market was falling so fast our house didn't even appraise for the buyers offer. That became a breach of our relocation contract - one messy chaotic situation and for several days we had no idea who actually owned our house or if we had closed. In late July we received our equity check in the mail...which made us assume we SOLD! It was one of the many miracles on this journey. For reasons still unknown to us, we were able to sell and are so very grateful that we could start in Iowa being free of our obligations in Texas.

In the mean time Jared got tickets to see the STS-135 launch from the six mile mark at Kennedy Space Center. While we didn't have the time to make an impromptu visit to Florida, this was the LAST shuttle launch. I'll post separately about it, but it was epic (and emotional)!

Jared dropped me off in Louisiana for YW camp on the way home from the launch. I served as the assistant stake camp director this year, which was a perfect closure to my time in League City and after serving in the ward YW presidency for 6 ½ years (which will probably be another post).

I returned home from camp on a Saturday physically exhausted from two weeks of travel and spiritually uplifted – just in time, the movers came on Wednesday. Monday friends threw one Texas sized good bye party for us. They had a corn roast in the park, despite the heat it was a warm sendoff and much needed closure as we left great friends who have doubled as family
over the past seven years. We will miss them all dearly.

Wednesday and Thursday were spent packing in 100+ degree heat. Thursday and Friday night we stayed with good friends, enjoying some final time together before the next adventure of life would turn its pages for both families the following week. We waved goodbye to Sam Houston as we left Houston one last time... we left home to head home.

The Great Migration

2011-05-07T05:28:00.000-07:00

Over the past year we have noticed a trend, several old friends are returning home. LA, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Atlanta, Baltimore, Oklahoma City all returning to the upper Midwest triad(Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin) after almost a decade of being away. I wondered why, there is not much there besides fields and memories. Like most of them, we too loved where we grew up but went off to college and then off to the city. I enjoy being a couple of miles away from the center of Houston, the games, the museums, concerts and constant things to do. I love that within a five mile radius I have two lowes, a HD and a small hardware store. I miss the summer storms, the 20mph "breeze" and the warmth of the Midwest people (southern people are friendly also, but they don't chant randomly in the store line :).

In mid July we too will join that migration. We'll be heading to Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Jared starts at Rockwell Collins on Aug 1. We knew this day was coming. With the closure of the shuttle program in July and the cancellation of Constellation last year (the program in play to replace the shuttle) that Jared would probably become one of the thousands of aerospace causalities. With several layoff over the past year, he was blessed to make it to the end of the program.

The last month has been crazy, he had a standing offer at Rockwell Collins and also had another offer from a small comapny out at Goddard Space Center in Washington DC. We literrally had to make the decision over night. DC sounded amazing, the job was great... the cost of living there with three kids and the poor school system, put a damper on the excitement. We too decided that it was time to spend a few years home, let the kids get to know their grandparents and enjoy the storms.

We are sad to be leaving Texas, but after almost 18 months in limbo its nice to have something secured.

Mamas dusting off her running shoes

2011-04-24T20:37:00.000-07:00

Pre-race

I haven't ran in years...so this spring a group of girls from church decided it was time to get out heinie's in gear and put some miles behind a us. A few had never ran before in their life and the rest of us were rusty so we put together a face book group to make us accountable to each other . I still don't run much, around 3 miles two or three times a week, but I am remembering why I loved it so much (at least until it hits 90 degrees).

Last Saturday we all did a local 5K together, Yuri's night run (even though it was at 8am) to celebrate manned space flight (which is ironic since the program is killed this year). Alot of our kids also ran the 1K. The weather was beautiful, the course was beautiful and there were even a couple of random storm troopers to help you off the finish line!

Erin is an awesome runner, she came in first in her class and fifth overall for the 1K (ages 12 and under). Erin is not competitive in nature but put her at a starting line and she gets her game face on! She was dang proud that she beat Stevie (yes they are holding hands, Stevie is a hot commodity with the kinder girls :). We all survived! My goal was to make it in under 30:00 and I came in at 29:18 and placed 13th out of 54 for the 20-29 age group. I feel like I am in a good trend, I can now outrun the stupid, yet incredibly swift and mean geese around the pond trail, hopefully I can keep up the momentum!

Double Trouble

2011-04-10T19:28:00.000-07:00

These two have a love hate relationship. When they find common ground it typically involves mischief.

Truck, Truck!

2011-04-10T19:22:00.000-07:00

Friday night we went to a birthday party. Our city fire department has a really great program where they will come out to your party with the trucks and let the kids climb in them. Erin was not amuzed at all, Eliza had fun but Ike was in Heaven! He just stood there pointing at them and yelling TRUCK!!!! TRUCK!! The fire woman gave him a hat and badge and he was just beaming! They had two trucks and he spent twenty minutes going through them...then they had to leave early for a car fire.

Eliza decided they were okay as long as she got the drivers seat ;). The weather was beautiful and just a great night to be outside....our nice days are numbered.

Project Weekend - Emm meets electrial for the first time!

2011-04-10T19:02:00.000-07:00

Projects # 2,8, 18 & 26

Jared was out of business for part of the week and I had some time to crank out some house projects. I actually pruned my trees a few weeks ago, our neighbors had an electric pole saw so we thinned out our large red oak in the back, pruned the peach tree, and nubbed down the crape myrtle.

I finally got all the woodwork in the kitchen caulked...yay!

And this weekend I had my big first....I learned to wire in electrical stuff! I don't know why I have been so timid to do it, (probably because I HATE electricity) and even though I shut off the power to the whole house, I still think I am going to die of electrocution). I can't believe I didn't tackle this sooner, walk in the park...White to white, black to black, ground to green....(except for the back light which were all white and I got lucky). twist, cap and walah! I am proud to say they all worked on the first flip of the switch! And I am sad to say I had to take the back one off and return it to Lowes because the screw that lets you set the light was stripped, so I got to install that one twice, lesson learned.

Our front garage light is UGLY! It once was a lovely cheap looking shiny gold, no doubt from the early 1990's. At first I was just going to buy one, but even the new ugly gold ones are $30.00 plus dollars. We rarely use it and while walking through Lowes clearance section they had a can of hammed bronze Rust-oleum spray paint on sale for $2.00. That was more my price range. The paint is amazing! I got a little spray happy and also did our flag pole holder which was rusty and our fuse box and meter (they are outside). Now I want to go back and buy the brushed nickel spray paint and paint all our uggo gold fixtures. I cleaned the glass (for probably the first time in twenty years) and wow the thing lights up the whole neighborhood now! So ya its still ugly but at least it a new, bright ugly.

And I never realized our back light they put the junction box on the outside of the siding. Whatever, I am not going to mess with the last guys laziness. It has not shorted out in five years so I slapped that new puppy on and for the first time in a year we have a back porch light. The girls we all excited until I told them it was so they could run things out to the compost pile after dinner...the excitement faded quickly.

Wisteria

2011-03-30T06:08:00.000-07:00

(Last week)

My wisteria is almost five years old and this year it finally bloomed! I was SOOOO excited, absolutely beautiful!

(This week)

Take it down the field!

2011-03-30T05:58:00.001-07:00

Eliza started city soccer this spring. She plays on a 3/4 year old team, the green jaguars, and while I personally think soccer is probably the most boring sport on the face of the earth, tot soccer is hysterical to watch. The first five minutes of the game is full on mass chaos with a swarm of little bodies go for the ball....the last twenty-five minutes are filled with the defensive line picking flowers and the occasional kick.
It took us two full practices to get Eliza onto the field (she is really shy). But she finally caught on and this last game she even got the ball and dribbled it down the field. Thanks to Erin E. for the photos!

Spring Break!

2011-03-20T20:09:00.001-07:00

We picked strawberries, canned jam, played and play and played at many playgrounds, had several play dates, late night parties, dinner dates and lots of backyard outside time. Ike swing, swang and swung, currently he is very possessive of the horse swing.

Project 6 & 9....Expansion across and up!

2011-03-20T19:52:00.001-07:00

I have spend the last few weeks out prepping the yard, spring is here (and almost gone!). Some of our good friends were taking out their garden and returning their yard to sod and had several loads of excellent soil, free for the taking. So after several van loads (yes I use my Kia Sedona just like a 1/2 ton truck) I was able to expand my plot by several feet! I also decided to box it in this year. After pricing out materials, I decided just to go with non-treated pine ($25.00). It will probably only last about three years, but I was not ready to spend $100 plus of concrete blocks and didn't want treated lumber encasing what I eat.
I also wanted to build up this year. I started using my fence as a trellis for green beans and last fall we cleaned out the boy scout shed at church. They had a bunch of old 2x4's that were warped and going to the trash so I grabbed a few to make a trellis.
I planted tomatoes, peppers, green beans, cucumbers, squash and cantaloupe (front yard) and peas. The trellis is for cucumbers and squash. Everything is in a growing and I am excited!

Project # 19 - Stick it to Schwinn; Project #15- Sold

2011-03-20T19:39:00.001-07:00

My kids were messing around on my double jogging strolled and tipped it over, breaking a hinge on the handle bar. Since it was under two years old I figured I would call Schwinn, pay $20, they could send me the replacement part, drill out the rivets and wa-lah!
However I was kindly informed that they do not make "individual" components and I would have to spend $130 on a whole new frame. WHATTTT!! So miffed I went to the local bike shop and he was sure he could call as a supplier and get me one, his luck was not any better.

So there was no way I was spending that kind of cash on a stroller I paid $80 on ebay.
Because of the stress load of pushing 50-70 pounds it could not be epoxied. Thanks to a great home teacher with a drill press, I spent a whopping $5.60 at Ace Hardware to create the bionic stroller. Works great! Then my neighbors had a garage sale and I was in my minimalist mode and I sold it....but the project was completed!

And Project 15, the headboard, also went to the garage sale. We are looking at getting a new bed in the next year (hopefully a king) so I didn't think it was worth spending time on a queen headboard.

Dip Dip & Swing

2011-03-20T19:18:00.000-07:00

(Pre-race, waiting to port in)

Brittany and I decided to dump our hubbys for the day and compete in the Buffalo Bayou Regatta, a fifteen-mile canoe race through the center of Houston...and for some reason we both thought that we could easily paddle 15 miles without training.

The Regatta is the largest canoe race in the State of Texas, this year was no different with close to 450 boats. There were several classes, but Inflated Expectations, my two person inflatable kayak landed up in the unlimited class (which was a good portion of the entries).

Our morning started with me walking back to the registration area and yelling to Britt “Hey you want a breakfast taco, some random guys jumped out of a moving truck and chased me down in the parking garage gave them to me”. And that is when we both stopped and just realized what I had said and then shrugged and took a bite...that’s what I love about outdoor events. In any other situation in Houston there are so many red flags in that short phrase, but on a day like today its really just a group of nice guys offering you non-dangerous food in a dim-lit musty parking garage.

Our boat was stamped “sea worthy” by the Navy Seals and we were ready to get started.

Team Renshaw ported in on a steep wooded slope, which was not really even a port area. We were luckily enough to be in a class that allowed an in-water start. The corporate competitive class (the big aluminum canoes) required bank start, which was hysterical. Imagine 100 large canoes being cast down a steep wooded banks, probably half capsized trying to get started.

(Long Kayak Division start)

The day was beautiful, but windy (and windy in the wrong direction). We had a strong headwind almost the whole race. Brittany saw the first banner and exclaimed “There is our half way mark (which in reality, much to Britts dismay was our 3.5 mile mark)”. By mile three our shoulders burned, by mile six, without current and the wind at our head our arms ached and by mile 12 we were having to put everything into it, my knees and back were killing me. The whole race we trailed a quad boat and our goal was to overtake them and we did in the last half mile. We crossed the finish line with a time of 3hours and 20 minutes (I thought it was 3:40 but they just posted the race results, yay!). It was all we could do to drag our battered bodies out of the canoe and onto the dock.

(Britt still looking strong even though we both wanted to die)

The run itself was beautiful. The thick vegetation drowned out the roar of the city and there were dozens of beautiful mansions that lined the bayou (may who cheered us on and played music) and lots of beautiful retaining walls (and some not so nice ones).

(Approaching the skyline)

The last three miles we approached downtown and my favorite part was rowing under I-45, weaving through the bridge pilasters. We went past the aquarium and crossed the finish line at one of the downtown plazas where they had live Zydeco music and lunch.

(Maneuvering under I-45)

(Lunch party on the plaza, we made it!)

Britt stayed and packaged the canoe, while I got to ride the city drunk bus back to the parking garage. It was 30 minutes of bad drunk entertainment, it reminded me of riding Cyride home on a Friday night in college, expect these guys (same ones that offered me the breakfast tacos) were like in their mid 30's (and cannot sing Lady Gaga for the record). They even invited me to a keg-er that night, a kind gesture to a mother of three :) What a way to end the day.

Notes for next year...1. Get a real canoe (I love my inflatable but its not race material), 2. no more pretending I have the body of an twenty year old, 3. legs require sunscreen even in March!.

Thanks Britt for being my partner in crime!

Project #25: The New Pet (x183)

2011-03-06T08:58:00.000-08:00

As parents what lengths do we go to to feed the needs our children's curiosity? Their minds are so open, so willing to lean. The question is can mine be the same, can I look at ideas with the same simplicity and excitement as a six year old? This week I am trying and because of it I would just like to say I deserve the Mother of the Year Award.

Erin has been begging for a worm farm for months now. I kept thinking it would be a passing fad, distracted by something covered in pink and glitter, since you know, she is a six year old suburban girl. But I soon realized this idea, wherever it originated, was here to stay.

After some research we decided if we were going to have worms, there might as well be some secondary benefits (besides entertainment???). We decided on Red Wrigglers since they are a composting breed (its like having a living garbage disposal). They can eat their weight daily in food scraps. Worm castings (also known as worm poo) has a highly beneficial organic fertlizer for gardens and beds.

After thinking about it for a while this is a win-win situation. The kids get a pet, I don't have to pay anything to keep it, there are no vet bills, and if (when) I get sick of them, I don't have to take them to the pound, I just dump them in the garden. And if they do take off, both the worms and casting sell for a high price, so Erin can pay for college by selling worm poo :)

So Friday evening we started E's Worm Ranch. While most worms farms start at 1000 worms, I didn't feel comfortable with that large of a starter kit.....We started with 183.

We made our barn out of a three gallon frosting bucket from Shipleys Doughnuts (ironically Erin's favorite place). Erin had her first try at drilling holes and she did an excellent job. The holes provide oxygen to the worms. The bucket was filled with wet newspapers and a handful of dirt and a few apples slices to get them started. Most people actually keep them in their kitchen. I was not sure how I felt about that, so right now they are living in the half bath we rarely use.

So far Erin and Eliza are deeply concerned about the welfare of their worms. They check on them four or five times a day and Eliza even sang them a song last night.

For those of you looking to start you own worm farm, its simple, thank you google for one more completed project!

Cheap and Easy Worm Bin

Run Like the Wind

2011-02-27T19:19:00.000-08:00

Erin's and Melina, pre race

Erin ran her first road race Saturday. It was a 1K race and she was really nervous about it. On the way to her school that morning she asked me how you run. I told her that you find the fastest girl and keep pace with her until the end and then pass her right before the finish line, her reply was, "okay"! :)

Erin's behind the girl in the blue shirt (late start)!

We got there to warm up and there were about 20 girls in the kindergarten heat. They started each grade about 30 seconds apart and kindergarten was the last one to start. When they said go, Erin was still standing at the starting line, she was about five seconds behind everyone. However she looked really (can I even say too) natural running, but there were so many people going into the finish shoots I didn't even think she came close to placing.

The final 50

She was so excited she finished without walking. We stayed around for the school carnival and right when we were leaving I head her name over the loud speaker. Erin came in 2nd in her heat! She went up to get her medal and stand on the podium and the kid was beamming (so was mom)!
It still amazes some days how well she does, she is my living miracle, my daily reminder that the Lord is in control in all things.

Big Animals, Little Man

2011-02-27T19:09:00.001-08:00

This is Isaac's new buddy. They play at the playground every afternoon, Ike loves hanging with the older boys!

Just outside of League City a couple of miles we have a wildlife park. Its one of those places that takes in illegal animals from homes that no zoo wants. In my opinion its much better than the zoo!

They have all kinds of deer, goats, antelope, bison, a camel, they even have a rhino (you don't feed him from the tram :) and lots of other random animals.
You get a bucket and feed gigantic animals from a tram pulled by a jeep. My favorite are the ostriches. They reach their head into the center of the tram, its hysterical to watch them, food flies everywhere, however Ike was a little worried.Isaac's favorite was the African cow with the gigantic horns (which made me a little nervous, considering there was a piece of grated steel between us and him.

The Great Outdoors - Texas Style

2011-02-27T18:31:00.001-08:00

Last weekend we went camping with five other families. We had 12 adults and 13 kids under the age of 7. You should have seen the park rangers face when I gave her the numbers. She was nice enough to offer a group of campsites far away from the lake. We went to Hunstville State Park, north of Houston about an hour. We go camping about once a year and always with Ethingtons. Every time we camp it sheets rain and last time we went to Hunstville four years ago it sleeted (which is impressive considering it was April in South Texas). The joke is always we bring the torrent rain and they bring the bitter cold. However this time the weather was perfect, high of 72, low of 60 and NO SKEETERS!

Huntsville is a natural mecca on the outskirts of the concert jungle. Its located in Sam Housotn Nation Forrest, the campsite is situated under towering pines around a large lake. Its a kind reminder that Texas is beautiful, its just requires a minimum two-hour drive.
We got in a little early on Friday so we drove up to road to the Sam Houston monument. This is situated right on I-45 and the thing is a massive piece of fiberglass (everything is bigger in Texas right). They had a little visitor center and you can walk up to the monument. The granite base alone is probably 12' high.
We set up camp and started a fire as families trickled in. After a week about complaining how she hated camping, Erin soon was engrossed in finding flowers and sticks. Eliza was busy chasing the squirrels and Ike just rolled (literally, the boy was fifthly) around in the dirt. Erin and Eliza got their own tent for Christmas (thank you Academy $12 sale). We figured they would not last an hour in it alone, however they stayed the whole night!
That night we put the kids to bed and shot the breeze. Amber and I decided to drink water out of the spicket (there was no non-potable signs). It was fine until someone pointed out the yellow and red sediment. We figured we would both end up in the ER, however it just looks like we got out monthly dose of Iron.
Saturday morning Erin faced her fear of alligators and touched a baby one. We spent the afternoon out on the lake on our kayak and bank fishing. All in all it was perfect trip, the kids are already begging to go again!

Trouble Trouble....

2011-02-20T20:02:00.000-08:00

I'm not sure who gives me more trouble these days...Thing 1 or Thing 2 :). Eliza has always been hard on Ike but now he is strong enough to fight back. A few nights ago Eliza took something away from Ike and he went up and gave her a two-handed push, enough to make her stumble backwards a few steps. And the look on his face was priceless, there was fire in his eyes.That was officially the moment I realized I was saying good bye to my sweet baby boy and hello to the terrible twos.

Ike loves salsa, he would drink the stuff if possible. He always looks like he is in pain while eating it, we have to take it away at some point.
Eliza still loves to bake, she made Jared chocolate chip cookies for Valentines day. I turned around to see her sneaking raw cookie dough. This is her "I'm so innocent look". When I see this look I know trouble has already arrived!
Eliza also loves to climb on anything and everything. Erin has started climbing trees (she can now climb the firemans pole at school and ring the bell) and Eliza is right behind her. So now one day I will have not only one, but two kids that fall out of a tree, I wonder if the ER has a two for one deal?

I love how kids improvise, why sit on a swing properly when you can use it as a trapeze?

Happy Valentines Day

2011-02-20T19:48:00.000-08:00

We had a wonderful Valentines day! Jared and I went out Friday night to Texas Road House and then ventured over to the church adult dance (which admittedly was just as awkward as any youth dance). Luckily we had a group of friends that went which made it fun, until they held the male strut contest. When Jared saw there were old married women lining up to cat-call them he ran out of the gym, I honestly didn't know someone could move that quickly :)

He surprised me on Valentines day with a dozen roses and a giant cheese cake, I got him clothes.

Erin spent all week perfecting her Valentines box for class. She was so proud of it and did most of it herself. I cut out the legs and the eyes. She came home beaming that the school counselor thought it was so cute she took a picture of her with it.

Project #1 - Installation of a New Garbage Disposal

2011-02-10T11:51:00.001-08:00

Right before we left for Christmas our disposal died. That in itself is not a big deal, but we dismantled it to see if it could be fixed and then realized that the dishwasher connects into the disposal. We capped one pipe so we would have half our sink to do dishes.

After some quick research we ended up with the Waste King L-2600 Legend Series 1/2 HP Continuous Feed Operation Waste Disposer. Amazon had it on sale for $56.00.

Why the 1/2 HP and not the massive 1HP you ask. I compost so we don't put a ton of food down the disposal (there are studies that putting food through the waste water system can cause eutrophication). So we just needed something that handled a few scraps left on plates and the occasional fork. Plus the 1/2 HP is a lot smaller, saving room under the sink.

Installation: WAS A BREEZE! This is the first garbage disposal I have ever installed.(Jared was so sick and I didn't want to wait a few more days). It took me about 40 minutes from start to finish. Waste Kings directions were easy to follow. Their design requires no screws, it has a gasket system that just slip on and twist to seal and is a one person job.

It been going strong for a month without any leaks.

The Great Project List

2011-02-10T11:47:00.000-08:00

I decided to make a list of things that need to be done this year (primarily home improvement). You know the things you let slip. I am a list person, lists make me giddy, so thus I am hoping that proclaiming the large to-do list on the side of this blog will, well guilt me into getting something done. I also like to learn how to do thing so this may document my experience and hopefully help someone else not make the same mistakes :)

Hard Freeze

2011-02-10T11:12:00.001-08:00

One of the few perks of living on the Gulf is I don't have to deal with crappy winters....until this year. It has been down right frigged the last few weeks. Last Thursday we got to participate in state mandated rolling blackouts (which ironically didn't seem to "roll" through the high end neighborhoods). We had almost a full day of 10-15 minutes of power each hour. The state had 55 plants out of 550 go offline because of the "extreme" weather. Thank goodness our third-world neighbor Mexico has a stable grid and was willing to support us.

Erin's school was on the same power schedule. The district would not let them close since the school did not have any phone service (and were one of the few school affected). By the time I picked Erin up at 3pm the school was 60 degrees and the teachers (who had to entertain kids in the dark all day) looked like they needed a stiff drink.

I love how all the other children come barreling out of school dressed like they are embarking on an Eskimo expedition and Erin runs out in a t-shirt. The girls got some good Nordic blood in her :)

Then last Thursday night the temps dipped into the low 20's and after raining all day it...ohhhh... froze. 1/4" of ice completely shut down the city of Houston. No civic building were open, NASA closed, no schools, no Walmart. We got a call at 5:15am from the city saying the interstate was already closed at all entrances and exits due to accidents. Being a northerner it seemd a little extreme, but then again there was no way in heck I was going to go out on the road with 5 million people who have never driven on ice. So it ended up just being a nice relaxing day.

I have been trying diligently, and failing miserably, to keep my tropical plants alive. This is what my yard has looked like for the past week. So I have to say this is the first time in year I would like it to warm up...just a bit :)

Moody Gardens Aquarium

2011-01-30T19:39:00.000-08:00

Last Thursday Eliza's preschool took a field trip to Moody Gardens in Galveston. Ike and I decided to tag along for the day. At first Eliza was very adamant that I was not to go. And then I realized she was more excited about riding the bus than actually seeing the aquarium. So when I told her Isaac and I were just going to drive and meet her there, she was all cool with it :)

I carpooled down with a really neat gal, another Trooper School mother. She has two daughters, junior and senior and then they adopted Cooper as a baby, who is in Eliza's class. She was really down to earth and pro big family (which outside the church is fairly rare) and just all around really nice...now if I could just remember her name :)

Eliza was not overly impressed with the aquarium, but Ike loved it! His favorite was the penguin exhibit and he made friends with one who would just follow him back and forth on the other side of the glass. They had a good game of tag going.

Quotes by Erin

2011-01-30T19:34:00.001-08:00

Just to archive..... Sadly Erin's vocabulary and comprehension have greatly increased and she has become a more compassionate towards her siblings. Now on to Eliza's quotes!

"Eliza, if you don't behave mom is going to sell you when our baby brother is born." "Erin, knock it off, you'll give her a complex." "No, mom....It will just make her confident."

"I will only love my baby brother if we name him "Luke the Skywalker.""

"Erin, what do you do if someone you don't know comes up to you?" "I spray them in the eyes with mace so they burn!"

"Mom, does Eva like Walley like a good girl or a bad girl?" "What???"

"Dad, when you get really old we are going to sell you!".

"Get out of here you crazy creature!" "Erin, don't call you sister a creature, its not nice." "But mom, she is a monster!"

"Mom, did your car die?" "No, Erin!" "Mom, I bet your just stuck in the grass, maybe that nice policeman behind you will push you out." "I don't think so Erin, that nice police man is writing mommy a speeding ticket." "Sweet, I love tickets...but can he still push us home?".

"Dad, your not really a girl, just a pretend girl"

"One day I am going to marry myself so I get ALL the gifts!"

"Dad, I want to wear my new raincoat". "But Erin, it's not raining out". "Here's the deal, I'll put it on and you can spray me with the hose o.k."?

Rainy Days

2011-01-30T19:30:00.001-08:00

Last week I think it rained almost everyday (a mothers worst nightmare). My kids just get unruly if they can't play outside. So finally one day we decided to walk to pick up Erin. I'm not sure why I even put a rain coat on Isaac. He jumped in every puddle, by the time we got home he was soaked from the waist down. But it was worth the smiles.

Houston's Farmers Market Bike Tour

2011-01-30T18:26:00.001-08:00

Bayou City Outdoors cycling tour
Britt and I checking out the produce (yes I wore that out in public, it was cold!)

Last Saturday Britt and I braved the cold (36 degrees) to join a local outdoors club on a 20- mile bicycle ride tour of a few of the cities farmers markets. Jared was sweet to take the kids so I could partisipate in what I think they call...a hobby.

The day started off chilly in the Heights (which I have never visited but is a kickin' side of the city). Our first stop, which was by far my favorite was called Canino's Produce Market. It was this huge open air, three part market. The best was the back room where you could barter and name your price. Their prices were fantastic. I got a pineapple for $1.00, red peppers were .50 each. They had lots of exotic fruits and beans from central America, it was my dream market! Unfortunately (or fortunately for Jared) we were on bike so I couldn't buy out the place :)

Then we rode to downtown Houston on part of the cities bike trails and visited two other smaller markets. Both were pretty yuppie, fun to visit but most things were out of my budget.

The morning was really enjoyable, minus my back tire falling off, but that is a story for another day). The group we road with included everyone from avid bikers to old lady on their cruisers with the big basket on the front. Everyone was very chatty and welcoming. If I lived closer and had time for a hobby I would think about joining the club.

The Great Christmas Trip North

2011-01-09T09:05:00.001-08:00

(Break from shoveling).

Wow its been a while, time to play blog catch up! Erin turned six in November. December flew by without notice. Eliza and I baked twenty loaves of banana bread to give to neighbors and friends. Erin completed her first semester of Kindergarten with flying colors and Isaac changed over night from a baby to a toddler.

(Shot overlooking the west side of the family farm).

We spent two weeks up in Iowa visiting family for Christmas. Grandma and Grandpa Fenton's house was covered with snow, they already had over 28” of snow and it snowed another 8” on Christmas Eve Day. The perfectly spotless blanket of white made for a beautiful Christmas morning. The natives seemed blind to the scenic beauty of it, my dad handed us a shovel and said “go see if its still beautiful when you are done”. For good reason, it get tiresome day after day. But for us it made for a perfect week. Eliza learned to love sledding, the faster she went the louder she laughed. Grandpa piled huge mounds of snow to build forts. I found my first pair of CC skis in the hay loft and Erin was a natural. Ike didn't care much for out the out doors (he was embarrassed about wearing his sisters pink princess boots). So he lingered inside making friends with Sam, the gigantic cat.

Dad took Jared and I out to the farm to shoot some rather large firearms. I got a new gun for Christmas (S&W .40). Its was only 8 degrees out that morning and windy but we couldn't pass up the chance.

We spent the week hanging with my brother Max and his wife Jodi, making Christmas cookies with Grandma and seeing aunts, uncles and family. The girl cousins all went sledding at the school hill. One of the best present we received was from my aunt. She took all my grandmas quilt blocks and old fabric and made all three kiddos quilts. We all got finished quilt blocks to hang on the wall. They turned out beautiful! Over all it was such a fun relaxing week enjoying the quietness of NE Iowa.

We then drove to Jared's parents home, which was the opposite of quite. For the first time in years all nine members of Jared's immediate family, five in-laws and kids were together. It was so good to get together and we spent many late nights hashing out game after game of Ticket to Ride. I hardly saw my children at all that week as they had someone at their beckon call to play with them. And they had a blast playing with their cousins. I read the whole Chronicles of Narnia series with my down time. Erin and Eliza spent the week playing dress up and dolls and Ike flashed his dashingly handsome smile to make sure he was being fed a constant supply of cookies. Ike decided it was time to talk. Within a week he went from saying nothing to almost a dozen words (one being cookie).

It would have been a perfect vacation minus Erin got sick on the way home. She threw up five time, so we drove straight through on the way home. Eliza and Jared were sick the night we arrived home and mom was thrust out of her restful vacation to into loads of puke laundry and having to carpet clean the van.

And now 2011 commences, I wonder what it will have it store for us!

The Happiest Place on Earth

2010-11-10T19:46:00.000-08:00

I thought this photo was eerily awesome. There was a storm rolling in just as we left the park.

We drove two days to Florida to attend the last flight of Discovery. She has flown 37 missions and we had hopped to see her last journey into space, however she just was not ready. Over the course of the week they had a few fuels leaks, a weather delay and finally they scrubbed the launch until early December when the next flight window opens (we won't be going back, this was our only chance to see a flight). We were really disappointed, but in the mean time we had a wonderful and much needed vacation.

We stayed at the Liki Tiki Resort, it was a villa resort with condos with washer/dryer, separate bedrooms and fully stocked kitchen, It was incredibly nice to have some room (and two T.V's) The resort had a mini water park which the girls loved. I know you are all thinking, what Renshaws actually dropped some cash? Have no fear, we didn't jeopardize our frugalness (not sure if that is a word), we booked through condosdirect.com and got the villa for $50.00/night taxes included. Would highly recommend them, great place to stay and about five miles from the Disney gates.

And of course you can't go to Orlando with little princess-obsessed girls without hitting Magic Kingdom. We ended up going on a Thursday, which was perfect. We didn't wait in line more than 10 minutes and we were able to do the whole park in one day and the weather was beautiful.

Erin loved the princesses, Ike loved Its a Small World and at the end of the day Eliza discovered Goofy's Barnstormer roller coaster and was hooked (surprise, surprise, Eliza like a thrill :) We made it from 9am to 7pm.

(ps, we love Eliza she is just anti-photographs right now).

Swiss Family Robinson Tree House

Ike stole Minni's chair from Eliza, point for Ike and man was he proud!

Jared is by far the most excited in this photo to ride the Astro-Orbiter

No ones eyes should be this blue :)

Erin and the castle

The Ike Man

2010-11-09T19:56:00.000-08:00

He is getting so big. I gave him a haircut a few weeks ago and was thrilled to see his sweet little hairline is still there, which makes me think I am never going to let his hair grow out. Ike is such a happy little guy...except when large sticks linger overhead, sisters are nerve-racking!

Air Show

2010-11-09T19:52:00.000-08:00

This year the girls were not interested in the airplanes at all and Ike completely freaked when a big bomber swooped overhead. But the day was beautiful and the kids enjoyed being out in the park.

Happy Halloween

2010-11-09T19:26:00.000-08:00

We were leaving for Florida on Oct 30th but the kiddos still needed costumes for school outings and our wards Trunk-or-Treat. I told them they could either spend their money on costumes or spend it at Disney World. So they quickly decided a box it was. I thought it would be a walk-in-the park, how hard could a "box costume" be?

Eliza was adamant about being a "mink mi-pod", which is humorous because Jared had to bite his tongue and let his little girl dress as an Apple product as he is now a proud EVO owner.

Erin took it a step further and decided on being "a box of Shipley Do-Nuts", our favorite Saturday morning stop. Seriously what kid wants to be a box of baked goods?

I was able to put together Eliza's costume together for $6.00 and Erin's for $8.00 plus a few late nights and lots of glue gun burns. I kept thinking this is how I use five years of design school? But I must say I thought they turned out dang well and the girls we really excited. My mom always did an awesome job on homemade costumes so it was fun to pass along the tradition.

Eliza's preschool got to trick-or-treat all the high school classrooms and I heard she was the hit of the high school. She really got into it wearing all pink!

And Ike, well Ike was a left over elephant from the costume bin, but we used him a public service announcement to VOTE! I know, the kid is going to need counseling!

Kicked While Down

2010-10-17T19:11:00.000-07:00

I had one of those weeks feeling as though I was laying on the sidewalk and the world was trampling over me. There was not a specific, catastrophic event, but the build up of of small events that nearly threw me over the edge.

Lets just say Tuesday started with a flat bike tire on the way to Erin's school (not cool when you are pulling 70 pounds in a trailer) and ended with a wonderful husband shoeing me out the door for a RS meeting so I could have some adult time, only to watch Isaac get stung by a wasp and his little hand swell up like a golf ball. So I opted to stay home in case one of us had to take him to the ER (luckily it was localized).

So I went to bed feeling sorry for myself and woke up Wednesday ready to take on the world again.....and that lasted about an hour, which brings us to the kicked while down part of my week...

Half way to school Erin announced she forgot her bookbag. We were running late, but still had time so we ran home. I took my keys out of the bike trailer (where I always keep them when I ride), opened the house door and hastily shoved them in my pocket and jumped back on the bike. I dropped Erin off and headed right back home and as I approached LC Parkway and began to cross the four lanes of heavy morning traffic I thought “ohhh, someone lost their keys......crap those are mine!”. Realizing they had fallen out of my pocket, I dodged angry people later for work, picking up mangled pieces that moderately resembled my keys. The sicking part was I had lost both my Kia remote AND my Honda chipped transponder key (pricy!) along with my house and mail key. Honestly how many people can run over them in under five minutes? By the looks of it most of the city, I am pretty sure there was a bus or two in the lineup also).

Luckily I had left the garage door unlocked so I called Jared and told him I was going to swing by his work, see if the honda key worked and grab his set of keys so the local locksmith could get a good cut. My broken Kia key barely turned over (by the looks of it I think I could stick a coat hanger in my ignition an it would turn over) but it started. I had to stop at Hobby Lobby and I locked my doors and took in my one mangled headless key. Ike was screaming so I gave him the key to play with and within a second it was gone! I walked the isle, asked the old lady at the front almost in tears if anyone had seen a half shaved off, dented piece of metal that resembled a car key...and then asked if I could use the store phone to call my husband.

Luckily Jared was at his desk and came and hesitantly dropped of his set of keys for me. We finally made it to the lock smith, she took one look and said “that looks like a bad day” and $$ later I had a new house, mail, and Kia key. She even bent my Honda key back so it would work well enough for a while so I didn't have to shell out $150.00 for that key alone.

By noon I was ready to throw inn the towel and become a hermit. No driving, NO KEYS, no communication sounded like a great life. I walked into the house mentally drained and changed Ike before putting him down for a much needed nap. And there it was, the shiny mangled Kia key. Ike was wearing overalls and he had dropped in down the front and into his diaper in Hobby Lobby.

On the bright side the week only got better :)

First Day of Trooper School

2010-10-10T19:43:00.001-07:00

Eliza started Trooper School last week and she is loving it! Its a preschool program through the local high school. They admit high school students who are looking to go into pediatrics and elementary ed. I think there are around 50 high school studenst that rotate in and out throughout the day and 20 preschool students.

Erin was in the program for two years and we were thrilled with it. I thought Ike would miss Eliza dearly but he is loving the free reign, at least until about noon and they he starts looking for the girls. Eliza is so proud of her backpack, I had to laugh, its almost as big as she is!

Sally Forth II

2010-10-10T19:29:00.000-07:00

I got my replacement kayak in last week. Don't ask how they considered the major gash in the middle of the underside of my boat a "seam split" but I was completely honest and upfront about running over a possible sawed off pipe in the midst of an electrical storm being blown across Clear Lake. So needless to say I was very happy with Sevylor customer service.

Last Saturday Cami and I took it out for her first voyage, starting in Nassau Bay and paddling up through the lower part of Mud Lake, a total of six miles round trip. The morning was absolutely beautiful as we were able to port in early enough to catch sunrise.

I have felt like the past three years or so I haven't had a true hobby that I actually love (who has time AND money with three kids)?? But this may just be it. I find the solitude on the backwaters a welcomed break from suburbia and the daily grind.

Cami and I talked a lot of identity that day, and while I feel like I have a solid identity I am comfortable with (I'm a Midwest Mormon farm girl, what else is there to say?) I seem to struggle this fall with finding my place in the "school community". All at once this country girl from humble but loving circumstances has found herself in the midst of middle class suburbia, rubbing shoulders with moms who eat, sleep and breathe PTA and their little worlds revolve volunteering, their one to two children and what happened on the latest reality show.

And while I ride my bike in a t-shirt and b-ball shorts to pick up Erin, the mother next to me walks up in black heels and a skirt that is way to short for any mid-thirties mama to be wearing. A lot of it just seems plain shallow, but then maybe I am just on my high horse. I feel like the whole situation is plain weird but I just have to deal with them during morning and afternoon pick up.

And so far this is the only gator we have ran into. Hopefully it stays painted on the sign :) I took this photo just for Big E :)

Cami and I were talking about porting out of Armand Bayou next week...eek!

The Week of Food??

2010-10-10T19:19:00.000-07:00

I was trying to remember what we did this week that was mildly interesting, but looking at the photos whatever it was, it revolved around food. Ike learned a new trick, how to crawl up on the table. At first I thought he was doing it to get to the food, but then I saw him grab a bag of goldfish out of the pantry and proceed to climb on the table to snack. He must think its a safe harbor from Eliza.

The weather is FINALLY cooling off, we are now in the mid 80's during the day and we have even slept with the windows open a few nights this week. With the nice weather we have been having dinner outside...with the skeeters.

Seven Years....

2010-09-27T19:15:00.000-07:00

Sunday we celebrated our 7th anniversary. How quickly time passes and how steady love grows.

Saturday night we went out to a swanky Mexican restaurant in downtown Houston (Armandos). The food was amazing (and I expected nothing less with the price tag :)! Then we booked second row seats for the Houston Symphony at Jones Hall. The nights performance was Wagner's Ring without words. It was a very nice night out and much needed.

Happy Anniversary to a wonderful man who has been there every step of the way. Here's to making the coming years as wonderful as the ones behind us!

MOD Open Access Family Day at JSC

2010-09-18T19:21:00.000-07:00

Today we got to experience something that few civilians get to tour on the floor. Jared told me last week they were having a MOD (Mission Operation Directorate) Family Day. About once every five years they have this day and open most of the facilities. The last time we went we got to go on the floor but today they had all the astronaut training modules open to walk through AND we actually got a tour pool side of the NBL (

Neutral Buoyancy Lab). Which made me nervous having Eliza standing 24" from one of the largest pools in the world by volume. This baby is 40' deep.

Poolside at the NBL

One of my favorite tours was walking through the full size space station mock up. I get really claustrophobic, as even I had to duck through the capsules openings. Jared kindly reminded me that in space you can use all the area and not just the floor so it seems “bigger”. Floating or not it's tight quarters for six months.

Inside the Space Station Astronaut Training Center

It always amazes me to visit JSC and learn about the shuttle program and today as I watched Jared share his excitement about space flight with Erin (who is a budding space geek) it made me sad to think we are looking at the end of an era. The shuttle will retire this spring, possibly summer if we are lucky.

I think one reason they opened up everything today was for company morel. Come the first week of October, 1/3 of the people in Jared's area are getting laid off. We were blessed to make it through this cut, but its sad to see people who have worked so hard say goodbye. It makes for an unsure year for everyone. It will be interesting what the next step will be in space flight.

Kaminari Taiko drum concert

2010-09-18T19:01:00.000-07:00

Last night we took the family to the Kaminari Taiko Drum performance at Miller Outdoor Theater in downtown Houston. This is one of my favorite venues because they have so many different types of shows and its all FREE.

And the theater itself is an open air amphitheater. You can either get seats (which we did tonight because the weather was iffy, thanks to Brittany and Derek getting there early) or bring a blanket and sit on the only hill in the city of Houston. People go all out and bring dinner, wine and cheese and you have everyone from families with little kids to college professors.

The performance was spectacular! Erin was memorized by the drumming acts (not so much by the Samurai warriors :). And I didn't realize the Taiko school is actually located in Houston and you can take lessons.

Interpretation of the "Chicken Dance"

2010-09-15T14:13:00.001-07:00

I love my kids, I love how incredibly individual their characters are from one another.....and I love how Issac inherited his father's dance moves :D

The Kayaking Mishap

2010-09-12T13:48:00.000-07:00

League City Lighthouse

I have been trying to get out on the water for over a month now and life has been nonstop. So on Labor Day my friend Kallie and I decided to take “Sally Forth” (my inflatable kayak) out to sea. Well at least out to Clear Lake.

As always we like a little adventure and Monday Houston was on the dirty side of Tropical Storm Hermine. It had been stormy all day but the radar looked semi clear so we thought we would port in between rain bands.

Our goal was to row over to the old League City Lighthouse. It's under lock and key, but you can row up to it from the lake. The homes were beautiful, its a part of League City you never see driving because it a gated community tucked away.

Bridge 270/518

On our way to the lighthouse it was getting dark but we were almost there so we pressed forward. By the time we took a few photos the sky was turning black with rumbling in the distance. We both paddled like mad and about half way back to where our car was the wind picked up, the waves began to whitecap and our boat felt a little heavier than it did six miles earlier.

We decided to head for Nassau Bay and digging as hard as we could we passed a sign on a buoy that stated “BEWARE OF ALLIGATOR”. We took a moment to ponder if it was a good thing or not the word alligator was in its singular form. Inflatable boat + rough seas + electrical storm + large pride-of-the-community alligator could really make for a bad day.

We finally made it to a boardwalk, not know how far it was to the car. We climbed up the ladder, heaving our air kayak, which now really (weighed 80 pounds) up on the walk, watching the water pour out of it. Needless to say somewhere in the alligator's back yard we managed to put a 10-inch split in the bottom of the boat. But FYI it stayed afloat.

Taking shelter from the storm

So we starting walking down the streets of Nassau Bay, mutilated boat in tote, attempting to find our bearings in the pouring rain. Guess it must be a common occurrence because no one even looked twice. And that is how our day on the lake went. Sally Forth is currently in for repairs and well Kallie and I have photos of the lighthouse.

A Picture Worth One Word....Seriously?

2010-09-02T19:23:00.000-07:00

I was helping Erin with her homework and thinking (in my perfect world) Isaac and Eliza were playing so well together. And then he walked in. Eliza decided to use him as an art board "because she didn't want to mess up her drawing". There was no screaming involved so he was 1. thrilled for the attention or 2. knew that screaming would only make her do something more extreme.

Thank goodness for washable markers!

Bring On The Rain

2010-09-02T19:06:00.000-07:00

Its been a hot, dry summer so the rain this week has been welcomed. Ike LOVES to splash in the puddles. This week I have been caught in two separate torrential downpours on my bike pulling the trailer. The first was fun and Isaac and Eliza stayed fairly dry (and I was in biking attire). Today however we were just picking up Erin from school and Isaac ran out in the downpour to play in the puddles and I was soaked (in khakis, ugh!) from chasing him down, so I figured we would just make the 3/4 mile trek home.

Erin sobbed uncontrollably all the way home on her scooter. I am a horrible parent because I couldn't help from laughing as I watched Erin's gracefully gliding through the downpour yelling at the top of her lungs between the sobs "I hate this!". Drama Drama :)

A couple of days ago the girls were out running around with rain jackets and umbrellas and Ike ran out in just his clothes (as always).

Photo One: Ike joyfully playing in the rain

Photo Two: Mom walks out to see Eliza sudsing up Ike head with HAND SOAP.

Photo Three: Ike's playtime in the rain was interrupted by soap in the eyes and dad came home to mom holding a screaming child under the outdoor hose spicket...in the pouring rain.

Night Fall

2010-08-29T19:46:00.000-07:00

Living in the burbs we rarely see a good sunset. This was one of those nights where dusk clashes with stormy air and gives the world a yellow hue.

Daddy's New Ride

2010-08-29T19:19:00.000-07:00

We've been car shopping for a while now. We found out this spring that our Buick Regal was failing in well, pretty much all areas. The cost to fix was more than the car was worth. With 170,000 miles on the odometer it has been a wonderful car but it was time to say goodbye to an old traveling companion. We were disappointed because our goal was to hit 200K on it.

The Buick was our first big purchase together. Jared had accepted a job in Houston and I was still finishing school at Iowa State so we needed a second car. We were visiting my parents in Manchester and while waiting for them to close down the shop one night we decided to go look at the used car lot down the street.

The manager asked if we had ever driven a Buick and we said, well no, but our grandparents drive one :) He threw us the keys without even asking for a drivers license, told us to go put ten miles on it and come back. It was a sweet ride, the price was right and we purchased it the next day.

Seeing the Buick go was hard, (it was traded in on the drive the Texas drive clean machine program) it was being scrapped. Lots of good memories in it, heck two of our children were practically born in that car (thank goodness for leather seats :)

This time we wanted something that was safe and got great gas mileage. We almost purchased a Prius but it had some problems we didn't feel comfortable with (like it would kick into gear when the battery switched to the motor when in neutral).

We had been eying the Honda Civics but most were out of our price range. And then we found this little gem. Its a 2007 Civic. I wasn't crazy about getting a coupe until Jared talked me into driving it. The price was right, its in excellent shape and I was getting too many calls from Jared to pick him up because his car wouldn't start. Oh and it's Blue! We have only owned white cars except our van which is puke gold, ugh!So I suppose Jared deserves something a little sporty after driving a Buick for seven years (although I steal it whenever I don't have to take three kids, because you know it gets better gas mileage than the van :)

First Day of Kindergarten

2010-08-26T18:40:00.000-07:00

Where does the time go? It seems like yesterday we finally got to bring this beautiful fragile baby home after a lengthy stay at the hospital, having no comprehension of the joy she would bring into our young marriage. And this week she walked through those entry doors into Bauerslaug Elementary to start the next chapter in her life.

Erin does not deal with change well (I have been trying for months to get her into new tennis shoes) and so naturally she was apprehensive about starting a new school. However she has a wonderful teacher and her first week has been good. In fact her first night home I asked her what her teacher was like and she said “She seems very competent”.

Its funny, her elementary school has more students than my JK-12^th grade complex did growing up. They typically have 80-100 kindergarteners but the last minute they had over 140 register so they were scrambling to find teachers and staff.

With budget cuts they did away with bus service this year. I guess we know no different, but what I do know is the car drop off line can be up to an hour wait – one way! So we bike it. Ike and Eliza ride in the trailer and Erin rides her scooter. The only bad thing is right now its hot! A few of the days the heat index was still over 100. The school is only about ½ mile; round trip it’s about 15 minutes. We have to cross a 4 –lane divided highway. It’s at a stop sign, no cross walk, so the traffic makes me really nervous because everyone is in the morning rush mode. Erin waves like a crazy woman to make sure the cars see her and typically they wave back to signal its okay to cross. It’s hilarious; she is my safety conscious one!

As for me having three at home the past year I didn’t think I would have a problem, but the first day was rough, the house felt a little emptier and Eliza was lost without her sister. And Isaac didn’t have his protector by his side; he probably had the roughest week.

And she is off!

Hot Tamale

2010-08-15T20:05:00.000-07:00

Totally Focused

2010-08-15T19:56:00.000-07:00

I love this photo of Erin....she reminds me alot of Jared's sister Britt, totally focused and ready to compete :) Erin joined the neighborhood swim team for the second half of the summer. To join you had to swim the length of the pool and she just barely made it. Most of the kids had been swimming all summer and she was the youngest on the team by a year so she was always about a half lap behind everyone.

It was really good for her, by the end of the session she was a fairly proficient swimmer and she really enjoyed it. She can't freestyle to save her life, but that girl has a killer butterfly stroke :)

Girls Camp & Grandma Sue Visits

2010-08-15T19:36:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago I got to go to GIRLS CAMP! Yes I am one of those freaks of nature who loves to go camp in the sweltering heat with a bunch of city teenage girls who have never been camping, let along taken a shower with a family of spiders.

We took 21 girls from our ward and it was a wonderful week! Low drama (well low for teenage girls) and lots of fun experiences and above all it was just a nice break from life and a chance to refocus spiritually.

I spent most of my free time at the rifle and archery range since I was fighting a chest cold all week. Even being sick Amber and I SWAMPED the competition in the canoe races and had the best overall time in the camp.

And while I was away, my mom and aunt Kathy flew down to watch my kiddos for the week. The played tea parties, American Idol, learned to tie-dye from the hippie sisters and got spoiled rotten.

We went to the beach on day and Eliza found a blue crab that she wanted to pet, not such a good idea :)

The girls had a blast and I think my mom and aunt had a good time. Although mom said it took them a good week to recover.

Ikes Tat

2010-07-18T17:46:00.000-07:00

We thought now that Isaac is walking, he could walk himself down to the local tattoo parlor and get inked.....or it was the work of older sisters :)

Ike's First Birthday!

2010-07-09T15:27:00.000-07:00

How did my baby turn one? I remember when I found out we were having a boy, I was not disappointed by any means, but after two girl I thought, “What am I going to do with a boy?” I soon found out that I would cuddle with him and love on him and completely spoil him. This little guy is so sweet (and very handsome I might add) and it totally a mama’s boy. His has a huge smile for such a little guy and is very even tempered. Isaac has truly been a blessing to our family and it been fun to watch him develop over the past year.

Ike started walking a couple of months ago but every time he took a step we heard” Look! Ikey’s walking”….PUSH! So he decided enough with that - took a break and decided in early July to take another shot at it.

Jared’s parents and his brother were down for his birthday and his sisters baked him a cake, which he devoured hand and fist. He got lost of “manly toys”, abacus from Erinhis favorite by far was a helicopter from Grandma Linda – like father, like son!

The Great EasTex Canoe Trip

2010-07-09T15:20:00.001-07:00

Jared’s parents came to town for a week and offered to take our kids for a couple of days so Jared and I could take a much needed vacation. We have never had the night away from the kids in 5 ½ years so needless to say we were very thankful for the offer.

I have been eyeing kayaks for sometime and saving my money and Jared pitched in the last little bit as my birthday present…and some kayak paddles and life jackets. We ended up buying a Sevylor Inflatable Colorado two-person Canoe. After doing some research we decided on paddling Village Creek up in Big Thicket National Preserve. Big Thicket is known for its ecological diversity. It’s the cross roads of the several different eco systems and houses four out of five carnivorous plants native to the US.

There are no camping facilities in Big Thicket; however it’s free to apply for a National Park Service Backcountry camping pass, which allows you to camp on most sandbars on the river within the preserve. We decide the first night we would camp on the river and the second we could stay at Village Creek State Park.

The day before we were to port out Alex paid northern Mexico a lovely visit dumping rain on most of East Texas. The forecast was not in our favor (try 80% chance of rain all three days) but we were hell bent on canoeing and so we headed off ignoring the forecast (and packing lots of food because I can be wet but wet and hungry is just miserable).

We used a local outfitter, Piney Woods Canoe Outfitters to drop us off and pick us up. The guy was great, gave us lots of good info about the area and was reasonably priced. He told us that they lost 50% of their canopy trees during hurricane Rita and Ike. I thought that was a lot, but after we got on the river, it became apparent that we were in a eco system called Sandylands and these towering pines and hardwood were rooted solely in sand.

The first day we paddled around 10 miles and we had a rough start. Jared jumped in the river for our first portage and forgot his cell phone was in his pocket and swamped it. We had a little inner tube to pull behind us that carried our tent, cook stove, clothing, water, cooler and pretty much all of our supplies. They lasted a whole 20 minutes before catching on a tree branch and popping. So we stopped and managed to pack everything on the back of our boat. And then around the three mile mark Jared snapped his paddle and it started to pour.

The first day was an exhausting day of paddling, there were at least 30 trees to cross and scores more to dodge (and dodge well since we have an inflatable canoe). There was lots of “LEFT! LEFT! NO YOUR OTHER LEFT”! Amazing we didn’t fight and we found the canoe tracks wonderfully, almost like a kayak. After five hours of paddling and porting we found a beautiful secluded sand bar. I guess the nice thing around canoeing in the rain is no one else is on the river.

It stopped raining enough to set up camp before it opened up again and poured. We cooked dinner in the rain and finally set off to bed. The only people we saw in two days passed by us that night around 10pm.

The next morning we set off for the last 14 miles. This day was much easier as the park let the outfitter come in and cut trees to make passable channels for paddlers. The day ended up being overcast without any rain – the weather was beautiful and the river was amazing. Lots of cypress trees with rows of knees and moss handing from their low branches. It was amazing; the only thing missing from the picture were alligators (thankfully).

We completed our journey for 24 miles after another 6 ½ hours of paddling at Village Creek State Park. As we got out of the river it started raining again. Realizing that our equipment was all wet from the night before we decided to cut it short and head home.

But not before heading to Goings BBQ, the local restaurant in Lumberton, Tx. It was the best BBQ I have eaten and came with a live country western band in the corner equipped with appliqué Texas blazers from the 1970’s. A perfect end to an EasTex outing.

Eliza's 3rd Birthday!

2010-07-09T15:17:00.001-07:00

Eliza turned three on June 27^th! Where has the time gone? It just seems like yesterday Jared and I were sitting a Clear Lake Regional L&D room laughing at the morning saga as the color slowly came back to Jared’s face. She was born with a spark in her eyes and I knew from the first time I held her she would make life full and vibrant. From that day life would never be the same as our family grew to four.

Eliza is my rough-and-tough girl. She takes on the role of the Alpha child in any play group (for better or worse) and is extremely competitive. And with the flip of a coin she can be so sweet and shy. I love her energetic character and her mildly sarcastic sense of humor.

Eliza has learned this year to love bubbles, kitties and playdoh. She is always “helping” in the kitchen (why typically results of me bleaching food coloring out of something). She must have clean hands (even if the rest of her is fifthly), insists on brushing her teeth at least twice a day and has a growing fear of public restrooms. She LOVES Frog and Toad books and when all is silent at night she still asks to be rocked.

Happy Birthday Sweetie!

Happy Father's Day

2010-06-20T14:11:00.000-07:00

We love you Dad!

The New Vessel

2010-06-20T13:35:00.001-07:00

This is our new purchase, its either ingenious or completely idiotic...we'll find out in two weeks when the outfitter dumps us deep in Big Thicket National Preserve and say they'll see us two days later 20+ miles down stream.

I have been looking at tandem kayaks for some time and saving my pennies. However with all the uncertainty going on with the Space Program right now we are not sure where we will be come the fall. And the last thing we want to do is drag a 17' alumicraft across the US. Plus we have no basements here so storage is limited.

After doing some research we stumbled on the Sevylor Inflatable Colorado Canoe.
The more we read about the more it met our current needs. Its more of a kayak than a canoe, measuring only 10'6" and 40 pounds, but is built for two people and can carry 500 lbs.

Why an inflatable you ask?
1. Storage (or the lack thereof, our garage is hideous already).
2. You will never see it skidding down Interstate 45 at 60 mph in your rear view mirror becuase someone forgot the last strap.
3. You won't have to explain to your insurance company why your canoe became the new hood ornament on the BMW who was following you on I-45.
4. Its only 40 pounds so you can backpack it in.
5. No one ever got a hernia from attempting to load an inflatable canoe on the top rack of a trailer.

The cons.... Well we assume its not very alligator friendly (but does have multiple air chambers so if a gator does bite it we'll still have half of a boat right?).

So come July 1st is her Christening day. We would buy a bottle of champagne to break on the bow, but then there are just some things that you can't do with an inflatable canoe.

Now to name her, any ideas?

Fire!

2010-06-20T13:26:00.000-07:00

We went to the fire station last week for playgroup. Erin pouted the whole time becuase she was too mature for such childish things. However Eliza and Ike had a blast.
Ike is all boy, his favorite things were the tires, I think becuase the hubcaps were shiny. He had to check them out on all four trucks.

Work?

2010-06-20T13:21:00.000-07:00

Someone asked why I don't freelance much anymore. I have three kids at home. Attempting to do a conference call can sound like a call from a bunker on Normandy Beach. And attempting to actually get work done...we'll that now looks something like this.... case and point.

Youth Conference 2010

2010-06-20T13:09:00.000-07:00

League City Young Women (ages 14-17)

As a YW leader I LOVE Youth Conference. From a planning perspective our stake takes care of almost everything so its pretty relaxing for me. But that's not why I like it (although a great plus). I love how the church has instituted programs like this for the youth. Youth Conference is a three-day opportunity to make new friends from across the Houston SouthEast area, strengthen testimonies and a time for spiritual renewal and reflection on life goals.

Houston South Food Bank Service Project

They had wonderful speakers this year, great workshops, big community service projects and oh ya lots of dancing, dancing and more dancing. I am pretty sure there is some video floating around out there of my lam-o attempt to line dance, lets hope it never surfaces :)

(this was not a workshop, this was my car dying in the sweltering heat at Sonic and our attempt to revive it :)

Our ward also split last fall so it was great to see some of my old girls who are just not in another ward but now in another stake. And it was a good time to bond with the new girls that have moved into our ward. I am so thankful to work with such a wonderful group of Young Women. They are wonderful examples of living Christ-like lives and its been a privilege over the years to work with them.

Stop 3: Nauvoo

2010-06-06T19:40:00.000-07:00

We drove four hours to Nauvoo ill arriving Thursday afternoon. The family is getting big enough we forwent the hotel rooms and rented a house on the Mississippi outside of Nauvoo. We stayed at a small house called the Riverside Retreat (which I would recommend to anyone). The place was quaint with a beautiful view of the sunset over the river. The girls were thrilled with the gigantic tree swing in the back yard and Jared was happy for wireless access to work on his school work.

Thursday afternoon we attended a session at the Nauvoo Temple followed by a family cookout. Friday morning we realized we had seven women staying at the house and no hairdryer, not a good situation for the morning of a wedding. Luckily we were all able to improvise thanks to several window ac units.

Heather and Skylar were sealed in the Nauvoo Temple on noon on Friday. Jared is the oldest of seven and so far all five who are married have been in Nauvoo. It’s been great to return time and time again as a family. We wish the new Mr. and Mrs. Huth the best as they begin their journey together.

Our trip was so short this time we didn’t even get to explore Old Nauvoo. We waited to congratulate the new couple and headed off for St. Louis. On our way we stopped with Grandma and Grandpa Fenton to race go-karts before the big drive home.

So in eight days we put on 2600 miles covering seven states full circle….I feel like I need a vacation from vacation.

Stop 2: The Point

2010-06-06T19:29:00.001-07:00

My Hills

Erin hiked the deep crevasse of Devil's Backbone today for the first time, a rite of passage in NE Iowa. I remember being Erin’s age and my dad helping me over the giant boulders lodged between the two towering walls of moss-covered limestone and the steep passage from the top of the bluffs to the flats.

This was my playground growing up. I’ve hiked this narrow trail scores of time. For me the breathtaking views from the top of the lofty limestone bluff still bring a feeling of solidity and peace. It seems like each time I visit the park is more deserted as people find less time to enjoy the outdoors. I often wonder what becomes of a society who loses touch with nature. What inspires when we no longer study and reflect on the awe and wonderment of the Creation?

After hiking we grilled in the down pour in one of the old CCC built limestone pavilions. Erin and Eliza spent the two days playing in streams, running through soft grass, exploring Amish country, visiting with family and exploring Lock and Dam #10 on the Mississippi. And Isaac started standing on his own for several seconds.

The Great Whirlwind Vacation - Stop 1: Dallas Center

2010-06-06T19:06:00.000-07:00

We managed to drive twenty hours without any auto problems or Erin puking all over the car so we consider our trip up a success. The kids did great on the drive up. We spent our first night in Oklahoma City with Amy and Derek and went out for our tradition dinner at the local Pizzeria. They have a son Noah who is Isaacs age.

We spent the first two days of our trip in Dallas Center at Jared’s parents. The Renshaw geek squad played several games chess, had heated discussions involving the validity of Jared’s dad new perpetual motion machine idea politics, astrophysics, and matrices. Those of us who married into the Renshaw clan bring the much needed normal social gene to the pool.

Between engineering lingo there were lots of laughter and good times with siblings, great grandparents, grandparents and cousins and tons of food. And who could miss participating in an Iowa fashion show? Erin would make a wonderful Dairy Princess.

We spent the first night all sitting on the upper deck of the Renshaw house looking at the stars. Living in the burbs our kids don’t see the stars. Erin was amazed as she watched several shooting stars from the blackened backdrop of the night. We spent the second night enjoying a good Midwest electrical storm. The house Jared’s family built has a lighting observation tower. Its cramp and still unfinished but we were able to take the girls up and watch the summer storm roll by with all it’s splendor.

Help Me!

2010-05-19T04:57:00.000-07:00

A few days ago the kids were all playing nicely. The house was completely picked up so I thought I could take 5 minutes to actaully shower before noon. All at once I hear this blood curdling scream from Ike. I jumped out only to find Eliza carrying him up the stairs (more like dragging him up backwards under the arms with really LARGE eyes). She made it almost to the top, which is a feat considering Isaac weighs 18 lbs and Eliza is only 26 lbs.

When I questioned her she was so innocent and said "Isaac wanted to play up stairs with us." Needless to say every time Eliza got around him that afternoon he was very nervous (at least more nervous than usual).

Ike's new pretty close to walking, although we don't see it too often, he likes to stay close to the ground. Eliza may show some tough love but she is so proud of him, I think she will be his cheer squad throughout life.

Let it Pour

2010-05-15T12:30:00.001-07:00

First Fruits

2010-05-12T20:16:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite aromas in the world is tomato plants. I am not even sure how to explain it, its pungent and organic and not a smell any candle company would make. And if I close my eyes for a moment I am immediately transported back to playing in the dirt in my grandma’s massive garden, watching her meticulously pick the perfectly ripped fruit. The only thing better is the smell of tomato plants after a summer thunderstorm. Ah, back to my heavy pollution warning day in H-town.

One of the hardest things about living in the burbs is lack of garden space (and good soil, and mild temp and well, the list goes on). But after gardening here for four years I am getting the knack of it. Last year and this year I went 100% organic and I am impressed by the results.

This year I planted one bean plant (which did remarkably well so it’s on the list for next year) and I went all out with pepper and tomato plants. I’ve found in the past that big tomatoes tend to crack and split (probably because I am too lazy to go out and water them every night when its 100 degrees) and are more prone to disease. Romas, grape and cherry tomatoes produce fantastically and I found this little yellow tomato that is great!

We had a cold spring so I finally got around to planting (I buy 2” nursery stock on Houston Garden Center, can’t beat six plants for $1.50) in early March. Eliza and Erin are really good about watering and checking up on them. Today was our first harvest. It was four small tomatoes and a few greenbeans but that means in the coming weeks they will be loaded. Yuppie, now if it would just rain one of these days, I’m going to have to take out a second mortgage for my water bill (which I know completely defeats part of the purpose).

Modern Medicine

2010-05-12T20:12:00.000-07:00

I stood in front of the mirror last week painting myself purple thinking this is 2010 right? The age of modern medicine? And here I stand thinking if I get into a car accident the paramedics will wonder what kind of underground freak show suburban moms are participating in these days.

Completely lost? Just stop here and head to the next post.

I almost made it through nursing three kids without getting thrush, but that last lovely antibiotic prescription for an ear infection did me in. And I have got to say, it make nursing pure hell. So I dropped a couple of copay's on prescription meds to help clear it up and after 5 days there was no relief. So I called my midwife and she said to try Gention Violet. I called around to probably a dozen health food stores and oddly enough found it at HEB, the local grocery store.

$1.68 and 48-hours later life was good again (it was an additional 48 hours Isaac had a purple mouth). So ladies, if you find yourself there, go old school and paint yourself purple.

Happy Mothers Day

2010-05-12T19:47:00.001-07:00

1985

First off, a big thanks to my Mom who is an inspiration in my life. She is a wonderful woman. Thank you for all the love and sacrifice it took to raise us, we love you!

I had a wonderful Mothers Day! Jared didn’t have church meetings so he was home to help get the kids ready and we actually got to ride to church together. Jared and the girls made omelets for lunch (Jared’s specialty) and Erin made some super cute projects for me in trooper school one that included a Brillo Pad flower.

It was Devin’s day to call home from the mission; he is currently serving in Spain. We have worldwide free calling with Vonage so we ended up being the hub for the call. Brittany and Derek came down for the afternoon to talk and hang out. Jared got me a new headlamp (I did ask specifically for one) which is still I transit (in true Renshaw fashion). And Erin discovered the time delay on the camera..these were the photos I found as I downloaded. It was just a fun and relaxing day.

For me Mothers Day was not too far from the ordinary, which is a good thing. I have a wonderful husband who ~~finds~~ makes time between work, school and church to change diapers, do a load of dishes, helps when asked and takes the kids so I can have a few hours of sanity. And I have wonderful kids, who are well behaved…at least most of the time. I love them all!

Grrrr....

2010-05-05T12:05:00.000-07:00

Ike always has a smile on his face, however now and then his older sisters tend to annoy him...just a little.

The Big 30!

2010-04-25T11:50:00.000-07:00

Jared turned 30 yesterday! He spent his birthday studying, going to stake conference and oh ya, taking Eliza to urgent care....she managed to fall off the counter and slam her head on the tile. No blood, luckily no concussion, but man it looked like it hurt!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO A WONDERFUL FATHER AND HUSBAND...WE LOVE YA!

Yes, we are still alive...

2010-04-25T11:28:00.000-07:00

Talk about a blogging hiatus. Its been a crazy spring, I can’t believe May is just around the corner. I’ve had a lot of people (mainly outside of the Houston area) ask what is going on with the Space Program and there is no defined plan….and so we wait, patiently (we’ll kind of patiently; you know how impatient I am.

Jared got a call in March about transfers to Huntsville, Alabama. At first it was just another application, but soon things got serious and we realized there was a good chance we would be leaving Texas within the month. So we made a mad dash to do ton of minor house projects (you know the towel bars that break and you stick under the vanity). Within three weeks, we replaced some siding, painted trim, re-textured bad patches in walls, sodded a portion of the yard, planted a few trees, put in a new shed floor, rewired lights and the list goes on. All I have left is to refinish the three bathroom floors and I feel like our house would be close to market ready.

We found out a few weeks ago that the main contractor lost its bid and the transfer was for a subcontractor so the position was canceled. And so we stay put (which is a relief). Jared is tied to his job because they are paying for his Masters, if he leaves voluntarily he has to repay…. so we’ll be here at least until fall. It’s an odd feeling, waiting for the potential ax, but we have faith things will work out – they always do. We do our part and the Lord will do his.

Erin has been busy with T-ball. She is actually very good (I feel a bit guilty being surprised by this, but Erin takes after her mother and is not overly athletic).

Eliza started with a new speech pathologist last month and is making great improvements! It’s been a long road but she is starting to talk in phrases.

Ike is so close to walking. He likes to push things around the house and now can make it all the up the stairs and does fairly well coming back down.

My garden is in full swing and I have scored of little green tomatoes, can’t wait until June! We finally got our girls camp director last week. We have worked together before and I am really getting excited for YW camp this year.

And out of all of us Jared has the daily grind, Work, school, church, work. The highlight of his week is Erin’s t-ball. It has become their little activity together and is really cute.

Busy afternoons

2010-04-13T13:28:00.000-07:00

Digging through desk drawers and eating crayons...that's the life!

Easter

2010-04-11T14:31:00.000-07:00

We had a wonderful Easter and spent it with good friends and family watching the Spring LDS General Conference and eating dinner together.

Its a week late but we thought we would take photos of the kiddos in their Easter outfits....easier said than done. I don't think any one turned out great, but humorous to scroll down.

Swing batter batter batter….SWING

2010-04-04T20:24:00.000-07:00

This spring we signed Erin up for city T-ball and she loves it (minus that her uniform is gray, talk about a drag). As un-athletic as she is, she has picked it up and has a great throwing arm.

Erin has been hooked on The Sandlot, she stood like this for several minutes :)

Jared is an assistant coach and is really enjoying helping out and getting to spend some time with Erin. I missed her first game last week but we all got to go this Saturday. They don’t keep score, there are no outs (mainly because no one can catch the ball) and they only run one base at a time. The main goal is to 1. Teach them to hit, 2. Get them running in the right direction, and 3. Teach them which hand their glove goes on (I’ve learned there are several possible ways to wear a baseball glove, who know). Its a slow moving game but I had a great time watching them. She played first base and did a great job (throwing the ball back to the coach). GOOOO STINGRAYS!!!

Strawberries Galore…..

2010-04-04T20:20:00.000-07:00

Kallie G. and I took the kiddos out to Frogberg Farms last Thursday. It’s a pick your own Strawberry farm. Last year we picked way too many and canned who knows how many jars and strawberry jam. So this year I was excited to go, but made a promise to myself to keep my pickin’s to 8 lbs or under.

Erin and Eliza grabbed their buckets and started picking (and eating) and before I knew it I was loading over 15 pounds of ruby red strawberries into my van. So Friday was a canning day ; 7 pints of strawberry raspberry jam and 8 pints of cranberry strawberry jam. As delicious as it is I am so sick of it. Guess everyone knows what they will be getting for their birthdays this year

Sleepy Afternoons

2010-03-23T06:23:00.001-07:00

A few weeks ago Ike decided afternoon naps were for the birds! It was driving me nuts becuase he would get so cranky. The weather has been beautiful this week so I have been trying to crank out sever outdoor projects...and I found the perfect sleeping solution.

Father and Son

2010-03-22T06:22:00.001-07:00

Jared was playing with Ike last night after a long day at church, wonder where Ike gets those baby blues from....

Wild Animals....Meet Your Match

2010-03-17T06:29:00.001-07:00

Last week we had a chance to go to the Alvin Bayou Wildlife Park and I have to say everyone (including myself) LOVED it....well except Ike who was mortified of the ostriches.

We loaded everyone up on a Jeep-pulled tram and had our bucket of food. We headed out into the open range. We got to feed and pet bison, elk, the crazy ostriches who would stick their heads into the middle of the tram for food, zebras, camels and lots of incredibly large animals with large horn that made me feel insecure sitting in our tiny metal tram. Safe of not it was amazing to get to experience these animals up close and personal.

However the highlight of the day...the pony rides.

Where is Buster in the Bible?

2010-03-16T07:32:00.000-07:00

Last night during Family Home Evening Erin was asked to share her favorite scripture story. She started off "She was a Jewish Queen and someone told the King to kill all the Jews. She had courage to tell the King she was a Jew and help the people, even though he could have killed her. BUSTER SAVED HER PEOPLE!" "Um, E I think you mean Esther". "Oh ya, Esther" :)

Cilantro Cake

2010-03-10T16:36:00.001-08:00

Cilantro Cake:

2 handfuls of fresh cilantro (de-stemmed by hand)

5 – green grapes squashed

8 – baby carrots

½ C. Milk

½ C. Lime juice (complements of Sous Chef Eliza)

Handful chocolate chips

1 C flour

¼ C brown sugar

½ C white sugar

4T baking soda

2T salt

Mix it well and bake at 350 for 25 minutes and enjoy!

Reaction of the Chef.....

Quotes of the week

2010-03-08T06:32:00.000-08:00

True Love ~
While riding home from a play date last week I heard from the back seat "I'm going to marry Stevie Grundberg". Out of sheer curiosity I asked Erin what made her come to that conclusion. Her response:

"We'll, I'm five....and Stevie's five...we're the same age and I think its good to marry someone the same age".

I decided to dig a little deeper...
"Well Erin, Does he treat you well?" "Oh yes!"
"Does he make you happy? " "Yes mom, I LOVE him!"
"Does he make you laugh" "He is sooo funny!"
"Is he ever mean to you?" "No, he's a very nice boy!"
"Umm, has he ever kissed you?" "No mom HE RESPECTS ME!"

Well there you have it, true love at age five. What more do you need? :)

"Deader fish are better fish". ~ Jared was studying Thursday night so I took the girls shopping and we stopped by Pet Smart to get their monthly animal fix. Eliza was obsessed with the hand sanitizer stations (she is our new house health commissioner). And Erin was obsessed with the one bloated dead goldfish floating on the top of the water. She kept saying she wanted to buy that one...becuase it would be easy to take care of....how do you argue with that point? So she came home singing "Deader fish are better fish".

"We don't moon at the dinner table"....Need I say more? Just one night I want a dinner without fighting, major spills or nudity.

"Mom, why are you reading that naked magazine?" ~ Sunday night I was reading this months National Geographic and they had an article about African bush tribes. Erin thought the boy ritualistically jumping over the cows back probably should have been wearing pants and he need to go buy some. When I told her they didn't have stores her eye got really big and she said "where do they buy their lunchables?" (she didn't stomach the picture of the daily kill too well).

Stickered....

2010-03-02T14:39:00.001-08:00

Eliza got some new stickers....Isaac was the victim.

Tumble Me Some Soil - The Birth of a Compost Tumbler

2010-03-02T13:57:00.000-08:00

There is one thing Jared and I often disagree about…it’s my compost pile. It hides behind our garden shed, out of sight from the house, but he just is not a fan of it (which I see his point, it is a pile of rotting organic matter). However I win the argument, because I know how frugal he is and kindly remind him a good bag of compost is about $4.00 so I would be happy to throw it out and drop about $70.00 at Lowes every year on dirt.

Anyway I have been looking at compost tumbler plans for a while because of the *#@#% fireants, however I couldn’t fork over the money to well, make something rot faster. My friend Tiffani had purchased a couple of 55-gallon drums at the local car wash for $10.00 and offered me one. I still had some scrap lumber lying around so I decided if I could build one for under $25.00 I would…and I did!

There are several different plans out there and after some research I did what any good do-it-yourselfer does – scrap the plans and make your own.

I built it over three days (between kids helping, nursing, and everything else, things are slow going around here). Over all time was about five hours.

My goal was to make this a budget project and considering the nature of the project is recycling, I thought it was fitting to use as many recycled materials as possible for construction.

The 4x4 supports were old fence posts we still had from when Ike blew down our fence (they were snapped off at group level so never tall enough to use for anything else) and the 2x4’s were scrap wood we had the around the house. The axle is a 1” metal pipe (gas?) Whatever it was it has been lurking behind my garden shed since we moved in.

The barrel came from the local car wash. I drilled two 1 ¼” holes in it to run the axle through. I cut a 16x12 in door in it with a jigsaw. After some research I decided to go with a 12" piano or contiguous hinge for the door and then three three-inch latches. Because the barrel is plastic I tossed the screws and bolted all the hardware.

One thing I read on several sites was that people got too carried away with the holes so I drilled about 12 1” holes in the barrel. The compost needs oxygen to get the job done; my only concern is I hope bees don’t find it homey.

And that was it; I now have a functioning compost tumbler. I am thrilled how it turned out and even loaded it turns smoothly. A tumbler technically does not make it compost faster, however you are more likely to turn it more often, thus I should have a beautiful fresh hummus about every six weeks. So now every few days I walk out and give it a turn.

I’m happy that I no longer have to deal with fire ants, Jared’s happy the pile of debris will no longer exist and the worms in my garden are happy they won't die from lack of O matter in the soil.

At the Museum

2010-03-01T18:55:00.001-08:00

Eliza's speech therapist gave us a passes for a free day at the Children’s Museum. I take the kids at least a few times a year, but Jared had the day off so we went as a family. Life has just been crazy lately and it was nice to relax for a day and have some fun with the kiddos.

The museum had a major renovation last year and they built this three-story climbing structure, which I totally wanted to play on and got to (perk of being a parent). Although parents were welcome, it was not necessarily built for people who have child-bearing hips.

Jared and Eliza enjoyed building paper rockets and airplanes and putting them to the test in the launch cage. I think Eliza could have played with the launch cage all day.

We parked a couple of blocks away in front of this random art/bicycle repair shop. The highlight was they had a bunch of free-roaming geese, an oddity for an urban neighborhood, but it made my day.

If there was an ugly shirt contest....

2010-02-12T08:03:00.000-08:00

Ike would win. My mom sent this to him and when he wears it, it reminds me of a 50 year old man (maybe its becuase he also looks like he is smoking a stogie) . It also reminds me of my dad. My dad use to wear this short sleeved hideous pink shirt with little purple wales on it. So here's to ugly men's shirts!

Ike also has two new chompers....and he likes to bite....its his new defense and he is going to give Eliza a run for her money :)

Funky hair, Cancelation of Constellation and Nail polish…the weekly politics of the Renshaw Household.

2010-02-10T08:34:00.000-08:00

(I had to post this one becuase of Erin's frowny face).

Well mom’s last comment on the phone was we better take a family snapshot with my brother and his wife or she was going to flog me. We’re not much of picture people but here it is. Granted Ike is missing (he was sleeping) though I don’t think this is probably one that will be hung above the mantle.

Max and Jodi ported out of Galveston last week for a five-day cruise to Cozumel. They were married in September and took a belated honeymoon and had a wonderful time. After a horrible northern winter, a 36 hours drive to get here due to a snowstorm, and two tickets they were ready to ship off.

Jodi and Max both decided to get their hair braided on the beach at Cozumel, Jodi looked so cute, Max on the other hand, well I’m just glad he made it home without getting beat up. It was great to see them again.

Last week was a tough week with the announcement of the federal budget. Being under democratic leadership we expected Project Constellation (Its the manned space flight program to replace the aging shuttles) would take a hit, but no one thought they would cancel it. Constellation is the program that will, or now I should say was to, replace the shuttle come September. The Space Shuttles are approaching 30 years old, pretty impressive that they operate as well as they do for their age. There are a lot of questions in the space community of what the coming months will bring. Constellation is already a functioning program, 12BILLION dollar have been poured into its development and will cost millions to shut it down.

With that announcement, this area could lose upwards of 5,000 jobs (just in the space industry). Jared works for United Space Alliance and there is a possibility they could close their doors. We can’t imagine the economic ripple that will send though this community. We are expecting the housing market to become flooded and our area to take a hard hit. I am still trying to figure out how cutting thousands of technical, well-paying jobs helps stimulate the economy.

In the conference there we lots of buzz words of “new architecture”, “innovation”, and “new avenues”. And NASA is actually getting an increase in their budget. But the concern is not a possible change in direction, its there is no plan, no common goal, no big picture. No idea what will be funded and where the research will go or if it will coordinate with other areas of research. And it raises the question if starting over will cost any less.

NASA is seen as lethargic and methodical money eating monster and it raises the question if private industry could do it faster and cheaper. Probably, but as Jared says there are three areas to space flight….1.price, 2. time, 3. safety…..Pick two.

However time will tell and this to shall pass. So if you are in the market for a rocket scientist, this may be the time to pick one up.

And to finish up our week Eliza decided to paint her nails. We keep the nail polish up high. I walked into the bathroom to find a wooden desk chain stacked on top of a laundry basket with three pillows on top of the chair and a child covered in hot pink polish…it was one of those days that mom needed a nice…long….run.