Haunted, or just Delicious?

You know that mall you use to go to when you were a kid? The one that was always super crowded. The one that had the absolute best movie theater. The place where all of your friends use to hang out. Yeah. That one. It is now totally rundown. It now has this sad "my glory days are over" feel to it. More than half of the shopfronts are empty. The food court only has a handful of eateries left. It's a bit eerie really. Malls should never be allowed to get rundown. I'm glad that the mall for my children is Amazon.com. When Amazon starts to look a bit rundown, they just do a website makeover. Tada! Like new! Rundown old malls are both sad and scary to me. It's sort of a reminder of my own mortality -- specifically in the mall itself. I'm glad they have security officers roaming around to protect me from all the weirdos.

In Search of Waldo

Remember back when you were a kid and were first introduced to "Where's Waldo"? Those search and find books were the most entertaining things ever. I could sit for hours and look for the little guy with the red and white striped shirt along with all the extra little trinkets that were hidden with him. Waldo is a bored child's best friend.

Cooling off Kid Style

The summer here in Austin is beautiful. The grass and trees are so green! If it wasn't for the heat and humidity I would spend all of my time outdoors. Well, with beautiful green grass there comes a need to mow the lawn constantly! On days where the humidity level is low, or the sun is behind clouds, mowing the lawn is actually really enjoyable. Sometimes we don't have a choice though. Even on hot and humid days, sometimes we just have to get that thing mowed!

A Wonderful Detour

It seems I have visited more new temples in the past few months than in years! First the Houston temple, then the Denver temple, now another temple here in Texas! It really has just been a series of circumstances that have enabled it. I guess that combined with the fact that we've prioritized it. Whatever the case, it's been so wonderful to see so many temples in such a short period of time.

Shifting Control

There comes a time in a baby's life where he has to start training to be a kid. Sometimes though, parenting is headache enough, and you delay this training as long as you possibly can. I know you are probably thinking, "Isn't King a bit young for potty training??" And my answer is, "Yes. Definitely." (disclaimer: I know there are some parents that use EC, but I am not one of them) Thankfully all I'm talking about here is silverware training.

It's all about the Candy

The other day at the dinner table I asked the kids what their favorite holiday is. Maddy said Halloween. River and Britta both said Christmas was first, then Halloween. I turned to Maddy and asked her if Halloween was her first favorite.

2012

Maddy didn't hesitate. She said, "Yes! Because Christmas is not just about the presents. But Halloween is definitely all about the candy candy candy!"

Cute Short Do For Maddy

Maddy has been asking me for a haircut for I don't know how long. The last time she had it cut was literally years ago. Her hair is really healthy though. It's not like she needed a trim to get rid of split ends or something. So... I didn't prioritize it. Getting my own hair done is hassle enough.

Wholly Cow indeed.

When you are on a roadtrip you get accustomed to mediocre food -- or worse! Usually you stop and grab whatever sounds good in the city that happened to be close by when your child needed to use the bathroom. Typically you go for the place with the kids' playground, or somewhere familiar so you know what you're going to get. We've tried to get around the "mediocre food" trap by planning ahead. Sometimes it works. Sometimes it just does not.

It's a Zoo in Here!

Sometimes crowds can be overwhelming. It's one thing to have to wade through a crowd as an adult, it's another to do so as a child -- even worse to have to look after a child while wading through a crowd. The crowd factor has kept my little family away from many a "free" museum day. It's also discouraged us from doing our vacationing during school breaks (well, other kids' school breaks). Sometimes however, the crowds can't be avoided. Sometimes you are forced to cope with the crowds and are given the challenge to enjoy your experience despite the inconveniences and discomforts.

What Might Have Been

It's a natural human tendency to wonder "What if?" What if I had made a different choice? What would my life be like right now? It's hard to stop our minds from wandering down a path we will never know for certain would have even taken place at all.

Relax! We're Family.

One of my very favorite things about this particular family vacation was just that: Family. I don't get to see my extended family very much because we don't live near any of them. They are all such a hoot. I love spending time just hanging out and interacting with them. Some of the most fun we have is when we don't really have anything we have to do.

Half of our Forever Family

Sometimes I wonder what it would be like if we only had two kids at this point in our marriage. I can still remember what it was like to have three kids. Honestly, because the baby is still so little and can't join with the other kids in some activities, sometimes I feel like I still only have three. But, it's been a really long time since I only had two kids, and because River is only about 20 months older than Britta, I didn't have two kids for very long. So... sometimes I wonder what it would be like.

True Olympians

I have a great family. I live in a different state than every other family member. Sometimes it gets lonely. I always look forward to gatherings with them. They aren't as often as I'd like, but every other year we get together with my mom's side of the family. There are people that live in Arizona, Texas, Utah, and Colorado. I was excited that this was our year to see them all!

Weird Games Kids Play

My kids spend a lot of time together. Like... most of their waking moments, and a good portion of their sleeping moments as well (River and Britta share a room).  As a result of this, they seem to have little things in their interactions that make their time more amusing. More amusing for them, in any case. I find some of their little games a bit on the weird, and slightly irritating side.

A Hotel to Fit Us All

I have always liked hotels. Growing up it was such a fun thing to travel and stay in a hotel because it didn't happen very often. With 6 kids in a family, I can see why. Hotel rooms were not designed with a big family in mind. If you are traveling without children, or with one or maybe two, hotels are great -- and easy! However, it's a rather difficult thing to find a good deal on a hotel room that is big enough for our family with 4 kids. Believe me, I've tried!

All Parks are NOT created equal

Road trips can be fun, or they can royally stink. It all depends on preparation... and a good amount of luck. When you throw little kids into the mix, luck seems to play an even bigger part.

Grilling Heaven

I love grilling season. I love the fresh flavor of food barbequed over an open flame. I love the different tastes. I love the variety. I love it all. I especially love that the weather is such that I could pretty much claim "Grilling Season" all year long here in Texas.

Nobody's Better than Dad

Kingston loves his daddy. He loves his daddy more than he loves his mommy I'm afraid. At least, he constantly is craving daddy time. I'm pretty sure I know why. His daddy is awesome. If I could spend all my time with one person, it would be him, too.

Baby loves Tetherball

Kingston discovered the tetherball in our backyard! I guess it's because he is now pretty stable on his feet. He was thoroughly entertained for quite some time. Britta has tried to play with him. He's still no match for her. Cameron hasn't tried playing him. I'm pretty sure we know who'd win that match. Maybe Kingston would go easy on him though.

When Nature Attacks

Tents are neat. I don't care how old you are, building a tent and playing in it is timeless. The only reason I don't do that all the time is because I hate cleaning it up. That is also why my children don't build tents every. single. day. I hate cleaning them up.

Much Anticipated Event

We have learned through experience that we cannot tell our children any of our plans in advance. For anything. If we make the mistake of telling them what is going to happen we can count on two things. First, they will talk about it CONSTANTLY until it actually happens. Second, under no circumstance can our plans change. If they do change we are sure to pay dearly for it.

Kids Love Kids

May 2010

Kids love other kids. It doesn't seem to matter how many hours a day my kids are out playing, they are ALWAYS up for more. I think it's just our inclination to flock to people like us. Babies like other babies. Mommy's like to be around other Mommy's. Kids like to play with kids.

What's for Breakfast

I don't believe in cold cereal for breakfast. When I say I don't believe, I don't mean I don't think it exists. I mean I don't believe cold cereal is any kind of breakfast to have. I remember those commercials from when I was a kid. They always stated that the cereal was part of a balanced breakfast. They would then show a picture of the cereal next to a glass of orange juice, a muffin, some scrambled eggs and toast, or another combination of items that would be breakfast WITHOUT the darn cereal there at all.

My Laundry Helper

Laundry is one of those things that never ends. It also takes up a chunk of my time a couple days a week. Up until recently I was under the impression that my kids were too young to really do a good job helping much with the laundry. Today that all changed.

Injury Prevention

As a baby is growing and learning, it's inevitable there will be lots of stumbles and falls. As a result, there will be lots of bruises and scrapes. While I do my very best to prevent as many bumps and bruises as I can (and still have plenty of rules in the name of safety), I just accept this as part of growing up. I think this point of view has come as a result of having four children go through the toddler phase.

Becoming a Local

Sometimes I feel like, even though we've lived here for 3 years, I'm a bit behind on experiencing some of the local attractions. There are places that are a "Must Go" wherever you live. When I say that, I'm sure a handful of places come to mind for everyone. It can, however, be a learning process when you first move somewhere. It takes a bit longer for some people than for others. Namely us. We have found a few places here and there without much effort. Often though, I hear about an apparent "Must Go" here in Austin, but when there are kids involved, and downtown involved, I get intimidated.

It's Just a Trifle

One of the really popular dessert dishes during the Fourth of July season, that I had never made before, is a trifle. I would see pictures online all the time and think how pretty they looked! I either did not own a trifle dish, or just never took the time to make the beautiful concoction myself. This Independence Day, all that changed.

Festive Is As Festive Does

I've always loved the Fourth of July. There is something about celebrating the freedom of America that brings about the most wonderful feelings of pride and nostalgia. I love listening to patriotic music, gathering together with friends and family, and enjoying our day however we'd like.

The Calming Effect of Nature

There are many ups and downs when it comes to babies. Right now my baby Kingston is having a rough time. We think it's teething, but it could be a number of ANYTHING ELSE. I swear, what I wouldn't give for one of those monkey thought translator do-dads from Cloudy with the Chance of Meatballs. I would do whatever he wants if he could just tell me in so many words.

Pushing Through and Experiencing Joy

As a lot of you know this is my first year of having a "real" garden. Oh, I've had little wannabe gardens in the past, but this is by far the biggest and the most I've been involved in. I am very emotionally attached to this plot of earth and all the many things growing thereon. Both plots have gone through many changes since I planted it in early March. Plants grow and blossom, and then die. Then other plants grow to take their place. It's a constant display of the natural world.

We Need More Snuggle Time

For our Family Council we have a round table at the end so that we each have a turn to bring up any issues we feel need to be addressed. When it was Britta's turn she frowned her biggest frown and told us she wants more family snuggle time.