Another fun-filled week!

Last night I was up until 12:30 making tamales with a friend. It was such a fun experience, and my freezer is full of yummy tamales. This means I have a very happy husband! We are making the masa here. The kids love my friend and were even happier that they got to watch!
Here is our fun train ride. Annie and Brynnley were getting to the boredom point as we rode there!

Annie was sick this past week and continued throwing up into Tuesday. That translates into naps! One day Ben and Emily were coloring so cute together. I can't even describe how much he loves his little sister!
This is my very favorite site - clean, fed, happy children just waiting for me to read to them. When I had Annie I called a friend in Austin and jokingly was mad because she hadn't told me how much fun two kids would be. She just laughed and said 3 was even better! It totally is. Sometimes it's a whole lot harder, but we love all being together! I love seeing the kids interact with one another and how they play together. I love how they take care of each other and make accomodations when necessary. Emily got out the kitchen stuff this morning and it has occupied the majority of our time inside the house today. I was doing dinner dishes and the 3 of them played restaurant. At one point Ben told Annie to leave and read a book. She looked at me kind of hurt and confused. I just explained that Ben wanted her to leave the 'kitchen' and read a book while she waited for her meal. So, she went a got one of her favorite dinosaur books and read until he 'served' her meal. It was so heartwarming to see. It's moments like this that make the fighting forgotten!!!
Oh yes - Andy turned the big 3-0 this week! It was a very anti-climactic day, but we did end it by watching the western Once Upon a Texas Train! We also had our 8th anniversary this week. I made a 'fun' dinner (read there freezer meal - although I did make the cucumber mango salsa to go with it!) that we all ate at 7:30 after Ben's soccer practice. Then we watched a little bit of Bell Cosby's stand up comedy and were asleep by 9:45 - what a party life we lead!
Yes - Andy got rakes for his birthday!
To finish out our week, we did a 5K with the 14-18 youth for Youth Conference this afternoon. They were running to raise money for those who couldn't - run that is. The money is for the humanitarian services to buy wheelchairs and is completely 100% tax-deductible! Ben rode his bike, Andy pushed the double-jogger, and I failed miserably at keeping up with them! We all finished (one adult pushing 3 kids in a double jogger and the other adult a little bit further behind) and had a great time. Although with the yard work all morning and doing more when we got home, I don't know that either of us will be walking very fast tomorrow! Andy is now chaperoning the dance and will hopefully be home soon with some ice cream to go with the homemade hot fudge I have waiting...

A Busy Weekend

First and foremost, I am a fabulous mom. A better mom than I was yesterday. Wait - let me back up a bit. Friday night we went to the members only event at the Dallas Zoo. We had a great time and I will post some pictures later. We rode the dart train and missed out on great amounts of TRAFFIC! Yippee! It was fabulously fun, but a late night for the kids.

Saturday was Ben's soccer game. I stayed home with the girls for much-needed naps - only to miss Ben's first (and second) goal! My cute little boy scored! My mom said a few people in the stands said they, "needed to watch out for little number 8!" I'm so sad to have missed it! Saturday night was dinner group at church, so the kids were up late with Aunt Jamie babysitting and after we came home we all watched the end of the Mavs game.

Sunday morning Andy has meetings starting at 7am. Annie wakes up somewhat happy but just gets honeryier as the morning goes on. We finally make it to church, which starts at eleven. Around noon Annie is laying in my arms like a baby (totally Atypical). Her body went heavy and her eyes close. I'm thinking this is going to be a great church day because I was going to get to cuddle Annie! All of a sudden, her body tenses and she throws up - all over me, the bench, the bag Andy puts next to us. Thankfully the closing song was just beginning, so I got up and walked out with my head turned away. I took Annie outside, stripped her down and am just standing there covered in barf - not so good. However, I am a great mom because I didn't throw up too!!! Last time I was holding Ben when he threw up, I joined him and Andy got to clean up after both of us! What a day!

Fathers and Sons Campout

Last weekend was the ward fathers and sons campout. Needless to say, Ben was just a little bit excited - a complete understatement! Ben was packed on Monday and would add things each day. I don't know who was dressed first or second, but these pictures were priceless to me!

Saturday morning, the Maases were the lame-o family without jackets. Yes, the kids are eating marshmallows for breakfast. They were hungry and it was taking a little while to get the fire going.

The Garden is In

Andy is convinced that things in our garden will grow! He built some raised beds and then last week, we had 8 cubic feet of dirt delivered. It was a very long afternoon, however we all worked together and planted seeds and plants the next day. We also got one of the flower beds in the front filled and have planted some flower seeds there as well. Hopefully the bounty will come...
There is just one potential problem - those nasty little fireants. There is a pile right next to one of the beds that we have poisoned 3 times with no results. Fireants like to eat young plants and germinating seeds. That doesn't bode well for a young garden. So, this weekend we are doing to take drastic measures to wipe those babies out - boiling water! They better prepare because we have worked way too hard to be defeated my burning little bugs!!!

Emily's Busy Day

Well - little Emily is such a hoot! She had a very busy day last week. I am just starting to find this a little bit humorous... Yes, this is an entire box of cereal that was dumped on the carpet. It wouldn't have been so bad if it wasn't my coveted GOLDEN GRAHAMS!!! I love them, and obviously Emily does also... Not more than an hour later, the kids were riding bikes outside where Emily found the puddle of water. I figured once she was wet, there wasn't really a point in changing her clothes until she was tired. No, Ben was not here this morning - the girls figured these messes out all by themselves! However, our dirt was supposed to be delivered one hour later!

Mr. Zuckerman! It's a miracle!

And it truly is! Yesterday I gave Emily some grapefruit for a snack as an idea from a friend. She loved it and ate it without making a face. Then Annie wanted some, so I traded bites between them. Ben came in and wanted some also, so I cut another grapefruit. Ben liked his half and I gave the other to Annie and Emily. I decided to take a bite, just to see what the big deal was. Preparing myself for bitter bitter tastes, I was actually shocked that I LIKED it! We've been getting grapefuit from our produce co-op for some time, but I either give them to my sister or squeeze them into smoothies because it takes Andy so long to get to them. Sorry - no more sharing! We like them!!!

Daddy's Big Boy

Well, Ben has his first soccer game on Saturday. Andy wasn't able to come, so I was very prepared with both the video camera and the digital. However, about 30 seconds into the game, the video camera died. Isn't that just grand! I did get some good shots; the kids really aren't moving fast enough to blur the images. :)

This little boy bumping into Ben was only in it for the physical contact. I don't think he kicked the ball one time, but he did shove Ben in the back hard enough for my little boy to come off the field crying (after he'd down a face plant in the grass) - not an easy task for this kid! We didn't score but the other team got about 10. They had one little girl that knew what she was doing and would just dribble down and kick it in the goal. Ben didn't seem too discouraged and was thrilled with the blue snowcone that Aunt Jamie bought him after the game. :) As a parent this is going to be very hard - to watch these games! This little boy below caused my tame, mild-mannered sister to yell, "Who's kid is that? He's pushing all over the place!" It was a good thing the quarter ended when it did because I greatly feared that Ben would turn around and deck him. I don't know how my mom did it, child after child...

Another Morning at the Arboretum

Ben is trying to rope this steer. This has to be the funniest thing I have seen! He twirls the rope above his head and his hips are going a mile a minute. He had all the workers covertly laughing. It took Emily a few minutes to warm up to the sheep and chickens, and then she was in love! They had brushes for little hands that she 'used.'
It was a cloudy day wtih scattered thunderstorms predicted. We got caught in a downpour and had to hoof it to the covered gazebo. It seemed like a good time to eat lunch (who doesn't like to eat lunch at 10:30?) so we rested for a bit. Thus - the wild hair!
The flowers are just beautiful! It took me a few minutes to figure out what Annie was saying. She wanted to see the lollipops! Translation - tulips! She's a girl after my own heart!

She's Almost There

Emily has been trying to walk for so long. She has taken 2 or 3 steps several times. Here, Ben is trying to help her. She loves to hold onto hands and walk around the house, in the yard, wherever. If she wants to get to something quickly, she knows that she needs to crawl. However, yesterday afternoon we went to the Arboretum with some friends (post to follow) and she took 12 steps, with shoes on, going downhill! What a treat! She is much more confident today and probably even more so tomorrow! Andy is my organizer. I tend to buy a lot of something when it is on sale, and Albertsons has had some fabulous sales lately. So while he was organizing, Emily pushed the stool over and climbed right up like she belonged! It was the cuteest thing; I love her hands!

Easter

Our neighborhood always has an Easter Egg Hunt, and as luck would have it my camera battery was almost dead, so I only got a few pictures. Andy was camping from Thursday to Saturday with the Young Men, so I went with Ben, Annie and Emily. Since I knew I wouldn't be able to watch all three of them and take pictures, I recruited a fabulous friend without kids to help! Here is Annie with her little friend, Brynnley.
This is Easter morning. Andy was at a meeting before church, so I tried to get the three of them to look at me. These are the best two - next to my gorgeous azeleas!!! I think I have beautiful children!

Yesterday in Target, I had 3 different people come up to me and say, "wow, looks like you have your hands full." Or - "looks busy." Most of the time, it's said with a sympathetic look or a sneer. I've tried to come up with a few pat answers and got a few from friends.
"Yep, I like to be busy!"
"You should see them on a bad day!"
"We love kids!"

If you have any other ideas when people make comments about your adorable children, please pass them on!

Maases Visit

Grandma and Grandpa Maas came to visit last week, and we had a fabulous trip to the Arboretum to see Dallas Blooms!
Emily is trying so hard to walk, but just hasn't gotten it down yet. Yes, it is St. Patrick's Day - thus the variety of shades of green! Ben was NOT feeling the need to wear green, and no amount of convincing was going to work. He settled for his green lephrecan socks under his cowboy boots.
The boys made a cover for the sandbox that is a little bit sturdier than was previously covering it. This also means that the kids can't play in it without me opening it!

Cowboy Ben running down the hill at the Arboretum!
Grandpa was trying to get rid of the jingling in his pocket, and Ben and Annie benefited by making wishes into the pond.

Emily is 1!

Happy Birthdayto you! I can't believe my little baby is one! She has brought so much joy to my life! Love this baby number 3!!!

She very much enjoyed her cupcake! She really got into it after licking off the frosting!

Cutie Girls

Well, I am finally doing something fun with Emily's room. This is the wall above her crib. They are vinyl stickers from http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5208238 . I don't know how to do fun links... I'm still trying to decide on something for Ben and Annie's wall.. Annie has been sick and was so tired the other night, she couldn't wait for me to come get her out of the shower... It was the cutest thing I have seen in a long time.
Here are my two girls after a morning trip to the Dallas Zoo. They have really spruced up the place, and I think the Kids area will be a bit busy this summer becuae it is now VERY fun!
Hello? Is anyone there? Emily now makes any toy a phone - although her favorite is the remote control.

A Snowy Morning

Well, in Texas it snowed on Tuesday morning. Ben was so excited to play in it when he got home from school. He came home on the bus at 10:40 to find the snow all gone. Wednesday was simply beautiful and I got a sunburn at the zoo in 65 degree weather. Thursday it snowed again. So after breakfast this morning, Ben got all decked out in his warmest clothes, ski bib, gloves, hat, etc. As soon as he opened the front door, we saw bright sunshine and a green yard with water dripping off the roof. I thought he was going to throw a huge fit with extreme disappointment, but he surprised me! He asked if he could go play in a neighbor's yard that faces East, thus still covered in snow. I said yes, so he walked around the street. He just played for a minute and picked up a handful of snow - eating it on the way home...
He was so proud of it!
Ben miliseconds before he threw the snowball at me. :)

The Science Place

At Fair Park the Science Place Children's Museum had a Grand Opening (read there: FREE) and we went with two other families. The kids had a fabulous time. This might be another membership that we need to purchase!!!

Firefighters: Ben and Kylie

Stage Makeup - I think I took about 20 of these!
Emily's favorites: playing in the water and planting seeds
Milking the cow!
Climbing a very short rockwall. Guess it helps them feel successful. :)
Thankfully I still have these pictures! We'd gone upstairs to leave when I realized I no longer had my camera. An agonizing 20 minutes later, the security guard brought it out...