hard core

Every athlete is likely to face an injury.

Strained muscles, torn ligaments, broken collarbones...

Blood may be shed.

Last night I had my first injury. 

I sewed through my thumb with the thick needle on my sewing machine.  When it happened, I glanced at my teammate Erica and said "I sewed through my thumb. What do I do?"  She carefully coached me to slide my thumb down the needle.

What teamwork!

Did a poke through the meat of my thumb stop me?

Hell no!

I stopped the bleeding with a paper towel and headed over to my next station (the iron) to finish the task at hand.

I guess I'm officially a seamstress now...
and a dork.

finally!

After months of trying every sippy cup on the planet, we finally found one Lauren likes! 

The Nuby Sports Sipper is basically a glorified bottle.  It's shaped like a bottle and has a super soft "sports straw" that closely resembles a nipple. 

At 13 months old, I'm just happy she is finally off the bottle and won't be dragging one to kindergarten!  I guess our little girl is officially a toddler now!

it's here!

This is what happens when two spoiled brats babies of the family decide they want a bigger camper.  An hour after our old camper pulled out of our driveway, Eric and I were on our way to pick out a new one. 

We are really happy with the floorplan.  It has a full slide, so we have a lot more room now. The kids have their own room and our bedroom has a lot of storage space.  In order to keep Eric from having a fit, I haven't ripped down the wallpaper border yet.  It will happen though. First I have to get some stuff to hang on the walls. 

 

The boys are so excited about having their own room.  The table is a big hit with them.

 My favorite part of the entire camper is the door that leads to this room.  It's so nice to shut it. 

 

See that other door?  That's my other favorite thing.  It leads to our bedroom. We consider doors  necessary, not fliparound TVs or extra storage space... just doors to separate us from those we love. 

lovin' some Bob

Thursday Eric and I met some friends up at Threadgills for some dinner and a Bob Schneider show.  It was so nice to go out on a date and know the kids were safe at home with my parents.

 

Threadgill's is an intimate venue, so we were able to get very close to Bob Schneider. Nice.

Becca, me, Sammy and Ellen

Sammy and I loved to watch the Scabs play back in our college days, so it was fun to hang out and check out Bob's blue grass band.  We had a great time and I can't wait to go see another show again!

proud momma and poppa

Tonight was Ethan and Austin's first soccer practice. They were so excited and so were we! 

Austin's team named themselves the Fast Trains.  He is on four year old team even though he won't turn four for another month. He kept right up with all of them.  He had a great time doing the drills and listening to his coach. After watching Ethan play 2 years ago, he finally had his turn to play soccer.  He felt so big and it was so cute to watch!

Ethan's team is called the Rockets. We were so proud how focused he was during practice.  Even though he isn't the biggest kid on the team, he jumped right in and attacked the ball during the practice game. 

Lauren snacked while she cheered her brothers on.

After practice, we headed across the street to visit the ducks at the lake.

It was a great first soccer practice and we are so proud of our boys!

camper blues

 

Eric and I never planned on buying a camper, but when Uncle Larry called us to tell us about the great deal that was going on, we couldn't pass it up.  We quickly became owners of a Jayco Jayfllight 29BHS travel trailer.  I didn't grow up camping like Eric did, but figured it would be fun. Four years later we have used it as least once a month year round.

 

Austin was 3 months old when we bought the camper.  Eric rigged up a special door to the bottom bunk that made it a giant pack-n-play.  It worked great.  Austin slept on bottom until Lauren was born and then he was forced to share the top bunk with Ethan.  They love camping so much, they don't seem to mind squeezing together on a tiny twin bunk.

 

We have seen some beautiful sights and the best part is there are so many lakes and rivers close by to enjoy. There is just something about being outside and spending time with family and friends without having to worry about laundry, cleaning or running errands.  It's peaceful and relaxing.  I know we aren't really roughing it with AC, wireless internet and cable TV, but for us, it's the only way to go.

We have so many memories in it!

 After our last camping trip, we decided it was time for a bigger one.  Two adults, three kids and one Lab squished together was a tight fit.  Wednesday we listed our camper on Craigslist, and three days later we had an offer.  Today, a nice couple pulled it out of our driveway.

Being the sentimental sap that I am, I had to take a ton of pictures so we can look back and remember what our first camper looked like.

 

Now we are off to shop for a new one to make new memories in! 

six months left!

I can't believe my baby boy is 5 now and going to start kindergarten in 6 months.  I'm trying to soak up  every moment while he is still at home with me.  Hopefully I will get all my crying out before his first day of school! 

spring break camping

Friday we loaded up the camper and headed over to Pecan Park in San Marcos for a mini spring break vacation with friends. Our first trip there was a year and a half ago when I was four months pregnant and our second trip was almost a year ago when Eric went skydiving. It's a great park with an indoor pool, hiking trails, playground and it's right on the San Marcos River. The weather was absolutely perfect with warm days and cold nights. 

Ethan got this awesome airplane for his birthday and we tested it out this weekend. I'm not sure who enjoyed it more, the kids or Eric.

Little Lauren discovered the window in her bunk bed. She loved peeking out at us when she was supposed to be sleeping. Unfortunately, she is not a fan of sleeping in the camper. She woke up all through the night all four nights. Not fun when all five of us are in a 29 foot travel trailer! Thankfully the boys slept right through it even though they were on the bunk right above her. After the second sleepless night, Eric started researching bigger travel trailers with a door to the bunkbeds.

The campground's indoor pool was a big hit with the kids.

Lauren's favorite part of the pool was sticking her head under the waterfall to drink the pool water. Yum.

Ethan and Vivian had a great time coloring, picking flowers and holding hands. Markus and Eric are already planning an arranged marriage.

It's not camping without a campfire and smores. We had a great weekend soaking in the sun, eating yummy food and hanging out with good friends.

 

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Look how much Lauren has grown since last St. Patrick's Day!

happiness is...

Stealing your brother's Vsmile while he is napping,

New blooms on a gorgeous spring day,

Spending a night out with friends at a dear friend's wedding,

Building an awesome house and highchair for a very special blue rat,

Being able to walk and play in the yard like a big girl!

Ethan's habitat

Ethan made a habitat at school last week and he is so proud of it. Seeing it instantly took me back to being a little girl and making shoebox habitats with my Grandma. We are making one for Austin too and it's been so fun to see things through their little eyes.

my latest project

After having this beautiful Heather Bailey fabric sitting around for six months, I finally decided to get started on my second quilt.  This pattern is called Yellow Brick Road and it's so easy and fun to make.  I'm so thankful to Joy for teaching me to quilt.

Quilting is addicting and I absolutely love it.  I am in no way a seamstress.  I can't follow a pattern, can't sew a straight line without my 1/4" quilting foot and I usually get too frustrated to enjoy sewing anything.  Quilting is different.  I love piecing together fabrics and watching it grow with every seam. I'm so anxious to get it all sewn together and send it all off to be quilted!