More snow fun

I thought this video was interesting. As Mason and Andy are throwing snowballs at each other in a care free manner, Alex is carefully picking up bunches of snow trying to get enough to make the perfect snowball. My OCD definitely rubbed off on Alex. When Mason came in last night his hands were practically purple, his socks, shoes and pants were soaken wet, and his face was solid red. But he was SO happy. He was grinning from ear to ear. Alex and I couldn't stand it in the cold as long as Mason and Andy. So we came in to get warm and to do what we do best, EAT!

Snow makes everything fun!

I loved watching the boys play in the snow today!

REAL snow

On the way to school this morning the kids and I were taking bets on whether it would really snow. None of us thought it really would. We got a very nice surprise today on the way to pick Mason up from school. It snowed for hours. As the boys and I started trying to build a snowman I realized I have never (that I can remember) actually made a snowman before. I know I have played in snow before, but I don't remember making a snowman. So it was an interesting experience. Needless to say, Andy had to finish the snowman with the boys when he got home! The boys really enjoyed their time in the snow. We told them it may be another 10 years before they experience this again! Here are some pictures of our backyard.

Check out that the circle water spot on Mason's leg. I think Alex pegged him with a snowball!

Our first snowman! He has a few issues, but he is ours and we love him!

Beautiful Blogger Award

I received an award yesterday from my good friend Stacey. I have to list 7 things about myself and then pass this on to another Beautiful Blogger. Thanks Stacey for thinking of me! I LOVE your blog. You crack me up!! And who wouldn't love watching Ray grow, even if it is in pictures! Ok, here are 7 things about me.

1. I make all 3 of our beds every morning. If for some reason I don't make the bed in the morning, I have to make it before I can sleep in it that night. Even if that means making it then unmaking it!
2. My favorite magazines are Real Simple and Good Housekeeping. Not sure why since I am not really a good cook/domestic diva! But it's fun to read about what I COULD do.
3. I am watching the Bachelor this season- trashy I know!
4. I am still trying to figure out what I want to be when I grow up. I have a second chance to pick anything I want!! What, oh what, should it be?!
5. I really, really, really like red wine and I gave it up for lent.
6. I am very afraid of heights and terrified of roller coasters.
7. I am one of only 3 people I know that didn't like the Twilight series.

Learn anything new?! :) Now I am going to tag my friend Kristi. I can honestly say there hasn't been a post of hers that I haven't identified with. Her blog is honest and real. She has made me cry, laugh, ponder and make changes in my life. That's a beautiful blogger!

Star Student

I have to brag a little! Friday Mason won a Star Student award. His teacher listed three reasons why he deserved the award.

He is a great artist.

He is respectful.

He is a good friend.

We are so proud of him!

Boy Scout Banquet

Yesterday Mason's Boy Scout troop celebrated 100 years of Boy Scouts at a Blue/Gold Banquet. Our troop was in charge of decorating for the event. The boys had a blast playing with the extra balloons! 

Alex is such a trooper at all of the Boy Scout events. He goes along with the flow!

Mason is waiting in line to receive his Bobcat patch. He also received a patch for selling more than 20 fundraising tickets! He sold 32!!

Here he is receiving his patches from his scout leader.

He also won a door prize- a hot wheels car!

Yard work

Saturday we spent 8 hours in the yard. I love our trees but in the fall/winter I am not a fan on the millions of leaves they drop on the yard. It's quite the process to get the leaves out of the yard. First Andy used the blower to get them out of our flower beds. Then we raked them away from the sides of the flower beds. Then Andy sucked them up with the riding lawnmower. He couldn't wear a mask because he has a hard time breathing with one, so needless to say he isn't feeling too great right now. When he came inside after 8 hours of these he was black from dirt!

We almost filled the entire cattle trailer with leaves. This picture was taken about half way through!

We also picked up a "few" sticks in the yard.

We trimmed all of the bushes too! I guess when you only work in the yard every few months it is a HUGE chore to do everything in a day!

One of our neighbors has already made a comment about how great our yard looks now. It wasn't hard to improve though! It was looking BAD! I think we are the talk of our neighborhood when it comes to our yard. Most of our neighbors are retired and spend lots of time making their two acres look like a lawn out of a magazine. We aren't anywhere close to that. As long as we can see the boys through the weeds we feel our yard is fine! :) But since we are having Mason's birthday party at our house this Saturday we thought we would make it look presentable!

Horse races

Friday night we went to Houston for three things- Target, Chuy's and the horse races. It was a long evening/night but we all had a great time. Alex's favorite part of the horse races was riding up and down on the escalator. He loved the 20 minutes in between races so he could ride the escalator! We need to find a place in Brenham that has an escalator. We would get lots of enjoyment out of that!

After riding the escalator we would go see the horses get ready for their race. We watched three races and placed a small bet on two horses in the last race. We bet on the favorite and one other horse. Neither one of the horses won! Just our luck! But it was fun anyway!

Getting ready to watch the race.

volcano

Yesterday at school Mason made a volcano out of a film canister, play dough, baking soda and vinegar. Alex was anxious to make one too. This morning we made his. He was so excited!

Will it sink or float?

I have a ton of empty paper towel holders and decided to try to think of ways to use them. First we made a shaker/noise maker by filling it with beans and noodles and covering the ends with wax paper. Then we decided to replace the beans and noodles with foil and rice to make it sound more like rain. After that we put two together to make a tunnel/slide. We put various items "down the slide" into a bowl of water to see if they would sink or float. You name it, we tested it! Did you know a shelled pecan and a pecan still in the shell both float? Match box cars definitely sink and make huge puddles of water on the floor! Then we used the paper towel holders as a bat with a ball of foil for the ball. This was really fun and it didn't matter what the ball hit, it wasn't going to break anything. Those activities bought us about an hour! :)

Alex wore those pajamas all day again yesterday! We had MOPS this morning so thank goodness he decided to dress in regular clothes!

Deer

I went to take the trash out this morning and saw three deer grazing in our yard (one is hard to see in this picture- can you find it?!). When they heard me they looked up at me and went right back to grazing. They stayed in the yard for another 15 minutes or so. Alex and I loved watching them. They are so playful!

PJ's and jibber

Alex got some new PJ's yesterday. He was so proud of them. He put them on as soon as we got home. He even wore them into Subway last night. He was still proud of them when the cashier at Subway asked him if those were pajamas and struck up a conversation about them! After bath last night he asked to put them back on. When he got home from school today he wanted to put them on! I better wash them while he is taking a nap!



And now for the jibber.....Thank goodness for the sunshine. Not seeing it for awhile really puts a damper on my mood! I like LOTS of light!
As a perk in Andy's company they will pay for you to join weight watchers for a session. The meetings are held at his company as well. No reason not to join! So Andy joined and I am hoping to piggy back off of the information he brings home. We both have been so careless about what we eat and too lazy to exercise. It's defintely caught up with us and WAY past time to do something about it. Before Andy brought home the information on weight watchers I started tracking my food intake using this site. It's helped motivate me to stop shoving everything I see into my mouth! The calories add up QUICK! Although I have just started the process of tracking my food and learning about weight watchers, it's a step I've wanted to take for 3 years now (but especially in the last 7 months). Since I quit Dell I have had little motivation to take care of myself. I now longer have to fit into dress clothes. I no longer have to stand up in meetings in front of Directors and VP's. I no longer have to compare myself to the skinny, athletic co-workers I once spent at least 8 hours a day with. When I began teaching at the preschool I went through phases of wanting to be healthy because I worked with some woman who really motivated me. But it didn't help that my normal work attire was jeans or shorts and a t-shirt (very forgiving if I put on some pounds!). Now that I stay at home full time my closest companion is the pantry and fridge! They are there for me ALL the time. Always willing to give and comfort. They always have the right answer (salty, sweet, etc). It's been so much easier for me to tuck myself away at home and eat, instead of getting out of the house and finding productive, healthy ways to live. I am ready to change that. I am not making any long term goals at this point. I'm just going to take it day by day. Yesterday I consumed about 1/3 of the food I normally consume in a day. The boys and I got out and walked around our neighborhood yesterday. And I didn't start and finish my evening with wine! Three big steps for me! Today is following the same pattern. I already feel better knowing I am on a path that will lead me to great things for my health. As a parent, it's so easy to put yourself on the back burner and let yourself go. But what kind of example am I really setting for my kids? I have to take care of myself so I teach them to take care of themselves. I have to take care of myself so I can be around in 30 years when they have kids! I am determined to start taking baby steps to a healthier lifestyle! That is my committment as we begin the lenten season tomorrow. I know God will help me through each day.

It's Sunday already?!

Friday, Alex was making a picture to bring to Gammie and Papa. He needed to be able to concentrate so he got out his trusty ear muffs!


On the way home from Austin today, around Burton, we started seeing a bunch of sheriff trucks pulling horse trailers. There was one about every mile or so. Andy said it was the Salt Grass trail ride where an invitation to the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo is delivered by horseback to the Governor. As we got closer to Brenham we saw the horse that was carrying the invitation to the next rider. It's sort of blurry but that's the outcome going 70 mph on 290!


This weekend we went to Austin to visit my family and our friends Stacey and Bodie. We also got some shopping done for Mason's birthday. The weekend always goes by so fast. I have to get on the ball this week and get some things done for Mason's birthday party! I also have a door ding issue to resolve! :)

Learn from me

If it's windy outside and you are in your car, don't crack your door open. If the wind catches said door and hits the car next to you it may take an itty bitty piece of paint off the car. If the car is occupied, that experience will run you at least SIX HUNDRED DOLLARS!!!!!!

My cleaning assistant

My helper doesn't like the sound the vacuum makes when he cleans! He figured out a fix!

Shaving cream and spelling

Yesterday we wrote spelling words in shaving cream. Same concept as the pudding but much easier to clean up! Mason is ready to ace his spelling test! He came home and read two books yesterday but the enthusiasm was a little less. I think as he becomes a stronger reader it will be easier to get him motivated to read. He is getting there!In the meantime, Alex is reaping the benefits!





Alex decided to draw a picture instead of writing a word. He said the picture on the left is a cage. The one in the middle is a lion. The picture on the right is a gate. Use your imagination people! :)

Rants and Rambles

This has been one of those weeks. Monday I took my car into the shop because it needed a piece fixed on my console before my warranty ran out. They gave me a beat up suburban to drive, but at least I had something to drive! I would discover later that it was a good thing it was beat up!!
Yesterday I mentored two sessions in HOSTS. I absolutely loved it! The kids were so sweet and it was so much fun. I can't wait until next Tuesday. I was only supposed to do one session but the first one went by so fast I asked to stay for a second session. I probably would have stayed all day but the boys had a dentist appt. I took Mason out of school early, picked Alex up and we headed to CiCi's for lunch. It was a special treat to eat lunch with my boys on a school day! After lunch I had to grab a few things in Walmart. After loading the groceries we all got into the burban. Alex needed help with his seat belt so I got out but didn't close my door all the way. While I am helping Alex a HUGE gust of wind came and blew my driver's door open INTO the car next to mine. The driver of that vehicle was inside her car. There wasn't a dent to her car but some of the paint chipped off and she wants it repaired (it's a fairly new vehicle). So now I get to go through the process of paying for this repair. A complete accident and minor door ding turned nightmare!!!!
Last night Alex woke up in his sleep screaming that his ear hurt. I was able to get him a doctor's appt this morning and he has a double ear infection. Poor buddy. One of his ears is VERY infected. He is on antibiotics and drops. Mason has such bad allergies right now I am waiting for his to turn into something more also. I don't think my boys know what it feels like to be well!
Mason is still reading up a storm. He is gaining confidence and finding fun books to read to keep his interest. I am so proud of him. Alex is learning his letter sounds and loves to do homework with Mason. I predict he will be reading well before kindergarten.
We have decided to have Mason's birthday party at our house. He wanted to invite all 20 classmates plus our close friends Blake, Reid and Owen. So 25 kids and their parents plus our family. No problem right?! Please pray with me that the weather on Feb 27th at 2pm is conducive to OUTSIDE play. What will I do with all of those kids in my house? I am in need of activities inside and out that we can play with a group of 7 year olds. ANY ideas are welcome, leave me a comment! We have a trampoline and a soccer goal outside. We may rent a bounce house. But I need to come up with some ideas for inside games if the weather is bad.
We are getting Alex Baptized March 6th. It's going to be a very small ceremony in the chapel at our church. Alex attends chapel there every Tuesday with his class so he is very familiar with it. He gets very overwhelmed with large groups so we are keeping it small with just parents and siblings. I am very excited to finally get him Baptized.
Well that's the update from our household. Hope everyone is having a great week. At least it's Wednesday. Come on weekend!!

Chocolate pudding and spelling

Yesterday Mason practiced spelling his spelling words in chocolate pudding. It was a little hard on me with the mess and the spills and the oozing. But the boys LOVED it! I put the pudding on wax paper and they started spelling words. We are always trying to find new ways to practice spelling. We have used shaving cream, sand, finger paints, magnet letters, dry erase markers on mirrors, oven, microwave, washer, dryer, windows. We have played hang man. We have used crayons, markers, tempra paint. You get the idea. If you have a creative way to practice spelling leave me a comment! I am always up for new ideas!




Black was one of Mason's spelling words.

Alex spelled "cat"!

Alex

This is how I found Alex when I woke him up from his nap yesterday!

A turning point

Today when Mason got home from school we did homework and then I told him he needed to read three books. I would normally get a huge sigh but he just said OK. Before we read the books he asked if he could read a poem from "Where the Sidewalk Ends". He read "Ickle Me, Pickle Me, Tickle Me Too". He read it with very few hang ups. I was impressed. Then he read two easier books. Then it was time for a book that he gets tested on at school. It was a long book so I was going to let him stop half way. Once he got to the half way mark I told him he could stop if he wanted. He chose to finish. Very impressed again. When it was bed time I told Mason that he didn't have to read, that we would just read to him. He said he wanted to read to us. He read two more poems in the Sidewalk Ends book. He did very well. After he was done reading he said "Mommy, I read 7 books and I LIKED it!!" I was speechless. I couldn't decide if I should cry, jump up and down, scream, run around the house, etc. So I just stood there! I think we have had a break through. I have been praying for months that Mason gets to a point where he WANTS to read. I hope we have gotten to that point. What a huge difference this will make. He already tries so hard and is doing so well. But to CHOOSE to read and WANT to read is HUGE! I am so proud of him. I can't wait to see what tomorrow holds! Thank you GOD!

HOSTS

Mason is in a program at school called HOSTS which stands for Helping One Student To Succeed. It's a reading intervention program. Mason spends 30 minutes a day, 4 days a week in HOSTS. He gets one on one attention to help him improve in reading. I can not say enough about this program. Mason has not only improved in reading, he has more confidence and self esteem. I met with his HOSTS coordinator last week and she is amazing. She walked me through a typical HOSTS session with a child. This program is ORGANIZED, FUN and EFFECTIVE! I wanted to me in HOSTS after she was done explaining everything! I feel so thankful for this program and the best way I know to give back is to become a mentor myself. I will start my first mentoring session tomorrow. I will mentor a little girl in kindergarten. This is very symbolic for me because if Mason would have been given a strong foundation in kindergarten he wouldn't be struggling this year. If I can help this little girl I can only hope she will have an easier year next year. I am very excited to be volunteering with this program. It's such a small time committment (45 minutes once a week) for such a huge reward. I'll let you know how things go tomorrow!

Getting some zzzzz's

Even Scotty is tired from the weekend!

Monday again?!

Whew...this weekend was packed full of fun! Unfortunately, I didn't bring my camera to any of the events! Boo! Friday night I got to go on a semi-date with my man. He won 3rd place in a big buck contest so we went to the awards banquet. We had dinner and he accepted his prizes (two jackets, a deer camera and a koozie!). The neatest thing about that night was when the Priest asked everyone to say the Lord's Prayer before we ate. There we were in a room with several hundred people (mostly men...hunting men) most with beer in their hands saying the Lord's Prayer. I had goosebumps. It wasn't like a few people were saying it, or they were mumbling it under their breath. They were proud and loud and it was awesome.
Saturday morning we went to Blake's 4th birthday party. It was so much fun. The weather was beautiful and the kids played outside for hours! Which gave the adults time to visit. It was perfect! Saturday afternoon we toured the new police station with Mason's Boy Scout troop. The police station is really nice! Harper's brother is a Sgt. with Brenham PD and he gave us the tour. He did a great job and I know the kids really enjoyed it. Saturday night Natalie and Harper came over for dinner. We had a great time visiting. Maybe a little too great. The next morning came pretty early! :)
Sunday we caught up on school projects and then went to the Lange's for a super bowl party. There was so much yummy food. I think I spent the entire 2.5 hours eating. I probably should skip a couple of meals today! It was a great weekend with friends, family and food!

Creative kids

While Mason was doing his homework the other day, his friend Kayci was creating a ticket belt, tickets and an information booth. Luckily for Mason HE was the ticket booth. Once it was complete it had to be tried on for size! A few adjustments had to be made, but soon it was ready to go!

Adjustment # 1- TOO tight around the neck!

Once the information booth was complete tickets were sold for a fantastic show. We didn't get to actually see the show (ran out of time). Stay tuned....when these three get together you never know what they will come up with!

The hunters

I found these pictures and realized I never put them on the blog. The hunters!

Playtime

I have been trying to publish the post for a couple of days now! So now that it is Wednesday I will fill you in on our weekend! Saturday morning Mason had his Boy Scout Derby car race. His car is the solid white one in the picture below. This is Mason's first year to compete in this race and we were amazed at the details of these cars. Check them out! Although Mason didn't place this year he had a great time and we know what we are going to change about the car he builds next year!

Also over the weekend one of Andy's cows had a baby. Isn't he cute?!
He picked a pretty cold weekend to enter the world!

Saturday afternoon our good friends Cindy, Andy and Abby came to visit us from Round Rock. The boys had a blast playing with Abby. They put on two western plays for us. It was really cute! We had such a great time visiting with Cindy and Andy. I haven't laughed that hard in a long time!

Check out the strings on the violin bow! You can't say that don't play it!