Monday, August 31, 2009

Quick trip to the lake















After many weekends of places to go and people to see, it was nice to have a weekend of no obligations. The kids are starting to entertain themselves more and more which makes being at home all day more bearable because we are not having to constantly watch them. Saturday morning we loaded up and headed to the lake for a few hours to break up the day. This was Caleb's first time out on the boat and everything was great except that his life jacket was still a bit big. Austin & Avery are not fans of going fast on the boat so we cruised along to a nice "beachy" area, anchored, and let the kids play in the water. It was like being at the beach without the salt. Austin enjoyed helping Wes seine some bait to bring back and put in our tank. Avery enjoyed doing "tricks" and "jumps" in the water. I'm not quite sure how many times we heard "watch me, watch what I can do!" By lunch we were all ready to head back home. Riding in the truck pretty much guarantees that naps will follow so we enjoyed a quiet ride home.



Poor Caleb, he was a bit too short for his life jacket.















Austin loves to be at the lake with Wes....















Friday, August 28, 2009

School report...

We have made it through the first week of a new school year. School buses and school "traffic" were sure signs on Monday morning that school is back in session. Caleb did not have too much of a change from his summer routine. He has new teachers and new kids, but he is in the same general area and many of his helpers are the same from the summer. Our big step for him has been getting him to wear tennis shoes. The boy has lived in Crocs the last 6 months, but later in the year they will be going to the big playgound and tennis shoes are a must.

Avery & Austin are loving school and Ms. Jones. The first day their report home said that Avery loved playing with the Barbies and Austin enjoyed the garage center with the cars. They have made new friends... I think. When I ask Avery who she played with at school she says "Austin" and Austin's response is "Avery". One change I can see is that they are really starting to "pretend" more. Last night Austin was the daddy driving the car and Avery was the mommy driving one of the push toys.

Wednesday, August 26, 2009

Sunday, August 23, 2009

Bears & Turtles

This week the kids move into new classes at "school". Avery & Austin are going to be Bouncing Bears and Caleb will be a Tumbling Turtle. This is the name St. Paul's gives the classes and by the way Avery and Austin have been acting, it is a BIG deal. They are very excited to be Bouncing Bears. We had Caleb's orientation on Monday, A&A's on Tuesday and Meet the Teacher on Friday. We should have everything covered.... hopefully.
Avery & Austin's teacher is Ms. Jones and they will go to school Wed - Fri mornings and be in extended care the rest of the time. Caleb will have Ms. Misty and Ms Geana and I have no doubt that our crew will adjust to the new change just fine.

Happy Birthday, Kennedy!


Cousin Kennendy turned 3 on the 21st, just a few days after A&A. Yesterday we went to Conroe to celebrate with her. The kids always have a blast when they get together.

Friday, August 21, 2009

Year and a half.....


Caleb is a year and a half today.... 18 mos in toddler terms. To be honest, when I say to myself that he is 18 months old, it sounds young, like he should be older. He is always with his brother and sister and doing so many of the things that they do that at times it seems like we have three 3 yr olds.
So how is Caleb at 18 months old? Loves to flirt; knows how to throw a tantrum when he doesn't get something he wants; loves to eat and make a mess with his food; not talking too much yet, but knows how to get our attention; he's a joker, I see a class clown in his future; knows how to make us laugh... and boy does he make us laugh!; loves his brother and sister, but doesn't always want to share with them.

Checkup X 3

What better way to start a Friday than at the Brenham Clinic?!? No, not due to the result of a fall from the playscape, but it was check up time. A&A needed their 3 yr check up and Caleb his 18 month. Dr. Draehn gave all a clean bill of health. We are SO blessed to have such healthy children. Here's a few numbers from the appt:

Austin: 35lbs, 37 1/2 inches, - in 90th% for height and weight
Avery - 32lbs, 36 inches - in 90% for height, 80% weight
Caleb - 26 lbs, 31 3/4 inches - in 25% for height, 50% weight

Caleb was the only one who needed shots. He took it like a pro. When he started to cry, Avery & Austin came over to him and started rubbing him on his back... it was so sweet!!! The balloon and sticker at the end of the appointment made their morning.

Monday, August 17, 2009

Party pics...


























































































































































The birthday party is all about.... the cakes

































When I asked Austin & Avery what kind of birthday party they wanted to have, Austin said "Lightening McQueen" and Avery's response was "Princess". I was a little confused on how to get those 2 themes into one invitation, so instead I went with the Playground theme since their big gift was the playscape. (Plus, I am not a big fan of character themes.) I thought I should at least incorporate Lightening McQueen and Princess into the cakes. I went to the new bakery in town and I was super excited when I went to pick up the cakes Saturday morning. Austin's was a flamin' Lightening McQueen and Avery's was a princess crown masterpiece. The decor around the edge is edible, just a thin layer of crystal sugar. In addition to looking good, they tasted great. The best way to top off a birthday party is with a sugar high!!!


Sunday, August 16, 2009

Birthday present




Happy 3rd Birthday, Avery& Austin! For their bday gift, we decided to build a tree house/playscape in the backyard, hoping the kids get a lot of use out of it for years to come. It's complete with 4 swings, hanging bar, disc swing, rings, double swing, sand box, a tree house platform and another open deck platform that is accesible by walking across a bridge.
The most amazing thing about this (to me) is that Wes built it from scratch, no plans or kit. He drew out a few ideas on paper and then he and I decided on a basic layout and he took it from there. He's a do-it-yourselfer (I SO am not) and it still amazes me at what he can do when he puts his mind to it. He was able to get done in about 2 weeks by working off and on. Uncle Doug and Grandpa helped out one Saturday which was a big help.
Hopefully the playscape will bring many hours of fun and enjoyment and not too many trips to the emergency room!

Friday, August 14, 2009

3 years ago....

Austin James Maurer

Avery Grace Maurer


I LOVE this picture. One of my favorites of all time. In the hospital, the nurses new them by Baby A(Austin) and Baby B(Avery).






At this time 3 years ago, we were in a hospital room awaiting the arrival of our twins. I had worked until noon and then met Wes at home so we could drive to College Station for a doctor's appt. I was 36 weeks along and feeling pretty good for a pregnant woman with twins in the middle of a hot Texas summer. We had every intention of coming back home after the appointment since I didn't have any obvious signs of going into labor, but just before we left I asked Wes if he thought I should pack up a bag to take along. He said "Whatever you think". I packed it up and good thing because at my appt, Doctor Smith thought things were in my favor to have the twins that day, or the next as the case turned out. Our lives changed overnight!

Thursday, August 13, 2009

Party time














We have a busy weekend ahead of us. Saturday, my babies are turning 3! 3!! 3!!! I am having a hard time believing it myself. We are having a few friends and family over for the big day to break in the new playscape. I will post pics later. I think you will be impressed with what Wes built. We hope it is something the kids will enjoy for a LONG time. Speaking of Wes, his birthday is Sunday. Poor guy's day will be overshadowed by A&A for a while. He will have his own cake at the party, it's the least I could do :-)
I hope to post sooner than later with party highlights, but we'll just see how the weekend goes!

Sunday, August 9, 2009

Austin's beach review

We just got back from Port Aransas. It was so much fun! Mom and dad let us stay up late and we didn't take naps until way later than we usually do. We went to the beach everyday. I liked fishing with daddy in the surf. He'd go out and get a fish on and then bring it in for me to reel in. We didn't catch anything real big, but that was ok. I liked playing in the sand at the beach. I wasn't a big fan of going out and staying in the waves. The clams were pretty cool too. I sat on the edge of the water with Aunt Candice and we collected a whole bunch in my bucket. Uncle Steve even found a few hermit crabs for me.





























We fed the seagulls our leftovers!

We got to go to the Texas State Aquarium. That was really cool. We saw a dolphin show, touched sting rays, and got to see lots of fish in a big tank. I could have stayed and watched the sharks all day.














Thanks, Toppe and Grandpa for making this beach trip possible. I really want to go back again soon.