Happy Birthday Jack!!!!

This little guy's birthday is a little tricky.  He's a leap year baby so he can celebrate on the Feb 28th and March 1st!  He's turning 1 this year!  We don't get to see him near as much as we like, but when we do, he is at the mercy of Maurer Party of 5 because we all want to get our Jack fix.
Happy Birthday Jack!!!  We love you!

Celebrating with family

We had family over Saturday evening to celebrate Caleb's 5th trip around the sun.

Another request, a football field cake with a longhorn, his name and "5".

Caleb and Avery are adding football players to his cake, these are the same football players that Wes had on a cake 30 something years ago.

Blowing out the candles.

Grubbing on supper which consisted of pulled pork sandwiches or stuffed baked potatoes.

Opening presents.

Sleepover

So, I admit 5 is a bit early to have a sleepover birthday party, but Caleb has 2 really good friends that I knew would be able to handle the sleepover. Each of these 3 boys is the youngest of 3 kids in their family and these 3 have been in the same school class for hte last 3 years.  We were able to focus on entertaining 3 boys opposed to a chaotic 2 hours with 20-class friends.  It was a breeze and Caleb, Ethan and Jase had a blast. 

 

 The night consisted of a little baseball...

 

Nerf guns, cowboys, and pillow fights....



Marshmellow roasting....

 

 Playing ranch....

Movie watching and finally sleeping!

In the morning, they had their names spelled out in pancakes.

 

Daddy made his night extra special!

You'll notice Avery is missing from these pics.  Caleb's one request was "no girls, especially Avery because she is so bossy!".  Avery stayed at a friends but mommy had permission to hang around.

Birthday boy

Caleb was excited to go to school on his birthday to bring "birthday snack" and share these special cupcakes he requested from Mimi.  His mind was on football this year so football cupcakes he got.

 

 Birthday Boy

This guy loves money though he doesn't totally understand it yet.  Here's a $5 bill for the 5 yr old.

 

After school, Caleb was excited to open his presents.... a kid's 2013 almanac and...

A Denver Bronco's hat and Manning jersey.... his request after walking through the Denver airport.

We gave Caleb his choice for eating out for dinner for his birthday but he opted to stay in and have his daddy grill steak.  We added noodles, salad, and green beans... the 5-yr old feast, minus the green beans.  After dinner we sang happy birthday and enjoyed cupcakes and ice cream!

F.I.V.E.

Hard to believe that this little guy is 5.  I think I need to check his birth certificate and make sure we didn't accidently add a year somewhere along the way.  It almost seems impossible that 5 years ago we were at the hospital waiting to meet this little guy. 

This morning as we were getting ready for school, I was telling Caleb about the day he was born and it sent me down memory lane.  I remember the exact walk Wes and I took down the hospital hallway when Wes said, "Do you like Caleb?"  It was in that moment that we were still trying to pick out a boys name, just in case.  We didn't know the gender of the baby, but everyone was so certain that it was a girl.  Good thing he mentioned "Caleb", because just a few hours later, we met our son. 

Caleb completes our Family of Five and we can't imagine life without him.

 

At the ripe age of 5, Caleb is our comic relief.  He loves to draw, write his name, and prefers to end every night with cookies and milk.  He's a ladies man though over the year his girlfriends have dwindled from 17 to 2.  He tries to look good for the ladies and has gotten into a routine of putting gel in his hari every moring and brushing it smooth.  He looks quite handsome!!  He'll be starting tball next week and I'm sure he'll keep us entertained on the baseball diamond.
Happy Birthday, Caleb!!!!  Love you to the moon and back!!!

Heart Day!

HAPPY HEART DAY!

 

Last night I was feeling like loser mom instead of super mom.  Instead of the creative Valentines like the ones below (and the hundred others on Pinterest), the kids picked out the $2.99 24- cards in a box, with tatoos!, and taped on candy.  I had intentions, I really did, but again my intentions went to the wayside and we went the non-creative route.  

Today I've gotten over the cardboard Valentines... the kids loved them and that's all that matters, right?  Who cares if the other moms secretly talk about my lack of Valentintes creativity? 

Our day started with a special week day treat as Wes was home and made heart-shaped pancakes for the kids.  We're opting to stay in tonight and cook a "special" meal at home.  Anything will be great as long as we're with the ones we love :) 

Week recap

Seems like my camera always takes a mini sabatical around this time of year... after the Christmas holidays and before our busy spring schedule starts up.  This year it hung around a little longer for our ski trip, but now it's sleeping quietly which means no visual this post...

A few highlights from our recent week:
-  We are getting use to being dog owners.  We are reminded that puppies like to chew whatever is  left out in the yard... shoes, bug nets, charcoal bags...  
-  I worked the book fair at A&A's school this past week and made a mental note to always personally go with my kids to purchase their books at the times offered opposed to sending money with them to school.  Otherwise, they might wind up wasting their money on "One Direction" posters for prospective boyfriends or spending $3.99 on a bookmark. 
-  Our HEB, a place we frequent at least twice a week, is undergoing a major renovation and this week the Sushi counter opened.  That only excites me because I know the homeade tortilla station isn't far behind.
-  Wes spent all day upgrading a new tank for Spike (bearded dragon lizard).  These little lizards can be finicky when it comes to the temperature so with the new tank, the lights have to be lowered and we he had to make a new top to keep the air enclosed and so heat won't escape.  Hoping this does the trick and he perks up a bit this week.
-  Wes and I signed up for the Tough Mudder Run in Austin in April.  Yes, this is the 12 mile, 25-obstacle course where you have to crawl through ice water, get shocked, and cross the finish line covered in mud from head to toe.  We're crazy... but I'm looking forward to doing it together.
-  Saturday, Avery, Toppe, & Mimi and I went to see the Lion King in Austin.  It was AWESOME.  This was our Christmas present to Toppe & Mimi.  Love our girl days.

On a very sad note, this week we were saddened to hear of the passing of twin boys that were born prematurely to our dear friends, the Schultz's.  We will continue to pray for Trae and Cyndi and their families as they mourn the loss of their angels and take the steps to heal.  Please keep them in your prayers. 

Rookie

Every child needs a dog... right?  Well, up until about a week ago, I was pretty sure our kids did not need a dog.  Caleb is scared of big dogs and we just didn't need another responsibility.  BUT, then this guy came along.  He has stolen our hearts and looks like he's here to stay.

 



 

Meet ROOKIE

11 Years....

I can't believe I am really posting this picture (mascara remover, please!) but I admit it's one of my recent favorites taken our first night in Steamboat. We had gone to sit in the hot tub after a long travel day.  With our walk back to the condo, time was limited before icicles started to form in our hair so we hurried back in 10 degree temperatures in just a wrapped towel and boots.  What a fashion statement!
Tomorrow, 11 years ago, Wes and I to said "I DO"!  11 years sounds like a LONG time, but time flies when you are having fun.  It hasn't been all fun and games, but we try not to let life get too stressful and like the picture above, we try to keep things entertaining. 
Happy Anniversary, Wes.  I love you with all of my heart.  Thank you for loving me and for being an amazing dad to A&A&C!!  Looking foward to the years to come and many more towel wrapped runs!