Maurer Party of Five ... 2013

Here we are, all smiles and color coordinated....  I was hoping for some great family pics this spring and  through the lens of Kathlyn Dragna, that is exactly what we got!  After two hours of posing and smiling out at Festival Hill, we had over 200 pics to look through.  Here's just a peak....

 

Quick post..

I am soooo far behind with updating this blog right now.  Tball has ended, school is winding down and we are on the cusp of summertime.  Can't wait!  Every year at this time I get extreme teacher envy.  There is a huge part of me that would like to have the summer off to spend with the kids and give them a break from a "schedule".  I'd love to see us all sleep until 9am!  As the kids get older, I don't feel as guilty as we have them involved in a few camps, Bible School and a few vacations.  I will be playing taxi quite a bit but we'll make it work.  When they don't have something scheduled they will be at St. Pauls CDS going on field trips and doing a few educational activities.  Sounds like a fun summer to me!
We've already spent several hours at the pool.  A&A&C LOVE the water and are pretty good swimmers.  No water is too deep and Avery is already showing off her flip skills on the diving board. 
Hope everyone who still keeps up with us has a great summer!  I'll try to do a better job of taking some time to let you know how we are spending ours. 

PO TA TOES

It's that time.... time to plant, pick and eat straight from the backyard. 

 Wes, master gardener, planted early in the season and we are starting to enjoy fresh veggies.

 The kids were actually "wanting" to help dig/pick potatoes.  Not exactly sure why we waited until 1:30pm in 90 degree weather to get started. 

 Wes plowed and the kids pulled up the plants and pulled off the carbs.

 Got potatoes???

Happy Mothers Day!!!

Today was a beautiful day to celebrate the most rewarding job in the world!  Love our moms and all they do for us! 

 

Loving NOW...

During one of my random thinking sessions, I was thinking about how good things are NOW.  If I could, I'd freeze time and have us all stay at this age for a few years. Though not everyday is rainbows and sunshine, life is good.  At the ages of 5 & 6, the kids are independent - they can dress themselves, brush their own teeth, grab their own snacks, and put their clothes in the hamper (though that doesn't always happen!).  They are also dependent - I still monitor what gets packed in lunches, they still want story time and their backs rubbed at bed time, and I'm still needed to grab things off the top shelf.  Sports are fun, not competitive.  There's no friend drama, no boyfriends/girlfriends, no bullies.  Activities are manageable. There's no resistance to go to school.  A task can be rewarded with a quarter, no questions asked.  I know with each age there will be ups and downs.  Just seems right now we've got a good thing going....

Clowning around...

Never a dull moment around here....

 

Go Astros!!!

I think these tball Astros could show the guys in the big leagues a thing or two.  Caleb is loving tball.  Though games have been sparactic due to rain and a few other things, the team still seems to be "getting it" and making more outs as the season goes on.

 Caleb at pitcher throwing it to get a force out at 3rd.

 Look at that swing!

 Ready to run the bases.

 This guy has some speed!

 The best part of the whole game... sliding into home!

Maifest 2013

Ahhh.... it's that  time of year again in Brenham.... Maifest, a rich German tradition.  Avery is the only one that opted to be in Maifest this year.  She was in a group of adorable pink poodles that performed "Under the Big Top".  The girls had a lot of fun and nailed their performance at the coronation.  It wound up being a really fun evening! One major difference this year has been the weather.  Usually we are layering sunscreen and fanning the kids off.  This year they wore jackets until their time to perform and we made sure to have plenty of blankets for them on the field.  I prefer the too hot scenario!

Avery was part of the Maipole dance that performed at the kickoff picnic and right before the beginning of each coronation.  She had to wear a sundress and then quickly changed into a poodle.

Getting ready for Maipole on center stage.

Our pink poodle.

Parade time... we were the first ones to the float and had a few photo ops :) 

After the parade she said she tried to wave the whole time but that her arm got really tired. 

BES Field Day

Last week was track & field day at Brenham Elementary and Ms. Deramus's Amazing Monkeys brought their "A" game.  Every child participated in 2 events.  Avery & Austin were a part of the shuttle run relay.  Their class got 3rd out of 6.  That was pretty impressive considering they dropped the baton and had a few slips on the wet dewy grass.  Avery represented her class in the 50 yard hurdles.  It as a 1st place finish for her!  Austin was chosen for the 50 yard dash and he too crossed the finish line 1st and got a blue ribbon.  I attempted to get a few action pics but they were too fast for the camera!  Here they are showing off their 1st place finishes.

 

 Love this....