Maurer Party of Five

Mornings with Caleb

2012-02-17T07:10:00.000-08:00

I thought I had it bad with Avery, but when it comes to picking out clothes to wear for school, or any occasion for that matter, Caleb is near impossible. A few months ago, things were much easier as he had a few pairs of jeans that we rotated through on a regular basis. But this boy is all boy and most of those jeans now have holes in the knees. I have put off getting him new ones with his birthday around the corner and the fact that he has about 6 pairs of jeans/pants that are just fine, he just refuses to wear them for various reasons.
One of those reasons - "crincks". What is a crink you ask? I haven't quite figured it out, but I think it is wrinkles or when pants are longer and the material bunches up. He was crying the other day about pants I made him put on and when I asked what was wrong, he told me "I don't like all these crinks". He will at least wear athletic pants now, but will only wear two of the pairs he has to school. I guess the other pairs aren't school worthy? And shirts... he has about 6 that he wears regularly and the rest just sit in his closet. I have just given up that battle. His tears are not worth it.
Then there are the shoes. He got a pair of Nike tennis shoes that have one velcro strip across the tongue. On the tounge is a "nike" tag, and that tag has to be covered by the velcro strip or he won't put them on. He brings them to me and says "cover them up".
I am hoping this is all a phase although I remember Wes's aunts telling me when we first started dating how difficult he was to buy for because he was so picky. We could be in for many challenging mornings!

2012-02-15T17:11:00.001-08:00

Look at what showed up at our house on Valentines Day!

As we stopped at the mailbox, these two puppies were sitting in the grass. They followed the car up to the house and haven't left the backyard since. In fact right now they are sound asleep on the mat right outside the back door.
Up to this point, discussions regarding adding a dog to the Maurer Party of Five mix have been pretty short... we're not ready. The thought of one more thing to look after is not the least bit appealing to me. Wes and I both agree to no dogs in the house so that leaves it roaming our property and we'd possibly need to build a pen for it. Again, we're just not ready. I should add one other very important detail - our kids don't like dogs. That could be a determining factor, right? Austin has just recently warmed up to them as you can see in the picture above. He's the only one that will get close enough to touch them. Avery will throw a ball to them, but won't get close to the ball if the dogs are close and Caleb watches from the inside out the back window.
I guess having two dogs show up (likely dropped off on the side of the road) gives us some hands on experience with 3 kids and a dog, in this case 2. I think we've already found a home for one of them. Anyone else out there looking for a dog to call their own?!?!

Happy Valentines!

2012-02-14T11:09:00.000-08:00

Wes left us all some goodies when he left for work this morning. Yes, that is my 2 lb bag of Twizzlers.... he knows how to speak to my heart.

Valentines kind of snuck up on us and with a busy weekend this past weekend, making Valentines for classmates was put off until last night. On a scale of 1-10, my creativity was a definite 1.5, but at least they got done! There's always next year....

We've decided for a romantic meal of pizza tonight (at least I won't be cooking!) and might even watch a movie as a family. Good stuff!! Happy Valentines Day from Maurer Party of Five!

Grandpa Pete is 98!!

2012-02-14T11:07:00.000-08:00

Sunday we celebrated a very special birthday with a very special man, Grandpa Pete. Grandpa Pete turned 98 and he doesn't look a day over 85 :) The entire family went to church with Grandpa, a church that brings back such great memories of my grandmother. The church is very informal, everyone feels welcome and their love for Christ and each other is evident. Before every service, they have anyone who has a birthday coming up that week stand at the front of the church and the congreagation sings "Happy Birthday" to them. There were several with birthdays this week and when they got around to Grandpa Pete to ask how old he was going to be, his response was "a century minus two!" Then one by one, the entire congregation stood to applaud him. It brought tears to my eyes because I knew they weren't applauding an age, they were applauding the man. Grandpa Pete is one of the most honest, loving, Christian men you will ever meet.

Caleb(3), Austin (5), Grandpa Pete (98), Avery (5)

We decided not to put 98 candles on the cake this year!

Grandpa's cow cake made by my cousin Jennifer

We celebrated with lunch at Grandpa's house, the one where he still lives alone. He's still getting around at 98! He drives to church... though I'd hate to be driving behind him if I were in a hurry. He goes to the farm daily with my Uncle Jimmie to give his expertise in how things should be done. He even helped cooked his own birthday meal. I hope I got some of his genes!

Penguin Play

2012-02-10T09:57:00.000-08:00

A special day for Kindergarten Kingdom is Penguin Play day. For two weeks the kids learn all about penguins and then tell parents, friends and the rest of the school all about the tuxedo birds. This years play was postponed due to the storm that I blogged about a few posts back, you know the one where we were stuck in the garage. In the end, the Penguin Play was a huge success and our two penguins did a fabulous job!

Kindergarten Penguins

Avery Penguin - she wore goggles because she was a "swimming" penguin

Swimming Penguin Austin

All smiles after their performance.

After the play, we had to measure the kids and order their Kindergarten Graduation gowns. I was kind of taken back at the idea of these two graduating from Kindergarten already. Pretty sure I'll need tissues that day.

Bella Vista Cottage

2012-02-07T10:33:00.000-08:00

Wes & I opted for a short weekend away to the Hill Country to celebrate our anniversary with plans to book a summer getaway to somewhere beachy where we can lounge in the sun all day. Our weekend away led us to Fredericksburg, a place we haven't enjoyed in a few years. We were pleasantly surprised by all the new winerys. Our biggest challenge was finding a place to stay. We were looking for a B&B, no hotel since that is what the area is known for. We wanted something to ourselves, nothing where we were sharing a house with someone else. We also knew we didn't want to be surrounded in quilts and antiques, nothing against it... just not our thing.
Wes found Bella Vista Cottage on one of his first internet searches. The pics blew us both away and it was exactly what we were looking for. The price was a bit steep compared to some of the other places, but as we continued to search, we knew we'd just be settling if we chose another place. After almost booking something else, Wes called to book Bella Vista for our stay and found out that they run a special in the months of January and February - book two nights, stay a third night for free!
I HIGHLY recommend this place for a couples getaway. It's a good drive into town, about 20 minutes, but so worth it in our opinion. If you love to cook they've got a kitchen you will love and the Master Suite is everything you could ask for in a romantic getaway. The views are beautiful and deer can be seen roaming the property.

http://www.bella-vistacottage.com/

10

2012-02-02T07:55:00.000-08:00

10 years ago I said "I DO".... best two words that ever came out of my mouth. I'm not sure that God put us on this earth specifically for one another, but I sure am glad our paths crossed and we fell for each other. We've had our share of ups and downs, but I always know that our marriage is stronger than anything that tries to break us apart.

Wes- Thank you for being my friend, my husband, and an amazing father to our children. Thanks for putting up with my quirks and forgetfulness. Not many men would have stayed around with a woman who still lets the water boil over the pot on the stove or someone who consistenly leaves cabinet doors open. Maybe I"ll get it right by year 20. I love you with my whole heart and look forward to another 10 years.

Jamie

Our monkey

2012-01-31T12:17:00.000-08:00

One of the highlights of turning 5 for Avery was that she was now allowed to do the monkey bars at school. In fact two days after turning five she came home with large blisters across the inside of her hands. The culprit - the monkey bars.

This girl loves to climb on just about anything and her upper body strength gives her the ability to cross these bars without any hesitation. Good thing she has an awesome dad who loves to do projects, especially those that allow him to build. This past weekend these were put up in no time and our little monkey was swinging away.

Magnets wiped the hard drive...

2012-01-30T12:53:00.000-08:00

It's true. Sat afternoon the kids and I washed my car while Wes painted the new monkey bars that he built for Avery. It was a beautiful day.... pleasant temps and bright sunshine. After washing the car I stayed out to vaccuum the inside and the kids went in the house. When I came inside a little while later I found 3 large magnets that the kids got as Valentines gifts, ones that sizzle when you put them together, sitting on the computer. At the time I was exhausted... I had done 9.5 miles that morning, played a game of laser tag, sold Girl Scout cookies with Avery and washed the car. I wasn't thinking really clearly and my mind was set on laying down for a bit and taking a nap. Fast forward a few hours to after we got home from eating out and Wes attempted to turn on the computer... no luck, just a blank screen. He wasn't very happy with me when I told him about where I found the magnets. Looks like the magnets wiped our laptop clean.....

Stormy morning....

2012-01-25T14:38:00.000-08:00

Sometimes I need to have a morning like today to remind me that most mornings really aren't that tough when it comes to getting me and kids kids up, dressed and out the door. Here's a quick recap:

It started out on a very positive note. I woke up before my alarm and actually felt like getting out of bed (opposed to hitting snooze 2-3 times). Up I went and was greeted by the sound of rain, glorious rain. After a quick shower I heard my phone ringing and it was Wes calling to recommend that I move my car into the garage (it usually stays outside) because he had been looking at the radar at work and it looked like stormy weather would be hitting our area about the time we usually load up to leave for school. Sweet thought... looking out for his wife and kiddos on a stormy morning.... probably didn't want us going to work/school looking like drenched puppies. So I moved Wes's big truck out of the garage and my vehicle back in. Easy enough.
Fast forward about 45 minutes... Power went out, but the kids were dressed, cereal was eaten, backpacks were ready and there was a break in the downpour rain. We still had to walk under the breezeway so a break meant no sideways rain.   That was my cue to put it into high gear and get us to the car. Kids grabbed their rain coats and I grabbed my purse, gym bag, 3 backpacks, camera bag for the Penguin play, and another bag full of penguin accessories. Out the door we went, to the garage to load up and be on our way.
I grabbed my garage door opener, garage door didn't move. I tried several times.... no luck. Tried the opener mounted on the wall, still no luck. Light bulb then goes off in my head - no electricity, no automatic garage door.
Next step, call Wes to figure out how to get garage door open with out the opener. I knew there was a way. My phone, where was my phone? In my gym bag? In my purse? In the penguin bag? Did I leave it in the house? Crap... I couldn't find my phone.  I go serach in the car and then inside at the possible spots I would have set it down. No luck. So I have to start the computer, log on, connect to the internet, and email Wes to please call my phone in hopes that I'd hear it. The title of that email was "PLEASE HELP". Avery heard the phone ringing in my gym bag.
Called Wes and my instructions were to pull the string at the top and disengage the garage door so that I could lift it, but the garage door could be kind of heavy so I'd need to make sure it went all the way to the top and make sure not to let it drop. Argh. I wasn't sure I had the whole disengage concept down but I was sure that there was no way I was lifting the door by myself.
By this time the kids were riding scooters around the car in the garage and I was on the verge of tears from frustration. This kind of felt like a dream.
Next step, call the inlaws to at least get the kids to school. A&A had a penguin play scheduled that morning and I wanted them to get there to be ready for that.   Plus all their questions were adding to my frustration. I made the call and wanted to run back inside to grab a jacket. Key... Keys... where were my keys to get in the house? Good thing we had a spare outside.
Mimi and Popo came quickly and Popo double checked the disengage on the garage door and then the three of us lifted it up. Winds up it wasn't that heavy, just needed that extra boost to get it started. They took the kids to school and I searched the house briefly for my keys. My car key is separate so I knew I could at least get to work so after a few minutes of key searching in the house I just left. I needed to get out. It had been a rough morning and it was only 9am...

Baby Shower for Baby Kemper

2012-01-23T18:08:00.000-08:00

Candice show casing the cake!

My "shower" idea from Pinterest. These were over the cake and appetizers. I don't have the solid white background that makes this decoration really stand out like in the picture I saw, but it still had a great affect at the party and received several compliments.

Caroline, Baby Kemper's other awesome aunt. This kids will be surrounded by lots of awesome people! I caught her in mid-bite of eating the delicious cake.

So it's not the greatest photo, but here a shot of the Kemper girls.

"Wishes For Baby" this was another Pinterest idea. We all filled out different wishes for Baby Kemper, something Candice will have to share with our niece/nephew in the future.

Shower Wrap Up: I went in with 6 other ladies to host a baby shower for our future niece/nephew. Candice let me take the lead on organizing so I offered to open up our home for the occasion and we had a Sunday afternoon shower with cake/punch/and other yummies. I enjoy hostessing and opening up our home, though Wes may not enjoy all the prep work in involves. We had a great turn out and Candice received lots of baby necessities and a few non-necessities that were simply adorable. We can't wait to meet this new addition to our family. March 8th can't get here soon enough.

Ready...set... go....

2012-01-19T10:24:00.000-08:00

We've had a few (much needed) down weeks in the Maurer household. We're back to somewhat of a morning routine and homework is back to a priority in the evenings. We've even made it point to sit down together at the dinner table and have helpings from all the essential food groups on our plates.
But, the down time will not last long. Spring is creeping up and we are already seeing our calendars fill up. Just this week I signed Avery & Austin up for tball and of course both mom and dad had to fill out volunteer forms so that we can help coach. Wednesday our Girl Scout Daisy started selling the beloved girl scout cookie so we are selling everything we can so that we don't have to sit outside of Wal-Mart and sell. Anyone out there want some Thin Mints!?! Then I had an out of body experience the other day and thought that to really get myself back into running I should sign up for a half marathon. Once I came back to my normal self and realized I actually committed and signed up, I panicked, but I will handle it. The run is March 4th!
Let's not forget that we will be welcoming a niece or nephew into the family soon and Wes and I are nearing our 10 yr anniversary. Good times! Let the fun begin.

Happy Friday!

2012-01-13T09:21:00.001-08:00

Song request of the morning...

2012-01-11T13:04:00.000-08:00

I downloaded a bunch of songs from iTunes this past weekend, some new and some oldies that I remember listening to with my mom in her car growing up. The kids love listening to music on the way to school and taking turns with their requests. You can bet Avery will pick something by Taylor Swift, Caleb loves Toby Keith's "Should Have Been a Cowboy" and Austin likes anything upbeat. Right now the obsession is "Red Solo Cup". The song makes me laugh everytime I hear it and think how incredibly simple minded it is and then it remains in my head for the next hour.
On the way to school this morning, Caleb screamed, "Mama, I want to listen to Fruit Loops!" I was baffled. "Fruit Loops?" "Yeah, you know that song Fruit Loops" Avery helped me out. "Mama, I think he means Foot Loose!" Ahhh....

Dear Avery...

2012-01-10T08:08:00.000-08:00

Dear Avery,
You make me laugh, you make me smile, and sometimes you flat wear me out! I love having a little girl and look forward to our day long shopping trips, mom-daughter talks and dressing you up for your first homecoming dance. However, I don't look forward to the tears and drama. I have been desperately seeking an online medical journal that tells me a girl's moodiness peaks at the age of 5. I haven't been able to find it just yet. Just tonight you came home in a bit of a sassy mood and had to be redirected after you sassed back at your dad. Then there were the tears because you didn't want to finish your supper. You clearly wanted nothing to do with the vegetable food group. After we were finished and you took your plate to the sink, you let us know that you wanted to take a bath and you wanted to be alone. When Caleb wanted to get in the tub, the water works started back up because you were no longer able to enjoy your alone time. You then proceeded to lecture Caleb for at least 15 minutes. Your dad and I listened to your rant and questioned how we will get through the teenage years. I will pray for lots of patience understanding and maybe your own room at Toppe's for those times you just want to be alone.
Love,
Mom

First Post of 2012

2012-01-06T13:21:00.000-08:00

I am quite disappointed in my lack of blogging... I think the holidays wore me down. My motivation to do much of anything has been very poor, but hopefully that will be turning around. A&A&C headed back to school this week. We've had to get back into our morning routine to get us out of the door on time. We are already seeing the homework increase for our Kindergarteners. I am amazed at how far they are progressing in their reading. Avery is outstanding and reading pages faster than she can turn them. Austin is having a little bit of a tougher time, but continues to improve with more practice. He continues to impress us with his drawing skills. He draws a better shark than I do!
Happy 2012 to all of you who keep up with Maurer Party of Five! I'm sure there will be lots of great posts coming your way as we have a great outlook for the year ahead.

A beautiful New Years Eve Day

2011-12-31T15:22:00.000-08:00

Waiting for lunch... Wes, Austin & Grandpa Pete are waiting for the burgers on the pit to be ready.

It was time to get Austin out to do a little hunting outside of a deer stand. He and Wes walked along the creek looking for squirrels. They finished with a total of 3.... and got a water turkey.

Tree climbing.

Sneaking around the tank to finish off the water turkey.

My grandpa owns about 500 acres in Milano and it is a place we just don't utilize as much as we should. We decided to head up there New Years Eve Day so the boys could do a little hunting outside of a blind and we could all enjoy a little activity and fresh air. Wes and Austin grabbed their guns and walked the creek looking for squirrels. Avery, Caleb and I explored the "old house" on the property and they both got a kick out of being told that houses back then didn't have restrooms inside. After the house, we did our own walking along the creek and Avery found the perfect fallen tree for a balance beam across the dry creek. After the hunters returned, we moved to a new location with Toppe, Grandpa Otto, and Grandpa Pete to fish (no bites), grill hamburgers, ride the 4-wheeler and climb trees. It was one of those days where you look back and say "I'm really glad we did that." Joining us most of the morning was my 97 yr old grandpa. He's definitely slowing down and he stayed in the truck until the sun was full force to warm his weary bones, but he made sure we did all the routine checks while we were there and watched with delight as the kids enjoyed the land where he has spent so much of his life. It was a great way to end the year!

Outnumbered by the kids...

2011-12-31T14:48:00.000-08:00

This group is growing up!!!

We celebrated pur annual Christmas get together with the Rau and Siemsglusz families last night. 9 kids vs. 6 adults is getting more manageable. Thankfully we had a mild evening so the kids were able to release their energy outside.

Christmas at Toppe & Grandpa's

2011-12-29T14:58:00.000-08:00

The Kemper Clan 2011

Toppe & Grandpa and their pride and joy!!!

Having fun at Toppe's... ready to open presents!

One for you, one for me.

Avery got some new kicks!

We may see a little dart action in the garage now.

Caleb in his sea of presents.

One of Avery's requests was Aggie flip flops. Leave it to Aunt Candice and Uncle Steve to fulfill that request. She insisted on wearing them home.

Avery got a little warm while playing a mad game of Spoons with Toppe. I didn't think they'd grasp the concept of the game, but they were being sneaky and grabbing spoons in no time. I should also report that we put Toppe's Wii to use after a few card games. After I beat Grandpa and Wes at jousting on Wii Resort Sports, Toppe showed me up. She was the champ! We had GREAT day!!

Christmas morning 2011

2011-12-29T14:54:00.000-08:00

This was the night before, minus the Santa presents with a glimpse of the bottom of the Christmas tree.

Passing out presents.

Santa drank all his milk and left a few cookie crumbs.

Spiderman bike!

Every little boy needs a coon cap.

Christmas with the Maurer Clan

2011-12-29T14:51:00.000-08:00

Cousins! We are family! I might add that I failed to get a great shot of this group doing a cheer pyramid.

Santa made an early visit.

Maurer ladies.... love 'em.

Brothas

The crew minus Caleb and Jaxon.

Me and the mother in law in our Christmas red.

Austin getting a gift from "Santa"

Excited to open more presents.

So let me explain this one. Wes and I played Rockie and Kelcie in a game of pitch. The loser had to do 5 push ups. Good thing I have no proof of who lost the second game... though I think you can find this on Jamie Hafner's blog.

RECAP: Friday we spent the evening at Aunt Jerri's for Maurer Christmas. No matter date or time, this group is guaranteed to have a good time. They know the true meaning of family and I love that everyone is always included. We enjoyed a visit from Santa, LOTS of snacks, an interesting game of Chinese gift exchange and a few games of intense pitch.

Christmas at Mimi and Popo's

2011-12-29T14:45:00.001-08:00

One of the seven pairs of shoes Avery got for Christmas. What little girl wouldn't love silver glitter Tom's?

A new belt and buckle.

His old boots had a lot of miles on them... this present from Mimi was a huge hit.

Bruce helping put together a Transfomer.

Uncle Jason got the kids scooters.

Mimi & Popo's traditional Chirstmas Picture 2011.

Avery's Special Night Out

2011-12-27T12:27:00.000-08:00

Avery & Uncle Steve on ice.

Just Uncle Steve tied on ice skates. Aunt Candice was behind the camera on safe ground. Baby Kemper is just months from arrival and we need to keep him/her (I think it's a him) safe and off slippery ground.

She's a natural!

Bedtime. Who is reading to who?

Making a Gingerbread House for Toppe!

While the boys were hunting the week before Christmas, Avery headed to The Woodlands to have a night out with Uncle Steve and Aunt Candice. She got to go shopping, went out to eat, ice skated and enjoyed some one on one time with her aunt and uncle.

Merry Christmas!!!

2011-12-25T07:13:00.001-08:00

Maurer Party of Five would like to wish you and yours a very Merry Christmas!

My favorite ladies

2011-12-23T05:55:00.000-08:00

Forever Friends

We love our mommas!

This lady is my VERY FAVORITE.

Grabarschick Christmas

2011-12-23T05:51:00.000-08:00

I'm a little out of order with this one, but we did get together last weekend (Sunday) for Grabarschick Christmas. This is our first Christmas without Granny G, but we know she was watching over us as we enjoyed the day together. Here are all her great grandchildren.

Present time!

Caleb loved his glove.

Just the boys...

2011-12-23T05:41:00.000-08:00

Wes and the boys headed to Mason on Tuesday for a last chance hunt. Wes had one more deer he could shoot and he was on the mission for a spike. You didn't have to ask boys twice if they were ready to go.

Gourmet pizza at deer camp. Wes didn't have his usual hunting partners to make a "big man's meal" so they settled for frozen pizza.

The big kill of the weekend. Wes got his spike and now our freezers are over flowing.

With the boys gone, Avery and I decided we didn't want to sit at home. Tuesday night we went out for dinner with Mimi and Toppe and then Wednesday Avery went to The Woodlands to spend the night with Aunt Candice and Uncle Steve. She was excited to go see the nursery and they got to go ice skating that night! It was a bit weird for us to be all spread out over the week, but we are back together just in time for family Christmas gatherings.

Santa requests...

2011-12-21T09:12:00.000-08:00

A&A&C have made it difficult for Santa this year. Besides Caleb wanting a Spiderman bicycle, their requests have been very inconsistent. One request from Austin was a "Batman set". Apparently he saw this set on a tv commercial. I let him know that Santa has lots of Batman toys and he was probably going to need to be more specific. After a quick glance on the Toys R Us website, we determined this Batman set is a bit babyish and we were able to talk him out of it. His new request - Optimus Prime Transformer. I guess we can do that one.
Avery's original #1 request was maroon flip flops. She is enjoying rebelling on our UT family. Well, this Santa didn't go to any trouble to find maroon flip flops, but her Aunt Candice did. Now she says she wants green flip flops. I'm on the hunt for those this afternoon. I was hoping to have her some ribbon ones made, but the lady can't find her size flip flop to make them.
Besides that we haven't had too many Christmas wants, that can't be because we give our kids too much throughout the year, could it?

Daddy Day....

2011-12-19T18:50:00.000-08:00

I admit that when it comes to vacation time at work, I am bitter. I still only get two weeks (10 days) a year and I try to save that for summer vacations and special events. That means no Christmas vaca for me outside of the two days that are observed. So the fact that Wes had time he had to burn this week on top of his usual Friday's off makes me green with envy. Originally, Wes was going to take the boys to the deer lease today and come back Wednesday, but it's been raining up in Mason so he decided to wait and go tomorrow (Tuesday). Instead, he treated the kids to a day of fun. I headed to work and they headed to Katy Mills for some Christmas shopping, something I don't think I'd attempt by myself. He sent me pics of their excitement throughout the day which included pics with Santa, the fish aquarium, Avery getting her ears repierced and jumping on the bungee trampolines. Yes, he is an awesome hands on dad! Though I love my dad to pieces, I doubt he ever would have attempted to do something like this with us.
So tomorrow the boys leave for the deer lease and Avery and I have a few things planned while they are gone. We'll all be back together on Thursday when we begin our 5 days of Christmas celebrations! Tis the season...

Gingerbread Houses 2011

2011-12-18T20:55:00.000-08:00

Wes and I are definitely learing to watch what we say.... kids remember!!! Saturday morning before heading to Rockdale, Wes told Austin that they could do gingerbread houses when we got back home that evening. That was with the thought that we'd be back in town around 6:00pm. Well, we didn't leave Rockdale until right after 6:00pm and considering that the cousins played tag in the backyard for an hour, we figured everyone would konk out on the way home. Half way home we stopped to get a Gatorade because Avery was thirsty. I couldn't believe she wasn't sleeping. When Wes went into the store to get the Gatorade I told Austin he should close his eyes and get some rest. He told me, "Mom we have to stay awake so we can do gingerbread houses." Austin and Avery managed to stay awake all the way home and Caleb only dozed off for about 20 minutes. Sooo... guess who was building gingerbread houses at 8:30pm on a Saturday night?!?

Taking his time.

He had to have a lick... or two.

Caleb's, Austin's, & Avery's

Keen Christmas

2011-12-18T20:38:00.000-08:00

This is my 97 year old grandfather (my mom's dad) and his 7 great grandchildren. He's got one more on the way!!! We celebrated Christmas with him and my mom's side of the family on Saturday. 20 of us overtook his peaceful home for the day and enjoyed family time, something we do less and less of each year. Even at 97 grandpa made sure that grandma's cheese/sausage dip was made and scratched his lottery tickets. I know grandpa likes having us all together, but I also know that he is glad when we all go and his peace and quiet returns.

Let the festivities begin....

2011-12-18T20:24:00.000-08:00

LCRA hosts a kid's Christmas party for their employees every year and we decided to take advantage of the invite this year. We headed out to the Ledbetter Lane of Lights last week and were treated to a hayride, hot dogs & hot chocolate and a visit with Santa.

Gymnastics Christmas program

2011-12-12T04:33:00.000-08:00

"What's the Buzz?"

2011-12-12T04:29:00.000-08:00

St. Paul's CDS Christmas Program

Kindergarten Christmas cards telling us messages about Christmas.

There's nothing like sitting back and listening to the voices of our littles ones tell us about the true meaning of Christmas, the birth of Christ. We've heard bits and pieces of the songs that were performed, it always makes more sense when you see the full production!

After the program we headed to Chili's to celebrate Toppe's birthday!

Caleb's 1st hunt

2011-12-08T19:36:00.000-08:00

Want to see the look of one little boy who loves his daddy more than anything else in this world? One who loves him so much that he insists on dressing like him, especially at bed time? One that helps his daddy stay awake all the way to the deer lease (4 hrs) with nonstop chatter? One that insists his daddy rub his back every night?

Caleb was SO excited to get some one on one time with his daddy at the deer lease.

Maurer tradition - first hunt, you get your first pocket knife. This is a pretty big knife for a little guy, but it is something he'll have to hold onto forever.

Getting ready to go sit in the blind.

This was the big kill of the weekend, a wild turkey. Caleb was all excited when Wes shot him. He gave us the full recap when he got home. As I have mentioned, Caleb is our talker.... sometimes it is nonstop jabber. I think Wes had plenty of the one on one chatter. They wound up coming home a day early due to heavy rains in Mason. So glad Caleb had such a great time on his first hunt.

Downtown Tinsel Town

2011-12-06T15:39:00.000-08:00

We kicked off the holiday season with the Downtown Christmas Stroll and Lighted Parade. What a great event for our little town! St. Paul's CDS went with the Downtown Tinsel Town theme for their floats and each grade portrayed a different Christmas movie.

Kindergarten Kingdom - "The Nativity Story" Look who was chosen to be Mary and Joseph!!! Avery was so excited. She toted around Baby Jesus all week and practiced swaddling him.

Bouncing Bears - "Polar Express"; The kids got to wear their jammies on the float and boy were these three excited buddies - Ethan, Caleb & Jase.

This year and from here on out I will be in charge of the Christmas Stroll and parade event though work. It is fun, yet exhausitng. I missed out on helping the kids get ready and loaded on the float, but was able to see them as they passed the courthouse square. Good times!

Little "Shuga" Red

2011-12-05T17:24:00.000-08:00

Meet our adopted elf, Little Shuga Red....

Little Red showed up under the playroom Christmas tree when we got home from Santa pictures Thursday night. Caleb found the box under the tree and we were all excited to see what was inside... it was our very own "Elf on the Shelf." The book we read let us know that Little Red was a scout elf who will be watching over Maurer Party of Five and reporting back to Santa every night until Christmas. He has magic powers and we can't touch him or he will lose some of his magic and may not be able to make the North Pole journey. The kids weren't that into it at first, but as I was sitting by the Christmas tree in the living room reading to the kids, Little Red got out of his box and magically appreared on the mantle. It even took me by surprise, but Wes was being sneaky and ever since then the kids are true believers.

There are websites and blogs dedicated to this little guy and creative ways for him to be found every morning. So far we have found our elf in the on top of a mirror, in the coffee pot, and sitting at the table enjoying a powdered donut and chocolate milk out of a straw.... not sure what tomorrow will bring.
As for our elf's name, the kids were set on Little Red the first night. Wes convinced them that he needed a middle name and Caleb thought it should be "Shuga", like Malcolm Shuga Brown from the Brenham Cubs... future longhorn. So Little Shuga Red it is.... We are having a lot of fun with him so far!

3 for 3 with Santa this year!

2011-12-04T15:39:00.000-08:00

Caleb was a bit hesitant to climb on the jolly ol' guys lap, but after a little convincing, he hopped on and was all smiles. This is the first year we haven't had any tears and boy did pics go a lot quicker!

Look at those smiles!!

Letting Santa know what all is on their lists this year.

Turkey Round #3

2011-11-29T17:51:00.000-08:00

In addition to enjoying a late Thanksgiving lunch with the Kempers, we celebrated Uncle Steve & Toppe's upcoming birthdays! The kids thought they needed a little help blowing out the candles.

Baby Kemper. I can't wait to be an aunt!!!

Toppe & Grandpa

Saturday was round #3 of Thanksgiving. We enjoyed lunch at our house with the Kempers. We skipped out on the turkey and chose grilled fish and veggies instead. It was a great way to end the holiday weekend.

Turkey Feast Round #2

2011-11-29T17:41:00.000-08:00

Granny Maurer & her great grandkids.

Granny Maurer & her grandkids.

Mimi, Dorothy & Jerri got in a little time at the coloring table!

Sparklers are not just for July 4th & New Years.... Thanksgiving is just as worthy... with or without a burn ban.

Avery left our house with Uncle Jason without her hair done. She saw Kelcie's hair curled, she insisted hers be done the same way. She looked adorable!!!

Turkey Round #2 was with the Maurer Clan at Dorothy's house Friday night. We had enough appetizers to feed a small army, so imagine how full we were after also having a full traditional spread turkey feast. Doug had 3 trays of turkey and 3 seperate dressings! Pretty sure nothing there was on the Weight Watchers menu, but calories don't count on holidays, right? Holidays with the Maurers are always a guaranteed good time. Jamie Hafner knew how to entertian the kids with sidewalk chalk roadways and sparklers. Good times!

Turkey Day

2011-11-29T17:20:00.000-08:00

The kids, all dressed in their brown checkers, ready to head for Turkey Feast #1.

Uncle Jason stayed with us for a few days! That is always a treat. Here the kids are "helping" him whip up an appetizer.

See Food!

Thought this was a great shot of Austin. These are the brown eyes I am so thankful for.

Thanksgiving would not be complete without a little football.

Avery, Dalton, Austin & Caleb.

Thanksgiving Day we headed over to Bonnie & Freddie's for lunch. It was a beautiful day to sit out and enjoy the sunshine while the kids ran around. We missed Granny Grabarshick, but know she was smiling down on us.

After a late lunch, we headed back to the house and all managed to catch a much needed nap. After a late night pitch tournament the night before, we knew that in order to root on the Horns Thanksgiving night, we'd need a chance to reenergize. Reenergize we did.... not only did we root on the Horns to a victory, we managed to put up and decorate all 4 of our Christmas trees. What a huge accomplishment for me! The kids were much more interested in decorating their trees this year and thanks to my tree fluffer, Uncle Jason, the two other tress were up as well! Now I wish I was this much ahead of schedule on Christmas shopping!

I am thankful....

2011-11-23T06:45:00.000-08:00

so here goes this year's list....

I am thankful for.....
rain, the fact that our children have not had to visit a doctor in over a year, my future niece/nephew, the wrinkle-release cycle on the dryer, Austin's brown eyes, waking up to the Texas coast on beach trips w/ the Kemper clan, drive thru dinner fundraisers, Brenham, TX, wine, St. Paul's CDS and their Christian educational influence, online shopping, "Bridesmaids" with my forever friends, brave soldiers, children that sleep past 7am on Saturday mornings, Wes's problem solving, Caleb's nonstop chatter, ice cold diet coke, the Texas Longhorn fight song, community leaders with a clear vision, the piles of colored sheets from our children, Avery's desire to read, the "snooze" button, Sunday's where every hymn is familiar, forgiveness, the ability to watch jack rabbits and deer wander around from my bedroom window, mornings Wes is home to help get us out of the house for work/school, random "I love you's", trips to Uncle Jason's, pizza nights, devoted grandparents, caring teachers, my dad's recovery from prostate cancer surgery, hearing the kids belt out "Footloose" on the way to school, watching Austin & Avery score a soccer goal, "gold" star days, quiet time, God's love, bedtime stories, and so much more.

I am most thankful for this... my family. I have been blessed with three amazing children and a husband that loves me. I wish everyone reading this a Happy Thanksgiving! Hope you are able to spend it with the ones you love the most.

Good bye, Granny G

2011-11-20T14:22:00.000-08:00

Granny "G" Grabarschick passed away this past Saturday. After 96 years, she was tired and ready to go see Grandpa Albert in heaven. The kids will miss getting Granny's BINGO coins on special occasions and we will all miss the old stories she would tell as if it were just yesterday. Granny G loved spending time with her family and doing things for them. She was a terrific cook and for special meals always included sweet rice for her four grandsons. There are piles of crochet pieces that she made with her two hands and up until the very end she kept her mind sharp with crossword puzzles. We know that Granny G is in a better place and we will forever hold special memories of her.

Father/Son hunt

2011-11-13T15:06:00.000-08:00

Wes went back to the deer lease this past weekend, this time with one anxious little boy in tow. On the way out of town, they picked up Dane & Kade Rau and headed to Mason with dreams of big antlers running in their heads.

The first kill of the trip. Wes got this with his bow from the "pop up blind"

Our little hunter. He LOVES the opportunity to have a little one-on-one time with his daddy at the deer lease.

The big kill of the weekend! Wes and Austin were sitting in a tree stand and this buck was in and out of the area before Wes drew back and got him with his bow and arrow. There was one proud hunter and one very excited little boy. I got the text "BBD" about 9:30am Saturday morning. If you aren't into the hunter lingo, that means Big Buck Down.

They will remember this kill for a while.

Kade and Austin both assisted with putting away this coon. Congrats to Kade for shooting his first doe this weekend... a cool milestone for someone who will probably see a lot more hunts in his lifetime.

A bit of a breather....

2011-11-09T19:21:00.000-08:00

The end of October was a blur - soccer games, polo match, hayride, work meetings, family portraits, UT football game, garage sale and Halloween on top of house chores, work, homework, and school. There were days we opened the door and couldn't remember if we were coming or going. Getting home at 5:15pm and having to be at the soccer fields a little before 6pm has been mastered and I actually preplanned a meal or two and now have even a deeper appreciation for drive thru dinner fundraisers. Fortunately things have slowed down a little bit this past weekend and I am going to give all credit to deer hunting. In our area, people know the first weekend of November means deer season and very little can trump the cherished hunter's holiday. We had no birthday party invite or big community event to attend. Instead the big hunter in our family headed to the deer lease and the kids and I hung out most of the weekend. Toppe and Grandpa offered to take the kids to the last home football game on Friday and keep them over night. On my night to myself I enjoyed a glamourous trip to Wal-Mart and dinner from HEB, but I won't complain... I enjoyed the "me" time.
Wes reported a good weekend away at the deer lease. He didn't come back with a rack of horns, but I think he's waiting to get something when he goes with Austin this coming weekend. To say Austin is excited to be going hunting with his dad is an understatement. That little boy will be in heaven in the deer stand with his daddy. I admit it's pretty cool to see his eyes light up when he talks about hunting with his daddy. They've been packing for days.
We've got two weeks of soccer left and I admit I am ready to see the season come to an end. Not sure that soccer will be the sport of choice for either Austin or Avey, but I guess we have a few years to figure that out. They both hustle and stay on the ball most of the time and smile from ear to ear when they score a goal. Next year they will be the oldest ones in their division due to their August birthdays so watch out!!!
So we will enjoy a few slower weekends before we get into the holiday season. It is right around the corner!

This is what it is all about....

2011-11-08T04:08:00.000-08:00

I love this...

2011-11-06T18:56:00.000-08:00

and this...

Family portraits.

2011-11-05T06:33:00.000-07:00

We have not taken family pics for at least two years for several reasons.... we are busy people, I have a good quality camera to catch picture perfect moments, I personally am not a big fan of being in front of the camera, and #1... they stress me out! I envision perfection when I think of a professional picture session... everyone coordinating, smiling, happy, and cooperative. That can be a challenge for our crew! But, I really wanted to get pictures taken to capture this crazy,fun time in our life so I called Robyn Farmer after seeing her session shots with the Siemsglusz family. I loved how candid her photos were and loved some of her editing techniques.
Scheduling was a bit of a challenge as we had to plan around a busy weekend schedule, soccer games, and work meetings but after several attempts we found a weekday to work. I knew our dress attire would be a challenge as Caleb insists on wearing jeans and boots. Anything else results in a major melt down and I didn't need swollen red eyes for pictures. Avery's reaction to clothes choices is dependent on how the wind blows, or maybe the moon.... actually, I haven't figured that out. My choice would have been to go out and buy something new for everyone,but that was just not in the budget so we closet shopped for picture attire. Then there are attitudes. You never know what kind of a mood everyone will be in after a day at school/work. Well for our scheduled session day, it was pretty chaotic. I'll leave out those details, but there were tears from more than one set of eyes and we showed up 10 minutes late to the Rose Emporium. That wound up being crucial, because we only had about 20 minutes of good light and after that the shots were pretty grainy. Robyn offered to shoot a second session at an earlier time and with that offer I promised myself I wasn't going to get so worked up and stressed out and I didn't . We took our second set of pics in some of the old scenic views of downtown Brenham and I think we walked away with a few keepers.
You can see a sneak peak of our photo shoots on Robyn's blog which is listed on the right on my blog role. I'm so excited and can't wait to see more. The pictures don't show perfect subjects, not everyone is smiling at the same time, but the do capture some of the true character of MAURER PARTY OF FIVE.
Thanks, Robyn! We appreciate your hard work and captured memories!

Trick or Treat!

2011-11-01T14:46:00.000-07:00

Hope you had more treats than tricks on Halloween night. Captain America, our rock star and Optimus Prime (Transformer) came home with more treats than we know what to do with!

UT vs Kansas

2011-10-31T09:43:00.000-07:00

Heading into the stadium with the sea of burnt orange.

Tickets please.

We had a perfect view of the jumbotron.

Must have been a good play!

The Horns running out onto the field in a cloud of smoke.

Mimi and Avery.

Daddy & Caleb.

Mom and Austin.

Horns Up!!

Texas Longhorn Tailgate

2011-10-31T09:35:00.000-07:00

Locker Room Tour

2011-10-30T19:10:00.000-07:00

We were in for a real treat for our first UT football game this season. Wes's college friend who is one of the head equipment managers for the team, gave us a quick tour of the UT football locker room before the game. I've never seen so much UT gear in one room in my life. The kids got a kick out of seeing the players locker area and they were on a hunt to find "the other Malcolm Brown."

Pregame - uniforms and gear set out for each player.

Locker room shot.

Hook 'em.

The kids got UT Nike swoosh arm bands as a parting gift. What a great experience for our Longhorn crew!

Fall Favorite.... A Hayride!

2011-10-26T07:07:00.000-07:00

This is our favorite fall event.... no frills, no fuss, just a good ole' fashioned hayride. We invited some of our favorite people for a Saturday afternoon hayride down the country roads and then enjoyed a pleasant fall evening in the backyard.

Emma Kate, Della, Jordan, Avery & Sienna

Polo anyone???

2011-10-22T19:36:00.000-07:00

I may have mentioned it before, but a few months ago, I was asked to be a board member of the local Boys & Girls Club. So far it has been very rewarding. One of the top priorities of the board is fund raising and this year, through a connection of one of the board members, a benefit polo match was held for annual and potential donors. The thing that totally amazes me about this is that this match was held essentially in Brenham's backyard. How many of you Brenhamites that are reading this knew that there is a polo field in Brenham? Well, technically, it is not it in Brenham, but it is in Washington County, off of FM332/Oil Field Road at Pegasus Ranch.

This is the "main house" on the property. Talk about amazing!!! In addition, the grounds include a horse stable that holds up to 30 horses, the polo field 300 yards X 160 yards), several ponds, a two story gazebo and 6 miles of concrete drive. Yes, it is equivalent to a fairytale.

I knew absolutely nothing about polo before today and was educated a bit about the sport as the morning progressed. The game consists of six 7-minute chuckers. After each chuckers, the players switch out horses. After three chuckers, it is half time and time to stomp the divots.

At the end of the game, the crowd was treated to a great BBQ picnic. Talk about a great way to start a Saturday morning! We were excited to get to share this event with the kids and we were excited to hear that the owners of the ranch are interested in making this an annual event. Sounds good to me!

Austin's super powers

2011-10-20T10:47:00.000-07:00

Last night we were on the way home from the homecoming parade and Wes was telling the kids that they could have one more piece of candy out of the bag they collected from the parade and then the rest would be put away when we got home. That followed with "NO!!!" "We want more!". Then Austin chimed in, "If I had super powers, I would freeze you and mommy so that we could eat all the candy." We couldn't help but laugh and I responded "Then who would fix your supper for you?" He thought about it and let us know he'd unfreeze us after all the candy was gone. Yes, this comes from my cartoon watcher.

As for the homecoming parade, you can't beat a good ole' small town parade. I had may camera set on a manual setting and all my pics came out extrememly dark. Had they turned out, you would have seen Caleb riding with Uncle Doug in the fire truck, Austin riding on the football team float beside Malcom Brown and Avery collecting an unbelieveable amount of candy along the parade route. Good times!

"Where have you been?"

2011-10-18T11:03:00.000-07:00

That was the first sentence in an email that Wes sent me this morning. Good news is that he does read our blog. Bad news is, he had to correct me on a lot of chicken information I stated in my latest post. This just goes to show how hands off I have been with the chickens... could be why I took so long to blog about them. And I guess I am dedicating another whole post to them because I was way off on my information.

So.... we did not receive eggs in the mail. We recieved chicks, yes they delivered baby chicks in a box through the mail. Now I remember thinking that was really crazy!!! And he specifically ordered 5 rhode island reds, 5 white leghorn and 5 americans. 2 of the white leghorsn died early on and one went missing last week. The green eggs come to us curtousy of the americanas, so we have 5 chickens laying green eggs, not 2. Boy was I off on that one!

Thanks for the clarification, honey. You always do have to keep me in check.

Can't believe I've left out the chickens....

2011-10-17T16:32:00.000-07:00

Since this blog is the kids' scrapbook, I try to make sure and talk about key things that the kids are involved in, places we go, as well as things that are a part of their everyday childhood. With that in mind, I am quite surprised that I have failed to blog about our family of chickens. I've thought about it, but the follow through was obviously poor. Sooooo.... here goes.
Early last spring, Wes came home with 4 chickens. If I remember correctly, all but 1 wound up being a rooster and boy did those roosters make great soups, seriously. The roosters were a little mean and their obnoxious and off key cockadoodledoing was more than we could take. With just one hen left behind, Wes decided to order chicken eggs off the internet. I was blown away by the thought of eggs being delievered in the mail. Well, it happened and after a few weeks in an incubator, we had 15 baby chicks... yes 15.... this was the minimum egg order.
I'll fast forward a few months....

The playscape is multifunctional now, a kids play haven and a chicken coop.

We have a variety of chicken types and I won't even begin to pretend that I know what they are. They aren't "tame", but they've gotten pretty comfortable around us. We may not have a dog, but with the chicken's we have a place for our dinner scraps.

4 boxes for the chickens to lay their eggs.

We are picking anywhere from 9 -15 eggs a day.

Not sure this picture shows it very well, but two of the chickens lay green eggs, they are a very light shade, but green none the less.

So scrambled, over easy, hard boiled, or sunny side up, we have all the eggs we need, plus 12 dozen more. Good thing the kids like to eat omelets. Let us know if you'd like a few dozen. We'll make you a good deal and maybe throw in a chicken with your order.

Thursday evening ramble...

2011-10-13T19:21:00.000-07:00

It is well before 9pm and our house is quiet. Caleb is staying with Popo and Mimi tonight since he will be heading out to the golf course with Popo early in the morning. This is his first night to stay away from us by himself. Is it bad that I am not worried about him? As for the golf tomorrow, I hope Popo packs lots of snacks for 18-holes! Avery fell asleep on the couch shortly after we found her Halloween costume online and Austin is wrapped up in Aladdin on the Disney Channel. Wes has resorted to our bedroom to watch either college football or hunting, likely channel surfing between the two. All this peaceful action give me a little time to sit and ramble.
This afternoon I took a glance at the invites we have tacked up next to the October calendar. They include 6 kid birthdays, a Boys & Girls Club benefit polo match, a November wedding, a family reunion and a church fall festival. Add to that our annual hayride, a trip to the deer lease, and a family photo shoot and I'd say we've got plenty to do this month. Let's not forget a few nights a week at the park for soccer games. Yes, this is why times flies by!
We are over six weeks into school and so far so good. Avery has managed to stay on "green" almost everyday for behavior. The days she hasn't been on green she's gone to "gold" which means she did something super or had excellent behavior. We love gold days! Austin has had a few gold days, mostly green, but he did come with one yellow. Apparently he chose to pull a girl's finger back when she had something he wanted. I can live with one yellow day.... we all have our bad days. So far behavior has been no concern of mine, homework on the other hand has created a few challenges and not only because they sometimes don't want to do it. Sometimes we have a hard time making time for it. I must do better in making it a more regular part of our routine. Caleb is doing great as a Bouncing Bear. He is still quite the ladies man. When I asked him the other day how many girlfriends he had, his response without hesitation was "14"! We are in trouble!
Enough ramble for now.... Happy Fall!

RAIN day

2011-10-09T18:15:00.000-07:00

Rain... Bring it on! As we were walking out the door for church today Wes made sure we had an umbrella in the car because it looked like rain was on the way. Sure enough, we met the rain on our way to church and it continued on throughout the day. We need more, but we are thankful for all that we received today. It was so nice to see the heavy clouds linger and see the drops fall for longer than 30 minutes.

It felt like the kids were seeing snow. We broke out the rain jackets and they played out in the rain all afternoon. While they enjoyed their time in the rain, Wes & I headed up to the loft above the garage. The "loft" has become a storage area and we are hoping to one day turn it into the originally planned big game room, but we've got to downsize our "stuff". It is crazy how much you can accumulate in just a few years. We are getting ready for a garage sale, so we spent a few hours going through toys, clothes, tools and just stuff that is of no use to us.
After filling up my car and the back of Wes's truck with "stuff", we were going to make a family trip over to Granny G's house where we are having a garage sale in a few weeks. I was upstairs when Wes told me it would probably be best if he went alone. He said the kids were filthy and buried in sand.

Sure enough this is how I found them, literally buried sand.

They played for at least 3 hours this afternoon without a "mom, she hit me" or a "mom, will you get me this" or a shrieking cry. They were in their own little world and I even had to bribe them to come inside for a shower. It was wonderful!

I have to add that after they brought themselves out of the buried sand, they ditched all clothing below their waist. They thought it was fun to swing without underwear and I saw their bare bums as they repeatedly ran to the swing, stomach first, to fly like superman. Ahhh... the joys of being a country kid!!

Granny G's Birthday

2011-10-09T17:36:00.000-07:00

We celebrated a special birthday last week. Granny Grabaschick turned 96 and any 96th birthday deserves a celebration. Granny G lives at Gazebo Terrace, an assisted living facility and she's gotten to where she is not real crazy about getting out. Well we couldn't let that stop a birthday party, we took the party to her. After church we all met for a meal of fried chicken, lots of sides and angel food cake... all her favorites. Happy Birthday Granny G!

Happy Birthday Granny G!

Granny G, her daughters and grandkids. Not real sure what Avery was trying to do with her face. Be the end of the meal the kids had been told "settle down" and "don't do that" enough. They were ready to get out and run around.

Another night under Friday night lights

2011-10-04T18:30:00.000-07:00

The Cubs only have 4 home games this season and we may try to make them all. So far we are 2 for 2.

Game time. Go Cubs!

Cub Caleb ready for some football!

Minutes left in the game, waiting to get on the field.

Cub Turf.

Austin & Malcolm Brown after the game. Malcom gave each of his Future Cubs a goody bag when he met with them before the game. Austin was one super excited little boy and we had snacks for the game!

This pic is a little blurry, but the boys had a FUN time running and playing football on the field after the game.

Cheer Camp

2011-10-01T16:43:00.000-07:00

Go CUBS!!!

Avery participated in Cheer Camp last Sunday at Brenham High School. It was 3 hours of nonstop cheering and dancing for the girls, 3 hours that moms and dads were not allowed to watch. We came back at the end so that the girls could show us their new moves. Not sure if we have a cheerleader on our hands or not, but she seemed to dig it this time around. She is going to have to build up her stamina, she was sound asleep by the time we were out of the parking lot.

Avery & Sienna Kelm at Cheer Night at Cub Stadium.

Avery's Cheer group - there were 3 kindergarten groups.

Cheer night at Cub Stadium.... so, last night all the girls (175) that particpated in cheer camp had to be at the stadium at 6:15pm. Each received pom poms, megaphone, and t-shirt that they wore out on field for their pregame performance.

Go Cubs!

Avery made a friend. Cheerleader Adrienne and Avery seemed to bond and each time they were together, Adrienne wound up carry Avery off the field.

It's not all rosy

2011-09-27T19:14:00.000-07:00

So in my last post I may have given the impression that my new role as soccer mom is all fun and sunshine, but as you mom's reading know, there is definitely a price to pay. With the fuller activity schedule, we have seen some noticably cranky kids (Austin & Avery). Not only is their after lunch nap being stripped away thanks to a full day of Kindergarten (they do still get a short rest time until Christmas), but now they are more active with after school activities. Avery is especially having a tough time. We have had a few nights where she has crashed on the couch at 6:30pm only to wake at 7:00am the next morning. Truth is her crashing is much more favorable opposed to the whining and uncontrollable tears we see when she is tired and things don't go exactly her way. There are times she cries and cries and when asked what is wrong, she doesn't even know. When comforting doesn't work, I just walk into the other room and wonder how we will ever survive the teenage years.
Our other challenge is definitely supper. I am so not a preplanner, especially when it comes to suppers. I envy those moms out there that cook on Sundays to prepare for meals for the week ahead. Wes is usually the one to take something out of the freezer for the next night, but when we get home later in the evening, cooking a full meal isn't always an option. Though we will eat fast food, we aren't ones to just go pick it up on a week night because we are busy. It helps that we are in a small town and the fast food locations are "on the other side of town." Instead we do a lot of "easy" foods - sandwiches, omelets, hot dogs and even "long noodles" - Ramen. I am going to have to put a little more effort into planning for healthy, well rounded meals so that the kids don't think peanut butter and jelly are a major food groups.

I AM A SOCCER MOM....

2011-09-22T20:02:00.000-07:00

So I admit I have been excited for this day to come, the day of running to and fro from activity to activity, trying to keep up with who is going where and figuring out how we are going to get them there. Growing up, my parents kept my brother and I very involved, mostly in sports, but involved none the less and that is something I have always seen myself repeating as a parent. Fortunately, Wes is on board with that for the most part. Though I love my home, I am not a home body and don't feel I need to stay home to take care of chores I will only repeat three days later. Besides, if we are away from home it should be less dirty, right?
Well, we are getting a true taste of being "involved" this week. Monday started with Avery's soccer game. Tuesday Austin had soccer pictures and Wes had a church council meeting. Wednesday Avery had gymnastics (it was my week to car pool 3 giggly Kindergarteners), soccer pictures and I had an after work meeting. Thursday Austin had a soccer game and we are gearing up for 4 birthday parties on Saturday and cheer camp for Avery on Sunday. Truth is, next week looks pretty much the same if not worse, but we can handle it. I hope I can say the same when Caleb gets "involved".
I hope to never be one of those moms that drives my kids to do things they don't want to do. What I do want to do is expose our kids to a variety of activities to help them find things they are good at and teach them life skills such as team work, determination and courage. I want them to have the chance to make new friends outside of a school setting, set personal goals, and look back at their childhood and feel they were given every opportunity they could possibly be given to learn new things. I'm sure there will be many trials and tribulations along the way, but I know there will also be lots of laughter and memories to share.
So, yes, for now I will be enjoying my roll as a soccer mom. We'll see if I am saying the same thing by the time tball season rolls around.

Go Titans!!!

2011-09-22T18:09:00.000-07:00

Our Titan!

Austin going down the field, 3 on 1!

Being aggressive. Much to our surprise he was always right in the action.

Look at that serious face! Pretty sure this was after one of his goals. He's saying "yeah, I know I'm good."

A proud coach, and daddy, giving a high five after one of Austin's goals.

Go Lady Bugs!!!

2011-09-20T16:57:00.000-07:00

2011 Lady Bugs - Avery, Brianna, Sienna, Kennedy, Selena, and Emma Kate

Our Lady Bug strutting off the field.

Avery in action

Team huddle with Coach Tilley & Coach McIntyre

Hay Hauling

2011-09-20T16:45:00.000-07:00

A&A&C particpated in the hay hauling contest again this year. A&A were a brother/sister duo on Caleb met his partner at the event. They fell short of a trophy, but provided us plenty of entertainment.

Washington County Fair

2011-09-17T12:49:00.000-07:00

After a full Wednesday night, Friday night and Saturday morning, we are faired out. The rides, the rodeo, the animals, the exhibits, and the fried fair food proved once again to be a huge hit for our crew. Now that the kids are getting older they are a bit more demanding in what they want to do and where they want to go. The petting zoo proved to be a hit for Avery this year. She was in tears last year and hung onto Wes and I for dear life when we took her in. I think she kept on insisting we go back this year to prove to herself she wasn't scared anymore. Austin would have spent every night in the carnival if we had let him. We chose Wednesday for wrist band unlimited ride night but Austin kept hoping he could talk us into just one more ride. It didn't work. One night with the carnys is enough! Caleb was our rodeo man. We were entertained Friday night with calf roping, calf scrambling and bull riding. That little boy ate it up and was all smiles. The mechanical bull highlighted the fair for all of them. They stayed on the full time, hand up and a huge smile on their face.

My fair picture taking efforts get an epic fail. Here are a few random shote I was able to capture.

Adios Altima

2011-09-17T11:24:00.000-07:00

So I admit that blogging about a car may not win me any new followers, but the Altima deserves it's own post. After totaling my car in a fender bender on a trip from Brenham to Austin in Nov 2001, the Altima became the first brand new car I owned and it was one of Wes and I's first big purchases together. We decided to buy something a little bigger when A&A arrived, but decided to keep the Altima in our fleet for Wes to drive back and forth to LaGrange for work. I wasn't crazy about having 3 vehicles on the payroll, but it wound up being one of the best decisions we ever made since driving his "big green truck" would have killed our pocket books with the cost of diesel these last few years. Well, now it's been 5 years of commuting and the Altima was getting up in years, maintenace and mileage... 202,000 miles to be exact!! We decided it was time to trade her in and after realizing we wouldn't get much for her on a dealership trade in, Wes listed her on Craig's List and we got triple the trade in estimate. Go Craig's List!! Now Wes is the owner of a midsize truck that he will use to commute to work and for now we will keep the big truck. So Adios Altima.... thanks for all your years of service to our crew!

More beach fun

2011-09-12T12:47:00.000-07:00

Football on the beach

2011-09-11T07:35:00.000-07:00

Beach bums

2011-09-11T06:55:00.000-07:00

Hello from Galveston, TX!! We are enjoying a late summer weekend at the beach with Toppe & Grandpa and Steven & Candice. I will say it was a bit odd packing beach neccesities when we are in school mode, but once we got down here it was not hard to settle into beach bum mode. The house is a hop, skip and a jump from the edge of the waves and we practically have the stretch of the beach to ourselves. It's made for the perfect end of summer get away.

The power of prayer!

2011-09-07T09:40:00.000-07:00

Please continue to pray for all those being affected by the horrific wildfires in our great state of Texas. The destruction is devastating. Pray for the firefighters who are putting their lives on the line and pray for the families who have been stripped of their homes and cherished belongings. Pray for rain, we need it so badly!

Kindergarten Royalty

2011-09-02T17:31:00.000-07:00

A few posts ago, I mentioned that at St. Paul's CDS, Avery & Austin would be in Kindergarten Kingdom. Well, it's not just a thing you say, it is an actual process. These past two weeks Mimi & I have been creating Austin's mantle and Avery's train for their special "knighting" ceremony to officially induct them into Kindergaten Kingdom. The special attire was to be a complete surprise and the only specific instructions given were that the mantle/trains were to include the students last initial and it should be made out of a towel. We were shown a few samples and after asking past royalty mothers about their creations I was told that there are usually some that are very basic and others that are Maifest worthy. I decided it was best I try and stay middle of the road and with the help of my retired seamstress mother-in-law, we were able to create attire fit for a Kindergarten king and queen.

Today was the big "knighting" ceremony. Parents arrived early to see the kids walk into the church parlor and be surprised with their royal attire. The eyes on the kids (and parents) faces lit up as they walked into the room and saw the royal attire draped over the chairs. Avery & Austin quickly found us and were super excited to show off their mantle and train to their friends. The parents then found seats in the church sanctuary and waited for the ceremony to begin.

Kindergarten Kings

King Buls reigned over the knighting ceremony. The kids came forward in groups of four and each one was introduced individually. King Austin and Queen Avery accepted the responsibilities of being in Kindergarten Kingdom which included learing their numbers and ABC's, being good friends to their classmates, and learning more about Jesus. With a nod of agreement, the kids were knighted and sent on their way to live happily ever after in Kindergarten Kingdom.

A&A with King Buhls

A&A with Ms Chovanec

Queen Avery

King Austin

I will note that there is no way I would have survived this project without Mimi. She made these exactly the way I imagined with a tight deadline. This is something A&A will keep and remember forever. I love the way St. Paul's makes them feel so special and makes learing about reading and Jesus such an important part of their lives. I left the knighting ceremony feeling very blessed and thankful!

Dove season 2011

2011-09-01T18:45:00.000-07:00

There is WAY too much camo in this picture, would you agree?

It is Sept 1st, first day of dove season and you better know that there would be Maurer's and Rau's hunting out on HWY 105. Wes picked up the kids and headed over to the Rau's for a little dove action this afternoon. We had arranged for Avery to go to Mimi's since I had a Boys & Girls Club Board Meeting, but much to my surpise she chose to hang with the boys for the night AND wear camo.

The bird chasers!

So, I admit, the whole hunting thing and shooting animals just doesn't do it for me. Not sure that I will ever quite understand it or get into the excitement, but I do know that I have some guys in this house that really enjoy it. I think it is pretty cool that Wes takes the time to take the kids sometimes when he goes to share the experience with them. They will always remember that and if nothing else, we always have meat in the freezer.

Our family is growing....

2011-08-29T17:31:00.000-07:00

....our extended family, that is.

Uncle Steve and Aunt Candice broke the big news to us this past weekend. They are expecting! We are SO excited for them and know that they will be amazing parents. I'm sure they have taken a few "what not to do" notes when they have been around our crew. One thing is for sure, this new addition to the family will get LOTS of love from their cousins. Avery already wants to pick up every child she sees under the age of 3. We will have to review the concept of "gentle" before BABY KEMPER gets here in March. I will note that the vote in our house is that it will be a girl. Austin's reasoning is that then there will be 2 boys and 2 girls at Toppe's house. Congrats Steve & Candice!!!! Here is to an amazing new chapter in your lives!

Future Cub

2011-08-27T14:46:00.000-07:00

We weren't quite sure if we were going to sign up Austin for 'Future Cubs' this year. It is the first year he can be a part of this cool program that assigns kids to a Cub varsity football player. The boys (and some girls) get a special shirt with their name and their player's number on the back to wear to the games. Before home games, Future Cubs walk out with their player onto the field and get to stand on the track during the National Anthem and kickoff. If still around, Future Cubs can go back out after the game to join their player in the alma mater. Austin assured us that he wanted to sign up so we were very excited when Wes took him to "Meet the Cubs" to meet his player and found out he had none other than #90 -Malcom "Shuga" Brown... future Texas Longhorn. Austin tells everyone that he is the biggest player on the team, that is why he has the biggest number. He is excited to know someone that will play for his two favorite teams - the Brenham Cubs & the Texas Longhorns!

Are you ready for some football!?!?

2011-08-27T06:51:00.000-07:00

Last night Wes had his Fantasy Football draft at the house so Grandpa Otto and I took the kids to the Cubs first home football game. Wow, football in Brenham, TX has taken on a whole new meaning since we were in high school!! The Cubs ran over the Huntsville Hornets....literally, and I had enough patience to make it until half time. I forsee us spending many more Friday nights under the lights at Cub Stadium!

A new set of wheels

2011-08-25T18:05:00.000-07:00

Toppe and Grandpa got A&A their first official bikes for their birthday. Every kid has to learn to ride a bike, right? I am realizing the challenge that we have to make that happen since we live in the country. Besides a parking slab, there's not much concrete around here and I refuse to let them get out on the country road with all the crazies driving over speed limit. We will have to rely on a taking our trips to Toppe's to ride around the same "block" that my own bike rode for hours at a time.

1st Day of School

2011-08-23T06:52:00.000-07:00

I had a great 1st day of Kindergarten. I got to move my stick to GOLD today for listening and being on task. I showed mom the gold star on my behavior calendar when we got home. I'm excited to be with some of my good buddies in class but I am not so excited about my homework. Mom already made me sit with her and practice site words. It wouldn't be so bad except that mom said we have to do these every night. When am I supposed to watch cartoons and hunt with daddy?

I loved my first day of Kindergarten. I got to move my stick to GOLD for good behavior. I love the new centers in my class and I thought it was pretty cool that we have a smart board, just like the touch screen on the iPod. I got my homework done pretty quick when I got home. I like reviewing my site words and trying to spell out new words. I can't wait to go back tomorrow.

I had a great first day as a Bouncing Bear. I got to see Jase & Ethan, my two best buddies. Since I am 3 now, I get to eat lunch in the fellowship hall and today I made a happy plate. Even I had homework tonight! Tomorrow is my travel day at school- chapel, music & gross motor! I can't wait.

We love school!

First Day of School 2011-2012!!!

2011-08-22T09:38:00.000-07:00

It is official, we have 2 Kindergarteners and a Bouncing Bear at St. Paul's CDS this year!! This morning was day 1 and they were so excited. Daddy got up super early and made each of them a special plate of pancakes so they were extra strong and had lots of energy for their first day. We double checked backpacks, took a few pictures and were out the door so that we weren't late on our first day. I can't wait to pick them up and get a report about their day.

Back to school paperwork....

2011-08-18T19:53:00.000-07:00

3 student info forms - check
3 student t-shirt order forms - check
1 Bouncing Bear class form - check
2 Kindergarten Kingdom class forms - check
1 parent volunteer duties sheet- check
1 fundraiser worker sheet - check
1 Bouncing Bear tactile center sheet - check
1 income info for meals sheet - check
1 book order form - check
3 lunch cards filled out - check

Tags on back packs, blankets labled, school supplies purchased - check, check, check....

Yep, it's back to school time for the Maurer Party of Five!!!

Cheers to 33!

2011-08-17T20:48:00.000-07:00

It's birthday week at the Maurer's!!! Tuesday was Wes's birthday and he was able to celebrate with a day at work, Bouncing Bear (3-yr old) orientation and a church council meeting. Supper consisted of leftover Shoguns and leftover cupcakes from the kids school birthday snack. At least we sang "Happy Birthday" and let him blow out the candles. It is a hectic week for all of us so we are postponing a real birthday celebration until Friday when we will be sure to give him all the love he deserves AND we'll have a great homecooked meal.... thanks to Mimi. Love ya Wes!!! CHEERS!

Birthday supper

2011-08-17T20:32:00.000-07:00

We had the perfect spot to take the A&A for their "real" birthday - Shoguns in Cypress. We knew they'd get a kick out of having the food cooked right in front of them on the hibachi grill and with it being a Monday night, waiting wouldn't be an issue. We invited the grandparents to come along and we had a blast. The kids loved the onion volcano, "egg roll", kid-friendly chopsticks & fried rice toss. I will note that out of everyone, Wes and I were the only ones to catch the rice ball in our mouth. They enjoyed a special "Happy Birthday - cha cha cha" song and filled their bellies. It was a great way to celebrate the "big 5".

YUMMMM OOO

Avery & Austin opted for steak while Caleb chose chicken. We all enjoyed the delicious fried rice.

Austin was pretty good (and patient) with his chop sticks

Caleb did not like the fire!

Avery's Mickey Mouse style fried rice

Our whole crew!

Austin James - 5 yrs old

2011-08-15T20:26:00.000-07:00

I am a soft hearted, independent 5 yr old. I love watching cartoons, playing wii, and listening to music. I wish I could go hunting or fishing with my daddy every day. I love my Popo, Grandpa, and playing soccer and baseball. I am a handsome, amazing 5 yr old and I am going to have a great year!

Avery Grace - 5 yr old

2011-08-15T20:19:00.000-07:00

I am a girl with my own mind who knows what I want. I am smart, a little bossy and don't mind playing mind games with my brothers. I am strong, going to be great in gymnast and love having all eyes on me. I love candy (all kinds), playing baby dolls and painting. I love my Toppe, my Mimi and shopping online. I am a beautiful, amazing girl who is going to have a great year as a 5 yr old!

No longer babies....

2011-08-14T14:01:00.000-07:00

5 years ago today, I had just been admitted into the hospital and Wes and I were both on the phone calling everyone that needed to be contacted to let them know that when we returned home, we would be a family of 4. It wasn't quite what we were planning that day! I won't bore you all with the details, but Austin and Avery weren't quite ready to be born on the August 14th so we had a long night of waiting and they made their arrival on August 15th, 2006, a little after 5am.
What an amazing journey it has been these first 5 years! I remember the anxiety of bringing them home from the hospital and having our world turn upside down over night. It was amazing, exhausting, exciting and overwhelming all at the same time. I can't imagine having it any other way. I can't believe that when they wake up tomorrow morning they will be able to say that they are 5 years old. Happy early Birthday, Avery & Austin!!! We love you.

Party like a 5-year old

2011-08-13T19:24:00.000-07:00

Can't say we could have had things turn out much better for A&A's 5th birthday party at the Blue Bell Aquatic Center. We opted for a private party which meant the only time available was 7:30pm - 9:30pm. That's a bit late in the world of Pre-K birthdays, but it wound up being a pleasant warm summer night with a cool (questionable) breeze. The kids splished, spashed and wore themselves out. We took a short break for Chick fil A nuggets, fruit, and birthday cookie cake. At 9:30pm, the whistle blew and we thanked everyone for coming with a party favor of "Austin & Avery's Favorite 5-Year Old Songs". It was a fantastic way to celebrate another year for two amazing 5-yr olds who I love to the moon and back.

You wouldn't know it by the looks on their faces, but these 3 were in "pool time out" because they couldn't stay away from the water before the party started.

Caleb shooting baskets.

Avery& Mallory

Austin got to go down the "Big Yellow Slide"

Austin & Dalton on the popscicle walk

Avery giving the popscicle walk a try.

Blowing out the candles - Caleb is trying to help!

Avery and her "boyfriend" Barrett

Avery& Emma Kate

Avery, Austin, & Hadlee, Harper & Hays Wilson - we're going to miss the Wilson triplets, but we know they will do great things in their new town of Seguin

Austin & Avery

2011-08-13T07:14:00.000-07:00

Swimming party.... whooo hooo

2011-08-11T20:02:00.000-07:00

To celebrate A&A's 5 yr old milestone, we are taking it to the pool. It is incredibly too hot to think of doing anything else. We rented out the Blue Bell Aquatic Center for 2 hours on Friday evening and have combined friends and family into one party. This is GREAT on so many levels for me. There is no stress about having a big group of people and having the house in tip top shape. We have two hours to swim, sing Happy Birthday, grub on some goodies and then everyone goes home. Prep work and clean up are minimal.... now that is my kind of party! The kids are super excited!!! Can't wait to share pics.

Our modern day juke box...

2011-08-09T16:13:00.000-07:00

This is the hotest item in our house right now and it's not for Angry Birds or Doodle Jump. A&A&C LOVE listening to music on the Ipod app of our iPhones. The minute we get in the car I get asked "Mama can I have your phone" and then a song comes blaring on louder than the one that's already playing in the car. At home, they will grab it and start belting out a song and at times all three will join in. They know the songs by the album picture covers and can maneuver throught the playlists pretty good. We aren't quite ready for them to have their iPod touches yet, but if we keep hearing the same songs over and over and over, we may give it a second thought.
A few favorites:
Austin: "I Want Candy" - HOP soundtrack & "Dirt Road Anthem" - Jason Aldean
Avery: "Who Says" - Selena Gomez & anything Taylor Swift
Caleb: "Honey Bee" - Blake Shelton & "Barefoot Blue Jean Night" - Jake Owen

If I could stop time....

2011-08-09T16:01:00.000-07:00

I would. I'm not ready for these kids to grow up.

Inside entertainment

2011-08-02T17:05:00.000-07:00

I'm not telling anyone anything new when I say it is HOT around here.... miserable is more like it. That is a pretty rare statement for me to say because I like the heat over cold any day, but this is ridiculous. Spending the afternoons outside after school has come to a temporary hault thanks to the scorching sun and we seek entertainment indoors in the AC. If Austin had his way we'd spend the evening in front of the tv watching cartoons, but we try not to make that the case. Thanks to Fuse Beads (they have several other names), the kids can be busy, creative, and we have great homeade treasures for family. They can work on one pattern for hours. Once I iron their colorful creations, we stick on a magnet have colorful ways to display school art work.

Transitioning....

2011-07-31T11:51:00.000-07:00

As we were headed back from back to school shoe shopping in College Station yesterday, I was hit with the fact that we are transitioning into a whole new phase with the kids. Gone are the days of "Wheels on the Bus" and "Old McDonald" in the car, now the requests are "Who Says" (Selena Gomez) and "Honey Bee" (Blake Shelton). Gone are the racks of adorable clothes ending in "T", now we are in the big kid section looking at a whole new selection. My cartoon watcher, Austin, no longer wants to watch Mickey Mouse Club House, now it's Transformers or Batman. Gone are my worries about how to keep the kids entertained, now we are enrolled in soccer, gymanstics and can't wait for tball and my worries are how will we do it all. Gone are the days of teaching them how to act in church and out in public, now we expect them to know how to act and their age is no longer an excuse. Gone are the days where I could tell them something hoping they'd forget it, nope these days they remember everything and are sure to hold us to everything we promise.
We no longer have "toddlers", we have "kids" - little, big kids. Their conversations sometimes amaze us and leave us speechless. Their energy keeps us on our toes. Their love for each other is like none other. I can only hope and pray it stays that way for this next phase of their life and for all phases yet to come....

Kindergarten Kingdom

2011-07-27T18:03:00.000-07:00

Ready or not, Kindergarten Kingdom here we come! Austin and Avery were excited to get mail yesterday and I had to look twice at the return address - Kindergarten Kingdom. This was a quick reminder that school bells will be ringing soon and my two babies are going to be in Kindergarten. I will say it again, my babies are going to be in Kindergarten! Nope, it still hasn't really sunk in. Anyway, St. Paul's gives their Kindergarteners the royal treatment. They are kings and queens for the year and we were already given homework assignments to prepare them for their royal year.

A special birthday kiss!

2011-07-25T16:48:00.000-07:00

Today is Kelcie's birthday!!! We are sooooo thankful to have her in our lives. She has been so amazingly good to Austin, Avery, & Caleb. She is back home from A&M for the summer and most Mondays she has given the kids a break from St. Paul's and let them spend the days with her. When they are with her, she spoils them rotten and takes them where they want to go. They are so active they actually take a nap when they are with her! Now that's impressive. Happy Birthday Kelcie!

Maurer Frio Vaca, it's a wrap

2011-07-25T16:36:00.000-07:00

I am going to wrap up the Frio posts. We had four fun filled days of easy fun and made lots of memories. I think that is what I love the most about this family. When we get together, there's not a lot of fuss and frills, just good old fashined easy fun. Good times are always guaranteed!

Caleb loves Aunt Dorothy.... and Cheetos

Had to get a pic of Rocky and the Easy Cheese

Avery, Cara & McKenzie at the river

Avery & Kelcie

Rodney & Jerri, aka the Pictionary artists

The Jimmie Maurers

Me & my handsome hubby... note it was a no-makeup vacation

Caleb's silly face

Kim & I... we enjoyed our morning walks every morning, it was our short hour away from the chaos

Everyones favorite bartender, Uncle Jason!

Blonde cousins: Avery, Kennedy, & Caleb

The Hafners got to join us this year! The hot Texas heat was a big change from Ohio and I think Kyle's legs saw sun for the first time in a while.

Getting ready for Smores - Jason, Austin & Kennedy

Stephen & MacKenzie

Floatin' the Frio, minus the float

2011-07-25T16:10:00.000-07:00

Since the river wasn't flowing, we had to change things up a bit and managed to find a water hole with some moving water. We joined in with a few other folks who weren't going to let a dry river ruin their fun and lounged in the water for a few hours. The set up was perfect for the kids, waist deep water for a 100 yards so they could roam and the big kids could all kick back and catch some rays.

Game time at the Frio

2011-07-24T12:29:00.000-07:00

One of the highlights of our Frio trip last year was finding that our house had it's own pool and volleyball court. The pool was great for the kids and the adults took ownership of the volleyball court. When we arrived at the house this year, we were quickly reminded of the severe drought as it seems that no one has taken the time to water our volleyball court. It was a dry barren field with a sagging net. No worries, Jason brought rope to rope off the court, Wes & Kyle fixed the net, and we took it upon ourselves to water the court. We later found a letter requesting water restrictions that included no extra outide watering. Oops! Once again, volleyball proved to be a hit for the young at heart. We started playing once the high temps would no longer fry eggs on the concrete and we played until we could no longer see the ball. Good times! I should also mention that on night 3 a rain storm came through and our volleyball court was a mud pit. Game night had to be taken inside.

Wes sawing out a stump in the middle of the court! Probably saved someone a trip to the emergency room.

Volleyball court preparation!

The young at heart pretending we are in high school again. You should have heard Jeremy's "ACE"cheer.

Game on.

Kids activities - Fuse beads and necklace/bracelet string.

Cousins building with magnetic blocks - glad we packed these for the trip!

There were a few intense games of Pictionary... guaranteed laughs.

Of course I would fail to get a picture of the game that gets the most attention at Maurer get togethers - Pitch. These card games can get intense and last until the wee hours of the morning.

No food shortage

2011-07-22T19:58:00.000-07:00

In true Maurer fashion, our party of 25 had enough food to feed a party of 50 and dinners that were meant to be served at 7:30pm were put off until 9:00pm... we could blame that on the intense volleyball games. Suppers were the main belly fillers and we had traditional breakfasts and deli sandwiches for lunch. Yes, if anyone thinks they left this trip without gaining a pound, they are flat out lying.

Night 1: Homeade Chicken & Black Bean Enchiladas, compliments of Uncle Jason. YUM-O!!!

Night 2: Ribs, Seasoned Chicken Breasts and Roast Potatoes. Mmmmmm....

Rocky's personalized rib.

Night 3: Chicken Tenders w/ sauces, leftovers and SMORES for dessert. Double YUM!!!