Austin's Big Kill

This past weekend, the Maurer boys headed to Mason to deer camp.  There is always a hunting plan in place but sometimes... plans change.  The original plan was for Austin to shoot a doe or maybe a cull buck and Wes had his eyes on a 9-pointer that he had seen the weekend before.  Three Maurers sat in the blind Friday evening and watched as the feeder went off.  Austin had his eyes on a doe at first, then changed his mind when a cull 6-pointer walked in and he focused in on him.  But next here comes the nice 9-pointer walking in, the same 9-pointer Wes had on his hit list!  Austin looked up at Wes and said "here dad, you can shoot.... I can wait".  Yes, he's our thoughtful one!  Wes was proud of him for being so kind and thoughtful and asked him if he wanted to shoot the 9-pointer. Austin jumped on the opportunity. Right before the shot Austin looks up from the scope and whispers to Wes 'dad....my heart is beating' and Wes whispers back 'mine is too'. Austin then made a great shot! These are the moments that won't be forgotten!

Around here....

It's opening morning of deer season and our hunter is in Mason doing what he loves to do in the deer stand.  Next week the boys get to tag along and see if they can shoot the big one.  Though I still haven't caught the deer hunting bug, I have learned to appreciate the love and excitement it brings to so many of our friends and family.
In the 1st weekend in who knows how long, we have nothing on the agenda.  No games, no birthday parties, nothing that requires us to leave the house.   The kids and I slept until 8:30am.  What a treat!  Of course that means I need to catch up on things around the house and maybe even plan a few things for the next few weeks.
My life has somewhat settled down a bit as I'm ten weeks into my new teaching/coaching gig and as of last Friday, my volleyball coaching is done.  That frees my afternoons after school and with a 7th period conference period, I can pick the kids up in carline after school instead of them riding the bus to me at high school and get home to start homework and pack soccer bags.  I know things will pick back up in January once softball starts, but for now, I'm going to truly enjoy the down time and now more than ever, I'm looking forward to the holidays!
Maurer Party of 5 blog posts aren't near as regular as they use to be, but we'll try to keep you posted on what all we have going on whenver we get the chance.

Halloween 2013

I was sooo thankful that the kids chose "easy" costumes this year.  Minus a little face paint, everything came straight from their closets.  We had 2 hunters and a cheerleader.  We headed into town again this year to Walnut Hill to trick or treat with friends.  We left exhausted with pumpkins full of sugar!

Pumpkin carving...

This year's final product:

Family kickball

When we got together for Mimi's bday, the weather was perfect for a good ol' fashion game of kickball.  We had the entire fam join in.  Lots of laughs were shared!

Happy Bday Mimi!

It proved to be a beautiful Sunday and the perfect afternoon to celebrate Mimi's birthday.  We are so incredibly blessed to have her in our life.  She's around to help when we need to shuffle kids around, helps us with laundry when our wachine is broke and we can always count on her for a delicious homecooked meal.  We love you, Mimi!

Julie

Back in August, as we were trying to figure out what to get A&A for their Bday, Avery started asking for an American Girl Doll.  These dolls are all the rage for girls her age and she was ready to join the AGD club.  You can't get one of these dolls from just anywhere and if you want to do it "right", you go to the stores which have limited locations and make it a full day experience.... you know, pick out the doll, a few outfits, take her to the AGD salon in the store, and then lunch at the AGD bistro.
Well, we opted not to get Avery an AGD for her bday and she's been asking about one ever since.  A few weekends ago, Wes took the boys to the deer lease which left a perfect opportunity for she and I to head to Houston and pick out an early Christmas present.
Meet Julie.  She rarely leaves Avery's side and she's been all around town with us.  I love seeing Avery read to her and take care of her.