Boys-1 Girls-3

Halfway!

Blog absence...

Baby number four is coming in February which has made this mama draggggggg. I'm almost 12 weeks and we couldn't be happier to add another to our family! Hoping to get back into regular blogging in the next couple of weeks. Stay tuned!

Five Minute Friday

Last week our friends our from California were here visiting. We were on the go a lot and all the kids did great, especially considering we had five age five and under. It was such a treat to have a family we've known for so long here with us. Today is Rylan's last day of pre-k. The year went so fast. I feel like it was just a few weeks ago that our "new" routine felt normal. I think he is feeling the same way. They have zero concept of summer break so he is thinking he starts kindergarten next week and Elle thinks she will be starting pre-k the same time. We both finally used our free upgrade and got iphones. I must say it is so nice to have. We waited a very long time before I could justify the data package increase in our bill, but fortunately Kenny's work decided to drop their employee discount for Verizon plans except for data plans, so our bill stayed about the same. Elle starts dance on Tuesday-yay! That's about it for now.

Five Minute Friday

I've been busy this week with Cotton Candy, that's always a good thing. We are getting ready and excited for the Peters family visit next week. It's now consistently warming up, booooo :( Texas summer is not my favorite season. Hopefully this will be our best summer so far here since Blake is now old enough to really enjoy splash pads and water with little help from me, phew. She is in a bit of a needy phase, guess it comes with being two years old and teething still. Elle will be four on Monday. How the time flies by and breaks a mother's heart. We finally got a new laptop so I will be working on posting pictures. Happy Friday.

Five Minute Friday

Last week was a busy week with Nanny and Papa here. We packed in a lot of fun! We were supposed to go camping this weekend but as the storms started last night we were more than glad we cancelled earlier in the week due to an unfavorable forecast. It is stormy right now and looks like it will be for at least the next day. Fortunately our kids are showing signs of becoming Texans as they all slept through the storms last night, huge improvement! Ugh, I have a very needy two year old, gotta go.

Saved by Saved By The Bell

Thank heaven for SBB reruns! The big kids are sucked in giving me a relief from the fighting and referee job. I should be packing and getting ready. I'm excited to kiss my niecey niece's sweet cheeks today!!! I joined a local library so I was able to check out a book I've been wanting to read and the ipod is charged, ahhhhh, just a few hours of quiet and mama free time! All the aside, I will for sure miss my babes, but it's good for them to have some solo daddy time. We have still been in mild temperatures and that's a huge relief for us. If we can get through the end of the school year just getting a little warmer that'd be awesome. The in and out of drop off and pick up in the heat, ugh, not so fun. Both kids will be at Brushy Creek Elem next year. It'll be strange to have just one girl 3 hours a day, I am daydreaming of all the things I will get done. Anyway, off to pack-hopefully ;)

What a Difference a Week Makes

Wow, what a tragic week our country has endured. It goes without saying that all of our hearts mourn and ache with the families of fallen heroes and innocent lives cut short. While I don't want to belittle the tragedies and place my life's "events" as more significant, I do want to share the positives I'm focusing on as to not be overwhelmed with the loss and devastation in Boston and West. I was excited to see some of the marathon in Paris that my dear friend ran just a few weeks ago on tv last night. We are looking forward to going to the San Antonio zoo tomorrow and in one week I will be holding baby Charlie-yay! So in case I miss next week you'll know I'll blissfully be cozying up to my niece and hopefully giving my sister and husband a little bit of time to sleep, talk a walk together, eat together, whatever they need. Can't wait!

Five Minute Friday, A Few Hours Late

It was a busy week. I had some Cotton Candy to finish, work in Rylan's classroom, cake walk baking, carnival volunteering, and all the normal stuff. I signed up to do a fun 5k in August with a couple girlfriends called Run or Dye, while I am freaking out about "running" in August, it doesn't sound like a very competitive event and one of the girls will be just a couple weeks shy of having her third baby, if she can do it I have very little to whine about :) I'm only two weeks away from meeting niece, hooray! Rylan has about six weeks left of school and we have lots of fun plans on our agenda before it gets hot! We just got his kindergarten packet so I'm hoping that means his transfer went through. Blake and Elle are having fun with a little slide we got at a yard sale last weekend for $5 while he is at school and lots of fun girl time. Not a lot going on today, after a busy week it's a catch up and relax day. The kids had so much fun at the carnival last night and stayed up a little later than their normal 6:30 bedtime, so I'm predicting some grumpy faces today, faces I love to kiss none the less.

Five Minute Saturday

Well, we have finally finished all of our painting and just have a little touch up in a couple rooms. We were supposed to go camping tonight but I'm a little nervous about sleeping outside with the terrible allergies I have had. We will either brave it next weekend or the following weekend. I took the girls garage saling this morning, but no treasures to be found, yet. If I can talk Kenny into going there are a couple big neighborhood sales going on I'd like to at least drive by. Elle wants a Hello Kitty guitar, found one on craigslist for $250! I don't think so baby doll. Welp, that's about it.

Five Minute Friday

Charlie Grace Brandenburg was born yesterday at 6:38am. She's a cutie, and no doubt about who her daddy is. Sorry sister, people said the same thing to me. It's okay though, we didn't pick their daddy's cause they were ugly ;) I'm so anxious to squeeze her and kiss her big ol dimpled cheeks! That's by far the best thing of the week. The worst thing was Kenny getting hit by a beer truck, thankfully only the car left injured. This car has not been kind to us. I'll leave you with the conversation I heard about two minutes ago...Elle " I saw Jesus riding on a donkey" (referring to something at church last week) and Rylan says, "Yeah, and Mary had a little lamb." Trying to keep a straight face I explained how sometimes people have the same name and that the Mary with a lamb, was different than Mary mother of Jesus! It was hilarious!!!

Five Minute Friday

What a week. Blake had her two year torture, I mean two year appointment. She's still a tiny little thing and I just can't believe she is a full on toddler. On Wednesday dear friends moved to Australia and on Thursday another super friend had her baby girl!!! Maybe my niece will come today or tomorrow to wrap up an emotional week. Fingers crossed baby Charlie will be in her mama's crossed arms by Sunday. We've been painting a lot so our evenings have been busy, but I plan to post pictures of Blake's cowgirl 2nd birthday party soon. She was pretty stinkin cute in her denim colored dress with pink cowgirl boots and pigtails, swoon! It was a hard birthday for my soft mama heart, but she is so fun and can now tell you her name is Blake(it was Elle for awhile) and that she is two, with two fingers even. Starting to plan some camping trips-yay!

Missed a week, so I'll make up with a few pictures

We FINALLY uploaded some pictures and since I missed last week I put a few up today :)

Five Minute Friday

Well nothing like an expensive car repair to throw your week off :( Gggggrrrrrrrrrrrrr...Things could always be worse, but I need a moment to be frustrated. It's a new day and a new month. A birthday month in our house makes it even better. Two weeks left of having a "baby" in our house.i I haven't posted any pictures in awhile and for sure need to upload them from the camera, but I will leave with a couple of faces I woke up to the other day. The big kids decided to give each other tattoos...ooookkkkkaaaayyyy?????

A Day Late

This last week flew by. We are getting some projects crossed off our list of to do's and our home is getting cozier by the minute. Last weekend we had some friends here with their kids so total our kids' ages were 1,2,3,4,5,6 and everyone did so great! Rylan is officially registered for kindergarten and Elle will be registered for PreK in a couple weeks. Where are were did my little dog go, errr where or where did my little babes go? Hard to believe it will just be Blakey and me for a few hours every week, although I did get a little taste of it today and it was sweet to have one child to focus on. I definitely need to do some more one on one time out and about with all of the kids. The biggest news is that I have started the application process to go back to school. So many things about this scare me but a teensy weensy part of me is excited :) The school/program I'm looking at is geared at towards working students with most classes being at night and I'm hoping online. Although it's just two years left it may take me closer to four. We have a few things to get in order and checked off before I have anything else to report but I am cautiously optimistic that before the end of the year something will be in place.

Five Minute Friday

Picking up from last week...After my grandparents and dad left my mom stayed through Sunday and we had a great time. Mom and I even got away on Saturday for some shopping in San Marcos and met up with Aunt Leslie and Lindsay. We have had TERRIBLE allergies but have found some medicine that helps with the majority of the symptoms making life so much better. We are enjoying cooler weather and had a nice little Valentines day. This weekend some of our friends that visited last month are coming and we are looking forward to having a fun weekend with them-one giant sleeper over, all ten of us under one roof, yup ten! I am feeling much better about being in Texas this last week. Grateful for the opportunity here and my heart is changing about it all. Still desperately miss the beauty and family in California but feeling like its okay to have both feet planted here. Blake is talking up a storm, repeating so many words. Our baby will be two in a month and next year both "big" kids will be in school five days a week, heart wrenching :( To end this on a positive note, we are hopefully getting to spend some time with most of my extended family this summer in Washington and I am thrilled at the possibility for my kids to be with everyone and get a break from the Texas heat in July!

Five Mintue Friday

My trip to California was perfect! I got to see the ocean almost all the way from San Diego to San Francisco, even though it broke my heart I was so happy to glimpse of the San Francisco bay, Central Coastline, the Channel Islands, and Coronado. The drive from Oakland to Eureka was beautiful as well, even getting a peak at some snow in the mountains as we drove north. In the previous blog I mentioned one special friend would be absent from our gathering, BUT guess what??? She surprised me and drove up! Best little reunion EVER, EVER! The shower for Charlie Grace niecey niece to be and her mama was perfect! It looked pretty, we had good food, she has some wonderful friends that were very generous with special gifts, and I couldn't be more excited to meet this baby girl. Added bonus, I got to sleep THROUGH the night (even if it was a couple 5 hr nights-totally worth the lack of sleep) and I had no time crunch on getting ready. One more bonus, I got to snuggle the lovie Mr.Jax. Goodness gracious I could have hugged, and swayed, and loved on him for hours and hours. I missed my four at home and so appreciated the hugs and cries for mama as I walked down to the baggage claim. My parents came back with me and my grandparents came from Washington a couple hours later. Such a sweet time to all be together and it was the first time Blakey and my grandparents had met. Of course we took them to some Texas bbq and had a special treat after picking Rylan up from school all together and going to ice cream. Just realized I have about a million things to do before school drop off and I've gone way over my five minutes ;) so I'll finish next week.

A Little Late/ A Little Early For Five Minute Friday

I'm so excited to put my feet down on California soil tomorrow, but I know the ache that will come with being away from three of the most precious faces. I have been thinking a lot about friendship lately, how it changes, how it grows, how you never need it any less. I am grateful to see friends that have made it through the years, 2nd grade, 5th grade, and 9th grade and eight babies! I will be missing one little love I met in 7th grade after tripping over a bag of PE uniforms at our pre jr high sports physicals ;) I am also grateful for the incredible friends I've made since. The ones that were started in San Luis Obispo through work and school and have carried on through many moves, marriages, and yes more babies. While the West Coast holds the bulk of my friends-California, Oregon, and Washington, I have been seriously hooked up with friends in Texas too! One being a couple of hours and away and soon to be much further-I'm sad to see them go but so stoked on what the opportunity means for her family. I have neighborhood girlfriends again which are priceless. A friend I will watch The Bachelor for because she is that amazing to be with, but I'll need some spiked hot chocolate-for The Bachelor part, a girlfriend that can and has been my personal stylist, a friend that makes the yummiest food and always shares her recipes, ladies that I can laugh with as easily as I can cry with, and new friendships that have been brought together through our children. Friendships with family members are especially dear and I'm lucky to have those as well. That sweet little girl scout song about friendship couldn't be more true. Friends near and far,sprinkled across the country and even in Sweden-forgive me for when it feels distant, laugh with me when I make a fool of myself, cry with me when I just can't help it, and know I am doing the same for you, even if I'm buried under clean unfolded laundry in peanut butter smeared pajamas with the every present ponytail in place because I love you and always wish there was more time for us to be together. I'll never need you all any less and I can't imagine having better friends. Cheers loves!

Five Minute Friday

Blake is starting to say so many words! She is so fun, I wish you could play with her. Elle and I had another round of colds or whatever and we are slowly moving into the better category. We had a lot of rain this week that was so refreshing although I wasn't sad for a dry day yesterday to get the kids outside to play and feel the sunshine. My sister came last weekend and the kids had lots of fun making silly faces on the computer and looking through all her pictures. Rylan is still enjoying his prek class and I'm amazed how much he is learning in those three hours everyday. Elle is in full force a tumultuous three year old phase. I can only imagine how many deep breaths I'll have to take seven to eight years from now if this is a glimpse, sheesh! Maybe it's because she's been sick for so long she's over it-and yes she has told me she's over it when she doesn't like my answer and she has also called all of us haters at least once the last month. My New Year's resolution is in this year to find my new peaceful place, my place of solitude, my new Avila in Texas. It's a giant state, there's gotta be a diamond in the rough waiting for me to discover! I need it, I miss home!