Pioneer Day!

Today we went to a combined ward party to celebrate Pioneer Day (that was yesterday). We were with all of our friends from before our ward split into two, so it was lots of fun! We started off with a pancake breakfast. Then the kids decorated their bikes for a parade.

We couldn't fit all the bikes, so Zach & Savannah opted for scooters...

Savannah inherited this dress in a bag of clothes we got from my cousin Amy (I think). I'm not sure who made it but she looked so cute and got lots of compliments.

Best friends!

They had TONS of activities for the kids and they had a great time. The first we tried was potato stamping...

Connor's new favorite expression..."Hmmmmmm"

This was Savannah & Connor's favorite...the bean bag toss. They went back and forth to it all morning. Connor wouldn't throw it though, just go and place them into the cans.

Savannah also loved the tug-of-war. She was very determined and cute. The boys did it once (they're all in this picture) and then went off to play. Jacob rode his bike pretty much the whole time and Zach ran around after him. Whatever makes them happy.

Dallin let Connor out of the stroller and he of course headed straight for the dirt and rocks. Luckily he didn't see the huge mud field from the wagon races.

Savannah shook some "butter" for a while...

This was a covered wagon until the boys got hold of it.

At the end there was a parade, with the kids marching or riding to "Pioneer Children Sang As They Walked." This was Jacob's favorite part of the day. This picture has Zach (in orange) and Jacob a couple of kids behind him.

Savannah, Connor & Dallin...we should have decorated the stroller!

"Let's Go Fly a Kite"

On Tuesday it was windy so we finally tried out the paper bag kite that Jacob made at cub scouts a couple of months ago.

He was happy to get it up a couple of times!

We went to the park on Monday and Tuesday...in the middle of July. That NEVER happens. It was really cloudy (although it never rained) and there was a slight breeze. The kids had a great time at a new park we'd never been to (Kinningham Park if you live in Round Rock). The 3 older kids loved the "rock wall."

Connor loves the train track to drive cars on. He won't do the actual train because it kind of scares him. Jacob is a nice brother and sets this all up for him most days.

For a cub scout project Jacob made a model stealth bomber. He loved the painting part...he did it all except I helped with the detail stuff.

Today we went swimming with friends for playgroup and the kids had a GREAT time. They also got to go play at a friend's house. Jacob said "I just love summer. It has AWESOME days!"

Introducing...Rodimus

Zach finally earned his pet fish! He was so excited to go to the pet store on Saturday and asked me every 5 minutes if it was time to go. He wanted a green beta fish, but loved this one when he saw it.

Zach's been saving his money for a while now. He also earned 30 stickers for good behavior (which was our main incentive).

All of the kids are pretty excited. Connor likes the seahorse figurine better than the fish though.

Zach named his fish Rodimus, after this Transformer. He put the guy next to the tank and the fish came over and stared at it for quite a while. Zach got a kick out of that.

Rodimus wasn't doing so good yesterday. He just kind of floated around at the top a bunch. I did learn the proper ways to care for a beta fish this time around. He seems to be doing a little better this afternoon, although he still won't eat anything. We'll see how long this fish lasts under my care. At least the pet store has a 2-week return policy on fish, dead or alive.

Bye Bye Birdie

This was yesterday...2 or 3 birds still in the nest. When I checked this morning there was only one left! The others had flown away.

This is the slide that is right below the nest (and what I stood on top of to take pictures). The mom and dad birds would come and squawk at the babies all day yesterday, trying to coax them out I think.

Here is the dad...

This morning this little guy was so nervous. He'd come out to the edge and spread his wings a couple of times and then go back for a while. He did it all morning long.

These birds were all along our fence this morning squawking at the baby.

This was the last picture I took. I went out 45 minutes later to take out some garbage and it was gone! We're gonna miss them. It was fun for our family to become part-time birdwatchers. We hope they come back next year!

We went swimming this morning at the other pool in our neighborhood that has a large blue water slide. Technically you're supposed to be 42 inches to go on it. Connor was having none of that and threw a big fit when I tried to steer him away and distract him with other pool toys. Luckily there was a nice lifeguard there that let him go up as long as we were at the bottom. He and the boys had a blast. Savannah wouldn't go on it though. When it was time to get out my 3 younger kids were SO cranky. I reminded Zach that he wouldn't get a fish sticker (towards earning his pet fish) if he wasn't happy. He said (in the maddest voice possible with a really nasty face and shaking his fists) "I AM HAPPY. CAN'T YOU SEE THAT I'M HAPPY MOMMY. I'M HAPPY!!!" Needless to say, those 3 all got to take naps when we got home.

Birdie Update

One of the first things I did when we got home was check on our baby birds. I can't tell how many are in there because the space is so tiny and I don't want to touch them. They're all on top of each other kind of...a big mess of feathers. I got this picture of the mom and dad...the mom is gray and the dad mostly red. They sit on the fence and chirp at me now whenever I go up to take a look.

Here you can see one bird really well...there is another to the left and behind it. I'm pretty sure there are more farther back and underneath too. They're pretty scared when I come up to look so I was quick.

AZ 2009 Part 2

We made it back to Texas! We had a fun time hanging out with our families, but it's nice to be home. Here's the rest of the trip...

On Tuesday we were back at the LeSueur's. My Aunt Marilee came with my cousin Shae. Shae is 5, right between Zach & Savannah in age. We went swimming for a while first. Connor calls my mom "Grandma Weer."Dallin and my brother Justin came and shot off rockets in the field next to the pool, so we got a little show while we swam. There is a video below. Justin made them out of used light sticks and put a parachute on top made of a plastic garbage sack. They were awesome! There is also a video of Connor jumping into the pool. That's all he does..."jump in" and "climb out!"

Zach's favorite thing in the world...reading with Grandma.

The kids did some bubbles and jumped in the bouncy house. It was HOT though, so they didn't last long outside.

This was Connor's "bed" for most of the trip. He freaked out being in a new place and got very used to just sleeping on this blanket on the floor by our bed. He'd wake up 2 or 3 times most nights and say "Mama! Mama!" I'd mumble "I'm right here Connor" and he'd plop back down and go right back to sleep. We did have to stay in the room with him for naps and bedtime until he fell asleep though. He's happy to be back to his own bed.

On Wednesday the Strongs watched the kids while Dallin and I went to the temple. They just live a couple of miles away from it...how nice!!! Not long after we got back Dallin's sister Amy arrived with her kids from Redlands, CA. These are Savannah's two closest girl cousins, age 10 and almost 3.

Jacob has a cousin his age and Zach has 2 boys his age...fun times!

The boys spent the majority of the time running all around upstairs in the "attic" as Zach called it. There's lots to hide behind so they had Star Wars "battles" most of the day. Train parts and game pieces became their blasters.

Savannah loves her grandpas and will always go looking for them. She loves to command their attention whenever possible.

On Thursday afternoon the kids and I went to Marilee's house. She surprised me and had invited another aunt and a bunch of my cousins and their kids. It was so fun to see them all, even for just a little while.

Savannah was in heaven playing with all the little girls...

That evening my best friend Alisha came to have dinner at the Strongs. She's an awesome friend. She always comes to wherever I'm at to visit so she can see the kids too. It was fun to have her!

Zach, Savannah and Dallin went to shoot off bottle rockets with some of the cousins. We had a rocket theme going on this trip I think...

This is Jacob holding his new cousin Jacob. They call him Jake though. When Jacob found out he'd have a cousin with the same name he was so excited and said "It's like I'm Jengo Fett and have my very own clone!" (That's from Star Wars if you're not familiar)

On Friday morning we went to visit our friends, the Davies. They live just a few blocks from Dallin's parents now. It was so fun to see them (and the kids loved seeing Dobby too...the dog). We'll miss you guys here in Texas!

We also went to Aunt Stephanie's for some water fun.

Friday afternoon we went to see Dallin's brother's new houses. His brother Justin has a new dog too and his brother Daniel has a dog, ferrets, and fish. Zach was in heaven. Thanks to all those who had us over or let us stay with them! We missed you Carrie and family!

Saturday morning we stopped by my parent's house for lunch and then drove to El Paso. It took the kids well over an hour to fall asleep (it was almost 10:00 El Paso time). They were excited to be at the hotel and the time change threw them off.

On Sunday Savannah got car sick 30 minutes out of El Paso. Luckily she'd had only apple juice and a few bites of bagel for breakfast. We know now that she always needs dramamine along with Connor and Jacob. When we stopped to clean her up we got a bunch of flies in the car. We shooed most of them out but a couple of them decided to rest on the ceiling of the car for a while. Zach sat under his blanket like this for an hour, and then again for half an hour in the afternoon when we let in another fly at a gas stop. I felt bad for him because it was hot, but those times sure were nice and quiet. He has rekindled his total fear of flies, poor kid.

We made it home Sunday evening about 6:30pm Texas time. I spent yesterday unpacking, cleaning, doing laundry, grocery shopping, and washing the nasty, filthy car. It was fun to see family, but always nice to be home!