The East Family

Brothers in the snow

2010-02-11T19:41:00.000-08:00

So the boys wanted to go play in the snow/sleet that we had today and so after lunch they got all bundled up. Which really isn't much considering we live in Texas, and I only buy them jackets knowing that there are very few cold, cold days in East Texas. They were so excited to play and were really hoping to make a snowman. hah hah I can't wait for them to see lots of snow one day. Kevin and I are thinking of going skiing next year with the boys. I know they will love making a snow man in more than a couple inches of snow.

Miller had his own mitten snow cone.

Walker tried make a snowball, but to no avail.

Okay, so some background on these next pictures...
After snapping a few shots of the boys I came into make some hot chocolate, knowing that would get cold rather quickly. Well, I had barely gotten started when I think I squeals of joy adn then realize it is screaming and wailing. At this point miller comes in undressing out of his clothes dragging in pine needles and Maddry is trying to walk out the door. I see Walker at the bottom of the hill next to a tree with his underwear almost to his knees. Yes, nature did call and he tried to get his pants down but with cold, wet gloves it didn't work out so well for him and he ending up peeing on his unders, pants, shirt, and gloves. He was so upset and I am trying not to laugh. so here are a few photos of his trek up the hill with his pants down. When I told Kevin the story he asked me if I sang him the American Idol song "Pants on the Floor". I wish I had thought of that 'cause our boys love to sing it.

Oh, what fun memories.

There's nothing like putting jammies on at 1:15 in the afternoon, drinking hot chocolate, and watching The Sound of Music.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

2010-02-11T17:45:00.000-08:00

Maddry is ONE

For breakfast I put a candle in her sweet potato pancakes. She was more excited about the blueberries and oranges.

I attempted to make Maddry a cake and it turned out pretty well. My mom actually made me a cake like this when I turned 8.

She's crying because she is afraid of the candle. She kept leaning out of her highchair trying to get away. Once we blew the candle out she was fine. (Weird huh... she didn't seem to mind the candle in her pancake)

She kept wanting to share the cake with us.

Autmum is on it's way out

2009-12-01T19:01:00.000-08:00

Fall is my favorite time of the year.

We watched a Max and Ruby show where they were raking leaves... so the boys wanted to rake their own leaf pile. Our pile was rather small because we have water oaks in our yard and the leaves are so so small on this type of oak, but that did not deter them from raking, jumping in the pile, hiding things in the leaves, or just throwing them.

Of course Maddry is in the stage where she loves to put anything and everything in her mouth. Mmmm Yummy leaves.

Daddy got home in time to do a little leaf throwing himself.

This was another fun fall memory. Kevin pitched the tent in our backyard and built a fire in the backyard. They were such great helper's. The boys assured us that if they got fire on them, they knew they should... stop, drop, and roll.

Trick or Treat

2009-11-03T08:13:00.000-08:00

Fireman ~ Spiderman ~ Kitty Kitty

The boys could not count down the hours fast enough for us to go trick or treating. They scarfed down dinner, we put on costumes, and Kevin painted faces. We were ready to go. Our friends Jason and Hallie live in a safe, family friendly neighborhood. It is the perfect place to tromp up and down streets trick or treating. We went with our good friends the Jenz family. We all loved seeing there excitement running door to door.

...and they're off!

She is ready to go and wants to catch to the brothers.

So a little side note... the paint on the kids face was supposed to be for the face and come off easily, but for some reason Maddry and Walker's did not come completely clean.We went to church the next morning and Walker seemed to have a "five-a-clock shadow" and Mads nose was smudge gray even after using soap and fingernail polish remover.

I love this picture of Miller, he was so surprised by how much candy he got.

My Favorite Season

2009-10-21T18:14:00.000-07:00

I love this time of the year. The cool crisp mornings, the smell of pine needles, the boys collecting acorns, evening family walks to the pond, and football in the backyard. One of my favorite activities during this autumn season is visiting the pumpkin patch. We went last Saturday and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. The Bell Family Farm (Pappy's Pumpkin Patch) is free to public, which is always a big plus. The boys loved every minute of playing, running, jumping in the hay, and searching for the biggest pumpkin to pick up. Maddry ate leaves, and played drums on the pumpkins to her hearts content.

Our little "pumpkins"

Maddry loved walking around the wagon. Maybe she was trying to find a way to climb in?

Miller was 'King of the Mountain' on top of hay bales.

Walker used his muscles to pick up this heavy pumpkin.

Growing Up!

2009-09-05T20:04:00.000-07:00

Kevin and I were getting ready for a date night, when Walker reminded dad that he had said he would take the training wheels off his bike. Now, Kevin had taken the t-wheels off in March and Walker had tried a few times to ride down our hill in the backyard and land on the grass. It worked okay... but Walker being our cautious and calculated child wanted to wait to learn how to ride a "big boy bike".

So then, Kevin headed out to take off the training wheels, while I got dressed for our date. In the time it took for me to get dressed and dolled up, Walker came to get me and tell me that he needed to show me he could ride his two-wheeler. I was so surprised, not sure what I would see.

Check this out... Kevin would give him a push and the run beside him and steady him with his hand. It's a little blurry as you can see, I didn't have the right setting.

The next day Walker wanted to ride while Kevin was at work and I so I ran next to him around our driveway once. Because I had stepped on a screw last week and it went through my foot it was painful to run so I challenged Walker to go around our driveway by himself. He took up the challenge. We are so surprised and proud of him. He is loving it and feels so grown up.

Our kids are growing up so fast. With Walker learning to ride his bike, I am reminded that these milestones are just opportunities for me to continue the process of letting go, knowing that in the process there may be some bumps and bruises.

Rub a dub dub three kids in a tub

2009-09-02T19:55:00.000-07:00

Kevin was going to be home later than normal, and since late afternoon, dinner, and right before bedtime seem to linger on and on, Kevin said he would bring dinner home. (What a treat) The boys are always chomping at the bit waiting for daddy to come home, and well, I would say I feel the same way. We had colored, played blocks, road bikes, fed the kids dinner, rocked in the rocking chair and still no daddy. What do you do to pass the time...

I had not tried all three kids at once. I wasn't sure how it would work. The boys new that they could not get too wild with Maddry in the water with them. They did very well. It passed the time, they got clean, had fun, and then daddy came home to help dry off and get ready for bed.

Assume the Position

Those three words have helped tremendously in drying off our kids after shower or bath time. You know how goofy kids get after bath time and well by that point I'm usually tired and ready to do jammies and bedtime and all they want to do is "the naked, crazy dance"... anyways Kevin is usually the one to shower with the boys, which is a huge blessing to me. He started the phrase assume the position and taught them what the stance looked like, and drying off has become speedy and more enjoyable, with a few tickles thrown in for fun.

The End

2009-08-31T19:50:00.000-07:00

Our summer ended with Buffalo Hunt with Dad. What a fun memory.

In all of Kevin's years at Pine Cove, he has never participated in Buffalo Hunt. So, the Towers staff initiated him by tackling him and clobbering him with mud.

Then they told him he would be the prize Buffalo for the campers. Little did Kevin know what was to come.

Wow, an early picture of the way it is

2009-08-29T08:04:00.000-07:00

Six words. That's where it all began....

"Can you come over to play?" And with his question, Walker thought a simple answer might come back. Nope. And what followed is what I saw again as the difference between men and women.

1) Walker used 6 words. His friend, a girl, on the other end of the phone then rambled for two minutes about how mom is laying on the couch, not feeling well...blah blah blah. He looked at me, confused. I told him to get used to it. Women will make their point more thoroughly and expressively than he.

2) Once agreeing to come over, I saw Walker jump into action as he ran to put on his nice clothes, thus trying to impress her. Man, I guess that begins at a young age.

3) He's never really been interested in his sunglasses. But for whatever reason, he ran to put them on, then insisted that while he waited for her to get here, he ride his bike around our driveway. I guess that's where peacocks learned to strut their feathers, by watching young boys.

4) After a few times around the driveway, he asked me why she was taking so long. Oh boy. "Walker", I said, "get used to it." "This is what it will be like the rest of your life." For now, he didn't understand.

5) Seeing her walk up to the end of the driveway he raced toward her on his bike, only to quickly pass her up and keep going down the road. Ahhh. He did the right thing. He can't really show her his excitement. It has to look like she is coming to join him in his adventure, rather than his adventure being about her. Well done.

6) Unfortunately, the scary similarities didn't end there. After coming inside to begin "sharing" their friend over a good puzzle, Miller took initiative, when Walker wasn't looking to offer another suggestion. "Mags, why don't me and you go play with Tinker Toys instead of doing the puzzle."

And so it begins. The beginning phone call to the sibling rivalry. Lord, give us the wisdom we need to train up these boys to be Godly men.....

TIME FLIES

2009-08-06T21:13:00.001-07:00

She is trying to stand up in her crib, but will now have to learn how to get down.

I walked into the den and was so surprised to see them both
laying like this watching a show together.

2009-08-06T21:03:00.001-07:00

Wow! I can't believe that summer is almost over! We are at the end of week 10. Only one week left.
So much has happened over the last several weeks of camp. There have been many great and funny memories. What I am most amazed by, is that our children are growing up so quickly. To think that I was pregnant six months ago. So much has happened.
Maddry had her six month check-up today. She is 16lb 11oz (65%) and 27in (85%). Her personality is joyful and content. She is already a mover. She is crawling slowly and sitting herself up on her own. Then I go and get her up from nap a couple of days ago and she is up on her knees in the crib. She just wants to keep up with her brothers.
I'm so glad that she has big brothers. They are both so helpful and love to help me with her and love to make her laugh and smile. I have been so impressed by how nurturing Walker and Miller have been with her. We are blessed and I am so grateful for the honor of being a a mommy.

The King of Deceit

2009-08-02T10:42:00.000-07:00

Well, my Friday started off as any other day of the week. Kids, breakfast, straighten house, shower and finish up the grocery list. Our Pine Cove nanny, Haleigh, came over about nine and Miller and I promptly left for the "the big shop" at Walmart. The shopping went okay considering Miller wanted to go home right after we got there, and then of course he had to poop, and in the porcess I lost my grocery list. I got most of what I needed and Miller made it home with a happy heart as we sang the to the new Pine Cove cd at the top of our lungs. I get home and begin unloading groceries, kissing on Maddry, listening to the stories Walker is telling me about all the fun things he and Haleigh did. I'm hungry and weariness is setting in, but I'm pushing through because Haleigh and I had decided to put the last coat of paint in the bonus room. Haleigh was a busy bee that morning making six loaves of banana bread as well as tending to two children. I was impressed and a little sad because I felt that I missed out on all the fun at home.
So then, the plan was set... feed the kids, play for few, and the kids go down and we then conquer the painting. I was getting geared up..., the phone rings and my friend Laura calls and says she really needs girl time, and that I need to pick her up at McCallisters in thirty minutes. I had a hard time shifting gears and realizing the painting would not get done. It felt like a whirlwind of craziness. Trying to finish the putting up the groceries, feeling bad that I was leaving the kids and again, and then Kev comes home and is shooing me out so that the road guys we could fix our driveway. I leave and am catching my breath and pick up Laura. We end up have a great time shopping and looking at fabric. I get home at three and Kevin is pulling in the driveway. I told him I had to leave in an hour for a one-on-one with a couselor from the Towers. We are looking at mail and catching up on the day, when Haleigh mentions she thinks that the washer smells like mold and mildew. I was so bummed and walked into the laundry room to smell the machine and I screamed, choked, and almost peed in my pants when I saw the brand new front loader washer and dryer. I was so shocked and then the events of the day began to make since. I was tearing up and then Kevin teared up. It was amazing gift. Kevin gloated the rest of the day calling himself the King of Deceit. He loves to surprise me with gifts that he knows will bless me. I am truly blessed. Doing laundry is probably my favorite chore if I had to pick one, and now its definitely my favorite. I love hearing the the fun chimes, knowing that hardly any water is being used and we are also using the dryer less. I LOVE IT.

What in the world is that?

2009-07-18T20:41:00.000-07:00

As you know I love to cook. This is a new recipe I tried and it is wonderful. Yes, it is edible. You may be wondering what exactly is there worth eating in the dish? It's Chicken Marbella (pronounced mar BAY a). I served it over wild rice. It was scrumptious. The chicken so flavorable and the juices were wonderful over the rice. Thank you Carrie Langemeier for introducing me to this wonderful dish.

As you can tell I will definitely have to work on the presentation of this meal next time I make it.

Ingredients

* 4 chicken breast (tenderloins are fine to use as well)
* 1/2 head of garlic, peeled and finely puréed (minced garlic works as well
* 2 Tbsp dried oregano
* Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
* 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
* 1/4 cup olive oil
* 1/2 cup pitted prunes
* 1/4 cup pitted Spanish green olives
* 1/4 cup capers with a bit of juice
* 3 bay leaves
* 1/2 cup brown sugar
* 1/2 cup white wine

1 In a gallon size ziploc bag combine all ingredients. Let marinate, refrigerated, several hours or overnight.
2 Preheat oven to 350°F.
3 Arrange chicken in a single layer in a baking pan and spoon marinade over it evenly.
4 Bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour, basting with the pan juices if desired.
5 With a slotted spoon, transfer chicken, prunes, olives, and capers to a serving platter. Add some of the pan juices and sprinkle generously with parsley or cilantro if desired.

Sister

2009-07-18T20:27:00.000-07:00

I fondly refer to Maddry as sister and also chica chunk, but she is really beginning to thin out and so I'll probably be dropping the chica chunk and sticking with sister or maybe chica for awhile. I can't believe how active she is becoming. She is wanting to crawl and is almost there and her sitting is a close second. Who knew I would love having a little girl as much as I do. My favorite things sister is doing now is that she has begun to say Mama. I would like to think she is talking to me but I know it's just another consonant sound she is learning. It will come soon enough.

2009-07-18T20:10:00.000-07:00

Summer is such a fun time of year for our family. We love being involved in camp life and all the exciting things that the kids get to do from swimming, horseback riding, doing cheers, playing in the mud pit, playing with any staffer whenever, eating camp deserts all the time, miniature golf, cove kids, talking in microphones, but, the time the boys most enjoy is with there DADDY.
Kev is so great with the boys: very intentional. They wrestle, have question time, reading time, fishing, jumping of dad's back, and shower time (it is such a blessing to me when Kevin bathes the boys, which is pretty much everytime). I was going to read to boys, and as I offered to read to them they both emphatically said "no" and asked daddy to read to them. I love it!

2009-07-15T14:37:00.000-07:00

Maddry has just begun belly laughing. She gets us laughing with her, and then of course we make funny, crazy faces and noises to get her to laugh again.

2009-07-15T13:18:00.001-07:00

SPLISH

2009-07-15T12:57:00.000-07:00

SPLASH

2009-07-15T12:54:00.001-07:00

We got this fun slip n slide from Sweet Pea. She said it was only five bucks. I can tell you it has been worth every penny! The boys are loving it and we definitely have the perfect hill to slide down on. I hope it makes it through the summer.

2009-07-10T19:13:00.000-07:00

Maddry is our sweet, joyful girl. We decided to act out some nursery rhymes and she played "Little Bo Peep".

2009-07-10T18:57:00.000-07:00

Friday night at the Pine Cove Towers is the beloved game known as BUFFALO HUNT. Walker and Miller prefer to call it the mud pit. They both asked me everyday this week if it was Friday, because they were ready to go back and become as dirty as possible.