Mark, Kris, & Mason's World

Christmas Parties

2009-01-14T18:56:00.005-06:00

We had a lot of activities/parties in December. Most of the time, I didn't photograph because I was too busy having a good time. However, here are some pictures I was able to take. Enjoy!

Mason and Hayley at our neighborhood Holiday Social.
Mason with his best friends, Ryan G., Patrick, and Ryan A. at the class holiday party.

Mason with his friends Jeremy, Jeremy's aide, and Ryan A. during a game at the class party.

Mason having fun at the class party.

Mason playing Holiday Jeopardy. Kiddo ROCKED it! I was so proud that he has some of my holiday spirit! ;-)

Mason and his teacher, Mrs. English. We adore her!!!

The Miller Christmas tree (because I forgot to post it before!)

The Three Little Pig Gingerbread Village that my friend, Lisa, made at the Annual Monaghan Clan Christmas Eve Party.

Mason and Cody at the Christmas Eve party.

Mason on Christmas Eve.

The Miller Family Christmas

2009-01-14T18:33:00.003-06:00

I apologize for taking so long getting these up. With my Mom down here, I didn't want to spend a bunch of time on the computer. Then, once she left, we had some family time. Now, things are slowly going back to normal. Anyway -- enjoy!

This year's Christmas was a huge change for us. Mason is nine. Like most nine year olds, he found out the truth behind a huge holiday event. I think that was harder on me than him (and yes, I am being extremely vague because I don't want to say anything age-inappropriate for our younger readers!).

Mason on Christmas morning. We told him not to wake us up until after he had pressed preheat on the oven. Isn't having a nine year old wonderful?
All of our presents under the tree. Amazing how the older they get, the more the presents cost, yet the smaller they become!

G.I. Joe -- the great American hero!

Wrestling with one of my bows. The boys HATE my bows, therefor I put them on every present. Notice the thrown-aside underwear in the background from his stocking? He was NOT thrilled to open that!

Both of our boys digging into their presents on Christmas morning.

Mason loves the Diary of a Wimpy Kid!

He usually gets one book at Christmas. This year, he got three. The previously shown one, this American History encyclopedia (to find out all sorts of things about favorite topics of Paul Revere, the Revolutionary War, and Ronald Reagan), and Beedle the Bard.

Gibson tried very hard to carry both his new tug toy (by the way, the ONLY tug toy that he hasn't destroyed ::knocking on wood!::) and his new Nyla bone.

Mason and his new robot, I-sobot!!!

At least someone was excited about the new underwear!!!!!

Mason on the phone with Grandma, telling her about his loot and wishing her safe travels!

The reason for the pre-waking up preheating? Mark's french toast casserole! This picture does NOT do it justice. However, it does show how much we ate of it. This doesn't reheat well, so we took it down to the Monaghan clan after we had our share!
Christmas dinner, Miller style! Since we would be having our big meal when Mom was down (and since Mason and Mark made yummy shrimp and grits on Christmas Eve), we decided to be traditional and have Chinese for Christmas dinner! We had soup, a pu-pu platter, and tons of food! It was great! (And no cleaning up afterwards!!!)

Mason and Mark at the Chinese restaurant.

Me and Mason at dinner.

A very non-traditional Christmas, but we enjoyed it! We spent most of the day building Legos and playing with our new toys (and anticipating Grandma's arrival!).

Grandma's Holiday Visit

2009-01-14T16:01:00.006-06:00

My Mom flew in to Austin late on Christmas night. Because of her late arrival, we didn't do much on Christmas Day (a new post will come about it!). We waited until Saturday for our big Christmas meal and presents. In October, I came up with an idea about what to get Mom. She's impossible to shop for because she has everything she "needs" and doesn't really "want" anything. Last year, she wanted an Austin sweatshirt. Anyway, I called my sisters up and got their input on my idea (and approval, since it was going to be a joint-present from all of us).

Mom and her new iPod Nano! She has a better iPod than I do now. I told her to bring down her CDs (all of the Celtic Women ones she loves!) because I wanted to burn them. OK -- so I lied. But, it was worth it, because I was able to download her CDs onto her new iPod. We also checked out iTunes and got her Brother Iz's Somewhere Over the Rainbow and National Treasure to watch on the flight home.

Do you think she looks excited?
Another present! These are her iPod speakers!

And her iPod workout kit for when she goes walking (the primary reason I thought of the iPod since she's been walking a LOT after school).

Mason and Grandma playing Rumikub, a Rohrer-family tradition!

Our post-Christmas table. Mason made me the little bowl in the front in art class. It was perfect for cashews!

Mason's turn opening presents.

Gibson was a bit jealous of Mason's new Ohio State lounge pants.

Mom learning to use her new iPod. I was SO proud of her because I assumed it would take awhile for her to "get" it. My Mother is very smart, but when you throw new technology her way, she needs to take down notes and write out each step. It wasn't the case with the iPod -- she got right on! (And jammed to Celtic Women for awhile!)

After a few days with us, we took Mom to Houston to spend some days at Jill's house. We visited with the Scaffidi's for a few hours while Mark worked in Houston.

Alec and Mason jamming on Guitar Hero.

Grandma and her Texas Grandkids (Ian, Mason, Mom, Maddie, and Alec).

Grandma and the boys (Maddie was away from the table).

After her visit to Houston, Mom flew back to Austin to spend one more day with us. Her visit over Christmas is always wonderful -- but too short! Hopefully, she won't make any more Christmas visits because she'll move here and can spend Christmas with Shelly! (Or better -- Shelly can come down and we can be a family again!!!)

Grandma and Mason.
Saying goodbye to Grandma with a send-off breakfast and hugs!

Attention!

2008-12-30T12:03:00.003-06:00

I promise -- pictures from Christmas are coming soon!!!!

Merry Christmas from the Millers

2008-12-21T16:45:00.004-06:00

The tree is decorated. The exterior lights are up. The Christmas cards are out. The presents are wrapped (and some shipped and delivered!). The cookies are currently being baked. It's Christmas time at the Miller home. My favorite time of year.

This Christmas is pretty low-key for us. We are going to the Monaghan's on Christmas Eve for their annual party. Christmas morning, we will open our presents (please, oh please let Mark's present get here by then!) and have french toast casserole. And then... nothing. We may go see Marley and Me and we are going to get Chinese for dinner (yes, how very Parker of us!). Then... we will go to the airport and pick up my Mom. Mark and I decided that our big feast will take place on Saturday, December 27 when my Mom is here. Bring on the green bean casserole

So, an unconventional Christmas... but I'm pretty excited to experience it.

Stay tuned in the next few days leading up to the holidays to check out pictures from December, including Mason's school party (My camera is charging and I can't upload the pictures right now).

Thanksgiving Recap

2008-11-30T02:19:00.005-06:00

Hello blog readers! I can't believe that the weekend is almost over! Mason has had the entire week off of school, but it flew by too quickly. We have really enjoyed Gail's (Mark's mom) visit. She leaves on Monday. I hope to update later today with pictures from our Thanksgiving week.

I worked for 12 hours on Black Friday -- 3 four hour shifts with 2 two hour breaks in between starting at 4:00am. When I got home on Friday night, I was incoherent! I have never experienced Black Friday that early before (I have been to Target at 5:30pm, but never in time for store open/door busters) and it was completely crazy. When I got to the store, there were people camped out since midnight in lawn chairs and pup tents. I understand that a lot of people do this (my family included!), but I have always valued my sleep more!

We went to see Bolt tonight at the Alamo Drafthouse. When we first saw the previews, I thought, "Hey... I've seen this movie before!" Well, Bolt was REALLY cute. We all enjoyed Rhino, the hamster, the best. I think I'm going to go on Zazzle and get Mark a Rhino shirt for our next trip to Disney. In other movie news, the Alamo is showing both Gremlins and Christmas Vacation in December. We love going to the Alamo because you can eat an entire meal while you watch a movie. Mark and I are hoping on Friday to see Four Christmases while Mason is in school . This is the best date place for parents because you can get dinner and a movie at the same time, which equals less time to pay a babysitter! ;-)

Since I've been working this weekend, we haven't put up our Christmas decorations. Yet. We are later today. So, I best go to sleep and will update when our house is completely Christmasified. With pictures!! I will leave you with two pictures from Christmas 07.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2008-11-26T17:42:00.002-06:00

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!! I will be updating soon with new pictures. For now, go over there ----------> and follow us!!

November Update

2008-11-19T20:54:00.004-06:00

I cannot believe that Thanksgiving is NEXT week. Crazy! Even more crazy is that I will be working on Black Friday for 16 hours (with 2 two hour breaks in between). HELP ME! ;-)

Since the last update, Mason has had a Rube Goldberg presentation in Quest, I got an early Christmas present, and we had a visitor for the weekend. Mason's best friend, Ryan stayed with us while his parents were in Hawaii. We took the boys bowling and then to a birthday party for their friend.

Ready for the pictures?

A picture from the Fall Theater Arts performance. Mason is in the middle. Ryan, Chandler, and Mason at Chandler's birthday party.
Mason bowling, picking up a spare.
Smile!
Ryan and Mason at Mel's Lonestar Lanes (we love that place!).

The final score. Way to go, Mason!!!

Merry Christmas, Me!!!! My new 50 inch Plasma (and TV stand).

Mason with his Rube Goldberg demo.

Upclose.

Smiling after the presentation.

Fall Theater Arts Performance

2008-11-14T08:13:00.008-06:00

Last night was the Fall Theater Arts Performance at Mason's school. In October, when he had music as a special and was in the choir, the performance was about America. Since he is in Theater Arts, he got to be in the show. Last night's performance was all about autumn. Leaves changing colors, football, turkeys, and Halloween. Mason's class did the Halloween section. He's the first "zombie" in the dance and is in the middle during the big group part. He's wearing last year's Ghosbuster costume.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q5G-V2e_UQk

Hockey Presentation Video FINALLY Up!!!

2008-11-13T17:25:00.006-06:00

Part One:

Check it out!!!!!!!!!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=49ZR46oNVO0

Part Two:

Check it out!!!!!!!!!!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qx-kXVQKA0I

Guess Who Is Back?

2008-11-05T22:45:00.006-06:00

I apologize. I have been a very, very bad blogger.

I could blame it on my new job. Because after almost 2 years in Texas, I finally have a job.

I could blame it on our calendar being jammed pack with all of Mason's activities and practices.

I could blame it on socializing a lot more. I'm now chairperson of our neighborhood Social Committee.

I could blame it on Mark's exhausting work schedule that has him traveling 80% of his work week.

I could blame it on my nagging DVR that has hourglasses nagging at me to watch my recorded shows.

Truth be told, it's probably a combination of ALL of these. It's not that we've stopped doing things and photographing them -- I just don't have the time to write about it.

Until now.

So get ready to play catch-up on our lives.

Yes, I got a job. I work Monday-Thursday for about 5 hours a day. I'm here in the mornings to send Mason off to school and I'm available to pick him up from school on my way home. I may even have some time to catch a coffee or visit Target on the way. Which doesn't benefit my new income. Or when I have to take the toll roads home in order to pick Mason up, because there goes even more profit. But anyway, I enjoy it. I don't love it. It's not a career. It's a job. One with a major benefit that now gives us a discount at a store that does not sell panties or lotion. And one that pays for a cleaning lady.

Mark's company had some major revamping. My husband went from covering Austin, San Antonio, and El Paso to covering ALL of Texas... plus New Mexico, Louisiana, Arkansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, South Dakota, and North Dakota. I think I covered them all. Anyway -- he now covers most of the country which means more travel. On most weeks, he is gone Tuesday-Thursday. This adjustment has not been easy on any of us. We are trying to be positive (because at least he HAS a job, since his company did this to downsize), but it has taken it's toll. Mark is forever exhausted. He is also going back to school FULL-TIME AND learning Spanish on Rosetta's Stone. Mason has more responsibility and misses his best friend. And I am single parent for a few days a week. And anyone who has had one of my meals knows how scary THAT is. We do get the extra bonuses of having enough frequent flyer miles to NEVER have to pay for airfare again, as well as enough Hilton Honor points to go on vacation. Plus Mark gets to experience parts of the country he has never been to. Like Eskimo Joe's. Or the American Girl Store (I need to point out that he was buying a birthday present for my niece -- he just didn't decide to go into a doll store on his own free will!).

Mason is in fourth grade and doing quite well. In fact, he got his report card today and he is on the All-A honor roll. We're very proud of him. His two best friends are in his class and we adore his teacher. At parent-teacher conferences, she told us that if she had waited one year to have her son (he was born last year), she would have named him Mason in hopes that he would be as great as OUR Mason. That was a huge compliment! The only bad thing is that he is a mess. We have called him "Messy Messy Mason" since his first day eating jarred baby food. His room is VERY clean. He can be VERY neat. Except, apparently, at school. His desk and locker are a pig-sty. In the grand scheme of things, there are far more worse things to be, but it is very aggravating. Especially because I'm such a neat freak.

Also, Mason is now swimming at Nitro. I love it. He loves it. He's thriving. He's always loved swimming and, if I do say so myself, is quite good! His freestyle stroke is so impressive. He is still working on his kicks (that's what you get when you are basically taught how to swim by a mother who can't kick!) and hates doing flip turns, but he loves it. And I love it because he finally is interested in something that I like. Mark, however, is the odd man out. When HE takes Mason to practice, I ask him how it went and he replies, "Well... he didn't drown" because that's the best way he can describe it. I have complete faith that my husband will one day understand swimming. For now, he just grumbles a bit about getting soaking wet anytime someone does a flip turn wearing fins.

Gibson, our puppy... well... he became a man and then we took that away. And I thought it was supposed to CALM him down. Bad idea. Our previously calm dog now can go psycho at any given time. Don't get me wrong -- he's still a good dog... he just is a bit bipolar, I think. And now, he has the charming habit of NOT going into his crate. ESPECIALLY when I'm already running late for work. Or he decides to start digging right against our fence after our neighbors have flooded their backyard, causing him to become a muddy mess -- ALWAYS when Mark is out of town. Let me tell you -- I will NOT bathe this dog. I'm in a wheelchair, I didn't even bathe my own son when he was an infant because it's downright impossible to do unless I get on the floor (which I DID do when Mason was a babe).

Since my last blog entry, we were hit by Hurricane Ike. Well, if you watched the storm, you saw that Austin was completely MISSED by this huge hurricane that even traveled to the Buckeye State. No -- we were "hit" by becoming a shelter for the homeless. And by homeless, I mean my sister and her kids. ;-) Jill's family lives in Pearland (near Houston). They moved from Cleveland just a few weeks prior to Hurricanes Katrina/Rita and experienced the Evacuation from Hell in 2005 when it took them over 16 hours to drive 100 miles. So, when they started seeing what Ike was looking like, they got the heck out of dodge and came here. And we were glad that we could host them. Especially once the news stories came in that some of the area shelters had child molesters in them. Not good. Anyway, Jill's house got some minimum damage, but they were powerless for over a week. Who wouldn't rather be in nice, air conditioned Austin with luxuries like... food and internet and bowling and shopping and television and Xbox 360? Exactly. And let's be honest... our house was like Club Med compared to a shelter. All of the kids got along SO well. We had minimum complaining (mostly over who's turn it was on the aforementioned Xbox 360) and only TWO injuries! Poor Ian (Frank, as I call him) was attacked by a sprinkler that came out of NO where and tripped him. When he got home (the kids were all walking Gibson), Jill was out back on her cell and I tried to clean him up and get him taken care of. BIG problem since the first think Aunt Kiki suggested was Frozen Peas. Massive hysteria from the child who doesn't like very many vegetables -- what kind of Aunt forces an injured kid to eat one of the most disgusting vegetables ever?? He didn't quite understand that the frozen peas were to make his nose feel better. I felt bad. He was howling. Jill's call ended abruptly and she solved world peace. Or World Peas because he finally DID let the frozen peas be placed on his face. The second injury was Jill's. Again, she was outside on her cell at night. She came in and looked like a Muppet. I couldn't stop laughing, but was scared because her upper lip was suddenly the size of a banana. I took pictures. I love my sister too much to share them. (Pssss... unless for a reasonable fee....) We went to the local hospital ER and were told... that they couldn't do anything. It was just a bite. But, I'm glad I took her because it could have been serious. And after spending the previous night awake till 4:00am watching Hurricane Ike and Anderson Cooper, of COURSE I wanted to stay up after 3:00am the following night! Good times!!!

So, our happy, little family has gone through some adjustments, but we're pulling through it all. Sure, I may not be caught up on laundry, there may be a few dirty dishes in the sink, and our backdoor window is NEVER clean (seriously, Gibson -- I KNOW you want to come in. You don't have to smear your nose and tongue against the glass to get my attention!), but we're doing great!!!

Now... pictures? Pictures you say? Alrighty then...

Gibson, the wondermutt, getting caught in the act. He thinks he is a cat.Our local, neighborhood tarantula as seen on our front porch.

What do most people do when they evacuate from a Level 4 Hurricane? Go shopping and have Steak N Shake, of course!!
Alec -- as you can see, he was terrifed of the damage of Ike... and that he doesn't like tomatoes, celery, and cucumbers in his salad... Maddie. Milkshakes do, in fact, make all worries go away.

Frank -- terrified that his home would be blown away.

Gibson was tired after having three new kids to play with.

Maddie and Frank. Check out Ian's footrest.

What can I say? The kids love their Crocs.

The best thing about all of this? Frank finally decided he could swim!

The sky when we got to the pool.

The sky when we left as Ike came closer.

Talking to Grandma and Aunt Shelly on Skype helped the kids' worries. Gotta love webcams!

Maddie and Mason, finding their inner chi. Oh -- did I forget to mention that they also were able to watch the OSU game??

Poor Frank's nose! Luckily, he didn't have school for a few weeks!

Where's Mason? Mason at his school's music and theater arts program about America.

Mason and his best friend, Ryan, at the Fall Festival.

Getting messy after making S'mores.

Mason meeting Kaitlyn Sandeno at the Nitro Olympic swim clinic.

Discussing Halloween costumes with an Olympian.

Mason and Kaitly and the Gold Medal!

Why yes, we take pictures at HEB! Mason and I were excited when we discovered that our HEB seels Heini's cheese from Berlin, Ohio! We LOVE going there when we are in Amish Country with Grandma!!!!

Our neighborhood Halloween Parade.

Snake Eyes Mason and Baseball Player Ryan.

The Miller Family Pumpkins 2008.

First Day of School

2008-08-27T07:57:00.010-05:00

Mason's first day of fourth grade was on Monday and he was excited to get back to school. We went to Open House on Thursday night. That is when they post who your teacher is.

Well, the night before, Mason had both Ryan A. and Ryan G. spend the night here and then they all went to Ryan A.'s to play the next day. Anyway, we get to the school and start looking for the fourth grade lists (and I wish I would have taken a picture of that mob!) when Ryan G. stops us and says, "Mason -- we're all in the same class!"

Sure enough, both Ryans are in Mason's class. So, we take the elevator up to the older school grades, meet Mason's teacher, and follow the instructions to pick a seat for the first week of school. Mason scooped around but the Ryans hadn't chosen a seat. He found a cluster of four with three seats remaining and marked his territory. Ryan G and family come in and Ryan runs to Mason and puts his name beside him. Then, Ryan A comes in and adds his name to their cluster. Poor Celeste, the fourth member of the cluster who will be surrounded by boys.

As we were leaving, Mason was saying goodbye to Ryan Squared and the teacher said, "It's so funny watching them after they haven't seen their friends all summer!" and I said, "They all slept over at our house last night and were at Ryan A.'s house until 4:00 today." hehe.

Anyway, Mason loves fourth grade and having his two best friends in his class. Both of them were in a different class last year. And, it's not really a coincidence. For the first time ever (no, I didn't even do it when I was PTO President!) I requested a teacher. And we got her. Mason has had first-year teachers for the last two years and he needed someone seasoned. Or at least, I needed someone seasoned. Who would return my calls or emails (seriously -- what fresh-out-of-college teacher would not answer emails? But she never did!). Already, this one has emailed out the class newsletter.

So, he's a big fourth grader now. Here are some pictures from his first day of school...

Ignore the hose in the driveway. But notice how green our yard is! After a three month drought!

An oldie, but a goodie -- from first grade.

Gibson

2008-08-25T18:28:00.004-05:00

Mark has chastised me because I haven't blogged about our new puppy, Gibson.

Lola found Gibson in the middle of July. He was covered with fleas and was underweight. He was a puppy that we thought was a Sheltie. She posted flyers in our community as well as neighboring ones, but no one claimed him. Well, we thought he was adorable and wished we could have him, but Mason and I were leaving for Ohio and Mark to El Paso ten days from then. Lola said she would keep him (even after Mark got home from El Paso).

So, now he's ours. And he isn't a Sheltie. He's a Shephard/Collie mix. And he is the best dog. He has only had 3 accidents since we got home August 2 (he's under three months old) and he's very good with Mason. The Monaghans started calling him Gibson, after the guitar (their dog, Jackson, is named after one, too, since Jesse plays), so we kept it.

So, without further ado, please meet our newest addition: Gibson Monaghan Miller!

Mason and Gibson.

Lola and Gibson saying goodbye to us before we left for Ohio.
The Left Bank Cafe (Lolas dining room) hosted a surprise puppy shower for Gibbers.

At his puppy shower that the Monaghans threw for us.
Gibson.
Mason and Gibson.

Gibson waiting outside Mason's bedroom door while Mason slept.

Ohio Trip Part Two

2008-08-23T08:31:00.012-05:00

Mason and I both got a little teary when we got into Columbus. We were dropped off at Polaris mall to lunch with Mark's mom, Gail, while the others checked into our motel. I had reserved two rooms at the Days Inn in Delaware. BIG mistake. I got a call from Shelly, telling me they had moved to another motel because there were cockroaches, mold, and the whole place reeked of curry. So, we ended up with two rooms at the Comfort Inn in Delaware. Gail, Mason, and I had lunch at Brio. We didn't get waited on for over 20 minutes, so our meal was free. hehe. I bought Gail a candle at Mark's competitor because I didn't pay for lunch. She bought Mason some school clothes and then we sat at talked at Starbucks.

Mason and Grandma Gail.

Shelly picked us up and we had enough time to go back to the motel and change before a BBQ in our old neighborhood at Sandy and Rolly's. We got to see most of our neighbors and Mason got to eat Delco pizz. He had been looking forward to! We drove by our old house a few times. The landscape has really grown in well. I couldn't believe how different our old subdivision changed -- the trees were all huge. Mason rolled down his window and called hello to an old classmate and that kid looked up and said, "Hey Mason!" as if we hadn't been gone for almost two years. We got back to the motel and the kids swam for a while.

Angie and Payton.

From the right -- Jake, Maddie, Roxy, Nate, Marla, and Claire.

Sherry, Sara, and Holly.
Sandy, Rollie, and Mason.
Our old hosue in Delaware.

The next day, Shelly and her kids went to visit a college friend. Mom, Mason, and I drove to Mingo Park to visit with Mason's and my friends from Delaware. This pool is where Mason learned to swim. When we moved, they were rebuilding it and now, the complex is amazing. He had a lot of fun hanging out with his best friends, Logan, Connor, and Noah. I was happy to see the Veleys, Bowes, Shiremans, and Derstines.

Mason and his friends at Mingo.

Mason going down the big slide.

Mason, Noah, Connor, and Logan.
Mason with the Bowes, Kirsten, Mary, and Sebastian.
Me and the girls -- Toni, Di, and Nikki.
From left -- Brock, Glenn, Zachary, Noah, Mason, and Logan.

Later, Mason and I met our old friends at Villa Nova, an Italian restaurant in Columbus that we love. Cousy, Eric, and Charlie are Mark's best friends from childhood. We had good food and good times. In too short of time, the meal was over. I wish we had more time to spend in Columbus!

The Wise family -- Mindy, Claire, Charlie, and Ella.

The Kanes - Liza and Coozdog.
Mason with the Zimmermans, Eric and Kelly.
Grandma with Connor, Mason, and Jacqui at our motel pool.
Connor is a fish!

Connor and Mason goofing off in the motel.

The next day, we met Izzy, Ashley, and the girls at City Barbeque (we were looking forward to eating here, too!) then went to the Columbus Zoo. Mark, Mason, and I had been members ever since Mason was six months old. We would go for 2 hours tops, usually with Misty and Mya! Well, spending the whole day at the Zoo was exhausting -- especially in the Ohio humidity. Anyway, we had a great time. Before too long, we had to say goodbye to Shelly and her kids. The drive back to Rittman was long. I think Mom, Mason, and I slept well that night after such a whirlwind time in Columbus!

Mason and I were anxious to eat Graeter's ice cream.

Mason at the petting zoo at the Columbus Zoo.
All of the kids on the Polar bears.
In front of the pachyderm house.
We didn't get a picture at the hammerhead... so I included this one with a much younger Mason!

And the tiger.
And the warthogs.
Connor and Pepe the penguin.
Me, Shelly, and Mom at the zoo.
Lainey wasn't quite sure about her lorikeet.

Ella and her lorikeet.
Mason and his lorikeet.
Jacqui and her lorikeet.
On the boatride in Asia. Ashley, Mason, Jacqui, and Ella.
At the stinky flower. Ella and Connor. I love how the baby gorilla is looking at Connor.

On Wednesday and Thursday, Mom, Mason, and I did a lot of different things. I got to go to House of Hunan and Mason got to eat at Bob Evans again. We visited my grandmother in her nursing home again, this time take her an early birthday present.

Mason and Great-Grandma Steiner.

Friday came and Misty brought the girls to visit. I hadn't met Macey yet and she is such a doll. Mya modeled her new haircut. After they left, we all walked to the orchard one last time before we left for the airport.

Mit and her girls.
Mit hasn't aged at all.
Macey, Mya, and Mason.

The future Mr. and Mrs. Miller if Mya has her way.

They have been friends for a long time. Mya and Mason.

Macey.

Mason at the orchard.

At the orchard.

Grandma and Mason inside the orchard.

Mom and Mason in the garden.
Mom and Mason.
My childhood house.

We got in to Austin around 11:00pm. Ten days was a long time away from home.

The next day, we got Gibson the wondermutt. But that's another blog... To be continued...

Ohio Trip Part One

2008-08-16T10:01:00.014-05:00

I've been a bad, bad blogger to which I apologize profusely. It's the same ol' excuse: We've been busy. Anyway, I'm ready to blog now.

On July 22, Mason and I flew to Ohio from Austin. Mark flew to El Paso that same day, so we were able to hang out at Austin-Bergstrom while we waited. This helped because Mark could carry some of our carryons to our gate. We had lunch together before our flight left.

Mark and Mason, waiting for our flight at the gate.
I hate when they pose like this!

Mason being a dork on the plane, acting like we're going to crash. This was THE SMALLEST plane ever. It had only three seats across. Mason sat in the one seat aisle and I sat across the aisle from him. The flight attendant didn't sit anyone beside me, so we had plenty of room to move around.

We arrived in Cleveland around 3:00. Mom picked us up and we were soon on our way to Rittman. Shelly and her kids arrived about 30 minutes later. We hadn't seen them since December 24, 2006. I missed them so much! That night, the kids played and we caught up.

The next day, we drove to Amish Country in Berlin with my aunt, Izzy, and my cousin-in-law (?) Ashley and her two kids, Ella and Lainey. Last time we were home, Lainey was still in utero (but just barely!). We had fun, going to the Schrock farm like we always do. Mom and Izzy took the kids on buggy and train rides while Shelly and I shopped. I bought her birthday present and wished I could buy a huge Amish buggy wheel, but decided it wouldn't fit in our flight allowance. So, when Mom moves, I am going to get my wheel! We have been bringing Mason to this farm since he was four and the same Amish man always drives their buggy. Afterwards, we ate at the Farmstead which is my favorite Amish restaurant. I love Amish noodles. We also went to Heinie's Cheese Chalet and bought our weight in cheese. On our way home, Jeanie's car (plus Shelly) stopped at Ashery's to buy bulk seasonings while we drove to Anstutz's for deli meat.

From the left, Ella, Lainey, Ashley, me, Mason, Izzy, Jacqui, Shelly, and Connor. Mom was the photographer.
Jacqui, Mason, and Connor waiting to ride the buggy.
Ella, Izzy, Lainey, and Ashley.
On the Amish buggy.

Checking out the farm animals.
Forget Izzy's expression... I just thought it was funny seeing all of the Crocs!
Lainey looks just like my cousin, Nick.
Jacqui, Mason, and a goat.

On the train ride.
Mason, Jaqui, and Connor being silly in the car. Connor liked going down the "Big Hills" in Amish country.

After dinner, the kids were playing outside and Mom's neighbor, Mr. Potts came over and asked if the kids wanted to ride on the old time car he built in the late 70s. We have pictures of all the Willard Street kids (the originals) riding around on this thing with Rick Potts pulling them. Well, Mr. Potts has now attached it to his John Deere, so it's much easier. He let Jaqcui drive it around the street once and then Mason. Afterwards, he let both of them drive his riding lawn mower. All I can say is that Thank goodness Mason still has seven years before he gets his license and Mark will be in charge of teaching him to drive.

Jacqui driving. Connor had been riding Mom's scooter and wouldn't take the helmet off. I think he was afraid fo Jacq's driving!

Mason's turn.

On Mr. Potts' lawn mower.

Jaqui's turn.

Thursday, we let Mason and Jacqui go to the orchard by themselves. I grew up going to the orchard daily during the summer and all of Mom's grandkids enjoy going. Shelly and I took the kids swimming at the Rec Center. Then, we went to the Sleepwalker Parade with Shelly's college roommate, Susan and her kids, and out for dinner to Marie's pizza afterwards. I didn't take any pictures. Bad Kiki. We did run into old neighbors (Mr. Wilkinson and Mr. Breece) and family (the whole Leatherman clan minus Megan).

Friday and Saturday, Mom and Izzy had a garage sale. I wanted no part in it (I HATE garage sales)... until Mom uncovered old Precious Moments I used to collect. I made over $40. hehe. Shelly and I took the kids to see Great-Grandma Steiner at her new room at the Apostolic home (she was just moved the day before) and then visited with our family friend, Cookie. We had Lion's Club chicken BBQ and then we actually went to the Sleepwalker Sale. I know, I had said I wasn't going to but in the end, decided what the hell. Major Rittman Elementary School drama had happened earlier that day, so we spent most of the time talking to Mom's coworkers. I did get to visit with a few old classmates that I wouldn't have seen otherwise. When we got home, Misty brought Mya up to the house for 30 minutes to visit. I missed them so much!

Mom had bought the kids Toypedos after seeing Mason's in Austin. These toys are HUGE here. Anyway, Connor LOVED playing with the Toypedo. This kid, in true Steiner fashion, is a FISH!!
Mason challenged Aunt Shelly to a race. It's been a long time since Shelly's been on a swim team, but she still has an amazing breaststroke. I don't think we will be seeing a Dara Torres-like comeback for Shelly, though.
Mason, Connor, and Jacqui at the rec.

Mason and Connor advertising that ALL ITEMS ARE NEGOTIABLE at the garage sale. Surprisingly, no one negotiated the price of two little boys!

Connor, Jacqui, and Mason at the Sleepwalker Sale.
Jacqui wanted funnel cake.
Connor wanted a bright blue, chocolate covered frozen banana with sprinkles.
And Messy Mason had an elephant ear.

Shelly and I had taken the kids to Kohls to get coordinating outfits and then to Walmart to have their pictures taken. Afterwards, we went to the Barn in Smithville. The kids loved it. Mom, Shelly, and I had the tilapia and it was wonderful. Afterwards, Mom took the kids to the pond while Shelly and I shopped for Vera Bradley at Buchanan Place (I ended up buying three new purses!), then took the kids to Toyrifix where Mason bought some new knights. He has collected these knights since he was three. He also got a How to Draw Wall-E book that he and Connor would use. After that, we all got ice cream at the Oak Cupboard.

At the Barn with Grandma. The kids at the pond.

Grandma and her grandkids at the Barn.

At the Oak Cupboard.

Mason, Jacqui, and Connor got along so well. Mason and Connor became fast friends. I haven't shared it here and only alluded to it on my myspace blog, but Shelly's son, Connor, was finally diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome, an autism spectrum disorder, after years of waiting. He used to be obsessed with Buzz Lightyear, but is now obsessed with Spiderman. EVERYTHING is Spiderman. I forgot to mention that Mason and I brought my Mom a webcam and I connected her to Skype so we were able to webchat with Mark every night(and now can webchat with Mom all of the time). Connor talked to Uncle Mark about Spiderman (and Shelly best be getting her webcam soon so we can chat more!). Anyway, one of the characteristics of Asperger's is social interaction. Shelly is concerned about Connor starting kindergarten because he doesn't interact with children as "normal" children do. Well, you wouldn't believe that watching Mason and Connor play together. Sure, they mostly played Spiderman, but Shelly and Mom were quite surprised that Connor would play army guys with Mason. Anyway, the last time I saw Connor, he wasn't very affectionate. Wow -- what a wonderful surprise for Aunt Kris to be given so many hugs and kisses by that little guy. Shelly and Judd have worked very hard with Connor and he's such a great kid. I know it's hard on Shelly, a kindergarten teacher, to not be working with him on his ABCs and site words this summer, but rather on his behavior and the social aspects of kindergarten. Anyway, I was so blessed that they joined us on our trip. I miss them dearly and can't wait to see them next summer!

We were anxious to go on the next leg of our trip -- to Columbus, Mason's hometown. Originally, it was just Mom, Mason, and I going, but Shelly and the kids ended up joining us and I'm so glad that they did. I'll add those pictures later.

Summer Fun

2008-07-20T11:18:00.005-05:00

Ready for some shocking news? We've spent more time at the pool. While Mom was here, Mason got a new pool toy. It's like a skateboard that you ride under the water.

First, you throw it into the pool.

Then, you run toward the pool (like when doing a cannonball) and aim for said toy.

The skateboard-thing glides across the water. And you can also use it as a float or kickboard.
The city of Austin as seen from the 360 Loop scenic view spot. Mason in front of the city. It was very bright. Just found this -- Mason and Ryan when we dropped them off at camp.
Mason, Ryan, and Dylan at camp before we left.
Dylan came up from Houston this week and the boys played at the pool.
Mason, Dylan, and Ryan at our pool. Mason got a new float, too. His red one was too small.
Shane likes using the skateboard-thing, too.

On Tuesday, Mason and I ran to the mall to buy some stuff for our trip to Ohio. Mark was working late. So, Mason and I went to Pei Wei together.

Mason at Pei Wei.Then, the Monaghans came over and hung out with us on our deck.

This week, Lola found a little Sheltie puppy covered in fleas. She gave it a bath and put some flea stuff on it. It's been living there with Jackson, their yellow lab while she is trying to find it's owner. She's put up signs in our neighborhood as well as surrounding ones. If no one claims it, we may get him. We've been calling him Gibson (after the guitar). No pictures of Gibson until he's ours. Lola said she will keep him until we get home since Mark has to travel while we're in Ohio.

Finally... on Wednesday, Mason went to Ryan A.'s home and played. He came home, we had dinner, and went to the pool. Ryan G. (from camp) was there. Well, Ryan G. ended up spending the night. The next morning (Thursday), we had all sorts of contractors coming in because of our year inspection. Well, I was getting something out from our garage and was coming back in the house, going over the threshold, when I fell backwards. I smacked my head pretty hard on the slate tile. The boys, meanwhile, were in Mason's room. Anyway, I had Mason call Lola and she came running down. She went next door and got Eric and they helped me back in my chair. Mark was in San Antonio and he came right home (but it's a 2 hour drive from where he was). Meanwhile, Ryan A's mom called and took both boys to our pool along with her kids. And Ray, our construction superintendent came over while all the work was going on and said if anything ever happens to call him.

This makes the second fall in one month and four days (but who's counting?). This one was completely MY fault because I was being careless. I CAN go over a threshold backwards, but every time I do, I'm playing chance if I fall. I should have turned around and went into the house forward. My back feels fine and my neck is slightly stiff, but my head was throbbing for two days straight. I missed going to see Glenn Beck that night (Mark took Jesse instead) and I cringed through loud parts of Batman. I'm doing fine now. A little afraid of how my head will hold up on the plane ride on Tuesday. So, please just keep Mason and I in your thoughts. Airtravel in a wheelchair isn't the easiest to begin with, but I always have Mark with me. Not this time. And on top of that, I have a huge knot on the back of my head. Keep us in your thoughts. Thanks!

Mom's Visit

2008-07-20T11:08:00.005-05:00

Sorry blog readers. I've taken a lot of pictures but have been too busy to post them.

Grandma and Mason swimming.
Mason and Grandma at Threadgills on Lamar after hockey.
Grandma and Mason at the County Line on the lake. Mason wanted to show her the baby turtles.
Racing freestyle.
After their race.

Now, Mason and I are flying to Ohio in two days. It was much easier to say goodbye to Mom, knowing I would see her in a few weeks. We'll take lots of pictures in Ohio and add them.

Home from Camp...

2008-07-03T14:58:00.006-05:00

Sorry I haven't updated... it's been a long, busy week with my Mom visiting. I'll recap that later. For now, let's finish Mason's camp experience.

So, Thursday Jill notified us that there was a virus spreading like wild-fire through camp. Great. The camp contacted the parents of sick campers and then sent out a mass email to all of the parents, notifying them. I knew Mason was fine. From a parent's opinion, I think the camp handled this amazingly well. We were then called Friday, making sure we received the email and informing us more about it. On Saturday, when we picked Mason up at camp, we got more information from the director.

Mason did not get sick. He is completely healthy, albeit with some new bug bites, bruises, and a scrape on his hand... but such is life at camp.

He had a BLAST! He enjoyed tubing and the banana boats. He made my Mom a lovely candle in arts and crafts (I wish I had taken a picture... it looked like dookie. He said it looked like snot. Lovely.) and some leather animals. He bought more hackey sacks (because the 5 he bought last year weren't enough... these were much more colorful!). He lost a BRAND NEW pair of board shorts, a pillowcase, and a few pairs of underwear.

And he brought someone else's underwear home.

::banging head on wall::

Best of all, he got Honor Camper for the second year in a row. It's given to one camper in each cabin for great behavior and attitude. We were so proud of him!

Anyway... the remaining pictures from the camp website! Enjoy!!

Mason is in the gray shirt on the left. Playing beach volleyball.

Playing beach volleyball.

Boys camp.

Boys camp.At the Honor Camper Ceremony. Mason's in the blue shirt on the right.
Honor camper.

Boys camp before the dance.

Mason geeking out at the dance.

Tomorrow, we're going to Rob and Weez's for a party. I'll take a ton of pictures and hopefully update this with pictures from Mom's visit and our Fourth early next week.

Until then --- HAPPY BIRTHDAY, AMERICA!!! :)

Worried....

2008-06-27T01:05:00.004-05:00

My loverly sister, Jill, calls me this morning if I've heard from Mason. He's at camp. She *knows* he's at camp because it's the same one her kids go to (though not this week) and she's seen the pictures. Why would he call me?

Oh... because FIFTY kids have a raging stomach virus.

Um... hello, panic. Haven't seen you in a long time.

(Jill knew because her husband is a director of a Houston YMCA and found out at work -- Mason's camp is affiliated with Houstom YMCAs.)

Then, we got an email, explaining that there is a virus. Those sick have seen a physician and if the camp did not call you, your kid is fine.

For now.

So, I'm hoping Mason will be fine.

I'm taking a puke bucket on Saturday just in case.

In other news, Mom arrived last night. Yay! We drove around and looked at housing this morning and then had lunch at Pei Wei. And tonight, we went to see Indiana Jones at the Alamo. She loved both the movie and the theater.

Here are some new pics of Mason at camp from the last two days. He doesn't look sick, right????

At the pool. Am so glad bought another pair of board shorts for camp since he has worn the same pair every freaking day.
Yay! Again, he's using his swim towel and NOT his bath towel! And he has seemed to remember NOT to wear his sleep shirt during the day.
Mason and Dylan.
Apparently watching some kids play checkers or chess. He's in the top right corner. Gotta take the cabin photo quick before someone gets sick and has to leave!!

Please keep your fingers crossed that Mason does NOT get affected by this nasty virus at camp.

Bored....

2008-06-25T12:31:00.002-05:00

So...

Mason is still at camp.

Mark is in San Antonio (and will be driving back-and-forth to Austin all this week).

My Mom flies in to Austin tonight.

Meanwhile, the house is COMPLETELY clean.

The laundry is finished.

And I am bored out of my freaking mind.

:'(

More Camp Pictures!

Ryan and Mason seem to be having a good time.

He's in a white shirt and board shorts.

That shirt was meant to sleep in. Lord knows what else he will wear this week. This is what happens when I don't pack planned outfits.

At least he's not using his bath towels for swimming...

Yet...

2008-06-24T12:16:00.003-05:00

So, we drove 3.5 hours on Sunday to drop Mason and his friend, Ryan, off at camp. Then, we drove 3.5 hours home. A long day.

Anyway, Ryan's mom called me this morning to let me know that there are pictures of the boys on the camp website. It looks like they are having a blast (along with Ryan's cousin, Dylan)! We pick him up on Saturday morning. I can't wait to hear about all he did!!!

Let's hope he found a life jacket that fit him!
Big improvement since last year? He's NOT using his bath towel at the pool/lake!
Mason, Dylan, and Ryan at the lake.

In other news, my Mom arrives TOMORROW! I am so excited! I haven't seen her since Christmas. She'll be here for a week. Then, in July, Mason and I are flying to Ohio for ten days. We'll spend time in Columbus and I just found out that I'll be going to a baby shower for my cousin. Anyway, I have a lot of things planned to do this week with Mom!

Ouch.

2008-06-15T23:24:00.004-05:00

So, on Friday I was leaving my house via the front door when my front wheels got caught on the threshold. This caused me to fall forward out of my wheelchair, landing on my stomach. Luckily, I braced myself with my hands. Mark came home to help me up (though Katie, who was with me when it happened, offered). I felt a little stiff and sore, but no big deal. Feeling my legs, nothing felt wrong. Usually after I fall, I have to go to the ER to make sure nothing is broken because my legs are paralyzed. My Mom freaked when I told her I wasn't going to go unless there was swelling or bruising.

We ran some errands and visited friends that night. No biggie. Then, at midnight, I was changing into my pajamas when I noticed my right leg was warm and swollen. Ooops. So, I called Mark into the room and told him we had to go to there ER. I called Lola and sent Mason down there to spend the night (awesome friends! Who would I have called at midnight in Delaware and not felt horrible about disturbing?) and Mark and I were off to the new Cedar Park hospital.

The diagnosis after three x-rays? Sprain. Did I want a splint or a wrap? My dumbass suggested a splint because I didn't want it getting bumped. Mark pointed out later that if it DID get bumped, it's not like I would feel pain. So, instead of the $20 wrap, we got the deluxe $200 splint. Ooops. We returned home by 3:45 and conked out, but not before much joking from Mark that I had once again, tripped IN MY WHEELCHAIR, got injured, went to the ER, to find out there wasn't much they could do (those of you may remember when I "tripped" over our floor vent, hit my head, went to the ER after passing out, had a CAT-scan, only to be told I had a mild concussion and to take tylenol). At least my foot wasn't broken.

My foot at the ER. Yes, I had my camera with me.

So, that was our fun trip to the ER. I've been propping it up, icing it, and staying off of it per doctors orders (which is pretty easy to do in a wheelchair, by the way). And, I haven't needed to take anything for the pain, as suggested. ;-) My right arm is feeling pretty sore and I have a big scrape on my palm, but other than that, I'm fine. Banged, bruised, but fine none the less.

Tomorrow, I will update with pictures from the last few weeks. For now, I leave you with pictures of my foot and our new patio furniture!!

My ankle today.

I have the big, long purple bruise, but then the whole foot is a lighter bruise. Loverly.

New patio furniture. There's a loveseat, two chairs, and a coffee table. I hope to buy a matching rocker and an outdoor rug soon.

Ta-ra!

Top TEN Reasons to Drive a Convertible...

2008-06-13T21:14:00.003-05:00

My car.

(stolen from AOL)

1. A convertible eliminates blind spots.Put the top down on your convertible, and the dangerous blind spot created by the c-pillar (the column that supports the roof at the back of a car) disappears, leaving unobstructed 360 degree visibility. What could be safer than that?

2. A convertible facilitates passive multitasking.In an increasingly busy world, any time you can add a second task to your day without any additional effort, you'd be silly to pass up the opportunity. A convertible allows you to add sun tanning to your commute.

3. A convertible responds to your moods.Even on the nicest of days, people occasionally experience sour moods. Driving a convertible doesn't mean you have to drop the top every time you leave a parking space -- you can still choose to huddle beneath the fabric top, preserving that sour face until you are fully ready to face the day. Once you cheer up, you can put the top down and share your shining face with the world.

4. A convertible has unlimited headroom.How many times has this happened to you: You're on the road, when you see the perfect, authentic, 10 foot tiki totem pole for your backyard, and it's only $10! The only problem is that your sedan's trunk will barely hold a golf bag and the tiki gift stand is going out of business forever. If you were driving a convertible, that beauty would be in your garden right now, and it would have been a magnificent spectacle traveling down the highway all the way home.

5. A convertible gives you entry options. Haven't we all tried the Dukes of Hazzard entry into our sport coupes, leaping through the open window directly into the driver's seat? Well, with a convertible you can actually use those vaulting skills that your high school gym teacher insisted that you develop, and you'll have a chance of getting behind the wheel without sustaining major head trauma.

6. A retracted convertible top eliminates embarrassing phone calls.Leave your convertible top down all the time and you'll never have to call the auto club to confess that you've locked your keys in the car -- again.

7. A convertible fosters an interest in science.Take your children for a late night drive in your convertible, and encourage them to look up at the stars in the sky. Before long, you may be chauffeuring a potential NASA astronaut or rocket scientist.

8. A convertible is great for a relationship.Think about it -- when was the last time you saw an unhappy couple driving around with the top down? It's much harder to argue in a convertible -- the combination of wind noise and exposure make a fight much less likely in a Bentley Continental GTC convertible than in a sedan.

9. Convertibles are fun.Driving a convertible is the kind of fun that doesn't rely on speed or handling. Even a slow convertible is fun to drive. There's nothing better than being out in the elements while still being in your car -- the wind in your hair, the sun on your face, the smell of nature instead of the chill of air conditioning. When you have a convertible, you'll look for opportunities to drive -- a beautiful day can be amplified by a nice drive in your drop top.

10. Chicks dig convertibles.If you are a girl, you know that this is true; if you are not a girl, you will find that driving a convertible will help you to attract and retain them. This is a proven fact, at least according to my expert industry analysis.

Shhhh...

2008-06-11T18:10:00.002-05:00

Today has been a great day. Mason and I had a quick lunch and met Lola and kids at the pool. Five minutes later, Mason's friend, Blake, shows up. Apparently they called us to see if Mason wanted to meet them at the pool. Hehe -- we were already there! After spending *three* hours at the pool, we come home and bring Blake with us. The boys played until 5:30, when Mason walked Blake home. When he returned, his friend, Ryan, called and asked if Mason could spend the night. They came and got him at 5:45. Mark's boss is in town and he'll be out late schmoozing. So, I have a quiet house with no boys. Peaceful.

I bet I miss them by 8!

HELP!

2008-06-04T21:43:00.002-05:00

So, I changed the template on here. What do you think? Comment or answer the neat, new survey over there. -------------------->

In changing the template, I lost ALL of my links. So, if you have a website/blog that you want me to add, please comment below and send me a link! Thanks!!!

L/K

Awards Day

2008-06-04T15:27:00.006-05:00

Yesterday was Third Grade Awards Day in the afternoon. I was getting ready and talking to Lola and she decided she wanted to take Shannon and Shane to it, too. Mason looked SO happy when he saw such a big crowd supporting him. See -- we have family in Texas!

Anyway, he won a ton of awards (honor roll, math fact mastery, behavior, etc) which we are very proud of, but he also won the Leadership award. One boy and girl from every classroom gets selected. We are so pleased that Mason has had an amazing third grade year!

Mason smiling when he sees his group of adoring fans. ;-)

Getting another award.

Shane goofing off for me during the award ceremony.
Shannon being all smiles at Award Day.

When he got home from school, we went swimming with the Monaghans for awhile.

We came home for dinner and returned to the pool. Later last night, Eric and Katie came over to try out Wii Fit. After they left and Mason went to bed, Lola and Jesse came down for a workout. I wish I could use it! Anyway, I am banned from taking ANY Wii Fit pictures. No matter HOW ridiculous my husband looks spinning an imaginary hula hoop around his hips or doing yoga positions, I cannot share that with you people. Sorry.

Tonight, we are going out to dinner to celebrate Mason's awesome year. Mark has to be in San Antonio tomorrow and Mason has a party after school (he gets out at 11:00), so we decided tonight was the best night to celebrate. When we return home, I think it's all night Lego Indiana Jones on the Xbox. ;-) (And yes, I realize we have way too many video game consoles. But we do limit Mason's use to once a weekday and weekends only! Except for Wii Fit, which he can do everyday.)

Oh! I found some more hockey pictures I forgot to post!

I am so proud of how well Mason has adjusted to life in Texas. While he still misses his friends and family in Ohio, he *gets* that Texas is home. He's had an amazing year here. Congratulations, kiddo!!!

Sorry... Sorry...

2008-06-02T22:55:00.012-05:00

Life has been so hectic in the Miller home. OK... so maybe not "hectic" as we spend a huge portion of our time at the community pool... but socializing and exercise is important, no?

Mason and the Monaghan kids.

Mason and Shane at the pool.

Um... I haven't been wearing my sunscreen as often as I should.

We had a big party on Memorial Day with the Clarks, Dunagans, and Monaghans. And for once, I didn't take 49060 pictures. So, unless you want to see a picture of Jesse eating and Eric drinking a beer, I have nothing for you. We have gone over to the Dunagans for dinner and had the Monaghan clan down once, too. See? Socializing!

Mark and Mason as we waited for reservations.
Mason and Shane, his little buddy.

Mason playing the Dunagans' Wii.
Doing the Elephant on the Wario game.
Mason and Mark at the Dunagans.
My boys.

And we've also spent a LOT of time at the hockey rinks. Yes, plural. Now, Mason is in a league and taking more lessons and adding power skating to his routine. This summer, our hockey schedule is:

Monday nights -- League

Tuesday nights -- Power skating

Thursday nights -- Lessons

And stick-and-puck and drop-in hockey whenever we want to. The Millers are *REALLY* supporting Austin hockey this summer. Especially now since Mark has made friends with the coach and other dads who play -- something tells me Mason won't be the only Miller on the ice. Heck -- Austin even has a sled hockey team... so maybe all THREE of us will play in the future.

But we won't cheer for the Redwings. Boo!

Anyway, here are some pictures from Mason's last game on Saturday (yay -- we have weekends FREE again!).

He shoots, he SCORES!!!

Mason's last day of school is Thursday. He only goes until 11:00. At noon, he's invited to a birthday/end of the year party. Tomorrow is the class party. Ice cream sundaes (way early in the morning) followed be the award ceremony for third grade in the afternoon. This year seemed to fly on by. I can't believe he's finished with third grade.

I'll try and take pictures of the next few days and post them ASAP. I've been slacking, sorry... but we've spent so much time at the pool, I don't want to be the creepy lady that takes pictures at the pool.

Speaking of which, we had an HOA meeting today. Guess who is now on the Pool and Social committees? Yup. And Mark is on the Communication committee. We love our neighborhood and neighbors. It's going to be a great summer!!!

Busy Times

2008-05-11T22:22:00.005-05:00

Friday was Field Day at Mason's school. Mark and I went to watch the third grade run around and have fun. It isn't like our field days where it was more of a competition, rather just a bunch of fun stations like giant volleyball (seriously, that ball was HUGE!), putt-putt, and sponge tosses. Mason had a blast! In the afternoon, I returned to the school to volunteer during the 4th and 5th grade's turn in the face painting booth. I am the least artistic person I know so this was REALLY hard. ESPECIALLY since every child wanted a Longhorn or something else Texan that I needed help with. Mason was picked to volunteer during this time, too, handing out water. Only a few third graders were asked to volunteer because they behave well in P.E. Afterwards, I yanked him out of school early (10 minutes) and we came home and went swimming with a ton of his friends from third grade. No pictures -- didn't want to embaress him!

Mason and his friend, Cameron, at Field Day.
Putt-putt.
He has the Steiner stance with the tongue out, of course.
Smiles.
Trying to put on the Bumper...
Almost there...
Got it!
Bumper Bash at Field Day! (Mason going down!)
More Bumpers!!!

Saturday, Mason did really well in hockey, according to Mark. Since I hadn't slept the previous night at all, I stayed home. When they got home, we went shopping (I FOUND window treatments -- finally!), got a book at Barnes and Noble and went "out" for Mother's Day to avoid crowded restaurants on Sunday. Afterwards, Katie and Eric (our next-door neighbors!) invited us over to play with their new Wii.

Mark and Baker, their dog.
Katie rocking out to Guitar Hero.

Sunday, the boys let me sleep in. Mark did yard work and Mason practiced stick handling on his blades. Mark made a late lunch/early dinner of filet, crab legs, asparagus, twice baked potatoes, corn on the cob, and buttermilk pie. Oh goodness! While he cooked, I took Mason to the pool and it was completely empty!!!

Cannonball!!!

We came home and ate. Yowza. Then, Eric and Katie came over (in which Eric pulled out our front tree with his bare hands!!) before we ran to Lowes. I think we're going to redo our landscaping soon. We shall see. When we came home, we visited with the Monaghans and we went back to the Dunagan's house for pie and more Wii fun. Eric kicked my bootie in Wii Tennis.

I had a great Mother's Day with the boys and got wonderful presents. While I did miss my Mom (last year, we spent it with her at Jill's), I know we get to see her very soon! All in all, a pretty busy weekend with good times and good friends.

Specialness at Texas Roadhouse

2008-05-09T08:12:00.002-05:00

After playing on the four wheeler for a little bit, we all went to Texas Roadhouse for dinner.

Katie and Eric, waiting.
They're just a little bit special... Mason and Katie. Katie calls Mason's face his "turtle face."
Katie doing what she does best. ;-)

So, that brings us to today. Friday. Mason has Field Day at school in which I will take even more pictures. And we're probably going to take Hayley (and Katie, if she's up to it!) to the pool after school and hopefully will be joined by the Monaghan's. I hope to take some more hockey pictures tomorrow. And I'm sure I'll get some good Mother's Day shots to share.

I'll update as soon as I can! Ta-ra!!!

Almost Done!

2008-05-09T08:07:00.003-05:00

So that brings us to yesterday. Katie has been sick for a long time and was finally feeling better. Eric, her husband (who came over on Monday for chilli night since Katie was sick!) of ONE month (crazy kids -- new marriage, new house, new dog, and now new toys!) came home with a new four wheeler. Yay!!!

Eric posing by his new ride.
Eric taking Mason for a ride around the block (Don't worry, Grandma -- he went slow!).
Ready to ride.
And they're off!!!

Fun Times at the Pool!!!

2008-05-09T08:02:00.002-05:00

We spent tons of time at the pool in the last two weeks.

Shane (Mr. Fashion wearing his rainboots!), Mason, Shannon, and Hayley -- she lives across the street from us.
Mason giving Shane a Piggy-back ride. Didn't you know that rain boots make EXCELLENT diving shoes, too???
Hayley, Katie, and Mason playing Monkey in the Middle.
Mason, Shannon, and Shane.
The boy having a blast at the pool.

I am Ironman!

2008-05-09T07:56:00.003-05:00

So, after our fun-filled day of adventure, we drive to the 1890 Cinemark to see Ironman with the Monaghan's following close behind. This is a new theater and NEVER busy. We got there way early and still had to wait in line. Note to self -- it's hard to save NINE seats in the good rows! ;-)

The movie was AWESOME! Mason has always loved Ironman so this was definitely not the last time he would see this movie.

Afterwards, we all went to Rudino's Pizza (it's beside the theater). We sat in the back, but it was SOO sunny! Ick. We had a blast with the Monaghan's!

Shane, Mason, and Sha-nay-nay.
Leah and Shane.
Mark and Dana. Dana kept asking Mark TONS of questions about the movie.

The next day (sorry -- no pictures!!), we had Katie and Eric over for dinner. Mark made his special Tiki pork sandwiches. We had a great time with them. :) You'll meet them soon enough!!

Still more!

2008-05-09T07:50:00.003-05:00

So, I decided to get the heck out of dodge (or... Lola's) and took the kids with me. No snakes at our house... or????

Shane showing off his muscles.
Mark and Shannon on our way to our house.
The mess that became Mason's room when Shannon and Shane invaded. First priority was to find Shannon all of the girl GI Joes and Super Heroes to play with. Check out my son giving up the "SuFi!"
Strange, strange kids.

While I hung out inside with the kids, Mark mowed our lawn and... ran over another snake. This one was little -- like 6 inches long, but after our eventful snake experience, it was enough to do me in. I called my Mom and told her I was packing my bags and moving back to Ohio. ;-)

STILL MORE!!!

Not for the Faint at Heart

2008-05-09T07:44:00.003-05:00

... Continued...

So, we go to the Monaghan's and Lola is cleaning the garage while Jesse mowes. She moves a table leaf that is leaning up beside her garage divider when I see something. I thought it was a mouse, but I didn't say anything because all of the kids were there and I didn't want them to freak out. And then, it moved. And I screamed, "SNAKE! SNAKE! SNAKE!!!!" Our first snake experience in Texas.

Lola's snake. The asterisk shows where is was before it came out of hiding.
It was pretty big. I guess it's called a "Rat Snake?"
Upclose. Zoom is my friend.

Then, it quickly slivered into their neighbor's yard. Thus beginning the Great Olmos Snake Hunt of 2008.

Left to right -- Mark, Jesse, neighbor (no clue what his name is), Rob, and Lola.

They didn't find the snake. Ack!!!!

I had too many close encounters with yucky Texas stuff this week -- a snake at Lola's and a tarantula at Katie's. I either need to move or find some new friends! ;-)

Millers -- MIA

2008-05-09T07:24:00.007-05:00

Wow. I haven't blogged for awhile. Sorry. So many good pics and good times, but not enough time to upload and write about them. Sorry!

We have had WONDERFUL weather in Austin, meaning Mason and I can be found at the pool pretty much every day (except Mondays when it's closed and he does his weekly homework after school!).

Jesse, Shane, and Shannon came home from California, so we all went down there for a welcome home party.

Lola and Jesse.
Leah.

Leah, Lola's niece, needed to cook stir-fry that evening for class the next day, so she came down to our house to do it with Mark's help.

Leah cooking.

Mason blading in front of Eric and Katie's house.

Mason eating at Threadgills, Grandma's favorite!!

Last weekend was crazy. Friday night, our new neighbors, Eric and Katie (LOVE THEM!) invited us to go see friends of theirs in a band. We couldn't find a babysitter at so late of notice, but we did go over there afterwards and met the band who crashed there that weekend. Pretty cool. Mason did REALLY well at hockey on Saturday. We had told Shane (Lola and Jesse's youngest and only boy) that we'd take him to see Iron Man Saturday afternoon. Well, after hockey, Mark and Mason went to a comic book store for Free Comic Book Day and met an comic book artist who agreed to be interviewed for Mason's Independent Study project for next year (his topic -- Comic Books -- he wants to make his own comic book for his 3-D product). Afterwards, we went down to the Monaghan's house to invite them to see Iron Man. That's when it got sort of scary...

TO BE CONTINUED...

Mason at hockey...

2008-04-27T12:00:00.003-05:00

Mason has loved hockey for so long. We were hesitant about playing hockey in Texas because it's not as big down here and you have to travel a lot. With Texas being such a big state, some meets are like traveling from Ohio to Illinois or New York. But, it's the one sport he really loves. And he's good at it! We're glad he's been able to get on the ice again.

I promise he does have more than an OSU jersey -- he just likes to wear this because his coach wears a Michigan one.
Kind of blurry -- sorry.

At the pool...

2008-04-25T23:22:00.007-05:00

I took Mason and Hayley to the pool after school today. They swam while I chatted with neighbors. Mason made the comment the other day that he likes Texas better than Ohio because we have a pool down the street and he can swim whenever he feels like. He's finally getting over the Buckeye state... I hope going home this summer won't set that back.

My fish.
Mason, Hayley, Shannon, Chance and some neighbor girl I don't know.
I had this on my camera, too. This was at Nate's birthday party last Saturday at Austin Park and Pizza.
Shane and Mason, goofing around.

Off to bed. I'll add some pics from hockey tomorrow!

Hockey Presentation...

2008-04-25T13:37:00.009-05:00

Well, I uploaded some pictures from yesterday and the prep. It will be a few days before we have the Flip video up.

Mason's trifold. He still needed to glue some labels onto it.
The evolution of the goalie mask. He added a label later.
The middle of the trifold which Mason used to discuss the positions and rules (icing, offsides, etc). He and Mark drew this TO SCALE. I love my OCD boys!!!
A game he made of the hand signals.
Some dangerous facts.
Mason's 3-D product. Every project had to have a 3-D product so he came up with ideas to improve chest pads. All of the blue pieces are new padding. He hadn't glued on the neck pieces yet. Yes -- armpit padding. We found out about all sorts of injuries happening where the butt of the stick sandwiches itself between a player's armpit muscles causing holes. Ew.
Beginning his presentation. Every one needed to start and end with a "creative format," so he took in his hockey gear (minus his stick and cup!) and said how he hates carrying the heavy bag and taking 25 minutes to get suited up, so he wanted to see WHY he needed all of that padding.
Showing referee hand signals.
Waiting for the Power Point to start.

I'll update some pictures from the pool later. I have to run to Lola's!

And we're blogging...

2008-04-24T10:19:00.004-05:00

For years, I have had some sort of webpage blog. I blogged before blogging was considered blogging (anyone remember Rokne's Realm or K10's Kingdom? hehe -- OLD school!). Then, marriage and motherhood happened and I didn't blog for a good while. When Mark got a new job in Austin, Texas and we packed up our life and moved here in 2007, I started blogging on myspace to keep our friends and family back in Ohio updated on our new lives. Myspace blogs aren't nearly as fun. Especially when I read such cool blogs, like Tracey's and Julie's. hehe. Hence, I decided to try blogspot. So far so good.
Today was Mason's Independent Study project presentation for Quest (gifted and talented). He's been working on I.S. since January and his topic was (what else?) hockey, focusing on safety equipment. This was his first time doing I.S. (he attended a different school in a different district last year) and we're all relieved it's over. Mark videotaped it on the Flip so when I download it, I'll link up. Anyway, Mason did an amazing job! When I heard he had to give a *fifteen* minute presentation, I was worried, but he did great! The kids in his class loved his power point on hockey gear that featured a video on NHL's greatest hits.

If the weather stays nice today, I'm going to take the Boy to the pool. Our neighbors' kids can't join us because they flew to California for the weekend. Oh well.