2011 has Arrived!

So I do this every year. I work like crazy between Thanksgiving and Christmas to put the finishing touches on the blog in order to publish my blog book. Then, inevitably, I do not want to sit back down at the computer for quite some time. After staring at a blank screen for days on end waiting for the inspiration to come, I need to some time for the creative thoughts to return.

This year the wait has been exceptionally long. Christmas has come and gone, along with New Years, and even K's birthday. We are now on the heals of Spring Break and more birthdays. It's time to get back to business.

Welcome 2011! Let the memory sharing begin...

(photos taken by Sprout Imagery)

KJ's Restaurant

Ever since our introduction to DI's Restaurant in Louisiana, our guys have had their own KJ's Restaurant. They don't work at this establishment every day, but periodically they decide it's time to put in a little elbow grease.

Dad was surprised last week by these handsome young men. They had come to take his order.

Rocket Launch

We ventured into the middle of nowhere for our first Cub Scout rocket launch. After working with J to build their rockets, our boys were excited yet apprehensive. They loved their rockets so much they weren't sure if they wanted to launch them. The thought of not getting them bad created some worried faces.

But...they did launch their rockets over and over again. It was tons of fun to watch. We were all pretty fascinated.

While we were there K earned his long-awaited "Recruiting Badge," and J earned his "Bobcat Badge." Way to go, Boys!!!

3rd Grade Musical - A Night on Broadway

Here's our Broadway star...the boys dressed as an "Oliver" type of character while the girls were asked to dress as an "Annie" character. They sang, danced, and had lots of fun!

Halloween

We celebrated Halloween this year with some special friends. Carter, Hollis, Aunt Brooke, and Pop drove from Louisiana to be with us, and K's friend Thomas and his mom joined in the fun.

We enjoyed the street party before heading out for Halloween tricks and treats. All of our boys had a blast moving from house to house in a giant pack. The best part was listening in on their manners from afar. We were able to hear many "please" and "thank you" comments floating in the air.

I'm terribly sad to say that this might have been the last Halloween we get to spend with Carter and Hollis for a very long time. I'm so glad they came for a visit, as we will all really miss the holiday traditions we enjoyed when they lived close to us.

Spook Out 2010

Our soccer association hosts a "Spook Out" tournament over Halloween weekend. This year K participated with a subset of his real team. Most teams dress up and even paint their hair. Our guys were planning to paint their hair, but I think they ran out of time. It was an action-packed day. We played four games in one day!

These supportive siblings and cousins ventured off for a break. Notice J's spike hair!

Mighty's Field Trip

After learning about farms, Mighty's class went to the Elgin Christmas Tree Farm to see the animals and enjoy the pumpkins. I think his favorite part of the trip was getting to ride the bus. I had written a note for him to ride home with me at the end of the field trip, but he declined my offer. He was too excited about the bus!

J's Pumpkins

J was home from school for an entire week in October. We ran out of fun things to do while under quarantine, so I did some research. I found an idea to make magnetic pumpkins and pumpkin pieces that could be used to make different jack-o-lantern designs. This was the perfect project for him. We gathered the materials and got to work. He did such an awesome job that my only regret is not laminating the pieces before we put the magnets on them.

Happy Halloween!

Storybook Character Day

This year for Red Ribbon Week our school hosted a "Storybook Character Day." Students were encouraged to dress as their favorite storybook character. The theme was a little bit of a challenge. Our favorite characters weren't the easiest to do, and as luck would have it, our Halloween costumes did not fit this category.

I managed to pull some things together after a visit to Hobby Lobby. The boys helped me with the finishing touches, and I think they were proud to show off their costumes.

K chose Percy Jackson from The Lightning Thief. J chose Piggie from the Elephant and Piggie series by Mo Willems, and Mighty chose The Grinch from How the Grinch Stole Christmas by Dr. Seuss.

A Group of Banditos

Meet the Meaux, Wilhelmi, and Elliott Banditos. They made an appearance at Kerry and Duane's wedding shower. Too cute!

Camping

We took our first Cub Scout camping trip in mid October. We opted to leave Mighty at home with Nan and Gran, as we weren't sure how he would do in the wilderness. In fact, I wasn't too sure how I was going to do. The good news is that I survived...although it was much more rustic than I'd prefer. I think camping could grow on me.

The boys had a great time. When we arrived, we set up camp and visited with friends. As it started to get dark, we headed to an observatory on the campgrounds. The boys were able to look through two huge telescopes to see some really amazing stars. After the star-gazing, we went back to the campsite to make s'mores. If you've never experienced a large group of 6, 7, and 8 year old boys around a campfire, it is quite interesting. Finally, we decided it was time to get settled in at our own tent. J asked to go to sleep before we even made it back and K stayed up with a friend playing cards.

We had many visitors throughout the night, mostly from a friendly raccoon who thought our food would make a good midnight snack.

All in all, it was a great trip. I think there will be a "next time," which speaks volumes coming from me!

Sweet Berry Farms

Over the summer, my mom gave me a magazine which featured the top 110 things to do in Austin and the surrounding area. One of the places that caught my eye was Sweet Berry Farms in Marble Falls. In the spring and summer they offer berry picking and in the fall they have a wonderful pumpkin patch.

We give Sweet Berry Farms two thumbs up! We were able to make our own scarecrow, go on a hayride, go through a corn maze, cut fresh flowers, and take pictures with some really cool pumpkins. We will definitely go back next year, but I think I would go in the morning. It was quite warm in the afternoon and the boys weren't too excited about pictures in the heat.

Fall Soccer

This year K and J both played fall soccer. They are both improving and having a great time. K is known as "scrapper" because he is not afraid to fight to the death for the ball, and J seems to be a defensive rock star.

Career Day

Meet my Garbage Man, Secret Service Agent, and Go Kart Salesman. Hmmm...

TRF BBQ Cook-Off

After many family recommendations, we decided to attend the TRF BBQ Cook-Off instead of the real festival. The promise of no lines for rides, getting to see more local people, and more time with family won us over.

We had a great time and all of those things proved to be true, but I did miss the festival atmosphere. Not sure what will be in the cards for next year, but I'm glad we did it. The pictures will do a better job of telling this one than I ever could.

Enjoy!