Our Day at the Zoo

Here are pictures of our great Saturday at the zoo. There were lots of stories behind each of these pictures, but I will save those for another day. I am sad that Spring Break is quickly coming to an end and it will be harder to do fun things like this. (Thanks for the help with the slideshow Cathy!)

Spring Break

Today we had planned to go to the Zoo and maybe eat lunch at a park. Instead, we were hit by an ice storm. Texas here we come!

Look what Mark found at an Austin grocery store. Maybe we're made for Texas after all.

Mother Of Five Parking

We all have our own little annoyances in life and one of mine is Babies "R" Us. Now, like most women pregnant with my first child, I couldn't wait to go to this giant box store. I saw the expectant mother parking and thought how cute. I gladly paid the money for the over priced items that I bought. I thought, "What a blessing to have a store that caters to women like me". That's right, "Women Like Me." Women who are so caught up in the hype of having a baby that they forget that $200 for a comforter set (that your baby will only use for a few months) is crazy. Come on, we all can admit we were like this with the 1st one, but then we wise up with baby number two, discover Target and are much happier. Now the only time you can find us educated women in Babies "R" Us is when we are shopping the registries of our first time mother friends.

Now 1st time mom's don't feel bad, we know why you registered there. We did too, but when the invitation for your shower arrives with the Babies "R" Us logo on the register card I groan. I load up my 5 kids into the van and off we head to the only location which is all the way across town. We get there and though I don't look it (still holding onto those last few pounds) I am not expecting, so I park clear at the end of the parking lot, far away from all of the Expecting Mother parking spots. As I jump out and run to the front of the parking lot for a cart (there are never any close), I notice a size 4 girl climbing out of her compact SUV (you know the kind just to look good) with her mother laughing. She is obviously on her first trip, and is parked in the Expecting Mother parking spots. I quickly run back to my children who are starting to fall out of the van and start loading them up. One in the front, one in the large compartment, one holding on in front (give me a break, I have to put them somewhere!) and two walking hopefully holding on to the sides.

By the time we are inside I am already tired. I look around and see the register machine. I find the registry that I am looking for and it begins to print. Page after page comes out while I say there is no way I am paying that much for a bottle, bib, car seat, mobile, boppie, etc. By this point my kids are feeling tired. The littlest has squirmed her way out of the once fastened seat belt, the three year old is standing up in the basket, the one on the end has let go and walked over to the cashiers and with her two older siblings is proceeding to pull everything off the display. I see it is time to go, but I don't have a gift yet and the isles aren't wide enough for me to turn around with all of my children. I gather them together and say, "Listen, I need your help. Who wants to help me pick a cute gift card?" Of course they all do, so we head back to the front of the store and around to the one open cashier who also luckily has gift cards right there. The kids excitedly begin to pull off their favorites, while I also look to see which one I like. We come to a decision just as I notice the line of unhappy expecting mothers behind me. They are looking at me with that “Why don't you keep your children under control” look. (I know this look; I gave it myself a few times.) I send them an "Oh well, you'll understand some day" look, and then move to check out. As the kids and I are hiking to our van, I catch a look at the several empty Expecting Mother parking spots and grumble unhappily to myself. At least I'm getting exercise. I load all the kids and say to myself someday someone will think of Mother of Five parking.

IT"S MY BIRTHDAY!

Today is Austin's Birthday! Our little girl who was just 6 weeks old when we moved here is now 6 years old. We have a fun day planned of going to the movies and a lunch at Red Robin. She will be celebrating her birthday, with a party, when her dad is in town next, Still each birthday is important and we can't let it go by without making a fuss. Austin is truly a blessing to this family. She has such a sweet and friendly personality. Her teachers and family all feel she is a joy to have around. She is quick to smile and laugh. Who could not love such a special girl?

Mark checking in

TARA asked me to post my first message to our family blog. I am so glad that she started this because this will be a fun way to keep in touch with family and friends. Living in Austin is fun, but I will like it much more when TARA and the children come to join me. I am enjoying my job with Overwatch Systems and working hard to learn all of the rules and ropes of how they do things here. It seems like the company is growing and adding new projects, which is a very good thing.

I am trying to play basketball twice a week here, once with work guys and once with church members. I live about 3 miles from work and love it that I avoid all highways on my commute. My roommate, Jordan, is a great guy and we get along fine and agree on just about everything. He went to the University of Arkansas and works as an architect.

I have made a few friends here, mostly Brett and Nisa Hunt. Brett came to Austin a few months ahead of his family, and they moved down from Boise. He works in computers for AMD, so we have quite a bit in common. Their two kids think I am great and always call out "Mark! Mark!" when they see me and run to give me hugs. Their hugs have meant a lot to me while I am away from my own kids. Brett has also been kind enough to let me install a ceiling fan in his new home and assemble some furniture. I know it sounds silly, but I really enjoyed getting to build something with my hands and be semi-handy around a house. They have been really great friends and I will miss them now that they have moved out of the ward and into their new home.

Canoe Creek Dr.

Our Home on Canoe Creek has been on the market for 2 weeks. It has been a wonderful home for our family. Meeting our needs in every way. It always interests me how a house becomes a home. I used to watch my mother make the transformation with each of our houses that we moved to, through our life in the Air Force. We would move in to the cookie cutter house, the walls would all be white, the yard had grass, but little else. Then my mom would roll up her sleeves and get to work. It couldn't have been easy to decorate, paint, lay carpet, sew new curtains and keep up house with five children and what ever animal I had talked her into that month, but she did it and with in a short time this too was home. Now it is my turn. We have worked hard scraping popcorn ceilings, painting, making curtains, putting up chair rail molding, gardening, replacing garbage disposals, sprinkler, and water heaters. Now this is a home and the time has come to leave. It is sad, but in Texas too we will find a home, because my mom taught me how to make one.

The Beginning

Every day needs a little bit of laughter. That is exactly what I did ever time someone suggested that I start a blog, but here I am a temporary single mother, blogging. Just don't keep your fingers crossed that I'll figure this out to quickly.