Star Wars Party

I'm still doing star wars. I saw the movie when I was six, and fell asleep before Luke could blow up the death star. Now my five -year old (yikes, he's already 5!) is way into star wars. Due to the clone wars and xbox games, the empire keeps building and sucking in the young. Really, though I think it's awesome too!

Got help making these delectables (maybe too fancy a word for cupcakes) by my sweet daughter who aspires to be like her craft-goddess cousin (MH). Olivia baked them the night before and had me wake her up early before school so she could decorate. I only got one daughter, but I sure got the right one!

So cupcakes, check. Yoda Soda and Jengo Fett Juice, check.

The lightsabers, totally necessary for jedi training, check.

The goody bags, a score from Party City (which I usually dislike) for only 50 cents. Though I opened 'em and added candy, etc.

Use the force Caleb, use the force!

Fine young jedi now appropriately attired.

A celebration with the completion of training to become Jedi Masters.


A Kalani approved birthday party

Caleb ready for action. Though he tells me he doesn't really feel five years old. Get used to it buddy. Am I supposed to feel 40? Certainly not, but enough about me. Caleb is one fun little guy and our family wasn't complete with out him. The force is totally with us :)

February

Of course the month starts with Eli's birthday, Feb 1st, and this year he's 14. Notice the candles, with one on the first side and 4 on the other :)

And we promptly got hit by old man winter, quite severly for Houston as our car has never looked like this before. School closed for a day and about everything was canceled because no here can drive on icey roads. If you don't know this, know it now: I.hate.being.cold!

And just around two weeks after the freeze, when the kids had a day off on President's Day, they had to go swimming, not very long and still a little chilly @ 70 degress, but swimming they were!

And Caleb had mixed feelings about our little field trip to the fire station.

Below, while waiting their turn for the trucks, cousin Mason expressed his fettish for belly buttons (or pico in Hawaiian) and Caleb was sweet to indulge him patiently.

His favorite was the mobile learning station which filled with smoke (pretend) and they got to climb out the window.

And I'm excited to get my back yard in shape after last summer's pool building took a toll on my landscaping.

We had 3 yards of crushed granite, 2 yards of bull rock, a 3,000 lb pallet of moss rocks and around 700 lbs of flagstone delivered. We are fortunate to have these two strong boys to help. Colton had to play water polo with his high school team in a tournament all Friday and Saturday so he missed out, but he'll get to help during spring break when 5 yards each of garden soil and mulch are delivered. I have more "before" pics, but I'll show them in another post with the "after" shots, as that'll make me feel better.

And a local garden blog about foretelling the weather will make ya smile, at least us southerners. Check it out:

http://blogs.chron.com/lazygardener/2011/02/

You'll have to scroll down a few posts, but when you see the alligator, you're there!

W/my cubs @ the zoo!

When Olivia was in 1st grade (3 years ago) I was supposed to chaperone her school field trip to the zoo and she says that I was sick and couldn't go and I think she stayed home too and so I've been promising to take her for a long while. She remembers better than I and has often reminded me of the promise, but it's too hot in the summer and life is so busy during school that it has taken this long. So we ventured out along with the Farley family and finally got to the Houston Zoo on December 30, 2010.

If the famous albino crocodile ever dies, I think they could replace it with a rubber one and the public would not be the wiser -- or maybe they already have???

Not by the hair on my chinny-chin-chin!


Jake, Livvy and Eli becoming giraffe-like!

And we were priviliged to see the Rhino Exhibit with our own special Chevron employee, Matt!

The kids starting to tire as Mason can't give me a smile.

And Jake somehow gets a ride in the stroller -- he's 11-1/2! Why does the zoo get a person so exhausted! But now I've got a year long pass, so we'll have to go again and after this year, my kids will never beg to go again, so we'll enjoy it for a season!

Christmas Concerts

The last week of school before break and the activities for Christmas are all crammed in, along with finals for the oldest two. Olivia sings with the elementary school choir so I helped drive them to a couple of elderly resident homes and it was sweet to see them all sing their little hearts out. I couldn't get a good picture of the performance, but this is one while gathering outside.




Last night was Eli's concert for junior high honor band. He plays the euphonium (like a baritone) and it's really amazing how far they've come. They really play some good music.


I had all the kids come in support, and then made the mistake of having them all pose for a picture. Welcome to my real life!



So I made them take another one, this time I took the picture before the count of three with hopes it might be a nice one. This is my reality:

Cruisin'

You can still see Galveston in the background as we are on our way. To celebrate my 40th, I was somehow whisked away on a week long cruise to Jamaica, Grand Cayman, and Cozumel Islands with my hubby, two nieces, Makana and Tia and their hubbies, McKay and Matt.

We left on Halloween and I found Batman, but don't tell Chris!

And Pirate Mckay and Matt as Antoine Johnson posing with a "Mormon Missionary" holding a beer--nice!

And following are a few pics of our first excursion in Jamaica as we took the tranopy tour through the trees with a little 'bobsled' ride and a zipline back down.

Yesh, I went as fast as that thing would go!

And the gang on the 2nd formal night

And later the girls tried karaoke, and once is enough for me!

Next, our day on Grand Cayman was a blast

Though I didn't care much for swimming with stingrays, the water was beautiful -- doesn't it look like a pool?

And Matt won the opportunity to perform as Elton John, though he danced multiple times throughout the cruise during karaoke, with Jamaicans, and even with the waiters.

Volleyball, on a cruiseship? Yep

Okay, there are hundreds more pics, lots of stories to tell and memories to last a lifetime, I'm so grateful for the good times!

A Master Visit

I've known the Masters family since before they were a family, meeting Paul when I was about 18 and Tara a year later when they started dating -- so over 20 years -- yikes! They moved to Houston about two years after we did and have been our local "family" ever since, though now they live two hours away, outside of Austin. They are farm people now with chickens and horses on about 5 acres so it is nice to get out of suburbia.

Here's our Olivia getting a ride with Lydia.



And Caleb took a turn, but thought it was too bumpy!



When we first began hanging out in TX together, our kids immediately hit off and always came up with the most imaginative, detailed games and scenarios. As Lord of the Rings fans, after the movie came out, they have an ongoing game as the heroes vs. the orcs, with weapons in hand and dressing the part as best they could. So everytime we gather, the game must go on. Tara wanted it safe, so their boys came up with new weapons from swim noodles, pvc pipe and duct tape and the battle was on!



Caleb dressed for the part



And Olivia play too!



Jake's ready for battle!



Colton under attack from 3-year old George!



And he's a fallen soldier now, George got him!



The youngest kids didn't play long, but it was great they were included for awhile.



And the battle will continue, past missions, college, etc., we'll see, but the awesome memories definitely!