Owen Summer Fun pt 2

Soooo technically we are back in school but it's still hot outside so it's still summer!! 

This is part 2 of our summer fun list;

Train Ride- we were super late to church and decided on a whim to just go ride the train at Hermann Park instead. It was beautiful weather that morning and we enjoyed the ride! 

Me and my big babies 

Sno-cones:

There is a delicious snocone place in the heights called "mam's snowballs". Originally they started in a little food truck and just changed to a real building! Anyways since the Heights is a little far for us, we had a play date with our friend Kyndall that morning who lives near there and then got snocones! Pretty fun day! And Violet's picture is on the wall!! 

Make Vietnamese Food w/Kimmy 

This was much anticipated all summer long! We love Vietnamese food!! Violet thought this up all by herself to add to our list. So Kimmy and Ryan came over for dinner one night and taught the kids (and me) how to make springs rolls. So easy and delicious! (And I made them like 3 more times that week!) thanks Kimmy! 

Spring rolls! 

Splash pad

While we visited my sister in Ft Worth we played at a park and splash pad! The kids had The best time....until Parker slipped and hit his head :( I didn't get any pics of them playing, but it was fun to see the cousins playing together.

Build a fairy house 

This girl loves her fairies! We watch one of the several Tinkerbell movies at least once a week. Violet and I had fun making this together! She is so creative! I helped guide her but she was full of ideas! 

We have had wonderful summer and have ONE more thing on our list to do: go to the beach!! We will get there eventually!! Thankfully it's only an hour and a good day trip activity! 

Fun Friday

This past week the cold/virus that has been lingering in our house finally caught up with me. It first started Wednesday afternoon with a slight tickle in the back of my throat. Then I woke up Thursday morning feeling awful.

Let me tell you, being sick and having to take care of kids is very hard! I knew it was just a cold and prayed it would go away fast. I sorta have a few home remedies that are my "go-to" when a cold pops up. 

For example:

1. Lots and lots of water to flush out my system. 

2. Drinking Shakeology. It has over 70 whole food ingredients and my daily intake of vitamins

3. Green Tea. I had a sore throat so it helped soothe it and well all know green tea has super powers

4. Vitamins. Since I drink Shakeology daily it has all my daily vitamins in it, but when I'm sick I double (maybe triple) on some vitamins. I popped quite a few vitamin C's and made sure to take L-Lysine since I'm prone to cold sores. 

5. Sleep. Actual sleep is one of the best ways a body can recover from being sick. 

6. Essential Oils. "When in doubt use Lavender" Friday night along with Vicks vapor rub, I used few drops of lavender oil on my feet. And Saturday I simmered eucalyptus and lavender on the stove all morning. Smelled lovely! 

7.  Watching "Blue Crush". Okay, no medical research can actually prove this can cure an illness. But this is my go-to movie when I'm sick. I love Hawaii and well those surfer girls are great motivation to keep exercising!  Sadly I didn't get to watch it because I actually took naps and went to bed fairly early. 

Thankfully Friday was a school day for V, so I just had P at home. He played great by himself and enjoyed too much TV, while I literally laid on the couch most of the morning. Bryson offered to stay home, but I knew he had a lot of work and I could manage until V got home, so he planned on coming home early. 

So to the fun part of the day....it was the first full week of school! Yippee! The week was great, Violet got herself dressed every morning, took naps at school, and we were getting the hang of all this! I treated the kids to frozen yogurt!! I mean frozen yogurt makes everyone feel better!! We don't go to frozen yogurt often, so the kids/and myself were so excited! And apparently 100 other moms decided to take their kids to frozen yogurt too, because the place was packed! (Great minds think alike?) 

Fro-yo! 

It was a great time and frozen yogurts healing powers worked (or maybe it was the amount of vitamin C I downed)  because Saturday I felt like a new woman!! 

I absolutely hate being sick. I'm such an on the go person that it just messes up my plans. But this past week did remind me that being sick is a great reminder to slow down. That it is important to rest your body and mind and take care of it. 

Big Boy/Girl Bed

This past week we changed the kids into new beds. Parker is 2.5 and HUGE! He is way to big to sleep in pack n plays when we travel but we still let him since we haven't bed trained him yet. At home in his crib he sleeps like a log and has plenty of room.

BUT last week he has been climbing out of his crib...and heads straight to Violet's room! It's actually pretty funny!! And long story short...our shower has been leaking and we are in the process if remolding Parker's room and our bathroom. So P has been changed temporarily to the guest room...and many of you know Violet is a "nomad sleeper" and likes to sleep in different places. 

All this to say...a friend gave us a bed that is perfect for Violet! And we changed Parker to the twin! Everyone has been sleeping soundly and doing a great job in their new arrangements! We were a little nervous how Parker would do with the transition but after a few threats of "stay in bed or you are going to time out" he fell right asleep. Violet loves her bigger bed and let's all my dolls and stuffed animals sleep with her! Haha! 

My little big boy 

New bed with her new horse sheets! (She's a cowgirl at heart!) 

Owen Summer Fun

Summer time!! For the past two years we have made a "summer fun list" at the beginning of summer. Whether or not we actually do those activties is one thing, BUT we try really hard to do them. I usually brainstorm a little and then ask the kids and Bryson what they would like to do. Parker doesn't have that many words yet, so he is along for the fun most of the time. Violet on the other hand is bursting with ideas.  I really like having a summer list because it gives us ideas and things to do during our days. Since Violet is out of school this summer, she loves a plan and to follow a routine, this was good for everyone. We didn't always make a plan depending on the activity, but it was a good reference to look at and then the BEST part is to check it off once it was done!

 In my perfect organized world I have a theme for every week of summer, with different activites that correspond with those themes and all is pleasant and happy. LIFE happens and it's not perfect or organized so we go with what we have.

So far we have had a great summer and have been able to cross off a lot:

Swim Lessons: CHECK 

Both kids took swim lessons for a WHOLE month, Monday-Thursday for 30 mins. A lot of people thought I/we were crazy for signing up for two swim sessions each day. Our lessons were very inexpensive compared to other places and about 10 mins away. But we had a great time AND the kids loved it! It gave us something to do each morning, the kids loved the water and the one-on-one interaction with the teachers and some days we would stay and swim all morning (which meant long naps! win-win!) By no means are the kids ready for the 100 Individual Medly race, they do feel more confident in the water, can blow bubbles, hold their breath and the BOTH were able to take a class at the SAME time! (which was so wonderful!)

Discovery Green: CHECK 

Bryson's parents came in the middle of June and we went over to Discovery Green on morning. The kids loved the park and the fountians! We ran around and enjoyed the morning together. It was a lot of fun do something different together and go downtown.

Memory Verses: CHECK
We all learned two memory verses this summer. (a new one is coming soon!) I was trying to think of a verse that applies to our lives and that would be benefical to everyone, including the kids. We have been working with Violet and Parker to be nice, to use nice words, be kind, help others etc. I use to babysit for a family while I was in college and they had two elementary girls. There was a bible verse posted in the bathroom that the mom wrote out with words and pictures. I loved that she drew pictures with it to help the girls memorize it...and it helped me remember it too.  (And it actually ended up being one that we used) Here are our two verses:

"Gracious words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones" Proverbs 16:24

 

"Be kind to one another and build each other up" 1 Thessalonians 5:11

Go to the Movies: CHECK 

There are so many cheap kid movies in Houston! A lot of theaters have summer series during the weekday that are usually under $5. This past week our friends invited us to go see Madagascar 3 (i didnt even know that there was a second one, let alone a third!) The movie was d-u-m-b but the kids liked it. Kyndall and Violet sat the whole time eating popcorn and giggling. Parker enjoyed half of it and the other half he enjoyed walking up and down the stairs.

Paint: CHECK 

This past was very wild in our household. Bry was home sick two days and I think it through the kids off. So Friday we stayed home all day and painted. I set up paper outside and different paint brushes and let the kids get good and messy. It was really funny to watch them! We then painted our boat Bucky and the kids loved that...and then it rained that afternoon! oops!

Houston 1:8 : CHECK 

Every summer our church does a misson week within Houston. Our sunday school class joined up with a refugee apartment complex to have VBS, food, and crafts all week. Our class works with this apartment complex monthly too, so it was neat to see the whole class come together for a whole week each night.  Our house is the closest to the site, so we provided childcare to the little kids in our sunday school class. We had anywhere between 7-10 kids and about 5 adults and about 5 of the kids were under 8 months! So we had a busy house, but it was fun to play with the kids and spend time with the other moms who volunteered.  Bryson was a trooper and the only guy who volunteered and was a great helper with the big kids and feeding the little babies too!

Go to The Bluebell Factory: CHECK 

My friend Liz mentioned she has never been before so we planned on a day to go together! Im SO thankful I had an extra pair of hands to help! For some reason, maybe because it was a Friday, but it was packed at the factory tour! We had a picnic lunch before the tour and loved our free ice cream sample afterwards. It was a fun trip!

Backyard swimming 


We have a month before Violet starts school again so here's to more Owen Summer FUN!

Summer Kick-off

We are officially on summer break...at least Violet gets a break! As for the rest of us it's just a time to enjoy the relaxed schedule and soak up the heat! 

We kicked off summer with a little sugarland skeeters baseball game! Amazing stadium! My kids had the best time and did NOT want to watch the game! We only stayed for an hour before meltdowns started happening, but at least we tried it! 

Go skeeters! 

Violet ended K3 with a fun water day and ice cream sundaes! It was a lot of fun to see her with her classmates! She really loves school! 

Yay for school! 

Kim, Kimmy and I decided to take a little day trip to visit LeighAnne and meet her new little one Emma. We had a good time chatting and catching up. It's like time just stops and it's right where we left off. I love these girls and their families!

Welcome Baby Emma

Parker decided to kick off summer with Hand, Mouth and Foot virus! This is seriously the nastiest virus!! My kids have had it before and it's not fun. Little sores break out on hands mouth and feet and are pretty painful. This time Parker only had them in his throat. He wasn't sleeping at night and and all we did was this all week...

Snuggle Buddy 

I have been slacking on my workouts lately. I'm getting about 3 in a week. I feel like a slacker compared to the 5-6 I was doing when I started the T25 program. But I know this whole journey is not about how many workouts I do, it's the actually journey to continue working out regularly and eating healthy. So I will continue to do so. And for a little push/challenge I registered for the Houston Half marathon lottery. Eeeek!! I don't even like to run! But I have always wanted to run a half and I thought might as well! I'll find out the end of June if I have a spot or not! 

This was my pic I sent Bryson one day and I captioned it "#sunsoutgunsout" lol I was entertained! 

A few things to look forward to this summer (and hopefully blog about): 

-six year wedding anniversary 

-annual "summer fun list" 

-swim lessons 

-nana and papa visit 

-4th of July with the Havliks 

-reading the chronicles of Narina 

-Houston 1:8 

Happy Summer!! 

Mother's Day

Mother's Day. 

Hmmm. 

Don't get me wrong I'm all for this holiday, especially now that I'm a mother. But this past Mother's Day I was pretty annoyed by social media. So. many. Pictures!! Of kids! Of other peoples mothers!! Sheesh! Maybe I was in a bad mood...

It just made me feel sad for those who so desperately want kids but can't get pregnant, or those who have had miscarriages, or children who have past away, or especially those who have lost their own Mother. Thinking of those in these situations just made me feel different and sad about this "holiday". Maybe I'm just over thinking...

I've seen a lot of people post "I love being a mom!  Best Job ever!" Y'all I love being a mom...most days. And it is a great "job" but in my experience/opinion it's a really hard, fun, demanding, loving, emotional, frustrating "job" I've ever had. But I can say it is very rewarding, humbling, self aware to be a mom and to love your kids so much it hurts. Maybe those people who say that for them it actually is the "best" job! I mean what about those women who don't have kids, they aren't mom's but can still have the "best" job with whatever job they do have. Maybe I'm being to critical...

I will leave you with this. On Mothers Day I enjoyed a yummy breakfast with friends that we had visiting in town. I ate way too many crunchy Cheetos at lunch, took a nap, a family adventure to Rice University and ate Vietnamese food for dinner. It was a very nice and pleasant day! Nothing fancy, but was great to be with friends and with my own little family.  Maybe it was just a fun day...

T25 Day 90

I did it!! Wow!! I can't believe I COMPLETED the 90 day challenge group! Seriously I am so shocked, proud, motivated and inspired!! 

It was SO fun to be part of a challenge group all via Facebook. Everyone in the group was so honest and encouraging! Our coach was great too!! There were days I did not want to exercise! Or I would sleep in and not be able to exercise until after the kids went to bed. I would post "I will work out tonight!" And it would help me stay accountable. People would ask if I worked out! And then I would! 

Final workout! 

As a stay at home mom I do a lot of little tasks all day. Some get finished, some get started, some are sorta started or almost done. I wanted to complete T25 to be healthier, to maybe lose a few pounds or inches. I wanted to accomplish finishing something all the way through. 

Through the 90 days I realized I love to workout! It makes me much more productive, I'm a nicer person, and I sleep better!! I also realized I have a weakness: I love food!  I love the way food taste! And it is SO hard to not eat more of something that taste so good. I don't care if I'm full, if it tasted really good, I want just a few more bites. For me, portion control is very mental and a lesson in self control! So I learned I can workout everyday and eat mostly healthy, but my portions are off. 

Flexing really hard! Haha

I can tell my legs are more toned, my tummy is a flatter, my clothes are looser and fit better, I can do most of the workouts full out, and I am stronger. I definitely still room for improvements! But I am shocked and happy with the results from staying committed for 90 days to a challenge group. 

Left: Day 1, Right: Day 90

I've been measuring and taking pictures every 30 days to record my progress. Its true the scale isn't the best factor when getting in shape! While you may not be able to tell a big difference from above, I can definitely feel the difference! I'm not trying to get six-pack abs or huge ripped arms. I want to make healthy food choices and be in the best shape I can be for me and my family! 

Final results: I've dropped 3lbs and lost over 10 inches!! 

Thanks T25 (and Shaun T) you are an amazing program! I will continue to use your effective 25 min workouts! If you are looking for a challenge group or interested in T25 I would love to help you! Let me know! I have a T25 challenge group starting in May and would love to have you in it!

T25 for-eva! 

Camp Violet and Parker

This past weekend we had a combined birthday party for Violet and Parker. Since their birthdays are 6 weeks apart it was the only logical and inexpensive way to celebrate. 

I love parties! No, really I love planning, hosting, delegating/telling Bryson all that needs to be built! I have a love/hate relationship with Pinterest. There are SO many amazing ideas on there! And then all the ideas make you feel bad bc you don't know how to sew, or because you aren't a millionaire...I digress...

I wanted a gender neutral, fun, easy party for the kids this year. No need to get stressed or spend out of budget. So since a current favorite book is "Curious George Goes Camping" we went with a camping theme! And it was a hit! We borrowed two other tents from friends and the Burchetts so kindly brought us a large canoe. 

Backyard campout 

Charlie and Violet paddling the Newman's

Bryson recently did a bunch of yard work and saved leftover branches and tree limbs and made us this awesome campfire:

Campfire 

Since the party was at 3:30 a meal wasn't really needed, I decided some good snacks all that would be needed. 

Water, juice, DIY s'more fixins, grapes, apples, pigs in a blanket, pretzels, trail mix, Cheetos and cookies. 

Don't forget...

Please DO NOT feed the bears! 

My personal favorite was the s'more goodie bags! Golden Graham's, mini marshmallows and chocolate chips! 

S'more of what?? 

The cupcakes were super fun to make too! 

Campfire s'more cupcakes 

The kids had SO much fun! Running from

tent to tent chasing each other, eating way too many cookies, catching bugs and paddling the canoe! 

I still can't believe my kids are 4 and 2! Time really goes by so quickly with kids! (And I really need to be better with getting pictures developed and photo albums made!) Thank you to our friends and family that came to celebrate! We had the best time! 

Happy birthday Violet and Parker! 

Four

I blinked and my little girl turned 4 this week! 

This little lady has had a countdown since Christmas for her birthday! So the morning she woke up she met me in the living too and yelled "it's my birthday today!" She went on to school and was "class leader" and shared birthday cookies with her class.

I can't believe she is 4! Violet is full of life! She loves to play pretend, read books, color and learn! She can be wild and silly at home and with close friends. But what we have learned is at school she is pretty serious, focused and very nice! 

We had a great afternoon of watching her new movie "Peter Pan" and had my patents over for personal pizzas. 

Violet brings us so much joy! She has always been a happy child. We love her observant, thought out questions. Her creativity is very impressive. She loves to color all day long!! Parker think she is the best big sister, he loves her toys as much as she does. 

Thank you to all the friends and family that wishes her a happy birthday. It was a very special day! And I may have cried a few times...we just love her SO much! 

Happy birthday to my favorite girl! 

Frozen

We have had 2 "ice days" in Houston in the past week! They only last a day with minimal ice (and then 2 days later its warm enough to wear flip flops!). Most of my family lives in Colorado, so to them a little ice is nothing! But here in Houston, all the schools districts close and offices have delayed starts and the grocery stores are emptied. Sadly both ice days Bryson still had to go to work. 

Nonetheless the kids and I have enjoyed wishing and watching for possible snow! We've stayed pretty snuggly watched more TV than usual and I try to make them get their energy out another way besides fighting each other! 

Today it actually snowed for about 10 mins! We bundled up and headed outside for sleet and a little snow! Violet and I had so much fun (a whole 5 mins) looking at the snow and dancing around in it! Parker was busy working at his workbench collecting tools that were left in the yard = super cold wet hands of an almost 2 year old! So we had to cut our snow dance short! 

Snuggle time! 

Is it really snowing? 

SNOW!!! 

Today I was reminded how thankful I am I have chosen to stay home with my kids!  From watching cartoons, dancing in the snow, breaking up fights, reading Adam and Eve at lunch time, changing stinky diapers, folding laundry, cleaning up...it is a crazy-hard-joyful-frustrating blessing but I wouldn't have it any other way. 

December

I'm not a super crazy Christmas person but I do love the season. 

I love the lights, the cold weather, the non stop Christmas music on sunny 99.1 for a month, advent, Christmas programs, Christmas carols, Jesus birthday and more.

This December has been filled with many memories:

Violet's first Christmas program:

Isn't she the cutest reindeer?? She had so much fun singing on staged and waved at us so many times. It was so cute to see her and her little classmates together! 

Bryson's installation at Brazos Bookstore:

Bryson was asked to install a sculpture at a local bookstore for their annual Christmas party. This was a huge answer to prayer for him. After months of planning and building the "oh tennenbaum" it turned out gorgeous! Bryson was I inspired by a fir tree root system to create this piece. He wanted people not to only think "oh it's a tree", but to consider what are the real roots of Christmas. We were so bless to have many friends and family encourage and support Bryson with this project! 

CYP girls:

Kim, Kimmy and had our annual CYP girls Christmas! Yummy food and fun together! 

Leaves:

We had all our leaves fall off and the kids went wild playing in the backyard jumping in piles! 

Christmas Cookies:

The 24th annual Strobel cookie exchange was once again delicious and fun! 

Countdown:

Since V is almost 4 she was super interested in all things Christmas this year. It was fun to watch Christmas movies, read Advent readings in her bible, have a "happy birthday Jesus" party with friends, and talk about Santa. 

Babies:

My sister had a Christmas Eve baby girl! Im so happy for them and can't wait to meet her!! 

Christmas:

We celebrated Christmas this year at our house with Nana and Papa. It was sweet, chill and relaxed. Violet woke up early and came and snuggled in our bed. She started crying and when we asked her what's wrong she said "Santa didn't come last night" we reassured her he did and she had not even looked under the Christmas tree....it was so honest and cute. Once she saw the presents she was back to excitement mode with the magic of Christmas in her eyes 

Cousins:

Bryson's sister and kids came over the day after Christmas. So we have 5 adults and 6 kids under 6 years old in the house for a few days. It's wild and crazy but also a lot of fun to be together for an extended time. 

Hope you have enjoyed the month of December!