Its 2012!

Well Hi. I can't believe it is 2012. That makes me feel old and I'm only 30, sigh.

This is the time of year I usually post my New Years Resolutions (Dun, Dun, DUN) but not this year. This year the plan is to relax, do what I can and let go of what I can't. I'm sure I will have some sort of money making scheme like always and hopefully I will learn a thing or two.

Mostly I just want to focus on my kids while I can. Before I know it they won't want to hang out and I will regret not spending every waking moment basking in their cheery silly little faces.

Maybe I'll be on here a bit more. I hope so, I would like to think someday my kids can read this blog and really get to know me as a person thru it.

-Amber

Happy Birthday Weston!

Walking on Mars at the Planetarium

Dear Weston,

Your six. SIX. SIX?! Wow. I can't even wrap my head around that. You still have the same belly laugh you have had since you were a toddler, the same sweet smile and all that energy.

Right now your favorite thing to do it ride your bike. That's right, you learned how to ride without training wheels! We worked on it in TX but after a few nasty falls you really needed a break. One night you came up to me and dad and said "I'm going to ride my bike today" with a very determined look. So we went outside, you got on your bike and you just did it. It was so awesome!

You also love your scooter, playing soccer and doing anything acrobatic.

In Kindergarten last year you had Mrs. Ward. She was a great teacher and you had a really hard time saying goodbye. You got to go on your first field trip to the Natural History Museum in Austin and see a dinosaur skeleton. You had a little girlfriend named Barbara that you had the biggest crush on. Cam and you would spend an hour after school trading Pokemon cards with her and you would push her on the swing. It was adorable!

Dad taught you how to play Chess this year and it is your new favorite game. Well that and anything to do with Zombies :). You spend hours each week playing Chess with Dad and Cam and I have to say, you are really good at it! You learn so quickly and try so hard at everything you do.

Sweetie, you are one of the sweetest little men I've ever met. Always willing to share, always the first one there if someone is upset or sad, always making little notes for me and daddy telling us you love us. I've never met a little boy who is so aware of how others feel. You still love to cuddle and every time you climb on my lap I just think how big you are getting and that someday you won't be able to climb on my lap anymore. While I'm going to miss this stage like every other stage you have gone thru, it is so fun to see you growing up and becoming a little man. I am so proud of who you are and how you are growing up. I am so lucky to be your Mom! Daddy and I really love you so much and we are so excited to see you growing up into such an amazing boy.

Mwah!

Mom

Happy Birthday Cameron!

Dear Cam,

Wow Little Man, you are 7 years old! You're huge! This year has been a big one for you, you have had so many changes and adventures this past year. You ended Kindergarten at a Private school then started first at a new Charter school just to be told we were moving to TX and starting at yet another school. You took the move so well though, we are so proud of you at how well you are doing. You have some new best friends, Parker, Cooper, Justin, Ty and Gage but you still take time to play with your little bro who adores you.

You learned how to ride your bike this past year, learned how to read so well, discovered that you love soccer and basketball and have taken your love of art to a whole other level. You love to make paper crafts like building a microscope out of paper and tape. You make cards for everyone and you tape a pencil or marker to each as a gift, people love them! You are also dying to start up your own business and keep asking for a debit card. I have a feeling you are going to be quite the business man.

You love music and pick up tunes so quick and you love to dance. Your school had a dance competition and you won for your break dancing! Your always willing to help out in the kitchen and you are starting to be really adventurous outdoors.

You are so bright, funny, caring, creative and adventurous. You have this amazing imagination and you are such a great leader. Your teacher adores you and says you are always the first with your hand up to answer questions and the first to help someone when needed.

I'm so proud of you honey! Your such a great little person and I'm so excited to be your mom. I love you sweetie!

Love,

Mom

Thanksgiving

Tomorrow is turkey day and the kids and I are doing absolutely nothing today to get ready. Cam and Wes have the entire week off from school so we have been at the bounce house, out to lunch, gone to a movie, out for ice cream...whew, time for some relaxation!

Usually for Thanksgiving we either go to Patti's or Misty's for a yummy meal so It feels pretty weird to have a 20lb turkey (Yes, we love turkey, don't judge me!) thawing in my fridge. This will be the first year in our nine years of marriage that we haven't gone to someone else's house. Although I am a little excited to have a little family Thanksgiving with just us, I can't help but be a little sad when I think about missing out on Patti and Matt's turkey, Annette's and my moms rolls, Robyn and Misty's desserts. Sigh. I could go on forever! But this is the year we will start our own traditions which just might include eating Thanksgiving dinner by candelight or eating in our pajamas, I guess we will see what strikes our fancy tomorrow.

I'm thankful for my amazing husband who never fails to comfort me when I need it, who works so hard to give our family the things we need but also spoils us, who gets down on the ground to wrestle with our kids and makes sure to hug and kiss them everyday and tell them he loves them without hesitation. He has more patience that I ever will and he is the handiest man I know. He knows pretty much everything and if he doesn't know it he will within a day. Doug has been by my side through tantrums (mine), colic (the kids), multiple hospitalizations, illnesses, babies and so much more. We have been through 5 moves in only 9 years yet he is still up for more adventure which, knowing us, we will see plenty of in the coming years.

I'm thankful for my two little men who are energetic, healthy, curious and who also happen to be best friends. This move has been hard on the kids but it has also made them grow closer to each other. Cam picks Wes up from school every afternoon and Wes just lights up when he sees Cam walking down the hallway. My sweet kids also made me breakfast in bed today, how many 5 and 7 year olds do that?! They are well mannered and brilliant and kind. Their adventurous and brave and are aways expecting justice to prevail. Their world is fair and honest and everything comes in two...one for each of them. Well, they think so at least :)

I'm thankful for my family, all of them! I was born into an incredible family then married into another one. I can honestly say I don't just love my family but I LIKE them too, how lucky am I?

I'm thankful that our family is supporting us moving here even if they don't understand our reasons.

I'm thankful for my amazing friends. I'm lucky to have friends still that I met as early as four years old and some of my best friends also happen to be my family. They have been with me through babies, sickness, surgeries, deaths and plenty of new beginnings. They put up with my insecurities, my strange humor and my stubborn opinions.

I'm so thankful for technology! I miss my girls nights with Misty and pottery talk with Patti and sitting around with the sister in laws talking about our kids, how they would grow up together and giving each other ideas and advice. I miss meeting my dad for lunch and chatting with Jim after dinner. I miss my mom just showing up to see my kids and bringing them fun little treats. I miss my shopping nights with Robin, Leatherbys with Jess, Coffee weekends with Nat, just sitting around and chatting with Sandy. I miss cooking dinners for Mike, Brad and Tricky. I miss my neighborhood girls who always included me even if I didn't fit in while making me feel like maybe I did. I miss just going over to see my nieces and nephews and just sit and feel at home. So I am grateful for cell phones, text messaging, email, web cams, Facebook and airplanes. Because if it wasn't for these things I would have never had the courage to move. When I'm sad I can text my friends and feel connected in under a minute.

These are just a few things I'm thankful for and I just hope that my luck won't run dry any time soon because really, my life is so much more than what I ever hoped it could be.

We moved!

Well we finally did what we have been talking about doing for the last 6 years...we moved to Austin TX! There were so many pro's and con's to moving but in the end we decided it just wasn't a job Doug could turn down and the schools for the kids were a huge deciding factor. We found tenants to rent the house and they needed to be in within a week so we packed up and moved in with Patti and Jim for six weeks while we house hunted for a rental down here. We found a cute little house to rent for a while to make sure this is really the area we want to be in and so far the kids love it. They have a friend behind the house who climbs the fence to play, a park really close by and we can walk to school.

We asked the kids what they miss about UT and what they love about Austin and they both agree that they miss family the most in UT and the thing the love about TX is hot lunch, lol. Wes gets to go to all day Kindergarten here and although it took some getting used to (for both of us) he has really loved it. Their classes have been great to them and their teachers are both amazing.

I'm trying to make new friends, luckily I have a new friend down here named Colleen who has saved our bacon over and over. She brought us blankets the first night so our kids actually had something to sleep one (Long story) and has invited me out with the girls so many times. I think I would be a sobbing homesick mess more than I am if it wasn't for her.

Doug and I drove down here (My daddy gave us nights at the Marriott and my mom packed us a giant jar of cookies to munch on, woot!) and my awesome mother in law Patti kept the kids for the weekend then flew them out for us. Poor her and the kids, Wes had the croup that weekend and Cam ended up with the flu and threw up on the plane and right before. How cool is this though...the pilot let the kids program the plane! They said it was awesome and it was the first story they told their new friends. Moving was a bit of an adventure because our moving truck was a week late. We ended up buying a futon and Doug's desk and thats all the furniture we had for a week. I had to go to Colleens to do laundry because we didn't bring enough clothes in the car and we had to buy a mini fridge to keep a few drinks cold. We ate out pretty much three times a day but hey, at least we got to discover local joints right? We finally got our truck on Halloween night and were able to bring in the mattresses to sleep on. The kids decided to share a room here and they were pretty excited to finally have all their stuff. My amazing Father in law Jim drove Doug's car down here for him and helped us get the house set up too. Seriously, I have amazing family!

Anyway, we are all set up and now it's time for me to find a part time job but first we have Thanksgiving this week, Cam's birthday next week, Patti comes in the next weekend and my parents come in on the 16th of Dec. Yay!!! I am so excited for the next three weeks of family and fun. I wonder if anyone could smuggle Misty in their luggage...?

My Handsome Little Men

Someone learned how to ride his bike...