Texas Andersons

Dear Father,
Last year I asked Santa for world peace.  I believe it was too big of a request for him, so this year I will ask of you… for self-love.  If everyone loves themselves, won’t they love their family, their friends, their neighbors?  And wouldn’t this lead to a world without hunger and crime?  What a wonderful world this could be!

Dear Santa,
*Remember that new camera I wanted last year?  It’s still on my list!  I’m growing as a photographer, and I would love for my camera to get better along with me.
*With the weather starting to get colder already, I’m freezing in my bathroom once again.  I would love a heater to go in our toilet/shower area.
*No more squinting would be great.  How about some sunglasses?
*And I’m still wanting to lose weight.  In addition to the Y membership, I would really like something to keep me moving at home.  How about a Wii workout game?  I heard that Ben’s getting a Wii for Christmas, and I would love to be able to use it too.
*Or what about time?  Need that to clear this paperwork on my desk, clean house, finish our floors, etc…

Amy

When we joined the YMCA back in September, I was able to do just yoga and only able to walk the treadmill at a medium pace.  And during the month of October, I gained 3 pounds doing all that work!  It was exhausting and discouraging.

But… during the month of November, I have been able to get great work-outs in on the elliptical machine and been able to speed up the treadmill to a good jog.  And I’ve lost 8 pounds (the three I gained plus an extra five!)!  Yay!

Now, if I can just keep up the pace through these holidays, I’ll be doing great. 

It was a wonderful Thanksgiving week!  We have so much to be thankful for!

We spent Thursday with my parents, having them over for Thanksgiving dinner… and frisbee.

On Friday we headed out to the South Texas Maize and spent the day getting lost in the maze, jumping on the air pillow, playing on the playground, riding on the barrel train, and shooting the corn gun.  It was so much fun!  And then we ended up at my parents’ house for dinner and to drop off Ben for the night.

Saturday was spent with Evan and getting out the Christmas decorations.  And then we all headed out for the Dicken on Main event where the boys got to play in the “snow” and enjoy the petting zoo.

And today we visited with friends Daryl and Michelle (breakfast while they were in town for the day) and then drove out to the Pipe Creek Christmas Tree Farm to enjoy a hay ride and cut down this year’s tree.

So thankful, so blessed…

Ben has been hard at work these last few months to not only participate in Cub Scouts, but to also go above and beyond to achieve a few goals we set…

He attended the Tiger Cub Fun Day as an introduction to all Cub Scouts has to offer.  He hiked with our den, looking for fossils.  He walked the neighborhood several times to sell popcorn, selling over $400’s worth of product.  He toured the police station with the den.  And he helped donate canned goods with the den to Hill Country Daily Bread.

And last night was a special pack meeting, to reward the boys for all of their accomplishments.  Ben received beltloops for archery and bb shooting, for learning and demonstrating both skills at the Tiger Cub Fun Day; he received a patch and a Wal-Mart gift card for his popcorn sales; he earned the Outdoor Activity Award patch for all of the outdoor events and camping he’s done; he received a beltloop for bicycling; and he recieved a beltloop for soccer.

Nathan and I are so proud!!!

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Mom: What do Mom and Dad do when you’re sleeping?
Ben: Watch TV.
Mom: What is your favorite place?
Ben: Toys R Us.
Mom: If someone gave you $100, what would you buy?
Ben: Hot rods.
Mom: What has Mommy done that made you mad?
Ben: Take away my toys. (yes, he loses toys or privileges when he makes bad choices)
Mom: What superpower would you like to have?
Ben: To be able to make tornadoes to scare away bad guys. (no surprise hearing that from our little weatherman!)
Mom: What do kids do better than adults?
Ben: Sleep late.  (since when do kids sleep late?!)
Mom: If your stuffed animals could talk, what would they say?
Ben: Let’s play, let’s play, let’s play!
Mom: What is your favorite thing to do at your grandparents’?
Ben: Shoot slingshot rockets.
Mom: What is the best food served in the school cafeteria?
Ben: Chicken nuggets.
Mom: What does Dad do better than anyone else?
Ben: Fix computers.

As Thanksgiving approaches, we’re looking at all the things we have to be thankful for…

The constants are:
our home, our family, our jobs, good clients, great friends, this wonderful little town, our new piece of land

The things that have happened lately are:
*Cub Scouts- where we’ve been building relationships and skills; where we got to teach the boys about servicing our community and made a big donation to the Hill Country Daily Bread last week; where Ben has been earning patches and beltloops that he will receive this coming week!
*MOPS- where I get to have a break from Evan every month and hang out with other moms; where I got to represent my business at the last meeting at the MOPS Shop
*an early Christmas gift from my parents- a trampoline!  (which we quickly took out to the lot, assembled, and enjoyed 
*one very busy Tuesday- where we started the day at the hike and bike trail with Ben’s class to spread wildflower seeds and ended up in downtown SA for lunch at The Sandwich Garden and fun at the zoo
*and a great day at Fiesta Texas today- beautiful weather, great rides, happy kids, and funnel cake

Click here to see the video!

We had a week filled with Halloween-themed activities… Cub Scouts party on Tuesday, storytime on Wednesday, music class yesterday, and portraits and trick-or-treating today.

The Cub Scouts party was a fun evening of games, music, and candy.  Both boys had a great time enjoying the activities.  And while Ben was excited about the two cupcakes he won in the cake walk… Evan was excited just by the music they were playing for the game (he’s easy to please!).

And Evan’s storytime was fun.  Ms. Joyce had Halloween books, songs, and activities for the kids.  And she even had them do a quick costume parade through the library!  I couldn’t believe how well Evan played follow-the-leader while shaking his instrument to be a part of the band.  Go Evan!

I spent most of today photographing dozens of cute kids in their darling costumes for Shutter-Happy.  Then we headed out to trick-or-treat in the neighborhood.  Everyone loved the boys’ monkey and safari hunter costumes.  They had a great time visiting with neighbors and friends.  And they brought home a ton of candy.  We think Evan LOVED Halloween!

It was a frenzy of fall fun this weekend!  Larry and Debbie came into town to stay with us and enjoy their grandsons so we headed out to watch Ben’s game on Saturday morning, spent the day at Enchanted Spring Ranch’s Wild West Days, spent some time on our new lot, and enjoyed Fabra’s hay maze event.

Enchanted Springs Ranch was a blast!  The boys got to pet all kinds of animals; we toured the ranch on a tractor ride; we had lunch in a saloon.  The neatest thing?  Ben participated in the calf scramble, chasing after a handful of calves, trying to pull the pink ribbons of their tails.  Too funny!

And Fabra’s hay maze event was so much fun!  Ben and Evan loved running around the maze, playing on the playset, riding the barrel train, and jumping in the bounce houses.  They had so much fun, in fact, that it was hard to tear them away even though we were some of the last ones there as they were closing down.

I love fall! 

We signed the paperwork on our “little piece of heaven” today!  We now own seven acres in River Mountain Ranch!

The first third of the lot is nice and flat, with a perfect place for our future house, with lots of trees to block the sights and sounds of the road.  The lot then slopes down to the middle third, which is a great flat spot for a big, beautiful backyard.  And it has several clumps of oak trees for shade and tire swings!  And the last third has trees and rocks, perfect for exploring (and perfect for the deer feeder my dad has already purchased!).

Now, we won’t have the money to build for a couple of years.  But we can head out there any time to hang out on our lot or enjoy their parks, which have access to the Guadalupe River.  So guess what we’ll be inviting you all to do this summer?  Camping, picnicing, and tubing!  (oh my!)

Give me land, lots of land, lots of beautiful land.  Don’t fence me in! 

PS- Anyone ready to start clearing cedar, cactus, and rocks?

While I did spend my birthday week under piles and piles of work, we did have lots of fun…

Wednesday, my parents stopped by to drop off a birthday cupcake and to pick up Evan for a few days!  And when Nathan got home, we drove out to the lot in River Mountain Ranch.  We took a look at the new boundary markers that had just been put up, found the acreage to be the exact shape and size we were thinking, threw down six pounds of bluebonnet seeds in the field, and decided to move forward with the purchase!

Friday, Ben and I got to meet up with our Cub Scout pack to take a tour of the Boerne police station.  The boys were all overly excited to see their guns, handcuffs, and other equipment.  And they had a blast getting to sit in the patrol car!

Ben had another soccer game on Saturday.  Then he and Nathan got to enjoy the Halloween event in the plaza.  Then we got to spend the rest of the beautiful day out in the backyard (I even got to mow!).

And Sunday was another gorgeous day, so we headed out to Medina for the Love Creek Orchard.  Evan loved the hay maze (he ran the aisles over and over again, squealing the whole time!).  We also toured the orchard on the hay ride, listened to the band, and enjoyed a caramel apple.  Both boys took a pony ride.  And both really enjoyed the petting zoo (I think Ben could have held a chick all day).

Friday was Ben’s school’s Walk-a-Thon.
The bad- It was pouring at start time.
The good- We played it by ear; took Evan to music class instead; wasted time until the rain stopped.  And it turned out to be a great event!  Ben walked 19 laps (9 more than last year).

Saturday was the start of our beach vacation.
The bad- It was cold!
The good- We flipped our schedule and went to visit my grandparents instead.  We had a wonderful time getting to hang out with them and letting Ben drive the golf cart.

Sunday was supposed to be another beach day.
The bad- Rain all day!
The good- We spent a few hours at the aquarium, toured the town, got to ride the ferry (and saw dolphins), and had dinner at The Big Fisherman.  The boys had a blast taking in the fun day.

And Monday was our last chance to head to the beach before we had to come back home.
The bad- jelly fish… everywhere!
The good- We found an isolated cove with not a single jelly fish in sight, and had the whole place to ourselves.  It was so nice to have beach time!

So… we found the joy in going with the flow, the reward of patience, and the surprise of spontaneity.  The lesson taught to our kids- When life gives you lemons, make lemonade!  Mmmmm…..

Ben’s had a couple of neat Cub Scouts meetings lately.  One, many of the boys received recognitions for things that they’ve accomplished during this first month.  Ben earned quite a few beads to hang on his uniform to show that he had completed many tasks with us as a family and with his troop.  And the last meeting we went on a fossil hunt along a creek bed at one of the boys’ houses.  We all had a great hike, and Ben came home with a handful of treasures.

He’s also had his first two soccer games this season (they’re the Red Scorpions this time around).  The first one felt lopsided for most of the game, but they quickly made several goals and only lost by one.  The second was a very even match the whole game, with the boys all playing really well.

Last weekend… Ben had an early release day from school Friday, so we headed out to a picnic that Nathan’s department put on for everyone.  Then, Saturday was Morgan’s birthday party.  With a luau theme, the kids had a great time playing on the YMCA playground, jumping in the jumping castle, and doing the limbo!  Nathan and Evan got to enjoy a day of swimming and camping at Garner with my parents while Ben and I stayed home for a quiet weekend and to walk around the neighborhood to sell popcorn for Cub Scouts.

This past weekend… I drove up to Austin for a Dream Dinners session.  And we spent  Sunday with my parents walking lots out in River Mountain Ranch.  We’re getting closer and closer to our perfect little place in the country! 

And the weather (oh! welcome, fall)… A couple weeks ago we had a good rain come through with a cold front, allowing us to leave the windows open for several refreshing days.  Then we had more rain this past weekend.  And not only was it just in time to water and pamper all the wildflower seeds I spread a few days ago, but it was also enough to finally send the creek right over the dam along River Road.  Yay!  (that may sound lame, but that is SO exciting!)

Monday- Mops meeting, YMCA- check!
Tuesday- YMCA, Cub Scouts meeting- check!
Wednesday- PTO newsletter meeting, storytime, YMCA- check!
Thursday- YMCA, errands- check!
Friday- PTO meeting, music class, YMCA- check!
Saturday- Robert’s birthday party, errands, lunch with Ben, mow- check!
Sunday- appointments, to-do list- check!

And we had lots of fun in the backyard in the mix of all that activity.  What a beautiful week to wrap up the official end of summer.

The YMCA trips have been great.  I’ve either been using the treadmill or elliptical machine or attending yoga class.  The Cub Scouts meeting was neat, with Nathan and I leading the meeting and having the boys show off what they collect (Ben took his pressed pennies).  Music class has been such a joy the last two weeks we’ve gone, with Evan babbling, dancing, and clapping throughout.  And Robert’s birthday party was a blast.  The kids had a great time at their neighborhood park, getting to play on the playground, get their faces painted, joining in on the three-legged race (which Ben and Mary won!), and having a water balloon fight!

Evan loves my headbands! Months ago he began wearing them atop of his head like crowns (Price Evan). Then he wore them around  his neck like necklaces (Pretty Evan). And now he puts them on his nose, across his eyes like sunglasses (Cool Evan). It’s too funny!

And we just started brushing his teeth a couple of weeks ago. No struggle there. Each night we announce “Brush teeth!” to both boys, and he is the first one to the bathroom door, squealing all the way!

And the other silly thing was something I got to see today. I could hear the laughing and squealing from down the hall. And what did I find? Evan marching around the house twirling butter knives like they were batons. It was so cute! But I guess it’s time to hide the silverware or get a lock for that drawer.

I have the best grandma ever! Not to discount my other grandparents or anyone else’s grandparents, but Dorothy is the sweetest, funniest, most caring, kookiest (is that a word?) woman ever. She really cares about what you have to say, would give you the shirt off her back, and aims to feed you until you burst.

But I have to admit, Ben and Evan have some pretty awesome grandparents too. The boys are very loved… and very spoiled.

And to thank their grandparents, the boys helped me make some really cute gifts. Just like we did for Nathan on Father’s Day, we painted a couple of platters with their hand and footprints. So cute!!! ——–>

Hope all the grandparents have a wonderful day! We love you!!!