A Visit from the Wisconsin Family

Unfortunately these snowbirds have their seasons mixed up and came to Texas in August when it's too hot to even step foot outside!! 

The kids were so excited to see Great Grandpa, Great Aunt Donna and Cousins Mallory and Kelly.  However they might have been most excited about the one person who is not blood related - Duy.  Duy is Mallory's fiance and they are getting married next year! 

Our weekend got cut short due to our rush to the ER and Marlie's concussion (see previous post) but we still had fun visiting.  So glad you guys were able to come and visit!

Marlie's First Day of School and First Concussion

What a crazy weekend!  Marlie started school on Friday.  We had a bit of drama.  We did not get Mrs. Melissa, the wonderful teacher Matt had in PreK-4 and Marlie's close friends Lauren and Hayden are not in her class either!  Honestly it was more upsetting to me than Marlie.  Marlie was too excited.  And I tried very hard to be too. 

We are in Mrs. Lisa and Mrs. Alex's class.  They have been teaching together for a while now and are a great team.  Marlie came home with The Kissing Hand book on her first day and she was so excited.  She went on and on about her day and Mrs. Lisa said "she had a VERY good first day."  Marlie told me she helped clean all the centers (which is so hard for me to believe).  So all is well.  Lauren's Mom, Patty, told me Lauren woke up crying because Marlie was not in her class.  Luckily the girls will see each other at recess and they are doing ballet and soccer together this fall. 

Matt was so excited because he didn't have to go to school.  But when we walked by the hall where he used to go to Kinder and he saw his friends lined up ready to go into 1st grade he got teary-eyed.  I was not expecting that at all.  He started blinking trying to hold it in.  I stopped and asked him if he was ok.  He said "Mom I'm just tired", which he never says.  So I started crying too!  We left school and Matt and I got to spend a wonderful day together, just he and I. 

Saturday morning we were excited to go to Andrew's b-day party.  It was at the movie theater which was a great idea!  Afterwards we were walking out and Marlie, Lauren, Ashdin and Sam were playing.  They were having so much fun playing pirates that we didn't want to leave.  20 minutes later we heard a loud thud followed by lots of crying.  It was mine. Marlie and Ashdin ran into each other while running and she went down head first on the concrete.  She's a tough cookie but she was pretty hysterical. 

I called the pediatrician as soon as we got home. I noticed she was pale and she couldn't keep her eyes open. It also seemed like she was still in a lot of pain. Pediatrician asked if she was vomiting and I said no. Asked if it hurt to touch it and I said yes. She said that it was best to be safe and take her in. Luckily we did. I had just sat down with her in the waiting room when she started throwing up...a ton!! I completely panicked assuming the worst. I yelled across the waiting room that we wanted to see a doc immediately. When no one jumped as fast as my friend Aseena had when we heard the thud, I said it again. I think Doug was yelling at them too. When she finally stopped Doug grabbed her and took her back. I think he ordered a cat scan on his way to the room!! I couldn't move because I was completely covered.

Oh my...thankfully it was nothing major. But she has a concussion. Later that night she was very perky as if nothing happened.  Doc said to watch her for a week so I am trying hard to keep her still but that's like bathing a cat.  So we are watching more cartoons this week trying to be still.  Thank you God that it was not worse. 

M&M's Birthday Party!

So this year we decided to have Matt & Marlie's (aka M&M) birthday party together and it turned out great!  We wanted to invite all our friends and family so we decided to rent the pool in the neighborhood.  It was smoking hot outside so in the water is really the only place to be to avoid melting! 

Nene kept the kids the night before and brought them to the party.  By the time they arrived Papa, Nona Lisa, Doug and I most everything setup and they were SO excited!! 

Marlie had a blast playing with all of her friends.  Here are her classmates and BFF's Lauren and Ashdin.  And Marlie got to play with Annie too.  Gosh we miss Annie now that her family has moved in town. 

Matt was so excited that Samuel, Caden and Evan were at his party along with all his other friends.  These are his schoolmates that he has really bonded with this year. 

I can't believe Matt is 6!  Well I guess not officially until August but he begged me to let him be 6 as of the party date.  We had cookie cakes with M&M's with M&M ice cream too!  The kids got to take home personalized M&Ms that had Matt and Marlie's picture on them too!  They were pretty cute I must admit!!

The kids had so much fun celebrating their birthdays with all their friends and their cousins.  Thank you guys for coming!  You can see more pictures in the slideshow!! 

Pools & Parties

So when we're not at the pool this summer we are at parties!  And Matt and Marlie celebrated their birthdays at a pool party!  More to come on that for sure...

Marlie's new BFF, Lauren, had a Fresh Beat Band party at her house.  The kids had so much fun dancing!  Most of my pics were blurry because they were moving like crazy! Marlie and boyfriend #1 - Ashdin!

Look at Marlie and Lauren in the back following the dance and laughing.  They had so much fun!

Ashdin and Sam are dancing too!

Then Marlie found boyfriend #2 - Hayden to sit with and eat cake!! 

The girls had so much fun!  Here they are all sweaty with frosting still all over them!  It doesn't get much better than this.  Happy Birthday Lauren!

The next party we went to was lots of fun too but VERY sad.  It was Iva & Alena's going away party.  Not only have I grown attached to these girls but I have really enjoyed getting to know their Mom, Sarah too.  They are off to Florida and I hope we get to visit them when we go to Disney (if we ever do!).  Here's the crew that has been in school together since they started.  Next year they all go their own different ways.  It breaks my heart!!! Great kids, great parents!  Sarah your family is on our prayers as you begin a new adventure!  We will keep up with your blog so don't slack!!! :) Matt and Caden still plan on going to prom with Iva & Alena so at least we'll see you then!!!!

Where are the Maziur's?

I'll do a little catch up here.  We've been here and there and always moving!  I thought this summer would be nice and relaxing but it's just as busy as usual.  Crazy fun!

Doug had a meeting at the JW Marriott in SA a few weeks ago so the kids and I tagged along.  It was really nice and relaxing and we got to see all our grandparents, cousins and the Hatters too!  The pool and water park were great and lots of fun but I think our favorite part of the trip were our morning picnics.  Doug was off early but the kids and I would wake up leisurely and watch cartoons in bed.  Then I'd throw a pool towel on the floor and we'd eat breakfast in our room.  Typically our mornings are getting up, getting dressed, shoveling in something for breakfast and running out the door.  So this was a really nice change.  I didn't take the camera out until we were checking out the last day so I missed capturing our fun, but here are a few. 

Matt and Caden went to baseball camp and then Matt went back a few weeks later for a hitting camp.  The hitting camp was in the mornings so he got to come to work with me in the afternoons.  Everyone enjoyed meeting him and he loved all the attention.  His comments to me were, "Mom all you do is print at work" and after the third day, "Mom I don't want to work when I grow up.  I just want to play baseball."  So apparently he was not impressed at all! Matt is also doing Camp Primrose and is so excited that he gets to go on field trips on Tuesdays and Thursdays.  Today they went to the Museum of Natural Science which is one of my favorites! I still worry a little but the kids wear bright orange (hideous) tshirts so it would be really difficult for one of them to get lost! In the evenings we practice our reading.  I can't believe how well Matt is reading! I'm so proud of him!

Marlie is also going to Camp Primrose but they stay on campus! Ashdin and Lauren are there too so they have fun together.  She sung the cutest ABC song tonight where she says the letter, the sound of the letter and a word that starts with the letter.  But as she's singing, she's doing these movements too.  I'll have to get it on video. Marlie's biggest news is that as of last Friday, she swims like a fish!  We bought her a new pair of goggles that fits better and it was like a night and day difference.  She swims like a mad fool and isn't scared at all.  Luckily we still have some time this summer to keep practicing.  I'm officially the only family member that doesn't know how to swim!!

We went with our friends the McCready's last weekend fishing down in Galveston.  Traci cooked us the best hamburgers I've ever had on the boat and the kids had a blast fishing.  We also got to spend some time with the Steinbring's.  The kids just love Mr. Scott!  Matt and Trevor played baseball the whole time.  Neither of them can ever get enough baseball!  And Marlie loved that Mrs. June put 2 braids in her hair!

I hope everyone is enjoying their summer! I can't believe it's going by so fast!

Marlie is 4!

My baby is 4!  I can handle this one, but next year on June 11th you can bet on me being a complete disaster! I have taken the lead from another great friend and this year we are having a joint birthday party for the kids in July.  So today was just our day to have fun.  We started the morning off getting pedis!  I know that's insane, but if you read my blog post from last year I took Marlie once and she LOVES getting her toenails polished.  She has been asking to go back so I promised we'd do it for her birthday.  Her friend Lauren came with us and Lauren's Mom and I had so much fun too! 

We "lunched" at Chick-fil-A and then we were off to our friend Avery's bday party.  When it was time for cake I noticed Avery's Mom, Heather had a small extra cake.  I thought maybe it was Avery's very own cake (like the kind you get your 1 year old) but then I realized it said "Happy Birthday Marlie".  That was the sweetest thing and Marlie talked about it all night! Thank you so much Heather. 

Nene joined us for dinner and I made special M&M cupcakes. I let the kids decorate some too which they really enjoyed.  When Marlie blew out the candle I asked if she made a wish.  She said "I wish we could all stay together forever" and if that wasn't cute enough she looked at each one of us when she said it.  Our hearts were mush!

We opened a few gifts afterwards.  Marlie got some clothes and leotards and a new bike from Mom & Dad.  Matt was so excited to give her a pink soccer ball.  When she opened the card from Nene she was excited that there was money in it!  The first thing she said was "I can put this in the basket at church!".  So maybe as parents we are doing something right??  She is a very special kid with a very big heart!  Marlie we love you SOOOO much!  We thank God every day for you, even when you're a little feisty!!

On Sunday we were in for another treat.  We went with the McCready's out on their beautiful (and spotless I might add) boat.  The kids had fun and we did too!  Thanks McCready's for an awesome day! Matt and Hannah picked on each other and I thought it was hilarious because most of the time she would outsmart him.  Hannah also takes VERY good care of Marlie.  It's awesome.  Marlie & Hayden had fun too!  I'm totally thinking arranged marriages here...

Baseball - Spring 2011

I found the perfect song for this post and for some reason my music won't start when you open the blog!  So scroll to the bottom and hit play.  Then you can read this!  HA!

Matt and the rest of the family are so sad that baseball season is over!!  We had a fun year!! 

This year we played with a league here in Humble.  It was coach pitch and Joel decided he was going to coach.  It was a draft so we were lucky to get picked on Joel's team.  Dad decided to help and we were all set to go!  We were the Diamondbacks and we met a whole group of new friends! Matt was Lucky 7 baby!

Matt did so well that we tried to get everyone to come up and watch!  Grandpa drove up from SA several times just for the game.  And even cousin Tim came to watch too!

Matt did really well!  He played short stop most games.  He only struck out a few times all season and the first time he did, he held back his tears and hustled right back to the dugout.  We couldn't have been more proud. 

I forced myself to take a few videos.  Sorry you will get sea sick watching these.  Look at how focused he is!  Matt wasn't the best on his team but there wasn't a kid that tried harder. Coach Dan nicknamed him 110.  We nicknamed him "Tucker" because he is ALWAYS tucking in his shirt.  One of the Dad's said Matt was the only kid on the field who had every part of his uniform in the right spot...even the dirt!  Matt doesn't like Tucker so I guess it might not stick!

The kids learned a ton this year.  Coach Joel did great teaching them fundamentals and Dad worked with Matt a lot.  He made some great plays, caught a pop up and scored at almost every at bat.  Honestly I embarrassed myself.  I couldn't stop yelling at the games.  It was all positive but I couldn't stand to keep quiet which made taking a video extremely difficult!! Our team ended up 7-5 which was great.  3 of those games we lost by 1 run and probably should have won them.  The kids wanted to know the score at all times and wanted to win.  I didn't realize they had such a fire at this age.

Matt, we couldn't be more proud of you!  And I couldn't be more thankful to have such a wonderful Coach, and wonderful Dad and wonderful parents and kids to be around! You can see a few more pics in the slide show!