Expecting company

Thomas is refining his hosting skills and no longer throws the dishes on the floor. He delicately sets the table as he unloads his favorite cupboard so he can climb in.

The table's set! Come on over!

Humpty dumpty part two

Humpty dumpty take two

Humpty dumpty

Dear Mom

Dear Mom,

I just wanted you to know that I cleaned and organized my closet, just like you taught me. And just so you an sleep tonight, i want you to know that i made sure that all of the shirts are facing the same way.

Thanks for teaching me how to do laundry!

Love,

Jacqui

Try number two

Spring break 2012

Did you know there are awesome things to do in Austin?

Like spending an afternoon at Ikea because they are offering free lunch for kids during spring break. And to sweeten the deal, there were balloon animals involved. Tommy's sword popped right after this photo was taken, and I am sure we didn't leave the store with the other five intact either.

Besides Ikea, we have enjoyed a different park everyday and a few trips to the pool. All of the children braved the chill in the big pool.

So the week is half over and it has so far been a success! Three cheers for spring break!

Park day

Just a fun photo from the park last week.
Josh is my extreme climber: climbing everything the wrong way.

Andy didn't want to go to the park because he felt his splint would take all the fun out of it. I think he realized it can still be fun without dangling from the monkey bars.

Thomas is exploring his world without mommy hovering too much. He just laughs and laughs as his brothers chase him all over the structure.

A superstar, but he didn't get far

All hail, Ms. Gladys Knight.

Saw her preform live tonight at Austin City Limits. Last time I was in her presence, she was singing gospel songs with the Saints Unified Voices. Tonight we rode The Midnight Train to Georgia, and it brought me to tears. She was enchanting and mesmorizing, charming and classy. What a show!

Flippers for feet

Shoe shopping is hard. My feet have always been big ( size 10 since middle school!), but after Thomas was born, I had to start buying size 11.

So, ya, it is hard to find new shoes that fit and are not ugly AND don't cost an arm and leg.

I have been wearing a two-year-old pair of running shoes to run and work out. I could blame my knee pain on getting old, but I prefer to blame it on my old shoes. Yes, i should have gotten a new pair miles ago. They say the life of a shoe is around 100miles. It was just time to bite the bullet and buy new shoes.

Anyway, I stopped by kohl's this morning to spend my $10 kohl's cash. I walked through the shoe department on my way to Men's ( to buy a shirt for Kraig) to see if there were any killer sales on Asics.

Oh, did I mention I only run in Asics?

No terrific sales, but I did happen to notice that they only had a handful of size 11s. I pulled a pair off the shelf and opened the box. It was a pair of orange running shoes. Of course i loved them, but there wasn't a display shoe out to tell me the sale price. The price check kiosk didn't work either, so I took the shoes and box to the register.

Hello? The shoes were $14.99. So with my $10 kohl's cash, I paid FIVE BUCKS for a brand new pair of $75 running shoes. And they are orange! Ha!

Springtime in Austin

This photo doesn't do the tree color justice. It. Is. Amazing.

March first isn't supposed to be springtime according to my DNA. There should still be some massive snowstorms on the horizon. Alas, Austin has other ideas.

Spring is springing. Josh is singing.

Because Erika said she misses my kids

Andrew busted up his elbow at the playground on Tommy's birthday (that sounds familiar. Did I already write that?). We finally got into the orthopedist today to the good (?) news that it isn't fractured, but that he most likely tore some ligaments.

So no stinky cast, but he has this "full size, hard splint." The insides are the same as a cast, but I can unwind the ace bandage for dinner and showers.

Two weeks, but he has a smile!