12.21.2009

vacation day one.

weather: warm but windy.

errands: specs for holiday spirits.

memories: coffee with sarah & troy.

afternoon guys golf.

scavenger hunt for boys.

hide 75 treats around a pool & sit back and enjoy.

finding a pen early on was key.

searching high & low.
almost done.
the winner was riley!
he found all treats first.

74 out of 75 treasures found.

we still couldn't find the last nickel...

afternoon football in the street.

g-force movie & rudys dinner

at the hudsons.

hohoho.

making everyday memories for the holidays.

12.18.2009

holiday fun at school.

take one second grade class.

add one great teacher to the middle.

play a fun game of pass the present.

sugar plums are already dancing.

nathans party face in full blast.
this is how we have a snowball fight in texas.

christmas vacation here we come!

12.10.2009

lots of hills. valet parking. honest. 2 of the nicest hosts you'll ever meet. 1 unbelieveable view. love christmas celebrations. sorry no pictures. not quite appropriate.

12.10.2009

today.
one nathan graduated from DARE at 8am.
one trip to barnes and nobles for a christmas present.
one trip to william sonoma for a hostess gift.
one holiday lunch with colin at school at 11:30am.
one trip to a fedex box for a dropoff.
one stop at specs for a bottle of bubbly.
one meeting at work at 1:30pm.
fourth trip to school to pickup the boys.
homework. wash. email.
one holiday party at 7pm.
one busy day!
love the holiday schedule.

12.9.2009

happy birthday rosie!

wishing you a 'warm' birthday celebration.

12.9.2009

one lunch date today.

one star student of the week.

one mcdonalds happy meal.

12.8.2009

signs of christmas. we finished the holiday puzzle already. the lego advent calendar is a huge hit - its the first question everyone asks colin in the morning - 'what did you get today?'. the wrapping basket is out and in use. the holiday cards have been ordered. the tree is up & the ornaments are on. the house is decorated - inside & out. the stockings are hung. the presents are almost all bought. the shipping boxes are assembled and awaiting their packages. we are getting there. hohoho.

12.8.2009

christmas elves busy at work.

a charlie brown christmas

is on in the background.

one present boy.

one tape boy.

one label boy.

one true meaning of christmas.

12.4.2009

{photo taken by colins teacher today- thanks ms zuckman}
look what we woke up to this morning.
we have been waiting all week for this.
cold temps.
snowflakes actually fell today.
real snow.
didn't stick. didn't stay.
but it felt like home for a minute.
but it felt like december for a minute.
hohoho. cold night ahead.
a fire in the fireplace already.
stay warm.
tis the season.

12.3.2009

nothing screams festive like a special delivery from the ups man today.
i can almost taste a cup of tim hortons now in a special holiday cup.
i might just have to incorporate this into our holiday decorations.
thanks mom & dad!

12.2.2009

look what colin found wrapped on the kitchen table
yesterday morning.
he has been wishing for this since the holiday lego catalog
arrived last month.
what a great way to count the days till christmas.
he has decided to open the prize each morning before school.
its beginning to feel festive around here already.
'tis the season.

12.1.2009

its a wonderful way to start december.
an evening holiday musical concert.
look carefully and you'll see justin playing the baritone.
he sounded great.
sarah and i played hookie today &
shopped till we dropped.
we stimulated the economy at barnes & noble, old navy, container store,
cosco, target, walmart and sports academy.
we didn't let a little rain slow us down.
'tis the season.

11.30.2009

goodbye november.

i can't believe december is knocking on our door.

heres the christmas card pictures that didn't make the cut.

#1. the sippel davinci code.

#2. the alamo frown
#3. can you see the capital thru that hair.

heres to december anxiety attacks, holiday parties

and many to-do lists.

its my favorite time of the year!

11.28.2009

take one beautiful saturday morning

add 5 boys carrying toys to donate

to blue santa parade

in downtown austin

watch the floats walk by
watch the kids take it all in
enjoy an outdoor cheeseburger
at the counter cafe
and capture a couple bees for fun

off to snap a couple pictures of the boys

maybe even a christmas card picture too!

thanks for the great iphone pictures sarah!

11.27.2009

{original whole foods - downtown austin - cooking class side}

black friday deals.

overslept.

walked thru walmart & target at 6:30am.

no shopping cart for me.

(couldn't find any, spent less this way)

carried out a couple good deals.

afternoon cooking class at whole foods.

with steve.

learned how to make pizza

and dough from scratch.

lots of fun.

even made a homemade pizza

dinner for the boys!

a great way to spend a friday afternoon.

i think we have found a new tradition.

next, friday night movies for all.

blankets, pillows & popcorn.

silly laughs from eddie murphy

in imagine that.

happy friday.

11.26.2009

our thanksgiving is filled with measuring sticks,

tony romo, turkey, sunglasses & thankful

wishes for all.

enjoy.

11.25.2009

todays word.

walking.

we walked the aisles of heb early this morning

to beat the crowds.

we walked to starbucks, the mall & the movie theater.

we purchased coffee, presents & tickets.

we filled our afternoon with hudsons, blind sides &

papa murphy pizzas.

great day. great company.

great movie. great memories.

the calm before the holiday madness.

heres to blue skies & deep breathing.

11.24.2009

todays word

kickball.

colins class won the clothing drive.

extra recess period.

surprise parent players & cheerleaders.

what a fun way to end the day.

thanksgiving break is here.

no school x 5 days.

no homework x 5 days.

gobble. gobble.
thanksgiving break.
we are ready for you.

11.23.2009

todays word.

inbox.

look what i found this morning

in my mailbox.

what a great way to start the day.

coffee & big smiles.

'there are only two lasting bequests

we can hope to give our children.

One of these is roots, the other is wings."

- hodding carter

11.19.2009

todays word.

payday.

how fun is this.
the boys wanted to play.
an old fashioned board game.
sorry wii, ps2 and game cube.
hello 12 months of mail, bills & deals.
heres to paper money, players & real dice.
this is true family time.

11.18.2009

todays word.

chess.

yesterday was the last day of chess club

for the fall session.

50 smart chess players

gathered every tuesday after school

to think, play & challenge each other.

lots of fun.
lots of check.
lots of checkmate!
our chessboard is dusted off.
theres always a game in progress.
i actually know how to play.
(i'm still searching for a win!)
what a great way to spend our tuesday afternoons.

11.17.2009

todays word.

skype.

our first chat with owen.

he slept through the whole conversation.

nothings better than chatting from one family room to another.

i think the boys scared hannah.
they tackled the computer when they heard her voice!
fun stuff.
fun skype.
can't wait to talk again.

11.15.2009

todays word.

teamwork.

or fog.

or early morning football fields.

or lions roaring.

or lions waiting.
or lions winning 5 straight games.
or smiling after loosing the super bowl.
or smiling with a little help.

or lots of fun at the football tournament.
or lots of hours at the football tournament.
or 8am til 4:30pm.

or sunny perfect football weather day.

or fun filled day for all.

{actual day of tornament was yesterday, saturday 11.14.2009 -

metro northeast park}

or just good stuff day!

11.14.2009

todays word.

welcome.

heres the newest member to the family.

owen thomas zang.

don't you just love the hair.

congrats to ryan. julie & hannah.

congrats to going from 3 to 4.

perfect number for a table at brennans.

happy, healthy day for all.

can't wait to see you!

11.13.2009

todays word.

practice.

" it's not necessary the amount of time you spend at practice,

its what you put into the practice that counts."
- eric lindros
colin at football practice this week.
giving 100% to his team.
always.
colin might not have the natural talent
that some of his team mates do
but he certainly has the heart, determination
and passion to make up for it.
go colin go.

11.12.2009

todays word:

recycle.

signs of christmas are here.

in color.

in print.

in paper form.

something about the holiday season

that makes me purchase every magazine.

i love to flip thru the pages.

reminds me of the brands name catalog, a pair

of scissors and a bottle of glue.

more signs of christmas.

the lego catalog is under colins pillow.

heres what sits on the kitchen counter.

colin even looks for the best price for santa.

"can you believe this is 5.00 less at walmart?"

gotta love it.

heres to todays wishes

& tomorrows recycle bin.

11.11.2009

todays word.

warning.

enough said.

think of jennifer aniston episode were she talks her

way out of a ticket from police officer mark consuelos.

enough said.

it was enough just watching to all my

neighbors drive by & wave.

enough said.

it was because i failed to come to a

complete stop.

enough said.

lesson learned.

stop & smell the flowers.

stop rushing through life.

slow down & enjoy.

come to a complete stop & observe.

enjoy now.

wishing matt a happy birthday.

may you stop & enjoy your special day.

slow down & enjoy the cake and candles.

may your day be filled with no red flashing

lights or officers in big cowboy hats.

enjoy now.

11.10.09

todays word.

thankful.

perfect time of the year to be.

perfect time to write it down.

perfect time to read the notes -

on thanksgiving day. i downloaded the mini framed poster here.

printed the cards from here. the notes are being used already.

i can't wait to see what everyone writes.

mine is visible but the rest are turned backwards.

no copying someone elses "thankful" thoughts.

i've taken a peek.

i love the words of children.

i love what they are thankful for.

i love it that there is not one wii or ps2 in the vase.

i love being thankful.

i have so much to write down.

i'm off to add my own thankful thoughts.

11.9.2009

mondays word:

proof.

lots and lots of them.
mondays second word.
procrastination.
i FINALLY sat down and looked
at the pictures from lauren & aarons wedding.
so many great photos.
so many great memories.
can't believe it was over three months ago.
i relived the day all over today.
i relived the thriller dance party.
can't wait to order some pictures.
today.
now.