House of Chaos

The Poprik's Go to Disney - Part 7 Hollywood Studios Redo!

2011-06-27T10:00:00.000-05:00

After spending a day at each of the Disney parks we had 3 days left. We decided that our top 3 places to visit again were Hollywood Studios, Epcot and The Magic Kingdom.

This time at Hollywood Studios, we hit the attractions that we missed first, Like the Studio BackLot Tour. Ashley was excited to see the props from Pirates of the Caribean were prominently featured. The only thing missing was Johnny Depp.

Herbie!

Then we hit up our favorite rides. This time I got to ride Tower of Terror with Ashley.

We all relaxed a lot on this round and started just acting really goofy. Maybe it was the lack of sleep!

That evening there was a Disney Junior dance party. We decided to stop in and check it out. Alan had the best time dancing with Handy Manny.

He told Minnie Mouse that he didn't need to learn the electric slide because his "moves" were better.

Rowan stayed close to the wall. Too many costumed characters for her, but every now and then we would catch her dancing.

Of course we had to hit our favorite ride, Toy Story Mania, several times.

Rowan was quite the little pro.

After we left Toy Story Mania, we saw that there was a character greeting with Buzz Lightyear across the street. The line wasn't too bad so we went on in. There were lots of opportunities for goody pictures while we waited.

and finally, they met Buzz!

Alan was very excited!

We decided to take advantage of the photopass!

After realizing what time is was, we decided to head over to see Fantasmic! It was right by the Tower of Terror and I have to say it was kind of creepy looking at night.

Fantasmic was fun, but Rowan didn't stay awake to the end. One of the Disney cast members say us carrying her out and offered us one of the strollers that had been left in the back of the back of the park. We only had to carry her from the gate to the tram and the car. The next day was more fun at Epcot!

The Poprik's Go to Disney - Part 6 Animal Kingdom

2011-06-26T19:46:00.000-05:00

By Day 6 of our trip we had already visited, Downtown Disney, Epcot, Magic Kingdom, Hollywood Studios, Typhoon Lagoon and had 2 character dining experiences. We were tired but ready to check out Disney's newest park. Animal Kingdom! We got the park right as it opened and hopped the tram to the gate.

The kids were getting tired of pictures, but we still had them pose in front of the Tree of Life.

David went to get our locker and fastpasses for Expedition Everest while I took the kids to DinoLand. Along the way we bumped into Stitch again and this time he had Lilo with him.

Help my son is being mauled a bear!

While we were seeing Winnie the Pooh I found out about the Disney Photopass. The Disney photographers take your pictures and then scan the information to a card. You take the card with you and you can check the photopass website to buy the pictures. They are much better than anything that I could take and we really wish we had known about it 6 days earlier! You can add some really fun borders to the pictures too.

After visiting with Pooh, Tigger and Eeyore, met up with David and he and Ashley headed over to Expedition Everest while I took the little ones over to DinoLand. The first ride they spotted was the Triceratops Spin. It is basically the same ride as Dumbo, but with dinosaurs.

After wards we went over to the Boneyard for the kids to climb and play. It is basically a big playground and they enjoyed having the chance to climb and run. When David and Ashley met up with us we decided to check out Finding Nemo- The Musical and then Dinosaur.

As you can tell this ride was intense and not a favorite AT ALL. Alan was terrified and Rowan was not a happy camper.

After our scare in DinoLand we decided to watch It's Tough to be a Bug. We had enjoyed all of the 3d movies so far and thought it would be a great way to make up for the scary Dinosaur ride. We were WRONG! Tarantula's dropped from the ceiling and the seat backs poked you to simulate being stung in this 4d experience. Not cool for little ones at all. Afterwards we headed over to Asia to decompress a bit and have a picnic lunch.

There was a nice area with tables across from the Flight of Wonder and it had a great view.

During lunch we decided to do something low key and fun for all of us, so we headed out to Rafiki's Planet Watch. You ride a cute train out to the attraction and the kids had a good time.

Rafiki's Planet Watch has a small petting zoo.

and a nature trail. The kids liked trying to find butterflies.

Rafiki's Planet Watch has a large educational building where they show the food the animals there eat and have different hands on exhibits.

They also had some really big animals.

As we were leaving Rafiki's Planet Watch we bumped into this guy.

After returning from Rafiki's Planet Watch we headed over to Africa and the Kilamanjaro Safari. Honestly, we were disappointed. Instead of making the safari a normal and informative experience that our family was wanting, it was a full blown ride with fake bridge collapses and hunting poachers. We really just wanted to see some giraffes and zebras so it was kind of annoying.

After Africa we headed back over to Asia so that Ashley and I could ride Expedition Everest and Kali River Rapids.

David took the kids back to the Boneyard to run around and play.

Animal Kingdom closed at 6pm the day we were there, so we headed over to Downtown Disney to do some shopping before heading back to the hotel and getting ready for the next day.

The Poprik's Go to Disney - Part 5 Typhoon Lagoon

2011-06-26T12:07:00.000-05:00

On Wednesday we decided to take a mid-week break from the parks and have a relaxing day at Typhoon Lagoon. We started off with a ride around the lazy river and then Ashley and David took of for some of the big kid slides. I stayed with Alan and Rowan at the wave pool and kids areas.

Floating in Castaway Creek

The wave pool has incredibly large and srtong waves that would knock Alan and Rowan over even in just a few inches of water, so they sepent most of their time playing in a shower. Rowan was having an AWESOME time!

David and Ashley met up with us and pointed out Ketchakiddee Creek. This was a great play are with water cannons and a kid sized tube slide. They basically spent the rest of the day in there.

At lunch time we grabbed our lunch bag and floated over to the shark tank area for a picnic lunch.

While we were eating David surprised Ashley by telling her that she was going to get to scuba dive in the shark tank. There is an overturned ship in the middle of the tank and on one side you can snorkel across the tank, but the other side has a a place to rent scuba gear and you get to dive in the tank for 20 minutes!

Hanging out on the rock in the tank after she found a hidden Mickey with some new baby fish by it.

Posing for a picture before Ashley and I went off to do some slides and David hung out with the kids at Ketchakidee Creek.

We ended our day at Typhoon Lagoon with another float in Castaway Creek. The park closed while we were in the water so we had to get out and walk a bit to get to our locker. While David was getting our stuff, Stitch showed up. Alan took the opportunity to give him a hug and get a picture.

Ashley was getting a bit tired of her brother and sister at this point. LOL

We took advantage of the early day and went to our last character dinner at Grand Floridian and Cinderella's Happily Ever After Banquet. and got ready for the next day at Animal Kingdom.

The Poprik's Go to Disney - Part 4 Hollywood Studios

2011-06-26T08:51:00.000-05:00

On Tuesday we headed over to Hollywood Studios to spend a day seeing shows and checking out rides.

The first thing we did was head to Sunset Boulevard to check out the Tower of Terror. Alan hated even being in the line and we ended up making a quick exit after Ashley and David got on their elevator.

David and Ashley waiting to ride.

We headed over to the Animation Courtyard to see Voyage of the Little Mermaid which the kids really enjoyed. Afterwards we headed of to the walk through exhibits at Magic of Disney Animation while we waited for the Disney Junior show to start. We were able to see several displays of Cars 2 and the new Winnie the Pooh movies coming out this summer.
Magic of Disney Animation

David getting ready for the Disney Junior Show. He looks thrilled. The show was actually really cute, but I think we sat a bit too close to the stage. It was hard to see what was going on.

Alan collecting "gold" dropped from Jake and the Neverland Pirates

When the Disney Junior show was over, we headed over to Pixar Place and the Toy Story Mania ride. This ride is incredibly popular and the lines were really long. After going in we could see why! This was definitely a family favorite and we rode it over and over again. We liked this one so much that we even got the Wii game version as soon as we got home!

Ashley in line for Toy Story Mania

After a picnic lunch we headed over to the Streets of America and all of the shows in this area. We really enjoyed everything in this section of the park. The Lights, Motors, Action! Extreme Stunt Show was really fun and sparked an interest in the Herbie movies! It was really interesting to see how well choreographed the cars and drivers are for these stunts. This also had the kids new favorite Muppet*Vision 3d. It .was a silly movie with lots of fun effects that also spurred a spree of Muppet Show rentals when we got home. The Swedish Chef was definitely a big hit.

Goofing around the Streets of America

Waiting for the Light's Motor Action Extreme Stunt Show to start.

Waiting for Muppet*Vision 3d

Pigs in Space!

After the Muppet movie Alan, Rowan and David headed over to the Honey I Shrunk the Kids play area, while Ashley and I ran over to use our fastpasses at the Rock 'n' Roller Coaster. The ride was really fun and ended up being Ashley's favorite of the trip. I just didn't like that it took off so fast that I felt like I left my face back at the beginning.

In line for the Rock'n'Roller Coaster

Ripped off shot of our ride pics.

After using up our fastpasses we decided to have Pizza Planet for dinner!

and a few games at Pizza Planet.

After riding Toy Story Mania again, we headed back to Hollywood Boulevard and the Great Movie Ride. There are several props displayed along the line and we got to see one of the kids favorites.
Mary Poppins Carousel horse

By now it was getting late and we decided to head out while the crowds were at Fantasmic! After a quick tram ride to our car, we we headed back to the hotel to get some rest for our next adventure- Typhoon Lagoon.

The Poprik's Go to Disney - Part 3 The Magic Kingdom

2011-06-25T16:11:00.000-05:00

On the second day of our Disney adventure we went to the place that the kids had been talking about for a year - The Magic Kingdom!! We were a bit tired from our late night at Epcot so we didn't get to the park right as it opened like we had planned. We did get there pretty early and rode the tram up to the monorail station thinking that we were still early. Well The express monorail was packed and the line was huge, so we ended up cheating and taking the resort monorail. It was really fun to get to see the resorts and we actually made it the park before we would have on the express.

Once we were inside the park, we grabbed a locker and posed for a picture.

We decided to start our day in Tomorrowland. We started with the Tomorrowland speedway and let the kids drive us around for a change.

Rowan was a very enthusiastic driver, while Alan didn't like how jerky the cars were.

One of the bad part of being a family of 5 is that one person has to ride alone sometimes. Usually Rowan and Alan were small enough that 3 of us could cram into one seat, but for this one Ashley drove alone.

The next ride was Space Mountain and then on the Astro Orbiter.

The kids really liked most of the rides in Tomorrowland, except for Stitch's Great Escape. It is very dark, the rides presses on your shoulders and you can't see as a crazed Stitch spits in your face. Not a family favorite at all.
I was really surprised at how much the kids liked the Carousel of Progress. The would even start singing the "Great big beautiful tomorrow" song randomly while we were walking around. The Peoplemover was another surprising favorite and the little ones liked riding that while Ashley rode Space Mountain.

I had 2 favorite attractions in Tomorrowland. The first one was the Monsters, Inc laugh floor. It was really silly and cool how the monsters interacted with people in the audience. The kids loved it and it was nice to be inside for a bit. The second one was Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin.

This one was a lot of fun, and it was kind of like being in a video game.

Alan took his shooting very seriously.

and so did Ashley!

After we finished up in Tomorrowland, we headed up to the lockers to grab out our lunch. We found some chairs in the shade on the second floor of the Main Street train station. We got to have lunch with a great view of Main Street and do some people watching before we boarded the train and headed over to Frontierland. We rode the Big Thunder Mountain railroad and Splash Mountain. The kids loved these rides and we ended up riding them over and over, especially Splash Mountain. That ended up being our favorite ride on the trip.

From here we headed over to Adventureland and rode the Jungle cruise and Aladdin's Magic Carpet ride.
David and Ashley were hoping to be hit by the spitting camel.

Then we headed over to Pirates of the Caribean so that Ashley could get her dose of Johnny Depp in. It was actually a lot of fun and very cool to see what the ride was like after seeing all the movies.

After spending some time walking around the Johnny Depp shrine (Pirate of the Caribean store) we headed over to Liberty Square and the Haunted Mansion. This was another unexpected favorite. The kids all loved how silly this ride was and we rode it over and over again before heading over to Fantasyland.

We were really excited about Fanastyland so we ran over and rode the Dumbo The Flying Elephant ride. This is basically the same ride as the Astro orbiter and Alladin's Flying carpets, but the kids still wanted to go on the elephant.

Afterwards we caught the next showing of Mickey's Philharmagic. Alan LOVED this 3d movie. I am not sure that I heard him laugh so hard during the rest of our trip. It made me want to copy this movie and bring it home for him to watch everyday.

Afterwards we were getting pretty hungry so we headed back to Liberty Square. The Liberty Tree Tavern is a sit down restaurant that has one of our favorite things- New England Clam Chowder. Well it is a bit pricey and we really didn't feel like going in to a table service place, so we went to the Columbia Harbour House around the corner. It has the same food, but is counter service and much less expensive. I got the same soup for half the price and we didn't have to wait for a server to get it all ready for us. I really liked this place and definitely plan to go back there on future trips.

After dinner we decided to finish up what we could in Fanastyland before the parade and fireworks shows.
We had to ride It's a Small world and sing along before we rode the Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh and Peter Pan's Flight.

Ashley on It's a Small World

David and Alan on Peter Pan's Flight

We were able to squeeze in Snow White's Scary Adventure before heading back for another turn on The Haunted Mansion after dark.

Afterwards we headed over to see the Main Street Electrical parade and then a new show with projected images on the castle before the fireworks.

Castle at night.

Afterwards we rode Splash Mountain a few times while the crowds cleared out. this was definitely our latest night and we didn't leave the park until almost midnight!
It was a jam packed day and we were tired as we headed back to the monorail to take us to the parking lot. We needed to get some sleep because the next day was on to Hollywood Studios!

The Poprik's Go to Disney -Part 2 Epcot

2011-06-24T14:57:00.000-05:00

Sunday morning was our first day in the parks. We ate a small breakfast in the hotel because we had very late breakfast reservation at Chef Mickeys. 11:50 was more like lunch so we treated it like that. We decided to start off at EPCOT because the lines for that day were predicted to be lower, they were having the fireworks that night and honestly, I couldn't imagine trying to drag the kids out of the Magic Kingdom to head over for breakfast.

For those of you that have been to Disney World, you know that you usually can't just drive up and go in. Depending on the park you are going to you will ride trams, monorails, boats or take a guided Sherpa tour to get to the gate. We lucked out and got to the parking lot early enough to just hop on a tram to the front gate. We were there for the last week of the Flower and Garden Festival and it was gorgeous. The flowers were amazing and Rowan was in heaven. I think we spent half of our morning checking out the flowers.

David decided to take care of finding a locker and the easiest way to get to our lunch reservation while the kids and I went on our first ride. We started off our trip with Spaceship Earth. There was no line so we walked right on and it was a nice relaxing ride. The kids loved it and our trip was off to a great start. We rode it again with David and then headed of to Mission:Space. This was where our trip made a bit of a turn. Rowan was too short to ride, so she and I went to the playscape area while we waited on David, Alan and Ashley. The play area was really cool and reminded me of the local Mcdonald's playscape, but with an outer space theme. Everyone was having fun, except Alan. He was not a happy camper with the ride and was very resistant to going on anything else. We ended up just hanging out in the play area for a bit and then headed over to the Innoventions center until we needed to leave for our Chef Mickey's reservation.

Chef Mickey's is at the Contemporary resort, so we took the monorail over. We ended up taking the TRON themed monorail ( The TRONorail) and this seemed to perk Alan up. The kids thought the Monorail was great and we were all happy and ready for lunch at Chef Mickey's. There is a post just on our character dining experiences at It Happens at Dinner. It was fun, the kids liked it and Rowan hates costumed characters.

After lunch we headed back over to EPCOT on the monorail and picked back up in Future World where we had left off. For weeks we had been watching Disney resort dvds to get the kids ready for the trip and Rowan had decided that she HAD to ride Test Track. I was really surprised that she liked it and sad that Alan did not. It was very loud and a few parts were designed to make it look like you were going to crash, so he just hated it. They all loved playing in the showcase cars in the pavilion when you leave the ride though.

After this we went to the other Innoventions center and everyone played for a bit, even David. He got to check out the segways.

and I tried on more Goofy hats.

From here we ventured over to The Land Pavilion and rode Soarin. It was a hit! The ride makes it feel as though you are gliding over California, complete with sent of ocean spray and orange groves. We ended up riding this one several times.

From here we rode the Living with the Land boat ride that was an unexpected favorite. The last portion of the ride takes you through some of the Disney greenhouses and the kids though it was great to see tomato and watermelon trees and started planning what to plant in our garden at home.

By then it was starting to get dark and the Future World attractions were starting to close so we made a quick run around the World Showcase and tried to stake out a spot for the Illuminations: Reflections of Earth show that is put on in the World Showcase lagoon.

By now the kids were getting pretty tired, but were really into the show.

After the show we tried to hustle out before the crowd, but we ended up stopping to take lots of pictures instead. :)

We got back to the hotel and hopped right into bed. The next day was going to be our first exciting day at The Magic Kingdom!

The Poprik's Go to Disney - Part1

2011-06-02T15:52:00.000-05:00

Well, we finally did it. After 5 years of promising and 3 years of saving, we loaded up the minivan and drove the kids halfway across the country to hang out in the land of Mickey Mouse. We took 2 days and tried to space it out so that the kids got lots of breaks and we had time to play a bit once we got to our hotel.
The first day we stopped in Houston and dropped off our big Kodi dog with some friends. The big guy lots of hugs and love before we headed off to Lake Charles for lunch. My friend Leslea is from the area and had told me about a beach area right off of I-10 with an alligator pond and picnic tables. This was the perfect place for us to have lunch. We got there, looked at some alligators, had our picnic lunch and played in the sand. The girls were working on a sandcastle when we heard the music. You know, the music that makes all kids ears perk and mouth's salivate. It was an ICE CREAM TRUCK. How cool is that?

Sorry for the grainy cell phone pic.

The kids were really excited to eat their ice cream and then ready to get back in the van to continue our adventure. We made a couple wrong turns and had a horrible dinner at Shoney's in Slidell, Louisiana, but we ended up making it to Defuniak Springs, Florida for bedtime. I was really happy that we had made it so far and that the next day was going to be much shorter. We headed out around 8 and ended up getting to our hotel around 3. They wouldn't let us check in until 4 so we headed over to a local WalMart that had discount tickets and lots of fun souvenir stuff. We loaded up on fruits and sandwich stuff for the next few days and went back to check in to the hotel.

After scoping out our room, we headed over to Downtown Disney for dinner and a taste of the Disney World excitement. We were not let down. It was time for dinner so we decided to try out T-Rex. It is a dinosaur themed version of the Rainforest Cafe. The food is very similar and basically you can just switch out an elephant for a Triceratops and that's the restaurant.

The kids thought the jellyfish room was pretty cool.

After dinner we decided to walk around and check out the shops. The first place that we went in was the Lego Imagination Center. The had the coolest design area with computer models of Lego's and big bins of various shapes and colors. The kids loved it!

There were also really impressed with the cool Lego statues everywhere. I have to admit that I was impressed too!

Afterwards we went in some shops and goofed around and posed with hats and the decorations outside. It was a ton of fun and honestly it was just great to be out of the car.

We ended the night with a ride on the carousel and headed back to the hotel to try to get some rest before heading out for our first day at the parks and Epcot

Alan is Golden Gator!

2011-05-23T09:16:00.000-05:00

On April 14th Alan was chosen to be the Golden Gator for his class. Each class picks one child each six weeks to honor with the Golden gator award. Alan was chosen for being a good friend and always trying hard.

We were very proud of him and he was so excited!!

Alan getting his award.

Hanging with the Ally the Gator- school mascot

All of the proud Golden Gators.

Ashley is 11!!!

2011-04-14T12:10:00.000-05:00

It's hard to believe that 11 years have passed since the most amazing baby girl changed my life forever. Once I got to see her beautiful face I realized that what I wanted no longer mattered and she was the new ruler of my life and heart. Having Ashley changed my life in ways I never expected. Until I was her mother, I never knew that I could love someone so much. This day is all for you my big girl!

You were so small and cute- even though you were a bit orange.

Watching you grow and learn has been an adventure.

Being your mom took some getting used to. I was always worried about doing what was best for you and made sure that everything you ate was as healthy and natural as possible. Thank you for eating your wheatgrass first birthday cake that almost slid off the plate. Yeah- sorry.

You helped to keep me focused on what was important. Even when school got tough and the demands of being a student and your mom got to me, looking at you made me realize it was all worth it.

Your capacity to love and care for Barney showed me what a loving person you would be.

and those little red pigtails always made me smile.

Being your mom helped me to realize that I need to wait for the perfect man for not only me, but for you too. Because of you, I had the courage to meet David.

and make our family complete.

Watching you grow has been a pleasure and a privilege.

and I look forward to knowing the woman you will become. Happy Birthday!

Spring Break

2011-03-23T11:14:00.000-05:00

Last week was Spring break for the kids. David only had Friday off so we didn't really do anything special, but I enjoyed the time with the kids.We tried to do something interesting each day to help keep the kids from getting bored. It worked the first few days, but by the end I was wiped out and we spent most of out time getting ready for the next week.

On Monday we went to the mall. Alan and Rowan played at the playground for hours while Ashley did some shopping. She got 2 new bathing suits so she is set for summer!

Tuesday was Big Kid Cookie Camp. Ashley and another girl made traditional and a few not so traditional Irish treats. The ice cream pie was definitely the favorite!

Wednesday was Little leprechaun camp. The kids made Leprechaun bark, decorated sugar cookies, made shamrock shaped cinnamon biscuits and Rainbow skewers.

Ashley is quickly morphing into a teenager and is liking to tune us out more and more. Notice the headphones in the above picture.

Rowan loved to show off her knowledge of the order of colors of the rainbow and kept telling everyone which fruit needed to go on next. They had a great time, but I think more treats went in the kids then got made!

Alan kind of lost the Irish theme and decided to make a 3-eyed alien cookie.

Oh and Rowan has finally graduated out of the carseat and now sits in a big girl booster. She was very excited to get her new pink seat and insisted on a picture. No more babies here!

Cookies and Carnivals

2011-03-01T20:50:00.000-06:00

Girl Scout cookie sales are finally over. Ashley ended up selling 1157 boxes and hit her goal! She is glad to be done is ready to spend more time hanging out with her puppy.

Alan's school had their spring carnival last weekend. He and David went on a father/son day and had a great time.

He rode the barrel trains. Not sure how much longer he will fit in that thing!

Then he painted a car. Check out his shades!

Won a pan of brownies and chocolate chip cookies at the cake walk.

Then played on the playground with his best friend Daniel and Isa.

He had a great time!!!

The Flu and Growing Boys

2011-02-12T12:31:00.000-06:00

This has been one of those weeks. More stinky weather, threatened school closings and oh yes, the flu. Technically, I am the only one that has it, but Alan came home from school early on Wednesday with a fever and was all around miserable. On Thursday I called his pediatrician who said just to wait and see if he develops anymore symptoms before bringing him in. That afternoon I went to my appointment and found out that I had the flu, so I came home grabbed my boy and ran him to the closest Urgent Care. After 2 hours in the lobby with me wearing the mask of shame, we went to the exam room.

Ala was a real trooper during the swab test ans just cuddled in my lap until we got the results. His test was negative, but we went ahead and got Tamiflu for him. So far today he seems to be back to his regular self and doing well. I still feel like I lost a street fight with a chain smoker, but hopefully that will end soon.

One interesting thing was seeing how much he has grown. It seems like Alan is taking after his sister by being one of those "off the chart" kind of kids. He is 49 inches tall and 50 pounds. He is getting to be such a big boy! I guess that explains why he eats so much. I am nervous about the teenaged years.

Snow Day!!

2011-02-08T10:17:00.000-06:00

The unbelievable happened! It snowed in Central Texas!

Ok its not really unbelievable since it has happened every year for the past few years, but it is still extremely exciting and a rare treat for the kids. Alan and Ashley had the day off from school and David was out of work. then entire town shut down in anticipation of the massive snow fall we were expecting. People flooded the stores to stock up on supplies for the coming blizzard.

A friend of mine posted this picture that I think basically sums up the atmosphere of Central Texas on the 4th.

The kids went to bed on the third expecting to get up and make snowmen and snow angels. The excitement was in the air. At 6:30 in the morning they woke up to this.

Yeah it wasn't overwhelming, but they had a good time making snow angels in the driveway and scraping up what they could get into teeny tiny snowmen. I even got to use the matchstick carrots as noses and jellybean eyes. They had fun and are eagerly anticipating another snow day.

100th Day of School

2011-01-31T17:34:00.000-06:00

This morning did not get off to a good start. Alan's bird crib soother finally bit the dust after 5 1/2 years of hard work. He woke up crying because his birds wouldn't come on and I just knew he was going to be upset all day. I waited for the bad report as I pulled up to get him and found out the he had a WONDERFUL day. He looked absolutely adorable in his 100 hat that he made and Fruit loop necklace. The class had decorated tshirts and made a bag of trail mix. Alan was so excited to tell Rowan all about his day. Honestly, it's the happiest I have seen him at school pickup in ages. So YAY for a good day!

Check out his outfit!

and the cute grin

Ashley has been really working hard at selling Girl Scout cookies. She is trying to sell over 1000 boxes, so she has been going door to door almost daily. I was contacted by Girl Scouts of Central Texas eNews last week and they want to do a story about her! She is so excited and so am I frankly. I will keep you posted when that comes out.

Miss Rowan is just trucking along. We will go to Temple on Thursday to check on her eyes and see if she is ready for bifocals. What a cutie!

David's Birthday Fun Times!

2011-01-23T17:26:00.000-06:00

Last Saturday was David's birthday. We celebrated by making him green eggs and ham to eat in bed then having some of his oldest friends come to visit with their families for the day.

Nothing like waking up to a plate of your favorites!

The kids had a picnic breakfast at the foot of the bed. Its amazing how they can manage to destroy a tablecloth when its on the table, but don't drop a thing on it when it is used as a blanket.

His favorite gift was the ShopVac. The next day he started working on new projects like fixing the entry way tiles.NOthing like a gidt that gives back to me!!

We finished off the birthday celebration with some awesome cupcakes from Allycakes bakery! YUM!!!

Green Eggs and Ham

2011-01-11T20:57:00.000-06:00

The other night Alan decided that he needed to make green eggs and ham. He had a great time cooking with his daddy and really enjoyed them. It was very cute. Rowan wanted to make some too, but then she refused to eat them. I guess she needs to hear the story a few more times before she catches on!

Alan's First Lost Tooth!

2011-01-10T21:49:00.000-06:00

Last day of Winter Break

2011-01-03T10:15:00.000-06:00

Today is the last day of Winter Break and I have to say that I am not as excited as I thought I would be. By now I am usually ready to pull out my hair and scream, but the break has gone reasonably well. I am not sure if it is because we haven't really had any family here over the break or because we have just been relaxing, but I am not in a big hurry to get up early and send them off in the morning.

Here are a few pictures from the last couple of weeks.

Holy Cow! I still have a blog!

2010-12-29T14:25:00.000-06:00

Yes I know it has been a year since I updated this. Alot has happened in that year.

Rowan got glasses, Alan started kindergarten, Ashley grew a foot and started intermediate school. Oh and I started a business. I will fill in the details later, but until then here are some pictures.

Puppies, Parties and Puke

2010-01-17T19:39:00.000-06:00

Well this was a truly stressful week. Monday started off with school then an ENT appointment for Ashley, quick dinner and then a Girl Scout meeting. We placed our pre-order for cookies and just got ready for the semester of scouts in general. Tuesday was school, in-home trainer visit for Alan and getting ready for David's birthday. Wednesday night a good friend and her 2 boys came over for dinner. The kids had a great time and Alan was sad to see her oldest little boy go. We ended up convincing him that it would be ok because they were going to go to get their haircuts together on Saturday. That's right, I said HAIRCUT... my boy was going to get his first haircut. Thursday we had more friends over at lunch and finished preparing for David's birthday the next day.

Unfortunately, Thursday evening took an unexpectedly bad turn for us. Kodi had been outside for about 20 minutes when David went to go bring him in. He found Kodi cowering under one of the patio chairs and unwilling to come out. When David reached under to pull him out, Kodi started yelping and yowling like crazy so David had to carry him inside. He laid Kodi down on the floor and we realized that he was holding his back left leg up close to his body and would yowl in pain if we tried to straighten it. After getting the kids to bed, David decided to take Kodi in for an emergency vet visit. Turns out, our sweet dog has somehow managed to be just as much of a klutz as the rest of this family. Kodi has a broken leg. The vet says it looks like it is from a low fall like from a chair, so we are guessing he was trying to get on our patio table and took a tumble.

Friday morning David got to take him in first thing to get sedated and have a splint put on. It was not the best start to his birthday. Kodi has to stay confined to his crate for 3-4 weeks. This should be fun!

Friday night we celebrated David's birthday with some friends at a local hibachi restaurant. The food was great, the company was wonderful, the smell....awful. I am not sure what was going on, but each tell they would clean a hibachi table, this horrible stench of sewage or old fish would just come wafting out of the drains. It was HORRIBLE. Bad enough that Alan requested repeatedly to go to the bathroom for fresh air. He would act like he was sick and then be fine in the bathroom. Of course me being the mean mom that I am, I made him stay at the table while we sang to David and ate cake. This was more then his little tummy could handle. Thankfully, we were outside. I guess the saying " The party ain't over 'till somebody pukes" still applies at 41st birthdays when youngsters with sensitive gag reflexes are involved. So Happy Birthday to my sweet husband! The day starting with a yowl and ended with a puke. At least the cake was good.

Saturday morning, after feeding a ravenous Alan, the kids and I set off to Tejas Cuts for haircuts. They have a cute little racecar for the kids to sit in and movies playing for them to watch while getting their cuts. Alan's hair was really getting unruly and he was starting to actually have Gene Wilder hair so it was time. We convinced him that it would be fun to go and get his haircut with his buddy Matthew. Big thanks to my wonderful Jennifer for coming on this crazy haircut adventure with us and pimping out her son as a haircut model. Alan watched Matthew brave the scissors treatment before he climbed into the car himself. He did a great job! There were some near tears when she was cutting around his ears, but he held it together once he was convinced that she wouldn't cut his ears off. He had told me that she couldn't cut his ears because he needs them to hear.

I actually held up pretty well myself. I was afraid that his beautiful curls would be gone, but he still has them. The large curly q in the front is gone, but all in all he looks great.

Before

Handsome boy after

Rowan decided that it looked like so much fun that she got her first haircut as well. Her hair has gotten so long and curly that it really didn't need much more than a trim. The hairdresser asked if she would like bangs, but those are no good for those of us with curly hair, so the cut isn't very dramatic. Rowan did a good job with sitting still, other than constantly trying to talk to me. Sweet girl ended up with with a cute little cut that looks about the same as it started, but she was brave and she enjoyed it. It was a big day for my babies!

Before

After

The entire crew

After the big haircuts we went to a first birthday party. The kids had a great time and loaded up on cupcakes. You can tell Alan had more than his fill.

When that party was over, we went back home for another party for David. His parents and brother's family came in for the day. Everyone enjoyed catching up and the kids loved playing with their cousins. We tried a new cake out this year. It was Chocolate Tuxedo Cake and wonderful! Props to HEB for making me look good!!

Back in the Saddle!

2010-01-12T14:53:00.000-06:00

We are finally starting to get back into the swing of things now that school has started back up. Alan and Ashley both have student teachers in their classrooms this semester. That should be a lot of fun for the teachers!

The kids are really adjusting well to being back in the routine and our finding ways to amuse themselves now that the holiday excitement has worn off. David brought home some water bottles that were left over from a training class he took last week. You would think that he brought home the coolest toys ever. They lined them up and played peek-a-boo from behind them and then carted them all upstairs to go in the playroom.

Ashley and Alan got their report cars on Friday. Ashley made the honor roll so we celebrated with popcorn and watching Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs. It was a really a cute movie and of course the popcorn was great. David definitely know how to make good popcorn! Kodi loved catching all the popcorn the kids "dropped".

Alan loves to cook. Lately he has been sitting on the counter while I cook dinner and mixing spices in a little blue bowl. He goes through the spice rack and picks out what he thinks will taste good. He always picks garlic! That my boy!!!

Ashley is getting ready for Girl Scout Cookie time. She has picked out 2 camps that she wants to go to and has set a goal for the number of cookies she has to sell to get to go to them. If she sells 540 boxes, she will earn 150 towards camp. That will help cover the cost of one week. To get to go to 2 camps, she will need to be closer to 1000. Wish her (and me) luck!

Christmas Break 2009

2010-01-05T18:06:00.000-06:00

The kids had a great break and I surprised myself by enjoying having them home. I was actually sad when they left to go back to school today. We started off the break with some playdates with friends, rainy weather and last minute shopping. David was off starting on the 23rd and had made himself a long to do list, but we distracted him quite a bit and he only got part of it done.

We spent Christmas Eve hanging around the house, grilling steaks in the freezing cold and prepping for Santa's arrival. We opted not to have a fireplace when we built our house and this is really the only time of year that I question that decision. There is a large shelf hanging over a bookcase in our living room that we hang our stockings from every year. As we were getting Santa's cookies ready, Alan asked where our fireplace was going to be. We had watched The Santa Clause several times and he knew that Santa would magically create a fireplace to enter our house. When I told him that it would be where our bookcase is, he got very upset and started taking the baskets of toys off the shelves. He told us that they had to be moved so that they wouldn't burn up when Santa made it a fire! So cute!

So we cleared the bookcase and left the openings for Santa to use for our filled stockings.

Christmas morning, the kids were very excited to check out their Santa loot. Ashley got Rabbids Go Home- a Wii game she has been wanting. Alan and Rowan got bikes and we are still working on getting them to peddle. After breakfast we went upstairs and opened presents. The kids made out like bandits as usual and were really excited. Later Christmas Day we went to Spring to have Christmas with David's family. They had a great time playing with cousins and testing out their new toys.

The next week we just hung around and played. David worked on puppy proofing our yard. Kodi has gotten to be quite the little digger. David lined our entire fence with chicken wire so Kodi can't dig his way out. So far it seems to be working! Now if we could only teach him to wipe his feet before he comes inside!

We spent New Years Eve having a potluck at a friends house. They had sparklers and some fireworks that the kids really loved. The next day David found a fireworks stand and got some more sparklers for the kids to try out at home. Kodi was really freaked out by the smell. All in all it was a great break!

More fun school excitement!

2009-12-20T23:05:00.000-06:00

Ashley and Alan's classes had holiday celebrations on the last day before the break. Ashley's class made gingerbread houses. Ok well they were only sort of gingerbread houses. They were actually made out of graham crackers and hot glue, but the kids had a great time decorating them. Rowan loved getting to go to the school and join in the fun. I am sure she thinks school is just a bunch of singing and parties!

Breakfast of Champions!

Alan's pre-k class was full of snacks too!

Celebrations begin - Scooter Time!

2009-12-20T16:51:00.000-06:00

My parents came in for an early Christmas celebrations. The kids each received a scooter and helmet from Nana and Papa. It was hilarious to watch them get all suited up to go out and play. We have had a string of rainy days, so they were excited just to get outside.

Rowan looked like a little mushroom with the big hardshell helmet on. It was really cute!

Kodi enjoyed getting out for a bit as well.

Ashley was a pro! She had been on scooters at friend's houses before, so she knew what she was doing.

Alan figured it out in a matter of minutes. He was so excited when he saw the box to his McQueen scooter. The helmet was not as exciting though. Once he finally let us put it on him he had a great time.

Rowan took longer to get used to the scooter. She would just straddle the scooter and run with it. It was really funny. We kept explaining to her how to ride and Ashley would show her. She would try for a minute and then explain to us why it was impossible. She is so little that she could not get her foot around the back wheels. She has the hang of it now, but it made for a funny afternoon.

Christmas in the Park

2009-12-18T19:07:00.000-06:00

Ashley sang with the schools show choir at Christmas in the Park. After they were done performing, we got in line to see Santa. It was touch and go on whether or not Rowan was going to be able to muster the courage to talk to him. We kept telling her that if she wants a Dora bike then she has to tell Santa that she wants it. Alan was a bit tentative, but handled the fear well. There was no getting a smile out of him though!

After their Christmas requests were given to Santa and we were heading to the car, Rowan looked up and said " Hey, where's my Dora bike?" I guess she thought that if she asked she would immediately receive the bike. Waiting is not her strong suit. So, the next day she made a Christmas countdown chain with Nana. Every night she tears off a link and it gets one night closer to Christmas. I am just waiting for the day when she rips all the links off and announces that it is present time.

Gingerbread House and Tree Decorating

2009-12-18T16:31:00.001-06:00

Thanksgiving Fun and Excitement

2009-12-05T14:00:00.000-06:00

Thanksgiving was full of fun and excitement around here. Alan's class had a Thanksgiving Feast and program for the parents on the same day as the school's family lunch day. The kids sang a few songs for us and gave their parents the crafts that they had been working on. It was really cute. Afterwards, we all met Ashley and had lunch with her. It was a lot of turkey on one day, but we all enjoyed it.

Meet Kodi!

2009-12-02T22:47:00.001-06:00

This is our newest family member .... Kodi!!!!

He is a sweet 10 week old Chocolate lab. Ashley is so excited that she can hardly stand it. David had been combing the Internet looking for a chocolate lab for days. The Saturday before Thanksgiving he found a woman with one lab left. We packed up the car and went to Columbus to meet her and the puppy. it was love at first site for the oldest Popriks. The younger ones are taking more time to come around., but they enjoyed playing in his kennel.

Alan finally started to come around. Now the poor dog can't even take a nap without having his tail pulled or having a radio set next to him to learn his ABC's. Occasionally he will just fall asleep where he can. Kodi is fitting in well!

Veterans Day Celebrations and Mall Carnivals

2009-11-27T07:04:00.000-06:00

The 4th grade did a Veteran's Day presentation. They sang patriotic songs and showed pictures of relatives that had served in the Armed Forces. You can tell from the pictures that the kids were obviously thrilled

The carnival was at the mall a few weeks ago. Ashley got to take a friend to run around with while we took the little ones on some rides. The had the best time! Well not Rowan, but Ashley and Alan did. Rowan was scared of most of the rides but loved the fun houses and going through those. Alan and Ashley had no fear of the rides and went on everything they could.

Checking out the view on the Ferris Wheel

Girl Scout Campout

2009-11-25T16:18:00.001-06:00

On November 6th, I went on my first camping adventure in 15 years. I went with Ashley's Girl Scout troop to spend the night at Camp Howdy. There is nothing better to reintroduce yourself to the great outdoors like an overnight with a group of 9 year old girls. I was exhausted. Man they have some energy. Those girls were pyros! Their favorite activity was starting the campfire and keeping it going. They really refined their savaging skills looking for twigs and kindling. I am not sure if we should have handed them the large box of matches, but it seemed to keep them entertained for hours.

The goofy girls eating breakfast that was made over the campfire. Ashley was exceptionally silly on this morning. I think it was from the lack of sleep.

The day was full of fun activities.

The girls learning how to take down the tent.

Pumpkins and Trick or Treating

2009-11-24T12:35:00.000-06:00

Ashley and Rowan gutted a pumpkin the night before Halloween. It ended up being a 2 sided pumpkin- one side had Cinderella and the other side has Lightning McQueen.

That night we decided to let the little kids joined us for our movie night. We watched the newest Tinkerbell movie and had tons of popcorn. They loved it!

On Halloween day, David spent most of his time getting the front of the house decorated. The kids and I did some last minute shopping and got ready for Trick-or-treating. Ashley was a Renaissance princess, Rowan was Cinderella and Alan was a Chef. Ashley went trick or treating with a friend while the little ones went around with me. We had been worried about how the kids would act while trick or treating, but we shouldn't have. They both were pros within a few houses. The knew to go up to the house, say trick or treat and thank you, then come back to me on the sidewalk. We ended up going to so many streets that I wondered if Rowan would make it home. She did have a minor candy induced meltdown when we got home, but fell asleep quickly. Alan stayed up late and helped David pass out candy and Ashley had a friend spend the night. All- in all it was a successful holiday. OH and I got to eat lots of candy. :)

Spooky houses, Saturday nights and Silly kids

2009-11-22T15:14:00.001-06:00

A week before Halloween, we decided to construct a "Spooky House". it was basically a gingerbread house with a Halloween theme to it. The green icing was runny and it was kind of a gross mess, but the kids loved it. I think Rowan ate more candy than she put on the house! Alan helped Ashley out quite a bit, but definitely sampled more than his fair share. The house ended up being eaten with a couple days. It didn't make to Halloween!

Ashley worked as a party helper for some friends Halloween/Birthday party on the 24th. She helped set up and clean up and painted faces while she was there. I think she looked pretty cool and had a really good time.

The next day we took a picnic lunch to the park. They love getting to eat peanut butter and Nutella sandwiches at the park. The weather was gorgeous. We hit a 3 weeks pan of days in the mid 70's. It was wonderful!

The Puzzler and Playtime

2009-11-22T14:16:00.000-06:00

Rowan has become quite the puzzle master. She can put a 24 piece puzzle together in just a few minutes. She picked out a 70 piece one at Target and it took her a few hours and a bit of help, but she loved it. She was very proud and officially earned the title of "The Puzzler"

We had our first cold snap in the beginning of October. We spent the day outside playing and David fixed up a Gator that we got for free. It was a nice relaxing weekend of just hanging around the house.

One evening the kids were playing with Ashley's sushi play set. Alan put on the chefs hat and we determined that he had to be a chef for Halloween. He loves cooking and playing chef.

So we can be safe!

2009-11-22T13:48:00.000-06:00

October 4th was the Safety Sparktacular at the mall. There was music and games, as well as child id kits, police cars, firetrucks and all kinds mayhem. The kids had a blast! They jumped in a bouncer, ate popcorn while listening to live music and played with rescue dogs.

I told Ashley that I was never to see her in the back of a police car again. I think the shrillness of the siren hurting her ears was another good deterrent

Birthday parties and big boxes

2009-11-17T22:20:00.000-06:00

The last part of September was filled with birthday celebrations and room makeovers. Rowan finally got moved out of her crib and into a big girl bed. We saw a bed and fell in love with it, but we weren't sure if it was just TOO much. Eventually, we just gave in and got it. It was too cute to pass up. When we told Rowan she was so excited, but wanted to have princess room to match her princess bed. She picked the color, so it is a very pink pink. There is nothing subdued about it at all.

Her Royal Highness's Dressing Area - notice the hooks for her many gowns.

A happy little princess in her castle bed

The box that the bed came in was huge. The kids had a great time playing in the box and pretending it was a house.

Some birthday party fun at a friend's house

Soccer balls for Sassy Pants

2009-11-17T22:06:00.000-06:00

Rowan started soccer on her birthday. She LOVED her class, but did not like the idea of sitting on the ground or getting dirty. The practiced kicking the ball and balancing one foot on the top. By the end she looked like a pro!!!

Princess Birthday

2009-11-17T21:26:00.000-06:00

Rowan turned 3 in September. Of course, she had to have the biggest, pinkest princess party imaginable. We had planned on doing water slides and sprinkler fun, but mother nature had different ideas. The kids ended up playing upstairs and enjoying some princess cake. She loved her party and talked about it for weeks. An umbrella from Uncle Steve and Aunt Chris was a hit. The kids loved pretending that it was raining and walking around the house!

School Days

2009-11-17T14:32:00.001-06:00

August 24th - First Day of school

Hearing Aides and Hysterectomies

2009-11-17T08:35:00.001-06:00

That is how we finished up our August, with hearing aides and hysterectomies. We have known for a couple of years that something was wrong with Ashley's hearing. Turns out the she only has 45% hearing in her right ear. She received her hearing aid in mid August and is doing really well with it. Within minutes were were able to tell the difference. You never realize that you are repeating yourself a million times until you aren't having to do it anymore. The hearing aid is tiny and behind her ear, so it is barely visible. Heads up! Its time to buy stock in energizer batteries, because that thing sure eats them!

I ended up having a hysterectomy at the end of August, so we are officially out of the baby business. Its not really a big deal and the recovery has gone really well. Thankfully, it has ended a 20 year struggle with an organ that just didn't seem to want to work right. At least I got 3 beautiful kids first!

August Excitement

2009-11-16T09:33:00.000-06:00

August was full of birthday parties, school openings, Dr visits and saying goodbye.

My parents had been here for the summer and had to leave a bit earlier than anticipated. This kids had a great time with them and really enjoyed going out to their RV to play with Nana and Papa. The night before they left, we went out to eat at a local BBQ place and the kids really enjoyed being little hams for the camera. Of course, midway through dinner Alan's pants fell down much to the surprise of the table next to us. I have learned to love pants with adjustable waistbands!

These are some of the pictures that we tool over the summer with my parents. We all loved our trip to Bell Blue, even though it seemed to take forever to find someplace to have lunch after. The kids were pretty full on ice cream so they didn't complain too much.

The new elementary school opened on August 11th. We went to the grand opening and met some of the teachers and toured Alan's new classroom. It is great that the kids are at the same school this year. All of the classrooms are equipped with smartboards. Alan and Ashley had a great time showing Alan's new teacher how to use hers.

Kids having fun at a Chuck E Cheese birthday party

July Happenings

2009-11-15T16:44:00.001-06:00

After Alan's birthday we decided to take the family to the Rainforest Cafe in Katy and play at the Katy Mills Mall. My parents joined us and we had a great time.

Alan checking out the fishtanks in the bar

picking Tracy the talking trees nose

Rowan waiting for lunch

Checking out the boats at Bass Pro

Ashley went to sleep away camp for the first time. She went to Camp Kachina on Lake Belton. The program was called "Boots and Boats", so she learned to canoe and kayak and ride a horse. She LOVED the lake part, and the horses..... not so much. This just totally confirms that she is my daughter. Horses are big and boring and stink, especially when you just ride around in circles in a little arena. I am sure they are much more exciting when they run and you can go somewhere, but for camp purposes, they stink. Next year we are looking for a camp with more boats, less large smelly animals.

The showers

Her bunk mates

We week after Ashley came home, she went to a camp at a local church. The put on the musical- Moses are We There Yet?. She loved being in the play and I think it really made her love being in the spotlight. She is such a ham that it was great experience for her. Plus, it helped to ease her into the boredom of being at home again. Life can get boring wuick when you aren't constantly entertained!

Birthday's and Independence!

2009-11-15T13:34:00.000-06:00

Alan had a great Independence Day Birthday party. We had several friends over and played outside, bbqed and had cake. He loved playing on the water slide and getting to see his friends. After the party was over, some friends from Houston stayed around to watch Alan open his presents and just relax. The kids were exhausted and fell asleep well before fireworks were set to go off. Definitely the mark of a sucessful birthday!

Random June Pictures

2009-11-15T12:48:00.000-06:00

We ended June with some random fun. We took the kids swimming at Adamson Lagoon, had an early birthday celebration for Alan and just goofed off.

Catching up

2009-11-15T11:46:00.000-06:00

Ok I know I am seriously behind on the blog. Once I start catching up, it will be apparent on why!

The last time I posted Ashley and I were getting ready for our Sea World trip. We headed down to San Antonio on June 20th and got to spend the night with other Girl Scouts in the aquarium area in fron of the sharks. The girls got a behind the scenes look at the park on Saturday evening and special seating at the Shamu Nights show.

The girls learning about the whales before Shamu's show.

Waiting for Shamu to make an appearance

The next morning we took a tour of the medical area where they keep the sick, young and retired animals. We got a chance to pet stingrays and a small shark. Ashley had a great time learning about the animals and really enjoyed going on the rides Sunday at the park.

Unfortunately, Ashley and I realized that this was not the troop of girls for us. We both decided that it would be best for her to find a new group of girls to join in with in the fall. Lesson learned! But, we still had a great time!

Father's Day and Firestations

2009-06-28T17:28:00.000-05:00

David got to have Father's Day two days early because Ashley and I were leaving for a Girl Scout sleepover at Sea World. He made out like a bandit with an egg fry pan and spatula, Misto, sink mat and a back massaging chair pad. Yes, I know it seems werid to give him so many kitchen related items, but is just the kind of stuff he likes. Plus, I get to use them too so its a bonus for everyone.

David had been hinting about the massaging chair pad for months and the kids (well Ashley) were really excited about giving him this gift. David pulled it out of the box and got it all set up on the couch. The kids took turns enjoying the Shiatsu action before bedtime. Once they they were in bed, he enjoyed the massagin action in peace. Unfortunately, hours of relaxation comes at a price. At around 5am, David woke me up to tell me that he wanted me to take the pad back. It had beaten him up!!! His back was sore for days from the "relaxing" Shiatsu action. All I can say is that it was a better gift than a tie.

The kids' friend Matthew had his 3rd birthday party at the local firestation followed by waterslide fun at his house.

Rowan wasn't sure what to think about the firefighters jacket. She and Ashley loved exploring the trucks and the ambulance. Alan convinced the firefighters to show him the motor in the fire engine. He was very excited to see the inside of that big truck engine. I could see the gears in his mind working to figure out how to take that thing apart.

They had a great time playing on the waterslide at Matthew's house after the firestation. They loved the cake. As we were leaving Alan and Rowan found the cat door into the office. they couldn't figure out what it was for, but had fun trying to get through.

10 more to go!

2009-06-16T08:52:00.000-05:00

This last week was a killer! We had Girl Scout Day Camp, Vacation Bible school, Pixie camp and Orientation. Throw in birthday parties and work picnics and you have the perfect recipe for an insane week.

Ashley loved going to Camp Howdy for Girl Scout Day Camp. This years theme was "All the World's a Stage". They had an opera singer come, puppets, a presentation from an animation lab and dancers. All of this plus crafts, campfire cooking, wilderness and 100 degree days. I volunteered out at the camp on Tuesday and Thursday. On Tuesday I was with a group of girls that were going into the 3rd grade. I have never been with such a group of whiners!! Seriously, by the end of the day I ended up telling a little girl that she needed to just suck it up and quit crying. Man I am glad that my kids aren't wimps. I understand being hot and miserable, but my the time you are eight years old you should be able to carry a garbage bag without crying. Just my opinion though! On Thursday I worked in the craft shack. Talk about a cushy job! I think I will be volunteering for that one for the entire time next year. There were fans and they bring you lunch. Of course, I did have a close encounter with a clothespin decorated to look like TicTock from Peter Pan that resulted in a red watering eye for a few days, but it was still better than dealing with the heat and whining little girls.

While I was volunteering, Alan and Rowan went to Pixie Camp. It was set up for the kids of volunteers. They had a wonderful time playing in the sprinklers and making crafts. they keep asking when they will get to go back. The other days when I wasn't at camp, we stayed busy with picnic lunches at the park, open house for Alan's summer school and getting ready for the weekend. Alan and Rowan love having lunch at the park and playing with friends.

We ended our week with David's yearly departmental picnic at Veteran's park on friday evening. There was a castle bouncer, a clown and a big inflatable slide along with the playground for the little kids. All three of the kids had a great time. Ashley got her face painted, but Rowan was terrifed of the clown and wouldn't go near her.

On Saturday we had two birthday parties and dinner at our friends Wendy and Arthur's house. Sunday we went to Houston to celebrate Al and Savana's birthdays. It was a really busy weekend, but everyone had a good time. 2 weeks down, 10 more to go!

Summer fun - Week One

2009-06-08T06:28:00.000-05:00

The first week of summer vacation was a busy

one. On Saturday we had a graduation party, birthday party and a girl Scout backyard campout. That resulted in Sunday tummyaches and tiredness. Monday morning we had big plans for our first day of summer vacation, but they were delayed by a stomach bug that hit Rowan. By Wednesday, everyone was back to normal and ready to go though. We went to the Bryan library to see the Big Rigs. The kids got to go inside the different trucks, honk horns and eat popsicles. We have gone every year, but this time they were all really into it.

Ashley is participating in several reading clubs this summer, so we got a good start on those. They have been swimming in the pool in the backyard as much as they can and we have had a few park picnics.

One week down- eleven more to go!

Cookies and the End of the School Year

2009-06-08T05:57:00.000-05:00

The last week of school was short, but busy around here. This is the last week for both Ashley and Alan at their schools. In August they will both be starting at a brand new elementary school close to the house. I am excited that they will be at the same school and we will no longer have the long trek to take Alan to College Hills, but it was sad to say goodbye to their teachers. Ashley is going to miss Forest Ridge, but I am sure next year will be exciting for her.

During the last week we needed to bake

something for Ashley's 6-week project. She studied Saudi Arabia, so we decided to make some Al Mamool cookies with a mold and recipe that her Nana provided. First you had to fill each dough ball with some date puree, then place the dough ball in the mold.It was time consuming to mold each individual cookie, but the kids liked them and Alan had a good time helping us knock the cookies out of the mold.

The finished products! They were both very proud.

The last day of school was extremely busy. Ashley had a pig out party for her class and then Alan was destroying his classroom. His school is being torn down, so they were letting the kids paint and do some demo of their own. It was a mess and he ruined his clothes, but I am sure he had a great time.

Memorial Day Weekend Fun

2009-06-08T05:05:00.000-05:00

Here in the Poprik house we decided to celebrate Memorial Day with the American tradition of shopping! What better way to honor those that have lost their lives serving our country than to take advantage of sales and visit the nearby outlet malls. I have never fully understood the retail industries decision to have major sales events to commemerate these holidays, but that doesn't mean that I am above taking advantage every now and then. Alan had been home from school all week with a high fever and tonsillitis, so we were all ready to get out and have some fun.

We decided to go to the Houston outlet mall and then to Katy Mills Mall. After scoring some great deals on some new Calphalon One cookware, we decided to take the kids to The Rainforest Cafe. This is definitely a favorite of Ashley and Alan. Rowan did not care for it AT ALL. She was terrifed of the animatronic elephant and ended up sitting with her face buried in my chest until she fell asleep.

The Rainforest Cafe is definitely all about the atmosphere. The food is overpriced and not very good, but Alan was loving his $7 mac and cheese. I bet it takes alot of money to keep that place running.

After we finished lunch we decided the walk around the gift shop. Ashley and Alan decided that it was the perfect time to clean Tracy the Talking Tree's nose out. I guess she sounded a bit congested.

After venturing through the rainforest, we walked around the mall while Rowan was still asleep and Ashley and Alan rode on the carousel. Alan and David rode on one of the clam shell shaped benched while Ashley and a couple other girls rode in the spinning cup. I don't know how she managed to spin so much right after eating without throwing up, but she did and had a great time.

Once the excitement was over, sweet Rowan woke up. She has no idea what she missed, but she probably would have hated every minute of it. Maybe next time!

Sing-a-long fun and Potty Tales

2009-05-15T21:59:00.000-05:00

Yesterday was the Spring Sing-a-long at Ashley's school. It was a western theme with boots and hats and all kinds of fun. The 3rd grade sang " I've been everwhere" but with a Texas twist. It was only Texas cities. I am not exactly sure why the music teacher requested that they all wear sunglasses, but it was fun for the kids. She had a great time and looked so cute.

I finally decided that it is time to really try to get Rowan out of diapers. She is very motivated by some Cinderella panties that she calls " A Dweam come Twue". It is really cute and she has done ok. Right now we are about 50/50 on accidents and successes. I guess that is better than nothing! Hopefully soon my dream with come true of having no kids in diapers!!!

Mother's Day

2009-05-10T21:11:00.000-05:00

Happy Mother's Day!

Today was the ideal Mother's Day. I got to sleep late, was taken out for breakfast, opened presents, played, went out for dinner and just hung out with the family. You can't ask for much better. Ashley decided to make me a cake in her Easy Bake Oven. It was very sweet and she was so excited to use her new Easy-Bake Decorating set. She had everything all planned out and worked really hard. Unfortunately, things don't always work out according to plan, or in this case package pictures.

This was what she was expecting.

And here was reality.

As you can see, they did not live up to the hype. Fortunately, there are 5 of us so the portions were pretty small. We have many more adventures planned for the Easy-Bake oven this summer. She found a recipe that makes 9 sandwich cookies baked one side at a time. That should use up a good day!

I mentioned gifts earlier, so I am sure you are on the edge of your seat wondering what I got. From my sweet Ashley I got the hanging basket of purple and red flowers that she knew I wanted and a sweet little pot of bead bluebonnets that she made at Girl Scouts.

Rowan gave me a new set of SILPAT mats so I can make her some yummy cookies without burnt bottoms.

Alan's gift was a set of Pyrex storage containers so I can quit poisoning us by heating things up in my Rubbermaid hard plastic containers. He also made a flower pot for me with his tiny fingerprints making flowers and insects on it. It is incredibly cute and is housing a new parsley plant that I hope to keep alive for at least a couple of weeks. I also want to point out the sweet little corkscrew curl on his forehead. It is getting really long and needs to be cut, but as part of my Mother's Day bargain it won't be cut until tomorrow. I love that curl!

David's gift was a wonderful Rosemary plant and some Melamine dishes for us to use when we eat on the porch. Hopefully, it will not get unbearably hot here for a couple more weeks so we can use them a few times. All, and all it was a great relaxing day and I hope to have many more day's like it.

Ears and Bluebonnets, Again

2009-05-01T19:07:00.000-05:00

Today I was looking through the older posts and I noticed my first post, Ear Wax and Bluebonnets was written just over a year ago. Oddly enough, these are still prevalent themes in our lives. Alan had tubes put in his ears about two weeks ago. He had several double ear infections over the last six months and his pediatrician noticed that everytime she had seen him, he had fluid behind his eardrum. The ear, nose, throat doctor suggested we have PE tubes put in the next week. It was amazing the immediate difference it made. That afternoon Alan kept commenting on how loud things were and asking "What's that noise?". I guess it was really effecting his hearing. He is so much happier and more interactive now. I wish we had done this last year!!!

As far as the bluebonnets pictures go, we tried. David found the perfect spot and got the camera all set up. We brought the kids up the hill to the spot he found and they went wild. The little ones were much more interested in picking the bluebonnets and running through them than sitting still and getting their picture taken. Ashley was the perfect model as always, but her brother and sister were less cooperative. So, no family picture in the flowers this year. Maybe next year, (right)!

Easter

2009-05-01T17:59:00.000-05:00

Easter seems to have turned into a season around here. We had school Easter eggs hunts, neighborhood hunts, then of course the hunt for the eggs left by the bunny. Davids parents spent Easter Sunday with us, so the kids got a nice dose of grandparent spoiling :)

Alan's class had over 1200 eggs set out for them in the park near the school. Rowan got to join in the fun and help collect the eggs. She loved it and had a great time. Alan was more interested in opening the eggs, putting the candy in his basket and throwing the empty eggs back on the ground. Afterwards, they pigged out on cupcakes and candy.

We had another easter egg hunt with the kids on our street. The 5 and under crowd got to go first, then the big kids went crazy. There was a special prize egg that won an Easter basket of the kids choice. The kids all had a great time. Once again, Alan was more interested in putting the candy in the basket and the eggs back on the ground.

Rowan had become quite the pro and collected a big basket of eggs.

She really enjoyed decorating the eggs with David. Each egg had a ton of stickers!

On Easter morning, the kids got up and looked for the eggs left by the Bunny and then checked out their baskets. That afternoon David's parents came for a nice relaxing Easter dinner. We all had a really nice holiday.

Ashley's Birthday

2009-04-30T15:59:00.000-05:00

Ashley just celebrated her 9th Birthday! Its hard to believe. She decided to have 2 parties again this year. The first one was a co-ed backyard bbq with all her school and neighborhood friends. Her theme was Rayman Raving Rabbids and she had a cake with a rabbid holding a plunger.

That night she had her friends Carly, Lacey, Sydney and Abby spend the night. They had alot of fun playing outside and on the Wii. The girls made their own pizzas for dinner and ate them on the back porch. It is the best way to make sure this picky bunch likes dinner! All in all she had a fun day. When her actual birthday came around, we took her to her favorite restaurant and had cake and presents at home.

Sorry! Sorry!

2008-11-20T14:59:00.000-06:00

I know I have run seriously behind on keeping up with the blog. Well, since Alan's B-day we have been really busy.

Ashley started 3rd grade and is loving her teacher. Her first 6 weeks was an adjustment, but she was back to straight A's on her second report card. She has learned more so far this year than she has in the last 2 years. She also decided that she wanted to earn the money to get a Wii. She worked hard and sold some Halloween insurance policies and got one! She is loving it and we are really proud that she earned the money. Soon, our girl scout troop will be selling cookies, so look for that in January.

Alan started school on October 23rd. He is getting to be such a big boy. He has started speaking in longer sentences and is really thriving.

Rowan had her second birthday and is fully embracing the terrible twos. We usually have one good screaming fit a day. She is by far the most headstrong of our bunch. I will get pictures posted soon.

Alan's 3rd Birthday

2008-07-07T21:49:00.000-05:00

Alan's birthday was on the 4th and he had a great day. A good friend let us borrow a water slide and we pulled out the Finding Nemo pool, so the kids had a ton of fun. We had a BBQ and some friends over.

Alan loves anything transportation related, especially helicopters and recieved one from each of his sisters. He sleeps with them lined up next to him in his race car bed. Another one that he

got from a friend is not allowed in bed, but he loves to play with it and make helicopter noises. It is really cute! I can't believe he is 3 already. Only a couple more months until Rowan is 2 AGHHH!!

We're back!

2008-05-14T18:47:00.000-05:00

We are back from San Antonio and we survived! We had 100 degree days and exhausted babies, but we made it and managed to have a good time. We went to the water park on Saturday and hit the shows on Sunday. Sorry it has taken me a bit to get our pictures from Sea World posted. We didn't get to take very manyThe trip was exhausting and we started potty training lockdown on Tuesday. I decided that it is time to get this boy out of diapers. He will be 3 in a couple months!!! So far things are going reasonably well. We have had a few accidents, but nothing huge and several successes. The little stinker has figured out how to go just enough to get his potty candy and then go again to get more!

Alan getting ready for his first rollercoaster ride.

Alan hating his first roller coaster ride.

Rowan at the 4d movie

Ashley feeding the dolphins

Sickness and Craziness

2008-05-07T13:41:00.001-05:00

It has been a crazy couple of weeks. We had a stomach bug run through the house that just seemed to linger for a week. Rowan started it with a little fever. She got over it really quickly and said her first 3 word sentence " No My PO-PO". That means " Get that thermometer out of my booty." She really is not a fan of rectal temps.

Alan was sick for almost a week. The virus apparently aggravated his acid reflux and made things worse. Now he is on medication and seems to be doing much happier. He is finally better and we are getting ready for our trip to Sea World. I was trying Rowan's bathing suit on her and she loved wearing her sunglasses too. She looks like our little surfer girl!

Ashley has been practicing riding her bike without training wheels. She is really scared, but is getting better. She only has a bit of trouble with turning!

I will make sure to get lots of pictures of everyone at Sea World. Wish us luck!

Fun-Filled B-day Week

2008-04-21T14:15:00.000-05:00

Ashley was out of school last Monday (her birthday), so we went to tour the Blue Bell Creamery. She had the best time, especially when they passed out the free scoop of ice cream at the end. After the tour we goofed off outside and let the kids run around by the statues. Ashley was pretending to milk the cow out front.Rowan and Alan liked the ice cream and the paper hats!

On Tuesday I took cupcakes up to her school so that she could celebrate with her class. Hot pink chocolate cupcakes and a room full of 2nd graders is a great mix! They were all wound up on sugar when we left.

Rowan has been practicing using a fork. She was doing a great job of getting the noodles onto the fork, but then she would just wipe the fork across her head. She ended up with quite a lttle pile up there.

Thursday was a beautiful day here. After Ashley got home from school, the kids played outside and made chalk pictures in the backyard. She was pretending that they were the pictures from Mary Poppins and they were pretending to jump into them.

Alan spent the afternoon peering over the gate so that he could see the boat and the airconditioner.

Party Craziness

2008-04-13T17:24:00.001-05:00

We survived! Ashley had a great time at her party yesterday. It was a beautiful day and we got to be outside for her entire party. The kids seemed to enjoy playing on the playground and decorating cookies.

She still hasn't mastered the art of reacting well when opening presents. Ashley loved all of her gifts, but she kept making faces and acting weird as she opened her presents. After the party we asked why she was being like that and she said because she was guessing in her head what was in the packages and they didn't match up to what she thought they were unless the wrapping paper was a hint. She was getting mad that she was guessing wrong!

We ordered a Tinker Bell cake with Ashley's picture on it. It turned out really cute. The picture is of Ashley in her fairy Halloween costume.

Ashley had several girls spend the night. It was her first sleepover. The girls spent the evening playing outside and then came in for a movie when it got dark. These young girls that were determined to stay up all night were all asleep around 10. Of course, I was worn out just from watching them. They kept having us take pictures of them jumping out of the swings.

Alan and Rowan loved having the big girls around. When we were giving the girls their pizza, Alan pulled up a chair to sit with them. He said he wanted to sit with "the babies". This morning we couldn't get him out of Ashley's room because he wanted to play with them.

Tomorrow is a teacher in-service day so we are going to go tour the Blue Bell Creamery. I am looking forward to the taste test at the end! I'll post some pictures of that tomorrow!

Presentation Day

2008-04-10T15:30:00.000-05:00

Ashley had her class presentations on South America today. They do these every six weeks where the pick a subject and do a project. This time she choose the red-eyed tree frog. I am not sure that she learned much about them, but she made a really cute mural for the mall. All the kids get really excited because the parents come to school and look at their work. Ashley made the bottom part of tree behind her in the picture below.

Alan and Rowan usually like to go up to the school and see all the kids, but today it was a bit overwhelming for Rowan. She didn't like all the kids trying to touch her, so we didn't stay long. Rowan is getting to be such a big girl. She wants to do everything that Alan and Ashley can do. Last night, Alan got in his booster chair for dinner and I guess that she decided that she wanted to move up into his old high chair instead of be in her own. I was fixing her plate and when I turned around she had moved his highchair over to the table and climbed up in it. Alan thought it was hysterical. He was saying "Momma look baby Rowan". They both looked really cute sitting next to each other at the table.

On a side note, their is family here that could use some help. Their 14 month old daughter has a serious brain injury and in the hospital in Temple. They have a carepage set up for their daughter at Carepages.com. You have to set up a free account, but you can see her page under AlexisLinn. All they are really needing is some good thoughts. They check their CarePage several times a day and apperently all the public support for their daughter is really helping them with to deal with what has happened and face the struggle that they will have in the future. If everyone could just post something positive for them, I know that it would help raise their spirits. Thanks!

Getting Ready!

2008-04-09T17:16:00.000-05:00

Today Alan, Rowan and I finished getting everything for Ashley's party. Monday night, Ashley and I picked out the pinata and treat bags so there wasn't much left. We ordered her cake and got the hot dogs and other food today. They liked getting to go to Sam's Club and try out samples. Its amazing how quickly they figure out where the cookies are stashed in each grocery store in town.

THE NEARLY FINISHED PLAYGROUND

David has been working on the playground somemore. He put a roof on it and has added some boards around the top to keep kids from climbing on the outside. Alan loves to watch David working in the backyard. He stands in the window saying "Daddy fix-it". It is really cute. Rowan takes the opportunity to collect all the balls in the house while Alan is distracted.

Ear Wax and Bluebonnets

2008-04-07T14:28:00.000-05:00

Alan had an appointment with the ENT on Friday. His hearing is fine now that they have cleared out the HUGE ball of wax that was impacted in his ear. He had been messing with his right ear for over a year, but his pediatrician could never see anything wrong. The ENT said that it was probably like this for quite a while, possible the last year or more. Alan used to stick the corner of his blanket in that ear when he was a baby and there was blanket fuzz in there! NASTY! But, the little guy does seem to be hearing better, so I am glad we went.

Today we went out to take pictures in the bluebonnets. Alan fell asleep in the van so he could barely keep his eyes open for the pictures, but Ashley and Rowan did well. We will try again later this week in a different spot. Maybe they all will be awake and cooperative!