That's right, you're not from Texas

Do me a favor, pull up this music video and play the music in the background while you read this post (because I'm not cool enough to know how to include it on the blog). I heard it on the radio today as I drove around lost, laughing at free cowhide with furniture purchase ads and wiping the humidity from my brow.

Emma's getting a Texas education now where pledging to the Texas flag is part of their morning routine. No seriously, I guess that's why Texans are so in love with Texas and the sight of a Texas flag is a religious experience, it's been burned into their mind since grade school. Her first week at school she came home with this acrostic poem:

If it's too hard to read here's the translation:

Terrific

Everyone says it's big

Xelent

Awesome

Spectacular

Some people have been asking for pictures of the house so I finally straightened up some rooms and pulled out the camera. It's still a work in progress though (or at least I'm going with that excuse for now, even though realistically five months from now it will probably look pretty much the same, only messier)

I love our game room! It's got all those cabinets and a big closet for all our toys and games and school stuff. It's upstairs so toys are strictly forbidden downstairs by order of the king. Ask my kids about "the mad bag."

Jamie hates our table, it's kinda old and worn and I've thought about painting it in the past but now it actually matches the color of our cabinets and black seems to make less sense.

I wonder how long I can play the "I just moved in" card. We don't have our bookshelves anymore so our books are still sitting in these boxes in our dining room. Eventually I'd like to find some bookshelves and a comfy chair and make this a reading room (since Jamie's mancave became a playroom). Well, really I'd like to see a piano in here one day, but the books need a place first and bookshelves are cheaper. Too bad this has to be the first thing people see when they come over.

The beanbag has been an item of debate around here. It turns into a pathetic, lopsided disc after a few jumps so it's not an attractive piece of furniture to be displayed (like our melted rug and holy couch haha) so putting it up in the playroom where it would be a great reading seat is an option. But it is the perfect place to plop down for a movie and snuggle and without it this room would look kinda empty. Rolling the beast up and down the stairs for movies isn't a practical option either.

Thanks for the rug Shay!

Thanks for the furniture Mom! Not sure what color I'd do if I paint it.

The owner's before our landlords stopped watering this lawn as the sale was going through so it got pretty crispy. I think it's looking greener now. Our secret?...

We water the lawn and the kids regularly. They both have grown and flourished.

Favorite after-school activity, sprinkler and popsicles. Unless you're Weston then everything's boring and I'll just take the popsicle thank you very much.

Moving to Austin

This was my view for hours and hours, miles of yellow grass, big open blue sky and that big yellow truck Jamie was driving in front of me. Behind me, my dad driving Jamie's car. 3 vehicles, 6 people, 24 hours, 3 days. Now that we're here safely I'll admit, I was nervous. I haven't driven more than 5 hours myself and I had to drive 24 alone with three kids in the car. But for someone who never drinks caffeine, a Pepsi can be a mighty powerful thing. A buzzed brain and a full bladder will keep you awake til that next rest stop.

The first night we stayed at a nice Marriot hotel in Albuquerque. The second night we got these beauties, fabulous travel blankets on the Motel 6 beds in Carlsbad.

Carlsbad

Emma sends her love

I think we picked the perfect day to go to the Carlsbad Caverns. It was the middle of the week after spring break so hardly anyone was there and we had the place to ourselves. And everything was blooming and beautiful. Well outside, not in the cave of course.

My dad got these great audio tour sticks for everyone. It kept the kids from yelling through the cave as they listened and learned cool stuff.

I usually try to have people in my pictures, even landscape shots but in the caves you have to have a flash to get faces and the background goes dark or you turn off the flash and get cool cave shots but dark faces. I gotta learn more about this camera I guess. But here we are in the darkness...

and here's the awesome cave stuff. This one's the whale's mouth.

They've paved paths and set up theatrical lighting to share the wonders down under. We were impressed! Even the kids thought it was awesome and Weston wants to decorate his room like a cave now and asked when we can go back.

This isn't a great picture but that "chandelier" hanging down the middle was one of my favorites. It looked much larger and spectacular in person.

Rock of Ages

Chinese Theater

The Apparitions

And here we are. See the van way back there? I'm such a nerd, I debated whether or not to stop for this. Drove past and then pulled off at last second, grabbed Weston from the car whining and ran back to the sign ( I had to hurry back to catch up with Jamie who kept driving). My dad behind me got the hint and pulled off in front of the sign and had his camera ready before we even got there. Was it worth it? I dunno but had to post it after that.

Checking out the mysterious and exciting Penske truck.

Exit to Texas

One advantage to this move is that most everything was already packed, sitting in storage ready to be loaded. So not much time packing, lots of planning and prep but little packing. So we had some time to enjoy people we would be missing.

We went to the park to play with friends, a favorite past time with some favorite people.

My mom threw an "Exit to Texas" BBQ and we dressed like cowboys. My sister, Brooke taught the kids what bow-legged looks like. Those education classes are really paying off.

Good eats! My mom really went all out and we stuffed ourselves silly. Afterwards the kids used their cowboy hats to collect Easter eggs in the yard.

Gotta hand it to Rich and Maria for always getting into the theme. They look way more Texas than we do.

Easter with the Steeds

Chelsea ran off with my camera and surprised me with something better than feet pictures.

All the little boys...and Emma (which one of these is not like the others?...)

Jamie's sister organized a fun Easter egg hunt with different color eggs for each kid that included messages, some candy, and a clue to find a book. Then she read an Easter story and fed us all a great dinner and cakes. It was so nice having cousins in town :o(

The "brotisserie"

The Happiest Place on Earth

One of my favorite places growing up and now is my Grandma's. I loved going to visit my grandparents, swimming in their pool, eating their fruit off their trees and Grandpa's fruit leather and figs, going through the gate to Diane's for treats and movies, Grandpa's harmonica music, the old piano, family talent shows, games, playing with the cabbage patch dolls and barbies, playing with cousins, eating Grandpa's pancakes and Grandma's blackberry jello, big family gatherings in the rumpus room, the beach and the occasional theme park. Best vacations ever! The place is very sentimental to me and I still love going (although I've given up the dolls but still partake of Diane's treats).

My aunt and uncle came to visit while we were there. My kids have really taken to them. Emma likes Kent's smile and Andrew finds Christine's warm and gentle ways very inviting.

Diane, Grandma and Steeders in the backyard. Mmm, see those oranges? If you've never tried citrus from the Hatch house you're missing out.

And my kids trip is not complete without a visit to the Pirate Park so we had to stop there on our way out.

Life's a Beach

We had a great day down at the beach. It wasn't very busy and the weather was nice. It was just the therapy I needed to get ready for a move. We just relaxed and everyone had a good time. I will be missing this but I here the Gulf is nice and warm.

Jamie gave the kids rides on the boogie board.

Emma enjoyed mucking it up. She thought it was so cool that the hole automatically filled up with water when she dug holes. She wants me to write that she liked the feel of the mud.

Jamie rarely takes pictures but every now and then I find pictures of his feet on my camera. He thinks it's artistic or something. (May I also note that we have more pictures of Jamie's feet than we have of me.)

Andrew's a funny kid. The first hour or two he was throwing himself down in the sand and rolling around in it completely carefree. Then he freaked out about his sandy toes and spent the next thirty minutes meticulously cleaning every toe.

My baby boogies on the beach.

I played a game with Andrew to get some pictures and he gave me a cute little photo shoot.

I don't have to put on a show to get pictures of Emma but I do have to get lucky, she's got some Cannon camera issues I'm afraid I passed on. But she smiled sweet for this one.