So Far

The weather has been perfect and the backyard full of fun.

We went to the park.

We went to McDonald's, and Alida was more interested in the birds than her food not knowing the birds were more interested in her food than they were in her.

Aunt Lori and her mom sat down and bathed 4 people assembly-line style and said they enjoyed it.

Two years ago, we were here for Brian and Lori's wedding and my friend Ali and I were both pregnant with little ones--they were born a week apart later that summer. We finally got them together.

Here is Ali. She lives with three boys. She needs a little girl.

Nicholas was an expert driver within about five minutes of practice, and he freely gave rides to his sisters. In that first five minutes though, he managed to drive over Ben, who has a few scratches today.

We went to the Children's Museum in Austin--and even four adults and four children can give you a heart attack in a children's museum. There are so many nooks and crannies and corners to disappear around in those things.

So we went somewhere far more comforting, like to the water's edge on a picnic to throw rocks.

And my biggest heart attack yet?

When you all decided at once that you were the Mountain Family Robinson and just took off up the hill like it was the only natural thing to do.

Road Tripping

Several Movies...

One Night in a Hotel...

Intermittent napping between throwing up...

And a few snacks later,

we made it to the coolest late March I can remember in Texas.

Randomness

You really did ride on a golf cart with grandpa didn't you?

I like it when you're in a good mood Ben because when you are, you really are.

Alida. You do not close your eyes for the camera.

We are not always happy. Here you didn't want to be in the snow. You didn't want to be inside. I think you wanted to stand in the doorway with the door open having both worlds at once.

My answer, "No."

Are you eating grass here?

You see: tired, middle-aged woman stuffing bread in her face.

I see: a VERY bad dye job.

This was GREAT banana bread. The recipe makes two loaves. Your dad heated the burner on the stove top that the glass pan was sitting on and it shattered all over the kitchen.

Really Alida. You don't close your eyes when we take a picture.

And, why is it that within hours of me exclaiming that Alida will NOT wear a hat, you refuse to take your hood down the entire morning?

When we ate an entire bunch of bananas for dinner while daddy was gone, I didn't mind.

This reminds me of a zombie movie.

Happy, I think...

Yes, eyes open girl. That's good. Now clean up that mess.

This car is no longer clean. After the coming week, it will need to be lit on fire.

You crack me up.

Flinstones style.

Yes. We celebrated St. Patrick's Day sometime during the past month.

This is the laundry that I didn't get to folding over the weekend. It is how I spent my Sunday evening that week.

When someone stuck carmel to this hat and I ran it through the wash, the dye damaged a bunch of clothes. That was an expensive $1 hat.

You go Ben. Just grab that fire by the hand.

I love this outfit.

You have a little something on your cheek there Elaine.

It's Getting Close in Here

What do you say we hop in the car and take a road trip?

We're getting a little too close around here.

The Questions That Plague Stuber Days

How do you get the minivan in to get the oil changed and air conditioning fixed when you also have to go to work and get all the kids to daycare and you only have one car that holds everyone?

How do you get to a 7:30 doctor appointment and get the kids into daycare when he has to be across the state (a very longish state) three hours from now and needs his regular old car so I can have the minivan later in the day?

How did I get a flat tire the week after an oil change and a day after having it in for air conditioning service? No one noticed this?

He says we'll look back and laugh some day.

The Saturday Outing: Party Down

Here we are as we arrived to Emily's party. We were a bit concerned at the beginning.

But then there was food. Party food, which went over very well.

And we asked for more.

And there were cupcakes.

Lots of cupcakes.

And Granny E. was there to adore us and send us home with a gift we are very much looking forward to writing about in the future.

And a big empty room to run back and forth and scream in.

And then we helped Emily open her gifts.

And the hostess had an adorable moment of either bashfulness or tiredness at the unveiling of the biggest cupcake of them all.

And we were having such a good time, we just hung around all during the break down of the party and stayed underfoot because we are polite like that.

And Nicholas helped Emily pack up her toys. We didn't find anything on him when we got home, so we think we gave her back everything, although Ben would have snuck out with her new guitar given the chance.

And we played with balloons.

Lots of balloons.

And the sure sign of a good party was a quiet ride home. I don't think the boys even made it a block.