McKinney Falls State Park/cousins BDay party!

We had a long, great weekend with family and doing our favorite thing-CAMPING!  We hadn't been anywhere since October, so we were really ready for another adventure and this time it was Austin to see cousins and then to McKinney Falls State Park for camping :)

Sadly, I hadn't been to Austin in YEARS so it was so neat to experience it with our family and while camping...

We love campfires...that's when you really enjoy the camping experience!!

It was Molly's first camping trip!  She loved it and the boys loved having her there!

Adeline's birthday was at their house, which is such a neat house...overlooking a creek and lots of hiking trails.  The boa constrictor was her favorite part of the demonstration, as you can see!  They have lived here for almost 2 years and it was our first time to visit...pathetic on our part, but we will make this trip more often!  So happy we were able to help her celebrate turning 9!

...and what did my boy enjoy most at their house?  The karaoke machine, of course!  If this kid doesn't take after me 100%...we walked in his cousins room and he was mixing it up like a DJ and singing loud and proud asking who wanted to join in or listen to him!  Hilarious!  And he was trying to put a little hip-hop spin on Three Blind Mice, Brandon and I couldn't stop laughing!!!  I swear, I don't know where he gets it from LOL!

The best part of our trip was that we were able to exercise all day, every day!  We did our morning runs on the trails, filled with hills so it was a tough workout but so much fun!  I love that Brandon and I enjoy the exact same things and love to be outdoors, it's a way of life I never experienced as a child and I am sure happy we're exposing our boys to this so early on and hope it'll make for lasting memories for all of us!

and more campfires...told ya we liked 'em!

Justin was hand feeding Molly, as if she were a deer!  Precious :)

lots of hiking while the boys rode their bikes!  SO MUCH FUN!  We saw several deer and you should have seen the boys faces when they heard the coyotes-it was hilarious!

Our cousins and Brandon's parents spent an entire day with us at the campgrounds and we did all sorts of fun things.  His parents went on a long hike with us through the falls!  Very cool, the kids LOVED it!

 My most favorite picture from the weekend is this one below...

What a great family, mini-vacation :)

lots of this and that...

When we aren't hanging outside, we are playing with monster trucks...like seriously, that's the ONLY toy they'll play with.  These Monster Jam trucks and Bass Pro Shop trucks!  And of course they have plenty of other toys, but they aren't important to them AT ALL!  

I know they have well over 100 of the mini versions and not a great picture but they are all lined up in our workout room!  Vroom Vroom!!

The other day we had to trim MeMe's trees...well, my husband did that but Justin and I watched and were there for support :)  and Justin plays in his "sandbox" for hours at her house.  It's a little nook underneath her pool deck, full of rocks and they play with all of their toys in there!  So fun!  they call it their hideout and he was really happy that he didn't have to share toys with big brother since he was at school!

And this big man!  What am I gonna do with him?  He's growing so fast and acts like a teenager some days. He helps me around the house and is such a great big brother unless he's taking things away from his brother, which he does love to do!  He's loving baseball, can't wait to start Running Club at his school next Tuesday and he loves anything that's outdoors!  Says he wants to be a coach when he grows up and says PE is his favorite class!

As we've transformed our fourth bedroom into a workout room, two little guys have taken notice.  They had to have their own pair of boxing gloves and the other night, we let them have a little fun punching the bag!
I had no idea how serious they'd take it, making the sounds that Mommy and Daddy make through the punches and everything...we were cracking up!
Little man was punching, wiping his forehead-as if he were drenched in sweat and saying, "whew this is such a great workout, I can feel my heart"...never a dull moment in this house :)

And yep that's Molly in my bed!  She was laying in my spot and just kept looking at me as if I were going to sleep on her bed or something...

I had to share my beautiful gift from my very good friend, Ashlyn.  It's written on a tile and goes perfectly in my home!  I was beyond excited when I opened it, her gifts are ALWAYS so thoughtful...always!

And little man has to be cool on his bike like big brother, always trying to do tricks but we keep telling him those training wheels are limiting his "tricks", we'll see if he finally figures things out without them one day soon!  He looks just like his Daddy...and I love it!

OUTSIDE!

First of all, it was a great weekend because Daddy was off the entire time!  We were able to chill, play outside A LOT, get ready for our camping trip and just be together...the four of us :)

Then it was lots of workouts this weekend and these boys pay close attention to Mommy and Daddy...they had to have boxing gloves like us, had to do ab workouts with us and of course, they ran with us too!  I sure hope these habits stick with these active boys!
They took this VERY seriously and Justin kept saying, I can feel this all in my tummy and heart muscle.  HILARIOUS!  He choked down zucchini ONLY because Jake told him it was good for his heart!  Ha, I'm gonna let Jake talk Justin into all of the healthy foods from here on out...he'll probably have better luck!

Yesterday, although it was a little cloudy and sprinkling rain, we managed to get in more than few hours of just PLAYING! All four of us played soccer, which Daddy and Jake dominated!  They were so good, Justin and I didn't stand a chance.

BUT when it was time for football, Justin and I managed to distract Jake long enough to steal the ball...
yea, yea so we don't play by the rules technically but hey, we had FUN!!!!  Jake was obviously getting very mad that we weren't playing RIGHT

Down Set...and Justin took off early each time!  HILARIOUS!!!  It was making Jake SO mad!!!

Hope you all had a fabulous weekend outdoors too :)

Just some things!

Jake has started baseball season and has really come out of his shell this year! We had slugfest over the weekend and he did really well...so proud! Of course I'm team mom but I really don't mind since I worked with his coach and most of our same parents, so it's been fun! Baseball practice and games remind me so much of my childhood. I love baseball season and of course, the sunflower seeds! Ha!! These two go hand in hand right?! Oh and Jake figured out that he loves some Big League Chew! Hilarious to watch him chew it, he acts like he's real tough and a pro at it, this boy and the way he acts so mature sometimes....cracks me up! We've got one that's the life of the party(Justin) and the big man Loves the shy guy, tough boy approach (Jake) and obviously NO GIRLS WILL BE ALLOWED IN OUR HOME EVER!!!

We bought some Girl Scout cookies from our cousin, Annalise and although I'm happy we supported the scouts, it's very hard to use will power and avoid the deliciousness!!! Good news is the boys love them so they should be gone soon!

These boys wanna be outdoors 24/7 so we've spent most of this gorgeous weekend outside!! We needed our weekly veggies so we went to Froberg's farm and let the boys run around a bit! And of course HAD to take a fAmily pic in the strawberries! Lol! FUN

Strawberry picking starts next weekend so ya know we'll be doing that soon!

Have a great rest of your weekend!!

VDay week wrap-up!

This week was INSANE busy but so much fun too! I loved being able to help out at Jake's school so much this week! I helped with the school party, spent a day in PE and subbed with a few other mom's so that his teacher could enjoy a LONG lunch which she very much deserved! I guess I appreciate those moments so much because I know how quickly this time will pass! Trying to cherish each day ;-)

And then it was Valentines Day!! Ah love was in the air! Justin woke up and told me that he bought me a dress that said Marissa McClellen on the front! Lol! He cracks us up...his personality is so funny! He had everybody at baseball last week laughing the entire practice! Wonder who he gets that from?? Hmmm....

My boys gave me flowers and the following night, Brandon & I had date night a day late! It was our first time trying Red Sushi and we loved it! It was a fun night! I love that man so much! Although he doesn't show others too often, he's hilarious and a total goofball when nobody else is around ;-) he had me almost in tears most of the night...the good kind!!
I hope you all had a Happy Valentines Day and spent lots of time with the people you love most XOXO!
We are ready to go camping this coming weekend, feels like its been too long and the boys ask every week! We are going to visit my sister in law & family! We're very excited and honestly I haven't been to Austin since I was little! Looking forward to it!

Popsicles in February!

Yep! We were outside washing my Jeep, eating Popsicles and riding bikes today! It's a little chilly but we aren't complaining! This gorgeous day is making me look forward to SUMMER!!!

And as we were washing my car, these two silly boys were racing their Jeeps! They are SUPPOSE to be remote control however these crazies lost the batteries and pushed them so much that the motors won't work! These boys...
But although they find silly things to do with their toys, I love every second of watching them ;-)

I'm not sure if I'm excited for summer for the weather or the fact that my big boy will be outta school for a while! I'm sure missing him this year while he's off being a grown up-kindergartner!

"Poppin' tags!"

Well some days in the car rider line, you just gotta turn up the music and dance! Is that just me?! So when your favorite song comes on, and the boys fav song too....it calls for loud music & dancing like a bunch of crazy people! I think my jeep may have been rocking, we were dancing so hard!!
So if ya hear "Thrift Shop "Poppin tags" today, TURN IT UP, LET LOOSE AND HAVE FUN!!!!!

Commit to be FIT

Just a few pictures from Commit to be Fit at my son's school! Very cool to be a former PE teacher and able to join my boy in class! It was fun and he's a good hula hooper, unlike his Momma! I received many compliments on his behavior and how he focuses on his stretching and exercises! MADE ME PROUD! We listened to our heart beat on the stethoscope and talked about our heart muscle and Jake leaned over and said, Mom you talk about this stuff all the time at home so I already know it :-) and to end that day on an even more FIT note, I came home from Team Mom duties to my boys working out with Daddy in our workout room! Ah, I love those three guys more than life itself!!!


And a random Molly pic enjoying the little bit on sunshine we had over the weekend!!

Happy Mardi Gras 2013!

Not many pictures because we were having so much fun watching the boys seriously enjoy them some Mardi Gras this year. Justin was dancing with the bands and yelling at the floats if they weren't throwing beads fast enough- HILARIOUS!

We've already said we better experience Mardi Gras New Orleans-style with them this next year, they'll really go nuts! I remember as a kid, we'd go visit and stay with our family and have THE best time at all of the parades and now that our family there all has children, we can carry on the tradition!

So it was yucky weather here in Galveston- no rain just muggy and windy on the water but still a fun, memorable time :-) we usually make a day of it on the first weekend but we had too many things going on last weekend to make it work. So we made up for it this past weekend since there's never been a year we've missed the good times entirely!!!

HAPPY MARDI GRAS!!!!


It's a little scary knowing some crazy things happened in both Galveston and NOLA this year but we make sure we're extra safe and stay away from the areas where the partying is a little too hard and wild and that goes for the Strand in Tx and French Quarter in LA. Not a place for kids or paranoid people like myself that think anywhere there are crowds, a riot is not far away...I know, I know-I watch WAY too much 20/20 and Dateline!