USO Halloween Party

26 Oct 2008

Yesterday was our ward Halloween party/chili cook off but we couldn't go because we were invited to dinner at the colonel's house. So to help the kids not feel like they were missing out on Halloween, we took them to the downtown trick-or-treat street and the USO Halloween party. The trick-or-treat street was really crowded but the kids had a pretty good time going to the booths getting little pieces of candy. Jared and I had a lot of flash backs to the vender streets in Cancun. I didn't take any pictures of the kids but here are some photos from the internet.

This is the classy part of Market Square (by the restaurants). When we were here yesterday the sidewalk was FULL of people and kids in costumes (imagine this picture with about 10,000 people in it.) This is the picture that reminds us of Cancun. Cancun market motto: "We have different junk!"

The USO Halloween party was tonight and we were kind of hesitant to go to a party on Sunday but since we don't have much else to do on Sunday afternoons we thought it would be okay - and it really was. The people that work at the USO are always SO SO NICE! They had it all decorated and they served us hot dogs and chips and had 5 or 6 games for the kids and candy prizes. There were about 50-60 people there and it actually felt more like a big family party than anything else. The kids had fun.

In this picture Derek is supposed to be blowing a cotton ball across the floor. Instead he just held onto it in his hand and crawled like the other kids.

This is a game where you are supposed to turn your partner into a mummy. Derek put some on me and then put the rest around himself.

Tyler tried to turn Derek into a mummy but Derek kept trying to help by ripping the paper.

Strung-out Ty

So they really like Cream Soda here in the south, and it comes in many different brands. In Orem, we often bought Shasta Cream Soda because it came in diet. The other day, Suzie found Diet A&W Cream Soda, and we were all elated.

Well apparently, A&W is the only Cream Soda that is also caffeinated, but we didn't know that until we had already given some to Tyler. We went shopping right after, and Tyler was buzzing like a hornet.



Back to Big Red for Ty.

Japanese Tea Gardens

18 Oct 2008

Today we went to the Japanese Tea Gardens in San Antonio with Joseph and Amanda and Emily. It was really cool! It was built by an old Japanese guy in the early 1900's in an abandoned limestone quarry. During WWII they changed the name to the Chinese Tea Gardens and there is still an old sign that says that. We walked on all the trails and even found a lady who gave us some food to feed the fish. The kids really had a fun time. Emily tried to climb into the water every chance she got. Jared told Joseph that she would only fall in once and then learn her lesson but Joseph wasn't so sure. Apparently Emily is braver than my 6 year-old boy and my almost 3-year old boy put together. Afterward we had Subway sandwiches back at our house, played Wii Rock Band (sorry about my singing guys) and decorated Halloween cookies that Amanda made.

Who to Vote For?

17 Oct 2008

We don't know who to vote for. It's kind of an important decision since the new president will be largely responsible for our pay and lifestyle over the next three years (at least) but we still can't make up our minds. What do you think?

Get This - Survey Results - GlowDay.com

P.S. The Walmart on the corner of Culebra and the South 1604 has regular gas for $2.43/gal! I need to put a permanent gas price meter on the side of my blog.

Yay for Derek!!!

16 Oct 2008

Hooray for Derek the super duper pooper! I started potty training Derek yesterday without any success. However today he peed on the potty twice and pooped once! Yay! With only 3 accidents and one can of Diet Coke I think he's doing really good. What a great kid!

Giant Crystal Cave

14 Oct 2008

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2007/04/photogalleries/giant-crystals-cave/index.html

We saw a really neat National Geographic special on Sunday about this cave full of giant gypsum crystals that was found in a lead mine in Mexico in 2000. Apparently the mine (and the cave which is 1,000 feet below ground) would normally be full of hot volcanic water. The mining company has huge pumps that keep the water out the mine. As the mine got deeper, the pumps did too and eventually uncovered this cave. It's a big deal to go inside because it's 113 degrees with 99-100% humidity. The NAICA scientists are only allowed to go in for 30 minutes at a time and only when they are wearing special ice pack suits. It was amazing. I think that it looks just like the fortress of solitude!

Click on the link to see the National Geographic site and some more pictures.

P.S. Gasoline price update for 10/14/08: $2.63 at the HEB on Potranco!

Children's Museum with Grandma James

11 Oct 2008

When my mom was here we took the kids to the Children's Museum again. They had a really good time. We got to do lots of things that we didn't get to do last time.

This is called a "Kid Powered Elevator." It has a pully system that makes it so a kid can pull a cable that will move the cage up to the second floor and then back down again. It seemed like a good idea when Tyler, Derek and I climbed in but after about 20 minutes the "Mom Powered Elevator" was really really tired.

This is a neat water toy where kids can make rivers and dams with pieces of plastic. It seems like we did much of the same thing when I was a kid except that we were in the backyard on a dirt hill with a garden hose. They both sound fun but this one is considerably cleaner.

This is a cool thing. The kids stand in front of this blue screen and see themselves on a monitor with drum sets superimposed around them. When they move so that it looks like they are hitting or kicking a drum it makes a drum sound. It's like a virtual band thing. Tyler really liked it.

P.S. Gas went down again! The Valero station by Walmart on the 1604 has regular gas for $2.69!

Ralphie the Scaredy Dog

10 Oct 2008

Here is Ralphie and our Halloween cat decoration.

P.S. My information in my last post was old. We just saw gas today for $2.79!

We're Still Here

9 Oct 2008

Well, it's Oct 9th and we're still here and Jared still likes the Air Force. Today he went to eat at some grungy greek restraunt with his buddies and some famous psychologist. He said it was really good. He doesn't like getting up early or filling out all of the paper work but he's really glad that he will have a job for the next four years and that they won't cut his salary or health benefits. I'm glad for that too. I'm also glad that I emptied my 401K accounts in June. It seemed like a bad idea at the time but we really needed the money and now I'm glad we did it.

My pregnancy is going fine. I went to the doctor today and they said that I haven't gained any weight in the last month (which is fine cause I weigh too much already). The baby's heartbeat is good and my veins aren't getting worse.

Tyler is doing fine in school. He always gets 90 - 100% on all his homework and tests and he knows how to read pretty much everything. He got into a fight during PE last week and so the school enrolled him in thier "friend making" group therapy session that they hold once a week. They also enrolled him in the gifted and talented program. As far as I know they just send him to a special class once a week where he gets extra work to do in class and at home. It sounds fine to me because I think that he gets bored at school a lot.

Derek has started getting cuddly and clingy. I'm kind of worried about how he'll react to the new baby. When I hold my friends' kids he is always really jealous and tries to pull them out of my arms. Jared says that he'll be fine. Here is his quote, "Kids have been getting younger brothers and sisters since the beginning of time. If it was fine for Cain and Able, it'll be fine for us."

Here are some pictures for your viewing enjoyment.

Check out these strawberries that we bought last week for $2.00/lb! Take that all you Utah people who say it's too hot in Texas! (We've also got gas for $3.38/gallon.)

Here is Derek just the way I found him yesterday after a hard morning of coloring Thomas and Friends.

And here is our dog. We call him Ralphie. He's a good doggy.

Sea World!

2 Oct 2008

While my mom was here we all went to Sea World. It's kind of expensive to get in for just one day but luckily you get to go once each year with 3 other people (Derek doesn't count) if you're in the military! Yay! So here are some pictures.

Tyler was trying to make a good face but he kept getting distracted.
It took me a long time to get this picture. You never know when the whales are going to jump and it takes a long time for my camera to focus. So I pushed the button half-way down to focus it on the water and then held it there till the whale jumped so that I could get a good shot. I think I did a really good job. The photo in the post cards I bought is better though.

Right after this big jump the whale used it's tail to splash A LOT of salt water all over me and Derek. Everyone else was sitting further up because it was so crowded.
Here is Jared and Derek at the Sea Lion show. The kids loved it.
Here are Tyler and I looking at sea lions.
Here is Tyler and a dolphin. Derek was terrified that we were going to throw him in the water with the "sharks" so he would freak out any time we got him near the edge. Oh well, he can see a dolphin later I guess.
There is a waterpark inside Sea World. It really neat but we didn't really plan on swimming. I did want the kids to play in the sprinkler park but it was too crowded so we came here. Derek went to sleep and so Tyler was the only one who got to swim. He just wore his denim shorts.
Good Times!!