Our First Family Play!

A few weeks ago, Mama and I got to take the kids to see their first play.  Since Marcos and I met as Theater majors in college, this was a very special day for me.  Naturally, I assume that the kiddos have theater in their blood, and I couldn't wait to see how they would fall in love with the stage like their daddy and I did when we were little.

Since we are such huge Tangled fans here, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to take the kiddos to see Rapunzel.  Of course, it was nothing like the movie.  It actually stuck closer to the original story, which I had completely forgotten until I saw it acted out.  Later, Merrick said, "Mommy, I think that was Tangled 2."

My mama is the best mom and grandmother in the entire world.  I am so grateful that she lives nearby and can go to me with special events like this.  I love that she is going to be in so many of the kids' childhood memories.

We dressed Scoutie Girl in her Rapunzel dress (pajamas actually...shhh....don't tell!) to see the play.  She's only two and she already loves to dress up.  I definitely see a closet full of princess dresses in our future.

The twins and I went down to the stage to check things out before the show started.

I was incredibly surprised that the kids paid attention during the entire show.  Typically, when we see a movie, I am chasing them all over the theater.  Not the case here.

Dee lovin' up on Merrick.  :)

Woo-hoo!  What a great family field trip.  I can't wait to take them to their next show.  After the show, my mom was already talking about taking them to auditions.  Once a stage mother, always a stage mother, I guess.  

Avia Triathlon 2011

I could not be more proud of my husband today.  Today, he completed his first sprint triathlon.  A few months ago, he completed Austin's Capitol Texas First Tri.  It is a triathlon for first timers, so the distance is just a bit shorter.  In today triathlon, he swam 700 meters, rode approximately 16 miles on his bike, then ran a 5K (a little more than 3 miles).

My mom watched the twins so that I could more easily navigate the spectator sport with Merrick.  Here are a couple of pics from the big race:

Daddy and Merrick before the race begins

I love this pic.  Out of his entire age group, Marcos was the only one that turned around and waved to his family.  I love how aware of us he was.  I know it made him so proud to have his son and wife see him accomplish something so great.  If you watch the video (below), you'll see him wave to us again as he gets in to the water.  It melts my heart.

Merrick was so funny.  As soon as Marcos got into the water, Merrick turned to me and said, "Mommy, can we go home now?"  :)  We made the sign above several days prior.  On the right side of the word Daddy (which Merrick traced), Merrick insisted that I draw a picture of our entire family.  The stick figure of Merrick (yes, I'm an awesome stick figure artist) has a mo-hawk and is giving a karate kick.  He loved that.

It was awesome watching the race take place with downtown Austin as the backdrop.  And, what a beautiful day!  The temp was in the low 90's, which was a miracle considering we've had record breaking triple digit weather up until this very day.

While we were waiting to see Marcos ride by on his bike, Merrick sat on the bridge and held on to the rail.  At one point he said, "Mommy, this is my favorite part."  (We often ask him at the dinner table what his favorite part of the day was.)  :)

Sadly, we missed seeing Marcos ride his bike.  I thought I saw him...several times.  I yelled, "Gooooo Marcos!!!!" really, really loudly as this one dude rode by.  I even videotaped him.  It wasn't until we got home and I showed Marcos the video of him that he said, "That's not me."  

Here's a picture of the warrior man and his very proud family.

Marcos was very blessed to have Corbin, a great friend and neighbor, as a training buddy over the summer.  I love this pic of them.  They are both on top of the world with the greatest city in the world behind them.

I am so very proud of Marcos.  I am not just proud of the fact that he completed the triathlon, but also for how he went about training for it.  He was up almost every morning this summer at 5:45am to get into the lake for a swim or to go for a ride/run.  He is so disciplined and focused.  He is such an inspiration. 

After Marcos got home that afternoon and took a shower, he went out to help with the wildfire that has burned down many houses nearby.  He has been so concerned about the families affected by the fires.  

Am I married to a hero or what?!?

64th Anniversary: An Interview with the Augestines

Today, Don and Patty Augestine celebrate their 64th wedding anniversary.  

Let me just share with you my train of thought upon hearing this news at lunch yesterday:  What in the world?  Is that even possible?  How old are these folks?  They don't look a day over 75...did they get married when they were 11 years old?

Once I was able to suck in some air and get my thoughts together, my next thought was: I am going to break out some pen and paper and take notes!  You don't get through 64 years of married without learning some tricks.  Or, as Patty says, "If you've been married 64 years and haven't learned something, you haven't been listening to God."

To get the right advice, you gotta ask the right question.  So, in all my eloquence of speech, I asked the Augestine's, "Is there some blanket, general, all-purpose advice that you can give as to how to be happily married for 64 years?"  Without hesitation, Patty said, "Well, first, you gotta know the Lord."  That melted my heart.  

They went on to tell story after story about how God had worked in their life together.  Don told us about the first time he remembered seeing Patty.  They were in junior high school.  Patty's mom put her long blond hair in ringlets just like Shirley Temple's.  Don said that Patty had the biggest brown eyes and that whenever they parted all he could see were her big brown eyes.  Patty went with Don to his senior prom, which, according to Don was her big mistake.  That was the night he fell in love with Patty.  

When I asked him what it was exactly that made him fall in love, he folded his napkin, wiped some taco chili off his face and said, "You know, lots of people have asked me that, and I used to say, 'I don't know.'  It wasn't sexual.  I feel sheepish saying that.  But, that's what most people expect.  Now, looking back, I just realize that Patty had the Holy Spirit in her.  She had Jesus in her." 

Don and Patty went on to tell many, many more stories and a total of 3 keys to a happy marriage:

1) You gotta know the Lord.

2) Take time to talk together.

3) If and when you have a disagreement, you should hold hands.

Marcos looked at me as Don mentioned the third step.  "You might have a little trouble with that last one, Les."  (Thanks for calling me out, Marcos.)  What in the world?  Why, or rather, how could you hold hands when you're angry?  In my head, I imagined being in a row with Marcos and him holding my hands just so I wouldn't take a swing at him.  When I confessed to Don and Patty that, sadly, I was born with a genetic mutation that made me do and say crazy things when I got angry (a genetic disposition I blame completely and entirely on my mother), Don simply said, "You should still hold hands.  You'd be surprised how it bleeds the anger."  

One last pearl of wisdom that Ms. Patty gave us is that we have to be aware of how Satan is just looking for the tiniest little crack where he can "stick his nose".  Most people, she thinks, aren't even aware of how Satan is working in their lives.  And even the Christians that are aware of Satan, don't do any thing about it.

When I asked how old they were when they got married (because I thought that was more polite than asking their age!), Don said, "What do you mean?  We've been married all our lives."  

Knuckle Bump

Dear Sawyer,

I have to share with you the sweetest thing you just did.  It is almost 10pm.  I went into your bedroom to check on you and your sister before going to bed myself.  When I walked in, I heard you make a little noise in your crib.  When I walked over, your little eyes were barely open, but you had the biggest smile on your face.  I could see your sweet face by the light of the hallway coming into your room.  When you saw me, you put your arm through the bars of your crib in order to give me a knuckle bump.  I about died.

After I gave you the first knuckle bump, you put both arms out in front of you.  I thought for a moment that you wanted me to pick you up.  You were still smiling like crazy.  Then, I realized that you had both arms out and were wanting two more knuckles bumps.  You are the knuckle bump king.

You just melt my heart, little man.

I love you like crazy.
Love,
Mommy
(or, as you so enthusiastically call me sometimes, "Daddy!")

PS - This is how you eat a cupcake...no hands!

How To Do a Daddy Push-Up

How to burn a few extra calories in the Esparza household:

Step 1: When attempting a push-up, add a 34 pound child to your back.

Step 2: Not enough?  Add another 40ish pound 5 year old.

Step 3:  If you are a total hoss, add another 30ish pound 2 year old.

Step 4:  Attempt to raise yourself (and the extra load) a few inches off the ground.  "Uncool" points are given for every child that falls off and knocks himself unconscious on the tile floor.

Step 5:  Feel free to modify your push-up to the "lady's version" if needed.  There's no shame in that (you wimp).  

Step 6:  If you are a real man (see model), you will raise yourself and the extra 100 pounds completely off the floor.  Now...repeat 20 times (hahaha).

If everyone is smiling (and alive and conscious) at the end of the push-up, you have earned the

"Complete Stud of a Daddy Award"

Now, moving onto abs...

I love my studly Baby Daddy.  :)

Father's Day 2011

We had such a great Father's Day this year. 

I was so grateful to come across this site, Tip Junkie, with tons and tons of Father's Day ideas.  I picked a couple of my favorite ideas and made them for Marcos:

This is Marcos's Father's Day card.  I made it on my computer using digital scrapbooking papers and elements.  Then, I printed it out the designs on regular paper and used spray adhesive to attach it to some pretty thick cardboard paper.  I got this idea from The Crafting Chicks.  She also shares her "DAD" template there.  

I also love finding free printables for every holiday.  It's so easy - just print it out and put it in a frame!

This is Marcos's present from me and the kiddos.  I could not wait to give it to him.  I let the kids draw all over the inside of some wrapping paper so that it was decorated just for him.

This project just turned out so-so.  I think I got the wrong kind of tie.  The original idea is here.  And, doing any kind of handprint project with 2 year olds is just...challenging.  Scoutie Girl ended up grabbing the tie instead of placing her hand on it.  When I put the fabric paint on Sawyer's hand, he acted like I was covered him with acid.  Still, Marcos really seemed to like their handprints.  A little embarrassed to wear the tie, perhaps, but he loved the handprints.  :)

This was one of my favorite little crafts this Father's Day.  Meet the iDad card!  I made this card for my big brother, who has three beautiful kiddos of his own.  He is an Apple addict.  Even his children have ipads of their own.  The tutorial for how to make it here. 

I loved seeing Marcos's face when he opened his present.  He was so surprised!

Several weeks back, Marcos completed his first tri-athlon.  Since the swim was a little more challenging for him than the bike and swim, he had mentioned getting a training snorkel.  I made a mental note of that and we got it for him!  (Can you believe this young buck has three children?!?)

Of course, what would a Father's Day be without a beautiful family portrait?!?  Yes, if you're wondering, this IS the best picture I was able to get of the four of them.  A picture I'm sure we'll treasure for years and years to come.  

I do like this sweet pic, though. 

My parents were out of town for the weekend, but we still went over to their house to spend time with my brother and his family who were staying there for the weekend.  I love, love, love when my children get to spend time with their cousins.

Merrick just adores his older, wiser cousin.  A-dores him!

We even dressed all the girls' in the same dress and took some pictures.  

Holding hands!

All in all, I think it was one of our favorite Father's Days yet.  

Hey, 2011...Slow Yo Roll!

It has been almost 4 months since I have updated this blog.  Absolute craziness!  I can not believe how fast the time has flown by this year.  For all those intently interested in all things Modderhood, here are a few highlights of our year so far:

We brought the New Year with some of our great friends.  

The kids had an incredible time playing together (ie. destroying the house) while we played board games and drank champagne out of these super cool glasses:

Merrick actually stayed up to midnight for the first time ever.  Even more surprising than that, I was able to stay up to midnight...

February brought on a crafty Valentine's Day.  I don't know why, but I really got into the VDay spirit this year.  Every food was heart shaped for about a month and I spent about 4,237 hours making a wreath for the door.  I also started a new craft blog about this time, OnesieTwosie (after my Etsy store), to chronicle all the crafty craziness...

We had snow in Austin...for about 24 minutes.  It was the twins' first time playing in snow.  I don't think they liked it too much, but maybe that's because Mommy wasn't quite prepared with gloves and the like that people have in places where the weather tends to get below 100 degrees.

In March, Marcos and I snuck off to a marriage retreat with our church which took place at the Hyatt Lost Pines.  What?!?!  This place is ridiculously amazing.  I'm so hoping we can go back for our anniversary and stay a bit longer.  It was just so relaxing.  I didn't have to do any laundry or pick smushed green beans off the floor.  Marcos and I went on little adventures together throughout the campus.  In one day I took 3 showers and watched about 3 episodes of Hoaders back to back.  I slept in without being woken up by, "Mommy!!!!"  Pure heaven.

Jagger and I have also started doing some homeschooling.  I started a little blog, Gettin' Skooled, to document what we're learning.  It is such a joy to watch Jagger grasp a new concept and then hunger for more.  Recently, we've started on our "read-aloud" books. We've also studied out dinosaurs and space. I'm indescribably proud of Jagger.

Also in March, we visited Dallas with my parents.  Our favorite part was spending the morning at the aquarium.  Let me just say...I had no idea!  There is a 3 story building in the middle of downtown Dallas that is home to thousands of beautiful and complex creatures.  The children went nuts.  As I stood in front of the tank with a ginormous anaconda (ie. 25 foot snake) I kept thinking, "This is not where I'd want to be standing in the event of an world altering earthquake."  

I've also made some little paintings in 2011.  I am working on decorating my craft room as well as putting some new paintings above Lulu's crib.  I figured out a new technique called direct image transfer about which I'm especially excited (bottom image).

Marcos and I got the great privilege of traveling back to North Carolina (where I was born and bred)  to attend the wedding of my childhood best friend.  What an amazing experience to be playing Barbies with your friend at 4 years old and then turn around and see her walk down the aisle (ironically, looking like a Barbie).  She was a beautiful, fun, and graceful bride.  It was so great being back in NC and seeing several of my childhood friends again (and getting to introduce them to Marcos) as well as my beautiful family.  Marcos also got to see "mountain dancin'" for the first time.  He then proceeded to tear up the dance floors with moves for which they have no names.  

Shortly after this, Marcos ran in the Capitol 10K here in Austin.  His brother, Henry, also took up the challenge.  Marcos's high school bestie, Jason, woke up at crazy-man hours that morning to drive from Houson to Austin to see Marcos run the event.  What a great friend, no?  

I was so proud of Marcos.  He was so disciplined in his training (surprise, surprise) and shaved 10 minutes off his time from last year (more than a minute per mile).

The same weekend, I drove down to San Antonio a couple of times to be a part of the Taliaferro's short film, Recalculating.  This was so exciting for me, as I had not acted in quite a while.  Mike Taliaferro leads our sister church in San Antonio and also runs an incredible site, ICOC Hot News, which reports news from all of our sister churches from around the globe (ie. when there is an earthquake, tsunami, or civil war, he is Skyping the dudes on the inside and letting us know what's really going on...intense stuff).  His son, Nate, is a film major at UT Austin.  Together, they have made several short films to help spread God's word as well as unify Christians.  

Soccer season has also begun.  Jagger is a rock star on the field.  He has really, really grown since last season.  Instead of grabbing his opponents by the shirt and trying to throw them to the ground when they have the ball, he actually gets on defense and guards the goal.  Last week, he made his first goal ever!  Like I said...rock star.

These past couple of weeks, we decided to try something new.  After reading this post here, I decided we must get our family into the vegetable gardening gig.  I do not have a green thumb, but so far, everything is still alive.  Yeah!

And then, of course, this past weekend was Easter.  Marcos took Friday off and we had an incredible weekend together as a family.  More on this to come!

What a great 2011 so far.  It's been a bit busy, however.  I'm currently training for the Capital 2K Swim coming up this Sunday.  After that, I plan on doing nothing but sewing, reading, painting, and spending time with my family.  I'm ready for some down time!