Catching UP with Us Meyer's~ January through June 2013 edition: Part 4

I am having fun with this little series while I'm trying valiantly to catch back up so we can move on with a fresh slate. Hope you are, too! This is going to be the random post where I try to squeeze in all the random pics that don't make a post by themselves :) Hang on, here we go!

After Christmas was over, and all the excitement was over...

We started off the New Year with lots of rest since we'd all be sick for so long.

 In early January, it actually SNOWED in Cruces (and yes, my child is wearing shorts *sigh*) DT was quite excited about this and enjoyed the snow for the 47 minutes is was on the ground.

 Gymnastic season started. David and his pal, Derek seem to have mixed emotions about that,

 but David has learned how to soar right over his competition!

 Fun days were spent making puzzles, enjoying movies and popcorn and slowly getting back into the swing of things at the Man Crew House.

 Tyler's late arriving Christmas gift from PaPa and Grma was a hit!

 DT learned the Greek Alphabet. Hurray for homeschooling!

 We enjoyed a trip to the local fire department. DT was thrilled with all the buttons and knobs, but saddened that fire stations no longer have dalmatians OR fire poles.

 However, all was not lost as the knowledgeable firemen took them for a tour and let them climb all over the truck.

 I allowed the BIGS to massacre the sad, squishy pumpkins from the fall with a 4 foot sword. Oh yes, I AM that mom :)

 We enjoyed some beautiful weather, with outstanding sunrises and sunsets.

 Jodi, James and T spent many hours at the Man Crew House visiting with us and Dad and Mom. T likes Uncle Dan's tickle fights, even though he always loses.

 Gymnastics season continued.

 David did well and earned the admiration of his teammates and coaches for his hard work.

 He even learned some new BIG tricks, like this one that I magically caught him mid-air.

 We hosted a Magic the Gathering card game tournament and had LOTS of fun!

 Here are the final standings. The out of town wringer won it all, but the surprising 2nd place went to Dan. I was pleased for him since he had worked and worked and WORKED on his decks all week under the guidance of said out of town wringer.

 The Black Ninja came to visit his country cousin the White Ninja and even stopped long enough to mop the floor for me. As if he made any marks ;)

And someone played in the tub too long.
Phew!

Wordless Wednesday

This picture is SO great, it needs a post all it's own. That is MY son! David, you are a joy to raise, and a pleasure to be around. Thank you for making parenting such a wonderful adventure. We love you!


Posted in June, taken in January 2013

Catching UP with Us Meyer's~ January through June 2013 edition: Part 2

Here we go again, trying to catch up on some of the fun things going on at the Man Crew House these past few months. Let's dig into the pictures to remember all the silliness!

 January: Patrick turns 14. He's been waiting and anticipating and and and...for so long! And now the day has actually arrived! He's a REAL teenager now because 13 is just a warm up year, dontcha know? :) That's my boy! He enjoyed it all very much. Birthday Game night is always fun, and with PaPa and Grma here for his birthday, how much better could it get?

Hey there Handsome Boy! Thanks for sharing your birthday smile with us!

Oh yes! A short sword, which he has been asking for. Daddy found it and brought it home for him. He was ecstatic!

 

We even made his favorite meal, Chicken Club Brunch Ring. (thank you Pampered Chef!)

PaPa and Grma gifted Pat with the much asked for iTunes card so he could download a few new apps on his iPod. Woohoo!

Patrick was even kind enough to share the frame with DT. DT was pleased to share the photo op

 January: OLLIE! Oliver is the sweet little son of our friends, Ryan and Kelsi. He's just a joy to be around and as you can tell, that's not just me saying that. We all just adore his smiles and spend hours playing with him. Thanks to Ryan and Kelsi for sharing him with us <3 br="">

Ollie gets a shoulder ride from 'Uncle' Dan

Sweet sweet face! I could gobble him up!

Patrick, AKA the Baby Whisperer is just great with Ollie, and the feelings are mutual, I assure you!

 January: Mike and Ricky came to visit for a few days! Ricky was honorably discharged from the Navy after his 4 years were up, and he was up in Washington state, so Mike flew out to meet him, and they took the long way home by way of California, New Mexico and THEN home to Illinois. It was great to see them both and the 3 Amigos had TOO much fun goofing off, working on Ricky's car and antique shopping together. Good times! Thanks for coming to see us! And remember, what happens at the Man Crew House, stays at the Man Crew House *winks*

Mike Hanna, my BIL.

Ricky Bean, our adopted nephew from Mike's side of the family

Dan, Ricky and Mike, or as they are better known, the 3 Horsemen of the Apocalypse. :)

It's the Little Things

I've discovered as I make this journey through life that it's not the huge things that make or break your day, week, month or life. It's the little things. So in honor of the little things, list a few with me that made your day, week, month or life brighter or sweeter.

• It's a chat with 'Shua where he tells me know much he loves his wife and all the sweet things he's going to do for her while he's home from work for a day.
• It's being able to share the home that God has allowed us to live in this year with family and friends, whether that means game night fun, long weekend visits, laundry facility sharing or a baking party.
• It's starting to grow a pineapple 'tree' from the fresh one you just ate, so that someday, it will make you a new one to enjoy.
• It's a warm kitty in your lap while you watch TV.
• It's a new juicer that hubby bought so you can eat more healthfully! YUM~O
• It's the satisfaction of a day well spent doing something your kiddos are interested in, whether it interests you or not.
• It's warm socks on a cold night.

I like the idea of this style of post. If you like it too, add your little things! I'm making it a goal to focus on the positive this year...Join me!

Holiday Hallway Project

Hello Friends!
Just zipping past with a quick craft for the 'no big holiday' months of January and February. I have this lovely little hallway at the front of my house and I've claimed it as the 'holiday hallway' since hubster doesn't care for my 'clutter', I mean decorating attempts. So since we've arrived last spring, it's been adorned with our Summer Reading Challenge posters, spent a while dressed up for fall, and most recently was a wintry blizzard full of snowflakes. I had intended to leave the snow up all winter, but a certain someone declared with CHRISTMAS decorations and helpfully took them down for me. *ahem, thank you* So I now have a bare hallway that is NEEDING some attention. I've got two long pieces of twine strung along the walls and plenty of mini-clothes pins to hang things on, so it's just a matter of picking a topic. After perusing my calendar for upcoming holidays, I decided that I'd do a multi-holiday theme for the rest of the winter. Those holidays include more snowflakes, hearts for Valentine's Day, President silhouettes and quotes plus national and state flags for President's Day, and "I have a dream" Dream Clouds for Martin Luther King Day where they will fill in their dreams for the world. To some it might be a bit jumbled looking, but I'm excited about it.
I've got a house full today with Jodi's 2 boys here to join my 3, so once nap time is over for the littles, we will be gathering around the craft table with scissors, glue and crayons to enjoy some creative time together.
If you are interested, I printed things from these pages.
Flags~ http://www.free-printable-flags.com/ and http://www.freeprintablecoloringpages.net/category/State_Flags
Hearts~ http://homeschooled-kids.com/valentinesdayhearttemplate.html
Clouds~ http://www.edupics.com/coloring-page-cloud-i22857.html
President Silhouttes~ http://kidscraftzone.com/category/Presidents-Day-Crafts.aspx

Thanks for joining us. I'll be adding a few more pics once we are finished with our craft.