The Eichenmillers

The funny things they say and do..........

2011-10-27T20:49:00.004-07:00

Mason to his teacher "My intestines are hurting me", she said that no other child has expressed it that way :)

I caught Jarron in his bed at 5:30 a.m. looking through the new Toys R Us big toy book with a pen light and making out his x-mas list :)

Malaya started blowing raspberries and will imitate when we do it :)

Baby Parts

2011-10-20T20:15:00.004-07:00

Malaya is 3 1/2 months old now and I love taking pictures of her. Every little part of her is so CUTE!!

Mason

2011-10-13T19:04:00.000-07:00

Mason "When I grow up, I want to marry Malaya"

....And the Love Continues

2011-10-11T21:06:00.004-07:00

This little girl gets a lot of lovin'. Her brothers fight over who gets to hold her first in the mornings. Her Daddy can make her smile every time he talks to her. She gets attention every where we go.

Mason and Malaya above

Jarron and Malaya below

Apple/Pear picking at Brown's Orchard

2011-10-11T20:38:00.009-07:00

We went to Brown's Orchard in Wilcox to pick apples and pears. I bought one of those coupons from the internet that was a killer deal, two 5-gallon buckets for $8. It was a perfect 70 degrees and sunny. The boys loved every minute of it.

They climbed trees

Used tools

Sampled from every tree

Malaya wore a hat for the first time.

And of course there were bugs to be caught!

Malaya 3 months old

2011-10-03T12:15:00.002-07:00

3 months old and such a happy baby!!

New Pets

2011-09-25T20:03:00.005-07:00

We went to the Tucson Reptile and Amphibian show and brought home 2 new pets. Mason chose a Madagascar Hissing Cockroach and named it "Speedy".

Jarron chose a Millipede and named it "Curley"

Eric and the kids

Mason and a HUGE Reticulated Python. This is only half of the snake!! Did I say HUGE?

Jarron and a Bearded Dragon

Proud Big Brothers

2011-09-25T19:29:00.009-07:00

The newness/honeymoon of having a new baby sister has not worn off, and I don't think it ever will. Jarron and Mason are totally smitten with Malaya and spend a lot of time with her and caring for her. Here is Jarron who is able to pick her up and carry her.

Mason who likes to make Malaya talk and smile.

Jarron who is always asking to hold Malaya.

Just had to add sleeping pics because I think they are adorable.

Say Cheese!

2011-09-25T19:16:00.004-07:00

Malaya does a lot of smiling and giggling now that she is 2 months old. She just keeps getting more and more fun!

Jarron and Mason update

2011-09-22T19:49:00.003-07:00

The boys have been keeping busy. This was crazy hat day, they ended up not wearing them, go figure.

Mason tried to fit in a 6-9 months sleeper and almost succeeds :)

Jarron wants to hold Malaya all the time and can even put her to sleep.

Jarron on the playground at school

Mason finally mastered tricks on the fire pole and monkey bars at school.

Malaya 8 weeks old

2011-08-25T18:25:00.002-07:00

Malaya is 8 weeks old and celebrated it by her first laugh! She gave out a hearty laugh followed by 3 giggles. It was Mason and his "Caca Diarrhea" song that made her laugh. She has no chance of growing up a "lady" with her big brothers around :)

Cute things they have said

2011-08-22T15:43:00.003-07:00

Malaya spit up and Jarron said "I knew she was going to do that". Mom - "How did you know" Jarron - "Because she always looks cute right before she pukes".

Jarron had "get to know each other" at school today and had to bring in 5 items that told who he is. #1 a plastic scorpion (he asked to bring in a real one and was told no live animals, LOL). #2 a soccer ball, #3 legos, #4 his camera, and #5 his brother and sister - it was very sweet!

Mason to Mammy while they were swimming "I grabbed your onesie".

Malaya

2011-08-16T11:28:00.001-07:00

Portrait Session 07/2011

2011-08-16T11:06:00.003-07:00

First day of school 2011

2011-08-16T11:01:00.002-07:00

Both boys had a great day at school. Mason was a little nervous and quiet, the only words he said to me before I left him on his first day of Kindergarten were "Let me kiss Malaya goodbye". I thought that getting ready in the morning with 3 kids was going to be a struggle but I am really fortunate that the boys are so independent and get ready for the day by themselves. Also, when I was making their lunch, cleaning up the kitchen, and getting myself ready for the day, they were entertaining their baby sister without being asked too. I am a very lucky Mom to have such great kids.

Summer is over :(

2011-08-16T10:54:00.002-07:00

One last trip to the roller rink before school starts. I got to go this time and was really proud of the boys. They even went out on the big rink, all by themselves. They went around, and around, and around.

Malaya and The Boys

2011-07-30T14:27:00.003-07:00

My little girl is 4 weeks old already. How I wish I could freeze time. She is 10 lbs. already and we are loving the chubby rolls of this healthy baby.

Eric and his father "Pop-Pop" took the boys to the Planetarium and did some exploring and learning. They are making "comets" below.

Mami has been so great with the boys. She has taken them to swim lessons all summer, roller skating, movies, more swimming, and "The Cove" in Sierra Vista which is an indoor swim park. Yes, my boys love to swim. Here they are jumping off the diving board, Mason above and Jarron below.

Malaya two weeks old

2011-07-13T11:30:00.004-07:00

Malaya Rose is 2 weeks old and already an overachiever. She had her Dr. appt. and is a whole pound over her birthweight! She is a very happy and healthy little girl. Bring on the baby chubs!

Malaya one week old

2011-07-05T17:39:00.003-07:00

She is a sleeper! I know it is only the first week but she loves to sleep, so much more than my boys did.

I think she will be a thumbsucker. This is the second time we have caught her with her thumb in her mouth.

Malaya Rose Eichenmiller

2011-07-05T17:33:00.003-07:00

Malaya Rose Eichenmiller (Rose named after her Mami)

born June 28th at 12:24 p.m.

7lbs. 8oz. 19 inches long

Perfectly Healthy

Jarron's 7th Birthday Party

2011-06-25T22:45:00.001-07:00

For Jarron's 7th birthday party we rented a 16ft. water slide. We had 11 kids over and they never stopped climbing and sliding, except of course for the boys when we brought out the water guns. Even a few of us adults tried out the slide :) It was a blast!

A Week of Firsts

2011-06-08T18:44:00.003-07:00

There are a lot of changes around here, and the new baby isn't even here yet! We needed to make room for baby so the boys beds finally got turned into bunk beds. I have been dreading this day as much as the boys have been looking forward to it. I am worried about broken bones, but moreover I am saddened because they don't need me to cuddle anymore at night. It is a new routine of reading books on the bottom bed ( "the cave" as Mason calls it) and then kisses goodnight. I used to get about 10 minutes of cuddling after lights out but they said they don't need it anymore :(

Jarron has finally lost a tooth. He is almost 7 and has been hoping this would happen all of his 1st grade school year. He had to wait until school was out but he was ecstatic none the less. He wanted to write a letter to the Tooth Fairy so I told him to go for it. He wrote "Dear Tooth Fairy, I want to see you, From, Jarron" He then woke us up at 4:00 a.m. to tell us all about seeing the Tooth Fairy. She was wearing a green dress, had a wand, she was glittering, and had 3 pet moths with her that she let Jarron hold. It was a wonderful dream that he truly believes was real.

This baby has me exhausted. I have been so busy with soooooo many things that I just don't have enough energy for everything. Some of those things have been washing my own car, which I have always done, even pregnant with both of the boys. I have paid (for the first time) to have my car washed......twice. I bought store made cupcakes and cookies for Mason's preschool graduation party at my house, which I have never done before. Now I know why, they taste awful! And now I have paid to have the boys hair cut for the first time at the ages of 6 and 5. I have always cut their hair but I just have not gotten around to it for a while and they were getting really shaggy. Again, I could not muster up the extra energy. They were both nervous but brave and it was so nice to be able to just sit and watch. Eric said that their hair cut professionally didn't look any different than when I do it. Thanks for the compliment but I wish that wasn't so, then I would have a legit reason for spending the money. Can anyone tell I am a little bit frugal :)

Don't get me wrong, I love being pregnant. But we are all very excited to meet this new baby who is already changing our lives in so many ways.

Apache Lake

2011-05-17T12:57:00.003-07:00

Jarron and Mason swimming

Mammy tubing

Jarron tubing

Apache Lake 2011

2011-05-16T19:20:00.002-07:00

Mason and Jarron fishing

Jarron and his friend the crawdad

Mason playing in the water

Jarron driving the boat

He took his job very seriously

Slugs, Snails, and Puppy Dog Tails

2011-05-06T21:10:00.002-07:00

Outside Legoland, the boys were enthralled in the creatures they found.

Quick vacation

2011-05-06T20:56:00.003-07:00

Spring break we took a quick little vacation. 900 miles, Legoland, Beach, 2 nights in a hotel, and all in 52 hours. We had tons of fun but were all tuckered out by the time we got home, especially pregnant momma.

Jarron and Mason at the Welcome sign to Legoland

Mason ran over and sat on this guy made out of Legos and put his finger in his nose.

Jarron is my daredevil, wanted front row on this roller coaster.

Star Wars Legos made out of sand.

Mason and Indiana Jones, one of his favorites.

Jarron soccer spring 2011

2011-05-06T20:44:00.002-07:00

Jarron and "The Mighty Cats"

School Days

2011-04-04T17:36:00.002-07:00

Mason at preschool

My cute old girl thrown in for a smile

Mason preschool

Mason and friend Logan at Kinder round-up

Jarron and friends at school, 1st grade

We know how to keep busy

2011-04-04T17:23:00.002-07:00

Jarron, Kayla, and Mason in the animal hospital at the Children's Museum

Mason, Cameron, Kayla, and Jarron outside the Children's Museum

Jarron and Mason at the Book Festival

Jarron at the Book Festival

Mason and Jarron at the Rodeo

Snow in Tucson

2011-04-04T13:33:00.002-07:00

February 27th, 2011 woke up to snow! Amazing. The boys ate their first snow and made their first snow balls. Their hands were freezing afterwards but they had a lot of fun. It melted really fast.

Mason's 5th Birthday

2011-04-04T13:21:00.003-07:00

Mason wanted to have his birthday at The Cove in Sierra Vista (a really neat indoor pool with slides, a waterfall, and wave pool). So we loaded up the van with kids and hauled his party there. Everyone had a great time.

The kids trying to tip Mammy over in the tube.

I made batman cupcakes.

Friends

Gifts

Mason's 5th Birthday cont.

2011-04-04T13:06:00.002-07:00

Goggle Bros

Blowing out the candle

Wrinkly water-logged foot

Out of all the places, Mason chose Long John Silver's for his b-day dinner. He had only been there once before but it must have had a lasting impression.
Birthday dinner feast!

Misc. from the end of 2010

2011-04-04T12:57:00.002-07:00

Star Wars takeover! Jarron, Mason, and Daddy.

Ice in our yard!!

Just before the storm.

Mason with slime.

Jarron with slime.

Christmas 2010

2011-04-04T12:48:00.003-07:00

Jarron's school christmas concert. They sang a lot of songs and Jarron belted every single one out loud so you could hear him all the way in the back.

Mason and the gift exchange at preschool.

One of our traditions is building a gingerbread house and then the kids all get to eat it on Christmas Eve. Here are Mason, Robbie, and Jarron with the finished product.

BFF's

Christmas Eve devouring the Gingerbread house :)

20 weeks

2011-02-14T11:40:00.003-07:00

We are half way there now, 20 weeks pregnant, and it is going by so fast. This is my last baby so I am trying to relish every moment. Ultrasound shows that the baby is healthy and the tech spent 20 mins. showing the boys the baby's entire anatomy (except for the genital area because we want to be surprised) and they hung on every word and were glued to the screen. Mason wants to name the baby "Cutie Pie"

Family 2010

2010-12-07T21:09:00.000-07:00

Halloween Rock Band

2010-11-25T08:30:00.001-07:00

Halloween 2010

2010-11-25T07:49:00.002-07:00

Halloween lasted 4 days this year. It gets crazier and crazier. Thursday was Mason's preschool party, Friday was Jarron's school party where Jarron was a vampire and Mason was a skeleton......again. Saturday we had our Rock Band Halloween party at our house and then finally Sunday was actually Halloween with trick or treating. Whew!!!!

Jarron, Mason, Cameron, and Kayla

Halloween night they changed their minds and went as Batman and a Bug

Animal Zoo

2010-11-25T07:29:00.003-07:00

The creations these boys think up! They took all their books of the shelves and created an animal zoo.

Mt. Lemmon camping

2010-09-30T18:00:00.002-07:00

We went camping at the end of September and had a blast. The boys got to use knives, light the campfire, fish, and lots and lots of hiking. They loved every minute of it! They were even asking to go to bed because they were so excited about the tent and their new sleeping bags. Eric and I loved it too, we used to do quite a bit of camping before we had the boys. The morning after we came home Eric said "I sure do miss the camp fire". Nothing like getting up before sunrise and having coffee by the camp fire!

Rose Canyon Lake, not a single nibble and we were out there from 6:30 am to 9:30 am. Jarron is a natural caster, Mason worked hard but still needed help. I am so proud of my boys. They worked setting up camp, cleaning up camp, and lots of hiking and never complained. We had a great family bonding trip. We will definitely do this twice a year now.

Mt. Lemmon camping #2

2010-09-30T17:52:00.004-07:00

We found crawdads in a stream flowing into Rose Canyon Lake. Jarron loved trying to catch them.

Mason loved the worms!

We had the best campsite. It was a hike to get to but we had lots of privacy and the whole wilderness in our backyard.

Madera Canyon

2010-09-06T14:02:00.000-07:00

Bottle Rocket

2010-09-05T18:41:00.003-07:00

The boys love "Beakman's World" and want to do all the experiments he does. This is the homemade bottle rocket. They learned Newton's law of action/reaction and they totally get it because of this experiment! Here are my little scientists.

Going
Going
Going
GONE....................You can see it upper right.
Dr. Jarron Eugene Eichenmiller and Dr. Mason Windu Eichenmiller

Mud and Quads

2010-08-29T20:58:00.004-07:00

We had a great rain, the washes were running. This is the first time the boys rode their quads in the mud. They loved it, all three of them!

Mason is always so serious when he rides.

Jarron waving and of course standing up because he loves to do tricks.

Mason showing me the mud splattered on his legs.

And then there is Eric who stole the quad and had some fun. The boys loved chasing him around to try and get their ride back :)

Giant Desert Centipede

2010-08-29T20:56:00.001-07:00

Eric found this centipede at his work the other night and of course brought him home. We now have a new pet (when will it end?).

Jarron and Mason

2010-08-29T08:41:00.004-07:00

Jarron started piano lessons at the U of A and loved it! His teacher is a Yale graduate from Bulgaria that is working on her doctorate. I couldn't resist this photo op in the courtyard outside of the Music Hall, it is so beautiful and artsy.

Disneyland 1

2010-08-05T22:25:00.003-07:00

In April 2010 we took the boys to Disneyland for the first time. Disneyland is truly the "Happiest Place On Earth". It is where Eric and I went for our honeymoon almost 10 years ago and where we vacationed when we were pregnant with Jarron 6 years ago. I have the fondest memories of my Mother taking me when I was young and a teenager and I couldn't wait to share this magical place with my boys. To make it even more special, our best friends Bobby, Lori, and Robbie met us there. We called ourselves the "Lucky &" because everywhere we went together we had good luck following us.

We spent 2 days at Disneyland and 1 day at California Adventures. I was so proud of my boys, they rode every ride that their height allowed, which was most of them. We even fudged a little for some rides by stuffing their shoes to make them taller. They loved every fast spin, drop, and fall. We rode Space Mountain 3x (my favorite) and some of the other favorites twice. They even rode on the Tower of Terror and loved it. I hated it, they are braver than I am!

This is the countdown we made because we were all sooooooo excited for our adventure.

ToonTown

Jarron and Robbie checking out the map to see where we will go next.

Disneyland 2

2010-08-05T22:19:00.003-07:00

California summer 2010

2010-08-05T21:20:00.002-07:00

My mom, Lori's mom, my boys, and I drove 2 days to Folsom, California to visit our best friends the Martinez family. We enjoyed the weather and lushness of Northern California. We stayed busy going to Gymnastics and Karate with Robbie, Playing at splash parks, going to the beach and river, and most enjoyable, playing in their backyard. It is beautiful with its numerous trees, hedges, ground covering, flowers, and perfect grass.

Slip and Sliding

Finding slugs, snails, and worms

Oh my

We went on yet another adventure and rode the Light Rail into Sacramento. I don't think Lori will ever recover from that day! We got lost and met some shady characters but we survived :)

On the way home we stopped at a Cheese factory along the 99 that was a quaint little place. It had a small petting zoo, antique signs and furniture, BBQ tri tip sandwiches, ice cream parlor, and this fantastic tree house. You can climb up 6 levels and on each level, the kids can look out the window and honk a horn. Way cool!

Pacifica Beach

2010-08-05T21:05:00.002-07:00

We cannot step foot in California without going to the beach. It is by far our favorite thing to do. This is our first experience in Northern California though and we were not prepared. It was 55 degrees and My Mom and I were the only people wearing bathing suits and flip flops. Thank goodness we brought warm clothes for the boys, just in case.

The cold did not hinder our need for adventure though and we hiked it to some tide pools and explored.

We found jelly fish

Star fish

Sea anenomes, snails, crabs, hermit crabs, sand shrimp, limpits, and more. I even went swimming (to save my flip flop). We had a great day!

American River

2010-08-05T20:49:00.004-07:00

We went to the American River in Folsom, Ca. and hiked down river to explore some great rock formations. The water was so clear and there wasn't any litter floating around. I can't wait to go back and kayak down that river!

The boys conquering their island

A stream along the way

Finding fish, water bugs, ect. in holes made by Native Americans who would grind their corn on these rocks.

The geese and ducks just hanging out around the boys.

How To Train Your Dragon Party

2010-07-12T21:04:00.003-07:00

Jarron's 6th birthday party was a How To Train Your Dragon theme. First the kids painted their own shields. While they dried, Jarron read the story of How to Train Your Dragon. Then the kids learned a few sword fighting techniques and fought a huge red blow-up dragon that we hung from the ceiling and swung towards them. This was tons of fun! They also sword fighted amongst themselves with (thankfully) foam swords.

Next came the presents and Jarron was excited about each and every one of them! The finale was his new pet Blackie, an Emperor Scorpion. Jarron wanted a cupcake cake from Walmart but I was not about to pay that much so I made my best copy of it. We already had the toys to put on it, the viking ship and the dragon. I made the Isle of Berk (home of the vikings) out of marshmallows and cookie crumbs.

Then the pinata because they couldn't possibly have had enough sugar, right? This is our first time having a pinata because I have seen way too many Funniest Home Vidoes and I knew better! Jarron kept asking for one so I caved and am proud to say, nobody got hurt. It was a great day and I wish this next year goes by much slower. Quit growing up so fast Bugy. I love you my wonderful 6 year old xxxooo

Jarron's 6th Birthday Party

2010-07-12T21:03:00.002-07:00

Mason quote

2010-07-12T20:24:00.000-07:00

Mason's quote of the day "My brain starts shaking and makes popcorn pop in my legs".........translation: My legs fell asleep. :)

"I hurt my Thumb Toe"

Jarron Kindergarten Graduation

2010-05-25T13:38:00.003-07:00

Jarron graduated from Kindergarten today. Talk about a bitter/sweet moment. I am so proud of all he has accomplished this year. He truly loves school and I give a ton of that credit to his teacher for making it so much fun.

Jarron is in the back row with the white shirt on.

I got my diploma!

Jarron and Daddy.

Jarron and his teacher Ms. Uslar. We all love her!

Jarron and friends.

Scorpion

2010-05-25T13:32:00.003-07:00

Wow!! Our "pet" scorpion had babies. There are a lot more hiding under the board. Not sure what to with them.

Soccer Spring 2010

2010-05-22T16:49:00.003-07:00

Mason filled in as goalie a few times when we were short handed.

Last game of the season, Jarron on the far right.

Great friends :)

Jarron's first goal!!!!!!!!

Jarron is always right in the middle of the action.

He loved playing soccer so we will play summer session also. Thank goodness it will be indoor games.

How To Train Your Dragon PJ's

2010-05-12T20:55:00.003-07:00

Since the movie came out, it has been "How To Train Your Dragon" madness around here. The boys earned these PJ's by not biting their nails for a week. It was even their idea to stop the habit without knowing there would be a reward.

Jarron is a "Zippleback" and Mason is a "Monstrous Nightmare" (so appropriate for him -haha)

Renaissance Festival 2010

2010-03-21T07:50:00.003-07:00

The boys and I met Aunt CJ at the Renaissance Festival on Saturday. The weather was perfect and we had a wonderful day.

CJ and Mason riding on an elephant.

Waiting for the knight joust to start.

HUZZAH! New swords for my brave knights

Sharing a turkey leg

2010 Tucson Festival of Books

2010-03-17T10:34:00.004-07:00

We love books, therefore we looooovvvve the book festival. It was huge this year and so much to see, that is why we were there for 7 1/2 hours on Saturday. The boys never got tired of it. From book readings, to author meetings, and bugs and brains in between, we had a blast. I highly recommend it for anyone that is a book lover or just wants a day of adventure.

Jarron and Mason tree climbing

The very hungry Caterpillar

Mark Teague, author of Detective LaRue and the "How Dinosaurs" series.

Jon Scieszka, author of Stinky Cheese Man and one of our favorites Robot Zot, plus many more.

Mason's Lego B-day Party

2010-02-23T09:34:00.003-07:00

Mason had a lego themed party this year because he is so crazy over Legos. We played games like pin the head on the Lego Guy, Lego drop, and build a Lego race car and race them. It was a fun party with lots of family and friends.

Mason

2010-02-21T17:26:00.003-07:00

Mason is 4 years old today and what a FANTASTIC four year old he is. Mason loves to dress up, play video games, legos, animals, the color yellow, to share, hold the door open for everyone, and most of all his big brother. We love you Munchkin/Meatball/Manon!!!!

Christmas 2009

2009-12-29T14:15:00.001-07:00

School X-mas show

2009-12-13T12:02:00.002-07:00

Here is a little bit of Jarron's first stage performance, his kindergarten class singing "Up on the Housetop" for the school caroling night. He had so much fun with it and even bowed at the end.

Visit with Santa

2009-12-04T18:09:00.002-07:00

I took the boys to see Santa and they did so good. They took their letters and read them to him and smiled for the camera!

Walls

2009-11-10T09:57:00.003-07:00

This past weekend I decided to spice up my house and painted 2 accent walls. It was a chore but I love the results.

I haven't put my pics back up on this wall yet.

Secret Adventure

2009-11-10T09:51:00.003-07:00

Sunday I took the boys on a Secret Adventure. We went to visit Auntie Janie and African spurred tortoise "Troubles". The boys loved feeding him and following him around. After that we went to visit our dear friends Jackie and Alan who have a farm. I forgot to take pics of the boys with their animals but they really enjoyed it. On the way home Jarron said "I can't stop smiling", I asked him why and he said "Because I had so much fun".

Halloween Eve 2009

2009-10-31T08:13:00.003-07:00

Halloween has come 3 times this year. Mason had his party at school on Thursday. Jarron had his party at school on Friday. We had Jarron's school Harvest Festival on Friday night and it isn't even Halloween yet. It's okay since it is Eric's and the boys favorite holiday, might as well drag it out as long as we can.

Jarron and his Jack-O-Lantern with fangs.

Mason and his Jack-O-Lantern with fangs. Seems to be the theme this year.

Jarron "Dracula" Eichenmiller. Entire costume cost me $4.50 :)

Mason "Skeleton" Eichenmiller. Check out the awesome face painting Eric did!

My SCARY boys!!!!!!!!!!!! BOO

Mason Preschool Halloween Party

2009-10-31T08:05:00.002-07:00

I stayed to help with the Halloween Party at Mason's Preschool and had so much fun with the kids and admiring my baby gaining knowledge. Miss Amber is a wonderful teacher and amazes me what she can teach these 3 and 4 year olds in just 4 hours a week!

Circle time learning the weather, days of the week, months of the year, ect.

Mason painting, he is very serious about it and most things he colors/paints are with yellow his favorite color.

Playing musical ghosts.

Mason and Miss Amber

Crested Gecko

2009-10-31T07:57:00.003-07:00

These pics are a little blurry. My camera does not do so well on the dark setting. Can't wait for the day when I get a new improved camera.

The boys love helping take care of all the little critters in the house. They feed them crickets and meal worms, give them water, spray down the aquariums with a mist for humidity, and of course get to hold some of them. It is a special evening activity they do with Daddy.

Oh My Boys......

2009-10-07T10:37:00.002-07:00

Mason and Daddy cuddle time.

Mason dressing up with a little of this, a little of that.

Jarron "Crazy hair " day for school.

Student of the Month

2009-10-02T06:58:00.001-07:00

Jarron not only received Student of the Week (which is for behavior) but he received Student of the Month (which is for Academics) as well. Can anyone say "Teachers Pet"! :) I am so proud of my little buggy. They are also testing him for the gifted program.

Jarron quote

2009-09-19T15:55:00.001-07:00

Jarron at 2:30 a.m. comes into my bed and wakes me up "Mommy, Mommy, You need to teach me how to spell". He was a little frantic and still asleep, poor guy is already stressing about school.

The Reptile and Amphibian Show

2009-09-19T15:43:00.003-07:00

Jarron and Mason with an Owl, I cannot remember how to spell the particular name of this kind.
Mason petting an alligator.

Jarron and Mason letting a Monitor lick their finger.

The biggest python we have ever seen!!

Racing their Super Worms, a man gave them a pair and it just made their day.

Another addition to our family

2009-09-19T15:39:00.002-07:00

This is what Eric purchased at the Reptile show, a pair of Orange Dalmation Crested Geckos.

Mason's quote

2009-09-14T12:04:00.001-07:00

Reading Shel Silverstein's poems b4 bed, Mason looks at his pic on the back of the book and says "Is that Uncle Bama"? (he meant Barack Obama) made me laugh :) I am proud that he knows who our President is, even if he thinks he looks like Shel Silverstein.

Patriotic Jarron

2009-09-01T15:48:00.003-07:00

I guess he is paying attention in class :)

Don't forget to pause the music player below on the right.

Jarron reading and writing

2009-09-01T10:27:00.003-07:00

Jarron loves learning, he was already reading 3-letter words before Kinder but now he is learning to write and spell the words. He also was awarded student of the week for the first awards at Banks Elementary.

Cat
Red
Upper and lower case "E"

Mason's first day of Preschool

2009-09-01T10:21:00.002-07:00

Mason goes to Miss Amber's Preschool twice a week and loves it. He comes home and pretends to talk to Miss Amber on the phone.

1st day of Kindergarten

2009-08-17T10:51:00.003-07:00

Just sent Jarron off to Kindergarten, he was very excited and eager to start learning. Me on the other hand, am a basket case, but I didn't let him see that. I sent my baby off to a failing school, the classroom bathrooms are broken so they have to go to the big kids side of the school, and no monitors on the playground. AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH, what have I done!! Update 9-12-09

Jarron and I adore Ms. Uslar, she is so kind, nurturing, and fun. He loves school and I have come to terms with Jarron growing up and leaving the nest for 6 hours a day.

New PJ's for the night before school. What fun brothers they are, Mason is missing Jarron a lot right now.

The new addition to our family

2009-08-01T09:05:00.002-07:00

Here is our new (new to us, only 7,000 miles on it) Dodge Grand Caravan. It feels like a member of our family because it does everything under the sun! Now we have plenty of room so Mammy doesn't have to sit in the hatch of our Blazer anymore and maybe we can have another baby someday :)

Legoland again!!

2009-07-27T08:37:00.002-07:00

Lego Batman and his faithful sidekicks.

This is a free driving track and Mason's first time on it. He needed help on every turn except the last lap but he was determined (see the expression on his face). Jarron lapped the others like a pro.

This time the Aquarium Sea Life was finished and the boys really enjoyed it of course. Mammy and the boys surrounded by fish.

Summer Vacation 2009

2009-07-27T08:29:00.004-07:00

Looking out our hotel window on Imperial Beach in California.

Jarron and his critters!

La Jolla Beach on our way home. We were hoping to get there when the tide was out to explore the tide pools like last time but it didn't work that way. They still had fun in the water and Jarron found a piece of sea glass for the first time.

This is the 29th annual U.S. Open Sandcastle Competition on Imperial Beach.

Jarron's 5th Birthday Party

2009-07-06T09:09:00.001-07:00

Birthday present

2009-06-19T16:23:00.004-07:00

We went to Toys R Us so Jarron could get the special treatment by everyone there. Also, to spend the $3 in Toys R Us money (Which ends up costing me $20, I am sure it's a conspiracy) that they send him for his birthday.

We headed to the pet store after and told Jarron that his surprise was picking out a tarantula for a pet. Here is his expression, he was sooo excited. He has been asking for one for about a year now.
This is Jarron trying to get his new Pink Toed Tarantula out of the box and into her new home.

To anyone not familiar with spiders, they always climb up.

Happy 5th Birthday Jarron!

2009-06-19T07:46:00.003-07:00

We made cookies for swimming class for Jarron's birthday. Of course he could not be persuaded to decorate them with fish or beach balls, ect. They had to be spider cookies! All three classes sang to him and he felt very special.

Jarron chose plate sized pancakes and bacon for his birthday breakfast.

His party will be next weekend, we are waiting for his best friend Robbie to be here, and I will post more pictures then.

Tohono Chul Park

2009-05-22T16:02:00.003-07:00

It was a perfect day for an adventure, cool with a slight drizzle. We went to the "Reptile Ramble" at the Tohono Chul Park that is an interactive program with snakes, lizards, and turtles. There is also a Children's Garden with neat sculptures to climb, bird houses to look in, and a little "river" to float their wooden boats down. It was a wonderful day wrapped up with a trip to Toys R Us and ice cream cones :)

Jarron and Mason floating their boats down the river.
Jarron captured by the tarantula table.
The boys climbing on the rattlesnake bench.

Reptile Ramble

2009-05-22T15:38:00.005-07:00

Anyone who knows me knows that I have a deathly fear of snakes. I can hold lizards, beetles, worms, mice, and even a tarantula but I cannot deal with the thought of a snake anywhere near me. Well, today was a step forward in my bravery department and I was able to look through my camera lens and take pictures of my fearless boys touching many snakes. I think about 5 different species to be exact. Although I did panic a bit when there were 3 different snakes all around me and I had to high tail it out of there, but I didn't scream once.

Jarron and Mason are sitting with Daddy and petting a "Mountain King Snake"
As you can see, the closer the snake is the happier the boys are.
Mason is ecstatic that the snake is "In his lap". At this point I have trouble breathing!!!

Finally we are done with the snakes and have moved on to the very poisonous Gila Monster :)

Is it weird that I am at ease with this one, huh?

Full House

2009-05-20T08:33:00.002-07:00

Eric brought home a toad from his work today and I started thinking about all our animals that we have accumulated lately. Of course we have our beloved dog Ebony and cat Zyan, but this year we have added to our brood. Linney is our Guinea Pig, Hoppy is the new toad, Little Legs is the centipede, and Poopy (Mason named him) is the sun spider. Oh My!

Bowling

2009-05-20T08:16:00.002-07:00

Jarron, Mason, Alyssa, and Robbie. We took the boys bowling for the first time with our best friends. They had a lot of fun but only lasted one game, that's o.k., Lori and I were just happy to be in air conditioning :)

They were fascinated by the hand dryer.

Here they are waiting patiently for Mason's ball to make it down the alley, it took a while.

They are using "The Force" (Robbie's Star Wars obsession) to direct the ball to the pins :)

Vacation

2009-05-01T21:41:00.002-07:00

We went on a road trip to the Northwest Coast of Oregon to visit with Eric's parents. We were gone for 2 weeks and had a blast. The boys were very well behaved (most of the time) and we took our time to see the sites along the way. See our pictures below, just hover the mouse arrow over a picture if you want it to pause. Enjoy, we sure did :)

Our vacation April 2009

2009-05-01T21:39:00.001-07:00

Hoppy Easter

2009-04-13T07:27:00.004-07:00

Jarron and Mason on Easter morning. I had a very nice posed picture of the two but I thought this was more accurate of their personalities. Jarron with his beloved candy in his mouth and Mason with his finger in his nose! Oh my BOYS :)

My New toe ring tattoo

2009-04-10T07:43:00.004-07:00

To all my conservative friends and family, I am sorry, but I still have a bit of my wild side :)

Zoo

2009-04-07T16:44:00.003-07:00

We met some friends at the zoo today, of course we have to pick the only day this week that was supposed to be 90 degrees but it turned out great. It was hot enough to play in the splash zone which they did for quite a while.

Pump It Up 2

2009-04-07T10:06:00.001-07:00

Robbie's 5th birthday was at Pump It Up here in Tucson. It is a lot of fun for the kids and adults. It has slides, obstacle course, jumping castle, ect.

Pump It Up

2009-04-07T10:01:00.003-07:00

Jarron's Drawing

2009-04-07T09:38:00.002-07:00

Jarron drew this picture of me. He drew a heart on the left side because "he loves me". I assume he drew the breasts and tummy because they stick out so far on me, hint hint Mom time to loose weight :) You can click on the pic to make it larger.

Tombstone

2009-03-15T21:45:00.004-07:00

We started our journey today with visiting Grandma and Grandpa Farnsworth. Next, we buried a very close friend to my Mom and "Aunt Virginia" to my boys in Tombstone. After the very hard goodbye and food and drinks afterward, we took the boys exploring a little bit.

We are all pretty exhausted (why is this in blue? don't know....too tired). But we still have to get up early to prepare for St. Patty's Day party at school, gotta go make the Shamrock Jello Jigglers.

Visiting Grandma and Grandpa Farnsworth

2009-03-15T21:35:00.003-07:00

We always have sooooo much fun visiting Grandma and Grandpa. There is always something to do, things to explore, and lots to talk about. We love them so much!!

Mason and Grandpa

Jarron and Grandma