Bunches of Bascoms

My in-laws rock...

2011-08-24T10:13:00.003-05:00

They are so patient. Mya fixed Grandmas hair and Grandpa helped Austin with lots of scout "stuff". In the picture they had carved a bear out of soap. We worked them to the bone when they were here! Blurry pictures...I did find my camera though. I have to start using that instead of my phone! While they were here they also:

-cooked

-cleaned

-took each of the kids on a date

-built shelves

-hung pictures

-told the kids bedtime stories

-stayed up late talking with Eric and I

-went on a kids-free date with us

-went with us to the kids prep day

-went with us to get the kids school uniforms

-organized

-unpacked

-washed ALOT of laundry...like 97 loads

-washed ALOT of dishes

-helped bury our under ground dog fence

-this list could be never ending...

August B-days

2011-08-23T10:20:00.001-05:00

Mya and I had different ideas about her birthday party. I wanted to invite all of my family and kids over for one big party. She wanted a few friends and have a cooking party. Let the pictures tell the story...

Austin's cupcake creation

Ali and Tiana

Happy 7th big girl! I love you!!

(We made little pizzas, assemble fruit kabobs and decorated cupcakes.)

Aliyah is modeling the aprons I made for all the party goers. Austin opted out but would like a army one with orange fire flames on it at some point thankyouverymuch. Notice, NO PINK on these little babies...no siree...it's all purple and Caribbean blue around here these days.

For my birthday Gabby helped the kids throw a surprise party for me. Cake, party hats and all! Eric then took us all out to Hello Tokyo for some hibachi but only after he SPOILED me! I had asked for bread loaf pans. I got

-loaf pans

-gift card to the outlet mall

-a new stinkin' piano!

Who does that!!!???!! A husband looking to earn some serious good husband points, that's who!

We Have Adopted a Teenager

2011-08-22T10:39:00.009-05:00

You may remember Gabby from a previous post about Mya's sixth birthday. Blonde,right. (The other is Maddie, her sister)

She lives with us now. Lots of reasons. She will leave for LDS Business College in January so we only have her for a few months.

This is how she pays rent. This and babysitting. Did I mention I am ok with this arrangement? (She did finish the laundry by the way.)

First day of Preschool.

2011-08-22T10:07:00.005-05:00

Poor Aliyah had to wait a whole 1 1/2 weeks after her brother and sister started before she got to go to school. I finally told after the next "church day" you will go to school. On the drive home from church yesterday it finally all clicked! She has been talking about her new friends that she is going to make ever since. She got up at 6:30 and got dressed this morning. We didn't have to leave until 8:45. Poor thing... Right as I was leaving, the dishwasher repairman showed up so I had to send her off with Eric (who luckily was leaving a little late today)! So I hopped in the picture with her. I should do that every year with all the kids I think.

First Day of School

2011-08-22T09:16:00.004-05:00

So, as always the first day of school came once again. I was sure it wasn't coming this year, but it did. I love/hate the first day of school. The house becomes eerily calm and quiet during the day. I love that. I begin to regret all the things we didn't get to do during the summer. I hate that.

So sweet and pretty :) Miss Priss had left her booksack (yes that's what we call it in the south) at school when she dropped off her supplies so she only had this box her teacher asked her to bring on the first day to show off. Not nearly as cute as her "not pink because I hate pink, but girly enough for people to know I am a girl" teal, black and white plaid booksack. (And yes, she "hates" pink and her bow and shoes are...PINK! But she picked them out, not me which is totally different.)

Orange is the "cool" color this year. It was an orange bag or bust. But look at the face, how could you say no?

We can do this... I love/hate uniforms. Actually that is a lie. I just love them :)

Next year Liyah-Bear, next year...

One More for the Road

2011-08-22T09:14:00.002-05:00

Aliyah waked out to wait for the bus with the older kids, looking super cute for her first day of preschool.

Mya- MOM! Look at Aliyah! You have done a good job raising that kid!

Funny Children...

2011-08-20T19:47:00.006-05:00

Austin- Why doesn't the rabbit ever get to have Trix in the commercial?

Me (driving)-mmm uh. (I have always thought the same thing. Such annoying commercials.)

Austin- Really?! What would it hurt? Just let the rabbit have some Trix, yo!

Mya- after eating a few bites of broccoli that she hated- This food mocks me in all sorts of languages.

Aliyah- to Austin when he had to wash the car for a punishment, in the sassiest voice she could muster- Get it right homeboy, get it wrong homeboy!

New House

2011-07-28T21:19:00.008-05:00

Wow, I am so tired. We have been packing and moving and unpacking and purging and putting together stuff and on and on. Lest I sound like I am complaining, I am not! I love my new house, but a new house does not come with alot of stuff an "already lived in" house does. Like...grass, shelving, underground dog fence. It does some with alot of other stuff though like trash the construction guys left, more projects to complete, construction grit etc. I'll take it though :) Eric's parent's (fortunately for us and not so fortunately for them) flew in to visit on the day we moved in. We worked them to the bone with our unpacking. Chrisie washed every cloth item and every dish that were in storage and kept up on the laundry all week. Walt put away everything he could get his hands on and assembled several bookcases, tool chests, cabinets, etc. The kids were so well behaved through the whole process and found that there were lots and lots of children in this neighborhood. They would ride down the street as a pack of three and come back with at least 4 or 5 extra everytime. The neighborhood seems so very kind! Whew!

Here are a few photos for you. These were all taken a few days before we moved in. Maybe I'll add more later, maybe not. You would probably get bored with all the pictures and my decorating skills are nothing to boast. :)

The front

Eric's shower

Kitchen

Entry way and stairs. The door to the left is the office.

Office doors

Parts I love:

- a walk in pantry

- large porch off of the back that I can sit on and see the kids riding their bikes for a very far stretch

- a loft upstairs for the kiddos right outside of their bedrooms

- lots of extra closets

"I like to ride my bicycle. I like to ride my bike."

2011-07-16T21:23:00.006-05:00

****Nasty picture alert!!

But I hate crashing...

I texted Eric the first picture asking if he thought it needed stitches. He called and said, "What happened to what body part to what person???" Yeah, that would be me. I slipped on a rock on my bike and got a gear in the ankle. Not pretty. After getting stitched and resting the tendon I bruised, I think the worst part was the tetanus shot. I have felt sick all day!

Goodbyes are bittersweet

2011-07-15T09:51:00.003-05:00

My grandpa passed last night. He had a rough few final hours from what I hear but I am sure he was not aware of it. Father took one of valiant sons home. My Grandpa was reunited with the love of his life. I will miss him and his caring, loving, frank and honest self.

Remember this post?

Blog - o - sphere sociology

2011-07-13T21:41:00.003-05:00

I had been thinking about this for a little while and a friend posted about reading other people's blogs and how she liked to read blogs of people she didn't know and I really got to thinking about it more.

I like to read others people's blogs. People I know, people I don't. Blogs about baking, crafting, healthy eating, health issues, photography, home organization, decorating, food storage, sewing, etc. You get the idea. I think we as a society view the world so differently today because we know such much about what others are up to and we get caught up in it!

Things I have noticed about blogging:

1. Sometimes I feel better knowing someone else is having a hard time, sick kid, dirty house, whatever because I know they can empathize with me.

2. Sometimes I worry too much about having to catch other's up on my life. "Oops! I didn't take a picture! How am I gonna blog about it?"

3. Sometimes people don't have boundaries when it comes to what they will blog about. I won't expound but sufficeth to say that you shouldn't blog about things you wouldn't want told to 1,876 of your closets friends.

4. I know so much more about what is going on in my extended family and far away friends lives. Makes me feel so connected to them.

5. I have such a wonderful record of my family's history and am able to increase my writing skills when I probably wouldn't otherwise.

6. This is a big one for me and probably the entire reason I wrote the post: We compare ourselves so much to what others have posted about.

We feel so much pressure to live our lives the way that others have photoed, filtered, edited, and composed theirs to look in a blog! I am 100% for making the blog look wonderful and keeping it positive. (See #3) However, we who read them so quickly forget that these are snap shots of lives, not perfect lives. So let's not change the blogs. Let's change they way we view them and get rid of our stinkin' thinkin' so we can celebrate each others' lives!!

For example: I will on occasion allow myself to think anyone of the following, "Oh gosh, I don't allow my kids to go outside and explore enough." Then read the next blog, "Oh wow, my kids always look a mess, not like so and so's children who are always perfectly put together." Next, "So and so has read how many books? I can't sit still enough to read a magazine article!" Next, "They are so grateful and positive. My family probably thinks I am so grumpy." Next, "Oh no, they fed their children all organic food for a month and have found the cure to cancer through spinach leaves. My kids just downed 3 popsicles! They are going to die tomorrow!" Next, "She's is so in shape after her baby and never seemed to miss a beat! I was a mess for a year after my last!" Next, "I don't have a reward system that includes fancy certificates for my children. I don't have a theme of the week for summer. They are never going to learn anything." Next, "She has her children in 3 extra activities and my kids are only allowed one at a time. They are going to be hermits and completely not well rounded!" Next "I didn't sew my curtains, refinish my table, start on my daughters' hand stitched wedding dresses yet!" Next, "I dress like a slob and she is fashionable!" See my point?

Please do not mistake this as fishing for compliments. I am not. As a matter of fact I don't want you to leave a comment trying to build me up. I am fine. The truth is my kids are fine. My husband's happy. I am happy. Life is actually great! My point: I am not the only one who does this, I happen to know I am not. Why do we as women in general do this to ourselves?? We need to stop comparing ourselves to each other and just celebrate our uniqueness!!

What are your thoughts?

Why do we do this to ourselves and how can we stop it so as to allow others to post happy things without feeling overwhelmed ourselves?

Pet Cemetary

2011-07-13T21:16:00.004-05:00

I knew the day was coming. I guess learning about death through pets is a sad but inevitable event in a child's life. But twice in one week? Come on!

The fish named Wanda (that's a movie I think, or something like that, but it really was the fish's name) died on Monday. Our sweet rat Dumbo passed on Tuesday. Of course in some of the pictures the kids are wearing their summer uniforms...swimsuits.

Mya marking Wanda's plot.

The tiny pall bearers and Dumbo in her Capri Sun box/casket. Aren't they pitiful looking?

Rats For Dinner

2011-07-07T20:56:00.006-05:00

When Eric and I were first married and still in college, we decided we wanted a pet. This little creature who would live with us would have to meet a few very certain criteria:

1. Be easy to take care. We were very busy students, new parents and not completely responsible at this point in our lives

2. Be hide-able. While we had never been told "no", we had also never been told "yes" to having pets at the house we lived in. (It turned out to be OK once the landlord found out.)

3. Be CHEAP. We didn't have money for a pack of gum much less a pet!

So off we went to the pet store in hopes of finding that dream pet. I am not sure what we thought we could get that would meet all of those demands, but we were hopeful for sure.

We saw:

Dogs- didn't meet any of the above!

Cats- see above and I am not a cat lover, fortunately neither was Eric

Chinchilla- too much work, too big

Lizard- didn't fit the snuggly feeling we were going for. Plus needed lights, rocks, etc.

The store clerk took pity on our plight and offered to show us a rat. A what??? That's right, a rat. We conceded and looked. The little thing was white and blonde (cute), tiny(hide-able), a self entertainer (easy to care for), self cleaner (liking it more), and 4 DOLLARS! Um, excuse me? Did you say $4? Yep! Now a cage... the store worker happened to have a used one that she needed to get rid of so we got our new fur-ball a little food and for about $10 we were out of the door with our pet.

We named her Lucy. Eric and Lucy watched TV together while he feed her Cheerios. I snuggled her and taught Austin to play nicely with her. "Yucy" and Austin were buddies. When we graduated and decided to move, we flew to Louisiana while Walt and Chrisie drove our car. For fear our snuggle bug would eat her, Chrisie asked that we find another way to get Lucy to Louisiana besides in the back of the car. We knew if they did take her, they would have to take her in and out of the hotels they stayed in on the way and feed her, etc. I get it, not everyone likes rats and we would rather keep Grandma happy. We knew when we bought her that we probably wouldn't able to take her if we moved far away and that was alot to ask of someone anyway. We regretfully returned her to the store and they took her back right before we drove out of Provo.

Fast forward about 5 years. We had a little inside dog but the kids were asking for a cute little rodent of some kind. We looked at pet stores and after the hamster I was trying to love on bit me I said NO HAMSTERS! Eric started researching online for the best type of furry little "thing" we could find. I reminded him about Lucy. Yep, a rat it was then! So we looked at about 3 pets stores before we found a domestic rat. We found one that was a Fancy Rat, just like Lucy, and was white and blonde, just like Lucy. That rat was coming home with me! We also found a Dumbo Eared rat that was brown and white. So we got them out of the cage, made sure they were both female, (we like rats in small numbers!) and since rats like company, we took them both home. We paid about $21 for our new "Dumbo" and "Lucy". Plus we had to buy a cage this time.

These rats have been part of the family for about 3 years now. They have yet to bite anyone, well, anyone who didn't have peanut butter on the end of his or her finger. They get frequent baths, pushed in strollers, carried in purses, and made to do acrobatics. They go on field trips to preschool on "R" week and are the first thing kids want to see when they come to play. They watch TV, snuggle sick kids, eat crusts of bread, and come when you call them. We love them. Sadly rats only live about 4-5 years so they are aging for sure. We think Lucy has cancer and Dumbo is deaf. They are both losing hair and getting skinnier despite being fed well. But they remain cheerful and easy to please, so as long as they seem to not be suffering, they keep playing a role in the family. (I recently had a nightmare that I found Dumbo had passed away in the night. I am not looking forward to that day.)

Earlier this week Mya and Aliyah had a special dinner for them. On the menu for a rat you ask? Goldfish crackers, grapes and carrots.

Behold:

Miss Me?

2011-07-03T18:56:00.020-05:00

Well hello there blog-o-sphere! Long time no talk! I'm back. I reread some previous posts the other day and realized I wasn't so bad at this and that I loved looking back at the memories! So, while there is so much to catch up on, I will give you the quick and dirty run down. I lost my camera in the move so alot of these pictures were taken on the iphone with sub-par quality. I knew I would find it when I moved again (which I did the other day) so I didn't buy a new one but I still wanted to keep documenting.

September:

-Sold our house and moved into my parents to house sit while they are in Africa

-Austin began his first season of baseball

October:

-Got a new puppy name Bella

- Eric and I went on a trip to Southern California for work.

- Chrisie Grandma came to watch kids while we were gone.

- Halloween: We had a Harry Potter (Austin), a Nerd (Mya) and a Ballerina (Aliyah) I just realized I never got any pictures of that but Grandma did so I will have to get them from her.

November:

- Aliyah was admitted to the hospital for asthma, croup and pneumonia

-Sadie was attacked by another dog and only wanted Grandma to hold her. She bit everyone else that touched her.

-Eric had his tooth knocked out in a rough game of church ball which had to be replaced within an hour to save it. With braces being the only way to hold it in place. Oh how he hated that! The ladies here were sweating when they were done because they had to work so fast to save that tooth!

-We celebrated Eric's birthday, him with a stitched together mouth and braced teeth.

-Thanksgiving was celebrated with just our little family complete with a meal that we ordered in! I didn't feel nearly as guilty as I thought I would. It was wonderful. Instead I spent the time letting the kids decorate the table.

-Aliyah made another trip to the ER for asthma the night before Austin had surgery to have his 8th set of tubes put in his ears.

December:

-Mya finished up her 4th season of gym and decided to take a break to start piano.

-Aliyah finished her first season of gym.

- Aliyah slipped in the tub 2 days before Christmas and had two stitches put in her chin.

-We went to a nursing home with my brothers and their families. We spread a little cheer through song, presents and kids running and giggling through the halls.

- Christmas eve we ate a dinner at my brother Shane's new home and exchanged cousin and sibling gifts.

- Surprised the kids with a go-cart Christmas morning. Eric surprised me with a new wedding ring.

- Eric hosted the first ever Baton Rouge Stake Camp Helaman, which is a missionary training camp for boys ages 16-18, at our cabin in Mississippi. This was done in an effort to increase the number of missionaries leaving from our stake.

January:

- We celebrated a wet and rainy New Year's Eve with an nontraditional family gathering of my brothers who live around here and my brother from Dallas. I say nontraditional because we usually have a crowd of over 100 people gather at my parents for a bonfire, jambalaya and fireworks. This year it was just too wet and rainy. We hosted that because we are living at my parents.

-Austin and Mya began piano lessons

-Austin started basketball

Coach Lance Peytavin

- We learned Aliyah was allergic to dogs and cockroaches. We said a tearful goodbye to Sadie (our inside dog) and we gave her away to a very nice lady we know through business.

-We learned Austin was allergic to dogs and that his PREVNAR vaccine did not take as a baby and therefore had no strep immunity. We was given a booster shot and 6 weeks later he had increased immunity 18 fold

- I accidentally amputated Aliyah's finger by rolling it up in the car window. It was extremely traumatic for the whole family. It miraculously grew back in a matter of about 6 weeks.

February:

- More figuring out how to control Aliyah's asthma

- I flew out to St. George to attend the wedding of some friends I set up.

-Eric and I were the King and Queen at the annual Rotary Club's Mardi Gras Ball.

March:

-The Legacy group was awarded "Agents of the Year" for the Baton Rouge area for production.

Eric, Cristin (their right hand assistant), and Seth

-Eric and I took Austin down to New Orleans with my brothers' families to watch the BYU March Madness finals.

BYU cheerleaders, Annabelle, Merrick and Mya

- We closed on our house and FINALLY started construction!!!!

April:

-Progress on the house

- Eric and Austin attended the Father Son Campout

-We celebrated a very low key Easter here at home

May:

- Aliyah turned 4 and had her first birthday party complete with swimming and a water slide!

- Austin and Mya participated in their first piano recital and both made honor roll

Mrs. Gwen

- Austin learned he scored super high on the iLeap test with an Advance (highest) score in all core courses.

- Aliyah came down with pneumonia

-Austin and Mya started competitive swimming

- School got out and I no longer had to drive back and forth between Gonzales and Prairieville several times a day!!!

June:

-Austin turned 9 and took some friends to play lazer tag after some cake and ice cream at home

Chase Masten, Austin, Merrick, Dillon Harden

- Eric and I celebrated 10 years of marriage!

- Our new niece Reece was born. Her big brothers stayed here while she was coming!

Mya, Jack, Rush and Aliyah

- Kids swam and Austin had a great season. Mya learned to compete and got a 1st place in one of her backstroke heats.

- Kids swam in the Baton Rouge city meet. Mya took 5th place in back stroke when she was seeded 30th! She shaved 11 seconds off of her time!!!

- Austin was seeded 1st in breaststroke and took second. He was seeded 4th in backstroke and took 5th. His relay team took first in both the freestyle and medley relays.

- Aliyah got pneumonia. Dr. West suggested we get a bronchoscopy done to get some answers as to what was going on.

- Went to Girls Camp as a chaperon

- Eric hosted the second Camp Helaman at the cabin.

July:

- We anticipate moving in about 1 1/2 weeks into our new home.

- We will have about 10 youth stay overnight approximately the same day we move in for youth Conference.

- Walt and Chrisie will come to visit on the 19th to help us unpack ?! I am sure that's what they bargained for!

It has been a wild few months for us. Things I did not include field trips, cub scout events, field days etc. Here are a few more picture of such to wet your appetite :)

Mya and Mom at the New Orleans Zoo

Austin and Buddies at the State Capital

Aliyah sitting on the overly patient Bella

Told ya- overly patient!!

Mya and Cousin Merrick- not a front tooth between the two of 'em!

YEs that was Austin's first ever Pine Wood Derby car. 100% his idea!

Austin and his Wolf leader, Bro. Jimmy

So cute!!

That was one pricey nap!

Ready for church

Cristin (again, the one who keeps them organized), Seth and Eric

I am sure I was the only one wearing hoop earrings that worked on my house that day :)

Spending her birthday money

Stake Day of Service- fixing up some schools in West Baton Rouge- Mya, Jack, Austin, Merrick and Cameron Hughes literally replaced the border around this playground all on their own. When the adults came back to check on the progress they were almost done. Amazing what the Lord can work with!

And Bella makes 6

2010-10-17T22:25:00.005-05:00

NO! Not six people in the Bascom family! (But I knew I would catch some attention with that title.)

We at the Bascom abode love animals. We now have two fish, Cosmo and Wanda, two rats, Dumbo and Lucy, and two Dogs Sadie and Bella. This first picture was taken for Aliyah to take to preschool the day before we got Bella. The next two are of Bella and the kids.

Bella is a Dogo Argentino, nicknamed the Argentine Mastiff. We wanted a BIG, tough looking outside dog that would be so gentle with our kids. She has a beautiful soft white coat and the sweetest personality. She has already decided these kids are her own. We sent her to get her ears cropped a few days after we got her. When she came back, she would not go outside to the bathroom unless Mya went with her. She is only 15 weeks and will probably tip the scales at 100 lbs when she is full grown. (Not even half the size of the last dog I had as a kid which was 220 lbs when he died. That was an Old English Mastiff.) The hope is that she will make people think twice before coming into our yard unannounced but be sweet to those who we welcome to our home. I will get pics up when her ears heal so you can see our Beautiful Baby Bella ready to keep us safe!

Change gonna come

2010-08-30T15:08:00.003-05:00

So we have been trying to sell our house for a while. We finally found a buyer and will close on Friday. I am spending all my free time packing, packing and packing. We will move in to my parents for a few months (ok close to 8) while our house is being built. My parents are grateful to have someone stay there while they are gone.

PS I am in no way shape or form a hoarder so where did all of this JUNK come from?!?

Mya turns 6!

2010-08-17T09:07:00.008-05:00

I hit all my kids birthdays in a 4 month period. I It's nice to have it over with before all the holiday madness begins at the end of the year.

Mya turned six! For some reason this birthday of hers made me realize that my kids are getting bigger AND BIGGER. Austin is supposed to grow up, he is the oldest. He is a missionary in a little body just waiting to grow up! Mya is supposed to stay younger, always younger, than 6!! That's just how I see her. (I'll bet Aliyah will want to turn 6 one day too. ) I am fine with my kids growing up. Really, I am. I love to watch them grow, develop personalities, interact with others, conquer new goals, skills or hobbies, etc. I like to see that one day all of my work and worry will turn into a tangible, functional beings who contribute to the kingdom and society. This birthday was just reflective for me.

Mya decided in her free time at school LAST year, that she wanted a Spa Party. She wanted to paint nails, paint toes, fix hair, etc. That's what we did. We also made pizza and had a dance party. I had Maddie and Gabby come over to help and to dance with the girls. The girls thought that it so cool to have teenagers at their party!! I think Maddie and Gabby had a great time and didn't mind making some cash on the side. They actually spent the night the night before and watched the kids while we went to the temple and then help clean the house and set up the party. Essentially, they saved the day!!!

Abigail

Annabelle

Austin, Abigail, Kylee, Allie, and Gabby

Annabelle, Aliyah, Sarah, Mom, Nikki, Maddie and Mya

Mya

Maddie, Mya, Gabby

Sorry the dancing one gets turned sideways...what can you do?

We got her ears pierced for her birthday. I don't think she was anticipating then pain!

Austin

2010-08-16T22:12:00.000-05:00

My firstborn has had a summer to remember (and make his mother feel old...)!

*Warning: A lot of these pictures were taken on an iphone and not that great of quality. Sometimes I forget my camera and the iphone is the only option. I blame my parents... Ideally I would become a great picture taker/editor but who said this world was ideal?

His Baptism was obviously a big deal! Eric's parents, and two of his brother's families came for the event. My parents barely missed it :( My brother Shane cooked Jambalya for everyone to eat after. That is a big deal, if you don't know. It takes hours to do over a large cast iron pot outside in the LA heat. He got up early and had it done for us to eat right after the baptism. Thank you Shane!

Mya, Aliyah and I sang and Chrisie Grandma and Uncle Dave spoke. It was neat to see him make such an important choice in his life. I am so proud of you Austin and the sweet boy you are becoming!! (My camera died after this picture. I need to get the others that my Sister-in-law took with her camera)

He became a Cub Scout. He wants to get his Bobcat and Wolf by the first pack meeting. He is well on his way!

For his birthday he chose not to have a party but to go the LSU Father/Son Basketball camp with his Dad! (it was actually held on his birthday). I think he wanted to live there. They slept in the dorms, ate in the cafeteria and played in the new LSU training facility that was not even all the way finished! The LSU coach in charge also happens to be the Elders Quorum President in Baton Rouge I ward and he and Eric know each other pretty well. He announced that it was Austin's birthday and the entire camp sang Happy Birthday to him!

Nick Robinson

Austin is a fish! This was his first summer on a swim team. He was one of the teams highest scorers. His coach loved him and I think may have taken him home if I was ever late picking him up. He swam breast stroke and butterfly mostly which is not easy for his age. He impressed the coaches so much he won the Coaches Outstanding Swimmer Award! There are awards given for an outstanding swimmer in each age group and then one overall given to a girl and one overall given to a boy. He was the overall boy winner! His award was a pretty big deal. I am a proud mamma:)

Coach Di

First Day of School

2010-08-11T09:18:00.005-05:00

I have so many things to post...I have a feeling I'll find some time now :)

Backpacks are so big on Mya! (Aliyah dresses herself...I take no credit for those pjs!)

A cool third grader who has to switch teachers during the day this year! That's the definition of cool...you didn't know? I'm surprised. Somehow, he and his best friend ended up in the same class. He has high hopes for a great year!

Beautiful girl. New bling on the ears. Boys...her dad works out, ALOT.

Aren't I a lucky woman?

Dallas Fun

2010-08-08T22:28:00.010-05:00

In addition to Eric's race we were there for my nephew's blessing and to hang out for the week. Despite two trips to the doctor and one emergency surgery for my niece, we had a great time! The kids and I drove out a week early for the blessing and Eric rode out with Mike and Adi later to meet us. The kids were great the entire time. Couldn't have been better.

We:

1. went swimming at their friends' and Tracy's mother's neighborhood pool

2. played slip -n- slide

3. went to the Dallas children's museum

4. went to church on the forth of July

5. ate yummy dinners out

6. ate pizza

7. shopping at Sam Moon and the LDS Book store

8. went house looking with just me and my brother. We haven't done anything with just him and I for years so that was very fun for both of us!

9. ate dinner at THE CUTEST RESTAURANT EVER! The Magic Time Machine. The servers dress up like characters and the entire thing in an act from the time you walk in to the time you walk out. We got Tinkerbelle. Highly recommend this place. Austin asked Pocahontas where the bathroom was and she literally yelled to the entire place, "WATCH EVERYONE. THIS KIDS GOT TO GO!" Austin hated it but really it was hilarious! I saw Cinderella taking a group of kids to the bathroom and made them do a conga line chanting "We gotta go. We gotta go."

10. got strep throat (Aliyah and I)

11. watched kids while my Sister-in-law and brother stayed at the hospital for Brittany's emergency surgery/stitches. Kids: never climb WET monkey bars...never.

12. Generally threw a schedule out of the window and totally relaxed.

This trip is on the agenda for next year!

Magic Time Machine

Cutie Patootie

Jaden gave up on the spoon for his ice cream...my kinda man!

Tink

Magic Time Machine

Children's Museum

Baby Chase

Slip-n-slide

Buddies, born three days apart!

My 4th of July kids :)

BUNCHES of Bascoms!

2010-07-16T20:21:00.000-05:00

Eric's family has always been wonderful about making an effort to come see us, the black sheep of the family who moved away. We love them for it. This time when they came we decided to jam in as much activity as humanly possible into the time they were here. (In case they never come back, right?)

We did:

1. Mya's gymnastics

2. two of Austin's swim meets (bless their melting souls!)

3. looked for gators

4. yummy food

5. a night at the Cabin, which included lots of lake swimming, fishing, crafts, yummy food, critter finding, boys cousins all piled in one room, girls cousins retreating to travel trailer with Grandma and Grandpa, jumping off of the boat house, smores and a not-so-scary-to-anyone-else-but-the-Eric-Bascom-kids story.

6. Austin's baptism

7. waffles after church

8. jambalya courtesy of my bro Shane after baptism...delish!

9. Global Wildlife center where the pregnant giraffes ate right out of our hands!

10. shopping

11. golf for guys

12. forgetting our kids where around because they did not need us at all with so many cousins around.

13. barbecuing

14. touring Houmas House

15. eating at "The Cabin"

16. more shopping

17. Eric's Rotary dinner, which we totally dolled Chrisie up for!

18. youth temple trip

19. swimming, swimming and swimming

20. sno-balls

21. lizard, frog and turtle catching

22. girls fixing each other's hair

23. etc., etc., etc.

A jam packed week. Adam and company left on Sunday and Dave's fam and Eric's parents left on Thursday. We miss everyone so much!

Baptism Boy and Dad

Warming up

Visit to see Mike the tiger. There's a real tiger it the habitat in the background.

Lewis, Cali, Aliyah, Mya

Chrisie and Me

Mya found a cozy seat

Zach, Nathan, Austin and Lewis

Kids, Eric and the gator at the Coffee House where we got... beignets, not coffee people.

Crashing at the cabin. I think there are 6 people in the picture. Can you find them all?

Grandpa cooking breakfast

Aliyah and Josh

Austin with Adam and Amy's family after his baptism. He made the hair flower amy is wearing for her.

Paddle boating. I think its Mya and Cali paddling, Zach pulling them out of the mud and Aliyah and Josh along for the ride!

There are more pictures that I need to get from Wendy and I will post them when I get them!

Tri #1 down

2010-07-16T09:56:00.009-05:00

400 M swim., 11 mile bike ride, 2 mile run. He trained. He bought the gear. He rented a bike. He found a friend to train with him. He convinced his wife he would not die of a low blood sugar. He signed up. Drove to meet us in Dallas where we were already for my nephew's baby blessing. Tested his blood in copious amounts before, during and after. He stopped to give insulin during the race when it started to go high. He ate candy when it began to go low. He threw up candy after the race. All in all it was worth it!

I will post pics of the visit with family and such later. But for now...my man!

#207, Age 30

Getting bike into ready position. It's very early in the AM and very dark!

Racing Friends

Heading to the water. He is the one closest the camera and unfortunately the most blurry. Dang humidity!

Waiting in the water for the starting horn. His age group was the first to start. They were marked by the green caps while in the water. Once out of the water, they were marked by their age on their leg.

Transition to the bike from the swim. This is where he lost alot of time. Most people did not have to test their blood sugar, wipe their feet down excessively to avoid foot damage and give two units of insulin via a pump before they could continue. This was the fun of the challenge for him. Doing it and being competitive while adding in the "extras".

He really enjoyed the bike ride if you couldn't tell! This was him returning from the 11 miles. He wished it was longer and the run shorter. He hates running!

Mike on the bike. His chain came off which costs them some time too.

Mike, sinus infection and all, finishing.

Running in from the finish. That candy is not sitting so well.

Be right back. Gotta go puke.

Starting to feel better.

Cheerleader Adi!

Cheerleaders Amy and Austin! Eric is feeling great now!

Now he can wear the T-shirt. He wouldn't wear the shirt until he had finished! (Mya is adorable and Baby Chase is not so happy here!)

East Ascension Rotary President no mo!

2010-07-16T09:40:00.004-05:00

Saying Thanks to Eric for a Job well done. L-R Eric, District Rotary Pres., incoming pres.

Dave and Wendy were in town still so they got to come!

Farewell speech

Blurry. But we are happy to be done with the obligation!

Walt and Chrisie were still in town so they got to come.

Eric and his brother Dave. See any family resemblance?

The Ladies (You know they are short when I am the tallest one at 5'2"! I did have three inch heels on but still...)

First real haircut!

2010-06-28T20:34:00.005-05:00

Aliyah had her first real haircut in preparation for Eric's family to come. What a big girl!

What do you do in the summer time?

2010-06-02T08:54:00.005-05:00

Eric likes to golf. He wants us to like to golf. So, after Autsin's first swim met (pics to come) we headed over to the driving range. I realize now there are a few reasons we have never been before.

#1 Austin had not gotten his rockin' kid size clubs for Christmas from my parents yet.

#2 The driving range is sooo quiet. Not really my kids thing. There weren't too many people though so we braved it. The only guy that was a round us was very patient with us.

Like father like son! He could really hit!

You may be surprised to hear she did make contact a couple of times.

We had to keep her from running out to get the ball she hit.

Almost as cool as hitting the ball, was the water station!

I'm guessing a woman came up with this idea to put these uber comfy chairs here :) I did some of this... (Jergens Natural Glow Lotion here I come. Yikes!)

...and some of this!! There is a reason shorts are required. It was hard in a skirt!

Yippee for three!!

2010-05-16T17:07:00.007-05:00

I am on a blogging roll. I'm just sayin'.

I am not a party planner. I see women who plan the cutest, themeiest, my-mom-is-awesome-for-putting-on-this-party parties. I am not one of those people. Sure, I tried, once. For Austin's 2nd birthday I had a John Deere tractor party. It was super cute and themey, complete with tractor rides from a real John Deere tractor but I was not thinking at the end, "I cannot wait to plan the next one!" Instead I thought, "Maybe I will do something a little less involved next year." See, not super-mom. I have come to grips with this. In an effort to compensate, I focus on exactly what the child requests and try to come through (within reason, you will see why this is so important in a minute!).

When we asked Aliyah what she wanted for third birthday she had very simple requests.

1. A butterfly cake

2. A jumprope

3. Her cousin Joseph--wrapped up!! (See the whole within reason thing?)

1. Butterfly cake came in the form of a pretty yellow cake from the Wal-Mart bakery with a wooden butterfly cutout from the craft department. She loved it.

2. A jumprope was easy and cheap enough.

3. We spared Joe the humiliation and just had him over to play the next day.

We also threw in a couple of surprises which she loved!!!!! I found some cute fabric that morning and sewed her a reversible butterfly dress to wear. The dress up clothes did not leave her body for three days. I had to let her get it out of her system before church because I knew exactly where that was going!!

Happy birthday Liyah-Bear. I love you. You are getting so big and so much less baby. That breaks/warms my heart. I love being home with you and soaking up your cuteness. Keep being a happy girl.

Find the Hero in You

2010-05-16T16:37:00.002-05:00

I did. So did Eric and my brother, Shane. (So did my other brother, Seth, his wife, Courtney, and Shane's wife, Tawnya, but they chose not to sport the pint-of-blood backpacks so they weren't in the pic.) Donate blood.

Eric, Amy, Shane

Gallon Challenge

2010-05-12T13:28:00.004-05:00

So, Austin bet me that he could drink an entire juice bottle of water. I bet couldn't. He asked for $5 if he could do it.

To answer the "Can I at least get 2 bucks" question, nope. All or nothing (let's be honest, I didn't have any cash in my wallet).

One season down, I think lots to go!

2010-05-12T13:19:00.004-05:00

Miss Brittany and Miss Hirshi (missing Miss Amber, her fav!)

Mya loved every minute of gym! She loved being barefoot and in her leotard. She loved standing with her back arched back like a gymnast (she said that looks SO cool!) She loved her coaches. She is forgoing being on the swim team to do gym again. She also said she might want to be a teacher when she is done with the olympics...Oh Boy...she is so funny!

Laundry Quandry

2010-04-21T09:41:00.007-05:00

We have some serious laundry issues around here. It doesn't help that my children think everything that is dirty is clean and everything that is clean is dirty.

I have had enough. My biggest frustration comes when I have to look for dirty school uniforms and find them stuffed into dresser drawers. Austin being the most guilty of such an offense, I explained to him the other night that I had done all of the laundry and he had no clothes for school tomorrow. Also, I had no socks for him and I was not staying up late to do anymore laundry. He emerged from his room carrying all but one set of uniform clothes (which happened to be in the washer at the moment but I didn't tell him that.) I told him that he could 1. sniff them and find the least stinky to wear to school or 2. wear whatever he wanted and get written up. He frantically checked the washer and found his still wet clothes so helped me put the entire load of clothes to the dryer to get dried. I reminded him about the socks. He came out of his room with about 6 pair of dirty socks that had been sitting in his drawers. He magically remembered about a couple of clean pair in the wrong drawer and behind his desk! Imagine that! He honestly seem relieved not to have to wear dirty clothes or get written up! (I was surprised because I expected him to just wear dirty ones and not care at all. Seven year old boys...)

This incident was following one earlier in the day when I asked the kids to put away the clothes I had just washed, dried, and folded. They cried and moaned. I told them about a blog I had read where this mother made her kids (who where the same age as mine) do all the laundry at their house. Mya cried (no really, cried!), "Are you going to make us to do that?!" hmmm.... Something is amiss here.

I decided that this summer they would be helping with their own laundry. Sorting, washing, drying, folding, putting away. Maybe they would appreciate what I do for them. Yesterday evening I looked at the pile of clothes to fold and thought why wait for summer? I could have help today! I would have to be patient though, as I love clothes to be folded "properly". I may just have to give that up for the sake of the life lesson.

I separated out their clothes and bath towels from the rest of the pile. I made their own pile for them and let them fold away. It took me half the time to finish my part-bonus! I was surprised to learn a few things myself. (That's the way it always goes as a mother though, right? You expect to be teaching a lesson and end up learning more than the kids!)

1. They knew how to fold clothes, really well actually.

2. They basked in the responsibility and bragged to each other about how much they got done.

3. I liked sitting with them and working along side of them.

They woke up this morning and reminded me there was another load to fold and could they please do it before school. They didn't have enough time so I told them maybe after school. Mya said, "But Mom, I have gymnastics. When am I going to fold those clothes?" Add time management to the list of lesson from a laundry basket!

I Hope They Call Me on a Mission

2010-04-20T08:47:00.004-05:00

My parents were a little surprised when the Bishop called them into his office in December and asked them to consider serving a mission. My Dad said, "Bishop, I am not retired. We were planning on it in about three years." To which the Bishop replied, "Think a little harder about going now." What do you say about that? So they did (I am sure there was some serious prayer in there too!) They turned their papers in a few weeks later, my Dad retired and then they waited and waited and waited...

The Sunday of the week that they were sure the call was coming they had the family over for dinner and a little guessing game. We each got one guess within the US and one outside of the US, grandkids too.

They got the call on a Thursday and they called us all over to watch them open it. Those who were not there were assigned a "phone buddy" who called them to let them hear the excitement.

South Africa it was!!! (not the best picture of my Mom but not a whole lot of opportunity to do a retake!)

PS They are now waiting for their Visas. It could be as late as July before they leave. They were supposed to have left on Saturday the 17th. Now we wait some more...

Disney 2010

2010-04-05T16:26:00.010-05:00

This year was a landmark for Eric and I. We took our kids on a "real" family vacation. Don't get me wrong, we have been on alot of trips, but this was the first one 1. that wasn't to see family 2. that we took our kids on 3. that was strictly pleasure and 4. required serious travel. See, a "real" vacation!

About a month before we left, Eric's Dad called and asked if Eric's mother could tag along. She LOVES Disney. I mean LOVES Disney!! The men made all of the arrangements to have her in an adjoining room, get a dining plan, fly into Orlando, etc. I was beyond excited for an extra set of helping hands and the Disney expertise!! Thursday, of the week before we left she fell on some ice. She was left with one good arm and one broken one. However, she was not going to miss our vacation. She was more help then I think she gives herself credit for. While it was true she could not help bathe children or carry anything she was an extra set of eyes for kids that were not tall enough to ride big rides, and extra set of eyes when Eric and I went to order food, an extra mind who helped us make coordinating decisions. She was indispensable. We need her on ALL our vacations from now on!

Let the pictures begin:

The Princess in her carriage

We caught this dance contest in Downtown Disney one night. Mya did not want to be in the contest but danced and watched the entire time providing the entertainment for a group of ladies nearby. They did not want us to take her home!

In the gift shop of the Rockin' Roller Coaster Ride.

Waiting for Funnel Cakes. Good job guys!

In Minnie's house.

I LOVE this face. She is showing Eric exactly where Lilo touched her shoulder.

Austin found one of his best friends from school at Epcot! Hi Kenyon!

We ran into some cousins while we were there too. We only got a picture with Merrick and Jack. We forgot to get one with Annabelle, Joe, Caroline and Rush...

Girls are in AWE. Austin is thinking...we are wasting our time!

The whole group.

Eric was getting the stroller when we happened upon Goofy so he snuck in the back of the photo when he was done.

This photo is really worthy of a whole other post but I will try to be concise. It's no secret that Disney promotes Princesses. What does a preincess do to try and make a boy feel included? Of course she calls him a prince! How does a seven year old boy who thinks girls are gross react? He gets upset. Austin was lamenting to Eric and I about this trend while we were waiting to see Snow White. Here's the convo:

A: "Dad, it's really embarrassing that all the princesses call me something dumb. I hate it!"

E: "They are just trying to be nice because they know you would probably rather be doing something else. Just smile and be nice."

Grandma: "I bet you a churro that this Snow White calls you something."

A: "I bet she does too, but ok, I'll bet you she doesn't."

Funny Guy in front of us leans over to Eric and says: "Want me to talk to Snow White when I go up there and get her to call him a prince to throw the bet in favor of Granny?"

E: "Awesome..."

Funny Guy: "Actually lets make it interesting and get her to call him something else like one of the dwarfs...SNEEZY!"

E: "Hey Austin, I bet she calls you...Sneezy."

A: "Dad, why would she call me Sneezy? You are definitely on!"

Funny guy and Snow White: "psst, blah, blah, giggle, giggle."

(Those princesses NEVER break character! She was cool about it the whole time.)

Snow White to A: Well, hello, you must be Sneezy!"

A: mouth drops looks around "I cannot believe this! My Dad and I had a bet that you would call me Sneezy. I never thought you would call me Sneezy!!"

Snow White in her high pitched little voice "Oh Dear. I am so sorry. A little blue bird told me to call you that. I had no idea!"

Funny guy: about to bust a gut!

Me: laughing so hard I am crying!

Grandma: turning blue with laughter

A: walking away "A blue bird...really?? A BLUEBIRD??"

E: "Sorry buddy. Who knew?"

We eventually told him what happened. It was pretty dang funny! Judging by the look on his face in the picture I think he forgave her.

Lessons Learned from a Dying Man

2010-03-24T08:50:00.006-05:00

A little background:

My Grandfather and Grandmother were to peas in a pod, inseparable. They worked for many years as CES supervisors and my Grandma worked as his secretary. They served four missions abroad (South Dakots, New Guinea, Australia, and Tucson, AZ) and at least one, maybe two, close to home. My Grandma died very suddenly about 5 years ago when she had an aneurism burst in her abdomen. She was packing her bags to go on a girls trip with her daughters, she never made the trip. That was the day my Grandpa started dying.

Since then he has tried to keep himself busy with his animals, children, grandchildren. He has never been able to fill the hole in his heart left by his sweetheart. Every January he would come down to visit with his Great-grandchildren in Louisiana. He was a not only the guest but the STAR at our Family Home Evenings when he came to visit. Every January he also got a horrible cold.

The Story:

This January was no different. The cold came right on schedule. He had big plans to come visit us here in Louisiana. My Uncle took him to the doctor for the cold and the doctor did chest x-rays. The x-rays told the ugly truth that changed alot of plans. He would never make the trip to Louisiana. It was cancer, lung cancer, taking up half of his lung capacity, was not operable, 6 months to live. There were a great deal of mixed emotions. He was so happy to learn that it would not be long until he was reunited with his sweetheart. However, when he looked into the wet eyes of those he was leaving he could not help but cry for them.

Those grandkids who live far away decided to each take a turn and fly out to be with him for a few days while he was still feeling relatively well. My turn came four days after our trip the Disney. Eric valiantly took on the three kids, stomach virus and all! When I walked into his house I expected to see a dying man. Quite the opposite, I saw a man who was finishing living! We had a fun-filled few days. He informed me that he did not cook and McDonalds was providing most of his meals these days. We went in the morning to the "Old Boys Club". You see, my Grandfather lives in a small farming community in Northern Utah and the "Old Boys" of the town meet together at Burger King every morning to visit, swap stories and try to solve the world's issues amongst themselves. I was schooled in the ways of raising chickens, and learned that horses are all dark meat. Who knew? More importantly I was close with my Grandpa doing what he loved to do. We took daily naps and I had a chance to impress him by doing a pull-up! I cooked a big breakfast for him which he told me that no one did for him (except when my own Mom would come to visit him) since my Grandma died. On my last night there we watched a WWII documentary and I probably asked him 756 questions. He was willing to answer every single one. I learned more in those two hours than I had every learned in school about WWII.

I was leaving early in the morning so after our movie, he turned to me and let me know how much he appreciated and enjoyed our visit. We had mostly talked and let him rest alot, but not a moment was wasted. He told me he loved me and that I probably wouldn't see him again so this was "Goodbye". He was stalwart and I was a mess. There he was comforting the living while he was dying. He told me has nothing to fear on the other side and is at peace. He is sad to leave but excited to leave on this new adventure. He told me that he felt a little like he did when we would leave on a mission except that this time he would not be coming back. He didn't know what he would find but he knew it was the right thing and was excited for the adventure. I went in my room, called Eric and cried. I suspect that he went to his room and cried too. He admitted to me earlier in the week that he does that from time to time.

The entire trip gave me time to reflect on where I was and where I wanted to go. Am I going to be that peaceful when the time comes? Would I be ready to go now? What is important to me? Am I valuing those things or wasting time on things that don't matter? Am I really living or just being acted upon? Lessons learned from a dying man. I would not have traded those few days for all of the money in the world.

My cousin Reed invited us over for dinner one night. This is him with his ADORABLE little boy Peter (2) and Mastiff dog Miley. I wanted to sneak Peter into my suitcase and bring him home! Miley is only a few months old here! Mastiffs are the coolest dog on the planet!

Be Still

2010-03-23T21:02:00.006-05:00

Saturday night found me gearing myself up for a long week ahead. We had just gotten home from my Dad's retirement dinner (yeah Dad!) and Sunday was going to come early, be long, and be followed up with an incredibly long week. Sunday we woke up to a sick Mya who was allowed to stay home from church with Eric. I was teaching Relief Society so I had to go, Austin and Aliyah in tow. A couple short hours after our traditional Sunday breakfast-for-lunch, Eric left for High Council meetings. He made it back in time for me to be only 5 mins late to the youth fireside. Here were my plans for the rest of the week.

Monday-Parent/Teacher conference, planting a container garden, cleaning up the house, Family Home Evening

Tuesday-Visiting Teaching all morning, volunteering in Mya's class all afternoon

Wednesday- cleaning my mother's house, making my house company ready, mutual

Thursday- Field trip with Austin in New Orleans

Friday- Honor Roll assembly for Austin, Easter Party for Mya, kids out of school early for the start of spring break, company comes into town

Here's how the week is looking in reality so far-

Monday- Parent/Teacher conference, Mya running fever, home to clean the house, doctor appointment to find out that Mya has pneumonia!

Tuesday-laying in bed for literally four hours with the girls dosing off and on, finishing house cleaning to show it, Eric takes us to Sonic for dinner

Rest of the week- Stay home and take care of Mya, Eric to go to Field Trip, me to be home catching up on laundry and doing lots of snuggling

I am being made to BE STILL. I grateful for every minute I am getting to sit on the couch and watch cartoons with my girls. The crying is getting old from Aliyah but I am taking a week to soak it all in rather than watch it all pass by in a blur.

On another note:

I can't wait for the summer so I can "be still" with all of my kiddos all day. Days in the swimming pool with crackers and apples slices for lunch under the sun umbrella; mornings at the free movie for the Kids Summer Movie Camp; completing the entire summer reading program within the first few days of signing up; playing in the sprinklers; spending the night in the cabin complete with sand beach, fishing and critter collecting. Bring on the "be still" summer.

Surprise! We live!

2010-03-18T11:26:00.009-05:00

Well, I am sure most of have given up on me. Have no fear, we are still alive and kicking. I love reading blogs but am a pathetic blogger myself.

We have been so very busy these days. My children are growing like weeds which lends itself to more out-of-the-house activities. Usually, I am pretty fierce when it comes to protecting our at home time, but this winter/spring we found that we could fit in basketball and gymnastics for Austin and Mya respectively and still have peaceful evenings.

Austin is actually finished with his season at the time if this post. He was pleasantly surprised by how fun and organized the league was. Some of the boys on the team wanted to be called the Jets like the football team. Austin and his cousin Merrick felt "the cougars" would be more appropriate. Only a little BYU brainwashing around here! My brother Seth and Eric, the coaches, and held a vote. The "Jets" won and the team won about half of their games. However, much improvement was seen!!! They went from swarming the ball and taking it from their own team and to getting open for passes and setting picks, a victory in my book!

Mya is only about half way through with her gym. Actually, she was moved up to a more advanced class because she had mastered the beginning class in the first month and it was supposed to last four. The biggest news about the move? She now gets to wear a leotard which is a BIG dang deal to a 5 year old girl! Now she is working on the four olympic events, floor, vault, bars and beam. She is in gym heaven and it is the highlight of her week! Her cousin Cali in Utah is also quiet the gymnast so maybe it is a Bascom thing! She fell on the beam (which was only about a 6 inch drop) last night while trying to do a handstand and was a little guarded after that but I think she will get over it soon enough.

Aliyah is almost three and thinks she is 16. I love that sassy little thing. She is my little buddy and melts my heart when she sings ALL day long. She is really starting to need some playtime with friends but I am loving having her all to myself. I only have 2 years until all of my children are in school. What will I do with myself?!?

Eric is busy busy at work which is on fire lately! They are beginning to be quite established and well known in the community. He is also running around with the high council most every Sunday and serving as the East Ascension Rotary Club president. He is also still working out like a mad man. He started P90X again with me in tow. Still on the fence about how I like it but we are 9 weeks in so way too late to give up now. The results are amazing but its not a miracle program. You literally work your tushy right off. No gimmicks just good old fashioned hard work...

I am obviously busy with the aforementioned exercise routine. In addition I am working in the Young Women's program with Personal Progress and whatever else they need me for. Of course the normal house work included and it gets busy. I have become a food storage maniac lately. I could write a whole blog just on what I have learned in the last few months. Storing, cooking, etc. Maybe I will...

In other news we taken three trips(well i have taken three the others, two) in the last month and am grateful for the down time.

#1 Family vacay with Eric's mom to Disney!

#2 Trip to see my dying Grandfather. Just me, awe inspiring trip that I will post more on later

#3 Trip to Dallas to see my niece baptized. Short and sweet. A little too short but very sweet.

Oh, here is really big news!! My parents were called to be Area Humanitarian Supervisors for the Southern Half of AFRICA!! They leave next month and will be back in two years! We couldn't be happier for them.

Here is a little teaser of pics:

Aliyah got the camera. Eric looks so tall to her!

Must have a picture here. Yes, Chrisie's arm is in a sling. She broke it when she fell on some ice a couple days before. The kids had to put on her shoes,socks and cast every morning. I think they really enjoyed it and I loved seeing them serve her in that capacity. I thought she would be doing those things for them but this time the tables were turned.

This is my brother Jared. He is the oldest and I am the youngest. We were in Dallas to see him baptize his oldest daughter, Brittany.

All the kids and spouses minus Courtney, Seth's wife. We missed you!

Seth, Josh, Elli, Shane, Tawnya, Me, Eric, Tracy and Jared. (All the boys (except Eric) are my brothers.)

My parents and all their grandkids minus Rush who stayed home with his mom, Courtney. He is almost a year.

Me and My Grandapa.

My Dad and the map with all of our guesses on where they would be called on their mission. One in state and one out for each person. My guesses were Latvia and Alabama.

At our lake in Mississippi. Tawnya and I paddle boating the kids around. I have the ponytail and Tawnya's in the red sweater. Kids: l-r Mya, Aliyah and Jack. Annabelle is steering in the front and Joe is climbing his mother!!

Well, here's to me being better. We'll see...

Why do you love Daddy?

2009-06-21T15:58:00.005-05:00

Austin: Dad always is nice to us and he spends time with us and he works to get money for our family and I like it when he helps me build my faith.

Mya: He is nice to me. He does nice things for me. He loves me. He likes to be with me on Father's Day and he always treats me good.

Aliyah: Daddy? Daddy...Daddy

Amy: Eric you are one amazing example to our children. You are a kind example of the love the Savior has for each of us in this family. I am more and more grateful for you everyday. I cannot say enough wonderful things about you. I am one lucky girl and our kids are lucky to have a daddy who takes his fatherly responsibility seriously. Is it any wonder that they ask million times a day when daddy will be home and why they each love to be right next to your side at all times? They feel loved when they are near you. It radiates from you. We love you back!

Father Son Campout

2009-06-16T17:15:00.004-05:00

The Baton Rouge Stake has a great tradition of holding an annual Father/Son Campout in the spring. Austin and Eric are faithful attenders! Two days of swimming in the lakes and creeks, fishing, and eating junk food. What could be better?

Can you see Austin and Uncle Seth in the tree? Merrick and Jack decided to stroll through the water instead.

Chain of Love Complete

2009-06-08T21:25:00.004-05:00

Amber this is for you! Thank you, thank you! Eric's pancakes somehow taste better when he wears this little number.

Twins!

2009-06-05T17:23:00.007-05:00

I got my hair cut and colored the other day...I am in love. Eric loves it equally! Austin is not so sure because he says it does not look like me. Aliyah only voiced her opinion in screaming ecstatically that I was home from the salon and saying "Mommy Home!" 45 times. Mya was so in love that she talked her daddy into taking her out to get her hair cut right away.

Mya Before:

Me before:

Mya during:
Both after:

Chung Be!

2009-05-18T22:46:00.006-05:00

Watch out world! The Bascom kids are going to be unstoppable!

My favorite part: I can tell them "Chung Be" which is the "ready stance" command, then I can go away and come back and they will still be standing there, at attention, when I get back. This is going to be very valuable, I can tell already!

Foot Surgery

2009-05-13T13:41:00.003-05:00

A couple people have asked about Eric's foot surgery. He had some ingrown toenails removed. Lest you think that is a simple, painless procedure, I will tell you it is not! I almost cried watching them do the surgery and I will not tell if Eric did or not! He explained to me that there is a pain threshold that once reached eyes just naturally water. Umm Hmm. He is doing better but still has to baby his toe pretty much. Anytime you talk about diabetics and feet it is a scary thing. Hopefully we avoided some major issues in the future by having this done now. He is going to be much better as soon as this heals. Thanks for asking.

A Little Business

2009-05-12T10:39:00.004-05:00

I know I usually reserve my blog for a record of our comings and goings but I need to diverge from the path for this post.

Eric and I are selling a one acre lot of land in Galvez and are looking for a buyer. If you or someone you know would be interested in looking at it please comment.

We are offering $500 to anyone that helps us find a buyer!

Thanks.

Aliyah Turns 2!

2009-05-08T13:57:00.009-05:00

That was then (one year ago):

This is now: (so big!)

I cannot believe that my younget and last child is two years old! Aliyah is such a joy to have in our home. She is always smiling and comforting whoever happens to taken up the position as the sad child for the moment. Loves to take care of her babies and does so ever so gently. I love that she asks to hear 'The wheels on the bus" in the car at leat 25 times beofre we arrive to where we are going. She will do evey motion and sing almost every word if no one is watching. Aliyah loves to make new friends and currently her best friends are Dumbo our pet rat and her Daddy. She is a very compliant child and has always been so happy and pleasent to be around. I also love that am potty training her and she can hold it forever! Way to go Liyah Bear! We love Aliyah and are so happy you are in our family!

Eating with my big bro

Grandma and Grandpa with Aliyah and Mya

Time out for kisses from Grandma

Mya and Austin hover over to help with gifts at a moments notice

Eric had practiced with her early in the day so she would be able to blow out the candles!

I think she was mad that we took her away from her toys here!

(I wish I had fixed myself up here. It had been a long dayof painting my house, and taking kids to the doctor unexpectedly and putting together this little shin-dig. Oh well, that's what professional family pictures are for! )

The older kids wanted to get something for Aliyah on her birthday. We took a family trip to the store and they had a little tiny four wheeler setup on display. Aliyah fell in love. She would not get off. I had to run and get some icing for her cake so Eric (who was riding an electric cart because of recent foot surgey) told me to go and he would handle it. Handle it included having Austin prying her hands off and Eric leting her drive the electric shopping cart. Whatever works... We decided it was a worthy investment and Austin and Mya even put their money towards her new toy instead of looking for something else! She was delighted to see it on her birthday. I later found out that Austin was hoping to be able to ride it which may have been the reason for the enthusiasm behind the decision on his part. Sorry buddy you are way too big! Don't worry, we will hook a brotha up!

Side note: Remember Eric had surgery, hence the duck like boot he is wearing.

2009-04-24T13:16:00.006-05:00

Well I have some really cute pictures to post but my camera power button is stuck. Eric asked "What did you do?" I responded "Uh...I tired to turn it on..." Not sure how I broke it but I did. I have been wanting a new one anyway so it works out great for me...maybe not for the pocket book but for me anyway!

Update on the Bascoms:
1. New nephew count for the year: 2 Xavier Bascom and Rush Richardson
New niece count for the year: 1 Caroline Richardson.
I haven't met Xavier yet but if he is half as sweet as the other two I am in for a treat!
Pictures to come when the camera decides to wake up or be buried.

2. Austin made a 4.0 and the Honor Roll for school

3. Mya's preschool took a field trip to the Strawberry Patch and we all ate as many strawberries as we could hold in our bellies and then brought a bunch home. It was really cute to see the girls pick them right off the plant and shove them in!

4. We have two new pets: Lucy and Dumbo...pet rats. They are so sweet and durable! Let's just say they have yet to bite even with all of the Aliyah Lovin they get.

5. Easter was a home run this year. We spent the night in our new cabin in Mississippi and had an Easter egg hunt with all the Richardson Cousins and then had a great big lunch together. The kids swam in the lake, played on the beach, fished, ran on the trails, hunted for monarch caterpillars etc until they were completely worn out! Awesome! The next day on Easter the bunny left some rocking baskets filled with play-doh and kites. My brother and his wife blessed their Baby Caroline on that day so more family visiting and gathering after church. We made our exit when Aliyah decided she had had enough for one weekend! I am sure I win the worst mother in the world award though because I forgot to take pictures of the kids....lame.

6. Oh yeah General Conference! I did not get to watch as much as I would have liked. The wee ones conspired against us this year. They have let us watch in years past but the stars were not aligned. I am waiting for the Ensign to come out so I can read it. However, My Mom, Eric and I made a melt-in-your-mouth Cafe Rio Salad that I ate way too much of and that we all ate again the next night!

7. Austin got some new glasses with the promise that if he can prove to the eye doctor that he is responsible he may be able to get a contact this summer. He only has an issue with on e eye so we would only need one contact. Anyone have any advice on children getting contacts? She seems to think it would be fine seeing as how the glasses keep cramping his style when he wants to play on the trampoline, play football, etc. And I keep having to buy new glasses!

8. Eric is taking a break from his traveling and sticking around for a while...I think...maybe I better call his assistant to check on that...

I know...text = boring, but at least you know I am alive!

Tag Your It

2009-03-17T14:03:00.004-05:00

I took this tag from my sister-in-law who did it several months ago but I am just getting around to it. You are supposed to download the forth picture in the fourth file (I think. It's random anyway.) This is from the pictures we took to send to Eric's parents after we moved into our new house and I had decorated. This is the kid's/guest bath, a Bandana/cowboy theme. I know you are all better off for having seen it :) Tag everyone is it!

Monster Truck Show

2009-03-09T14:59:00.000-05:00

Our neighbor Ms. Mary was going out of town, so she asked Austin to take her dog out to the bathroom every day when he got home from school and at night before he went to bed. For payment she was going to buy tickets for him and Mya to the Monster Truck Show that was coming in town. We all got to go and Ms. Mary came with us. We had a blast! Thanks for keeping Aliyah Mom even though she kept you up all night! I had a video but I need to remember how to add it.

Ms. Mary and Me

Us minus Alyah

P90X

2009-03-09T13:44:00.000-05:00

I need one more person to send gifts to with the Chain of love post. Don't be shy people.

I did this with Eric's permission. It is only to show that I am proud of him and nothing more!

Eric, my brother Shane and my brother Seth all stared a workout program called P90X back in September of last year. The program lasted 90 days and consisted of a very regimented diet and exercise program. In the three months Eric had 2 very small slices of cake...that was it for the sweets department. I started on the diet for a little while and in 6 weeks I lost 8 pounds. I thought that was good enough and quit. Lame me! The program is awesome and they have hooked many many people on it since including both sets of our parents!! It has also been the best thing in the world for his diabetes. Here is before and after:

Before

After

Chain of Love

2009-03-01T21:57:00.002-06:00

My friend posted this on her blog and I participated with the promise that I would keep the chain going. So Here it goes...

The first five people to comment on this post will get something in the mail from me. My friend promised something homemade but I can't make the same promise. It may be more semi-homemade...who knows? It will be good though I can promise that.

The catch is that you are one of the five commenters have to post a similar post on you blog. This keeps us all busy and thinking of others for a while. Hope you can participate.

SNOW IN LA?!?!?!

2009-02-28T22:24:00.000-06:00

Again, old news but I have a lot of catching up to do! This is from December of last year.

When Austin came from school saying that it might snow the next day we thought he was nuts. We explained to him that it doesn't snow in Louisiana and that one day we would go to Utah in the winter to see snow. Open mouth insert foot. The next day at 6:30 am Austin runs into our room exclaiming, "It's snowing! It's snowing!!!" I have never seen anything like this in Louisiana and I have lived here almost my entire life. We got about 3-4 inches! Of course it melted the next day but we had a alot of cold and wet fun for a day...(we have NO snow clothes!)

Aliyah and Sadie

Mya, a little snowman and Austin

Another Update

2009-02-27T09:40:00.004-06:00

At Kristin's request here is another update on our miserable children. Things got worse after my last update. Both Mya and Austin starting throwing-up. Of course they did! What is a rough week with out a little puking in there?? However, this is the third day that Mya is off to school!!!!!!!!! Nose has a little left over yellow bruising, but she is feeling great.

Austin started running a 102 degree fever on Monday and then he started throwing up. There were threats from the doctor about going to the ER for an IV so he decided to drink after that. Today however, he will not. We are supposedly on the worst days of recovery.

Aliyah has been miserable all week. We left the ENT's office yesterday with her kicking and screaming about having to leave a baby doll that belonged at the dr's office. Later we had to run by the store (yes I took them out of the house yesterday because at the time Austin was feeling decent) she screamed the entire time. The manager of the store came over to help me pick out some sweet potatoes and another worker offered to help me through the store. They were sweet but I only needed three things and Aliyah was not going to sit in a cart. I just carried the screaming banshie throughout the store while Austin and Mya carried the groceries. Austin said, "Mom you must be really embarrassed!" I could honestly say I wasn't. The feeling of complete exhaustion far outweighed any embarrassment that may have come! Although I have never had a store worker ask if they could help me, much less two! We must have been a sight!!!

I texted Eric at some point yesterday to say, that I would love to talk to him and give him an update on the kids but I wouldn't be able to do so because we were in the car and the screaming was entirely too bad. He took a long time to text back. When he did it said "you have an appointment for 7 pm." "for what?" I asked. "For a massage. It's an hour." I was so excited!!!!! I was starting to have really debilitating headaches that nothing would cure. I know it was because I was so tense, stressed tight, etc. Only problem was that it was 9 hours away! I did actually make it through the rest of the day until Eric came home to take over. When the massage girl got to my shoulders she said "OH MY GOSH GIRL!! You are stressed. You win the tightest client today by a landslide!"

I came home to a quiet house where all the kids were bathed and in bed and dinner was cleaned up. I got in the bath because I knew I was going to be sore from the massage. That girl earned her money getting out those knots. I am sore even this morning but no headaches. I feel like I can handle the day now.

To summarize, yes things got worse. They are still bad for Austin . I am feeling better and I got some chocolate in the house :). Mya is feeling great. Aliyah has only screamed for something twice this morning and Eric wins the award for the most attentive and responsive husband of the year!!

Thanks for caring! I will have to remember to be more grateful when the weeks are easier!

Christmas 2008

2009-02-26T14:06:00.000-06:00

I know this is late but I told you I was catching up. We had a wonderful Christmas this past year and felt so blessed to be happy, healthy and together. I was great about taking lots of video this year but not as many pictures. Big gifts included a Wii and a basketball goal; both of which have kept us all very entertained.

Daddy and Aliyah...I think he was trying to keep her from stealing the Wii remotes from her brother and sister!

Modeling the hats my parents had made for everyone. They say "Heritage Pines" on them which is the name of the land we own in Mississippi.

Mya opening her scooter from my parents.

Need I say more?

New toothbrushes and PJs.

Daddy Daughter Date

2009-02-23T23:35:00.000-06:00

The night before Mya hit her face on the floor was a wonderful night for her! The Reflections of Christ was open for the last night and it was going to close with a concert from the artist who made the cd to accompany the picture gallery. I knew I would not be able to go because I would be home with Austin but I did not want Eric to miss it. He decided to take Mya on a date to go see it since she seemed to be feeling better from being sick all week. This date was complete with dinner and all! Mya had requested to go to a "dark" restaurant. He came to me and said , "What in the world is a dark restaurant?" I didn't know either so I asked her. She said "Oh you know, like Taco Bell!" Eric sighed a sigh of relief that she was not already going to break his wallet at four years old. I think she mostly wanted to sit down somewhere and not go to a drive through. She wanted her Daddy's undivided attention for a night. They had a great time. She started to not feel great toward the end but Eric said the concert was awesome. Thanks, Eric, for being a great Daddy!

Grandpa Crane

2009-02-23T23:12:00.002-06:00

This is old news to us but it will be new for many of you. My Grandpa makes a yearly trip from Utah to visit with his Great Grandkids every January. He makes sure to spend at least one evening in each home so the kids can get to know him better. He said he feels like an animal at the zoo if we take the kids to my parent's house to see him, so he likes to come to see the kids in their own homes. During his trip we got to see him a lot. He ate lunch with Mya at my parent's house (less zoo-like because it was one one one), ate lunch with Austin at school, and came to eat dinner and have Family Home Evening with us. He told the kids stories about when he was a little kid, which they could not get enough of. I even leaned a new thing about him: He was the Leader of the first ever desegregated boy scout troop in America. Austin is very into American history right now so he thought that was awesome. He also thought it was awesome that Grandpa Crane had flown planes in WWII. He was sure to let his class know that the next day! We had a great time with him and look forward to seeing him in June when we go out to Utah.

Not sure why I look so big in this picture!!!

Just an update

2009-02-23T15:02:00.003-06:00

We found out today that Mya's nose is not broken, just injured and that Aliyah has an ear infection. Austin is still miserable but for those of you concerned that he is missing too much school, it is Mardi Gras here and the kids are out of school.

Miserable Days...we are looking forward to next week~

2009-02-21T22:28:00.008-06:00

Austin had his surgery on Thursday and the picture Eric took of him at the surgery center pretty much sums it up. I had planned on having a a fairly miserable kid for the next week or so but I had no idea what was ahead of me! The day he had surgery he was really in a lot of pain and very groggy. He only wanted to stay in bed and watch movies on the DVD player we had set up for him. Anyone with a six year old boy knows that this is not normal! The pain meds they had him on were really making him sleepy as well. The next day I was ready for whatever came, or so I thought. Aliyah woke up like a little bear and screamed and cried about, well any and EVERYTHING! Mya, who had been sick all week, was in a similar mood as well. Eric wished me luck as he walked out of the door for work. The screaming, crying and utter misery continued into lunch time. I was on the phone with my sister-in-law who had called to check on Austin when Mya's screams turned "real". I ran out to see what was going on and she was bleeding from her mouth and nose. To make a long story short-er she had fallen and busted her lip, knocked some teeth loose and we are pretty sure broke her nose. Things are pretty bad right now right? The screaming continues but now I have two really very miserable children. Things were better today because Daddy was home from work. I took an opportunity to run to the store and when I came home my poor little girl with the broken nose is running a 102 degree fever. Not sure why! The screaming and crying continues. Maybe I am a big wimp but I am looking forward to posting about happier days around here. Oh and I have no chocolate in the house to boot

I asked her if I could take this picture. I didn't want her to be mad at me!

Going Under the Knife

2009-02-18T16:52:00.004-06:00

So Austin will go under the knife tomorrow for his 7th set of ear tubes. That's right...7 sets! They will also take his adenoids out for the second time (they have grown back from the first time) and have his tonsils removed. Best part for Mom-hopefully no more ear infections. Best part for Austin- potentially two weeks out of school with Mom "home schooling", endless popsicles, a new game boy game and new books. The doctor told us that we would have to keep him "still" for almost two weeks....what???? This is going to be interesting. Stay tuned...

Is That Soap???

2009-02-11T22:49:00.005-06:00

I know I am not the only mother who has ever had her kids leave the water in the bath tub and then leave the soap in with it. This is Aliyah's favorite way to have the soap. She loves the scrape of little bits with her finger nails and rub them on the wall, in her eyes, you get the idea, places where soap doesn't belong. Usually she does this when I put her in the bath at night and the soap is still soft from the night before. This is the site I found the other day when I walked in on her. I am not even sure how she got the soap from the other side if the bathtub. Her hair is totally stiff here and washing that out was tearful and agonizing let me assure you! Sorry about the rest of the mess in the picture...didn't realize it was so bad that day!

Highlights of My Week so far!

2009-02-11T22:13:00.005-06:00

Highlight of my week so far:

1. Made 8 frozen pizza doughs

2. Cleaned my house

3. Took lots of naps (there is a very bad cold going around this place!)

4. Going tomorrow to pick up our half of a cow that we had butchered . I know it sounds a little odd but we bought half of a cow from a man in our ward and we have to go to the butcher to tell him how we want it cut. At $2 a pound for all the wonderful meat, you can't beat it! 137 lbs of meat total!

5. Neighbor Ms. Mary cooked enough split pea soup for our family to eat tonight and freeze for another night. She always cooks for us and makes two batches so I can freeze one for another night. She doesn't even like red beans and rice but know Mya likes them so she will call and tell me to come over with a container for red beans. She dumps the whole pot into my bowl! She never even eats a bowl of it!!!! She will also call and say, "Go ahead and cook some spaghetti noodles and I will have something for you to put on it in a minute." She is a great neighbor!!!

6. Made pink rice krispie treats with Mya for her class.

7. Got to spend the morning with just Austin when I took him to the doctor.

8. Went to the Reflections of Christ display that was AMAZING!

9. Okay this is in the future but Eric and I are going to a Mardi Gras Ball for his Rotary Club. We are probably going to sneak out early and go see a movie that we have been wanting to see.

10. Got blog updated!!!!

In Eric's perspective

2009-02-06T09:57:00.008-06:00

I was glancing through my pictures the other day on the computer and found some cute pics from Eric's phone that had been uploaded. Here is what he has been capturing.

Aliyah celebrating Eric's birthday at Jason's Deli

Mya waiting in line at her preschool Christmas Party. They sang to the residents at the nursing home. Mya went around and hugged as many residents as she could after they were done. She told them "Have a Merry Christmas". She brought a tear to my eyes, Eric's eyes and some of the other mothers eyes. That girl has a big heart!

Hugging Santa at Wal Mart

Austin had all his dreams come true when they happened upon this site at the Toy store on a Father Son outing!

Austin at his school fair.

Aliyah looking at some Halloween decorations.

Me in the rainforest. (Yeah I made the phone!)

Mya and I at Wal-Mart. I think she had dragged me back from the checkout line to look for a necklace.

Eric took me shopping that day!

Ward Christmas Party

2009-02-06T09:47:00.004-06:00

At our ward Chirstmas party this year all the children were able to participate in one form or another. The Nursery sang "Roudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer". Aliyah kept trying to walk off the front of the stage. I had to join her on stage to keep her from cracking her head open. Mya was a lamb in the Christmas scene and Austin was a wiseman. They were very excited to be a part of the festivities!! The costumes were made by a woman in the ward and turned out so cute!

Austin as a handsome wise man! (red hat)

Mya on the left as a lamb with Annabelle her cousin and Merrick her cousin next to her.

Aliyah gave up and sat down for a mintue. I appear to be the only one singing....

Halloween 2009

2009-02-06T09:09:00.005-06:00

So I know I am very late on Halloween but I would be in lots of trouble if I did not post about it. We had a Power Ranger, a Fairy Princess and Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz. My brother Josh, his wife Elli and their daughter Abigail joined us for some pre trick or treating chili and for the actual outing, which only made the evening more fun! Aliyah was very funny at the first house we went to. We went to our neighbor Mr. Lee. He held the bowl down low enough for the kids to get their own candy. Aliyah could not believe that he was just going to let her take what she wanted!! She took some and started to walk away then realized she wanted more so she turned around and he let her sit and dig in the bowl again...she didn't want to leave for fear the dream would end! So cute. Austin saw a house that did not have anyone home but had a bowl of candy out and we caught him saying as he bolted for the bowl, "Yes, I love these kind!!!!". Then we spotted him grabbing multiple handfuls of candy and stuffing them in his bag. We laughed and explained some Halloween etiquette. Eric said, "Well that is exactly what I would have done as a kid!" I am sure it was.

Aliyah and Abigail.

Digging in the bowl at Mr. Lee's house.

Time out for Daddy. You can see our little rascal in the background, Sadie.

Mom getting a little loving from her trick or treaters!

Puerto Rico

2009-02-05T21:50:00.007-06:00

So I am alive. That's good news I guess. In other good news I am going to catch up on my blogging. Not saying I am going to stay caught up, (one thing at a time people) but for now I am going to try to catch up. Starting in October. Just before Halloween we took a trip to Puerto Rico as a reward trip for Eric's work. Also, my parents and my brother and his wife went because they all work together. We had a great time! Thanks to everyone who helped out by watching our children, Bonnie Adams, Becky Bluth and Elli Richardson! Thanks, thanks, thanks. Our trip consisted of:

1. Lots of relaxing!

2. Boogie boarding in the ocean with the biggest waves I have ever seen!!!!

3. A trip to the spa for a detoxing, energizing body wrap and scrub...it was as awesome as it sounds.

4. A formal dinner for the agents and spouses.

5. A trip to Old San Juan and San Cristobal castle.

6. Swimming in the pool and relaxing at the beach.

7. A hike through El Yunque national rain forest.

8. Snorkeling with lots of jelly fish and jumping off the boat when we decided we were done with that!

9. Lots of fun and cultural exposure to the "Island of Enchantment".

It really was s beautiful island and the "resort" side of the island was amazing. The other side of the island was very poor and run down. The people there depend on the tourism for their economy.

My parents in the rain forest.

I little lizard we found while going into the rain forest.

At the honor dinner.

A coconut I found lying on the beach. I wasn't really drinking it here because it was actually rotten!

Eric loved being in the water.

Playing in the waterfall in the rain forest!

Thanks for the trip Legacy Group!!!!

8 Things About Me

2008-10-08T22:10:00.006-05:00

Wow, I have been tagged! Thanks Wendy!

8 shows I love to watch:

1. Jon and Kate Plus 8
2. Project Runway
3. Hannity and Colmes
4. The Office
5. American Idol
6. Tim Gunn's Guide to Style
7. What Not to Wear
8. The Biggest Loser

8 Favorite Restaurants

1. Mansieur's on the Boulevard
2. Arby's
3. Raising Canes
4. Cafe Rio (sadly none in LA)
5. Melting Pot
6. Texas Roadhouse
7. Jason's Deli
8. Taco Bell

8 things that happened today

1. got new dress, shoes, and jewelry for trip to Puerto Rico
2. snuggled with Eric to watch Project runway (he is so tolerant of me and my shows!)
3. got girls Halloween costumes together
4. found Austin's costume online
5. made beef and broccoli for dinner
6. took a nap with Mya
7. helped Austin with homework and talked about "Ba-Ku-Gan" (new action figure)
8. changed diapers on Aliyah's cute chubby bootie

8 things I am looking forward to:

1. Trip to Puerto Rico
2. Going to Bed
3. Trick or Treating with my kids
4. Date night with Eric
5. Painting my nails
6. Getting my laundry done
7. Potty training my last child!
8. Cooler weather (I LOVE the fall!)

8 things on my wish list

1. cure for diabetes
2. free babysitting
3. black pumps
4. a restocked freezer (thanks alot Gustav...cleaned me right out and I had a pretty full freezer and it had taken a long time and alot of sale shopping to get there!)
5. keep in touch better with family
6. monthly massages :)
7. healthy children
8. kids that love to read!

8 people I am tagging

1. Tawnya
2. Courtney
3. anyone else, I would love to hear your answers...this one got me thinking to come up with so many answers for each question!