Family in town.

We have had such a busy month spending time with family, some that live here and some that come from out of state. This past weekend, we had family from Wichita, Kansas in town visiting. It was my Grandpa, Step-Grandma, and my cousin Tyler making the long drive this time.

Part of the reason it is so nice to have family here is because it gives all of us a chance to get together even more than we already do. When they arrived Friday afternoon, we had everyone over to our house for taco bar. There was my brother, Shaun and his family; my sister, Julie and her family; my mom, Ray, and his children; Grandpa, Grandma, and Tyler, and of course all of us, which made a total of 24 people.

On Saturday, Tyler came along for Mason's Birthday golf game and had a really good time, Mason said he was really glad Tyler was able to come along.

We spent Saturday night at my sister's house celebrating Sam's 1st Birthday, and on Sunday we went downtown to walk around, do a little shopping, and have some lunch.

It was a great weekend, it was nice to have my mom and all of us kids and our families together for a weekend. The other thing that is great, is that our kids are a perfect age for playing and helping occupy the time of the smaller kids, like my nieces and nephews.

Mason's Birthday Money!

When Mason was asked what he wanted for his Birthday this year, he told everyone he wanted money. A little rude we kept thinking, but he had a very specific idea. He has really wanted an Ipod Touch for the last couple of months, even begging to take money out of his savings account to buy one (guess what the answer was to that one?). So when he told us and everyone else what he wanted to buy with his money, we supported his plight to get cold hard cash. So with all of his Birthday cards opened, he had enough to buy his Ipod Touch AND get a golf outfit. He really wanted to get a "real" golf outfit. So here is Mason, looking very proud with his Birthday gifts. Thank you to everyone who helped contribute.

The Fire Department?

Last night we were just hanging out and relaxing and all of the sudden Brady yells and runs through the house. Apparently the fire department was doing some training behind our house. Engine 52 was training on the fire hydrants, hoses, etc. and Brady and his friend Aaron ran over there. The firefighters were so nice to them, they spent about 15 minutes with the boys, showing them things, letting them sit in the truck and answering questions. They were great and the boys were really excited. I had to take this picture, the sun was setting, the water was spraying, and it looked cool. Brady has spent time around firetrucks and firemen since he was a baby, my brother is a volunteer firefighter and has always been great about taking Brady on rides and down to the fire station. But having a fire truck in our backyard must have been cool to them, it was like having celebrities and I appreciate the firemen taking so much time with them.

Sam's 1st Birthday

For those of you who know me, you know that my nieces and nephews are a big part of my life. I adore and love them and can't wait to spend time with them. This weekend, we celebrated my nephew, Sam's 1st Birthday. He is absolutely the cutest little guy, he is so completely happy and smiley all of the time. My sister and her husband had everyone over to their house for the afternoon enjoying a small family get together to celebrate his big day. Look how cute he is...

My sister is so talented at so many things, here is one example... the cake she made for Sam's 1st Birthday - he had a "Little Red Wagon" theme for his Birthday.

Happy Birthday Mason!

We celebrated Mason's 15th Birthday over the weekend. A few weeks ago Mason and I were watching the Food Network Channel and saw peanut butter - banana french toast, we both thought that sounded soo good. So when he got up yesterday, I made him my own version of peanut butter - banana french toast with warmed syrup on a "Happy Birthday" plate, and it was all ready for him when he woke up. I had a bite and it was pretty good if I do say so myself.

As you know from following our blog, Mason has really gotten in golf, so after breakfast, we surprised him with a round of golf with Brian, Uncle Bill, and my cousin Tyler visiting from Kansas (more of that to come). They had a 10:10 tee-time at Box Elder Creek Golf Course and according to everyone, they had a great day, where he was receiving birthday-wish phone calls throughout the day.

After golf, we went to my sisters house for Baby Sam's 1st Birthday Party (more of that to come too) where we did a little more celebrating, Mason received lots more birthday wishes and then we whisked him away for a surprise dinner down in Denver. One of Mason's favorite restaurants is Maggiano's, so we took him to dinner there, just the 5 of us.

All in all, I think Mason had a great Birthday. He is already planning to go golfing again and has been thinking of all of the ways he could spend his birthday money.

Rockin' Strong

Rachel and Mason at the "Crue-Fest 2" Concert (http://www.motley.com/cruefest2/) tonight at Coors Ampitheatre (formally known as Fiddler's Green for us old people). They went with a friend of their moms. When they asked for permission, I told them the only way I would agree to them going would be if they promised to actually take a picture for me to post. I am going to try and con them into actually blogging it themselves, but I can't promise anything - they haven't gotten the "blog bug" yet.

Austin Family Picnic

Every year at this time, we all get together for the Austin Family Picnic. My Grandma reserves the picnic area for that years picnic in January. I can't remember how long this tradition has been going on, but for as long as I can remember. I remember when it was actually in my grandparents backyard, but since then of course, all of the kids have had kids, and now almost all of the grandkids have had their own kids too. I think my Grandma said today that she has 4 children, 15 grandchildren, and 16 great-grandchildren. We now have it at a really nice park in Fort Morgan, my Grandma always gets the picnic area closest to the bathrooms, the playground, and the swimming pool. The grandkids and the great-grandkids always have a great time. Unless there are weddings or babies throughout the year, this is sometimes the only time we see each other.

A tradition started a few years ago with water balloon fights and every year they get better and better. We now have water balloons, water guns, and buckets of water. Lets say that our kids have put their own spin on the good old fashioned water fight. They have learned to bring stashes of water so they don't run out, they have learned to keep it cold, and to keep it away from the big kids.

We have suffered some losses over this last year, and for some reason this year's picnic seemed to tug my heart a little bit more than usual. I look around and soak up all of the families around me. We have 3 new babies at this years picnic and another one on the way; I can't help but wonder to myself how long will this "tradition" go on? Will our children keep it going when the rest of us are gone? I don't know, I hope so. I looked at the new babies around us who are enjoying their 1st family picnic and wonder if they will still be coming when they are 36?

Sammy, Jett, and Grace

We will have a wedding, another baby, and many more memories before the next "Austin Family Picnic". I guess we will just have to all work together to make sure that the tradition that we have grown up with continues throughout our children's life. These are days that you can't ever get back.

TT and Ally

Me with my Grandma