rv adventure/threesixfive, days 77 thru 83

we spent the first half of the week a an rv park in an rv some sweet friends of ours let us use. it was a fun relaxing time away for all four of us. when we got there monday, we checked in and walked around some, then drove a few miles south to a drive thru safari ranch. we've been several times before, and ive shared pictures on here, so i wont post too many, but it was a great time as always. tuesday we stayed at the rv park all day, went swimming, walked around and took pictures of all the different license plates (i think we saw 15 different states), and grilled out. there was also a jumping pillow the kids loved, and as well as a trampoline and a game room.

wednesday, on our way home, we stopped in new braunfels at the childrens museum. i'd heard it was pretty amazing, and we were not disappointed!! it wasnt so much a museum, but more of an indoor educational mini city. there was a farm, a campsite, a grocery store, bank, hospital, news station, etc, etc. even though it was about an hour and fifteen minutes away, we will definitely be going back.

the rest of the week was normal, with dance lessons, swim school, co-op and the like. heres our week, in more pictures than usual. :-)

sunday, day 77

colby was in a puzzle mood on sunday. we did 3 or 4 that afternoon.

monday, day 78

checking out the rv park, and the drive thru safari

tuesday, day 79

a day at the rv park

wednesday, day 80

at the childrens museum in new braunfels

thursday, day 81

this is mollys favorite thing to do in the shower.

friday, day 82

this is the p.e. class i teach at the homeschool co-op we're a part of. the weather was so beautiful outside on friday, that i just let them enjoy it. they all ended up on the sand volleyball court.

saturday, day 83

we had yet another birthday party today, this one was a friend from mollys preschool. all the little girls dressed as princesses (right up mollys alley, because we all know she probably would have anyway), and cinderella was there to spend the couple of hours with them. molly was in awe.

allen and i leave this afternoon for 3 days and 3 nights at a hotel on the riverwalk in san antonio that we were given by a sweet family in our church. what a great way to wrap up his sabbatical!!

threesixfive, days 70 thru 76

fun week here at the frans casa. allens still on his sabbatical, and we spent this week here in town just hanging out and doing a whole lot of nothing.

sunday, day 70

we went to eat after visiting a church here in the austin area. colby had a crazy long curly fry!!!



monday, day 71

i have a small part in an independent film, and had to go shoot a couple scenes monday night. the home we filmed at was in the hill country and was beautiful! this is the view from the deck off their kitchen. i was expericencing a tiny bit of envy.



tuesday, day 72

we met some friends at the carnival and had so much fun!! molly, as you can see, deemed her alice in wonderland halloween costume the appropriate choice for such an occasion.

wednesday, day 73

i love using my ipad as a cookbook!

thursday, day 74

this is my friend katie holding our newest pet, jake the snake. hes an albino corn snake. we love him!

friday, day 75

march madness has begun. i will be a basketball widow for the next couple weeks.




saturday, day 76

what a beautiful day! we met some friends for dinner and ate out on the deck at the restaraunt.

tomorrow we leave for a few days away. adventures will be had i'm sure! :-)

robbers and bad guys

we went to dinner with my parents one evening last week. my dad had taken colby to swim school earlier that afternoon, and went into the restroom with colby while he changed back into his clothes. an older boy (upper elementary) approached my dad and told him that two little boys, who were playing in the the restroom at that time, pick on colby every week, and he just wanted to let him know.
so many things went thru my head when my dad told me this. i was upset that colby hadnt said anything. i was annoyed at the rule that doesnt allow boys over 4 to go into the womens' room (although i do understand it). i was angry at the boys that have been picking on my sweet son. we were talking about it at dinner that evening
me: what do they do to you?
colby: they try to make me get in a locker.
me: do they push you or grab you or touch you at all?
colby: no. they just tell me to get in, but i dont.
me: what do you do?
colby: i tell them to treat others how they want to be treated!!
me: well, thats good. if they ever try to do anything to you, you yell for help and i'll come in there myself if i have to.
colby: ok. why are some kids mean?
me: maybe because they dont know Jesus.
colby: but they will when they grow up and have kids?
me: not necessarily. just because you have kids doesnt mean you know Jesus. lots of adults dont know Jesus.
colby: like robbers?!?
me: yeah, maybe.

i couldnt help but laugh to myself. robbers? really?
on a side note, he is completely unfazed by those two boys, which i guess is why he's never said anything. im torn between being upset that, according to someone else, hes getting picked on, or being glad that he a)hasnt given into what theyre trying to get him to do, and b)he hasnt let it bother him in the least.


i took the kids hiking last weekend, and we passed a boy and his father. the boy had a very tall walking stick that fascinated molly.
molly: does he have that so he can beat up animals?
me: maybe.
molly: and bad guys?
me: yeah, maybe that too.
molly: or bad girls?
me: bad girls too?
molly: yes.
me: are there bad girls? or just bad guys?
molly: bad girls too. there has to be bad girls so the bad guys will have friends.

makes perfect sense. and then they'll have bad kids that will pick on my son at swim school!!
sorry, sorry.
i'm done ranting.

one more.....
same hiking trip....
molly: can i have a drink?
me: not yet. (i was not trying to be cruel. we were SO close to the car, i was just trying to get there.)
molly: i'm going to stop breathing if i dont have a drink! i'm running out of breathing!
me: water helps you breathe?
molly: yes. of course. (of course is used often and usually not in the right context. its very funny.)
me: how?
molly: the bubbles in it have air in them, and that gives me breathing of course.

of course.

threesixfive, days 63 thru 69

we had a nice, relaxing family getaway at the beginning of the week as part of allens month-long sabbatical. hes been gone the last few days watching the UIL state basketball playoffs. he goes every year, and this year he didnt have to take off work to do it! :-) hes technically not gone. the playoffs are in austin, so hes still sleeping here, but hes come home after i'm asleep each night, and left before i'm awake each morning, so i really havent seen him since wednesday. i'll be glad to have him back tomorrow...or tonight if i can keep myself awake. time change. ick.

sunday, day 63

on our way to the camp (where we stayed earlier in the week) we stopped and met some friends for lunch in huntsville. this is molly and trinity, who just turned 3. they could be sisters! their appearance and personalities are so similar! which means together they're a hand.ful.

monday, day 64

we spent the day exploring the campgrounds. the kids found plenty to do.

tuesday, day 65

we got back in town late afternoon, and went to 'taste of round rock' with some friends. we go every year. restaraunts from all over the area set up tables and hand out food. there were, i think, 50 businesses represented. we were stuffed!!!

wednesday, day 66

we took advantage of the beautiful afternoon by washing the cars!

thursday, day 67

i go to zumba a few times a week at the gym. its so popular that they had to start handing out passes about a year ago, because more people were coming than could fit in the room. if you're not there at least 30 minutes before class, you dont get a pass. they go quick! today i was #1!!! that was definitely worth a picture!

friday, day 68

i took the kids to the library today. molly decided the outing was worth wearing a tiara.

saturday, day 69

my parents had some people over for dinner (the kids and i included). we roasted weenies and marshmallows at the fire pit. they said it was their fire farewell party. the above ground pool will be sitting there within a week or so.

its spring break here this week, which means we wont be doing much of anything because everyone else will be out doing it! enjoy your week if you have it off, or even if you dont!! :-)

threesixfive, days 56 thru 62

its been a different week for us around here. allen started a one month sabbatical on tuesday. he will not be going back to work/church until april 3rd. crazy! so hes been around the house this week with us. a few drs appointments, and colby and i are still doing school in the mornings, but we're getting some good family time in. we leave tomorrow for a few days away. we're going to meet with a pastor and his wife, just to have them speak some wisdom to us in where we're at and where we're going as far as ministry and family. we're going to stay at a church encampment, so the kids should have some fun adventures out there in the woods looking for bugs and exploring. i'm looking forward to it.

heres our week

sunday, day 56

after church (our last day for 5 weeks!!!) we went to lunch with our friends the lamberts. molly loves their baby, tate.

monday, day 57

it was a beautiful day, so the kids and i got out in the backyard. their favorite thing is to pretend that the playscape is a castle, and i'm the dragon that has to chase them around. molly wanted to dress up for it this time.

tuesday, day 58

colby is way into angry birds (a game on the iphone/ipad). we really dont let him play that much, but hes just really latched onto it for some reason. allen bought stuffed angry birds off amazon, and a friend of his let us borrow an angry birds green pig hat that he has, so molly and colby take turns wearing the hat and nailing each other with the birds. its pretty funny. they were in the process of playing when i took this quick picture. thats why the hat isnt on her head very good; he'd just hit her with a bird!

wednesday, day 59

tragedy. we took the kids for haircuts, and the computer tells the stylist specifically what we do to colbys hair (what number guard to use on the back, top, etc). she was working on him, and asked me.

stylist: do you keep his bangs pretty short in the front?

me: yeah, we keep 'em short.

she proceeded to take the trimmer and run it right down the front of his head!

i gasped. loud. and put my hands over my mouth.

me: oh. o....k....

stylist: oh, im sorry. is that not what you do?

me: no, we trim it.

stylist: i'm sorry.

me: thats ok, it'll grow back.

at this point, colby has melted into a puddle of tears.

colby: its too short! i want my hair back!

me: its ok, buddy! youre so handsome! you really cant tell its any different from usual.

and you really cant. in fact, thats probably how we'll have them do it next time. but colby doesnt like change, and my initial reaction freaked him out. anyway, heres the picture i took right after it happened.

thursday, day 60

mollys dance class working on their recital performance.

friday, day 61

allen got to come to co-op with us for the first time! colby loved having him there! he took this picture in one of colbys classes. they were learning about bubbles.

saturday, day 62

another birthday party, another pinata. this time it was mollys sweet friend avery, and the kids had a blast. molly didnt hold her purse while she swung, but you can see she was making a fashion statment all the same.


have a fantastic week!!!

Jesus juked

the Jesus juke is a new phenomena i am becoming increasingly familiar with. maybe its been around for, like, 20 years or something, i dont know. but i have only recently been educated in the ins and outs of the Jesus juke.
theres a very funny christian speaker/writer/blogger named jon acuff. he explains it beautifully. i would encourage you to check out his blog if you ever need a laugh with an occasional side of conviction. heres a definition off his blog entry 'The Jesus Juke'.

"Like a football player juking you at the last second and going a different direction, the Jesus Juke is when someone takes what is clearly a joke filled conversation and completely reverses direction into something serious and holy."

i showed the full article to allen earlier in the week and he made it his immediate goal to juke me as many times as he could that evening. then our friend ryan came over, and he too fell victim to the juking.
to his credit, allen got some really good ones in.

we were in the car last night, all four of us, going to get frozen yogurt, and we were talking about people coming to visit us, and molly said
molly: what if a tree came to visit us?!?
me: a tree??? you're silly.
molly: a tree!! hahaha.
and allen and i start laughing, like 'thats not actually funny, but you think youre being funny so we're going to humor you because youre four' laughing.
then colby, having no previous knowledge of the Jesus juke, says
colby: molly, Jesus died on a tree.
awkward silence.
allen: yes He did, colby. good job.
conversation over.

well played, colby. well played.