I'm Moving!

Just the blog not the family. I'm now living at Bundschuh Clan at Wordpress.  It's still under a little bit of construction, but still livable.

Handmade and Edible

Here's my last picture for the Scavenger Hunt this week. I made chocolate chip muffins tonight so taking a picture of Lauren eating one killed two birds with one stone or in this case two pictures with one muffin.

Will it Blend?

Nothing new had been going on here at the Bundschuh house except that I can't stop playing with the new computer.  It's becoming an addiction. Yesterday I found this sight Will it Blend? 

It's a sight dedicated to promoting a blender that will blend just about anything. What's funny about this sight is that Aidan saw me watching it and loves it. I think he's watched about everyone. His favorite is the Glow Sticks. They also blend Transformers. He wasn't too crazy about that one because they blend a Transformer he has, Bumblebee. While he was watching that one he kept saying "Why are they doing that, why are they doing that?" Enjoy!

I'm also a part of this Daddyshack Scavenger Hunt group on Flickr.  Every week the leader of the group, James Grayson, publishes a list on flickr and you have a week to find the item, take a picture and post it.  I am having so much fun with this that I've been thinking about taking a beginner photography course.  It started out with five items and now its up to ten.  Some of the interpretations of the words are great, and one of the fun things to do is see how many of the items you can get in one picture.  This week I got 7 out of 10, and it turned out to be a pretty cute picture.  Aidan as you can tell was an unwilling participant, little did he know the face would give the picture a little something extra. Here's the list and this is the picture:

1. puppet

2. circle

3. green

4. old

5. pair

6. rocky

7. miniature

8. bird

9. handmade

10. edible

The picture is an OLD PAIR of MINIATURE finger PUPPETS.  One's a BIRD and one is GREEN, and are those CIRCLE eyes I see!!

The other picture is my rocky picture.  Only two more to go!

Luau at the Pool

This morning the Bundschuh Clan headed to the Apple store and - wait for it - BOUGHT A COMPUTER!  We had forgotten that the new iphone came out yesterday so the line to get in the store was out the door and around the mall, on the outside.  It was crazy!!  Luckily they had a separate line for anyone who wanted anything else in the store so we walked right in.  And now we have joined the MAC club.  There is a learning curve because it's a little different then a PC, but the Apple people are nice enough to include "workshops" so you can learn all the neat stuff that goes along with being a MAC user.  I'm so excited to have a computer at home during the day again.  I hated having to wait for Aaron to come home from work.

Then this afternoon our Playa Vista community hosted a Luau, and they did a great job.  They had gift bags for both adults and children, a Caribbean band, a tasty buffet with hot dogs and coordinating sides, an ice cream cart, bubble machine, face painters and balloon makers, but the highlight were the three huge blow up jumpers.  One was a pirate ship that actually rocked back and forth, the second was a large slip-n-slide and the last was a Pokemon head that the kids crawled into and it was filled with balloons that blew around.  Lauren didn't care for the pirate ship, and the Pokemon head was a little babyish for Aidan, but both the kids loved the slip-n-slide.  When the kids had their fill of the slip-n-slide we headed over to the face painting booth.  Lauren got a purple butterfly and Aidan got a spider web with a spider on it.  When the festivities had ended we headed over to the pool.  The kids are becoming so comfortable in the water.  Aidan is diving to the bottom of shallow end and retrieving pool toys and Lauren is jumping in and going under.  I'm trying to load the pictures to flickr, but you'll have to bare with me and my learning curve.  Once I get it figured out the pictures will be under July_2008.

UPDATE:  I finally got the pictures downloaded they're under Luau at the Pool.

Living in LA

I've lived in several big cities in my short married life. First it was San Antonio, then Austin and now Los Angeles. Every time I move to a new city it all starts out the same and then something happens to show that city's flavor. In San Antonio it was seeing the River Walk and Alamo EVERY TIME someone came into town to see us. If I never see that smelly river again it will be too soon. In Austin it was realizing one out of three people call themselves "musicians", and all those "musicians" feel the need to invite you to their gigs in some dumpy bar. I even got sucked into going to ACL and the only thing I got out of that experience is realizing that I am NOT a festival girl. Well this week I finally had the slap in the face from LA and it came in two parts. The first slap came when I went to Lauren's ballerina class. I asked the teacher if it was OK to take some pictures while the class was going on. I know that is a bit obnoxious, but whatever, they're three year olds. They barely listen to the teacher anyway. The teacher then says very apologetically "NO, because some of the girls are models and their mothers got upset when their daughters pictures where being taken." What!! I thought about saying I would put a black bar over their eyes if I put it on my blog, but decided it wasn't worth it. So sorry no cute pictures of Lauren in TU TU class. The second slap came when I ordered pizza this week and the pizza delivery boy, and yes I do mean boy, delivered my pizza in a brand new BMW!! Pizza should arrive luke warm and in a beat up Honda civic. I almost asked if he really needed my three bucks, but I was hungry and once again it wasn't worth it.

On a different note their is a tourist attraction in Beverly Hills called the Witch's House and we drove by it today. It's amazing! I mean it looks like it was plucked right out of a fairy tale. We went after ballerina class so by the time we arrived both kids had fallen asleep. I tried to wake Aidan up because I thought he might like to see it and this was our conversation-

Me: "Aidan, we're at the witch's house. Do you want to see it?"
Aidan: (Barely opening his eyes) "Is it real?"
Me: "No, Aidan it's not a real witch's house."
Aidan: "Oh, OK." (Falls fast asleep)

It's always thrilling as a parent when you find something that really gets your kids excited! More Pictures of the house and the kids our under July_2008.

End of the Weekend

On Sunday the Bundschuh Clan drove to see Cousin Tyler again, and we spent the day at the Santa Clarita Aquatic Center. The kids had a great time. Aidan almost went down the big slide. He got half way up and decided it was too big, but Mom went down without him and loved it. We then all went out to dinner. It was a very fun day. On Monday we again headed back to Valencia to spend the afternoon with our beloved McCloy Tribe. It was a very low-key day. Aunt Robyn and Uncle Rob have a park that is within walking distant so that is where we all ended up. It was a little hot so after the kids were good and sweaty - actually just Aidan was sweating - we headed back home. Today we all had to recoup from another action packed weekend so we stayed at home watched TV and took naps. I love those days! New pictures on under July_2008.

All American Day

I made my first cherry pie this weekend. It's Aaron's favorite, and I did a pretty good job. I am such a good wife :). Then Aaron had his second softball game. He got two hits, made a great catch and (tackle) out - he's such an all-star! The Bundschuh Clan along with the McCloy Clan then proceeded to the beach for the second time this weekend and actually made it to the water. Tyler didn't really like the sand part of the beach so there was a lot of Tyler being carried to and from the ocean. The key part of the day was that Lauren learned a new song. We've been working on it since the Dodger Game. Enjoy. More pictures under July_2008.

Happy July 4th

The Bundschuh Clan had their first visitors to the house today. Uncle Rob, Aunt Robyn and Baby Tyler picked up Grandma McCloy at the airport and landed at the house around 2pm. We then tried to go to the beach, but the parking was nuts!! So we turned around and went to the pool. Where Aidan had the quote of the day. Aidan and Daddie were wrestling in the pool and Aidan said to Aaron "Bring it on, Old Man!" After completely exhausting the kids we headed home for a mock BBQ. We don't have a grill here in California so we cooked all the hamburgers and hot dogs inside. Which does lose a little something, but the food was still very tasty if I do say so myself. We finished it off with ice cream cones and Tyler throwing up all over the floor. A few years ago that throw up would have come from some drunken friend just another example how the more things change the more things stay the same - full circle. There are more pictures under July_2008 and a couple of videos of us at the pool under set Video. Hope everyone had a great holiday - Happy 4th of July.

Ballerina and Soccer Star Part 2

Lauren had her first "ballarina" class today. She started off well by running into the classroom without looking back and dancing in front of the mirror. She thinks her new ballerina shoes make her jump higher. Then the teacher came in and that is when things started to go down hill. It was a 30 minute class and she sat on my lap and watched 20 minutes of it before apprehensively engaging, and she only started interacting because the teacher pulled out the one thing no little girl can resist - the pink sparkle wand. It's like moths to a flame! She said she had fun and wants to go back, so we will try again next week. Aidan had his second sports camp class and unlike Lauren ran off 5 minutes before the class was to start and grabbed his soccer ball. Since we are gearing up for and action packed 4th of July weekend the Bundschuh Clan decide to do their Friday dinner tonight - we are such rebels. We were all a little tired and weren't in the mood to be creative so we just went back to our old favorite, C & O Trattoria. Here was my favorite part of dinner -

Aidan: "Dad, can we have dessert?"
Aaron: "I don't know we'll see."
Aidan: "I'm going to ask Mom because she's the boss. Mom, can we have dessert?"
Heather: (Laughing hysterically) "Sure Aidan"
Aaron: (Evil look) "Nice Heather."

Aaron tried to act mad, but he liked the chocolate cake too much to be angry for too long.
Hope everyone has a safe and happy 4th. Stay off the roads not because you've had too much to drink but because all those drunk driving rookies are on the roads.

And what better way to start the holiday weekend off then with Aidan's latest joke. Enjoy!
You can find more pictures under my new set July_2008.

Concert in the Park

On Saturday the Bundschuh Clan spent the day at the pool. The kids get more comfortable in the pool every time we go. Lauren is now going under water. So after spending 2 hrs in the pool we decided to take the kids to the restaurant right down the street, Piknic. It was only marginal and we thought it was a little over priced, but we can walk there so it is very convenient. Aaron and I thought the only way we would ever go back was if we had a bad day and needed a few drinks because we could just walk home. This morning we went to Aidan's favorite restaurant IHOP and then we just relaxed around the house. Tonight was the start of the "Concert in the Park" series at Playa Vista with the Spazmatics. They had a dance floor set up and they played 80's music. Lauren danced quite a bit with Mommie. I can't resist when they play Bon Jovi. Aidan even got up at the end. We all had a lot of fun. New pictures in set Concert in the Park and new video clips in set Video.

Jokes By Aidan

Aidan is into telling jokes so I thought I would share them with everyone. These might seem cute and funny ONCE, but imagine those jokes being told to you over and over again. Not so cute and funny. For more jokes look under my Video set.

Ballerina and Soccer Star

This week Aidan started his 10 week sports class. He goes from 3 to 4 pm and does some drills to hone his sports skills for soccer, T-ball, and basketball. He thinks the drills are games with a teacher so he loves it so far. Lauren also informed me this week she wants to take "ballerinia" classes so that is next week's chore. I finally figured out which school Aidan will attend in the fall, and picked up his paperwork today for Loyola Village Elementary. It's a magnate school which is exciting. It's scores aren't as good as the school that he would have attended in Texas, but it's OK and it is only kindergarten, But the most important thing that happened this week is that I found some women through Aidan's sports camp that seem very nice and might actually be worthy of my friendship. Who am I kidding - I practically jumped on these women with 30 questions about schools, pre-schools, and activities around the area. I'm sure I reeked of desperation for adult contact, but they were all very nice and didn't pretend to talk on their phones in order to get away from me. One of the women has been followed around for a year for a PBS documentary. I was going to ask her about it, but I thought I would back off and have something to talk about for next week. There are a few new pictures in June_2008 and I put some more video clips in the set Video.

Dodger's Game

Today the Bundschuh Clan headed out for a Dodger Game. We were driving to the stadium and couldn't believe that our kids very first major league baseball game was going to be in Dodger Stadium. Who would have guessed?! The Dodgers were playing the Indians, every major league baseball game I've ever attended post Aaron has been when the Indians were playing. Coincidence? I think not. Of course the Indians have yet to win when we go, so the most fun I have is the walk back to the car where I unmercifully harass Aaron about his choice of teams. The game was hot, but luckily we decided to buy seats that were in the shade so it was definitely bearable. I think the kids most enjoyed the eating aspect of it, but we made it to the top of the 8th so we beat the crowds out. I let the kids take some pictures today with the camera - can you guess which pictures are theirs? All the pictures are on set Dodger's Game.

Santa Monica Pier

Today the Bundschuh Clan headed out for the Santa Monica Pier. Today was one of the hotter days here in California that we have had so I knew by the end of the day our Fun Meter was going to be pegged, but I am getting ahead of myself. We arrive at the pier around 12 pm with two children who are so excited to ride the famous ferris wheel. All week we have been talking about it and we even looked it up online, so when we pull up to the pier the shouting of "there it is, there it is" is loud and intense. We park and head directly for the wheel, but of course getting on the ferris wheel can't be easy so we walk up and not only is the ferris wheel not open but ALL the rides have been rented out for a private party and won't be open to the public until 3 pm. Luckily the carousel is open, but it is at the opposite end of the pier, but it gets the crying to subside so that's where we head. We now have about 2 1/2 hours to kill before the ferris wheel opens because after talking about it all week we have to get on that thing so we decide to start with eating lunch. There is a restaurant right on the pier called Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. which is from the movie Forrest Gump so of course that is the theme for the restaurant. It's very touristy, but close and it serves pizza so the kids automatically love it. It was really good, and we got a primo booth overlooking the beach and pier, and here's the best part - they served tasty cocktails! I thought with 2 pina colada's I might be able to survive the next 2 hours. After lunch we still had over an hour before the wheel opened so we decided to change into or suits early and swim before we went on. The beach was packed but the kids had a great time. Lauren earlier this week got her feet in the ocean so today she had a great time holding Mommie's or Daddie's hand and "jumping" over the waves. The water can't go any higher then her knees or she freaks out and runs up the beach, but hey, baby steps. It is finally 3 pm and after standing in line for about 10 minutes to shower off our feet we head for the ferris wheel, and this is where the Fun Meter begins to get pegged. We then stand in line for about 20 minutes with the kids both asking every two minutes "are we going to get on?" We all sit down and go around about three times and the kids then begin to ask "when are we going to get off?" This is when I realize the walk back to the car is going to be long and riddled with crying. The kids on the way back to the car tell Daddie they had a great day so he buys everyone cotton candy and we all head home. It was a really fun day and you can see all the pictures on set Santa Monica Pier.

Aaron had his first softball game today and although his team lost he looked good! The pictures from the game are under set June_2008.

Happy Father's Day

Today was not unlike most Sundays. Aidan and I walked to the The Coffee Bean and got coffees, a chocolate chunk muffin for Aidan, and one donut for Lauren. This morning Aidan decided that Daddie needed a chocolate muffin since it was Father's Day and I agreed. After breakfast Aaron and I got ready to go to Uncle Rob's, Aunt Robyn's and Baby Tyler's house for brunch. The food and family where both fabulous, and the Bundschuh Clan had a great time, but on the way home we experienced the "traffic" that everyone kept talking about. The drive should have been around 30 min but instead it took us over and hour. The kids slept and I played with the camera so the only one who really got the shaft was Aaron. Happy Father's Day to you! Don't feel too bad for him just yet, after returning home he sat down to watch the US Open and hasn't left the living room. See not unlike most Sunday's. :) All kidding aside he is a GREAT Dad, and we are very lucky to have him! We Love You Daddie. Happy Father's Day to Pop pop and Grandpa B as well. You can check out all the pictures in set Father's Day_2008.

Lauren's Singing Debut

Wow, two posts in one day. You would think that I have no life, but this was just too cute not to share. Here's a little back story. We watched the Sound of Music one night at the Gazebo and I taped it so the kids could watch it over and over again. What was I thinking. Any way Lauren was fascinated that I knew this song and we started singing it over and over and over. I guess since we sang it together she associated it as the Girl Song, and that is what we now call it. When ever she is out and about, like the grocery store, and she gets bored she says "Let's sing the Girl Song Mama" and as all you parents know you do some pretty ridicules things in public to keep that time bomb from going off. Here is Lauren singing semi-solo.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY AUNT ROBYN!

Morning Outing

Aaron signed up for softball, and this morning was the intro. He had to meet at the park so we all went. I added some pictures to Ca Park_2008. There aren't very many of Aaron he didn't want his wife standing around taking pictures like he was a child on the playground, but I told him next game it's on, so get over it. This afternoon we are all going to see Kung Fu Panda. I'm not expecting much, so it should be at least entertaining.

UPDATE: Kung Fu Panda was pretty good. Aaron gave it a B+ and I gave it an A. It was also the first movie we took Lauren to that she didn't fall asleep half way through. The Panda, Po, was actually really funny, but I think you have to appreciate and think Jack Black is funny. The bad guy, or cat as the case may be, is kind of scary and dark, but Aidan was fine and he's kind of a wimp when it comes to bad guys. All in all it was a very good outing.

Full Circle

Aaron has been out late the last few nights for business so the computer hasn't gotten home until way past my bed time and left early so this has been my first chance to update everyone. This last weekend we all went to Griffith Park, which is the largest park in America, and road not one but two trains. Aidan was in train heaven. We then went to dinner at our favorite restaurant, C & O Trattoria. It's very kid friendly and right on the pier so it seems very California. The kids also love the garlic bread knots so they sit quietly before dinner comes. It's a win win for everyone. New pictures are up in set June_2008.

This week the kids and I went to the LA Zoo, and we had a great time. The LA Zoo is one of the better zoos and the kids touched a snake, walked though a dark cave and road a tram that takes you around the whole park. The next day as I was trying hopelessly to scrub off the LA tram stamp from my hand, I had a mild case of "the more things change the more things stay the same." Let me explain...

Then (BC - Before Children):
I start out around 10 pm heading for a place that is going to be overcrowded, hot and loud - my favorite bar. This place will make me drink heavily to ensure I have a good time. After 5 hours of "having fun" last call will be shouted and I will then drag myself and most likely some friend out of the bar. My friend is probably tired, whining and/or crying about something, and drunk, and I'm thinking "I hope she throws up before she reaches my car." If I'm lucky she will pass out in the car on the way home so the whining and crying will stop. She does, and I think over the loud blaring music, in order to keep me awake, that by the time I get into bed I will get a few hours of sleep until sunrise.

Now:
I start out around 10 am heading for a place that is going to be overcrowded and hot, the LA Zoo. This place will make we want to drink heavily when I get home - I'm sure of it. After 5 hours of "having fun" the kids will have had enough and the shouting will begin. At 2 pm we start to head for the gate, they are tired and the whining is unbearable. They have consumed junk food all day so I'm hoping that if they are going to throw up they do it before reaching the car. If I'm lucky they will both take naps in the car on the way home so the whining and crying will stop. They do fall alseep, and in a quiet air conditioned car I think by the time I get home there are only a few more hours until sunset and I can go to sleep.

Zoo Pictures can be found in set LA Zoo_2008.

On another cute side note last night we had a power surge at the house. I know a power problem in California who would have guessed. The lights went on and off twice right after I tucked the kids in for bed and one of the kids freaked out!! Anyone want to guess which one? That's right - Aidan. He is now crying and scared and wants to sleep with someone so I quickly ask Lauren if it would be OK if Aidan slept with her and she said patting her bed "Sure Ainan, I have room right here. Come on." Aidan loved this idea. He even thanked Lauren for sharing her bed. To see the results of the sleep over check out set Kids_2008.

When Daddy's Gone

You will all be happy to know that the family survived Aaron's first trip away. Aaron has been on vacation (business trip) for the last three days and since he had our only computer there was no blog. While he was gone we went to the park, and the beach by ourselves and took bathes in the huge jacuzzi tub that the new house has. Good times, Good times!! I've added pics to Beach_SoCa, Ca Park_2008, and The Kids_2008.

Breakfast and Couch Jumping Part 2

Aidan has been bugging me for the last few days to cook me something, so this morning I told him he could cook me breakfast. He says "Anything I want?" and feeling brave I say "Sure", and away he goes. He started out with tomatoes, bananas and potatoes, but with some gentle redirection he settled on bananas, bread, honey and raisins. He cut and spread everything - I just watched. I was thinking as he was making my breakfast that if it tasted too bad I could just sneak it into the trash when he wasn't looking, but Aidan insisted on sitting down with me and watching me eat EVERY bite. Luckily it wasn't too bad. He told me that he wanted to cook dinner for Daddie on Father's Day. I see my Mother's Day revenge in sight! :)

Then later in the afternoon Lauren reinvented Couch Jumping. Since our fire we haven't replaced every piece of furniture so we have no coffee tables. This does not effect Lauren from partaking in her favorite pasttime. We might not have any coffee tables, but what we do have is bubble wrap and Lauren figured out (on her own) that if you jump off the couch onto the wrap, not only does it pop, but it feels better then landing on the tile. Once again - am I a bad parent because I let her jump off the couch onto the hard tile floor or because I make her do it until I get a decent picture? I did feel a tad bit guiltier about making her do it on the hard tile as opposed to a soft couch, so I only made her do it about 10 times instead of 50. You can see more of Aidan constructing his breakfast masterpiece and Lauren jumping in my set Kids_2008.

Poem

Aidan: "Hey Mom, Roses are red,
Violets are (pause) violet...
That's it.
Written by Aidan Bundschuh"

Yes Aidan even had to speak the words "Written by Aidan Bundschuh" to let us know it was an original work.

The Weekend

This weekend was all about family fun. The kids are getting to the age where we have more freedom to go and do things and not feel like we are carrying around a ticking time bomb just waiting to go off. Friday night Aaron took us to an Italian restaurant right on the pier and it was fabulous. We were all going to walk out on the pier afterwards but I am still in a Texas mind set that it's June so the weather should be I nice sweltering 100 degrees! Not here in California on the water at night it gets down right cold so walking to the car after dinner Aaron asked where our jackets were? JACKETS?! It's June. So we had to abort the pier walk, but we'll be back. On Saturday we all went back to the beach this time we dressed the kids in their suits. Good parents learn from their mistakes. Once again Aidan wouldn't leave the water and is getting very brave with the waves, and Lauren wouldn't leave the sand the waves are "too big". Lauren did a first. Growing up in the north Aaron and I are very familiar with making the beloved Snow Angel, but Lauren has incorporated that joy with the sun and sand and was making Sand Angels which are considerably more gritty but non the less still the same fun! More Pictures of the beach are on my set Beach_SoCa. Enjoy!

The Park

Since I have official unpacked all the boxes the kids and I ventured out. This morning we walked to our public library which is only a block away and got a couple of books and a few movies. Then in the afternoon we went to the park again. My children have no problem making friends within 5 minutes they are playing with someone and I am free to sit on a bench and watch all the other "good" mothers actually play and interact with their children. I wish I could make friends like Lauren. All she has to do is yell at some girl "Hey girl come over here and play with me" or "You in the purple shirt let's go over here." And away she goes with her new best friend. You think if I yelled "Hey girl, want to sit on this bench and ignore our children and make fun of all the other women's outfits, hair or make-up" or how about "I can make a mean Margarita and I start drinking heavily at 6pm" someone would come running? I know if some girl said that to me I would respond with "You are my new BFF!" So here's shout out to all my girlfriends who are now laughing with the cocktail in hand. Missing y'all!

Hello California

Alot can happen in one week! On May 17th the Bundschuh Family said goodbye to our beloved apartment, aka the Gazebo, and headed off for California. After 19 hours with two children under the age of 6, one neurotic dog, and one very large Uhaul we successfully land in the Golden State only to find it cold and rainy. In my car there is no great story to report the kids where great and the dog was drugged so only Mommie got grumpy! But in the lovely Uhaul that Aaron was lucky enough to drive his air went out some where around El Paso so he had to drive though Arizona and California with the windows down. He was having so much fun! After arriving in California we unloaded the truck and unpacked boxes, and unpacked boxes, and unpacked boxes!! The kids love the new house and the three flights of stairs have proved to be a great novelty. We did end up going to the park and taking some scooter rides around the block a couple of times, but so far we haven't seen much of California. This weekend we finally where able to get out and about and our first stop was not Hollywood, not the beach, not the Sunset Strip but the famous IKEA, and boy did Aaron have fun again! :) On Monday we did finally make it to the beach and we had a great time!! The water was super cold and we figured we would just put our feet in and have a nice walk along the ocean. You would have thought giving birth to Aidan I would have known this scenario was NEVER going to work. We are driving to the beach and the whole time Aidan is talking about going swimming now mind you he is in jean shorts and a long sleeve T-shirt, but this does not deter him. We even tell him how cold it is going to be. I mean people are in the water with wet suits, but Aidan can not be talked down and with in 3 minutes he is completely submerged in the waves. Lauren mean while is quite content with just getting her feet in and even breaks into tears when her pants get wet. All in all we had a great day and in really made me feel like we are living in California.

Lucky Charms or Frosted Flakes?

Today I had to stop by the house and talk to the cabinet guy. The kids where with me, but they haven't been in the house since the fire so they just sit in the car. Before you call K-EYE news and report me for leaving children in the car during a Texas summer they have the air on and the music going. They've been told the house is too dirty for them to go in. So anyway, I was in the house about 20 minutes going over some changes, and when I returned to the car this is the conversation I had with Aidan.

Aidan: "Mom, you where gone a long time." Insert crying and heavy sobbing.
Mom: "I'm sorry Aidan I thought you would be OK. You knew I was right inside the house."
Aidan: "I know Mom, but you where gone so long I thought you were dead!"
Mom: "Aidan, I'm sorry I didn't mean to worry you."
Aidan: "I was worried Mom, I thought who was going to pour my cereal."

So there it is all the hours of care and love boiled down to what is really the most important - the morning cereal. It kind of puts all those adult problems into perspective. I mean how bad could it be as long as the Honey Nut Cheerios get poured.

Happy Mother's Day

I am happy to report that this is the first Mother's Day in 5 years that I have not been pooped or spit up on so that was a bonus. We started out the day eating a yummy brunch with Grandma McCloy. Aidan likes eating at places were you put your napkin in your lap he calls it "fancy living." My children then ordered the tri-fecta of things you can put syrup on - Waffles, Pancakes and French Toast, so there was alot of cutting involved and this when I decided Mother's Day without Daddie is ALOT of work. After all the cutting was done, I proceeded to start my meal and with that Aidan turns to me and says, "Mom, my pancake just dropped in your purse." Better into my purse then into my lap I suppose. While I was digging out the pancake I thought for Father's Day I'm going to send Aaron out to lunch with the two people who made him a Dad while I spend some quiet time in a spa. After brunch we all went to Aunt Kara's, Uncle Jack's and Cousin Gabby's house to say Happy Mother's Day to Grandma B. The kids broke the pool in for the first time this season and had a wonderful time. There are some great pictures of the kids swimming and jumping. Lauren decide she wanted to swim naked and Mommie was too beaten down by the end of the day to argue which is the story of my life. They were asleep 3 minutes into the drive home which turned out to be the quietest 30 minutes of my whole day.

Chuck E Cheese

The Bundschuh Clan, minus Dad, drove back to Dallas this week to say Goodbye before we all pushed off to California. We arrived on Thursday, and leave it to Grandma to suggest something that I would never do unless I was back in Dallas or on some severe pain killers - Chuck E Cheese. For all you parents out there who have gone to this place (Hell on Earth) there is no need for any further explanation because you have already groaned in sickening disbelief, and for the newbies who have not yet experienced the joy of Chuck E Cheese lets just say it's a right of passage as a parent and Good Luck. You parents who just said "I won't be taking my kid there!" remember that your child will be invited to lots of birthday party's in their lifetime and you can't avoid them all. With that being said this trip wasn't too bad because we went on a Friday afternoon. Lauren's favorite part is the kiddie rides they include some sort of character and usually just bounce back and forth, but Aidan's favorite thing is Skeeball and he is surprisingly good at it. After eating pizza and spending 40 dollars on tokens only to get a paper airplane, a flower ring and some candy we returned home with happy kids.

Snow Cones

Nothing says the beginning of summer like the snow cone. Today we stopped at a dumpy little stand, which always has the best snow cones, on the way home from school so Aidan and Lauren could try one for the very first time. They were both very excited, so one strawberry and one watermelon cone later we were experiencing a symbol of summer. Check out all the pics on Bundschuh Family Photos.

Under Construction

My blog party is currently being tricked out by Quirkee James. No dancing until the DJ arrives!

Fingerpainting

Well it's official on May 17th the Bundschuh Family will be loading up the covered wagons and heading off to the Golden State. So in honor of us moving the kids made some art work for the new house. It took Lauren a little while to get into the swing of things at first she would only use one finger. Aidan on the other hand used everything at his disposal including his elbow and a leaf. You can check out all the pictures on the Bundschuh Family Photos link - Fingerpainting, and we also headed over to the park again this afternoon and there are some cute pictures of them playing - Playground_2008.

Popsicle Day was a bust!

Obviously the people who organize the activities do not have children or they would have never cancelled Popsicle Day. Here's how it went down, I walk into the child center with two children, who have been bugging me for 3 hours about eating Popsicles, and the lovely twenty-something lady at the front desk says "Oh sorry we cancelled that activity." Lucky for her the Bundschuh Family has had a good, as well as uneventful week so rather then stand in her office with two screaming children and threaten not to leave until we got some damn Popsicles I quickly thought what is going to stop the crying and whining that is about to occur. And then it came to me like a lighting bolt out of the Parenting Gods sky - ice cream!
So 15 minutes and 2 kiddie cups of chocolate ice cream later, which by the way cost more then an entire carton at HEB,(but desperate times call for desperate measures)Mom has once again come to the rescue.

Pirate Hats

Here at the apartment complex or gazebo, as Aidan calls it, they have really nice children activities. They usually occur around 3pm and involve some sort of foam construction. Aidan makes me read the calendar at the beginning of the month so he knows exactly what is coming up. We have done foam dinosaurs and foam airplanes, but today was the ever anticipated foam Pirate Hat, and were we excited!! Tomorrow is Popsicle Day and we can't wait. Check out the Bundschuh Family photos for all the pictures.

Couch Jumping

Morning conversation with Lauren:

Lauren: "Mom, when I get big like Aidan I will grow a penis?"
Mom: "No Lauren you're a girl and girls have vaginas."
Lauren: "NO, I WANT A PENIS!!" Insert crying and whining.
Mom: "I'm sorry Lauren but it doesn't really work that way."
Lauren: "BUT I WANT A PENIS LIKE MY BROTHER AIDAN!!"

I am at this point not only giggling but desperately looking for a way out of this conversation. So I proceed to praise the beauty and wonder of being a girl, basically I resorted to the ever popular praise "Look girls are better then boys." For all you parents feel free to use that nugget of wisdom on your own children. Lauren then sits there for a moment thinks about this answer and responds with -

Lauren: "Oh OK. (Long Pause) But I still want a penis."


In our house we have a favorite pass time called couch jumping, now there are some rules to this sport:

1. Always stand on the end of the table before jumping.
2. Never jump from the couch to the table, because that's just dangerous.
And the last rule which is the MOST important.
3. NEVER jump when Daddie is home because it makes him crazy. It also makes him turn to Mom and say "What goes on in this house while I'm not here!"

So even though my children only have from 9 to 5 to practice they have gotten pretty good. This would be a great sport for the Kiddie Olympics. Lauren and Aidan would be in definite contention for a medal.

Now parents I pose the question which is worse:
A: That I let them jump or
B: I make them keep doing it so I can play with my new camera and get a good picture.
Tough call!

Having a bad day!

We miss you Daddie. Happy Anniversary! It's been seven wonderful years although 2008 is putting up a good fight.

In the beginning...

I'm tired of fighting it so I have decided to join the masses and start blogging. If your reading this for nuggets of wisdom or witty banter you will be sadly disappointed. This is to document my life and the life of my children and husband as we move across the country for a year. I'm sure the only people who will enjoy this blog will be the Grandparents of my children. That being said if you have continued reading I'll just say, "You've been warned."