1560 Oscar Party

Lance and I had a blast meeting friends of 1560 at the Tasting Room last night. The station hosted an Oscar Party for six couples. The food was good, the company even better and the show, well, the company was awesome.













Double Rods

Two Months

My sweet angel...you are two months today. You are perfect. You Smile! You are a mom's girl. I am sure that will change soon enough, so for now I will relish every minute. You have the heart of every male in this family. The boys are always asking "why you are so beautiful". Dad and I just claim that we make beautiful babies. They all want to hold you or feed you and basically get in your face every second of the day. It's hard to hold them back because I love their excitement, but at the same time, I do like when you actually sleep! My only request would be a full night's sleep or some real time in your bassinet. But really, I can't complain because we are so grateful for you. You complete our family and not because you are a girl. I can't explain it, but you are the perfect fit for us, like we had been waiting for you all along. I love you dearly, little girl.

For Aunt Stacy

Essentially the same picture, but I had to put both because you can see the little hat better in the second one, but my mom liked the first picture better. Stacy has bought tons of stuff for Baby Z, this being the first outfit for her. We've been dying to see her in it, and now it fits perfectly. Within a weeks time Baby Z has grown so much. She is filling out and looking more human and girlish than alien and old man.

She is even starting to smile at me!

Snow Day

All week long we've been preparing for snow and ice. Today was the day and what a bust. No Snow. My poor kids have been talking about building a snowman all week. Now their play date has been cancelled because mom doesn't drive on ice and they are stuck inside. Oh, to be like the mom next door who threw her kids outside by 8:30 this morning so they could check out the ice.

I decided to set up stations for the day to keep us from going crazy. Really, I can't take listening to Caillou any longer. Goose has decided he doesn't like "learning shows" anymore so instead he watches the most annoying show around. Somehow he managed to hit record without our knowledge so we have more than ten episodes with more popping up each day. And let me tell you, Caillou is the biggest baby around. This show explains the Baby Hulk's sudden inability to walk down the hall by himself. I really don't let my kids watch television very often, but I must admit with sick ones and me being super tired, I have allowed a bit more television than usual.

Today we are making a St. Brigid cross, reading on the couch, having a snack, doing a chore, having lunch, silent reading and puzzles. We'll end with popcorn and a family movie. Not bad, but still not the same as building as a snowman.

Here are some pictures from Wednesday. Squirt's surgery went well, and he should be able to actually breathe out of his nose soon. The doctor assures us that he will be fine after this surgery, but since this is the third surgery of this type, we're not convinced.

I often find Baby Z with toys surrounding her from the boys. The boys were really worried about Squirt and thought their animals would help him feel better.

We didn't make it to Mass on Wednesday to have our candles blessed so Lance did a blessing at home for us. No David LOVES his new candle. We, and by we I mean Lance and I, made candles over the weekend and I bought the cheesy ones at HEB for the kids. They were so excited about them!

Longhorns and Tutus, Could It Get Better?!

Daybook~One Month

For Today...January 17, 2o11

Outside my window...it's dreary outside. Still wet from yesterday's rain. At times, I hate being stuck inside, but not today with my kids home.

I am wearing...black yoga pants and a black workout shirt. My workout clothes make me feel smaller than baggy clothes and at the same time remind me why the Baby Hulk keeps asking if I am still pregnant. I am also wearing Snoopy slippers and my L necklace. L is for Lance, I should have worn this last week!

I am listening...to Goose and the Baby Hulk work. It's school time, and my students are really goofing around.

I am praying...for my friend that has surgery tomorrow. Please join in with me.

I am hoping...that Lance and I are able to see a couple of movies this week. We have The King's Speech, Blue Valentine, Another Year and then I will (hopefully) have seen everyone that will be nominated for the major categories this year. Then I promise I will start watching the documentaries I am soooo very far behind on.

I am pondering...the idea of an Oscar party with some of Lance's listeners.

From the kitchen...Yikes, no menu planned yet. I have a feeling we won't have anything super great this week, which stinks, but I need to start eating better and Lance wants to eat better, so it's okay if we have grilled chicken this week. Although really, I would rather have a bowl of cereal every night than grilled chicken.

From the learning rooms...M is for Martin Luther King Jr., Maps, Monuments, Magnets, and Monopoly. We're slowing down a bit on reading as I pursue a phonics program. The Baby Hulk is actually a great reader, but as the books get harder, he forgets some of the easy short vowel words. So after going over our budget, I think I am going to sign up for Explode the Code, something I never did with Goose because I didn't know any better.

I am reading...finally! The Hunger Games. Squirt got this series for Christmas and has not put the books down at all. He gave me the first one to read and was on my case all last week. I read it over the weekend and it was awesome! Now he needs to read faster so I can read the next one!

To live the liturgy...we're back to Ordinary time in the Church. We're also celebrating a name day this week! As well as the feast of St. Agnes.

One of my favorite people...Jessica. Here she is posing for pictures before Senior Girls. Isn't she just beautiful?!

Another...favorite...Big Love. I am so flipping bummed that this is the show's final season. I LOVE all the sister wives. And while I generally relate to Barb in her no-nonsense organizing way, I also a huge fan of Nikki, and totally related to her bullying the kid that picked on her kid. Because let's be clear, anyone who messed with my kid would get the same treatment.

A few plans for the week...swim lessons, haircuts for the boys, birthdays, movies, a nice dinner

A picture thought or two...



I am so not a fashion person, but I love dressing this little girl even though we are home quite a bit. I never seem to catch good shots of Baby Z. To be honest, she is cutest when sleeping right now, but she only sleeps in our arms which prevents a lot of pictures.

The big yawn...proof that she doesn't always scream.

Scenes From Christmas~ 2010

While this time of year is a bit busier for us with a newborn, we managed to keep most of our traditions, just on a smaller scale. My mom even let us borrow a Charlie Brown type Christmas tree, which all four boys HATED. It's not that Lance and I loved it, but I am more than happy that I don't have much work dealing with a tree this year.

Despite my plans to bake before Baby Z arrived, it didn't happen. So last week, I spent a day and a half power baking for family and our butcher. We didn't bake as much as normal, but we did have five kinds of cookies plus bread.

1560 party...yes, I went and took ALL. OF. MY. KIDS. Chelsea came into town to drive us out there. I think she has a future as a nanny, but she seems committed to finishing school at Bama. I love this party, Chelsea had never been before and was surprised at the amount of people there. It's hard to explain, but it's something that listeners really enjoy being a part of. Everyone was super nice and excited about the baby. And I got to meet Jill in person, someone I met through the blog, that I feel like I know really well! The only thing missing from the party was Ragin Bull Tailgaters.

The kids were finally able to check out some lights on Christmas Eve. I don't know why they love it so much, but they do. Despite all the tackiness out there, nothing says Christmas time more than outdoor lights.

Lance offered Squirt the chance to eat at Trulucks alone. I thought it would be nice, just the two of them having a nice meal alone. Squirt would have none of that. He wanted to pick up the food and bring it home so the entire family could eat together. There are so many times that I wonder if we have this parenting thing down, ESPECIALLY now that we have a teenager, but this is proof that we are doing something right. It must be. Now to remember this the next time I get pissed off! Of course, he did walk to the dining room table in a sleeveless shirt, and when I asked him to change, he put on a white undershirt instead. He finally got it right on the third try.

The boys, even Squirt, had some sort of X-mas pj's. The Baby Hulk picked out Baby Z's pj's, which were not my favorite, but turned out to be the only thing that fit. And while Lance grumbled the entire time, he managed to get some great pictures of my kids!

This is it as far as the nativity scenes I set out this year.

First thing Christmas morning, the boys placed baby Jesus in the nativity scene!

One of my all time favorite nativities...there is a larger version that could go on a table, but I have nowhere to put it.

We went to Mass before opening gifts, and the boys were so good again. It is so awesome to me that they can see all their presents sitting under the tree and not fuss about having to wait. They are very normal kids, they love presents, but on this day, they amaze me with their willingness to wait and worship before opening a single thing. And this year my parents went more overboard than usual, but as my mom said there weren't any gifts she regretted or wanted to save for a later date. The kids have been playing nonstop with their new loot, so while they may be on overload, I am happy to report that both the kids and I are satisfied with their choices. Now for time to sit with my new MAC.

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas!

Our first family photo taken on the 23rd. What a glorious thing to celebrate, the birth of a baby. And while we are so overjoyed with our newest child, we are more overwhelmed when we think of the love of our Father. The Father who sent his Son for us. When we think of Christmas, we don't always think past the birth of a beautiful baby. It's easy, babies are so sweet and delicate. But this child was so much more. He was our Saviour who sacrificed all for us. What a humbling thought. May everyone have a blessed Christmas and look upon the Child whose birth we celebrate with adoration and thanksgiving. Merry Christmas from the Zierlein Family.

Texas Fight

We took the boys to the UT game on Saturday. We had been planning this family event all summer. It would be the Baby Hulk's first football game. Then Lance didn't get tickets. I was so upset, but not so upset that I was willing to pay for these tickets. Not to be a total Texas snob, but this was just Rice we were playing. I realized that it would only cost more once we were playing better teams, but I didn't care. I wasn't paying for tickets to this game. Finally, Lance came through late Friday night with tickets! So we found a babysitter for the baby and took off.

The Baby Hulk was a total bust. I hate when that happens. It's not that I expected him to be into the entire game, but five minutes would be nice. We had to bribe him with food to get him to watch the game. And let's be clear, the other boys were just as bad. Between one texting and the other one goofing around, this is their last game for the year. I know Lance and I weren't watching entire football games at the younger boys ages, but we at least watched part of them and cheered. Lance even said that our little nerd will probably end up at Rice. Fabulous. Anyway, we did get some cute pictures so that one day we can lie about what fun we had at the game.

The Baby Hulk- ready to cheer!

An Inspired Game

Mom and her boys