LASER CANNONS

What are you doing?

2011-06-22T14:41:00.000-05:00

Seriously why are you still here... there are no updates here. You need to update your blog addresses link!

Here is the new address.

http://spidercannon.blogspot.com/

So long Laser Cannons!

2011-04-28T13:48:00.002-05:00

This is my last post, no don't cry, we're just moving blog addresses.
Here's what happened, blogger uploads pictures to picasa, and my picasa account is full! So that means I can no longer add pictures to my blog. And who just wants read about what is going on in my life? There are options, I could buy more space (ugh), delete pictures (which would make previous post lose there pictures) or I could just start a new blog with my other email address. I pick option 3, if you're willing to follow me there, it will be all the same crazy stuff, same people, just new name.

Come see us at our new place
http://spidercannon.blogspot.com/

Don't forget to update your blog with our new address. Yes, as for now this blog will still stay up, you are welcome to browse and reminisce all you like. As for me I am going to get blog book printed, so I don't have to reminisce online.

I've already got a few new posts at the new site, so see you all over there!

There are 2 type of Triathletes....

2011-04-05T21:16:00.003-05:00

There are TWO type of Triathletes.....Those who pee in their wetsuits, and those who lie about it.

Part 1: Pre Race-

You know that feeling where you have a test and you didn't study, imagine that x100. That's how freaked out I was about this race. I've only done Sprint distance triathlons and this was my first Olympic distance (or International distance). Sure, I trained, but until you do it there is a level of pure terror about the unexpected.

Saturday night Matt sets the alarm clock, 3:30 am (ugh, just thinking about it makes me sleepy). I didn't sleep really well. Neither did the kids, but that's how it always goes when you need to sleep. The morning comes, the alarm goes off, I'm up and getting ready. Matt calls to me, "Um, Terri... The alarm clock". I start to panic. The time frame was important. If I was late I would miss my race! You know that Seinfield episode with the marathon runner, well, I thought that that was going to happen to me. No, getting up late was not the problem, we got up an hour EARLY! Our clock thought it was daylight saving time and set itself forward 1 hour. We got up at 2:30 am. That's a first for me, sure I've stayed up that late, but never gotten up that early. We decided to stay awake and get everything ready and not worry about rushing.

Once we got to Kemah Matt dropped me off and I got my bike set up in the transition area. I walked about half a mile to the boat! I got my wetsuit on and boarded.

This is the "Colonel". I was on the second floor with about 650 other racers.

Part 2: The Swim-

The sun over the water was so pretty, but I didn't know about that till after the race. The boat took us out 1.5k (that's about 1 mile) and when the sun came up it was time to start the race. Of course I still had to wait another 30 min. before I could start. The pros (yes, real pro triathletes participated and won some serious dough) and basically everyone else got to go before I did. The start was SCARY. I knew we were going to have to jump in the ocean 1 mile out at sea, but I was not anticipating the drop. It's not like jumping in a swimming pool a few inches below the edge, it was a 4-5 foot drop. And then it was rough, cold, water. Hmm, a mile swim looks a lot longer as a strait shot. You are basically in a long line, when your turn comes up, you just jump in and start swimming. There is absolutely no time to hesitate, you just jump in and swim. After I jumped in my first thought was that the wet suit was doing a good job keeping me warm, good! Second thought was how opaque the water was (hmm brown, nice). The third thought was (and the strongest thought was) how absolutely disgusting the sea water tasted in my mouth. The water was choppy 1 1/2 foot swells, it made not swallowing the water very hard. YUMMY, just what I wanted to wash down my breakfast, nasty brown, seawater! There were people everywhere, arms, legs, heads, feet. I got kicked punched and swam on and I even did my share of that too. At one point I noticed that I hadn't been hit in a long time. Shoot, I was way off course! There was a strong cross current that carried me away. Then I had to spend precious time fighting the current to get back on course. I'm complaining about the bad stuff, but I felt pretty good. I came in just over the time I planned on doing it, but with my little detour, I'm happy about it.

Getting out of the water was new. They had strippers (get your head out of the gutter) I'm talking about wetsuit strippers. Take the top off and then someone yanks the rest off, and voila, no more wetsuit! It's actually really impressive, since it takes 20 minutes to get a wetsuit on. There was the longest run to the transition, and I was already tired.

Part 3: The bike-

15 mph winds on a bike makes for some slow biking. I had some good passing, that is to say, plenty of people passed me. I coped with it by thinking that I already passed these people on the swim, and they were just catching up to me. The ride was 40k (around 26 miles). I wasn't worried about the distance I had been doing double that since the month before, but it seemed so long to me. I was tired from the swim, battling the wind, and riding on an unknown course. Despite all that my time was about what I had been training for. Here's a gross out factor, I kept blowing my nose, and the junk that came out was black from the nasty water! At about mile 20 I started to get really grateful for all the police holding up traffic for us. So I started thanking them as I passed. Some seemed pleased, some happy, some just nodded. It made me feel good, so I kept doing it. I know, I'm the only triathlete that cheers for the volunteers.

Part 4 - The dreaded Run-

I liked this picture of me in transition, I'm stuffing food in my pockets for the run, yum.

Okay so running is NOT my strongest sport. And I was feeling drained. The first mile was more of a walk/and run. I was content doing what I needed to do to finish, so I wasn't worried about it. But after mile 1 I started to feel better, I got some energy back and started to run (albeit slowly). I ran most of the course, I stopped and walked at the water stations, but I was pleased with how I was feeling. I continued my cheering for everyone, athletes that passed me, athletes I passed, people handing out water, police and paramedics. I had a smile on my face the whole time. The last two weeks I was having shin pain, so I didn't run for the two weeks leading up to the race. It was the right choice, I had no shin pain! At about mile 3 a guy I passed on the bike cought up to me and starting running with me. It was nice to have some company, especially since we still had the causeway coming up. The causeway scared me. Sure there are little hills when I run (but this is Houston people) elevation changes in runs are not an issue. But the causeway is the mother of hills, it's long and it's high, this is why the professional athletes were here. Yes, I did it I ran up the causeway, and then down it. Oh, but here's the best part, you turn around at the bottom, and get to do it again -nice. The second time around was not so great, it was mostly a run/walk hybrid again. Oh and the worst part is the causeway is around mile 4.5 through mile 6, so you've already run a pretty good distance. But at the bottom you are almost done. I put it into high gear and sprinted across the finish (dang, I had enough to sprint, I should have run harder).

Overall Time 3hours 42 min.

Part 5: Post race wrap up-

I had a blast. I'm so glad I finished. I am already starting to think about the next races and where I can do better. This was definitely not your ma & pa's tri. The athletes were serious about what they do. I was the only one I talked to that didn't have a coach. You didn't see mountain bikes, or touring bikes, they were all tri bikes and fancy road bikes. In my other races I was a super fast swimmer, in this race, I was in the middle of the pack swimmer. In other races I am a middle of the pack biker, but in this race I was in the bottom half. I am usually a back of the packer runner...hmm, at least that didn't change.

I have such a fun hobby, you should tri it! Get it.

Check out my cute cheering squad!

These boys got up so early to support me. My husband is a saint, he's so supportive!

We thought we would be a little bad and have some Sunday family fun at the boardwalk. We let the boys ride a few rides and we all took a ride on the famous Kemah Train. I felt like a dork in my tri suit. I smelled, and my hair was stiff from saltwater, and I was covered in salt from sweating, but it was great fun.

My Dad

2011-04-04T11:44:00.001-05:00

One of the best parts of my parents' trip to visit us was the pictures they brought. My Grandmother passed away last year and we got some of her old photos. There were lots of pictures, from pictures of my parents, to pictures of me as a little girl and even some pictures of my grandma with my kids!

Here are some never before seen pictures of my Dad as a little kid. Too good to pass up, sorry Dad, you were a cute little boy!

A baby picture of my dad (look at those curls!)

His 3rd grade picture... what a nut!

Grandparents Round 2

2011-04-04T11:25:00.003-05:00

I know it sounds a little scary, but we were excited to have a second round of visitors, really! My parents came down just one day after Mike went home, I had just enough time to do the laundry, clean the bathroom and the floors. But we got them all settled in to the grandparents suite (aka my sewing room). We didn't do much, and we took even fewer pictures. My dad was experiencing really bad allergies, and we got to take him to the urgent care clinic, where they gave him some medicine that helped him feel better fast. We were really happy he didn't need a hospital visit! Here he is having Ian read him a story (which takes lots of patience, he's a good little reader, but he likes to put comments in on every page).

Grandma Lil got the boys a craft project when we were at Lowe's, we came home and put them together. I wish I would have gotten more pictures of this, because it was the women helping the boys with the manly project.

We spent a lovely afternoon at the park

Brave little jumping boys.

I wish I would have taken pictures of Grandma light saber fighting with the boys, that was too funny!

We did so many fun things, pedicures and inside jokes, movies, food, an epic game of pass the pigs (where I dominated) a date, and antique shopping. We did get a picture of me messing around at the antique store. I found the saddest little mink stole, it had little legs and everything, I still couldn't resist dressing up with him.

Matt, Pi, Cake, Presents, & Running

2011-04-04T11:02:00.002-05:00

We celebrated the geekiest of holidays, Pi day! If you love Math or if you're nerdy enough to be married to someone who does, then you must remember that Pi day is March 14th (that's 3-14 for you slow people out there). For some reason, you celebrate pi day by eating pie (maybe because they are circles... who knows).

We discovered the the best apple cobbler, and then we combined it with Blue Bell pecan praline and carmel ice cream (yes, I have turned into that kind of Texan, bluebell is simply the best ice cream), omnomnom. We also had a key lime pie, but it was just okay (still searching for a good store bought key lime). Here's what we did on Pi day.... 2(pi) +I = yummy (where I= ice cream)

Matt had a Birthday shout Hooray!

I gave Matt just what he wanted... cleaning supplies (and some candy too).

I made the BEST birthday cake, it was so good.

A week long of eating leftover cake and pie... sounds like it'a time for a run!

Matt ran his first race, it so happens that his first race ever is a half marathon! We got up early (thankfully you don't have to wake up too early for races where you only run, and you don't have to worry about too much gear). Grandma Lil and Grandpa Frank came to visit so I didn't have to drag the kids out of bed early, we had a great time being together without kids. If Matt was nervous you couldn't tell. I felt great, it was fun to be at a race and not be racing! I know Matt was worried about his old-man knees, but they held out great. He did wonderfully and did his race in half the time it took for me to do mine.

Honestly he wasn't even tired after his race, he even made a yummy lunch right after he got home. The boys and I were at the finish to cheer him on. He came in 9th in his age group and 142nd overall out of over 700 people (I wish I was fast). Matt Cannon you're my hero! I can't wait to see how fast he can do the next one!

Grandma and Bapa Come for a visit... and stay for the hospital.

2011-04-04T10:24:00.000-05:00

We were so excited to have our first visitors! Grandma and Bapa drove all the way from NM to visit us in our new house. I think Matt and I were even more excited then the boys (which is saying quite a lot). Saturday morning we got up and headed to Brazos Bend, which is now just a 20 min drive from our house, it was a glorious day, the alligators were out.

Sunday we got to visit Mary in Surfside, the boys loved her house (I think they would rather have a beach house the ours, and it has nothing to do with the proximity to the beach) We talked, and enjoyed some pizza, then we went for a stroll to the beach. Ian was still pretty wiped our from being sick, we're glad he had Bapa to snuggle with. Jason loves playing in the ocean, and took no time rolling up his pants and hopping in. Ahh, so you noticed Joani isn't in the pictures, well, she's wasn't feeling well, and was laying down at Mary's place.

Sunday night was rough, on Joani, she wasn't feeling good, she didn't sleep, Monday morning she went to the ER. It was a rough couple of days for her, we would visit, or just sit and hold her hand. To complicate matters the kids were on spring break, but Mike and I figured out quickly that we could help each other out by switching places. He would take the kids in the afternoon, and I would spend time with Joani. Matt would come visit after work, we did this for about a full week, it worked great. The boys got to have special one on one time with Bapa, and I got some girly time with Joani. We would make the transfer at the hospital so the boys could say Hi to Grandma. Jason was curious about everything, asking what things were and why she needed them. I can't imagine what it must have been like for Mike and Joani, It's not fun being sick, or being Hospitalized, but to have to do it away from home would be really hard.

I'm actually a little disappointed that I didn't get to see the magic tricks first hand! Good thing my kids picked up a few tricks, because I got to see some from them.

Oh, that's what exciting is like... I think i'd like boring back.

2011-04-01T15:18:00.001-05:00

So my last post was about nothing special, in fact you could say it was a little boring. Just a note to the blogger, don't ask for excitement because it might not all be good or expected. Over the past couple of weeks life has been far from boring. I have pictures and a full update coming, but for now, I just need to catch my breath, be grateful for all I have, and learn to love the boring things in life.

Here is a quick summary of the past couple weeks.
Week 1: Ian stays home from school for a whole week with the flu, 104+ fevers, lots of TLC and and a little stress.

Week 2: Spring Break! Grandma Joani and Bapa come for a visit, yeah! We had two fun days of enjoying TX weather and some sights, then Grandma Joani got sick...talk about excitement. Life kinda changed for a week. We couldn't have been happier about the extended vacation, but the means were rough. We are truly thankful for the Houston Health Care system, good hospitals, supportive families, and many prayers. The week had some fun too: Pi day, Matt's Birthday, Magic Tricks, and bingo, were all mixed in with hospitals and medication (stay tuned for photos!)

Week 3: We got Bapa and Joani home safely and caught up on laundry for round 2 of visitors. Grandma Lil and Grandpa Frank stopped by for some much needed fun and a little R&R. Matt ran a Half Marathon, and did great (he didn't even seem tired). Then we took my dad to the ER (yikes talk about worrying about round two!), but he was okay after some Rx's! We are starting to think that family is just visiting us for Houston's health care system. All our guests have left and we are settling back into boring mode (and I couldn't be happier). Now I just need to get my head around my race on Sunday, should be fun...

Sorry, not that exciting.

2011-03-10T20:36:00.000-06:00

Nope, not that exciting, but it's better then nothing.

Here are a couple of things we've been doing.

Ian is almost 6 and I'm having a hard time coping with my baby getting so big. He loves to talk and he tells the most amazing stories,. His problem is that he has a hard time doing anything when he talks. So all actives take him 10x longer if he has something to say. He asks the funniest and most in-depth questions. He is always willing to try things (which is so different from his brother, it's quite refreshing). He will try any new food, and he's not afraid to do scary stunts outside or on a bike (yep, he's going to break a bone sooner or later). The past week Ian got Influenza A, it's been a very hard week for him. I've officially been freaked out by 104 degree fevers for over 5 days. Today he topped 105, ugh, we're all hoping for a recovery soon.

Jason is busy with second grade, he's a great student. I'm so impressed with Jason's Math and Reading skills, he takes after his father (I most definitely did not do division or matrices in second grade). He just got his Bobcat badge in Cub Scouts, and he was really excited about it. Jason is so funny. He is so comfortable talking to adults (something I could never do as a kid, and still have a hard time doing even as an adult). Everywhere we go he talks to people (he still has a good sense of stranger danger) but I love that he's outgoing and friendly to adults. Matt and I joke that Jason inherited the quirkiest things from both of us. He sure is weird, but he has the biggest heart ever!

I'm busing living my "fantasy camp" life, as Matt calls it. This week (before Ian got sick) I did a 41 mile bike ride! I'm working on 2 quilts, one with the top almost complete and the other in pre-planning mode. I have to put them on hold for a few weeks, as my sewing room is our guest room and we're expecting visitors to our new house. I think I might just be the luckiest lady around, oh and I'm most definitely dumber then my 2nd grader (who, by the way doesn't hesitate to tell me)!

Matt is my hero. He's hard working, he holds the house together and he gives me everything I want, and he picks up my slack (mostly household duties). Matt just finished painting the house, what an ordeal! We painted the entire interior, we went through more than 30 gallons of paint, and he did it all by himself. He did get desperate at the end and asked for my help (which if you know Matt is serious, he doesn't let just anyone paint with him). We are really enjoying the house. There are still a few more things that we want to get, but we are loving our home. Of course I don't know what I'm talking about, but from my end Matt is doing great at work. I'm so proud, and he seems to really be liking what he is doing. Matt even finds the time to play his music (although, I think he wishes he had more time for it). He also has his first half marathon next weekend! I'm excited to cheer him on! Go Matt go!

Freeze

2011-02-10T13:48:00.000-06:00

We've had some very cold, wet and windy days in Houston. Look what beauty we found in our backyard. Stupid green grass, it didn't know about the bad weather. Photos by Matt.

After Hours at the Zoo!

2011-02-02T13:32:00.002-06:00

Saturday we went to the Zoo! I wanted to see the new ostrich, we stood and watched those funny birds for a long time, I appreicated the one that paused to get a picture with my boys! Who knew they were such divas!

One of my favorite parts of the zoo is the repitle house, as it happended the reptile house was closed for a private event (which we were invited to!) My Aunt Pat was having a her birthday party in the reptile house, because if you're 6 or 60 the zoo is a perfect place to have a party! We had such a fun time, there was plenty of time to view the animals, we visited, we ate and ate and ate, and we played! The reptiles really came to life at night, it was fun to see them moving around.

One of the highlights was getting to hold the python (or rather the python holding me!) He's got a good hold on my right hand!

The birthday girl got a chance to hold him too.

The reptile handler brought out a few different animals, very educational, and interesting! I learned that the 2 black mambas at the zoo were "like giant earth worms" Sure they can kill you with a bite, but they were very calm and interested in everything. Plus the boys got stuffed snakes of their own (which they love). It was loads of fun!

Maybe too much fun!

So, What have you been up to?

2011-01-26T18:44:00.001-06:00

I've been getting that a lot lately. And how do I answer it?
Here are my options:
1) Be honest.
2) Create some crazy story.
3) Something in between.

I tend to go with option #3, and reply with a comment like "not much" or "same ol' stuff." Why am I so unwilling to tell the truth? I've come up with a few ideas of why it's become uncomfortable to come out and really say what I've been doing. Part of me feels guilty for having free time and using it in the way I do. I also feel like I'm bragging about what I've been doing and, lastly, I don't think people really want to hear it. So if you really want to know... here goes.

So, Terri, what have you been up to?
Short answer:
Swim, Bike, Run - Repeat

Long answer:
I'm in full swing training for my olympic distance tri in April. My mileage is really starting to increase and the training is getting harder and longer.

Swimming was my sport growing up, and getting in the water has always been second nature. I'm not as fast as I was, but I'm pleased that I have no problems doing the longer distances, working through drills and even speed workouts. Currently I'm practicing sighting (breathing and looking forward for open water swims). Right now my current speed should put me near the front of the pack for the race. Olympic distance triathlons are weighted heavier in the swim than any other length, that gives strong swimmers advantages! On my long swims I find myself thinking of my old swim team days... good times. I am in the market for a wetsuit, and I'm really excited about getting one. I enjoy getting gear, so fun. Some funny things happen at the pool, people ask me for swimming help, it's funny, and a flattering, and it happens almost every time I swim! I'm also a bit of a freak, I saw some guy swimming in the lane next to me, I thought it was weird that he was wearing a wetsuit in a pool... but it turned out that he was a black man.

Biking is fantastic, I love it, I wish I had been doing this all my life. I haven't gotten over my fear of cars, but I have become a more confident on the road. I've learned a few tricks from other riders. My long bikes are now over two hours, and really have to be planned out ahead of time, things like weather, wind, school, and commuting times all need to be factored in. Plus it takes me just as long to get ready for bike rides, with gear, shoes, food, helmet, air in tires, sleeves, gloves etc, just thinking about the prep makes me tired. Not to mention things like cold weather gear (you can get hypothermia in 50 degree weather on a bike) and "stuff" to help you not get sore in and around (cough), nevermind. I found I have calluses on my hands in between my thumb and first finger, weird I know! On one of my rides I did see a man (a large man) in skin-tight purple leggings, it was awesome. I wish I would have stopped to take a picture. Oh, and I love seeing people picking up pecans by the side of the road. It's so strange, they just pick the nuts off the ground. Who said there was no such thing as a free meal.

Running, ugh, not my strongest sport. All my attempts to become faster have been fruitless. The best part of my runs are the fact that I'm not doing it as often as when I was training for my half marathon. That's not to say that I don't enjoy it. I like my long slow runs, when I don't worry about pace, I enjoy my music and just taking in the scenes.

Yes, that's a swimsuit hanging by my purse, sad I know!

My most expensive shoes! Running and my biking shoes, I love my both pairs, running in a pair that fits is so nice, and riding with cycling shoes is the best.

Road ID!!!! It's a must! If you bike, run, climb, ski, hike, walk anything, get one! Seriously it could save your life! Roadid.com

Yummy snacks

Look how reflective I am!

My phone has been such a wonderful help during my trianing. I use the Runkeeper app on my phone, combined with my GPS it keeps track of my speed and distance, it uploads it online so you can track your workouts, and Matt can track me from home. Plus I can call to have him pick me up ;)

So overall, triathletes over train for their event. If you've ever trained for a marathon or half marathon, you don't actualy do your milage until the race, but in order to put them all together you overtrain your body to keep going in its darkest hour (usually the run portion of the race) Oh, and I forgot to mention all the weight training. At least I have a hubby to do it with me, and a sister with tons of knowledge about it (and even some of her workouts). And with all this exercise my weight is still the same, my waistline hasn't changed, but I'm sure my heart loves me (and my leg muscles rock)!

So that's whats going on. You asked, and now you know when I say "not much" I'm really doing you a favor! Also, I hereby promise to stop making my facebook posts about my workouts. I'm sick of it, I just can't help it, I tend to live in the moment.

Finally!

2011-01-03T16:05:00.000-06:00

Ian's quilt all finished

Check out my Quilt blog for more details.

It's no longer like this.

2011-01-03T15:52:00.001-06:00

Sadly, we took down our Christmas stuff yesterday, but I can still enjoy it in pictures. Our ceilings were so tall, we were worried that our tree would look tiny, but we found that we could put it in the arches and it fit very nicely. It was also our first year to have our stockings hung on a mantle, we even had a fire... though there was talk about turning on the a/c to get the temp down.

Yummy! Christmas cookies, cookies shaped like candycanes, christmas trees, stars and christmas spiders! :)

We love celebrating boxing day, why not extend christmas to another day! I laughed at our very non-British dinner of chicken enchaladas, beans and homemade toritillas.

I signed up for this...

2010-12-15T10:20:00.000-06:00

No really, I did, of course I can't really say it was all my idea, or even that I knew what I was doing, but I did in fact sign up to run a half marathon. Let me just take you back, I had just finished a Tri, and was still riding the post race high, when my sister suggested that I run a half marathon with her, I knew just the one, but it was only 6 weeks away, can it even be done? Yes, there was a training program to increase your mileage in that short a time, but hey, I figured I was strong, healthy and didn't really care how well I did, so why not go for it. I began training for it, I love having something to work towards, and I love a plan. I signed up! I mentioned that I was going to do it and my friend Kelli (who was already training for a half marathon) and she signed up too. Kelli, the total stud, did 2 half marathons 3 weeks apart!

Race day: I was fine, I was calm, I didn't really care how I did, I didn't mind if I walked or came in dead last (okay, I would have minded that a bit).

The race: I was SLOW!!! Wow, I didn't know I was that slow of a runner. I didn't come in dead last (whew!) but I could never ever ever be like those ladies that finished first. No amount of training could get my little legs to move that fast for that long! That's okay though, I ran; I enjoyed the beautiful scenery, the good company, the friendly people, and the event as a whole. It was cold, but not bad for running, but it was WINDY, it's always hard to run in the wind (there was a picture, where it looks like we are running really fast, but it's just the wind blowing our hair). I probably ran slower then I could have (I still had quite a bit of get up and go at the end) but I never hit the "wall" or felt the pain and despair of the dreaded mile 11. I just kept running, in my head Dory's song from Finding Nemo "Just keep Swimming, Just keep swimming, swimming swimming, what do we do we swim swim swim" And I just kept going, but I was running rather then swimming. For those of you keeping tabs on my bad knee, it started to hurt right at mile 1 (nice 12 more to go), but it was never so painful to want to stop. But with some Muse in my ears, and a friend right beside me (who never left me despite my sluggish ways) it was a fun experience. Thanks Kelli, for hanging in there with me, and letting me shout slogans at you (and my unrelenting support for the other runners!) Thanks Em, for making me sign up, I wish you could have made it... It was awesome. Thanks legs for and brain for getting me to the finish. Thanks knee for holding out... wait, no, I hate you right knee, you suck! Thanks Matt for being my cheering squad, babysitter, my financier, my training buddy and my moral support, I couldn't do any of my crazy half brained ideas without you. I may have the desire to try and achieve many things, but I'm so glad that I have you as the backbone and brains to get me there. So, what's next...? Olympic distance Tri! Then who knows... another 13.1a full Marathon, a half Iron Man?

Kelli said I could only put pictures of her from far away...but I cheated! :)

Nature and Nurture

2010-12-11T21:45:00.001-06:00

What a glorious day for a nature walk! December in TX can really be quite nice.

We have loved Brazos Bend since we moved to the Houston area, and now we are only 20 minutes away, yeah! These gators are going to get sick of me.

Do you see some Gators? Can you find the little one sitting on the log?

I see some cute boys!

I think everybody had a good time.

I enjoyed the trees, this one was a beauty, and even had a brach for picture taking.

We found of family of bearded freaks! They were nice enough to pose to let us take a picture.

But the best part of the day... The Alligator that caught and ate a western mud snake right in front of us!

Check out that action shot.. Isn't the snake pretty!

A very satisfied and happy gator.

It's great to be 8

2010-12-01T16:37:00.000-06:00

8 years ago, when I was getting preped for a c-section, my Dr. mentioned that my baby would be a thanksgiving baby. Last year was the year that Jason's birthday actually fell on Thanksgiving, but since his birth, he has always either had visitors (grandparents and cousins), come for his "birthday" (thanksgiving) or we have traveled to see family over his birthday. Which leads to one of the most spoiled little boys I know! Sure he's never had a typical birthday party with friends, but why.. when, you've got family to spoil you.

We knew we would have a huge gathering of family if we traveled to NM for thanksgiving, so off we went... Cat and all! There are more Turkey day pictures and other festivities, but I'll post them later.

For his Birthday Jason went shooting for the first time, with his Grandpa Frank, Uncle Matt, and Daddy and Sophie. My understanding was that he was a natural (well, he is if he's anything like his mother!) Ian got to go on a hike with the Cannon/Jardine crew, and he had a blast. I was running (wow, that sounds like tons of fun!) Anyway, I made it back in time to rush to make Jason's birthday cake. It wasn't my best cake, but he liked it, and my dad said my frosting was good!

Jason had a party with his cousins

We loaded the kids up on sugar, played games, opened presents, and had overall merryment.

Thanks to Uncle Matt they played pin the triforce on the shield, from the looks on the kids faces, it was a hit!

Parties are fun, so is family, but the really special gift was his baptism and confirmation. It doesn't show up in pictures, but he was grinning from ear to ear. Jason was so excited to be baptized! He was so happy to have so much of his family there. Some of the highlights were the great talks by Grandma Joani, and Aunt Becky, the musical number by Matt, and the song that Jason's cousins sang! I try not to get to "churchy" on my blog, but forgive me for this one second to say that the spirit was strong during his program. I cried like a baby! I am so proud of Jason, and his good choices, for having a desire to have Heavenly Father and Jesus in his life. He's strong, and has such a great and beautiful Testimony of the Church and his savior. 8 years ago he was a tiny little baby, and now, he's a tiny little boy, I thought that I would teach him so much, but Heavenly Father knows us so well, because Jason teaches me each day. Sigh... has it really been 8 years?

Garage

2010-11-16T14:58:00.000-06:00

Wow, I'm impressed that you even opened the webpage, with a title like garage, you must be board.

Matt has been organizing the 3rd car part of our garage, here is a little of his handy work. I really like my fancy bike station, who doesn't love an organized garage. I think he has dreams of a big toolbox and a workbench at the back, but for now it's just nice and clean. He's quite handy... for a physicist.

Finding new places

2010-11-14T18:00:00.000-06:00

One of the great things about moving is finding new fun places to go. Last saturday, we discovered a new park, Ian loved to climb this huge web of rope.

Jason was not so excited about being so high in the air, so he stayed lower. I may have suggested that if he didn't make it to the top a giant spider would eat him. It didn't modivate him... perhaps he's on to me.

It's a beautiful park, along with a fun playground they have a pond, and some really nice trails for walking or running. But really it was a fabulous day, we love Houston this time of year. The area around the park is also really good for biking, the roads are wide, there are few stoplights, and there are lots of bikers. With the nice weather, I was able to head over to the park on my bike, I get to travel on the highway 99 , and then go under highway 59. I'm trying my hardest to not be totally freeked out when cars zoom past me, I am considering getting biking gear made that say "yes, I'm an organ donor" that way the EMT's know without having to ask.

Texas Renaissance Festival

2010-10-31T22:39:00.001-05:00

Beautiful weather, fun activities, a few freaks, and even more fun.

Matt got us all tickets to the "tex ren fest" this year, we thought the boys would be really into it. Every weekend is themed, and this weekend it was 'All Hollows Eve', with plenty of costumes (not like there aren't already people in costume) but there is trick-or-treating for the kids, so it's extra fun for them. Jason didn't want to dress up, but Ian was all for going in costume.

A funny little thing about Ian's costume, 99% of the time people don't know who or what he is, but at a renaissance festival, he's very well known, in fact we even saw an older Link (after the temple of time of course! ...and if you get that reference you're a nerd!) Ian had complete strangers taking pictures of him, saying 'hi' to him and asking him where Zelda was, by the end of the day he would wave and pose for their pictures! However, tonight for Halloween he was back to being asked if he was a pirate... oh, well.

Jason really wanted a new sword (because the 10 that we have arn't enough). With the purchase of a new sword you got to fight the man who sold it to you, Jason loved every second of it.

This was a show we watched where this guy trains his "seconds" (the little kids) to help him fight the bad guy, it was funny and impressive, The boys had so much fun.

Yes, here is Link's new accesory. It's a real working Ocarina, it even came with Zelda sheet music. Both the boys have even mastered a few songs, so far, no atmospheric or time changes have occurred (If you get that reference, then you're a really big nerd).

Who knew centuars liked trick-or-treating!

Hagrid stopped to ask the boys if they had seen his pet spider, Aragog! He gave them spider rings, I stole them and wore them all day.

The boys got to pick out what they wanted to ride, they both picked this bungie bounce thing (did they have bungies during the renaissance?) This guy attaches you to some bungies, and bounces you way up in the air, they don't seem to care if you're 20, 10 or 5, they shoot you as high as you can go. Anyway, they were terrified, it was so funny to watch, actually I was a little worried that Jason was going to puke, thankfully he didn't, but let's just say they won't be spending their money on any bungie type thing for a long time... I'll remind them of this if they even want to bungie jump later in life. The picture of Ian is classic!

Finally! House Picures

2010-10-29T10:36:00.006-05:00

See, good things come to those who wait. We've done lots of painting, decorating, and unpacking and the house is starting to feel like home.

The office/Guitar Room

Living Room

Master

Master Bath

Family Room

Kitchen (painted) with breakfast area inluded.

Front Entry

There are a few more rooms to paint but we're almost done! We still have some blank spots on the walls, but those are getting filled in quickly too. We are looking forward to a weekend where we are not working on the house, but we can just enjoy it. Oh, and we love our garage. I should have taken a picture of that...it's not pretty or anything, it's just that we have a garage! After living in 2 apartments, we moved into a townhouse with a carport (and that was really special), then we moved to Texas into another townhouse and had a 1 car garage (wow, what a treat). Now we have a 3 car garage, it feels like a luxury! Also our back yard is huge, so is the side yard, oh and the other side yard. So if you visit, we don't have beds for you to stay in, but you can stay in a tent in the back! :) I didn't take a picture of it because it's kinda boring, we need landscaping (and a good mowing). I know my sister would be jealous of just having grass, but we are looking forward to making the backyard a retreat... just not anytime soon.

Pics

2010-10-17T16:35:00.002-05:00

I know what you want, but I'm just not ready to post house pictures yet... You'll just have to wait till it's ready, you're all voyeristic monsters! :)

You get my most recent Tri pictures and report!

Here is my cheering squad... they didn't really do anything, but that's okay they had a good time. I toyed with the idea of making signs and having them hold them, but it would be like me cheering for myself, and that wasn't as fun! Matt was awesome, he was at every transition cheering for me on and being my personal photographer, Thanks Matt, for getting up early with me, being my personal roady, and being the best dad!

Can you see me? (Don't worry, I can't see me either) I'm one of the people in the pink caps!

I couldn't catch my breath when I first got in because the water was FREEZING! I had stopped training for the swim, and I was worried how it would go, (it was hard with the move to find a pool), but I dropped my time by almost a minute and came in 3rd overall in my age group. So no worries after all, I guess swimming is like riding a bike... but not really.

The bike was much better this time around, I pushed a lot harder, and I got passed, but not as much, I even did some passing. I felt great! It was the best part of the race!

The run... what can I say, you're tired, you're sore, you're legs feel like crap and your lungs were done working 10 mins ago. I pushed through, and ran the whole thing (slowly but I did it)! It feels great to pass the 21 year old guy with the smokn' abs!

I felt awesome when it was over! Check out my sweet medal (they were for first timers, and eventhough I did one before, when I signed up for this race I hadn't done one yet, and I got it at the end, oh-well!)
And yes, I am still wearing my medal!

Overall Time

‎1:16.31 431 out of 850 overall 5:30 Swim, 33:59 Bike, 32:20 Run!

CMPS

2010-09-29T08:27:00.000-05:00

Here are my little guys in their uniforms (fairly relaxed uniforms) but cute still! And yes, this was the best picture I got! After years of scientific study I found there is a mutation at the genetic level only found on the xx chromosomes of the Cannon family, that prevents them from being able to take a good picture. The most common problem is usualy an inability to hold still, and a desire to do the opposit of the photographers desires ie. serious when happy, or goofy when serious etc. The end result is a bad picture and an even more bad tempered kid and parents. It is yet to be determined if the conditions symptoms decrease with age, but evedence thus far have suggested that it does not. Also, further studies on how the male offspring of a female Cannon are affected by this mutaion (Becky & Julie, will you fill me in on these findings?) I have named the condition Cannon Male Picture Syndrome or CMPS. Any further data is appreciated regarding this condition is greatly appreciated. I will publish my results on this blog. Thank you.

Finally Moved in, sort of

2010-09-28T09:02:00.000-05:00

Well, we're all moved in (as in our stuff is in the house) we're far from unpacked, perhaps it's because I'm blogging rather then unpacking. Oh, on that note, I also have unpacking ADD (just ask Christine), I can't quite focus on one box before I get distracted and start doing something else. We still have a ton to do, like painting and putting up new blinds and that's on top of the towers of boxes. We all love the new house, love the new elementary school and love our new neighbors! The boys look so cute in their school uniforms, I just want to eat them up. We are feeling so blessed for good friends who have helped us, like keeping our stuff, helping us move (twice!) and some who even came from spring to help us unload here. We are excited about our new friends and neighbors, who are amazing and friendly, I've never felt such a sense of community on a street before. My kitchen is all unpacked, so here are pictures of it.

Haven't you moved yet?

2010-09-17T10:10:00.001-05:00

I keep getting the question "Haven't you moved yet"? I know it's not supposed to sound like "what's the deal, how come we can't get rid of you, you big fat liar, didn't you say you were going to close already" but that's what my ears keep hearing.
No, we havn't moved yet.

I usualy don't like to post things till they've happened. So mid-way news is not news to me, but because people are asking, here's the answer (and mabye because unpleasand news is not fun to repeat, and maybe because it seems like people want to get rid of me, and maybe because I like to write run-on sentences) whatever the reasons the simple explination is that we are held up on both houses in underwriting. Our current home is getting held up because of the other properties the buyers have, I'm assured that everything is fine, they just need verification of everything, and it's taking longer then planned to get it, plus it's just hard to do things when you're moving across the country. Our new house is even more frustrating, the underwriter wanted to the appraisor to go back to one of the compariable houses to double check some meausurements. Really, what does that have to do with my ablility to pay my mortgage? I was watching CNN (shocking I know- it was on at the gym) and they were saying how underwriting is taking twice as long as usual, and they are having to veryify everything, and how this is hurting the housing market. Somehow this makes me feel a little better, at least the rest of America is going through the same thing. What is frustrating is that we are living on air mattress in our own house, we have no furniture, no toys, no chairs, no entertainment (internet is not entertainment it's nessisary, like oxygen), we are living out of suitcases, and oh, yeah I turned off our gas. The funny thing is, we are really doing fine, the boys are hanging in there like real troopers, the cat is happy that we are still all here, even if all the comfy places in the house are gone. We are greatful for family and the things that we are we don't have now, but we will soon. I am well aware that this is just a blink of an eye in our lifetime and have the prespective to not be come stressed. I just wish we had news... real news.

Grandma Ortega

2010-09-03T10:50:00.001-05:00

Thanks for being my Grandma, for always being supportive, for teaching me about being strong. For showing me how to stand up for myself, I used to be shy. I watched you being a good neighbor, and a great friend. I saw you love your family, all of them. I saw you struggle through hard times and come out laughing. I saw one of the funniest ladies I have ever met. Thanks for telling me stories. Thanks for taking the time to get to know me, and teaching me how to enjoy life. Thanks for the laughs! I miss you.

Packing Facts

2010-08-30T19:27:00.000-05:00

My house is a mess.
I suffer from paking ADD (the inability to work on one area at a time, always losing focus, and misplacing things)
I am not at all sentemental (like I once was).
The garbage men must hate us.
I have reached the point where the boxes are all just a hodge-podge, and every box is labeld "stuff".
I miss my bass, :(
I forget what is in a box the moment I tape the lid.
I keep going to closets or drawers for things that are no longer there.
Boxes with handles are precious... my precious.

Procrastinating? Yeah, Maybe a little...

2010-08-26T15:03:00.003-05:00

What I should be doing is packing, packing and more packing, but I needed a little break and I thought I would fill you in on the exciting twist and turns of our life.

Were to begin.... Well, we are looking to move closer to Matt's work, so we decide to contact a realtor to sell our house. Our realtor comes over and has me fill out paperwork, I need Matt to sign so I keep the documents, and she is going to pick them up the next day. She comes over the next day to get our paperwork, and she needs to take some pictures of the house. When she's over, she casually mentions she might have sold our house... (What? It's not even on the market!) She calls me later that day and has some clients that want to come and take a look at the house. I get a call that evening telling me that they want to make an offer! WOW! House sold - Check. I can't even stress how strange this is, there are 5 houses just on our street for sale, and there have been some that have been on the market for 6+ months. We are shocked and excited, and now... a little stressed, we need to close by Sept 7th. Yikes! Did I mention that we don't even have a place to live?

We spent all day Saturday looking for houses closer to Matts work, we found one (okay 3) we really liked, we put on offer down on our favorite. So we are have contract on our new house, we are waiting to get all the loan stuff taken care of (which most likely will not be done by the 7th). I am packing, looking for a storage units to store all of our stuff while we are in limbo, trying to book moving trucks, and find temporary housing while between when we move out and when we can move in. I keep gettin a little weepy when I think about moving away from all of our wonderful, friends, but I remind myself that if they are good friends, they will come and visit me (hint hint).
Although things are only going to get busier during the next couple of weeks, we are feeling very blessed and thankful for all that we have, and all the blessing we recieve.

Here is a picture of our new house... I'll post more when we move in and decorate (and maybe a few along the way)

1st Day!

2010-08-23T13:28:00.000-05:00

I sent my little guys off to School!

Ian has been counting down the days to kindergarten. I think he got a little worried at breakfast, but I overheard Jason reassuing him that it would be good. Ian has the same teacher from last year, so at least there will be one familar face at school.

My big 2nd grader, he was brimming with confience today. He wanted to make sure his alarm was set so he wouldn't miss the bus. Turns out the alarm clock didn't go off, but he woke up before the alarm was supposed to go off anyway.

I feel bad I didn't even get to say goodbye, because I was talking to the bus driver. And, although I was very excited for them to go, I have to admit I did get a little sad when I relized I didn't say bye, but I'll get to see them in no time (and I'll be ready to send them back tomorrow!)

"On your left"

2010-08-15T21:09:00.001-05:00

I finished my first triathalon today! Matt was in good form documenting the whole thing. I was nervious, all week I was stressed out about it. I tried to calm myself that this was just my "practice" tri, because I am only halfway through my training program (I have another tri in october).

We dragged the boys out of bed at 5:00 am, but the sunrise over the lake was worth it. Between the sunrise and a quick warm up in the lake, I calmed down and was ready!

A friend of mine gave me some advice: get in the front of the pack, so you don't have to swim through everybody or get kicked, however, in order to be in the front, I needed to be in the water (but I couldn't reach the bottom) so I had to tred water for 5 min before I swam.

The swim felt great. I'm glad I was at the front of the pack, I even passed up some of the earlier wave.

I was a pretty fast transitioner, just had to throw on some socks, shoes, helmet and glasses (I need glasses - bugs love to fly into my eyes)

Off I go! The bike was nice, the scenery was so beautiful. I discovered one problem, being a fast swimmer put me ahead of the pack, but I'm still new to biking and not that fast. So it was a little depressing, I heard 45 minutes of people saying "on your left" because they were passing me! Also the road was clearly marked 20mph, but I have it on good authority that some of those ladies were going faster then that!

Part 3, running! Yikes it was hot, who in the world thought it was a good idea to do a race in August in Houston! My run/walk wasn't great but I finished strong.

Overall it was fun, and a really great learning experence. I know where I need to improve and where I just need to push harder. Overall time 1:30.51, I was 252nd out of 480.

I got home and my suit was muddy from the lake, I had twigs and grass in my socks, I was sweaty and gross, but I had a smile on my face.

Hot summer fun

2010-08-03T16:37:00.003-05:00

The Super Target near my house seems to think that Summer is over, I picked this Slip n' Slide up for 75% off, but the thermometer says otherwise. Here are some pictures, sure to appease the Grandparents!

Ninja Roll

Wow - Did you see that?

Ian was my serious slider!

It's pretty hot, don't forget to stay hydrated

It was so HOT, I couldn't be outside for more then a few minutes at a time. But the boys played forever, in fact I had to finally drag their pruny wet little behinds inside for fear that they were getting heat stroke.

Picnic

2010-07-19T15:12:00.001-05:00

We decided to have a Saturday picnic at Huntsville state park. All did not go according to plan. 1st - I was planning on doing a lake swim, however there was lake scum (yuck), and the swimming area was way to small to do anything. Swimming was a no-go! Oh yeah, did I mention I went in my trisuit (to give it a try... yeah that was a bad joke), and I looked absolutely silly. 2nd - We wanted to rent a boat and take the boys out for a ride, oops, it was 10am and already 100 degrees and the thought of paddling around for an hour - not fun. Boat was a no-go! 3rd - Make a campfire and roast hotdogs and marshmallows. Well, we failed to bring firewood, that's okay, we'll just collect it (nope, no collecting firewood), Fire was a no-go!

Luckily someone had the foresight to think to bring the Coleman grill (yep that was me, I know, I'm shocked too!) Instead of making it a wasted trip we decided that we would just have an early (very early) lunch. We still tried to make it campfire style (with the weapons, er, hotdog roasters). In the end we just put the dogs on the grill, but we had fun trying to roast them.

Sharp pointy objects & boys... sigh!

Wasn't it a pretty day! And despite the heat, the shade was really nice.

So all didn't go acording to plan, but it was still a good day!

Crazy Fun

2010-07-02T10:22:00.003-05:00

Galveston State Park with the Murphies! We kayaked in the ocean, it was great, and unlike those San Diego beaches it was nice and warm (okay hot)!

The Houston Children’s Museum. The kids had a blast, I was so tired. Let's just say there were one too many of other people's kids! Matt really enjoyed making molecules out of these molecule building sets. He was making all sorts of fancy ones, to impress me, and it worked. He hogged the station forever. He could tell you what he built, but I can't remember. We're now in the market for a molecule building kit.

The Houston Museum of Natural Science! Ohh, I was in Terri Heaven- Fossils, Minerals, Energy oh my! Next time we'll just fork out the dough and pay to see it on a non-free day. Yikes, it was all just kids touching all the things it made me crazy. Ian loved seeing the Quetzalcoatlus (a pterodactyloid) as you may know his favorite stuffed animal is his "dactyl"

Blueberry Picking! Yum, we hauled the kids out for a fun day of migrant worker labor. The blueberries were so good, but even better when I turned them into blueberry sauce for ice cream and pancakes. Recipe below.

We also did things I don't even have pictures for, like going to Toy Story 3! Having fun at Chuck E. Cheese's. Plus some memorable moments like Ian sitting at the table and asking "Why did Jesus make black holes?"

Matt officially started work and we're trying to get back to our summer schedule. We're missing having Matt at home but we are so grateful that Matt has a job.

Blueberry Sauce
Ingredients

2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries
1/4 cup water
1 cup orange juice
3/4 cup white sugar
1/4 cup cold water
3 tablespoons cornstarch

Directions
1.In a saucepan over medium heat, combine the blueberries, 1/4 cup of water, orange juice, and sugar. Stir gently, and bring to a boil.
2.In a cup or small bowl, mix together the cornstarch and 1/4 cup cold water. Gently stir the cornstarch mixture into the blueberries so as not to mash the berries. Simmer gently until thick enough to coat the back of a metal spoon, 3 to 4 minutes.

Natural Bridge Caverns

2010-06-19T20:03:00.001-05:00

So we are taking full advantage of Matt's current unemployed status and doing all the fun family things that we've wanted to do but have never had the time for. So naturally what I want to do wins! Let me preface this post by saying, I really really really love caves! Karst topography (sinkholes and caves) were always my favorite thing to study in geology. Growing up we made a number of visits to Carlsbad Caverns in New Mexico, so I've loved caves from an early age. Carlsbad is great because it is huge, but it's not "alive" like Natural Bridge Caverns is. During our time in Utah we visited Timp cave, it was small and relatively dull compared to this one. I think the boys had a good time too(but who really cares, the trip was for me!). We even forked out the dough to get one of those touristy photos because we all look okay (which is a big deal for our family).

Here are a few of my favorite cavern pictures.

Jason and Ian on top of the dinosaur (what do dinosaurs have to do with caves?) NOTHING!

Here were some really cool stalagmites, they are unusually skinny for stalagmites of their size.

Some curtians and soda straws, you can see them dripping, we got quite a few drips during our tour.

Crystal clear cave water, it was so beautiful.

It's hard to imagine the scale of this room, but it was huge, you can see some of the most fantastic colloumns.

I really enjoyed this cave, I can't wait to go back and do some other tours. It's amazing to me what limestone, water, and calcium carbonate can do.

San Diego & 40 Years

2010-06-17T22:29:00.002-05:00

Matt's Parents celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary, so the whole 'Cannon Clan' gathered in San Diego to celebrate! We took so many pictures, here are a few of my favorite ones.

We rented a fabulous beach house, all the kids had too much fun time hanging out with their cousins and aunts and uncles.

The beach was beautiful, it was COLD but the kids didn't seem to care. We played in the water, made the most fantastic sand castles, boogie boarded, relaxed and explored. Ian and Bapa had a special game that Ian called the rock game, Bapa had endless patcience with him. I loved the little caves and I also had a blast boogie boarding. The boys had so much fun at the beach that we already have a trip planned this weekend... but in TX, not CA (at least we'll have sun!)

SeaWorld was fun, however my memory of it is a little tainted since I LOST my kids in the play area! They claim that they weren't lost but somehow that doesn't make me feel that much better. When they were "reunited" (found) Matt was ready to buy them ponies and I was ready to lock them up for the rest of their lives.

Next day... Legoland. We had a smaller group: Becky & James and their boys, and our Family. It was a good day... I didn't lose my kids! Yeah! The kids were crazy about Legoland. I think we turned them into rollercoaster junkies, they had their first hit and now they NEED more. There was so much we didn't get to do. One day at Legoland is just not enough. The models were amazing, but you have to see it in person to appreciate it. I did post a picture of my favorite: the Lego dragon... WOW.

All the boys loved driving the lego cars, it may have been my favorite part of the day too!

Another full day... The San Diego Zoo. One of my favoite things about the zoo was the vegetation, all the trails were so beautiful. Lots of the animals were putting on a show for us too. My favorite animals were the little kids in the red shirts.

Overall it was a fantastic trip. There are about 500 more pictures that I want to post... but I'll spare you. It was so much fun visiting with family, getting to visit wonderful places and celebrating 40 years of marriage. On a side note... I'm greatful for my bed, warm houston weather, and airplanes. And if you made it to the end of this post, good for you.

Famous... well sort of, but not really.

2010-05-20T15:07:00.000-05:00

Everyone knows the "For Dummies" books (and a few of you may even have some ). Take a look at the technical editor, you might know him. I know I do. The editor was looking for a technical editor to review the physics for errors. Matt was recommended and asked to do it. I know he's not really famous, but I think it's kind of cool. How many people do you know who are in a book as the technical editor, how many of you read books that need technical editors?

The Long and Short of it

2010-05-17T16:15:00.000-05:00

Long and Short:

Visit with Grandparents: Too Short

Graduation: Long! Very Long!

Matt's Moment to shine: Short!

More Grandparents: Short :(

Time in College: Long!

Rainy Weather : Was a little too long!

Time spent in Graduation Get-up: (You'll have to ask Matt, but I'm thinking it was) too Long.

Graduation Party: Long (but not in a bad way)

Preparation for Party: Long

Party Guest List: Too Short!

Our house was a little to short too!

It's weird how when I look back on this weekend it feels so long and yet so short, but overall it was fantastic. I am so happy to be able to celebrate Matt's awesome achievements, and to have a chance to visit with our friends and family.

This (not very) old House

2010-05-12T14:08:00.010-05:00

Welcome to this episode of "This (not very) old House" where today we will be discussing flooring. We're here with the Cannon family, Matt, Terri and their two boys. Here we have a 2 story, townhome built in the mid 2000's. On today’s episode the Cannons will be removing their old carpet, which was deemed not suitable for human living by Terri. Terri suspected that the builders took used carpet, cut out any comfort, and glued it to bare concrete, then 207 elephants walked on it and then applied stain pellent (the opposite of stain repellent). Following extreme nagging and begging the family decided to install laminate flooring.

Removing the carpet:

The first step is removing the furniture and putting it in the most inconvenient places in your house, so not only the work area is un-functional but so is everywhere else. Carpet removal went quickly, removing the carpet tacks was difficult but the Cannon's youngest, Ian was able to loosen them enough for Matt to remove them completely.

Preparing the baseboards:

Removing the baseboards, can prove to be problematic, but the homeowners decided to go the extra mile and remove them (carefully, because they didn't want to replace them).

Preparing the bare floor:

Terri and Jason swept and vacuumed. The Cannons invited Scott and Stephanie Murphy to help install the flooring (apparently 4 people who don't know what they are doing are better than 2). Underlayment went down with ease, but tensions rose in the usually calm house because "Matt just wasn't doing things right".

Floor installation:

This was the easy part, especially with the help of friends, their power tools, and an antique hutch used as your workbench.

Finishing Touches:

Putting the baseboards back on, our homeowner Terri enjoyed the nail gun a little too much! She still gets giddy thinking about it. Matt was able to use his painting skills to touchup the baseboards and wall.

Looks like the family cat wasn't affected by the upheaval. Here is the finished room, minus the furniture.

Don't forget to join us for next week's episode, "Installing the Murphy's Sink," where tensions rise and unchippable sinks break.
This program was made possible by :
The Scott & Stephanie Murphy foundation, The Emily and Ryan O'Neal Corporation, The Kelly and Cory Sells co., Phil Cherry tools inc.., and the Arredondo Piano Movers.
A huge thank you to all of our supporters.

Brothers

2010-05-03T17:02:00.000-05:00

I took a couple of pictures of my little monsters, I loved loved loved this set of brothers pictures.

Also I updated my quilt blog for those who care.

Superheroes Beware

2010-04-17T08:17:00.002-05:00

News Fash

At 14:00 hours, Friday the 16th, the newest Super-villain was introduced to the world. Reports have surfaced that Matthew Cannon defended his thesis, for the "Collsional Formation of Heavy Rydberg Ion-Pair States". Matthew was reported as a mild mannered Graduate Student, but new information regarding the well being of his psyche is being called into question. Along with being a student for over 25years, his 3 degrees in Physics, his exposure to harmful materials as a graduate student, his excessive knowledge of "LASERS" and his newly administered title of Dr. Cannon, Matthew is now a Super-villain. When I spoke to Dr. Cannon regarding his evilness he just laughed menacingly, confirming what many already suspected. It is unclear if Dr. Cannon is going to use his evil knowledge and combine it with his fantastic super-villain name, to create a Heavy Rydberg Ion Cannon, and perform collisions with it. It is also unclear if LASERS are involved. Insider information claims that he will be working with a "company" (most likely a horde of other villains) at a compound in Texas, looking to destroy the world through the Oil industry. Citizens in the Houston area be on the lookout, but please do not approach, he is most likely armed with a cannon, and he is extremely and evil.

All joking aside, I'm really excited for Matt, I was able to go to his defense (thanks again Emily) He did a great job, he's so freekn' smart! If you're wondering if I understood anything... no, not really, but I was not the intended audience (did I mention it was really long). His thesis was over 200 pages (I’m planning on reading it at night to put the kids to sleep- if that doesn't work I can just hit them in the head with it, that's sure to knock them out). His lab partners as well as his advisor, were all impressed with his defense and all his data. I know he was nervous before, but it didn't show during his presentation, he was funny and even able to answer questions with ease. I'm so happy I went, it was great to see him in "action" (well as much action as physicists do).

5 Years

2010-04-12T15:45:00.001-05:00

My mom has always called me her baby, it used to bother me when I was younger, but I understand now. Ian is my baby and he will aways be my baby, and he's 5 today! He fills me with Joy and laughter every single day. Here are my favorite things about my little guy : You always say the FUNNIEST things! Seriously, not a day goes by that you don't make me crack up. You live in your own land, there are often dragons to fight and princesses to save. You fall off your chair all the time... and you often pray to not fall off of it. You love to understand how things work, and are currently obsessed with how scabs heal. You love video games, especially Zelda, Mario, and StarWars. You love your brother, he's your best friend. You remind me several times a day that you "love me". I love you too! Happy Birthday Ian!

Ian's Birhtday Cake... Let's hope Mario is Yummy!

Our News!

2010-03-30T17:58:00.003-05:00

We are excited, Matt is almost done with school and he got a job! Last week Matt accepted a job with Schlumberger (german word pronounced like a french word, like schlumberjay). We are just thrilled that he has a job lined up. I kept teasing him that he would have to work at Wendy's when he graduated! For those of you keeping close tabs on us, this is the same company that he interviewed with in Boston, but we won't be moving out there (at least for now). His new job is in the Sugar Land office which is still in the Houston area (but it's basically on the other side of Houston) so we are looking to move after Matt starts.

But who cares what I have to say about it... here is this exciting news told from Jason's point of view:

Yes... to ease some of the sadness a trampoline may have been promised - and it is true... the land is not made out of sugar!

Jason with his quilt

2010-03-29T17:36:00.000-05:00

Okay, so this doesn't count as a blog about my quilts because it has Jason in it. If you want to look at my quilts you can go to my quilt blog. As you can see Jason is excited I finished his quilt.

Pi

2010-03-14T19:30:00.002-05:00

It's time for the nerdiest holiday of the year!!! Pi day : March 14th or 3-14. In true dorky fation we pulled out all the stops, slaving over a pie for pi day (not really I got it from the target bakery) making homemade ice cream (no, not really) making sure we figured out the area of the pie using pi (again, I'm making all of this up - but who want's to bet that Matt will view that as a challenge and figure it out after he reads this blog.) I think Jason even understood (a little) why we were celebrating, he was fasinated that pi never ends and I think he'll rember that pi starts out with 3.14 (159265358979 - that's as far as I can go - Pretty dorky, even for me!)

Ian just liked having pie and ice cream!

Somehow Matt ended up with everyone's leftovers... he had an irrationial amount of pi (sorry bad math pun). Why are there no pictures of me? - I'm not feeling good and haven't gotten out of my PJ's therefore pictures are forbidden under penalty of death. On that happy note... Happy Pi day to all!

My lawn boys

2010-03-14T19:12:00.002-05:00

It's not uncommon here in Texas to hire cheap help for lawn care, but how is this for cheep - Free! Muhahahaha! Acutally, we did have donuts for breakfast and Shaved Ice after. (I know if you add it all up, it probably would have been cheaper to hire someone, but it would have been really awkward if I was taking pictures of that kind of lawn help!) We really didn't know what kind of helpers the boys would be, but they were really hard workers, and Matt and I got done so much faster with their help! Plus they were the cutest workers ever!

Clearly, they can handle their share of work. Ian kept trying to out-do his big brother, and Jason was willing to show him who had the "guns" in the family (check out those muscles!)

We even came across some little friends. I found a big black wooly catapiller, lots of little spiders, one giant grub, about a half a dozen lizards, and teensy little snake! Here's Matt showing our new little friend off. It was really sweet, Jason asked what we were going to do with it. Matt replied, "It's not going to hurt us, so I'm not going to hurt it." I love this man! We talked about how benefical snakes can be in your yard. I hope my boys undersand how special nature can be!

Some of the weeds were bigger then Ian... and I'm afraid that the winner of this battle was the weed!

Last but not least, here's Ian scaling our fence to see what is going on on the other side. The impressive thing is not him climbing up, but him jumping down! Yikes- it's amazing we've had no broken bones yet!

Oh, and my lawn boys are for hire!

Frisbee 101

2010-03-05T19:49:00.000-06:00

This week we've finally had some nice spring weather. We took to the park to teach the kids some frisbee skills... with our help they could be the best. I would like to point out the fact that we were doing some pretty fancy frisbee throwing, and photography at the same time.

Tip #1: Don't forget to reach!

Tip #2: stick out your tongue!

Tip #3: Take a break if you need one... monkeying around at the playground is always a good idea.

Tip # 4: Jump!

Ian's got some supermassive air for a 4 year old!

The Actual Zoo, Not my house

2010-02-24T22:06:00.001-06:00

We visited the zoo, it was a warm sunny day!

Jason loved the birds (sorry Em). No, they're not pouting, they are pretending to be this sleeping bird.

Ian is showing me something ( isn't he getting big)

We were lucky to see some of the animal feedings - here is where the trainer is giving the wild boys cotton candy.

It's a good thing they shared. Moms get angry when they don't get cotton candy!

Chillin' with the lions.

Sure, Matt if you stand next to an elephant you look skinny.

Cave dwellers

Here is where the zoo feeds children to the paranahs.

The truth about myself.

2010-02-11T18:58:00.002-06:00

I was going through some pictures of Christmas, and I came across these pictures of us playing the Wii. Here are a series of pictures that you must view in order to appreciate the humor! A picture's worth a 1000 words, or at the very least a few laughs.

1) My two little guys playing (very seriously)

2) Look at the Joy on their faces... They are having a blast!

3) That looks like fun, maybe I'll join in!

4) Jason WINS!!!! Terri Loses!

5) Terri gets revenge!!! (sorry I didn't know I was so evil... wait yes, I did)

Well, what can I say. I'm not proud, but at least it was captured in pictues. Yes, this is the exact sequence of pictures.

Really Flowery Cake

2010-02-09T12:36:00.005-06:00

A cake for Mindy's baby shower.

Yes, I may have gone a little overboard when decorating this cake. Some days being extra girly is fun. I started out with an idea about making a bunch of royal icing flowers and then placing a few on the top of a cake. At one point there was style and form, but it all went out the window when I started to grow attached to all the individual flowers I made, and I felt they needed a place. I know it looks like a flower vomited on it, but I think that Mindy liked it and it really tasted good. For my cake decorating friends- I used a hybrid shortening/buttercream frosting for crumb layer and the basket weave. It was easy to work with, easy to smooth, strong enough to hold up, and it didn't get soft when in a decorating bag (plus it tasted more like a buttercream then a shortening frosting!)

I wanted to thank my hubby for giving me my cake decorating caddy for Christmas - It's awesome and I love it, plus it's much better then keeping my stuff in a paper bag!

The Exciting Solution!

2010-02-02T10:46:00.002-06:00

I know you have all been staying up late into the night, unable to sleep until you've figured out just how much force is provided by the electrostatic attraction between Jason's hair and the helium balloon. Well, the wait is finally over! I've hijacked Terri's blog to provide you all with the gripping solution! (And, yes, I do realize that I am a complete nerd for not only taking the time to figure this out, but to actually type it up and post it.)
-Mattamorphasis

Tell me how you really feel...

2010-02-01T09:57:00.005-06:00

This picture is unrelated to the story (However it is an amazing display of static electricity)

Yesterday I needed to make a treat for "it's great to be 8" (an activity to prepare the 7-year-olds about their baptism). I rush home knowing I need to making a fast dessert, aware that I'm running low on butter and that I have no mixes either. I settle on making Molasses cookies (which require shortening). I gave the boys a cookie before we left to which Jason exclaims:

"You were supposed to make a YUMMY treat"

Let's see if he actually makes it to 8...

Space the Final Frontier...

2010-01-27T19:44:00.004-06:00

I was sick this weekend and Matt was keeping the boys entertained so I could rest. They were all building me something out of legos. Matt asked me what I would like. I asked for the USS Enterprise! And this is what I got! He's quite skilled, I was really impressed, I hope all my trekie friends and family get a kick out of this one like I did.

On an unrelated ( yet still geeky note) I found this on a shirt today! I laughed so hard! Who doesn't love admiral Akbar?

Dear Santa

2010-01-27T19:40:00.003-06:00

WAY WAY WAY too cute to not post... Here is Jason's letter to Santa this year (In case you're wondering, I asked Santa if I could have it back once he made his deliveries). My favorite thing about it is how he asked for Ian's gifts too!

Spider Quilts

2010-01-27T19:20:00.003-06:00

Okay... I have a really good excuse for not updating my blog this time - no Internet! But that's all fixed, (I really hope- there have been a number of false hopes) and we're hooked back back to the mother ship!

First, I have a NEW blog http://spiderquilts.blogspot.com/ It's all about my quilts. I noticed that the last few post have been nothing but quilts, and I've neglected to tell fun or interesting stuff about my family, also I feel like I have a lot more to say about my quilts and I don't write it down because I think people don't want to read it (so I'll give it it's own blog - yeah, I know it doesn't make sense, but welcome to my head).

The blog is currently under construction, but functional, I'll get some pictures up soon!

Sally's quilt

2010-01-07T08:40:00.004-06:00

Here's Sally's quilt. I made it for her for Christmas (but I couldn't post pictures because I didn't want to spoil it).

Speaking of Christmas, all our pictures are still on our cameras. I think there were some really great ones, at this point I don't know if they'll be posted. We had a really wonderful Christmas! The boys are getting so big, I enjoyed watching their excitement for Christmas. As for my lazy blogging, I've been a slacker in part to having my cute husband around 24-7 (which really slows any type of productivity) and our Heroes obsession, in which we watched the entire series (70 episodes) in less than a week. Things are returning back to a more "normal" schedule, now that the kids (yes, that includes Matt) are back in school. We are excited for 2010, and hoping that it warms up soon! Matt is busy with his mistress (the laser) they are taking lots of good data. I am working on a new quilt that I'm loving, and I don't think that I will be able to give away - all for me- hahahah! I'm also excited about some babysitting I'm doing this month (its good to feel productive, and not like a lazy slug). I hope all my readers (I'm impressed that you're still reading) had a great Christmas and an even better 2010.

Tree Skirt

2009-12-22T16:47:00.003-06:00

I've been wanting to make a tree skirt for awhile, We've had the same one that we bough for our first Christmas together in 98! (Yep, it's kinda lame, and really cheap, it's made out of felt!) Joani (my Mom-in-law) got me some fabric and a pattern for my birthday this year, I was so excited. Of course, I only sorta followed the design (because I'm a rebel) and it still turned out okay! What a surprise. At least it's better then my cheepy Fred Meyer tree skirt I had before. Yes, I know it's December 22nd, we can still live in style for a couple more days.

I moved all the presents out of the way so that I could put the new one on, I'm a silly girl! Oh, and the presents still are not back in place because I like looking at the tree skirt. Hmm, maybe that's why we lived with our cheep tree skirt for so long, you don't actually see them because they are covered with presents.

At least Vai, likes it!

In case you're wondering, it took just a couple of hours to do (including a trip to the store to get the backing fabric!)

A few odds and ends

2009-12-15T17:25:00.004-06:00

Here are a few pictures from some of the things we've done in the last little while.

This is a quilt I did for my friend, Amber. The fabric is dragonflies and butterflies! I hope it will go well in her Butterfly nursery. And in case you were wondering this is the quilt that I sewed through my finger, while I was doing the free motion on it. Ouch, at least some blood, sweat, and tears went into this one.

Our Gingerbread House! Isn't it pretty and yummy too! Seriously my hand was hurting after piping the frosting (Spackle) that we used to hold the house together. I'm entirely sure that if we had a mind too, the house would stand up to hurricane force winds... actually, I think its better put together then the house we live in, and clearly more festive!

Here are the master decorators! Oh look I still have my 5lb bag of hot tamales, I was able to use a few of them on the house.

I had some little elves helped decorate the tree (yes, if you must know, some ornaments may have been moved to higher branches after hours)

Not 30... yet...

2009-12-08T22:13:00.007-06:00

My 30th Birthday isn't for a couple of days, but my friends decided to "surprise" me and take me out to dinner.

MJ, Kelly, Janalyn, Beth, Shelley, Steph, Me

Me, Christine, Kate, Anne, Mindy, Em... and not pictured Megan.

Here is our wait staff singing "happy birthday"... Not only did I have an awesome flan goatee, but caramel dripped down my shirt, I'll save that for later. Christine also mentioned that I probably have head lice now from sharing a sombrero.

I kept trying to tell everyone that it was my friend Janalyn's Birthday too (we share a b-day) but they insisted on letting me have all the embarrassment. Thanks!!!... revenge will be sweet!

No, really, I have the most wonderful friends! Thanks, you guys are the best.

Snow

2009-12-04T14:31:00.002-06:00

Reasons to be Thankful!

2009-12-01T13:39:00.003-06:00

Here are some reasons that I am thankful this year

I am thankful for.....

Reasons to Celebrate

Another Healthy Year

People to Celebrate with
Talents, and yummy food.

Thankful for Uncles!!

Laughing and seeing my kids smile

Playing games

Laughing

a team that forgives my interceptions (sorry)

Funny kids!

Black lipstick

Silly Faces!

Nieces/Cousins

A feast fit for a king or a little girl.

A kitchen to cook in.

Grandpa's/Dads

Bear hugs

Generations getting together.

Grandmas/mom
Nature

Coats (it was a little chilly)

Seashells

My sister
Aunts

the ocean

burring my toes in the sand
someone crazy enough to get in the water with me!

Dads/Husband

A sense of humor!

Clorox wipes

That turkey browning bags come in sets of 2

Family that ate a turkey that was on the floor...
and drove 1000 miles to be with us!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Thankful to be Seven

2009-11-28T08:24:00.003-06:00

On Thanksgiving Jason turned seven! He was so excited for his birthday, but even more excited to see his cousin Sophie and Grandparents (More later on that visit). Yeah for turkey dinners, pie and birthday cake.

Link Birthday Cake

Jason Facts

Favorite Toy: DS

Favorite DS game: Zelda

Favorite Food: Pizza

Favorite Song: Knights of Cydonia

Favorite Candy: Candy Corn

Favorite Book: Snails in School

What do you want to be when you grow up? "A Principal"

Tree Quilt

2009-11-15T21:06:00.002-06:00

I already posted pictures on my facebook account, but I love my quilt so much I thought that I would put a couple more up on the blog. The finished size is 65x82, it turned out quite large. There are 30 blocks total. I rarely keep quilts for myself, but Matt liked it so much, and my friend Christine told me that I needed to keep this one. I don't even want to think about the $$$ I invested in this one! The boys love the hidden spider that I free motioned hanging by one of the trees. I love the binding (which is kinda hard to see in the pictures) I pieced it together with some scraps that were left over. Everyone that sees it tries to pick out their favorite tree! Which one do you like?

Can you find the spider? See it's bigger then me!

Brazos Animals!

2009-11-14T15:18:00.003-06:00

We took so many awesome nature shots at Brazos Bend State Park, we needed to share some of them. Here are my favorites!

A bird eating a frog!

Handsome Gator!

Yeah! One of my most favorite animals! A golden orb weaver. They are so pretty, and they spin yellow silk, just amazing!

We refer to this picture as the standoff, we watched this standoff for a long time to see if there was a winner... But in the end the gator just went off into the water. We did see an alligator attack a huge dragon fly, but that was about all the excitement we saw.

Big birds

Big alligators! We saw 14 alligators total!

Big, blue and beautiful dragon fly!We even saw some savage children!

Grandma Joani and Bapa Visit

2009-11-14T14:53:00.003-06:00

We were able to have some visitors a few weeks ago. Grandma Joani and Bapa came to Texas just to pay us a little visit. We had so much fun with them. Since they were here over Halloween they got to celebrate with us. We took them to Kemah to see the Boardwalk and the Ocean, It was fun because we took the kids (and grandparents in costume). Then we went Brazos Bend to see some beautiful sights and always some alligators. We even got to celebrate Jason's birthday early.
Jason showing grandma how to put together his new Lego's- Jason's a master lego builder and I think that Grandma was impressed!

Jason in costume at kemah... This reminded me of that scene in Indiana Jones... "Fly yes... Land No"

Riding the Kemah Railroad... who enjoyed it more, the kids or bapa?

Dressed to perfection! It was so fun to have the kids in their costume, everyone loved them, we got so many complements, and comments. I loved it when people knew who Ian was! We were told that Jason had the best Indy costume ever!

Here we are at Brazos Bend, we had beautiful weather, and the animals were out enjoying it !

Costume Sneak Peek

2009-10-30T21:11:00.003-05:00

Halloween Costume Sneak Peek!

Here are the boys all dressed and ready for our ward's trunk or treat! For the first time EVER they were excited to get their pictures taken.

Indiana Jones, check out his fancy whip moves.

Link, our Hero of Time. He's got mad sword skills and a desire to save a princess we like to call Zelda.

So what's up?

2009-10-29T09:46:00.004-05:00

Warning: This is a post of me rambling about nothing, please feel free to stop reading!

Yep, I've been off the radar for a bit, sorry. Part of me thinks I didn't want to put a new post up after my concert, I know it's not that exciting for everyone else but, not much could top that for me! We've had busy weeks and weekends, I am excited for Halloween and our spooky visitors (not really!) I will say I'm excited to see the boys' in their Halloween costumes. Spiders are in season and it's fun to expand my "Halloween decor" (or everyday decor in my house) I've been busy making/modifying things for the boys costumes. Some times I'm really glad I can sew. Speaking of sewing I started a new quilt (it's a Christmas quilt, maybe I can finish by Christmas) and I finished a table runner I stared over a year ago (it kept getting pushed back and it has a 4th of July theme - maybe I'll use it for the thanksgiving table)! I've also been learning all the songs from the new Muse album on Bass, it's fun to learn new songs, especially when you get to play along with your favorite band. I continue to go to the gym (gosh it takes up such a huge chunk of my day). I found I really enjoy running - weird, I know! I don't see any results - no weight change, no body change etc. but I tell myself that I'm getting a healthier heart and stronger muscles (I can run and lift a lot more then when I started) So I stay positive and try not to get frustrated and trudge along. So that's what's been going on in my life, along with good friends, fun outings and play dates (without kids) I find my days full. The boys are good too, Jason has so much homework but he's a great student and he's really growing up! Ian is sunshine for everyone, and when he's not eating he's content to just hang out and do whatever. He's started crying when he gets upset - real tears and everything, he's so sensitive. But he's a little too over sensitive, it's not my favorite characteristic at the moment!

So that's what's up! I warned you, You should have stopped reading!

My Muse - Muse!

2009-10-15T10:45:00.003-05:00

Yeah, I know these are the same pictures on my facebook account, but this was a dream come true for me. Seeing my favorite band and being so close, we were front row, ahh, maybe it was a dream (nah, I'm too sleepy to be sleeping). Muse was amazing, they are so good live. It was a really great night for me! I have to thank my friend Emily, who watched the boys overnight for us, we really couldn't have done it without you!

Chris and Morgan

Matt and Dom

Me with Muse's incorrect setlist! So awesome!

Video of Starlight.

U - WHO? Oh, U2!

2009-10-15T09:57:00.006-05:00

Hey is that the stage right behind me?

Here are some awesome shots from the U2 portion of the MUSE concert (oh yeah, I just said that) Wow... Bono, is well, really, um ... Bono! It was great being right in front of Adam... As a bass player I thought it was great, I'm sure Matt wished we were in front of the Edge, but hey, we were so close, it couldn't get much better. We were in the inner circle about 1 person back from the stage, we traded with these awesome guys who let us be in front during Muse and we let them in front of us for U2.

There's No One Like Ian

2009-10-08T13:44:00.004-05:00

Ian came home from school with this paper, we all agree, there's no one like Ian! He's such a goof! (Go ahead and click on the picture to see it larger)

Fun with Box

2009-10-04T17:24:00.007-05:00

Tall speaker box = FUN!

Yes we all had fun in the box, Jason, Ian and even the Cat!

We all had fun that is, till the 'old lady' (aka me) decides to get in it and says something like "wouldn't that be funny if I fell?" It was only about 10 seconds later when I did fall! I have a major bruise forming on my hip. Ahhh, such is my life, at least it was funny!

Race for the Cure

2009-10-04T17:11:00.004-05:00

Yesterday I ran in the Race for the Cure, because Cancer SUCKS, and Breast Cancer really Sucks! I've been training for the race and I was excited to see how I would do, and I did fine, but in the end it didn't matter we were there to support friends and loved ones who have suffered from Breast Cancer. I hope you all say a special prayer for my friend Emily's mom (Gini) who is recently diagnosed and undergoing treatment. I also have lots of other friends who's lives are unfortunately touched I love you guys, and I want to support you, Mindy, Beth, Linda, Marcella, and Emily and lots of others.

I'm Lazy

2009-09-25T11:59:00.003-05:00

Hi, my name is Terri. I'm really lazy and haven't updated my blog forever!! By the way, my husband is the coolest person in the world.

First Day of School

2009-08-25T14:52:00.003-05:00

Yesterday was the first day of school for Jason and Ian. They both had a good day, and were excited about all the fun things to do at school. Ian was upset that he didn't get to ride the bus with Jason in the morning (he's afternoon pre-k) he asked me every 20 minutes or so if it was time for school. When it was finally time we seemed to be having problems with the buses, so I ended up driving him. Jason liked that he had so many friends he already knew in his classes. Apparently all the girls are excited to be in his class with him. Ian said he liked playing with blocks and singing songs. He told me he was brave, like Link (the hero from Legend of Zelda). Jason was worried I would be lonely and sad without them being home (isn't that sweet)! I did manage to keep myself busy today and yesterday so I wasn't too sad and lonely.

Hatch

2009-08-22T16:20:00.002-05:00

Do you know what that is? It's a Hatch green chile. My family and friends from New Mexico will appreicate what this is. For the rest of you it's what's inside those little tins of green chiles from the store. Hatch green chiles are grown in Hatch New Mexico and are special to any type of true New Mexican cuisine. So how did I end up with some? My favorite store Hubble and Hudson is having a Hatch Green Chile Festival, they were roasting (and peeling) chiles. I got some already roasted and I also bought some fresh ones to try my hand at roasting, though I'm not looking forward to peeling and seeding (looks like I'll be calling my mom for that). I was so excited, can you tell, I'm blogging about green chiles, new Mexico green chilies! Matt and I have both lived in NM but he's the only native New Mexican in our family, so here he is with the state vegetable of NM.

Funny, the spell check doesn't like the word Chile (but that's how it's spelled!)

Wall-e cake

2009-08-22T16:13:00.004-05:00

Here's the cake I made for my little buddy Ethan's Birthday!

Sea World, Cops, and Crap

2009-08-19T22:12:00.007-05:00

Matt took the day off to take me and the boys to Sea World before they start school. We all had a really great time we did some of our favorite things:
Riding the Shamu Roller Coaster is a must at any time of the year. Jason is now tall enough to ride all by himself, and he did it 3 times. But I wanted to ride too and he was a little annoyed that he had to ride with his mom! On a related note, If you're a roller coaster nut, you should give the Steel Eel roller coaster at Sea World a shot. Every time I ride it, I'm impressed with what a good "there-and-back" coaster it is. Plus, it has a great first drop!

Since we get to go to Sea World often, we like to hang out at the Lost Lagoon in the summer since it gets so hot. I also enjoy being the only girl, since my boys are getting a little to old see women change they have to go to the men's changing area with their dad... oh, shucks- and I really wanted to help!
Ian was very excited about the "waves" he loves the wave pool.

Jason liked playing with the water and waterfall in the activity pool, while Ian and I went down the slide! The boys were checking out the map, they were cute so I tried to snap a picture, but Ian struck a pose first! Striking poses?...not my kid...

Matt and I were able to sit back and enjoy the boys livin' it up at Splash Attack. I had a hard time at first because I wanted to shadow their every movement, but they were together and safe. We had our eyes on them and after I relaxed in the shade I had fun too! Just so you think I'm not a crazy over-protective parent, I was almost kidnapped from a community pool when I was about 5. I was going to go off the diving board and a strange man grabbed my arm and just walked off pulling me along. My mom's good friend, who was waiting for me to jump in the water, saw what he was doing and ran out of the pool. She picked me up right out of the man's arms (I think she might have said something to him too, but I don't remember) then she ran off with me. I didn't realize what was happening, I thought I was in trouble or something, and I felt really bad about it. Now I'm just freaked out by the whole thing. Okay that was a random off topic story... where was I??? Oh right, my boys are getting so big!

If you want more random stories about our day... please keep reading!

Story 1:

After Sea World we went to IHOP for dinner and Jason and I were doing a cross word puzzle. Here is an example of the questions "the strongest animal in the ocean" - mussel, or "This fish goes well with peanut butter" - Jelly Fish. Anyway, one question was "A cranky fish" and I said "a crab" then Jason puts his hand in a fist and moves it in front of his body and says "oh, like CRAP". I laughed so hard! Surely I'm not the reason my son is more familiar with the word crap, than the word crab.

Story 2:

So, we're somewhere between San Antonio and Houston, and Jason needs to use the little boys' room. Matt notices a truck stop up ahead, so he pulls over. I decide that the place looks too scary for girls (there were too police cars out front!) so Matt needs to take Jason in to use the bathroom. Ian was asleep in the car so we stayed in the running car while the others went in. They were in the (gross) bathroom for a max of 3 minutes and then we headed back to the freeway for the remainder of our trip. A few miles later we see flashing red and blue lights behind us,. Matt was surprised because he wasn't speeding (that stretch of road is notorious for speed traps), and I thought we probably had a tail light out. The State Trooper pulled us over and he comes up to Matt's window and said that he had been following us since the truck stop because the people said we "didn't pay our bill" We were both so shocked, surprised and confused! Matt told the trooper (heehee, did that make you think of a storm trooper?) that we just stopped to use the bathroom and we didn't even get anything. He asked us a few follow up questions like where we were headed and where we came from, and then asked if we were "sure we didn't do anything" (wow, did you learn that question in trooper school). I guess our answers were good enough for him, and he let us go without a backward glance. Who knows maybe this will show up on our record some day. The whole thing was so strange and our questions will never get answered (like why did they think it was us?) but we had a good laugh about it, and it's something we're not likely to forget. I should have asked the Trooper if I could take his picture, because I really would have loved to put it on the blog!

Things & Stuff

2009-08-06T10:34:00.008-05:00

Matt was giving me a little trouble about how long it's been since I updated the blog. But sometimes there's nothing interesting or exciting to blog about. Our days have been pretty much the same, they go something like this: go to gym, run errands, play, play and play. I often try to play with the boys, but they get so irritated with me (and sometimes the other way around). I let them play (and they are so good and happy and cute) and I have found I have tons of free time for myself...and yet I accomplish so little. Sometimes I start to feel bad about not interacting with them more (these years go by so quickly), but I've found I really enjoy watching them play, listening to them, watching to see what games they come up with, seeing all the things they create, hearing the songs they sing and hearing their laughter. It's fun to just observe and see who they are, without me influencing what they do or how they act or what they should play with. Gosh they are getting so big, I actually feel a little sad thinking about how quickly they grow up (and this was supposed to be a silly blog). Okay back on track... let the silliness resume!!!

Pictures of Fun Faces!

Upside Down Faces:

Crazy Face:

I'm impressed at how much Jason can look like a goat, and I like how Ian's crazy face makes him look like a gangster (who knows maybe these pictures reveal more about who they are)

Fish Faces:

The cutest fish this side of the gulf coast!

Angry Faces:

Jason's angry face is something I seem to be seeing a lot lately, and Ian is just a happy kid, he's not even capable of performing an angry face without smiling.

Blue & Brown:

I am still amazed at how different my boys' eye color is. Jason with his beautiful and surprising blue eyes, and Ian with his warm brown eyes (I can't ever seem to capture their beauty in pictures, but I love them so much)

How Terri uses her free time:

Don't bother me when I'm at my computer. Hey, who told you you could come in without knocking?!

Creative Jason

2009-07-22T08:46:00.002-05:00

My kids have these toys called Zoobmobile (they snap together and you can make cars with them) Last week I came down stairs and found that Jason had made these two "designs" with them. Can you guess what they are of ???? Put your guesses in the comments!

Family Pictures

2009-07-22T08:32:00.002-05:00

I still have so many reunion pictures that I haven't posted... and to be honest I probably won't post them at this point, but I did like these family pictures!

Here is the Ortega/Schmidt/Cannon Clan (My parents & Sister, with our families)

Grandma and Bapa Cannon with all their grand kids (yep, this was the best picture of everyone!)

If you don't know who this family is... you probably shouldn't be reading this blog!

Hikes in Beautiful Los Alamos

2009-07-09T14:40:00.009-05:00

There are amazing hikes around Los Alamos and we took full advantage of them. And since I have about 7 million pictures of our trip (no, I'm not exaggerating... okay, maybe just a little) I am trying to narrow them down by a common theme. These first two pictures give you a good idea what Los Alamos looks like, lots of mesa with mountains in the background. It's pretty in a way that I didn't realizes till I moved away!

Tsankawi:

This is one of my favorite hikes, Tsankawi is a hike that takes you along ancient an American Indian village (they lived in caves in mountains). There are caves, pottery and petroglyphs! As a child I always enjoyed playing in the caves, but it's really impressive that so much history is preserved for us to enjoy. Again, I don't think I appreciated it's uniqueness till I got older! Man, what else am I missing (I guess I'll find out when I'm older) Did I mention this hike is like 2 min away from where I grew up (no, I didn't live in a cave!)

Bandelier National Monument:

It's a Cannon tradition to hike down the mesa to Bandelier and have french pancakes at the camp grounds! There are more amazing artifacts (but the view really makes this hike great!) Sadly we got a little rained out, but I know we'll do this one again!

Ski Hill :

Here are just a couple more pictures of our Ski Hill hike, I love these pictures, doesn't Jason look happy to have his picture taken! :)

So you thought...

2009-06-27T23:12:00.004-05:00

So you thought New Mexico was ALL barren deserts, tumble weeds and cacti?

Today we spent the day with my parents and my sister. We went for a hike up the Pajarito Ski hill. The summit elevation was 10,510ft and we climbed up a black diamond trail to make it to the top (a 1,400ft vertical ascent)! We hiked with 4 kids under the age of 7, and they all made it to the top. In fact, I wore my flip flops (my everyday staple) and had no problems hiking UP the mountain in them, coming down was another story. My sister was kind enough to give me one of her shoes, so we could make back down. The hike was good (there was a bit of adjustment going from sea level to 10 thousand feet), the views were spectacular and the wild flowers were amazing!

Uncle Matt carrying Olivia up the hill (can you see how steep our hike was?) Look how cute our family is at the top of the mountain.

Ian with the wild flowers.

Aunt Emily, Sophie, Jason and Ian taking a rest.

Going down the mountain, Uncle Matt, Olivia, Emily and Jason.

My feet and Emily's feet, with our flip flop shoe combo!

Hatched

2009-06-25T17:39:00.004-05:00

On Monday our sweet little Momma Bird who has been sitting on her eggs day & night finally welcomed 5 little babies (I want to say birds, but they look more like lizards to me!)

I was hoping that they would hatch before we left for New Mexico on Friday (tomorrow)!!!!

Here are the birds today, they have really grown in just a couple of days!

11 Years!

2009-06-20T09:28:00.004-05:00

We met in Elementary School. We had our first date at Pizza Hut when we were 12 years old! We started dating in High School. We were Married just after I graduated. That was 11 Years ago. 11 down... eternity to go!

One of our many dance pictures! Matt's Junior Prom.

This was during our trip to England with our High School Choirs! Thanks for always making me laugh! (Hey what's peter doing in that picture?)

Our Wedding day June 20th 1998!

Love you Matt!

Summer Time

2009-06-15T14:54:00.003-05:00

We officially survived our first week of Summer! We had lots of fun and STRUCTURE, thanks to the Schedule! I'm actually really pleased with how well the schedule has gone, both boys know the routine already, sure there's work, and chores, but there's fun too!

Yummy ice cream.

Yes! I had Jason vacuum downstairs for his chores one day last week.

Drying off after the pool! Thanks Steph, Jana, and MJ! When are we swimming next? :)

I was so sad that I didn't get pictures of Carrie's baby birds that nested in her hanging flowers, well guess what? I got a bird of my own. This little momma bird sits so carefully on her two little eggs, I've even seen the daddy bring food by for her. I try not to disturb her, so I keep my distance. Looks like I owe Matt a new hanging plant too! Honey, thanks for sacrificing your geranium for my nature friends! We're hoping for baby birds soon!

My Crazy Cat

2009-06-09T15:14:00.005-05:00

Yesterday, I got a kick out of our cat, Vai, watching youtube videos of other cats, and today when I unloaded the camera there were more funny pictures of her. Her she is sleeping on the boys' toys train, or deciding that the trivial pursuit box was just her size and put there just for her. Cats can be so funny, thanks for making me smile Vai!

What do you think she's thinking?

Some call them nasty, I call them my outdoor pets.

2009-05-27T10:45:00.008-05:00

2nd instalment of nature photos!
So I had to take more pictures of my pretty spider... The light was great today, it was cloudy and soft, and there wasn't as much wind. She stands guard on her leaf ready to eat anything that comes her way! Yesterday she was eating a mosquito (if you are in Houston right now you know how helpful that is)!

This is a little more random... yet I've had this happen before! I have had a number of lizards hitch a ride on my car. In fact last year there was a lizard that would always come out when I was driving (I named him Bernard the lizaard). Sadly some lizards are not familiar with driving and in a panicky moment jump off of my moving car (yes this too has happened before)! Such was the fate of this one! I was lucky to snap a quick picture with my cell phone moments before his suicide. Please note, that I am stopped at a red light, I do not encourage driving while taking pictures.

Extreme Camouflage

2009-05-26T16:02:00.008-05:00

Can you see me?

While I was waiting for the bus to show up today, I was noticing that my hibiscus bush was bug free (it has had an infestation for a few weeks, and was struggling to survive because of it). In fact it was so bad that I almost bought some harsh chemicals last week but I thought I would try something natural first... but I hadn't gotten around to it yet. While examining the plant I saw some movement, I looked harder to see that there was a spider, that was the exact color of the leaves! She was wasn't very big about and 3/4 of an inch and had great camouflage (I am surprised that I even spotted her, but I have been told I have a hyper-awareness for spiders) I found her color fascinating, so I grabbed my ever ready camera and started to take some pictures. It was difficult to get the close ups because there was a lot of wind, and plant was blowing back and forth. I am surprised that any of the photos were in focus. I know that I already have a reputation as the "crazy spider lady" but I think she is beautiful. Turns out that it's a Green Lynx Spider, and the lynx spiders are among the major predators of insects occurring in low shrubs and herbaceous vegetation! Thanks you miss lynx spider for helping my hibiscus infestation and for being so pretty!

Go ahead... click to zoom! I really like the spider shadow. And her hairy legs- I think I should show her how to shave her legs.

** Update, I just went to check on her and she was eating a bug! So awesome.

State of the House Address

2009-05-22T08:56:00.002-05:00

Today is my 4th official day in office as chief of our house. I am happy to report that many of my goals have been accomplished as stated in my swearing in early Tuesday morning. Some of the more impressive accomplishments have been covered by the media (my blog). I am pleased with all of the reconstruction and renovation that has been taken place. Unfortunately the sewing room is in ruin because of it's excessive use during my time in office. Most of the other rooms are in good condition and need only a mild vacuuming. The people have been taken care of, and there are no wars to report. There have been some mild skirmishes on our turf, but they have been resolved with peace talks, timeouts and I did have to withhold some exports (video games) to ensure peace. The people seem to be in good spirits with my trip to the store there will be no famine in this land. The economy is holding steady even with the reorganization of our house. There is room in our budget for a table centerpiece which I have not yet acquired, I am hopeful that with the remainder of my term I will be able to find a suitable one. I would like to thank everyone that supported me during my term.

Solutions!

2009-05-21T19:41:00.003-05:00

Sorry folks, not the most exciting posts, I'm just doing my daily post for Matt, and since it involves his house he might like to see it, I don't expect anyone else to care.

This project was to remove our horrible vinyl blinds that hung by our front door. Basically those cheep blinds attract children, and then children have a desire to touch them, and bend them, and destroy them in all ways. We looked into custom ordering new wood blinds for the space (don't ask me why the smallest window is the most expensive). We tried to find a number of solutions, and since Matt doesn't get to argue with me about this one, Solution: Make sheer curtains (so light still comes in) bunch them so there is some privacy and attach them with rods at the top and bottom so they are nice and neat.
Okay, I gotta admit, I'm a little impressed with my handy work!

Project #2 - Our hutch used to have bright gold handles, we tried to replace them the pulls are an odd size, I would have to take it to an antique dealer, furniture restorater, or have them custom made (all sound more expensive then it's worth) Solution... Spray paint!!! Yep, a couple bucks and I'm good! Bye Bye ugly gold!

Not really a project, but I wanted a plant to fill the space above our fridge. Matt's request was that I get a black pot. That should have been a easy request, but I couldn't find the size I like that worked with our style and that wasn't $$$. Solution... hmm, $2 terracotta with the spray paint I already bought for the handles.

I think I have a problem, I enjoy spray paint way too much. For some reason I didn't get a chance to spray paint as a teen (that's when you learn how fun it is), and I've been living without it for way too long! I'm a grown woman and I'm giggling while spray painting (it could have been the fumes), I'm a little worried that I'm a can away from becoming a tagger! Watch out Spring, look for TERRI written on your walls soon!

I'm going to go find something that need to be spray painted (I've always wanted a black cat!)

From Grump to Giddy

2009-05-20T15:49:00.004-05:00

Ian and I actually made it to playgroup, I know what a shocker! Anyway, it was at the Market Street Fountains, and he did not want to have anything to do with it! Check out his grumpy face. He sad there for a half an hour before even thinking about playing. He wanted me to know that he was not happy about this!

He had so much fun when he decided to play!
Usually I don't take our Pentax (our dslr) to playgroup, but I am so glad I did, sure I felt like a stalker, but I got some really cool shots! Matt click on the picts to see the cool water droplets.

A whale of a time!

2009-05-19T17:35:00.002-05:00

Jason drew this picture today... I thought it was SO cute. I adore the whale's smile, he makes me want to smile too!!!

While Matt's away, Terri will...

2009-05-19T17:11:00.003-05:00

While Matt's away, Terri will... SEW!!!
Matt's in Virgina for this years DAMOP conference (Division of Atomic, Molecular and Optical Physics). So there will be a number of posts this week in accordance with my mandated daily blog update. One of the other things Matt left me to do was to sew curtains for the our newly painted and decorated kitchen, well, why stop and one set of curtains? So I got fabric and updated our living room curtains too, in an effort to lighten the room. It felt good to sit down at my sewing machine (it's been neglected since I got my bass). Do you know how hard it is to take pictures of curtains? Everything is back lit, and I didn't want to get the nice camera out, so the pictures are kinda lame:( Anyway, you get the picture... right?

Honey, here are your black curtains... you can't see the silver detail, but it's there.

"Time for a little Ian"

2009-05-14T14:39:00.005-05:00

I was feeling creative this morning and took some super close up pictures of Ian. He's so yummy, sometimes it feels like I just can't get close enough to him. You know what's funny, you can only take close up pictures like this of kids... I would be horrified if I had pictures this close of me!

"Friendly" Lizards

2009-05-06T09:52:00.003-05:00

I took these pictures yesterday. Originally I noticed just one lizard sitting on my outside bench, but it had too many legs, so I went around to look at it from a different angle and well, I noticed two lizards. Now, I know what's going on, but I thought it was so cute that the bigger one had his arm around the little one. I guess I feel a little bad that I was taking pictures of them while they were *cough* busy.