Our next big purchase!

Hey everyone! We have been searching for the perfect outdoor play equipment for our 2 little ones. Even though they aren't quite ready for it, we have been searching so we could plan and save for the perfect addition to our backyard. It's amazing how many different outdoor play houses/castles there are out there....each having their own plus and minuses. Well, we are pretty sure we have finally found what we want! It's the size we wanted, it has all the attributes we were looking for and we know the kids will get years of play on this. It's called the "Tumble Outpost", not really an intriguing name, but it features a lookout tower, swinging bridge, rock climbing walls and fire pole. It's a 2-story fort with a jailhouse below and a clubhouse on top with a wrap-around ramp to the second story. There's an upper deck and a tube slide off the back. We do have to assemble it on our own, but Dave's pretty sure he can handle that part. But we are most excited to have found such an awesome exploration set for such an awesome price of $122,730!!!! Feel free to bring your families over to play anytime, although there may be a small fee required. Please don't spread the news of our exciting purchase to too many people, we don't want the entire city of Newton, coming to play. We'd like to remain somewhat humble about our new addition to the house.

Yes, we're from Kansas. Yes, we realize who everyone else around us is cheering for tonight. No, we choose not to jump on the bandwagon. And really, it has nothing to do with being K-State fans. Although I guess that a strong dislike for the Jayhawks does come with the purple in our blood. Although if you know Dave, he'll cheer against the Cats if his Sooners are involved. We typically do cheer for Big 12 teams....with the exception of one. And that would be KU. No matter what the circumstances, who the opposing team is, or what is on the line, we choose to remain strong and NOT join in on the Rock Chalk chant. So the main point we are making is that tonight, we are Memphis fans! Right now, Memphis leads by 4. Oh and by the way, we have a good friend from Memphis so it's not like we are cheering for them for no reason. Richard, we're behind you man! Go Tigers!

Catching Up

Man, we've gotten behind on our blog! Here's a continuation of Easter.....

Starting with Taylor and her Easter Basket! Don't laugh at the robe, it's a little small, but she had just gotten out of the bath!Easter egg hunt at Gma and Gpa B'sMason in his cute Easter outfit!

Our FAMILY!!

Playing in the sandbox with cousins...in their Sunday's best!

Taylor and her cousin Paige in their new matching shirts.

Our new stroller....thanks to Dave's sis, we found it for $65!!! Now, if the weather will just cooperate, maybe we can actually use it more.Well, now you're caught up! Life at the Balzer home is going great! Taylor is spoiling me by sleeping in till 8:30 or 9am every morning! Mason is eating and sleeping right on schedule...he wakes us up every 3 1/2 - 4 hours every night, but goes right back to sleep after his belly is full! Although we can't complain, (we know it could be much worse), we are looking forward to those stretches of sleep to get longer and longer. After a month off from jewelry shows, I have a full month of shows that have now started. I have already realized how much I'm going to love these shows in the evenings...after being home all day in sweats and taking care of kids, it's definitely nice to get dressed and get out of the house for a little while! Dave is already loving to be outside working in the yard...and Taylor has been right alongside him! I think she was outside ALL day yesterday...we can't keep her in!

Well, now that you're all caught up, I'll try hard to stay on top of posts! Have a great week!

Happy Easter!

"....He is not here, for he has risen, just as he said..."

Happy Easter to all our friends and family. We hope you have a wonderful Easter Sunday as you celebrate such a blessed event!

We began our Easter festivities this evening with some easter egg dying....a first for Taylor!

We'll post again soon with Taylor and her cute Easter dress and hopefully some easter egg hunt pics with cousins (weather permitting!) Oh yeah, and Mason and his cute outfit too...not sure what that's gonna be yet, but we'll figure it out tomorrow!

A true example of love...

Today we celebrated Aunt Barb and Uncle Jim's 50th wedding anniversary! They thought they were just going out to eat lunch at The Breadbasket with Fran and Jacquie (Dave's parents) but when they got there, we (our family and Dave's sister's family) were there to surprise them!

Aunt Barb said that 50 years ago Jim told her that if she would let him be the boss for the first 50 years, then she could be the boss for the next 50. I guess he didn't think they would make it to 50...so now the fun begins for Aunt Barb!

Happy 50th anniversary Aunt Barb and Uncle Jim! We are so blessed to have you in our lives! Thank you for showing us and our children such a perfect example of love.

2 Weeks Old!!

I'm a few days late, but this past Thursday, Mason was 2 weeks old already...hard to believe! Here he is as a big 2 week older (plus a few other pics just for fun)! He has changed so much since the hospital. At his 2 week dr. visit, they checked his weight to make sure he had gotten back to birth weight and they want him to be gaining an ounce a day. Mason's birth weight was 6lbs. 14oz. and at 2 weeks old he was 8lbs. 5oz. After doing that math, that's 31ounces gained....no, not in 31 days as would be expected...but 14 days!!! So eating is definitely not a problem! He is filling out a lot in the face, and we think he is beginning to look more like Taylor.

Gotta be Impressed!

So I bet lots of you are impressed that I have been keeping up on my blog lately...maybe even quicker than most of you even check it! I'm pretty impressed with myself....seems strange that I keep up with it better now than ever! Here are a few other reasons I'm quite impressed with myself...you can pretend to be impressed too:

1. It's day 1 of being home by myself with Taylor and Mason and I have survived!
2. This morning I even got an hour long nap while they both were sleeping!
3. I made it into the shower before 4pm.
4. I haven't had to call Dave ONE time to tell him how stressed I am...he's called me twice though (I wonder what that means)
5. The house is SOMEWHAT in order!
6. And I even have found time to do this post!

(We'll just see if Dave notices that Taylor is still in her pjs...oh well, I can't do it all in the first day...there'd be nothing left to accomplish in the next days!)

You Decide...

So what do you think...do they look alike or not? Mason(left) is 6 days old in this picture and Taylor is 11 days old. From the second Taylor was born, there was no question that she looked like her daddy...we heard this and STILL hear this from EVERYONE! No one was quite as sure about Mason....some say he looks like Taylor, some say he just looks like Mason, several have said daddy, and maybe ONE person has said mommy! You tell us!!!

Tres Amigos!!

Talk about a baby boom!!! Other than myself, there were two other Slate Creek teachers, both about my age, who were pregnant and we were all due within about 2 weeks from each other. Within 8 days all 3 babies were welcomed into the world!! The one on the right is Braden, he was born Feb. 26th. His mom and dad, Kara and Brad were still in the hospital the day we went in to have Mason. Kara's due date was actually on the 28th, but she had him 2 days early. Mason was born 2 days later than Braden on the 28th. And the little girl on the left is Cora, she was born March 5th (she is about 8 hours old in this picture). We went to visit her mom and dad, Joel and Jess, in the hospital yesterday evening and it was so fun to have all 3 babies together! Hopefully they will become quite good friends...although Braden will be moving to Nebraska soon...too bad!

What a SPECIAL day!

Here is a picture of Mason with his great-grandma. This is my (Amanda) grandma from Independence, KS. Both Grandma and Grandpa Parker were able to be here in Newton when Taylor was born and when Mason was born. But this time it was VERY special! Thursday, February 28th was not only Mason's birthday but also Great-grandma's 89th birthday! So here is a picture that will be one of those memorable pictures we will all cherish forever! Happy Birthday Mason and Great-Grandma!