The Buss Family Blog Prospectus

Here it is. The much anticipated first annual Buss Family Blog 2008 Prospectus.

Not since 2007 has there been such a strong showing of super cute kids matched with flawless blogging. Much like the economy in 2008, the Buss Family Blog did slow at times during the year. For example the time gaps between postings and postings made well after the event had taken place much like Asher's first birthday and our 4th of July vacation to Illinois that have yet to be posted. But even with these problems and short comings the Buss Family Blog made a surging move in the 4th quarter with such riveting postings like 'Black Friday,' and the dynamic story of a husband and wife who travel to Minnesota to see the Chicago Bears get a beat down from the Vikings (who lost today) in the posting 'Our Jet Setter Weekend.' With 4th quarter hits up 5 trillion percent (which will soon be the same as inflation) The Buss Family blog has set a firm foundation moving into 2009, and that is even without the posting of insanely cute pictures to be taken at Christmas that will take place later this week.

And now what you have been waiting for, The Buss Family Blog 2008 pictures of the year, as defined by Matt and Tiffany Buss co-editors of the Buss Family Blog. For those pictures that didn't make the cut this year, we thank you for your hard work and dedication. First, a few honorable mentions. Someone has to lose for there to be a winner.

If you pull this string he talks.

A giggling swinger.

Easter 2008.

Morning of Aidan's birthday.

Morning of Asher's birthday.

Aidan digging with Grandma at his birthday party. That might be the smallest shovel known to man in his hand.

Aidan in the bluebonnets on his birthday.

Asher in a swing that used to be Uncle Kalebs.

"what choo taukin about lizard"

Sugar plum fairies dancing in my head.

Super Cute. She knows, believe me she knows.

The big winners...

#10

The 3 stooges. This is a picture of Aidan and Asher with Cousin Robby at Asher's birthday party. They are all getting to the age that they can play together; not always in harmony, but together. I like Robby's concerned look in this picture. I bet he is thinking "I better check my pocket for my wallet when I get up, I don't trust this little girl next to me." Well maybe they just got robbed coming in at number 10.

#9

Aidan making the grade at number 9. These two fit together, just let me explain... For the last 2 1/2 years (minus this school year) Aidan attended daycare at Casa Sesamo owned and operated by Claudia Flores (see above). Tiff and I were very blessed to find her after our first daycare provider abruptly closed on us when Aidan was about 6 months old. She is amazingly patient and Aidan really learned a lot while he was there. We never worried about him and knew that he was loved while he was at her house. Of course Asher goes there now. The first picture you may recognize as Aidan's first day in the TWC program at Tiffany's school. He really enjoys it and has grown a lot in the last 4 or so months.

#8

A 3-way swim off

Paddling in at number 8 is Aidan in the pool. Aidan took a huge leap this last summer; he became very indepedent in the swimming pool. Before he was very clingy and nervous around the water. This summer he made the turn, along with some water wings, and started swimming around on his own. These three pictures (starting from the top) are Aidan with Uncle Kaleb, Uncle Zach, and Daddy. It will be interesting to see how he does this summer.

#7

Little Ham number 1 sets the bar high at number 7 with this silly face. Aidan has turned into quite the character and has a hefty arsenal of goofy looks for the camera. If I had a dollar for every picture of a goofy Aidan face I could probably buy a Starbucks.

#6

New style of pacifier? Crazy new medical device to straighten out your infants gums? No and no. A little cymbal from a box of percussion instruments? Bingo! Little Ham number 2 goofing into the number 6 spot with her make shift paci. I guess it was better than trying fit the tambourine into her mouth.

#5

Lounging in at number 5 (mainly because it is Meme's favorite number) is from our trip over the 4th of July to Illinois. We all know about kids and large boxes, and Meme was well aware of that fact and saved this box for Aidan to play in (much like the trampoline box that was a boat in her backyard). Aidan loves playing with Meme especially because she can fit into all the places he can.

#4

Flying in at number 4 from Aidan's 3rd birthday. Along with the other things we did on his birthday, one was flying a kite at Old Settlers Park near our house. We like this for it's artistic flavor as well as watching a child with the simple joy of flying a kite.

#3

A great picture of Tiff and the kids. Tiff with a glowing motherly smile, Aidan with an 'I'm too cool to smile' frown, and Asher with the 'I'm still a baby what in the world are you doing' look. You're in with Mommy and Brother at number 3 Asher, that's what.

#2

This is a great picture of Asher. We were playing around the house one day and she got a hold of these glasses. I put them on her and she kept them on long enough for a great picture. Super cute plastic sun glasses - less than a dollar; Tie-Dye outfit from Meme - free; Smiling little girl rounding out number 2 - priceless.

#1

This is one of the earliest (maybe the first) picture of the two kids together smiling as brother and sister. It is one of our favorites and was taken early in the morning before heading off to daycare and school; a time that is very chaotic now. It amazes me that this photo came out so great given the circumstances, and that is why it gets the top spot for 2008.

We hope you have enjoyed this look back at 2008.

A visit with Uncle Jake

We were lucky enough to be able to see Uncle Jake recently. He was working in Houston, so we drove to Brenham and met up with him for dinner. The kids did great on the near 2 hour drive there and happily watched movies on the Shock's DVD players we borrowed. They were also pretty good at dinner. We did get some great pictures too. The kids love playing with Uncle Jake too since he really is a big kid at heart still.

Don't you see the resemblance?

Aidan, Uncle Jake, and Asher with the Thrifty Nickel as a distraction.

It was great seeing you little brother!

He can read!

Aidan is learning so much at school! They made a book in class about Christmas that is like the Brown Bear, Brown Bear books. Aidan loves reading to us! Yes, it may not really be "reading" but it sure is cute!

Snow Day... sort of

Last Tuesday (12/16) we got a little snow flurry. We were coming home from our small group and it had been raining a little, but when we got home it turned into a snow flurry. We got Aidan up, Grandma had been watching him, so he could see the 'snow.' He came down the stairs with a huge smile on his face, and he had to call Meme (Tiff's mom) to tell her about it. There was a little build-up in the morning but it quickly melted.

Here is a picture from our back door.

Here are the kids bundled up the next morning (it was in the 30's).

Our Jet-Setter Weekend

V-I-K-I-N-G-S

GO VIKINGS

LET'S GO!

That's right; Tiff and I made it to a Vikings game. We flew up to Minnesota the Saturday morning after Thanksgiving and flew back Monday afternoon. Our hotel was next to the Mall of America, where we spent most of our time. I was worried that the crowds were going to be bad being the shopping weekend after Thanksgiving but it probably wasn't any worse than any other weekend.

The kids stayed at Grandma and Grandpa's new house for the weekend. They had a lot of fun as well. Grandma said that Asher would take laps all over the house. She obviously enjoyed the room to run. Aidan got to be spoiled and watch more TV then he would at home. Unfortunately they were both a little sick during the weekend. Usually TV is the best medicine for Aidan when he doesn't feel well. After we got home Aidan asked for a certain cartoon to watch that we don't have, and he said "you just punch the buttons on the remote." We had to explain to him that we don't have Tivo like Grandma and Grandpa. We got into Minneapolis on Saturday around lunch time (as you are doing the math - yes our flight did leave Austin at 7:30 AM). The hotel shuttle picked us up and brought us to the hotel. Luckily we were able to check in early so we didn't have to carry our bags or leave them at the front desk. After we checked in we headed to the mall. The hotel runs shuttles (even though it is 2 blocks) to and from the mall on the hour. I had been to the mall years ago but Tiff had never been. We didn't show up with an agenda for the weekend (other than the football game on Sunday Night) so the crowds at the mall weren't stressful. Surprisingly we actually got a lot of shopping done which was never our intent for the weekend. Tiff and I had a lot of fun hanging out together. We even made it to a movie Saturday night. It was very weird for me to walk around in public and see people wearing Viking's jerseys. If Minnesota didn't vote so heavily democrat I would have almost thought I was with my people. Here are a few pictures from the mall.

Here we are at Nickelodeon Universe (the amusement park in the center of the mall). We took this picture for Aidan who is a big Dora fan.

Here is another picture for Aidan; Tiff with Uniqua from the Backyardigans. Aidan asked if Uniqua talked. We e-mailed him the 2 pictures and Grandpa printed them up for him. He slept with them under his pillow.

We took this picture of ourselves in front of the north entrance to the mall. This was the third and final try (and best result) because it was too cold to stand there and keep taking pictures.

Speaking of the weather... when we got in the temperature at the airport was 27 degrees. I had been looking at the forcast before the trip so I knew it was going to be cold (as all of you north of Texas laugh - '27 cold? That's when we break out the swim trunks' - yes you said 'trunks'). We got to the mall and we were thinking "if this is 27 we are going to do just fine." Well by the time we were standing in front of the mall in the sun it was probably in the upper 30's. There was no snow yet. Sunday morning there was a beautiful sheet of fluffy white snow on everything, and it was freezing outside. On one of our trips back to the hotel we decided to walk the to 2 blocks. Of course we went as far as we could inside the building before stepping outside. It was a little chilly.

Sunday evening we took the hotel shuttle over to the light rail station to get up to the Metrodome. We caught the train just as it was leaving, which was good since I left my jacket at the hotel and the trains were running every 15 minutes. The trip took about 20 minutes or so and we were dropped off right across the street from the Metrodome.

The place was packed, as it should have been considering the game was against the (tubby) Bears for the division lead (Aidan says 'tubby' instead of 'teddy'). We walked around as long as I could without a jacket and then headed inside. The gate we entered had to be the furthest one from our seats. We walked around the stadium with wall to wall people.

Here we are outside the dome. Look at those unsuspecting Bears fans. Completely oblivious to the thrashing they would soon receive. You almost feel sorry for them. Even if Minnesota doesn't make the playoffs I will relish this win.

Finally we got to our seats. We were sitting on the 34 yard line row 22 on the Vikings side. We had great seats. We figured with everything we were doing this weekend it wouldn't be worth it if we didn't have great seats. The game was great. There were a couple of (tubby) Bears fans several rows infront of us that kept standing up and giving sarcastic looks to the Vikings fans around them. One 99 yard pass for a touchdown later and they didn't get up the rest of the game.

When we left the game, with the other thousands of people, I was hurting for my jacket. I had left it at the hotel because I didn't want to have to carry it or sit on it at the game. The trains were running about every 5 minutes, but we had to wait for 3 trains before we could actually get on one. We were stand on the platform and when the train pulled up Tiff turned and dropped her shoulders like Adrian Peterson running through the (tubby) Bears defense. The train was packed but we had seats for the ride back.

The view from our seats.

The players coming out during the pre-game.

Us at the game (obviously).

Kickoff. Even from this distance you can see the glimmer of hope in the eyes of the Bears players.

So you say, "geez Matt, what pig zooms in and takes pictures of the cheerleaders with his wife sitting next to him?" And I would say that your assumption that I took this picture would be wrong. Tiff did enjoy the game, however she enjoyed the cheerleader routines during timeouts and between the quarters as much or more. One time she came back from the concession stand or bathroom and asked me "did I miss the cheerleaders?" So yes, Tiffany did take this picture.

Finally I leave you with this video for little Tommy Gustafson in Belvidere, IL, where he sits at the window watching the snowflakes fall and dreams of a time when he can watch the Bears lose the Superbowl again. This ones for you little Tommy, keep your head up.

And yes I am fully aware of the fact that the Vikings have to win the next three games to stay in the lead of the division. And that they have to play 3 tough opponents where the Bears have 3 powder puff games to play to finish their season. Only beating the Lions 20 to 16 isn't going to get the Vikings very far in the NFL. I just have to enjoy the lead while I can.

Black Friday

Well - I am officially a grown up. I shopped Black Friday all by myself. I have gone with mom before, but then she had the plan and just told me what to do and we were a great team! This morning I arrived at Walmart at about 4:15. I am so grateful my kids are not old enough to really care what they get! The lines for the big ticket electronics were crazy! I found a ton of great things, chatted with some ladies while we were waiting, and even had fun getting through he maze of aisles.
Here is the best part. I really wanted to get Asher her first cabbage patch doll. They had newborn ones on sale that were pink and purple. I finally found them and grabbed one. The box was a little bent up so I grabbed another one. When I got home I was so proud and showed Matt. It was then that I realized I had bought a dark skinned cabbage patch doll. It is super cute - just the opposite of my very white skinned baby girl! We decided to name her "Holly Berry" to celebrate multicultural dollies and the Christmas season. Asher will love it.
Merry Christmas!

Christmas is coming...

We got our Christmas tree up this weekend. Our investment of the pre-lit tree pays off again. All I had to do was stack it up, plug it in, and fan the branches. I highly recommend one.

I know it's not even Thanksgiving, but we figured since we are going to be out of town next weekend we should get it up now. Aidan liked it and kept saying he didn't know how to put ornaments on it. Later he helped us put some on but kept putting two on one branch. Asher was very interested in the tree. Here are some videos of her. Just a little early taste of the season.

This was Asher's first take on the tree. Later with the ornaments on it we had to keep an eye on her. She kept grabbing the ornaments to look at them.

This was Asher later this evening practicing her Santa Claus routine. She has to sneak in, leave the presents, and dash out of there. Notice the piggy slippers that she got from the Shocks for her birthday. She loves them and will actually keep them on.

Here are the elfs next to the tree. Look at them holding hands!

As you can see Asher is waving.

When I grow up...

I have asked Aidan on several occasions what he wants to be when he grows up. Now, most kids say things like Superman or a fireman or something along those lines. The first time I asked Aidan this question he said, "I want to be nothing." Hmmmm.... Well, he has decided....
Yesterday in the car on the way home from school we were talking as we usually do every day. I asked him again and he said, "I want to be a dog catcher." I thought maybe he meant a vet or something along those lines so I asked him if he wanted to be a doctor that takes care of sick animals and makes them better and he said, "No mama, I want to be a dog catcher. Can you get me a big cage so I can put the animals in there when I catch them?" I am not sure where he got this idea from. We have never talked about it or saw a "dog catcher" in action catching a doggie....
I love Aidan's one of a kind comments. :)

'Tis the Season

Well - 'tis the season for the kids getting sick...
It seems like we have had one or both of our kiddos sick for the past month or so. They both have been fighting fever, runny noses, and fussiness lately. Grandma even pitched in and watched Asher today so Matt and I didn't have to miss another day of work. We hope Asher will be fever free in the morning and able to go to Miss Claudia's.

On a side note, Aidan's latest kick has been having both Matt and I put him to bed every night. We have to each hold his hand and then when we walk in the room one of us has to go pat Asher's back and the other tuck Aidan in. We have both always tucked him in, but now he is adamant that it has to be at the same time. I also didn't realize what a creature of habit he is. Tonight we put Asher to bed a little early, and since we usually put their jammies on at the same time, Aidan didn't have his on yet. We walked upstairs and I wanted to brush his teeth before books. Well, he told me, "That's not what we always do mama." I quickly realized that he knows our bedtime routine better than I do...

They Love Each Other

I absolutely love the fact that Aidan and Asher love to play together. Yesterday Aidan wanted to read to his sister and did a great job telling her the stories.

He was helping her feel the different parts she could touch on the book. Asher wants to do whatever big brother is doing, follows him around, and wants to eat whatever he eats. She loves having a big brother!

We love to dance to country music in the living room! Matt and I usually each take one and dance, but Aidan decided to dance with little sister and Daddy and I got to dance together some too.

The Pooh train that Uncle Zach got for Aidan a few years ago is one of Asher's favorite toys! They now push each other around the house. Daddy had to teach Aidan that he had to "help" Ashy push him. They love this train!

Asher is pretty good at sitting like a big girl at their little table. Aidan really likes having her sit by him. She sits at a table at Miss Claudia's and even sleeps on a sleep mat instead of a pack and play. What a big girl!

The kids are growing up so fast! Aidan LOVES to play outside now that he has the awesome fort daddy and grandpa built. He has such a cute little personality. We asked him what he wanted for Christmas and he said, "toys, winter clothes, and little eggs." Where he got the winter clothes from I have no idea! He must have heard daddy and I talk about it or learned it at school. He still loves the little plastic Easter eggs. He can write his name and learned his first word, it. We like to go on a hunt for the word when we are reading and are trying to learn the which is a little harder. He loves to read, especially right before bed. He is doing great at school, learning a ton and having fun. He is a great big brother and a big help to mom and dad.

Asher is so beautiful. She understands when we ask her questions and nods yes or no. You can tell she is trying to talk, and has said duck and we think cup. She runs everywhere now. She loves the doggies and lights up when she sees Aidan. She also is really good at following directions. She loves to brush her teeth, and wants a toothbrush if she sees anyone else brushing. She has been pretty good about letting me do her hair and put bows and ponytails in. I love doing that!!

I love this stage the kids are in. They make each other so happy and we love to watch them play!

Aidan's Big Day! (9 Weeks Later...)

They grow up so fast...

This summer Tiff changed school districts in an effort to be closer to home. At her new school, Old Town Elementary, there is a class for teacher's kids in which Aidan is now attending. He is there with other teacher's kids and Pre-K students with special needs.

He has learned a lot and loves going. In the morning he plays in Tiff's classroom for a little while before going to his class, and after school he gets to play in her room and watch TV some too. She loves having him there. It is cute to see him walking with his class in the halls and sitting in the cafeteria eating (sometimes) his lunch. He has a 'girl' friend in his class. According to his teachers they are like a married couple; either friends or arguing. Everyday when he gets home we have to sit on the front porch and dump the sand out of his shoes from the playground at school. Sometimes the sand is in his hair. Everyday I ask him how his day went and he says 'fab-a-lous.' He is turning into quite the little boy.

Here are a few pictures from his first day.

Aidan all ready with his lunchbox and backpack.

Tiff and Aidan walking from the parking lot to the school

Aaaa!

This wasn't from the first day, but it is cute to see them in their matching Old Town Texans T-shirts.

Boo Who!?!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!

We had a great time with the kids 'Trick or Treating.' Aidan was a dog and Asher was a kitty. Aidan is the one who decided on the costumes. Tiff did a great job making the costumes and Meme provided the ears and tails. They tested the costumes out at a Halloween party at Miss Claudia's (our daycare), and then after a little repair they were good to go for the big day. Surprisingly Asher kept the ears on.

Grandma and Grandpa came in from the boonies (Georgetown) to man the door and candy bowl at our house. Aidan walked most of the time and Asher either rode in the wagon or was carried. Aidan started a little shy but said 'Trick or Treat' at every house we went to. Asher liked to sit in the wagon and rifle through her goodies. Every once and awhile she would drop some candy on the ground and that meant it was Aidan's for the swipping. We only hit about 10 houses before calling it quits to get home and put Asher to bed. The funny thing is that after all that hard work Aidan hasn't asked for any candy since then. That leaves more for Mommy and Daddy.

Aidan before the party at Miss Claudia's.

Asher at the party.

Mommy Dog and her litter.

SuperDad with his feline companion 'Puss who Poops.'

Trick or Treat!

Notice how Aidan is half behind Tiff.

Asher checking out her winnings for the night.

Aidan helped hand out candy at the end of the night. I would put 2 things in a bag and Aidan would put 2 more in the same bag.

Tip for next Year:

Come to the Buss house late and you'll get handfuls of candy so I don't have to eat the leftovers.

Happy Halloween!