Monday, December 5, 2011

Are you ready?

Are you ready for Christmas? The boys sure are. They decorated our tree, made snow globes, put the lights on our ceramic tree my grandma gave me and helped set up their stockings. They've written letters to Santa and made sure we have all the ingredients for cookies and reindeer treats. Now we just have to wait. Dang, that's a hard thing to do when you're little and full of excitement.

Tuesday, November 22, 2011

Word Thief




Brandon has a hard time remembering his manners. He's four, he's loud, he wants everything his way and now! But for the most part he does really well remembering his please and thank you's and now raising his hand during story time at the library. Story time is his absolute favorite week day activity. What's not to love, stories told by wonderfully funny ladies, a movie, a craft and usually a little treat. It's heaven for my little man.


Last night was a special story time about Thanksgiving and the Berenstain Bears. During the story the librarian would ask questions "what do you think is making that noise? what is papa bears shirt color? who do you think won the contest?" And every time Brandon would raise his little hand as high as it could reach. Some times he knew the answer, some times he just wanted to comment on something totally not related to the story. It's always a little scary when he gets called on because you just never know what is going to come out of his mouth. Well, some of the other kids started blurting out the answers without raising their hands and waiting to be called on. This frustrated Brandon beyond belief. He wrinkled up his little nose, pushed out his lips and came stomping to the back of the room to me. "Mommy! Those kids are stealing my words!" And you know he wasn't quiet. Most of the other moms started laughing with me, a few (I'm assuming the mom's of the kids that were not raising their hands) looked the other way and pretended not to hear him even though I know it's not possible to not hear my son when he's frustrated!


I love that little guy. He cracks me up!

Tuesday, November 15, 2011

Crap the kids say...




Mommy...I'm eating bubba's nuts.


Hiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii.


Do I move like Jagger?


Liar, liar, fire pants.


Why is my poop green?


Mom, where did I put my handcuffs and bullet? (FYI they're toys)


I'm a worm today.


Did you hear dat funder?



There's never a dull moment in our house. The boys make sure of that!

Saturday, November 5, 2011

Candy overload

I'm a few days late, but here's our Halloween pictures. The boys had a great time of course. Brandon decided at the last minute to be a police officer like daddy. It's a good thing we have extra handcuffs and holsters just laying around the house! : )

Nathan was a punk rocker of some sort. The make up and ear rings were just a little too much for me to handle, but for one night I let it slide. Now they are enjoying all their candy. Suckers, chocolate, bubblegum, taffy. Sweet success!



They are already coming up with new costume ideas for next year in the hopes of getting even more candy.

Thursday, October 27, 2011

Flying high

Nathan's fall break fell on Auna's birthday this year so we packed our bags, caught a plane and surprised our favorite 16 year old cousin/niece. Brandon was super excited because this was his first time on a plane. He loved everything about flying, the turbulence, visiting the pilots in the cockpit, and the snacks with apple juice. So much fun for the little man. Nathan was excited that our layover was in Washington DC. We flew over the pentagon and Arlington cemetery. And we saw the presidential helicopter fly by. Totally awesome according the Nathan.
The boys actually had no idea we were headed to see Rick and Auna. They finally figured it out once the saw Rick waiting for us when we landed. They were beyond excited.
While we were out there we got to see Auna play soccer, had an amazing birthday cookout, and hung out. It was nice and relaxing. The boys hated to leave their Auna and uncle Rick but we finally made it home. No matter how long we visit with family it never seems like enough time.

Sunday, October 16, 2011

Picking pumpkins

It's pumpkin picking time! We love picking out our pumpkins for the front porch. It's always so much fun inspecting every single pumpkin to find just the right one. And every year it's such a hard decision. Should we get a green one, white one, red one or orange one? Should we get one that has bumps all over it or a smooth one? And I always get asked why we can't get the 500lb pumpkin that cost more that our house payment.

They finally decided to choose the coolest two pumpkins ever. We hauled them home, posed for pictures and proudly displayed them on the front porch for everyone to see.



Sunday, October 9, 2011

Fall Colors



We love our tree in our front yard. It seems like every day in the fall the colors change. Just last week it was completely green. This week it is green, yellow, orange and red. In a few days it will be completely orange. And then a few days after that we'll be raking up the leaves and jumping in.

Wednesday, October 5, 2011

Big day



Today Brandon and I had lunch with Nathan at school. Brandon packed his own Thomas the Train lunch box full of yummy food, asked me every 5 minutes if it was time to go, brushed his hair twice and literally vibrated with excitement.

We ate, talked, and giggled as Nathan pointed out all his friends. The boys got a lot of compliments on their healthy lunches as the other moms asked their kids why they don't eat broccoli and bell peppers for lunch too.

Once we were done Nathan went off to learn and play. Brandon and I came home to learn and play too. He learned how to tie his shoes today. ''Now'' he said ''I'm a big boy like bubba!''

Sunday, October 2, 2011

October






It's October. That means Halloween is just around the corner. And that means the house if full of wild imagination. Thoughts of costumes and candy are front and center.


I tried to talk the kids into being Popeye and Brutus or Alfalfa and Spanky but they wouldn't do it. I don't understand why they don't think my ideas are as awesome as I think they are! Geez.

Thursday, September 29, 2011

Flea shots



As I was speaking to the kids Dr's office about making an appointment for their flu shots, Brandon starts yelling "I don't want a flea shot!"

Flea's...flu bug...I guess it's all the same to a 4yr old.

Saturday, September 17, 2011

Proud Mama


Look at that sweet face. His soul is just as sweet if not sweeter and I am so proud of him.
This is the second week in a row that he hasn't gotten any marks for talking in class (he has lots to say about lots of things) and he got all A's on his midterm report card. But I believe the thing I'm most proud of is he received three compliments from his fellow classmates. One was about being a good sport when playing games, another one thanked him for helping his friend run from the girls and being so awesome and the last one made my heart swell with pride. One of the girls in his class thanked Nathan for playing with her when no one else would.
I can't begin to tell you how that makes me feel. Nathan has always been a sweet little man but knowing that he's still like that out in the world without me reminding him to behave a certain way, makes me want to do the happy dance.

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

Lazy Day

Today Brandon stayed on the couch all day long.
He turned his blanket into a fort and all sorts of toys, books and my "music box" (MP3 player) were his entertainment. He watched cartoons from under the fort and tried to sneak some snacks in there too. He laughed and giggled the entire day.
It was a fun and lazy day for my little man.

Tuesday, September 6, 2011

Treasures from Grandmom and Pop-pop's

A trip to grandmom and pop-pop's house is always an adventure. There's places to run and hide, golf carts to ride and treasures to find.

This last trip yielded Geo's. The boys have never seen these before, so they were extremely excited to see what surprise was inside for them to discover.

They hunted and dug up 8 nice size Geo's, cleaned them up and hammered away. Once the first one cracked opened there was no stopping them. The crystals inside the rocks just amazed them. Showing off how strong they are was just an added bonus.


Once they smashed them all open we decided to show them off for the world to see. So we decorated our front porch with our newly acquired treasures from grandmom and pop-pop's house.





Friday, September 2, 2011

Taking the plunge







It's hotter than snot here today. Here's a few pictures to cool you off.


Thursday, September 1, 2011

Fishin' Trip

Last weekend we took the boys for a picnic and their first ever fishing trip. They absolutely loved it. Once papaw got their hooks baited, they learned the art of casting their lines.

Nathan was proud as a peacock once he got the hang of it. He could cast it out just as far as I did.


Brandon really surprised all of us. He actually sat still. For longer than a minute! He loved casting out his own line and reeling it back in, over and over again.

The boys didn't catch anything but they had a great time and can't wait to go again.

After our fishing expedition we played at the playground for a little while, went to Dairy Queen for a refreshing treat and took a dip in the pool. It was a great, great day!


And that right there is how to gross out two little boys.


Friday, August 26, 2011

Bedtime Stories



Nathan has started reading to Brandon at bedtime. It's so cute. They pile into bed, pick out a good book and read until it's time to go to sleep. I love listening to them laugh and giggle at the story. It's so nice seeing them like this...quiet, sweet and not trying to kill each other.

Sweet dreams!

Tuesday, August 23, 2011

Aaaannnddd we're back

Sorry for our absence. We've been having fun playing around this summer. But now we are getting back to our regular scheduled program.

This summer we ate our way around the state fair, the boys rode tons of rides and I was burnt to a crisp.

Uncle Rick came to visit. He is one of their most favorite people in the whole wide world.



Nathan started 3rd grade. He use to let me dress him up in a cute "1st day of school" outfit but now he has to pick out his own clothes since he's practically a man now. Just look at that shirt. It has a roll of toilet paper on it. "This is how I roll." My heart hurts.




Then I look at this picture and still see my goofy little boys, making mustaches from monkey tails. They make me smile.





p.s. are you happy now daddy?






Tuesday, July 12, 2011

Hot days




It's been hot! Like hot, hot. And humid. Like super hair frizzy humid! The boys have been staying cool though. Fudge pops and beach ball sprinkler cool. Plus we've taken refuge at our ice cold library for story time. It's like an igloo. Today the humidity has dropped a little so we'll be playing outside this evening. Samson is even going to play in the sprinkler with the boys. I don't know who enjoys the sprinkler more, the boys or the dog.

Thursday, June 23, 2011

Through thick and thin

Brandon and Samson are great buddies. They play together, roll around on the floor together, chase each other in the back yard and have great conversations. And when Brandon gets in trouble for saying a bad word, Samson will sit by him during the punishment.

That's a good friend!

Thursday, June 16, 2011

Happy Birthday Nana!

Happy Birthday Nana! We love you so much!

We love when you snuggle with us... and when you make silly faces like this...




Samson loves you too, especially when you let him give you a bath in kisses!




You're the best Nana ever! We hope you have a great birthday.





Sunday, June 5, 2011

I love having kids. I love that they love us back even when we do this to them.









I just hope they still love us when we show these pictures to their first girlfriend. Or maybe when we turn these pictures into invitations for their 16th birthday party. Or when they see this post!


It's so much fun having kids to mess with.



Sunday, May 29, 2011

summer break

This is a picture of Nathan on the first day of 2nd grade. He was so excited to see his friends again, meet his new teacher and explore the new play ground.

And this is the last day of 2nd grade. He finish the year with all A's, a new love for reading and couldn't wait to sleep in all summer long.



Brandon is excited to have Nathan home all day long. He loves his big brother! Well, half of the day is full of love and the other have is full of fighting. ; )
















Wednesday, April 20, 2011

The class clown

What do you call a B that says Boo?

Boobies!

That is what my 2nd grade son told a classmate today at school. Needless to say he got 5minutes taken away from recess and a lecture about how that was inappropriate and I got an email from his teacher. She wrote to me that even though his joke was funny it was inappropriate. To which I apologized and blamed his father!

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Cowboy B

Long john's, cowboy boots and a huge smile.
Letting Brandon dress however he wants makes him super happy.
He just doesn't realize I let him dress this way because he wasn't getting out of the van.

: )

Thursday, March 17, 2011

Saturday, February 26, 2011

Blue Ribbon

Once upon a time there was a little boy who wanted to enter his schools science fair. He had huge dreams of building spewing volcano's or squishy quick sand or possibly sending something into orbit. But when his mommy told him he wasn't allowed to do those things (per school science fair rules) he set his sights on bubble gum. He wanted to know which bubble gum would blow the biggest bubbles. So off he went to the store and purchased three types of bubble gum and art supplies. Double Bubble, Bazoka and Hubba Bubba were the test subjects. His hypothesis: Hubba Bubba would blow the biggest bubble since it was so soft and easiest to blow bubbles with. His beautiful assistant (aka mommy) took pictures and measured the bubbles he blew, then he recorded all the data. This little boy worked really hard making sure his presentation board was just right with all his research, pictures and data. He took his experiment to school to be judged with all the other kids' experiments and explained how Hubba Bubba was the one that blew the biggest bubbles. And wouldn't you know, that little boy won first place in the science fair! His mommy (aka the beautiful assistant) hung his blue ribbon on the refrigerator where all things important are displayed.

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

I smell like a Mexican wildflower...

Don't tell anyone but Brian is a romantic at heart. Yesterday, for Valentine's day, he bought me some perfume. But it isn't just any perfume.
13 years ago when we were dating he took me to Cancun Mexico. While we were there I fell in love with some perfume that is made only there. It's made with local flowers and plants and smells so clean and fresh with light floral notes. It's my favorite. We traveled back to Cancun a couple more times and every time we would buy a bottle. I would wear it sparingly trying to make it last as long as possible.
Brian looked all over the internet and finally found where he could buy it and had it shipped here yesterday. He got me the shower gel, lotion and a sample of all their perfumes including the one I love.
It makes me day dream of walking the beach, drinking margaritas and listening to the waves at night. Then I get shot in the back with nerf guns by two little monkeys and get brought right back to reality.
At least I smell good!

Wednesday, February 9, 2011

Police Jokes

Why did the police officer cross the road?

To get to Dunkin Donuts!

It's even funnier that Nathan made that joke up! And he's only 8 years old! Hee hee!
And what's even funnier than that is hearing Brandon say the joke.

Why did the peath offither cross the rooooooaaad?

To get to duunkaan donuths.

Kids are so funny.

Wednesday, February 2, 2011

The day that never seemed to end

Yesterday was an emotional, icy, cold, long and horrible no good day.
Yesterday sucked.
Yesterday started at 5:45am and didn't end until 12:30am.
5:45am Alarm goes off. I snuggle with Brian as he moans "I don't want to go today."
5:50am Alarm goes off again. I get up and start the coffee. Brian lays in bed, wide eyed dreading whats about to happen.
6:00am Brian gets out of bed and meets me in the kitchen. He eats a little breakfast while I get his lunch ready and packed.
615am Brian starts getting ready while I go out and scrape what seems like 10" of ice off of his police car. It was really only 1/4" of ice but it sure seemed like a lot more!
6:30am Brian comes out to help me finish scraping ice off the car and the side walk.
7:00am Brian is in his uniform. Today he has to wear a tie and a black ribbon across his badge.
7:30am I kiss Brian good-bye as he leaves for the day. The whole day.
7:35am I make a cup of coffee, grab a book and head back to our warm bed. I read and sip my coffee then turn the news on for an update on the ice storm.
8:00am Brandon runs to my room and jumps in bed with me. We snuggle and watch Tom and Jerry chase each other.
9:00am Brandon decides that he's finally starving and needs breakfast right now! Chocolate milk, waffle and banana are one the menu today.
9:30am Nathan gets up and eats breakfast right away. He must have slept really well, his hair is crazy!
9:45am Nathan is super excited that there is no school today because of the ice storm. After he eats, him and Brandon pick out a movie to watch. Curled up on the couch with their blankets wrapped around them, they're ready to giggle for the next 2hrs. I grab the computer and my head phones.
9:55am I grab the Kleenex and position myself so the kids can't see the screen or my face.
10:00am It starts. The funeral for fallen Officer David Moore. David Moore died on Jan 26th after being shot multiple times. He was 29yrs old . He and Brian were in the same recruit class.
10:30am The tears start rolling. I scan the crowd for Brian but don't see him. I'd do anything to be there with him but thankful I'm not. I would love to sit next to him and hold his hand but glad he doesn't see me fall apart. The fears that I push to the back of my mind are front and center today. Today really, really sucks.
11:30am The kids' movie is almost done. I get up and get another activity ready for them. Play dough always keeps them busy and entertained.
11:40am I go back to the computer and watch as people speak about David. He was a great officer. Someone told the family that if the sun shines on the day of your funeral you were a good man, if it rains on the day of your funeral you were a great man. We were in the middle of a horrific ice storm...
12:30pm The kids are ready for lunch. Turkey and cheese sandwiches, veggies, yogurt and strawberries. Pretty tasty.
1:00pm The funeral is starting to come to a close. Because of the ice storm they canceled the grave side services, so they were done at the funeral. The rider-less horse, 21 gun salute, and his mom radioed in his last 10-42 (end of duty) call. Whoa, more tears.
1:30pm The funeral ends. Every officer places a white carnation on the casket as they walk by.
2:00pm For the rest of the afternoon the kids and I read, watch some more cartoons, do dishes and laundry.
2:30pm Brian reports to work. His work day is just starting. He's expecting to work a 24hr shift due to the bad weather.
5:30pm The kids and I eat dinner. Spicy chicken, corn, and cottage cheese.
6:00pm I text Brian but don't hear back from him.
7:00pm I give the kids their showers and we all read some library books. Dr.Seuss gives us the giggles. I don't know whats more funny, the stories themselves or me trying to say them without getting tongue tied!
8:00pm I get a call from Nathan's school that classes are canceled again for tomorrow. So we pop some popcorn and plug in Furry Vengeance. Funniest movie ever!
9:30pm Brian calls. He doesn't have to work 24hrs after all. Sigh of relief. But he's still going to be late coming home. "Keep the kids up"
10:00pm The movie is done and we listen to the radio while we wait for daddy to come home.
11:30pm Brian finally makes it home. The kids run to the door as soon as they hear his key in the lock. Giggles, squeals, kisses and hugs for everyone!
11:45pm-12am I get the kids to bed while Brian eats a little something. He looks like he's been run over a few times.
12am We talk about the funeral and his day.
12:30am We are in bed snuggling. I push those fears back where they belong.
He made it home.

Sunday, January 23, 2011

Happy Birthday Big Boy


Happy Birthday Baby B. Love you more than ever! xoxo

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

What a New Year

After passing a nasty stomach bug around we are finally settled into the new year. Nathan started back to school, Brandon has been counting down the days until his birthday and Brian and I are trying to keep up with the boys. It's been interesting.
The day after Christmas Brandon started the stomach bug fiasco. On New Year's Eve Nathan and I had the wonderful opportunity to experience it in full force. Then one week later Brian was the lucky one to bring it to a close. Lots of fun!
Last weekend we had an early birthday party for Brandon. He was so excited to open presents, eat birthday cake and play with his cousin and brother at a bounce house place. He's so funny. He wanted to make his own birthday cake. Chocolate cake with marshmallow icing. On top of the cake he wanted cherry tomatoes, cottage cheese and sprinkles. Mmmm. Tasty.
So we make a chocolate cake with chocolate marshmallow icing and sprinkles on top. We saved the tomatoes and cottage cheese for lunch. He was happy with that.

Here's the soon to be 4yr old. Doesn't he look like a cowboy in training. A carhart jacket, well worn jeans and cowboy boots. All he needs is a cowboy hat.
Ride like the wind little buddy!