His Wife ~ Their Mama

Landon starts Preschool

2011-08-31T13:14:00.000-07:00

Travis and I both struggled with the decision to keep Landon out of Kindergarten until next year. He turned 5 in July and was "age eligible" to attend, however the school district where we lives prefers Kindergartners to be at least 5 and a half when the school year starts. Landon was pretty close to that age so the school left the decision up to us. Let me tell ya, I wrestled with this decision for DAYS. I didn't want to put him in Kindergarten this year only to have his struggle and need to be held back. I also didn't want to wait a year and have him end up being one of the oldest in his grade next year (he will now be 6 when he starts). Ultimately we did what we felt was best for Landon and our family and today he started his official year of preschool!

Both Landon and Brynne were attending a preschool that we really loved, but we were beginning to feel like they had reached their maximum learning potential at that particular school. So we decided to enroll Landon in a private Christian preschool that is much closer to our house. We also decided that being only 3 and a half Brynne should really just stay home with me for another year.

Landon was pretty excited to start school today, and I was cautiously optimistic! He has had a tendency in the past to have anxiety when thrown into new social situations. He woke up in a great mood and was genuinely happy to meet his new classmates.

He even asked me if I wanted to take some pictures this morning! OF COURSE I did! Here he is telling Brynne how much he is going to miss not having her at school.

Landon 5yr 1mo and Brynne 3yr 8mo

Landon wrote his entire name on the concrete out back, so cute.

Landon standing in front of his "cubby" on his first day of preschool

Landon has to take a car with his name on it and "park" it by his picture each day so everyone can see who is there each day.

Landon's parked car behind his picture

Warming up by playing with some colorful dominoes

Sweet Preschooler!

One last picture before Mommy leaves...

...but then Brynne and I were halfway out the door and she said "wait Mom, I gotta go give Lan a hug and tell him to have a good time." Ugh, melted this Mama's heart.

Landon did great in school and was well behaved. He came home raving about his kind teachers Miss Kathy and Miss Shirley and said he had such a fun day. What a relief! On one hand I am so sad he is growing up so quickly, on the other I am so thankful he has found his confidence and there were no tears today! I can't wait to see everything Landon learns in this new program, I know this year will fly by!

Aquarium of the Pacific

2011-08-17T22:25:00.000-07:00

Back in May we took the kids, and met up with some friends, at The Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach, Ca. We picked a great day to go as the weather was perfect! Not too hot, or humid and mostly cloudy. The kids had the BEST time. The aquarium isn't the biggest place so we couldn't have spent more than a few hours there, not to mention a few of the major exhibits were closed. We ended up staying about 2 hours and then walked along the water and had a nice lunch. I took a ton of pictures, here are some of our favorites.

Landon and Brynne watching the wave fountain~

Running off a little energy as we were waiting for the aquarium to open~

Time out for a picture...barely~

The kids loved looking for "Nemo" and "Dory" in this huge fish tank~

Love this picture of Landon~

He was amazed at all of the fish and sea creatures~

Checking out the sting rays~

During feeding time you can watch a brief informative show about the sea lions. It was great and the kids LOVED to watch the sea lions playing in the water and catching the fish in their mouths. Definitely the hit of the day for them!

Landon was pretty nervous at first~

It was so cool how the sea lions swam right up to the glass. Our little animal lover was in Heaven!

Next we went to check out the sharks~

Then we made our way over to "feed" the lorikeet birds. This actually turned out to be a big fat waste of $4 because the birds were not hungry at all and it was nearly impossible to get them to land on us. Luckily Daddy managed to attract one and the kids got to see one close up!~

Daddy and Landon~

Brynne and our friends' daughter Lillie~

Landon doing a little climbing before lunch~

I Heart Faces ~ Props

2011-07-17T23:05:00.000-07:00

I Heart Faces ~ Photo Challenge

PROPS

My sweet baby niece Morgan in a vintage suitcase.

Landon turns 5!

2011-07-10T11:14:00.000-07:00

I think it's safe to say that Landon had a GREAT 5th birthday. His birthday is July 6th, so because of the 4th of July we always have to do a little juggling to plan his party around the Holiday. This year was extra special because Landon's Nana and Poppy were here visiting from Florida. Travis' parents recently bought a house in our neighborhood so they can visit more often and always have a place to stay when they feel like coming to California. On July 4th we made plans to watch the local fireworks from the patio of their new house. When we got there they had the cutest little mini party set up for Landon.

Nana even took special care to arrange the cupcakes...
Landon loves his Nana and Poppy and was so excited to have cupcakes just for his birthday in their new house!

Opening his present

Poppy was pretty excited to give Landon his birthday present. He is an avid hunter and to be able to buy Landon his first set of hunting clothes was a pretty neat deal around here.

The next day was Tuesday the 5th and the actual day we celebrated Landon's birthday. We told him he could spend the day doing whatever he wanted.

This outdoor lovin' boy wanted to have dinner at Roadhouse with Auntie Amy and Uncle Nate and the go to the park, all before we headed to see Cars 2 at the movie theater!

Landon loves sports and spent some time watching baseball at the park.

Then we let the kids play for a while

Love this BIG 5 year old!

Me and my best girl

Travis and his mini

Landon was so excited to go see Cars 2. He'd been asking for months. Because his birthday is during the summer it seems there is always an animated kids movie out. So it's turned into an expected tradition for him to see a movie on his birthday.

He doesn't seem at all excited...LOL

He loved the movie, we all did, it was really cute.

For his "friends party" Landon decided he wanted to have a sleepover party. I was so nervous to have so many 4 and 5 year olds stay the night, but Landon and all his friends had so much fun so it was worth it! We asked all the boys to bring their bikes and scooters so they could all ride together.

(L to R) Landon, Ethan, Matthew, Trenton, Jake, Brady, and Aiden

7 boys total!

We sent little sister to Cammi's house for her very first sleepover. She had a great time and didn't miss Landon and his friends at all, LOL!
Ethan, Brady and Landon playing

Trenton, Ethan, Matt, and Landon ready to ride!

While I was making dinner Travis kept the boys entertained in the backyard. They played games and had relay races.

Matt, Landon, Jake, and Aiden read to race.

Jake and Trenton

Matt and Landon

Dinner time! Landon requested chicken nuggets, french fries and juice. Easy peasy!

Ethan, Brady, and Trenton

Landon, Matt, Jake and Aiden

I've always felt so blessed at the amount of good friends that Landon has. These sweet 6 boys have always been great friends to Landon and I hope they will always be friends.

EthanBrady

Trenton

Aiden

Matty, Landon's BFF

Jake

Present time!

First Lego's!!

More lego's!

7 boys, all tucked in and ready for bed!

Landon's sleepover was so fun, and all the boys did great! Nobody woke up in the middle of the night crying, which is what I was afraid of. I'll admit, it was a ton of work and I don't know how soon we'll do a sleepover with this many kids again! But I'm happy that my sweet boy had such a great time, and his party was exactly what he wanted. I still can't believe my BABY boy is FIVE years old!

Landon is 5!

2011-07-06T07:00:00.000-07:00

He's...

Funny

Smart

Caring

Sensitive

Loving

Curious

Intelligent

Headstrong

Energetic

Anxious

Emotional

Hyper

Determined

Interested

Exhausting

Sweet

Thoughtful

Nosey

Sneaky

Compassionate

Playful

Coordinated

Active

Dirty

Protective

TalentedLoud

Quiet

Fast

Social

Creative

Cooperative

Organized
LOVED.
Happy Birthday to my sweet boy. 5 years ago today my life changed forever in the most beautiful way possible. You're one of a kind and I'm Blessed to be your Mama.

Getting back to blogging...

2011-06-22T12:30:00.001-07:00

It took a while for summer to get to Southern California this year. But just like that this week has been HOT and we are loving it. The kids have been outside all day every day and already enjoying the water and the lazy days.It is hard to accept that an entire year has passed since I was last bogging regularly. Landon will be 5 in 2 short weeks, and I cannot believe it! He is such an active boy who keeps us laughing constantly.
Sweet Brynne turned 3 in January, I'll have to blog about her birthday party. She's also recently started preschool and has a new ballet school/teacher!

They are the best of friends and are rarely apart.

We have a lot of fun planned for this summer! The kids are finally at an age(s) where it isn't as hard to pack up and go. They are very adventurous and are always up for fun.

I'm really going to make the effort to be more regular about my blogging. I keep the online blog as a memory album for the kids and it gives me anxiety to think about how much I've left out by not blogging for an entire year! I am going to try really hard to play catch up and back date a bunch of posts so that we have plenty of things for the kids to read and look back on as they grow.

It's been too long.

2011-03-30T13:04:00.000-07:00

I will blog this week, even if it kills me!!!

One of those days...

2010-06-02T10:27:00.000-07:00

So far this morning I have tried, unsuccessfully, to pee by myself 3 separate times. I have broken up 3.4 fights over who gets to play with the talking baby doll. I have watched in shock as my son intentionally spit on the kitchen floor. I have answered the phone 4 times and said hello to 4 different telemarketers. I have cleaned the toilet 2 times already. I have walked into the kitchen to find the freezer wide open, more than once. And my toenail polish chipped when my daughter shut her closet door on my toes. Yep, it's been a lovely morning. I can only hope that my day continues to be as wonderful as it has been during the first 4 hours.

Busy weekend

2010-05-30T13:38:00.000-07:00

Guess what we spent our weekend doing...

and for the record...the kids are LOVING it.

Tuesday Thoughts

2010-05-18T12:48:00.000-07:00

What have we been up to?

Brynne started ballet last Wednesday and loved ~~almost~~ every minute of it. She had one minor meltdown when another little girl stepped on Brynne's foot and accidentally knocked her over. A few of the parents who were watching the class gasped, or chuckled and this sent her into instant tears. She got a quick hug from Mama and she was right back out there. I was so proud of her. Just another example of how different she and Landon are. Had he been knocked over and chuckled at he would have completely lost it and hid, crying in the corner for at least an hour, LOL. The second ballet class is tomorrow and already Brynne can't wait. I am hoping she continues to love it and will continue to take classes for years to come. Taking ballet/tap/jazz with my sister when I was younger are amongst some of my best childhood memories!

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Travis has been working hard to get the front yard finished over these past few weeks. It's hard to concentrate on the front "yard" when your house sits on 4 acres, in the dry California foothills. He carved out a nice area for a lawn, used railroad ties to create an area for landscaping rock, and planted new bushes after removing the old, partially dead plants. It came together SO nicely and made a huge change to the look of the house. I couldn't take pictures today because once again California has forgotten that it is spring and it is cold, windy and rainy. Pictures to come later on in the week.

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We are going to move our project focus for the house onto the backyard now. I have some cute decorating ideas that I am already working on. I am keeping my fingers crossed that the vision in my head will seamlessly become the vision on our patio. We plan to order sod to keep the backyard cooler and to give the kids a nice, soft area to play. We will also use landscape rock in the back and give the kids' playhouse a more permanent and play friendly location. I am SO excited to work on the backyard. It has taking us 2 1/2 years to be able to get to where we can finally stop pouring money into the interior of the house and start to focus on the exterior. That was one of the hardest things about leaving our old house. The backyard was perfect, and kid friendly. Not so much here. But that will definitely be changing in the next few weeks!

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It seems that we have seen a real shift in the kids, and how they relate to each other, in the past month or so. They are getting along SO well lately, and spend a lot of time playing together in their rooms. The fighting is (dare I say...) almost nonexistent anymore. It is so nice to see them laughing, playing, and having fun together. It gives me a chance to stay on top of the housework, and laundry which I could rarely do before. So it has been a wonderful change and the kids are SO happy throughout the day, not arguing about who has what toy.

-*-*-*-*-*-*-

Brynne got the hang of potty training very quickly. She is fully potty trained now, actual has been for a month! She rarely has accidents and if she does it is usually my fault. I get sidetracked after she tells me she has to go, or I forget that she is newly potty trained and dress her in tight jeans that are nearly impossible for her to get off quickly. Oops. Landon was a HUGE help in getting Brynne to make the transition from diapers to panties. He encouraged Brynne the entire time and was her biggest cheerleader each time she used the potty. He is so proud of his sister and reminds her often to use the potty. Man, girls are definitely easier than boys. At least until the teenage years...Oy Vey!

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I can't believe that June is right around the corner. Only a month left before we have a 4 year old!! So hard to believe. Time sure does fly by when you have two toddlers!

Hope you all have a great week!

Wordless Wednesday!

2010-05-12T10:22:00.001-07:00

It's a BIG day for our beautiful girl...

How'd you spend your week?

2010-04-30T10:35:00.000-07:00

I can't believe this week is over already! With the end of this week the month of April is over. That means only 2 months until Landon's 4th birthday. Hold me.

-----

This week we~

Enjoyed a beautiful spring day at Grandma and Grandpa's house. Complete with a squirt gun fight with Daddy and Uncle Nate

playtime in the water sprinkler

and of course, bubbles!

We also tried out a new park this week. I am in LOVE with this park. It has a special area just for toddlers with toddler size toys!

It was an important day for Landon who finally mastered the monkey bars (thanks to the tot-friendly size) He was SO excited, and played on them the entire time.

So proud of you Buddy!!

Wednesday we had lunch with Amanda and her boys

and relaxed by the duck pond,

watched for bugs and had a great time!

We also went to Matty's T-ball game. Landon was SO exited to see his best buddy play baseball and hasn't stopped talking about it since.

Look at this little tot out there!

Way to go Matty!!

Travis and his Mini-Me

We had such a great time watching the kids play!

So that's how we spent our week!

How did you spend yours??

He completely missed the point...

2010-04-26T09:55:00.000-07:00

We live in a dry, desert, foothill area...after all this is Southern California. Yesterday our neighbors killed a very large rattlesnake. It is really early in the season to see any snakes, so we were pretty surprised! We did actually have snow only a few days ago. The snow melted quickly and the temps warmed up fast. Raising two toddlers in a "snake area" is a constant stress for me during the summer months. I have never been a snake person myself, and I try hard not to pass on my fears to the kids. So we try and find a balance between educating them about the potential danger of snakes, and encouraging them to be curious and interested in reptiles. This morning I had a talk with Landon before he went out to the backyard to play. I'm hoping he got the point...

Me: "Landon, yesterday at Kyle's house they found a VERY big, dangerous snake. They took it away so it can't hurt you, but Mama and Daddy want you to be very careful when you play outside now. You are only allowed to play in the back yard and you have to stay inside the fence."

Landon: "Where's da big snake at Mom?"

Me: "They got rid of it! Anyway, listen to what I am saying to you. If you see ANY snake you need to run away and come and get me or Daddy right away! DO NOT try to touch it, or even stand there and look at it. Come get me and Daddy and we Daddy will take care of it!"

Landon: "Did Kyle see da snake Mom?"

Me: "Yes, Kyle saw a snake and he was very scared so he ran and got his Mommy and Daddy and they saved him and took care of it. So are you listening? Do you understand? Watch what you are doing while you play out back and come get Mama or Daddy as soon as you see a snake! Understand?"

Landon: "Ok Mom, if I see da snake I come reawwy fast and get you, or Dad! Annnnnd, I promise I will not touch any wolves."

Me: "Wolves?"

Landon: "Yep, no touching da wolves."

I don't even know what to say to that...

Wordless Wednesday!

2010-04-14T09:16:00.000-07:00

Potty talk

2010-04-12T09:41:00.000-07:00

I was walking down the hall and out to the kitchen as I do every morning. As I passed the hall bathroom Landon called out "Look Mama, I can pee from all da way back here!" I peeked in on him and he was standing on his step stool 2 feet away from the toilet, with a pretty big smile on his face. I yelled at him to stop, as I watched pee splashing everywhere. I talked with him about correct potty form, and then cleaned the bathroom. This kid is a stand up comedians dream child! I could write an entire show based around his toilet humor alone.

It's a gloomy, rainy, cold day here in Southern Ca. Since it's too nasty out to really go anywhere I decided to stay home with the kids today and really tackle Brynne's potty training. We started trying to potty train her when she turned 2 in January. Unfortunately the kids and I were pretty sick for most of January and February. She didn't show much promise in those first days, and not having any energy I let it slide and just gave up. We decided to wait for a month or two and try again. So today is the big day! And I am happy to report, so far so good! Brynne and Landon were playing down the hallway, and she ran all the way to her potty, and made it in time! Landon and I sang and danced around and made a HUGE deal out of it. Brynne got a marshmallow, a sticker, and some M&M's. She was smiling from ear to ear so I am really hoping this day ends as well as it started!

Huntington Beach 04-07-10

2010-04-08T08:30:00.000-07:00

Yesterday the kids and I spent the day at Huntington Beach with some of our good friends. The beach was pretty crowded for a Wednesday afternoon, but it is Spring Break. It was 80* and the weather was perfect, and we had such a great day!

We have taken Landon to the beach before, but he was pretty young at the time.

Here he is having lunch...
Brynne hadn't been to the beach before, but she always seems to go along with the flow, and was excited to see her friends. When we got there a ladybug nest was hatching, or something, because there were TONS of ladybugs flying out of the sand and onto everything we had with is. At one point I pulled 12 of them out of Brynne's hair!! It was kinda gross, but the kids liked the ladybugs.
Here's Brynne showing me a "laylee buh" like the one on her bathing suit!

For the first hour or so Brynne didn't leave Landon's side. He showed her around like he was an old pro or something.

Landon is always a little catious about new situations, and while Brynne ran full force to the waters edge, he took his time and watched for a while. Eventually he got right in with her and they were running from the waves.

Brynne does not like to be dirty! Don't get me wrong, she will play in the dirt for hours, but likes to use a stick or shovel to do so. She hates to have her hands dirty. So she kept whining to me about her dirty hands. I finally just told her that she was going to be dirty all day so we will clean up as soon as we get to the car to head home. That speech seemed to work and she stopped asking me to clean her off.

As the kids were running through the waves I could see that Brynne was getting more and more comfortable. One particular time she went out a little too far and I could tell that the wave that was about to hit the beach was a bit bigger than the ones that they had been playing in. I told her to come closer and she said "No, Mama, My playing in da water!" Needless to say the wave hit the beach and swept her off her feet. She quickly was rolling through the wave and ended up face down floating in the ocean. The wave was pulling her out further and further and I could not stop laughing long enough to grab her. I was balancing my camera in one hand and finally had to just run out into the water and yank her out by her arm.

The above picture is about 10 minutes after that big nasty ocean almost got her! She came out of that water hysterical and had sand on every inch of her body. She pretty much kept her distance from the waves after that!

Landon was is dump truck Heaven with all the sand!

While Brynne was resting and drying off after her fall she noticed all the seagulls. She loves animals and asked me over and over if she can hold the birds. Here she is watching them closely.

Brynne played in the sand for the rest of our day and would only go near the water if Mama was holding her tightly. I'm hoping the next time we go to the beach she will have forgotten about the fall into the waves.

There were 4 of us girls there and we each have 2 kids. 8 kids running around the beach can get a bit scary at times, but we never lost any of them, LOL!

70 sandy toes...

Landon found a deep hole and spent about 10 minutes filling it back up. He requested that I take this picture so he could show Daddy "his working."

Beautiful day, look at that sky!

Brynne spent most of the afternoon laying around in the sand. It was amazing how fast she got over her dislike for being dirty!

Mama and her boy

Brynne, Ethan Walters, Landon, and Aiden Walters

The boys loved driving their Tonka trucks through the waves and wet sand.

Happy little guy!

Brynne and Jessica playing Princess in the sand.

8 kids, 4 tired Mama's, and a beautiful day spent at the beach!

We can't wait to go back!

There was a toilet at the mailbox...

2010-03-30T14:19:00.000-07:00

Man, we sure have some funny neighbors!!

Overheard

2010-03-28T18:51:00.000-07:00

Landon and Brynne were playing together in Landon's room this morning, and I could hear their conversation as I was laying in bed.

Landon: "STOP Brynnie, you bein' mean!!"

Landon: "Brynne that's a NO NO, you better stop dat."

Brynne: "No Lanlan, my do it yike dis."

Landon: "BRYNNIE, if you break my bridge one more time I'm a gonna tell Dad on you and yous gonna get a BAD spankin, understand me?"

Brynne: "No Lanlan, Dad pank you."

Landon: cracking up "you silly Brynnie, Dads spanken wont even hurt me!"

What have we learned from this little exchange? Apparently bridge breaking is a zero tolerance crime, and Landon has no fear of Daddy's spankings. Good to know.

the San Diego Wild Animal Park

2010-03-26T10:09:00.000-07:00

I realize that I have totally sucked at blogging lately. No real reason, other than not being in the habit of doing it anymore. We went a few weeks back in Jan/Feb where one of us was always sick. That interrupted my normal, consistent, blogging schedule. I hope to be back on track in the next week or so, documenting the daily adventures of our family.

Like last Saturday when we took the kids to the San Diego Wild Animal Park. The weather was beautiful...is it ever not in San Diego? Anyway, we had a wonderful day. Here are some pictures.

Look Daddy! Bird!

Getting a closer look!

Beautiful flamingos

Brynne is just like her Auntie in that she LOVES animals. Anywhere we go, anytime we see any type of animal she goes crazy! LOVES all creatures!

Daddy's girl

Landon watching the gorillas at feeding time

They were thrilled to see the gorillas

Daddy has the longest arms of anyone I have ever met! Almost gorilla status, LOL!

She has a little growing to do to catch up..

Brothers turn...

Exploring

I love this picture because it is a perfect example of the different personalities that each of our kids have. Timid, and uncertain, Landon hovers behind dad a little scared of the bird. Animal lover, and much less afraid Brynne goes in for the grab and wants to hug the birdie. Landon stood like that the entire time we were in the bird area, while Brynne chased the birds and grabbed them every chance she got!

Going in for the pet...

Waiting to take the tour through the animal park

On our way back to our car Landon wanted his picture taken in these trees. So while he smiled for Mama...

baby sister napped in the stroller, having fallen asleep mid-snack.

We had the best time and a wonderful day as a family. Our kids are growing up so fast, so I like to take advantage of all of the fun things Southern California has to offer before Landon starts school in another year. The Animal Park was definitely a good time!

35 things about me!

2010-03-15T22:08:00.000-07:00

I am linking up to Kathryn's blog here

35 things about me!

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1. I am a crappy reality TV junkie

2. I only watch TV shows that have been recorded on our DVR, and I haven't watched a commercial in months! LOVE it!

3. I paint my nails at least twice a week

4. Travis and I have owned 3 homes, and this one is by far the BEST fit for our family. We plan to live here for the next 20+ years!

5. I always sleep with a light on. I'm not sure if that is more for me or more for the kids who wake me up at least once a night still.

6. I LOVE to clean. But I HATE to mop the floors. Worst chore ever!

7. I haven't had steak in years

8. I only drink water or Diet Coke/Diet Pepsi

9. My kids are 18 months apart, and if I'd had my way they'd be even closer in age!

10. I get stressed if too many days pass between blog posts.

11. I NEVER leave home without my camera.

12. I spent the weekend redoing our daughters room. I LOVE to decorate.

13. I am afraid of heights and literally will talk myself into falling off a ladder if I am 3 steps up, LOL.

14. I wanted 4 kids, Travis wanted 1, we compromised on 2 and couldn't be happier.

15. My entire family (siblings, parents, Grandparents, Uncle) lives within 30 minutes of us. With the exception of my brother who is stationed 2 hours away with the Marine Corps. My sister lives less than 5 minutes away.

16. I hate breakfast and eat a plain bagel with very little peanut butter on it every morning.

17. I never learned to type correctly. I only use 3 or 4 fingers to type. However I type 40 WPM with no errors!

18. I have owned 8 cars in as many years. Drives my hubby crazy, but I say better cars than drugs or other men, LOL!

19. I have a bad habit of watching TV while laying in bed, and never fall asleep without watching TV first.

20. I have a death phobia and can't bear to see anyone in a dangerous environment.

21. I studied photography for all 4 years of H.S. and an additional year in college. I would say that taking pictures is my absolute favorite, ~~and only~~, hobby!

22. I have a very sarcastic sense of humor and often times people have a bad first impression of me, and think I am a bitch.

23. I am a gossip magazine addict. I read them all, every week. Sad I know. But I love it!

24. My mom had me when she was 30, and I had my daughter when I was 30. I think that is kinda cool!

25. I hate to stay home, and the toddlers and I are always on the go. We stay home about one day a week to get cleaning and laundry done, but other than that we find something to do away from home!

26. I have always wished that I was a runner. I suck at running, and I hate exercising. But I wish that I could be one of those people who wakes up and goes for a run each morning.

27. I am a champion walker though! I could walk all day, every day and not need to stop.

28. I triple check to make sure the doors and sliders are all locked before bed every single night. I also NEVER go to bed without checking on both kids to make sure they ~~are still there~~ are tucked in and warm.

29. I cannot wait for Brynne to be 2 1/2 because that is when they are allowed to start ballet where we live. I have dreamed of having a little girl to take to ballet class for years and years and am so excited. My sister and I took ballet when we were younger and I always remember being so happy to go to dance class. She will be adorable in her ballet shoes!

30. I used to love my job as a part time waitress, lately I HATE it. Travis and I are making changes in our lives and schedules so that I can hopefully quit working all together. My job is very stressful and dealing with the same "type" of people each week is making me crazy and judgemental.

31. I absolutely love spring and am thrilled to see the weather warming up and am especially thankful for the extra hour of daylight we get! I never understand why people bitch about losing an hour of sleep when we "spring forward." To me it is SO worth it to have an extra hour of sunlight each day!

32. If I could I would eat chicken salad every night for dinner. That's all.

33. I hate chocolate, and prefer vanilla in almost every situation where a choice is necessary!

34. I rarely am in bed by midnight every day.

35. I am most thankful for my beautiful babies and my sweet husband!

NO sew, cheap curtain project

2010-03-09T08:12:00.000-08:00

While browsing Target the other day I came across these cloth napkins on clearance. 4 napkins for $1.74! They were in the same shade of green that we had begun to use in the re-decoration of our dining room/living room. I didn't know exactly what I would use them for, but I stuck all 5 packs into my shopping cart and continued on with my shopping. I got to thinking about an easy window treatment, and here's what I came up with.

We have 3 windows in the dining room, so I bought 3 of these cheapy spring loaded cafe rods from Lowe's...I think they were under $3 each!

I marked on the back of each napkin where I needed the fabric to fold in order for the length to be the same on each one, with a pencil.

Next I put a thin layer of hot glue along the top op the napkin back. I didn't even bother to pull out my heavy duty glue gun. The $2 mini one I have worked ok.

I learned after the first one that I had to work quickly while doing this step. The glue had a tendency to dry quicker than normal, and I am guessing it is because I was using the glue on fabric, which can be pretty absorbent.

Next I folded the top down to my pencil lines and pressed firmly for about 15 seconds.

A perfect loop for a curtain rod and I didn't need to drag out my sewing machine!

I used 3 napkins on the 2 side smaller windows.

And 4 napkins on the larger window in the center of the dining room.

I'll admit that the "curtains" needed more fluffing, and tweaking, than normal store bought curtains. There are more seams that can show because the napkins are small. My husband and I are both perfectionists so we worked on this until they looked juuuust right!

In the end it took me 15 minutes, I spent $11 dollars ($4 napkins, $7 on curtain rods) on window treatments for 3 windows!! Best of all it turned out great!! This was by far one of the easiest projects I have ever worked on.

Up next, the dining room reveal!!

*Sorry for the crappier than normal picture quality, I had to take these late at night, with the point and shoot camera.

Entryway project

2010-02-28T13:49:00.000-08:00

As soon as you walk through our front door this is the wall you see. It is huge, and boring. Until recently we weren't sure what to do with it. I wanted to somehow add some paint to bring down the height of the wall. 2 years ago when we moved in I hung the pictures. Since then we haven't touched it. Until this week!

Travis added a chair rail, and I added some green paint. Although we loved the look of the chair rail, neither of us were to happy with the look of the paint. So off to Home Depot we went.

From Behr color "Boston Fern"

to Behr color "Toffee Crunch"

From plain and boring... (ignore the plants, they are in need of a trim!)
to fabulous!! All for under $30!

We LOVE it and the look of the entire house is transformed! We continued the chair rail around the corner and throughout the dining room. I will post pictures of the dining room makeover later in the week!

What projects have you been working on?

Wordless Wednesday!

2010-02-24T17:31:00.000-08:00

My baby nephew is here!!!

2010-02-22T09:20:00.000-08:00

Ok, ok, so if there was an award for blog slacker of the month I would most definitely win! My blogging absense could easily be blamed on any one of ten things that have kept me away from the computer for more than 5 minutes at a time! The most likely of choices being the constant fighting that my kids have decided to make part of our morning routine. Geesh, they are 3 and 2...I can't imagine what the fighting will be like in years to come!

Onto some more IMPORTANT news!!!
My beautiful sister labored hard for hours on February 15th and at 9:21p delivered this sweet, perfect baby boy!

Ryder James

7lb 7oz 20" long

He is so sweet, snuggly, and makes the most wonderful newborn grunts and groans. We are so in love with him and feel so lucky to have a baby in the family again.

Both Amy and Nathan are doing great, and have adjusted so easily to being home and having a new life to care for!
Baby Ryder is happy and healthy and is proving to be a good baby, who rarely cries, and who is content throughout the day.

I'm so happy for my sister to be able to experience motherhood. No matter how much you think you know about it, it just is one of those things that you really don't "get" until you live it.
I am SO lucky to be called Auntie by this little boy. I know the relationship that Amy has with my kids; they think everything of Auntie Amy. I hope that Ryder and I will have a similar relationship, and I can do all the fun things that make being an Auntie amazing!

Congrats Nathan and Amy, and welcome baby Ryder!

We love you all SO much!

Monday Musings

2010-02-08T11:18:00.000-08:00

I've never been so happy to see Monday roll around. Here's hoping that this week isn't as shitty as the last 3 have been! The weather is deceiving today. It is clear, and beautiful outside. As I am writing this the birds out back are chirping. If I didn't know better Id think Spring was in the air. But it's not...just open my front door and all hopes of warmer weather quickly disappear. It's a chilly 42* outside.

**********

I can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel, and although of us are still on antibiotics, I'm thinking that we have got to be done with all of the sickness. Right? We can't possibly catch anything else. Landon has a lingering cough, which sounds worse than it is. My throat hasn't rid itself fully of the strep virus, but I am feeling a lot better. Brynne is doing better, with the exception of her runny nose. And Daddy, well daddy continues to live his life germ free. How he does it I just don't know. If I could bottle up his immune system and sell it, we'd be a rich family!

**********

On a lighter note, my sister's due date is exactly one week away! Baby Ryder should be making his debut anytime. Although family history will tell you that she'll carry my little nephew until she hits 41 weeks and then have to be induced. Either way we are just praying for a happy, healthy baby boy.

**********

I'm going back to work tonight after almost 3 weeks of not working. Between the kids being sick, and passing everything back and forth, to my strep throat I have not been able to work. I'm glad to be going back, and can't wait to get the heck out of this house! Valentines Day is next Sunday, and that Holiday marks the busiest day of the year for those who work in the food/restaurant industry. So I feel like I am going back right in time to make some good money. Men always tip well on Valentines Day...Ummm, well most men. Certain men don't tip well regardless of the circumstance! For those that do tip well, I figure it has something to do with the fact that they have a lady to impress! Or a man for that matter. Hey, I don't judge.

**********

I realize it has been 2 weeks since Brynne's well visit and I have yet to post her 2 year stats. I love to compare her stats to where Landon was, 18 months ago, when he was her age. Fun times.

*****

Happy Monday everyone!

Ch Ch Ch Change

2010-02-06T15:18:00.000-08:00

It's hard to believe that in the span of one year we've gone from this:

to this:

These are the first smiles we've seen in a long time around here.

Thought I'd better document them!

FML

2010-02-03T08:22:00.001-08:00

I haven't posted this week because every time I sit down to write it comes out reading like a long list of things I am bitching about. I'm not normally a negative person, and tend to prefer gossiping over bitching. This has been another hard week. Saturday I woke up with a slightly sore throat. By Monday it was full blown strep. Smack dab in the middle of my strep throat Landon decides to make matters worse by having a BAD ear infection, which was only discovered after a 3 hour screaming/crying session when he didn't want to take a nap. I had a crying session of my own on the way to the pediatricians office. He's taking amoxicilin now and seems to be feeling better today. I however feel worse, if that is even possible. It hurts SO bad to talk. I am a stay at home mom with two toddlers. My days are filled with lessons, lectures, talks, reasoning, and even yelling. The past few days have been the worst as a mom. I am left wondering why only a month ago my husband got to spend 3 days in bed uninterrupted, for a cold, while I am dealing with strep throat and he refuses to stay home with the kids so I can have one damn day of rest. I know that it has been said that moms never get a break. Never has that been more true for me. Here's hoping I can make it through today, because tomorrow will always be better right? Oh, and to make matters worse, tomorrow is my birthday. I can't even swallow jello without crying. There will be no birthday cake for this Mama. First Brynne spent her birthday sick and miserable and now I will do the same.

I promise the next time I blog it will have nothing to do with being sick. But this week people, that's all I've got.

What's my motivation?

2010-01-29T07:54:00.000-08:00

Brynne 2, Landon 3 1/2
Double Trouble

I'm feeling really lazy today. Maybe because it's Friday? Maybe because I have a busy weekend ahead? I dunno. I have no motivation. None. I have so much laundry to do, I can't even see the floor of the laundry room anymore. There are no fewer than 6 dirty sippy cups sitting in the sink, begging to be washed. I have to go to the bank, and the grocery store. Those errands just are not fun with the toddlers in tow. I am so sick of this cold weather. I know it is contributing to my laziness. It takes twice as long to get the kids, and myself, dressed in the morning. I have to find twice as many clothes just to keep us all layered up and warm. I don't feel like doing anything besides laying in bed and watching TV all day. I'm not really afforded that luxury however, so somehow, somewhere I'd better find my motivation. I'm hosting a house full of people on Sunday for my sister's "co-ed" baby shower. I have a few last minute things I need to finish for the party. And a lot of last minute cleaning to do. I guess I'd better get off this laptop and start sorting my whites and colors.

HAPPY FRIDAY EVERYONE!!

Brynne's 2nd birthday party!

2010-01-26T14:30:00.000-08:00

Now that we have managed to get over the pukes around here, I have a lot to catch up on. Most importantly being the few pictures that I do have from Brynne's 2nd birthday party. Like I said before, poor little girl got sick in the middle of her party. This Mama spent a lot of time, cleaning, cuddling, and just making sure that she was ok. Pictures were the last thing on my mind.

The party started out great!

Brynne was so excited and was happy to see all of our friends and family~

Brynne and Pop Pop~

looking at these pics now I can see that by this time she had started to not feel well.

I'm sure the fact that she was sucking on a juice box didn't help the stomach flu~

My great family.

Mom, Matthew, Me, Dad, Amy (and baby Ryder!!)

OK, this was after the pukes had started and after she'd had a bath...yes, in the middle of her birthday party. Poor, sweet girl looks so sick/sad here. Talk about breaking Mama's heart. Let's just say I moved her away from the cake just in the nick of time!

Trying to get a decent picture with our birthday girl. She was so miserable.

A few hours later, after the guests had left and Brynne had napped, she somehow found enough energy to open a few of her gifts. She was as excited as a sweet girl with the flu can be.

Landon was a big help to Brynna and took extra good care of his sick sister on her birthday!

Yep, baby girl opened her presents on a towel, with a bowl sitting just out of the shot. Not fun!

She opened one or two, took a break to get sick again, rest a few minutes, and open another one or two. We went on like this until each gift was unwrapped.

So excited about her new doggy toy! This was the biggest smile we saw all night.

Poor baby girl. This picture makes me so sad.

No birthday cake or cupcakes for this 2 year old Princess!!

Nope, this birthday girl celebrated her 2nd birthday with a popscicle.

And even that didn't go so well.

My heart was breaking for my girl on her big day. Brynne was SO excited for this party. Mostly because Landon had been talking it up for weeks. She was so happy to see all of the Minnie Mouse party stuff in the store, and helped me pick out everything. She was SO happy when the bounce house arrived and she giggled and watched out the window as the guys set it up. She couldn't wait for her 'fwens' to come over and sing 'Happeee Birdaay' to her.

We will definitely make up for it next year, and make sure Brynne's 3rd birthday party is a FUN celebration for our sweet girl. I know the day was way worse for me than it was for anybody else. But can I just say that we have the best friends and family. Everyone was so understanding and so concerned about Brynne. Thank you so much to everybody who made this very stressful day, even the tiniest bit easier.

Brynne we LOVE you so much! SO sorry your big day was spent in such an ugly way! Next year will be much better for our sweet baby girl!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Next up, stats from Brynne's 2 year well visit!

Because everybody loves an update!

2010-01-25T14:05:00.000-08:00

I am happy to finally report that the kids are healthy again! After a full week of the pukes I am SO relieved that we are again germ free...well, as germ free as a house with 2 toddlers can be.

***

Brynne has her 2 year well visit with the ped tomorrow and I am so excited to see how much she has grown! She is always at the very bottom of the curve for her height and weight, but lately she seems to be, I dunno...bigger!? At least I thought so, until we were at Subway getting lunch this afternoon. The lady behind the counter asked me if she was 18 months old yet. I said yes, she's actually two. Silence. Yep, I get it. I know she is small. Whatever.

***

So I am still shredding. I started on January 13th, and 12 days into this I have only missed 2 workouts. That's pretty good considering the week we had around here! I have yet to move onto level two, and some days feel like I will never get there. I am proud of my consistency though, and am seeing some changes in my body already. My legs are definitely looking more toned. I have lost a tiny bit around my waist, and have lost 4 lbs. already. S0 far so good.

***

With the crazy storms that Southern CA saw this past week we got 7" of snow. Have I mentioned that I.Hate.Snow? It is slowing melting off and we are dealing with the runoff now. Water drips off the roof all day long, it is muddy and nasty outside, and our front lawn looks like a swamp straight out of Louisiana. Not to mention we are expecting another storm tomorrow night. Lovely. I can't wait for Spring!

***

My nephew is due to make his grand entrance into this world in just 3 weeks! I am getting SO excited and have started to get nervous every time the phone rings and it is my sister! I have horrible baby fever right now, and my hubby is hoping that the arrival of both my sister's baby and her best friends baby, a month later, will cure my wants! Ya, we'll see...

***

Hope you all are having a lovely Monday. I will be back tomorrow to post after Brynne's Dr. Appt.

Auntie, Brynne, Mama

I still can't believe she is two!!

What I DO know

2010-01-22T21:58:00.000-08:00

What I don't know:

is how many times I have cried this week...

is how many times my 2 year old threw up on her birthday...

is how many loads of laundry I have done this week...

is how many days it took for Landon to catch what Brynne had...

is how many miles we drove making trips to the hospital and trips to the Pediatrician...

is how many doses of Tylenol I have given in the last 6 days...

is how many times Landon cried, simply because he didn't feel well...

is how many times my husband and I argued due to stress and no sleep...

is how many times I prayed to God to please, please make my kids feel better...

is how many times I prayed to God for just one hour of sleep...

is how many times I felt sick because I was so worried about our ~~babies~~ kids...

is how many times I told Brynne to STOP WHINING before I'd

feel bad and remember she is sick...

*-*-*-*-*-*-*

What I do know:

is that today was our first puke free day since Sunday...

is that today Landon smiled for the first time in a few days...

is that Brynne ate this morning for the first time in 5 days...

is that I took a 3 hour nap and felt so much better...

is that I am SO grateful that as of yet Travis and I are healthy still...

is that the kids felt well enough to go out in the snow for a few minutes this evening...

is that this was without a doubt the hardest week of my life...

is that I hope to not set foot in another hospital until I am there to see my beautiful sister deliver my new nephew next month...

is that I am SO glad we are almost through with this horrible week...

is that being a mother is a wonderful, exhausting, challenging, rewarding, HARD job, but never have I loved my babies more and been so worried about them...

~~Hoping~~ Knowing tomorrow will be a better day!

Poor Birthday Girl

2010-01-18T10:53:00.000-08:00

I'd honestly like to forget the last 24 hours, but in reality this blog is a journal of our life. With that not only comes the good stuff, but also the bad stuff too.

Today is Brynne's second birthday, and instead of posting fun pictures of my smiling girl at her birthday party, I am posting these. They are from Friday night when we took her to Disneyland to start her birthday weekend off right!

Yesterday was her birthday party, and about an hour into it she started throwing up and has been really sick ever since. It breaks my heart because she was SO excited to have a bounce house and so happy to have a Minnie Mouse party with all her friends. She helped me pick out all of the decorations. And even picked out her own cake.

She didn't get to enjoy the party or play with her friends. She spent almost the whole day in bed, throwing up every 1/2 hour.
This little guy had a BLAST at Brynne's party though.
Landon had so much fun bouncing, eating cupcakes,
and spending time with his buddies, and our family.

Everybody tells me she won't remember it and it is not a big deal. But to me, it is a big deal. So much planning and shopping, and decorating, and so much excitement all for Brynna and she missed it. I know she won't remember it, but I will.

I am so thankful we got to spend Friday night at Disneyland and we had such a great time. Brynne was so happy to be there and was VERY excited to see Minnie in the parade.

She looks crazy in this picture because she was SO tired, it was pretty late and she was running on pure adrenaline. She had a really fun time though!

I was thinking that we are so lucky she didn't get sick at Disneyland, like on Daddy's lap, while riding Dumbo! LOL

Watching the fireworks

Brynne barely made it to the fireworks!

She was almost asleep when they finally started the show!

Happy Birthday Brynne 2010!

Such a beautiful, sweet, happy, loving, kind, sensitive, tender hearted, playful, nice, PERFECT baby girl for our family!

I KNOW this will be such a fun year for Brynne! She has already started showing signs of becoming more independent and often chooses to stay indoors and play with her babies while Landon runs around outside. She LOVES to watch me do my makeup and loves to sit still while I paint her toenails. She stares at the nail polish and says "pwiddy" over and over. It always makes me smile. She sure is becoming a Daddy's girl and talks about Travis all day long.We are SO blessed to have Brynne as our daughter. I am such a lucky wife and Mama.

Happy 2nd Birthday Brynne Noelle <3

(post to follow with the few birthday party pics I do have)

She's a BIG girl now!

2010-01-16T14:37:00.000-08:00

Just 2 days before her 2nd birthday Brynne went from this:

to this:

Coincidentally, I went from this:
to this:
Rough day!

Thoughts for Thursday

2010-01-14T08:53:00.001-08:00

I am feeling sore, and lazy this morning. So, my thoughts for Thursday post will include some of my current favorite products.

I started this 2 days ago:

I LOVE the workout, and the DVD keeps me interested so I feel like it is something that I can stick with. I also have muscles in my chest and butt that are sore that I didn't even know I had. I am going to do it for 30 days straight, and see what happens! I highly recommend it for anyone who needs a good workout DVD. It is quick, easy to follow, and definitely a good workout!

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Ok, I am SO excited to talk about this:

I am normally what some would call a "shampoo snob." I am very picky with my hair products, and don't mind spending the extra money for a good quality shampoo/conditioner. I have been hearing a lot about the Suave professionals line lately, and decided to just give it a try. I am SO glad I did! I am using the sleek shampoo and conditioner, which has been great for my naturally wavy/frizzy hair. The shampoo was less than $2.00 and the conditioner was $2.50, on sale at Target last week. I noticed a change in my hair right away. It is softer, more easily managed, and definitely more shiny! 4 separate people have noticed the change in my hair, and I am LOVING this product! This is for sure not the same Suave product I used back in 6th grade! Try it, if you absolutely hate it, you have only wasted $5.00!

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I am so in love with Rimmel's Glam Eyes Mascara right now! I literally have 8-10 different tubes of mascara in my make-up drawer. And this one is the best one I have used in a looong time. I picked it up at Target (shocking right?!) a few months ago because of the cute packaging. The black and pink combo caught my eye, and I am so glad it did. LOVE this!

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Last but not least I want to tell you about Hefty's Zoo Pals disposable cups and lids. My kids are forever leaving their sippy cups laying around the house and the yard. I found these a few months ago and can't get enough of them!! They are sold in a pack of 12-14 and have cute animal designs great for a boy or a girl. I think I paid about $2.25 per pack, which I say is a GREAT price. Once their drink is gone, we toss the cup, no clean up! I even keep a few of them in the car. Most fast food places sell kids' meals with drinks that are too big for my toddlers. Lately I just split the kids meal drink into 2 of these cups and it is the perfect amount for the kids. The cups are the perfect size for toddlers and make a spill far less likely! So far I can only find these at Target, and the only downside is that they are only sold in a pack of 12. I'm hoping Costco carries these soon, in a huge pack!

*To satisfy the FCC I have to tell you that I did not receive any compensation in reviewing/recommending these products. These are all my own opinions about products that I DO use and pay for on my own*

How is it almost Brynne's 2nd birthday!?

2010-01-13T08:55:00.000-08:00

Somebody around here will be turning 2 in five days!!

I CAN'T believe it and don't know how time can go by so fast!

We have been busy getting ready for a birthday party, and are SO excited to celebrate with our friends and family!

HOW is my sweet girl a full blown, active toddler??

LOVE you Brynna, hope you have the best Minnie Mouse party these parts have ever seen!!

Easy DIY Project!

2010-01-07T11:47:00.000-08:00

Ok, this project is SO easy and looks great when finished!!

I picked up these picture frames in the dollar spot at Target. I loooove the dollar spot! Anyway, $2.50 for 3 frames!! They were in white or silver. I chose white for this project.

Next, I came home and chose some scrapbook paper in coordinating colors/patterns. I had the letters of my daughters' name already and hadn't found a use for them yet. I also used a pair of scissors, a craft knife and my hot glue gun.

I took the display paper out of one of the frames and used it to trace around my scrapbook paper. I used a pencil so any marks could be erased. I then cut out the traced square so the paper would fit perfectly!

I put one paper square in each frame and closed it up.
And then decided how I wanted to arrange the letters of Brynne's name:

Next step, hot glue the underside of the letter and press it onto the outside glass of the frame.

*Note, the frames I used were from the cheapo section at Target so rather than have glass they had plastic. If you use these frames be careful because once you press the letter down with the glue on it, you can not move it/position it! The glue sticks to the plastic immediately!

They turned out SO cute and it took me only 20 minutes and cost me only $5.00 for the frames, everything else I already had!

I can't decide if I want to display them on a shelf in her room or hang them from the wall with coordinating ribbon.

This would be such a cute gift idea, using a last name. The paper is inexpensive and can be switched out to coordinate with any decor or Holiday! And you don't have to be crafty at all to do this!

I am already planning on using the silver frames to do something fun for next Christmas. I am thinking of spelling out NOEL!

Looooooove it!

Why do I do this to myself?? WHY?

2010-01-04T09:22:00.000-08:00

Guess what we are starting...

Potty training Brynna is officially starting today.
Call me CRAZY...it's all right, my husband does.
I am driven by the thought of never having to buy diapers again.
This will no doubt be a stressful, looong week.
Please send positive thoughts my way...
and food and chocolate because we will be stuck in the house all day every day.
Somebody will most likely end up crying on the floor in the fetal position.
Me, or Brynne? Only time will tell.

Hellllllllo 2010!

2010-01-01T10:07:00.000-08:00

Honestly I have not even uploaded the pictures from Christmas morning to my computer yet. Nothing like a little procrastination to start off the new year! My camera is possibly on the fritz and that's a hard reality that I am not ready to face. So I will try to get the rest of the Christmas pictures posted by the end of the weekend.

Travis and I rang in the new year sleeping. I awoke to the sound of fireworks (very scary in our dry, southern CA, mountain area) at 12:02am. Silently cursed the idiot neighbors and said "Happy New Year babe" to my sleeping hubby and rolled back over. The kids decided to start 2010 off right and actually slept in until 8:30 this morning! That's unheard of around here, but I was in desperate need of the extra rest and am very thankful!

-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-

I hope you all had a wonderful, and safe New Year's Eve surrounded by those you love! Thank you to all of you who have followed my blog throughout 2009. There are almost 50 of you now! I doubt I will ever reach a million ~~stalkers~~ followers like MckMama but I appreciate each of you. I have been making it a point to visit the blogs of my followers so I can "meet" each one of you. If you would like to, please leave a comment to say hello so I can do the same!

Here's hoping 2010 is a much better year than 2009, for all of us!

Christmas Eve 2009

2009-12-28T08:40:00.000-08:00

We got the gruesome twosome ready and headed out to spend Christmas Eve with my sister and her husbands family.

Amy and I (and baby Ryder in her belly!!)

Tearing into the Christmas presents

Auntie letting Brynne play the piano

Future musician?

Auntie Amy and Uncle Nate got Brynna a Minnie Mouse doll and it was LOVE at first sight!

Landon was SOO excited about this remote control helicopter...little did he know it was a gift for Daddy!!

Landon and Uncle Mike

Landon helping Brynne open a gift

Landon decided that playing in this VERY big gift bag was much more fun than any of the presents he was given, HA!

I HAD to take this cute picture of Brynne from behind! She was playing with Auntie and had no idea that she was flashing the room, LOL!

Christmas Eve 2009

We had such a fun time spending Christmas Eve with Nathan's family. We are so blessed to live near so many people who love our kids so much and who make us feel like part of their family.

We got home on Christmas Eve at about 9. Only an hour past the kids bed time. So we got down to business...

Daddy helps Landon pour some milk to leave out for Santa

Landon leaves Santa a cookie

Brynne leaving Santa a cookie

Ready for bed and SO excited for Santa!

Brynne also excited for Santa...and super attached to her new Minnie doll!

Minnie even made it into Brynne's crib

Our Christmas Eve was perfect! Up next, pictures and a post from Christmas day!

Hope you all had a wonderful Holiday with your family and friends!

Christmas Lights!

2009-12-21T12:31:00.000-08:00

On Friday we took the kids to a HUGE, wonderful, neighborhood Christmas lights display. There are 2 or 3 streets FULL of houses like these. Every house is decorated. Every house is amazingly beautiful! It is a tradition in the area of Southern CA where we live to visit this neighborhood during the weeks before Christmas. Some people wait in their cars in a long line just to be able to drive through and see the beautiful decorations. We decided to park, load up the kids in the stroller and just walk. The night was perfect, not too cool. We walked, and looked, and admired, and felt the Holiday spirit for an hour and a half. There were Christmas carolers, kids selling hot chocolate, even a young boy playing Christmas songs on his keyboard. We had SUCH a fun time and will definitely be back year after year!

Thank You Thoroughbred Lane!!

this one is funny, look close!

Our budding photographer took this one!

Our sweet cookies <3

Decorating the tree

2009-12-17T09:37:00.000-08:00

These pictures are from Thanksgiving weekend, but I just realized that my scheduled post never posted!

This year I managed to ignore my OCD long enough to actually let the kids decorate the tree. We ended up with a some areas that are completely bare, and a few more areas that are far too crowded with ornaments. They had a lot of fun doing it though, and I was glad to create new memories for them. Brynna really got into it and helped Mama until the tree was finished! Landon, who sadly has his Daddy's attention span, abandoned the tree decorating and opted for riding his bike!

SUCH a fun memory! I can't believe Christmas is a week away, and then Brynne's 2nd birthday only a few weeks after that! It's about to get busy around here!!!

Wordless Wednesday!

2009-12-16T08:46:00.000-08:00

Santa 2009

2009-12-14T22:02:00.000-08:00

...as Brynne plots her "great escape."

Thoughts

2009-12-13T15:05:00.000-08:00

Am I the only person who thinks that there needs to be a separate checkout lane for the dinosaurs who still write checks to pay for their items? Why oh why do I always pick the one lane that has some slow person writing a check!? I ran into Target today, for one thing (Landon's helicopter from Santa, if you MUST know...geesh) and it took me longer to checkout than it did to shop! 2 people in line ahead of me wrote checks! TWO!? Who doesn't have a debit card?

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Travis ~~and I~~ worked really hard on refinishing our dining room cabinets this weekend. We only have the doors left to do, but because there are 8 doors it may take another few days. We painted them white which is a huge change from the dark color they were before. I am LOVING the way they are turning out, and am so bummed that I forgot to take a 'before' picture, to really document the difference!

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We had to postpone our Holiday photo shoot with Phil again this weekend. For whatever reason Southern California has decided that dammit, it WILL rain this winter. I didn't figure Landon and Brynne would do too well in the rain, and Phil's camera probably cost at least a million dollars. Rain + million dollar camera = BAD idea! I had to bite the bullet and pick a picture of the kids to send out with our Christmas cards. It's not as nice as Phil's pictures will be, but time is ticking...I had no choice.

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My sister (AKA Auntie Amy) is only 2 months away from delivering my perfectly sweet new baby nephew! I can't wait, and know the next few months are going to fly by! Baby Ryder will be here before we know it, and this Auntie can not wait to spoil the little guy!

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I just realized that I have yet to take the kids to see Santa for a picture! Landon saw Santa at the mall a few weeks ago, as I blogged in this post, but Brynne kept her distance in the stroller. Daddy wasn't there and the kids weren't dressed for Santa pictures. We also saw Santa last week at Disneyland (I'm behind in blogging) but again Daddy wasn't there and Brynne was NOT happy. I guess we will have to try and take the kids this week. You can bet that I will post a picture of Brynne crying hysterically on Santa's lap. She still isn't too sure about that big guy in the red suit (;

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Hope everyone had a great weekend!

Katherine's 6th Birthday Party

2009-12-05T17:22:00.000-08:00

I completely forgot to post this before, but for memories sake I want to do so now.

A few weeks ago I took the kids to my brother's house for my niece Katherine's 6th birthday party. I remember when Katherine was born, and CAN NOT believe it has been 6 years already! She is the sweetest, most beautiful, little girl. I always wish they lived closer so we could see each other more often.

Here are some pics from our visit.

Brynnie and Auntie comparing baby bumps, LOL~

Uncle Nate put balloons in the kids shirts so they could look like Auntie, HA~

Brynna had her first experience with a kitten, and boy was she in love!~

My much bigger (little) brother Matthew~

Brynne having a cupcake~

The birthday girl having some birthday cake~

My sister-in-law made this really cute cake with a cupcake stem!~

My brother helping Katherine read her cards~

Brynne, always happy to socialize~

Me with my sweet niece! My brother says she is a mini version of me!~

Katherine with Auntie Amy~

Aunties giving some love to our nephew Joshua~

Happy Birthday Katherine~

Brynne enjoying the fresh air~

Joshua~

Cousins

Landon, Joshua, Katherine, and Brynna~

Landon and Brynne LOVED the play kitchen~

Boys, in the kitchen, LOL! Landon was cooking me some "Trawberries"

We had a great time and Landon and Brynne LOVED spending the day with their cousins. Can't wait to get together again for Christmas!

Why Santa? WHY???

2009-12-01T12:41:00.000-08:00

Landon LOVES Max and Ruby. It is his favorite cartoon and the only one he will sit entirely through. His favorite thing about the cartoon is the remote control helicopter that Max flies often in the episodes. Landon is old enough this year to kind of understand the concept of Christmas and how it works. He is also hearing a lot of the term "Santa is watching, better be a good boy." A'hem.

He gets it, and so far it seems to be working. Landon talks non-stop most days about how excited he is to tell Santa that he wants a remote control helicopter for Christmas. I was at the mall with the kids this morning and Landon was BEGGING me to go see Santa. On the way out we stopped by Santa's workshop and Landon jumped right out of the stroller and sat right on Santa's lap.

Santa: "Hello, how are you little boy!!? What would you like me to bring you for Christmas."

Landon: "I like a heliclopter remote contoll wike Max and Ruuuuby."

Santa (looking at me, ignoring Landon): "Did you see those remote control helicopters as you came into the mall over there (pointing)? I think I am going to go buy those for my grandson's for Christmas!"

I literally had just spent the entire 30 minute drive to the mall explaining to Landon that Santa lives in the North Pole and that he has elves that make ALL the toys for good boys and girls!! 5 seconds on Santa's lap and he's hearing Santa talk about buying cheap shit toys from the mall for his Grandson's?

SANTA FAIL!

I didn't even buy the picture because I was so irritated!

How about ya get into character a little but "Mr. Mall Rent-a-Santa!?"

It didn't help matters that the remote control helicopters that "Mr. Mall Rent-a-Santa" was referring to were sold in a kiosk near the entrance closest to where we had parked. As we strolled by on our way to the car Landon saw them and asked "Mom, are dose da heliclopters dat Santa's gunna buy for da kids?" I just ignored him and kept walking...

Turkey Day Pics

2009-11-26T22:09:00.000-08:00

We spent a wonderful day at my parents house, had WAY too much to eat! The kids are always SO excited to go to Grandma and Grandpa's house, and today was no exception.

Brynne started her day off right, playing Mama to the baby~

While Landon read a book...or two~

It's never long before Brynne ends up doing whatever it is Landon is doing~

The "Adult" table

My Gramps, Uncle Roger, my dad, my mom, my Gram~

My mom and my Gram, love these women!~

This little cutie is Chloe, my parents dog.

This is Landon's plate.

This is Chloe eyeing Landon's plate.

She laid on the couch watching this plate of food forever!
Too funny~

Landon with his GREAT Grandparents!~

for whatever reason, my Gramps always makes this face in pictures with the kids.

He must be very excited. Either that or it's because he is almost 100 years old!!!

Landon spent most of his day begging Uncle Nate to play soccer with him~

Little Miss spent most of the day doing what she does best...eating! This girl loves food!~

My parents are the best hosts! Their house is always decorated for whatever Holiday or Season we are in. I saw that my mom and dad had begun decorating their yard for Christmas already!! Their yard!? I haven't even started on my house!

This little trailer is always in their flower bed, it's so cute, I love it! Today I noticed this tiny Christmas tree was added. Too cute, had to take a picture!~

Auntie Amy packing up leftovers~

One of the many reasons I am thankful this season!~

Trying her hardest to get the toys out to play~

LOL, Uncle Roger let Landon play with his glasses. It was SO cute! Totally changed his look!

We had a GREAT day spending time with everyone! I am so lucky to have such an amazing family. We always have a good time together with lots of laughing and story telling. It is always hard to be away from Travis' family at the Holidays. I would love for them to share in our fun traditions. Florida is just TOO far away!

SO very Thankful for these two crazy kids!

This video perfectly captures the very reason why I rolled my eyes at my mother when she disagreed and told me that Apple Pie does NOT have too much sugar for the kids! She spoon fed them bite after bite. Not 15 minutes later I filmed this video...

Uh-Huh, whatever Grandma!

Thanksgiving 2009

2009-11-26T08:47:00.000-08:00

This Thanksgiving I am thankful for:

My husband and our strong, wonderful (most of the time) marriage. And the fact that he is outside on a 12 foot ladder right now, hanging our Christmas lights, so that we may be the first house in the neighborhood with our lights on. He's also informed me that the lights will be hung in record time this year, he's shooting for 45 minutes. I'm shooting for a morning without loud cussing if he staple-guns his finger, and without an ER trip should he fall off said 12 foot ladder.

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My first born, rough and tumble, never a dull moment, son Landon. He loves his Mama with equal parts of sweat, dirt, sloppy kisses, and the best hugs. I will never forget the feeling of seeing my first born baby for the first time. And now 3 years later I am SO thankful that I spend each and every day raising him and shaping the man he will one day become. Thanks for the constant laughter Landon, and also the high blood pressure. Mama loves you!

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Our sweet girl Brynna, who most definitely completes our family. I can't imagine my life without her and her sweet giggles, dragging her pink blankie everywhere she goes and following Landon around each and every day, all day long. My girl loves to love and can't get enough sweet hugs and kisses. She is the most laid back, happy girl and I love her with every ounce of my ability! As I type this Brynne is sitting tight next to me rubbing my leg with her chubby fingers. She keeps looking up at me and just smiling. What a lucky Mama I am!

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This Thanksgiving, as so many families have far less than we do, I am Thankful for everything God has provided for our family. Our family, our friends, our beautiful (it's getting there) home, and most importantly our healthy and happy babies...who aren't really babies anymore, but to me they will always be my babies. I hope this Thanksgiving that you each are surrounded by those you love, good food, funny conversation, and plenty of laughter! I know we will be.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Who's coming to dinner: Thanksgiving Edition

2009-11-25T15:24:00.000-08:00

Here's my wish list for Thanksgiving Dinner at my house

Rocco Dispirito

because let's face it, somebody has to bring groceries...

Matthew Morrison

he plays Mr. Schuster on Glee. If you aren't watching Glee you are missing out!!

There is just something about his boyish charm

...AND the man can sing and dance!

The Pioneer Woman, Ree Drummond

If you know me than you know I LOVE The Pioneer Woman. It would be a dream come true to sit down and share a meal with her. She is amazing, and I am sure she would use her mad photo skills to photograph our little country spread, and would no doubt make it look amazing!

Reese Witherspoon

because for whatever reason I am convinced that we would be great IRL friends if we ever met. She seems so nice and down to Earth and I just know our kids would play together for hours, quietly, as we sipped tea and gossiped about Jake Gyllenhal. No? Huh.

Paula Deen

because isn't everything better with a little Southern charm and a lot of butta!?

Rachel McAdams

because I am a loving, giving, selfless wife and my husband adores her. She seems pretty nice too...and I am sure she has a lot of dirt on Ryan Gosling!

and of course no Thanksgiving Dinner would be complete without

Matt Damon because honestly, what's a Holiday meal without a little dessert?

Who would you invite to Thanksgiving Dinner?

Disneyland 11-20-09

2009-11-24T10:25:00.001-08:00

I'd figured my good luck would run out eventually in regards to my Disneyland trips. We have Season Passes and try to go once a week. Lately we have not been going as often due to us being sick, and just how crazy life is at this time of the year. We went on Friday night and that was a HUGE mistake. I have not been on a Friday before, usually I stick to mid-week visits to avoid the lines and the crowds. At California Adventure there is an Aladdin stage show. We have been wanting to see it for a really long time, but never have been able to. The show only runs on Friday thru Sunday and we are never there on those days. Because we went on a Friday we were finally able to catch the Aladdin show. It was AMAZING. Made me feel like we were seeing a real Broadway play. Even Travis loved it and the kids were mostly entertained throughout the whole show. I think it was about 45 minutes long! I couldn't believe it was a free show, it was that good! Anyway, here are a few pictures from out night trip to Disneyland on a super crowded Friday night.

I just thought Brynna looked so cute and tiny sitting in her very own theater chair

Waiting for the Aladdin show to start

Disneyland is GORGEOUS this time of year. Every night when they light up the castle they play music throughout Main St. and it snows!! It is so beautiful!

Beautiful castle, my sucky pictures don't do it justice!

Exploring

Daddy and his curious little girl

Landon in Tarzan's treehouse

Brynne

We had a fun night, because Daddy rarely goes to Disneyland with us. However, it was TOO crowded and I prefer to be there in the day time. We only went on 2 rides all night! Usually we ride atleast 10 rides, so that was annoying. It is so beautiful at night, but because of the crowds it is hard to get any decent pictures! Next time we will for sure go during the week! Lesson learned.

NEW MOON!

2009-11-22T17:35:00.000-08:00

While the toddlers were safe ~~getting into trouble~~ playing at Grandma and Grandpa's, Travis and I met up with a bunch of my work friends in line at the theater. Most of them had been in line since 4! We got there at 9, and only had to wait one hour before they let us into the theater. We got GREAT seats and couldn't wait for the movie to start!

Got the tickets 3 months ago!

SO excited!

A few of the ladies

Me, Coreena, Ashley, Sam, Katie and Adrianne waiting in line

This is Nate, he works with us. He was wondering here why he was the only guy who got stuck in line waiting with us. LOL, Travis has NO patience and does not do well with lines. He dropped me off and went to Target to get golf balls.

Devin and Amanda

The other Nate, Amy, Travis and I...only minutes from starting!

Ashley, Adrianne, Amanda, and Katie showing their New Moon pride

The movie was GREAT and we had such a fun time. I can't wait to go see it again. We didn't get home until 3am! I realized that I am getting old and can't pull the all-nighters anymore. Friday kicked my butt, and I was so exhausted! We still ended up going to Disneyland Friday night, that will be my next post!

Lots to catch up on!

Tomorrow is THE day...

2009-11-18T18:06:00.000-08:00

Holy Mother of IfreakinCan'tWait!

It's gonna be AMAZEBALLS!
I've got MY tickets! Do YOU???

The night I almost became a stepmom

2009-11-17T17:10:00.000-08:00

Around here we are getting pretty excited for Auntie Amy to have her sweet baby boy! We have a few months left to wait while baby Ryder "cooks" a wee bit longer. In the mean time I am reminded of a funny story from when Travis and I were newly dating. When we met, 8 years ago... ahem, Travis was still a US Marine and was stationed at Camp Pendleton, near Oceanside CA. Raised a country boy in rural, Northern Florida, Travis was different from any boy I'd ever met before. He spoke with a thick country accent using words like "Ma'am" and "Ya'll." I was still living in my childhood home with my parents, in the small mountain community where I was raised. The beach where Travis was stationed was almost 2 hours from my parents' house (1.5 hours if I left after "rush hour," and drove 80 the whole way...but that's a whole other post, for a whole other day) I couldn't get enough of ~~my new country boy~~ the beach, and drove the 2 hour drive almost every day so we could spend time together. We spent more than a few evenings sitting in his pickup truck along the beach, talking, ~~making out~~ and watching the waves crash onto the sand. It was during one of these evenings, during a deep conversation that Travis' sense of humor really presented itself. I was talking about a friend who had recently entered into a relationship with a guy who had a son from a previous relationship. She was like an "instant mom" and I was telling him how excited she was about the new boy in her life.

Travis waited a few seconds and said "I have a kid back in Florida."

Me: "You DO??"

Travis: "Yep" (country boys are men of few words)

Me: "From like your last relationship, or something?"

Travis : "Yep"

Me: "Do you see him a lot, or no?"

Travis: "I see him and we talk on the phone."

Me: "That's cool. What's his name?"

Travis:"........................Junior."

Me: "Junior? That's your son's name?"

Travis: "Yep."

Me:"Huh"

It became painfully obvious at this time that Travis was pulling my leg. He started laughing uncontrollably, and before I knew it I had tears running down my face from also laughing.

That story he told became a huge joke in our relationship. I still tell him to this day that he really had me going...until he said "Junior." He could have said Brian, John, Matthew...anything, but he said Junior. A true country boy my man is was.

The country accent has long disappeared and it didn't take long for Travis to start saying "Dude" and "Hey Guys." California will suck the country out of anybody. I will never forget the night when Travis told me he had a boy named Junior.

Our relationship is full of deep conversations like this one. And if you're lucky I just may post a few more...

Half off shoes!!

2009-11-14T19:37:00.000-08:00

If there is one physical trait that best describes Brynne it would be her beautiful Eyes. Our sweet girl has some of the biggest, most beautiful eyes I have ever seen. She uses her innocent Doe Eyed gaze to win over even the toughest of enforcers, ~~e.g. PopPop~~ and can't shop Target without more than a few compliments from thoughtful strangers.

However, there is a lesser recognized trait that our sweet girl possesses. The shoeless foot. Brynne rarely has both feet covered, and spends her days toddling around our house with one shoe missing. It has become somewhat of a joke around here, and is just how my girl likes to do things, with one shoe on...one off.

She also has the ability to crack her big brother up!

But mostly, she walks, runs, hops, and plays all while wearing only one shoe. Inside or outside, warm weather or cold, our sweet Doe Eyed girl likely has some of the toughest feet West of the Mississippi.

And this Mama wouldn't have it any other way!

Missing Summer

2009-11-12T15:20:00.000-08:00

I am missing summer.

that's all.

Can I get a sick day??

2009-11-11T09:53:00.000-08:00

I have been fighting with my 3 year old alllll morning, and I am exhausted! It has been such a hard week for us. Daddy was sick last weekend and almost a full week later the kids and I have it. It is for certain the worst cold I have ever had. I am SO congested, I can barely breathe, can't stop sneezing and coughing, and my chest is so heavy. I am miserable and it's one of those days. Mom's never get a break. I don't have a babysitter...at least one that will come within 2 miles of our germ ridden house. Landon is testing me in every which way today. He can tell that I don't have the energy to chase him down and pry the nail polish or candy from his sneaky little fingers. He is whining and crying about everything, mostly because he too is feeling like complete shit. He threw a huge fit because I wouldn't let him eat cookies. I don't even have the voice to talk above him. I picked him up carried him to his bed and slammed the door. 2 seconds later he was back out for round two. My kids don't have the attention span for TV. They LIVE outside, and it's times like this that it can be really hard. They are too sick to play outside, but are bored laying (lying?) on the couch trying to watch TV. I am feeling way to crappy to come up with some fun art project, or to even read books with them. I don't even want to think about making them lunch. McDonald's isn't even an option because I am too weak to get dressed, get them in the car, and drive the 5 minutes to Mickey D's! I am counting down the hours until Daddy gets home so my pounding headache and I can go lay in bed and feel miserable by ourselves without having to get up every 30 seconds for a snack or juice. I hate today, and it is only 10am.

Thoughts for Thursday!

2009-11-05T07:38:00.000-08:00

The blog has definitely been neglected these past few weeks. We have been very busy, and seem to be dealing with one crap-ass thing after another. I had surgery on Monday to have a few cysts removed from my ovaries, and for some preventative reasons. Everything went fine, but my recovery has been somewhat difficult. Doing anything with two toddlers after having surgery is next to impossible. Because my surgery was in my abdomen I feel like I have done 2500 crunches and have ZERO use of my abs! Changing a diaper on the living room floor is a ten minute process. Getting Brynne in and out of her crib causes me to clench my teeth and my eyes tear up. I can pretty much forget about coughing, sneezing, rolling over in bed, or trying to get off the toilet! You really don't realize how much you rely on your ab muscles until they don't work! I've never had a C-section but I am sure the recovery is horrible!! I feel for all the C-section Mama's out there!

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My dad and I took the kids to get their swine flu shots yesterday. The whole process was pretty quick and easy, especially with the extra set of Grandpa's hands! Landon spent the entire evening lying on the couch with a fever telling us he was sick. He seems to be fine this morning and I am hoping he was just experiencing some mild side effects from his flu shot. The LAST thing I feel like dealing with right now is the 'toddler flu.'

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The kids have moved on from their Mary Poppins obsession and we have been watching Tarzan every day. I don't mind them watching Tarzan because it basically has the best soundtrack ever for an animated movie! I haven't yet gotten sick of it, so that's a plus.

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Only 2 weeks left until I go to the midnight showing of New Moon!!! I am getting really excited and can't wait to beat down some 12 year old snot who tries to cut in line or steal the seat I am saving! That's right, I am excited about a movie premiere that will mostly be attended by 12-14 year olds. Whatever. The movie will be amazing, and you too will wish that you had bought your tickets 8 weeks in advance, waited in line for 5 hours to get "good" seats, and dealt with the annoying teenagers, wearing lame Twilight T-shirts, who scream loudly anytime Edward is on the big screen. Fun times! Now, if I could just figure out what I did with my team Edward shirt...

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I am having a serious case of the Disneyland blues! We haven't been in almost 2 months and I am itching to get back. I was taking the kids so often that waiting even a month seemed like forever. I just can't think of a better way to spend the day with the kids, and the husband when he gets sick of my whining and actually agrees to go with us. Even if he makes me promise that we won't stay for the fireworks and we will leave after 3 or 4 hours...I'll take what I can get!

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I booked our yearly family photo shoot with Phil, for later this month. I am nervous about how the kids will do. It gets harder and harder to get them both looking in the same direction. Phil always does AMAZING work and gets the best shots! We always have a lot of fun and he has great patience (even if it comes along with a serious case of sarcasm, LOL). Now I have to coordinate all of us and make sure we all have something to wear. Here are a few of my favorites from last year...

WOW, I can't believe how small Brynna was!!

Can't wait to see what we get this year!

Have a GREAT day everyone.

Happy Halloween 2009!

2009-10-31T14:59:00.001-07:00

The post inwhich I bitch about the time change.

2009-10-29T09:08:00.000-07:00

Landon woke me up at 6:40 this morning to tell me that he had to watch Tarzan. I don't care who you are, in this house, there is NOTHING that has to be done at 6:40am! I am dreading, really DREADING the time change this weekend. I don't even want to see what it looks like at 5:30 in the morning. I remember last year when we set the clocks back, it took him only 3 days or so before we had adjusted his schedule to the "new time." He is older, more active, and more independent this year. That combined with a 5:30 wake up and Mama is NOT excited for the weekend.

Brynne on the other hand would sleep until 9 every morning if it weren't for her brother screaming outside her door. Every day he yells at me from the kitchen because I tell him ~~every damn day~~ "NO, you may not have fruit snacks. It is 7 o'clock in the morning, You may have waffles or oatmeal only. NO fruit snacks!" To which he replies (very loudly and right outside of Brynne's door) "NO MOM, I want fruit snacks, I don't care Mama, You being a bad Mom." It is a daily battle and has been since he began to sleep in his big boy bed. He is calling me a Bad Mama in the way that I call him a bad boy if he takes a toy from Brynne. So I doubt if he really thinks I am a bad mama...I have years to perfect that one!

On the weekends when daddy ~~isn't golfing~~ is home it doesn't bother me. Travis is an early bird and is more than happy to occupy Landon while Brynna and I sleep the wee hours away. I even thought about putting the baby gate up in his doorway to "encourage" him to stay in his room. I must have thought that one up in the middle of a sleepy, incoherent moment. Landon has scaled the baby gate, as if it were only 2 inches tall, since he was 16 months old. That would do me no good. Sigh. Guess I will wait until Sunday and see what happens when "6:30" is really "5:30."

Can I just go ahead and say, WHY the hell do we even have the time change? Exactly what purpose does it serve? I wish they would do away with it so I didn't have to spend all week worrying that I will never sleep in until 7 again....

Any other moms HATE the time change like I do??

Carving Pumpkins 2009

2009-10-27T21:12:00.000-07:00

Last night we carved our Halloween pumpkins. Landon was SO excited alllll day long and kept asking me every 5 minutes "Mom, when are we gonna cut da punkins?" I bought a pumpkin carving kit at the grocery store yesterday morning and Landon was immediately thrilled with the new set of "crewdrivers" that Mama had picked out. He couldn't wait to show Daddy and drove me crazy all day! We waited until the kids got up from their naps, and daddy got home from work before we got down to business.

Just up from their naps, and ready to get started!~

Mama helped Brynne carve her pumpkin...

and Daddy helped Landon.

Getting started~

I love this picture. Landon picked out the design he wanted on his pumpkin from the stencil book. He picked a really complicated design that Daddy was worried about trying. We kept asking Landon which one, hoping he would pick a different design, and he kept picking the same one over and over. You can see in the picture that he is pointing at the one he chose, and his face shows how serious he was!~

Cleaning out the pumpkin seeds~

Messy work~

Brynne only scooped out a few handfuls. She didn't like the slimy insides and kept saying "No."

I am admittedly a horrible pumpkin carver. I don't bother with the stencils and opt instead for the classic "2 eyes, one nose, one mouth. " However this year Brynne and I made one minor adjustment. Look closely....this wouldn't be sweet Brynna's pumpkin without a bow!

This little guy was SO excited and couldn't wait to use the carving tools.

Daddy helping Landon and letting him have a turn with the saw.

Our finished pumpkins (:

The kids have been so excited about Halloween and trick-or-treating at Grandma and Grandpa's house. I hope they always have such joy and excitement in their lives. I can't wait for Saturday to get them all dressed up in their costumes. Fun times!!

Another trip to a pumpkin patch!

2009-10-23T09:20:00.000-07:00

When Daddy got off work last night we took the kids to the local pumpkin patch. They had fun running amongst many acres of vines and pumpkins. I forgot my good camera at home, but did get some really good shots from my Canon Power Shot. The sun was BRIGHT and harsh at that time of day so a lot of the pictures didn't turn out as well as I had hoped. I did get some great pictures of the kids and have already ordered my enlargements for the house!

Frazier's U-Pick Pumpkin Patch

October 22, 2009

Another Fun-Filled Fall Day!!

I'm begining to see a pattern...

2009-10-22T12:02:00.000-07:00

I was sitting out back watching the kids when it occurred to me that I was witnessing the same pattern of play I have blogged about before. That's right waaay back in May!

Today, October 22, 2009
And, May 06, 2009

I don't know what's worse. That it's been 6 months and we still don't have grass in the backyard, or that Brynne would rather play with trucks than dolls.

Happy Thursday everyone! The weekend is almost here!

Like Father, Like Son

2009-10-20T11:38:00.000-07:00

I've been fighting an infection for the past few days and have been feeling really, really, lousy. On top of that, the antibiotic I am taking wipes me out! I feel groggy, and can barely keep my eyes open. This is not good with two toddlers running around. Needless to say I have 'let things go' the past few days. The sink is full of dishes. There are crushed pretzels all over my carpet. The kids have worn their pajamas all day for 2 days straight. I lay on the couch all day and listen to the kids play, then fight, then argue, then sing, and play some more, only getting off the couch if I need to be involved. This morning I dozed off for what was only 2 minutes, before I sat straight up in a panic realizing there was too much silence and not enough noise! The gruesome twosome had headed out into "Mansland" to see what trouble they could stir up in Daddy's garage.

This is what I found...

OhDearLord! Landon moved the cooler up against Daddy's dirt bike so he could climb up and pretend to ride. My heart beat a little faster as I saw my tiny boy sitting all by himself on that big bike! But I also couldn't help but smile.
He just wants so badly to do everything Daddy does. Travis and I have had the "NO dirt bikes for my kids" discussion many times, even before they were born. I don't support this particular hobby and feel like it is much to dangerous for any child. Looks like Landon might have a different idea!

Hey, atleast he had enough sense to wear his helmet!

Oh, and you didn't think that Brynne wouldn't be involved in something Landon was doing didya?? Little girl had a pretend ride of her own in big brothers truck.

Sorry for the mess in your garage Daddy. But Mama had a sick day!

*Updated, after reading over this post I realized what a nice coincidence it was that Landon was wearing his dirt bike pajamas. LOL Makes for a much cuter photo.

Pictures are worth 3 words...

2009-10-18T14:00:00.000-07:00

Heading to play...

In the trees...
Not too sure...

Getting so big...

LOVE her profile...

Full of life...

Best of friends...

Never not together...

Jumping like brother...

Again and again...

Watching in awe...

Today's BEST shots...

2 happy kids.
A fun afternoon.

A blessed Mama.

I'm so lucky.

Shouldn't I be getting paid for this?

2009-10-10T23:38:00.000-07:00

1. What time did you get up this morning? EARLY! Well before 7am with Landon. I had no choice...daddy is golfing.

2. Diamonds or pearls? Diamonds...they are a girls best friend! Hadn't you heard?

3. What was the last film you saw at the movies? The Hangover, last time we were in Vegas. It was hella funny too!!

4. Favorite TV show? If I answer this question the length of the post will automatically double in size. I watch a lot of TV (recorded constantly on my trusty little DVR, as not to take time away from my daily duties as "Power-Mom!")

5. What do you usually have for breakfast? It's either a bagel or nothing. I HATE breakfast.

6. What is your middle name? Ann

7. What food do you dislike? Another answer which would double the length of this post. I dislike many foods. Much more than you care to read. Trust me.

8. What is your favorite CD? My sister and I were just talking last week about how we have definitely gotten our money's worth out of the Taylor Swift Fearless CD. I could listen to it all day. Lately I have had my fair share of The Wiggles. My CD player in the car won't eject the CD for whatever reason and with my stinkin luck the CD that is trapped in there is The Wiggles. Nothing like 4 creepy 40-something men singing about maidens and ducks, I've always said.

9. What kind of car do you drive? Ford Explorer...this week. (Just playing honey, I'm not even thinking about getting a new car. Maybe.)

10. Favorite sandwich? Turkey

11. What characteristics do you despise? Lying, Cheating, Bad driving (I live in So-Cal, that is a 'characteristic' people), and it really bothers me to be around those who see the bad in everything.

12. Favorite item of clothing? Jeans...GOOD jeans!

13. If you could go anywhere in the world for a vacation, where would you go? I am not a huge fair of air travel. I would just love to have a week in San Diego as a family vacation some day soon.

14. What color is your bathroom? Gobe Desert, by Behr...same color as every other wall in the house, with the exception of Landon's room. I have plans in the works to change that though!

15. Favorite brand of clothing? I love American Eagle and Old Navy. Although, I must say, with every trip to Old Navy, I find less and less stuff I like. Some 'big shot' at Old Navy headquarters has been making changes, and me no likey.

16. Where would you retire? Hopefully somewhere near my children and grandkids.

17. Favorite movies? Too Many; The Notebook, Juno, Chocolat, and many more.

18. Favorite Sport to watch? Baseball

19. Furthest place you have lived? I was born an hour away from where I live now. I grew up 25 minutes away, and spent the early years of our marriage living 2 hours away. I am pretty centralized to So-Cal, and hope it always stays that way. At least I think I hope that!?

20. How many apts.; houses have you lived in? Ummm, lemme think. I guess our home now would bring my grand total to 11!

22. Favorite saying? I'm not sure. Had you asked what my favorite word is I would have instantly typed "bitch!" That's right people, my favorite word is bitch. Go ahead... judge me, bitch (;

23. When is your birthday? February 4th, plenty of time for you all to start saving...

24. Are you a morning person or a night person? I am most certainly a night person, although I am not a horrible morning person. I just dislike being woken up every day before 7 by my 3 year old son who is "soooo firsty" and must have a "dink of miwk" right away.

25. What is your shoe size? 6 1/2

26. Pets? Helllllllll NO! Travis has some boring fish who swim around and don't do anything all day. We puppy sat for our neighbor last month, and then dog sat for my parents a few weeks after that. It will be nothing short of a miracle if we own a dog anytime in the next ummmm 10 years!

27. What did you want to be when you were little? My parents tell a story about the high aspirations I had for myself as a young girl. According to them, ~~they may be lying~~ , I wanted nothing more than to work at a gas station. Whatever, at least I didn't want to drive an ice cream truck like my brother. I remember a time in the 4th grade when we were asked to write an essay on what we wanted to be when we grew up. I wrote that I wanted to be a mom when I grew up. After my teacher read the essays, she asked two other girls and myself to re-write the essay because we hadn't chosen a "real career." It didn't bother me then...it kinda bothers me now. Mrs. Lovejoy was always a bitch* anyway.

* favorite word

28. What are you today? Power Mom by day. Waitress by night.

29. What is your favorite candy? Plain M&M's

30. What is your favorite flower? Tulips

31. Where did you get married? Valley Center, CA...in the country, by ourselves...and we didn't go broke doing it.

32. What is a day on the calendar you are looking forward to?

Oct 16-17: Kids at Grandma and Grandpas (thanks mom and dad!)

Oct 18: Our 8th anniversary

Oct 19: Disneyland

Oct 22: Knott's Scary Farm

Oct 31: Kids Halloween Costume debut

NOVEMBER 20th: NEW MOON .ohmygoshIfreakincan'twait.

33. Who would you most like to meet, either living or dead? Martha Stewart. Go ahead and judge. You are just jealous because I have different napkins for every Holiday and they match my dining room curtains. Ok, I don't have any curtains...anywhere, on any window. But if I did have curtains I would most certainly have matching napkins.

34. What are you listening to right now? The Rachel Zoe show on Bravo. It's bananas. I die.

35. What was the last thing you ate? PB and J, pretzels and a banana for dinner last night.

36. Do you believe in angels? I believe in vampires (team Edward) and werewolves (team Jacob). Does that count?

37. If you were a crayon, what color would you be? White. Nobody ever uses the white crayon.

38. What is your pet peeve? BAD TIPPERS! Don't even get me started....that's a topic for a whole other post on another day.

39. Last person you spoke to on the phone? Travis

40. What is your favorite soft drink? Diet Pepsi, I am trying hard to not drink soda anymore though.

41. Favorite restaurant? Road House, OG, or Chick-fil-A

42. Hair Color? Naturally Blonde, and since I hit 30 it's getting darker and darker. Time to have some color work done!

43. Siblings? A younger sister and a younger brother.

44. Favorite day of the year? Easter

45. What was your favorite toy as a child? Barbies, fo sure!

46. Summer or Winter? Summer

47. Hugs or kisses?Both

48. Chocolate or vanilla? Depends on what, usually vanilla though.

49. When was the last time you cried? I haven't cried in so long. I must be getting a tougher shell as I get older. I used to cry at TV commercials.

50. Are you close with your family? I am very close to most of my family

51. What is under your bed? picture frames and our fire safe

52. Who is the friend you've had longest? Besides my sister, I would have to say Clair (:

53. What did you do last night? We went to the Monster Truck Show and Landon had a BLAST!

54. favorite smell? Lemon, Fresh Rain, Clean babies!

55. What are you afraid of? I literally experience heart palpitations as I think about this question. 99% of my fears revolve around my kids. Enough said. Every Mama out there knows what I mean. Am I right?

56. How many kids do you have? 2, and I love them with every inch of my being.

57. How many keys on your key ring? 3. Car key, house key, mailbox key.

58. Greatest accomplishment? I would say having two healthy, happy, sweet, laughing kids, and raising them in a stable, solid, healthy marriage and environment.

59. Do you have any regrets? Of course, a few, nothing to major.

60. Favorite day of the week? Sunday

61. How many towns have you lived in? Oh geesh, a lot...let me count. As best I can remember, 10.

62. Do you make friends easily? I sure do. I love people, and socializing!

63. Most embarrassing moment? I'm not sure, I am not usually embarrassed too easily. I'd have to think about it.

64. What do you wish most for your kids? SO many things. Good HEALTH, strong FAITH, lots of LOVE, good FRIENDS! I wish for them to be well adjusted, productive members of society, who never stop dreaming, and who I can only hope will always have the support of Travis and I as they pursue their dreams.

I'm a lucky Mama!

2009-10-09T13:15:00.000-07:00

Could the gruesome twosome be growing any faster?? It seems like every day one of them says or does something that makes me stop whatever I am doing and just focus on them, realizing how fast time is flying by. My mind wanders to when our sweet family was just three, before Brynne was born. I can remember it like yesterday how amazing it is to bring home your first born child and experience everything for the first time. It also seems like only a few short weeks ago that we brought Brynne home from the hospital to her active, and only slightly jealous, 18 month old big brother.

In just one week Brynne will be 21 months old!! She is blossoming into 'toddlerhood' and is so eager to learn, create, show, and participate. This sweet girl is so in love with her big brother and spends 99.9% of her day following him around and emulating everything that Landon does. She is so unbelievably sweet, gives the wettest kisses, and is a loving 'Mama' to her baby dolls. She is convinced that she can do everything Landon does and prefers not to have help doing it. Rarely without her blankie, she is strong willed, smart, kind, and very forgiving (especially with her rough big brother). As girly as she appears with her pink outfits and matching bows, she has never met a rock she didn't love, is rarely seen without scraped knees or dirt in her hair, and "roars like a dinosaur" at everyone she meets! She is mellow and easygoing, but boy does Landon know how to push her buttons! Our daughter Brynne is the perfect mix of sweet and sassy and the perfect match for her active big brother!
I am convinced that God knew what he was doing when creating Brynne's big brother. Landon is fiercely protective of his baby sister, and never minds that she follows his every move. A true first born, he is a leader, and is usually the instigator in every situation. This boy LOVES trains and trucks, planes and helicopters. He can play in the dirt for hours and spends all day moving faster than most people run. Definitely full of energy and has that fiery temper that the parents of any other red headed boy are familiar with! This kid knows what he wants and can not wait to experience new things. Landon always keeps us on our toes and never stops making us laugh. Our boy takes after his daddy, and is good at anything that involves sports or athleticism. He has Mama's sense of humor and quick wit. He is loveable, and sweet, active and outgoing, playful and strong. I am loving age 3 and never tire of hearing him say "I luuuv you so much Mama!!"

And I just had to throw in this last picture of Brynne. It's not the best picture, but I think she looks SO grown up! My baby girl is a full fledged, thriving toddler!

Am I a lucky Mama or what?

Disneyland in the Fall

2009-10-06T09:00:00.000-07:00

I have been super neglectful of the blog lately, as we have had a lot going on. I will do an update post later this week, as for now here are some pictures from our trip to Disneyland and CA Adventure last week. I haven't been to Disneyland in the fall before and I was surprised at how beautiful everything looked. I definitely recommend going during the fall/Halloween season!

Fall at Disneyland

Ethan, Aiden, Landon and Brynne waiting for the monorail~

So serious about his driving!~

The Haunted Mansion~

Not sure why this one came out blurry, but still cute~

Growing up so fast~

These cute decorations are on every lamppost up and down Main Street in Disneyland~

Fall decorations~

Landon and Aiden~

Mickey Pumpkin

The Disneyland Main Gate/Front Entrance~

Such a fun day!!~

"Candy Corn"

Meeting Goofy for the first time! Landon was SO brave and very excited!~

Such a happy boy I have!~

Halloween Time at Disney's CA Adventure~

Meeting Minnie!

Landon and Brynne LOVE Minnie Mouse.

They never want to see Mickey, just Minnie, LOL!

More candy corn

Me and my boy watching the Playhouse Disney Show~

Brave Landon again, with Chip and Dale!

Sweet Brynne LOVES the carousel!

Landon with Jessie from Toy Story!~

Baby girl, waiting in line~

So cute! Ethan, Emilie, and Aiden on the CA Adventure Ferris wheel~

Landon rides the carousel~

Having so much fun!

Future Pilot perhaps?~

Another Magical Disney Day (: