Our life with three boys

Big Brothers

2012-01-22T17:43:00.000-06:00

Big brothers are great for teaching little brothers:

~How to make sound effects when playing with any type of toy

~The concept of "No Fair"

~Being a picky eater saying "I don't like that" when they've never tried it before

And my latest favorite:

~Being able to log on to the computer all by himself to play games.

He's not even three yet!

The Day After Christmas

2011-12-29T17:10:00.000-06:00

Our busy Christmas weekend continued even after Christmas Day. Since everyone had the day off we met Nathan's family for breakfast at a wonderful joint called Jimmy's Egg. Yummy!!

Nathan, his brothers and dad wanted to take Jackson and Brandon to a Lego Museum that was going on in downtown Oklahoma City. The boys had a lot of fun and especially loved the "build your own" table that was there. Apparently it was hard to drag them away from that (shocking!).

While they did that, Andrew joined Kathleen, Nana and I for some shopping at the outlet mall. It was a little crowded but I loved it!! Found some jeans I'll probably go back for and lots of shoes.. I will definitely be spending more time there :)

Christmas Day

2011-12-29T16:52:00.000-06:00

This was our busiest day of the weekend. Since the boys were up late at Nana and Papas the night before, we had to get them out of bed for Christmas morning! Brandon was the hardest to get out of bed, insisting it wasn't Christmas because there wasn't snow on the ground!

Once we did get them out of bed they were excited to open their gifts!

After breakfast we went to Nana and Papas again for the boys to open gifts from them and Aunts and Uncles.

After that it was off to church and then home for a Christmas dinner. It was a busy day but very fun and the boys didn't have much time to play with their new toys.

We hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas surrounded by those you love and felt the love of Christ as we celebrated His birth!

Christmas Eve

2011-12-29T16:21:00.001-06:00

What a very busy Christmas weekend we had! So much fun!!

I couldn't believe the boys took such a great picture for me. Made my whole Christmas!

We went over to Nana and Papas for Christmas Eve dinner and had lots of fun with family, good food, singing carols and watching videos of the story of Christ's birth.

Christmas Fun

2011-12-18T11:18:00.000-06:00

Nathans work shut down early on Friday so we decided we would pick up Jackson from school, go see Santa and do some other holiday stuff. It was a kind of "Spur of the Moment" day because we planned as we went along but had a lot of fun!

Our first stop was Bass Pro Shops to see Santa. Seems a kind of odd choice but I think we'll go there every year. They give you a free 4x6 photo and have tons of activities and games for the kids to do. They had fun and we always like walking around that store!

Jackson was asking to see Santa this year and we got there and he got cold feet. That was as close to Santa as he would get!

We then went out to dinner and headed to this park that is decked out in Christmas lights. You drive through one part of it to see all of the displays and head to another part of the park where they have a little train ride and you can walk around the displays. The boys loved it and poor Andrew got really cold but the other two could have walked around a lot longer!

Handmade Christmas

2011-12-13T15:04:00.000-06:00

My favorite thing about Christmas is making things. Here are the things I made this year:

Christmas Countdown blocks thanks to a lady in my ward who put together her own little "Super Saturday":

I made new stockings this year with the help of my mom who embroidered our names.

Nathan helped me make these Stocking Holders:

Each year we take cookie plates to friends and the last couple of years I've added little things for the kids in the families and the boys get to help. Here are the Hot Cocoa Sliders we included with the cookie plates:

Gifts for teachers at church and school:

I make sure Nathan is not a Grinch to his co-workers and put together some White Chocolate popcorn with a small ornament:

For Aunts, Uncles, and cousins the boys took a silly picture and decorated these frames:

So I said "I" made these things but as I was typing it up I realized I had a lot of help making all my Christmas stuff this year. Thanks to all my little elves who helped me make my Christmas merry and bright!!

Who needs a pillow...

2011-12-07T10:45:00.000-06:00

When you have stuffed animals!

Thanksgiving Weekend

2011-11-27T11:25:00.000-06:00

We had a great Thanksgiving weekend this year! We went over to Nana and Papa's for dinner and ate my favorite meal of the whole year. They got a smoked Turkey this year and I don't think I can ever go back to a roasted one again, it was so delicious!!

The dogs just waiting for a piece of turkey to be dropped!

After dinner Nathan and I took the boys for a bike ride. Felt good to walk off all that food!

Nana also made Pilgrim Hats with the boys:

The day after Thanksgiving we always put up the Christmas tree and decorate. The boys loved helping out.

Jackson even got inspired to build Santa's sleigh out of Legos:

Family Pictures

2011-11-11T15:09:00.000-06:00

Here are our family pictures for this year. I love them and I love having a variety of them rather than picking out the best one from a studio :)

My Personal Favorite:

It's Getting Cold Outside

2011-11-09T08:39:00.000-06:00

And Andrew is ready for it!

Dangerous Adventures

2011-11-05T13:49:00.000-05:00

Yesterday we met up with a friend who graciously offered to take our family pictures. We hadn't been there more than a couple of minutes when Jackson falls and ends up looking like this:

My friend has offered to touch it up with PhotoShop but what a great way to start! Also, partway into the photo shoot he was climbing a tree and fell and scraped his leg. Who knew taking family pictures could be so dangerous?!

Halloween 2011

2011-11-01T12:55:00.000-05:00

What a great Halloween this year! We did pumpkin carving with the boys for the first time. They were so excited to pick out their pumpkins but didn't want anything to do with cleaning them out! They helped a little bit with the carving and loved how they looked when they were done. We did Trunk-or-Treat at the Ward Party and then Trick-or-Treating on Halloween night. I'm now in the process of trying to convince them to give their candy to me and I'll go to the store with them to pick out a toy :)

{Pumpkins}

{Costumes}

Brandon the Spider

Andrew - Mickey Mouse

Jackson the Bat

Trick-or-Treating!

Fall Break Camping

2011-10-27T12:27:00.000-05:00

I've been a little AWOL for a while. With the boys in school and me trying to just keep up with life, nothing much has been happening. Soccer has taken up most of our time and I'm pretty sure you'd get tired of seeing post after post of soccer games :) We did manage to take a break this past weekend and spend our Fall Break camping with some friends. Nathan and I have tried camping in Oklahoma in the past and they've not been the best experiences (mostly due to weather). I'm happy to say this one was a success and I'm a believer you can actually camp in Oklahoma!

{This is what we did while camping}

Set up camp

Went for Hikes

Played in the dirt

Became mesmerized by fire

Made S'Mores!

Climbed rocks...

And slid down them!

Went fishing.

Climbed trees.

Enjoyed the beautiful weather, wonderful company and pretty scenery.

Soccer

2011-09-19T13:33:00.000-05:00

The boys have started Soccer again. This time we joined some friends and got our kids signed up on teams together. It's fun for them to be playing with their friends!

Brandon:

Brandon is actually on the field and chasing the ball this year! Last year we spent the games sitting with him on the sidelines because he was crying and didn't want to play. Now he's a little more engaging and getting after the ball.

Taking a tailgate lunch in between games.

Jackson:
Jackson is also doing good this year. He's on a team that's more along his playing level and at this game he actually had a smile on his face. I think he just might enjoy it this year!

Eight Years Strong

2011-09-12T14:05:00.000-05:00

I'm not one for mushy blog posts but I wanted to say that today marks our eighth anniversary and I truly feel blessed for being married to a wonderful man!

Busy, Busy

2011-09-08T18:53:00.000-05:00

I really thought with two of my boys in school that I would have a lot more time to myself. Instead I feel like all I've been doing lately is getting in and out of my car running errands and getting kids to and from school! I've been pretty stressed the last couple of weeks trying to fit everything in. I keep saying it will slow down eventually but I'm starting to think I need to adjust my thinking to the fact that I'm just going to be busy and that's the way my life will be right now.

There are also so many projects I need to get done that I don't even know where to start. The one that has been consuming me lately is taking all of my old pictures from 35mm film and scanning them. It is a huge undertaking! I have five picture boxes with over ten years of pictures.

To entertain you, here are some good blast from the past pictures :)

April 1995 - School trip to San Francisco

April 1997 - Disneyland with my best friend

December 1998 - My niece

November 1999 - my sisters and I with our grandpa

April 2000 - High School friends

First Day of School

2011-08-19T18:12:00.000-05:00

Today was the first day of School for Jackson and Brandon!

Brandon started Pre-K this year! He was hesitant at fist but then he started flirting with his teacher and I think he'll do okay.

Jackson is in First Grade and this is the first year he'll be there all day. He didn't tell me much about his day but at least he didn't complain that he was there too long.

Brandon and Mrs. Kincannon (he even remembers her name!)

The BEST part is having a couple of hours with just Andrew!! I was in heaven this morning and during the afternoon Andrew took a nap while Brandon played quietly. I can't wait to get back to doing some projects and even hitting the gym :)

Reunion Family Pictures

2011-08-18T14:33:00.002-05:00

Brandon Turns 4

2011-08-14T18:01:00.000-05:00

Brandon turned 4 at the beginning of this month. He is growing so fast and will soon start Pre-K! I remember when he was my not so cute little baby:

Maybe he just didn't take good pictures because I look at them now and think he wasn't co cute.

Now I think he's the cutest four year old ;) I love his smile and the fact that he snorts when he laughs! And it is so easy to get him to laugh. He just loves to be tickled!

We celebrated by having a family dinner on his actual birthday and a Pirate Party with his friends on the Saturday after his birthday. Both were a lot of fun and he enjoyed the multiple celebrations!

He loved the green cupcakes.

The Pirate Party:

They made their own Pirate Hats

The Pirate Ship Pinata was a huge hit with the kids!

Some of the "treasure" they got to take home.

Beach Adventures

2011-08-05T10:30:00.000-05:00

After the family reunion we stuck around for a few more days to hang out with Grandma and Grandpa. We did take the boys down to the beach with my brother and his kids. The beach is what Jackson was most excited for whenever we talked about our trip. They all had a good time and Nathan took each of the boys out in the waves.

Andrew with cousin Chrissi

Playing in the sand with Chrissi and Sam

Family Reunion

2011-08-02T16:06:00.000-05:00

We spent a couple of weeks in California with my family. The main purpose of our vacation was a family reunion with all of my siblings. It was such a blast! We had fun activities planned for each day and even with some of our plans changing, we still had a lot of fun.

Day 1: Family pictures and games at a park. We hired a photographer to take some pictures of our rather large group and I can't wait to see how they turned out. After that we did some relay races, a family game of kick-ball and a picnic lunch. It was warm but everyone had a great time and the kids loved the relay races.

Day 2: A trip to the lake and rides on jet skis. My brother has a couple of jet skis so we all met up at a lake and played in the sand and water and took turns on the jet skis. The boys really wanted to go on them and then weren't so sure after they got their turn! Nathan also took Andrew out and he was frozen in fear by the time he got back to shore. Even I'm a bit of a wimp on those things and Nathan and I went out and I didn't enjoy it so much. Too bad because I think Nathan wanted to really go flying and have some fun but his wimpy wife was too scared.

Day 3: A change in plans and we ended up going to Castle Park. It's a small amusement park with some rides, carnival games, miniature golf, etc. Nathan and my dad took Jackson and Brandon on a roller coaster they really wanted to go on because it had "train tracks". But like the jet skis, decided they didn't like it so much. Jackson yelled "no fun!" the whole time! It was difficult to get them to go on anything else except for the incredibly slow train that went around the whole park. Jackson did go on a couple more things and we played arcade games with them.

The last day of the reunion was a work party day and the guys helped my dad clear some things out of their backyard while my mom, sister and I all took the kids to a nearby park.

The best thing about getting together with my family is the number of times we laugh! I love all the fun we have together and even the photographer commented on how it was the best family reunion she'd ever photographed.

Birthday Celebration

2011-07-06T12:30:00.000-05:00

While everyone celebrated the 4th of July this past weekend, we celebrated Jackson turning 6! It was a jam-packed weekend filled with activities.

It started Friday when Nathan and I took Jackson out for dinner at Red Robin then shopping at the Lego store and a sporting goods store to get him some new golf clubs.

Saturday Jackson and Nathan got up super early for a round of golf with Papa, Uncle Ben and Uncle Matt.

That afternoon Uncle Ben and Aunt Alex took Jackson and Brandon to see Cars 2.

Saturday night we went to a friends house to shoot off fireworks. Jackson is not big on fireworks and it started out okay, even got him to eventually take a sparkler. But once we got to the actual fireworks Jackson had a complete meltdown and I took him inside our friends house to wait out the fun. How on earth did we get a child born on the 4th of July that hates fireworks?! Even mention the word "fireworks" to him and his response is "I hate fireworks".

On the other hand, Andrew was absolutely fascinated by them and Brandon eventually took his hands off his ears for the quieter fireworks.

On Monday we had family and a few friends over for hot dogs and cake.

Nana and Papa gave Jackson a "Pirate Kit".

Crazy Summer

2011-06-27T14:12:00.000-05:00

I really thought our summer would be boring, which is why I came up with the schedule. Instead, it has been so busy that I haven't had time to keep up with anything. Last week was crazy busy. We spent most of the week away from home and out doing things. One day was my birthday and Nathan took the day off and we were out and about doing things I wanted to do. It was a great day!

On Wednesday we made plans with Aunt Alex to go to White Water Bay. The boys had a blast and we spent almost all day there. I really thought we'd be there for a few hours and then go home but we were there for about five hours. It was so much fun and I enjoyed doing something with the boys that they enjoyed immensely.

It took us forever to get Brandon to go on this slide. Once he did, that was all he would do.

Girl Woes

2011-06-20T16:15:00.000-05:00

The other night Nathan chaperoned a youth dance and Jackson wanted to tag along. Jackson was grooving to the music out on the dance floor when a couple of girls came up to dance with him. He stopped and stared at them for a few moments then turned and ran out of the gym!

The next day we attended his parents ward and as we walked in the door the same girls stopped Jackson asking if he remembers them. Again he stares at them and says "this isn't my church" then turns and walks away!

Some day I'm sure he won't run away from the girls but I hope that's a long time in the future :)

Fathers Day

2011-06-20T16:09:00.001-05:00

What we like best about dad:

Jackson - playing games with him

Brandon - wrestling with him

Andrew - giving him hugs and kisses goodbye

Mom - making him laugh

T-Ball

2011-06-18T23:45:00.000-05:00

We signed Jackson and Brandon up for T-Ball this year and the other night they both had their first games.

Jackson

He is really getting after it this year. He's doing great and although we still need to get him to pay attention a little more, he's definitely improved! I'm impressed that the kids his age are no longer running for the ball no matter where it's going and actually using their gloves correctly to stop the ball. It's going to be a great season for him!

Brandon

This is his first year and the game is a little different for his age group. It's called "Blast Ball" and after they hit the ball they run to first and then go sit down again. He was having meltdowns at first because he wasn't getting the ball when it was hit by the other team. Once Nathan got him to understand to run for the ball and he actually got it a few times, he was more into it. It is fun to see all those little kids pile on each other trying to get the ball!

A visit with friends

2011-06-06T13:00:00.000-05:00

Last week we had some good friends come into town and we met up with them at the zoo. It was hot and crowded but we were so glad to get together and spend time with them! It's one of those rare instances that we both have three kids and each of our kids are just months apart in age. We were sad to see them move but so happy we get to see them every once in a while.

All the kids playing in the water (except Andrew, who hated the water!)

Jackson and Jacob: Friends from the start

Noah and Andrew

We finally got to see the baby elephant!

Memorial Day

2011-06-01T12:57:00.000-05:00

We celebrated Memorial Day by getting up early in the morning so Nathan and Uncle Ben could participate in a Dog Jog. We all went to support them and it was fun to see so many dogs around, the boys loved it!

We then went home to rest and do some work around the house and after that we headed off to Nana and Papas for a barbeque and some outdoor fun.

Everyone gets ready for the race.

Alex, the boys and I wait for Nathan and Ben to come back and cheer on all the dogs finishing the race.

Nathan and Minni

Ben and Sirius.

Our yummy dinner.

Jackson's recent favorite: Basketball!

Summer Schedule

2011-05-30T10:28:00.000-05:00

This summer has been something I've been dreading for a while. I'm afraid of the boys driving me insane and going crazy so I decided to come up with a summer schedule. I got the plans down for our days but I needed a way to keep track of it since each day might be a little different. So I came up with this:

I used a cheap frame from Walmart and painted it white. Then decorated it with some paper and I'm using dry erase markers to keep track of our activities every day. It works great for several reasons but the most beneficial is going to be that Jackson can read it and know what days of the week we're doing what and at what time we're doing things.

I'm really hoping I can keep them busy enough in the morning and come 1:30 for our quiet time, I'm going to try my hardest to make sure we all go to separate rooms and have our own "me" time.

Here's to a great summer and keeping everyone entertained and happy :)

Kindergarten Is Done

2011-05-28T12:55:00.000-05:00

Jackson is moving up in the world and has officially finished Kindergarten! Yesterday was his last day of school and to celebrate him completing this year of school Nathan took half a day off and we went to the zoo after school.

The boys got to ride the train for the first time and loved it!

After dinner we had Nana and Papa over for an ice cream party.

The biggest celebration was Jackson shaving his head. He's been wanting to for a while and we told him when school was over we would let him.

He squirmed through it a bit but he loves it and wants to keep it like this.

But mom has veto power and Jackson will be growing his hair out again :) I don't mind it being shorter, but this is too short for my liking.

Lunches and Snacks

2011-05-24T10:20:00.000-05:00

This summer one of my goals is to have a more structured snack time. The kids generally eat just a sandwich for lunch and then snack through the afternoon. I want to give them more during lunch and then have a sit down snack once in the afternoon. So I'd like everyone's help and suggestions. What do you feed your kids for lunch and for snacks?

Also, next year Jackson will be in school full day so I need to get some ideas on what kids are taking to school for lunches. He loves peanut butter sandwiches so I'm not worried about that, just the "extras", including what they take to drink.

Thanks for your help!

Busy Saturday

2011-05-16T11:00:00.002-05:00

Nathan and I wanted to drive ourselves insane and see how much we could cram into one day, this is what we did:

#1 - A friends baptism in the morning.
#2 - Change at the church and go to Touch A Truck
#4 - Head to the ballpark for a company picnic and charity baseball game
#5 - Drive to a hospital to see a friend who had her baby
#6 - Go home to have dinner and I plan to unwind but Nathan decides we need to go to his parents to mow their lawn (they were out of town)

Sounds fun huh? And if all that sounds busy enough, every activity/place we went to is on opposites ends of the city so we spent a while in the car too. But it was a lot of fun and the boys had a good day.

Touch-A-Truck

This takes place in a college parking lot and a ton of trucks/vehicles are there that the kids can climb on, sit in, honk the horns, work the sirens, etc. The boys love it, even if it does get a bit loud sometimes.

Charity Baseball Game

Every year Nathan's company puts together a charity baseball game that features Mark Harmon. This year they had a picnic at the ball park before the game. I don't have too many pictures of the game because the boys were pretty restless and not interested in sitting and watching the game :)


Mark Harmon running for first

P.S. I forgot that before we got all of this started, Nathan got up early to run to Sams and then I went to the grocery store to get our shopping out of the way.

Beach Day

2011-05-16T10:33:00.000-05:00

Last Friday at school Jackson had a "Beach Day". The kids all went to school in their swimsuits and were going to do a lot of water activities outside. But the morning was cold and windy and even though they went outside, they were all huddled up in their towels. The fire department came to spray the kids with the hose and some of the kids ran through the water. It was a big hit with all of the kids chanting "water" until they got the hose going! All in all we probably spent only 15-20 minutes outside before enjoying popsicles inside :)

Mothers Day

2011-05-09T14:44:00.002-05:00

This past weekend was a great weekend. On Saturday we went shopping at a local nursery to buy some flowers to plant in our front yard. We also went on a picnic to a local park. It was a great day to spend with my boys! Nathan took Jackson to the store that night and Jackson picked out a wonderful bouquet of flowers for me.

On Sunday Nathan made some yummy stuffed french toast on the grill and took care of the boys so I could rest and do whatever I wanted to do. At church, the men all took over Primary so I didn't have to teach my class. Then at home we had dinner with Ben and Alex (Nathan's brother and his wife) and hung out for a while. It was a very laid back weekend and I just loved it!!

I want to thank all women in my boys lives that love and care for them. My boys have wonderful primary teachers, aunts and grandmas who love them. It makes me feel so good to know that they have the influence of good women all around them, no matter where they go.

Oklahoma Skies

2011-05-05T11:22:00.001-05:00

For most of my life I've been a west coast girl. I've lived mostly in Southern California and Washington state, so I've been surrounded by mountains. When I moved out to Oklahoma the biggest thing to get used to was the openness of it and not seeing mountains. But the other day I was sitting in the back while the boys played and looked up at the sky and realized how much I love the view of the Oklahoma sky from my backyard. Here's the view I was enjoying:

Monthly Goal

2011-05-02T10:27:00.000-05:00

Since this is the beginning of May I wanted to set a monthly goal of completing one scrapbook page a week. Something I've been wanting to do for a while and I'm looking forward to doing it!

I also want to thank (and embarrass) my awesome husband. At church yesterday I developed a migraine and it was terrible. I had to do my primary class and couldn't even sit through singing and sharing time. A little before the end of church I sent a text message to Nathan and he came and sat with me through the end of my class time. When we got home I went straight to bed (dress and all) while he took care of the kids the rest of the night. He even skipped a church thing so he could stay home and take care of things. I'm so grateful to him for taking care of of me and letting me rest and recover!!

I Need a Bigger Fork

2011-04-30T15:09:00.001-05:00

Andrew decided to get a fork for himself and this is what he grabbed.

Nathan's Birthday

2011-04-27T16:01:00.003-05:00

Yesterday was Nathan's birthday and it's fun as the boys get older because they get more into celebrating. We went to Nathans work and took him out to lunch. The highlight was walking out of the office we stopped at one of his co-workers and Jackson proceeds to tell them that he is 5, Brandon is 3, Andrew is 2 and dad is turning 34 today (and mom is 33). The honesty and bluntness of children is just priceless :)

When he came home from work we had dinner, ate some cupcakes and opened gifts. Then Nana and Papa came by to entertain the boys while Nathan and I went on a date. (Thank you Nana and Papa!!)
I think the balloons and streamers are the boys favorite things about birthdays.
For our date we went to a driving range to hit some golf balls. Our dates generally consist of going to dinner and running kid-free errands, so this was a nice change of pace.

Of course, we couldn't help but take advantage of the kid-free time and ran to one store but then we went to grab some dessert.

Nathan had a pretty "bleh" kind of day at work and he said the highlights were lunch with the boys and time with just the two of us that night. I'm glad something good came out of his "bleh" birthday :)

Easter

2011-04-26T15:36:00.003-05:00

For Easter Sunday we went over to Nathans parents house for dinner after church. Such yummy food!! After dinner we made Resurrection Rolls with the boys to help demonstrate the empty tomb on the third day. With these rolls you take a marshmallow, dip it in melted butter, then in cinnamon-sugar and wrap it up in a crescent roll. When you bake them, the marshmallow disappears into the roll and the roll is hallow inside. For more info and the recipe, go to Sugardoodl e.

Jackson didn't want to put the marshmallows in the melted butter but Brandon loved putting the rolls together.

Here are the "empty tombs". The rolls are very good and very sweet :)

Weekly Goal

2011-04-26T15:34:00.003-05:00

This week I will do prepare my primary lesson before Saturday. Since we have church at 1:30 I've been procrastinating until Sunday morning to work on it. I'd rather have it done before that and have the morning to relax with my boys.

Easter Egg Hunts

2011-04-24T09:18:00.005-05:00

The boys love Easter Egg Hunts! A few weeks ago Jackson had a conversation with Nana about Easter and he got it into his head that we were going to their house for an Easter Egg Hunt that Saturday (keep in mind, Easter was still weeks away). When I talked to them about it they said it was just a conversation about what we do for Easter but they offered to host an egg hunt anyways! The boys had a blast!!

They also had an Easter Egg Hunt at a ward party and Jackson got to do one at school too. Yesterday we did one in our backyard and the boys had a fun time again. I color-coded the eggs so Jackson picked up orange eggs, Brandon got green and Andrew got blue. They had a good time and I don't think the subject of the Easter Bunny really even came up. Plus I think they realized it was me that hid the eggs :)

Weekly Goal

2011-04-18T09:57:00.002-05:00

This week I'm working on waking up when my alarm goes off rather than going back to sleep and waiting for the boys to come wake me up. I did it this morning and although I laid in bed for a while and watched the news, I was still able to get in the shower before the boys woke up :)

I know my weekly goals are pretty boring for everyone, but when I post them for the world to see I really stick to them better than just setting the goal in my mind. So thanks for putting up with these boring posts!

My Rewarding Decision

2011-04-13T20:10:00.005-05:00

At one of my craft shows last year a gal approached me to sell my stuff to her and she would embroider on it and resell it on a website she has. It went okay for a while but I started questioning whether I wanted to keep it up or quit altogether. I spent several weeks thinking and praying about it. It ended in a trip to the temple with an answer that it was okay whether I kept going or gave it up. It's a little frustrating when you have to make the decision for yourself but it also makes us stronger. I finally talked to Nathan about it and realized I wanted to stop doing it. I gave the gal a call (she was very nice and understanding) and felt a tremendous weight off of my shoulders.

Since making that decision I have accomplished so much. Things that have been on my mind forever, I'm finally just doing it rather than thinking "maybe someday". The piano cover was one of those things. Another one is the tile grout in my kitchen. For so long I have hated seeing it turn almost black and look so disgusting. I did some research and looking into how to clean it and what to use. Then I ordered it online, got the stuff today and tested it out on a corner of my kitchen.

Look at the difference!

left: before / right: after

It feels so great to have a corner of my kitchen looking so good again! It will take a lot more work to finish the entire kitchen but it will be well worth it.

I just can't explain how free I feel after making this decision and finally getting around to doing things I've only been thinking about for a long time.

P.S. If you have a link to my other blog, please remove it since I've deleted that blog. Thanks!

Weekly Goal

2011-04-11T09:24:00.002-05:00

I was hoping to make my weekly goal be "a scrapbook page a day", but it looks like it's going to have to be "clean the baseboards".

We're experiencing an ant problem and every time we see them we call our pest control company to come out and spray. It seems like we're calling them every other day! On Saturday we found them in our room, on Sunday the boys found them in Brandon's room and this morning I found them in Jackson's room. Maybe I'll just have them spray the entire house. But in the meantime, I need to clean up the baseboards and vacuum really good around them. Which means I'll also need to move a bunch of furniture to get it done. It will be a little labor-intensive at times but that's okay, as long as the ants go away!!

Piano Cover

2011-04-08T15:45:00.004-05:00

A while ago my parents gave me their electronic piano and the cover on it was literally coming apart at the seams. Re-doing the cover has been a project in the back of my head for a long time and I finally did it. I had enough fabric to do the seat too. Then I covered that with some plastic to protect it from certain persons in our house.

Before:

After:

Piping detail on the side:

I do play the piano but it's been many, many years since I've played on a regular basis. Eventually I'd like to take lessons again and brush up on my skills. But that will have to wait until I can sit down and play without the boys elbowing me out of the way for their turn. I guess I'll be waiting for them to go on missions :) In the meantime, maybe I'll get them started on some lessons.

Winner

2011-04-06T09:02:00.004-05:00

A few weeks ago our zoo had a special preview night for a new elephant exhibit. The kids were given a coloring page to enter into a drawing. Jackson colored one and last week we got a phone call that he won! I was fully expecting just some little thing like a souvenir cup but they bring out this big decorated basket full of stuff!

He did get a cup but he also got a stuffed elephant and a toy truck.

Coloring

2011-04-05T09:00:00.000-05:00

When Jackson was little, he wanted nothing to do with coloring. It wasn't until he went to Pre-K that he started using a crayon to color and even then he did a lot of "scribal-scrabbling". Now that he's in Kindergarten his coloring has greatly improved and he colors and draws pretty well.

Because of this, Brandon has picked up coloring and I've noticed he's starting to even stay in the lines. It's amazing the influence of older brothers!

Weekly Goal

2011-04-04T08:30:00.000-05:00

This week I'm going to focus on personal prayer and scripture study. I generally start the week out strong and do really well until Tuesday or Wednesday. This week I'm determined to stay strong all week. I'm still trying to finish up the Book of Mormon and I have really enjoyed reading it. Maybe it will be a secondary goal to finish it this week :)

Conference Breakfast

2011-04-03T13:43:00.004-05:00

I love conference weekend! Even though we sit and watch all the sessions of conference, I still feel like I have a productive weekend. Before each Sunday morning session we have Nathan's family over for breakfast.

My favorite part is coming up with the name cards/treats for everyone. Jackson helped me by coloring in the bunny ears and he designates where everyone will sit.

A table full of yummy food.

Spending time with Nana and Papa.

Zoo Favorites

2011-04-02T15:10:00.003-05:00

We finally got a zoo pass for this year and I've been taking the boys whenever the weather is good. Rather than bore you with tons of posts about the zoo, I thought I'd show their favorite parts of the zoo.

Waterfalls:

Statues:

Playgrounds:

Notice how "Animals" is not one of their favorites?! We were once by the gorillas and they were walking right by the window where the boys were standing and the boys were too interested on a fly on the window than the gorillas walking by!

Weekly Goals

2011-03-28T10:56:00.002-05:00

I've decided that I want to set a weekly goal for myself to hopefully help me stay on track with things, keep my house neater, increase myself spiritually, etc.

This weeks goal is to go to bed each night with a clean house. I'm sure Nathan's laughing at this right now because our house is always a mess, but I really do like waking up to a clean house. It's a great way to start the day and I'm wanting to make some changes in my life.

Artwork Display

2011-03-22T19:43:00.005-05:00

Rather than having Jackson hang his artwork on our wall, I recently made these (with the help of my husband and father in law). Nathan and his dad cut a piece wood into two pieces and I painted one orange and one green. I took clothespins, cut out scrapbook paper and glued it on to the clothespins. Then I glued those onto the boards and hung the orange one in Jackson's room and the green one in Brandon's room.

Rebuilding

2011-03-21T20:32:00.002-05:00

Last week we learned that our computer has officially died and nothing can be recovered from it. I think I cried the rest of the day because I realized I had lost over five years of pictures. But then we found that we had pictures up until May of 2008 on Nathan's laptop, so not all is lost. I also send my mom cds of pictures occasionally so when I see her in July I'll be able to get some things back.

In the meantime, Nathan is rebuilding our financial data from the last few years and I'm rebuilding our pictures. I've been able to get some from my in-laws and I'm also trying to pull them off of my blog. It won't be the best quality but at least I'll have them. It's a bit of a challenge trying to remember when things were since some of the pictures aren't dated. Thank goodness for the blog since it helps with the time line.

I can't imagine what people go through when they lose their homes to natural disasters or fires. I think of pictures that I've lost (like when Andrew was born) and I know I've lost several of those forever, but I'm grateful I'll still have some.

Other than pictures, there's still a lot more I have lost and need to rebuild and it's such a daunting task when I think about it. But that will all come one step at a time.

When it rains...

2011-03-10T15:19:00.004-06:00

You know how they say "When it rains, it pours"? Well that's what it's been doing with our family... pouring! Started last week on Thursday with a migraine for me. I get them from time to time but this one knocked me on my hind side for a day and then stayed with me for a few days.

Friday - our computer crashes. Lovely, now we've lost everything (hopefully to be recovered by a friend).

Saturday - Jackson is tired and lays on the couch all day. The one bright note to our weekend was Nathans sister Jana and her husband John came into town so we got to spend time with them.

Sunday - Jackson now has a fever, Nathan has audits to do at church so I have to find a sub for my primary class and stay home with the boys.

Monday - Take Jackson to the doctor to find out he has pneumonia.

Wednesday - Jackson is able to go back to school, we hang out with Jana and John before they leave and our new computer arrives. However, the computer isn't working properly and now our Satellite has gone out too.

I know March Madness refers to college basketball, but I think it's appropriate to refer to our March as "madness".

Pictures of Aunt Jana & Uncle John:

Andrew

2011-03-02T17:21:00.005-06:00

I thought I'd tell you a little bit more about Andrew. Although he officially turned two last week, he's been acting it for several weeks! Maybe it's the influence of his older brothers, but he definitely is starting to show an attitude.

Some of the things he loves:

-The movie "Cars". Would watch it every day if we let him.
-Although an extremely picky eater, he loves his pizza!
-Chasing his brothers and being tickled by them.
-Watching his brothers do something silly and then trying to imitate them.
-Competing with Brandon for mommy's attention (and lap).
-Turning on and off the lights (a new found talent).
-Playing with train tracks, and throwing them at anyone who gets in his way.

A few things I like about him include him saying "okay" whenever he falls down, as if to say "I'm okay". When he's playing with his cars and someone gets near him, he guards the cars with his arms so no one will take them from him. He's our little runt of the family... he gets that from me :)

He is adorable and we love having him in our family!

Our Two Year Old

2011-02-21T10:20:00.002-06:00

Our little Andrew is growing so fast! Today he turns two and we celebrated this weekend with a family party. We had everyone over for pizza, one of the few things Andrew really likes to eat. But the poor little guy was sick. He spent most of Saturday throwing up and by the time the party came he was a little better, but not much.

By the end of opening his gifts he was too tired to care about much:

He didn't even let us get to his cake! We did that last night at Nana and Papa's but of course I left my camera at home. I borrowed their camera and will post pictures later.

I feel so bad for Andrew, he's still sick today and I imagine will spend the majority of the day snuggled on the couch watching movies.

The Number Three

2011-02-18T12:48:00.001-06:00

Brandon hands me his little Magna-Doodle and I draw a few letters and numbers to see if he recognizes them. I draw a big 3 and ask him what it is and he says "McDonalds"! I guess I need to work a little harder with him at recognizing his numbers :)

Happy Valentine's Day!

2011-02-14T19:18:00.001-06:00

Quoting movies - in song

2011-02-11T13:31:00.003-06:00

Jackson is playing with his legos while singing "Life is a Highway" from Cars.

Quoting movies

2011-02-04T11:06:00.001-06:00

Brandon has taken to quoting movies lately and this is from a couple of the Toy Story movies.

Fun in the Snow

2011-02-03T14:04:00.003-06:00

It finally warmed up enough to go out and play in the snow. And by warm enough I mean 17 degrees :)

I even shoveled some snow off of our driveway... being from Southern California I never thought I'd be doing that! The boys are now bundled up with blankets and hot chocolate and watching a movie. Ah, the conveniences of modern day living!

Surviving the blizzard

2011-02-01T12:25:00.003-06:00

As a blizzard is coming through Oklahoma today, we try to survive and pray our power stays on. This is the view outside:
With the temperature at 7 degrees and wind chill making it much colder, I stayed in my warm house to take the pictures. They don't do the storm justice though. We've been hearing the wind howling since last night and causing the snow to pile up in some places and barely fall in others. It's hard to tell that the snow is even falling since it's coming in horizontal.

We entertain ourselves by:

Watching Movies

Playing with books and scattering toys all over the house

Nathan sets up his "office" in our bedroom and gets to work

I spend some quality time with fabric I bought recently (and a much needed Diet Coke)

Poor Jackson has been sick and is spending lots of time on the couch or in our bedroom. It's a bit of a blessing since we're all about to get cabin fever and when the three boys play together for too long, they get rowdy and out of control. He'd also be begging to go outside and we can't let them out today. I'm hoping tomorrow the wind will die down and I can let them go outside and play.

How To Build A Windmill

2011-01-08T13:20:00.003-06:00

Jackson got Lego blocks for Christmas and has played with them every day. Today he informed me he needed to make a book and I had no idea what he was making but when he was done he showed me this:

How to Build a Windmill Using Lego Blocks

Jacksons Room

2011-01-04T20:13:00.004-06:00

A while ago we switched around the boys rooms and Jackson wanted to paint his room orange and paint smiley faces on it. I wasn't about to do that so we came up with an alternative idea. I bought some canvases and he painted them:

Here are the finished results:

They look so small but it sure beats a whole room painted orange :)

Happy New Year

2011-01-02T21:14:00.004-06:00

We celebrated New Years Eve by going to Nathans parents and hanging out with the family. We brought games for the boys to play, also played some video games and had yummy things to eat.
Brandon fell asleep on the way there so he spent most of the night like this:

He did stagger out about 11:30 and amazingly all three boys were awake at midnight!

Happy New Year everyone!

P.S. I will not post resolutions because I don't have any for this year. Just a goal to try and be happy every day. Also to post more fun things on the blog and not so many wordy ones :)

Bikes and Ice Cream

2010-12-30T14:49:00.003-06:00

A bike ride and ice cream cones in December?! Absolutely! Especially when the weather is 68 degrees and nice outside (and Braums has a sale on Ice Cream).

Brandon rides his new bike:

Yum

2010-12-30T14:33:00.002-06:00

I've been trying to get this on video for a while. Brandon makes this "mmmmm" sound when he eats... so funny!

It reminds me of the movie "What About Bob?" when Bill Murray is eating and makes the same noises that Brandon is doing.

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-26T21:40:00.008-06:00

We hope everyone enjoyed their Christmas this year. We did! We encountered some minor mishaps with a new waffle iron that led to breakfast at Ihop and issues with our Christmas dinner, but other than that, it was a wonderful day!!

Christmas Eve was spent with Nana and Papa. Uncle Matt and Aunt Kathleen are in town and we all had such a great evening. We did some impromptu Christmas carols and made Jackson mad because they were being sung right but not according to him (a hilarious video will follow as soon as I can get it loaded).

Christmas morning we opened gifts with the boys who loved everything. Brandon got a bike and can't wait for a little warmer weather to go ride it. After our breakfast trip we visited Nana and Papa again where they got some more cool gifts and then we headed home. We decided to start a family tradition this year where we would have our own little Christmas dinner. Proved a bit of a disaster but given our month, it's about right. Brandon had cereal :) I enjoyed the day and I think the boys did too.

Our Trip

2010-12-24T10:55:00.003-06:00

Our trip to Idaho was.... interesting. We decided to head out through New Mexico and up to Provo from there. We stopped to visit Nathans sister Suzanne and stayed with her one night. It was fun to see her daughter Dixie (we hadn't seen her before) and spend some time with her and Paul.

We then headed up to Idaho to see my family and attend the funeral. The services were nice and it was fun to hear stories of my grandma. After the funeral we took the boys, my neice Keely and my mom on a trip around Montpelier, ID (it took about five minutes). Then we went to dinner at the one fast food joint in town which had a playground and let the boys run around. My dad joined us and as we were eating the lights went out in the whole town. We found out a substation had caught on fire and it was assumed the power would be out the entire night. We decided to head out of town that night (packing up our hotel room by flashlight) and we went down to Ogden, UT to spend the night with Nathans aunt and uncle. From there we headed back home.

So here are some of the fun/quirky things about our trip:

~We spent every day in the car (the shortest day being about three hours)
~The boys loved seeing all the snow
~After seeing my dad in a cowboy hat Brandon announces "Look, it's cowboy Grandpa!"
~The boys traveled in the car really well. They would often sing "We wish you a merry Christmas and a happy new... tree" (the ending would change into whatever they saw at the moment and then laugh at themselves)
~We found two pint glasses (which we collect). One from BYU and one that says Idaho.
~We stayed at a different place every night.

My camera battery died after just a couple of pictures and I kept forgetting to charge the battery. I'll have to wait for my mom to send me some pictures (hint, hint mom).

My Grandma

2010-12-14T09:05:00.003-06:00

Sadly, my grandma passed away yesterday morning. She was the last of my grandparents and ironically enough the third to pass away this year. I guess 2010 is kind of a black year for my family. My truly wonderful husband has decided we are all going to travel up to Idaho for the funeral.

I've been blessed in my life to have had times that I have spent with all of my grandparents. At one point in my life I lived in Utah for a year and would frequently spend weekends with my grandparents in Idaho. I treasured those times. They live in the tiniest town where they sit around and watch neighbors and listen to the police scanner. The best part is when something is happening on the scanner, my grandmas phone starts ringing and all her friends are calling to talk about what's going on. I loved the quiet weekends I would spend with them. And my grandma always made sure I ate good while I was there. She was a very caring person and I'll miss her.

The picture above is the last time I saw her and that's Jackson as a baby.... I wish I could have seen her again but life happens and we weren't able to get back up there in the last few years.

Life Happens

2010-12-12T20:59:00.002-06:00

Last week I was feeling great, my Christmas was just about taken care of. Shopping - check; cards addressed - check; presents wrapped - check; small gifts for teachers and friends - check. I felt on top of the world. And then darkness descended in the form of the flu! Wednesday morning Nathan and I both woke up with sore throats and achy bodies. I have no idea how but he went to work and I spent the day on the couch in my pj's. I felt a little better on Thursday but my throat was killing me and I could hardly talk. On Friday morning we both decided to see doctors since we weren't feeling much better and found we both have Strep! Well how wonderful is that... at least we're now on antibiotics and know it will get better soon.

My wonderful in-laws offered to take the boys for us on Saturday afternoon and while Nathan worked (since he'd taken a lot of time off the previous three days) I napped and rested on the couch. Finally on Saturday evening I could talk a whole lot easier and we were feeling better. Yay! We're on the mend!

Funny side note: while sick we went to bed right after the boys did (sometimes at 8:00). We went to bed so early that Jackson would come into our room to tell us we forgot to turn off his light! We let him fall asleep with a small lamp on and we'll turn it off after he falls asleep, but I guess we were too early for him.

Now it's catch-up time. The house is a mess, laundry needs to be done, Nathan is super busy at work... you know how it goes.

The other downside is that I got a call from my mom saying my Grandma is most likely not long for this life. So in the back of our minds we're planning a trip but not sure when it will be or if we'll be able to make it happen.

But to end on a happier note, I finally got the boys to sing for me on camera:

Thanksgiving

2010-12-02T07:12:00.004-06:00

The week of Thanksgiving was a good week for us. Oklahoma weather was on menopause, it had moments of hot flashes. On one of those days my sister-in-law and I took the kids to the zoo. It was nice weather and not crowded. The boys got to run around and we all had a lot of fun!

For Thanksgiving Dinner we went to Nana and Papa's house. The food was yummy as always and it's always nice to spend the day with family. Nana had also prepared a fun game of Bingo complete with candy prizes for getting Bingo. Jackson and Brandon both enjoyed the game.

I made the place cards:

Brandon enjoyed his dinner:

A great weekend filled with food, fun, Christmas decorating, a little bit of shopping and spending some fun time with the boys.

Busy Weekend

2010-11-21T20:34:00.003-06:00

What a crazy and sleepless weekend that is now over! I've never been so glad for a day of rest.

It all started Thursday night with the midnight showing of Harry Potter. I've never done a midnight showing but my sister-in-law was asking for someone to go with her and I thought I'd like to do it just to see what it's like. So we got to the mall at six to wait in line. Oh my goodness, it was more than I thought. I anticipated people dressing up like they were at Hogwarts but did not prepare myself for some of the amazing costumes! We were behind a group of people and one of them was dressed as Lucius Malfoy. It was so good that all night people were taking pictures with him. The movie itself was pretty good too. I guess I could have done without all the yelling and shushing that went on, but what could I expect? And I do want to see it again.

So home by 3am and a little bit of sleep before getting up with the boys and getting the day started. I could only squeeze in a one hour nap but at least it was something. That night Nathan and I attended a BYU Management Society Gala and got home around 10pm. Take the babysitter home, attend a few things to the house and a little bit more sleep. Not much mind you because I have to be up at 5am to drive to a craft show.

I did the craft show and the attendance was the best I've seen at the shows I've done and yet I had the worst sales. Oh well, I had a good time with my mother-in-law who went with me. Finally got home that night and all I could think about was my pillow but no, now it's time to pack up for Sunday, bathe and get the kids to bed, unpack the truck, etc. I finally get to go to bed when I find myself up every few hours with one of the kids. Brandon has a bad cough and at one point comes into our room to say he has pooped in his pull-up. Dragging myself up I turn on the light and we discover he is climbing in our bed with out his pull-up on!! So not much sleep Saturday night either. Then it's up for early church. We start at 8:30 and generally leave around 8:00. Plus it's the Primary Program today so we wanted to save seats.

After church was the best! I got a nap and decided for the rest of the day I would sit around and not do anything. But now my pillow is calling to me again and I think I'll head to bed. Good night!

Tired Boy

2010-11-17T12:55:00.002-06:00

Last night I sat to watch the news around 5pm. Jackson sat next to me and the next thing I knew he was curled up and fast asleep. We roused him for some pizza and he sat at the table and ate one bread stick. I was hoping it would be enough to wake him up, fearing a nap at this time of night would mean he wouldn't go to bed for hours.

I was wrong.

After his bread stick he walked to the couch and laid down. A few minutes after that he went to bed. Now we're in trouble.

Nathan goes in there after a little bit; "Jackson, want to go to the toy store?" Nothing. He doesn't even move. Keep in mind, he is fully dressed and it's only 6:30. We have no idea what's in store for us tonight with him.

The boy sleeps all night and doesn't get up until 7am!

Home From Church

2010-11-14T14:52:00.003-06:00

I love when the drive home from church causes this:

Fall Festival

2010-11-12T10:42:00.003-06:00

Jackson's Kindergarten class had a Fall Festival yesterday and I went to the school to help out. I love going to his school and it makes me happy that he enjoys it too. They played lots of games and had so much fun!

The whole class made Apple T-shirts to wear to the festival:

Nana came too to help out:

This is Jackson's buddy Elijah. I hear a lot about Elijah and I met his mom once and she said they hear a lot about Jackson... buddies in crime I guess!

Enjoying the Fall Weather

2010-11-03T17:38:00.003-05:00

We enjoyed the fine fall weather today with a trip to the park.

More Halloween Fun

2010-11-01T10:22:00.005-05:00

Our Halloween fun continued on Saturday night with trick-or-treating. The boys were so excited to go!

Andrew stayed home with me to hand out candy and we watched Thomas together. He didn't get scared by the trick-or-treaters but was upset that they came to the door and then left. I think he was upset because I wouldn't let him go outside with them.

After trick-or-treating was a bath and bedtime couldn't come quick enough for Brandon:

On Sunday we had the boys divide up their candy into piles with what they wanted and what they didn't want. This is what Jackson was left with:

Brandon pretty much kept all of his, he's not that picky.

We also had Nathans family over for dinner that night and Jackson helped make some spider cupcakes for desert.

Fall Break Friday

2010-10-25T09:40:00.003-05:00

This past Thursday and Friday was Fall Break for Jackson and on Friday Nathan surprised us by taking the day off. This is how he spent his day off:

Just kidding! He got up pretending to go to work but he took Jackson to go get donuts instead. After our yummy breakfast we talked about going to the Oklahoma Science Museum since we haven't been there as a family. Because of Fall Break and a rainy day we knew it would be super crowded but we got there right as the doors opened and pretty much had the place to ourselves for a while. Here's the good time the boys had:

By the time we left it was really getting crowded and the line to get in was out the door.... great timing on our part!

After this we did a few things in the afternoon and Nathan and I went on a date that night and did some window shopping for Christmas. It was such a wonderful day with my boys and my awesome husband!

Happy Halloween

2010-10-20T09:00:00.000-05:00

Last weekend we had a Ward Halloween Party. The older two boys picked out their costumes and I quickly put one together for Andrew. They had a great time and Jackson is really getting into Halloween... especially the Trick-or-treating!

I made them all Trick-or-Treat bags this year. Jackson helped me pick out the fabric for them.

Soccer

2010-10-19T08:00:00.000-05:00

Finally getting around to posting some pictures of the boys soccer games.

Jackson:

We've determined that this may not be the game for him. His teammates are really focused and good and Jackson is too distracted and not really into the game. I think we'll keep him with T-ball for now since it seemed to fit him better.

Brandon:

(This is how Brandon spends most of his games)

We have a hard time getting Brandon out there to play, he does practice okay but when it comes to the games he doesn't get out there and chase the ball. But he's still young and we'll try again next year with him.

Get off the sidewalks!

2010-10-18T15:27:00.003-05:00

Brandon can really tear it up on his tricycle! I bet you can guess what he's getting for Christmas :)

New Rooms

2010-10-12T10:25:00.005-05:00

This weekend we made the change to break up the boys rooms. We put Brandon and Andrew in the playroom and Jackson now has his room all to himself.

So far, so good. One challenge was the toys so we split those up too. Most are in with Brandon and Andrew and we gathered all the trains and train tacks and put them in one big tote under the bed. The little cars also went in a tote under the bed. That makes it so much easier to clean up.
Jackson has also been enjoying his new-found freedom. He loves being able to go to bed with his truck lamp on and wind down with looking through some books. We also took our media cabinet and converted it into a game/book case for him. The wonderful part is that it locks so Brandon and Andrew stay out of it.

Jackson informed me last night that he wants to paint his room orange and paint smiley faces all over it... we'll see.

I Take That Back

2010-10-12T10:21:00.003-05:00

I guess it is more fun with water in the tub (plus your pajamas on)

Random Pictures

2010-10-07T16:08:00.002-05:00

Some recent pictures for your viewing pleasure:

Who says you need water to make a bathtub fun?

Eeek! There's a mouse in our kitchen. (You'll have to wait for Halloween to see the full costume)

Isn't this just the sweetest picture?

I couldn't believe they were all sitting next to each other and not bothering each other.

Soul Searching

2010-10-05T14:33:00.003-05:00

I just realized how long it has been since I've posted anything on my blog. I'm pretty far behind. The month of September was a busy month as I was gearing up for a girls weekend with my mom to do some scrapbooking. It was a wonderful weekend but during that weekend I did a lot of thinking and realized some things about my life that I wanted to change. Here's what's changing in my life:

Facebook - I'm going to put Facebook on hold for now. Many people may not understand this decision but I don't feel like going into the reasons why I don't want to do it.

Blog - My goal is to update the blog more frequently. However, it's going to center on my family and what we're doing. While it may be boring, the blog is really for my mom and family who don't see us very often or get to see the boys growing up. So it may be long posts or short and sweet with a picture or two. If you don't read it, it's okay and I'm not offended. I know my mom will love it and that's all that matters to me.

My side business - After much prayer and thought, I'm quitting my side business "For Little Guys". It hasn't been profitable enough to keep up the cost of doing it. But the bigger reason is that it took up so much of my time that I neglected my boys. I'm sure they thought my motto in life was "Not now, I'm busy". Plus, if I'm going to spend money on crafts I'd rather do crafts for me, my boys, my friends, etc.

I still love sewing and crafts but I won't be doing as much of it. On a side note, if anyone does want something, I'm still willing to sew it for them.

Last week the boys asked to go places and we went. We went for a bike ride one day to feed the ducks and I took them to the playground in the mall. It's not something I typically did with them (just up and go when they asked) but I know they really enjoyed it and so did I. I know I've been a selfish mom and have looked forward to all of them being in school so I could have some peace and quiet, but I'm also missing out on them growing.

One last thing (and then I'll end this long post!); I've also been stressed out with the state of my home. I feel like it's constantly dirty and I'm constantly behind in house work. So I'm organizing my week and life to include keeping up with the house more. I have some household projects I've been meaning to do and I'm looking forward to getting those checked off my list and finish decorating my house (after five years of being in it!).

Thanks to all my friends and family who are so supportive and loving!!

What Concentration Looks Like

2010-08-29T17:05:00.004-05:00

Nathan once told me that when he played drums he used to stick his tongue out. I thought he had a picture somewhere but I couldn't find it. I have however captured our children doing things with their tongues out and I thought it was pretty funny.

Jackson getting his groove on:
You have to look close but his tongue is out:
Not too noticeable but it is there:
Yes even Andrew has started to show signs:
And the most recent (and most hilarious!):

Goal!

2010-08-13T08:37:00.003-05:00

It's been too hot to let the boys go outside and play so last night we brought in the soccer ball and goal so we could have them practice. The hardest part is making sure they don't touch the ball with their hands. But once they got the hang of it they had a great time!

My First Quilt

2010-08-13T08:31:00.004-05:00

Jackson still uses the crib quilt his grandma made him when he was born so I decided I wanted to make him a new quilt. Because he's on the top of a bunk bed it's hard to tuck in blankets when making his bed so I made a quilt to fit just the top of his mattress. I took him to the store one night and let him pick out the main part and he wanted Pirate fabric. So this is what I came up with:
It's by no means perfect but he loves it and that's all that matters. I even took the last of the pirate fabric and sewed a strip of it onto his pillow case and he loves that too!

Brandon's Birthday

2010-08-13T08:13:00.003-05:00

At the beginning of this month we celebrated Brandon's 3rd birthday. I can't believe how fast my boys are growing! We had the family over for a birthday celebration and Brandon had a great time!

Some of Brandon's favorite things:
Movies - "Cars", "Toy Story" & "Kung Fu Panda"
Terrorize his brothers
Play with trains and train tracks
Run, run and run some more (I'm often asked if he ever sits still, my response is "only when he's strapped in his car seat!")

We signed the boys up for Soccer so we got Brandon a soccer ball and goal for his birthday.

What I've been up to

2010-07-26T14:56:00.006-05:00

I feel like I've been really busy lately with some craft projects and I finally got a chance to finish some up :) A lot of it was the decorations for the baby shower but I also did two more skirts for me, one for a friend and a quiet book for Andrew.

I've been wanting to make a quiet/busy book for Andrew but everything I see online is not what I wanted. I'm not a big drawer or cutting out shapes and things that look like animals (my would end up looking freaky), and Andrew doesn't count or know his colors yet. I really just needed something that peaked his interests and would maybe keep him occupied at church. This is what I came up with:

Nothing inside of the zipper, just something for him to do.

He loves playing in my wallet and taking out my credit cards so that's what gave me the idea for the right side and let him have some cards to take out and put back in.

My in-laws have a bead thing that he loves to play with but it's made of wood and wire, with this one I used ribbon instead. He really likes this page.

The rest of the book is to give him a few more things to play with. I didn't have any particular "inspiration" for these pages.

I'm working on a quilt right now for Jackson. It's the first quilt I've ever attempted so I'll post it when I get it completed.

Baby Shower

2010-07-26T14:41:00.003-05:00

This past weekend some friends and I held a shower for our friend Chrissy who is having a girl. I made the decorations and I had so much fun doing it all. Plus I had a ton of pink paper that I could use since I don't use pink that much ;)

My friends did the food and another friend did the amazing cake!

How cute is this?!

This is the cutest cake, and so delicious!!

We had so many ladies show up and we all had a great time seeing all the cute girl things Chrissy got. A big Thank You to everyone who helped and came to celebrate!

Chrissy's mom made a baby blanket and we helped tie it at the shower.

Lindsey, Angela, Chrissy and me

T-Ball... finally

2010-07-13T09:36:00.003-05:00

We signed Jackson up for T-Ball and his first game was supposed to have been last month. After a few weeks of not having a coach, and a couple of rained out games he had his first game last night! He did really well and had a great time!

Brandon really wanted to play.

Jackson's Birthday Party

2010-07-02T16:39:00.006-05:00

Yesterday we had a Mickey Mouse themed birthday party for Jackson. His friends came over and they all had a great time! We had them decorate goody bags with Mickey Mouse stickers. I made a bean bag toss and bowling game for them to play and also had some coloring pages. We let the kids run around and play together. It turned out that the girls sat and colored while the boys ran around!

We got them together to do presents when Jackson announces he needs to have a talk with his friends first. He sits on the couch, folds his arms and announces "it is my birthday and no one is to open my gifts, eat my cake or blow out my candles". It was so funny! We did gifts, cake and then a pinata. Jackson was so glad and had so much fun!

Party Pictures

2010-07-02T16:39:00.005-05:00

Feeding the ducks

2010-06-29T11:09:00.003-05:00

Last night Papa and I took Jackson and Brandon to feed the ducks at the pond in our neighborhood. They started coming up to us before we even got to the pond! The boys loved it and Jackson told me this morning that we forgot to feed the ducks their breakfast so we need to go feed the ducks again :)

My First Skirt

2010-06-18T08:35:00.002-05:00

I finally sewed my first piece of clothing. I love this skirt, I think it is so cute and I love the length. The pattern has a few different styles and I can't wait to make more!

More Playing In The Water

2010-06-18T08:26:00.004-05:00

The boys had friends over and they ran through the sprinklers. Even Andrew went out... although he sat in the same spot the entire time!

Brandon Helps Out

2010-06-18T08:20:00.003-05:00

Brandon helps his dad with mowing the lawn.

Crafts and House Updates

2010-06-08T14:59:00.003-05:00

In my spare time I've been doing a few personal sewing projects:

A new tote bag to take all of our stuff to church each week. It's also come in handy other times.

A small purse to take when I don't need a huge bag filled with "kid stuff".

I finally started working on the boys bathroom. I've been wanting to get it done for a long time and I have a feeling it will be a slow process but at least I've completed a shower curtain and a couple of wall hangings:

And finally, after five years, I have a curtain in my bathroom! I took the boys old shower curtain and added a little bit of fabric I had on hand to spruce it up a bit.