North Pole Breakfast

The day after Thanksgiving we woke up to find our elf, Hank, here with a yummy North Pole Breakfast from Santa himself!  The boys feasted on powdered donuts and yummy chocolate milk.  Mommy and Daddy had a few donuts as well and peppermint mocha coffees.  We read the kids the Elf on the Shelf book and they got a huge kick out of it.  Hank brought them a special gift (movie night treats and a movie to watch).  Hopefully Hank will remember this special breakfast and keep coming back year after year!!  

Thanksgiving Performance!

I great big huge heart Ryan's school.  Moving him to that school last year was one of the best decisions I have ever made.  His teachers this year are outstanding!  He loves them all, including his music and spanish teachers.  He is learning so much every single day.  He comes home saying things in spanish and asking me how to say certain things in spanish.  It is cute.  He only has his spanish class once a week, but he is learning SO much!  

A couple of weeks ago,  his school put on a Thanksgiving performance.  He usually isn't one to sing a whole lot, but he had practiced his song and knew it word for word.  He did sing a little up on the stage.  He also turned his back around so all you could see was the back of his head about half way through their song.  When they were done, he was so proud that he clapped excitedly for himself.  He was so proud and so were we.  :) 

he loved the performance and wanted his picture taken as well!

Little words can be powerful

I meant to blog this a long time ago but I never got around to doing it.  There are moments as a parent where you just need a break.  There was a day back in early October that I was completely exhausted.  It had been rainy for a few days, the boys were having lots of meltdowns (probably because they were bored being in the house), I was in desperate need of a shower after being covered in spit-up, I had a mountain of unfolded laundry on my bed that I was determined to fold and to top it off, I couldn't get the boys to nap.  All I wanted was 10 minutes of peace.  Ten minutes to be alone in the shower and not have to be bothered and then to get that laundry folded and off my bed.

Big Brother woke Little Brother up from his nap for the 2nd time and my patience hit its max.  I made Big Brother sit on my floor in my bedroom while I folded laundry and his one rule was do not talk.  "Do not say a single word," I said and "sit there until I am finished folding these clothes."  After about 2.2 seconds of silence, Big Brother said, "Mommy, can I help you?" I don't remember if I said anything at all.  I might have reminded him that he was supposed to sit there and be still and quiet for a few minutes.  The next thing he said will forever be in my mind.

In his sweet voice, my little boy said to me, "Mommy, I love you.  Mommy, you are so happy to see me.  I am happy to see you.  Can you give me a hug?"  My heart melted.  Tears filled my eyes.  I immediately stepped back, took a deep breath and changed my outlook on the day.  Instead of being frustrated, tired and irritated that nothing on my to do list was getting done that day, I was grateful and humbled.  He changed my perspective in an instant.  It is amazing how powerful the words a child says can be.

Start Your Engines!!!!

A couple of weeks ago we were in the basement playing with the boys.  Little Bro started getting really excited and demanding that "Nyan" get on the train.  Once he was able to get his big bro on the train it became clear what Little Bro was trying to do.  He wanted to race!!!  They would hop on their ride-on toys and wait for us to yell "Green, green, green" and zoom across the basement.  There was a lot of laughter, lots of joyful screaming and lots of fun!!  Daddy even got in on the races! 

Little Bro Wins!!!!

Bottle Drama..

The only issue we have really had with baby sister is that she HATES the bottle.  She would rather scream or not eat than take a bottle.  It doesn't matter what is in the bottle or what type of bottle we tried, she hated them all.  One evening we decided to let Big Brother try for a moment.  She actually tolerated it for about 3 minutes but never actually took to the bottle that night.  He was so proud of himself for helping out though!  Big Brother isn't usually too involved with Little Sis.  He loves her and gives her hugs and kisses, but he is usually too busy to stop and do much else.  The moments where he wants to help with her or where he stops and goes to give her love melt my heart.  He is such a special little boy and she is lucky to have him!!! 

The good news is that after about the 7th different type of bottle/nipple combination, I finally discovered something that she will take.  Thank you Playtex Nurser Latex! :) 

My brother spent the entire fall touring with his band.  It just so happened that he had a couple of days of a break while he was in our area!  YAY!!!  He spent a few days with us and we had the most wonderful time running around outside, enjoying the fresh air and playing.  He is so great with the boys and they adore him.  I blame him entirely for Big Brother's Christmas list --- a guitar and a drum set.  He wants to rock out like his Uncle B! 

This little boy decided he was so big and did the swing all by himself!!!

Weekend in TX

The first weekend in November was a fantastic weekend!! One of my best friends in the entire world got married.  :)  It was an honor and a privilege to stand beside her as she married her best friend.  The Mr. wasn't able to make the trip back to TX this time, so we made it a girls trip instead.  The Mr. got to stay home with his boys for a long weekend and they had a wonderful time!!  Little Miss E did so great on the flight.  She got to meet all of her Great-Grandparents, which was one of the things that was most important to me.  

Little Miss E was not supposed to attend the wedding with me but after refusing the bottle and having a very rough time while I was gone to the rehearsal and rehearsal dinner, we decided she needed to be where I was.  On the day of Brooke's wedding Little Miss was absolutely perfect.  She got to spend her time with my wonderful Sister-in-Law and was just as happy as she could be.  I have determined that she is quite the particular little girl.  I pray that she is as particular in boys/men when she is older!  

Her Great, Great Uncle!

Great Grandparents!! I love these two.  :)

Great-MaMaw

with the most awesome 15 year-old girl I know!!!

Jess, one of my favorite people in this world! 

EK with her Great-Grandmother

Great-Grandmother and EK

I am so thankful to have had the opportunity to spend time with my Grandparents.  Big Brother is the only one who got to meet all 6 of my grandparents and I treasure the photos that I have of him with my grandfathers that are no longer with us.  Each time I visit my grandparents, I find myself asking them more questions.  I want to know about their lives, where they came from, how they met their spouses, etc.  I want to be able to tell my children about their history one day and tell them how wonderful each of their grandparents are/were.  I am so blessed to have had nearly 30 years with my grandparents!!!  

I didn't take that many photos during our trip home this past time.  I hope to do a better job of documenting our next trip!!! 

Fall Fun/Birthday Fun

Little Brother's 2nd birthday was an absolutely beautiful fall day.  We decided it was the perfect day for checking out one of the farms in our area.  I am not sure why we had never been to this particular farm before but it was perfect for the boys.  I look forward to taking them back next year!  We had such a wonderful time celebrating Mr. O's 2nd year!  We played at the farm, had yummy pizza for dinner (his choice) and followed it up with a nice big cupcake!  The day was perfect!!

he had fun chasing around a whole bunch of chickens..

We all (except little miss) had a blast on the slides!! 

I may or may not have enjoyed the slides more than the kids!!

A few weeks after this trip, I took little brother in for his 2 year appointment to find out that he is in the 95th percentile for height and weight!  Wowzers!!!  He is bigger in both height and weight than his big brother was at the age of 3!!!  They are exactly one full shoe size apart and one clothing size apart. It won't be long before little brother is giving hand-me-downs to big brother!

My sweet boy...

A few weeks ago I grabbed the camera and snapped a few photos of my little cutie enjoying a fresh fruit smoothie.  Those little holes in his mouth are now gone.  It is crazy how quickly kids can change.  Those 4 little teeth make such a big difference.  He went from looking like a baby to looking like a little boy when those gaps filled in. 

he is totally addicted to this thing.  Not sure how I am ever going to take it away. 

Random

A couple of months ago on a random grocery trip, I spotted Godiva's Pumpkin Spice Coffee.  While I love pumpkin spice lattes from Starbucks, my wallet does not.  I decided that for $6.99 for a bag I would try it.  As soon as we got home I started up a pot of coffee.  It smelled delicious and tasted even better!  This coffee quickly became a favorite.  As you can see, the bag is not THAT big so it didn't last THAT long.  I have been on the hunt for this little gem ever since the first pot I brewed and have not been able to find it anywhere.  I can't find it on the Godiva website or even on Google.  If you happen to come across it while you are at the store, let me know!  If you happen to surprise me with a bag of this goodness you will have a friend for life! :)

Outside Fun

 We have been blessed with some fantastic weather here lately!  We have been trying to get out and enjoy it as much as possible before the frigid winter sets in.  Why can't it be like this all the time???

if only this was in focus...

Birth Announcement

Ok so I am so far behind.  I did a great job with taking baby sister's newborn pictures.  I did several sessions and still have not gotten around to editing all of them.  I ordered her birth announcements before she was even a week old.  By the time she was 10 days old, I had the announcements in my hands and I was SO excited to send them out.  Then life started happening, our help was suddenly gone, we were enjoying lovely fall days outside and getting used to life as a family of 5.  The birth announcements found their way into a drawer in my kitchen where they are still sitting.  I am not sure when or if I will ever get around to actually sending them out.  If yours doesn't show up in your mailbox anytime soon, please do not be offended.  I have decided to share the announcement here.  If I find a few more hours in the day then I will try to address the cards and get them out.  Based off of the fact that I can't seem to get these announcements ready and mailed, I am not so certain that I will be doing Christmas cards this year.

Happy Baby Girl Birth Announcement

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Three Months

My sweet little girl is 3 months old!!!  Three months have flown by.  Wow.  This month was a big month for little Miss E.  She got her first ride on an airplane (she did fantastic), got to attend her first wedding, got to meet a whole bunch of family members in the great state of Texas and she started sleeping through the night!

We had major issues with the bottle during this month as well.  Little Miss E decided that she didn't care for the bottle at all in fact.  After a whole lot of trial and error she finally found one that she would tolerate.  If you are lucky and heat the milk to the exact right temperature and give it to her at the exact right moment, she may take it.  Maybe.  She thinks the pacifier is a torture device.  She tolerates tummy time remarkably well.  She tries to shove her fists in her mouth all the time.  She is happy as long as her Momma is near.  She is a drooler (needs a bib at all times).  She still doesn't enjoy getting into her car seat.  She loves to be tightly swaddled in her Woombie.  She has never fussed during a bath and she has discovered the fun of splashing!

she turns off those big grins as soon as the camera comes out.  ha!

<3 baby toes...and I spy a little chubby chub on those legs! 

she is still my little blue-eyed girl.  Only time will tell if they stay that way or not..her eyes are beautiful though!

my tiny and new girl is getting so big!!!

She is changing every single day.  Every single day she gains strength and every day she becomes a bit more social.  She is such a joy in our family!!!  Three months have gone by incredibly fast but at the same time it seems like she has always been a part of our family.


At 3 months, Little Miss E still wears 0-3 month clothing and size 1 diapers.  She has set the record by a long shot around here.  The boys were into 6 month clothes very early on.  I am enjoying getting a bit of mileage out of her outfits!

In other news, I signed up to do a 5K when E was only a few weeks old.  The 5K was scheduled for the day she turned 3 months old.  I did a little training, got to where I could run 4 miles or so and then somehow me, the hubs and the boys all got sick.  There was no way I could run the race that day.  :( It turned out to be a blessing in disguise because there were major traffic issues with the race and the group that I was carpooling with never made it to the race.  A little history, I have always hated running.  I quit soccer as a kid because there was too much running involved.  I remember in high school we had to run the mile in a certain time to be in athletics/make our team.  I despised that mile run.  In the past couple of months I have discovered a new love for running.  I feel great when I finish and I feel like a better mom for clearing my head and having something to do for myself.  My goal eventually is to complete a half marathon!  We'll see!!  Oh and in other news, at 3 months post-partum, I dipped below my pre-pregnancy weight!  Woot!!!!