Catching up with the Christie's

Smile....

2010-12-17T13:43:00.006-06:00

Forgive the blog absence.

My laptop fizzled out, and I had to get a new one.

Not what I wanted to buy 2 weeks before Christmas.

It's been the normal hectic month of December around here! Lots of sewing, hand made crafts, working some new hours at work, and normal mommy duties!

Can't wait to show you all some of the busy work I have been up to! It will have to wait until after Christmas, so I don't ruin any surprises.

Just wanted to leave you with this picture...

There is a funny one in every family!

Happy Holidays!

Minnesota

2010-11-12T10:24:00.008-06:00

It's been a crazy last couple of weeks around here! So to 'catch up' I am going to do bullet points with some pictures thrown in.

- We took a long weekend trip to Minnesota at the end of October. Lee's entire family was there. We came from 5 different states to all be together for the Ohio State football game, family pictures and 3 October birthdays!

- The day after we came home, Carter, Hudson and I came down with the flu and fevers... fun times!

- Lee and the boys had a bachelor weekend while I went home to Lincoln. Both of my sisters were there and we celebrated my Mom's birthday! I bought her this not so cute Halloween decor only because she wanted it every time she went to Hancock Fabric store. I found it for $1.99 on clearance!

-I have been having great success at my craft shows! Last weekend in Lincoln I sold 9 dresses! Here are a couple new fabrics I made this week!

Little blue hearts in the fabric...look close!

Love these fun colors!

- Lee is bravely traveling with the boys to Omaha this weekend. I have another show this weekend. Miss my boys already, but excited for them to see both sets of Grandparents and their cousins!

Sewing

2010-11-02T19:00:00.000-05:00

I started sewing in August. Well, technically learned to sew when I was tween, but hadn't used a sewing machine in years. After my Mom helped refresh my memory of a few things, it really is easy! I am loving it!

My friend Carrie is so nice and is lending me her machine....but, I needed something to sew! This is the funny part... I started sewing little girls pillowcase dresses. They are so fun to make, I love choosing fun fabrics and honestly its very rare that I get to buy something for little girls (love my boys)!

I named my little company Pink Dreams. I don't have a website yet, but am working on it!

This is a picture of my booth set up at my very first Fall Boutique show. I have several more lined up for the rest of the year.

Here are a couple close ups of the dresses!

Sweet Kennady

Adorable Addie

The dresses are made in sizes 3-8, and can be wore year round. This time of year, add a long sleeve shirt/turtleneck and leggings or tights!

If you are interested, here are the dates of my upcoming shows:

November 6th 9-4

St John's Craft Fair
Lincoln, NE

November 20th 9-3pm
4 Mile PTA Craft Show
Pleasanthill, IA

December 4th 9-3pm
Ashland Ridge Elementary PTA
Ankeny, IA

You can also reach me at my email pinkdreamsofmine@gmail.com

-Jessica

Happy Halloween

2010-10-31T08:00:00.002-05:00

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!

From Mario and Luigi

Pumpkins

2010-10-25T18:54:00.010-05:00

We did some pumpkin carving yesterday.

Carter told me since he is big enough to make his own PB and jelly sandwich, that he should be able to operate a knife and carve his own pumpkin. Yikes!! Fve years old going on twenty.

He did help me out, because we have this awesome kit that my Mom gave us.

Digging out the guts. Carter hates the smell and Hudson dislikes the texture. Great pair for pumpkin carving!

He drew out his idea first (see the little white paper?)

My neighbor helped get these sweet smiles out of my boys!

We had a bunch of fun! Lots planned for the rest of this week including a trip to Minnesota!

I'm Baaaaaaack!

2010-10-24T14:52:00.003-05:00

Yes, we are all alive and well!

These two cuties are keeping us busy.

Carter loves Kindergarten and Hudson is doing well in preschool.

I have been sewing like a crazy woman! (More on that later!)

Lee loves doing 'lessons' with the boys each evening.

I hope to start blogging again each week.

The end!

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-25T00:00:00.001-06:00

From our family to yours, we wish you a very Merry Christmas and a blessed New Year!!

Family Photos

2009-12-23T19:00:00.002-06:00

Over Thanksgiving we had our pictures taken with my family.

Here are a few of my favorites:

I love the boys' expressions on their sweet faces...priceless!

These are the two that would do anything for me and my boys!

Love you, Mom and Dad!!

My sisters Rachel (youngest), Valerie (middle), and me!

All of us! I wish Huddy was smiling in this picture, but he IS saying (in his deep voice) cheeeeesee!

Preschool Party and some really UGLY Sweaters

2009-12-19T19:16:00.013-06:00

Carters Christmas party at preschool was Friday afternoon. They sang some cute songs, and Carter mostly hid behind the boy standing next to him. Lee and I weren't really sure why. He is really outgoing and LOUD at home, but in some social situations he is REALLY shy.

After the short program was over the kids got to make gingerbread houses. Here is Carter's masterpiece. He was so proud...and then Daddy left it at the Science Center. oops!

Last night Lee & I went to a really fun ugly sweater party. This must be a really popular thing, because I went to 4 Salvation Army and Goodwill stores before I found ONE ugly Christmas sweater. When the older lady ringing me up commented, "Oh honey, you got a GOOD one!" I was excited!

Here is my adorable hubby in his 'too tight' Christmas sweater that I embellished for him.

It's hard to tell in this picture, but my sweater had beads, beads and more beads made into snowflakes and bells all over the sweater. The best part was the brand name...wait for it... wait for it.... HO HO HO. Hilarious!

Today I baked and baked and did some more baking. I planned and gorcery shopped for this day for a week, and then my oven acted up all day. UUGGHH!!!! It kept turning it self off at random times. Hoping a day of rest will do it some good, and my feet too :) Carter was an amazing help. I figured out half way into the day that having him help me instead of shooing him away, made it easier. He loves to cook!

Hope everyone has a good weekend!!

Santa Express Train

2009-12-14T12:00:00.008-06:00

Twas the night before Saturday

and all through the train station,

little boys dressed in their jammies

the Santa Express our location!

"ALL ABOARD!" The conductor announced

we filled the seats and settled in,

Our destination the North Pole,

You can imagine the grins!

To each boy was given

a beautiful silver bell,

And as quick as he came

Santa bid us farewell.

Singing carols, drinking hot cocoa

Yummy sugar cookies we ate,

Our train adventure we remember,

by the memories we create!

Christmas Wreath

2009-12-09T11:45:00.001-06:00

I am frequent "window shopper" to the Mercy Hospital gift shop. When I work I like to stop in and see what neat decorations they have for each holiday. I especially love when something is left after the holiday at a 90% discounted price!

Here is a Christmas wreath that I really liked at the gift shop:

I decided NOT to spend an insane amount of money for that wreath and instead re-created one of my own for 1/3 of the price!

I am pleased with how mine turned out!

Teacher gifts!

2009-12-08T10:40:00.002-06:00

We have three teacher gifts to buy or make this year. I found a really fun, cute idea for decorated clipboards! I have been in a really craft mood lately, so I thought I would give them a try. To see where I got the idea and full instructions go HERE.

I found the clipboards at Walmart for 97 cents, the scrapbook paper was on sale at Hobby Lobby for 25 cents, I already had acrylic paint, brushes and ribbon on hand. I did have to buy the Mod Podge, but it is a huge bottle and can do several other projects with it.

Here how mine turned out!

What do you think...Nice gift or a cheap idea???

Back in Business!!!!!!

2009-12-06T18:03:00.002-06:00

After six weeks of not having a laptop (mine decided to crash), I finally have a new one!!

So, I will be back to blogging....starting tomorrow!!

I have been up to A LOT of crafty projects, shopping and decorating for Christmas and keeping busy with the boys. I can't wait to post pics of what we've been up to the last month! Thanks to my incredibly smart, computer savvy husband that was able to retrieve ALL my photos off my old computer!!

See ya soon!!

Happy Birthday Daddy!

2009-10-08T18:05:00.003-05:00

Yesterday was Lee's 35th Birthday!! We had a great evening! First, we ate at Taki Japanese Steakhouse, then came home to red velvet cupcakes from Carefree Cakes in Valley Junction. The boys were really well-behaved at dinner, and loved the 'show' and food!

All day Hudson thought it was HIS birthday, and would randomly sing 'happy burf-day' to himself. I finally got him to sing (while eating), even though you will hear me sing a little.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!!

Fall Party

2009-10-06T15:11:00.008-05:00

We had a great time in Kansas City this past weekend. My lovely sister invited us to her work for their Fall Party. She works for a toy distribution company, so that was a perk for the boys.

Here is Rachel's desk and the boys checking everything out!

We ate tons of great food, played in the bounce house, and got spider tattoos, but I do have to say, these two costumed cuties were the highlight of my evening!

Here they are with Aunt Rachel

Me and my baby sister!

The boys went to bed way too late, but we had a blast!

The next afternoon it warmed up so we headed to the park and then did a little bit of shopping.

Rachel's dog Parker

When we got home Lee had swapped the office and the nursery rooms upstairs. Now Hudson has a big boy room complete with a toddler bed! That was on our to-do list this week, so I am so thankful it's done!

Hope everyone had a great weekend. We sure did!!

Costume Frenzy

2009-10-05T21:00:00.001-05:00

Last week I was in a frenzy (not really, I just like that word).The boys and I were headed to Kansas City on Friday for a Fall Party. We were invited by my lovely sister as her dates. So, I was on the hunt for costumes for the boys, 4 weeks before Halloween! I found Carters cheeseburger outfit on Craigslist, and then had the idea to make Hudson the fries. Only one problemo... I don't sew, my Mother who does is 3 hours away, and the party is 3 days away. I headed to Hobby Lobby and spent pretty much every free moment without kiddos working on this costume. Here is what a few squares of yellow felt, red foam board a hot glue gun and some sticky velcro will get you!

Half way done!

Finished!

Are you making your kids' costumes???

Caramel Apple Crisp

2009-09-23T15:37:00.009-05:00

Carter had a preschool potluck last night and I signed up to bring a dessert. I must have dreamt about Carmel Apple Crisp, because when I went to find the recipe, I couldn't find it!
So, I searched the Internet and this is the yummy recipe I found!

Caramel Apple Crisp

8 to 10 cups apples, sliced
cinnamon and sugar ( i just sprinkled a little of both over the apples)
1 Tbsp. lemon juice

Topping:
2 C. oatmeal
1 C. Butter
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. backing soda
1 3/4 cup flour
1 C. brown sugar, packed
3/4 tsp. salt
Dash of nutmeg (optional)

15 caramels
2 Tbsp. water

Mix apples with lemon juice, cinnamon and sugar. Combine topping, put on top of apples and bake in 9 x 13 inch pan at 375 degrees for 30 minutes or until apples are done. Melt caramels in microwave with the water and still well until mixed. Pour over apple crisp.

I am really a horrible baker, but I have to say this recipe was easy and it was really good! Next time, though I will be smart and instead of unwrapping 15 caramels I will just buy caramel topping!!

Friend

2009-09-18T17:00:00.001-05:00

Apparently, Carter has a new friend at preschool.

I get a text from Lee after he dropped Carter off at preschool this morning.

It read:

"Jayden's Dad said she talked about Carter all night last night."

My first thought was he can't possibly be talking about my Carter (there are two in his class this year). Sure enough, he was! Lee described the small, short-haired blond girl with glasses to me. I remembered seeing the bubbly little girl one afternoon after class.

When I pulled up to school this afternoon for pick up, the class was on the playground. Guess who was chasing after my Carter...little blond haired Jayden.

I asked Carter about his new friend and his response: "She follows me EVERYWHERE!"

This is just a cute little story after a rough start to the week for him. Monday he didn't want to go and I spent 20 minutes wiping tears and calming fears before he would walk into class.

Teaser

2009-09-13T20:44:00.004-05:00

So, I am horribly behind on posting pictures from our trip. I promise to get some more up Monday or Tuesday!!

Here are just a few for now:

Last week was spent trying to get back to some kind of normal.... if there is such a thing!

Carter loved the first two days of preschool. He is fascinated with how much they get to eat at school! Carter absolutely HATES and will not touch bananas. When I picked him up Friday, the first thing out of his mouth was that they had hamburgers and bananas for lunch. He says "GUESS WHAT Mom?" I ATE the banana!!" I was proud of him that he tried something that normally he wouldn't eat. This week they are learning the letter L and about wheels. All day preschool also means earlier bedtimes. Both boys have been asleep by 8:30!! This is so much better than the 10pm summer bedtimes!!

With Carter now in preschool, Hudson and I have lots of time together and I think he is still a little upset we left him. Every other word out of his mouth is "no!" or "hearing aid out"! I just have to laugh at him sometimes, because he is saying 3 or 4 word sentences, and some are sooooo cute. "I want canneee (candy) NOW!", "NO touch my shirt!", and my favorite "I wuv you too mommy!" His teacher has me working on 'I want' phrases with him. So, instead of him crying, pointing or getting frustrated I come to his level and say "I want" and he will respond by telling me or forgetting what the fuss was about in the first place. We have to keep a watchful eye on this little independent man! Today he got mad because I turned off the water outside that he and Carter were playing in. I turned around to go inside to change Carter's soaking wet clothes, made eye contact with Lee who was weed eating in the yard, so he could keep an eye on Huddy. Next thing I know, Lee is hobbling down the street (he broke his pinky toe in Mexico). I run outside and Hudson running down the side walk as fast as he can, already about 4 houses away! Lee told me that Hudson was upset that I turned off the water and took off down the street. Ahhh.... the terrible two's!!!

Hope everyone has a great week!

2009 First Day of Preschool

2009-09-09T20:30:00.001-05:00

Today was a big day for Carter! He started preschool!! He will be going 3 days a week, all day long. He was pretty nervous this morning, but once we got there, everything was just fine! It was kind of weird around the house without him, and Hudson even came crying to me asking where Carter was. When I picked him up this afternoon, he was non-stop talk and said he couldn't wait to go back Friday. His favorite part was "that I got to eat THREE snacks today!!" He is eating lunch there, and I have to say I am a little envious! Today they had cheese manicotti...yum!

Ready or not....

2009-09-02T14:28:00.006-05:00

We are leaving tonight for the biggest vacation Lee and I have ever been on!! We are going here if you are interested and check out the photo tour...wow!
I am not sure if I am ready, but my parents will be here shortly to take over the Christie house while we are gone. It's been a long week leading up to today...Hudson broke a hearing aid, a high fever and a trip to the doctor and some antibiotics for him too, lots of trips to get this and that for us or the boys before we leave, last minute hard core workouts for me and this morning we had Carter's meet and greet at preschool. I should be finishing packing, but am lost as to what I really need to take and what I want to bring (which is pretty much my whole closet). I have a hard time just packing for the weekend when we go back home.
And.. I am not even going to get started on how much I will miss my little ones.

Well, I need to finish packing, and mopping the kitchen floor, and taking Sadie to the vet and go get some hairspray..... Have a great week everyone!!

Check-up

2009-08-26T13:33:00.001-05:00

Today we went for Hudson's two year check-up and to my surprise NO shots!! Woo hoo! He is growing like crazy. He is 36 1/4 inches tall (90th percentile) and 29 lbs (60th percentile)! She was super pleased that since February he has grown 3 1/4 inches! Wow! He and Carter will both be about 6 feet tall in her estimate. I guess I will always be the shorty of the bunch! I also wanted the food allergy panel done again to see if he has outgrown his peanut or egg allergy. Crossing my fingers on that! Oh well, if things haven't changed, it won't really be any biggie at home. Starting in January he will be going to preschool and that will be a whole new challenge!

By the way, I LOVE our nurse practitioner! Shamrae is so awesome. We were chatting about the boys and how Hudson's test won't be back until next week and I said Lee and I would be gone, that they can just leave a message. Long story short, since my parents will be here taking care of the boys, she gave me her HOME phone number in case they need anything or have questions!WOW! I was blown away. She said "Maybe this will help you relax a little while your gone." Yes, Shamrae it surely will!!

Here is a picture of our dirt digging little boy! I went to upload pictures and found that Lee took this one on Monday night when I was at work! Carter said that Hudson was "really dirty". This isn't even half of it.....

Corn

2009-08-25T22:55:00.003-05:00

We have a great little green and yellow awning truck that comes to a parking lot near our neighborhood every summer. Grimes Corn. It is hands down the best sweet corn we have ever had, and every summer we spend a small fortune for the stuff! This past weekend my parents and sisters were here to celebrate my b-day and we had a couple hours to kill on Sunday before they left. We formed an assembly line in my kitchen and went to work. In one hour we did husked, blanched, cut, and froze 45 ears of corn. I am so excited to have it in my deep freeze for the winter months... if it lasts that long!

My Mom

My sister Valerie...she is going to hurt me for posting this picture!

Carter helped too. He couldn't keep his mits off the corn. I love this "don't even think about touching my corn" look!!

Thanks Mom, Dad and Val for the help!

Birthday thoughts...

2009-08-17T22:26:00.001-05:00

Last Monday I turned 31. Yippee...not! I used to love my Birthday, but now not so much! My 20's were awesome and exciting times. I read an article a couple weeks ago about how your 30's are supposed to be your best years. Your children are out of the baby stage, off to school and in activities. (Don't get me wrong, I love these early years, seeing my boys go from tiny infants to independent toddlers, to bug loving, dirt digging little boys!) It did take my mind off how I was feeling sorry for myself for feeling old and I how the future holds so much for us. I am excited and looking forward to see what is ahead!

The boys and I

We spent the evening at the Iowa State Fair, and we had a blast! We saw a few church friends and ate a little bit of everything... well, Lee did anyway! Hudson loved the baby animals and all Carter wanted to do was ride the midway rides....scary!! Both boys loved the "little hands on the farm"and got free treat at the end for all their hard work!

The weather was perfect and I even enjoyed a fat free pineapple whip ice cream cone for my b-day treat!!

Relief!

2009-08-12T12:23:00.005-05:00

Remember last week when Carter fell and hurt his foot? Well, 2 days after the Urgent Care told us that everything was fine, I got an unexpected phone call. Tuesday, just as we were headed out the door, the nurse (of the doctor that saw Carter) called to tell me that they had found some kind of deformity in Carter's ankle x-ray and wondered if he was having any pain in his ankle. I instantly got a huge knot in my stomach and had that sick feeling when you feel like the worst Mom in the world. (Carter has woken me up in the middle of the night on several occasions the last couple months telling me his ankle hurts. I chalked it up to growing pains or one too many jumps at the play land.) She advised us to go to our regular pediatrician and get another x-ray and get his ankle checked out. So after a LONG day last Wednesday of a doctor visit and x-rays at the hospital , they called the next morning to say it was nothing. "Normal?" I questioned the nurse 3 or 4 times before I finally hung up the phone. WOO HOO!! I have never been more relieved! When the nurse and doctor say deformity, the worst went through my head. Especially since of course I felt like it was my fault for not having it checked out earlier. Of course (if you know me well at all) know that I like to have things triple checked out, since the results were so opposite. My Mom works for a group of radiologists and had one of them look at it too. She really respects their opinion, so one of the doctors checked it out for me. They had the same result... nothing is wrong!

On a totally different note. Lee is traveling today back to Lincoln for a funeral. His best friend Jayde's Dad passed away. Please say a prayer for Jayde's family and also that Lee has safe travels. I would have been there, but couldn't find anyone to take my shift at work. Thankfully, we have awesome neighbors and a wonderful sitter to help me out tonight!!

Up, Up and Away!

2009-08-04T22:16:00.005-05:00

Tonight the boys and I went to the Indianola Balloon Festival. Here are some of my favorite pictures from the night.

We had to wait for a while for the balloons to go up, but when they did the boys loved it!

This was my favorite balloon... Cancun can't come soon enough!!

This picture was from Sunday when the flights were cancelled because of the wind.

Reach out and touch a balloon.

They have a kids area with games and rides.
I love how Carter is so protective of his little brother.

If you are in the Des Moines area, I highly suggest you go! You can get all the info HERE.

2009-08-03T12:00:00.001-05:00

This weekend was one of those that I like to call a drive-by weekend. It goes by so fast you pretty much don't know what happened or where the time went!

Friday night we hung out with some cool friends! We had fun eating pizza, peach cobbler and sitting out on the deck. The weather was perfect! Carter did fall off of their deck and cried unusually hard. It was kinda a weird slo-mo kind of fall. Lee thought he hurt his hip but Carter complained of his foot. By the end of the night he was tired, but didn't really complain too much.

Saturday morning Lee and I braved a spin class at the YMCA. I went last week by myself, and Lee wanted to try it. The boys did awesome in Child Watch...so we might be headed there a lot this month. Before lunch we hit the Carlisle pool. It a great place with a frog slide, 2 larger ones and a shallow area for little ones to splash and play. Too bad it was only 75 degrees. A bit chilly once you have been in the water! Oh well, the boys had fun.
We hung out at the park and had some DQ Cherry Dilly bars for a treat that night! When we were at the park, Carter started to complain about his foot again and how much it was bothering him. I checked it out pretty good and it was swollen on the top and side.
Lee took him to the Urgent Care Sunday morning while I took Hudson to Church. I am glad Lee took him. I was anxious enough about it, and thought for sure he had broken a bone or something. I think it was better for Carter to have a calm presence with him! After 2 hours and 3 X-rays he doesn't have any broken bones, it's just bruised pretty bad. So Tylenol and ice packs for him. Hopefully it won't slow him down this week. He is attending the "I like to move it" session at zoo camp!
We tried to go to the balloon festival Sunday night in Indianola, but the flights were cancelled because the wind was more than 10 miles per hour. To say the boys were disappointed is a major understatement! We will try again this week since we got return passes!

Have a great week!

Summer Update

2009-07-31T13:20:00.006-05:00

Okay, so by now you probably have figured out that I am not very good at keeping this blog updated! Here is a 'catch up' of what has been happening at our house this July:

Carter:
For his birthday Poppa Ron and Mama Helen gave him a week at Bug Camp at the Science Center. I was a little worried when he came home the first day and asked me, "Mom, when are we going to learn about REAL bugs?" As the week went on they did a ton of 'bug hunting' and arts and crafts making bugs. He even made a maggot out of paper plates and glitter and pipe cleaners. Pretty cool! Lee and the boys also found this moth when they were out renting a movie. Yes, it's a moth, yes, it's in my house, and yes, my child is holding it. I guess we have a weird appreciation for bugs, thanks to Carter!

Hudson:
He had a speech evaluation earlier this month and did awesome. As of now, he doesn't need any speech therapy. She told us that his speech is progressing nicely, which most importantly means that he is hearing correctly. YEAH!!! He did get a new home visit teacher this month, which took a little adjusting, but now everything is fine!
Hudson is also your typical two year old. One minute he is so sweet and sharing and the next he is having a tantrum for some unknown reason. He is not yet showing any (major) signs that he is ready to potty train, but we do have the little potty out and he has gone twice...for Lee!

Lee is still taking classes towards his degree. He has taken on some home projects, and hopefully will get them completed with the help of his Dad! A couple weekends ago, they started and completed a shed underneath our deck. It will be nice to get everything out of our garage so we can both park in the garage this winter. He has been having fun taking Carter and Hudson to play tennis and go to the park on the nights I work. They have found some pretty fun parks in our area! We also went to our very first I-Cubs game. The weather was so nice and we had free tickets, and best of all the boys loved it. Hudson stood the just about the entire game!

I have been keeping busy tending to our garden. This project has been awesome! I have also been baking a ton. A friend of mine gave me a couple HUGE zucchini, so I have been baking and freezing zucchini chocolate chip muffins, zucchini bread, and have a couple more recipes to try soon. It will be a nice change to have zucchini bread in the winter, rather than our normal banana bread!
Last Thursday, I graduated from my 10 week boot camp workout class. I love/hated every minute of it! Now Lee and I are trying to make the most of our YMCA membership!
I also, have had fun doing play dates with other Mom's from our church. I actually hosted a playtime/picnic at my house for 9 moms and 17 kiddos! It was a beautiful day, so the kids played outside, and we had some fun social time.

Great! Now I am caught up!!

Summer Project

2009-07-11T12:41:00.005-05:00

Back in May, Lee and I decided to plant a small garden. He built me a small garden box that is off of the ground so Sadie wouldn't get into it. It turned out really nice. Then a few weeks later when we were going to get 40 - 40lb bags of soil, he threw out his back bending over to pick up his shoes. OUCH! So when Mother's Day weekend came, I decided that I needed to get my garden going! After church on Mother's Day, Carter and I went and purchased the soil, plants and seeds. We got it all put together, while Lee watched from the window (poor guy, I just know he wanted to help). We planted beans, onions, pepper, cucumber, baby carrot, tomatoes and a watermelon.

This is 2 weeks after.

Garden about 2 weeks ago. Currently we have about 20 tomatoes that are still green, but really big. We also have several cucumbers that are growing literally overnight! Onions coming out of my ears, and our watermelon plant is about to take over the whole garden. Lee and I have already talked about expanding the garden box next year!

Look what we got to eat this week...fresh beans!!

This garden has been a blessing for several reasons. One, Carter and Hudson love going out to "take a check" at the garden every morning after breakfast! If I don't go with them, they always come and tell me how much things have grown! Second, both boys' vocabulary is expanding! This is super important for Hudson, but this has also been a great for Carter too. Last, it has given us something to take care of and nurture as a family. It may sound silly, but we have really enjoyed it!!

Fourth of July.. a big day! Part I

2009-07-06T13:34:00.002-05:00

We had a fun, but jammed packed day on the 4th. We started the morning out with the Annual Jeffrey Drive parade. We brought the Jeep that Carter got for his birthday, so no strollers to push this year! Yeah! Poppa Ron filled the back up with candy, so the Carter had fun throwing the candy, and Hudson enjoyed eating about 18 pieces, before anyone noticed! I got to see my friend Renae, and her adorable family! So fun!

My Mom, leading the parade!

The start...

Love this jeep!

At noon, we headed down the street for the picnic. There was a ton of great food, and we had fun chatting with neighbors that we don't see very often. I didn't bring my camera, but there was even a great moment, when my Mom and Shirley (our next door neighbor lady..who has 6 grown kids that we grew up with), did the hula hoop contest! Hilarious!!

After we were all done stuffing ourselves... we headed back to get ready for the second part of our day.

Stay tuned for Part II.....

Happy Birthday Hudson!

2009-07-02T13:09:00.005-05:00

Happy Golden Birthday to my 'baby' Hudson! I can't believe you are already 2!

We love you so much! You have come leaps and bounds this last year and we couldn't be happier! You love to follow your big brother and do whatever he does (good or bad). I love that you are more independent, but love to snuggle when you are sleepy. You are a champion eater and have a very flirtatious personality.

We spent Hudson's birthday in Lincoln. We went to Chuck e Cheese with my parents, then had a great little ice cream cake! Here is a few of my favorite pictures from his day!

Flirty smile

Look at those blue eyes!

He cracked into a HUGE grin when we started to sing to him. He loved it! We finished and he said "Again!"

Hot, Hot, Hot!

2009-06-26T10:36:00.002-05:00

This week it has been unbearably hot & humid here. The kind of weather where you walk outside and instantly start to sweat. YUCK! Even so, the kids still want to be outside. So, we found several water activities to cool us off!

Here are some pictures from our week...

Monday we started out with a little pool and sprinkler

Wednesday we had fun on the slip n' slide!

Thursday we headed to the wading pool.

The boys loved splashing & jumping through the fountains.

Hope you stayed cool this week!

Garage Sale

2009-06-20T22:45:00.005-05:00

Wow! We had a super day today for our neighborhood garage sales! It was a little hot and humid, but at least we didn't get rained out. I didn't realize until all the junk (oops, I mean treasures) were out on tables and hangers, how much we actually had. I took some great advice from my friend Katie about her garage sale do's and some of her pet peeves and it really payed off. (If you want to check out those things, click on the words that are underlined and in italics.)

The most important thing I learned was it really helps to spend a little time and effort tagging, folding and hanging items. It seemed like a pain this past week, when every other second one of my trouble makers were peeling tags off things, having hanger sword fights and dragging toys I wanted to sell to every corner of the house, but I am glad I did it. Also, when things are displayed neatly, the shoppers were less likely to rummage and throw things everywhere, like I have seen at other sales.

Even though it was fun, after it was over and things were packed away and taken to the Salvation Army, I breathed a HUGE sigh of relief. Oh, and having a helper is great too! Thanks Mom!

Here are some pictures that I posted on Craigslist of some of our stuff.

Everything on these 2 tables sold, except for a couple dozen things.

I hung up some of the nicer things, and most sold, except for a few of the winter outfits. Apparently, people weren't thinking about winter time since it was 90 degrees today!

Thanks to Lee and my Dad, Carter and Hudson had a wonderful time at the zoo today... and they were out of the way :)

Summertime Fun

2009-06-19T14:21:00.004-05:00

Sorry for the lack of posts lately!

We have been enjoying our summer so far with LOTS of time outside! The boys already have farmers tans!

Here are a few pictures of what we have been up to:

Picnic lunches on the deck. They had their mouths full, but were trying to say "Cheese".

Carter and the bird house he painted

Hudson helping Daddy mow the lawn

Hudson LOVES the slide. When he is done he sweetly says "again"!

Carter exploring at the park

Digging beside the house, looking for you guessed it... BUGS!

I rarely get a smile (in a photo) from Hudson.

I LOVE this picture!

Eventful Day

2009-06-02T22:10:00.002-05:00

We had quite the day at our house today!
My Dad is here this week helping me out while I made doctors appointments and so I can get a few extra things done while he is playing with the boys. Today we headed to the boys' pediatricians office for a double appointment. Carter needed his 4 yr check up and also to get Hudson's 18 month shots that he didn't because he was really sick at the time. Everything went well! Carter is 42 lbs. and 42 inches tall. Hudson is 28 lbs. and got 2 shots, but only cried for about 20 seconds. Next on the list of to-do's was to clean out the garage (my garage sale is coming up soon). Everything was going great until I walked inside for 1 minute and I hear Carter scream bloody murder. He is bleeding from his mouth down his shirt and his top lip starts swelling immediately. We got his mouth to stop bleeding, but it was pretty bad. He had bit deep into the inside of his top lip in a v-shape, and skinned off a layer on the outside of his lip. Of course I don't do well in medical / bleeding / crisis situations... So, I called my neighbor lady who is a wonderful nurse. She came right over and said she would take him to the Urgent Care in just in case. Long story short, he didn't need stitches or anything, just ice and some Tylenol. He is pretty much back to normal tonight and told me it just hurts when he eats and drinks.
Lastly, my other nice neighbor lady mentioned that she was starting a two night a week boot camp! Hmmm... I just needed a little push and she talked me into it!
I am happy to say that I survived the first session. Hopefully the next 10 weeks will lead to a healthier me and a few dropped pounds!!

Fun Game!

2009-05-22T13:24:00.004-05:00

My friend, The Sneaky Mommy tagged me to play this game.

You're supposed to do the following:
1. Open the 4th picture folder on your computer
2. Open the 4th picture and post it on your blog
3. Explain the picture
4. Tag 4 people to do the same!

Okay so here it is:

This is Carter about 3 months old. I don't remember taking the picture, but when I opened it up I laughed out loud! He looks like he getting ready to punch me out for taking his picture!!

Okay, now I am tagging these friends:

1. Emily

2. Renae

3. Valerie

4. Leeora

Last day of preschool

2009-05-22T12:53:00.005-05:00

Yesterday was Carter's last day of preschool. He had a great year with only one sick day and only one "discussion about name calling" with the teacher!

His teachers told me that his favorite things to do are cutting paper and painting. I figured this out about half way through the year when he would come home covered in paint and his brand new GAP shirt had 2 holes cut into it. My bad, I also learned a few things :) Carter also learned to write his name and the most important thing for us to be more social. He hadn't been around other kids or away from me before, so this was a great accomplishment!

first day of school 09/08

last day of school 05/09

Carter with his teachers Miss Jessica & Miss Megan

Wedding

2009-05-18T12:36:00.004-05:00

We had a nice weekend in Lincoln. My Mom and Dad babysat the boys while Lee and I went to a wedding of a friend, Sarah. The wedding was beautiful and reception was fun. It was nice seeing all of Lee's buddies again, and the boys had tons of fun with Mamma and Poppa! Although, I did something super stupid on Saturday night. I wore my wedding ring and anniversary band, even though it is a bit small. I have worn it recently, but have been able to get it off no problem, until Saturday night. We got home and I went to take it off and it wouldn't, so I tried every little trick I know (I used to work in the jewelry department back in the day), but NOTHING worked. Then, my finger swelled up huge..oops! So I went to bed, even though I didn't sleep well knowing it was going to be worse in the morning. I showed my Mom the next morning and she wouldn't let me go home without getting the ring off. So, she took me over to Urgent Care and they snipped the rings off with some tool that looked like a can opener. Bummer.

We are finally home now for a while. We have traveled the last three weekends and I am exhausted! I need to get laundry done and everything put away from this trip and then on to getting stuff ready for my garage sale. I finally have decided that I am going to sell some of the boys' baby clothes. A couple gals from church had one and did really well, so I am taking all the garage sale tips and hoping to come out with some cash!

Here's my favorite new picture of Carter and Hudson:

Four years ago today....

2009-05-04T21:09:00.000-05:00

Dear Carter,

Four years ago today you made me the happiest person in the world! On 5/4/05 at 9:59 am , you were born and I was finally a Mom! You came 4 weeks early to grace us with your presence. Daddy and I weren't yet prepared when you came, but quickly realized that it didn't matter if you had a crib or not, that we were just excited you were here! Those first couple hours after you were born were scary, but after a short week in the NICU you were home with us. I still remember the first time I got to hold you...two days after you were born. I held you and hoped that you recognized my voice and could not believe you were OURS.

Carter - 5 days old

The last 4 years have flown by! You have grown up so much and amaze us every day!
You have grown into a very smart, ornery, funny little boy. Your love for bugs is contagious and you have such a caring attitude towards others and animals. We thank God for you everyday and are so happy Hudson has you for a big brother! Happy "Golden" Birthday!!

Carter - 4

Scooby Doo and Shaggy too!

2009-05-03T22:59:00.010-05:00

Every year Carter goes through a "character phase". By this I mean he absolutely loves one or two cartoon or movie characters and he can't seem to get enough! This year it is Scooby Doo. I think he watched the cartoon once and was totally hooked. This past weekend we had Carter's birthday party in Lincoln, and it just so happened that the grocery store we ordered his Scooby Doo cupcakes from was also having a 25th Anniversary celebration. Guess who the guests of honor were???

I think all of us adults were more excited than my boys. At first, Carter wouldn't get out of the cart for a picture. I think he was a little star struck. Hudson wouldn't stop staring at the 'hair' on Shaggy's chin! I took 3 pictures and this is the only one that Hudson isn't staring at Shaggy :)

Thanks Mamma Helen for the surprise!

Birthday Boy...

2009-05-01T13:00:00.002-05:00

We are headed to Lincon this weekend for this little boy's 4th Birthday! I will post more when we get home from the busy weekend.

2009-04-18T18:29:00.004-05:00

It's has been super nice this past week and we have taken advantage and been outside a lot. On Thursday when we were outside playing in the backyard, I had one of those deja vu moments. This is usually when Hudson is wearing one of Carter's old outfits or Hudson looks at me a certain way that Carter use to.
Hudson was wearing his hand-me-downs from Carter and sitting on the patio looking up at some geese that were flying by. I was totally taken back to when Carter was the same age, similar outfit, sitting on the driveway at my parent's house looking up at some birds flying by.
Here are the two pictures. For all those that think they look alike, this will dispel those thoughts! They definitely aren't twins!

Carter at 17 months

Hudson at 19 months

Happy Birthday Valerie!

2009-04-14T15:45:00.000-05:00

We hope you have Happy 29th!!! We had fun this past weekend celebrating with you!

Oh, and the Park Ranger called again to make sure the house wasn't burnt down after all that smoke from the candles!! Ha Ha!

Pictures

2009-03-30T12:43:00.004-05:00

Saturday afternoon we took the boys to get pictures taken. What an adventure! I talked Lee into helping me because I can't watch the boys and pick out pictures too. So, we walked in to Portrait Innovations and Lee about had a heart attack! There were seriously about 60 people (mostly little kiddos) running around! AAHHH!! I knew he wanted to turn around and leave but we only waited about 10 minutes before they called our name. Carter and Hudson did pretty well! They took over 150 pictures and my goal was to narrow it down to 4 (it was hard, but I did it!) and also get the CD that has all of them on it.
Here are some of my favorites....

Chocolate Banana Muffins

2009-03-28T21:00:00.000-05:00

I was reading a recipe blog on Friday night and went to bed dreaming of these! I HAD to try them. Saturday morning the boys and I mixed up a batch and they were wonderful!

Chocolate Banana Muffins

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 egg
1/2 cup plain yogurt (I only had fat free vanilla or you can use 1/2 cup sour cream)
1/4 cup veg. oil
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup mashed ripe bananas (2)
3/4 cup chocolate chips

In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In another bowl, combine the egg, oil, yogurt (or Sour Cream) and vanilla. Stir into dry ingredients, just until moistened.
Fold in bananas and chocolate chips. Fills greased or paper-lined muffins ups. Bake at 350 degrees for 22-25 minutes. Makes approximately 15 muffins.

Saturday at the zoo

2009-03-21T22:58:00.013-05:00

We wanted to take advantage of the awesome weather we had today, so off we went to spend the morning at the zoo! Carter practically runs from exhibit to exhibit and Hudson is really getting into the animals too this year. Here are some pictures from our first of many trips this year to the Blank Park Zoo.

Have a great weekend!

Great Deals at Target

2009-03-18T13:59:00.007-05:00

Today I had my best shopping trip ever (so far). If this doesn't convince you to use coupons, I don't know what will!
I love Target because you can 'stack' coupons. Meaning that you can use a Target coupon AND a a manufactuer coupon for one item. You can find some of the Target coupons on their website.

This is what I got today:

3 - Sutton & Dodge chuck steaks
5 - loaves of Artisan bread (assorted flavors)
2 - Pledge wipes
4 - GE lightbulbs
2 - 6 packs Motts applesauce
2 - Cheetos (snack size found in checkout isle)
1 - Suave Lotion

Take a guess how much I spent?? A whopping .92 cents! I could not help but smile when the young man that checked us out, said "Your total comes to ummmm (pause) 92 cents.....(longer pause) please."
If you want to find out where I got the copons from click Here.
I will be freezing the steaks and bread for later use for dinners or lunches! The Suave lotion I had a free product coupon from something I signed up for back in January or February.
Hope you can find some good deals too!

Happy Hudson

2009-03-12T16:00:00.000-05:00

I went in to get Hudson after his nap today. I thought he had scratched his head. Not so. He fell asleep on his binky! Ouch! He still had a smile on his face though.

Spring Cleaning

2009-03-10T17:00:00.002-05:00

Here's why I haven't blogged a lot lately! I am working on this list:

Carter's closet:
Clean
Organize
Store clothes that are too small
Hang up new hand-me-downs

Hudson's Closet:
Store all baby stuff
Go through tubs of baby clothes and organize by size
Store clothes that are too small
Bring up hand-me-downs and wash or fold and put away
Start kids give away pile for GoodWill and a garage sale pile
Organize all diapers (size 1-4) and put away
Organize all new diapers wipes purchased recently (Great sale at Walgreen's!)

Office:
Sort, file and store all paperwork for 2006-2009 (Yes, I am way behind on this!)
Organize ALL Scrapbook stuff
Go through books on bookshelf
Clean out closet
Go through every box in the room: sort, toss or shred
Get 4 tier shelf (hopefully free or cheap on Craigslist)
Sort through stockpile and organize on shelf
Clean up Lee's desk
Make in/out box and set up files for current year- 2009
Get computer working - Lee
Set up black and white printer -Lee

Kitchen:
Organize Tupperware/containers - toss any that don't match
Organize pantry
Find separate area for dog treats/bones
Clean off top of fridge
Organize dinning out basket of coupons
Organize coupon stash and receipt area (counter next to stove)
Clean and dust the tops of cabinets
Wash curtains
Go through junk drawers and get baskets to fit inside

I will keep you updated on my progress. I took some 'before' pictures of the office. I can't wait to see the transformation!
Writing it all down helps me stay on task and I LOVE getting to cross things off as I go!!

Happy Birthday Collin!!

2009-03-08T13:34:00.001-05:00

Our nephew Collin turned 2 this weekend! We had a family party in Omaha for him. It's so nice that the boys have cousins to play with! Carter and Hudson were exhausted after an afternoon and evening of running non stop!

After dinner Lee's sister Karen wanted to do Rock Band on the Wii. She literally ran down stairs and had to be first. It was pretty fun watching everyone sing. My sister Valerie and I even got in on it, and so did Lee. I have video clips of Karen and Lee singing, but will spare your ears! Ha Ha!

Lincoln

2009-03-01T12:00:00.003-06:00

We had fun spending time in Lincoln this weekend.
My parents and sisters were at a wedding Saturday night so we got to see our friends Mike, Trish and Carson Roach. We also got to meet the newest member of their family... Cale!! He is so cute! He looks just like Carson did when he was a baby.

Carter and Hudson had fun playing with Poppa too. He built the boys a fort in the middle of the living room, then when they got bored with that, he brought out the play dough!

Sunday morning my mom broke out the coupons and we headed to Valentino's buffet! If you are ever in Lincoln and want an awesome pizza (and everything else) buffet, go to Val's! It is fantastic! We came back to my parents house and had dessert. My Mom bought some fantastic cheesecake ("cheese pie" according to Carter), and I made the coconut cake I posted about awhile back.

Now we are headed home....

Friday!

2009-02-27T09:58:00.006-06:00

Boy, am I glad it's Friday! We are packing up today and going to Lincoln for the weekend. I am really excited to see my parents and sisters and help celebrate my Dad's birthday! I am going to make the yummy coconut cake that I posted the recipe for earlier this week. Can't wait!

I took Hudson in back to the doctor yesterday because it was his scheduled 18 month checkup and shots. He still wasn't feeling very well. He has actually lost 3 lbs! I about cried because Huddy is our BIG eater and something must be going on with his tummy! She decided not to do shots because it was the end shots of a series and not a big deal for now. She also ran a strep test (negative) and gave me containers for a stool culture and some other tests. Working in a lab, I have seen pretty much every blood/body fluid, but never have had to collect a sample on my toddler. I was told to put plastic wrap in his diaper to "catch" the specimen. Let me tell ya, it worked like a charm. So now we just wait for the results from that. On a really good note, he slept ALL night and is acting more like himself today. Yippee!!

Well, I better go pack and get ready for our weekend ahead!

Home

2009-02-23T14:34:00.001-06:00

Finally...

Here is the T.P. tower we built! I got this all for free with coupons that doubled, just had to pay tax (which wasn't much) and no, I am not keeping it all! I am giving some away, but don't want to have to buy toilet paper for a while! I am trying to cut down the grocery budget! And one more thing, I went to several Krogers in Michigan, so I wouldn't wipe out the shelves at any store!

Homeward Bound!

2009-02-22T07:30:00.005-06:00

Friday morning:
After a week in Michigan we are headed home. Hudson is feeling better today, so we are staying the night at the same hotel we stayed at on our way there. The one with the great kids pool and frog slide! In the morning we are going to brave the snow and wind (that's predicted) and drive to the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago.

Saturday evening:
Here are a couple of pictures from the Shedd. The boys loved seeing all the fish, snakes, turtles and other sea creatures! We are worn out and going to stop and stay another night. We didn't plan on it, but Lee is really tired today, the weather is NOT great and the boys can't stand to be in the car any more (no matter what I try bribing them with snacks or movies).

Happy 60th Birthday Dad & Grandpa!

2009-02-21T13:59:00.000-06:00

Happy Birthday! We love you and can't wait to see you next weekend and celebrate!!

Coconut Cake

2009-02-20T09:00:00.004-06:00

I am not a huge fan of coconut, but when I tried this cake, I was hooked!! I made it for dessert last night!! Thanks Abby for the great recipe! I will be making this again!

Angel Coconut Creme Cake

1 box white cake mix
1 8 1/2 oz can creme of coconut (in the alcohol section, make sure you stir really well)
1/4 c veggie oil
3 large egg whites
1 c. coconut

Frosting:
2 c heavy whipping cream
1/4 sugar
coconut for topping

Make cake according to directions on box, but just using egg whites. Pour into 2 9" cake pans or I used a 9 x 13. Bake for 18 min at 350, or until done. When done, poke holes in cake layers with toothpicks or fork tines and pour cream of coconut over cake layers. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Remove cooled layers from pan. Frost with sweetened cream in between layers, on tops and sides. Sprinkle with coconut.

For the frosting: Whip 2 cups heavy whipping cream in chilled bowl and chilled beaters until thick. Add the sugar when it starts to get thick. Do not over whip.
Enjoy!

Chuck E Cheese and the flu....

2009-02-19T16:45:00.001-06:00

One of the things we promised to do while in Michigan was to take the boys to Chuck E Cheese. Yes, there is one or two in Des Moines, but we haven't been for a long time and wanted it to be something fun and special to do while here. So armed with a coupon, off we went!!

They boys had a blast with all the games and rides.

We found out on our way here that Hudson loves Barney! He even "sings" along and claps his hands to the songs! So cute!!

After dinner later Wednesday night the kids were running around the house like crazy and all of a sudden Hudson started throwing up. We thought maybe he was choking on something, but after he threw up (all over the carpet in the good living room), he was fine and running around again. We thought maybe something didn't agree with him, but as I was putting him to bed, he started getting sick again.. yuck! He and I slept on the floor with towels and buckets and were up pretty much all night. So today we are exhausted!

Lee took Carter to the Science Center of Detroit this afternoon, so Huddy and I could get some rest. They were gone for 4 hours! Lee and his Dad really enjoy that stuff, and I was thankful to get Carter out of the house for a while, so he wasn't exposed to the flu bug Hudson got! No pictures, because they forgot the camera!

Movie and Shopping

2009-02-17T22:00:00.007-06:00

We have made ourselves at home here in Michigan! Lee & his Dad took Carter to the movie Hotel for Dogs. They have a little, inexpensive movie theatre close by in Milford, but little did they know that school is out this week. The place was packed! Carter had a great time with Daddy and Pappa Kit! Trish and I also ran to Kroger to snatch some free toilet paper and a few other deals I couldn't pass up while I am here.

Today Trish and I ran to the outlet mall that is about 45 minutes away. I found some great deals! Super cheap boxers at Gap, Tommy Hilfiger Polo's for the boys marked way down, and some nice work clothes for Lee. I have been saving for a while, because I have been waiting (almost a year) for a certain purse to come to the Coach outlet store and I finally found it!! The best news is that it was 50% off! I was excited, but also felt a little guilty too. I know a lot of people (including my husband) who think it is silly to spend $$ on a purse, but I rarely feel guilty buying things for the boys or Lee. So, after much thought, I decided to keep it.

Things are going great so far!

Headed to Michigan

2009-02-15T13:00:00.006-06:00

After a fun-filled, party packed weekend, we are on our way to Lee's parents house in Michigan for the week. We sure are going to miss everyone in Ohio... we really had a great time catching up with everyone. It's sad that we aren't closer!

We have a few things on our to-do list for the week and some shopping is in order for me! I have been saving here and there for my trip to the outlet malls with Lee's Mom!

Here's one last picture from the party...too bad you can't see Carter's face.

Party

2009-02-14T23:50:00.003-06:00

Trish and I ran around all morning to get things for the party, so Lee had Daddy duty most of the day. He even got the both boys down for a nap, dressed for the party and brought some things for the party that I forgot!

Everyone had a great time!

The birthday party for Grandma Jane was wonderful! The Christie family and friends had fun catching up, eating good food and yummy cake! Grandma was so thrilled that everyone came from so far away just for her party.

Happy Birthday Grandma Jane!!

We made it!

2009-02-13T23:00:00.004-06:00

We made it to Ohio in great time! The boys again surprised us and did awesome with the long car ride! Just as we pulled in Grandma DeMosses driveway, so did Lee's parents, sisters and their families and his brother Nick. Great timing! We were all so excited to finally be here.

Tonight we ate dinner with Lee's cousin Charlie and his wife Danielle. Lee and Char were bestest buds growing up and have remained really close even though since high school they have been many miles apart! They are such neat people! Danielle and I even share the same birthday a year apart! We get along so great it's super hard to be so far away.... especially since they have 3 adorable boys, Joshua, Ryan and Andrew! The boys had a great time playing and Josh even beat Lee at Wii boxing!

The Christie Family
Andrew, Danielle, Ryan, Charlie and Josh

The boys got to bed really late because they got their second wind when we got back to Lee's Grandma's house. We have a big day tomorrow, so more pictures to come!

Half Way

2009-02-12T20:38:00.012-06:00

We are currently at a hotel in Portage, Indiana. It's about half way to our destination, Akron, Ohio. The boys did really good traveling so far. We didn't even have to stop once!! They watched movies, took a short nap, ate tons of snacks and teased each other. They eventually got crabby right as we arrived...great timing!

When we got to the hotel Hudson saw the pool and cried for about an hour until we got settled and ate some dinner. He wanted to swim SO bad. He is fearless when it comes to water, which is good and bad. The boys had a great time swimming with Lee. I forgot my suit, so I sat by the edge and took some pictures. I love this one of Hudson... looks like the next Michael Phelps!

Carter liked the frog slide, but is pretty reserved in the water. He hates getting water in his face.

Tomorrow we have another long drive in the car, so I pray that it will go as smooth as today did.

Packing

2009-02-11T22:40:00.005-06:00

Today I spent the whole day packing, writing lists and re-packing as Hudson would pull everything out of our suitcases. Man, 4 people leaving for 10 days requires A LOT of stuff! We are headed to Ohio and Michigan tomorrow after Carter's Valentine's Party at preschool.

I am a little anxious about the long drive with the boys. We plan on staying in Indiana tomorrow night, so we will see if we get to our destination without any major meltdowns. I still have plenty to do tomorrow morning before we leave, so I am off to dreamland in a few minutes.

I will try and post pictures and updates while we are away! The weekend ahead is jam-packed full of get togethers... so it may not be until Monday when we get to Michigan.

I am anxious to get to Michigan for another reason...KROGER grocery stores! I read several blogs about all the great grocery finds, especially the FREE Cottonelle toilet paper with coupons. I hope we have enough room in the van for all the t.p. I plan on bringing home. More on that later...

Sleep

2009-02-05T09:00:00.002-06:00

I love sleep! Nap time is wonderful. The boys go down super easy, but I have to wake them or they would sleep all afternoon. I am not afraid to admit that when the boys nap, I sometimes do too. Night time is not so good. It is a huge struggle. The boys don't like to go to bed. Carter doesn't like to sleep in his own bed...EVER. When Hudson wakes up in the middle of the night, he doesn't want to go back to bed. When we have a bad night.. this is what MY bed looks like in the morning...

Don't you just love the mismatched quilt, sheets, comforter, pillows, and kids blankets on MY bed. Maybe we should just let them have our bed and Lee and I take the bunk beds.

Friday Fun Day!

2009-01-30T19:31:00.004-06:00

Last night on my way home from work, I was thinking that they boys and I haven't done something FUN in a while. On the days Carter doesn't have school, we usually stay close to home.

So... today we had a fun filled morning and afternoon at Jumpin' Jack's Funland. This is a great place for the boys to run, jump on inflatables, play games, slide down gigantic slides and eat some great pizza! Lee even joined us for lunch. Hudson was so worn out he fell asleep in the car. Carter was too hyped up and never took a nap..oh well! We had a blast!

Sorry the pictures are a bit blurry... I am not sure what I was doing wrong?!?!

Carter on the slide!
Hudson climbing into the inflatable!

Great News!

2009-01-28T22:29:00.007-06:00

Before Christmas, Hudson's Audiologist suggested that we have his speech evaluated. I was concerned that he wasn't talking (only a few words), and she said since their was a great demand for therapy and may take a few months to get in to call for an evaluation. So I called and set up a time.
Over Christmas and New Years Hudson's vocabulary exploded. He went from saying 5 words to about 20. Not everything he says is understandable, but he is trying! Lee and I have really been working with him along with his Heartland teacher Stacey.

Well, today was evaluation day! The day started off a little rough for the both of us. I had to wake Hudson up early because his appointment was at 1:00...right in the middle of his afternoon nap. Now everyone knows how I am about my boys and them getting their rest! Lee lovingly calls me the Nap Nazi! Anyway, so after lunch at 10:30 I put Huddy down for an early nap, so we could be ready for our appointment on time. Blank Children's is way downtown and I wasn't totally for sure where the therapy office was.

In a nutshell Hudson did wonderful! I was a little worried, because sometimes around new people he is shy, but NOT today! He warmed right up to Jennifer (speech therapist). He pointed to pictures, followed simple instructions and named things like balloon, ball, and dog. He pointed to different animals, and lifted his little foot when she asked where his shoes were. He even threw the ball at her and said "catch", which he has never said to either Lee or I before! I just sat back in amazement, thanking God every second! When she went over the results I was super excited. Here's how she broke it down for me:

Auditory Comprehension (understanding): 91%

Expressive Communication (speaking words): 100%

Total Language Score: 95%

Her conclusion right now is that he doesn't need weekly therapy!! They would like to check him again around the time he turns 2, just to make sure things are still progressing!

Today was an awesome day! Lee and I are really pleased that Hudson is doing so well, and that his hearing aids are helping for language development!

Dessert

2009-01-25T14:33:00.004-06:00

It's no surprise we love desserts and sweets in this house! When we were in Lincoln over New Years my Mom made this great Cheesecake. It's super easy too! Carter has been begging (seriously) me to make "cheese pie" ever since we came home. So today I had him help me make it after lunch! Can't wait to have a piece.
Here's the recipe for your enjoyment:

No Bake Lite Cheesecake

Crust:
Mix one Cup Graham Cracker crumbs (I use Keebler) with 3 Tbsp. melted Butter and 2 Tbsp. Sugar or Splenda.
Pat down crumbs in 9 x 13 pan.

Filling:
2 - 12 oz Lite Cool Whip
2 - 8 oz Fat Free Cream Cheese
2/3 C. Sugar or Splenda

Mix softened cream cheese with sugar. Fold in cool whip.
Pour filling onto crumbs and refrigerate for a couple hours.
Top each piece with your favorite lite canned fruit! We love Lite Cherry Pie filling!

Tips:
- If you don't have graham cracker crumbs you can use one sleeve of regular graham crackers to crush.
- I use lite and fat free ingredients for our cheesecake, but if you prefer it regular, by all means use regular ingredients!
- This cheesecake is not the "normal" consistency of let 's say Cheesecake Factory cheesecake.. it's light and fluffy!
Sorry no pictures...we haven't dug into it yet!

A Bloom!

2009-01-24T13:35:00.000-06:00

Finally after weeks of waiting, watering and watching this Amaryllis slowly grow, it has bloomed! It is so pretty! Carter has really enjoyed seeing the flower grow every week. Each morning he would run downstairs, hop up on the counter and inspect it carefully. He would then report to me what he had found. He was so excited to see that the flower had finally opened up and there were four of them! Thanks Mom, for the flower!

Sweet Baby Boy...

2009-01-23T13:42:00.003-06:00

Our friends Mike and Trish welcomed their new baby boy this week!

Cale David Roach
01/21/09
10 lbs. 4 oz.

Can you tell big brother Carson is proud or what?

Congratulations!

Visit

2009-01-18T19:12:00.005-06:00

We had a nice weekend visit from Lee's parents on their way home (from Omaha returning to Michigan). The boys were so excited to see Mamma Trish and Poppa Kit on Friday night, they started showing off like crazy. Saturday Trish and I planned to go shopping while the boys had a fun afternoon with Poppa and Daddy. I don't normally have a female shopping partner, so I enlisted Trish to help me pick out some new panels for our sliding glass door. We have had vertical blinds, since we moved in 3 years ago, and they are a mess. The boys pull at them, the dog scratches them , and we have several broken ones. I had so much fun at Bed, Bath and Beyond. I could spend a fortune there (but didn't)! We went to Jordan Creek and to Kmart for a few things! It was really a nice afternoon, not to worry about the boys and have a wonderful time shopping! When we came home, Lee and I got ready to go out!! Yes, we actually had another date night! That's two nights out, in less that a month!! Woo hoo! We ate at Cheesecake Factory.. it was soooo yummy!! We wanted to see a movie too, but we waited to eat for a while and couldn't make the movie on time.

Thanks Trish and Kit for coming! We had a great weekend!

From the mouth of Carter...

2009-01-18T18:44:00.005-06:00

Carter is our little funny man. He comes up with stuff out of the blue, and when the words come out of his mouth it can be pretty hilarious. Here are a couple conversations from a the past few days:

I was checking Carter's bag from Preschool and found a picture. It was a small, brown, 3x5 laminated card with a few blue and yellow scribbles on it. I said to Carter "Thanks buddy, for making Mom a picture." He replied "Mom, it's NOT a picture, it's a COUPON. We KNOW how you like your coupons!"
I could not stop laughing...

Okay, let me preface this my saying I an not making fun of Carter! I just thought this was super sweet!

We were ready to take a nap, and I asked Carter if he wanted to say a little prayer before he went to sleep. He had been extra "busy" all day and I was trying to get him to be calm and quiet down for the afternoon. He said "Yes, but it's my turn." He closed his eyes tight, clasped his little hands together and began to pray. "Thank You God, for all the bad things I did today *paused* AND tomorrow. Thank you, for the beautiful sky and my swing set. Amen"

I think he meant to say I'm sorry for the bad things..., but I am so happy he likes to pray!

As promised....

2009-01-15T12:49:00.004-06:00

Here is a new picture of the boys. They are all decked out in their new NIKE outfits from Mamma Trish and Poppa Kit. Of course they wouldn't stand for me, so I snapped this one quick! This is one of their favorite hiding spots, underneath the kids table in the dinning room.

Carter didn't have school today. They cancelled schools last night because the forecast for today was 12 below zero! My van thermometer actually said -12!! We did have to go out in this stuff. Hudson's new ear molds for his hearing aids were in, so we bundled up headed out. Luckily we park in a parking garage we didn't have very far to walk.

Have a great day and stay warm!

Stuff

2009-01-11T21:26:00.005-06:00

I promise to post some pictures of the boys this week. I haven't taken any pictures since Christmas and truthfully neither can stay still long enough for me to get a good one!
Carter is back in preschool and as ornery as ever. This last week his appetite exploded and he is eating everything on his plate and plenty of snacks in between meals. This boy is growing like a weed.. he is in size 5T or boys XS clothes!

Husdon is keeping us busy too! He is talking and his two favorite words are Dad (Lee is loving this) and boot-ball (football). He also can say Mom, Poppa, Mamma, bird, bug and about 10 other simple words too! He is in a major climbing stage. He loves sitting ON the kitchen table.. he did have his first fall this week. Bumped his head pretty good, but within 20 minutes was trying to get back up there again. Oh.. and he LOVES to imitate his brother. Monkey see, monkey do! Carter will dance, run in circles, scream (working to correct this) or say something funny and Huddy loves to try and do it too.

Coupon tip:
If you have a Kmart in your area, check the ad this week. Some are doubling coupons up to $2. I scored a bunch of goodies for cheap today! Before coupons = $100.22, after coupons = $11.00!! Our local Animal Rescue League will be getting lots of free cat food, and Sadie is stocked up on dog treats for a couple months. I know, you are thinking Kmart, who shops there? That's so old school. Seriously.. make sure your store is doing it, line up your coupons, and go!!

I heart Craigslist

2009-01-11T21:15:00.005-06:00

Finally! I have been wanting/needing a deep freeze for a couple months now... ever since I started doing the coupon/stockpiling thing. My refrigerator freezer was overflowing and started to get a layer of ice on the bottom. Lee and I found this gem on Craigslist and picked it up on Saturday.

Woo hoo! I know, I know, my sisters and Mike are going to totally make fun of me.. oh well! The little things that make my day!

Lasagna Roll-ups

2009-01-05T13:38:00.004-06:00

Wanted to share a really good recipe I made for dinner tonight....

Lasagna Roll-Ups

12 Lasagna Noodles
1 - Jar Spaghetti Sauce (any flavor, I use Prego 3 cheese)
1 - 8 oz. can Mushrooms
1 - 15 oz. container Non-Fat Ricotta Cheese
1 - 10 oz. pkg. Frozen Spinach, thawed (squeeze to drain)
1 C. 2% Mozzarella Cheese
1/4 C. Grated Parmesan Cheese
2 Cloves Garlic, crushed

Cook noodles as directed, drain and cover with cold water. Pour 3/4 of the sauce and all of the mushrooms on bottom of 13 x 9 baking dish. Mix ricotta cheese, parmesan cheese, garlic and spinach. Spread 3 Tbls. mixture on 1 noodle. Roll up noodle, cut roll in half to form two roll-ups. Place cut side down (curly side up) in sauce. Repeat with remaining noodles. Pour the rest of the sauce over the top. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese. Cover and bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until hot and bubbly.

I made this ahead of time and stuck in the fridge, so I am going to cook a little longer. I half the recipe for our family of 4, because this makes A LOT! It is a weight watchers recipe so if you are counting points, it's 7 pts. for 5 pieces!! Enjoy!

Happy New Year!!

2009-01-01T16:12:00.006-06:00

We are back home in Lincoln celebrating the new year with family and friends. Lee and I were able to sneak away for a date night on New Years Eve! We had a wonderful time with our friends Mike and Trish... they are expecting their second baby any day now!!

Yes Mike, I know you are sooooo excited to finally have made it to "blog status." Even though you tease me endlessly, we miss you guys terribly!

Happy New Year!!!

We're back..but off again!

2008-12-30T14:39:00.009-06:00

We had a wonderful Christmas!! Just our little family of 4 celebrated on Christmas Eve morning. Santa came to our house for the first time (we usually are at my parents), and the boys were excited. Mrs. Claus was a busy lady...she worked Tuesday night until 11pm and then put a bike and a cozy coupe car together!

That afternoon we headed off to Omaha and Lincoln, but not before we HAD to make a stop at Valley West Mall. I was a little suspicious as to why, but when I opened up a beautiful sterling silver name bracelet with my boys' names... I was so thrilled!

Christmas Eve we spent with my parents and sisters. Lots of fun times with them and good food too!! Christmas Day we went to Omaha to spend with Lee's family. We even had a special guest join us . My Brother-in-law invited a gentlemen that was here from India for 6 weeks working on a project with him over for dinner, since he had no where to go. He prefaced the invite by saying that only if he liked dogs. (The house is filled with lots of big and small dogs when everyone is together.) He said "Oh no, I don't eat dog!"

Christian, Kalynn, Zach, Collin, Hudson and Carter

We came home Sunday night, but are leaving again tomorrow for another fun-filled weekend with family. New Years Eve bowling and maybe even a date night??? (Hint, Hint... Mom and Dad?! Shogun is calling my name before I go on a major diet!)

We hope everyone had a blessed Christmas, and as Carter would say "happy, healthy and safe" New Year!!

Proud of Daddy!

2008-12-19T08:53:00.004-06:00

WAY TO GO DADDY!! We are so proud of your two A+'s for your online classes! We know it wasn't always easy, but keep up the good work!
Love,
Carter, Hudson & Mommy

December

2008-12-14T15:15:00.010-06:00

I love everything about the month of December BUT the cold weather. I swear this morning when I got up it was around 50 degrees...yeah! By the time we ate and got ready for church it was in the teens, no joke! COOOOOLLDD!!

We got our tree up. It was a fun and trying experience with 2 little ones. I had Carter hand me the branches. I then put on all the lights (that I had just "tested"). When we plugged it in the whole last strand of lights was out. Bummer... it was a brand new strand too. Oh well. Then came the FUN part. Carter loved helping open up all the ornaments and putting them on the tree, but he wanted to touch EVERYONE. Even the high ones and the ones in the very back of the tree against the wall. It all turned out okay though, and I have to say I think it is pretty cool looking! The next morning, when Hudson woke up he was in awe.He was asleep when we finished it the night before. He wanted to touch it AND throw all the balls! Good thing I bought shatterproof ornaments. The boys still get into "ornament wars" daily, but what do you do??

Sadie (our dog)

I am feeling pretty confident that I am going to get everything done in time for Christmas and maybe even have a few days to relax before the big day! I only have 2 more gifts to buy and 2 gift cards. I normally love to shop, but this year not so much!! Lee has helped out a ton too. He ordered a couple gifts online and went shopping with me a couple times. I found out that I am scheduled to work Christmas eve until 10pm...I am hoping I can get the night off, so we can head to Lincoln or else we may be spending Christmas here.

I am almost done with cards, just waiting for our pictures to add to the letter my lovely sister wrote for me. I gave her the bullet points that I wanted included, but she wrote it. I am not too proud to ask for help... thanks Val!

I started baking cookies and making some yummy treats this weekend too. I am making up about 20 bags for my co-workers. Most of them are single or young college students, so I feel like their mother sometimes. It did make me feel really good that a co-worker from another department and I were talking and I mentioned something about my 3 year old. She stopped what she was doing, looked up and said "YOU have a 3 year old?" Woo hoo! That made my day!

One last thing. We got a call concerning the results of Hudson's genetics testing. They said the 4 tests (Cytomeglovirus, Pendred Syndrome, Mitochondrial Antibody and Conexin 26) that were the "most common causes for hearing loss" all came back NEGATIVE. Of course I cried, because I was happy and sad. Happy because they were negative, but sad because we may never know what caused his hearing loss. Our pediatrician is ordering more tests, so we shall see what comes of it. I am letting it go to an extent, I am not going to worry, cry or (try not) to be sad about this anymore!! We have a happy little guy, whom God gave to us for a reason! oh...Hudson is feeling soooooo much better and is totally back to normal from the scare he gave us over Thanksgiving weekend...here is our little man sitting in the cupboard!

Snowman

2008-12-05T13:04:00.008-06:00

Carter was so excited Sunday morning when we woke up to a lot of snow. Lee, Carter and Pappa Ron bundled up and braved the cold weather to make a snowman. Actually my Dad just scooped the driveway, and Carter watched as Lee did all the work making the snowman! When Carter came in I asked him if he had fun and he said yes, "but it was COOOOOOLLLDD!"
Later Sunday afternoon the snowman started to lean forward, and eventually toppled over. On Monday morning I heard Carter tell Lee "Daddy, how 'bout you go outside and build me another snowman, and I will stand at the window and watch!" I couldn't help but laugh!
Here is my adorable Carter and the snowman Lee made for him.

Thankful

2008-12-01T21:28:00.007-06:00

I know this is a little late by date standards, but I wanted to post and say we have so much to be thankful for this year. We are blessed to have wonderful and supportive family, lots of great friends, and most of all a forgiving and loving God.

We had a wonderful time with my parents and sisters last week and throughout the weekend. A ton of awesome meals and desserts, great bargain shopping, afternoons of resting and watching football... Go Huskers!

Everything was really great until Saturday. Hudson woke up a little cranky and feverish, but I just chalked it up to teething. I gave him some Tylenol and put him down for a nap. When we woke him up several hours later, his cheeks were bright red and he had a major temperature. My Mom and I put him in the bathtub for a bath to bring down his temp and gave him some more medicine. He ate a great dinner with us, but afterwards was really tired and his temp was back. He was shivering really bad, so we wrapped him in a blanket and were watching some TV when he became lethargic. My Mom was holding him, So I got up to call the Ask-A-Nurse and just as I was dialing, my Mom yelled that he was having a seizure. It was the worst thing to watch. It only lasted a little while, but I panicked horribly, my sister called 911 as Lee ran to our neighbors house (she is a nurse). When the paramedics came, Huddy was just really lethargic, like he had no energy left in him, it's hard to explain. They said he should go in to the ER just to get checked out, but that we should just take him. They said they could take him, but that it would be an expensive "cab ride". Lee and I both agreed that we needed to have him checked out, so we took him in. He was looking around in the car, and pretty alert, but still had a temperature. The doctor explained that this happened not because his temperature was high, but because of how fast it spiked, and that your nervous system can't handle it. They checked him out really good and gave him Motrin, and took a chest xray (apparently some kind of respiratory illness in kids is going around). Anyway, he was much better by the time we got home, so we skipped church on Sunday, because we all were sleeping in to make up for the really late night we had. The next day he was better, but after nap time, his fever spiked again and started having the chills really bad. We got him back on the medicine schedule, but at midnight he had a fever of 105.2, the highest ever since this started on Saturday. Thank GOD, his fever finally broke around 6:30 this morning (Monday), and I know this because he was sleeping next to me and I didn't get any sleep because I was so worried about him. I took him in to our regular pediatrician, she ran a bunch of blood work, strep test and poked around on him for a while. She diagnosed him with Roseola. It s a virus that causes, high fevers for 3- 7 days, possible seizures and rash after the fever breaks. Which he fits all the symptoms, except for the red rash. Nothing yet...
He was MUCH better today!! NO fever all day, just clingy and wanting to snuggle. He was actually playing around with Carter after dinner and wrestled with Lee when he got home from work. I am praying that tomorrow is even better than today. He should only get this once in his lifetime, so that is a comforting thought, but we shall see! Only God knows!!
I do have to say that we had the most wonderful, knowledgeable, paramedics, nurses, doctors, and staff that we couldn't have asked for better! We are so thankful Hudson is getting better, and for my parents and sister that stayed with Carter so Lee and I both could be with Hudson.

One down...one to go!!

2008-11-23T20:26:00.005-06:00

We got invited to Lee's sister's house in Omaha on Saturday for a Thanksgiving dinner. We were so glad we had nothing going on so we packed up the boys and headed to Omaha. Of course, my Mother-in-law and Sister-in-law totally out did themselves and we had a fancy Thanksgiving dinner!! I brought a pumpkin pie for dessert. It was my very first attempt and it turned out pretty good.
The boys had sooooo much fun playing with their cousins and I was lovin' holding our new niece, Kalynn. She is just a cutie pie. The look on my boys' faces was priceless the first time they saw me holding the baby. Carter even held her and Hudson couldn't stop giving her kisses. I really didn't want to get the baby itch... but I think IT caught me!!! Oh well... Lee reminded me on the way home about the many sleepless nights, especially recently that we have had. I love boys sooo much, but would love to also have some pink in this house!! Oh and on our way home, Lee and I saw a shooting star (my first ever)....so can you guess my wish?

Kalynn Marie Young

Woot Woot!

2008-11-20T22:38:00.005-06:00

I've been tagged to play this fun game!!!

The "5 THINGS GAME"
The rules are to write 5 things under each of the 5 headings, and then tag 5 other people.

10 years ago...
1. I was 20 years old
2. Living with a crazy girl
3. Working two jobs
4. Praying every night for Mr. Right :)
5. I was on a bowling league with friends from work....good times!!

5 Things on Today's "To-Do" List...
1. Dishes left from last night
2. Carter to and from Preschool
3. Nap (yes, I know, I am being lazy today because Hudson was up all night with teething issues)
4. Go to Valley West Mall to Children's Place and Gymboree
5. Play and enjoy my night off with my boys

5 Snacks I Enjoy...
1. String Cheese
2. Yogurt
3. Chips and Salsa
4. Honey Crisp Apples
5. Granola Bars

5 Things I Would Do if I were a Millionaire!
1. (if we won the $$) Check my hubby's excel "we won the powerball" spreadsheet :)
2. Have more babies
3. Hire a maid
4. College funds for my kids
5. Get Lee a spiffy new car and a super cool SUV for me!

5 Places I Have Lived...
1. Thomasbrook apartments / Lincoln, NE
2. Granada Lane / Lincoln, NE
3. West Billy Ct. / Lincoln, NE
4. Urbandale, IA
5. Des Moines, IA

5 Jobs I've had/Still have...
1. Babysitter
2. Jewelry Dept. @ Shopko
3. Human Resources Assistant
4. Specimen Prep Tech
5. The BEST job ever..... MOM

Okay.. now I am tagging 5 friends...
1. Valerie
2. Emily
3. Julie K.
4. Renae
5. I guess I only have 4, all the others have been tagged already!!

Whew!

2008-11-18T00:23:00.004-06:00

Is it the middle of November already?? Where has the last few weeks gone?

We had Carter's preschool conferences at the beginning of November. Both of his teachers say that he is doing well! Lee and I are so excited to see him adjusting to new situations and growing into a little man! I have to keep my patience with him some days, because he talks non-stop and questions everything!
Hudson is keeping us on our toes too! We have a small kids table that I have in the dinning room for coloring, other activities... and he loves to climb up and stand on the chairs. He then proceeds to get my attention, and when I finally see him, he gives me BIG grin! Ornery! He also has cut 4 new teeth just within the last week or so! OUCH! We are still working hard at getting him to vocalize and talk. The Heartland teacher we have is now coming every 2 weeks, to see if we can get him to talk more. I have been working hard at home to try to get him to repeat me or look at books and pictures, and he is just not interested. He is saying "Daddy" and today I got him to say "Poppa" on the phone to my Dad!! He does sign "more" when he wants more food or drink, so that is very helpful to me! He also understands a lot of what we say to him. He definitely knows when I tell him to "go to your chair" at the kitchen table. He will go over and pull out the chair so I can put him in his booster seat. This boy LOVES to eat!! We will keep working hard and praying that he will start vocalizing and talking...but with a brother that talks non-stop, who needs to say anything? :) :)
We are still waiting for the initial results back from Boys Town concerning the genetics testing for Hudson's hearing loss. It was taking forever, so I called and there was some miscommunication, so things should be on track now. We hope to hear back in the next couple weeks.
Lee and I are keeping plenty busy too! We are looking forward to hosting Thanksgiving at our house with my family again this year! Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday ever! I can't wait for all the delicious food and fun shopping with my Mom and sisters. Can you say Midnight Madness???
Thanks to a fellow blogger friend for letting me know about the cool free layouts for my blog! You are always SUPER inspiring and full of great recipes and ideas!! I strive to be like you! Thanks LC!!

Slacker

2008-11-03T00:30:00.006-06:00

I have been a blogger slacker for the last week. Sorry!
Carter and Hudson have been sick on and off for the past two weeks! Carter got pink eye, then Hudson got it, then Hudson had the flu bug, he is also getting several teeth, including molars at the same time (OUCH!!), and then Carter got the flu. Lets just say I am totally out of laundry detergent right now from doing so much clean up laundry! Hopefully (I am saying many prayers), we are on the mend. Currently, Hudson has an ear infection and can't wear his hearing aids AND I think his acid reflux has come back. Can that happen?? He had it as an infant and now the same yucky thing is happening again. Another trip to the doctor...
I think I am caught up now... happy reading!

Beggars Night & A Pumpkin Pizza

2008-11-03T00:07:00.009-06:00

We had a beautiful night for the boys to go trick or treating. It is a little different because here it is actually done the night before Halloween. Lee & I both took the boys, and I am glad I went. We saw so many of our neighbors and people we know in the neighborhood, that we don't normally get to see! The best part of the night was when some guy answered the door and said to Carter... "oh... a green chicken. Haven't seen that one before!" Lee and I laughed all the way around the block! Duh guy.. he is a DINOSAUR! (thanks Mom for making his awesome costume!!)

Here is my lovable lion and adorable dinosaur with some of their loot!

The next night on Halloween, we ordered this Pumpkin shaped pizza.

Cute grin!

Couldn't keep their little hands off of it!

The boys in their FREE Old Navy bat shirts!

Preschool Party

2008-11-02T23:46:00.011-06:00

Thursday was Carter's Fall Party at preschool. I think I was more excited than him. I signed up to help out and bring treats. Another mom and I came up with the idea to let the kids frost their own pumpkin shaped cookie and decorate it with sprinkles and then enjoy their own works of art! The kids had a blast! There were so many activities: Hot potato (played with little gourds), a ghost hand print art project, a great Halloween story, and they even trick or treated around the offices up stairs. It was really fun. Carter was the cutest (and only) dinosaur!

Yummy cookie!

Art Project

His class....

Carter and his best buddy Karsten

Pumpkin Bread

2008-10-26T17:39:00.012-05:00

Lee is finally home from California, and I felt like I actually accomplished something today. We stayed indoors because Hudson isn't feeling well and it is COLD and VERY WINDY here. Time to break out the boys' new winter coats we got last week. I had a list of things to get done and this was one of them:

Halloween Tags

Pumpkin Bread...yummy!

add a little halloween ribbon and viola!

I don't usually come up with creative things, but when I see something fairly easy and cute, I will surely try to recreate it! I saw this cute little pumpkin bread tin idea on a blog that I read. This Mom is super creative and she bakes ALL the time. She also has a class that she teaches to "little chefs" and makes fun kid friendly goodies and crafts. I get TONS of great ideas from her!
I didn't spend much, just purchased the pumpkin (because I only had a small can), and the mini-tins at Walmart for $1.50.
Here is the recipe for the Pumpkin Bread... hopefully the neighbors, Carter's teachers and Lee's co-workers like it!!

Pumpkin Bread

2 1/2 c flour

2 t soda

1 t salt

2 t cinnamon

1 t nutmeg

1/2 t cloves

1/2 t allspice

2 c nuts (optional)

1 lg. can pumpkin

3 c sugar

4 eggs

1 c oil

Mix dry ingred. in a large bowl. Add wet ingred. Blend well. Grease 3 loaf pans. ( or I made 8 mini tins.) Pour batter into them and bake at 350 for about 1 hour, until done.

Enjoy!

Little Animals...

2008-10-21T21:42:00.011-05:00

Lee's sister's family came to visit this past weekend and we planned to take the boys to Nighteyes at the Zoo. It was a super nice night Saturday, so we got the boys got all dressed up in their costumes and trekked around the zoo for some treats.

The boys....

Hudson the Lion, Carter the Dinosaur and Collin the Monkey

When we got there, the line to the entrance was all the way into the parking lot. We all were bummed at the thought of waiting forever to get in with 3 little kiddos. BUT...my very smart husband, ordered tickets online, so we got to totally skip the long line and go in another door. Woo hoo!

Free Haircuts....

2008-10-18T15:15:00.005-05:00

Ever since 2nd Grade I have wanted to cut hair. I always loved curling, braiding, and yes even cutting my sisters and Moms hair. Some trims, not so good, others okay. I even did a cool up-do to my sister Rachel's hair for a dance when she was in high school.
Now, having boys is a different story. I HAVE trimmed up Lee's hair once in a while when he was in dire need of a haircut, but usually he won't let me come within 10 feet of his precious hair. (NO ONE can compare to TED... that's a whole different story).
Anyway, since my new thing is trying to save $$$, and Carter has school pictures on Tuesday, I thought I'd give it a try. Lee has clippers with different guards and even some sheers. We took Carter outside and I did my best!
Here is the finished product....

As you can see, Carter didn't want me to take his picture...he just wanted to eat the chocolate treat in his hand for holding still!

Couponing!

2008-10-18T14:57:00.003-05:00

I have recently been introduced to a new way of shopping.... couponing! I have always used coupons, but not like this!
Here are two great websites that I frequent:
thecentsiblesawyer.blogspot.com
mommysnacks.blogspot.com
They can tell you how to get started and what deals are hot for the week. I have started doing Walgreens and Walmart because we don't have any of the other stores here in Des Moines.
Here is all the great stuff I purchased for $6.35 OOP (out of pocket) at Walgreens this week!
Good Luck!

Prayer Requests

2008-10-14T22:59:00.004-05:00

I have three prayer requests...

Lee's Great-Aunt is very ill. She had a stroke a month ago and is not doing well.

Lee's Cousin's wife is have some major complications with her second pregnancy. Please pray for her health and that of her baby girl.

A friend of mine from church, her husband is very ill. He has been in the hospital for over 10 days now, and the doctors are unsure what is wrong with him. Please pray that they find some answers and for her and their four kids that they are managing at home while he is in the hospital.

Your prayers are much appreciated!

Busy week ahead...

2008-10-14T22:26:00.007-05:00

This is going to be a busy week!
Tomorrow morning is Hudson's 15 month check up. I can't believe my 'baby' is 15 months old. He is so much a little boy more than a baby. Speaking of babies... he loves them. We have several Mom's at preschool that have little ones in baby carriers and Hudson loves to peak at them and touch their toes and make them smile!! AND he loves to flirt with the other Mom's too! One in particular that lets him crawl right up on her lap!
Thursday morning we are headed to the pumpkin patch with Carter's preschool class. This should be fun and interesting. I am trying to figure out how I am going to manage. I just picture trying to chase after two boys that go opposite directions, and cart around pumpkins, while trying to carry on conversations with other parents!
Friday we have a carnival at our MOPS meeting at church. I am really excited to see what they have in store for us! Hudson is going through some major separation anxiety, and Carter has been acting up lately (at preschool and church), so dropping them off while I go to the meetings, has been a little tougher (on me) than normal.
We are expecting company this weekend and almost all of next week. Lee's sister Karen and her husband Pete and little guy Collin are coming. It will be nice to have the boys play with their cousin. Then Monday, Lee leaves for a whole week in Los Angeles, California. Lucky guy! My parents are coming to stay and help me out while he is away! Yeah! Now hopefully I can get my house cleaning done with everything that is going on... did I mention that Lee taking online classes too. Do you think our family could get any busier?? The days of wondering "what should I do today?" are LONG gone!

Fun Saturday

2008-10-11T17:05:00.004-05:00

Since last weekend I was in bed all day on Saturday with the flu, I was so excited to have something partially FREE and FUN to do this morning. Lee saw that Earl May was having a Pumpkin Festival at all locations. We have one super close to our house, so we got ready and headed there. They had face painting, pumpkin painting, popcorn, free ice cream from Schwan's, a castle jump tent and of course LOTS of photo ops for me to go crazy with my camera. Hy-Vee was also there with hot dogs, hamburgers, chips and drinks for lunch.
Next we headed to Toys R Us for Thomas the Train day. The boys got a whistle (great.. more noise at our house), coloring book and colors. I got to shop while Lee and the boys looked at the train set and found a great deal. They had little boy's slippers on clearance. I found a cute pair for Carter and then looked at the price.... $1.00. Yeah!!! So I looked a little further and found a pair for Huddy too.. $1.00 as well!! I scanned them just to make sure it was true and they rang in at .70 cents!!! Two pairs of slippers for those cold winter mornings for $1.48!!!
I love good deals!!

Boys Town

2008-10-11T16:16:00.012-05:00

We made a quick trip this week to Omaha for some appointments at Boy's Town. Boy's Town is internationally recognized for the study and treatment of childhood deafness and related communication disorders. Our ENT recommended that we go there for Hudson and we had our first initial appointment this summer.
Our main issue is that Hudson is hearing everything he should be to aid in speech development. We also HOPE to get some answers as to why his hearing loss occurred. The doctor we saw this summer referred us to the Genetics Clinic and that is where our appointments were this past Wednesday.
We first met with an Audiologist to do some repeat hearing tests and also to have his aids checked too. Lee asked a question that we both have been wondering.... at times Hudson acts like he can hear normally without his aids in. Lee will put a song on TV that Hudson loves and Hudson will come running. The Audiologist explained that not all frequencies are checked during the ABR test and that he may be able to hear normally in some frequencies and not normally in others. A really simple answer that cleared up ALOT for Lee and I. The next appointment was for Vestibular testing which checks for balance. They put Lee and Huddy in a dark, little room with probes on his head and a camera on his cute little face. Then they spin and rock the chair back and forth and watch for Hudson's eyes to go side to side. We were not concerned with balance because he is walking (almost running) and does fine! He passed with flying colors. Second to last we met with Dr. Lutz and his entourage of professionals. He explained there are two types of hearing loss they look at... syndromatic and non-syndromatic hearing loss. Meaning that there may be a syndrome associated with the loss. He DOES NOT think this is the case with Hudson. He looked him over really good and said he is very healthy. Now we are just waiting for one blood test to be ran from his newborn blood spot card, collected in the hospital at birth. This may take a couple of weeks, but we MAY have some initial answers... YEAH!
Lastly, we met with the ENT and he said Hudson looked good as well. We were at Boys Town for 4 hours, but it really didn't seem like it. They had so many toys and Grandma Helen was there to help chase after and occupy Hudson while Lee and I talked to the doctors. Grandpa Ron stayed back at Aunt Val's house with Carter and played
all morning!! A big THANKS to my Dad, Mom and sister for everything! The day wouldn't have gone as well as it did with out your help!!!

My little helpers

2008-10-06T12:38:00.008-05:00

Carter has always liked to help in the kitchen. Instead of getting upset at him for being in the way while baking or cooking, I figured I would keep his little hands busy. Since Hudson has come along, most of the time they are occupying each other with toys or chasing after one another while I am cooking. This morning they were both under foot, so I enlisted their help once again. We are going to have an awesome dinner tonight! Pork Shoulder Roast in the crock pot and Orange Dreamsicle Dessert.

Here's the recipe for the jello. It's one of our favorites...

Orange Dreamsicle Dessert
1 small pkg. orange sugar free (SF) Jello
1 small pkg. vanilla SF pudding
1 large can mandarin oranges, drained
1 container fat free cool whip

Mix jello in 1 cup boiling water. Add 1 cup cold water. Using a whisk add vanilla pudding mix to jello. Let set in the fridge for one hour until thick. Fold in container of cool whip. Add in mandarin oranges. Let set in fridge for a couple hours. Enjoy!
Tip: I chop the oranges before adding to make more small pieces.

Firetruck

2008-10-06T12:27:00.003-05:00

Saturday morning Lee took Carter to Home Depot for some fun Father/Son bonding time. They had a free kids expo making firetrucks with a whistle. Cool! Carter was telling me all about it this morning. He said "Daddy let me hammer a nail and put the wheels on, then I blew the whistle LOUD, LOUD!"

Apples!!

2008-09-27T22:09:00.017-05:00

My sister Rachel came to visit us this weekend, and we wanted to do something FUN!
The boys were feeling much better this morning (after being sick all week), so we decided after naptime we were going get some fresh air and check out an apple orchard. We ended up at the Center Grove Orchard in Cambridge, IA. It is about 25 miles from Des Moines, and well worth the drive. So many fun activities for the whole family, we spent most of the afternoon and evening there. Not only did we pick our own apples (all different varieties), we rode the hayrack ride, fed the many farm animals, Carter jumped on the Jumping Pillow, and the boys played in the Corn Pool. After all that excitement, we ended up in the country store. The carmel apples were awesome and I got a apple crisp mix to help me in using the precious fruit we picked.
Of course our adventure couldn't go without some cute moments:
In the car on the way there Carter wanted to know "Are we at the apple factory yet?"
I picked a small apple for Hudson to carry and that he did! He tightly grasped it the rest of the afternoon until we got to the car. He was so proud of that little apple!

Make a Smilebox slideshow

I think I will be dreaming tonight of all the apple things I can make this week... apple crisp, apple muffins, apple pancakes, carmel apples, apple pie...

Playdough

2008-09-19T15:58:00.009-05:00

This morning was our first MOPS (Mothers of Pre-Schoolers) meeting for the year. At the end of the meeting, they handed out a packet of already mixed dry ingredients for one of Carter's favorite things.... PLAYDOUGH!!! Carter and I mixed it up after nap and he had fun playing with it (outside on his picnic table). I thought I would share the recipe with all of you. I know we will have several hours worth of fun at our house

Perky Playdough

1 c. flour
1 package Kool-Aid (any flavor)
1 T. cream of tartar
1 T. vegetable oil
1/4 C. salt
1 c. boiling water

Mix all dry ingredients together. Add oil, then add in boiling water.
Mix thoroughly.
Wrap in plastic wrap or place in air-tight container.
Store in refridgerator.

Dentist, our 4-legged friends and my BIG eater!

2008-09-17T12:13:00.010-05:00

Just a few random things from this week...

Carter had his first visit to the dentist a few weeks ago and they discovered a small cavity (that darn sippy cup of milk at night). So, we went back to have it filled and I was more nervous than him. Once again Carter surprised me! He did great. They made him smell the laughing gas (nitrous oxide) and did everything in like 5 minutes. We were in and out in less than 15 minutes. Hudson did great too, he sat on my lap while I held Carter's hand. All Carter remembers is that he smelled something a little funny, they put jelly on his tooth to make it sleep and then he was all done! The best part is that we have finally switched to water before bed... first couple nights were rough, but I kept telling Carter " Dr. Whittmore said no milk before bed."

It has finally warmed up a little this week, so we have been out in the backyard alot. Sunday Lee and Carter were out back and found a bunny nest with 5 baby bunnies in it. This has been all Carter talks about... and he wants to "check" on them all the time. Lee and I have explained over and over that he can't touch or hold the bunnies, because the mommy might not come back if she knows you have been messing with her home and babies. It's really hard to explain to a 3 year old that LOVES animals. Oh, and yesterday he found this HUGE frog by our patio too. He liked caring it around until it peed on his hand :)

I thought this picture was a perfect time to share what a great eater Hudson is. At most meals he can out eat Carter. He keeps shoveling in the food and will let us know if he wants more. He loves most fruits and veggies, chicken, mac 'n' cheese, hotdogs, and waffles, but his all time favorite is watermelon. He ate sooooo much of it this summer! In this picture he was eating some new Chef Buyordee ravioli.Yum yum!

My 27 lb. 14 month old!