Addy, Easton, & Hayden's Mommy

Week in Review

2012-01-30T21:28:00.000-06:00

I am lacking a little motivation lately. I just have NO desire to blog! I have started 3 different posts and just didn't feel like finishing them. I blame it on Addy's athletic career...it's kicking my butt. I feel like we are always going to some type of practice or game. As much as I love it, I really do enjoy time at home! Speaking of athletics, Addy scored her very first goal on Saturday. I was one proud momma and she was one excited little girl!

The pink sticker she is sporting in the picture says, "We've had 100 days of school!" She couldn't wait to tell me that she is almost a second grader. When did she get so old?

After school today, we spent about an hour outside. It was almost 70 degrees on January 30th. That is crazy...but really nice. As much as I enjoy 70 degree weather, I would really like one good snow fall before winter is over. The kids got a new sled for Christmas and have yet to use it. Come on Mother Nature, bring us some snow! =)

We need to work on her form just a little! =)

The kids got to spend Saturday afternoon playing with the Molina boys. E and Isaiah are so silly when they get together. I can't help but think about how much trouble they are going to get into over the next 13 years!

This picture makes me laugh! I took it of them when they were leaving PE and sent it to J. Do you see what they all have in common?

And...I can't not put some pictures of Hayden on here. He has started being REALLY NAUGHTY! He is constantly doing things that get him in trouble. Yes, my 14 month old (almost 15 month old) baby gets in trouble. His timeout chair is his new BFF!

Here he is getting into E's lunch tray. I walked into my office for one thing and returned to find him on the table eating E's french fries.

Here he is eating lunch with my 5th graders. J had to run an errand and dropped him off with me for a few minutes. He thinks he is a big boy!

Did I mention he climbs? E had his milk up on the table and Hayden climbed up the side and spilled it all over his head and the floor!

I had a few people ask me about the 24 day challenge. I did not do the complete challenge...I omitted the catalyst and the meal replacement shakes. Other than that, I followed it pretty strictly. I did find a meal replacement shake from Sam's Club that was a lot cheaper, but only drank it a couple of times for breakfast.
I'm not a huge fan of meal replacement shakes!

I weighed myself this morning and am down 15 pounds! I have to admit, I am pretty pumped about that number. 15 pounds in 27 days is awesome for me! I still have another 15 or so that I would like to lose before summer vacation. We are talking about going to the beach over break and I really don't want to look like a beached whale! =)

A few things I have found that I really like are...

#1) Multi-Grain Peanut Butter Cheerios...they are yummy!

#2) www.myfitnesspal.com

You put in all of your information (weight, height, amount you want to lose, etc) and it figures up how many calories you should consume in order to lose or maintain your weight. It has been fabulous for me. I track all of my food and it keeps track of how many calories I have left throughout the day. I am trying to eat a 1200 calorie diet, but it adds more when I record my daily exercise. According to my fitness pal, I can eat approximately 1700 calories a day with exercise; however, I have chosen not to go over the 1200. Losing weight is tricky...you can't eat too many or too few calories! Hopefully, I have found a happy medium!

#3) Skinny Cows!

I've tried the strawberry cheesecake and the oreo sandwich. They were both really good and I didn't feel like I cheated on my diet! Even if you aren't watching your food intake, you should try them. They are really good...I promise!

I can't believe the first month of 2012 is coming to an end tomorrow. Shoot...I'm still writing 2011 on everything!

24 Day Challenge

2012-01-25T18:44:00.000-06:00

The holiday season completely ruined my healthy eating habits and regular exercising routines. I indulged in lots of yummy treats and didn't run as much as I should have. I ended up gaining a little (ok...a lot!) of weight in just a couple of months. I have to say the oreo balls, sugar cookies, and peanut butter balls were totally worth it! =)

I knew I had to get my butt back in shape after Christmas, but wasn't going to completely jump on the weight loss wagon until after the first. I still had 2 Christmas celebrations to enjoy and I didn't want to deprive myself!

On January 3rd, I started the 24 day challenge. I began by shopping for lots of whole grains, fresh fruits and veggies at Sam's Club. I am pretty sure people were laughing at this cart...

I bought tons of lettuce, peppers, carrots, celery, avocados, oranges, apples, bananas, etc. It was definitely a cart full! Next, I searched the internet for recipes that I could use while doing the challenge. That was not an easy task! I had to cut out all milk, white bread/rice, beef, pork, processed foods, pop, coffee...you get the idea. I eat a lot of whole grain rice with sautéed vegetables. It is absolutely delicious!

The first 10 days are referred to as the Cleanse phase. I'm gonna be honest...it was horrible. I had to drink this absolutely nasty drink...

I almost threw up every single time I drank it! It wasn't really the taste that made me sick...it was the texture. Gross!

Along with the vitamins and healthy eating, I have been working out a lot. Approximately 60-90 minutes a day. I think I have taken 2 days off since Jan. 3rd. Plus, I am a PE teacher. We move all the time. I don't want to mislead anyone...supplements do not work if you don't eat healthy and workout regularly!

So...how has the challenge been going? I think pretty good. I don't think the Advocare products are miracle drugs, but I do think they help keep my energy level up. I LOVE the Spark! I drink it every morning and it keeps me from running to Sonic for a large diet vanilla coke! Those of you that know me well realize that is a big deal...I love diet vanilla coke!

Today, 23 days into the challenge, I am down 12 pounds and several inches...yes, I just weighed myself! I didn't measure myself on Day 1 (I should have), but I am back in my skinnier jeans and have had lots of people ask me about my weight loss. I'm really happy with the progress I have made, but still have a ways to go. My long-term goal is to lose 16 more pounds by the end of the school year. My short-term goal is to lose another 5 pounds by Valentine's Day. Why Valentine's Day...absolutely NO reason. It is just the day I picked. Hopefully, I can continue on without any major hurdles in my road. Pray for me! =)

Our Week...through iPhone pictures

2012-01-22T21:41:00.001-06:00

It has been a CRAZY week at our house! The craziness started last Tuesday morning @ about 4:30 AM. That is when Easton started throwing up. He had been coughing so we were hopeful that he just gagged. No such luck...he threw up again at about 6:00, 6:30, 6:45, etc. The poor boy was sick as a dog! J ended up staying home with him and Addy & I left for school. Then, in the midst of setting out our PE equipment, Addison threw up. I ended up running her home to spend the day with the boys. =( The rest of the week was very similar to Tuesday! The bug spread through our whole family...minus myself. I'm not sure why, but I rarely get sick. I think it has to do with being a teacher. I am constantly dealing with sick kids! This is a picture that I sent J on Tuesday evening...

The poor kid didn't want to leave the bathroom and ended up falling asleep on the floor. Good thing I had just deep cleaned the bathroom 2 days prior!

Thank goodness, Hayden never threw up. He had other problems. =( He ended up getting the worst diaper rash that is still not completely healed. Notice the bruise on his head...he got that on Papa Greg's watch!

One evening, he fell asleep watching me run on the treadmill. It is very rare for him to fall asleep anywhere other than his crib so I took this picture. (while I was running...not the easiest task!)

Addison missed school on Tuesday and Wednesday. She was more than excited to get back to school with her friends. On Friday, I ran to Subway and bought us lunch. I love having her at my school. It's so fun surprising her with little things like lunch! =)

And...she pulled another tooth! I'm not sure it was ready to come out, or if she just wanted some more money! She has been saving to buy a happy napper.

She also had a basketball game on Saturday morning. Normally the whole family goes to support her, but Hayden and Daddy were still sick. So...mommy cheered her on all by herself! She did really good and ALMOST made a basket 3 different times.

This picture cracks me up! My daughter is such a shorty! Granted the two girls to her right are third graders, but still...She is vertically challenged!

Our weekend ended up being pretty good! By Saturday afternoon, everyone was much, much better. Easton and I went to a former co-worker's baby shower, we all watched the Jayhawks beat the Longhorns, and then watched the movie Courageous. If you haven't watched it...it's a must! Such a good movie!

John 3:16

2012-01-17T22:34:00.001-06:00

When I was a kid, I knew lots and lots of Bible verses. We had to learn them at school, church, and occasionally at home. The other day during the Broncos game, a commercial came on of kids reciting John 3:16. It was such a sweet commercial, but made me feel a little guilty. I had never practiced reciting verses with my kiddos. BAD mom, I tell ya! I decided that I needed to add that to our nightly routine ASAP! That evening, after our evening devotional, we started practicing John 3:16...the easiest verse I could think of! =) Also, I put it on the fridge so they would see it throughout the day. Addy pretty much mastered it after one day...E-man is still working on it! My goal is to introduce a new verse every Sunday. Hopefully, we can stay focused and get the verses memorized in one week.

After much thought and consideration, I decided to take the verses out of my Bible which is a KJV. I personally like it better, but that is what I grew up using...obviously I am going to like it better. Addison has a KJV & NIV...I figure as long as she is reading it, I really don't mind.

A nice day off!

2012-01-16T22:15:00.000-06:00

J and I both had the day off today! I love days off with my BFF! =) We had a lot of things we should of done, but chose to have a FUN day instead. We started out the day doing a little shopping. Kim told us about a new sports store that sells lots of KU stuff...of course we had to check it out! I found a pair of KU sweats for Addy and a KU zip-up sweatshirt for Hayden for $10 total. They had a lot of neat KU shirts, but they were out of my size. Hopefully, I can get in there this weekend when the new shipment arrives!

After our mini-shopping trip, we picked up Schlotszkys and headed to Grandma Marie's house. She turned 83 years-old yesterday and we wanted to stop by and wish her a HAPPY BIRTHDAY a day late. She was excited to see the kiddos and enjoyed her sandwich and chocolate cake. We are so thankful for that sweet lady!

This afternoon we went to Papa Greg's land with the Molina family. It was a BEAUTIFUL January day and we wanted to take full advantage of it! We had a great time walking around and watching everyone take turns shooting the bows. These pictures are all from my phone so the quality is not the greatest...

All in all...it was a great day! Why can't every weekend consist of 3 days?

Toothless

2012-01-15T22:34:00.000-06:00

Miss Addison lost another tooth the other day. It is one of her top front teeth...she looks so cute!

She came into the gym on Thursday complaining about her tooth. She said she heard a crack and needed a kleenex. I guess she thought it would give her a better grip! ;) She messed with it for a few minutes and decided she wanted to go to the bathroom to look in the mirror. This is what she looked like when she returned from the bathroom...

I had to take a picture to send to her Daddy, Grandmas, Papas, etc.

Her other top front tooth is just about to come out, too. She is gonna look really silly then! As you can tell, she is pretty proud of her new smile!

Addy's first basketball game

2012-01-10T22:48:00.000-06:00

Addy had her very first basketball game on Saturday. She did such a great job and had so much fun. It makes this mom a little sad, but I think she enjoyed it even more than softball! Oh well, in a few years she will realize softball is way better than basketball. (at least I hope she does!)

Her team name is the Wolverines which according to the E-man is a boy's team name. Obviously, he thinks of a Wolverine as a superhero, not an animal! ;) Since they are playing in the Upward League, they do not keep score...thank goodness because they got whooped! One of my 3rd grade students was on the other team and I told J the minute I saw her that the outcome was going to be ugly! She is an aggressive big girl and our team is made up of timid little girls! The good news is, Addy didn't seem to notice the uneven scoring of baskets. She had an absolute blast! And...she even got a steal! No baskets, but I think she will get a few over the course of the season.

As much as she enjoys playing, I think she is even more excited about being on the same team as her BFF, Claire. They get all giggly and silly when they are together. It gets a little annoying at times, but for the most part it's okay! I'm so glad she has such a good friend right across the street.

I have to add a picture of the cutest Tebow fan around...my baby boy, Hayden Joseph!

Playing Catch UP and Resolutions!

2012-01-09T11:15:00.000-06:00

I have spent the past several weeks playing catch up on my blog posts. I have been so behind, yet still want everything in order. So...I have been adding posts here and there. I still have a couple more to add to 2011 before I order my blog book. (My neighbor order one awhile back and I thought it was so neat...looking forward to getting one of my own.) Since this has become my one source of documentation for my family, I want to make sure I add all the important thing that occur in our lives! Hopefully, I get it done soon!

Now for resolutions...
I really don't have any resolutions, but I do have a few things that I want to work on in 2012.

#1) My relationship with Jesus. My goal is to spend some time everyday in his word...even if it is just 10 minutes every evening. Several people have mentioned the benefits of Ruth so I think I am going to start there. Pray for me! I am usually so exhausted in the evenings that I go straight to bed.

#2) My relationship with my hubby. We very rarely do things as a couple. I think it is because we are apart so much during the week that we like to spend our together time as a family. Our goal this year is to spend one evening a month as a couple. It's not going to be anything big...just time without our precious kiddos!

#3) Stay Organized! I spent all of Christmas break organizing our house...including every single closet! I still need to work on the storage room, but for the most part our house is organized! Hopefully...it stays that way!

#4) Get Healthy! I am pretty good about working out on a regular basis, but struggle with eating healthy. I blame most of my bad eating habits on our crazy schedule. It is so much easier to eat unhealthy! The good news is, we very rarely eat out. I just need to make better cooking choices! A few of the changes we have made over the past few months are eating 100% whole grain breads and pasta, ground turkey rather than hamburger, using all-natural peanut butter, eliminating most fried foods, and always having a variety of fresh fruits and veggies on hand. My kids LOVE grapes, apples, oranges, carrots, celery, etc...if I have them on hand, they will choose them over almost anything.

I realize that things will get unorganized, I will eat the wrong types of foods, things will be crazy...these are just some things that I want to work on improving!

2012

2012-01-02T09:44:00.000-06:00

2012...Really? It is so hard for me to believe that it is 2012...I have been out of high school for 15 years, out of college for 10 years, and married for 10 years. There is something about 2012 that makes me feel really OLD! ;)

I am convinced that 2012 is going to be a good year! I have a wonderful husband, 3 beautiful kids, a great family, amazing friends, and a Savior who LOVES me...how could it not be a good year?

On the trip home from my parents house, I started working on my calendar and started thinking about all the things that I have to look forward to this year. I forced myself to do this because I was becoming a little overwhelmed!

The #1 thing I am looking forward to in 2012 is....J moving to first shift! We have been married 10 years and in that time he has always worked 2nd or 3rd shift. It makes me so happy to think he will be here every evening with us. Plus, he can help get the kids to all of their extracurricular activities. Don't get me wrong, I am so glad he was able to stay home with the kids the past 7 years, but look forward to having a little more time with him in the evenings!

Other things happening in 2012 (God willing!)...Susie's 40th birthday, E will start school, Hayden will start daycare, Addy will be a BIG second grader, 10 year Anniversary, vacation with the Klusman's (and whoever else we can get to join us), KC Warrior Dash, and hopefully a 1/2 Marathon. I have started training for a 1/2 twice and have yet to complete one. The first time I got pregnant with Hayden and the second time I got lazy! The farthest I have ran at one time is 10 miles...surely I can add another 3.1!

Happy 2012 everyone! =)

Kramer Christmas

2012-01-01T23:58:00.000-06:00

We celebrated Christmas with my family on New Years Day. We started getting together New Years weekend a few years ago due to everyone's hectic schedules. Plus, I like my kids to be home on Christmas morning. There is something about waking up at your own house on Christmas morning. =)

The minute the kids woke up they were ready to rip open the presents. Opening gifts doesn't get old for a 4 year-old and 6 year-old...they LOVE it! We had to wait; however, until the Hudson's arrived. I'm pretty sure the kids were glued to the window looking for them. =) Finally, they got there and the chaos began. In fact, I barely got to watch them because they were going so fast. I think we may have to start the one present at a time rule next year so everyone can see what everyone gets. The kid's big gift from Papa & Grandma were new boots...even Hayden got a pair of lace up ropers! They look so cute on them and will come in very handy when they are riding horses at Papa & Grandma's house.

Brock with the football we got him!

When everyone was done opening presents, we ate lunch and then I took a 5 mile walk. After all the food I consumed over the weekend, I needed to get a little exercise!

That evening, Grandma, Molly, and Merilea came out and we played several games...mostly Catch Phrase! It was a fun day...I LOVE spending time with my family!

Collins Christmas 2011

2012-01-01T22:21:00.000-06:00

I feel like I have been posting a lot about Christmas, but we have so many celebrations! And...I want to document every single one of them.

New Years Eve we celebrated Christmas with my mom's side of the family...The Collins Family. It sounds kind of weird to say Collins family because my Granny is the only one with the Collins name. All five of her girls are married and her son died before he had kids...they were Collins' so we will go with that! ;)

We had the party at the Community Room in Sun City. I spent a lot of time in that building when I was a kid. Between church dinners, holiday celebrations, church plays, and volleyball games...it is definitely a place that holds a lot of memories for me.

First and foremost, we had lots of food. I swear my family always cooks a lot of food! My favorite was a peppermint cheesecake that my Aunt Anita made. It was delicious! =)

We had several different things planned to keep everyone entertained throughout the evening. Although, most of the time the teenagers played Just Dance on the Wii. Let me tell you, my cousins have some awesome dancing skills! (Susan does, too, but that is another story!)

This picture made me laugh...

Hayden is such a Papa's boy!

I absolutely LOVE my Molly-Noodle! Can't believe she is 15!

LOVE this girl, too!

Addy & E had to try out the new bows that Papa & Grandma B got them for Christmas.

Brock taking his turn with the bow.

The BIG kids had to take a turn, too!

When we weren't watching all the awesome dancers in our family, eating, or shooting bows...we played Dirty Santa, Ornament Bingo, and had our own little cake walk.

Dirty Santa was fun, but our family didn't really "steal" gifts. Possibly because there wasn't anything worth stealing, or because we are too nice. Either way, I hope that changes next year! I, for one, did steal a gift! I stole the gift my sister-in-law, Sam, brought. It was a framed picture of her and my brother, a pair of pajama socks, and chocolate kisses. I'm so excited to have a picture of them displayed at my house!

David stole the lottery tickets from my dad.

My dad had to pick a new gift and got a "Red Solo Cup!" Very fitting since he LOVES that song!

J checking out all his gifts.

The kids helped everyone pick their gifts.

The ornament bingo was fun, but I am still a little annoyed with how that turned out. My brother, who is a huge OU fan, bought a really cool KU ornament. I LOVED IT! Well...to make a long story short, J and Madison both got a bingo first and got to pick their ornament. J ended up getting it, but it fell and broke. :( The good news is, my brother is absolutely amazing and ordered me another one. My brother ROCKS!

The cake/pickle/beef jerky/etc. walk was actually pretty fun. I must admit I made a little fun of my mom when she proposed the cake walk idea. (Sorry Mom!) She knows that my kids love them and thought it would be fun. Well, she was right. It was really fun! My family brought some pretty yummy things, too! Since we had to travel so far, I didn't bake anything. Instead, I bought a big container of beef jerky and a big jar of pickles. (My family LOVES pickles!) These are the cute cupcakes that my Aunt Susan made. They were so cute and I bet they tasted good too! How could they not with all of that chocolate goodness! ;)

The kids were pretty excited about their gifts, too. Addy got a flip camera which she absolutely loves. Funny thing is, I was planning on giving it to her at Christmas, but forgot all about it! Believe me, that wasn't the only gift I forgot to put under the tree. I decided that it wasn't a bad thing; however, because they both have birthdays coming up. E got a couple of DS games. The poor kid always plays Addy's "girl" games so I thought I would get him some games he would enjoy. Sadly...he's still playing the "girl" games!

Once again, Hayden was more interested in the box!

It was a really fun night! So glad I got to spend New Years Eve with my extended family. And...E got to go with the big kids to ring the church bell at midnight. As a kid, we always raced to the church to ring in the New Year. I'm happy that E got to experience something his momma use to do in good 'ole Sun City.

Christmas Day

2011-12-28T15:57:00.001-06:00

Christmas Day was a pretty exciting day at our house. Addy and E literally jumped out of bed! Of course, they had to stay locked in their rooms until mommy and daddy got all the cameras ready. =) This is what we saw when they walked out into the living room...

Addy & E were pumped!

Hayden was still tired! ;)

Easton wore his Thor hat most of the morning. One of his cheapest gifts and it turned out being a favorite! ;)

Addy immediately looked in her stocking. Obviously, she wasn't too excited about her new socks.

After a few minutes, Hayden started to warm up to his new wheels! ;)

But...he was more excited about the candy!

The highlight of our day was our surprise visitors! My brother and sister-in-law stopped by on their way back to Sun City. The kids LOVED showing them all of their new Christmas gifts. =) The rest of the day was pretty low-key. The Molina's and Buchanan's came over and we played games and ate and ate and ate. I swear, the Christmas holiday ruins my diet! Oh well...it was all really yummy! =)

Speaking of yummy, I can't end this post without sharing my favorite Christmas gift. My husband knows me too well! He bought me a sushi kit and all of the ingredients to make California rolls. And...the best part...he made them for lunch! My husband is pretty AMAZING!

Christmas Eve

2011-12-26T16:41:00.001-06:00

Christmas Eve was a fun day at our house! We spent the morning making sugar cookies for Santa...we even had some help from the Molina boys. ;) The boys were at our house the first time we made cookies, but weren't able to help us decorate them. I promised Jonah that he could help the next time I made them. He was more than happy to help on Christmas Eve!

The finished product

The afternoon was absolutely beautiful! So beautiful that I was able to get out and run. I love the nice weather, but would have rather had some snow. I LOVE a white Christmas!

That evening we met J's family at our church, then headed to his parent's house for our Christmas celebration. The kids got lots of great gifts! Addy's favorite was a new iPod...she lost the one she got last Christmas! She has been listening to that thing non-stop since she got it! I'm not sure what E's favorite was...probably all of them. ;) The boy went a million miles an hour opening all his gifts! Hayden barely even noticed the presents. He was content playing with the toys he always plays with when he visits Papa & Grandma. I am guessing his feeling will change by the time next Christmas rolls around!

Our Family

Ryan & Carrie

Papa & Grandma with the grandkids.

PRESENTS!

Addy bought her Daddy & Papa gifts at her school Gingerbread shop. She was so excited to give them their presents! ;)

Scarves...just what they always wanted!

Two things happened during the course of the evening which I feel should be recorded for future reference...

#1) Hayden fell all the way down the stairs. And by all the way, I mean all the way! It sounded horrible, but he seemed fine. I think it scared him more than anything! I'm pretty sure I would still be laying there if I had fallen as far as he did!

#2) At church, our preacher was talking about the plan of salvation. He kept saying things about "sin." Things like, "Jesus died on the cross to save us from our sins." Addison was sitting with J's parents and according to them was listening very intently. Finally, she leaned over to Papa and said, "Who is this Sid guy anyway?" We all got a good laugh out of it! =)

When we got home, Addy and E each picked out a cookie they wanted to leave for Santa. It was so funny watching them choose their favorite! They wanted to make sure Santa was very happy with their selection...of course, he LOVED them both!

I love our Santa plate & mug!

I think they fell asleep seconds after their heads hit the pillow. They were both exhausted after a busy day. J and I had about 3 hours of work to do before Santa was able to visit our house. It was a long, but fun night at our house!

E's Christmas Sing-A-Long

2011-12-21T20:06:00.005-06:00

E's preschool class had a Christmas celebration on Tuesday afternoon. Thanks to my awesome principal, I was able to attend! =)

The party was pretty simple, but the kids seemed to enjoy themselves. They sang several songs and even had a visit from Santa Claus. It was funny because most of the kids were absolutely terrified of him. Not E...he was all about sitting on Santa's lap for the THIRD time this year. So far, he hasn't noticed that Santa looks completely different every time we see him. I guess the white beard and red suit is all he sees! ;)

E & Santa...Take 3 ;)

The preschool's next door neighbor, Emmi, accompanied the kids on her accordion. She was hilarious!

This was the third year in a row that we have attended a Christmas party at our preschool. Can't believe next year my little man will be a big kindergartner!

Weekend Wrap-Up

2011-12-21T19:28:00.003-06:00

This past weekend was packed full of Christmas celebrations! Plus, we had some pretty awesome overnight guests! ;) The Klusman's came to town on Friday afternoon and stayed until Sunday. The purpose of their visit was to celebrate Christmas with Ivan's side of family, but we were fortunate to spend quite a bit of time with them, too.

On Friday, Madison and Hannah took Addy and E to the movies. My kids were dying to watch the new Chipmunks movie and they were kind enough to take them. Thanks Klusman girls...You ROCK! ;) While they went to the show, we did a little shopping at the mall and Hobby Lobby. I swear I could spend a fortune in Hobby Lobby! Luckily, I refrained from breaking the bank!

Saturday we celebrated Christmas with the Howard side. It was a nice quaint lunch at Theresa & Jake's house. The kids were excited to see Alyssa & Jada since we don't get to see them very often. Not sure why since we live in the same city! They ended up getting a couple of Wii games which they tried out the minute we got home. I'm not sure who had more fun, them or their daddy! I should of taken pictures...my husband is a dork!

Sunday we celebrated Christmas with the Broxterman side. I think the Broxterman Christmas is my kid's favorite celebration of the year. They love playing with all of the kids! This year J's Aunt Terri had lots of games planned and the kids had an absolute ball.

Here they are during a game of "Santa Says!"

Getting ready to play "Elf, Elf, Santa!"

These next two pictures show just how ornery Hayden has become...

Working on some coloring pages with Riley.

Singing Christmas Carols

And...the one and only Santa Claus made an appearance! The kids were super pumped about that! This is not the greatest picture, but it shows just how excited Addy Leigh was when she spotted St. Nick...

Addy told Santa she would like a desk.

Easton said he wanted some action figures.

Hayden just wanted to get away from Santa!

Grandma Marie with Santa Claus

Grandma Marie with her 5 kids & Santa Claus ;)

The kids had lots of things to take home, too. Between the gift exchange and the Bingo prizes, they ended up with lots of great stuff! Once again, My kids are SPOILED!

Hayden got the little people nativity. He wasn't very interested in it, but his sister and Macey sure enjoyed opening it!

E opening his new batman car.

Addy was so excited to get a Lalaloopsy doll!

Uncle Ryan practicing his opening skills.

Only 4 more days until Christmas! I sure hope Santa was listening to my sweet kiddos. ;)

Cookie Delivery

2011-12-14T21:37:00.000-06:00

Last Friday, I took the day off of work to spend time with my Mom & Granny. It was a fun day full of baking! Mostly by me, but that's okay! When all was said and done we had lots of yummy treats! The following day, I had Addy & E deliver all of the goodies to our neighbors and friends.

They refused to deliver them together...imagine that! Instead, they took turns picking houses. Funny kids! ;) Here is E knocking on Chase's door.

And Addy delivering to Claire...

When we got back to our house, we found these 2 guys being silly.

Any thoughts on who Hayden looks like? I was looking at some of J's baby pictures and they look so much like Hayden. J was a little (okay A LOT) chubbier, but other than that they could be twins.

Breakfast with Santa

2011-12-10T20:30:00.000-06:00

This morning we took the kids to eat breakfast with Santa Claus. Well...kind of! The kids ate and did crafts while Santa took pictures with all of the kiddos. The kids had a blast doing crafts, eating, and chatting with Mr. Claus. Let me rephrase that, Addy and E had a good time. Hayden was not too fond of Santa. Here is proof...

Vanessa, Jonah, and Isaiah went with us to see Santa, too.

We also saw these two girls there...we love them!

The kids had a great time making ornaments. They were super easy and really cute!

The event was held at our church and seemed to be a BIG success. I love the way our church uses events such as this to reach out to the community. I saw lots of faces that I don't normally see on Sunday mornings. Hopefully, some of those new faces will be at church tomorrow morning! ;)

Addy's Christmas Program

2011-12-10T20:08:00.000-06:00

Addy had her first grade program on Thursday night. Since I teach PE at Addy's school, I knew every single song by heart! The kids did so good...especially this little girl!

She did such a great job on all of the songs and motions. During one song (Must be Santa), she got to sing a little solo. Her classmate, Jhalil, didn't make it to the program, or he would have joined her for the part. I couldn't believe how well she did. I would have been so embarrassed! She, on the other hand, was such a ham! She is a natural performer!

Grandma Carol and Granny Norma drove up on Wednesday so they would be here to watch the show. Addy LOVED having them and Papa & Grandma B at her performance! Afterwards, we hit Starbucks for some yummy treats and then went and looked at Christmas lights. It was a GREAT night!

We had to get a picture with their buddies, Camille & Colette!

What I'm LOVING

2011-12-10T19:06:00.001-06:00

I have a lot of favorite things right now. Not sure why, but several things have really tickled my fancy! =)

First off...Peppermint Mochas from Starbucks! I have always been a Pumpkin Spice Latte kind of girl, but these things are absolutely amazing!

Next...Shutterfly! I have bought lots of great things off of Shutterfly this year. Not to mention, it is VERY affordable. Yesterday I ordered a calendar that would have cost me $31.00, but thanks to coupons I got it for $13.00. They were 40% off PLUS I had a coupon for 10% off and a coupon for $10 off. Pretty cheap Christmas gift if you ask me! =)

#3...2 Words...Christmas Movies! I am a Christmas movie junkie! Thankfully, my kids are, too! ;) We have already watched several of my favorites like Home Alone, Christmas Vacation, It's a Wonderful Life and The Grinch. Addison was sick last Sunday and we spent the whole day watching Christmas movies. I LOVE cuddling with my babies and watching a good movie.

#4...KLOVE! My radio station is always on KLOVE. I LOVE IT! J likes it, but gets tired of it because they play a lot of the same songs over and over. But...doesn't every radio station? It doesn't bother me because I like the songs they play over and over. The main reason I started leaving the radio on KLOVE is because of Addison. She would sing songs that did not sound good coming out of her mouth. Funny how your perspective changes when you hear your daughter singing a song. Now she knows about every song on KLOVE and it makes me laugh! I swear that girl is a sponge! =)

#5...These shoes! I got a great deal on them off of zuilily. I think I ended up paying $9 for them. Hayden is going to look fabulous in his new Jayhawk kicks! (The squeakers will be coming out!)

#6...my new phone. My blackberry kicked the bucket during Thanksgiving weekend. Luckily, J had already ordered my Christmas gift. My hubby is pretty amazing! ;)

The last thing I'm loving right now is....The Jayhawks beat Ohio State today! I HEART the JAYHAWKS! ;)

Last week

2011-12-05T18:53:00.000-06:00

We had a full week last week. In fact, too full! I'm trying really hard to enjoy the month of December, but it's really hard when you are going, going, going.

One of our favorite evenings last week was Reading Night at school. Addy LOVES reading! The reading team had lots of fun things for the kids to do...my co-workers are amazing! Addy's favorite activity was drinking hot chocolate and reading inside of one of the mini tents. I'm not sure why that was her favorite, but that is what she has been telling everyone. =) E's favorite activity was the book walk. He won lots of cat cash! Sadly, cat cash does him no good so he gave it to his sister. Next year he will have lots of fun spending it at the Cat Cash Store.

Hayden's favorite part was running away from his mommy!

Another fun outing was to E's preschool field trip. J had meetings so I took off of work 1/2 a day and took him. It was so much fun watching him interact with his classmates. Also, it was fun seeing him in school mode. I was so proud of my little boy! He is one smart cookie! ;) (I'm not at all bias either!)

The field trip was to the art lab at the Mulvane Art Museum. I had never gone before, but will definitely be taking the kids back. I want to kick myself for never taking Addy...she is the artsy one in our family. E and his friends got to finger paint, make puppets, draw, etc. He had a blast! He was so proud of his work and was excited to show his daddy.

He LOVED the cave!

These are just a few of his works of art!

Only 20 days until Christmas! I really need to get on the ball and finish my shopping!

Playing in the leaves

2011-11-27T21:02:00.002-06:00

Thanksgiving break is officially over! I'm sad to see it go, but am looking forward to the month of December. We have lots of fun things planned! ;) I let the kids wear their new Christmas shirts to church today. I figure they only get to wear them a few weeks. . .might as well start now!

Today we went over to J's Grandma Marie's house to rake leaves and put up Christmas lights. She lives in an older neighborhood and always has TONS of leaves. It has become a tradition for the family to meet over there and have some fun in the leaves. Sadly. . .this was the first year without Papa Joe Joe. We sure miss him!

Grandma Marie and a few of her grandkids.

Grandma Marie with Papa Greg, Brenda & Terri

FUN IN THE LEAVES

The kids LOVE getting together with J's extended family because they enjoy hanging out with the kids. Today they got to play with McKenna, Thomas, Taylor, Shailee, Kendall, and baby Harper. They were in seventh heaven!

Funny Faces!

Now for the countdown to Christmas vacation. . .18 working days! ;)

Thanksgiving Weekend!

2011-11-26T17:55:00.000-06:00

We are having a great Thanksgiving break! Who wouldn't enjoy 5 days off of work with lots of food, friends, family and shopping! =) We were fortunate to have the Klusman's spend a few days with us again this year. We always enjoy having them at our house! Sadly. . .I didn't get my camera out at all. That is probably a first for me!

This year instead of spending hours playing pitch, we learned how to play Dutch Blitz. I'm in the process of ordering it now, but Amazon is being rather difficult today. I guess people are probably shopping like crazy! It is a really fun game that doesn't involve too much thinking. It is definitely my type of game! I'm not very good at it, but I had a great time trying! ;) We also spent one evening playing "Catch Phrase." Wow. . .that is all I can say! We were short one girl so Hannah and Vanessa teamed up. They were so funny! Needless to say, the girls didn't win too many games.

Shopping was the top priority of the weekend. I love Black Friday shopping! I didn't have too much on my list, I just like going out and having a good time. Malessa and I headed to Toys R Us around 8:30. I wanted to check on the diapers (hello $10 boxes!) and DS games. I ended up getting 2 games for $10. . .thanks to the BYGO deal they were running and some coupons I saved up. I was pumped! The diapers; however, were gone. They were one of the first items gone. I was bummed about that because last year I really stocked up on them. Next, we hit Walmart and Old Navy before meeting up with Susan and Madi at Target. Mal got really lucky at Walmart and grabbed one of the last bikes. Jonah is going to be really excited Christmas morning! Old Navy was probably my favorite stop. I found lots of cute things for the kids and their momma! ;) I wasn't too optimistic about going into Target at 3 am, but ended up getting the one thing I wanted for Miss Addison. . .score!

At 4:00, we decided we were hungry and needed coffee. We took a break from shopping and grabbed some breakfast at Denny's. Here is proof. . .

Our last stop before heading home was Gordmans. What should have taken an hour ended up taking about 3. The lines were ridiculous! No, the lines weren't ridiculous. . .the stores organization was just lacking. We did get some great stuff though, so I won't complain too much. And, I had great company! =)

We made a quick stop by Sonic for drinks and then headed home for a couple of hours. No, we didn't sleep! We got changed and headed out with J and Ivan. Susan and I are hardcore! We went to the Bible Book Store, The Hub, and Dicks. My favorite purchase of this trip was. . .

I don't care whether you like the Broncos, or not. . .every Christian should cheer for Tim Tebow! He is a great role model for people of all ages! It is so refreshing to see someone like him in the NFL. They definitely need more players like him!

A 2 hour nap, another trip to Walmart, 3 hours of games, and I was finally ready for bed! I am still recovering from our excursion, but it was well worth it! We had so much fun! Looking forward to Black Friday 2012!

Thankful Day 6

2011-11-25T17:55:00.001-06:00

Things got a little crazy at our house and I wasn't able to finish my list! The #6 thing I am thankful for is. .

I am thankful for my sweet kiddos. They may not be perfect, but they are mine!

Addy, E, and Hayden,

Your mommy LOVES you to the moon and back.

I am so THANKFUL for all 3 of you!

Thankful Day 5

2011-11-21T20:51:00.003-06:00

Today I am thankful for my family! I may be a little bias, but I think I have the best family in the whole world! ;)

My family in 1979. . .I'm the little one in red!

My family in 2010. . .we need a new family pic!

Starting with my parents, who have loved me unconditionally since day 1. And believe me, I wasn't always the easiest person to love!

This picture shows my dad's goofy personality!

My mom is the smartest, most level-headed person I have ever met. The woman knows things that normal people don't know! I learned early not to play trivial pursuit against my mother! =) Along with her brains, she is loving, caring, and an amazing cook. My mom makes the best scalloped potatoes! ;) She was also the one who drug us to church every time the doors were open. She understood the importance of raising a child in a Christian home. Thank you mom for making us go. . .even if we didn't always want to go!

My dad is THE MAN! Seriously, he is the hardest working person on the face of the planet. Ever since I can remember, he has been working 60+ hours a week to provide for his family. I will forever have a visual in my head of my dad returning from a long day of work. He was always covered from head to toe in dirt and gyp, with his thermos in one hand and lunch box in the other. He was always exhausted, but still managed to help anyone and everyone who needed him. I was proud to call him dad then, but I'm even prouder today. As a parent myself, I see the sacrifices he made to give my siblings and I a happy childhood.

My dad and I. . .now you know who Easton looks like!

Dad helping out at my house. . .

My siblings. . .I love them, too! I feel like the greatest gift my parents ever gave me were Ryan & Colby. I have so many wonderful memories growing up with them. And now, they are an amazing uncle and aunt to my babies. The only thing that would make me love them more would be a niece or nephew. Come on guys. . .It's time! ;)

My extended family is pretty fabulous, too! My grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins have played a huge role in my life. I'm pretty sure the good Lord was looking out for me when he chose you guys to be my relatives! (I tried to scan the Collins family picture, but I couldn't get it to work. Maybe tomorrow!)

Thankful Day 4

2011-11-20T21:50:00.000-06:00

Today I am thankful for my church! We have been attending our church for just under 2 years, and we absolutely LOVE it! We feel blessed to attend such a wonderful church! J and I spent several years trying out churches and none of them seemed right for us. Don't get me wrong. . .there was nothing wrong with the churches we tried, they just didn't seem right for us.

From the first time we attended "our" church, we knew it was a perfect fit. We felt comfortable the minute we walked through the doors. It is different than the churches we grew up in as children, but different isn't always a bad thing. =) I think the hardest thing for me to get use to was the music. I grew up on traditional music with one song leader. Our church has a band and plays contemporary worship music. I LOVE the new music, but miss the traditional songs. This morning we sang "How great Thou art" and I was absolutely thrilled. Songs like that remind me of my church back home. . .Oh how I love the Sun City Baptist Church!

I am most excited to have a church for my kids to grow up attending. I attended my childhood church for 20 years. I have so many fond memories of Sunday School, Youth Group, Church Camp, Bible School, Christmas Caroling, etc. I am so glad that my kids will have those same type of memories!

Only 4 more days until Thanksgiving!

Thankful Day 3

2011-11-19T19:14:00.000-06:00

I am so THANKFUL for my husband! He is an absolutely AMAZING husband and daddy. The past few days he hasn't been feeling very well, but still managed to hang some Christmas lights, take Addy to "Doughnuts with Dad" and take E out shooting. The kids and I LOVE him very, very, very much!

Here are Addy and J before going to eat doughnuts.

E and J on their little shooting adventure.

According to J, E loved shooting. He would get a huge smile on his face every time they would pull the trigger. I have a feeling they are going to spend lots of time shooting on Papa Greg's land. J took several pictures of E. . .these are just a few of my favorites.

Waving the wheat!

I can't believe they let him shoot with a wildcat fan. . .that could have been dangerous!

I couldn't end this post without adding a picture of my baby boy. . .who just recently decided to walk. It's a little bittersweet because it makes him seem more like a big boy and less like a baby! I took him to his 12 month appointment last week and he weighed in at 20# and was 30 inches long. He is in the 10% in weight and 50% in height. I wonder who he is going to be built like when he is older? I'm guessing his daddy!

Thankful Day 2

2011-11-18T21:25:00.001-06:00

Today, I am thankful for Fridays! I LOVE spending time at home with my sweet family. I'm not sure why, but I always seem to have more energy on Friday evenings. I think it's because I get to sleep in past 5 am on Saturday mornings.

My goal for the weekend is to get the rest of our Christmas stuff up. I got several things done tonight, but still have a lot to go. =( Hopefully, everything will be crossed off of my list by tomorrow night. I'm ready for it to be DONE!

Also, I want to get our outside lights up. J has been sick the past few days so I'm not sure if he will be up for it, or not! I'm crossing my fingers!

Thankful Day 1

2011-11-17T21:28:00.001-06:00

Thanksgiving is ONE week away! I don't know what I am more excited about. . .the time off of work, the food, seeing my family, or the shopping! Many of my friends have been blogging or posting status updates on what they are thankful for this month. Most of them are on day 17. . .I am on day 1! I guess it is better late then never!

Today I am thankful for my job! It's not always wine and roses, but it's a job and one that I enjoy 95% of the time! I definitely think the good Lord was looking out for me when I was choosing a career. My absolute favorite part of my job is the obvious. . .THE KIDS! They are not all the best behaved kids, but they are all special in their own way. And the funny thing is, I am usually drawn to the naughty kids. I think it's because most naughty kids are pretty decent at sports! =) I'm convinced that one of my students will eventually be a professional athlete. I have had A LOT of talent come in and out of my gym doors! I remind them often to remember their favorite PE teacher when they become a professional.

The second reason I love my job is because of the flexibility. My principal is great about letting me bring my kids to work. His philosophy is he would rather have his teacher there with their kid then have a sub. Not that subs are bad, he just feels that more gets done with the regular teacher. I agree with him. . .mostly because it keeps me from making sub plans. I hate making sub plans! Oh yes, it also saves me money on daycare! Gotta love saving money! ;)

Another reason I love my job is for the breaks. . .Thanksgiving, Christmas, Spring Break, and Summer Vacation. I feel like those little breaks give me the best of both worlds! I get to work outside of the home AND experience being a stay at home mom, too!

Obviously, teaching isn't for everyone. I know a lot of people would absolutely hate my job. For me; however, it is the perfect job!

Pass, Punt, Kick!

2011-11-14T21:25:00.002-06:00

We went and watched Brock compete in the Pass, Punt, Kick Competition at Arrowhead on Sunday. He did a GREAT job! He ended up getting 3rd place, but was only 7 feet off of first place. His regional score would have won the competition. Oh well. . .he had fun and that is all that really matters. I have a feeling we will be watching him play a lot of football over the years!

The kids had fun, but got a little bored. I swear my kids are a little ADD! ;) Hayden was fascinated with the footballs and wasn't content unless he was messing with one. I think he may be the athlete in our family! And E. . .he wanted to compete. We kept telling him, "Maybe someday, buddy," but that didn't seem to help. We better start practicing now!

After the competition, we went to Legends to eat lunch and do a little shopping. It was an absolutely BEAUTIFUL day! We ate at a little pizza shop which ended up being really good. We wanted something quick and were pleasantly surprised by how good it was. We will definitely be going back there!

We bought a couple of Christmas presents for the E-man. Nothing that he really wants, but things that he needs! My kids will be getting a lot of those types of things this year. They do not need anymore toys that is for sure! Speaking of gifts, their big gifts have been purchased! Well, we still need to pick E's up, but that shouldn't be too big of a problem! Now I need to get busy and finish buying for everyone else!

ONE

2011-11-09T21:09:00.001-06:00

Our little man is ONE! I can't believe it! The past year has been the fastest year of my life! I am guessing it will go faster and faster from here on out. . .at least that is what I've been told.

Hayden got his first haircut last week. He was starting to resemble a little girl so we thought it was time. =) J took him to his barber to have it done. I was planning on having my sister do it, but was afraid something would come up and she wouldn't make it up before his party. It turned out really cute and made him look so much older. My baby doesn't look like a little baby anymore. Instead, he looks like a toddler. :(

He didn't enjoy it at all!

Handsome little man!

He still hasn't decided to walk yet. He takes about 3 or 4 steps and then drops and crawls. Little Stinker! I pulled out Addy and E's baby books to compare and they both walked before their first birthday. Addy walked at 10 months and E walked at 11 months. I am fairly certain that he can do it. . .he is just really stubborn! I wonder where he got that from?

He is a little chatter box. He says several words with his favorite being BALL. We hear BALL about 1,000 times a day. Other words that he says over and over are BYE, MOM, DAD, E, ADDY, THERE, THANK YOU (it is more of an imitated sound, but we know what he is saying) UH-OH (his second favorite word!), PAPA, and NO. He says a few others, but not on an everyday basis.

He is going through a VERY whiny stage. I am going to blame it on feeling yucky. He has had a rough couple of weeks. I thought he was better over the weekend, but he woke up Monday all stuffy and coughing. He isn't running a fever though so I think it is just a cold. I hate having a sick baby!

He has become a picky eater. Up until the past few weeks he would eat almost everything we gave him. Not anymore! He has moved out of baby food completely. Some of the things he will eat are waffles, oatmeal, pancakes, green beans, grilled cheese, pizza, etc. It has become a real chore to feed him!

He has started noticing the television. I've never really seen him pay attention to cartoons until recently. With the older kids, we put Little Einsteins on from a pretty early age. I hadn't even thought to put them on for him until the other day. He seemed to really enjoy it. . .especially the music! The boys LOVES to dance! =)

In other news, we have one Christmas tree up! My goal was to work on Christmas decorations all week, but I was too tired tonight. My after-school trip to Sam's wore me out! We are planning on putting up our big tree Friday night and pulling out the rest of the trees and decorations over the weekend. I feel like I just put everything away and here we are pulling them back out. I guess time flies when your having fun! Only 15 days until our after-Thanksgiving shopping trip. I don't think we can call it Black Friday anymore considering the stores are starting to open Thursday night! ;)

Hayden's 1st birthday party

2011-11-06T22:52:00.000-06:00

Hayden had his 1st birthday yesterday! Crazy to think this little man has been in our life for a whole year.

We LOVE him so much and thank God for him every single day. We are blessed to have this little man call us mommy and daddy. =)

We are pretty blessed to have these 2 kiddos, too!

We celebrated his first birthday party with all of these wonderful people. . .

Aunt Cheese, Uncle Jacob & Brock

The kids with Molly Noodle

Papa & Grandma Kramer

Papa Greg

Joe, Mal, Jonah & Isaiah

Ryan, Jill, Chase & Camden

Sandy & Claire

Ted, McKenna, Morgan & Molly

Matt, Taylor, Kendall & Shailee

Uncle Ryan & Aunt Carrie with her niece and nephew

Jake & Theresa

Roger & Marie

Laurie, Kate & Allyson

Great Grandma Marie

Michelle & Emma

He is a very LOVED little man!

His party was a farm theme. I started looking at birthday ideas a few months ago and the farm ones were always my favorite. Thanks to pinterest, I found lots of cute ideas. Sadly, I didn't really get many pictures of all the decorations. Oh well!

J got up at 4 am and started working on the pulled pork. He is such a good daddy! He continued to work on it throughout the entire day. His efforts were a great success. . .the pulled pork was amazing! He also made coleslaw and baked beans which were pretty good, too. He is definitely a man of many talents! And. . .I can't forget Grandma Carol's potato salad. I LOVE my momma's potato salad!

We didn't end up getting the bouncy house we ordered. It was too windy and the company didn't want to set it up. I really can't blame them; although, the kids were pretty disappointed. I was so worried about it being too cold. . .the wind never even crossed my mind. I think the kids ended up having a great time even without the bouncy house. We tried to play pin the tail on the cow, but the kids weren't very interested.

My mom drew the cow. Don't you love the brand? ;)

Hayden seemed to enjoy eating his cake. He was in such a grumpy mood all day yesterday, but still managed to eat his cake. I think he was just worn out from being sick all week. Poor guy had a rough week! So glad he is feeling better now.

Thanks to all of you who came to celebrate our little man. We are so lucky to have so many wonderful people in our lives! =)

Happy Halloween

2011-11-01T20:00:00.001-05:00

We survived another Halloween! And boy do we have A LOT of candy to show for it! The kids had a ball running around the neighborhood trick-or-treating. Mom and Dad had a great time chasing them around the neighborhood, too! =)

Originally, we were all going to go as characters from the Wizard of Oz, but E backed out the minute we went costume shopping. He saw the Captain America costume and had to have it. I couldn't blame him though. . .Superheroes are WAY cooler than the tin man!

This is him with his buddies, Jonah & Isaiah

Being a superhero is hard work!

Addy was the cutest Dorothy I have ever seen.

Well. . .I guess it would be a tie for the cutest with this little cutie.

Madison was kind enough to let Addison borrow her old Halloween costume. Thanks Madi. . .we will return it at Thanksgiving! ;)

Hayden was the cowardly lion. So darn cute! He got lots of compliments on his costume. He wasn't feeling the greatest though and didn't even get out of his car. By the time we were walking home, he was fast asleep. Hopefully, he is feeling better by this weekend. We don't want the birthday boy to be sick! :(

Sleepy baby!

I couldn't pass up an opportunity to snuggle my little man!

Here are some pictures from trick-or-treating. . .

It was a great evening! We were back home in time to watch some Monday night football and hand out candy to some really cute goblins!

Halloween Parade

2011-10-31T20:23:00.000-05:00

We had our Halloween parade at school this morning. The kids walked with their class around the neighborhood, and then headed back to their room for snacks and fun. Addison seemed to have a great time with her classmates. =) She has a really good class! (even to me and I have to teach the little rascals!)

J, Easton, Hayden, and Grandma Nancy came up to watch the parade, too. She was excited to see them. . .I think it was mostly to do with the cowardly lion. She loved showing off her baby brother in his costume!

Her teacher read riddles to them while the kids handed out treats and ate. They got a huge kick out of some of her riddles. Others, however, they didn't even understand! It was quite amusing!

Next year, we will have 2 kiddos participating in the parade. I can't believe E will be a kindergartener in 9 months!

And. . .here are Kim & I in our costumes. All of our kids knew we were Warriors/Viking; however, a few of the adults thought we were something else. We were told we looked like goats, buffalos, and cows. =)

Carving Pumpkins

2011-10-30T21:40:00.000-05:00

October has absolutely flown by! In fact, it has gone too fast. We didn't even make it to our favorite pumpkin patch this year. :( Addy and E's sports careers have taken over our weekends and they are only 4 and 6! What will it be like when they are older? Ugh. . .I don't even want to think about it!

We decided to carve pumpkins this afternoon. Too bad I hadn't thought to buy any until today. I'm having a lot of blonde moments lately! ;) I did have a few, I just wanted to save them for Hayden's birthday party next weekend. So. . .off we went looking for pumpkins. Let me just tell you, waiting until Oct. 30th to buy your pumpkins is not a very bright idea. Luckily, we did find some pretty good ones at Dillons after finding none at Wal-Mart!

We decided to take our pumpkins over to The Molina's to carve. Of course, they were almost done with theirs by the time we showed up. :) The great pumpkin search took us a lot longer than we thought it would!

Easton picked out the design he wanted and Addy drew her pumpkin face. I thought they both turned out really cute. Neither one of them did the actual carving, but they both cleaned out the guts and E traced his stencil with dots.

My hubby LOVES carving pumpkins!

E's is the top one and Addy's is the one with eyelashes. :)

J's pumpkin

It was a fun afternoon until E got in trouble and we had to head home. He ended up falling asleep in timeout at about 7:00 pm. Now, he is wide awake! I should have woke him up the minute I saw him sleeping. Oh well, maybe he will sleep in for J tomorrow morning. :)

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Family Fun Night

2011-10-23T21:29:00.001-05:00

Family Fun Night was so much FUN! Can you hear the sarcasm in my typing? Ughh. . .3 kids, 1 mama, and mass chaos made for one CRAZY evening! That being said, the kids did have a good time running around like crazy kids! There were bouncy houses, a clown, popcorn, nachos, hot dogs, games, and MORE! It wouldn't of been so crazy IF J had been able to come with us. Our kids just don't agree on the same activities. They each want to do their own thing which is not possible when it is only me!

Addy's favorite part was probably the cakewalk. She didn't win anything, but she LOVED trying!

E's favorite part was the bouncy houses. He had an absolute ball running from one to the other! He also enjoyed winning all of the junk they were giving out at the games. He is such a little packrat!

This year, the booster team hired a clown for the evening. She did a really good job, but she made things that were WAY TOO ELABORATE! It took her forever! We waited in line for about 45 minutes and there were only 5 or 6 kids in front of us. I tried to get the kids to find something else to do, but there was no convincing them. They were bound and determined they were going to have the clown make them something. They ended up getting princess and knight gear. . .fabulous!

Three hours of craziness later, we ate our pizza and headed home. It's times like this that make me really appreciate my husband. Life is SO much easier with him by my side. . .actually, it's easier when he is chasing the kids! ;)

Pumpkin Patch

2011-10-23T21:01:00.001-05:00

E's preschool class went to the pumpkin patch a couple of weeks ago. I have become such a horrible blogger lately! I try not to get on the computer until the kids are asleep and then I am usually too exhausted to blog. It involves too much thinking for my tired mind! ;)

Anyway, back to the pumpkin patch. . .

J ended up going with Easton's class. He was happy to have daddy along for the trip, but was sad that none of is buddies got to ride with them. Normally, J is a driver and has an extra 2 or 3 kids in the car. I am telling you my hubby is an awesome daddy!

From the looks of all the pictures, E had a great time. He really enjoyed playing with all of his new friends! They walked around for awhile, picked out their pumpkins, and headed back to school for a snack. Sounds like a great day to me!

11 months. . .a little late

2011-10-17T20:27:00.000-05:00

My sweet little man turned 11 month old two weeks ago! I am just a tad bit behind! =)

He is doing really well. . .sweet as can be and super ornery, too! His newest trick is climbing on all of the furniture. He has always been a climber, but now he is a CLIMBER. So far, we have found him on the top of the couch, coffee table, bed, and kitchen table. Yes, you read that right. He likes to climb his way up to the kitchen table. Talk about making a mama nervous. I am so afraid he is going to fall and bust his head. We are definitely keeping a close eye on our little man. Speaking of busting his head, he is currently sporting another goose egg on his forehead. He is trying SO hard to walk; he just doesn't quite have it down yet.

He is such a great sleeper. He goes to sleep at about 8:00 pm every night and will sleep until 8:00 am. Occasionally, he will make a few noises, but for the most part he is out. I am so thankful for that! It doesn't seem too long ago that he was waking up multiple times a night. Remember, he was a very difficult newborn. I think it is time to get rid of his high-maintenance status! =)

He LOVES his big sister! He goes crazy every single time he sees her. He screams and loves all over her. She absolutely LOVES him, too.

He LOVES E, but gets a little irritated with him. He likes to scream and holler if E does something that he doesn't like. Usually his scream sounds like, "eeeeeee!" It's very obvious that he knows his brother's name! =)

We are looking forward to celebrating his FIRST birthday next month. We are so blessed to have such a sweet little boy in our family. He is living proof that God is GOOD! I am so thankful for my baby boy!

Warrior Dash Weekend!

2011-10-16T21:29:00.000-05:00

I finally got to do a Warrior Dash! It was so much fun. . .just a little more difficult than I was expecting! The first 2 miles were mostly cross country running which I didn't think would be too difficult. Boy was I wrong! It was brutal! It was very hilly and the ground was very rough. By the time we got to the obstacles, my quads were killing me! The obstacles were A LOT of fun; although, I was a little worried everytime I got to one. I think I said the following words to J about 5 times, "I don't know if I will be able to do this one!" Thank goodness I was wrong. I completed every single obstacle. . .woot, woot! =) My time was somewhere around 40 minutes. I haven't seen my official time yet so that is just a guess. Hopefully they post times soon because I am anxious to see my official time.

I have lots of pictures on my camera, but I haven't been able to download them yet. I took my old camera and can't find the memory stick sleeve. . .who knows where I put that thing! I may have to take a trip to Walgreens.

We are planning to do another one in May of 2012. We are hoping to get some more people to do it with us, too. It is definitely a fun experience!

Fall Happenings

2011-10-12T22:33:00.002-05:00

I love Fall! I mean. . .I really, really LOVE Fall! The cool air, pumpkins, football, hot coffee, and colorful leaves are just a few of my favorite things about the autumn months. What I don't like is the constant state of chaos that has been consuming my life! It's been so crazy that I rarely know what day it is! Thankfully, Addy keeps me informed! =)

I am a little sad because I feel like we haven't had any time to enjoy this season. I know it has just started, but I will be pulling out my Christmas decorations in less than a month! =) I like to pretend that Fall is September/October and Christmas is November/December. Obviously. . .most people don't agree with my thinking! We put all of our inside Fall decorations up on Labor Day and our outside decorations up towards the end of September. My granny graciously gave us some of her Halloween decorations because she didn't want them anymore. My kids LOVE them! Also, we decided to throw some Halloween lights in our tree and become the Griswolds a little early this year! =)

The kids have been very busy, too! Addison had her last softball tournament 2 weekends ago, but has still been practicing and playing soccer. I am so thankful her and E are on the same team! Besides sports, she has been busy with school. It seems like she has some type of homework every night, as well as some event she has to attend every week. Have I mentioned she is a first grader? What is it going to be like when she is in high school? Oh well, at least then she will be able to drive!

E-man has been equally as busy. Last weekend he had his preschool Fall Festival. He was so excited to go and play all of the little games. (And win all of the junk!) He could have stayed there and played for hours. Addy, on the other hand, could have done the cakewalk for hours! That crazy girl LOVES cakewalks! She ended up doing it 3 times and winning 2 cakes. Those are pretty good odds if you ask me! Papa Ricky, Grandma Carol, and Granny Norma went with us to the Fall Festival.

E helped me make cupcakes to take for the cakewalk

Hayden is the only one who doesn't have to be hauled all over town for events. Instead, we have to haul him all over town for his sibling's events. Too soon that will change! My baby boy will be one next month. I finally sat down and worked on his invitations tonight. Hopefully, I will get them mailed next week. And. . .I ordered his cake last weekend. How pathetic is it that I am looking forward to eating birthday cake! I better start running a little extra so I can really enjoy it!

J & I have been consumed with work! I guess that is nothing new for him though. I have been spending hours working on grades and fitness testing. It's crazy how long it takes me to compile and organize data for fitness testing. I guess that is one of the cons of teaching at a big school! Next week we have parent/teacher conferences and then I can enjoy a 3 day weekend. Hopefully I can spend one of those days doing absolutely nothing!

Pictures

2011-10-06T21:38:00.001-05:00

A few months ago, I bought a Picture People package from Living Social. It seemed like a really good deal until I found out the studio I normally go to closed. Fabulous! I only paid $25, but I wasn't about to let it go to waste! To make a long story short. . .I decided to drive to Independence to have Hayden's pictures taken one day before the coupon expired. It ended up working out okay because J has been in KC all week for a conference. We met him there, took pictures, and ate at Noodles & Company. It was a fun trip! Plus, I found a new shopping center to visit! =)

The girl that took Hayden's pictures did a really good job. She was a little silly, but Hayden seemed to appreciate her humor. The only time he acted up was when we stripped him down to his diaper. I think he was a little embarrassed.

Race Against Breast Cancer 5K

2011-10-04T22:07:00.001-05:00

I ran in another 5K over the weekend. It went okay, but could have gone A LOT better! For starters, there were tons of people! I feel like I spent the first 4 or 5 minutes trying to go around people. I even had to run in people's yards to get a good position. It was a little aggravating! Also, my Ipod messed up and I didn't want to stop to fix it. I tried to fix it while running, but that didn't happen. So. . .I ran listening to J's crazy music! Have I mentioned that J and I do not have the same taste in music? I listen to good music; he listens to crazy music! =)

Between the terrible music and horrible running position, my whole run felt YUCK! At the Mile One marker, the timer said 9:02. It wasn't as bad as I thought, but it was worse than my normal first mile time. After that, I didn't see a mile marker. I don't know what I was thinking about, but I missed mile 2 and mile 3! My unofficial time when I crossed the finish line was 26:48. . .just over a minute better than my Fiesta 5K. I was happy, but a little disappointed, too! I felt like it could have been a lot better! My official time ended up being 26:18 which means the race started 30 sec. before I even crossed the starting line.

I am looking forward to my next race. As crazy as it seems, I really enjoy it! It keeps me motivated to get out and run! I have a Warrior Dash in St. Louis this month, but that is the only thing scheduled. I need to find another race to sign up for. . .any suggestions?

Monster Bash

2011-10-02T21:28:00.000-05:00

Addy and the rest of the Peaches participated in the Monster Bash this weekend. It was SO much fun. . .even if they didn't win a single game! :)

The tournament started with a dugout decorating contest. We decided to go with a Pumpkin Patch theme since the girl's uniforms are bright orange and the design on the front resembles a pumpkin. Actually, we were a little annoyed when we first got the uniforms because we thought they looked more like Pumpkins than Peaches. Oh well, I guess they serve their purpose. To complete the look, the girls got their faces painted and wore green ribbon in their hair. It ended up being really cute!

The facilities were decorated to the 9's. Every square inch had some type of Fall/Halloween decoration. The atmosphere was awesome. . .one Addy will not be forgetting anytime soon. :) I wish I would have taken more pictures between games, but I was ready to put the camera down after taking pictures through most of the second and third games. (J was the photographer for the first game.)

Here are just a few of the pictures I took of her playing ball this weekend. . .

This picture is funny to me. The girl on first base was taller than me!

Addison did a really good job in the tournament. She hit the ball SO WELL! So well that she moved up to the lead off spot. Not too shabby for a 6 year-old! She also did a pretty good job fielding. She spent the majority of the time in Left or Left/Center and got lots of action. I think I was most impressed with her speed. If a ball went passed one of the outfielders, she was usually the one to get to the ball first. She is a speedster! We are SO proud of our little ball player and the rest of the Peaches.

I have to add pictures of Addy's #1 fans. They are the cutest boys I know! :)

She shoots. . .She scores!

2011-09-28T21:38:00.001-05:00

Addy and E's soccer season started a few weeks ago. Thankfully, they are on the same team again! I'm not sure how I am going to handle it when they are on different teams. Baseball/Softball season was difficult enough and I was off for the summer!

Papa and Grandma Kramer decided to come visit for the weekend so they could watch them play. They were impressed with how much better they have gotten in just a few months.

Papa even helped Addy warm-up.

Unfortantly, she decided to throw a mini fit! :(

They both did a REALLY good job at their first game. They have improved tremendously! Addy is one of the older kids on the team so she is one of their go to players. I'm so proud of her! In fact, she scored the game winning goal in their first game. :)

Easton ran up and down the field like a WILD man! I think seeing his sister score a goal put a little fire under his belt. He was bound and determined to score. Sadly, he didn't make a goal. But. . .he almost did several times. I have a feeling he will be scoring very soon.

This little sweetie is on their team, too. The kids were so excited when they found out Kate was going to be on their team. She is doing a REALLY good job, too! She was goalie during the first game and had several saves. =) She did AWESOME!

Hayden and Ally came to cheer on the BIG kids! :)

We have several weeks of soccer left. Hopefully, the kids continue to improve and win a couple more games! Go Go Gophers! I LOVE their team name! :)

Peace Treaty 2011

2011-09-26T21:37:00.002-05:00

I have been MIA for awhile. I didn't realize how long until I logged on here this evening. I am about 2 weeks behind on all of my favorite blogs! And. . .I have lots of things that I want to document from our lives. Hopefully, I can get them all on here soon. :)

This past weekend we went back to ML to celebrate Peace Treaty! Oh how I love going back for Peace Treaty! Not only did I get to see my family, but I also got to see some of my best friends from my childhood. I was blessed to have some great friends growing up and I got to see most of them!

Peace Treaty weekend is a big deal in ML. It occurs every 4-5 years and spans 3 days. It includes 3 parades, 3 pageants, 2 street dances, several shows, crafts, helicopter rides, etc. Oh yes. . .Martina McBride was there, too. She grew up a few miles east of ML so she comes back to the area frequently. The biggest treat of the weekend was listening to her sing The Star Spangled Banner while a retired Navy Seal (who graduated from ML) jumped out of a helicopter. He landed right in the middle of main street at the beginning of Saturday morning's parade. Absolutely BREATH TAKING!

My Uncle Brian is the officer standing to Martina's right.

The kids absolutely loved the parades for obvious reasons. They LOVE candy! Also, they enjoyed seeing Hannah, Madison, Ivan, Emily, and David walking down Main Street like superstars! :)

The actual pageant was fun for me, but the kids got a little bored. They ended up leaving a little early with Aunt Susan. Three hours of watching a reenactment of history was a little too much for them! My Uncle Ivan was the star of the show. . .President Abraham Lincoln. He has been playing the part since 1991. (Ivan correct me if I have the year wrong!) Hannah tooted the horn! I'm not sure on her exact title! :) She was also a Spanish dancer along with David and Madison. They all did wonderful! I am so proud of my little (though most of them are taller than me!) cousins!

We drove back to Topeka Sunday morning so Addy could make it to her softball game. It was a great weekend! Oh. . .how I wish ML was just a little bit closer to Topeka!

Addy's appointment

2011-09-15T21:52:00.002-05:00

We took Addy to her doctor's appointment in Kansas City yesterday. It was originally scheduled for last Wednesday, but we had to change it due to PaPa Joe Joe's funeral. Whew. . .it was a day full of information. I feel a little overwhelmed!

The good news is they think they can fix Addy's problems without surgery. Thank the Lord! The bad news is it is going to be A LOT of work! After looking at the different tests and pictures, they have decided she has a severly compacted colon, over-sensitive bladder, and suffers from bladder spasms. So. . .we have to start by getting her all cleaned out with MiraLAX. We get to do that this weekend! :) After that, she will have to add Benifiber to her diet twice a day, take a medication for the spasms three times a day, increase fiber intake, limit dairy products, and avoid caffeine, artificial sweeteners, and bright colored dyes.

I have done some research over the past 24 hours to find foods high in fiber. There are A LOT of options, BUT not typical kid friendly foods. I am 100% sure Addison will not be eating lentils anytime soon! There are a few things that Addy really likes to eat. . .almonds, whole grain waffles, whole grain spaghetti, sauerkraut, fruits and veggies. I am gonna have to make sure those types of foods are always available to her.

Children's Mercy is a really neat hospital. I went there a few years ago to visit a friend's little boy, but didn't really look around. They have so many neat areas for kids who are sick. In fact, one of my students, Alexys, has been a patient there for the past few months. Over the summer, she found out that she has cancer. She came back to school a few days this week, but had to return to Children's Mercy after just a few days. It makes me sad to see her so sick. . .she is such a sweet girl! It also makes me appreciate my own children's health. Sure we have to deal with Addy's issues, but they are small compared to the battle Alexys and other kids like her have to face everyday.

Addy, E, and Hayden really enjoyed playing in the waiting room before her appointment. I think all hospitals/doctor's offices should be this entertaining!!

Huff and Puff 2011

2011-09-11T22:23:00.001-05:00

We took the kids to Huff and Puff on Saturday evening. They love watching hot air balloons fly over our house so I knew they would love seeing them up close. I was right. . .they had a blast. The only thing that could have made it better is if they would have gotten to take a ride. We had originally planned on letting them take a tethered ride, but by the time we got to the line it was too long. And. . .we didn't have time to wait.

The first thing the kids wanted to do was climb the rock wall.

It took a couple of tries, but they both made it all the way to the top. I was a little surprised. . .I wasn't sure their little legs would be able to reach all of the pegs.

Jonah gave it a try, too. He conquered it fairly easily!

The best part of the trip for me was the food. =) I didn't endulge like I really wanted to, but did enjoy a walking taco and cherry limeaide. They were both yummy! I decided to pass on the funnel cakes and cheese cake. . .though I really wanted to try them, too!

We will definitely go back next year. It was a fun family outing that did not cost a fortune! You can't beat that! =)

Me and my sweet baby boy! (Sidenote: I finally started planning his 1st birthday party!)

Addy Leigh and I. . .E was too cool to get a picture with his mom and sister!

This was our favorite balloon! Rock Chalk Jayhawk!

E's first day of Pre-K

2011-09-07T18:50:00.003-05:00

Easton had his first day of Pre-K yesterday. He was SO EXCITED! For the past 3 weeks his favorite question has been, "How many more days until school starts?" And according to J, all he heard yesterday morning was, "How many more minutes until school starts?" I sure hope he keeps the enthusiasm! He has the same teacher as he did last year, but a whole new group of friends. And. . .he could not remember any of their names! He is horrible at remember people's names. =) I was hoping that one of his little buddies from last year would be in his class, but they are both in morning classes. Oh well, I guess he will just have to make new friends!

I was excited to talk to him after school yesterday; however, he was less than thrilled to talk to me about it. Obviously. . .boys are different than girls. Addy can talk non-stop about her day! It seems like he had a good day. From what I gather, he had a snack and played outside. Sounds fun to me! =)

This was my sweet boy a year ago on his very first day of preschool. My sweet boy is growing up fast!

10 Months!

2011-09-05T15:25:00.001-05:00

Look who turned 10 MONTHS old today! =)

It is hard for this mama to believe her baby is almost one. I know I say that every month, but it just amazes me. I absolutely love watching him grow and learn new things. . .It just makes me a little sad, too!

The past month has been CRAZY! I feel like we are ALWAYS going somewhere. Life with 3 kids, a job outside of the home, and a husband that works WAY TOO many hours = one scatter brained woman! I am so ready for my hubby to have some normal work hours. And. . .I see the end in sight! (I just wish it were a little closer than it actually is!)

Hayden has been up to a lot this past month! He crawls all over the house like a wild man. We have to make sure all of the doors are closed, or he will destroy it in about 10 seconds! He LOVES pulling up on furniture and cruising from one piece to another. Last week he forgot he couldn't walk without support and busted his eye. It got huge immediatly and I freaked out just a little bit. He ended up being fine. . .just had a nasty black eye.

He LOVES to talk! His new favorite word is Papa! He says it about 100 times a day. And. . .he knows exactly who his Papa's are. He has them both wrapped around his finger.

He likes to smooch! He wakes his brother and sister up with the sweetest little kisses! (open-mouth of course!) Addy and E absolutely LOVE it! Also, he likes to kiss babies. We know several little babies and he tries to kiss all of them. =)

This is him not wanting to kiss E!

He still LOVES to eat! His favorites include oatmeal, sweet potatoes, scrambled eggs, yogurt bites, bananas, apples, and puffs. He does not like the baby food dinners like pasta primavera and chicken noodles. He acts like he is going to throw up every time we try to give him some. Molly-Noodle was the first one to give him one of the meals. Check out the disgusted look on his face!

Two months until our little man turns 1! I should probably start planning a party soon! =)

New trick!

2011-08-31T21:24:00.002-05:00

Addison and Easton learned a new trick this past week. Drum roll please. . . .

Not sure you can tell by the picture, but they learned how to ride their bikes without training wheels! They are both really excited about their accomplishment! =)

Easton has been practicing for several weeks! He was convinced he wanted to ride without training wheels. I think it was mostly because he saw our neighbor, Jonah, riding without them. Addy, on the other hand, didn't really care until she saw her brother practicing. I think she was afraid he would learn before her. And. . .she was not about to let that happen! She ended up learning 5 days before him. I felt so bad for him! Obviously it's not a big deal, but it was a HUGE deal to E-man. He was so sad!

On Monday, J took him outside and E got on his bike and immediately took off. JUST LIKE THAT! I am not sure what came over him, but something clicked and he could do it! He was so proud of himself and asks everyone if they are proud of him, too! He loves showing off his new skill!

This picture of Addison reminds me of the movie "My Girl!"

They both have really enjoyed riding around our neighborhood. It is amazing how much more they enjoy riding without the training wheels. . .we've even had to haul their bikes over to Papa and Grandma's house.

Addison Update

2011-08-24T21:07:00.000-05:00

We finally heard back from the doctor about Addy's recent sonograms. It turns out her bladder and kidneys are functioning properly. . .Praise The Lord! They also found out she has a smaller than normal bladder. I honestly have no idea what that entails, but we will find out very soon. They are referring her to Children's Mercy to see a specialist. We are still waiting to find out when the appointment is. . .hopefully sooner rather than later. We have been dealing with her "bladder" issues ever since she was potty trained so we are excited to get some answers. Please pray that the procedures or surgery or whatever else they have to do is not too envasive. Poor girl is not looking forward to another appointment. The catheter scared her to death! I can't say I blame the girl!

Addy's teacher forwarded me an e-mail from one of the reading teachers yesterday. I guess she decided to retest her to figure out what to do with her during reading group/centers. She tested out at an L or an M. . .I can't remember what it said. I think that puts her at the end of 2nd/beginning of 3rd grade reading level. It is about the same as it was when they tested her in the Spring, but this time they said her comprehension was good, too. I don't think they were really concerned about comprehension in the Spring, but wanted to make sure that she wasn't just calling words. I was happy with the results and am excited to see what they plan to do with her. They mentioned cross grouping with a couple of the other high readers which I think would be really good for her. I definitely think she would benefit from working with kids who read as well or better than she does! I am so proud of my little girl!

A Day In MY Life

2011-08-23T21:48:00.002-05:00

This summer I read several blogs that posted about their daily schedule once a week. I always found it interesting, but didn't do it because I didn't feel like it would accurately document my life. Summer is like a 2 month vacation for me!! Looking back, I think I should have so I could compare it to the other 10 months in the year. =) Oh well, here is my day in the life from yesterday. . .

5:30 a.m.- My alarm goes off and I convince myself to get up. I have to convince myself because I would rather sleep for another 30 minutes! I get up and go for a 3.5 mile run. It is the only time of the day I can squeeze it in. :( Plus, it's Monday and it is way easier to get up Monday morning than it is Friday morning!

6:45 a.m.- I am dressed and ready to get Addison up and ready to go. While she is getting dressed, I pack her lunch, make coffee, and check my schedule for the day/week.

(Sidenote: I bought this planner about a month ago for half price. Plum District had a special for a $50 Erin Condren gift card for only $25. . .I took full advantage of it! I LOVE IT!)

I love all of detail within the planner. . .especially the quotes.

I get to school at 7:40 and have just enough time to get my stuff organized before breakfast duty. Yes, I have the joy of doing breakfast duty! =)

8:30-3:30- PE, PE, and more PE! One of the perks to teaching physical education is that you get paid to workout. Kim and I ran the 1/2 mile jog with 4 of our classes. So, I got in an extra 2 miles!

4:15- Pick up the boys from the babysitter. J had to go in early for court so our preacher's wife and daughter watched them. (They run a small daycare and were willing to watch them on short notice)

4:45- One word, WALMART! I really dislike going to that place. We CANNOT get out of there without spending at least $100. I had to go; however, because we needed groceries. The kids were actually pretty good while we shopped. The hardest thing about shopping with 3 kids is finding room for the groceries. =)

6:00- We are finally home. . .to a very messy house! J had a rough day and had to leave in a hurry to get to court on time. According to him, the dishwasher overflowed and Hayden choked and threw up all over himself and the floor. The good news is the dishwasher is not broken and Hayden is okay! (J did clean up the water and the throw up. . .it was the rest of the house that was left in disarray!)

7:00- Supper Time! I made one of our favorite meals. . .Fresh Garden Pizza. Love it! I mentioned it in a previous blog post a few weeks ago.

7:45- Homework with Addison. The girl was not in the mood to do her homework and I was not in the greatest mood either. So glad we don't have to deal with that tonight!

8:00- Time for baths. I think this may be my busiest/hardest/craziest time of the day. Batheing three kiddos and getting them ready for bed is quite an ordeal. I feel like such a drill sergeant! No, that is not my finger. I think E-man was trying to get him to stay seated.

8:30- 2 out of the 3 kiddos are asleep. E is still awake, but that is not a big deal because he doesn't have to wake up early in the mornings. I like to keep him up a little longer so he will sleep in for daddy. We ended up watching a little Kate plus 8 (his choice) and cleaning our wrecked house. He even helped me fold some clothes!

10:00- E reluctantly falls asleep and I mop the floors, finish laundry, and unload the dishwasher. Oh yes, I also read a couple of my favorite blogs and check facebook!! (I think that may have been the only time I sat down the entire day!)

11:30- Time for bed so that I can do it all over again tomorrow!

Days like this remind me of songs like "Remember When" by Alan Jackson and "Your Gonna Miss This" by Trace Adkins. Even though I am tired and stressed often. . .I really do LOVE this time in my life. I just wish I had a nanny to help me do all of the dirty work. (I'm kidding. . .kind of!)

These 3 kiddos are definitely the apple of their momma's eye.

Poor Hayden gets so tired of his brother and sister bothering him. Obviously, he doesn't realize mommy put them up to it!

1st Grade =)

2011-08-16T20:54:00.003-05:00

Addison is a FIRST GRADER! Wow. . .that is hard for this momma to believe! She has been so excited for school to start for the past two weeks. She LOVED picking out her bookbag (Thanks Gma Nancy for buying it for her!) and getting all of her school supplies.

Last night she was SO GIDDY picking out her outfit and getting ready for bed. It seems like yesterday I was feeling that same exact way. =) Sadly. . .it has been more years than I wish to share! I hope she carries this enthusiasm throughout her life. I think it dwindles down a little bit every year for most kids! For some reason, I don't see that happening with her. She LOVES everything about school!

This morning we had to take a picture (or 10) of her on her first day.

And when we saw Jonah, we had to have a picture with him, too. These two ornery kids were 9 months and 20 months when we moved into our neighborhood. Look at them now. . .

This is Addy and her teacher, Mrs. Weidner. I have taught with her for 10 years and am so excited for Addy to have her as a teacher. She is strict which is exactly what Miss Addison needs! My chatty little girl needs someone who will keep her in check!

Besides school, we have been crazy busy around here. J has been working 24/7 and I have been running around like a crazy woman. Taking care of three kiddos and getting ready for a new school year has me completely drained. The good news is things should start calming down very soon. Once we get into a routine. . .things will be better! (That's what I have to keep telling myself anyway!)

This little guy has been keeping EVERYONE on their toes! He has been ALL OVER the place! Nanna (our occasional babysitter) could not believe how active and mobile he was at 9 months. Her granddaughter is a week older than Hayden and hasn't learned how to be naughty yet! =) Speaking of Hayden, I took him to his 9 month checkup last week and he weighs a whopping 18 pounds. . .just barely over the 10 percentile mark. He is definitely a little guy!

I'm going to end with this sweet picture. . .

I sure LOVE these two boys! Especially when they are squeaky clean like they are right now!

Skater Dude!

2011-08-11T18:06:00.000-05:00

Easton has been begging for a skateboard for several weeks. His fascination with skateboards started when his cousin, Brock, got one for his 7th birthday. E-man thought it was SO COOL! Actually, he thinks everything Brock gets (or does) is SO COOL. =)

The other day we were at Target and found one for $10. Can't beat ten bucks! Plus, he had money left over from vacation and agreed to use his own money.

He has spent lots and lots of time practicing his skills. I was afraid he would get it and decide it wasn't very fun. So far, he has really enjoyed it!

It is so funny to watch him try a new trick. He thinks he is AWESOME! I love hearing "Mom, watch this cool trick!" over and over again. That being said, I hope his skateboarding days don't follow him into adulthood. (Remember. . .I want a baseball player!) I told J that and he said it would be okay as long as they had skateboards with his name on them. :)

9 MONTHS

2011-08-08T19:13:00.000-05:00

My sweet little guy is 9 MONTHS old!

And yes, he is just as ornery as he looks! =)

He is a very active 9 month old. He doesn't stay in one spot for more than a few minutes. He LOVES to pull up on all of our furniture. . .his favorite is still the dishwasher. We have to make sure it is always closed, or he will grab dishes and throw them on the floor. (true story!) Also, he likes to push buttons on the cable box. Addy and E get so mad because he usually turns it off right in the middle of their favorite shows.

A couple of big differences this month are his HAIR and his SLEEPING! The obvious being his hair. :) He has the craziest hair! It has grown so much over the last couple of weeks and sticks straight up. . .especially when he is outside. He inherited his hair from his father. J has to keep his short, or it would be all over the place, too. There is no denying who this boy belongs to. . .he looks just like his daddy!

His sleep has gotten SO MUCH BETTER! He has been going all night without a bottle. . .he use to get up once or twice to eat. Also, he has slept several night without waking up at all. That is a huge improvement for him. He has never been a very good sleeper. I am so thankful he is getting into a better routine. . .this mama enjoys her sleep! =)

He still talks in jibberish all the time. The other day he said BAD DAD. Obviously. . .it wasn't on purpose, but J and I both heard him and thought it was funny. Such a funny baby! Addison is convinced that he says ADDY and UNBELIEVABLE. Yes, you read that right. According to her, he said it twice while we were on our way home from swimming lessons. I'm still waiting to hear him say it. (in about 2 years!)

He LOVES to holler at his brother and sister. If they get too far away from him, he reaches towards them and yells. This happens almost every time we go to the grocery store. I think he learned it from me. . .I'm always telling them to stay by the cart.

He still LOVES food. He eats just about everything we put in front of him. Some of his new favorites are ritz crackers, real green beans (cut up), and macaroni & cheese. As much as he likes to eat, he is still pretty small. I'm not sure on his measurements because he doesn't have his 9 month appointment until Friday. I'm guessing he is around 18 pounds.

Recently we have been talking about his 1st birthday party. We are trying to decide whether we want a big party or a small family party. Addy and E had big 1st birthday parties. Though it would be nice to keep it low key, I think I would feel a little guilty if we didn't do the same for him. Whatever we decide, one thing is for sure. . .he does not need presents. We have too many toys as it is! =)

Our Week

2011-08-05T09:20:00.004-05:00

My last full week of summer vacation is almost over. This summer has flown by! I'm sad to see it come to an end, but excited to get back on a schedule. I honestly think the hardest part of going back is realizing my little girl will be in 1st grade. 1st GRADE. . .that makes me a little sad!

Addy and E finished up another year in swimming lessons. They have been going every morning for the past two weeks. They both did a really good job and had lots of fun! And. . .they both passed!

I didn't get any really good pictures of swimming lessons because you can't get too close until the last day. (They don't want the kids to get distracted.) Well, the last day it was raining and they had a safety day. :(

I took Addison to the doctor on Wednesday. She has a history of UTI's & bladder infections and I was fairly certain she had another one. She was complaining of her tummy hurting and having accidents minutes after she went to the bathroom. Everything came back okay, but they decided to do a sonogram so that they could look at her kidneys and bladder. We are still waiting to hear the results. Have I mentioned how much I hate waiting? They did the sonogram on Thursday and told us it would be approximately 2 business days. Addison did such a good job being still that I took her out for lunch. She picked Jason's Deli. . .she LOVES the free ice cream! ;)

Jonah and Isaiah spent the day with us Tuesday. Mal had to work enrollment at her school and her babysitter is on vacation. My kids always like playing with the Molina boys. Not sure how, but I only got pictures of Isaiah. . .

While they were here, Addison decided to get beautified! She loves to get all dressed up and play "fashionista." Not sure why she calls it that, but I think it is funny!

The dress she is wearing is from J and I's wedding. Molly, one of my flower girls, gave it to her a few weeks ago.

Tuesday night, Papa & Grandma B watched the kids so we could go to the Royals game. J has been at a training in KC all week so Joe, Mal, and I picked him up at Cabellas. (J in Cabellas alone is scary!) Our seats were AWESOME. We were sitting right by the Royals dugout. . .it was row 6 or 7. I have never been that close to a professional baseball game in my life! Too bad they weren't playing the Rangers! :) I didn't take my camera (imagine that!), but I did take some pictures on J's phone. I will have to upload them when he gets off work.

I walked in the living room last night and found this. . .

Oh how I LOVE these sweet kiddos! =)

Finally. . .this little guys is 9 MONTHS old today!

Hello Mr. Chesney

2011-08-02T12:13:00.001-05:00

J and I celebrated our anniversary a little early this year. We went to KC for the weekend with our good friends, The Buchanans. It was a good weekend. . .just a little disappointing.

Our weekend started out at the Kenny Chesney concert. It was a REALLY good concert! Our seats were not the greatest, but then again, I don't think any seat is bad when you are seeing Mr. Chesney. =) Every single song was awesome! My favorite was "Boys of Fall." I LOVE that song! He also sang "She thinks my Tractors Sexy" which was a bit of a surprise! He has so many big hits that I wasn't expecting him to sing one of his older songs. Billy Currington and The Zac Brown band were the opening acts. They were both really good, too! Uncle Kracker was there, too, but we didn't get there in time to watch him. It was not intentional. . .the traffic was horrific! The concert was at Arrowhead Stadium which was neat, but VERY hot! We were dripping with sweat the first couple of hours we were there. Luckily, it cooled off and we were able to have a good time! I didn't take my camera, but took several pictures with J's iPhone. Obviously not the greatest quality. . .

We stayed in a hotel since Kim, J and I were running in the Warrior Dash on Sunday. Ahh. . .The Warrior Dash! We have been looking forward to it for several weeks! Long story short. . .we didn't get to do it! They cancelled the last 4 heats because it was too hot. We were so disappointed! We are trying to decide if we want to get our money back or do it in another location. There is one in Tulsa and one in the St. Louis area. Neither one of them would be too far to drive. Decisions, Decisions! :)

It was a fun weekend and VERY relaxing. Also, it was the first time we left Hayden with someone overnight. According to Papa and Grandma B, he did really good. I think I missed him more than he missed me!

The rest of the story. . .

2011-07-29T21:51:00.000-05:00

We did a lot of swimming on vacation! Every hotel we stayed at had a pool and the kids took full advantage of it. They are little waterbugs! The last hotel in Arlington had the best pool! It was perfect for kids because it was shallow at every entry point and it was BIG.

On Friday, we spent about 5 hours in the pool. It was a very relaxing ending to our vacation! We swam, ate, talked, watched a movie and even saw a fireworks show.

The two cutest girls at the pool!

Susan ~~loves~~ hates my camera!

Mommy & Addy Leigh

Madi & Hayden

My little fishy! =)

"Look, Mom! I can balance on one hand!"

At Sunset, the hotel staff showed movies using an overhead projector. Addison and Easton thought it was so cool! They LOVED watching movies while they swam. (especially the night they showed Finding Nemo) On Friday night they even played "The Sandlot." Sadly, they didn't play it until 10:30 or 11:00. It was way too late for my kids. . .they were tired and grouchy! They did get to watch Ratatouille though.

Rangers Stadium was right next to the hotel. So. . .we got to watch their fireworks show at the end of the game. It was pretty impressive!

We had a really great vacation! We especially enjoyed spending the week with Papa & Grandma K and the Klusmans. We look forward to next year whether it's Disney, camping, or Padre! ;)

Six Flags

2011-07-27T14:47:00.001-05:00

Thursday we went to another amusement park. . .Six Flags. I had been there a couple of times, but it had been years before. Actually, the last time I was there my cousin, Tayla, was a baby! She is 18 now! =) I guess it has been a little longer than I thought!

The kids were SUPER excited! They were excited for the rides, food, stores, and THE SUPERHEROES!

Addy and I were shopping in one of the shops when Superwoman, Flash, and the Green Lantern walked in the store. Addy was so excited to see them, and even more excited when they started talking to her. I'm not exactly sure what they were talking about because I was trying to figure out how I was going to get E there to meet them. He and J were on a ride right next to the store. I quickly snapped a couple of pictures of Addy with them and ran out to get E. Luckily, they had just finished the ride and we were able to make it back before they left. Watching E interacting with them was AWESOME! He LOVES anything and everything to do with superheroes. He looked at them like they were the REAL DEAL! It's moments like those that make a mama's heart very happy. Silly, I know! But. . .he was so excited!

When we first got to Six Flags, we all decided to get on the carousel. . .even Grandma Carol and Hayden!

Susan, Madison, and Hannah took E on his first "real" ride of the day. He wasn't too excited about the carousel, but he sure LOVED the sombrero ride!

Actually. . .he LOVED all the rides! =)

Addy isn't normally a big fan of rides. She likes the smaller rides, but steers clear of anything too scary. This time around she actually really enjoyed riding some of the bigger rides.

She saw this small roller coaster and decided she was going to ride it. It was FUNNY watching her because you could tell she was so nervous! She kept saying her tummy felt funny! =)

A little freaked out!

Wait a minute! This is FUN!

Another thing Addy enjoyed was getting her hair done. She originally said she wanted her face painted, but changed her mind and did this instead. . .

She picked her two favorite colors and a little softball charm to go at the bottom. The lady told her it would last a couple of months so she is hoping to still have it during fall ball! =)

Hayden was a trooper all day long! He rode a couple of rides, but for the most part spent the day in his stroller. He is such a sweet baby!

Susan took him to one of the sprinklers and helped him cool off.

It was a really fun day. . .just SUPER HOT! By 8:00, I was exhausted and didn't feel very good. I think it was a combination of the heat and riding rides all day. We ended up leaving a little early so we could eat and go swimming. As we were leaving, I saw this chair and wanted to get a couple of pictures of the kids.

The Alamo

2011-07-26T00:56:00.000-05:00

Tuesday was a pretty relaxing day. We did a little shopping (the stores were not that great!) and went to the Alamo. Let me tell you, I am not a big fan of history! I was one of those kids that memorized information for the test, but didn't really learn it. So. . .I didn't know a whole lot about the Alamo.

Hayden still loves to blow strawberries!

I did enjoy our little walk around the grounds and listening to the speaker. And since I am a visual learner, I probably learned more in the hour I spent there than I did sitting in my American History class. (Not trying to bash on my Mr. Hill. . .I just didn't really give a darn back then!) I didn't get to take too many pictures because cameras weren't allowed in certain places.

DAVY. . .Davy Crockett. King of the Wild Frontier! (I've been singing that song for the last 30 years!)

Both sets of Grandparents went, too.

That evening, we went out to eat at Joe's Crab Shack. To tell you the truth, I didn't think it was that fabulous! It was okay, but not as good as I was expecting. That being said, I just ordered a Caesar Salad because I was so tired of spending money on food! J ordered one of their famous steampots and LOVED it!

I didn't end up taking my camera out that night and it was probably a good thing. Hayden had a huge blowout right at the end of dinner. I had to take him back to the hotel and clean him up! He was a huge mess!

We decided to call it an early night and rented a movie to watch in our room. J let me pick so this is what I chose. . .

The book is 100 times better than the movie. . .FYI! If you are thinking about watching the movie, READ THE BOOK FIRST!

Sea World

2011-07-24T23:06:00.002-05:00

The whole reason for going to San Antonio was to take the kids to Sea World. J and I had never been and it was something we thought the kids would enjoy. Well, we were right. . .the kids LOVED it! I have asked both of them what their favorite part of vacation was and both of them said Sea World. Yay for mom and dad! =)

Sea World was fun, but a little bit overwhelming. There were rides, shows, and a water park. It was hard to decide where to start! The kids decided to start at the Sesame Street Splash Town.

While they enjoyed some water time, Madison and I decided to check out the roller coasters. (I'm not going to mention how long it took us to hook back up with our entourage. . .right, Madi!) The roller coasters were fun, but nothing too spectacular! The best part about them was the short lines. I am a really impatient person and I really dislilke waiting in line. Well, there wasn't much of a wait so I was happy!

Madi and I eventually found everybody at Journey to Atlantis. E's absolute FAVORITE ride and FAVORITE part of vacation. I think he ended up riding it 4 times. =) Sadly, I don't have a picture of him riding it. I am going to blame it on his dad! I did get some pictures of him riding some of the smaller rides.

According to Addy, her favorite part was the Sesame Street show that we took them to watch. They got to stand down close to the show and get a really good look at some of their favorite characters.

Even Hayden had a good time!

The shows were my favorite part of the park. They were so cool! It amazes me to see the whales/sea lions/dolphins/etc. do whatever their trainers ask them to do. So awesome! My favorite show was probably the sea lion show. It was funny and kept the kid's full attention!

But. . .Shamu was pretty awesome, too!

The Klusman family

Poor E-man was exhausted after his day of fun! Uncle Ryan gave him a piggy back ride and he ended up falling asleep.

Thank goodness we had lots of people to help carry him! :)

Our trip to Sea World was a definite success. We look forward to visiting it again soon. . .hopefully in Florida next time! ;)

San Antonio

2011-07-24T22:07:00.001-05:00

Sunday morning we headed to San Antonio. Well, we didn't head there immediately. Instead. . .we had to wait for a nice man to come jump the Klusman's Envoy. I got some really nice pictures of Ivan, but decided I better not post those. =)

Since we had a few minutes, I decided to get my camera out. Here is Grandma Carol with some of her favorite kids. . .

Ivan was kind enough to take a family picture for me. Don't we look excited to hit the road again?!

The trip from DFW to San Antonio was not much fun. The traffic was crazy and it took us a lot longer than it should have. On a positive note, our side of the highway was moving at a much faster pace than the cars on the other side!

I had to take a picture of this sign

Eventually, we pulled into San Antonio and found our hotel. We were able to get rooms on the River Walk which was really cool. I had never been there before, but had many friends recommend staying there.

Our luggage!

Once we got everything into our rooms, we headed out to the River Walk. It was really interesting! The river (which was only about 4 ft. deep) had no railing around it. So. . .crazy kids like E-man could have easily fallen in! It freaked me out just a little bit! I could just see him getting too close and falling in OR jumping in on purpose!

Showing off their sweet moves!

Hayden was pretty comfy in his stroller!

We decided to get a bite to eat at the Hard Rock Cafe. It was pretty good, but a bit pricey. My mom ordered some type of bruschetta that was absolutely amazing!

My sweet aunt and crazy uncle!

This is a picture of the whole gang! (Greg, Nancy, Ryan, and Carrie flew down to San Antonio)

We wrapped up our first night in San Antonio by taking a little boat ride. Our guide was a little (VERY) annoying, but it was still worth the money we spent on the tour.

I'm going to leave you with this picture. We got a little laugh and I thought some of you may enjoy it, too! =)

Happy Birthday, B!

2011-07-24T00:39:00.000-05:00

I have A LOT of catching up to do! We left last Saturday morning for vacation and I took a little computer break. It was kind of weird being so out of touch. But. . .it was nice, too. I did have facebook on my phone so I wasn't completely oblivious to what was going on in my friend's lives! =) (I had to have some contact because I have 2 good friends who are VERY pregnant right now! In fact, they may be induced on the same day!)

The first day of our vacation was spent celebrating B's 7th birthday and driving to the Dallas/Fort Worth area. It was really nice to have a 4 hour stop to break up all of the time on the road. We ended up meeting everyone at Red Robin. Here is the birthday boy. . .

I have to surprise him with my camera because he usually runs away from me. Not sure why because he is quite the little ham for everyone else!

After lunch, we headed to the bowling alley. The kids had a great time bowling. . .me, not so much! I am a HORRIBLE bowler!

We bought him some K'nex toys and this cool KU bank. I found it at the farmer's market and thought it would be cute in his room. It was REALLY hard for me to give it away. . .it would have looked REALLY good in our basement. Oh well, I will have to buy one for me next time! =)

After the party, WE (my parents, The Klusman's, and us) headed to Texas. It ended up being a fairly uneventful trip. E and Hayden were both pretty good. They slept, ate, and watched movies. Poor Addy ended up getting a bad tummy ache. We stopped and got her a sprite and some medicine and she fell asleep. (after an hour of crying) She continued to complain the rest of Saturday evening, but woke up feeling fine on Sunday. I guess she ate something that didn't agree with her. Not a great way to start vacation, but thank goodness it didn't last long!

We got to our hotel at a pretty reasonable time; although, I can't remember what time it ended up being! Sometime before midnight. . .I know that much! =) We made pretty good time considering we were traveling with a 6 year-old, 4 year-old, and an 8 month-old! I am REALLY impressed with how well my kiddos did on the trip down. (The last 3 hours on the trip home is a whole different story!)

10K

2011-07-15T23:40:00.003-05:00

I ran in my first 10K tonight! It was HOT. . .really, really HOT! The good news is I ran the whole 6.2 miles! Running the whole race was my #1 goal. My second goal was to run it under an hour. (I had originally said 58 minutes, but knew there was no way in this heat.) So. . .my new goal was under an hour. Sadly, I didn't make it. I was a bit disappointed, but still happy to have finished in 63 minutes. I guess I'll have to run another one if I want to finish under an hour! =) I have a couple of 5K's lined up, as well as a possible half marathon. I'll definitely be on the lookout for another 10K!

I was fortunate to have my wonderful hubby running with me. He stayed with me the whole race which was very thoughtful of him. I told him multiple times to go ahead, but he opted to stay with me. I'm so lucky to have such an amazing husband!

Several of our neighbors, "The Strolling Gnomes" as we refer to ourselves, participated in the race today. It was a lot of fun for us and the kiddos. The kids got to run in a 1K after we were done running! E did a really good job running. . .I was a proud mom! Addy got a little tired and ended up "letting" her brother beat her.

Before and then after the race

Kim is one of my BFF's and my co-teacher. She is a pretty amazing runner, too!

Addy and E's gang! =)

I have really started to enjoy running. It is something that I look forward to every day. Don't get me wrong. . .I have days where it is bad, but for the most part it is something that I really like to do.

More Randomness!

2011-07-13T22:00:00.002-05:00

We've had a couple of relaxing weeks at home! I love having time at home, but miss going to the kid's activities. We have made the most of our time at home and gotten LOTS done! The whole house has been clean at some point. . .too bad you can't tell right now! =)

While going through the kid's rooms, I noticed their piggy banks were really full. (Thanks to their Grandparents!) I decided to sort the coins and take them to the bank. They ended up having $125.00 worth of change! They are excited because they get to spend it on vacation!

I mentioned that I got the kid's pictures taken a few weeks ago. The photographer ended up getting several really cute pictures. My favorite was this one. . .

Buying wall art is easy when your kids are this cute! =)

I've said it since the day he was born. . .Hayden looks like his big sister!

Sneaky little boy!

I've also spent lots of time in the kitchen. I love trying new recipes! I recently found a recipe for a vegetarian pizza here. I love it because we have most of the ingredients in our garden! It is really yummy, too. . .even Addison will eat it!

2 days until the 10K. . .Pray for me cause it is gonna be HOT!