Our Family

Sweet Boys

2012-01-31T19:28:00.000-08:00

I just love to watch the boys play. Something about watching a child make-believe is just so refreshing and calming to me. What a joy!

Chase LOVES playing with his guys and he ALWAYS makes them fly. I think Chase would really love to be able to fly. It sounds crazy, but I think he thinks about that ALOT! : )

Eli loves to build guys out of legos/hero factory. He usually builds one that is shooting or fighting or something similar. It used to bother me, but I have finally realized that it is just a "boy thing". I realize that not all boys are into shooting and fighting, but lots are. For many, it's just part of being a boy.

LOVE, LOVE these pictures!!! Just priceless to me

Cheese

2012-01-31T19:17:00.000-08:00

So this is what Reed looks like when I tell him to say "Cheese"......

And this is what he looks like when I say "smile"......

I think I'll stick with "smile"!! : )

Just Watchin' The Game

2012-01-31T19:07:00.000-08:00

We always enjoy watching sports, especially college football! The boys had an especially fun time watching bowl games while sitting in their new sports chairs they received for Christmas. It was so fun to watch Reed join in on the fun and excitement. He just watched his big brothers and did whatever they did. So cute!

What is wrong with my kids?!?!? The LOVE to tell me how much they like the longhorns....even when we are not watching a longhorn game, Eli is doing the longhorn signs. WHAT?!?!?

He's only in Kindergarten....we've got time! ; )

More from Kauai

2012-01-17T20:36:00.000-08:00

In addition to the 700+ pictures that I took with my camera in Kauai, I found about 75 that I took with my phone. These are my favorites....

Eli enjoying some First Class service. We sat in first class on the way to Kauai (didn't pay for it, we were just given these seats). We all really enjoyed the extra service! : ) Yes....that is Hunter sleeping in the background. : )

During our entire trip Chase made this face just about every time I tried to take his picture. It makes crazy pictures, but it totally makes me laugh.

Hunter and the kids spent lots of time in the pool. The pool was HUGE....the largest in Hawaii and some days we felt like we had the entire pool to ourselves.

This dessert was one of the best things I've ever eaten!!! YUMMY! I later found out it had 1/2 pound of butter in it! Yikes....but it was so deliciously worth it! I would LOVE, LOVE to have another one right now!!!!!!

Chase and Eli completely wore themselves out every day! We tried to do naps and rest time but most of the time we were not successful. The result....they would just crash at completely random places. Chase fell asleep partially standing up after he got out of the pool and was wrapped in a towel.

Eli fell asleep in the chair during dinner. This happened several times! We finally started taking strollers to dinner so we could wheel the kids back to our hotel room. : )

My sand creation....a palm tree. I probably like playing in the sand as much as the kids; however, every time I tried to build something, Chase or Reed would crash it. My palm tree was crashed about 5 seconds after I took this picture.

Reed's bed in the sand

Eli....buried alive! : )

Christmas

2012-01-02T19:41:00.000-08:00

Christmas was a little different this year. We returned from Kauai on Christmas Eve and were on "Hawaii time" for several days after our return. We were up WAY past midnight on Christmas Eve and didn't really wake up on Christmas until about 12:30pm. : ) My sister didn't come in town this year so my parents went to Alaska to spend Christmas with them. It was different, but we still had a nice time celebrating the birth of Jesus.

Decorating Christmas cookies

Writing a letter to Santa

Santa's cookies

Santa's Letter - "Dear Santa, I've been good. I do good in school. Eli"

Santa visited our house!

Eli's "iPad"

On Christmas, Eli ran in my room and said "MOM....I didn't get a DS, but I got EXACTLY what I wanted!!" : )

Santa left Chase some Toy Story Band Aids in his stocking...this was one of Chase's favorite gifts ; )

Santa left a keyboard for Reed

Chase & Astro Boy movie.....Chase's FAVORITE movie!!!!

Eli got a new Bible. He LOVES it!!

Eli and Chase using their new lap desks

Christmas Vacation

2012-01-02T16:55:00.000-08:00

We took a vacation to Kauai. It was absolutely beautiful and 10 of the best days of 2011! : ) We took over 700 pictures while we were there. : ) A few highlights.....

The view from our room

Every morning at 9:00 we went to the lobby of the hotel to help feed the fish. Eli enjoyed it; Chase was scared that the fish were going to eat him. Chase says this about ALL animals! : )

Chase napping at about 10am : ) trying to adjust to Hawaii time

Eli loved his boogie board

Reed LOVED playing in the sand. Since he was in a cast, we put a plastic bag over his leg while he played. The doctor told us to stay away from sand while he had the cast. :)

LOVE this picture of Chase

The hotel had a pool for kids....it was perfect and everyone loved it

Love this picture of Eli

Kauai has chickens that roam wild and they are EVERYWHERE!!! One grabbed a potato chip out of Reed's hand while he was eating lunch. I wish I had a camera to capture the look on his face when it happened. He looked very offended!

We had a waterproof cast cover so Reed was still able to enjoy the pool.

Silly boys!

When driving around the island, we found a cave. This is the view from the inside of the cave.

We went to a plantation that had lots of peacocks that just run wild. Reed loved chasing the peacocks! It was so cute to see him run after them in his cast.

Chasing peacocks : )

Eli enjoyed digging really deep holes in the sand....this was one of his deepest

Eli and Chase played until they dropped. One day I wrapped Chase in a towel after he got out of the pool and he immediately fell asleep half standing up. CRAZY! Towards the end of the trip, Eli and Chase fell asleep each evening at the dinner table. They were completely worn out!!!

Just Working

2012-01-02T12:11:00.001-08:00

Eli and Chase love to sit at Hunter's desk and "work".....just like Daddy

Our First Broken Bone

2012-01-02T12:09:00.000-08:00

We have our first broken bone....Reed's leg! I'm VERY surprised that Reed is the first given the crazy, rowdiness that is in our house every day by Chase and Eli. Reed and Daddy were playing on the floor while visiting Hunter's mom in Arkansas....Hunter was holding Reed while on the floor....Reed took a nose dive for the floor. Hunter grabbed him by the ankles to keep him from landing on his head and we heard a loud pop. Two weeks, three doctors and three x-rays later, it is a confirmed broken leg. He wore a cast for 3 weeks, but it didn't slow him down at all!! The day after getting his cast on, he was running around with Eli and Chase like it wasn't even there! : )

Reed and his camo cast

Our Tree

2011-12-12T18:14:00.001-08:00

Little Ones

2011-12-12T18:13:00.000-08:00

I just love to see the wonder and joy in the eyes of little ones during Christmas. Reed has been fascinated by our tree. I love it!!

Reed's Favorite Hat

2011-11-14T19:49:00.001-08:00

Reed recently found this hat and absolutely loves it. My Grandpa gave it to Eli after a trip to Guatemala. I think Reed looks so cute in it and I wish that Grandpa was here to see Reed wear it. I just know that Grandpa would love Reed to death!!!

This and That

2011-11-09T20:40:00.000-08:00

As we were driving home last week, we saw the most unique rainbow in the sky. It had not been raining and there were very few clouds in the sky and no storm clouds. But, hidden in a very thin cloud was a short, verticle rainbow. It was beautiful. We saw it while driving and pulled over to try to take a picture and look at it. Many other cars were pulling over too. It was beautiful and very unique. Eli and Chase loved it and Eli thought it was in the sky because God was trying to tell someone something. I'm not sure, but he may just be right. Either way, He was reminding everyone of his wonderful promises....I know that! : )

Eli and Hunter went to the NASCAR race on Saturday. Eli was very prepared and his backpack was so full that I was surprised he could hold it! : )

Chase & Reed found a baby cricket. They played with him for a while but I had to rescue him from Reed. Reed was just waiting for his chance to squish the cricket! : (

A game that Hunter always plays with the kids................

And Reed loves it too now! ; )

Since Halloween, I've received at least 5 magazines/catalogs in the mail every day. I had them in a pile ready to look at them, but it got so overwhelming (and cluttered) that I threw them all away today (recycle, of course! ) ;)

Reed loves to look through the kitchen cabinets....but today just looking from the outside was not enough. : )

Eli's school is having an Elementary Showcase on Thursday evening. The Kindergarten class is singing a cute song about the jungle and the sea and Jesus being King everything. Eli is a shark. : )

I found the idea for the costume on Pinterest : ) Love that site!!! It was really easy to make and I think he looks pretty cute! : )

10 Day Pledge....continued

2011-11-07T21:12:00.000-08:00

I haven't been good at taking pictures, but we are still hanging on to our pledge although the kids have "cheated" a bit. : ) I let them have 1-2 pieces of Halloween candy. And, Eli went to the NASCAR race on Saturday and from what I hear, he ate quite a lot! Hunter and I haven't "cheated" at all!!

Day 4: Whole Wheat Pizza - this was super yummy! I made the crust and it was really easy to make. We always have a problem with Eli and supper so I let him decide the toppings so that he would eat it. He chose half cheese, half bacon. We all enjoyed this and will definitely eat it again!

Day 5: Fajitas - these were the best fajitas I've ever made! I was supposed to make the whole wheat tortillas, but after the disaster that I had with the corn tortillas, I made a quick trip to Whole Foods and found some 100% whole wheat tortillas with no sugars or other sweeteners. Everyone love this recipe and I will make it again soon!

Day 6: On your own - Sunday in our house is usually "on your own" for supper....meaning, Mom's not cooking : ) I was actually at the NASCAR race with my Dad so Hunter fed the kids.....eggs and toast. Not too much to this meal.....and of course they liked it.

Day 7: Pasta with Alfredo Sauce and Chicken - this was a good recipe, but I'm not a huge fan of Alfredo sauce so I didn't love this. And, this must have been VERY high on the fat content scale. I'm not used to eating extremely fatty food so pasta covered in sauce made from butter, heavy whipping cream, and cheese was a little much for me. Hunter felt the same way. The kids loved it though. : ) Doesn't it always work that way?!?

A couple of things worth noting......I have been serving cucumbers (Chase calls them pickles) at lunch and I make Chase eat his before he gets any chips. He eats them, but has not been a huge fan. Well today....Chase said "more pickles please" : ) WooHoo!!

Another thing....Eli usually begs me to stop at McDonald's or Chick-fil-a for lunch after school. Today he didn't mention either and when we got home he asked for "some of that yummy salad" for lunch.

Also, I made some pumpkin bread. It is good, but different that the pumpkin bread that we are used to eating. The pumpkin bread that I made a few weeks ago had 3 CUPS OF SUGAR!! This recipe had no sugar, but 1/2 cup honey.

Anyway, all is going well. Hunter and I were both wanting something sweet....like candy......all day today, but neither of us caved! ; )

10 Day Pledge - Day 2 & 3

2011-11-03T20:30:00.000-07:00

We are continuing our 10 day pledge of eating real food. Thankfully, day 2 and day 3 were much better and easier than day 1. I made some cheese crackers for snack. The recipe was pretty easy (just 3 ingredients). Chase and Reed liked the crackers, but Eli didn't care for them too much. It's interesting to see who likes the various things that I'm making. Reed seems to like everything, but Chase and Eli could go either way. Anyway, the crackers seem to be a success and will be a replacement for snacks like goldfish or cheddar bunnies.

Trying the crackers. Reed doesn't have a very nice look on his face, but he really did like them! : )

Day 2 supper was crock pot chicken, purple hull peas and salad. The chicken was VERY easy to make, but a little challenging for me to cook a whole chicken. I'm not a big fan of touching raw meat and a whole raw chicken is gross and freaked me out a little. Actually, Eli had to help me put it in the crock pot! : )

This picture doesn't look that great, but the food turned out SO good! I loved the chicken recipe and of course we loved the fresh purple hull peas from our local farmer's market. This meal was a hit. Everyone loved it!!

I forgot to take pictures of our Day 3 food, but it was yummy and EASY. We had chicken noodle soup for supper. We all really enjoyed it.

So far, so good. Seven more days of our 10 day pledge. The hardest part for me has been my morning coffee. I would LOVE to have some with Splenda and cream. But, I am surviving without. Today I actually drank a latte without Splenda. It wasn't the best, but I got used to it. I think the hardest part for the kids is cereal. They ask for it every morning, but I just tell them we don't have any and then offer oatmeal, eggs, or toast. They seem satisfied, but I don't know how long that will last. : )

For more info on our pledge and the recipes we are following, please visit http://www.100daysofrealfood.com/

10 Day Pledge

2011-11-01T22:10:00.000-07:00

I recently found a website/blog (thank you, Pinterest!) that is all about eating real food....nothing processed. I LOVE this idea so I decided that our family would try the 10-day pledge.

http://www.100daysofrealfood.com/

We started today. Actually, I started preparing a few days ago, but the change in the way we eat started today. I'm going to try to document the next 10 days....the good and the bad.

To get started, I followed the advise on the site and made a 10 day menu, bought all the groceries and cleaned out our pantry and fridge. The fridge was easy.....not much processed food in there except for an old box of Velveeta cheese which is probably the most processed food ever made! ;) The pantry was a different story. I boxed up all the food that we will not be eating and placed it on the top shelf of the pantry. Out of sight, out of mind.

I already know that my biggest challenge will be coffee. I can drink coffee but only without sweetener of any kind. I usually drink it with Splenda and cream. : ( So, for 10 days (and maybe longer), I'll be drinking hot tea with honey.

Day 1: For breakfast, Eli and Chase had oatmeal with honey, cinnamon and a little butter. I thought they would complain because I usually put sugar, cinnamon and a lot of butter, but they both ate it all without complaining at all. Reed had a banana. : ) I'm not a big breakfast eater, so I just had a bite of banana and a bite of oatmeal.

I made whole wheat banana bread. I like it, Reed LOVES it, and Eli and Chase are a little iffy; although, Eli asked for a piece tonight, but I had to say no b/c he didn't finish his supper. (not because he didn't like it....it is just an ongoing battle with him)

Lunch was not very different that what we normally eat except for the sandwich bread. For lunch we had peanut butter sandwich squares, cucumbers, cheese, grapes and avocado. Once the kids ate everything, I gave them a few baked kettle potato chips. Eli loved everything except the sandwich. The bread is pretty different than what he is used to eating. He'll get used to it though. ; ) Chase at the grapes, cheese, "pickles" (aka cukes), two bites of the avocado and two bites of the sandwich ("no, thank you bites").

For our first supper, I chose something that I knew the kids would like and eat....Taco Salad. We eat taco salad all the time, but usually use a package of taco seasoning. I added my own seasonings and beans and it was super yummy. Probably the best taco salad I've ever made!!

Obviously Taco Salad is eaten with tortilla chips. The recipe on the website included steps to make your own corn tortillas and then make chips by baking them. Well this part was a total bust!! I had a very difficult time getting the dough to the right consistency and when I did (or thought I did) I pressed them and then they were totally stuck to the wax paper and I couldn't get them off to place them on the skillet to cook. So for me, this part was just a BIG mess!! : ) And, while I was making this mess, Reed was making a mess of his own....pulling everything out of the cabinets! : ) Oh well!! Now I'm on a mission to find a local person that makes corn tortillas with simple ingredients. When we ate the taco salad, I "cheated" and gave the kids a couple of tortilla chips from the top of the pantry. I just had mine on a bed of lettuce rather than tortilla chips! : )

Reed's mess!

Overall it was a successful first day. I hope I can do without coffee....

2011-11-01T21:21:00.000-07:00

I recently found Pinterest (thank you, Dalaina!) and now I am totally addicted!! I love looking at everything and finding new ideas. Here are a few....

"Thankful Tree"

Every day in November we will each write something we are thankful for and place it on the tree.

Mummy Hot Dogs

I actually did this before I saw it on Pinterest, but it was a great reminder to do it this year.

Spider Lollipops
The eyes are a little big on this one, but I was trying to make these with supplies on hand rather than buying supplies. Eli and Chase loved these! : )

Ghost Cookies
I think these turned out super cute and they were so easy to make. It's a Nutter Butter cookie dipped in melted almond bark and two mini chocolate chips for the eyes. They were really yummy too! : )

A Moment

2011-11-01T21:10:00.000-07:00

I don't know why, but I love this picture. Maybe it's because for a short moment all three are busy at the same time. I love that Reed wants to join in whatever Eli and Chase are doing. It's sad that he is growing up so fast, but fun to watch him grow, learn and try to do everything his brothers do. I love my sweet boys! : )

Face Painting - YUCK

2011-11-01T21:00:00.000-07:00

I've never really thought about face painting....I mean, really thought about it....until now. Two days after Eli got his face painted at the arboretum he woke up with a crazy rash all over his face. Then I started thinking about the face painting. There are many, many kids getting their faces painted and the same sponges are used on all the kids and even lip color is applied in many cases. YUCK! That is just a rash (or worse) waiting to happen. Luckily, Eli's rash only lasted a couple of days, but needless to say, we will avoid face painting from now on! And to think that I was so excited the first time that Eli was brave enough to let someone paint his face. : ) Live and learn, I guess! : )

Fall at the Arboretum

2011-10-25T14:11:00.000-07:00

We visited the Dallas Arboretum today. As usual, I took tons of pictures. I just love pictures of kids and pumpkins.

I tried and tried, but never got a picture with all three looking and smiling at the same time

Love this....Eli was helping Reed see all the pumpkins

Chase and Eli got their faces painted

Spiderman spinning his web

Frankenstein being scary

Sweet brothers

Chase said, "Mommy, I asked the goat if I could brush him, but he didn't say anything." : )

After about 3 1/2 hours, Reed was SO done with the Arboretum and the pumpkins

October Review & Pumpkin Bread Redo

2011-10-25T13:53:00.000-07:00

Earlier this month I posted about everything I love about October.....well, there is only one week left in October (CRAZY!!) so I thought I'd review my list....

The State Fair of Texas - done.....SUPER FUN!!! and yummy! : )
Cooler mornings - some.....hopefully more soon
Pumpkin Bread - see below : )
Honey Crisp Apples - not yet....haven't seen any yet. Maybe this is a November thing ; )
Fall Festival at Church - Friday.....we are all SUPER excited!
The pumpkin patch - done and done....went to two different ones....loved them both
Beautiful fall foliage (maybe not this year b/c of the lack of rain) ; ) - not so much....I think it's still too warm
Pumpkins - of course!
College Football (some of the best games are in October!) - super fun to watch!! Gig 'em Aggies!
Texas Rangers (this is a new one, but playoffs!!!!) - WOOHOO!!! Rangers are up 3-2....can't wait to see what happens tomorrow night! I think the Rangers will win in 7 although I hope it's 6 (game 7s make me so nervous!!)

So, I tried the new pumpkin bread recipe again, but this time I used self-rising flour rather than all-purpose flour. It was so yummy! We all love it!! We will definitely be making it again soon.

I made it in a bundt pan (and one mini loaf) rather than a big loaf pan....I think it turned out pretty. Thanks to Mommy's Kitchen for the recipe and the idea.

A little too much powdered sugar, but still pretty and YUMMY

Just For Fun

2011-10-25T13:32:00.000-07:00

A house full of boys is a little crazy....ok, a lot crazy! : ) One thing my boys LOVE to do is play fight. They do it multiple times a day and there is no stopping it. At least once a day though, someone ends up crying. I guess it's not too bad though....it definitely doesn't stop them from doing it again! : )

Reed knows to say "cheese" any time a camera or iPhone is pointed in his direction. The only problem, his "cheese" doesn't quite look like a smile. : )

That's better : ) Love that his teeth are showing in this one.

I never really think that Eli and Chase look alike, but in this picture they do!! : )

Sweet Chase

Sweet Reed

Sweet Eli

Love this pic!

Except for skin tone, I think Eli and Reed look a lot alike, especially their profile.

Dancing and being silly

All the boys : )

iPhone Pictures

2011-10-16T20:23:00.000-07:00

I finally downloaded all the pictures from my phone.....all 877 pictures! : ) These are a few of my favorites......

Reed does this all the time....not real sure what he's trying to do, but he's very proud of himself when he's done. : )

This was one of Eli's math sheets to complete on a homeschool day....I looked at it and thought that it would take a while to explain it to him. I was wrong! I gave it to him then went to get some Legos so we could work on it. By the time I got back, he was done! I was so surprised!! : )

Chase being silly while getting his Holter monitor at the doctor

Love this....I think they were watching shrinky-dinks : )

Love pictures of the kids sleeping

Jessie & Reed during our trip to Alaska this summer

Eli & Chase sleeping on the flight to Alaska

Chase got new goggles this summer and wanted to wear them everywhere! He fell asleep in the car while wearing them : )

Sweet boys sleeping

Chase was soooo excited when he got a Jessie doll....Chaseman LOVES Jessie!

While playing outside this past spring, Chase went inside and locked the door. He was inside....Eli, Reed and I were outside. Thankfully we found an unlocked window and were able to get back in.

Asleep in the stroller

Chase and his cute, crooked smile....for a while, whenever we would tell Chase to smile, he would make this crooked smile. He doesn't do it anymore, but it was so cute! : )

State Fair of Texas

2011-10-16T19:52:00.000-07:00

I have always enjoyed the State Fair and have such wonderful childhood memories of going to the Fair. Eli and Chase now love to go and I hope they will have wonderful memories of it too! We enjoyed the yummy food and Chase and Eli enjoyed the games and rides too. Let's see....I ate a Fletcher's Corny Dog, cotton candy, nachos (shared with Mom), frozen sweet tea (it was yuck, but for some reason it sounded good), and ice cream. : ) Eli has always been curious about turkey legs, so this year he finally got one. He really liked it and I think we were all surprised at how much he ate. It was fun watching him eat it! : )

Even Reed at a corny dog!

Eli and Chase loved playing the games....

.....and "won" several prizes.

About 4 hours later....Chase was out! I think we all felt this way, but Chase was the only one that was lucky enough to actually be able to do this.

Mixers & Recipes

2011-10-16T19:29:00.000-07:00

I got a KitchenAid mixer for my birthday....are you officially old and/or boring when you start getting kitchen appliances for your birthday??? Anyway, I never understood all the fuss about these mixers until I borrowed my mom's mixer to make the frosting for Chase's birthday cake. Oh my goodness.......they are wonderful!!! Then, one showed up on my doorstep about a week before my birthday! ; ) Thanks, Hunter! Hunter uses it too.....he has been mixing everything....even things that don't really require a mixer....like cookie dough. : )

With Fall in the air (even though it's still close to 90 degrees every day!) and all the Fall festivities underway, Eli and I decided to make some pumpkin bread. I have a recipe for it, but decided to try a new recipe from Mommy's Kitchen. I LOVE her website and every recipe I've made has been wonderful. Well....we learned our lesson......if the recipe calls for self-rising flour, you should probably use self-rising flour. We did not and the bread did not turn out at all! We were all SO disappointed! :( But, I now have self-rising flour and we will be trying the recipe again....maybe on Tuesday or Wednesday since the temps are going to drop here and it may actually feel like Fall. At least for a couple of days anyway ; )

OCC Project

2011-10-16T19:07:00.000-07:00

It's hard to believe, but Christmas will be here before we know it and that means it's time for Operation Christmas Chi.ld. During Eli's Fall break from school, we went to the farm and helped my mom with her shoeboxes. Eli has been asking about filing shoeboxes again for months and we finally got to go help Granny! : )

About 450 completed shoeboxes....I think the goal this year is 600

Eli marking the boxes....boy/girl & age group

While filing boxes, Reed went missing....we found him in a corner enjoying a package of M&M's

Reed just liked sitting in the boxes : )

Weekend with Casey

2011-10-06T20:34:00.000-07:00

Eli's kindergarten class has a class "pet" and a couple of weeks ago it was our turn to keep the "pet" for the weekend. So, Casey the Caterpillar came home with Eli. Eli was beyond excited. He's been talking about Casey since the first week of school and I am very thankful that our turn to have Casey was early in the school year. ; ) It was quite an adventure. We had to document our weekend in a notebook.....here is a recap.....

Eli was so excited to bring Casey home for the weekend.

Casey and Eli spent some time coloring on Friday afternoon.

Casey colored too.....

Then Casey and Eli went on a bike ride.

On Saturday morning, we couldn't find Casey anywhere!!! We looked though the entire house. It was rather stressful. I just knew we were going to be "that family" that lost Casey. We tore the house apart. It was crazy!!! Then.....we got hungry and opened the refrigerator.....and there was Casey!!! I'm not really sure how she got there, and honestly I don't care. I was just so relieved that we found her!!! Whew! Stressful! : )

Saturday afternoon, Casey went to Chuck E Cheese with us. Eli got his 10th purple at school (a behavior chart thing) so his reward was a trip to Chuck E Cheese. Casey and Eli enjoyed some pizza.

Saturday night we stayed in a hotel. Due to all his traveling this year, Hunter had several free nights that were due to expire at the end of September so we have had a couple of hotel stays for fun. The kids LOVE staying in hotels and I find it very relaxing. : ) Casey enjoyed it too....especially the warm, chocolate chip cookie left on the bed. ; )

The Big Orange Pumpkin Farm

2011-10-06T19:48:00.000-07:00

I've heard several people lately say how they just don't like October, mainly because of Halloween. Honestly, I really don't understand that. I am a Christian and I don't like the scary stuff about Halloween and I don't like all the scary Halloween stuff in the stores, but I LOVE the month of October!! Actually, October is probably one of my favorite months.....a few reasons.....

The State Fair of Texas
Cooler mornings
Pumpkin Bread
Honey Crisp Apples
Fall Festival at Church
The pumpkin patch
Beautiful fall foliage (maybe not this year b/c of the lack of rain) ; )
Pumpkins
College Football (some of the best games are in October!)
Texas Rangers (this is a new one, but playoffs!!!!)

How can you not LOVE October?!?! : )

Today, we officially started our fall celebration with a trip to the Big Orange Pumpkin Farm with Eli's Kindergarten class. We had so much fun!!

Eli and Chase LOVED all the animals, especially the longhorns. I don't know why, but they love longhorns.....gosh, that's even hard to say/type! ; )

Eli enjoyed all the animals....I think he would have stayed with the animals all day if I let him.

Beautiful pumpkins....I love pumpkins. : )

Chase, Eli and Eli's great friend, Jacob from Kindergarten.

Playing hide and seek in the hay maze

A very friendly butterfly joined us for lunch. It landed on several of the kids. Eli enjoyed getting a close up view of the butterfly.

Reed chose a pumpkin from the patch....a small one made just for him : )

Chase's only attempt to feed the animals. He liked seeing the animals but did not enjoy feeding them. He's always scared the animals are going to "eat him" : )

Big Chase News

2011-09-25T20:28:00.000-07:00

Chase learned to use the potty this week!!!! WooHoo!!! Yay, Chase!!!

It was really too easy.....we just went straight from diapers to underwear. We didn't do pull-ups or anything. I made him a "Potty Chart" and a "Treasure Box". Every time he got 3 stickers on the Potty Chart, he got to pick something from the Treasure Box. He wore a diaper at night for 3 nights and after waking up dry all three nights, we switched to underwear even at night. He's even doing his "big business" in the big potty.

So it's done.....see.....TOO easy!!! But I'm not complaining!! : ) Now I only have one in diapers!! CRAZY!!

Chaseman!!!

2011-09-25T20:22:00.000-07:00

Eli and Reed don't really have any nick names, but Chase has tons.....actually, we rarely call him just plain Chase.

Chaseman - the most common....Eli almost always call him Chaseman...and he says "man" with a very heavy Texas accent....."Chasema-han".....so cute!
Chiggy - Mommy only ; )
Chig
Big Chig
Chigatron
Chiggity Chaseman

Feeding Himself

2011-09-25T20:16:00.000-07:00

I finally let Reed start feeding himself with a spoon. I can't believe I waited so long!! When Eli was 15 months, he was an accomplished spoon eater. But with Reed, I just never let him do it because of the HUGE messes. So I finally did and guess what?!?!? HUGE mess! : )

I'm not really sure if any of it made it into his mouth.....But he had fun! : )

Chef Eli & Chef Chase

2011-09-25T20:10:00.000-07:00

Eli and Chase cooked supper for everyone one evening with very little help. They did a great job and had fun doing it....maybe a little too much fun! ; )

The Big Boy Table

2011-09-25T20:07:00.000-07:00

Occasionally, Reed sits at the big boy table to eat rather than in his high chair. He loves it and acts very proud to be at the table. He still throws his food though....I am so ready for this phase to be over (the throwing food).

Reed

2011-09-25T20:02:00.000-07:00

Reed is growing too fast!! He is such a joy and I love to watch him grow and develop every day! What a sweetie! : )

Ga-Ga's Pen

2011-09-25T19:59:00.000-07:00

When Eli and Chase were very young, they always enjoyed playing with the pen that Ga-Ga always has in his shirt pocket.....now it's Reed's turn. Reed loves sitting in Ga-Ga's lap, taking the pen, examining it and trying to put it back. Funny how such small things like this are so entertaining for kids! ; )

Chase is 3!!!

2011-09-25T19:54:00.000-07:00

How can it be.......Chase is 3!!! It seems impossible that Chase is already 3 years old! But he is and we celebrated by having a Toy Story birthday party!! Chase really enjoyed his party and we are so thankful for our family and close friends that helped make the day very special for Chase. Happy Birthday, Chase!!! We love you....to infinity and beyond! : )

The Cake.....We used the "3" from Toy Story 3 for the theme of his party

Blowing out the candles....Big Brother is always there to "help"

Chase was very excited about his presents. While we were all eating cake, Chase lined up all his presents and was ready to open!

Chase got lots of fun presents...

Playing Toy Story guys with Cousin Madison

Just Reading

2011-09-25T19:41:00.000-07:00

I love finding my sweet boys reading books!!!

Big Boy!

2011-09-06T21:08:00.000-07:00

Reed is approaching 15 months old. Wow! That doesn't seem right! He is just the sweetest boy. He loves his brothers and loves doing whatever they are doing. And, he has become a Daddy's boy! If Daddy is home, it's ALL ABOUT DADDY! It's really sweet.

Reed has been walking for at least a month now and looks so cute when he's walking down the sidewalk or anywhere else. He's rather small so it is somewhat funny to see him walking around. He doesn't look big enough to walk. He's just about 20 pounds....not sure his height. : ) We love him so much and wouldn't know what to do without him!!

Any time he sees a camera he says "cheese"....but it doesn't make him look like he's smiling. : )

Kindergarten

2011-09-06T20:59:00.000-07:00

How can it be?!?!? Eli started Kindergarten! We cannot believe how fast this day came....weren't we just celebrating his first birthday? : )

Eli started school on August 8 at Lucas Christian Academy. LCA is a university-model school so he is in the classroom on M/W/F and we have school at home on T/Th. It is absolutely wonderful and so far we REALLY love it!! And, Kindergarten is only half day which makes it even better!! As do most parents, we spent TONS of time considering all the schooling options for Eli. I guess we always thought public school would be our choice, but once we started researching our options, we quickly realized that public school was not for us. Hunter and I both went to public school, but it is not the same today. We were really surprised to find out various concepts/cultural topics/issues that are addressed with children at such a young age. Anyway, LCA seems to be a good fit for our family right now. And, Eli LOVES it. He is meeting some wonderful new friends and his teacher is amazing! We are very thankful and feel very blessed to have found this school!! : )

Catching Up

2011-09-06T20:42:00.000-07:00

We had a super fun summer!!! Here are the highlights....this was hard.....I had 650 pictures from the summer!!! : ) I love taking pictures. : )

We went to Arkansas in July to visit family and celebrate Madison's 4th birthday. We always have so much fun and the kids LOVE playing with Madison!

Chase & Reed

Eli & Chase

Chase at JumpZone (Madison's Party)

Madison's super-cute Tangled cake made by her very talented Mom, Dalaina....OH, and Jason (M's Dad) made the sun ; )

Eli, Chase & Madison at Madison's 4th Birthday Party

Mimi & Reed

We spent the 4th of July swimming and cooking out at the farm. Lisa and her family visited this summer for a couple of weeks and were here for the 4th. It's always wonderful to spend holidays with them!!

Cousin John-John

Cousin Jessie

Hunter taught Chase to swim this summer. He does so well and now LOVES to jump in the water and swim to whoever will catch him. He's a daredevil though....he'll jump no matter what so we ALWAYS have to keep an eye on him and stay close!! : )

Chase jumping to Hunter

Chase, Eli, Jack & Jessie

Mommy & Reed

Mommy & Chase

Daddy & Reed

I made peach jam for the first time this summer. I actually tried it twice. My mom is a pro at this so I thought I'd try it. It turned out pretty yummy for a first try. And, it's kind-of fun making and eating sandwiches with homemade jam. : )

My first try at peach jam

Lisa - my beautiful sister

Eli, Chase, Reed and I went to visit my sister and her family in Alaska. We went in mid-July and escaped the horrible Texas heat for a couple of weeks. We had a wonderful trip and the kids were AMAZING travelers. I was very nervous to take them on the plane by myself, but it was great. They were so good on the plane....they made it too easy! ; )

Mommy, Chase & Reed

Cousin Jack

Aunt Lisa & Reed

Chase, Jessie, Jack & Eli enjoying one of MANY meals on the deck at Lisa's home

Chase, Eli, Jack & Jessie (do you know how hard it is to get 4 kids to look and smile at the same time?!?!?)

The kids really wanted to go camping....so Uncle John set up a tent (in the living room) and they "camped"

Uncle John even read books to them before bed : )

And....some pictures are just too hard to explain : )

Just Being Silly

2011-08-14T20:26:00.001-07:00

My boys LOVE to be silly....no matter what they are doing!

Fun with Cousins

2011-08-14T20:17:00.000-07:00

Because of all the summer birthdays, we got to see our Arkansas cousins a few times this summer. We were so glad Madison, Parker and Paisley were able to come to Reed's birthday party and stay with us for a few days. Eli and Chase LOVE it when Madison comes!!! : )

Eli, Madison & Chase

Reed & Parker

Parker

Paisley

Reed's First Birthday

2011-08-14T19:58:00.000-07:00

On June 14, we celebrated Reed's first birthday!! I can't believe Reed is already a year old. He is such a sweet boy. I love seeing his little personality develop. He LOVES Eli and Chase and looks for them every morning when he wakes up. I am so thankful for Reed and the wonderful addition he is to our family. I so enjoyed his first year and can't wait to see him grow and develop even more during his second year of life. Love you, Reed!!! : )

Reed's cake....the best part....it tasted as yummy as it looked!! Thank you, Anne's Bakery in Murphy!!!

My sweet, little monkey

Brotherly Love

2011-06-02T21:37:00.000-07:00

Eli and Reed seem to have a special bond. Eli is so gentle with Reed and very protective of him. Tonight, I laid Reed on the couch after he fell asleep. Eli snuggled up next to him and went to sleep too. So sweet!!!

I love this pic....their profiles are so similar!

Ahhhh....Watermelon!

2011-06-02T21:29:00.000-07:00

It's officially summer! We enjoyed our first watermelon. Eating watermelon outside is a MUST for these boys, but it's ok because they LOVE to be outside. Kids eating watermelon make the cutest pictures! : )

Garden Update

2011-06-02T21:07:00.001-07:00

Having a garden has been so fun! We said from the beginning that this year was a learning year for us (although I bet we will be saying that for several years). And we have learned a lot!!! Like....

Don't pour an entire package of seeds in each row.....really.....one seed every 2-3 inches is plenty.
Cucumber plants are CRAZY!!! They grow and grow and grow. They wrap their little vines around things almost overnight. If your not careful, they will wrap a vine around you if you stand there for too long. ; )
Spacing is key!
Radishes are yummy....beans are yummy.....green onions are yummy

Eli and Chase with our first "harvest" of beans

Our first squash

Our squash plants have since died. Not sure what happened. I think they were just too crowded. I'm sad about it because I LOVE squash and was looking forward to having some yummy squash that we grew ourselves!

Eli picked a carrot to see how they are doing....looks like they are doing quite well. Can't wait to see how big they get. Not sure how to know when to pick them...I guess we'll have to figure that out. We actually ate this little carrot and it was pretty good.

Our green onion is so good....that sounds strange because it is just green onion, but these have a super strong flavor. The kids don't really care for them, but Hunter and I love them.

Last Day of Preschool

2011-06-02T20:29:00.000-07:00

May 18th was Eli's last day of preschool. I cannot believe he will be in Kindergarten next year! We are super proud of him and all he accomplished this year. He had lots of fun, had some wonderful teachers and made lots of new friends.

It seems like yesterday, when I took this picture and wrote about his first day of preschool. The school year goes so fast!! I wonder if school teachers feel the same way?!?!
Eli had five wonderful teachers this year. Granted this is my first experience with teachers, etc., but all of Eli's teachers seemed so loving and caring. We were really blessed. And, his music teacher happened to be one of my best friends in middle school....that was an extra treat. Eli loved hearing stories about me and Mrs. Robyn. Eli wanted to give each teacher a gift.....
....so we got them some personalized note cards from Amy Adele (love, love this website/store!) and a jar of M&M's with a sweet poem to go with it. We found the idea for the M&M's on the Mommy's Kitchen website (another website I LOVE). And Eli wrote cards for all the teachers....I actually wrote them, but he told me what to write. It was so cute and funny....he told one teacher that he hoped she could go to Hawaii or Arkansas this summer. : )
Eli also wanted to give something to everyone in his class....yikes! there were 24 kids in his class....but we were able to find a few goodies at Mardel and made little gift bags. It was fun and Eli did most of the assembling. : ) I love that Eli seems to have such a giving heart. He always wants to give to others. What a blessing!

A Milestone

2011-06-02T20:16:00.000-07:00

No pictures for this, but Chase reached a huge milestone. No Paci! Chaseman LOVED his paci, but now after 2 1/2 weeks it is just a memory. : (

I didn't set out with a goal of losing the paci, it just happened. I could not find it one day so he just did without. He didn't complain much so I decided to see what would happen at bedtime. He asked for it a couple of times, but no screaming or crying. Don't tell Chase, but if he did scream or cry, I would have found one....I was totally ok with him still using one and I wasn't going to let him get too upset over it. Anyway, first night was so easy. Then the easy just continued. He asked for it on occasion and at night he would get very close to me in bed and whisper, "Momma, I need something." : ) But he would just fall asleep. Now he doesn't even ask for it. I guess he was just ready.

I feel like we got lucky with Eli and Chase....both were SOOOO easy when giving up the paci. Next is learning to use the potty. : ) But let's let the paci thing settle in for a while and then we'll start on that! : )

Rangers

2011-06-02T20:10:00.000-07:00

Hunter recently took Eli and Chase to their first Texas Range.r game. Eli has been to many other pro sporting events, but this was a first for Chase. They had a wonderful time and ate TONS of food. I think that's why Eli loves to go to sporting events....the food. Hunter indulges them....popcorn, soft drinks, ice cream, hot dogs, the works! Chase said he had so much fun, but when I asked him who won, he looked at me like I was crazy. Not sure he really knew that he was at a game. : ) Probably just thought he was in junk food heaven ; )

What?!

2011-06-02T20:04:00.000-07:00

As a mom I occasionally, no often, hear myself say things and think to myself...did those words really just come out of my mouth. Here is an example....."Chase, stop trying to squeeze yourself into a plastic storage box." : )

My Boys

2011-05-14T12:52:00.000-07:00

Oh how I love these little guys!!!! : )

What?!

2011-05-14T12:47:00.000-07:00

Sometimes, there is no way to describe/explain pictures....

yes, that is Eli in a onsie....size 24 months!

Sleeping

2011-05-14T12:42:00.000-07:00

I love pictures of my kids sleeping. They always look so peaceful, sweet and quiet. : ) I recently saw some PJs for boys that said I'm Not Sleeping, I'm Recharging!....couldn't be more true for my sweet, loud boys! : )

Reed's Standing

2011-05-14T12:34:00.000-07:00

Reed has been pulling up for a while and now he is standing on his own. Won't be long until he is walking!! YIKES!!!!

My Quotable Kids

2011-05-14T12:14:00.000-07:00

Eli and Chase say the cutest, funniest and craziest things!!! Here are a few quotes lately......

As Eli was riding in the wagon early one morning, he saw the water droplets on the grass...aka the "sparklies". Eli: "Mom, I know why there are sparklies on the grass....Because God wanted the grass to be extra beautiful and full of diamonds for the people that wake up early in the morning."

Chase's version of John 14:6 "Jesus is the wave, truth and Father. No one come to the Father, except for me. John 14:6" : ) I have a video of Chase quoting this verse that I will post...it melts my heart!

Eli & Reed

2011-05-14T12:08:00.000-07:00

My sweet Eli and Reed.....they really love each other. Eli is such a great big brother and always tries to help and protect Reed. I can tell that Reed thinks the world of Eli and Chase. It is so amazing to see the love between brothers grow. I love having three boys....I hope they love each other and stay close their entire lives!!

Garden Update

2011-05-14T11:59:00.000-07:00

We are still having so much fun with our garden. Although, it is a little out of control....ok, ALOT out of control. But, this is a learning year for us. : ) So far, we've picked radishes and green onions. Our squash started growing, but have since shriveled up. According to sources I found on Google, they are not pollenating. I'm not 100% sure what that means, but I think they are just too crowded. Squash and cucumbers are HUGE plants (which obviously I did not know). They are growing like crazy and are smothering each other. I think I'm going to have to decide if we want squash or cucumbers and pick the others. I just hate picking some out, but if I don't I'm afraid we won't get either one.

The kids LOVE checking on the garden. I'm so proud of them and hope this is a learning experience for them. I love it too!

Mystery Solved!

2011-05-01T20:17:00.000-07:00

I displayed an Easter picture of each boy on a table in our unfurnished dining room. Sometime last week, Chase's picture disappeared. I asked Chase if he knew where it was and he said yes. However, getting information out of a two year old is not easy so I have not been able to locate the picture...until tonight. I found it in our bedroom displayed nicely next to a picture of my parents. I told Chase I found it and asked him why he moved the picture. He said, "Mom, I wanted to be next to Ga-Ga!" : ) Chaseman loves his Ga-Ga!!! : )

Easter 2011

2011-04-26T21:02:00.000-07:00

We had a very nice Easter weekend spending time with family and friends. I didn't take many pictures on Easter and I didn't get a family picture. I'm probably lucky to get these....we didn't have time to take pictures before church so I had to try really hard to make everyone leave their church clothes on long enough to get a couple of pictures once we got home. Seems like an easy task, but with three....no, four boys.....it's not that easy! ; )

I got Chase to take out his paci, but he was not so willing to set Bullseye and Rex aside for the picture.....so we either get a smiling Chase with Bullseye and Rex or a crying Chase....I went with smiling Chase. : )

Mommy & Reed....just up from a nap....no smiling!

This Little Light of Mine

2011-04-26T20:33:00.000-07:00

As a Mom, I have thoughts, hopes, dreams for my precious children; however, I know that I am not in control of their futures. All I can do is be the best Mom that I possibly can be and PRAY, PRAY, PRAY for them EVERY day. I pray every day that no matter what is going on in their lives, regardless of successes and failures, when things are going well and when things are really tough that Eli, Chase and Reed will always let their light shine for Jesus. There is a new song playing on the radio called This Little Light of Mine by Addison Road and I just LOVE it!! Eli and Chase enjoy hearing it too. I think it captures my prayer for their lives. The words are below. Let your light shine, sweet boys!!!!

There's a little flame inside us all
Some shine bright
Some shine small
The rains will come
And the waters rise
But don't you ever lose your light

In this life you will know
Love and pain
Joy and sorrow
So when it hurts
When times get hard
Don't forget whose child you are

This little light of mine
I'm gonna let it shine
This little light of mine
I'm gonna let it shine
Gonna let it shine

May you live each day
With no regret
Make the most of every chance you get
Let your eyes get wide
When you look at the stars
With the same sense of wonder as a child's heart

With the ones you love-

Treasure the time
And for those who are gone
Keep the memories alive

Hold on to your dreams
Don't you ever let go
There's a fire inside you
Burning with hope

This little light of mine
I'm gonna let it shine
This little light of mine
I'm gonna let it shine
Gonna let it shine

There will be days when you wanna give up
When the clouds settle in
But after the rain comes the sun
Don't you ever forget
Don't forget
Don't, don't forget

One day there will be no more pain
And we will finally see Jesus' face
So until then I'm gonna try
To brave the dark
And let my little light shine

This little light of mine
I'm gonna let it shine
This little light of mine
I'm gonna let it shine
Gonna let it shine

This little light of mine
I'm gonna let it shine
This little light of mine
I'm gonna let it shine

Gonna let it shine
Oh, shine
Gonna let it shine
There's a little light inside us all

Displaying Art / Playroom Decor

2011-04-24T19:42:00.001-07:00

I finally figured out a way to display the kid's art and decorate part of the playroom at the same time. I made a "picture line". Using a couple of drawer pulls, picture wire and clothes pins, I made a "picture line" in the playroom. Now we have a place to hang special pictures/art work. It was super easy to do and MUCH more cost effective than similar products that I've seen in catalogs.

This picture doesn't really do it justice, but you get the idea! ; )

Exploring

2011-04-24T19:35:00.000-07:00

Reed found a box of tissues that I left on the floor. I just LOVE watching babies exploring something new...especially a tissue box. Reed pulled one out....dropped it on the ground....and then looked amazed that there was another one to pull out. He kept pulling and pulling until the box was empty. Oh, if we only knew what was going through their minds when they do things like this!!

Easter Fun

2011-04-24T19:20:00.000-07:00

On Friday, our neighbors came over for lunch and an Easter egg hunt. It is so fun having friends that live so close.

Easter egg hunting in the back yard

Looking through the eggs....and eating TOO much sugar!!

Decorating Easter cookies

Resurrection Eggs

2011-04-20T17:31:00.000-07:00

Eli made Resurrection Eggs at Preschool. I thought this was such a great idea. Eli used the eggs and told me the true Easter story with only a little help.

Fill and empty egg carton with plastic easter eggs. Number the eggs 1 - 12 and fill each egg with the various items listed below while telling the Easter story.

Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey. The people waved palm branches. Matthew 21: 1-11. Fill egg with piece of palm branch.
Mary poured expensive perfume on Jesus' head. John 12: 2-8 Fill egg with perfume sample (cotton ball soaked in perfume)
Jesus shared the Last Supper with His disciples. Matthew 26: 17-19 Fill egg with craker
Judas betrayed Jesus for 30 pieces of silver. Matthew 27:3 Fill egg with silver coin (dime)
Jesus carried His own cross. John 19:17 Fill egg with cross
Soldiers placed a crown of thorns on Jesus' head. John 19:2 Fill egg with small thorn
Soldiers parted Jesus' garments and cast lots for His coat. John 19:23 Fill egg with piece of burlap
Jesus was nailed to a cross and pierced in His side. John 19:18, 37 & John 20: 25-29 Fill egg with nail
They gave Jesus vinegar mixed with gall on a sponge to drink. Matthew 27:34 Fill egg with small sponge
Spices to prepare Jesus for burial. John 19:40 Fill egg with clove
The stone covering Jesus' tomb was rolled away. John 20:1 Fill egg with small rock
He was not there. HE HAS RISEN!!!! John 20:6-7 Leave egg empty!

More!

2011-04-20T14:20:00.000-07:00

Reed loves his cheese/veggie puffs.......

.....and apparently Chase loves peas!!! Enough to "drink" them from the can!

The Play Room

2011-04-20T14:10:00.000-07:00

Ugh....the craziness that is our play room! Some days I go back there to clean it up and take one look and just turn around! It is clean occasionally, but only for a few minutes. Chase is in the "dumping" stage and Eli is still learning to pick up after himself.

Singin' and Dancin'

2011-04-20T14:04:00.000-07:00

The train table occasionally get used for trains, but more often for singing and dancing. : )

Rub-A-Dub-Dub...

2011-04-13T21:25:00.000-07:00

...three boys in the tub! Reed has graduated to the big bathtub, aka the hot tub (name given by Eli & Chase). Actually, it is just easier. Since Hunter is out of town during the week, I have to do what is easiest! So, I've started running just a little water and putting Reed in the bath at the beginning of Eli and Chase's bath. Then, I get Reed out and give E and C more water. E and C don't really like it when the water is not up to their necks! : )

Just Another Day in Paradise ; )

2011-04-13T21:22:00.000-07:00

Art Show

2011-04-13T21:09:00.000-07:00

Last Friday evening, Eli's preschool had an art show. We got to eat pizza, look at some of the wonderful art the kids made throughout the year and hear them perform some songs. We really had a great time. Eli really enjoys art and was so excited to have the whole family including Granny and Ga-Ga there to see everything.

Eli and Chase before the art show

Eli's "B"

Eli's hand crafted and hand painted fish

Eli and his beautiful painting

Eli's class made this special project that was part of the silent auction. It was so beautiful...it had a picture of everyone in his class and then the words "Hope", "Faith", and "Love" that the kids spelled out. Eli was part of the I in Faith. This picture went for over $400!!!

On the Move

2011-04-13T20:58:00.000-07:00

Reed has been on the move for a few weeks now. It's fun but challenging because he puts everything in his mouth. I can't even begin to list all the things I've fished out of his mouth, but here is a short list: toy story sticker, metal spring, hard piece of plastic, ball of fuzzy something, dirt, leaves, dirt, sticks, dirt, grass, etc. And, I vacuum the floor EVERY day (for the record, the dirt, leaves and sticks were outside!) ; )

Apples!

2011-04-13T20:53:00.000-07:00

Apples are a family favorite. Actually, when I start eating an apple, Reed always wants it! I've found that an apple fresh out of the fridge is great for teething. It really helped Chase when he was a baby and seems to do the same for Reed.

Waiting for Daddy

2011-04-06T07:51:00.000-07:00

Hunter has been working in Richmond, Virginia for several weeks, but this week he got an unexpected surprise.....Jury Duty!!! He was selected to sit on the jury, so Eli and Chase (and me and Reed) got an unexpected surprise....Daddy's home this week!!! About 5:00 every day, Eli and Chase get very excited about Daddy coming home. Yesterday the moved chairs by the front window and watched cars go by....looking for that one special car......Daddy's! : )

Graham Crackers, Cheerios and Messes...Oh My!!

2011-04-06T07:45:00.000-07:00

Reed loves finger food and table food now. In fact, he likes it so much he's started refusing baby food.

Dr. Eli

2011-04-06T07:42:00.001-07:00

Dr. Eli is at it again!! This time Minn.ie Mouse is the patient.

Pulling Up

2011-04-06T07:38:00.000-07:00

Two weeks ago, Reed started crawling. Now he is pulling up every chance he gets!! : )

Play & Picnic with Neighbors

2011-03-31T20:49:00.000-07:00

This morning we were playing outside with our neighbors and decided to have a little lunch picnic and enjoy the beautiful weather. The kids loved it and have been asking if we can have another picnic tomorrow.

I just love these two pictures....Chase and Jack look like they are in deep conversation

Reed enjoyed the picnic too....he ate strawberries! : )

Table Food

2011-03-31T19:50:00.001-07:00

Two weeks ago, Reed was not interested in table food at all. In fact, he wouldn't even put anything in his mouth (unless it was a non-food item...toy, paper, etc.). Now, it is the exact opposite!! He is eating everything in site and doing very well. We had breakfast food for supper last night and Reed tried eggs. He loved them. As he was eating them, I panicked for a minute....I'm not sure if you are supposed to give kids eggs before 12 months....oh well, he didn't have any kind of reaction so I guess it's fine. Now he has had most high allergy foods....wheat, eggs, and some dairy (although not milk of course). I haven't given him peanut butter to eat, but I rubbed it on his skin....apparently if kids are allergic to peanuts, a reaction will occur just from rubbing some on the skin. He did fine. A couple of my friends have children with food allergies which makes me sensitive to it.....can't be too careful.....reactions can be very serious!!

Oops....forgot his bib!! : )

And of course.....Eli and Chase enjoyed the breakfast food too.....and were being their normal silly selves!!! : )

Our Garden on Wednesday

2011-03-31T19:43:00.000-07:00

Reed's Monday

2011-03-28T19:59:00.000-07:00

Listening to Chase play the drums

A close-up....his tooth is finally big enough to see in pictures

Eating a pear.....or just gumming it to death : )

Crawling

2011-03-28T11:04:00.001-07:00

Last week (3.24), Reed officially started crawling. Now, he crawls all over the house. So guess what I do all day.....walk around the house picking up small toys, sweeping and vacuuming the floor. : ) Not really, but I feel like that's all I do sometimes. I can't believe my little Reed (aka wittle weed) is already crawling....this is going WAY too fast!

And.....look what he's doing now.....trying to pull up all the time!

Sleepy

2011-03-28T11:00:00.000-07:00

I could not resist taking this picture when I went to check on Reed this morning. It was one of those great but rare mornings when Reed sleeps in while I get Eli ready for preschool....breakfast, making lunch, dressed, etc.

A Day Out With Tho.mas

2011-03-26T20:52:00.000-07:00

Today we went to the "Day Out With Tho.mas" in Grapevine. We really had a good time. The kids played in bounce houses and slides, listened to story time and of course rode the Thomas train. While riding the train, Chase threw his paci out the window. I saw him do it and after he did, he acted so surprised that it was really gone. The remainder of the train ride, he just sat next to Hunter in disbelief that his paci was really gone. Thankfully, he did not scream and cry about it!!

Among all of the various tents and buildings with things to see and do, I was very pleased to see a tent for nursing moms...Gotta love nursing friendly places!!! : )

Thomas made from Leg.os

Before throwing the paci

Enjoying some Root Beer while waiting in line

"Pets"

2011-03-26T20:45:00.000-07:00

Eli and Chase found a few critters in the yard which they are calling their "new pets". Yikes! I don't really want a moth, spider and roly-poly for pets. We are making them keep the "pets" outside on the back porch because I do not want that spider to escape in the house!! I wonder how long this will last and what will the response be when the "pets" go to "pet heaven"? I bet we find out pretty soon! : )

Our Garden Today

2011-03-26T20:37:00.000-07:00

We were surprised to see several more sprouts this morning. Eli asked if we could watch the garden instead of sleeping tonight. I actually think that would be fun because so much seems to happen when we are sleeping! But I think we'll just sleep and enjoy the little surprises that we get each morning.

Our signs blew away so I don't really know what is coming up...makes it a little more fun. : )

Daddy Time

2011-03-24T19:44:00.000-07:00

I've come to realize that kids, especially boys, need "daddy time". Daddy time is very different than time with me. I really make an effort to play with my sweet boys but there is no substitute for daddy time!! When I play with the kids in the back yard, we often lay on a blanket and look at the clouds. We try to find pictures in the clouds and we tell stories about our pictures. We play Tag You're It, Leap Frog, Mother May I or Red Light/Green Light.

Oh, but when Daddy plays in the back yard, it is completely different. Actually, sometimes I try not to look. Tonight, Eli ran inside and said (as fast as he could possible speak)...."Mom, mom, Daddy tackled me, threw me on the ground, and then threw me in the air and I did a back flip!!" WHAT?!?! I had to see for myself.....and it was true!

Garden Update

2011-03-24T19:16:00.000-07:00

We have little sprouts! I think they are the radishes and beans, but I'm not sure. We had signs, but all the crazy wind we've been having blew our signs away. Eli was SO excited. He asked if we could pick the sprouts. I told him no and then explained (again) that the garden would soon be filled with plants. I continued to tell him that vegetables will grow and then we can eat the veggies. He was so amazed and excited....like he never really understood that until today. : ) As for Chase, it's all I can do to keep him from digging in the dirt. He has no clue what is going on! : )

Riding Trikes...

2011-03-24T19:08:00.001-07:00

....in the bathroom?! Oh yes, I got out of the shower this morning to find Eli and Chase riding their tricycles in the bathroom. Eli is a little big for a tricycle, but I was just glad he didn't bring his big bicycle in the house!!

The Arboretum

2011-03-22T21:09:00.001-07:00

We went to Dal.las Blooms at the arboretum today. When we go to the arboretum during the week, we always try to go on Monday or Tuesday because they have free kids activities on those days. It was a VERY windy day, but we still had a great time. I am so thankful that Eli and Chase (and Reed) enjoy doing things like this. While we were walking around, Eli said, "Mom, I like looking at all the flowers with you". My heart melted! I get frustrated with Eli and Chase at times because they are so loud and rowdy but beyond all their craziness are sweet boys that like to look at flowers with mom.....who could ask for anything better than that?!?!

On another note, while we were walking through the arboretum today, I heard SO many people make comments when we walked by like...."Wow, she's brave" or "She's got her hands full" or "Goodness, three boys!". I don't know why, but I get SO irritated when I hear comments like this!!! I want to say..."No, I'm not brave, I'm blessed" or "No, my hands are not full, but my heart is full of love for these boys" or "yes, three boys....I couldn't imagine it any other way and I love them dearly and wouldn't trade them for anything in the world!!" See....it irritates me! ; )

I didn't tell Eli to grab the flower....he did this big pose and told me to take a picture! : )

Chase got his face painted for the first time today. Eli wanted nothing to do with face paining until recently, but Chase just jumped right in today. Funny how kids can be raised so similar but have such different personalities when it comes to things like this! : )

The petting zoo....always a favorite!

They LOVED this goat! : )

My hopeless attempt to get a picture of all three boys next to flowers

A picnic....another favorite

And some beautiful, beautiful flowers!!!!

White Tulips....my favorite!!

Artwork

2011-03-22T20:43:00.000-07:00

I have been looking everywhere for pictures/art for the playroom, but haven't been able to find anything that I really like. I finally decided to let the kids paint pictures and use them to decorate the walls. I bought a white canvas and let them paint away. I think they turned out great!! I can't wait to find some frames and hang them in the playroom.

Chase's painting

Eli's painting

Vegetable Garden

2011-03-20T18:22:00.000-07:00

This year, we are trying to grow a vegetable garden. We are starting small with only one 4 x 4 raised bed and just a few veggies. Hopefully we will learn a lot and expand next year. Eli really enjoyed planting the seeds. About 2 hours after we planted them, he went to see if we had any veggies yet. : ) Can't wait to post garden updates! : )

Playing Outside....After Dark

2011-03-19T20:31:00.000-07:00

"Mom, can we go play outside?"

I hear this question at least 10 times a day. In fact, I think my boys would spend every minute of every day outside if they had it their way! And I'm convinced that boys were made to be outside. Keeping them inside too long seems like torture (for them and me!).

Tonight, they played outside for over an hour and it did not matter one bit that it was dark. In fact, I think they thought it was more fun. I did find myself telling them to be quiet or not yell so loud. I feel bad telling them to be quiet when we are outside, but I don't want to disturb our neighbors either! : ) I guess it's good that our next door neighbors are night owls.....they don't mind us being loud.....and sometimes they even join us! : )

Even though Chase is not looking at the camera, I love this picture. I love the way Reed has his arms wrapped around Chase's arms. : )

I love Reed's expressions....I think he knows that he has two CRAZY brothers!!

Chase's silly face that he makes EVERY time I ask him to smile

A couple of the multiple attempts to get a picture of me with all three boys. I don't know that I'll ever get a good picture of me and all three of them.....I guess this is a true picture of what life is like with three little boys!! CRAZY.....but I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world! : )

Home!

2011-03-19T20:23:00.000-07:00

Chase came home from the hospital yesterday!! We are so glad to have him home! He is feeling so much better and you would never even know that he was sick enough to be in the hospital. Just before discharge, he was given a pneumonia vaccine. Hopefully, it will help him avoid future hospital stays for pneumonia.

Hospital

2011-03-17T20:19:00.001-07:00

Chase was admitted to Children's Plano with pneumonia and some type of bacterial infection. This is his fourth time to have pneumonia in 13 months and his third time to be hospitalized for it. I really hope the doctors can figure out what is causing the chronic pneumonia so he is not in and out of the hospital his entire childhood. He is receiving IV antibiotics and after a few doses, he seems to be feeling much better.

I was really praying that we would make it a full year without a hospitalization for pneumonia, but we only made it nine months. I am very thankful for the nine months!! And again I am amazed when I think of how God's hand is in everything. Hunter has been working out of town, but this week he stayed in town due to some scheduled vacation. Reed recently started eating baby food so he is able to be away from me for longer periods of time (if necessary). Both of these things have made this hospitalization so much easier. Granted, it's not really the way that we planned to spend Spring Break and Hunter's vacation time, but it is all working out for the best! Proof once again that we really have little control over things......God is in control! How many times do I need this lesson?!? : )

Chase is feeling better and will most likely be released tomorrow! Love my Chaseman!!

Being silly for the camera

Hunter bought Eli and Chase HUGE lollipops from the gift shop....I always wondered who actually bought those things....now I know! : )

Silly boys.....

....no, SUPER silly boys!!

Goodness.....you can almost see all the way down Chase's throat! : )

Sickness

2011-03-16T08:43:00.000-07:00

Sickness has definitely hit our family. Eli came home with a cough last Monday and by Tuesday morning he had a pretty bad cough and cold. Early friday morning, Reed woke up with a 102-103 fever. At the doctor, his RSV test came back positive and his cough has continued since then. Last night, Chase woke up with a fever. He has been also been breathing very fast. I'll be taking him to the doctor this afternoon. I'm sure he has what Eli and Reed had, but with his fragile health, I have to have a doctor look at him if he is sick. I think this is actually the first fever he has ever had (except in the hospital after surgery). I'm praying that his O2 sat is over 92...if not, we'll be off to Children's. The good, no great, part of all of this is that Hunter is not traveling this week!

Paint

2011-03-13T10:38:00.000-07:00

Chase and Eli were playing in an empty lot near our house and apparently someone dumped some paint. And of course, Chase fell right in the paint and was covered! : )

Washing the Car

2011-03-13T10:35:00.000-07:00

RSV

2011-03-13T10:07:00.000-07:00

Reed woke up early Friday morning and had a fever of about 102 - 103 and was coughing. I took him to the doctor and his RSV culture came back positive. His fever only lasted about 8 hours, but his coughing has continued. We are giving him breathing treatments as needed and he is already so much better!! Luckily, we started treating him early on and it has not progressed. Hopefully he will be feeling even better in the next few days!

Reed just sits in my arms while he gets a breathing treatment. I am amazed that he doesn't fight it.

2 1/2

2011-03-13T09:53:00.001-07:00

Chase is 2 1/2!! I can't believe he is half way to three. This year is going so fast!! Chase is a sweet, sweet little boy that is learning more and more every day. At a recent trip to the doctor, he was 27 pounds. He loves to eat....some of his favorites are oatmeal, grapes, cheese, oranges, spaghetti and fish. He used to love milk, but now he requests water rather than milk. He will drink milk only about once a day now. Chase loves to play outside with friends and before we walk out the door to play, he always looks at me and says "play nice?!". Chase is starting to enjoy reading more. We got a new book called Shhhh......Everybody's Sleeping (thank you Aunt Lisa) and Chase loves it! Chase is super sweet to Reed and often just walks up to him and gives him a BIG hug. Chase and Eli play well together too and are always loud and crazy. Chase is a daredevil and will jump off of anything. If Hunter or I call Chase a funny name, he says..."No, name's Chase!" : )

We love you, Chase!!! Happy 2 1/2! : )

It's About Time

2011-03-08T16:47:00.001-08:00

After 6 1/2 months of living in this house, I FINALLY got the laundry room clean and organized. And yes, I am posting pictures because it might not ever look this way again! : )

And as any mom knows, while one room is being cleaned another mess is being made wherever the kids are! This time it was Reed and Chase looking through the DVDs. This mess was pretty easy to clean up and well worth a clean laundry room!

Silly Boy

2011-03-08T08:30:00.001-08:00