A Queen, her King and their two Princes

Buddies for Bastrop/Austin area

2011-09-08T13:58:00.000-07:00

As most of you know, most of south Texas seems to be on fire right now. So many families have lost their homes and everything else. I want to do my part to help, so I am collecting Scentsy Buddies. For just $27 you can *sponsor* a buddy. My goal is to collect 500 buddies and then I will drive them down to Austin/Bastrop area. I know we can't give those families their homes back, but we can give them a little piece of home. When I think of all those kids that have lost anything, it breaks my heart, cause I can just picture my kids going through that. Please share this with all your friends and family...I know that we can do this! It breaks my heart to see all these families with no place to go. If you want to sponsor a buddy, please send your payment to:
jessicahoisington@gmail.com with Paypal . Please just add a note saying it is for the Buddies for Bastrop/Austin Buddy Drive.

Edited to add our Facebook page with up to the date buddy counts!
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Buddies-for-BastropAustin-TX/112009985571510

Please leave a comment if you have any questions....we can do this!!

Happy Easter!

2011-04-24T19:46:00.000-07:00

This was our first Easter as a family of 5, and besides poor Avery having a fever of 102.6 all day, it was a fun day. Poor baby is cutting her top teeth. When I was getting her diaper changed I checked out her mouth and can see the one tooth cutting through, I hope it does it soon so she gets a break. The boys woke up to bunny poop in the house (colored mini marshmallows) and a full basket. Then they were off to hunt eggs, Avery got to play with the eggs the Easter Bunny left on her pottery barn anywhere chair. Then we were off to church, back home for naps and then off for another egg hunt at my parents. The kids were all spoiled by the ones that love them.
I know at times I wonder if they really understand the TRUE meaning of Easter...why we celebrate and that Easter is not all candy, bunnies and eggs. I am always asking Ethan was Easter is all about and he can tell me, but after asking Aiden I know we are doing something right. He was able to tell me the whole story of Jesus dying on the cross for us, going in a cave with a big stone in front of it, an angel moving the stone and then Jesus ROSE AGAIN! (He likes to yell this part). I was able to catch part of it on video and I know I will treasure it always. I leave you with this picture of our perfect (to uss) family picture from this afternoon. I love it because:
1. It was after church and the kids had food sitting on the table behind us that was just tempting them, but they let me go crazy and snap a few pics.
2. Did I mention it was after church? They were hyped up on candy from the morning and I didn't hear one complaint!
3. They are ALL looking at the camera! Do you understand what an EASTER MIRACLE this is? Ethan never looks at the camera! This was done on a self timer since we brought the camera to church and then forgot to have someone take a picture of us, so we set it up on the self timer, snapped 3 pics and picked the best out of them :)

30 Day Challenge: Day 3 My views on Drugs and Alcohol

2011-04-24T19:41:00.000-07:00

My view has drastically changed since I have gotten older. When I was younger, the *cool* thing to do was get trashed all the time, every weekend, all.the.time! It was crazy and I did a lot of stupid things, but now that I am older I see how stupid that was. I just don't have the desire to do that anymore. Yes, I will admit there are a few times when I have one glass of wine too many, or one more 7&7 than I should have, but it is nothing compared to days gone by.
As for drugs, never tried them and have never had a desire to. I don't get it. That's about all I will say about that :)

30 Day Challenge: Day 2 Where I would like to be in 10 yrs.

2011-04-22T20:02:00.000-07:00

Let's see, in 10 yrs I will be 42. HOLY CRAP! I am going to be old! Seeing that number on paper is kinda freaky!
Okay, so in 10 yrs we will have a 16yr old, a 13 yr old and an almost 11 yr old. Wow.

I hope to have sold the current house we are in and move closer in to DFW. It would make commutes much easier on Seth and give him that much more time with us. I am selfish and want him home with us more than time on the road commuting.

I hope to still have a wonderful relationship with my kids, one that they also want to *keep up*. I love that Ethan is always wanting me around him right now at school and up at the theater. I pray it stays that way and he sets a good example for the other two littles :)

I hope to have traveled more, I would love to take the kids out of the country, expose them more than what the US has to offer.

I hope to have a few more things accomplished, but those are private for now :)

30 Day Challenge: Day 1 My Current Relationship

2011-04-20T13:41:00.000-07:00

My current relationship is: happily married for almost 9 yrs now (June 15, 2002) and together for almost 13 yrs (July 23, 1998). Honestly I cannot imagine my life without the man. I thank God that I was lucky enough to meet him and have him choose me to spend the rest of his life with.

We met on the dance floor at Blue Planet night club in Dallas, and the rest is history!
I just knew from the night I met him that he was the one for me. We have had our ups & downs, what couple hasn't, but 99% of the time, life rocks!
We have been blessed with three beautiful children and watching him turn from single guy, into devoted boyfriend, into a sweet fiancé, into a strong husband and now into a loving father just makes me love him that much more!
Sorry, I promise the rest of these won't be as mushy :)

Maybe this will help?

2011-04-20T13:30:00.000-07:00

I am stealing this idea from my friend Kelsey, I need something to kick my booty back into blogging, I hope this will do it! I can't promise that I am going to blog for 30 days in a row...but I can try. After all, I think 99% of the people that read this are all my family members down here in Texas and in Michigan :)

Goals for 2011

2011-01-03T14:47:00.000-08:00

Goals for 2011

1. Read 100 books

2. Drink nothing but water for 2 weeks

3. Stay off the computer more in the evenings when the kids are awake

4. Learn a new hobby and or craft

5. RUN an entire 5k, like not walk one time

6. Run a 10k

7. 2011 3P Challenge Paddle, Pound, Pedal

8. Keep the house in a picked up state where I won’t panic if someone stops by unexpectedly

9. Go to bed with a clean kitchen sink nightly

10. Wake up at 6:30 on school mornings so I won’t rush around

11. Stop trying to make others happy, just worry about myself and my family

12. Make a housecleaning schedule, and stick to it!!

13. Once I start a load of laundry, follow through. Wash, dry, fold and PUT AWAY. That last part is my nemesis!

14. Go eat REAL sushi, like the raw stuff, not the smoked/cooked stuff

15. Work out 5 days a week

16. Be a healthy weight

17. Try a new recipe once a week

18. Go on a date once a month with Seth

19. Have quiet time every day, be it 5 minutes or 45 minutes….

20. Read the bible with the kids on a daily basis

21. Organize the house so everything has a place. If it doesn’t have a place, out it goes.

22. Volunteer

23. Become a Director with Scentsy

24. Go to bed by 10:30 on school nights

25. Wash my face every night before going to bed

26. Give blood at least twice

27. Go on a family camping trip

28. Cook a gourmet 4 course meal for us and another couple

29. Let loose and play with the kids more, be a kid myself!

30. Worry less about what others think or perceive about me

31. Meal plan and have dinner started/ready when Seth gets home from work

32. Go to the dentist twice this year

33. Nurse Avery till her 1yr birthday

34. Order pictures starting from my pregnancy with Aiden from BluDoor

35. Decorate the living room

36. Finish the kitchen *renovations*

37. Sew kitchen drapes

38. Make picture books of the kids pictures, starting from when Ethan was born

39. Sell/give away the kids clothes they have outgrown

40. Private J

Almost a year with no blogging!?!?!

2011-01-03T14:39:00.001-08:00

I can't believe it has been since March since I blogged...I guess being pregnant with my third child and then having her and two crazy boys running around will take up that time...
:)
One of my *goals* this year is to blog more, I figure if I blog at least once a month I will be golden! This is mainly for my family and myself to remember things...I have about 10 posts I have started and plan to back date, beginning with Avery Lynn's birth story, but first to post about my goals for this year :)

Let them eat CAKE!

2010-03-16T21:35:00.001-07:00

This past Sunday a few friends of mine and I got together and had the best party ever, a cake party!!
The idea got thrown out there a few days prior when someone mentioned having cake for breakfast. Over 60+ replies later to her status, the cake party idea was born. We ended up having 5 people there and the cakes were sooo yummy!! We had a Black Russian cake, a Butter Brickle cake, Coconut Layer cake, Strawberry layer cake and I made a Lemonade Layer cake.
After we started to come out of our sugar coma, we have decided that it is now going to be a once a month thing, with a different dessert every month. Pies, cookies, ice creams, candies, trifles, etc. You get the point! I can't wait to see what we do next month. It was so much fun to just sit around and talk with everyone. We were there over 3 hours and didn't even realize it, oops!
Here is my recipe that I used and will be making a lot more I can tell, I loved it! When Ethan got a piece later on he said it was lemonicious!

Lemonade Layer Cake

Cake:
1 1/3 cups granulated sugar
6 tablespoons butter, softened
1 tablespoon grated lemon rind
3 tablespoons thawed lemonade concentrate
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 large eggs
2 large egg whites
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/4 cups fat-free buttermilk (I couldn't find FF so I used regular and it was fine)
Cooking spray

Frosting:
2 tablespoons butter, softened
2 teaspoons grated lemon rind
2 teaspoons thawed lemonade concentrate
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
8 ounces 1/3-less-fat cream cheese
3 1/2 cups powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350°.

To prepare cake, place first 5 ingredients in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until well blended (about 5 minutes). Add eggs and egg whites, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda; stir well with a whisk. Add flour mixture and buttermilk alternately to sugar mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture; beat well after each addition.

Pour batter into 2 (9-inch) round cake pans coated with cooking spray; sharply tap pans once on counter to remove air bubbles. Bake at 350° for 20 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans 10 minutes on a wire rack; remove from pans. Cool completely on wire rack.

To prepare frosting, place 2 tablespoons butter and the next 4 ingredients (2 tablespoons butter through cream cheese) in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at high speed until fluffy. Add powdered sugar, and beat at low speed just until blended (do not overbeat). Chill 1 hour.

Place 1 cake layer on a plate; spread with 1/2 cup frosting. Top with remaining cake layer. Spread remaining frosting over top and sides of cake. Store cake loosely covered in the refrigerator.

So tired...

2010-03-12T09:03:00.000-08:00

I am not even sure if I am going to publish this post, I think I just need to write it all out...to get it off my chest.
I was talking with a really great friend lately, telling her about some of the stuff I have been going through, etc and getting her feedback. I love her cause she will tell me the TRUTH! She won't bullshit with me, which I love about her. If she is mad at me, has a problem, or feels the need to call me out about something, she will! I need more of her in my life I have decided!!
Anyways...
The past year and a half has been crazy, and after talking to her, seems like most of it was all caused by things I did, and not necessarily on purpose, but regardless.
I had a really crappy time in middle school and high school. I know it was mostly because I was super shy and quiet which translated to snobby and unwilling to talk to people. I had a great group of people in my cosmetology class that I bonded with in 11th & 12th grade that really helped. But even then, some of them I never really fit in with. I am not saying this in a pity post, just telling some past.
So after I had Ethan I met a few girls on a board and became friends with them. Then the group split, I was in the middle, Swiss you could say. I hated that and felt I needed to "play both sides", so I would say one thing to one group, yet a completely different thing to the other group, trying to make everyone happy and fit in with everyone.
For as long as I can remember I have wanted to fit in, no matter what, and it never worked. Yet here I was, with a bunch of friends, saying and doing whatever I needed to to fit in. Was I lying? At that time, I honestly didn't think it was lying, I was just "bending the truth" right? Yeah, not so much. As my friend so nicely put it, lying is lying, no matter your intention behind it. Wow, she is right.
As time went on, things really changed and I felt like I needed to do more to fit it, I didn't want to lose my friends, and I was going to do whatever I needed to to fit in. There started the problem. I lost a lot of friends, and it was all my fault. I know there is nothing I can do about it, I was the one who messed it up, and now I have to deal with that. The only thing I can do is say I am sorry and that I am trying to just be ME now, which I know some people may not like, but man will it be a lot easier on me. Do I email everyone I know I hurt, angered, pissed off and tell them I am sorry? Heck at this point I have lost count. I'm sure there are people that aren't too thrilled with me, but will they actually tell me? I hope so, I really do hate who I *was*.
I have been doing an awesome bible study the last few weeks and it is really opening up my eyes. I know that I need to be happy with myself and the life I have right now and I really am working on that. My poor husband has had to deal with me being constantly worried about what other people are thinking about me, if people are looking, etc. I was at a point where I could only have fun and be myself around people if I had a few drinks to loosen up. That provided it's own set of problems, who knows what I would say when I was drinking?
Now I am rambling. The whole point of this post is that I have been a really crappy friend and person to be around the last few years and for that I am truly sorry. If I hurt you, I am sorry. If I lied to you, I am sorry. If I was fake around you, I am sorry. I am sorry for everything I have done. I know these are just words, but they are truly coming from my heart.
I hope this post doesn't upset anyone with me, but I feel like I needed to post this.
My goal this year is learn to be me, and believe me, that is truly a learning process for me. I have a long way to go...

Easter is springing up in our house!

2010-03-09T18:48:00.000-08:00

Ethan decided today that we needed to start decorating for Easter. We got our tub out of the storage area and started pulling stuff out. I pulled out the boys two new Easter baskets that I bought for them last year:
Then once I started pulling everything else out, I noticed this basket, once I bought about 4-5 yrs ago at Target when they put all the Easter stuff on 90% off...I think I paid about $2 maybe for it. It is a perfect match to the boys...looks like Avery has an Easter basket already! Guess I was always meant to have a little girl huh? :)

Ethan=speechless mommy

2010-03-01T14:57:00.000-08:00

So, Ethan may/may not have broken one of our Wii-motes from fooling around. I told him if it was broken, we were taking some of his money in his fun spending account to replace it. He looked at me and with a little *attitude* told me
"It was NOT GOING TO HAPPEN! That money is being saved so I can buy you something pretty...don't you want pretty & nice things mommy? So thats why I get to keep my money...cause otherwise you get nothing and then you will be sad and you don't want to be sad do you mommy?

::insert eye roll from mommy off to the side::

What do you say to that?

Girl=shopping...right?

2010-02-17T18:59:00.000-08:00

Since we are having a girl, the nursery is getting an overhaul. :) Here is what it currently looks like:

(look at how little Ethan was! This was right after Aiden was born)

Here is the new bedding we are going to order:

Since we have that green on the bottom of the chair rail currently, we are going to keep it and paint it pink above, and do something like this possibly, I have a few different paisley stencils already:
Here is the new car seat we grandma & papa are buying her:

And here is her first official outfit:

It's a GIRL!!

2010-02-17T18:42:00.000-08:00

We found out last week that baby #3 will be our little Avery Lynn. We had both felt from the beginning of this pregnancy that it was a girl, but neither one of us wanted to say anything. :) When we went in for our sonogram, we brought both the boys with us and they were both enthralled with the baby up on the big screen. She did all her measurements first and every time she moved between the legs I was looking and I never saw a penis...then she asked if we wanted to know and what our guess was. We all said girl, and I mentioned that I never saw anything, and she said yep, it's a girl! I immediately started to cry. Poor Aiden was sitting in Seth's lap and was right next to my head and he turned on the sad lips and started to whimper a little bit. Once I smiled at him and told him I was all right he was all smiles again.
I think I am still in shock...I am so excited...yet I am scared. I have only ever dealt with boys...this is a whole new ball game for me...

Aiden's photoshoot

2010-02-09T21:48:00.000-08:00

We got Aiden's headshot taken for his birthday and they refuse to let me just take the one picture, even though I tell them from the begining I am just there for my free 8x10, it will take a minute of their time, blah blah blah.
This girl got some really cute shots, and even though she was REALLY pushing the extra prints and picture club on me, I stayed strong and just got my free one...oh, and this full size Mr GQ picture of Aiden...soooo adorable!!
She also got a few cute sports pictures, which I promptly got off the website. They are small, but I can print them off as a 4x6, so I am going to print these for his new sports room

Aiden turns 2

2010-01-17T19:48:00.000-08:00

**This post is way overdue!!**
Aiden turned 2 on Jan 17. He is so much fun right now! My mom and dad gave him the nickname Mr Destructo when he was little and boy does it describe him! He is truly a rough and tumble little boy in every aspect. He loves sports, any sport! Baseball, basketball, football, hockey....the minute he sees a ball he is screaming and running towards it to play. He loves his big brother "EE" and really looks up to him. I love to see them playing together at the park or in our gameroom. It melts my heart when I see them holding hands walking into school or into church.
Aiden,
You are such a sweet and caring boy, you love to give hugs and kisses and when you hear someone crying, even if you don't know them, you want to go give them a hug. You are an awesome little brother and I know when the baby comes you are going to be a wonderful big brother!!
I love you!
Mommy

Aiden about 2 minutes old

Aiden 1yr

Aiden 2yrs

Aiden says "fox"

2010-01-10T15:56:00.000-08:00

Aiden was watching tv the other morning before his party and Seth mentioned to me that Aiden was saying something questionable. We tried to figure out what he meant but had no idea. Then last night we went to our friends house and Whitney mentioned that it was probably fox. So tonight I asked him to say fox, and yep, that was it! :)

Aiden surgery Update

2010-01-06T11:45:00.000-08:00

We went to a new Dr yesterday, LOVED him! He had Aiden's ears tested (he has lost hearing in the ear that the tube fell out of but they think it will all come back with new tubes). They are replacing both since the other one is about to come out as well. He also agrees with removing the adenoids, but only after doing a bunch of testing that the other Dr never bothered with. I love the new place cause they are a whole pediatric medical center, they do 95% of the surgeries downstairs in the surgical center and use pedi anesthesiologists.
His surgery is scheduled for next Tuesday morning, we will know the exact time the night before, since they schedule the surgeries according to age, youngest go first since you can't eat or drink beforehand...
I am so happy that we are doing this before we go out of town for our cruise...it would not be fun to have a sick kiddo in the middle of the ocean!!

I will never understand his mind...

2010-01-05T20:02:00.000-08:00

So tonight I let Ethan stay up to watch Biggest Loser with me tonight. Daddy had to work late so he was not happy...So we both got snuggled up in our snuggies and settled in. He kept asking me about WHY their tummies were so big, etc. I took that moment to tell him it was because they don't eat vegetables, fruit or meat (everything he has decided to NOT eat). He looked at me and said, I don't want to look like that mommy!! Maybe that will help change his eating habits??
Then at the end, we are watching each team weigh in, with Ethan clapping at the end of each weigh in with everyone else. Then Ethan stopped, looked up and me and asked my WHY the girls were showing us their bra's. I was about to explain to him that the boys and girls take off their shirts for the weigh in, but only girls wear bras (even though some of those boys could have used some as well!!) But before I could say that, he said "Never mind, I know why. It's because they have long nipples that will fart if they come out of the bra"
WHAT??!!
I have no idea where that idea came from, but it made me bite my lip and turn my head away so he wouldn't see me laughing!
I don't get the boy brain...

Ethan thru the years...

2010-01-04T19:37:00.000-08:00

It is amazing to me how much he has grown and matured through out the years...I feel so blessed to be his mommy and I thank God on a daily basis that he allows me to stay at home and see his grow up. There have been times I thought about going to work full time, but then I think about all that I would miss and I know that it would kill me...
Thank you Ethan, for being such an *awesome* little boy, a wonderful big brother and I just know you are going to rock as an even BIGGER big brother in a few months...you are so special to me and I cannot imagine my life without you...
Love,
Mommy

5 years ago tonight...

2010-01-03T18:43:00.001-08:00

I was in labor at Denton Regional Medical Center...the following is Seth's version of Ethan's birth that he wrote up the day after Ethan was born. I still love to read this through his words...hope you enjoy

Here is the time table as best as I can remember it:

Monday	11:18am	I get a call at work from Jessica's Spa telling me that she has gone into labor. Jessica's friend, who is a massage therapist, was pushing on some points that are supposed to induce labor... Well, it works. - I drove straight home to get the additional items, not in Jessica's car.
	12:25pm	I get home and gather the car seat, Ipod, etc.. and the spa calls and tells me that her labor has progressed quicker than expected, so I call Jessica's mom who was near by to pick her up from the spa and drive her home. (Contractions were still 10minutes apart, just more intense)
	1:00pm	Jessica's mom gets to the spa and prepares Jessica for her road trip, which was still supposed to be home at this time since the contractions were closer but not close enough to go to the hospital. (I get some Subway for Lunch.)
	1:25pm	Jessica and her mom leave the hospital and Jessica's contractions are now 4-5 minutes apart, so we change plans and decide to meet at the Hospital. I call the doctors office to inform them and head up to the DRMC with items in the van.
	2:00pm	Jessica arrives and I escort her to the labor and delivery floor and they check us into room 3 and begin to hook up the monitors. Her contractions decide to fizzle during this process and end up at 10 minutes apart so she is ordered to walk around for an hour.
	3:00pm	Tired from walking, we return to the room and they hook her back up to the monitors. Her contractions are now back to about 5 minutes apart. At this point it is decided that instead of sending her home, they will just bump up our schedule since we were supposed to check in at 8pm that night for inducement. So an order is placed for some Cervidil.
	4:00pm	The Cervidil is applied and Jessica is determined to be at 1cm at that time. Cervidil softens the cervix, but also has a tendency to induce labor as well. After it is applied, we see Jessica's contractions get closer and longer and her friend from the spa shows up to coach her and massage her pressure points during this time.
	10:00pm	We all get our hopes up because Jessica's contractions are 7 minutes long and about 1 minute apart, so we ask the nurses if they can check her. They measure her at only 2cm and barely that. The pitocin is scheduled to begin at Midnight, so we help Jessica though these contractions and they also allow her to take a hot shower to help cope with the pain.
	12:00pm	Jessica is measured at 2.5 cm and the Pitocin is administered. You have to measure at 4 cm before they can administer the Epidural. With Pitocin, you barely get any rest between contractions and they come fast and hard. For the next 2 hours, Jessica goes through the worst exercise of an onslaught of contractions. Jessica's mom and myself help her though the contractions and her dad charts them, since our TOCO monitor (supposed to monitor contractions) wasn't working properly.
Tuesday	2:00am	Jessica is measured at 5 cm (Hallelujah chorus can be heard) so the epidural is ordered. The person who administers it, is on call (not on site) and arrives 45 minutes later with his cart of goodies. Jessica looks at him and says "I love you" before going into another contraction.
	3:00am	The epidural is finally hooked up and Jessica is measured at 8cm. We now help Jessica through a couple more contractions as the epidural kicks in and finally we decide that we can get some sleep.
	4:00am	Jessica finally falls asleep. I got the benefit of sleeping on a pull out cot that was equivalent to a napkin on top of monkey bars.
	6:30am	All the nurses come in to check vitals, tell us that our Doctor will be there at 7:30 to check for dilation and possibly break Jessica's water.
	7:45am	Dr Reeves, checks Jessica at a 9.5cm and breaks her water. We then get to wait for Jessica to reach 10cm which happens at 8:30am.
	8:30am	The nurse checks Jessica, and she is at 10cm, so they begin to have Jessica push little Ethan down. The next three hours are a physical and emotional trial that makes it hard to believe that people have kids anymore. I watched my wife push so hard that veins would pop out of her forehead and eyelids and she even popped some vessels in her eyes. I gained a huge amount of respect for her that day. I think every husband should be by his wife's side through this process. I now understand what it takes for a child to be born and I understand that a mother will do everything it takes for her child.
	11:25am	They only allow you 3 hours of pushing before they resort to forceps and at 5 minutes till that threshold in our case, little Ethan came into this world as Jessica's mother and I watched him take his first breath through our tears of joy. The nurses then placed him on Jessica's chest as I cut the umbilical cord. As Jessica welcomed him, you could see his eyes looking for his mothers voice that he has heard for the last 9-10 months.
Thursday	2:00pm	We finally check out of the hospital which was a shame since the food was so great. They ended up keeping us the extra day, so they could monitor Jessica's healing since she had a 3rd degree tear. (Most women only suffer a first degree, but Jessica is an overachiever) We packed up everything and drove home to begin our new life together as a family. We have learned so much these last couple of days and we will continue to learn as his and our lives progress. We want to thank all of our family, friends and God, as none of this would have been possible with out everyone's help, support and prayers. I will be putting together a video, so check back in a couple of weeks to see if I have it done. I will also be adding more pictures soon.

Happy New Year!

2009-12-31T12:01:00.000-08:00

Ethan right before he turned 1, awwww!

We are planning on ringing in the new year right here at home, with a few friends and the Wii. :)
I hope you and yours have a great night tonight, whether it be out with friends or hanging out at home. See you next year....

Surgery for Aiden....again!

2009-12-29T15:06:00.000-08:00

Just got back from the Dr...he has to have his one tube put back in and while they are in there they are going to remove his adenoids. He just finished up a 10 day antibiotic for his double ear infection and when he was looking in there today he already had a ton of fluid build up and will probably turn into an ear infection with in a week or so. UGH!!
But at least this will help him out in the long run right? He is refusing to eat lately and would rather just drink his meals, the Dr said it is probably because it is so swollen that food hurts going down, while milk, yogurt and applesauce feel good.
I know that this is just routine surgery, but it still sucks to see your little one wheeled off for surgery. Last time he was too little to really understand what was going on, he wasn't even 1 yet, but this time he will.
I have decided that I am going to take him in for a second opinion at a pedi ENT, while I like our current Dr, the wait time is ridiculous! We waited today for over 35 min and there was no one else in the office. The parking lot was empty and so was the waiting room. The last two times before we waited over an hour. I understand sometimes people run behind, but this is consistent. I found a pedi ENT, with offices in Plano and Dallas, and they are all set up for kids, so if there is a wait, it shouldn't be too bad. At our current Dr there are usually about 5 older people there with hearing aids that do not like to hear kids laugh and screech :) Aiden was happy the whole time today, but he was happy while dancing, singing etc...
Fingers crossed that our second opinion appt goes well...and if you have a great Dr to rec, please leave me a comment or email me!

Our Green Christmas card

2009-12-22T21:13:00.001-08:00

Merry Christmas from our family to yours...

Birthday party time!

2009-12-22T13:47:00.000-08:00

So with the boys party being right after Christmas, I have to be on the ball and get invites done and out early, like before Christmas break if I want them to hand them out to friends at school. So when I got them done a whole week before school let out I was feeling so good. The invites are below, do you happen to notice anything important missing?

Yeah, the date might help huh? Sat morning I got a call from one of the little girls mom's at school asking what the date was...OMG! I ran to the stack I was about to mail out, ripped one open and yep, there is no date! After all the spell checks, and proofreading...I still screwed them up! Now now I am going through with a fine point sharpie and writing in the date...ahhhh

So when you get your invite and it looks like it was opened and then resealed, it has been. :)

It has been on of those weeks...

2009-12-21T10:59:00.000-08:00

Last Monday I took Aiden into the Dr. He had these bumps on his elbows that were starting to bother him and I didn't know what to do. I talked to my SIl for a bit about them and she thought it was eczema. We went to the Dr and yep, thats what it was. Got a steroid cream, told to use a different bath soup and slather him down with Cetephil lotion. No big deal right? Well on Thursday he started running a fever that afternoon, and by the next morning he was kinda out of it, but back to his normal self. I headed out to help a friend out who works for a women's shelter and mom watched the boys. Aiden woke up from that nap with a raging fever and the rash had spread to his arms, legs, armpits and torso. So I called the Dr and they squeezed us in at 4:45! After looking at the new bumps, he was diagnose with molluscum contagiosum AND a double ear infection. Yes, this makes 3 ear infections in the last month or so, looks like we are going to have a tube put back in the one ear.
Thinking we finally got this under control with the two prescriptions we now have, we went home and got ready for the weekend. That night starts the coughing...it was almost bark sounding. So I thought croup right away, Seth sat with him outside in the night air, that helped for a few minutes. Then we tried the steamy bathroom, no help. We turned on his humidifier and hoped for the best. It didn't help at all, in fact we were up all night with him, he couldn't sleep cause he couldn't stop coughing...it was a rough night...and it continued all weekend. :(
We went back to the dr today, they diagnosed him with walking pneumonia. So we are home now with two more prescriptions, a z-pack and a cough medicine. He is actually sleeping right now, and I have only heard him cough once...I just pray that this works and he gets better...Ethan ran a fever this morning and they checked him out for me while I was there with Aiden, no meds except Tylenol and REST....I don't want sick boys for Christmas!!

Poor Aiden!

2009-12-11T06:49:00.000-08:00

So late last night, we heard Aiden stirring around in his bed so we turned on the TV to see how he was doing. He looked like he was still asleep, but he was all tngled up in his blankets, so Seth went up to get him straigtened out. As he was doing it Aiden woke up a little more and decided to try and sit up, sorta. He managed to do a face plant into the side guard rail that keeps him in the bed. I ran up to help, he was screaming! Seth got him some tylenol and I rocked him for a while till he calmed down, looked at me and said "bed?"
So he walked over, climbed in and was asleep before I could even leave the room.
I felt horrible for him, I kept checking on him all night, to make sure he was fine. I never saw a bruise on his forehead so I thought we were in the clear.
So this morning when he got up and I went up there, I felt to bad when I saw him, with a huge swollen eye lid that is black and blue with a bit of red! Poor guy smashed his EYE last night...no wonder he cried for so long.

This was the best I could do at taking a pic!

So bad at this...

2009-12-11T06:46:00.001-08:00

I always think I am going to start being better at blogging, but then life happens, I get tired, things need to be cleaned, laundry needs to be washed, folded and put away, and after all that all I want to do is veg out!
BUT, I am getting emails, calls and texts from family, asking me if I gave up on my blog or what...so I am going to make an effort to post at least 2x a week...we will see! :)

Movie afternoon with Ethan

2009-10-09T13:32:00.000-07:00

This afternoon was the perfect weather to cuddle up on the couch with Ethan and watch a movie. I got out an old favorite of mine when I was little, Bedknobs & Broomsticks. Ethan loved it and about 30 minutes into the movie he looked at me with this loving look and said: MOMMY! My Michigan grandma is a movie star!! She looks beautiful!!
Here is a picture from last month with my beautiful grandma:

And here she is starring in her role:

Here comes Baby Hoisington #3!

2009-10-08T15:15:00.000-07:00

Here is a link to the video that we used to tell my parents!

Ethan and the camera

2009-09-22T21:14:00.000-07:00

Ethan loves to take pictures, loves.
Whenever he sees our camera he will grab it and snap some pictures, here is one he took of himself tonight, I love it!

Where has my little baby gone?

FINALLY!!

2009-08-17T20:31:00.000-07:00

I saw this cute idea for *family rules* a while back and I got inspired. I went out and bought a canvas at Michaels with a 50% coupon. I also got put in touch with Nancy at "A" City Stickers. She was wonderful to work with and very prompt in replying back to my emails. She had the vinyl printed and mailed out to me in a matter of days. I however am just getting around to finishing my project! :)
Here it is:

I love it Nancy! Thanks so much!!

Blue & Brown Swap

2009-08-17T20:05:00.000-07:00

I got the chance to participate in my first color swap and I am so glad I did! My partner ended up being Sarah with Blue Castle, the lovely lady in charge of the swap! YIKES!! Not only was it my first swap, but I had to swap with the head lady, talk about intimidating.
First up, what I sent her (I forgot to take a picture, newbie mistake, so i stole this picture from Sarah's blog):
A cute ice cream bowl, new spoon and matching glass for her to relax with coffee slushie. I also got her the new Martha magazine to read up and get some inspiration from. I also grabbed this super cute tin, with a sweet bird on it and underneath my little note to her it read Family. Oh, and the linen diffuser and hand lotion just completed her *relaxation box*

Next up, my WONDERFUL box!! I was so excited to see this super cute box in my mail, I would have never thought to use one of the many photo boxes I sent off to Goodwill for mailing! Doh!
Then all my new goodies!

She got me two new knitted dishcloths, funny thing is, they match my newly painted kitchen EXACTLY! How did you know Sarah?!? :) I also got this wonderful pin that she made, a cute notepad that fits perfectly in my purse and cute hankie. She also got me a copy of one of her favorite books (I just started it, love it so far!) Plus the cute iced tea glass, or on those long hard days, a wine glass. :)

Thanks so much for hosting this Sarah, I had so much fun!

Back home...

2009-07-20T12:35:00.000-07:00

We are back in town from our wonderful trip. Since getting home I have tried to blog about a million times and things keep getting in the way. But since I have my mom over here right now to help with the kids, more about that later on, I am going to take advantage of it and get these blogs cranked out!

We are OUTTA here!!

2009-06-27T03:18:00.000-07:00

About to go wake up the boys to leave, so far we are on time, I wonder how the day will end. Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers, both for driving and my sanity!!
:)
I will try to update during the vacation, but while we are at my aunt's lake house, I'm not sure of the reception we get...so it may be random!
Bye Y'all!

The boys are ready!

2009-06-25T21:44:00.001-07:00

I have both their bags packed, a huge bag of snacks, another of new toys, games etc and a movie system. Our DVD player broke about a week ago, perfect timing as usual! So my wonderfully, smart and nerdy husband was able to work it out and we didn't have to buy anything. Ethan has the extra laptop in the case in front of his seat and he knows how to start all the different movies up and whatever he has on his laptop plays on Aiden's. The sound is wired into the car, so I can turn it up and turn the front speakers off.
We test drove it tonight on our way to dinner, it was a hit. All I heard were giggles at the movie every once in awhile...lets hope it stays like that!
How many other 17month olds do you know that have their own rear facing monitor? :)
Don't worry, that thing is so strapped in there that I am not even sure we can remove it without breaking something.

All my bags are packed, I'm ready to go...

2009-06-24T20:57:00.000-07:00

Or maybe not...
We leave for our 3 week road trip on Saturday and want to know how much I have packed? Um, nothing. Yep, not a darn thing! I have a list of what I need to pack, the boys laundry is all washed and is sitting on the couch next to me, but that is as far as I have gotten! I need to just do it tomorrow, cause otherwise I am going to be freaking out on Friday. Here's hoping that Aiden takes two great naps tomorrow....

Oh, and any and all prayers, well wishes, driving dances, etc would be appreciated. I am taking the boys by MYSELF for the trip.
Seth has some weddings and obviously cannot take that much time off work, but since I want to see my WONDERFUL sister Kirsten and my party aunt in Michigan, it's worth the drive to me....now lets just hope we survive it!!

Movin' to the country, gonna eat a lot of peaches...

2009-06-18T20:06:00.000-07:00

I LOVE PEACHES!! There I said it, out loud! But I have to clarify, I love peaches, but I REALLY love FRESH peaches. Like, go pick them yourself fresh peaches. I may or may not have had a hormonal incident on Girl Trip 08 with peaches and a crazy driver (shut up Dianthe and Erin)
So when I saw that a peach farm near me was about to open for the season, I decided that the boys and I would be going up there on opening day. My parents decided to tag along with us, so we met them at Starbucks this morning at 8:30 and we were off! After getting a little turned around we made it. It was so much fun! I love finding new things for the boys and I to do during the summer.

The little peach house, where you pick up your baskets and then come back and pay, etc

small part of the orchard

Yum......

The boys have their buckets ready to go!

Aiden is really into balls, and thought the peaches were balls, so he started bashing the together.

Aiden couldn't get them in his mouth fast enoughNotice the chipmunk cheeks?

Grandma & Papa with the boys

Papa and Ethan relaxing on the bench in the shade

The boys and I

Ethan is ready to go home now!

My friend Amie and I hit up the Pottery Barn outlet last year and I picked up this super cute and tiny Le Creusetcrock. She told me not to buy it, that I would never use it. Well, look at that, it makes the perfect peach cobbler for one. :)

New Fence

2009-06-18T19:42:00.000-07:00

Remember that nasty storm that blew through DFW last Wednesday? Well I was driving in it to a clients house, and Seth and the boys were hunkered down in our bathroom with the crib mattress's. Well after it was all said and down, our poor fence had lost the battle with it. You see, our yard backs up to a BIG open field, and when a storm comes through, we have nothing to shield us from the wind, so our fence gets the blunt force of it. The fence was original to the house, and we have had to replace a few wood posts in the past, but this time we decided to go ahead and do metal posts. Something we should have done a while back. When we started to tear down the orginal broken section, my Dad pointed out to Seth that the other posts were rotting out at the bottom. SO out with the entire back fence! Seth made another run to Home Depot to get some more supplies. Now that it is all said and done, we love it! I plan on staining it next week. I can't wait to have it all done.

Papa brought Ethan his own glove

Hat: check Gloves: check
Let's start unloading

Get a good hold on it

walk it over to the piles

Almost there

He did this until all the wood was out of the van, about 142 planks! We did help, but he did a lot on his own!

This is as far as we got the first day...

Ethan was WORN out after helping us out all day

All done! Just waiting for stain!

Mmmmm, blackberries!

2009-06-18T19:27:00.001-07:00

So we decided to pack up the boys last Saturday morning and go to a local farm near our house and do some blackberry picking.
When they woke up we got them dressed and threw them in the car and headed up to the doughnut store to grab some breakfast! Ethan was thrilled!
It was about a 20 minute drive, but pretty soon we pulled up to Duck Creek Blackberry Farm. Ethan was out of his car seat as soon as I turned the car off, he was so excited to pick berries!

Ethan starting to pick berries Aiden eating his berries

Ethan showing me his stash

Blackberry boy!

A sweaty family picture!

We are going back this Saturday to pick some more. The bushes were not totally ready and the half bag of berries that we did get got eaten before we could bake with them. :) But the people that run the farm refused to let us pay for the berries we were able to pick since we didn't get a whole bucket full. But with all the sun we have had this week, the bushes are supposed to be full! We can't wait!

Texas Sized Flip Flop exchange!!

2009-06-16T21:32:00.000-07:00

My friend Becca is hosting a flip flop exchange! You have till Sunday night to join in! Go sign up!!

I got an award!

2009-06-16T20:43:00.000-07:00

Misty gave me this award over a week ago, but I keep forgetting about it! Sorry Misty!!

The rules are:
Post this cute award to your blog.
Link the person from whom you received this award.
Nominate as many blogs as you'd like.
Leave a comment on their blog telling them how adorable they are!

I nominate anyone who is reading this blog and wants to participate!
:)

We found a new splash park!

2009-06-16T19:25:00.001-07:00

Bonus that it is here in Denton! Where you ask? Right in our kitchen! :)

Happy Anniversary Baby!

2009-06-14T22:48:00.001-07:00

7 years ago today I was jumping out of bed, anxious for the day to start, I was about to marry the man of my dreams. We met in the most unexpected place, the place my mother always told me I would never meet a nice boy, a night club. See mom, told you so! ;-)

Seth and I met on July 23, 1998, he gave me a sapphire promise ring for my birthday in 1999, and he proposed to me on Easter Sunday April 15, 2001. I think I started planning everything the very next day, which just so happened to be my birthday. Two days later we had a date, June 15, 2002 and a venue picked out.

The last seven years of our marriage have been so wonderful and I feel truly blessed to be with Seth. He is my rock, someone who is always there for me, no matter what! I can be having the worst day of my life, and he can make me smile in just seconds. He is the best dad in the world. I love to watch him with both boys, he is a natural! I could go on and on about him, but I think more people would like to see pictures right? :)
Sorry in advance for the video mom! :)

Some of my bridals

A video from our rehearsal dinner, sorry mom! But look how much fun we were having!! We stayed there till midnight dancing and laughing with friends and family.

From Rehersal Dinner

Wedding Day!!
You can tell how WINDY it was that day, and it cracks me up how nervous Seth was, even though he was telling me he wasn't. He wouldn't even look over at me till I was RIGHT there. :)

From Wedding

My favorite wedding picture

cake & toast time

Our first dance. Seth rigged up a bubble machine to start in the middle of the dance, I loved it.

Carriage ride to leave
For our honeymoon we went to Jamaica! LOVE

View from our roomOne year anniversary on Lake Grandbury

Our 7th anniversary *official date* We went and saw Reba and George, did I mention it was in a suite! Sweet! :)

I love you baby, and I can't wait to spend the rest of my life with you....

Aiden's got new kicks!

2009-06-05T12:20:00.000-07:00

I finally broke down and went and got Aiden some Stride Rite sneakers. Since he was refusing to walk before, I felt no rush to go get them. Last week I tried a pair of Target shoes on him, but his feet were way too fat for them! So I decided to bite the bullet and go to SR. Turns out he is wearing a 6 1/2W. Bonus that the shoes I picked out for him were on sale/clearance for only $29.95! But here is a question for you moms out there: Since when do you have to buy a pack of socks to try on shoes? I had Aiden bare foot like always when we went in there to try on shoes. They asked me if I wanted to have him fit bare foot or with socks. Since I was getting SNEAKERS I told them with socks. She said I had to buy them and they came in packs of three for $8. Umm what? When I took Ethan they had socks there for him to try on. Sheesh! So I paid $8 for 3 pairs of socks that I am sure he will outgrow before the end of the summer. Lesson learned: bring socks to SR from now on!

Yay for new shoes

Walking and standing: check!

Squatting and playing: check!

Looks like he is all set for summer now. I pulled out Ethan's SR sandals from when he was this age, 6 1/2W. Score! :)

Fun day at the splash park

2009-06-04T14:17:00.000-07:00

Today Ethan, Aiden and I met Jennifer, Zane and Emma at J.R. Newman Park in Frisco. They have a great splash park for the kids, a playground and even a covered pavilion with picnic tables, fun!

We were supposed to meet them up there on Tuesday, but it got rained out. Today it was bright and sunny with just a slight breeze, PERFECT weather! By the time we got over to the park, the slight breeze turned into a full blown wind, but it didn't stop the kids from stripping down and going into the water. Next time we go, Jennifer and I decided that we needed to bring a picnic lunch. The two older boys saw everyone else having a picnic lunch and asked us where ours was, oops!

Here are a few of our pictures from this morning:

Jennifer and Emma, poor thing was cold

Aiden did NOT like it when the water sprayed up his shorts, he was done at that point

All cuddled up in his towel

Ethan had the Baywatch run going on!

Aiden now watching happily from the sidelines

Pointing out the tower of water spraying, he would walk over here then start to cry when he would get cold and wet. :)

Venturing over to the water again with his big brother

Aiden and Zane

Zane running through the water

Trying to get a GOOD group picture, this was the best I got. At least the older two are looking and smiling :)

We can't wait to go do some more fun things with Zane and Emma this summer! Ethan had so much fun with Zane! Thanks guys!!

What happens when...

2009-06-03T08:27:00.001-07:00

I have both of these bottles in my shower, and this morning I was really tired from running and I grabbed the pink one and started to wash my hair. Yep, you guessed it, I used the Oil of Olay, with CREME OIL RIBBONS! It took washing my hair three times with the super cleansing shampoo that I usually use once a week to get my hair feeling semi normal. But hey, I didn't need any conditioner at all today!!

Ethan's 1st 3D movie

2009-06-01T21:12:00.000-07:00

I took Ethan to see Up today and as we were driving there I was trying to explain to him what 3D was, if you have never tried to explain it to a 4 yr old, it's hard to do! He thought we would put on these glasses and it would make us jump onto the screen. :)
Let me just tell you he LOVED it! We watched about 3 previews for 3d movies coming out, Toy Story 3, Ice Age, and G-Force. He laughed through out those, and when I looked over at him, I saw him reaching his hand out, trying to touch the screen, too cute!
:)
The movie theater runs a summer special, and I am going to buy us tickets. We won't be able to make all the movies, but I can at least get that price, and then give the tickets to friends of ours when we are out of town.
Here is a pic of Ethan all ready for the movie to start!

Oh, and Ethan & I have been randomly saying *SQUIRREL* all day! He laughs so darn hard every time!!

Yay!!

2009-06-01T20:14:00.000-07:00

My last post was asking for help and I had both Heather and VA help me out! Thanks girls!
The other night our friends Scott and Amie were over and Scott helped Seth hang up the wires for my curtains and then I attached the hooks and threw them up there. No, I didn't even bother to iron them. I figured after a day or two in the sun, the wrinkles would just fall out. Can I just tell you how awesome these are! We can draw them shut and have a nice dinner out there without the sun cooking us. I want to get two more drop cloths and use them on the sides, that way we can close the whole thing up if we want to, or just the sides on windy days. For the tie backs I just got some 2 inch wide grosgrain ribbon in a cute print, love! The whole cost was under $30!
2 9x12 drop cloths- $20
1 pack of clips- $3
1 pack of eye hooks- $1
1 roll of 50b weight limit wire- $3
1 roll of cute ribbon- $3

Total $30

Standing on the other side of the pool deck, looking up at the porch. I *thought* I had cleaned off the porch, guess I didn't do that good of a job. Ignore the yellow bag of salt and the sunscreen bottles on the table.

One half of the porch, our new dining set.
See the cute ribbon!

Help please!

2009-05-28T19:36:00.000-07:00

I follow a LOT of home decor style blogs, and there is one that used canvas drop cloths for patio curtains, but I cannot for the life of me find the blog that I found them on. Have you seen them? In the meantime, I will be going one by one through all my blogs, ugh!

~Front door makeover~

2009-05-23T13:42:00.000-07:00

If you can't tell from the last few posts, I have been in total make over mode throughout the house. I have been wanting to paint the front door, but I was scared to, because if it looked terrible I couldn't hid it and we didn't have the budget to buy a whole new door. But after talking to a few friends, I decided to go for it, and I am SO glad I did!
For under $10 and one hour, I have a brand new look.

Front of the house, I think we need to trim the tree's, you can hardly see our house! I didn't realize it till I took these pictures!
Better view of the front door/walkway area. Please excuse the dying flowers. I have no idea why they are dying, maybe too much water!? We have had so much rain this year. We also have an armadillo that is tearing up our flower beds and our neighbors. I go out every morning and fill in the holes...grrrr...

Front door with screen/glass door open

Front door all cleaned and ready to be painted!

rusty, nasty looking old hardware

1st coat of paint
All done! I LOVE LOVE LOVE how it looks!

We can't afford new hardware right now, at least the ones I want, so to tide us over, I sprayed them with hammered nickel paint. They really help finish up the door.

New front of the house. I still have to put the nickel kick plate and hardware up on the glass door. I also grabbed that pot out front and gave that a spray of black paint. I also want to do the light and the hanging basket on the wall.

I really like how it is coming out!

~Kitchen Remodel Part Two~ The Cabinet Makeover

2009-05-15T22:07:00.000-07:00

Once we did the first part of our *remodel* in the kitchen, it just kept leading to other ideas! :) I know Seth loves that about me...
I practiced on the 4 cabinets in our bathroom and once we had the technique down, I started on our kitchen.

Ethan helping me wash the cabinets, child labor laws what!?

Now they are laying out to dry

My new friend! Saved me HOURS of sanding and then rewashing. All you have to do is pour some of this onto a lint free rag and make sure it is all covered. In about 10 minutes it is dry and ready to be primed. Easy peasy!

Spray primer. This is where we experimented. I can paint on the primer, and then paint on two coats of paint, OR I can spray on the primer...

Here are the cabinets with one coat of primer. Don't mind all the paint cans in the background...can you tell I am addicted to paint?

Then I can spray on one coat of this...

Here are what they look like with those coats on them.

At this point I get out the paint and a QUALITY paint brush, that is the key! I do one good coat of paint, then they are all done! Using the spray paint for my first two coats literally has saved me hours of work!

My kitchen with the doors off. Don't mind that mess in my spice cabinet or the drill on the counter. Doesn't everyone have a drill on their counter? With the bases, I actually have to hand paint it all, cause I am not about to tape everything off just so I can spray it!

My helper today, I love that Ethan is old enough to help now, and actually enjoys it!! Bonus that Aiden took two really long naps today, so Ethan and I got a lot done!

Aiden was not into helping, here he is watching the music station. Yeah, it's a black screen except for the white box that bounces all around to tell you what is on. He was looking out the window, but I guess the bouncing box caught his attention!

Here are the cabinets just after the liquid sandpaper and the primer coat. They already make the kitchen look so much brighter and it's not even done yet! I know that it is going to be great when it is all said and done!

Next up! Finishing up the top AND bottom cabinets, then new wall color!

Ethan loves to dance

2009-05-15T15:16:00.000-07:00

Seriously, the kid dances all the TIME!
Car *robot* dancing:

Dancing to Jai-Ho:

From dance party

Ur Moms

2009-05-08T12:29:00.000-07:00

Saw this up in Denton this week while we were burning time waiting for the Dr. It's a bar apparently! :)

~Kitchen Remodel Part One~ The Kitchen Island

2009-05-03T19:25:00.000-07:00

We have been trying to figure out ways to get more storage in our kitchen, but not take up more room, since there isn't much there with the kitchen table set we had. I had found other kitchen sets, but it still took up just as much room and we had no more storage than we did before. We had to get a new table, glass table tops and two rowdy boys do not mix, at all!
So we started tossing around the idea of building an island with storage in there, something that we could also add bar stools to and have a breakfast bar as well. We priced out some options, and figured out that it was going to cost us about $500-$600 plus whateverbar stools we decided to get.
Then on this past Wednesday, my brother Jarod called me and said that Lowes had a ton of kitchen cabinets on clearance for $20! The boys and I went up there and we were able to score a huge double cabinet, it was normally $169
Then we got a shelving unit to fit on the end. I was able to get baskets to fit in the cubes and used blank luggage tags to personalize them for each of the boys. I also painted the back of the cabinet with blackboard paint, that way the boys have a little play area

On Thursday night Seth, the boys and I headed out to Ikea to see if we could get some bar stools. We had found some online that we liked for $17.99 each. When we got there we found out that they were on major back order. We couldn't even order them for 2 wks and then they wouldn't arrive for another 2. So we thanked the guy and started looking for other options. When we were looking, thesales guy came up to us and told us he had a deal for us. They were tearing down old set ups and had a pair of stools that they sold for $59 each, but he would give them to us for $19! SOLD Not only were they more comfortable, we were able to score a 3rd one down in the As-id dept and the cashier gave us the same price for it. Two of the stools are a black moleskin, the other is a black and white stripe. Eventually we want to get a 4th one and get all black covers to match. We were also able to score a 73" countertop with stainless steel edging for $95!!

All we have left to do is picture frame molding on the chalkboard, its all cut, I just need to paint the final coat tomorrow and then glue them up. Our next project is going to be re-doing the cabinets, I HATE the color they are. Final touch will be lighting. We are going to take the light box and the chandelier down, we just don't know what we are going to replace them with. What do you think??

Sick baby=no blog

2009-05-03T19:21:00.001-07:00

It's been awhile since I have blogged, but once we got back from the cruise, Aiden got sick and was pretty sick for a week. He ended up having a UTI and we will be going in for kidney ultrasounds this week. The Dr said that UTI are not common in boys, especially his age. Poor guy! But the good news is that he is feeling better, no more 105 fever this week!

~Fishful Thinking~

2009-04-07T12:52:00.000-07:00

I just got the opportunity to join up with Fishful Thinking, check it out!

New background

2009-04-03T14:42:00.000-07:00

All you GR people have to come to me now...
HA!

Peanut Butter Score!

2009-04-03T13:36:00.000-07:00

I know, it's a weird thing to blog about, but I just got a great deal! I was at Costco today with my dad and the boys, our weekly date. :)
I happen to spy these packages of peanut butter in individual containers and for 24 of them it was only $2!!
Bonus that they are all natural, nothing like HFCS in them, score!! So I picked up 6 packs of them. I kinda wish I had gotten a few more, it was a great deal. So, if you are at the Lewisville Costco anytime soon, see if you can score your self a box, or two, or six. :)
BTW: When I got home I looked them up, they usually sell for $12.95 a box. :)

~Blow dryer review~

2009-04-02T20:02:00.001-07:00

So I finally got the chance to try out my new dryer tonight and I have to admit, I love it! I was kinda scared when I started, but after using it on one side and having it all done in about 2 minutes, I was hooked! It took me about 6 minutes total to do my hair! Yay! This is going to be perfect for those days when I don't feel like pulling out the flat iron to style out my hair. Oh, and for those that are curious, no, it did not tangle up my hair. My hair is super fine, if it was going to tangle any hair, it would be mine.
I also did not use any products in my hair, I think if I use a mousse or my curling goop, that will help set them for all day.
About the pictures, my camera is dead and I can't find the charger, so I had to take them with my phone, hence the poor quality!

Ethan wanted to get a picture with me :)

A few pictures...

2009-04-01T13:20:00.001-07:00

Ethan showing us his celery, not that he actually ATE it...

Aiden and his corn

He loved it! I had to pry it out of his hands once he was done!

Wacky Day at their MDO

I guess Aiden decided to help me do dishes...

Camera shy?

2009-03-31T10:10:00.000-07:00

I love when Aiden says bye, he will blow kisses and then wave those drool covered hand good bye to you, yet as soon as I get out the camera, he won't do it. He see's any camera and stops and says *CHEEEESSSEEE* which I realize is totally cute and adorable, but man, I really want to catch the kiss blowing on video!! I am going to keep trying...
Oh and as you will see in the video below, his new thing is *I do?* as in he wants to do everything you do...fun times!

Weekend Wrap Up!!

2009-03-30T18:11:00.000-07:00

I'm borrowing/stealing this survey from my friend, Virginia. Thanks VA!!

Worst part of the weekend: Not enough sleep time

Best part of the weekend: Night out with friends at Splitsville and then crafting all day Sunday with Tarah and Heather!

Most random part of the weekend: The crazy old lady who backed out into the road in front of me on Sunday when I was driving to T's house. She then got out and yelled at us for honking at her!?!? She was a crazy old girl, the dude next to me was yelling at her and she was screaming right back at him!!

People I saw this weekend: Fri night: Erin &Trevor, Amie & Scott, Dianthe &Kelly, Chris, Mer, Megan & Erik, Heather, ReJana & Mike Sat night: my mom and dad, Tarah & Jody :)
I had a busy weekend!!

Something I wished I did this weekend that I didn't get around to doing: Cleaning out the closet underneath the stairs

Things that I am looking forward to this week: Getting my hair done tomorrow!!

Things that I am not looking forward to this week: laundry, cleaning, etc etc etc :)

Tell me about your weekend!

Zoobilee Zoo

2009-03-27T08:33:00.000-07:00

Anyone else remember this show? My brothers and I loved to watch it...I was just watching the opening song on YouTube and Ethan was hooked! When it stopped he wanted to know why the show stopped. Guess I need to see if I can get the show on DVD somehow...

Please pray...

2009-03-25T08:33:00.000-07:00

I got mine...

2009-03-25T05:44:00.001-07:00

Having someone give you a reality check is a very humbling experience! I got mine yesterday...
When it first happened I will admit I almost got defensive, I wanted to say why it wasn't my fault, why it was everyone else's, but after re-reading it all and actually THINKING about it, this person was totally on pare! THAT will make you think...
I had to go back through the words this person shared with me over and over and it was like a punch to the gut. Had I really done that? Did I make this person feel this way? It was everything I never wanted to be. wow...
I immediately apologized, admitting fault and asking for forgiveness...
At the beginning of the year my goal was to be a better wife, mom and friend...this person is totally making me work on the friend part, and I am so glad they were able to just tell me what was bothering them...I really believe that God puts people in my life for a purpose, and I am glad that this person is in mine. I have got some things to work on....but I am happy to do it!

I did it...

2009-03-25T05:31:00.000-07:00

I caved to an infomercial! I have seen people review this on a lot of blogs, watched a few videos and decided that I must have it! A friend of mine posted about it a few months ago, Mer was it you? Ever since then I have been wanting it. I have been growing my hair out after all!! :)
Last night right before I went to bed, I was looking at some Garmin Forerunners on Amazon and went to look at my *wish list* on there. The dryer was on sale and I could get free shipping! I took it as a sign from God that he wanted my hair to be supa cute on the cruise and I ordered it! Now lets just hope it does what it should...all the videos make it look easy, and I am all about the easy now that I have two kiddos running around the house...
Update to come in a few days!!

Long time no blog!

2009-03-24T11:40:00.000-07:00

I know I know, I have neglected this poor blog! But life got crazy and with two kids, they come before the blog. I have been having so much fun with the kids and Seth lately, that when they are finally in bed at night, I am tired!! But I will try to keep up from now on, though sadly, I think the 365 days of pictures will be no more. It is just too hard to do with kids right now! I will still post pictures of the kids and what we are up to, I just cannot commit to once a day!! :)
Okay, no you can stop with the phone calls, emails and texts....
;-)

(happy Kirsten?? ;-p )

40/365

2009-02-09T20:44:00.000-08:00

Dude....I have a 10:54 mile, that has NEVER happened to me in my LIFE! I think I am slowly becoming a runner. I am loving this, it is such a stress reliever and I feel better than ever before!

39/365

2009-02-08T20:41:00.000-08:00

Aiden *assisting* me on my first Private Quarters show :)

38/365

2009-02-07T20:29:00.000-08:00

We gave Ethan my old camera, this is one of the pictures he has taken

37/365

2009-02-06T20:25:00.000-08:00

Ethan's new favorite thing to do is read books outside while the sun is setting

36/365

2009-02-05T20:21:00.000-08:00

Just another night, swinging out on the back porch, having a drink...

35/365

2009-02-04T20:19:00.000-08:00

Our kitchen band, The Hois Boys

34/365

2009-02-03T20:14:00.000-08:00

Ethan's newest Wii game, Samba De Amigo, gee thanks Tarah and Jody!

33/365

2009-02-02T18:30:00.000-08:00

Poor Dallas got 15 teeth extracted today...look at his lone toofer up in front!

32/365

2009-02-01T22:30:00.000-08:00

This is what Ethan did during the Super Bowl, he watched TV while lounging on Grandma & Papa's bed

31/365

2009-01-31T23:24:00.000-08:00

Seth waiting at Chuy's for his birthday dinner out with friends

30/365

2009-01-30T18:27:00.000-08:00

Poor baby is teething and has the red fever cheeks to prove it

29/365

2009-01-29T18:37:00.000-08:00

JCP Headquarters...they need a bigger visitor parking lot

28/365

2009-01-28T17:56:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday Seth!!!

27/365

2009-01-27T20:38:00.000-08:00

It was an *ice day* today, yet we didn't actually get the ice till this evening...

We all stayed in our jammies

Where Dallas spent the day, relaxing in front of the fire...

We watched Happy Feet, not my favorite movie, but Snow Buddies was broken...

I made WW broccoli soup and had it in a bread bowl, perfect food for today!

This is what your husband will look like when he has been hanging out in pj pants all day and then decides to go get the mail. Pj pants, tennis shoes and a wool dress coat, HAWT!

~Give Away Time~

2009-01-27T09:46:00.000-08:00

Well not from me, but another blog! My SIL Kirsten has raved about this site for awhile now, and I keep meaning to go order some bag tags for the boys, but now I am really going to do it!
A Touch of Whimsy Designs has some super cute stuff, and right now she is holding a contest to win a FREE PSA Stamper! This is so cool! You need one, even if you don't win it, you should still buy one!
:)
Have fun shopping, I know I am on the *ice day* we are having here in North Texas...

26/365

2009-01-26T18:41:00.000-08:00

Some doggies got their hairs cut today!

25.365

2009-01-25T22:38:00.000-08:00

Sunday night TV

24/365

2009-01-24T19:49:00.000-08:00

He is NOT tired...He just wanted to relax on his couch and watch a *little* tv :)

23/365

2009-01-23T20:20:00.001-08:00

We went and got our season passes to the Fort Worth Zoo today, thanks Grandpa Jim!

22/365

2009-01-22T21:04:00.000-08:00

new phone!!

21/365

2009-01-21T20:26:00.001-08:00

20/365

2009-01-20T18:57:00.000-08:00

Ouch...off to the Dr tomorrow...I can hardly walk on it

19/365

2009-01-19T18:58:00.001-08:00

Caught!! Bonus: He was wearing his Naughty jammies! :)

Sweet boy!

2009-01-19T07:06:00.000-08:00

I am downstairs getting breakfast ready for the boys and Ethan is up in the nursery talking to Aiden. All of a sudden I hear his sing his little prayer song they learned at church to Aiden and then he starts praying for him! This is what he said:
"Dear God, Please let Aiden start to walk soon. I want us to go play at the park, but he can't walk yet, so we don't. Please let him walk after lunch, AMEN!"

I love them...

18/365

2009-01-18T20:56:00.000-08:00

17/365

2009-01-17T20:46:00.001-08:00

Our little man's first headshot! :) Also before his first haircut

After his first haircut, I will try and get a better picture tomorrow, but look!
No more Ralph Wigam!!

16/365

2009-01-16T18:58:00.001-08:00

This is NOT what you want to see the day before your baby turns 1!!

Thankfully Seth picked up some more tests on the way home and we found out the first one was a false positive! PRAISE GOD!!
I was so freaked out all damn day....
No more babies for us for a while!!!!

15/365

2009-01-15T22:11:00.000-08:00

Ethan and Aiden's new train table for Papa's house, I got it for $20 at Target!! SCORE!!!

14/365

2009-01-14T20:06:00.000-08:00

This makes my day...Aiden saying CHEESE!!!

13/365

2009-01-13T19:52:00.000-08:00

laundry day....try not to be jealous!

Everything is RUINED!!!

2009-01-13T13:59:00.001-08:00

Ethan just told me that I ruined EVERYTHING because I didn't let him play video games...
Oh, the DRAMA...I wish I knew where he got it from...

12/365

2009-01-12T23:15:00.000-08:00

Mmmm, Scentsy! I have been wanting one of these for a long time, but I had no one to order from. One of Seth's DJ friends, David and Linda, gave this to us. I love it!! Thanks so much!!