Baseballs and Bows

iPurge! Also Known As - Our Week!

2012-02-10T22:06:00.000-05:00

We had some really great weather last week! This week hasn't been nearly as nice, but the kids got used to outside time - and so did I! As long as they put on their hats and coats, they can run around outside for a few minutes a day. They need to get their sillies and outside voices out!

Thursday, 2/2 - Reese "really, really missed" Parker, and she insisted that she "write" him a letter to send to the North Pole. She has really gotten good at tracing! I guess she figured that it worked in the Elf on the Shelf movie!

Friday, 2/3 - Reese decided to play hockey guys while Wyatt was at school. Listening to her "games" cracks me up! She's definitely learned a lot from her brother, but she's definitely more gentle when she plays!

Saturday, 2/4 - (I promise I love my other kids! It's just been a Reesie week!) Reese wanted to help Daddy hang up some pictures!

Sunday, 2/5 - Katie came over for a Super Bowl gathering. While Brian and I finished up a few things she cuddle up with the kids and watched Tangled. Wyatt ran into the kitchen counter just before this and banged his noggin, hence the ice pack!

Monday, 2/6 - Hudson at his well baby check up on Monday. We took his basketball to entertain him while we waited for Dr. Jones. I love how fast he's moving in this picture.

Tuesday, 2/7 - One of Reese's Valentine's Day paintings from school. She was very proud of this one!

Wednesday, 2/8 - Wyatt seemed "off" after I picked him up from school on Wednesday. He felt a little warm, but I was definitely suspicious after I settled him in his room for Quiet Time with the Backyardigans on Netflix, and he decided to hop in bed and take a nap on his own. After he woke up he told me that it "hurts when he swallows," and then he stayed like this all night. I even asked if he felt well enough to go to basketball practice and he said no! I gave him some Tylenol before bed, and the fever broke, and he woke up the next day with no fever. He did say that his throat was still bothering him, but that may have been a ploy to get smoothies from me all day!

iPurge!

2012-02-07T11:28:00.001-05:00

So, after this I will officially be caught up on my Project 365/iPurge (and then I'll post another on Thursday)! And there will be more blog posts soon. I'm still catching up on everything from being sick, and someone else is always sick, too! Brian says he can't remember a time this winter where someone hasn't been sick - and it's true! I feel like there is a humidifier on somewhere every night!

Thursday, 1/26 - Hanging out in his car seat.

Friday, 1/27 - He found the baby food in the Target bags! He eats what we eat now, but he loves these things! How can I deny him extra servings of fruits and veggies if that's what he wants?!?

Saturday, 1/28 - We took a trip to Toys R Us to use some rewards points before they expired (seriously though, Toys R Us might have the worst system for this ever - they expired two weeks after I got them). These two never miss an opportunity to explore while we're there! We ended up using all of our rewards points on a Team Umizoomi math kit - and Wyatt LOVES it. He wants to do math every day!

Sunday, 1/29 - I told her she could take a few toys to bed during quiet time (she rarely sleeps nowadays). She dumped a toy bin in there, and then fell asleep on top of the toys!

Monday, 1/30 - My little helper picking up all the grocery bags!

Tuesday, 1/31 - Working on the Team Umizoomi math kit. Wyatt could use the popsicle shape to make anything he wanted - and we ended up with Derek Jeter!

Wednesday, 2/1 - My assistant helping me make coffee in the morning. He loves to help put the K-cup in and hit the start button. He gets down to watch the cup fill. And then he says, "Mommy, your hot coffee is ready!"

This is what my Photo 365 app looked like at the end of the month!

A Basketball Video

2012-02-04T07:53:00.002-05:00

Wyatt is having a lot of fun playing basketball this year. It's his first time playing, and it's so fun to watch him learn to play, and pick up the new skills. He cracks us up, especially when he's playing defense. His coaches are a grandfather and his son in law, and they are really great with the kids. One asked last week how many other sports Wyatt plays because he's really athletic! Ha! He plays as many sports as I can get him to at once - this kid has energy for days! Wyatt is typical Wyatt and can get distracted by the other kids while he's waiting to play. At practice the other night the other coach asked Brian if it was okay to start treating Wyatt like one of his grandkids (he's a little tougher on them) - and Brian said it was absolutely okay!

iPurge Catch Up!

2012-02-03T10:10:00.000-05:00

So I've been really MIA. I just haven't really felt like pulling out the laptop at night. I guess I've been too busy watching Idol and reruns of Friends on Nick at Nite? It's incredible how old you feel when you realize that Friends started 18 years ago. Like, that is some frightening stuff. I mean, sure I was only 12 then, but still. Friends and Seinfeld and ER were my shows back then!

I've also been sick. I feel like I've been coughing for a month (probably because I have), and I finally went to the doctor and I had bronchiolitis! Uck! After some antibiotics I feel much better, and the cough finally seems to be subsiding. But I was miserable and not sleeping well at all!

Anyway, I guess I've been lazy and sick, but I need to get back on track! I keep up with the blog to document their lives, after all! I'm just going to do the week I missed today so I don't post 14 pictures at once!

Thursday, 1/19 - Wyatt and I working on his sight words while Reese was at school. He is such a combination of Brian and I! While he was working he was going through the words and organizing them according to whether he knew them or not (so me!), and if he got one wrong he would go back to the beginning and start over (so Brian!). I can not believe that he is going to turn 5 next month!

Friday, 1/20 - Hudson continuing his hat obsession with Wyatt's Yankees helmet! And Wyatt's old baseball sweatshirt. Although, this little guy seems to have developed a love affair with basketball!

Saturday, 1/21 - Playing in the kitchen cabinets while Daddy and Wyatt were at the movies! We have gotten new and improved cabinet locks since then. He was seriously spending every waking moment trying to break into the cabinets!

Sunday, 1/22 - This is what little boys do, right? A comic book and a flashlight on his bed? Ha!

Monday, 1/23 - Hanging out playing with Reese's Olivia toys.

Tuesday, 1/24 - Cuddling on the couch with my Reesie!

Wednesday, 1/25 - Reese and Hudson took over Wyatt's Football Guys field. Wyatt has a collection of Hockey Guys, Baseball Guys, and Football Guys and he loves them. They really help him use his imagination, and it's sports oriented. They are awesome toys!

So now that I'm semi caught up, I hope I can blog some more this weekend! We've got basketball games and the Super Bowl, so fun times are ahead. Wyatt is predicting a Giants win this year. He was right last year, so maybe he's a sports psychic?

Funnies from the Kids

2012-01-23T21:09:00.002-05:00

So I'm pulling most of these quotes from the kids from Facebook (I try to remind myself everyday to write this stuff down, but it usually ends up there instead. Or I lose the slips of paper that I write them down on.), but these are the things that make my day.

Wyatt: "Mommy, you're a treehugger."
Apparently from Cars 2? I don't know what I was doing that made me a treehugger?

Wyatt: "Mommy, is this the Steelers and Broncos? The Steelers' quarterback makes bad decisions, but Tim Tebow makes good choices?"
I am totally guilty here.

Wyatt: "Mommy, I am not going to grow up and I am not going to eat my vegetables.
Me: "Hmmmm, well, if you don't grow up or eat your vegetables, you're not going to be able to play sports."
Wyatt: "Fine. I will grow up, and I will eat my vegetables, but I am not going to leave you and Daddy when I go to college."

Wyatt: "I don't want a cat. Mommy is allergic and she would be sick."
Reese: "Ummm, but Wyatt? Mommy could go live with Didi and Pop Pop and then we could get a cat. They would take good care of her."

Reese: "I want to watch a kids' show."
Wyatt: "Football IS a kids' show, Reese."

After taking my temperature with her Doctor's set thermometer:
Reese: "Hmmm, you have a fever of 49 minutes."

Our Weekend - Mostly in Pictures

2012-01-22T21:56:00.002-05:00

This has been the coldest, rainiest, yuckiest weekend that I can remember having in awhile. And I'm not just saying yuckiest because I had two cases of double pink eye in the house :). Seriously, we've all been coughy and congested for awhile (including me, I'm planning on calling the doctor tomorrow because almost 4 weeks of this is insane!), and the kids decided to add a little pink eye to the mix. Reese's was much more tame that Wyatt's, who left for school on Friday with nothing wrong, and was home by 10:30 with two incredibly red eyes. And one terribly embarrassed mommy! And a ticket straight to the pediatricians office (and I've found that going in at 11:45 on a Friday gets you in and out in 20 minutes - they really want to eat whatever the drug reps brought them for lunch)!

Brian and I went out on a date night on Friday - our second Friday in a row! We grabbed some sushi from one of our favorite places (okay, he got sashimi and I got fried shrimp surrounded by rice, but still :)), and then we went to see our friend Dave in a local play. We haven't done anything like that in awhile, so it was fun and we got to see Dave act!

We spent the rest of the weekend mostly at home. I ran out yesterday to pick up some things from Target, and Brian took Wyatt to see the Muppets. Today we went to Target again (mainly to get out of the house, ha!) and then spent the day watching football!

And reading,,,,

And running into walls with her head. She literally bent over to pick something up and knocked her head on the wall. She is 100% my child!

And testing the kids out with 3D glasses. We're trying to decide whether or not we should take them to see Beauty and the Beast in 3D or just the regular version. The current decision seems to be that no one but Brian (including me) could keep the glasses on for an entire movie!

These two spent some time playing together last night while Wyatt was in the tub!

And I am apparently not the only member of my household who is ready for pitchers and catchers to report to spring training next month. Football is NOT my thing. but I've become very educated about it thanks to Mike & Mike! You would think that growing up with a brother who was obsessed with sports I would have known something about it. But I learned what a down was 3 years ago.

Anyway, Hudson is letting us know repeatedly that he is ready to get some pinstripes back in his life, too! We can't get Yankees hats off his little head!

He looks so much like Wyatt here that I can't even take it!

I am so ready for this week to start, and hopefully for some improved health around here! (Okay, and maybe Spring, too)!

iPurge!

2012-01-19T14:45:00.000-05:00

So here are the pictures that I took with my phone this week. It's kind of picture overload this week - 7 of them are my 365 pictures, and two others are just random ones that I think are funny.

Or in this case, kind of serious. I will admit to occasionally watching Teen Mom when it's on and I'm not surrounded by little ones (which means nap/quiet time). I took a picture of this the other day because I was appalled by the way the parents strapped this little girl in her car seat. Not only are her shoulder straps not where they should be, but the chest buckle is at her waist! I am a hard core believer in car seat safety (my children will be buckled in five point harnesses as long as they fit, and they will be in boosters after that. And the front seat? They might not see it until they get their permit!), and I just can not believe that people feel comfortable driving their kids around like this! I always hear that the parents are "good drivers." Um, sure, but everyone else on the road isn't? I literally grimace every time they show one of these kids in their car seats!

Anywho, now that I'm done with my car seat rant, I'll actually share pictures from our week!

Thursday, 1/12 - Mr. H playing with "bocks" which are his new favorite toy! He carries them around everywhere and leaves a mess behind him! I have to carry the bin around the house at night and pick them up because there is no telling where they are!

Friday, 1/13 - Reesie made us some delicious Melissa & Doug cookies. We have the ice cream set and the cupcake set, and I love these so much! I wish they had them when I was little, they're so great for imaginative play! Excuse the bed head :)

Saturday, 1/14 - Wyatt excited that his big boy bed was all set up!

Sunday, 1/15 - They were (kind of) playing nicely. Then she knocked him off!

Monday, 1/16 - Wyatt had the morning off from school, so we took our time getting ready for the day. They all played puzzles together in the playroom and then I offered to turn on Jake and the Neverland Pirates. I guess they wanted to Conga to the living room!

Tuesday, 1/17 - Reese trying to tell me that because the box said her name, she deserved to get some Reese's Pieces at 8am. Nice try. But if I give into that argument now, this kid is going to get more than her fair share of chocolate in her life!

Wednesday, 1/18 - the boys watching the train go by. I appreciate that it didn't come at 6am. But when it comes at 8:20, not only does it make me late getting out the door, it also creates massive traffic! I think a nice 7:00am train would be perfect!

Finally, this is Reese's schoolwork on the left, and the "schoolwork" that Wyatt and I do at home on the right. When Reese showed Brian her latest coloring endeavor he told me, "She is really great at coloring. I think she colors better than I do." I followed that up with, "Well, look at his handwriting. He's already surpassed you." He seriously has. I love my husband, but handwriting is not one of his strengths!

Big Boy Bed!

2012-01-17T21:58:00.000-05:00

Brian and I have been talking about getting Wyatt out of his toddler bed and into a bigger bed for a few weeks. His bed actually is a convertible - it was his crib, and his toddler bed, and it will eventually be his big bed when we convert it to a double.

For now though, we wanted him in a twin. He spends a lot of time playing in his room, and he would have a lot of space taken up if we put a double in there. Brian's parents were kind enough to let us borrow one of their twin beds so that Wyatt could use it for a little while.

When he found out he was getting this bed he was so excited. We picked out his sheets and comforter a few days before (I chose the solid blue comforter and he chose two sets of sheets: Captain America and Spiderman), so he was very ready to get in his bed. He actually asked to go to bed that night!

And I think he got a pretty good night's sleep :). And yes, he sleeps with about 14 different animals every night. Which is part of the reason he needed to move out of the toddler bed - the animals took up too much space!

So for now, we have one in a big boy bed, and the other two are both still in cribs. Wyatt didn't make it in his crib quite as long as Reese did, but if she's happy in there, then we are. It seems that she's starting to notice more and more that she's a big girl in a crib, so I think she might be switching to her toddler bed soon (fortunately, we already have the rails for that)!

iPurge!

2012-01-12T11:04:00.001-05:00

These pictures are all part of my Photo 365 project. I'm taking a picture everyday. Part of me wishes that I had started a picture of each kid everyday, but that's really overwhelming! So one picture everyday works. And sometimes, the picture isn't of a kid :)

I use Instagram to edit the pictures, and then upload them to my Photo 365 app. I love it! I would like to say that I was using my big Canon to take a picture a day, but that seems like more work, and honestly, something I would stop quickly. But like my husband (not so kindly) points out, I always have my phone with me!

Thursday, 1/5 - Hudson in the bath!

Friday, 1/6 - Reese helping me crush Ritz crackers for Poppyseed chicken!

Saturday, 1/7 - Running errands at Sam's Club. They were precious to each other on the way out. Not so much while we shopped!

Sunday, 1/8 -Hudson catching a quick nap after our trip to the zoo.

Sunday, 1/8 (2) - Wyatt passed out on the couch! He spent the day at the zoo, riding bikes, playing Wii, and watching football! He was exhausted!

Monday, 1/9 - This came in a Valpak, and I just about died. Feel beter? Is that pronounced like Jeter? Proof that actually reviewing an ad helps you to NOT look like a moron!

Tuesday, 1/10 - Fresh haircuts for the boys! Miss Shalonda cleaned them up nicely! Although she told Wyatt she gave him a Justin Bieber haircut and he said, "Justing Bieber? Uck. Bad singer!"

Wednesday, 1/11 - Proof that nothing is safe! This little guy has figured out how to climb to get what he wants! Yikes!

Zoo!

2012-01-09T22:21:00.002-05:00

Yesterday was not quite as nice as Saturday, but we decided to take a trip to the zoo anyway. The kids were very excited to see the animals (and they were pretty happy that there was no one there).

We usually follow the same "routine" when we get to the zoo, but Wyatt was adamant that we go see the snakes second. For some reason he really likes them!

The prairie dogs weren't out, but Hudson still had fun looking for them!

The lions were taking a group nap when we got to them. Hudson had a lot of fun looking at them, and he really loved it when we got close.

"ook! ook!"

Brian is very proud of his giraffe picture. We went on the safari at Animal Kingdom. We stayed on the Savannah at Animal Kingdom Lodge. And the best picture he took of a giraffe was at the zoo we go to all the time.

Brotherly love! (They both need a haircut).

Outside, Outside! Outside, Everybody, Outside!

2012-01-08T21:25:00.001-05:00

Yesterday was gorgeous! So pretty, in fact, that I almost felt bad for dragging the kids to Target and Sam's Club to shop instead of letting them spend the entire day outside!

After we ran our errands (which seemed to take forever), we decided to let the kids try out their new bikes!

Wyatt caught on very quickly (but he's been riding his trike for a long time), and Reese, well, she likes to peddle backwards. I guess that's her thing. She did a much better job after a little practice.

The only downfall of our court is the fact that it hasn't been completely paved yet. The road is rough. And not for nothing, we picked a court so that our kids could ride their bikes here! We were told that it wasn't going to be complete until the entire neighborhood was finished, but we all petitioned and told the HOA that all the lots on our court are finished and it wasn't safe for all the kids. We got a response that the road would be completed sometime this winter. I hope it's soon! Wyatt took a few tumbles yesterday, but he hopped right back up. On his first fall, his second mommy jumped off her trike and ran full speed to check on him. Reese is SUCH a mini-me!

While I took down all of the Christmas decorations outside, Brian took the kids to the backyard to play in our newly fenced in yard.

This little guy really likes to be able to roam wherever he wants!

And sometimes his big brother doesn't mind teaching him a little about sports.

And even though Hudson was usually waiting at the bottom of the slide, Reese didn't seem to mind going down anyway.

It's a good thing he's easily distracted!

After we came in and had dinner, Brian and Wyatt went to the hockey game. Wyatt was not very happy when Brian used the tickets on Friday night and didn't take him, so he tried very hard to be on his best behavior yesterday so they could go! The Admirals had almost no home games in December, and the ones that were home games were while we were on vacation. It was a long December for Wyatt without some hockey! Right now he and Reese are both lobbying for Brian to take them on Tuesday. I'm not sure how Wyatt's going to take the news when I tell him it's his sister's turn!

iPurge!

2012-01-04T20:32:00.001-05:00

One of my goals for the year was to get back on track with my weekly phone purge. I'm really excited because I downloaded the Project 365 app, and I love the idea of taking a picture everyday this year (even though it has 366 days)!

I took this Christmas Eve. So cozy! I used twine and clothes pins that I spray painted red to hang our cards up this year - I loved the way it turned out!

The kids were out of school for two weeks, and Brian was home the whole time (although he did go into work three "short" days that ended up being long days). It was great having him home - I wonder what I'm going to do this summer while they're out and he's working 6 days a week?!?! We met one of Wyatt's classmates at Chuck E. Cheese last week, and they had a blast!

Wyatt and Reese were singing Rudolph the red Nosed Reindeer one evening, and then they apparently got worked up about the reindeer's mean treatment of Rudolph. So much so, that we needed to write a letter to them to ask them to be nice.

I deep cleaned the playroom on Sunday and was fortunate enough to have some really cute help! He also happened to be using his very last Santa diaper at the time.

Brian and I have been meaning to get the full bed conversion kit for Wyatt's bed for a long time. He's still in his toddler bed, but it is taken over by stuffed animals. Taken over. So I made the call yesterday. The guy at Burlington said that he could no longer order the rails, but he had a set in his inventory pile that he was going to throw out today if I wanted them. I sent Brian this picture to make sure they matched and he picked them up while he was at lunch! They only charged us $50 (everyone but the manager wanted to give them to us for free since he was going to trash them)!

I am debating whether or not to convert his bed to a full right now or to wait until he no longer plays in his room. He loves it in there, and a full would take up a lot of space! I'm thinking I might get him a cheap twin bed to us for a few years.

As part of mission to get organized, I cleaned my kitchen drawers. I sent this to Brian to let him see that his new valet tray was waiting for him to get home with his keys and wallet!

I am really excited to see whether or not I can stick to Project 365 - I think it definitely would be great to look back on at the end of the year!

New Toys and Cousins

2012-01-03T10:00:00.000-05:00

Reese and Piper after I opened her V Reader the day after Christmas!

Where Did the Year Go?

2012-01-02T20:30:00.000-05:00

I have seen these reviews all over the place this week, and I thought it would be fun to do my own! I couldn't pick one post a month - it's not fair to all three kids:)! Here is what our crew was up to in 2011.

January started with me sharing a day in my life with a 3 year old, a potty training 2 year old and a 2 month old. I wish I'd done more of that, and I think I will this year. I think it might be one of my best posts ever! I shared my dorkyness with everyone. And I'm basically not ashamed of it. Reese's personality grew by leaps and bounds, and my children became obsessed with The Fresh Beat Band. And I (finally) completed one room in the house a year after we moved in!

In February, dress up started in full effect. Hudson was three months old! We celebrated Valentine's Day, and made crafts to go with it. A few days after Valentine's Day, our new nephew and cousin was born! We were so excited that Mason was finally here! We went to the zoo. And the hockey obsession began.

In March we celebrated my 29th birthday. Hudson had his first play date with Joshua. Wyatt had his very first t-ball game and he got the game ball. We were so proud! We made rainbow cupcakes. We finally got to meet Mason! And of course, Wyatt turned 4 at the end of the month!

April started with Wyatt's birthday party at the zoo. We had a great time, and we're really thinking about doing it again this year. We went to his spring program at school, and it was adorable. ~~Roy Biggins~~ Hudson got his first "at-home" hair cut - he needed it desperately. We took our one, and only, trip to the beach. In April. Seriously, we had such a great time, how did we not go more? And of course, we dyed Easter Eggs!

Hudson turned 6 months old in May! He started eating solids, and he just grew up right before our eyes! He missed out on our strawberry picking trip, but he did start talking! Brian and I surprised the big kids with a trip to see the Imagination Movers in concert. And we went to Busch Gardens!

In June, Wyatt had his first team party for t-ball. The season went by fast, and we are still so thankful that he had such an amazing coach! We visited Daddy at work for the first time of the summer, and I started purging my iPhone and sharing it each week. I'd like to get back to that this year! The boys took a trip to the train bridge, and Wyatt had his last day of school!

We spent a lot of July at my parents' house in the pool, and Reese liked to pretend to drown her baby doll. Sweet, I know. I was horribly embarrassed by Reese's actions at our neighborhood 4th of July party :). And the big kids kept up with their swimming lessons!

In August I interviewed Reese and Wyatt after I found a cute interview on Pinterest. Hudson turned 9 months old. Brian and I went to see Kenny Chesney for the fifth time after he took a year off. And in the same week, Hudson got his first hair cut, Reese turned 3, and we went to Raleigh to get away from Hurricane Irene!

September meant the start of the school year. Reese had her first day of school ever, and Wyatt started his second year! We celebrated Reese's third birthday Minnie Mouse Style at The Little Gym (after it was rescheduled because of the hurricane)! And Wyatt started his fall sports!

In October we went to the pumpkin patch! We took advantage of our season passes and went to Busch Gardens for Hallowscream. And we celebrated Hudson's first birthday before we went trick or treating!

On November 5, Hudson turned 1! How did that year go by so fast? We had a pretty slow month leading up to Thanksgiving, and we met Parker at the beginning of the season!

We rang in the holiday season at Disney World, which is definitely the most magical place on Earth at Christmas time! Wyatt and Reese both had their Christmas performances at school before their winter break. We visited with Santa. And we had a great week together before we celebrated a wonderful Christmas!

I can't believe that 2011 is over. It flew by, but I am so thankful that I was able to document our year on here. There are so many things that we might forget, but I'm always able to keep this updated. We are looking forward to an awesome year, and all the fun it will bring. Happy New Year!

Hopes for 2012!

2011-12-31T16:39:00.003-05:00

Happy New Year!!! So tomorrow I have a post planned to reminisce a bit about 2011, but I'm starting the year linking up with Samantha at Adventures with Gwen to share my hopes for 2012!

In 2012...

I hope to meet and meet-up with other mommies more. I have friends with kids, but they don't necessarily operate on our schedule. Or live close by. And this might be asking too much, but I'd like to find an actual "friend" in there for me, too :).

I hope to spend less. A lot less. Because I'd like to save more. And stock pile it up. Make sure that we're investing right for our future. We don't have much debt because we pay off as we spend (usually!), but I'd like to make sure we save our money wisely. This probably means a drastic reduction in my trips to Target. But I've done that before (twice, including the time I gave it up for Lent!). And more couponing.

I hope to start living a healthier life style. I know. That's such a New Year's resolution, right? But seriously, this goes hand in hand with my desire to spend less. Brian and I eat out a lot. Way too much. For our waist lines and our budget. We have a free gym membership (thanks to trade!), that we hardly ever use. We are getting big on encouraging each other to get healthy. It's nice to be able to run after your children and not have to worry about running out of breath (so I've heard)!

I hope to stop hmmm, well isn't this a hard one? I hope to stop letting other people's actions and decisions affect me. That's probably a big one. When I feel like I've been wronged, or my family has, or a friend has, or a whole group of people for that matter, I'm quick to act. There have been many (many, many) times that Brian (or Brian's voice in my head) has stopped me from sending a text I shouldn't send, or I've just bitten my tongue because it's probably the right thing to do. Sometimes where I fly off the handle and make up worst case scenarios in my head. I get worked up. Now, on some level, I know this isn't awful. I don't want to be apathetic. But I should probably remind myself that people (for the most part) don't intentionally set out to hurt or anger me. And if they do, well, they're probably not people I want around anyway, right?

I hope that I prioritize my time better than I did in 2011. For serious. I would like this year to be a quiet year. I'm quickly becoming annoyed by the extra noise in my life, especially the TV. I want to spend more time teaching my kids, hanging out with them, talking and laughing with my husband, and being outside (at my parents' house. In their pool. Well, I guess our new fenced in backyard works, too).

My hope for my family is that we have a blast together. That we continue to learn and grow together, and that we continue being "us." I spend my days surrounded by four pretty amazing people, especially the tiny humans. I want "us" to stay "us," and I want to make sure that we all feel the strength of our family around us.

My hope for my children is that they continue to become who they are supposed to be. I want them to be healthy and happy, of course, but I love watching this journey that they're taking as they grow. Watching Wyatt play sports, listening (and watching) Reese's hysterical antics, and watching Hudson grow and learn more everyday. Each one of them has their own, distinct personality, and they each bring something so special to our family. They amaze me!

My hope for my marriage is that we always make sure to put each other first. Date nights, date days, (thanks to great grandparents who also think that our marriage is important!) quick phone calls and texts, and always being there for each other. When we're in the right place, I know that our family is.

I'm starting 2012 a very thankful and happy camper, and I can't wait to see what this new year brings (besides my thirtieth birthday!)! What are you hoping for? Head over to Samantha's blog and link up!

Christmas Day!

2011-12-29T20:30:00.001-05:00

Santa was very good to us this year...this is just half of it!

Brian and I were up late on Christmas Eve (much later than I thought we would be!), and we got an awesome Christmas present - Wyatt slept in until 7:15! He is an early riser (to put it mildly - up before 6 most days), and him sleeping that late was totally unexpected, but much appreciated by his parents! The other two are great sleepers, Reese is usually up around 7:30 and Hudson after that, so we had to wake them up!

They were very excited to open presents, but we told them that we were going to wait until their grandparents got there at 8 to get started, and they actually did a great job waiting patiently!

I know Santa leaves some kids presents out and unwrapped, but for some reason at our house, he likes to draw the morning out. He wraps all of our presents and leaves them in these cute Santa bags. Which reminds me, I need to mail them back to the North Pole tomorrow :).

Wyatt and Reese were both great helpers when it was time for Hudson to "open" his presents!

The big kids both got new bikes - Reese's was actually a gift for her birthday that Brian finally put together! Wyatt has the same trike in red.

And Wyatt got this sweet Schwinn, too! He needed a big boy bike, and this one was perfect. We saw it at Sam's on a shopping trip and went back the next day to get it!

We had breakfast (I made sausage casserole in the crock pot, sticky buns, and French toast casserole - all Pinterest finds) and relaxed a bit before they opened their presents from us. Brian and I snuck in a little time to open out gifts, too. Including my new Kindle and two new charms for my Pandora bracelet! I'm so excited to start reading, but I need suggestions!

We went to Brian's parents house for dinner and presents late that afternoon, after we had all napped and were refreshed. Actually, Wyatt doesn't nap, but he did watch Cars 2 quietly on the laptop in his room so the rest of us could!

The 4 big kids checking out Reese's gift from her cousins!

"Look Mom! It's just like the Toy Story Mania ride at Disney World!"

Reese opening her Lion King kissing Simba and Nala. She unwrapped them, and then she yanked them out of the box! We left their presents at Mimi and Baba's that night and she had an emotional breakdown when she had to go to bed without them!

I love the look on Hudson's face here! He spent the day less interested in presents and more interested in helping to pick up bits of wrapping paper! We had a fabulous Christmas, and I hate for it to end! That's probably why I'm dragging out blog posts about it. And why I have no intentions of taking down my trees yet! Ha!

Bye Parker!

2011-12-28T21:29:00.002-05:00

After we said goodbye to Parker on Christmas Eve, he was apparently up to some shenanigans!

He put streamers outside Wyatt and Reese's bedroom doors (this was Reese's - Wyatt army crawled into her room to get her the next morning so she could bust out)!

He also hung streamers in the kitchen on our Christmas wall (all the kids artwork from December), and from our chandelier. If you look on the chalkboard you can see his "note."

I edited this in Picasa and printed it at CVS. They were so excited to see a message from their little elf friend. I can't wait to welcome Parker back next year. Even though Reese's exact words when she saw the presents on Christmas morning were, "See Mom, Santa brought us presents even though we were naughty!" Yeah...

Christmas Eve!

2011-12-28T13:33:00.001-05:00

We traditionally spend Christmas Eve at my parents' house (2010, 2009, 2008), where we have a nice Italian meal (my Dad made some AWESOME lasagna this year), spend time together (watching football), and open presents!

It was really fun this year because Hudson is a lot bigger than he was last year, and because Mason was celebrating his first Christmas!

I forgot our Rebel, so all of our pictures are from Brian's iPhone. Reese opened up her present from my parents - a Story time Belle. This doll is awesome, but Reese opened it and said, "I already have a Belle." This was not the only time were heard this, and it drove me crazy! We explained the difference, and now she is in love with this doll. It went everywhere with her today!

Wyatt got some assistance opening his Toy Story space ship from his little cousin.

How sweet are these two staring at Hudson's Little People Pirate Ship?

We packed up the toys (including the new air hockey table from Uncle Marc and Aunt April!) and came home in time to open our Christmas jammies (yes, we ALL get new pajamas on Christmas Eve). Brian read the big kids some stories while I got Hudson snuggled in for the night, and we let them watch one Christmas show before bed. They said good bye to Parker (I think they became attached!), and then went to bed quickly! They were very anxious for Santa to come!

Our Week, Pre-Christmas!

2011-12-26T23:06:00.001-05:00

Is there a more hectic time of year than Christmas?! The kids have been out of school since Friday, the sixteenth, and we have been busy!

Our court is full of kids, and we love to have fun get togethers for them. Big Memorial Day barbecues, Fourth of July parties, movie nights, and we had our first Secret Santa party last weekend! Only 19 of the kids were able to come to this, but they had the best time. It was funny to watch the crowd shuffle when it was someone else's turn to open their present. Wyatt got Don't Break the Ice, and he just LOVES that game!

We spent each night doing something fun. We went to the Lights at the Beach (basically, you drive down the boardwalk and look at Christmas lights), the Lights at the Gardens, and drove around to look at lights! This little beauty is down the street from our house. It is over the top for Christmas, but it is over the top all year. They live in the kind of house that is so crazy on the outside that the inside gives you nightmares of awful wallpaper and cherubs.

We took this picture of Reese in the Ice Princess' throne before we saw Santa. Then we were told to put our camera away. The princess wasn't even there!

We obsessively tracked the days until Christmas with our train Advent Calender, as well as our Fisher-Price Nativity countdown. The only problem with the countdown is the Sant-icipation. These kids were SOOOO excited on Christmas Eve!

Thursday night Brian and I went to Reese's dance class "showcase." They did a cute little dance to "Run, Run Rudolph." Reese did a really great job, we were so proud of her! Not a hint of stage fright.

On Friday we ran lots of errands and then came home to make foam snowmen. I honestly didn't think this craft would occupy a ton of time, but boy was I wrong. Reese sat at the table making these for at least and hour and a half - she made 8! She is very proud of each one!

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-24T07:00:00.000-05:00

Here is our Christmas card. I ordered it through Tiny Prints, and I just can't say enough about how much I love the way this turned out!

We've got everything wrapped and ready, so I'll just be doing some cleaning and cooking today. Then we're off to spend Christmas Eve with my parents and family!

Merry Christmas!

Visiting with Santa!

2011-12-21T12:32:00.002-05:00

Brian is on vacation for two weeks, which coincides with the kids' Christmas Break (yes, my husband only had to work about 8 days this month. This never happens!). We have put off some things off so that we could really enjoy his time off together. We tried to go see Santa last weekend and the line was a nightmare. So we pushed it back to this week, when we knew we'd be able to go on a (hopefully) slow weekday!

We only had to wait in line for 5 minutes! The big kids did so well, and they told Santa what they would like for Christmas. Wyatt has already sent a letter to the North Pole (Parker took it for us one night), but he added something - a fire truck. And Reese only asked for one thing - a Teddy Bear. We're done shopping. (Although my husband is out shopping right now, so I really don't know that we're done!) That would be the downfall of taking your kids at the last minute!

Here is this year's Santa picture! Hudson was NOT thrilled to be sitting on Santa's lap. I tried to hold Brian back from passing him to Santa, but the lady in front of us would not make up her mind about what she wanted! So we ended up with a crying baby picture!

And some Christmases past -

2010 (yes, Wyatt is wearing the same shirt, but I bought it in a size up last year and figured, what the heck?!)

I have no idea where my digital copy of '09 is - but here is a super sweet one from 2008!

Reese's Christmas Program

2011-12-19T21:38:00.001-05:00

Reese had her first Christmas program on Thursday! She was very excited.

She was beyond excited to see her cheering section when she walked out.

Singing "Santa Claus is Coming to Town."

And of course she performed "Feliz Navidad" as well. She couldn't get a hang of the Spanish, but she sang her little heart out when she got to, "I want to wish you a Merry Christmas!"

We went to her classroom for her party afterwards, and watched her eat and she gave us our present, her little handprint. She was very excited to show me how her hand fit into the mold! She is such a good little girl - all the other kids were done and playing, and she asked for more carrots! She cracks me up!

Wyatt's Christmas Program

2011-12-18T20:13:00.002-05:00

Wyatt had his Christmas program on Wednesday. Even though it's his second year of school, it was his first Christmas party - last year we had two snow showers in December, and the first caused school to be cancelled on the day of his party!

Singing Holly Jolly Christmas!

The "grand finale" was a performance of "Feliz Navidad" with the three year olds. Wyatt can actually say "Prospero Año y Felicidad." And he sounds absolutely adorable when he says it! Maybe we'll start working on Spanish homeschool after he starts reading! I have no idea how to speak Spanish, but I guess 7 years of French could help some?

Wyatt with Daddy - taking a break from enjoying his Rudolph cupcake!

Two things happened at school that cracked me up. The first is that Natalie's mom (yes, Natalie who we ran into while we were trick or treating) told me that Natalie can spell two names - her own and Wyatt's. And she wrote Wyatt's name all over her Mom's birthday present! This was after Isabella's mom (who is by far the person I hear about MOST when we talk about school) told me that she hears about Wyatt all the time, too!

Then I actually heard a mom refer to Wyatt as "the one with the good hair." Yes. My four year old son has earned that moniker. Seriously? And that wasn't the only time that day I heard it! Brian also said that a few moms at basketball practice remembered Wyatt because of his hair!

So I've started calling him by a new nickname. And being the Grey's Anatomy fan that I am, it has something to do with this guy:

And Wyatt doesn't seem the least bit embarrassed when I call him McDreamy :)!

My B-Baller

2011-12-15T15:36:00.001-05:00

Wyatt had his first basketball practice last night! We were excited to sign him up and expose him to a sport that he hasn't really had a lot of practice with. He was also very excited. Especially when the Y gave each child his own basketball!

We don't really watch NBA games. Like, ever. We do watch college basketball when Duke is on because Brian is a fan. And because Reese is going to school there. But even then, Wyatt doesn't really watch it. He sees highlights when we watch Mike & Mike every morning. So he is very excited to learn to play (and he'll probably want to watch some games, too).

Last night the team learned about defense. He was very excited to show me his defensive moves when he got home.

If Brian and I have our way, our kids will be involved in something year round! This year Wyatt played baseball in the spring, took swimming lessons all summer, played baseball and soccer in the fall, and he is playing basketball (and probably starting swim lessons again) this winter. Reese took swimming lessons, played soccer and is taking dance at school.

Obviously we want them to have fun and we don't want a bunch of couch potatoes, but we also want them to learn all the other important lessons as they get older and get more involved in sports. We are very excited to watch him play basketball this year, and I think he is even more excited to play!

Catch Up!

2011-12-13T09:57:00.000-05:00

I feel like I have been playing catch up since we got home! Out of control laundry, out of control house, getting ready for Christmas - everything is so off!

Wyatt went back to school Monday, and Brian stayed home Monday and Tuesday. Fortunately the kids (especially Hudson who I was most worried about!) jumped back into their routines really quickly. Wyatt is waking up really early (like 4:45 early), but other than that, we're good!

On Friday we finally got our family tree up and lit. I was up until 1 (Yes really. I do the lights. I'm specific about them - I took lessons from a friend who does 4 trees a year and I've done them ever since).

Saturday was still my morning to get up with the kids, so we got up, had breakfast and got ready for our cousins' birthday party! Derek and Sophie turned 5! It's so hard to believe that they are 5 years old - mainly because it means that in just three and a half months this little guy will be 5!

Surprisingly, this was Wyatt's only ride on the pony! I thought that he might take a few more rides, but he decided to go play with the group of boys instead. He is really having a lot of fun playing with Derek lately - and when they all decided to go play sports and run Wyatt was definitely in his element!

Reese on the other hand....

I don't think she could have loved riding this pony more! She stayed in line to ride it the entire time - she would ride the loop, hop off, and then get in line behind Sophie and the other little girl who were in the same routine. I think she's planning on asking Baba to get her a pony to live in the barn :).

Brian missed the entire party because he had to leave! This is so TMI, but it's a funny story, I promise! He had a headache all morning, but decided to go anyway. About 10 minutes after we got there he felt nauseous and went to the car. Apparently he was sick, but there was a plastic bag in the bag seat that saved him. His dad was able to drive him home, and he took this with him "just in case."

There were no tools in it because I'd JUST purchased it for him as a Christmas gift. I bought it because I think that his current big, metal toolbox smells like vomit. Well, you can guess what happened when he turned the corner to our neighborhood. Needless to say, I'll need to buy another one because this one smells, too. Fortunately it was only $7!

He felt better by that night, so we were able to drive around to look at some Christmas lights. We made an attempt to go see Santa on Sunday morning, but the line was WAY too long. I think we'll be going on a weekday instead!

This week is going to be SO fun (and busy!)! We have Christmas parties and programs at school, and lots of fun activities to do. Plus, Wyatt starts basketball! Crazy!

Days 6 & 7: More Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom

2011-12-11T21:37:00.000-05:00

This is the last time that I will bore you with the details of our vacation (for awhile, I have a "Princess post," a post about our hotel, and a post about a few "must do's" that I'll share later)! On Friday we went back to Hollywood Studios - I guess we thought that we should let the kids redeem themselves! Ha!

Wyatt wanted to ride Star Tours again - and this time it did a number on Brian and I. I get sick on that kind of stuff (not throw up sick really, but headaches) and even though Brian usually doesn't, he didn't feel very well either. I worry about the kids having my tolerance for this stuff, but Wyatt seems to be fine! I think Reese might get a little queasy sometimes, though!

We rode Star Tours, took the back lot tour (which has changed since my first trip 11 years ago - I remember The Golden Girls house being there?), had lunch, ran into one of Brian's former employees working as a housekeeper (I literally ran into her in the bathroom and she followed me out to say hi to Brian), rode Toy Story Mania again, caught the Little Mermaid, shopped, and watched the Pixar parade! Hudson likes to be the conductor whenever he hears music! It was a really fun day!

On what turned out to be out last day (we added an extra day for $32 total just in case we decided to go back on Sunday) we went to Animal Kingdom. We rode the safari and went straight to Camp Minnie-Mickey to meet some characters. It turned out to be a great decision because there were no lines and we were done in a half hour!

We had to see Thumper because each of our kids were read Goodnight Thumper every night for the first year and a half of their lives! Brian and I definitely have that one memorized!

This picture was originally supposed to be Brian and I - and then Wyatt jumped in! We are big fans of The Amazing Race, and practically every season one of the tasks involves rickshaws, and we wanted to pretend like we were on the Race!

We really wanted to go back to the Magic Kingdom, but we decided to stay for the parade that afternoon. The kids really seemed to enjoy it.

We took a few pictures of this amazing tree.

Including this pretty cute one!

We were still hoping to make it to the Wilderness Lodge for a visit (we've stayed there on every other trip and it is amazing, especially at Christmas), and to the Magic Kingdom. But we had packages to drop off at our hotel and we ended up going there, catching a bus to the Magic Kingdom, immediately getting on a bus for the Wilderness Lodge and then having dinner there.

We got on a boat to go the Magic Kingdom and ended up stuck on it for 45 minutes - which didn't really matter because it was 8:45 and completely packed! Brian and I debated on going to the park in the morning, but decided it was better to get on the road early. We really wanted the Magic Kingdom to be their last experience of the trip - but we were also ready to get home! We had so much fun on our trip, and even after a few setbacks (like me realizing that I left the laptop in the safe in the room after we'd been on the road for 15 minutes and then turning around to go get it!), we made it home in exactly 12 hours! Pretty amazing! I really can't wait to take them back - and we've already started a list of things we'd do differently - ha!

Day 5: Another Trip to the Magic Kingdom

2011-12-09T10:00:00.000-05:00

We headed back to the Magic Kingdom to visit with more characters and ride some of our favorite rides. One of our first stops was Woody and Jessie's spot. As you can see, the majority of our kids had a great time. Hudson, not so much....

He was just a little bit scared when Woody walked up to say hi. The funny thing is that Hudson was asleep when we first got there, and he woke up when he heard a little girl scream "Wooooodyyyy!" He bolted up and started pointing at Woody and Jessie, but then he didn't really want to visit with them.

Woody was a little embarrassed!

We love Toy Story so much that we needed a family picture! You might not be able to find me because I'm just a little bit taller than the kids!

The boys went to play on Tom Sawyer's island for awhile, so Reese, Hudson and I made the rounds. We visited with the Fairy Godmother, and then waited in line forever to meet Tiana!

I loved their shirts! I ordered them from this etsy shop, which is also where I got Reese's turkey shirt. We took a little break in the day to get our sillies out.

And to take some pictures in the gardens.

We were able to ride a lot of rides, meet more princesses, and fit in two more parades! The kids were very excited to see the light parade (even though we almost just ran into it on the way out of the park - we had decided to leave). But they were in awe of the floats. We were seated behind an older couple, and she sat down to make room for the kids. Reese basically walked up and sat on her lap! I apologized, but she said that Reese was fine. Reese asked me later if that grandma minded that she sat on her lap!

Day 4: Epcot & The Magic Kingdom

2011-12-07T19:28:00.001-05:00

On the fourth day of our trip we went to Epcot. Now, I am not a huge fan of Epcot, and neither is Brian. I think that if we didn't have kids we might be more inclined to enjoy the different countries (maybe taking advantage of the different foods and beers and wines?), but not so much with the kids. It probably also has something to do with an ambulance ride that a certain little girl took out of Epcot last year. In any case, our plan was to spend a couple of hours at Epcot to ride Nemo and Test Track, and then go on a search for Mulan and Aladdin and Jasmine and leave (and we were also hoping for well behaved children)!

Wyatt wanted to pose with the Finding Nemo characters.

While we were walking through the park a "grandma" offered Reese this balloon flower, and she loved it. She thinks all women over "a certain age" are called grandma. She cracks me up!

Wyatt in front of Pluto's dog house!

We found out when we got to the "France" section that Belle and Beast are both there for character greetings. Wyatt was definitely excited to see the Beast! Reese was a little apprehensive (notice that she isn't standing very close to Belle)!

Me and my little guy in Germany! We were kind of bummed out because we saw Snow White, but didn't go see her because we figured she would be at the Magic Kingdom. No such luck - we walked right by her, and she's the only princess Reese didn't get to visit.

Before we left Epcot for the day Wyatt (and Brian) insisted on getting his a picture with the Monorail.

We left Epcot and decided to take the Monorail to the Magic Kingdom. We didn't have a ton of time, but we figured that since the kids were in great moods we had a little time to make up!

We visited with Belle, Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty, and then stopped to see Micky and Minnie. Reese wasn't very happy because she really wanted to visit with Minnie and she was with Wyatt. Who gets sad about seeing Mickey Mouse?!?! My Reesie!

We were also able to see a parade - this float was a highlight! Woody and Jessie are two of our absolute favorites - in case you couldn't tell by Reese's Halloween costume!

The kids went to sleep absolutely exhausted, which was a good thing. It's not too easy to get them to sleep in a hotel!

Days 2 & 3: Animal Kingdom and Hollywood Studios

2011-12-07T09:30:00.000-05:00

On Day 2 of our trip we went to Animal Kingdom. Our first stop was the safari!

The kids had so much fun looking at all the different animals. Giraffes, lions, rhinos, and elephants were all really close to us. It's so funny because there's a whole premise about poachers and baby elephants, and Wyatt is obsessed with it. He literally asks (still) about the poachers. Like, he asks how they keep getting back in the park at night!

We decided to head over to visit Rafiki - he's a favorite around here. Reese does a really great impression of him saying, "Correction. I know your father."

We continued on our princess journey to find Pocahontas. Reese was very excited to see her!

We were able to fit in a showing of The Festival of the Lion King and do a bit of shopping before an afternoon rainstorm hit. We visited with Tigger, Pooh and Eeyore, but the rain lasted longer than we expected. We set the kids up with popcorn and Netflix on Brian's phone, but they couldn't be entertained for too long! We ended up leaving early and then headed to Downtown Disney that night.

On Tuesday we went to Hollywood Studios. We got our fast passes for Toy Story Mania (seriously, it's the only way to get on the ride without waiting forever, and you have to go get your pass first thing in the morning. They seriously run out of times. We got one at 9 and our return time was 3pm!), and then went to Star Tours. Wyatt was even the person chosen in our little pod to be the rebel spy - he thought it was cool!

We visited with a few more characters. The kids were very excited to get to visit with the Green Army Man from Toy Story!

And Jake from Jake and the Neverland Pirates was there! Reese was holding out hope for Izzy, but she isn't there!

And this would be where we had one of our moments. Brian and I both just reached our breaking point. We were asking them over and over and over again to listen, be good, stop fighting, stop interrupting, be kind - and none of those things were happening. We decided to take a little time out and get some popcorn and rest. When I took the popcorn away because only kernels were left, Wyatt got major attitude. And we walked out! That was probably the lowest point of the trip. I know that it didn't help that they were going to sleep a little later and waking up earlier (my best sleeper, Hudson, became my absolute worst on our trip - waking up at 4:30 in a hotel wide awake - I thought I was going to die), but they knew better! It was so hard to discipline them there because our solution to bad behavior at home when we're out is to leave, and we didn't want to ruin our vacation with punishment. Brian and I also knew we were probably being a little tough because we had unfair high expectations because we were at Disney World. But it was something we had to do, even though we paid all that money. And it was the worst! We went back to the hotel and had a talk and things got better from there.

I can't even lie - these are just the pictures that I took - Brian has a lot more on his phone, and we got the Disney photo pass, so there are even more. So sadly enough, you will probably be subjected to even more pictures!

Day 1: Half of a Day at the Magic Kingdom!

2011-12-06T12:00:00.000-05:00

We left for Florida on Saturday, stopped about 45 minutes from Orlando, and then continued our trip the next morning. We didn't tell the kids where we were going until Sunday morning! They actually didn't really ask a lot of questions about where we were going on Saturday, and I was definitely expecting it. Part of our reason for stopping was that we didn't want all of the billboards on the way down to "give away" where we were going! The trip wasn't too bad. We just loaded the car up with a bin of toys and books for each of them, the portable DVD players that were an emergency purchase on last year's trip (we had borrowed a set from a friend, but they gave us their broken pair by mistake- and the kids were already expecting a movie), and their collection of kid's CD's. They actually stayed pretty well entertained the entire time!

When we got to the park it was entirely decorated for Christmas, and it was absolutely beautiful, as usual. Wyatt's first request was a stop at the Buzz Lightyear ride - and he had a great time! We also went for a ride on the People Mover - and this series of pictures summarizes Hudson's trip. Anytime that we went on a ride that had any kind of dark section, he looked just like this....

We had a late lunch, visited with Buzz and Chip & Dale, started out on the grand adventure of meeting all of our favorite characters, and caught a parade. We headed back to the hotel so that we could unpack and get situated, too. It's really hard to stay organized in a room that has three kids, two dresser drawers and a pack and play taking up "free space"!

I am probably going to bore y'all to death with the recaps of this trip, but we had a lot of fun. There were some moments (if you're a parent, you know about these moments), but overall we just had the best time!

What We've Been Up To....

2011-12-05T21:36:00.000-05:00

I've been a little MIA over the last week for a great reason!

I'll be updating more, but wanted to "check in" tonight! Never ending piles of laundry are currently calling my name!

Wordless Wednesday

2011-11-30T22:26:00.001-05:00

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-29T21:50:00.001-05:00

Could I be any later posting about Thanksgiving? We've been a little busy this week!

We The boys spent the morning watching Star Wars: A New Hope. Brian really wants to get the The Empire Strikes Back so Wyatt can learn that Darth Vader=Luke's Father=Anakin Skywalker. Not kidding. He wants to make sure that he's there when Wyatt learns that for the first time! After that we watched the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade. We wake up really early!

We decided to let the kids have quiet time before we went over to Brian's parents' house for the afternoon. It was very weird to only have one meal to go to this year! My dad was at the Fire Station and my Aunt pulled together a nice meal at my parents' house, but we missed it!

When we got to Mimi and Baba's the kids went straight outside to play in the leaves...

And throw around the football.

"Seriously Reese, leaf me alone!"

Isn't her shirt adorable?! I saw one like it on Pinterest months ago and really wanted to try and make one - but I gave up before I even tried! I ordered it from this Etsy shop, and I love it! I put it on her the day after Halloween, and I ordered her a 5T in hopes that she can wear it next year!

Brian practiced jumping over Hudson.

And Hudson fit in two of his new favorite hobbies - walking, and walking to get away from the dogs. I've never seen a baby who moved as fast as he does when a dog is coming!

Doesn't his hair look so red! I get stopped at least once a day by people who want to tell me that he is adorable and that he has the best hair. But then they want to know where he gets the red (it's worse when Reese is with us). The answer - I have no idea!

Once Wyatt put the football down it was Hudson's turn!

Reese ate next to nothing for dinner (she was more interested in playing), but she was very excited to have some pie! When we asked the kids what they were thankful for on Thanksgiving, Wyatt's response was "my daddy," and Reese said "apple pie and pumpkin pie!" She had a lot of fun hanging out with Sophie!

After dinner we came home with three very tired kids. They went right to bed and I got to work on one of our Christmas trees while we watched Christmas Vacation and Brian looked through the Black Friday ads. He did go out at midnight, but he went to Kohl's, picked up with toy he wanted, and then walked out. Amazing! He's such a good bargain shopper!

Meet Parker

2011-11-25T16:50:00.000-05:00

Meet our new elf, Parker. Parker was sent here by Santa to watch over the kids, and each night he goes off to the North Pole to give Santa a report.

Brian and I really debated getting an Elf on the Shelf. We thought it might be a good, fun tradition. But we were also worried because Wyatt isn't dumb. We thought there was a slim chance that this guy would tip Wyatt off to something "funny." We agreed that if anything started to go awry we would abandon Santa's little helper.

When we first introduced the elf and read his book, they were both very excited. The process of naming him went a little like this:

******

Me: "Guys, we have to come to a consensus about what our elf's name should be. That means we all need to agree."
Wyatt: "I have an idea Reesie. We could name him Caillou."
Reese: "No, Bringer."
Wyatt: "How about Spiderman?"
Reese: "No, Brownger."
Brian: "I have an idea. Wyatt suggested Spiderman. Why don't we name him Parker like Peter Parker?"
Wyatt and Reese: "Yes!"

******

After this interaction, Wyatt started to ask questions. How does Parker get to the North Pole? How does he fly? What does he tell Santa?

Brian explained that Parker is like Buzz and Woody in Toy Story, and that when we leave the room he comes to life, and that's when he visits Santa. Then we told him that Parker would see everything he did that was good (like cleaning up his toys), and everything he did that was naughty (like basically everything else).

Wyatt jumped out of bed this morning to find Parker in the tree, and then he really bought into it! Of course, he also ended up basically sharing confession with our little elf after he returned home from Mimi and Baba's today, so I guess we'll have to see how this all works out!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-24T09:11:00.001-05:00

From my little pilgrims!

Thankful everyday for the little hands that created these works of turkey art! For their health, their spunk, their love, and the absolute joy they've each brought into our lives!

We are blessed!

Funnies from Wyatt

2011-11-22T15:40:00.001-05:00

Just a few tidbits from my oldest, most strong willed, most opinionated boy:

This morning I walked into the living room to find Wyatt playing with Hudson. Playing fetch. He was throwing a toy and following it up with, "Go get it, buddy!" Hudson would scatter off to get the toy, and come back and clap. And then give Wyatt a high 5! So silly!

The UPS guy came this morning at 9:00. This is unheard of. He usually shows up anywhere between 3pm and 6pm! I was in the laundry room, and Wyatt came in and said, "Hey Mommy, the package guy came and left two packages on the door step. I think one is from Target. Also, is it still the morning? I think he usually comes after lunch."

And my favorite is from the other night when the American Music Awards were on (I don't watch it, I swear. We changed the channel so we didn't have The Amazing Race ruined for us!). He looked at me while we walked to brush his teeth and said, "Mom, that singer that's a kid? Justin Bieber? He's so bad. I don't want to ever have to listen to him sing again. That's not good music." He has good taste!

Just Sharing

2011-11-21T11:12:00.001-05:00

I had a grand plan to take the kids to the train tracks that run behind our neighborhood with the intention of getting some pictures. I thought that (pending cooperation and good behavior) we might be able to get some cute Christmas card shots.

These are not the Christmas Card shots...

But they're still pretty cute!

Hudson's One Year Check Up

2011-11-18T08:00:00.000-05:00

Hudson's one year check up was on Wednesday. Because Brian has been out of town since Tuesday (he's coming back today - yay!), I got to take all three kids to the doctor for the first time ever. By myself. It was an adventure!

I let Wyatt and Reese roam around the room at their appointments when they were little. Needless to say, Hudson spent most of his time on my hip. I was kind of busy convincing Wyatt that the dialysis patients on the floor below us needed their blood pressure to stay low, and him jumping up and down wasn't helping! Even with a "bag of tricks," Wyatt was still a little bouncy. Reese was an absolute angel. She watched everything Dr. J did and stayed so quiet. I did tell our UNC educated doctor about her decision to go to Duke. He told her to find a new doctor!

Anyway, back to Mr. H. He is:

22 lbs., 12 ounces (47th percentile)

28.5 inches (10th percentile - ouch!)

18.5 head circumference (66th percentile)

Reese's one year stats/check up

Hudson is walking, talking, and signing. He showed all of his "tricks" off during his exam. He was an absolute angel!

...Until the shots. He ended up with his final shots yesterday - and we also got his flu shot while we were there. He was a not a fan, and it was my first time being the one to stay with him (any of them, really) while he got shots! That's usually Daddy's job!

I can't believe that he's a year old, and it's a little hard to watch him get bigger because he's not my little baby anymore! But I am hoping that he grows an inch or two over the next three months!

Thankful Thursdays!

2011-11-17T19:51:00.001-05:00

Linking up with Samantha again this week to share some thanks! If you haven't been to her blog, go check it out, and while you're there send her some prayers for little Gwen - she's had a tough week and could use some support through Gwen's surgery!
This week I am thankful, above all, for our health. Hudson just had his one year check up yesterday and while he's still a short little guy, he is in great health. Even after those pesky shots!
I am thankful for my husband, who is a great Daddy and a wonderful husband. I'm thankful that he works so hard for our family. Sure, I wish he walked through the door at 5:30 every night, but that's not happening soon :). I am excited about his work schedule over the next month and a half, though!
I am thankful for our families. They spent 3 and half years working with my work schedule to make sure Wyatt and Reese were taken care of. And our parents still recognize how important it is for us to get our "date nights" in, and they're always willing to hang out with their grand kids! Our kids LOVE their Mimi and Baba, and Didi and Pop Pop, and I know that the relationships that they have with them are priceless.
I am thankful that next Thursday is Thanksgiving! Yay!
What are you thankful for this week? Why don't you share and then link up with Samantha!

Tis the Season - Tiny Prints!

2011-11-15T20:28:00.001-05:00

'Tis the season to start prepping for Christmas cards! I have a plan (in my head, anyway) to get pictures ready for Christmas cards this weekend, and then order them and get them ready to go out. I like to send mine out early-ish - by the 14th! I usually get a lot of cards in the mail around the 22nd, but I like for mine to be out before that! I've spent a lot of time trying to find good, quality cards and I stumbled upon Tiny Prints, and I have to say that I am in love!

I have gone through the website and looked at all the cards - seriously, all of them - and these are my favorites!

I just love the colors in this one:

But I used their search bars to find cards that might be a little more appropriate for us - cards that allow more than one picture - it's not always easy to find one perfect picture! This one is perfect!

Because of our love for the word Noel around here (we have an entire collection of things with Noel on them for Christmas - I wonder why...), I really just LOVE this card!

If you're looking for your Christmas cards, you should definitely head over to Tiny Prints and check them out - you will definitely find your perfect card!

In The Spirit

2011-11-13T07:54:00.001-05:00

I'm guilty.

We've been Christmas shopping. Friday afternoon and night we had a "date night." Our date consisted of me going along for Brian's flu shot, and then a trip to Toys R Us. There was a sale that day, and we had no idea. Until the store was packed when we arrived - like Black Friday packed.

We were able to get some things for Reese (almost done!), Hudson's Elmo, and one present for Wyatt. We followed that up with dinner at a Mexican restaurant and came home to our kids (and our DVR)!

My mom watched the kids yesterday. We went to see J. Edgar. My initial review? Good? Interesting? A little weird? I found Armie Hammer's aging to be disturbing. I found Josh Lucas' appearance as Charles Lindbergh to be (very) pleasant. I just don't really trust biopics. Even when they're directed by Clint Eastwood. (Note to Brian: I'm not saying anything bad about Clint Eastwood. I promise.)

After the movie we did a little more Christmas shopping. We went to an early dinner. And then we went to Kohl's, where I got this:

It's not for me. I swear. It's for Reese's room. We want to put small trees in their rooms. I got a regular green tree at Target last week. But then I saw this purple one for 50% off yesterday. And it was perfect. She loves purple. And I got her purple and pink ornaments at Michael's on clearance last year. I'm kind of excited. I'm (probably) returning the other one. And this is going up. Soon.

I'm biting the bullet today and packing up the Thanksgiving stuff. And we're going all out Christmas around here. Pronto. I love the lights and the twinkle. And Christmas. Especially when it involves purple trees.

Thankful Thursday!

2011-11-10T13:26:00.002-05:00

I am linking up with Samantha again to share what I am thankful for this week. Such a fun way to jot down things that make our lives better and more rewarding and just, well, amazing!

I am thankful for my kids. And their health. And their spunk. I don't have one wall flower. They're all funny, and a little too opinionated for my their own good, but I love it. I know that they will always stand up for themselves and each other, and for that I am truly grateful!

I am thankful for education! Mine, Brian's, and the kids'. We both grew up in amazing school systems. I was lucky enough to get a public education that was equivalent to a private one - without the tuition. My kids go to an amazing pre-school that is providing them with a wonderful foundation, and they will go to great schools (and I'm not just saying that because my mother-in-law used to teach at one)!

I am thankful that my kids want to learn. Reese is already so close to a Phonics book - something Wyatt didn't even get until this year (she really has an advantage by having a big brother so close in age)! Wyatt is super close to getting his first reader and is having fun going on "word searches" with me and finding sight words.

I am thankful for a sense of humor. Everyone's. Mine. Brian's. My Dad's. My brothers'. My friends'. And my kids'. I like laughing. Even if it's at my expense (which is why I can still tolerate my brother's sense of humor). Reese tells some of the funniest jokes. Wyatt has a great delivery (which I think is courtesy of The Backyardigans.) I also have a great appreciation for sarcasm.

I am thankful to have a voice. I don't have a lot of strong opinions or get offended easily (see the above appreciation for a sense of humor), but this week has challenged me. I was really offended by something someone said, and I've taken it head on. And I'm kind of happy about that. And the emails I keep getting that confirm that I'm doing the right thing!

I am thankful to finally have a night off! I'm headed out to dinner with a friend tonight, and I am really excited. And following it up with Grey's Anatomy sounds just right!

What I'm Loving Wednesday

2011-11-09T08:36:00.008-05:00

Oh it's Wednesday again - time to share what I'm loving today!

So this Merona Ultimate Tee from Target is probably one of my favorite fall finds - I have two in white, and one in this gray stripe, and also in orange and teal - for $8 each!! I seriously love these shirts - I hate getting "dressed up" to clean and do housework all day, but I can't stand wearing old ratty t-shirts either. These are great!

I am seriously obsessed with peppermint mocha creamer right now. I was all about pumpkin pie creamer through October - but I've officially made the switch. My coffee tastes SO good every morning now. It's almost as good as one from Starbucks - except this is better because the creamer costs much less than a cup of coffee there!

I check on daily deal sites almost every day (and only buy if I can get a great deal) - and I found these hair clips yesterday on Very Jane for $2.50! I got Reese the penguin and the gingerbread girl for $7 with shipping. These will look super cute with her Christmas shirts this year!

Augh! These two! I know that they will be beyond excited to find out that we're going back to Disney World, and I can't wait to tell them - but we're keeping it a secret for now! I got really excited when I saw Wyatt's progress report at his parent teacher conference yesterday and saw that he said that he likes it when we take him to Disney World! I was less excited when I saw that Reese told her teacher that it makes her happy when I give her food. Seriously?!? Kids say the silliest things!

Y'all - I'm not even going to lie. My skin is awful. Like, I would show you pictures of how bad it is sometimes, but I would be so embarrassed (although it was its worst when I was a junior in high school). I tried every medication in high school, and I wash my face morning and night, but nothing has ever worked. I find myself wanting to smack people who complain about getting a pimple once a month. I'm also terribly afraid that my kids could end up with my skin. I'm not kidding - I would be so much happier to be dealing with wrinkles than dealing with acne at 29. Proactiv is the only thing that works for my skin - if I follow all three steps, twice a day. I stopped using it for awhile, but I couldn't take it anymore - sometimes I need to do what's right for me, too!

My Erin Condren address book came this week (mine is mocha/multi though), and I am so excited! I have about a gazillion Excel files with all the addresses I need in it - but it is such a pain. I am so happy to have all my contacts in one place!

This candle is on its last leg - but I am still in love! Fortunately we'll be making the switch to a Christmas scent in the near future so I won't be scentless - but I LOVE this one!

So that's kind of a long list - but that's what I'm loving today y'all!

Visiting with Mason: Halloween Edition

2011-11-08T08:30:00.004-05:00

Last weekend Marc, April, and Mason came to town for a visit. And the ODU/JMU game (Go Dukes). The Dukes lost the game but we still got to see each other, so it was worth their long trip!

We dressed the kids up in their costumes for a little Halloween "party." Yoda and Froggy got to hang out together.

And they had very important things to discuss!

While Mason got to hang out with Uncle Brian...

Wyatt and Reese spent some time being thrown up in the air by Uncle Marc!

They absolutely loved it!

We can't wait to visit again for Christmas!

Hudson's First Birthday Party: Part 3 - The Decor!

2011-11-07T14:30:00.000-05:00

When I was first planning Hudson's party, I had two goals: to make as much of the food and decor as possible, and also to have it be completely stress free. I tend to be a ball of stress on birthday party days!

When I found this invitation on Pinterest, I knew that it was the one I was looking for!

Source: peartreegreetings.com via Brittney on Pinterest

I pinned the instructions for this balloon wreath from How Does She and was really excited to try it out! I LOVED how it turned out - and it's actually still on my door! I like the Thanksgiving colors :) Mine is a little fuller than the one in the tutorial - but I was kind of obsessive about it!

I liked this idea - but wanted to do it with something I already had. I created this magnetic board for another Pinterest project (make up storage), so I just attached an adhesive magnet to the back of Hudson's monthly pictures and put them on the frame. I added the mat for guests to sign, a framed invitation, and the favors (chocolate covered pretzel rods) to the table with it - and I was in love!

The food table was easy enough - cupcakes, smash cake, and all the food. Buffalo chicken balls, Pizza dip, pigs in a blanket, and a veggie tray are on the table. I actually found the actual "tray" at Target in the $1 section, and got all the veggies myself! We also had meatballs, chicken nuggets for the kids, and Brian's 7 layer dip but those weren't out yet :)

And quite possibly one of my very favorite things -

I got all the ribbon on clearance at Michael's. I cut all the ribbon while we watched the X Factor one night, and then hot glued them later that week while Brian and Wyatt went to a hockey game. You wouldn't think that spending a Saturday night with ribbon and a hot glue gun would be that fun, but when you add in a glass of Moscato and The American President, it's really not that bad!

I have to say that I just loved how Hudson's birthday party turned out, and I kind of can't wait to plan the next party - but we have until March to worry about that!

Hudson is a ONE YEAR OLD!

2011-11-07T09:51:00.001-05:00

Hudson is a one year old big boy! This year has flown by, and I really can't believe that this big boy is the same tiny baby that I held for the first time a year ago! He is such a joy and his smile just lights up my world!

Here is what he is up to this month:

He is about 25 pounds now! I can barely carry him - I usually pass him off to Daddy when we're out and about!
He wears a size 4 diaper.
He wears his 12 month sleepers and 12 and 18 month clothes.
He has now completely transitioned to cow's milk, and he eats whatever we eat (cut up into small pieces of course!).
He is getting to be a better sleeper. He usually goes to sleep at night somewhere between 6:30 and 7 and wakes up somewhere between 7 and 8. Daylight savings didn't mess him up too much, thankfully! I do sometimes wonder if he even naps though! I usually put him down between 12:30 and 1 and he starts crying about an hour later. I'm just not sure he sleeps during that hour - I think he might just stare at his crib toy the whole time.
He says Uh oh, Mama, Dada, touchdown, hi, Baba, Pop Pop, yes, up, thank you, hey and bye. He also sometimes says "ee-ee" which I think might mean Reesie. He signs "all done," and "up," and waves hi and bye.
He has a cute little tongue wiggle that he does when he's thirsty!
He has 6 teeth! The four in the front up top and the bottom two. More are cutting right now. He's not so happy about that.
He'll be getting his third hair cut next week!
He is still sleeping in his sleep sacks. He LOVES them.
He is walking all over the place now. It's so funny to see him walk everywhere. He took his first steps on October 6th and gradually worked his way up to using walking as his preferred method of getting around. We gate off the hallway that leads to the kids' rooms and the stairs, and keep the doors to our room and the half bath closed. That way he can have the run of the playroom, living room and kitchen!
He loves the new Elmo at Target and dances to it in the store. He will probably get it for Christmas!
He actually loves to dance to any music! He looks so cute jamming.
He really seems like a toddler now. I can't believe how big he is getting!
Expect two more detailed posts about his first birthday :). We had a lot of fun celebrating with him!

Happy First Birthday Mr. H!

Thankful Thursdays!

2011-11-03T21:38:00.000-04:00

I will totally admit to getting wrapped up in Christmas the day after Halloween. I'm trying really hard not to, but I've started a list of everything I need to complete before Christmas - starting with a deep clean/ organizational purge of the house before decorating starts!

So on that note, I figured I would link up with Samantha at Adventures with Gwen to focus on being thankful...even if my house will be decorated for Christmas before Thanksgiving!

I am thankful to be married to Brian. He completes me :). And he makes me laugh everyday.
I am thankful for Wyatt. He also makes me laugh every day. And he drives me crazy sometimes. He's a lot like his Daddy. Funny, charming and in need of very little sleep. I am grateful everyday that he was "the first to come out of my belly," as he would say!
I am thankful for my Reesie. She is the funniest, sweetest, silliest, most talkative person I know. Besides me (on the talkative part anyway) :)
I am thankful for Hudson. My baby is the cutest, happiest little person I know! I melt when he leans in for an open mouthed kiss when I ask for one! I can not believe that he is going to one in two days.
I am thankful that I survived my first year with three kids with my sanity intact! I suppose that also leads to me be thankful that my little guy is such a good sleeper when my oldest's sleep habits leave something to be desired (like sleeping until the sun is up).
Which leads to being thankful for my Keurig. Seriously? Seriously!

If you'd care to share why you're thankful, head over to Samantha's blog and link up!

Hudson's Birthday Party: Part 2!

2011-11-02T21:32:00.000-04:00

So I just realized that Hudson still had cake up his nose during the present opening portion of his party - oops! He didn't seem to mind!

He loves this Thomas ball! He really loves any ball, and will gladly roll the ball back and forth with is big brother for a long time - if Wyatt participates. Sometimes he just takes off with the ball!

Reesie was very eager to see what her baby brother got for his birthday!

Taking a moment to ponder the importance of life?

Digging into a present!

Our crazy kids!

We had such a fun day surrounded by our families and close friends! We're very lucky to have so many people who come out to the kids birthday parties and we always have such a fun time - even if it gets a little loud around here!

Trick or Treat!

2011-11-01T21:49:00.000-04:00

We had a lot of fun trick or treating this year! When it came time to choose costumes, Wyatt was pretty much set on being Captain America. We actually bought his costume from the Disney Store at the beginning of September! Reese was not nearly as emphatic about her costume this year as she was last year. She went back and forth between wanting to dress up as Ariel, Jessie, and Darby from My Friends Tigger and Pooh. At least she narrowed her options down to red heads! We finally settled on Jessie last week, and we were able to get it on sale at the Disney Store! There is no way I would have paid as much as they wanted for the complete costume.

Hudson dressed up as Yoda for his first Halloween. Yes, it's a "recycled" costume, but he really suited it perfectly! Especially with his little walk - he looks just like Yoda from behind. Too cute!

We went trick or treating with our neighbors this year! Wyatt and Reese were very excited to go around the neighborhood with Gavin and Mady - I was a little worried that the two Captain America's might not be happy to see someone else in their costume - but they actually had a blast together!

Reese's typical response to everything is "eyeball." So she was very excited to find out that she got a piece of chocolate that actually looked like an eyeball.

Hudson had a blast people watching!

And he went to a few doors as well :)!

While we were out in the neighborhood, Brian spent a lot of time calling Wyatt's name. At one point Brian called him and then we heard, "Wyatt? Hi Wyatt!," followed by "Hi Natalie!" One of the little girl's from his class was trick or treating in our neighborhood, and she turned around and immediately recognized Wyatt. This is not shocking. When Wyatt talks about school he talks about Isabella and Natalie more than anything else. Natalie's mom came up and introduced herself and said that she has the same problem - all she hears about is "Wyatt, Wyatt, Wyatt!"

We got home and found out that these kids scored some serious candy - so much that I immediately threw away the gross stuff, and I am sneaking some into the trash each night! Last year they almost immediately forgot about the candy, but they both asked me for some tonight. I think it would be best for all of us if we just threw it out!

Hudson's First Birthday Party...Part One!

2011-10-30T21:30:00.000-04:00

Hudson's First Birthday Party was today! Our little guy won't officially turn 1 until next Saturday, but we initially planned his party for this week because we were thinking about going to Disney World next week. That plan changed, but we decided to keep his birthday party on the 30th!

Here is the spread in the kitchen! Since we decided to go with a football theme, I kept the food simple - football snacks and yumminess!

A few of our favorite guests! I didn't know Colin knew the peace sign until I looked at this picture. Reese and Piper are giving us their best fake smiles!

Aunt Allison took the pictures of Hudson's first cake! I made his little smash cake myself with a Wilton 6-inch cake pan. I did my best to make a little football on top, too!

He was very dainty with the cake at first - he took a few little swipes of frosting!

While he worked on his cake Tyler, Wyatt, Colin and Derek ate their cupcakes together. Can you tell that three of these sweet boys are cousins? Can you tell that I let my child dress himself to run errands with Daddy this morning, and then never had time to change him before the party? Ha! Apparently there was some sort of team structure formed around who ate chocolate and who ate vanilla. I couldn't keep up!

You might have to look hard to find Hudson here because his face is camouflaged. I love this little fella so much! He's wearing the same sweet shirt his big brother wore at his first birthday party!

The look on Tyler's face in this picture cracks me up! The kids had the best time watching Hudson get messy while he ate his cake!

Mommy and Daddy with our birthday boy! I can't believe he's so close to turning a year old!

After this picture Hudson was whisked away to the bathtub for a little post-cake clean up! I'll post a few more details of the party later, but I thought I'd break it up a little bit! Thanks for taking the pictures Aunt Allison!

Guess What...

2011-10-30T08:13:00.000-04:00

today is?!?!

pinnable me: organizing weekend!

2011-10-28T20:21:00.002-04:00

Linking up with Stefanie again this week!

Organization is on my mind right now! We've desperately needed to get our upstairs organized for awhile (since we moved in)- the attic, the room over the garage, and the loft area were such a mess of unpacked boxes, random stuff, and old furniture. Our new couch was delivered on Thursday, and Brian spent Wednesday night with Dave moving our sectional upstairs and getting it straightened up. Then he surprised me by taking 2 days off to unpack all the boxes that were left over from our move in (yes...it's been almost 2 years. So?)

The most exciting thing is that things are finally going in their appropriate places - which I love. The room over the garage is going to be a boys' room/ play room/ train room/ Yankees' room. This means that all the train stuff made its way upstairs! Yes!

Anyway, my mind is racing with ways to get everything where it belongs - and I love these ideas!

All the laundry in one neat place?! Yes!

Source: google.com.au via Brittney on Pinterest

Once I create my desk area, I will have something like this!

Source: iheartorganizing.blogspot.com via Brittney on Pinterest

This is a genius way to back up photo files!

Source: None via Brittney on Pinterest

If I had more jewelry I would totally do this! How smart is it to use utensil organizers as jewelry storage?

Source: maillardvillemanor.com via Brittney on Pinterest

A way to store all those annoying pantry items? Yes!

Source: beneathmyheart.net via Brittney on Pinterest

Have a fun and safe Halloween weekend!

Wyatt's Pumpkin Patch Parade and Party

2011-10-26T23:09:00.000-04:00

This morning ~~Captain America~~ Wyatt went to school in his Halloween costume for his Pumpkin Patch Parade.

He's really strong. Really, really strong. See those muscles?

His class came out and sang three little songs, and then had a "grand finale" with a younger class!

And then they "paraded" around us! Wyatt was very serious about his marching.

But he was all smiles when he walked by us!

Wyatt got right down to easting - and started with the cupcake. I guess he has his priorities straight? I missed the conversation, but apparently the little girl next to him (Gabby) turned to him and asked him if he was her best friend. He didn't answer her, so she asked him again and he said yes. Her mom looked at Brian and asked if he'd heard the conversation too. These kids crack me up!

Wyatt was not happy about us leaving him, but fortunately Mrs. Janette scooped him up and convinced him to go outside and play. Wyatt then told me that he spent all of his time on the play ground chasing girls. Yikes!

Reese's Halloween Party

2011-10-25T21:15:00.001-04:00

Reese had her Halloween party at school today, so she got dressed up in her costume this morning. She wanted to be Jessie from Toy Story for Halloween, and I think the back of her costume is absolutely adorable.

We got both costumes for the big kids from the Disney Store. Reese's Jessie costume is very sparkly, so she likes it a lot! I tried to get her to pose for pictures before school, but she decided that she'd rather act like a dragon.

We were surprised to find out that her class wasn't just having a party - they also "performed" three songs. Wyatt's class didn't do this at Halloween last year, so we were excited to go and see her sing her new songs - and get a glimpse of her in her classroom environment!

They sang three cute little songs before they sat down to have their treats!

Reese was the first kid in line to wash her hands so she could eat and she cleaned her plate! I know most little ones are at least a little picky (including her big brother), but this little girl LOVES everything!

I learn so many interesting things when I go to her class. I know that there is a little girl in her class named Piper - they have dance together on Tuesdays and they play together in class. But I think that Reese sometimes confuses Piper with another little girl in her class named Porter, because they sat next to each other and had a great time!

Also, Brian and I both recognized one of the other moms in her class from soccer (she runs on the field with her kid). In fact, Reese played her son's team again last night. On the way home from school, I asked Reese if there was anything she forgot to tell me about the team that she playing against yesterday and she said, "Yeah, Griffin was on the other team. But he wasn't crying like he does at school." She cracks me up!

A Little More Hallowscream

2011-10-24T23:51:00.000-04:00

So after our stop visiting Elmo, we went to lunch. We checked the show times, and knew that we needed to get to lunch early. There seems to be a risque show where we normally eat lunch, and we needed to get in and out before 1. Seriously - I checked their Facebook page and there were tons of complaints - but this sign was front and center outside the Festhaus. I knew better than to take my kids to this show!

After lunch we headed to the bumper cars. Wyatt and Reese both took a turn on the kid cars.

Wyatt was also tall enough to ride with Daddy, so they got to ride the big cars together.

The kids took a ride on the carousel with Mimi and Baba.

And then we played for a bit longer and left! We took the train to the front of the park - and we got to ride by a roller coaster!

The kids had such a good time, and all Brian and I talked about yesterday was just how good they were while we were at the park. If they are as well behaved at Disney World as they were at Busch Gardens yesterday, our trip will be cake! Of course, other things always pop up, but we are hyper aware of the fact that our kids need to eat well while we're gone - not only because of last year's issue, but also because lately our kids seem to have really sensitive stomachs!

I would love to say that I think we'll make the trip to Busch Gardens before next spring, but I seriously doubt it. They open for Christmas, but it is always packed, and it's just not fun! I really hope Wyatt can ride a bigger coaster next year - I was able to ride the Loch Ness Monster when I was 5, and it will be so fun for his first coaster to be the same one I rode!

Hallowscream!

2011-10-23T23:21:00.000-04:00

We planned to take advantage of our season passes by spending one last day at Busch Gardens this season. We love going, and the kids always have a blast, especially at Halloween (and here, and well, here too). We try to get them in and out before the scary stuff starts after dark (and honestly, we try to get there when they open on Sundays - no lines and practically empty - we get sooo much done in just a few hours!)

We always start our visits in Sesame Place - so much fun for all of these guys!

After riding the roller coaster twice each and making their way through the rest of the rides, we decided to go visit the Clydesdales. Hudson actually felt comfortable enough to pet this guy today. I love how Wyatt has his arm around his little sister!

Me and my little guy! He was so good today!

Reese had so much fun riding the Clydesdale ride. She really did a lot more on her own today, and she had a blast!

She did do a bit of showing off though :)

An exciting development today was that Hudson actually started playing peekaboo with us! He loves when we hide and play with him, and he just started saying "peekachoo" when we're playing. But today he actually started covering his eyes to hide from us!

Wyatt also decided to take a huge step (for him) and went to visit Elmo. He is very skeptical of all costumed characters (unless you're counting Disney characters), but he ran right up to Elmo and gave him a huge hug!

This is only the first half of the pictures I took today! I'll probably share a few more at some point this week!

A Typical Saturday

2011-10-22T19:34:00.000-04:00

This morning we woke up bright and early.

Ate breakfast, loaded up the van, and went to a 9:00 soccer game.

For warm ups.

And games.

And scored goals. 6 of them. In the first quarter. And then he was told not to score anymore. Yeah. He did a great job passing the ball after that. And then he scored 2 more. Then we left early to go to a 10:00 baseball game.

The last game of baseball was today. Soccer continues for a few more weeks. He got some good hits. He tried really hard. Except when he didn't. He thought he was going to be out at first, so he stopped running. And then the kid dropped the ball. But he picked it up and tagged first before Wyatt got there. Because he stopped running.

Hudson needed to borrow some shades from Pop Pop.

He really liked wearing them.

After the game the kids got their trophies and had some really yummy cupcakes. Wyatt went around and said good bye to his friends. Especially Hunter. They're good buddies from the Dodgers! I think he might be on the Dodgers again this spring (unless Brian decides to coach), so hopefully they'll play together again!

After the game we came home and I got ready for a Thirty-One party! It was actually in the neighborhood, and it was a lot of fun! I love going to the parties and chatting and showing everyone how versatile the bags and organizational items can be.

The big boys are at the Admirals game tonight - Brian was able to trade for season tickets to the games, so I think that they will get to go a lot! I'm hoping to go myself a few times, and I know Reese wants to go too. Tonight she had a near meltdown because she wasn't able to go - but I think the promise of one last trip to Busch Gardens tomorrow made it okay!

pinnable me: november fun!

2011-10-21T10:29:00.000-04:00

I'm linking up with Stefanie for pinnable me: friday again. I am probably a little too interested in Pinterest. I have the app on my phone, and I basically just pin while I sit on the couch and watch TV. I know that we still need to "get through" Halloween, and don't get me wrong, I am very excited for the week of activities we have next week - dressing up, Halloween parades and parties at school, Halloween activities with family, Trick or Treating - but I LOVE November! Hudson's birthday is obviously my new favorite thing about the month, but Thanksgiving is one of my very favorite days of the year! So here are things I am looking forward to doing next month!

These look delicious! I love caramel apples, but they're messy - these are perfect, and I would probably eat more than the equivalent of one apple!

I love pumpkin anything - pumpkin spice lattes (although I've mainly just been using pumpkin creamer in my coffee at home), pumpkin pie, pumpkin cheesecake - but this looks awesome! I'm making this for something!

I really want to incorporate some kind of Thankful board or something for the kids (and us) this November. This board would be fun to make - and it's really cute! Pottery Barn Kids had something that would serve this purpose - but I guess it's sold out?

And I also really like this, but think the board is probably more practical for the kids.

Fun Thanksgiving printables! I know that the kids are going to talk about Thanksgiving at school, and have a feast, but I also know that they have other units that they're learning about next month, too. In particular, my little healthy eater will be learning about nutrition in her class, and Wyatt will be discussing cowboys and the Wild West. He is beyond excited to share with them that he has the same name as a famous cowboy. So I think we'll be doing more fun Thanksgiving things at home :)

These look adorable - but also complicated, and I have serious doubts about whether my kids would actually eat this! So something like this might be more appropriate!

WILW

2011-10-19T20:28:00.000-04:00

Linking up with Jamie to share what I'm loving this Wednesday! It's a bit of a home decor edition - which is mostly what is on my mind right now (I wanted to go sofa shopping tonight, but it didn't rain enough to cancel Wyatt's soccer game). Anywho, here are some of my current interests...

I love, love, love this sectional from Haverty's. Our current couch is a sectional, but it doesn't all fit in our family room! It also has some sharp pieces sticking out from where it's supposed to connect. This sectional has the chaise that I love!

I also like this couch from Lazy Boy. I'm not sure if I'm brave enough to go green, but I really like the big chair that matches this. And I've actually tried this out. It's really comfy.

This is the kitchen set that we both love. It would look perfect in my kitchen, and I love the bench. Our table is really tall, and I constantly worry that one of the kids is going to fall off.

But I also really love the look of this! I've been thinking a lot of building a bench like this with storage underneath. I think this is beyond cute!

I really need to find an area that a cute desk space like this would fit for me. I've been thinking about using a corner in my room. And I love this!

And finally - what's a new couch without a new pillow? I adore this! I obviously wouldn't want California since I don't live there - but it is awesome!

Hoping to pick out a new couch and have it delivered by Hudson's birthday party next week - but I that's a lot to ask!

Wordless Wednesday

2011-10-19T10:29:00.000-04:00

LOVE HER!

Reese's First (Almost) Goal

2011-10-17T14:59:00.000-04:00

Last week (and today too, actually) we had a conflict with Wyatt and Reese's games. Brian took Reese to soccer, and Hudson and I took Wyatt to his baseball game. I was really bummed because I missed her first attempt at really trying to play soccer. I'm so proud of her for trying so hard!

She did a really great job! Tonight we are splitting up again, and we're splitting them up that same way. Wyatt stays focused on the game no matter what, and Reese definitely does a better job when her daddy is there to cheer her on! They usually make it in time for the end of Wyatt's game anyway - and he has a game tonight, Wednesday and Saturday! Busy, busy, busy!

Our Weekend

2011-10-16T22:58:00.000-04:00

Like I mentioned, Wyatt had his first soccer game in 4 weeks yesterday. 4 weeks! They had two weeks that were ruined by rain, and then they had two weeks off. His baseball games have gotten in the way of his ability to attend soccer practice, but he was able to go to practice this past week and he finally had another game!

Wyatt doesn't spend nearly as much time practicing or playing soccer, but he loves it. He still has some ball hog tendencies though. It usually works out in his favor when other kids (like his little sister) don't really want to play!

This little cutie crawled on to the field (during snack time)!

This was Wyatt last goal. We had a court show down yesterday when his team played two of our neighbors! Ha!

After soccer we came home and I ~~cleaned~~ stalled, I worked on a few things around the house, and did some things for Hudson's party before my mom came over. Brian and I went to see The Ides of March, which I thought was really, really good. We went to the local movie theater/restaurant to see the movie, so we killed two birds with one stone. Fortunately we have a plethora of passes for the place, so we get to see a lot of good movies!

After we gorged ourselves on pizza, we decided to take advantage of the sunlight that was left and went to a local park to walk. The path around this lake is a mile and a half long, so hopefully we burned a few calories :).

I always see this huge fish when we're on the highway, but I've never seen it up close before!

It was beautiful, and really fun because the leaves are starting to change colors. I'm definitely taking Reese because she loves to collect leaves!

After the walk around the lake we went furniture shopping! We saw a few couches that we like, but we saw a kitchen table that we love! We'll have to revisit that at a later date. Our sectional is in decent shape, but we need a new one because there are some sharp sections under the couch that could hurt the kids. We'd like to move this huge couch upstairs and get a smaller sofa and a chair for the family room!

We spent today hanging out at home after a Target run this morning. I also worked on the balloon wreath for Hudson's birthday party! A lot of cleaning took place - bathrooms, cabinets, laundry - I'm actually kind of exhausted! But this little guy's smile certainly cheered me up! Here he is playing "eek-boo" with Daddy! His two new words this week are "eek-boo" and "whoa!"

I'm off to finish laundry now - it's picture day at school tomorrow, and Wyatt's clothes need to be ready in the morning!

Saturday Morning Bullets

2011-10-15T11:27:00.000-04:00

I'm bulleting this because I don't really want to write paragraphs.
We just got home from Wyatt's soccer game. He scored 6 goals.
After the game we practiced saying "thank you," to people who congratulate you on a good game. We're hoping that it will replace, "Yeah, I know."
It's never too young to teach them good sportsmanship. And the importance of being humble.
I have a lot of cleaning to do right now before we go pick Brian up from the baseball fields. Yeah, he decided to take on the role of Field Director. Lots of fun field dragging takes place.
A lot of cleaning. I might be stalling.
My mom is coming over this afternoon to watch the kids so Brian and I can have an afternoon together.
Our afternoon together will probably include a movie, dinner somewhere, and furniture shopping. We need a new sofa.
Always make your room mates pay for damages that they cause to your brand new sofa when they move out. (Especially if it's noticeable that the couch is sagging in the place they always sat. Just saying).
We listen to the Foo Fighters in the car a lot. This is what Reese told me the other day: "Mom, Wyatt and I said 'whatever,' but only because Dave Grohl did. We don't say 'whatever' to you. Because that would be talking back. But we're just singing."
I need to look up movie times for the Ides of March. George Clooney and Ryan Gosling probably made a good, quality film. Because that's what's important when you're seeing a movie with George Clooney and Ryan Gosling.
I have to go. I really need to clean.

More Pumpkin Patch!

2011-10-14T14:15:00.002-04:00

This post has so many pictures it's ridiculous, but I couldn't choose which pictures to upload from our trip to the pumpkin patch on Sunday. Before we went to the pumpkin patch we went and had family pictures taken at a local university. Let's just say that getting pumpkins was a lot easier than getting three kids to cooperate with getting pictures taken!

Reese and Hudson look precious, but my favorite part of this picture might be the way Wyatt is staring at them with a sad look on his face like no one invited him to sit with them. He actually refused to go sit down at first.

Daddy saved this picture by making faces in the background. Hudson does not look amused.

Wyatt wanted his picture taken with this cornstalk!

Daddy and his boys!

Me and Reese....and all her pumpkins. I swear she was loading up pumpkins in our wagon faster than I could take them out. Seriously, she had about 15 pumpkins in there at once!

Like Brian said, there is no way you can take a bad picture of a baby surrounded by pumpkins!

So cute!

Mommy and Hudson! On last year's trip I was so incredibly pregnant that I wouldn't allow Brian to take a picture of me, and this year he's almost a year old!

Our big boy. I can't believe that he is going to be 5 in five months! So crazy! He is also a ladies' man. He has a little girl in his class that he loves to chase, and while she didn't respond nicely the first few weeks of school, they apparently play together all the time. He talks about her constantly!

Reesie with her pumpkins. A Daddy pumpkin, a Mommy pumpkin, and one each for Wyatt, Reese and Hudson. This year we also decided to get one small pumpkin for Noelle at her "special place."

I love fall and all the fun things we get to do together this time of year. We're hoping to make it to Busch Gardens this weekend to get at least on last trip in!

What I'm Loving Wednesday!

2011-10-12T14:55:00.000-04:00

I am in love with the fact that I scheduled our trip to Disney World this week! Instead of another stay at the Wilderness Lodge (which we absolutely love!), we will be staying at the Animal Kingdom Lodge this year! Disney World during the holiday season is amazing (of course, I'd like for it to be warmer this year!) - and I'm totally ready to tackle the challenge of preserving our Christmas activities here in addition to our trip. Of course, I'm also making a million lists now!

Brian and I both love Disney World, but I am so much more excited that Wyatt is going to have another chance to battle Darth Vader himself!

And Reese will get to have another chance to chat with Ariel.

That all three kids will get to hang out with Winnie the Pooh, since Hudson was only 4 weeks old on our last trip!

And of course, we'll all get to hang out with Mickey Mouse! I can't believe how tiny Hudson was in that little Moby wrap!

This time of year I always fall back in love with my pink Uggs. I don't think I've ever worn them out of the house, but I love them as slippers. Seriously. I got them on clearance at TJ Maxx a few years ago for next to nothing, and I have loved them every fall and winter since!

I love my Target Ultimate Tees. Is it ridiculous that I have two of these in white (and several other assorted colors)? I love wearing my collection of cardigans and sweaters over them, and sometimes I'll throw on a scarf instead. But being a stay at home mom, I like simple. And things that are easy to wash!

And finally, I LOVE Wednesday! Not only does it mark the halfway point of the week (and Brian's birthday is tomorrow!), but we also have a full night of my very favorite shows - Survivor, Modern Family, and The X Factor!

Kind of all over the place, I know, but that's what I'm loving this Wednesday!

My Little Pumpkins!

2011-10-11T20:09:00.001-04:00

We made a trip to the pumpkin patch this weekend to pick out our pumpkins!

Everybody had to stop and pose with the huge pumpkins before we made our way back to the smaller ones!

More to come on that later!

Weekly iPurge

2011-10-10T11:22:00.000-04:00

Pictures from my phone this week:

I made this with the kids last week. I painted the canvas black (I could have just purchased a black canvas - but the white ones were on sale, and the paint was so cheap - no reason to spend extra money), and then painted their feet white. Then we "stamped" them on the canvas to make ghosts! Excuse my writing. I write with a ruler for everything, and I couldn't do it here. Next time I think I'll buy stickers to paint over. And since I bought a multi-pack set, I think we'll probably make turkeys for Thanksgiving and reindeer or a Christmas tree for Christmas!

When I took our fall decorations down last week, the boxes included old Halloween costumes. I had to try Wyatt's baby Yoda costume on Hudson. We haven't decided what he'll be for his first Halloween yet!

Here is Hudson waiting for Wyatt's haircut to be finished last week. Out of control cow licks!

I am in the process of making this balloon wreath for Hudson's first birthday party. Since his colors will be green and brown with oranges and yellows, I figured this would be perfect! It looks super cute, and it's pretty "fall-ish," so it might just stay up longer!

I had to take a picture of Hudson's 11 month sticker to send to Brian. All my boys love trains! Even Hudson now crawls to the back door when someone shouts "train!" More and more lots are being sold in our neighborhood, and I know eventually we won't be able to see the train anymore. My kids will be so sad. Brian keeps saying he's going to build an observatory on top of the house, or sell ours to build a house that backs up to the tracks. I hope he's joking.

On Saturday night we left the big kids with Brian's parents while we ran a few last minute errands for our pictures on Sunday morning. We took Hudson with us, and he had a blast (and so did Brian). He is getting so big, and his new trick is to turn himself around in the cart while we're shopping. I have a cart cover, but I brought it inside to wash it, and I always forget it!

Friday and Saturday

2011-10-09T19:59:00.000-04:00

On Friday night Wyatt had a t-ball game that was a make up for one of the (many) rained out games this season. He had a couple of "big hits," as he would say! His teacher told Brian last week that according to Wyatt, he is "really good at soccer, really good at baseball, and a really big hitter." As she said, we have no problem with his confidence levels!

This little guy had a great time, as usual. Of course, he sometimes needs a little snack to make it through the game!

On Saturday Wyatt had another game. He played first base, right field, and he pitched. He cracked me up when he was in right field because he backed up first base on every play! He did a really great job!

We spent the day on Saturday hanging out at home, and then went to a party in court! The kids had a blast running around the court, and we got to hang out with the grown ups :). After a few games of corn hole for Brian and some chit chatting for me (and Reese grabbing cup cakes by the fist full), we left and went to Brian's parents house to visit with the cousins.

The boys had fun roasting marshmallows, and the girls had a lot of fun running around the backyard. Of course, as usual with Wyatt, he probably ate too much and ran around too much, because he got sick after we got home last night. Fortunately he woke up feeling much better today!

Hudson is 11 Months Old!

2011-10-05T20:30:00.001-04:00

Seriously?!? 11 months old?! How is it possible that this little cutie is only one month away from being a year old?!

Here is what Hudson has been up to this month:

He is 22 pounds and some change. He feels a lot heavier than that though!
He wears a size 4 diaper.
He wears his 12 month sleepers and mostly 9 month and 12 month clothes.
He has now completely transitioned to cow's milk. He hasn't breast fed in about two weeks, and I was mixing pumped milk with his organic milk for about a week - and then I just started giving him his big boy milk - and he loves it! He eats everything we eat, with the exception of choking hazards (popcorn, anything too big) and peanut butter!
He is getting to be a better sleeper. We have been struggling some with nap times (or length of naps). He sleeps at night from whatever time I put him down (usually 7:30 or 8ish, but earlier if he hasn't napped), until about 6:30. We had a rough week or two after school started getting transitioned to a new schedule. He still needs a cat nap in the mornings, but getting a little sleep in the car usually tides him over until the afternoon. If we aren't out and about I put him down around 9:00 and he sleeps for about a half hour.
He says Uh oh, Mama, Dada, touchdown, hi, Baba, Pop Pop, and bye. He signs "all done" and waves hi and bye. In addition to creeping, he has also discovered the kitchen cabinets. Fortunately everything in the kitchen is baby proof - except for two small cabinets. Those two seem to be his favorites! Ha!
He has 6 teeth! The four in the front up top and the bottom two. I think more are cutting on the bottom right now. His teeth are huge!
He went back for his second hair cut yesterday. After 7 months of dealing with cradle cap, I'm just happy that he has a normal hair line now :)!
He is still sleeping in his sleep sacks. In fact, I went and bought bigger ones, because he just loves them so much. And they help him sleep. And when your 4 year old wakes up at 5:30 every morning you want the others to sleep like angels!
He is definitely all over the place now. Some if his favorite spots to sneak off to include the bathroom (where I have caught him with his hand in the toilet - disgusting!), my bedroom, the playroom, and under the kitchen table. The doors to my room and the bathroom stay closed, but boy oh boy can this little guy cause a path of destruction in the playroom.
He got his first black eye this month - I initially thought it was because of a mishap involving my sunglasses, but I'm pretty sure he hit his eye on the corner of the baseboards by the playroom. There is always more baby proofing to be done!
He is walking all over the place with his push toy. Reese is actually really, really great at helping him maneuver his way around the house, and he loves to get in his walking practice!

His birthday party is scheduled and the invitations are going out tomorrow! I am so excited for his first birthday party, and I can't believe that he about to turn 1!

Reese's First Soccer Game

2011-10-05T09:55:00.000-04:00

So, I'm a bad Mommy. I use this blog primarily to document Wyatt, Reese and Hudson's lives - and I really slacked on sharing about Reese's first soccer game!

Her first game was the on September 19th. Well, actually it was on the 12th, but that's a whole different story (I'm really hoping that somewhere out there is a completely organized children's rec league, but I haven't found it yet). Reese is on the Dragons, and by some small miracle, she was given number 2, "just like Wyatt and Derek Jeter!"

I love that all the other kids are sitting down, but Reesie is standing there with her hands on her hips. So her lately. She is just full of attitude at times, and I don't even know what to do with her now (and I know her teenage years are sure to cause me some grief)!

A team of girls! There's one boy on the team.

She has had three games since this one, and I think this might be the one and only time she touched the ball (or really was even on the same section of the field as the ball)! She and Wyatt are total opposites. She generally just kind of wanders around the field. She likes to run and she also kind of just stares off into space sometimes. She's not even that fond of actually going out on the field. She's had a few meltdowns.

One area that Reesie is really great at is grasping the fact that soccer is a team sport. She always says that she wants to be a good team player, and she loves handing out high fives at the end of games. It's those kinds of things that warm my heart and make me really happy that she's playing (even if she shouts that she just wants to go home)!

She might be better suited to be a cheerleader - seriously, look at that pose!

Don't let the big smile fool you - she was excited because the end of a game means that she gets a snack!

Winner! And Fall TV

2011-10-04T19:35:00.000-04:00

Congratulations Heidi! She won the thermal tote giveaway! I'll contact you for all the info I need to get it shipped to you!

If you're still interested in ordering a thermal tote, or even hosting a Thirty-One party let me know! The Fall is the best time to host a Thirty-One Party - so many people are looking for gifts, things to keep organized for the holidays, and even cute bags for their Holiday traveling! And if you host a party, you can get so many things for half price or even free - and you don't even have to have the party at your house! You can host a catalog party too!

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

So, every Fall it dawns on me (and Brian) that we watch entirely too much TV. I was going to say that we record something every night of the week, but that would be a lie. Because I just checked, and we apparently don't record anything on Tuesday nights!

I'm probably guilty of watching the "most" TV because I have it on while I do chores during nap time - which is usually when I watch whatever Bravo show I recorded the night before. This would also be how I discovered Dance Moms and Top Chef: Just Desserts. I don't even think I could defend Dance Moms if I wanted to, but I will say that Top Chef is amazing. I'm seriously in awe of what those people create!

We weren't going to watch any new shows this year - except The X Factor because I love Simon! I'm still not sure how I feel about the show in general, but I'll keep watching - because of Simon obviously, and also because a local music group made it to the next round and two of the singers worked for Brian at the water park!

Brian is watching Terra Nova, and I'll admit that I did watch the first episode - but that show is soooo not me. I'm not into futuristic/pre-historic fiction with a sprinkling of dino animation.

Because of my love of everything Friday Night Lights related, we are recording American Horror Story on Wednesday. I don't know if Tami Taylor can keep me watching it, but I guess we'll see! I've also recorded Hart of Dixie (because Jason Street is on there, and I'm desperately searching for a show as good as The Gilmore Girls), but I haven't watched it yet. I'm hoping it's good!

Of course we still have The Amazing Race, Survivor, Law & Order SVU (which, honestly I only half pay attention to - I probably could have stopped watching this show the day I became a parent), Modern Family and Grey's Anatomy to watch. Oh, and the entire sixth and seventh seasons of Rescue Me. Our DVR "lost" season six and they released the last two seasons together so now we can finally finish the show!

For tonight though, we'll be watching Game 4 of the ALDS between the Yankees and Tigers. We're down 2-1, so I'm trying not to get antsy or worried about the fact that AJ Burnett is pitching tonight. I suppose my 6:30 cup of coffee is probably not going to help calm my nerves!

So, what shows do you just love?

Weekly iPurge!

2011-10-03T09:04:00.000-04:00

Don't forget to enter my Thirty-One Giveaway - I just realized that it said Monday, October 4th, and the 4th is tomorrow - so it will end tomorrow instead! Has anyone else been having trouble with blogger comments lately? I've been having trouble commenting on some blogs, and I've had some people say they were having trouble leaving comments here!

Anyway, today I'm purging my iPhone and sharing it's randomness with you!

It rained and rained and rained last week, and we took a trip to Target to get out of the house. Wyatt and Reese love the Halloween stuff, so they took turns trying on masks. Wyatt is such a different kid than he was two years ago when we had to dress him up in a costume that basically looked like a normal little boy and had to divert him from every kid in a mask!

Brian and I stick with the "traditional" anniversary presents, and this year's was wood. I bought this print for a wood frame and it finally came last week (an idea from Pinterest) - with all the wrong dates! Fortunately the company was super easy to work with and they're replacing it - but I had to take this picture to prove that I actually got the wrong one!

These were my anniversary gifts :). I love, love, LOVE my Pandora charm bracelet. Brian got me three new charms for our anniversary - from left to right - a ring bearer's pillow with rings, a wooden charm, and Hudson's birth stone. I love all my charms, but the wooden one might be my favorite!

We went on a date night on Saturday night and we had to take a side trip to the baseball fields to see if we'd left Reese's glove behind - when we were on our way to the restaurant (read: sports bar), there was another double rainbow (there was another set last week). We could actually see the complete rainbow arching over a school - we didn't go look for a pot of gold though, we would have missed the baseball game!

And speaking of baseball, Mr. H was decked out in his DJ3K shirt on Friday for the first play off game! Go Yankees!

Show Us Your Life - Clothes Shopping!

2011-09-29T22:48:00.001-04:00

Don't forget to enter my Thirty-One giveaway!

I'm linking up with Kelly's blog today to share where I get clothes for my kids - and get some good ideas about where I should be shopping!

I love dressing my kids - but I don't like to spend a lot of money doing it! I LOVE Carter's clothes - I think that they're made well and they look cute, and they don't shrink in the wash or have a weird fit. I used to think that going to the Carter's Outlet was a good way to save money - and then a store opened near us and I realized that the Outlet wasn't really that much less than buying here! I get a coupon every time I walk in the store, and get a lot in the mail. Sometimes it's better for me to ignore the coupons because I will spend money I don't need to spend!

I've never really been into longalls or smocked anything for boys, and I don't think Brian would let me dress them in those if I was! I really like Target's clothing section for kids clothes, especially shirts for the boys and pants and shorts for all of them (try not to be surprised by this). I usually scout out the things I like and then wait for them to go on clearance. Wyatt has a lot of Billabong and Volcom clothes, but those were purchased from local surf shops by my mom. I love the way the clothes look on him (and he looks a lot like his Dad)!

I love Gymboree's clothes for all of them, but I don't ever, ever, ever pay full price for them. Okay, that's a lie. I totally do for their Christmas clothes.

Ha! Why was this the only picture of her complete outfit from last Christmas (minus the slippers that were a present that she wanted on immediately)!

I LOVED this little dress and I'm so happy that she can wear it this year with black leggings! Gymboree just came out with this year's holiday line though, and it is just not my style! I'm cruising Etsy and Zulily now looking for cute things for Reese to wear for Christmas! I'm also on the hunt for a cute shirt for Hudson's first birthday! I love this one!

Source: etsy.com via Brittney on Pinterest

And I'm not going to lie, I totally think something like this would be adorable for Reese to wear to her baby brother's birthday party, too)!

Source: None via Brittney on Pinterest

Thirty-One Giveaway!

2011-09-29T00:05:00.001-04:00

I am so excited to finally be giving away a Thirty-One Thermal Tote! I became a Thirty-One consultant in June, and it is so rewarding and fun - and the bags are amazing. I basically want everything in the catalog (and I'm slowly building my collection).

My thermal tote went everywhere with me this summer - the park, swimming lessons, my mom's house, and the beach!

(Back)

It held enough food and drinks for the big kids, and I was able to keep my snacks in there too!

(Front)

And the good news is that I'm GIVING ONE AWAY!

Do you want your own Thirty-One thermal tote? Entering is super easy! Here's how to do it (The first entry is mandatory, and the rest are all "bonuses"):

1. Become a public follower of my blog
2. Go to my Thirty-One site and check out the thermal totes and leave a comment saying which pattern you like best.
3. Like my page on Facebook.
4. Blog or tweet about this giveaway!

Just leave me one comment with your total number of entries! I will announce a winner on Monday, October 4th! Good luck, y'all!

What I'm Loving Wednesday

2011-09-28T09:00:00.002-04:00

I thought I would jump on the "What I'm Loving Wednesday" bandwaggon and share all the things that I am loving this week!

I am so in love with this candle! It just smells like fall to me, and I am ready to take the kids to the pumpkin patch and get the house decorated for Halloween!

I am in love with this color (Sherwin William' Quietude) on my bedroom walls! The painter came last Wednesday and painted three rooms in one day - and this is by far my favorite. My room feels cozy and cottage-y and it is fabulous!

This bag is amazing! On Saturday my mom watched the kids so Brian and I could have a whole day together for our fifth anniversary, and I was so excited not to have a diaper bag. This bag held everything I needed, including candy for the movies!

My Erin Condren Life Planner! I ordered mine a few months ago (I put my order in the day her systems were hacked - augh), and it is amazing! I realized when I was putting all my dates for October in that something was "off," and then I realized it was because I had an October 2012 calender where the 2011 one belonged. I emailed the company and they overnighted me a new calender to insert.

And finally, my Thirty-One Thermal Tote is on my love list! It keeps everything cool, and is so perfect for picnics and toting snacks and drinks places. Especially if it's my snack or drink week at baseball or soccer! If you're thinking that a thermal tote looks pretty cool, well, you're totally right! And you should definitely check back tomorrow (hint, hint) to find out how you could WIN one!

How Things Change!

2011-09-26T21:23:00.000-04:00

Last Sunday we took the kids to a birthday party, and then went over to Pete and Shannon's to watch football and have some pizza. I know I've said this before, but 5 years ago it would have just been the six adults - Pete, Shannon, Dave, Steph, Brian, and me. In the last 5 years, 6 more people have been added to the mix - 6 little people! Who have lots of toys. And make lots of messes. But they have a great time playing together.

Reese's "After Party" Pictures

2011-09-24T21:19:00.000-04:00

After Reese's birthday party we went over to Mimi and Baba's house to spend time with Allison and Colin and Piper...and we took a lot of pictures!

This little guy had a lot of fun!

He really liked crawling around in the grass!

I am kind of in love with this little face!

Colin lost a tooth!

The girls were silly!

We practiced petting Tiki.

Cousin love!

pinnable me: Hudson's First Birthday Inspiration

2011-09-23T09:23:00.001-04:00

I'm linking up with Stefanie's blog for Pinnable Me Friday again today! I am so excited to start planning my little guy's first birthday party. The idea and theme of the party has been floating around in my head for a few months, but I finally ran the idea for the party by Brian last night and he loved it. For Wyatt's first birthday party we had a baseball party, and we had a game on in the background (you know, for the grown ups). For Hudson's birthday party we're going to have Football themed party and we'll have the party on a Sunday afternoon while the games are on! For his party I'm striving for a more "home made" party, and I think that these idea are fantastic!

This ticket invitation is really fun and cute! I like the idea of having a brown and green party!

Source: peartreegreetings.com via Brittney on Pinterest

This shirt is absolutely adorable!

Source: etsy.com via Brittney on Pinterest

This cake would be a really great smash cake for Mr. H.

Source: cutiepiecakes.net via Brittney on Pinterest

This little touch is a really fun idea. We aren't Packers fans (well, Brian isn't. Wyatt is actually shaping up to be a Packers fan in his own right), but the idea is still cute! I think Brian would prefer if I used orange as coordinating color because he's a Dolphins fan!

Source: amandaparkerandfamily.blogspot.com via Brittney on Pinterest

Having a football themed party makes the foods pretty easy! Dips, pigs in a blanket, meatballs - sounds yummy. Brian is a seven layer dip afficianado - he likes to make it and "decorate" it for the holidays. Usually he just spells out something with the tomatoes - like "Noel" on Christmas. This might be challenge for him!

Source: google.com via Brittney on Pinterest

I think something like this would be a great way to show off Hudson's monthly pictures - what a fun way to see how much he's grown in the last year! And pretty simple to make if I find a cheap frame at the thrift store!

Source: flickr.com via Brittney on Pinterest

I was also thinking about inviting Coach Taylor to fully incorporate the theme! Side note: How awesome is it that he won the Emmy on Sunday? As someone who has watched Friday Night Lights since the day it aired, I was so happy that he was finally nominated and won!

Source: igossip.com via Brittney on Pinterest

And since I'm such a big fan - I should probably get this to wear to the party (and yes, Panthers because I never loved East Dillion the way I loved the Dillon Panthers!)

Source: skreened.com via Brittney on Pinterest

I am so excited about planning this party! Now I just have to actually get things done!

(It's Been Really Random Lately, but) Weekly iPurge

2011-09-22T19:44:00.001-04:00

The last week has been CRAZY! Between school and sports and activities we are always busy. And now that Brian is home on the weekends we've been trying to make up for all the time he was gone during the summer! I was on such a blogging roll through July and August, and I want to get back on track. I have a few posts coming down the pike and one REALLY fun one, so stay tuned. This should serve as a pretty good catch up!

Hudson trying to steal the camera from Daddy at Mimi and Baba's house (a separate post)!

This little guy is creeping everywhere! I don't know if you can tell, but he has his first shiner. He was creeping and he grabbed my sunglasses off the entertainment center. When I went to get them, he fell down on them and poked his cheek, just below his eye. Poor guy was more scared than anything, and I was too!

I don't know why I was so proud of this, but I LOVED how nicely these grilled cheeses "grilled." Wyatt's sandwich is just a grilled cheese (so picky), but Hudson and Reese had a "grilled monte cristo." I got the idea from an Abs Diet cook book years ago. It has Raspberry jam, ham and colby cheese and it's so good! I used to be obsessed with Bennigan's Monte Cristo sandwiches back in the day (before I had kids and had the metabolism of a 20 year old). I was also kind of in love with my Pumpkin Spice candle.

This is "Hudson's path of destruction." He literally goes through the playroom and throws everything that he can on the floor.

Reese had her first soccer game this week. She is one of the kids that won't run onto the field when she's called and has no interest in playing. But that's another blog post! I love her shirt!

We had a patch of fall weather last weekend, it was so chilly that I had to take out the fall and winter clothes! We took the big kids to see The Lion King (not in 3D) on Saturday. They love the movie anyway, and they did a great job at the movie theater!

Reese didn't want to stand in front of the sign, she wanted to sit so we still see Baby Simba and the silly monkey.

Excuse the mess in the background, but the painters came yesterday to paint the living room/foyer/playroom, our room, and Wyatt's room. It was a little crazy in the house, and Wyatt decided to distract himself by watching a Foo Fighters' concert and being Dave Grohl. He took my curtains off the rod and found the Guitar Hero guitar (that hasn't been used in 4 years) to complete his transformation. I think the painters were happy to get a break from the cartoons that were on!

And now I'm off because we DVR'd about 5 hours of TV last night and the only thing we made it through was Modern Family. We still need to watch Survivor and The X Factor, but Grey's Anatomy premieres tonight, and seriously, I can't put that off. I'm kind of obsessed. Unless Patrick Dempsey leaves this year and then I'm just done!

Reese's Birthday Party Links!

2011-09-16T07:00:00.001-04:00

So I got most of my ideas for Reese's birthday party from Pinterest. There were so many great ideas that I would have used if I'd had the party here, but there was no reason to go completely crazy since we weren't having the party at home!

I did use a few of the ideas, though, so I thought I would share the links!

Source: ericasweettooth.com via Brittney on Pinterest

I made these cupcakes for the party! I used a recipe that I found here, and then just used store bought frosting and obviously, some oreos. I think adding a pink ribbon would be cute, but I found pink cupcake liners at Wal Mart and used those to "Minnie-fy" the cupcakes!

Source: etsy.com via Brittney on Pinterest

I thought this invitation was precious, so I ordered it in pink! It was so easy, too! She created it and then emailed me the file so that I could have it printed (or print it myself). Super cute!

Source: kateparkerweddings.com via Brittney on Pinterest

I used this "idea" for favors, and then went in a little bit of a different direction. I used the clear cello bags and then filled them up with small paints, granola bars, fruit snacks and silly bands. To be honest - I hate party favors. They're always full of little choking hazards and junk. I usually sneak them away and throw the stuff out before the kids get attached to a bouncy ball or something. Can't all moms just make a pact to stop giving stuff out?!

Source: etsy.com via Brittney on Pinterest

And last but not least, her shirt. I just absolutely LOVE it! It looks great on her, and it came really quickly!

I am really looking forward to planning Hudson's birthday party! I think that I know what the theme is, but I guess I need to run it by Daddy (although I doubt that he'll have a problem with it)!