Preparing for Christmas

So, this week we started going through the kids rooms in preparation for Christmas. It is amazing how much they both have in their rooms. I have been known to hold onto things that I don't necessarily need to keep. I can find sentimental value in almost everything. So, Jason and Andy handled Andy's room. I made myself turn around as they began to carry things downstairs. Meanwhile, I started on Katie's room. I realized very quickly that I had not EVER gont through Katie's toys. I started with the clothes. I plan to make a quilt one day out of Andy and Katie's clothes, so I did hang on to several of her outfits. I also got rid of A LOT! Then it was on to the toys. I kept a few things since we do plan to have one more child. I have not finished her room yet, but I think she will enjoy it more once it is complete. I also plan to move her furniture around to give her more space to play. It may not look as cute, but it will be more functional for her. It has been fun to walk down memory lane. And you will never believe it but Andy has carpet in his room!

Thanksgiving Weekend

Thanksgiving is always a nice relaxing holiday for us. Granted, we have a bit of driving to do but we always enjoy the day. Our first stop was to my Mother's house. The kids had spent the night with her due to daycare being closed, so they were excited to see us when we got there. Jason, Andy, and my Dad hung out outside for a while when we first got there while my sister and I looked through the ads for Black Friday. Then it was time for a yummy Thanksgiving feast. After dinner, we celebrated Katie's birthday at Mom's house. Katie was so excited. She got a princess cake, and couldn't even wait until we finished singing Happy Birthday to blow out her candles! Then she got to open her presents. She got a baby cheetah from my sister which she carried around ALL day long! She also got some clothes and books from my Mom and Dad. Mom and Dad also got her princess purse that came with makeup, mirror, brush, sunglasses and a few other things. She carried this purse to EVERY store we went to this weekend :)

After the festivities at my Mom's house, we went to Jason's Mom's house. Of course, the boys watched the football game while the girls looked through ads and talked. Then it was time for another yummy feast. I couldn't eat much I was so full from lunch, but I did snack. Katie got to see her baby cousins (the twins) and she was so excited. We had to keep a close eye on her because she doesn't always understand the difference between her baby dolls and a real baby. But, she was so excited to see them. We spent the rest of the evening just being lazy.

Friday morning I got up at 3am to brave the crowds. Becca and I were at Kohl's by 4:15. This was by far the busiest store we went to. The line to pay was 45 minutes! But, we got some good deals. From there we moved on to Target, then the mall, then Walmart and Hobby Lobby. I got a LOT of my shopping done. Jason stayed home with the kids while i was shopping. I shopped until about 2 and then went home and took a nap. Jason woke me up about an hour and a half later to go shopping for bats. We didn't have much luck though. Friday night was lazy night.

Saturday was Katie's 3rd birthday!!! When she woke up I sang Happy Birthday to her and she was so excited that it was finally her birthday! We spent the morning cleaning up the house in preparation for her birthday party. Then we went to the store to pick up her cake. When we got back I wrapped her presents. She couldn't wait to open them. Finally, it was time for her party and her cousins and friends had arrived. After a few activities, it was present time. She opened them so fast it was hard to take pictures! Then we had cake. She got a lot of Ariel stuff for her birthday. The Little Mermaid is her favorite Disney Princess. She got the movie too. She has already watched it 6 times! She had a great birthday! I loved seeing the smile on her face all day long.

That evening, we had Becca's birthday party at our house. It was basically a typical get together at our house. I spent a lot of time with Katie that night though. Since it was her birthday, i couldn't tell her no when she asked me to watch mermaid with her :)

Sunday was lazy day! I got up and straightened up the house from the night before. Then, I took a nap after Jason got up. We all spent the day lying around the house! It was great!

We had a really nice holiday weekend! It is always nice to spend so much time with family. And my baby girl turned 3! They grow up so fast!

Happy Anniversary!

This past weekend Jason and I celebrated our 5 year wedding anniversary. Saturday afternoon, I took the kids to my Mom's house where they spent the night. Then Jason lit a fire in the fireplace and we curled up on the couch to watch a movie. It was just the two of us, and it was nice. Nothing fancy, but we had what matters most: Each Other :) I can't believe it has already been 5 years! We have been together for a total of 10 years! The last decade has flown by so quickly! Looking back, we have so much to be thankful for. We have created a wonderful home and have two amazing children! It doesn't get much better! So....

Happy Anniversary to us!

Upcoming Holidays

It's been a little while since I have posted. We haven't had a whole lot going on. Katie has been working on potty training. I promised her a Princess Dress if she would use the potty all the time. Well, she has had very few accidents and those have been only at night. So, I owe her a princess dress. Her birthday is in just a week and a half. She will be 3! Time flies! I cannot believe how quickly the years have passed. She seems like such a big girl these days. Football is over for Andy. His team did not make the playoffs, but they did learn a lot this season. I loved his Coach! Andy had a blast playing. He will definately be playing again next fall. He wants to play baseball again in the Spring. Jason's last games are this week. His softball teams will make the playoffs. Hopefully the games aren't too late so that we can go and watch! Snoopy is doing good. House training him is quite a challenge, but he will get there. I have faith! We all love him very much. It is typically a battle over who is going to play with him. But, then again, if we didn't have Snoopy the kids would fight over something else.

Our 5 year wedding anniversary is this Saturday. The past 5 years have been great! It is amazing to look back and see how much our lives have change. We have bought a house, had another baby, bought another vehicle, and so much more. Jason and I will be spending the day together. The kids will be at Mom's so that we can celebrate the occasion.

Thanksgiving is next week. I am excited, for me it marks the beginning of the holiday season. Of course, Andy is out of school the whole week. He will be staying with my Dad. Andy is excited because he will get to spend a lot of time riding the four wheeler. Then on Wednesday Katie will join them. Thanksgiving Day Jason and I will go to my Mom's for lunch and spend some time with my family and then we head to his Mom's house for dinner and the rest of the afternoon. Then, of course, Friday is shopping! I am looking forward to putting a dent in my shopping list. Hopefully there will be some great deals this year! Saturday is Katie's birthday and we are having a princess party. I think it will be lots of fun! Hopefully I can find time that weekend to get the Christmas tree up!

New Family Member

Well, we have a new family member. He is 9 weeks old and absolutely adorable! The kids are in love with him :) I got him on Sunday and we surprised the kids with him. Andy had the biggest grin on his face when he saw the puppy. He asked if we could keep him :) Katie's reaction was absolutely priceless! I had gone to Canton for the day with Jana. Katie heard me come home and was excited to see me. She ran over to give me a hug and stopped suddenly when she saw the puppy. It was a look of excitement and confusion all at the same time. We named the puppy Snoopy. Katie can't decide if she wants to play with him or be afraid of him. She will pet him, but then he will try to chew on her (he is a baby afterall) and she thinks he is trying to hurt her. Or, Katie will run around the house and Snoopy will chase her. Snoopy thinks she is playing with him and Katie thinks he is trying to get her! It's actually pretty funny. Andy loves to curl up under the blankets and snuggle with Snoopy. Somehow, it seems that i get the joy of cleaning out his kennell each day, feeding him, and taking him outside! I think he will be a great addition to our family!

Andy's end of season football party is this coming Saturday. Unfortunately, the boys did not make it to the playoffs. However, I think the team as a whole learned a lot this season and had a lot of fun. It is nice to win, but I feel that having fun is way more important. Andy loved every minute of the season. I think the whole family enjoyed it. However, i am glad it has come to an end. It will be nice to not have to rush to practices twice a week after work. Or to have to get up bright and early on a Saturday to get to a game. As much as I love going to the games, I want just ONE Saturday to sleep past 8am.

Also, my softball season has come to an end. Last Thursday evening was the last game of the season. We won, which put us in third place. Tied with our rivals the Crackers. Even though we didn't win too many games, I had a great time. I really love getting out there to play. I may not be very good, but I have a LOT of heart :) I am hoping to play again next season. We'll see what happens.

Jason still has 2 1/2 weeks left of softball. Most of his remaining games are late games, so we probably won't be attending. But, I do love to watch him play. And the kids love going out to the fields to play with their friends.

So, in a few more weeks.....our weekday schedules will be empty. We will once again have free time in the evenings, sit down dinners at the kitchen table, and quality time together in the evenings. I have missed that. Plus, the holidays are coming up and I am so excited! This is my favorite time of year! Good food, great family, time off work! I can't wait.

Halloween Fun

This weekend we did several Halloween Activities. On Saturday we went to the pumpkin patch after Andy's football game. Jason even went! We all had fun. The kids played in the Bounce House, played a few games, ran through the Hay Maze, and then we all went on the Hayride. Then it was time to pick otu pumpkins. As you can see by the picture, Jason and Andy had to have the biggest pumpkin they could find! It was a lot of fun! On Sunday, me and the kids put the Haunted Gingerbread House together. The was pretty funny....you should see Katie's side of the house! It is precious! Then, we had dinner together. And then it was pumpkin carving time! Jason cut the tops off of both our pumpkins. When it was time to clean out the insides, Katie dove right in. Andy had second thoughts though! LOL! Jason and I ended up cleaning them out. Then Andy poked all of his holes and carved most of his all by himself! YEAH! He is growing up way too fast! This is the first year that he was able to do it himself. Katie did help me poke a few holes for the pattern and she tried to help me cut them out. She was so proud of her pumpkin when it was done! It was a good family weekend!

A Not So Crazy Weekend

The past couple of weeks, we have spent quite a bit of time at home on the weekends. This past weekend, we were home for almost the entire weekend. Friday night I didn't feel so good. After work, I had to run to Walmart to get my sister a birthday present. Of course, they didn't have what I wanted! While I was there I decided to go ahead and get Katie's Halloween costume. I had in my mind that her and I would both be Cinderella this year. We were Snow White last year. So, I go to the Disney dress up aisle (so much better than the Halloween costume aisle) and pick out the beautiful blue Cinderella dress. Katie looks at it and is excited. It is, afterall, a princess dress. Then, she looks up and low and behold, the Cinderella dress I have lovingly picked out ends up on the ground. Katie has spotted the PINK Sleeping Beauty dress. This is the dress she must have! Being the understanding parent that I am, I sadly place the Cinderella dress back on its hook and place the pink one in the basket. So, Katie and I won't match this year :( She wore her costume all night Friday and most of the day Saturday! She also conned me out of a new pair of Disney Princess tennis shoes! Actually she needed a pair of closed toed shoes, which is how we ended up on the shoe aisle. Then, of course Andy wanted to go look at costumes. How could I say no when I had just gotten his sister one. So, we looked. I did talk him into waiting until he really knew what he wanted rather than getting one just to get one. Needless to say, we stopped at Wendy's to get dinner! Then I climbed into bed to watch tv and get some rest!

Saturday morning we were up bright and early for Andy's football game. Andy was so excited that my uncle came! I am starting to understand the game of football now. I really enjoy watching Andy play. I have even caught myself watching portions of the Cowboys game! Those of you who know me know what a surprise this is! After Andy's game we had lunch with my family in celebration of my sister's birthday. We had a really good time. Jason didn't really want to go because the TX/OU game was on. But he is an awesome husband who realized how important it is to me to celebrate special occassions with my family. It also helped that he could keep track of the game on my Blackberry! Then we headed back to the house where I took a two hour nap! YEAH! How often does that happen? Then we did a little house cleaning. The rest of the night was pure fun and relaxation! We spent several hours outside with the kids. It was really fun. They got some solid Mommy/Daddy time and we got to act like kids! Then it was off to the bedroom for tv and rest for me. I was feeling pretty lousy and completely exhausted!

Sunday, I got up fairly early.....about 9:00. Jason went to hit some balls with the boys and the kids were up....so i moved from the bed to the couch and watched cartoons with the kids. Jason came home a few hours later with lunch! YEAH! Then it was back to bed for me......darn allergies had me feeling horrible! I did take a shower after lunch and put on a clean set of pajamas :) I was getting some much needed rest. When the Cowboys game came on, I moved from the bed to the swing in my backyard. Katie came out to play for a couple of hours. We had a pretty good time and Jason got some piece and quiet for the game. Then it was back to the bedroom for some more rest! It was a great day (especially for a busy Mom). We don't get to rest like that very often. And it did me some good too! Although I don't feel great today, I do feel better! Thanks honey for letting me rest!!!!!

All in all, it was a great weekend. We had a ton of QUALITY family time. The time spent outside in the backyard with the kids is priceless. Everyone had fun! And we got to hang 100% with our kids.....no television, no phones, no distractions. Just us and the kids! It is these small pleasures that make life so wonderful. Those of you who have spent a few hours in the backyard with the kiddos totally understand!

I hope everyone gets to experience a Not So Crazy Weekend now and again.........It was GREAT!