Crazy Parade

Yesterday Mason had one of his best buds come over to play. They decided to have a "Crazy Parade". Here they are dressed up in their costumes! Too funny!

Park & Friends

It doesn't get much better than a beautiful day, a new playscape at the park, and great friends. After school Tuesday we headed to the park until it was storytime. Mason and Alex were playing and I was sitting on the bench contemplating walking laps around the playscape (key word being contemplating!) I heard a car door close and then I heard "MASON! MASON!!" I looked back and saw some of our friends running toward the playscape excited that Mason and Alex were there. It was the coolest feeling! We have made some great friends here so far. Here are a few pics of the boys and their friends!

Alex was climbing the rock wall but got scared once he got to the top. He didn't want to look at the camera. He just wanted down! :)

Weekend

This weekend we went to Austin to see my family. It was a short visit but I really enjoyed it. Saturday I got to have a girls lunch with my mom, Heather (sister-in-law) and my good friend Dana. It was great to catch up and enjoy a relaxing lunch. Then my mom and I ran some errands. Although it was just errands we enjoyed visiting and spending time together. That night 10 of us went to Chuy's for dinner. It was a lot of fun. Saturday during the day the boys set up the soccer goal and kicked the ball around. We have had this goal for several years but they are just now showing some interest in it. I think we might have found a sport they both like and want to play!
Sunday morning we drove back home so Mason could complete a project for school. He had to build a timeline with pictures from birth to present. He picked out all of the pictures and then wrote sentences explaining each picture. He labeled each picture with a date and age. He worked really hard on it and Andy and I were really proud of his finished project. We forced him to take this picture!

Yesterday when I was completing my "to do" list for the week I decided I would spend the 3 hours Alex is in school on Tuesday to clean the house. It's not that I WANTED to spend my 3 hours with no kids this way, but it's easier to clean when they aren't here. I really wasn't looking forward to it this morning but figured it needed to get done. After dropping both boys off my phone rang and it was my friend Kristi asking if I wanted to meet for coffee. Of course, I quickly substituted cleaning house for coffee. It was exactly what I needed this morning. Kristi and I used to meet every Tuesday for coffee and it really helped start my week off right. Around the holidays we weren't able to meet and I have really missed visiting with her. You know how there are certain people that just give off contagious energy? Kristi is one of those people for me. So I have a not so clean house but a happier heart!

Trampoline

We are loving the weather this week. The boys are finally able to enjoy the present Santa brought them!

Thursday's Thoughts

To start off, I'd like to mention this is my 345th post! Get it, 3...4...5?! Maybe I am a little superstitious! How exciting is that though?! I have been boring all of you for quite a long time now! So last week Alex was really sick. I took him to the doctor and they said he had a sinus infection. But throughout the week he had a very high fever, very labored breathing and throwing up. He took his last dosage of medicine last night and then this morning woke up with a very red rash on both checks. To me it looks like Fifth Disease or maybe he has had another type of virus this whole time and it's finally leaving his body now. Either way, he says he feels fine. It doesn't itch or hurt and he has been super sweet all day. So hopefully it leaves his body as quickly as it entered. He is still a cutie though, isn't he?!

On Tuesdays after school we go to storytime at the library. We usually have about 20 minutes between school and storytime so this Tuesday we headed to the park. It was a beautiful day. The boys had a blast playing! Here are a few pics! Alex is looking through the telescope to "see if the ship is coming in."

I LOVE this picture of Mason. It was a slightly fake smile, but still cute anyway. He looks so grown up to me!

In preschool we learned it was "up the ladder, down the slide". Oh, how quickly we forget!

Mason still remembers!

Today I had MOPS and I haven't been since before Christmas. When I mentioned MOPS to Alex this morning he immediately started throwing a fit and said he didn't want to go. This went on for over an hour. On the way to MOPS he said "Mommy, there is only ONE thing I don't like about MOPS, and that is EVERYTHING!" He had me cracking up!

On the way to pick Alex up from school Tuesday I was following a commercial pick-up truck with a bumper sticker that said "Free snow plowing" with an 800# listed. For some reason that really cracked me up. I guess in Texas you could make an offer like that and not have to ever take anyone up on it.

Today in MOPS my friend Kristi talked about organization. Organization is something I used to be VERY good at. It was one of my top competency skills at Dell. I was so good at it that I had to get on medication for it (OCD). I am not sure what has happened over the last couple of years but organization and I have parted ways. I would like to rebuild a relationship with organization. We used to be so close. I traded organization in for lots of cabinets and a big garage. Now I shove things into cabinets, drawers and storage bins. Out of site, out of mind. But then when I am looking for something it takes me hours, sometimes days to locate it. I have to get more organized! Kristi gave me that little spark I needed to start slowly organizing my STUFF again! She had some great tips today. Don't try to do too much at once. Take one room at a time. Figure out the purpose of that room and only have things in that room that fit that purpose. Create a system for things (ex: mail, finances, etc). It doesn't have to be perfect, as long as it works for you. Teach everyone in your house the system so that everyone understands where things go and how things are supposed to work. She had some great website and book recommendations. For me, I know how to be organized. I used to be a pro at it. Lately, I just choose to be LAZY in most aspects of my life. I think I have had enough time off. I need to get it together now. This is how bad it is. When Andy and I are looking for something we say "Where was it in our old house?" From there I try to remember if it went with us to the apartment or if it went to the storage unit. Then I have to remember where it went after that. Not fun! I think I better pencil organization into my 2010 resolutions!

Let there be light!

For the last three weeks I haven't left the house during the week except to take Mason to and from school or to go to HEB. The weather and the fact that Alex has been sick were the main reasons I became such a hermit. I think it was starting to take a toll on me. I was getting a little blue. Friday night I was invited to a swap party at Missy's house. This is where you bring items such as accessories and home decor that you no longer need/want and swap them for things you would like to have. I didn't really have anything to swap so I was leaning against not going. However, I decided to go and had so much fun. It was exactly what I needed to get out of my funk. There were just four of us at the party (Missy, Natalie, Nicole and myself) but I think that made it even more fun. We ate, talked, and swapped. I came home with lots of great things for my living room. But most of all, I came home with a smile! I am so blessed to have such wonderful friends!

This contraption made it's way into our living room this week. The boys had fun playing pet shop. Mason was the cashier so he learned to make change. Alex was the sales rep!
Sunday after church we went to the Brenham Airport for lunch. It was great weather so there were plenty of planes flying in and out. The boys always love watching them take off and land.
Check out Mason's new shoes in the pic below. He has been asking for these shoes for MONTHS! He hasn't taken them off since we bought them!

Love these pics of my guys!
My parents came to visit Sunday afternoon and the boys loved showing off their jumping skills on the trampoline!

Alex was practicing his photography skills with this picture of my mom!

I had such a great weekend being with my own family, girlfriends, Andy's family and my parents. It was just what I needed!

Church

A top priority for Andy and I when we moved to Brenham was to find a home church. We hadn't been to church in 10 years, with the exception of specials occasions. Only Mason has been Baptized. We always had some excuse as to why we weren't going to church. As things got more and more challenging in our lives we realized we were missing God. We "shopped around" for a church when we first moved to Brenham. The church we felt the most "at home" attending was St. Paul's Lutheran church (where Alex goes to school). There were several things I was looking for in a church. I wanted to attend a church that had families with kids around our kids ages (check). I wanted to find a church that had activities/groups I could/wanted to become involve in (check). I wanted to find a church that had a Pastor that gave dynamic, interesting, life relating sermons (check). I wanted to attend a church that had a Sunday school so the boys can start learning about God on their level (check). I wanted to have the opportunity to teach Sunday school (check). I wanted to attend a church where we felt important, welcomed and loved (check). I am very happy with our decision to join St. Pauls. We even received a home visit from the Pastor. We officially joined the church yesterday. After church there was a huge luncheon to honor those who recently joined the church. I can't count how many times people came up to us to welcome us and tell us they were glad we were there. A few even went through the various activities that we could join. Our friends Dee and Jason were our sponsors and have helped us in so many ways (not just with church but with adjusting to Brenham, Boy Scouts, photo sessions, playdates, you name it.) When I have a question I usually call Dee. I used to dread going to church, but now I can't wait for Sunday. The boys are so well behaved in church. I am so proud of them! It feels great to start this new journey (rebuilding our relationship with God) and I can't wait to see the positive impact it's going to have in our lives.

Pillow house

Last night the boys decided to make a "pillow house". They literally used all the pillows we had in the house! It's like the game "where's waldo"!

It's definitely Monday

This morning when I went into the kitchen I noticed it was really cold in there (bummer). I felt the air coming out of the vent and it was cold air (same issue we had with our back unit). So now both of our units are having issues and it's pretty cold in this house. Alex woke up sick (bummer). I decided to keep him home from school and make a doctor's appt. for him with the new doctor that I am going to see tomorrow. I called and was able to get an 8:45am appt (Yeah!). The receptionist began asking me for my info since we hadn't been to this doctor before (name, address, type of insurance). When we got to type of insurance (we have new insurance as of Jan 1st) she said "Oh, we don't take Cigna." NICE!! So not only could I not make the appt for Alex I had to cancel my appt for tomorrow (bummer). I was dreading having to go to the clinic and wait for HOURS (if I could even get in today). I called the clinic and they were able to see Alex at 9:20 with our favorite doctor (Yeah!). Before we went to the doctor I called the heating company to find out they are still waiting on parts to fix our back unit (bummer). I called the AHS warranty company to find out that I would have to pay another deductible to get someone to come look at our front unit (bummer). We only had to wait for 20 minutes in the waiting room to see Dr. Baker at the clinic today (YEAH!) and Dr. Baker made Alex laugh and laugh (Yeah!). As we were getting into the car after the appt. Alex found a DS game that we thought he had lost the same day he got it (YEAH!) We had to go to the grocery store after the doctor and ran into our friend Dee (Yeah!). She makes us smile everytime we see her! After the store we came home to do a breathing treatment and then nap. Alex was so congested he couldn't sleep and then ended up throwing up (bummer). When I went to get him I realized he was burning up with fever (bummer). Poor little guy! I wonder what this afternoon/evening with bring us. Hopefully more YEAH's then bummers.
I am sure no one wanted to hear THIS much detail of my day. But I had to include it to make the point that just when something bad happens, something good comes along shortly after to balance it out. I am really trying to get my arms around God's plan vs. My plan. The bummer parts of my day were not how I planned it. But the YEAH's were God's way of saying "it's going to be ok."

Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

Thank goodness for our fireplace since they still haven't fixed our heater!! Last night we rented Santa Buddies and made homemade pizza. It was a great family night! Off to do some shopping today! At least the sun is out.

Lazy day

We stayed home today hoping the heater people would come fix our heater. They came yesterday but needed some parts before they could fix the issue. We never heard from them today. Nice.
This morning Alex and I practiced some phonics. I decided to put some flashcards in photo/magnetic frames on the fridge so we could easily practice them daily.

I recorded Charlie Brown's Christmas before Christmas and it has become a favorite of the boys, especially Alex. He asks to watch it daily. So here he is watching it with his new favorite snowman blanket (Thanks Christine!).

We got Mason's report card home today and he made straight A's this six weeks. I am so proud of him! He almost had straight A's the past two six weeks but missed it by 2 points last six weeks and 3 points the first six weeks. He makes me so proud!! :)

Alex the funny guy

Alex and I were playing a little indoor soccer today in the living room. Just basically kicking the ball back and forth to each other. Everytime I kicked the ball he had to move from his spot to go get it (apparently I have a little hook or slice with the soccer ball). After a few bad kicks on my part he said "Am I going to have to go get the skunk? Because you stink at this game!" I asked him to repeat it twice because I couldn't believe he actually came up with that. After I confirmed what he said I laughed for a good ten minutes!

Happy Birthday Natalie

Happy Birthday to my dear friend Natalie! Such a youngin'! :) I hope you have a great birthday. We love you!!

Our first fire....in the fireplace

Last night we had our first fire in the fireplace. We loved it. It was great timing since our heater went out yesterday! Well actually it was the heater that heats our bedrooms, but it was still a nice excuse to have a fire in the fireplace! Thank goodness for the American Home Shield warranty. Maybe we will get a whole new unit!

Dinner time

Last night I made dinner and we all sat around the table and ate. We each had a turn telling the rest of the family something about our day. Alex loved it and when everyone was through with their turn he started it over again. He couldn't wait to tell us something else about his day. It was so cute. A dinner time routine (well I can't even call it a routine because we have never had one), our dinner time (well I can't even call it time either because there is so no set time for dinner), when we eat it could range any where from 5:30 to 7:30. It could range from peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, to McDonald's drive through to a cooked meal. We could all be together to eat (rare) or we could eat as we get hungry at the bar top in the kitchen. Our "dinner time routine" HAS to change. That was something on my resolution list this year. The other thing that is changing is when I cook, that is what the kids will eat. Normally I cook and the kids ask for a sandwich instead (I'm not THAT bad of a cook). So now they eat what I cook or don't eat at all. We also told them they need to ask to be excused when they are done. Lots of new rules, but rules that were needed 6 years ago. Last night there were some "growing pains" (aka lots of whining) with the new rules but I know if we stay consistent it won't take long to get into a routine. Then we will all enjoy dinnertime and bond with each other more. I can't wait!

After dinner time we had another Rockband session. Yes, the boys wanted to play Eye of the Tiger again, twice!

Rockband

Last night we had some family time playing Rockband. Andy has been trying to teach the boys how to play the guitar and drums on Rockband. I can still barely play! They are starting to catch on though. We all took turns playing the different instruments, including singing. The bad part though is the ONLY song the boys wanted to play (over and over) was "Eye of the Tiger". How was that song every popular?!

New Year's Resolutions

I haven't documented my New Year's resolutions in many years. Mostly because I rarely stick to anything for longer than a few weeks. This year I am making a list and am holding myself accountable. Feel free to hold me accountable as well, the more the merrier! The main thing on my list this year is to FOCUS on my FAMILY. I have been a stay at home mom for 3.5 years. In that time I have spent a lot of it feeling sorry for myself that I am not being mentally challenged (like I was at Dell), that I am not bringing home a paycheck, that I perform boring household chores day in and day out, etc. MANY times throughout these 3.5 years I have tried to have a different outlook on things and eventually fall back into the same rut. This year I am making a change and sticking with it. Here are some of the things on my list:

1. Worry less about a clean house and more about having fun with the boys.
2. Cook dinner and eat as a family (instead of eating out at noisy restaurants like we normally do).
3. Have a family movie night every Friday or Saturday.
4. Talk less and listen more.
5. Read more books and less status updates.
6. Spend 15 minutes a day having 1x1 time with each child.
7. Join a church
8. Baptize Alex
9. Drink more water
10. Eat less (even if it isn't healthier....I have to start somewhere!)
11. Find time to exercise 3 times a week (I haven't exercised in years)
12. Have a date night with my husband once a month.
13. Pray daily

There are two character traits that I really need to focus on to improve my own happiness as well as those around me. I need to WORRY LESS and be MORE PATIENT! Those are HUGE orders for me and ones I have struggled with my whole life. But I need to always keep them in the front of my mind so I can work on them daily. Wish me luck!

Week in review

Wow, these past two weeks have FLOWN by. We have had so much fun spending time together just the four of us, with family and with friends. I wish we had another week off!
Thursday Andy got home from work a little early and was able to get the trampoline set up before it started raining. The boys couldn't wait for Andy to get the net set up before they started jumping. They LOVE the trampoline. I love it too! Alex is still learning to jump while Mason jumps. It's a little more challenging to stay upright when someone bigger then you is jumping up and down right beside you!
Thursday night Andy and I went to Harper and Natalie's house for New Year's Eve. It was just the four of us and it was nice and relaxing. Harper made gumbo which was REALLY good. We watched Chevy Chase's Christmas Vacation. It was hilarious! It was a great night and a great way to ring in the new year.
Friday Natalie and Harper came over so Natalie could take our family pictures. Alex didn't really want to participate again but Natalie and Harper were able to make him laugh and get involved in some of the pictures. Thank you Natalie for being so patient! Thanks to Harper for getting the boys to smile for the pictures! I can't wait to see the end result.

Saturday we hosted the "Cousin Christmas". Many firsts occurred Saturday. Andy cooked our first turkey. A 25 lb turkey at that!! It turned out great. I made dressing for the first time! It was the first time to have 17 people at our house for a sit down meal. It was the first time the adults did a white elephant gift exchange. We had a lot of fun doing that! We are already thinking about our gift for next year's exchange! Overall, it turned out really well. I think everyone had a good time. We missed Stacy, Duane and Avery though! Hope Avery is feeling better!

Last night we went to Harper and Natalie's for a little while. Alex decided to entertain himself by taking pictures of everything in their living room and kitchen. Here is the only one that didn't turn out blurry or sideways! Sarge and his blankie and bed! He is such a sweet dog!

I was able to snap a quick picture of Alex before he took the camera from me!

So I have decided tomorrow is going to start my new year. I have a list of items I am going to work on this year. I will do a separate post with my resolutions! I am not ready to commit to them yet! I hope everyone has a wonderful 2010!!