The Game of Life...

LOVE Sign

2012-02-06T19:25:00.011-06:00

This is a project that is a long time in coming (a few months that is), PLUS this will help fulfill my mommy craft for the month!

I originally saw this project on I Heart Nap Time's Blog, made by Tam over at Sew Dang Cute Crafts. It's a knock off Pottery Barn NOEL Sign. I fell in love with this and knew that I wanted to make it for our home. I bought all of the supplies to make it. Then the months started slipping away from me and before I knew it, it was the end of January! I debated making it now and having it ready for NEXT Christmas. Although the thought of being prepared next year intrigued me, I was lacking Valentines decor for our new home. So I opted to change this up a little bit. The best part, I already had everything except the red glitter spray paint and a letter V!

First I gathered all of my supplies. I hopped on my computer and googled a top 100 list of love songs. Found a few of my favorites (or at least some that I knew), then I printed out the first page of the sheet music. I also added an extra personal touch, by adding the sheet music from mine and my husbands song!

Next it was off to our unfinished basement (The garage just seemed to cold) to spray paint my letters. Lucky for me, we are lazy enough that we hadn't removed the large box from our water softener we had installed. One side of it worked perfectly! Here's to procrastination! I do not spray paint, there are many things in life that I can do, and do well, but after this experience I decided spray painting is not one of them. I was desperately wishing my youngest brother (who is a spray paint expert from wanting to paint anything and everything he could get his hands on when he was younger) lived closer. That way I could have gotten a lesson, or better yet, he could have just done it for me!

In the end, I used the whole can on my four letters. Luckily I used my 40% off coupon on the paint, so the cost wasn't horrendous.

While I let those dry, I started to Modpodge the sheet music onto my canvas.

I'm a planner, and so I laid all the sheets out first and arranged how I wanted them to look when the project was complete. Making sure our song would be visible once the letters were attached.

Next came the fun part. I mean, who doesn't like Modpodge right? I coated the bottom half of the canvas and then laid the sheets on top, making sure to go back and recover the pieces that would overlap. Once all were secured down, I did one final coat over all of it. Just remember that if you cover over the print outs to much the ink will start to smear a little. At this point you will have some bubbles, but don't worry, as it drys you can poke a push pin into the bubble and then flatten it out with your finger. If you continue to do that while it's drying, you will hardly notice them once it's dry.

While I let this dry, I had the pleasure of picking the Modpodge off of my hands and fingers. Ahh, it brought back childhood memories of putting glue in the center of your hand, spreading it out and trying to wait long enough for it to dry so that you could pick it off. I know I'm not the only one who did this!

I was originally planning on wrapping the sheet music around the canvas, but in the end decided that I wanted a little accent color and would paint the edges black instead. I used a scissors to do this, although an exacto knife would have worked better. That laziness in me, and the fact that my children would be up from naptime soon, made me just use what I had in front of me.

Next it was time to paint. I had dug out my very old Making Memories black paint from my scrapbooking stash to use for this. It hadn't been used in so long, I was sure it would even be any good. But alas it worked wonderfully! I ended up needing to put 3 coats on the canvas, as it was soaking the paint in.

I also put two coats of black paint around the edges of my letters. I had planned on these being all red glitter, but when I failed at spray painting and the edges were very spotty, I had to go another route. In the end I was very happy I did. I loved how it turned out!

I found some fun ribbons in my stash and choose one to ad to the E for an added touch. Next I fired up my trusty glue gun and went to work gluing down the letters.

When it was all complete, I hung it on the wall in our entry! I was very pleased with how it turned out. And now our home finally has a photo hanging on the wall! We have lived here 5 months, and that still hasn't been completed.

I linked up to: I Heart Nap Time Sundae Scoop.

House Party

2012-01-24T00:00:00.002-06:00

This weekend I hosted my Glade House Party. I made a trifle dessert, cupcakes and put together fun little goody bags of the stuff they sent. I only ended up having one guest. So we both cracked open a Mikes Hard Pink Lemonade, ate some food and played Playdoh with my boys. Thanks Kiara for coming over and hanging out with us! We had fun and I hope you did too!

If nothing else, it got me to deep clean the house!

The Snowy Day

2012-01-22T20:43:00.005-06:00

Today we got our first truly snowy day. Not to bad for being the middle of January already! I could get used to this! Note to self: Buy a Snow blower, shoveling 3 times in one day is not fun. The boys enjoyed the outdoors today, it was snowing but it was a nice temp outside and no wind. Although one seemed to enjoy it more than the other. Little still hasn't mastered walking in his boots. So he will pretty much just sit where ever you put him.

My 2nd shoveling Little came out to join me. He sat in the wagon for most of it, and then moved to the lawn chair in the garage.

For my 3rd shoveling, Big joined me outside. Little was in bed already. Big likes to help shovel and did a pretty good job today. Once we finished he made a few snow angels and then we came inside and warmed up with a cup of home made hot chocolate with marshmallows. Not a bad way to end a day!

Glade House Party

2012-01-17T21:29:00.003-06:00

This weekend I get the pleasure of hosting a Glade House Party. I signed up through houseparty.com to try and win a Shutterfly party originally. I didn't win one of those, but tried my luck again and won a host spot for the Glade House Party.

The other day, my party pack came in the mail! I love to get mail, especially when it is a box filled with goodies to give out to my friends!

If you have never visited the site, I suggest you check it out and sign up to host! I adore having parties and gatherings and this just helps to have an excuse for one!

Nap Mat

2012-01-12T21:28:00.003-06:00

A while back Little's daycare room asked that we bring in a new nap mat for him. The ones that they supplied to all of the kids, were starting to get very worn. So I hopped on the internet (aka Pinterest) and found a super cute tutorial to make one! You can find the original tutorial here at a blog called Sew like my Mom. Below is the final result. I have to say I was quite pleased with it.

Goals aka Resolutions

2011-12-30T10:54:00.010-06:00

This year I am going to call my Resolutions, Goals. I think it has a nicer sound to it. We'll see if it helps me accomplish more!

Goal #1: Post on this blog twice a week. This was a resolution last year (my hopes were to post more frequently than once a month), which in the beginning of the year I failed miserably at. I've gotten better in the last months of the year. So it will once again be something that I attempt to better myself at!

Goal #2: Live up my last year in my twenty's. Like I mentioned yesterday, this will either have me getting more sleep or less. I'm still trying to decide.

More sleep means less done around the house when I don't have small hands helping me to undo all that is right. It also means more energy the next day to right the wrong of the house. (I hate double edged swords!)

Less sleep means more ME or Me and Chris time, which currently is pretty much nonexistent. I could really use this, along with the cleaning of the home front thing!

I'll be sure to keep you posted on ways I find to Live It Up!

Goal #3: That whole dress for the job you want, not the job you have thing. Although I am quite pleased with my current position, the saying seemed to fit what I want to attain, not the reality of it! A lot of blogs I have found will post "What I Wore Wednesdays." In general these people are beyond adorable and always seem to be put together. So my goal is to attempt to dress nice (not just in jeans and a t-shirt, which is my usual attire) on Wednesdays. I'm thinking baby steps here people. Hopefully this will grow to more like 5 out of 7 days, but we'll start with one, so as to not scare the crap out of the people who know me!

Goal #4: Get Big to go to sleep at a normal 3 year old hour, I'm thinking 9 PM to start with. Again as Dr. Leo Marvin writes, Baby Steps! Eventually I would like to see bedtime be 8 PM for him, but at this point I will take what I can get. As previously mentioned, Big stays up far to late for a 3 year old, so in the year of 2012 we are going to right this. I'm just not sure how I plan on accomplishing this monstrous task. We may have to cut nap time down to 1 hour or maybe even do away with it (*gasp* did I just really put that in writing? I can accomplish so much during nap time!) So here's to 2012 being the year of sleep, or lack there off!

Goal #5: Do a Mommy craft project once a month. I have found so many adorable crafts and home decor items on some of my favorite blogs this past year. Not to mention the addition of Pinterest into my life, that alone has put the "I would like to make this" number into the thousands and counting. So once a month, I am going to set aside some time to make a Mommy craft project! I'm not sure how potentially cutting out naps and me going to bed sooner will play into this. I may have to scrap those, we'll see!

So there you have it, 5 Goals that I will attempt to accomplish in 2012. Be sure to tune in and see if I am able to obtain these! It's going to be a GREAT year!

Just for fun, here's the boys in front of our Christmas tree before we celebrated our families Christmas!

Happy 2012

2011-12-30T10:09:00.007-06:00

First of all Happy 2012 to everyone!

It's hard to believe that another year has passed us by. We had a wonderful Christmas and I had an equally wonderful birthday! This is my last year in my twenty's, so I think I should live it up and make it a really great one! (Living it up for me, will most likely consist of staying up past 11 PM. Although on that same note, getting more sleep would maybe be a better way to live it up? I'll get back to you on this!)

New Years Eve for us was spent at home just the four of us. Chris and I had plans to head into the Twin Cities for the Bears vs. Viks game, but Chris has been sick this past week and still not feeling great, so we opted to stay home and hang out with the boys. All who know Chris assume he is probably on his death bed to be giving up watching the Bears play in person. I assure you he'll be okay!

With Big being a night owl (he stays up until well after 10 most nights, this is one of my resolutions, post coming soon, so if you have any tips I will gladly listen) he stayed up with Chris and I until the very end. About 12:45 to be exact! Needless to same he is still sleeping now.

It snowed in the morning here yesterday, but the temps were warm enough that it wasn't long after that it also melted. We do have snow on the lawn (or what will be our lawn if we don't shovel it up this winter) but the drive way is clear. The boys loved being outside yesterday and playing in the snow. Little was far happier sitting on the steps in the garage than in the snow. He still needs to learn how to walk in all of his snow gear!

Elf on the Shelf

2011-12-12T00:00:00.001-06:00

This December an elf came to visit our house and watch what the boys were up to and then report back to Santa each night. When he arrived, Big was given the job of picking out a name for him. Although he really wanted to call him caca (which is his answer to most everything these days, and thinks it hilarious when I ask him not to say it as it means poo), he finally settled on Ki Ki (which I have been informed that in other cultures, means something that would be worse than calling our elf poo, but I'm not about to go there with Big!)

The boys aren't allowed to touch him or his magic will go away, so he watched from above the TV the first evening.

When we awoke the next day, we found he had caught a ride in Santas sleigh back to our house!

Finally!

2011-12-11T00:00:00.001-06:00

The stockings are hung on the wall with care, as we don't have a fire place with St. Nick to share!

The house is finally decorated for Christmas! I now realize that I will need to acquire a few more Christmas decorations to fill the new house! The boys helped me decorate the tree, while we listened to Christmas Carols! With that being said only one ornament got broken and it was done by me! Now I just need to get some shopping done and presents wrapped!

The Windy City.

2011-12-10T06:05:00.004-06:00

Recently Chris and I were able to take a trip to Chicago, just the two of us! It was a very relaxing 4 days. We had things that we would like to do, but no really agenda in which to do them. We slept in until 8 to 8:30 each day and then lazily got ready and headed out the door. We stayed on Michigan Ave, so we were able to easily shop and see the sites. Michigan Ave at Christmas is B-E-A-utiful!

My favorite display (and not just because it's Disney's), it was just to clever! In case you can't read it, it says "Not a creature was stirring except for the (mickey's head here)"

The famous Garrett Popcorn! This stuff is amazing, and so worth the block long line you have to stand in to get it.

Night view from the top of the Hancock Observatory.

I think the highlight of Chris' trip came on the 2nd day when he got to go inside the Cadillac Studios/ESPN and meet Waddle and Silvy (They are the hosts of a Bears Radio Show, Waddle is also a former Bear) We made a sign that said "Tom Waddle made me cry!" and he held it outside the studio windows. And then his dreams were granted, they noticed it and invited him in for a photo! If you don't know why Waddle made him cry, you'll have to ask him. And trust me, he will be more than happy to share it with you!

After exhausting our shopping on Michigan Ave, we spent a day at the Field Museum. We probably could have spent several days there. It was filled with lots of very interesting exhibits and fun things to see. The Field Museum is also home to Sue, the most complete T-Rex skeleton they have found to date.

On our last day of the trip we took in a (you guessed it) Bears game. We were not originally planning on doing this, as tickets are pretty much outrageously priced! But with some advice from a friend we waited until the day of the game and jumped online to see what was left. Turns out we were able to get some great seats for a fraction of the price that they originally wanted! Merry Christmas Chris! (This definitely made shopping for him a whole lot easier this year!

Santa Baby

2011-12-01T00:00:00.000-06:00

I recently ran across an internet advertisement for Huggies Santa diapers. I was pumped! When you have to change poopy diapers, it's best to add some variety to your day! I searched all the big box stores for these, as well as a few of the smaller ones. No luck. I had come to the conclusion that if I wanted these before Christmas was over I was going to have to order them online.

Then to my amazement, we were walking through Sams Club, picking up a few necessities, and what do I stumble upon! You guessed it, Santa Diapers! I think my eyes lite up like a kid in a candy store. I was stoked!

So now until Christmas our Little man will be believing! One diaper at a time!

With that face, you can guarantee that Little will make Santa's Naughty, I mean Nice list!

Puppy Party

2011-11-30T00:00:00.001-06:00

Big was recently invited to a puppy birthday party for an adorable 3 year old. The whole family was able to go and help her celebrate!

There was yummy food and some very fun games! The kids played pass the puppy, had a barking contest, and pinned the nose on the puppy. There was even a pinata, which I must say these kids have finally figured out. (See last years pinata photo!) This year they got that you should go after the candy.

Last year they all just kind of looked at it and would take a piece at a time!

Little had the most fun clapping when the music stopped in the pass the puppy game!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas, with a new do!

2011-11-28T21:16:00.002-06:00

When I picked big up from daycare today, he informed me that he needed a hair cut. I tried to tell him that time was limited and that we weren't going to be able to get it cut today, much less this week. He was very insistent that we get this done TODAY!

So I called our normal spot and they had one opening left for the evening. Little badly needs at least his bangs trimmed, but he will have to wait for another day (which I don't think he minds much)! We also got our tree up last night. No decorations on it yet, I'm waiting till we can all do this together. Hopefully tomorrow, it's looking too bare!

Monster Bash Party

2011-11-16T00:00:00.002-06:00

Big was invited to a Monster themed 3rd birthday. We couldn't wait to go. Chris was home and able to watch Little, so it was a bit easier to enjoy the party. There were lots of fun things to do.

They had a monster bean bag toss, although all the kids really liked having their photo taken with their head in the monsters mouth.

There was a Build your own monster station. Big liked this so much, he wanted to make a few of them.

A put the eyes on the monster game.

Then all the little monsters got to decorate a cookie.

They had snacks, cupcakes and don't forget about the cute monster party hats! The cups even had eyes on them!

Here are all of the kiddos with their goody bags. What a fun group of kids! I can't wait to pull these photos out when they are all seniors!

Daily Entertainment

2011-11-15T00:00:00.000-06:00

When Chris has drill on the weekends, I have to find things to help occupy 2 small boys, so that I get a chance to breath! So this past weekend we broke out some arts and crafts to entertain.

I had just unpacked a box and thought it might be fun for Big to paint it like Rocket from Little Einsteins. We of course had no paint brushes, so before we could even begin this project we had to take a little trip to JoAnns. Which I am never apposed to! An hour later, we were painting rocket. I think I may need to invest in a paint smock soon.

Little wasn't very happy that he didn't get to paint the box too, so we gave him a brush and I got him to "paint" the tent we had set up.

Big thought this looked like far more fun than actually painting, so he ditched Rocket and helped "paint" the tent.

While on our shopping errand, Big found a bucket of Perler Beads (and who can really resist them right!) He has had more fun with those than I would have imagined. Again something Little can't play with, which royally ticks him off.

On a side note:

When you have two small boys in your house, they are both awake, and it is quiet...always ask yourself what have they gotten into. Today was no exception to this rule! Little likes to pull everything out of the bathroom cupboard as a daily routine, today I found he had then put himself back into it. Whatever makes you happy buddy!

Little also LOVES to help with the wash. He likes to put the clothes in the washing machine and then when they're done, take them out and hand them to me to put into the dryer. I had run upstairs to grab another load of laundry and came back down to find this. He had emptied half the box of dryer sheets out. My hands smelt like fresh air for quite awhile after putting all of those back.

Wedding

2011-11-13T19:42:00.004-06:00

We had the pleasure of enjoying some good friends wedding reception this weekend. Chris was gone, but the boys and I dressed up and enjoyed the event. The dance floor was the best part for both boys. Little normally goes to bed at the latest 7:30, but tonight he has up until 9:30 cutting a rug. He crashed on the ride home.

It was so fun to see both boys dancing and having a good time. Big told me he wasn't going to do any dancing on our way there. I guess he changed his mind.

Little also really enjoyed holding on to the light bulbs that were surrounding the windows. I can't wait to see what he does with the Christmas tree.

Happy Halloween

2011-11-01T21:09:00.003-05:00

It's hard to believe that it's November and Halloween has come and gone. I'm sure soon enough the snow will start to fly. (the forecast claims this weekend) The boys had fun Trick or Treating last night. Big dressed as a Lighting McQueen race car driver and little was Nemo. Little only went out for a short time and then was done and Big didn't want to stay out much later than that.

They got a boat load of candy, and have hardly made a dent in it. Last night was quite crazy and so I had to have the boys get into their costumes today to get a few photos.

Back to the Pumpkin Patch

2011-10-24T00:00:00.005-05:00

The first time that went to the Pumpkin Patch this fall we got there kind of late and we were only able to pick out a pumpkin and explore the corn mazes. They also have lots of photo cut outs, a playground and a barrel train for the kids. Big really wanted to go on the train, but by the time we got back from picking out a pumpkin, the train had stopped running. So we promised him that we would bring him back to ride the train.

Once I got back from my trip I decided to venture out with the boys and experience the rest of the pumpkin patch with them.

The first stop, was of course the barrel train ride, and even Little got to go. I wasn't 100% positive that he would stay sitting, but once he saw Big get it, he wasn't taking no for an answer. In the end he did wonderful and I think would have stayed in it all day.

They also played in the corn box, played in the stage coach and Big was in heaven when he found out that they had a large "button game". (That is what he calls Connect Four)

Philadelphia

2011-10-22T20:31:00.004-05:00

For work, we had training in Philadelphia this past week. (Actually Conshohocken, but I'm not sure anybody really knows where that is.) One of the days we had a group scavenger hunt in downtown Philly! I had a blast with this, A: I am extremely competitive, and B: I got to take in some sights! A few of the things that I got to see were: the Liberty Bell, Benjamin Franklin's House Structure and where his print shop was, plus I got to eat an authentic philly cheese steak.

(I listened to the lady in front of me and ordered my cheese steak with provolone cheese, when I really should have had the cheese whiz. Next time.)

Plus it doesn't get any better than when your boss puts on some grungy man from the streets vest and poses for a photo! (In case you can't tell, there0 are rocks and coins glued all over the vest and hat.)

I also finally got to see a Take Care Clinic in person. After 2 years, it was probably about time.

Bachelorette Party

2011-10-18T00:00:00.000-05:00

A good friend is getting married soon and so we all got to get together to have a bachelorette party for her. It was a very fun night of wine drinking, hilarious games, sexy gifts and a fun photo booth!

Here is my favorite of the photo booth photos. Thanks girls for the fun night! It's always a blast to spend time with you!

The Pumpkin Patch

2011-10-16T19:23:00.004-05:00

This weekend we headed to the Pumpkin Patch to pick out a few pumpkins to carve and see if we could figure out the corn maze. It was a cooler day outside, but it was one of the few that we actually had open, so we grabbed some fall jackets and headed out. They gave us the paper-like wrist bands to say that we paid to get into. Unfortunately Big now has two wrist bands on that he won't take off. (He still has the one on from the Disney Halloween party. When I ask him why he won't take it off, he states that then people will know he is tall enough to ride the rides. I may have to cut them off while he's sleeping some night.)

This photo is a look that Little has been using a lot lately. It always makes us crack up when he breaks it out. I'm so happy I was finally able to capture it!

First day of Preschool!

2011-10-14T02:00:00.000-05:00

The other day Big had his first day of Preschool! He was so excited to go! We took pictures in his "I rock Preschool" shirt and when I picked him up at daycare all the other kids kept asking where he was going and why. He was very proud to tell them that he got to go to Preschool.

The sign in the photo came from here.

He also took a photo with his first teacher.

On the way back to daycare he told me all about the things he learned. They talked about apples today and he even brought home a seed to plant. He's hoping to be able to pick apples from it in the next few days!

Little's New Do

2011-10-13T02:00:00.000-05:00

The other day I took the boys to get hair cuts, as I had begun to call Little, Shagadelic, due to the fact that his hair was getting so long.

We had a new gal at the salon cut it (because when I call to make an appointment, I just say when is the earliest that you can get us in. I learned my lesson today.) I asked her to trim it up, but keep it over the ears. I still wanted that baby look. She cut a little to much for my liking and it's not too even. I just hope it grows out fast.

So for now our little man looks like a big boy.

A party fit for a Superhero

2011-10-11T22:30:00.000-05:00

For Big's 3rd birthday we had a Superhero party.

We invited friends and family over to Superhero Headquarters to fight crime and hang out. Each Hero got a cape when they got here. (I wanted to make these for each child so badly that I stayed up until 3:30 AM the night before sewing them all. What a parent won't do for the sake of the perfect party! Unfortunately I didn't have the energy to touch up the wall at 3:30.)

We had several games that we played. They each got a can of silly string and were asked to fight the evil villain (Sponge Bob, because it was what the local toy story had). The silly string was gone all to quickly!

We (and when I say we, I really mean my mom and husband, as I was too much of a weakling to blow even one up) blew up balloons before the party and then we asked the guests to stomp out crime and pop a balloon. Unfortunately I must have gotten super strength balloons, as the 3 year olds could not get them to pop. Evil won that round.

We had lighting bolt chicken strips, fruit and cake for supper for the Superhero's.

All in all it was a success. Maybe I should start planning for next year now!

Disney World

2011-10-06T18:06:00.000-05:00

This post has been needing to be posted for awhile now, almost 3 weeks, and this is the first chance I have had to do it. And all because Big has a sprained foot and I had to keep him home today to chill on the couch.

For Big's 3rd birthday we took a trip to Disney World with Papa and Grandma. We spent 10 glorious days in high 80's to mid 90's. The temps were a little warm for us, but that didn't stop us from having a great time.

We had a very early flight on the way down. We were at the airport by 4AM. In the end we got bumped to first class and it was smooth sailing from there to Florida.

Our first full day we spent at Hollywood Studios. Big was in heaven when he learned that he was going to get to meet the Little Einsteins. He was a little shy when finally made our way through the line to them.

Littles favorite part of the day was enjoying a popsicle while enjoying the afternoon parade.

Big also got to play in the Honey I Shrunk the Kids playground. Lots of fun slides and shooting water (hence the reason he is all went in the below photo).

Another highlight of the day was getting to meet "Chow" and Mater.

For supper we got to eat at my all time favorite restaurant. The Sci-Fi Dine in Theater.

The next day we headed to the Magic Kingdom. We spent the morning meeting some characters and riding some very fun rides. That combined with the heat and my mid afternoon, we had two very tired little boys!

Day 4 was spent in the Animal Kingdom. We got to see lots of animals, go on some more rides, meet lots of characters and see the Finding Nemo show.

Day 5 was spent at EPCOT. I think Big rode on the ride in the "ball' about 4 times. He couldn't get enough of it.

Day 6 was spent at Typhoon Lagoon. It was a relaxing day, and with the temps the way that they were, it was a nice break from the heat! Big loved going in the wave pool with Papa. A wave would come and go and he immediately asked to do it again.

Day 7 was spent at SeaWorld. There were lots of shows to watch. Bigs favorite was the dolphin show, and not to be a downer, but the Shamu show was a million times better when the trainers actually got in the water. I have to say it seemed a little lame this time without it.

Day 8 we went back to EPCOT after having breakfast with Mickey and the gang at Chef Mickey's. In the evening we went to the Magic Kingdom for Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party. It was so a blast. We all dressed up like characters from Alice in Wonderland. They give you a wristband to let cast members know that you are able to be there. Big loves his so much, he still has it on!

The Jumping Water, a highlight for any child (or adult!)

Day 9 we celebrated Bigs birthday and headed back to the Magic Kingdom for the day. For supper we ate at the Crystal Palace with Winnie the Pooh and his friends.

He isn't smiling in this photo, but he LOVES Mr. Puppet (aka Mary Poppins).

This was Bigs all time favorite ride in Disney World. He would beg to go on it. And how often do you turn three in Disney World. So we obliged and took him on it one more time!

We had a great trip and can't wait to go back again. Although I think we all decide bringing a 1 year old was not our brightest move.

Exciting Events!!

2011-08-23T21:20:00.000-05:00

We have had a lot of exciting happenings in our household in the past week!

Little turned 1!! It's hard to believe that one year has flown by so fast. This weekend is his party, so we will have photos then!

We were in the cities for drill weekend and got to take in a very fun event. The re-opening of the Metrodome.We got to go down on the field and play around for awhile. The minute we got down on the field Big looked around and said "Go Bears!" His daddy was so proud when I told him.

We also got to meet Goldie the Golden Gopher! Big was a little unsure, but did go and take a photo, but Little wanted nothing to do with him.

Our house is also starting to look like a house. We can't wait for Friday!

Summer

2011-06-30T22:59:00.000-05:00

What do you do on a 90 something degree day?

The only thing that there is to do.

Grab some friends and head to the local watering hole!

And then for ice cream after!!

You can't ask for much more on a Thursday night.

9 Months

2011-05-25T22:15:00.000-05:00

Corbin is 9 Months old. He now officially has 7 teeth with 1 more on the way. He crawls all over the place, his favorite is the stairs. Yikes! He refuses to eat any food other than baby food. Not sure how we going to fix that? All in all he is a vary happy little boy!

On Monday we signed papers to start the building of our house! Below is our lot that the house will be on. Now the fun of all the decisions begins!

The Sun is Shining!

2011-05-06T20:59:00.000-05:00

The sun is finally shining here and we have been able to spend some time at the park the last few days! What a wonderful treat that is. Today the boys were even sporting some new haircuts!

After the park today, we stopped to get some ice cream.

On a side note, I think it is safe to say it is official that J is potty trained! We have gone a whole week with no accidents, we no longer have to ask if he needs to go, and he has even spent a few nights in underwear!

Happy Easter! (a day late)

2011-04-25T20:46:00.000-05:00

We hope everyone had a great Easter. Chris had to work so it was just me and the boys for most of the day. We finally got to play with bubbles outside and enjoy all of our new Easter goodies. The Easter Bunny was very good to us!

On a side note C is now 8 months old! He is scooting all over the place, so the gate had to get put back out. He's not crawling yet, but today he was up rocking on his hands and knees, so I'm sure it won't be long.

J has been potty training and doing a great job. Today was his first day at daycare in underwear, and he stayed dry all day!!! He even let us know he needed to go potty at home without reminders!! We are so proud of him.

So Proud

2011-04-10T21:14:00.000-05:00

Today, we were home all day and decided to put J in underwear and see how he would do. We only had one accident! He is loving the underwear and even at nap and bedtime insists on having them over his pull-up.

On a side note it has been raining all day here, which we were told would be bad for the flooding situation, but apparently it's not. According to all of the websites, the river is going down. After hearing about the flood coming for so long now, it feels like there should have been more to it than that. Oh well.

And because posts are no fun with out photos, here is a pic of J and C hanging out.

7 Months

2011-03-19T20:23:00.000-05:00

C is 7 months old today! It's hard to believe that the time has gone by as quickly as it has.

He now eats solid foods like a pro. He doesn't care much for green veggies, but LOVES all fruits!
He can sit up on his own, but if something too far away catches his eye, he will topple over still.
I've watched him get up to his hands and knees a handful of times, but no crawling yet.
He has his two bottom teeth, and judging by how crabby he has been lately, the top
two aren't far away.
He's had his hair cut twice, and it's close to needing another trim!

A Very Merry Unbirthday....

2011-02-20T12:05:00.000-06:00

As of yesterday, C is officially 1/2 a year old! Where did the 6 months go?

So far in that time he has mastered rolling over, has 2 bottom teeth, eats carrots, peaches and applesauce (he dislikes this one the most!) And is working on sitting by himself.

He weighs about 17 pounds, we have his 6 month well visit on Wednesday, so we will get the official measurements then.

Can't believe my baby is growing up so quickly. It's a good thing he's not my last, or I might be bawling as I wrote this!

All you need is LOVE!

2011-02-14T08:00:00.000-06:00

Happy Valentines Day Everyone!

This post will be short and sweet. Just our Valentines day card!

Don't forget you can click on the picture to make it larger.

Fail...

2011-02-04T13:55:00.000-06:00

So New Years Resolution #1 is a FAIL so far. Wish I was better at this, but it always seems to be on the bottom on the totem pole.

Last weekend we went and visited Papa and Grandma. Chris had drill so he wasn't along. Jack got to go swimming with Papa at the Y. I wish our Y had a pool like this.

I should also post Corbins 5 month Mickey picture. He just started solid foods! He's doing pretty well with them, but Jack seems to want them more.

As well as a little brotherly love!

2011-01-02T13:40:00.000-06:00

New Years Resolution #1: Post to my blog more frequently!

(So far so good on this one.)

Well, we survived the latest storm! Chris worked from home for a few days. (A nice treat for all of us) and we celebrated New Years just the 4 of us.

The snow on our deck is quite high. As you can see from the photo. The sun was not in a prime location for this photo, but Jack was in a prime mood. And after being stuck in the house for a few days, you take what you can get!

2010-12-30T16:47:00.000-06:00

We are in the middle of a big storm, so what better time than now to update my blog! It's only been like 2 months! The Christmas season has come and gone and it sure was a busy, but very fun one!

Corbin had his first hair cut at 4 months old. He sat in a Bumbo and did a great job!

Jack likes wearing Grandmas glasses. I think he looks rather dashing!

Jack got to sit on Uncle TJs unicycle.

The boys in their matching pjs in front of the tree.

Jack surveying the scene while sitting on one of his new toys.

The aftermath of Christmas Eve!

Santa stopped at our house, and we were all very good!

Jack eating the frosting for the rolls. He kept wanting to stick the whisk back in the bowl.

My 28th Birthday Cake.

Jack helping me blow out the candles.

Fall

2010-10-22T15:23:00.000-05:00

We have had a busy October! It's hard to believe it's almost over.

Corbin finally got to meet Great Grandma Koplin.

Yesterday I came down stairs to find Jack getting into some mischief!

We also made our traditional pumpkin sugar cookies. Yummy!!

We visited Grandma and Papa.

And showed off our Halloween costumes at MOMS Club Fall Festival!

We even went to Sesame Street Live! Jack was mesmerized!

Fall Festival

2010-09-26T19:49:00.000-05:00

Saturday we spent a few hours at the fall festival in Fargo. We went last year, but Jack was too little to do any of the things they had. This year he loved all of it!! I think his favorite was the barrel train they had to ride on!! He was all smiles.

September is here.

2010-09-04T14:53:00.000-05:00

Life is staying busy with having 2 boys and staying home with them all day. I'm loving it, but it is definitely work! Yesterday Corbin had his first Dr. appt. All went well. He is now 9 lbs. 4 oz and checks out good.

After that we went to the park and met up with the Moms group for a hour of play. It was a park that we hadn't been to before. Jack loved it and had a blast. We will be heading back over there again if the weather stays nice!

Jacks First Movie!

2010-06-26T21:07:00.000-05:00

Last night Chris and I took Jack to see his first movie in the theater. We went to Toy Story 3. Jack loved it and really got into it. I only had to get up and take him out once for about 1 min. and then he was ready to go back in. There is a part at the end of the movie that scared him a little and he just kept hopping from my lap to Chris' and back again. All in all it was a good time. The had a Short before the movie started and when it ended, Jack started clapping and said "Yeah!" Everyone one around us laughed. He was hooked.

Bad Blogger

2010-06-25T13:26:00.000-05:00

Sorry, I'm a bad blogger. It's a good thing I don't get paid to do this. I will share more later. But I just had to share my current favorite photo of Jack. We were a Coldstone having ice cream.

For the Love of Summer!

2010-05-23T11:54:00.000-05:00

I've decided we are a summer family! Which makes me strongly consider moving somewhere that we could enjoy more of this kind of weather. Jack lights up when he can be outside, and he sleeps better too! Below is just a little bit of what we've been up too.

Don't forget that you can click on the photos to make them larger.

A full day...

2010-05-15T20:48:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, we had a full day. The morning was bright and sunny out so we had breakfast and headed out on to the deck for some fun with bubbles and the slide. For our anniversary/mothers day Chris bought me a hammock to have outside. So today was a perfect day to finally put it together!

After Jacks nap the two of us sat on the floor and mixed up some chocolate chip cookies. Jack loves to help me cook.

Even with fresh baked cookies coming out of the oven, Jack wanted to eat a gogurt. His new favorite treat.

Chris had to close at Target, so he left for work around 3:00. Jack and I decided it was such a nice day out that we would head to the zoo. Jack cried when we left the house. Mostly because he was playing outside and I don't think he understood what the zoo was. He changed his mind when we got there.

Jack enjoyed feeding the animals in the petting zoo part. As you can see though, Lighting McQueen was always in hand!

After visiting Chris we headed home to cuddle on the coach and watch a movie. Jack decided then would be a good time to have a cookie. (He was right!) But I forget how tall he is getting and had the cookies to close to the edge of the counter, so he was able to help himself. I think he managed to pick out the largest one there was.

Wishing for the warmer days back!

2010-05-11T22:03:00.000-05:00

This photo just makes me happy, so I thought I would share. It's been so cold and rainy lately that we are starting to wondering if Summer is ever going to come.

Our new little boy!

2010-04-26T20:53:00.000-05:00

Spring Has Sprung!

2010-04-17T20:35:00.000-05:00

First let me say, we are loving the weather we have been having. Jack is loving the outdoors and hates it when he has to come inside. He is definitely an outdoors child! Life has been busy for us, hence the lack of posting that I have been doing. I promise to try and get better at this! Now on to the fun part! Most of you know, but for those who don't, we are expecting a baby boy! Someone that Jack can share his favorite movie "Cars" with. That's right Chris and I can just about recite the whole movie at this point. "Ka-Chow!"

Jack has a new big boy bed! He likes to sleep in it, but recently realized that he can easily climb out of it, and now has a hard time falling asleep in it. Mostly because when we leave the room, it take him about 30 seconds to come open the door. We're working on it.

Dyeing Easter eggs with Grandma.

Outside watching Mocha play. I'm not sure who enjoyed the company outside more, Jack or the dog.

Outside in his Easter outfit.

This is how Jack looks when he says "Ka-Chow"

Running in the ND wind.

On the Balance Beam at Gymnastics. This is one of his favorite things to do there.

Freedom at the park.

Going down the slide. After a few times he decided that face first was far more fun!

Back to Reality...

2010-01-23T21:05:00.000-06:00

It's nearing the end of January which is hard to believe. We spent the beginning of the new year on a cruise to the Caribbean! We had a wonderful time and were glad to miss the negative temperatures back home. Once we got home it was hard to get back in to the swing of our regular life, and then to make matters worse Chris and I got the flu. Lucky for us Jack never got it! That was a blessings!

At Sail away!

Jeanny and Jack playing shuffle board.

Jack and daddy goofing around before supper one night.

Jack buried in the sand on the beach.

Jack and Grandma Berry on the beach in Cozumel, Mexico

The whole gang at Carlos and Charlies.

Jack loving the baby turtle he got to hold.

Chris and I with one of the birds that would eat out of your hand.

Jack and daddy on the beach in Grand Cayman.

Playing on the beach.

2009-12-28T21:50:00.001-06:00

Don't forget that you can click on any photo to make it larger.

Happy Holidays

2009-12-28T21:11:00.000-06:00

It's been awhile since I've posted and so this will be a photo heavy post. A lot has happened since November.

Yet again, I've found something to put Jack into. This time it was wrapping him up in Chistmas lights.

The whole Spieker Family.

Jack and Mommy!

Jack with Grandpa Spieker in Alexandria, for Christmas with that side of the family.

Jack sitting in Grandpa Berry's xmas gift before we wrapped it up.

Grandma Berry and Jack with Mocha. Or as he calls her Cocha. When we got home on Sunday, he walked around the house looking around saying "Cocha, Cocha". I don't think he could figure out why she wasn't at our house.

I noticed this photo makes her look like she's not happy with Jack, but I think the two of them had an understanding. Jack loved to walk over to her and give her hugs.

Jack in front of the tree before we opened gifts.

Jack snuggling in with his Spongebob Blanket he got from Olivia and Sophie! Thanks guys he loves it!

Chris and Jack outside in the 12" of snow that Aberdeen got.

Jack with Grandpa Berry and their mathing shirts.

Trying to Blend in!

2009-11-29T09:16:00.000-06:00

I was working on my computer and turned around to see this:

I guess Jack was trying to blend in with the Santa Bears!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

2009-11-28T23:33:00.000-06:00

Inside that is. We put all of our Christmas decorations up yesterday, and Jack helped me decorate the tree today.

We got a walker!!!

2009-11-22T11:43:00.001-06:00

This weekend (bless his heart) Jack decided it would be a good time to decide that he can walk! I'm glad he chose to do so when we could see! Just a few steps at first, but by the time I was taking the pictures, I find that he walks on his own without us prompting him!! I'm so excited for him.

Bid Farewell...

2009-11-19T20:17:00.000-06:00

Today we bid farewell to Jacks bath seat. I thought we would give it a try and see how it went. He thoroughly enjoyed being able to roam in the tub! He would crawl from one end to the next and back again. He did try to stand up a few times, but when told that he needed to sit down, he listened. What a good little guy he is!

Marine Corp Ball

2009-11-15T10:01:00.001-06:00

We spent last weekend in the cities and Chris and I attended the Marine Corp Ball. Below are a few photos from the evening.

We all had a good time, and it was especially nice for Chris to see a lot of the guys he went to Africa with in a more casual setting!

This past week we have been busy, busy with life in general, which is why it's taken so long to post these. We have some cute video of Jack that I will try to figure out how to post, so check back soon!

Fun with Jackson

2009-11-02T21:34:00.000-06:00

We had a lot of fun on Halloween! Unfortunately Chris had to close at Target, so Jack and I went over to the Keelin residence for some fun times. We started out a community Halloween party. Jack had a lot of fun taking everything in!

Afterwawrds, we went Trick or Treating with Olivia and Sophie. All in all we had a great night and Jack now loves M&Ms! He got them for the first time on Saturday.

I just have to add this one photo of Jack looking at his Halloween card from Great-Grandma Koplin. He loved sitting and looking at all the cards.

Just an FYI, if you click the photo it makes it larger!

Pumpkins

2009-10-24T20:46:00.000-05:00

Today we were in Mitchell SD to visit Great-Grandma Berry and we stopped by the pumpkin stand to pick a few up for Halloween and take a few photos. We had to have some new ones to follow up on last years photos.

On Friday in Aberdeen, Grandpa gave Jack a blanket ride! From the look on his face you can see he loves it!!

I also just love this photo of Jack.

First day on the job!

2009-10-20T20:31:00.000-05:00

Today was my first day working at Take Care Health. I really enjoyed the day, everyone was really nice and I think that it will be a good fit for me! Jack is doing well back in daycare, maybe now that he's around a lot of walking kids, he'll start talking some steps as well.

We've totally given up bottles and we just use sippy cups now. The washer is the happiest about this, as it was getting to the point that every day I was needing to wash sheets and blankets due to Jack either dumping his bottle out or falling asleep and it all spilling out. Many a wet morning we had.

On a side note, while in Aberdeen, my mom brought out the rocking chair I was given on my first birthday. So of course I had to go and find a photo of me in the chair and then take a photo of Jack in the chair. I love the comparison photos.

A New Game

2009-10-18T21:01:00.000-05:00

Today is the first day in the "Game", or in other words my new blog! I will now be updating this instead of the sharesite, so this will be the place to look for news. We are currently watching the Bears game, Jack is still up and going strong.

Chris recently talked me into getting a new Sony camera, and I must say I am loving it!!!! He knew I would, I just didn't think so right away. So in honor of that I am posting a photo I took of Jack today with my camera.

I love the clarity that the photos have! Jack was enjoying a snack of graham crackers after his 4 hour nap today. Needless to say I got A LOT done.

Notice his hair is a little shorter in front. Sat. Jack got his first hair cut. I was sad after getting it cut, but really like it now.