Our Growing Family

Snow in Texas!

2011-01-18T21:20:00.000-06:00

The morning that snow was in the forecast, I woke up bright and early to the sound of Jackson yelling "MOMMY!!! IT'S NOT SNOWING YET!"

(and then Garrett yelled, "Jackson, it still night night time. Go night night Jackson!" which is a common morning quote from Garrett to Jackson)

We watched the weather and learned that the snow should arrive sometime around lunch time. The weatherman was right! As soon as we finished lunch, the snow started falling. The boys were so excited!

My prediction was correct for which child would go down the slide first.....

Garrett

Running down to Grayson's house!

Our poor kids. For day #1 in the snow, they didn't have gloves, so they had to wear ours.

Jackson, Grayson, and Garrett

From what I remember, when this picture was taken Garrett had just thrown a snowball at Grayson. By the looks on their faces, I believe I may be correct!

Back down at our house, they were playing Hide and Seek...

Garrett loved eating the snow....

Sweet boys!

Eating snow....

The snow made for a fun Sunday, but I was scheduled to have my wisdom teeth removed Monday morning. This is something I have feared, but I had one tooth that started causing pain, so I was extremely ready to have them removed. Now that I have children, being put under scares me to death because there is always the risk of not waking up. However, I was finally mentally prepared to have it done!

Then the question came up.....would the Oral Surgeon be open in the morning due to the weather. I called and found out if Dallas ISD closes, they will close as well.

I went to bed not knowing if I would be having surgery in the morning or not. Kind of a weird feeling.

Woke up at 3am, looked online, nothing.

Woke up at 5am, nothing.

Then sometime within that hour, DISD had a posting on their website that said they would be open. At this point I knew I would be having surgery in about 3 hours.

My Dad drove my mom to our house in the snow to stay with the boys, while Aaron took me.

Everything went great and I don't remember a thing....(except for a few funny stories!)

When we got home and they got me settled (I was a still a very happy camper at this point from the medication) Aaron and Mom took the boys out to play in the snow.

Garrett making a snow angel -

Me, laying in bed, watching them from our bedroom window.

Playing Ball.

2010-11-02T12:56:00.000-05:00

Garrett has a lot of power when it comes to sports. I am not kidding. If you give him a ball of any kind and a stick, he is going to hit it. Therefore, if Garrett has a golf club and you see he is getting ready to putt, don't stand behind him....

...you may need the "Boo-Boo Bear" from the freezer.

Bless his heart. You can tell by his face he didn't mean to hurt anyone.

All good little ball players, must stop for a good nose picking -

I love this one -

Laughing with Daddy....

Halloween 2010

2010-11-01T00:30:00.001-05:00

I wanted to get a good picture of the boys together, but what I got was a lot of pictures that just make me laugh out loud!

It started with Garrett standing alone....

....while Aaron and Jackson chased Jackson's hat that kept flying away!

Then Garrett decides he needs to smell the flowers.....

Garrett REALLY likes flowers.....

Here they are both facing the front, but I think Jackson may be "shooting the bird".....

Garrett's back to the flowers.....

I mean, SERIOUSLY Garrett!!

Aaron got to go to the World Series tonight, so he missed out on the trick or treating. One day, the boys will understand why Daddy picked the World Series over Trick or Treating. ;) With that being said, I will hide all of the good candy from Aaron! It's only fair! :)

The boys and I went trick or treating with our "New Neighbors/Old Friends." We went to high school with Crissy and Rob. Their son Grayson, is Jackson's age and they are expecting another little boy in January! They live across the street and the boys are loving it!

Rob, Grayson, and Crissy

Garrett, Jackson, and Grayson

This house was so neat! They had a projector screen on their garage and they were playing a Halloween movie.

This guy had on a scary costume! Poor kids, most of them were really scared of him, but Jackson stayed and took as much candy as he could!

Later on, back at Grayson's house digging into their goodies -

We all had a great time! The boys were worn out!

Cute quote from Jackson I have to share:
Before leaving the house tonight I was looking for Rigley so I could put him in his cage. Jackson asked why Rigley couldn't go with us and I said something like "Dogs don't need to go trick or treating." Jackson said, "Mommy! Dogs can to go trick or treating! They are nocturnal so they can see really good at night! He sleeps during the day and he can see at night! Right Mommy? He is nocturnal so he can go trick or treating with us!" He thought he has it all figured out!

Kids are like little sponges. I have talked about nocturnal animals and I have talked about dogs being able to see in the dark, so he put it together and assumed Rigley must be nocturnal. Makes sense!

Fort Jordan

2010-10-23T10:00:00.001-05:00

If you have been reading my blog for over a year, you can probably recall our swing set story.
If not, here is a quick timeline and links to previous blog posts:

September 2008: Our parents and Aaron and I bought the boys a swing set for Jackson's 2nd birthday.
Link: Jackson's Birthday Party

August 2009: Storm destroyed swing set. (If you're doing the math, we had only had it for 11 months)
Link: The Swings Swung....A little too High

Our house was actually about to be put on the market when this happened.
About a year or so prior to this, Aaron's dad, Randy, got a new boat. He gave us his old one since we had space for it and with the intentions of Aaron being able to take the boys fishing on it. Since both sets of the boys' grandparents live on the lake and own their own boat, the boat in our driveway was being ignored.
With our house on the market and plans to move to a smaller lot, Aaron's parents were very gracious and told us to sell the boat and use that money to help with the cost of a new swing set for the boys once we were in our new house.
Link: For Two Sweet Boys

We sold our house, moved to our new house which is in a neighborhood with a HOA. Although many people have negative things to say about neighborhoods with a HOA, Aaron and I LOVE it! That is a whole other story......so let me get to my point without debating about a HOA! :)

We had some rules we had to follow concerning structures in our backyard:

Only one per lot.
Roof pitch will be similar to that of the house.
Will not exceed 8 feet in height at ridge line of the roof.
Less than 80 square feet of floor space.
Visually harmonious with the house or fence to which it is most visually related or physically attached.
Shingles will match that of the house.
Not located in front yards or in unfenced portions of side yards facing streets.

The challenge: Will not exceed 8 feet in height! The shortest fort we could find was 11 feet. We had to think outside of the box. Even though the HOA Bylaws does discuss the roof requirements, it doesn't require a roof.

We contacted a company that makes custom sets, Backyard Fun Factory, and they were able to make a fort that was 8 feet tall without a roof. The HOA quickly approved it and we had the green light! Who needs a roof anyways?! A little sunshine won't hurt!

Our backyard is small, so we also decided to do the space saver swing beam so it doesn't take up more yard space. I am so glad we did this!

If you look closely you will see some chalk on the wood. The boys decided to decorate the fort with sidewalk chalk for "Garrett's birthday party" (his birthday is in March....??) We haven't had a good rain to wash it off yet.

Oh Rigley. Why do you continue to like the boys? Although Rigley drives me insane at times, he is a trooper when it comes to the boys.

Jackson has a plan....

Rigley is kissing Jackson's hand......

Lovely....

Jackson found it funny.....

Rigley doesn't run inside to hide, instead he sits on the back porch and watches every move they make to make sure they are okay.

Preschool Pumpkin Patch

2010-10-21T21:23:00.000-05:00

Today was Costume & Pumpkin Patch Day at Jackson's preschool. Parents were invited to go to the pumpkin patch with their child at their class' time slot.

As I am getting my camera ready to bring to Jackson's school, I looked at my memory card to see if I needed to delete pictures that have already been uploaded to my computer, but were taking up memory on my camera. It was at that moment I realized I had not taken one single picture with my real camera in 2 weeks. I have taken some from my phone, but those shouldn't count because the quality is so poor.

I used to take pictures daily.
I used to blog.
I used to have motivation to take pictures.

Blogging is a lot to keep up. I often felt like it was a job. However, I don't write in a baby book for the boys. My blog has always been my documentation, so I feel like it is something I need to do for them and myself. When I realized I had not taken pictures of the boys in two weeks, I knew it would only get worse. Two weeks will become four weeks, four weeks will become six weeks.........

I feel like I have so much catching up to do, which is overwhelming, but I have to start somewhere. At the beginning of September, Jackson started preschool. He goes Tuesday & Thursday from 9:00-2:00. It has been wonderful! He LOVES it! That brings me to the title of this blog post, Preschool Pumpkin Patch.

(A More Real) Love Story

2010-09-29T21:15:00.000-05:00

I know I haven't been blogging, but I had to share this video with all my Mommy friends. It makes me smile to know that maybe this is the life of others too.... :)

Labor Day at the Lake.

2010-09-09T00:13:00.000-05:00

Garrett was getting a little crazy with the water hose, so Jackson said "I will get you with my Super Duper Hot Glue Gun!!!!!" hahahaha....okay maybe we spend a little too much time together.

They really are best friends. It kind of makes me sad knowing that one day they will each have another best friend that isn't a brother. I really hope they are always this close.

Such a sad face....

Sweet picture. Aaron bought Garrett a new fishing pole so Jackson didn't have to share his. This is Garrett sitting on the back porch playing with his new pole.

This is for you Dad....such a lovely palm tree. :)

Fishing with Daddy and Pawpaw -

Garrett was a little scared of the fish -

Notice Rigley in the picture, too -

Notice Jackson's eyes -

They get to ring the bell when they catch a fish -

Rigley is so good with the boys. When they are on the dock, he is on guard.

Jackson and Pawpaw walking out on a sandbar....

Garrett throwing rocks....

Dallas World Aquarium

2010-09-01T15:15:00.000-05:00

My mom and I took Jackson and Garrett to the Dallas World Aquarium on Tuesday. It was a nice change since the boys have never been there.

First, meet our tour guide in the orange shirt, his name is Jackson. :)

Our tour guy loved the pictures of the animals a little more than he loved the animals in real life. This is my same child that loves the "Tell us how we are doing" book in the Brookshire's check out line. ha!

Garrett didn't 100% trust some things, so he stayed close to Mom and I.

Not sure what Mom and Jackson are telling him here, but their faces look a little more scary than the animals! :)

Garrett was showing them how big he was, too!

Here we are looking at the otters. These were the ugliest little creatures, but they were our favorite. They were putting on the best show for us.

The otters kept coming to where we were and looking at us. I personally feel like they did this because the boys are just so darn cute, but it may have been because of Jackson's orange shirt. I am not sure what the reason was, but we were the otters favorite and they were our favorite!

The boys got to hand feed a toucan blueberries -

Back to our tour guy, Jackson. He loved all of the touch screen monitors. He would try to find the animal we were looking at. When we were by the fish, he was at the monitor and my mom said "Maybe we need to buy you a book with pictures of all the fish!" and Jackson replied, "Or maybe we can just buy a computer with all the fish!"

They were not too sure about the jaguar -

It looks like Jackson didn't like his back towards the jaguar and Garrett had to keep his eye on it.

The jaguar didn't care for the flash on my camera. He kept giving us 'the evil eye.'

Tour guide....

Garrett is reaching out to be held. He wasn't sure about the sharks....

Jackson loved them!

Jackson, the shark!

I love Garrett's face here -

Had to take a break from the sharks and do a little more research....

Thanks Mom for a great day!

Getting Dressed.

2010-08-27T23:17:00.002-05:00

Let's start with half of the story.

I have been teaching Jackson how to pick out his outfit for the day. We went through the stage where I would tell him to get dressed and he would come out of his room wearing long sleeves and pants in the middle of summer. We had to work on this for awhile, talk about the weather, and what clothing would be appropriate for the season.

Once he understood this, we moved on to matching clothing. This is typically easy because he has a lot of khaki shorts which match almost everything. His plaid shorts are a challenge for him and as well as a pair of red shorts.

One night a few weeks ago, we were going outside and Jackson put on his red shorts with his red Texas Rangers shirt. Okay, yes.....red and red.....it matches.....it REALLY matches.....job well done by Jackson and I praised him for his work. Then I looked at Aaron when Jackson wasn't looking and smiled. I guess Aaron didn't realize why I was smiling, because he replied to me with "That is really good! That is an outfit I would have picked out for him!" ...................... and at this point I couldn't control my laughter.

Fast forward to tonight. Aaron was going outside to mow and I was cleaning up the kitchen from dinner, so I told the boys to get dressed and we could go outside and play. Jackson gets dressed and I noticed Garrett could use some help, so I asked Jackson to help Garrett while I finished up in the kitchen.

I really think I want to frame this picture because it makes me smile every time I look at it.

What I Can Make with Shapes.

2010-08-25T23:06:00.003-05:00

I cut out shapes, had the boys identify the shapes, and then told them to make a picture using their shapes. Jackson quickly figured it out....

Garrett was caught cheating off of his brother....

Well, I THOUGHT he was cheating, but maybe he was trying to figure out how to steal the glue stick from Jackson, because Garrett's picture didn't reflect that he was cheating....

I really don't know what his picture was, but he kept saying "You like that Mommy?" I would reply, "Yes, I do like that Garrett!" and he would say "Ohhhhhhh! Thank You!"

Jackson made us laugh the other night. We have had an alarm system, but it hasn't been monitored, so we had the alarm company come out the other night to get us set up to be monitored. The alarm guy put the "this house is armed" sign in our flower bed and as Aaron and I are standing in the driveway talking to the guy as he was leaving, we hear Jackson counting. We look down and see that Jackson is counting the sides on the sign and then yells, "It's a hexagon!" Aaron looked at me with this face that meant "What the heck? Is it a hexagon?!" I'll be honest, I had to think about it for a second. It was actually an octagon, but I was pretty happy with hexagon from my 3 year old.

Building a Bird House.

2010-08-24T14:13:00.001-05:00

Aaron has been telling me for awhile now that he wanted to get the boys this little tool kit sold at Lowe's. There are different kits you can buy to build things with your tools, such as a bird house, a bug house, a tool box, etc.

Aaron has told me about this tool set and the different kits several times, but I just never got too motivated to actually buy one because I feel like the boys have enough tools. The tools they already have aren't real tools, but they are perfectly fine for them!

However, I know that wasn't the important part. The important part was that it could be a good father/son project and a good bonding activity for them.

So, one day when the four of us were home with nothing going on, we headed to Lowe's (like we always do...) and bought a tool set and a kit to make a bird house.

The bird house said 8+, but that is just the recommended age.....right!?

8+ to complete independently, but any age to complete it with an adult....

When they first began their bird house, everyone was involved -

Jackson was really involved....Safety first! :)

But after realizing that this screw driver was harder to use than his toy screw driver, he was more interested with the tape measure than the bird house.

Garrett was still trying....

While Aaron was helping....

But it quickly became, Daddy's project.

Perhaps there really is more meaning to 8+....

Aaron made a birdhouse with a little bit of assistance, but they made memories together and that is what really matters!

"My Purple Ball"

2010-08-21T09:54:00.000-05:00

I was looking through my Flip video camera and came across this short video created by Jackson. It makes me smile every time.

Jackson is obviously just looking for something to record because I never knew his love for his purple ball.

Blogging.

2010-08-16T15:22:00.000-05:00

We are alive....
We are doing well....
And I do think about blogging.....
I just haven't been.

Since we have moved, I am never as motivated to blog.
Maybe because....
We live closer to things now. We used to be so far away from things, so I think we spent more time at home. Maybe it is because the boys are getting older, or maybe it is because it is summer.....but I feel like I don't have as much down time as I used to have. Or maybe I still do have the same amount of down time I used to have, but I have found other hobbies that I enjoy more?

I enjoy blogging. I love connecting with other moms. I love that it is an easy way for my family and friends to see what we are up to. And most importantly, I love how it documents the boys' life. But for this moment, I am kind of enjoying life without blogging. With that being said, maybe at the end of the week or end of the month I will feel differently and I will be back to blogging daily. You just never know.....because I really don't know!

My purpose of this blog post was just to let you all know why I haven't been blogging. I will still blog, but for this moment it will slow down. Keep checking back. Be sure to add your email to the 'subscribe via e-mail' box on the top right of my blog and you will automatically receive an e-mail when I update my blog (you may want to add my e-mail address to your address book so it doesn't go to spam mail- jordan8082@sbcglobal.net)

Again, I am not done blogging, just giving you all my excuse.....

Diaper Free....Could it Be?

2010-08-04T16:52:00.000-05:00

We have had a child in diapers since September 27th, 2006. Then on March 21, 2008, we had TWO children in diapers which continued for 10 months.

We were beyond thrilled when we got Jackson out of diapers, but I was never one to say potty training was easy.....on him or I.

Pampers has been a huge part of our family for almost 4 solid years.

Sunday night, Garrett went to sleep knowing that the Potty Fairy would be coming to our house that night -

The Potty Fairy came and took all of Garrett's diapers -

Replaced them with big boy underwear -

and left a basket of rewards -

Garrett was extremely happy when he woke up Monday morning and discovered what the Potty Fairy had left for him.

He was ready to put his big boy underwear on and get started -

His big brother quickly corrected him and told him he was supposed to take his pants off first -

Day 1: He did so well! He only had 2 accidents all day which was fabulous! He was kind of motivated by the rewards, but he was more excited about getting to put his underwear back on after he went potty. Jackson is sure enjoying the rewards. He thinks he needs them too....

Day 2: A little more challenging.

Garrett wasn't as excited as he was on day one. I also bought the e-book called Potty Training in 3 Days. I basically combined this technique with the one I was already using. Potty training is all about staying positive (which can be so hard to do), so I try to avoid forcing him to "try to go" which ends up relating the potty to a negative place he doesn't want to be because he was forced to be there.

One thing Potty Training in 3 Days taught me was to never ask "Do you need to go potty?" This question can quickly be followed with "NO" and the conversation is over. Instead, it says you should say "Let Mommy know when you need to go potty." and you say this over....and over....and over again. This isn't a closed question, so it gives him the opportunity to think about it and make the decision on his own. He thinks he is in control, not me.

On day 2 that is what I said and never forced him to go to the potty. There were two times that I KNEW he needed to go, but he didn't DECIDE to go. So, when the accident started, I quickly scooped him up (as it was dripping all over us) and ran him to the potty. We were still able to celebrate that he got [some of] it in the potty, didn't mention what didn't get in the potty, and then I just said "Yucky! Wet underwear! Let's put on some dry underwear!" and we went on with our day.

Day 2 was the hardest day for me because I had to watch and play with him all day long so I could quickly see if an accident was starting. Even though he only had 2 accidents on day 2, there were the moments that I thought to myself "Is he really ready for this?," but looking back, it was still a great day!

Day 3: WOW!!!

While eating breakfast, I said several times "Let Mommy know when you need to go potty." {silence}

Then as I was cleaning up the kitchen, I looked into the living room and Garrett was gone. I pictured him hiding somewhere with wet underwear, but then I found him in our bathroom, sitting on his little potty, and he said "Me need to go potty Mommy." (I didn't even know he was fully capable of pulling down his underwear on his own!) And this is how our day went!! When he needed to go, he just went in the bathroom, on his own, and went! No stickers, no prizes....just celebrating!

Since Garrett was doing so well and we had been locked up in the house since Monday, I decided we would take a risk, leave the house wearing underwear, and drive through Chick-fil-a for lunch. Garrett fell asleep in the car and when we got home he didn't want to wake up, so I let him sleep. He slept for about an hour and when he woke up he was groggy from his nap and hungry. I said the quote I have said 1,032 times now..."Let Mommy know if you need to go potty!" I knew he needed to, but he was really focused on his food!

Then, it happened. I ran him into the bathroom to finish, then when we returned to the kitchen, and I started to clean it up, he ran over to Jackson and said "Oh noooo Jackson. Look what me did. Me made a mess. Oh noooo." He then walked back over to me and said "It all clean now Mommy?" I said "Yes, it's all clean!!" He said "Okay, Mommy" and the rest of his day has been great!

Although we are only on day 3 and haven't been out in public, Garrett is convincing me that when it comes to potty training, it really is the child and every child is different. I dreaded potty training Garrett because Jackson seemed to take forever, but it has been so different with Garrett. Although I could try to explain every reason why I think it is different this time around, I will let this picture do the talking. I think it sums it up pretty well....

Scentsy Discontinued Items

2010-08-03T00:00:00.003-05:00

Scentsy is getting ready for the Fall/Winter catalog which will be available September 1st. For the month of August, most items are 10% off! This is a list of the discontinued items that are only available while supplies last. I am sad that Cutiepie Cupcake and Sugar will be discontinued. :(

Baseball Cupcakes and Cake.

2010-08-02T00:00:00.001-05:00

I made these cupcakes for Brittany Dlabaj's son, Eli, who turned one and I wanted to share them with you all. I had to be very sneaky making the baseballs around Garrett. At one point he said, "Me get that baseball and go Hey Batter Batter Swing! I go get my baseball bat Mommy!" :)

This was Eli's smash cake!

Happy 1st Birthday, Brooks!

2010-08-01T00:34:00.002-05:00

Saturday, we celebrated Brooks' 1st birthday! Shelly did such a amazing job at making his party adorable.

By looking at Blair can you guess the theme?

Such a cute table set up!

I made the cupcakes for the party! Dr. Seuss was such a fun theme!

Little Dr. Seuss shoes....

Presents!

I have to share this tradition with you all.

In the picture below, you will see the Poppi plate. Poppi is Randy's late father.

All of Poppi's grandchildren used this plate and now every great-grandchild.

The plate is given to every great-grandchild on his/her 1st birthday from the great-grandchild that recently had it.

This plate has really been passed around these past couple of years.

Molly had it for 1 year and 10 months.

Molly passed it to Jackson. Jackson had it for 3 months.

Jackson passed it to Claire. Claire had it for 14 months.

Claire passed it to Garrett. Garrett had it for 13 months.

Garrett passed it to Chloe. Chloe had it for 3 months.

and now....Chloe passes it to Brooks.

Cake time!

Thank goodness for technology!

This is how Justin got to see the party....

They used Skype. Did I even say that right? Should I say "They Skyped him?"

Jackson really wanted to be a part of the......hmmmmm, what do I say here?.....he wanted to be a part of the skyping....he wanted to Skype too.... ?????

You get my point!

Bounce House!

Jackson loved this hat!

Happy Birthday, "Baby" Brooks!

We love you!

Everything Needs a Purpose.

2010-07-24T09:22:00.002-05:00

Garrett has always loved putting little objects into a big object. (e.g., blocks in a box, cars in a basket) This is a skill I often appreciate because he is a great assistance when it comes time to clean up.

I have this vase sitting on the console table under our TV. Yesterday, I had to laugh when I walked by and saw this:

It was filled with wood letters and a pair of goggles.

Notice the lid he placed on top, it doesn't belong to that vase but it is such a perfect fit.

The lid came from this little vase thingy.....

....which Garrett thought was a the perfect spot for his drink.

It all makes perfect sense. In Garrett's eyes, everything needs a purpose so he was just helping me out.

The most amusing part of it all was when Aaron got home from work. I said "Hey, look at the console table in the living room." He looked and responded with "Why did you do that?" in a serious voice. I then said "AARON, Seriously!! [which by the way, 'seriously' is Jackson's new favorite thing to say...kids are great at making you realize the things you say too often] You think I did that?!" He replied back with "Oh....did Garrett do it?" DUH!!!!

Mommy and Me Day.

2010-07-22T22:51:00.007-05:00

The boys and I had a nice day together. We started off by going to story time at North Park. They have a story time called Tickles for Toddlers for 2-3 year olds. I find it amusing that both of my children fit into that category. However, when I told the boys that they could both go because it was for two AND three year olds, Jackson said "Well Mommy, I don't think I can do that because I am three AND A HALF." Little stinker.

I only took pictures of them in the library before story time started because I didn't want to be THAT mom with the camera in such a small area.

I love watching Jackson and Garrett around other kids. I think they are going to be good little students one day. They will be the boys that are angels at school and CRAZY at home....which makes me wonder if it would be a good or bad thing to teach at their school when I go back to work.

After story time, I took them to the Lego store. They are completely into Legos right now. Aaron's brother, Michael, got them a fire station Lego set for Christmas and I feel like every second of every day I hear from the playroom, "MOMMY! COME BUILD THE FIRE STATION WITH ME!!" I will build it with Jackson, Garrett will knock it down when I leave the room, and then I hear "MOMMY! GARRETT BROKE IT! MOMMY! COME BUILD THE FIRE STATION WITH ME!" It tends to be a never ending process.

Even though we have more than just the fire station, I feel like most of his Legos came as a kit (fire station, gas station, etc) and when Jackson was younger, I made the mistake of always helping him build what they were 'supposed' to be. So, now even though I will show him how it doesn't have to be JUST a fire station, he has a hard time naturally thinking that way about those Legos. Make sense?

Today even though we did buy another kit, I was sure to come home and make several things right from the start - a house, a ship, the tower like the entrance to our neighborhood, a dog, and just random things so he didn't think Legos always have to be like the picture on the box they came in.

After the Lego store (I wish I would have taken a picture of them there) we ate lunch -

I know, not the best pictures, but I am just documenting our day.

On the way home from the mall, we stopped at Target because the whole way home my OCD was setting in and I was really worried on how I was going to store even more Legos when we already had trouble storing the ones we had. I decided on this basket and wrote Legos on the front on the chalkboard. I figured it would hold them all and it is big enough that if needed they could actually play basketball with their Legos when it is clean up time. Legos make me so very thankful that we have a playroom that we don't have to walk through or clean up every night.

Tonight, the 4 of us had to run to Lowe's (I feel like we always HAVE to run to Lowe's). While Aaron was getting a cart, the boys hopped onto these. I could only imagine the damage they could cause on these!

You're a Mom.

2010-07-22T00:16:00.001-05:00

I LOVE this and had to share it with you all....

So.....Do you know who Elmo's fish is?

Savannah's Mini-Vacation.

2010-07-20T23:22:00.000-05:00

My sister had to go out of town this week for work, the lady that keeps Savannah went out of town this week as well, and of course my brother in law Ricky works....so my sweet little niece Savannah has had a mini-vacation at her Aunt Kelli and Uncle Aaron's house from Saturday to Wednesday! She is the sweetest little thing! So easy, laid back, sleeps from 8:30pm until 7:30am, loves watching Jackson and Garrett play....the perfect little baby!

I have only really taken pictures this week with my phone so that I can send them to my sister throughout the day, so I'm sorry about the poor quality of these pictures. I really planned on taking somewhat good pictures of the 3 of them together, but for some reason I forget to do it throughout the day.....or don't have the motivation to do it throughout the day.....or one child is hungry....or tired....or stinky....or the boys want nothing to do with the camera...or nothing to do with each other.......the list goes on and on! Maybe tomorrow!

Savannah in her jumper.

(Of course my sister has the child that FALLS ASLEEP in her jumper! I ALWAYS wanted a kid like that.)

Savannah wakes up before the boys. Every day when the boys wake up, the first thing they do is look for Savannah! They each walk into kitchen with messy hair, holding their blanket, squinted eyes, and ask, "Where's baby girl Sa-bana?" Here is Jackson telling Savannah good morning and asking her if she slept good last night. They love each other!

I was making Jackson's bed and Jackson said "OH I KNOW!!! Let's make a pallet with baby girl Sa-banan!!"

Here Jackson is telling her "Look Savannah, here are the toys you have to pick from - a bird, an elephant, a mirror, a turtle, a tire spinning thing. They are all really fun, but if you don't like them, I am sorry, but you need to pick one, okay baby Sa-banana?"

Where is Garrett?!?! He has been great with Savannah too, but for some reason I don't have many pictures with him.

After dinner tonight, Aaron took the boys to the pool and Savannah got to hang out with me while I did some things in the kitchen. We had a nice talk. I taught her how to make Zucchini Bread, I told her that her mommy is a great cook, but never eat anything she bakes (hahaha!!), I taught her my cleaning strategy for cleaning up the kitchen, I taught her why we must wash our hands after cracking eggs, I taught her what a 'big T' meant and what a 'little t' meant (I thought I needed to teach her that since she would never learn that at home....her mom just "eyeballs" it!;) I taught her some family cooking secrets (okay....so we don't have any..... I just made some things up!) and I taught her much much more! And if you can't tell, I was cracking myself up the whole time! Doesn't having a baby in the kitchen make you feel like you have your own cooking show? She was cooing at me and smiling, so I just kept talking away!

Playing in the Rain.

2010-07-17T14:28:00.004-05:00

I just found these pictures in my camera and realized I never posted them! I thought they were too funny not to share.

Dianne, the boys, and I went to Canton a few weeks ago. It was a perfect day to go because there was rain in the forecast, so it wasn't crowded at all. It didn't rain on us until we were getting ready to leave, so at that point we really didn't care if we got wet or not. So, long story short, we all got soaked going to my car, but it was actually really fun! The boys both giggled the whole way!

When we got home, it was still raining, and Aaron had something in the garage, so I had to park in the driveway. We quickly got out of the car, got the boys out, and ran inside the garage.

Only Garrett decided to take a detour and play in the rain! You can't really tell from the pictures, but it was POURING! He loved every second of it!

Water Spray Park!

2010-07-14T21:52:00.001-05:00

This picture makes me smile.

"Garrett, come here so you can get sunscreen" and this is what he does -

RUNNING to play!

I love watching them have so much fun together!

I was about to say "They are going to be trouble ONE DAY" but I think they are already trouble. They will just be BIGGER trouble one day....

On a completely different note, a friend of mine mentioned this song on her Facebook page today (Thanks Torri!), I listened to it, and I LOVE it. It is so perfect!

Turn up your volume and listen to it. There isn't a video, it's only the song.

Totally Aaron and the boys....

Let’s Cut Paper!

2010-07-13T21:14:00.003-05:00

Jackson got this little workbook from my parents for Christmas, but since we moved shortly after Christmas, some of their Christmas gifts were packed up in storage. I came across this book the other day and knew Jackson would love it. It is called Let’s Cut Paper!

This is from the Kumon First Step Workbook series. He also has My Book of Easy Mazes and My Book of Coloring. I think after I write this blog I may order several more. He really loves them!
This particular books helps him learn to use scissors and helps with fine motor skills. Not only does he cut the paper, but he has to fold the paper in certain spots.
It starts with simple things, like cutting whiskers -

Then cutting out mixed up puzzles and putting them together - (I let him glue his final product to paper)

A boat and a (sideways) rocket ship -

We have been doing a few each day.

Of course, why would he want to sit in a chair like a normal person?!?!

This one he had to cut out the corners, then fold up the sides to make a fence for the sheep.

Pause for some sweet pictures….

He is all about posing for pictures right now, can you tell?

I love that sweet boy…

Qualities of the Youngest Sibling

2010-07-10T23:04:00.004-05:00

Being the youngest sibling myself, I know it isn't a job that just any Average Joe can do. You have to have special qualities to be able to deal with your older sibling.

The youngest sibling will naturally be patient.

The older sibling will most likely have to be taught this quality. (As Mommy and Daddy are pulling their hair out!!!....They need to be patient too!)

It starts from the time of conception.

Mom is tired during her 1st pregnancy, she naps or goes to bed early.

1st baby of the family is crying, he/she is quickly comforted.

There isn't another sibling to steal toys.

The world simply revolves around him/her!

The youngest sibling.....

Mom doesn't take naps during pregnancy. Focus is still on 1st baby.

2nd baby will learn to self soothe as Mom tends to oldest child who is in need.

2nd child's toys are stolen from day 1.

2nd child's world depends on their older sibling's current mood.....because that is what's going to determine Mommy and Daddy's mood, too!

They learn to be patient.

Sometimes they have to just wait for their moment.

Find joy in playing with the little toy....

Understand that when the older sibling asks you to become involved, it is probably to benefit them in some way....

When they see their older sibling is in need, they will help....

They enjoy seeing their older sibling happy....

But they can't always figure out their older sibling. Sometimes they may THINK their brother or sister wants their help, but there are moments when the oldest wants to PROVE that he/she doesn't need help!

The youngest will want to scream.....

But, the youngest has a sense of humor.

The youngest just sits quietly, waits, and thinks.....

Garrett’s Room.

2010-07-07T15:59:00.001-05:00

Garrett’s new “Big Boy” room is complete. There are a few little things I still want to do, but for the most part his room is being checked off of my “to do” list.

Take a look…..

His new bed and bedding.

Close up of the sheets, which is the theme of the room, Transportation.

The Rug.

His Dresser.

….which was his changing table, but we removed the top….Potty Training will start soon…..ugghhhh….not looking forward to it.

Lamp Shade.

Curtains.

I was so excited to find these. They are from Pottery Barn Kids and they are from their rugby line which is discontinued. I really wanted something bold and boyish for his curtains. I didn’t want them to be too “matchy matchy” with his bedding or just a solid color. I wanted something to kind of break it all up. I remembered that PBK had this pattern, but after looking online, I realized they were no longer available.

I went to PBK yesterday and was happy to find one on their shelf, but I controlled my excitement because what good is ONE panel….(his window is too big to do my old trick of making it into two panels) but then I quickly realized there were TWO panels in the pack! I then got excited and thought “What a deal! Two for the price of one!”……NO….the price was just doubled. Oh well, I found what I was looking for!!

Airplane finials on his curtain rod.

Remember he had a monkey cover for his chair, but I decided to order him a new cover which is identical to Jackson’s. I am learning that 2 of the same is much easier….

{Focus on the cute frame, not the empty frame!}

4th of July Weekend.

2010-07-05T19:42:00.002-05:00

We spent the weekend at my parents' house with my mom & dad, my sister, Ricky, Harleigh, & Savannah, my Grandma, Aaron's brother Michael & his girlfriend Casie.

Here is a snapshot of our fun weekend:

4th of July Cakeballs.....

For what it's worth, in my mind I pictured taking a picture of the boys together sitting in green grass with their arms around each other, while holding a little American flag...

But in reality, I couldn't get the 2 of them in that position.

Well maybe I could have if I REALLY tried, but sometimes I just don't have the energy.

So, this is what I got instead -

Savannah

I brought stuff to let Harleigh paint a shirt like the boys did. She told me she knew she would be great at painting her shirt because she has been taking art classes since she was in kindergarten! :)

My dad & Savannah

My Family

My Family including my Grandma

(Grandma was "The Dog Whisperer" to Rigley all weekend)

Cousins

My sister and Garrett

After eating lots and lots of chocolate covered strawberries -

Jackson trying to make Savannah laugh -

Kid's Slumber Party -

Garrett with his Uncle Michael and Casie -

Jackson was such a "BIG KID" in the lake. Not a worry in the world....

He jumped off of the boat dock 1,462 times.....

Getting ready to jump -

"CANNONBALL!!!!!"

Garrett fell asleep -

Even Rigley went for a swim -

Just hanging out with the guys.....

Fireworks and ice cream....

"HAPPY 4TH OF JULY!!!!"

Homemade 4th of July Shirts.

2010-07-03T01:15:00.000-05:00

I decided to let the boys make their own 4th of July shirts this year. These shirts were so simple for them to make...thanks to a little masking tape! I found this idea here: The Family Scientista

Normally we do projects together, but since paint was involved I decided it may work out better if Jackson made his shirt while Garrett was still taking his nap (which allowed Jackson and I to have one on one time as well!) and then Garrett could do his when he woke up.

I planned out the flag shirt using masking tape. This made crisp lines when the tape was removed.....while the tape was on however, it just looked like a red painted mess.....

These next 2 pictures make me sad....well not sad, but make me say "awwwwwww."

Notice his eyes looking at his hand. He is being careful and doesn't want the paint to run off of the tape and onto the sleeve.

But then he moves his hand {the hand with the finger that protected the shirt from the paint in the picture above} and sets it right on the sleeve. This resulted in paint on the sleeve. He didn't care, but looking at these pictures I can see that he did try to keep the sleeve white.

Looking kind of red...

After I removed the tape....

I knew Garrett would be a little more crazy with the paint, so I really prepared his shirt. He got extra making tape and I taped the shirt to the towel....

Jackson said "Garrett really needs my help Mommy. He doesn't know what to do since he is just a little guy." haha!

Luckily Garrett was in a serious, calm mood since he just woke up....

At this point he began to be a little rough with the paint brush.

I had to put my camera down and show him how NOT to splatter paint.

Now you all must wait a few days before you see them modeling their final product. :)

Happy 4th of July!

Scentsy: Bring Back My Bar!

2010-07-02T00:26:00.000-05:00

For the month of July ONLY, Scentsy fans voted to bring back favorite scents that have been discontinued.

If you see something that you like, but it is a scent that sounds better for the fall or winter, don't hesitate to buy it now. I keep my bars in the refrigerator when I am not using them. This allows the scents to stay strong for a long period of time. This bars are only available for the month of July, so keep the refrigerator tip in mind and stock up if you need to.

Here is the list of "Bring Back My Bar":
(Next to each description, you will see the group it used to belong to.)

Apples & Pears: Pears come first, then crisp fall apples. (Fall/Winter)

Banana Nut Bread: Right from the oven with ripe bananas, nuts, and spices. (Bakery)

Blackberry Bushel: Juicy, ripe, bursting blackberries. (Fruits & Flowers)

Cappuccino: A warm cup of espresso with frothy steamed milk and creamy vanilla. (Favorites)

Cashmere: This sheer floral bouquet combines Moroccan jasmine, lily of the valley, and bergamot. (Romance)

Cheerful Day: Sunny lemon, white grapefruit, and mandarin with French verbena and wildflowers.

Eggnog: With warm, spicy tones of nutmeg, rum, and cream, this scent is a holiday favorite.
(Fall/Winter)

Eucalyptus: Soothing, medicinal, and fresh. (Nature)

French Vanilla: Sweet, buttery vanilla. (Bakery)

Fried Ice Cream: Vanilla with a nutty touch, along with cinnamon and caramel. (Bakery)

Key Lime Tortilla: Lime and kiwi combine for a south-of-the-border sweet treat. (Scent of the Month)

Leather: Rich leather scent reminiscent of an old-fashioned leather shop. (Spring/Summer)

Luscious Lemon: Light, cream lemon. (Fruits & Flowers)

Mysterious: Spicy, fresh and woody, this masculine fragrance evokes strength and vitality. (Romance)

Newborn Nursery: Dreamy scent that evokes memories of cradling your little ones. (Favorites)

Pink Plumeria Passion: Hawaiian island blossoms with exotic delicacy.

Pumpkin Pie: Pumpkin, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg. (Fall/Winter)

Sizzlin' Coconut: Tempting mix of cinnamon, coconut milk, and rich vanilla. (Bakery)

Strawberry Sweetie: A fruity delight of juicy strawberries sprinkled with sugar and vanilla. (Fruits & Flowers)

Watermelon Patch: Sweet, vine-ripened watermelon. (Fruits & Flowers)

As always, you can buy any of the normal scents, these are just in addition to those.

Sometimes I do place big, group orders that earn free shipping. However, the other day I had to order just a bar. In my mind I thought paying shipping on one bar would be a joke, but shipping is only 10% of your order. So, shipping only cost 50 cents for the bar I had to order!! I thought that was great!

Click the logo below to go visit my website:

Superheroes!

2010-06-30T23:03:00.003-05:00

On Tuesday, Dianne and I took the boys to see Toy Story 3. The boys were wonderful. Last time they went to a movie, they didn't make it through the whole movie, so I was a little worried about how they would do. To our surprise, they sat through the whole movie and loved every second of it! When we were leaving, Jackson said "Since we were good boys, we will have to come see a movie EVERY DAY!"

Toy Story 3 was a cute little movie and for some reason it made me want to be a more adventurous mom of boys. Something about seeing the little boy in the movie playing with things such as action figures and army men, just kind of got me thinking.

Before having kids, I didn't fully believe or know the extent of how much boys were different than girls. I think I used to believe the only difference between boys and girls were wild vs. calm. However, as the boys are getting older, I am realizing that boys truly are so different than girls. Their whole way of thinking is completely different. There have been moments when one of the boys will do or say something and I will just look at Aaron and say "Boys are so weird!" No, I don't think my children are WEIRD, I think they are the best things on earth, but some of their actions and the fact that they are only 2 and 3 years old, shows me that boys are naturally programmed to be different than girls. I wish I could give you 1,000 examples, but I can't. But, those of you who have raised boys know exactly what I am talking about!

I want to support their weirdness uniqueness that comes with being a BOY.

I want to be okay with action figures.

I want to be okay with the fact that they really only care about 30% of the toys in their toy baskets. They would rather use the actual baskets to build something.

I want to be okay with them pretending to be a certain animal all day long.....even loud ones. {I didn't say I would ENJOY it and I may often mention how much fun it would be to act like the animal has a sore throat and has to whisper} If he wants to be a tiger, I will ask to wash his paw at bath time.

I want to be okay with the fact that their #1 use of their picnic table is to jump off of. A pretend "mountain" is much more fun than a simple picnic table you sit and eat at. {.....Didn't say I agree, I just support.}

Instead of seeing a box as trash, I want to be okay with it being a cool race car or spaceship even if it still looks like trash to me. Boys don't always want to take the time to mess with construction paper and glue to actually make the box look like something else. They can simply pretend like it is something else. Just a plain ole' ugly box!

I want to understand that it really does mean a lot to them to see a spider before I kill it.

And if they want to be superheroes and RUN down the hall pretending like the only way to slow down is by the other one pushing a button {a button that doesn't really exists}, so be it. Just don't step on the dog or my feet.

{Jackson fixing Garrett's cape}

Sometimes being a brother is even better than being a superhero.

-- Marc Brown

You don't raise heroes, you raise sons. And if you treat them like sons, they'll turn out to be heroes, even if it's just in your own eyes. -- Author Unknown

Sweet Boy.

2010-06-30T14:39:00.000-05:00

No words. Just two sweet pictures.

Pictures are all people look at anyways, right? :)

Because simple would be Boring.

2010-06-26T16:43:00.002-05:00

I took the boys in the backyard after lunch today. It was almost nap time and Jackson needed to release some energy, so I thought we could just go outside for a few minutes to pass some time.

They played some baseball....

Which reminds me of something funny Jackson said the day after Harleigh's game.

He was playing baseball and he said "Mommy, I just need to practice for a little bit to see how good I am going to be at my game tonight." :)

If you saw a little boy dressed like this in public, would you know that the child got dressed on his own? I sometimes wonder if people realize that.

This was simple. They were playing together and playing nicely. I was sitting in a rocking chair reading a magazine. I planned on saying "Times Up" and pictured us all just running inside to prepare for nap time. A simple afternoon.

They had other plans.....

I like simple.

The boys however, think simple is boring.

"Me Not a Baby."

2010-06-24T22:43:00.025-05:00

Let's start at the beginning....

Remember back when Garrett was only 18 months, he decided to climb out of his crib.

This is when we had to convert his crib into a toddler bed.

{Looking back at the blog post with these pictures just made my eyes fill with tears. He has grown so much! Here is the link to that post: He may be our 2nd, but that doesn't make it any easier}

Anyways - as I learned back then, Garrett would do things Jackson never thought about doing because Garrett had a big brother to learn from. Several months ago when we were living with my parents and the boys were sharing a room, Garrett would take naps in his bed. However, at night, if him and Jackson were not sleeping together, Garrett would often sleep on the floor between their beds. We just thought it was because that was the closest he could get to Jackson without actually getting into Jackson's bed.

When we moved, the boys really did well and didn't have a problem going back to separate rooms. Lately however, Garrett does not like to lay in his bed. Sometimes he will, but most of the time he wants to be on his floor. One night he actually fell asleep laying on his monkey chair. I felt so bad for him!

The other night as he was laying on his floor, he was in one of his sweet little moods, so I asked him about it. He said, "I don't like my bed. Me not a baby. Me a big boy!" I said, "Garrett, I know you are a big boy. You have a big boy bed! If you were a baby, you would sleep in a crib like baby Savannah does." He said, "My bed is baby bed." At that point, I just loved on him, let him sleep where he wanted to in his room, and later that night before I went to bed, I moved him into his bed.

He knows his bed is different than Jackson's twin bed and he probably doesn't even remember his toddler bed being a crib. When we converted Jackson's crib to a toddler bed, Jackson was 2 years and 4 months....

Garrett is only 2 years and 3 months right now (One month YOUNGER than Jackson was) and has been in a toddler bed for 9 months. Garrett doesn't remember a big exciting day of becoming a big boy and graduating from his crib to a toddler bed. His toddler bed is the only thing he knows.

Aaron and I were tired of seeing him sleep on his floor, so we bought him a new twin bed today! It is expected to arrive around July 1st!

SO.....Garrett's crib and mattress are FOR SALE. I love his crib and it is in great condition. It actually converts to a full size bed as well. It is the Madison crib from Pottery Barn Kids. E-mail me at jordan8082@sbcglobal.net if you are interested!

I really cannot believe Garrett will be in a real big boy bed. At one point we had more cribs in our house than we did beds, and now we won't have any cribs. It is kind of bittersweet because Aaron and I still feel like Garrett will be our last. At times, Garrett still seems like a baby to me, but I guess it may always feel like that because he is supposed to be "the baby."

Harleigh's Softball Game.

2010-06-23T09:57:00.000-05:00

Harleigh's softball team made it to the championship, so I figured it would be the perfect chance for us to attend one of her games. I wanted to see her play and I knew the boys would absolutely love it!

Starting off with a Slurpee and popcorn -

Harleigh getting ready -

Up to bat.....

Homerun!!!!!

Yelling, "Go Harleigh!!!"

Jackson cooling me down!

They discovered Harleigh in the dugout!

Look at Garrett looking at the camera out of the corner of his eye -

They got to go out on the field after the game....

These next pictures sum up why Jackson and Garrett are too young to be in little league sports

{chasing birds}

The bird gave up -

TRYING to capture a picture of the three of them -

{Take 1}

{Take 2}

{Take 3}

Ha! Look at Jackson!

{Take 4}

{Take 5}

Harleigh and Ricky

The boys found the practice gear and had a little fun....

Then Harleigh noticed her little cousins playing with her "cool big girl team" stuff and had them clean it up for the team. And because Harleigh said so.....they listened. Sometimes I wish I had the same power as Harleigh does....

I think at this point, Jackson realized that he is bigger than Garrett, like Harleigh is bigger than him, so they both stood back and let this little guy clean it up.... :) Garrett didn't mind though! He loved every second of it!

10 Year Reunion

2010-06-21T23:02:00.001-05:00

I had my 10 year class reunion last weekend. Several month ago, when I got the Save the Date card, I just assumed I would go. However, as it got closer, I started to change my mind.

I think reunions are different now because everyone knows what everyone is doing thanks to Facebook. I also think that at one time, a lot of people from our class were planning on attending, but as time got closer and people were saying on their Facebook status that they were not going to the reunion, it just started to look like it wasn't going to be as good as we once thought. I decided I wasn't going to go.....

Then, I started to feel the pressure of going from several friends, but I still wasn't all that motivated to go.

The Thursday before the reunion, I just started thinking - it will PROBABLY be lame, but what if it isn't?! What if I miss something good?! And really, if there are a handful of us going and a bar....we can make it fun!! And that's just what we did!

There were a lot of people there, but not a lot when you compare it to how big our graduating class was. It started off kind of quiet and awkward and I worried that Aaron and I just threw $71 per person down the drain, but after a few [maybe too many!] trips to the bar, I think mostly everyone was having a good time. I really did have a good time and I am glad that we decided to go.

There was a photographer there to capture the night, so I really didn't take that many pictures. I will share the other ones with you when we have access to them....

Jackson’s Drawing.

2010-06-19T10:19:00.003-05:00

Look at Jackson’s little drawing of me! I think it is just the best thing ever!

I love watching the drawing development of kids. It is neat to see what stage they are at and I find it interesting that all children tend to do the same thing as they are developing. (ex. arms coming off of face, large eyes take up most of the face, etc.)

Here are two websites I found about the development of drawing that I found interesting if you care to see: Drawing Development in Children and Cognitive Development in School Context • Children's Drawing

Splashing in the Mud.

2010-06-16T16:02:00.001-05:00

I love this picture and how it shows their different personalities.

Garrett has no fears, no worries, and could care less about anything....which can be a good thing or a bad.

Jackson puts a little more thought into things.

Imagination.

2010-06-14T14:54:00.011-05:00

I have read that children with imaginary friends are more creative and bright. I could go into great details with you all, but the bottom line is an imaginary friend is actually a good sign.

With that being said however, I never had an imaginary friend, but Aaron did. In fact, he had two of them. They were twins. Con and John. We have always kind of joked about Con and John, but once I did more research on imaginary friends, it was just kind of a slap in the face for me. I am sure I had tons of them….I just never told anyone about them…..right!?!?!

I didn’t realize it, but I have never formally introduced you all to two members of our family. They have been around for awhile now and a lot of you have already “met” them.

Hessa and Hasey.

Hessa is pronounced /Hes/ (like Wes) /a/…..I actually don’t know if there is one S or two in her name.
Hasey is pronounced like Casey, but with a H.

Hassa and Hasey are Jackson’s imaginary friends. They are sisters. Yes, not only does he have one imaginary friend, he has two of them…..like his Daddy did…..I mean, like his “bright and creative” Daddy did.

I think most of our family already knows about Hessa and Hasey, so it just became one of those things I never had to explain and assumed everyone knew them by now. Last week however, the boys stayed at my friend Kristin’s house while I ran to a few stores by her house. When I came back Jackson brought up Hessa and Hasey and Kristin was so confused! She said “What did he say? He kept saying those names to me earlier and I had no idea who he was talking about!” I said “Hessa and Hasey!” as if she should already know who they are. I was shocked that she hadn’t heard about them before!! So – for those of you that have never meet Hessa and Hasey, consider this your formal introduction!

As of yesterday, Jackson has another “friend.” This friend is actually a bird though and not just any bird….it is a Robin. This pet robin has a cage, which is actually a candle holder. The pet robin had to go outside with us last night to play. Jackson let the robin out of his (or her?? I’m not real sure of the gender yet…) cage to go potty and he let the robin sit on his shoulder for awhile before putting him back into his cage. Aaron and Jackson ran to Wal-Mart last night. Jackson wanted to bring his robin to Wal-Mart, but luckily after we warned him that his robin may accidently fly away at Wal-Mart, he was okay with Mommy and Garrett watching him at home.
Although Hessa and Hasey have been around for awhile now, I do believe that pretend play must be a huge stage for 3 year olds. It seems like that is what he has the most fun doing these days. Not only with the imaginary friends and the pet robin, but things such as pretending the soccer goal is a raft, the grass is water, and the back porch is the boat dock…..or his big chair turned sideways is an ice cream store. The list of pretend play goes on and on with him, so as his parents we know we better just play along to encourage his creativeness!

Happy Friday………

2010-06-11T01:00:00.000-05:00

For the record, my mommy has not started potty training with me. I am still a little too crazy to understand it all. I just found this potty in the garage, got really excited, and asked my mommy and daddy if I could bring my “port-a-potty” inside!

Love,

Garrett

Horse Riding.

2010-06-08T22:48:00.002-05:00

Sunday we went to Aaron’s Uncle Steve & Aunt Susan’s house to celebrate mine and Dianne’s birthday. As always, we had a wonderful time and enjoyed every moment of it. I know the boys had a BLAST!
I think Jackson was like this with their little dog, Pete, less than 5 minutes after arriving.

We were walking outside to ride horses, but Garrett had to make a detour to Uncle Steve’s “Big green tractor.”

“Hi Horsey! I’m Garrett!”

Jackson is an ole’ pro at riding a horse thanks to Uncle Steve.

Garrett’s turn! Suddenly Mr. Serious….

Jackson cheering his brother on…. “Yee Haw!!”

Jackson watching Molly and Claire ride while he waits for ANOTHER turn….

Catching bugs with Daddy….

Garrett would rather hit the fence with his net than catch bugs.

Round 2 for Jackson.

Scentsy!

2010-06-03T16:34:00.008-05:00

Jackson now thinks he is such a BIG KID.

He thinks he is "soooo much older" than his LITTLE brother.

Why?

Because he has his very OWN Scentsy warmer in his room and ONLY "big people" get those....

The day his warmer came in was actually my birthday. I put it on his dresser, but I didn't turn it on or put a scent in it yet because we were about to walk out the door. When we got home that night, it was time for bed, so his Scentsy warmer continued to stay off. Fast forward to 7:15 the next morning......Jackson walks into our room and wakes me up by saying "MOMMY. I have my Scentsy warmer all ready to go. It's plugged in, [which I did the day before] I have my scents in it, and I just need you to turn in on for me! It's all ready to go Mommy! Wake Up!!"

Remind you, I didn't put a scent in it, so I freaked out for a second wondering where he got a scent from. I was worried they were scents someone else had ordered.

I jumped up and said "JACKSON! Where did you get a scent from?"

"From all of your scents Mommy! Come here and look!"

When I walked in and saw, luckily he did just take it from my own scents and he didn't pop a whole cube out. He only scraped off a little from the top with his finger nail, but he was so darn proud of that tiny bit he was able scrape off and put in his warmer.

If you come to our house, Jackson will be sure to show you his Scentsy warmer. Randomly throughout the day, Jackson will say "Hey I know what we can do! Let's go play in my room and smell my Scentsy warmer!"

It has actually been working well as a reward system for him. :)

This is the best picture I got when I told him to make a happy face!

For those that are new to Scentsy, this is how it works:

You order bars with your warmer. On the bar, there are cubes, and you just pop out 1 to 3 cubes depending on the size of your warmer and how strong you want your scent, and place the cubes in your warmer....

{This picture is from Scentsy and I believe they put the whole bar in the warmer for picture purposes}

And then here it is after it melts:

{This is Jackson's}

I love these because there is no sot! Have you ever wondered where all the wax goes when you burn a candle? It doesn't just disappear. It goes on your walls and ceiling....and your children are breathing that!!!!!

For everyone that has already been buying Scentsy, here are some of the fun things you may have heard me mention.

Scentsy Mix & Match

**If you book a party with me during the month of June, I will give you a FREE 6 pack of bars of your choice! This is only a special I am doing since I am just starting out. This applies to catalog & online parties as well. You can just be one of my blogging buddies from another state and get the extra bonus. This is a bonus on top of the other free stuff you will earn by hosting a party! E-mail me at jordan8082@sbcglobal.net if you want more details!

For those of you that would just like to order, it is simple to order from my website at anytime.

www.kellijordan.scentsy.us

The Beauty of a Playroom.

2010-06-01T23:28:00.000-05:00

These blocks used to be my enemy.

They would hurt my feet when I would trip over them.

I would find tons of them underneath our couch.

And this would be completely unacceptable!

But at our new house....

Our kids can be kids....

Make a mess....

Be creative....

Build big towers....

And knock them down....

I don't mind.

I would pick a messy playroom with happy kids over a clean playroom with bored kids any day....

....because I can still walk across our living room floor without stepping on a Lego!

And that is the beauty of a playroom!

Aaron is on his way to Hollywood....so he thinks!

2010-05-28T11:00:00.001-05:00

I recorded Aaron on Hot on Homes using my Flip video camera. I know that is not the best way to record it, but it is easiest way for me to get it on my blog right now. So here it is....enjoy!

Family Time at the Pool.

2010-05-27T09:48:00.002-05:00

Aaron has been working a lot lately. I am not complaining one bit. We are blessed with his job at the railroad and how busy his irrigation company is, but sometimes the boys and I just need him around here, even if it is only for a few hours.

On Monday he had a little time at home before meeting a customer. Lately when he is home, I crack the whip with things that still need to be done at our house. However, it seems like that list will never end, so on this day I just felt like we needed to do something fun and that's just what we did....

We took the boys to the swimming pool!

On our way -

Aaron loves this part of our neighborhood because you can see Downtown Dallas at night. Those that talk to Aaron have probably heard Aaron tell you about this location a time or two....or three....or four! :)

Our house doesn't have a normal chimney. There is this box thingamajig that comes out on our back porch. Our house is built "Green" and it has something to do with that. Clearly I would not be good spokeperson for this thingamajig. Anyways - my point of the story - Jackson has been asking if we don't have a chimney, how will HoHo {Also known as "Santa"} come into our house. (It is May and I think Jackson has talked about Santa everyday since Christmas) Aaron and I are still a little unsure about how Santa will come into our house. We didn't think our 3 year old would think through it that much, but of course he did.

When Jackson saw this fireplace, with a chimney, at our amenity center he said, "OHHHH!!!! That's how HoHo will come here! He will go down that chimney and walk down to our house!!!"

{GOOD THINKING, SON!....I am glad you have that all figured out for us!}

This little area is neat. It is a spot where our HOA could host concerts, movie night, etc. To the side the lawn has stadium seating....which I don't know if stadium seating would be the correct name, but you get my point.

Checking out the place...

Garrett has no fear. Hops right in.

Notice the "No Diving" picture that is next to the depth of the water. Jackson said, "Look. That says, no airplanes crashing into this swimming pool!"