The Smith Family

Breaking in the Rain Boots…

2012-01-27T11:12:00.001-06:00

Yesterday we had the opportunity to break in Hayden’s new rain boots. He got new rain boots because we can’t keep him in shoes that fit. Goodness he is a growing boy!

Don’t let these faces fool you. He fell into those water puddles on ~~accident~~ purpose.

RAISING A BOY IS SO MUCH FUN!

It’s official, Hayden is a big boy. Or, he got a big boy bed.

2012-01-20T22:28:00.001-06:00

Jeff and I made up our minds that we were ready for make the leap. The leap to let Hayden have a big boy bed! This is hard on a Momma. This Momma atleast! I don’t know why, but it was and is.

This morning, I took Hayden to school, got a few things done at home and headed out to do a little shopping to see if I might could find Hayden some bedding. I have scoured the internet all week trying to find something I like. There isn’ t a lot out there for boys. No offense, but I am just not into character bedding. ;-) The bedding from Potter Barn I liked just wasn’t in the budget. So, the hunt was on. I went straight to Home Goods. Do you love that store as much as I do? Guess what, I found some bedding that I really liked and kind of what I had in mind. First stop. Score! Well, they had all the pieces to the bedding set other than the actual quilt in the size I needed. Boo! So, I drove about 30 minutes to another store to pick one up!

Hayden was so excited about getting a big boy bed. He was a pretty good helper too! We just converted his crib to a full size bed.

TA-DA!

Pardon the lack of clothes. He runs around in underwear most of the time these days. Just seems easiest (with potty training) and makes him happy.

Look at that sweet little angel asleep in his big boy bed for the first time!

Potty Training…One week down! And…big boy bed?

2012-01-17T22:36:00.001-06:00

We have survived a full week of potty training! Woot! We are so proud of Hayden! Today was our first day with no accidents and we were even gone from home about 2 hours! I think we might be getting the hang of things!

Jeff and I had talked tonight about possibly moving him into a big boy bed. I really want an “office” and our extra bedroom is our only option which has a full size bed in it. So, we were thinking about making his bed a full size (it is convertible) and allowing room to make the extra bedroom an office and playroom.

Jeff has wanted to move him to a big boy bed for a while but I was adamant about waiting! He doesn’t try to climb out of his bed. He won’t even try to get on/off of our bed or the extra bed on his own. He hasn’t given us a reason to get rid of the “baby bed”. With that being said, the last couple of nights after we put Hayden to bed, he will yell “Momma, tee-tee. Daddy, tee-tee.” So, as soon as we get him out of bed, he has the biggest smile. Like he won! Well, tonight, he did go, but then the game was on. He kept finding reasons to not go back to bed. “Kiss Daddy. Big hugs. More kisses. Love you!” etc. I admit, quite sweet and his daddy was LOVING it. But, this is my concern. Him not staying in his bed! But, again, he doesn’t get out of any other bed. So, who knows! I really kind of want an office. ;-)

I am not sure if it is just a bigger bed or what, but Hayden takes some awesome naps in our bed. He naps for about 1 1/2 hours if he is in his bed. He naps for about 3 hours if he is in our bed. Hmm…

Another dilemma is a full vs. twin. I would rather not put him in a full size because it limits the space in his room. But, it is free at this point and gets rid of the extra bed (in the could be office room).

Decisions, decisions.

Just because he is cute {and quite hilarious these days}…

Tonight, after he got finished with dinner and got down from the table, he came over to Jeff and I (we were still eating) and said, “PLAY PEOPLE!” I guess he really wanted to play. So funny!

Jeff has been in a leadership school all month and has been home every night by like 5:00 or 5:30 PM. I can’t tell you how nice it is to have a normal schedule. From the moment Jeff walks in, Hayden is saying “Play! Play Daddy! Play! Play Daddy!” I know it won’t last too much longer, but I am so thankful that we have had this time! I love cooking dinner because I know we can all sit down and eat together. I have made some yummy (and healthy-we are on a diet) stuff lately! I will have to share soon!

Hayden at 33 months

2012-01-13T00:48:00.001-06:00

(This picture was taking a month or so ago, but I love it! Even with the scratch on his face.)

Hayden has changed so much in the last month, weeks, days, hours….

Seriously, I feel like he is getting so grown up. Hayden’s vocabulary is exploding! He is talking so much more. In sentences. Words I never knew he knew. Kind of scary. Ha! I love being able to have a conversation with him. He makes us laugh so much. He says some of the funniest things and I am always thinking, where did he get that? Here are a few Hayden-isms..

Jeff and I were walking outside and he said, “Wait, people.” What on earth? Where did he get that?

When we were leaving our playdate today, he said “Bye, people.” Again, where on earth did he get that? So funny!

He also frequently says “Bye, ya’ll” or to his Granddaddy, “Bye, Dude”.

“Good Job Daddy! Good Job Mommy!”

“Cozy!” He will say this when he has his blanket on and cuddled up with an animal or three in his bed.

“Scared!” He has recently become scared of the dark and would cry at night when we closed his door. We finally figured out that was the problem. Now we leave his door open a little and it has worked beautifully!

“Go left. Go right.” And he knows which is which! He knows directions and where we are going quite well.

“Sorry Mommy. Sorry Daddy. You ok?” (After running in to us with is scooter or bike. Or, stepping on our toe. Spilling water out of the tub. Etc.)

“Where are you?”

“Mommy, Hold You?”

He is really a sweet sweet boy who has such great manners. Thank you and Please are almost always used.

Speaking of sweet boy…I will be hugging on him and say “Sweet boy” and he will say “Best boy?” or “Momma’s Baby Boy”. He might hear those a lot too.

We are on day 5 of potty training. He is doing well!!
He started saying “Mine!” about a month ago and it makes me cringe. During Christmas time, we had friends over to play a lot and he really had a hard time sharing his toys. He would literally just cry and be so upset. I really was kind of worried about this. It was frustrating and sad at the same time. I was happy to see how happy and playful he was when we were at Kristin and Payton’s house today.
LOVES. HIS. DADDY. Yesterday, we were at church and he only got see his Daddy for just a minute before we had to leave and he had earned a new toy for filling up his chart for going to the potty. So, when we were leaving church I asked him, “Do you want to go to the store and get your new toy for going to the potty? Or, do you want to go home and see Daddy.” “Want to go home and see Daddy” was his response. True love right there. Precious!
He is full of so much joy. He loves to run, play, laugh, hide, chase, and be chased.
Play?…Play?…PLAY??????? are his favorite words. He loves to play but he wants someone to play with him. He really doesn’t love to play by himself. But, this has improved in the last month.
I think trains are his favorite toy at the moment.
LOVES Play dough!

Would sit and read books forever. (With us of course).
He LOVES tv. I guess this is both good and bad. TV will hold his attention and allows us to get something done. Bad because he really kind of likes and requests to watch it a little too much.
He is shy at times and around people he doesn’t know and even his closest family members at times. Although he will randomly go up to people and say hi or wave. Probably some we would prefer him not talk to. Ha!
He has a very tender heart. He doesn’t like for someone else to be upset and he will begin crying if they are crying. If he gets in trouble or corrected, he will most like cry (unless it is me getting on to him-Ha!).
If you haven’t noticed, he L.O.V.E.S. sweets! He comes by it honest.
When he wakes up in the morning and you go in his room, his first two words are usually, “MILK? MICKEY MOUSE?”
His sleep schedule is kind of like this…Wake between 6:30 and 7:00 AM (he occasionally sleeps until 7:30). Naps from about 1:00-4:00. Bed around 8:00 PM.

Other than the occasional fit, I absolutely LOVE this age. I love seeing his personality. I love communicating with him. I love seeing him learn new skills each day. We love you Hayden Luke. You are ONE PRECIOUS BOY!!!

Potty Training, Day 2

2012-01-10T23:08:00.001-06:00

Hayden finished up the squares on this chart this morning and we were able to head to Wal-Mart to let him pick out a new train. He was so excited!

Yes, this is an investment, but I want him to see an immediate reward. Maybe not the best way to do it, but it is working for us so far! I know we will increase the stickers need on the chart and/or change the reward at some point soon.

We started a new chart today. We were actually gone most of the day, but he did well this morning and did great after we got back home this afternoon. I took our potty with us and put it in the back of the Tahoe for him to use. I have to admit, it was quite funny with him sitting on his potty in the back of the car while covered up with my jacket so he wasn’t just out for everyone to see {and it was quite cold today}! He was happy as a lark, but never actually went in the potty. He used two diapers while we were out. Once when I was at my appointment (Robin was in the waiting room with him) and once on the way home this afternoon. Otherwise, he was dry! YAY! I am really proud of him.

Our struggles…when he first wakes up. The last thing he wants to do is go sit on the potty. He is a little moody in the morning. And the other, when he is sitting on the potty, he will try to keep from going because he doesn’t want it to get on him. I am thinking about letting him stand up??? This is all so new to me!

And that is your potty training update for today. I think we can do this!

Potty Training has begun…Again.

2012-01-09T21:10:00.001-06:00

Well, I think we are really ready to begin potty training again. We started back in the fall, but with obligations where we couldn’t stay home and Hayden just wasn’t quite ready, we held off for a bit. Now, we have begun again. I really have been waiting to have three solid days at home. But, realistically, that just doesn’t happen. We have two days this week we are going somewhere, so we are going to just do the best we can!

Hayden has just recently started telling us when he needs a new diaper and very rarely objects to getting in changed. He usually wakes up dry in the morning and after naps. We got a new “potty book” recently which has become one of his favorites, so maybe that has helped too. Or, maybe he just thinks it is cool that the bear in the story is wearing train underwear. Ha!

This morning, I decided we were giving it a go! I whipped up this cheesy little sticker chart to help us out. He got some Thomas the Train stickers for Christmas so we are using those. He knows that if he gets all of the squares filled, he is going to get to pick out a new Thomas the Train toy. We recently have become a little obsessed with Thomas the Train. Really trains in general!

So, today we spent a lot of our time in the bathroom. Or, washing undies or cleaning up from an accident. I didn’t leave his side all day. The fun part was Kristin and I were texting back and forth all day giving each other updates on our potty training efforts for the day!

Picking out his sticker!

Hayden only told me once that he needed to go today. But, I started recognizing the signals that he needed to go! If he had an accident, he would say “Oh no!” or “Oh my! Tee-tee on the floor! Tee-Tee on me!”

This is how we finished up the day. I would call that a success!

I have our next one ready to go…

Dallas Safari Club Convention

2012-01-09T20:31:00.001-06:00

Yesterday, Jeff, Hayden, and I loaded up to meet our friends Bo and Rhonda at the Dallas Safari Club Convention. I had no idea what to expect, but figured it might be pretty cool for Hayden to see some animals. And that it was! There were tons of animals on display. If you were in the market for any sort of exotic hunt, that was the place to be!

We thought this was really cool looking with the bronze metal effect. Jeff is thinking about doing this with a set of his horns he got this year.

Check out this machine! A Hummer with a party wagon on top. Ha Ha! Or a hunting wagon. You can drive it from up top. So cool!

Hayden kept saying “Like me” as his was sticking his tongue out and opening his mouth. So funny!

He kept posing, so I kept taking pictures! ;-)

The taxidermy work was crazy good {and wild}!

They had rhino’s and elephants too. I guess we didn’t get pictures of those. Probably because we were stunned by them!

We had a good time!

Another Project-Hayden’s Step Stool

2012-01-07T17:04:00.000-06:00

I had been wanting a little step stool for Hayden to use in the bathroom. I found this one at Canton for $6.00.

I wanted to paint it black but didn’t have any black paint other than spray paint. I tried spray paint, but that didn’t work so well! I had some chalkboard paint on hand and I thought I would give it a try. It looked great after two coats and I didn’t have to go buy any paint.

Jen and I cut out Hayden’s name out along with a tractor using her new Silhouette. Have I told you how much I loved that thing? ;-) I stuck them on there and here is how it turned out! Love how it turned out!

Probably should have puttied those nail holes. Oh well! ;-)

Silly Boy!

2012-01-06T20:52:00.001-06:00

Hayden has become a little more adventurous in the bathtub. A little scary! He can get in and out on his own now. He likes to lay down and cover his ears with water. Jeff says it is so he can pretend not to hear us. Ha!

He has also become a little spoiled when it comes to nap time! He likes to sleep on our bed for naps. He brings Scout, Monkey, and Lion along with his pillow and blanket to our bed. Sometimes I get to sneak in a nap too! Knock on wood, he really does well going to sleep on our bed and takes great naps! Win-Win for us all! ;-)

In 2011…

2012-01-01T23:47:00.001-06:00

In 2011…

Our family was blessed with Jeff’s job promotion. I began my journey with Thirty-One. Hayden turned two and has grown from a young toddler to a active and vibrant little boy who is changing so much each day. We ditched the paci. Hayden had his first hair cut. We attempted potty training only to decide to wait a little longer. Jeff and I spent our first night away from Hayden. I traveled to South Carolina, Galveston, Ohio, and Vegas. Lightening struck our house. I became a Sunday School teacher for the first time. Hayden started preschool. Jeff got his first buck bow kill. I got my first bow. I promoted to Director with Thirty-One. I didn’t kill a deer for the first time in many years. We enjoyed a full year in our new home. Hayden took swim lessons for the first time. And so much more…

We were blessed in 2011, but I am anxious to see what 2012 will bring. I thought I would share a few of my goals for 2012…

Loose weight. Cook more and eat better not only for my own benefit but Hayden’s and Jeff’s too. Exercise more. Or, maybe that should just say exercise. Stress less about the way my house looks and spend more quality time with Jeff and Hayden (instead of worrying about stuff around the house). Spend less and save more. Visit friends and family more. Get my first bow kill. Manage time better. Spend less of my “down time” on the computer. Write more hand written notes. Read my Bible more and become a better Sunday School teacher. Give more. Teach Hayden to pray. Think less about myself and more about others, yet worry less about what others might think. Pretty much, I want my actions to speak louder than my words. Over all, be a better wife, mother, daughter, daughter in law, sister, sister in law, aunt, and friend.

We don’t know what tomorrow brings or the future holds. We never know if today may be our last. I simply want life to slow down and treasure the time I do have.

Have you made yourself a list of goals for 2012? If you haven’t, I challenge you to do so. If you are willing, I would love for you to share some of them!

Many blessings to you in 2012!

December 26, 2011

2012-01-01T16:00:00.000-06:00

The day after Christmas, we enjoyed a quiet day full of playing and resting. A day that Hayden stayed in his PJ’s all day. Well, maybe I did too?

Hayden LOVES his trains and tracks! But, his new organizer just didn’t have a big enough top for the tracks and we don’t have room for a train table. So, after looking a bit online and on Pinterest for ideas, Jeff whipped up this table for Hayden to put all his train tracks on. We made it this size so it would fit under his bed. Jeff used materials we had around the house . He used quarter round trim and hardboard (peg board without holes) and it has worked out perfect! I plan on putting some furniture sliders on the bottom so it will slide around on the carpet easier.

When Mom, Dad, and Robin got home that afternoon from visiting my brother and his family, we headed to their house to exchange gifts with Taylor and Blaze and Blade (they all came home with Mom and Dad).

Hayden got some new building blocks and a CARS ball pit. It took everyone to get that bad boy aired up. It was quite a site to watch!

I am not sure who was more excited. Blaze or Hayden.

Somehow we have managed to keep the ball pit and Nanny and Granddaddy's. I am not sure how long they will let us get away with that!

Since Blaze has been at Mom and Dads, Blaze got to come play. Hayden loves playing with the big boys! Blaze was so funny. He would put letters and words on the chalk board and ask Hayden what they said. Hayden actually got a few letters right! Yay!

I really need write an actual blog post about this, but we are blown away each day by Hayden’s vocabulary and knowledge. He is getting so big and smart!

Christmas Day 2011

2011-12-31T21:18:00.001-06:00

Christmas Day we headed to Jeff’s Mom and Dad’s around lunch time. We enjoyed a delicious “traditional” meal with ham, sweet potatoes, macaroni and cheese, green bean casserole, broccoli rice, and a a few other sides! Then, it was show time!

Hayden had this unwrapping thing figured out and was so excited to get started!

Think he was excited much? Ha!

Brooklyn was pretty pumped about her new Thirty-One Ruffle Cinch Sac (her special request) and her new Cotton Candy machine from Nana and Papa. I think I might need her to make me some cotton candy!

Play-doh!!

Hayden also got some really cute books, a “Big Truck”, the original Toy Story, and a Buzz. He made out like a bandit! ;-)

I think the big boys were all pretty excited about their gifts too!

After Christmas afternoon naps, our friends Bo and Rhonda came to spend the evening with us. They brought Hayden a super cute camo outfit and a farm set that went perfect with the one that Nana and Papa got him. More little pieces to keep up with! ;-) Hayden and his Daddy have had a blast playing with those two sets! They get lots of farming done!

A new love…It’s name is Silhouette!

2011-12-29T23:26:00.001-06:00

DISCLAIMER-I know I need to blog about Christmas still, but I can hardly contain my excitement, therefore I have to blog about something different tonight! :-)

I don’t know about you, but I love just about anything with a name or monogram on it! Well, I have a new found love that will do just that! Jen got a new Silhouette Cameo for Christmas and man is that thing fun! I NEED one too! The Silhouette site lists them for $299, but I see them on a few sites for $269. Gotta start saving my money!

Jen, Hayden, and I made a “quick” trip (as in didn’t open and close the joint in the same day) to Canton and got some great deals. Just about every booth had everything half off! We couldn’t wait to get home to get started on our projects!

What I love about the Silhouette is you can design anything you want on your computer and print it out! You don’t have to buy a cartridge for it and you can use any font you want! Also, you can buy numerous images for 99 cents each! I think it is a little more expensive than the Cricut, but seems to really be a lot cheaper in the long run.

Today, we used the Silouette to put vinyl ~~on everything we own~~. So, the first thing you do, is design your vinyl print on the computer. Another thing I love is that you pretty much don’t waste any space/vinyl!

Then, you get to cutting!! Are you ready to see some of our projects?

We got these desks at Hobby Lobby. They are $6.99 and we used a 40% coupon of course! I am so in love with how Hayden’s turned out! To our friends with birthdays coming up, don’t be surprised if you get one of these! ;-) We bought the truck image for 99 cents and cut out a blue one and a green one, then just used each other’s for the accent color.

I got two huge signs today at Canton for 50% off. They are about 2ftx2ft. Before and after…

Are you as excited as me?? The letters of our last name are about 5-6 inches tall.

Cute ornaments for next year…

Picture fame…

Christmas Plate…

We have more projects in the works for tomorrow! Stay Tuned!

Christmas Morning…

2011-12-28T21:11:00.001-06:00

I am not sure who was more excited about Santa’s visit. Jeff, Hayden, or I. Hayden went to bed really late Christmas Eve and actually cried and cried. He never does that going to bed. I am not sure if it was the excitement or having too much tea to drink that evening. ;-) Then, he decided to wake up really early! So, we made him watch a Mickey Mouse episode in our bedroom since we were anticipating the arrival of Nanny and Granddaddy and Nana and Papa around 7:00 AM. We couldn’t contain him past one episode! We had to go see what Santa had in store for our good little boy!

Trains, Trains, and more Trains!

If you have a child that likes trains and CARS, have you seen the wooden CARS and tracks that are sold at TOYS R US? Hayden got the Tow Mater wrecking yard from Mia and Poppee, but the rest of our tracks are others that I picked before I knew about the CARS ones. I love that they all work together! So cool!

As you can tell, we spent most of our morning playing! Nanny, Granddaddy, Robin, Nana, and Papa did come enjoy Christmas morning with us. Just happened to not get any pictures of them. :-( We all did enjoy some yummy Pioneer Woman Cinnamon Rolls. Then, we headed to Nana and Papa’s for Christmas lunch.

Christmas Eve 2011

2011-12-27T22:12:00.001-06:00

We had a great Christmas! We have one blessed little boy that was SO MUCH FUN!!

On Christmas Eve we enjoyed our time with Mom, Dad, Robin, her boyfriend Colt, Jen, Jeff Gray, Landree, Hudson, Cindy and Don.

Mom, Dad, Robin and Colt came over that afternoon and we exchanged presents. Hayden was so excited!

Hayden and Colt kind of like each other. Hayden cried when he left on Christmas Eve!

Dad got him a spiffy new hat. He is always telling Hayden he needed one like his, so he got one! ;-) Along with a new Thirty-One Large Utility Tote and aftershave. Mom got some new outfits, a candle, and a shadowbox picture. (I didn’t do very good getting pictures).

Their gift from Robin. LOL!

Hayden got a huge new TONKA fire truck, LEGO’s, puzzles, DVD’s, and various other games. He was ready to start playing!

Time to eat! Pulled Pork Sandwiches, Pulled Pork Tacos and Vegetable/Deer Burger soup were on the menu. Dips and other snacks too!

More presents!

Jeff and I got a little spoiled too! Mom and Dad got me some new tennis shoes and some Juicy perfume! Jeff got an Under Armour hoody and some Light Blue cologne. Thanks so much Mom and Dad! I even got some suprises from Jen and Cindy! I LOVE my Bird of Paradise candle, Nutella snack and new Christmas ornament! Thanks so much Jen!! Cindy spoiled me too with another Christmas ornament and a SPA gift certificate!! Jen got one too! Thank you so much Cindy!! I can hardly wait for us to go use them!

Robin also got us this cross. We love it! She knows me well! I can’t wait to hang it up!

Mia got to play LEGO’s with Hayden while the big kids played a game!

Santa came later that night…

Wishing you a very Merry Christmas!

2011-12-24T17:00:00.000-06:00

Sprucing up the Place!

2011-12-23T20:36:00.001-06:00

I have been on a little kick to get a little more organizes, clean out, and get some of our pictures hung of our family pictures we had taken in the Fall. In the meantime, I have added a few decorations as well. Pretty much just things that I already had. What I can say is that our house decor mostly consists of pictures of our little family of three. It may seem a little overboard to some, but it is what we love!

Here is a little taste of what I have done.

On our entryway cabinet, I added the Family vinyl that Kristin had given me and placed our new 16x20 picture up there. Not totally in love with the way it all sits up there, but I can add to it later! I love having a big picture up there but it kind of looks little compared to the open frame. Mr. Elf or otherwise known as Elfie (he doesn’t haven an official name yet) just happened to be sitting up there too!

Added a fleur de lis between our big tin metal frames. Jeff recently put that shelf up for me too. I had it under a bed for a year. I couldn’t decide where I wanted it!

Updated our gallery wall with some recent pictures.

Awww…Can you say L.O.V.E.?? I am so in love with Hayden’s room right now! I moved his furniture around a bit and picked up this storage center with bins at IKEA. I loved the storage area for a couple of reasons. One, we already had a few of the bins. Two, it is perfect for Hayden to play on. I am thinking Santa might bring some trains and tracks and it will be perfect for that! I added those frames above his bed too. I got those super cheap at ROSS.

It is also prefect for all his cars! As if he didn’t have enough, Jeff’s momma found a box full of Jeff’s old cars, Transformers, GI Joe’s, and various other toys. I am not sure who was more excited, Jeff or Hayden! There are several cars from the 70’s and 80’s. So cool and of course Hayden LOVES them! The GI Joe’s and Transformers are put up for a while.

I moved his canvas and rearranged his shelves a little.

I got his chalkboard/magnet board at IKEA too for $15. Love it!

I also got another sweater/shoe closet hanger at IKEA too. Perfect for stuffed animals, board books, toys, and of course shoes. :-)

I finally got something above my dresser. More pictures! ;-) I am looking for that perfect something to go above the top center picture.

I got this metal scroll “S” at Canton last month. I think it was $8. I loved it because it was old, paint chipping off it, and because it looked like an S. I think it was taken from a porch. I had been wanting something to go between our mirrors in our bathroom.

A little something above our towel rack.

I got this S unfinished at Hobby Lobby for $1. I painted it red and added it to the burlap wreath in our extra bathroom! I love the little punch of color it adds! Wonder if I might need to make some rosettes to go on there too?

There is your little “sprucing up the house” home tour!

What did I accomplish today?

I think I can finally say that I got all of ours and Momma and Daddy’s presents wrapped! WAHOO!

Robin helped me make a fresh batch of cinnamon rolls for Christmas morning!

It’s almost Christmas Eve!! YAY!

Christmas Candy and Playing in the Water

2011-12-22T19:29:00.001-06:00

Hayden and I enjoyed a day at home. Quite rare these days, but it was quite nice I should say! We started off our morning making some Christmas candy. Mom and I made fudge and peanut brittle last night, but this morning Hayden and I made “White Stuff”. I really don’t know what else you call it other than DELICIOUS!!!!!! Corene, my MIL, has always made it and it is one of my favorites! It is super easy. Here is the recipe if you want to give it a try! I promise you wont be disappointed!

What you need:

2 lbs Almond Bark
1 cup Peanut Butter
2 cups Roasted Peanuts
3 cups of Rice Krispies
2 cups of Marshmallows

Melt Almond Bark. Stir in Peanut Butter. Then, stir in everything else. Drop by spoonfuls onto wax paper. Allow to cool and ENJOY!

Hayden was such a great helper! As usual!

Everyone needs a taste tester and a spoon licker right?

We completed Hayden’s first “handmade” ornament for our tree.

Then, we planted some flowers I got super cheap at Lowes yesterday. My flowerbeds just look awful. Pretty much everything died during the Summer. So, I picked up some pansies to add a little color! Do you know that Lowes has the best clearance on flowers?

Hayden had a lot of fun playing this afternoon too! He was actually following me down the driveway as I was taking the trash can and he just happened to accidentally run through the puddle. He said, “Yuck! Wet!” before he proceeded to run back through it 25 more times!

I felt like I was on a laundry detergent commercial as I washed his socks out and watched them turned from brown back to white. I know this is just the beginning!

While Hayden was napping and even an hour or so afterward, I finished up wrapping presents. Praise the Lord! Glad that is done! I am so excited about Christmas this year and can’t wait to see Hayden open gifts!

Friends Christmas Party

2011-12-19T23:27:00.001-06:00

Today we had our second annual Friends Christmas party at our house! We had so much fun talking and catching up, meeting new friends, eating delicious food, exchanging books with the kids, and exchanging some of our favorite things with the mommas!

I was trying to get Hayden to stand in front of the Christmas tree for a picture before the party. Ha! He thought it would be hilarious to run back and forth in front of the tree and tease me! Stinker!

Our friends arrived!

Hudson, Jen, and Landree.

Shada and Addisyn

Kelly and Kaden

Kristin and Payton

Amy and Hudson

Us! Why won’t he take a picture? Have I ruined him? Or is he just TWO?? ;-)

Everyone brought a yummy dish to share! We had dips galore (corn, dill, fiesta, apple pie, pumpkin pie, ranch), cheese balls, fruit, veggies, ham and cheese, tortilla roll ups, sloppy joe crescent roll ring, brown sugar and bacon little sausages, some yummy pretzel things Jen made and more I am sure.

Look how pretty Kelly’s fruit dish was!

I couldn’t stay out of these!

Kristin made these Hershey Bar reindeer for the kids. So cute and yummy of course!

We were able to get some outside time in!

Poor Payton! It was quite windy!

Book exchange time! We tried to do a little left/right game, but that got kind of old quick so we let them dig in!

I am so thankful for my friends!

The Favorite Things exchange was fun, but no one stole from anyone. I think our curiosity got the best of us and we wanted to know what was left in each unwrapped package! I don’t think it was because any of us are too nice not to steal! ;-) Candles, Bath and Body Works, and Hair Products were on the list of favorites this year!

We may have had to break up a few fights over toys, wrestling, and even witnessed a few fits. Ha! Tis the season of many two year olds! Pretty much just the boys were acting a little crazy at times. The girls were perfect and probably wondering what all the fuss was about! But, WE HAD A GREAT TIME! Thank you all for coming!

Here is our attempt at getting a group photo!

TAKE ONE!

TAKE TWO!

A Morning at the Gaylord Texan

2011-12-13T00:40:00.001-06:00

This morning we got up early and headed to toward Grapevine for the day. We had to make a quick pit stop at Bass Pro Shops to pick up some necessities! Hayden was loving all there is to see there!

Then, we were off to enjoy some time at the Gaylord Texan. The Gaylord has so much to offer for Christmas. We had not ever been to see the ICE! exhibit, so we were anxious to see it!

Can you say BRRRRR??!! A whopping 3 degrees in the ICE! tent. They said that 40 male Chinese artists came over from China to create these sculptures. They are amazing! I can’t remember how many millions of pounds of ice they used, but super cool! Literally! ;-)

I was amazed by this huge dragon! All ice!

I couldn’t take many pictures. Because it is so cold, they suggest you keeping your camera tucked away in your coat until you need it. In the last area, it was starting to freeze up on me. Again, literally. But, pictures just don’t do it justice!

I loved this life size nativity scene.

Hayden liked the ICE!, but I am thinking he probably LOVED the trains! I can say he did not want to leave! He may or may not have thrown a fit when it was time to go.

Check out this life size gingerbread house!

They even had train stations made out of cookies! It smelt so good over in this area!

We took some time and enjoyed all there was to offer. Including just enjoying the scenery.

Our schedules from now until Christmas are a little crazy, so I am so thankful for our day we got to spend together as a family!

Merry Christmas to Me…A little early!

2011-12-11T22:08:00.001-06:00

Last weekend Jeff went on a bow hunt in Brady, TX. He was so pumped when he got back. He had a great weekend and filled two tags with an Axis doe and a 9 point whitetail buck. He has taken three deer this year with his bow and I might be a little jealous. Not sure if it is because he got them with his bow or if it is because I have not gotten my chance a good deer this year!

I mentioned something to Jeff about wanting a bow. I had mentioned it in conversation a few times over the last year, but I was a little more serious about it this time. Jeff was beyond excited! He had already thought about getting me one for Christmas but it wasn’t something he could surprise me with.

We were supposed to go to the deer lease this weekend, but Hayden got sick so we decided it was better if we didn’t take him this weekend. This was our last chance to go before the season ends. I guess any more hunting I do will have to be around here. Since we didn’t get to go to the lease, we planned a trip to the bow shop. We dropped Hayden off with Nana and Papa and Jeff and I were giddy all the way there!

We walked in and told our new friend Carl what we were there for. Keep in mind I have not ever shot a bow (well maybe one as a child) and pretty much knew nothing about it. Jeff would talk about his bow and the lingo that goes with it, but it was like a foreign language to me.

I shot a couple of different bows and had a hard time deciding which one I liked best. I ended up going with a smaller bow and one that was easier for me to hang on to…Mission Craze by Mathews-for all you bow hunters! ;-) It was about a two hour process of picking out the bow and getting it all set up for my draw length and the amount of pounds I could draw. Am I speaking a foreign language? Ha!

I shot about 30 times and I knew when I left there, I was going to be so sore!

I was excited to get home this afternoon from church and a parade of homes to get to shoot my new toy! Jeff kept saying, “I am SO HAPPY you will do this with me!” I think we are going to have a lot of fun! Hayden was quite excited about the new bow too. When he saw it, he said “New bow? Mine?” Ha! Not quite yet! Someday soon he will be shooting one!

It is like teaching a baby to walk. I have about 6 steps to go through in my head before I pull the trigger! It is going to take a lot of practice. But…I am eager to learn and excited about and up for the challenge!

How do you like that hot pink strap and hot pink and white zebra fletching? ;-)

For my second day, I was pretty proud to have two in the middle target area! YAY! I had one other stray (top right) and the rest are Jeff’s (that he meant to place on those targets).

He is very patient and a great encourager! ;-)

Sweet boy, just watching the excitement! ;-)

Bring on the Christmas Cards!

2011-12-08T23:04:00.001-06:00

I love, love, love getting Christmas cards in the mail. Particularly ones with a picture on them! I wanted to create a cute way to display them this year. So, this is what I came up with!

Remember this old window that I got for 50 cents and painted with chalkboard paint and added some hooks to? We usually keep our weekly schedule written on it, but I decided it would be the perfect spot to hang our cards!

When I took the window down and placed it on the ottoman, Hayden yelled “playground!” and went to get a few random objects to play with. When I say random, I mean random…apple, tractor and trailer, and a couple of Scentsy bricks. I guess it was a new solid surface that was just his height! Ha! Then, he decided to write with chalk. As he was writing, he was saying random letters. O, T, S, H, I, etc. He had the best time for a few minutes until this Momma needed to get her project done!

This project took all of about 5 minutes. Clear push pins, some string and mini clothes pins I got at Hobby Lobby (in the wood craft section).

I got our Christmas cards ordered after I picked up our CD from our family pictures last night. Here is one of my favorite pictures of us! I have so many favorites! Now to choosing which ones to print!

That large metal “S” is actually ours that we brought with us. My BFF Jen, picked it up at a Thirft/Salvage type sale for nearly nothing! I L.O.V.E. it! It sits on top of our entryway cabinet that we had built by this guy. I love our little chalkboard/metal signs I found at LaurieAnna’s last month!

We actually took that large frame with us for our pictures and used it too.

I will share more of our family picture later! :-) Can’t wait to get your Christmas card in the mail!

Wrapping presents and Visiting Santa

2011-12-06T21:18:00.001-06:00

I finally got some presents wrapped last night. Does anyone else have a love/hate relationship with wrapping presents? I love picking out wrapping paper, ribbon, and making or buying cute tags. I love the way our presents look under the tree. But, I don’t really like the mess it makes and the time it takes to actually wrap. Anyone with me on this?

But, we had one excited boy this morning when he noticed presents under the tree!

This morning we got up and got ready to go pay Santa a visit. I thought Hayden looked super cute and I couldn’t resist the urge for a picture by the tree before we go. Except, Hayden didn’t really care to get his picture taken by the tree because he looked so stinkin’ cute. I don’t know what I stress so much about getting a cute picture, but I can’t help it.

Now wouldn’t this be so cute if he was looking at me and maybe smiling too? Stinker!

Made it to Bass Pro. Had to do a little walking around and calming of nerves before visiting Santa. I didn’t get a picture, but Hayden was obsessed with the train set they had going there. I wish I had a $1 for every time he said “Look at the trains” while we were there! :-)

After our experience the first year, we have decided that visiting Santa at Bass Pro is easy with no lines and it is free!

Hayden didn’t cry. But, I don’t think he was in love with Santa. He just wanted to get down!

Last Year

First year

I know, it is still painful for me to see his pants all hiked up and no socks on. I know. Bad Mom! Ha! I think after waiting for 4 hours to see Santa the first year, I didn’t really care at that point. Just wanted it done!

We had to do a little target shooting while we were there today. Hayden gave it a “shot”, but I think Jeff and I had more fun. Not sure how they ended up with the pink gun. Ha!

Overall, I would say no tears = successful trip to see Santa!

Good Samaritan Saturday and Making Cinnamon Rolls

2011-12-04T22:59:00.001-06:00

Have ya’ll had a good weekend? We have! Been a good weekend to just be at home in our pj’s! Jeff has been gone on a hunting trip since early Thursday morning. So, it has been pretty quiet and not much going on around here. Hayden and I have had a lot of fun together! Praise the Lord for the rain!

We took Mia (Cindy-Jen’s Momma) to the airport Saturday, but Hayden and I made a quick dash to Good Samaritan beforehand. We did find a few things. Some crafting wire, some textured wallpaper (for a craft project), a book about bullets and reloading for Jeff (I know, crazy I picked that up. I just saw it on the shelf and grabbed it because I knew he would love it.), and a few things for Hayden.

We got these Waffle Blocks. The box says made in 1984. They look brand new and Hayden loves them! He loves anything that hooks together!

They make the perfect barn for his tractor.

We also picked up this bag of wooden animals. Or so I thought that is what it was. Come to find out, they actually are a puzzle! I had so much fun putting this together! :-)

I knew Hayden would love them for this very reason!

I also picked up these stacking cups. Just because I suppose. Not that we really needed them. I spent $3 total.

Tonight I got a wild hair and decided to make Pioneer Woman Cinnamon Rolls. They are pretty easy to make, but make a big ole’ mess!

Hayden was loving it and was such a great helper! He rolled the dough. Slapped the dough. Poured 5 tablespoons of cinnamon in one spot. Well, he added those last two steps.

Mmm. Mmm. Mmm. Look at all that butter.

“I know Son. I am worried about all those calories too!”

Pure deliciousness! If you feel like consuming a lot of calories at once, give them a try! Or, make some to give to your neighbors. They will be so grateful!

Who knew beans could be so fun?

2011-12-03T22:03:00.001-06:00

Several months ago, I decided to buy Hayden a few different types of beans to play with. Well, just recently I bought a bucket for them to go in and got brave enough for him to play with them. As in, use cups and pour them.

Hayden had a few different {and more fun} ideas than me!

And then there is this. “Bean Head” he said.

Jeff’s comment to me, after they had been playing with the beans for a while…

“You know, you have some really great ideas. But, I am not so sure this is one of them.”

HA HA HA!

We have beans in ever nook and cranny imaginable. In the carpet. Under the cabinets. Taking a couple of minutes to sweep the floor it worth Hayden having fun!

Remember this?

2011-11-29T22:10:00.000-06:00

Do you remember this golf cart? I got for my birthday a couple of years ago?

Then this happened?

Well, Jeff’s Daddy got it and made it look “new” again! Doesn’t it look awesome?

The tree is up!

2011-11-28T23:04:00.001-06:00

On Saturday, we decided to put our Christmas tree up. It was actually kind of weird just getting a couple of boxes down out of the attic. Before the house fire, we had enough Christmas decor for 20 families. Seriously, it was ridiculous. So now, to just have a couple of boxes, is a little odd-but a good odd. ;-) I am sure Jeff was thankful we didn’t spend an hour getting boxes out of the attic. Ha!

I did have Jeff hang that little shelf you see so we would have a place to hang our stockings. It has been under a bed for a year and I think it worked out perfectly!

I am beyond excited for Christmas this year. Hayden was so excited about the Christmas tree this year. He was jumping up and down. “Christmas tree! Christmas tree! Cool!! Like it!!” were his words.

Our first ornament we put on was the only ornament that survived the fire. It was given to me by The Duckworths (a teacher (co-worker) and her family).

Hayden is so funny. He will just go over and sit by the tree. He loves it so!

We remembered we don’t have a tree skirt or star. But that is ok! I am thinking of something creative for the top. As far as the skirt, burlap will do!

Hayden is all about the Little People Nativity Scene and Christmas Train this year too.

I am excited to get started with Elf on the Shelf that Cousins Pam and Carla bought for Hayden last year!

We also put Hayden’s tree up in his room. I really didn’t know how I wanted to decorate his tree, but I found these lantern lights at Bass Pro Shops and then picked up a few “transportation” ornaments at Hobby Lobby.

That’s about all our decor in the house at the moment! I did add some wreaths and a porch tree outside! :-)

Thanksgiving and Black Friday

2011-11-27T00:02:00.001-06:00

It is so hard to believe that Thanksgiving has come and gone and now Christmas is upon us!

We had a great Thanksgiving meal at my nephew Chance and his wife Stefanie’s house. Most of the people I didn’t know, but we still enjoyed our time and ate tons of yummy food! There were 32 people there and we actually circled up and shared what we were thankful for. I loved that.

This is where all the action was! Chance, Bubba, and Shabre working hard!

Momma, Robin, and Daddy

Cousins: Blaze, Hayden, Blade

Last year on Thanksgiving Day.

Little stinker didn’t want his picture taken with me! (Jeff had to work. Boo!)

I may or may not have been goosing him to get him to smile.

Hayden knew what he wanted for lunch! Anything on the dessert table. Ha!

We got home mid-afternoon on Thanksgiving and I knew WE needed to get a nap in! Hayden, because he was heading to Nana and Papa’s and needed to not be grumpy and I was heading out to shop. Hayden slept until 6:30 PM. So, I was able to sneak in about a 45 minutes refresher nap. Took Hayden to spend the night and I got ready to go with my SIL, Yolanda, for what turned out to be a 14 hour, ALL NIGHT, shopping adventure! We left about 8:45 PM and got back home about 10:30 AM. Crazy! Definitely a first for me! Not the 14 hour shopping day, the ALL NIGHT shopping. I can’t remember the last time I stayed up all night. High School maybe?

Here is our list of stops… Wal-Mart (crazy!), Whataburger (30 minutes wait in the drive through and they forgot our fries!!), Target (THE MOST CRAZY!!), Old Navy, Bath and Body Works, Kohls, JC Penny, Dicks, Bed Bath and Beyond, Chick-Fil-A, Toys R Us, Wal-Mart again, home!

This year was much more crowded and crazy than last. Target beat anything I have ever seen before. I think it was the earlier starting shopping times. People were more likely to stay up and go shopping than get up in the middle of the night. After JC Penny, we didn’t wait in any lines.

The Before…

The after

After I got home, I took about a 2 hour nap, then headed to pick up Hayden. I was wishing I didn't take that nap. I felt horrible. Like I had stayed up all night. Ha!

I am not real sure how many deals we really got, but we had fun doing it! I loved getting to shop with my SIL and checking in with my best friend Jen (by phone) throughout the night!

Bath Time Is Fun!

2011-11-22T23:15:00.001-06:00

Our sweet boy loves him a bath. A bath full of bubbles playing until his wrinkles can’t wrinkle any more!

He has just started laying down. Pretty much the whole bath time. He has learned how to blow bubbles too!

One of my favorite pictures of all time! I want to print it but I can’t decide which edit I like best!

Thanksgiving Feast

2011-11-18T21:38:00.001-06:00

Today, Hayden had his Thanksgiving Feast at school. Ms. Jen had all the kids join hands and then she said a prayer before our meal. Precious! On the menu: crackers, ham, turkey, cheese, popcorn, marshmallows, and pretzels. Those babies were ready to dig in and they loved every bite!

Isn’t Hayden’s shirt cute? I LOVE IT! I got it here. I also got a super cute reindeer and police car shirt too!

I love this picture of Amy and Hudson. Now, every time we mention school Hayden says, “Hudson?”. They gave each other a big hug before they left today. So sweet!

Hayden didn’t want to sit down and eat like everyone else, he wanted to wobble and hop around. Silly boy!

The kids were so excited about their turkey’s I made! Hayden kept trying to put it all back together after he took it apart. He kept saying, “Turkey head on!” Ha!

Gobble, Gobble!

2011-11-17T22:05:00.001-06:00

Hayden has his Thanksgiving Feast tomorrow at school and we were assigned to bring rolled ham. Woohoo! Ha! I saw these cute little turkeys on Pinterest and I couldn’t resist!

Here is my finished product. Cute huh?

They really were easy! They certainly aren’t perfect. Far from it, but still kind of cute ! ;-)

Want a little photo tutorial?

If you want a step by step tutorial, check out Our Best Bites here! :-)

2nd Weekend at the Deer Lease

2011-11-15T22:24:00.001-06:00

Well, after 4 days of hunting hard, I came up short again! I saw a lot of deer, but no shooters. Luckily, Jeff killed a nice 9 point during bow season and filled up our freezer, so I can afford to be a little picky.

It was a good weekend. Even though I didn’t get anything, we have such a great time out there. Mostly because there are no worries. I also take the best naps at the lease!

Here is our little routine…I wake up about 5:40 AM, get dressed and out the door. (Jeff and Hayden still snoozing for a while longer.) Hop in the explorer and drive to where I will park to walk the rest of the way to the stand. I didn’t ever need a flashlight this go around. That moon was shining bright! I can say it is a little freaky walking in the dark all alone and all of a sudden a dumb bird flies out of the bush you walked past and you nearly fall on your face because you tripped over a rock trying to get away. I know, go ahead and laugh. Then, get in the stand by 6:10 AM or so. The goal is before the sun starts to come up. Wait for the feeder to go off around 6:20 or 6:30 AM depending on the stand you are sitting at. Then, watch for the action! Sunday morning, I saw NOTHING!! I stayed there for 4 hours and saw NADA! So, head back to camp around 9:45 or 10:00AM. Then, cook up a good breakfast. Usually biscuits, bacon/sausage, and eggs. Around noon Hayden and I lay down for a nap! Jeff usually find something to do (with Dad or one of the other guys on the lease). Yesterday he went and sat in the stand. I love nap time at the lease because I don’t feel guilty for taking one because there isn’t work to be done around the house or on the computer.

After nap time (usually about 2-3 hours later), time to get up, grab a snack, and head out the door for the afternoon hunt. Hunt from about 3:45-6:15 PM. Head back to camp and make plans for dinner. Sometimes we go eat in town (about 20 minutes away). Sometimes we eat at camp. Last night we cooked a pizza. Baths for everyone and then to bed usually by 9:00 PM. Roughin’ it I tell ya! See why I love it so much? :-)

Here is a little peak into what went on this weekend…

Lots of father/son time! These boys played their little hearts out! Hayden actually has his own little room in the camper. It is so nice!

We just pick up the pack and play during the day and it turns into a playroom! :-)

Can’t play all day and not do any work! :-)

Jeff brought a bucket of dirt from home so they would have some loose dirt to play with. Such a good Daddy!

Play dough! Hayden’s new love and will entertain him for quite a long time!

He is really working hard on learning those letters too!

Me and Hayden before an afternoon hunt. Hayden now says, “Mommy Hunting!”. I hope he grows up loving to hunt as much as Jeff and I do!

Marla, I told Jeff I was going to use this as my “What I Wear Wednesday” blog post since I pretty much wore this for 4 days this week! ;-) Hat-Bass Pro, Shirt and Pants-Academy, Snake boots-Bass Pro!

This afternoon we got home around 4:00 or so. Jeff was kind of itching to go sit in his bow stand behind the house. I encouraged him to get out and go have some “him” time since he really didn’t get much this weekend. Well, next thing I know, he is running back in the house telling me to call mom and see if she can watch Hayden because there is a big buck behind the house and he can’t get close enough with his bow. He runs Hayden down to Mom and Dads and I change clothes and grab my rifle. We sneak (a long way) down the pasture toward our feeder. I was so out of breath. Not kidding. Squatting down trying not to be seen, holding my gun, and trying to keep up with his long legs was a work out! My legs are going to be sore tomorrow, I can already tell. We would sit and wait and look, then move a little closer. I felt like I was in the Army or a sniper or something. Ha! We finally sat down and waited until dark. The big buck outsmarted us. Oh well, it was quite a fun adventure with my hubby. Jeff said, “I love you. I am so glad you enjoy doing things like this with me. I love that you don’t mind getting dirty and getting a little cow poop on ya.” Ha!

Glad to be home! We aren’t heading back to the lease for a few weeks. Hope you are having a good week!

Line Em’ Up

2011-11-11T21:40:00.001-06:00

Here we go…it’s been a while since the last “Line Em’ Up” post, but we still have lots of lining up going on around here! Now, Hayden will line something up and just clap and jump around so excited and can hardly wait for you to take a picture. So funny!

Random…trucks, tractors, a balloon, and a bulb medicine dropper.

Cars, trucks, tractors, and trains…

Disney/Mickey Mouse Characters…

After completing the task in his room, he loaded them all up in his red bucket and hauled them into the living room and began the task again.

I think it is interesting that he put all the red trucks together and all the blue items together.

He built a “gate”.

Certainly can’t leave all the rubber bath toys out.

My Favorite…

Lisa W., you should be proud. I was saying smallest, bigger, bigger, bigger, biggest! ;-)

No deer stories

2011-11-07T23:09:00.001-06:00

We made it back home safely this afternoon after a great weekend away at the deer lease. I didn’t see a whole lot and certainly no “shooters”, but we still had a great time. Dad saw quite a bit more than me, but nothing worth the taking. Yet. :-)

We attended two different hunter appreciation dinners. One Friday night and one Saturday night. Friday night, Dad won a gun (Remington 22). Saturday night, Hayden won a gun. A BB gun, but hey, its a gun! ;-) Hayden had the best time Saturday night. They had a huge area for kids to play in the dirt and Hayden was loving it! He and his daddy went around and around those huge wooden spools chasing each other.

Jeff and Dad both went to the doctor on Thursday to get some antibiotics before the weekend trip after had gone to the doctor on Tuesday for the same. Jeff actually lost his voice over the weekend. But, I think everyone is finally feeling better now!

Hayden and his Daddy had some really great bonding time! Jeff had gotten a buck earlier during bow season, so it was my turn to hunt this weekend. I think it was so good for both of them to spend so much quality time together. I was pretty much just around for meals and naptime! ;-) They played with cars, trucks, trains, and animals! Oh, and toothpaste boxes. It’s the little things!

They also ate things like banana pudding pie for breakfast. Oh my!

I think this baby was worn out after his weekend of hunting!

This Momma is worn out too! Off to bed!

Fall Carnival at Church

2011-11-02T09:07:00.001-05:00

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” John 14:6

“Jesus is the way.” was our theme for our Church Carnival on Sunday. Each Sunday School class was responsible for a game around that theme. My Junior High Girls class did hop scotch. We were real original and went all out and probably had nothing to do with the theme. ;-) We all had fun though!

We also had a casserole cook-off. I was so sad I didn’t win. I took this Cheesy Enchilada Casserole I found on pinterest. I still thought it was pretty yummy! ;-) There was a Ruben casserole that took grand prize.

Hayden wasn’t feeling real great on Sunday, but he still did a little playing with his Daddy and Lizzy. I think this tent was his favorite. They had corn spread out and tractors to scoop the corn while searching for a prize.

Our friends Tommy and Hudson were up next!

He kind of liked racing the 4 wheelers too.

A little bowling action.

This was a “roller coaster”. The kids L.O.V.E.D. it! Well, I think everyone but Hayden. We didn’t get a picture of the “roller coaster” part, but it was this Little Tikes plastic ramp with hills that you rode this little car off of. The little kids couldn’t get enough!

Hop Scotch.

We skipped Trick-or-Treating on Halloween. Hayden wasn’t feeling great and we had family pictures that afternoon/evening too.

We ended up taking Hayden to the doctor yesterday. He woke up with a little fever and lots of coughing and congestion. Just allergies, cold, viral. But, she did go ahead and give us a antibiotic. I am glad! He took a 3 1/2 hour nap and woke up with 102 fever and just felt progressively worse, so I went ahead and gave him the meds. It is so crazy, he has been sick this exact week for the past three years. He woke up better and has been playing all morning. We need him better so we can head to the deer lease this weekend! This Momma has some hunting to do!!

Blogging may be a little scarce the next week. Jen is in town, Shauna is coming to stay the night, Canton tomorrow, and then we are headed to the deer lease! Hope big Daddy comes to see me!! I am so excited to get in the stand!

Yesterland Farms

2011-10-31T21:40:00.001-05:00

On Saturday, Jeff and I decided to take Hayden to Yesterland Farms in Canton and we are so glad we did. It was a lot of fun! I definitely think next year he will enjoy it so much more than even this year. There is so much for kids and families to do. We didn’t do half of it just because Hayden was a little small. So, if you have kids 3 and up and live within driving distance, I would definitely make the trip! They also have a Texas Christmas/Pictures with Santa in December.

As you walk in, there are several rides including a small roller coaster, a climbing wall, a pumpkin patch, pony rides, hay/cart rides, and more. Then, you go to the back where there is a petting zoo, pig races, pumpkin and corn cob launching, play areas, more rides, and the corn maze (our favorite part).

The petting zoo was small and you really couldn’t pet many animals. But, Hayden liked it.

The Maze! We probably spent 30 minutes in there but it was so much fun!

As you were going through, you could play Mazeopoly. You had to find different areas and “punch” your card. Each stop had some sort of Farming Fact on it. It was really cool!

Hayden would keep saying “This Way”!! He had a blast!

This sweet lady offered to take our picture. I was so excited! But kinda sad when it was blurry! Oh well, we got some others that were good! :-)

Sorry about that corn stalk being in your face Hayden!

Time for the Hay/Cart Ride! We got us some YUMMY kettle corn for the ride!

Pumpkins of all shapes and sizes everywhere!

Family Picture Time! There were SO MANY awesome places they had set up for you to take pictures! I loved that! A good picture makes this Momma happy!

Hayden got him a $2 pumpkin to go!

1st Halloween Party at School

2011-10-28T22:50:00.001-05:00

Hayden had his first little Halloween party today. As a preschooler. I can’t believe it! I can’t believe I was already doing some home-room mommin’ the past couple of weeks!

Amy, Randa, and I got together this week and made a few things for the kids and got their little goodie bags ready. We kept it pretty simple for the party. Pizza, fruit, chips, ranch dip, cookies, and some good ole’ Capri Sun!

When Amy and I got to the school, Hayden immediately begun melting down. Then, the rest of the kids started crying one by one. Mrs. Jen had them sitting away from where we were setting up and I guess Hayden didn’t understand why he couldn’t come to me and leave. :-/ I think the party might have been a little over-stimulating and interrupted their routine, but we did have fun after all!

The kids could dress up or bring their costume if they wanted. We opted not to since we have two more nights to wear the costume.

Cute cookies Amy’s babysitter decorated for us.

Amy and little hunter Hudson.

Us, the best one we got.

They made little foam pumpkins. Easy. Cheap. And they were so proud of them!

Mrs. Jen had these boxes and all the kids loved playing them! She tried to get us to take one home so they could play in it. Just what we need! :-)

The boys love the playhouses. Thinking we might should get one for Hayden for Christmas. A little more boyish though. ;-)

I would consider the first party a little hectic , but definitely a success! Can’t wait fore more to come!

Fall Party

2011-10-26T22:03:00.001-05:00

We are partying it up this Fall! We had another Fall party this past Sunday at the Potts House. Hayden’s school Halloween party is on Friday. We have a Halloween Carnival at our Church on Sunday. Then, I am sure we will be trick-or-treating on Monday! Whew! I think I will be OVER Halloween by then! :-)

Amy and I had been kind of planning this party for a while. Actually, I was just a helper. Amy was the planner. We got the cutest little invitations made here.

Here are the pictures from our afternoon…

Ready to paint, decorate, and carve pumpkins!

Hayden didn’t really care much about painting a pumpkin. As you can tell, he was kind of happy snacking on all the yummy food!!

Poor Randa! She and her family were all dressed and ready to go to Church. Cannon was covered in paint!

Eating again…Cheetos this time.

Amy got a bounce house for the kids. They were loving it! Hayden didn’t actually get in this one, but he did get in another small one they had. This is a big deal since he has been deathly afraid of going near them before now.

The Potts Family…minus Hayson.

Hayden and Hudson. Ready for the Hay Ride! These next three pictures crack me up. I have no idea what Hayden was doing with his arm, but Hudson decided he would join him!

We had such a fun time. Wish Jeff could have gone with us. He was gone on a hunting trip. We were so ready for him to get home! Between our trip to Vegas, his hunting trip to Missourri, and his work schedule, it seemed like we hadn’t seen each other in forever!!

Sausage Balls

2011-10-25T22:20:00.001-05:00

I don’t know about you, but we love us some sausage balls here in the Smith house! Especially this time of the year when it is getting cooler! After my last post, someone requested that I post the recipe that I found on pinterest. So here it is!

Cream Cheese Sausage Balls
(Printable Recipe)
1 lb hot sausage, uncooked
8 oz cream cheese, softened
1 1/4 cups Bisquick
4 oz cheddar cheese, shredded
Preheat oven to 400F.

Mix all ingredients until well combined. (I used my big mixer with the dough hook attachment). Roll into 1-inch balls. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until brown.
Sausage balls may be frozen uncooked. If baking frozen, add a few minutes to the baking time.

**I cooked mine for about 20 minutes on a regular baking pan and I think it might have been a little long. You might want to adjust the temp or cooking time a little.

Trick or Treatin’ with some girl friends.

2011-10-19T22:40:00.001-05:00

Today we had a fun Halloween party with some friends at Kristin and Payton’s house. All girls in fact. That’s ok. Hayden didn’t seemed too fazed by it. As always, we had some yummy food! The momma’s favorite part!! ;-)

Krissy brought the cutest sweets!

These little mummy’s are made with four marshmallows and a fruit roll up. So cute!

Love these little ghosts too! These are the biggest marshmallows I have ever seen!

And these cakes! Yes, cakes! Goodness, besides being so stinkin’ cute, they were delicious!!

I brought sausage balls (a new recipe with cream cheese in them) and these cute little acorns I found on Pinterest. Hayden is all about hunting him some acorns outside, so he thought these were pretty cool! Just need you some donut holes, pretzel sticks, Nutella, chocolate sprinkles and some pecans.

The ones made with pecans were much better than the sprinkles in my opinion. I am not crazy about the plastic taste of sprinkles. You could also use heath bar chips (yummy!).

Kristin made these cute buckets full of tons of goodies for them.

I brought these little jars for the Momma’s. Candy Corn and peanuts. Yum!

Hayden did wear his Indian costume for a little bit. Cutest little Indian I have ever seen! ;-)

Eatin’ time!

Mmm, Mmm, Mmm. Those strawberries are delicious! Hayden ate strawberries and chips for lunch. He cared much more about playing than he did eating. And that yellow bottle…he found that and carried it around pretty much the whole two hours we were there. Notice the pictures that follow…

Play time outside!

Love these dresses! Kristin and Marla have the cutest Etsy shop you can check out here! I have placed my order for a few “boy” shirts! I am so excited about them!

We missed you Addisyn and Shada. Hope you get better soon!

Thank you Kristin for such a great party! We had so much fun and you outdid yourself, AGAIN!

Las Vegas, Days 4 and 5.

2011-10-17T00:07:00.001-05:00

Saturday afternoon, Aunt Kathy took Hayden and I to Bonnie Springs Ranch in the Red Rock area outside of Vegas. Bonnie Springs has a petting zoo, live “outlaw” gun shows, horse back riding, train rides, etc.

Hayden loved seeing all the animals. He just wasn’t so sure about them getting so close to him. There were donkeys, deer, chickens, sheep, goats, pigs, etc. just walking around freely.

There were a lot of caged animals too. Wolves, alpacas, birds, miniature horses, longhorn steer, buffalo, etc.

This guy must be kind of dangerous. They have him double fenced in, had warning signs up, and he was snorting and acting a little crazy.

They had a hay bale maze.

Hayden loved feeding the ducks some of his left over popcorn from the night before. The ducks were pretty thankful too!

Waiting patiently for the train to arrive.

All Aboard! Hayden loved the train ride. So much so, we rode two times in a row.

There were wild donkeys everywhere!

We have done some shopping the last two days too. Today we were on a hunt for Hayden a new carseat. We brought his extra cheap/lightweight carseat with us and he has outgrown it. He was getting squished between his legs and he wasn’t liking it! Poor baby! We fixed that problem today! His old one will get donated and he will be comfy again!

Had to get that boy an icee for the Target trip.

**Hayden got the cut on his head at Bonnie Springs. He ran right into a fence post wrapped in chicken wire. :-(

Tonight, Mom, Granddaddy and I went down to the Casino right down the road for a little blackjack. Hayden got spoiled by his Aunt Kathy.

We have only been to the casino two times. One time I won $40 and tonight I came out even. We have all actually come out ahead or even both nights. I will take that! Cheap entertainment!

Hayden and his Granddaddy Red have become pretty good buddies.

Hayden thinks it is real fun to sit up “high” on Granddaddy Red’s couch. See all those figurines on the table, Hayden really likes those too. Makes me a nervous wreck! He actually does really good with them. There is one elephant in particular he likes to carry around. He has also discovered GR’s candy corn candy dish. I am pretty sure he has eaten about 100 of those things. I don’t blame him, they are pretty tasty!

Tomorrow is our last day here. Not much on the agenda. We are definitely ready to see Jeff! And the rest of the family. Love and miss you all!!

Las Vegas Days 1, 2, and 3.

2011-10-15T23:32:00.001-05:00

On Wednesday morning, Mom, Hayden, and I embarked on our journey to Vegas! It is always fun traveling with a toddler! Not because Hayden is a challenge, but carrying your luggage, carseat, stroller, backpack, diaper bag, and a 34 pound toddler is a lot fun! ;-) Hayden was GREAT! I couldn’t have asked for a better travel partner. Mom made it good. Just a little tired after traveling. I think we all were ready for a nap!

We flew right over the Grand Canyon.

And, the Hoover Dam area.

After we got here, we pretty much just relaxed for the rest of the afternoon and evening. Hayden discovered Aunt Kathy’s bird bath.

And lots of geckos.

Thursday afternoon we went to a really cool nature park.

There were tons of geese, ducks, pigeons and other various birds around. Looking for a hand out of course!

They had an awesome fossil discovery area.

You can bring your sand buckets and dig for fossils.

They had this awesome play area too.

Another area of the park.

Check out these birds with the “hair pieces”. I don’t think I have ever seen anything like this on a duck.

Last night (Friday), we went down to the famous Freemont Street Experience and enjoyed the light show and watched some bands play. They were having Oktober Fest so some of the happenings were a little “out there”. I have to admit, I am glad Hayden wasn’t older and that he couldn’t fully understand his surroundings. :-)

Watching the light show…

The light show covers a long strip of casinos and it is set to music. It is really cool!

Hayden really wanted to see Mickey and Minnie. Until we got close to them.

Sisters!

Us!

My little shadow…

2011-10-11T21:00:00.000-05:00

I love my little shadow.

Chloe in the tractor trailer.

2011-10-10T22:20:00.001-05:00

Hayden thought it would be a great idea to put Chloe in the trailer behind his tractor. Only, Chloe didn’t really think it was that fun.

I couldn’t ever catch a shot of Chloe actually going for a ride in the trailer because she wasn’t there but a second when he took off. But, here are some of Hayden’s sweet face while he was trying to get her to stay in the trailer. Ha!

We gave up on the trailer ride and she actually would ride in his lap for a few seconds.

Tonight he said, “Chloe, night night, Hayden’s bed". So sweet! He loves her, loves to aggravate her, and tries to love on her. Whether or not she likes it is questionable.

Little ladybug on my arm you wear a heart as part of your charm You joined me on this sunny day just for a moment then you flew away. ~Author Unknown

2011-10-06T21:33:00.001-05:00

Hayden and I spent the evening outside after our day spent in Tyler while Nana had her knee replacement surgery. We are praying for a speedy recovery!

Hayden discovered a ladybug crawling around on his fort and the fun was on! We spent atleast 30 minutes playing with this ladybug. She would fly (or get blown) away and we would go find her again. So much fun. It’s the simple things.

My first Pinterest Project Complete

2011-10-05T22:42:00.001-05:00

Are you addicted to Pinterest like me? Oh my goodness. I could spent hours on there! I try to limit myself about 10-15 minutes a day. Don’t know what Pinterest is? Pinterest is like a public place to save all your “favorites” called pins. Favorites meaning, recipes, quotes, things you want to make, projects, decorating ideas, style/fashion, teaching ideas, how-to’s, pictures, etc. You categorize your “pins” onto different “boards”. Then, you share them with your “followers”. It is so much fun! If you need an invite, let me know!

I have gotten so many party food ideas, Holiday projects for around the house, fun projects for Hayden, and even learned how to curl, braid, and twist my hair. I am telling you, its fabulous!

I am pretty sure all us Pinterest fans pin have these hundreds of ideas with the intention of maybe one day completing a project or two. Right?

I pinned this a while back…

And I am proud to say I completed my first Pinterest project! WAHOOO! Here is ours…

I just dug out a canvas I happened to have. Painted it black. Put our foot prints on there and stapled some ribbon on the back. I did it all in about 45 minutes letting it dry in between playing in the dirt outside.

Jeff said, “Why are you the only one with eyelashes?” Well, truth be told, I made the eyes a little large on mine and I thought it wouldn’t make it so noticeable. :-) I really wish I would have painted big orange polka dots on there before we did our footprints. Wouldn’t that be cute? Now I can’t decide if I want to add the date, our names, our last name, or anything else. I need to practice writing with paintbrushes a little more. But, I am proud of our little project! :-)

Mom Update 10-4-11

2011-10-04T13:07:00.001-05:00

A “Mom Update” is LONG overdue and I feel so bad that I haven’t done it before now. I think it has been over a year since I did an official update.

Mom went in for her long day at the doctor’s office last Thursday. Long day means she goes to Baylor for blood work. Then, drinks her contrast. Gets a CAT Scan. Gets an IV for a chemical contrast. Then, goes for another CAT scan. Then, goes in for a 2 hour infusion to get rid of the contrast because her liver has a really hard time “digesting” it. Then, waits to see the Oncologist.

The report wasn’t that great. Her doctor said that her tumors had grown about 50%. For example, one of the tumors in her liver had grown from 2 CM to 3 CM since July. Her tumors had really been pretty stagnant in growth for quite some time. She currently has Carcinoid tumors throughout her liver and a tumor/mass about the size of a quarter in her pelvic area. She also has tumors in her right lung but they showed no signs of change. She will be going back in 6 weeks to begin a new oral Chemo treatment. I know she is weary of this because the last one she took about two years ago seemed to be the root cause of her kidney failure that lead to being hospitalized and on dialysis before her heart valve replacement surgery in January 2010 . She also continues to take two very painful Sandostatin chemo shots every three weeks plus a Aranesp shot for chronic anemia.

He also told her that she needed to loose 15-20 pounds of fluid. She has been having a hard time breathing (she has remained on oxygen for almost 2 years). But, has really had a hard time the last week or so. Most likely due to her fluid build up. So, she has been taking her “fluid” pills the last couple of days, but it isn’t coming off as quickly or easily as normal. These fluid pills really restrict her. Not only can she not leave the house on those days, they seem to really hurt her tummy on those days and the days after.

He also suggested she make an appointment with her heart doctor to get a check up. Maybe there is valve leakage again? Also, he might have an alternate plan for taking off and keeping off the fluid.

Thankfully, her lungs were clear of fluid.

Mom has also just finished up several weeks of physical therapy. Several months ago, she was pretty much bed-ridden. She had done something to her arm/neck/shoulder and she was in so much pain. She stayed in bed, could hardly talk to you because she was in so much pain, and wasn’t eating much or taking her meds. Pain meds weren’t seeming to help her much. This turned into her being very weak and her falling frequently. Turns out that she had a torn rotator cuff and she also has degenerative arthritis in three vertebras. Surgery isn’t an option for her. As if she didn’t already have enough going on, right? Thankfully, she eventually got into a doctor and he gave her a steroid shot in her shoulder and they have made her feel SO. MUCH. BETTER!! Praise the Lord!

Another praise is that her diabetes is no longer a problem. She doesn’t have a need to check her blood sugar or take insulin because of her weight loss. YAY!

All this to say, Mom still does all the normal day to day things. Go to the local grocery store, beauty shop, therapy, etc. Wash clothes. Cook dinner. Now, she isn’t ready to run a marathon, but she is one amazing woman, let me tell you!

Please continue to keep Mom in your prayers. She is the strongest woman I know. I have so much admiration for her physical, emotional, and mental strength, her courage, and her fight to not let any of this get the best of her.

I love you so much Momma.

If you would like to read Mom’s Journey over the past two years, you can go here.

When lightening strikes!

2011-10-02T20:00:00.000-05:00

A couple of weeks ago, we had a really bad “lightening” storm come through. Jeff and I stayed outside under the awning for a while watching it and trying to get some pictures. Here are a couple I caught. Keep in mind it is pitch dark when I took these. The second one looks almost daylight.

As luck would have it, lightening struck the power pole in front of our house and sent a surge through our house. I suppose that is what you would call it? Jeff and I were sitting on the couch and we heard this loud pop inside our house as the electricity went out. We were the only one without power around here. Dad and Jeff made sure there wasn’t a fire any where and we called the electric company to come fix it. The electricity came back on around 1AM. Well, when we got up the next morning, we noticed our microwave and LED light above our stove wasn’t working. We thought it might be the plug. Nope, wasn’t the plug. Then, we noticed our printer wasn’t working. Then, we noticed that Hayden’s video baby monitor wasn’t working. Then, we noticed that our washing machine wasn’t working. Lovely huh? Well, later than evening, it was warm in our house. Guess what, our AC wasn’t working either!! Seriously, this wasn’t happening! Everything was less than a year old since we had to replace everything after the fire. Which, in turn, has been a blessing!!! Our AC guy came and fixed our unit with a fan he took off our old AC unit {which is like new but too small for our house now} that we had when our house burned. FREE!! Then, the washing machine guy came out and has ordered the parts to {hopefully} fix our washer for FREE! Then, we took our light down above our stove. It was one of those $80 lights that we spent the money on because it is supposed to last forever. Well, lucky for us, I still had the receipt and guess what LOWES exchanged it for FREE! Then, I called COSTCO about our microwave {because I still had receipt} and they are going to replace it for FREE!

Can you believe it? God is good huh?

I did order a new printer online and paid $85 for it. And, I have made it two weeks without a video monitor. I wasn’t sure I could do it. So, I am not sure if we will replace it or not. It was one I got for cheap from a friend of Jen’s and I L.O.V.E.D. that thing!!! I loved watching our sweet boy sleep. Or if he was upset about not wanting to go to sleep, we knew he was ok. But, I can say, I sleep much better at night not having it on.

I am ready to have my washer fixed, but thankfully Mom and Dad are right next door and I can use theirs when I need to.

What an emotional roller coaster ride this lightening strike has been, but it could have been so much worse. We are definitely counting our blessings!

Week Wrap Up!

2011-10-01T23:37:00.001-05:00

Howdy Folks! (Just thought I would throw that out there since the Texas State Fair started yesterday). I am still working on talking Jeff into going! I think Hayden would like it! Or maybe I just want a fried snickers. ;-)

I feel like we had a busy week, but I don’t really think we did THAT much!

Monday, we spent most of the day running some errands and doing a little shopping Rockwall.

Tuesday, I went back to Rockwall to give one of my Thirty-One hostesses some information and do a little more shopping by myself. I got to walk around Hobby Lobby in peace! What a treat!!

Wednesday, I had to take Skooter to the vet. He had an eye infection. I love $80 trips to the vet! :-/ Then, Hayden and I went to church for a meeting.

Thursday, I think we may have stayed home.

Friday, Hayden went to school and I went to Canton with some girlfriends! This was Hayden’s first day to stay for “after care” at school. Two of the Momma’s I went with had boys in Hayden’s class so we were all leaving them late. I think that all made us feel a little less guilty about it. Canton was very busy but a success. I got some bracelets, earrings, a fun dressy shirt, a super cute leopard jacket, and a new cute little hat. I am all about throwing on a hat these days! I guess this trip ended up being all about me! :-) Oh, and I got a big wooden pumpkin to stick in the yard. Jeff was actually off last night so he met Hayden and I at DQ for a treat after I picked him up from school. Then, we played outside the rest of the afternoon while Jeff got the travel trailer ready to go to the lease. We decided to go eat fish at the new place in town. If you want my opinion of it, let me know. :-)

Saturday, Jeff left in the middle of the night to go to the deer lease. Hayden and I got up to go to Good Samaritan to see if we could find anything good. We had not been in several weeks. Hayden got a spray rig toy and I got some material to practice making rosettes. We spent 25 cents. Then, we hit a few garage sales. {Great to see you Uncle James and Aunt Mary Helen). Hayden found a Fisher Price Little People farm truck and trailer with some animals. He has played with it all day!

Sad thing is that we spent more at Sonic on two drinks after our little garage sale adventure than we did on the things we bought out and about. We visited Nanny for a bit. Came home for lunch and naps. We even took a nap together. Sweet, sweet! Played this afternoon. Hayden had his first praying mantis encounter. He thought it was super cool of course!

Then we got cleaned up and headed out to Circle H for the best barbeque and then to a Celebrating Home party at a friend’s house.

Back to see Nanny and Granddaddy for a minute to show off Jeff’s picture he sent me of his deer he got tonight. I know ya’ll think I am nuts, but I was in tears when he sent me this picture. Not because the deer died. Ya’ll know me better than that. But, this was Jeff’s first deer kill with his bow. I was so excited for him! Check out that forked eye guard. :-)

Then, got the boy to bed and just finished studying my Sunday School lesson for tomorrow. I can’t remember if I have said anything about it on here, but I am teaching the Junior High girls class at our church. Those sweet girls are a blessing to me! I have learned so much myself! I am not sure how much I am teaching them, but I love spending my Sunday mornings with them. There are only about 4-5 girls that come regularly, but I am anxious to see our class grow!

I think that about sums up our week!

Hayden and Jake

2011-09-28T22:43:00.001-05:00

Hayden and Jake are pretty good buddies. Or, Hayden thinks Jake is his buddy. I am not real sure what Jake thinks about their relationship. I guess Jake must kind of like Hayden though. He pretty much lets him do whatever he wants to.

Yes, you are seeing that correctly. Hayden has no underpants on. Potty Training going on around the Smith House! Hayden nor Jake seemed to mind. I guess Mommy and Daddy didn’t either. :-)

Taking out the trash

2011-09-25T09:07:00.000-05:00

Hayden loves taking out the trash! Wonder if he will love it this much when he is 16?

I can say, it is my goal that he will be an amazing man and husband one day like his Daddy! One that will pitch in and clean, unload the dishwasher, take out the trash, do laundry-without being asked. One that will iron his clothes. One that will cook for his wife and family. One that is organized. The list goes on and on… Hopefully my list isn’t too ambitious! ;-)

Fall, Potty Training, Caterpillars, and a Rainette Performance!

2011-09-24T09:50:00.001-05:00

Are you not loving this FALL weather? I don’t know about you but we have pretty much been living outside these days! I have to admit, we have been living outside due to this amazing weather but also because we are potty training!! If I can avoid as many accidents as possible inside, I am happy!! He is doing really well!

Hayden found several caterpillars living on his play fort yesterday. He was so excited!

Something about the simplicity of this picture I love. His dirty fingernails holding a stick with a caterpillar. All boy! Priceless to me. :-)

Fall also means Football!! Hayden went to his first Varsity football game! And I am pretty sure it is my first one since I graduated High School. Kind of sad huh? Last night was Homecoming for our town and Yolanda (Jeff’s sister) was performing a dance routine with many of the former Rainettes from many years back. I am guessing the ladies ages ranged from early 30’s-early 60’s. It was so fun to watch and they did so good!! Way to Go LULU! Those high kicks were AWESOME!! (She is on the 50 yard line in the black capri pants).

I know both of these say Rainettes #2 but they are different!

I love this picture! Hayden kept putting his arm around his Papa.

He really enjoyed looking at all the nasty bugs swarming around the lights too! Ha!

Plano Balloon Festival

2011-09-21T22:56:00.001-05:00

Friday afternoon, Hayden and I headed to McKinney to hangout with The Barner’s. Amy was hosting a Thirty-One party that afternoon and then we planned to stay the night and get up early to head to the Balloon Festival. And, that is exactly what we did!

The Boys had such a blast playing together. I was kind of worried how the party would go since I was trying to “work” and be a mommy at the same time. :-) But, they played upstairs most of the time and had the best time! We did hear the occasional “Mommy”. I think Hayden just wanted to make sure I was still around! Ha!

After we got the boys to bed Amy and I headed to Target. We didn’t get there until about 9:00 PM but we had so much fun! We literally walked up just about every isle. Going to Target late at night and staying until they close without kids is such a treat! Can I get an AMEN? Ha!

I almost peed my pants looking at and watching Amy try on Halloween Costumes. She will kill me for this…

After Target, we made a late night run to Taco Bell. Yum! Got to bed around 12:45 AM or so. Amy came in at 5:40 AM to wake us up to get ready to head to the Balloon Festival! Pretty sure I had just closed my eyes.

The boys got their morning milk and were ready to go!

It was a throw on a hat and go kind of morning for Momma!

The Balloons were supposed to be ready to launch around 6:30 or 7:00 AM but we got there and waited a while before they started showing up.

Gave us time to eat our yummy donuts!

Here they go…

After the balloons were all pretty much up, they let us all go on the field since they weren’t going to launch (due to weather).

Barrett got to hold the guide rope! So cool!

On the field with the balloons! Hayden was being a little stink and didn’t want his picture taken.

I thought this pirate balloon was pretty cool. Outside and inside of it…

We really had a great time. We had a front row seat to the balloons as they were blown up and the boys loved it! I am so glad we were able to go even though they didn’t launch! Thanks Matt, Amy, and Barrett for letting us tag along!

Super Fun Trip to the Zoo!

2011-09-15T23:20:00.001-05:00

We had a great trip to the zoo today with Kristin and Payton! We had a blast! So much so that I took about 150 pictures. I L.O.V.E my camera! And taking pictures too! ;-)

So, here are a few to get you by until I have more time to sort through them all and tell you all about our day!