Sooooo Ready!

Tonight we had our first official Christmas dinner of the season! It was so good! Probably one of my favorites yet. The kids did a neat craft too. Once they are finished, I will try and post a picture.

And I am ready for tomorrow! Not only is it Christmas Eve, but Robert flies in! Yippee! I have missed my husband. I miss him picking on me. I miss pestering him. I am ready to have him here with me. I know the boys are too. He flies into Tulsa and I am just praying that the bad weather holds off til after he lands. He is escaping the CA floods for the cold AR weather. We might have a white Christmas! I am hopeful!

Last night we went to the Razorback game. The boys had a blast! Brycen has even started learning to call the Hogs... which is adorable! This age is so precious. You can just see the little wheels turning in his mind and he gets so excited!! Love it!

I think I am done with my Christmas shopping. It seems little things always end up creeping onto my list. I am just ready to relax for a bit too. Everytime I am here I just run, run, run. Everyday by 5 I feel like I could fall asleep. Maybe I will get some energy back once the holidays have passed.

I hope each and every one of you have a wonderful and merry Christmas!

Is gray the new black?!

Unfortunately, I am not talking about clothes. I am talking about hair.

My name is Lenora and my hair is turning gray.

There, I have said it. It has gotten so bad here lately. For the past few years I have been highlighting my hair. I believe this has disguised the gray that was there. In August I died my hair back to dark brown. Since then, I have become overwhelmed with all of the gray hair popping up! I am 25 years old!!

I guess it is just hard to realize that I am getting older. I am just wondering how long before all of my hair is gray. Hopefully not too soon. You better believe that this spring I am going to be highlighting my hair again.

So tonight I box-dyed my hair. If I dye it, I usually use a box. If I highlight, then I always go to my stylist. Well I enlisted my sister, Brooklyn to help me out because I have a TON of hair. We do the whole process, I wash, blow dry and notice that I still had streaks! Ugh, so I made her get out the rest of the second bottle we had left and fix it. Thank goodness the second time she got it right! It is back to dark brown. Let's see how long this lasts before gray becomes my new color!

Merry Christmas!

Wishing you and your family a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Love,

Robert, Lenora, Thompson, and Brycen

Happy 1st Birthday Brycen!

On Saturday we celebrated Brycen's 1st Birthday! A year old... wow! It's hard to believe that my baby is already 1.

I will try not to make this a sappy post, but a happy one celebrating the wonderful life that we have been blessed with.

Brycen, you are 1!

Here is what you are up to...

You weigh almost 23lbs! And you are just over 30 inches tall. We will go to your 1-year appointment when we get home.

Last week we switched you to whole milk out of a sippy cup! No more bottles for you, little man. Surprisingly, you haven't seemed to miss them. And the transition went WAY better than I expected. Since you were born, we had so many issues with you spitting up. Finally, Enfamil AR seemed to be the trick! So I was nervous about trying you on whole milk, but you haven't had any spit up. Thank goodness!

I have also started to limit your drinking intake. You get about 4 cups of milk a day. (You were getting about 5-6 bottles) With this, you are eating a lot more! You are getting more and more used to table food and it makes it a lot easier. You still have about 4-5 jars of baby food a day, but are eating snacks here and there too. I have already decided that I am going to have to get a job just to be able to support our grocery bill. You are an eater! You would eat non-stop if I would let you. :)

You are wearing 12-18 months in clothes, size 4 shoe, and size 4 diaper. You are a walking pro. You love to chase your big brother around the house. It looks like you are playing "tag". You will reach your arm out when he runs by like you are going to get him. So cute! And you are such a jibber-jabber. You walk around the house just talking like you are a big kid! I can't wait for you to start learning more words!

So far you can wave bye, blow kisses, give high fives, say momma, da-da, hi, and no.

Since we have been home, you have really taken to your Papa. He is so proud of that and daily refers to you as "Papa's Boy". But when you are hungry or tired, you only want your Momma!

You had your 1st birthday party here in Arkansas. We had so much fun!! You are surrounded by so many people who love you, and that is the best thing ever! You had fun with your smash cake, opening presents, and just playing with all of the kids.

Brycen, this has been the best year of my life. You have been such an amazing addition to our family. I love you. Happy Birthday baby boy.

Don't worry, I am alive!

No, I am not talking about my lack of blog posts... I am talking about how I almost took out 2 fingers tonight while cooking dinner!

Eesh!

I was so proud to use my mom's new Pampered Chef knife. She got this knife like 2 years ago and never has touched it. She gave it to me last year, but I keep forgetting to take it home with me. Well tonight I pull out it out to cut potatoes. My mom comes in and we talk about the knife and I tell her how much I love it!!! Fast forward one potato later and I am screaming and in tears vowing that I was going to die. (Yes, I know I am a little dramatic.) I told her to take me to the hospital, but after further inspection we decided to call the family's honorary doctor, my sister Tara. I cut my index finger and somehow took off the tip of my thumb. (I know, I am talented!) She came up and put some kind of strips on it to help seal it. I eventually stopped crying after a pep talk from Thompson.

What is so funny is one of the only things I could mumble out while I was crying was that I didn't want her knife anymore! ha!

Not much else going on around here. We are enjoying visiting with all of our family and friends. On Sunday, I went with my mom and sister, Brittany to one of our area's home tours. Along the way I found my best friend, Becca. I somehow convinced her to go with Brittany and I to Tulsa (maybe a little bribery of the Cheesecake Factory had something to do with it!) to pick up Britt's hubby from the airport. We had such a good time catching up!

We are getting ready for the big boy's 1st birthday party on Saturday! Ahhh!!! I can't believe he is about to be one! My little boy is growing up on me...

Prayers

I am asking for prayers for a Marine Wife who lost her husband 2 days ago while he was in Afghanistan. I have been following her blog and I always enjoyed her posts. It was so clear to see how much she loved and supported him. As Marine spouses, we know that when we send our loved ones off to war there is a chance that they might not come back. You hug them, tell them you love them, pray over them, and kiss them goodbye. But nothing, nothing prepares you for the reality of them actually not coming home.

I have been thinking about her since I heard the news and my heart is broken. I have been praying over and over for God to surround her right now and to keep her lifted up.

Please, stop by Katie's Blog to let her know you are thinking of her. She is going to need so much support now.

Surprise!

We are in Arkansas!!

The boys and I flew home early to surprise the family. Let me tell you... They. Were. Surprised.

My mom and dad's faces were priceless. I don't think I have ever done something like this and she is still talking about it. A big thanks to Meridith who drove us to the airport and Brittany for driving to Tulsa to pick us up.

The real shocker was that I kept my mouth quiet for 2 weeks! ha!

The boys have enjoyed being in Arkansas. Brycen has walked around my mom and dad's house about 1000x already. Surprisingly, he hasn't messed with her Christmas tree.

Today, we went and surprised Jude at school and ate lunch with him. I know I have said this before, but Thompson is OBSESSED with school. He begs me everyday to let him ride on the bus to go to school. He will even put on his backpack and tell me he is leaving to go to school. So he was in Heaven! He loved standing in line with the kids and emptying his tray. It was too cute. He even ran off into the little boys restroom and yelled at me to "get out of the boys bathroom!". And then he cried and cried when we left. I would have let him go play at recess with Jude, but I don't know if I could get him to leave while trying to hold onto Brycen. So I just told him that Jude had to go back to class. Maybe next time!

When I find my camera, I will post some cute pictures from the plane ride here.

So this post was supposed to have gone up 2 days ago...

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving! Ours was great! We had some yummy food and got to spend time with our family. :)
After lots and lots of eating, we went home. I had to get dressed to go to Black Friday! I loaded up with my neighbor, Nikki and we headed to the mall to go to the Disney Store! Shanna was there waiting in line, so we stood with her. So after waiting FOR-EVER in the freezing cold, they let us in and we got to do some shopping. I didn't get too much there, just some stocking stuffers and a gift for Thompson. Afterwards, we headed to Wal-Mart. It was CRAZY!!! People were everywhere grabbing up stuff. Nikki was on the search for a Powerwheels Jeep and so we headed straight to the Lawn and Garden Dept. We found one in a corner in an abandoned cart! How lucky!!! I was wanting to get one too, so we walked around trying to find another one. I almost had gotten another one, but didn't work out. Nikki went ahead and decided not to get it, so I got it. I also got some more food storage containers like last year. They are my favorite! And then I picked up some $2 movies for stocking stuffers. Brycen got a new toy too! We left and were back home at 3am. Overall, it was a good shopping trip!

The next morning (after 4 hours of sleep), I woke up and got the boys ready to go shopping some more. Robert had went snowboarding with some friends, so we were flying solo. We made a stop for lunch at our favorite place, Chick-fil-A.

Then we met our friends for a movie. We saw Tangled and it was SOOOOO cute! Loved it! It was hard wrestling 2 kids around by myself. But we had a good time. Then we went to Target and Momma got her a Christmas present from Robert. haha!

We then came home and we were all in bed by 8:30! PTL!!! I was so tired, I slept til 10am!!!

Yesterday, we went to our neighbor's, Kitty's, birthday party! It was fun! There was a huge castle, face painting, and some yummy pizza. I just hated how cold it was! Freezing!!

Today, I am going to attempt to get the boys' pictures made. I am doing them myself, so we shall see. Then, I am cleaning my house top to bottom! Ugh. I hate cleaning, by the way. We'll see how that goes!

Hope everyone has had a great Holiday weekend!!

Note: I had MANY pictures to post, but my blogger has been not letting me post them. It is taking FOREVER to upload ONE picture! Frustrating!!

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Today is Thanksgiving and I can't even begin to tell you how thankful I am for a blessed life. I have a wonderful family and amazing friends.

It is a beautiful day here in California and I can't wait to spend some time with the family eating some yummy, yummy food.

While giving thanks today (and everyday!), let's remember those who are less fortunate. I pray for all of those serving overseas who can't be with their loved ones during the holiday season. I pray for those who are homeless or who don't have anyone to spend this time with. I pray that somehow, this day is still a blessing for them.

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Thanksgiving Day Prep!

This year, we are going to be celebrating Thanksgiving at Jeremy and Shanna's house. I made my list of things I wanted to make and headed to the grocery store last night. Big Mistake. Huge! Everyone and their dog was there doing the same last minute shopping like me. And then, they were out of red velvet cake mix and macaroni noodles. So, I had to run to another grocery store. Thankfully (and hopefully!) I won't have to go back again today.

I always like to make food that I can assemble in advance, usually the day before. It takes a lot of stress off of the Thanksgiving Day craziness. So here is what is on my menu that I am making.

* Broccoli and Rice Casserole (My absolute fave!)
* Baked Macaroni and Cheese
* Green Bean Bundles
* Cheesecake
* Chocolate Chip Cookies
* Red Velvet Cake Sandwhiches

I plan on making most of this today. I will do the green bean bundles and mac n cheese tomorrow. I am excited!! I love Thanksgiving!

What are some of your holiday favorites?

Santa's List

Thompson is OBSESSED with Christmas! Any and EVERY commercial on tv he says "Oh, is that for Christmas?" or it is a constant "Oh my gosh, how cool! I want that! I want that!" I have tried to talk to him about Christmas and real meaning of why we celebrate Christmas, but I think it is a little too complicated for a 3 year old.

This year I think he will be excited to go visit Santa! When he does see something in the store or on tv, I always remind him to remember to tell Santa. :) I am excited for this year. I LOVE how excited he will be waking up to find all of his presents that Santa has left for him. Not long and I will have 2 excited boys!! But that is where I am drawing a blank. I have made quite a long list for Thompson. But I have hardly anything for Brycen. :( The poor kid doesn't need a thing. And I know that he won't know the difference, but I still want to make an effort. I already feel like he gets the shaft on so much as it is. When Thompson was turning 1, we had a huge party! I went all out and made sure it was perfect for my little boy. Here we are just 3 weeks away from Brycen's 1st birthday and I haven't done a thing. How crappy am I?

So here's the question... do you buy more for the older children?

Living in Lala Land!

Do you ever do that? I probably spend WAY too much time on Facebook and browsing People and UsWeekly online. Robert hates anything to do with reality tv and what not. He does not understand blogging or the fabulousness of Facebook.

Oh well, his loss!

Anyways, this week has been crazy in the celebrity world!

First off, yesterday, Prince William and Kate Middleton confirmed their engagement. It is pathetic to fully understand how excited I am about this! As a kid, I had a dream of one day becoming the Queen of England. Not even kidding. So admist my giddiness of a royal wedding, I realized that my dreams were over. ha! Yes, I know I am married and have children. But still part of me was a little sad! ;) I think Kate (which now apparently they are wanting her to go by Catherine) will make a beautiful princess! She has such great style and I can't wait to see what she looks like on her wedding day!

I loved this dress!!!

Speaking of weddings... today, Eva Longoria announced her divorce to Tony Parker! I was shocked!! This was one couple I was rooting for. I love her and she always looked so happy. I just saw them on the Ellen Show 2 weeks ago and everything seemed very normal. But... apparently Mr. Parker has the wondering eye. He had been Facebook-ing a lady friend and apparently might have had an affair with a teammate's wife! Wowzers! I am sorry, but he is married to one of Hollywood's most beautiful women and he has to cheat?! Very sad.

Another announcement today, Rachel Zoe is pregnant! Not that it was a complete shock, but I am happy. I am an avid RZ fan and love her show. This season had a focus on her and her husband talking about having a baby. And recent pictures show her with a little baby bump. I just hope the woman gains a little weight for goodness sakes!

The last thing I will discuss (ha!) is Jessica Simpson's new engagement. I haven't been a fan of hers a while. I use to really like her, but something lately just makes me turn my nose up. Anyways, her ex husband, Nick Lachey and his gf, Vanessa Minillo just got engaged like 2 weeks ago. Not even a week later, so does Jessica and her bf of like 5 months. Something seems fishy. Maybe a little jealousy? I shouldn't judge, but I always have my opinion.

Is anybody else loving the latest celeb gossip??

Our Weekend!

Well, this weekend was a good one! Saturday, the boys and I went to lunch with Shanna, Jeremy, and Haili Bug. Their friends and little boy who is Brycen's age came too! It was great Mexican food. After that, we all headed to the mall to do a little shopping. It was a long day, but definitely fun!

Today, the boys and I got up and went downtown to the local coffee shop. We met our neighbors and their little girl and we enjoyed a nice coffee drink. Afterwards, we headed down to the beach to let the kids play on the playground. It was a beautiful day!! Brycen had so much fun roaming around. He is definitely walking everywhere now! After some play time, we came back home and Brycen took a nap. I let Thompson play outside while I cleaned and organized my garage. Boy... was that an all day event! BUT! I am finally able to park my car in the garage. haha! Thompson was so tired after about 5 hours of non-stop play, that he came inside and crashed on the living room floor for about 2 hours. I then went and grabbed Subway for dinner.

Robert had his ball this weekend all the way in Primm, NV. I had originally planned to go, but then decided not to. It was so far away and I really didn't want to spend all of that money. So, I let him go by himself and have a boys night. He got home Saturday afternoon, so we got to spend a few hours together. He had duty today, but hopefully we will see him tomorrow night! Tuesday, he graduates his class. Thank goodness! He will then be "off" for 2 weeks. Then it will be non-stop working til Christmas. Ugh. Oh well.

Well, tomorrow is Thompson's 3 year check up. I am hoping for 30lbs, but I don't know if he will make it. We'll see!

This is really off subject, but it is something I have been dealing with. Thompson has been walking around saying "I'm dying". It is really, really disturbing to me. I try to explain to him that that is not nice to say and it hurts mommy's heart. But, it doesn't ever stop him. I hate it. If anyone has any suggestions on how to deal with this... let me know!

Happy 11 Months Brycen!

I cannot believe you are 11 months old. We now have 1 more month til your 1st birthday! You have been through a lot this past month! You are now walking 85% of the time. You will walk all over the house before you decide to sit down. I am so proud of you! You still have 3 teeth. You are weighing 20 pounds 10 ounces and are 29.6 inches long. (as of your dr. appt Tuesday) You are a big eater! You eat about 4-5 jars of baby food a day, you love yogurt, crackers, cheerios, and bananas. Anytime we are eating, you come up with a sad puppy dog face begging for a bite. So sweet. Today, you actually came and took a nap on me. It melted my heart. You have never been the cuddlebug. The last time I remember you letting me hold you for that long, you were about 8 weeks old. I think you knew I needed it. :)

You can say da-da and momma. You have said Na(y)-Na(y) which makes your Nana very happy. You love to clap and say YAY! And you say uh-oh. We are working on you waving bye bye now.

You are wearing size 12-18 months in jeans and shirts. Your rompers we have to get in 18 months. You are also in a size 4 diaper. You wear a size 3 shoe.

Brycen, we love you so much! Happy 11 Months!

***I will post a picture tomorrow!***

It's That Time of Year!

You know, time to start baking!

Robert always likes me to make something for him to take to work every now and then. Usually, the main request is cheesecake! (One of my personal faves!)

I have always followed a tried and true recipe from Ms. Paula Deen! It is by far one of the best cheesecakes ever! You can find the recipe HERE!

Something else I plan to make are chocolate chip cookies. These aren't your ordinary chocolate chip cookies. These are a massive cookie of yumminess! The recipe was adapted from the Levain Bakery in NYC that went against Bobby Flay in a Throwdown! I found the recipe 2 years ago and just love it! I know the Marines will appreciate the monster-size cookies.

Here is the recipe:

Ingredients:
8 ounces (2 sticks) unsalted butter
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
3 1/4 to 3 1/2 cups AP flour
3/4 teaspoon Kosher salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 to 1/2 tsp baking soda
12 ounces (2 cups) good quality semisweet chocolate chips (I used half semisweet and half milk chocolate)

Mix all the ingredients. Start with 3 1/4 cup of flour and add another 1/4 if you feel it's needed. (Usually 3 1/4 is enough for me) These are supposed to be pretty big cookies so spoon the dough into a good size ball. Place on a cookie sheet (Use a silpat if you have one) and bake at 375 degrees for about 18 minutes or until golden brown.

This is what they look like!

picture courtesy Robyn Lee

Another recipe I am axious to try is these Red Velvet Sandwhich Cookies that Hillary posted on her blog! I love how she called it a "glorified double doozie"!
 

picture courtesy of google images

Who wouldn't want to eat one of those?

What are some of your favorite holiday recipes? Are there any new ones you are ready to try?

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Happy Veteran's Day to all those who are serving or have served!

“Some people live an entire lifetime and wonder if they have made a difference to the world, but the Marines don’t have that problem.” Ronald Reagan



Dr. Update

Today was Brycen's appointment down at the Naval Hospital in San Diego. Robert was able to get off for a few hours to come with me. We got there on time and got checked in. They called us back and they did all of his vitals. We were then taken back and talked to the Pulmonologist. I honestly have no clue how to say the dr's name. He spoke with us for a few minutes, going over all of Brycen's background information. We talked a lot about his symptoms and what seems to trigger his asthma. He basically reaffirmed what we already thought-- his asthma is induced by allergies and whenever he gets viral infections. We decided to stay on the medicines that we are on minus the reflux medicine. Then a nurse came in and did an overview on asthma, some different triggers, and what we need to do if it gets bad. We have A LOT of information to study up on. This lady was awesome. She was a big help and actually made me have faith again in our healthcare system. They decided to go ahead and give Brycen his first dose of his flu vaccination. She reassured me that she was awesome at giving shots. And she didn't dissapoint. Brycen didn't flinch at all!! Oh, how I wish they were all that easy. We then had to go sit in the pharmacy and wait on some refills. If you ever go to a military hospital, you know that waiting at the pharmacy is the LONGEST part of the trip. We sat there for probably an hour. Not fun. But Brycen did great today. Thompson stayed with our neighbor so that way I could really concentrate on what the doctor had to tell us. That was such a big help. And this was actually the first time Robert and I have ever been alone with Brycen out and about. Not kidding.

So overall it was a good day. Robert had to go back to work as soon as we got home. And I just have to say it.

I miss my husband.

He has worked so much here lately. Just another week and he should have a week and a half off. (Fingers crossed!) Oh, and I want to wish him a Happy 5 Year Anniversary in the Marine Corps. Five years ago I was sitting in my apartment crying my eyes out as he left me to go to boot camp. We have both come a long way in those 5 years. He plans on making a career out of the Marines. I just tell him to check back with me when it's coming time for the next re-enlistment to still see if I have any patience left to tolerate another 4 more. We are just taking it day by day.

Happy Wednesday Everyone! I will be spending this day cleaning and doing laundry. Whoo hoo ;)

Shutterfly's 50 Free Holiday Cards-- You can get them too!!

If you are anything like me, you love showing off your family! I always look forward to the holiday season and love planning our holiday photo card.

Shutterfly is an awesome website that offers so many products! You can find Holiday photo cards, birth announcements, cards and stationary, and photobooks!

I have used Shutterfly for about 3 years now. One of my favorite things I have done on their site is their photobooks. I have made Thompson 2 so far. I did one for his first year and then another one for his 2nd birthday. They turned out so cute! I can't wait to start Brycen's!

Shutterfly has given the chance for bloggers to get 50 FREE Holiday Cards! Go to THIS site and sign up!! It is an easy way to get a great photo card to share with friends and family for FREE!! And for a family on a budget, you can't beat that!

It's been a LOOOOOONNNG night!

Last night, I put the boys to bed around 8. They both were so tired, I knew it wouldn't be a problem. I came back downstairs and watched tv on the couch. Around 11:15, I headed up to bed myself. Around 1am, I got a wakeup call... Thompson was crawling into bed with me. I scoot over and let him lay down. I fall back asleep. I periodically wake up, look at him, notice he is wide awake, tell him to close his eyes and go to sleep, and then I fall back asleep. I did this til I finally woke up for good around 3am. He would not stop watching tv. I turned it off, he turned it back on. I threatened to kick him out of my bed, he just went downstairs. This lasted for a good 2 hours. After many episodes of "The Nanny" on Nick-at-Nite, I was begging my body to go back to sleep... along with begging Thompson to go to sleep. I finally passed out and I honestly do not think Thompson slept at all. He was waking me up at 7am telling me it was time to wake up. I nicely told him that it was NOT time to get up. I fell back asleep til 8, and I know he didn't sleep because he kept waking me up. I am exhausted. I know he has to be exhausted too. We finally came downstairs and he ate FOUR waffles and drank a glass of milk and apple juice. You would think the kid was starved!

Brycen is up and drinking him a nice bottle. Robert is on his way home from work. So glad we will get to spend the rest of the day together.

Yesterday was BEAUTIFUL! It was 70* and just perfect. I took the boys outside and cleaned out my car. I am so bad about keeping my vehicle clean. It's pretty bad. Luckily, it is all nice and clean today. Thompson played with his friend Kylie. Afterwards, Meredith and I took the kids to Chick-fil-a and let them play some more. We had a good time visiting and it was nice to have someone to talk to while the kids played. It was funny because I kept asking Thompson to say "Kylie" and all he could say was "Kai lan". Like off the show "Ni hoa, Kai Lan" It was funny.

Tuesday, we have Brycen's appointment in San Diego at Balboa to see the Pediatric Pulmonologist. Hoping everything goes well with that.

Another funny thing from last night was I was sitting there talking to Thompson and he told me he wanted to count. Most of the time Thompson never wants to count, I usually have to ask him to. So I told him we could count. We counted to 10 many times. Then all of a sudden he counted to 5 in SPANISH! I have never heard the kid speak spanish. He hardly will count in English. It was a weird night...

It's Friday!!

Let me tell you about this week!

It has been HOT!! We are talking about 96* hot! I have no idea why in November California decided to all of sudden have summer time temperatures. Even that would be hot for summers here. But seriously?!?! Where is the cool 60 degrees temps? Where are my sweaters and scarves? Maybe I will be able to break them out soon. I wouldn't complain, but the houses here do not have air conditioners, so it makes the house feel like a sauna. Ewww... I was sweating non-stop yesterday just sitting inside.

The boys had a great time trick-or-treating! Thompson had the routine down. He even remembered to say "Thank You" after each time. There was a house along the way that had a scary real person dressed up hiding with a pumpkin on his head. He didn't scare the little kids, but chose to scare the grown ups with the kids (i.e. ME!!). I said a few choice words and ran as fast as I could out of there. Robert then reminded me "I am glad that wasn't real, because you just left our kid up there by himself!" Oops.... In my defense I am the biggest scaredy cat ever! Thompson made out with a TON of candy. Some that mom had to "inspect" before he got! haha! Now I know why parents love this!

Other than that, Robert has been working so much! Poor guy. He gets home late, goes to bed, and then has to get up at like 4 every morning. Once Christmas comes then he will get a little bit of a break before he starts his school at the beginning of January.

I made a super yummy dinner last night! It is a Mexican Chicken Pot Pie and it was SOOO easy too! You can find the recipe here! Check out the rest of Brittney's blog too! She not only has great recipes, but she has 2 sweet boys. And she is so creative! I WISH I was like that!

Here are some pictures I took while cooking last night...

I did use canned chicken because the recipe called for it. I didn't have a problem with it, but after Robert ate it he asked me if I used it. Apparently he likes "real" chicken better. So I will know for next time.

I had more pictures of Halloween and the dinner, but for some reason they wouldn't upload. ??? I will try again later...

Happy Halloween!!

Tonight we are taking the boys "trick or treating" around the neighborhood. Robert has to work today, so I am hoping he will be off in time to come with us! Thompson is so excited, he has been saying "I go trick or treating tonight" all morning long.

This morning, I didn't get the best "treat"... I am sure it was definitely on the "trick" side. I heard Brycen wake up and started to cry really hard. I went in there and he had taken off his diaper and lovely POOP was EVERYWHERE!! Not the best thing to wake up to! So he had a long bath and then I got to sanitize his whole crib. Ugh. It was nasty!!

Yesterday, Robert took me out to eat for my birthday. We went to Famous Dave's BBQ, one of my favorites! He didn't make it home from work til almost 1am Saturday morning, so he missed my entire birthday. :( But I am glad we got to spend yesterday together!

Yesterday, Thompson went to a Halloween party at his friend, Kitty's house. They had some cute crafts, some yummy food, and played some games. I forgot my camera, but all of the kids were dressed so cute!

I hope everyone has had a great Halloween weekend! Be safe and don't eat too much candy! ;)

2 posts in 1 day!

I thought I would do an update on Brycen...

We went back to the doctors on Wednesday. She checked his breathing and decided that he was still not breathing right. :( His right side of his body is what is really bad. So for now we have put him on cingulair, zyrtec, and an inhaler when he gets really bad. We are also going to try some prevacid. Sometimes children that have reflux problems (like Brycen) can develop symptoms of asthma. Also, we are hoping with the zyrtec (allergy medicine) it will help too. Asthma can be triggered by allergies, and I bet my life on it that this baby has allergies just like his momma. :(

It breaks my heart. He constantly looks like he doesn't feel well although his spirits are always high! We are also going to be going down to Balboa Naval Hospital in San Diego to meet with a pulmonologist to hopefully rule out full blown asthma. We are just waiting on the referral for that.

We go back Monday for another check-up. Please pray that these medicines are helping him.

On a happier note, the boys have been so busy with Halloween events! We went to the library to paint pumpkins one night and then went again for a costume party and storytime! Tonight we went to the Farmer's Market where the kids were able to trick or treat from the different booths. Thompson was Buzz Lightyear and Brycen was a lion one night (T's old costume) and a sock monkey tonight. They were so cute!!!

Buzz shooting his laser :)

Brycen playing with the big kids

Yeah, he insisted on wearing his wings.

My little lion

Love his lashes!

Thompson and his friend, Kitty.

My little sock monkey!!

He has gotten SOOOO big!

Kitty and Thompson

Trick orTreating at the Farmer's Market

I love Buzz!

His new favorite is clapping and saying "YAYYYYY!"

Happy Birthday to Me!

Hmmm... 25

Don't know how I feel about that number.

It feels a world away from 24. So much more distinguished. ha. Maybe because I can say I am a quarter of a century old.

I already have the gray hair. I know the wrinkles are just around the corner. But....

I am so thankful every gray hair and every soon-to-be wrinkle. I know they come from my crazy husband that likes to make me worry. Or from my dare-devil 3 year old that likes to test my nerves. Or the little baby boy that melts my heart and makes me wish on a daily basis that he will stay this sweet forever.

I have missed celebrating with my family for the past 5 birthdays. But they are always so sweet to remember to call and wish me a Happy Birthday. Robert will be working a lot this weekend so I don't even know if we have any plans. Usually, since Halloween is 2 days away, we are busy with stuff for the kids. Which is perfectly fine by me.

One good thing about 25 is that my insurance drops! :) That's when you know you are getting old! ha!

Sick Baby!

Brycen is sick again. I have noticed for the past couple of days he has had a cough and runny nose. We have also been noticing that he has been really wheezy for about a month. We went to the dr today and they did a chest xray along with a breathing treatment. They prescribed him an antibiotic for all of the crud he has. We go back on Wednesday for a check up to see if his breathing was better. The xray showed some inflamation, but thankfully no pneumonia.

I came home and cooked some taco soup and quesadillas. When I make my taco soup, one ingredient that I have to have is corn. Well, I looked and looked and all I had was creamed corn. Hmph. I don't think that will work. So, what's a gal to do??? Get out the frozen mixed veggies and individually pick out corn kernals. Yep, I have to have it that much! ha! But it was good and definitely worth it.

I have been craving some warm desserts lately to go with this crisp fall weather. I saw a friend post on Facebook about making homemade cinnamon applesauce. It sounds sooooo good! Anything apples sounds good. I would gladly sit and eat an apple pie or apple dumplings. You know, the low fat stuff! ha!

One thing funny I have to share that Brycen has been doing lately... He will get in the crawling position but put his head all the way on the ground. Then he crawls around pushing his head everywhere. It reminds me of someone vaccuuming the floor for some reason. It's too funny. But then he usually runs into something and hurts himself. We try and try to tell him not to do it, but he just won't listen. :)

Late night post!

It's after 11pm here and I thought I would do a little post on random thoughts I have been having lately...

• I made the Spinach & Egg Noodle pasta last night and it was sooooo good! Robert asked "You know that sauce?" Me: "You mean the bechamel sauce?" Robert: "Yeah, that. You need to make more of that next time. But other than that, it was really good. You can make that one again." Anytime I get the nod to make something again, then I know I have succeeded! Yes!

• I started watching "The Real Housewivs of Beverly Hills" last week. I am skeptical. First off, these women are OLD! And they look OLD! I thought with all of this money they have, they would have at least looked decent. Ewww... And I usually don't hate on women, but seriously?!? Seriously?!?!

Would you want to look like this??



• I have been reading a few blogs lately and have seen mentioned this "Baby Praise" dvds. I researched them online and found them at the Family Christian Store. I stopped by there tonight and found the gift pack which had 4 dvds on sale for $24.99. Usually they run $10 a piece, so I thought that was a good deal! I also got an additional 10% off from my coupon. Anyways, I popped them in the car and Thompson loved them. They sing praise and worship songs that I grew up singing, so I LOVE them!! And it was so cute to hear Thompson singing with them-- especially when he says "hal-le-lu-la" (hallejuah).

• My house needs some major TLC. I need to mop, vaccuum, and do laundry. Blah. That is how I feel about that.

• Brycen is sick...again. So I have to wake up early to try and get him an appt. for tomorrow. Hoping it's not another ear infection. So far it is just a cough and snotty nose.

• Brycen has taken some steps lately! We are so proud. The other night he walked 5 steps to Robert. He has just done 3 for me. :( Robert says I get him to excited and that I am too loud. Who, me?! Ha!

• I have decided to write a letter to the housing people. Not because I am a dweller or because I hold grudges... (hahahaha!)... but because I feel that they need to be aware of some stuff... and because it will make me feel better! :) I am simply going to state how I do not have an understanding of how they can deny housing when 1) there was housing immediately available and those who were on the list didn't need a house til later on in the year (per Lincoln Military) 2) they are supposed to be there to help us. Causing unneccessary stress is ridiculous, in my opinion. If they don't feel helping us is their goal, maybe they need to re-evaluate their job.

• I went around to some thrift stores the other day to try and find some vintage frames. That turned out to be a bust, but I found this beautiful entertainment center. I was trying to convince Robert how perfect it would be. He and I were arguing over the price and what we thought it would be. (We couldn't find a price) Well I asked a guy who worked there how much it was and he told me that they would take $1700 for it, but it was $2100. Yes, people, that is seventeen HUNDRED. I looked at him like he was nuts. 1) I am not paying $1700 for an entertainment center and I don't care if it was marked down from $2100. 2) We are at a thrift store!! Are you serious?!?! The guy did explain how the people who donated it paid like $6000 for it and didn't want it to go for anything less than that. Suuuurreee....

• Brycen has been sleeping A LOT lately! The other day he slept til 2pm! Yesterday, he slept from 8am til 12:30pm. Crazy! I am going to ask the dr about that tomorrow. I don't know if it is a growth thing or if it's because he is sick... who knows?

• It's almost my birthday! 1 week away!! Robert will be working, I am sure. But... it's still my day. Maybe I can get some time away by myself and go to Barnes and Noble or to Sonic. That would be the best present ever! haha! Just a little peace and quiet. Then, I could come home and spend some time with my boys :)



Happy Friday!! 

I feel like I am on an episode of Suze Orman...

DENIED!

That was the word I got this morning about our housing situation. They broke it down for us that basically we weren't good enough to live in Staff Housing. The. End.

But what I still can't get over is that Corporals and Sergeants live in the SAME housing, just in a 2 bedroom. But still, even though they had open houses they don't want us to take up a house that someone might need.

To say I am upset would be the understatement of the year. I am livid. Yes, I know we have a roof over our head. I am grateful for that. But my gosh! Would it be so hard to help us out?!?!?! We are talking about saving over $300 a month here, not to mention tons of driving time for Robert. And when you live on a military budget and a military schedule, you take anything you can get. It wouldn't be so bad, but he will be there for 3 more years! They graciously offered to put us on the waiting list for the housing we qualify for. You know, the one with the 6 months waiting list.

Nice, huh?

I am over it. I just needed to vent.

Monday Update

My mom called earlier to check to see if we had heard from the housing people. And we hadn't. Then she said "No news is bad news". Huh??? I have always heard it the other way around, "No news is good news". That was actually my moto for the both times that Robert has deployed. There were weeks at a time where I hadn't heard from him. And that is the line that I kept repeating in my head over and over. Funny how a little saying kept me sane.

But like I said, we still haven't heard from the housing office. I called and talked to the same lady that I have been calling everyday for the past 2 weeks. I am sure she will be glad when we find out one way or another so that way I don't have to bug her. ha! But, apparently they had a luncheon for someone retiring and it was Monday... you know, the typical "You aren't important, I could really care less" excuse.

So now I am starting to wonder if no news really is bad news. Hmmm...

Anyways, the nice lady said that they would probably get to it tomorrow.

Who wants to start making bets???

Random Monday Thoughts...

We had a great weekend! We didn't do much, but that was the best part. Robert had duty on Saturday, so I took the kids to the community fall festival. We had a good time. Thompson begged to ride the horses, so I went and stood in line with him. I was holding Brycen because I didn't know if I could fit the double stroller everywhere. Well we stood in line for a good 20 minutes. As soon as it was our turn, Thompson ran away to the playground. Go figure! I was peeved to say the least. We went home after that and the whole walk to the car he kept saying how he wanted to ride the horse! I could have screamed! ;)

Last night we went to eat dinner and visit with Robert's brother and his family. Thompson and Haili (my neice) play so good together. They hardly fight, and if he gets worked up over anything she always says "Thompson calm down. Take a deep breath like this!" while she imitates breathing slowly in and out. She is too funny. Well what wasn't funny was when she came up to Shanna (sister-in-law) and I and said "Thompson cut my hair". I. Could. Have. Died.  Or maybe thrown up. Shanna grabs at her hair and pulls out clumps and clumps of hair. Thank God that that child has some thick curly hair. You could hardly tell that it wasn't even... just in some spots in the back. Oh, that boy was in DEEP trouble. Then later on he took something and whacked her across the face leaving a big black eye. Yep, not the proudest moment of my Mommy life.

We are STILL waiting on the housing decision. I talked to the lady Friday and she was just speaking with the Col. on his decision. He had to do some "research" and said he would get back with us by the end of the business day Monday. He wasn't kidding. It's past 2pm and still haven't heard anything. By the way, I hate waiting if you haven't caught on to that already. We don't even know if a house will be available when (if) we move. Nice. Again, patience is not my strong point.

I will hopefully have an update later today. But as we all have figured out, the military never goes at the speed you would like them too. And if something does move fast, it usually isn't for your benefit. ha!

It's Friday, Y'all!!!

I don't know about y'all, but I am so glad it's FRIDAY! This is the last weekend we get with Robert basically til Christmas. His work is trying to fit in two 28-day cycles before Christmas. So, needless to say he will be working A LOT!

I wish I could say that we would be moving this week, but it doesn't look like that will be happening. We are still waiting on the Col. to make his decision. And, it doesn't look like there will be a house available immediately. I have got some packing boxes ready incase they tell us that they approve it. We will see...

Today I was watching the Rachael Ray Show and they had a recipe on there that looked SO GOOD!! It's a spinach and egg noodle casserole. You can find it here! Also, she had a singer on her show that had the best voice I have heard in a long time! His name is Brendan James and he also plays the piano in his band. Loved it. Watch him play here! and here! Love the last song the best!

I believe we are going to head out to look for some birthday presents. My neice and nephew are both celebrating their birthdays here soon. Jilian is re-doing her room in purple, green, and zebra. I am pretty sure I can work with that. Jude...well he is a typical boy and loves all of the typical boy toys! Thank goodness! Of course we will probably hit up Chick-fil-A while we are out. :) You know me!

Today, October 15th, is National Pregnancy & Infant Loss Day. I know many families that have been affected with the loss of their child or children. Unfortunately. I hate it. I hate that they have to be a part of this day. But I know that everything has it's purpose. Each child was meant to be. Let's remember our friends and family today and say a little prayer for all of the other families suffering from losses. You can read more about this day here.

Happy Friday!!

Almost There!

Well, I called my friend Lori at the Housing Office to see where we were on getting our approval. She said that she just received the papers today and that she would get it into her system and onto the desk of the Colonel today. Then, if I understood right, they all get together and discuss them and make their decision. I believe this will happen tomorrow. I told her to put a good word in for us and asked if she wouldn't mind calling me and letting me know once they decided. Praying that it all works out. If they do say yes, then they will move our application over to Lincoln Military Housing, who is in charge of assigning the homes. Each week they put out a "hot sheet" to let you know how many houses are available in each neighborhood. Last week, there were two available in the neighborhood we are requesting. But the week before that, there were 5. Nervous Nellie here! I hope we get approved and get a house... soon!

Another thing that we have been dealing with poor Brycen! I don't know what has happened but for the past 3 days everytime we try to lay him down for a nap or at night he starts screaming bloody murder. It's bad. Really bad. I have always been the one to say "Let the kid cry it out", but this cry breaks my heart! He is ok if I lay him in the crib and sit in his floor, but if it looks like I am leaving, he breaks down. Today during his nap, he cried and cried til he fell asleep. The poor guy didn't even eat his bottle. I am assuming this is some sort of separtation anxiety. I am just really hoping it goes away fast. The past two nights we have had to let him stay up way past his 9:00 bedtime for the fact that he wouldn't stop screaming. I don't know. So confusing...and depressing. Any suggestions??

Also, if you are a military family, go to this website and register now! You only have til the 15th to do so!

Here are some more pictures from the other day!



Loved this house I spotted on the drive there!

We all had a great time at Rosa's!

Pumpkin Patch

Yesterday we ventured out to our first pumpkin patch as a family! We drove about 30 minutes to Temecula, CA to the Peltzer Farms. I have always heard Temecula referred to as "The Wine Country of the South". It was gorgeous! We usually just drive through or pull over and eat at Rosa's. Yesterday was the first time we really drove through there. Loved it. Tons of vineyards and beautiful homes!

We made it to the pumpkin patch and I was DETERMINED to get some good pictures of the boys. Let me tell you... it was probably the most frustrating time of my life. I thought I would pull my hair out! Thompson could not smile and look at the camera to save his life! Brycen did better. I managed to get a couple (out the 100) that were good. The kids were having a meltdown and I wish we could have done more. They had a petting zoo, corn maze, pony rides, and some other neat things. BUT, we were STARVING!! So we loaded up and went to eat. I am thinking since I got my pictures I wanted, we can bring the kids back again to do the fun stuff.

Here are some of my favorite pictures