Confessions of a Marine Wife...

Still Alive...

2012-01-23T10:55:00.000-08:00

Yes, we are still alive :)

So much has happened lately that I really don't even know where to start. The beginning of November the boys and I moved back to California. Yes, back to California. When we moved back this summer, we had big hopes of buying a house and so forth, but we really all just needed to be a family, together, first and foremost. So that is where we are.

We moved into a little apartment downtown while we waited for a house to open in base housing. It. was. tiny. But honestly, the best thing ever! I loved watching movies and cuddling with all of my boys every night. It made my heart full. The boys missed their dad so much. I missed my husband so much. It was kinda just perfect.

One dislike... no full kitchen. I know, I know. I love to cook. So not having an oven was kind of tragic. We ate more fast food than I ever have in my whole life. Ugh. Needless to say, I am over that.

In December, Robert had his knee surgery. Almost 8 weeks later, he is still having trouble. They extended his leave time, which was nice. He has been able to stay home and keep the boys since I found a new job!!

I have been so lucky with the jobs I have had. I am now working for a property management company that is a perfect fit for me.

We did get a house on base! We moved in and are in the process of setting everything up.

Also, we have a new addition to the family! Our new Jack Russell puppy, Toby. We are in love! The boys are having so much fun with him. He is definitely my boy though. He runs to me if he gets in trouble. ;) Robert loves him too. Every night, Toby will hop into his lap and take a little nap. So cute!

Here are some pictures to catch you up on...

The boys in their Fall shirts

I made another trip across country

Our newest little guy, Toby

Cuddle time!

Momma's new boy! ;)

Thompson and Toby

Some of my flowers at the new house!

Our crazy family!

My newest nephew, Rufus Tyler Dean Riedel

My Christmas gift from my boys

Cousins

Haili, Thompson, & Brycen

My super heroes!

We took many walks down to the beach

Daddy and Brycen

Momma and Thompson

Robert and I :)

Maybe now that things have settled down, I can find some time to keep up. :)

A Special Holiday Treat!

2011-11-16T21:04:00.000-08:00

Hey Ya'll!

Thought I would let you know about a wonderful offer from one of my favorite companies, Tiny Prints. They are offering 50 free cards to anyone that blogs about them.

My favorite card that I had made from them was Brycen's birth announcement. Fell in love with it! I can't wait to pick out a fabulous holiday card!

Birth Announcement

Last year I bought the cutest metal Santa Claus card holder. I can't wait to use it and fill it with all of the cards y'all are going to send me! :)

Follow this link to find all of the wonderful Holiday cards Tiny Prints offer!

Visit this site for more information-- Hostess with the Mostess

Happy Holidays!

Happy 4th Birthday Thompson!

2011-09-30T12:00:00.000-07:00

Thompson,

4 years, wow!

I know I say it every year, but I still can't believe you are this big.

To be honest, it breaks my heart. I see you growing everyday, but I still see you as my baby. My first born.

When you came into this world, something inside of me clicked. Everything made sense. I was young, almost 22. But knowing that the one job I would have for the rest of my life was to be your Momma, there is nothing I could have wished for more.

You, my baby boy, are the best little boy I know. I see so much of myself in you. The way you react to things, reminds me of myself. (Funny, because baby brother is just like your dad) You have such a strong will, yet you are so soft, you are so eager to please, and you always have a smile on your face.

You have matured so much over the last year. I really think starting school has helped you. Today, you were saying the "Pledge of Allegiance" and it melted my heart. I videoed it because you asked me too. You are such a ham and always love to "cheese" it up for the camera. You can turn on that smile like no other.

You love your brother more than words can say. He is your little buddy. He likes to test you sometimes, as do you to him. But at the end of the day, seeing the smile on his face when he sees you is priceless. He loves his big brother. You are learning to share more with him. Your favorite time is to play with him the bath tub. Ya'll splash and laugh and it honestly is my favorite time of the day.

Every night as I tell you goodnight, you never fail to tell me how much you love me. We do it back and forth and sometimes as I walk out the door, I can still hear you telling me it as I walk down the hall. Always ready for me to tell it back to you.

I love you, Thompson Lee. No matter how big you get, no matter what, you will always be my baby boy.

Happy 4th Birthday!

Oh, Monday!

2011-09-26T17:28:00.000-07:00

As most of you know, I started my new job about 4 weeks ago. I love it. Seriously, love it. We stay so busy that sometimes I look up and half the day is gone. Monday is our busiest day of the week, so it really goes by fast.

Last night I was giving the boys a bath and I took this picture of Brycen.

Such a cutie!

I saw this on Twitter today.

Oh. My. Word.

Pancakes + Cinnamon Rolls

The two together? Heaven, help me!

Tomorrow I am working a 1/2 of a day because I get to go pick up a special fella from the airport. :) I have calculated that we have spent 10 days together in the past 6 months. Not the most ideal thing I had in mind. We are surviving. Being married and raising 2 kids together 1500 miles apart is frustrating at times. We have been utilizing Face Time. The boys LOVE it!! They show off for their dad, which melts both his and I's hearts.

We like to wake dad up extra early! ;)

Saturday will be Thompson's birthday party! He is so excited! He reminds me about his cake and his party every day. Love it!

That's about it. I will probably be quiet for the next few days! Hopefully, I will have lots of pictures to share when I come back.

Sick Kiddos!

2011-09-24T09:13:00.000-07:00

Beware if you have a weak stomach...

Thursday evening, I took the boys out to dinner. Thompson had to go to the bathroom a few times while we were there. Brycen was having a bout with diarrhea himself, so I had a hunch that this wouldn't be good. I bathed the boys, put them to bed and I went to bed myself. I woke up at 4:00 to Thompson yelling from his room. I went in there thinking he had woke up early, but as soon as I got to the door I could smell it...

Vomit. Everywhere.

Lovely, let me tell you.

Surprisingly, he wasn't too upset. I got him up, cleaned him up, took the sheets off his bed and let him come lay down by me. When we woke up at 6:00, he had awful, awful diarrhea. (Sorry if this is TMI)

Brycen woke up with it too.

So I asked Brooklyn if she would stay home that day and take care of them. I hated to miss work seeing as I had only been there for 3 weeks.

The boys were fine all day. They didn't have any problems yesterday evening too.

At 4am (again!) Thompson was up with diarrhea. Brycen woke up covered in it too. Ugh. So off to the bath again this morning. Thompson seems to be better, but Brycen is pitiful. His little bottom is raw from having it so bad for 2 days. So today we are trying to rest up and hopefully will start feeling better.

I am hoping so because this week is an exciting one for us--

Robert will be home and Thompson is turning 4!!!

Where I work!

2011-09-22T19:04:00.000-07:00

So I thought now would be a great time to tell you a little bit about where I work! I have found an incredible place. The people truly make it so enjoyable.

We are an e-commerce company. We have around 10+ websites where we sell everything from baby items, to scrubs, to cowboy boots, to fishing poles, to blenders, you name it we probably got it! We are adding more and more brands every day!

Some of my favorite ones (which could get my wallet in a lot of trouble!) are from our site, Hectic Gourmet. We just added Kitchen Aid to our list! You all know how I love Kitchen Aid. If I hadn't already bought a stand mixer, I would be getting one now. One thing that I have been needing for a while that I will probably be asking for for Christmas is a new blender. This one looks like a great one from Cuisinart.

One of my favorite things is that any orders over $100 qualifies for free shipping!

Oh, and a great site you should check out is Fat Chance. 1out 10 orders is completely free! Pretty awesome!

So if you are wondering about some of our sites, here are a few!

Musket Creek
All Around Dance
Scrub Shopper
Trail's Edge
Toughweld
Country Outfitter
The Baby Habit

Definitely check them out!

10 Years Later...

2011-09-11T06:25:00.000-07:00

Today is the 10 year anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. It still feels like yesterday...

I remember being in 10th grade English, Ms. Shinn's class, when our librarian ran into the room telling us to turn on the tv. We saw the other plane hit the 2nd tower. I didn't fully understand at the time what was going on. I knew it was bad. We watched the coverage throughout the day-- when the towers fell, when the Pentagon was hit, and when the plane went down in Pennsylvania. Surreal. That is the best I can describe it. Everything seemed like a dream. America was the safest place I knew, how did this happen?

I honestly thought the world was going to end. I have never seen everyone in such hysterics. I remember there being an hour wait just to get gas because the gas stations were packed. I never knew that this one day would affect me so much years later.

Robert's birthday is on 9/11. He turned 18 that day. And that day, he decided to go into the military. He tried to join right out of high school, but couldn't due to recent knee surgery. So he waited til he was 22. We had been dating for about 9 months and I remember the exact moment he said he was joining the Marine Corps. I cried for hours. The war had been going on for 2 years then, so I somewhat knew what he was going to be doing. (You never fully understand war, I still don't) I knew that I loved him with all of my heart and I would be right there by him no matter what.

We are the lucky ones. Al Qaeda not only took the lives of those on September 11, 2001, but has taken all those killed while trying to find survivors of the attacks and those who have fought in the wars against them. Robert made it home. I know too many that haven't. It's not fair. It's not fair that our innocence was stolen that day.

Here we are 10 years later. Still fresh on our hearts, I believe it always will be.

Happy Birthday Robert!

2011-09-10T13:34:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow is my wonderful husband's 28th birthday! We have been having some "talks" about him turning 28. (Basically me super excited because it's his birthday and him grumbling about how old he is!) Today I think he has finally realized that he is older than what he has always thought he was. If you told him to go run a mountain, he would. If you told him to do a thousand push-ups, he would drop down and do them. He has always been so physically active. Playing sports, being an active runner, a gym rat, he loves it all! And sadly, with his blown-out knee, he is realizing he is not 16 anymore. But, as long as you are young at heart, that is all that really matters! :)

I am always super pumped about anyone's birthday, especially his. And as much as I hate it, we aren't there to celebrate with him. But, hopefully we can celebrate his and Thompson's together real soon!!

I am so thankful for Robert. I am so proud of the husband and father he is. Without him, we wouldn't have our beautiful boys. Without him, I wouldn't be me. I love him with all of my heart and he definitely deserves to be celebrated on his special day!

It's a new day!

2011-09-01T06:57:00.000-07:00

I have been keeping that little phrase in mind a lot lately. It helps put a smile on my face and get me ready to face the new day.

I thought I would do a few randoms... because it seems I never have a complete thought. Not kidding.

Stress + Me = Best Friends! I wish this were true. Most days I am so frazzled, some days nothing phases me. I prefer the latter.

I go today to fill out all of my paperwork for my new job. I am ecstatic! It is my first "official" job in almost 4 years! Yes, being a full-time Mommy is DEFINITELY a full time job. I obviously mean outside of the home. I am so, so, so grateful to have gotten to be with my babies this long. I wouldn't trade those memories for anything!

Since I have been home for 4 years, my wardrobe shows it. I don't think my new job prefers my Florida souvenir shirts and yoga pants. So today I am going to go find a few outfits.

I dyed my hair this morning. Yes, my name is Lenora, and I use a box dye! And I love it! I am hooked on the new foam ones. SO easy! Funny thing is that my natural hair color is dark brown. From past, unfortunate experiences I have learned that if I use anything even close to my natural color my hair will turn out black. Not pretty. So I have learned to use 'light brown'.

Spotify-- I never really knew what it was until I saw someone on Twitter talking about it. I downloaded it on my phone, but couldn't figure it out. Then I realized I had to download it on my computer first. You literally type in anything and it will download instantly for free! You can do a premium package and get it streamed to your phone. It is awesome! I have been catching up on some early Dierks Bentley. ;)

I can't think of anything else. I know there are a ton more thoughts running through this ol' brain, but that is all I can gather into complete thoughts for now. Have a great Thursday! It is almost the weekend!!

Blah

2011-08-31T12:56:00.000-07:00

Do you ever have one of those days where everything is just 'blah'? I am having one today. I am desperately missing my husband. His birthday is in a few days and I am sad that we won't be able to celebrate together. When we thought he would be coming in on the 16th of September, it seemed okay. Now, we don't even have a date. He has a doctors appointment on the 19th and that is when he will get his surgery date. It could be that week or who knows when. So we have no clue when he will get to come. And it's depressing. And frustrating.

I try not to be such a Debbie Downer because I know he has it 1000x times worse than me. Most of the time I try to put on this big front that everything is fine. For the most part it is. But the part where I am away from my husband and my kids are away from their father takes over. We chose to do this. I knew it would be hard. It's just those days where I feel like running back to California is what gets me.

We have 2 years left. And I know that they will not go by fast enough. I am never one to wish time away, but I have been here lately. When either one of us start doubting our decision, we try to be the rock to reassure each other that this is the best thing for our future. It helps. But it's tough when we are both down. Robert hates his job. He is unable to do the things he loves due to his knee. This kills me. I hate that he is hurt. I hate that he loathes his job. If I could find a way to make it all go away, I would. But I can't. So we wait. And we take it day by day.

Sorry to dump so much emotion. But this is my blog and I want to be honest. We will all be okay. Eventually, we will all be back together, under one roof for good. What an amazing day that will be!! That is what keeps me going.

Pictures!

2011-08-27T16:17:00.000-07:00

It seems more and more I take pictures with my IPhone! I love it! I love Instagram so it works out perfectly! Here are some of the pictures I have taken this week of the boys.

Oh, I love this boy... and his poses!

Wearing brother's hat (which fits him, by the way)

Cool dude!

Night Water

Papa's Boy

New Path

2011-08-25T19:03:00.000-07:00

As you all know, we have moved back to Arkansas to try to get settled before Robert gets out. He has 2 years left in the Marine Corps and I didn't want to be struggling to find a job when he got out. When you have 2 kids, it just cannot work that way. So, we decided back in April for me to start looking for a job here. I struggled. The economy is so bad and even though I have a degree, it didn't matter. It seems like everyone wants 5+ years experience for every job. What about the girl that just graduated???

This summer I decided to try and get my Non Traditional Teacher Licensure. I would need 2 classes this fall plus complete the 2 year program. I was nervous about this. I really thought it would be a great career, I just always had my reservations. I decided to go for it anyways.

Fast forward to a week ago. I interviewed for a company here in NWA. I fell in love! Do you ever just go to a place and just feel that you were made for it?! The people are so welcoming! I knew that I wanted to work here. Thankfully, they offered me a job. After talking with Robert, we decided that I would take the job. I officially accepted it today.

I am so excited about this new chapter in my life. I am anxious to see what I can accomplish for this company!

Firsts!

2011-08-23T08:09:00.000-07:00

We have had quite a few firsts around here lately!

Thompson started preschool last week! He loves it!! We have been putting him in bed by 8 every night so that way he is able to wake up in a semi-decent mood the next morning. We have a few times where he is tired and decides he doesn't want to go, but eventually comes around and is excited to see his friends! We are lucky to have his close friends go to school with him!

Here is the big boy on his first day!

With his new backpack!

The boys also went to their first fair! They had a blast! Thompson got to ride rides with his friend, Kalli! They are two peas in a pod! So sweet together!!

Brycen enjoyed the food! ;)

Another first that is driving me crazy is that Brycen now prefers to be a nudist! I have walked into his room 3 times this week to a naked boy! How he can get all of his clothes off plus a diaper gets me. I also introduced him to the potty seat today. He keeps asking to potty and telling me he does. I didn't potty train Thompson til he was about 2 1/2 years old. He was ready then. He comprehended it. So it's hard for me to think Brycen could even be remotely ready. We'll see. I am definitely not pushing anything. I honestly don't know if I am ready for my baby to be that grown up.

Planner Love!

2011-08-14T09:12:00.000-07:00

Ok, to some this post will be ridiculous. In a sense, it is ridiculous.

But.......

I am in love... with my new Erin Condren Life Planner! Oh, the joyous love!!

Let me tell you the story!

I saw everyone on Twitter talking about this day planner. I really didn't know what all the hype was about. So of course I looked it up and that is when the infatuation began.

I really could not see spending $50 on a planner, unless it were to write itself as well as cook me dinner. I am just too stingy for that. But I saw on an email where Plum District (one of those daily coupon sites) was offering $50 store credit for $25. I definitely thought it was more doable. Plus, I found a coupon that made the total $20. So I bought the coupon and then went to work on picking out and personalizing my planner. I found another coupon for $10 dollars off the Erin Condren site. (The shipping itself was $10, so it was basically free shipping!) So I placed my order and was counting down the days til it shipped.

A few days later I got an email that the E.C. site had been hacked and they had lost the thousands of orders that had been placed. Of course mine was one of them. So I quickly placed my order again (using the coupons) and waited a week for it to ship.

It arrived today! To say I was giddy about this thing when I saw the box was an understatement. I quickly opened the package and ooohh'ed and aawww'ed over how pretty it was, how functional it was, etc.

Here are some pictures of my planner! Sorry for the poor quality, I took them at night with my phone.

They even included some nifty paperclips along with some sample gift tags! That will probably be my next purchase! It includes numerous pockets along with a pouch to store things in. Very, very clever! The tabs also make it very easy when flipping through the months.

If you would like to order a planner, One Kings Lane is offering a $50 gift card for $25. The deal ends tomorrow at 10am CDT. Enter WELCOME10 at the EC website when you order to get an additional $10 savings!

And just because this boy makes me laugh... Never a dull moment with us!

Preschool Fun!

2011-08-11T09:20:00.000-07:00

If you know Thompson, you know that he has begged to go to school. He sees his big cousins going to school and preschool and hasn't understood why he isn't getting to go.

Well luckily, we were able to get him into preschool this fall! He has been so excited since I told him and asks 1000x a day when he can go.

I am excited because he is going to a great preschool here in town; I actually went to the same one when I was his age. He is going to be going full time and I know that he will be benefit from the socialization and educational skills. I have to stress that he is a good kid. He is well-behaved and very polite. He just has a BIG problem with sitting still. It literally kills him to sit still for 5 seconds. When I am disciplining or explaining something to him and absolutely cannot sit and listen to me. He has to be moving his head, moving his arms, rolling his eyes around, making facial expressions, or jumping around. I know... he is 3. I think being in a school setting will help this. He will hopefully see the other kids acting right and hopefully will follow along. I know he is a smart kid. He will catch on, I believe, with no problems.

So we are super excited around here this week! I can't wait to share pictures of his first day!

{Last night he was calling himself Mustache Man and proceeded to ask everyone in Wal-Mart if they liked his 'stache! Oh, this boy cracks me up!}

Good Day!

2011-08-09T14:29:00.000-07:00

I am so happy that we have had some rain and cooler temps! The forecast for this week calls for a chance of rain everyday-- I don't think I have ever been so happy to see that. Definitely makes me start thinking that Fall is not too far away.

Today I went to the paint store for my sister. Call me crazy, but I LOVE going there. I am a dreamer, naturally, so I love going and picking out different colors and imagining how I would paint the rooms in my "dream home". Benjamin Moore and Sherwin-Williams both have apps where you can take a picture of something and it will match the color to one of their paints. So neat!

The boys have been pretty good here lately. (I probably just jinxed myself...) They went to Silver Dollar City last Friday with my mom and sisters. They sent me some cute pictures. Looks like they had a ton of fun!!

I also scored 2 new drink dispensers at Sam's Club today. They are usually $20, but right now our store has them on sale for less than $10! I am hoping to be able to use them sometime in the next 5 years! ;)

Hope everyone is having a good week! :)

Thankful!

2011-08-05T12:31:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, we got some pretty disappointing news. A few weeks ago, Robert hurt his knee while doing a night land navigation with his students. He had it checked out and they thought he might have tore some stuff in it. He had a MRI done on Wednesday and sure enough he has torn his ACL along with some other stuff. (He had actually already had surgery on his other knee when he was in high school.) They have put him in rehab for the next 6 weeks then they are going to do surgery. He is one to blow off how bad things are or how bad he is feeling. And it upsets me that I am not there to take care of him. He has assured me that there is nothing I can do (which is true) but my motherly instinct kicks in and I feel useless.

I am also bummed that he was supposed to be coming home next month and of course this will now hinder that.

So why am I thankful?

I am thankful that my husband is well, for the most part. He is here and I alive. For that I am thankful. I am thankful that we have insurance and the thought of "how are we going to pay for all of these medical bills" has never even crossed my mind. I am thankful that I have a strong husband who would rather pretend he is just fine to make sure that I don't worry about him more than I have to.

Life isn't what we always plan it to be. In fact, it never works out just as we think it should. But the fact of knowing that if this is the biggest hurdle we have to jump right now, is just fine with me.

Almost 4!

2011-08-04T13:14:00.000-07:00

I can't believe that next month Thompson will be turning 4! He is turning into such a big boy these days. Going to Bible school, running around with friends, and spending the night with his cousins. I got teary eyed the other day thinking about how in 2 years he would be starting kindergarten. I look at him and get so excited thinking about his future. Will he be a doctor, or a policeman, or a firefighter? Of course, then I start to think about the woman he is going to one day (when he is 30) marry. Will she take care of him like his momma does? I know that all of this is WAY far away, but it just goes to show you how fast time flies. It seems like yesterday we were at the HOGS game when my water broke. (True story!) A few hours later we had this beautiful, 7 pound baby boy whom I couldn't love more!

It definitely makes me hug him and Brycen more and more each day. Knowing that one day they won't enjoy it like they do now. I pray for that to never happen, but you know teenage boys! ;)

Lunch today

Look at that heart breaker!

Fun Friday!!

2011-07-28T13:11:00.000-07:00

{Don't you love when you forget to submit a new post??} :P

Yesterday, (Friday 7/22) we had a great day! I got the boys up and around and I took them and Jude to Fayetteville. We first had lunch at Chick-fil-A and then went to the movies. We decided to watch the new Winnie the Pooh movie because it was short enough (70 minutes) that I thought Brycen might do ok. He wasn't bad at all, just a little wiggly. All he wanted to do was take the straw in and out of the cups and eat so much popcorn I thought he might get sick. It's times like that where it would be just so easy to pop a paci in his mouth to calm him down and get him to relax, but I have not given in. He has done so well!!

After the movies, I met my sister in Fayetteville to get my niece, Jilian. I needed to take them to the Swim Ranch for their last day of swim lessons. My sister met us there later on and I took Brycen to Wal-Mart. Let me tell you, it is a vacation only having to grocery shop with one child. Thompson refuses to ride in the cart (which in all honesty, he is too big to sit in there) but he still likes to walk off or get distracted. So we made a 30 minute shopping trip and went home. It started pouring rain when we got back into town. We desperately needed the rain, but just not right then. We were heading to Thompson's Vacation Bible School program. It was perfect! He looked so big standing up there with the other kids saying their Bible verses and singing "Jesus Loves Me". It just melted my heart. I teared up thinking of how he is just growing so fast into such a wonderful little boy. I don't think I have ever me such a loving child. I hope he always keeps that tender heart.

Of course he saw me taking his picture and came and posed during the dancing! Such a ham! Love how he stuck his hands in his pockets!

After the program, the kids all enjoyed banana splits. I had to go to work. Tara brought Brycen up to work for a minute to show me some stuff and he was strutting around with a tootsie pop. (Tara is definitely known for spoiling the boys!) He was so proud of that sucker. I think it is actually his first one. It was cute. I wish I had thought to have taken a picture.

Anyways, we are enjoying a lazy day at home. My Granny Lola brought the boys some fresh peaches so we ate some of those and now Brycen is napping. Jude and Thompson are playing so good in the playroom. I am so thankful for such a wonderful, quiet day at home with the boys. I wish Robert were here, but the poor guy is sleeping. He has duty every 3-4 days (24 hr shifts) on top of his work schedule and finally got some time off this morning. So of course, he is catching up on his sleep. :)

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

Wouldn't you know...

2011-07-21T21:03:00.000-07:00

I am doing yet another catch up post.

This week I have worked a lot! I actually haven't used my computer in days.

There hasn't been a lot going on. Thompson is attending Vacation Bible School this week. Every night I ask him what he learned and he tells me "About Jesus". That's good son, what do they say about Jesus? "Go outside and play". ;)

He has enjoyed it so much though. He asks every night to go back. I know a lot of it is from getting to play with kids. Right now, we have him on a wait list for pre-school. Hopefully they can get him in for this fall!

Here are some pictures from this week.

Brycen trying out his new car! Gotta love hand-me-downs!

Thompson has been working in his letter book.

Brycen practicing up for the Lazy River.

Thompson and his faux hawk

Brycen and his paci.

Speaking of pacis... We are in the process of taking Brycen's away. It hasn't been too hard until today. He was in his room and found some stashed under his bed. I saw him and immediately took it away. He threw a fit! Then he found another. I took it away again. Another fit. It was awful. We have replaced the paci with his Buzz Lightyear doll and he seems to be ok. He has gone to bed at night just fine. I just really need to make sure he hasn't stashed anymore around here! :)

So glad the weekend is here! I don't have any plans, but I am sure we will do something. Thompson has been asking to go to Chuck E Cheese for a while, so maybe if I end up losing my mind, we will go there.

Off topic... does anyone do Pinterest? I love it. I have found some CUTE stuff that I want to make!

Hey Y'all!

2011-07-17T21:23:00.000-07:00

Long time, no blog!

I have been a busy gal! I have been helping my sister out at her assisted living facility. I grew up in that place, so it holds a special place in my heart. When she asked if I could help out for a while, I was very excited!

The boys went with her to Hot Springs for the Miss Arkansas pageant. My niece, Jilian, was a princess to one of the contestants. It was such a wonderful experience! Now she has her eyes set on doing the pageant when she gets older!

Jilian with Miss Arkansas Alyse Eady

Jilian helping the new Miss Arkansas Teen Ashton Campbell sign autographs. She is from our town as well!

The future Miss Arkansas!

Beautiful!

Ashton, Jilian, and Natalie

Other than working, I have done nothing! Ha! I did make a trip to Target and got some wonderful summer stuff half off! So I was proud of that purchase! And of course I have been loving stopping by and getting a sno cone while we are over there! Hey, I can't deny my children a sno cone on a hot day ~~even if I were the one to suggest them~~! I don't like that my favorite place is covered with bees. Hundreds! We couldn't even sit down to eat them because they just swarmed us! And I hate bees! My new favorite flavor is Tiger's Blood. Sometimes I will get it with cream. It is strawberry and coconut. Sometimes if I close my eyes, I can imagine myself on a beach with the waves rolling in and me relaxing in a lounge chair sipping my ~~adult~~ beverage. But then I come back to reality-- 100+ degree heat and a flock of bees. ;)

Ok, one more thing. I entered the boys in a contest. I know, I know. I roll my eyes too every time there are these contests. (I don't need a popularity contest to tell me how adorable my boys are!) Anyways, roll your eyes and then go to THIS LINK! and "like" her page. (You do have to have a FB account) She is doing a contest and the person with the most "likes" on their picture win a free photo shoot and package! I am wanting our pictures done in September when Robert comes in, so this would be wonderful! So if you have a few extra minutes, I would greatly appreciate it!

A little funny...

2011-07-11T08:56:00.000-07:00

Thompson and Brycen love having races around the house. They will count 1, 2, 3, Go! And then both run! (Brycen loves counting and saying Go too!) This morning they were doing this, but this time I heard Thompson say "1, 2, 3, Apple!" instead and then told Brycen I didn't say "Go!". It was his way to fake out his brother. Well he did this another time but used "banana" instead. Of course, he fooled his brother again. ;) Well then the next thing I hear he says, "1, 2, 3, diarrhea!" I about died laughing!

Where in the world do they come up with this stuff?!

Anyways, I laughed, then I corrected him telling him that we don't say stuff like that, then laughed a little more to myself.

Such a boy. I swear that is my excuse for everything! :)

Commenting Challenge!

2011-07-07T10:44:00.000-07:00

So I am a little late to the party... but I thought I would link up with Jenna's Journey on her commenting challenge.

I am guilty of reading so many blogs and not commenting back. Shame on me! I thought this would be a great way getting to know more bloggers while sharing my blog as well.

I had meant to do this post yesterday...

What I am loving Wednesday!

(By the way, I love this idea!)

I think I have mentioned this canister set before, but I am in love with them! They match my dishes and I am definitely going to get them when we buy a house!

Last night I finally made the Pioneer Woman's Iced Coffee. To be honest, I saw the words "Sweetened Condensed Milk" in the recipe and I was SOLD!! I used fat free half and half as well as fat free SCM and it was soooo good! I had a glass this morning and it was perfect! And this is from someone who doesn't even like coffee that much!

Y'all know my love for all thing Real Housewives. I have always enjoyed the New Jersey group and so far I am loving the new season! I really don't care for the Teresa/Melissa family drama though. I am a Caroline fan definitely.

Another guilty pleasure of mine is Flipping Out. I don't know why, but I think Jeff is a hoot! And I love Jenny! So glad for another season of some major OCD meltdowns!

Ok, so I am semi-new to Twitter. I have had an account for a while, but rarely "tweet". So if you are a "twitterer", follow me and give me a shout out! My name is 'lenorariedel'. Original, huh?

Hope you all have a great post-Wednesday!! ;)

Goodbyes and White Water

2011-07-02T08:37:00.000-07:00

Yesterday morning, Robert got on the road back to California. It breaks my heart to see him go. I was seriously considering all of us just going back with him. We could all survive in 1 bedroom right?! ;) We are already planning his next trip home... we will be getting ready to celebrate Thompson's 4th birthday and Robert's 28th birthday!

By the way... can you believe it is already July?!?! Where does the time go these days???

Anyways, after Robert left, the boys and I loaded up and headed to meet my mom and my niece and nephew at White Water in Branson. I was worried about how I was going to handle 2 kids up there, but it really wasn't that bad. Thompson is now old enough that he can play at the kiddie park with his friends. He wears this floaty that is amazing!! Brycen loved playing in the water. Of course my niece and her friend loved being "mother hens" and helping him around. So cute!! Thompson then went to ride some rides with my mom and the kids and Brycen and I headed to the Lazy River. I have mentioned before about my love for the LR. Awww.... So peaceful, right?? Ummm not so much anymore. They renovated some of the park, LR included. They added these things that dump water on you as you go through. There are about 8 of them. Not cool. How can I relax on my tube knowing that every 4 seconds I had to paddle as fast I could away from the water dumping things. And Brycen insisted on taking his nap on me while we were on the river. I wish I could have gotten a picture, it was so cute! But he didn't much like being woken up to being soaked with cold water. He would scream and then fall right back to sleep. We did that for well over an hour. I thought my arm was going to fall off from holding him.

After White Water, we went to Freddy's to eat. It was so good! Then Brycen and I headed to TJ Maxx and Target. I seriously could have fallen asleep on my way home. I was sooo tired. I definitely came home and crashed.

Robert called and he is about into Kingman, AZ. He is truckin' it for sure! He assured me that he had pulled off and slept for about 3 hours. So he should be arriving back to CA today.

Today, I am wanting to relax. But I have this want to go to Sam's Club. I seriously LOVE Sam's. Don't know why, I just do. Kinda like Target. Maybe I just like the browsing. Hmmm... Anyways, I might go do that, we will see!

Have a great Saturday!!

Here Fishy, Fishy!

2011-06-29T07:27:00.000-07:00

One of Robert's favorite things to do while he is here is to go fishing. Last year was really the first time I had ever fished. But I loved it! It is definitely addicting!

So we took my parent's boat to Holiday Island on Sunday and fished up there. Robert caught a 15 inch small mouth bass... I caught nothing. :( In my defense, I think it is almost impossible to catch anything with a 3.5year old jumping around and screaming. Just saying... ;)

The next day, we took Thompson with us to Beaver Lake. This time I gave him my phone and said "Play games and be quiet". It worked for a while. Robert caught another bass. Still I caught nothing. Something is definitely wrong with this...

While we were out on the lake, we couldn't get the motor to turn over. So we had someone pull us to where we were parked and waited on my dad. While they worked on it, I sat there casting out. And what do you know... I caught a fish! It was a little small mouth bass, but it was a fish! I was pretty high on my horse and wanted to catch more. Thompson went home with his Papa so Robert and I fished for a little bit more. Let's put it this way, fishing at night + my lovely casting skills = running out of fishing line. So I gave up and we went home.

Today, we are going up to Table Rock Lake. It's the last fishing day and we have hopes of catching some fish. Positive thinking, people! ;) I will let you know how it goes!

We're Home!

2011-06-24T21:02:00.000-07:00

Thank goodness!!

We had a trip, to say the least! We got to California Saturday afternoon. I was so relieved to see Robert! I have missed him so much. The next two years are going to suck. I hate that we aren't going to be there with him, but we have to keep our eyes on the prize.

We picked up our U-haul on Sunday and started packing. Let me tell you... we have a lot of crap. Not stuff. Crap. I cursed myself the whole time on why I am such a hoarder. I heard my mom say at least 100 times... "Just think, when you got married all you had was your car and a blow-up mattress." True story. We have definitely made up for all that we lacked in the beginning. ;)

After our neighbors came to make sure we weren't getting divorced (not kidding), we finally realized that one trailer was not going to be enough. Ugh. So Monday, we called U-haul to try and see if I could get a hitch put on my Murano. So we drove all the way down to Oceanside, picked up the hitch, drove back to San Clemente only for them to tell me that the electrical kit was a special order item. Great. They said they could have it in the next day. Since we needed to leave the next day, that was not possible. So after some figuring out, I decided to trade my car with my brother-in-law, so I could use his truck. He is going to bring my car to AR in a few weeks, so it all worked out. We finally got our trailer at 3 pm after going to Wal-Mart to get a part that U-haul didn't have. (Not very happy with U-haul, by the way). We packed until 10:00 that night then decided we better go get something for dinner and finish the cleaning the next morning. So Mom and I were at In-n-Out at 10:30 eating a burger and fries. I even had a coke... I definitely deserved it after my long day.

We got everything cleaned and we were out of the house the next morning by 10:30 and on the road by 11:30. Our first stop was at 5 Guys Burgers. Oh.My.Word. This was the BEST burger I have ever had in my life. Seriously. We then got going and Robert ended up having a blowout on his trailer in Flagstaff, AZ. Lovely. So we called U-haul and they had someone there within an hour or so. Not too bad. But the whole ordeal set us back 2 hours. It was already 9:00pm so we just got a room for the night. We got up early and ended up driving all the way to Oklahoma City. We got there at about 12:30am. I was exhausted. We needed to just rest for a few hours, so we pulled over at a Supercenter. I probably wouldn't have cared if we were in the middle of the ghetto, I rolled down the window and layed my pillow and my head out the door. Best sleep! My mom on the other hand, thought she needed to stand on "fire watch" and watch anything and everything that came by. Obviously, I couldn't have cared less if someone wanted to rob me. I was sleeping. :)

We finally made it home yesterday at 10:30am. So good to see the boys! They ran to Robert and I, which was the best. They were so happy to see him. We went and unloaded our stuff today and turned in the trailers. We are planning for a busy week. I want to make each day special for all of us. Robert went fishing this evening. Tomorrow, we are going to take the boys to watch Cars 2. I am excited for that!

This move was so hard. I think I cried the whole way home. It's not that I want to leave Robert in California by himself. We just feel it is necessary for us now. We are not getting divorced, we love each other more than anything. We just want to provide a future for our boys. I wouldn't feel comfortable coming back when he gets out hoping to find a job. Robert would be going to school and I don't want to take away that opportunity from him. I don't want him to feel there is no other option besides getting out and finding a random job that he didn't care about just to be able to support us. (Of course he would do that if we needed to.) But our hopes is for me to find a job and get settled, the boys in school, and us a house. I have decided to get my Non-Traditional Teacher Licensure. With that, I need to take 2 classes this fall, my Praxis 1 & 2, and then I would be able to find a teaching position next August. I am so excited! Of course, that takes time and I am glad I am getting started now.

Oh, and did you know that in CA if your child turns 5 before December, you have to send your child to kindergarten. I have always personally felt that kids need to be 5 before they go to school, especially boys who I think need that extra time for maturity. Thompson would still be 4 if we did that. So I am glad he is going to be going Arkansas schools.

Sorry this post went really long. I am glad to be home. I am glad to have my husband with me for a few days.

Life is good! :)

And... We're Off!!!

2011-06-18T04:03:00.000-07:00

Mom and I are on the way to California to pack up the house. I am so thankful Robert is off to move all of the heavy stuff... and for him being able to drive back with us... and for hauling the trailer! :)

Mom and I will keep the IPhones going on the drive back. No telling what we will find! I am determined to beat Angry Birds Rio Edition. I bought the $.99 cent one because I beat both of the free ones. It is a love/hate relationship with that game. Oh, and I LOVE Words With Friends!! If you play, look me up... my name is lenorariedel (Original, huh?)

So we will be back around Wednesday evening, hopefully!! See y'all then!

Oh, and prayers for my sisters as they try to keep up with my wild kids! ;)

It's Finally Friday!!

2011-06-17T06:00:00.000-07:00

I won't break out into song, but I sing it every single week! Even being a stay at home mom, I love my weekends!

Tomorrow we are leaving for California. We are entrusting the boys in the care of my sisters. Surely, between the 3 of them they can take care of them. ;) I have no doubt in my mind that they (boys too!) will be fine.

Thompson is SOOOO excited to see his dad! I am pretty darn excited too!! I am starting to get nervous and get all of those butterflies in my stomach like when I did when were dating. LOVE that feeling. :)

I am dreading, DREADING packing up the house. We just moved. Ugh. But, we will be saving money by not having the house. I am not too worried about the drive. Somehow, doing things minus the kiddos just seems so easy. (I wonder why???)

I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!! And just because I couldn't resist...

It's finally Friday, I'm free again

I got my motor running for a wild weekend

It's finally Friday, I'm out of control

Forget the working blues and let the good times roll!

Apps

2011-06-16T08:20:00.000-07:00

I am a new owner of an IPhone. I have never had one, but so far I love it! It's actually pretty user friendly.

One of the main reason I wanted it was ~~to be a cool kid like everyone else~~ for the apps!

So far, the main ones I use are: Weight Watchers, Pandora (LOVE!!!), Words with Friends, Bank of America, and Map Quest.

So for all of you IPhone owners, what are some of your favorite apps???

I was reading Karen's blog this morning and she was telling about a Sherwin Williams app where you can take a picture of something and it will match the colors in the pictures to paint chips they have. That is just too cool!!

I have downloaded Instagram (April, I know you love this one!!) but really haven't used it too much... I need to work on that.

Oh, and my mother also got a new IPhone! For those who don't know her, this was probably the biggest decision of her life. She is a flip-phone fanatic, so this was big. We sat down last night and we played with them for about 2 hours. But she is so school-girl-giddy over it! Too funny!! :)

Kid's Clothes!!

2011-06-14T11:33:00.000-07:00

We usually buy the boys' clothes from Target, Old Navy, and anywhere else that is having a good deal! I can sometimes find cheap clothes at Baby Gap, which I love!! My boys are notorious for their Polo shirts and my mom keeps them stocked up by getting those for usually half the price at TJ Maxx. (LOVE TJ Maxx!!!)
I usually buy clothes for the kids twice a year. With boys, they can get away with jeans and tons of graphic tee's. I also buy long sleeve under tops and pair those with normal t-shirts when it starts to get chilly outside. Definitely easier to dress than girls! ;)

Anyways, as keeping with my love for a good bargain... I will tell you about my newest purchases!

Have y'all heard of Crazy 8??? If you haven't, I am sure you have heard of Gymboree. Crazy 8 is their "sister brand". I first discovered this clothing company back when Thompson was a baby. I ordered some clothes that were on clearance and used them the next season when he was big enough and Brycen, in turn, used them too! They wash up great and are so cute!

Anyways, I have gotten some recent emails from them about current sales they have going on.

Let. Me. Tell. You.

I racked up... well Thompson racked up!

He got 4 pairs of jeans (6.99 a pair), 5 nice t-shirts (3 for 3.99, 2 for 5.99), a pair of shoes (7.99), and 6 pairs of knit shorts (3.99 a pair) all for $83.84!!

I got the package today and was so excited! So he is stocked up with some basics for this fall and this summer. We love knit shorts and he has a pair from there that I love. When I saw they were less than $4 a pair, I stocked up!

Like Gymboree, they do "Crazy Cash". For every $40 that you spend, you get $20 in Crazy Cash. Since I spent over $80, I ended up with $40. That means I can go back during a certain time and spend $80 or more and get $40 off!

So I definitely recommend that you check them out and score some awesome deals too! :)

Miscellaneous Monday!

2011-06-13T11:00:00.000-07:00

We had a pretty low-key weekend. Friday night I went to dinner and a movie with one of my best friends, Becca. We saw Bridesmaids and it was hilarious!! We also had some Cherry Berry! It was delish!

{Bec and her fro-yo!}

Saturday, we went to my niece's dance recital. She did so good! I had the opportunity to wrestle two kids on the front row for 2 hours-- lucky me! We only managed to spill one Sonic drink and a bottle of water. ;)

Sunday, I took the boys to church. We went last week and I left Brycen with the big kids group. He did ok there, but I knew he would have to go to the nursery at some point. Well yesterday I dropped him off and he knew exactly what was going on. He latched onto me so tight and just started crying. I hate leaving him. I dread when I put him in daycare. Needless to say, during prayer at the beginning I heard the shrieking of my baby boy crying. :( I went back there and stayed with him the rest of the time. Don't know what we will do next time. I am not used to this, so it is all new to me.

Today, I have Jude plus my two boys. SOMEHOW I got them all to take a nap. Maybe a little bribery of a baseball game tonight had something to do with it... But I am enjoying the time! Then we are headed to eat at Marketplace Grill and watch the Naturals. Maybe even stop for some shaved ice afterwards! :)

I am getting SUPER EXCITED about my upcoming trip to CA this weekend!!! I can't wait to see Robert. I am wishing we had time to spend a few days together there just doing whatever, but we are on a strict schedule. We have 2 days to pack up the house and get on the road. Ugh. Makes me tired just thinking about it! But Robert will have about a week here in AR to visit and spend time with the boys. Can't wait!

Oh and I got these beautiful flowers for our anniversary from my sweet, sweet husband.

Happy Anniversary!

2011-06-10T06:53:00.000-07:00

Today is Robert and I's anniversary. Of course I would love to be getting ready to go on a big date night (no kids) to a nice restaurant with maybe a movie afterwards... but that will have to wait to next week. :)

Words simply cannot explain how much I love this man. I didn't know what our future would hold when I married him 5 years ago. I just knew that I didn't want spend the rest of my life without him. We have had to make some hard decisions here lately. I don't want to live without him, but we knew that we needed to get prepared for life after the Marine Corps.

When researching to find that perfect gift, I looked under the 5-year theme-- wood. For the life of me, I could not think of anything "wood" to give him. But it did get me to thinking... when I think of wood I think of something strong and something that can withstand anything. That is the way I think of our relationship. We have been through so much in the past 5 years. But I know how strong we are as a couple and know that we can get through anything that comes our way. Today's marriages are a lot like today's furniture-- not built well at all. They are made out of cheap material to basically get a person by for a few years. They know when they go to the store they don't want to give a lot towards the furniture knowing that they will eventually want something new later on. I hate that marriage isn't what it used to be. I believe in the values. I believe in the sanctity. When I married Robert, I knew there was no "Plan B". I knew what forever meant and knew that I would be with him for the rest of my life. God knew that we both needed each other. I needed him. He needed me.

We are not perfect. We do not have a perfect marriage. But he loves me and the boys more than anything in this world and that is all I need to know. :)

Happy 5th Anniversary Robert! I love you more and more each day.

{June 10, 2006}

Wordless Wednesday

2011-06-08T19:28:00.000-07:00

Giving it all away

2011-06-06T07:56:00.000-07:00

If you would have asked me a year ago... I would have told you that I was definitely wanting to try again for a little girl. It has been my dream to have a daughter. Growing up with 3 sisters and having 2 boys just didn't seem complete.

But over the past few months, I think I have had a change of heart.

When Thompson was Brycen's age, I got pregnant. I had no choice but to deal with the "terrible two's" knowing that we were already in for it again. It wasn't a big deal. To be honest, Thompson was an easy child. Of course he had his meltdowns and tantrums, but overall, he was just so sweet and easy. Brycen, on the other hand is a little more challenging. He still is my baby boy, but the child wears me out some days. ;) I might be crazy, but the newborn stage is the easiest for me. I enjoy the sweetness of a newborn baby. I love being attentive to their every need. A toddler is soooo different. And I honestly don't know if I want to go through this again.

Who is to even say I would have a girl?? I have always heard girls were very dramatic. Do I even want to deal with that?? Trust me... I was a teenage girl once... there was dra-ma!

As of right now, I am 95% sure I am done having kids. Who is to say I won't change my mind in a few years? But I am trying to enjoy my boys as much as possible and soak in this time.

That is why I have decided to give away a lot of the clothes, baby gear, etc. we have. Shanna is having a baby boy this fall and it would be a perfect time to gift all of the things that we won't need anymore.

But trust me, I will ~~probably~~ definitely cry the entire time I am going through the stuff. I will ~~probably~~ definitely feel guilty. I just hope I don't jinx myself in the end. I have always heard that as soon as you give everything away is when you get pregnant!! Haha!! Ohhhhh goodness! :)

Anybody have any advice?

This Week...

2011-06-05T20:25:00.000-07:00

This week... I will make a conscientious effort to be 100% on counting my points, as I have failed miserably this past week.

This week... I will try not to nitpick my husband for every cent that he spends. I am terrible about this and probably should be harder on myself.

This week... I will have more patience with my children. I know that Brycen has serious separation anxiety and I need to have a little more understanding. It's hard on him, it's hard on me. :(

This week... I will think of the most AMAZING anniversary gift for my husband. Because he deserves it more than anything. I love him more than anything and am so blessed to have such a hardworking, loving husband.

This week... I will try not to stress about the future. Everything will work out the way it was planned. :)

I don't want this list to only be for "this week". Most of them are hard and it will definitely take time. I am just a small-goals-kinda-gal!

Hope you have a great week!!

Summertime!!

2011-06-05T07:11:00.000-07:00

To me, it is officially summer! The weather has peaked well over the 90's, the pools are open, and the sno cones are delicious!

Yesterday, I took the boys to my sister's house to swim. We layed Brycen down for a nap when we got there because I knew it would be a long day. Thompson ended up swimming for 6 hours! Funny thing is that he never made a peep. He just floated around playing with the other kids. He loved it! After Brycen woke up, we put his swim floaty on him and he splashed around on the steps. He didn't care too much for the swimming part, but loved throwing anything and everything he could into the pool. We ate hot dogs for lunch and I had 2 sno cones that were soooo good!

After we all were wore out from swimming, we got dressed and headed to a Mexican restaurant that I haven't been to in years. It's about 30 minutes away and it really hit the spot.

We had a really great day! Definitely a wonderful start to a hot summer! :)

{Thompson going down the slide!}

{Ready to hit the pool!}

{All the kids}

Show Us Your Life-- Appetizers!!

2011-06-03T08:27:00.000-07:00

Today is another round of Show Us Your Life! This week it is appetizers!

I don't know about you, but I LOVE appetizers. I am a huge dip fan and found this recipe a while back. Rachael Ray made it on her show, and I knew I had to make it! :) It's Jalapeno Popper Dip!

Let the ooooh's and awwww's begin now. Yes. It is that good!

Jalapeno Popper Dip

8 jalapenos,halved and seeded

1 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil

2 8-ounce blocks of cream cheese, softened

1 cup sour cream

1 cup shredded cheese, divided

1 cup crushed tortilla chips

Toss the jalapenos in the olive oil. Put under the broiler for about 3 minutes or until softened and blackened. Let them cool enough until you are able to chop them up. Meanwhile, turn the oven to 400 degrees. In a bowl, mix the cream cheese, sour cream, 1/2 cup of cheese and chopped jalapeno peppers. Pour into baking dish and top with the rest of the shredded cheese and tortilla chips. Bake for about 15-18 minutes or until bubbly, golden brown. I serve mine with tortilla chips.

I am telling y'all-- this is so good!

Enjoy!!

Awful, just awful!

2011-05-31T21:00:00.000-07:00

That is how I have felt lately!

My allergies are about to kill me! I wish I were kidding. I am on so much allergy medication, at any point during the day I feel like I could fall over and sleep for a week. I honestly have not felt this bad since I was a kid.

That is one good thing California did for me!

Other than my awfulness, we have had a great few days. Sunday, I took Brycen and Jilian shopping. We had a really good time. Monday was my dad's birthday!! He, unfortunately, had to work all day, but my sister, Tara made a delicious dinner for all of the family that night. She built an outdoor patio with a kitchen and it came in SOOO handy! We didn't have to go inside for anything. (She just got the pool ready and I can't wait to go swim!) Mom, Brooklyn, and I took all of the kiddos to the river Sunday, too. We didn't have one fish bite, but we still had a good time. It was nice... of course til my eyes started burning, itching, watering, swelling, etc. I had to go home and lay down for about an hour with a cold rag on them.

I am telling you guys... it's bad! It's sad because all Thompson wants to do is go outside and play. And I can't even do that for more than 20 minutes. I am going to get a referral to an allergist here, so hopefully they can help. I am not trying to gripe too much about it, but it is just a constant everyday thing now. :(

Here are some pics of the boys from last week!

{My baby and I at Tar-Jay}

{So big! He will be 18 months on the 11th!}

{Reminds me of his daddy! :) }

{My brown-eyed boy!}

{The boys showing off their muscles, hehe!}

Love them! Every night when I put Thompson in bed he always says "We had a great day, Mom". Melts my heart. I love hearing him say that. He is such a sweet boy-- they both are!

Attachment

2011-05-28T13:51:00.000-07:00

Last night was a pretty big night here-- Thompson spent the night with his cousin, Jude! Usually it wouldn't be a big event, but about a year ago he started getting this horrible anxiety about leaving me. He wouldn't go anywhere unless he knew I would be right there with him. We have tried to get him to stay the night with Haili, his cousin, but he screamed and cried the whole time talking about it. So, I definitely didn't push it. I figured he would go when he was ready. He had spent the night with his cousins before, so this was new to us.

Last night I got a text from my sister saying that Thompson cried a little but then told her "My mom is coming tomorrow" and told her he loved her and loved me and then went to bed. :)

Brycen... now that is a whole other story. I swear that boy is going to be attached to my leg for the rest of his life (a momma can dream, right??) :)

Best Cheesecake Ever!!!

2011-05-26T20:17:00.000-07:00

So I am linking up with Kelly's Korner on Show Us Your Life-- Desserts!

I did this recipe last time and it is still my absolute fave! It is from Paula Deen, who I consider an expert in all things butter! :)

I definitely haven't figured up the WW Points on this one, though. Don't know if I want to know. ;)

Click HERE and you will find my post.

Enjoy!!

Thursday!

2011-05-26T13:29:00.000-07:00

So, I have been a bad Weight Watchers blogger. I have not "officially" weighed in at a meeting in like a month! My weight loss has slowed down (which I knew it would) and I have only maybe lost 4-5 pounds this month (depending on the day). I am not fretting over this. It's just a hurdle I will get over.

One thing that I have noticed that could be hurting me is that I am not drinking enough water. I know... bad, Lenora. I was doing really well, but then kind of started slacking. I am trying to get it back up to where it was!

One thing I have kept up with though, is my fruit intake. I love fruits!! Right now, I have been buying these little apple packs with a yogurt dip in them. They are 3 points, but the yogurt is sweet and reminds me of that cream cheese fruit dip. I also have been snacking on some fresh pineapple and cherries! Cherries are expensive so I won't be getting those every week. But pineapples are like $2.50 for one right now. Not bad at all! I also love those little Cuties oranges. They are sweet and seedless. The boys love them too. :)

New Recipe!!

2011-05-24T08:26:00.000-07:00

So, last week I participated in Kelly's Korner Show Us Your Life-- Main Courses. I linked up my White Chicken Chili.

And since Friday, I have been going through and looking for new recipes. I have a tab under my Bookmarks on my computer where I put all of the recipes I find. So easy to find them that way!! So I was busy "bookmarking" recipes and was getting so excited to try some of them out.

One that I couldn't wait to try was the Hawaiian BBQ Pulled Chicken Sandwiches. I made them last night and they were sooooo good! And it's in a crock-pot... can't get any easier than that! I used Sweet Baby Ray's (the best BBQ sauce!) in the sweet and spicy. It was a perfect combination with the sweet crushed pineapple.

I served it with some basic pasta salad and it was an easy, easy meal.

I figured up the WW Points Plus value and for 6 servings, it came out to 8 points per serving. I am not 100% sure how accurate that is. It is really juicy, so a lot of points are still in the juice. So, I am thinking more of 6 points per serving. If you add a bun, that is about 5 points.

Enjoy!!

Storms!

2011-05-23T06:44:00.000-07:00

If you live in the South, then you are fully aware of the AWFUL spring storms we have had recently. The tornadoes that killed all those in the Alabama area broke my heart. The devastation is beyond words. And then last night, just a little ways from where we are, in Joplin, MO, they had 1 single tornado come through and wipe out 75% of it's town. So far, 89 people have been killed. As I was watching the Weather Channel last night, one of the storm chasers that had followed the tornado was reporting on the damage that had just happened. Right in the middle of the interview he just broke down in tears. I, too, was crying at this point. You could truly see how bad this was. It ripped part of the hospital down. Flattened so many houses. There were people scrambling to find their neighbors. And really, we just had a glimpse into this awful nightmare that they are living.

We have been warned that we are under more severe storms until Thursday. I pray, pray that everything stays safe. Please pray for all of the families affected by this storm. I know they are transferring a lot of injured people to NWA hospitals. And they had to fully evacuate all of the patients at the hospital that got hit. It is unbelievable what can happen in an instant.

Brycen

2011-05-17T08:29:00.000-07:00

Brycen is a hoot! I used to think he was going to be my laid-back child, but now I regress that thought. He is a spitfire. He lets you know when he is mad and he will tell you "No!" on just about everything!

I love him though! :)

I see me in him. I see Robert in him. He is strong-willed and that makes me proud. As much as it frustrates me, it still makes me proud.

He is saying so much these days! Here are some of his words: momma, dada, papa, nana, brookie, cookie, jude, spongebob (not kidding), more, drink, no, thank you, ball, banana, go, yay, uh-oh, and I know there are more. He is just talking away!

He is the pickiest eater ever. The child will eat tator tots at every meal if I would let him. He likes chicken strips too. That is usually our meal if we go out to eat. He will eat all fruit! Loves it. Hates vegetables, always has. Won't eat cheese. He loves yogurts and pudding. And sweets! Boy, does he love sweets! His favorite time of the day is when my dad comes home and runs and jumps in his lap to eat a snack with him. I try to feed him other foods, but he just ends up yelling "no!" and throwing the food across the room. Kid you not.

He gets in trouble for that one.

He loves to gives kisses when he wants to. He knows exactly where to go when I tell him it is time to take his medicine. He always tells everyone "Nigh-Nigh" before we go to bed. He still takes a passy at bedtime, but thats about it.

Oh, I love that boy so much! He is 17 months now. He weighs about 24 pounds. He wears a size 6 shoe and 12-18 months in clothes. Some 24 months. He loves to play ball and run around with his brother. Last night he was acting like he was counting on his fingers (Like Thompson was) and then yelled "Go!" and ran around. So cute!!

WWW- Dessert Recipe!

2011-05-11T07:12:00.000-07:00

Today is Weight Watchers Wednesday! I will not be able to weigh in til tomorrow, so that will have to be a separate post.

Today, I am sharing an awesome dessert recipe! I saw this on Paula Deen's website earlier this week. Most of the time, PD isn't known for her "low-fat" or "healthy" recipes, but her sons took one of her recipes and made it a lighter version. I made this last night for all the family and received really good reviews. I LOVED it. But I am a dessert person, so anything sweet is right up my alley!

Lighter Strawberry Shortcake

Ingredients:

2 1/4 cups reduced-fat buttermilk baking mix
2/3 cup low-fat (1%) milk
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3 tablespoons butter, melted
1 tablespoon sliced almonds
4 cups strawberries, hulled and sliced
1 tablespoon grated orange zest
1 tablespoon orange juice
3/4 cup frozen light non-dairy whipped topping, thawed

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 425°F. Spray an 8-inch round cake pan with nonstick spray. Line the bottom of the pan with wax paper. Spray the wax paper with nonstick spray.

Combine the baking mix, milk, 5 tablespoons of the sugar, and butter in a medium bowl just until blended. Scrape the batter into the pan. Scatter the almonds over top and sprinkle with 1 tablespoon sugar.

Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Cool the cake in the pan on a wire rack 10 minutes. Remove the cake from the pan. Carefully peel off and discard the wax paper. Cool the cake completely on the rack.

Toss the strawberries, orange zest, juice, and the remaining 2 tablespoons sugar in a medium bowl. Let stand until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture is syrupy, about 10 minutes.

Split the cooled cake in half horizontally. Place the bottom layer onto a cake plate; spoon the strawberry mixture over top. Spoon the whipped topping over the strawberries. Place the remaining cake layer on top. Serve immediately.

I did mine a little differently. I didn't know if we could eat the whole cake, so I just cut it into wedges and served it with the strawberries and cool whip on top. It was good, but her way would be great because it would allow all of the juices from the strawberries to soak in the cake. I also couldn't find low-fat baking mix, so I just used regular bisquick. We also cut ours into 16 servings. My calculated Points Plus serving is 3 points per serving.

Here are her nutritional values for 1/8 of the cake with strawberries and toppings:

Per Serving: (1/8th of cake) 159 Cal; 3 g Protein; 7 g Tot Fat; 4 g Sat Fat; 2 g Mono Fat; 21 g Carb; 2 g Fiber; 5 g Sugar; 54 mg Calcium; 1 mg Iron; 353 mg Sodium; 12 mg Cholesterol

I am guessing ours would be around 100 calories for our portion.

This was so simple to make. Seriously! I hope you enjoy it, I know I am going to enjoy another leftover piece today! :)

A new direction...

2011-05-06T18:59:00.000-07:00

So A LOT has been happening the past few weeks. Along with our trip to Arkansas, Robert and I have been making some major family decisions.

When he joined the Marines, we had a plan. He would stay in 4 years, get out, go to school, and then live a "normal" life. Well, as the time came for us to make that decision to get out or stay in... we decided we better stay. The economy has been awful, we were pregnant with Brycen, and I was a month away from finishing college. We weren't ready to get out. We needed that stability for atleast a few more years.

So...

With a little over 2 years left on this contract, we have decided we need to plan for our future. With that being said, we have decided to get out.

I have never been more proud of Robert than I have in the past 5 years. He has excelled as a Marine, father, and husband. But to make a long story short, Robert is tired of the Marine Corps. I know he loves being a Marine, but he doesn't love what they have become. I always tell him he was born in the wrong era. He is no-questions-asked kinda guy. And the M.C. is not what it used to be. It isn't even what it used to be when he joined in 2005.

This is a big decision for us. We have made the decision for the boys and I to move back and get settled (I get a job, get a house, boys in school, etc.). To think that we haven't agonized over it is an understatement. Robert doesn't want to be away from us (nor us from him), but we feel this is the best decision for us. Our main goal is to save for our future. We only get one chance coming out of the Marines and I don't want to ruin it. I feel that if we set ourselves up financially for the future, it will give us a great shot at transitioning back to the civilian life.

I am just being honest here and explaining our thoughts. I don't want people to get the wrong impression on anything. It is going to be hard. But, we are prepared for that. Just like the past 5.5 years of being together in the Marine Corps world, we will definitely make it through. :)

What's New???

2011-05-02T20:06:00.000-07:00

Well besides this never-ending rain, we have had a pretty good couple of days!

Saturday, we went to Silver Dollar City. It sprinkled on and off all day, but overall we had a great time! Brycen was such a good boy. He sat so patiently with my mom while I took Thompson on the rides. We even got to see the Beaver Lake Dam flood gates open! So much water!!

{Thompson playing a game}

{Of course, he had to win the biggest prize!}

{The Dam}

{Jude Boy!}

{Jilian}

{Thompson and I}

... please don't judge our hair! Rain + thick, curly hair = AWFUL!

Sunday, we celebrated my Papa's 76th birthday! He is such a hard worker. He and my Granny are out working everyday!

{His Cake! It has his gravel truck on it}

{Papa & Granny}

At the party was our baby cousin, Lola! She is about 7 weeks younger than Brycen. And let me tell you... he was not very fond of this baby girl following him around! ha! He kept telling her "No!" and "Mine!" thinking she was going to steal his sippy cup. And we tried to get some pictures of the 2 kids with Granny and Brycen did not like her sitting up there with him. He tried to bite her!! Not kidding. And then after she got down and he was still up there, he let out this big laugh like he was proud he ran her off. I have already said it, but this little thing is going to be my troublemaker! He is a complete mess! :)

(Gran, Thompson, and Lola}

{She's got her hands full with those two!}

{Proof! He tried to bite her.}

{Awww... I got my way so now it's better!}

Today we found out that Jeremy and Shanna are having a sweet baby boy! Poor Haili is outnumbered by all of these boys! Oh well, extra spoiling for her! ;)

I also went and got my nails done on Friday. I tried the new shellac that supposedly lasts 2-3 weeks. Well after tonight, I have defeated that! My whole index finger nail polish came off. It just pealed off. Hmmm.... Anyways, I am going tomorrow to make them redo it. When you pay extra for something, I would like it to last longer than 3 days!

I am thanking God that I am not weighing in this week. The past 2 days I felt like I have been STARVING!!! I have tried to limit my intake, but I feel like I just have been so hungry.

Other than that, we have been hanging out inside due to all the rainI am so thankful that the awful tornadoes didn't come near us last week. I have been praying so hard for those who have lost their loved ones and their homes from the storm!

WWW

2011-04-27T13:02:00.000-07:00

Today is Weight Watchers Wednesday! I went and weighed in today... and I have lost 5.3 more pounds. So that puts me at a total of 11.6 pounds lost for my first month on WW!

I am so proud of this. I love that I still eat things I want, but that I am just more cautious about my portions and choices! And I never come to AR and lose weight!

I am still drinking my water like crazy and try to eat more fruits and veggies. I actually feel a little "off" if I dont have them. I do think I have eaten too many salads lately, because my stomach kills me afterwards. (It could be the banana peppers that I PILE on top too... hmmm...)

Other than that, I am happy with my loss. I know realistically it will start to slow to a pound to maybe two a week. I am perfectly fine with that! I am not looking for a fast fix. Definitely want to do it right!

We are trying to stay dry here. After 10+ days of rains, floods, hail, and tornados... I am ready for the sunshine!!

Easter Coconut Cake!

2011-04-22T14:50:00.000-07:00

I took one of my favorite Coconut Cake recipes and gave it an Easter twist!

1 box white cake mix
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 can Cream of Coconut (Located by the mixed drinks)
Small Tub of Cool Whip- Thawed
1 bag of Coconut
Green food color
Jelly Beans

Make cake according to box. While still warm, poke holes with knife through cake. Mix together cream of coconut and sweetened condensed milk. Pour over cake. (It will look like a lot, but keep pouring slowly til it all soaks in) Let cake completely cool. Top with cool whip. In a bowl, mix bag of coconut with a couple of drops of food color. Stir til its mixed together. If its not dark enough, add just a couple more drops. Top cake with coconut and add jelly beans! Refrigerate.

This cake is so simple, but is SOOOOO good! It's the best even after it sits in the fridge a few days!

Happy Easter!

So much going on!

2011-04-19T09:14:00.000-07:00

There is SOOOO much going on right now, especially in my head! So much that the stress has given me a lovely fever blister. Nice, huh?

I would love to give details, but there are none as of right now. Just a bunch of ideas that Robert and I are trying to work out.

We are still hoping he can come in for a visit in May. If not, then the boys and I will just go back to CA to try and spend the time with him while he is on off cycle.

We had a great weekend! The boys, my mom, my nephew, and I met up with my cousin, Linda and her little girl, Ansley at Silver Dollar City! So much fun!! I was worried because when we got there it was freezing. But in true Arkansas (well, I guess we were technically in Missouri) fashion... if you don't like the weather, wait 5 minutes and it'll change! And that it did! It turned out beautiful. Perfect weather! The kids rode rides and we went and saw a little show. We ate some awesome food, too! Mom always gets those curly potato chips with cheese. I usually get the sausage, potato, and corn mix but since I am watching it, I went and found the yummiest salad! It was huge! It was a ton of fresh spinach leaves, grilled chicken, dried cranberries, feta cheese, and then some raspberry vinegarette! I ate every. last. bite.

Afterwards we went to dinner at Freddy's. It is kind of a cross between Steak-n-Shake and In-n-Out. I had a grilled chicken sandwhich and a handful of their yummy shoestring fries! For dessert, I did indulge. Brycen and I shared a scoop of chocolate frozen custard. It's higher in points than regular ice cream, but in my opinion, it is SOOOO worth the splurge!

I guessed on the point values of my meal and then later asked for a nutritional menu. Turns out I was right! I feel like I am learning more so of foods and their points plus value. Funny story, I was in the restaurant and I whipped out my Weight Watchers eating out guide book. I can usually find restaurants with similar foods to base what I am going to get. I was studying my book and this guy asked if I was on WW. I told him yes and he said his wife was doing it too and she is always nose-deep in her book too! I later saw her and she said I stuck to it a lot better than she did. (She apparently didn't see my frozen custard I had later on! ha!)

Sunday, Mom and I took all 3 boys to watch Hop! Brycen wasn't such a big fan of sitting still and he preferred the idea of climbing all over the chairs and screaming. So he and I sat outside for the last 45 minutes of the movie.

Also, forgot to mention... Friday I went with my friend Becca to Fayetteville. We decided after dinner to go watch a movie. We ended up seeing Lincoln Lawyer with Matthew McConaughey. It was GREAT!! Love lawyer movies and he played a great role! Definitely recommend it!

It is supposed to storm for like the next 10 days here. Hoping it will be pretty this weekend so the kids can do their Easter egg hunts!

Brycen's 1st Haircut!

2011-04-16T08:00:00.000-07:00

Tuesday, I took Brycen to get his first official haircut! He was getting a little mullet in the back, so we just needed a little trim. Cindy (who probably did my first haircut) cut his hair while my mom was getting hers done!

{Getting ready for his 1st haircut!}

{Such beautiful hair!}

I didn't get a final picture because I had to leave to go to my WW meeting. But he looks adorable, of course! :) Such a little man!

Jump, Jump!

2011-04-15T09:27:00.000-07:00

On Wednesday I took the boys to the new Boingo Bounce in Fayetteville. It really is a fun place. They had 3 different big jump houses, 2 HUGE inflatable slides, and a toddler area. It was a clean place that I won't mind taking the boys back to. Also, if you are military you get a 15% discount! Be sure to remember to bring socks for the kids!

Here are the boys having a BLAST!!

WWW-- on Thursday!

2011-04-14T08:13:00.000-07:00

I meant to do a post last night, but I was exhausted! I went shopping all day yesterday and came home and was in bed before 10!

Anyways...

I weighed in at the meeting in my hometown on Tuesday night. (So it had been 2 weeks since I weighed in officially) I lost 4 pounds! I was proud. I had a little mess up on Saturday night, but I am trying not to dwell and look forward to the new day. So I am at about 6.5 lbs lost.

As you know, when I come to my parent's house we eat out A LOT! This can be a challenge because you never realize what they put on your food while preparing it. Instead of a recipe this week, I am going to put some tips to use when eating out.

Whenever they grill foods, they are probably using butter and seasonings. Last night I was at the Outback and told them to do mine "Light Style" and they didn't use either. It still tasted amazing! They also just simply steamed my green beans instead of sauteeing them.
When you get a salad, ask for the dressing on the side. This way you can control how much dressing goes on it. And when they give you a packet, look on the back at the nutritional info. Chances are it is a 2 serving packet. Be aware! Also a great way to cut back on some points is to skip the croutons and ask them to put the cheese on the side.
Water, water, water! I try to drink about 96 ounces a day. While you are eating out, try to drink a few glasses before your meal comes. This way, you are likely to eat less!
Portion Control! This could be my biggest obsticle. I need to realize that the amount of food they give you doesn't necessarily mean you have to eat it all.
Pass the bread-- to the next person. I have found this to be easier than I thought. If you can't stand to see it on the table and not eating it, ask your server to take it away. Out of sight, out of mind.
Plan away! If you know where you are going to eat, start researching. Most places have their menus online these days. This gives you time to plan your meal out. I have read somewhere that if you go into a restaurant with your choice already, you will be less likely to order something bad for you.

Ok, hope those tips help! Oh, and I meant to share this... my new favorite thing is Sonic's diet cherry limeade! They are soooo good! And a medium size drink is 0 points!

Laying Low

2011-04-12T11:34:00.000-07:00

Well, the past couple days we have been relaxing at home. Brycen has not felt well and has been in one those moods. Poor guy! I think he is teething because he has been snotty-nosed and whiny. I haven't felt the best either. My allergies have been horrible since I have been here. Thompson has been in a pretty good mood, actually. He even is taking a nap for me today.

Tonight I am making this new dish. I am actually throwing a bunch of random stuff together and hoping it turns out! Haha! We'll see.

Tomorrow, I am taking the boys to this bounce place. I know they will have so much fun! Hopefully I will remember to take my camera with me.

Here are some pics I have taken in the past couple of days...

My sister Brittany won free TCBY for year while we were shopping Saturday!

Funny Faces!!

Brycen trying to do a funny face!

This is our normal, haha!!

Whew!!!

2011-04-08T20:58:00.000-07:00

Well that was a close one.

I was FOR SURE thinking that the government would soon be shutting down. I was counting every penny making sure we would be ok for who knew how long. It's stressful. One thing I always said was that I would never have to worry about Robert not getting a paycheck. Boy was I wrong! I have been stressed to the max all week long!

Thankfully, our wonderful leaders came to an agreement and the world is a happy place again... for now. Let's hope we don't have a repeat of this again come this October.

Tomorrow I am getting to go shopping...without the boys! Whoo Hoo! No crying that they don't want to sit in the carts and I can browse as loooonnnng as I want to! :) Then we are going to dinner to celebrate my sister's 21st birthday!

Oh and I chopped my hair off today. When I say chop, I mean short! I love it though. Definitely will be so much easier to manage with blow drying and fixing it. And it won't be so hot. I have extremely thick hair and it can be hard to manage. Plus my sister said I needed a "mom haircut" again. Haha.

Ok, going to bed! Have a great weekend!

WWW

2011-04-06T08:24:00.000-07:00

So today is WWW (Weight Watchers Wednesday!). I didn't weigh in yesterday because I am going to try to limit my weigh ins while I am in AR to every other week. (I am already paying CA monthly dues and I really don't feel like shelling out $12 more dollars every week to weigh in.) I promise I am being good and will do an official weigh in next week!

Right now, my guesstimate would be that I am down at least 5 pounds since I started 11 days ago.

So my goal is when I do WWW, I want to include a recipe that I love that is great for anyone!

Proscuitto wrapped Chicken Breasts

Serves 4

7 Points Plus per serving

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast

4 wedges Laughing Cow Garlic and Herb cheese

4 pieces of proscuitto -- about 2 ounces

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
salt and peper

Butterfly chicken breast to make one big, thin piece. Spread cheese on top of chicken. Add salt and pepper. Roll chicken breast from one end to the other. Wrap in proscuitto and secure with a toothpick. Heat oil in a skillet. Sear sides of chicken. Place on a baking sheet and bake at 375 degrees for about 20 minutes or until cooked thoroughly to about 165 degrees internally. (Some ovens vary, so check at about 15 minutes or so.)

Hope you like this! I am going to be making it for my parents tomorrow night!

Happy 21st Birthday, little sister!

2011-04-04T12:30:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow is my little sister, Brooklyn's 21st birthday. It still feels unreal that she should be that old. That just means that I am getting old!!

Last night we had a little family get together to celebrate her and my Aunt Glenda's (both born on the 5th) birthdays. We had some yummy food! My Granny Lola brought 2 strawberry pies-- which is my absolute favorite dessert! You best believe that I saved my WW points for a piece of that!

{Granny with the birthday girl}

{Cute cake!}

{Happy Birthday Brooklyn!}

We made it, PTL!!

2011-04-01T21:33:00.000-07:00

Well we made it to Arkansas yesterday! The boys were pretty good. Both had their moments. Brycen couldn't sit still to save his life. On the connecting flight as we were taking off, (you know the quiet moment where everyone is saying a prayer that the plane doesn't crash! Or is that just me???) Thompson screams out "BLASTOFF!!!" Kid. you. not. And then proceeded to make all of these booming noises and yelling "Oh no! We are going to crash!"

If he weren't my child, I probably would have given the mother the evil eye.

Today we went to Fayetteville to get groceries (since my parents have the bare mininum... you know, blue cheese, peaches, and cranberry drinks) and we met my sister, Brittany and cousin, Jaime Nicole for lunch at my favorite, Rick's Bakery! I had one of their yummy chicken berry salads. And then had a bite of chocolate pie for dessert! Did you know that they give you a free dessert during lunch? Yep, makes me love them even more! ;)

Then we had to do our grocery shopping. That is always a chore. Especially when you have a 3 year old and a 1 year old who hates sitting in the cart. Didn't help that I went right during Brycen's nap! Who does that??? Apparently this mom!

Hope everyone has a great weekend! I am going to spend some much needed time with my family! :)

Weight Watchers Wednesday!

2011-03-30T07:00:00.000-07:00

As most of you know, I started Weight Watchers this past Saturday. Since I will be going back to AR on Thursday, I decided I should go ahead and weigh in today and try to get in the routine of a Tuesday night weigh in.

First off, I can tell WW is working. I have done so much research and studying the new points plus system and realized that they have put a lot of work into the new program. It just makes sense. (Does that make sense???)

If you are not familiar with WW, the program is based on a set of points. You are allowed so many points per day (based on height, weight, and age) and the foods you eat have their own points. (They go off of fat grams, carbohydrates, protein, and dietary fiber.) The idea is not exceed your points for the day, but each week you are allotted 49 extra points to use whenever. You definitely don't have to use your extra points, either. Just there if you need to! :)

I am enjoying this. I love keeping my food journal because it keeps me accountable for everything that goes into my mouth. The only part that I really need to work on is to exercise at least 30 minutes a day minimum.

So onto the weigh in...

Since Saturday, I have lost 2.2 lbs! Very excited. I weighed in at the morning time for my initial weigh in, and then did my weigh today in the evening. I was nervous wondering if it would even show a loss. (Because we all know that we all are a few pounds heavier by the end of the day! ;) ) So I feel like I am off to a good start. I have really kicked up my water intake too, which I feel always helps.

So my next weigh in will be next Tuesday night.

So, I thought it would be neat to share a recipe that I made during the week. I have been taking advantage of the Recipe Builder that WW online has. You input all of the ingredients and then the servings and it tells you how many points per serving the meal is.

I made Shepherd's Pie using ground turkey. It turned out really good! I had actually planned on eating it tonight for dinner and went to go warm it up and apparently Robert thought he would take the entire pan with him to work! Oh, I was so mad! ;)

Shepherd's Pie

Serves6

8 Points Plus per serving

1.25 lbs Ground Turkey (93% lean)

1 cup chopped onion

1 cup frozen carrots

1/2 cup frozen corn kernels

1/2 cup frozen peas

1 can low sodium beef broth

2 tbsp flour

2 bay leaves

2 large potatoes

1/2 cup skim milk

1 wedge of laughing cow light cheese

2 tbsp light butter

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Brown turkey meat until done then drain out the excess grease. Add onions and continue to cook. Sprinkle flour over mixture and saute for about a minute. Add beef broth and bay leaves. Bring to a boil, then lower heat and simmer. Add carrots and corn, then salt and pepper to taste. Cover and let simmer for atleast 30 minutes or until sauce is reduced and thickened. While the meat mixture is cooking, you can start your potatoes. Peel potatoes and dice into chunk size pieces. (It is important not to put potatoes into boiling water, but to add them to cool water and turn on the heat once the potatoes are in to ensure the potatoes cook evenly.) Cook potatoes until tender. Mix in butter, milk, and cheese and whip with a mixer until creamy. (You can use 2 tbsp fat free sour cream in place of laughing cow if you prefer.) Once meat mixture is thickened. Put into a baking dish (Be sure to remove bay leaves). Sprinkle the frozen peas on top. Smooth mashed potatoes on top. Then top with shredded cheese. Bake at 350 for about 20 minutes or until bubbly and the cheese has melted. Serve and enjoy!

*All I had on hand was full fat cheddar cheese. If you use fat free cheese, you can reduce the points value to 7 per serving!

How could you not...

2011-03-29T21:01:00.000-07:00

Love these two faces! :)

My babies are growing up so fast! I keep thinking that Brycen should still be a baby, not a toddler. And the fact that Thompson will be FOUR this year makes me want to cry.

Seriously... where does the time go???

This Week!!!

2011-03-26T21:50:00.000-07:00

We are headed to Arkansas! I love, love, LOVE visiting my family. I look forward to these visits and hope T & B make memories that they will one day look back on. I know fishing at the river will definitely be on the agenda! :)

We don't like to leave Robert at all, but with him working 7 days a week, we hardly see him as it is. So, Thursday we leave. Praying for a quiet flight, of course.

Today, I attended my first Weight Watchers meeting. It was a little nuts. The meeting was fine, but the boys were not. Thompson didn't want to sit in the stroller, so therefor Brycne didn't either. Ugh. After a few stares from the WW leader, I decided it was best to leave. As I was leaving, a guy Robert worked with saw us and offered to watch the boys while I listened to the meeting. So nice of him! So I was able to learn what I need to, and the boys were able to roam and be loud. Let's just hope this isn't a preview for our trip Thursday...

Tomorrow night is my favorite TV watching show night. Army Wives is back on, as well as a new show I like Coming Home. Both are supposed to be very emotional episodes dealing with losing loved ones in the military. I don't like to watch shows that deal with death, but sometimes we all need a reminder that everyday, people are losing their loved ones. I know I always come away with a sense of pride and gratefulness that Robert is safe and at home.

So, Robert is on duty tonight and I had both the boys asleep and in bed by 8:15. (Shocker, I know!!) Guess what?! I am sooooo bored! Haha.

I guess I will call it an early night too!

Oh, I am so excited to get a new video of Brycen. Let's just say that the child knows the most important thing ever! How to 'Call the HOGS' of course!!! Definitely one proud Momma!

New plan??

2011-03-25T19:52:00.000-07:00

So, I debated about writing this post, but felt I need all the information I could get. As you know, I have been dieting for about 3 weeks now. I have lost a little weight, but not as much as I would like. I have been sticking to roughly 1200 calories a day. i have been tracking my meals into one of my phone apps, which I love! But, I have not lost anything in 2 weeks. There is no way I could plateau already. I have been also trying to fit in some exercise and lots of water.

It's frustrating to say the least. After I had Thompson, I lost the baby weight plus about 25 pounds. It took me about 6 months to lose about 80 pounds. And now almost 16 months after having Brycen, I am still have 35 pounds of the 50 I gained to lose.

AND IT WON'T COME OFF!!!!

I am only 25, so I don't see why I should be hanging onto this weiht.

So last night I started researching different diets. Jenny Craig diets aren't feasible for me or my family. I looked up a few diet books and quickly found flaws. Then I was watching American Idol and saw Jennifer Hudson. So... I started thinking about Weight Watchers. I had previously did Weight Watchers after I had Thompson and was successful. But I got off of it and quickly gained the 20 pounds I had lost back. But in 2011, they came out with a new Points Plus program. It sounds more up-to-date. So today I signed up. I am cautiously optimistic. I hope that this is what will work.

But one problem so far is I feel like I am allotted way too many points. The new program gives you more because of the point value changes on the food. But today, I still have roughly 18 points left.

So, if any of my readers are familiar with WW, please feel free to give me suggestions. I have my first meeting tomorrow morning.

I am also going to do a 'Weight Watchers Wednesday' where I will update with my weekly (hopeful) weightloss. My normal meeting day will be Tuesday night. I am just going tomorrow for some information and my fiirst initial weigh-in.

Please let me know if any of you are doing a diet and are successful! Would love to hear about it!

Wish me luck!! :)

Recipe Time!

2011-03-22T10:39:00.000-07:00

Thought I would share a quick, yummy recipe with you.

I don't have pictures, but it is really so easy.

Mexican Chicken in Foil Packet

2 chicken breasts-- butterflied
1 can of black beans
Frozen corn
Salsa
Shredded Cheese
Foil

Take 4 long strips of foil. I double my foil (hence the 4 strips) and spray the top non-stick spray. Lay the butterflied chicken on foil. Pour some salsa inside chicken. Add some black beans (rinsed), frozen corn, and cheese. Close up chicken and do the same on top. Wrap the foil to make a packet. Do the same for the other chicken breast. Lay on a baking sheet and bake at 450 degrees for about 25 minutes or until done. This is how long it usually takes my oven, so it could vary. Be careful when you open the packet, there will be lots of steam. Top it with a little sour cream. I serve mine with Mexican rice.

I am telling you, this is so good. Try it out!

Pictures from January

2011-03-22T10:16:00.000-07:00

So, if Blogger will work, I will try to post some pictures that I had on my camera.

Let's see what we can get!

{This was from Christmas}

{Thompson finally starting to eat!}

{Loving the yogurt and attention from Nana}

{Leaving the hospital!!}

{Had to stop at Laguna Beach to play in the sand}

{A double rainbow I saw by our house}

Ok, so poor Brycen got the shaft on the pictures this time. I will do better next time!

Foods I am loving!

2011-03-17T08:33:00.000-07:00

Since I have been dieting (eh, changing my lifestyle), I have also hade to make some changes in the food department. Surprisingly, I am loving it all and don't miss anything too bad.

What I have done is I have thought about some of my favorite foods and found different ways to make them healthier.

One of my favorite swaps has been from the Hungry Girl. I signed up for their emails awhile back and they have some pretty good tips. As most everyone is aware, it has been Girl Scout cookie time. My personal faves are the Samoas! Well, low and behold there is a fiber (YES, fiber!) bar swap that tastes just like it. Not even kidding. Kellogg's makes a Caramel Coconut Fudge Fiber bar that tastes so so soooo good and also has 35% of your daily fiber. Awesome, huh?!

One of my staples for breakfast is oatmeal. I am kinda addicted. And this is coming from a girl who would never touch oatmeal... ever! But, thanks to Oprah, I found out a great way to make it and it tastes so good. I love the apples and cinnamon flavor. But, I can never just mix it with water and when I did all milk, it just wasn't right. So, they suggested putting half milk, half apple juice. I gives it more of an apple flavor and I just love it. Plus, it helps fill me up too!

For lunch, I have been eating these new things called Bagel Thins (Brittany introduced me to!) and Sandwhich Thins. I lightly toast them, then put a wedge of Laughing Cow cheese on it along with some turkey or chicken that has been warmed up. It is such a good sandwhich.

I have found a new favorite option at Chick-fil-A-- the Southwest Chargrilled Chicken Salad. Yummy! And it only has 240 calories. I used half a packet of the Spicy dressing, so my whole salad was under 400 calories. Add a half sweet/half unsweet tea and you have yourself a perfect little meal!

For dinner, we have been cooking quite a bit of chicken breasts. We all love chicken, so it works for us. But, we also like ground turkey options too. I made a turkey breast roast in the crockpot the other day that was so good! It shredded like a beef pot roast, but definitely healthier. I put it along with some carrots, onions, and a potato in the crockpot then mixed up a french onion soup mix with water and poured over it. Talk about flavor!

Another ground turkey that is really good is to make meatloaf. I know some of you will be skeptical, but trust me. I buy the Ground Turkey, not the ground turkey breast. There isn't enough fat (or flavor) to work with. It 93/7 fat and a perfect ground beef alternative. Use this recipe for your meatloaf:

1 pkg ground turkey
1 pkg onion soup mix
1 egg
1 cup quick cook oats
1 can tomato sauce
Salt, pepper, garlic powder to season

Mix gently with a fork, put into pan, bake at 350 about 30-40 minutes. Take out, add ketchup to the top, bake for another 15 minutes. Your meatloaf should be about 160 degrees internal temperature. I serve mine with some green beans and mashed potatoes.

As you can see, I still eat normal foods. If it isn't such a healthy food, I cut back on my portion. It really is all about portion control. Hope you all like some of the options I have mentioned today.

Edited to Add my favorite dessert! How could I forget dessert?!

Anyways, these Fudgesicles are amazing! They are only 40 calories too! So... if I have the extra calories and am wanting another one, I don't feel so guilty. ;)

Blog Hiatus....

2011-03-16T21:31:00.000-07:00

So there are some pictures off my phone.

I try not to let too much time go by between posts, but I have been having troubles with my internet here at the house and Blogger not letting me upload photos. So...out of frustration I have kind of just took a little break.

What has been going on with the Riedel family lately???

Brycen is growing more and more each day. He acts as big as Thompson. And he is talking more and more each day. Robert and I were just talking about how his communication skills have gone way up! Along with that, he has been getting into trouble. Uh oh. Today, we were at the grocery store and the boys have to ride in this car cart. Of course there was only 1 available and it had to have broken seatbelts. That child would not sit down. He could care less to get out, he just wanted to see me get onto him. Stinker!! He looks at me and just waits for it. This child is smart. The other day he did the sign language for "more" and I have onlyshowed it to him a couple of times a while back. Along with signing it, he started saying it too. It was adorable!

Thompson is still my wild child. We have our good days and our bad days. I told Robert that eventually what we are saying/teaching him will have to sink in. He reassured me that it would... in about twenty years. ;) Thompson is also in this phase where he tells you he loves you every minute. And you have to say it back of course. But sometimes there isn't 5 seconds between. It reminds of my little sister, Brooklyn who used to do that to my mom. She made you say "I love you too, Brooklyn". If you said "Love you too", it wasn't good enough. And she made you say it over and over til you got it right. Well Thompson definitely picked that up. (oh, and she still does it!) Other than that we have just been spending our time playing outside with the neighborhood kids and spending the weekend visiting cousin, Haili.

Robert has been working hard on his off cycle. This is his first cycle as platoon commander. Seems like he likes it so far. He starts back his next cycle this coming Tuesday. So we will enjoy this weekend together before he is gone again.

Me... hmmm... I have just been here. Robert got my elliptical put together and I have used it a couple times. And let me tell you... I am WAY out of shape. Pretty embarrasing to be honest. But that is why I have it and I have been dieting and so far, I have been doing good. Just one day at a time. I am hoping to be to my goal weight by July. If it takes a little bit longer than that's ok too. I just need to keep working at it.

Sunday Night Random

2011-02-21T00:01:00.000-08:00

Yes, I know that I have already blogged once today. But hey, it's 11:50 pm, Robert's at work, I can't sleep... you get the drift.

So... I thought I would discuss some important events-- Sunday Night Television!

First off, did anybody catch Extreme Home Makeover tonight?! It was around a soldier that was injured in the Ft. Hood shooting. He and his fiancee got a beautiful home and their story was so sweet! And they even threw them a wedding. She wore a Monique Lhuillier gown straight from Monique Lhuillier herself. It was gorgeous! And I was so excited to see Leigh Anne Tuohy (The Blindside) on the show. I hadn't watched it in a while, and am so glad I caught that episode.

My other Sunday night staples are Desperate Housewives and Brothers and Sisters. Love them both. I thought B & S was sooooo good tonight. It's the first episode in a while that I thoroughly enjoyed. (I mean, come on, will it ever be the same without Robert McCallister???) Loved the new character Brody. I am hoping he sticks around a while.

Now it leaves me watching one of my all-time favorite movies, "Father of the Bride". I swear, if it or Part 2 is ever on, I HAVE to watch it. But one thing that I have never admitted... in the first movie, the part where he is chased out by the dogs and into the pool... can't watch it. I am too horrified for him. Don't know why, but I have to turn the channel. Every. Time.

So, here I am eating dried cherries and hoping I fall asleep soon. But I have some major heartburn, so we will see how well this goes! :)

Just Go With It!

2011-02-20T09:13:00.000-08:00

Friday night Robert and I got to have a DATE NIGHT!!

I don't think the simple "All Caps" even could express the joy of those words. It was definitely much needed. We started off with dinner at Outback. Afterwards, we went and watched the new movie "Just Go With It" with Jennifer Anniston and Adam Sandler. It was hilarious! I laughed the entire movie. If it weren't so dang expensive to go see a movie, I would go watch it again. But, I will definitely be getting it on DVD.

Saturday, we got up and went and picked up the boys from Jeremy and Shanna's. We all then went to eat at Chili's. It was good. We had plans to walk around the mall and take the boys to the Disney store, etc. But Thompson threw the fit of the century. Robert had to sit in the back seat with him to make him sit down in his seat. He screamed, kicked, cried for about 30 minutes. It was a nightmare!! After we got home, we layed the boys down for a nap and I ran as fast as I could out the door. I needed to run the errands I didn't get to before and go to the grocery store. Haili, our neice, came over so her mommy and daddy could have their date night. She is so sweet! I just love having a little girl around the house.

Robert is on duty today. Tuesday cannot come fast enough so he can get these kiddos graduated and gone! Not much else going on today. About to clean house and finish washing sheets. I hate doing laundry, but I love fresh sheets! :)

Family Update

2011-02-17T22:35:00.000-08:00

What's been going on with us lately???

Brycen is learning so much lately! He is now able to say "thank you" and understand when to say it. Love it! He is just getting so big. He wants to act like his big brother (which isn't always the best thing!) and be so independent. He is eating up a storm and has even gotten some more teeth! Yeah!

Thompson has been testing his limits/my patience here lately. Whoever said that it was the terrible two's apparently hadn't hit the three's yet. I am so tired of yelling and disciplining. It's getting old. I swear his attitude could rival that of a teenager. I am really starting to feel for my parents more and more...

Robert has been working so much. Of course we are on his "on cycle" right now, but he is finishing that up this coming Tuesday! PTL!! I need some extra help around here. I also need him to put together my elliptical. I better start making his list now... ;) Good news is that they told him that next cycle he will be the Platoon Commander, which is a huge honor seeing as he has been there less than a year. Bad news is he doesn't particularly want this job. He is one of those guys who has to be outside doing something, right in the middle of it all. As the plt commander, he is supervising over the whole platoon.

That's about it for us.

This Mommy is signing off and going to bed!

My Little Heartbreakers!

2011-02-15T10:52:00.000-08:00

I hope you all had a great Valentines Day! I got to spend mine with my two favorite "Momma's Boys!"

New Town, New Fun!

2011-02-12T21:22:00.000-08:00

So, we have been in our new house for a few weeks now. We haven't gotten to explore much, but what we have found has been so fun!

Whenever my parents come to visit, we always venture out to find new places. We were able to spend a few days home before they left back to Arkansas. One of the places we went to was Dana Point. We ate a great lunch down at the Harbor and did a little shopping. As we were leaving out, we found a strawberry stand with fresh berries! So good. We took them home and dipped them in chocolate! Yum! The next day we went to Laguna and Newport Beach. It is always one of our favorites. We did some shopping at Balboa Island. I love it that this place is only about 30 minutes away.

Today, the boys and I went up to Mission Viejo, which is about 15 minutes away. I was trying to find an Old Navy and ended up at the most glorious mall I have ever been to!! It had a Pottery Barn, Pottery Barn Kids, Restoration Hardware, Williams Sonoma, H & M, Cheesecake Factory, P.F. Changs, and then Old Navy. :) It also had all of the normal mall stores, but I was so glad to see a normal mall with extra! I can't wait to go back. Although next time I will be going by myself, because Thompson has gotten as bad as Robert on the shopping patience level.

Where we live now is about a mile or so from the beach. I really think I am going to love it here! So much to do!

Although... I will have to admit that the Chick-fil-A is about 15 minutes away. Boo... It's not an easy run-to spot like it was in Oceanside. But it is in the same town as all the other big stuff, so it will be easy to get to when we have to run errands!

That's about all we have found so far! I will have to finish my house and finally get some pictures on here!

Thompson- Part 2

2011-02-12T21:06:00.000-08:00

Ok, as I was leaving off... Rady's Children's Hospital found out that Thompson had an infection in his neck/throat, not an injury!

So after just a few hours at Children's they transferred us to the Naval Hospital in San Diego. (Yes, that would mean we were at 3 different hospitals in 1 day.) We got there and they started him on some antibiotics. Robert and I rotated shifts, he would stay during the night and I would take the day. Luckily, my mom and dad flew out Wednesday night to help out. It was sooooo nice. It was great to have help with Brycen during the day and it was nice that we didn't have to drive back and forth. We stayed at a hotel that was just about a mile or 2 away and made getting to/from the hospital so easy. Thursday, Thompson finally broke his fever for good. Thank God for antibiotics! They also did another CT scan and blood draw and all of them showed him heading in the recovering direction. Friday, we were told we were going to have to stay til Saturday, but that afternoon they said that he was doing so well that he could go home! YAY!!! We were so excited! He was glad to get out and get a good bath. Poor guy looked pitiful from being shacked up in the hospital for 4 days.

We went back to the doctor this past Tuesday and they said he was doing great. We still have a few days left on his antibiotic, but everything seems to be working. Tuesday, was also the first day he could move his neck to the left.

It has been a been a long journey, but I am so glad he is feeling better. He is terrified of having to go back to the doctor and getting "pinched" again. Poor guy.

On a side note... I am so thankful for the health of my child. Staying in the hospital and seeing so many kids with cancer and other things is just awful. There was a family there and the little boy, probably about 9 years old, had some sort of cancer. His mom and sister was there the whole time. I spoke with her a little bit and she was just so joyful. I know she was probably going through a lot, but she took the time to talk with me and ask about Thompson. She was always smiling and playing with her kids. I just wanted to hug her. In such a stressful/emotional time, she stayed strong for her kids. Amazing.

MIA- Part 1

2011-02-07T22:59:00.000-08:00

Well, I had been doing such a great job of blogging here lately.

Then...

Thompson got sick! Let me tell you the story...

Monday night (1-31-11), Robert came home from work and I had ran to get us some dinner. About 10 minutes later he calls me and said that Thompson was hurt and I needed to come home quick. I race back to the house to find Thompson sitting on the couch with his chin down neck cocked to the left. He had a huge knot on the side of his neck. Robert said that he was picking him up and the next thing he knew Thompson was whimpering saying his neck hurt. We were sure that he had gotten hurt somehow. So we rush to the ER and they proceed to check us in. We find out Thompson is running about a 102.5 fever. They then do some x-rays and a CT scan. Everything showed that nothing was broken or fractured. They gave him some Motrin and we were back home at 2am Tuesday morning.

The next day (Tuesday), Thompson woke up, still not able to move his neck and still running a fever, and came and layed on the couch. I made him some waffles and chocolate milk and noticed he couldn't eat. I let him lay there all morning and carried him to the bathroom. (I didn't want to hurt his neck worse, thinking he had a neck injury) I gave him some more medicine and watched him gag the whole time trying to get it down. It sounded like he was about to start vomiting any second. I promised him a popsicle if he took his medicine and the poor boy couldn't eat it. He said it hurt him to. :( So then I started noticing his hands shaking every time he went to take a bite. Then I noticed he couldn't swallow and he was drooling everywhere. I freaked out! I called my mom and gave her the rundown and we both decided to call the paramedics. I called Robert at work to let him know what was going on and he too thought we needed to call them. All I could think is that there was some neurological problem and we needed someone to see him now. The paramedics came and next thing I know 15 people were crowded in the living room all making sure my baby boy was ok. They told us that his vitals were fine and we could either transport him to the hospital or they could. After calming down a bit, I decided that we could just take him in. So we loaded him up and took him. We got there and explained our story 20 more times and they kept getting so puzzled. They didn't know why his neck was still stuck that way. They didn't know why he was running a fever. They didn't know what the lump on his neck was. So many questions, very few answers. They did some blood work and a ultrasound on his neck. The blood levels came back highly elevated for some sort of infection and his white blood count level was very high. The ultrasound showed that his lymph nodes were huge. They did some more x-rays. By this time they said that they didn't feel comfortable letting us go home til they could give us some answers. We tried to get into the Naval Hospital in San Diego but they were full. So we had to stay at Pendleton til they could transfer us to the Rady's Children's Hospital the next day.

Wednesday morning came and Thompson and I were up getting ready to leave for Rady's. They had to call a critical care team to transfer him because at this time he was still being treated as a trauma patient because of the neck injury. They had to get his IV in him before being transferred. Let me tell you... I HATE what they did to him. Hate it. He was dehydrated and the nurses tried 4 times to get his IV in. No luck. They said they couldn't try anymore and they would have to call the anaesthesiologist to try to get it in. He and and another doctor came in and they tried 4 times. I cried. He CRIED. It was horrible. I was on the verge of yelling at them so bad, but had to remind myself that they were trying to help him. It's just the worst feeling watching your child in pain. They finally got the IV in his foot. The transfer team was there and we were loaded up in the ambulance ready to go. We get to Rady's and the doctors start talking to us about Thompson. One doctor (our hero!) looks at his x-rays, looks at Thompson, then tells us that he does not have a neck injury at all. He apparently has retro pharyngeal abscess in his neck. Basically, it is an infection started from an infection, that settles in his neck and creates pus pockets (his lump) that grow and eventually cuts off the airway. There is so much swelling of the glands and this is why his neck was swollen and he couldn't move. This also explains all of the blood work results and fever issue. Apparently Pendleton was never looking for an infection, all they were worried about was trauma. The infection was right there on the x-rays and that is how the doctor found it.

We were so glad the doctor realized exactly what it was! I will be back later for part 2 of the story...

Just another Manic Monday!

2011-01-31T19:05:00.000-08:00

We have been going non-stop today! I got the boys up and around had to go down to pick up our elliptical at the Sears about 40 minutes away. We dropped off the truck to go ahead and have it serviced while we there. So the boys and I walked around the mall to browse. I have been wanting to go to the H&M store since I found out they carry childrens clothes. I found the store and picked up a cute tshirt for Thompson. We then picked up the truck and elliptical and headed to Target. I was wanting to look at their patio furniture to see if they had any I liked. I wasn't crazy about any of them, so I just grabbed the boys their Valentine's Day shirts and left.

I had to make a 4:00pm dentist appointment so we were having to hurry! I got there on time and went on back. The boys were able to stay up front and play, which was nice. They were having to re-do a filling that I had done about 4 years ago. So they got me all numbed up and went to work. Little did I know what was going on right outside... a bank robbery! Literally, next door! The police came asking if anyone saw anyone suspicious and so on. Apparently they are still on the loose because cops were everywhere! 3 hours later and my mouth is still as numb as ever. Nice. Thankfully, we have our new "redneck Sonic" on base so I can go grab me a chocolate milk shake for dinner!

The boys are ROWDY!! Brycen has learned to climb onto the couch and now does it approximately 4,352 times a day. And then he jumps on the couch, which scares me to death.

We are just waiting on Robert to get home ~~so he can watch the kids while I run away for a bit to find my sanity.~~ Hope everyone's Monday has treated them well. I know all of my family and friends back in Arkansas are gearing up for a HUGE snow/ice storm! Crazy!! So glad I am not there experiencing that. I do remember all of the fun memories I had when I would have my girlfriends over so we all would get snowed in together! Fun, fun! Hope y'all all stay safe!!

It's the simple things...

2011-01-30T23:50:00.000-08:00

All pictures taken from my phone

Relaxing Weekend!

2011-01-30T17:52:00.000-08:00

Just what I needed...

I swear it is taking me forever to recover from the fast and furious move! I am starting to get some energy back. Thank goodness, because this house needs decorated!

Last night to celebrate 6 years together, Robert and I took the boys to back down to Oceanside. We had a few errands to run and thought we would do a nice dinner too. Well, I decided to buy an elliptical machine last night at Sears and it took for-ev-er! By the time we left there, the mall was closed and we were so tired. We had been out and about since 3 and we still hadn't ate dinner. Robert asked if we could just grab something light and do a nice, big dinner next weekend. I happily obliged. :) So I chose my new favorite place, Jersey Mike's. It is sooooo good! Afterwards, we headed home. Our neighbors were getting together to celebrate a birthday so Robert and I went out to visit for a bit. It was nice. Everyone got along well and moving to a neighborhood, I am always skeptical.

Today, Thompson wanted donuts (again!) so I took him the donut shop and then we met up with one of our neighbors for a quick trip to Lowe's and then on to McDonald's to let the kids play. They have a little girl who is Thompson's age and a little boy who is 9 months old. It was cute because Hailey, the little girl, kept calling Thompson, Thomason. As we were leaving it started to rain. So we came home and I laid the boys down for a nap.

Tonight, I made beef stroganauf for dinner. So far it tastes really good. I used beef top round and it is just still so tough. I am going to keep cooking it for a bit and hopefully it will tender.

That's about it! Hopefully going to relax and watch some of my shows tonight!! Perfect!

Friday Night!!!

2011-01-28T18:55:00.000-08:00

Wouldn't you think by that post something EXCITING was going on?!?!

I've got you fooled!

Unless, you consider the fear of Thompson having a stomach virus. The child rarely says anything hurts, but tonight after his nap he came and laid down on the couch complaining about his belly. Crossing my fingers nothing is wrong!

Robert is still working hard. I think I have seen him for like 2 hours this whole week. I know he works a lot, but I am secretly jealous of all of the husbands that get off at a normal time. There are many jobs in the Marine Corps that has this awesome routine, however, my husband never chooses those jobs. Oh well.

Tomorrow, Robert and I are celebrating 6 years of being together. Yes, I am one of those who still celebrates a dating anniversary! ;) Why not, it is another excuse for a nice dinner or something! ha!

Hope everyone has a great weekend. I am going to make Robert do something tomorrow after he gets off work. Sunday is back to work. Boo...

Is this cycle over yet???

"There is an epidemic of disconnection"

2011-01-27T17:07:00.000-08:00

I was watching today's episode of Oprah and the whole thing has just left me numb.

Today, her show focused on everyday military families and their struggle with dealing with the war. She focused on a couple military families, one who the husband was severly injured and another mother who lost her son in Iraq, and now what they deal with day-to-day. Michelle Obama, Tom Brokaw, and Bob Woodward were also guests.

Bob Woodward has recently said that "there is an epidemic of disconnection" between Americans and the war. Men and women are killed almost daily fighting for our country and there are so many who are just quick to forget the situation.

We, as Americans, need to WAKE UP!!!

I will be completely honest. When this war started, I was a teenager who really didn't fully understand what the whole war meant. I would watch music videos featuring military families saying goodbye to their families as they would head to war and I always thought it was just so sad. I never fully understood until I became one of those families. It is hard to understand unless you are in this position. But think about it... we have teens fighting for our country. There are moms and dads leaving their families not knowing if they will ever be back. We should be able to come into together and just be a support for those families. Not understanding should not be an excuse.

We have been in the position where many times people have come up and thanked Robert for his service. I am so proud of that. I am proud that people recognize his service and commitment. But my husband does not serve for recognition. He serves because that is what he felt he could do to make a difference in his life and for his country. But another topic that was brought up is how it is easy to spot those men and women who are wearing their uniform, but what about those who have no uniform to wear? The spouses who have lost their loved one, children who have a lost a parent, parents who have lost their child, and those who wait at home while their spouse trains and fights for our freedom-- are all those who wear an invisible uniform.

Serve.gov was a website listed that lists different ways to give back. We need to find out about those families in our area and reach out to them. Something so simple can make a HUGE difference. Just put forth a little effort and I know this can be successful!

There are so many ways to find out who serves in your community. Next week at church ask if there are any members who serve. Teachers, do you know if any of your students have family who serve? It could be as easy as making a card letting them know you are thinking about them, asking if they need help around their house, seeing if they need a spare moment of breathing room by themselves. Just giving a few minutes of your time is all that is needed.

There is so much that I know I could do. There is so much that I want to do.

Please, let's not forget the faces of this war. Let's not forget those who have given so much for our freedom. This country needs this more now than ever.

We are all moved in!tooot

2011-01-25T22:46:00.000-08:00

So, we are here in our new house. I love the fact that we are basically in the same house too. Although, I have noticed that some rooms are larger here as well as some that are smaller. Kinda odd... lol.

I am now in the unpacking process. Ugh. When you are given a 2-day notice to pack and move things kind of go in the "just throw it in a box and go" attitude. Needless to say, tonight it took me 15 minutes for me to find my pot to cook my chili in. I haven't even attempted to hang stuff on the walls yet. It will all come together soon.

Robert started his new cycle today. It was so funny but yesterday he wanted to call me just to tell me that he was leaving work and would see me in a few minutes! I think someone is loving the short drive!

Tomorrow, the boys and I are driving back to the old neighborhood so Thompson can play with his friends and then Meridith and I are taking the kids to Chick-fil-A to play BINGO! I am SOOOO excitedThat's abouut all that has been going on here. I just need to call and hook up my internet since my computer is fixed!! Yay!

T.I.R.E.D.

2011-01-20T22:49:00.000-08:00

Today was moving day #1. I was flying solo on the packing, unloading, putting away. As usual, Robert had to work. Thankfully, he has off tomorrow and will be able to help do the big stuff. We rented a trailer so hopefully we can make it in as few trips as possible. Luckily, I have some incredibly great friends who have adopted my boys while we are doing the move. I am so going to miss them!!

The house is great! It has the same layout as the house we have now which is good... I already know where everything goes! :) I am excited to set up our back patio. And one of my favorite things is that the community center (which has a fitness center and a pool) is just steps from the house!

So, as tired as I am, I am up at 10:30 cooking Robert dinner. I have had a sinus infection and I have worked non-stop today. Needless to say, I am ready to crash. Before I know it, it will be morning and time to start another day.

We got a house!!AAAAA

2011-01-18T21:26:00.000-08:00

You heard me right! We got a house!!

Today, I went to the housing office to talk to the main guy about when he thought we would be getting our house. I was tired of hearing one thing from one person and something from another... He told me we were at a great position on the waiting list and we would probably be getting a call to claim a house within a few weeks! I was estatic!! We were talking about our application and some things we were trying to get fixed with Brycen. Well, during this time my phone kept ringing and ringing. I just ignored it because I didnt want to be rude. Well... he starts looking real hard and says "Wait a minute!" He then called a girl just down the hall on the phone and asked her if she was trying to acess our account. She said "Yes, I have been trying and trying to get ahold of her to offer her a house!" He then tells her how I was sitting right in his office. I could not believe it. I cried, not kidding. The military is just so frustrating at times and nothing ever seems to work out. So I then walked into her office and start filling out paperwork! Turns out someone was supposed to be moving into a house this week, but at the last minute couldn't. So she asked how soon we could move!

So now Robert and I went up to sign our lease and we are picking up our keys on Thursday!! I am so happy! I have a ton of packing to do. And we have to be out of our current house by Monday at 11. :/ And Robert has to work on Thursday. Oh well, it will all work out!

Funny thing is that the house we are moving to is exactly the same layout as the one we have now. But we will have a fenced in backyard! I promise to do a big post once I get everything settled.

I know Robert will enjoy being so close to work. And we both will enjoy the money we will be saving in gas! Whoohoo!

Another good thing... I received an email from the Geek Squad saying my computer is finished and about to be shipped back! It has been a great day!!

Prayers...

2011-01-16T10:51:00.000-08:00

So, still no computer. But I am asking you all just to keep us in your prayers. As most of you all know we are trying to move closer to Robert's work and I have actively started looking for a job-- both two needed situations. We aren't moving too fast on the wait list. We have been on there for about four months and still have a ways to go. I know that finding the perfect job will not come easy. I am always hopeful, but also realistic. Just say a quick prayer for us if you will. All of this is trying sometimes, but I know that God has a plan for us

Hope you all are having a good weekend!!

Blog Hiatus

2011-01-11T14:01:00.000-08:00

not by choice...

i am taking my computer in to get worked on. therefore, i am writing this message via my phone. this is the reason for the awful grammatical errors. i promise... i am betur edumacatid then this!

haha, couldnt resist.

talk to yall soon!

2011, Glad You Made It!

2011-01-05T09:20:00.000-08:00

2010 was a wonderful year! We were blessed at the end of 2009 with our baby boy, Brycen and have had the best time watching him grow into a big 1 year old! 2010 was also a big year for Robert. We moved to Oceanside and Robert started his new job. I used to think that when he was in the fleet, I never saw him. He was always working, working, working. Boy was I wrong! I have had to rely on myself a lot this past year. I call myself a "single, married mother". Ha!

I did have a few resolutions I made, most I couldn't tell you what they were... One, I know, was to lose my baby weight... yep... big negative! Oh well. Isn't that what the next year is for?! ;) So here I am, it's 2011, and I am vowing to lose the baby weight. Eesh. We are buying an elliptical and Robert and I are going to diet together. It will be nice to have him to do it with. Although... I have got to work in a way that I can still go to Chick-fil-A.

My other resolution is to be more organized. With two small children, it is kind of impossible it seems. But I need to be more structured. Ugh. That is one that I am really going to have to work hard on!

So, I am not trying to put too much on myself. Just start with small goals and eventually they will turn into big goals!

Do y'all do resolutions??

Sooooo Ready!

2010-12-23T21:25:00.000-08:00

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?!

2010-12-16T19:55:00.000-08:00

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!

2010-12-16T07:19:00.000-08:00

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

Love,

Robert, Lenora, Thompson, and Brycen

Happy 1st Birthday Brycen!

2010-12-14T22:13:00.000-08:00

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!

2010-12-08T20:49:00.000-08:00

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

2010-12-03T11:07:00.000-08:00

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!

2010-12-03T10:23:00.000-08:00

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...

2010-11-30T13:39:00.000-08:00

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!!

2010-11-25T09:57:00.000-08:00

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!

2010-11-24T09:24:00.000-08:00

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

2010-11-19T22:05:00.000-08:00

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!

2010-11-17T13:30:00.000-08:00

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!

2010-11-14T21:07:00.000-08:00

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!

2010-11-11T20:23:00.000-08:00

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!

2010-11-10T22:18:00.000-08:00

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?

------------------------------------------------------

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

2010-11-09T23:13:00.000-08:00

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 ;)