Head to Head

Oh Tannenbaum, Oh Tannenbaum...

2011-12-06T17:49:00.000-06:00

How lovely are your branches. Especially when a 1yr old, 2yr old and 8yr old decorate thee.

Before decorating we gear up with a finger foods, munchy dinner. Bics was able to join us this year for the fun!

(I know- Pax has a rash on his face, he has been so 'juicy' lately from teething I can't get it to heal!)

William hanging the infamous 'Superman' ornament.

And of course the only natural thing to do after the tree is decorated is to have a light saber fight.

This pretty much sums up how the tree looked when the boys were done. Vimmer sorted the ornaments and put several of the same kind on one branch. And of course the 'tree fairy' came that night after bed and rearranged the tree to be more appealing to the eye.

On A Road Here in Little Rock

2011-12-02T23:01:00.000-06:00

A few weekends ago we made a trip to Little Rock, AR for my cousin's wedding. I love family wedding. The boys had a great time flying and did really well.

Before our flight out we stopped by The Old Mill in north Little Rock. It was very beautiful. I kept expecting a little gnome to come walking out from behind a rock- it was that 'magical' looking. If I remember correctly, it is in one of the opening scenes of Gone with the Wind, I think when the opening credits are running.

Vimmer was so exhausted from the weekend that he fell asleep in the car on the ride home at 5:30, we put him in bed, and some how he fell out but continued sleeping. He slept through the night. (we put him back in bed of course)

They ARE Listening

2011-11-15T21:55:00.000-06:00

Just when I think they are not listening to anything I say. And when I start to wonder if my efforts are making any difference, the Lord sends a spark of encouragement my way.

I found this great site that is full of ideas on how to impress the Word of God on your child's heart.

Deuteronomy 6:5-7
'Love the Lord your God with all your hear and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.'

I started doing the ABC Scripture verses last week. I want to try and do one verse a week. So 'A' was 'A gentle answer turns away anger Proverbs 15:1' and 'B' 'Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved. Acts 16:31'.

Well today while Vimmer was working on peeling stickers, he was getting frustrated and starting to get upset. I was cooking dinner and they were sitting at the counter. I overheard William lean over to Vimmer and in the sweetest brotherly voice say, 'Now remember Vimmer, a gentle answer turns away anger!' I froze and slowly looked over at them. Was it true? Did it actually sink in? Did William just quote scripture to his brother!? And at that point my spirit was encouraged. I felt like even though there is chaos, crying kids and messes and occasional feelings of failure as a mom, a seed was planted!

Paxton's First Haircut

2011-11-08T22:14:00.000-06:00

Being new to the area we didn't have a regular 'hair' place yet to take Pax to for his first hair cut. So I just picked this kids cuts place thinking it would be fun for all.

Before Shot

He was so excited about the firetruck.

And then he lost interest in the firetruck after she started cutting and wanted down.

All done!

So handsome, so grown up!

Vimmer got to take a ride in a taxi cab and watch Curious George at the same time.

This picture frightens me a little. William looks so grown up and almost like a teenager. My baby. Where has time gone?

Now the funny part of the outing. It was definitely a kids dream place when it came to haircuts. I was raving to Vim durning the cuts, saying 'We are coming back here! This sure beats fighting them in a regular salon.' And then a few minutes later I here from across the room my husband speaking rather loudly 'Are you joking!? $20 for a kids haircut!? That's insane!' To which I replied to the kiddos, 'I guess we aren't coming back here!' Oh well, a first haircut splurge!

Halloween Weekend Fun

2011-11-01T12:45:00.000-05:00

On Saturday we dared to venture out to the oh so popular Dewberry Farms. It was crazy busy. We actually lost Vimmer for about 30 seconds. Just long enough for me to feel the panic set in.

On Sunday we carved our pumpkins that we had picked out at the Pumpkin Patch.

Paxton never ceases to amaze me. He grabbed a hunk of pumpkin off the table while we were carving and started eating it. I thought for sure that he would spit it out but he kept going and was quite disappointed when I took it away from him.

We carved Mickey Mouse in to our pumpkin.

And these are Vimmer's pumpkins he decorated with stickers.

My first trick-or-treat-ers.

I finally gave in this year and let William be a ninja. He has always wanted to be one but I have always said no. I have a hard time wanting my kids to dress up as a 'killer'. I never want to glorify that. And I promise I am not judging- it is just something I have been convicted of.

Vimmer had the option of a fireman, doggie, or spiderman costume. He of course wanted nothing to do with them and decided last minute that he wanted to be Bibleman. And this is the costume that he 'designed' himself.

Paxton was a fireman but didn't want to wear his hat. Group shots of the boys have become more and more challenging.

Off to trick-or-treat!

Fun with Rice

2011-10-31T12:02:00.001-05:00

Pintrest.com has become my new favorite sites. And the other day I found this fun idea for dying rice. I put 3 cups of rice in a ziploc, 3-4 Tbls of alcohol, and 1 Tbls of food coloring. The recipe called for more but all I had were the small bottles so I just used the whole bottle. Then I had Vimmer shake the bags up and mix the color. We then put them out to dry during nap time...

and then this is what they woke up to...

A rainbow of colorful rice to play in.

They have of course spread it all over the patio but we just sweep it up at the end of the day and put it back in the 'water' table. So much cleaner than sand and has provided hours of fun. We have had it out now for a couple weeks and it is starting to get dirty and broken up into small pieces. We will probably be throwing it out in the next few days. I was worried the dye would come off on fingers and clothes but surprisingly I haven't had any problems.

Paxton's 1st Birthday

2011-10-26T15:54:00.000-05:00

So Paxton turned one over a month ago but I thought I would go ahead and blog about it. The party was small, last minute, and family only. I felt the a small tinge of guilt because I did large 1st birthday parties with months of planning for my two older boys and poor Paxton's party was put together in less than a week. But I have been reassured by many of you that 1) this does not define me as a mom and 2) he won't remember. I told Vim that this just means we have to do a ginormous party for him next year with ponies, monkeys and a baby elephant ; ) jk.

Not so sure about the hat.

He loved his birthday gift. I think his favorite part was the stereo.

Paxton Carl-

You are God's sweet little gift to us. I love your cuddliness. Chunky thighs. The way you love to eat and rub it in your hair behind your ears. How excited you get when you see your brothers. Your determination. Your blueish, brown eyes. Your fearlessness. Your big teethe smile. How you 'tackle' your brothers. Your open mouth kisses. How you wave 'bye' with just a slight turn of your pudgy wrist. How you love the water and to drive anything with a steering wheel. And that mischievous grin.

My prayer for you is that you would learn to 'Love the Lord your God with all of your heart, with all of your soul, with all of your mind, and with all of your strength.' Mark 12:30

Love you with all my heart.

Mom

Pumpkins with my Pumpkins

2011-10-17T23:37:00.000-05:00

Even though it is still very warm out here it is beginning to feel like fall with all the fall activities, decorations, and pumpkin patches going on all around us. We just have to wear shorts and t-shirts to these activities. Maybe next year I will get smart and I will either buy short sleeve festive halloween shirts or cut the sleeves off the ones I buy. It never fails butI by cute 'I love my Mummy' shirts and then they get to wear them only two days in October because it never get stinkin' cool. This last week we had our first play date in our new area of town. My good friend Becky introduced me to one of her friends from college who lives near us, and she was gracious enough to invite us to the pumpkin patch. All the kids picked out small, softball size pumpkins to take home. Of course my Vimmer wanted to pick up and take home one half his size.

Fyi- Vimmer is in the awkward smile phase, where every time you say 'Cheese!' he puts on this weird, unnatural smile.

"C'mon mom, don't you know we are tire of the pictures!?'

This one cracks me up...After I set Pax in front of Vimmer for a picture, Vimmer took it upon himself to pull the little bit of hair Pax has up in a tinny pony tail. Pax was not too thrilled.

Highlights of the Last 6 Months

2011-10-11T12:30:00.000-05:00

Ok- so I know. I have been a horrible blogger the last 6 months. But thank you all who have asked about where we have been. It is because of you (and the fact that I am somewhat sleeping again) that I am going to try to pick the blog back up.

Loads of things have happened since I blogged last. So I am not going to try and 'catch up' and post all the events I missed. I will just try and give you the Cliff Notes or a quick highlight of the last 6 months.

"Let's start at the very beginning, a very good place to start.." (that was for my mom- the woman who has a song for everything). So back in May, William turned 8- still can't believe it- we had our first, and may I add, very successful, sleepover party. It was actually a campout. Complete with camo, tents, weenie roast, s'mores, and a scavenger hunt. The highlight of the party was Gigi (my mom) twirling a fire baton. She did it for my sisters and my 8th birthday parties so we determined it was necessary for her to twirl at William's party. It was a hit.

Dirt Cake with worms

In June we had a week long Young family reunion in Hot Springs Arkansas. Despite a rough start to the week with Pax not sleeping at ALL, we had a great time on Lake Hamilton, digging for quarts, and hanging out with family.

We had so much fun on Lake Hamilton that after getting back to Texas, my hubby became convinced that we needed to live on water. And not just any water but ski-able water. Anyone who has met my husband know that he loves to be on the boat and it has always been a dream of his to live on the water. This was the start to our next big adventure. By the end of June Vim had found a ski lake community in the area and we had looked at several houses for sale. After much prayer, negotiating, prayer, inspections, and set backs we put a contract on a house and closed August 1st. We moved in a couple weeks later. I will spare you all the details but we are finally starting to get settled. I never want to move again. Fortunately, the plan is not to move again but moving with little ones is not fun. Us moving has really been a God thing. We have been looking at homes and property over the past 3 years and put in several offers on houses- none of them ever going through. We never planned on leaving our suburban town but God led us right where he wanted us in his perfect timing.

All my boys, being boys, and driving remote control boats in the backyard.

Lots more to come!

Blessed

2011-05-01T22:31:00.000-05:00

My word of the day (or maybe I should say week) is BLESSED. Somewhere along the way the word 'blessed' has been tarnished in my mind. Maybe it was the little old ladies who would say 'Bless your heart!' But the facts are that I am blessed. I am not lucky. Life is not left to chance. I am not just 'fortunate'. It is ALL providence and God has blessed us. He has blessed us beyond measure. A few ladies this week reminded me of this and I am truly grateful to have women such as these in my life to help spur me on and grow me in my God walk. So I am practicing using the word 'blessed' more freely and without the negative connotation. Here are some pictures of blessings in my life.

Vim and his friend 'E' discussing their truck books.

It is amazing how even though they are all at such different stages in life, they all love each other so much already. Pax already gets so excited when either brother comes in the room.

Shopping carts are not just for shopping.

Vimmer wanted to wear my sparkly headband.

Such a happy baby.

Our new mode of transportation.

Yee Haw!

2011-03-21T12:28:00.000-05:00

This weekend we hit the Houston Rodeo with my parents and sister. The kids had a great time and the little boys did great for not having full naps and being up way past their bed time! And it made it even more special to have Bear, Gigi and Mammy (Sammy) there with us! William's favorite thing is the bull riding. Vimmer loved the cows. And my favorite thing was the funnel cake! No, honestly, my favorite thing was seeing my boys' faces light up and take in all the excitement around them.

This is our attempt of a family photo! Didn't turn out very good. Ha!

Deer Valley Getaway

2011-03-17T13:13:00.000-05:00

Vim and I were fortunate enough to get away for a few days and go skiing in Deer Valley Utah. A few of our friends joined us and we had such an enjoyable time. We were able to relax, recharge and rest up. We were very blessed to be able to get away on this trip and we are so grateful for our families who sacrifices time and several good nights of sleep while keeping our boys.

The Girls - Becky, Anne, and me!

See the two dots towards the top of the mountian? That is Vim and Jordan, slowly making their way down a double black.

Space Center Houston Date

2011-03-17T12:25:00.000-05:00

William has been asking to go to Space Center for months! So this week during spring break, we decided to set up a date for William and I to go on and visit Space Center. It had been such a long time since I have had a whole day with just William. I really cherished the time together. William was picked to be a volunteer for a diving show that was going on outside. He got to throw 'treats' at the divers dressed in penguin costumes. Of course he loved it. I highly recommend paying the extra few dollars for the audio tour. William learned a lot and never would have stopped to read all the signs. His favorite thing was landing the shuttle on the simulator. Might have a future pilot on our hands! My favorite part was him wanting to hold my hand as we walked around and the many random hugs I got through out the day.

Vim's Fresh Beat Band 2nd Birthday Bash!

2011-03-17T11:52:00.000-05:00

A few weeks ago Vim turned 2! He loves the Fresh Beat Band and music, so I knew he would love to have a Fresh Beat Band music party! Of course it wouldn't be the Fresh Beats without some Groove Smoothie Punch, Hip Hop and Pop snacks, and music class! Vim's music teacher from school came and danced and sang with all the kids. Vim had a blast as did most of the guests!

Dear Vim-

You are 2! Seems like only yesterday you were making your scary, grand entrance into the world. You have grown into such an energetic, happy, fun, tough little boy. There are so many things I love about you. Your big teethy grin, the dimple right under your eye when you smile, the tiniest little chip in your left front tooth from one of our many tumbles. Your big wide feet, your love for dancing and music, your fearlessness, how you love your daddy. How you love to 'dip' all your foods. How you gallop and run everywhere you go. How you hug and love on your big brother. You weren't too sure about your little brother- it took you 2 days to acknowledge him, but how you want to hold him and kiss him now. I love how you love to try and pump yourself on the big boy swing. How you like to bury yourself in the pillows and say 'Nigh, Nigh'! You will just take off fearlessly down the street or go up to a person dressed in a cow suit with no problem. And how you are shy at first when meeting a new person. I love how you make 'sweet eyes' and how you point your little finger up in the air and say 'Whoop!' when you see the aTm. How you copy your big brother and get down in a 3 point stance, saying 'set hut'! Or dribble the soccer ball or try to shoot a basket. How you say 'Daddy wurk!' and how you love playing in the snow in Durango. I love so many things about you and my hearts desire is that you know how much God loves you. I pray you will fulfill the destiny God has for you little boy. That you are obedient to Him- because he has huge things planned for your life. I love you and I am so grateful God picked me to be your mommy!

Love- Mom

We've been Busy!

2011-01-11T21:46:00.000-06:00

Christmas pictures to be posted soon!

Pumpkin Carving Party 2010

2010-11-17T13:00:00.000-06:00

Some moments from the Carving Party this year.

And this is just a bonus picture of Paxton smiling for the first time!

So sweet!

Happy Halloween

2010-11-03T16:58:00.000-05:00

From the Tin Man, Scarecrow, and Lion

I have to brag on William...he is such a great big brother. He hardly ever complains about having a little brother tag along. He grabbed him by the hand and showed Vimmer exactly how to trick or treat.

Here is our house after the annual Pumpkin Carving Party. We had a great turn out and even more fun. I will post more pictures later if I get time. Vimmer right now is trying to help me type with his toes!

Around Here...

2010-10-12T11:05:00.000-05:00

Things have been a little crazy around her the last few weeks. We are trying to get adjusted to a zone defence rather than a man to man defence. But here are a few funny videos and pictures from the past week or so. Enjoy!

Dad of the year- pushing the double stroller to the park.

Vimmer loves to swing!

William decided he wanted in on the action.

And I didn't want Paxton to be left out.

Vimmer felt the balloon needed a bath too.

And some- not much- sleeping is going on around here.

Paxton Carl Is Here!

2010-09-25T18:19:00.001-05:00

Things have been busy around here! About a week and a half ago, Paxton Carl, decided to make an early appearance! On Sept 15th, I got up and noticed around 8am that I was having some contractions every ten minutes or so that were a little stronger then my normal Braxton Hicks. I think I might have been in denial because I waited till 11:30 to call the doctor. And even then, it took some convincing from my mom and sister that I was in labor. The contractions were not consistent and kept varying from 5-15 mins apart. I tried drinking water, laying down, and taking a bath but nothing seemed to make them quit. I of course was thinking- I am not ready for this...he is not suppose to be here for another week! My bag wasn't packed, my house wasn't cleaned, I hadn't made it to the grocery store, and my toes were looking forward to a pedicure. But Paxton had other plans. Once we got to the hospital, Vim told them I was in labor and I told the nurse to not put me in a Labor and Delivery room but to put me in a Observation room because I wasn't really in labor (still in denial). It wasn't until the nurse said that my contractions were about 5 mins apart and they were not going to send me home did it really start to set in that I was going to have a baby soon. Within an hour all grandparents appeared. I had to have a c-section since Vimmer was an emergency c-section. I have to say, this time around it was much more enjoyable.

Here we are all waiting for him!

Born at 6:24pm on Wednesday, September 15th.

8lbs 2oz, 20.5 inches long

The yummy cake my sister, Shannon, made for us!

The brothers. William loved holding Paxton and Vimmer was not too sure about him.

Paxton is dressed and ready to go home!

Our family of 5!

Vimmer finally realizes that Paxton is here and not going away. He now wants to kiss and hug the baby. He has tried picking up Paxton and but is very sweet to him.

We are in love with Paxton and he is our reminder that God knows exactly what you need and when you need it. No matter how I might try to plan out my life, God is in control and I am so very thankful because he knows better than I do.

My prayer for Paxton:

"They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor"

Isaiah 61:3

37 Weeks

2010-09-11T21:11:00.000-05:00

The picture is technically from 36 weeks but I am behind on blogging. My C- Section is scheduled and unless I go into labor early we have just 12 days till we meet baby Paxton! And although I don't think you are ever completely ready, I think we are as ready as we are going to be. I mean, there is always more you could get done. Our wonderful friends and family have been a huge help with house projects and keeping Vimmer so we can get things ready. Paxton's letters were hung on the wall last night above the crib and the diaper bag has been packed. The car seat has bee pulled out of the garage and cover has been washed. Baby book has been found and newborn clothes are clean and hanging in the closet. Bottles and pacifiers are sanitized. I still haven't packed my bag yet but soon it will be done. Can't wait to introduce you to our new sweet boy! (Oh and yes, I decided to chop my hair- I needed a change and something new! So far no regrets.)

First Day of School

2010-09-07T12:21:00.000-05:00

William had his first day of 2nd grade a few days ago.

I think Vim got his feelings hurt a little bit...We got to the end of the driveway and William said, 'You're not going to walk me, are you?' So sadly we sent him on his way...he is getting too big too fast.

And then the following week, Vimmer start Mother's Day Out for the first time at a near by church.

He didn't cry the first day I left him but he did the second day- but only for a minute or two. I think he loves it.

Here he is, chatting it up with his new friends, eating goldfish.

Baby Shower

2010-08-29T16:05:00.001-05:00

Two of my good friends, Becky and Jill, threw me a fun, small baby shower a few weeks ago. We all had dinner at PF Chang's and enjoyed a girls night out. It was so much fun, I feel so blessed to have such great girlfriends.

Jill made this cute diaper cake!

They were sweet to remember how much I love cookie cake!

P is for 'Paxton'

Besides a good number of diapers and wipes I also got some cute new clothes and goodies for Paxton. The onesie says 'Hi, I'm new here.' Isn't that cute?

My two sisters (and Fletcher who felt the need to be in the picture too) who I love so much made the trek down for the shower. Thanks everyone for a wonderful shower!

Vimmer's First Time Skiing

2010-08-18T17:13:00.000-05:00

Here are the promised pictures of Vimmer skiing with Vim.

Here they are just waiting for the boat to take off.

And they are up! Vimmer never cried, he seemed a little unsure of what was happening. He actually cracked a smile at one point. They didn't go but for a few minutes before Vim's arms gave out. I am sure this is just the first of many times Vimmer will be pulled behind the boat.

Skiing At the River House

2010-08-09T14:33:00.001-05:00

A couple of weekends ago, Vim's cousins, The Souths, were in from Florida and we were able to spend some quality time with them on the water. Here are the boys watching William knee board.

I think everyone had a blast. William decided to try out skiing for the first time. He has knee boarded and wakeboarded but never skied. Partly because we have never had any kids skis. Well a few weeks ago we came upon a pair at the thrift store for $8. Not to shabby. William had more of a problem getting the skis on than getting up on them. Vim of course had to get back there and double ski with William.

Here is William pushing Vimmer around the river house in a dump truck. It was great entertainment!

And coming soon...pictures of Vimmer's first skiing experience.

Bounce In the House

2010-08-06T15:00:00.000-05:00

With the extreme hot weather lately, outside activities just are not sounding appealing. The boys were starting to get a little bit of cabin fever so we pulled the bounce house out and let them go to town...in the living room! The boys have had a blast.

Baby-Moon to Arizona

2010-08-05T23:18:00.000-05:00

Two weeks ago we took a seriously last minute trip to Arizona for our one last get away before the baby gets here. And I am talking last minute--we booked the flights Friday night, the hotel on Sunday and flew out first thing Tuesday morning. See? I can be spontaneous.

The first stop was the Grand Canyon. I had been before back in high school but Vim had never been. It is one of those amazing creations that you never get tired of seeing. It just shows the awesomeness of God and it makes me realize how finite my mind is and how great He is. One verse that kept coming to mind was:
Ephesians 3:17-18
"And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ..."

I can't even mentally grasp how wide and long and high and deep the Grand Canyon is let alone Christ's love for me.

When we got there it was raining and was freezing! I expected the temp to be over 100, so all I had packed were sleeveless tops, shorts, and dresses. I had one sweater I had grabbed for the plane ride and one pair of jeans. The temp was in the 60s...I was freezing. My husband, being the gentlemen he is, gave me his pull over to wear. Can you see the rainbow below?

We saw a beautiful sunset....

And while the sun was rising over the canyon, the Elk were grazing right outside our hotel, which overlooked the canyon. It really was one the highlights of our trip.

Such beautiful creatures!

We didn't do much hiking, due to my 'condition'. I found myself breathing quite hard just after walking a short distance. The elevation probably played a small roll in it since I am use to being around sea level.

Another cool thing we did was take a free Canon photography class that they were offering. They gave everyone a super nice camera to use for the class and then they showed us some tips on how to use it. Since Vim and I both have an interest in photography, we both really enjoyed getting to pick a professionals brain.

After our short stay at the Grand Canyon we headed to our resort just outside of Scottsdale for a relaxing 4 day stay. It was so relaxing we took maybe a total of 3 pictures while there. We spent a lot of time at the pool and when not at the pool eating!

By coincidence my cousins happen to be visiting their Dad (my Uncle) the same time we were there so we were spoiled with a big home cooked meal one night. And then we had a nice dip in their pool afterwards. This is my sweet cousin Anna (isn't she cute!?).

What a much needed break and rest! I can't wait to take the boys to the Grand Canyon in about 5 or 6 years. 7 weeks and counting till Paxton gets here!

31 Weeks

2010-07-30T12:52:00.000-05:00

I know I always say this but it is true...I can't believe how fast the time has gone. We are just 8 weeks away from meeting baby Paxton! He will be born September 24th- the c-section has been scheduled. I have to say that even though it is very uneventful to already know the date and time of birth, there is something comforting about being able to plan and make arrangements. Especially with two other kids at home. Now childcare can be lined up and family can mark it on the calendar and meals can be frozen. Toes can be painted and one last trip to the hair stylist for a cut that needs to last at least 8 weeks or more. And maybe I can even splurge and get a house keeper to come the day before! Eek! That would be icing on the cake. I still have a list about a mile long that I would like to complete before his arrival. We currently are trying to convert the office to a playroom and the guest bedroom to Vimmer's new toddler room. Paxton will be moving into Vimmer's nursery and eventually the plan is to have the two little ones share a room in about a year and a half. I know many people are successful at putting a newborn in with a toddler but I am just not ready to bite that off. Especially since Vimmer is such a light sleeper.

The pregnancy has been really uneventful and easy this far. They were so worried about Vimmer coming early, since William was 6 weeks early, that the doctor wanted to do all these check ups. This time though I have hardly seen the doctor, I haven't had an ultrasound since 20 weeks and besides a few leg pains and fatigue things have gone just boring. Which is exactly what we want out of a pregnancy! I plan on doing one more post right before the baby gets here! We appreciate all you prayers and support!

4th of July at the Frio River

2010-07-14T22:10:00.001-05:00

Every year we are invited by close friends of the Head Family to property on the Frio River for 4th of July. I was slightly concerned about this year...being 6 months pregnant and having a 16 month old running round...camping in the heat just wasn't sounding real appealing. Well, God had mercy on me and as many of you in the south know, we had a tropical depression/storm bring tons of rain in and some cooler weather. Although it rained on and off while we were there, I think it would have been much worse if it had been 100 degrees and no rain.

I did go prepared though and we took our rain boots.

And as you can see my sons didn't want to stay out of the rain and mud...they wanted to play in it.

You can see in this picture that Vimmer has lost his boots and is in his pajama bottoms and socks. Needless to say, we threw the socks away. No amount of bleach would have got those babies clean.

Fun in the river.

Vimmer loved to ride/drive the mule.

On Saturday, we put together a float and join the Leakey 4th of July parade.

Enjoying some fireworks...Fletcher is not a fan of the fireworks so he stays close by when they start going off. Hope everyone had a Happy 4th of July!

The Waterpark

2010-06-23T11:04:00.002-05:00

A few weeks ago we ran across a special on Groupon.com (you got to check this website out-if you don't already), where you could buy tickets to Splashway Waterpark for just $8. We had already talked about taking a day trip to one of the water parks in the Houston area and even though we had never actually been to Splashway, we figured we would give it a try--especially for the price.

Let me tell you, it was well worth our $8/person. We had a great time! It was perfect for my boys ages. It is similar to a mini-Splashtown or Schlitterbahn. They have a short lazy river, wave pool, a couple of big (but not too big) slides. And you get to bring your own food and drinks in. And they have tons of tables, tubes and life vests (for free). They had a plethora of lifeguards on duty and they were all really nice. William hurt his toe on one of the slides and was crying on the side...it only took a few minutes before a lifeguard noticed and had ice brought to him. I was very impressed. And even more surprisingly, the food was really cheap...so cheap that I don't think I will hassle with packing a lunch for the whole family next time. We had such a good time, we ended up staying longer then planned so we got an afternoon snack of french fries and a hot dog and it was only $3!

Time to refuel!

Vimmer loved the lazy river- it was the first time I have ever seen him sit still so long. He actually ended up taking a nap on daddy for 30 minutes while they looped the river.

Sonic Car Hop IN TRAINING

2010-06-10T20:15:00.002-05:00

My morning thus far...

2010-06-03T12:06:00.000-05:00

Could be a long day.

Mother's Day Pictures

2010-05-26T12:25:00.010-05:00

Every year our church does a free Mother's Day picture...here are ours from this year!

Click here to view these pictures larger

Click here to view these pictures larger

First Hair Cut

2010-05-23T21:27:00.001-05:00

We finally broke down and got our first hair cut! Vimmer's hair was starting to look pretty crazy and shabby and I swore I wouldn't be one of those mom's that didn't cut the hair just b/c it was baby hair. See what I mean? Crazy and Shabby.

We made it a family outing to visit our favorite Sport Clips stylist, and all the boys got their hair cut, even daddy.

Waiting patiently for our turn.

Fortunatly, Vimmer has seen big brother use a spray bottle on his hair and he has actually experianced the spray bottle for himself at home, so he liked being sprayed with water.

Snip Snip...

Big brother was a big help by being a big distraction.

Buzz Buzz...

All Done!!

He had to make sure and get her name so he would know who to come back to for his next cut!

Here are some pictures from today of the boys with both their hair cuts in their matching shirts that Bic and Pops brought them from Hawaii...

Feeling very blessed for all the sweet boys in my life!

Happy Friday!

2010-05-21T16:17:00.000-05:00

This is what we do around here on Fridays...Don't you!? Or is it just us? Well, whatever you do, I hope your Friday is as much fun as ours!

1st Grade Field Day

2010-05-15T17:00:00.001-05:00

Baton Relay Races...

Plunger Ball...

Bouncey Ball Races...

Sack Races...

Tug of War...

And Super Dad as the Tug of War Ref...

What more could you ask for!?

By the looks of those sweaty, smiling faces, I think this one was a huge success!

20 Weeks Pregnant

2010-05-14T21:11:00.000-05:00

20 Weeks- half way there! This pregnancy has flown by so far. It might be the one year old I am chasing around that is keeping me so busy and my mind off the time. The morning sickness stopped around 17 weeks. And I am starting to get my energy back up! I am currently in the process of purging all the closets, weeding out toys, and converting our office to a play room. The playroom will be the first room you see when you open the front door, so it is not ideal but defiently more practical and a better use of space. Especially since I will pretty soon have three boys to entertain and clean up after, one room with all the toys seems much more logical. And yes, if you were reading carefully, and have not heard yet, we are having another boy! We are all very excited, and I know Vimmer and him are going to be best friends.

A lot of people have been asking if I was really hoping for a girl and if I was surprised or a little disappointed. So I will just go ahead and put it all out there for those of you who are curious. I was actually really ok and not surprised at all. I guess I have kind of gotten over the 'girl' fever and really wasn't disappointed this time. I almost even expected it. And we have the boy toys, the boy clothes, the boy parenting books...we are pretty set for this one. The one thing we will need to invest in is a double stroller. So for those of you who have or had babies close and can recommend a good double stroller please let me know. I have one in mind but I really don't know much about them. I guess that is it for now...my belly should be expanding much more pretty soon. The maternity clothes have been pulled out and are just waiting to be used!

Happy 7th Birthday William!

2010-05-06T20:37:00.002-05:00

This past weekend we celebrated William's 7th Birthday the good old fashion way....at the Skating Rink! It brought back so many memories from my childhood days. They even put William in the center of the rink and did the hokey pokey...the sad part was that my poor son didn't know what the hokey pokey even was! The kids all had a blast! Last year one of the boys broke his arm on an inflatable and I was sure that someone was going to break something this year. But surprisingly we all walked out un harmed-- besides a few bruised knees and backsides. I have to admit, I was a little disappointed that I couldn't be out there joining in on all the skating fun.

William, you are growing into such a wonderful little man. I love your huge heart and sensitivity towards others. I love your toothless grin. Your honesty. The way you still come crawl in bed with us every morning before school. Your silly jokes. Your crazy rooster hair in the mornings. Your big hugs that hurt sometimes. Your obssesion with time lately. Your love for math facts. Your helpfulness. How your love on your brother. Your singing in the backseat. Your not so small feet. Those green eyes. And your overall excitement for life. I will never stop loving you, no matter what, and don't you forget it. But most of all, don't ever forget how much Jesus loves you andI pray that you would love Jesus with all your heart.

Happy 7th birthday baby boy!

Click here to view these pictures larger

Happy Easter (a few weeks late)

2010-04-19T22:53:00.000-05:00

I appologize for being so behind on my blogging lately. We have had some big things going on in our lives that have required a lot of our time and energy. So without further a do, here are pictures from Easter.

(of course he had to taste the hard boiled egg, shell and all)

We spent Easter morning and Easter Day at my Mimi's, it was a real treat to be there.

I love the Children's Place....I can always find matching clothes for the boys even though their sizes are such a big range.

The Rodeo

2010-03-24T15:07:00.000-05:00

Last weekend we ventured out on one of the wetest and coldest rodeo days in history. Our friends, Anne Jordan, and Jack were in town to experiance this adventure with us. We might have opted to go a different day or not go at all but we had already promised William and there wasn't another day we could go.

Overall I think the boys had a good time. I was slightly disappointed. Does anyone else get a vision in your head about how something will go and then it doesn't go that way at all and then you end up just disappointed?? Or is it just me? I had these grand ideas of glorious weather, enjoying all the food and festivities outside, sitting down and watching the rodeo and none of that happened. Oh well, I guess there is always next year.

The boys loved the petting zoo. Vimmer loved the animals and kept squeeking at them. Almost like he was trying to bark.

When William was younger he was always afraid of the big dressed up characters...but Vimmer was not even close to afraid, actually I think he was trying to pull her eye lashes off.

We made a stop by the big ole' John Deere tractors for a photo opt.

Here are the boys chilling out in their strollers after a long day.

Cake Pictures (as promised)

2010-03-21T23:04:00.000-05:00

Here are some cake pictures from Little Bit's first birthday party.

At first he wasn't sure what to do. But after a little assitance he figured it out.

Coming Soon...Part II

2010-03-21T22:44:00.000-05:00

After posting the last entry, several people have pointed out and questioned a comment I made...

"The boys will be 19 months apart."

Let me clarify : ) No, I don't know what we are having yet. And I really don't have a 'feeling'. Each pregnancy has been very different so far, so I am really not sure. Boys are all we know, so I guess in my typing I just made an assumption this one would be a boy too! So sorry for the confusion! I will let you know when we know!

Coming Soon...

2010-03-09T13:16:00.000-06:00

Our family of four will very soon be growing to a family of FIVE! Yes- we are pregnant! The little one will be here sometime near the end of September. The official due date is September 29th but I think it will be sooner than that since I tend to have bigger babies. I am officially 11 weeks along and feeling ok. I have been battling some morning sickness but my husband has been extremely sweet and does everything he can to make sure I have all I need before he leaves for work in the mornings. Let me help you out if you are trying to do the calculation. The boys will be 19 months apart. EEK- yes I know. Although it was a big surprise to us, after getting over the initial shock, we are very excited! More to come...

Happy 1st Birthday Baby Boy!

2010-03-03T23:11:00.000-06:00

Sweet boy, I can hardly believe you are one. This year has gone so fast. It has not always been easy but it thrills me to see you grow into a happy little boy with such a fun personality. We started off a little rocky, with a tramatic birth, and then acid reflux along with being colic. The first four months were tough but we made it through. The first comment made about you was 'He's a BIG boy!' and you still are a BIG Boy! I love how you love your daddy. Your face lights up when he walks in the door. I love how you hide your eyes and expect us to play peek-a-boo. I love how you play with your brother. I love how you clap your little hands when you do something good. I love how you tackle me if I am sitting on the floor with you. I love how you give high five. How you use your little pincher fingers to pick everything up for examination. How you jump in your bed in anticipation for me to come get you after a long nap. How you have to taste everything, even the window seals. I love the rolls in your thighs. Your big blue eyes. Your long wispy, crazy hair, your big yet so tiny feet. All 10 fingers. All 10 toes. All 8 teeth. The back of your soft sweet neck. I love every little detail about you. Thank you God for my sweet precious baby boy. He is one of the best gifts I have ever received. And I pray that he grows to love Jesus with all his heart. Happy 1st Birthday my baby boy.

The day started with half a box of cherrios dumped on the floor for easy eating access. It was very cute but a big mess. Lucky the Dyson was up for the challange.

We had a Very Hungry Caterpillar 1st Birthday party. It was very appropriate for my little Vimmer, since he always seems to be 'very hungry' and will eat anything in sight.

My sister made the cake, isn't it fabulous!! She did a great job! Thanks Shannon! She also made green leaf shaped cookies, since "the very hungry caterpillar ate through one nice green leaf."

I tried to stick to the 'Very Hungry Caterpillar' food theme but I had to throw a couple of other items on the menu to balance it out. It seems the Very Hungry Caterpillar has a very sweet tooth.

For party favors, I found little fabric crayon holders in Very Hungry Caterpillar fabric, great for taking on the go (found them on Etsy).

Opening Gifts! A cute new back pack with my initials to carry from my friend E!

I was in a very good mood and loved playing with everyone!

My new wheels from mom and dad! Sometimes I like to get in through the window.

My Aunt Shannon loving on me.

And another birthday gift I love to ride.

(More pictures of the day to come, especially the cake eating!)

A Get Away To the Cold

2010-02-24T09:44:00.000-06:00

The past few days we were able to get away to Telluride, CO for a little ski vacation with some good friends, The Davis'. While we were there we had about 30'' of snow--so tons of powder to ski in but it was very cold! The sun finally came out the last day we were there but even then the temperature didn't get above the mid 20s.

Becky and Me all gear-ed up, trying to stay warm!

Jared catching some air.

Vim jumping.

This is part of the Villiage. If you look closely at the banner you can see how perfect our timing was in visiting. It ended up not being a big deal but we just thought it was funny that we were there for that one special week.

Valentines Day

2010-02-16T19:00:00.000-06:00

Around here we do Valentine's Day as a family holiday. It might sound strange but it is the only holiday where a humorous card is acceptable and actually expected between Vim and I. And a card is all we exchange. We make pizzas as a family and I get little gifts for the kids.

This was Vimmer's first Valentine's Day and his last '1st' holiday. Sad. I know.

In a few weeks he will be one.

William has been consistently asking for a watch- so he was very happy when he got one.

Vimmer wasn't very interested in his gift...I had to stage this picture and put the toy he was playing with in the bag so he would go after it.

But he was very interested in his balloon!

Hope you all had a great Valentine's Day too!

Fun with Chuck E.

2010-02-04T08:52:00.002-06:00

My niece's 2nd birthday party was at the Chuck-E-Cheese place a few weeks ago. I think she had a good time and enjoyed her cake, what do you think? She had a princess crown and medal and everything!

And ALL of my boys had to play games of course. They loved the flying games.

I think he is really into it. What do you think?

Umm. Who is this dude I am having to share my car with??

I guess I will let him ride. At least I get to drive!

And don't worry we used tons of hand sanatizer after we were done!

Happy Birthday to my Hubby!

2010-01-31T14:03:00.000-06:00

Last week was Vim's birthday. His day was started with breakfast in bed, cards, and presents. We celebrated by having Mexican food with our good friends the Allen's. I made the cake and I am not baker by any means. The thing about baking that gets me upset is that you have a vision for how something will turn out and no matter how hard I try it looks like a 4 year old did it. I just don't have enough patients or a steady enough hand...oh well- at least the effort and love was put into it.

I don't know why, but it never gets old to see someone get sung too by all the waiters in a Mexican restaurant with a sombrero on!

Happy Birthday babe- I love you!

(Haha--got to love this picture of Matt!)

One Word- Willie

2010-01-23T13:04:00.001-06:00

A couple weekends ago we saw Willie Nelson in one of the coolest venues I have ever been to. The stage is in the middle and it slowly rotates. There are seats all around it and there is not a bad seat in the house. We had third row tickets-- and the walkway to the stage was right next to us--eek! It was probably the best concert I have ever been too. He sang for over 2 hours straight. He was so close he would make eye contact and wave or smile at you. It was awesome. We went with our friends Shannon and Taylor. I some how left

my camera in the car so my sweet husband ran back out to get it. And even though the pictures aren't great--it was well worth his trip. One of the strange things that happened was people kept giving him hats to put on and even a scarf. They would walk up to the stage and try to get his attention. Then, being a good sport he would put the hat on for a few minutes and then throw it out into the audience. I didn't know why the audience members thought Willie wanted to wear their stuff. I really thought people must be quite full of themselves to have the gall to ask Willie to wear their old hats.

THanks Willie for a great concert, even at the age of 76!

We Are Walking!

2010-01-22T09:00:00.020-06:00

You might have noticed in the last post the HUGE black mark on Vimmer's head...You might have thought that his momma just had not bathed him very well but the truth is that he had a head on collision with the coffee table! It was ugly and my head hurt for him! He has been letting go and taking 2 or so steps and then falling down for a couple weeks now but he really took off last Thursday. He was almost too sure of himself. He would stand up and just let go without having complete balance. Well it paid off because he will go 15-20 steps in a row without falling now. It is so funny how he is walking---his arms are straight up in the air!
William didn't walk till a week before his 1st birthday so Vimmer is 2 months early compared to William. But I guess William didn't have a big brother he was trying to keep up with everyday. I caught him on video for one of his shorter walks.

When the Cats Away, The Mice Will Play!

2010-01-21T12:39:00.000-06:00

Dad went hunting last weekend so we had a fun filled weekend. It started on Friday when I picked William up from school. It was cold and rainy, so we headed to Starbucks for a hot chocolate and coffee. I have never taken William for hot chocolate before so it was a real treat! Then we had pizza and watched Mary Poppins that night. William got to sleep in the bed with me---he was super excited about this. For breakfast Saturday morning we had homemade waffles...Yum! For lunch we went to Chick-Fil-A and then we headed to the new museum down the road. We had been before but still checked out the frogs and giant dinosaur bones,

the frozen ice wall...

But they had added a new feature to the museum. The GyroExtreme. And William HAD to try it out. I glad he is so outgoing and not affraid of much.

I did something like it when I was younger but I know for sure I would be loosing my lunch if I tried it now. That evening Bics (Vim's mom) came and stayed with us. This was a real treat for me since she bathed and put the kiddos to bed for me! It was a fun weekend and I enjoyed the special time with my boys and I very much enjoyed when daddy returned Sunday!

Boy Bonding Time

2010-01-16T14:21:00.001-06:00

While all the boys were in town, they took off to Bay City for some boy bonding time. The back of the suburban was loaded up with so many guns, ammo, targets, and men that I thought the tail pipe was going to drag as they pulled away-- HA!

Hmm, if I am not mistaken, that is my gun they are using!

A few days before, Vim and William hit the ice for a little ice skating. I stayed with Vimmer and made some after Christmas returns. I was so impressed with how good William did on ice skates. This was his 3rd time to go and he was doing turns.

Happy New Year (only 12 days late)!

2010-01-12T15:55:00.000-06:00

My middle sister, Shannon, and her husband through a New Year's Eve party at my parents house while they were in town. Almost all of my Dad's side of the family came in town and we did a joint New Years and Christmas celebration. Here are all the cousins (we are only missing Amanda and Luke) with Mimi.

Us!

My parents and sisters.

My sweet cousin Anna. Everytime we get together we have to take a picture together...it's a tradition.

Vim and William getting down on the dance floor. Showing off the infamous move!

And then we pulled Rock Band out! Have I mentioned how much I love rock band??

I get to channel my inner rocker!

The later it got, the crazier it got. We had unexpected guest show up...

She made her rounds to all the guests. Wishing them all a Happy New Year.

And my dear sweet Mimi puts up with all of our shanangins!

Happy New Year!

Christmas Time Part 4...The Final Post

2010-01-11T10:39:00.000-06:00

Christmas at the Youngs...We went to my parents house for a couple days after the 25th to celebrate Christmas with them. My sister and her husband were in from Bosnia, so it was a really special treat to have all the family together. Instead of doing stockings for everyone, my mom does 'family' stockings. So each family gets a stocking filled with little treats for everyone---a family movie, snack, candy, something small for the kids, etc.

We open presents in the morning and in the Young house, the tradition has always been to wait at the top of the stairs for a family picture before going down to see the tree. This tradition goes all the way back to my Mom's side of the family and when we were little all the cousins had to wait on the stairs for a picture. I know it sounds tortuous, but it really isn't that bad. It is called suspense. Oh, and no one is allowed to see the tree till we are all 'released' from the top of the stairs.

Those huge white pvc pipe things in the picture are potato guns. All the big boys got one. And they went through about 3 bags of potatoes, limes, cucumbers, and whatever else they could find to shoot off (including a dirty diaper--gross, I know).

William and Bear relaxing together.

This was funny. Vim got this book at our Home Team white elephant gift exchange. He passed it on to my brother-in-law....Can you see the title? "How to Murder Your Mother-In-Law"

Vim got a head messager from my baby sister Samantha. And Vimmer made the funniest reactions when we would put it on his head. He didn't know how to respond!

And of course, what would Christmas be like with out a gun!

We (the boys and occationally me) had a huge nerf war. There were darts everywhere! I am sure my mom will be finding darts for the next few months in odd places. Some people needed a little nap after all the excitment.

The "Young" (and formally Young) girls.

This outfit was Williams. It was one of the first outfits I bought when I was pregnant with him. Well, I have a picture of Wiliam in it on Christmas Eve sitting in Bear and Gigi's yard with baby Jesus. So I had to recreate the moment and put Vimmer in the same outfit. The PJs were a little snug since it was about a size too small but it worked!

A friendly game of Wii Tennis between the Brother-In-Laws. Look for more Wii game snap shots to come...we rocked it out this year- if you know what I mean.

Christmas Time Part 3

2010-01-11T09:22:00.000-06:00

More of Christmas Morning...Now that I have the rest of our pictures off of my husband's camera I can finish the Christmas posts. Bare with me, I have at least 2 more posts to do. Can you tell we spread Christmas out over 2 weeks?

I am not sure why, but Vimmer loves eating paper. He would (and has) shreaded a wipe and chewed on it when we have let him. So when it came to wrapping paper, he had no problem testing it out too! What can I say? He loves to eat...it doesn't matter what he is eating, just so long as he is doing it.

Once again... he loves to eat. He found the box of Cheerios and was trying desperatly to get into them.

Within the last month or so he has become a big daddy's boy. He loves to be with Daddy. It is so sweet to see how excited he is when he sees his daddy coming. He is trying to help his Daddy set up the new Wii.

William and Pops playing golf (of course--Pop's favorite game). I think they played for 3 hours that morning. Not something we are going to make a habit of but it was Christmas morning!

And all went well, except for one minor inncident. We went to Vim's cousin's house for a party Christmas night and Vimmer was bit by thier little dog! Mama bear was not happy--- but I must say I handled it much better then most would. Thank God it didn't get his eye and it was just a minor scratch.

Christmas Time Part 2

2010-01-05T17:26:00.000-06:00

Christmas Morning---our tree lights decided to short out in one spot. You can kind of see it if you look to the left of the middle. I didn't have time to change them out since they went out a few days before Christmas. Next year we will fix them.

Santa brought the family a Wii, William Heeleys, and Vimmer a fun light up toy. I thought it was sweet that William's first comment was how much his brother was going to love his toy, instead of focusing on what he got. Right after I turned off the video William realized that he didn't just get new shoes, but the shoes were Heeley's. He was very excited. I know, the kids are sooo annoying at the mall and grocery store, wheeling around, zooming past you, trying to knock you over. I promise I won't let William become one of THOSE kids. He has been asking for these darn shoes since he was 3.

William's 'Happy Birthday Jesus' cake. I thought I had a cake mix but ended up only having a brownie mix. So we did brownies with chocolate icing and they ended up REALLY yummy!

Bics and Vimmer watching Pops and William play golf on the Wii. Don't they look sweet and cuddly?!

More to come.

Christmas Time Part 1

2009-12-29T21:36:00.000-06:00

Merry Christmas everyone! We have had a wonderful Christmas this year and I hope you did too. We are actually not done yet with our Family Christmas rounds. We still have one more stop this Saturday. But I thought I would get started with the Christmas posts, since I think it's going to take several posts to get the job done. We started with Christmas with Bic and Pops and the rest of the Head Family.

Vimmer opened his first present and as you can see had to taste it.

This the the family picture we took...or maybe I should say an attempt of a family picture.

The Head Family Christmas

The boy cousins getting into some trouble I am sure.

Christmas Eve we were off to Candle Light service. Vimmer did not want to sit still for a picture of course. I love coordinating the boys outfits to match or compliment each other. I know I am not going to be able to do this for long so I try to do it as often as I can.

We have a tradition of opening one present on Christmas Eve. And that present is always matching PJs for the family. This year we had 'Fish' pajama pants.

Poor William wasn't feeling good Christmas Eve. He fell asleep in the car while looking at Christmas lights and wasn't able to even put cookies out for Santa. He started feeling better Christmas day fortunately. More pictures to come!

A Face Only a Mother Could Love

2009-12-16T10:48:00.000-06:00

We are getting 4 teeth right now so teething biscuits are a must. I hate 'dirtiness' like this but desperate times call for desperate measures. Needless to say he went straight to the bath!

How to Make a Ginger Bread House:

2009-12-14T23:36:00.000-06:00

First you bake all the pieces of the ginger bread house.

Haha, had you fooled for a second didn't I?

Nah, what you really do...First you go to your local store and buy a ginger bread house kit.

Then you use your imagination and many treats and decorate your house.

Next, let them dry for a bit. And then (here is the trick--since we are not eating them)...

HOT GLUE the sides together to form a house. I mean why fuss with a bunch of icing and having to wait for it to dry. It was the best advice given to me.

Finally- ohh and awe over your finished creation.

A little Christmas Tune....

2009-12-11T14:42:00.000-06:00

Being a mom of 2 boys that would not be discribed as calm, meek, reserved, or quiet, I personally find this video very normal. I can totally see William doing this. Watch the little boy to the left of Ernie Ford.

Why we are glad when Daddy comes home...

2009-12-10T11:00:00.000-06:00

Free leg rides around the house.

Fresh energy that Mommy is running low on....

Lots of Hugs...

And even kisses...

We love you Daddy! Thank you for always coming home in a fun mood, ready to play with us.

You're the highlight of our day!

Annual Christmas Tree Lighting

2009-12-08T11:48:00.000-06:00

For the past few years we have met our our good friends, The Allens, at the local tree lighting. This year it was super cold which made it truly feel 'Christmasy'. It is always hard for me to feel festive, when it is 80 degrees out, your in flip flops, and we are counting down to light the giant Christmas tree...something just doesn't add up. But this year we did not have that problem! Some of the highlights were face painting, elves on stilts, and the 'snow' machines (they blow foam). William got his face painted like Rudolph--it was so stinkin cute.

Daddies on baby duty while the mommies took the older boys for face paint.

The Allen family. I know we took a family picture but I can't seem to find it.

And finally, William thought it was funny to put his face in point blank range of the foam shooter. He was feezing later but it was hilarious.

We have Snow!

2009-12-04T12:59:00.000-06:00

It truly is beautiful! And so much fun!

A Corny Feast!

2009-11-25T16:54:00.003-06:00

William had his 'Corny Thanksgiving Feast' yesterday at school. Why Corny? B/c the meal consisted of foods made out of 'corn'! They had corn chips, pop corn, corn bread, canned corn, and pumpkin pie (I don't know how that fits into the 'corn' theme--but I didn't make up the menu). William was excited b/c he got to choose this year if he was going to be an Indian or a Pilgrim. It is funny because I can still think back to 1st grade and remember that we didn't get to choose and I had to be an Indian! And I wanted to be a Pilgrim with a cute bonnet. Funny how certain things damage your psychi when you are little. Well, as you can see William wanted to be an indian! I noticed that all but 2 boys chose to be indians- interesting. So they (we) lined the 1st grade hall with butcher paper and the kids sat on the floor at it, like a table and ate their feast! All 120 kids! It went rather well considering the possibilities.

My favorite part was when William decided to try pumpkin pie. My son is extremely picky--I mean it is not that he just won't eat veggies or most fruits but he won't eat a lot of candies and cakes...it's a texture thing. Anyway, I guess he is getting braver and wanting to try things lately. He got a piece (had to be with out whip cream--I told you, picky) and he kind of nibbled at it. Surprised that it was sweet he took a few more bites. People my son was literally gagging. I mean I thought he might throw up right in the middle his plate. Then he would swallow and smile. I asked him how it was and this was his answer. "Mom, it is just so good- my mouth is gagging on it b/c it is so good and I want to get it in my tummy as quick as I can!" I just shook my head and said "That's great hon!" He only took about 3 bites of it but hey, it is a step in the right--- at least he is now trying things!

Hope you all have a Happy Thanskgiving!!

i am second

2009-11-18T14:03:00.000-06:00

Wow is all I have to say. This a video of Brain Welch, who is the former lead singer of Korn (or KoRn)---for those of you who are not sure who or (what) Korn is, they are a heavy rock band.

And just to give you a little background, wikipedia's definition: Korn is an American rock band from Bakersfield, California, which formed in 1993. The band's catalogue consists of nine consecutive debuts in the top ten of the Billboard 200. To date, Korn has sold over 30 million albums worldwide while earning six Grammy nominations—two of which they have won. Check this out, it is pretty cool.

A guy who has had it all and tried everything---finds true contentment and rest. Awesome.
Check out other videos at: i am second.

Matthew 11:28
'Come to me all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.'

The Chase!

2009-11-16T15:31:00.000-06:00

I thought this was so funny-- I don't know why he gets so excited about the vacuum but he chases me around when I do the floors. I thought at first it was for the cord but after watching some more he wants the actual vacuum! I guess he shares my love for a Dyson : )

Where's Vimmer!?

2009-11-16T15:21:00.001-06:00

Recently Vimmer has started learning how to play Peak-A-Boo...Of course I think it is super cute---but I am suppose to! (you may want to turn your volume down a bit--sorry for my loud, high pitched voice!)

Halloween at Last!!

2009-11-12T22:13:00.000-06:00

I finally have some pictures to up load thanks to my sweet husband who went out of his way to get the pictures off his camera and onto the hard drive (thanks love!). So we started out the festivities with a Pumpkin Carving Party on Friday night. It was a lot of fun, and we end up with some really great pumpkins. We had a Thomas the Train, aTm, Statue of Liberty, Deer, Flag, and so many more! We ended up with almost 30 carved pumpkins.

Then first thing Saturday morning we had a soccer game. Vimmer sported a tiger costume to stay warm and the players all sprayed their hair orange! They had a great game, and won!

William originally wanted to be a ninja for Halloween, and I told him I really wasn't a fan of 'Ninjas' since they are violent and would really like him to think of something else. Well once he saw Vimmer's monkey costume he decided he wanted to be a monkey too! Well, let me tell you, they do not make a boys size 8 monkey costume. So I was left to make a costume (I don't even have a sewing machine). So let's just say it was a joint effort. I basically took William's school clothes and used them as a pattern. Once I cut out all the pieces, my mother-in-law, Vicki, hand stitched the pants. Then after I worked on the costume till 2 am Friday, I had my mom bring her sewing machine over. So my mom and I worked on the costume all afternoon on Halloween. I have to say, it came out much better than expected. And just remember before you see it, that this costume came strictly out of my 'imagination' and there wasn't a pattern used.

One Picture

2009-11-10T10:48:00.000-06:00

Ok, so my laptop is still being worked on. I am praying I am able to get a few pictures and documents off of it...I had backed up most of them but still lost some from the October Festivities. Right now I am using a loaner laptop and I can not for the life of me figure out how to open up the pictures off of Vim's camera on this computer--grrr. But I am able to get the pictures off of my camera--the only problem is that I took all the pictures with Vim's camera : ) except One! So here is the only picture I have to show you guys:

This is on the way to Austin this weekend for Vimmer's friend Jack's 1st birthday party! One day, maybe I will get to post some of those pictures from the party.

I will try to take more pictures with my camera in the coming days so that the grandparents, aunties and uncles will have something to see!

Computer down!

2009-11-02T15:35:00.000-06:00

My laptop completely shut down on me last week! I have so many fun pictures to share with you, but currently I am stuck with a small itouch as my only way of communicating with the outside world! Stay tuned. Hopefully my computer will be up and running soon!

Crawling and Pulling up!

2009-10-28T16:23:00.000-05:00

Yes we are MOBIL! Here is Vimmer crawling...He is getting quicker each day!

And he is giving his mama grey hair by pulling up on everything! This is one of the first times he pulled up, he is much quicker now. I know he will be climbing the stairs soon--yikes!

Soccer

2009-10-15T10:53:00.000-05:00

William's soccer season is in full swing. Each year the sport gets a little more competitive, but this year there were some significant changes in the game. First, the field is bigger, they play 4 on 4, they have throw ins and they have a ref! Not only do they have a ref but they keep score and standings! After 3 games we are undefeated! Vim is one of the coaches and is pretty excited about this.

SO big!

2009-10-15T10:26:00.000-05:00

Mom, can't you see I am done with this thing?! I am soooo over the mobil....Just get it out of here!

Food for Thought

2009-10-08T11:25:00.000-05:00

I ran across this today and thought I would share it with all of you...

"You're blessed when you get your inside world- your mind and heart- put right. Then you can see God in the outside world."
Matthew 5:8 (The Message)

I love The Message- it sometimes just makes scripture so real and tangible.
I praying that each of you takes time to get your mind and heart put right today so you can see God at work around you and be blessed by that...Have a wonderful day!

So Close!

2009-10-05T09:31:00.004-05:00

I think I can, I think I can...

Ok, I'm almost in position...

Oh boy! Oh boy! I am just about ready to go...

Now what do I do?!

And back down we go!!

Fall is In The Air

2009-09-29T12:29:00.007-05:00

Yes last week the temperature dropped down to the 70s and 80s during the day, and it was heavenly! It put me in the fall mood, and out came the fall decorations. I love this time of year. October through December is the only real time I 'seasonally decorate' the house. Each year I pick out a few new items and add them to my Fall and Christmas collections. I am not much of a wreath lover, but decided my door needed something. I felt inspired by Thrifty Decor Chick (you got to check her out), to make a wreath. It was really easy...I just bought a grapevine wreath at Hobby Lobby and a bushel of leaves and hot glued them on. I used some ribbon to hang it from the door.

The Halloween Vase is one of my favorites, and was super easy and cheap! I bought the vase for $5 at Home Goods and stuck a candle I already had in it. I filled it with real candy corn and tied a ribbon I bought at Hobby Lobby for 1/2 off around it. I also made the 'BOO' blocks. Super easy and cheap too. I used left over wood in the garage and had Vim cut me some blocks out of it. Then I used some craft paint and painted them black. I picked up this sheet of cute candy corn paper at Hobby Lobby, printed the words 'BOO' on it (since I am unable to free hand). And then Mog Pogged it to the block. I glued some ribbon to the top and Wa-La.

These are just some dollar store pumpkins on some candle holders I had. Cheap and easy but still fun and cute!
Hope you are all having a wonderful start to the fall season and are feeling inspired!

The Old Floss Around the Tooth Method

2009-09-22T21:23:00.005-05:00

So this is how it happened.

Waa-Laa...Our first baby tooth gone! He was going to let Vim pull it, but he got talking and accidentally pulled too hard and it came right on out. I will admit, I did get teary eyed. I still can picture him when he only had those two bottom teeth, just like Vimmer does now...

Trip to Cali

2009-09-16T15:24:00.010-05:00

Vim and I got away for a much needed and wonderful 4 day vacation to Napa and San Fran. We went with our good friends Anne and Jordan for a surprise 30th birthday trip for Anne. Napa was beautiful and the house we rented was fabulous. It sat on the top of a hill over looking Napa Country club on one side and a vineyard on another. Both nights we hiked up to the top of the hill and enjoyed the beautiful sunset with a glass of wine. I had no idea how many wineries were in Napa...there are over 400! We were only able to visit 5 of the 400 wineries, but the Castello Di Amorosa, was one of our favorites.

(Isn't he a stud!)

(these cows in the field around the house we stayed at just came right up to us! I know we didn't go all the way to Napa to see cows but it was entertaining to say the least!)

We then headed out for a scenic drive to the mouth of the Russian River and then travel down I-1 to Muir Woods for a hike. The trees were huge, the mountains were breath taking, the skies were like a painting...Ok so I am not much of a writer but do you get the point?? The scenery was amazing! I just don't know how anyone can see such beauty and deny there is a God. Finally we made it to San Fran, and paid the $8 to drive across the Golden Gate bridge...but unfortunately it was so foggy we couldn't even see the bridge as we drove across. Oh well-- Some of the high lights in San Fran were the Sea Lions, Clam Chowder, Haight-Ashbury, and my most favorite, Alcatraz. Here are just a few of our pictures...if you want to see more, check out Our Pictures.

You've Got to Go HERE

2009-08-26T22:35:00.004-05:00

Ok people--ya know it is good when you have to BLOG about it-
This seriously could be one of the best burgers I have ever had--seriously!
You have got to try it. I know it might look like a heart attack on a plate to some of you, but I am sure it is no worse then a fast food burger. It comes out piping hot, and the best thing about it is you can put sauteed mushrooms, grilled onions, or whatever all on for FREE. And I haven't even started talking about the fries yet! They are made fresh there in the shop- I mean, they haul in potatoes and cut them that very day and cook them. It is the closest thing you will get to a homemade french fry...soooo good. We are going back soon---so give them a chance, check them out...you won't be disappointed.

Birthday Festivities!

2009-08-26T21:55:00.006-05:00

I celebrated my 27th birthday last week and it was a perfect day! Vimmer's gift to me was sleeping till 8:30--very exciting! I was then greeted by my boys (my big boy Vim, and my little boy William) with a wonderful breakfast made with love-- Eggs, bacon, toast, a yogurt parfait, and coffee! Oh and little flowers decorating the tray beautifully! Then I opened all my cards that I had received from family and friends, followed by a plethora of gifts from by sweet hubby and precious little ones. William gave me some new silver heels (which are so me) and then I had some dresses and shirts my hubby picked out for me...and a new nice purse with matching wallet! EEK! My wallet has never matched my purse!!! I know, all so superficial, but still fun!

The day went by quick. I receive beautiful flowers from my dad, had lunch with my hubby and kids at Berry Hill and then the rest of the day was filled with Mommy duties. Which over the years I have come to realize that no matter what day it is, your kids are still going to poop their diapers, and make messes, and throw fits...and there will still be dentist appointments and meet the teacher nights...even if it is your birthday...But it is ok, it is part of being a Mom and I wouldn't trade it for the world. Far too soon, I will be wishing my babies were babies again...so it is definitely all worth it. But to be honest, it took me a few years to completely understand this.

So later on that night, my husband planned a nice 'adult' night out to Pappa's Brothers Steakhouse with our very close friends Matt and Jill. It was sooo good, the steak melted in my mouth. And my plate even said 'Happy Birthday'! Thank you everyone for making my day so special! (Especially you my love)

Let the Races Begin!

2009-08-26T21:44:00.003-05:00

Vimmer recently got the CUTEST new activity walker as a gift and he loves it! Well William decided that they needed to race (already starting the brotherly competitions). And William determined he would man his old walker that he had as a baby. Ha! It was pretty funny!

Fun at the River

2009-08-12T20:20:00.000-05:00

The past few weekends we have been down at our River House just enjoying the water, sun, and peacefulness (oh and the good fishing). I have actually been doing quite a bit of reading (shocking- yes I know). I read '90 Minutes in Heaven' by Don Piper (Inspiring), 'Same Kind of Different as Me' by Ron Hall and Denver Moore (LOVED it- get a box of tissue), and now I am on 'Mission of Motherhood' by Sally Clarkson (VERY good but VERY convicting)...But that is a different post.

So- A few weekends ago we had my family down to the river house for a weekend of a whole lot of nothing. We actually used the new sun deck for the first time and we played a little Rummikub...a river house favorite.

And then two weekends ago we had down our good friends the Allen and the Davis Families (minus Jared). We had had house full of little boys, and I loved it (I know William loved it too). They had a great time wearing each other out and I enjoyed catching up with the Mama's of these precious boys.

This last weekend Jordan and Jack came down to visit. We missed seeing Anne, but I had a good time hanging out with Little Jack and watching Daddy Jordan in action. My, my who would have ever thought...(jk Jordan- Your a great dad!)

And I think I could totally do twins (yeah, riiight)! My little sister came down to help out and spend time with us too-- Thanks Sam!!

A fun new trick...

2009-08-05T11:03:00.002-05:00

5 Months Old

2009-07-29T22:20:00.007-05:00

Yes 5 months old already! His colic dropped off at about 3 months and 3 weeks. It has been like a whole new baby! He is happy and friendly and like-able now.

At his 4 month check up he was weighing nearly 17lbs so I am sure he closer to 18lbs if not over 18lbs by now. He is a chunk! I love his fat little legs and big round cheeks. I definitely don't need to work my upper body out, he is enough of a work out for me (my arms look toner then they have in years!).

This past couple weeks we have hit some major mile stones. We started cereal and have worked our way up to carrots. He loves to eat for daddy. And you know how most kids turn away when they have had enough food? Not my kid. And just in the last week he has learned to roll over both ways.

And the most exciting news yet is that he slept through the night (once)! Thanks to his Gigi. While we were staying with my parents, my mom kept him in her room a couple nights. After one 'un-fun' night of getting up and putting the pacifier back in about a gazillion times, he made it from 11pm-9am without nursing. Which told me for sure that he did not need to be fed at 2am and 5am (which I sort of already knew). After that, we have dropped our middle of the night feedings and now make it from 11 to 7am. Now if we could only keep him from waking up during that time we would be golden. Like I said, he did it once so hopefully we will do it again soon.

He has become quite the little flirt. Smiling and 'talking' to anyone who will pay attention to him. He constantly has a hand or some times two hands in his mouth and drool every where...it is possible we may have teeth soon. He when he doesn't have a hand in it, he is chewing on his toe (thanks to daddy showing him how to get his toe to his mouth). Here are some of my favorite moments over the past few months!

A New Family Member

2009-07-15T19:39:00.004-05:00

Many of you have heard that we have a new family member and I am not talking about Vimmer. I was giddy like a school girl when he came to join us. He is easily pushed around but steps up to the plate when it is time to contribute to the house work. I find him awkwardly cute and unusually quiet. And although this family member sucks, I hope he sticks around for a long time. Meet....

DYSON! Isn't he cute!?!

I had just vacuumed 5 days before with my old vacuum (I won't mention any brand names) and 5 days later this is what the Dyson pulled out of my carpet and off my floors! Incredible! I never thought I would be so happy to have a vacuum, but I couldn't wipe the smile off my face when it arrived. And the best part about it is my sweet husband completely surprised me with it...and not for a birthday or anniversary or anything...just because! I think those are the best kind of surprises, the 'just because' surprises. I love you babe! You have made me the happiest vacuuming woman alive!

SO Dyson, welcome to the family and I hope you EAT DIRT!

Reason #126

2009-07-07T16:26:00.004-05:00

Just another reason why God gave us ears...

Happy (Belated) Father's Day

2009-06-29T11:23:00.006-05:00

I have sooo many blog postings I want to make but I am sooo behind and don't have the time right now! But I will just start with Father's Day and make posts when I can...

We didn't really do much celebrating on Father's Day this year since my Pop Pop passed away a few days before. I guess I am obsessed with shirts that make a statement because I bought the boy's shirts that expressed their affection for their dad. And a few days later once we got back home and back into our normal routine, I went ahead and had a 'Father's Day ' dinner. We made him a big banner and crown that said 'Royal King Dad'. I think he was surprised.

(they are trying to have serious faces in this picture but obviously it wasn't working)

Happy Father's Day Love! You are not only a great Father but and awesome Dad!