A Dollop of My Life

Weekend in Review.

2012-02-20T13:09:00.000-06:00

I'm proud to say that for the first time in over two years, we have had a weekend that was not interfered with homework. Do you hear it? The angels are beginning their hallelujah chorus. It's only a quiet hum at this point, but in 2 weeks it will be full blown lungs people. I. CANNOT. WAIT.

Saturday Brayden was invited to a birthday party for a classmate of his from Mother's Day Out. It was the first ever birthday party for someone who was HIS friend and not a child of OUR friends. It was a princess party, and for some reason Brayden LOVED having the princess crown. Go figure :)

While we were at the birthday festivities Daddy and Connor had a little outing to Lowe's. Drew texted me and said "He's SOOOO sweet!" I agree, Connor has such a sweet disposition, and it's so sweet getting to spend one on one time with both of the boys. Makes me appreciate them that much more!

Saturday afternoon it was cold and windy, but we threw caution out the window and played outside anyways :) Connor was like the Michelline man walking around all bundled up. He also threw good tantrums and showed me his awesome pouty lips. He can bring the drama, that's for sure!

I know this is a blurry pic, but I love it! He was squealing as he was trying to run over to me with Toby. haha!

"I's gots a pouty face for a king"

throwing the ball to Toby. He's got an impeccable sense of fashion, don't you think? ;)

Sunday was pretty laid back, with church, a 2.5 hour nap for all (I know, it was as glorious as it sounds) and a quick trip to Target for me and the boys in the afternoon. It was a pretty good day! (It was also the day that Connor turned 15 months old!)

We have a BUSY week ahead of us. One of those busy weeks that kind of gives me anxiety just thinking about it. BUT, it should be a good week, so I'll embrace the business for the cost I guess :) Hope yall have a great week!

i heart faces {hugs & kisses}

2012-02-20T07:24:00.000-06:00

When I saw this week's challenege theme was "hugs and kisses", I knew I had to enter this picture from Pauline and Matt's engagement pictures. This is by far one of my favorite pictures EVER. I love that you can't see all of her face, but you can still tell that she's smiling :)

Be sure to head on over to i heart faces to see more entries.

15 Months.

2012-02-19T15:58:00.000-06:00

Lately I've caught myself double taking when people ask me how old Connor is. How can my BABY be 15 months old?! And then I think, "holy cow! Brayden was only 4 months older than this when Connor was BORN!!! No wonder I just about lost my mind!" Ha! Connor has gotten to such a fun stage. He still LOVES me and Drew, can't backtalk that much (although he does throw a fit that will give an Italian Stallion a run for his money), and is starting to really interact with everyone in the family. When I picked him up from Mother's Day Out this past Thursday, he squealed, walked straight to me and held my face as I picked him up, then laid a big wet slobbery kiss on my lips. Ahhhhhh.... melt my heart! Here's a few other things he's been up to lately:

He weighs around 26 pounds. He's a CHUNK. He's now wearing 18-24 month, 24 month and 2T clothes. He's wearing stuff Brayden just outgrew at the end of last summer.
He says a few words, but not many. He says "dada", "momma", "nana" (banana), "dah" (dog), "GGGGGG" (Gigi), "whoa", "dat" (that), "no"
He's on the cusp of walking 100% of the time. He went to MDO on Thursday walking/crawling about 50/50, and came home walking about 95% of the time. It was so strange! I think being around a few older kids has worn off on him. Sometimes it weirds me out seeing him walking around because I don't really feel like he's old enough to be walking around babbling to himself!
He has developed a severe dislike for green veggies, especially green beans. He would eat his weight in bananas, and claps whenever he sees strawberries.
Connor is my meticulous, fine motor child. He loves to play cars, trucks, little people, etc. He loves to sit and stack cups and blocks.
He loves to shake it and will break it down to music anytime it's blaring.
He LOVES when Drew gets home. He starts squealing and squeezing his hands together really hard like someone just told him he won the lottery.
He loves Brayden, but also hates the stuff B does to him. You know, like being locked into his closet, kicked in the gut, and wrestled down and then pinned to the ground. I feel for him.
He loves to give hugs. There will be a lot of times when he's playing in the living room and will just come up to me and give me the biggest hug and lay his head on my shoulder. Just melts my heart!

You know, it's hard to really grasp that in a year Connor will be hitting the terrible twos and I'll have the same toddler issues with him that I am dealing with with Brayden. I think if I have learned anything from parenting is that having the second child gives you a lot more perspective about what to get worked up over.

Connor I love you to pieces and can't imagine my days without you! Thank you for making my life richer!

Love Letter Link Up Winner.

2012-02-17T22:24:00.001-06:00

Yall, I am SO sorry I am just now posting the winner for the Love Letter Link Up. Thanks to all who participated... I apologize I am slacking lately. Here's the winner, courtesy of random.org :

The 6th entry was from Joy at http://mama2camandcassi.blogspot.com/

Congrats Joy! Please contact me within 48 hours to claim the Visa giftcard, otherwise a new winner will be selected!

Hope everyone has a great weekend!

Baked Cheesy Artichoke Chicken.

2012-02-16T11:10:00.000-06:00

When Drew and I first got married, I tried all kinds of fun recipes. Cheesy Artichoke Chicken was one of them, and we loved it. We hadn't eaten it in FOREVER, but over Christmas break I pulled it out to make again while Drew's parents were in town. This is a super easy recipe to whip together, but it presents really well, so it makes it look like you've slaved all day on an awesome meal :) My kind of dinner if you ask me :)

CHEESY ARTICHOKE CHICKEN
5 large boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 jars of marinated artichoke hearts, chopped
sliced swiss cheese (about 6 slices)
salt and pepper to taste

In a 9x13 baking dish, line up the chicken breast. Use the marinade from one of the artichoke heart jars to pour out over the chicken breasts. Chop both jars of artichoke hearts and spread out evenly over all of the chicken. Salt and pepper to taste (I like a lot of salt on mine so I am pretty generous here). Top off the chicken breasts with slices of swiss cheese. I usually lay them like diamonds over the chicken breasts so it covers everything, and normally use about 6 slices. Bake in the oven at 350* for around 30-40 minutes-- until chicken is cooked and cheese is melted. I normally serve with rice of some kind and either okra or broccoli. YUMMM!

From Shaggy to Short.

2012-02-14T21:15:00.001-06:00

If you hadn't noticed in the pictures of Brayden lately, I had let his hair get pretty shaggy. My intention was to let it grow shaggy in hopes he would have Justin Beiber hair. But the longer it got, the clearer it became that while Brayden is a cutie patootie, his hair just doesn't resemble Beibers when it's shaggy. So I decided it was time to get it cut again.

From SHAGGY:

"I'm getting my hair cut?!?!?!"

The "I'll make a cute face because my mommy is bribing me with a sucker" pose

To SHORT:

The "I'm a little stinker and I know it" pose

Just keepin' it real. I get charged at regularly during photo shoots.

I could NOT crack a smile out of this boy for the life of me

to truly understand why he's smiling, please read the story below. Trust me, he's not being sweet.

He defines mischief more than any child I know.

Oh, and if you notice in the short haired pictures how his left hand is behind his back? That's because it was in his pants. I kept questioning why he was doing that, and even asked if he needed to go potty. He kept saying that he did not need to go, and I kept insisting he pull his hand OUT of his pants. He eventually obeyed, and proudly showed me a handful of poo. Yes, that's right folks. While I proudly snapped photos of my first born's new haircut, he proudly pooped his pants, because pooping your pants on purpose (and make no mistake, it WAS on purpose) seems like a jolly good time to an almost 3 year old. And gifting said poop to your mom seems like an even better idea. Ahhh... life with an almost 3 year old. It's never dull, that's for sure.

Snow Day

2012-02-13T17:18:00.001-06:00

Today was one of those dreamy snow days: enough for the kids to play in, not enough for school to let out (meaning momma got a break during Mothers Day Out), and it was all melted off of the roads by 5pm so Daddy got home safely.

On the way to school this morning I said to Brayden "Brayden isn't the snow beautiful?!" and he replied "NO! This is just a mess! Look at the mess on all the cars!" That boy cracks me up (and makes me worry my OCD cleanliness might have rubbed off on him. I'm trying to not have mom guilt by talking myself into the notion this will make him a good husband someday-ha!).

When B came home from school, I braved the elements with both boys and let them play in the fluffy white stuff. Brayden was SO excited, and Connor was thrilled until he attempted crawling in it, and at that point he threw in the towel. I can't wait until they are old enough to throw snowballs at each other :)

Weekend in Review.

2012-02-12T15:56:00.001-06:00

(Don't forget to link up with Love Letter Linky Up for a chance to win a $30 Visa giftcard! The linky will be open until Tuesday night at 7pm)

While I sit here and type, I almost wish that you could hear my home... we were all sleeping and enjoying a nice Sunday afternoon nap, but Connor had different plans and he is kicking the walls through his crib slats and screaming at the top of his lungs. He's in the throes of teething and has decided that if he must be miserable than he will attempt to take us all down with him. {Lovely.}

Friday we had a little Valentines get together with several of my friends and their kids. Candice was kind enough to open her home to chaos and destruction (aka tons of kids who are high on Valentines cupcakes and candy). Brayden had a blast with all of his friends and enjoyed exchanging valentines cards with everyone. He had so much fun, in fact, that I had to employ the help of my friend Meredith to carry Connor out to the car, as Brayden left kicking and screaming. His departure of most places brings both utter embarrassment and complete exhaustion in a matter of seconds, and makes me question my sanity in leaving the house to begin with. I keep telling myself that we all once were 2 and 3, and did this to all of our parents and our parents lived. Right?

He gets his love of icing from his momma ;)

About as good as we could do for a group shot... pure craziness trying to get all of the kids to look at the camera!
Saturday Drew brought the kids to the gym in the morning so that I could do a few things around the house. It's amazing how much I can accomplish without two little f5 tornadoes following in my path. I picked up the boys before lunch (Drew was studying at this point) and brought them home for what should have been a restful naptime. Unfortunately for me, Connor had slept at the gym so he was not having any part of an afternoon nap, and Brayden bucked the entire system for at least an hour. After our afternoon naptime battles, we packed up and met some very dear friends of ours, The Henrys, for an early dinner at Market Place. I'd love to say we all got to sit and talk the entire time, but Connor decided to make everyone miserable with his teething glory, so most of the time was spent rotating who was going to walk Connor around, and the ones left at the table were left to man the toddler antics of Brayden. Such is life in our home! All things considered Brayden did remarkably well. We left full and blessed, which is all that matters in the grand scheme of things. My Uncle and 3 of his girls came to visit us on Saturday night, so Saturday was chalked up as a day of good fellowship for sure.

Today has been a typical Sunday for us. Church was incredibly encouraging as we listened to an amazing message on marriage. Drew declared the day a day of rest for everyone, including himself, so up until a few minutes ago we've all been enjoying a nice Sunday afternoon nap.

I love these boys so much!
We're bracing for our first winter storm on the season. It shouldn't be too bad hopefully, and may give Brayden another reason to put on his snow boots, which have sat and collected dust most of this winter. Go figure... last winter I was completely unprepared and we had record breaking snow storms. This year I get a sled and snow clothes for my boys and we haven't gotten a lick of snow (aside from a dusting a few months ago). Hope you all have a great week this week!

Love Letters to My Loves.

2012-02-09T20:07:00.002-06:00

A Letter to my Loves for Valentines Day:

DREW:

11 years ago I told my mom there was only one guy I would want to date, but that he'd never ask me out. I'm I ever so thankful that you DID indeed ask me out, and that the rest, as they say, is history. And like most histories, ours has been filled with the highest of highs and some pretty low lows, especially over these past two years. While some people are torn apart through hardship, I can say without a doubt that anytime we have been through hardship the Lord has used it to refine our relationship and make us closer than ever before. There a lot of things that I doubt and that seem unclear right now, but never in my life have I been more sure of this: God made you EXACTLY for me. You have been my rock and my protector, and I'm not sure I could really make it through all of this without you by my side, whispering encouragement and drowning out the tiny voices telling me to just give up because things aren't worth it. Life is most definitely worth it with you as my husband.

Thank you for being an amazing dad to the boys. I'm sure it's special to all moms of boys to watch their husbands bond with their sons, but to know that in many ways the father-son relationship you hold with Brayden and Connor is redemptive for you makes it even that much more special. I believe more than anything that the Lord blessed us with boys so that we could build a legacy together. I couldn't imagine a better man for my boys to look up to (even if you tend to magnetize to danger ;) )

I love you so much babe and look forward to years ahead. Thank you for loving me well.

BRAYDEN:

Oh dear first born son of mine. You are trying, tenacious, full of spunk and life, stubborn, hard headed, STRONG WILLED..... and I love you despite the parenting hardships you have thrown my way. Truth be told, you are very much like your momma. I guess God just thought I needed a little more sand paper to rub off my rough edges. I love your zeal for life, your love for people and your growing fascination, and dare I say, obsession with sports. Even through these tough years (and son, they are tough, and to your future wife: you better believe I will be praying that Brayden gets payback for his child rearing. It seems only fair ;) ), I see the good side of your character and it makes me so proud. You keep your strong will-- yes it will make things harder for me initially, but I know that with that strong will you are going to make a difference someday. Always believe in yourself... don't let people tell you that you can't do something. I have every confidence that what you set your mind to, you will accomplish. And most importantly Brayden, love Jesus with all of your heart. He is the only constant in your life. When your world comes crashing in (and life will inevitable crash in as we live in a fallen world), cling to JESUS. Always make sure that you do everything you do for Him. My prayer is that you will be a brave warrior (your name means brave warrior) for the Lord, unwilling to back down to evil and willing to stand for justice and truth. Son, life won't be easy. I wish I could tell you it would be. But if you cling to the One who created you, He will guide you and protect you. I love you so, so, so much you goofy boy, and am SO glad that I can call you son. Being your momma is one of the biggest blessings that has ever been bestowed upon me! Loves you!

CONNOR:

Baby Con-Con. Nearly two years ago I was crying on the bathroom floor wondering why in the world God saw me fit to mother another child. And now I stare at you as you play and wonder what on earth I would do without you. Your easy going personality and little 8-toothed smile melt my heart every time I see you. I love all of your chunks and rolls (although I'm sure my back is BEGGING you to start walking 100% of the time). I love watching you play with your brother-- I pray that yall will be best friends growing up. I love how you like to get random hugs throughout the day-- you make me feel so loved! Connor, my prayer for you is that you will grow into someone who influences for the Kingdom. That you will be a man of strength, integrity and honor, that people will know you as someone who fears the Lord, and that you will be a man of irresistible influence. Cling to Jesus in all you do-- he will be your only constant in life. Connor I love you so much-- to say that you are the biggest and best surprise in my life is an understatement! I love that God gave you to us at just the right moment in time. Your life is precious and I am so blessed to be your mommy. I love you more than you'll ever know.
_____________________________________________________________________________________

Have you written a love letter to your love (or loves) this Valentines day? I'd love it if you'd link up with me to share your love letter.

All linked letters will be entered into a giveaway for a $30 VISA giftcard.

The rules are simple:
- Write a letter, or letters, to your Valentines loves. be sure to include the love letter link up button so that your post will qualify for the giveaway.

- come back here and link up.
- I will keep the link up open until 7pm on Tuesday (the 14th). I will use random.org to chose the winner. The winner will be announced on this blog and also notified via email. The winner will have 48 hours to get back with me, otherwise a new winner will be chosen.

I can't wait to read your letters!

We May Have a Plumber in the Family.

2012-02-09T09:40:00.000-06:00

So, Connor has a new fetish with pulling at his diaper. This leaves him, um, rather exposed shall we say? ;) At first I thought this was just a one time occurrence, but after about the third time I realized I should probably get some pictures to document what will more than likely be one of many embarrassing photos that Connor will someday kill me for taking.

L.O.V.E. his big ol' belly.

Our Love Story.

2012-02-08T21:18:00.000-06:00

1. How long have you and your significant other been together?

Drew and I started dating in April 2001, and got married December 2003. Hard to believe it's been 11 years!

2. How did you meet? {What's your "love" story?}

Drew was an RA in the dorm that my best friends roomed in. I met him through them, and for the longest time thought he had a crush on one of my besties. So, being the good friend that I am, I had my besty invite Drew to a date dash... not knowing he really liked ME! ha! He was my first boyfriend EVER in my life :)

3. If married, how long have you been married? If not, is this the guy you hope to marry?

We've been married since December 2003.

4. If you are married, where did you get married at? Big or small wedding?

We got married at Fellowship Bible Church in Little Rock, Arkansas (it's where I grew up going to church). Bill Parkinson married us and it was everything I had ever dreamed of my wedding being, plus some. It was fairly large, with about 250 people attending. It's seriously one of my favorite days of my life EVER.

5. Do you have any nick-names that you call one another?

Drew had several nicknames for me when we were dating and all sappy. The two most used were "Nickel" and "Sweet Pea" (is it weird I kind of gag thinking that he used to call me "Sweet Pea"? haha (sorry Drew!). We now just call each other "Babe." In fact, we rarely call each other by our names. Brayden has picked up on this and has started calling each of us "babe". It's hilarious!

6. Name 3 things you love most about your honey.

-He works HARD. I know Drew will do whatever it takes to provide for his family.

- He loves FIERCELY. I know Drew loves me over all other women-- even when I wear sweatpants every day ;)

- He's a GREAT daddy. I love watching him interact with our boys. Knowing they both have someone so awesome to look up to makes me smile.

7. Tell us how he proposed?

So, this is a funny story. Drew was on a 2 week leave during his first deployment. It was New Years Eve, and we were driving back to Northwest Arkansas to spend the evening with some of my besties. I was pretty bummed because we were the only couple who was not engaged or married. I kind of mentioned that to Drew and he just brushed me off, which made me even more frustrated. On the way to my house he asked to stop at Wilson Park. We had always walked at Wilson Park on Wednesday nights. I had not showered in 2 days and was pretty disgusting as far as looks go. We stopped at a park bench to talk, and Drew asked to pray over me. I was being REALLY goofy, and after he prayed starting singing silly songs and even burped in his face. Immediately after I burped in his face he got down on one knee and asked me to be his wife. I was shocked/surprised/ and slightly embarrassed that I had just burped in his face and he followed it up with a proposal (true love right there folks!). I of course said yes!

8. Is he a flowers and teddy bear kind of guy for v-day, or strawberries, champagne, and rose petals?

Um, neither? I mean, he used to bring me flowers when we were dating. In fact, he had them brought to a class once and the teacher about horrified me as he asked me to stand up and accept my boquet in front of class- a class with over 200 students in it (have I mentioned I am not a lover of public displays of affection?). He does still bring me flowers every now and again, so I guess he's a flowers kind of guy if I had to pick.

9. Are you a sunset dinner on the beach kind of girl, or pop a movie in and relax on the couch?

Ahhhh... why must I chose one?! I think for the most part I am a movie on the couch type of girl. Although, I do enjoy a nice romantic dinner on the beach. Not that that happens very much these days... you know, with two little guys in tow most places we go :)

10. Tell us one thing you'd like to do with your significant one day. If you could do anything? Go anywhere?

Oh man, this is a LOADED question. Or perhaps it stirs a LOADED answer. I've always wanted to go to Italy, so I guess I would have to say that the Italy trip would be #1 on my list.

11. Tell us what you plan on doing on this Valentine's Day.

Probably nothing. We haven't even talked about it actually. We're not big on celebrating Valentines day... I would much rather Drew show me he loves me on a day he's not prompted by retailers and candy suppliers :)

12. Are you asking for anything this Valentine's day?

Nope.

13. Give us one piece of advice of keeping a relationship strong and full of love.

- communicate, communicate, communicate. I can't stress open communication channels.

- never go to bed angry. We almost always try to resolve our differences before we go to sleep. And if we don't, we at least go to bed knowing that we'll work on it the next day.

- focus on your spouse's strengths.

14. Show us a picture of what love means to you.

Taken right after we walked down the aisle as Mr. and Mrs.... I've never smiled so big in my life!
(photo credit Tammy Belin Photography) I'm linking up with:

Love Letter Link-Up.

2012-02-08T13:38:00.000-06:00

I had all intentions of having this posted and ready to go earlier this week, but as usual, life got the best of me and I am just now getting a chance to share the information with you. Here's the deal: I want to have a blog link-up where we all write love letters. It can be to anyone: your husband, your kids, your mom or dad, your dog... you get the idea. I don't want people who are single to be left out of this shindig, so please be creative in who you write your letter to (and you can have multiple recipients if you so chose!). I will post my letters and the link up on Friday morning. I will keep the link up open until Tuesday, February 14th, at 7pm. At that point I will shut off the link up and whoever has linked up will have a chance at winning a $30 VISA giftcard. It's that easy! The only requirement I have is that your letter post have this cute little button in it so that your readers know you're linking up with me. It's that's simple!

I can't wait to read your letters! Hope to see you linked up on Friday!

Disclaimer: This link-up and giveaway are sponsored solely by ME and no one else. Enjoy!

Just Life.

2012-02-07T21:03:00.000-06:00

Last week I hit a wall. It was a long time coming considering all of the stresses in our lives right now. After talking with two close friends that night that I melted, both of them admitted that they were surprised I had hung on to mental sanity as long as I did. I'm not sure whether I should be encouraged by their admittance or scared by the fact that other people are seeing things before it happens to me! Ha! In all truthfulness though, I am so very grateful for friends who will allow me to just be me and vent about my frustrations, disappointments and failures without fear of judgement. I call these friends my "kidney friends"- friends you could call on in the middle of the night and they'd do anything for you. Friends you'd give your kidney to. I am so blessed to have so many kidney friends in my life and am so thankful that even though it seems as though I am walking in the valley that there are so many there to pick me up and carry me through.

I also feel the need to brag on my husband. On top of finishing his MBA and dealing with a demanding job, he has to deal with a CRAZY wife and two kids under 3. Praise the Lord that Drew has kept his sanity in the midst of it all, otherwise I'm pretty sure you'd see our family on the news as "those whackos from Northwest Arkansas" (ha!). All kidding aside, I have been so humbled by how Drew has come next to me and has stood in the gap for me. He has prayed truth over me, he has given me breaks and he has sacrificed so that I can process everything going on. There are moments in marriage that make you fall in love with your spouse all over again-- and this is definitely one of those moments of time for me. It is God showing me just how perfect he made Drew for me. I couldn't imagine having anyone else by my side whispering affirmation and love to me.

The other truth I have felt is that God meets us where we're at. Sometimes I feel like I start believing the lie that I have to perform a certain way to attain success. Obviously I am not successful in a job per se, but I think we can all agree that there are definite pressures when it comes to being a stay at home mom and homemaker. As Brayden has hit the terrible 3's (yes, there really is such a thing, and yes, it's worse than terrible 2's. and yes, I cry about it. you can cry too-- I won't judge), it's the straw that's breaking the camels back. On top of all of the life stresses, the screaming, hitting/kicking, back-talking, blatant defiance that has engulfed my son is just about to do me in. It honestly has made me feel like such a failure. When we're driving (it's the one time in my life that I get semi-sanity breaks, so we drive a lot these days) and I hear Brayden's sweet voice singing and see him sitting in his car seat all sweet I think to myself "I LOVE him SO much! Why do we have to fight like this?!?!" It's so frustrating. I don't know the answer for the issues. I just know that God has whispered to me that His grace will cover my inadequacies. I'm thankful for other bloggers and moms who have been honest enough to disclose that they too are dealing with the same things. Also, this entire scenario definitely makes me look inward. In many respects I am so very much like my little toot of a toddler. I kick and scream at God when things don't go my way, and expect Him to bend to my every demand. Then I am humbled by the fact that even when I myself act like a little toot, God is still merciful to me and loves me tenderly through my imperfections. His mercies are new every morning, and during this season of my life I am ever so grateful for new mornings.

(PS- I don't want this post to seem like a sob story like I am trying to get people to feel sorry for me or for people to think I am complaining about my life. I live a very blessed life despite the hardships I am going through and I am grateful to God for all that He has blessed me with. If anything I write all this so that you know that behind the posts is someone very real, who goes through things just like every other mom. I don't have it all together and feel like it's healthy for me to disclose (without FULL disclosure) that my life right now is just hard). Thanks for walking through me on this journey!).

Baby Showers and Superbowls: Weekend in Review

2012-02-06T07:54:00.000-06:00

This was probably one of the first refreshing weekends I have had in quite a while. The class Drew is in has quite possibly the hardest of the entire MBA program in regards to the time commitment. This means that we haven't seen much of daddy and husband over the past 4 weeks. It's been hard to say the least, but we see the light at the end of the tunnel, so I'm trying to press on and finish strong :).

Drew was an awesome daddy and took the boys to the gym on Saturday morning so I could sleep in. I'm not much of a daytime sleeper, so I kind of just sat in bed and listened to the quiet. It was awesome, and I'm so appreciative to have a husband who will see when I need a break and give that to me. I headed to a shower/luncheon for one of my good friends, Candice. She's having baby #2 and her first boy (Luke!). It was good to catch up with friends and watch Candice get tons of fun little baby boy stuff.

(this little guy's name is Luke too, and he sure is a cutie! His momma is a friend of mine and blogs HERE).

Luke was getting his flirt on. haha!
Saturday afternoon Drew continued his studying tradition, and I took the boys out shopping for groceries. The day before the Super Bowl. I know, I almost checked MYSELF into an insane asylum as I drove towards the store realizing the insantiy of what I was about to do. Thankfully it wasn't too bad and the boys did great. My biggest problem was that I had promised the boys popcorn chicken from Walmart if they behaved during the trip (did I mention I went during dinner time? I know, CRAZY). They did behave so we headed to the back of the store to get our popcorn chicken. Brayden was nearly beside himself (he has a slight obsession with the popcorn chicken from Walmart). We asked for our cup o' chicken and were told that they were out. WHO RUNS OUT OF POPCORN CHICKEN!?!?!?!? AHHH. I had to quickly improvise and was fearful this would be the implosion of all implosions. It was 6pm, an hour past dinner, and the promised golden nuggets were GONE. Thank goodness for Lunchables. Yall, Lunchables normally gross me out, but I was never more grateful for gross preschool food than I was on Saturday evening. Brayden was perfectly content trading out the opportunity of popcorn chicken for the little yellow package of nasty lunch meat and crackers cut up into tiny cute squares. We headed out of the door quickly before he could realize what was happening and we all ate dinner peacefully.

Sunday was our week to serve in the church nursery. We did so and then enjoyed a good sermon. Drew studied most of the afternoon, and then we enjoyed a Super Bowl party with some of our closest friends. I totally forgot my camera so I have no pictures. It was all out craziness with a bazillion kids and people. Connor crawled up and down the staircase too many times to count, and both boys were caught in the toilet at one point or another (Brayden even informed me that "the shapes went down there"... not sure if that means they were flushed or if he just wanted them to be flushed-- Alaina has my number in case she has to call a plumber. ha!). And I think the highlight of my evening was watching all of my grown friends break it down and sing along with Madonna. Nothing like good friends to make you smile!

We have a CRAZY buzy week this week, with something on the calendar every. single. day. But I'm kind of glad for the craziness... hoping it will keep my mind off of all of the family drama for a bit. Hope yall have a great week!

My Obsession with Rhea Lana's.

2012-02-04T21:46:00.002-06:00

It's no secret that I enjoy dressing my boys up in cute name brand clothing. I'm a sucker for a cute baby boy in a Ralph Lauren Polo shirt.

(can it get any cuter than this?!)

My little clothing obsession makes me ever so grateful for one of my favorite things in Northwest Arkansas: Rhea Lana's. I've blogged before about my experience in snagging awesome deals on toys, clothes and shoes. And I'm here to tell you again just how much or family loves, loves, loves this consignment sale. Last year we purchased nearly all of the kid's Christmas presents at Rhea Lana's. What I could have spent on 3-4 toys, I easily got the boys 5-6 presents each. Everything was (and still is) in great condition. And the clothes. Oh the clothes. Nearly everything you see my boys wearing on this here blog comes from Rhea Lana's. The prices are outstanding (I rarely pay more than $5 per item, and that includes brands like Chaps, Ralph Lauren & baby Gap!) and the selection is out of this world (it's like name brand children's clothing store heaven, but without the lofty price tags!).

What I've enjoyed just as much as the clothes is meeting other moms with kids the same age as mine. There's lots of regulars at Rhea Lana's, which brings a fun aspect to clothes shopping that you wouldn't really get anywhere else. I also will generally help volunteer to work a shift during the sale, and doing that along with other promotional aspects of the sale allows me to shop before the public (and this year, like last year, the presale is on a Saturday, so even if you're a working mom you can still get all of the benefits of volunteering).

If you're local I highly recommend not only coming to the sale this year, but consigning your gently used clothes (you'll get so much more for them than if you sold them at a a garage sale!) I've never consigned before because we're still holding onto our baby stuff in case we have #3 (don't read too much into that folks... #3's not coming anytime soon--ha!), but I have a ton of friends who do consign, and they LOVE it. They're able to get top dollar for their used children's clothes and toys (Rhea Lana's consignors get to keep 70% of the sale price, far more than if you sold to a local consignment store). All of them have told me that the process is seamless. There are simple instructions on the Rhea Lana's website on how the process works.

I guess since I'm raving so much I should probably fill yall in on where the sale will be this year ;) The Northwest Arkansas Rhea Lana's consignment sale will be in Bentonville this year at the Clarion Hotel March 4-10 (this is the Clarion that is off of Rainbow Curve). You can get more information at their website by clicking HERE. If you're interested in volunteering, click HERE. You can also keep up with Rhea Lana's on facebook, so you'll never miss out on when the next sales will be, or if they run a little promo (they just recently gave away a gift certificate!)

If you have more questions feel free to shoot me an email or leave me a comment. Hope to see you there!

My Little Cutie Patootie.

2012-02-03T19:27:00.000-06:00

Look Who's Walking.

2012-02-03T07:34:00.003-06:00

Well, he's not a full time walker yet, but our evening practice sessions are probably his favorite part of the day. We do this every night before the boys go to bed, and Mr. Connor is mighty proud of himself these days. And the rest of us are pretty proud too!

(if you're reading this in a reader or email format, you might have to go to my actual blog to view the video).

Easy Chicken Pot Pie.

2012-02-01T09:30:00.002-06:00

It's no secret that I love simple, easy lick your lips good recipes. I just don't have time to mess around in the kitchen much with two little guys running around my ankles these days. That's why we love this recipe. It's a family fave and simple from start to finish. I actually got this recipe from a friend who brought this to us when Connor was born. I've kind of tweaked it a bit to our families preferences. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

Store bought pie crusts (I use Pillsbury most times, but have also used Great Value and had good results as well)
2 cups cooked & shredded chicken breasts (about 2 large boneless skinless chicken breasts)
2 cups frozen mixed veggies
1 cup chicken broth
2 cans cream of potato soup (I've also used 1 can cream of potato and 1 can cream of chicken and it's turned out great!)
garlic salt (the original recipe calls for celery salt but I never liked the way that it tasted so I've switched to my go to spice- GARLIC).

Place the chicken in a sauce pan and cover completely with water. Bring the water to a boil and cook chicken thoroughly (about 15 minutes or so). Remove the chicken from the water once it's cooked (but save the water, as this will be your broth). I usually chop the chicken breasts in half and shred it with my Kitchen Aid mixer (I got that idea from my friend Jenna). Place 1 of the pie crusts on the bottom of a greased pie pan. Layer the ingredients in the order listed. I usually sprinkle the garlic salt generously, as I like things pretty salty. Top the pie with the second piece of crust (be sure to poke holes in the middle of the pie before baking). Bake at 375 degrees for 45 minutes (or when the crust turns golden brown).

Eat up and enjoy!

Boo Texas: A Brayden Short Story.

2012-01-31T19:30:00.002-06:00

For those of you who are non-Hog fans (well, first off, I feel sorry for you if you are not a Hog fan, but that's besides the point), you might not find humor in this story. For those of you who are, this one's for you.

I enrolled Brayden in a mom's and tots gym class this quarter at our fitness club. My original intention was to have something for him and I to do together during the cold winter months. Turns out, this winter has been nothing but cold. The class is still fun though, so we've stayed in it. For the past 3 weeks the teacher has played blue grass music. I find this amusing on several levels, but the most humorous of all is that the first song on the CD is Rocky Top. Rocky Top as in the Tennessee Volunteers little anthem song. I built up enough courage today to ask her if she was trying to brainwash my Hog-loving child with Rocky Top (don't worry, I was nice). She quickly responded no and that there were other CD's she could play. My point was not to make her change the disc, but just jide with her a little on the SEC rivalry. Turns out, she didn't go to an SEC school at all. No, after the Rocky Top comment she said "now in a bit, we're going to learn how to do this...." and held up all five fingers and then slowly pushed the middle two fingers down (creating a hook 'em horns). That's when I knew it. I knew I had her. I looked over at my sports lovin', Hog-callin' 2 year old and said "Brayden, what do we do when we see that?!" And pointed to his teacher's hand signal. Brayden quickly dropped the ball he was playing with, did an upside down hook 'em horns and said "BOOO Texas!" The teacher tried 3 times to get him to do the hook 'em horns, and every time she did, he repeated the upside down hook 'em and his "Boo Texas" chant.

That's my boy :)

I Say, He Says.

2012-01-30T21:40:00.000-06:00

I say: I am tired of all of this drama. I don't like hurting and I don't like watching people hurt.

He says: "Come to Me all who are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest." (Matthew 11:28)

I say: I feel like a failure as a mom & wife. I feel like nothing I do is good enough and that I'm constantly missing the mark.
He says: “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” (3 Corinthians 12:9).

I say: I don't understand why any of this is going on... this is not how I dreamed of my life to be when I was this age, and it most definitely does not make sense. I'm not sure how any of this could be for my good.
He says: "For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the LORD, ‘plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope." (Jeremiah 29:11)

I say: God, do you really hear my cries?
He says: "Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I shall rescue you, and you will honor Me.”(Psalm 50:15)

I say: What I'm doing as a parent doesn't seem to be working and I just want to give up.
He says: "Train up a child in the way he should go, Even when he is old he will not depart from it." (Proverbs 22:6)

I say: I don't feel beautiful today.
He says: "You are fearfully and wonderfully made." (Psalm 139: 14)

I say: this ticks me off and makes me so angry!
He says: "for the anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God." (James 1:20)

I say: I don't really feel like loving them because of __________ (fill in the blank).
He says: "Treat others the same way you want them to treat you." (Luke 6:31)

Yall, there's a lot of stuff going on in my life right now that just downright stinks (Don't worry-- Drew and I, along with the boys, are fine). I'll be honest, it's had me pretty down lately. God has been so faithful to meet me in my downness, whether it be through verses, friends or songs. There are a lot of people who read this blog. And I love that I have people who are walking along side me through my life. If there's one thing that you walk away from when you read here, it's this: that God is a God who will meet you where you are. I'm not perfect, yet I feel perfectly loved by Him. These verses I share, they are truth and they have comforted me during the valleys of my life. This post is kind of random and short, yet I felt like I needed to type it up, if only for me to remember the truths God has whispered to me over the past several days. I want to close by including to the words of one of my favorite hymns. I've sang it a lot over the past couple of months, and my prayer is that my life screams it's anthem.

MY HOPE IS BUILT

My hope is built on nothing less Than Jesus’ blood and righteousness.
I dare not trust the sweetest frame, But wholly trust in Jesus’ Name.

Refrain:
On Christ the solid Rock I stand, All other ground is sinking sand; All other ground is sinking sand.

When darkness seems to hide His face, I rest on His unchanging grace.
In every high and stormy gale, My anchor holds within the veil.

Refrain

His oath, His covenant, His blood, Support me in the whelming flood.
When all around my soul gives way, He then is all my Hope and Stay.

Refrain

When He shall come with trumpet sound, Oh may I then in Him be found.
Dressed in His righteousness alone, Faultless to stand before the throne.
Refrain

(Text: Edward Mote, 1797-1874 Music: William B. Bradbury, 1816-1868)

Weekend in Review

2012-01-29T21:46:00.000-06:00

While I'd love to blame my exhaustion on a busy weekend, when I look at what we did it doesn't seem as though business has anything to do with it. We DID have a fun weekend though, which is all that matters, right?

Friday we had the great blessing of having a surprise visit from my parents. It was a complete surprise, as we had found out 2 days prior, but nonetheless something that we hadn't really planned on. Both boys were SO happy to see their Gigi and Poppa D.

When I had told Brayden that Gigi and Poppa were coming, he immediately asked if Gigi would read the Tickle Monster book to him. My mom bought the Tickle Monster several months ago for Brayden, but has only read it to him a few times between now and then (usually atleast once when she visits), so it was crazy to me that he had remembered it! I'm pretty sure mom read it at least 4 times in the day and a half they were here, and even Connor got in on the excitement :)

(these pictures aren't the best quality. I was too lazy to get my SLR out, and the only other alternative is our tablet right now. Better than nothing I guess).

One of the biggest things that happened this weekend is that Connor has consistently tried to walk! He's still as wobbly as a drunk who's downed ten bottles of tequilla, but it's about the cutest thing you've ever seen. And he is SO SO proud of himself. It's bitter sweet for me.... my back will certainly thank him, as I nearly kill myself having to lug around a 25 pound toddler everywhere, but my mind and eyes tell me what my heart doesn't want to believe-- that my baby isn't a baby anymore (cue emotional mom tears).

Saturday dad took Brayden on their traditional donut date to the local donut shop. It's Brayden's very favorite thing to do with his Poppa. After donuts they had a little adventure. I wish my phone gets pictures, because dad sent some of the cutest pics to my mom's phone to show their time together. Since Drew had to study all day on Saturday, we spent most of the day enjoying each other's company at home, and then later that evening enjoyed a dinner out to eat with my parents before Drew headed back to studying for the night.

Today has been a whirlwind with church, Drew studying some more (I don't think I could stress to you how anxious I am for this class, and degree, to be behind us. I'm ready to have our family back together again!) and then community group tonight.

I'm so exhausted I haven't even checked our schedule to see what's going on this week. I think a lot of my exhaustion has to do with my anxiety about a lot of things going on in our family right now. If you think of it, will you pray for me? I need some mental (as well as physical) rest, and Satan is just having a heyday with my mind right now.

We Play.

2012-01-26T21:38:00.000-06:00

Life here is pretty mundane most days. And I'm perfectly ok with that. I'm a home body and love nothing more than staying in my pjs all day rocking out to Cedarmont Kids and playing cars, trucks and trains. Which is precisely what we did this afternoon, all while the beautiful sun streamed into our front room. I realized the lighting was ideal for pictures, so grabbed the camera and started snapping away at our time with toys. chubby baby hands are the best. (I got this monster for $1 in the after Christmas clearance at Walmart. I think it's my boys favorite toy, which cracks me up) I asked him to smile. Instead I got "strong muscles." He told me he was ready to be a cowboy. I love our crazy life. And I love my boys. Afternoons like these are so sweet to me, and make me realize that I need to cherish every moment, because all too soon they'll be locking me out of their room saying "no girls allowed." :)

Pictures and Captions.

2012-01-26T11:05:00.000-06:00

(sidenote: I have no clue why this post is not posting correctly. It's all out of whack but after my 3rd attempt to correct things I threw in the towel. Sorry for the text being formatted all crazy).

It's been a while since I put some pics of the boys on this here ol' blog. So when we took advantage of yet another unseasonably warm winter afternoon and ventured to the park, I took the camera along for the journey.

Brayden the helper "wook momma! I'm an airplane!" doesn't this picture just make you want to kiss him?!?!?! I realize this is blurry, but it makes my heart melt. I love his sweet baby face and am so so so sad that he's growing up so fast! Connor kept scooting up and down this ledge and smiling so big when he did it. I think he likes being a big boy :) scooting off... climbing up on the rock wall. exploring. And yes, I realize he has a snot bubble. What do you do when you run out of kleenex at the park??? making a wish with the lovely trashcan in the background ;) this boy LOVED playing in the bark. He was COVERED in it by the time we left. checking out the other kids letting us know his opinion. I love watching them playing together. They are becoming good friends and it just makes me so happy. Connor sure lets Brayden know his opinion :)

Things I Love About Being a Mom.

2012-01-24T21:20:00.001-06:00

I feel like lately I've bemoaned my children a lot. And really, I don't want to come across as someone who hates this job. Because in all truthfulness, despite the hardships of being a parent, this job is something I dreamed of my whole life and I never want to take for granted the great blessing it is to be called MOM. So I thought I'd list some of my faves about being a mom to Brayden and Connor.

I love that my kisses will "heal" nearly any hurt.
I love it when Brayden tells me I'm a good cook... even if it is just chicken nuggets :)
I love it when Connor kicks his legs when he sees me and acts as though I hung the moon.
I love when Brayden puts his hand on my cheek and tells me I'm pretty... even on the morning that I haven't brushed my teeth and haven't showered in 2 days :)
I love it that when I tuck B into bed that he always says "I wuv you too mommy" and looks at me with the sweetest sleepy eyes I've ever seen.
I love listening to Brayden talk about things. Just this morning we had a conversation about Jesus and how he will someday come back to earth. Brayden looked out the window and said "JESUS! Come back!!!"
Even though I hate folding laundry, I always smile when I come across a little sock or a little pair of Lightening McQueen underwear.
I love that my kids love church. Brayden asks to go to church all the time, and Connor starts kicking his feet when we get into the parking lot.
I love that I get to teach them new things and be here to experience all of those "first" moments.
I love when I ask Brayden how much I love him and he responds with "too much!"
I love when Brayden asks me to call him "babe"
I love it that Connor gets embarassed when he kisses me... but he still kisses me whenever I ask.
I love looking in the rear view mirror and seeing my boys holding hands. Melts my heart every time.
I love being able to play super heroes and talk about cars, trucks and sports.
I love being the first woman in my boys life, and being able to teach them about how to be a gentleman.

I'm sure there's a million other things I could list. The point is not to list them all, but to at least jot down my faves so that on those hard days where it seems like I might pull out every strand of my hair, that I can say with confidence that even in those moments, the good ones far outweigh the bad.

My Thoughts on Potty Training.

2012-01-23T21:12:00.000-06:00

(For those of you who read my blog for updates on the boys, this may not be a very fun post for you. But I want to remember how I trained Brayden so that a year from now when Connor starts wanting to be trained, I know how I did it. And yes, I WILL forget! ha!)

Before I gave birth to Connor, I had a million in one people asking me if I would try to potty train Brayden before C was born. To which I replied "ummmmmm..... NO." The mere thought of potty training gave me the heeby jeebies, and then throw a newborn in the mix and I shamelessly proclaimed that Brayden would wear diapers until he applied for college. For realz, it scared me that bad.

A few months after Connor was born and we were nearing Brayden's second birthday, I gave potty training a thought. Until I realized it would still be ME who was potty trained. I was having to set alarms to remember to take him, he peed on the couch while we were watching a movie... I was about to pull my hair out and I was only a few hours into the shindig. So I asked a few boy moms what they thought. The overwhelming majority of moms told me to wait until Brayden was closer to three. As one mom put it, "You can potty train now and be done in a year, or start when he's three and be done in 2 weeks." The 2 weeks part got me a little excited, so I took their word for it and went back to diapers.

Between that time and 2 weeks ago, Brayden would randomly ask to use the potty. Not wanting to hinder any self-training going on, we would go. It was totally him, and I would be lying to you if I told you there wasn't a time or two I was busy with Connor that I just told him to go in his diaper. A few weeks ago, when he started refusing to go in his diaper, or complain that he had just peed and needed to be changed, I knew it was time. Thankfully this all occurred around the time we went to play with Brayden's good friend Jack. Jack had just started potty training a few days before, so there was lots of encouragement and praise to be had. I think Brayden enjoyed it, and while we were there he literally went on the potty every time he needed to go! So later that afternoon we headed to Walmart and picked out some big boy underwear. And we haven't looked back since. Seriously. That was 2 weeks ago, and since that time he's had 3 accidents and wet a pull up 1 or 2 times. All the rest of the time he's stayed dry, even at school and when we're out and about. It's incredible to me that it has been this easy! I think it really had to do with the fact that I waited until he was ready. He totally gets it, is SO excited about big boy underwear and he's very much on board.

Yay Brayden! I'm so so proud of you and can't believe you're growing up so fast.