Two Sweet Discoveries

Water and Health

2012-02-10T06:00:00.000-06:00

This pretty glass water bottle is helping me get my daily water intake! For 4 days now I have been using it and drinking at least 64 ounces of water everyday!! Go me!!! This is huge for me because I never drink enough water. The hubby loved it so much we bought him one as well. We just refill it with our filtered water every day.

As I mentioned in another post about weight loss my big goal was to improve my water intake. I am proud to say that I am doing just that! I am also getting some blood work done as well. The doctors are looking to see if I am anemic as well as for Celiac Disease and my hormones. This is due to some ongoing health issues I have been having. 2012 is going to be my year to get in better health!!!!!!!!!!!

Happiness in Marriage

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

I saw this while on Pinterest this morning and thought it was too sweet not to share.

Paul Newman's letter to his wife on their wedding day: “ Happiness in marriage is not something that just happens. A good marriage must be created. In the Art of Marriage, the little things are the big things. It is never being too old to hold hands. It is remembering to say ‘I love you’ at least once a day. It is never going to sleep angry. It is at no time taking the other for granted; the courtship should not end with the honeymoon; it should continue through all the years. It is having a mutual sense of values and common objectives. It is standing together facing the world. It is forming a circle of love that gathers in the whole family. It is doing things for each other, not in the attitude of duty or sacrifice, but in the spirit of joy. It is speaking words of appreciation and demonstrating gratitude in thoughtful ways. It is not expecting the husband to wear a halo or the wife to have the wings of an angel. It is not looking for perfection in each other. It is cultivating flexibility, patience, understanding and a sense of humor. It is having the capacity to forgive and forget. It is giving each other an atmosphere in which each can grow. It is finding rooms for things of the spirit. It is a common search for the good and the beautiful. It is establishing a relationship in which the independence is equal, dependence is mutual and obligation is reciprocal. It is not only marrying the right partner, it is being the right partner."

5 Things/Activities That Take Me To My Happy Place

2012-02-06T21:30:00.000-06:00

It's Tuesday, time to link up with Nicole at Moments That Define Life for the listable life meme. This weeks topic, 5 things or activities that take me to my happy place. This is a great post for me because I need constant reminders of these things. All to often I get caught up in life's craziness and forget to remember the good things in life. Something I am trying to work on. So here they are in no particular order.

1) Listening to music. The hubby bought me this cute little pink iPod a couple of years ago for the anniversary of when we met. How sweet is he?? I was completely surprised!

2) Reading, it is so relaxing. The hubby bought me a Nook a few years ago and I love it! It is so convenient to be laying around reading and instantly order and download a book.

3) Cuddling with my boys and my hubby and watching a movie. We love it so much it is how we spend our Saturday evenings. Pizza, popcorn and a movie. We are big fans of Disney movies!!

4) Being outdoors on a warm sunny day. I love working in the garden and watching the boys play. And I love it being flip flop weather!!! I love flip flops! I love them so much my mom gave me a flipflop pendant for Christmas! It's sterling silver with white sapphires, my birthstone is sapphires!

5) Date nights with the hubby. Every Friday night we have a date night and I look forward to having some quiet time with just the two of us. We don't have to do anything special, just being together is enough.

What are some things or activities that take you to your happy place? Want to make your listable life and link up? Grab the button.

5 Things on my Bucket List

2012-01-30T20:57:00.000-06:00

It's Tuesday time to link up with Nicole at Moments That Define Life and her Listable Life meme. This week I am doing 5 things on my bucket list. I am not the adventurous daredevil type. You will not find your typical usual bucket list items such as sky diving or bungee jumping on my top 5! I would be dead and not have to worry about the rest of the bucket list if I even attempted either one. It's actually harder than I thought it would be. After all I am a mommy and right now those boys are my life. So what are some things that I would want to do for me???

1) Go to Disney World or Disney Land. I know I always make it seem like I want to go for the boys but lets face it, I want to go!!! I am a big old Disney kid at heart!!

2) I want to grow old with my hubby and live to see our grandchildren. I really can not think of anything that would make me happier than seeing my boys living a happy life with kids of their own. Hmmm, I wonder if their kids will pay them back for their behavior??? What?? Isn't that the secret hope of every Mom??? "Look what you put me through when you where little. I told you it would come back to haunt you!"

3) I want to learn to RELAX and ENJOY life to the fullest. Why is this such a hard thing to learn? Why do I have to stress over every little thing?? I am currently working on this one.

4) ~~Find the fountain of youth~~. Okay so this one is not realistic. Is it to much to ask that I grow old gracefully then? And by gracefully I mean with very few wrinkles :-) Naturally of course! I don't think I could go under the knife for a "youthful" face. I will gladly use preventative products on my face, no not botox! Things like facial moisturizers, sun screen and serums. The more natural the better. My face is so sensitive that it has to be gentle.

5) Go somewhere tropical with the hubby! I am talking Hawaii, St. Thomas or the Virgin Islands. Somewhere where you can see the bottom of the ocean, not muddy murky water. We went on a cruise for our honeymoon and we always said if we had it to do over again we would have just went to a beautiful island. Oh and so long as I am dreaming, can I have a nice bathing suit body to go with that??

What's on your list??? Want to link up? Grab the button and make your listable life.

It Takes Love and Patience

2012-01-26T10:51:00.000-06:00

Yesterday the hubby and I celebrated our 9th anniversary. I am very blessed to say that and to say that I still love him with all my heart. I realize that many couples in this day and time don't make it to their 9th anniversary. There are many reasons for this and heaven knows marriage is not an easy road to travel. You are two unique individuals who are with each other day in and day out. You each have your own ideas about how things should be done, what you would like to do in life, and each of you have your own baggage. Add into the mix children, who are a blessing but also life altering, and things can start to get tense. Not to mention the fact that you both are constantly growing and changing as people. Sometimes that change may lead you into two different directions.One day you may wake up and not even know the person you married anymore.

That is why communication is so important! It's hard to have the same kind of communication as you had before kids. Trust me, every time the hubby and I try to have a conversation our boys are right there wanting their share of the attention. We are fortunate though, every Friday night we get a date night. The boys go to my parents and stay the night and get spoiled rotten. And the hubby and I have some quality time together as a couple not just parents. Time to have a conversation without interruptions and time to cuddle without two wonderful boys piling in between us. They love the cuddle time as well! This time makes us better parents to our boys and a better husband and wife to each other.

Now I am not saying that we have not had our problems because we have. Every couple does at some point. We have had numerous obstacles to overcome even before we got married. This is just part of life. Sometimes it can become overwhelming and we may wonder is it worth it. My husband is a wonderful man, not perfect but nobody is. So let go of that dream now, nobody is perfect!! We are all human, we make mistakes, we get crabby, we get tired, and we are not always fun to be around. The man you married is the man you better accept. Because you can not change him. Too many women think that they can change their husbands once they are married. That is simply not true. So if you want your marriage to stand a chance here is my advice ( I am by no means a professional).

Know your hubby before you get married. Know his flaws and let him see yours. Gasp!! I know so many people think they should put their best face forward when dating. Now I am not saying on your first date to lay it all out there. That would probably scare anyone off. But early on the hubby and I were both very honest with each other about who we really were. We let each other see our flaws and just tried to just be ourselves around one another. We lived together before we got engaged but don't let that fool you. Your life as a couple will change after you get married and then again after you have kids. This is called life folks!! We are constantly changing and growing.

My next piece of advice is marry someone you can be and are friends with. There are times in a marriage where attraction alone is not going to get you through. You have to have friendship. I value my friendship with my hubby. He is someone I can always talk to and he knows me better than anyone. If you don't like your hubby as a friend how in the world do you think you can stay married for the long run?

Communication is important as well. This is the biggest obstacle that we have had as a couple. The hubby is very much an introvert. And yes so am I! But I like to talk through our problems. And the hubby was raised in a family where you did not discuss anything!!! It has taken a lot of time to get him to a point where he realizes that without communication we will not last. I'm not saying the man comes home everyday and tells me every detail of his day. Nor does he completely spill his guts over every detail of life. But when there is a problem he will try his best to talk with me and listen. Did I mention listening skills?? Yes, you have to listen to each other.

Patience is a big one for me. The hubby has the patience of a saint and I have zero! But the funny thing about marriage is after so long you start to develop some of the others behavior. I have become more patient and he is a little less patient. He has learned to stand up for himself more and I have learned the value of thinking before I speak.

And of course love. It may not always be the passionate kind of love you had at the beginning of your relationship. It changes as your lives change. The bond we felt when we became parents changed our love and deepened it. The love we feel when we have worked through some of our problems and come to a common ground. The love we feel when we are doing simple things that we both enjoy. Some of our happiest times have come from doing simple things together and as a family. I love my hubby and I know he loves me. We have a mutual trust for one another. And we both know what we want for our future together. We try to talk about this often and work toward that goal. I hope to have many years ahead of us.

Oh and did I mention chocolate?? The hubby loves chocolate and it helps keep a happy marriage! Give him chocolate and he is a happy man. And he knows if he keeps me from getting hungry I am a happy woman. Sometimes it's the little things.

Wordless Wednesday

2012-01-25T14:23:00.000-06:00

5 Things I Would Tell My Younger Self (Listable Life)

2012-01-24T07:00:00.000-06:00

It's Tuesday! Time to link up to Moments That Define Life . Part of the Life Listable Life series. This weeks topic....5 things you would tell your younger self. I know we all have them! Reminds me of Brad Paisley's song, If I Could Write a Letter to Me. So if I could send a letter to me at 17, here's what I'd say......

1) Be yourself!

2) It won't be easy but it will be worth it!

3) Mr. Right is out there and you will meet him. So have some patience, he is worth the wait. And you will have two precious boys that you could not imagine life without.

4) Don't be in such a hurry to grow up. When you are young time seems to drag but as you get older it flies by fast. And when you have kids you are going to wish time would slow down.

5) These are nowhere near the best years of your life. That's right the best is yet to come!!!

What would you tell your younger self?? Want to link up???

Happiness Is A Way of Travel

2012-01-23T16:13:00.002-06:00

Today has most certainly been a Monday!! It's not even 4pm and I am ready to go to sleep. I am a little stressed today and to top it off not feeling the best. So I decided to make a list of some things that make me happy! Stop and smell the roses and enjoy the little things in life!

1) When Tanner opens the door for me and says "ladies first"! So sweet and such southern charm. I am blessed to have that little man in my life!
2)When Corbin and Tanner pick flowers for me while they are outside! I am doubly blessed to have not one but two of the best sons in the world.
3) My hubby whom I will be married to for nine years in a few days. He is the one who has taught my children some of that southern charm. And he is an amazing husband and father. I am truly blessed.
4)When my boys tell me I am their "princess". That melts my hear everytime! Those boys of mine are little charmers!
5) My Mom and Dad. They are always there for me when I need them. And even though I am all grown up they still baby me just when I need it the most.

That is just five things and already my heart is filled with more joy. I feel like a tremendous weight has lifted off of me. Because even though I have some bad days, the good ones outweigh the bad! And I am one blessed mother,wife and daughter.

Days of Old

2012-01-19T21:08:00.000-06:00

With all of todays gadgets we sometimes forget how much fun can be had with the simple things in life. Things from days gone by and our own childhood. The boys have a few modern gadgets and so do we. And while they are fun to play with, we still love the simple things that allow them use their imaginations as well. I have to admit it, we are suckers for things that we remember from our childhood. Take what Tanner and I found today while shopping at our local craft store.

Do you remember those?? My husband and I do. I don't know what they used to cost back in our time but they were only $1.00 at the craft store today. So in the shopping cart it went. Tanner was fascinated with it and wanted to know what it did and how to use it. So after lunch we sat down and I showed him. He played with that thing for an hour and a half straight!!! The whole time telling me how cool it was and how much he loved it! That was priceless. My boys have such wonderful imaginations! They are constantly playing pretend. They never cease to amaze me, they are so creative. I love it!! One of Corbin's favorite pass times,coloring, was one of my favorites as a child. Oh how I loved to color! And he has gotten pretty good at it too. Take a look at his latest masterpiece.

He loves to tell stories as well. Every night he tells a very long and detailed story before bedtime. And the other day he drew a picture and wrote a story to go along with it. Who knows we may have a future author and illustrator on our hands. Tanner's favorite pass time....anything that involves balls, baseball, football, basketball, balls, balls and more balls!

The hubby and I believe in unstructured play time. While there is nothing wrong with having some structured activities in kids lives, we still believe they need the unstructured time to just be kids. In today's society so many kids have nothing but one activity after another that they are participating in. Remember when we were younger? We didn't have a string of activities that we were scheduled to do. We played outside on our swing sets, rode our bikes, and played with our toys inside. Remember Saturday morning cartoons? You would wait all week just to watch. Then at noon they went off and it was off to play. Those were simpler times. And even though I love modern technology, I miss those days. Things moved at a slower pace and that was just fine by me.

10 Things I’d Rather Do Besides Chores

2012-01-16T18:25:00.000-06:00

1) Be on Pinterest!

2) Reading on my nook

3) Playing with my boys

4) Watching a movie snuggled up with my boys!

5) Online shopping

6) Surfing the web

7) Did I mention being on Pinterest...I know I am addicted!

8) Working on my blog

9) Taking a nap

10) Reading a magazine

What are 10 things you would rather be doing than chores? I am linking up with Moments That Define Life for her Listable Life Tuesdays. Want to join?

Blogger Friend Connect

2012-01-14T09:24:00.000-06:00

Looks like starting March 1, 2012 google will shut down the Google Friends Connect. They are encouraging bloggers to set up their Google + page and badge instead. You can read more about it from Google . Just heard about it today and wanted to give a heads up to other blogging friends! Have a great weekend.

Childrens Silhouette

2012-01-13T13:57:00.000-06:00

I am going to show you how to make silhouettes of your children. This is a project I did a year or two ago of Corbin and Tanner! For this project you will need: heavy black card stock, exacto knife, acid free double sided scrapbooking tape, stickers to spell each child's name, a side head shot of each of your children, a picture frame, and material (paper, fabric,cork board, etc.) for the background. I put cork board inside the frame.

After you take the side head shot use your exacto knife to cut out the shape (as seen above). Once you have that cut out you trace the head shape onto your black card stock. Or you can simply hold the picture in place while you use the exacto knife to cut around it. I think this is what I did. The hardiest part is done!! Now choose whatever background you will be using, I used cork board, and cut it to the size of your frame. Tape the background to the base of your frame using double sided acid free scrapbooking tape. Use the same tape to attach the silhouette on your background. Add the names of your children, you can use stickers like I did or get really crafty and come up with something unique and different. Put the frame together, hang up and enjoy your DIY silhouettes of your precious kiddos!!

9th Anniversary

2012-01-12T11:19:00.000-06:00

It's that time of year! Our 9th anniversary will be here in 2 weeks. And up until this morning I was still trying to figure out what to do for the hubby.(I hope he doesn't read this post yet) In the past we have gone to a B&B a few times. But we have not done that in a long time. Just like most people right now, money is tight! So I have been searching high and low for some frugal ideas. Corbin's idea was precious.....we have never been to Disney World we could go there. Ummmm we would all love that, but there are a few problems. 1) We do NOT have that kind of money. 2) It's January....he has school! Not to mention Jeffrey's bday was in December along with Christmas, February is Valentines day, it's tax time and March is both Corbin and Tanner's birthdays!! So that option, while very appealing, is a no go.

I have seen some ideas on pinterest that I liked. Balloons for the amount of years you have been married with a note attached. They all suggest writing something you love about him. Well I tried something similiar to this at Christmas and he was like, oh thanks. Not very enthusiastic. And the boys would be running off with the ballons. Another idea was having 12 envelopes, one date per month preplanned and prepaided. The problem with this is, again, money!!! But I am going to keep this one in mind for next year for our 10th anniversary!!

I tried to think of what my hubby likes....chocolate!!! That is the key to my hubby's heart!! So I looked to see if someone offered one of those chocolate a month clubs. Those cost a lot of $$$$!!!! I thought I could do something like this on my own! And make it homemade!! I looked online and found a chocolate melting pot that I am going to buy, with a coupon for 40% off at my local craft store. This is for him and me. I love to make chocolate pretzels, molds, and dipped strawberries. So it is a win win gift!

My plan.....I will make him some chocolate dipped strawberries and put them in a nice box for our anniversary. Along with this will be 9 balloons....each attached with a note saying what chocolate goody I will make each month for him.(yes the boys will probably be running all over the house with them) I have been pinning all kinds of chocolate recipes on pinterest. I am thinking cake, pie, brownies, pudding, hot chocolate,........you get the idea. He will LOVE this!! I will post more on this as I take some pictures from our anniversary. And post what I make each month along with the recipe and a photo!

And They Call Me Mom

2012-01-09T21:34:00.000-06:00

There's these two boys who stole my heart, and they call me Mom.

I wouldn't trade y'all for anything in this world. It is a privilege and an honor, that I do not take lightly, being your Mom. You feel my world with joy and make life worth living. I want to thank you both for being such loving boys. I am one lucky girl to have married your Dad and having both of you. It was and always will be the best decisions I have ever made. I thank God for y'all each and everyday.

It feels my heart with such pride each time you pick flowers outside and bring to me. This is something you learned at a very young age from your Dad and have continued to do on your own! I hope you keep that kindness and thoughtfulness when you are older and have a wife of your own. And if you are fortunate enough to have kids of your own some day, pass it on to them. (then send them over to grandma and grandpas to spoil rotten)

The days you both call me your princess and tell me how beautiful I am is priceless. I know this days will not last forever, as much as I would like for them to. You will grow up into young men one day and I can only hope that I will always hold a special place in your heart. You will both always be in my heart, even after it stops beating. I will always be here for you, to protect you, love you, and to help you grow into independent young men. As much as it breaks my heart to think of my babies being grown....I know that you will make me proud of the men you grow up to be. You both have such wonderful qualities about you. And I am proud to be your Mom.

There is nothing in this world I would not do for either of you. There is such a special bond between a mother and her child. Only you know what my heart sounds like from inside of me. And when you born, you each took a piece of my heart with you that you will always have.

My Weight Loss Journey

2012-01-08T14:47:00.001-06:00

I said I was NOT going to make one of those New Years resolutions. You know the one....to loss weight for the up tenth hundred time!! Well I have been feeling terrible recently and the other day I did not even enjoy working outside in the yard. And the weather was GORGEOUS!! In 2009 I had lost a lot of weight and was down to a size 4/6. I am currently a size 14.....I can't believe I just admitted that. That is way to large for my 5 ft 2 1/2 in frame. I need to lose 30 lbs to be considered in the normal weight range for my height. But even at that it would be in the upper range. I would LOVE to lose 40 lbs. I have done soooooo many diets in the past! The first diet that I did that worked for me was Weight Watchers. I love how you could eat REAL food and learn how to eat properly. It worked for me and I did lose the weight. Then I got pregnant and gained some back....okay gained a lot back! Again I chose Weight Watchers and lost the weight. When I got pregnant again with Tanner I gained even more weight!!!! And to top it off I had just turned 30. My metabolism was not working as fast as it used to. And this time it was a real struggle to get it off. I tried numerous diets, low carb, no carb, low fat/no fat, a few infomercial diet plans, but my weight was not budging much. I found it harder to fit in exercise with not one but two boys and this time around Corbin was old enough to eat real food and I had to feed him and the hubby as well as myself.

I tried hypnosis and those ear staples for weight loss ( I am telling you I tried everything!!) I finally gave diet pills a try. Boy did the weight drop and a lot of it. But the side effects were not so great. I have a heart condition and the diet pills made my heart rate race and gave me heart palpitations. Not to mention I was very irritable and edgy! Not such a pleasure to be around. I have often thought about giving them a try again and decide not to. It's just not worth it!

I need something that teaches me to eat and exercise the right way. With real food that I can cook for my family. And I need to set an example for my boys. So today I am making this vow to myself and to y'all so you can hold me accountable. I will lose the weight with a lifestyle change. And I have a plan!! One that won't cost me a dime!!! Yep it's totally FREE!!!!

Since we are on a tight budget around here I am not going to do the Weight Watchers this time. I just can't afford it right now. I am finding a good app for my phone to help keep track of my calories and exercise. I have found one called My Net Diary and it was free!!! I will let you know how it works. And the following is my plan!

1) Drink more water!!!!
2) Eat more fruit and vegetables
3) Eat out less often
4) Give myself one cheat day a week
5) Exercise! Walking, weights, or the Wii.....anything is better than nothing!
6) Find some healthy easy to make recipes for the whole family
7) I won't stress over it!!!

Don't stress over losing weight you ask?! That's right. This really is not about a diet for me as much as it is about a life style change! If I think I am on a diet my brain goes crazy! I start craving more food than I would originally ever have eaten. And my resolution for 2012 was to stress less. I want a happier, healthier me for 2012 and for the rest of my life. I will have setbacks this I know. But that is okay. I will just move past it. There is nothing I can do to change that day but the next day I can make the change back. And that is what life is about. Learning from our mistakes and making better choices so that we can live the best life possible.
I will post once a week about my weightloss journey. So come follow me and join in! The more the merrier!!!

Happy Anniversary

2012-01-06T20:10:00.000-06:00

Have I mentioned the hubby and I have an anniversary coming up this month? My boys did this little song for us while they were at their grandparents house tonight! Got to love them!! We are so blessed.

2012-01-04T19:40:00.000-06:00

Seriously folks...this is too funny!! My Mom pinned this today and I repinned it. Pinterest is so addictive!! I have spent the last few days alone already planning out my boys birthdays......which are not till March. I have found such cute ideas from birthdays to house decorating to recipes. Oh the list just goes on and on. I introduced my Mom to it a few months ago and she is totally addicted to. Met my mom, my fellow pinoholic. Seriously, it is kind of like shopping only you don't buy anything. At least until you see something you can't possibly live without. :-D Then it's off to the store! Happy pinning!!!!

Ouray....Our Story

2012-01-01T23:14:00.001-06:00

This is the story of our life and how we became a family. My husband and I met on a blind date June 30, 2001 at a 4th of July party. Fast forward to July 24, 2002....we are on vacation in Ouray, Colorado. My family has always loved to vacation in Colorado and it turns out that Jeffrey's did too. They always went to Ouray, Colorado and went jeeping in the mountains. So in July 2002 Jeffrey and I took a vacation with my parents to Ouray. He took us jeeping on some of the trails they used to take. Gorgeous!!! The waterfall above is located on a trail called Imogene Pass between Ouray and Telluride. This is where my hubby proposed!!! I mean seriously can you imagine a more perfect place??? The man had spent 2 months looking for the right ring and waited another month or so to find the perfect place and time. How sweet is he?? I know, I am a lucky girl!! And I can not tell you how surprised I was. I really had no idea. This January 25 marks our 9 year wedding anniversary.

Now fast forward to July 2002....we are on vacation with my parents, brother, and nephew. This time we are between Ouray and Montrose. We had been trying to get pregnant for two months and we found out on that vacation that we were expecting Corbin!!! (on a side note...we thought that it would probably take 6 months to a year to get pregnant because of some medical issues.....boy were we wrong!!) Our first wedding anniversary I was 6 months pregnant. Fast forward again to July 2006. We were on vacation in Ouray with my mother-in-law and Mr. Corbin. Yes we had been trying to get pregnant again. Only this time I really did not think I was pregnant yet. The day after the fourth of July (remember we meet only a few days before the 4th in 2001) I realized that I was indeed pregnant with Tanner. We were so surprised! We had been trying for about 3 months and I had just given up that month and didn't even try. I really thought there was no way I was pregnant. Another shocker....Tanner was born 3 years and 1 day after Corbin, March 13 and 14th. It must be a family thing...my mom and her sister are 4 years and 1 day apart and their birthdays are March 30 and 31. Oldest first and youngest last. Weird huh??? And I have a cousin with the same birthday as Corbin and one with the same birthday as Tanner, all on my mom's side.

Part of the story that I have not mentioned is my husbands Dad. While we were dating he was fighting pancreatic cancer. We spent most of our date nights visiting the hospital. Sadly his Dad lost his battle on May 8, 2002. He wasn't there to see us get engaged, married, or to see either of his grandsons. What are the chances that we would get engaged and find out I was pregnant with not one but both of our boys in Ouray. A place that Jeffrey's Dad took his family every year to go vacationing. A place that my husband has such wonderful memories of his Dad. Pretty amazing!! And did I mention that Corbin was born on a Friday the 13th?? I have always considered 13 my lucky number and oddly enough so did Jeffrey's Dad. Maybe that is just a Virgo thing....his Dad's birthday was 8 days after mine. Jeffrey thought that was crazy that we both thought 13 was our lucky number. Most people freak out over Friday the 13th. But my little munchkin made it here on Friday March 13th @11:50 pm. Made it with 10 minutes to spare. Then 3 years later I am in labor again....on the 13th. But Tanner postponed his appearance until the next day. Just his style....he still does everything at his own pace. There is no rushing that child.

And that is the story of how we became a family.

New Year

2012-01-01T16:50:00.001-06:00

Happy 2012!!!! We rang in the new year with these two handsome fellows. Saturday nights are our family movie nights. So we celebrated by adding a few little extras to our normal night. We had party hats and mustaches for the boys, and of course some noise makers. We had real coke in bottles, watched 3....yes 3 movies. The boys choice Night at the Museum 1 and 2 then we watched Hook. And actually stayed awake until midnight, a first for the boys. Can't think of a better way to celebrate.

Taking Down the Christmas Tree

2011-12-29T14:21:00.000-06:00

It's that time of year. Yes the dreaded taking down the Christmas tree. As usual my thoughts always go to the fact that next year my boys will be another year older when we put the tree up again. :( I know that we raise our babies to grow up into independent adults. But I never knew how heartbreaking it would be. And really no idea how hard it would be to be a Mom. (I know everyone who told Jeffrey and myself how much our lives would change are laughing now) It's very hard each year to realize how much they have grown and realize you will never have this time back again. This year is even worse. Next year Tanner, my baby, starts kindergarten. My babies really are not babies anymore. They are growing boys with so much energy I can barely keep up. But I am one proud Momma! Those boys are some of the most considerate and loving kiddos I know. Their love is unconditional and they are just the most precious boys. Their present to me this year and last year have been Disney princess dolls. OMG....how precious!!! They refer to me as their princess and always tell me how much they love me.

Now I am by no means trying to make myself or my boys seem like we have the perfect life. They try my patience at times and I apparently try theirs. Imagine that!!! But even on those days when I am about to pull my hair out, I know how very fortunate I am. I have two healthy, happy, and loving boys. As parents that is about as close to perfect as it can get.

This year as always was marked with several changes and events. My cousin lost his 1 year old little girl after a long battle to cancer. I can't begin to imagine the struggle and pain they have endured. This is something that no parent should ever have to experience. I pray that in the new year they find some peace and begin to rebuild the pieces of their lives. And I pray not only for my boys but for every child to be healthy and happy in the new year. No child should have to know such pain and illness.

May you and yours have a wonderful New Year.

Hot Chocolate

2011-12-27T21:48:00.000-06:00

This was my hubby's Christmas gift from me! It is the Back to Basics Cocoa Latte maker. I am a coffee addict but the hubby not so much. But he adores hot chocolate....well he really LOVES any chocolate!! I did not even know this little gem existed until I found it on Pinterest. So far we have tried hot chocolate and wassail in it. But you can make so much more with this. And let me tell you it is AWESOME!!!! It serves it at the perfect temperature and even has a froth button to add froth to it as your dispensing it into your mug!! Heavenly!!! It stays warm and will periodically turn on to stir it back up and keep it warm. It serves about 4 cups. I saw one that was larger, but 4 cups is perfect for our family! The boys even loved it! What a great winter treat!!!!

Merry Christmas

2011-12-23T22:23:00.000-06:00

Merry Christmas from our home to yours!

Reindeer Treats

2011-12-20T09:41:00.000-06:00

We started a new tradition this year. We made some reindeer treats last night with the boys. We always make cookies for Santa and we have left some carrots for the reindeer, however this was by far the coolest. I found the cute labels on the TomKat Studio blog. You can download the reindeer labels here at their website. Most people usually put some oatmeal with glitter in their reindeer food. My hubby had a different idea for ours. Since we have a horse we of course have horse feed. So the boys got to mix some rolled oats, cracked corn, and horse feed. They mixed them in sandwich size baggies and we stapled our labels to the tops. Adorable and the boys had fun. Now Christmas Eve we will sprinkle it on the yard for the Reindeer to have a treat while Santa delivers the presents!!

Wishing you a Merry Christmas from our home to yours.

Corbin and Tanner riding Trigger

A Family Tradition

2011-12-17T13:27:00.000-06:00

Everyone has a Christmas tree topper. Some have stars or angels that they use. Many have some special meaning, maybe they have been passed down or someone has made it for you. Our tree topper is very unique and is special to us. My father in law passed away just a few months before my husband and I became engaged. That cowboy hat on the top of our tree was his. When Corbin was born, almost 2 years after my father in law passed, we knew we wanted to keep his memory alive for our kids. Somewhere along that time I saw this cute personalized Santa hat from Pottery Barn. I ordered it and as they say the rest is history. My husband was the one to suggest that we use his Dads hat and put the Santa hat over it and use it for our tree topper. And I can't imagine anything more perfect or fitting for our family. It's a perfect combination of myself and my husband. And it helps keep the memory of a grandfather that Corbin and Tanner never knew alive for them. So every year after the tree has been decorated, my husband lovingly takes his Dads hat and places the Santa hat over it and places it on top of our tree.

2012 Resolutions

2011-12-15T17:24:00.000-06:00

There comes a time in life when you have to let go of all the pointless drama. And surround yourself with people who make you laugh so hard that you forget the bad and focus solely on the good. After all, life is too short to be anything but happy.

Love this! How many of us wish we could rid ourselves of the constant unnecessary drama in our lives? I know I would love to. But then again I find myself stressing way to much over too many things that I shouldn't. Then I am annoyed that I let people get to me and strip me of all the joy I should have been focusing on! My goal for 2012 will not be the usual need to lose weight and get in better shape resolution. Although this is true and I do. But this will not happen until I conquer my stress and my issues with being a perfectionist. I never quit live up to the standards that I set for myself as a person, mother, wife, and the list goes on and on. I will find a way to focus on the joys of my life and less on the annoying things. I will learn not to let the people who insist on bringing drama to my life to affect me anymore. They will no longer have that power over me. Because I am taking it back!!! You can't change other people but you can change yourself. Then and only then will I be able to truly to focus on becoming a healthier person.

So the following will be my mottos to help me this new year.

"Lord grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, to change the things I can. And the wisdom to know the difference."

I will hold myself to a standard of GRACE not Perfection.