The Douglas House

the park & the puddles

2012-01-23T14:55:00.005-06:00

my kids are water magnets.

if there's water, they will find it. guaranteed.

so, our park trip turned into puddle jumping.

i love this photo of these two...

and bro owns the park now.

and obviously loves it!

she still loves the park too. when do they outgrow the whole park thing? i hope never.

heaven forbid if you take the peel off of carson's banana. i'm am telling you...the. world. would. stop. spinning. the peel must stay on. the peel must stay on.

he slides on the BIG slide all by himself now. he grew too too fast.

daddy showed up at the end of our adventure.

and carson loved the hand jive thing emma had going on.

really loved it.

carson loves when his daddy comes home. he runs and jumps into his arms, just like it should be.

emma does too.

this was the last call before heading home...

On the eve of TWO!

2012-01-18T14:24:00.007-06:00

i'm not real sure where the time has gone, but it's our last month before your big T-W-O! i just can't believe it, and would wind the clock backwards in a heartbeat if i could. you are just so much fun...

your vocabulary is exploding! you can repeat just about anything now, and you are even starting to put small sentences together. your first phrase was, "puppy where are you?" this has transpired into, "mommy, where are you?" i hear you say this over the monitor, early in the mornings when you are awake in your crib.

you are pretty smart. you know where we are now, as in close to HEB, the park, etc.

everything has possession now too. so, you let us know...."mommy's coat," "emma's cup," "daddy's shoes." you are scared to death of ducks, and rightfully so. i think you remember this trip on emma's birthday. i don't think i wrote about it then, but those ducks tried to snatch your cupcake...multiple times! why do ducks have to be so mean? yikes. you have learned to keep your distance :)

you also love to say all of our names now. "mommy, daddy, emma, and carson." so sweet.

you love your sister, and she loves you. you ask for her so many times a day when she's at school, and you love when it's time for preschool pick-up.

your curls....swoon. still amazing.

and you love baxter & spot now. baxter is your bear and spot is your dalmation puppy. so sweet. they are almost as big as you! eating is still one of your favorite pastimes. eating "smarties" is even more of a favorite.

you are cutting your bottom right corner tooth. after this little dude comes in, you will have 16 teeth...8 on top and 8 on bottom.

you have the best little laugh in the whole world...

and i'm so glad you're mine :) hugs and kisses to you, our little bro-bro. we love you dude!

p.s. you can say "dude" too! "hey dude" is just too cute!

sledding, fishing, sliding, & cowgirl boots

2012-01-07T14:39:00.007-06:00

on the weekends, we like to go here. emma has coined it the mountain park, and i'm sure you can figure out why.

i thought sliding down the hills in boxes might be fun, but it didn't quite work the way we thought.

maybe some snow & a sled would help. emma wishes for snow all the time. and i'm thinking with our 70 degree days, we should just forget the snow and be thankful for our spring-like weather in january. so so weird.

bro enjoyed wandering about.

and miss emma loves it outside too. her pigtails are a favorite thing of mine.

brother & sister...fun times.

we brought emma's princess fishing pole.

we brought snacks too.

i love what you find in your pantry after christmas.

emma practiced her casting skills.

and successfully did it. all. by. herself.

if you have little ones, you know how important the whole "all by myself" thing truly is.

she did have an amazing teacher by her side :)

and was so proud of her newest accomplishment.

she even dressed herself that day. don't you love the purple tulle, peace sign leggings, and cowgirl boots.

if i call them cowboy boots, she will correct me every time.

what is that....girlie cowgirl? or maybe fancy meets country?

we were done with the fishing and with the ducks...

so we made our way towards the park.

the park is always a win. i love you carson.

and miss emma...i love you too.

Ramblings, Advice, Mischief, Mail, & Mom Points

2012-01-06T13:38:00.005-06:00

I wanted to let y'all in on something. I haven't much been into blogging lately, but I'm trying so hard to get back into the swing of things. Did you notice how late my Christmas posts were? Well let's just keep it at really late, so I came to tell you why.

About 10 days before Christmas, at the very last minute, I caught a plane to go visit my sweet Pawpaw. He wasn't doing very well, and with both my Granny & Pawpaw so far away, it had been too long since our last visit.

Y'all know by now I'm a planner, right? Well let me just tell you that by the time we found the most economical way for me to get there (using those pesky airline miles that say when and where and how you can fly), I had one hour to pack, shower and get out the door.

Folks, I was in my pj's in the preschool carpool line when we figured all of this out. Well, I did it. I dumped my kids with my hubby. Left a dirty and unpicked up house. There was laundry to be done. Grocery shopping to do. Christmas ends to tie up. The list goes on. You know, when you leave, you kinda "do it all" to help out whoever is gracious enough to keep your little cutie pies? Well, not this time. I was in the air when I figured out that Emma was currently missing dance. There were no plans this time and no time for plans either.

It had been so long since I had flown by myself. I sorta flash-backed to my very first job out of college. I traveled quite a bit back then. And a lot by plane. It seemed so long ago. Almost weird if ya know what I mean. That life before little ones is sometimes so hard to put your finger on. Do y'all know what I mean?

Long story short... I saw my Pawpaw that night, but he passed away while we were there. It was truly one of the saddest things I have ever witnessed. I have surely been to my share of funerals, but to be present with it all happening, is still almost too much for me to wrap my little head around.

My sweet Pawpaw left all of the suffering that day. And that weekend, my Granny gave my little sister some advice while we were there...

"Make everyday together special. 58 years of marriage go by so fast."

So true. They had four kids, 10 grandkids, and 2 great-grandkids, and were married 58 years, but it just all goes by so fast. Rob and I talk about it all the time. Every year seems to pass a little quicker than the one before it. Is it just us, or do y'all agree?

So, do something for me and take my Granny's advice. Make everyday count. I think we should all give this one a go.

I came home from that quick trip out and wow. I had so much running around in my head. I was sad. I was sad that my daddy lost his daddy. Sad that my Granny lost her lifelong mate. I was sad that our life here is so short. And sad that everything can end, just so quickly. So that's why. That's why I haven't blogged.

I wish I had some photos to share, but most all of them were old school film.

I do have this one. It's of my little sister and Pawpaw. I love it.

And this one. It's both my Granny & Pawpaw with Baby Carson.

If you have an extra prayer or two, I am sure that my Granny and the rest of the family would really appreciate it. And to our Pawpaw, may you rest in peace and know that you are truly missed.

A couple of weeks later, I attempted to take one more photo of the kids, just before we took the tree down....fail.

This is the best I got. So moving on...

After the failed photo shoot, I did start taking the tree down and looked up to find this.

Carson had swiped an entire tube of m&m's from the pantry, opened it, and eaten the whole thing. i. am. not. kidding. They keep me hopping for sure.

Emma went back to preschool, following the Christmas hiatus. She is so sweet, and when I think of her leaving for kindergarten next year, I crumble. They have a mail station at preschool...it's where they write and receive mail. So, if you're an all star mom, you send mail everyday. And, if you not quite at that level (ahem...me), you send mail...well, when you remember. Last week, I got mail. Emma wrote to me! It was so sweet, so I thought I'd share. She even wrote "Emma" and "Mom" on the front....growing up too fast. Notice that she's still drawing Christmas. She was not at all impressed when it was all over.

On a sidenote, if you're reading and you're a family member and would like to send Miss Emma mail, please do. I would be ever so grateful and Emma would too! I keep telling myself that I'm going to sit down one night and create a pile of mail to send weekly, but, well...it's on that list that just hasn't happened yet.

I rung in the New Year by attempting a Pinterest idea. (If you haven't joined yet, you should. Email me if you need an invite...it's so addicting & inspiring all at the same time :) The kids were thrilled with marshmallows for breakfast and I thought they turned out super cute. It's uper easy & you'll get major mom points for this one.

Sorry y'all...I know I was all over the place for this one. If you're still with me...Carson would give you a fist bump...and a high five :)

Christmas Morning in Photos

2011-12-25T14:30:00.000-06:00

We were so glad to be with my whole family for the Christmas weekend :) It was a blessed day for all of us!

Cookies for Santa 2011

2011-12-24T14:17:00.000-06:00

These two together, well sometimes their plans don't exactly line up...

Emma wanted to set out the cookies, and well, Carson wanted to eat them. So here's Miss Emma shielding the cookies, and here's Mr. Carson trying to make the swipe.

They love each other so much and normally play pretty well together...

We put Carson to bed. He had had all he could take. But Miss Emma spent the evening tracking Santa...

And putting out her famous reindeer food.

Out of all of the Christmas hooplah, the reindeer are by far Emma's favorite, so she makes sure and takes really good care of them on Christmas Eve.

She left plenty for Santa too. And, she even colored a picture for each of our elves...both Happy Winter Jingles Douglas and Elfie. My favorite thing was her note to Santa..."Santa, I am so glad you came to see me." so magical.

We tucked the kids in tight and went to bed quickly. We were so excited for what the morning would bring.

On Christmas Eve...

2011-12-24T13:50:00.001-06:00

We started the morning off with our annual Christmas Eve gift to the littles...

They always get matching pj's to wear on Christmas Eve night and a new book to read.

Half the fun was finally getting to open one of those boxes underneath the tree! Carson did his fair share of attempting to peek before the big day.

I chose this book for Miss Emma. It's a sweet one all about the Christmas baby and I love the animal illustrations...

Since we knew they would probably be getting too much the next day, I went ahead and let them each open their sleeping bag.

They both spent the morning watching Christmas specials with Uncle Dill and Aunt Lindy. Uncle Dill brought Christmas on Sesame Street to share....circa 1985. hilarious to say the least.

They snuggled up all morning...Emma in her mermaid sleeping bag and Carson in his cars, trucks, and planes sleeping bag. Oh my goodness did I love his fabric!

Later on, we made more cookies, but this time, they were specifically for the big guy himself. ~~Emma was supposed to be in her Rudolph shirt too, but somehow we ended up in Tinkerbell on Christmas Eve...awesome.~~

Emma used the leftover dough to make an "I heart S," for I Love Santa...

And Mama C. and Papa surprised all of us December birthdays with petit fours that are always to die for.

After a day full of listening to Christmas music, watching Christmas specials, baking, playing, and egg nog drinking, we all got ready for church.

This was the best of the bunch. We had one teary eyed little one...

And then we gave our family of four a shot...perfect.

Maybe this one is a little better?

Why are family photos always so hard?

Christmas Helpers...

2011-12-22T13:14:00.000-06:00

We spent the couple of days before Christmas doing some baking and crafting...

The kids are always all in when it comes to sugar...

We even had some extra special helpers around for all of the fun...

Carson loved it all.

And neither one could seem to keep their hands out of the goodies.

It was so fun...

And so messy :)

We were all so glad to have Papa C. with us.

And Mama C. too. She came with loads to do...ornaments and necklaces to make and so many activities to keep Miss Emma busy. She's got her number for sure.

We even managed to bust out the barn gingerbread house, the one that we never got around to make last year.

It turned out super cute, but Emma insisted that it needed more animals. A barn + sugar + decorating was right up her alley.

shenanigans, silhouettes, and s'mores

2011-12-10T13:50:00.004-06:00

it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas around here...

and i have to say that Winter Jingles Douglas is by far one of my most favorite things this year. he's our family elf.

it's like a miniature Christmas morning every morning. on this day, he left us a snow angel.

and on this day, well, i guess he got a hold of the toilet paper...

Winter Jingles Douglas is just full of shenanigans.

and, i must note that Carson calls him "Happy." so maybe he's Happy Winter Jingles Douglas? are four names too many for an elf? i think not...it's all about the compromises here at the Douglas house.

this was my favorite morning. Happy Winter Jingles Douglas was having a tea party with Rudolph, Strawberry Shortcake, and Tink.

he left warm pj's for the littles too. and since you can't touch him, i loved that he was in a glass case....a.m.a.z.i.n.g.

emma was just amazed that our little elf had the magic to make that tea party happen. after all, there were some pretty important people in attendance. she thought about it for awhile, and then looked at me and said..."well we know Winter Jingles can fly. and, Tink has wings, so we know she can fly. so to get to the tea party, Strawberry Shortcake must have ridden on Rudolph's back, right, Mom?" that's exactly right emma. exactly right.

Winter did a bit of zip lining...

and i managed to snap miss emma's silhouette, but i was sad that bro was fast asleep for this one.

here she is twirling around the tree. she never seems to stop dancing these days.

later on, we headed outside for some s'more time.

if you need some form of cheap family entertainment, i highly recommend!

even bro has a new love for marshmallows.

emma and i checked on the garden while the fire was getting hot...

and she managed to pick a pocket full of peppers! i guess our poor little plants finally got a break from the heat....in december!

s'mores are always fun...

she's become the marshmallow queen...

and well, that would make bro the king.

i love a baby in a hood or a in hat. don't you?

cheers to elves, magic, marshmallows and everything in between.

a little preschool celebration

2011-12-09T13:51:00.002-06:00

Emma had her little Christmas party at school...

Aren't they just so cute?

We provided pizza, oranges, and juice for lunch, and Bro was quite the trooper and sat in the jogger the whole time! yessssss!

After lunch was story time...

Then we did rotating stations of reindeer food making...

pin the nose on Rudolph, reindeer ornament making, and Christmas freeze dancing :) Emma had a blast!

Our daddy had been out of town for a couple of days, so we welcomed him home by meeting for dinner at a restaurant. We sang Happy Birthday again...and had cake...again! We made need a nutritional intervention soon! I just love these three!

celebrations & surprises

2011-11-29T12:36:00.002-06:00

Mama C. showed up at our house on her birthday! We were so excited to be able to celebrate with her...

Emma helped me bake a pumpkin cheesecake and then she decorated the top with her beloved little deer.

It was a simple night, but a fun one too.

They ended the night watching, Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer on tv. Oh my goodness does Emma love reindeer!

Little did I know that all along there was a surprise weekend planned for me. My sweet hubby booked a bed & breakfast for the weekend to celebrate both of our December birthdays. Let me start by saying that this was Rob's very first planned getaway. ever. (and we've been married over 8 years!) I always do the planning, so to be quite honest, I completely blown away, but so very excited too! The plan was to escape to the hill country, stay here, and spend the weekend together, so that's what we did.

We made to drive, which I will have to say was so nice. It was q.u.i.e.t. in the car, which if you have little ones, you know is just plain marvelous. We checked into our room, and headed back into town for some dinner.

We ended up at a cozy little steakhouse...

And enjoyed a glass of wine by the fire.

Rob picked a bottle from one of the local wineries in town...

one that we planned to tour the next day...

And we saved the cork for our collection :)

After dinner, we did some walking around the little town. It was almost like going back in time...

The Christmas decorations were so neat, although we do have a thing for German pyramids in our house. This was was GIANT!

And the lights were just beautiful.

The next morning, I thoroughly enjoyed my quiet cup of coffee with my sweet hubby and then we headed back into town, which was quite festive to say the lease. Fredericksburg definitely has the Christmas spirit thing down.

We did some stress-free shopping...

And we found so many classic toys, which I love. Why don't they make things like that anymore? We even picked the littles up a few Christmas surprises.

Lunch was a treat. I had wonderful company. ~~And it didn't involve stuffing my face just as fast as humanly possible.~~

Am I the only one with little ones that does that?

After lunch, we hit the vineyards and wineries...

The vines were already dormant for the season, but still beautiful.

It's hard to believe you are in Texas when you're here.

This was our first tour and tasting. My camera took a nap for the rest of the tastings :)

A local told us about the best burger in Texas, so for dinner we just had to try it out. They were literally on the cover of Texas Monthly, so we figured it had to be good.

Okay, don't kid yourself, those weren't our burgers. They were HUGE...okay, maybe bigger than HUGE, so we split one and an order of fries/onion rings, and still needed to be rolled out of that little joint.

The weekend flew by, and before I knew it, it was Sunday morning and already time to check out. I felt like we had just arrived. But, it was time to go, so we headed home. I was so thankful for the time with my hubby, thankful for him thinking of me, and so thankful for my sweet mom for keeping our two little angels at home.

A sleeping baby is just pure delicious...

A few days later, it was Rob's real birthday, so we made him a cake to celebrate. You saw Carson sleeping in that photo? Well, that was his nap for the day. It lasted 15 minutes in the car. I didn't intend for him to fall asleep, but he did, so by the time it was time to cut the cake, our little guy was already in bed. So with just the three of us...

we lit candles...

sang...

and had cake.

Then we did a repeat for Miss Emma...

Happy Birthday to my super sweet hubby and my extra special Mom! We all love you both!

Twenty-one

2011-11-18T23:43:00.005-06:00

months, that is. Could you slow down a bit? Geez. Emma grew fast, but it just seems like you're fast times ten. Is that how it works after the first one? Here's the latest on you...

You l.o.v.e. to have the windows rolled down...

See, I told you. You think it's the best thing ever. So, if you get a little cranky in the car, I bet you can guess what I do. It works wonders...you instantly giggle.

You learned the word "cookie." And man can you request one. Once you got this cookie on Halloween night, you were golden, as I like to say.

This is one of my favorite photos of you...your blues eyes, eyelashes, and curly hair just can't be beat. And, for the record, I thought you were the cutest little crab ever.

You really get your feelings hurt when you get into trouble, which I'll admit is a little bit amazing. We have one family member whom "trouble" didn't seem to phase.

But, you do have the saddest little cry, and you seem to be so sorry....always pointing to what you did wrong and saying, "no, no, no."

You ask to walk now when we get out of the car. Before, I just carried you. So, now we are working on holding hands in the parking lot. Why oh why is this so difficult for little ones to understand?

You were diagnosed with pneumonia about a week after Halloween, so that happy face turned sad very quickly. It was a sad day to say the least...chest x-ray, a horrid antibiotic shot that was as thick as honey, and another round of oral antibiotics to go with it.

Your cough was the. worst. i. have. ever. heard. And to be honest, I was just worried sick. You didn't eat for almost two weeks, so you're definitely on the skinny side now.

I'm not a fan of skinny babies, so we're going to work on that :) I really hoping that you start feeling better soon. It's been a long two weeks for the both of us.

Pneumonia aside, you really do just seem a bit bigger to me now...walking to trick or treat, walking in the parking lot, going up and down the stairs...so sad. I guess you're growing up.

Here's to hopes and prayers for a well Baby Carson real soon.

We love ya little guy.

::Weekend Recap:: On the Up & Up and North Pole Breakfast

2011-11-18T13:16:00.002-06:00

I'm happy to report that the Douglas House is finally on the up & up. You have no idea how good a stomach bug & pneumonia free house feels. The past several weekends we spent sick, so with all of us being well for this one, I decided it was time to celebrate...

There is nothing that makes this little girl any happier than decorating her tree.

So, I know it's early, but a little joy a little early certainly won't hurt.

It was a family affair.

When the kiddos woke up on Saturday morning, they found this...

The elf was back! If you look really close, you can see that he dropped marshmallows along the way.

I wish I could take credit for this super fun idea, but I can't. I totally copied my "blogger friend" here. It seemed too fun not to copy, don't ya think?

We've done the "elf" thing for several years now, but we didn't have the book, so I broke down and headed to Hallmark to buy it. I decided if we were going to do this tradition, we needed the book and all.

Our elf wrote Miss Emma a letter...

And wrote Carson one too...

And to make it even happier, he brought breakfast!

Snow covered donuts and floating glacier hot cocoa...

Emma loves hot cocoa!

Our elf sent each of the littles a pair of socks too. You know it's awfully cold at the North Pole. Since you can't touch the magic elf, he sent along an elf for each of the kiddos to play with. Emma got a little girl elf, and Carson got a little boy elf....elfmates :)

We had a happy morning...

Carson was happy too! Thank goodness he's a well baby.

It was a whole lotta sugar for breakfast!

More marshmallows!

Since he's feeling better, he's become quite the family clown. It's so nice to have a baby that's laughing, playing, and asking to "eat, eat."

After breakfast, they put on their North Pole socks, gathered up their elves, and we headed out to find the geese.

They land by the 100's in the fields around here. I guess it's a migration pit stop? Not really sure, but it's fun to watch.

Later that day Emma had a birthday party at an inflatable zone. It was so fun! I even joined in...which was quite the workout.

We got the rest of our Christmas stuff out too. So, we just have the outside and the tree left. Just. geez.

Oh well....we managed to shampoo our carpets too, which is the best. feeling. ever. I love clean floors.

I was so thankful for my children being well this weekend. Weekends can be so fun when your hubby & kiddos aren't sick.

Cheers to Thanksgiving!

hello from quarantine.

2011-11-14T19:14:00.010-06:00

oh my goodness. i wish i had some positive news to share, but if i'm honest, i really don't. let me go bullet style to get you up to speed.

:: a week ago today, i took carson into the pedi for a lingering cough and cold. one chest x-ray later, he was diagnosed with pneumonia. gasp. i felt like i had failed as a mother. do y'all feel like that when your babies are sick? or am i the only weird one?

:: he got an awful shot and an additional round of antibiotics. my happy, never sits still toddler boy, laid on my chest for the entire week. it was sort of bittersweet. it was almost like he was a newborn all over again...which, i miss so much. we would just rock and he would just lay there. i felt so sorry for him.

:: fast forward five days, and it was friday. he was no better. i was fit to be tied. so so worried. so, i took him back to the pedi. she examined him and said he had no signs of needing to be hospitalized and sent us home. i'm sure she was thinking that i was one of those moms, but i didn't really care. pneumonia affects your lungs, and in order to stay on this sweet earth, we need our lungs to breathe and our heart to beat. so, we headed home for a relaxing weekend.

:: saturday morning, i woke up feeling super nauseous. rob had had some sort of awful stomach bug while out of town earlier in the week, (my poor hubby was sick+out of town=not fun at all) and i am guessing that i caught it. let me tell you it's the worst i've ever had. i don't think i made it any farther than five feet from the toilet for a good 24 hours. it was h o r r i d.

:: so, there we were on sunday, both rob and i attempting to recoup from the stomach bug and carson still trying to recover from pneumonia. every time i hear him cough, i could almost cry. sweet emma is the only one well, and i'm pretty sure she's bored out of her mind. we've been quarantined for what seems like weeks.

:: so now, it's monday, and i'm still not feeling so great. carson isn't either. the antibiotics and ripping his little tummy to shreds and he's just miserable. i think we both missed our leading roles on winnie the poo. me as kanga and him as roo. he just lays on my chest like a baby kangaroo.

:: he won't eat. i've offered e v e r y t h i n g. i've tried cookies, ice cream, chick-fil-a and everything in between. and y'all know how i feel about junk food. tonight i even whipped up a smoothie for my little bro...with greek yogurt for protein, blueberry keifer for probiotics, a banana, some strawberries, and a little honey. i even crunched up some multi-vitamins and vitamin c. he pushed it away. so, now i've got a giant mess on the island to clean up and i guess some sort of super food for dinner, because i inherited the smoothie. for the record, it is delicious.

:: just to prove emma's boredom level, here's a photo of her arm. she attempted to dot herself like a dalmation.

:: this was of course, after an afternoon of movies, the last one being 101 dalmations. clever, eh?

:: i do have one positive for the day. carson let me read an entire book to him tonight! it was the big red barn, which is one of our family favorites. we have the chunky book version, which is much cheaper than the one i just linked you to, and would make a great gift for a little one :) he made all of the animal sounds, and we made it to the end! i'm not sure if it was because he is still sick, or if he's finally gained the attention span to listen to a whole story. i guess time will tell.

:: let's hope it sooner rather than later.

:: if i can put away my thoughts of puking for a bit, i plan to tackle all of my lagging posts....

our trip to the pumpkin patch will be here.

emma's costume parade will be here.

a few pics with the pumpkins will be here.

one more excuse to dress up will be here.

our neighborhood party will be here.

and halloween night will be here.

whew. i did it. i finished all of our october outings :) i felt like the little engine that could. do y'all read that book? thanks to sister, we have our very own copy and love it. now let's see what all i have left on my camera now.

:: it's been a rough couple of weeks, so for now this is all i've got.

:: prayers please for a well baby and a house that sells soon.

::recipe:: Pumpkin Squares with Maple Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting

2011-11-04T06:00:00.002-05:00

i told y'all i would be back. well, here i am. we made these on wednesday, and i'll be real surprised if they are still here by tomorrow...

let me crank out this recipe for y'all, so you can whip up a batch in your kitchen. this is what you'll need to gather up: salt, pumpkin, almond flour, sugar, eggs, cinnamon, baking soda, and pumpkin pie spice. you can scroll down to the bottom for the complete recipe. i'm not sure how the vanilla snuck into the photo, but you won't need that for the cake portion...just for the frosting :)

this is the almond flour that we use. i buy it here. it's so much cheaper that way. i have no idea why it's not available to purchase now, so sorry!

so, here we go. dump all of the ingredients into your mixing bowl and beat well.

pour the batter into a greased 13X9 pan...

let your best little helper spread it around, and bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

it will come out just like this...

now, let's whip up the frosting. you'll need cream cheese, maple syrup, vanilla, and cinnamon. dump all four ingredients into your bowl...

and beat until creamy.

after the cake has cooled, spread the frosting on top. then, i cover it and stick it in the fridge.

if you need proof that they are good...

he was stuffing it in, just as fast as he could. they are SO moist! and SO yummy! you could ask miss emma too.

after having these first at a friend's house, this is what i came up with....

Pumpkin Squares (paleo & gluten free)

2 cups almond flour

1 cup sugar

1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice

1 cup pumpkin

4 eggs

Preheat oven to 350. Dump all of the ingredients into your mixing bowl and beat well. Pour the batter into a greased 13X9 pan. Spread it around, and bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Allow to cool.

Maple Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting

1 block of cream cheese

1/4 cup maple syrup

1 tsp. vanilla

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

Dump all four ingredients into your bowl and beat until creamy. Once the pumpkin squares have cooled, spread the frosting on top. Refrigerate any leftovers :)

I recapped our mid-October family getaway here and here. Here's to trying to catch up!

halloween hangover

2011-11-02T14:07:00.004-05:00

it's me. i know i've been neglecting y'all lately, so i'm sorry.

but we've been busy. so, does that excuse count?

geez. we've done the pumpkin patch, neighborhood parties, costume making, a costume parade & contest, pumpkin photos, a visit from mama c., a stomach bug, and some other sort of horrid cough/cold/carson had 103.6 degree fever bug, an african safari and even snuck in a quick family getaway...all since i've been gone.

whew. that was exhausting.

i've got some blogging time coming up real soon...i hope. so maybe i can catch up then?

the costumes have all been washed and stashed in the dress up trunk, and we've already decided what we're going to be next year. leave it to emma to have it all planned out. i couldn't even begin to imagine who she got that from.

i'll be back soon with a recipe to die for. they're pumpkin bars. oh my goodness. they are the best.

i've got more recipes to share...if only someone could invent instant blog. thoughts straight from your brain to the web. that would be genius, wouldn't it?

until then, meet ariel & sebastian. they were the cutest little mermaid and crab i've ever seen. it was a happy halloween for us, and i hope the same was true for you too.

and yes, aunt marg. i really made their costumes. i really did.

if you want proof, look really close. they are far from perfect.

i'm off to bake with the sweetest little girl ever :)

hugs y'all!

on halloween night...

2011-10-31T12:51:00.002-05:00

we started off with a self-taken family photo. it's called set the timer and run. and it didn't end in a nuclear meltdown....success!

i love halloween night.

it's so much more fun with little ones.

they were both so excited!

and i guess i discounted carson a bit....thinking that he wouldn't get it and would just be along for the ride.

boy was i wrong.

he joined right on in, just like a veteran.

we should give the little ones more credit than we do.

they are far smarter than we think :)

carson walked his little legs off.

and we met up with some friends along the way.

it's so much more fun with little friends!

once he got his cookie, he was all set for the night.

he was so fun to watch.

of course, i knew miss emma would have a blast.

when the night was over, i was kinda sad to see it go. so here's to next year...maybe we'll be celebrating in a new house by then? heaven help me if we aren't.

it sure would be fun to have some of our family along for our trick or treat night out :)

neighborhood costume party

2011-10-29T12:43:00.000-05:00

ariel & sebastian attended our neighborhood costume party this year.

i was super pleased with both of their costumes. if only i could get a little quicker at my sewing :)

we carved a pumpkin, and miss emma picked the design. she wanted him super smiley.

and we managed to get a family photo, which always makes me so happy.

here are my little sea creatures, waiting to be judged in the costume contest.

they didn't win, so emma was not impressed. that's always a good lesson for our kiddos, right?

a halloween outing...

2011-10-28T21:23:00.000-05:00

we made some plans with some friends to meet at the local grocery store for an afternoon of fun.

sounds odd, i know, but this little ariel will do just about anything to be able to dress up :)

i whipped up bro's costume pretty last minute. i was thankful that the rangers were in the playoffs. while hubby watched the games, i quietly ~~cussed~~ sewed with my sewing machine.

Sebastian was my inspiration. I used a red t-shirt from target, some of miss emma's red leggings, and some felt for the rest. Sebastian's sleeves were made from Emma's leftover red soccer socks.

So sweet.

And our daddy was home to take a quick pic.

Of course, the best one had the worst lighting. geez.

First was cookie decorating.

Then, oreo stacking...

Then cookie eating...

And face painting too...

They had tons of games, bobbing for apples, a ring toss, but mostly Emma liked being with her little ladybug friends.

pics in the patch...

2011-10-27T21:18:00.000-05:00

I love them both! So cute!

Costumes on Parade

2011-10-27T10:22:00.001-05:00

Emma's little preschool had their annual Costume Parade, and Emma went as Ariel. I made her costume this year, and got the idea from this blog.

She saw me reading that blog last year, and told me that she wanted her costume to look just like that one, so I did the best I could :) You should check out their costumes from this year...truly amazing!

I figured if Emma was going to be Ariel, then this little guy could be Sebastian. I definitely had my work cut out for me.

The parade was fun...

And all of the little costumes were just precious.

This one was my favorite! So creative!

We got one quick class photo...

And then, I was off to the gym.

All of her friends were princesses this year :) It was a fun morning for all of them.

The Pumpkin Patch 2011

2011-10-22T20:02:00.003-05:00

We made it out for our annual trip to the Pumpkin Patch.

We were so excited to have Mama C. with us!

Emma is always ready for a day of fun.

And bro wasn't feeling all that great, but was along for the ride.

Carson loved the animals!

And Miss Emma loved the chicks.

She's always in for a little competition too.

Her little ducky won! yay!

Carson LOVED the tractor!

He was so, so happy to be driving.

We made it on the hay ride.

...with just a partial meltdown.

And then, to the pumpkin patch.

This was my favorite pic of the day.

I ran with Emma back to the car.

Bro was already sound asleep.

Mama C. sat in the back with Emma on the way home. It sounded like a party back there.

Once Carson woke up, he was a little happier.

And then, we rolled down the windows, which is his favorite thing ever.

You're 20 months now...

2011-10-18T23:42:00.004-05:00

so, before I get too teary eyed, I am going to make this one quick.

You are so so sweet, and you love picking up those giant orange balls.

You are working on sliding down our stairs now, and you are so proud when you make it to the bottom.

You are also learning to eat with your fork and spoon. You seem to enjoy trying to eat just like us.

I would say your most favorite thing is to sing and dance....na-na-na and oh-oh-oh. It is just too cute for words.

You always remind us to pray before dinner.

And you always finish with a big A-A-A-M-E-N.

We love you little dude!

family fun ::day 2::

2011-10-16T22:27:00.005-05:00

we woke up on sunday morning to some cooler weather.

emma and carson spent the morning on the patio drinking milk.

they were totally fine just hanging out together.

it made me wish for some sort of screened in porch, one where the kids couldn't get into anything :)

after milk, we headed to the cracker barrel for a big breakfast.

big news came while we were eating..my cousin nic and his wife christa were in labor. we were so excited!

we attempted to burn off our breakfast and all the excitement with a morning nature walk.

then emma and i headed back to the pool. i think she could use some instruction on striking a pose, don't you?

after naps, we headed to sea world!

we stopped off at the penguin exhibit.

we can't wait for happy feet two!

bro rode the carousel with daddy.

while emma rode the shamu-coaster with me.

according to emma, next on the list was feeding the dolphins.

they are just the neatest animals.

emma wanted to touch one SO bad.

but it never quite happened.

we finished the day with the shamu show, which is always amazing!

that night, we got the news that our newest family member had arrived!

meet collins grace

10.16.2011

6:10 p.m.

7 pounds

19 inches

with hair like that, i was convinced she was mine. emma was so excited to have a cousin and kept saying that she just couldn't wait to hold "that baby."

we can't wait to meet her, and i can't wait to hold her. i just love them tiny.

congratulations nic and christa!

it's a fun ride!

family fun ::day 1::

2011-10-14T21:36:00.004-05:00

we loaded the kids up one friday afternoon and headed for the hill country. i think that rob and i both will forever love it here...

by the time we got to our resort, it was super late, so please excuse the poor quality iphone photo :) we unloaded and put the kids to bed. we had a big day planned in the morning.

morning came. and before i go any further, i just want y'all to know that we love to stay here. it's our second time to book this resort, and each time we leave a little more amazed. for us, the prices are too high during peak season, but if you catch it just right, it is just as affordable as staying at any hotel, but with tons of perks. my photos of the resort aren't impressive. that just wasn't my goal. but, in a nutshell, it's across the street from sea world, has a lazy river, beach, indoor and outdoor pool, splash pad, crafts for the kids, s'mores & movies at night, nature trails, water slides, playgrounds, and the list just goes on. it's super kid friendly, but at the same time, would be so relaxing if it were just rob and me. we could just chill in a hammock overlooking the lazy river....ahhh, maybe one day.

emma planned our little weekend getaway, so with Tigg in tow...

and baxter the bear for our little buddy...

and one amazing pumpkin spice latte....

we headed to our african safari. emma said, "we just had to do that first."

and bro was just excited to have the windows rolled down. it's the little things, right?

after seeing this photo, i promptly cleaned my mirror with a little spit and kleenex.

we paid our admission, got two bags of food, and were on our way...

i'll admit i was super ~~scared~~ surprised at how close the animals came.

it didn't take bro long to figure out to hang his head out the window like a wild chimpanzee.

i thought i cleaned that mirror?

ahhh...that's better.

we passed bro off between the two of us.

the whole time i was just praying that my windows would roll up, should i need them to.

meet our mud covered little fellow...

oh my goodness was miss emma excited!

and bro too.

next up were the zebras.

zebras are one of miss emma's favorite things...

i think this zebra picked us as one of it's favorite things...cue the high pitch screams!

oh my goodness! they were a bit too friendly.

i got a little panic-eeee.

and this little dude was a little freaky too.

we finished up our morning at the ranch. bro took a nap. rob did some work on his laptop, and i headed here.

with the sweetest girl ever.

just like her momma...

she could just dig all day.

so that's what we did. i helped her make a heart shaped pool.

complete with a river...

and some castles and tunnels too.

rob and carson joined us later on.

we did the sun/sand/lazy river/pool thing...

and wore these two slam out.

they {thankfully} made it through dinner. and then it was off to bed for day two.

Emma's Birthday Celebration

2011-10-08T14:31:00.001-05:00

Well, it's official. Our sweet baby girl just turned five. I'm here to give you the birthday party recap. Let's start with the invite (with some information blurred out :)...

We've been planning her party for months now. It all started with a request about nine months ago for a reindeer party. All I could think was a reindeer party? In September? And Christmas had already passed, so there was not a single reindeer thing to even buy. awesome. So, this is what I did...

It was an Emma's favorite things party. So, she picked it all. The colors. The reindeer. The cake. The drinks. The list goes on. Just so you don't think I'm crazy, take a look at this photo, and maybe after you read it, you won't think I'm quite so schizophrenic, and you'll understand how this party came to be.

We had tons of family in for the big celebration. It's always a treat to see my sweet sisters...

And, of course, no party's complete without Mama C.!

This was her cake. It was a lemonade cake, which was per miss emma's request. Her favorite color is yellow, so the inside was yellow too. We used her very own toy favorite reindeer for the top, and I made a sweet bunting with her name for decoration. I used this recipe. But, I did tweak it a bit. I don't think I'm capable of following a recipe completely. I used yellow lemonade mix, and added the zest of two lemons. I think I doubled the lemon juice, and added some yellow dye too. I only had a bite, but it was delish! The lemon cream cheese frosting was divine!

The night before, I cranked out over 50 "fairy cakes." I made the toppers myself, and used good 'ole Starbucks stir sticks, broken in half, for the stick portion. Don't worry, I've bought my share of Pumpkin Spice Lattes lately :) I used this recipe for the cupcakes.

She was a happy girl!

I used our family heirloom tree branch as the centerpiece. We made reindeer, cupcake, the number 5, and the letter E salt dough ornaments, and I used some old mardi gras beads that I had on hand for garland.

Marshmallows are one of Miss Emma's very favorite things, so I made marshmallows pops. Some were just yellow chocolate covered with sprinkles...

And others were chocolate covered with graham crackers on top...smores! She loves those too!

Since fairies are one of her favorite things, I used the fairy theme to label the food...

This was the door to "Tink's Workshop."

They were busy crafting in the backyard.

My hair looks super greasy in this photo. I promise it isn't. And, I promise it was super windy that day too.

We had a cupcake pinata, which I filled mostly with non-candy items like bubbles and mardi gras necklaces. There was some candy thrown in too :)

It was filled to the top, but you would have never know it.

Holy geez, I don't think any of it every even hit the ground.

Bro was happy with his sugar overload...

So, so happy with Cam too.

We did bobbing for lemons...

Which Miss Emma informed me tasted, "nasty."

But was still quite entertaining.

And, we had a great turnout. There were little children everywhere!

It was time for the cake...

And thanks to the wind, I had to cup my hands completely around the candles to keep them lit. I haven't quite figured out how to do that and take a photo at the same time :) But, she made her wish, and that's all that counts.

I think she enjoyed herself...

And I think he did too.

We love her. She's sweet, helpful, independent, and oh so spirited.

And, she loves her daddy tons.

Our babysitter extraordinaire was even there for Miss Emma's special day.

Grand-dad and Nana came too.

And after everyone had left, Carson braved the jump house for a little while.

He had his personal assistant with him.

See, she does just what he wants :)

They're sweet.

These were our favors....cookies in jar. They were fun to make, and so fun for Miss Emma to hand out to her friends. I've been wanting to make them for a long time. Here's the recipe, if you're interested! I wanted to use the breast cancer pink m&m's, but they aren't being manufactured anymore. So, I just doubled the amount of chocolate chips :)

I made tags for the front and tags for the back...

Carson got a turn with some real cowboy boots. It made me want to go buy him and his sister a pair.

And, the next day, everybody had to go home. We were so glad that Papa C. got to make it too.

Thanks to everyone for all of their help...especially our dads! They did the grilling and the steaking down of the bounce house, and a lot more. I'll spare you the details and the photos, but the morning of the party, I had to take Rob to the E.R. He practically cut his finger tip off while washing my punch bowl. Eight stitches later, we were back home with two prescriptions for pain, an antibiotic, and one for the books.

I was so grateful that Aunt Lindy was there to keep the kiddos while we rushed off to the emergency room. It was an eventful weekend to say the least.

So, Happy Birthday sweet Emma! You've grown up too fast, but we've enjoyed every minute. You are a super special little girl, and we all just love you to pieces.

Your party was fun, but in your own words, it was "too fun" of a day :)

Love you Memms!

More birthday inspiration can be found on my "happy happy birthday" board on Pinterest!

It's so addicting...so, so addicting :)

If you need an invite, just send me an email to jenncdouglas{at}gmail{dot}com

I'd love to get you addicted too :)

hi y'all!

2011-10-07T13:22:00.006-05:00

carson has a little something to say, so i thought i'd share...

(you might need to turn it up a bit.)

isn't he just too cute with his buttery twang? we were headed out the door one day, and he looked at me and said, "bye, y'all." so so funny. i didn't think i said that all that often, but turns out, well, we all do. the littles never lie, do they?

earlier this week, emma had dad's night at school. they had a blast together and came home with these very scary masks....

while she was there, she even painted me a rainbow. so sweet.

and i attempted to get a together photo of my favorite two...

otherwise the week was spent getting ready for miss emma's 5th birthday party bash. i've been baking, shopping, wrapping, decorating, and well, the list never ends. a birthday post should be not too far away.

so, it's friday, and it's miss emma's birthday party eve (i told y'all we celebrate eves, right?), so we're excited!

we've got lots of family and tons of friends coming in for the party.

so, please cross your fingers for no rain...heaven help me if it does.

you might even want to say an extra prayer or two.

i just finished cranking out 50+ cupcakes and i'm headed to the preschool pick-up line.

then it's off to the gym. i plan to eat cake this weekend, and i'm not the girl who gets to eat cake without hitting the treadmill.

so, i guess that's all for now.

bye y'all!

Dear Carson,

2011-09-18T19:49:00.000-05:00

Let's start with the obvious...you are so loved by us all! I can't believe you are on the downhill slide to being two. I wish I could just stop the clock. 19 months old and growing everyday. Here you are in a nutshell...

You are cutting your top two canine teeth. You are also cutting a little tooth on the bottom left. That one will complete your bottom, center set of four. After those three come in, you will have fourteen...yikes!

You love to brush your teeth!

And, you got new shoes! They were a size 6.5. I couldn't believe how much you'd grown!

You and your sister love to spin these days....

3 o'clock...

12 o'clock...

9 o'clock...

And back around to the front...

Then you are so dizzy, you fall straight to the ground...

And repeat...

I'm so afraid you are going to end up in the E.R., but you do have so much fun...

The day before you turned 19 months, you came down with hand, foot, and mouth. I felt so, so sorry for you. We spent the week with your little head on my chest. I did enjoy our snuggling time though :)

The day you came down with the virus was the same day as your 18 month well baby check, so we had to postpone. So a month late for your check-up, you weighed in at 26 lbs., 2 oz. (50%), was 33.25 inches long (75%), and had a head circumference of 48.5 cm (64%). You are one growing boy! I think you actually should have weighed more, but I know you lost a few ounces the week you were so, so sick. You got two shots...the flu and hep a. You were a champ!

We've all four had the flu vaccine now, so I'm going to cross my fingers for a healthy family :)

We've got a peeker on our hands these days too.

You've managed to learn to creep up the bottom rung of the barstool and peek over the island.

You are just so cute!

You are fascinated with the stairs too. You spend your time at the park going up and down, up and down. But you are always wanting my hand when you are headed down. You are just so, so sweet!

You are working on your fork mastering skills...

Pretty good, eh?

And so proud!

The pediatrician asked how many words you had. So, your daddy and I counted the other night. When we got to over 50, we stopped. I guess you are ahead of the curve in the language department :)

You love to pray at all of our meals. If we forget, you always remind us. "Pray, pray, pray..." with your little hands folded together. You always say, "Amen" too.

You are such a blessing, you are so much fun, and we just love you!

on friday eve

2011-09-15T14:52:00.000-05:00

i found myself at the local grocery store...again. i think i could go everyday. as soon as i walk in the door with a load, low and behold we need something else. like yesterday was motrin and today is kid's toothpaste. although, when i spotted these little beauties....

you would have thought I had just found a hundred dollar bill. you see, they are honey crisp apples, and i wait all year for them. you think i'm joking? i am not. they are crisp. they are juicy. they are tart and sweet and everything delicious rolled into one. if you've never tried one, you haven''t lived. i celebrated by chopping one and adding it to my salad. delish.

bro celebrated his friday eve by rounding up his lsu football, milk, paci and phone. no way could he be copying someone else i know...

and miss emma celebrated her friday eve with some craft time. i think this was a "welcome home" for her daddy. so sweet. if you don't celebrate "eves" in your house, you should. it's kinda fun. we do birthday eves, and friday eves and everything in between.

friday rolled around and we enjoyed a lazy weekend as a family of four.

too bad this one is blurry. love it.

both e and c are into their blankets these days.

so fun.

the weekend had to end. still not sure why that's the case. i sent rob off later that week in this...

i was laughing so hard that i had tears in my eyes. if you drive one of these, please accept my apologies. i'm sure it's a fine car, but for my hubby, it was hysterical.

you see, we drive big cars. really big cars. so, to see him in this was too funny for words. normally he's in a big pick-up truck. this resembled somewhat of a clown car. a dichotomy for sure.

it's a rental for work when he travels, so we'll leave it at that.

rob leaves for work and i spend my week like this...

they say a picture is worth a 1,000 words. i am a believer.

it was hand, foot and mouth. oh my gosh. pure horror and misery for my sweet baby boy. he was just like this for the week. so, so sad.

high fever. rash. ulcers. refused to eat.

so glad it's over.

really glad it's over.

and i hope we never have it again.

i've kinda caught up on the blog, so if you wanna check out...

happy friday eve y'all!

Happy Birthday to our Emma!

2011-09-12T13:27:00.005-05:00

Our sweet baby girl turned FIVE today....

Neither of us can believe it.

These photos are from her five year old photo shoot, but let me tell you that that shoot didn't quite go as planned. We planned the whole thing...timing of the light, outfit, daddy to keep bro, balloons from heb, the list goes on. We got to our special spot and my battery was dead. No big deal, I tried the other battery, and it was dead too. It was not my day. Then, a balloon blew away, and not just any balloon, but the yellow one. And, we all know that yellow is her favorite color. A few minutes later, we lost another one. This time it was pink. So, we loaded everything back up and went home. Once we were home, I threw the battery on the charger, and still thought that I might be able to knock this shoot out. So, we jumped back into the car and drove around the corner to a spot in our neighborhood. We started with four balloons...yellow, pink, orange, and purple. We were down to purple and orange. Neither she nor I knows where the purple one went, so that left us with orange. And would you believe the sprinklers came on in the middle of the shoot? So this is what we got. Y'all know I'm a perfectionist, but just to let y'all know...I settled that day. I settled big time, so y'all should all be proud :)

I was super pleased with one, and that's all you need, right? I just love her to pieces.

I plan to do a yearly birthday questionnaire with all of my kiddos, but I haven't gotten that far yet. So, I'll tell you what I know for sure...

She's sweet, loves reindeers and fairies (I really think it's the magic that she likes), gives the best hugs and kisses, loves hard (really, really hard), helps me whenever she can, loves her baby brother to pieces, is a daddy's girl for sure, is always thinking... and asking... and figuring, has an amazing spirit, and has been such a blessing to our family.

Her birthday party is in a few weeks, but I still wanted her real birthday to be special, so I baked these...

And she started the morning by opening her birthday hat, which was so fun to wear. She got wished a "Happy Birthday" 100 times that day.

Daddy brought in dough-nuts for our special girl...

Bro definitely approved of his breakfast...

We sang, "Happy Birthday..." And that was the start of her day.

After the gym, I loaded up the cupcakes.

And we headed to the park.

We met some of Emma's favorite friends for a birthday picnic.

And, we sang again...

And wished again...

It was a festive morning.

She opened her gift from us...

And, had been playing with her birthday fairies from Mama and Papa C. all day.

She had quite a bit to open... So, a big thank you to all of our family and friends who sent Miss Emma cards for her special day. She enjoyed it all.

I started on dinner, looked up, and found this. Yay for the littles! Turn your head one second and bam! Okay, now I sound like Emeril. Dinner was Emma's choice...burgers on the grill and...

Strawberry Shortcake. Miss Emma decorated the top too.

She had her best friend over for dinner and dessert.

Bro is always excited when there's sugar involved.

We sang again...

And wished again...

And ended the night with just some Emma time...

Bro was already sound asleep, but we did sneak in a quick photo of just the three of us.

geez they grow up fast.

cookies in a jar, catastrophe, and casserole

2011-09-07T22:02:00.002-05:00

the cat was away this week, so we started the week off with a haircut for the little boy blue. if i'm honest, i'll tell you that i wanted to puke when i saw how much she chopped off. i think i'm okay with it now, but i still don't like to talk about it. i know, i'm weird, but my mantra post-cut was "he is a boy" and "it is still curly." those two phrases got me through the week.

later on in the week, we met some friends at lupe tortilla for dinner. it's a great restaurant with a huge sand pit filled with toys for the little ones. everything was fine until miss e got her foot run over by one of the roller coaster cars. she was screaming. bro was crying. i was trying to pay the check, carry two kids to the car, and maintain sanity. you would have thought her leg was falling off. i had a plan to keep the sand out of my car, trying to nix those potential ant beds, but with two screaming kids, that plan went out the window very quickly.

we made it home in one piece, and as you can see here, miss e is fine. we spent some of our week assembling cookies in a jar for emma's upcoming birthday. this is what is simmering in the background. it's crock pot chicken taco chili. it was delish, super easy, and made a ton. i highly recommend!

i had an eager little helper in the kitchen.

i just love when she wears her apron.

they were a bit messy for sure, but emma had a blast filling and dumping. it was sorta like a sandbox in the kitchen. if you plan to make these, i nixed the m&m's and traded them for more chocolate chips.

later that weekend, i made a new breakfast casserole....

It was delish! And we ate the leftovers all week. Both of my kids gobbled it up too. And, at around 100 calories a square and chocked full of veggies, you just can't beat it. Here's the recipe...

Paleo Breakfast Casserole

12 eggs

1 yellow squash, chopped

1 zucchini, chopped

1/4 onion, chopped

1 pkg. frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained

8 strips of bacon (I cooked that on parchment in the oven at 350.)

1 Tbsp. garlic powder

1 tsp. oregano

a little chopped fresh rosemary

salt and pepper

Heat oven to 350. Beat eggs. Add veggies. Add the bacon, crumbled. Add the spices. Pour into a greased 13X9 casserole dish. Bake for about 45 minutes. Cut into 12 squares.

I may skip the bacon next time. It was kinda hard to taste it all mixed in. Maybe I'll just serve it on the side?

You could add other veggies too....enjoy!

we went.

2011-09-04T21:47:00.004-05:00

but don't let the photos fool you. we weren't there long, and we will probably never go back.

it was the children's museum. i couldn't believe that we were residents of this city and had never been. so, we made a sunday afternoon outing attempt, and upon entering the museum, i came to the realization that unless i'm severely medicated, we will never return.

i did my research. i had never tried to take the kids by myself. advice from friends said it would be too difficult to keep up with two. i contacted the museum, and they let me know that sunday afternoons were pretty slow. but they failed to mention that it was "free" admission on that sunday. "hell on earth" comes to mind. i know that's horrible, but geez people, that is the truth.

rob and i mazed our way out of there just as quick as we could. on the plus side, we didn't waste any money right?

i did feel bad for miss emma though. it was like, "let's go to disney, walk down main street, and then turn around." she took really well though, and then we treated her to dinner out instead. learn from me, and don't ever go anywhere that's free. ever.

school days...

2011-09-02T20:51:00.004-05:00

miss emma had her very first day of pre-k.

she is enrolled in a 3 day a week church preschool this year, and her very first day was oh so exciting! she was even excited about wearing her new shoes! but as always, it was bittersweet for me. this is the last "first day" before kinder. yikes. it leaves me wondering where we'll be next year. from the looks of things, it doesn't look like we are going anywhere. yikes again.

oh well. i plan to make the most of it, wherever we are. i found super cute "first day" printables on pinteres t (oh my heavens that site is addicting!), but that doesn't help things when your printer is broken. so, i whipped up one of my own.

we snapped a quick family photo and headed out the door. we were so grateful to have our daddy with us :)

i just love her spirit.

bro thought he belonged there too.

she was so proud of her pink birthday scoop of ice cream on the wall. it's the little things, right? they are the purple dragonflies this year, and emma let me know that she would rather have been the butterflies. i couldn't agree more.

we got hugs and kisses. no tears. and that was that. she jumped right in and hasn't looked back.

then, it was just me and bro for a few hours.

oh and i totally forgot to post about of big eight years....

and on another note...

rob is convinced that i should have ant beds in my car. if you have littles, you get it. if you don't, then i'll let you know that almost all mommas struggle with the whole "food in the car thing." i'll clean it out, feed africa, then get really strict on eating in the car. about two weeks later, when carson is screaming, we start the vicious cycle all over again. as i look at this photo, i'm not seeing any food. i've been trying really hard, so if you see my sweet hubby, the one who is waiting for ants to colonize in my mom-mobile, could you let him know that it doesn't look all that bad?

thanks y'all.

18 months

2011-08-18T13:25:00.005-05:00

You still have 11 pearly whites. There was no teeth cutting this month :)

And, your blue eyes just steal my heart.

Those curls are amazing too.

Your daddy and I celebrated eight years of marriage this month.

And, I do have to say you and your sister and the two best blessings we could have ever asked for.

You are really into saying "hi" these days. That is what you are doing in this photo.

You generally sleep until about 7 am, go to bed between 7 and 7:30 pm, and nap from about 11:30 am to 2 pm. I can push it later if I need to.

You are a happy baby boy, still LOVE your paci, and LOVE to give kisses.

You love the stars and the moon on your ceiling at night.

And your sister loves to tell you good night.

You love to make all of the animal sounds and tell me all of your body parts.

You are so fun, and all three of us have enjoyed you so much.

Cheers to being 1.5!

happy wedding day

2011-08-16T21:21:00.000-05:00

it was our eighth wedding anniverary, and we had plans to be in costa rica. well, life got in the way. my hubby took a new job. he had a month solid of training in san antonio, and of course, that month overlapped our little trip, so the thing that i was most excited about in a really. really. long. time. was canceled. if i'm honest, i'll tell you that i cried.

but there was nothing that could be done. so, i got over it...and was grateful for the new job, for the health of our two little monkeys, and for food on the table. although, i found it a little ironic that instead of being together in costa rica on our anniversary, we were going to be apart. things change so quickly.

that was until my mom offered to come keep my littles. she even brought my little sister along. so that's what happened, and we ended up here for our anniversary dinner...

i would highly recommend. it is on the river walk, but in a bit quieter section, is quaint, non-chain, historical, and full of character. their patio is beautiful, and if it wouldn't have been a temp. of 115, we might have braved it.

i was so thankful to be with my sweet hubby that night. it's been a wonderful eight years of marriage, and i love him to pieces.

we shared a bottle of wine, from a vineyard that we toured in napa.

and we shared a yummy dessert too. i enjoyed the uninterrupted conversation the most. i even had a couple of days to myself to shop. in peace. my brain actually worked on complete thoughts for a few days. it was amazing! i met him for lunch twice, and we even made it to a movie. so, a big thank you to mama c. and aunt ash for keeping miss e and mister c. i know they enjoyed your visit.

Dirt, Sand, Ants, Poop, and iPhones

2011-08-11T14:36:00.007-05:00

He eats dirt.

And sand.

And he thinks it's hilarious. I'm not sure why I'm surprised, but he is a boy, and I guess that's what they do.

I hate to disappoint, but he's not eating ants....yet. Those pesky little things have taken over our kitchen, and after a visit from our exterminator, I'm hoping they are gone.

Of course, it's never just a visit from the exterminator. All of the countertops needed wiping off post visit and the floors had to be mopped too. It was just a mess...white foamy stuff just everywhere. I found myself thinking that, "we hire this out." Well, the package should have come with a maid. I also found myself wondering what the cancer rates were for exterminators. My nose was on fire after he sprayed. Emma was sneezing...I even opened a window in our beautiful 115 degree heat.

Here's one for you...Carson brought me an unwrapped poopy diaper the other day. How it wasn't all over everything I. will. never. know.

Thank. you. Lord.

Well if he would have been the first child, I would have tried to figure it out. Where did he get it? How did it get there? And so on. I honestly didn't give it second thought and just assumed that I had left it in the mud room, instead of taking it outside.

Fast forward two hours. Rob comes in from work and is rough housing with the littles. He looks at me like I've lost it, because he discovers that Carson isn't wearing a diaper at all.

Nice. So, then I figured it out. He had slid his dirty diaper off and out of his one-piece outfit. And, then of course brought the diaper to me. Time for potty training?

geez. not there yet. I'm pretty sure Rob was questioning my sanity at that very moment.

No showings on the house. And another price drop. Even better.

And, when my hubby calls or texts me now, my brand new iphone recognizes him as "MyProfile."

That's enough alone to drive a type a personality crazy. But wait, there's more....

I was overjoyed when I realized that I inherited all of his contacts too.

In a perfect world, I would ask all of y'all for your favorite apps, but that part is sorta jacked up too. If you have a favorite, leave it in the comments, and let's hope that one day I get it all resolved.

And, this stupid thing isn't playing nice with my bluetooth either. I have a GMC, so if y'all have any suggestions, I would love them.

GMC says it's iphone's problem and iphone says it's GMC's.

Of course they do.

Who knows. All I know is everybody loves these things, and well, I'm not so sure.

Well gotta run...MyProfile is calling.

Are Y'all Still With Me?

2011-08-07T20:21:00.002-05:00

Oh my heavens folks! I know it's been a while. I think I need a pardon from y'all...one for my most recent hiatus!

I can't quite put a finger on my reasons for my disappearance, but this one definitely comes to mind...

He's busy. He's quick. And he's a little naughty.

He's so, so sweet too. But, he's at that in-between age where...

a. mentally, he knows what he wants.

b. physically, he wants to do everything miss e does, but

c. he's lacking both the verbal and motor skills to make the above two happen

This can lead to...

fit throwing.

check.

and one tired momma.

check.

Rob's been gone too, which is just plain hard. There's no other way to put it. He's spent the last two weeks in San Antonio for new job training. And the kiddos miss him terribly, especially this one...

She is a daddy's girl. We're counting down the days until Daddy comes home, so to help pass the time, we worked super hard on a special "welcome home daddy" sign.

I thought I would get all caught up on the blog while he was gone, but it didn't exactly go that way. By the end of the day, I was pretty much spent. I spent plenty of evenings tidying up the house, with the possibility of a showing looming over my head.

A showing while flying solo is never any fun, and I still have two more weeks of this single parenting thing ahead of me :)

We've spent some time at the splash pad, outside, at the yogurt shop, and at the gym, but we are really just waiting on Daddy to come home.

It's not all bad. We are blessed for sure...blessed for the health of our children and blessed for the new job.

It's just different and kind of hard to explain to a four year old and a one year old. I'm sure you've all been there.

Promise to be back soon.

hugs!

Staycation Recap ::Part 3::

2011-08-01T22:14:00.004-05:00

We spent a couple of our days at the local spray park. I love it here...no standing water=less potential for a drowning :)

There were two families of baby ducks enjoying the park with us. One momma had 13 babies and the other had 11. Somedays I can't make it work with 2.

We did some sidewalk chalking too.

Instead of love, I should have written, "we're melting."

Because, we all were...

I love my two so much!

Bro rarely complies with a photo these days. He prefers to go, go.

But, I did manage to snap this one...

They are so sweet together.

Bro enjoys his popsicles so much these days.

Here's Miss Emma with her chalk crown...

And let's just call him King Crab!

Geez it's been hot here. Here's hoping for some cooler weather...maybe one day!

Staycation Recap ::Part 2::

2011-07-24T21:13:00.006-05:00

Hello folks! I'm back again with part 2. Two posts in two days...that might just be a record for me! If you're not a fan of a few too many photos, you might wanna skip out on this one.

Thanks to my oh so amazing hubby, we started many of our staycation mornings with this...

I think breakfast is probably my favorite meal of the day. It's probably because I rarely get to eat it. Generally, it involves slamming down a protein shake on the way to the gym, so these mornings were a special treat. Miss Emma even learned how to flip an egg.

The kiddos always approve of a big breakfast...

Mr. Carson chows down any chance he gets.

They also love berries and whip cream. My kids would both die for that spray cream in a can. If you've got a loud toddler on your hands, give him a squirt on his tray. Immediate silence will come over him :)

Emma spent several evenings with her daddy fishing in the lake. I love that she's so girly, but so outdoorsy too.

We spent some time riding bikes too.

Carson chooses to push cars instead.

In and out is the game he plays.

This is what we call "Tinkerbell hair."

I still can't believe I have a blonde baby...

Oh my goodness I love this photo.

He's a bit crabbier than Emma was at this age. You probably don't believe me...

Maybe now you do?

I am in love with his little gym shorts. Even if they are on backwards...

Up and down the driveway is another one of his favorite games.

And eating chalk is another.

The proof is in the photos! Maybe I should write, "BUY THIS HOUSE" in big letters at the foot of our driveway. You think that would help it sell?

She's such a good big sister to the bro.

They do have their moments though.

Later on, we headed to the backyard for homemade popsicles and some swinging.

These were fresh peach and mint.

Bro loved them!

I think he ate two.

pure. enjoyment.

We are nearing the end of the photos.

I promise.

She wears jewelry everyday now. a necklace. and a bracelet.

I know I'm partial, but we are so blessed.

We were all drenched. Thank you 110 degree heat! Baths and showers were next on the list for everybody!

Later that week, Emma did some rock climbing.

And bro worked on perfecting his "up and down the stairs" routine. Geez this age makes me so nervous!

We had dinner at Chuy's one night, which is one of my favorites ever. The littles ended the night with Blue Bell Rainbow Push-Up pops. They were both in heaven! The popsicles reminded me of the sherbet ones I used to eat when I was little. Rob too.

And then we acquired a new family member. Meet Sea Biscuit. Can you tell that Miss Emma is in love with race horses?

Staycation Recap ::Part 1::

2011-07-19T23:02:00.002-05:00

Hi folks! It's been awhile for sure! My hubby's been in between jobs, so we attempted a staycation of our very own. I'll try to piece it all back together for you, but you'll will have to bear with me. I'm afraid I may have to bust out some pics from my phone along the way...

We spent plenty of days at the splash pad. What else do you do with the littles when it's 110 degrees outside?

And, we've been saying for years we would take the little road trip here...

We made it to the little town of Brenham, and if you're planning a trip here, you might wanna know that they are only open during the week.

Emma was so excited!

And bro is good with anything that involves food.

I love this one :)

And this is what you get when you ask your hubby to take a quick shot of you and the kiddos...pure blurriness :)

We got there early, but no cameras were allowed during the tour. So those were the "before the tour" pics and these are the "after." We were all eating ice cream by 10 am.

Emma enjoyed every bite.

It was so cool to see how the ice cream was made.

I wish I had photos to share of that part, but a girl's gotta follow the rules :)

There wasn't even a drop left in Miss Emma's cup.

I promise!

I was dying to try the birthday cake ice cream, but that wasn't one of the options. Guess we'll just have to buy the half gallon :)

This was our attempt of Emma being the "Blue Bell Girl Silhouette."

See below for the girl that Emma was trying to be... It was a total coincidence that their dresses and shoes were so similar. I should have brought her a hat and a bucket :)

I wanted a family shot at the end, but settled for this. At least it's in focus, right?

Later that weekend we met some old friends at Grimaldi's for dinner.

The kids got pizza dough to play with until their dinner arrived.

Bro decided to eat his.

Which shouldn't have surprised me.

at. all.

This place has the best. pizza. ever. If you haven't tried it and get the chance, you should!

While Rob was paying the bill inside, we took the kids outside to check out the fountains. In a matter of seconds, she was soaked...

And so was he!

Sometimes, you just gotta let it go...

They went home naked in the car...

And I feared what the police officer would say if we got pulled over.

Be back soon with Part 2...

Y'all sleep tight :)

Dear Bro,

2011-07-18T13:26:00.007-05:00

You're 17 months now, and I just can't believe how fast you've grown! You're the sweetest little boy ever, and I could just eat you up. We all love you so much! Here's the latest...

Your nap is so much better! It's usually around 11:30. And lasts about 1.5 to 2 hours.

We finally made it to your 15 month check-up. You weighed in at 24 lbs. 7 0z, which put you in the 25-50%. You were 32.4 inches long (75%), and had a head circumference of 47 cm (25-50%).

You are still wearing your 24 month clothes. Your 12-18 months are pretty snug.

Your diaper size is a 4, and your shoe size is a 5, but I think new ones are just around the corner.

As for your teeth...you are cutting all four of your molars. That was a fun little grouping. Teething is just pitiful for you...just so sad. You're getting another little tooth too, next to to pair on the bottom. It's just to the right of that little pair. Let's see, that makes for 11 little teeth!

I'm saving all of your words for your 18 month post. You've got to have at least 50 these days.

You drink whole milk and water only. If I give you anthing else, you look at me like I've lost it.

You are a busy little boy these days. You've got walking and running down, and I love watching you explore. Hugs to my sweet baby boy!

Staging, Sanity, Sweating, Saints, Sunglasses & Sum up

2011-07-11T14:24:00.007-05:00

That's a whole lot of s's...

Hello friends! I'll admit it's been too long since I last posted, but it's been nuts around here. Let's start at the top...staging. I've spent the last few weeks staging this little thing we call home....

And, let me say to anyone who's had their house on the market with little ones at home...I respect you, admire you, and applaud your great efforts. Folks, this had been a lot of work, and we're only about one week in. I may need a sanity check in a major way before this is all over.

That leads me to my next s...sweating. It is so hot y'all, and we've been busting it in the yard and the house. So, we've been sweating our tails off.

I even buried this little guy in my front yard to help things along. So, dear ole St. Joseph, please help our little house sell, sell, sell!

Legend has it that if you bury him in your front yard and say the little prayer, your house will sell. Well, he's buried, and I'll keep ya posted on the rest. Staging was fun. It consisted of removing the stuff from my counters and stuffing it underneath.

If y'all are still with me, next is a quick sum-up of our fourth...

We spent it at our neighborhood parade.

Which is never complete without an at-home decorated bike...

We even hooked our little bro up with his very own ride.

And Emma became fascinated with sunglasses...

And more sunglasses...

Bro jumped on the sunglasses bandwagon too...

Emma was the leader of the pack for the parade, which I'm sure all of you know made her so happy.

We finished up with snacks & crafts with our babysitter extraordinaire. We love her and I'm not sure what we're going to do without her.

Carson's long-lost brother was in attendance at the party. It was crazy how much they looked alike.

And, we finished up the festivities with bubbles.

So far, that's it for photos for July. Oh my heavens, I just double-checked that, and that is the truth. We've got July 4th photos and photos of our hopefully soon to be sold house. Can you tell I've been preoccupied?

Hopefully we can chill a bit now and enjoy our summer.

For all of you so confused, Rob got a new job. I just realized that I left out that piece of information. So, now we have plans to relocate to the Dallas area. If you have any thoughts or suggestions on where to move, I would love to have them. Any advice on areas or schools would be greatly appreciated! We are both a little overwhelmed!

My Little Boy Blue

2011-06-18T14:13:00.011-05:00

You are sixteen months now, and everyday you seem to learn or say something new. Here's a look back at the past month...

On 5.26.11, you took your very first steps! So, that made you 15 months and about one week old for that big walking milestone. Just like I thought, in a matter of minutes, your first steps turned into making laps around the house. I guess you've been busy just perfecting and practicing.

You love your sister "memma" so, so much.

She loves to play with you...

But, we still do have our share of mishaps.

You are sweet, but honestly, your naps have been a nightmare. No napping has meant no blogging for your momma. We did switch to one nap....again. You have an early lunch around 11 am, and I put you down at 11:15 or 11:30. Then, I pray that you sleep longer than forty five minutes. seriously.

Maybe we are making some strides, because yesterday, you slept two hours and forty five minutes...which is why I got to write this post. Nap was from 11:15 to 2, but I am not telling you this, because if I did, it would probably totally jinx it.

You like to put your little hand up to your ear now and say, "hello."

And, you love to play with sister's baby dolls...you say, "bebe."

We aren't too worried about you liking baby dolls. You love to grill on the play kitchen too.

If you could touch everything that was "up high," you would be on cloud 9. And, you love it when I help you do a somersault.

You like to knock the big block tower over too.

You have a new high pitch scream/cry. It does wonders for my sanity. And, you needed a haircut terribly, so I took both of y'all.

A couple of weeks ago you had some sort of viral sore throat that came complete with little mouth ulcers. You cried all day for an entire week, and I thought I just might lose it. Mouth ulcers+your wonderful napping routine=more than a few heaven help me moments.

You have the best little laugh in the entire world. And when I tease you with your paci, you laugh so, so hard. Mama C. was with us for most of the week, so she helped me wrangle the two of you for haircuts.

If you look closely, you can see her peeking around the corner :)

Duck-duck is by far your favorite word. You have a tiny little book with a duck-duck on it, and it is your favorite. You carry it around so proud, walking, and saying, "duck-duck."

So I marked 6.8.11 as your very first haircut. I think you were super over due...

But I have this thing with keeping those baby curls.

I've only cut your little bangs a few times, so this was the first official chop, chop.

Here's the after...

And here's a shot of the back...

Sister got a haircut too.

She loved getting it cut and enjoyed her time in the little yellow car too.

Mama C. stole a kiss. We were so glad to have her for a visit.

And you were cracking up at yourself in the mirror...waving & waving.

And waving some more.

All done!

And oh so ~~pretty~~ handsome.

We took the obligatory mommy & me. I have one with Emma on her first haircut...just trying to keep it equal. wink. wink.

No 15 month check-up stats to report. I need to bust a move. I guess that's the whole 2nd child thing working in your favor...

I know you're healthy, and a check up just means exposure to sick kids + shots.

To our little bro-bro,

Just know that you are so, so loved and watching you grow has been the best. You have the prettiest blue eyes, and I honestly think I could just eat you with a spoon :)

laundry & mantras

2011-06-17T14:15:00.008-05:00

I had a little thought this morning.

It was that if I could convince my family to run around naked today, all of our laundry would be done.

After I had that thought, I immediately thought that I was losing it.

oh heavens.

ALL of our laundry is done...the towels, the sheets, the lights, the darks, the cleaning towels, the beach towels and everything in between. I even washed my "hand wash only" dress.

Too bad it doesn't last.

And too bad, I am always behind on all of it.

And too bad, just when I think I have caught up, at least on the kids' stuff, Emma has a "once a year tee-tee accident" or somebody vomits.

Not only did I do our laundry, but I put it away too. ~~Except for the pile of clothes in the bottom of my closet that need to be hung up. do y'all have that wretched pile too?~~

My little buddy hasn't been the best napper lately. No nap equals you get nothing done...especially blogging.

So, don't be worried. I am here. Just attempting to exist without sanity time :)

Here's Carson's 15 month update if you're interested. I was late writing it, so it's been back-dated, but it's new :)

A friend told me that everything is a phase. For the past few weeks, I keep on reciting that mantra to myself...

everything is a phase...everything is a phase....everything is a phase...

that's how i get through the day.

geez...phases are tough. really tough.

heaven help me if he doesn't start napping soon.

and just for the record, when i started writing this post, my laundry really was done. really. but, i've been interrupted so many times by now, that my laundry really isn't done anymore.

we should have run around naked.

hope to be back soon.

::recipe:: Cucumber Mint Popsicles

2011-05-31T15:15:00.000-05:00

run out to your garden and pick some of this...mint is so yummy!

and go ahead and grab a sweet helper while you're at it.

muddle a handful of mint leaves with 1/2 cup of sugar.

in a saucepan, add your muddled mint, sugar, and 1/2 cup water. bring to a boil. while you are waiting for the mint simple syrup to boil, grab a cucumber, peel it, and slice it in half, lengthwise, like this...

scoop the seeds out. discard them.

and chop the cucumber up. by now your mint simple syrup is probably boiling. make sure that all of the sugar has dissolved, remove from heat, spoon the mint out, and allow to cool.

throw the cucumber in the food processor and pulse until smooth. it will look something like this...

add the juice of 3-4 key limes to the pureed cucumber.

once the mint simple syrup has cooled, add it to your pureed cucumber too. give it a stir and pour into your popsicle molds. freeze. this recipe makes enough to fill four popsicle molds. we love them so much that i tripled the recipe :)

these two were patiently waiting for their frozen treat...

and when the long awaited suspense was over, it was so worth it!

they are so yummy and refreshing! it's a new favorite at our house. it's free of all food dyes, doesn't stain our clothes, and they won't even realize they are eating their veggies :)

Cucumber Mint Popsicles

a handful of fresh mint

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup water

one cucumber

3-4 key limes

Muddle the mint with the sugar. In a small saucepan, combine the muddled mint, sugar, and water. Bring to a boil. Remove from heat. Spoon the mint out and allow to cool. Peel the cucumber. Slice it in half, lengthwise and scoop out the seeds. Discard the seeds. Throw the cucumber into the food processor. Pulse until smooth. Add the juice of 3-4 key limes to the cucumber puree. And once the mint simple syrup has cooled, add it to the cucumber puree too. Mix well to combine. Pour into molds and freeze. Makes 4 regular sized popsicles.

zoo'in it!

2011-05-25T15:53:00.001-05:00

the chimps are my favorite. i could watch them all day. really, all day. this little guy was hanging out for our viewing pleasure. he's the baby chimp. he's 8 years old.

miss emma got her photo with him.

and although we were sweaty, we joined in too. it is already so, so hot here.

emma moved on to kiss a sea turtle. turtles are a favorite too.

and then, as i perused through the photos, i realized it must have been "take a photo with a statue day" for miss emma. we got emma+rhino...

emma+giraffe...

emma+elephant...

and buddy was just along for the ride.

we had our daddy with us on this trip, which is always the best.

we checked out the meerkats...

the elephants... did you know they can cry?

and we saw more little bunnies running around than we could count.

there was a new baby giraffe too. emma says they are just so "precious."

the giraffes are one of our favorites too...

bro-bro walked and walked that day...

and LOVES the carousel!

sister does too.

this was my favorite photo of the day...

we ended with one last statue pic...

and bro walked some more. i guess practice make perfect, because he took his first steps the very next day! yay for bro-bro!

we headed to the car and were greeted with these little guys...so cute! cute, but stuck, and that momma duck was justa griping at them. we ended up helping a few up that big ole mountain :)

it's the end of your 3's

2011-05-19T15:24:00.003-05:00

dear miss emma, you've graduated from your 3's class. i can't believe how fast the year has flown by. next year is our last before kindergarten. i better stop there :)

we had your end of the year program, and you did super! bro was the perfect little guest in the audience.

program photos are never all that great, so i opted to video instead. y'all were just so cute singing and dancing :)

after the program, it was onto the party. our morning was a little rough. can i say that everything went wrong? your daddy and i both had our heads far, far, far into the clouds.

daddy saved the day and went home to get the rainbow cupcakes that i had made the night before ~~at midnight~~ and left on the counter in the morning. isn't that just the best? it had been a wild week to say the least. the cupcakes were as requested by you....pink, purple, and yellow, with a little midnight oil added just for fun.

if we made one mistake that morning, by 9 am, we had made a hundred. i. am. so. not. kidding. we did get a family pic, though. and yes, for the record the cupcakes do have halloween liners. i discovered this at 11pm the night before. there are some things that you just gotta let go.

you're a special, special girl.

and you've grown up so much.

we are so proud of you, and we just love you to pieces. yay for the summer!

Our little boy grew...

2011-05-18T13:00:00.000-05:00

and grew! You are 15 months now, and not so much a baby anymore. You enjoy your carousel rides so, so much! Here are a few highlights from the past month, and you'll have to forgive me...these photos were taken after your big 15 month milestone!

On 4.24.11 you stood alone...all by YOURSELF! You were holding onto nothing. You were so proud!
On 5.2.11 you said, "Emma," and I think you know who was the most excited about that one.
On 5.3.11 you used the word "ba" for your paci. When you want it now, that's what you say :)
You can also say hot, home, pop, snack, ball, uh-oh, and go, go, go!
You sleep with three paci's now. One in your mouth and one in each hand.
On 5.10.11 you started getting your two more top teeth...the two on either side on your front middle two. After these come in, you will have SIX!

Your napping schedule...oh my! We tried the one nap a day thing and failed miserably. I would put you down around noon and you would sleep a whole 45 minutes to an hour. That made for a fun rest of the day. It was the kind of day where the hubby walks in at 6 and says, "has it been like this all day?" After many ups and downs, somedays with one nap, somedays with two, we are back to two naps a day. The first is around 10 am, usually for about an hour, and the second is around 2 pm, usually for about 2 hours. 2 naps=a much happier bro and momma.
You can push a push toy faster than I've ever seen, but you haven't started walking yet. I think that when you decide to go, you'll just take off running.
I've been so impressed with how you maneuver your push toys. You can avoid any obstacle and change directions whenever you need to. After watching you, I'm convinced that boys are born better drivers.
Blueberries are by far your favorite food..."blue blues." You saw them for sale at the grocery store and signed more.
You are just too precious.

And you love your milk. Man, can you chug.
You also love to hook your tiny little feet on the highchair hook. For whatever reason, I love that.

Your favorite toys are anything that can be pushed.
Your diapers are a size 4, your shoes are a size 5, and your clothes are both 12-18 and 18-24 months.
You aren't much into snuggling these days, you would rather go, go, go! That makes me so sad.
You sign more, all done, drink, eat, and bath.
You love the itsy, bitsy spider.
And you couldn't care less about ANY tv show.
Although, I did catch you and your sister watching your morning cartoons together. It lasted all of about 5 seconds.

It's been so fun to watch you grow. We love you!

the season's end

2011-05-14T16:19:00.001-05:00

saturday was emma's very last soccer game.

i can't believe *TEN* games have already passed us by.

this is her "running real fast" face...

and this is one of her sweet friends on the team...

we ended the season with a party under the gazeebo...i love how she crosses her legs, while in her soccer uniform :)

poor little bro was oh so tired. he does pretty good at hanging in there...

miss emma was awarded her soccer trophy...

she was so proud...

she's such a sweet girl.

we brought these cupcakes for the picnic, made with none other than the team colors.

they were a big hit! and miss emma thinks they are just grand! three cheers for emma and her soccer season :)

mother's day weekend recap

2011-05-08T16:02:00.001-05:00

right after miss emma turned into a goldfish, we loaded the kiddos in the car and headed to see some of our very favorite friends in south texas. emma and tanner don't see each other often, but they always pick up right where they left off...

just best of friends....

they had a great time together all weekend long...playing, swimming & giggling. we enjoyed the company of juli & clinton too. we've missed them since they moved away.

we spent sunday afternoon in the green grass of our backyard...

it was mother's day, and i got to spend it with the two very best blessings in the whole world.

i have been blessed beyond measure. and i am so grateful.

on another note, this little dude loves to be outside...

but still won't walk, so that still counts him as a baby, right?

emma's such a little momma herself...always helping her little bro-bro out.

he wants to do it all, but isn't quite there yet.

i got my mother's day photo with my two babies. love them! we were missing mama c. today, but were sending good wishes her way. we were missing all of our grandmothers and great-grandmothers today too. blessings to them all and happy mother's day to all of the super moms out there :)

swim little goldfish, swim!

2011-05-06T15:57:00.002-05:00

we made it to the end of our second two week everyday session. yes this little swim club has seen our happy faces every. single. day. for the past month. it was show offs, and miss emma did just that....

she LOVES her swimming lessons!

and bro-bro just LOVES to be restrained....well not exactly.

we were all there to cheer her on....

and, at the end, she passed! so now she's a goldfish, and i'm so proud of her :)

whatever it takes

2011-05-05T15:45:00.002-05:00

if you'd like, you can come with me and peep into some random and wondering thoughts of my mind....

in an attempt to stay focused for more than 30 seconds, i think i'll use bullet points today.

i asked emma to help me do something the other day, and she replied with, "whatever it takes, mom." where do they get this stuff?
it has been a "whatever it takes" kind of week around here. i just can't seem to get it all together.
my kitchen floor could use a mopping about every .5 nanoseconds.
bro-bro eats more than i can keep up with. it is just plain exhausting.
bro-bro poops a lot too. i changed *THREE* dirty diapers yesterday before 2 pm. absolutely incredible.
between my kitchen floor, feeding the bro, and changing his business, i am certain i could hire some full-time help to focus only on those three tasks.
i pop bro-bro's hands when he throws food. he looked at me yesterday, just after i had whacked his little hands, and said, "pop," and smiled. heaven help me. welcome to the trials and tribulations of a 14 month old...
emma has claimed the very back of my car as her own. y'all know i'm type a, so i am always encouraging her to bring in her junk. i took a peek back there this morning, and you just wouldn't have believed....puzzle pieces, crayons, partly sucked on peppermints, trash for days, lollipop sticks, my little ponies, a tigger, old water bottles, and enough grease on the windows to fry a batch a chicken.
this whole merger thing has been a bit stressful. okay, i'm lying...really stressful.
rob and i were watching friday night lights the other night (it's our favorite show ever) and one of the scenes was filmed by the river at Southwest Texas, which is where we both went to college. it made me miss those days.
it made me want to throw rob in the car and head to the hill country for some river floating and relaxation....far far away from T-Mobile + AT&T
the only problem with that is that we would each have a turkey in the tube with us...goodbye relaxation!
and one of those turkeys would probably need a diaper change, just as soon as we hit the water.
i attempted to buy mother's day cards the other day. i went something like this..."carson, stop that....emma give that back to him....hang on guys, let me find one card...what are y'all doing?....don't eat off the floor..."
i left without any cards, but went out late last night without the turkeys to buy them.
i got home to sign and mail...no stamps.
so, if they are late, and they probably will be, i am sorry.
and the weather. what is up with all of the craziness? floods, tornados, droughts...i pray daily for all of those affected.
we have dogs barking at our house now 24/7. well, they aren't our dogs, but you get the drift. they are making me crazy.
i am two months behind on carson's monthly posts.... here's his 13 month update.
oh, and i just finished his 14 month update too.

here's a few pics from our Mother's Day tea. it was sweet and so fun to spend it with my memms.

I'll be back in a jiffy. I've got to tell y'all all about our trip to the circus and I've got a yummy kid-friendly recipe to share. It makes for a fun summer treat :)

cheers for cinco de mayo! and cheers for friday eve!

elephants, tigers, and bears, oh my!

2011-05-01T12:29:00.001-05:00

We started our evening at the circus with the elephants. They are truly amazing animals....

And, then not thinking, I agreed to ride one with Miss Emma.

Once we were aboard the elephant, the show, "Animals Gone Wild" went through my head. It was a bumpy ride...all I remember is telling Emma to hold on and with both hands!

They are so sweet...

And Miss Emma definitely enjoyed the show.

I had no idea that the circus lasted *three* hours, so we were in for a bit of a surprise.

There were tigers jumping through rings of fire...

Miss Emma loves tigers.

And, there were bears on bikes...

Bears on balls...

And bears on motorcycles...

Miss Emma gave her "emma look" to all of the above. Even Rob and I were impressed.

There was some cirque du soleil-like stuff too. Is it just us or does the circus have a major creep factor to y'all too? I always leave wondering all sorts of things....

You should have seen Miss Emma's face...

She just couldn't believe her eyes.

To make the night even more special, our tickets were Christmas gifts from our sweet neighbors. What a wonderful gift for a family! Lots of fun and loads of memories for all of us! I had Miss Emma draw what she remembered from the circus, and then we wrote her very first thank you note together. I told her which letters to write, and she did the rest!

on easter morning...

2011-04-24T21:25:00.002-05:00

i would tell you that emma started her easter morning with her window gel clings...

but that wouldn't be the truth. the truth is that she woke us up at 6:30 am on easter morning to let us know that the easter bunny had brought her a baby deer. that's what she's holding in this photo....

it's a baby deer alright. he's tiny. but, i guess that's proof that, "it's the little things..." you can see the new addition in front of miss emma's easter basket. and yes, that's what all of the excitement was about.

she was just giddy with the baby deer and giddy over her peeps too. marshmallow + yellow = pure love for miss emma.

buddy was happy with just his morning milk.

and these two together always make for a three-ring circus like atmosphere. is it like that at your house?

buddy stays pretty busy pushing his toy.

he wouldn't dare take a step without it.

believe it or not, we made it out of our pj's on easter morning...

and although we're all a bit squinty, just before church, we got a family photo too.

here's one with grand-dad and nana too.

emma will always pose for me these days...

and buddy, well, just his smocking, white socks, and white walking shoes made me smile.

i wish i could dress him like this everyday.

we were so thankful to have grand-dad and nana with us for our special easter weekend! thanks so much for coming to visit!

dyeing, hunting, and baking

2011-04-23T20:51:00.003-05:00

we started our morning with a tradition that i love...

emma was so excited about dyeing her eggs.

i have great memories of easter egg dyeing. my dad and i were the egg dyeing champs.

i held back this year, and let miss emma run with it.

we were all still sporting our pj's, except for miss emma. she insists on putting her "good morning clothes" on just as soon as she gets up.

we had a special treat for the weekend. grand-dad and nana were visiting us!

here's the first batch of miss emma's product line...

and buddy. i could just eat him with a spoon. his lashes are just plain amazing.

he's a busy, busy boy these days.

emma dyed her fair share of yellow eggs. yellow is still her favorite.

and i'm thinking that our kit came pinkless. looks like somebody at PAAS might have lost their job...ha!

she was in heaven.

buddy's not too busy yet. we're still working on the whole walking thing.

so sweet.

and score! after dyeing, we headed to the front yard for the big hunt.

i love an egg hunt too. the penguin was our golden egg. miss emma found it, with a little help from her momma. wink. wink.

and buddy enjoyed just sitting in the grass and opening his eggs...

he's still my little boy blue.

and he still has curly hair.

and we all love him.

here are our two little turkeys. i love them both so so much.

and here are my two favorite shots of buddy...

i love baby feet.

and, i love them too.

carson's naptime = cookie baking time for the rest of us.

it started out just me and my memms.

but after emma convinced her daddy that he was, "missing the party," he joined in too.

grand-dad & nana even got in on the cookie baking.

dinner was out, which was a special treat...

it was a fun, family day.

bunny tails & guppy fish

2011-04-21T20:12:00.001-05:00

it was easter week, so that meant it was buttercup's easter party.

sunshine was along for the ride. i wonder if he ever gets tired of being a l o n g f o r t h e r i d e ?

our together photo attempt started out okay...

until sunshine stole the candy...

sibling rivalry at it's finest.

we are still dressing in rainbow+leggings+sparkle shoes+pigtails. e v e r y d a y. i just love it.

this was just after the egg hunt. i pretty much missed the whole thing. hello, MOM OF THE YEAR.

there were super cute nest favors...

and lunch was fun too. we made the bunny sandwiches, but i wanted to make the cupcakes. that spot was taken by the time we made it to school. MOM OF THE YEAR again :)

miss emma enjoyed her party...

and her cupcake. and i love that she uses my easter basket.

bunny tails were the take home favor. multi-colored mini marshmallows + super cute tag = a fun and EASY treat. they were devoured before we made it to the car. marshmallows are her f a v o r i t e !

after the party, we headed over to emma's swimming lesson show off. we've been in attendance everyday for the past two weeks. the everyday part has been a bit exhausting for me.

but we did have daddy in attendance this time.

it's might be exhausting for me, but for miss emma, it is just fantastic.

she learned to float on her back and make it to the side of the pool in just two ~~long~~ short weeks.

thank goodness she loves it. i'm not sure i could be the momma that sent them in screaming. and let me tell you, there are a bunch of those.

do you believe that she loves it yet?

here's one for the books...the official "emma look."

they finish up everyday wearing the rings that they dove for on the bottom of the pool. in the end, i was super pleased. giving your child the skills to potentially save his or her life is priceless.

and she passed. so, she's officially a guppy fish. next is goldfish. i wonder if i'll be brave enough to tackle another two week everyday session?

dear bro,

2011-04-18T20:49:00.003-05:00

dear bro,

you are fourteen months now, and you've grown and changed so much. here's the latest and the greatest on our little dude...

we taught you how to do, "so big." and i just love it when your hands fly into the air.
we taught you how to make the elephant sound too. it's just too precious.
on april 2nd, i cut out your last day feeding. we were left with just your night feeding.
and on april 10th, i cut our your very last feeding...bittersweet for me, but you did just fine. it's always harder on the mom, isn't it?
our mama c. came to visit us this month, but i'm afraid i didn't take one photo...yikes!
we've attempted the two nap to one nap transition, but i'm afraid that it's a little too soon. somedays we fail miserably.
you are a master food thrower. could you please stop?
and you've gotten pretty good at milk spitting too. emma tells me that she is going to teach you how to stop doing these things :)
you've got some separation anxiety. you grip onto to me tightly when we go to the gym, and you cry when i leave. it breaks my heart.
you've got the saddest little cry...

but, when i come back, you clap, which makes me smile.
you are still just crawling, but you've got a big sister who just crawls along with you...

you still sleep a solid 12 hour night. the naps vary. sometimes it's two. sometimes it's just one. either way, our evenings are usually pretty rough.
both of y'all are more than ready for baths and bed at 6:30.
all sizes and shapes are the same as last month :)
you've got a sister who loves you very much. it's like you were blessed with two momma's. although, she kind of like a mom x 1000. she's always cheering you on and is always so, so proud and excited about all of your little accomplishments. it's fun to watch y'all together :)

miss emma keeps a close eye on you too. she always lets me know when you're stepping out of line.
you love your milk. you chug, chug, chug.
you eat all table food, but your favorites are cheese and fruit.
and you love to be outside. sitting in the grass, under the sunshine, makes you happy.

We love you little bro. Emma and I were talking the other day, and I thought that you might want to know that she wishes you could be zero again. She liked it when you were little and we could just hold you. She brought tears to my eyes. You've grown up too fast, and so has she.

We love you both.

stuck like glue ::part 2::

2011-04-17T13:30:00.004-05:00

we finished up our weekend at the beach.

it was buddy's very first trip.

here's our soul sister. she loves this song too. she loves it so much that i started calling her, "soul sister." it fits her just perfect. and to think that we were worried about a lack of nick names for our kids.

the beach was fun.

it's always fun.

and the photos you bring home are the best.

at least that's my favorite part.

bro is still not walking...

but we've been practicing.

he's the fastest little crawler i've ever seen.

i'm sure he's decided, "why walk when you get to do this?"

soul sister could have stayed all day. i once knew a little girl who could dig in the sand all day. pure heaven.

i packed a picnic on the beach for all of us.

and bro-bro enjoyed his lunch...

with his daddy :)

we had a few moments like this...

i quickly realized that we had one sleepy baby on our hands and no showers. fantastic. we had packed it all....shampoo, body wash, towel, change of clothes, and even the kitchen sink. just kidding. our plans to shower before dinner went out the window. can we say nightmare? hurricane ike (2008) still has it all shut down. leave it to me to find a boarded up beach house for sale with a shower head in the car port.

yes we all showered there and no we didn't get busted.

i bet you're just loving that visual.

post trespassing shower, we ended up at kemah boardwalk...

it's always touristy, but fun.

carson took his first ride on the carousel.

and emma managed to find a reindeer to ride. she was in heaven.

here's our attempt at a together pic...

seafood was on the list for dinner...

emma got a butterfly balloon animal and when the pink balloon popped, rob convinced her it was a ladybug.

buddy got a blue bear...

but was too tired to care.

he did attempt to color though...

soul sister likes this song too. maybe it's the ukulele that she likes so much? that fits her just perfect too.

here's my favorite ukulele song. it's great for a fine day at the beach. here's hoping your weekend was filled with family fun.

stuck like glue ::part 1::

2011-04-12T13:05:00.002-05:00

while you are reading this post, you can cue this music. it's emma's favorite song these days and you can probably tell that these two really are stuck like glue.

she loves him. and she told me the other day that she really loves him with a paci and a sleep sack. i smiled, because i completely agree.

emma sings that song. you know, the one you are listening to now? it makes my heart smile. i wish she could just stay little. little is so fun. we've been at swimming lessons everyday this week. i took this photo on friday. we love fridays, because daddy comes home.

daddy watched her friday swim class, and then we headed here. i picked up chick-fil-a on the way.

so, it was picnic at the park and the fountains all rolled into one.

it made for a happy friday.

miss emma has done wonderfully at her swimming lesson boot camp. we go next week too. heaven help me. i feel like a chauffeur. it's swimming boot camp for her, and chauffeur boot camp for me.

she's already learned to float on her back. i'm super impressed. maybe it will make our trips to the pool a little less stressful.

buddy's not walking yet, so emma crawls along with him. maybe that's why he's lacking motivation.

y'all just got me thinking that maybe they should change the name of stay-at-home-mom to go-go-go-mom. it would be more fitting don't ya think?

the fountains are flowing...

2011-04-06T13:11:00.000-05:00

Fountains always make for a fun playdate....don't ya think?

I packed the kids a lunch and we headed out for a morning playdate. These days Carson+blueberries=pure love. seriously.

The girls threw money in the fountains, while Buddy watched ever so closely. He was taking it all in.

Emma consficated some of the coins that didn't quite make it into the fountain...those little arms can fit through anything!

And Little Buddy found a rock, complete with a puddle of water.

Splashing is so much fun!

See?

A FUN playdate in the morning always makes for a LONG afternoon nap :)

Which then makes for one happy momma! Happy early weekend y'all!

red & black on her back

2011-04-02T12:51:00.001-05:00

We spend our afternoons catching these little ladies...

Emma is just plain fascinated with them.

We catch them in the unoccupied fields by our house. We pick wildflowers there too.

The little ladybugs crawl all over Emma, and she just loves it. Catching them is like therapy :)

I have these in my front yard, and they are growing pretty well.

Although I am wishing that I had all of these colors...so pretty. I probably should have bought them at the Strawberry Farm, but I didn't.

After we catch the ladybugs, we release them into our vegetable garden.

Which is growing too...

We've got squash, zucchini, cucumber, pepper and tomato blossoms.

We catch frogs too.

Emma just loves that too.

But don't let the bugs and frogs fool ya. She catches them in her sparkle shoes with skinned up legs :)

And Buddy just does his very own thing...

I love his little chunky legs :)

Here's three shots of Miss Emma...

And let's not forget Sunshine...

I hope y'all are enjoying your green grass, ladybugs, frogs, and the garden. Minus the Zyrtec, Claritin, and Alavert, we certainly are :)

On Saturday Afternoon

2011-04-02T12:39:00.000-05:00

This is where you will find us...

Cheering on this sweet little girl...

Buddy cheers her on too, but mostly he just eats.

They play hard for a good hour...

Buddy usually does a pretty good job at hanging in there. He's pretty laid back.

And Miss Emma is just precious. I love her to pieces.

This is her favorite little friend on the team.

And here are the rest of the cuties...

We finish each game with a parent archway for the kiddos to run through...

And a 1, 2, 3 "CHEETAHS!"

Buddy was pretty excited about our morning on the way home...

Then, both of our kiddies take an AMAZING afternoon nap :)