boys and their toys

So how is it that boys are born with the ability to make all sorts of gun/car/motorcycle/etc. sounds just by using their mouths?  I don't get this.  It's probably because I'm a girl, but whatever.  Seriously though- how on earth does my almost 3 year old son know how to make all those sounds?!

AND how does just about anything get turned into a "pow-pow" (as my son calls it)?  I'm talking straws, utensils, his toothbrush, anything he sees can be turned into a "pow-pow."  How do they just know these things? It's kinda creepy.

I mean, yes, my husband has his fair share of weaponry but it's not like he's ever shown Sawyer how they work or what they do. I'm not even sure my husband has even shown our son what a pow-pow looks like.  Lord knows, I sure haven't.  And it's not like we're watching "shoot 'em up" shows in front of him... 

Boys.  It's just in their nature, I suppose.

i need...

a vacation.

yep.

This, that and the other

So it's been a while...  Sorry I haven't posted in a couple weeks!

So here's an update on potty training (I know you were just dying to know!)...

• Little man has been doing very well! A lot better than the last time I posted anything about it.  My husband figured out that if you tell our son he'll get a few pieces of candy if he goes #2 in the potty- he'll do it! Judge me if you will, but hey- it's worked!
• Also- the sticker chart has made a come back... I had stopped giving stickers for going #1 (because he had pretty much gotten the hang of it- or so I thought..) but have begun to dish them out again.  Like most kids in the process, I'm sure, they all have their accidents because they don't want to take a break to go potty if they're playing or watching a movie. This is what my son has been doing. He gets so caught up playing he forgets to go to the actual potty and just has an accident... so this is why the stickers have made a come back. So far, so good.
• I'm still a proud momma!

Moving on....

Have you heard of/seen the commercial for these---

I am obsessed with these!  My favorite ones are the Strawberry Watermelon and the Berry Pomegranate.  I absolutely love flavored water- it's probably my favorite drink (next to sweet tea, of course).  My son also likes them too.  He thinks I'm giving him juice.  These are also really good added to sparkling water (like Clear American-this is the brand I usually get. You can find it at Wal-Mart and I'm sure at other grocery stores, as well.  They come in lots of great flavors.)

If you haven't had a chance to try these- you most definitely should!

So another thing I'm really enjoying right now are my new Sperry shoes!  I got these a couple of weeks ago and wear them all the time.  They are super comfy, are a great summer shoe, and go great with a number of things!  I love 'em!


So what I'm not loving right now is the weather.....  It seriously hasn't really rained here since I think February. February! Isn't that nuts?!  It did rain last week for a couple days, but not enough to really do anything.  What's really crappy is that since it hasn't rained in so long... pretty much the entire Houston area is, and has been on for a while now, on a burn ban. With it being the 4th this coming Monday.... that means no fireworks! HUGE bummer! I love fireworks and am so sad we won't be able to have any this year :(  Guess we'll just have to watch them on tv this time...

So there's what I'm diggin' now and what's a bummer..  Hope you enjoyed!

Hope you all have a lovely 4th! Hopefully you'll be able to enjoy  fireworks where you live (enjoy 'em for me too :) )

This and That

*Warning-- this is kind of boring and random- and fairly long -(but there's a lot of pics!) so I don't blame you if you don't read it :)


So.... over the weekend I did something I've wanted to do for a few years now, but never did until this last Saturday...

Yep! I got my nose pierced! I wanted to do it a few years ago but at the time I was getting ready to go to a private Christian college- and they didn't allow it. So, I ended up not getting it.

Moving on.....


The other day I walked into our living room to find this... 

 

I knew Sawyer was being too quiet..  ;)  My son thought it was a good idea to get inside his toy chest and do a little playing.  He stayed in there for a good while just keeping himself entertained!


Yesterday I found a box of this in my pantry and decided to make them...

See how on the box they look so pretty? You can actually tell there's supposed to be cookies AND brownies- together?  Well mine turned out not looking like that at all! HA! I read the instructions wrong for the cookie part of the batter. You see, for the brownie part you were to had half a stick of melted butter and to the cookie part you were to add a half a stick of softened butter.  I was thinking "OK, so I just added the melted butter to the brownie part, now I need to do the same for the cookie part." WRONG! Baking fail... but not really. Mine ended up looking like this...

At least they still tasted good!


Last pictures....

A few Saturdays ago our church did a Child Dedication class. Since I am now on staff at our church as one of our  Children's directors, myself and our other Children's Director did the class. It was a fun class. We didn't have very many people show up but it was still nice to get to visit with those who did come.  After we had finished talking about the paper part of the class, we moved on to doing a craft.  Our other CD had heard about this craft idea from another church in Phoenix. What we did was make a time capsule to give to our kids when they get older. We all loved the idea and everyone had fun decorating their time capsules!

This is the one I made for my son...

What it is is a paint can that we ordered on line.  We had plain white paper we cut to fit around the can and then had a whole bunch of decorating items.  We had stamps, stickers, markers, etc.  It was SO much fun to make!  On the inside, we printed off pictures of what our church looks like right now (the classrooms, sanctuary, teachers, etc) and gave everyone who showed up copies.  We also printed off pictures of ourselves to give everyone.  We also had all our teachers write letters to the kids who got dedicated and we wrote the kids letters as well. The point of the time capsule is to not give it to your child until they are older (teens/preteens). You are supposed to give it to them when they are going through a rough time in their lives and when they open it up they can see all the letters from family, friends, teachers they had at church all telling them how much they are loved, how much God loves them, and that we're always going to be here for you- no matter what!

 

 Here's a look at what's on the inside...

I really loved doing the class and the time capsule as well. can't wait to
give it to my son :)


Whew! You made it! Thanks for making it to the end  :)

Adventures in Potty Training....

Oh potty training.

It kind of sucks.

Right now we are only on our 2nd week of pt.  My son is doing fairly well for only being at it for 2 weeks.  I'm proud of him!

I do wish, however, we could speed up the process of getting to use the potty all the time, every time.  I know it will take time, lots of time, to get to that point. But boy will I ever be happy when we do get to that point!

Anyhow.. potty training sure can teach you a lot of stuff though! 

1- Patience!!  Gooooodness.... have you ever sat in a bathroom waiting for a kid to do his business? That can be quite a lengthy process... At least it's quality time, right?  We've done everything from singing songs, looking at books, and sort of playing with cars/trains/superheroes.

2- Another thing is that I realize I have watched too many episodes of Dora the Explorer and Diego.  I know pretty much all of the words to their theme songs. Oh, and Mickey Mouse Club House, Chuggington, Bubble Guppies, and Little Einsteins.   Right now the most favorite song to sing is the Little Einsteins theme song.  I'll admit- my son is mildly obsessed with them. Hey, at least they're teaching him about musical instruments and styles of music and different kids of animals and art!  ;)

3-  Where ever we go, I must know where the potty in that store is! We've successfully made it to a few stores and have used their restrooms! Knowing where the restroom is located has now become my top priority upon entering a store.

4- Not all little training potties will work for your kid! We have one that is Cars themed. It is way too small for my child. Tried using it once. Never went back to it. Also- those potty cover things- those don't work for us either. Again, they're too small.

5- Sticker charts work! (for going #1 at least)  We had a sticker chart that came with a book that had enough space for you to put 40 stickers. we used up every single space within a week. I had to make a new one.  I'm hoping the sticker chart will help for #2 as well... I'm trying to entice him with Thomas the Train stickers.... so far, not going so well....(side note::: Any of you moms, or anyone who has gone through potty training a child have any tips for getting them to go #2 in the potty and not their underwear? Thanks!)

 

So these are my potty stories/tips so far.... and to leave you with one more...

Tonight my son runs to the bathroom. I hear a splashing sound and run in after him. Poor little guy is trying to stand up to go #1. He's only 2 1/2. He's not tall enough to stand to use the potty yet. Needless to say the floor got wet, but hey- at least he was trying to do it by himself!

I'm proud of my little guy! We'll keep working towards total potty training completion! Hopefully it won't take forever :)  I know he'll eventually get it. We all got it, right?  ;)

First Blog Award!

Thanks to Jessica over at The Hilton's in Texas ... I was nominated for my first ever blog award- The Sunshine Award! Thanks Jessica!! 

The rules for the Sunshine Award are:

1. Thank the person who gave you the award and link back to them.


2. Tell us something about yourself.


3. Nominate 10 other bloggers.


4. And let them know you awarded them!


Let's see.... now for a few more things you don't know about me...

1. I tend to forget things easily. If I need to remember something, I'll have to write it down.
2. I have never broken a bone and have only had stitches once.
3. I bruise like a peach and usually always have at least 2 bruises on my legs.
4. I really want to either take a Zumba class or order the DVDs.
5. I have never gotten any kind of traffic ticket! (knock on wood!)
6. I used to love NSYNC back in high school....


So there are a few more tid-bits about me! Here are my nominees (in no particular order, and I know it's not 10.. I'm still pretty new and don't have 10 blogger friends yet :])...


Taylor @ Little Bit of Everything
Brittany @ Day to Day with the Garcia's
Danielle @ The Lenz Family
Erin @ Little Texas Love Nest
Allie @ My Dreams Coming True




Thanks again, Jessica! It was fun :)

just because...

Because I'm bored (and really don't have anything else to do...), here's a list of random stuff about me. Sorry if it bores you, and I don't blame you if you don't read it all or read it at all.

Here it goes...

• I really wish I knew how to play the piano. I took lessons as a kid, but gave up after a couple of years.
• I LOVE chocolate. Milk, dark, white... it doesn't matter.
• I always have my polish on my toes. I think my feet don't look so cute when they're polish free.
• I don't know how to drive a stick. My grandpa tried to teach me once... yeah, not so much.
• I have 3 nephews. All of their names start with a "C." (Connor, Canten, Caden)
• My favorite kind of dog is a weenie dog.
• I have baby fever. Like, really bad. I'm ready for #2.
• Whenever baby #2 does come along, I really hope it's a girl.
• I was in labor with my son for 19 very long hours. It kinda sucked, but I wouldn't trade it for the world.
• I played flute in middle school and high school and oboe in high school. I loved playing and still get my flute out every once in a while. I suck now, but it's still fun to try and play our high school fight song.
• I was in the Marching Band in high school and absolutely loved it. 
• Before becoming a Children's Director at my church, I worked at an elementary school for 3 years as an aide in a Life Skills class. Those were some of the best years I've had. Love those kids!
• I used to want to be a teacher, was even going to school for it.
• I've been to 4 different colleges, but don't have a degree of any sort. I'm ok with that.
• Next year will be my 10 year high school reunion. I don't plan on attending. It's not that I don't have an interest in seeing people I went to school with and was friends with, I just don't feel like it's something I NEED to go to.
• I love to bake. Anything and everything. Last year I was really into cakes and decorating them. I haven't done any this year though.
• I really hate it when people don't use their blinkers. They're there for a reason people!
• I could eat Chick-fil-a at least once a week.
• Sweet tea is a staple in our house. We always have some made.
• I could listen to Christmas music year round. I've always loved Christmas music. And movies.
• My favorite holiday is Christmas.  I love everything about it. The only thing that would make Christmass time even better around here, would be if it snowed- not a ton, just enough to stick.
• My favorite season is Fall. I love the colors. Fall scented candles are the best- and the decor!
• I love shoes! I always have to walk by the shoe department in any store.
• I love watching kid shows and movies with my son.
• One of my cousins is also my sister-in-law.
• I only have 5 first cousins.
• Brandon and I just celebrated our 4th wedding anniversary.
• On our honeymoon we went to Kauai, HI. It's now one of my favorite places to go. I would love to go back again.
• People say my sister and I look like twins. We're 13 months apart. I'm older.
• I really enjoy classical music. I find it to be very relaxing.
• I have done a lot of babysitting in my life. A lot.
• I"m not very good at math or grammar. I strongly dislike both.
• I have read all of the Twilight books. And have seen the movies.
• I absolutely despise raw onions. I'll pick them off of any food they're on.
• Tex-Mex is my favorite kind of food. Chips and salsa, fajitas and a good margarita and I'm in heaven!

Well I guess I've bored you enough today! If you made it to the end, thanks for reading!  :)

Hope you all have a fabulous weekend!!

I'm Vloggin' it

 If you want to follow along or do the Accent Vlog yourself, here are the words/questions: Aunt, Route, Wash, Oil, Theater, Iron, Salmon, Caramel, Fire, Water, Sure, Data, Ruin, Crayon, Toilet, New Orleans, Pecan, Both, Again, Probably, Spitting image, Alabama, Lawyer, Coupon, Mayonnaise, Syrup, Pajamas, Caught, Coffee, Daughter. What is it called when you throw toilet paper on a house? What is the bug that when you touch it, it curls into a ball? What is the bubbly carbonated drink called? What do you call gym shoes? What do you say to address a group of people? What do you call the kind of spider that has an oval-shaped body and extremely long legs? What do you call your grandparents? What do you call the wheeled contraption in which you carry groceries at the supermarket? What do you call it when rain falls while the sun is shining? What is the thing you change the TV channel with?

So in love...

with my sister's tempurpedic bed.  I wish we had one.  We're only at my sister's place because she, her hubby, their son and her hubby's family all went on a cruise for the week. Lucky Ducks.

But seriously. Have you ever laid on or slept in one before? They're amazing.  Everyone should at least have the pleasure of taking a nap in one some day.

Best sleep I've had in a while.

Hands down.

The End.

gLee

I love the show.  I'm not what you'd call a "gLeek" though.  I have not watched it from the beginning but just recently started watching it.  My husband doesn't so much like the show, so I watch it at my sister's house (she has the DVR (: ).

They're such a talented bunch of singers, dancers, actors....  I love to listen to them sing.  Most of the time, I get goose bumps just hearing any one of them belt it out.

Call me crazy, but the most recent episode- the one with the funeral- made me cry.  If you haven't seen it, I won't spoil anything for you, but it's a good one.  It's funny how a tv show, something that's just meant for entertainment, can cause so much emotion.

Anyway... that's my randon thought for today  :)

Silly boy

So last night my son decides that it's a good idea to take a nap a little after 6.  I let him do it only because he hadn't been feeling well- other wise, heck no! He'd be up for forever! Anyway...

So he'd been sleeping a while on the couch. My husband and I were eating dinner and just watching tv. A commercial with a lot of music came on and out of the blue, our son decides it's a good enough song to wake up to and dance around on the couch.

Just like that, he's awake. Feeling much better, and wanting to dance. It was hilarious.

Funniest thing that happened all day  :)   The joys of having kids <3

 (This was taken last year, but it's still pretty cute/funny)

Happy Birthday!

Like the title says.....

Today is my husband's birthday. Happy birthday, babe!!! We love you <3

Ride 'em Cowboy!

So my husband loves horses. He started working with horses when he was a teenager (13 or 14, I think?) and continued to work with them for a couple of years. He really got into training and breaking horses, and he's actually very good at it. A natural, most tell him. He took some time off to go to school and to do various other things (get married, start a family, etc (: ) but has recently gotten back into riding and breaking. And let me tell you.... he is in love.  Right now he is working with 6 different horses.  One of which is a wild (yes, WILD) Mustang. 

Here is another picture... This one is pretty cool:

Can you believe she let him stand on her?! Pretty awesome  :)

There they are. She's a pretty horse. She's almost 5 and from what Brandon (my hubby) has told me, she has never in her entire life been ridden. So he's been working with her for the past month or so. From what he's told me, she's made a lot of progress! He's actually been able to put a saddle on her.  He's also been able to get her to walk, trot and canter. The person he's working for is VERY impressed he's been able to get her this far. I'm impressed too :)  Can't wait to see her when he's done with her!

So now, here are a few more pictures I have to show him off! I'm a proud wife :)

Jumping a barrel....

Attempting roping...

Now this last one was taken just this last weekend.  Brandon took part in the EXCA (Extreme Cowboy Association).  It was a competition. He placed 3rd in the Pro division!

As for me, I know absolutely nothing about horses. I've ridden a few times but nothing serious. Just a trail ride here and there.  So, I'm glad he's so in to horses. Maybe he can teach me something. He's my cowboy in worn in boots and leather :)

*All pictures courtesy of Sundance Horse Ranch.

"Model" Student

So yesterday I got to be a "model" for my cousin.  My cousin is Taylor. Her blog is Little Bit of Everything.  She's good.  Although fairly new to the make-up scene, she knows her stuff.  She does a lot of vlogs about make-up and how to apply it.  She also will review products and tell you what she likes and doesn't like in certain make-up.  She's fun to watch so you should go check her out!  Anyway.....

She was interviewing for a position with MAC Cosmetics so I met her at the store in the Galleria. Now, I've never even stepped foot into this store. Not ever.  I'm the type who buys her make-up at Target, Wal-Mart, various Drug stores...  I have never in my life owned any kind of "nice" (read: expensive) make-up.  MAC is some good stuff!  I now know why it would cost me well over $100 to beautify my whole face.  Between brushes, foundation, powder, blush, eye shadow, etc. you could easily spend a small fortune in that store.  With that said, I must say, it was rather enjoyable to sit there and have someone else put all this wonderfully expensive make-up on for you.  What girl doesn't love a little bit of pampering, right? 

I should have taken a picture of how the make up turned out.  I liked it. She did an every day look and then transformed it into an evening look.  For the evening look I had a red lip. I never in my life have ever worn any shade of red on my lips and was kind of nervous to see what it would looked like when she was done.  Surprisingly, it didn't look half bad (maybe because she mixed a red with a pink and it turned out nicer than I thought it might).  All in all, I think she did a good job.  Maybe I'm biased because she is my cousin after all.  But I really do think she did a great job and hope she gets the job!

First time for everything...

Well, my husband and I just got news that we will be moving to the country :)


We've been looking at properties out in Alvin for a while now.  We found one we liked a few weeks ago. Went to go look at the land and house that is on it.  We fell in love.  We've been in an apartment since we've been married (almost 4 years) and are SO ready to have a place that is ours. We couldn't be happier!


Now... just to get all the paper work in order :)

We have lift off!

First. Blog. Ever.

I've been playing with the idea of creating a blog for a while now.  I follow a few already and have really enjoyed reading others posts and taking a peek into their lives.  Other people fascinate me.  I can get lost reading blogs of people I have never met.  Same goes for those I know, too.  

So, I bit the bullet and created one. 


I plan to use this just as a way to escape, I suppose.  To just say what's on my mind. Share creativity. Stories. Pictures. Anything I can think of.

Not much for a first post, I know.  I hope to bring more to the table in future posts- hopefully something entertaining on most days... if not, bear with me- we all have to start somewhere  :)