K + J

Swashbuckling Swordsmen

2011-05-22T23:02:00.001-05:00

Last weekend Kevin and I rented the newest Chronicles of Narnia from Redbox because we had a free rental and there wasn't anything better to choose. We let the boys stay up and watch it because they had lots of energy to burn. During the movie there is a sword fight between two of the characters. Immediately following the end of the scene Cooper ran to the silverware drawer and produced two butter knives. Kevin and I at first were surprised and told him to put them away. But after he went to his brother and said "Here Aiden," then attempted to sword fight with him. We thought it was too cute and imaginative to take away the fun factor. So after a good 15 minutest of sword fighting between the four of us we put the butter knives away and continued to watch the movie. It's the little things like that which light up my days and remind me how great it is to be a parent.

Time For a Change

2010-11-29T14:48:00.000-06:00

I have been thinking about it for a long time and today I finally decided to do it. I a changing our bloghandle to:

kevinandjacque.blogspot.com

I hope this doesnt put a damper too many people but I just wanted a change.

Blogger Inspiration: The Bella Life

2010-10-15T22:09:00.000-05:00

Do you all read The Bella Life blog? If you don’t you should because they are funny, inspirational, and all around awesome. They did a post about Dollar Tree hurricanes and how Camberly & Keighley fancied them up. Feeling inspired I trucked over to my local Dollar Tree and picked up the last hurricane they had. I’m hoping that they will get some more in stock because really, you need more than one pretty hurricane on your mantle. Also while I was at the DT I picked up some glitter skulls because I felt that my house needed some Halloween sparkle. So here is what I did with my Dollar Tree finds:

Hurricane:

I kept it simple and filled the bottom with some moss (also purchased at the Dollar Tree) and simply placed a few little white pumpkins I picked up at a local grocery store (Harps) for 67 cents a pound! I purchased 7 and only spend $1.50.

Glitter Skulls:

In an attempt to make my mantle more appealing I opted to switch out my candles which one sat upon these candle sticks for skulls. They are super fun and when we leave the light on over our mantle the glitter reflects. Kevin was even a fan of them, which is a good thing because he generally doesn’t dig the glitter.

These are only a couple of the touches that I have added to my house but I think they are fun. I’ll post my DIY Halloween wreath soon.

Sometimes, our lives get busy…

2010-10-15T17:46:00.001-05:00

So heres the deal, we have been super busy around here lately. School is insanely involved, which is what I should have expected, but didn’t for some reason. Probably due to the fact I’ve only taken general ed courses the past 2 semesters and this semester is the real classes. Anyways, I have been swamped with book reports, mini-lessons, quizzes, tests, observations, and presentations. It’s been a lot, but I am really loving everything and I think I have found my niche in the world. Teaching.

The boys have been super busy and really funny lately. I wish that we were potty training just for the simple fact that diapers = expensive! Aiden is a copy cat in every way possible. Whenever I say something to him he simple repeats it back. I find it hilarious when he says “There’s Aiden!” when playing hide and seek. Cooper on the other hand is super feisty!He will always tell Aiden to “stop it” and likes to think he can tell me “momma, no no!” Kevin and I laugh because he says it with a super growly voice that makes him sound like he is possessed by a creature.

They had their 2 year check up at the dentist and the doctors office. They were really good for the dentist considering the fact they don’t like people getting into their mouths. He said that their teeth looked good and had no stains and to just continue to floss them so they don’t get any cavities. I attribute their immaculate teeth to the fact they don’t eat candy and only get soda in a blue moon. Their well-check at the doctor went really well too! Aiden is 1/2 an inch taller than Cooper and Cooper weighed 1 pound more than Aiden. Some how the difference of one pound puts the kids in completely different percentage groups. Cooper is in the 50th percentile, while Aiden is in the 25th. I think that’s just nonsense so I think they are fine and on the right course for their growth and development.

They have been much more interested in reading lately and their favorite book is Good Night Goon which is a parody of Good Night Moon. We have both books but the goon book is funnier and they can almost read the whole book by themselves. It amazes me how much they are growing developmentally! Cooper has developed a love for the kitchen and will take any opportunity he can to pull a chair up and help me or Kevin. Usually Aiden climbs up there with him and they fight over who gets to stand in the chair, but none the less, it is exciting to see that he has interests in more than Buzz! Aiden on the other hand is the best dancer ever! Well, I’m not sure about ever but he gets his groove on whenever he can. If we are watching tv and a commercial comes on he will listen to the music and if he thinks it is danceable… he will bust a move. His dance move looks similar to Kevin’s signature move “The Hobie.” If I can capture a video of this little guy, it will be posted!

As for Kev, he is still busy with work. We sold his truck so now we have no more car payments or insurance payments!! YIPPIE! We do have insurance on my car, but its through the shop so we don’t have to pay for it. Don’t worry, we stay safe in this family. Kevin even told me that our next car will be a new family car that will fit any other little munchkins that happen to join us down the road. (No, I am not pregnant. Kevin and I just have plans for more kids in the future so we are being responsible.) I can’t think of anything else at the moment. But I promise as soon as I find some time in my busy schedule I will do a picture filled post.

All Grown Up

2010-09-20T13:53:00.000-05:00

Lately Kevin and I have been in disbelief over how big our boys have gotten. I remember when they were just little bitty and just fresh from the hospital. I can't believe that they are two and have grown so much in just a short amount of time! They have gone through all of the adorable baby phases (little babies, little old men, baby/toddler) and are now just little boys. Thats all I can say to describe them. So, since they are no longer babies we have decided they must dress like big boys for church. While at the grand opening of a new Good Will I picked them up some white button ups ($2) and my friend bought them little clip on ties (for their birthday) ($2). I then was in search of some dress pants. Did you know that little kids clothes are just as expensive as adult clothing? I think its silly. However, Kohls was having a sale and I picked up some pants ($8) and found some shoes on clearance at WalMart ($5). When it was all put together yesterday morning I couldn't have been a prouder parent. The boys were just beaming with excitement of their spiffy new outfits and the fact that they looked just like daddy. Of course, I tried to do an impromptu photo shoot in our backyard before church and was not able to capture the picture I wanted... but these turned out super cute still.

Cooper is a ham for the camera.

Saturday Steals: Birthday Bargain

2010-09-18T17:34:00.000-05:00

So, the boys turned two on Thursday. These past couple of days have been kinda crazy! I can't believe that they are two already! Seriously, where did the time go? Anyways, this post really isn't about their birthday or the festivities that we did. It is about a super cute cake that I made by myself without anyone's help (except the internet's).

You see, A & C are obsessed with Woody & Buzz so I figured we would have a fun rocket ship shaped cake. I Googled rocket cakes and saw a whole bunch of ideas. So basically, I decided I would do it myself. I baked a 13X9 in greased foil so it would be easily removed. Once it was all cooled down I cut the rocket shape and then took the corners flipped them upside down and placed them on the opposite side of the cake. That sound's kinda confusing, but it was really easy. The end result was a super cute cake that I decorated with homemade cream cheese frosting and sprinkles that were in my pantry because I didn't get any piping icing and don't own any piping tips. I know, I need to get on the train and purchase those things but I just havent yet. So, with out further ado: here is the cake!

I even decorated with cardboard stars and a moon that I covered in tin foil. I'm a genius, I know.

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This post is in conjunction with Camille over at Archives of Our Lives. Click HERE to see other Saturday Steals and HERE to enter her giveaway for some super cute handmade flowers :)

Happily Ever After

2010-08-30T22:17:00.000-05:00

Some days are hard. Some days Kevin runs late, doesn't answer his phone and makes me late for school. Some days if I was capable of breathing fire, I would burn him to a crisp. But, thankfully {for the both of us} that is not possible. Today was one of those hard days. Fortunately for the both of us I have a long drive to school.

My drive started out with me telling myself how lucky he was I had to leave or else he would have gotten an ear full! After I had blown off my steam and had learned a bit of patience thanks to a slow driver on a two lane highway I put on my Sugarland cd. Country music is my guilty pleasure. I lost myself in music and arrived at school. I had a fun time in class learning all about the cool things I get to do this semester and then headed home. By this time I had completely lost all the fire in my anger and realized how lucky I am to have a man who can leave work when needed so I can go to school. I am lucky to have a man who is capable of making my children a healthy dinner. I am lucky to have a man that knows even though I am fire breathing mad at him, it will be okay when I get home.

I really am living my happily ever after. I couldn't imagine my life with any other outcome. We may not have a lot of years under our belts, but we are building a strong foundation. And, we all know how a strong foundation is. I really am a lucky gal!

{how precious is this picture? he is such an amazing father!}

SEE! LUCKY! thats me :)

The Value of Role Reversal

2010-08-30T00:31:00.000-05:00

So, Friday night I told Kevin that I would mow the lawn in the morning but he would have to watch the kids. He agreed. The whole reasoning behind me mowing the lawn was so we could go to Home Depot to get some edging to finish up our newest flower bed that is in our backyard. Trust me, offering to mow the lawn is a foolish deal. However, I did learn a valuable lesson.

You see, it has been amazingly hot here. Not just hot, but like blistering, disgusting, every time you go out side you are covered in your own sweat storm, HOT! With it being so hot we neglected to mow our lawn for at least three weeks to a month. When I went outside to play with the boys Friday, I felt like I was in a forest. No joke. Our ~~grass~~ weeds were that tall. So, it was inevitable that our lawn had to be mowed.

I woke up Saturday and put on my work out clothes and a brave face and walked out to the garage. I attempted to start the mower and to no avail, it did not start. Not until I noticed the choke. Once I figured out how to start the blasted machine I was on my journey of conquering the forest. Kevin always mows the outer edge of our lawn first, so I did that. It wasn't too bad most of it was a straight line except for the little curve around our flower bed in the front. Once I completed the "perimeter" of our yard I sought Kevin's approval to mow our front yard just straight instead of diagonal (like he does it) because I don't know how to do fancy. He said it would be fine and that I was doing a good job. I was probably half way done with the front lawn when the mower quit. It just quit! I had no idea what the deal was, and then it dawned on me to check the bag. Yes, our mower has a bagger on it and I had to empty it a million times! So I dragged the mower from the front all the way to the back and grabbed my husband for instruction of removal and emptying of the bag. But, he took to long so I figured out how to take it off and empty it; he arrived just in time to teach me how to install the bag correctly. I was off again and gradually tackled the yard, {front, back, and side}. I emptied several bags of grass and really disliked the whole process the whole time, but I made a deal right?

Once I was done, Kevin, my loving husband, reminded me that I had to still weed eat. WEED EAT! Are you kidding me? I just agreed to mow the lawn, not weed eat. I was not happy to say the least. After learning how to use the weed eater and tackling the yard once again. I took a small break for lunch. Then I finished up our yard by blowing all the grass out into the street. Thats right, I blew the grass into the street. It beats having to sweep it. I have a new love for blowers. Really, I do. Oh, and if you are concerned about the grass, don't be. It was very little when you compare it to the millions of bags of grass that have been dumped into my easement.

However, all of that story was just a background for you to really get at why I am actually appreciative of the terrible experience of mowing my lawn. While I was disliking life and the process of mowing, I jokingly told Kevin

"You should really love and appreciate me for all that I'm doing for you."

He responded:

"You should appreciate me for doing it all the time"

And that right there was the kicker. I really didn't realize until I put myself in his shoes (literally) that he worked super hard just so our house looked nice. He has mowed our lawn for as long as we have lived in our house, almost three years. Most of the time in the spring and summer it has to be mowed once a week. He just sucks it up and does it, on top of working 40+ hours at a hard laboring job. Its amazing. I am so thankful that I have such a loving and dedicated man in my life who is willing to endure such labor intensive and tiring jobs just for us to live and for our house to look nice. I truly am blessed.

Oh, and in case you were wondering, I am not going to volunteer to mow the lawn ever again. However, I am sure that I will help out if it is ever asked of me.

little boys are made of:

2010-08-24T14:16:00.000-05:00

{how precious are these little faces?}

aiden in back, cooper in front

Kevin's best friend from forever Brad came and visited us a couple of weekends ago. He ended up bringing along his two dogs because the trip to our house was a test road trip for their long drive out to California later this year. However, none of that is important except for the fact that our kids have a fascination with dog kennels. Ever since the boys were big enough to crawl we have always likened them to puppies. I don't know if its because they rub their faces on the carpet, crawl on their hands and knees while yelping, or just the fact that they are adorable and give us that warm fuzzy feeling inside, but they remind us of dogs sometimes. So I guess it is no surprise that they loved our friend's dog kennel. They saw it in our guest room and couldn't get enough of it. Aiden was the first one to venture into the kennel and discovered quickly that the gate was fun to open and close. Once Cooper saw how fun it was decided to join his brother. They thought it was the funnest thing ever. The crawled around and were so silly. I realize now that I should have video recorded them as well as pictures, but oh well. It was a fun couple of minutes to play with something new and exciting.

Saturday Steals: JCP Red Zone

2010-08-22T21:40:00.000-05:00

Last week my friend Dana told me that JC Penny's had some shirts marked down for super cheap. They had already ran out of the sizes that her boys wear but I should check it out to see if my kiddos could get some new clothes. Well you know what, I got them 4 t-shirts for $6.75 which includes tax.

The shirts normally sold for $7.00 a piece. How awesome is that? I would like to thank back to school sales and the fact that JC Penny's Red Zone has items that start at 60% off. My boys got new shirts for their birthday. I still cant believe they are gonna be two :(

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This post is in conjunction with Camille's Saturday Steals.

Head on over there and check out the other great things people got a deal on.

busy busy busy...

2010-08-20T17:01:00.000-05:00

Holy Cow! I cannot believe it has been almost a whole month since I have posted! We have been so busy here lately that I can't even think straight. I'll try to do a brief catch-up and more posts tonight/this weekend.

Aiden & Cooper:

These two little boys are keeping me so busy! Their favorite movie(s) are Woody & Buzz or Toy Story 1 & 2. Everyday we discuss Boody & Buzz. They have expanded their vocab of characters to include Pig (Hamm), Doggie (Slinky), Yee Haw (Jessie), and Rawr (Rex). They crack me up. We seriously watch a Toy Story film almost every other day. I try not to watch it every day so I can keep my sanity. But, they have become so aware of what happens in the films that they say "OH NO" before something happens. They even know when Buzz arrives in the first one. As the camera pans up his little space ship box Cooper screams out "BUZZ!"

They have learned to climb and push anything they want to get anything they need. This has made for "child proofing" my house super difficult. Almost all chairs are removed to rooms that are unaccessible to them. One day they figured out how to move my antique yellow chair and since then it has been sequestered to my bedroom. Sometimes, they even go in there and move it out to the living room so they can get their movies off of the bookshelf. This is a serious problem. I have no idea how to stop them. If you have ideas, please enlighten me. They are stubborn little boys. While we are on the topic of climbing, Cooper had another accident! Thankfully it wasn't as serious as the "staple incident" but still, the kid will not learn that climbing = ouchies. This past time it happened on Sunday. He decided he wanted to dance on Kevin's bed side table (which is very unstable = reason for bedroom) and it kicked out from underneath him. He scratched up his face pretty good but it wasn't serious. It's practically gone now and by Tuesday it just looked like he had some chocolate on his face. Trust me when I say that TWO is all we can handle at the moment!

Kevin:

He has been super busy with work. He is the only employee now and has taken on so much responsibility! He's such a good mechanic and can fix pretty much anything that is broken. I'm so proud of him! He is looking in going back to school in the Spring which will be nice to have a break from paying on student loans! I know that he will do great in whatever he decides to pursue. He still is the 2nd Counselor in YM's and it keeps us both pretty busy on Wednesday nights. I think he really enjoys the Deacons even though they are a handful and more and more seem to be piling into his class. If anything, it'll be good preparation for when our kids get that old.

Jacque:

Well, we have taken a leap of faith and decided that I should still go to school. I know you are thinking, "Wait, didn't you announce you weren't going to school?" Why yes, yes I did. However, my AMAZING advisor was able to get me 3 night classes and an online class. This means I can still stay home with the kiddos and go to school. I'm really happy about it. My classes are Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday which is awesome so Kevin can still go to mutual. Plus, I think it'll be a good opportunity for Kevin to spend more time with our kids. He has been so busy this summer working pretty much non-stop that he's missed out on so many special memories I have with the boys. Besides school, I'm still trying to adjust my schedule to being as productive as possible during the day. I'm currently looking into ideas and ways to educate my kiddos. I want them to start their alphabet and numbers. I know they won't go into Kindergarten until they are six because of their birthday, but I still want them to be the smartest little ones around. So, if you have any ideas {~~Andrea~~} that you would like to share, please send them my way! Oh, and I had aspirations to open an etsy shop. That is still in the work, I just haven't found the time to develop my products. So, don't worry it will debut eventually.

That is all I can think of at the moment. I'll be back with some cute pics of the boys from when some friends came to visit.

Night Time Protocol

2010-07-22T14:43:00.000-05:00

We have been steadily trekking on with our night time routine now for a week almost. So far it seems that the most difficult thing for the boys to do is to just sit down and be reverent while we say our family prayer. Last night I had an ingenious ideal! I decided to make them a prayer book. I came up with the idea because they love love love to read books. It's pretty much all we did yesterday. We read books, ate, took a nap, then read some more books. I love how interested they are in reading. Plus, my kids are pretty dang smart. They can spot out {almost} anything in our books that we read. It makes me proud to be their mama!

Anyways... I decided that if they had a book they could read and follow along with maybe they would be more interested in sitting and saying prayer at night. So, today I put one together, rather quickly, when we came into work.

I think it turned out pretty cute. {The pages are out of order because of how you fold it once its printed...} I had Aiden look through his with me after I made it. He pointed to every page and said what it was. It totally melted my heart.

I am so happy that I get to spend so much time with Mr. A & C. They bring so much joy and happiness to my life and everyday they do something that makes me well up with happy tears. Being a mom is the greatest present ever!

Tough Decisions

2010-07-21T15:12:00.000-05:00

Sometimes we have to made really hard decisions as adults. Its one of my least favorite things of being a "grown up." However, this past week Kevin and I made a big decision... one that affects not only us but our kids as well. What is it you ask?

I have decided to stay home with the boys and not work, not go to school, not do anything but raise them to be the most amazing kids they can be.

It has been a very long and drawn out process. Something that I've prayed about. Something that we discussed in detail. I know its not going to be easy. I know it's going to be difficult {it already has been}. But I also know that it is the best thing we can do for our little ones right now. They need guidance, structure, and to know that their parents love them. I would love to be in school and finish up my degree, but the thought of them being with a stranger more hours of the day than being with me saddens me. I should raise them, not someone else.

And so I start my journey as a stay at home mom...

Saturday Steals: A Coat of Paint

2010-07-10T16:40:00.000-05:00

It is Saturday again, and that means that it is Saturday Steals over at Archives of Our Lives.

This week I got a SMOKING DEAL over at Home Depot. I am currently in the middle of redoing the interior of my house. Sounds kinda crazy and intense... and well it is, but its really more furniture and paint changes. We aren't tearing anything out, yet. Someday I would love to tear out my carpet, however it's just not in our budget at the moment. Anyways, I went to Home Depot to pickup some paint so I could get my kitchen island painted. Remember when I was trying to pick out paint colors? Well after getting advised by my super fantastic friend I went with Library Mahogany by Ralph Lauren. So we went to Home Depot with the intent of only buying a quart because paint can be pretty pricey, especially name brand. Well... are you ready for the steal.... Ralph Lauren paint is on CLEARANCE right now. The paint guy said that Martha Stewart's paint line was pushing out Ralph's. I did have to compromise finish in order to get a great deal though. The only finishes that they had at our Home Depot were flat and eggshell. I obviously went with the eggshell finish. I only have gotten 2/3rds of my island painted thus far but am already loving the effect it has. Below is a sneak peak of the project.

So, if you are needing paint and want a super amazing deal head over to Home Depot and buy you some Ralph Lauren paint for super cheap! I got 2 quarts of the paint for $7, it retails $14 for one quart. 75% off!! Seriously, go buy some paint and make over a room in your house or some furniture.

Project Apron: Complete

2010-07-05T22:45:00.000-05:00

Today was a fun filled day of sleeping in, swimming, and sewing. We woke up late (always a plus) and then headed over to Grandma's for a swim in the pool. The boys love it and are obsessed with water which always makes for a fun time.

Once we came home and put them down for a nap I decided I was going to conquer my apron project that has been sitting around forever... seriously since March. I did have someone teaching me how to sew, but she is busy and so I figured I could do it. I followed a pattern and am pleasantly pleased with my final outcome. Of course, it is not perfect. My seams are not straight and i'm sure it is not exactly as the pattern calls for, but I am proud of it!

{in case you are wondering: no i am not preggers, just slouchy and a little pudgy in the midsection}

Happy 4th :)

2010-07-04T21:41:00.000-05:00

{impromptu photo shoot before church in our red, white, and blue outfits}

Our 4th of July weekend was kept pretty low key. We had intentions of going to festivities but they did not happen due to the fact that our children decided it would be a great idea to wake up early Saturday morning and not take naps... However, we did enjoy our day today, which is actually the 4th anyways. I don't know, but there is always so uplifting about singing "American" songs in church that I love. I feel so patriotic and proud to live in a country where we have freedom and opportunities. It's so easy to see the negative in day to day life, that we, or at least I, often to stop and enjoy the life that I have. For example, we have great friends who so willingly came over for dinner after a last minute offer at church today. It's great that we are able to spend holidays with people we care about and enjoy one another's company. In all, our weekend was a wonderful, low key, mostly relaxing, family filled holiday. Plus, I'm pretty sure we get tomorrow off work!

Cute Pincushion

2010-07-03T20:13:00.000-05:00

I am currently in the process of starting adventures in sewing in an attempt to open an Etsy store and make some extra moolah. In my adventures, I have been in need of a pincushion to put my needles on. After searching the internet for some inspiration I decided to make my own. I have combined ideas from these two (one, two) tutorials. I love the second one and will probably make my own once I find a cute flower pot some where for cheap.

Here is what I created with out even having to sew!

Isn't it super cute? Do you wanna know how to make one? Awesome. You are in luck.

I have created a little tutorial for you. {Please bare with me because this will be my first tutorial with pictures and I'm sure it wont be perfection.}

First, gather all of the materials you will need:

a glue gun, scraps of fabric, a toilet paper roll, a rubber band, and some batting or polyfill.

Prepare your items:
-Cut your toilet paper roll to your desired height. {mines about 1.5 inches tall}
-Cut a square large enough to stuff with desired amount of batting/polyfill
-Cut a strip of fabric wide enough and long enough to cover your toilet paper roll. {make sure its at least 1/4 to 1/2 inch wider on each side than needed}

Step One:

Make your batting/polyfill into a ball and place in the center of your square fabric. Gather the fabric. {I found it best to gather the centers of the square before the corners to ensure the stuffing stayed in} Wrap rubber band around the bottom to secure.

Step Two:

Smother your toilet paper roll in hot glue and wrap the fabric around it. Then glue around the inside of the tube and tuck your edges around and inside. {use a popsicle/craft stick to do this and save your fingers from burning!}

Step Three:

Take your "cushion" and tuck it into the top of your tube. Adjust it to the desired height and poofy-ness that you want and then glue it down from the bottom. {i just poured it in there thick}

You could add a Fourth Step by finishing it off with felt on the bottom. I made this at like 11:30 last night and was not willing to cut anything else out. But, if giving it as a gift it would be super cute with felt on the bottom and maybe some ribbon or ric rac around the tube.

See, isn't it super easy? Do you want to make one? Go for it!!

If you do I would love to see what you created!

And that my friends, is my tutorial and super cute {no sew} pincushion!

Saturday Steals: Family Favors

2010-07-02T23:12:00.000-05:00

My friend, Camille, does a fun segment every Saturday on her blog, Archives of Our Lives, called Saturday Steals. She talks about all the cool things she gets for free or super cheap. It's amazing and other people in the blogosphere join along. This is my first Saturday Steal so enjoy :)

Well, since I am back in school I needed a new laptop. My old laptop I got my 2nd year of college and while it was good and great, it has officially died and now disappeared. Luckily, I have a super awesome uncle who loves me. To say I am his favorite is an understatement I think, even my mom and sister would agree. The other thing about my uncle is that he is a super geeky computer guy. I called him asking his advice about purchasing a netbook or a laptop, I figured he would know better than pouring over reviews online. I was right! He told me netbooks are great for on the go stuff, but not what I needed for school. I told him I wanted a smaller laptop because a big one would be too cumbersome and heavy to trek around school with on top of books. Well, it must have been my lucky day because he told me that he had a Thinkpad which was small and a full power laptop! I was super excited. He told me he had to find a battery for it and then would mail it out.

A couple weeks later this came in the mail:

Now I have a super awesome little Thinkpad which was given to me free of charge. It has fingerprint protection, so there is no need for me to remember a password. He also lovingly loaded it with all of the "Office Essentials" that I would need for school. How awesome is that? I love it and am eternally grateful to my Uncle David who sent it to me all the way from Minnesota.

Coolest Bed(s) EVER!

2010-07-02T22:08:00.000-05:00

I was over on Design*Sponge today and looking at their Before & After's and stumbled upon the coolest idea for my boys toddler beds ever!!!

Seriously, how cool is that? The great thing is that it's made from pallets. So it's super inexpensive to make because you can find pallets at hardware stores or like us, they are just delivered to our work. I love the rustic look put think it would even be cute painted. I ~~cannot wait~~ till our kiddos are big enough to sleep in toddler beds. Here is the link to learn how to make your own kid a super awesome bed for virtually no cost! Lori Danelle

Trauma-rama!

2010-07-01T14:08:00.000-05:00

**Due to the Graphic Nature of some of this post please be warned **

Please brace yourself for the intense amount of updating that will be going on here.

First and foremost, I bought us a new camera!! YAY! Our old one is still lost, but at least we have one now right? Plus, its totally awesome. Its the Samsung Dual View.

Why is it awesome you ask? It has a front screen that you can easily turn on. My kiddos love to look at themselves whenever I get my camera out so it makes taking pictures easier. It also has a "kid" setting where a clown dances around and music plays to entice little ones to look at you. We are in love with it and I have been making sure that I keep a good eye on where it is at all times. (pic here)

Moving on... Last Tuesday we had our first "Emergency" situation. Scary, Yes? Did my little man handle it like a trooper? Yes. I am pretty sure I was the worst out of Cooper, Aiden, and myself. The details of what really happened are still unknown to me and probably will be forever, but what I can conclude is that Cooper fell off a table. How? Well, him and his brother like to climb like little monkeys. They will push, pull, drag, flip over, do whatever necessary to the objects in the room to help enable themselves to achieve a greater distance vertically. They had pushed over their table over to the big table where the TV is setting at work. They like to get up there and push buttons. I was in the other room around the corner doing some work when all of the sudden I heard a loud THUD followed by screaming. I bolted out of the little room I call an "office" to find Aiden screaming and Cooper laying on the ground face first. I thought he had just tripped and fell like normal. I scooped Aiden off of the table and picked up Cooper. Cooper was screaming so hard no sounds were coming out, yes I started to panic a little. I sat down with them and attempted to get them to calm. After getting everyone to an okay place I looked down and saw blood streaming down Cooper's head. Me, freaking out, held him like a football, ran to the back shop yelled at Kevin to come because Cooper was bleeding and began to totally freak! Kevin came running, cleaned up Cooper with soap, water, and peroxide and then consoled him while I calmed down Aiden. After Cooper had calmed down to a good point and we were able to keep him still we looked at his head. I even asked Linda if she thought he needed to go to the doctor. She said no, that he would be fine but Kevin and I felt that he deserved to be looked at. It would only cost me $10 anyways so, wheres the harm in that? All of this scenario took place in a matter of like 5-7 mins. It felt way longer to me! But, we went to the doctor, and he said that he was gonna need one, just one, staple and that he didn't need to be numbed because it would just hurt more. I agreed and we proceeded. Cooper was great. He cried for just a little bit after he got the staple inserted into the top of his head. I am so proud of my little Coop! It was such a traumatic experience for both Cooper and Aiden, and I am fearful of what we will experience next on this little adventure down Growing-Up Lane. But as they say "Boys will be Boys" right?

Traumatic Experience #2, well really it was the first traumatic experience in the week of first time experiences for the boys. We were headed up to Missouri for Father's Day weekend and both boys were a little feverish in the morning, but seemed okay once we started our venture. We stopped and got something to eat at the KFC in Clinton, bad idea if you ever take Hwy 65 North -- just sayin. Now, if you have ever taken Hwy 65 to Missouri you know that the road gets a little curvy, there's lots of twists and turns and after St. Joe there is nothing for a while. Well, right as we approached St.Joe is when Aiden did one of the funniest and most disgusting things I have witnessed first hand... he threw up. Not like any adult would do because they know the feeling and would try to avoid it at any cost, no no no... he just started spewing and crying. Once it happened the first time, Cooper started crying. I felt so bad for the both of them! Aiden didn't know what to do and was covered in disgusting and continued to heave a couple more times. Fortunately we stopped at a service station, the unfortunate thing was that it was closed. WHO CLOSES A SERVICE STATION? Apparently the people who own Jimmy's in St. Joe, thats who. Anyways, we stopped and cleaned him up to the best of our ability with baby wipes. There was a hose sitting out that we used to clean off his clothes and car seat. Once he was "clean" and had new clothes on I put a blanket down for him to sit on top of in his carseat which was gross. We did what we had to do to make it work. Thankfully he fell asleep not too long after we started out on the road again. All I can say is that I'm thankful I packed their blankets for this trip and glad that carseat covers can be easily washed! I am crossing my fingers we don't have to experience anymore traumatic events for a while.

As promised:

I cannot believe how quickly they have grown up.

Penny Pincher

2010-06-29T20:58:00.002-05:00

I have been contemplating this post for a long time. Seeing how I vowed the other day to stop thinking and start doing I thought it would be a perfect time to share with you all some knowledge I have gained.

In case you didn't notice, times are difficult for lots of people. We are included in those people who have "difficulties" but we have begun the path to overcome this "barrier" and I think that we are doing much better with a few easy adjustments. I fully plan on getting a good budget started and buckling down in order to see an even bigger reward but for now, this is what I have done.

Cable/Satellite:

You may think I'm crazy on this one, but cancelling our DirecTv was the best thing ever! We hardly watch TV and when we do we kind of get bored with it. We were so dependent upon our DVR that we never watched the news. Now, we watch it if its on when we get home from work. Just getting rid of that silly box we are saving roughly $80 a month! WOWZA! Seriously, amazing. However, we kind of cheat because we have Netflix on our PS3. We stream movies and kid shows all the time. We aren't paying for our subscription because Kevin's brother gave us the disc... but I don't think it is that expensive a month to get Netflix to your PS3 or Wii. Plus, I think not having TV readily available makes both Kevin and I look to do other things around our house besides sit on our bums on the couch and veg out for a couple hours.

Laundry Soap:

Use up the rest of your laundry soap and then never buy store bought ever again! Why? Because you can totally make it for yourself way cheaper and it will last so much longer! I first got this idea from my friend Heather who hosted a Laundry Making part with her friends. I did the same, but didn't take pictures. You can get the "recipe" from the Duggar Website as well. So far, I have been using mine and haven't noticed anything bad about it. I will admit that I add more than it says, but I'm just a weirdo about my clothes being clean I guess. Also, I have been using Vinegar as fabric softener instead of the store bought kind, and Kevin thinks our clothes are just as soft. This is such a simple and easy change! Seriously, you should do it.

Grocery Shopping:

Eating at home saves you money, if you do it right. My friend Andrea did a 4 part tutorial about being prepared in the kitchen and how awesome it is. Check it out here: one, two, three, four. I have found that by planning out meals, making a list, and really focusing only on that list will save you lots of money. Both Kevin and I are impulse buyers and purchase things that we don't necessarily need, which ends up costing us $$$. I also agree that you should set a budget for your groceries and stick to it. It'll help you to be creative and feel accomplished.

Finances:

I am not fully prepared when it comes to budgeting and getting my finances squared away. However, my friend E*Rocka introduced me to Mint.com. Its a free website that you put all of your accounts into, banking, credit cards, student loans, home loans, vehicle loans, 401K's, everything and it helps you to monitor your spending. It even told me the value of my house. How awesome is that? You can set your budgets on it and it will alert you when your accounts are low, you get charged a finance fee on your credit card, and when your payments post. It really is great, especially if you are into monitoring your accounts online. I suggest you check it out.

That is all I can think of at the moment, but I promise the next post will have pictures of my kiddos and fun adventures that they have experienced in the last week. Hopefully it will be up tonight once I get them in bed.

***If you have any suggestions for household cleaners please send them my way. I'm looking to test those next. ***

Thinking

2010-06-26T15:20:00.000-05:00

Lately I have been doing a lot of think, but not a lot of doing. I don't feel like there is anything wrong with thinking, but when you don't do and only think I feel like it can be detrimental. So, today I have decided to ACT instead of constantly thinking, rethinking, over thinking, under thinking, and thinking myself out of what it is I want and need to do. Get excited for the adventures you will get to experience with us on my adventure of acting/doing.

More to come shortly...

Cha Cha Cha Chages...

2010-05-24T13:39:00.001-05:00

Ugh! Seriously it has been forever since I have posted on my blog. I would like to offer you a sincere apology because I have been super busy and with out a camera :(

First, lets address this camera issue. When Kevin and I got married we got this super awesome point and shoot camera. It was like our baby. We took it everywhere, recorded videos of our kiddos, used it all the time. Well, One day we cleaned our house. Probably because we had guests coming over or something... and it was misplaced. This happened back in April according to the last picture that was taken on my memory card, which thankfully we still have. So, the only camera I have at the moment is the one that is on my cell phone. Sure, it works great for random picture but no where as good or awesome as our real camera. I am currently on the hunt for a new camera and am seriously considering getting an Elph. I would get a dslr but I think it would be too fancy and I'm scared of breaking something that fancy.

Now... Here is what we have been up to...

I got bangs.

Liked them but wasn't loving them.
So I got my hair cut again.

I am currently LOVING this hair. cut, color, everything = perfection!

I also found these sweet aviators after my children broke all of my sunglasses.

What makes these even better is that Kevin got them on his mission in California 10 years ago. Can you say FREE?!!!

I have also been debating paining my kitchen....

I have decided after a evening of design discussion with my friend Kara that I am going to leave it tan. This kind of depresses me because I really want to paint because I am bored with the tan color that consumes my house. However, there is no way I can paint my kitchen. I have a weird wall that makes it difficult and it would look silly. I have discovered what inspires me and how I would like to decorate my house. So my new mission is finding the perfect accessories to make it awesome.

Right now I am taking a break from school. Apparently the school I go to costs a lot of money to do summer school and that doesn't really fit our budget at the moment. So, I am taking a break. I did however fair very well this semester!

I currently have a 3.76 GPA. We will see what happens once they factor in my transfer credits. But I am keeping in my goal of a 3.5 GPA. In the fall I am going to be taking 18 credit hours. EEP! Yeah it's a lot but I have to do it in order to graduate in a fair amount of time. I'm currently debating a full week schedule versus a three day a week schedule. Either way we go Kevin and I have decided that daycare is a requirement for our kids. Which, unfortunately, is just another cost to our budge. But, its what is best for our kids and us.

Speaking of the boys, no post would be complete with out pictures of them.

I cannot believe how big they are getting. They will be TWO in September and I am in no way prepared to deal with that. They are so much fun. Cooper loves to drum on any and everything and Aiden loves to sing. He sings along to every TV show that they watch. Just this morning Kevin and I were listening to him sing the theme song to Sesame Street. I love them so much.

I know that there is more that has happened or that is going on but that is all I can process at the moment.

Just Taking A Minute...

2010-04-14T21:21:00.000-05:00

To tell you about my weekend at Time Out For Women. It was probably one of the most AMAZING weekends I have had in a long time. Do I accredit it to the fact I was sans children? NO! But it was nice to have a little "grown up" time with my friend Dana and her family. I'll be honest with you and tell you that at first I was super apprehensive about going. I was worried that Kevin couldn't handle the kids, it was my dad's birthday on Saturday, and I didn't really feel like going. Well not to much of my surprise... Kevin CAN handle the kids on his own for a night and most of a day. Some times I have too little faith in my husbands skills... but we can save that for another day. Anyways, the weekend started off how most of my days do... with me running late. Our game plan was to leave around 1 pm so we could do a little shopping before the event started. I didn't get home until after 1 and I was not packed. It was okay though because I packed quickly, we (Dana, Rachel, and I) loaded up my carseat free car and were headed towards Memphis. The drive to Memphis was super quick... well it seemed that way because we chatted and danced and did fun things that you do while on "road trips." We found our hotel, after little bit of trial and error, and then headed to downtown Memphis. The Convention Center was easy to find but parking... not our favorite thing. By the time we had driven around the area and found parking the event was starting so no shopping. I was a little bummed but we had to save seats and the event was about to begin!

Friday night we listened to amazing music by Jenny Oaks Baker that just put me in a state of awe and wonder. She is so amazing! Plus, I found the stories that she told us so inspiring. What a wonderful way for her to share her talent with the world! Sheri Dew was suppose to be there to give a talk but had an amazing opportunity to go and deliver books to children in an impoverished country. So, she did a video presentation talk. It was my first time listening to her speak and again I was touched. I didn't have a note book so I didn't take notes over her talk, but I did take away from it that I should turn the TV off more. It seems like something so small... but I can tell you it has already made a difference! The second speaker was John Bytheway (yes that is his real last name). I really liked his style and that he was funny. He talked a lot about marriage and making it work as a team. One of my favorite points by him was "Appreciate/Expect/Demand." You should always appreciate the things that your spouse does for you. If they do things over a long period of time we come to expect it. Then if it stops, we demand it from them. We should never get past the point of appreciation... but I know that there are instances in my own life that I have "demanded" of Kevin to do things that he does just to be nice. Another great point I thought that John Bytheway made was to ask yourself "What is it like to be married to me?" Would you want to be married to yourself? I can tell you I wouldn't want to be. But that just makes me love and appreciate Kevin even more because he can put up with me and my ways. After it was said and done for the night we (Dana, Rachel, Alessa, Tracy, and I) all went back to our hotel. We sat and talked about what we liked and just chatted away. Somehow in our conversation we started talking about friendships and their importance... I don't even know how. But, out of that conversation came a startling revelation that I had never thought about: "We need to focus on our relationships with the people we are taking into eternity" which pretty much means our family. Oh haiii... something else I need to focus on in my life.

Saturday began early. Earlier than I ever wake up at my house... and that says a lot. The musical guest for the day was Hilary Weeks who I found funny, charming, and amazing! She even played a new song that she was inspirited to write from TOFW's theme of Hope. It was beautiful and through her stories she really inspired me to be better at not gossiping. It is so easy to do these days and it so pointless... The first speaker was Emily Watts. Let me just tell you that I love lady! She talked about so many things and was so relatable as a mom that it was incredible! My favorite quote from her was "If we have hope we wait with patience." What incredible words! I sat and thought about how impatient I have been in my life and how in those times I didn't have hope. I found her so inspiring that I bought a book and want to by another one! If you have hard days as a mother and are looking for some comfort and inspiration, I would highly suggest reading one of her books. S. Michael Wilcox was the next speaker and I was inspired by him and how the journey stories in the Bible are there to help us on our journey through life. The third speaker was Mariama Kallon who has an amazing story to share with the world! Her testimony of finding the gospel and hope was so touching. I don't know if I would have the strength that she had when faced with such vast adversaries in Sierra Leone. I don't think that there was a dry eye in the place by the end of her segment. I strongly suggest that you take a moment to read about her life and how amazing of a story she has. The fourth speaker was Amanda Dickson who was really funny... but I missed her talk because I was sitting in the lobby with someone discussing something else... However, my friend Dana did tell me her talk was really good and explained that you are the best mother for your children and that you the best wife for your husband. So that made me feel good :) The closing speaker was Mary Ellen Edmunds who is really funny and super inspiring. She talked about resilience and how when people tell you you can't, you should believe in the part that you can. She really helped me to realize more about myself and believing in me because others do.

All together, all I can say is that it was such an amazing experience for me this past weekend. I was spiritually uplifted, I laughed, I cried, I had insight, I changed. I would strongly suggest to any woman to see if you can attend one in your area. It is not a church thing and all religions are welcomed to come. It is a place for women to go and to feel all of the amazing things that I did.

Confession

2010-04-04T22:29:00.003-05:00

This weekend has been a long one for me... I have lots of homework and with everything else going on I feel like my world has been turned upside down! I am slowly but surely putting the pieces back together and hopefully will be back on track after no time but in the mean time I would just like to say that I am by no means a

"super woman"

I am so flattered that everyone thinks that I am able to juggle everything that is on my plate in an easy and

organized manner. The truth is... I don't. I know it would be so amazing if I had some super secret to share with all of you, but I don't. I take things a day at a time and most of the time tasks and goals I wanted to get

accomplished go undone for days or weeks untouched. The only thing I have in my back pocket is that I remind myself daily, sometimes multiple times in a day, that "I lead a glorious life." It is not the life that I envisioned for

myself as a little girl but it is the life that my Heavenly Father sees fit for me and I am trying my best to

understand it and myself. I am on a journey and am attempting to make the best of it.

So, if you too feel down and out or overwhelmed with what is going on just remind yourself that:

"You live a GLORIOUS life!"

Two Spring Breaks

2010-04-01T22:00:00.000-05:00

I did not intentially plan on having two weeks off of school. And to be quite honest, I did go to school on Tuesday of this week. However, on Tuesday my little Cooper man woke up with a fever. When I took his temp it was low like 99 so we gave him some tylenol and I sent him on his merry way with his dad. I went to school had a GREAT day and then went home to find a still feverish kiddo. I don't think it helped that we ran like 3 errands before going home for the evening, but when else are we suppose to get stuff done? By the time we got home his fever was a whopping 103.1! Yikes! So I gave him some tylenol, Kevin gave him a Priesthood Blessing, and we calmed him as much as possible. It was not a pleasant night for anyone except Aiden who slept like a log. When we awoke in the morning, well 5:30 and then 8:30, Cooper was still sailing with a fever above 100. I called the Doctors office told them whats going on and they said ok we will see ya at 2:30. REALLY? I had to wait ALL DAY until this poor guy could get in to the doctor? So we waited and I held poor Mr. Cooper all day until it was time to go. By the time we got to the doctor Cooper was even worse. His little neck was hurting and he was just a wreck. :( Poor guy.

{mr cooper at the doctor}

The good news is that nothing is wrong with his throat, ears, or chest just enlarged lymph nodes. Seeing how there is no way to really decipher what is wrong there he decided either Mr. Cooper has a viral or bacterial infection. He sent us on our way with antibiotics in hand and we headed home. I was hoping that by morning he would be feeling better... to no avail he still had a fever. So, today I stayed home and nursed a poor baby back to health. By lunch time he was better, and by tonight he was back to normal.

{nothing like teamwork to get the job done}

{getting ready for bed}

I am thankful that he is feeling better but boy is my house a mess and am I covered up with homework... At least my baby is better and my teachers are understanding. Time for me to hit the books!

{me & mr. c saying cheese}

{mr. a saying cheese}

Resolution Check-In

2010-03-16T14:58:00.000-05:00

Spring Break is upon us here... only 1 more day of classes then I can "relax" for a week. There will not be much relaxing going on... but I will be excited to have a week off of school and have time to spend with my family for once! :)

Now for the check in of my goal for school:
{To get at least a 3.5 GPA this semester}

I did my final round up of grades with all of my professors today and the concensus is I am getting an A in all of my classes! I'm super proud of myself right now but know that I should be dedicating more time to my studies. Which results in me doing school work over Spring Break to catch up on things that I have kinda slacked on. Also, I am going to reorganize my "desk" so it is more inviting to study at! I'm really excited for what I have accomplished and know that I am completely capable of achieveing at least this goal!

Side Note:

I'm also trying really hard to get organized and have recently fell in love with Google Calendars! I can color code everything, include goals, and see my life a day, week, or month at a time. It has helped me to lay out my assignments, tests, doctor appointments, as well as get my VT time scheduled. If you are a technology person like I am... I would suggest looking into it. I'm in love. Seriously!

{ps} my next post will have pictures of my friends and family... i promise!

Easiest Dinner Ever

2010-03-08T16:11:00.000-06:00

Well I guess this could be classified as breakfast as well... but lets be honest here who doesnt love breakfast for dinner? Fridayt we got home late and Kevin was off helping his mom so it was just me and the boys and I'm never in a mood for an extravagant meal when its myself and the babies.

Here is all you need for some delicious German Pancakes:

1 cup milk

1 cup flour

6 eggs

1 stick of butter

Throw your stick of butter in a 9x13 pan while your oven is preheating to 350.

In the mean time mix together your eggs, milk, and flour. I added a little bit of sugar because we all have a little bit of a sweet tooth around here ;) Let it bake for about 15 minutes and voila. When serving top with syrup and maybe some powdered sugar. A super easy breakfast or dinner any time you are in need of a quick fix.

Side Note:

I'm always in the need for new recipes and new ideas for meals because lets face it... how often can we eat spaghetti and pizza? I'm starting to get tired of it and am thinking about having a bit of a "recipe contest" on our blog. The winner will get a prize which has been undetermined as of yet but I think t would be fun to try new things and meet people who read our blog. So what do you think? Yeah or Nay?

Resloution Check-In

2010-03-01T12:57:00.000-06:00

In the midst of our crazy busy life... I have decided the best time to organize my house will be during spring break because I will not have ANY school work (hopefully!) I've been looking online for inspiration on how to organize the boys room as well as my closets:

from here

all from here

The blog that the pictures above are from has all sorts of great organization tips for every room in your house.

from Ikea

Those are all the ones I had time for today but they have definitely helped me get my brain working on what I want to to do with the rooms in my house. I'm excited to have some time to do it!

Looking to the Future

2010-02-26T12:36:00.000-06:00

Yesterday while discussing the income that teachers make with my friend I realized I should just go for my Masters. It's only 30 more credits and you make like $20K more. I would be silly to not push my self to get that right? Well today I started looking into the best Universities for Education Majors. I came upon Vanderbilt. It was ranked #1 in some poll last year. Seems like its a pretty good school and Vanderbilt is obviously a school that most people have heard of. So I was looking around their website for their Master's program and came upon something very interesting...

They are teaming up with the Nashville school system and providing free tuition to applicants who agree to work for their school district for 5 years, 2 in an urban school and 3 in a specified school. You can read more about it here. But, I'm pretty sure that its still in the trial stages because only 24 applicants are going into the program. However, how great of an opportunity is that!?

I was super excited about it and told Kevin all about it and how cool I thought it would be to live in Nashville! At first he was a little apprehensive because i would be relocating our entire family, but after thinking about it he was excited to maybe get in to song writing which has always been a passion of his. I think I'm a little too excited though because I started looking at houses for sale and found the cutest little house for $130,000. Kevin even thought it was cute. Maybe I'm jumping the gun on my longing to get out of Arkansas but if this amazing opportunity is still available upon me graduating I will apply to the program. I know that Kev's mom would be upset that we would be moving but lets be honest, living debt free is better than trying to please people.

{Twenty Nine}

2010-02-17T22:54:00.002-06:00

Simple Phone Calls:

Today my friend Andrea called me out of the blue. We talk sometimes at church in passing but we both have little ones and callings that take up a lot of time. She wanted to catch up and get some lunch. Of course I couldn't leave work today but am looking forward to the day that we can sit and chat while our little ones probably terrorize one another, but in a loving way I assure you. I find her so inspiring. She is a mother of four and does the most amazing projects I have ever seen! Almost everything she does is on a budget and she always finds awesome deals at thrift stores and antique shops. Some days I envy her. I wish that I could be as put together as she is and a home as beautifully decorated as hers. But, then I realize that she is just like me. She find the time to be thankful for the little things and to still be a great person. She was one of my first friends when we moved to Arkansas and I am so grateful for her warm welcoming. It is people like Andrea who help me to see the good in myself. And that is a good thing :)

Go to Andrea's blog: jandaandco.blogspot.com

Look at how amazing she is at making things out of stuff around your home and send her some love!

Pizza and a Tutorial

2010-02-17T20:10:00.001-06:00

After my One Sauce: Three Ways post I decided to add some of my favorite meals that we eat on my blog.

So tonight we are having pizza. I pulled out my left over dough that I had thrown in the freezer and let it thaw over night in my fridge. Took it out kneaded in a little more flour and rolled out onto my corn meal dusted cookie sheet. I spray it with some cooking spray so my rolling pin doesn't stick to the dough but you can do whatever you like. After rolling it out I poked it with a fork and sprinkled on garlic powder. Once the over was heated throw it in for 10 mins so it gets nice and crisp. Take it out, spread on your sauce, sprinkle with toppings and cheese, then put back in over for 12-15 mins. Once it is cooked and your cheese is oozing with goodness it is ready!

How to make dough:
(found in Better Homes & Garden cookbook)
2 1/2 - 3 cups all-purpose flour
1 package active dry yeast
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup warm water
2 tbs cooking or olive oil

1. Mix warm water and yeast (to make sure the yeast is still good) then add in 1 1/4 cups flour, salt, and oil. Sometimes I add a little sugar or honey (1 Tbs) to sweeten it . Beat with a mixer on low for 30 seconds making sure to scrape the sides. Then beat on high for 3 mins. Next, Stir in as much of the remaining flour as possible with a wooden spoon.

2. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and kneed in more flour to make a moderately stiff dough. Divide dough in half (using a plastic putty knife from a hardware store works great!), cover and let rise for 10 mins.

{This is where I freeze half of my dough and continue to work with the other half, but if you have a big family you probably want both halves of dough.}

Roll dough out to desired shape and size. You can use it to make thin crust, mini pizzas (just half the dough again), or even calzones! If you want stuffed crust just roll the dough over string cheese sticks and voila!

-Heat oven to 400
-If making pizzas, poke with fork, bake for 10 minutes then top and bake for another 12-15 mins.
-If making calzones, bake for 25-35 mins at 375, until the crust is golden brown.

Now for the TUTORIAL:
How to make your blog post titles in a cute font:
I have read and read and read how to do this on kevinandamanda.com so many times but was nervous about it. After deciding to not be a wuss, I attempted to do it and boy was it easy! She has TONS of cute fonts and great tutorials! Go HERE to learn how to do it. Trust me, its easy.

Rockin Bean Dip

2010-02-16T19:37:00.004-06:00

Tonight I wanted to make nachos and we didn't have any refried beans. So, being the smart one I am I looked up how to make refried beans from canned pinto beans. The results were beyond my wildest dreams! The beans tasted like bean dip from Serranos which I was craving after reading Busy Bee Lauren's tweet about it. YUM!

So here is what I did:

{For best results, use a cast iron skillet}

i Tbs Olive Oil
2 Tbs Garlic
2 cans of Refried Beans
2 Tbs of "Hot Shot" Pepper
2 Tbs of Cumin
1 Tbs of Cilantro

Toast the garlic in the pan with the olive oil over medium heat. Be careful not to get the pan too hot or you'll burn the garlic! Once it looks delicious and yummy dump in the two cans liquid and all. I used the back of my spoon to mash the beans since they are soft already. Then add the pepper, cumin, and cilantro. I used dried cilantro because its easier to store. Mix everything together and continue to mash the beans to the desired consistency. Let it sit over low heat and continue to thicken stiring occasionally. It was super delicious and Kevin and I loved it! I hope it turns out just as yummy for you!

{I don't really measure when I cook so I am guessing on the amounts of garlic, pepper, cumin, and cilantro. So, you may need to adjust accordingly and to your taste}

{Twenty Eight}

2010-02-11T21:45:00.002-06:00

{I found this post sitting in my drafts and feel compelled to finish it and to keep up my 365 Days of Gratitude, even if it's not consecutive days in a row.}

Drafted Text:

I love my calling... I'm the YW Secretary and Personal Progress Advisor. At first I was nervous... I didn't know anything about Personal Progress or YW to be honest, but I knew that they had faith in me and that it was the right place I was needed.

Last night we had our New Beginnings Program for Young Womens. We talked about Personal Progress and the importance that it has in helping the girls to develop who they are, build their testimony, prepare for the temple, and to just be amazing young women! Kara and Laurie put in so much work to make it such an amazing night and I wish I could have stayed for the whole thing (I had to leave early to finish my homework). I am so grateful for the church and how much happiness and joy it has brought into my life.

I didn't even have a big part in the program, as the Personal Progress Advisor I was just asked to talk about the new changes that have been made. They have added some really amazing things {which I would link to but my editor is being lame} including a new medallion, a book mark with ribbons that coordinate with the value colors, and a new book that is pink! If the girls weren't motivated before... they are totally motivated now! I mean, I want a super cool bookmark :) But, as I stood before the room of the Young Women, their parents, the amazing women I serve with in the Presidency, and our Bishop I was overwhelmed with the spirit and bawled my eyes out with joy and happiness for my calling. It has been so helpful to me and my progress in building my testimony, having a connection with people in a new area, and making new friends. I am especially thankful for the women I serve with and Louanne. If it wasn't for her I don't know if I would have ended up in YW in the first place. She was the YW President when I got my first calling. They have all been so helpful to me in every way possible! Any time I have felt overwhelmed or lost or just having a bad day I know that if I need their strength or help they are there for me in a minute. I wish that everyone in the world could say that they have people they can turn to in their times of need. For me, I can say it honestly and truthfully. That in itself is enough to be grateful for. However, that is not why I started out writing this post. I started it because I was starting to doubt my calling {I am aware that I shouldn't} and last night I was reminded why I was given my calling. It is where I am suppose to be and with people I should be serving with. I am grateful for the way in which the spirit works and I am humbled by it all the time.

Maybe Its the Winter Weather

2010-02-09T07:47:00.003-06:00

I think the lack of sunshine and warm winter breezes has gotten the best of me. Lately I have been so stressed out and "crazy" that I can't even think straight or sit long enough to read a book for homework... It's snowed and its beautiful but its cold and quite frankly something I like for a couple of hours, not a couple of days. I've been thinking a lot about why I really feel so awkward really is the only word I can think of and I think it's because I've lost who I am a little bit. Some one told me I was bitter over people who were born with a spoon in their mouths and its not so much I'm bitter it just pains me to see that they don't appreciate the simple things in life and its hard for me to comprehend that. Sure, I would love to have all the money I need to pay my bills and buy fancy clothes, computers, cars, and cell phones... but I don't have those things and dont need them. What I need can't really be bought. I need self confidence, reassurance that I'm a good parent, more paitence, better time management... and other things that can't be bought. They must be learned, or earned, and they take time. I guess that is the point... things take time.

"Rome wasn't built in a day"

One Sauce: Three Ways

2010-01-24T21:09:00.003-06:00

I cook all the time for my loving husband and kiddos... but sometimes I get bored and lack creativity in what to make. Luckily, I have learned the art of turning one thing into many meals. After making a bomb dinner tonight I felt like sharing this. It wasn't until I was done eating my deliciously stuffed pepper that it dawned on me I should have taken pictures of my food... but like I said this idea of sharing didn't occur to me until tonight. So here is what we had this week:

Tuesday:
Spaghetti w/meat sauce.

I make my own spaghetti sauce out of ground pork, diced tomatoes (with basil, oregano, and garlic), a can of tomato paste, a can of tomato sauce, and lots of yummy seasonings. Who doesn't love spaghetti right? This usually makes a lot of sauce. Just enough to get me through my three meals.

Saturday:
(it was going to be Friday but we were invited out on a fun date and so it had to wait an extra day)
Pizza

I make my own dough from flour, yeast, water, a little sugar or honey. This is really simple and usually the dough is ready in like 15 mins after the 10 minute rise. Plus, the dough makes for two pizzas. I usually end up throwing on in the freezer for next time. I bake the dough, pour on some left over meat sauce, add some peperoni, and some cheese bake some more. Voila! Meal two is complete and delicious!

Sunday:
Stuffed Peppers

I cook up some rice. Then I brown some sausage in a pan once its good and crispy I add my leftover meat sauce, add in the rice, and wait till it is warm. During this time I wrap my peppers in saran wrap and microwave them for a couple of minutes to soften them. Once they are soft and my sauce/rice mixture is warm I stuff the peppers, top with a little cheese and throw them under the boiler until nice and bubbly. Ta Da! Three meals complete out of one sauce.

This may not be very exciting to you, but with our busy schedule and my inability to plan meals well I thought it was pretty amazing. Plus, Kevin liked all of it and everyone tasted different. Maybe I have inspired you to look at cooking in a new light. :)

Forever 21 Window Shopping

2010-01-20T12:40:00.010-06:00

Sometimes when I get bored at work... or just tired of doing what I really should be doing I window shop online. I really really really love Forever 21 and used to shop there all the time when we lived in Az. Now that I live in Arkansas and the mall seems like it is forever away and always crowded I stick to Target and Kohls for the simple fact they are super close. Here are some of my favorite picks I found while perusing the internet...

found here

A super cute military inspired jacket would be perfect with a pair of jeans or a cute dress under it!

found here
I love this dress for spring time with some cute tights and a little sweater when its still chilly and in the summer time with the perfect pair of flip flops!
found here
I love the retro feel of this dress. If I was daring (which I am not) I would sport it with some red lips.
found here
I think this would be the perfect sweater for spring time. Just warm enough to protect you from the wind and still light enough to not sweat you out on the warmer days.
found here
I love plaid... but I don't think I could pull it off. This shirt looks a lot like one we bought for Kevin and to be honest I like when we dress like twins because I think its funny.
found here
Printed Tee's are my favorite for the fact that I am not an accessories girl. Anything that makes me look like I'm wearing a necklace gets an A+ in my book. Chic and easy :)

Well, thats all I had time for today. I should get back to working since I'm only here three days a week. I hope you enjoyed some of my picks for Forever 21.

School

2010-01-17T12:38:00.005-06:00

I started school this week and it is nothing like Arizona State. I know absolutely no one, it was freezing, and I drive 45 minutes away to spend the whole day (9:30-4:30) pretty much alone. I know that going back to school was going to be difficult, but I forgot how much easier it is when you have friends and sunshine. I think I mostly miss knowing the campus and the "ease" I had at ASU. The campus at Henderson isn't very large but it is definitely different than that that I was used to. Their maps were a little confusing to me as well, but I've figured out how to master the campus. I still haven't gotten a student ID and I got a parking ticket on the second day... which they canceled out once I bought a parking permit. It just took me a while to figure out exactly where the police "station" (really a small house) was. My easy going schedule of working and parenting has been bombarded by pages of reading, writing, and lectures. But, the one thing that I do look forward to is my Pilates class. I knew I was out of shape... but I didn't realize how bad I was out of shape until our first "dress out" day on Thursday. Holy Moley! It was tough, but a good tough. I was sore the next day and it was good. But, I think the thing that really gets to me with starting school is the fact that I have to do it away from my family. It reminds me of when I was in college before and how I didn't really try... which I am obviously doing this time. I just feel homesick today and miss the warm sunshine and my loving family.

Christmas Past

2010-01-07T08:39:00.005-06:00

I know that this is a ~~little~~ late, but honestly I think that our Christmas this year was our best Christmas as a family. My morning started out with finishing my beautiful cream cheese braid, which has become a new tradition in our family because it was AMAZING and super easy. I decided to just half the dough roll it out and really braid it instead of how the recipe said to do it, and it turned out really pretty and delicious! While I was waiting for the dough to rise Aiden woke up and decided to join me in the kitchen. Then he noticed that something was different... there were packages under our tree. He slowly walked over picked up a bag and handed it to me. I told him "Yep, thats a present and it's for you. Go ahead and open it." He was just beaming with light and slowly took out the paper, set it down, then pulled out the toy. He loved it. He sat and played with it for at least 10 minutes. While he sat quietly and played I woke up Kevin and told him we should get Cooper up too to open presents. Kevin, being the amazing husband he is, suprised me with probably the greatest present this year. I woke up to two brand new and assembled bookshelves flanking my tv. I have been wanting bookshelves for a really long time to fill up some space on our empty wall and they look quite esquisite. I will post pictures once I find things to fill them with, because they look boring now. Opening presents was an all day adventure at our house for the simple fact that the boys enjoyed opening each gift and playing with it. We didn't have that big wrapping paper mess that usually is affiliated with Christmas morning and it was a nice suprise. I let Kevin be our camera man on Christmas day because he got us a new tripod. I thought he would be better... but he just shot a couple of videos and totally missed my first Christmas dinner that I prepared all by myself! I made a bacon "wrapped" turkey with sage butter and a maple glaze, sweet potatoe cassarole, garlic mashed potatoes, fresh green beans, and fresh cranberry sauce. I atttempted to make gravy and was horrible at it so Linda fixed it and she made homemade rolls. Our dinner was a feast full of goodness and fullness. We were so full we couldn't even eat dessert. We had cherry, apple, pecan, and pumpkin pie! All of which was delicious as well! I was so proud of myself and my yummy and moist turkey. After we ate I realized that my Christmas glory was never photographed! Again I blame Kevin for this. But none the less, it was a wonderful day spent with family and friends and we enjoyed all that it brought us. Here are some pictures of what they got from Grandma and some videos of Christmas day :)

Aiden opening this cool car that plays music.

Cooper and Aiden's sweet dance moves.

New Year, New You?

2010-01-05T14:20:00.001-06:00

Last year I didn't make any Resolutions because I didn't really know what to hope for or to expect in 2009. However, this year I have thought long and hard about what I really want to achieve in 2010.

* Officially change my name
*Develop & Stick to a good "Bed Time" routine for myself.
*Be more Organized & Clean with day to day things like laundry, the kitchen, and bathrooms.
*Keep a 3.5 average in school
*Get in to better shape & work out more often
*Eat Healthier
*Read my Scriptures more often

I think that if I can stick to these goals and accomplish them I will be a better & happier me.

The Night Before Christmas

2009-12-30T21:28:00.000-06:00

Christmas Eve this year was by far one of the most stressful Christmas Eve's I have ever experienced. It had been raining for 2-3 days straight in Arkansas and all of the roads were FLOODED! Kevin decided to go to work and left the house around 10ish. Later, his ~~whole family~~ (mom & brother) called me stating that he needed to go to work get the truck and rescue them from their house. They only had a Jeep and a little Honda. Needless to say, Kevin was off rescuing people all day until about 5:30. During that I had made dough for my Christmas morning cream cheese braid, baked two pumpkin pies & a cherry pie, cleaned the entire kitchen, all whilst taking care of the kiddos. It was a lot of work and I was tired, but I was more frustrated with the fact that Kevin was gone all day. It was Christmas Eve and I was expecting him to be home all day having fun and making memories. However, our Christmas Eve had a beautiful new tradition added to it!

Our friends the Well's invited us over for some home made clam chowder and a night full of fun and games. It was some of the most delicious chowder I have ever had! The boys even had lots of fun "playing" their piano. It was a wonderful evening full of good times and good food!

When we got home we put the boys in their Christmas jammies and then tucked them in for the night.

Photo Shoot

2009-12-18T15:29:00.000-06:00

I TOTALLY forgot about these darling pictures of my kids that my friend Kara took for their 1st birthday! She is AMAZING and I love when she takes their picture because they turn out way better than anything that I could ever do! She only sent me a couple because she wasn't very pleased with the way they turned out {she didn't feel well the day she took them} but you can obviously see how great they turned out!

Aiden is waving and Cooper is contemplating something?

I can't remember who's bum is whose, but I loved this picture!

She wanted to enter it into a Hallmark Card contest, I think it would totally win!

Thanksgiving

2009-12-18T15:10:00.000-06:00

{Please bear with me while I play catch up}

This year we went up to Missouri for Thanksgiving, because I wanted to stay home for the babies first "real" Christmas. It's so nice that we have family close enough to spend the holidays with and still feel like we are "getting away." It was my first time going up to Missouri without Kevin. (I went up Tuesday, he came up Wednesday) I was a little nervous at first, but Linda decided to drive up with me and the babies so we could help bake pies and stuff the day before Thanksgiving. It wasn't too bad of a drive, and I've been up there and back so many times I didn't have any problems finding my way! The babies do really good on the ride there and back. It is about 4 1/2 hours long and I generally try to leave around their nap time. They sleep half the way and then we break when they wake up. The last half of our trip was a little bit rougher because they wanted to play and obviously they couldn't so it was rather loud and fussy in our car. Linda tried her best to entertain them, but it was pretty much unsuccessful. We arrived at Kim's house around 630 which was good because we left about 2pm. The boys were super excited to get out and play and they love Siera (Kim's foster baby). After unpacking and settling in we had dinner, bathed the boys, and put them to bed. Then we watched a movie in Kim & Andy's theater room, which was pretty amazing.

Thanksgiving day consisted of yummy food, pies, Macy's Thanksgiving Parade, Football , and movies. I only made pies this year and they were well loved. I don't think any of them made it past Saturday. Our Friday consisted of shopping, but not early shopping I am no Black Friday fiend. We picked up some really good stuff for the little ones and for ourselves. All of it is to be wrapped and placed under the tree for Christmas day. I bought some awesome tights at TJMAXX and want to wear them so bad, but must wait and it is killing me! Kevin even got a really good deal on a drill and saw set from Home Depot. After the shopping we went over and visited with Kevin's dad and his wife. Its always so nice visiting with them. Karleen always takes lots of pictures and I have her to thank for these ones, because I am terrible at remembering to take them! We ended our night with a trip to Andy's frozen custard! {no springfield trip is complete with out it} Saturday we headed home and spent Sunday recouperating from the busy weekend. I am so thankful that we got to spend some time with our family!

Halloween

2009-12-15T16:37:00.000-06:00

Yes this is SUPER LATE, but I finally found the few pictures that were taken on Halloween. I had intentions of retaking our Halloween pictures the following weekend because it was probably one of the most miserable days of my life. Kevin decided to go to work that day and didn't get home until 4:45 and we had to leave at 6. This is not a good time frame for the four of us to get ready in. On top of him being late, he didn't have his phone which left me worrying instead of getting ready. After rushing to get out of the house we had a wonderful evening with friends. We went to church for Trunk or Treat then went to the Bradford's for food and festivities. We even took the babies on a "hayride" around the neighborhood. They loved it and it was so much fun. I'm excited for next year because they will be big enough to collect candy! {i love candy} Here are a few pictures of that day, forgive me for not looking my best.

The boys were Thing 1 (Aiden) & Thing 2 (Cooper). Kevin was Brett Michaels and I was a Powder Puff Player (girl football player).

Mischief and Mayhem! OH MY!

2009-12-15T14:10:00.000-06:00

Ugh I know it has been FOREVER since I posted about my little boogers, but I feel that this is appropriate to share. Now that the boys are bigger and can walk and climb and run they have figured out how to sneak out of their playpen at work. They both get together, pull it in on themselves, climb over, and then pull it back into an upright position. I only know this because I had to put them back in to figure out how they got out. {maybe I should record them breaking out of jail!} We had to break apart the play pen into two smaller ones for nap time and now "time out."Anyways, they have been nothing but mischevious since that day. They can now open doors. ie: the pantry door, the bathroom door, my bedroom door. All of which are places I would prefer for them not to go. So we have started locking doors and using the good ol' string trick to keep them from opening doors without locks. Also, they have learned to play with the water fountain at work and think its fun to make a mess. All of these things have made watching them a little more difficult, but it is always hilarious.

The End is Near

2009-12-10T11:44:00.000-06:00

Finals are knocking on my door... as in they are waiting for me to sit down in a quiet room and just answer the questions for hours on end. However, along with finals comes grades on assignments that have been sitting in the assignment box for over a month. I am a procrastinator by nature. I put everything off until the last minute, ALWAYS!! So, it is normal for me to turn in a paper late for an online class. In my psychology class this happened twice because once I was on vacation and did not bring my lap top (which was my fault). We couldnt get the computers to link up and it was a huge mess, but my teacher accepted it because I was on vacation and she was very understanding. My second paper was late because I procrastinated. Plain and simple. I finished it after it was due and then tried to upload it. If you use BlackBoard you know that in order to upload anything it has to open a new windown and then you search your computer and then you find your paper and upload it. Well.... the first time I tried to upload my paper Java crashed my computer! I was in tears because I knew she would not give me full credit on this assignment. I restared the computer and then uploaded my paper. With the paper I included a note to my teacher stating that I am a procrastinator, that I was sorry for my paper late, and that my computer had crashed. I never heard back from her regarding the assignment. This past week she allowed AMNESTY for all of our assignments, disscussions, and quizes me might have missed and would award us half credit. I WAS EXCITED!!! I knew this was my chance to make up this paper. I emailed her and asked if I needed to resubmit my paper and she said no. This morning when I checked my class, I found that she had graded my paper last night. To my astonishment this is what she had written to me:

Thanks for being so upfront, Jacqueline. I can understand the procrastination effect--I have battled procrastination--and the resulting panic mode that it produces--all my life as well!

Your article review paper is EXCELLENT. You are so thorough in your writing assignments, going above and beyond the expectations and scope of the assignment. Your paper is probably the BEST one that I have had turned in from a student in response to this article review assignment in several years! :-)

I agree that the research on the memory of rats was fascinating! It's incredible that researchers are able to extrapolate data from experiments like that in order to make breakthrough knowledge about human behavior and conditions.

Regardless of being just a tad late, it deserves a 100/100 .

~SK~

WHAT!!! Does that say that I get 100% on my paper? Why yes, yes it does!! I was so excited I almosted jupmed out of my chair. I have been so nervous about going back to school and that I was not prepared but this comment from my teacher makes me feel that I am capable of succeeding and that I can do it. I look forward to graduation... even if it is 2 years away still. :)

Little Moments

2009-10-16T20:04:00.000-05:00

Last night I decided to bring the boys home while Kevin stayed and worked late. I set up our Halloween decorations in the yard, made dinner, bathed them, and played with them all before Kevin got home at the nice hour of um...9pm? Yeah, it was a late night for him but I am glad he worked. We had so much fun! They helped me in the kitchen, by constanly grabbing on my to my legs and not letting go. We had a splash zone in the bath tub. I ended up being soaked by the end of their bath but it was all worth it. Then we played in their room. I let them just run around and be free sans diapers! I had so much fun with all the time that we spent together just the three of us. I am grateful for the little moments in time when I get to spend time with my boys and be silly and fun. I look forward to the many more memories we will be sharing as they grow up.

My awesome Dollar Store decorations and yes, those are Christmas lights.

An upclose look at one of my different tombstones

They really enjoyed the lights and the decorations as a whole. I am super excited for Christmas time!! :)

A Year Has Past...

2009-10-14T22:37:00.000-05:00

Since these cute little boogers were born!

As you can probably tell, I haven't taken very many pictures of them since Kevin cleared off our camera for their birthday extravaganza! But, I cannot believe my little babies are a year old already. Its so crazy to look back on the past year and see how much they have grown and changed and become their own little people. They both definately have their own personalities and things that they do and I could not love it more. Even today I told Kevin I want another baby, which I say everyday so its nothing new. We had a nice family birthday get together. We took the boys to Larry's our favorite pizza joint to get the most fantastic pizza ever! Plus they are free until their 5th or 6th birthday? So, who doesn't love free food? Anyways, afterwards we gave them their own little cupcake mosters to celebrate their special day. I got them at Harps which is probably my favorite grocery store but we rarely go there since its on the other side of the highway. Aiden enjoyed digging into the frosting and making the biggest mess ever. Cooper, on the other hand, was scared of the way that it felt and that it was cold and was just not having it. Bud tried to force Cooper to touch it and it just made him upset so he cried even harder :( Eventually he came around to it and enjoyed making a mess with is brother. It was so nice to spend the evening with our family outside of work and focus on the babies and how awesome they are. Please enjoy the pictures of their mess making mayhem.

Aiden is the one who has the frosting up on the side of his face and covered in green goo. Cooper is the one who is a little bit cleaner. I tried to group them together but bloggers new editor is weird and I'm not used to it. I had a video of it but don't know how to upload it now. :(

New Blog

2009-10-13T09:47:00.001-05:00

I have decided to start a new blog that is really more about just me. I will still post about our family and what we do together on this blog, but the other one is more personal. I haven't decided yet if I want to share it with anyone but if you really feel that you would like to read about my life, leave a comment with your email address and I will invite once I decide thats what I want to do.

***I've decided to share so please leave your email and I will send you an invite :)

Where Has the Time Gone??

2009-10-09T14:54:00.002-05:00

I just checked my blog today for the first time in I don't even know how long and realized its been almost a month and a half since I've updated! Holy COW!!! I've been so bad at updating lately but we have been so busy with remodeling the shop, going to Arizona, and now its Auction time... blah! Oh, and on top of that I'm taking two online classes. EEK! Most of the time I feel overwhelmed with whats going on, but I am so thankful for my Kev, seriously without him in my life I dunno what I would be doing. I can't say it enough! Good news is that this weekend I don't have a lot of homework and/or tests so I will try to get a post up of their birthday because they are pretty hilarious.

An Apology...

2009-08-26T23:32:00.003-05:00

I must apologize to everyone who reads my blog (mostly my mom) but I am not capable of updating it every day anymore. As you can tell I have been absent for a couple of weeks now. Partially due to the fact I was on my "summer vacation" from school. Now that I am back in school it is crazy!!! My online classes are so demanding and I don't even know how they are online!!! I seriously have to do like 5 assignments each week plus 2 quizzes per class. Its INSANE!!! So here is my latest update sans pics, which will come soon (I PROMISE!!).

*We cut the boy's hair and it is super short and now they look even more like Kevin.
*Cooper has 6 teeth! 4 on top and 2 on the bottom.
*Aiden only has 3 teeth. One on top and 2 on the bottom.
*We went to Springfield for Kevin's birthday and it was tons of fun!
*WE ARE GOING TO ARIZONA IN A MONTH!!! I am super excited and can't wait to see my family.

That is all I have for tonight. I will try to post some new pics soon. <3

{Twenty Seven}

2009-08-11T08:34:00.006-05:00

****PLEASE NOTE THIS IS EXTREMELY LATE*****

Please brace yourself for this next statement (especially if you are my mother): I CLEANED OUR ENTIRE KITCHEN BY MY SELF!!!
You may be thinking to yourself, but Jacque, everyone cleans kitchens. This is not true in my case, if you know me well enough, you know, that I detest cleaning. Why do you think I married Kevin? He is a clean freak and cleans up after me. He does the dishes, cleans our bathrooms, is simply amazing! Well, my clean freak of a husband was working all day Friday and Saturday and I decided I was sick of our messy kitchen. So, while the babies were sleeping... I moved every thing I could out of our kitchen area, swept, mopped, and rearranged! I even got down on my hands and knees and scrubbed the cracks of our cabinets with a toothbrush. The cleaning bug had bit me and there was no stopping! Even after my little boogers woke up from their nap, I continued to clean scrubbing counter tops and putting away clutter. Seriously, I have never cleaned this hard core in my life. Well, maybe a couple of other times, but not in this house of ours. I was so proud of myself! And to put a cherry on top of my sundae... Kevin and I have committed to keeping our kitchen this nice. I hope it lasts....

My newly arranged kitchen. I LOVE it!!

{Twenty Six}

2009-08-11T08:17:00.003-05:00

When I started this blogging adventure I thought "Oh, this will be so easy! I have so many things that I am thankful for!" Well, while this statement is true, I will tell you the adversary has gotten the best of me some days. Especially last Friday! I was so overwhelmed with life in general! My house was a mess, I had weeks worth of laundry to do, I had a bad day at work, and to top it off my lovely husband had to work late. When thinking back on that day I just thought, I have nothing that I was thankful for... I have failed. But, today I was on my friend Andrea's blog and I realized I have so many things that I am thankful for that I haven't even shared with the world! As I have stated in previous posts... Arkansas is not my ideal place for living; however, I am so thankful that I am here. If I hadn't moved here almost two years ago I don't even know what my life would be like. I wouldn't have my two wonderful baby boys, I probably wouldn't have joined the church when I did, I wouldn't have met the amazing friends I have made in our ward, and I probably wouldn't be in school. Its so amazing how Heavenly Father blesses us without our knowing. I am the one who convinced Kevin to move to Arkansas because I thought I had an amazing job and school opportunity lined up. I was wrong about that... but our family has been so blessed in so many other ways. If I wouldn't have followed the prompting I had who knows where our lives would be at his point. I am so thankful that my husband loves me and listens to my crazy ideas (it didn't hurt we found an amazing house either). So, from this point forward I have decided to remind myself of the many wonderful blessings I have received all for moving a measly 1,000 miles from home. Plus, I have learned the meaning of the phrase "Distance makes the heart grow fonder" for the simple fact that I cherish the time I get to spend with my family and do not take it for granted any more. I love you mom!! :)

{Twenty Five}

2009-08-09T22:13:00.003-05:00

Plastic wear is amazing! Not only is it easy to clean, but it has created hours of entertainment for our little guys. They have discovered how to open drawers in our kitchen. The drawer that they find the most entertainment in is the one that we keep our tupperware and plastic bowls in. They pull all of them out, push them around the kitchen, hid lids in the hallway, and then find something new to do. Most of the time, they get bored with them until we clean them up and put them away. So, Kevin has just decided to store our bowls on the counter until he installs our safety locks. But here is their adventure in pictures:

Opening the drawer, as you can see they have already pulled out the bowls.

This might be one of their favorite bowls because of its bright color and the loud sound it makes when banged on the floor.

Surveying the treasure that he has found...

Checking to make sure they didn't miss any bowls.

Their success... my drawer is empty!

{Twenty Four}

2009-08-09T19:05:00.002-05:00

*Little Blessings*

Wednesday was the day I found out my fate as a student at PTC. I went to register on Monday and it was just a day full of trouble! I stood in line for 30 minutes to find out that I didn't need to go to the school to register.. DUH! Then I waited another hour to meet with an "advisor." Who really just turned out to be some person who had NO idea what they were doing. I went to meed with an advisor to discus which credits would transfer from ASU (Arizona State) so I wouldn't have to take 2 years of school! Well, this guy had no idea what would transfer and just wanted to sign me up... I know how to sign up pal! He sent me over to another building where I could talk to someone who was an actual advisor. I waited a good 20 minutes to meet with her, she was the only lady in. Well, I walk into her office and it is just covered in STUFF!!! I guess she had just moved in, but seriously I couldn't even put my schedule on her desk because it was covered in just stuff. I cant/t even describe it. I was so flustered after all the troubles I had, but I had hope that she would be able to help me... well. I WAS WRONG! All she did was say ok show me these classes... I showed her. I told her what I was signed up for. She said it was good. Then we got to the big classes, my core classes that I was hoping would transfer from ASU (which is a real college). This is where it went bad... She said that she didn't know about these classes and that she would decided if they did after I looked up the course descriptions and scheduled another meeting with her. EXCUSE ME! WHAT!!!! Augh. I thought that was her job as an advisor!! Well, I left. Upset to say the least. This is also the day that I was told "Well, you wont be granted your financial aide so you should just enroll in the payment plan online." SAY WHA!!!! I'm sorry, but if it wasn't for financial aide I wouldn't be going to school. Apparently, you are supposed to return some letter they send to you in the mail to accept your financial aide... I have always done this online for the simple fact thats what I did at my previous more put together school. So I faxed in my letter on Monday hoping that they would approve my funds that have been sitting in their bank accounts since May. Thankfully, on Wednesday when I checked my schedule to see if I had been dropped from my classes due to lack of funds I was pleasantly surprised to find that I was still enrolled and that I had in fact been given my grant. HOLLA! I'm thankful that I have the opportunity to go to school, even though we are poor and really shouldn't be able to afford it. Thanks Government funding! :)

{Twenty Three}

2009-08-09T16:02:00.004-05:00

I'll be honest, ever since I got finished with Summer School I've been a little bit of a slacker, and I can't remember back to Tuesday of last week. So instead, I will substitute what I was going to put on a different post. Here are the baby babbles.

One night after feeding them their dinner, the boys were so funny! They just kept babbling and pulling their hair and telling stories. We thought it was too cute so we took some video and pictures of them. We tried to capture their "Albert Einstein"-esk hair...

Aidens silly hairdo

Cooper's wasn't as big...

These guys are hilarious! This is Cooper's newest face.

{Twenty Two}

2009-08-06T16:40:00.002-05:00

THE RESULTS ARE IN!!!! MY GPA FOR THE SEMESTER IS A 4.0!!! Hurray! I'm so excited that I found out that I passed both of my classes with flying colors. Also, I found out that I was awarded a Grant for school. So, each semester I get some $$money$$ which will be so helpful for our family. Also, my student loans are put on hold for the time being, which is another blessing that I don't have to make that payment each month. I was definitely blessed in knowing that going back to school is the right decision to make! I have been struggling with what do do for school, the whole cosmetology vs education or both idea. Don't get me wrong people I would LOVE to do BOTH! However, financially, that does not seem possible. Cosmetology school cost roughly $15,000!! Holy Cannoli! That is quite a pretty penny which we most definitely do not have, and if we did have it I highly doubt Kevin would let me spend it on cosmetology school. So, ultimately I have made a decision to continue to pursue my degree in Early Childhood Education. I'm going to finish taking some courses at PTC (which is a big joke if you ask me) and then transfer to Henderson State University in Arkadelphia. It would be about a 30 - 45 minute drive to school, but thats the same as going to North Little Rock, so I'll take it. Plus, if you have seen where UALR (University of Arkansas Little Rock) is located you would be scared to go there too. Long story short, I'm thankful that our family has been blessed with my ability to go back to school and get a degree, FINALLY!

{Twenty One}

2009-08-06T16:24:00.002-05:00

Good Food and Friends! I was so excited when our friends Kara and Dave invited us over for dinner a week ago. Its always such a treat when we get to hang out with other adults. Is that lame to say? Oh well, its nice. Anyways we got to go over to their house for amazing Aussie Chicken (I looked for the recipe but couldn't find it.) It was a yummy bacon covered chicken with a honey mustard sauce. YUMMY! Even the boys liked it. They stood diligently next to my chair like little birdies waiting to be fed. It was cute. I'm so thankful that we have had the opportunity to make friends here. That is one of the things that I was very fearful of moving away from home. Its so wonderful that we have people that we can spend time with that are our age and that are fun! Seriously, I thought that I would make no friends and be stuck with only Kevin's family to talk to, which isn't bad but when you see people everyday it gets stagnant. Anyways, Dinner and conversation is always fun, plus the babies had a fun time exploring their house. The only bad thing is that they are super curious and all they wanted to do was get into the chemicals under the sink. But, Kara and I chased them down. I think the babies favorite part was watching their dogs through their back window. You could tell the puppies wanted to play with the babies, but our babies aren't quite ready for big dogs. As soon as they can stand on their own good and figure out their balance issues they will be ready. Until then, they just watch them through the window. I wish I would have taken pictures but we were busy talking. Maybe next time?

{Twenty}

2009-08-06T16:20:00.002-05:00

I know I have a lot of catching up but we have been busy... so heres what I was thankful for on Saturday... A NIGHT OUT ON THE TOWN! Well not really, Kevin's brother Jimmy came over and watched the babies while we went to a play that some kids from church were in. It was fun. While we were downtown our little town was having an Ice Cream Social. It was fun to see what potential our little town has. We got free ice cream from the Schwans man, lots of it! Plus, we discovered that our neighbor that lives nextdoor to us has a photography studio down there! She was super excited to show it off to us and she even said that she would do a "trade out" with our kids because she wants some pictures of twins. DOUBLE BONUS! I love when people take pictures of our kids, they always turn out better than mine... so I was grateful that Kev and I had some nice quality time to hang out like we were dating again. It's nice to get away from the kiddos for a little bit.

{Nineteen}

2009-07-31T16:05:00.002-05:00

Linear, Stagnant, One Way, Straight Shooter... All of these words may apply to me but when it comes to my thinking and dreams and hopes of the future they do not! I am thankful for the fact that I am an overachiever, someone who has big dreams and thinks that they can achieve all of them. Last night it was brought to my attention when someone asked what I was going to school for, I simply stated "Well, I want to get my teaching degree and go to cosmetology school." I didn't think there was anything wrong with this statement, its what I want to do. I love the joy I get from teaching little kids and I think doing hair and makeup on people is super fun. So, why not have the best of both worlds? Well, I was quickly shaken from my pedestal of thinking when they replied "You better decide quick, you can only do one." WHAT! No way! I have my whole life planned out around both of these careers working together. You see, how I look at is like this: Cosmetology school is roughly 10-12 months here in Arkansas, to get my Associates in Early Childhood Education from PTC (Pulaski Technical College) I have roughly 3 -4 semesters? So roughly 2 years of school maybe 3? So, anyways this is my plan after getting my degrees: I can teach during the school year, do some hair cuts for friends and family on the side, and then in the summer I can work at a salon. Sounds pretty sweet. Especially since I have a tendency to get bored with things I think it would be a great way to keep variety in my life. So, case and point I like variety and I like challenges and I like new adventures. Todays thankfulness is that I was blessed with the ability to handle these types of situations and that I am able to think more than just one way. What a great way to view life! Well, for me anyways.

{Eighteen}

2009-07-31T10:11:00.002-05:00

ENRICHMENT!!! Ok, so I have to admit I love enrichment activities... maybe its only because I go to ones that sound like fun? I dunno, but our RS presidency is so creative and I was totally inspired last night! We learned how to make bread in an hour from start to finish! The only downside was that I do not have a mixer... so it is in my plan to BUDGET for one! That was the second part of our activity, learning how to budget. Lets be honest, I am not exactly perfect with money. But, after listening last night and taking notes I am motivated to do much better! Plus, if I can figure out how to budget... I will be able to figure out food storage, my other nemisis! I'm so glad I went last night and was taught new tools to apply to my life.

{Seventeen}

2009-07-29T22:47:00.004-05:00

Maybe its because I grew up in Arizona where rain was greatly appreciated when it came, or the simple fact I will probably always be a kid at heart, but I LOVE THE RAIN! It seems to be an ongoing trend in our family. Last week? I think thats when it was, we had a good rainy day and Cooper decided he wanted to go out the front door at work which was open... so he did. I realized he had gone outside when I tried to find him frantically and saw him crawling in the front door with a big smile on his face. After that incident, we decided to take the boys outside and let them play in the puddles. I regretted that I did not have my camera that day. Thankfully, tonight I got the idea to take them back on our deck when it was raining and Kevin was on the phone with his brother. Our deck does not collect puddles like the gravel pavement at work,

but they found a good puddle hiding in an empty pot.

It was fun to soak up the nice cool rainy weather. Sometimes the humidity just kills me, but a nice cool rain is always appreciated. Oh, and yes we have taken better precaution at making sure they do not go out any doors at work. Don't worry!

A video of them playing and Aiden crawling around for my mom :)

{Sweet Sixteen}

2009-07-28T23:59:00.002-05:00

Just when I thought that today would be a day of no gratitude my hubby turned it around.:) Lately we have been facing a lot of stress with traveling, school, two crazy fast crawling babies who are teething, working, and Kev's new calling (as Deacon's Advisor)! Geeze Louise! This has been extremely annoying to our wonderful relationship and to be quite honest, we have barely had time to hang out and just talk. You might say, but Jacque... you guys work together! Yes, yes we do. However, we have a rule called no talking about work after work. It makes our lives easier to deal with because working with family is a very tender and stressful situation. Anyways, today was the MOST PAINFUL DAY EVER!!! I decided to just not even speak about anything for the fact that I was sure that some little thing would be the straw to break my camels back. But, after ~~many~~ hours of me listening to my headphones while working on homework, we talked. We talked about everything that was bothering us, how to improve it, and now it is better. Its amazing what just taking the time to sit and talk things out can do. I am so thankful that I have a husband who is less stubborn than I am.

On a side note: I got a 96.9% in my speech class!!! My first A of going back to school. I should have my psychology grade tomorrow or thursday. :)

{Day Ten + Five}

2009-07-27T21:08:00.002-05:00

I was really hoping that today I would be able to say: I am thankful that I am done with school!
However, that is not the case. I have two homework assignments, two finals, and a survey. ICK! But I do have something to be thankful for and that is my job. Yes, I am thankful that I have an income but that is not what I am MOST thankful for! I am so grateful that, because I work for family, I am able to have such a flexible work schedule. Due to the flexibility that I have I am able to take time off when I need to do homework, take the babies to the doctor, and go to "playdates." It is so wonderful to have this ability, where with any other job I wouldnt be able to and I would totally have to pay for daycare. So that is what today is all about... my gratitude for flexability in my life.

{Day Fourteen}

2009-07-27T08:57:00.002-05:00

I am thankful for the NURSERY! Ok so I know the rule is your baby(s) must be 18-months before entering nursery but yesterday Sister Smith said she wanted to break the rules and take our babies in. Am I going to argue with her? NO WAY!! Not that now Kevin has a calling in YM so we are both busy third hour and I'm scared to death that a boy will smash my child when he rocks his chair forward. Is that normal? Probably not. Anyways... They went into nursery for 2nd & 3rd hour and they said that the boys did great. Not necessarily with one another, which is normal, but they played with the other kids and even had snacks. It was nice to be able to sit in RS and listen to the lesson instead of playing crawl all over mommy with one, or both, of the babies. I don't know how often we will be able to break the rules, but it was a nice change... even if it only was for one Sunday.

{Day Thirteen}

2009-07-25T22:29:00.002-05:00

BANGS!!! Today I went and got my hair did at the new Paul Mitchell school. Which is a completely awesome school to go to if you ever need your hair done. It cost me $40 for my rockin new 'do!! The only bad part is that it took the poor girl 6 hours to do it. So, if you have the time to sit in a salon chair for that long... then check the place out. Here is the outcome of my six hour adventure at the school.

Please disregard the fact that I am extremely tired and have shiny skin. Thanks.

{Day Twelve}

2009-07-25T22:26:00.002-05:00

Sorry I didn't post yesterday... I had to finish all of my psychology homework which was 6 chapters and 5 quizzes. Thankfully I had some help at my house! :) There is a family in our Ward, the Wells, who live fairly close to us. They have four kids from age 16-8. I often call upon them in my desperate times of need for a babysitter! Thankfully their mom, Monica, is awesome and lets them come over to my house and play with my babies when I have things to do. So, yesterday they arrived a little after 9 and played with the babies all day while I worked diligently on my homework. Without them I don't think I would have been able to get it all accomplished. I am thankful that the Lord has blessed us with such wonderful help close by.

{Day Eleven}

2009-07-23T22:38:00.004-05:00

Fun with a cardboard box. I'm so thankful that the babies have discovered the fun of a box. Today they spent almost the whole day in their "cage." Here are the following pictures to outline their day for you:

End of the day... Aiden was waiting for his daddy to close up the shop.

Aiden was so tired he started to fall asleep in the box. Every time I tried to get close he would wake up... so you might have to stare through the "cage."

Aiden and his little tongue. This was after they pulled all of their toys out of the box.

Cooper was very interested in the camera. He might be the little photog when he grows up.

Aiden liked standing in the box as much as playing with it.

The guys at the end of the day... each to his own box.

Trying to escape...

Cooper conquered the box first. He sat up there for like 30 mins.

That is a recap of today. It was fun for them and I got a lot of work done! I think they like the new location of the "baby cage" and that it is closer to me. I have a theory that they are learning how to move it by working together... if I can ever get it on video you will see that they are super smart.

{Day Ten}

2009-07-22T14:17:00.004-05:00

YAY! I have finally caught up and from this point forward I am hoping to be able to blog everyday. Speaking of my crazy goal that I set for myself... I have inspired someone else. That person is my friend Krystal. She is living an amazing life! She has 3 little ones, a set of twins (boy & girl) and a little man, plus she is a surrogate for a family who is unable to conceive. While talking to her today she told me that she was inspired from my blog to post something every day on hers about her journey as a surrogate. What an amazing adventure to live! I don't know if I could be a surrogate for the simple fact I love babies too much and probably wouldn't want to give it up. But, she is doing such an amazing job and the family that she is the surrogate for is so deserving. To read more about this journey check out her blog "Your Bun in My Oven."
Krystal with the family of the precious baby girl in her tummy.

{Day Nine}

2009-07-22T12:16:00.002-05:00

Tylenol & Coke Zero! These two simple things that anyone can purchase at a store were my saving grace yesterday. (Along with my wonderful husband Kevin) But seriously, I think I may have anxiety issues. Ever since Kevin left last Tuesday for Denver I had a super difficult time adjusting to being with out his help. It was hard to entertain babies, do homework, and pack for a 4 day adventure to aunt Kim & uncle Andy's house. I never realized how much it helps just having Kevin home at night. To add to the stress I was under from leaving my babies for a couple days for the first time, the amount of homework I have piled up (I'm a bit of a procrastinator), and the impending sale I was facing... I was freaking out on the inside not to say the least. I had a little bit of a headache over the time we were in Denver but I pushed it aside because I had work to do. But, along came Sunday and the big momma of migraines hit me! I don't think it helps that I woke up at 4am, jumped on a plane at 7am, drove for 3 hours from Kansas City to Springfield, talked it up for about 2 hours, then drove 4.5 hours home to Grandma's house, followed by a 30 minute drive to our house. So after unpacking as much of the car as possible and dealing with my children screaming for my attention, I attempted to go to bed. It didn't happen, I had a rough time falling asleep and an even worse time trying to get good rest. Thankfully though, by morning the pressure was less severe and I could at least watch the babies while I attempted to rest. They were amazingly good and played back in forth between their room and our kitchen/living room. I think I even got a nap in sometime during that day... anyways. Long story short... I've had a migraine/headache since Sunday! Last night I took some Tylenol, drank a Coke Zero, and told Kevin "I'm going to rest." Just that hour of me laying on the couch with a blanket and fan on me rejuvenated my poor little head and I felt motivated to get some homework done! YAY!

{Day Eight}

2009-07-21T22:41:00.003-05:00

This is my house, with my beautiful shutters that my husband built and I helped paint. They seriously were the talk of our neighborhood when we put them up. They are awesome and Kev did such a good job of building them. As noted previously, I love our little flower beds. Now that we have these shutters our house looks even more amazing. I am so thankful that I have such a handy husband! We have other projects we have been working on and once they are completed I will share with you all the excitement and joy I get from doing home projects.

PS. Monday is the day that Kevin got home from Denver. The babies were so excited t o see him and I was so excited that we were all reunited again. Families are such an amazing blessing!

{Day Seven}

2009-07-21T22:14:00.003-05:00

FAMILY PICTURES!!! I'm so excited I finally got to see them, and Kim was nice enough to give me a cd with them on it! When we went up to Missouri for Stephanie's (Kevin's neice) reception I took the opportunity of a camera man and had some pictures taken of us and the babes. Here they are!!!

For the ease of my memory Aiden is on the Left and Cooper is on the Right. They enjoyed eating the grass.

One of the better pictures with the babies. It was hard to get them to cooperate.

I think this is my favorite because it is how they are... just so curious.

The best family picture! Aiden was even waving to the camera man while Cooper smiled big.

The best pictures of the babies. I was suprised he even got one with both of them smiling. How can you not love these little faces?

On top of these amazing pictues, I got to see my babies Sunday which made my day even better :)

{Day Five & Six}

2009-07-21T22:09:00.003-05:00

So I'm not gonna lie, my weekend was extremely busy followed by an extremely long trip home Sunday. Yes ALL DAY SUNDAY! Anyways... Friday & Saturday were the days of our big Denver Sale. I was a bit apprehensive going into the whole thing because last year was not a good sale, and this year I was faced with adversity! Nevertheless, I sucked it up and went. Oh, and just my little cherry on top, did I mention this is my final week of summer school and I haven't turned in any of my psychology homework? Yeah. I was freaking out over this weekend. However, my portion of the sale (the office) went SUPER DUPER GREAT! We used a new company to run our office and I was nervous. As would any one else be when it comes to your behind being on the line. But, my nerves were calmed when they took to my organizational skillz and were able to have no , yes i repeat ZERO, problems what so ever. So, in all the weekend was goo. Plus, I got most of my speech homework done and a portion of psychology read. I'm just glad that the new office worked out and that I didn't get into any trouble while there. Oh and did I mention I got to see my adorable husband? It was a good Friday & Saturday in all, and for that I am thankful!

{Day Four}

2009-07-16T23:43:00.003-05:00

Jumping on the BED!!! I know that all our parents told us that this was bad for us and very unsafe. However, I am not gonna lie, I am a kid at heart still. So tonight in our hotel we decided to have a jumping party!! I almost thought the bed was going to break a couple of times... but hey its not my bed, right? Here are our festivities:

Kevin got some super height!

I did as well!

Kev being silly. :)

The poor bed we took out our fun on...

Kev & Keithy jumpin on the bed.
Don't worry, no one fell off or bumped their heads.

On a side note:
Kevin is amazing at sharing the gospel! Tonight he sat down with a lady who works for us and discussed the Book of Mormon and how it testifies that the bible is true. Its so amazing to experience him in that element. If you would like to delve more into the topic of if the BOM is a valid companion to the Bible read, Isaiah 29.

{Day Three}

2009-07-15T22:36:00.002-05:00

While I pondered tonight what I was thankful for, I debated using a good ol' scapegoat and saying my husband. 1. I miss him terribly, 2. He is an amazing guy, 3. He is my best friend... but instead of using him (whom I'll keep in a snug little corner for a rainy day). I have decided to be thankful for my "battle scars." I know its a little weird, but this morning Aiden pulled the "baby cage" down on top of him and got this gnarly looking bruise on his face. ***I promise I am not a bad parent!*** Anyways, it made me think of all of the battle wounds I have accumliated over my lifetime.

I have almost two identical scars on each knee. The first one I accquired when I was seven and learning how to ride a bike with no hands. The second one I got due to a pair of pants which were too long (which is a common problem). You see, I got this scar running at cheer camp. We had to run from our dorms over to the gymnasium. Our coach made us run with our bags, our gallons of water, and everything else. I was running, and doing a dang good job, until my foot got caught inside my pants and then I fell. It was bad. I had cuts on my hands, my knee was bleeding, and I spilled my water! Plus, to make things even better it all happend in front of a guy I was dating. I was petrified!!! However, when I look back at my little scars on my knees I remember the lessons I learned.

My newest scars which have taken me some time to appreciate are the lovely stretch marks that cover a good portion of my belly skin and thighs. At first, I hated them. I would put lotion on my skin everyday to try and get them to go away. I was so upset that I wouldn't look cute in my swimsuit. Too embarassed to even try one on! Plus, if I was to wear one I would have to wear shorts because I just knew people would look at me and stare me down. But, that lotion costs money and Kev never once complained about these weird looking things on me, so I gave up. I have come to appreciate these little "memories." They remind me of the babies. Remind me of how good I was to make them a little warm home in my belly. How amazing of a job I did to carry them for 37 weeks. So, instead of looking at them as a bad thing I have decided to enjoy them. They are a part of me and those adorable little boys.

My Mini Monsters

2009-07-14T17:09:00.004-05:00

Some of these pictures are old, some are new, but all of them are funny and make me laugh at how busy our kids are.

Aiden scared that he can't get free from our barstools.

Aiden being a little ham for the camera

Aiden trying to walk by pushing our chairs around our kitchen.
This is what happens they decided to play with shoes...

Cooper showing how much he loves the grass :)

My little Aiden chillin in the grass.

I tried to sneak a picture of them sleeping together and Aiden caught me... but later he decided to comply and lay down and cuddle with is brother...

Both babies are entertained by the simplest things...
This is Cooper chowing down on a zip tie.

Aiden being mischievous...

My little Cooper man.

Cooper in shock that I found him getting into something he shouldn't...

At the end of another busy day... my little guys are all tuckered out.

{Day Two}

2009-07-14T16:27:00.003-05:00

This oversized denim pillow looks silly, but it has become one of my newest bestfriends! First, a little history of this pillow. Kevin made this pillow a long time before we met. His sister told him how to do it, he bought the fabric, sewed it, and stuffed it full of shredded foam. I have never really liked this blue monster, until recently. You see, Kevin has moved this pillow with him everywhere he has lived. When we first moved into our house this lovely moster lived in our room. It took up a lot of space and was really an eyesore. But, after our babies were born I found a new home for my moster... in their room! It is the best place for it! It is there for me to sleep on in the morning when th ey want someone to watch them play, its there for Sunday afternoon naps after church, and most importantly its there for those midnight wake ups. Its the perfect place to calm my little love bugs down. I love that I can simply lay in their room and snuggle them and then go to my room and snuggle my husband. It totally cuts out babies in my bed, and I can totally leave them there to sleep all night. They love it too! Its fun for them to explore and climb all over. It truly has found its perfect home!

{Day One}

2009-07-13T18:39:00.004-05:00

Today is the day that I have decided to look at all the blessings that are in my life instead of dwelling on all the silly things that stress me out and make me worry. Since moving to Arkansas I have complained many times about the distance from my family, the "Southern Accent" I am picking up, and the fact that I don't know very many people. However, I have never commented on how beautiful it is here. In Arizona it's beautiful, but in a different way. Here I appreciate the beauty of how lush and green the trees in my easement are. I love the Spring when the flowers start to bloom, and the Fall when the leaves change color. My favorite thing today is how pretty my flowers are that we planted in our flower beds.

This beauty sits on the side of our house. It is full of these delicate white flowers. We need to get a trellis for it to grow up so it will be seen by more people. But, it is probably my favorite new thing we planted this year. Even better, it was free! Kevin's mom gave it to me for my birthday.

These are by snapdragons. They line the walkway up to our door. I've never seen flowers come back as much as these guys. Seriously, they are on like their 6th bloom since planting them back in the Spring.

This beauty is my wisteria. We bought it last year and it never bloomed. The flowers look like little grape clusters. This is the second time this season that they have started to bloom. I love this vine. It adds so much depth to our yard and makes us stand out on our street.

The hibiscus. This beautiful plant resides in our backyard in a corner. It is giant! No joke, it is probably as tall, if not taller than me. But the flowers that bloom on it are stunning! I remember the first day I saw one of these red flowers peeking its head out of the green bush that they grow on. It was so pretty and added so much flair to our backyard. Who doesn't love flair? In addition, Kevin said that we can blow this picture up and hang it in our bathroom. Which makes me feel super good that he liked a picture I took :)

This weird looking coney flower is from our crate myrtles. They were given to us by Kevin's mom when she decided to "clean out" her yard. They are so pretty and I probably should have taken a picture of the whole tree. But we have two and they frame our house beautifully. There is one by our garage and one on the other outer corner of our house. I was nervous about planting trees because I think of giant trees like in our backyard, but they are the perfect touch.

Last but not least, this is my favorite surprise. These little guys popped up in our flower beds just recently. I have no idea where they came from, but I love love love them! I think they were in our mulch... because I don't even think we planted anything like them last year. However, how cute are they? The are scattered through out our beds with different pops of color here and there. They are very cheery and so lovely! I am so thankful that we have good soil in our beds that allows for beautiful flowers to grow. Every morning when we leave our house we take an extra second to admire the beauty that we have created together.

call me a theif...

2009-07-13T17:09:00.004-05:00

So, I have decided that I need to look at the bightside of things as compared to all the pandemonium that has become my life. To do so I am stealing an idea from two of my friends, Michelle and Andrea to make my own unique thing. I have decided to try to blog everyday for a year about something I am grateful for. So later tonight I will begin my 365 days of gratitude. Maybe I can inspire someone like these lovely ladies have inspired me :)

...blah...blah....blah...

2009-07-12T17:56:00.003-05:00

Lately I have been overwhelmed with so many things going on in my life. I have two babies that are crawling everywhere, getting into everything, and want my attention at all times. I have a husband who has needs, such as a clean house, dinner every night, and my attention as well. I have a job which continues to grow each day. I have so many responsibilities each day that I don't even have enough time some days to get my work done. I have school, for some reason I decided to take on two classes instead of one. While they are online, the amount of work that they demand of me is a lot and most of the time I come home from work and simply sit at the computer all night. In doing so, I leave my husband and my children to fend for themselves. While, yes Kevin is a wonderful father and I know he enjoys the time he gets to spend with them, I want to spend time with my family too. There are so many things going on in my life that I don't even know what to do some days. I just sit in a glazed over trance... Some days I don't even know what I am doing or what day of the week it is. Now, while being busy is a good thing... I don't think it is for me. I am too busy to enjoy what I think is the most important to me, my family. I know that I do get to spend quality time with them, it just not enough some days. It makes me sad when the babies go to bed and I didn't get to tuck them in. I know that I cannot make the days have more hours, and I'm sure if they did I still wouldn't have enough time with them anyways. It just brings on feelings of guilt I guess... actually I don't think its that. I just have these weird feelings like something is missing, I should be doing something different, just something... I don't know what it is though. I know that I am doing my best to spend time with my family and take care of my school work and to do a good job at my work... Are these feelings normal? Does anyone else experience this... or is there something wrong with me?

I've taken few pictures...

2009-07-11T00:09:00.003-05:00

While we have had many adventures over the past couple of months I have been terrible at taking pictures. I think it's because we are so busy doing things I forget that I even have a camera or kids for that matter. But here are some that are super cute of them:

This was their first bath night. They love to splash in the water, but now they are trying to stand up which is a bad combination. So, our bath times have gotten shorter.

We went outside when it was cool one night and played in our yard.

Cooper was so pooped from our busy Father's Day extravaganza that he fell asleep on Kevin's shorts that were on the floor.

They really like the grass. Cooper is wearing clothes and Aiden is naked.

In the morning I let them roam about our house while I try to squeeze in an extra hour of sleep. One morning we found them digging in our cabinets. We have now put safety locks on them.

These were they 4th of July outfits. Cooper has blue sunglasses and Aiden has red ones. They were super cute but they didn't like wearing them. Maybe they will grow into them...

I'm Sorry Blogging World

2009-07-10T22:22:00.002-05:00

So it seems as if I have been gone longer than I thought from this world of blogging. Our lives have been so extremely busy the past couple of months! Let me fill you in:

In May we had two auctions for our business. The first one was in Tupelo, Mississippi. It's only about a 4 hour drive so it wasn't too bad. Plus, it was a one day auction. However, about a week before the auction I was bit by a spider and I had to go to the ER because apparently Arkansas doesn't have Urgent Cares. (Lame ) So I got put on a super strong anti-biotic that had sulfa in it. Apparently I am allergic to sulfa and after taking the pills for a week I had an extremly terrible reaction to it. While in Mississippi I had a fever and this terrible rash all over my body. It was gross and I was probably more miserable than the last week of my pregnancy, which was bad. So I decided to wait it out and go home and then decide if I still felt bad, then I would go to the doctor. Well we had to stay in Mississippi saturday night because there were really bad torandoes and no one wanted us to drive home. So instead we stayed the night, each of us had to sleep with a baby (did I mention Kevin & the babies came?) then we departed in the morning. I was feeling better until we got home and I took more antibiotics. Then I got worse, the missionaries came over and gave me a blessing, Kevin's mom came over to watch the babies, and we headed to the ER. There they informed me that I was having an alergic reaction to my medicine which included my symptoms, plus I had pnueomia in one of my lungs. So, I stayed in the hospital till Monday afternoon, got put on steroids and realsease. I am happy to say I have not been sick since! Well, after that whole ordeal we went to Missouri to go to Kevin's nephew's graduation. It was really fun seeing the whole family and the babies love their dogs. After that we came back home, and had another auction in Hot Springs (thats in Arkansas). Thankfully Kevin's sister and her family came down from Missouri and took care of our kids for that weekend. They got to sleep in, and be spoiled, which I think all kiddos love. After the auction was over, we went back up to Missouri for Kevin's neice's reception. That was lots of fun, but I think it stressed me otu more than my wedding! Kim had me doing so many things, but I was so happy to be a help to her because she is such a huge help to me ALL the time! Seriously. Since then we haven't had any crazy travel adventures, but I have been super busy with school! YES! I am back in school. I signed up for two summer school courses that I can take online. They are a little challenging trying to balance my family life, work, and school, but I am doing well. I'm not sure if its because I'm used to doing "university" quality work (I'm going to a Techincal school) or if my work is really good. Either way both of my teachers are commenting on the good quality of my work, which makes me want to do even better in school. Now that you are all caught up on my life here is what you really wanted to know...

ALL ABOUT THE BABIES!!!
Aiden and Cooper have made such gigantic strides over the past couple of months! They already weigh over 20 lbs, they are in big boy car seats, they feed themselves, they are trying to walk, they can stand, and already have 2 teeth! They are currently in the process of cutting their top teeth and I know that it hurts them :(

Also, Kevin was able to give them their blessings on Father's Day and it was such a special day for our family. I was so glad that Kevin's dad got to come down and stay with us that weekend. Fathers day is always hard on me because I had such an amazing father. I'm am thankful that Kevin's has a good relationship with his dad and that he is close enough for us to visit.

I am sorry there are no pictures but, I will make an effort to post them and silly videos of the babies. I am trying to be a better blogger again!!

6 Month Update

2009-03-26T22:22:00.007-05:00

I know our babies turned 6 month's almost two weeks ago but as you can read below... we have been busy. So here are the exciting updates that the boys have made.
Aiden's Weight & Measurements:
Weight: 17lbs 11oz
Length: 27inches
Head Circumference: 15inches

Cooper's Weight & Measurements:
Weight: 17lbs 8oz
Length: 25 1/2inches
Head Circumference: 16inches

Seeing how their weights are pretty much the same I am going to go off of that. As for the fact their lengths are so different... I think they were just at different places on the scale because they look the same size to me. They have been making such strides in their development! They both babble all day long and Aiden loves to yell super loud but I think its funny. They are both up on their knees rocking back and forth and trying to figure out how to crawl.
Cooper can spin in circles and is starting to army crawl. Aiden scoots backwards and likes to explore weird places in our house. Like the back of the couch for example. The boys love playing in their exersaucer and johnny jumpup.

Also, they have gotten really good at stealing things from one another. Cooper likes to take away Aiden's pacifier or toys. Aiden has learned to seek revenge from stealing Cooper's pacifier out of his mouth.

This is Cooper showing off his skills.

Aiden's new face. He loves to smack his lips. I think it's his way of trying to imitate us making kissy faces. Cooper's new thing is sticking out his tounge. Here is a video of his attempt at making farting noises.

I'm sure there is more they are doing but I can't think of it all right now.

Where We've Been...

2009-03-26T14:12:00.003-05:00

The past couple weeks of our lives have been CR-A-ZY!!! We had an auction in Houston, TX for work then two days after getting home we drove 13 hours (yes we are insane) to Minnesota to visit my family. While the trip was quite draining on all of us it was fun and I'm so grateful that we had the opportunity to go.

Here is the break down:

March 11th we left Little Rock for Houston. It was a little bit over a six hour drive. Not really all that bad seeing how we go to Missouri at least once every couple of months and thats only a four hour drive. We arrived to nice weather. However, it did not last long. Over the course of the days we were there (which were 6) it rained all but two! Fortunately, the Estate Sale we had went off without a hitch. Yes, it rained the day of the sale, but it was indoors and we had quite a crowd. I think we did really good for our first Estate Sale EVER! It was fun, but I think car auctions are much easier to handle. While in Houston I got to see my BESTEST friend Marianna!! She is wonderful and I miss her. We hung out on Thursday and her mom and her were so kind to watch the babies for us on Saturday (the day of the sale). They watched them for 8 hours! I think thats the longest I've ever gone with out seeing my little guys. The boys did... well good for the first time with strangers. They were fussy and cried a lot but I think thats just becasue they were couped up in a strange hotel room with people they didn't know. However, if it wasn't for Marianna and her momma I don't think the little guys would have lasted all day at the sale. I was there for close to 18 hours. It was a rough day. But, the sale turned out good and that was all that mattered.

We returned from Houston at 10:30pm on the 16th. By this point all of us were exhausted. The babies were tired of being in their carseats all day and we were just tired from travelling. We spent two days at home which were consumed with post auction work then we left.

Thursday March 18th we left for Minnesota at 6:30 in the morning! Yes this sounds quite insane, but it we knew it would be a long drive and I figured if we put the babes in the car before they woke up they might sleep a little longer. And, I was right! We made it to Minnesota in 13 hours with 2 gas stops and 2 baby stretch breaks. Now, you may be asking yourself why we went to Minnesota after being gone for a week, and the answer is simple. I GOT TO SEE MY MOM!
Plus, the majority of her family who still lives in Minnesota. It was exciting to see her again and for her to see how big the little guys have grown since they were 3 weeks old. She couldn't believe it and I know that she was just as excited as I was. Our trip was good and I got to spend some good quality time with family I haven't seen in 4 years! They liked Kevin too so I guess thats a plus. I almost forgot! Kevin's brother Jimmy came with us because he served his mission there. We went to the temple to see it. He went 10 years ago! He said that they broke ground on the temple while he was there and he's never been back to see it. It was a small temple but still beautiful.
I'm glad we were able to share that experience with him. Another thing I learned about while being up in Minnesota was my unknown love of deer meat. Yes, I like vennison. My cousins mix it and smoke it themselves. It is AMAZING! They even sent some home with me so I could enjoy it later.

After spending a fun weekend up in the north, we had to come home. So we endured another 13 hour drive leaving at 6:30am. However, this drive was not as pleasant. We drove in the rain until we got to Des Moines, Iowa. Then we faced a terrible headwind which was not so great for our gas mileage. And to top it off... both Kevin & Aiden were sick. Thankfully, we all made it home safe and sound and got a good nights rest. However, the sickness did not end with the trip. Kevin passed his bug along to me and I passed it along to Jimmy. As for the babies, I think their sickness is in conjuction with teething. It's just a lot of runny noses and watery poopy diapers. (sorry if thats too graphic for you) As far as I can tell they are coming out of this funk and hopefully a new tooth with be the result. If not, I guess I'll have to take them to the doctor.

To Comment... or Not?

2009-03-08T23:43:00.002-05:00

I must admit I am addicted to Blogger. If I even skip a day or two I have SO much catching up to do. I think Whitney said it best when she said that "Its Like The Newspaper" and really, thats true. However, in my many days of stalking people I often am to fearful to post a comment. I personally like comments and know that they make me excited when I see that email in my inbox with the subject [The Tuttons]. So, After talking to my friend Camille I have decided to make an effort to muster up the courage to leave comments on peoples blogs that I read. Maybe, just maybe, other people who read my blog and find my life interesting will feel inclined to do the same.

Snow Day!

2009-03-02T19:30:00.003-06:00

Well... Kinda. Saturday it started to snow flurries. It was exciting. It has been a while since it last snowed.. almost a year really. I was so excited that I grabbed the camera and ran outside. I'm not sure how much you can tell but it was fun while it lasted.

Here are some pics of the little guys.

Aiden was being a ham and posed for the camera.

BIG SMILES are my favorite!
(Aiden Left, Cooper Right)

Sleepy Time

2009-02-24T22:23:00.002-06:00

I love nap time. Its one of the only times of day that I have some alone time. Which usually consist of work or cleaning and occasionally snuggling with my little love bugs. The other night both of my little guys were not happy that they were tired or the fact that it was their bed time for that matter. Kevin and I both attended to one baby and tried to calm him down. I was the only successful one so I was then handed baby #2. I was successful again! I think sometimes they just want their mom. (Other times, they want nothing to do with me but I try to deny that ever happens.) So after calming them down... they fell asleep and this is what happened:
I was stuck on the couch with two little guys. It was fun for a little bit, but then my arms were tired and I wanted to get up. So we put them in bed and they slumbered away the night.

I also have some proof that my babies are really Tuttons.
Here it is:

Aiden, passed out in his bouncer at work. Later on that day, Cooper succumbed to the peer pressure and joined in the fun.

SIDE NOTE: These handsome guys are now 17lbs! They seriously need to walk because I don't know how much longer my arms will have their super strength. But, they are close to crawling which excites and scares me at the same time.

Love

2009-02-17T22:28:00.003-06:00

While we are sitting in our bedroom tonight slaving over which pictures we are going to pick out from our wedding (yes, we are a ~~little~~ behind) my handsome husband
is sitting on our bed serenading me with his guitar. I am the luckiest!

Project Completed??

2009-02-09T21:36:00.008-06:00

KINDA....

I kinda have been feeling how Cooper looks. But how can you not laugh at how adorable this is? Aiden was so content and Cooper just couldn't get his point across any better than this face.

To help me get out of my crazy feelings I have been having I decided to make me my curtains. I only made one tonight. It is for our guest bathroom. I was super excited when I had it finished and shoved the rod through the almost too small opening I sewed in it when I realized that I had forgotten a major part.

You see, I got the inspiration for my curtains from the ones I bought that are hanging in my kitchen/dining area. I think they are super cute and they tie up nicely with some fabric that is attached to them. So I simply bought some fabric to match both bathrooms and coordinating ribbon as my accent color.

Well I had finished and hung my little curtain up with pride in the bathroom and then suddenly realized my mistake. I simply blurted out "I AM SO SMART!" Kevin quickly responded with "How smart are you?" Me: "I am so smart I forgot that ribbon was supposed to hang from the back to TIE!" Kevin: "It's okay. You can just sew it on to the back. No one will know." So I did just that, and it turned out pretty good. My seams aren't straight and they are not perfect but Kev and I are impressed with how good they turned out.

However, I do have one slight dilemma. I made the curtains so there would be some privacy in the bathroom. So, do I just hang it high

or low on my windows? I just don't know what to do. So please, offer your suggestions.

Also, I know I have not posted on my little tykes. Do not fear. Here are some pictures of them sleeping. They sleep a lot right now so... it only means they will get bigger. YIKES! They are almost half the size of me (length wise).

Two little sleepy guys.

Cooper's face planted into his blanket

Aiden enjoying his hand. For some reason they taste better than anything else right now.

***UPDATE****

I hung the curtain high in the bathroom because you can untie the ribbons and have some privacy.

A Little Funky

2009-02-07T15:05:00.003-06:00

I cannot believe it has been almost a month since my last post but there is good reasoning. For one, I have been in a bit of a funk. Our lives have become even more hectic and Kevin and I had some really tough decisions to make. Thankfully everything worked out and we are doing better now, but I have just been so unmotivated to do anything. I feel like I have been such a terrible wife and mother for my family. However, TODAY IS THE DAY that all of the craziness stops! My list of things to accomplish today are as follows:

~~- Laundry~~
~~- Vacuum~~(Kevin did this for me)
- Clean Dishes/Kitchen
- Make curtains for my bathrooms

It is quite a list, but many of these items have been rejected for such a long time I don't even know how my husband put up with me. In his defense, I must say my husband probably understands me more than I understand myself. He knows when I need my alone time, when I'm in a funk, when something is terribly wrong, and when I'm simply stressed out. He also knows how to fix every single one of these problems. My husband is AMAZING and simply the best. I could not have asked for a better partner. In addition to getting things accomplished today... we also have the internet at our house! After over a year of putting it off we have given in to how much we felt we needed it. Which in turn means... MORE BLOGGING! I know you are all so excited. Well, at least I am. So stay tuned for my progress on getting out of my "funk."

Allow Me To...

2009-01-16T13:05:00.010-06:00

INTRODUCE MYSELF:

I realized today while I was doing my usual blog stalking... that if I find someone's blog interesting or find someone from my past who I feel like following they probably think that I am a crazy person. So I would like to take some time out of my day so you all can get to know me and my wonderful family.

This is me:
Jacquelyn Marie (Haines) Tutton. I'm from the wonderful city of Mesa, Arizona. I grew up there and lived practically my whole life there until last November. But, more on my move later. I went to Whittier Elm, Carson Jr., and yes the glorious Mountain View. (I was suppose to go to Westwood...)(me and my "adopted" brother Curtis) While in highschool I was on "Pom" and took home 2 State Chamipon titles. It was a lot of work but so much fun too. I graduated in 2004 then moved on to ASU (Arizona State). There I enrolled in school and was on the dance team. I was not much of a school buff and switched my major a couple of times. I finally decided upon Early Childhood Education. This is my calling in life. I love kids and the joy of teaching them. What else could be better? While going to school I got a great job at The Library Bar & Grill as a door girl then moved my way up in the ranks to a waitress/bar tender. It was fun and I made a lot of good friends. There I also met this hunk of a guy named Kevin. We started dating and have never stopped. He is the greatest guy in the world (in my opinion). We have so much fun just being our goofy selves. We truly love eachother for the people we are. Nothing more, nothing less. I also love his family. They have welcomed me with loving arms and I couldn't feel more at home, away from my AZ home. Back in November of 2007, we moved to Arkansas so I could finish my schooling. Did I mention I never graduated from college? Oops. Anyways, that was half of the reason we moved out here. The other half was to help his parents with their buisness. They own well... 3 buisnesses. Ward's Turf: Linda sells grashoppers. Bud Ward's Antique Cars: Bud & Crew restore old cars to look new and pretty like this: (this is a '59 C ad il lac Eldorado Biarritz) Also, Kevin does Chrome & Stainless. Taking junk like this: and turning it into beauty like this: . The final company is Bud Ward's Auction Company. This is where Jimmy (Kev's bro) and I help Bud put on auctions where we sell lots of cars. Click the link to see what I mean. It keeps us very busy. After moving here (Arkansas) Kevin got down on one knee and gave me the most beautiful sparkly ring ever! I willing said YES! and 5 or so months later we were wed. One month later I was baptized and joined the Church of Jesus Chist of Latter-Day Saints aka Mormons! It really was a life changing experience for me and I'm glad that I decided to do it. Following that wirlind of a time we had two adorable twin boys in September. They are the greatest gifts ever. I am amazed everyday at how much they change and grow and become their own little person. It's amazing! I love being a mom and think I would enjoy it even more if I could be a stay at home one. But, they come to work with us so it is fun. If you ever have any questions don't be shy and just ask. I'm a pretty open and honest person. So, now I hope you are in the know.

Rewind

2009-01-09T10:57:00.003-06:00

I got this idea from Megan when she posted about Savannah turning 9 months. I thought it would be a great way to post pictures I forgot about or just didn't post for some reason. Some are new but I still love looking back to when our guys were itty bitty's!

Cooper & Aiden always have to touch when they sleep. I think it's adorable. Plus, Aiden has a new obsession with holding his blanket close to him when he sleeps. It's so cute!

This was my ingenious way of feeding them when work got really busy and I was by myself.

Another cute Chrismas picture I had in mind.

Cooper being a super smiley guy and Aiden chowing down on his hand.

my favorite Christmas onsie they have

The type of cars we sell.

our guys sleeping on the couch after a long day

when we took our first family walk together in the super nice stroller my mom got for them

My guys just 3 days old. They were big wigglers then too.

two smiling buddies around 3 months old.

Merry Chistmas

2008-12-25T21:43:00.001-06:00

Here is what we got for Christmas this year:

Updates A Plenty!

2008-12-24T20:40:00.007-06:00

I have been away from a computer for the past couple weeks so this will be a super long post full of pictures and a video. So I hope you enjoy this family update as a wonderful Christmas gift.
Cooper and

Aiden experienced their first ear infections a couple weeks ago. Cooper's ear infection started a day earlier than Aiden's. I took him to the doctor because he kept coughing, while the cough seemed to be nothing but a simple cough every now and then the doctor discovered he had an ear infection in his left ear. I asked if that if there was a posibility that the other twin (Aiden) had one as well. The doctor said there was a chance but to just keep an eye on him. Well... the next morning Aiden woke up the same way Cooper did the day before. So, they both had ear infections in their left ears. They also got weighed at their appointments and Cooper weighed 12lbs. 12oz and Aiden weighed 12lbs. 14oz. I'm sure by now they are around the 14 pound range. A reason for their incredible weight gain is the fact that our children have become insatiable. They are hungry every couple of hours and down 6 ounces! We have decided that it is time to start giving them cereal. Today they had their first bottle of cereal. I think they liked it. We only gave them 2 ounces but I feel that they will probably be eating 4 by the end of the week.

Oh, they have also bumped up another size in diapers and are now wearing a size 2! Since we were so gratiously given so many diapers when the babies were born we were able to do our own diaper comparison trial for a very little cost. We have decided that are our favorite diapers! Huggies are the second best and Luv's comes in third. When it comes to wipes however, I like Huggies better because the wipe caddie has rubber in it that seperates the wipes. Simply amazing!

Now back to the babies! Our church had a Christmas party and the Primary President asked if we would let our babies be baby Jesus. We said yes of course! That meant that Kevin and I were Mary and Joseph in the Primary Christmas program. When it came down to the performance Cooper was the one who was asleep still so he got to be baby Jesus. Thats just how the cards played out for our little budding actors. I think my favorite part about it was a little girl came up and saw Cooper in the basket and said "HOW REAL! ITS A REAL BABY!" I giggled and so did Kevin. I'm glad we could help put on such a great little Christmas program. After we were all done eating and the Primary program was over we recieved a special early visit from Santa Clause!!! I don't think the boys were too interested in meeting him but Santa was interested in them!

Once we got home from the party we decided to take some pictures with the babies since we have very little of us with them.

Me & Cooper

Daddy & his boys

I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas. There will be more updates to come soon!!

Christmas Time

2008-12-09T13:25:00.005-06:00

Christmas is my favorite time of year! I love the decorations, the colors, the message, and the spirit of the holiday. Last year we didn't get to have a Christmas tree because we had just moved and lets face it... they are expensive! However, I did get to go post-Christmas shopping with Kevin's sister Kim and boy did we get some good deals! I got a new pre-lit Christmas tree for half off! I love our tree. It is 7.5 feet tall and its a "mixed" pine. It has different type of branches. It is beautiful! Prior to the "Christmas Season" I asked Kevin if we could put up our tree before Thanksgiving. He said no and that a month of Christmas decorations would be plenty enough. So I didn't argue and said ok and pouted just a little bit. However, we got to have Thanksgiving at our house this year with Kevin's mom and dad and his sister Kim & her family.

(Kevin carving his 1st TURKEY!)
This meant that I got to decorate early!!! Kevin even suggested that we decorate the weekend before. I was in shock but was so excited. I climbed up into the attic and got down the decorations for outside our house. Just a simple wreath and some large bells & ornaments I got on sale last year. Once the outside was done I took on the tree. It was still in the box they sold it to us in and it was really heavy. I thought I could get it out by myself because Kevin had been working all day and I was very eager to put up our tree. So, me being smart and ingenious I grabbed a hold of the box and hoisted it over the little opening where the stairs go up into the attic. I realized at this point I could not get it down by myself but I was stuck... Willfully I pushed the box into the center of the hole and let go. THUD! The box landed right side up and didn't even crack under the immense pressure. Kevin came running into our garage, I'm sure he thought I had hurt myself, and found our tree just standing there. He helped me open the box and then carried the heavy pieces of the tree into our house. This tree is not like the one I had growing up. Instead of putting all the branches on one by one it came in 3 easy pieces. Kevin continued to help as we spread out the branches and made our tree look fat and plump. Then I got to decorate it. This year our colors are Silver, White, and Purple.
I really like it but I think next year we will do a more traditional color of Red instead of Purple. But wait! It gets even better. Kevin agreed that I am allowed to purchase a new tree this year to place in our guest room so we can have a tree lit up in the window by our front door. I am overjoyed!! However that is not why I love Christmas. I love the message it has about giving to others in times of need. I would much rather give to my husband, babies, family, and friends before giving myself a present. It's also at the end of the year which gives me time to reflect on my life in the past year and how much I have grown and changed as a person. And most importantly, it is about celebrating our Savior's Birth. How amazing is it that this little baby was born and came to this Earth to take away all of our sins.
Christmas is a Season for Believing!

So big now! ^ Look at those rolls on their legs! They kind of sit up on their own...
but they love their tummy mats!!

2 Month Check Up

2008-11-21T14:50:00.005-06:00

Yesterday Mr. Aiden & Cooper has their 2 month appointment. It started with getting their weights. Kevin and I thought they were somewhere around the 8 - 9 pound range. However, our little guys weight 10lbs 1oz! Holy Cow! They have already doubled their weight. It's crazy!!! Whats even weirder is that they had all the same measurements still!
Weight: 10 lbs. 1oz
Length: 21.5 inches
Head Size: 15 inches
If they are not identical it is just a strange conicidence that they continue to have the same measurements. Getting their measurments was the easy part. Next came the SHOTS!!! I guess I knew they were going to get shots but I just didn't think about it until we were there and they asked if they were getting their shots. Of course! So the Nurse started with the oral vacine that they took with no problems becasue they were hungry. Then she showed us the needles. There were six. Each little guy had to get three shots. They both got one in their right and two in their left legs. It made me so sad when we had to hold their little arms and then listen to them cry while the nurses (thankfully there were 2 and all 3 shots were given at once) injected these vacines into them. Their little cries were so pitiful and sad. I'm glad we only hear those cries when they are in pain which is almost never. The only down side to their shots was that Aiden has a little bit of a reaction on his left leg. He had a raised bump and his little thigh was completely red. I called the doctors office and they said to put a warm compress on it and if it didn't get better then I could take him back to their office. He was in so much pain! It hurt him to do any movement with his leg. Fortunately, the warm compress helped out alot and so did the baby tylenol. They both slept pretty much all day but had a great recovery and are back to being their silly little selves.

Aiden sleeping on the day of shots!

Coop & Aide in their rock star outfits

Cooper's little chubby face

Aiden's making crazy eyebrows.

Bath Time

2008-11-20T15:28:00.005-06:00

Now that the boys are bigger and are only waking up once in the middle of the night we started them on a routine a couple weeks back. They start their night time routine by eating, then we bathe them, then if still a little hungry we top off their bellies and put them to bed. It has been working really good so far that they just start to get tired around when they take baths. One night Kevin decided to take video of their baths... so here it is!

Aiden's Bath Time - He is much calmer when taking a bath and was in awe of Kevin and what he was doing with the camera.

Cooper's Bath Time - Yes, Aiden is crying in the background but he was ok. He just wanted attention too. As for what is playing on our TV I have no idea! And I would like to clarify that I do not have a hairy back. Thank you Kevin.

Photo Shoot

2008-11-11T13:07:00.005-06:00

On Halloween my friend Kara came over and took some pictures of the boys. They turned out really good and I can't wait till she comes over to do it again. Hopefully they will be more cooperative next time but we got some good shots. Enjoy!

Halloween

2008-11-06T15:03:00.006-06:00

Our 1st HALLOWEEN!!

Cooper did pretty good on this photo shoot. Aiden is the one who is upset on the right. :(

I know this is almost a week late but... I figure it's better late then never!

For Halloween Linda bought the boy's little onsies. Aiden was a pumpkin and Cooper was a ghost. They were so adorable!

Our friend Frankie also bought some little mask's for the kiddos. Aiden was the monster and Cooper was a puppy. They were big so they can grow into them which will be AWESOME!

Halloween night we went over to Bud & Linda's to help hand out candy and show of our cute little pumkin and ghost. I also made a pumpkin pie for Jimmy since it is his one and only favorite desert. We also made rice crispy treats with Coco Pebbles and melted butterscotch on top. They were YUMMY!!! I strongly suggest you try it sometime.

I cannot believe how fast the babies are getting big. I was just looking at pictures of when we first brought them home and just to show everyone a comparison I have posted them below.

The boy's at 10 days... you can see their ribs and they have little heads and hands and feet.

The boy's at 6 1/2 weeks. They have bigger heads and their bellys are big and their legs are chunking up. Its just amazing to me how fast little babies grow up. But I do think they look more like little old men now. And they are loosing their hair... so keep on the look out for some blonde headed babies coming soon!

Inspirational Sunday

2008-11-03T14:06:00.000-06:00

Its been almost seven weeks since the babies were born and prior to their birth we went to church every Sunday. Once they were here we stayed home for a couple of weeks because I was/still am completely afraid of them getting sick. However, I am so grateful that we went to church today. For those of you who are not LDS the first Sunday of the month members of the church bear their testimonies. This week I was so inspired by all of those who shared their testimonies; especially the women in Relief Society. I have been inspired to ask Heavenly Father what I can do to become closer to him and grow closer with the members of our ward. All of the people we have met and befriended have been so wonderful and helpful over the past couple of months. I am so thankful to have these people in our lives. Kevin and I are blessed to have such wonderful people around us.