Mommy to the Steadman Boys

2010 Was a Great Year for Us

2011-01-01T11:33:00.002-06:00

2010 has now come and gone. Reflecting over the last year, it was a great year for us! We started the year in our new house. We have slowly made modifications to the house to suit our taste. Little changes, but they made a huge difference for us! We changed out the chandeliers in the dinning room and the kitchen, we added lights over and under our kitchen cabinets, and Richard built me new pantry shelves in the laundry room! We have enjoyed our first year in our new neighborhood and have made lots of new friends. The boys learned to swim this summer in the neighborhood pools! I joined not 1 but 2 bunko groups and enjoy getting to know the ladies each month. We also have enjoyed entertaining more in our new house. I've started cooking more, and it is so fun to have friends over for dinner!

John started Kindergarten in 2010. He loves going to Lakeshore and loves his teacher Ms Hostick! I can only hope that Robby has her next year. She is patient, full of energy and very creative! I'm amazed how much John has learned already and he is starting to learn to read. We read each night before bed, and John is reading more and more of the stories. We are thankful for the new books the boys received for Christmas; they give us a new supply of stories to learn!

Medical wise, it was a fairly quiet year for us. I've continued my IV treatments every 5 weeks, but they go on without excitement. We don't know how long I will continue the treatments. I'm thankful for a doctor that works it all out with my insurance company. Richard did get a defibrillator inserted for his heart back in February. He has an enlarged heart that medication wasn't impacting, so the doctors wanted this done just in case his heart stopped. Richard was also tested for sleep apnea (I could have told the doctors that he had it!) and was tested positive. We are now waiting word from the doctor regarding his new c-pap machine to sleep under. We think being treated for the sleep apnea could have a positive effect on his heart, but only time will tell.

The boys started playing sports this year. In the fall, they both played soccer. We enjoyed watching them in the games which are very comical at this age! John also started basketball for the winter sports season. He is very good at basketball! The team is still learning the basics of the game, like teamwork, but they have come a long way in just a few weeks. So far, they are undefeated! Robby participates in a basketball clinic each week. They divide the 3 and 4 year olds into groups and then rotate to different stations. One station, they work on defense, another dribbling, and another shooting baskets, and so forth. It's been a great way to let Robby participate, but learn about the game. We didn't think that he was ready for a team game, so this was perfect for him.

I started a Biggest Loser competition with my sister and brother. Congratulations to Sean for winning our 1st season! While I came in last place, I did loose about 20 pounds. I've also changed a lot of habits, like cooking better for my family. I started walking each morning. While my exercise has curbed off due to the weather, my sister is smart and got me a new walking video to use inside! I promise to pick it back up! After all, season 2 is just around the corner!

On a more personal note, 2010 brought my biological father back into my life after 30 years. We spoke only a few times before he died, but I'm glad to have the few times. We knew that he was sick, but I don't think anyone knew just how sick he was. Sean, Tracy and I flew up to Philadelphia for his funeral. We finally got to meet our Uncle, Aunt, and cousins for the first time! I was very happy to spend time getting to know our family better! We also got to do a little site seeing in Philadelphia before we headed home. It was fun to see where our country's government began and even the Liberty Bell! I can't wait to take my boys back there some day! And of course, everyone is welcomed to come to Texas for a visit!

I know that 2011 holds further excitement for our family! I thank God for his blessing over our little family! I also pray for His blessings over your family! HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Cranberry Relish

2010-11-20T14:07:00.002-06:00

Today, as I prepare for Thanksgiving, I've decided to make my cranberry relish and can it for the first time. Generally, when eating cranberry sauce for your Thanksgiving meal, a little dab goes a long way! So, when making my relish from 1 bag of cranberries, I always wind up freezing half of it for Christmas. This works well, but with all of our canning fruits this past summer, it donned it me that the cranberry relish could be canned too! It turns out beautiful and I think it would make a perfect gift!

Cranberry Relish with Pineapple and Pecans

3/4 Cup Pineapple Juice
1/2 Cup Sugar
1/4 teaspoon Cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon Nutmeg
Dash of ground Cloves
1 - 12oz package of Cranberries
1 - 20oz can of Crushed Pineapple
1/2 cup toasted chopped Pecans

Toast pecan pieces on a shallow baking sheet at 300 degrees stirring occasionally, until you can smell the pecans from the oven. Set pecans aside to cool. Strain crushed pineapple. Add the juice to a medium sauce pan, and set the pineapple aside.

Add sugar and spices to sauce pan, stir over medium heat until sugar dissolves. Add cranberries and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and stir for 3 to 4 minutes until cranberries pop. Remove from heat and add crushed pineapple and pecans. Refrigerate at least 2 hours before serving.

You will love how good this smells! Enjoy for the holidays!

Soccer Otherwise Known as Swarmball

2010-10-23T22:19:00.004-05:00

The boys have really enjoyed playing soccer this fall for the first time ever! Really, it's just Swarmball as 5 members from each team go after the ball all over the field. They just travel in a pack and kick the ball together. The goal is just to break out of the swarm and score! It is very exciting when it actually happens since everyone works so hard! :)

Robby's team is made up of 3 and 4 year olds, so some games are filled with a lot of tears and temper tantrums. Robby enjoys playing though and he really likes to be the goalie. Mommy would prefer that he is out there running as much as possible since he seems to have a lot of energy that needs to be used up.

John's team is just 5 year olds. John is really good at running and kicking the ball hard to clear the swarm. John scored a goal on his first game, but hasn't scored any others since. However, today, he had 2 assists in goals, so he was just as happy! We have really been encouraging teamwork with John since he really likes to do too much on his own.

I've enjoyed being a soccer mom! We have 2 more weeks and then it will be basketball season. I think we will just sign up John for basketball and let Robby wait until next year. We'll see how that goes; Robby may have a different opinion since he thinks he can do everything that John can!

Wow! It's been almost a year!

2010-10-04T20:53:00.002-05:00

I can't believe that it has been almost a year since I wrote anything. I guess I've been a little overwhelmed that I don't really really want to concentrate on anything in particular to write.

My brother and sister and I have started a Biggest Losers competition between the 3 of us. I'm not winning right now, but I have at least made progress. I've made progress in cooking and in exercising. I've got the boys eating vegetables instead of just fruit! I've been walking almost every morning...early in the morning! Getting up at 5 AM wouldn't normally be ideal for me since I really like to sleep in, but in the morning is when my feet feel at their best instead of all swollen at night. One thing about walking that early is that it is before others get up...it's quiet and, finally, cool! I put my music on and walk...not thinking about anything else...which is relief! At work it is go, go, go and home I'm cooking dinner and we then have to get after homework! Fit in soccer practice and an evening at church, and we have a very full week.

After we make some further progress, I'd like to get new family pictures taken. I'm proud of my family and I'd like to show off the new us.

Man, was this post random or what!?

Christmas Eve Part 2

2010-01-01T09:02:00.004-06:00

After enjoying a good meal and good conversation, it was (finally, according to the boys) time to open presents! John and Robby donned the Santa hats and passed out presents. This is a pretty challenging feat for two little boys that don't know how to read! There was a lot of pointing and shouting to get everything in the right place!

John opening his favorite helicopter!

Robby concentrating opening his present, that's why his tongue is hanging out. He loved his present too!

Daddy helping his boys get everything opened! (And maybe playing a little too!)

Richard and I hope that everyone had a very Merry Christmas!

Mommy sneaking a Christmas Eve kiss on Daddy!

A special thank you to Becky (Aunt Buckee), Ann and Lisa for making this a very special evening for our family. We had a terrific time! The boys were passed out on the way home ready for Santa to come in the morning!

Christmas Eve

2009-12-31T17:44:00.002-06:00

Those in my family that still live in the Houston area met over at my sister Becky's house to celebrate Christmas Eve together. We planned a big meal and had lots of presents to open. Before we ate, and before it got dark, Tommy, Becky's friend, had gotten all of the kids and teenage boys new Nerf guns. So the big gun fight pursued! The rules were that they had to go outside and the big boys couldn't hit the little boys. It was a very windy day, but that didn't seem to matter!

Robby heading outside for some of the fun!

Richard got a hold of one of the boy's guns! Everyone got in on the fun!

New House

2009-12-31T16:24:00.003-06:00

We moved in November, right at Thanksgiving to be exact. We love our new house, but we are still trying to get unpacked. It is awful to have to move during the holidays, but the last time we moved it was July! Nobody should move in Texas during the summertime! The weather was nice, but a little cool.

We finally have a contract on our other house! We are supposed to close on January 28th. We are asking for prayers that close goes through as planned! We will have to take the time to say good bye to our other house. We will always have great memories from the other house, but ultimately it was just too far to drive to work! After my illness last year, it was very important to cut out stress where we could. Cutting my 50 mile, one direction, commute in half certainly cuts my stress!

Lots of Projects

2009-12-31T15:39:00.002-06:00

I'm in the middle of a lot of projects right now. We bought a new house in November and moved over Thanksgiving weekend. I'm still missing items though! One of the big things that I'm missing is my Photopass CD from Disney which has pictures from our trip to Walt Disney World that we took in September. Of course, these aren't just any pictures, these are the pictures that have most of the character visits and the family pictures at each of the park entrances.

Until I find the CD, I've been working on the Christmas pictures. I hope that you will be patient with me as I update the blog over the next couple of days. I see lots of new posts in the very near future!

Happy New Year to all of my friends and family!

Easter in Tyler

2009-05-23T13:28:00.005-05:00

We went to Tyler to my parent's house for Easter this year. Usually we don't travel on Easter, but with so much of my family up there this year, it seemed silly to not take use of the long weekend to travel. We had a family lunch on Saturday since the weather was going to be bad on Sunday (rainy and cooler). Afterwards, my teenage nephews were great sports and hid all of the eggs for the little boys. They did a great job! I think everyone had fun watching my boys hunt eggs. I think little kids add so much to family holidays!

And they're off!

Robby thought he was so clever putting his basket down to gather eggs. He was very proud of himself!

Showing off their finds!

Next, Aunt Becky introduced the boys to confetti eggs. John didn't like the mess ( my type A child who doesn't like his hair messed up), but Robby thought it was hysterically funny!

Robby was laughing so hard that he was crying! He just kept hitting his forehead over and over again breaking each egg and laughing harder and harder!

John stayed by Mommy and just watched the fun that Robby was having.

Look at all the cars that Easter bunny brought!

First family picture with our new dog! This is in my parents' front yard.

Christmas Pictures

2009-04-09T20:43:00.002-05:00

So those of you who thought that I forgot to post pictures from Christmas, well here you go. You see, I didn't forget; we just didn't take very many...more like 2. I know, I know...bad mommy. I didn't take any because, Aunt Tracy came to celebrate Christmas with us, and she took lots of pictures! Check out her blog! There is even a video of Robby!

Carnival at the Rodeo

2009-03-14T13:14:00.004-05:00

After we finished the pony rides and Robby somewhat calmed down, we went to ride another "horse" on the carousel. They had a good time. However, Robby threw another fit when it was over. We were beginning to wonder if this was going to happen every time!

After taking a water break and letting Robby calm down, John convinced Daddy that he really wanted to go down the long slide! So, John got a sack and climbed the stairs all by himself. Daddy went up with Robby. Here they are climbing up the long stairs!

Here they are at the top of the slide. John is at the top of the yellow slide and Robby and Daddy are at the top of the pink slide.

They came down so fast that I totally missed the picture! :) They were all smiles at the bottom.

Then the boys rode this ride all by themselves. The ride's arms took the boys high and low. They had a great time.

The last thing we rode was the Ferris wheel. The loading and unloading process was a little scary for Mommy, but the boys had no fear! Once the ride got moving it was a lot of fun.

We ate a funnel cake and then headed to the car. The boys had a great day of "firsts". We will come back to the Rodeo on the last weekend. We figure we may let the boys ride a few rides again, but we will take the boys to enjoy the rodeo part and may enjoy part of the concert if they make it that far.

Pony Ride at the Rodeo

2009-03-13T21:18:00.002-05:00

When we finished with the petting zoo we went outside to see what else we could get into! To our surprise, both boys really wanted to ride the ponies! Robby, of course, loves animals; see post below. John, however, is a little more cautious when it comes to live animals.

They very patiently waited in the long line with Daddy until their turn finally came! They had the biggest smile on their faces the entire ride!

John's pony was named Tex.

Robby's pony was named Twinkle. He called her "Winkle".

When the man took Robby down at the end of ride, Robby told him, "I not finished." And then proceeded to throw a typical Robby tantrum because he didn't get his way. We quickly moved on to the next ride! More on that later!

Petting Farm at the Rodeo

2009-03-09T20:41:00.002-05:00

After visiting Agventure at the Rodeo, we let the boys go into the Petty Farm. We didn't buy any food since, well, we didn't trust the boys. It was a good thing too since we spent most of the time trying to make sure Robby didn't kiss the animals.

Robby loves animals. He is always kissing the TV when he sees a dog or a reindeer or something else "cute". Now he kisses on GiGi all the time and I guess he could kiss these animals too.

Here is Robby trying to kiss the pig here!

Say Cheese! John and Robby standing next to a very pregnant goat.

Robby trying to kiss a goat.

John petting the pig.

Robby trying to kiss a deer.

As far as I'm aware of, Robby was never successful in his kissing attempts! We used a lot of Purell and wipies once we left though!

John Deere Tractors

2009-03-08T21:23:00.002-05:00

We took the boys to the rodeo today for the first time today. They had so much fun climbing in each of the tractors.

We went around to each of the exhibits in Agventure. They got to pet rabbits, see baby chickens, baby goats, and lots of cows! We also saw a few very large pigs! It is amazing what they have set up for kids...and it is a lot of fun for adults too!

She has Eyes!

2009-03-07T13:22:00.004-06:00

My sister asked if Gigi has eyes. Well, of course she does! Here is our pretty girl once she finally got her hair cut and trimmed up! Her little pink bow lasted a couple of days, but Daddy suggested we get her a clip with a bow so we can fix it better. The groomer left the hair on top of her head a little longer so we could keep the bow in easier.

The boys have decided that they "love" Gigi so we should keep her. She has been a great new addition to the family!

Gigi

2009-03-01T22:07:00.002-06:00

We got a new Yorkie this week. She is a year old and a pure bred. She was left as an outside dog for the last year. We took her to the vet this week and other than an ear infection she was in pretty good condition. She will go to the groomer this week.

These pictures don't show her good personality, but it does show her pretty colors! She is a good girl and the boys are very glad that she's ours!

My Funny Boys

2009-01-31T21:34:00.002-06:00

I'm always telling people how funny my boys are, but I can't always come up with the things that they say. So, I've decided that I need to start writing about them in my blog.

John is so smart, but it always comes out in the strangest ways! Tonight, we were pulling into the parking lot at Arby's for dinner. All of sudden, John yells out, "Park it Daddy!" Mind you, we have never heard him use this phrase before!

The other night, I was trying to open Robby's sippy cup to add more milk for dinner. John asked what I was doing when he saw me struggling to get the lid off (my fingers were actually cramping up from the grip). Out of the blue, John yells out "Go, go Mommy!" He is such an encourager. I started laughing and got out a new cup.

One night this week, the boys were in their playroom having a good time. John comes running down the hallway shouting, "Mommy! Mommy! Robby's poopy!" then he starts to gag! Yes, he is just like his father! I look up and Robby is standing in the playroom doorway saying, "I not poop-py!" He was; he just didn't want to stop playing to get changed. John couldn't look at Robby without gagging until I finished getting him changed!

It is never boring at the Steadman House!

Children's Program at Church

2009-01-31T15:24:00.003-06:00

Robby and John were able to participate in the children's Christmas program at church. The church used the little kids to be part of the nativity scene in the program. Robby was a cow, and John was a camel. I think they were the cutest animals ever!

The Morning After

2009-01-18T14:34:00.002-06:00

I posted below the night it snowed in Baytown. Here are the pictures from the morning after. It was estimated that the east side of Houston received around 3 inches of snow; more than any other part of Houston. I think my house looked beautiful!

It was strange going to work that morning. As I traveled west towards Houston, I could see the amount of snow getting less and less until finally just west of Channelview there was no more snow left on the ground. I, on the other hand, had a couple of inches still left on the back of my car when I got to work, 50 miles later!

Santa

2008-12-29T19:53:00.003-06:00

We took the boys to see Santa the Sunday before Christmas. After standing in line for an hour of complete excitement...we finally made it up to see him. It was great...no tears!

I promise to add more Christmas photos soon. I still need to upload them!

It's Snowing!

2008-12-10T20:44:00.003-06:00

After hearing stories that it was snowing in College Station this morning, we finally got snow of our own! I witnessed it snowing at the office, but the ground was too warm and it didn't stick once it hit the ground.

Tonight, Richard went out to cover our large fern on the front porch. He came back in and said, "You have to come see this!" It was snowing large flakes and actually sticking to the ground! We got the boys out of bed and video taped the momentous event!

You can see my roses are still in bloom!

Christmas Decorations

2008-12-07T21:44:00.002-06:00

Here are just some of my decorations. I will take more pictures later. I need to start wrapping! I just love the way a tree looks with pretty presents under the tree!

I packed my Christmas dishes and linens to get ready for moving, so I had to improvise for my dinning room table. I just finished it tonight, and I think it looks pretty good!

Like I said, more pictures soon! :)

I won!

2008-11-19T21:13:00.002-06:00

Many of you know that I got a new car right before I got sick in the Spring. Well, if you didn't know, I got a 2008 Toyota Camry Hybrid - red! I love it! And I especially love the gas savings!

On the display, I can watch two different averages for gas mileage; one is the tank average, and the other is the trip average. The trip average is displayed kind of like a graph. The higher the miles per gallon goes, the more the graph gets filled in with white. The graph starts at 25 and goes up to 40. When you turn off the car and the gas mileage is over 35, a message flashes "EXCELLENT!"

Richard and I kind of treat it like our own little video game in the car. We compete to see who can get the highest "score". Normally, we get around 36 or 37 at the most.

On Tuesday, with perfect driving conditions into the office, I finally did it! I finally filled the whole graph with white and even went past the 40 marker! I got 41 miles per gallon!! I won the game!

Side note: I know this is silly, but when you drive 60 miles to work one direction, you have to entertain yourself somehow! :)

Bad News

2008-11-14T19:36:00.002-06:00

I spoke with the realtor today regarding the house showing yesterday. The lady loved the house! However, her adult son that came on the showing with her, did not like the fact that the house backs up to an FM road. He "forbids" her from buying the house! My realtor told the other one that he needed to stay at home next time! :)

The irony of it all is that one of the best parts of our house is the fact that we have a new detached garage with two garage doors and a driveway that goes through the garage out to the FM road. Perfect for boaters!

So I'm sad tonight. We have the house back on the market now though. Hopefully there will be other displaced people that would like a really great 3 bedroom house in Mont Belvieu!

Please pray this morning

2008-11-13T08:16:00.002-06:00

We are showing the house between 10 and 11 this morning. The couple that wants to see the house is a displaced family from Ike and is considered a cash buyer. They already have seen the outside of the house and are aware of the roof and garage doors that are still damaged. The are currently living in FEMA housing coverage so even though this doesn't have to happen immediately, the sale could happen fairly quickly.

After having everything on hold for the last two weeks, it is really exciting to show the house again. With the thought of all of the other displaced families out there, we are will leave the house on the market list instead of waiting for all of the repairs to be completed. This family sounds very promising and we are praying for the best!

Something Extra

2008-11-12T11:23:00.003-06:00

In light of my anniversary this past weekend, I found some of these pictures that were scanned in from our engagement session and wedding. Enjoy!

The marina that we took our engagement pictures at really got torn up during Ike. All of the boats that were left in the marina were pushed ashore and pushed right up against each other. The docks were pretty much gone. Kind of sad, but I'm sure it will be rebuilt.

No, the flowers are not real. My mother did all of the arrangements and my bouquet.

I have such a handsome husband!

I love my husband!

2008-11-08T08:11:00.000-06:00

Tomorrow is the 6th anniversary of my wedding day. It was one of the most wonderful days of my life. I remember getting our picture taken after the wedding, and the photographer told Richard to say "I love my wife!" instead of cheese, and he said "I love my....wife" with self actualization that it was actually real! I loved it; it was so cute! He and I spent our honeymoon getting used to saying the word Husband and Wife. We still cherish the use of those words and how really powerful they are!

In the more recent years, I have been able to enjoy just how wonderful of a father he is. Right now, I'm watching Richard teach John how to fold towels "perfectly" and bribing Robby with M&Ms to stay sitting on the potty and try to poopoo. Yes, that is what our life has become....who can poopoo in the potty! :) I wouldn't change it for anything in the world!

Here is the overwhelming winner of our family picture! We want to thank our friend Lisa Gower who agreed to take our pictures and really worked at getting the boys to cooperate!

I've also included some of the other really good ones of the boys!

Fall Fest

2008-10-26T14:01:00.003-05:00

We usually have a Fall Festival at church on Halloween. This year, mostly due to Ike, it has been canceled. However, the Children's Ministry made sure to have something for the kids at church this morning. They asked all of the kids to wear their costumes too.

John is Handy Manny from Playhouse Disney. Robby is cowboy. I know that he is really Woody from Toy Story, who is actually a Sheriff, but Robby doesn't really know the movie that well, so he just knows that he is a cowboy! Robby also doesn't realize that he is missing a gun for his holster...and what he doesn't know, won't hurt him!!

By the way, did you notice how well my roses recovered from Hurricane Ike? They had been pretty stripped of their leaves, but thanks to the great weather that God has provided since Ike, they are healthy and back to new again!

Afternoon with the Pumpkins

2008-10-25T21:28:00.002-05:00

We took the boys to the Texas Feed Stop here in Mont Belvieu to take some pictures with the pumpkins. Plus we really like the truck too!

Family Pictures

2008-10-19T13:49:00.002-05:00

We took family pictures yesterday. I have uploaded a lot of them to my Facebook site. Please take a look and let me know which ones you like the best. We took over 200 pictures with my camera until the battery died. There are some more on Becky's camera, but I haven't seen those yet.

We have another chance at Thanksgiving while we are all in Tyler to take some pictures if necessary. We may try either way depending on the weather.

Let me know if you can't view them in Facebook and I will send you the album from Snapfish.

Thanks!!

Oh the Irony...

2008-10-14T15:32:00.003-05:00

Most people who know me well, know that I rarely dress the boys in character clothes. They may have a few items, especially pajamas, but really I usually stick to polo shirts and jean shorts. My mother, on the other hand, loves knit. Knit, knit, and more knit! If it has a character on it, that's okay as long as it is knit and washable.

When I was in the hospital, it was Spring. It was finally warm enough to wear shorts on a regular basis. John wasn't 3 yet, and even though we had started to buy him some new clothes due to his height, he still needed more. My mom took on this task; plus it gave her an excuse to shop with someone else's money (every women's dream)! She bought several t-shirts and knit shorts for both boys.

So I'm in the hospital, paralyzed, and this is what my boys are wearing to daycare:
(You might have to click on the picture to enlarge and read it.)

Thanks for the play clothes Gramma!

Nap time

2008-10-13T21:16:00.004-05:00

Every Sunday we race home from church or out to a restaurant in order to get lunch in before the boys fall asleep in the car. They have such an active time at church that they are usually hungry and exhausted.

Yesterday was no exception. We went out to lunch and had to leave before the boys were finished because their tired, ugly side was coming out for the world to see. (Yes, they do have this side!) I finally got John down in my bed. Robby got in trouble for playing around, so I put him back in his bed. I went back to watching the Texans game.

About 10 minutes later, I hear noises coming from the playroom. I went to check it out, and then grabbed my camera. This is what I found!

When he heard the camera flash, he turned around to say "cheese"; just like he wasn't doing anything wrong. He is certainly the charmer.

By the way, THE TEXANS WON!!

The End

2008-10-10T17:10:00.002-05:00

This is the end of the Alphabet Book! I hope that you have enjoyed the pictures. I'm not sure if I'll do the Alphabet again next year; we will have to wait and see what pictures we have. I do know that there will be another book, but I don't know how it will be organized yet.

These are pictures from two very happy boys! John, of course, is wearing Daddy's boots. Who knows what Robby was cheering about, but he was always happy in Ms Cynthia's class.

Grampa loves taking some of his grandsons around in the back of the tractor. He made sure to go slow enough for the boys to really have a good ride. Grampa and Josh appear in the book, and they are the only ones outside of our immediate family to appear ever. Of course, they take pride in their appearances!

More Alphabet!

2008-10-01T12:15:00.002-05:00

We went to a pumpkin fest last year in Summerwood (where we are currently looking for a house) that my company supported. The boys had a blast trying to pick their own pumpkin. Robby thought they were big balls that needed to be thrown!

We were at the church festival on Halloween. This was supposed to be a game, but my boys just sat on the table and picked out all the suckers they wanted. Robby was a cute Mickey Mouse with a nuggie (pacifier) in his mouth. John was a bear, which Aunt Dawn generously passed down to us!

I think these pictures speak for themselves! My handsome boys!

Almost Finished

2008-09-30T23:40:00.002-05:00

We are almost finished with the Alphabet Book.

These pictures were taken last June and it was the boys' first time at the beach! We were in High Island, which is only about 45 minutes from the house. It is a strange feeling to know the dunes are gone and there is a new vegetation line after Ike! The boys had sand everywhere that little boys can have sand! We came straight home and put them in the pool; see letter N.

Robby's first tooth! He was just over a year old here! Last year we profiled John's first tooth. I'll have to come up with a new word for T next year!

These pictures were taken by Sean and Brenda while I was still in the hospital. They took the kids to Chick-fil-A to help wear them out. Check out Sean's blog for the full story in pictures. The pictures following these are all 3 kids passed out asleep in their car seats. Oh the joy of parenthood!

We Survived Ike

2008-09-29T20:00:00.002-05:00

We made it through the storm. Unfortunately, it made us very busy at work so I've been too busy to post. Our house did suffer some damage; I'll post pictures soon. Here are some more pictures from our book.

These pictures were taken at Sean and Brenda's house last summer. My little fish! John has no fear in jumping in and letting you catch him...again and again.

I think this is the last of our pictures of our boys sleeping. I'm not sure what I'm going to use next year for the letter Q! (That's Robby in case you can't tell.)

Here is my handsome boy with the big blue eyes! I will be very sad if he looses his big cheeks; maybe they are not just from baby fat. After all, he looks just like Richard! ;)

Ike is Coming

2008-09-12T08:03:00.003-05:00

When you look at the map I live when the "n" of Houston sits. We are on the North side of I-10, away from the bay. With that said, we are staying here in at the house. We have the windows boarded up and we have plenty of supplies. We also have a generator that can run the whole house. I met my mother in Madisonville yesterday to send the boys to Tyler for the weekend.

We do live in a mandatory evacuation zip code, but really we live in a Mont Belvieu zip code not the assigned Baytown zip code. There is another northern zip code for Baytown that is not under the evacuation mandate.

Richard and I are considered first responders since we provide public water and wastewater services. I don't have to be out in the field after the storm, but I do have to man my computer and cell phone to communicate with my 8 Boards.

I want to let you know that we will be fine. I will try to remain on the computer for as long as I can to let everyone know what we are going through. God will provide and protect.

Are You Bored Yet? We are Half Way Through!

2008-09-07T18:22:00.002-05:00

We are half way through the alphabet!

The first picture was taken at the boys' 1st and 2nd birthday parties. No they are not twins...I know they look alike...but Robby is still a baby here! The second picture was taken on the morning of Halloween. Since we weren't sending the boys to daycare in their costumes due to the heat, Richard spiked their hair. They loved it, but still looked like my adorable boys!

We went to the beach last June. We thought this was a good way to rinse the sand off; so we stripped them down and let them play. Be sure to click on this picture and notice Robby smiling at the camera. That's right, he still didn't have any teeth! He started getting his first tooth about a week after his first birthday, but you still couldn't see it here! :)

Robby is my big boy! These were taken at the party!

More Pages from the Alphabet Book

2008-09-05T10:59:00.003-05:00

This group of letters have some of my favorite photos in them!

John's pictures were taken on Thanksgiving weekend when we went to see my parents. I think that John looks like he could be a kid model in these pictures! My sweet little boy!

These photos are very special to me. When I was in the hospital, Cynthia, one of the daycare teachers sent pictures of the boys to me on a regular basis. She made sure to get some happy pictures of the boys kidding around!

Cynthia also took these pictures of Robby. You can tell that he has a great time at daycare. It is nice for a mom to know that her kids are having a good time and are well cared for.

For Your Entertainment

2008-09-04T20:28:00.003-05:00

Here are some pictures from the Alphabet Book:

Daddy decided to torture the boys one morning by threading their nuggies (pacifiers) through a bathtub toy number. You know, the numbers that stick to the sides of the bathtubs when wet? The boys thought this was hysterically funny...until they were ready for naps, and then not so much!

My boys love to wear hats! They are also pretty good about leaving them on top of their heads too! The hats at Christmas time are puppy dog beanies. These outfits were very popular when we went out in public!

As many of you know, I decorate my Christmas tree in Mickey Mouse ornaments. This year, I was able to add a Mickey Mouse train that went around under my tree. It was so much fun! The boys are demonstrating the epitome of Christmas...the dreams and imaginations of little boys where a train is the coolest thing ever!

Pages from the Book

2008-09-01T10:00:00.002-05:00

Here are some pages from the 2008 Mother's Day Book:

This picture was taken after Christmas. There was a "real" Mater at a salvage shop between Tyler and Houston. We had to wake the boys up and take their picture with Mater!

This was really the first Easter that John would even go near the Easter Bunny at church. Robby didn't want to have anything to do with him. They did, however, have lots of fun during the egg hunt!

We were at a Pumpkin Fest for one of the neighborhoods that I manage. City of Houston had their fire truck out there for the kids. They were very excited to see the truck, and they did want to get in, originally. Once in, I believe they were a little overwhelmed, but it was their first time in a fire truck!

Mother's Day Book

2008-08-31T09:52:00.004-05:00

Last year, I started a tradition of giving photo books to the boys' grandmothers and great-grandmothers on Mother's Day. As most of you know, I was still in the hospital on Mother's Day this year; in fact I had been there for several weeks by then. I didn't have the time to complete the books this year in time...well I had the time, but I couldn't hold the computer or type! :)

I have finally finished the book this weekend and I've sent it to print. So for your reading enjoyment I will post a few pages at a time from this year's book. It covers the time period of May 2007 - May 2008. John was 2 and Robby was 1. Some of the pictures were taken at Day Care, by Robby's teacher, Cynthia Young, and there are also a few pictures taken by Sean and Brenda Cornish. You can always click on the picture to enlarge and then hit the back button to return to my blog. I hope you enjoy!

As a side note, the 2007 Mother's Day book was on display at the hospital during my long stay. It gave me my precious boys to look at, but also something to talk about with the staff besides my current medical condition! ;) I can always talk about my boys!

The above pictures were from a collage of the pictures taken at Sears for their birthdays. I love these smiles!

We have so many pictures taken of the boys together...it always takes so many shots to get a couple of good ones! ;) Yes, they are riding in their Tonka truck.

Last we did John's cake picture, so this year it was Robby's turn! He had chocolate cake everywhere. Grandma put him immediately into the kitchen sink to wash him down! We learned from John to go ahead and strip down to the diaper before eating cake...it was just easier that way. I would highly recommend it to anyone who is about to celebrate a first birthday!

We went to Corpus Christi

2008-08-19T21:23:00.003-05:00

this past weekend. Richard and I needed to be there to attend some meetings for the Water Association; however, our meetings weren't at the same time, so it was a great time to take the boys and have a long weekend. They really enjoyed the hotel swimming pool! Will it always be this simple to entertain them? Guess not! It sure is fun while it lasts though.

We kept it fairly low key since my feet and ankles keep swelling due to a side effect of the nerve medication. We did find some time to go shopping though since it was tax free weekend. My husband is so sweet, he suggested that I buy a new purse that I've been looking at so that people would look at my purse and not at my feet. This is what I bought along with the wallet to match!

I know it's silly, but it does make a girl feel good to have something new!

I go for IV therapy again tomorrow. I have been pain "free" from the nerves, now if my feet would just settle down again. Please pray that I have a good day tomorrow!

Update on GB

2008-08-12T20:23:00.002-05:00

I had IV therapy again today. I only had to be poked once! Yeah! My doctor came to visit me while I was lounging in my recliner. My reflexes and strength are good. She learned about the nerve in my left leg that "woke up" last week. She was pleased that it was a major vein repairing itself.

The doctor asked if I had experienced anything in my arms yet. I told her that I was going to ask her about that very thing! :) We always seem to be on the same page! We both agreed that we don't think that I will have problems with my arms since they weren't paralyzed for any real length of time. Only time will tell.

The next two things that we discussed are almost embarrassing to mention: swelling feet and a handicap placard. That's right, thanks to my nerve medicine, my feet are swelling more now than ever when I was pregnant. Her solution...SUPPORT HOSE! We also discussed the use of a handicap placard for my car. It is not like I would need it all the time, but when the nerves are repairing themselves, I'm in a lot of pain. She wrote me a prescription for the placard, but it turns out that I need a Texas application signed first from her. I was kind of hoping to have it before this weekend when we head to Corpus Christi, but that's okay. At least we are trying to get it done. Yes, I'm turning into my grandmother!

Keep praying for my continued healing! Thank you God for all that you have already done!!

We finally got the boys' pictures made

2008-08-10T15:09:00.004-05:00

What an experience that was! We needed to be out of the house for a couple of hours on Saturday for the house to be shown, so we took the boys to get their hair cut first, then we went for pictures. The boys were in great moods and we had done everything we could to make sure they stayed nice and clean until our appointment time...then we went into the room.

Both boys decided that they were shy and they didn't want their picture taken. Now, anyone that knows my boys knows that they are not shy and they are usually hams in front of a camera. They had to take 68 pictures to get a few good ones. They also captured some pouty pictures which I loved too. You know, the ones were that make that face that you would love to show their future girlfriends, but never have a camera handy when they make the face?

So here is a collage of ones that turned out pretty good of the individual shots. You can click on the pictures to make them bigger if needed.

Riding out the Storm

2008-08-05T10:28:00.004-05:00

The boys and I are at home today riding out Tropical Storm Edouard. While we have experienced some high winds, it really hasn't been that bad. When the winds have picked up, it has been really strange to listen to them howling around the house. We have had lots of rain though! The eye of the storm is about to pass over our house in just a little while. What a weird experience!

I was supposed to have IV therapy this morning, but that got moved to tomorrow. At least I was already planning on being out of the office today, so I brought work home with me. The daycare closed, so the boys are at home with me. There is nothing like the feeling of feeling couped up with two toddlers! Oh the fun!

Our House

2008-07-29T20:27:00.002-05:00

They finally got pictures posted of our house today! If you have never been here check it out. If you have been here, look at the narration of the pictures and tell me if they should be changed at all. They will be back soon to take the outside pictures again during a sunny day. The current pictures were taken while Dolly came onshore; while we didn't take a direct impact, we did get plenty of rain that day.

IV Therapy went pretty well today. One stick! The nerve pain in my leg seems to be moving to the other side of the leg. It still hurts to walk, but I'm adjusting okay. Thanks for the prayers! I can feel them working!

We went to look at houses

2008-07-29T08:05:00.002-05:00

We went to look at houses in Summerwood and Lakeshore on Sunday afternoon. This weekend we only saw the empty homes that were on our list so it would make it easier for our realtor to schedule. Several of the homes were foreclosures and needed some work...some more than others. While the extra work didn't bother us with the thought that with the financial savings we would have the money to make the repairs. Our concern was time. We can't purchase a new house without selling ours first. So we will probably need to move quickly. Items like water damage, ie, mold, really should be repaired before we move into the new house.

Then, we saw this house! It is a corporate relocation house, so the company has had the house professionally cleaned, the carpets professionally cleaned, and the entire house repainted. It was like walking into a brand new house. The previous homeowners even left their refrigerator which matches the rest of the black appliances...which is great since mine is white! The backyard isn't that big, but it does back up to a nature reserve area (with deer) so we would never have back neighbors, and it gives the illusion of a bigger backyard. The front and back yards are both nicely landscaped too! The downfall - the master bedroom is upstairs. This is the only house that I did climb the stairs to view everything. It was wonderful! The master is beautiful with a great bathroom and huge closet! The regular bedrooms are large and have plenty of room for the boys to share.

We still have several other house to check out, but I was happy to find a few options out there!

Update on my health:
After being in pain on Sunday and Monday, using the walker again, and watching the clock like mad to take my next dose of medication, this morning, I woke up very well rested! I was also able to stand without too much effort and walk to take my morning meds without crying! The nerve problem is still there, but it has certainly lightened up this morning! Thank you all so much for your prayers!! I have my IV therapy this morning again. We hope that this will also help with the nerves...but I guess it could help "wake up" another nerve for repairs too. At this point I just hope that it happens one at a time! If I get one in each leg, I most certainly will be using the wheelchair again!

My other good news today is that the maids are coming today to clean the house! I'm so excited! I can't wait to come home to a clean house! I think we will eat out for dinner tonight! :)

Man that was Quick!

2008-07-25T13:02:00.002-05:00

I received a call today at 9:45 from the group that schedules house showings. The wanted to show the house this morning between 11 and Noon. We were not prepared for this! We didn't think that the first showing would be until Saturday so we haven't gotten in the routine of making beds and so forth. At least I've been working from home!

I made up the boys' beds and straightened the playroom and bathroom. Then, while I was resting, I called my friend Ellen's house down the street thinking that maybe I could get in touch with her teenage son for help. Instead Ellen picked up the phone...my blessing from God! She had worked 4, 10 hour days so she had today off. She came over and vacuumed the whole house! I made up our bed and finished straightening the house with several breaks in the middle of it all. We finished up just in time and pulled out of the driveway at exactly 11 o'clock!

I'm not sure what anybody thought yet, but I'm praying that we sell soon so that I don't have to keep up with all of this! We are going to look at homes on Sunday afternoon. I hope that it is easy to find "just the right one" since I don't know how many stairs that I can climb. I might just have to send Richard up to check everything out.

Please continue to pray for us during this time; for my healing and for a quick turn around on selling and buying our house!

Our house is for sale!

2008-07-24T11:17:00.002-05:00

Our house is for sale! It is so exciting. Our realtor has it listed online already even though we haven't taken pictures of the house yet. She is coming by today to take the pictures, but thanks to Dolly, we are having to wait until it stops raining. Watch the link and hopefully there will be pictures posted soon.

I'm sad, nervous, and excited all at the same time. Sad because of all of our family memories here. Nervous in the fact that we could be moving in a matter of weeks if everything goes well. And excited to be moving into a larger house that would be a little closer to work; plus we already have friends in the new neighborhood. This is just so amazing!

More Prayers

2008-07-23T08:22:00.004-05:00

Yesterday went fairly well. They only had to poke me twice to get the IV inserted, so I was happy. The IVIG made my leg feel a little better; it was almost surprising how fast it felt better. However, this morning, I'm still in some pain as I wait for the morning meds to kick in.

I've decided to work from home today. It makes it a little difficult since my work cell phone doesn't get very good reception at the house. We will see how it goes.

My doctor wants me to give her a call on Thursday to give an update. If we don't see any progress by then, then I will probably have to have another IV done on Friday.

Please keep me in your prayers!!

On a side note, our realtor called us yesterday afternoon. She was trying not to pressure us into listing the house since she knows that we are working on our big to-do list. However her same firm listed a house in our neighborhood and sold it within a matter of days this week. They are also aware of two more couples that are interested in buying in our neighborhood. So this evening she is going to come over so we sign all of the papers to get our home listed. We will continue on our to-do list, but this is all very exciting! I'll keep you posted!

Pray for me

2008-07-22T07:38:00.004-05:00

We went to San Antonio this past weekend for our annual water conference. When I left town, I thought I had a slightly pulled muscle in my right thigh; most likely for PT. No big deal right?

Well as the weekend went on, my leg began to worsen. I took Tylenol, but it wasn't really working. I had to use my cane for the last part of the weekend and was very ready to come home. Once home, I took a muscle relaxer that I had from leaving the hospital. It didn't work at all! I soon discovered that it wasn't a muscle at all, but nerve pain.

The pain is so intense and causing me to not be able to straighten my knee properly that we called the on call neurologist on Sunday night. He told me that I could take two of my nerve pain medicine, but that it "may" work, but that it wouldn't hurt. My neurologist called me back yesterday morning. She called me in an additional nerve pain medicine to the pharmacy. She also moved my IVIG from Friday up to today. This is not good.

The good news is that she thinks that my nerve, although painful, is starting to repair itself. I just aggravated it in San Antonio even though I took time to rest. Please pray that God will take care of the nerve and the pain! I also need prayer that they will be able to find a vein for the IV this morning. My veins are starting to have scar tissue and they are rolling which is very challenging for the nurses, and it means that I have to be stuck more than once a lot of the time! :(

Thanks for all of your prayers!

A Very Monday

2008-07-07T19:20:00.002-05:00

I should have known that today was going to be a "very Monday" right off the bat.

I had heard on the news over the weekend that a child in Chambers County had drowned on the 4th of July. This morning I found out that the little girl, Natalie, was the same Natalie in Robby's daycare class. She was 22 months old and has been at the daycare since she was born. Please pray for her family as the start the healing process.

Then on my home today, I found out that there was an overflowing manhole in one of my Districts...which means a violation for the District. Not a great way to start my first week back!

I can't wait to find out what tomorrow is going to bring! :)

Moving?

2008-07-06T18:09:00.004-05:00

We went to an open house today in Summerwood. I fell in love with the house!

Of course, we still need to list and sell the current house...I'm still letting Richard warm up to the idea. He liked the house too, but he can't seem to get the idea of living in a deed restricted, master planned community. He starts thinking of our current expenses and the future expenses. But he forgets to think of extra 20 miles that I drive each way to work that moving would cut off; not to mention the extra time!

So my beautiful house will most likely be sold by the time we get around to selling this one. But I thought I could at least share it with you all!

Cleaning out the Closet

2008-06-26T17:36:00.003-05:00

As many of you know, Richard and I are preparing our house to put it on the market for sale. In preparation for meeting with the realtor this morning, we cleaned our bedroom last night. I have to admit, that I had allowed my stuff to accumulate all over the place, but with the GB, I couldn't do everything by myself. Richard has been asking me to clean out my dresser drawers and the closet...but with two toddlers, who has time?

Yesterday afternoon, I cleaned out my dresser drawers. It was amazing how much was added to the donation pile or just tossed. I can't believe that I was almost able to fill up a garbage bag with just old underwear, worn out bras, and hole-y socks! Richard dutifully loaded up the donation sack and dropped it off at the nearest donation center so that I wouldn't have an ugly bag just sitting around when the realtor came. Amazingly enough, I was able to place the items that had gathered around the room in an organized drawer, and I still have two whole empty drawers left!

The realtor came and left this morning, and I have a beautiful, clean house. This thought, along with the wonderful, easy feeling from last night motivated me to clean out my closet as promised. In thirty minutes time, I accumulated a pile of clothes that is waist high and the width of a the closet doorway. Boy was the dust flying this afternoon!

Side note: Am I the only mother out there that still has to cross my legs when I sneeze for fear of "leaking"? I know that is common when you are pregnant, but what about after pregnancy? Is this just a thing that I'm going to have live with for the rest of my life?

Most of the clothes that I have added to the donation pile were accumulated prior to me getting married, over 5 years ago. It was interesting to reminisce over the various outfits...like my Disney shirts that have embroidery down the front...or those favorite outfits that I wore every week to work until they just look worn out...or even the denim dress that I wore to take our engagement pictures. Even though it is nice to think back over the years, I look forward to the shopping that will be done and the future those clothes will hold. I'm thankful God to be able to donate to people in need, and to have the money to replace them.

Now, hopefully, Richard will think the closet looks as bare as I do! I've already found some items that I want to shop for!

Update on the GBS

2008-06-24T08:27:00.003-05:00

Last Thursday I was given the release to go back to work on Tuesday, July 1st by my neurologist. We were very excited about my progress. Then that evening, I started to feel numbness again in my feet and my first two fingers and thumb. I had promised to call my doctor if I felt any sign of relapse, so we had her paged that evening. I went in on Friday morning to see the doctor and start the IVIG treatments again. The doctor has now confirmed that I have the chronic form of Guillian Barre Syndrome. It basically means that it is going to take longer to recover.

I will start having the IVIG treatments weekly and was put on additional medication. We are trying to avoid steroid treatments since it will make me gain weight, and I've already worked hard to take off 30 pounds! I will still be able to go back to work, but I will have to take it easy and watch my work load. At least I don't have to have the central line put back in to have the plasma treatments at this time; however, that will be the next action to take if necessary.

So with all of the that said, we are planning a birthday party for the boys on Saturday. Don't worry, I'm taking it easy and using the whole week to prepare. Richard is even going to let me order the birthday cake. Now you know I'm taking it easy!

Pop-pop toy

2008-06-15T21:12:00.002-05:00

So does anyone remember who bought my boys the pop-pop toy last year for their birthdays?

They each drag the thing out at certain times; however, Robby has taken to running with it around through the living room and into the kitchen...over and over again. It was so bad at one point this evening that I actually put the thing out in the garage so that we could hear ourselves think!

I just wanted to say "Thank you" to the appropriate person!

Hot dogs and Yogurt

2008-06-12T22:00:00.002-05:00

Okay, so this may sound strange...I just fed the boys dinner tonight for the first time in over 8 weeks. Now with that said, it wasn't a very healthy dinner, but they did leave the table with full tummies. Even with an easy menu, it was a little difficult for me to complete the task. It was good to sit down as we were all eating.

I came home two weeks ago using a wheelchair and a walker. That Sunday, we went to church to thank God and everyone for all of their prayers. The pastor's father in law had passed away several months ago, and the pastor's wife told me that they still had his nicer walker; in fact they kept it at the church in case someone wanted to borrow it. It was a nice surprise and it is so much easier to use! In fact, the nicer walker (with wheels and brakes) enabled me to have a little more freedom and comfort while walking and getting around.

Last Friday, a week after I got out of the hospital, I learned how to use a cane during physical therapy. I was able to walk with it with ease! So when I was finished with therapy, mom and I went to Walmart to purchase me my very own! I can not believe the progress that I have made over the last couple of weeks. As you can tell, I'm happy with the little things!

I still have PT twice a week until the end of the month. I'm now able to walk around my house with using the cane at all. You'd probably say that I was walking a little funny, and slow, but at least I can make it! I do still have to use the cane when I get up in the morning until my muscles stretch back out and when I leave the house. The idea is to get as much exercise as possible without fatiguing myself. I have to build up my stamina and balance.

See, all of a sudden, hot dogs and yogurt doesn't sound like too bad of a dinner. Maybe next time I'll add vegetables!

Fire Ant Bites

2008-04-09T19:46:00.002-05:00

Does anyone have any home remedies for fire ant bites? Robby got about 20 bites on his hand and arm at daycare the other day. I've tried to keep them popped and cleaned out. He is already taking an antihistamine. I guess I'm looking for something to help dry them up. He doesn't seem to be phased by them if they are itchy.

Thanks!

Easter Sunday

2008-04-02T21:17:00.002-05:00

The boys had a great time hunting for Easter eggs out in the backyard on Sunday afternoon. Daddy (aka Easter Bunny) did more with the eggs than just laying them in the grass. It didn't take our smart cookies too long to figure out just where the eggs were!

We also spent the afternoon with Mimi and Pappa. It has been several years since they got to watch a grandchild hunt eggs!

So what does it take to a picture of 2 Toddlers?

2008-03-31T21:00:00.004-05:00

So all I tried to do was to take a simple picture of my handsome boys on Easter morning before church. I can't believe that it was this hard to take one picture! Several of them are blurred since they wouldn't stop moving!

And finally...one that isn't too bad, but notice neither one of them is actually looking at the camera!

Easter

2008-03-30T21:46:00.003-05:00

The boys got to participate in two different Easter egg hunts. One was the week before Easter at the City Hall. It is really nice to live in a small community that they can still put on such an event. We didn't get pictures of that hunt since the battery died in the camera. However, they picked up eggs until their baskets were full and then started putting eggs in other kids baskets. They had the right idea, but I think they thought we were just telling them to help "clean up".

The Saturday before Easter, the church hosted an egg hunt. The Easter bunny was there and posed for pictures with all of the kids. Robby didn't want to have anything to do him, however, John was ready to have his picture made.

The next picture is Robby while he was picking up Easter eggs. Of course at this age, it is not much of a hunt!

The next two pictures are from Easter morning. This was the first year that John has actually learned that the Easter bunny brings you things in your basket! They were a lot fun to watch go through their baskets. It was almost as fun as Christmas morning (and a lot cheaper!).

Great idea for Toddlers

2008-03-29T14:28:00.002-05:00

So I don't want anyone to think that I came up with this all by myself, but I have to say that it is a pretty brilliant and easy idea! I got the idea out of Parents Magazine from February. I did modify the instructions a little... It is creative but simple all at the same time.

We are all asked to participate in Class room parties and such, and even though we would all love to be super creative and spend lots of time decorating cupcakes, sometimes it just isn't possible. The store bought cupcakes have so much icing, and I don't know about you, but my boys don't need any extra sugar! They are sweet enough as it is! :)

So take a frozen pound cake, defrost, and then slice the cake into one inch slices. Take a one inch diameter cookie cutter and cut into each slice; you can get two cakes per slice. The magazine used a round cutter, but I used a heart shaped cutter for Valentine's day and an egg and bunny shaped cutter for Easter. Then take a container of store bought icing and empty into a microwaveable bowl. Microwave the icing in 10 second intervals until it is the consistency of heavy cream. Using a fork, dip the cake into the melted icing coating the top and all sides. Use a another fork to slide the cake onto a wax paper covered pan. You can then use sprinkles to decorate the top before the icing sets up or use additional icing to decorate.

I used chocolate icing for Valentine's day and cherry icing for Easter. You can always use white icing and color it with dye. I liked using the flavored icing since the cake doesn't really have a flavor. One more tip, one container of icing is enough to dip two family sized pound cakes.

The cakes are the perfect size for a toddler. Just a couple of bites and a thin layer of icing! They also look like you slaved away in the kitchen! Here is a picture of the ones I did for Valentines.

My little boy brought me flowers!

2008-03-21T11:28:00.002-05:00

Out of the backyard of course! Some might call them weeds, but as a mommy, they are the prettiest flowers I've ever seen! John brought them in while he was playing outside with Daddy.

I just thought I would take the time to share this special Mommy Moment!

I hope that everyone has great Easter. I'm sure we will be posting more pictures soon!

The Neighbor Called 911

2008-03-12T20:52:00.002-05:00

We got a call from our neighbor this afternoon that our air conditioner had caught on fire!! Thank goodness for retired neighbors and neighbors that work shift work! They were able to call 911, and since we live in a small town, all sorts of emergency services responded. I think the final count was 4 police officers, 1 fire truck, and 1 emergency response vehicle!

Of course with that many responders, the fire didn't have a chance of getting beyond the air conditioner to the house, so everything is safe and sound! We didn't remember giving the neighbor Richard's phone number, but evidently we gave her his business card a couple of years ago when we went out of town. She was cleaning out her "junk" drawer earlier this week and ran across his card. I know that God was certainly watching out for us today!

Richard called his brother, who pretty much has all sorts of contacts around town, and was able to give his a referral for an air conditioning person. Richard called me about the accident around 2:10 this afternoon after he got called. The new air conditioner was installed by 5:30! Now that's service! Once again, God was watching out for us.

What could have been a very bad situation turned out to not be so bad after all...well except for the expense of a new air conditioner! At least I don't have to worry about a new house and belongings!

Boys and Their Christmas Train

2008-01-06T21:39:00.001-06:00

We got a new train this year to go around the tree. It is Mickey Mouse, of course! The boys could hardly wait for Daddy to get it all set up and going around the tree. As I watched and took pictures, it seemed like it was the epitome of Christmas with the boys and their train. All of the oohs and aahs that came from them is something that I will always remember!

Here is Mickey waving at the boys as he drives the train.

"Come on Daddy, can I please touch it?"

"I promise we are just looking!"

"Here it comes again!" The were so good about letting Mommy and Daddy turning the train on and off. They really did keep their hands to themselves. Not bad for a 1 1/2 and 2 1/2 year old!

Thanksgiving

2008-01-06T20:00:00.001-06:00

We went to my parents house in Tyler for Thanksgiving. Tracy and her family also came for the holiday. The boys played very well together despite their age difference.

Grampa took the boys for a ride behind the tractor. Josh, my nephew, rode along with the little boys to make sure they stayed seated. I think they had a very good time!

Here is a picture of John being a angel! Robby was seated next to him at one time, but he decided to throw a fit and not have his picture taken!

John and Robby spent a lot of time playing outside. We remembered to bring their bikes and of course they always had the swing!

Halloween Costumes

2008-01-06T19:38:00.000-06:00

For Halloween, the boys got dressed up and we went to the Festival at church. Robby was Mickey Mouse and John was a bear. Here is a picture of the boys playing a game.

Here is John playing a golf game. He did actually, finally, get the ball into the hole!

Don't all Mickey Mouses have nuggies (pacifiers)?

At the end of the night, the boys helped themselves to the suckers in the stick game. With boys this cute, who needs rules?

Halloween Day

2008-01-06T19:23:00.000-06:00

We didn't want to dress the boys in their costumes for Day Care even though they were going to have their Halloween party; they were just too hot to wear all day. So Daddy did what all Daddy's would love to do...he spiked their hair! They looked too cute!

Time to catch up - Pumpkin Fest

2008-01-06T18:59:00.000-06:00

Cassie, our babysitter, and I took the boys to their first Pumpkin Fest in October. The boys looked at all of the pumpkins like big orange balls. I'm not sure how many Robby tried to bounce in just the few minutes that we were there!

Each of the boys are trying them all out for size. Robby of course went for the largest ones he could find!

John picked one out that was just his size!

Robby still tried to pick one out that was a little too big. Look at his tongue sticking out as he tries to lift it!

The highlight for John was when the fire truck came. Not only did we get to see it up close, but they put each of the boys in the driver's seat!

Christmas Time

2008-01-05T10:40:00.000-06:00

We hope that everyone had a wonderful Christmas! We did this year! John learned who Santa Claus was before Christmas, but didn't actually realize that he brought him presents until Christmas morning! Usually John runs down the hall to wake us up each morning. On Christmas morning, he got distracted by the new toys that Santa left him, that he didn't even make it to our bedroom! We woke up to the sound of him playing with the toys! :) We had to wake Robby up to join in the fun. He will figure it all out next year.

Here is the picture that I used for the Christmas cards this year. I will post more pictures from Christmas once we get the downloaded.

Check out the new link

2007-08-22T22:37:00.000-05:00

You have to check out the new blog link that I have on mysite called Funny mom!

First few this ebay site and read the story:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=130144061675&ru=http%

Then check out her blog. I am certainly going to watch this site often; she is great source of entertianment for moms! I was laughing so hard I almost...well you know! :)

Enjoy!

The Last of the Alphabet Book

2007-07-31T21:44:00.000-05:00

These are the last pages of the alphabet book.

Doesn't John look so little in these pictures? John learned to walk about 1 week after this first birthday. He is really strutting his stuff at daycare! Robby wasn't walking at the time I made the book, but he did start walking about two weeks before his 1st birthday. I may have to reuse this letter again next year.

What else was I going to use for the letter X? I just wanted to show off John's cute smile, and Robby's big blue eyes! I think they are such cuties, but of course I'm partial!

Robby loved sitting in the bluebonnets and the tall grass. He was having a blast exploring his surroundings. These were taken at the end of April on our way home from Austin. It was the end of the wildflower season, but I was determined to get some pictures! John had just awaken from his nap, and he wasn't sure why we plopped him down in the tall grass!

John is 13 months old in these pictures. I had just had Robby, and my mother took John home to Tyler with her for a week and a half while I healed from my c-section. We went up to Tyler to pick him up and to show Robby off to his great-grandmothers. John was so excited to see us, and of course we were very excited to see him too! He and Daddy spent time running through the sprinkler out of the blue! John thought this was great fun and that Daddy was crazy! I'm just glad that I had the camera to capture all of the fun!

I hope that you have enjoyed the book. I had a lot of fun remembering all of the memories of the last two years. Memo wants another book next year! I may start working on it soon!

Superman and More

2007-07-26T11:14:00.000-05:00

Here are more pictures from the alphabet book!

I searched hard for the perfect first Halloween costume for John. He was so hot natured that some of the infant costumes were just too hot for Houston. And then, I found the perfect solution! He was to be Superman! It was a perfect large bib that covered this entire torso. I just put a red one piece outfit underneath to complete the look. Of course I didn't know at the time (I found out about a week later) that I would get to use it again! So Robby, too, was Superman for his first Halloween!

If you look very closely, John is showing you his first tooth on his top left. Both boys got a top tooth first; however, Robby didn't have a tooth yet when I was putting together the book this year. I guess I will have to use T for Tooth again next year and get Robby's picture in too!

John, 18 months old, showed us is independence on Thanksgiving Day by going up and down the slide all by himself! Aunt Susan and Uncle Bob have a great park just down from their house that is perfect for spending up all of that extra energy! Yes, we are wearing shorts...I believe it as in the 80's that day!

This was another picture taken at daycare. It is hard to tell, but there is a Lima bean and a pasta shell stuck to John's face up near his eye. At least it is proof that he will eat vegetables even though he doesn't do it for me very often!

I'll be back soon to finish up the end of the alphabet!

Robby's Daycare Class

2007-07-24T21:54:00.000-05:00

Robby has moved out of the nursery at the Daycare. He is now in Ms. Cynthia's room. We love Ms. Cynthia! She takes pictures of the kids during the week and emails them to the parents. It is great to know that your child is well taken care of while you are at work!

She did the same for John. In fact, some of the best pictures that I have of John between 12 & 18 months are ones the Ms. Cynthia took. He was playing and laughing with all of his friends, and she was able to capture the moment! I used several of her pictures in the book that I created for Mother's day (see below).

Here are some pictures that she has taken of Robby during the month of July.

I will share more pages of the book soon! I believe we are almost all the way through the alphabet.

The Boys' Birthday Party

2007-07-15T20:57:00.000-05:00

I have finally downloaded pictures from the Boys' Birthday party during Memorial Day weekend. We had a lot of fun celebrating John turning two and Robby turning the big one!

Here is picture of me with the boys right before we opened gifts. It is really hard to get both of them to smile and look at the camera at the same time!

They enjoyed all of their gifts. Briar, my friend and co-worker's son, helped opened gifts. John and Briar are only nine days apart. We attended Briar's party, and John helped open all of his gifts. It was only fair for Briar to get in on the fun too!

Next came cake time! I made two cakes this year. First, a lemon train for John. I decorated it with only a little icing and candies. The second train cake, was chocolate for Robby. I wanted him to be able to dig in! And boy did he ever! Memo, my mother, gave Robby a bath in the kitchen sink after Robby was finished!

We took the boys to Sears for their birthday pictures. We got some really good ones. Here are a few. We have the whole proof CD, but the prints we will pick up in a few weeks will be all finished and brushed up.

We are back from our vacation

2007-07-09T17:41:00.000-05:00

We really enjoyed the Texas Hill Country for the last couple of days. We traveled to Blanco, Texas and stayed at Blanco Settlement (http://www.blancosettlement.com/) which was located right on the Blanco River. When I mean we stayed right on the river, this is what we looked at each day from the back porch of our cabin:

The pictures look a little foggy since it had just finished raining yesterday, but believe me, it was beautiful and convenient!

Here is Robby showing you the front of our cabin and front porch. The flowers were so pretty because of all the recent rain!

Robby and John spent a lot of time with their bikes out on the pathway to the cabin. John felt it was his job to fill in all of the little holes in the boulders with the smaller rocks. After all, you must fill in all holes! Robby spent most of his time personally spit cleaning all of the smaller rocks! Here they are with our friend's dog, Buddy. Robby talked with Buddy a lot...I think they came to a good understanding by the end of the weekend!

The rain only came the day while we were traveling there, and then came back yesterday morning as we were packing to leave! We couldn't have asked for better weather! I spent time shopping in Blanco, Johnson City and Wimberly. We also went to Market Day at Wimberly. I even completed some of my Christmas shopping! We will definitely be going back!

More Alphabet Pictures

2007-06-29T22:17:00.000-05:00

Here are some more pages for your entertainment!

Here is John painting his first water color picture while at daycare. Ms. Cynthia is so smart and creative. She is able to introduce new crafts to the kids even at such a young age by working with them individually. John is actually sitting up on the changing table and using a clip board as a table. John was around 14 months old here! I can't wait until Robby gets into her class...which should be any day now!

Who can resist a sleeping boy! This is our hotel room in Austin while we were visiting for a conference in January. Robby was 7 months old, and John was 20 months old.

Robby is my baby, but he is certainly my "BIG" boy! Richard loves the picture on the left! Most newborn pictures are of the baby all swaddled up in a blanket, but this was taken after his first bath, and it shows his actual size! He was huge! I love Robby's picture on the right because it shows his big blue eyes! Who can resist that chubby face?

I will post more pages again soon!

We are back!

2007-06-26T18:52:00.000-05:00

We loved our time in Corpus, but we also loved our welcome home from the boys! I think only other parents can understand the amount of love and joy that swells up when you are welcomed with slobbery kisses and hugs by your children! It was fun!

Here are some more pages from the Alphabet book!

Since I used Daddy for "D", I had to use Mommy for "M"! I really don't like to have pictures taken, but I love these pictures of my boys! John is on the left; he was about 2 1/2 months at the time. I had just started back to work, and this was taken after I had picked him up from daycare. Honestly, John was such a daddy's boy, that he was really just smiling at Daddy! Robby was 5 months old in the picture on the right. It was Thanksgiving Day, and I remember it being a very beautiful day in Houston. The boys wore shorts to our family dinner, and we even found time to go to the park by Aunt Susan's house. Robby's long hair and big blue eyes kind of make him look a little girlie in the picture, but I can assure you that he his all boy!

Who can resist a sleeping baby, or babies in this case? John had just turned one in the picture on the left. His daycare teacher snapped the picture; she had no problem doing this, since he was always the first to sleep. Robby was 5 months old in his picture. He loves to jump! I put him in his jumperoo so that I could finish the dishes. He started to fuss, and I only had a few more bottles to finish, so I gave him his pacifier. I went back to him after I finished...and took his picture! I think he looks so sweet with his fat cheeks!

When I made the book up, John was the only one that had turned 1! He loved his party and opening presents. He especially loved his Mickey airplane! It is funny to see my stomach in the background...that's Robby! I was 8 1/2 months pregnant!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ROBBY!

2007-06-20T21:19:00.000-05:00

I can't believe that my baby is One today! I remember a year ago while I was in the hospital, my mom brought John up to meet is new little brother. Memo (my mom) had a t-shirt printed for John that said, "My pillow turned into a little brother." Then on the back it said, "Big Brother." I remember sitting on the hospital bed holding Robby and looking at John, who was then 13 months old, and thinking in a year, Robby will be that big. Robby is not only that size, but actually larger than John was then.

Robby has become a very confident walker now, but he still has no teeth. I checked again this afternoon, hoping that I would at least see some signs of a tooth coming in. Still nothing! Of course, it doesn't seem to slow him down in eating. Robby is at least 25 pounds. His next check up isn't until next month due to scheduling issues.

We celebrated the event tonight by going out to eat, and the boys split a scoop of ice cream. Robby really enjoyed his birthday night.

We leave town tomorrow morning to head to Corpus Christi. Richard and I are really looking forward to having a weekend on our own. The conference and parties that are scheduled will keep us busy, but we will still be without the boys. My mom has already come down and has enjoyed her first night with the boys. Right now she is reading a book to John to get him to go to sleep. Robby went fast asleep when we came home...to much partying today!

I will post more of the alphabet book when we return!

More Alphabet Pictures

2007-06-19T19:59:00.000-05:00

Richard and I will be going to Corpus Christi on Thursday for a Water Conference. We are looking forward to time away. My mom will come into town tomorrow afternoon to take care of the boys this weekend. She is really looking forward to seeing the boys, especially since Robby has learned to walk since she saw him last. Robby still has that excited "look at me" expression on his face! I just love that look!

Here are some more Alphabet Pictures! I hope you enjoy them!

Can you believe that John was ever that small! He was about two weeks old when Daddy put him his hat for pictures! He had a perfect "little boy" haircut too. It is one of our favorite pictures of John. The second picture was taken in November when John was 18 months old. He pretty much still looks the same...only taller! I love the expression on his face; it is the "goofy" John coming out!

Robby was laying around on the floor one day before school. John decided that would be fun too! I have them dressed in their Fireman outfits. How appropriate was it that Spot the dog also made it in the picture? Daddy has them looking so handsome for daycare!

John loves to taste lemons and limes. With this picture, we finally got his fish-face in pictures! We have a lot of fun tasting lemons, and it is a great distraction before the food comes! Now we can ask for fish-kisses, and John happily makes the face for kisses. I love it because I no longer have to get an open-mouthed kiss. (You moms out there know exactly what I'm talking about.) John never learned how to give a pucker kiss until now!

I'll have more to post when we get back into town! Take care!

More Pictures

2007-06-18T22:12:00.001-05:00

Can I just say that both of the boys already have a sense of humor...as much as a one and two year old can have. We call John "Goofy Boy" since he just loves to be Goofy. Of course, Robby thinks John is hysterically funny!

Above John was finishing up some ravioli with tomato sauce. He had it all over him, and since he found this to be so funny, he decided to rub it all in his hair while he was at it. Thank goodness, Richard came home shortly after this picture was taken and we put him straight into the bathtub! In Robby's picture, he kept putting his head into the lawnmower handle. He would then cry to be rescued. After the third time of this repeatedly happening, Richard decided to take a picture before he rescued him!

What can I say about Robby's hair? Robby was born with a lot of hair. Even though the sides and back fell out somewhat, the top never did fall out, and it just kept growing and growing! The last picture on the right was taken just before his first haircut. He was 6 months old! He has now had 4 haircuts before he turns one!

These are more pictures from Daycare. For Thanksgiving, each class decorated hats as Indians and Pilgrims. John's class were Indians. Can you pick out which one is John? He is the one in the blue shirt! They had a lot of fun that day!

Father's Day

2007-06-17T13:23:00.000-05:00

Happy Father's Day to my wonderful Husband! I tell him often that I think he is the best Daddy in the world! John and Robby are both "Daddy's Boys" and follow him around like little shadows. They would just hang out in the garage all day with him if they could! Today, I tried to get John to say "Happy Father's Day" to Daddy, all we got out of him was "Happy Beday". We'll take it!

Here are some more pages from the Alphabet book. Appropriately, we will start with the Letter D today! Enjoy!

Daddy loves his boys! He says that they keep him young! The first picture if from Christmas in front of the large tree at Church. Richard and I are in charge of the decorations for the entire Sanctuary building. If you know my background with my mother, you'll understand that when they asked me to take charge of this I asked, "Have you been talking with my mother?" ( My mother decorated 6 trees every year for Christmas while growing up in Sugar Land.) The second picture was taken when Robby was about 2 months old. Look how little he was and how much hair he had!

These pictures show John and Robby's first bites of cereal. You can tell exactly what they thought! John was about 5 months old. Robby was closer to 6 months old.

All of these pictures were taken at Daycare. Ms. Cynthia, who teaches the 12 month to 18 month class, brings her digital camera and emails the pictures to the parents. I love it! For John, it helped me see that he was adjusting to his new class. I can't wait until Robby gets into her class in a couple of weeks. If she fills in for others in the nursery class, she takes pictures of Robby when she can. The little girl in John's pictures with the bow in her hair is Kynlee. She is John's girlfriend. You will find her close to John in most of the daycare pictures. They have been inseparable since they were in the nursery together. Of course, all of that closeness does bring squabbles and sometimes biting. Even when the teachers try to separate them because one of them is having a bad day, they are right back together again. We just hope they grow out of the biting stage soon...we've taken to calling them "love bites".

I hope you are enjoying the pictures. I will post more pages again soon!

Alphabet

2007-06-16T20:27:00.000-05:00

I may have shared with some of you about the alphabet book that I created for Mother's Day as gifts to the boys grandmothers and great-grandmothers. I figured I could share a few pages at a time. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do!

These pictures were taken Easter Sunday morning. They looked so handsome in the little suits that Memo (John's word for Grandma, which is my mom) got them for Christmas. Easter was unusually cold here this year, so we didn't get to wear the Spring outfits that I had picked out. We also didn't get to have an Easter Egg Hunt outside, but I'm sure there will be more time for that in the future. We did participate in a Hunt at church the day before, but it was held inside due to rain.

Richard gives the boys their baths, and my job is to get PJ's ready and be on stand by when needed. They both enjoy bath time so much! In the second picture, John was about 11 months old. We always bathed him in the kitchen sink. He loved to have soap beards!

The picture is from John's first birthday party. He loved digging into his chocolate cake. I love his white teeth showing through all of the mess! I decided he was finished with cake after he flicked some of it onto the kitchen wall. Daddy then gave him a bath in the sink!

I'll share a few more pictures with you next time!

Backyard Fun

2007-06-15T21:16:00.000-05:00

Backyard Fun is the title of the email that Richard sent to me the other day. I could tell it was a large file attached, and sure enough it was pictures.

I had a Board meeting last Tuesday night. When I left the house, Richard was finishing up feeding the boys their dinner. After that, they went "side" (as John would say) to play. When I came home, Richard mentioned that he gave the boys a bath. This is nothing new, since he is always the one to give them their baths (I don't like to get splashed, and he will let them play and splash as much as they want.)

Needless to say, I was surprised to find out what the pictures were.

Yes - Robby ate dirt! We have plenty of sand and dirt around our new garage and patio in the backyard. The only thing that we have had the time or money to do is bring in sand to fill in some of the holes that the construction left. We have not had time to put down sod or plant flowers, so the boys have had a blast playing the sand/mud. Isn't it funny how even at such a young age they already fit the stereo type!

Not to leave John out - Here are pictures of him from daycare. His two new things to spot while we are in the truck are buses and tractors! At the same time that he learned these two new words, construction started next door to the daycare for a new automotive repair place. John spent his entire playtime outside staring at the tractor leveling the dirt and playing with a plastic tractor at the same time. The highlight of his time outside was when the man on the top of the tractor noticed John staring, and waved at him! John was so excited!! This was such a big deal that two teachers told me all about it the next day. Here are some pictures one of them took.