I finally have a quiet moment!

Tonight is our Yw/ym Christmas dinner. I have been cooking all day, holding back nausea, my house is a disaster and I am exausted. For those of you who don't have Facebook, I am PREGNANT! I am very excited. I am only about 2 months, but I am sooo tired, and constantly feel like I may barf at any moment. Oh well, it will pass, hopefully. I am excited to have another baby! The boys are out picking up a few things at the store, and I have a quiet moment. Well, I must get back to my ham in the oven.

Giving Thanks

I can't help but feel so richly blessed today. I have been given so many blessings in my life, I feel it is more than I deserve. I have a wonderful husband who does so much for me, and the most adorable little boys in the world! I love my family. I am grateful to have the gospel in my life, and to be able to serve in my ward. I love to be a wife, a mother, a daughter, a sister and a friend. I hope that I can give back to others as often as I can, because I am so richly blessed, more than I deserve. Here are my boys today with thier headbands they made. Aren't they heartbreakers?



I know I haven't been blogging much lately. We have been sooooo busy. A lot of things going on right now, so there is definitely more to come.....

Busy, Busy

Here's what we have been up to lately. I totally rearranged the kids room and got rid of a bunch of junk. Every year at this time we give away some toys to charity and throw away some that are broken, or just missing too many pieces. I do this because the toys will take over our whole house if I don't, and with both of thier birthdays and Christmas coming up, they are going to get a bunch of new toys. So I have been busy going through all of thier toys and trying to organize them better.

I have also been playing with my new best friend -


I wanted this for Christmas, but we got it a little early because I am going to attempt to MAKE all of my Christmas cards this year. I know, it sounds crazy, or at least to me it does, that is why I've already started, so I am not doing them all at the last minute. It is so fun though, I love it!
I have also been busy with young women's. I love it, but it is a lot of work!
Aside from all of that, I am still getting the house organized. I mainly have the garage left, but that is a big task. AND, I just found out Joe is coming home in 1 week, instead of Nov 18th! So I am super excited, but I have a lot to do because I want the house spotless and everything in place when he comes home!

Just another day

Wow! What a day. There is never a dull moment with two toddlers. I think they climbed on top of my treadmill 57 times, spilled drinks/food 26 times, and they didn't even nap today. They were on auto pilot ALL day! We had some friend's over for dinner and they were on the go the entire time! Right when I was telling them it was time for bed, this is how I found Jacob.



Yes, that's chocolate syrup!
But now they are in bed and I'm listening to the rain, and taking a breather!

I just love these guys!!

Down on the Farm

Last week the boys and I went to a nearby farm with some other families from preschool. It was so much fun! We went on a hayride, saw so many different animals, had homemade ice cream, and they each got to pick out a pumpkin. It was a nice breezy morning. They boys LOVED it. They were just mezmorized by the animals, and really enjoyed the hayride all around the farm.






They each had a class picture. The one of Jacob is right before he bolted:) And I tried to get a picture of Jonathan with his pumpkin, but he was upset because I told him we were going home. They both had a blast. I had a great time with them too!

General Conference Soup

Well, General Conference for our church is coming up. And on General Conference weekend I like to have a project to work on. I don't know why, maybe because I tend to have a little more time than usual. So, last October I canned peaches. This time, I have decided to make a bunch of soup. I wanted something I could work on in between sessions, and then let simmer while I am watching it. So, I am going to be cooking several batches of soups that I can freeze, and enjoy on busy days during the fall/winter. So, if anyone has a delicious soup recipe, please share!

First Day of Preschool

The boys started preschool here, shortly after we moved in. They LOVE it! Although Jonthan tells me everyday that he likes Jacob's class better than his because he doesn't have a thomas table in his. In fact, most days he is upset when we leave because he wants to play with the thomas table. (Does he forget that he has one in his room at home?) I guess that one is just a lot better than ours:) Here are some pictures from the first day of school! I think it is perfect. They only go three days a week, so it isn't too much, but the do so many crafts and activities, they love it. Jonthan's teacher's were shocked when they saw him sounding out letters. He is a little wiz kid. Jacob is too. He outsmarts me everyday!Sometimes I can't believe the things they do! They are such fun boys and I love them so much. I am so blessed to be thier mom!

The trip across the country

So I thought I would post some pictures from our move. We went from coast to coast. It was a lot of fun. We only drove a little each day, so that we could enjoy our evenings and do some fun things.

Here is everything we owned stuff in a penske. Well, not EVERYTHING, my van was stuffed too!


Saying goodbye to our bff Hollijo, who needs to move out here too!


We stopped in Albuquerque and met up with my cute sister Erica and one of her boys. Imagine our excitement when we found a Rudy's BBQ!! (It's a Texas thing!)


My kids at a bus stop in Roswell, NM.


UFO McDonalds.


In Lubbock, Joe brought me this for breakfast. I was rather excited. I am a Texas girl, you know.



The boys looking cute at a chick-fil-A somewhere east of Mississippi.

An American Girl

Ok, don't make fun of me when you read this post. Actually, you can, I don't care. On our trip across the country, we stopped in Dallas, and went to the galleria. For those of you who don't know what that is, it is a huge mall, with a ice rink in it. I grew up going to Dallas all the time, but never went to it. We had a lot of fun. Well, one store they have there, is American Girl. So, back up a few years. When I was a young chick, in 5th grade to be exact. I LOVED american girl. I read all the books, got the magazine in the mail, and I would even get the catalog in the mail, and hoped one day I would have a Molly doll. I loved molly, she was my favorite. Well, my bff got a molly doll for her birthday and I was so jealous. Now, many years have gone by. Needless to say I dont get the catalog or the magazine anymore. I still wanted the molly doll, but I thought it would be silly for a 25 year old to get a doll. So, I thought whenever I had a daughter, I would get her one and live vicariously through her:) Well I don't seem to be producing any female offspring, so I bought myself a molly doll. I was so excited! For those of you familiar with American girl, you know that you can also get thier accessories for like $10. My husband laughed at me when I said, "well of course I have to get her accessories!" Here is a pictrure of one. I haven't taken mine out of the box, I'm not sure where I'll display her. I did tell my husband that once we have a girl, I'll give her the doll, but now I'm not sure I want to share:)

Well, I didn't find my camera cord, so I just bought a new one. Which means I will probably find it tomorrow:) I don't know where to begin, so I will start with present day and then post pictures from the last month when I have time. Last weekend the kids and I picked grapes and made jam! It was so much fun! I am excited to be able to do things like that. Needless to say, not a lot growing in the desert! They were muscadine grapes, which I had never heard of, but they make great jam! I just made the jam a few hours ago and it hasn't set yet. I hope it sets overnight or I'm gonna be sad. Now that I think of it. I have made jam about 5 or 6 times in my life, and the first one set, the second one didn't, the third one did, the fourth one didn't....etc. Interesting. Maybe I shouldn't be doing 16 other things while its boiling. oh well, we'll see what happens. If it doesn't set I'll go get more grapes tomorrow and try again!

Update

Wow! I can't believe I haven't blogged in over a month. It has been a very busy month with the move and all. I have tons of photos from our trip, and Jonathan's birthday events, but who knows where the camera cord is to upload them! When I find it, you'll see them. I have been running around like a crazy woman trying to get my house organized and everything unpacked. It seems like my kids are destroying the house faster than I can put it together. The blogging may be in short supply for a little while. When I do have a free moment, I'm soooo tired! Since Joe left, my kids(mainly Jacob) seem to have had an extra boost of energy and add that to the fact that they never listen to me. I try so many things and Jacob just does whatever he wants. When I put him in time out, he just laughs. People who see me are probably thinking "why can't that chick control her kids?" They really aren't that bad, but lately, Jacob is giving me a hard time. I don't know if it is all this changing, and having his Dad gone, or what. I see other kids and they listen to thier parents. Are my kids the only ones who go crazy? It seems like it.
On another note, they are loving preschool. They go three times a week. I LOVE thier preschool. The teachers are awesome, there are only like 10 kids in each class, with 2 teachers. And they do so many projects and crafts. They love it too. I think it is going to be really good for them. It is not too short, and not too long. And it gives me a little break.
I have had a little bit of a hard time since Joe left. Days are pretty easy, because that is when he is gone at work anyway, but evenings are tough. I think once I get everything unpacked and we are in a regular routine, things will get better. This morning I realized it has only been 4 days, and it feels like it has been 4 weeks! oh well, time will pass. And it's not like I don't have anything to do. I have a lot to do, and a lot of projects I want to accomplish before he returns. I better get to work!

I should be packing but...

Well I woke up this morning and realized two weeks from today we are packing up the truck. So, I packed 4 boxes before 8 am. I was inspired, I was cranking, there was no stopping me. Then I took my husband to work, with plans to grab some packaging tape at the px and continue the packing. Well, while at the px I realized all clearance clothing was additional 40% off. How could I pass that up? So I stayed a little longer than expected. So, now I am back home, I got some great clothing for like 2-3 bucks each. And I need to get back to packing. My motivation has gone down somewhat since this morning. Not only did I spend "packing time" shopping, but I bought more stuff to pack. So this afternoon I will be making up for lost time.

Busy, Busy, Busy

Well, we have been very busy lately. WE were all four sick for about a week. The boys started preschool last week, and then my sister and her family came in town for the weekend.



Jacob is growing like a weed. He was excited to start preschool. Every time I pick him up I ask his teachers how he did, and they get this tiring look on thier face and tell me "He never stops". I 'm thinking, no, he doesn't! That's why I'm always tired! He loves o climb on EVERYTHING. He loves to run, play ball, play outside and explore bugs and whatever else he can find He is a busy toddler. He definately has no fear. When he gets sent to time out he tells me "Mom, just so you know, I'm not going to time out, and I'm not kidding!" It drives me crazy, but I am trying to be very patient. He is going to teach me patience. I love him so much!



Jonathan is growing so much as well. He loves preschool. He loves to read, watch movies, play games, and go to the playground. He is almst four, I can't believe it. He chose to have a pokemon party this year, so we are going to have it before we move, since we will be on the road on his birthday. He is learning how to read and doing very well. We are teaching him how to sound out letters. I love him so much!

Lately the big thing at our house is games! We have been playing candyland and chutes and ladders quite frequently.

Joe and I have been busy. I have been trying to get some packing done. We had our pre-inspection yesterday, and minus a few things, our house is good to go. I have to repaint, or pay for the walls I painted, but I knew that was coming. We have all our hotels booked and our truck booked for our move. I am excited, but I am also going to miss it here also. So things are moving along.

The new craze

Back in June when we went to Texas, my brother in law gave us a copy of Toy Story and I realzed my kids had never seen it. So we watched it on the trip and they love it! They want to watch it all the time. Every weekend we have a movie night and I don't know why I even bother asking what they want to watch. In fact, yesterday they were both sick. They are much better today, but yesterday they were so sick they just layed on the couch all day, and they watched it twice! (thier request) They even picked out Toy Story backpacks for school. It is so fun to see them enjoying it. I wonder what the next big thing will be!

Cute boys

Wish me luck

Well, only 41 days until we leave. Not that I am counting down, I just want to make sure I manage my time so I get everything done. (Then why am I on the comuter? I don't know). So, being realistic, I know I have to pack everythimg on my own. My husband has no time. And I will admit it, I like packing everything because I want things a certain way. But don't tell my husband I admitted it. My husband has talked me into moving ourselves instead of having the military move us. (He's promised me a new desk, among other things that I have agreed upon) So, I scheduled to work on a room every week. Last week I focused on our extra bedroom. I organized it, packed up things we aren't curently using, like scrapbooks and such. And I finished it. This week, I scheduled to work on the garage. We have a lot of crap in our garage. All our baby stuff we are keeping for the next baby. All our holiday stuff. Our winter clothes, and a pile of stuff we need to go donate, or sell at a garage sale, broken things that we are "going to fix when we have time". Last week my husband comes in from the garage and says "I just saw a black widow and a scropian in the garage". So, needless to say, I'm not really excited about getting out there. I don't want the kids in there, so I was thinking of going out while they are napping, but by then it will probably be 100 degrees or more. So, wish me luck this week as I tackle the garage. I'll just pray that the heat and the arachnids don't hurt me.

update

We have been busy lately. As soon as we got back from our trip we got back to work. Joe was called as EQP, and I am busy with primary. Joe has had a lot of long work days. The kids are doing well. We have been doing a lot of arts and craft project. I started typing and reorganizing all my recipes. Which now I am wondering why because I have about 37 other projects I am also working on, but whatever. We have also been frequenting the pool and the playground(when it isnt 107). Last night Joe and I went to the midnight showing of Harry Potter, which was awesome! It was like when we were dating and would stay up all night! Of course today I am running on 3 1/2 hours of sleep, so if I spell a word wrong, you know why. Joe was also promoted last week! We had some cake and a little getogether for him. He works so hard for the family and I am so proud of hime! I love him!

It's official...

We have orders, and we will be moving back to the east coast. I didn't plan on leaving this area quite so soon, but I know it will be good. I am so excited to move back, but I am going to miss it here so much! I love it here! I love the weather, the branch, the primary, the post. I have really enjoyed living here. My husband will be going to school next year, and graduate in December. Then he will be stationed there. So, when are we moving? Well, that is something we have been musing over for a week or so. Our original plan was to leave the week of Thanksgiving and head to our new place, unpack, enjoy Christmas, and then classes begin Jan 5th (kind of early, but whateve). Anywho, last month we got a call from our renters who are renting our house and they informed us that they will be moving out at the end of the month. Well, that is great that when we return, we can just move right into our house, but until then, we have a mortgage to pay.So, the decision is, The Joe will take 2 weeks off in September and we will move out to NC, he will help us get settled, and the kids will be able to start preschool without missing too much of the new year. So, we will have a couple of tight months paying our mortgage and our rent here, but it will be fine. I have gone back and forth about this, prayed about it, talked about it, thought about it, and this is the plan. I'm not crazy about being there without Joe for two months, but I'm sure it will fly by.

In the mean time, Joe was promoted to 1LT yesterday. We had a fun little party with some friends of ours who also got promoted the same day. I will post pictures soon. As my brother would say. A good time was had by all.

I am looking forward to getting to NC during my favorite time of the year - FALL! I love the east coast in the fall.

Stress

What a night. I can't sleep because my mind is racing. I don't know why I am so stressed. I mean. I have two toddlers, we might be moving in a few months, we might not be. I'm primary president and I only have one counselor, no secretary, not enough teachers, I'm taking online classes, and trying to keep up with my house, yard, and life in general. Gee, I don't know why I'm stressed! I think I will be putting school on hold for a semester or two. So I get my bachelor's when I'm 50 instead of 45. What difference does it make? But seriously, I get online to do my schoolwork at night after the kids are in bed, and I can't think. I am drained. So I think I need to take a little break. I know some women go full time and have kids, and can do it all. But I am not one of them. Ok, I need to go to bed now.

Random thoughts

Well, today Joe went back to work after two weeks off. It is good though, so we can all get back to our normal routine. I spent the day cleaning, and I feel like the only time I sat down all day was the hour and a half I had my presidency meeting. We were planning for our next quarterly activity and I thought that if we move, that would be my last one here. I started feeling kind of sad. I love this calling and I love the children soooo much! If we do go to NC, I will be super excited. I feel like I would be going "Home" even though I'm from Texas and I only lived in NC for like 3 years. But I LOVE it here. There are great people here and the kids are great and we are very happy here. I just wish we already knew for sure if we are staying or going. Oh well, we will find out soon. (I hope) Today we also found out that the people renting our house in NC are moving out at the end of thier lease, so if we do move there, it will work out prfectly and our house will be ready for move in. And I would much rather pay for repairs on a house I am living in! (like the brand new ac unit we had to clean out our savings for:) Well, I will stop rambling and go have family home evening. We'll see what the future holds. I know wherever we go, it is where the Lord needs us at this time.

Lazy Days of Summer

We have been having so much fun on our vacation. Doing a lot of fun things like frequenting the chick fil A play place, hanging out with cousins, and hitting all the other fun spots here in the city! We went and visited my great Aunt, on her 84th birthday. My kids loved going to visit her, and playing in her backyard. Here they are in the same hammock I used to lay in when my great grandmother lived there and I visited when I was little!

Happy Father's Day

Today was Father's day and we had a great day! I was able to make my Dad Breakfast, and go to church with him, and make him a tie shaped cake! Joe is in Florida having a weekend with his mom and bff, so I am here with the kiddos. We had a fun day, but we miss our Daddy(theirs). Any who, I am so grateful for my Dad, he is awesome. I love him so much!! I am also grateful for my wonderful husband who is an AWESOME father! He is so great and I can't believe how lucky I am to have him!

My friend had this on her blog, so I copied it. Its a great poem!

Dad

God took the strength

Of a mountain.

The majesty of a tree.

the warmth of a summer sun.

The Calm of a quiet sea.

The generous soul of nature,

The comforting arm of night.

The wisdom of the ages,

The power of the eagle's flight.

The joy of a morning in spring.

The faith of a mustard seed.

The patience of eternity.

The depth of a family need.

Then God combined

these qualities.

When there was nothing more to add,

He knew His masterpiece

Was complete.

And so, He called it.... Dad

~Author Unknown

Tomorrow we leave:

2 long days in the car

+1 driver (my awesome husband)

+about 6 gas fill-ups

+many potty breaks

+candy

+2 moms (me and my sister)

+a 7 year old boy

+3 boys age 3 and under

+tons of food

+books

+games

+dvds

= a trip to Texas.

If the drive is too crazy, I may not want to make the trip back!

Girls weekend!

Last weekend I flew to Santa Fe and met my mom and all my sisters there! We had a blast. It was the first time we have all nine been together since my wedding! We had a great time. We talked, stayed up until 4 am, went shopping, watched Twilight, ate some great food, and laughed pretty much the entire weekend! We are definitely doing it again next year. It was so nice to have a break from everyday life and to just relax with the girls!

Adventures in potty training

I cannot BELIEVE how well potty training is going. I pretty much have been dreading it since I was pregnant. I just heard all these terrible stories, but it has been great! I guess waiting until they were ready really paid off. I started last week and they have had about 2 accidents. I put a pullup on Jonathan at nap time, and he doesnt even go. As soon as he wakes up he goes to the potty without even being told. Even at swim lessons he gets out of the pool and runs to me when he has to go. I am so proud of him. He is doing awesome! Jacob is doing great too. He has had a few more times when he didn't make it. But, considering he is only 2 and a half. I think he is doing great. I am so excited! I really don't know why I have been dreading it. It has been great!

Dream kitchen

Somedy, I want to have this thing that is called counter space. And alot of it. I am getting ready to make strawberry jam, and I feel like I have to rearrange my whole kitchen to get ready. Someday I will have my dream kitchen, like one of these!


So I am either going to win the HGTV dreamhouse, or wait until my husband is retired and we build our own dreamhouse. Which ever comes first.