Life Happens

the simple things

2012-01-29T14:59:00.000-07:00

Sometimes the simplest change can make the biggest difference. I should have taken a 'before' picture...since the light that used to be here was quite ugly.

Seriously...who chooses these things??!! Thankfully it wasn't me :)

But a $30 purchase sure made a big change around here. I LOVE this light!!

K :)

*Update*
I know this before picture is horrible, but it gives you an idea....

The Simple Things

2012-01-24T08:54:00.001-07:00

This past week I was once again thinking about goals...resolutions...and what I really want to accomplish this year. I don't know if it was the fact that I've been super busy around here lately and haven't been posting on my blog much...or if I've realized that my life is completely unbalanced at the moment...but I needed to be reminded of the life I was trying to create.

It happened last Sunday actually as I was sitting in Relief Society. The Stake Relief Society presidency was visiting and one of the councillors shared a message that really stuck with me. She too was talking about "Balance" and encouraged us to do the important things first. She demonstrated how if we do those things read our scriptures...say our prayers...basically do those things that strengthen us...then we will also have time to do the everyday things and also the fun things too! I really needed to hear that message.

I've been mentally stressing about Ryker's school next year. Not the fact that he'll actually be going to kindergarten...although I did have a moment where I contemplated what would happen if I just never sent him and he got to stay at home with me for the next 12 years...haha! But I've just been stressing about making sure he's in the right spot for him. It's such a big decision to make.

And then every minute of my time has been spent working on Maguire's room. It needs to get done. Projects...they seem to consume me.

And so I was thinking about how unbalanced my life was right now...in this moment.

I've made some changes. Let's hope this week gets better.

K :)

it was a party for a 5 year old!

2012-01-16T08:00:00.000-07:00

I have been meaning to post about Ryker's birthday...way back in December, but it just didn't happen. Is it too late to share a month later???

The invitation...

I kept them super simple and printed the pictures directly on the back side of a 12x12 piece of paper. All I had to do was cut the strip of photos, fold in half and make a few more cuts. I added glitter to some chipboard stars and glued them to the front. Done. I should also mention we always just invite family and cousins to the party. Once he starts kindergarten then we'll talk about a 'Friends' party....

The Birthday Tree and Decorations...

(explanation here)

Cody and I always decorate for the party the night before so that when Ryker wakes up he's suprised and super excited! This year we heard "WOOOOWWW!!!" at about 6:00 a.m. and then a little boy bounce all the way up to our room. He was so excited because when he walked out of his room balloons were all around his door!

I went with turquoise and orange this year so that I could use some stuff that I already had...added some pictures of the birthday boy, glittered clothes pins, streamers, party blowers, and pom-poms!

Sorry for the dark photos, but I took most of the pictures at night...and my house is horrible to take pictures in. The low light and yellowish walls make it a bit of a nightmare :)

The Cupcakes...

I am not a baker. Seriously. I've attempted cakes and cupcakes in the past, but I've decided to leave this to the pros. This year my sweet friend offered to make the cupcakes for me and they turned out soooooo yummy and adorable!!! She's so talented!! Ryker was so excited...and I even let him eat 2 cupcakes...it was his birthday :)

The birthday boy!

And we kept the tradition of decorating gingerbread houses! It's always a hit with my kids!!

The boys enjoyed riding around on the birthday gift. They are hilarious riding around together...and yes, I let my kids ride their bikes in the house! They love it :)

It was another fun birthday. Ryker loved it and that's what matters the most. I still can't believe he's 5!!!

K :)

the simple things

2012-01-15T15:19:00.000-07:00

I had made a big mess in the kitchen this week...and these two little cuties helped me clean up! I think it was more of a love of playing in water than anything else, but it really helped me out too!!

k :)

Painted Highchair

2012-01-13T20:17:00.001-07:00

Before

I was driving home from my parents house (which is literally just a couple of blocks away) when I saw this old man putting this cute highchair out for the garbage truck! I mentioned to my mom that I thought it was really cute and on her daily run she stopped and asked the man if her daughter could have it. Nothing was wrong with the chair in my opinion. I loved the crack in the wood...just adds some character :) but I did know that I would be painting over the cute little bunny. I actually had planned to keep it for myself, but after trying it out with my son I decided that he was almost done with a highchair, so why keep something that wouldn't get used. It now has a new home with another family who apparently fell in love with it when they saw it which makes me super happy since I always seem to love every piece that I paint...there's just no room for more pieces around this small house!!

After

I have another super cute highchair waiting to be painted...just not sure what color to go with. I'm thinking of the classic white...distressed, but I also have this pretty yellow that I've been dying to paint something...hmmm...choices.

K :)

Linking up with

Miss Mustard Seed

the simple things

2012-01-06T15:30:00.002-07:00

a simple moment watching my little guy help in the kitchen. he loves it...and honestly i don't mind one bit. there's something fun (and yes sometimes frustrating) about cooking with your kids. just a simple, special moment.

k :)

Welcome 2012

2012-01-04T22:46:00.000-07:00

This year I'm approaching my goals...resolutions...a little different. It feels like I make a list of things I want to accomplish each year and then feel like I only end up doing bits and pieces. I've been thinking long and hard about what I want this year to be and where my time and energy should go...and contemplating my struggles this past year. I immediately knew where and what my life was lacking. balance. As a mother I feel like I'm weighted down heavily in some areas...giving to one side and never enough time for the other. I over extend myself and often feel frazzled trying to "get it all done" when I know very well that I'm not able to do it all. I'm just not.

This year I plan to focus on one little word...balance. I'm not planning on doing all that Ali offers with this concept, but I'm inspired by her idea of letting a word help to make my life better than it is today.

With this word I plan to...

Take time for myself more often (okay...probably not the first thing I'll accomplish, but something that needs to happen a little more often)

Learn to say no. (I've never been good at this, but it needs to happen)

Read The Book of Mormon with my family (this is a goal given from our Bishop...find out more here)

Make a cleaning schedule that works for me

Exercise

Eat Healthy and Meal Plan

Serve

Document Life...through blogging, journaling, scrapbooking, pictures...etc.

Project Life (read more about it here)

the list could go on....

(I'm so proud of my 2011 project life album. I love that it's complete and an honest not so perfect look at our life. 99% of the pictures were taken with either my iphone or a little digital camera...but each blurry picture is perfect. I LOVE it!!! ...and it was a goal I completed.)

I don't expect to accomplish everything on my list, but what I am hoping to accomplish is a more balanced life....

A life that is a little better than the one today.

K :)

Happy Birthday!

2011-12-09T06:00:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday Sweet Boy!!!

I still can't believe he's 5!!! When did that happen?? It feels like yesterday we brought this sweet little baby home. I can't even begin to express the emotions of his birth...such a miracle and blessing in our lives. He really truly is.

As his mom I'm allowed to just gush over him...he's the cutest little thing ever! I can't hug and kiss him enough in a day and I seriously miss him when he's away at school or where ever. He loves to laugh and is always the first to try and cheer people up. He pulls a great silly face ;) He loves to learn and is so smart. I can already see the day when I can no longer help him with his homework!! I love watching him play with his brother and dad...two of his favorite people!!

I never knew how much I could possibly love someone until this boy came into my life. He completely captured my heart in that first moment I saw him (well maybe it was actually the ultrasound we went to when I first saw him and just knew I loved him!). I remember laughing with our birth mom about who would be the first to cry when Ryker was born...now I can't remember who each of us guessed. I think she said Cody...and she was right!! We both just completely loved every little thing about him. I remember feeling like I would burst I couldn't handle how excited I was over him. He has become my little buddy. Always willing to help me and play with me...I just love him.

Cody and I worked all night setting up Ryker's birthday tree (I'll share pictures soon!) and getting everything ready for his little family birthday party...it's always so much fun!!

Happy birthday Ryker!!! We love you sooooooo much!!!!

Love momma

xox

Front Door Decor

2011-12-02T10:31:00.001-07:00

This past summer I painted the front door! It was just a boring white door before...and in need of some paint. It took me awhile to decide on a color (as always!) but I love the color I ended up picking. Since then there has been nothing on the the door. Mainly because I couldn't decide what I wanted to put on there, but also because I couldn't get my 3M sticky hook thing to stick again. I must have left it too long and the weather was getting a little colder which meant it wouldn't stick. While I was shopping one day I came across this metal sign and thought "Why not put magnets on the back and stick it to the door??" So that is just what I did!

I added a wreath I already had and instead of my 3M hook I used a door hanger from Crate and Barrel. Done.

Looking at the pictures I'm thinking I should lower the welcome...hmm...I need to check that. haha!

I glued four magnets to the back (just to make sure it would stay)!!

(Sorry the pictures aren't that great...I used my iphone!)

Easy...Simple project.

Countdown!

2011-11-30T16:42:00.001-07:00

This year I decided to do something different for our advent calendar. In past years I've bought the playmobile advent, or left little treats and surpises in our little Christmas chair backer, but this year in all honesty I just didn't have the time to go buy and collect 25 items. I know it sounds ridiculous, but we've been sick and Cody's been working lots that it hasn't been on my list of things to do. And suddenly December was creeping up and I hadn't done anything. Thankfully there are a million creative people on the web that share endless ideas :)

One idea that I had remembered from years ago was a Christmas book advent. I knew that this was possible since I already owned a bunch of Christmas books (one of my favorite things for any holiday is having a little basket of books for that occasion). So I scrounged up all the Christmas books I could find and even gathered a couple of Christmas puzzles and wrapped them all up! I didn't care which order we went in...what book was for what day etc. so after all the books were wrapped I added numbers.

Super simple...and I know my kids are going to love it!

Incase you're doing your advent calendar last minute like me ;)....here are a couple of other ideas I found recently!

delia creates (she shares a few different ideas, but she made some really cute advents using 2 packs of gum! Now that is simple!!)

I absolutely LOVED this one...but needed something super simple. Just might try and make one tonight though cause it's sooooo cute!!

This one is really cute from Martha! My friend made a similar one that is really cute!

I've seen sooooo many that I loved........

The countdown starts tomorrow!!!

K :)

For Sale

2011-11-28T21:52:00.001-07:00

I've had many people ask me about items I had left from the sale my sister and I just had. To make things easy I thought I would post pictures and prices on my blog. If you're interested in any (or all ;)) of these items send me a message on facebook...email me (kimmybit@yahoo.com)...or call me!

~~Blue highchair $60~~ Sold

~~Chalkboard $60~~ Sold

~~2 side tables $100 for both~~ Sold

Blue Wreath $15

~~Red Wreath $15~~ Sold

~~Round Side Table $65~~ SOLD

~~Side Table $40~~ Sold

K :)

catching up on our week

2011-11-26T23:03:00.001-07:00

This is how we've been feeling lately....haha!! The kids have been so sick this past week which means we've been spending a lot of time at home. I wouldn't normally complain about that, I just hate that it's because the kids are sick. I hate seeing them not themselves. Not fun.

Thanks for all the movie suggestions from my last post! There were some that I had totally forgotten about...and some that were new to me that I've never seen. So thank you :)

Last night I met my two besties for dinner to celebrate Christmas! I know it seems early, but December is always crazy with so many things going on that we always try to celebrate in November. I love any chance to get together with these girls, it's just so fun chatting and hanging out...usually laughing and remembering some funny old times. haha. They completely spoiled me with some really fun stuff...I love those girls!!

And Thursday night my sister had an epicure...scentsy party so we decided to do some stuff of our own to sell. It was a really great night! Thanks to everyone who came!! My aunt had made some really neat things to sell too! I can't wait to try my dryer ball!! (If anyone is interested I still have some items left...so let me know. And if I can find some time I'll maybe try posting a couple of pictures of the items.).

P.S. Can I just mention how cute Maguire looks in this picture??!! His blond hair was so straight!! I can hardly remember him without curls.....

K :)

A little list.

2011-11-16T14:39:00.001-07:00

I guess when we go through a certain trial...or experience something in our lives we tend to be drawn to that experience in some way. As I watched the movie "Tarzan" this past weekend with my boys I immediately started thinking about how this story teaches about the love of adoption (maybe in an extreme and unbelievable way, but still there is a lesson to learn). I started to think about all the movies that come into our home that tell a story about either adoption, foster care, abandonment....etc. In my mind I was kind of listing some of the ones I've seen or my kids watch and started to realize that there are quite a few. Looking around on the internet there is a lot of controversy about this. In my own opinion...I usually love the stories that are told. I don't feel that I should not allow my kids to watch certain "Disney" movies just because it talks about adoption because it's a real part of our lives. Ryker doesn't fully understand what it means, but he's starting to ask questions and is figuring it out slowly. It's part of him and part of our family...and that is special to us.

So...since it's national adoption month I thought it might be fun to list a few movies that related to adoption. Feel free to add to my list in the comments cause I would love more suggestions!

Juno
Despicable Me
Meet the Robinsons
Annie
Anne of Green Gables
Stuart Little
Tarzan
The Blind Side
Losing Isaiah
Tangled (because she is taken and raised by Mother Gothel)
Miss Spider's Sunny Patch (is that what it's called??)
The Rescuers
Kung Fu Panda...and the second one

Okay...I know there must be lots more, but for some reason I just can't think of them. Quite a few though :)

(found this old picture of Ryker...he's probably 2 almost 3! Such a funny kid!!)

supporting adoption

2011-11-08T15:34:00.001-07:00

One night...again many years ago, Cody and I stopped at Wendy's quickly for something to eat. As I looked down at our tray of food I remember the paper liner was advertising this. Again it was another adoption moment for me that really stuck when I was looking for answers. Here it was again right in front of me. If you look at their site there are so many resources and lots of information supporting adoption! It makes me feel good when we stop and get food for our kids knowing that some of that money (even if it is a small part) will go towards supporting adoption!!

K :)

National Adoption Awareness Month

2011-11-03T06:00:00.000-06:00

Many years ago...driving to work I saw a banner strung across a bridge. There was only one word "adoption" but it meant so much to me. It pushed me to seek out answers in my life that I needed to find and move forward. It's amazing what a word can do...how it can influence your life.

And then last night I sat in front of the computer watching video clips of this sweet little boys birth. So many emotions and memories came flooding back as I watched. Without that one word he may never have come into my life. How thankful I am for a girl who was guided by that same word. That made a difficult decision and had an incredible amount of love for an unborn baby. I am so thankful every day for her and love her so much.

This year I want to take part in this challenge. I want to make an extra effort to write more about adoption...how it's influenced me...and what it means to me. It's important.

This little boy is now almost 5 and has started asking more about his birth. It's always been something we've been open about with him, but now he is starting to understand a little bit more about what adoption really means. It's tough for a little boy to really understand his own story. It's been awhile since he's seen his birth movie, so maybe we'll have to sit down and watch it with him this week. Don't all kids just love seeing themselves as babies!!

This month is special to me.

K :)

halloween....

2011-11-02T13:58:00.001-06:00

I took the kids to the park so I could capture a few pictures of them in their halloween costumes last week...but of course little Maguire wanted nothing to do with it. The only way I could really get any pictures was if he was sitting down. So this year that's what I got.

They looked so cute dressed in their ghost costumes!! Ryker didn't want to be a scary ghost though...he was the "friendly ghost!"

It's such a busy time and especially now that Ryker is in school. We had halloween parties almost every day starting with his last dance class Thursday morning. He loved his hip hop class! Friday was his school party and I got to go for the last hour. I just love love love the school. We had a little pumpkin picnic in the gym, we got to have story time with our magic wands and point to the different letters of the alphabet, we read a halloween version of "the old lady who swallowed the _______", we got to do yoga with them which was really just singing and dancing to a couple of songs, and we also got to do a fun little spider craft. Saturday morning we went to our friend Ben's halloween party which the kids always love! I think the highlight was painting pumpkins!! Both boys loved it and were so excited to come home and show daddy! Saturday night Cody and I went to a halloween party at some friends house in the ward. Sunday was a "hallow's eve" party at our house for my little nieces, nephews and cousins! The kids got to decorate halloween cookies, eat caramel apples and play. By this point they were beyond tired, but they were both super excited to go trick or treating on Monday night with daddy!

I'm just so happy to have it all done and over with...and cleaned up. Now it's onto the next thing...whew. When does the craziness end??.

Having kids just makes all these fun little holidays and traditions so magical. I just love it!

K :)

roasted corn chowder

2011-10-19T18:23:00.002-06:00

Tonight we tried this recipe for supper.

Can I just say that it is my new favorite soup!!

Loved it....

I will definitely be making it again.

Yum!

p.s. it's from one of my favorite gf blogs and is also a recipe I had pinned! how perfect :)

The Simple Things

2011-10-17T21:31:00.002-06:00

Last week we met some friends at the park to play. We planned to let the kids play for a bit and then walk around and catch a few pictures of the boys playing in the leaves. I didn't want to miss out on all the beautiful colors of the season! All I truly wanted was at least one cute picture of my boys together. Is that too much to ask?? I didn't think so, but of course they thought otherwise.

Maguire surprisingly sat pretty good for me. He even actually smiled in some of them! Shocking when he seems to be my child right now that could care less about the camera. He's two. I shouldn't be surprised.

Sometimes my favorite picture is one where they aren't even looking!

That little face...can't handle how much I love these boys!! :)

And p.s. apparently I'm only capable of blogging the simple things posts. life just gets so busy. we've been running around like crazy it seems. at the moment i'm figuring out maguire's new big boy bed...which means whole bedroom. crazy i tell ya!!

The Simple Things

2011-10-02T21:43:00.003-06:00

I know I know...these are sooooo over exposed...bright...yellow...blurry. Not perfect in any way.

I sat at the top of the slide one day after school and watched as these two cuties played so nicely together. I love just watching them play. And I love taking pictures of them!!! I kind of make it a 'practice'...'learning' session cause there's something I really dislike about park pictures. They're cute for quick snap shots, but I don't particularily like primary colors. It's just not my color choice....

And of course there are lots of pictures...cause why share one when you could share 50???!!!...not really, but there's enough to show you that these boys don't sit still.

Poor little Maguire is at the stage where he hates getting his picture taken. He never wants to look at me or the camera (unless he's the one taking the picture right??).

K :)

p.s.

You should check out the amazing give away that's happening...right now....

Rebecca is celebrating 52 weeks of the simple things and there are some fabulous prizes to be won!! (I'm crossing my fingers that I'll win!!!!)

The Simple Things

2011-09-28T14:00:00.002-06:00

This child is really trying my patience lately. We have walked out of 2 stores in the past 2 days leaving full carts behind. But...can I tell you how sweet he is?? He has this cute little mischiveous smile and this messy blond curly hair and this loud whiney voice. I just love him so much. Yes, he's full of trouble and throws a pretty good tantrum...but how can you not smile at these pictures??

K :)

something beautiful.

2011-09-22T21:00:00.001-06:00

Last night I opened a message from our birth mom and found a link she had sent to this. I have followed Lindsey's blog a bit, but honestly hadn't looked at it for awhile. Her message and personal experiences are amazing. I of course was crying because her message is so close to my heart. I understand what it's like to be told you'll never have children...to feel completely broken and devastated. When I first heard the news from our doctor I was at work. Cody had an appointment that he went to by himself and called me afterwards. At first I remember being in complete shock and even laughing as I listened to Cody tell me about what the doctor had told him. I was just so stunned and those words "you have a better chance of winning the lottery 5 times" kept ringing through my head. Once I let it settle in a bit I remember just crying and calling family and friends for support.

Now looking back on something that seemed to be the end of the world I am amazed to see how blessed I have been. I could never have known what was in store for me. Never.

Lindsey says "But I think the Lord has asked us and expects us to take the trials we are given and turn them into something beautiful."

Love that.

K :)

21 day challenge

2011-09-21T09:14:00.000-06:00

Today I am revisiting my goals. I've been trying to do this all year...every so often. I kind of need to remind myself what I was actually committed to at the beginning of the year, otherwise I just seem to forget and nothing gets accomplished. So today I thought I'd start working away on the "organizing/cleaning out" goal I set. It really is something constant in my life, but I'm thinking that maybe if I just tackle one small thing a day that at least the junkiest spots will get cleaned up and the rest of the house will start to feel a bit more organized.

I found 2 inspiration posts. The first was this one....

(read more here)

and the second you can read here. It's a 21 day challenge with the same kinds of ideas as above.

I thought I'd kind of follow along, but adapt it to my house needs...cause um scrapbook stuff will take me more than a day! Seriously. That's a week in itself...haha!! You get what I mean :) I wanted a realistic time line and didn't want this to be something I was doing for months on end...cause it feels like to big of a thing. 21 days. That's what I'm giving myself. They say 21 days forms a new habit, right??

So today...junk drawers. How many of those do you have in your house?? We have way too many. haha! I have two in the kitchen and then I'm going to include my front entrance table drawers in this since I've been wanting to clean those out for months and just haven't. Out of site out of mind...I never open them so don't even ask what's in there cause I have no idea!

Wish me luck!!!

K

The Simple Things

2011-09-18T20:53:00.001-06:00

As a little girl I loved barbies, dolls, pink...really anything girlie. I had a dollhouse that sat in the corner of my room that my sister and I spent many hours building. I had really long hair...really long...until I was in grade 4 when I convinced my mom to let me cut my hair and get a perm. I love being crafty...um...scrapbooking...my favorite! And even try to sew once in awhile. I love jewelry and makeup. I'm a sucker for lip gloss and love lotions and bubble baths. Girlie-girl.

Once in awhile...usually when I'm in the toy store...I get this little pang in my heart realizing that I won't be able to share my girlie love with my kids. Once in awhile I just have this urg to buy a doll. Like all those American Girl Dolls...beautiful...um...ya I kind of get this need to buy one. Confession...I actually did buy the cutest little doll years and years ago before I even had kids. It still sits in my basement and I should probably just get rid of it, but it's hard.

Now don't think I'm crying over having a baby, cause I'm not. I'm actually at a really good place. And I can't even tell you how much I love my boys. They are the greatest blessing to me. I love them so much. But being the mother of boys has made me such a different person. I have become stronger and more patient than I thought was possible. I've learned to be okay with getting dirty, not freaking out over bugs, monster trucks, close my eyes to the many dangerous stunts that happen around here, allow "pretend" swords, one word...wresting, relax with trying to have a perfect house and be okay with every nick and scratch in the walls and floor, and love blue.

It's a different world than the one I grew up in. No more princesses for me, but kung fu fighters and cars.... And I wouldn't change it for a second.

xox

blog your heart

2011-09-14T13:11:00.000-06:00

I came across this blog entry today and thought I should join in.

I'm not always great at blogging exactly how I feel...and often just write about whats happening right in the moment on the surface. I guess it's just easier to do that sometimes...rather than really focus on how you feel and what's really going on.

But today I'll just share a few things that I've been stressing over lately....

First thing...the cleaning. I just can't seem to keep up lately. My house is such a mess (I'm looking around as I'm typing this in the living room and all I see is a huge disaster. haha!). There's almost no point trying to tidy up during the day since the kids seem to follow right behind me like a tornado undoing anything I've just done. I'm ready to dejunk for the millionth time this year...although I do think it's a good time to go through toys again since Christmas is only a couple of months away...hmmm...write that down on the "to do" list.

Second...I've been feeling lately like I've put all my hobbies and interests on the back burner. The little people around here come first which means I have spent a total of zero hours creating anything. Yes, there is a time and season for everything and right now just isn't me time. I'm completely okay with that, but I'm thinking I need to check my priorities and squeeze in a bit of time where I'm just doing some mindless creating to help balance this life of mine. I itch to create....and I've just been missing all the nights I used to stay up and scrapbook.

And lastly...this isn't a complaint, but something I'm striving to do is exercise. I've always said I was going to try and do something...even made it a goal this year... uh that didn't seem to happen. I'm proud of myself though cause I actually went jogging last night!! I meet a group of ladies at the church and we headed out on a jog. I wasn't exactly sure how it would go since I only jog about once every couple of months, but I have to say I did pretty good! I kept up no problem! There's definitely something to be said about exercising with someone else. If it was just me...I wouldn't have gone. It's too easy to find excuses. So thank you to the ladies who invited me to join them! It was so nice to get out and relieve some stress and enjoy the night run. I really needed it!

And since I have a couple of hours to myself since one little boy is at school and the other is sleeping...I should probably tackle something I just talked about. 2 hours...I could have a couple of scrapbook layouts done or have the bathrooms cleaned!....

or I could just go take a nap myself ;)

first day of preschool....

2011-09-12T23:58:00.000-06:00

This boy was beyond excited to start preschool!! Of course I had to capture the typical first day school pictures on the front step...and looking through them I just can't believe how big this cutie is getting! I wasn't really thinking that we would be doing preschool this year, but I should start the story at the beginning....

Back at the beginning of January I had started to think about preschool and what I would do with Ryker in the coming school year. After our nightmare of a preschool experience though I was really questioning what I was going to do...if anything. I had heard great things about the preschool I was trying to get Ryker into, but as the months passed I hadn't heard if he was in or not.

The teacher is nearly impossible to get a hold of. Seriously...you can call and call...leave message after message and nothing. In June there was a "meet your class" week and I hadn't gotten a phone call so I assumed that Ryker wasn't in. Not a big deal. But then I'd talk to my friend who's kids go to the preschool and she'd tell me that the teacher told her Ryker was in. I was getting really confused.

It really wasn't a big deal if he wasn't in the class I just wanted to know. I continued to call all summer and finally got through to the teacher about two weeks ago. She told me she didn't have her class lists in front of her so she'd call me later (ya, right!) but from speaking with her I figured out that she has a wait list and if any child doesn't come to class or drops out then she fills the empty spot. This meant that Ryker really wasn't "in" the class at all, but was really just on this "wait list".

It was going to be okay though cause I registered Ryker in a hip hop class and then he'd have his music class as well. We'd just stay busy doing all kinds of other activities.

Not long after I was looking through the paper and came across an add for a preschool that was new. There wasn't a lot of information in this add, but I noticed that it said there was a 1 to 4 ratio for teachers to students and I immediately thought that would be something good for Ryker.

I eventually called and talked to the head teacher and the program sounded amazing! I was excited.

There are 3 certified teachers, a speech pathologist and an occupational therapist that all work with the children. They have all kinds of little pets that the kids get to take care of and play with. They make their own snacks at school and learn about nutrition. The curriculum is built around the needs of each individual child.... It's amazing. Ms. Cheryl came to our house the next day to meet Ryker and took video clips and pictures of him. We went through information that I had filled out about Ryker and just talked for a long time and then she takes all her information back to all the teachers and together they create each child's curriculum for the year along with goals....

It was seriously an answer to my prayers. It's exactly what Ryker needs. Their goal is to help prepare children for kindergarden...and Ryker needs that. He's such a sweet boy, but he's busy. These teachers are trained and ready to help him...and us learn all we can.

Maybe I was just as excited about school as him!! haha!! Actually as excited as I was, I was super nervous to send him off. This meant a new schedule for us and time away from each other. I wasn't sure if I was ready for all of that, but that doesn't matter. Ryker's the most important in this situation and he was ready. He needs this.

(I just had to laugh at his hair in this picture. Haircuts did not happen before school started :))

Ryker love love loves his new school shoes and wouldn't even take them off when we brought them home! He was really excited to carry them in his backpack...yes...I made him take them off after pictures cause they are his indoor shoes until we get another pair for that purpose!

And the back pack I ordered has not arrived yet, so we are making do with his little spiderman backpack!

Notice the little face watching us through the window??! He was not impressed that he was inside and we were outside taking pictures! haha!!

Ryker was so happy when I dropped him off at school. They have a beautiful classroom...it's so nice and big and open. He went right in and hardly even noticed when I left. There were no good bye kisses...he was too interested in the fish! I was sad to leave him, but seeing how happy he was confirmed that this was the right decision.

And when I picked him up he did not want to leave...and of course it wasn't perfect and smooth, but these teachers are fabulous and already have a love for my sweet little boy. I stayed and they talked to me a bit about ways they worked with him today. He got to be a special helper and feed the worms in the compost which he thought was great! They're just doing what they can to help him with the transition of everything. I think we both left feeling so much better and excited for the next class.

This little guy is growing up so fast. Oh how I love him and want the very best for him! I feel so lucky and blessed to have him in my life and will miss him during our time apart. He is so kind and thoughtful and has become the little peace maker in our home. He always wants Maguire to be happy and will do anything to keep him from crying. He loves to make funny faces (as you can see) and I'm sure he will be the class clown! He loves making people laugh!! He's so smart too and I'm really looking forward to seeing his learning grow.

I love you Ryker!!! xoxox

The Simple Things

2011-09-11T09:22:00.000-06:00

I can't believe how much bigger Ryker looks on his bike this year....

On our way home Ryker said "that was the BEST day!"

I love being able to watch my sweet boys enjoy life...to learn and grow....

Yes time passes too quickly, but I'm doing all I can to remember each moment...these simple sweet moments :)

the simple things

2011-08-28T12:46:00.000-06:00

taking part in my first simple things post.

this photo completely sums up life with boys...watching the garbage truck! What could be better :)

oh so tired.

2011-08-18T14:35:00.000-06:00

I'm letting life get in the way of blogging...

but has this ever been a long week!!!!

Ryker's been waking up every night and always wants someone to sleep with him in his bed. He hates sleeping in our bed, so I'm the lucky one who gets to sleep on the edge of his bed. It's killing me. I have to keep reminding myself that these cute little boys will be grown up in the blink of an eye cause I'm just completely exhausted by them this week. Maguire has been the biggest crank...crying over everything. Seriously don't know what is up this week with these boys!!

But we've been having the greatest time park hopping, picnics and playing outside! We are trying to enjoy every nice day. They sometimes seem few and far between, but we take whatever we can get.

Notice Maguire's scratches and cuts??? Let's just add fighting and wrestling to the list of fun things the boys have been up to ;)

Tonight I am going to bed as early as possible....

Shaggy

2011-08-17T15:10:00.002-06:00

On the list of things to do this week....

Haircuts!!!

No...it won't be short short...I don't think he could handle a shock like that again. And really who am I kidding...I don't think I could handle it either! haha!! It was super cute, but he's a little attached to his hair. Change isn't always the easiest thing for him, so I might just have to do it in stages.

K :)

When the kids went to bed....

2011-08-08T22:04:00.000-06:00

Packing for holidays is never fun. I don't know about you, but it always seems I spend the week before running around like crazy making sure I don't forget anything...which always happens. After seeing some super cute travel mini albums (here, here, and here) I got it in my head that I was going to make one. With only about 20 minutes to round things up I put together a little kit (which means grabbing whatever I can think of I might want to use).

I made sure to pick up this camera before we left to make it super simple to complete this mini album. It was so much fun taking pictures and the boys loved watching the picture appear! I would keep my little stack of pictures in the pocket of my camera bag and once the kids went to sleep I was free to scrap...of course while we watched the first season of modern family!! Love that show!

Now to see some of the layouts...

I actually didn't even bother to make a cover for the album. I just kept stacking my layouts on top of each other...it seems to work.

I tried to keep the album about favorite memories and moments...and little details and thoughts about the trip.

This really is one of my very favorite holidays...and so I love that I created this while I was there in the moment. I hardly pulled out my dslr camera the whole trip, but I'm okay with that. I am happy to have caught a few fun clips using my new instax camera...and that they're all kept right in this album.

One of our family traditions is to go to the go-karts when we're there. I don't think there has ever been a year that we haven't stopped (even in the rain!).

*sigh*...how quickly it feels like I was never there at all...

K :)

Wishing to be back here.

2011-08-06T21:15:00.000-06:00

Almost every summer since I was a little girl (I think I was 3 years old the first summer we came) my family has spent time at Shuswap. I love it there. Love the beach...the sun...the weather...the memories...the traditions. Every year we have a fabulous time. This year my family wasn't able to go, but Cody and I still wanted to make the trip so his two sisters and their families joined us for a couple of days.

Maguire is our difficult traveller...he cries and complains the whole time, but he actually did really good driving the 8 hours. Of course we were always happy when he did this...

haha!! And then Ryker is always great! He can easily entertain himself and loves to just watch out the window.

The first night we stayed in a hotel. We didn't actually get our cabin until Saturday afternoon, but Cody has been working on a cabin on Shuswap so we went early so he could work. The boys always love staying in hotels!

We spent Saturday morning at the public beach watching the ducks...

and throwing rocks...

playing at the playground...

and getting all the grocery shopping done for the week. I think we were all just so happy to be away and spending time together. With Cody so busy at work we don't always get the chance to get away like this...so we really enjoyed it.

The cabin we stayed in!

We love this community. This was our third summer here and it was perfect. All the cabins are privately owned, but some people rent theirs out. We had stayed in this cabin 2 years ago, so we knew what to expect. We even had an extra bedroom! Ryker was excited to sleep in the top bunk and Maguire thought he was such a big boy sleeping in a bed. It was pretty cute!

I love this view!

(this is looking out at the lake from just above the beach)

The boys loved playing with their cousins! They had a great time playing in the sand and swimming together. They spent hours just playing on this mound of sand that had been dumped to fill the beach. Ryker cried when it was time to spread the sand out.

Maguire loved the water guns...even though he couldn't spray them.

We had great weather for the most part. Some days were a little cloudy, but still nice. The one day that was a little rainy we decided to go into Salmon Arm and have a picnic at the park. On our way home we stopped at the go-karts. It started raining right before our group went and everyone got soaked! Ryker loved it though and didn't mind one bit that he was all wet.

Everyone left by Thursday so we had 3 more days to spend as a little family. Family friends own one of the lakeside townhomes, so we got to go out in their boat with them. I even wake surfed and got up on my first try! I haven't down anything like that in over 13 years. Cody had never seen me wakeboard or ski! The boys of course cried when I jumped off the boat and didn't want me doing it. haha!!

We rented a pontoon boat and sea doo with Cody's everyone while they were hear. I think that was a favorite day for everyone! The kids all took turns tubing (Ryker was nearly impossible to get off the tube he just loved it!). One of our stops was Margret Falls! It's such a tropical hike...everyone loved it!

We had such a great time! These two little guys absolutely loved it and did not want to come home. We ended up staying as long as we could and travelled all night home. It was definitely another great holiday!

xox

Candice And Kim's Redone For Fun Sale

2011-07-12T07:20:00.002-06:00

*The sale will be Friday July 15 from 12:00p.m. - 8:00p.m.

Repainted Furniture - Collectibles- Unique projects

Come and check out what we've been working on. Every Item has been chosen, selected and repainted with care! Unlike a garage sale, our items have been comparatively priced with other similar refurnished items.

**Please Note** This sale is outdoors, so if the weather is poor we will need to reschedule! Alternative date will be posted!

**Cash only please**

Sale Address will be posted Thursday at 6 pm- Thanks!

There are a lot more items, so please come to the sale to see!

Done.

2011-07-11T13:10:00.000-06:00

This is the way it usually goes down at our house....

Maguire wants what Ryker has. Let the fighting begin.

And then 2 seconds later...

best little buddies!

Yesterday was the worst day. It started out pretty normal for a day when the kids are sick. We layed around, watched t.v., basically did nothing. And then it was time for Cody to leave for church. We were keeping the boys home since they were sick and Cody had to speak in church so that left me home with the boys. My Aunt showed up just as Cody was getting ready to leave and offered to watch the boys so I could hear Cody speak. Ryker was crying because HE wanted to go to church. I declined my aunts generous offer since I wasn't ready at all (still in my jammies!). My aunt and Cody had literally just walked out the door and maybe were getting in their vehicles when Ryker (who was still crying) got sick EVERYWHERE. All over me, the stairs and himself. And to top it all off he all of a sudden had a bleeding nose. The day just continued to be a disaster. It was lovely! I don't know what it is, but we have been sick forever. If it's not one thing it's another. And I'm 'SICK' of it. Done. Over it.

This morning seems to be a whole lot better. Thankfully!!

Here's hoping it lasts!!

quiet time

2011-07-08T19:31:00.000-06:00

I'm enjoying a little quiet time while daddy deals with the kids and bedtime. I love sneaking downstairs to the computer and listening to them play while I enjoy some time for myself. Tonight it's hide and go seek...one of the many favorite games! I love it. They're so cute when the are looking for daddy!!

The boys have had a lot of extra energy today (even with ear infections) since we're stuck inside. It's amazing how quickly they feel cooped up when we have one rainy day. Our week has been filled with park days, kiddie pools, bubbles and swimming...and mosquitos! They are crazy this year. I can't handle how bad it is. We don't go anywhere without bug spray.

I seriously love summer though. I think it's one of my favorite times of the year. Mostly because of the fun things we get to do all day when it's nice outside. I've made a short list of things I want to do with the kids...things that we try to do every summer. So we'll be going to the Zoo, the lake, Calaway Park and possible camping with my sister. What kinds of things do you try to do each year?? And has anyone been to Jurassic Forest this year? We went last year, but I haven't heard of anyone going this year....just wondering.

I think my quiet time is done. I hear daddy giving medicine before bedtime which sometimes takes 2 people....

K :)

It's what we eat....

2011-06-29T21:51:00.000-06:00

Okay...first of all...you guys are way to sweet with your comments on the picture of me and Maguire. Seriously. I was just out with my 2 besties and we were talking about our wrinkles! Getting older is not fun, but you have sure made me feel good :) So thank you!

Lately I have been eating horrible. Eating junk food that I never eat. Chips have never been my thing and honestly I usually only eat them when there is some kind of yummy dip or in a taco salad...that kind of thing, but lately I have found myself snacking on chips. What is up with that???? And with all the junk I've been eating means I haven't been feeling very good. When I was pregnant I had a really hard time with food and ever since I've been really careful what I eat (for the most part).

This week I have made an extra effort to get back to eating better so I thought I would share some of the things we've been eating lately.

Let's start with breakfast! It is the most important meal....

Pumpkin Granola is our favorite! I eat it almost every morning and the kids even love it! One of our favorite ways to eat it is mixing it with yogurt and blueberries...yummy!!

I've made my own granola too by following this recipe. It was sooooo easy and really good! I actually toasted mine a little too long...oops!

Lunchtime

Okay this week it's been wraps. I bought the greek salad from Costco, but instead of using it as a Greek Salad I've been using it in wraps! You don't have to worry about all the cutting and chopping...super simple! I just added some lettuce and spread my own cream cheese mixture (cream cheese and sundried tomato spice mix) on the tortilla. Since the kiddies don't necessarily like all the veggies in their wraps I made small little sushi wraps (if I called it sushi Ryker had no problem eating it) that just consisted of the tortilla and the cream cheese mixture!

Supper...

The Santa Fe Chicken Salad from Earls has to be my very favorite! Love it!!! So when I came across this recipe I had to try it. Now it's no Earl's, but it was still really good. Salads are my favorite!

On Monday night I made Island Spice Pork Tenderloin and my hubby said it was his favorite!! It was really really yummy!! I'll be making this again for sure.

One of my hubby's favorite things is steak. We recently tried this recipe and it was really good...molasses chili!!

Another favorite of mine is sweet potato fries...love love them. I made this recipe last night and the whole family loved them, but we also love this recipe my friend shared on her blog.

Baking!

For Ryker's half birthday we made this cake. This was our first time. I had made a similar cake back in April, but it used ground almonds instead of the beans and I liked that version way better. But...this wasn't bad...really....

Snickers Caramel Cheesecake Cookies!! Need I saw more??!! They were amazing.

Just a few recipes.

Getting back on the healthy eating kick and feeling a bit better :)

K

We love the park!

2011-06-24T09:25:00.000-06:00

Awhile ago I had taken the kids to the park and actually brought my camera. We were laughing and having fun taking pictures on the swings...the kids loved it!! I was trying not to get the houses in the background, and by getting low enough to the ground you pretty much can't see them. I need so much practice....

These boys just love playing outside. And when they're trapped in something like a swing it's almost easier to take pictures of them...they can't get away from me!! haha!!

This boy loves the baby swings so he can be just like his brother! He's so good at pumping his legs on the big swings, but getting pushed in the baby swings is way more fun....

Now we just need more sunny days and warmer weather!! Summer...where are you?? You tease us with a beautiful day and then rainy cloudy days...then a beautiful day and rain again. It almost feels like summer will never truly be here.

Looking forward to the weekend...date night with hubby tonight and besties tomorrow night!! Yeah!!!

K :)

It was a party!

2011-06-22T00:00:00.000-06:00

We had a little family party for Maguire and since his birthday was on a Sunday this year I decided to keep things really simple and just have dessert (but that's a whole other story for a bit later in the post).

The 'M' and balloons didn't stay outside long since it was a bit windy and the balloons started to pop....

Birthday parties are always one of my favorite things to decorate for...I don't really do themes other than colors, but I'm sure once the boys get a bit older that will change.

The decorations began with these cute pom-pom garlands...banners...whatever you wanna call them! So fun and super easy to make. All I had to do was think back to grade 1 when my teacher Mrs. Howard taught me to wrap yarn around a piece of cardboard and tie it together with another piece of yarn. You then cut all the loops of yarn making the cutest pom-pom. Seriously they are that simple! hehe!

I ran around the house and quickly gathered frames that already had pictures of Maguire in them...added them to the mantle, blew up a couple of balloons and done. Easy.

I made another banner of my cutie boy using a few of my favorite pictures of him and alternated with some book pages....

I made a simple table runner using a piece of fabric and sewing different ribbon and tulle across the ends. I kept it really rough and raw, but I loved how it turned out. And then of course ordered some cute straws, napkins and plates and I was done!

If you're wondering about the beautiful cupcakes here is the story. I don't do baking. I'm just not a baker. Yes, I attempt it once in awhile but it's never the kind of thing that looks pretty or you'd want to serve to guests. And for some reason whenever I have to bake for a birthday or event it especially goes wrong. I don't know what I was thinking, but the day before the party I still had no idea what I was going to do for "dessert". Somehow I decided to attempt cake pops...not a good idea for someone who doesn't bake (I should add that I have made them before and they were yummy!). So Saturday I slaved over these ugly hideous cake pops. Not sure what went wrong...but there was no way we were eating those things for Maguire's birthday party. 8 o'clock p.m. I left to help serve cupcakes for seminary grad that my friend was doing and I still had no plan for the cake. As it turned out there were lots of cupcakes leftover from the grad party and they offered to let me take some home! How perfect was it that the cupcakes just happened to be orange!!! They were seriously sooooo yummy!!! It was perfect. So a huge thanks to my friend Sharon for making the best cupcakes I've ever served at a birthday!! haha!!

When I saw this idea from Elizabeth it brought back soooo many memories of working at Koffee Cafe (my favorite job ever! haha!). We used to make ours a little bit different...instead of using whipped cream we added a bit of cream and I think I like it better that way.

I have been addicted ever since!

I wish I would have taken a picture of the little area where all the ingredients and glasses were set out, but I missed those details! I guess I was just in too much of a hurry to get things done. oops!!

The birthday boy in the highchair I specially painted for the party!! (the chalkboard and highchair are going to be a part of a little sale my sister and I will be having in a couple of weeks. We have been obsessed with painting furniture and making fun things!! More details about that soon though.)

He blew his candle out before we could even start singing, but he was adorable just sitting in his chair! Oh I just love him....

We all headed outside to open presents and let the kiddies play! It was a beautiful night!

And of course I had to end with a little treat bag that I just filled with some fun little toys for the kids. Super simple....

It was fun just celebrating that cute little boy!!

We missed having the rest of our family with us, but it's hard when everyone is all over the place!!

K :)

happy birthday!

2011-06-12T22:50:00.000-06:00

Happy Birthday sweet little Maguire!!!

2 years old...look how big you're getting! You are such a sweet little boy and have brought so much happiness to our little family. You love your big brother soooo much and as your momma I LOVE watching your relationship with him change and grow. The older you get the better the two of you play. It's so great! I love the funny little face you make when you're mad. You have a strong personality and know exactly what you want. Most people think you're quite, but you are my loud child. Thank goodness for soothers! Now that you're 2 though your daddy says it's time to say good bye to your soo-soo. I'll have to figure out some new 'tricks' to keep you quite. hehe!! Your 'Aaa-Aaa' (blanket) is your best friend and must come everywhere with you. When it's time to wash it you would think the world has ended and insist on staying as close to the laundry room as you can. What would we do if we lost that thing?? haha!!

Your hair reminds me exactly of mine as a little girl...curly and white blond. Except I do a terrible job of making sure it is brushed. It's always knotted and tangled...always. I brush it and moments later it is tangled again.

You are growing soooo quickly. Your summer clothes seem to be shrinking right before my eyes...and we haven't even had summer yet! All the clothes that Ryker wore last year are too small for you. The two of you will be sharing clothes soon!!

You love to watch Team Umi Zoomi, Bubble Guppies, Dora, Diego, and Wow Wow Wubbzy. One of your favorite things to do is snuggle and watch a 'show'...you're always asking to watch a show! You love brushing your teeth. One tooth brush is great, but three are better! You carry them all over the house with you. You make anything into a phone. You even found an old keychain that is your favorite 'flip phone' at the moment.

We call you our 'fire walker'!!! You have these thick feet and you hate wearing shoes. Hate it! It seems like recently you have outgrown all your shoes too. I bought you three pairs of flip flops that you refuse to wear. I thought I would be smart and buy you a pair of shoes like Ryker, but your feet are so thick that they leave marks on your feet and you refuse to wear them. So your summer might just include socks and runners...although you prefer to wear bear feet. You can run up and down the rocks on the side of the house without even flinching. The other day you came running down the rocks and then when you stepped into the grass you said "ouch!" Seriously??!! You know that when Ryker is mad at you to run onto the rocks cause he won't follow. No one can walk on rocks like you! haha!!

At the end of the day, when I think about all the funny things you've done or said, I feel sooooo extremely blessed to be your mother! You are a miracle and I thank my Heavenly Father every day for sending you to our family. Our life would not have been the same without your sweet little spirit. I love you!!!

Love your Momma

xoxox

Camera Straps!

2011-06-08T20:14:00.000-06:00

Camera straps are soooo ugly. Don't ya think? They're annoying, but of course you can't live without it...so why not make it cute! There are lots of cute straps on etsy with ruffles and flowers and all kinds of funky stuff, but it just wouldn't have been the same if I hadn't made it ;)

First of all I should say that "I DO NOT SEW!" I attempt sewing. I do not understand the sewing lingo, my lines never match up, I'm impatient and hate pressing anything (I will do it if I absolutely have to...), but for whatever reason I just had to have a sewing machine. haha!!! And when I saw this tutorial I thought I could attempt it.

You can find the tutorial here

And since I was making one for myself I thought why not make one for my friend!

Yes...it took me all night to make these (don't be scared cause they really are simple I'm just slow. Remember...I don't sew!) and they aren't perfect, but look how cute they are!! And there's even a pocket for the lens cap. How fun!

So if I can do it...you can too!!

k :)

Off to soccer!

2011-06-04T09:37:00.000-06:00

He loves it!! Seriously loves it!! He's not always paying attention to his coach and always wants to use his hands to move the ball away so he can score! His nickname is going to be "no hands Ryker!"

He just looks so cute in his uniform!! I love watching him play...so fun!!

K :)

Project Life photo ideas

2011-06-01T09:14:00.000-06:00

Okay...June!! Really??? Where is the year going??? Already on the sixth month!! Wow. This year really is flying by. Our daily photos sometimes get a little boring, so I thought this month I'd follow along with this

Lots of great picture ideas and some different ones than I would normally take. My project life pictures have been more about our favorite pictures from the week since that way I don't feel guilty if I miss a day. There's always lots to tell about our day...life is never dull with these boys, but the pictures don't always happen. This will give me a boost!! Just what I'm needing.

Here's another one I came across with some similar ideas! Looks fun too!!

And another idea....

(check out the original post here...it's too hard to enlarge this one cause it gets blurry)

I should challenge myself to post all 30 pictures at the end of the month...might be fun!! Join me if you like :)

K

I made these....

2011-05-30T08:59:00.001-06:00

So I have a bit of an obsession with pinterest.

There are just endless ideas...seriously. The list of things I want to make and do is endless...and ridiculous! haha!

When I saw this on pinterest I knew I had to try. I was looking for something more to do on the wall in my bedroom, but honestly wasn't exactly sure what I wanted to do. This was it!

I followed the instructions here to make my own canvases. Her instructions were soooo easy to follow...and look how cute they turned out! I love that by doing them in black and white it doesn't matter that the image isn't wrapped around the canvas (like the one I actually paid $60 for....).

Depending how hard you rub and how much determines how "distressed" your image will look. I tried not to make mine too distressed, but I love how hers look.

The most expensive part is the little bottle of gel that you use to actually transfer the image, but if you can find cheap canvases than this project really won't cost you that much. I think for my two canvases I spent $10 (they are 8x10 in size), but I have seen canvases at the dollar store so it could be even cheaper. And I still have lots and lots of gel (I can't remember the exact price, but I think the gel was around $10 at Michaels).

(All framed and canvas images taken by Talia Audenart Photography)

Aren't they fun???!! Now I can't stop thinking about what else I'm going to do....hmm...

K :)

p.s. Update! I went around the house and cut off the tags...just hoping I didn't miss any!! haha!! My sister was so proud of me :)

I can be a little ridiculous!

2011-05-24T21:34:00.000-06:00

Confession:

I leave price tags on EVERYTHING!!!

(a few samples from around the house)

My family bugs me all the time about it.... It's not like I plan on taking anything back cause I absolutely hate returning things (I usually make Cody do that for me!). And even if I wanted to I wouldn't be able to since I bought most of these items a long long time ago. haha! Just one of those weird quirky things I do :)

Surviving

2011-05-19T09:27:00.000-06:00

The mornings come very early lately thanks to little Maguire. 5:20 a.m. from the comforts of my bed I could hear him yelling "M-O-M-A!!!" yuck! Seriously 5:20???? That's a little too early for me. I've tried everything...his room is dark...shortening his naps...any helpful tips???

And my days are spent surviving. Cody usually gets up in the mornings with the boys, but he was away for work last week which meant I did it all. And then he got home late late Sunday night so I got up again on Monday....and he's been soooo busy with work that it's been long days now that he's home. There's just no winning. It's all about survival! The house is a M-E-S-S!!! It's clean for only a moment and then the boys rip around and it's a disaster again. And for some reason I just have no energy to clean it up.

(journaling from Stephanie Howell. She had shared a little quote or saying that I was totally inspired by.)

This is the time to let them be little and enjoy every little moment...no matter how early :)

Tuesday we were stuck without a car, so I decided we would take a walk to the store. I planned to take the wagon (since the stroller was in the car) and the boys wanted to walk. Perfect! Well we got two houses away and the boys were fighting, pushing, and hitting. I told them to get into the wagon and they both started screaming and crying. Ryker ran off on me as I was trying to buckle Maguire into the wagon. So we went home. And at home I had to deal with more crying and screaming. It was fun!

Tuesday night I was laying on the bed. We were watching a little show with the kids when Maguire got mad and flung himself back hitting me smack in the nose. It hurt so bad.... My nose was bleeding swollen and bruised...and I was crying! It hurt. It still really hurts, but no black eyes or anything like that...and I'm able to mostly cover my bruise with makeup so it's not that noticeable. Thank goodness! It sure hurts though and I'm surviving with Advil!

And if life couldn't get better...I thought I'd take the boys to the park yesterday and we could have a little picnic. Well Maguire somehow managed to find another opening into the park and ran off on me. I had to kick my shoes off and chase him down the middle of the road. Ryker thinking we were having a great time decided he wanted to do it too!! And of course just then a police officer comes driving up.... I packed the kids up in the car and went back to clean up our lunch, pick up the sand toys and find my shoes. And for some reason my car alarm kept going off and I couldn't get it to stop. How perfect that the police officer decided to park right beside us and do photo radar! It was great. I came home and had to deal with more crying and screaming.

I'm seriously just trying to survive this week.

K :)

Recipes

2011-05-15T00:15:00.000-06:00

Still scrapbooking these pictures :)

I have a big stack sitting on my table, so they are easy to grab when I have a couple of minutes to be in my room. But I'm not going to talk again about keeping things simple...blah..blah..blah.... I go off on that enough. No tonight I'm sitting in bed watching a movie and eating pull apart lemon coffee cake...seriously yummy!! I actually got the recipe after "pinning" it on pinterest. haha!! I've made an effort to actually try new recipes this year and pinterest has been a great source. There are countless yummy pictures with links to recipe upon recipe....

I thought I'd share some of my favorite recipes I've discovered over the past year. Now some will be gluten free since we generally eat that way, but not all of them. I'll make sure to mark the gf ones so you can skip over them if you're not interested.

I'll start with some favorite chicken recipes...

Blackened Chicken...thanks Martha for this recipe!! It's seriously one of our very favorites! Be prepared cause it is spicy...Cody also likes this seasoning mix on steak. We love to Bar-B-Que.

Spicy Honey Chicken...I have to say that this site has a ton of great recipes...it's definitely a favorite cooking site for me! And this chicken recipe is by far one of my very favorites. I love the chicken the next day cold and cut up in a salad!!

Chicken Tacos...I loved these, but probably wouldn't fry the shells next time. Less oil smell and I always feel like it's too heavy. Fryed food just doesn't mix well with me. But these were really really good!! And p.s. I've tried a few recipes from her site and loved them...another great place to check for new supper ideas.

Other supper options

Baked Potato Soup...I love soup. It's comfort food for me!

Cafe Rio Sweet Pork...this is such a simple crockpot meal. My family loves it and everyone who tries it for the first time usually asks for the recipe. I think I would eat this every week if my husband would let me. There's so many different ways to eat it...salad...wrap...on a bun...taco. It's really good.

Quick Brazilian Cheese Rolls (pao de queijo)...these are gf and so yummy! They're like a little hollow cheese muffin really. The whole family loved these! I think we ate them with soup if I can remember right. hmm...now I'm trying to remember what we ate these with. haha!

Home made potato chips and avocado ranch dip...okay...I make home made potato chips alot. And honestly we love love them. But the last time I made them when my sister was here I made the avocado ranch dip and it was beyond yummy. It was so good. I have an avocado ripening right now that will be perfect for this tomorrow! Another pinterest recipe :)

Best Ever Potato Salad...that's a big thing to claim, but it's true! Anyone who says they don't normally like potato salad always always says they love this. I've made it a few times this past month and every time I had people asking for the recipe. Thanks again pinterest!

And I love dips!!!

Black eyed pea dip...I loved this, but my hubby doesn't love beans and things like that so he just said it was okay. Just being honest with you. I personally thought it was great...and the kids both ate lots so that says something.

Pesto Artichoke Dip...I wanted to make this again the other night, but I couldn't get the lid off the glass jar. I had bought the really big glass jar of artichoke hearts from Costco...the lid is stuck on good. And yes, maybe I am a little weak...haha!!

Baking

gf Cinnamon Buns...I can not even begin to tell you how happy I was to come across this recipe. It is amazing how 'normal' they taste. I know that sounds kind of bad, but we have a hard time finding baking that tastes somewhat normal when comparing it to items made with wheat flour. It can be hard when you start mixing flours since you rarely just use one. This recipe takes some time, but it is worth it once in awhile :)

Strawberry Coconut Cake...of course I adapted this recipe to be gf and it turned out really yummy!! It was a pretty pink color and tasted great! A perfect summer cake.

and then of course I mentioned the Pull-Apart Lemon Coffee Cake...which I would say is more like a cinnamon bun kind of thing, just rectangular and comes apart in sheets. I can't stop eating it. I love lemon stuff though, but I'm sure you could use cinnamon and sugar instead and it would be just as yummy.

I really need to get to bed though...I'm starting to get hungry and it's midnight. Not a good thing :)

K

A couple new layouts

2011-05-13T15:06:00.000-06:00

I'm starting to feel a little productive. Just a little bit. The nice weather (minus the wind) is making me happy. Mother's Day weekend...yes it is a weekend around here...I managed to find time to hide in my scrapbook room and do a few layouts. I organized some of my more recent layouts a few weeks ago and realized that little Maguire is lacking on the pages. Ryker has book upon book, but Maguire really only has a few layouts...so...I am trying to get some done for him. I try to keep some random pictures on my table to scrapbook when I feel like it. Sometimes I need the right picture to get my creative flow going.

This picture feels like a whole other lifetime. My sister took this 2 years ago now when I came to stay with her one weekend....

And this picture of Maguire brings back sooooo many memories of summer holidays, being on the boat and just taking turns holding and cuddling him. He was only 6 weeks old...how time flies.

I'm so thankful to have hobbies that make me so completely happy!! I love looking through our family pictures and layouts and remembering so many good times. I just need to find the time to scrapbook more often. Anyone interested in getting together to scrapbook sometime???

But onto other things....

I got my sewing machine out last night after the kids were asleep and worked on a cute project. I'll post some pictures soon...I should state that I don't really sew so my lines aren't even and some things are a little wonky, but it still turned out really cute!

The boys and I have been playing at the park almost everyday...even with the wind. We just have to get out. They'll only play in the backyard for so long before that gets boring...haha!! We try to park hop. It's easy for them to leave if they know we're headed to another park ;)

Yesterday some friends came over and my mom taught us how to make crepes. They were actually really really easy...I have made them before, just never with an actual crepe maker. We're having a brunch on Saturday for our Relief Society activity this month so we needed 100 crepes. It was lots of fun!!

Soccer starts tomorrow morning for Ryker! He's really excited and LOVES his jersey! I think I'll have to bring the camera and video camera...it could be funny.

Okay...that's the update. Just rambling from me :)

Sweet Post

2011-05-06T09:45:00.000-06:00

I just wanted to share this sweet post I came across...

She shares many great posts on her personal blog and it makes me emotional reading it.

Reminds me sometimes of my own personal feelings:)

Happy Mother's Day Weekend!!

K :)

11 years....

2011-04-29T08:00:00.002-06:00

I can't believe it's been 11 years!!! Seriously...am I old enough to have been married that long???!!! haha! Since I'm thinking about this special guy today I thought I'd share a couple of recent layouts of us...and list 11 things about us or our relationship! (I know he NEVER reads my blog so I can gush all I want! hehe!)

We'll count down... :)

11. We are both the youngest in our families...which everyone says the youngest should never marry the youngest, but it works for us! I don't think I was spoiled as the youngest (maybe my sisters and brother would say differently...haha!), but Cody was definitely a Momma's boy. He had such a special relationship with his Mom and it's one of the things I love about him. I never got to meet her since she passed away when he was only 12, but he can hardly talk about her without getting a little bit emotional :) It's really sweet.

10. He is one of the hardest working people I know. He just can't handle laying around and doing nothing. Now...I wouldn't say he loves working...more like he wants to be out having fun! haha!! When we were first married I remember he would get up super early to do side jobs...and when he first started out on his own (he has his own plumbing company) he would often be out of the house at like 4 in the morning! It was a little crazy, but like I said he works hard.

9. We are complete opposites. Seriously. I can be super shy and quiet and he is a total people person. I love being at home and he wants to be out playing. I love pasta and he will hardly eat it. I don't like taking risks and he loves it! I could go on and on...but that would get boring.

8. He lives for biking and sledding. The poor guy though really didn't get to do much biking last summer, so he's looking forward to the season this year. He just has to hope for some sunshine and warmer weather!! And as the nice wife I am I always try to go watch at least once ;)

7. He loves eating out...and I don't tend to enjoy it as much as I used to, but some of our favorite places near and far include Ric's Grill, Yardhouse, Earls, Sicilian Pasta Kitchen (even though he can't eat there anymore), The Keg, Cactus Club and probabably a million other places...haha!

6. He loves movies and watches almost anything! This is good for me since I don't get to movies very often so he'll usually see whatever I want to see. He's really good that way :)

5. We went to San Diego for our honeymoon...don't ask why we picked there cause I can't remember at all how it was chosen. But we had so much fun hanging out on the beach and shopping! We've only gone on a couple other vacations just the 2 of us...before we had kids we were always trying to save for a house and then once we had kids it just always seems impossible to get away. And now we always seem to bring the kids cause it's way more fun!

4. Cody loves to laugh! He loves joking around and hardly takes life seriously. Sometimes it's something that drives me crazy...I tend to be waayyy too serious...but it's also such a blessing to have someone around who can laugh at anything and make you laugh right along with them. It's a really good thing.

3. When we were first married Cody had major surgery...like we had barely been married 3 weeks...and even though it was a huge trial for us it was a blessing too. I had never had to deal with life like that and it helped me to be more thankful for my health and learn to serve someone else...like truly serve and think of someone else. I was still in College and I can still remember hurrying to the hospital after classes to go see him. I'd stay there until it was almost getting dark and then I'd head back to our apartment to sleep. The hospital was downtown and I didn't want to have to walk to my car in the dark. And I couldn't sleep at the hospital since I was in school. Sometimes I don't know how we survived that summer on nothing, but we managed. It's amazing what you can live without...and what really matters. We had nothing. We were staying in someone else's apartment and were using their furniture...while they were away working for 4 months. Oh...that seems like a long time ago.

2. I love watching Cody with our kids! They absolutely LOVE him and get so excited when he comes home from work. And he loves them!! He loves to play with them and make them laugh. And every Tuesday he takes the boys swimming to give me time to myself. It's really cute watching them together. He tickles and wrestles with them....and they just can't get enough. All day long Maguire asks about daddy and Ryker insists on calling daddy over everything. Ryker asks all the time if he can go to work with his dad!! I love it! He's always been so good with kids...love it!!

And my last point....

1. He is the sweetest hubby!! I am the luckiest girl!! He takes care of me and is always so thoughtful. I love hanging out with him...chatting at night in bed or going on little drives together. When I'm away from him I feel 'home sick'...he's my comfort. I believe he can do anything. He makes it possible for me to be home with our cutie kids. We had both decided that it was important and I'm so thankful that he has made it possible. I remember when he called me at work and told me he had quit his job (this was years ago...I was working in a scrapbook store. I wasn't making big bucks...I was completely working to support my hobby!) but I wasn't worried. I knew we would be okay. And we were. He makes me want to be a better person and helps to stengthen my testimony. He's a good example to our kids. He's the best. I love him so much and I'm so lucky to have him as my husband!! I can still remember the permanent smile on my face as we went to the temple and were sealed for time and all eternity!! I love you!

It's moments like this I love

2011-04-26T13:53:00.001-06:00

Okay...so this week I'm flooding my posts. I've managed to get some of my layouts downloaded, so I figure I should get them on here. I think that's one of my toughest things...if I don't have a picture or something to share than I feel like my post is boring. haha.

Our life is hardly boring...haha!! Well, really I guess it is quite boring just the kids keep it very exciting. I've got two busy boys who absolutely love life! And this family picture on this layout really shows it. These boys do not sit still...it's go go go all day.

A couple of weeks ago we walked into church and had to go sit at the front since the gym was refinished and everyone had to squeeze into the chapel. Well Ryker saw my mom sitting in the choir seats with the choir and thought he should sit up there too!! It was exactly my worst nightmare...he's sitting in the front bench holding on for dear life saying "I'll sing! I'll sing!" while I'm trying to pry him off the bench. And of course Maguire wanted to join him so I get Ryker down and have to get Maguire down too...all while the hubby and the rest of the congregation watched!!

hahahaha!!

It's always fun around here ;)

And then there's Maguire...who lately has been crying and throwing tantrums non-stop! On Sunday we had stake conference and he was throwing such a tantrum that I had to take him to the car for almost an hour and a half. Although I wasn't sure if I was even going to make it back into Cody to get the keys cause he was so loud. I didn't have my phone and there was no one around who knew me to help. It was great! haha!!

My dad always reminds me..."they're only young once!"

These are the years I cherish. Seriously. Every moment...good...bad...unbelievable...hilarious...it's the best. I don't ever want to forget it.

K :)

It was Easter

2011-04-25T08:00:00.001-06:00

A couple more layouts to share :)

It's been a busy weekend around here with family, but it has been so much fun! My kids love being with their cousins and playing outside...it just couldn't get any better for them! I love long weekends and holidays mainly because of the traditions that we have. Friday morning was breakfast with my family, an easter egg hunt and dying easter eggs. The kids loved it!! Then it was home to relax for a bit before more cousins came to play. My brother-in-law and his family came up to spend a couple of days with us and it was good times :) We had a bar-b-que and hung out Friday night and then Saturday was full of playing, games, swimming, eating, and hanging out. With 4 families and almost 15 kids there is never a dull moment. Sunday was dinner with my sister-in-law and it was sooooo yummy!! My sister-in-law is THE BEST pie maker ever. Seriously...she really is. I remember one fall years and years ago I went to visit my two sister-in-laws while they made pies. I think they made over 80 pies that day and they had people already lined up asking to buy them. They are that good. So maybe I like the food more than anything on holidays...haha!!

The best part of the weekend had to be Ryker...(a little bit of sarcasm here). Friday night getting ready for bed I told him to go to the bathroom and then we'd get his jammies on. He quickly ran off and then came back to me and says in a sing song voice "I peed in the garbage!" with a little haha after. I looked at him and said "excuse me? You better not have." He quickly responded with "I didn't say anything!!" Sure enough he had. Boys. Don't ask me what he was thinking, but now everytime he goes to the bathroom he makes sure to tell me he went in the potty NOT the garbage. He keeps life very lively :)

And today I am tackling the closets. That's right...I am going to accomplish something around here. Our long weekend is over since Cody had to work today, but I'm hoping my sister is coming up this week. We really want to spend some time with them. She has the most beautiful girls! I just love them :)

K :)

cleaning and scraping and all that fun stuff!

2011-04-23T15:44:00.000-06:00

okay...

just sharing a recent layout i managed among all the sorting in my room. super simple...but some of my favorite pictures!

now onto the more important things...

spring cleaning is in the air around here. i really don't know what it is about spring that makes me want to purge and clean out EVERYTHING. okay, maybe i do know that it's the looonnnggg winters that get to me. there's just something about cleaning up. i took some time last week to remind myself once again about my goals for the year and realized how off track i've been. i'm not doing well. no excuses, but life really does get in the way sometimes...or maybe i let life get in the way. whatever the reason for not moving forward i'm ready to go at it again. along with 'spring cleaning' i had set a goal to clean out every closet in this house. this is a constant for me in my life since i always feel like i'm cleaning in these areas, but things pile up so quickly and it just has to get done. i've really been thinking about the importance of living with less and getting rid of things if i'm not using them. really if i haven't used it within the last year...or even couple of months i don't need it. i need to go through our towels and sheets and see what's in that closet.... uugghh. i secretly enjoy cleaning, but i'm not very good at sticking with it. i'll start something and start something else until i have 3 or 4 projects on the go.

soooo......

on the top of my list this week is working away on the closets around here. how nice would it be to look back at the end of the year and be able to say i accomplished that goal...not only once, but twice!! organize and organize again :) haha!!

the quilt goal is actually headed in a good direction. i recently ordered a bunch of material i now just need to get going on it. so that one is coming along.

the work out thing has not been happening. it's another one that is high on my list. i keep thinking that i'll start once the weather is a bit warmer, but i can't keep waiting around for that. haha! i have managed walks and jogging every so often and even crunches...sit ups...push ups...but there is no real routine. and that is key. I need to figure out how to make it a daily routine. so check back with me on this one ;)

the house projects are coming along. i've done good with this. i have a couple of items i need to just take some pictures of and then they are ready to share! i actually finished something really cute and started another....it's coming!

Project Life is good too. I need to catch up on some journaling, but i have it all ready to go. i'm on top of this one and it feels good!

okay...so the pictures of myself...umm...ya...not so good. i could improve here. i should set a goal to capture so many shots of myself or hand the camera off to someone else.... i can definitely improve.

study my scriptures. this is an important one and one that always can use improvement. one thing that i am really excited about is The Living Scriptures that my parents got my kids for Christmas. i really wanted these for my kids since i thought it would be a great tool in helping teach them the stories. my parents paid for the first few and then we paid for the rest, but i think they are totally worth it. we have watched them for family home evening or even just on a sunday night. they are great!

we are onto blogging.... this is a personal goal for me since i use my blog as a journal of my little families life. some months i seem to manage more posts than others, but right now it's hard to even post once a week...or once a month for that matter. haha! i know it's important though to be documenting and recording our life and so i really want to try harder on this one. there are so many funny things that the kids say and do...i just don't ever want to forget these precious moments.

and last on the list was taking time to read. i kind of told myself that if i could read one book a month i was doing good. some months have been good and then this month hasn't happened. it's not because i don't have anything to read either...it's just that i haven't felt like reading. it's staying lighter out now and i'm spending more time in the garage working on projects...haha! and when i read it takes over my life.

it feels good to take a look at each of my goals and think about them...look at where i can make improvements and feel good about where some of them are headed.

K :)

p.s. I have more layouts to share this week. thought i would break it up and maybe post a new one each day. so check back :)

A glimpse of our life!

2011-04-13T11:31:00.000-06:00

I have neglected the blog....

It seems like life has gotten busy and is quite all at the same time. I'm trying to think what we've been doing that keeps us sooooo busy, but there really hasn't been anything exciting (except our little trip to Kalispell with my sister and her kids...but that's a whole other post). Our days are filled with me trying to take pictures...

I'm doing my best at capturing our daily moments, but there are definitely days when the camera is the last thing I think about. I have gotten in the habit of keeping my little camera on the kitchen counter so I can snap pictures when I need to, but it's my slr camera that gets forgotten. I guess sometimes quality pictures come second if it means capturing the moment! haha!! I would keep my slr closer except that I have little boys who LOVE to play with it! They think that they get to use my camera whenever they want...and really it's my fault since I let them snap pictures with my little digital camera whenever...and take video clips with the "counting camera" as Ryker calls it. There have been some fun pictures that the boys have taken...and different perspectives too!

I'm doing my best at keeping our little family scheduled. This is what is working for us. I keep a little planner on the counter in the kitchen and make all kinds of notes in it. I'll write funny things the kids say...things we're doing...ideas...daily happenings...everything goes in here. It's been really helpful when I miss a day in my project life album. I can just flip back to the day and see what we were up to or what funny thing the boys did or said. It's working.

And...

my obsession lately.

This is our organic box from a couple of weeks ago. I can't say enough about this amazing service!! Every other week we get a delivery of fruits and vegetables...ALL organic! It's $50 and worth every penny. This past Friday our delivery came and that night we had eaten 3 oranges, almost all the blueberries and almost all the bananas. My kids LOVE it!! We are eating more fruits and vegetables and it's healthy! On the weekend before the delivery you log into your account to see what is in the box that week. If there are things you don't want or changes you want to make you have a certain time to do that...and then you can also add a bunch of different things...milk, eggs, bread, other fruit/vegetables, honey, mixes...all kinds of things. I try to think of meals I can do with our box so that we're using what we're getting. There is a lot of stuff.

This week we got...

Apples

oranges

lettuce

bananas

tomatoes

potatoes

zucchini

baby bok choy

blueberries

avocado

pineapple

carrots

mushrooms

pears

broccoli

yams

I don't think I forgot anything.

And it's all amazing!!!

But now it's back into my scrapbook room to get cleaning and organizing...ughh!! Anyone just wanna come take some of this stuff away???!! haha!!

K :)

Good Memories!

2011-03-27T21:06:00.000-06:00

I was cleaning off my computer the other day and came upon some pictures from last summer. A little trip we made to Calaway Park. I couldn't stop smiling as I looked through the pictures...mostly because I was remembering how much fun all the kids had together that day. The weather was a little overcast, but that meant it wasn't crowded! It was the perfect day.

Okay...maybe it didn't start out soooo perfect. Ryker tormented my niece the whole way down...seriously the whole way. He'd pull her hair and do anything to make her scream. It wasn't so fun. And then to top it off Cody had put the kids into the car without shoes! I just assumed that they were wearing shoes, so I didn't bother to throw any into the back. You can imagine how happy I was when we arrived!!! It was probably a good thing that Cody had stayed home...haha! In the little gift shop there was a knock off version of crocs...of course not in either of my kids shoe size, but I found some that worked. Thank goodness. The fun could finally begin!

We had fun :)

I think the only time I came here when I was a little kid was when I was about the same age as Ryker. I have pictures of me on these same boats (I'm assuming they're the same ones...?? or similar anyway)

And we ended the day with the fishing game...a prize for each of the kids...Chelsey.... :) Actually she was a pro at getting the red magnets which won you the bigger prize so all the kiddies wanted her to do the fishing.

This is definitely on our list of things to do this summer...day trip!! Maguire was barely 1 year old when we went last year...so this year will be so much more fun for him. And Ryker is already asking if he can go on all the rides after looking at all the pictures with me.

I know this weather has a lot do with it, but I am soooo completely excited for summer! I want to see the sun and feel the warmth. I want to walk through the grass and play at the park with the kids. I want to eat ice cream without thinking it's too cold outside for a cold treat.... And I want to be able to open my windows, not wear sweaters all day long and walk around in bare feet. Is that too much to ask for??? Maybe I'm feeling this was way too cause we've been sick non-stop the past 3 months. Ugghhh! I'm done. Somethings gotta change...lets hope it's the weather :)

K :)

rewards

2011-03-18T14:57:00.000-06:00

In life there are rewards...when you do something good, or accomplish something new. It's just how it is. We however have never been ones for charts and stickers and rewards. When it was time to potty train Ryker just caught on. and for anything else I never seemed to need it....UNTIL NOW. haha!

When he started to go to preschool in January every week when I picked him up he would be crying. And it was ALWAYS because he hadn't gotten his stamp at the end of the day. The teachers said to me one day "he just isn't getting it...that he has to be good to get a stamp! It's like something just isn't registering...." Well I could have gone into great detail what I thought about that...but I chose to respond by telling them that we don't parent that way and bite my tongue at that.

Now a few weeks later I decided that maybe we should try doing a little chart. It seems like we had too many expectations, but I wanted to focus on bedtime routine and Cody wanted to focus on having Ryker help clean up his toys. So we combined them into one. I knew that the preschool method wasn't working...he needed instant rewards. So he earned one sticker when he helped clean up his toys at the end of the day and got to put his sticker up right away. He loved it! And then he could earn another sticker for bedtime by staying in his bed. He actually did great! Some days were harder, but I tried not to be so sticky with the rules. If I felt that he made a great effort than he got a sticker. I didn't make it so black and white (which I can be sometimes...haha). Ryker is a child who has energy and sometimes has a hard time controlling himself. With bedtime we used to always lay with him which we have been working on and so he sometimes came out for "one more kiss!" We always would give him one chance, but if it was unreasonable than of course he didn't get the sticker.

And a chart couldn't be a chart without being a little bit cute! haha!! I just printed off the house of 3 calendar and let him stick his stickers wherever he wanted. It stayed on his bedroom door and then the reward...was the new Numbers Ahoy movie by Leap Frog. Ryker love love loves all these movies. So it was an easy reward. I knew he'd work hard to get it.

Today was the day he finally earned all his stickers!! He woke up so happy!! It was super cute listening to him express his excitement.

There was definite progress :)

They were yummy!!

2011-03-09T21:00:00.002-07:00

I was at anthro a few weeks ago and came across this book! If you remember this post from way back when I wanted to perfect the macaron...haha! Silly me...didn't know what I was getting myself into. But after purchasing my new book and following the recipe exactly, I made these...

They were soooooo yummy!! Now I just need to start experimenting with other flavors and colors. The possibilities are endless I tell ya!

And bonus...they're gluten free so the whole family can eat them! haha!

K :)

today we....

2011-03-07T23:37:00.000-07:00

cleaned the house...like completely cleaned. (the boys loved the fact that all the chairs from the kitchen were moved into the livingroom so i could sweep and mop the floor!)

opened the windows even though it is cold outside. we needed a little fresh air in here!

made 'muddy buddies' for our family home evening treat.

learned about our senses tonight by playing a blindfold game where ryker had to feel, taste, smell and listen to different things. huge hit! although he loves to peak :)

the boys tipped over cody's dresser...with maguire inside!! and when i say "boys" that usually means maguire! when i came running into the room all i could see was maguire's head poking out of the top drawer. thankfully it's just a three drawer dresser and he wasn't hurt!

found some time to be in my scrapbook room. one of these days i need to actually clean up my mess before starting a new mess.

and....

managed to sit and flip through this book. there are some cute crafty things that i just might attempt!

but now...I'm off to bed :)

love is carrying me through....

2011-03-03T15:22:00.001-07:00

I know I know...Valentine's day is over, but the way life has been going the past couple of weeks I just needed to do a quick post about a lot of love.

Shortly before Valentine's day I decided that I needed to make a cute little album for Cody. Who am I kidding though...it's really just something for me :). I was inspired by Maggie Holmes and her Valentine's Mini Album Inspire Guide. She always has great ideas and following the guide gave me the boost of inspiration I needed.

All the photos are from our photo shoot with Maggie back in November!

And with the inspire guide you get a template to print on a transparency. Well since I didn't have any transparencies I printed it right on some patterned paper and love how it turned out!

I almost made two more...one for each of my boys, but I ran out of time before Valentine's. I will though use this guide again for another occasion...or just because. I like putting together mini albums from supplies I already have!

And....

Between sick kids and being sick myself...unbelievable actions from little children and this weather I am going crazy. Yesterday was not a good day. I seriously broke down too many times. Once in awhile life just gets out of control and I just couldn't deal. While talking to my sister in law this morning I started to smell something weird. As I came downstairs I knew that I wasn't going to find something that would make me very happy and sure enough I found this....

well...really I found two little boys kneeling on the desk coloring away on my computer! Yup!! And this was taken after I had wiped away some of the marks on the screen. I held it together and told them both to get up to their rooms...I just couldn't deal with them in the moment and knew I had to keep control. I made a quick call to my parents and my dad was here within minutes! He is amazing. He managed to get all the felt off the actual screen, but all the marks on the computer won't come off. We have tried everything. Trust me. I used a magic eraser...nail polish remover...wd40...all kinds of other sprays and the only thing that worked on the screen was zep...that stuff you can buy at Home Depot. My dad left me with a bottle because you know I'll be needing it again...haha!! I love my dad!!

The day just seemed to continue on with problem after problem. And I was done. Cody came home and took over for me. I needed the break!!! I didn't even feel like going anywhere, so instead I cleaned in my scrapbook room. Just being in there helped take my mind off everything. Sooo therapeutic! I love my hubby!! He took the kids out and brought home dinner so I wouldn't have to worry about it...he's great that way :)

And my cute little kiddies...even when they do things that make me crazy I just can't help but love them so much!! Ryker kept kissing me last night and asking for hugs. How can you be mad at your kids when they are so sweet. If I listed all the crazy things these boys have done this week you would wonder how I am still alive, but I saw a quote this week that my friend had posted that said something like "They may forget what you said, but they will never forget how you made them feel." It really stuck with me. I always want my kids to know how much I completely love them.

I love all these guys in my life!!

K :)

There must be something missing.

2011-02-24T23:13:00.000-07:00

I don't know what it is about blogging, but I always feel like there should be a picture or something more for everyone to see rather than just my words. I don't know if I feel like my blog is just a little boring without it or what? But it's definitely one of the reasons I haven't been blogging much lately...there's just not much to show or share. Well maybe there is lots to share I just haven't gotten around to downloading the pictures to my computer yet.

This week has been one of those weeks that I'd like to rewind and do differently. If only we had control of those things. Unfortunately life just doesn't work that way so instead I woke up Sunday to a sick little boy...who had been sick everywhere! And so that is how the laundry began. Two days dealing with him and then my own fun began. I went to bed Monday night with a stomach ache and spent Tuesday in bed. The poor kids...or maybe I should say 'Lucky' boys got to watch a little too much t.v. and had full rein of the house. Maguire really enjoyed that part of the day. He's great at pulling things out of cupboards and dumping boxes. Really...I think he was loving it! haha!! The best part was that Cody came home early from work and cleaned up...took care of the kiddies...and let me sleep all afternoon. It's amazing what 3 hours of sleep can do. I love him!!!

Wednesday things were pretty much back to normal. The boys went to grandmas for a couple of hours while I worked away cleaning things up around here. There's still a lot to get done. I think I need to make a list and re-evaluate my goals for the year again. I get off track so easily. And with all this cold weather we have been spending most of our time at home...there are no excuses as to why things aren't getting done. Just no desire to do it. Does anyone else feel that way???

Ryker and I made a really yummy dinner last night from this cookbook (my favorite!)...Roasted Butternut Squash soup....yum!!! The other two boys weren't as excited about it and Ryker had a change of heart once there was a bowl of it in front of him, but I LOVED it! I'm always up for new recipes :)

And today we attempted swimming again with some friends! I will admit that I was a little bit nervous, but things went really good and I was completely in control as the mother. haha!! I might have brought a sucker for each of the boys as a little bribery.....whatever works, right?? haha!!

Tomorrow night we are planning a little family date night. Not sure what that's going to be yet, but it's fun to do things with the boys and make it a little special. I've been reading one of many parenting books the last couple of weeks and have really been seeing big improvements lately. I don't feel like the nagging mom anymore! Positive parenting is definitely the way to go....I feel more in control and feel like the expert on my children. I've been really trying to understand each of their little personalities and they way they each work...cause what works for one definitely doesn't work for the other. I've seen how our bedtime routine has really paid off...and how it can quickly fall apart when we don't follow through. I've seen how making rules allows for happier children...and how rules are sometimes meant to be broken. It's coming...it will never be perfect, but it's coming. Making some simple and difficult changes has really helped me to be more patient and look at things differently. I love my little family :)

Off to bed. Completely exhausted tonight.....

K

2011-02-14T07:00:00.001-07:00

Have a great Valentine's Day! I'll be spending mine with these cuties...showering them with lots and lots of love!

I'll share some fun things we did and made and decorated later :)

relieving some stress

2011-02-08T18:41:00.000-07:00

Tuesdays are my stressful days. I spend all morning getting Ryker pumped for his little preschool class and then I stress all afternoon about how he's doing. I never know what it will be like when I pick him up...okay I do. He's usually crying because he didn't get his stamps at the end of class. I've been working so hard with him, but it doesn't necessarily feel like we're making progress. I've been reading this book for the past couple of weeks and I love it. It's making a lot of sense. Ryker can be busy, but he is a great kid and I just love him sooooo much. He needs a lot of structure and is a happier kid when we stick to a routine. We have made an effort to stay on a bedtime schedule the past couple of weeks and that has really helped him. He's always wanting us to lay with him at night when he goes to sleep, but lately he's been going to bed so easily! It's great.

Today I had Cody pick Ryker up from school hoping that it might help him, but he ended up going into the class for the last 10 minutes cause he could hear Ryker crying. Apparently he was really good during class, but he wanted to keep making crafts after the teacher had put everything away. Part of the problem I think is personality. I definitely wouldn't call his teacher the most patient and loving person I've met and today she even told Cody that she's loud...loud does not mix well with Ryker. Yes, he can be a loud noisey kid, but he hates loud noise. At this point I'm just a little stumped with the issues at school since every week his teacher tells me a different problem. How can I help solve anything if she's always changing the problem.

My poor sister has listened to me talk about all this for hours. Seriously...it's on my mind constantly. I seem to eat sleep and breathe it. I get that way though when I'm dealing with things. And so when I'm not obsessing over it I'm scrapbooking!! It's the way I relieve my stress...and trust me the past couple of nights I've been in my room for hours. It feels good.

Some of my favorite products right now are....

Cosmo Cricket - Tiny Type Collection - Alphabet Cardstock Stickers - Turquoise
Scrapbook.com

Cosmo Cricket - Tiny Type Collection - Alphabet Cardstock Stickers - Yellow
Scrapbook.com

I love all these little alphabets!! Super cute!

Studio Calico - Elementary Collection - Fab Rips - Sticky Fabric Strips, BRAND NEW
Scrapbook.com

These fabric strips are super fun cause you can tear them up and do all kinds of things.

Pink Paislee - House of Three - Parisian Anthology Collection - Clear Acrylic Stamps
Scrapbook.com

I'm in love with these stamps! I don't get my stamps out nearly enough, but lately I'm attempting to use them more.

Sassafras Lass - Entwined Blooms - Turkish Turquoise, BRAND NEW
Scrapbook.com

I used every single one of these flowers on my recent layouts and I need more. Seriously I've always had a hard time with flowers, especially having boys...but I used them!! And Cody didn't even say anything about flowers on the boy layouts! Score!! haha!!

Okay...I could probably list a lot more, but I'll stop there. I'll have more to share soon! Every night once the kids are in bed I ignore everything else in the house and make my way down to my room. Gotta take my mind off things ;)

K

Major Scraplifting!

2011-02-04T14:17:00.002-07:00

Since I've done hardly any scrapbooking the past few weeks...months...and really year...I did some major scraplifting last night. I printed off a bunch of pictures from a photo shoot we had with Maggie Holmes back in November and thought I'd scrap a couple of them. I love her work...photography and scrapbooking!!!

You know how sometimes you really like a layout you did and then other times you don't??? Well I really liked this one. There were a couple other ones that I did, but I just wasn't liking them so much. They'll still be put into a page protector because they tell a story and document a picture, but I wasn't thinking they were so cute...haha!!

Sometimes it's just nice to get a few layouts done. :)

A little taste of our life!

2011-01-27T14:27:00.000-07:00

It just wouldn't be a blog post without a cute picture.... Look at that little face! I could just eat him up. This boy is busy. Loves playing cars. And absolutely loves his big brother. He's so cute...but what trouble too! Oh I just love him!

This week has been one of those weeks....

Monday I met my cousin and her cute little boy at the pool. It's not the first time I've taken the kids swimming by myself, but today definitely didn't go as smoothly as it usually does. Maguire was tired after an hour, so I decided to leave. Of course Ryker took off on me though when I was trying to get their life jackets hung up...and then once he was back sitting on the bench Maguire tried running off. At that point I was beyond done. We headed to the change room and I told the boys to go sit down while I was pulling our stuff out of the locker. Ryker took this as his opportunity to run again...and this time it was out into the front entrance...through the food court all the way to the children's play park. Thankfully there was a girl in the change room that offered to watch Maguire while I chased down Ryker in my bathing suit and wet hair! It was great! I think this could be my most embarrassing moment. I'm just glad I chose to wear my one piece...except that it's a halter top that ties around my neck and as we walked back to the change room Ryker untied it!! Thankfully it stayed up :)

you can laugh now....hahahahahaha!! I'm laughing!

Tuesday was playschool and actually went okay. We had a couple issues playing nicely with other kids, but overall things were good. He was crying however when I picked him up because his teacher only gave him one stamp...and he always wants two like the other kids! I'll have to figure that one out.

Wednesday it was raining here even though we have tons of snow! How crazy is it to be in the middle of winter with rain. The side roads were a nightmare and we had to be out of the house at a doctor's appointment. I stopped at my parents house and had to hold onto my mom's car to get up the driveway it was sooooo slippery!

And today feels like it should be Friday! Ever have those days? Or weeks??!

I'm already looking forward to the weekend. It can't come soon enough.

K :)

just because...

2011-01-20T22:10:00.000-07:00

i'm still waiting for my hubby to get home from work and i spend too much time on the computer in the meantime.

love this valentine display! i love reading this blog...fun ideas and her house it super cute!!

how cute are these little treats??? i'm imagining the top with a picture of my cute little boys! Martha always has great ideas!

fun treats always make their way into our celebrations...and these cookies are super cute!

i think i might have to make something like this to leave a little treat for the boys on valentine's day...i think it would make them happy!

and some cute scrappy inspiration by the talented jennifer johner. i need to do some scrapping...do i say that too much??? maybe cause it's always on my mind lately.

might need to do one of these for valentine's too! even though i used up a ton of the pics of cody and i there are still more. it could be like a v-day card/mini album.... i'm thinking it's a good idea!

her decorations were super cute too last year!

thinking i should start planning a few things with the boys for february or it will come and go and i'll regret that we did nothing....

k :)

evaluating

2011-01-14T15:22:00.000-07:00

So today I'm evaluating my goals. Every once in awhile it's a good thing...otherwise I forget completely about the things I've been wanting to improve on. It happens.

I'm doing good in some areas...like finding time to read. I finally finished reading little bee...which was a good read...and instead of looking through my pile of books to read under my bed I made a trip to Chapters Monday night. I love buying books. If only I could read as fast as I'm buying...haha!

Project Life is coming along...I'm just not very patient at getting my pictures in. I want it done now. But I have a year ahead of me. It's coming though. The album is all put together and I absolutely love it! I have it in our living room and keep flipping through the one week that is completed. :)

I've managed to get a few pictures of myself. As long as there are a couple it's an improvement from last year. haha!

Yesterday I finished a little table that I had started back in the summer. I'll have to share some pictures when it find a home :)

And the big area I need help in is the exercising. I'm having such a hard time fitting this into my schedule. I know the gym is out for me, but there has to be something I'm willing to spend time doing at home. Anyone that has workout equipment at home...is there something you think was worth spending money on? Like a treadmill or eliptical? I'm not sure I want to spend money on something like that, but I keep throwing the idea around. I kind of think I'd use it for the first month or two and then fall back into my routine of not doing anything. Okay. Maybe this week I need to evaluate my time and see where I can fit it in. I think I need to cut some laying around out and fill it with exercise. hmm....

Today the boys and I made cinnamon buns...gluten free style :) They are just getting ready to go in the oven and I'm hoping they taste good. I don't know why I keep attempting to bake gf when Cody doesn't seem to really like the result. haha! The boys and I always end up eating the baking and Cody won't touch it. I try. :)

I hear a little boy bouncing in his crib, so I should run get him before he pulls everything off the walls like yesterday! I just can't keep up with these boys...it's seriously been one of those weeks. That's a whole other post though.....

K :)

A solution for lots of pictures!

2011-01-04T22:09:00.001-07:00

Cody and I agreed this year that we weren't giving each other gifts. Instead we try to buy something we need for the house or do a project around the house...we like to keep it more about the kids, and it feels like we're buying the things we need during the year anyway. But one thing we always do is stockings! This year I had a pile of pictures of the two of us (from our anniversary shoot with Tal!) sitting on my scrapbook table. I kept trying to think of something to do with all of them cause there was probably a hundred or more pictures. haha! And when Cody left on a sledding trip in November I spent my nights making this album for him.

It was inspired by a heidi swapp class that I took last year in Montana, but this type of album is great for lots and lots of pictures. Especially when you have lots and lots of pictures of the same thing...like a trip, event or in this case...two people :)

The pages were all made by cutting 12 x 12 patterned paper in half and then cutting those strips into different lengths. No wasting paper that way! And since all my pictures were 4 x 6 I could easily just add them in without any other croping. It really didn't take long to put the album together.

The part that took the longest was adding in some journaling. I wrote little memories I had...or stories about us...or favorite things...which I want to still add more of and thankfully there is lots of room!!

Okay so this gives you an idea of what the pages are like.... This is actually 4 pages all layered on top of each other.

You can see how small some of the pages are...they are literally something like 3 x 6....

And then the back side of that little page....

I just grabbed a bunch of stuff from my scrapbook stash and started stapeling it onto pages here and there...and added some silhouette words on pictures and pages....

This is only a few of the pages...there are lots!

And Cody sat there Christmas morning and read through all the memories!!

K :)

p.s. Happy Birthday to my cute sister Chelsey!! Love you and hope you had a great day :)

it's a new year!

2011-01-01T23:04:00.000-07:00

A new year means so many things...a new start...new goals...new outlooks...new experiences...okay so a lot of 'new' things, but it's also a time to reflect. This past year seemed like it was busy. Full of exciting and good things. Of course some not so good things too, but overall it was a great year. I took a little time to look back at my goals from 2010 and I'm embarrassed to admit that in some areas I didn't do so well. And I have no excuses. It just didn't happen. It's okay though...it's a new year...a new start. My list this year seems long. I figure that if I just write everything down here then I can look at it as a "to-do" list that I can check off as things get down or are worked on. Some things can be accomplished quickly and then others are habits that need to be formed...not an easy fix or change, but will take time this year to work towards. Okay....I'll just begin the list (I'll warn you that it will be random, but it's for me, right?) :)

- Clean out every closet in the house...and I mean every closet. I feel like I'm always doing this, but it's something that needs to get done. If I was even more on top of things I would have cleaned out the coat closet before it snowed and realized that Maguire needed another winter hat and that Ryker could use a scarf. Instead I waited until after it had snowed a ton and was searching through baskets of winter stuff to figure out that we had unmatched mittens!

- I'm thinking of starting another quilt. This time I want to make one for the basement that we can snuggle under when we're watching t.v. Yes, we already have blankets and quilts down there, but it's time for something new. (and some of the blankets down there are just too small or not my favorite)

- I need to figure out a workout schedule. So this is a similar goal to last year, but I feel like I actually accomplished my goal from last year a little bit. I had said I wanted to get in better shape and I have...eating wise. After getting married and struggling a bit with some things and then having a baby I gained some weight. Common problem. But I was ready to do something about it. After one of my besties introduced me to this book I really started to figure out what works for me. I changed a lot of my eating habits (partially due to Cody) and the way I cook. Just by making some simple changes to the way I eat I have lost about 15 pounds! It's amazing what eating can do. I feel so much better and even so much more educated on nutrition. I have done no exercising though...and that needs to change. So that is why I am making this one of my goals. I'm not great at going to the gym, I'd actually prefer to figure something out that will work for me at home.

- I have some house projects to finish. Things in the garage that need to get done...these are decorating projects. We have a heated garage too, so there is no excuse on this one either. I just need to take a couple of nights and get it done.

- Project Life! After thinking about it a little I decided to just go ahead and do it. I think it will be soooo worth it. I'm acutally really excited about this!!

- Another creative goal I have is to take more pictures of myself this year! Not that I need pictures of me...but my kids need to see that I was there too. That I was a part of their lives. Cause the way it's going right now I'm the one that's always behind the camera. They'll have millions (literally) of themselves and of course pictures with their daddy...but when am I ever in the picture with them? Today I started by just taking a picture of me. Nothing exciting, but one day I'll look back and either think "I liked that haircut!" or "What was I thinking wearing that?" haha! But I need to have a few of those pictures thrown into the rest of the pictures of our lives.

- A more spiritual goal...really study my scriptures. Again this was a goal last year, but I need to always keep it as my goal because I'm striving to always improve in this area. There's reading...and then there's really studying. There's a difference.

- Of course I want to blog more. This is one of my main forms of journaling at the moment. It seems a little sad that this is sometimes the best it gets for me, but it's something.

- take more time to read. This is something that I love to do, but never seem to find the time. I've tried carrying a book around with me, but a few minutes here and there doesn't get me far. I have some good books that I'm dying to dig into, but just haven't found the time. I think I need a holiday so I can get some reading done...it's one of the only times I get to really read.

Okay...there's really way too many. I should just stop here. There's lots. And I'm okay with the list. I don't mind that the list is long...it's okay. I'm going to do my best.

I'm just excited for a new year!

K :)