Santa was good to us!

Merry Christmas everyone! We had a wonderful Christmas. Todd's sister Allison and her husband Keith spent the week with us and it was really good to have some family with us as I tend to get really homesick this time of year with my family all out west. Allison and Keith are expecting their first child at the end of July and we are just so giddy for them. She of course is very sick and tired all the time, but I just keep telling her it's a good thing that she's sick.. it means the baby is growing and developing as it should. I don't know how comforting it is to hear being sick all the time is good, but she is trying to get through it the best she can. They just left today and we were all sad to see them go, but life goes on, I guess. That's the thing about Christmas that I do hate. It takes so long to get everything ready and buy all the gifts and visit with friends and family, but when it finally arrives, it's over way too soon:(

My biggest gift (and favorite) that I got this year, was a new set of Calphalon pots and pans!!! I am just beside myself. These are top of the line pots and pans. Nothing sticks to these babies and I am loving cooking even more than before. :) Thanks to my mother-in-law who gave them to us. Love, love, love them!

ok..secondly, I have to thank Tiffani for her delectable cinnamon roll recipe that I made Christmas Eve! Everyone LOVED them and they were moist and yummy even the next day. I get all my yummy recipes and tips from Tiff. You rock my friend! :)

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and continues to have a prosperous and Happy New Year! :)

A Night in Bethlehem

Sunday night we had the opportunity to go through a live nativity at our church. They have a few acres that they set up "Bethlehem". So we took the kids and as we entered, we were greeted by 2 men dressed up like roman soldiers dressed.

Then we were given some coins and we made our way to the different shops that would have been around in that time. Then the there was a show that started every 30 minutes and the first segment we were all shuffled to sit and watch Mary and Joseph as they were traveling trying find room at the inn and the innkeepers would keep turning them away. I got so emotional. It was so real. I can only imagine what Mary must have been feeling leading up to the birth of the baby Jesus and having to be turned away by everyone. Then the next segment was of Mary and Joseph with their newborn and all the shepherds and wisemen visiting them. Mary sang a lullabye to the baby Jesus and it was really beautiful. I think I would have enjoyed it a little more if Jepson hadn't kept saying "Mom, I have to go potty".. "Mom, let's go home now"... "Mom, is that a goat?..mom, I want to pet the goat." EERRGGH! (yes, they even had live animals too!)

We were then ushered into the church building for some cookies and hot chocolate. When we got home, the kids said "That was FUN!" So amidst the frustration, everyone had a great time.

All is well

I just wanted to give an update. Breigh weathered the surgery well and is at home recuperating. She flipped out a little after the surgery was over with when she was in the recovery room. She wasn't awake enough from the drugs they gave her and she kept yelling "I want to go home now"...."Take me home NOW!" We had to re-assure her that they weren't going to be doing anything else to her and we promised we would take her home when she woke up a little bit more. But, she is almost back to normal as she has been yelling at her brother, so her throat is definitely getting better. Her voice is a little higher and it's funny to listen to her talk now. I wanted to cry the first time I heard her breathe. She can breathe through her nose when she sleeps, which she has never been able to do and the snoring is GONE! My baby can breathe now and it is such a good feeling!

Anyways...she made me laugh a little today. We were driving home from having lunch and she said "Mom, how come cows butts are shaped like hearts?" I never really thought about that before, but I guess they kind of are shaped like hearts....lol! From the mouth of a 7-year-old..too funny!

Tonsils...eeewww!

Early tomorrow morning, Breigh will be getting her tonsils out. She has really been struggling to breathe at night and so Todd and I were worried because she seems to be tired all the time and not getting enough sleep (or at least I'm blaming her outbursts and bad behavior on that anyways). Come to find out, her tonsils are 3 times the normal size they should be and they are so enlarged that they are touching! It is totally disgusting to look at inside her mouth. They are the size of two golf balls in the back of her throat! She is terrified of surgery, but she knows she will feel SO much better with them out.

So, tonite we are going to let her pick where she wants to go out and eat for her "last supper" since she will be only able to tolerate liquids and ice-cream for awhile. Wish us luck!

My Christmas Dishes

OK, I realize there's a pattern forming here with dishes... I don't know why, they're like purses and shoes for me..... I love to have lots of them. My mom calls me Imelda Marcos (apparently she has a fetish for shoes like me).

Here are my Christmas dishes and I am really happy with them! I got them online and wasn't sure how they would look upclose, but I really like them and they arrived without one crack or break, even better! They have found their happy place at my dining room table. The only problem is they only come in a set for 4 and there are 6 place settings at my table, but I think they're worth it!

Uneventful Thanksgiving...

Well, we had an uneventful Thanksgiving. It was just us and my mother-in-law, pretty small all and all, but we cooked a feast fit for 20, yet there were only 5 of us! You gotta love leftovers!:)

I wanted to put up the Christmas tree Thanksgiving night, but alas Todd said no. So I waited until the next day....tee-hee! As I was getting everything out, I realized that I need to replenish some of the ones that are falling apart, so no complete pictures yet, but I will post them up as soon as I get them and finish my runs to Target!

Merry Christmas to me!

I have been wanting this new dinnerware set from target for a few months now, but everytime I go to look at buying it, they are always completely out. So, I found it online and Todd gave me the go ahead to order it for myself for Christmas! Whoo-hoo! Aren't they adorable?!?

My sweet boy...

Friday I spent the afternoon taking Jepson to a doctor's appt, a pediatric neurologist to be exact. Driving 45 minutes to a not so nice part of town was not at the top of my "fun"things to do, but for my baby boy, how could I not.

His teachers at school mentioned to us that Jepson delays his response to questions that are asked him by 5-7 seconds. We have noticed this at home too, so we were a little concerned about this and with his history of being "developmentally delayed" since he was 3, we thought a neurological workup would be worth looking into.

So, he has to get an MRI with sedation, EEG and complete blood workup done. The doctor thinks he may have a audiological processing delay and ADD. Immediately, I had this knot at the bottom of my stomach am SO not looking forward to putting him through all of this. As scared as I am though, I am really interested to see what the results will show. I don't want him to struggle in school like I did and if he gets the help he needs, then it will be worth it.

The fun begins next month so I will keep you all updated!

In the spirit of giving

Since Thanksgiving is upon us, I was thinking of the little things I am thankful for. here are a few:

Fuzzy slippers. I love waking up on a cold morning and getting into my fuzzy, cozy pink slippers that Breigh gave me last year for Christmas.

My kids' uncontrollable laughter. It always makes me laugh when they just can't seem to stop and get that belly laugh going. Classic.

Fresh flowers. I love to stop and smell the roses, especially the ones I planted under a tree in my backyard. I love having fresh flowers in the house. It makes me feel so "Martha Stewart".

Good kids. Now granted, my kids are not perfect, but I have been told I have very good children and that just does a mother's heart good. I feel like I must be doing something right!

Pumpkin spice candles. What would I do without my pumpkin spice candles that makes my house a home. I love coming home to that smell, it just puts a big goofy smile on my face :)

I could go on and on, but these are just a few of my favorites!

We had great fun trick-or-treating this year, although we didn't actually get out of the house until around 8 (the kids bedtime), but we handed out all our candy until then and then made our rounds throughout the neighborhood. Jepson answered the door and passed out the candy while Breigh was getting her face painted. He was so funny. When the kids came to our door, a few of them would just open their bag for the candy to be dispensed in them and Jepson would say "say trick-or-treat!!!". I was cracking up. He loved everyones costumes and commented on each and every one. Here are our pics from the spooky night.



I love the look on her face, like a zombie!



Here's a closeup of her face. Pretty cool huh?!?!



Breigh was supergirl, but not just any supergirl. A supergirl dripping with blood and kryptonite all over her face. This was completely her own idea. When she told her friends about the kryptonite at school they had no idea what kryptonite was. She said "don't you people watch Smallville!" lol. I think Todd did an awesome job painting her face. It's one of my favorite Halloween traditions!



Spidey using his web. I can't count how many times I've been "webbed".



My Spidey-Man posing for me. Isn't he the cutest?!?!

I hope everyone had a fun night!

Funny Story

So, the other day Todd bought a Wii video game set with controls and games and such. We are going to surprise the kids for Christmas with the game so he was like a little kid opening up the package when it arrived. He decided that we needed to "try it out" before we wrap it up for Christmas. So early Saturday morning, we get the kids their breakfast and then go into our room, lock the door, and try out the Wii. Shortly afterwards, Breigh finished her br:akfast and she listened to what was going on just outside of our bedroom. She could hear the sounds from the video game coming from our room. This is how it played out:

BREIGH: "I wanna play!"
TODD: "You can't play it just yet, it's a surprise".
BREIGH: "But I wanna play too, pleeeeze!"
TODD (I could KILL him for saying this): "We're not dressed yet".
BREIGH: "Why are you guys dancing around naked?!?!?....... You can imagine my horror....lol!
ME: (hitting my husband)... "WHY DID YOU TELL HER THAT?!?!?"
BREIGH: You guys are kind of freakin' me out right now!

We were both on the floor rolling with laughter. Next time we'll have to find a better excuse! :)

SparkPeople

Well, here it is October and I was hoping to lose 10 lbs by now but I lost 6 and I really can't complain. A dear friend of mine who has inspired me (who she herself has lost 65 lbs!!! go Feather!) has directed me to a site which I LOVE and felt that I really needed to blog about it and share my new find with others.

www.sparkpeople.com is the best site I have found to help me to lose weight. It has meal plans, fitness and nutrition trackers for people to track their weight progress. And the best part it is... it's completely FREE! It has been very informative for me, so anyone who is trying to lose weight, give sparkpeople a try!

So I don't know what has gotten into me this year, but I have been bitten by the holiday bug early this year. Usually I wait until halfway through the month and the thought will go through my mind..."hmmm, I guess I should put up some decorations" and then the thought will quickly pass and before I know it, Halloween is over. But, the kids really live for this kind of stuff and so we had fun decorating halloween cupcakes the other day. It's amazing how fast those cupcakes went, some of which the frosting had mysteriously disappeared from the top of the cupcake...hmmmm.

Anyways, then last night for family home evening, I thought the kids would have fun decorating the house in cobwebs so we had fun putting our creativity to work! I think it looks pretty festive if I do say so myself. :)

My Spidey-Man

About 2 weeks ago, I decided to get the kids their Halloween costumes early because a)I don't sew (well besides curtains and table cloths) and b)I wanted to beat the rush of moms buying their kids' costumes. So I decided to get Jepson this spiderman costume. I don't know if you can tell, but it has built-in muscles so he looks all ripped in the chest. I wasn't sure how he would react to getting this costume, because he really wanted an "ironman" costume, but Target didn't have Ironman. When I brought it home, he not only liked it, but every day after school he would change and turn into spiderman and the following day he would become "Peter Parker" again when going to school. He has worn his costume so much that I am going to have to mend the 2 holes that are in it already. He has even gone so far as to tell me his name is not Jepson, it's "spidey." Silly boy! So I thought I would get "Spidey" in action and snapped a picture. More Halloween pics to come later:)

Hannah Montana Frenzy!

Ok... I'm a little embarrassed to admit this, but I LOVE Hannah Montana! I realize that I am 30 years old and most of her audience is geared for youngsters, but I have finally found a non-animated show that I actually enjoy watching with my 7-year-old daughter. Her songs are awesome and I think empower young girls to be their best self. "Nobody's Perfect" and "I've Got Nerve" just to name a few of my favs.

Well, to my delightment, I found out that Miley Cyrus (aka Hannah Montana) is coming to town in November and I thought I would surprise Breigh with tickets. So last Saturday I got on the phone the day tickets went on sale. Do you know the concert sold out in like 3 minutes! NOT FAIR! I guess that's way it goes. I'm just bummed :(

The Miracle Toddler Diet

My friend sent me this and I thought it so hilarious I just had to share. Those of you with toddlers or who have had toddlers can truly appreciate this!

Over the years you may have noticed that most two year olds are trim.
Now the formula to their success is available to all in this new diet...
The Miracle Toddler Diet.
(You may want to consult your doctor before trying this diet.
If not, you may be seeing him afterwards.) Good Luck !!!

DAY ONE
Breakfast: One scrambled egg, one piece of toast with grape jelly.
Eat 2 bites of egg, using your fingers; dump the rest on the floor.
Take 1 bite of toast, then smear the jelly over your face and clothes.

Lunch: Four crayons (any color), a handful of potato chips, and a
glass of milk (3 sips only, then spill the rest).

Dinner: A dry stick, two pennies and a nickel, 4 sips of flat Sprite.

Bedtime Snack: Throw a piece of toast on the kitchen floor.


DAY TWO

Breakfast: Pick up stale toast from kitchen floor and eat it.
Drink half bottle of vanilla extract or one vial of vegetable dye.
Lunch: Half tube of "Pulsating Pink" lipstick and a handful of
Purina Dog Chow (any flavor). One ice cube, if desired.
Afternoon Snack: Lick an all-day sucker until sticky, take outside,
drop in dirt. Retrieve and continue slurping until it is clean again.
Then bring inside and drop on rug.
Dinner: A rock or an uncooked bean, which should be thrust up your
left nostril. Pour Grape Kool-Aid over mashed potatoes; eat with spoon.
DAY THREE
Breakfast: Two pancakes with plenty of syrup, eat one with fingers,
rub in hair. Glass of milk; drink half, stuff other pancake in glass. After
breakfast, pick up yesterdays sucker from rug, lick off fuzz, put it on
the cushion of best chair.

Lunch: Three matches, peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Spit several
bites onto the floor. Pour glass of milk on table and slurp up.

Dinner: Dish of ice cream, handful of potato chips, some red punch.
Try to laugh some punch through your nose, if possible.

FINAL DAY
Breakfast: A quarter tube of toothpaste (any flavor), bit of soap, an
olive. Pour a glass of milk over bowl of cornflakes, add half a cup of
sugar. Once cereal is soggy, drink milk and feed cereal to dog.
Lunch: Eat bread crumbs off kitchen floor and dining room carpet.
Find that sucker and finish eating it.
Dinner: A glass of spaghetti and chocolate milk. Leave meatball on
plate. Stick of mascara for dessert.

What DORKS!!!!

Ok. I had an experience today that I just had to blog about. Being the artist that my husband is, he likes comic books and has been collecting them for years. I was a bit embarrassed of this when we met, but love him nonetheless :) He's been out of it for awhile and thought it would be fun to share his love for comic books with our children. So we meandered over to the comic book store with the kids and let them pick out two of their favorites. As I looked around, I could not believe what I was seeing. 30 and 40-year-old grown men playing "cards" with each other and arguing about which villians rock. OMG... could they BE bigger dorks?!?! I mean do they have nothing better to do with their time than hang out at the comic book store? And they wonder why they're single....lol. It just amazed me and opened my eyes to this new world. I actually had to go into a corner of the store and mask my snickering at them. I just couldn't help myself. Geez!

THIRD TIME'S A CHARM

So I joined Weight Watchers last night in a last ditch effort to lose this extra weight I have been hanging on to. Today was my first day and I have to say, I feel really good! The motivation is back and I am hoping to lose 10 pounds by October 1st. Wish me luck!

I did it

Ok.. here they are enjoy!

The Kid's First Day at School

Jepson


Breigh

No Pics

Ok, so I'm having technical difficulties and cannot figure out how to get my pictures posted up..but believe you me... I WILL! Bare with me :)

The First Day of School..

Last Monday was the first day of school for the kids and they were SO excited. Breigh was all dressed and ready before she even came down for breakfast. I remember being excited to see all my friends like that on the first day when I was a kid....those were the days! I tried to get some pictures of them coming off the bus, but they were too quick for me. So here they are.

Why is it SO HARD!!!

I have been trying to lose weight for the better part of the year. At one point I lost 15 pounds and now I have gained it all back!!! It is SO aggravating. I think my problem is lack of self control and self discipline. When we go out to eat, I justify getting what I want because it is a "special occasion" and end up gaining weight because of it. The problem is we go out quite often and I can't use that "special occasion" excuse any more. I'm so pathetic! Can anyone help?!?!

I just ordered YBB (Yoga Booty Ballet). I've heard good things about this DVD and hope this will get me on the right track again. :) I also got Shape Bikini Body Camp.... WHOO... is that a workout or what?! My goal is to get through the whole thing (I make it about half way through and then poop out). But each time I do it, I get a little bit further. Wish me luck!

Kiddie-isms...

My friend has a blog entited "Make Me Smile Monday" though I'm late, better late than never right?

JEPSON - I was thinking of putting Jepson in soccer or T-ball this year and I asked him "what do you want to play, soccor or t-ball? to which he replies "I would like to play X-box!" Oh the times, they are a changin! Little stinker.

BREIGH - Ok... I'm a terrible mom, I can't really think of any Breigh-isms. I really need to be writing them down as they happen, but I'm not that organized. Breigh is really overcoming her shyness and stepping outside of her little shell and I am very pleased about that. I am getting more and more comments like "wow, I never knew Breigh could talk so much"! Oh yes...welcome to my world. She is shy until you get to know her and then she just won't quit. I do remember one time we were riding in the car with my parents and Breigh was just talking up a storm and my dad leaned over and said "Is there an off button on you? and she says "no, but I got a belly button!". Classic! :)

I'm tagged

I was tagged so I'm delightfully participating. The object is to give 1 word answers... here goes!

Yourself: Cheerful


Your partner: Passionate


Your hair: Awesome!


Your mother: Faithful


Your father: Selfless


Your favorite item: Lipstick


Your dream last night: Family


Your favorite drink: Water


Your dream car: Mercedes


Dream home: Own


The room you are in: Bed


Your fear: Death


What you are great at: Listening


Where you want to be in 10 years: Family


Who you hung out with last night: Nicole


You're not: Tactful


One of your wish list items: Car


The last thing you did: Clean


You are wearing: Jammies


Your favorite weather: Sunny


Your favorite book: Potter


Last thing you ate: Quesadilla


Your life: Happy


Your mood: Calm


Your best friend: Todd


What are you thinking about right now: Tomorrow


Your car: Beetle


What are you doing at the moment: duh


Relationship status: Married


What is on your t.v: Spongebob


When is the last time you laughed: Last night.


I'm tagging Shannon, Kami and Allison.. happy blogging!

So, at the request and delight of my sister, I have simpsonized myself. Pretty good likeness eh?

ahh.. peace

So, here it is... my blog! I'm actually pretty excited about having one. I've really enjoyed reading everyone else's blog and can't wait to inundate everyone with my thoughts! :) This will be the test to see you actually reads this... ttfn!