Baby B

When we had our first glimpse of Quinn during an ultrasound, he was wiggling all around and kicking his brother in the head.  He was definitely a mover and a shaker.  He really hasn't stopped since. This little guy is a bundle of energy.  Quinny-Quinn....my Tookie-pie.  He is our little leader.  He loves to be in charge and he is the first one to jump right in (in most situations).  When I think of Quinn one word comes to mind....LOYAL!  He is loyal to his favorite things: Rocket (from Little Einsteins), Lightning McQueen, and his brother.  You will most likely see Quinn holding Rocket 24/7.   He takes him everywhere he goes. Sometimes you'll see him holding Rocket AND Lightning McQueen...his two favorites.  You will ALWAYS find him close to his brother.  Quinn loves Jace with all of his heart, which fills mine with such joy.  He has just recently started to really stick up for Jace.  Whenever friends or cousins start bossing Jace around, Quinn is quick to the rescue.  He will push and shove and yell just to defend his brother.  It's so cute.  He has always been Mommy's little man.  He loves to be sitting on my lap and always wants me to hold him and cuddle him.  It's funny that he is the more independent twin, but also the clingiest to mommy.  I'm trying to enjoy it while it lasts!!  This little guy makes the silliest faces when he's talking to you.  He's witty and fun. 

Quinn....you know just how to make me smile, buddy.

Mommy loves you SOOOOOOO  much!!!

Wordless Wednesday

Baby A

There is something about this little man that just melts my heart.  Actually, there are LOTS of things about him.  My first son, Baby A.  Once we found out he was a boy, we knew his name would be Jace Matthew.  It's the perfect name for this guy.  He stole my heart from the beginning.  Quiet, content, mellow: that's how I knew him while he was in my tummy.  In the past two years his personality has blossomed.  He's still quiet, content, and mellow.  He is also funny.  He seriously cracks me up.  He loves to make other people laugh.  He has the most tender heart.  He doesn't want to hurt anyone.  He's rarely ever aggressive.  Jace is a cuddle monster.  He's dramatic.  He makes more faces than I knew he could.  He loves the color red. 

Lately, he really likes his picture taken.  He usually gives me a really cheesy grin, but sometimes I get his smile that I love.  Oh Jace man!!

You make my days brighter buddy!!

Mommy loves you!

KA-CHOW!!

The boys got their first set of wheels this weekend.  They were too big for the trainer bikes (their knees just about hit the handle bars) so we opted for Lightning McQueen 12" big boy bikes!!!  They look so big on them.  Now we just have to teach these boys how to peddle!!  It took Mackenzi until she was pushing 4 to learn....let's hope they 'get it' sooner than that!!! 

"Faster than fast, quicker than quick....WE are speed!!"

Spoiled...Rotten!

Spoiled....that's me!

Spoiled rotten....yup, that's me too!!

Not only do I get to take an amazing trip to the Bahamas for my 30th birthday (we leave in one week!)...I also got an early birthday present from my amazing hubs!  He surprised me with a gift a couple of nights ago (my birthday isn't for 3 weeks!).  I unwrapped it and was super duper excited.  I got a fancy new camera...a Canon Rebel T1i to be exact. 

 I used to have a Canon Rebel xti.  He gave that to me for my birthday just after Mackenzi was born.  A couple of years ago, it fell out of the back of my SUV while Matt was loading up Christmas presents on Christmas day.  What a sad, sad day.  My selfless Mom let me use hers for awhile, but after a year I thought I should really give it back.  Then we got a small Canon Power Shot...I was glad to have a camera, but I was really disappointed with the quality. 

Needless to say I was THRILLED to see that I had my very own fancy camera again.  A camera that I could play around with, my brand new toy.  A camera that I can take some pictures that I can actually be proud of.  A camera that I will capture my family's memories with for (hopefully) a long, long time. 

A Recipe for Fun

Homemade Play Dough:

1-cup flour

1/4 cup salt

1-tsp. cream of tartar

1 tsp. vegetable oil

desired food coloring

1-cup water

Mix together in a medium pan: flour, salt, cream of tartar.  Add water, food coloring, and oil.  Stir over medium heat for 3-5 minutes ( mixture will be a messy glob).  Stir until it forms a ball.  Turn out on a floured surface and knead for 10 minutes.  Store in a plastic bag.

Of course it helps when you have a little one who loves to bake, loves to help, and LOVES play dough!!

The kids had so much fun playing with play dough.  I have to admit, it's been a LONG time since they've played with play dough at home because I hate it they used to eat it.  We sat at the table and played for over an hour!!!  They had such a good time!!!! (Please excuse Jace's crazy smile...that's his new cheese face.)

It was so easy to make that I think we are going to make lots of it and package it real cute to give it to Kenzi's classmates.  So fun!!! 

Now go, get out your ingredients and make some for yourself!!!

A Little Sass

When I got my passport in the mail yesterday I got an idea....wouldn't it be fun to have a cute passport case to go along with it?!?  So I started looking on ETSY.  There are some dang cute ones out there.  Then I got another bright idea....why don't I just try to make one myself?!  So that's just what I did.  Instead of making a passport cover, I decided to make a holder that will hold Matt's passport and mine!  Here it is. 

Before you look at it, just know that I am NOT a seamstress.  I have only sewn a hand full of items, and usually my mom is over my shoulder telling me EXACTLY what to do.  This was 100% me!  Not so perfect, not so straight, but sassy none the less!!

I love my sassy little case!!!

Tutorial was found here!

Good to Go!!!

My passport came in the mail today.  Still a little bitter about it.  I've actually had a passport since 2003.  I went on a family vacation with the Rogina family right out of college.  Matt and I had been dating a mere 6 months and they invited me to go to Fiji with them.  I had a fancy stamp saying Fiji in my passport book.  I got another stamp in my passport when I traveled with the fam again to Cancun, where Matt proposed to me.  I had one more stamp in my passport from our honeymoon to Jamaica.  Three fancy stamps. They were kind of like a permanent record of some of my big events with Matt...our first vaca, the proposal, the honeymoon.  About a week and a half ago, a ugly thought crossed my mind.  "Holy COW, my passport still says my maiden name!".  I called the U.S. Passport services and asked them if it would work to travel to the Bahamas if I brought my marriage certificate showing my name change and my current ID along with my passport?  She said, "Well, how long has it been since you've gotten married ma'am".  I kind of cringed and said, "Um, 5 years....".  She then told me it may or may not work.  I needed to call my airlines and the US Embassy for the Bahamas to verify if it would indeed work.  We didn't want to take any chances so we just changed my info and got a new passport.  Because we were three weeks away from our trip when I applied for the new passport, I need to expedite the services and overnight the shipping there and back.  It cost me double to pay for all that.  UGH!  I don't know why I didn't think of this sooner.  I mean, HELLLLOOOO!!!, our trip has been planned and paid for since last March!  UGH!

So my new passport arrived in the mail today.  My picture in it looks WAY better, but I have no fancy stamps.  No Fiji, no Cancun, no Jamaica......soon I will have the Bahamas, but it'll be so lonely!  My passport no longer will match my hubby's!  I don't know what makes me more sad....the fact that those fancy stamps are gone or the fact that I had to spend $222.00 to finally get my named changed on it in time for our trip! One thing is for sure, soon I will be relaxing on Paradise Island!!!  And THAT my friends, makes me super happy!!!

Another Birthday Bash!

We went to the beach this weekend to celebrate our friend Dusty's 30th birthday.  The weather was BEAUTIFUL, a bit chilly, but beautiful!!!  The kids had lots of fun digging in the sand, chasing birds, and playing with their friends.  We got to visit with some friends that we haven't seen in awhile.  It was so nice to catch up!!  Here are some pics from our day!

Oh So Crafty!

Last Saturday, I invited a few people over to work on some  Halloween crafts with me.  10 girls, 6 hours, no kids...yep, we had a lot of fun creating some Halloween decorations!  Here are the finished products....

Aren't they cute?!?  Can't wait until October first to put them out!!!

BCF!

I bet you're asking yourself "what's BCF?".....Well, I'll tell ya. 

BEST COUSINS FOREVER!!!

Nothing beats a cousin, especially when they are so close in age (8 months to be exact).  These two love to hang out together, play Barbies together, color together, sing and dance together, giggle together and make funny faces together!!

Kelsea got to hang out with us for the night and we couldn't have been happier because nothing beats a cousin!!

Gimpy Hurley

Last Saturday, Matt and our friend Dusty had an idea to ride their bikes and cruise to Matt's parents house. Then they had an even better idea to let the dogs go too....it is about 4 miles to their house.  Emily and I met them there with the kids to swim a bit. On our way there, I pulled over once we caught up to them to  try to get the dogs and drive them there, but the boys insisted that they were just fine!!  Hurley had a great time, she was happy and frisky.  They stopped for awhile to let the dogs rest and fill up on water.  The next day, poor Hurley couldn't even walk.  Her body was obviously tired and she was hopping around.  She wouldn't put her right front paw down on the ground.  I looked at it yesterday and she had licked it raw in between her two pads and it was a little bloody.  I didn't want her licking it anymore and I really didn't want blood everywhere so we put some of Mackenzi's socks on it.  Poor gimp!!  She's doing much better today.  I took the sock off and she's walking on it again!! Hopefully she'll be back to normal in no time at all!!!

Success!

After many days, weeks, months, maybe even a year of hearing Mackenzi whine she finally did it!  She finally figured out how to climb up Nana and Boppa's climbing tree!  Nana has a rule about the climbing tree, you can only climb it if you can do it without ANY help from others!!  Mackenzi would whine and cry because her cousins Braeden and Kelsea would climb the tree and she couldn't.  Well, last Monday was the day, she finally figured out how to use the pirate ship to climb into the tree with her cousins!!

And she was SO proud of herself!!!

Busy, Busy, Busy

Man, I sure have neglected this blog lately.  We have been very busy lately!  Matt's been busy working, I've been busy getting back into the swing of school days, Mackenzi has been busy playing Barbies, and the boys...well, they've just been BUSY!
    I thought I would write a bit to fill you all in on what's been happening around here lately!  (Kinda boring, but whatever!).  I'm having a few people over on Saturday morning to work on some Halloween crafts!  My mom, sister, and I have worked up three super cute crafts (I'll share pictures next week) that we will all be making.  The weird weather lately (scorching hot, then super cool days) has made me feel like bring out my fall decor.  I finally gave in today and brought it all out.  I'll share pictures soon.  Reds, oranges, and browns decorate my downstairs...and I love it!!!
     We have had a trip planned to celebrate my birthday for awhile now.  We are quickly approaching our departure date and we are SO excited.  We had planned (and booked) an all inclusive hotel in Cancun, but those plans got cancelled when our airline went out of business.  We had to re-book and decided to go to the Bahamas instead!  I've never been to the Bahamas, so I'm SUPER excited!!!  The grandparents are already set up for babysitting while Matt and I travel with four of our friends to enjoy ourselves!!! We've been busy getting things ready and making sure all of our ducks are in a row!!!  Just a couple more weeks and I will be enjoying the sun, sand, and warm waters of the Caribbean!!!  AHHHHHHHHHHH!!!
    We spent Labor Day weekend hanging out with friends and family.  On Saturday, we went to our friend's son's birthday party.  The kids got to enjoy the HOT weather by splashing in the kiddie pool, zooming down an inflatable slide, and playing on the swing set!  Sunday, we went to Matt's parents house to enjoy the pool and ended the day at our friends house enjoying their company!!!  Monday, we went to my parents house for some relaxation!  We hung out, played cards, and enjoyed their beautiful backyard and cooler weather! 
    I'm crossing my fingers that I'll keep up on my blog over the next couple of weeks....we have  LOT going on!!! Stay tuned....and enjoy the changing of the seasons!! :)

School Days

Mackenzi started preschool today.  She has been waiting for this day all summer long.  She absolutely loved school last year and was so eager to go back.  Yesterday we picked out the perfect outfit to match her new 'Twinkle Toes" shoes that Nana and Boppa bought her.  Last night she and daddy took a trip to buy some school supplies to fill up her big girl backpack.  She was so excited last night that she didn't want to go to sleep.  She woke up bright and early with a big smile on her face and said, "TODAY'S THE DAY" right as she came downstairs.

She was so excited to see some of her friends that were in her class last year.  She did so well today.  She met her new teacher, put her backpack away, and said goodbye to us with ease.  When I picked her up, she said she had a great day.  Her two favorite things from the day: 1.) seeing her friends and 2.) doing crafts!  Go figure!!!  I am so proud of my big pre-k girl!!!