Life as A Wilson

Thanksgiving 2011

2012-01-28T21:15:00.001-08:00

Thanksgiving 2011 was at my parent's home with Aaron and Leigh Anne, my parents, my brother and our clan.... sooo thankful for my family! My sister and Christopher alternate Thanksgiving and Christmas between Arizona and Georgia with Christopher's family... so they will be joining us for Christmas this year!

"Daniel, Smile for mommy!"

"Okay, not a silly smile... "

The Princess...

So, my mom is an an amazing Grandma... so much so that Katelyn prefers her over me any day or any time.... ALWAYS! Katelyn screams, cries and everything else when my mom leaves, etc. As soon as she sees my mom she twists herself out of my arms and runs to Grandma and throws herself at her... it is very funny! She loves my dad but just to give a hug to and say Hi then she wants Grandma and she will get really mad at whoever is trying to hold her back!

My mom has lots of picture frames on her fireplace and this is one of Katelyn's favorite places in their whole house... she pulls herself on to one of these ottomons and she names every person in the picture... some people really puzzle her because she has no idea who they are or she sees some family pictures that are before her time here on earth and she wants to know where she is:) She is also confused by Daniel's baby pictures:) Daniel just now understands why he is not in our wedding pictures... that has bothered him FOREVER!

Above is her "posing" again:)

When this girl is tired... it is sippy cup, silky and thumb!

The next day... BLACK FRIDAY... has to be one of my favorite days of the entire year! It is the day we decorate for Christmas... this has been a tradition in my house forever and I love it! If you know me, I LOVE traditions so "Black Friday" shopping sounds fun because I love a bargain but it would totally cramp my tradition! I totally wouldn't have enough time or energy to work on getting our house festive! A few years ago, Brendon read me a blog about someone whose wife has a storage unit for their Christmas decorations alone and hires a team of decorators the weekend after Thanksgiving to help her decorate for Christmas... at the time he read it to me, it sounded excessive and crazy.... for some reason, I thought about that blog post a lot this year and kept thinking that doesn't sounds so crazy after all! I kind of think I like that idea... LOL!
So, these were my two precious kiddos in their Santa hats helping me decorate... although it looks like they were taking a lunch break:)

Sometimes we have special nights with Daniel where we put Katelyn to bed and let him stay up with us and do something special... this night he wanted me to make him Hot Chocolate in his special cup (the mug Brendon had growing up as a child) and play Candyland... in his Christmas jammies!

Parent's 35th Wedding Anniversary and Park

2012-01-28T20:27:00.000-08:00

We hosted a very small dinner at our home for my parent's 35th wedding anniversary...

Very informal (Chili Dinner), quaint (just the staff), intimate... fun...

Katelyn had her booster flu shot:( The girl hates shots... meaning she cries. Daniel doesn't cry... he hasn't cried in a very long time for a shot... thankfully they love THE amazing Dr. Jones! Come to think of it... he doesn't give the shots so maybe that is why they love him so much:)

Then we played with bubbles... I found these bubble wands in the Target Dollar Bin and thought that would be a fun Fall afternoon activity!

This is Katelyn's smile/ pose when you tell her to smile and look at you so you can take her picture... LOL!

Wednesday we had a park play date with my friends Kattia and Leah and their kiddos!
I know I have said it before, but this girl is FEARLESS! She has completely mastered the playground... until yesterday when she decided that she would climb to the top of the largest slide at the entire, HUGE playground we were at and go head first down... smash her face into the wood chips and get a huge bloody nose... ughhh:( Again, my two kiddos are completely opposite... Daniel has never had a bloody nose to date... you can barely bump Katelyn's nose and she gets a bloody nose... totally freaked me out at first!

Partay!

2012-01-22T20:43:00.000-08:00

The weekend after I got back from South Florida was full of parties! Saturday was Sasha's 1st Birthday at Little Gym. We actually let Daniel spend the evening with my parents so we could take Katelyn alone to this birthday party. With a second child, there is always older brother around so we thought this would be a great opportunity to just spend with her:)

So, Sasha's parents and I went to the same college although we never knew each other there... probably because I was getting my undergrad degree and they were getting their Masters... now her daddy is finishing up his doctorate! We think she has some really awesome parents:)

Jumping fun!

I love Katelyn's outfit and she gets so many compliments on it... my sister got it in Ireland when she was there! My sister and her husband are going to Italy for 3 weeks in April so I wonder what goodies we will get from there... hehehe!

Please notice that Katelyn picked out a Big Bird hat because at this time, she was obsessed with him... she had a book that had Big Bird in it and she would take the book and kiss the book over and over because she loved Big Bird SO much... NOW, it is the one and only Elmo! How does this red monster win the heart of almost every toddler in America!

Check out this fabulous cake!

Don't worry about Daniel because he had one to go to on Sunday! It was at the McCormick-Stillman Railroad Park for his friend Kai!

Daniel and Kai have known each other since newborns... we met at a breastfeeding support group! LOL! I am sure these boys will love hearing that story when they are older!

Sunday was also my parents 35th wedding anniversary... we had a party at our house on Monday night... pics coming soon!

SOUTH FLORIDA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2012-01-21T22:21:00.000-08:00

I had so been looking forward to this trip forever! Every year we make it a point to see each other... ideally more than once a year! Sara Grace's in-laws have a beautiful place in South Florida and we decided that this would be a GREAT place to meet this year! So, for 6 days and 5 nights it was JUST me and her and it was perfect!!!!

We went to the beach... I think almost every day that we were there!

We worked out together... long walks... just like our college days!

We also did SHOPPING... woot! woot!

Of course, we hit up all the fabulous lunch and dinner spots that South Florida has to offer!

We read, laid by the pool, watched movies together, laughed, talked, and tried not to shed too many tears for the "Good Bye!" We both turned 30 this year and we celebrated 11 years of friendship.... deep, rich friendship!

November

2012-01-21T21:55:00.000-08:00

So, the day after Halloween, these two were pooped!!! They had an early night with a short movie and popcorn... have I mentioned how obsessed these two are with each other? One of our friends said to us the other day that they don't think Daniel will ever let Katelyn get married and I couldn't agree more:)

Reality hit me this week that Christmas was right around the corner because there is a group of us girls that attend a Holiday Boutique every year and it was this week! I couldn't believe it... time to start thinking about Christmas!

Saturday was a special day to celebrate Tanya's precious angel that was about to be born and Susan was also sneaking in some cuddles from Michella's brand new baby boy!

That evening we went over to the Douglas' house for dinner... after a long week and weekend, this was Katelyn for Sunday afternoon lunch:)
I also had a very busy week because I was preparing to go on a 6 day trip to West Palm Beach to visit my bestie from college!

Halloween 2011

2012-01-21T21:21:00.000-08:00

Well, we have celebrated Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years, and about to celebrate Valentine's Day but I am just now blogging about Halloween:) LOL!!!!

So, we have started a little tradition on Halloween that I LOVE a few years ago. We invite our neighbors over for a potluck dinner and we set it up on our front drive way... the most amazing food ever! I make chili, Gretchen makes the most delicious pulled pork ever, Andi makes a chili and we all do a desert too... then everyone else brings other sides, etc! It is almost better than Thanksgiving Dinner:) Also, it is kind of a huge party because everyone is allowed to invite anyone... so we invited our friends from another neighborhood that we hardly ever see anymore, Gretchen invited some neighbors that live a few streets over and they had met at the school bus stop... you get the picture... it is just a total blast!

We block off the street and the kids just go crazy... ride their bikes, run around and enjoy hanging out with each other...

Our Friends... The Santner Family

Mike, Gretchen, Rianne, and...

their brand new baby DYLAN!

My family

I didn't get pictures of everyone because it is kind of hectic with all of the kids running around... then when it gets dark, we go trick or treating! It is more like the army brigade goes trick or treating because we totally show up like the SWAT team... all 10,000 kids at one time demanding candy! It was CRAZY.... completely crazy fun! I am so bummed because I didn't take my camera with me when we went walking:( I am not sure if the economy is in a state of recovery or if our neighborhood was just in the spirit but Halloween this year was crazy amazing... there were multiple homes that had complete haunted houses set up, one had hired actors for this whole shin dig, several had complete light shows and music timed to the lights... it was A.M.A.Z.I.N.G.

But when the clock strikes 7, we have a little one that demands her crib! So, we put her down and the party continued...

After trick or treating, we come back and set up fire pits in the front driveway... roast marshmallows, talk until late and let the kids dig into their candy treasure... it is a completely magical night!

October 24 - 30

2012-01-20T22:04:00.000-08:00

Well, this week was a very, long week and a blurry one at that! Our church hosted a HUGE conference this week where people flew in from all over the country/ world for this conference... my kids were total rockstars! There were some amazing people who volunteered to watch them and they were in the kid center from very early in the morning until very late at night...

We would take a few breaks during the day to come home during the conference so they weren't there for 12+ hours straight... but one of those breaks at home looked like this for my exhausted boy:)

The conference ended on a Wednesday and Thursday morning... Daniel had a field trip to the Superstition Dairy Farm which I love going to as well!

They get fresh, flavored milk and ice cream too!

Friday's are daddy's special day with the kiddos while I go to the church to work and I found this picture on his phone:)

On Saturday, our neighbor who works for Intel had received tickets to ASU's Homecoming game but he couldn't make it so he wanted to know if we wanted them... heck, yeah!

We got to sit in a really nice suite with free dinner, drinks, snacks... even freshly baked cookies at half time... mmmmmm!!!!

My favorite part of the game... the marching band and half time show!

Sunday morning at church all the kids were encouraged to dress up in their costume... they asked that they dress up as a character from the Bible... so, Luke was a doctor and that was what Daniel dressed up as:) I think he makes a super cute doc!

That evening... Daniel had a FIRST! He was invited to his FIRST drop off birthday party! It was very bittersweet! He loved it... it was mostly friends from his pre-school so they all knew each other really well and I know the mom and completely trust her so I had no problem dropping him off! I can't believe my little boy is growing up so quickly!

Back to School!

2012-01-20T21:44:00.000-08:00

Monday we went to the zoo with some friends from church!

Monday evening I brought dinner to my friend Michella and her family as they just welcomed their 3rd baby who is this beautiful baby boy!

The rest of the week was filled with in-home educator appointments, Katelyn's 18 month well doctor visit and the normal grind...

Brendon watches the kiddos on Friday's while I work... he took the kids to the park and sent this picture to me:)

If I were to say what Katelyn's favorite toys are, it would have to be her babies and her books!

Fall Break - Week 2

2012-01-20T21:07:00.000-08:00

This week we went to the pumpkin patch (already posted about that) but when we came home, we had a lot of fun playing!

Katelyn LLLLOOOOVVVVEEESSS Max... she treats him like the biggest stuffed animal she has ever had... they cuddle all the time. However, she is like this with all dogs.... so, today when she plunged herself on the back of an American Pit Bull at the park, I had a slight heart attack!

Of course, this girl Looooovvvvesss her babies too! She even had her diaper bag all packed in this picture:)

... and she goes crazy jumping and spinning on this zebra!

When Mommy and Daddy are on a strict diet, guess who else gets put on a raw/ natural diet? Our Kids! Thankfully, they love healthy foods:)

Thursday, Paulina and I took the kiddos to Artville....

Katelyn loved this giant light bright board!

The famous piano

One of Daniel's besties is Zander... and almost every Sunday Zander comes over to our house after church or Daniel goes to Zander's house after church... it has become their ritual:)

Fall Break - Week 1

2012-01-20T20:42:00.000-08:00

Wednesday we went to the zoo with some of our friends! They fed the giraffes...

Daddy took the below pics on his phone because he thinks she is sooo cute as a "little mommy" to her babies!

Saturday was Eli and Reese's Birthday Party!

Saturday night was my brother-in-law Aaron's Birthday Party... let me just tell you how much it sucks to go to birthday parties and be on a strict diet... ughhh! The only thing that I really missed was sweets and coffee!

Sunday was Natalie's 1st Birthday Party!

Going Back in Time

2012-01-20T20:19:00.000-08:00

So, I am just a bad blogger:(

But I love using this Blog to document my kids and our family's life...

I just found some more pictures from my phone...

Our baby on her way to her 1st Family Vacation:)

When we got back from our "Family" vacation, my parents watched the kiddos one evening so we could have a date night... I was on a very strict diet at this time for my joint pain so we chose Pita Jungle for dinner... I LOVE THIS PLACE! It has got to be one of the most eclectic group of people EVER... if you are into people watching, then this would be your place! Like, check out our waiter in a sequence jacket and shorts... LOL!

I went on a 21 day diet where I could only eat vegetables, fruit, beans, nuts and seeds... this was to see if there was anything in my diet that might be causing my joint pain. Unfortunately, my joint pain did not go away but I felt amazing! My sweet husband actually did the diet with me and he felt great too so we have actually gone to a much more clean diet since this... we actually eat vegetarian meals several times a week!

That Saturday after our vacation... the kids had a birthday party to go to that was on the other side of Phoenix... so, as I was getting ready, just got out of the shower.... I decided to go print out directions to the party and as I pulled up the invitation, I realized I had the time totally wrong... we had missed the party:( I felt terrrible! I knew Daniel was going to be devastated so I quickly came up with Plan B... invite one of his bestie's over... our neighbor Rianne!

What is crazy about this is that this was on OCTOBER 1st!
This is why I looovvveee living in Phoenix!!!!

My sweet baby who decided that the picnic table was going to become her sand table:)

Kids all dressed up for church on Sunday!

Food for THE SOUL!

2011-12-30T13:39:00.000-08:00

If you follow my blog... I am not sure if anyone follows my blog anymore because there haven't been any posts to follow...hehehe!

Anyway... one of my favorite bloggers is Kelle Hampton... she posted some really good things on her last post... things I want to reflect back on, so here they are:

...there is a part of me that recognizes the importance of being broken, of never knowing too much, of being so vulnerable that the possibility for transformation is breathtakingly real. I don't ever want to lose that-

It was her birthday yesterday so here are some things that she has learned... at least my favorite ones she listed:

4. There is nothing so time critical that you can't stop for ten minutes and play with your kids.

5. You can never ever say "I love you" too much.

6. I've learned not to push away uncomfortable feelings. Embrace them. Learn from them.

8. Find things that make you happy. Do them.

9. I like to travel. But I like coming home just as much.

11. It's okay to define the kind of mom you are as you go along. And it might look different than everyone else's definition.

12. Keep learning. Push yourself. Ask questions. Read books. Google topics. Try something new.

13. Family is everything. Family is everything. Family is everything.

14. Friendships get better with age. Every year, I sink into friendships a little more comfortably. I love my friends. I need them.

15. Admit your faults and embrace them. Never give up on changing, and be patient with the time it takes.

16. I've learned there are so many ways to be grateful and to express it.

Vertuccio Farms

2011-11-27T18:21:00.000-08:00

We joined our friends Kim and Nina at Vertuccio Farms this year for a morning of fun! There is nothing like pictures of kids in a pumpkin patch... we took these last and Nina and her kids had to leave early as she had just had her wisdom teeth pulled and was needing to pop a few pain tablets:)

Daniel loves the "milk can" train ride:)

Katelyn and her girlfriend Keira:)

Katelyn our "Thumb Sucker" and "Silky" loving baby! We totally lost this silky at the pumpkin patch... at least that is the last place I remember seeing it. However, Katelyn has another one so we guard our last one very carefully:)

They had this huge bounce thing... we had so much fun!

I totally burned my calories for the day playing with the kids on all the fun toys!

Kim and I got on these bounce horses too... LOL!

The farm had a little playground and lots of animals too!

There was a little drama as Daniel was on these go karts and within seconds, he got hit by one and was about to be ran over but I ran in the middle of the track screaming like a complete crazy woman to get the kids attention that my son's head was about to be under his go kart and he barely stopped before it crushed Daniel's head! Kim had her cell phone in her hand getting ready to call 911 as she knew he had broken bone(s) but fortunately, he was just crying because he was very scared. Come to find out that the little boy who was driving the Go Kart was autistic and his mother was not watching him... it was very scary but I am so thankful that Daniel's guardian angels were watching out for him that day!

So, we bought our pumpkins, went home and decorated for the Fall and quickly joined in the Festive Spirit!

Happy Fall Y'All!

Cute Pictures!

2011-11-26T20:45:00.000-08:00

I took Daniel to get his hair cut then to get his 4 year old pictures... while we were waiting on them, I picked up a few things from Target.... my kiddos love these carts!

Katelyn finds shopping carts very comfortable... for some reason, she has made a habit out of falling asleep in shopping carts recently:) Maybe I just have had her out past her nap time more but I have caught her asleep several times and it is just sooo cute!

The important thing in the below picture is to look at how much hair Katelyn WAS accumulating! As you know, I have been the cheer leader for every strand of Katelyn's hair as it has come in from her birth and it was starting to grow... until Daniel decided to cut it! Yes, I walked in on Daniel cutting Katelyn's hair... she was so content as she thought they were playing "beauty shop!" Daniel saw how upset I was and said, "Don't worry, Mom, I only cut a couple of hairs!" Meanwhile she was sitting in a pile of her hair and I grieved for a whole week after that and had to daily walk in forgiveness towards Daniel as I was so upset.

The other thing I wanted to point out is that as much as she is a little peanut (according to her percentiles), check out the rolls she has kept! They are just as delicious to sink my teeth into as the newborn days! I am sad to say, they are shrinking by the day though:( Yes, she is still our cuddle bug... she loves kissing and giving BIG hugs... she throws both hands around your neck and squeezes tight... it is so adorable!

Our 1st Family Vacation

2011-11-23T21:46:00.001-08:00

... as a family of four!

Brendon and I decided we needed to plan a "family" vacation... as we were discussing it, we decided since our kids are so young and one still takes a long, daily nap (and desperately needs it!)... we decided to rent a cabin in Flagstaff.

One of our clients owns a franchise of Data Doctors and he asked us to do some marketing materials for his cabin in Flagstaff as he wanted to start renting it out.. as soon as we saw the pictures, we asked if we could book a week there:) It was BEAUTIFUL! Even had a theater room!

We had an AMAZING 1st Family Vacation... it was so relaxing... no pressure... we got to work around the kids schedule so they were in a great mood the whole time... they got to run around and just "be kids" so it was very successful! We plan on spending many more weeks in this cabin!

We loved walking to the lake!

Throwing rocks in... teaching Daniel to skip rocks across the pond:)

It was just BEAUTIFUL!

They had a great park that the kids loved playing at...

Every night we would make a fire, do smore's and hot chocolate! The property management team provided as much wood as we needed... there was a wood burning stove in the living room that we loved to light as well!

Of course... there was lots of hiking!

Katelyn thought she was quite the princess in her hiking backpack!

Big Birthday Week!

2011-11-23T20:27:00.000-08:00

So, I am almost 2 months behind:)

Week of September 18 - 25th

This week got started with a breakfast playdate with my friend Kim and our kids at Chick-fil-a then it was off to the dermatologist for me. I had my first head to toe check up... these are highly recommeded here in Arizona because Arizona is #1 for skin cancer... yikes! Everything turned out fine!

We went back to Chick-fil-a on Wednesday morning for another breakfast playdate then Paris came over to do activities with both of the kids and work with them on working together, playing games together, taking turns, etc. It was very cute and it is something they do very well naturally... for right now:)

Then the weekend was full of AMAZING birthday parties...

Alexa's party... it was Mermaid themed... pool party, treasure hunt, shrinky dinks (remember those from when you were a kid????), and a lady that did the girl's hair and nails!

Saturday was Jacque's party... dinosaur themed! Tanya does such a great job making sure the kids have a great time! When they got there, the tables were filled with dinosaur coloring pages and crayons....

... and dinosaur toys which Katelyn didn't know what to think of it:)

... then they got to "dig" and "hammer" away to find dinosaur skeletons!

The party ended with a dinosaur egg hunt and a dinosaur pinata... what a fun party, huh?

Then Sunday was Keira's 1st Birthday party at Gymboree and they always do an AMAZING job on birthday parties!

Keira and Katelyn LOVED the Gymboree puppet!

After such a long weekend, Daddy and Daniel "chill-axed" and watched some football before we left for our 1st Family Vacation!

Arizona Science Museum

2011-11-04T22:30:00.001-07:00

I was going through pictures and Brendon looked at my laptop screen and said, "Wow! You are THAT behind on your blog?!?!" I was like..."Yeah! Yeah! Yeah!"

Anyway, let's get started with my princess! My aunt sent her some super cute headbands in the mail recently and I just had to grab my camera because she is just so stinkin' cute... if I do say so myself:)

One Saturday... a LONG time ago we went to the Arizona Science Center... it was such a great family day... bonding + building memories = perfect day!

This is a total rabbit trail but I was thinking the other day... if I was told I had 1 hour left to live, then who would I want to be with and what would I want to do? I would want to be with my beautiful family... so, since we are supposed to be living like we never know when the "end" could come then my priorities need to be on my amazing family... but oh! how the distractions of life can take us away from our priorities! I think because we take our families for granted.

I have to say that this place would probably be more better suited for an older child when you take into the account the Ticket prices... however, there was enough stuff to keep our kiddos entertained and it opened up some really conversations for us to have with Daniel! He is completely interested about the "inside" of our body now! LOL!

... and there was a LOT of stuff to keep the parents entertained (i.e. laying on a bed of nails!)

... playing with sand, dirt, mud, water = paradise for my babies!

More to come from the adventures that The Wilson Family have been on!

This Week's Happenings...

2011-09-15T22:02:00.000-07:00

Monday... Paris came over during Katelyn's nap time to work with Daniel. They did science projects/ experiments... his favorite was magnets!

Then my parents called and wanted to pick the kids up for an ice cream date! When they got back, there was a package waiting on my door step for them from my mom's sister in Indiana! My Aunt Penny sent them some adorable things!

Katelyn wanting what was in Daniel's bag!

Chaos!

Wednesday morning, we met my friend Michella at Chick-fil-a for breakfast. O Fearless One had no problem climbing the whole structure!

She made it! Of course, Protective Brother was right behind her the whole time making sure she was safe!

Guess what? Brendon and I got to go out another date last night! YEAH! We went to the movies!

Jumpstreet!

2011-09-15T21:45:00.000-07:00

This past Friday, Daniel was invited to Sophia's 4th birthday party at Jump Street... what a great place for kids to burn energy!

It is wall to wall trampolines and they have several bounce houses as well.

Pizza Time!

That evening, Brendon and I got to go on a date night and have a nice dinner! It is so much nicer not to have to rush home because of Katelyn not being able to get to sleep, etc. We are so proud of her!

This past Saturday, I had the opportunity to go with a few ladies to a Beth Moore Conference... I soooo love her! It was awesome! Brendon took Daniel and Katelyn to Logan's 6th Birthday Party at Chuck E. Cheese!

Haircut!

2011-09-15T21:26:00.000-07:00

The Bad News: Lauren who used to come to our house and highlight and cut my hair, wax my eyebrows and cut Daniel's hair decided she was going to close down her business because she wanted to spend more time with her new baby. It was so convenient!

The Good News: Haircuts were not my pampering time anymore because sitting in a chair with 2 kids running around was actually stressful. I am back to Melinda at Adorn Style Lounge in downtown Mesa. I spent almost 3 hours of "Me" time being pampered and it was AWESOME!

e
Here is another thing that I love about Adorn Style Lounge is that it is a clothing boutique too! Melinda goes to LA every 4 - 6 weeks and purchases the boutique's inventory and she has amazing taste so since I hadn't been there in over a year, I walked out with quite a wardrobe too! Sheer bliss!!!!

Labor Day Weekend and More!

2011-09-15T20:54:00.000-07:00

This week was a lot of fun... Monday night, Brendon and I went out for a great date... dinner and shopping! Katelyn finally goes to sleep at my parents house so that means more date nights AND vacations coming up!

Tuesday... Paris came over while Daniel was in Pre-school and we did activities with Katelyn.

Wednesday morning I got in to see the Rheumatologist... I was on a waiting list and they had a 7AM appointment come open.... way too early! I had more blood work and X-Rays to see if they can figure out what is going on with my joint pain issues.

Wednesday evening... Daniel could hardly wait until Katelyn went to sleep because Daddy and him had a special gift for me (For no reason!) A NEW CAMERA! YEAH!

Trying it out! Had to edit the below picture because my makeup was already off... LOL!

Friday evening, we started our Labor Day weekend off at Mesquite Aquatic Center with our Friends, The Olson's.

Guess who is an amazing swimmer now???? That's right! Daniel!!! We are so proud of his swimming/ diving skills!

Guess who else is a pretty darn good swimmer? Yes, Ms. Fear-less herself! She actually hates to be held in the pool... definitely prefers to be independent in the water!

After Church on Sunday, Zander came over to play with Daniel. The Sunday before, Daniel went to Zander's house to play... they start at noon and play until 7pm or bedtime! Andrea and I can't believe they can play for 7 hours straight without meltdowns, fights, etc!

Labor Day we spent at my parent's house... grilling, swimming and relaxing!

Cosmic Bowling!

2011-09-15T20:02:00.000-07:00

So, the following Saturday we headed to Brunswick XL Bowl for L's 4th Birthday Party! Parents Magazine named this one of the top 10 places to have a birthday party at and I have to say that for a franchise, it was definitely one of the most well ran parties we have been to. My only complaint is that it is COSMIC BOWL which is soooo fun but if you have ever been to a Cosmic Bowl event... it is like turning a bowling alley into a club! In this case, I think the DJ forgot that there were children present and the songs he chose made me cringe!!!!

Unfortunately, my camera didn't pick up how awesome the bowling alley looked pitch black with everything glowing!!!!

They even have a full gaming center at the Brunswick Bowl and the kids got a "Players Card" to go have fun... Brunswick is "token-less" and "ticket-less!" Unlike Chuck E Cheese or Peter Piper Pizza with a prize counter, they have a prize store with really cool stuff in it! I was really impressed with this place!

We had a great week as well... Monday, we had a playdate at my friend Kristi's house!

Wednesday we went with my friend Erin and her cute boys to the Children's Museum and our kids had a BLAST! I totally forgot my camera in the car but she is a professional photographer and took tons of pictures... I can't wait to see how the pics turned out!!!

J's 4th Birthday Party

2011-09-15T19:32:00.000-07:00

Well... Hello Blogging Friends! I am way behind and I honestly have to say I have had no urge to blog... nope! Not even one iota of motivation to want to sit down and do this until tonight:) So, I am baaack!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:)

So, we are going back to August 20th.... it was a Saturday of celebrations!

First... it started out by going to my friend Michella's baby shower! It was so cute and so well planned and attended by some of my besties! Unfortunately, I had to leave early as Daniel had a birthday party to go to. We were also going to be bringing Katelyn along as Brendon was working on a huge design project for one of our clients.

The party was at Tumbleweed Rec Center

One thing about Katelyn is she is completely FEARLESS! She is very active and a gym style setting is perfect for her because climbing, crawling, jumping, running, etc is totally her thing!

J's mom made these really cute cupcakes.... the top is made out of a donut hole and a marshmallow.... so cute!

Happy Birthday, Jackson!

K's 1st Class!

2011-08-18T19:01:00.000-07:00

Katelyn took her very 1st class yesterday with her friend Natalie at Great Play!

These pics are AWFUL but it was a "Mommy and Me" class which means that I really needed to be right next to Katelyn so she wouldn't hurt herself, etc and the second reason these pics are terrible is that as soon as I took my camera out, I felt like I was getting some glares from other moms so I put it away fairly quick:)

Katelyn LOVED the bubbles... Susan and I LOVED them because they were scented like grapes! We were thinking that we would like to buy a bubble machine for our bathrooms with Lavender scented bubble solution... LOL!

The BIG brother/sister came along and they were so good... they had to sit and watch the "baby" class and they did soooo great!

Cute Kids!

2011-08-18T18:20:00.000-07:00

Sunday morning, Brendon and I looked at each other and said, "These kids are really cute!"

Don't mess with this girls' milk in the morning... she will take you out!

Monday... Daniel had his 4 year old well check up with Dr. Jones! He was due for 4 booster shots but we chose to get only 2 this time then he will get the other 2 at Katelyn's 18 month well check up. He is such a rockstar for shots... he gives a little "Ouch!" and that is it! It is so cute!

We ran into some friends at the doctor's office so we hung out in each other's exam rooms while we were waiting on our favorite pediatrician in the world!

After the Doctor, we went for a kids meal as a treat!

Then Paris came over to spend the hour with Daniel. This hour was spent on goal setting and problem solving.... one of his activities is that he had to tell her what he was going to build then he was given lots of things to build with like tape, glue, toilet paper rolls, boxes, qtips, clothes pin, pipe cleaners, Popsicle sticks, etc. It was really fun and I learned a LOT on specific questions to ask and activities that encourage goal setting and problem solving!
We LOVE Paris!

Aqua Sand

2011-08-18T18:11:00.001-07:00

Daniel got some Aqua Sand Kits for his birthday and this stuff is VERY, VERY cool! I even liked playing with it! LOL! Don't get this confused with "Moon Sand" which is awful! So, you pour the sand in the water BUT it never gets wet... amazing, huh?

1st Bowling Experience!

2011-08-18T17:57:00.000-07:00

Last Wednesday, we met some friends at Brunswick Bowl... we talked to the guy who worked there and told him we were waiting on some friends to arrive so he gave us a game card that was pre-loaded with money to play games! What a nice man, huh?

Our friends started to arrive! (P.S. Daniel wasn't the only boy there... 2 came later!)

How cute are their bowling shoes!

As all of us moms were trying to decide if we were going to buy 1 or 2 games for them to bowl... we decided to start with 1 then we could go buy another one if they wanted. Well, 2 hours later we were still on our 1st game! LOL! When a 3 or 4 year old "throws" a ball down a bowling lane, let's just say it is nice "leisurely" way down the lane!

However, Daniel had a great 1st bowling experience and he is going to a birthday party at this place next weekend so at least he has some "experience!"

Pre-school, Week #2

2011-08-17T15:33:00.000-07:00

This week we hosted pre-school at our house and the class this year is really adorable! There are 6 kids in the class (2 are twins) so one was missing yesterday but we are looking forward to a full class tomorrow!

Painting!

Snack time!

Rest Time

Practicing Writing Their Names!

Learning!

2011-08-16T22:41:00.000-07:00

Last Tuesday was Daniel's 1st day of Preschool, Year 2!
He has been doing lots of workbooks all summer so I think his skills were still fairly sharp!

During Daniel's 1st day back to school, Paris came over to spend some time with Katelyn. Our activity this time was sensory play... she encouraged me to have beans, rice and various kinds of pasta as well as water available for Katelyn to play with along with kitchen items such as measuring cups, spoons, funnels, bowls, cups, etc.

I love sensory play because this is an activity that these two really enjoy playing together! For Daniel, it is not so much sensory play as much as it is imaginative play! They literally played for 45 minutes straight with this activity!

Family Fun Day!

2011-08-16T22:22:00.000-07:00

This Saturday.... started with using my new gift to myself!

My new Keurig Coffee Maker!

We had a few errands to run but we decided to do a couple of fun errands for the kids!

1st Stop: Yo Love! It is our favorite ice cream spot EVER! It is a self serve frozen yogurt/ ice cream place... they have done an awesome job styling the inside of this place too!

The walls are back lit and you can doodle on them! They also have an Apple computer at the front of the store with a camera set up so you can take pics then they scroll on this flat screen TV in the store... very creative!

We also stopped by Chuck E. Cheese to play some games and win some prizes!

Fun Saturday!

Four Years Old!

2011-08-16T21:56:00.000-07:00

On your actual birthday, you got to wake up and open more presents from mommy and daddy! One thing that you have really gotten into is music! You love playing instruments so we got you a drum set... your uncle plays the drums and I think this is why you are really obsessed with drums:)

Your sister also LOVES the drums and you were very gracious with her!

We also got you the Nerf Dart Tag set and a few other things you are really into like a digital camera for kids!

I told you that I would make you anything you wanted for breakfast so you requested waffles! We had gone to Cracker Barrel the Saturday morning before Daddy left for Haiti and they gave you a little bottle of syrup that you love!!!

Then we surprised you and told you that we had invited Zander over for the WHOLE day! Zander and Daniel have a lot in common... the major thing is their love of music!

Then we went swimming!

Snack Time!

Back to "Band" Time!

Lunch time!

Play Time!

Rest/ Movie time!

Then we went to McDonald's and met your friend Jackson there and had ice cream!

I think you told me this was your FAVORITE birthday ever... however, we still had more celebrating to do!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Celebrating Daniel!

2011-08-16T21:10:00.001-07:00

We wanted to take Daniel out one night so we could celebrate him and the joy he has brought to us! Last year for his 3rd birthday, we introduced him to Build-a-Bear so we thought it would be fun to go back and let him pick out an outfit for a bear that he created when his MiMi from South Africa was here!

He liked this Swim Outfit a lot!

... until he saw the soccer uniform and he was sold!

So cute!!!

Then it was time to ride the carousel!

And we had to stop at Barnes and Noble for a treat!

He is totally soaking up all of this attention and loving life right now!
We love making him feel like he is the most special 4 year old little boy ever!

Country Club Life!

2011-08-16T20:39:00.000-07:00

My sister's last day with us was Sunday:( So, we went to the early service at church then headed to Seville Country Club for Kenzie's birthday party! Let me just tell you... it was one of the most relaxing birthday parties EVER and to top it off, we felt like we were on vacation!

They rented a HUGE cabana and a couple of smaller ones (no pictures!) which were amazing because they felt air conditioned underneath although I don't think they were!

Inside the cabana was fresh squeezed lemonade and a delish herbal iced tea which made great Arnold Palmers:) Then for lunch, our whole meal was catered by the country club restaurant! Yes, we felt like we were totally on vacation!!!!!!!

Did I mention how amazing their pool is???????????

We had some problems with Ms. Independent! She did not want to be touched... she wanted to act like the big kids and be totally on her own except she kept falling face first in the water and couldn't stand up again...ughhh!

But, she is just too dang cute!!!!!!!

My BEAUTIFUL sister!

Auntie!

How cool are these chairs just to lounge in the water! I need some more Country Club therapy!

Happy 4th Birthday, Kenzie!

The After Party

2011-08-16T20:25:00.000-07:00

After the party, we invited family over for gifts and dinner. When Daniel was born, my mom gave me this candle to burn every year on his birthday... so, it is our little tradition!

He had sooo much fun opening presents! Thank you to all of our friends and family for being so generous... he LOVES all of his BIG BOY toys!

Then it was time to have a yummy dinner and left over cupcakes!

Happy Birthday, Daniel!
However, the fun has only begun! We tend to celebrate all month long... LOL!

Splish! Splash! x Four!

2011-08-13T14:31:00.000-07:00

We celebrated Daniel's 4th Birthday at Aloha Aquatic Center... which I HIGHLY recommend! We got to the venue a few minutes early and they wouldn't let us do anything... they took everything out of our hands as soon as we got in the door and told us, "Breathe! We are in control... your job is to have fun!" That is what we did!

So, until our guests arrived, the kids got to play in the playroom!

Friends started arriving!

They could hardly wait to dive in!

Katelyn with both of her Aunties!

Then it was snack time!

Cupcakes!

4 year Graduate Parents!

Party Favor Time!

As Daniel's friends left, we tried to get a picture with each one... the key word here is "TRIED!"

Layla, Daniel and Easton

Daniel and Kai

Thank you to all of our friends who came to celebrate... you made this day so special for Daniel!

Happy 4th Birthday, Daniel!

P.S. I have never uploaded a video on my blog before so let me know if the below video works!

My Mom's WESTERN B-day Celebration!

2011-08-12T21:57:00.000-07:00

My mom had an idea of how she wanted to celebrate her birthday this year... Her wish list was:

- My Whole Family Together
- Everyone dressed in Western clothes
- Dinner at the Rustler's Roost

So... waive the magic fairy wand and her wish was granted!

I highly recommend this restaurant as a restaurant where the WHOLE family can enjoy the dining experience... ALL AGES!

So, when you first walk in you are greeted by this!

We had a special section reserved for us and this was our AMAZING view!

My brother and sister with my beautiful kids! Seriously, can they get any cuter?

Oh yes! We all dressed the part!!!

All the aunts and uncles were present except for Christopher who had to stay back in Nashville.

You better believe there was LIVE COUNTRY music... so we got our groove on and there was some serious toe tappin' action going on!

Daniel LOVED walking around playing some games and meeting some other friends!

What restaurant doesn't have the biggest slide you have ever seen???? Simply a brilliant idea!

So, how was the food? My dad and my brother ordered the feast for 2!
All of our food was soooo tasty!!! We felt like complete gluttons!

Check out this Cowgirl's outfit!!!

My sweet sister who I mourn her daily presence:(

My brother who is turning out to be quite the stud!

Happy Birthday, MOM!

Auntie is in TOWN!

2011-08-12T21:49:00.000-07:00

My sister spontaneously decided to fly down to visit for the weekend for my mom's birthday party and Daniel's birthday party! It was soooooooooooooooooo nice having her here... it was way toooooooooooo short but we tried to CARPE DIEM (Seize the moment!)

She flew in late Thursday night and Friday we grilled pizzas and relaxed in the pool... before our BIG NIGHT!

Bounce U

2011-08-09T13:57:00.000-07:00

Our favorite bounce place was Bounce Jungle... unfortunately, it became a victim of our economy. So, we decided to try out a new Bounce place called Bounce U at Gilbert and Warner... literally, this place seemed as though the recession has not even touched it! As a matter of fact, some of our friends that were going to meet us, they weren't going to let them in because the Open Bounce session filled up as soon as it opened! However, we begged that they let them in and thankfully they did!

The actual bounce rooms were so crazy that I didn't get any pictures but we sneaked into a party room for snacks and I snapped a couple of pictures!

Daddy's Home.... YEAH!

2011-07-31T17:11:00.000-07:00

This week we had to pull out our "Western" gear because my mom's birthday was this week and we were going to have a special dinner/ party for her that required "Full Western Attire!"

The kids had a lot of fun dressing up!

Katelyn's tears are because she didn't want the gate closed in the playroom! However, the stairs are right outside of the playroom but Ms. Independent does not like any barriers around her!

Ms. Cowgirl grabs a wrench from the Power Tools set... such a "girly" girl, huh? LOL!

She is completely obsessed with dressing herself right now! Any random clothes she sees laying around have to go on her body! LOL!

They are both REALLY into books... they love "reading!"

Tuesday night.... we went to Chipotle then to the airport to get Daddy! We said, "No more trips for you or else there is going to be a natural disaster in THIS house!" LOL!

Yeah! Daddy, we are soooooooooooooooooo glad you are home and love all of the gifts you brought us back!

Playdate at Brooke's House!

2011-07-31T17:04:00.000-07:00

It had been way too long since we had seen some of our playgroup friends... so, Brooke who always hosts the best play dates ever invited us over and the kids had a great time but it felt like a reunion for us mom's... we were so excited to see each other!

Thanks, Brooke, for such a fun play date!

Then the last 4 nights we spent at my mom's house... the purpose of this was to train Katelyn to sleep there in a pack and play because until this point she would only sleep in her crib in her room! So, "Pack and Play" boot camp started and she graduated successfully!

Asher's 4th Birthday!

2011-07-31T16:44:00.000-07:00

Monday afternoon we went to Asher's 4th Birthday Party at a gymnastics place... so, let's just say that most of these pictures are "action" shots as my kids were running around so much that I couldn't get a picture of them standing still looking at me... LOL!

The funniest thing at this party is that Andrew and Jackson who both have little brother's around Katelyn's age were OBSESSED with Katelyn! They wouldn't leave her alone... they had a whole gym to run around in, a bounce house, etc but they only wanted to play with Katelyn! Katelyn made sure they knew her boundaries:) She loved playing with them and then she told them if she didn't like what they were playing!!! I guess she should get used to this now... she will probably be hanging out with her older brother's friends for a long time!

Andrew and Will (who also has a little brother around Katelyn's age!) playing with Katelyn! She was HOT property with the older boys at this party!
Andrew and Katelyn!

Katelyn checking out the kids doing the parachute... she was trying to find space to fit in:)

Then that afternoon, Leigh Anne came and picked up Daniel to spend the night at their new house in Power Ranch and they went swimming at the community pool then went to see the new Winnie The Pooh movie the next morning and to In-n-Out for lunch then back to our house! Thanks, Auntie, for a fun slumber party!

I had a doctors appointment that afternoon to get tested for Rheumatoid Arthritis... I have been having EXTREME joint pain so that appointment was followed up with blood work and needless to say... everything came back normal! So, now we just have to figure out what is going on!

That Wednesday was our last pre-school class and Thursday, Daniel got to go to the movies with my mom!

Only 5 more night until Brendon is home!
Fact about Haiti: The average person in Haiti makes $1 a day!

Puking = very FEW pictures!

2011-07-31T16:03:00.001-07:00

In my attempt to catch my blog up... I realized I didn't take very many pictures this week...

Saturday... we had a birthday party at Chuck E. Cheese for Madison's 3rd birthday and I didn't take any pics:( That evening we went to my parents for dinner and I was amazed how all of the trinket toys he got at Chuck E. Cheese kept him busy pretty much the whole night!

Wednesday was our 3rd week of our pre-school group and this is where all the DRAMA started! All of a sudden Katelyn burped then spit up a little which I thought was really weird! THEN all of a sudden she puked all over the place! I was thinking she is too young to get the stomach bug so she must be dehydrated or ate something that didn't settle well with her. We cleaned her up and I was on my way to the Gap because my friend Brooke had put aside some things for me and they only hold them for 24 hours. So.... I literally walked into Gap and Katelyn puked again so I ran out of the store then came round 2 which soaked me head to toe in puke and all over the front sidewalk of Gap! Daniel was getting totally freaked/ grossed out! So, we sat on the curb by our car and stripped Katelyn down.... then I looked at me and thought I am going to strip down too but I thought that I would probably get pulled over for indecent exposure! The 20 min car ride home was awful because I was soaked in puke and smelled like puke....blahhhh!

That evening, Daniel and I went on a "Mommy/ Son" Date. First, we dropped dinner off for a couple who were just able to bring their new baby home from the hospital after weeks/ months in the NICU then we went back to Gap (he LOVES to shop) so he picked out some great things and I picked out some great things... then we went to Panda Express for dinner!

Thursday... Daniel went to the movies with Grandma! That afternoon Paris came over and it was Daniel's week and she educated me on the importance of Block Play and gave me pages and pages on games to play with blocks, etc. That evening.... Brendon and I went on a date night but it ended early because Katelyn puked 3 times at my parents house! ughhh!

Friday afternoon we were going to Andrew's 4th birthday party at Peter Piper Pizza and we were all in the car on our way to the party when we heard Katelyn cough then puke EVERYWHERE! All over herself, her car seat, the windows, socks, shoes.... you get the picture! So, Brendon dropped Daniel and I off at the party then he took her home to clean her up and picked us up when the party was over!

I love how Birthday Parties totally wipe my kids out!

This one was a happy camper though... the weird thing is that she would puke but act perfectly normal the rest of the time!

That evening we went to my parents for dinner and she seemed fine!

Then Saturday... we went to the Haymon's for a Couples' Baby Shower (it was actually the first couples' baby shower Brendon and I had ever been to before!) for Andy and Rania Harb. We were all having a great time... kids playing, etc.... it was getting late and we were thinking we were going to leave soon but Katelyn started this coughing thing again so I went to pick her up and BOOM! She puked watermelon all over me again!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! She had ate a LOT of watermelon that night but it ALL came up! Fortunately, Nate and Janelle live right around the corner so she went home and got me clothes to change into! I always carry a change of clothes for my kids but who knew that I should start carrying a change of clothes!

Fortunately, that was her last time to throw up:)

However that Sunday night... Brendon left for his trip to Haiti! The kids and I alone for 9 nights! So... stay tuned!

L.I.F.E.

2011-07-29T22:44:00.000-07:00

Wednesday was our 2nd week of our Pre-School Life Group...

Thursday was Katelyn's 15 month well check up... we knew she was our little peanut and Dr. Jones confirmed that by letting us know that she is in the 25th percentile for her weight:) She can thank her poppy for her great metabolism... because this child EATS and EATS and EATS but apparently she burns it like crazy too! Dr. Jones said if there is one word that sums up Katelyn it would be "CONFIDENT!" I think I like that word more than the word I have been using for her... "Stubborn!" LOL!

We also had company from Texas that came and stayed with us from Thursday to Monday.

Friday... Paris (our in-home educator) came over and her hour was dedicated to spending time with Katelyn and I. Paris described Katelyn as "Determined and a girl who perseveres" and I think these are two great character traits for our girl!

After Paris left, we all dressed up like cows for Cow Appreciation Day at Chik-fil-a and all 4 of us received free meals! Our picture is up on their Facebook Page if you are interested in seeing it... LOL! They were also giving away a 36" plush cow and the winner was going to be notified the following Monday... well, guess what??? WE WON THE COW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! This cow is Daniel's BEST FRIEND! He loves this cow and asks if the cow can go everywhere with us!!!
My sister just told me tonight that Christopher won something directly from Dan Cathy recently... can you tell our family kind of likes Chik-fil-a!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Then that evening our friends (The Olson's) invited us over for dinner... they have a little boy a couple of months older than Katelyn but somehow Katelyn was bossing BOTH of the boys around that night... it was sooo funny!

The Best Cookies!

2011-07-29T22:14:00.001-07:00

So... my parents went away for 2 weeks to visit lots of family and friends. The town that my mom is from and we lived there for a few years when I was very little was called Terre Haute in Indiana. At one point, this town's claim to fame was they were home to the Clabber Girl Baking Powder factory.... now they have turned this factory into a very cute museum, bakery, gift shop, etc. So, my mom brought me back a package of their chocolate chip cookie mix.... Daniel and I had to open it immediately and bake us some treats!!!! THEY WERE EXTREMELY YUMMY!

4th of July 2011

2011-07-25T15:40:00.000-07:00

I think this was our first 4th of July that was very low key... but I LOVED IT! It was really nice enjoying my wonderful family... we did a LOT of this:

Pool Time!

He is a complete fish and could stay in the pool ALL DAY so we did!

We did LOTS of water balloons too! Daniel got a package and he had been begging us to do this for a long time and we had a blast!

Guess who else LOVED water balloons?

Priorites???

2011-07-23T21:58:00.000-07:00

Just for fun... look at the below picture! What (or Who) doesn't belong? LOL! We are working on explaining to her that is not her area but she LOVES this little cut in!

This is how my weekend was going.... Katelyn who we call a "cuddle bug" because she loves to be held and cuddled... she thrives on it and she needs lots of "touch" time but this weekend she took "cudding" to a whole other level! She didn't want to be put down at any point during the day... ever! So... I looked at my house which really needed my attention and then I looked at my angel and thought I will have laundry 10 years from now but I know I will not have a 15 month old who just wants to sit on the couch and read books and get lots of hugs and kisses!

However, I thought I should bring my camera out and shoot some pictures of my house because Brendon and I occasionally have a crazy conversation on whether we should have a 3rd child and I thought I would like to take pictures of how chaotic my house looks with 2 so I can only imagine what a household of 3 would look like!

The above two pictures are of my large laundry room I have... one side is for the normal appliances that belong in a laundry room and the other side I have recently turned into a playroom to hold most of the toys that belong downstairs because I got tired of seeing them sprawled throughout the whole house:) However, please notice that there is laundry over-flowing from the washer... toys everywhere (however, toys everywhere is normal at our house!)

There was so much laundry to do that there were baskets of laundry in the kitchen and the hallway! Clingy Baby = NO LAUNDRY is getting done today! So, I had this internal argument going on... gazing at the mountains of laundry and gazing at my precious baby who was in desperate need of "mamma" time!

Did I forget to tell you about the sink of dishes... overflowing on to the counter tops and the dishwasher!!!!

More toys spread throughout the house!:)

Okay... so I will admit it... "it" (the house!) got to me and I waived the white flag of surrender. I think the boys were doing something but they were happy to step in and entertain Katelyn while I started chipping away at the mountain of housework to accomplish!

So, the laundry got washed and dried then comes part 2: Folding and putting away!
I have a little helper:) Actually Katelyn loves dressing up (already!) and piles of laundry make her so happy because she has lots of options of clothes to try on!

P.S. Do you notice all of the gallery frames in the back??? Well, that was one of our "weekend" projects to do and they are hanging on the wall in our playroom now and I love, love, love seeing lots of pictures of my babies in their playroom... must take a pic of the final project and post:)

I know if you are a mom reading this post... you get it! I have to say I really like it when my other "mom" friends have posts like this on their blogs because it makes me feel "normal" so hopefully this post did this for you... I hope you feel encouraged to know we all have been there, done that!

My Attempt to Catch Up:)

2011-07-23T16:28:00.001-07:00

Summer Activities!

In the summer, our church takes a break from Life Groups and does Book Clubs instead. I thought that it would be fun to do a "Pre-School" Book Club and have story time, free play time, craft and lunch... so every Wednesday for 4 weeks we got together with some friends for a great time!

I also bought Summer Movie Passes for Daniel..... Every Thursday morning, my mom takes Daniel and my brother to the movies and they show kids movies that are "newer" but not current movies being played in the theater for an extremely discounted price. I could not take him this summer because Katelyn still naps in the morning and even if she didn't, there was no way she would even sit for the previews.

However, my mom was out of town this week so Brendon stayed home to watch Katelyn and I took Daniel to the movies with the Haymon Family and we watched "Despicable Me" which was really cute.

Then we came home for naps and after naps, Paris (our in-home educator) came over. This was an art activity she did with the kids.... so cute:)

So, that wrapped up our June!

Artville

2011-07-13T21:59:00.000-07:00

So, we really love this place... so much so that Daniel is getting a membership for his birthday. We have always gone on the ARTVILLE side of the museum but the last two times we went, we go on the actual "gallery" side and there is so much to do that we never get through the whole thing when we are there!

This time we went with our friends Kattia, Andrew and Aiden... my camera was acting really funky but I am so glad that I got this picture as I thought it was HYSTERICAL!!!!!! Of course, my camera acted up every time they were actually looking at me but this makes me laugh every time I see it!

Dog Days of Summer

2011-07-13T21:40:00.000-07:00

We have really enjoyed our pool this summer! This particular Friday, our friends the Wrights are getting ready to move and Christie was doing a "house" purge and the next morning she had her garage and driveway full of stuff she was getting rid of. She had contacted some of her friends and said come to my house Saturday morning and take anything you want... I am having a "Free" Garage Sale! It was so much fun!!!! Anyway, Friday Logan came over and spent the day with Daniel so she could ready for her "Free" Sale:)

(P.S. I don't know why Daniel is wearing Katelyn's pink "swimmies")

Katelyn doing what she does best... chowing down!

Katelyn LOVES cooking these days...

Daniel lucked out on some fun toys from the Wright's Free "Sale" like the truck below:) He has a complete fascination with any truck that has a trailer... he LOVES those trucks most of all!

Here is a funny story: One thing our company does is wrap vehicles... so that day Daniel got to watch our installer wrap a trailer and he was very fascinated with it. So that night, he got some of his stickers and told me he was going to wrap his trailer! LOL! Brendon and I have talked about whether one day we will sell our business or pass it down to our kids (if they want it!) and it is looking like we might hold on to it if Daniel keeps this up! LOL!

Happy Sunny Days to you!

VBS Week #2

2011-07-11T21:57:00.000-07:00

Daniel went to his second week of VBS with his friends Manuel and Kendall... he loved it! Here are all of the kids singing.... simply precious!

Daniel and his buddy Manuel... what was cool is that I got to hang out with some "mom friends" in the morning... like one morning Nina, Brooke and I went to Ikea, had breakfast and walked around with our "babies." We all felt like something major was missing... it was our big kids:)

Then one morning Kim and I took our babies to Barnes and Noble for coffee and catching up while our littles' crawled around the kid section. It brought back memories on how we first met... when our first born babies were so small and playdates could be so simple and us mom's could actually connect:)

Katelyn and I also got to have some fun play time while Big Brother was at VBS... so, what did Katelyn want to play? Babies! She now takes her babies for drives in the car with her... first they have to be fed, then she gets her keys, puts the baby in the "back" seat and off they go for a ride. I have to say that her baby must be going through a growth spurt because it eats A LOT right now! LOL!

Father's Day

2011-06-23T22:12:00.000-07:00

Happy Father's Day!

Brendon knows how to have spontaneous fun.... we love that as it keeps our home a REALLY fun place! He also knows how to perform the perfect bedtime routine... which involves cuddling a little (or two!) at night with a book, a silky and a sippy cup and the rest is "Daddy" magic!

The sounds of the garage door opening, his car pulling into the garage and the alarm announcing that the "Garage Door is Open" makes them GO CRAZY! It becomes a party at our house when Daddy walks through the door!

My husband had a really long card written from the kids and I but of course, how could I not mention what a hard worker he is to provide for our family and we are sooooooooo appreciative of it!

Then to my dad.... I am often reminded of the treasure you are. To be your daughter is to be lucky...so very lucky.

Here is an article that my dad posted on his Facebook and I thought it was very interesting!

http://michaelhyatt.com/everything-you-ever-wanted-to-know-about-fathers-day.html

Happy Father's Day Brendon and Dad.... by the way, the legacy goes back even farther because my grandfather who we are so blessed is still with us is another amazing man! I love seeing him and my Grandmother together... after 65 or 70 years of marriage, they act like newlyweds!

Today. We celebrate two GREAT men in our life!

With Steak wrapped in Bacon... it was delish! However, I didn't get my whole steak because my daughter chowed down!

Swimming and Dinner with my family = Perfect Sunday Afternoon!

My sweet boy.... you are so blessed to have a Father and a Grandfather who are completely obsessed with you and I couldn't have picked out two better role models for you if I tried!

We treated Daddy to a massage.... he deserved it!

2011-06-23T21:48:00.000-07:00

Last week was Daniel's first week of VBS.... he also went this week. So it is everyday from 9 - 12 and honestly I have really missed him! As soon as he comes home, we have lunch then both kids go down for a nap and I wake them up at 4 so we can go to the gym then we come home and have dinner and then our kids are in bed by 6:30 or 7. I am really looking forward to having my son back next week! However, he LOVES it:)

Wednesday night, we planned a surprise party at Caketini http://www.caketini.net/index.php?option=com_contact&view=contact&id=1&Itemid=58 for Andrea....
Girls Night Out = Lots of laughs and the the help telling us we had to leave because they had closed already!

Then this past weekend, Brendon and I stayed at the Westin Kierland and it was such a nice time for the two of us to re-connect since he had been gone for so long to Alabama. At one point, I was sitting by the pool and I told Brendon that I really missed the kids and wished they were with us. He said, "I really miss them but I don't wish they were here." As he said that, I was watching this mom with 2 kids that looked about K and D's ages and she had been running after the kids then she had just sat down to relax and JUST as she sat down, her little boy said he had to go potty! So she had to grab the baby, get them dried off, etc.... I looked at Brendon and said, "Yeah, I guess you are right!" I actually got to read a whole book totally uninterrupted poolside.... except for the waiters asking me if I would like more french fries or iced water! LOL! We rode the lazy river a zillion times and have the best conversations.... so relaxing!

Friday... Day 6

2011-06-23T21:02:00.000-07:00

Friday morning, I picked up Daniel super early from his slumber party then we went to the gym and I took a "Body Attack" class.... except that they need to re-name it "Women Attack!" I usually work out in the later afternoon and this morning only reminded me why I do... the 8:30AM class is attended by very competitive, suburbia, stay at home, vicious women... LOL! I think they fit double the amount of women that is legally supposed to be in that room which creates more tension than is necessary so that was my last morning class I have taken there:)

Then I took Daniel to the venue we are having his birthday party at to go over final details, etc.

Then my parents came and took both kids out to lunch and ran a few errands with them because I had a couple of meetings with some of our clients and a few errands that I needed to do quickly... and quick errands are not two words that will get used in the same sentence when you have two small children!

Then Saturday, we went to Lisa's house for Riley's 6th Birthday Party! Of course, Lisa pulled off the "Army" theme in the most creative way ever! Unfortunately, I didn't get too many pictures because I had both kids by myself and it was Day 7 alone....

Boys being Boys! Lisa's house has LOTS of toy guns so Daniel LOOOOOOOVVVVVVVVVVVEEESSS going to the Glowacka's house!

This was the first party or play date with older kids when Katelyn totally wanted to be in the middle of the action.... It was so weird as she usually just hangs out in my arms! She is growing up sooo quickly and that only mean she is just getting more dang cute!

Did I mention that she is walking and she is VERY proud of herself!!???!!!

Sunday... we went to church and my parents came over in the evening with fresh STRAWBERRY PIE..... OH MY GOSH! It was so delicious!

However, Monday was VICTORY DAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The day our Daddy and My Best Friend returned home!!!! He got home around dinner time so I picked us up dinner at NY54 http://www.ny54.com/pizza.html which I HIGHLY recommend... we are from Long Island and this is just about as close to the real thing I have ever tasted! We got garlic knots... I have not had those in almost 5 years since we left NY.... you can eat in the restaurant (which is really nice) or order out a nice meal and eat it poolside!

This is how we celebrated our hero coming home! We ended the night by putting Katelyn to bed then letting Daniel stay up a little later than usual so we could all cuddle on the bed and look at Brendon's amazing pictures and videos of his trip.

I realized we have some amazing kids because the 9 days as a "Single Mom" wasn't that bad.... it was just exhausting because it was ONLY ME from early morning until they went to sleep! However, my payment is that MY trip was booked today.... My bestie Sara Grace and I both turned 30 this year so we have booked our birthday trip to West Palm Beach, Florida! Holla!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thursday

2011-06-22T22:32:00.000-07:00

Thursday morning, my mom picked up Daniel and took him to the movies for the Summer Program they are offering. Then we met my friend Michella and her two sweet girls at the Toddler McDonald's for lunch!

They have a baby brother on the way and they couldn't be happier! They are going to make very good Little Mommies!

Then that evening, Daniel got to have a slumber party at Aaron and Leigh Anne's house.

Splash Pad

2011-06-22T22:17:00.000-07:00

We have two friends who live in Layton Lakes and invite us over to their community's private Splash Pad that is AMAZING! So, we went over on Wednesday afternoon and it was lots of fun and so refreshing!

Daniel told me on the way over to the splash pad that he was going to take care of Katelyn.... I thought he was just being cute but he was so serious! He really looked after her... made sure she had snacks, juice, toys, and held her hand so she could walk around to what she wanted to play with! He totally gets "Brother of the Year" award:)

That evening, my mom took the kids and I out for dinner! Not only did they help out with the kids but they even treated us to several meals out so i didn't have to cook too much! I am so thankful for my parents... this week was a lot of work but not at all as bad as what I thought it was going to be!

Single Mom!

2011-06-22T21:57:00.000-07:00

Brendon really wanted to lead a team to Alabama to the area that was destroyed by the recent tornado.... I was a little nervous as I have never stayed 8 nights and 9 days alone with both kids! Fortunately, my parents really helped me out A LOT! One of them came over every day to assist in any way that they could!

Daniel has always loved my dad's motorcycle... from a distance! He has never wanted to sit on it or he wants to be far away when my dad starts it up because it is VERY LOUD! However, my two children couldn't be more opposite because Katelyn LOVES his motorcycle!

My parents watched them Monday morning while I worked then when I came home they treated us to lunch out!

Then that afternoon, we had Paris come over for the 1st time. She is our new in-home educator! She has her masters degree in Early Childhood Education and works for an organization called Parents as Teachers. She will come over weekly or bi-weekly and we will spend the 1st 45 min with Daniel and the 2nd 45 minutes with Katelyn and it is just time focused on them learning and developing. She brings the coolest and most creative toys, games, activities, etc for us to do together! WE LOVE HER and we LOVE when she comes over!

I will let the cat partially out of the bag but we are looking into sending Daniel to HOPE Christian Academy which is Home of Partnered Education, reflects a hybrid classroom/home school model which has children in school three days a week, and two days learning at home.

I have not completely convinced Brendon of this yet but in the mean time we are doing a lot of "home learning" and I love that Paris has come into our life and shows us how "at home" learning is so customized for each child.

Memorial Day

2011-06-22T21:47:00.000-07:00

Memorial Day... we have a tradition of going to Aaron and Leigh Anne's for breakfast!

Then we went home and busted out the "To Do" list because Brendon was going to be leaving for 9 days and we had a super crazy week coming up and it wasn't even that hot (at least for our Arizona blood) to swim:)

That evening we went over to my parents house and had a yummy BBQ!!!

We had TONS and TONS of graduations parties this weekend (one on Friday night, one on Sunday night, then 2 on the following Friday night and 1 on Saturday!

I decided there was too much going on this week to bust out the camera... LOL!

We also went out to dinner for Leigh Anne's birthday at her favorite restaurant... Serrano's and I went to a Baby Shower on Saturday and it was my dad's birthday on Saturday!

Yes, all these events also required me to get my hair done so Lauren came over on Wednesday and did "her thing!"

I am exhausted just remembering what a crazy week that was!

Before and After

2011-06-19T21:06:00.000-07:00

If you live in Arizona and have a lanai with a drywall ceiling then you probably know the maintenance that goes into it. It requires scraping and re-painting on a fairly regular basis.... or else it will start to look like this:

It drove my husband absolutely crazy... then one day our neighbors had us come over to show us what they just did to their lanai and we fell in love! So, we did the same thing.... ours was a little more involved as we decided to go from 2 lights to 8 high hats so the lighting is spectacular at night... also the lights are on a dimmer for mood lighting:) then we added two outdoor fans and 2 outdoor speakers (the speakers with streaming music creates mood setting as well.... especially when I have "The Wheels on the Bus" blasting in our pool area!!!!) It truly looks amazing!
We love and enjoy it so much!

(P.S. New flooring coming shortly too... stay tuned for more "after pics!")

We have decided that we do live at a resort....except the registered guests names' are Daniel and Katelyn Wilson and Brendon and Danielle are the resort "help!" We are their personal chefs, their concierge service, chauffeur, cleaners, laundry and dish help, stylists, their pool runners,etc.... you get the idea! LOL!

Q's Birthday Party

2011-06-04T21:35:00.001-07:00

As you all know, Cake Pops are all the rage right now! They should be... they are sooooo delish! When I was at Q's Baptism Party a couple of weeks ago, Leah's mom bought her the Cake Pop Book http://www.amazon.com/Cake-Pops-Tricks-Recipes-Irresistible/dp/0811876373 and so we were looking through it and Leah said she was going to make these adorable lions for Q's Birthday! So, she invited me over to help her and learn together how to make cake pops! Well, they turned out AMAZING and so darn cute! However, they are very time consuming!

So, last Saturday was Mr. Handsome's 1st Birthday Party!

Katelyn and her buddy Aiden

There were only boys at the party except for little Addie and I promise you that Katelyn attached herself to her the entire party! It is amazing to me how much Katelyn LOOOOVVVVEEESSS older girls.... she is on the fast track to wanting to grow up ASAP!

Jillian is Addie's mom and besides the personal trainers at the gym, Jillian has the greatest body that I personally know! This girl is RIPPED! The pictures don't do her justice but her arms are perfectly shaped... let me not even start on her abs! She works out like a mad woman and she totally inspires me!

Happy Birthday, Quinten!

Pre-School Graduation

2011-06-03T22:23:00.000-07:00

August 3, 2010 was Daniel's 1st day of pre-school... it also happened to be his 3rd birthday!

My BIG BOY just graduated from his 1st year of pre-school! I have been a little emotional lately because as we have been attending tons of graduation parties recently and there are pictures of other people's babies 1st day of Pre-School and Kindergarten then here they are... Class of 2011! I feel like it goes by so quick BUT I have to say that every mile stone Daniel takes into independence and maturity, it is a "feel good" kind of hurt because I am so proud of him! He is such a stellar kid... only 1 day in all of pre-school did a teacher give me one negative report and it wasn't event that bad... she said that he just had a hard time listening that day! He really makes me one proud mamma!

Only Quincy was graduating from pre-school... she tested to be able to enter Kindergarten early and she made it so we were all so proud of her!

The kids getting ready to sing their Pre-School "Rally" song!

Mrs. Jenn is amazing... she has ran Joy School for 6 years for all 4 of her kids... this was her last year of Joy School as her daughter Quincy will be entering Kindergarten this next School Year!

Daniel breaking out some of his dance moves for me!

Party Time!

Daniel, Daddy and I are so proud of you! You stand next to me EVERY single day and point out how tall you are getting and that you are almost as tall as me (most people are!!!) then you show me your muscles and ask me to feel how big they are... and I go on and on about strong you are! I love that you are enjoying every minute of growing up and you are so excited about turning 4 soon! God has some AMAZING plans for you!

Play = A Child's Work!

2011-05-29T14:41:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite things in the entire world is to watch my kids play... I find it absolutely fascinating!

“Play is the highest form of research.” ~ Albert Einstein

“Play is not only our creative drive; it’s a fundamental mode of learning.”
~ David Elkind (psychologist, author)

“The main characteristic of play – whether of child or adult – is not it content but its mode.
Play is an approach to action, not a form of activity.”
~ Jerome Bruner (psychologist, professor)

“Play builds the kind of free-and-easy, try-it-out, do-it-yourself character that our future needs.” ~ James L. Hymes Jr. (child development specialist, author)

“It’s not so much what children learn through play, but what they won’t learn if we don’t give them the chance to play. Many functional skills like literacy and arithmetic can be learned either through play or through instruction – the issue is the amount of stress on the child. However, many coping skills like compassion, self-regulation, self-confidence, the habit of active engagement, and the motivation to learn and be literate cannot be instructed. They can only be learned through self-directed experience (i.e. play).
~ Susan J. Oliver (author, Playing for Keeps)

Below is how Daniel pushes Katelyn's buttons... he doesn't like playing with dolls but he knows that if he takes her doll and plays with it then she will freak out and he loves getting a reaction from her! She is not a perfect angelic sister either... the other day I was in the laundry room and I heard Katelyn screaming so I thought that Daniel was trying to hold her and that makes her mad so I yelled, "Daniel, Stop It!" Nothing stopped, she kept screaming so I thought I should walk out to see what was going on... he was sitting on his Power Wheels and she was PUSHING him off and yelling at him because she wanted on! So, the sibling fun has already started:)

“Children learn as they play. Most importantly, in play children learn how to learn.”
~ O. Fred Donaldson (martial arts master)

“Necessity may be the mother of invention, but play is certainly the father.”
~ Roger von Oech (President, Creative Think)

So, go out and play today... no matter your age or whether you a parent or not! We all need to play more!
My friend Leah sent me this amazing recipe and Brendon and I "played" around in the kitchen and made this and it is soooooooooo amazing! You will never order a pizza again!

http://www.familycircle.com/recipe/chicken/grilled-chicken-pizza/

My Last Birthday Celebration!

2011-05-28T22:34:00.001-07:00

Last Saturday was CRAZY busy... first of all we had a graduation party in the afternoon for a fine young man who graduated from Brophy! Then that evening, I went to our friends Kyle and Jenni's house for her birthday party and ate some yummy food (Kyle is a fantastic chef!) then I left to go meet my friends for my last 30th birthday celebration! Yes, six weeks later and we are still celebrating! Kristi and I have very close birthdays so we usually celebrate together and we had been trying to find a date on ALL of our calendars that would work and so 6 weeks later, it happened!

Thanks, girls, for a really fun night out!

Arizona Museum For Youth

2011-05-28T22:08:00.000-07:00

Last Friday called for getting the kids out of the house! First of all, our carpets were getting cleaned (yeah!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) AND our house project was starting! So, we had a lot going on at our house and a lot of people at our house working so I took the kiddos to one of our favorite places called Artville or Arizona Museum for Youth!

Above... Katelyn enjoying the big BLOCK PIT they have in Artville (the section for under 5)

My kiddos enjoying the fun "light" table

Katelyn LOVES sitting in a chair now... she thinks she is so big when she gets to sit in a child size chair all by herself!

Below, she was pulling blocks out of the drawer... she LOVED this place so I think we will get a membership as it will be perfect for summer... something fun to do indoors with A/C! For my "non-Arizona" readers, we consider our summer your winter.... it is really too hot to do much outside except swim so we try to stay indoors as much as possible! LOL!

We met my friends Kim, Susan and Paulina there as well and our kids were putting on a play for us! LOL!

They have this adorable "baby" area that is enclosed with mirrors and I thought the below picture is the BEST!

Katelyn with her girlfriends.... Natalie and Keira!
Katelyn playing in the "kitchen" room!

Then we ventured out of the Artville section and went into the main museum for tons more fun! They have a Fairy Tale theme going on right now so Daniel is dressing up as the "wolf" in Little Red Riding Hood!

Kendall getting all dressed up as "Little Red Riding Hood!"

Of course, there are tables and tables of really cool art projects for the kids to do throughout the whole museum!

Daniel LOVED these spinning chairs!

They had a Baseball Field set up and Wii Stations for the kids to play baseball... I don't think Daniel has ever played Wii before but he caught on VERY QUICK!

Below there was a video camera set up and the kids could see themselves on the TV Screen... they were totally digging this!

Thanks, Friends, for such a fun day!

Friends from Long Island!

2011-05-28T21:56:00.000-07:00

We got the best treat when my friend Susan Hohenrath let me know they were coming through Phoenix and had a day to hang out with us! I have known this family since I was probably 7 or 8 years old... not only did they live in the same neighborhood as us in Long Island but we went to the same church. She directed all of the Easter, Christmas, Kids Dances, etc at church and I was in them all and loved hanging out with her. She also had a hair salon in her basement so she did my hair as well!

We went to Tempe Market Place and had lunch and spent the afternoon catching up on the last 4.5 years!

As many of you know, Brendon and I bought my parents home in Long Island when they moved to Nashville (the home that I grew up in!) then when we moved to Chandler and bought a house, it was a really hard move for me because besides my 4 years of college in Oklahoma and my 1 year in Nashville, most of my life was spent in 1 house! However, we have fallen in love with our home and this truly is "home" for me now!

Today

2011-05-15T21:10:00.001-07:00

Our next door neighbor's have a little girl who is 6 and she loves playing with Daniel... I think Daniel is completely flattered by that and he is obsessed with her! If I were to give him ANY option like "Would you like to go to Disney Land or play with Reanne tomorrow?" He would say, "Play with Reanne!" He LOVES to play with her! Last night we saw them at Home Depot and he started in, "Can she come over to play? Can I go over to her house?" We said he was going to my parents as we were going to see a movie and he had a melt down (my parent's house is like Daniel's favorite place in the whole wide world!) so I promised that I would call Gretchen today to see if Reanne could come over? From the minute he woke up this morning, he asked a billion times when she was coming over! So after church, he took a nap then Reanne came over and as always, they had a great time!

Moon Sand!

Water Table and Play Dishes!

When Reanne left, Farmer Daniel was sent out to harvest our tomato crops!

A Year in Review....

2011-05-15T18:03:00.000-07:00

One.

2011-05-15T17:21:00.000-07:00

My Baby Girl... I can remember the morning that Daddy and I went to the Doctor's office and had our ultrasound and finding out that you were a little girl. Right there, with my shirt up, a cold wand with gross gel on my tummy and a screen right in front of me with you moving around and tears running down my cheeks as I couldn't believe I was THAT LUCKY! Daddy and I left the office and walked in the courtyard of the doctor's office and I threw my arms around him and threw my face in his chest and sobbed uncontrollably because I was SSSSSSSSSSSSSSOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO happy! You were my heart's desire and my greatest wish.... for 20 weeks I was staying as neutral as possible knowing I would be so happy to have another little boy BUT had already warned Brendon that we were going to keep having kids until I had a little girl! I was DEAD serious!

So, the WHOLE ENTIRE world became to pink to me that day! I threw every minute of the day into creating an ultra pink world for you... decorating a new room for BIG BROTHER and a complete GIRLY room for you!

I had also made up my mind that I was just going to completely enjoy you... I wasn't going to worry as much (yeah, right!) or be as strict as far as schedules, etc.... I was just going to go with my mommy instincts since this wasn't my first rodeo... I had TOTAL MOMMY CONFIDENCE!

I also vowed to savor every single second with you... I was going to hold you as much as possible, gaze into your eyes without hurrying on to household chores, and cuddle you rotten.... well, I have tendinitis in both hands to prove I accomplished this one! LOL!

You have brought complete joy and a breath of fresh air in our home... Daniel is completely in love with you! He gets into "your personal space" all the time and you have learned how to push him away quite effectively... LOL! However, the first person you want when you wake up is your brother and when I tell you we are going to pick him up from school, you get so excited!

Daddy is completely obsessed with you... I have a feeling you will be doing some of the "dangerous" stuff with the boys because you are completely fearless!

I am completely and totally IN LOVE with you! I look at you and think.... OH MY GOSH! I can't get enough of you!

You have been the easiest baby to love and enjoy.... never one time have I thought, "How do I console you?" You just love life, have smiled since 3 weeks old, wave HI to every single person you run into... you just have a very happy heart!

So much is going to happen in this 2nd year of life... it is going to be soooo exciting! We are extremely excited to grow as a family, get to know each other more, build memories and watch you blossom from our baby into a beautiful toddler!

Happy 1st Birthday, Princess!

Art in the Park

2011-05-15T15:49:00.001-07:00

Wednesday morning, my friend Nina hosted Art in the Park at Espee Park... she had the kids make these adorable kites out of brown lunch bags. Completely adorable. It was so fun hanging out with our friends too!

Believe it or not, I think I am caught up on my blog! We had a great weekend... dinner with my friend Michella, Brian and their kids on Friday night... Date Night at the movies last night and a super relaxing Sunday today.... everyone is napping and I am caught up on my blog... it is a miracle:) This week we are having a really cool project done to our back yard covered patio... don't worry, there will be lots of pictures!

Have a great week!