My quotable kids.

I have no idea where I'm going with this. I was planning to post some pictures of the house... Basically everything's done besides little man's room and the guest room. Got some pretty awesome stuff for K's walls but we've had some bad experiences with sticky tack so we're working out the kinks. Today we added a bean bag chair so he doesn't have to sit on the cold, hard floor while he plays his (educational) video games or reads his books, etc.
Both kids were absolutely hilarious today. I promised myself, family and friends a long time ago that I would document the hilarious and not-so pretty moments of their childhoods. So when they use words that make people (even me) blush... it's hard to want to put that out there for people who aren't in my inner circle. lol. However, I promised the good, the bad AND the ugly. So I get the kiddos bathed and dressed and send them to my bathroom so we can do their hair. I'm working on K's fauxhawk and Emily grabs my husbands deodorant and says "What's this, mom?" K-man didn't miss a beat... he said "It's for nipples." I about fell off the side of the bathtub. I had to explain to him the difference in space as to where it belongs. He understands sweat, etc. but apparently needs a lesson in male hygiene products. We try to teach our kids the right names for things... I know there's a lot of controversy between teaching them a socially acceptable name and the actual word for things, but I would prefer not to have a laundry list of code words to remember. We never used other words for bottles, pacifiers, diapers, tractors, cars, animals... so why do it for other things? So then he started asking for *gulp*... a brother. He informed me that I was, under no circumstances, to bring him another sister. lol. Out of curiousity, I asked him where babies come from expecting "From mommies" or "from your tummy" or something of that nature. Nope. He gets this "duh" look on his face and says "From the hospital, mom." In case you were wondering, there will NOT be another brother or sister. As of right now, not ever, just for the record. Just finding him friends at church and the park is enough. :) Let's see... a little less on the graphic side. It took me what felt like forever to get everyone's food on the table. They were all ravenous by 4:45 so I'm rushing to pull the roast out of the slow cooker and the potatoes out of the oven and the carrots were on the stove... so I am trying to fix their baked potatoes and get everything for them both at the same time. Baked potatoes are a little more involved than I remembered... butter, etc. and actually mashing them when they hadn't baked as long as -I- wanted them to. Everyone's sitting down and starting to eat before I've even pulled a plate out of the cabinet for myself. Keg stops what he's doing, gets this alarmed/concerned look on his face and says ... "My mommy makes ALLL this food and she doesn't even get to EAT it?" All I could think is that if he's this aware at 4 1/2... I must be doing something right. He's going to be a good man someday. <3 Even if he does put deodorant on his chest instead of his underarms. :)
Anyway... the big news around here from the last 2 weeks is that our little girl just up and decided she was done with pull-ups and potty trained herself. She decided and that was that... we had a few rough days and accidents but it's been over a week since the last one! So now every time she sees me leaving the restroom, she informs me that I'm a "big girl, good girl" and that she is "SO PROUD" of me. In 3 years this child didn't notice us using the big potty? haha. Then she's looking in the women's section at the store asking for underwear that are FAR too big for her because apparently she's decided she likes the designs better. So any tips on where I can find big girl toddler underwear that are NOT princess, plain or Dora themed would be appreciated! Not the grown-up-grown-up kind... polka dots, zebra stripes, etc. I found some at a store called "Ross" here... but she can't get enough and hubby and I want to encourage her as much as possible.

Big girl with her "I'm potty trained" gift. :)

Let's see... what else? I made a strawberry pretzel salad tonight that was to die for. It's got strawberry jello, frozen strawberries, crushed pineapple, crushed pretzel, cream cheese and whipped cream. My husband hates pretzels and jello. He loved it... and then tried to steal mine. Kiddos loved it as well! I had it when I was younger and never found a recipe or saw it anywhere else since.... so I've been waiting to make this for what feels like forever. Hubby wants to take some to work... huge hit! After roast, carrots and potatoes, it was a good night for food in this house. :) The wonderful, magical powers of pinterest.. bringing me childhood recipes I'd been missing for years!

What else? House pictures...
the uploader is all wonky today. I'll work on it.

The weather has been dreadful this week and I'm loving it. Getting a lot of deep cleaning and organizing done! Excited to hopefully finish little man's room this weekend. Putting up the superman picture of him that I blew up to poster size and framed this weekend with some prints we ordered from Etsy. Weee! (What has become of me that this is my idea of excitement?) ;)

Happy almost Friday everyone!

The more I see of man, the more I like dogs.

So, I promised a friend I'd blog today. We don't catch up often and had almost lost touch. I had it all in my head that I was going to upload pictures of the new house and blabber about the weather in Texas and all the stuff we've done since we've been here. Which, is fabulous... but I was inspired but something else entirely.

My dog, just laying on the cold kitchen floor while I was preparing dinner. These pictures are not professional, they're nothing special to really look at, a normal part of my every-day, in fact. But to me they are a story of a place I never thought I would be, a love I didn't think I'd ever experience again.

My oh-so tolerant Mack-y boy hiding at my feet in the kitchen after playing superheroes with the kiddos.

                                        A sweet little nap on a warm "winter" day. :)

                                           Our happy Kota-bear... waiting for me to throw her bone.
                                            
                                               I absolutely love this. He was really listening to her story.

               

They add a certain level of humor to our lives as well. She's licking, he's yawning.
We didn't go with this for the "family card" picture, but I'm saving it anyway.

Our dogs are a part of our every day life... always there, even when the focus isn't on them just waiting for extra love or attention. And the moment we give it to them, they aren't holding a grudge because of how long it's been since we've thrown their toys or scratched their ears or given them kisses. They are simply happy to love and be loved in return.

For some reason I've been thinking a lot about my family and friend's relationships with their dogs, my relationship with my dogs now as well as my first dog, who I lost 3 years ago this upcoming week. I guess that's probably why it's been on my mind. Bandit was my first "Puppy" love. And he was everything you'd ever need, want or imagine your childhood dog to be. Even when I was a teenager driving my first car, he was in the front seat sticking his head out the window. He was in my senior pictures. We went for walks and played in the creek and I taught him some pretty amazing tricks, if I do say so myself. I still miss him all the time, and I was haunted for a long while after I lost him. I didn't think I would ever be able to love another animal the same way. I was there when it happened, he died in my arms. It was graphic and probably one of the saddest things I've ever experienced. I would say it makes me lucky, because others have experienced far worse tragedies and losses. None-the-less, he was my dog and I loved him, and it was a horrible loss for our family. Even after I moved out, he was "my" dog. I think almost everyone who's had animals understands that feeling.

We grew up together. :)



After we lost him, I didn't think I could ever love an animal like that. I couldn't possibly fathom letting another one get close to me knowing how short their lives are compared to ours and the nightmares and pain that come with losing them. Falling in love with another dog knowing I would experience that again seemed ridiculous. Why would I knowingly enter into something I knew would end in heartbreak? Hubbs and I had 2 dogs already, I wasn't really their person, I loved them, but we weren't connected. Jack was crazy and we had to give him to a home who could take care of him better than we were able to. He didn't like Emily and that wasn't a risk we were willing to take. Dakota has still never forgiven me for treating her like a human when we got her, taking her everywhere, leaving for 4 days and coming back with a screaming human who took up all of my time from then on out. She loves them too, don't get me wrong, but "we" (Dakota and I) were never the same afterwards. She became hubby's pup.

And then in May of 2010, my husband brought home the most enormous Jack Russell I'd ever seen. He'd been through multiple military families and had been passed around the entire first 15 months of his life. He's a pedigree... we have a family tree that goes back 9 generations. According to the receipt that came with his paperwork, they paid $900 for him. I was NOT okay with him moving in, but hubby insisted that he was a sweet dog and was worried what would happen to him if someone didn't take him in because there was a time frame and it was coming down to the wire. I'd love to say we connected instantly and walked off into a doggy park sunset... but, that's not the case. J got a call shortly afterwards that he'd be heading off to TX for a year or more for work and I would be staying behind with two small kids and THREE jack russell terriers. He had a few accidents on the floor... which were enormous because he's a big little dog. Then we learned he is QUITE the hunter. Of course I learned what a wonderful baby bird and squirrel hunter he was while my husband was nearly 700 miles away. Not our finest moments and I'd be lying if I didn't call shouting something like "Must.Go.Now." and possibly something that involved an animal shelther. But somewhere in that 18 months, we got through it and I let him in. He's sweet and tolerant and gentle (except when he's stepping over my rib cage in the middle of the night so he can lay horizontal across the bed). The kids can climb all over him and he doesn't even let on that he's irritated. We have company over and he's not jumping all over everyone... just lays down and minds his business. He is THE perfect dog.

The thought of losing him someday is devastating, but when he's snuggling me after a long day, when he's laying on the floor in my kitchen just because I'm in there or letting my kids chase him around the yard with his chew toys... it's worth it. We have them for such a short time and we are their everything. (Obviously, this is true of children first and foremost). I can't even wrap my mind around how they could be as loving, forgiving and affectionate as they are... we can be the center of their world even if they are not the center of ours. That is the meaning of complete, total, unquestionable love.

People could learn a lot  from their animals. I certainly could take a few chapters out of Macky boy's book. I am so thankful for him... and I am so thankful for the lessons my kids will learn by growing up with our pups. Dogs are people too. :)

Life is a highway, I wanna ride it all night long.

Have I really not blogged since mid-October? Gasp.
Let's just recap with photos, shall we?

Best friends trick-or-treating at the hospital. K as hiccup, Em as supergirl and Cat as a wolf.

Halloween- Optimus Prime and Super-supergirl!



I became an Auntie for the first time to miss Destiny Page!

Annual thanksgiving picture with my love.

Annual family-by-the-Christmas-tree picture.

Hubby bought me a bunny 2 days after Thanksgiving. His name is Gryff, short for Gryffin..dor. :)

We celebrated my stepmom's birthday at the country club plaza- we went on a carriage ride!

Family time at the Legends before Christmas. Hubby's first day back before our move to TX.


Christmas day before church!


Fast forward... Lots of tears, goodbyes and miles later. To Texas. I will post an entry of our complete house after this entry.. maybe in a few days, maybe tomorrow. You never know. :)

The toys 'r us here is pretty disappointing.. however, our little man was PSYCHED to take a picture in a spiderman car!


And our little girl has been reunited with her best friend. We've had tons of playdates to make up for the 3 months they missed.

Working on DOING more in the pinterest department.

They were delish!

Stunning girl before our family day out!

I made his batman pillowcase. It's all about the superheroes with our little guy. :)

"reading" to my dog Mac. He's such a good boy.

Today... my little Texas Princess.

Rockin the faux hawk!



I may not be there yet, but I'm closer than I was yesterday.

So I've decided it's time to actually get serious about my fitness and my health. Not for "weight loss", exactly... that phrase implies that I could potentially "find" it again. Ha, okay- in all seriousness, I wasn't thinking long term and wanting results right away just isn't realistic with lifestyle goals. I don't want my kids eating foods with a bunch of preservatives and other (excuse me) crap in it!

So, I set a goal to only weigh myself once a week. I'm one of those crazy people who LOVES to see results and obsesses over "failure". Meaning if I have water weight or bloating and didn't actually gain weight, it -will- ruin my entire day. lol. The problem is that I'm using my wii fit plus again, and "she" insists I do a body test just about every day. I love being accountable and seeing when I go down.

It's never been a secret that I have a caffeine problem. Coca cola was my vice. I've now gone 10 days without it! I haven't lasted this long in a very, very long time. Just water and diet peach snapple... and this amazing blueberry pomegranate juice that's only 50 calories for an 8 oz glass and is loaded with pottassium. So I lost 4 lbs the first week, had a naughty weekend with my food choices at a movie and while we were busy (not binging, but just not healthy choices) and gained some back. So I weighed myself yesterday before spin class to see where I was at, and again this morning because class was VERY intense and then I made really good food choices. -7.5 lbs. uhhhh, I didn't believe it so I checked my other scale. Same number. Ahhhh! It was what I needed to keep going. I'm focusing on a healthier lifestyle for myself and my kiddos and just hoping that good results come with it. Once we run out of red meat, I'm going to try to cut it out (which is difficult, young kids and no beef?) I am really not a fan of ground turkey at all...I despise the texture, I hate how it feels raw. But, it's better than eating chicken every day and I doubt my kids will be able to tell the difference. Had lunch with the family on Friday before we went to the pumpkin patch and they had the flat, 100 calorie whole grain hamburger buns. SO good and not what I expected at all- think we might have to pick some of those up.

Long story short... I'm slowly cutting out the processed junk food and working towards a more healthy, natural lifestyle. There are more easily accessible natural grocery stores in TX too, which will help! Just waiting to find out where we'll be so I can search for a new gym home.

And I'm open for suggestions. Send me healthy recipes! Ideas on how to keep the kiddos active (besides indoor playtime at the gym) when it's freezing outside? I wish there were more indoor playgrounds in this town besides Mickey d's and the bounce house place- the only other option is driving a half hour.

For now, I'll be sticking to this:

#nostalgia.

Life is good.

Childhood is too short for me to not give them this happiness every single moment I can. I owe it to them to give them the best childhood they can possibly have. Realizing that Keg will be starting school next year is throwing me for a loop. How does it go so fast? I am already missing him. Imagine that. :) Life is short- even when kids are acting like monsters kids, even when it's tough- it's not time to be wasted. I'm not sure if I'm maturing, not sure if I'm just refusing to take my "job" for granted, but it's been an eye opening few weeks for me and my approach to parenting has changed greatly. We've always done things together, read stories, had our learning time, watched movies, etc. But I don't feel like I always enjoyed it the way I should. Or sometimes I'd be frustrated, tired, whatever and not take the time to really -realize- how truly amazing my kiddos are. They're smart and fun and creative. I don't just love them, I really like them as people too.

You have one chance to give your babies a happy childhood. Do it right, make it count. NO regrets. Once they're grown, they're grown and as I'm learning, you can't go back. I wish I could make my baby a boy a baby again (sometimes, and still potty trained, haha).

Feels like I snapped my fingers and we went from

Baby:

... to big boy.

And then we did it again, it went even faster.

Where do those babies go? I am loving their toddler years- watching them grow into their own personalities, develop differently. Sometimes I just want to hold them tight and demand that they stop growing up, just for a little while. :)

You never know how strong you are until being strong is your only option.

This is how we feel today. All 3 of us. I'm so grateful he's not in harm's way and that we had an entire month together. But it doesn't get easier with time. The stronger we become as a family, the harder it is to be apart. I feel so blessed with that- it was a great few weeks away.

So, tradition! We -did- get to go to the Pumpkin Patch. We did just about everything this year... pony and hay ride, pumpkin carving!

Last year, K wanted -nothing- to do with the inside of the pumpkin or the carving. Went a little bit like this:

THIS year went like this...

I think it was all the manly-man diggin in the dirt bonding time with his daddy. Either way, it was a blast with him!

Pumpkin carving with Em was like a flashback of K the year before. She looked at me like I'd completely betrayed her. Poor kiddo. Hopefully next year will be better, but because she's a girl... I won't hold my breath. After the "guts" were gone she came back around.

And the pumpkin patch itself:

Guess it was K's turn to close his eyes. I wanted this one as our family '11 pic!

K-monster took this!! We may have a future photographer. :)

It was an amazing family day. Looking forward to some fall fun with the kiddies- got some projects coming up. I am also excited for "The Lion King" on dvd and bluray tomorrow! I love sharing the classics I grew up with with my kids.

What're your favorite fall traditions?