"I don't want to be quiet!"

Mason has been getting more and more vocal these days, even "yelling" at us to get our attention. His favorite words are: Mom-ma, Dad-dy, Dog-gy (which he uses for most animals), ball, deer, and elk. He is working hard on repleting words we are using but I think he'll be a little slower than Brandon when it comes to talking. I wonder why since he probably hears far more words/conversation than Brandon did at this age (thanks to Brandon's non-stop chatter).
He definitely knows his two signs, "all done" and "more" and doesn't hesitant to use these to convey his message!

Brandon on the other hand is a NON-STOP conversationalist! He is more often asking questions and occasionally stumping Momma for answers. I try to give the correct answer but sometimes I just can't always put it simple enough! He is now randomly recalling song lyrics and lines from his favorite movies ("Just keep swimming, just keep swimming" from Finding Nemo. Brandon seems to be grasping numbers, most often correctly showing with his fingers how many things are!

Although our house usually seems like a chaotic mess, I would be awfully lonely without my little guys to keep me company!

Sick days

The boys (along with Kevin and I) have been sick for the past four weeks and just when I thought we were on the road to recovery, another round strikes. Brandon was down and out last week and again this week. To top it off, we couldn't get in to see our pediatrician today so urgent care it was! I took both boys, figuring whatever Brandon has Mason is sure to have. So $100 dollars later, Brandon has a double ear infection (yet, has not once complained of pain) with a script for antibiotics and Mason is fine (except for the chest congestion, but his chest x-ray showed nothing). The pediatrician at urgent care (who I went to high school with) did give us a script for Mason in case he spikes a fever. So, here I am hoping for a swift recovery and that Brandon will not fight taking 10 days of antibiotics!

Typical Sunday

Watching the game with Daddy
Getting into trouble on the couch???


Both boys love to play with Play-doh. Brandon got a new Play-doh "grill" and lots of new play-doh for his b-day. Mason, as you can see, has discovered climbing, so now he gets to play with it too!

Brandon demands his dinosaur pj's almost every night, so thanks to Grandma Diane for the new dinosuar pj's. He has gotten very particular about his clothes. He insists on being sockless when home (despite the cold tile floor), he wants to pick out his clothes before allowing us to dress in the morning, and has gotten to the point that we were washing his most favorite pair of pj's every night or waiting until he fell asleep and changed him into another pair just to avoid the issue!

Happy 3rd Birthday Brandon!

Happy 3rd birthday Brandon! I can't believe you have blessed our lives for three years already...boy does time fly.
Brandon is still talking up a storm, using vocabulary I didn't know a three year could have. He is working on his numbers, occasionally counting up to ten out of the blue, although he is doesn't really seem interested in learning his numbers/letters yet...or maybe it's my approach. He loves to play with Play-Doh, to explore the great outdoors, and of course he LOVES his vacuums (now he personally owns two, a Red Dirt Devil and a 1-gallon Shop-vac). He seems to be moving out of the terrible two's (or Kevin and I have just gotten used to it!!!) and is getting better at taking direction from us. Don't get me wrong, he is quite, um lets say, "strong willed" when he wants to be (where does he get that? Ha, Ha, Ha) and loves to ask a questions. It's kind of funny, he'll ask a question, listen to your answer, then he'll give a funny look, roll he eyes while shaking his head, and respond with a "No!"
It's cute to see him with Mason, he's getting better about being gentle and sharing (although Mason is learning to hold his own), and I can already see their friendship developing. He usually can't wait for Mason to get up from his nap and will run into to greet him, "Hi Mas", as soon as he hears him calling out.
We continued our annual birthday tradition by having breakfast at IHOP with the kids. Brandon seems less and less interested in food these days however Mason can still polish off a Daddy-size portion!

Family, friends, cupcakes, and presents

We hosted Brandon's third birthday party at our new house instead of our usual location at the local park, since we now have the room (and I had the courage to be the hostess). Let's just say that hosting stresses me out a little.

I will admit, the weather was great, the kids (and adults) had fun, and the party went well. We had ~35 people over (mostly family and a few close friends), I made six dozen cupcakes (I am now pretty good at decorating cupcakes, thanks to Wilton for the decorating accessories), and we had Eegee's for lunch. Delicious!


Brandon actually smiled for the camera while we sang "Happy Birthday", but didn't seem that interested in opening gifts, much to our surprise. He was so interested in gift opening at Christmas that I figured he would be in heaven on his special day, but he was so focused on the first gift he opened that we practically had to rip it out of his hands and bribe him to continue opening the rest (with everybody staring at us). Guess it's par for the course, with a three year old!


Brandon insisted on taking a nap with his new Shop-Vac!!!!

Thanks to all for coming over to celebrate Brandon's 3rd birthday and for all the wonderful gifts!!!

Lovin' Momma

Times are changing and this time it's in Momma's favor! Brandon is finally "focused" on me and less focused on Kevin. I know, that sounds bad, but it seems for the last year (or more) that Brandon has idolized Kevin and I've just been in the background. For example, he wants to sit with me now, he wants me to lay in bed with him, he wants me to read to him. He even tells me, "I like you Momma, not Daddy!" (when he used to tell me that he loved Daddy and not Mommy!).
This phase may not last too long, I'll have to soak up every minute of it!!!!!

"Life is Good"

As I left work today, driving to pick up the boys from daycare, I pulled behind a brand new Jeep with a tire cover that read, "Life is Good". At first I couldn't help but think, it must be for you! I couldn't but help but think about what her life was like and where I was in my life. It was a nice reminder that yes, life may be stressful but at the end of the day, I am happy where I am at.

I reminded myself that life is good for me too. Instead of thinking only about the stressors my life, I need to focus on the positive. I have a job, I have a great family, I am able to pay my bills, and provide for my family.

Things may not always be perfect but life is what you make of it, right?

Outside play

Yes, that is a vacuum attachment in his hands! Grandpa was kind enough to bring over his carpet cleaner (per Brandon's request), now we have three vacuums in our living room and our Shopvac on the back porch. Should I worry about his vacuum fetish? Maybe he'll be the next big inventor of amazing vacuums...

Our backyard is slowly getting more toddler-friendly, thanks to the lastest outdoor toy. Our swing set has arrived and is all ready for play! A special thanks to my Dad for helping us get the swing set and putting it together.
Brandon loves the slide and the the four "seater" swing. Now I am on a mission to get a reasonable priced infant swing for Mason, but he too smiles big when going down the slide. He seems fearless as long as he sees big brother attempting it first!

No resolutions...

I'm pretty sure I have said this before but I'll say it again, I don't believe in New Year resolutions! Resolutions are just a glaring opportunity for me to set myself up to fail. After all shouldn't my goals be set based on my needs not just because the calendar says it's January 1st?

Here are my goals:
1. Be a frugal as possible.
Plan: This is probably everybody's goal thanks to the ecomony, but I have a plan and if I can stick to it, I hope to save a few bucks (need to pay off my car you know!). Weekly grocery bill = $75 (same as last year), limit trips to Target and Costco = this should save at least $75/month, as I just love to spend money at these stores. I am realistic though, I have two growing boys (and husband) and I realize Costco (for certain items) is great. I will also admit, I love to buy groceries in bulk...which often goes against the "Extreme Couponing" concept.
2. Participiate in the Warrior Dash and Bisbee 1000
Plan: By paying a registration fee, which is non-refundable, I have more motivation to focus on running and not let the day-to-day life interrupt what is important to me...my health! I may weigh what I did pre-pregnancy however things just don't look the same. I have already started the year out sticking to my goal of running on the weekends, now I just need to prioritize running on Wednesdays and Fridays.
3. Worry less about needing to have a clean house and focus more on the kiddos
Plan: This is so simple, clean less, play with the kids more!