Birthdays, business and babies- oh my!

This week as packed full of fun with my birthday, Valentine's Day, and Mr. Hubby's birthday. I turned the by 3-5.... halfway to 40! Seems so crazy!!! I don't feel like I should be 35 at all. I decided to celebrate by taking the day off of work, and then Mr. Hubby and I headed to Dallas for our first kid-free trip. The Pittsburgh Penguins (Mr. Hubby's favorite team) were playing the Dallas Stars, so we bought tickets, booked a hotel, and got to spend a much needed evening with just the two of us. Not going to lie, but it was so nice to not have to worry about taking care of anyone but ourselves! Life can be so stressful with three kids, especially with two under two. So just having some time alone was the best present of all!

Landon, Cayson, and Easton stayed home with Mia, and they had a lot of fun with her. We went to Buccee's on our way home and brought them all some treats.

Once we got home from our little getaway, life was going full force once again. I had to get busy getting everything ready for a garage sale. We have accumulated so much stuff over the past few years, and I am ready to get rid of it all! Now that we officially know that Easton will be our last baby, I've slowly selling all of our baby things that he's outgrown. You'd think I'd be sad about it, but I'm actually ready to move on to the next phase of our life. I'm excited to watch my babies grow!

I've also started getting ready to launch an online boutique starting in March. It's something that I've always wanted to do, so I just decided to take a leap and get busy making it happen. I'm anxiously waiting for my sales permit to come in so that I can get started with it all. I'm really hoping that I can make a great business out of it. I'm not sure why I would think it was a good idea to add yet another thing to my already busy plate, but it's definitely something that I know that I will love. And life is too short to not take chances. So I'm crossing my fingers and toes!!!

Valentine's Day was also this week. Landon was excited because first grade was having a party. He had a blast stuffing his face with all kind of candy and sweet treats. Mr. Hubby surprised me with dinner and a cookie cake. He knows the way to my heart.... FOOD!

Yesterday was Mr. Hubby's birthday. Landon and I wrote him some sweet notes and gave him some coupons to redeem throughout the year. Now we're on to planning Cayson's birthday's next month.

This week was also a difficult one for me. I started a new school last year, and sadly, I just haven't found "my people". It's the first place that I've worked, where I don't completely feel like I fit in. There some people with personalities that aren't the easiest to work with, and I feel like I'm constantly second guessing myself. I try to not let the actions of others bother me, but it's hard not to! I guess this is just another learning experience, and I know it'll be okay. It's just one thing that I wish that I wasn't dealing with right now. I'm so ready to have another work BFF. A friend of mine sent me this quote, and I've read it often.. Let's hope it turns out to be true!

And to end the week, here are some things that are happening with our boys:
-Cayson's new favorite thing to say to me is "See mama?? See??"
-Easton loves saying "mama" as loud as he can, and it's actually really clear! If he doesn't get my attention at first, he'll say it even louder!
-Easton still refuses to sit up. It's driving this mama crazy that he won't!

-Landon reached his Above and Beyond in reading which means that he'll be able to go on a field trip by the end of the year. He's so excited and is really getting into reading!

I would write more, but my eyes are getting heavy, and I really can't think straight, so bye for now!

Lots of questions, not a lot of answers

Today was a day that we've been kind of anxious about the past week. It was our big meeting with our  future builder. We were going to discuss some final changes with our floor plan and talk numbers. (The part we were the most nervous about.)
It's not that we haven't been through the whole building process before. It's been a little less than five years since we built the house that we're in now. But this house was always meant to be a temporary home, with the understanding that eventually, we would build what we really wanted later. Our house was fine when we had a three person family, but now that we've expanded to 5, our temporary home is feeling a bit cramped.
So now it's the nerve-wrecking part where everything really has to all come together and there are so many factors that we really can't control. Would the house plan that we picked out be affordable enough for us? Will we be able to sell our current house and make some money from it? Will we even be able to keep our house clean and organized enough to have it on the market with our crazy crew? And if all of those things did work themselves out, where in the world could we rent while we're building? Lots of questions, but with no real answers. I think it's one of those things that you just have to jump into and see what happens.
So anyway, we met with the builder, and the house plan looked amazing! There were a few minor adjustments that needed to be made, but overall, I was really happy with the look of it. But then.... was the scary part... the numbers.... How much was this house of ours going to cost us?  I won't give exact numbers, but let's just say, it was more than we were hoping it would be. I'm not really sure why I was surprised. Doesn't it seem to always be that way? Everything always ends up costing more than you think it will.
So then that brings up more questions. Will we be able to afford this house? Do we need to wait longer? Should we downsize our plan? (NO! lol) Making the right decision is so important. But anyway, I know that we'll get it all figured out, and once we finish getting our current house de-cluttered and ready to sell, we can see how everything will all work out.
The next thing that's happening is my BIRTHDAY! I'm going to be the big 35. Ya know when you have to check the boxes of how old you are? They usually have 0-10, 10-15, 15-20, 20-34, 35-old. I'm going to be in the 35 to old category. But my grandpa always said that you're only as old as you feel, so I'm going to ignore the gray hairs popping out all over my head, and remember how young I still feel and how blessed I am to have another year with my family.
I'm pretty excited because Mr. Hubby and I are going to go on our first, overnight date night without the kids. We don't really get to spend much time alone these days. It seems like no matter what, we always have at least one kid with us. But for my birthday, I really just wanted some time as a couple. So I took off of work for the day (quiet time, YAY!), and we're going to head to Dallas to watch the Dallas Stars and Pittsburgh Penguins game (Mr. Hubby's favorite hockey team ever). I also booked the Omni Hotel for us to stay in after, and then we'll head back in the morning. I absolutely can not wait!
It'll be my first night to ever be away from Easton. He's pretty attached to me right now, so I'm hoping he does okay. Our babysitter said that he says "mama" non-stop during the day. He said "dada" last week, but he's totally a mama's boy at heart!

Cayson has been into everything lately! I can't believe that he'll be two next month. He is the daddy's boy. Yesterday morning he threw a huge fit because Mr. Hubby had already left for work. Cayson is definitely our laughter and entertainer. I call him our little "clown". In the mornings this week, he's been having fun calling the horses that we pass "cows". We correct him and he just says, "cows" again and again. He's been talking so much lately, and it really amazes me how he can already speak in full sentences.
Here he is after he climbed into his baby walker that we have out for Easton.

 And Landon has had a fun week. He celebrated the 100th day of school, he's a money counting pro in math, and he's gotten so good at reading books on his own. His front tooth is wiggly, but he can't seem to get it to fall out yet. He loves to play games, and beat us at bowling on the Wii (like seriously.. he creams us..).  He's really growing up before my eyes, and it's hard to believe that his first grade year is already halfway over.

Well my first day as a 35 year old is going to be a busy one. I have a huge list of things to accomplish before our trip, and hopefully I'll get a little relaxing time in there too. I'm excited for a new year, and all of the amazing things to come!
I think I've been a little all over the place in the post. Maybe it's the mom-brain, or the exhaustion, but I think it's time I head to bed! Till next time...

Chaos and teethies

This evening was one of those crazy, chaotic, one thing after another kind of evenings. (These seem to be more and more common lately. Pretty much life with a 7 year old, a toddler, and a baby). Mr. Hubby had to work some basketball games, so I was tackling everything solo tonight.
After getting off  work, a quick run to the post office, and getting Landon some new shoes, we went to pick up the babies. I was so excited to see Easton because his sitter had texted me that his two bottom teeth had finally come in. I feel like he's been teething since he was around 3 months old, so I was so excited that they finally came through! He's growing up so fast... I know that in no time, my last baby won't seem like a baby anymore. Another milestone in the books.
Luckily, I had dinner all ready in the crock pot (lifesaver on busy days like this) and of course none of the kids wanted to eat it. Cayson decided it would be better to wear it than eat it, so the little stinker poured the dinner all over his lap. In went the fish sticks in the oven after I tried my best to clean all of the beans and rice off of my toddler. Meanwhile, Easton was in his highchair screaming. He was apparently hungry too. Now, I've been trying to give him a variety of different foods, and so far, he hates anything green. We've tried green beans, peas, and tonight's mixture of peas, spinach and carrots, and it was a complete no-go. He pretty much put it in his mouth and tried to not swallow it. I couldn't help but laugh.  He loves his fruits though, maybe one day he'll grow to like something green.

The rest of the night was a mixture an crying, tantrums, chasing after a one year old trying to brush his teeth, and telling the 7-year old to turn the t.v. down. But hey, I survived!
I think that the rest of this week is going to be pretty busy. We have a meeting with a builder on Thursday which we're pretty excited about. He's going to give us the final numbers on how much our house will cost to build. We're hoping and praying that the cost will be low enough that we can move forward with selling our house and getting this whole dream home building thing started.  I'm nervous about the cost of building a house, I'm worried about trying to sell our house with three kiddos, and of course trying to find a place to live after that. But, I'm trying not worry, and just tackle everything one step at a time. That's all you can really do right?!

Here we go...

So here we go...  during this amazingly, crazy time in my life, I've decided to throw myself into the blogging world again. Is that insane? Well, maybe. When I say that life lately has been crazy, I think "crazy" might be an understatement. Besides trying to be a decent wife and teacher, I am also a mommy to three little boys. Day to day life with a first grader and two under two has been quite the experience. Life seems to be non-stop, and sleep and "me" time have become a thing of the past.  But I have to say that I know that these are the days that I'm going to miss one day. Life has changed so much since I left off, but I know that I need to keep up with everything that is happening now. I can't wait to share all of our adventures and experiences that I'm learning along the way. So here we go!

Remembering 2012… Part 2

August continued:

Landon LOVED watching the Summer Olympics in London this year. His favorite event was the synchronized swimming. No joke!!

We also took some more family pics!

September

Not a whole lot happened in September. Here are a few pictures…

Riding in a car at the grocery store.

Hanging out at the park with buddy Mason

Spending time with some cousins

October-

We started October with a little Halloween Artwork! They turned out SO cute!

We didn’t take Landon trick-or-treating this year. But we did take him to Scare on the Square downtown. He REFUSED to wear his vampire costume. He wanted absolutely nothing to do with it. Every time I tried to put it on him. He would scream “NOOOO NOOOO!!!!” I picked it out because it was one of the few outfits that didn’t require putting anything on his head.

So anyway, we headed to Scare on the Square with just a jack-o-lantern shirt. It worked.

Meeting all of the animals at the petting zoo.

Eating some kettle corn with daddy, and watching the costumes.

Then we met up with Mason and his mommy and daddy.

We had a great time at Scare on the Square!!

We also had our second annual trip to the pumpkin patch for pictures. I was so excited to try to get some good ones with my camera. I think they turned out pretty good!

Landon and I also won FIRST place in the pumpkin decorating contest at school. Here’s our little “Franken-pumpkin”

November-

Landon really started talking in November. His favorite words are:

“Mama”, “Dada”, “WaWa” (water), “TayToo Mama” (Thank you mama"), “Stin-ti fee” (stinky feet), “Bye bye”, “nigh-nigh” (night night), yuv you (I love you), truck (word for cars, trucks, buses, etc. lol)

I’ll post a special Christmas post later!!! It’s too much for this one!

Remembering 2012…. PART 1

So another year is already over! Who would have thought that it would fly by so fast!? I looked over my New Year’s resolutions, and I didn’t do that bad! Except for the “blog more” one. It always seemed to just take a back seat to everything else. But looking over my past posts, it made me wish that I would have taken time for it. 2012 was a wonderful year for me. It was packed full of change, adventure, and challenges. I’ve learned a whole heck of a lot about myself this year. So let’s remember some of the highlights of that year!

January-

Landon’s birthday was the biggest event of this month! I had been anticipating and planning his party for over 6 months. It turned out to be everything I imagined and MORE!

I decided to go with a sock monkey theme, and it turned out so cute! Here’s some of the party décor…

And here was the adorable birthday boy himself!!!

What a great day that was!!!

February-

Jonathan turned 28 and I turned 29. My last year in my 20’s, so sad!!

We also spent our last month in the little apartment next to my inlaw’s house.

March-

We closed and moved into our new house during Spring Break! Yay!!! It was so nice to have more space again and create some new memories!

This is also the month that Landon had to get tubes in his ears and also an adenoidectomy. He had to be put under, and it was a little scary. He did great though. It was hard when he was coming out of the anesthesia, but after an afternoon of sleep, he was much better!!!

Landon was getting so much personality!!! Its amazing how fast he’s grown. He was also starting to do great using his little walker.

April-

Landon’s second Easter. WOW!!! Already the second!! This one was a little more fun!

Landon was also starting to try to take steps on his own!

Easter basket from mommy and daddy

Once we had gotten most everything unpacked. We invited our friends over for a crawfish boil at our new place!

 

Landon also perfected his utensil skills!

He also got his first black eye. He fell into a bookshelf at daycare… it looked so pitiful!

Landon really started walking!!! What a big boy! We waited forever, but the day he turned 15 months… he started to walk.

May-

In May, we took advantage of the summer heat, and got Landon a water table to play in. That provided hours of fun!

Then, the biggest change of all for me…. I accepted a job as a Kindergarten teacher for Douglass ISD. It was a hard change. I love routine, and I hate change! I knew in the end, that it was the best choice for me and my family. So I packed up my 1st grade classroom at Thomas J. Rusk Elementary, and became an official Douglass Indian.

We also took our first family pictures.

June-

Jonathan’s 2nd Father’s Day: We were so excited to celebrate! We made daddy a few special Father’s Day pictures.

There’s no denying that that little boy loves his daddy. He was in a MAJOR daddy phase. It was the sweetest thing.

We also went on our 2nd annual Galveston trip. We took Landon last year and had a BLAST… this year wasn’t quite as wonderful. I got pink eye a few days before we left, was sick, and it seemed like anything that could go wrong, DID. But looking back, I’m still glad that we got to go and have those memories.

Landon was NOT as impressed with the beach as we thought he would be… all he wanted to do was sit in this chair. But it was pretty cold and windy that day. The sky was overcast… yes, I said COLD and windy, in June, in Texas. Go figure.

July-

Landon had his 2nd 4th of July! Crazy how this kiddo had changed since last year.

I also started my new journey as a Thirty-One consultant. This turned out to be such a blessing, and has really made me grow as a person. Plus, who doesn’t love bags??!!

August-

Summer began to wind down, and I got busy in my classroom. Landon started back to daycare. It was a crazy month!! Enough said. lol I became a Kindergarten teacher, and started probably one of the best school years of my life.

Landon is up from his nap… he looks a lot like this!! hehe So I’ll continue this little post after he goes to bed!!