Keeping Up With The Cullens

Winter Sky

2012-02-13T07:03:00.000-05:00

I took this picture the other day after our big snow storm. We have the prettiest sunsets here.

Twins

2012-02-10T06:41:00.001-05:00

The other day Chris came out wearing a gray shirt with white sleeves and jeans. Completely normal, right? Well, I noticed that I had dressed AJ in the exact same outfit! I couldn't resist, I needed a picture of the the twinkies!

Birthday Fun

2012-02-09T14:25:00.004-05:00

The week of Tommy is over! He had a fun birthday week of celebrations. It all started on his actual birthday where we went out for dinner and enjoyed his baseball cake. Then Friday, he was able to celebrate his birthday at school with Angry Bird cupcakes we made. Saturday we were off to Chuckie Cheese to meet up with cousins and celebrate once again. We ended it all on Sunday with a few friends joining us at Dairy Queen. It was fun, but tiring! Lots and lots of baking last week for me so I'm glad that's behind us! Looking forward to a quiet, birthday free weekend this weekend!

Opening presents

Angry Bird cupcakes

DQ celebration!

Movie Night!

2012-02-03T06:59:00.000-05:00

The kids have been watching movies on Saturday nights before bed. They love it. We get them all set up on their little couch with blankets, jammies, and of course snacks! Here is a cute picture of them snuggling together.

Tommy Turns Five!

2012-02-02T06:39:00.003-05:00

Wow, I can't believe it, Tommy is five today! That's one whole hand! He is so excited to be five, and as he told me today when I warned him not to do something because he might get hurt, he said, "Mommy, don't worry, five years old don't cry!" We will see about that one! Tommy is all boy all the time. I can't keep a pair of pants or socks for more than a week with him. He is sliding and running all the time...thus the holes in his clothes! Tommy, we have so much fun watching you grow and love you so much. Happy birthday, Tommy!

White Sox FanFest

2012-01-28T15:50:00.005-05:00

We were very fortunate and received tickets from one of our friends that works at a Chicago radio station to the White Sox FanFest! Tommy was beyond excited. The FanFest was at a hotel in downtown Chicago, close to Millennium Park. So before we headed in the fest, we checked out the park with the boys. They both loved the bean! Once we got to the fest, the boys LOVED the kid game section. It was great because it wasn't too crowded so they could play games as long as they wanted and they won prizes too! Tommy won a White Sox jersey, AJ won a Frank Thomas bobble head, and I won us ticket vouchers for a game this summer by just spinning a wheel! We were so excited! After the fun and games we got in line to get an autograph from Paul Konerko, Tommy's favorite baseball player. He was so excited. This was serious business and we kind of lucked into getting the autograph by just checking out the area. They limit how many autographs the players do in a night, so we weren't sure if it was going to work out. We went down to scope out his room and they just announced that you would need wrist bands for Konerko, so we got in line for those, got them, and then got in line again for the autograph. Konerko signed a picture we blew up of Tommy on Halloween dressed up as Konerko. It was a pretty fast transaction as his line was very long, but Tommy was ecstatic that he met Paul Konerko. When we got in the car after we left the fest, Tommy said "This has been the best day of my life." It made it all worth it! Here are some pictures of our fun day in the city!

Tommy, Chris, and AJ at the bean

The bean

AJ and me

Family photo at the bean

Fast pitch game at the fest

AJ joining in on the action

The one and only Paul Konerko

Tommy's big moment

So proud!

Pinterest Snowmen

2012-01-11T14:10:00.003-05:00

Are you pinning yet? I am! It took me awhile to get into Pinterest as I fully didn't understand it nor did I want to "pin" things that I knew I could never have. Kind of depressing to just look at pictures of things you can never have. So I decided to really only pin things that I can do or find interesting. I pin a lot of recipes, one that I will be trying out later this week! I also like to pin crafts that I can do with the kids. Remember my post about the hand print Christmas trees? Found that idea on pinterest. I also found these cute banana snowmen on pinterest. Easy and fun for the kids. All you need are some bamboo sticks, small chocolate chips, pieces of apples and carrots, pretzel sticks, and bananas. I got all the material ready and cut before Tommy dove into making his snowman. He enjoyed making it (and eating the extra pieces of chocolate)! It was a fun easy way to make a healthy dessert for them! So if you are not on pinterest yet, check it out! It's fun, but be careful it can become addicting! Here are some pictures of our snowmen:

The prepared ingredients

Tommy creating his snowman. Chocolate chips for
the buttons and eyes, pretzels for the arms, apple for the hat,
carrot piece for the nose, and banana slices for the body!

Yummy!

Snow Fun

2012-01-05T06:25:00.002-05:00

So we didn't get the 15 inches of snow they were saying...maybe 2 inches? But still enough to have some fun outside. We built a snowman, made snowballs and I even ran them around the yard while they were in the sled...that's quite a workout! They loved it. I know this is bad of me, but I would love just a little bit more snow. We were outside playing and you can still see grass! One big snowstorm on a weekend would be nice...and then it can go away until next year!

AJ was very concerned about the snowman's hat

Snowballs!

Snow Angels!

Happy New Year

2011-12-31T06:05:00.003-05:00

Another year has come to an end. They just seem to keep flying by so quickly! Here is a year in review for the Cullen Family.

Chris is still working hard for Whirlpool and enjoying his job and the new endeavors it brings him. He has also been hard at work earning his MBA from Indiana University. This has required him to wake early in the morning and work some weekends to complete course work on top of his regular job and family life. Sometimes I don't know how he does it, but he does and manages his time amazingly. I'm so proud of his efforts to support our family. Chris also spent time coaching Tommy's soccer league this past fall. Tommy and Chris both enjoyed this, it was a great bonding time for them.

Tommy still attends preschool 3 times a week. He has become so interested in learning how to read and solve math problems. I know this kid is ready for kindergarten next year. As for me, I'm not sure, but I have to accept that my job is to also let him grow and learn on his own. I know he will do great. He has enjoyed playing soccer this year too and is something he will keep doing along with adding baseball this spring. His love for sports grows everyday!

AJ turned two this year! He is talking more and more everyday too. We have noticed him talking in complete sentences lately. He is an active little guy and loves to play with brother Tommy. They have become such good friends, which warms my heart.

I continue to stay at home with the boys and feel blessed that I am able to do so. We have so much fun on a daily basis. Now, don't get me wrong, we have our moments too. But it is so neat to watch them grow into the little gentlemen they are becoming.

As a family we again took a vacation to Disney World this past spring. We had a wonderful time and created memories I will forever cherish.

All and all 2011 was a great year for us and I cannot wait to see what 2012 has in store. Here is our year in review:

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

Christmas

2011-12-29T12:33:00.007-05:00

We had a wonderful Christmas this year. And it appears that both boys made the nice list this year!

On Christmas Eve morning, our elf, Malcolm, had to head back to the North Pole to help Santa fill the sleigh. But before he left, he wrote a note to each boy and filled everyone's stocking, including the dogs' stockings too. Then we headed to Mo and Papa's for the day. There we had a special visit from Santa! The kids were so excited. He gave each grandkid a reindeer to thank them for feeding his reindeer throughout the year.

Christmas morning we opened gifts. It was surprising this year because Tommy rushed through his presents. AJ, however, took his time. He would carefully take off the bow first, then rip the paper little by little. Then AJ would want to play with the new toy for a bit before he moved onto the next present. We had to stall Tommy for awhile so AJ could catch up! Tommy received an VTech Innotab from Santa this year. What a neat toy! Santa had searched and searched for the popular LeapPad, but had no luck. So we decided upon the Innotab which was a great investment for us. Tommy loves playing it. AJ received many Disney guys which he completely loves. He also received a Handy Manny work bench. AJ loves to "fix" things...I just don't know if I would hire him out quite yet! Tommy also got his much wanted real Lightening McQueen remote control car. He LOVES it, and so does AJ. AJ really gets a kick out of just watching Lightening race around the room and talk. It is a pretty neat toy.

All and all a wonderful Christmas. It seemed to come and go so quickly this year, but we made such wonderful memories with the boys. These memories I will cherish always.

The stockings filled and notes left by Malcolm

AJ waking Tommy up Christmas Eve

The dogs checking out the goods

Santa! AJ waited so patiently for his gift!

All the grandkids

Decorating cookies for Santa

Tessa's creations...too bad you can't see all the sugar she put on!

After Christmas Eve mass, they all behaved wonderfully!

My attempt at being a photographer. Yes, it's supposed to be
fuzzy! I read all about how to take these pictures and how
artistic they are. Chris thought I made a mistake posting this photo...

Santa came!

Santa left a few things behind while eating cookies!

Merry Christmas

2011-12-25T05:44:00.002-05:00

From our home to yours, we wish you all a very merry Christmas

and a wonderful New Year!
Love,
The Cullens

My Two Santas

2011-12-23T06:25:00.000-05:00

Christmas Cookies

2011-12-22T08:08:00.002-05:00

Last weekend we made Christmas cookies! We ventured out of the norm and made cookies we had never made before. Chris decided to make chocolate chip cookies with candied bacon. I made sea salted caramel chocolate cookies. I must say they both turned out delicious! We tried to get the whole family to help, but AJ had other plans...maybe next year! Tommy of course loved helping and sampling the cookies too. Both cookies were sweet and salty so if you like that combination I highly recommend these cookies. You can find the recipes at www.twopeasandtheirpod.com, (the salted caramel cookies) and www.peterandrewryan.com (chocolate chip bacon cookies).

Sampling the chocolate chips

Adding the butter

Helping Daddy add more ingredients

Sampling the chocolate chips...again

AJ joined us with a fake cookie he
found downstairs.

Chocolate chip bacon cookies

Sea salt chocolate caramel cookies

Christmas Concert

2011-12-21T12:59:00.003-05:00

Today Tommy begins Christmas break! That was always a great feeling as a kid! The preschoolers celebrated with a party and then invited parents at the end of school to hear them sing a few Christmas songs. They did great! We then treated Tommy is his favorite restaurant, can you guess? Jimmy Johns of course!

Christmas Jammies

2011-12-19T06:28:00.001-05:00

Snuggle Buddies

2011-12-18T06:24:00.001-05:00

One early morning we caught the boys cuddling in their Christmas jammies while watching a Christmas show...nothing could be cuter.

On Dasher, On Dancer!

2011-12-16T19:11:00.004-05:00

The other night we took advantage of family fun night at the carousel again. This time they had two reindeer! Dasher and Dancer made an appearance before their big trip next week. We were even able to pet one of them! They were really neat to see. Of course Santa was also at the carousel, but this time Mrs. Clause joined him too! We had another wonderful family night!

Christmas Shirts

2011-12-14T15:28:00.003-05:00

Every year I love to buy Christmas shirts for the boys. They just look so cute in and it helps to get us all in the Christmas spirit. Today I was able to snap a few pictures of them wearing their shirts. Tommy has a Grinch shirt. He has really been into reading the book this year. He quotes the Grinch a lot too! AJ's shirt says Mama's favorite gift...the jury is still out on that one lately!! :) I don't know why but when I uploaded these pictures and looked them...the boys just look so big! They are growing up too quickly!

They also have cute Christmas jammies. Look for a post on those in the near future!

Happy Birthday, Poppy!

2011-12-10T06:21:00.001-05:00

Today we celebrate Poppy's 90th birthday! We were fortunate enough to see Poppy over Thanksgiving while in Connecticut. Unfortunately, we won't be there for the big celebration, but want to wish Poppy much happiness, health and love this day and everyday!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, POPPY!!

Gingerbread House

2011-12-08T07:08:00.002-05:00

Last weekend Tommy's class had a gingerbread house activity for moms and kids. We had so much fun! Tommy and I made a date out of it! I took him out to lunch beforehand to anyplace he wanted to go. He chose Jimmy John's! Of course Chris made me pick up a sandwich for him too because he was not going to miss out on Jimmy John's. Jimmy John's is very popular in our house. So after lunch, we head to school and made our gingerbread house together. It was so much fun to make and see all the other different gingerbread houses too! Tommy's classmates are all very creative. What a great holiday activity.

St. Nicholas Day

2011-12-07T14:14:00.005-05:00

St. Nick came the other night to our house. Looks like so far everyone has been good...no coal in anyone shoes yet!

Carousel Family Fun Night

2011-12-06T08:55:00.003-05:00

The Silver Beach Carousel offers a family fun night every Thursday evening. We have taken advantage of this a few times, it's a great way to pass the time in these colder months. Carousel rides are only a dollar on these night and the few times we have gone, we have seen Santa! The carousel does such a nice job decorating for Christmas, if you live in the area you should definitely check it out some Thursday night, it's a great way to get in the Christmas Spirit.

A Great Christmas Craft

2011-12-05T13:43:00.004-05:00

We made these paintings the other night, it was a fun and easy project for us. The kids enjoyed getting their hands full of paint too! I bought two canvases at Michael's along with some finger paint. Then the kids stuck their hands in the paint and away they went. Being older, Tommy was a bit easier to do, though I am happy with how AJ's came out too. We just learned to get his hand full of paint once and just keep going. Telling him to high five the canvas worked too! Now we have something nice to always decorate the house with at Christmastime.

Tomorrow is St. Nicholas Day, don't forget to put your shoes out!

Tommy's hand print Christmas tree.

AJ's hand print Christmas tree

Happy Birthday, AJ

2011-11-12T06:57:00.002-05:00

AJ is TWO today! It's so hard to believe! Where does the time go?

AJ loves his brother. He has to do EVERYTHING Tommy does. One of the cutest things they do together right now is when walking down the stairs they count them, Tommy first then AJ. It's the sweetest thing ever, and now AJ can count to 13 thanks, big brother!

AJ is always on the go, no hugs or snuggles from this kid unless he is tired or sick. He is exhausting and fun at the same time. He has no fear, we have no idea where he gets this quality from. He is daring and can't miss out on anything.

At two years old he is talking more and more each day and understand directions well, doesn't always follow them but knows them nonetheless. He has a devilish smile and you know when he up to something. He loves to laugh and loves to make people laugh.

Happy Birthday, AJ! We love you so much and can't wait to see what this year holds for you!

Disney's Biggest Fan

2011-11-11T06:31:00.001-05:00

Family Pictures

2011-11-10T06:54:00.004-05:00

We are so lucky that one of good friends is an amazing photographer! Damon Corso is a friend that Chris has had since he was very young and they have remained close throughout life. Damon was a groomsmen in our wedding, but also did some pictures for us too. They turned out amazing! For the past two years Damon has come to visit us and during his visit he has done our family pictures. We enjoy these visits so much and wish we could have more with him! Tommy has really developed a close relationship with Mr. Damon. I just think it's neat to see the relationship Damon now has with our kids too, it's very special to us. Thanks, Damon for visiting and taking amazing pictures for us! Can't wait to see you this summer! Here are a few of my favorites!

Silly Mr. Damon

Fall Fun

2011-11-09T06:25:00.000-05:00

We have had such a great fall this year. The weather has mostly cooperated with us too which has been nice. We have had lots of visitors and filled our weekend with pumpkin patches, cider mills, fall fests, and even a book signing for the kids! We have had so much fun and can't believe we are already getting close to the holiday season, time just keeps flying by. Here are some pictures of our fall fun this year.

Halloween Fun

2011-11-07T14:06:00.006-05:00

We had so much fun Halloween weekend! We trick or treated in downtown St. Joe on Friday night with friends which was a blast and then trick or treated in our neighborhood on Monday. They boys had a blast, and I'm just glad Halloween is over and the candy is out of the house!

AJ was absolutely amazed at our friend Abby who was dressed up
as Jessie from Toy Story.

A Halloween Sneak Peak!

2011-10-12T06:39:00.001-04:00

Tommy struggled for awhile as to what he wanted to be for Halloween this year. It seemed like he changed his mind about every 5 minutes! So we waited for a bit before buying anything until one day he decided he wanted to be Paul Konerko from the White Sox. As mentioned in previous posts, Tommy is obsessed with baseball, ever since Chris and Poppy T. took him to a White Sox game. So I think it's fitting that he is a White Sox Player. He loved his costume and loves the painted goatee on his face too. Here is a preview of his costume.

Rainbow

2011-10-11T06:07:00.001-04:00

One morning back in September we spotted a beautiful full rainbow behind our house. Too pretty not to share.

A Walk in the Woods

2011-10-10T07:02:00.001-04:00

A Fun Filled Fall Weekend

2011-10-08T06:33:00.003-04:00

Last weekend Uncle Scott and Uncle Brian came to visit with their friends Mary and Maggie. Since they were here we thought we would plan a perfect fall weekend filled with great fall activities. We started our Saturday with a soccer game. Then we were off to Grandpa's Cider Mill in Coloma. We had so much fun tasting all the different ciders and eating their yummy donuts. However, I of course, forgot my camera at this stop. After our bellies were full we headed down the road to Jollay Orchards. There, we fed farm animals, rode the ferris wheel, went on a hayride, and then had a picnic lunch. We then headed back home to celebrate Brian's birthday! Since we didn't have party hats, we decided everyone had to wear some sort of hat while singing and eating cake. After that celebration the adults headed to Weko Beach for the 2nd annual beerfest. We had a blast, it was so much fun. We were worn out by the end of the weekend, but we all had so much fun. Thanks everyone for a great visit!

The Cullen Boys

Ferris Wheel Fun

1,2,3...WHEEEE!

Brian, Maggie, Mary, and Scott

I just don't know what to say about this one...

Brian's Birthday Bash!

Weko Beach

A Visit to a Pumpkin Patch

2011-10-07T06:52:00.002-04:00

While Nonni and Poppy T. were here, the weather really turned on us. Luckily we had a few nice days with cooler temps so we thought it would be fun to hit up one of the local pumpkin patches one afternoon. The temps we had that week were nothing like now (80 and sunny!)

DeVries is a pumpkin patch we frequent often in the fall because it's close to our house and they set up a lot of play areas for the kids all for free! When we were there they were just getting everything out, no pumpkins at that time, but they are in full swing now. AJ loved this place. This year he could run around and really participate in all the fun rather than sitting in a stroller like last year. What a difference a year makes!

By the way, I'm still on my quest for a good picture of the two boys together...ugh!

What a cutie!

When Grandparents Visit, Parents Will Go Play!

2011-10-06T13:31:00.005-04:00

So again, I know, it's been awhile, and boy did I feel the heat from Uncle Scott this weekend about that! I could still use the excuse of appendicitis, but that was a month ago. So I don't have any excuses other than just trying to keep up! Anyways, I have tons of pictures and I will try to be better about my blogging.

A few weeks ago Nonni and Poppy T. came to visit for a week. While they were here, Chris and I went down to Austin, TX to meet up with some college friends. We had so much fun. It was great to catch up with people, get a break, and sample some beers from Jester King. Jester King is a brewery that our friend Jeff started up. We spent most of the day on Saturday there and then sampled some Texas bbq at The Salt Lick...YUMMY! I think everyone had a food hangover after that meal!

While the grandparents were here they were able to see Tommy play soccer. I think I can say everyone enjoyed the games, they are fun to watch. Thanks again to Nonni and Poppy T. for watching the kids while we went off to play!

Chris driving the boat on Lake Austin...watch out!

Jester King Beers

Jester King Tour

Tommy's First Day of School

2011-09-09T10:28:00.003-04:00

This past Wednesday was Tommy's first day of 4 year old preschool! He was very excited. Tommy is attending St. Paul's, where he went last year. He has the same teacher and many of the same classmates. Chris had to drop him off as I was still in the hospital recovering from appendicitis, great timing right? But Chris said Tommy did great and didn't even give him a hug goodbye, I think it was harder on Chris than Tommy! We are so happy the school year is off to a great start!

AJ of course could not be left out!

New Star Wars backpack!

Just Silly

2011-08-26T06:14:00.000-04:00

Sorry, I shouldn't say silly...tough right?!

It's Superman and Super Cowboy!

2011-08-25T06:08:00.003-04:00

As most everyone knows, AJ is completely obsessed with Toy Story. He must now regularly wear a cowboy hat. It's fun when you want to take a walk around the neighborhood, but we must wear the cowboy hat that keeps blowing off and a grumpy AJ in tow because it won't stay on his head! Anyways, before bedtime AJ insisted on wearing his cowboy hat with his superman jammies, too cute not to take a picture.

Story Time

2011-08-23T14:00:00.003-04:00

The boys always read books before bed, but a few weeks ago, AJ decided to start a new tradition. Before they each get their own books read to them, Tommy now reads a book to AJ in his bed. AJ decided this one day, probably because he was delaying the bedtime process and ran into Tommy's room instead of his own. But it's not a bad tradition to keep! Tommy has a handful of books that he has memorized that he reads to AJ. It's very cute to watch them read to each other. Here Tommy is reading "You Are My I Love You."

White Sox Game

2011-08-15T06:43:00.003-04:00

About a month ago, Chris, Poppy T, and Tommy attended a White Sox game. This was Tommy's first baseball game ever. Chris said he did great. He has been obsessed with baseball ever since. We play it every evening and he even sits and watches games with Chris now. He knows a ton of players of the White Sox and loves to watch them all play. It's great to see Tommy so interested in baseball. We can't wait to take him to another game soon!

Beaching It Up

2011-08-12T07:24:00.004-04:00

Nothing better than summertime in Southwest Michigan

Binder Park Zoo

2011-08-11T13:09:00.004-04:00

I know, it's been awhile. I've received a few notes from people (Scott), that the blog needs some updating. I wish I had some great excuse as to why the updates this summer have been far and few between, but I don't. Other than it's summer and we are enjoying it and at the end of the day I would rather relax to terrible reality tv than blog. Anyways, I will try and be better about it now!

We discovered a great zoo in our area called the Binder Park Zoo. I would say it's a hidden gem. We've been there twice now on the weekends and it's never overly crowded which is so nice. You won't see a lot of the typical zoo animals here, so it's kind of a nice change of pace in that respect. One of the great things about this zoo is that you can feed the giraffes! It's so cool. The giraffes are in a huge field along with zebras and other animals. You stand on a deck and can give the giraffes lettuce. It's really neat to see them so close. AJ and Tommy absolutely loved it. Tommy was a bit apprehensive at first and wanted us to help him, I have to admit, the tongues are a little creepy! However, AJ jumped right in and fed them laughing the whole time. We had a wonderful day at the zoo and hope to go back again soon. If you live in the area I highly recommend checking it out.

Brotherly Love

2011-07-22T07:29:00.000-04:00

Something Doesn't Belong Here

2011-07-21T07:21:00.000-04:00

Can you tell what's in the pool?

That's right! TOADS! We had an invasion of toad in our basement window wells earlier this summer.

Chris and Tommy saved them all and stored them in our pool until they could move them to a better location. We had NINE toads! Crazy. Thankfully they have all moved to better homes now.

Sauteed Summer Veggies over Pasta

2011-07-20T13:58:00.003-04:00

So I don't know about you, but this summer has been busy! I can't believe we are almost through July. With that being said I bring you a healthy recipe today. Since things have been busy, it seems like we just have been eating well, unhealthy lately. We have been enjoying cookouts, takeout, ice cream, all those wonderful things that go along with summer. But man, I'm starting to feel it. I was starting to feel sluggish so I knew things had to change.

Now, I do workout regularly, this I have under control. I joined our local gym earlier this year and have really started to like working out, something that I never thought I would say. I have made some good friends there and we enjoy working out together, which of course makes it much easier. I joined a boot camp class that I do twice a week and then workout three other times during the week. So working out 5 days a week, you think you might be feeling good? Well, I do, but I need to work on my self control with eating! We all go through these phases, but I feel like since vacation back in June I have really let the diet thing slide. So I'm putting in all this time in the gym, yet not seeing results on the scale....hmmm something has to change. So we are going back to our healthy eating. If I'm working my butt off at the gym I want to start seeing results! So it's time to buckle down for a bit and live healthy.

I always set goals for myself when it comes to wanting to lose weight, sometimes I think I strive for too much and when I don't reach it, that's when I reach for the chocolate or chips. So this time I am keeping things realistic. Our anniversary is coming up, August 7th. We will be celebrating 7 years together. So my goal is to continue to eat healthy until then, allowing myself one cheat meal a week. Now this is a meal, not a day...working on that self control thing. By August 7th I want to feel like I have more energy, a little less flab (especially in the tush and belly area), and hopefully have lost a few pounds along the way. We'll see how it goes, but so far so good. But I do highly recommend setting goals for yourself with your weight loss. I have used 5k races in the past, it always got me to the gym because I knew I always wanted to beat previous race times so I had to practice. So now the goal is to tone up, more energy and hopefully lose a few more pounds before the anniversary.

I made this recipe the other night wanting to get a break from chicken. It was delicious and so easy! I picked up some summer veggies sauteed them in garlic and olive oil and threw in some whole wheat pasta. I sprinkled just a bit of parmesan cheese on top. Wow, it was good. Even Chris enjoyed this meat free meal. So here are the ingredients I used, but you could use any fresh veggies you like:

1 zucchini
1 yellow summer squash
1 vidalia onion
1 red bell pepper
2 cloves garlic (finely chopped)
olive oil
whole wheat pasta (I used roughly a cup per person)
salt and pepper (to taste)
crushed red pepper (optional, I added it for a bit of spice)
parmesan cheese (optional, again I used just a bit on top)

Sautee all your veggies together while your pasta is cooking. Season the veggies, add your pasta and about tbs. of olive oil toss, and enjoy! It was yummy!

I will report back occasionally to let you all know how I'm doing on my goal, and definitely by our anniversary! If you have any healthy recipes or snack ideas please share, always looking for ways to change it up!

Spaghetti and Meatball Cake

2011-06-29T05:59:00.002-04:00

A few weeks ago we got together for a cookout with friends. I decided to make a spaghetti and meatball cake. It was very simple! I used a chocolate cake mix for the cake. Then I covered it with buttercream icing. Then to make the noodles all over the cake, I used a number 5 tip and just kept zigzagging noodles all over the cake. For the sauce, I used strawberry jam. Then for the meatballs, I went to our local bakery and just bought their cheesecake balls. You could make your own cakeballs but I was pressed for time so I took the easy route! I shaved white chocolate on top to look like parmesan cheese. It was a fun cake to make!

Princess Meet and Greet

2011-06-28T07:54:00.005-04:00

So Chris thought this year we would get out of meeting the princess. No such luck! Tommy has a crush on Belle from Beauty and the Beast and was dying to meet her. I honestly don't think Tommy cares too much about the princesses but is just more interested in meeting characters! We arrived in the princess line and Belle was not one the princesses you could meet. It was Sleeping Beauty, Jasmine, and Cinderella. Tommy had no idea who Jasmine was. He was a little disappointed that Belle was not there, however, on our last day he was able to meet her in Epcot at the France Pavilion.

While waiting in line, AJ became very antsy. Usually you cannot see the characters until it is your turn, however, this time you could see all three princesses and this was pure agony for AJ! He just could not wait his turn! So one of the workers took AJ by the hand and walked the line with him while we waited our turn. This was so awesome. Everyone in line got a kick of AJ greeting them and it occupied him until it was our turn. When it was finally our turn, AJ had to show each princess his Jessie doll. He also developed a little crush on Cinderella, he didn't want to let her go. I actually had to pull him away from her!

So all in all we had a wonderful trip and created such wonderful family memories. It will be awhile before we head back now, we are waiting for the new Fantasyland to be finished, so we thought it would be fun to go in November 2012 to celebrate AJ and my birthdays. This way we can also see Disney at Christmas time which we have never done. Hope you all enjoyed the pictures from our vacation, it truly was a magical time!

AJ working with the Disney employee

Showing Jasmine Jessie

Character Meet and Greets

2011-06-23T14:26:00.005-04:00

Just a few more Disney posts! We spend a lot of time meeting character because the boys both love it. We met many characters this time along with getting their autographs. Here are some pictures throughout the week of the different characters we met.

It's a Small World

2011-06-20T13:33:00.003-04:00

We were in Disney World at the same time as our good friends, the Schraubens! We tried to schedule a couple meet ups, but with fast pass times and dinner reservations it just never quite worked out. We did run into them randomly twice! So we got a few pictures of the kids together. It was Abby and Belle's first time in Disney World and they loved it!

We were in line to meet Woody and Buzz at the same time!

Ran into them at Magic Kingdom on their last day!

Happy Father's Day

2011-06-19T06:31:00.005-04:00

Happy Father's Day, Chris!

The annual Norway Viking picture. Of all the places in Disney, Norway is Chris' favorite. It's odd things like this that make me love you!

Always has time for a sword fight with Tommy (this of course was in Norway!)

Always knows the best way to calm kids down for bedtime!

Thanks for being the best dad ever!

Jedi Training Camp

2011-06-17T15:08:00.004-04:00

Sorry, my posts have been inconsistent lately. I have had a bad case of allergies this week so during my usual naptime blogging I have been keeping a cold compress on my eyes! Anyways, onto more fun things like Jedi Training Camp!

So we did a little research before leaving for Disney to try and eliminate any wait times we may have. I must say we did a pretty good job of figuring out when to get fast passes etc. However, Tommy had his heart set on doing Jedi Training Camp. This is hard to get into as they take 12 kids to perform in 5 or 6 shows throughout the day. So we thought we would try on Star Wars weekend, but quickly concluded that it would just be too crazy with a lot of the Star Wars geeks. So on Thursday morning we arrived at the park one hour before it opened. The gates were not open yet so you have to line up behind the turn styles. We read to stay to the left because as more and more people show up, they open up more lines, and they did which put us right in the front! Chris took Tommy and I took AJ. Chris and Tommy were right in front to get signed up for Jedi Training Camp and AJ and ran or rather walked quickly to get fast passes for Toy Story Mania. Tommy got signed up for Jedi Training no problem! It was so much fun to watch. He looked so tiny up on the stage. Their teacher showed them moves to beat Darth Vador, and then they each had a chance to fight him. Tommy did awesome! I was afraid he might get too scared and even start crying on stage, but he didn't! Though later in the week he said he didn't want to see Darth anymore! We were very proud of him for doing it though!

Tommy's Jedi Teacher

Darth Enters!

They defeated Darth!

Cowgirl Jessie

2011-06-15T07:48:00.004-04:00

AJ has been obsessed with Toy Story for a few months now. He usually speaks gibberish and then ends his sentence with Toy Story. I guess we have grown accustomed to it because we think nothing of it. But when we are around others they just laugh at him because his whole life is centered around Toy Story.

After being in Disney, he became obsessed with Jessie. He even says Cowgirl Jessie. He won't say his brother's name, but he says Cowgirl Jessie. The Toy Story characters are in a parade at Magic Kingdom where they come down on the street and dance with the kids. We had seen the end of this parade one day and AJ could not stop clapping and waving at them from the stroller. So I made a point to see where the Toy Story float parked so we could get a chance to dance with Jessie and Woody. The next time we were at Magic Kingdom I parked ourselves well before the parade right by where their float would end up. Sure enough Jessie and Woody came down and danced with the kids. I took Tommy and AJ out on the street. As soon as AJ saw Jessie he no longer wanted me to hold him. He worked his way over to Jessie and held her hand the remainder of the parade and danced with her. I was afraid he wasn't going to let go of her! It was very sweet. After the parade Chris bought AJ a talking Jessie doll. The man checking him out asked him if this was for his princess. He said no, it's for my son...he has a huge crush on Jessie!

Meeting Mickey Mouse and Some of Magic Kingdom

2011-06-11T06:31:00.005-04:00

Tommy and AJ both love meeting the different characters around Disney. On our first day at Hollywood Studios we finished our day there meeting Mickey and then headed over to Magic Kingdom to meet Mickey and Minnie. At the Magic Kingdom you can now actually fast pass some of the character meet and greets. This is such a great idea because I'm sure many of you know how long the lines can be to meet characters. This way we walked right in to meet Mickey and Minnie. AJ LOVES Mickey and Minnie and couldn't get enough of them. After meeting the characters, we hit a few rides. Tommy loved Aladdin's Magic Carpet Ride. This is very similar to Dumbo. Here are the rest of the pictures from our first official day in the park.

Double hugs for Mickey!

Zurg Jail!

Tommy cooling off!

Carousel Ride

Aladdin's Magic Carpet Ride

Countdown to Fun Parade!

2011-06-10T06:39:00.004-04:00

One of our favorite things to do in Disney are the parades. They are so much fun and the kids really get into them. Disney nails these parades, right down to the music that stays in your head for days! Tommy was even singing the songs by the end of the week! This parade was the Pixar Pals Countdown to Fun parade at Hollywood Studios. It was really neat because we saw a bunch of characters you don't typically get to meet or see around too much. We actually watched this parade several times during the week because we liked it so much! Here are a few pictures. Before we attended the parade, we grabbed lunch at the 50s Prime Time Cafe. The restaurant seriously looks like a home from the 1950s. It was a lot of fun!

Lunch time at the 50's Prime Time Cafe

Popsicles before the parade, it was hot!

Ratatouille

Characters from Up

Mr. Potato Head and Cowgirl Jessie

Woody!

Our Disney Trip

2011-06-09T14:10:00.005-04:00

We are back and sort of back into the swing of things at home! What a great vacation! The weather was picture perfect. Hot and sunny all day and then cool, breezy evenings. We stayed at The Boardwalk hotel which I highly recommend. It was so neat! I wish I would have taken more pictures of it! There were great shops, restaurants and entertainment right in our hotel. We could also walk to Hollywood Studios and Epcot which was awesome! Tommy got his fill of Star Wars, AJ fell in love with Cowgirl Jessie, and Chris got his fill of Norway. We have wonderful pictures to share, I don't even know where to begin! I think I will start with our first night and first official day at the parks. Then I will divide the pictures in future entries according to parks, and character meet and greets.

Our first night we hung out at the hotel. We went to Kat Cora's restaurant which was great and then went for an evening swim. The boys topped their night off with snacks and a movie in bed. The next morning we got up early and headed over to Hollywood Studios. Our favorite ride, Toy Story Mania is there and you must arrive early if you want to get a fast pass. I love Disney, but man, some of those people trying to get fast passes are just awful! Throwing elbows, cutting in line, and walking 6 across to prevent you from getting ahead of them. A little ridiculous, but worth it for the ride. We have so much fun on it! We also met Woody this day. Buzz was busy on a space mission! AJ was star struck. He couldn't believe his eyes! This year AJ got his own autograph book and quickly learned the routine of opening it for the characters and handing the pen and book over. He loved doing this! Here are the pictures from our first night and day at Disney.

Movie time!

AJ's first sighting of Toy Story Characters, he was glued to the window!

Meeting Woody!

Green Army Man!

Chip and Dale!

Disney World, Here We Come!

2011-05-27T07:39:00.003-04:00

It's that time of year again! We are SO excited for our trip to Disney! Last year was so much fun with both boys, but I was a little more apprehensive last year because AJ was only 9 months old! But now we have an almost talking, always running, Toy Story obsessed AJ! I can't wait for him to meet the characters and do all the rides, he is just going to love it. Tommy has been keeping a countdown for weeks, the very first thing he does in the morning is tear down the number. He can't wait to beat Daddy at Toy Story Mania! I can't either! :) We will be gone for awhile, but tune back into the blog in June and I will have a ton of pictures and stories for all of you! Here are a few of my favorite pictures from last year's Disney trip! Have a magical day!

Back by popular demand!

The annual viking picture

Nothing like trying to eat Mickey's nose! Look at those legs on AJ!!

Song-A-Bration!

2011-05-26T06:54:00.001-04:00

It's hard to believe that Tommy is almost done with his first year of preschool. It was such a positive year for him. He is excited to go three days next year, I'm excited too!!

A few weeks ago, his class had a singing celebration. I got a few pictures of it, but I was also video taping too, which is too big and long to put on the blog. It was very cute though. The kids did a great job singing!

Soccer Fun

2011-05-25T13:33:00.004-04:00

Tommy's soccer season is in full swing. We are all enjoying watching the games. His team is great, and so fun to watch! They are kind of like the bad news bears in that they hate to practice and usually just goof off during practice. But game days they are just ridiculous! They always focused on game days. Chris has really gotten into the games, and even has nicknames for all the teammates! I think Chris will be very sad when the Maroon Dragons are done for the season. Here are some pictures from the games. One game we played his good friend, Brady, so I was able to get a few shots of them together!

Chris refers to these two as "team lightening." They are
pretty quick on the field.

Nothing like a little nose picking during the game!

The Dragon roar...something the team LOVES to do before the game starts.

Action shot of Brady, Tommy, and Mr. Jordan (Brady's Dad).

Excited after scoring a goal!

Brady and Tommy

Bike Fun

2011-05-17T15:13:00.002-04:00

Notice AJ with the monkey. He will NOT go anywhere without it. We even tried to show him the little backseat thinking he could let monkey ride back there, oh no. He turned around and grabbed that monkey and put him right under his arm.

And I Keep Trying...

2011-05-12T15:09:00.000-04:00

My quest for a nice picture of the boys together continues. Easter Sunday I wanted to get a decent picture of the boys together in their nice clothes. Well, that didn't happen. AJ cannot sit still for the life of him, he did not want Tommy touching him, he did not want his picture taken, and when AJ gets something in his mind that's the way it's going to be! Then Tommy got sick of me chasing him around for a picture so I ended up with a bunch of pictures with NO smiles. So my quest continues...

The Royal Wedding

2011-04-29T04:00:00.004-04:00

So I have to admit, this past week I have been completely obsessed with the royal wedding! I've been watching TLC at night non-stop. Chris finally put an end to it one night when I was watching a show where they were interviewing the Queen's old bridesmaids, I think he had had enough already! I'm just finding it so interesting. I do have the DVR all set up and ready to go and I am contemplating if I want to get up early and watch it, we'll see. Anyways, in celebration of the royal wedding, here are a few pictures of our wedding that took place almost 8 years ago! Hard to believe! These pictures were taken by our friend Damon Corso who also came out this past summer to take family pictures. We hope to continue this tradition with him for years to come! Hope you all enjoy the royal wedding!

First Soccer Game

2011-04-28T05:26:00.005-04:00

Tommy had his first soccer game! Chris and I were both a little nervous for this and didn't know what to expect. Tommy had had a few practices but with the bad weather some of the practices were canceled. He went into his first game not really knowing how to play! But, it was so much fun and Tommy loved it! His coach was great and really helped them learn the game as they went along. I have to say Tommy was much better at offense than defense. In fact when Tommy was playing defense, his coach had to tell him to stop doing bird calls to the seagulls flying above! All and all it was a great time and Tommy's team (the Dragons) beat the Sharks 2 to 1! AJ even got into it cheering for his brother yelling "go, go go!" We can't wait for more games, now if the weather would just get better!

The face off!

Coach explaining the game at halftime

sizing up the other team

kicking the ball

game face!

Easter

2011-04-27T07:26:00.004-04:00

Here are some pictures from Easter this year.

Easter Bunny snacks!

The trail of eggs from the boys' rooms!

The Easter Bunny was very creative in hiding eggs!

The baskets!

The bikes!

AJ noticing a Mickey Mouse coloring book. He always
waves to Mickey!

MOMS Club Easter Party

2011-04-26T14:13:00.003-04:00

A few days before we Easter, we attended the MOMS Club Easter party. The kids had a great time. AJ got a Toy Story Easter basket, and would NOT put it down for the life of him. As soon as he collected some eggs he ran to the door wanting to leave...he didn't want anyone to take his eggs! The boys got to color eggs, decorate Easter bags, and of course enjoy some snacks too! A good time was had by all.

Kendall stealing all the eggs!

Coloring Easter eggs!

Sharing some watermelon

AJ and his basket

Discovering candy in the eggs!

Impromtu Playdate

2011-04-23T06:46:00.001-04:00

Last weekend, our good friends, Jordan and Melissa were in a bind. They needed to go and get Easter gifts for their children, however, their babysitters were booked! So we took the kids for the day so they could get their shopping done, and they took the kids in the evening so Chris and I could go out to dinner. We had a great day! The kids played very nicely together and we even made cupcakes with the boys while the younger ones were sleeping. Once they came to pick up the kids, we quick cleaned up and got ready for our date! The kids again had a blast with Jordan, Melissa, Brady, Casey, and Natalie! It's so nice to be able to leave your kids with your friends and not worry too much about them, you know they are in good hands. We so appreciated the night out, what a great surprise for us that day. We plan on doing a swap like this again where we go and get some shopping done without kids, and then the Harris' can go out to dinner! Here are some pictures from our day.

AJ and Natalie's lunch date!

Natalie making sure AJ doesn't get anywhere near the car!

Cupcake time!

Doesn't that look delicious?

Casey enjoying his cupcake!

What a Cutie

2011-04-22T06:43:00.000-04:00

Soccer

2011-04-21T06:35:00.000-04:00

Tommy started his first year of soccer this spring. Unfortunately, several practices have been canceled due to the horrible weather we have had the spring. Tommy has been doing great though and enjoys being on the field. He has his first game this Saturday and he is very excited! Here are a few pictures of him after practice one day.

Snow, really?

2011-04-20T10:46:00.003-04:00

We woke up Monday morning to about an inch of snow on the ground. This would have been so pretty if it was DECEMBER! But really, come on now I'm so done with winter! I hated having to pull out winter jackets, hats, and boots. It's just so hard to believe that last week I was blogging about 80 degree temperatures and playing on the beach and one week later we are in winter jackets...again! We have had cold temperatures along with wind and rain now. I'm so ready for some warm temperatures now, come on!

A visit from Uncle Scott

2011-04-15T06:54:00.001-04:00

About a month ago, Uncle Scott came to visit us. We had a great time! Unfortunately wherever we went I of course forgot my camera. So before he left, we did snap a few photos of him with the kids. Since I have been a little off on my blogging, I'm just getting to post this picture now. Thanks for coming to visit, Uncle Scott!

Puzzle Time

2011-04-14T06:36:00.003-04:00

Both boys love to do puzzles. Tommy has gotten really good at doing most puzzles by himself, and AJ is learning to put the pieces in the correct spot. He doesn't always put it the right way, but he does match the pictures and is sometimes lucky enough to wiggle the piece in the right way. Here are a few pictures of them enjoying their puzzle time.

Ice Cream for Dinner

2011-04-13T06:29:00.005-04:00

We ended our picture perfect day with ice cream for dinner! We have never done this with the kids before, but they absolutely loved it! Tommy had blue moon ice cream of course and AJ had strawberry...at least he had some fruit! It was a great way to end our day. I can't wait to have more days outside like this.

Beach Fun

2011-04-12T06:59:00.005-04:00

Our picture perfect day continued when we headed down to Silver Beach. We walked the pier which I loved. I have missed doing this for so long and it was just so nice to have the lake breeze and see the waves crashing. We then walked down to the next beach, Lion's Club Beach. Here they have a nice playground for the kids. When they were done playing, Tommy wanted to put his feet in the water, it was FREEZING! But it was still nice to be down on the beach playing. Hopefully it won't be too long before we can spend long days on the beach playing and swimming. Look for the conclusion of our picture perfect day tomorrow!

Sitting on the pier

AJ dancing on the beach!

Writing his name in the sand

Picture Perfect Day

2011-04-10T20:41:00.004-04:00

Spring has finally arrived in Michigan...at least for a few days! It was so wonderful to be outside for most of the weekend again. We played in the backyard, went to parks, and hit the beach again too! Tommy and AJ had a blast being outside too. AJ loves being able to play on the outdoor jungle gyms. Here are some pictures from our park date. Look for more pictures from this wonderful weekend later this week!

Bids for KIDS Silent Auction and Dinner

2011-03-29T13:47:00.005-04:00

I am proud to announce that our first silent auction that the MOMS Club put on raised about $7500 towards our 3 charities! I am amazed by the generosity of our guests. It was a wonderful evening.

Back in September sitting at our MOMS Club board meeting, when the idea of a silent auction came up, we all kind of paused and thought for a moment. Wow, a lot of work, but what a neat idea. And we went with it. Being the vice president of the club, I was in charge of organizing this service project. From January on it's been very busy for me. I sometimes struggled with managing my time between being a stay at home mom plus taking on this basically full time job. It got hectic at times, but I knew it would be worth it in the end. It has been one of the most rewarding experiences I have taken on. I got to see all sides of this project. The excitement from the families, the generosity of the business owners, the hard work and help from fellow MOMS Club members. Without all of these people, the night could not have been as successful as it was.

I was so nervous the week of the auction, and of course I had a sick child too. It felt like anything that could go wrong, went wrong that week. So I couldn't help but be nervous for the event. But everything fell into place. We received many compliments from guests that it was one of the best runned auction they had attended. It was a busy evening for me, but I so enjoyed it. My favorite part of the evening was when the final section closed, we had to count it down from a minute. People were just bidding away, you could feel the excitement in the air!

One late night while working on this project, we thought it would be wonderful to be able to provide these charities $1000 each. I never thought we would be able to give each charity $2500! I do hope Bids for KIDS becomes a yearly project for our club. I can only imagine what it could be like in years to come. Thanks to all that supported us along the way. Please check out our website too for more updates, www.bidsforkids.yolasite.com.

Checking our guests in!

Let the bidding begin!

The 3 families welcoming everyone

Our wonderful guests

The DeJongs with their son, Jackson

Logan announcing the first door prize!

Yet another door prize announced!

The winners of a section announced!

Our good friend, Anton, was able to attend!

Future Gymnast?

2011-03-18T16:59:00.002-04:00

Well, maybe not. Don't worry, no one was hurt in this stunt. The balance beam was on the ground placed on a very cushy mat. Things like this usually don't affect AJ anyways, he usually just gets up and runs to the next possible disaster! Gotta love him!

Happy St. Patrick's Day

2011-03-17T13:43:00.002-04:00

Happy St. Patricks Day...from our crazy Irish house to yours!

Spiderman vs. Superman

2011-03-07T14:27:00.004-05:00

The pictures speak for themselves...

A Whisk or a Sword?

2011-02-27T18:43:00.003-05:00

You decide...

Happy Birthday, Papa

2011-02-22T06:59:00.000-05:00

We hope you have a great day!

AJ's Corner

2011-02-21T06:02:00.000-05:00

AJ has discovered a new favorite spot in the house. It's in a corner of the kitchen and he loves it. He will take toys and stuffed animals to this corner and just hang out and play. I love it. Since it's in the kitchen I can keep a close eye on him, and he's not then always on top of me while trying to cook dinner, unload the dishwasher, etc. Tommy has even joined him sometimes to play in the corner. Here are a few pictures.

Happy Valentine's Day

2011-02-14T06:56:00.002-05:00

Happy Valentine's Day to the three men in my life. I can't imagine a day without you three. You make me laugh, you make my cry, you make me feel like the luckiest mommy and wife around. I love you three so much.

Tommy's Birthday Party

2011-02-12T14:24:00.004-05:00

This year we held Tommy's birthday party at the carousel in downtown St. Joe. This was such a great idea! We did this on a Sunday afternoon and while the carousel was open to the public, it was not crowded at all. We had our own party room right next to the carousel. We had cake and opened presents and then headed to the carousel for a few rides. For the first ride, they announced Tommy's birthday and played happy birthday while the kids were riding. I packed up my camera at this point and totally forgot to take pictures of them on the carousel, but did snap a few photos during the first part of the party. Tommy and AJ had a wonderful time. AJ has a tendency to always want to keep up with the big kids. It was funny to see him running around the carousel with all the other kids laughing and smiling. It was truly a good time.

The birthday hippo. This used to be downtown with all the zoo animals.
Great way to reuse it!

One more shot of the cake before the deconstruction!

AJ checking out the gifts

All the kids!
We hope you had the most wonderful birthday week, Tommy! We love you.

Toy Story on Ice

2011-02-11T08:00:00.005-05:00

We surprised Tommy with tickets to see Toy Story on Ice. We didn't tell him until we arrived at the United Center. He was so excited! The show was so much fun. Tommy's favorite part of the show was when Zurg and Buzz battled. AJ was amazed by the whole show. He loved it. We were in the third row, so we could see all the characters very well. AJ would point and giggle every time Woody would skate by. He is AJ's favorite. Chris and I enjoyed the show too! It was a lot of fun and makes us so excited to get back to Disney World this summer!

The boys and me before the show

An appearance by Mickey, Minnie, and Goofy before the show!

Toy Soldiers!

Slinky Dog

The Potato Heads

Bullseye and Cowgirl Jessie

ZURG!

Buzz's entrance

The battle!

Woody!

The Aliens!

Lotso Huggin Bear

Tommy's Birthday Cake

2011-02-10T14:26:00.003-05:00

Tommy requested a Toy Story birthday cake and wanted all the guys on it. So we set out to plan this cake. To fit everyone on the cake, we thought it best to make a three tier cake, this was fitting since there are three Toy Story movies. Each layer would represent one of the movies, more or less.

This cake took me about 16 hours to make over the course of three days. I had limited time due to the boys. So I made the marshmallow fondant during nap times. I personally think marshmallow fondant is much tastier than regular fondant. You can also store marshmallow fondant in the fridge for several weeks, so this worked well for me as I couldn't do this whole cake all at once. Once the fondant was finished I spent one afternoon baking all the different cakes. Then it was the assembly of the cake which took about 4 hours and some help from Chris. There was powdered sugar everywhere! I think we ended up scrubbing the floor at least 4 times to get the stickiness off! Well, I think it was worth it because the cake turned out awesome. Here are a few pictures.

Blizzard 2011

2011-02-08T09:06:00.003-05:00

We woke up last Wednesday not knowing what to expect. When we looked outside, some spots in the yard at a couple inches, while some drifts were more than 2 feet! It was complete white out conditions and as luck would have it, we had a huge drift right at the door where the dogs go out to go to the bathroom! Here they are trying to find a way out!

Quality Reading Time

2011-02-06T06:06:00.001-05:00

There are just no words to describe these pictures...

Whack-A-Mole!

2011-02-05T06:51:00.003-05:00

The evenings in the winter can drive someone crazy...at least when you have two very energetic boys! We have been trying to find fun ways to pass the time after dinner to bedtime, because sometimes it seems like that time can go on forever when you are cooped up in the house! We have done puzzles, colored, practiced writing, and cutting. Some of these things are hard for AJ to do at his age, so that's another challenge to keep them both involved in activities. The other night I pulled out whack-a-mole for the boys. AJ has always enjoyed watching Tommy play, but never really got how to "hit" the moles. When now that he is approaching 15 months, things have changed! He took that whacker and whacked those moles! It's so fun to see them playing together. I know they both enjoy spending time together and it's just fun to see as they both grow the things that they can start doing together...even whacking moles!

Why not use hands too?

Happy Snowed In Birthday!

2011-02-04T13:59:00.004-05:00

So Tommy's birthday fell on the day of the terrible blizzard! It's always something with a February birthday! We had so many plans for the day, and all had to be postponed due to the weather. Luckily I hadn't told him any plans because I knew in the back of my mind that this blizzard might happen, and sure enough it did. I felt bad that we had to postpone everything, even going out to dinner. As a mother, you always want everything for your kids to put just perfect, but somethings you have to learn are just out of your control. We had plans to go to Silver Beach Pizza, our favorite pizza place, but since we couldn't make it there, we brought the pizza parlor to our house. I went out and bought all the makings for a bacon pizza! That was Tommy's request. We put on Italian music and cooked together. Tommy had a blast making and tasting all the ingredients that went into his birthday pizza. I also learned a great way to make pizza sauce, which I will post on our food blog.

We ended our fun family birthday party with Buzz Lightyear rocket ship cake! What more could a boy ask for? Even though plans had to change, we all had a great time and Tommy had a wonderful birthday. He has no idea what's in store for him this weekend...Toy Story 3 on ice...stayed tuned!

Big pillow Buzz

Rolling out the dough!

Tossing the dough...

and not catching the dough!

Tommy Turns Four!

2011-02-02T06:39:00.004-05:00

Happy birthday, Tommy! We can't believe you are four today, what a big boy! The time has gone by so fast. We are so proud of the young man you have become. You are such a smart, kind, and loving child. Not to mention you challenge us every step of the way too! You make us laugh and you melt my heart every time you put other first. Happy birthday to our Tommy Boy!

Enjoy the look back over the years.

We love you so much!

Hang Time!

2011-01-31T14:03:00.003-05:00

With snow and cold temperatures we are always trying to find a way to burn off some of that bottled up energy. We brought up our basketball hoop from the basement for the boys and they have been enjoying it ever since. It's been a great way for them to blow off some steam!

Mac trying to get it on the action

slam dunk!

Yes!

Mac still waiting his turn!

Bids for Kids Dinner and Silent Auction

2011-01-28T15:10:00.002-05:00

The Stevensville South St. Joe MOMS Club is proud to sponsor our service project this year, Bids for Kids. All proceeds will benefit three wonderful charities that directly affect three children within our chapter. As the Administrative Vice President of the club, I am the event coordinator. We have put in a lot of time and hard work to make this event amazing. Check out our website at www.bidsforkids.yolasite.com

Happy Friday!

2011-01-21T06:35:00.003-05:00

Hope this face brightens your day today as much as it brightens mine everyday.

New Shoes

2011-01-19T06:39:00.002-05:00

As I mentioned in a previous blog, AJ is obsessed with light up shoes. He seeks Tommy's shoes out and will just throw them at you with a whine wanting you to put them on his feet. So this past weekend we headed to the shoe store in hopes to find some light up shoes that would fit AJ. The store clerk measured his foot and said he would fit into a 4 1/2 wide to extra wide. He's a big boy! Well, I found one 4.5 wide, Chris and I tried and tried and could not get this shoe on his foot, there was just no way. Right in front of me there was a 5.5 Buzz Lightyear light up shoe. We decided to try it on just to see if it would fit him. Sure enough, fit him perfectly. 5.5 shoe size at 14 months, I couldn't believe it. He wouldn't let us take the shoes off either, he was very proud of them. I don't know why something so little as shoes makes him look so grown up. I can't believe what a big boy he is becoming!

Sporting the new shoes

Quality Playtime

2011-01-18T06:25:00.002-05:00

The other night Chris and I sat and watched the boys play together. It was so much fun to watch them interact and actually play together. They love Imaginext toys, which I think are pretty awesome too. They can occupy them for a long time! Here they are playing with the bat cave. Somehow AJ always gets assigned as being the "bad" guy. I don't think he minds quite yet!

Chaos

2011-01-17T14:20:00.003-05:00

Chaos is defined as a state of utter confusion or disorder; a total lack of organization or order. I think that's the only way to describe this picture. I have no idea what is going on. Chris took this picture and I am glad I was MIA. I have no idea what Tommy is doing and it looks like AJ is trying to put a diaper on his head...

Happy Birthday, Uncle Scott!

2011-01-14T06:10:00.002-05:00

We wish you all the best, Scott! Hope you're day is great...just think you are almost half way out of your thirties!

Basil, My New Best Friend

2011-01-13T06:37:00.003-05:00

The other night, I was making dinner. I was chopping basil and AJ came up to me and did his usual witching hour routine of clinging to me and crying. I usually try to find a way to distract him so I can get dinner done. So this time I put a basil leaf under his nose to smell. He loved it! He couldn't get enough of it! He ate it too, just plain basil. So now I know to keep basil on hand because it will occupy AJ in a bind!

Blocks

2011-01-11T06:17:00.004-05:00

For Christmas, my mother in law sent AJ a set of wooden blocks. They have been a hit in our house with both boys. Every day Tommy, AJ, and I get down on the floor and build for a long time. Well, it's usually Tommy and me building and AJ knocking down. Sometimes Tommy and I will have competitions to see how many blocks we can stack before AJ knocks them down. They have been so much fun to play with, thanks Nonni!

AJ eying the prize

Taunts from Tommy

And it's down...

Banging blocks together, so much fun!

Time to rebuild

Snow!

2011-01-10T13:47:00.005-05:00

This past weekend it snowed! Tommy was very excited to go out and play in it. The boys received snowball makers and snow fort makers from Uncle Scott for Christmas. Tommy couldn't wait to break out the snowball makers! I have to admit though, I was the first one to use it, and throw the first snowball at Chris of course! We had a great morning playing out in the snow!

AJ still doesn't know how to walk in his boots

Finally able to stand!

Enjoying the snow

Snowball making time!

Crash!

Neighbors getting in the snowball action!

Thanks, Uncle Scott! We had a great time!

Lovies

2011-01-07T06:44:00.003-05:00

I have always wondered how kids determine their favorite stuffed animal, their lovie. Tommy picked his when he was a little over six months old. Blue Bear has been his companion ever since. AJ recently just picked his lovie. A monkey. We kept trying to see what AJ would lean towards and never picked a favorite until about a month ago. Now Monkey and him are inseparable. It's amazing the comfort these lovies give you. Chris and I still actually have ours. We passed them along to the kids. Chris loved Thumper as a child and mine were what I called my lolly dolls. I hope our kids can pass their lovies on down to their children too. Here are some pictures of our lovies.

Tommy and Blue Bear

AJ and Monkey

My lollies and Chris' Thumper

Buzz and Buzz Jr.

2011-01-06T13:30:00.003-05:00

Toy Story still plays a huge roll in our lives. It's not only important to Tommy, but AJ as well. It's funny how AJ now recognizes the characters and always gives a little giggle when he sees one. I have to admit, sometimes before dinner I put on Toy Story 3 so I can get a good 15 minutes to get dinner underway without AJ attached to my leg. He absolutely loves the beginning of the movie!

Tommy lately has just been consumed with Buzz, everything relates back to Buzz. Chris and I have even taken so far as to say Buzz wants you to eat your breakfast so you can be a strong space ranger! Tommy told me the other day that he introduced himself to a little boy saying "Hi, I'm Tommy, and when I grow up I'm going to be a space ranger."

AJ, however, loves Woody. He is his favorite. AJ has been throwing Tommy's light up Toy Story shoes at me to put them on him. I think a pair of those shoes is in his future soon!

The other night, they both put on Buzz Lightyear costumes. Chris and I got a real kick out of watching them both run around as Buzz. Here are a few pictures.