Better Than Life

Picture dump

2012-01-26T15:43:00.001-06:00

Wow I need to catch up before I have 200 pictures to post. Been a wild week as always and can't believe it's already Thursday! Glad tomorrow is Friday....I love the weekends with my family!

Kiddos have been on-the-move this week. It is getting hard to catch pictures of some of them because they are such busy bodies all the time. Especially this one...into...everything haha! And smiles the entire time...other than the occasional "mmm" which means either "hold me" or "I want cheerios!" :)

Into everything exhibit A

We did manage to go outside a few afternoons this week because it was in the 60's...in January. Go figure?!

After baths the other night, Brayden was watching the Little Rascals one of his favorite movies. Here he did not know I was taking his picture and he was doing the "I hate girl" pledge they do in the movie. Cracked. Me. Up!!

Exhibit B haha

This cutie has started "squealing" in excitement this week when she is really happy. Scared me at first I thought she was screaming, but no. Got this cute little tooth grin. :) And she is pointing...another one of her new tricks.

Something was "Mmmm" good....

The leaves out here are absolutely out of control...hence this picture. Yea, we had to clean off the trampoline and the garage just to be able to function outside.

Aw :)

Yesterday Brayden had a little accident and slammed his head into the corner of a door frame and BRUISED up his forehead. Afterwards, he had a bad headache and went and laid himself in his bed to rest and fell asleep. He doesn't really nap anymore (maybe once every week or two to catch up) but because he has self-napped (another first I believe) he couldn't sleep last night. So we let him lay in our bed to fall asleep and we would move him when we came to bed. One of my favorite things to do is to see my children sleep. This sweetness is what we found....

So I had to go catch a sneak peek of my princesses too! Lucy is sleeping with her Bible...melt my heart.

This sleeping ON her Bible gives a whole new meaning to "Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my soul to keep...."

This morning Hazel had a cutie little bow on and she looked so cute!

I had some helpers help me paint/craft this morning...

Somehow managed to not get a single pic of Landon this week. He runs from the camera recently and is gone in the afternoons when we go out. Babies are certainly easier to photograph...they can't run from you ha! I will have to make up for that soon!

Crafts are fun!

2012-01-23T21:22:00.000-06:00

I saw several of these crafts on Pinterest and have wanted to make them for a long time so this is the first of many I have started and finished. This was super cheap, probably $7 to make. And it only took about 2 hours to complete. The original tutorial can found here.

All you need is a (white) wreath, 2 packages of coffee filters, and a hot glue gun.

It is super full and takes up alot of space, not to mention super cute!

Also for another project (that I am still working on), I bought this styrofoam insulation from Lowes. Seriously it is now one of my favorite things. This pic below is only half of it (I had to cut it in half just to get it in the car) and the whole thing was less than $20. It is kind of like a really cheap canvas.

There was so much of it, I was able to do LOTS of stuff with it. In this pic below (under the coffee filter wreath), I painted some insulation black and then wrote in a white sharpie paint marker our family name and one of our favorite verses Psalm 40:5. It seriously took 5 minutes to paint and 5 minutes to write it (with drying time in between).

I also covered this big "L" in twine...super easy project as well.

I also painted some little bird houses and cheap fruit white. Karis also helped me do some of the painting. :)

Another insulation painting that I found here...

These projects have been really fun! Thanks Pinterest!

Awards, crafting and weather

2012-01-22T17:43:00.004-06:00

Friday Karis had her 9 weeks ceremony at school and she was very proud of her awards and we were too! She got an award for Honor Roll (All A's and 1 B) and Perfect Attendance. She already had her ribbon/medal from last nine weeks but she got a star pin to add to it.

Way to go Karis!

Brayden and Lucy were proud of her too!

Friday night our hubbies had a conference so the kids and I went to Paige's house to hang out. Then Mari-Morgan came home with us to spend the night. Saturday I decided to work on a few crafts that I have been wanting to do off of Pinterest. So Saturday morning off we went to some craft stores to get some supplies and spent the rest of the day working on them. The girls all picked out some things to paint as well. :)

Sunday morning I snapped a few before running out the door...

Last night Lucy was putting on pj's and it was over her head and then she said, "I am getting married!!!!" (like a veil) haha

This weekend's weather has been CRAZY, or this whole season, to be exact. It has been exceptionally warm for January and not even a threat of snow yet. On Friday it was in the upper 60's and then by the next day it had dropped 30 degrees. It was cold Saturday!

And these crazy temps caused all of this Sunday night. After 9 we started hearing the tornado sirens and knew we had to get kids up. They slept right through ALL of it crammed like sardines in the closet!

Oh and Lucy was freaking out there was a fire out the window...Jay was starting the grill haha!

OH! I have to show you this new product for all of you who are allergic to peanuts/peanut butter. Trey's mom is going on a gluten free diet and found this Wowbutter/Soy butter. It tastes like peanut butter but is 100% peanut free. Unfortunately neither of my kids that are allergic to peanuts don't like it but I LOVE it. Give it a try!

On a more serious note, today is the 4th anniversary of my best friend Amber's car wreck/death. I do miss her so and long to just talk to her. So very glad she is in Heaven and I look forward to the day we meet again.

I am still working on some of the crafts I have been working on this weekend. Pics coming soon!!!

Quick update

2012-01-19T22:12:00.000-06:00

It has been an interesting few days around here. Business as normal and NO voice. I am not sick but had a "tickle" in my throat starting Monday night and by Wednesday...voice...gone. Today was a little better but I still sound awful. It has been challenging trying to keep up with 7 kids when they can't hear you! Yesterday Eli was here too and he was staring at me while I was talking and said, "Why are you talking like that? I can't hear you!!!" Haha

I took this today while the kids were watching Alice in Wonderland on Netflix. They were MES-MER-IZED!

Hazel's new trick this week...shaking her head no (while she grins) ha!

Everett's new trick...chasing me everywhere, getting into everything and saying "mmmm!" when he wants something or me to pick him up. This cute dude is ALL. OVER. THE. PLACE!

The big boys have been hit or miss and I just realized as I started to do this post that I don't even have a pic of Brayden over the past few days!

Tonight after dinner and baths, Karis and Lucy were hanging out in dad's recliner and were cuddling so sweetly. I just had to take a pic!

Hoping to have my voice back tomorrow, looking forward to the fun weekend ahead, and craving chocolate! We are on day 4 of P90X videos and diet...Ab ripper X kills me every time!

P90X again

2012-01-17T21:30:00.000-06:00

Well third time's a charm they say. I hope they are right.

This is the third time I have started (and hopefully finish) P90X. I have done it twice before but it has been over a year. And recently, I haven't really done much exercise since the half marathon due to Christmas, vacation, etc. and it is time to get on it again. Jay wanted to do P90X and since I don't like to run in the cold weather, I decided I would join him. We decided to up the vitamins this time which includes protein drink, benefiber, creatine (for Jay), fish and flaxseed oil, one-a-day vitamin and B, C and D. Woozers.

Karis on the 100th day of school!

Me and my sweet pea before school...

This morning I was cutting Brayden and Lucy's hair and Trey wanted a hair cut too. With his mom's permission of course, I started chopping away.

Before

After

Tonight when we were doing our workouts, Karis decided she wanted to join us. She went and got her and Lucy ready and they came down like this haha! ONLY in the house is this aloud!

Who knew exercising could be fun for the whole family (until they get tired of it of course!).

Tonight was Plyometrics and it was H-A-R-D! I am sore all over!

Our weekend

2012-01-15T18:45:00.000-06:00

Wow this has been a GREAT weekend thanks to Lolli! She has had the kids all weekend and I have gotten to relax...much needed!

Friday night we had our Nason Family Christmas and then we came home...alone. I got to sleep in Saturday morning until 7:30 (haha I know) and I slept in so late (for me) that I woke up with a headache. But I quickly took some meds and I was good to go. We spent most of the day in our pj's, I spent some time in the Word, browsed the internet uninterrupted (facebook, pinterest, blogs I read) and then I even got caught up on my blogging. I dreamed big as I looked over pinterest just as you do I am sure. I got lots of ideas, hopefully some of them I'll eventually get to ha!

I have been wanting to go to Blue Fin Sushi Lounge downtown for a while now (we LOVE sushi!) so our friends Marybeth and Brandon came along. They also love sushi and had told us how great this place was.

Then we went back to their house for coffee and Dominoes. Jay beat me by 5 points ugh! But it was fun!

Although I didn't watch the Miss America pageant (but I did DVR it but haven't finished it yet), I was rooting for Erin Hatley, Miss Tennessee. I don't know her personally but know her mom and she used to go to the school I worked at and we graduated from the same high school (not at the same time obviously). I am sad she didn't win but congrats to top 10!

Sunday we went to church and then grabbed some lunch at Qdoba and shopped around a bit. I had to swap the bracelet Jay got me for Christmas and sadly they didn't have them anymore so I exchanged it for some new perfume, Light Blue and some hoop earrings. And I scored these shoes at Marshalls for $7!!! On the way home I grabbed a coffee frappuccino from Starbucks (thanks "Cuz" Amy!).

We were back in pj's within minutes of being home, I made some chocolate chip cookies and some coffee, took a nap, watched Message in the Bottle while Jay watched football, and enjoyed some me time.

It has been a great weekend! But I do miss my kiddos...looking forward to seeing them tomorrow!

Ways God speaks

2012-01-14T12:47:00.000-06:00

This is for those that think no matter how many times you cry out to Him, that God has "forgotten" you or doesn't hear you. Maybe you are waiting on him to audibly give you an answer for something you have been asking him about, or maybe you are just waiting on a "sign." God just seems "silent" to you.

Regardless, our God still speaks.

One of Job's friends said to him, "Why do you complain to him that He answers none of man's words?" Job 33:14. Then he mentions some of the ways God speaks....

¹⁴ For God does speak—now one way, now another— though no one perceives it. ¹⁵ In a dream, in a vision of the night, when deep sleep falls on people as they slumber in their beds, ¹⁶ he may speak in their ears and terrify them with warnings, ¹⁷ to turn them from wrongdoing and keep them from pride, ¹⁸ to preserve them from the pit, their lives from perishing by the sword.^[b] ¹⁹ “Or someone may be chastened on a bed of pain with constant distress in their bones, ²⁰ so that their body finds food repulsive and their soul loathes the choicest meal. ²¹ Their flesh wastes away to nothing, and their bones, once hidden, now stick out. ²² They draw near to the pit, and their life to the messengers of death.^[c] ²³ Yet if there is an angel at their side, a messenger, one out of a thousand, sent to tell them how to be upright, ²⁴ and he is gracious to that person and says to God, ‘Spare them from going down to the pit; I have found a ransom for them— ²⁵ let their flesh be renewed like a child’s; let them be restored as in the days of their youth’— ²⁶ then that person can pray to God and find favor with him, they will see God’s face and shout for joy; he will restore them to full well-being. ²⁷ And they will go to others and say, ‘I have sinned, I have perverted what is right, but I did not get what I deserved. ²⁸ God has delivered me from going down to the pit, and I shall live to enjoy the light of life.’ ²⁹ “God does all these things to a person— twice, even three times— ³⁰ to turn them back from the pit, that the light of life may shine on them.

The truth is, God may not be speaking audibly to you, but He might be speaking to you in ways you wouldn't imagine. Look around you and be alert to what He is saying to you.

You just might find He has been speaking to you and you just weren't listening to His voice.

Job and his friends

2012-01-14T12:24:00.000-06:00

You call them friends, you say you trust them, but do you? Can you?

For the past few weeks I have been reading through Job in my Chronological Bible. I will admit it has been a tough read, yet it has been good for my soul. I have gotten lost in some of the reading, to me some of it is like reading Shakespeare...you have to concentrate on each and every word to understand what they are saying and the ideas they are trying to get across.

I will tell you one thing I understand...I am SOOOO glad I don't have friends like Job.

I have battled over the past few weeks with how open to be on this 'ole blog. You know...where to draw the line. But over time I think it is important for people to know that we struggle through things like everyone else, we make mistakes, have hard times and are human and far from the perfect like life that blogs sometimes indicate. A few days before Christmas, to put it bluntly, I found a lump in my breast that I quickly became very concerned about. I am by nature a worrier which didn't make it easier. Christmas was just a few days away and our family vacation was on the horizon and we ALL needed it badly. I chose (hard decision) NOT to tell my husband or mother until the end of the vacation so as to not ruin their vacation. It was a VERY hard week not knowing the diagnosis of this mystery lump (fairly large the size of a quarter or so) could alter my family forever. I would stay up late at night after everyone else had gone to bed doing research on "scaremetodeath.com" (as my doctor calls the web) researching it. It did make me treasure Christmas that much more not knowing what my future would hold. To make a long story short, I told Jay and my mom 2 days before we left on December 30 and I felt like a weight had been lifted off of my shoulders. I went to the doc when I got home and he felt certain it was a cyst. However a friend of mine had already told me that when she found a lump they insisted was a cyst ended up being stage 4 cancer and her "symptoms" were just like mine. So I was relieved, yet still worried. He scheduled a mammogram and an ultrasound for a few days later and that morning when I woke up, it was not coincidence that God had be beginning Job in my Chronological reading.

The Bible tells us that Job was "blameless and upright; he feared God and shunned evil," Job 1:1. He was a Godly man and the Lord gave him favor. One day Satan comes with the angels to speak to the Lord and the Lord asks him, "Have you considered my servant Job? He is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil." Job 1:8

God gave Job over to Satan but told Satan that he could take anything from him but couldn't take his life. And Satan did just that. He takes his 10 children, 7,000 sheep, 3,000 camels, 500 oxen, 500 donkeys, servants and his health away from him. Job was in a MISERABLE state. He wanted to die so he wouldn't have to suffer any more but not once did he curse God. He questioned him, but never cursed him. Even his wife said to him, "Are you still holding onto your integrity??? Curse God and die!" Ouch. Yet he chose not to.

For eight LONG days, Job's "friends" tried to convince him that he was a man of sin and that his many sins had caused this "miserable" state. Job tried to convince them that he wasn't living a life of sin and had been upright but talking about "kicking a man while he is down!", they did just that. They continued to badger him and badger him about his sinful life and to "get right before the Lord and then the Lord will hear you!"

With friends like his, who needs enemies?!

In my commentary, Iva documents real friends are those who:

accepts me "warts and all"
share my burdens and are easy to pray with
don't reinforce my feelings of failure and inadequacy
recognize my flaws, pray for me, but they never bring them up
don't judge me
make me feel valuable and valued when I am around them
make me feel safe in their presence
inspire me to become a better wife, mom and sister in Christ
fuel my heart for God
contribute to my spiritual well-being
inspire me to develop and reciprocate all the above traits

Healthy friendships:

"A friend loves at all times." Proverbs 17:17
"There is a friend who sticks closer than a brother." Proverbs 18:24
"Ointment and perfume delight the heart, and the sweetness of a man's friends gives delight by hearty counsel." Proverbs 27:9
"As iron sharpens iron, so a man sharpens the countenance of a friend." Proverbs 27:9

The truth is, all of our friends, (including ourselves) are going to let us down at one time or another just like Job's, sometimes in our deepest struggles; however, there is one who won't EVER let us down. That is why we must learn to depend on God alone and not on other people to meet our needs. Although I am so thankful for my friends, I am thankful for a Heavenly Father that despite my faults or circumstances, can be my ALL IN ALL, my everything.

He alone completes me.

As Job states,

"Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked will I depart. The gave and the Lord has taken away, may the name of the LORD be praised." Job 1:21

P.S. After the mammogram and ultrasounds, it was confirmed that I have Fibroadenoma, which is a non-cancerous, benign tumor. They are going to check it again in 3 months and at that point I can have it biopsied or taken out at my request. Thank you Jesus.

Nason Family Christmas

2012-01-13T22:36:00.000-06:00

Yep that's right, Christmas.

My dad's side of the family always has a hard time getting together for Christmas because things are so busy during the month of December so for the second year in a row, we had our Christmas celebration during the second week in January. It works out well because everyone's schedules are calmer which means most can come and it is a nice little surprise for the kids when they get to open more "Christmas" gifts.

Lolli and Brayden

My dad's sister Carol and Uncle Kenny

My cousin Danny and his little girl Sarah Jane and Aunt Mary too (my dad's other sister)

Uncle Matt and Lulu

Brayden opening gifts

Karis opening gifts

My dad and Aunt Mary working together...how many siblings does it take to put together a tent haha?!

Karis and SJ

Haha!

All the kids got tents...we were in tent city!!!

Precious face :)

"Cuz" Amy and Danny and their little one SJ and one more on the way due in May :)

We had so much fun and it was truly a joy to see some of the family we don't get to see that often. We missed the ones who couldn't come and those we have lost over the last few years including my dad's mom Mimi and Aunt Pat. We are blessed. :)

OH and the best part about the night...Lolli offered to keep my kids until Monday...and I said YES! Yippee for sleeping in, a clean house and time with my hubs! Much needed and thanks to Lolli and Pop...you're the best!!!!

A little bit of everything

2012-01-13T14:28:00.001-06:00

For some reason I just can't seem to get back into my routines. Blogging has taken a backseat lately as I have seemed to just be "busier" than normal. We have also had some much bigger fish to fry per se the last few weeks and higher priorities have taken a front seat. However hopefully very soon things will be back to normal. :)

This post is gonna be so random because I am behind on blogging so I will do my best to keep it all from sounding jumbled up.

Karis came home with her report card this week from last semester and we were so proud she got all A's and one B! Comprehension has really been tough on her this year with all the new requirements but she worked really hard and her hard work paid off!

I took this the other night when Lucy was eating her "bedtime snack," which my kids think is necessary for survival, and had on her new coat Lolli got for her. It looked funny seeing her sit there eating a popsicle in her pj's and winter jacket ha!

I have made several new recipes this week and have enjoyed most of them. Our family's favorite restaurant is no doubt Kyoto, or any Japanese steakhouse. The kids love the food and so do Jay and I. Karis especially loves the onion/mushroom soup (not sure the official name for it...miso soup maybe?) However I found some "Kyoto" recipes on Pinterest and thought I would make a meal of them. Here is the soup before cooking, very easy and it was a hit! You can find the original recipe here.

Oh and you can find the fried rice recipe here...also yummy although didn't taste exactly like Kyotos.

Lucy came to me the other day with this baby in bed and told me her baby had had "section". I don't know if she meant "c-section" or "surgery" because I am sure she has heard me say both numerous times (I had 3 c-sections) but either way I laughed so hard.

When I was cooking the other night, I tried out one of the ideas I got off of Pinterest. Cut up your green onions and put them in a water bottle and freeze them until you need them then just shake them out! Worked great! No more green onions going bad in this house!

This has been a fun week for my babies....alot of firsts for them. Everett started crawling officially, got his 2 first teeth one right after the other, starting waving bye-bye and got his first hair cut and Hazel cut her first tooth on top, said "Mom-ma", started clapping and waving bye-bye, and had her first emergency room vist (thankful she was ok!).

These three are being their sweet selves along with a few moments of "terrible twos" haha!

Landon's new thing is to "roar" at everyone...makes me laugh.

Not sure if this look was a "look" or a "stare" haha!

Sweet Trey...he and Brayden have played so well together lately and are really enjoying playing with one another.

It barely snowed one day this week and we weren't really expecting it. It just flurried for a while and nothing stuck (and the sun was out!), but it sure was fun while it lasted. It has been a weird winter so far, exceptionally warm on days.

I have been following this certain blog for a while now and I read this post and it put me in organizational heaven. Seriously I can't stop thinking about it and wanting to re-do/re-organize my whole house. LOVE. IT! Check it out HERE and please do so, you won't be sorry!

Here are a few videos I took this week too...

Brayden breakdancing

Lucy shaking her hair like Justin Beiber

Cool video

Happy Bday Nonnie!

2012-01-10T07:02:00.000-06:00

Today happens to be Jay's mom's birthday and we want to send out a special shout-out to her since we won't see her on her birthday. She is such a wonderful mother and grandmother and has a personality and smile that is just contagious. She is such a special lady!

We love you Nonnie! Hope you have a wonderful birthday!!!

Happy birthday from the Lemonds!

Date night

2012-01-08T21:41:00.000-06:00

Tonight Jay had a Texas de Brazil birthday 1/2 off coupon burning a hole in his pocket! We love these birthday coupons and that is the only time we ever get to treat ourselves to such a pricy restaurant. Texas de Brazil is no doubt, Jay's favorite restaurant! So happy late birthday Jay!

Lolli watched the kiddos for us so we could go to dinner. It was much appreciated!

Sorry for the quality, iphone pics.

LOVE, LOVE, LOVE date nights with my man! :)

Wyatt's 1st birthday party

2012-01-08T17:54:00.001-06:00

Our friends Levi and Lindsey are back in town for a few months just in time for their son Wyatt's first birthday party and Lindsey is also 9 months pregnant and due in just a few weeks! We were so excited to get to celebrate with them!

Wyatt wasn't so sure what to do with the presents so he had lots of helpers. :)

Wyatt makes this adorable "pucker up" face that is adorable. I just happened to catch it on camera.

Cupcake time...

Sweet family of three, about to be FOUR!

This pic makes me laugh! It looks like he is crying but he wasn't. He had just tasted some ice cream and the faces he was making were hilarious! He is such a ham!!

Congrats guys and Happy Bday Wyatt! So excited to celebrate with you guys!

L and C's Wedding Reception

2012-01-07T19:54:00.002-06:00

The reception was very classy and gorgeous of course! The kids always love to see what food they get including cake and punch. Going through lines getting food and drink is not very easy with three kids though I must admit!

So excited for you two! You are both blessed to have one another and we are blessed to be a part of your lives!

L and C's Wedding

2012-01-07T16:53:00.002-06:00

Today is the big day and Christina made one GORGEOUS bride! She was just radiant and had a glow about her that couldn't be denied! It was truly a celebration of two amazing people! There are lots of them so I will let the pics do most of the talking. :)

Karis (flower girl) and Andrew (ring bearer)

This is the run through before the actual wedding that is why no one is sitting in the audience ha!

Christina and her sister Anna

Lucy spent the day at the church with me and Karis and loved being around all the action. This bucket was full of ice for the drinks and she spent alot of time eating the ice out of it.

Me and Kasey, newly married 5 months ago

The frame Christina gave Karis :)

Aw sweet :)

Toast to the bride....

My friend Amanda, Christina and I

Christina and her MIL

Christina and her mom

Special prayer for the bride on her special day

Christina with her dad and sister

Emotional moment for the bride :(

Mother and Father of the bride

Beautiful wedding and a perfect celebration of the union between these two special friends!

L and C's Rehearsal Dinner

2012-01-06T21:52:00.002-06:00

We are absolutely honored to be a part of Landon and Christina's wedding weekend. Before this sweet couple ever started dating, Jay and I told them they would be great for each other, much to their dismay at the time. Five + years later, here they are getting married and we were blessed to have been asked for Karis to be their flower girl. We were/are honored!

The sweet couple Landon and Christina....I have never known a couple more perfect for each other! They are both two of the Godliest people I know and those that know them would agree...the two of them are dynamite together! God is going to use them in amazing ways. And by the way, how adorable are they together?!

My sweet family :)

Looking forward to a fun day of festivities tomorrow!!!

Back in the swing of things

2012-01-05T21:01:00.001-06:00

We are officially back in the swing of things, a new year and it has taken some time to get used to the adjustment. I am not a "sleep in" kind of person (I am a morning person) however getting to sleep in until 7 over the break (sad that 7 is sleeping in huh?!) came to a screeching halt when I started back to work on Tuesday and had to be up by 5:30!

However I sure was glad to see my sweet little ones! I could see that they had grown even in 2 weeks, especially the babies!

Lucy was sooooo excited to see her friends! Days before she would start asking every morning, "Are my friends coming today???" And then she would name everybody's name and want to know specifically if each one was coming. Ax wasn't in the mood for hugs ha!

Brayden was very thrilled to have his friend Trey back! They came down yesterday and told me that they had built something that was really cool and it was!

Trey got a rock painting collection for Christmas and brought it over for he and Brayden to do. They were proud of these rocks and worked very hard on them!

I have to say I have truly enjoyed my Christmas gifts I got this year. One being the computer I am typing on...love it! Also Jay got me a Steam Mop and I have enjoyed using that. And Jay's mom got us this Keurig and we have gotten so spoiled! I was the one who really wanted it but I will say now that somebody else loves it even more than me (ahem...jay)! I don't think he quite understood why I wanted it at first but now he is hooked!

Karis had a hard time going back to school this week and I was sad to see her go too. But back in the routine and it's time for school! Today she came home and told me she got a B on a comprehension test and she was only one of 3 in the whole class that even passed it! So proud of her!!!

Lucy has been quite the ham lately! She is saying funny stuff all the time and I don't want to forget some of the cute things they say at this age.

Last week when we were in the cabin in the mountains, she would call them the "cavin" and the "mount-nins".
Last night when I was kissing Lucy goodnight, she started saying, "Let's kiss together!!!" (She means lets kiss and smack at the same time.)
Tonight when she tried some yams I made for dinner, she said, "My tummy is a party!" (She is referring to the Gabba Gabba song that says, 'There's a party in my tummy, so yummy, so yummy!'
When I called the kids to the table for dinner, she came running and sat in her seat. Karis and Brayden were wrestling in the den and she said to them, "Ok. Guys...this is the last time I am going to tell you to come to table NOW!" haha She has definitely heard me say that before!
Jay bought them each a candy bar when he went to the store today and told them at dinner that he had a surprise for them if they ate all their dinner. He tricked them and got them all excited about this "treat" and had them sit down at the table with their eyes closed and handed them each a bell pepper. Brayden and Karis weren't so easily amused by the trick but Lucy starting screaming, "Yah!!!!!" She was excited about the bell pepper and even was eating her pepper over her real treat...starburst! Love it!

Looking forward to our weekend despite how busy it may be!

Just some songs

2012-01-04T21:00:00.000-06:00

Below are some songs I have been chewing on this week....soooo good!

New Years Eve Day

2011-12-31T16:35:00.000-06:00

Last year when we came to Gatlinburg we had LOTS of snow. So much snow that we couldn't even get to our cabin the first day and had to sleep in a hotel that first night. But this year, unfortunately we haven't seen much snow but it has made travel alot easier. The weather at night has been kinda chilly but during the day in the sun it is in the upper 50's and feels perfect with a jacket on. This morning we got out before the crowds got bad and rode on the skylift. The kids have looked forward to this since we got here!

Riding over the creek...

View from the top...

Heading back down...

Before we rode up again (we got an all day pass), we ate lunch at the Mellow Mushroom...yum!

We walked down the strip some....

Then we were driving back to our cabin when we passed a crowd of people standing by the woods with their cameras out. So we turned the car around and joined them. There were at least three black BEARS right by the 4 lane highway in the middle of the day! It was so neat! You can see them barely in the middle of this pic but of course we couldn't get too close. I wanted a zoom lens so bad for this moment!

Look at the crowds of people looking at it!

This was the kids' first time seeing a wild bear and they thought it was so neat. Glad we got to experience it on our last day of 2011 and last day of our vacation!

Bandages and Bowling

2011-12-30T21:58:00.000-06:00

This morning started off leisurely as we slept in and the kids and I watched most of the movie Enchanted on the iPad before we ever even got up for coffee. Then we got up, showered and were fixing breakfast when I kept hearing Lucy whine downstairs. The kids had been downstairs putting puzzles together on the pool table but when I heard her whining, I went downstairs to check on them. I asked Karis since she was down there, "What is wrong with Lucy?" She replied, "I don't know she keeps laying on that air mattress and crying saying her arm hurts. Her and Brayden were jumping off the picnic table onto the air mattress." "WHAT?!?!?" After I got onto them, I realized Lucy was hurting so bad she wouldn't even move. She just kept crying/whining saying her arm hurt. I brought her upstairs to try to assess the situation and for over an hour she would randomly cry about it and would not move at all and wouldn't let go of her wrist. After some contemplation and phone calls, we decided to go ahead and go to a doctor about 3 miles away (that just happened to have an x-ray machine) to get it checked out.

From the time we called to the time we walked out it was less than an hour. They were WONDERFUL! As soon as we walked in they called us back to x-ray her and then the doc immediately came in. He explained he saw no fractures or breaks but that the cartilage may be damaged and it was swollen and sprained. He wrapped it up in her favorite color and sent us packing with extra supplies. She was a trooper. We were so glad it was just sprained and we didn't have to go to Knoxville to the hospital to be casted! Lolli met Jay and I there and helped take care of Lucy. It doesn't matter how old I get, it always makes me feel better to have my mom there. :)

The loot we came home with...

Her hand all wrapped up....

After we got back from the doctor, we spent the afternoon on the couch watching a movie to let Lucy's wrist feel better. Then Lolli and Karis went out to run some errands and ended up going ice skating with some friends while out so we took Brayden a 1/2 mile down the road to go bowling.

Uncle Matt

Me helping Lucy...

She got so excited every time she would knock one down it was so cute!

Aunt Jenna

Aunt Tiffany

Uncle Jon-Jon

Daddy and Lulu...

Jonathan and Jenna

Me and my man

Tiff and Matt

Brayden had a BALL! He loved it but would get disappointed if he didn't knock them all down. He didn't understand why he couldn't get a strike every time.

Here are randoms I dumped from my phone from the last couple of days I wanted to add also....

Oh and here is a pic Lolli took of Karis while she was ice skating tonight. She has gotten so good at it and she has only been twice!!!

Vacation is almost over and we will be sad to go home. But I intend to enjoy every last bit we have left!!!

WonderWorks

2011-12-29T18:53:00.000-06:00

Today we took the kids to WonderWorks which is like a souped up Children's Museum. They loved the outside of the building and kept calling it the "upside down building."

This is the ceiling when you walk in....so neat.

In the hurricane exhibit...

You put your hand in this water and it is supposedly how cold the water was the night the Titanic sank. You see how long you can stand the water.

This is neat. You stand on this and it measures how tall you are.

Karis' height...

Brayden's height....

Lucy's height...

This ride was in there but we did NOT do it. People were screaming while riding it.

Pop, Jay, Me, Brayden and Karis all did the climbing wall. It was super fun and alot scarier than it looks!

Brayden, Jay and Karis all going up at the same time. I was about to get on at this point.

Here's me and Karis...

Pop and Jay did this Spacewalk Challenge while Lolli and I took the kids around to the exhibits. It was really neat!

This was above our heads and they walked/climbed on ropes up there with a harness on of course.

Me and Lolli laid on a bed of nails...

This was cool. This measures your brain wave activity and you win the ball game by how well you can relax your brain. Brayden beat Lolli!

Karis and Lucy played and we were amazed at how still Lucy sat for only being two. She sat perfectly still for almost 10 minutes!

After the museum, we headed to FIVE GUYS to eat lunch...so yummy! Then we all came back to the cabin for naps/rest time. Karis and I watched a movie together in her made-tent on her iPad. We ate tacos for dinner, chilled, played games and got in the hot tub. Fun day!

Cades Cove

2011-12-28T22:54:00.000-06:00

While the rest of the family went skiing, Jay and I took the kids to the Smoky Mountain National Park to Cades Cove. Jay had been before but I never had. It was GORGEOUS! It is amazing that in the midst of the hustle and bustle of a busy city like Gatlinburg, there is amazing scenery like this!

Some of the pics were taken while riding in the car so they are a little blurry.

It is mostly a "riding" trail, but we did get out a couple of times to take pictures, let the kids throw rocks into the water, see the scenery etc. Karis loved looking for beautiful rocks!

There were deer everywhere! We ended up seeing between 50-60 deer, over 20 wild turkey, heard coyotes but didn't see them, beautiful snow-capped mountains and some historic buildings.

And I got to ride next to this handsome hunk. :)

It is an extremely slow riding trail so we let the kids unbuckle and Lucy got in my lap for the majority of it. They loved it!

We got super close to this 10 point buck just on the other side of the fence.

We ended up being in the car for about 5 hours including travel time, riding time and traffic and the kids were AMAZING. They are getting so easy to take places and I am so thankful. We were so proud of them and enjoyed our day as a family. :)

Just the family

2011-12-28T19:46:00.001-06:00

This morning before we headed out to Cades Cove, we attempted to take some family pics while we were all not in pj's ha!

My babies Lucy (age 2 1/2), Brayden (5 1/2) and Karis 7

I love my family!

Matt, Tiff and Allen were already gone skiing for the day.

Games with friends

2011-12-27T22:45:00.000-06:00

Today was a rainy day so we planned to stay in today and take it easy. That's what is nice about vacation...you do what you want to do!

Mom made up some spaghetti and we ate dinner at home and then we played Catch Phrase until we couldn't laugh anymore with our family and our friends the Kellums.

Uncle Matt and Brayden

Our long time friend Melinda who lives near here came over for the day to hang out. It has been a while since we have seen her so it was good to hang out and visit.

Mom, Melinda and the kids enjoyed the hot tub while we played games...

Catch Phrase!

My sis-in-law Tiffany and my brother Matt, my sis-n-law Jenna and brother Jonathan...

Allen and his friend (and ours) Brittany...she also happens to be one of my old students from my first year of teaching when she was in 6th grade. She is the age now that I was when I taught her 10 years ago. Yea...it makes me feel old!

Me and Melinda

Fun day at the cabin...I love vacation!

The day after Christmas

2011-12-26T23:57:00.000-06:00

I usually don't go shopping on the day after Christmas but Lolli offered to keep the kids and let Jay and I go shopping ALONE and it was NICE! Needless to say, we took her up on the offer! :)

We went shopping at the outlet malls in Pigeon Forge and it got pretty busy fast but we enjoyed shopping together. Jay got a couple of shirts and I got some shirts and a few pair of cheap jeans.

Then we came back and picked up the crew to go to the candy store. We always make several trips to the candy store while we are here on vacation.

Jenna was just as excited as the kids to be in the candy store!!!

Matt and Tiff gave the kids their Christmas gifts when they got here today...

They gave Jay and I this autographed Casting Crowns cd. :)

Tonight Jay's parents are headed to North Carolina and stopped in Gatlinburg to spend the night so we got to go see them! We didn't get over there until almost 9 so the kids were tired and somebody fell asleep soon after that.

Jonathan and Jenna

Jay was grilling for everyone and Karis wrote him a note on her iPad and took it outside to show him...so sweet!

Jay's parents were on their way to North Carolina and stopped in Gatlinburg to spend the night so we got to go see them for a few minutes but we didn't get there until almost 9 so somebody didn't stay asleep for very long...

Nonnie and Karis were watching a movie on her new iPad...

The kids were all asleep before we even left their condo and this is what we saw when we got home...so sweet! It has been a long few fun days on vaca!

Our Christmas Day!

2011-12-25T22:57:00.000-06:00

Christmas morning started off early for Jay and I. We woke up early anticipating the kids getting up early and then had time to shower, do our quiet times and relax with some coffee and then waited until they woke up. Here we are waiting...and waiting....and waiting....

They finally woke up about 8:30 and Jay began the morning reading the Christmas story to the family.

Then "Who wants to go first???"

I'll let most of the pics speak for themselves.

Karis and Brayden's big gift was the same. They opened them at the same time and we have been anticipating them opening these gifts for months!

They got iPads and were soooooo excited!!!

Lucy got her very own American Girl doll look alike....

Lucy got matching outfits for her and her baby. :)

Besides the MacBook Pro Jay gave me as an early Christmas present last week, he also got me a Pandora look alike bracelet and some charms, a Shark steam mop which I was SOO excited about, and some Willow Trees from the kids. He did GOOD!

After we opened gifts, mom and I made a big breakfast and then mom got in the hot tub with the kids. They get in at least 2-3 times a day while here!

Brayden sitting in his bed with his "doggy" (sleeps with it every night!) playing with his new iPad.

Allen made a tent with the kids....

And of course they played some pool....

Late afternoon we had some friends, the Kellums, over that are also staying in Gatlinburg this week over for dinner. We had baked ham, homemade mashed potatoes, sweet potato casserole, green bean casserole and rolls. Their daughter Brittany was one of my students my first year teaching. That was 10 years ago!!!

Karis and Brianna

Gary couldn't help but fall asleep...

Patti was trying out a curling iron that Karis got for her Christmas.

Christmas day was a wonderful day celebrating Jesus' birth with family and friends. This was the first Christmas we have spent it away from home and it was fun to spend it in the mountains! Christmas is over, but vacation isn't! Let the fun continue!!!

Christmas Eve

2011-12-24T22:56:00.000-06:00

Christmas Eve morning we headed out at about 5 a.m. and headed for the mountains to have Christmas with the family in the mountains. We woke the kids up to go to the restroom and put them straight in the car and they stayed asleep for the first 2 hours of the trip. The kids were GREAT traveling and not so much as a whimper from even Lucy at age 2. It took us 7 1/2 hours with minimal stops and we were there!

The cabin was great but the first thing they wanted to see was the hot tub that Lolli had told them about. Within just a few minutes they were changed and trying it out...

The view is beautiful from our cabin...

The cabin is a 3 bedroom, 3 bath beautiful wood cabin and each bedroom has a jacuzzi tub...amazing!

The kids love the game room...

Big kitchen...excuse all our stuff.

The presents under the tree ready for Christmas morning...

The first afternoon there we saw 4 deer right outside our windows...

Christmas Eve we went ahead and let the kids open their stockings "socks" as Lucy calls them.

Looking forward to a wonderful vacation with the family and celebrating Christmas tomorrow!

Random iPhone pics

2011-12-23T22:24:00.000-06:00

I dumped some pics off my iphone and had to share a few of them.

This snowman has been sitting above the tv for several weeks obviously but Lucy just came up to it the other day and said in a really pitiful sad voice, "Bless his heart. He has a stick in his nose." I laughed til I cried. How does a 2 year old know to say that? Hhhmm....she must have heard me say it. Whoops!

I was finishing up my Christmas shopping the other day in Dillards and I turn around to see this below. It was totally not staged she didn't even know I was taking the picture! Priceless!!!

We were at Cracker Barrel the other day and Jay picked up this big fake tarantula and put it down on the ground behind Lucy. You would have thought a black bear was after her!!!! She squealed so loud people began looking at us from all directions. And one old lady that was working in the toy section gave us a look that meant something really ugly! We could not quit laughing...after we calmed Lucy down first and put the crazy spider away haha!

Cici's the other night haha....

Another Cracker Barrel pic and totally unstaged. He might have a little organization from his momma after all!

She made this for Brayden out of play-doh and surprised him. It says, "I love Brayden!" :)

My Lulu chowing on some broccoli and carrots...

Play-doh is fun but oh so messy!

Ok so today I had to clean house (and pack) before we leave for the mountains. My tile grout has been eating at me for a while now but I just haven't had the time to do it. But I couldn't stand it any longer and bit the bullet today. I scrubbed both bathrooms' grout with a toothbrush and bleach. I could not believe how gross they were...even worse than I thought. GROSS! And I am a VERY clean person and mop constantly so I couldn't believe they had gotten that bad!

You can see the difference!

We were packing today and I told Lucy to go find a swimsuit. She put it on herself and came out looking like this haha!

Never a dull moment! But I love every part of it!

Family Day

2011-12-22T21:12:00.001-06:00

Today we had a family day where we promised we would spend the whole day with the kids and do "fun" stuff that didn't involve "boring" stuff (as they call it...we call it life! Someday they'll understand!) like cleaning, packing, etc.

The kids absolute favorite restaurant is any Japanese restaurant, particularly Kyoto. And it happens to be mine and Jay's absolute favorite as well.

The kids had chicken and steak and Jay and I split a steak meal and got sushi! YUM! I had been craving it for several days and it tasted sooooo good!

Then we did some shopping at Sams (the kids LOVE Sams) and went to see The Adventures of Tin Tin at the movie theater. It was so cute and Lucy did great too (we have taken her to the movies since she was a baby). But of course we had to get our picture taken with the chipmunks! We need to see Chipwrecked too!

We love 3D movies! So fun!

After that we drove around to look at some Christmas lights until ALL THREE fell asleep in the car before 7:00!!! So we came home and put the kids to bed. Didn't know it would be an early night but I guess they had had a big day!

Happy Birthday Jesus party

2011-12-21T20:00:00.000-06:00

My creative friend Marybeth invited us over with Amy to celebrate Jesus' birthday with the kids and they decorated ice cream cones to look like Christmas trees. They were so creative and adorable as always!

Then Marybeth read them the Advent story of the day....

Fun day with friends! The kids got to play and us moms got to sit and enjoy each other's company! It was much needed!

A day of emotions...

2011-12-19T23:04:00.000-06:00

Wow today has been a world wind of emotions to say the least. We started off the day very anxious because Jay had a cat-scan this morning for some issues that have come up recently. We didn't think we had anything to worry about but on any kind of procedure where they are "checking" something, you can't help but be a little anxious and the "what ifs" creep into your view and make it hazy.

To keep from having to take all the kiddos into a procedure/office visit, he opted to go by himself and the kids and I did some shopping around the corner just in case we needed to be there. We finished our Christmas shopping for Jay which means I am completely through (Praise the Lord!). The results came back normal and he was released. We were so thankful and relieved for the good news! So we celebrated and went to Cracker Barrel for lunch per Jay's request, he couldn't eat or drink anything after midnight last night.

We finished up some errands and came home for the afternoon. Jay kept saying he wanted to give me one of my presents early, this afternoon, because I would want it early. I am usually not a fan of "early" presents because I like to open them on Christmas but I obliged and he and the kids made me close my eyes and placed a box in my lap.

What could it be?!?!

I opened it and was SHOCKED to say the least.

AFTER I quit crying, I opened up my new to me/refurbished MacBook Pro and turned that bad boy on! I have had a Mac since 2001 and I won't ever go back to PC's. But I always get used ones and the one I currently have is old(er) and the Cd drive doesn't even work. I was fine with that because I don't use that part too often and it still worked great. However my sweet hubby said he wanted me to have for once, the newer of something since I usually just get his hand-me-downs. Get this...he saved up his "extra" money (preaching over the last few months) and his Christmas bonus to purchase it so that I wouldn't be worried about the money part of it (I do the bills and am the "saver" and he is the "spender.")

I could not quit tearing up and thanking him for being so thoughtful. I love the computer of course but the thought/method behind it was what kept getting me choked up! He is a keeper and I am so thankful he is mine. :)

So as I type, I am on this new computer...woohoo!

He had definitely outdone me this year and Christmas isn't even here yet!!!

Christmas with Jay's family

2011-12-18T21:42:00.001-06:00

Since we will be out of town for a portion of the holidays, we had Christmas with Jay's family when we were in town for Jay's birthday. I always look forward to the holidays in Corinth, such fun memories and wonderful people.

Karis on her new blanket we got her...she was so proud of it!

Nonnie's tree

Karis hangin' out with Ben

Jessie and Lucy

Jay and Pop-Pop

We took all the presents over to Grandmother and Pintos to do Christmas over there. WOW!

Anxiously awaiting "go" time!

Let the fun begin!

Nonnie and Pop-Pop gave Brayden a wi-fi airplane...so neat! You use your wi-fi device and control it using an app!

Karis got new luggage and she loved it!

I got new luggage too! Isn't it so cute?!

My favorite was Nonnie and Pop-Pop gave Jay and I a Keurig coffe maker! I have been wanting one of these for a long time and I was so excited and couldn't wait to get it home and try it out!

Uncle Hudson "Haha" and Aunt Judy "Aunt Juju"

Nonnie's smile/laugh is always contagious!

Grandmother is STYLING at age 79!!! Isn't she the cutest?!?!

Jess and Ben

Everybody was sad when we had to go. Nobody wanted to say their goodbyes or see ya laters. :(

We had a ball visiting family and sad to see it end! We are so blessed to have such wonderful family on both sides. :)

Christmas goodies

2011-12-18T18:42:00.002-06:00

Every year at Christmas, we make Christmas goodies at Grandmother Lucy's house. It is fun to do together as a family and the results are sugar heaven!

Putting milk chocolate sandwiched between 2 ritz crackers and then later coated in white chocolate! YUM!

They were Brayden approved!!!

Peppermint bark

Melt white chocolate in microwave and mix crushed up candy canes in. Let dry and break apart.

White chocolate coated pretzel rods then rolled in crushed peppermints

Coating chocolate ritz sandwiches in white chocolate

Haystacks (Jay's favorite!)

Butterscotch chips melted

Chow Mein noodles

Check out all these goodies!!!

This was the "non peanut" side (Me, Brayden and Lucy can't eat the peanuts)

This is part of the peanut side...they made 2 more things after I took this pic! Homemade chex mix, peanut butter/ritz crackers covered in chocolate, peanut butter fudge, pecan coated white chocolate pretzels

We were all on a sugar high but it was all sooooo good! Such fun memories!

Jay's 36th Birthday

2011-12-18T16:41:00.001-06:00

We spent Jay's 36th birthday with his family in Corinth and it is the first time in a long time he has gotten to be with his family on his birthday. His mom cooked him (and us) a big breakfast...biscuits and gravy, eggs, grits and bacon. It was so good to share the day with them.

Jay opening round 1 of presents...

Me and hubs on his 36th birthday...

My sweet family ;)

We went over to Grandmothers for round 2...

We had been trying to teach Lucy all morning how to just hold up 2 fingers and she had just done it for the first time. She is TWO!

Cake time!

So thankful for my sweet hubby and what he means to me and the kids. He is truly my best friend and my life partner. I wouldn't want to do life with anybody else!

I love you babe! Hope you had a great bday!

Sausage Balls

2011-12-17T21:43:00.001-06:00

Bear with me yall, I am trying to (over time) take pics of/write down recipes of my favorite recipes so that I can put them on Pinterest. It has become my recipe database and I slowly but surely will get them all moved from paper to the web! This will take many months though I am sure!

Grandmother's Sausage Balls

1 lb. HOT sausage

10 oz. grated sharp cheddar cheese

3 cups Bisquick (off brands do not work, I have tried)

Mix with a mixer and roll up in 1 inch balls. Cook at 375 for 20-25 minutes. We like ours crispy on the outside and not chewy so we usually do at least 23 minutes. This makes approximately 65.

I usually freeze whatever I don't cook in a gallon size bag like this. Then when we want it, pop em straight out of the bag into the oven. It takes just a couple of minutes more and taste just as good!

We love sausage balls so yummy!

We all match!

2011-12-16T17:05:00.000-06:00

On this last "school" day before Christmas break, I asked my babysitting kids to wear their initial shirts I gave them for Christmas. They all looked sooo adorable in them!

My babies aren't "babies" anymore sniff sniff!

Part of the crew....Landon already gone and Lucy still asleep.

Everett is everywhere and into everything! He climbed OVER Karis' legs today to get to a toy he wanted!

Hazel being in his way didn't stop him either!

I attempted to get a pic of everybody with their matching shirts. It was crazy trying to get everybody happy, awake, and looking and smiling in the same direction ha! It got a little tricky!

Crazy faces!

Me and all my little sweeties (all 8 of them!)....

Such a fun day! Merry Christmas to you all and see in just a short few weeks!

Karis' Christmas party

2011-12-16T14:26:00.000-06:00

This morning my sweet hubby offered to hold down the fort so I could go to Karis' Christmas party. I was thrilled because I love seeing her in her element. I also took along this cutie...

Karis' teacher has been out this week due to her son having surgery/being hospitalized so unfortunately she wasn't able to be there. But her assistant, Mrs. Lisa was there to hold down the fort. We missed you Mrs. Herrmann!

To exchange gifts, the girls played musical gift. If the music stopped and you had a bag in your hands, you got to keep it.

K got some bracelets...

Lucy enjoyed herself in the reading corner....

Mrs. H was so upset she had to miss the party, she called and was talking to the kids on speaker phone. The kids were very glad to talk to her.

Mrs. H and Mrs. Lisa gave the girls some bubble bath and the boys a whistle.

Class pic....

Even the Grinch came to visit, although Lucy wanted NO part of him haha!

Lucy even got to partake in the Christmas goodies...chips and dip and cupcakes, followed by pizza.

Karis giving Mrs. Lisa her present....

We are so thankful for the many hours that her teachers invest into our sweet girl. :) It was so fun to get to spend the morning with her and thankful I am able to do so!

Prizes, Treats and Elves

2011-12-15T20:49:00.000-06:00

Our babysitting crew has been somewhat sick this week so there hasn't been one day when everyone had been here all at the same time. Between stomach bugs, strep, ear infections and colds, it has kept everyone feeling under the weather. Therefore the camera has been on the back burner.

BUT, I did catch the three amigos doing this yesterday and HAD to capture it. They were "wiping and changing diapers." Thank goodness they didn't take their pull-ups/panties off! They each took their turn....

Thank goodness they are only 2 or I would have had to put a stop to it!!!

Today Karis had a good behavior party at school that she was really excited about. It also happened to be their 3rd day this week that they could wear their pj's. She won a coloring contest today and won some "goo" that was definitely a hit!

Somehow the kids came up with this dance and song about the "goo" and performed it multiple times for us. Even Lucy is in on the fun!

After I took Karis' picture, I started to put it away and Lucy started yelling, "HEY!!! What about me???" Haha so I had to take one of her fake smile too, but cute nonetheless.

One of our favorite holiday treats is homemade chex mix! Jay made it this afternoon so we have been snacking on it ever since. YUM!

We got the recipe off of chex.com and here it is...

(We left out bagel chips, pretzels and peanuts)

3	cups Corn Chex® cereal
3	cups Rice Chex® cereal
3	cups Wheat Chex® cereal
1	cup mixed nuts
1	cup bite-size pretzels
1	cup garlic-flavor bite-size bagel chips or regular-size bagel chips, broken into 1-inch pieces
6	tablespoons butter or margarine
2	tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 1/2	teaspoons seasoned salt
3/4	teaspoon garlic powder
1/2	teaspoon onion powder

Did You Know?

The original recipe includes Corn Chex®, Rice Chex® and Wheat Chex®. You can mix and match to suit your taste—just use a total of 9 cups of cereal.

Health Focus

To reduce the fat to 2 grams and the calories to 80 per serving, use 3 tablespoons margarine instead of the 6 tablespoons butter, omit mixed nuts and use fat-free bagel chips.

Special Touch

Make enough of this favorite mix to package up as gifts for special friends—it’s so good and always a welcome surprise!

1.	In large microwavable bowl, mix cereals, nuts, pretzels and bagel chips; set aside. In small microwavable bowl, microwave butter uncovered on High about 40 seconds or until melted. Stir in seasonings. Pour over cereal mixture; stir until evenly coated.
2.	Microwave uncovered on High 5 to 6 minutes, thoroughly stirring every 2 minutes. Spread on paper towels to cool. Store in airtight container.
Oven Directions Heat oven to 250°F. In large bowl, mix cereals, nuts, pretzels and bagel chips; set aside. In ungreased large roasting pan, melt butter in oven. Stir in seasonings. Gradually stir in cereal mixture until evenly coated. Bake 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes. Spread on paper towels to cool, about 15 minutes. Store in airtight container.

Somebody else really liked it too. I kept seeing this over and over again all afternoon. And she picked out her own outfit this afternoon by the way. This is NOT what I put her in this morning ha!

Karis' friend Precious gave her this this week and I thought it was "precious." :)

We "elfed" the kids tonight and had so many laughs watching all the different dances. The whole family sat around the computer laughing so hard our stomachs were cramping and the kids wanted to see them over and over again.

Watch our video here...

http://elfyourself.jibjab.com/view/Ock9nryezM4ZYgYv?cmpid=ey_fb_self

Lasagna recipe

2011-12-15T20:43:00.000-06:00

Our family's favorite lasagna (adapted from several others)

1 lb. ground beef
2 large garlic cloves
1/2 large onion
1 24 oz. jar spaghetti sauce, whichever you prefer (I use more I like mine saucy)
1/2 cup water
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 16 oz. cottage cheese
1 1/2 teaspoons pepper
8 lasagna noodles
2 cups (8 oz.) mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
salt to taste

Cook lasagna noodles according to package. Cook beef and onions together until done then drain and add garlic, spaghetti sauce and water. Combine egg, cottage cheese and pepper in a small bowl. Spread 1/2 cup meat mixture in the bottom of a 9x13 pan then layer 1/2 of the noodles, 1/2 of the cottage cheese mixture, 1/2 meat mixture then 1/2 of the shredded cheese. Then layer all 4 again. Cook at 350 for 50 minutes then add parmesan cheese on top to serve. Serve with salad and garlic bread.

Ingredients

Before going into the oven....

Ready to eat...

Pj's and lights!

2011-12-13T21:29:00.000-06:00

Today was pj day at school for Karis so I had to snap a pic on her way out the door....

Tonight we had planned to go look at Christmas lights, so after we ate dinner, everyone got their baths/showers and we put on the kid's Christmas pj's that Lolli bought them and we headed out!

Lucy was telling Brayden here, "Open your eyes Brayden!!!"

Love these three!!!

Jay and I made a quick stop at Dunkin Donuts to grab some decaf coffee and then off to the lights we went. I took some pics but of course the pics don't do it justice. It is so hard to capture "lights" such as these and fireworks.

On the way home playing with their helium balloons and eating the chocolate heads off of Santas!

When we got home, Karis (with B and L's help of course) and I made gift card snow globes for her teachers. She has been so excited about making these.

Then the kids were showing off their dance moves for the family ha. It was such a fun night as a family!!!

Creamy nut-free fudge

2011-12-13T21:06:00.000-06:00

Every year at Christmas we make some goodies one of them being FUDGE! We all love it...I mean who doesn't?!?! We got the recipe here but here it is for quick reference...

Creamy Chocolate Fudge

Ingredients

1-7 or 8 oz jar marshmallow creme (I use the whole container)
1 1/2 cup sugar
2/3 cup evaporated milk
1/4 cup butter
1/4 tsp. salt
11 1/2 oz milk chocolate morsels
6 oz. semi sweet morsels
1/2 cup pecans or walnuts (I don't use any nuts)
1 tsp vanilla

Instructions

In a pan combine first 5 ingredients, and bring them to a full boil over medium neat; stirring constantly, for about 5 minutes.
Remove from heat and stir in chocolate until it melts.
Stir in nuts (optional) and vanilla.
Pour into aluminum foil lined 8×8 inch square pan.
Chill in refrigerator until firm, about 2 hours. (I chilled overnight)
Keep refrigerated.

I had lots of help making it last night....or just licking the spoons haha!

After chilling overnight, we partook today and it did not disappoint! SOOOOO good and very easy!

Happy 5th Birthday Trey!

2011-12-12T21:35:00.000-06:00

Today is our buddy Trey's 5th birthday and Brayden picked out Trey's gift all by himself and was SOOOO proud to give it to him this morning before Karis went to school.

I think he liked it! It was definitely a hit today!

HOURS of entertainment I tell ya....

Trey's mom sent some party supplies for us to par-tay with today so here it is all set up and ready to dig in!

Let's party!

Love this face... :)

Best buds Brayden and Trey

We love you Trey man and hope you had a wonderful birthday celebrating with us! :)

Happy Birthday!!!

Pinterest, Paintings, Parties and Pictures

2011-12-11T21:16:00.001-06:00

Brayden has been super wild lately due to the steroids he was put on for his asthma. Normally he becomes mean but this go round he was just W-I-L-D! Like running around like a lion wild. The other night he would.not.be.still. and we got this video of him "breakdancing."

Excuse my SUPER country sounding voice...embarrassing!

Oh and he did tell me the other night when he was explaining what steroids made him feel like, that "the medicine just went all the way up to his eyeballs and wouldn't let him close his eyes!" haha

Saturday morning we were lazy around the house in our pj's until lunch. After lunch, Karis had a birthday party to go to and so we dropped Karis off at the skating rink and Brayden and I went to Walmart and Target and did some grocery/Christmas shopping. It was Lucy's naptime so she stayed home with daddy. We got back to pick her up in time to see her skate for a little while. They said she won the "most improved" award. When they first got out on the ice, an instructor gave them a small lesson to teach them how to skate. Karis was so scared she was crying and the instructor grabbed her hand and helped her for a while. By the end, she was flying around the ice and was passing everybody up. She had so much fun she didn't want to leave when we had to. She is already saying that is what she wants to do next year for her birthday!

Karis and the birthday girl Kathryn

When we got home, we saw what Lucy had been doing while she was home with daddy......

Saturday night we made dinner and then Karis and I wanted to work on some crafts. I had seen this on Pinterest recently and thought it was so cute and I wanted to try it out. It is a snow globe gift card holder. I however just used an old bank card of an account we no longer have to try it out. It was super easy to make, cheap and cute. The original site has a cuter picture than mine here.

And Karis painted an earring box that she bought with her own money....

While we were busy at work, somebody else got a little creative herself ha!

Sunday morning we actually got ready a little early so I took the kids out in the yard to snap some pics before church...

After church I took some family pics for our friends the Tillmans. Paige is my buddy, Brian happens to be our pastor and Mari-Morgan is Karis' best friend. Oh and Brayden idolizes Nathan...if only they were closer in age. :)

And then I asked them to take one of us (since we rarely get one of all of us!) and it turned out pretty cute! Brian took the pic and he may have some hidden talents he hasn't told us about yet ha!

Sunday afternoon I was hoping to get some stuff down around the house but that soooo didn't happen. I opted to take a nap with my Lucy girl instead. :) Then tonight we had a Chrismas family worship service at church and it was so good. We sang corporately, the Christmas story was read, we had communion and the coolest part about the service was a recent college grad from our church started the service with a blank canvas and painted throughout the service. Of course for a while it looked like a blob but by the end was a masterpiece. She finished just in time at the end of the last song, the lights were turned out except for the spotlight on the painting. It was so neat! I wish I could paint!

Wonderful weekend...fun week ahead and then let the Christmas festivities begin!!!

Friend Friday and Karis' giving heart...

2011-12-09T16:02:00.000-06:00

Due to all the sickness this week, my camera was put on the shelf for most of the week and the ones I did take, deleted when they didn't import into iPhoto right. So the only pics I have from kids are from today only and Hazel was asleep when I had my camera out. I will have to make up for that next week!

Everett is ALL OVER THE PLACE as of this week. He is not crawling on his knees yet, but he gets anywhere he wants to go by army crawling. One day this week he ended up in Lucy's room from the den! There is no longer containing this boy! :)

The three amigos :)

Sweet loves....

Brayden's airplane has been a hit this week! They all love to watch him fly it!

Karis has such a little giving heart and I love it. They had the Santa workshop at school this week and I sent her with some money to buy Christmas gifts for friends and family. She was SOOOO excited about shopping for everyone! She bought gifts for me, Jay, Lucy, Brayden, Mari-Morgan, a friend who doesn't have much, and Trey. She even had money left over and I asked her if she got to buy herself something and she said, "I didn't want to." :) She came home grinning from ear to ear because she wanted to give out her gifts. She got me a BEAUTIFUL necklace that came from Lerner and it is so cute. She got Jay some comfy socks, Brayden a shark tooth necklace that he LOVES, Trey a basketball, Lucy a doll, a friend a basketball and Mari-Morgan some little Christmas trinkets. It made my heart melt...she is so sweet.

This was in her folder...a letter to Santa. She knows Santa isn't real but they were writing letters to Santa in her class. She said she started to write "Dear Lolli," but she didn't want kids to ask her why she wasn't writing to Santa haha.

It says, (translation) "Dear Santa, I want a kindle for Christmas and a monster high doll (she has seen a commercial I told her NO WAY!), and my own room. Love, Karis" :)

This is the necklace she got me and was so proud of it. And I loved it (for real!).

So glad everyone is on the mend and believe it or not, not one other person caught the stomach bug from Lucy, including our immediate family or babysitting kids. I am SOOO thankful!

A hard week.

2011-12-08T18:53:00.003-06:00

Wow what a few days. After last week's busy week I was hoping for a reprieve this week. Well that didn't quite happen.

Monday started off very productive and I got my whole house cleaned. It was almost like "nesting" for an event I didn't know was about to occur.

Monday night Lucy woke up about 11:00 moaning and I knew it didn't sound good. She threw up everywhere in the bed and I knew I was in for a very long day/week. I made her a large pallet in the den floor (with LOTS of towels, blankets etc. around her) and I slept next to her on the couch. I put sheets into wash. She woke up about an hour later and threw up again. Load #2 in the wash and then went back to sleep. Luckily she didn't wake up again until 3 a.m. asking for something to drink and I knew that was good news. She drank a cup and then went back to sleep and never got sick again. I didn't sleep much because I was worried about her, listening for her, watching her, washing clothes etc. You moms know how it is...ugh!

Well woke up the next morning and I knew instantly I had an infection. Soon after Brayden's asthma got worse throughout the day and he was on breathing treatments every few hours.

After I got off work that day, I went to the doc and got some meds for my infection and we went through Chick-fil-a drive thru on the way home. Once we got home and ate, I realized that Brayden was getting progressively worse. I knew I had to make a decision fast. It was supposed to snow that night and did I want to chance an asthma attack at night when we could be snowed in??? No.

So I called a friend to come over to watch the girls so I could take B to the Emergency Room. We got there about 9:00. Later my dad drove an hour to relieve my friend MB and ended up spending the night with us to help out just in case I needed him. I was SOOOO thankful to have him here! Thanks dad!!!

A couple of hours later, we were in a room.

Somebody got some sleep, somebody else did not.

We finally saw the doctor and were discharged at 2:00 a.m. They gave him another treatment and some steroids and we headed home. It was snowing hard on our way home but none of it seemed to be sticking. But we woke up the next morning to this.....

A WINTER WONDERLAND!

It was our 2nd snow of the season and schools did not let out (shocker!).

So after 2 nights of little/no sleep, 2 antibiotics, a steroid, 3 sick people, an ER visit and multiple breathing treatments, I am hoping we are on the mend.

OH and did I mention Jay was out of town all week in Chicago at a conference??? So in the midst of all this I was a single parent. I am sure everyone will be perfectly healthy by the time dad gets home tonight. Isn't that always how it works?! :)

Karis was the only one who remained completely healthy this week....

This morning Lucy put on her "Tangled" dress and she said Brayden was her protector (her "knight in shining armor I suppose?!). It was sweet. He does do so well in protecting her.

Whew! Hoping for an uneventful week next week!!!

In the midst of my rough week, I opened up my Bible to do my quiet time and this just happened to be what I read....

"Therefore, in order to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. ⁸ Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. ⁹ But he said to me,“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. ¹⁰ That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong." 2 Corinthians 12:8-10

Thank you Jesus for that. I needed reminding that despite how rough my week had been, things could have been so much worse and there are many single parents out there who do it by themselves all the time. Instead of whining about my week, I should delight in my weakness(es), hardships and difficulties.

Because with Christ, when I am weak, then I am strong. His grace is indeed...enough.

Rain showers, wedding shower, and Splash

2011-12-04T22:38:00.000-06:00

It has literally rained....all....day. It hasn't stopped. And it would be a great day to lay in bed in my pj's but no such luck today. But despite the rain, it was still a fun day.

After working in the preschool class this morning at church, I went to lunch with some of my girlfriends and then ran into Target on my way to a wedding shower for a sweet friend of mine Christina. She is getting married on January 7th to a sweet young man Landon. YEARS ago (like at least 6) Jay and I used to tell them that they would be perfect together and here they are about to get married!!! I could not be more happy for both of them and honored for Karis to be their flower girl in their wedding. She is one of the sweetest people I know!

Me and Christina...33 days until the big day!

Then I took my boat and met mom to get the kids. She has had them all weekend because of my half-marathon (she offered and I gladly accepted!). After I picked up the kids we went to Splash at church. Jay couldn't come with us so here is our family minus Jay.

It was a family Christmas Splash and there were rooms/booths set up to do some fun things together as a family. Here they are decorating their own gingerbread cookies...

This picture cracks me up! I told Lucy to smile and show me her cookie and this is what I got ha!

A little milk to wash those sugary cookies down....

Fun day but glad to get home and crash for a little bit on the couch. Karis, Lucy and I watched The Heart of Christmas last night on TV and it was a tear-jerker (happened to be about St. Jude which I just ran the half for on Saturday). Reminded me to cherish every moment and keep my loved ones close. We aren't promised tomorrow and the laundry and dirt will wait on us. Love on your babies tonight!!!