the sound of laughter

this morning was giggle time..i thought it would be more fun to wake the boys with tickles and giggles then "is it time to get up?" matthew beat me to it and was so pleasant this am..i got my"morning mom" before i had a chance to try out the tickles..so he and i went in to get ryan. we tickled..he giggled..we tickled some more..he giggled some more..it was a fun way to start out our day..both boys smiling and laughing..i love mornings that start out this way..with love and laughter to carry us through the day :)

Our Flower Garden

This year the boys and I thought it would be great to add some color to our front yard. We have had the Daffodils planted for several years now, but have been a little fearful of trying to plant other bulbs.
The boys wanted to see some pretty flowers in our yard, so I thought this would be the perfect time to test the waters. So far we are very happy..our tulips have grown and are a beautiful shade of red (Ryan's favorite color)..and Matthew's Hyacinthe is also doing well.
We saw some new bulbs on sale today and thought we ought to plant some more things so that we are always seeing some of God's beautiful creations in our yard. We are hoping to be able to turn this into a lovely garden someday..for now, we are enjoying digging in the dirt together and finding worms as we plant bulbs.

My new toy

For my birthday I was able to get a CRICUT with birthday $ and gift cards ! I have watched others use them at scrap nights and thought "oh maybe someday"..well my someday is here. I had so much fun learning how to use it yesterday. Ryan and I thought it would be fun to add a little color and fun to the calendar we have just put up in their room. The idea behind them having a calendar was to help them learn the days of the week, months and how long it might take for a special day to come along. So we spent a good hour while Matthew napped making their calendar FUN ! And this is just one of the MANY things I'll be able to do with my new tool..scrapbooks are going to be the best and so much more..perhaps even a phrase on the wall..the possibilities are endless :)

Star Wars and a Haircut

The boys were in desperate need of haircuts for the past week..both of them getting some seriously long strands going every which way. So tonight was the night..I turned on Star Wars ( a major favorite right now)..set up the bar stool in the kitchen so that the movie could be viewed while the hair was being cut..and got to cutting.

Here is Matthew ready for his new look.




He is so intent on watching he is even leaning over.




And here he is telling me to "be done".




I wasn't able to take an after shot..it was bath time and he wasn't in a photo mood. I'll just have to post that one another day.

Happy Birthday to Me !

Today I turned 36..and it was a great day ! I was able to go out last night and have a girls scrap night with some friends. We had such a fun time and the best part is I FINALLY got going on my sons book..he is 5 now and it hadn't been started yet..terrible I know! But I can now say it is on the move and the juices are flowing..look out for photos of pages soon.
So this am the boys let me sleep in till all of 6:45 am..they are so kind to me. I did receive hugs and kisses throughout the day, so I suppose that makes up for it. :) I was treated to breakfast, a 5 yr old bowling party, a baby shower, a small nap (but much needed), several calls and birthday wishes and then a nice family dinner with my parents.
All in all it was a fun filled day, one that I won't soon forget. Here's to a great year of many wonderful times with family and friends. And to celebrating next weekend with the rest of the family..woohoo..I love extended celebrations !

Friends

This week we were able to have a visit with some good friends from Arizona. They are here for a baby shower for their twin boys due in May. It was so fun to play, chat and do crafts. Last year when we were together I pulled out paper, scissors, crayons, glue sticks..you name it..anything to let their creative minds take flight. Well when the girls walked in (after hellos) they were asking to do crafts again ! It was so sweet that they remembered. So we pulled out all the stops again adding more things this year like ribbons, stapling, stickers, markers..oh the things they had to play with. Kites, pictures and coloring were among the crafts created Thursday. What a fun time we had..visits are always too short, but much enjoyed !

Happy Valentine's Day

This day was as good as it can get ! Starting last night, the boys stayed the night with the grandparents so that Mike and I could have our Valentine date night. I came home to a lovely bouquet of roses on our table along with a great card. We then went out to dinner, had a drink, great conversation and fabulous food. This morning we SLEPT in ! It was great..it's not that often we can sleep in past 7am so we enjoyed every minute of that. Our day with the boys was great. We gave them their goodie bags filled with treats they will enjoy..daddy played balloon toss with them..we flew kites in the front yard..we watched Star Wars the Clone Wars...it was a fun filled family day. It was one of those days that will stay with you for a while because it was so relaxing and exciting at the same time. These are the days I cherish, when we have our family time.

This is the heart man that Ryan made for Valentine's Day.

Valentine Goodies

This year we thought it would be fun to make some goodies for our neighbors. I want to teach my children to be loving children of Christ..to be giving..to be thoughtful..and what better way to teach them by giving to our neighbors. We have lived here for almost 8yrs now and only know a handful of our neighbors..I would like to change that. It would be great to say that we know all our neighbors and know them well.

As you can see the boys were into the cookie making process.


Mom shaped them into hearts. (it's valentine's after all)


All wrapped up and ready to deliver.



This was a fun project for us all. The boys and I spent time doing something fun together and they learned about giving to others when we took them around today. The boys had fun handing them out today and greeting some new faces. We may have just started a new tradition for our family..and a fun one at that !

On time this year...

... with sending out the Valentine cards ! I used to be a very organized person until I had children. :) I was "on time" if not early with birthday cards, celebrations and gifts. Well that all changed when we had our last little guy. For some reason I just couldn't get a handle on things, at least not right away... it has actually taken me almost 2 1/2 years to be back on track. With the exception of a New Year's gift that at least arrived in the month of Jan, Feb is a different story.
Out of state and out of country Valentines were mailed last week and Out of town cards & photos were mailed out today ! We also have class and friend Valentine cards ready to go for this weekend. I finally feel back on track and "on time" !
I guess being a mommy changes more than you realize..but it is so worth every minute of every hour of every day!

Free Museum Day !

Today was the 11th annual Museum Day in Sacramento. There are about 25 museums that participate and all of them are free admission. Last year we took the boys to the Discovery Museum, this year we went to the Railroad Museum. They had the best time ! Matthew loved to point out all the little trains in the cases while Ryan couldn't wait to climb onto the big ones and check it all out. They both enjoyed seeing the engine on a steam train..the docent told us that the entire train weighs about 1,000,000 lbs !

It was so sweet to watch them walking hand in hand.

Here they are in front of a switch outside the museum.


Such a mom moment for me..I love to see them having fun!

Girls Night Out

Last night my friend Lori took me to the Kings game for an early birthday gift. We had so much fun, just us two girls hanging out, laughing, cheering (so hard that I didn't have much voice today), enjoying the crowds & watching the game ! (mostly) Last night happened to be the night the Kings were retiring Chris Webber's jersey, so it was indeed extra special. We saw, Doug Christie, Vlade Divac, Scott Pollard, Gary Payton, Mateen Cleese & of course C. Webb ! It was so exciting..the crowd was on their feet, everyone was cheering, the entire arena was chanting "Webber"..it was quite the event. Thank you Lori for a most fun night and a great birthday gift!

Ice Skating

Today was Ryan's preschool field trip to the ice arena..it was a wonderful morning that Dad and I were both able to attend. This was also Ryan's first time to go ice skating and he had a great time! They have these little walkers for the kids to use, who are first timers or aren't real steady on their feet. He had so much fun with them. He and his buddies would run and then glide across the ice. There were some games for them to play..limbo, chicken bowling, parachute & ball and the hokey pokey. I managed to take a few videos and pictures and NOT fall down..that was my accomplishment of the day ! We all had such a fun time..we'll try and do it again soon as a family trip.

Family Time

Tonight was such a fun family night..we had a random dinner tonight, the boys something different from us, but at least they ate most of it. After dinner was game time..Ryan picked Backgammon..which isn't really a kid game, but he wanted to play with Dad's "suitcase" game ! It turned out to be great practice with counting the dice and counting out the spaces to move. We only managed to get one game done before Matthew decided it was time to play with the pieces a different way..much more fun for him I'm sure.
Bath time gave me such smiles tonight..they were still using the bath foam from Grandma. Tonight Ryan thought he would wash Matthew's hair with it..I am not sure we got all of the green tint out, but he was laughing at it, so no harm done. It was just a fun time to see them playing and enjoying each other as brothers do. Just another reminder of why I love being a mom..they are just so darn cute in the tub !

One Down...

...11 months to go ! I thought I'd give a recap of how the first month went with my goal/resolution list. I surprised myself and did well..not great, but a good start.

• I have read through Genesis, Exodus & most of Matthew
• We had our 1st friend get together..Superbowl 2009..way too much fun !
• The boys and I learned the 12 disciples
• I have sewn more than 1 thing & managed to scrap only 1..but in 2 weeks I am attending a scrap night, so I will achieve my goal :)
• I organized & created the pantry...PTL !! (with the help of hubby)
• And I am keeping in touch with friends..thanks FB

I so wish that a gym routine was on my list tonight..but with colds and Dr. appts that come up, I have been unable to be consistent. I am going, just not regularly yet..I'll get there though. It feels good to look back and see that I am staying true to what I want to do this year. I guess I am growing up a little...but not all the way yet !

Thank You Sanderson's

When we first found out we were expecting, over 5 yrs ago now, our good friends the Sanderson's brought us a goodie bag along with some beautiful Daffodils. A few weeks later, Art gave me tips on planting the bulbs so we could enjoy them year after year. I followed his directions and we placed them in our front yard so we could enjoy them each day as we came home. The first 2 years we didn't have any blooms, but for the past 3 years we have enjoyed these breath taking yellow daffodils ! Ryan was so excited to see "his" flowers, as he calls them, had bloomed this am. We went out took a few photos and a tear came to my eye as I remembered the exciting time we shared with our friends..Ny and I were expecting together.

Thank you again for a very special gift that keeps us smiling every year.

Super Bowl Party !

What a fun time we had yesterday with friends ! As part of my goals for the year to do more things with friends..we had our first annual Super Bowl Party..and it was great ! We finally feel we are able to host a "tv" event thanks to our 42" flat screen..a deal we couldn't pass up.
4 families joined together yesterday to enjoy so many yummy bites...meatballs, taquitos, chips & guac, chili bowls for half time, cheese & salami & chocolate covered pretzels sticks for a sweet ! You would have thought an army was eating here..we also had enough to drink for an army..but that's what it is all about.
The kids had a bounce house to play in out back (thank you Dukes')..the adults had their football pool (thank you Chris)..I even won at the half ! There were laughs, cheers, shouts and of course the kids were having fun too. It was a fun afternoon and I am so thankful to have been able to share it with my family and good friends !

The crazy adults !

The entertaining kids !