Plans for the New Year

As the new year comes upon us, I always like to take time to reflect on last year and then make plans for the coming year. This year has been full of great things:

1. Owen being born into our family; happy and healthy.
2. Preston giving up diapers.
3. Wes still having a job despite 30 jobs being eliminated at his company.
4. Finding a small group where we feel like we fit in and are connecting with great people in Noblesville.
5. Buying our first "family" vehicle. Okay, stop snickering.
6. A trip to Disneyworld to see my whole family all together.
7. Gabe (Lindsay's husband) becoming the newest member of our family
8. Mike and Mandy making the decision to adopt a child.
9. Being a part of the MOPS group at church where I am meeting more and more nice people.
10. Being able to enjoy having two boys without feeling completely overwhelmed, at least most of the time!!

All these and a lot more is what I am thankful for this year. Hope I didn't forget anything big.

As I look towards the coming year, I am excited because it symbolizes new beginnings. Now, if you remember from last year, I made a few New Year's Resolutions.....that I didn't keep!! Haha! But resolutions are made to be broken, right? I did get more organized, but have kind of let things slide a little bit. And keeping track of our budget fell by the wayside, but I'm back on track now! The budgeting was all about finding a way to do it that fit me...and it's taken about 6 years but I finally think that I have gotten a system that works for me.

So, this year, I'm resoluting not to make any resolutions. I am just going to be happy where God has placed me and go from there....day to day, not year to year.

Moments from Christmas

Merry Christmas from the Cooks to everyone! Hope it was blessed! Here are a few pictures from our celebrations.

The Gift that Keeps on Giving........

Wow, it's Christmas Eve and it's already been the worst Christmas ever but I'm okay with that. Our family received a gift that has just been regifted and regifted and regifted; the stomach flu. It all started this past week when Preston and I fell sick to the bug. That's why I haven't been blogging. Then after 3-4 days of thinking Wes was going to get it, he did and so did Owen. Lindsay came for a quick visit and ended up getting sick the day that she left and got sick 9 times on the plane back to CA. During this time, my parents also came to visit and had gone about 4 days and hadn't gotten it.....until now. Christmas Eve.

My poor dad fell sick right after dinner on Christmas Eve. All we could do was laugh and groan as we opened presents to the sound of him getting sick in the bathroom above. Yeah, it was bad! I sure hope that this memory isn't etched in our brains forever! Right now as I type, Dad is laying on the floor in the hallway....all I can say is poor guy! And now my mom is super super nervous that she is going to be next. If I had to guess, I would say she is right! We'll just have to wait and see.

Unfortunately, these are the events that make Christmas' and special events memorable. I truly will never forget the Christmas of 2009. Here's hoping that 2010 brings a better Christmas!! And hey, I guess there's no way Christmas could be any worse than Christmas Eve was, so here's to a better Christmas!! Hope everyone else had a wonderful Christmas and were able to enjoy time with family. Happy New Year!!

Nuttin Happenin Here....

Hey guys.....sorry the blogging has been lacking. It's not for lack of trying, it's just that nothing noteworthy is happening! We had our first snow of the year this week and the wind has been wicked! I try to stay inside as much as possible as I'm kind of a cold avoider! The roads have been okay though so that's a blessing!

We recently had an addition to our family....a new TV. Don't ask me what it is with guys and TV's because I don't understand the connection! I thought our TV was great, but Wes wanted a bigger one so he purchased one with his own money. (That was my only stipulation.) He works so hard selling laptops that I guess he deserves to be able to do whatever he wants with that money. Right now Preston is watching Chip and Dale: Rescue Rangers on the new tv. One of Wes' co-workers let us borrow it on DVD. It brings back a bunch of memories of watching it after school! It's as good as I remember! Watching Chip and Dale fight over Gadget is just classic!

The boys are doing great. Preston is enjoying the Christmas season! We decorated cookies with Mike and Mandy last night and colored Christmas pictures. It was really fun. Mimi also bought the Little People Nativity for Preston this year which he LOVES! I don't know if it's sacreligous or not but Preston has been putting Jesus on the roof of the Nativity barn and taking Mary and Joseph and the Wisemen for trips in his Tonka truck. At least it is generating some questions from him about what Christmas is really about. So cute!

Owen's not doing much. He still hasn't crawled or even really tried to crawl! I don't wish for his mobility but I do want to know I won't have to deliver toys to him the rest of my life. He really truly is just a laid back guy. He has recently earned the nickname "Stalker Eyes" because no matter where I am, he always is looking at me. He turns his head practically around his whole body just so he can see me. He must really love me.....

Advent Calendar and more!

Well, things have calmed down since we have gotten back from Disney. I have been working hard to get the house back to normal while also decorating for Christmas. This weekend we will be putting ornaments and lights on the tree. Wes and I really need a pre-lit tree because we both hate putting lights on the tree. I joke that it was in my pre-nup that I will never have to put lights on a Christmas tree. Oh that and that if we stay married for 20 years, I will inherit 1 million dollars. Oh wait, I mean, I will get a candybar.......:)

Something new that we have been doing is an Advent Calendar. I have never done one of these so I didn't know much about it but we learned about them in my MOPS group at church. I really liked the concept of them. The purpose is to countdown the time before Christ came and readying your heart for that. Preston is still pretty young to do it, so I have modified it a bit. Each day, I put a coin in there and a fun Christmas activity that we can do together. Examples are watching a Christmas movie, put ornaments on the tree, decorate cookies, donate a toy to someone who is in need. learning a Christmas song together...etc.

There is a lot of room for creativity while doing this. The first activity we did was to decorate a "bank" for the money that he will be getting each day. He knows that on Christmas Eve, we will be giving this money to Jesus as an offering. It's been neat to see his excitement regarding this. One tip is to not throw away the days activity paper but put it back in the calendar so that next year you don't have to redo the whole calendar! Enjoy!

The Florida Trip

Wow! That was the quickest week of my life yet it seemed to last a long time while I was there! We had a wonderful time in Florida last week. We were able to go to the parks for 5 days on our passes that Sara and Chuck got us deeply discounted. Mandy was a great planner for our days at the park. She came up with a plan for the adults and a plan for the kids for each day that we were at the park. We didn't always stick to the plan but most of the time we managed to stay ahead of the crowds. I think the longest we waited for any ride was 70 minutes and that was just Wes and I, no kids. Can you imagine waiting 70 minutes with kids?? They would be throwing themselves on the tracks of Space Mountain after 20!
Owen did great considering his condition. He decided that it would be smart to get his first 2 teeth while we were down there. How's that for planning!? I think it's more like plotting...how can I drive my mom crazy? Anyway, by the end of the week all of the family knew that when he started screaming non-stop, that meant he wanted solid food. None of his bottle, cuddling, pacifier, nap....just food! But I thought it was cute how my whole family caught on pretty quick to that fact. But he really did great. Once we got him some Orajel, he was good to go.
Preston had the time of his life. I have never seen him so fired up and excited about everything! He got to see all of his favorite characters like Mickey and Minnie and Donald, and he also go to see his favorites from Playhouse Disney. On the way home, he kept saying, "Where are we going next?" and we kept saying home and he would start crying and say noooo I don't want to go home! I think he would live at Disney if we let him.
Tips if your family ever wants to go to Disney:
1. I had always heard to not even bother taking small children to Disney because they won't remember it, enjoy it, etc. I have found this to be completely false! I loved seeing the excitement and wonder on Preston's face each day that he was there. He just couldn't wait to see what was coming next. I just don't think that I would have seen that same reaction from him had we waited until he was say 10 years old. And they have so many great kid areas that we got to enjoy.
2. If you are going with kids, consider bringing someone along who can relieve you. We were so blessed because Mike and Mandy took Preston twice so that Wes and I could ride the fun rides and then one day my parents took Preston to Sea World and Mandy babysat Owen so we could be kid free! Talk about a blessing. It was definitely fun to be able to go without kids. It brought back memories of our honeymoon since we went to Disney for our honeymoon.
3. Bring your own lunch. Disney has generous rules about letting you bring softsided coolers into the park so everyday but one we brought our own lunch and saved over $100 by the end! Now, I'm not going to lie. The food there smelled so good that it was hard to eat my sandwich while I watched people go by with their hot yummy food. But now I feel great because we didn't even spend all of the money that we had budgeted for food for the trip!
4. Go to the Target or Walmart near by and buy all of your Disney souveniers. Target had a huge area that had tons of stuff that you could buy for VERY reasonable prices. We got the kids some Mickey pajamas and then Preston a Goofy shirt. And they were all under $10 a piece, unlike if we would have bought them at the park.
5. Don't try and push your kids too much. You end up with a meltdown that you won't enjoy! The one day that we pushed Preston a little bit too hard, he ended up claiming his legs wouldn't work and that he needed to be held all day. Not fun....especially when you have a baby to lug around as well. Take time to give your kids the naps that they need. My motto was that we should take things slow because even if we missed some rides, Preston will never know the difference!! So, that's that! I hope to post some pictures here pretty soon so you can see. We didn't bring our camera into the park because we were just too loaded down with stuff, but I will try and get some pictures off of our video camera.

PICTURES POSTED:

Florida....we're here!

Just wanted to let everyone know that we will be in Florida for the next week so you won't be seeing a lot of posts from me. We are going to be taking the kids to Disney and just hanging around the condo. The condos are so nice and big! Wes and I have our own "wing." My whole family is here and Sara and Chuck were generous enough to offer up their condos for all of us to stay in. Tommorow we are heading to Animal Kingdom. I'm really excited because Preston loves his animals!

By the way, the drive was great. Our plan was to leave our house at 4am and get to Valdosta GA and spend the night and then drive the rest of the way the next morning. We ended up leaving our house at 4:30am and the drive was so smooth that we ended up getting to Florida at 10pm the same night so we didn't have to get a hotel room. The boys did great, considering the long distance. It makes a huge difference to have two parents driving instead of just one, like when I went to Memphis on my own. We primed Preston on the ride down by having him watch Chip and Dale, three times through! I have never seen him laugh so hard. We have video of it so maybe I can put it up here at some point.

Hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving. I will post pictures.

Love to all except Lindsay who just made fun of me for writing that! :)

Halloween Pictures

I didn't realize it but I had forgotten to post pictures of the kids on Halloween. We had a great couple of days. We went up to help Brian and Rachel in MI with a move into their first house. It was an exciting time for them! We then did some trick or treating and we were able to go to the house that I grew up in for my first 15 years! It was really great because I told the lady who lived there that I used to live there and so she gave me a tour. It had been completely updated and was very nice! I wanted to move back in but they said no.

My childhood home

Here is a shot of "Brody and Odie" the dynamic duo!

At Rachel and Brian's new house

This was the first time that we made an outfit for Preston and we were pretty happy with how it turned out. Preston thought it was awesome how all of his "arms" moved when he moved. He did go drama queen the night before Halloween and say he wanted to be a bat and not a spider. Tough luck Spidey!

Here's another picture of the babies with their friend Anika. She's a cute little chicken.

And finally here is a picture of Preston with Aunt Mandy and Uncle Mike aka a scary tree from Wizard of Oz. Don't ask me his name because I don't like the Wizard of Oz. It creeps me out for some reason!

Ahhhh....to be grateful.

Okay I'm going to get real honest here so if you're uncomfortable with honesty, come back tommorow and I will post a video of Preston and Owen sword fighting or something like that!! Here's my issue: Why is it so hard to be grateful for what we have? I wish I could get on here and say "Yes, God has blessed us with so much and we couldn't be happier and we don't want anything else." While that is true, I have realized I am a covetous person! Haha, that sounds more scandalous than it should! Anyway, I am frequently overcome with jealous feelings.

My #1 jealous feeling is about other people's houses. I don't know why, but me and this house just haven't clicked the way other's have before. I think it is because I have felt like people judge me by the house I live in. Has anyone ever said "Wow, Stacy, your house is terrible, you should get outta here quick!" Nope! But I project my feelings onto others. I feel like the houses are too close together. I feel like the neighborhood has too many people. I feel like if I lived somewhere else, it would be better. So, that's what I assume everyone else is thinking. But in reality, it's not the truth.

My friend called me out on this recently and said she doesn't know what my big deal is about this house (ok, she said it nicer than that but you get the gist). It took her proverbial shaking of my shoulders to get me to realize, my house can be great because I think it's great! And really, the only thing that matters is that Wes and I and the kids like this house. No one else matters. So, my quest begins. To make this house my home. A place where I can come home and be proud. A place that I can be grateful for.

How will I do this, you ask? Well, first I want to put in an in ground pool, jacuzzi, a tennis court and sauna...........ok, really it all begins with me. I am going do what my wonderful mother used to say, "Stacy you need to get an attitude adjustment." Oh how I hated those words, but they are true.

Off to get grateful.....and to stop Preston from going all American Idol while he is supposed to be sleeping. Love to all.

It's Papaw's Birthday today! 11/10/2009

Happy Birthday Papaw! [Grandpa Cook for those of you who aren't sure which grandpa this is for. :) ]

Which version do we like best???

Best and Worst Version of Dad/Jim?

Please submit your votes in the comment area for the best and worst.

1- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 2- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -3

The Dancing Duo!

Halloween Hangover

Because I've had this happen to me, I'm sure it's happened to you as well. The Halloween Hangover. All that candy just staring at you....tempting you.....calling to you.....eat me.....eat me.

Well, I have always figured, if you can't beat them, join them. That's why I have created a special set of recipes for you: The Halloween Hangover Recipes. Instead of letting your kids get a candy coma, why don't you harness some of that candy into fun recipes that you can serve during the holidays? And all these recipes are fat free........

Snickers Bars: They seem to multiply everytime I turn my back.

Snickers Fudge:

Ingredients
6 (2.07 ounce) bars Snickers ® candy
3 cups sugar
3/4 cup butter (no substitutes)
2/3 cup evaporated milk
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
1 (7 ounce) jar marshmallow creme
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions
Line a 9-in. square pan with foil. Butter the foil and set pan aside. Cut candy bars into 1/2-in. slices; set aside.
In a heavy saucepan, bring sugar, butter and milk to a boil over medium heat. Cook and stir until a candy thermometer reads 234 degrees F (soft-ball stage), about 3 minutes. Remove from the heat. Stir in chocolate chips, marshmallow creme and vanilla until smooth. Pour half into prepared pan. Sprinkle with candy bar slices. Top with remaining chocolate mixture and spread evenly. Let stand at room temperature to cool. Lift out of pan and remove foil. Cut into squares.

Recipe courtesy of allrecipes.com

M&M's: I love these little guys, but I love them more in my favorite cookies!

M&M Cookies:

Ingredients:

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, fluffed to aerate before measuring
1 teaspoon table salt
1 1/8 teaspoons baking soda
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter at room temperature
1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar, golden or dark
1 generous teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs
M&M's, 6 per cookie
Preheat oven to 375.

In a small bowl, stir together flour, salt and baking soda. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugars with an electric mixer until creamy.

Add vanilla, then one at a time, the eggs, mixing well after each. Mix in flour mixture until fully combined.

Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray. Form balls a tad smaller than a golf ball and arrange well apart (at least 2 inches) on a baking sheet. Place in the oven for about 9 minutes. Remove and lightly place M&M's on top. Return to oven for 3-5 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool before transferring them to a cooling rack.

Stacy's tips: The website I found this on is http://www.kitchenparade.com/ and in the comments section, a lot of people said they had problems with their cookies running into each other because they thinned out too much. Because of this, I did a test cookie first and I didn't have any problem with them running. I did put parchment paper on my baking sheets since I was doing so many batches so I don't know if that made a difference.

Also, I cooked mine about a minute less than stated. I made a half batch of this recipe so if you don't want a million cookies on your hands then this is what I would do. I think a half recipe made 18 big cookies.

Reese's Peanut Butter Cups: I am pretty sure these are going to be the death of me.

Peanut Butter Pie:

Ingredients
1 (9 inch) prepared graham cracker crust
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
1 (16 ounce) container frozen whipped topping, thawed
15 miniature chocolate covered peanut butter cups, unwrapped

Directions
Mix the cream cheese, confectioners' sugar and peanut butter together until smooth. Fold in 1/2 of the whipped topping. Spoon the mixture into the graham cracker crust.
Place the remaining whipped topping over the top of the peanut butter mixture and garnish with the peanut butter cups. Chill for at least 2 hours or overnight before serving.

Recipe from allrecipes.com

So tonight, while your children are fast asleep, sneak into their pumpkins and steal all of these candies. You will be glad you did!! I will do this too and after I'm done, I will curl up on the couch with a hot glass of Skittles tea.

Happy Halloween

This is how I do Pippi Longstocking. Happy Halloween!!!

Pulling a Fast One......

I'm not sure if I shared this with you, but Preston has a disorder. I call it FOCF which stands for Fear of Colored Foods syndrome. Your kids may share this disorder with our dear boy. If it is a bright color or odd texture, he dismisses it. Today we had some nachos at dinner and he wouldn't eat the "festive" red nacho because it was too bright. Poor chip didn't stand a chance. Surprisingly enough, he even distrusts fruit snacks!! I'm not kidding.

And if you're wondering, this does apply to vegetables too. He does not want about 99.99999995% of vegetables to touch his lips. (hmmm....wonder where he got that from!) But he is making progress. I have him on a rehab plan that should get him back to normal in oh about 2-3 years! He now is eating carrots, bananas, green beans, raisins, and corn without much of a fight. He will eat the rest, but after a fight. Our rule for dinner is that he has to take at least two bites before he can leave the table. The "experts" say that if you just get kids used to seeing vegetables, eventually they will want to eat them. I distrust these experts because that has not been my experience. I can happily watch Wes chomp on brocolli and really have no desire to partake.

All this is to say that I have enjoyed one of the great triumphs of motherhood. I have pulled a fast one over on Mr. Fear of Colored Foods. I have started sneaking veggies into the things he eats normally. It brings me so much satisfaction knowing that he is enjoying his normal entrees without any clue that they are packed with more nutrition! Now, we will continue the good fight to have him eat raw or cooked veggies by themselves but as we do that, it's nice to be able to know he is not missing a lot of nutrition. Today he enjoyed mac and cheese with butternut squash added to it and he was none the wiser!!

I'm wondering if his beautiful, talented, oh-so-wise mother needs to be put on a FOCF rehab plan............NAAAAAAAA.

More Pumpkin Patch 2009

As you look at these pictures, notice there is not one picture of a pumpkin! Oops. I think we were afraid if we took a picture of one, the $25 dollar pumpkin would follow us home!

A walk down memory lane

I thought it would be fun to take a picture tour down memory lane. Won't you come with me? (Cue: Follow the Yellow Brick Road song)

Fall 2007- Preston is a year old. Don't we look happy?

Fall 2008- Preston is 2 years old. Doesn't he look sad?

Fall 2009- We forgot to even take the family photo, but don't they look happy?

Preston and Kaleb Fall 2007: Macho Best Buds

Conversation: "Man Preston, your mom takes a lot of pictures!!"

Preston and Kaleb Fall 2008: Best Buds who look out for each other

Conversation: "Preston, remember that annoying lady who loves to take pictures? She's back!! Quick, run for it!!!"

Preston and Kaleb Fall 2009: Best buds who cheese it up together stay together.

Conversation: "Well, we may as well give in...the crazy camera lady is back. Do your best to put on a smile."

It was a matter of time.....

Today was supposed to be a big day for us! Wes and I volunteered to help work on the Extreme Makeover Home Edition house for Indiana. Preston and Owen were going to go hang out at their cousin's house and then go to a Halloween party. How fun! About an hour before we were getting ready to leave, we got Owen up from his nap and his cheeks were flushed. Oh boy I thought. And I was right, he had a fever of 102. I knew it was a matter of time before the sickness that had been floating around would reach our family. He is still doing pretty well, so I'm hopeful that he won't get too sick.

So, my plans went out the window. Wes and I picked names from a hat to see who would get to go to Extreme Makeover and he won, which was probably the best thing. I told him to take pictures so that you guys can see what it's all about. And me? I went to the library and checked out some DVD's so I'm planning on lounging around the house all day with the boys. I guess having a sick child isn't soooo bad. I may change my mind if he starts throwing up though. :)

My Little Gunslingers

Okay can I just say that this picture just brings a smile to my face!! Seeing my boys as rogue cowboys was enough to warm this mother's heart. And you can't see it very well but they are both holding guns. Every mother's dream. Giving Preston the gun was the only way that we could get him to put on the chaps....hehe.

We went down to Brown County with Wes' parents today and they have this cute photo place where you can get old time photos taken for not too much money. Ragena had one taken earlier of just Preston when he was little in a bathtub that was so cute, but now that Owen is around, it was time for a new photo. This place was so cool because they have sizes for anyone! I never would have thought they would have baby sizes and boots that fit Owen!! Take a look at his boots!! They are so cute. I wished I could take them home and make him wear them everyday.

If you have little ones, now is the time to embarass your children mercilessly and take these pictures because I fear you will not get them to cooperate with you when they are teenagers! Or they very well may shoot you with their toy guns!!

How we saved $2000

Hey everybody....things around here have been very quiet, at best. A lot of our friends are fighting the good fight against the flu so that has kept us home, not really playing with anyone. Talk about boring!! But I can say I'm very thankful the flu hasn't hit us....yet! With all this time at home, I have had a lot of time to evaluate things in our lives.

Whenever I read articles about how to save your family money, I get done reading them and then I think, well that's great for you but for some reason I feel like it wouldn't work for me! Boy was I wrong. By the end of the year, we will have changed things to the point where we have cut back our expenses $2000 a year!!

First came our home mortgage. If you have a home and a higher interest rate, this might be the perfect time to refinance! We had an interest rate of 6.25% and we were able to refinance to 5%and get our home mortgage reduced by $100 a month! The key to this is to find a mortgage company that has lower closing costs or else it will take you a long time to recoup those costs. We went with Union Savings Bank in Castleton where the closing costs are only $250!! I know, it sounds way too good to be true but both Mike and Mandy and us refinanced and couldn't be happier with the service we received.

Second, Mike and Mandy mentioned that they changed insurance companies and were able to save a significant amount of money. So, I went onto Dave Ramsey.com and looked up his "endorsed local provider" for insurance and got a quote and was shocked! We could save $200 on our home insurance and $300 on our car insurance and still keep the same amount of coverage!! Those are the savings that I love....you can't even tell a difference!

Two smaller but still significant changes we made that will save us is we dropped our Vonage phone service that we were paying about $20 per month and switched to Magic Jack. It's the same concept as Vonage but without the monthly fees. It does cost an inital $40 to buy it but that's it for the year. We opted to pay for 5 years of service...not sure how much it was, but I think Wes can comment on that and let us know! We also called Comcast regarding our internet service which we were paying $35 a month for and told them we were cancelling. They informed us that they do have a slower cable service that they only charge $25 per month for. So as of right now, we are on the slower internet and can't really tell a difference.

All of this saving made me so excited!! I just wanted to share this so that next time you read one of those "How to Save your Family Money" articles, you will remember me and think, yes it can be done!!

Built in friends

(An impromptu play session Wes caught that inspired this post.)

Today I am feeling thankful for my family. I have always loved having a brother and two sisters but now that I have my own kids, I'm seeing families in a whole new light. Families are a great way to connect with people and to never be alone! If your family is close, it's like having a bunch of best friends. And one of the things about your family is that they know EVERYTHING about you....and they still love you. They kinda have to. Well, at least this is my experience, but I know it's not the same with all families.

People are surprised when they hear that the Laning family is spread out all over the United States. How do you guys stay close they ask?? I think because at least for me, I feel close to them, even if I'm not with them. We try to stay in touch by phone and plan visits. And when I do see them, it's like old times. No awkwardness...just good feelings. So, Dad, Mom, Mike, Sara, and Lindsay.....I love you guys and I am thankful that you have always loved me no matter what! I can only pray that my kids feel the same way about each other that I feel about you guys!

That's my hope for my boys. That even though they aren't girls, they will have a close relationship because everyone needs to feel loved no matter what. And if Preston and Owen start disliking each other in the teenage years, I already have a plan. Send them to Joe and Melissa's rope course and make them do survival training together! It's like being in the army, right?

The Mommy Rat Race.....

I am so glad that we have another baby. Getting to do things the second time around is so much easier than the first time. I feel like I am a more sane, down to earth mother this time. The first time around it is so easy to get caught up in the race. You moms know what I'm talking about.....the mommy rat race.

With your first kid, you are constantly comparing your babies to other people who have babies your childs age. I remember the fears I had at the time...."Will Preston always be small? Why doesn't he have any teeth yet? Should he use a sippy cup or drink from a real cup?" All of these thoughts run through your head so you use your friend's kids for your answers...which isn't always the smartest thing. Kids do things so different that you're always going to be running around in circles wondering why my kid isn't doing this or that.

Now that we have Owen, I have learned a lot of these lessons with Preston so I am much more laid back when it comes to milestones. Remember Owen's two best friends? They are running circles around him practically but this time I can honestly say I have peace. He will do what he needs to do, when he needs to do it! I don't need to worry. Have you ever met an older child who can't sit up or who doesn't have any teeth? Nope! Life has a way of working itself out.

The new thing I am hearing though is that the pressure that you felt when your child was a newborn comes back when they enter school for the first time. I have heard from two of my friends who have children in school and they report that the mommy rat race is alive and well!! One of my friends has a daughter who is in kindergarten and a lot of the children in those classes can already read!! Another friend says they are offerring Spanish in preschool. What's a girl to do?? I can't say I know the answers for sure, but I'm going to try and keep in mind what I said earlier, life has a way of working itself out. That is, if we let it.

So, I can't say I'm going to be perfect on this, but I'm going to try my hardest to not try and run the mommy rat race and to just let my kids be kids. And let them do things when they need to do them. I may need Wes to come along side me at times and say "Stacy, calm it down!" when I get overanxious. But don't we all need that at times?

There's lots to do in Memphis!!

Okay folks, hold on to your hats because we were very very busy when we went to Memphis last week. Preston had a lot of jobs! Here's the proof:

Preston-the-Builder

Preston the Dentist

Preston-the-Cop (I knew there was something sinister about Mimi)

Preston trying out for the TV show Chips

Preston the Quarterback

Preston pretending he's Uncle Chuck

That's enough to wear out anyone........

A few funny happenings......

Just cuz I love everyone that reads this blog, I'm going to give you some funny things to laugh at......most of these jokes are at the expense of my doctor.......sorry man, I really do like you, but some of this advice is pretty wacky to me.

1. I was asking the Dr. how I could deal with certain discipline issues with Preston and he told me I should use time-outs. He said that originally they thought the best thing to do would be to put the child in time-out for the number of minutes that he is old (ex. Preston is 3 so he would go to time-out for 3 minutes). Now the new thing is that you can put them in time out for as little as 20 seconds!! I'm glad there wasn't a camera on my face because I'm sure I looked like a deer in the headlights. So, you're telling me Preston takes all of the toilet paper off the roll and he will start feeling remorse because he has to sit in time out for 20 seconds......I mean, I know that is 20 seconds of his life he won't be able to get back, but I don't think he really minds!! So, I decided I will stick with what I'm doing...locking him in the basement for 2 days. Oh wait, we don't have a basement. Time for a new idea.

2. The Dr. also asked me if Preston was in daycare? Nope. Preschool? Nope Mother's Day out? Nope. He looked at me like, how could you stifle this young mans social life?? I think Preston will survive the fact that he only gets to play with friends 1-2 times a week!! In a few short years, he will be gone all day, so I'm holding on to him as long as I can!!

3. The last funny comes from the patient himself....Preston. Mimi called this morning and I asked if Preston wanted to talk to her. He said yeah, so I gave him the phone and started watching him talk to her. He looked at me and said "Mom, don't watch me!" and he walked out of the room and stood around the corner. I then heard him say to Mimi, "Sorry, I had to tell mommy not to watch me!" Isn't this supposed to be something he says when he's a teenager, not a 3 year old??

A special day in August

This past August, our family celebrated two special days. The first was my birthday (haha) and the second more important day that we celebrated was Gabe and Lindsay's wedding. It was a wonderful time for friends and family to come together. Lindsay amazed me with her ability to plan the wedding from afar. She was like JLo in "The Wedding Planner" or something!

Anyway, I digress. The real reason for this post is to share with you a link to Lindsay's wedding pictures. Her photographers were so great and unique. As you will see in the pictures, the wedding was just gorgeous. I was so happy for Lindsay that she has these beautiful memories of one of the most beautiful weddings I have ever been to. Much love, Linds and Gabe!!

http://sbchildsphotographyblog.com/

Scroll down and you will see the pictures on their blog.

Road Trip Stats

Well, we made it to Memphis. Here's the details:

493--number of miles driven today

9-- number of hours it took to get here.

7.5--number of hours it should have taken without kids!

35--number of times I heard "Mommy, I'm thirsty...."

4--number of movies I made Preston watch to keep him occupied.

6--number of sippy cups or bottles I had to refill.

3--number of diapers I had to change in the car.

0--number of changing tables that Wendy's had in their bathrooms

2--number of single car accidents I saw. People must not have been paying attention!

1--number of times I told myself this was a bad idea!!

1--number of times I told myself, aaahhh we're doing okay!

5--number of chocolate chip cookies I ate on the way down....I made myself skip dessert after dinner because of this one. And yes, I do have dessert after every meal!

8--number of seconds that Preston was interested in a new book I gave him before he got frustrated because I couldn't read it to him.

30 minutes--the number of minutes it took after our lunch break for Preston to say he had to go potty again.

And there you have it!! All the details you didn't want to know about my trip down here!! Now that I'm here, I'm hoping for a nice relaxing week! But I'm afraid the kids might interfere with that one!

He's a hard-workin' man......

Poor Wes is going to have an interesting next two months. This coming week he is heading out on his first business trip to Richardson Texas. He should be gone from Sunday to Friday. I'm going to go visit my mom during that time because being home with two kids by myself isn't my idea of a great time! Then sometime in Oct or Nov, Wes will be leaving for a THREE week business trip to Arizona. I hope for his sake that he doesn't get too bored! During that time, I'm not really sure what I'm going to do. I may go back down to Memphis for 1 or 2 weeks but I would also like to go up to MI and visit Nana and Grammee and Grampee and our friends Brian and Rachel. The one good thing about Wes not being home is the freedom I have to travel. I love a good trip outta town. For some reason, I like a change of scenery once in a while! So, if you want me to come and visit you....just let me know and I'll be there!! :)

Apology to my favorite bowling ball.....

Dear Owen,
Mommy is very very sorry. She should have waited to go to the doctor before she told everyone you were 20 pounds. As it turns out, you are only 18.65 pounds. Mommy's scale is wrong....I am sorry for the pain this has caused you. You will always be my favorite bowling ball whether you weigh 18 pounds, 20 pounds or 400 pounds (okay, please don't do that to mommy...) The good part of all this my dear Owen is that now mommy is 2 pounds less than she was before.......cake anyone????

Love Mommy

My Bowling Ball

Well, it was bound to happen...Owen has hit the big 2-0! 20 pounds!! I know for some people this isn't a big deal, but I just looked back and Preston wasn't 20 pounds until age 1!! I love how God really allows everyone to be so individual! No two kids are alike! Anyway, it's weird to think I'm carrying around a little person who is about the size of two bowling balls.

In case you were wondering, yes my muscles are now huge! I showed Wes my muscles the other day and he was actually impressed! The down side to that was during our garage sale and playroom redo, Wes thought I was all of the sudden Hulk Hogan and I should be able to bench press all of our furniture! He kept saying "Can't you raise the furniture higher....?" I'm thinking, sure slick, if you want my arms to snap in half!! So, in actuality, I'm not really that strong. Just stronger than I was.

Here's a video I thought everyone would enjoy of Owen eating. You can hear me asking in the video if anyone else's kid does what he does in this video......let me know if your kids did this too! My mom's convinced he's going to be a thumb-sucker! I really don't want that to happen though. Let me know what you think!

Playroom Redo

You know how we love to redo things around here! I told you that we were working hard on the loft, making it into a bedroom/playroom. Well, we are almost finished with it!! And it looks great. The pictures don't do it justice so you'll just have to come over and see it. The painting was what took the longest and I told you that Wes worked really hard over Labor day weekend to do it. What a catch that Wes is!! I did the art of the kids....it was really easy...just canvas that I spray painted orange and then put blown up pictures of the boys on there.

We have a little cubby thing that we will be putting together so that the kids have a nice place to store their toys! So, there you have it!

If God's tuggin, don't ignore it!!

We decided that when the kids were older, things were going to get kinda tight in the house so we thought now would be a good time to look for some bunkbeds. As you can see, sharing a twin doesn't make Owen too happy...hehe. Nevermind, that's just his camera face. Anyway, so we have been on the lookout for bunkbeds for about 2 months now. I have been faithfully checking craigslist everytime I can to see if there is a good deal to be had. Well, Friday morning, I woke up in a real bad mood. Preston decided to get up early and I was wanting to sleep in! For some reason, I had a feeling I should check craigslist even though I could hardly open my eyes. And there they were! Just the bunkbeds we had been looking for and at a price we could definitely afford!! $125 bucks!! So, Wes, being the craigslist master, wrote the lady and told her in bold letters WE WILL TAKE IT!!

So, that afternoon wonderful Mandy watched the kids while Wes and I took a little road trip down to Moorseville. It's actually a cute little place about an hour south of Wes' work. When we got there, we knew that these bunk beds were exactly what we were looking for....but in Wes' style, he asked the lady if she would take $80 since there was only the full size mattress that came with the bed. She said, "how about $75!!" SOLD!! We also found out that our email was the first of 30 that she received within hours of posting them.

So, moral of the story is, good things come to those who get up early.......no wait, I don't like that moral. How about if you feel like God is tugging at you for some reason, act on what He is telling you.....ahhhh yes I like that one better! Here's the beds and I can't wait for the day when both my boys will be in there having the time of their lives. Lindsay and I have some great memories from our bunk beds from back in the day......like pretending whoever fell of the bed would get eaten by sharks. Kids kids!!!

Wow, we look happy!

Wes' first comment when he saw this picture was "Wow, we look happy." Guess that means we're really not....but at least we look like it!! Just kidding. He said "We look happy because we are!" I couldn't agree more. Parenthood and marriage has really agreed with both of us. God has really blessed us with wonderful children and He has blessed us with a great understanding and love for each other.

While I'm on a mushy topic, I thought I would make a shout out to my wonderful husband who has painted the whole playroom single-handedly this weekend. I love you for always taking my lofty ideas and making them reality. West is the best!! (Had to get it to rhyme you know....)