Christmas goodies, Christmas Eve, and Christmas dinner...oh my!

Christmas seems to come and go SO fast anymore-I feel like we never get to sit back and take it all in...and this year was the worst yet! On Christmas Eve-Eve Rob and I were up till 4am working on the kiddos presents from "Santa", Christmas Eve till about midnight...what happened to loading up a cart at target and them being thrilled with all of those toys? We also had to make our annual Christmas goodies for friends and neighbors, and get the house ready for all of Rob's family to come on Christmas day.

Neely making pretzel truffles

The kitchen was a disaster but we had so much fun!

Santa visited our house on Christmas Eve morning, because the kids were so good, right?! ha- no- so we could have the house in perfect order on Christmas. ( I'm a little OCD ) Santa brought Rob an XBOX 360 with Kinect--it was set up and ready to go...ignore the wires and the box holding up the Kinect-it was late and work is still left to be done.

Santa brought Neely a stage...yes a stage! Rob built a stage/bed for her during the past week. It turned out better than I could have imagined!

It looks like a daybed when the stage is up....

And easily converts to a stage when she wants to sing and dance. She was soooo excited!


Christmas day was full of cooking, cooking, and more cooking....it was so much fun having everyone over but so much work at the same time. The kids love hanging out with their cousins, although I think they have out grown the "kiddie"table....

All in all it was a great Christmas...but somehow we didn't get a single family photo! I guess we were all too busy playing, visiting, and eating to even remember. Hope all of you enjoyed your Christmas!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!!

Happy 8th Birthday Robo!

8 years ago today I was fat (HUGE), uncomfortable, cranky, nervous, excited....Rob was finally born at 9:47 pm and I didn't even see him until the next morning. He was beautiful, perfect, sweet, all I had hoped for, and all that I never even knew I wanted. I can't believe it has been EIGHT years!!! He is sweet, caring, funny, laid back....hard-working, honest, smart....I could go on and on.

I always get nostalgic on the kids birthdays. I remember what Rob and I did the day before, that morning, the next few weeks having a new baby in the house. It's not only a birthday but a day that we celebrate our "family'". Our family that changed and grew with each one of their births. We wouldn't be the same people without each of those little munchkins and I love them dearly! It's funny how what you wish for your kids before their born changes as they get older. And how that list of wishes grows and grows. I miss that sweet, fat, bald baby sometimes...but my athletic, health nut, smart kid works too : )

Happy Birthday "Wobbo" We Love You!!!!

It's been a busy month!!!!

Thanksgiving and Christmas happen all at once in Oklahoma every year....this year was more shopping than resting and visiting but Lindy (my sis-in-law) and I had a lot of fun!

This is Neely's "cool" pose. Every time I pull out the camera she pulls out the peace signs!

Look at those baby Uggs!! I hate that every time I see her she has changed sooo much! She was so funny on this visit...I could just eat her up! And Neely thinks Makenzie hung the moon--she cries every time we leave Oklahoma.

Then came Rob's birthday...I can't believe we are celebrating his 8th birthday!....

Great friends hanging out! I love these little guys! Last year when we did his first sleepover it was chaos!...I had no idea that kids could jump from a top bunk and try to catch a ceiling fan, or eat a bag of popcorn, an entire box of cookies, and 2 pitchers of koolaide in 20 minutes...but they did! This year was completely different- they played outside, played DS/Wii and we took them bowling. They are a great bunch of boys!!!!

Blowing out those 8 candles!!!!!

I always have a hard time in December enjoying the season. Usually I am so stressed out trying to go shopping, decorate, send out Christmas cards, get ready for holiday parties....as soon as Christmas is over I feel exhausted and like I didn't enjoy the busy month. So I have been shopping early, prioritizing my countless lists, and this is the next priority....

Christmas Cards!!!!

Two years ago I made a coffee table book with captions and small stories about the year that our family had. Rob had started kinder, we had built a house, taken the kids on a few big vacations...and we wanted to share that with all of our family. Our family loved the books and the kids still look at them all of the time! Shutterfly made it super easy!!! (Find these books at http://www.shutterfly.com/photo-books) So this year, when trying to pick out a Christmas card- They were my go-to site. They have so many great ones to choose from that I have had a hard time choosing. Here are some of my favorites...

You can find these cards and many more at www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationary.
Maybe this year I will get everything done and still have fun while doing it?! Soon to come- Awards pics from Rob's Championship football team!!!!

SUPER BOWL CHAMPIONS!!!!!

(favorite picture of the two of them-ever!!!!!)

Football ended on Saturday with a bang!!!! We made it through the playoffs and had the super bowl (championship) game on Saturday. Our team has a fantastic group of parents. And the majority of moms are all great friends so we probably got a little too excited and thought this would be the perfect time to put our creative minds to full power! We had rally rags and flags (thanks to Sherri), jingle-bell noise makers, signs, T-shirts....and a pep rally!!!! After a week of planning and stressing we had a pep rally in the elementary school gym for our boys. The cheerleaders for the league attended as did the high school and JV cheerleaders, the dance team, the Mascot, and a high school senior player even gave a pep talk. It was perfect!...now don't get me wrong- it was no high school pep rally but for a bunch of moms who haven't done anything like this in quite awhile-it was fantastic! We even had a slide show with "the Boys of Fall" song to end the rally with pictures from the entire season! (thanks nikki-it was amazing) I think most of us arrived at the field on Saturday with knots in our stomach and were holding back tears of joy as we watched our little guys take the field. The game was exciting, stressful, and most of all-a perfect example of TEAM work. It took every last one of those players and coaches to win that game!!! The boys came off the field so excited to have won...35-13!!!! I looked at Robo and he wasn't smiling-he was just watching everyone around him...I asked if he was ok and he said, "yeah-I just can't believe it's over". All of the build-up, practice, and hard work was done-and he didn't know what was next. Soon he was over the sadness and celebration began. I think we took about a million pictures. Big Rob couldn't even give a speech to the boys because he was crying...I know-your thinking really? they are only 7 and 8 years old...but it was perfect, it was amazing, it was a memory I will NEVER forget!!! The boys on that team have made great friends and I hope they continue to play "as a team" for the many years to come!!!!

Goofy kids-I think they were pretty tired of pictures at this point! : )

Dr Jekyll and MRS. Hyde

I remember being sooo excited about having a baby girl...a princess...a shopping buddy....a cheerleader....however, lately I have had a rebellious, out of control, UFC fighter. That's right- UFC fighter! She has always been an independent, strong-willed, quick-witted little princess (diva is more like it) but on Tuesday she turned into MRS.HYDE.
I got to school to pick her up from the after-school program and the teacher said, "She has been in quite a bit of trouble today. Could you please sign this paper because if she continues she will no longer be allowed to participate in this program." Holy crap!!! I instantly felt my face get red and my mind was racing with all of the thoughts of what could have happened. I turned to Neely and asked what she did...she simply said, "I punched a girl in the face. She only bled for a minute." OMG!!!! I froze- What do you say? What do you do? My first reaction- what child and is she ok? 2nd reaction-How do I handle this? What is a reasonable punishment for Neely? I apologized to the teacher, walked Neely to the car, and counted to 10 about 20 times!!! We went straight to football practice from there so I didn't even get to talk to Rob until dinner about 7 pm that night. We made Neely recount the story in her words... basically the girl told Neely that she had make-up in her backpack, Neely asked to use some, the girl said she was just joking, Neely said don't lie to me and punched her in the face. Where is the nearest boarding school and what did I fail to do as a parent for her to think this is reasonable?! After a longgggg talk, many privileges revoked, and no TV she is starting to come around. The princess, fun-loving, baby girl has turned into a "mean girl". My worst nightmare!!! I want her to be a good person, good friend, one who will stand up for her friends, and do things right. Not the girl who everyone avoids making eye contact with and who thinks they can get what they want by pushing everyone else around. We have spent a lot of time together this last week talking about what being a "big girl" means, responsibilities, and expectations. I hope and pray that this is a one time occurrence because if not- we are seriously forking out some dough for boarding school!

HALLOWEEN!!!!!

A ninja (again) and a mermaid....so I'm not a very creative mom this year!?

We had the annual Buffalo Gap Elementary Fall Festival on the 23rd. The kids had a blast! Trick-or-treating this year was in Lawn with a bunch of kiddos and friends. We rode on a trailer all over Lawn! It was great-the kids bailed off at each house while we got to sit on the hay and enjoy the great weather!!! Thanks to the Cadjews for having us over! We can't wait until next year!!!!

The boys are ready for some candy!

The hay-ride! Just about impossible to get them all looking at the same camera!!!

WORLD SERIES!!!!!

Last Friday, October 22, Rob surprised me with World Series game 3 tickets for my birthday!!!! Could I have asked for anything better?!!!! It was an amazing experience to say the least!! After a longgggg week- we needed some chill time with each other.

Our week began on Monday with a small accident involving a cow and my Sequoia...yes...a cow! And no-I wasn't driving-Rob was! Between arguing with insurances, trying to get a rental, taking mine to the shop, having sick kiddos, etc. It was a terrible week! We just kept telling ourselves- we can make it to Saturday, we can make it to Saturday!!!! The Sequoia is now in the shop, I have a rental (that feels like a micro machine) and the cow owners insurance is paying. So all is well on this Monday!!!

Back to the World Series.....I thought that the ALCS game we went to had an amazing vibe but this game had an indescribable feeling!!! There were people EVERYWHERE! There were more people at this game then ever before at Rangers stadium....54,000+ Rob and I had a blast! We stayed with some old friends that night and were up way too late catching up and telling old stories-laughing till we had tears rolling. It was a great weekend all around...one that we totally needed! Thank you Rob- best birthday present EVER!!!!

ALCS Game 2 at Rangers Stadium

GOOOOO RANGERS!!!!!! Last weekend was fantastic!!! Sherri (mother in law) and Rob planned a great weekend for us. She got ALCS tickets for my birthday and he made hotel reservations, helped pack, and organize. The game was AMAZING to say the least. Neely got her face painted before the game at Hooters....I know-Hooters, with the kids? But Robo loves their food and Big Rob never objects to going there : ) We have been to several games this season and last but never have there been sooo many people. We waited in line to shop for 45 minutes! You could barely walk around to get drinks, food, etc. because the crowd was a t a stand still. Robo thought it was the best game yet. Neely however, said she won't go back unless she gets to sit in a box with air conditioning and a waiter. I know-she is already high maintenance and we have our hands FULL with her!!!

Neely's cheering on the Rangers!!!


We sat on the 3rd base side for the first time. We had great seats right at 3rd base but the sun was brutal, but by the 5th inning the weather was perfect!!!

Charlie Kitty!!!

So about 2 weeks ago I was Leaving the house on a Saturday morning and saw something furry and black next to the house...we live in the country and you never know what it could be so I immediately freaked out. (I have cried "snake" a few times and never has there been a snake) I tried to calm down and get close to figure out what it was without screaming...it was a baby kitty! It had a large bite mark on its side and was terrified! I sat out some water and hoped it would be there later in the day. We got home that night about 9:30 pm and it was gone...thankfully I hadn't told the kids about it. Rob swore he heard some noises outside like a cat but I just thought he was crazy. The next day something crashed in the garage-we went out there to see the kitty in the garage trying to hide! We have kept it since and it is getting bigger and healthier. Neely named it Charlie ( I think for her favorite tv show Good Luck Charlie). I have never liked cats but this one is precious!!! It now plays with us and tries to sneak in the house...which will NEVER happen by the way. Lil Rob is SUPER allergic! Here is what the kitty looks like this week...by the way-Neely is in Love and wants it to sleep in her bed. I keep catching her trying to sneak it in-little toot!!!

A Barrel FULL of Emotions!!!!

My kiddos birthdays are pretty monumentous to me...I always remember what it felt like before they were born, the joy, excitement, how Rob and I's relationship has evolved...I'm usually a rambling, bumbling mess! Wait-I am again today!!! My baby girl is 6!!! I have watched her crawl, walk, talk, and learn new things every day!!!! She is such a toot and far more independent than even I am. I love her and love our life! She had been an absolute blessing and is my best little mini-me!!!! Happy Birthday Neely! We love you!!!!

Homecoming!!!!!

It's HOMECOMING!!!! This has been a crazy week...decorating floats, making signs and run-through signs, cheer practice, football practice....and Saturday is going to be a day full of football games!! This is Neely's first year to cheer and she is pretty excited. They looked so cute before school today!!!! GO INDIANS!!!!!

He's growing up...way too fast!

Lately my son has turned into a child that I do not recognize. He is growing out his hair (against our wishes-it looks like he just crawled out of bed), he argues, whines, moans, and groans at everything we say. And last night, he lost a front tooth--yup he thinks that makes him older and cooler. However, he has know idea that he looks like a hillbilly!!! Let's just hope the permanent tooth grows in before school pictures! : ) I never expected him to change so much in such a short time. Can I return this growing kid and get my baby back? He was supposed to be a mama's boy for at least a few more years, right? Ugh! Plus-him getting bigger just makes me feel older. Babies are easy- feed, change diapers, hold them, cuddle them, teach them to walk, crawl...but an actual kid...manners, respect, good character, honesty...apparently the real work has begun--dangit! Why can't they stay little? (Although- I do love watching him play football, and listening to him read his books!)

Football!!! My favorite time of year!

It's Football season! My favorite time of year!!! Rob is in his 2nd year of tackle and doing a great job! This past weekend was our first scrimmage day. We scrimmaged 4 teams, no one scored on us-Rob had 2 touchdowns and an interception! Way to go-I was a proud mama!

I will post pics of Neely cheering after her game in a couple of weeks!

It's school time....and my baby is a kindergartener

Yesterday was the first day of school...Rob is in 2nd and Neely is a kindergartener. We knew going into this year that each kid has an amazing teacher! We love love love their school!!! Rob would go to school year around if possible. Neely- not so much...she has completely refused to talk about school all summer. I was dreading Monday morning-would she get up and get ready or cry and refuse to go?...she surprised us all. She woke up early, ate breakfast, got dressed and was ready for me to fix her hair. She was ready 30 minutes early and excited!!! We got to the school, (I fought back tears) and she walked in and never looked back...it was over-she isn't a baby anymore, she is in school. (tear) When I picked her up she was sooooo happy, couldn't stop talking about her new friends, her teacher, and music class. I sat there in the car watching her, and cried again. I couldn't help it-she was such a big girl and it seems to have happened over night. Rob- Mr. Cool kid said he day was "good-nothing special, not hard at all". Here are a few pics from the first day.

We just got back from Puerta Aventuras, Mexico. It was absolutely amazing! This was the first time we had gone by ourselves...no friends, no kids...just peace and quiet. Our resort was much smaller than the ones we had previously stayed at but we didn't mind because there wasn't as much walking to do. The food was excellent and our room was perfect! We would love to buy one of the condos near the resort in Puerta Aventuras. It is a beautiful town. It rained the last 2 days off and on so we didn't get many pics...

It was a good night...

By 7 pm last night I was wiped, completely empty, no energy. I sat there and began feeling bad about being so tired...I felt like I am doing so much FOR my kids but not enough WITH my kids....it made me think of "The List". When Rob and I had the kids we often talked about what we wanted for them, how we wanted to raise them, and what role we would each play-a "list" if you will. We talked about positives and negatives from our own childhood, traditions to keep going, and things we would NEVER do....

1) HUGS HUGS HUGS!!!! I honestly can't remember a time growing up where my parents hugged us...honestly! Rob's family are huge huggers. And although it seemed weird at first-I love it now! I want to hug my kids everyday, 10-20 times a day!!! I want that interaction, that contact with them no matter how old they are!

2) I LOVE YOU'S...again- I can't remember this happening very often at all! In the last 8 years I can recall twice that my mother has said "I love you" and even then it felt ackward. I tell my kids every chance I get-everyday-all day!

3) Independence with guidance...there is a fine line between doing everything for your child and doing nothing to let them learn on their own. I want them to be independent but with a path to follow. A path that has been laid out, talked about, and worked on.

4) Open, honest communication...Rob was able to talk to his mother about everything...and I mean everything! But me-oh hell no! I didn't tell my parents anything and couldn't! I want to listen, reason, help, and then talk about any disappointments or punishments. I want my kids to know that we are here to talk too and that we really do understand!

Our list went on and on...and as I sat there on the couch with the kids beside me watching Deadliest Catch I realized...I still follow my list. Just because I'm tired every now and then it is expected. I am giving my all and trying the best way I know how. I am not going to repeat the same mistakes as those before me did. I am not my mother...I am me.

So after much debate with myself I felt ok about the night...we had a family dinner, we watched the show together, we hugged them, said I love you, and tucked them in......it was a good night.

Where to start...

We leave for Mexico in 7 days! Woo Hoo! But oh my gosh do we have a ton to get done before that????!!!! Rob and I are leaving the kids behind and taking a trip by ourselves--some adult only time-what is that? Baseball season just ended and football is right around the corner so we thought this would be the best time to sneak in a little vaca! We sure will miss the kids!!!