Christmas in Las Vegas

Wow, we actually stayed in the desert for Christmas this year. It was very different. No hustle and bustle of flying off to the East Coast. Drove home from Utah on Christmas Eve, ate a yummy southwestern style dinner and then wrapped presents for the kids. It was a long day since I sat in the back seat with the kids for 6 hours. Then tried to get us unpacked, straightened the house and got it ready for Santa to come. I think I was more excited than Reece. I wrapped all of his presents while Mo put together an ABC animal toy. One present from Santa and the rest from family is how we tried to explain it to Reece. He must have woken up 4 different times during the night, he is cutting his 2 year molars and hasn't been sleeping well. I was so nervous he was going to see all of his gifts that I would wake, race up stairs and try to settle him back down to sleep. He was up for good around 7 am when he came running into our room shouting, "Mommy come look at the presents. Look at the tree. Can I open them?" We got up and started the 15 minute process of opening presents. I swear, he ripped through them like a wild fire. We would slow him down and try and explain that Santa brought this gift from Noni or Uncle Travis but he didn't care. He was very excited about his piggy bank from Grammy Myers, his Elmo sweatshirt from Uncle Matthew and his Thomas the Train stuff from Uncle Travis, Uncle Jim and Aunt Jaime. Raine sat on my lap and watched all of the chaos. Christmas afternoon was spent with The Castillo Family. We enjoyed a delicious meal with good friends.

Day 7 sure isn't Heaven for the lil people

As I tidy up my house while my family sleeps; I hear coughs coming from all 3 bedrooms in the house. Mo is coughing away after swigging a good amount of cough syrup. Not much I can do for him. I check on Raine, give her a drink of water and lay her back down. I go make sure my son isn't freezing to death since he kicks all his covers off during the night. He wakes as I am covering him up and says, "Mama, will you lay wif me for just one lil tiny minute." My heart melts as I lay down with my sick 3 year old. Poor guy has the start of a double ear infection and quite a wicked cold. Runny green boogies and an awful cough.

I woke to him asking if he could crawl in bed with us. It was 7:30 am which is late for Reece to wake. He climbed in and chatted our ears off. We asked hm to go play with some of his new toys, he said he wanted to snuggle with us. Can't pass that up. So we snuggled a bit then he wanted cartoons. I'm sick of Disney so I asked for Sesame Street. He obliged. All three of us hung out in bed until about 8:30 when we heard lil Raine thumping away in her crib. Reece heard her and asked if we could go wake her up. I went up to get the baby and Mo made coffee. He makes a mean cafe mocha with a splash of vanilla creamer.

As we were eating breakfast, I told MO I think I should take the kids to the doctor. I called a girlfriend to confirm, sometimes I need to get the encouragement from a fellow mom since my hubby was indifferent. I knew in my gut that the kids noses were only going to greener and their coughs were only going to become more frequent without some antibiotics. I have been nursing semi-cold symptoms for too long; especially in Reece.

At 9:45 I call and get an appointment for 10:45. Plenty of time an hour to get ready and out the door. Nope, we were running out the door so we weren't late. It's hard to get ready with two lil people underfoot; plus they needed to brush teeth and hair too. I ran back in the house for Raine's blanket I knew she would need it, we don't go any where with out it! Oh and I had to grab some bread for the ducks. I bribbed Reece with feeding the ducks if he was a good boy at the doctors office. So we made it through the appointment no problem. Raine is fine it's just her allergies with all of the wind kicking up and she hasn't had her singular for a few days so that doesn't help. Reece on the other hand has a very high threshold for pain. He must take after his mama. He's quite congested, coughing alot, lots of running boogies and don't forget those pesty ear infections. He never told me his ears were hurting. What a trooper. After the doc we fed the ducks super fast since Raine was so cranky and tired. Came home put Raine to bed and headed back out to fill the scripts. $90.00 later I have Raine's singular, a cough med and an antibiotic for Reece. I got home for Target just in time to fill Reece's body with meds and put him down for a nap. Once he finally fell asleep; he was out for almost 3 hours. Raine slept almost 5 hours. Think my kids need some rest or what.

I should have been more productive during their naps but once again I was sucked into the computer. Oh well, I got a few things done. Mo brought home take out again since we are on vacation and were blessed with so many gift cards. Reece didn't want to eat so he watched Ice Age with his daddy. I gave Raine a bath and put her to bed while the boys played on the computer, practiced writing their letters, showered and went to bed. It was a hectic morning but a reasonably lax afternoon, hence the reason I am up straightening up my home while my family sleeps. Better go get a few more things accomplished...

Day 6 of winter break

Day 6
Thursday, Dec 27th and I am still not planning on going any where any time soon. I was able to chat with friends on the phone while the kids slept. I spent way too much time cleaning up my emails; reading over 200, well deleting those darn shopping ones. I am proud to say my inbox and files are condensed. I uploaded and edited more pics of the kids from Christmas. I spent the remaining $100.00 on my CCSD gift card. Paid my scholastic book orders and ordered books for Reece & Raine's Leap pad. I rather play on the computer than pick up clutter. Plus who can pick up when lil bodies just take more stuff out!

Reece and I played ABC puzzle cards, ABC Bingo, painted and opened more new toys. He is getting very good at recognizing his alphabet. Mo also taught him how to make an R. He is pretty good at it. Now he can write all the letters in his name. R-E-E-C-E spells Reece he signs as he writes. He loves to write on the lil dry erase board he got from Grammy Rosie. The marker already died since he wouldn't put it down. Thankfully, Erin gave him an ABC dry erase book with a new marker for Christmas.

I convinced the DeRusha family to come over for a take out dinner so the kids could open their presents and we could see them one last time. We saw our friends 3 times while they were in from Cali. That may be a record. I had to hurry and clear off the table so we would have a place to eat but it worked out. They didn't care about the piles of clutter that are still growing around my home. They realize it is Christmas and my home is very well lived in!

All in all~a wonderfully relaxing day!

Christmas break has truly begun!

It is day 5 of my winter break and I finally feel like I relaxed all day long. Don't get me wrong, I have been somewhat relaxed on days 1, 2, 3, 4 but there was always something I needed to do on those days. Today however I had nothing to do, no where to go. Nothing but feed my kids and play with them. We played a lot. I looked at several piles around my house and ignored them all. That is very hard for me to do. When I ignore them they seem to grow. I have a forest of clean & dirty clothes growing on a chair near my bed.
Reece and I played Chutes & Ladders for the first time today. He was enjoying it. He didn't like having to slide down the chutes but loved when he was able to climb a ladder. I had to explain that when he was in the middle of a chute or ladder it was a safe spot. He would become very excited when he would land on a "safe spot". I won the game. Reece was not very happy about that. I explained to him that if he didn't cheat and spin the spinner two times instead of once; he wouldn't have lost his turn and maybe he would have won!

Since Reece is just learning how to play games we had to create a cheating rule. When he decides he wants to go two times or look at the cards in memory and CHEAT he has to lose his turn. He seems to be learning from it. He only cheated 2 times during Chutes & Ladders.

Raine loves to dance so when Reece napped we played with everything musical. She loves to play her piano and today she was doing some ballet moves while she played. Her friend at the babysitter goes to dance classes and teaches Raine how to dance. It's always an adorable sight. I guess she will be headed to some dance classes some day.

I better go get something accomplished today. Maybe I will read the letters I had my second graders write to me. That will give me a good laugh! Or I could start a new book and finish my fun filled day of doing nothing!

Merry Christmas to all

We had a WONDERFUL Christmas! It was super relaxing! We woke to Reece stirring in his bed at about 5:30. I ran upstairs so he wouldn't come down and see all of the presents. He was still pretty sleepy so I layed with him for a bit and then he fell back asleep. I crept back down to my bed and woke at 7:30 to the sound of a lil one playing under the tree. I kicked Mo and said I think Reece is up. We peaked in on him and he was playing with the Chutes & Ladders game I had set up under the tree. We ran back into the bedroom to grab the video camera and sneak up on him.

We said, "Reece what are you doing up?" He was afraid he was in trouble. I then said, "What is all this?" "PRESENTS," he shouted. We asked him who brought all of this and he shouted SAAANNNTTTAAAA! He was so cute. He wanted to open more presents but we told him we needed to go get Raine first. When we walked into her room, she was up playing with her baby doll. It was the perfect way to wake for Christmas.

The morning was awesome! It took us an hour and a half to open presents, and we didn't have all that much. Reece loved opening the toy trains, games and books. Raine pushed her cabbage patch baby around in her pink umbrella stroller. Mo liked his shirt and tie from the kids but liked his tie rack even more. Who knew my mountain man would enjoy getting all dressed up for work each morning. I was busy with the video camera and regular camera. We would set up for some great camera moments only to realize we were working with a 3 year old and 1 year who wouldn't conform to our ways. I don't know where my children get their stubbornness from?

When we were all finished I started making breakfast. Reece & Mo played Lincoln Logs. They built our future log cabin on the table, way far out of Raine's reach! She was not happy and wanted to help. I stuck her in her chair to eat and she was happy as can be. She went off for her first nap of the day and we enjoyed our eggs, sausage and hash browns! It was delicious. Mo and Reece watched Jungle Book while I cleaned up and downloaded our Christmas pictures. It was such a slow paced morning.

The afternoon seemed to fly by. I showered, made crescent rolls and got the family ready for Christmas dinner at the Castillo's home. We were a little late since my kids love their beds and napped a good long while. I felt pretty bad showing up late for dinner with the salad and rolls, but everyone seemed to be fine with it. The Castillo's had a delicious spread: chicken, lamb, rice, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, stuffing and the best pumpkin cheesecake. We also had a birthday cake for Jesus. We lit 5 candles for each of the kids and sang Happy Birthday. It was so fun. The evening was so relaxing. I love hanging out with our west coast family/friends. They are the best.

We drove home, put the kiddos to bed and hit the sack ourselves. I was pooped. All in all, it was a fantastic day; extremely memorable! I hope you all had just as nice a Christmas as we did.

Anxious

Have you ever felt anxious for events to come and then you wondered why your were so worried? I feel that way a lot and I am always so glad when they are over. They were never as bad I thought they would be. The event always goes better than I thought it would. I know that is because I work better under pressure. I wish I could be that person who plans and prepares. Don't get me wrong, I do to some extent. Seriously though, I work best when something is due tomorrow. Is that due to genetics or personality? Are my kiddos doomed to the gene of procrastination also? Just some random thoughts...

Thanksgiving in Utah

We are so Thankful for our get-a-way to the mountains.

We drove up Wednesday afternoon to arrive in Park City around 7pm. The kids did fantastic. They fought falling asleep but finally did so a couple hours before we pulled into my brother's place. They were wide awake and ready to play with their uncles & aunt. Raine found all kinds of things to play with. She is teething and was a bit grumpy at times.

Reece had so much fun playing outside with whoever would go out there. He got cold quick but still had fun kicking the soccer ball around. We were sad there wasn't any snow but enjoyed the crisp fresh air and gorgeous mountains.

Reece, Brian & I went on a walk to this great playground. On the way we spotted a perfect tree for a photo.

Thankful

With Thanksgiving 2 days away I was sitting here counting my blessings! November has been a very hectic month. As I have said before, I sure am being stretched this fall. My parents were here for a week and are now in Park City, Utah with my brother Brian. We are headed up there tomorrow and instead of doing the dishes and packing I sit here thinking.

I am blessed. I have the best friends in the world. I have needed to ask for more help than I like to and no one has turned me down. I don't know what I would do without my life savers. Reece and Raine have so many Aunties that love them and look out for them. Thank you again for all of your help Jessica, Jennifer, Melissa, Deidre, Kristi and Amy.

I was able to cook alongside my mother. We made some yummy lasagna that we will enjoy over the weekend when we are sick of Turkey. I was finally aloud to write down the recipe for her sauce instead of just watching her make it. It was a long afternoon and evening but so much fun.

I am Thankful my hubby can stay with us in Utah and not come back to Vegas to landscape. Also very appreciative to all of you who use him to make your yards pretty. You help us pay our debts; with the weather getting cooler I know those jobs will come to an end.

Most of all I am so thankful for my hilarious munchkins who bring me such joy!



No matter how hectic your Thanksgiving will be; stop, take a look around and be so grateful you are part of that group you call family. Relax and enjoy your holiday. I will be!

A few Halloween pics

We had a great time on Halloween. The four of us headed over to our friends house for some trick or treating and good food. Reece dressed up as a Spiderman and Raine was a little Indian Princess. Reece ran around from house to house collecting as much candy as he could carry. Raine wasn't far behind her big brother. She toddled right after him; trying to catch up with the big kids. When I did pick her up to cross the street I noticed she was chewing on a bag of m&m's. A few minutes later Mo asked what is Raine eating? Well little did I know, she had chewed her way through the bag and was now eating the chocolate. She had blue m&m all over her face and hands. This picture says it all. Raine was pooped!

Reece was wanting to eat every piece of candy he got. He finally caught on to the fact that you just collect it and then eat it later. The minute we walked into Baldwins home he asked for a piece of his candy.

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Saturday, October 20th
These next few pictures are from a Halloween party at our friends house. Raine drank way too much fruit punch flavored Gatorade on the way to the party. As we were driving down the 95, she decided to christin my new car. Red Gatorade was spewing all over the place. I am helpless. I'm in the middle of a 3 lane highway with traffic all around me. My kids have never thrown up before but within one month of purchasing my new Saturn Vue, they teach me a new lesson in parenting. When we finally arrived at the Castillo's house; I carried Raine right up to the bathtub carseat and all. She seemed to feel fine the rest of the night.

Boycott the movie The Golden Compass

A friend was telling me about this and I just got this forward. Please forewarn all of your friends and family!

There is a movie coming out December 7th, during Christmas season, called THE GOLDEN COMPASS. It starts Nicole Kidman and it is directed toward children. What is disturbing to me is that this movie is based on the first of a trilogy of books for children called HIS DARK MATERIALS written by Philip Pullman of England.

He’s an atheist and his objective is to bash Christianity and promote atheism. I heard that he has made remarks that he wants to kill God in the minds of children, and that’s what his books are all about. He despises C.S. Lewis and Narnia, etc. An article written about him says “this is the most dangerous author in Britain ” and that Pullman would be the writer “the atheists would be praying for, if atheists prayed”. Each book gets worse and worse regarding Pullmans hatred towards God. As I understand it, in the last book, a boy and girl are depicted representing Adam and Eve and they kill God, who at times is called YAHWEH. The movie may seem mild, on purpose. They are hoping unsuspecting parents will take their children to see the movie, then they will want the books and decide against God and the Kingdom of Heaven.

Check out the link http://snopes.com/politics/religion/compass.asp

My AWESOME family

We have officially made it through the first month of school. It has been a horribly hard 4 weeks for this mama. I was bringing Reece to school with me, but that was a bit overwhelming for both of us. Now, he goes to school with his buddy Riley and both of us are doing much better in the mornings. I have learned quite a few things this month. My husband has been my saving grace. He comes home from work ready to tackle our evening and share about his day. He loves his new job! He has a great group of students, good parents and a great staff. He has hit it off with the other 5th grade teacher Mr. Hicks. Life is good for him. Thankfully because Reece, Raine and I are ready for some good to be heading our way.

Raine is finally getting over her sinus/ear infection and back to her happy little self. She is now teething, her I teeth are cutting through. Raine is starting to walk more steadily and chit chat with everyone she sees. She is such a doll.

Reece LOVES school and can't stop talking about it. We sing the songs every morning in the car. He is learning so much and shares everything with us during dinner. Potty training is going really well. He had one accident at school and hasn't ever again. He is very proud of himself when he keeps his big boy pull up dry after a nap. He also went poop on the potty all week long. I am so proud of my little boy.

I know October is going to be a great month! I know I am blessed, I was just being stretched!

The party at the park

SATURDAY, September 15, 2007

Reece had a small birthday party at a park up around the corner of our house. I had to prepare for the big day so Mo took Reece fishing at Floyd Lamp Park. Mo has decided that it will be a new tradition. Every year on Reece's birthday, Daddy will take him fishing. While the boys fished; Raine & I prepped for the festivities. I made another Mickey Mouse dessert, this one was a cake that looked a little old school psycho. Reece loved it though.


The birthday boy played on the playground with his friends and enjoyed his favorite foods hot dogs and chips. When it came time to blow out the candles it was too windy. They wouldn't stay lit so we pretended! Reece thought it would be funny to sneak a taste of the frosting. He took a big lick.


At Age 3 Reece is all about :

~enjoying his mornings with his cup of milk & Disney's Playhouse: Mickey Mouse, Little Einsteins, Handy Mandy & Tigger & Pooh.
~ running and jumping, especially off of the couch and stairs
~playing trains and pirates
~learning how to write his name, has mastered a capital E and a C
~going on adventures; asks every morning, "Where are we going today mom?"
~shouts out "I have to go potty" & "Mommy, I went pooh pooh!"
~wants to call his cousins to tell them about his day
~can't wait to go to pumpkin patch with Cross & Timmy
~makes me laugh everyday

Happy Birthday Reece~ I LOVE YOU

Happy 3rd Birthday Reece

On Friday, September 14, 2007 Maurice Aspen Hauguel turned 3 years old. Where has time gone? I can not believe that my baby boy is that old. We had a quick family party after dinner. I made Reece some Mickey Mouse brownies and he got three presents from Dadddy, Mommy and Raine. Then a slew of other gifts from our extended fam. He loves opening his cards to discover the money inside. He would repeatedly tell me that it was his money and I couldn't have it.

It was a wonderful night with the viewing of a new Mickey & Pals DVD before bed. Reece was so excited for his birthday he couldn't fall asleep. Finally, Mo carried our sleepy boy up to his bed.

Happy 1st Birthday Raine

Raine turned 1 year old on Saturday, August 25th. We had a very relaxing combo birthday party with our dear friends the Russos. The party was held at the community pool/playground area of the Russo's neighborhood. It was perfect weather. It was a beautiful day with lots of swimming and playing.

The best part of the party was when Raine started walking all over the place. She had been taking steps here and there around the house but nothing that impressive. When all of the kids were playing on the playground Raine was trying to chase all of the them.

Raine's favorite part of the party was when she got to eat cake. Raine enjoyed her first taste of cake and dove in without any reservation.

She had a blast swimming, playing and eating her cake. Thanks to everyone who came out to play with her. We are so grateful for our Las Vegas Family!

Raine is one and is:

~saying a few words like, mama, dada, dog dog, ba ba, and daydee for baby.

~loves to give kisses

~plays well in her carseat and loves blowing bubbles (raspberries)

~waves hi and bye

~signs for her milk and says yum yum when she eats

~loves to dance and tries to sing

~can't sleep without her thumb & blanket

Happy Birthday Baby Girl! I can't believe you are a year old!

God Is GREAT

It is 8 pm and I sit here listening to Maroon 5 while my family sleeps. My daughter is sounds asleep in her crib. My husband was just praying with our son in his bed and now there is silence coming from that room. We are all exhausted. It has been a very busy day in our home. I was up to wish my husband well on his first day of school and have been going non-stop. I feel such a sense of accomplishment tonight that I can't decide whether to go for a walk or have a beer and relax. I am really leaning toward the later of the two but my body really needs a walk and not a beer. Decisions, decisions. . .

So, God is GREAT. Today he answered so many prayers.
1. I signed up 200 2nd graders for a free field trip to the Shark Reef at Mandalay Bay.
2. I faxed my requests for transcripts from 3 universities for my pay raise.
3. I completed health care paper work so my husband can be insured under Teachers Health Trust.
4. I vacuumed, overwhelming dog hair GROSS.
5. I played with the kids and built enormous towers.
6. Finished semi-organizing my craft closet and put all of Raine's hanging clothes into one closet not 3.
7. Got my plane ticket to Buffalo; thanks to Jennifer, my angel who gave up her free southwest rewards ticket so I could go home!
8. Dove into my reading program and got some plans made for my 2nd grade class.
9. Printed out library titles for my classroom library; something I have wanted to do for 2 years!
10. Took the kids swimming and visited with some friends.
11. Got a phone call about Reece being accepted into the typical peer preschool program at my school. He gets to go with his friends Riley & Ellie. My dear friend Jess with take Reece home with her, feed him & watch him nap. HUGE answer to prayer there! HE IS AMAZING :)
12. Cooked a delicious meal for my hard working man along with some yummy 1st day of school chocolate chip cookies.

After such a productive day I believe my body deserves to have a beer and relax. Maybe I'll read a magazine or watch a cheesy TV show. PRAY & PRAY often cuz God will answer your prayers and you will find peace and joy in your life. Thank you Lord for all the blessings you have provided me with today.

Daddy's First Day Of School

Mo went off to school this morning as a fifth grade Reading/Language Arts & Geography/History teacher. He had to purchase a new wardrobe for this new position. After countless shopping trips with two kids here is first day of school outfit.

Reece's potty training success story

Today we were getting ready to go see the dolphins at the Mirage. I told Reece he would have to stay dry all day if he wanted to see the dolphins. I also mentioned that he would need to go pooh pooh before we left. I was upstairs dressing Raine and noticed Reece went missing. I yelled,"Reece, where are you?" and he yelled back," I'm going pooh pooh!" I was so stinking proud of him! He rarely puts himself on the potty and has never hopped up there to drop the kids of at the pool.

He loves bubble gum so I bought a whole jar of gum balls from Walmart. He gets one gum ball every time he goes pooh pooh on the potty. He loves them! I finally found something that has stopped him from sneaking off to hide and poop in his undies. I also have three Pez dispensers in the bathrooms all around the house. He loves to get candy out of Shrek, Hammy & Tigger's heads!

I keep telling him he needs to go pee pee on the potty if he wants to go to school like his friends. He even found a backpack he wants to take to school. I didn't dare take it away from him when we were at Kohl's cuz I just didn't want to fight that battle. I hid the Thomas backpack and told him we never bought it, that it's at the store. I also plan on having him come to the store with me and pick out a few favorite pairs of underwear. Maybe if he picks them out then he won't pee them. Who knows?

It's been a pretty successful experience the past two weeks we've been home. If only I could get him to stay dry during his naps and through the night.

Raine eats blueberry pancakes

We forgot to buy milk for our breakfast, so I decided to make pancakes. I had some fresh blueberries to use up, so Reece & I added those to the mix. Reece helped me mix the batter and then when I turned my back to get something, he was dumping the whole bag of blueberries into the bowl. I hadn't planned on using so many but it worked out to be perfect! Reece loved his and ate about 4 of them. Raine wasn't to sure about them.

Here she is very hesitant, wondering what is this stuff in my pancakes. My other pancakes don't come with these. The blueberries all over her and the tray are from her pulling them out of her mouth in disgust.

Here she is eating just a little piece that didn't have any blueberries in it.

Now she is mad because all that's left are the pieces with squishy blue stuff that she hates!

In the sink is where she ended up! I didn't dare take her through the house with all of that blueberry on her. Just when I thought my baby was getting so big, I was so glad to see she could still take a bath in the kitchen sink. Look how happy she is!

In two weeks, this little angel will be celebrating her 1st birthday. I can't believe how fast this year has gone by. Don't blink guys; she will be starting to walk and talk in no time. For now it's a couple of steps at a time and a few words we can recognize with lots of babble in between.

I love watching my baby girl grow.

All in one day

This past Saturday, I attended a memorial service for a dear friend's grandmother. Then later that evening went out to celebrate another dear friend's 30th birthday. In the matter of 12 hours, we were celebrating for two very momentous occasions. A woman who has lived her life to the fullest has gone on to meet Jesus. Another women has just started the third chapter of her life...

The service was one of the most beautiful church events I have ever attended. I haven't been to very many funerals or memorials. One day I hope mine can be this amazing! Grandma Jane was extremely well loved. I heard some wonderful stories and learned about her awesome qualities; some I hope to exhibit one day. She has instilled some really neat traditions within her family too. I hope to do that as well. The family created a bookmark with lessons they have learned from Grandma Jane. All of them were great, but one that made me think was "Don't be afraid of change. Rearrange your furniture often."

Why would I pick that? I am totally ready for some changes in my home. Member all of the great homes I visited this summer?

So, I got a hair up my booty and started this mass collect and purge on the first floor of my home. I just started collecting stuff to go through and then give away or throw away. I set our hand-me-down high chair on the curb with a FREE sign on it, it's gone! I divided 10 goldfish in 3 large vases and spread them around my home; getting rid of this horrible looking aquariumn. I cleaned my living room, put Mo's hand-me-down recliner on the curb and REARRANGED the furniture. It was so great to declutter my living & dinning room. I still have tons of piles of papers to go through, closets and drawers, my scrap/craft closet and all of our files. I am on a quest. No, I'm not pregnant and nesting! I just feel overwhelmed with so much junk. Plus, I am headed back to school in a week & a half; where there is a classroom full of stuff to go through, five grade levels worth of stuff. I figure, if I can get my house in order then one of my workplaces will be enjoyable.

The woman starting the third chapter of her life had an outstanding birthday. We headed to the movies to see Hairspray. Her and I sat next to each other and laughed right out loud a whole heck of a lot. It was so stinking funny; my face hurt from laughing. I highly recommend this flick if you need a good laugh! Next we moved onto the Cheesecake factory for drinks and dessert. We had so much fun drinking, eating and sharing funny stories. Have I ever mentioned what great friends I have? It was fantastic spoiling Erin on such a special birthday. I hope she enjoyed it as much I did. If you haven't been out with your girlfriend lately, plan a night and go. I have been doing it more this past week than I have all summer and it is really go for a mommy's soul.

All in one day I learned:
~I want to leave a legacy behind for my family.
~I love change and need to do it more often.
~I have a wonderful husband who knows how important it is for mommy to go out with the girls.
~I have the best girlfriends a girl could ask for.

Thankful

But thank God! He gives us victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ. 1 Corinthians 15:57 NLT

So this was my daily verse today and am I ever so thankful lately. Here are a few things that make me realize I am truly blessed...

... summer vacation
... friends who let us crash at their houses at the drop of a hat
... cute kids who bring a smile to my face more times in a day than I can count
... an unbelievable husband who pushes through tough times and rises to every challenge our life brings us
... oceans and beaches
... friends
... hot dogs & mac n cheese
... family on the east coast and friends who are our family on the west coast
... connections that make life seem somewhat simpler
... smiles and giggles of children playing
... shade so I can sit outside and watch my kiddos swim
... friends with the same problems as me so I can vent :(
... a good book
... great music that makes my son say "let's dance mama"
... dublin dog who puts up with kids crawling all over her
... being alive to experience all this and more

I think this list could go on and on. What are you Thankful for?

THANK YOU

I just need to comment on the fact that I have fantastic friends! This past Sunday I attended church for all the wrong reasons; to see my friends. I took Reece to his classroom and Raine to the nursery. At both of the classroom doors I was greeted by my friends. They were so sweet asking about our adventure across the country. It was when I was walking into the sanctuary that I ran into two of my closest friends chatting away! Both gave me big hugs and told me how much they missed me. Then I walked into church for worship and saw my dearest friend whom hugged me so tight. We were both beaming ear to ear. It felt so good to be home. After my summer adventures on the east coast; I always question why I live here in Las Vegas and not near my family. It is because of moments like these that I stay here. I am so blessed to have these strong Christian women in my life. THANKS FRIENDS for all you do!

This week is VBS at our church. Reece goes to his 3 yr old class and Raine hangs out in the nursery. Both kids are loving it and having a ball. I spoke with Mo today and told him about Reece and his 6 o'clock debut on stage tomorrow. He said he is driving home and wouldn't miss it! He really misses his little guy. Pray for this last leg of his journey, he will be driving almost 18 hours today. He was going to stop at my brother's house in Park City to rest but he's decided to keep truckin'. Crazy...

That's what's been up around here since we've been home. LIFE IS GOOD! :)

We are finally HOME

Well the end of our journey has arrived. We flew home to Vegas yesterday. I did it! I drove across the country with two children 2 and under. I then schlepped them all over the place from home to home like experienced nomads. Lastly, I flew 5 and 1/2 hours with the two of them on a plane. No they did not sleep. Yes, they were angels. I think I deserve an award! :)

After a month of travelling and staying in so many beautiful homes, I am so ready to be in my own house. Sadly, it is quite dusty and dirty. Hence the cleaning that will take place the next couple of days. I am also very ready to redecorate. I wish my house could look as great as all the homes we visited. I need some decorating help; oh and some cash to do it. Time would be good too. Anyone know where I can find all three of those things.

Off to clean!

Raine @ 10 months old

RAINE @ 10 months old loves life!

She is such a happy girl and has to be the best baby around. What 10 month old do you know who can take a trip across the USA without a peep from her car seat? She has started eating real foods like waffles, pancakes, pasta noodles & diced fruit. She much rather big people food than her baby food. She loved playing on the beach. She wasn't fond of the water unless it was warm. Her Pa Pere loved to take her swimming. We went for daily walks on the beach; where she would take her afternoon nap. Raine absolutely adores her big brother. He makes her giggle and laugh right out loud. She is also very fond of her daddy and gets a great big grin when he walks in the room. During our travels Raine has learned how to say Uh-oh, wave bye-bye and sign milk. She is also moving around the furniture with out any hesitation. She had a push toy to play with while at the shore; which was helping her learn to walk. I know she'll be walking independently in no time. I can't not believe how time has flown by. My precious baby girl will be 1 year old in just a month. Tears are welling up in my eyes as I type.

I love you baby Raine! xoxo, Mommy

A whirl wind of traveling update

WOW, since leaving the shore we have visited four more families. We love all of you who have put us up and delt with our crazy family. I've really loved our adventure this summer but boy am I ready for my own home and bed; plus I miss our Dublin doggie. Not to mention all I feel like I have done this summer is EAT! Lots of yummy treats everywhere we go. I am currently residing at my sister Jaime's house for the next two & a half days. Mo is leaving to work at a camp in Montana tomorrow and the kids and I fly home Friday, July 20th. We arrive in Vegas at 12:30, just in time for the kids to nap. No, let's pray they sleep on the plane. Well, let's hope one of them sleeps, preferably Raine. I had to use a free ticket from southwest for myself; so I bought both kiddos their own seat. I have a 5 and half hour non-stop flight. I don't really feel like having my 24 lb 11 month old sitting on my lap for that long. Plus if she's in her car seat, it is very likely she will sleep. Entertaining Reece will be the hardest part. I have the portable DVD player and a few more dollar store toys he hasn't seen yet; so we should make it through the flight okay. Please pray for this last leg of our journey. See you in VEGAS!!

Crabbin with Daddy

Daddy loves to go crabbin at the shore. He takes his three cages and a few lines with him to a dock on the bay. Yes my daddy loves "Sittin by the dock of the bay". We walked down under the bridge to see him.




Here he has a lil guy that he has to throw back because it isn't big enough!
Bye Bye Crabby!

This is a close up of those ugly pincers
that can get you!
Here we are watching daddy cook his crabs. They are quick and mean. The crabs are blue in ocean and then turn red when you cook them!

See all of the yummy eats my daddy caught!

Date Night at The Shore

On Thursday, July 12th; we were able to get away to our favorite restaurant in New Jersey. It is called the Crab Trap and we went last Thursday as well. Mo's Mom watches the kids for us and we get to wait an hour to eat delicious seafood. I have expanded my taste buds at the restaurant trying Grilled Tuna, Mahi Mahi, Crab Imperial and Stuffed Flounder with Crab Imperial. All of their meals are so tasty and you never leave their feeling hungry. I suppose I could write a restaurant review for this place huh! Here are a few pics of us waiting down by the water at their little outdoor bar. We all had a blast.

Road Trip 2007 Day 3 6-21-07

Day 3 June 21, 2007 Denver, Colorado to Des Moines, Iowa 11 hours 610 miles

We woke up to Terry getting ready for work. Mo checked on the kiddos in their room, Raine was sound asleep and Reece was starting to wake. Mo put him back to sleep for another 30 minutes. At 7:30 Reece was trying to open his bedroom door, but couldn’t get out. I guess it was time to get up. We got showered and at breakfast. Raine must have been hungry; she ate four mini pancakes. Reece was too interested in all of Lucy’s toys to eat very much. We said our goodbyes and got on the road at 10:00 am. We needed our morning buzz so we stopped at a Starbucks in Brighton, CO. It was a quaint little town off of the I 76. We were on our way. Today is expected to be one of the longest days of our journey. We’ll see if 11 hours is too much for our wonderful lil travelers. Eastern Colorado and Nebraska are very flat and boring. There are a lot of farms and cornfields. Another day spent looking at cows; lots and lots of cows. We followed the Platte River so there were a number of large ponds along the highway. We did enjoy seeing all of the green scenery as opposed to all of the brown desert we are used to looking at. We stopped and filled our belly’s and gas tank. Reece was eager to get out of the truck and run around. We went for a little walk and found some beautiful flowering cactus. The next leg of the journey was very peaceful. I finished reading two magazines and Reece watched his Mickey Mouse movie again. I brought 10 movies with us and he has watched 3 of them. Peter Pan of course, a classic Mickey Mouse and Veggie Tales. I even bought The Country Bears Jamboree, but he didn’t want any part of it. I need to buy the movie Open Season. He keeps asking for “Boog”; he’s the bear in the movie. Raine happily sits in her car seat and talks to us. She is a very vocal little lady. She loves it when we play the kid music. It seems to relax Reece and excite Raine. We turn it to the back and I turn on my IPOD. Mo flys solo listening to his talk radio for a little bit. At about 10 pm we arrived at the Marriot in Des Moines. Mo immediately took Reece swimming. He was so excited. I put Raine to bed and relaxed in a super hot shower. What a great way to unwind after a very long day in the truck. Reece was asleep the minute his head hit the pillow. He slept with me while Mo had a whole bed to himself. I would much rather share a bed with my little 30 lbs man than my 200 lbs man. Especially since they were double beds. We all slept like rocks and didn’t wake until 9:30am! Praise the Lord we made it 11 hours today! He has certainly made this trip an amazing one!

Road Trip 2007 Day 2 6-20-07

Day 2 June 20, 2007 Park City, Utah to Denver, Colorado 8 hours 349 miles

We woke up to Raine talking and blowing bubbles in her pack-n-play; Reece shouts, “Raine’s awake guys!” He was sleeping on an air mattress at the end of the bed. We grab both kids and snuggled for a whole 5 minutes. Reece wanted to go wake up Brian. When we looked at the time it was 7:30am; that would be 6:30 Vegas time. Reece was right on schedule for rise & shine time. Why is it little people don’t sleep in? We showered and ate breakfast on the back deck. The coffee and company was so relaxing. Reece and Mo took a walk in a creek and Reece came back covered in mud. We stripped him down and hosed him off. Brian and Kara had to head to work so we started to gather our gear and get ready for the next leg of our journey. I had to run into the post office to mail some very over due packages. Mo took the kids into this really great furniture store. Mo filled the tank half way because gas was a whopping $3.22! We were on the road by 11:00am; our goal was to get to Denver in time for a late dinner with our friends Cindie & Terry. We saw a lot of beautiful scenery as we drove out of Utah. Mo likes to point it all out to us. Reece saw a lot of horses. He would even point them out to us. He was such a good boy. He likes to snack on our yummy treats. We learned our lesson about changing diapers earlier than later. When we arrived in Park City he had such a wet diaper we had to pull his whole car seat apart and wash it all in the washing machine. Thank goodness we were at someone’s home so we could do so. Now we change diapers every time we get gas. On our way through Wyoming we stopped in Rock Springs at a Harley Davidson Motorcycle shop for my dad. We got gas and had a bite to eat. Reece loved sitting on all the big motorcycles. He was able to run around a bit and stretch his legs. Once back in the truck he wanted to watch a movie. We are big fans of our portable DVD player! While driving through Wyoming we saw tons of prong horn creatures, sort of look like deer. Mo annoyingly pointed them out while I was reading. “Ya babe, I see it!” We also saw lot so Texas long horn bulls. Reece would make the MOOOO sound and ask the cows if they could hear him. It was so cute. We made one more stop in Cheyenne to fill up the gas tank and get on route 25 heading south to Denver. We made it to the Standlee household at 8:00 pm. It was still light out so we hung out on the front porch for a while. Terry was watering his lawn so Lucy and Reece ran through the sprinkler. It was so fun watching them enjoy each other. After some great catching up with our friends; we got a good night’s sleep.

Road Trip 2007 Day 1 6-19-07

We are well on our way. We finally left Tuesday at noon. It seemed like an endless morning of packing. I thought I packed a lot throughout the day on Monday, but when you're packing for a month long excursion; you need a whole week just to figure out what a family of four needs. Packing for a mission trip was easier than this. After all was said and done, I don’t think I forgot anything. Day 1 June 19, 2007 Las Vegas, Nevada to Park City, Utah 8 hours 366 miles

Left the house at noon and made a few stops. It was lunch time so we started our road trip off with some delicious McDonalds; “chickie nuggets” for the boy and a burger for the man. Gas and Starbucks were a necessity for the adventure. We headed north out of town on the 15. I don’t think we were even on the 15 and both kiddos were sleeping! Yes, that’s the way to travel. They slept for about 2 hours. Then ate some snacks and played with toys. We listened to Mickey Mouse Clubhouse for a while and after about 3 hours on the road we stopped in Cedar City, Utah. We still had to grab a few items for our trip so Walmart Here We Come! Mo wants to try and stop at a Walmart in every state. He loves that store. After our shopping spree we had about 4 more hours until we reached my brother in Park City. Reece & Raine did great. Raine drank her bottle and fell asleep again. Reece got a little restless so we put Peter Pan on the portable DVD player for him to watch.

We pulled into Brian & Kara’s place at about 8pm. Kara was cutting up steak for shish kabobs. Yum-O! The kids desperately needed diaper changes; so we did baths also. It was still pretty light out so we enjoyed the grassy, Aspen tree filled backyard for a while. At 9:30 we enjoyed a scrumptious dinner of shish kabobs, salad and Samuel Adams. Reece ate his favorite meal; mac & cheese! By 10:00 the babes were in bed and we were veggin’ in front of the boob tube. Kara gave me a lesson on how to use my IPOD. Since I was up until 2am on Monday night and woke at 5:30am to finish packing; I was off to bed. They have the best California King sized bed on earth. The sheets are so soft and the pillows are oh so fluffy. My head hit the pillow and I was out like a light!