Luckiest Girl Alive

I'm the luckiest girl alive!
Why?
Because I live with three Super Heroes!
And I can prove it!

From Bottom to Top, just in case you don't recognize them:
Spiderman, Batman, and Superman.

Super Heroes lead busy, busy lives. There's not much time for hugs or photo ops. So I take every chance I get!

I think they were trying to test out their super new, top secret powers here. They're lips were sealed though! I tried to get it out them!

Just one last picture before they turned in for the night. Super Heroes need a good night's sleep so they can save the world! Or at the very least, so they can be nice to their Mommy tomorrow. She might even give them CANDY!

Monkey needs a bath...

The first night with cloth diapers wasn't a smooth one.

I'm not sure I like the 3 inches of padding stuffed in the cover just to ensure dry sheets in the morning. That can't be comfortable for a little one.

I didn't double Austin last night. I didn't think he'd need it. And I paid for it at 4A.M. this morning.
He woke up crying. His sheets were a little wet.
So he got a warm wash cloth bath, new sheets, and a disposable diaper in the wee hours of the morning. I woke Cade and changed him too- even though his soakers were doubled. I really just wanted to get as much as sleep as possible, and didn't want him waking in tears later also.

They both actually slept until 8. It's amazing how much sleep middle of the night diaper changes allow! This morning, Austin followed me into the bathroom when I went to brush my teeth. And of course, he had Monkey in tow. He usually throws Monkey on top of the lid of the toilet. Well, this morning, the lid wasn't down. And Monkey went in the potty.
Total meltdown.
And another total meltdown when Austin didn't understand why Monkey had to go in a plastic bag and then in the laundry hamper and couldn't just get a wash cloth bath...

Now I gotta find a hoodie and some shoes and run some wet sheets and Monkey downstairs to the laundry room... Guess I might as well take the diapers from yesterday down there too.

Laundry.
If I wasn't used to it before, I guess I need to get used to it now!

Friday Favorites

Alphabet Scripture and Activities: Impress Your Kids
Thinking about starting going through the Alphabet with Austin using this...

Felt Play Food: The Idea Room
Austin is always tellin' me, "I cookin', Momma!" He needs some felt food!

Saving Money with Beans and Rice: The Happy Housewife
David makes Yummy Pinto Beans and Rice. The Happy Housewife has a few awesome looking recipes we'll have to try here soon.

Cereal Box Totes: Not So Idle Hands
How much fun would it be to make a bunch of these, store them away, and always have a cute little gift bag on hand? Or a tote to throw some toys in for waiting at the Dr's office?

Cloth Diapering 101,So Easy Your Hubby Will Do It, & Cost Comparison Chart: The Happy Housewife
I was so excited when David walked in with our package of cloth diapers today! I washed them during nap, and the boys are now toddlin' around with red and baby blue booties! So cute! Happy Housewife's posts on cloth diapering have been amazing! Thanks, Happy Housewife!


Just a few links today for Friday Favorites, co-hosted by Daily Dwelling and Hoosier Homemade.
This week, check out everybody's favorites here. Have favorite links from this week you'd like to share too? Join us, and link up!

Have a BOO-tiful Weekend, y'all!!

Payback is a...

Well, let's just say payback's just not nice.

Lovely confetti.

The only pratical joke I have up my sleeve invovles confetti- you know, the pretty stuff that is full of shiny hearts or glittery Happy Birthdays.
I wasn't meant to be a joke. I was simply young, and love struck, and writing a letter to my soldier who was stuck in Maryland in AIT, while I was stuck in Alabama for school. We didn't know each other all that well. We'd only met in person a few times- but we'd fallen for each other. And we fell hard. I was trying to be all romantic and find the lost art of letter writing again. My grandmother always puts a little bit of seasonal confetti in her cards. I thought the shiny hearts would be a wonderful addition to my heart-felt words...

Um. Not so much.
David was a soldier in training. Living in barracks. Wearing nothing but Military Issued clothing for 97% of his time. His days were scheduled down to the minute. His free time was limited.
The last thing he wanted to do with his free time was sweep up billions of pieces of shiny heart confetti. And then, when it came time for room inspections, the last thing he wanted to get in trouble for were the stray pieces that he missed when sweeping...
I was asked not to send any more letters with confetti in them. But I'd already sent a card for whatever holiday was near...and it, too, was full of the darn stuff.

So the tradition began...

After a while, David got smart and started carefully opening everything I sent, including packages. I'd hide confetti wherever I could! In the pages of magazines. If I sent new socks, I'd open the plastic and put confetti INSIDE the socks...

You get the idea. I was not nice.
And David kept telling me that payback was coming...
The tradition continued.

For his twenty-sixth birthday, I got the brilliant idea to individually mail twenty six birthday cards. And you better believe, each and every one of them had tons of confetti in it!

Only some of the cards and letters we have tucked away.

Shortly after we moved to Germany, I found all twenty six of those birthday cards [plus all the other cards and letters I'd mailed him over the years] tucked away in a box down in storage. And much to my surprise, he even left confetti in each of the cards.
He was due to deploy shortly, so I went through all the cards, and poured the confetti into a small coin purse. I took it back upstairs with me and tucked it away in a junk drawer in the kitchen.

I had plans to re-use the confetti. I was so excited to prank him again once he deployed. I could already see the big smile that would cover his face as the confetti covered the floor.
The guys deployed. And life was crazy. And I forgot all about the confetti...
I'm sad to admit that I can't recall any of his cards or letters having confetti in them during the deployment.

And here we are today. Probably almost a year after that confetti was tucked away in my junk drawer.
I let the boys dig in that drawer today. I needed to get some things cleaned up in the kitchen and what better way to occupy 2 little ones than with clothes pins, cute little to:/from: stickers, and other neat little gadgets that fill up a junk drawer...
Then, I did the worst thing I could do. I walked out of the kitchen.
I even smiled at the coin purse Austin held in hands as I walked out the door to put shampoo and lotion and soap in the bathroom cabinet. I didn't remember the confetti.
And in the minute it took me to turn the corner into the bathroom, open the closet door, and neatly put everything away, Austin and Cade did it...

Payback.

I walked into the hallway and saw shiny, glittery pieces everywhere.
Stars.
And Happy Birthdays.
And cute little packages.
And even small, little, tiny dots.
And hearts.

You name it. It was there.
In Austin's crazy mohawk.
In Austin's clothes.
In Cade's clothes.
In Cade's beautiful curls.
On the floor.
In the hallway.
In the kitchen.
In the rug in their room.
In the rug in the living room.


Payback.
It's not nice.
And it was swept up and picked up with bare hands.
And then it was quietly thrown on top of my trash.
As I listened to it settle in with my trash, the memories of all those packages and all those cards came flooding back.

There once was a short amount of time when David and I were just dating. No wedding rings. No children. No vows. No late night feedings. No legal documents, whether it being taxes, or a marriage certificate, or even a will. We shared nothing but phone conversations and emails, and the occasional love letter filled with confetti. Life was simple. Less crazy.
And now we share everything. And life is not so simple. And way more crazy.
And our days don't include love letter or emails or even phone calls all that often. But we are finally married, and together. Finally living under one roof.
And finally filling our lives with much, much more than shiny, glittery confetti...

First family of four picture. Cade, 2 weeks old. The day before David's R&R ended.

Maybe payback is a little nicer than he thought it'd be.

Taking a sick day...

Today, we are sick.
It started with David and a cough this weekend.
Then I woke up on Monday with the same dry cough.
Yesterday, we were both still coughing and getting out into the cold, crisp fall air just made it worse.
We felt cruddy. But were very thankful that our boys were still well...

And today is Wednesday.
Cade woke up congested this morning. And went down for a morning nap at 10:30 this morning because he was so very fussy. It's now 3 hours later, as I type this, and he's still sound asleep.
David is still coughing, and his body hurts. But he's at work, because soldiers don't get sick days.
Austin and I cuddled this morning, and watched a movie. He ate popcorn, and craisins, and M&Ms, and fruit for lunch. And shortly there after, he started being destructive, and telling me, "No, Mommy!." Which is Austin code for, "I need a nap." He's complained all day that his head hurts.
I no longer have a terrible cough, but I am very congested, am sneezing like crazy, and my head is killing me.

So today we are sick.
And even though I always let the laundry wait until tomorrow, the laundry will wait.
When my boys wake up from their much needed naps, and they're still fussy because they don't feel good, we'll snuggle. And play with blocks. And read some books. We'll eat a snack of cheese and crackers. And I'll fill sippie cups with juice and water.
We'll find some cars to race, and we'll find super heroes who will save those cars when they're about to wreck into the coffee table.
I'll say "No" a million times, and I'll kiss boo-boos. I'll protect Cade from Austin's tackles, and I'll do the same for Austin when Cade seeks revenge.
I'll run around the house searching for my boys and calling their names wehn they disappear into my bedroom to dig in closets full of military gear.
And we'll continue on with our day, as if it were any other day, even though we're taking a sick day...

If it wasn't for the tissues, the sniffles and sneezes, the constant fussiness, and the terrible coughs, you'd never know we were sick.
Wanna come over for dinner?

Wordless Wednesday.

 

Have a wonderful rest of the week!
For more Wordless Wednesday moments, visit 5 Minutes for Mom.

Lessons in Chicken Nuggets, Popcorn Shrimp, and Chocolate Milk

Today, for lunch, we had chicken nuggets and mac & cheese. I'm not sure if Austin is a picky eater or is just a stubborn toddler- but his eating habits are terrible. And there are days where he hardly eats a thing. At the end of a few days of stubborn picky-ness, I always resort back to chicken nuggets and mac & cheese. I know he will eat it and even though it may not be the healthiest meal, and even though I serve them chicken nuggets all the time, I'm ok with that. Cause at least I know my little one is actually filling his belly with food.
Anyway... Austin ate today. And ate a lot. Try 6 chicken nuggets and 2 large spoonfuls of mac & cheese. There was one chicken nugget left, and he wanted it. So I put it on his plate. And then once it was on his plate, he didn't want it. Daddy, teasing, told him he had to eat it. Austin puts the whole chicken nugget in his mouth... and then spit back onto his plate. Great table manners, huh?
David and I both smirked smiles and had stories to share...

David starts by telling a story of All You Can Eat Popcorn Shrimp at Golden Corral. He ate and ate until he couldn't eat anymore. Then the check came, and they all got up to leave... And he got sick. All over the restaurant.

I was little. And eating dinner at Quincy's with my parent's. I drank all of my choclate milk before dinner came, and my parent's wouldn't let me have another glass until I finished my dinner. So I ate everything on my plate. And waited with a smile until my second glass of chocolate milk came. After two sips, I didn't want anymore. I was full. And I cried when my parent's made me drink it. They were teaching me to not be wasteful. An important lesson in any young child's life... Then before the check came, I taught them something.... I threw up all over the table and floor! They learned to listen when I said I was full!

As hard as it is to see Austin be wasteful and just down right stubborn, I know that when he's hungry, he will eat. I've learned to cut back on the amount I give him.(I give Cade almost double the amount of food Austin gets.) If Austin eats the food on his plate, he can get more. I"ve learned that if you feed a child only food that you know he'll eat, he'll only eat that food. Yes, I give chicken nuggets a few times a week, but I also give him lots of different veggies and baked chicken and hamburgers and tacos and breads throughout the week too.

How do you deal with little ones who are picky and stubborn when it comes to meals? Have your children taught you any valuable meal-time lessons?

Cade's Birthday Celebration

I cannot believe that I am a mom to an almost three year old, AND a one year old! If you'd asked me 4 years ago, where I thought I'd be today- I could honestly tell you I would not have said, "Living in Germany. Married to a soldier. With two boys under the age of 3."Life changes so quickly. And I am so blessed by my sweet husband and our beautiful boys.We didn't have a party for Cade, although I really wanted to. I'm just not much of a planner and October really snuck up on me. I did make lots of monster cookies, almost just like the ones here. More on those later...
One of Cade's nicknames is Monster. A monster themed birthday for a birthday ten days before Halloween just seemed appropriate. My Momma bought Austin this Prince canle holder for his first birthday. Austin's first birthday cake simply had a crown on top of it, so I thought it also appropriate to use the candle holder and a crown cookie in Cade's cake. David got home for lunch on Cade's birthday and we were ready to celebrate with hot dog mummies and yummy cake! We even started with cake first! The candle was lit and we were trying to get one of the boys to blow it out...And before I knew it, Cade stuck his finger in the flame. And the tears came... Big. Crocodile. Tears. It was over. For nearly ten minutes, the celebrating was over. He was mad. At the candle. At the cake. And at us. Because in an effort to stop the tears, we shoved his hand in the cake, and then tried to get him to eat the icing. He wasn't having it. Even kisses from Daddy weren't gonna make it better. So we waited. And the tears went away, and he tasted the cake. And again, it was over. All over. He wasn't gonna give up the cake. Austin and Cade (and Mommy and Daddy, too) devoured this green, many-eyed monster cake. Bite after bite, their smiles turned green!
After lunch was over, it was time for a mid-day bath. And then once the boys crashed from their sugar rush, it was time for a nap. When Daddy got home from work, we loaded up in the car with goodie bags for friends! Like I mentioned before, I made tons and tons of Monster cookies. We bagged them up, and decorated brown paper sacks. Then we set out to leave "Boo Grams" on everybody's doorstep.(If you don't know what a Boo Gram is, Google it! I'm too lazy, and sick, and too busy yellin' at Austin to leave my computer chair and the markers alone to Google it for you. Hey, at least I was honest.... Back to Cade's birthday once I take the chair and markers and put them ON TOP of my desk!...Ok... I guess I shouldn't blog in the middle of the day... Anyway...Let's try and finish this.)
We drove around Post. Daddy stayed in the car with one child, while I grabbed the other and ran to a friend's door. We rang the doorbell, left the Monster goodie bag filled with cookies and a sweet note about being part of our monster family... then we ran back to the car! HOping not to get caught...But when we did, we just yelled "Your welcome!" back and kept running! Cade was very upset with us. As this was his birthday, and we strapped him into his car seat during dinner time just to ride around post. He was a less than happy camper! So for dinner, we stopped at Burger King and grabbed the boys some chicken nuggets and fries and milkshakes. After dinner, Austin opened Cade's birthday presents. Cade has no interest in opening presents. He didn't even want the wrapping paper. What baby doesn't want to play with wrapping paper or boxes? He just wanted to dive off the couch into Daddy's arms and giggle. He giggles a lot. And his birthday was no exception! Cade has always been happy and content to just be. He's a sweet little one who is still very attached to his bottle. He doesn't sleep through the night, although these past few weeks have been a lot better. He has to sleep with a recieving blanket, but he only wants the recieving blankets that have a tag. He is tough and has learned to tackle Austin before Austin can tackle him! He gives kisses, and will snuggle up to you when he's had a long day. Cade isn't walking yet, but will stand for the longest time in the center of the room. So long that we stop to watch, and just know that this will he will put one foot in front of the other and start walking. And then he plops back down on his booty and again, he giggles!

The past year has gone by so quickly. It's been a roller coaster of emotions and events.
Sweet baby Cade, you are blessing in so many lives. We love you, so very much!

Survival Sisters.

Two friends, Monica and Ann, invited me to a Sister Party last week. I was thrilled to have a girl's night out! I didn't meet my sister-friends until almost halfway through the deployment. For the first part of the deployment, I was hanging out with some moms who really didn't want me around. The only encouragement I recieved from them, was to move back to my parents; when all I wanted to do, was wait for my husband in our home. Each day was a struggle. I was pregnant with Cade and was raising a two year old by myself. I was in a foreign country, where I knew very few people. My husband was gone & all of my family was back in Alabama. I was scared. I don't know how I got through each day; I just know that I did. It was all I could do to make sure Austin ate most of his meals, and had a bath several times a week. And then to realize that these girls never wanted me to be a part of their group... It was devastating. I was devastated. I turned to our FRG for support. And realized I should have turned to them from the very beginning.
Because of these amazing women, I picked myself up. The days were no longer a huge struggle. I was no longer in this alone. There was no more "I"... It was now "we". We could survive together...
For fourteen months, our husbands were gone.
For those long months, we survived and thrived each day. We fed our children, we gave them baths, we took them to the playground when it didn't rain, we did the grocery shopping. We encouraged each other, we laughed together, we shared dinners, and laughs. We shared terrible days, and wonderful events. We may have gone a day or so without seeing each other, but we always knew we weren't the only ones struggling; we knew that support and a smile were only a phone call away. You'd be surprised the strength you can gain from simply knowing that someone is thinking about you, and the encouragement you recieve when a friend shares that they too miss their husbands more than words can express.

Now that our soldiers are safely home and our days are scheduled around our husband's work hours , our friendships are changing, but still growing stronger.
The other night, we escaped to a corner table at our bowling alley. We left the children at home. The Dads were left with getting dinner on the table and tucking all the children snuggly into bed... all of them, except for 6 week old little Madeline. She tagged along with us. We ordered and ate tons of junk food... Never once did a little voice ask for a sip of my Coke, nor did I have to cut chicken fingers into small bites.
We didn't even pick up a bowling ball! We just talked. And instead of being Moms in Deployment Survival Mode, we were Sister-Friends having a good time. We able to relax and not worry. We shared stories about our adorable children. We shared frustrations. We shared triumphs. We shared wonderful news of amazing blessings! We even shared a few secrets.
I would not have survived this deployment without these girls. I found strength I didn't know I had; I am a better mom, I am a better wife, and a better person. Simply because they showed me love, and grace, and patience. They showed me true friendship.
As we are nearing the end of this year, there are lots of changes ahead for all of us. Ann, is adjusting to life as a mom of three. As mentioned before, Madeline is only 6 weeks old. Monica and her family are already gearing up for a PCS back to the states. She will be my first military friend to say good-bye to... Willma, who doesn't blog- but should, and her family will also be preparing for a PCS at the beginning of next year. For my family, I guess the changes we're looking forward to aren't really changes after all. David and I have lived apart for most of our relationship. We're currently breaking records with the amount of time we've spent under the same roof-- so far we're at 5 months! And are very excited to see how long the Army will allow us to just be. ;)
I know there will come days [some will come all too soon] when the military will eventually move us all far away from each other. And I know that those days will be hard. But because of everything we've been through together, I know we'll survive those days and every day after. I know we'll all be stronger for it.
Because if I learn nothing else from the military, I learned that we have each other, even when we're apart.




Visit The Run A Muck to read about other Sister Parties!

And check out Monica's and Ann's posts about our bowling alley Sister Party!

Happy Birthday, Sweet Little Monster!

[Lyrics to Jack Johnson's Upside Down, from the Curious George soundtrack]

Who's to say
What's impossible?
Well,they forgot-
This world keeps spinning
And with each new day,
I can feel a change in everything.
And as the surface breaks reflections fade,
But in some ways they remain the same.
And as my mind begins to spread its wings,
There's no stoppin' curiosity.I wanna turn the whole thing upside down.
I'll find the things they say just can't be found.
I'll share this love I find with everyone.
We'll sing and dance to Mother Nature's song.
I don't want this feeling to go away.

Who's to say
I can't do everything?
Well, I can try!
And as I roll along, I begin to find
Things aren't always just what they seem.I wanna turn the whole thing upside down.
I'll find the things they say just can't be found.
I'll share this love I find with everyone.
We'll sing and dance to Mother Nature's song
This world keeps spinning and there's no time to waste.
Will it all keep spinning and spinning round and round and...Upside down.
Who's to say whats impossible and can't be found.
I don't want this feeling to go away. Please don't go away.
Please don't go away.
Please don't go away.
Is this how it's supposed to be?
Is this how it's supposed to be?

I pray that you lean on God, and learn to trust in Him.
I pray that your beautiful smile never fades!
Happy first Birthday, Sweet Cade.
We are so blessed to have you in our lives.
Yes, this is how it's supposed to be.

My Momma reminded me tonight that while Cade was born after 1 AM on the 21st here in Germany, it was still only the evening of the 20th back in Alabama. So for everybody back home, today is Cade's FIRST birthday! But to us, and according to his birth certificate-- his birthday is the 21st. There won't be a big party, but I did make monster cookies, and cakes. We'll have a really kid-friendly dinner at home and then I have a fun family activity planned.

Happy Birthday, Monster!! Your Mommy and Daddy and Bubba love you so very much!

I will probably be back here tomorrow night with more birthday talk.
So hurry back, y'all!

Not Me! Monday

I did not steal one of my hubby's Klondike bars and only take a bite from just one corner before wrapping it back up and placing it back in the freezer!

I do not have a child who will turn one year old this week. And said child, certainly, does not still wake up hungry once, sometimes twice a night. I do not lay in bed wishing him to fall back asleep. This same child has not figured out how to climb from their picnic table to the top of my desk! No, he doesn't! My children know that your feet are to be on the floor at all times. This child never smiles. He does not always have an ear-to-ear grin on face. His giggles do not make my heart melt.

I did not spend my Saturday night, pouring over pictures of Cade on my computer. I did not edit nearly 100 pictures while trying to type a Birthday blog for him. I did not want to put ALL 100 in said blog. I did not spend anpther hour trying to decide which pictures to actually include!

My husband does not snore. When he fell asleep in the recliner this weekend, he did not get aggravated when I would wake him every 10 mintues, telling him to go to bed. He did not deny that he was snoring, and he certainly did not deny even being asleep...

Curious as to what everyone else did NOT do this week?
Head over to MckMama's blog to read other Not Me! Monday posts!

Friday Favorites

Monica at Daily Dwelling and Liz at Hoosier Homemade have teamed up and are now co-hosting "Friday Favorites." This week, we'll all link up at Hoosier Homemade. Check out everybody's link and add your own post to share your "Friday Favorites."



EEK! Monsters from The Decorated Cookie
Cade is our little monster! And he will be ONE on the 21st of this month!! We'll definitely be making some cute monster cookies for his birthday!!

Oven Hand Mitt Tutorial from The Idea Room
These are the only style oven mitts I will use! Can't wait to find some fabric to match my decor!

How to Fall in Love Again from (In)Courage
An encouraging read on falling in love each day with your husband.

I Covet by Sarah Markley
Do you covet the small things? Are you thankful for what you have?

Cloth Diapers

Cade will be a year old in just a few days. And Austin will be three in February.
And we have used disposable diapers since day one....
When I think about all the money that was used to buy those diapers- I cringe!
Austin has no interest in potty training as of this week- I know that next week could be a different story. If I had to make an educated guess, I'd say Austin will be in diapers for around another 6 months, and Cade will use diapers for another year and a half.
I am quite sure I want to make the switch to cloth diapers. At the end of two years, with cloth diapers, we will have saved $1000.
That's a lot of money.

My questions:
Is the money saved worth the laundry?
What kind of cloth diapers do you recommend?
What's the best bang for your buck?
Where do you buy?
What laundry soap do you use?

I want to jump right in this, but with all the options out there, I want to be sure I'm making the best decisions.

Ready for some football?

Down. Set. Hike!

Austin runs the ball...

Cade, ready to recieve the pass...

Someone needs to tell Cade that its a GOOD thing to have the ball...

Got Cookie?

Friends of ours went on a short trip this weekend. I was slightly envious, because they were going here. But I quickly got over my envy, when they asked if we would keep their dog, Cookie, while they were gone. Of course, I said, "YES!"
Cookie is a sweet, loving dog. She loves to play, loves to cuddle, and is very tolerant of children. If our friends would let us have her, she'd live with me forever...
We've had so much fun with Cookie this weekend. Every morning, Austin would wake up so excited to have a puppy dog in the house. And he'd exclaim his excitement so loud that he'd wake his brother. And every night, there were tears as we tucked Austin in to bed, because he wasn't ready to end his day of playing with Cookie Dog. Cade has found a best friend. He'd giggle and chase after Cookie all day long.
I am not quite sure how we'll cope when we give Cookie Dog back to her family. At least, she'll just be right down the street....

Here's proof that...

Cade can stand. All by himself...

Cade will be lost without his new furry friend...

Austin, our Wild Man, really does have a gentle spirit...

Austin really does have a mohawk...

And lastly, here's proof that it may just be time for our family to grow...


a puppy may be in our near future...