Gingerbread Houses

Usually the day after Thanksgiving, all the ladies on Craig's side of the family get together and do a big cookie bake. It is always fun, but at the end of the day we are exhausted! So this year, we decided to switch things up and let the boys make gingerbread houses.

They had a great time using their creativity, getting sticky, sneaking candy and frosting and creating a gingerbread house to call their own. However, Hunter was disappointed in me that I couldn't do the fancy piping shown in the picture. I was doing it wrong, but somehow Jen convinced him that his house was cooler than the house in the picture and nobodies would be like his. (Thank you by the way!) He settled for that.

It was a fun activity and hope it will be a tradition that will continue throughout the years to come. And to see the progress made throughout the years. Maybe one day Hunter and I will get the fancy piping down.

The finished product.

A Thanksgiving to Remember

Well, as I said before, we hosted our first Thanksgiving ever. I was a little worried, didn't know what to expect, didn't know how to make a turkey or dressing but, it went amazing! Our first turkey was a success and so delicious. I'm serious. Everyone said so...and I even tried it myself. And, it wasn't just a little turkey...we decided to go big or go home and made a 24 pound turkey!!! That's right! It was the biggest one I could find at the grocery store. And thank goodness we did because we ended up having 24 guests at our house ranging from 6 months-well...I won't give that age away :)

Craig carving the turkey.

It was a great time to see aunts, uncles, and cousins that I don't get to see everyday. We are lucky to see eachother once a year. My dad comes from a family with 9 children, so it is hard to get a big group of us all together now that we're spread out across the country. Well, world once I think about it. I had one cousin travel from Colorado and another who surprised all of us, including her parents and siblings, and came from Israel!!! So amazing to see them again!

We had a great time with many laughs, sharing stories-some new some old, great food and great company. I will never forget this Thanksgiving and am so thankful to have such an amazing family who support me and love me for who I am. Thank you to all of you who came and made this day possible!
When I was putting Hunter down to bed Thanksgiving night, I asked him if he had fun. He told me he did. I asked him what he thought of my cousins (it has been about 3 years since he has seen most of them). He told me, "Mom, they're really nice, but they're really wild!" Haha! I think he said it perfectly! But that is a good thing. When we are together, we know how to have fun and the room is always filled with laughter. And saying good-bye is always hard. We never know when we'll all be together again. It seems as if all of our lives are so busy now. But we fully take advantage of the MN good-bye, and nobody walks out of the house without 3 hugs from everyone. It has taken Craig awhile to get used to this...well, he might not be yet, but he's learning. At least he knows to expect it now. Oh! And we always try to take a cousin picture. But good luck trying to get all of us looking decent in a picture. We're too busy laughing and talking. Oh well, we have fun doing it! And this is proof:

Considering how many of us there were, this is pretty good!

"Serious" picture.

"Crazy" picture. I think this one sums us up pretty well.

Wish Me Luck!

Well, some may say I'm crazy, and maybe they're kind of right, but this year I am taking on hosting my first Thanksgiving! I'm slightly nervous since I have never made a turkey before, but very excited!!! If weather cooperates, it is looking like we will have anywhere from 20-25 relatives here. I'm totally up for the challenge because I love to entertain. And I can't wait to see my loved ones-some that I haven't seen for awhile.
So, wish me luck as I attempt my first turkey, make the other fixings and try to keep my house clean from the daily tornado that comes through about 5X a day! May you all have a blessed Thanksgiving and if you are traveling, please be safe!

Conferences

Tonight I had Hunter's first preschool conference. Wow, that doesn't even seem possible! It seems like just the other day he was running around in diapers toddling around. I am realizing that time is going by way too fast and my little boy is growing up.
Ok, so I already knew that, but tonight really put it into perspective. Going into the conference I was a little nervous. What would she have to say? Was he well-behaved? Does he pay attention? Will she tell me that I really need to be doing more of something to get him more on track? Does he listen? Does he respect her and his classmates? Normal things that run through a parents mind...I think. I figured that we would be ok on most accounts, but yes, believe it or not, Hunter can be a bit of a stinker and likes to cause some trouble. He's not always the best listener. After cleaning his room up he informs me that it is too clean and we should mess it up again. He is a boy after all. After opening the conference with a prayer, Hunter's teacher asked me if I had any questions or concerns. My response was, "Well, I don't really know. Should I? I feel like he's doing ok, but you're the one who sees him here."
She assured me that Hunter is doing very well in school. She also told me that he is a joy to have in class and is always willing to help out, share, pick up, interact etc. She didn't really have any concerns for him except for continuing to build the muscles in his hand for fine motor skills. The teacher was showing me all of the progress he has made since the beginning of the school year. He only goes twice a week and has gone a total of 19 days, but in that short amount of time, he has gained so much knowledge. His writing has improved immensely. He has gone from writing H-U-scribble-scribble-scribble-T-scribble to writing H-U-N-T-E-R. He drew a picture of himself at the beginning of the year. To be honest, when she showed it to me, I had no idea what I was looking at. I saw a circle and some lines. That's about it. Then she showed me another picture that he drew of himself last week. This time, he had eyes, hair, a mouth, nose, fingers, feet...you name it! Amazing!
Sometimes it makes me sad to think how fast he is growing up. Don't get me wrong, I am excited for him and can't wait for what lies ahead in the future for him. It is just that I know I will never get these days back and cherish every moment with him and Brody. I am so thankful that I am able to stay home with them and watch them each day of their lives.
I know that this is the first of many conferences to come. I hope that in the years to come they continue to be this positive. Keep up the good work, Hunter!

Coyotes

This morning I woke up to the sound of coyotes howling. "Ahhhhoooooooo!" It was a loud, long yip. One that seemed very familiar. And then, as I wiped the sand from my eyes and my thought process became more clear, I realized how I knew that sound. No, it wasn't from the coyotes that live near my in-laws. The sound was coming from right outside my room by a little coyote named Hunter.

My door opened and Hunter ran in yelling, "Mom! There's a coyote here! I need my gun!" He grabbed the vacuum attachment and was off to get rid of the coyote once and for all. Hunter informed me that coyotes have five lives and he needed five bullets to kill it. He ran out to the living room, let out a long howl and then I heard five "gun shots" go off. Pow! Pow! Pow! Pow! Pow!

"I got him, Mom!" he yelled from the living room. "Great!" I said, wishing for just five more minutes of sleep. But I knew that wasn't happening because Hunter was up and ready to go and Brody was babbling in his crib. I'm sure the "gun shots" woke him up.

As I was pouring my bowl of cereal and Hunter was busy eating his waffle, I suddenly heard the howl again. "Ahhhhhoooooooooooo!!!!"

"Mom! Get my gun! I must have missed him with a shot! He's using one of his lives again!"

One more Pow! took care of that coyote once and for all. It was an entertaining start to my morning, that is for sure.

Can you tell that Craig's hunting group got a coyote this past deer season? No wonder where these ideas come from!

Remotes-A man's best friend.

Honestly, why is it that all men love remotes? I just don't understand it. Do they feel as if they have a super power when it is in their possession. I mean, they are able to control one thing in life with a remote.

Whatever it is, I know that it starts at a very early age. Hunter has always loved remotes. At around a year and a half, we started to hide the remote just so we could watch something or not have the TV turned on unexpectedly or suddenly go deaf from the volume going so high in a matter of seconds. We ended up buying him a toy remote, but it wasn't good enough. It had to be the real thing.

Brody is now at that age where the remote is so fascinating. With a push of a button, he can change something and he loves it. You can see pure delight in his eyes if the channel changes. Laughter fills the room if the volume sky rockets. If he could pick a favorite toy, he would probably choose the remote...but not the toy one.

We have now gotten to the point that we need to hide the remote. If you are ever over and looking for the remote, check on top of the couch behind the cushion. 95% of the time, it will be there. This morning Hunter was watching a cartoon after breakfast. After picking out what show he wanted to watch, he said, "Mom! Quick! Hide the remote before Brody gets it." I couldn't help but laugh. He then told me that it wasn't funny. Kids.

Tonight, Brody was walking around with the remote. He was talking on it like it was his phone and pointing it to the TV trying to see what cool trick he could do next. He is so proud when he is in control with it. Probably because he is the youngest and when the remote is in his hands, it is the one thing he has total control over. Some days I wonder why we even bother to have toys around.

Burt's Bees

For those of you who have tried Burt's Bees, you know that it is addicting- especially this time of year when your lips begin to get that chapped feeling. I know for me, I keep my Burt's close by and use it multiple times throughout the day.
I remember my first time using it. A couple of my friend's swore up and down that it was so much better than Chap Stick. I didn't know if I could convert. But, I tried it. At first I thought it was a little weird, tingly, but yet at the same time, refreshing. So, I continued and now I'm hooked.
Last night I was sitting on the couch watching TV while Hunter was playing tractors at the kitchen table. Then Hunter walked into the living room with this strange look on his face. It was the look of Mom, I did something wrong by the slight smirk on his face but also mixed with the look that something was not right and he needed help. I asked him what was wrong instantly. I didn't hear anything out of the ordinary, he wasn't upset or crying, but I knew this wasn't a typical Hunter expression. Unless of course he did something he wasn't supposed to do.
He told me his lips felt really weird. And he kept licking them. Hmm...weird I thought. Then he said, "Yea, and I'm pretty sure a bee stung my tongue because it doesn't feel right. It feels like the bee is still in there stinging my tongue. Not hard, but just a little bit. It's kind of poking me. I think I'm allergic to bees." The lightbulb went off in my head! I asked him if he used my chapstick, and he nodded. We walked over to the island in the kitchen and sure enough there was my Burt's Bees with the cap off.
My guess is he put a fair amount on his lips because there is now a slight indentation from him and he asked if we could go to the bathroom and wash it off. I guess this is a lesson learned on his part not to use other people's things without asking.

Brothers and Best Friends

Tonight I was doing the typical mom thing- laundry. It was time to switch loads and Brody was finishing up a couple of raisins in his high chair and Hunter was busy making me a cake out of play-doh. You know, they are my favorite.

From downstairs, while I was switching the clothes from the washer to dryer, I could hear Hunter talking away, but that wasn't anything new. I figured he was saying he needed some flour, sugar, eggs, and whatever else he could think of to put in a cake. After starting the dryer, I headed back upstairs, but stood in awe about 3/4 of the way up.
Hunter was not making me a cake. He had pulled up a stool and was sitting next to Brody's high chair. I could tell Hunter was talking to him because they looked like two little old men chatting away, but I didn't know what it was all about. Hunter quickly turned around and said, "Hey Mom! I'm teaching Brody how to talk! He's doing it! It's so cool! You have to come up here!!"

I went over to the two of them and Brody had the biggest grin on his face. Brody was speaking "Brody" and Hunter was trying to teach him some basic English. Then, Brody went in for the grab on Hunter's glasses. Oh man, I thought. Hunter will get upset and quickly grab them back and say "They're mine!" But no. Hunter just smiled and said, "Brody, be careful and then put them back on me." To my surprise, Brody did exactly what Hunter had told him to. The two of them really do have a special bond.

It was such a sweet little moment. If only I could have captured it on film. Hunter is such a good big brother to Brody and is so patient with him (well....most of the time). I hope that this continues throughout the years to come and they become the best of friends. It is so fun watching them interact more and more with eachother and the love that they truly have for one another.

Good-bye Coffee Table

Last weekend, we had to say good-bye to our coffee table. I will admit, it is nice having the extra space in our living room for the boys to run around in, but do miss it. But not to worry, it's not forever.

Brody has decided that the coffee table is a wonderful stage, place to dance, place to sit, and even body slam. It's true! He would back up to the edge and then fall forward, kind of like a belly flop, onto the table. He thought it was hilarious. I on the other hand did not. So, before something horrible happened, we have relocated the coffee table to the basement in the spare bedroom.

It got to be so bad that I couldn't even do the dishes without turning around and finding him on top. Then, to make matters worse, Hunter started going on top of it. He figured if Brody could, he could. Hunter started jumping off of it and everything. Yikes! At least Brody didn't figure that part out.

So, for now it sits. But I don't think our problem is solved. Brody is a climber. He loves it. I have caught him on the window sill in our living room. He uses the baskets for his toys and books as a ladder. And now...wait for it! He is pulling out the chairs at the dining room table and can get up on them. But wait, it gets better. Today my dad was watching the boys and when I got home was told that Brody made it on top of the kitchen table!!!! Oh my goodness! Mild heart-attack! I will have to keep a close eye on him because we all know there is no way I can hide the kitchen table and chairs.

To Blog? Or not to Blog?

For awhile now, I have wanted to post a blog. I just didn't want people to feel like I was copying them or doing what everyone else was doing. And I'm not. I am doing this for me.

When I was in middle school, I found a love for journaling and it helped me through some of the hardest days of my life. A part of me misses it. I had fun doing it and it helped me collect my thoughts from the day.

Now, as a mom of two, I don't want to forget the little stories, the little moments. People always tell me to "write it down", but honestly, I forget by the time I'm off of the phone or get home. Some days I feel like I have a million things that need to get done by bedtime and I don't have time to jot it down. But, I don't want these memories to slip away. Some are funny! Milestones! The little things in life usually matter the most. Sometimes, I just want to call someone and tell them all the cute things Hunter says or the new things Brody is doing. I just don't have the time! Or, I think of it as I'm falling asleep.

So, my hope for this blog is to capture the little moments in time that I won't get back. A way to share with all of you the current events in our life and a way to share with Craig while he is on the road. I don't have enough time on the phone with him to tell him everything and when he calls, I am exhausted and say "Yep. We had a good day. Good, but busy."

Sometimes I just need a place to go to vent about something. Ramble on about something that might not make sense, but if I get it out, I feel better inside. So, there may be some of that too. Who knows!

I'm excited about this. I'm not sure how often I will post, but hope to often. Hopefully it doesn't turn out to be boring, but if so, oh well. It is my space to write down the things that matter the most to me.