A Case of the Double Undies

In our house lately, we have been experiencing multiple cases of the double undies.  What exactly are the double undies, you ask?  Good question.  It is a term that I have come up with...I think.  Who knows, maybe it does exist elsewhere.  But, the double undies is when your son is so independent he likes to dress himself.  Don't get me wrong.  It's a good thing.  You lay out his outfit for the day that consists of a clean pair of undies, a shirt and shorts/pants.  What's the problem with that, you may ask?  Well, you see in order to get a case of the double undies, my son ignores the fact that he should take off his dirty undies and replace them with the clean ones.  Instead, he places the clean pair over the dirty pair and voila! he's ready for the day.  I usually check him to make sure he took the dirty ones off, but every now and then I forget and we have a day with a case of the double undies.  It's weird and I know it's just a phase, but really, it is just plain funny.

Copy Cat

Apparently Brody has gotten to be quite the funny boy lately, because a lot of my posts have been about him.  Today we were at Craig's parents and were outside running off some energy.  Well, I was standing there wishing I had the energy the boys have, and they were running off theirs.  Really, where do they get it all from?

I noticed their cat, was eating grass.  We told her to stop because it usually makes her sick.  Brody took notice as to what Maddie (the cat) was doing and decided that he should try too.  The grass had just been watered by the sprinklers and Brody thought it would be great to lick the water off of the blades of grass.  Gross.  We told him to stop, but he thought it was pretty funny an apparently didn't taste too bad.

He continued to run around, but before we left snuck in a couple more licks of water from the grass.  Copy cat?  I think so.

Tree Kisser

I know you have all heard of a tree-hugger, but have you ever heard of a tree-kisser?  Meet Brody, the tree-kisser.  Because every tree needs a little love.

NKOTBSB

Yes, those seven letters can only mean one thing-New Kids on the Block/Backstreet Boys!!  I know, don't be jealous as hard as that may be.  Last Friday, I was able to make my elementary/middle school dreams come true by going to the Backstreet Boys concert!  And let's just say it was amazing!!  Those boys can still sing and dance!!  New Kids on the Block were there too, however I didn't know too many of their songs.  I was a little young when they were the hot boy band.  It was a great night out on the town with my great friend, Kiley and her mom Bonnie chaperoned us.  It really was just like we were in middle school. 

After an afternoon of shopping, we went downtown and had supper at Ichiban's.  It was my first time there and the food was amazing!  Be prepared to spend a pretty penny if you go there, but it is so fun and neat and something you have to do once to experience it.

 Here they are! NKOTBSB!!

 NKOTB

BSB

 The gang together again at the end of the concert.  These guys put on a great show and it ended up being 3.5 hours long!!

Must Be 18 or Older

This is not what you think.  So don't worry!!

Today we had the TV on to escape the heat and humidity.  I like the heat...the humidity, not so much.  It feels like I'm about to suffocate.  And I think I'd tolerate it more if it was sunny vs. this gray cloudy looking stuff.  But, now I am getting sidetracked from my story.

As I was saying, we were watching TV...Disney or Nick, I can't remember, but it is amazing how they market things to kids.  I swear every other commercial is about the newest, coolest toy.  And then you have the great infomercials where they try to sell a product.  The newest is the Happy Napper.  In my opinion it is pretty much like a pillow pet, but called something completely different in order to convince kids that they need that too.  And of course, at the end of each of these commercials they say, "Must be 18 or older to order".

Let's just say my 5 year old is very upset about this.  He has no clue why they show kids these cute and fun new toys, but you have to be 18 or older to order.  He told me they are so mean and that the people who made them must hate (and we are not allowed to use that word in our house, so I know how strongly he must feel about this subject) kids because it is something a kid would like, but yet, you have to be 18 in order to have it.  He is downright disgusted with the makers of this product and can't wait until he is 18 to get a Happy Napper.

I tried explaining that it was because the mom's and dad's have the money to pay for it, so then he thought I should order one.  But, to save some money, I might just let him think that you really do have to be 18 or older to have those very special toys.  Mean?  Maybe a little.  But really, he already has more toys than a boy would ever need.

Black-Eyed Brody

Two years old and this kid is already getting in fights...ok, not really.  But he does have a nasty looking black eye.  Yesterday, Brody and Hunter were wild childs running around the house and ended up taking off the couch cushion.  Brody went up on the couch because without the cushion it is like a trampoline.  One jump later, he was jumping down, but didn't jump out far enough.  (No, they aren't allowed to jump on the couch, but I was distracted with something and didn't get to the couch in time to put the cushion back on.)  He hit his eyelid on the edge of the couch and now has this beautiful shiner.

Yeah.  I'm pretty tough with my black-eye.

Goodnight Moon

Hands down, "Goodnight Moon" is the bedtime story of choice in this household.  Pretty sure I could say it by heart to you, but I won't bore you.  It is so simple, but such a great way to say goodnight to the world.  While Craig was home, he had the joy of reading the boys their bedtime stories.  I think you can tell by Brody's expression that he thoroughly enjoyed being in his Daddy's lap.

Precious.  It's moments like these that make you wish they would last forever.



Choo-Choo! Brody is Two!

This past weekend, we had Brody's 2nd birthday party.  We decided to do a train themed party because this little guy loves trains!  Yes, I am a nerd and like to theme my son's birthday parties.  I think we picked the perfect theme for him!  We had a great time celebrating with our family and Brody got more than enough toys to last him through the year.  He is one boy who is loved very much!

 Brody at his party.

 Who doesn't love jell-o?  I scored a sweet deal on a box of 101 cookie cutters at Jo-Ann Fabrics for just over $11.  So, we now have cookie cutters for any occasion.  Don't be too jealous.

 Brody's amazing cake.  I wish I could take the credit for this one, but I can't.  One of my former teacher's daughter created this beast.  It was definitely the hit of the party.  If you want her info, let me know.  The details were so impressive.  And it was so nice not having to stress about making a cake, coming up with a design and taking away time with the boys and Craig.  I think this might be the route to go in the future.

Simply amazing.  I had a hard time cutting into it because it looked too good to eat.

 Brody's favorite part of opening presents-tissue paper.  It's the little things that matter.

 Trains, trains and more trains!  He is in train heaven!

 The birthday boy and his cake!

 Make a wish!

 Mmmm!  Who knew eating a train would taste this good!

 Cake Face.

After the party, this lucky little guy got to go to our town's parade.  We walked down and enjoyed watching all the fire trucks and got lots of candy!  Perfect ending to a great party!  Thank you to all of you who made this day special for him and those who sent your wishes!

Happy Birthday, Brody!

Brody is our little miracle.  At the beginning of our pregnancy, we were told that he was too small and that his chance of survival was 30%.  It was heartbreaking.  We tried to mentally prepare ourselves for a miscarriage, as much as we could.  But, as the pregnancy progressed, it was determined that my schedule was off and that he would be a normal healthy little boy.  Although, we were thrown for another loop in April of 2009 when we were told that he would be a girl.  I'm telling, doctors don't know everything.  At 10:26 AM on July 10, 2009, our precious little boy was born

It is hard to believe that it has been two years since we welcomed little Brody Augustine into the world.  He was a beautiful boy weighing in at 7 pounds 15 ounces with a full head of dark hair.  He was perfect and our little Texan.  In a million years, I never would have guessed that I would have a baby born in Texas.  But we like him that way and are so happy he is a part of our lives.  Happy Birthday Brody!!  We love you! 

 Our first picture of Brody

 Brody and I in the hospital

Our family of four.

Fourth of July

Our fourth of July was filled with Patriotic food.

A parade filled with cute little boys who looked like colonial soldiers.

 And time on the lake.

It was a very fun and relaxing 4th.  Hopefully you were able to do something fun to celebrate our freedom in this wonderful country we live in!

Third of July

We had a weekend full of festivities.  On the third of July we headed of to my friend Kiley's house.  We had a great time playing in the lake, watching fireworks, and hanging out with friends.

 Hunter, Liam and Brody playing in the lake.

 Doug getting the fireworks prepped.

Amazing fireworks!!  We were right under them.  Brody was terrified, but Hunter loved them.  I think if he would have had it his way, he would have been lighting the fuses.  Brody and I ended up watching most of the fireworks from inside, but still were able to have a great time.

Fun, but Scary Adventure.

I decided that I wanted to get out of town and do something fun on my anniversary since Craig wasn't around.  So, my sister-in-law and I packed up the boys and headed to Munsinger Gardens in St. Cloud.  It was a very hot, humid, sunny day so it wasn't busy at all.  Craig and I had been there- once the day after our wedding- and it was very busy, as I recall.  We didn't feel rushed to move on to the next flower by people behind us, which was so nice.  If you have never been there, it is worth checking out.  It's free and open to the public and the flowers and fountains are gorgeous.

I loved the details of this fountain.

The rose gardens were in full bloom.

 So pretty and peaceful.

The boys and I next to the Mighty Mississippi.  Who knew?

After a gorgeous afternoon at the gardens, we took the boys to Space Aliens for supper.  I have to live up to Hunter calling me the "best mom ever", so I figured he would enjoy that over Olive Garden or something like that.  Luckily, Space Aliens also has great food.  After eating and spending some time in the arcade and picking our prizes out, we headed to the car.  It was raining just a little bit and the sky looked a little dark.  A complete 180 from the earlier weather.  We got to the car, turned around and the sky behind us was green.  My stomach turned!  It was not a pretty sight.  Melissa and I decided that we'll get in the car and hope to drive out of it.  Less than two blocks down the road, the tornado sirens started to sound and the wind and rain picked up immensely.  Scary!  We pulled over on the next street and parked in a BP Gas Station.  We headed inside with the boys and got drenched.  Hunter was terrified (well, we all were...except Brody) and was in tears and literally trembling.  He tried really hard convincing him that it was just Jesus, but his fear got the best of him.

Brody and I after running in from the storm.  We were just a little wet.

After sitting in the gas station for half an hour and 2 tornado sirens later, we decided that the storm had passed and we would be safe.  We made a pit stop at Kohl's to buy new clothes for the boys so they would be comfortable on the way home.  We listened to a radio station where people were calling in reporting damage around the area.  It made our stomachs sick.  Roads flooded.  Trees in the roads.  Fires from lightning.  Stuff that only happens during serious storms.  We started towards the freeway and about half a mile down the road from the gas station we saw trees snapped in half.  It was so close to us!  It was later reported that a weak tornado did pass through very close to the area we were.  Thankfully God was with us and protected us.

Let's just say, I will never forget my 5th anniversary, it was a fun, yet adventurous day.

Five Years

It is so hard to believe that five years have passed since I married my best friend and love of my life.  I guess the old saying is true-time flies when you're having fun.  And also that fact that we have been so busy the past five years.  In a way, it feels as if it was just the other day that my dad was walking me down the aisle towards Craig to give me away and we became one.  We became a family.  But at the same time, I feel like we have been married for years and we know so much about each other.  Things one only knows about a person after being together for a very, very long time.

I am sure people thought we were crazy for getting married.  Yea, we were a little.  I was 19.  He was 21.  We had just had Hunter 7 weeks before our wedding.  I know, a little backwards, but it worked.  But we knew from very on in our relationship that what we had was real.  Sure, we were in high school and still had the rest of our lives ahead of us when we met, but there was just something about us that clicked and as we got to know each other more and more, we knew we didn't want to be apart.  We knew that we were meant to be with one another.  Forever.

What have our first five years of marriage consisted of?  A lot.  We have been blessed with two beautiful boys.  We cannot imagine our lives without them and they really do make our family feel complete. We have purchased our first home.  This was huge for us especially after all of our moves across the country.  In five years, we have moved six times-but really, who's counting?  Even though Craig is still on the road still moving around and isn't here very often, we are so thankful to have a place to call our own.  A place we are proud of.  A place that feels like home and not just a house/apartment.  These are two of our biggest accomplishments.

What do I love about our marriage after five years?  We can still make each other laugh.  I get his dry sense of humor.  He gets my corny sense of humor and sarcasm-not everyone does.  I hope this continues in the years to come.  We can cry together.  I don't have to be afraid of hiding my true feelings.  We have maintained a friendship.  We're not just married, we are each other's best friends.  He is my go-to person when I need to talk to someone.  He is the one I can trust with anything.  We make the most of our time together.  Even though it is so hard having him away for three weeks at a time, it is also a blessing.  It makes us realize what we have and enjoy every minute of time we get together.  And I love that we are more in love than we were five years ago when we said, "I will".  I never thought that I could love him more than I did that day, but each day, I fall deeper in love with him.  God truly made us for each other.

So even though we aren't able to spend our anniversary together (hopefully next year!) and it makes me a little sad, I know that he is thinking of me and I of him and know that I have a man who loves me and our boys and is willing to make the sacrifice to work away on the road in order to provide for our family.  And that makes me happy and proud to call him my husband.  Craig, I love you so much and these have been the best five years of my life.  Sure, they've been a little crazy and we've had our ups and downs, but I wouldn't have it any other way.  I can't wait to see what the next 60+ years bring.  Yes, it's possible.  Happy Anniversary, Lover and I can't wait to see you next weekend!

Here are some of my favorite pictures from our wedding day: 

 Our first time seeing eachother all dressed up on our wedding day.

 Lighting our Unity Candle

 On our church altar

 Pastor Meyer blessing our marriage.

 Finally married!! 

 Sharing one of our first kisses together.

And who can forget our yummy dessert reception?