Vacation

I am on vacation for the next two weeks.  I want to think about the direction of my blog and maybe you'll see some changes here after that.  I also want to focus on my anniversary and birthday with my family.  So until then, I'll still be around and available, but I won't be blogging.

See you in June!

Brotherly Kisses

I turned around and caught sight of Will leaning on Evan's highchair to give him a kiss the other day.  It was so precious I grabbed the camera to catch the moment.  Brothers=love.  So very special :)  It just gives me warm fuzzies all over.

Check out the Diaper Diaries for more Things I love Thursday.

(Bet none of them are as sweet as this though :)

A Tribute to my Husband

Today is my handsome husband's birthday.  He is turning 32.  In honor of this momentous occasion, I thought I would post 16 (half of 32) things I love about him :)  These are all from THIS LIST I made for him one year.  I was going to post 32, but it's midnight & I'm tired...

1.  My husband is the most grateful person in the world.  Seriously, he thanks me for little things or things I don't think he notices.  He really challenges me in this area cause he is so much more content than I am.

2.  His voice.  He is an amazing vocalist, but even just hearing him talk makes me smile :)

3.  His wittiness.  He is SO clever it kills me.  One line quips that are hysterical = my hubby.

4.  Related to number 3, his sense of humor.  My husband can make me laugh so hard!

5.  How patient he is with people.  He plays the same game over and over and over with Will and never get impatient with him or stops until Will loses interest.  It is so neat to watch them play together.

6.  How smart he is - my husband is so amazingly talented & smart.   He knows how to do EVERYTHING.  I'm not kidding.  He really does!

7.  How he is sensitive to my feelings.  This especially means a lot to me when I'm PMSing :)

8.  How excited he gets when he has an idea.  He gets really enthusiastic & it's contagious.

9.  How persistent and hard-working he is.  He worked for YEARS to build our house while also working full-time.  It's amazing to me.

10.  I love how my husband shares his worries and concerns with me.  I try and ask him occasionally what I can pray for him & he is always so open with me.

11.  How his dream is not to be rich or important, but to own his own business and work at home.

12.  How he treats his mom.  This is something I noticed and liked before we got married.  He shows such respect/love for his mother.  How could I not fall in love with my man?

13.  How he calls me every day on his lunch break.  Even if we have nothing much to tell each other, just having him think of me & connect with me is so awesome.

14.  How he is always willing to help others.  If someone needs something done or help with something, my husband is the one they call.  Because he knows how to do it & because he is always willing.

15.  How he kisses me at stoplight/stop signs.  This was something we started when we were engaged & I love how he still does it!

16.  His heart for Christ.  My husband loves the Lord & everyone who knows him knows that.

I love you so much honey!  You are the best husband anyone could ever wish for.  I'm so grateful to God for giving you to me!  Happy Birthday <3

My hubby's birthday cake

My handsome husband's birthday is tomorrow.  We are going on a date :)  Probably to go snag a bunch of birthday freebies and go to a movie.  However, I was brought up with the philosophy that birthdays are very important and the bigger you can make them, the better.  So today Will & I are making his daddy's birthday cake.  If you have an Oreo lover in your life, I definitely recommend this cake :)  It's the Cookies & Creme cake from the Chocolate Cake Mix Doctor by Anne Byrn.  I adore this book.  Each recipe starts with a cake mix & doctors it up into something special.  Plus, I can't tell you how many times I have used this book just for her fabulous fillings/icings/frostings/chocolate sauce recipes.

I will update this post later with a picture of the cake when we've finished...stay tuned :)

For more great recipes, you should know the drill by now - visit Blessed with Grace & Balancing Beauty & Bedlam for delicious recipes.  I know I usually find at least two a week that I MUST try that week!

Cleaning

After I put Will to bed the other night it was very quiet so I figured he had gone to sleep.  A little while later he started calling me.  I opened the door and he handed me a diaper.  A dirty diaper.  From the trash.  That he had opened.  And FINGER PAINTED with.

I discovered something that day.  I can handle blood, vomit, and even blowout diapers with no trouble.  But I have a LOT of trouble cleaning up poop the second time after my son has played in it.  D.I.S.C.U.S.T.I.N.G.

I cleaned up Will's hands, changed his clothes, cleaned the walls, floor, and trash can, but when I came to the lid of the trash I was done.  It was beyond gross.  I ended up throwing it into the front yard for the rain to wash it off.  (Yeah, I'll bet it looked weird, but I was done.)  This is what it looked like when I first saw it.  (Those with weak stomachs should look away now)  Nasty huh?

Having fun...

I made a "virtual me" on Caress' website.  I only wish I looked this good :)  Really makes me want leather pants though...

Found this fun game via the IE Mommy.  She has partnered with Caress for a great giveaway going on right now...if you're interested :)

Other than the incredibly great body, expensive clothes/accessories, & perfect skin...this pretty much looks like me :p  It's fun to play with anyways.

Elmo

I found this at the grocery store the other day & impulsively purchased it thinking it might be useful.  I AM SO GLAD I DID!  My son, being a typical two-year-old boy falls down a lot.  Before it was sometimes difficult to distract him/calm him down from being upset.

Today he fell pretty hard and smacked his head.  No injuries or anything, just a little bump & a very upset kid.  So we pulled out Elmo.  He calmed down almost instantly & put Elmo on "to kiss the owie" for longer than I can usually keep ice on him.

I decided today that I love Elmo :)

To read things that other people love, or include your own, visit the Diaper Diaries for Things I love Thursday.

Balancing Hubby & Kids

I was all set to post part 3 of my Discipline series, but Janeen of Christian Frugal Mama started a new carnival: Wednesday Wifehood & I really want to participate!

How do you keep your husband as the top priority when your children are little?  This is a constant struggle, at least for me.  You know the old proverb "a squeaky wheel gets the grease?"  Well, kids can be a very squeaky wheel!  Here are some things I try to do on a regular basis to remind my husband that he is the most important person in my life.  After all, my kids will eventually grow up & leave me, but my husband will be with me for the rest of our lives.

1.  As soon as my husband walks in the door, I try to stop what I am doing and kiss him, ask him how his day went, & offer him something to drink/snack on.  I want him to know that I've missed him & that his comfort is a priority to me.  I don't always do so great at this - some days I feel like he walks in the door & I start babbling about my day, but I'm trying to be better about that.

2.  Once our boys go to bed, I try to spend at least an hour of time focusing on my husband.  We've started recently exercising together & it's been such a nice quiet time to talk & reconnect.

3.  I always go to bed at the same time as my hubby.  This is a hard one for me.  My husband gets up early to go to work, so he likes to go to bed early.  I was raised a night owl & LOVE staying up late at night.  But by going to bed with him, I get to show him that I would rather be with him than do anything else.  I do sometimes stay up late & work on the computer, but only after my husband is asleep & next to him in bed (laptops are awesome).

What are some ways YOU show your husband he is The Man? 

BLT Pasta Salad

This is without a doubt my favorite salad in the whole world.  It just tastes like summer!

Wanna make your own?  This is what you'll need:

This recipe is from Taste of Home Magazine.  It's super easy - cook up a 16oz box of pasta, chop the veggies, cook & crumble the bacon, and mix it all up.  Then combine 1.25-1.50 cups mayo, 5 teaspoons vinegar, salt & pepper.  Mix into the salad & you're done.  YUM!

Want more great recipes? Head over to Tempt my tummy Tuesday at Blessed with Grace & Tasty Tuesday at Balancing Beauty & Bedlam.

Cleaning in the Rain :)

Ha, ha - okay, so my title may only amuse me, but I thought it was funny :)  Made me start to sing..."I'm cleaning in the rain, just cleaning in the rain..."  Yeah I know, I'm such a dork.  It's been raining for the past several days here and the forcast is rain for at least the next couple days :p

My handsome hubby & son washed the car this weekend.  It was so cute I just had to take pics and post them.  For those of you with amazing eyes, yes my son is using a hand broom as a scrubber.  It works really well!

Watercolors!

It was rainy outside all day today.  So we painted with watercolors.  Will LOVES to paint.  I stayed really close to him the entire time and he (thankfully) kept the paint on the paper/table/himself.

The recipe for the paint was incredibly easy and non-toxic.  Good thing too, cause of course the first thing Will did was taste it!

The fizzing action of this paint is awesome - every little boy (& probably girl) will think it's the coolest thing ever :)

Non-toxic Watercolor Paint

3 tablespoons cornstarch

1 1/2 teaspoons corn syrup

3 tablespoons baking soda

3 tablespoons vinegar

small containers & food coloring

We made four different colors: blue, yellow, orange, and green.  Although after Will got tired of painting he combined colors all into one very green color.  We hung the pictures up in the window to dry.  Aren't they so festive & spring?