Strollin'

Micah is really into pushing things...especially this pink stroller. Real men aren't afraid of pink. :)

I just think he is so cute out there. He really thinks he is one of the big kids. Even takes off running across the street. Another mom and I joke that we need a sign posted at the corner that says "Inattentive Parents...Please Slow Down!" HA! I love our street and all the kids on it and thankful most of the neighbors find humor in 15 kids running around the middle of the street while all the moms look up and yell "CAR!" stop! get to the side!"
Good times indeed.
 

Park and Play Dates

You know the trouble with having two cameras {again with the #first world problems ;)} is I completely forget to download my point and shoot in any sort of timely fashion. So when I finally did today this is what I found:

Park and Play Date pictures!

Swingin'

 Climbin'

 Lady Bug Ridin'

 Followed by more climbin'

With a friend's 40th Birthday Party Date Night thrown in.

 It was at a local air strip/diner. Small air crafts can just fly in for a burger...how crazy is that.

Some people even live in hangers out there. It was awesome.

Play date ridin' with a bestie

  4 wheelin' with another bestie

 clowin' around

jumpin'

 

 Big boy ridin'

 First Kisses.

 

Another playdate with Avery at a really cool local park. 

Chillin'

More swingin'

And now I am off to get Micah up since apparently napping isn't cool today...he flipped his morning nap the bird and now his afternoon nap is apparently not on his agenda. Never mind the fact that I could barely keep him awake the last two minutes of our drive home because he was so tired from this morning's park adventure...sigh. Early to bed tonight is all I can say!

Miscellany Monday

Ok first of all who hates the new blogger layout? Um, ME! I am barely computer literate anyway and now this. And so far I have escaped FB timeline upgrade, not sure how much longer I will be using the old school version before I get the bump, but I don't like it one bit. {This may be one of the #first world problems. HA!}

I really feel like my life is BOR-RING! This weekend's fun consisted of installing ceiling fans in the kids' rooms. Well mostly Chad did it. It was a project that was suppose to be 2 hours tops. The box even said "5 minutes" BAHAHAHA!  It took Chad 4 days just to do MW's. Now in his defense we kept running into road blocks, not having the right tools and Micah's nap/sleep schedule. It was so frustrating but in the end we got 'er done.  Yay Chad!!

I spent all day uploading scrapbook pages to order...again a project that should have taken 10 minutes to me the better part of the afternoon. I told you not computer literate. Sigh. But it is done and they should be here in a few days. This company, Persnickety Prints, is AMAZING. You should definitely check them out for photo needs. Plus, maybe it will get me motivated to get 2012 going...uh! I hate being behind.

Lo and I did managed to sneak out for a bit and watch a little friend at her gymnastic meet! It was so fun, makes me want to re-live my glory days, but then my back started aching and well glory days are officially over now. HA! Lo is so ready to start gymnastics this month and I can't wait to see her in action! MW even is learning how to do a somersault and handstand!! For real this boy is strong, just like his mommy. Every day I realize more and more I am just raising myself, so that definitely keeps my patience meter running. HA!

However, this weekend I made the.best.fajitas evah. And it was all done in my beloved crock pot. I know you are thinking that totally defeats the definition of fajitas, but jest if you like they were good and took no effort. And because I love you here is the recipe:


Crock Pot Fajitas
frozen chicken tenderloins or breast {which ever you prefer}--enough for your family-- we do 1/3 of a bag.
frozen (or fresh again what ever floats your boat) red/green bell peppers onion blend
1pkg of onion soup mix
2tsp (totally guessing here as I measure nothing and just dump) chicken bouillon

Throw everything in the crockpot and walk.away.
Cook on low 6-8 hours, high 3-4 hours
Once the chicken is cooked through and everything has been heated thoroughly (you can put ready to eat foods with raw meat as long as you cook it long and hot enough to kill any potential bacteria--fyi) shred up chicken with a fork and heap it on your tortilla.
Serve with cheese, gauc, salsa...whatever you like.

I  thought they were amazing. Let me know if you try them. :)

I guess it is good when life is low key...it just doesn't make for anything interesting to blog about. HA!

Our days are filled with nothing more than the simple joys of playing at the park, feeding ducks and evening fun with friends. All in all life is good.

Life As I Know It.

 Here is all the things in my life as I know it...riveting information that is for sure. ;)

So if you read MW's 15 month post, which not sure why you would unless your name is Grandma or Melissa then you would have realized we survived our first honest to God real tornado, this is no drill, get in your basements now, EF3 magnitude. Yep, pretty cool my friends, pretty cool. Actually I thought it was, Chad not so much. Seriously this guy had been killing me all day with watching channel 12 and Jay Prater until I wanted to punch someone in the face. IT was ridiculous.

By 830p Chad is darn near hyperventilating, because the tornado was on the OK/KS border. For real?! You woke me up for that?! {Yes, I was tired and could not stand watching Jay anymore! So to bed I went.} I got up and try to be the voice of reason. Which is funny  because usually that is his job! I really didn't think much would materialize anyway. But I was wrong. This EF3 tore through the south side of our old town and rip up a mobile home park. The weird thing about this twister is that for some reason it kept lifting up and down, so by the time it hit "Mayberry" it had pulled back up. I heard some say they could hear the "freight train" going over their house. Sort of scary.
Me. I just don't live in fear of that sort of thing. I know it would have sucked to have lost our house, but it is what it is and there was not one thing I could have done except huddle and pray with my loved ones when an "act of God" tears through your town. Again, God saw mercy for our city, and it lifted over us. PTL, because Andover was hit hard 20ish years ago, no one wanted to re-live that. So there you have it. By God's grace we and our community survived, a few trees didn't, but who cares about those anyway. ;)

However, it has been devastating to some communities. Boeing and Spirit were hit hard. These aircraft industries were already starting to cut numbers and re-locate some people...now it may be sooner?! All in all there were over 80+ tornados that touched down Saturday, more than we had all last year. Crazy.

Now, if we have another night like that, I have already told Chad I am cutting the cable and sitting him down with a 6pk and a few muscle relaxers. HA! God help me, I hate storm season. The storms I like, Chad obsessing over the radar not so much.

On an important side note: It has taught me to be more prepared about what to do "next time." We made a list of things to grab {ie cash, wallet, cell, back up hardrive:), diapers/wipes, shoes, clothes, firesafe, h2o etc.} We generally have enough warning to gather these things in plenty of time, so I don't feel like I need to have the stockpiled somewhere. 
I also learned that you need a friend or family member out side of the state/local area to be your "call person" in situations like that cell towers shut down and you can't make local calls, only out of area calls. So when everyone is frantically trying to see if you are ok they just call there. So FYI Melissa you are mine. :) Ok enough storm talk I am turning into my hubby! ;) I love you babe, and I know you are just trying to protect our family and that I appreciate!!

Bored yet?!
I am staying on the cleaning bandwagon with 4 weeks to a more organized home. I even got Chad to clean the ceiling fans for me one day! HA!

My little monkey climbing. This kid knows no boundaries.

 

We signed back up to the Y. Oh how I have missed you my beloved YMCA. Some of you may not get it because I have seen other Y, but here in our area they are better than country clubs, with amazing equipment, pools, and activities. I am so glad to be back. We went swimming at the indoor pool today. Even MW liked it. And I have a free trial personal trainer starting next Monday! I am pumped for that just so someone can tell me what to do and motivate me to do it. I need a kick to the pants, so hard to get back into the habit, but I am committed to doing it.

Micah, two seconds after I posted his 15m post is taking his schedule and tossing it! Thanks, I love change. So I decided if you can't beat 'em, join 'em. Starting tomorrow, he is in charge of cueing his schedule and we will just start from scratch...sounds like a fun new project. :)

And one last boring thing:

 This may not mean much to you, but Leighton drew this picture for her friend Brody and then signed her name {Lo} all by herself without anyone asking her to do it! I really was so proud and promptly confiscated said picture to keep. Sorry Brody, she will have to make you a new one. :)

Well it is date night tonight! Happy Wednesday!

Pretty Girl

Leighton is not a baby or even a toddler anymore. Just a pretty little girl, growing up way to fast!

PS I have been messing around with some editing actions I got from here and here. I am still learning, but editing is my favorite part.

15 Months {Watch Me Grow}

15 months eh? The months just are flying by this year, pretty sure I just did the 14m post the other day. Did you know that you are now the same age Lo was when we found out we were knocked up with you?! NO. Well you are! Seriously people how nuts is that?! It really doesn't seem possible to me.

 

Side bar: And no it is not, nor will it ever be, "time for another." I mean it is currently baby season and everyone I know is having their baby or getting prego. There is a teeny, tiny, incy, wincy, miniscule part of me that goes "ahhh, maybe..." then Micah throws his usual Micah fits and I quickly snap back to reality and remember why we are done. HA! And just to be even more clear, there are WAY more reasons as to why I/we are done besides Micah being a tough kid. I was done long before he even came into this world. I digress...

Anyway, you are definitely full of life and energy. All boy and very willful. God help me raise him up to be willful for your kingdom. I definitely love you, and even though I thought I never, ever wanted to be a "boy mom" I actually really love it and look forward to baseball and soccer days, or whatever you do.

Milestones: Again not a lot has really changed, you are just getting more independent day by day. You definitely have an opinion on things and sort of quirky. Oh and you survived your first tornado {according to the news this morning it was an EF3 that rolled through}!! It got really bad here on Saturday {I missed the # this AM, but it was over 66 touched down throughout the day, we only had 66 for the whole year last year!}, praise God it skimmed on by, literally! 
Still only have 5 teeth broken through and a 6th on its way. 4.5 up top and 2 on bottom.

Language Skills: Unlike your sissy at this age you are quite the talker. Maybe others can't fully understand your "words" oh but I do. You now say "nuh nuh" {No}, "giafe" {giraffe}, "cacker" {cracker}, "up", "wawa" {water}, "boom" and "mamama!!" Yay for finally saying mama! Of course I am a tad sick of hearing it already since my kids only say it to nag at me about something, can't be all sweet like "dada" or "DAH!!!" as you like to say. Oh well, such is the life of a mommy. :)

Attack of Micahzilla!

Eating: self feeding more with an actual fork, spoon and plate! Seldom do you feel the need to throw it on the floor. You know unless it is the day I finally sweep and mop the floor, then you feel the need to toss yogurt everywhere and dump a full bowl of cheerios, just to make sure I remember who is boss. ;)

However, you are starting this new thing, where you need to eat IN my lap. This is one of the few things I remember Lo doing to me too at this age. So I indulge you some of the time.

Sleep: Bedtime is 645p-745a! I know right?! Ever since daylight savings time both of my kids, but MW especially have been sleeping in! While I appreciate it, it has really put a wrench in my perfectly crafted schedule.
So now nap has moved back to around 9a-1030/11a. Some days I think he could do without this nap, but then clearly most days he needs it. So I know we are slowly working towards dropping it. Probably as soon as I nail down our NEW routine. Lo was done with 2 naps around 18m if I remember right?!!?
Then nap #2 is around 1p-3p. He lays down with a sippy of water at both naps. And we just, as in 2 days ago, switched him from a bottle at bedtime, to a bottle of water (4z). He has handled that well so far as I suspected. I promise that bottle will be gone by 18m. I think he would be totally fine without it, but he loves to use it as a paci, and I am a sucker what can I say. There are worse things to "fight" over.

He is "shaving" and brushing his teeth. HA!

Favorite toy/book(s): Slide, which you can now go all the way up and down now. Big boy! Toy cars and trucks.
We have moved onto a broom as the new favorite outside toy. Weirdo. Along with scoops and shovels. You also love, love, LOVE to be pushed around the driveway in your stroller!
You like to say "book" but sitting and looking at them are another story.

Anecdotes/Quirky things you do: Where to begin.
*You are in LOVE with graham crackers. You beg for them morning and night. One afternoon we were at a play date with Ginger and you walked over to her lazy susan cupboard and pounded on it. You were sadly disappointed to find she kept tupperware in there and not graham crackers like mommy.

*You give kisses now (yay!), but then you always say "bye" after them.

*Your new favorite thing to do to protest nap time is to throw all your crib friends out, all except your beloved blankers. Good thinking, because that is all you have left when mommy doesn't answer your protest call.

*I was skeptical at first, but you are in fact a cleaner and neat freak like sissy and  mommy! HA! You love to get out rags/towels to clean up any messes/spills.

*You are starting to shake your head "no" at me, you little stinker.

*Micah Law: If an object is above your head, it must always be climbed. {Congrats mommy, you get to raise yourself. :) }

Stats:
Ht:  29in {mommy guessitmate} 28.5in {1%}
Wt: 19# {mommy guessitmate} 20# {3%--and he's on the chart!}
Head Circ: 18.25 {27%}
Clothes: 9-12m
Shoes: 4
Socks: 2T {this seriously cracks me up, your feet are pretty much the same size as sissy's}
Diaper: 3 swaddlers

Happy 15 Months Love Bear!

Easter 2012

Well I dwindled the pictures down to 232 from the 664 we took! Kind of sad. HA! Anyway, here is our Easter Weekend in review.

{Good Friday Picture}
This has become a little tradition for me. Every Good Friday we take the bunny ears picture.

{Easter Saturday}
We spent Saturday with Chad's mom, had a yummy ham dinner, and egg hunt.
Grandma Rachel babysits the kids every Wednesday while we go to small group. Apparently, Lo is always asking her about her cross necklace and was "upset" one night when Grandma Rachel showed up without it. Grandma decided it was time Lo had her own cross necklace and gave it to Lo as a Easter gift. It was precious. Lo was so very proud! Thank you Grandma Rachel!

Micah got to participate this year. He did so good. But was in 7th Heaven when he found goldfish in his eggs! Game over. HA!

Our attempt at a family photo. I mean seriously, how hard could it be right?!

{Resurrection Cookies}
Saturday evening Leighton and I made Resurrection cookies. It was so much fun this year. She was really interactive and engaged in the process, unlike last year. I think doing the Resurrection eggs all month have really helped. She really knows the story now. Presh.
In photo #3 she had just tasted the vinegar and just thought it was so yucky! Too funny.

{Easter Morning}
The Easter bunny came. Lo was pretty pumped. Micah didn't really care until he saw the chocolate goldfish. Game over. Again.

{Sunday Best}
Once again family photos went stellar. Maybe one day we will get a good one.

Then we spent Easter Sunday with my parents. With a phenomenal church message, a little KFC picnic, Easter baskets and fun at the park.

Once again another fun and great Easter Weekend. Celebrating Jesus and family.