Spring has Sprung

It is a fabulous time of year in Las Vegas.  One that doesn't last too long so you have to enjoy every minute of it! 

The trees are blooming their fresh and new velvety leaves.

The air is so silky on your skin and the sky is so blue it almost hurts to look at (throw in a few cotton ball clouds and it is indeed perfect!):

Outside toys are once again awakened after a long winter's sleep (yes, we do have winter in Las Vegas!)

And the neighborhood gang is outside playing Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom!

It is hot dogs and ice cream weather.  It is break out the capris and do your toenails weather.  It is slow down for a minute and enjoy it weather.  It is the kind of weather in which you just can't help being happy! 

Hooray for Spring!

A Future Plumber Perhaps?

Mommy: "Jackson, your pants are on backwards and your cheeks are hanging out"

Jackson: "I know.  I like em' that way"

Enough said. 

(They are cute cheeks though!)

Childhood Revisited: Blanket Fort Edition

One of the best things about being a parent is getting to re-live favorite moments of my childhood with my children.  I remember growing up with my 4 sisters and making blanket forts in our living room.  We would gather every last blanket in the house and attempt to make the biggest and best clubhouse around.  We used couches, chairs, the TV, books and anything else we could think of to keep it up.  Then we would BEG our mom to let us sleep in it for the night.  I know that she probably cringed every time thinking that it wasn't sturdy, that it made a mess or that we would never sleep in there.  But, I remember her always saying yes.

My boys love to make blanket forts and clubhouses.  Following in my mom's example, I always try to say yes too.

Some of the esteemed clubhouse members

Andrew is loving every minute. 

So am I.

25 Random Things About Me (as seen on Facebook!)

1. I adore being a mom to my boys. I always knew that being a mommy was my calling in life.

2. I love that I come from a big family and that it keeps getting bigger all the time.

3. I don't like tomatoes, but I love tomato products like ketchup and salsa!

4. I haven't liked butter since I was little and ate a whole cube plain.

5. I miss my sisters that don't live in Las Vegas anymore.

6. I am a little jealous of my sisters who don't live in Las Vegas anymore.

7. I was not surprised that my last baby was a boy.

8. My favorite kind of ice cream was Chunky Monkey until I developed a huge walnut allergy.  Now I love Mint Chocolate Chip.

9. I have been with my husband for 18 years.

10. We will be married for 12 years in May.

11. I will freely admit that as much as I love it, being a stay at home mom is harder than I thought it would be!

12. I will also freely admit that I wouldn't change my job of being a stay at home mom for a million dollars.

13. I am done having babies and I have mixed feelings about that!

14. I loved being in High School.

15. I love scrapbooking but don't do it often enough.

16. One of my favorite gifts of all time is my Wii Fit that I got for Christmas.

17. My oldest son is 20 and I had him while I was still in High School.

18. Almost 15 years went by before I had another baby.

19. I want to be a nurse and plan on going back to school this fall!

20. My favorite TV show is Lost.

21. I still watch every episode of Survivor and love it.

22. I recently started listening to Country Music. I said I never would!

23. I love to cook.  I used to hate it but now I love trying new recipes.

24. I would rather clean toilets than do laundry

25. I haven't sung in public for a long time. But I still sing loudly in the car! 

Take me out to the Ball Game!!!

Last night was a big night!  Andrew had his first tee ball game of the season and it was so much fun!!  The weather was perfect (70 degrees!), the kids were excited and the game was hilarious!  Seriously, if you have never watched a bunch of 5 year olds playing baseball, you are missing out on some crazy entertainment.  Some highlights of the game:

• A little boy on the other team hits the ball and then runs after the ball to catch it.  He then gets so confused because everyone is telling him to run that he runs straight through the field and sits down in the grass
• Seeing a boy on our team literally chase a boy on the other team with the ball in order to tag him out.  I mean chase around the field, back and forth, with all the parents and coaches laughing
• Watching our children practice good sportsmanship while cheering on the other team.  So heartwarming!

And now for some photo highlights:

Andrew all ready for his first game

Jack was just as excited as Andrew

The team on the bench getting ready.  Andrew is #2

(I just can't resist thinking..."Who does #2 work for?" every time I see his shirt.  You with me?)

Hitting a home run!!

Look at him run!!!

By the way, the Diamond Backs kicked butt (even though no score was kept!)!

Coughs, Sniffles and Fevers...Oh My!!

Last week Andrew brought us home a wonderful gift from Kindergarten...SICKNESS!  Since that time, my house has been a cesspool of germs that are co-habitating with us uninvited.  How rude!  Andrew passed it to Jack, who passed it to me and I couldn't leave my dear hubby out so I passed it to him.  Do you know how you feel when you have a newborn and you have had maybe 5 hours of sleep in 3 nights and you are so completely sleepless that you actually shake?  That is how I feel today.  Thankfully, I am finally feeling like my cold is slightly better and maybe I will be able to sleep tonight.  That is if I can keep Jack asleep.  Oh boy!!!

My sweet Jackson.  Can't sleep at night, but passed out on the couch today!

I am so glad that today is nice outside.  I have all the windows open and I am hoping to usher those nasty germs outside where they belong!  Begone sickness!!

Thank You Uncle Sam!!

We have needed new carpet for ages.   I mean seriously, we bought our carpet before the babies were born (and let's face it, they aren't even really babies anymore) and we were promised that it would hold up under the pressure of little feet running around.  Not true says I.  Take a look at the before:

                            (Notice the lovely juice stain)

And just to be nice, I won't even make you look at a picture of the pee stained landing on our stairs (dog pee, not kid pee).  But thanks to the generosity of my sweet hubby and the US Government in the form of a tax return, we are in business with new carpet and can once again walk around barefoot in our home!  YIPPEE!!

After pics:

Oh, it looks so beautiful!!!

It's a Beautiful Mess

When I take my showers in the evening, I usually use that time to think and go over my day.  I try to concentrate on the good that happened during the day, since by the time I get in the shower, I am usually pretty spent! 

Tonight, I was reflecting on how my sweet Jack was running a fever that ended up pretty high and took 2 doses of Tylenol and Motrin to bring it down.  I thought about how tomorrow I am getting new carpet installed in my living room and on my stairs (whoo hoo!).  Then Jack peeked his head around the corner of the bathroom and said, "Mommy, we are playing army!"  Well, as any mom can attest, it is a happy moment when two little boys are getting along and playing together, so I was glad to hear it!!

Then after my shower, I started to head downstairs to see what was going on.  My sweet hubby quickly shouts, "I told them you were going to be big mad!".  And this is what my wondering eyes encountered:

Does this look like an army to you?  Well, it is.  An army of every single toy they own.

Minus the legos.  I guess I should count myself lucky.

Welcome to the 20th Century!!

We did it! We finally got a new computer that enabled us to get a cable Internet connection!! Can you believe that I have been using dial up all this time? It is almost embarrassing...almost. I really don't get embarrassed that easily!!

Anyways, I have always wanted to have a blog. I am terrible at keeping a journal and I think that this will be a great way to memorialize our family happenings. I am so excited to get started!!