a parade!

1. What's your favorite time of the day, and why?

When my baby girl takes a nap! Unfortunately, Kyle doesn't do the whole sleep thing anymore. But, I can put on a movie or show for him (and he stay quiet) and get a whole bunch of stuff done. That girl of mine is needy!

2. If health wasn't an issue, what food could you live off of?

Ribeye steaks! Yumm!

drooooool!!!

3. If you could have one wish granted (besides wishing for more wishes), what would it be?
For me and my family to live until Christ's return. I really don't want to die and leave my family. Or have any of my family die and leave me. Too sad to think about. I'd rather we all go to heaven together at the same time. =)

4. What's one thing that you get teased about a lot?
People say I'm a hypochondriac......

5. If you could choose one movie, book, or TV show to spend your life in, which would you pick? What type of character would you be?

Uh, can I skip this question? No idea!!

6. If you could have one talent that you don't already have, what would it be?
An elegant, sophisticated sounding speaker/talker.

7.If money were no object, where would you go on vacation?
Australia!




8. If you were an awesome singer, which genre would you sing?
Country. I've always wanted a southern accent.

9. If you could have a $10,000 shopping spree to one store, what would it be?
A super Target... Oh, how I miss Target.


10. If you could live in any point in time, when would it be?
1950's


11. If every outfit in your wardrobe had to be one color, what would it be?
Black.. I'm sure a lot of people would say that!

12. If you were one of the seven dwarves, which one would you be?
(Doc, Grumpy, Sneezy, Sleepy, Bashful, Happy, or Dopey)

Sneezy (I have on and off again allergy problems! Really bad here in NM!)
and
Happy (I'm pretty much always happy!)

14. What's something we'd be surprised to know about you?
I really don't like it when a stranger or someone I really don't know that well says my name. It's a weird thing, but it kinda irritates me, lol.

Pretty fun, eh? Go join the parade!

the gift

Christmas morning, I opened up my big present and just started laughing.. and laughing.. and laughing. Brandon gave me the weirdest look and asked me what was wrong. I showed him the box.. this is what was inside.

I'm sure you can figure out that this was NOT what Brandon ordered for me. There was a huge mistake! We had to wait all weekend to get a reply from customer service. Monday morning we found out that my bedspread was sent to a boy in Oklahoma and there was a big mixup. Wondering what that boy got to open up for Christmas????

hehehe.. I am SURE he wasn't laughing just like I was!! :)

kids are so funny

A recent conversation Kyle and I had on our way to church

"Mommy, are my teachers going to miss me when we move to Mexico?"

"Yes, Baby, they'll miss you a lot"

*quiet*

"Mommy, is there a WalMart at Mexico?"

"Yes, Kyle, they have a WalMart in NEW Mexico"

"YES!!!!!!! Woooohoooo! Me love WalMart! Me so excited!"

*driving past the boat dealership*

"Mommy, me like that boat! Me want it."

"Sorry, Kyle, New Mexico doesn't have beaches"

*quite shocked* "What!? Aw, man! Mexico don't have beaches!?!?"

"Nope, New Mexico is just a desert, Baby"

"Mommy! Are there be cowboys there?!"

*me laughing and quite surprised he knew that cowboys live in deserts, told him "maybe"*

"Mommy, are those cowboys gonna ride horsies??"

That (almost four years old) boy of mine keeps me laughing!

a big blur

That's what life is like for me right now! My days just seem to blend together. I seriously cannot believe it's already November.

Here's a little glimpse of our schedule right now.

Sundays- Church all day. Services are 945am, 11am, and 6pm. A nap is always needed in the afternoons.
Monday through Thursday - watching my neighbor/friend's two boys, 12-4pm
Monday night - I have my Faith Bible Institute class (I recommend this class to every one who wants to learn more about the Lord and the Bible.. it's excellent!!) to go to, 630-915pm
Wednesday night - Hubby has school, the kids and I have church
Friday night - My husband and I volunteer at our church for the Reformers Unanimous program.

Every Saturday it seems like something is going on. Doing things/helping at church, a wedding, a car show, shopping, something!

Add in housework, homework, running errands, grocery shopping, having a yard sale and dr. appointments (we seem to have a lot of those right now) you can see why I have neglected my blog!!

I'm not complaining at all, I am enjoying life! I'm sure once we move and get settled next year our life will slow down and probably be boring! hehe.

My next post is going to be overloaded with pictures! We went to a wedding not too long ago and I've got some cute photos to share!

Until then, sayonara!

is there any other way?

My goal is to have Kyle completely potty-trained by October 13th. Why October 13th? It's the day he turns 3 1/2yrs old. I really never thought that I would have a child in diapers for this long. There were a lot of things I thought I would never do.. but things change when you actually start having your OWN kids! Ha!

Anywho, Kyle pees just fine by himself. He goes all by himself. He's now even getting better at telling me when he has to go #2. I now know the whole poop issue is because he has a looong history of constipation problems. But, that's not the problem.

How do you get a child to not wet the bed in the middle of the night? Is it something they just learn by themselves? The past two nights I let Kyle sleep in just his underwear, no diaper. I had to set the alarm every 2-3hrs, get up, carry him to the bathroom, and get him to go pee. No accidents, but I don't want to be waking up every 3hrs every.single.night! Potty-training is HARD work.

I try not to give him anything to drink after 8pm, and I do make him use the bathroom before he goes to sleep. Am I missing something?

Happiness

I'm happy. Very happy. I can't imagine how a lost (non-Christian) person feels. I wonder if they feel a certain emptiness, a certain void...?

I grew up in church and even in a small, private Christian school. So, going to church was just something we did. Once I got married and moved away, things changed. Finding a church that I loved was impossible, especially here in Florida. In Idaho, it was such a small place it was easy to find a good Baptist church. I kept comparing churches to FBC in Misawa. It was the only church I knew! I wish we would have gone to the church we are attending now a long time ago. The two years of church-hopping was pretty much miserable. I hated not being a member of a GOOD church. I hated getting disappointed every time we went home. I hated the emptiness.

I love our church now. The main reason I hate to leave here is because of our church. It is great! Our Pastor doesn't just preach the fru-fru feel good stuff .... he preaches the goooood stuff. I know a lot of people go to church just so that they feel better about themselves. I like to be encouraged, too. But I also want to be convicted. If I'm not convicted how am I going to change?

I'm so happy that I am saved and that I am absolutely positive about where I am going when I leave this earth. I'm so happy that my kids are in church and are learning about Jesus at such a young age. It's amazing how having a great church, that you are a part of, can change your aspect on life and the place you live.

I learned a song a loooooong time ago and I can't remember all the lyrics. Someone help me out! If you know this song, please leave a comment and help me finish the song. I really like this one, but can't for the life of me remember the whole thing!!! It goes like this..

I've got *clap* happiness,

I've got *clap* peace of mind,

I've got the *clap* joy of living

.....?

I've got real contentment...?

First Giveaway Winner & Giving Thanks

My first giveaway was an impromptu giveaway, but that's okay! Still fun, right? I used random.org and the # it gave me was... #2. KCShipe @ BooksNBoys wins the Clean and Clear package! Congrats!!

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~**~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*



I was driving home from my doctor's appointment today and just couldn't stop thinking about things in my life that I am so grateful for. Here are just a few things that were running through my head today!

• we don't have to worry about my husband losing his job


• I am able to stay at home and take care of our house and children


• we have "free" medical care


• the four of us are very healthy


• we have two running cars


• we live in a nice house


• we aren't starving and have plenty of food


• we are able to go to the gym for free


• and it even has a child and parent room


• our kids have toys and clothes, probably too much of both!

I could go on and on, as I am sure you could, too! Sometimes I just get caught up in the day to day things and forget to stop and just be thankful.

Thank you, Lord, for saving my soul, Thank you, Lord, for making me whole; Thank you, Lord, for giving to me Thy great salvation so rich and free.

(picture credit, Allposters.com)

What's in your purse?

I try to clean out my purse often. But, I guess with two kids, it's just going to get nasty!

Here's my list, what's yours??

• 3 notepads



• a cough drop



• a water bill



• 9 coupons



• 2 mints



• 5 church bulletins



• 2 letters from mypoints, that had giftcards enclosed



• a lollipop



• a pack of wipes



• my wallet (not even gonna list what's in there!)



• checkbook



• 2 small picture album things



• stamps



• ugh, crumbs and broken crackers *shy face*



• some black unknown object!



• wrappers from a straw, cookies, lollipops, and coughdrop



• a set of keys and a lock (Kyle loves keys)



• a broken cell that is used as a toy for the kids, lol



• a frequent haircut card



• hand sanitizing wipes



• small bottle of lotion



• dayquil pills



• a hair tie and clip



• 13 receipts



• my coach wristlet



• a bouncy ball



• 3 tampons



• 2 perfume samples



• a pengrocery lists on random pieces of paper



• 2 comment cards for the base gym



• 120 yen.. yeah, haven't been to Japan since Nov of 2006!!! Another thing Kyle loves.. coins!



• lip gloss x2



• lipstick



• lip plumper, lol, like I need that!



• chapstick still in the package



• 4 grocery pamphlets w/ coupons



• and a keychain my mom gave me back in November of last year.

Crazy! I'm almost embarrased to even show how filthy the inside of my purse was. I love BIG purses, but I know for a lot of people huge isn't their thing. I think my sister is my only friend who shares a passion of big bags with me! BTW, I got a great deal on that purse. I found a BIG name brand purse that I wanted... it was about $300. I told the husband about it, so we went shopping (not for that pricey one.. I personally can't justify spending that kind of money on a purse!). Well, we went into Nine West, and what do you know! I found that purse's twin! I think mine even looks better than the $300 one, hehe. I paid less than $30 for mine, and we even donated a few dollars to a charity! Score! =)

Here's a picture of my purse and my handsome model, LOL. He's gonna hate me for that one, huh??

chat

I just feel like chit chattin' for a second. Is that okay?

I made this soup for dinner the other night. It was really, really good. It was almost like a dip, but it was still delicious!! Kyle especially loved it.. he had 2 bowls the first night!! Next time I think I will add in some black beans or some other filler like corn. I didn't use as much water as it called for. And I also didn't make the Pico de Gallo.

The girls and one guy @ The Sisterhood of Shrinking Jeans are giving away SEVEN copies of Jillian Michaels' DVD, 30 Day Shred! Go here to enter for yourself!

My face has looked like one of a 15yr olds these past few months. I really don't know what is going on. It's super frustrating though. I have tried Acne Free and even ProActiv and still am broken out. I need to make an appt. with a dermatologist, but I'm still unsure of how to do that. You know 'cause we're military and I'm just the spouse. I need to figure it out and maybe can get prescribed something to help! *sigh*

I am still working out! I feel really good about myself. I've been going 5 days a week and yet have gained 2lbs. If I gain another pound, I think I'll cry. Actually, I know I will.

Leah is now 13 months old and she is still nursing. When I took her in for her 1yr check-up. Her pediatrician told me I deserved an award for breastfeeding her this long. He even told me "you rock!" haha. It was great. We are down to 2 feedings a day, so I know it won't be too much longer until it's over.

We have found a really great church. We have been church-hoppin' for quite some time now. I had an issue with them 2yrs ago (it was about their nursery and not anything to do with their beliefs or doctrines).. and I am now ok. The 1st Sunday we went there, I told the nursery workers about what happened with Kyle and I think they understand. I still make a note when I sign her in, just in case. This is the first church that Kyle really enjoys. He doesn't cry at all when we drop him off, so that's a good sign, right? :)

Speaking of Kyle, he's going to be turning three next month (or this month, depending on when you are reading this). I am not prepared whatsoever!!! I always tell him that he's my baby and he says to me "No, Mommy, me Kyle!" hahahaha. What a goofball!

Okay, it's bed time for me now!! Goodnight ya'll!!

It's a party!

We threw Leah's 1st birthday party on Saturday. She doesn't actually turn the big ONE until tomorrow, but it was better for everyone's schedule if we did it a week before. I still can't believe she will be a year old. I know everyone says it, but it really does seem like she was JUST born. *sigh* Why do they have to grow up so fast?

Group shot of all the kids

Rebekah, Me, Nicole

The cake I made for Leah's party (thanks for helping Bek!)

Poor Kyle, he kept wanting to open all of Leah's presents!

Yummmmm!

Leah actually ate her cake. When Kyle was turning one, he didn't even touch his cake!

keepin' it real

~~I have had so much on my mind lately. I don't even know where to begin. Right now I'm in one of those moods where all I want to do is read blogs, not write them.

~~Oh! It's lookin' like we are winnin' the challenge!!! Our friends have eaten out, I think, 3 times (and that's being nice, since, a certain husband has been buying soda at work, lol)! But, anywho, we went to the outlet mall in Alabama yesterday, the hubby and Kyle had pizza and I got a drink. So, now it's 2 to 1. I am very proud that we have only eaten out once so far this month. I don't think we will be eating out as much anymore.

~~I went through our statements for Dec and Jan and got so sick to my stomach. I wasn't going to tell you all how much we spent on eating out.. but I'm keepin' it real! So.... for the month of December we spent $356.45 and the month of January we spent $259.91. That's ONLY on eating out.. not including groceries. Do you know how many car payments that is for us!? :( Now, I know we had birthday's and all, but there is no reason for us to spend that much on fast food and restaurants! Ugh. I am so disappointed, but we are moving on. We've decided to stop eating out as much and start putting the money we would spend into a separate savings account. So we can't touch it!

~~I have been keeping track of pretty much every single penny we have spent. This month is going to be a high-spending month since we got our income tax return. We also had to buy new tires for Brandon's car, an expensive car part, a big girl seat for Leah and all brand new sippy cups (man, those are over-priced!). Now I hope I can keep this up every month!

~~I am still working out 4x a week! I feel great and I am finally starting to see a difference. I even got hit on at CVS!!! LOL. It was flattering, but a little creepy! I am getting better with what I am putting into my mouth, but I definitely need to work on not eating all that chocolate.

~~My MIL and FIL are coming on Friday for Leah's birthday party on Saturday, so it's going to be a busy week of cleaning! Speaking of Leah, I can't believe she is going to be ONE on the 26th! Her first year definitely went by way too fast. *sigh*

~~I think I have done enough rambling! I figured I would just throw all this into one post!

Hmmm. How about some new pictures of my babies?

Here fishy fishy

My husband took us fishing on Saturday! Add this to my list of first! My first time and Kyle's, too. We didn't catch any fish, but it was still fun. My husband knows me so well, he bought me a pink and purple fishing pole, haha! My two favorite colors. We went out again on Sunday after church, and we still didn't catch anything! I'm not so sure about this fishing thing anymore, but I so intrigued by it, that I want to keep going until I catch something. I want to experience the thrill of catching one of those suckers! For those of you who have caught a fish before, is the feeling really that great??? I wanna know!

World Marriage Day

Today is World Marriage Day! ((I know. The day is almost over, but I have a hard time getting online during the weekend!)) I'll just say it now, but I am a firm believer that marriage should only be between a man and a woman. Nothing more to say about that.

I really like the idea of World Marriage Day, it's a cute idea! :)

My husband and I met at the end of August in 2004. We started dating in January of 2005 (I think it was the 6th, I have all the dates written down.. somewhere!). He proposed the end of March, and we were married on June 4th, 2005! So, needless to say we didn't know each other very long, but we knew we were meant for each other. We've been married almost 4yrs now and we couldn't be happier. I am so extremely thankful the Lord sent my hubby from a itty-bitty town in Florida all the way to Japan. He is my bestfriend, my other half, the love of my life.

I don't think you need me to tell you, but go tell your lover how much you love and adore them and how thankful you are for them!!!

Happy World Marriage Day!!!

just a little.. discouraged..

I was telling my husband today that I wish as soon as you started working out, that you could see instant results. It's been almost 3 weeks and I haven't seen a difference. But, I will keep on pushing. Keep on working out four times a week. And keep trying my best to eat healthy. I am almost tempted to bump my exercising up to 5-6 times a week. Can you tell I can be a little impatient at times?

On Saturday, we went to a friend's house for a going away/watch a fight game get together. And then to another friend's house on Sunday for the SuperBowl. So, needless to say I so did not eat very well this weekend. I drank way too much soda, too! But, I am not going to beat myself up for it. It's over with, and now I just need to concentrate on eating better now. I'm not going to say "I can't eat that" or "I'm not going to eat this", because not eating something I love will just make me cranky. So, I need to work on portion controls. I'm going to allow myself to eat a choc. chip cookie, or to eat some sausage dip -- just not 10 cookies or 2 bowlful's of dip. I think I'll be okay if I can work on portion sizes.

How is every one else doing with their eating habits and exercise routines?

A Challenge

The husband and I were looking at our finances the other day. Something we do every so often. We did all the math to see how much we were bringing in and how much we were spending. We added up all our bills and all that fun stuff. After all the important things are paid and our money goes to it's proper places, we still have a significant amount of money left over. But it got me thinking, where exactly is our money going?? I want to know how much we are spending a month on food, on diapers, on clothing, on every thing! Of course I have an estimate on how much we spend, but I want to know down to our last penny.


I've tried in the past to keep every single receipt for that month so I could see what we were buying. I've even tried writing every thing down in a notebook and it didn't work. I would always lose a receipt or two and just give up. It's hard when you have to remember to get the receipts from the hubby, too. I could go online and check, but that would only tell me how much we spent and not on what. But after looking at our budget today, I am motivated to find out. It's going to be a lot of work, but it needs to be done. A trip to DisneyWorld is a big motivater, too!! ;)

Last night, we were talking to our friends and we decided to have a little challenge. Absolutely no eating out for the month of February. No quick stops through the drive-thru. No more being lazy --start packing a lunch every night for the husband. Not only will it be healthier for us, but I want to see if there is a drastic change in our checking accounts. The winner of the challenge has to buy dinner at a Japanese restaurant on the 1st of March! Pretty good incentive, right? =)

If anybody has a better, easier way to track spending your spending, I'd love to hear it!

She wants to be fit, too!

It has been almost 2 weeks since I have started working out again. How am I doing? Great! This week I am bumping my exercise routine up to 4x a week! Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Fridays! I am addicted!!

In addition to working out, I am trying (key word = trying) to eat better.. but it's so hard! I am a huge desserts/sweets girl. I'm also a huge baker and it's killing me not to bake any goodies. I could just bake something and send it off with the husband to work ----- but I know I won't be able to resist any fresh, warm cookies straight from the oven. I'm not that strong yet, haha.

You know, I thought I drank a lot of water, because that's pretty much all I like to drink. But once I started actually counting how many fluid ounces I was drinking.. yeah, not even close to what is recommened!! So, I have been working on that.

How is everyone else doing with their diets and exercise routines? Hopefully well! Let's keep on motivating each other, k? =)

--Sorry the pictures are so large, but I am too lazy to go back and re-upload them to a smaller size. I guess it's a good thing Leah is just so stinkin' cute, right? hehe--

Close to 30

Wondering what the title means? Today is my dear hubby's 26th birthday!! So, he is closer to 30 than he is 20!! (hahaha, love you, babe!) For about a month, the husband and I are only three years apart, but now we're back to four! Unfortunately, Brandon is feeling really really sick, so he's in bed trying to get better! What a way to celebrate your birthday, huh!? He did get a super nice birthday present though. A brand new grill!! The one we had was given to us by friends of a friend's.. and they got it from one of my sister's friends! How confusing is that? Needless to say, it was time for that thing to go! Here's the new grill, isn't it a beauty!?

Happy Birthday, Honeybuns!!!! I love you and hope to spend many more birthdays with you!!! MWAH!

Things I Love Thursday

This is my first participating in Thing I love Thursday, but I am sure it won't be my last! If you'd like to participate, go on over to TheDiaperDiaries!

The thing I am sharing today that I absolutely love is my black Scunci hair clip.. FOR thick hair! One year when my sister came to visit she had one.. and by the time she got on the airplane to go home, that little ole hair clip was in my hair. I have super thick, wavy, mid-length hair, and this clip holds every single piece. No slipping out.. nothing.. it stays put! I love it. It's the only thing I can and will use now. Scunci has a whole line of products made specifically for thick hair. Genius! If you see me in any of my pictures, I pretty much always have this clip in my hair. The only time I really don't have it in.. is in bed! That's it. Who knew something so simple like a hair clip could make me so happy? :)

Here is my clip, but I only have it in black.

On my way..

to being skinny!! I have been saying (for a really long time) that I would go to the gym and work out. Today I didn't just say I was gonna do it, I actually did it! I dragged my friend Nicole with me and we took our babies. One of the gym's we have on-base has a parent and tot room, they are such great ideas! It's just a room devoted to parents and their kids. There is a sectioned off area for the kids to play in and the equipment out of the gated area. We were the only one's in there, too! I know I am going to wake up in the morning sore, but it's worth it! After I was done working out, I felt great about myself. I don't know why I don't work out more often. My goal is to go to the gym at least 3x a week. Now, if only I could put down the yummy M&M cookies I baked the other day! :-(

Rodeo

I don't know if I live a sheltered life or what, but ever since I met my husband I have had a lot of firsts. I have done things, went places, and tried things I never thought I would do.

~He got me to try snowboarding (he didn't listen when I told him I would really suck at it, and now he will even tell you it was a bad idea to go! HaHa).

~He's bought/rented movies that I had never seen, like - Jaws, Wizard of Oz, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - the list goes on.

~He got me to go snorkeling in Jamaica! I don't even know how to swim and am deathly scared of the water. Thinking back on it now, I can't believe I did it. Crazy!

~He's gotten me to shoot his gun (I used to be the girl who would go nowhere near a gun, but I got to the part where I actually enjoy shooting them!).

~My husband even has me hooked on NASCAR. So much that I even watch it when he's not around. LOL. I can see my sister rolling her eyes right now.. she doesn't understand how great it is to watch cars go around and around, hehe ;)

~He's taken me to my first Pro football game, Pro baseball game, and this past weekend he took us to a Rodeo.

We had a blast. I loved it. They only had the bull-riding part.. I guess they do other things at some other bull-riding events, but I wouldn't know. But it still was a lot of fun and I can't wait to go to another one!

Brandon showing Kyle where the bulls are

Leah's 1st pro bull-riding event, too! a video of the clown jump-roping

waiting for them to let the bull out...

And he fell off right away :(

It was so sad seeing some of the guys fall off right away and get soooo upset. They would punch the fence or wall! I felt so bad for the guys! :(