Weekend Review

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving. We definitely did as we made our rounds...actually it was just two places, but two places is a lot of eating on Thanksgiving! First we went to Matt's mom's house and hung out and ate lots of good food and caught up with that whole side of the family.

My cute little niece Olivia and me. She used to be so shy around us but that day she couldn't get enough of me and I loved it!! I'm obviously her favorite aunt, but that's our secret.

After we stuffed ourselves there we drove up to my mom's house just in time to sit down and eat again. The kids decided to skip this meal (can't blame them...okay I can a little but just because it was so good) but they clearly saved room for pie. That's my babies! :)

Alexa says she loves pie. I think she loves pie because Gramma puts so much cool whip on it. :)

And of course she makes sure Braden gets lots of it too.

My grandparents go to Florida during the winter so we always have a little Christmas celebration with them on Thanksgiving too. The first of many many Christmas get togethers for the kids, it's never ending with large families, but we love it!

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Thursday night about 10:00 I decide that I was going to get up and go shopping in the morning and somehow it went from 6am to 3am. And I have no idea why. So there I was standing at the first store shortly after 3:00 in the morning. It wasn't that many years ago that 3am was when I went to bed and now I am getting up to go shopping, crazy. Every year I usually go shopping on Black Friday but it is always at night when it's dead so this was my first time experiencing the insane crowds. And it was insane. I can not believe how many people were out there! And husbands too, lots of them. There was also several small little kids, kind of sad. I don't think there is a deal on earth that would make me wake my kids up that early! Anyway, I actually did get a few really great deals and several people crossed off our Christmas list. Next year I am making my mom come with me...it gets really boring standing in line for an hour and a half, although I made lots of new friends! :) Some guy in line waiting for Kohl's to open about 3:45 asked me if I was there for some really good electronic deals and I told him I didn't even know what was on sale and he thought I was nuts. He was like "Then why are you here?" and I was like "Honestly, I have no idea. Maybe the thought of shopping without a couple kids wrapped around my legs sounded nice."

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We officially have all our Christmas stuff out. I LOVE decorating our house for Christmas. We don't have a lot of stuff but I'm sure we will accumulate as the years go on. We were going to get our tree on Saturday but after we put out everything else and within 10 minutes the kids had it all everywhere I completely changed my mind. I was the one begging Matt to go get it 2 weeks ago and now I am the one saying, maybe we should wait. So we are waiting until next weekend, and then I'll just have to deal with trying to convince the kids not to pull the tree over for only a few weeks. Actually I think they will be okay, Alexa for sure but Braden you just never know. I can't wait to see every ones decorations, make sure to take pictures! :)

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Last week my 17 year old sister lost a classmate and friend in a car accident. If you could, a prayer for all her friends and family would be greatly appreciated with the funeral being tomorrow. I can't stop thinking about her parents and what they are going through. Losing a child is the one thing I will never understand while here on earth, no mother or father should have to go through that.

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If you are on Twitter this is old news but I don't want to end on a sad note so I have to tell you what Alexa said this weekend. She woke up on Saturday morning and it had snowed and she goes, "Oh maaaan, Jake frosted all over our grass!!" I am still laughing over it!

Missing Blog Land...Be Back Soon

I have not even looked at Blogger since last Wednesday...it is going to take me a week to get caught up! I can't wait to read about every one's weekends. I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving and Black Friday...if you dared. (I actually did this year, it was crazy, but more about that later.) We have been super busy all weekend and also enjoying the 5 days Matt has had off of work. Anyway, I just wanted to pop in and say HI, but the kids are sleeping so I need to finish getting Christmas stuff up while I can. :)

And just because it's a sin to post without a picture....

This is what happens when I tell Matt to quick get Braden dressed so we can leave.

Wordless Wednesday

Going to the Zoo

Hello, November! Thanks for having better weather than October...seriously, we do appreciate it greatly. The kids and I are soaking up every beautiful day we have been having this month. I thought for sure we were doomed to have a 9 month winter when it snowed in September. But apparently someone loves us and decided to give us the Fall we never had here in the Midwest.

Last Friday was way too nice to sit around our house so we packed up and headed to the MN Zoo. We have a membership there and we have been taking full advantage of it. Besides, if the kids could pick anywhere to go it would definitely be to see the animals. Unfortunately some of the outside animals (giraffes, zebras, wild horses) were gone for the winter and the bears were already hibernating (in a glass cave so we could watch them sleep) but it was still fun. Braden has more fun watching the people there and Alexa likes the park best anyway, so really the only person missing the animal action was this girl.


Braden is in love with the dolphins, we sat and watched them swim around for like 20 minutes and the whole time he kept saying "Ohhhhhh" and "Hiiiiiiii"

Crock Pot Mashed Potatoes

Here's a really yummy mashed potato recipe if you're still looking for one for Thanksgiving. Sorry, no pictures because I haven't made them yet, but I will be this Thursday. :) Something a little more exciting than just plain old mashed potatoes. Thanks to my Mom for the recipe!

Crock Pot Mashed Potatoes

5 lbs potatoes
1 cup sour cream
6 oz cream cheese
2 tbsp butter
garlic powder to taste
salt and pepper as needed
Boil and drain potatoes. Mash potatoes well and add the rest of the ingredients. Beat until light and fluffy. Put in crock pot and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours.

*We use baby red potatoes and leave the skins on.
**Also you can completely prepare these and throw them in the fridge the night before and then just plug in in the morning.
***One more thing, my mom says to use real garlic. :)

Enjoy!

Five Question Friday

It's Friiiiiiday! Woohoo! Why am I so excited? Because the hubby will not be going hunting this weekend, yay! I'm so happy to have him home and not really have big plans all weekend. Maybe I can get all the other Christmas decorations out since Matt won't let us put up the tree. Waiting until after Thanksgiving to put the tree up is a lame rule that's not even a rule. Anyhoo....Five Question Friday is here and you can check it out over at Mama M.

1. Are you a Black Friday shopper? No no no! I don't think I have ever gone out on black Friday, at least not until that night. I used to work in retail and people are craaaaazy!! I get annoyed enough by all the rude people pushing around stores on a regular old Tuesday. Although....I could probably be convinced to go if I had to, after all it is shopping.

2. What was your favorite childhood toy? (Think Easy Bake Oven, Cabbage Patch Kid, Shrinky Dinks, etc.) Definitely my Cabbage Patch kids! I had tons of them!

3. Favorite Christmas movie? I have to put 3 here. One: A Christmas Story with Ralphie and his Red Ryder BB gun. I don't know why I love that movie so much but I watch it every year like 5 times on TNT when they have the 24 hour marathon. Two: Christmas Vacation!! Matt and I will watch it any time of the year, it doesn't even have to be Christmas. Three: Elf. I laugh through that entire movie, soooo funny!

4. What is the "must have" item on your Christmas list this year? Unrealistically....a brand new decked out minivan, a trip to Hawaii and a new baby. :) But maybe a little more realistic, a new camera. Other than that, all I want is to be with my family and everyone to be happy and healthy! I looooove Christmas, favorite time of the year!

5. Do you go all out with decorations or do you keep it simple and classy? I probably fall somewhere in the middle. I definitely would be the 'go all out' kind of girl but I just haven't accumulated that much Christmas stuff yet. :)

I hope everyone has a great weekend! I know I will since we're packing up the blaze orange until next year! :)

Do NOT mix the Chicken Enchiladas with Applesauce

Okay, so do you remember this post when I talked about my crazy fear of foods touching and how I was the best mom in the world for buying many, many slotted plates so that my kids wouldn't have to have their food touch either? Yeah this was Alexa's plate the other night.

Lets see, there is some mixing a little bit of corn with the applesauce and some applesauce with the chicken enchiladas. I also think there was milk in there somewhere too. I could have puked. Actually I almost did just taking this picture. She always "dunks" and mixes her food with other foods...I have a feeling I didn't accomplish passing on the crazy with her. Which could be a good thing, but looking at that plate....nope. I'll keep trying harder with her. :)

Anyway, since I brought them up, here is the recipe for the (white sauce) chicken enchiladas I make. They are SO yummy. Seriously, make them and let me know. I very loosely use this recipe, meaning I measure nothing when cooking and also add in other things I might think is good.

1 T butter
1/2 cup chopped green onion
1/2 t garlic powder
1 (4.5 ounce) can of diced green chilies
1 (10.75 ounce) can cream of chicken (or mushroom) soup
1/2 cup sour cream
1 1/2 cups cubed cooked chicken breast
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese, divided
6 (7 inch) flour tortillas
1/4 milk

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease large baking dish.
2. In medium saucepan over medium heat, melt butter and saute the onions until tender, about 2 minutes. Add the garlic powder, then stir in the green chilies, soup, and sour cream. Mix well. Reserve about 1 1/2 cups of this sauce and set aside. To the remaining sauce in pan, add the chicken and 1/2 cup of the shredded cheese. Stir together.

3. Fill each flour tortilla with the chicken mixture and roll up. Place seam down in the baking dish.

4. In a small bowl, combine the reserved sauce with the milk. Spoon mixture over the rolled tortillas. Bake, uncovered for 20 minutes. Top with the remaining 1/2 cheese and bake for 10 more minutes or until cheese is bubbly.

Super easy and so delish! Sometimes when I feel really lazy I just use dried minced onions instead of cutting an onion up, gives a lot of the same flavor. Also, if I remember to get some I will add in a couple big scoops of ricotta cheese into the sauce...because I live in WI and our moto is you can't eat enough cheese, or something like that. I usually add way more chicken and shredded cheese than they call for too. Oh, and I have used whatever shredded cheese we have on hand not just cheddar. So really mine turn out nothing like this recipe is meant to be but you get the idea. :)

Randomness

I got me some more bloggy love!! Awww, makes a girl feel all fuzzy inside.

The first one is the Heartfelt Blogger Award from Jen over at 3 Little Monkeys. Jen is awesome and also a total saint because she has 3 adorable little boys and all her hair. :) I love reading about her crazy house, she's so blessed. Thanks girl!

The next award is the Fabulous Sugar Doll Blogger Award....doesn't that just sound great!? I got this one from Ladybug Mama over at Ladybug Mama of 2. Check out her blog... she has 2 beautiful little girls, lots of giveaways and is just plain cool. Thanks Mama!

The rules of this award are pretty simple. I have to list 10 interesting facts about myself. And pass the award on to 5 lovely bloggers.

1. I use fabric softener and dryer sheets
2. I am a certified scuba diver (even though I haven't dove in many years.)
3. I have had my gull bladder taken out.
4. I sprained my ankle in cooking class (don't ask.)
5. I used to love scary movies before I had kids.
6. I wear a size 10 shoe.
7. I want to be a L&D nurse (I just don't want to go to school again.)
8. I actually like doing dishes by hand.
9. I have scoliosis. (crooked spine)
10. I bleached my hair for like 5 years before going back to my natural color, strawberry blond.

Okay, this time I am going to pass it on. And here are the girls...

1. Jen at Our Daily Lifex4
2. Bethany at Crazy Days...Sleepless Nights
3. Shannon at Discovering Wildlife
4. Tyler at Just Another Day in OUR Paradise
5. Tina at My Priceless Fishers

So if you follow me on Twitter you know I complain about hunting a lot (sorry about that!) That's because Matt has been gone the last 2 weekends trying to "slay the big buck!" I am relieved that we don't have to worry about where to put a head mount sad to report that the hubster did not catch (shoot, find, kill???) anything. But don't worry about us, the group got several deer so we will have loads of venison around here. Yay, huh? Actually I like the steaks and summer sausage, but the hamburger...no way, gross. Are there other deer eating girls out there?

Look, Braden even wore his camo pants to help send Daddy some good vibes. I know I am partial, but my boys are so cute.

And I will leave you with a picture of my tough guy and sweetie. They crack this Mama up!


Oh yeah, also for all the people that asked...YES take the ABC's and do it yourself! In fact I took it from several other blogs, so keep it going. I love reading those kinds of things and finding out more about people! Fun stuff. :)

ABC's of Me

A - Age: 27
B - Bed size: King
C - Chore you hate: I don't like any of them, but the worst would be vacuuming...or maybe cleaning windows...wait, probably the showers. Too hard to pick. :)
D - Dog's name: No dog
E - Essential start your day item: None. It's a good thing I don't like coffee otherwise it would probably be like 10 cups of it.
F - Favorite color: I like all colors, probably green and pink the most.
G - Gold or Silver: Silver (or white gold)
H - Height: Almost 5'8"
I - Instrument you play: Unfortunately, none. If I could learn one though it would be piano or guitar.
J - Job title: Mommy (The best job title ever!)
K - Kid(s): 2 - Alexa and Braden
L - Living arrangements: I live with my hubby and 2 kids in our home.
M - Mom's name: Mom. Oh wait, her real name - Kelli
N - Nicknames: Mama, mom, mommy, honey, babe, sweetie.... I never had a "nickname" and I always wanted one, weird I know. :)
O - Overnight hospital: Just after I had my babies.
P - Pet peeve(s): I probably have way more than I should, but one of the biggest would probably be when people don't wash their hands after going to the bathroom. It's gross. And rinsing without using soap doesn't count!
Q - Quote from a movie: I love way too many movies to start quoting.
R - Right or left handed: Right
S - Siblings: Oh geez, here we go...1 brother (on my mom's side) 1 half-sister, 3 step-brothers, 1 step-sister (on my dad's side) 2 step-brothers and 2 step-sisters. (Plus 3 SILs) :)
T - Time you wake: Matt gets up at 5:30 so I usually am awake then but stay in bed until the kids get up...Alexa @ 6-6:30.
U - Underwear: Yes please
V - Vegetable you dislike: Broccoli
W - Workout style: Ummm, chasing after my kids all day. That counts for something right? Other than that I like power walking and the Shred. (Actually, I don't like the Shred, but...)
X - X-rays you've had: I can't remember them all.
Y - Yesterday's best moments: Playing with the kids, cuddling with them in bed...oh and going to Target of course. :)
Z- Zoo favorite: Oh I love all the animals!! Zebras, monkeys, bears, giraffes, dolphins....

I had NO idea I would...

So the other day as I am picking something out of Braden's nose (nope, it doesn't get much better than that from here on out, so if you didn't like that then turn back now...consider yourself warned) I started thinking, "If my college days self (which is only 3 years ago, and I only bring that up because I am feeling worn out lately) could see me now, I would probably be gagging...or laughing...or maybe both." So I decided to come up with a little list of some things that I thought I would never do before I had kids but now do without thinking twice about. I am sure there are many more but here's just a few:

1. Wipe someones nose with my pants, shirt and even my bare hands.

I don't know about your kids, but when my kids have colds their noses run like crazy. So as prepared as I try to be sometimes a kleenex just is not in reach and before it runs into the mouth I just take matters into my own hands...literally.

2. Catch vomit in my hands.

Before kids I was one of those people that puked when other people puked, or at least came really close. Now I am proud to say that I have cupped my hands under my child's mouth while throwing up in attempt to save the furniture. Don't get me wrong, I definitely was a little gagy (gaggy?) but when you see the sad 'what is happening to me' look in your kids eyes you are more concerned with them (and the furniture.) Doesn't love do some crazy things?

3. Nurse a baby past 1 year.

Here I am nursing a 15 month old and I could care less! And although I don't want to be nursing him in a year, I am so okay with still doing it right now.

4. Take a rectal temperature.

I don't even think I knew people did this before having Alexa! However, since she was our guinea pig child we called the doctor for almost every little thing that happened to her. And apparently they pretty much won't even talk to you unless they know their temp...rectally. (Okay, I have to be really honest here...I still haven't actually ever done this one because I always made Matt do it because I just couldn't. But I did hold her hands while he did it, so that counts.) Also, I don't even know if we have done this to Braden at all or at least very few times. This is one perk of being a second child.

5. Lick my finger and then wipe my child's mouth.

Isn't this the definition of "I will never do that when I have kids!" I even said that after I had Alexa, but alas, it didn't last long. This isn't something I do every day but I do on occasion and I still say to my self 'why am I doing this?' every time I do it.

6. Sleep in poop.

True story people, true story. Basically put together a nursing baby who pooped a lot plus changing a diaper in the middle of the night on the bed and two very sleep deprived parents. There you have it, sleeping in poop.

Now, they're not all bad. There are a few things I didn't know I would do and I enjoy tons! In fact there are loads of them...but that's a whole other post. :)

What do you do that you said you would never do?

Double Trouble

What could possibly be more exhausting fun than chasing one little toddling toddler around the house for hours on end?

Chasing two, of course!

This is Braden and our niece Kylie the other day walking around my brother and SIL's house looking for stuff to get into. It was so much fun being pregnant at the same time and even giving birth within hours of each other at the same hospital, same doctor...right down the hall.

Little did we know that the fun had only begun with these two!

Actually, we totally knew they would be great buddies growing up. How cool to have a cousin so close in age to play and get into trouble with. It will be fun watching them grow up and learn all sorts of stuff together.

Good and bad!

At least they share well, right? :)

Kylie also has a new little brother, Tyler. He's so cute, couldn't you just eat him up?

(This picture cracks me up because he was sleeping but with 3 other little kids running around the house screaming he kept flinching and throwing his hands up in the air.)

Alexa loves him so much, she couldn't stop giving him kisses and tickling his face. She kept telling me in a super high pitched baby talk voice, "Mommy, he's soooo cute, he's so tiny and just so cute!"

It will be no time at all before I have a little 'we should have another baby' helper to convince Matt....watch out Daddy! :)

Braden - 15 Months

There is no way my little man is 15 months old already. No way. Well, okay I guess there is a way since he is. The past three months have gone even faster than the three before that. Maybe since he is just non stop all day. He learned to walk and hasn't stopped since. I love it though, he still has the semi new walker waddle walk going on....and that is just cute!

We had Braden's 15 month check-up today. Me being the strong Mama I am (HA!) told Matt to not worry about coming with us since it was in the middle of the day. Well, I forgot about the fact that not only did he need shots but they also test their iron and lead levels at this appointment.

Here's we are waiting for the doc to come see us. Thank goodness for cherry flavored sticks to keep a boy happy.

Braden's 15 month stats:
Height: 32 inches - 77 percentile
Weight: 28.5 pounds - 91 percentile
Head Circ: 19.75 - 98 percentile

My solid boy with lots of brains. :)

The shots went well and he didn't even shed a tear. Even though he didn't cry, he definitely wasn't happy about the situation. He yelled at the nurse a little bit and then ripped the band aids off...like he was trying to prove a point or something.

Then down to the lab we went. Last time we did this (with Alexa) they just pricked her finger and squeezed some blood out so I was a little surprised when they brought him in a room to lay him on a bed with a tray of a bunch of stuff on it. Apparently they changed how they did this and now they take blood from the arm. With a needle. Obviously. I asked the girl if I could leave the room and she told me that they needed me to help hold him down (even though there was 2 of them in there.) I told her I couldn't do that and she said "We're busy back here." (With a smile I might add!) And I was thinking, 'Really, I couldn't tell from the 20 minute wait.' UGH So there I was pinning my baby down so they could get blood. He was such a trooper and once again barely cried. He even gave her a smile as we were walking out the door. Much more forgiving then this Mommy is. :)

Happy 15 month birthday baby boy.

Out of the Funk

I've kind of been in a blogging funk this week. Not sure why. Actually I totally know why...I am just tired. I can't seem to revive my little old self and I don't drink coffee, never have. Maybe time to start? Hmmm...

Anyway, it's not like we haven't been doing anything because we have been busy and I have loads of pictures to share (I know, you're all just dying to see them I'm sure) but maybe not tonight.

You know what pulled me out of the funk though? My awesome bloggy friends. I got two awards this week...they weren't even from my mom. :)

The first one is the Heartfelt Blogger Award that I got from Helga over at My World. She says she likes reading my blog, how awesome is that? Helga is such a sweetie and has an adorable family and I love reading her blog too. Thanks for the award my dear! :)

The next one is the Lemonade Stand Award. I got this one from B-Dub at Enjoy the Ride. B-Dub cracks me up big time, she always seems to have a funny adventure to share, who wouldn't with 'two kids and a stinky dog'? :) Check her out, very comical. Thanks girlie!

Of course there are all kinds of rules that come with blogging awards but (gasp) I am going to break them this time. (Mainly because I am still too tired to think too hard.) But, if you want to grab one or both of these please do so especially if you comment on my blog. I love all my peeps and you all deserve these. :)

Have a great weekend!!

Wordless Wednesday

(I caught Alexa reading to Braden again. I could almost die from the cuteness!)

My P-p-p-poker Face

Did you guys hear about the 21 year old, Joe Cada who won the World Series of Poker main event this morning? Yeah, he's walking away with the $8.55 million pot. Oh, and he's 21! Can you imagine? Once upon a time a loved poker, I was so fascinated by the whole thing and watched it all the time.

I think this should have been me.

Why didn't I just go with my gut and quit college and turn pro? Oh yes, there was that one tiny little thing that stood in my way. Okay, two things really.

One. I don't really know how to play. I obviously know how to play but not like those guys. If you show me two hands I really can't tell you what the odds are of winning. I don't get the whole 'what are the odds' thing.

Two. I can't actually play with other people. This one really might have put a damper on my pro career don't you think? Here's what I mean. Back in the day when I actually went to the casino and played table games I would freak out and freeze up after the first old man gave me a dirty look for hitting when I shouldn't have and therefore taking the break card (or whatever it's called.) Seriously, people get straight up mean at these games. I guess when there's money on the line....

Three. I know I said there was only two but I thought of one more. I can't bluff. The darkest glasses and biggest hat could not hide my "poker face" mainly because I would probably start giggling when I had a good hand, I'm bad at holding in my excitment.

Now that I think about it, I really wouldn't have been that good at all. Probably a good thing I stayed in school, huh!? I digress.

Back to Joe. He is now the youngest man ever to win the title. Here's what he said, "I ran really well and I never really thought this was possible. It was one of those dreams and I’m thankful it came true."

Hey Joe, how about a little excitement. "WHAT??? OH MY GOSH, I WON I WON!! I'M THE RICHEST MAN IN THE WORLD! I'M FREAKING OUT RIGHT NOW!!"

Maybe this is another reason I wouldn't make it.

So just because I feel like playing pretend right now, I am going to tell you what I did with my money after winning $8,550,000.

First of all, I put plenty of money away for our children to go to college. (P.S. if they overmydeadbody decide not to go to college, I will be taking this money back.

Then I bought a couple nice new vehicles that are (unlike our current ones) a little more reliable.

After that we moved into a little bit of a bigger home.

Then after helping out some of my family and saving all the hungry children of the world I would take what is left (yes, I realize I probably ran out of money already but this is my dream) and bring everyone I know on a nice long tropical cruise.

Not too bad for sitting at a poker table for a few days, huh?

What would you do with $8 million?

Bored Boy

You would have thought we had been in the car for hours, but really it was only 10 minutes.

Socks off.
Arm completely pulled out of the shirt.
Window shade pulled down.

I get it, Braden.
You're bored, right?

50 Little Fingers & 50 Little Toes

Isn't it great when you find something that you're not really looking for, especially when that something is super awesome. Like a super awesome friend.

Not too long ago I met a new friend, Shannon through blogging (she was the one that knew my step-sister in real life and through her we had met through blogging somehow...crazy.) Anyway, she is definitely super awesome. She has a daughter who is almost exactly Alexa's age and twins (boy and girl) who are just a little bit younger than Braden. Perfect? I think so. The girls get along so well (which is a huge relief considering that doesn't happen all the time.) It gets a little crazy with the five kids all together but it's so fun. And to top the whole thing off Shannon and I get along great too, it's so nice to have another young Mama who understands you and can sit and chat for hours even over the sound of 5 little kids yelling. She's super cool and is pretty much my new best friend...whether she likes it or not. :)

Here are her twins, are they not so adorable!?

And Braden is like, "Wait a minute, there's two of them?" Or maybe he was thinking, "Hey, I never once took a bottle for my mom, but watch me take theirs, won't she be surprised."

Here's the girls, so cute!

They even learned to do the Umpa Lumpa dance from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, which was pretty dang cute.

I Still Can't Believe She's 3

Last week we took Alexa in for her 3 year physical. She was pretty excited about wearing a gown for the occasion. And when my 3 year old girl gets excited about wearing an ugly hospital gown for a doctor visit...well, I know we are in big trouble. This girl is going to be expensive as a teenager. Time for Matt to get a second job. (Just kidding honey!) Anyhoo, back to the visit with the doc. Can I just say how much I love our pediatrician!? Are they all this good? Our kids love him so much that Alexa runs up and gives him hugs when she sees him. Although, he was never the one giving the shots, hmmm.

Here's the stats at 3 years old:
Height: 41.8 inches - 99+ percentile
Weight: 41 pounds - 98 percentile

So not only does she act like a 4 1/2 year old, she is about the size of one too. It's kind of funny, some people flat out don't believe me when I tell them her age. It's like I have a big conspiracy so somewhere down the road I don't have to pay full price for her meal at Applebees or her ticket price to get into the amusement park. Maybe I need to start carrying her birth certificate around with us. :)

A little bit about Alexa's life at the age of two:

I think we were pretty lucky to have skipped a lot of the whole 'terrible twos' and tantrums, buuuuut we did get right into the sassy threes and had (have) some problems with listening. For the most part she is the biggest joy to be around. She makes us laugh all day long and no doubt puts a smile on our faces whenever we see her. We could not have asked for a better little girl.

There was so many things that Alexa learned to do over the last year and I think that she is most proud of this:

But I am definitely most proud of this:

Alright threes, here we come. Bring it!

Five Question Friday

Alright, how excited is everyone that it is Friday!?! I would be a lot more excited if my husband wasn't gone hunting all weekend but that's okay, I'll get over it. Anyway, today I am joining in on Five Question Friday hosted by Mama M again. Here goes...


1. What is your dream job?
A party planner! You know when people actually have enough money to spend on someone to plan a party for them, I want to be that person they call. Birthdays, showers, WEDDINGS...I love love planning and organizing so I think it would be SO much fun! Of course (since this is all hypothetical) I want to be a party planner to the rich and famous so I can put together million dollar weddings. Ahhh just the thought makes me all happy inside.

Something a little more realistic would be - an L&D nurse. I have really been thinking a lot about going back to school once Matt is done with his schooling. I fell in love with the idea after having kids, clearly it's not a glamorous job but I think it would be fun. I LOVED all my nurses when we had our babies, I seriously cried when I had to leave the hospital...both times. (I'm sure that had nothing to do with pain, drugs or hormones though.) :)

2. What song could you play over and over?
I can't even pick one song, besides it changes almost daily! I love almost any type of music and listen to it all. If I had to pick a song I never want to hear again, it would be the entire CD that Alexa got when she went to Vacation Bible School. Every time we are in the car (which seems to be a lot) we have to listen to it...I wish I were kidding when I tell you we have listened to those songs probably about 800 times each in the past 3 months! Good CD but there's sometimes truth to too much of a good thing!

3. Do you prefer to talk on the phone or text (or email)?
All of the above. I love to talk so it doesn't matter how it comes out. :) I usually type how I talk so there are lots of likes, ughs and totallys....because apparently I am either stuck in the 80s or a Valley Girl. (Not really either one I just get super enthusiastic about things!) :) But on a side note, you guys should see one of ours neighbors....now she is living in the 80s...hair, clothes and all!

4. What is your must have beauty product?
Chapstick!! I'm pretty sure I have talked about it a couple times before about how addicted to that stuff I am. But also, I won't leave the house without mascara on. I have white eyelashes and eyebrows, and although it comes in handy when I haven't plucked for 3 weeks it also makes me look almost albino when I don't have anything on.

5. What is your favorite Michael Jackson song?
Although I am not a huge fan of Michael Jackson the person, he had some awesome music! I love all his "oldies" but I think I am going to pick....hmmmm, lets see, ummmm....this is a hard one.....ok, got it. Man In The Mirror.

Have a FABULOUS weekend everyone. We are suppose to have temps in the 60s tomorrow and I am almost dying with excitement! :)

My Favorite Things

Braden is now a 14 month old who is running all over the house, feeding himself and starting to hit. (ugh) I feel like I am losing my baby, all those "baby" things are happening less and less and it flat out makes this Mama sad. Don't get me wrong, I love many of the new things he is doing and the growing independence but there's so much I miss already. Some things I don't want to forget:

*Open mouth baby kisses (does it get any better than that?)

*Holding a cuddly baby who tucks his face into my neck as I sing him to sleep at night.

*Baby sign language. So cute. My favorites are please and milk.

*A chubby dimply baby butt running away from me while getting the bath water ready.

*The way he says "Ma-MAH" - the MAH part is loud and high pitched.

*Nursing. I can't believe I am saying this or the fact that I am even still nursing in general. It seems the past couple weeks he has started to lose interest, only really wanting to nurse at night. I will miss it when it's over.

Wordless Wednesday