Even though

Even though we didn't go on the cruise, we had a fun week having Iwalani, Bruce, and Grandma Nancy staying with us. I can't even say how much the boys enjoy having family around. They love all the extra attention. We didn't do a whole lot, it took us a couple of days just to catch up on sleep alone. We did see a couple of good movies though, Julie and Julia, the guys watched the newest Terminator, Harry Potter and the half blood prince, and we went to Planet 51 (which I was a little disappointed with). We also took everyone to the alamo and riverwalk. This was grandma Nancy's first trip to San Antonio, so it was fun to show her some of the sights. Here's a few pictures.

Cruise, what cruise?

So I should have been sitting on a beach in Mexico sipping on a bahama mama today, but instead I was napping and trying to recover from my 5 hour drive back to San Antonio last night (We pulled in at about 3:30 am). So what happened? Here's the story.

After Chad's work Christmas party (which was quite fun by the way, we rocked the night away listening to REO speedwagon live), we spent the night packing for the cruise. We had put it off until last minute and finished about at 3 in the morning. We then got a couple hours of sleep and were off by 9ish.

Once we got to the port we had to stand through a crazy line to get on the ship. We had loads of luggage and two crazy boys who were restless from a long drive. However, we finally got on and were able to get settled. All the craziness payed off when we were in our room and Devan said, "this was a wonderful day!"

Anyway, to get to the point of the story, the fog was horrible in Galveston so the port was closed. By the 2nd evening it was still not opened and we were told we would not be making our first stop because we still were unable to leave. We were given the option to leave that night by 11:00 pm and get full credit towards another cruise or to stay on the boat, but even if we weren't able to leave the port we would not be reimbursed for anything. We talked to the rest of the famliy and we were all in agreement that it would be best to take up the offer for a new cruise down the road.

So we all packed up and headed back to San Antonio. Chad still has the week off work and Iwalani, Bruoce, and Grandma Nancy were all able to make it down with us, so things ended up working out just fine. And now we get another cruise to look forward to!

A little drive

A couple weeks ago I took the boys on what I thought was going to be a little drive, but as I was driving I saw a sign for "Lake Medina" and thought we should go check it out. It was fun venturing out and finding something new. Once we got there I had no idea where to go or what to do, but it was a pretty drive out of the city. Here's a couple pictures from the trip.



I liked this one because you could see both the moon and sun.



I found these bottom two pictures interesting because I took them both on the same bridge. One side was bright and happy, and the other was dark and a little spooky looking.

Thought I better

Thought I better update our blog before we leave on the cruise. I have a feeling I'll have lots of pictures I'll want to be posting afterwards, and I just might not ever get back to posting our latest.

We got our poor little Charlie Brown tree up. I bought it last year for really cheap thinking I'd get a nicer one when they go on sale after Christmas and I never did. After Tristan and Devan pulled it down and made a mess of it this year, I'm thinking we might just have to stick with this one until they are a bit older. I figure if they ruin this tree I won't be to heart broken, but if I buy a $200 tree and they wreck it, I might be a little upset. We decorated it half way up because Tristan kept pulling off the ornaments and running off with them.

I took the boys to the park today and we had to bundle up because it was quite chilly. When we got home we made hot chocolate to warm up. After dinner Devan and I made gingerbread men and houses. I had never made them before and it was a lot of fun. Oh and parchment paper is a lifesaver for roll out cookies! Devan is so funny, he had ate way to many cookies, but still wanted more. I told him no, so he went up to Chad and said, "Dad, do you want to share with me? Would you LOVE to share with me?" The way he says it is so cute. How can you say no to that? Well, I guess we did say no, so it is possible, but it was tough! Oh and the gingerbread houses came from a halloween cookie cutter set from williams sonoma that I got for $1 (the set was originally $20!) They are actually haunted houses, but I thought they passed pretty good for gingerbrad houses. I'm hoping the Christmas cookie set goes on sale after the holidays :)

I almost forgot one last thing, the boys and I took all their old crayons, took the wrappers off, broke them up, put them in a silicone cupcake baking thing, and melted them down. Here's how they turned out.

Oh dear...

I just got back from a lunch with my visiting teaching group. The lady who held it has a room at the upstairs of her house filled with fun toys. She said it was child proof and they could just play up there while we visited. I took a look around to make sure there wasn't anything breakable and felt good about it, so I went downstairs to visit. Well, not to long after, Tristan came walking down the stairs with a sharpie marker in his hand, and his face was covered in marker. My stomach sank thinking the whole upstairs was probably covered in black. I went up to check the damage, and luckily it wasn't everywhere, but he did draw on her foosball table. I felt SOOOO bad! I've heard of kids doing this before, but somehow until now, it hadn't happened to me. I felt like such a bad mom and was so embarrassed, sigh*

2 things

1. Thanks for all the nice comments. I really enjoy taking pictures and your nice comments make me feel good.
2. I can't even remember what Devan and I were talking about at the time, but he used the phrase, "super dang cool" I thought it was pretty cute.

Boys Pictures

I took some pictures of the boys the other day...

Thanksgiving 2009

I just put together a little something at our house for Thanksgiving...

Beautiful isn't it... ok our dinner looked nothing like this, but I did make dinner all by myself :) I cooked a turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, candied sweet potatoes, stuffing, rolls, and apple pie. I would have loved to do more sides, but doing a Thanksgiving dinner by myself was quite the task. Oh and we ate on paper plates because I knew I wouldn't want to do all the dishes after cooking all day.

Chad did a good job with a lesson about Thanksgiving and sharing with the boys, and I made a turkey activity with them. After that we went around the table and said what we were thankful for. Devan was so cute, he came up with a huge list of things he is thankful for, his brother, mom and dad, grandma, grandpa, trucks, food, Jesus, houses, and the list went on. Then we ate way to much, cleaned up, watched Charlie Brown, and that was pretty much the day.

Here's a list of things I'm thankful for...

1. Chad- He's been my best friend since shortly after I met him. I was just thinking the other day how while we were dating the only time we even spent a day apart was when I went on a trip to Costa Rica, and a trip to Denver. We didn't date for very long, but since we spent ALL our time together we got to know eachother super fast. I've been so impressed with how he has done with his job. He's such a hard worker and SO smart. Another thing I love about him is he's always so supportive of things I want to do. Oh and he makes me feel pretty (what girl wouldn't like that!)

2. My boys- Devan has such a sweet personality. He's always very aware of people's feelings. One day at the park a little boys brother wasn't being nice to him and the boy looked very sad. I watched Devan go up to him, put his hand on his back and ask him if he was alright. He's protective of Tristan, so much in fact, that one day when I got after Tristan, He looked at me and in a very stern voice said, "You be nice to him, he's my brother". Tristan is such a fun boy. He has a smile that could get anyone to grin. His laugh makes our home a happy place. He is always willing to give a hug and pooch smooch (kiss).

3. My other family- My Mom, Dad, In-laws, Brothers and Sisters, Grandparents, I'm pretty convinced I have they coolest family EVER. My Mom is the strongest person I know and she is so much fun to spend time with. Even though I haven't been able to know my dad like some people know theirs, just having people tell my stories of what a great man he is, makes me extremely proud to be his daughter, and also makes me want to live my life in a way that he would be proud of me. I really lucked out with my Mother in law and Father in laws. From the time Chad and I were together, they always have made me feel loved and a part of the family. Some of Chad's other family members have become some of my best friends and I'm so blessed to know them. My brothers and sisters all married AWESOME people. I love being able to spend time with them when I go back home and kudos to all of them for putting up with my crazy family. My brothers and sisters have gone from being just brothers and sisters to being my best friends. I love being able to go home, have all of us together, and have everyone get along. I know I could call anyone of them at anytime and they would be there for me. Anyone who knows my grandparents know I'm extremely blessed. Some of my best childhood memories are of spending time with them.

4. Modern technology- As I was cooking Thanksgiving dinner, I thought, this would really suck having to cook this over a campfire. And where would I be if I couldn't look recipes up on allrecipes.com?

5. Freedom!!! This is something I probably take advantage of way to often, but when I read about people that don't have it, it sure makes me grateful. Chad's stepmom sent me an email awhile back about the women who helped get us our voting rights. The things they went through were awful, and that wasn't even very long ago! It was a good reminder for me to ALWAYS take advantage of the freedom and vote. We are so blessed to live in a country with so many freedoms. And God bless those who are out there protecting them for us today!

My list could go on and on. I really love Thanksgiving. It's nice to be able to set aside a day to think about how blessed we truly are. I hope all of you had a wonderful one!!

It's raining, it's pouring...

We got a good rain storm today, and with the little amount of rain we've got in San Antonio this year, it's worth documenting!

"We're all best friends"

Today when Chad got home from work he gave me a hug. Devan came over and joined in on the hug, and then Tristan. After a minute Devan said, "We're all best friends". It absolutely made my night. I hope it stays that way forever!

The Candy Fairy

With all the Halloween fun this year, we were left with an abundance of candy in the house over the weekend. I really didn't want the boys (or myself) veggin' on junk all day and knew I had to do something about it, but didn't know quite what to do until I read this on my friends blog. So Sunday I had a talk with Devan and told him it's ok to eat a little candy every once in awhile, but eating to much would make his teeth and belly hurt (he suprisingly understood). I then went on to tell him about a place called Candy Land, a place where the fairies use candy for money. I told him if he would leave his candy out for the Candy Fairy to bring back to her home, she would in turn leave him some money to buy a new toy. Devan agreed this would be a good idea. Monday morning we set off to buy him and Tristan a new toy. Usually when we pass by the candy aisle Devan begs for a treat, but he didn't say a word this time. We picked out a helicopter for Devan and a truck for Tristan and that was that.

halloween 2009

Halloween was so much fun this year. We started off by friday going to our ward trunk or treat party. Whoever was in charge did such a good job! The kids night started with the trunk or treat outside the church and then afterwards moved inside the church for games and treats. They had a room filled up with balloons for the kids to play in, a fish pond, a picture station, a cake walk, frito pie booth (put on by the missionaries) and lots more. I was very impressed by all the work they put into it. Devan and Tristan loved it. Tonight was fun as well. I served a special Halloween dinner of witches fingers with a side of ghost goo for dipping, goblin eyes, monster toes, apple bites, bat dropplings, vampire's delight to drink, and brain cupcakes for dessert. Devan thought it was so funny! After dinner we got the boys into their costumes (Devan a firefighter and tristan a dalmation) and we went trick or treating to a few of our neighbors houses

Goblin eyesWitch FingersGhost gooMonster toesApple bitesBat droppingsVampire's delight

Brain cupcakes

Apple Pie

My mom sent me this fun apple pie cutout the other day and I'd been anxious to make one ever since. So yesterday I went at it. I've made an apple pie once before but did a crumb top so this was my first real attempt. The top broke when I put it on so it didn't turn out as pretty as it could of, but it wasn't half bad. I'm on a diet right now so I resisted having a piece, but Chad said it was wonderful. He also said he wasn't a crust person, but he loved the crust on this. So if any of you are interested, here's the recipe. And thanks again mom for the fun new kitchen tool!


Oh, and I almost forgot my funny story...

Today I was going out shopping with the boys. I ran upstairs real quick to get my shoes on and when I got back down Devan and Tristan had pulled a chair up to where the pie was and were hovering around it. As I got closer I noticed a fork right dab in the middle of it, and Devan turns around and says, "mmmmm... I LOVE apple pie mom, I LOVE it!" I couldn't help but to crack up.

Visitors :-)

Chad and I had visitors last weekend!!! Iwalani and Bruce saw an open weekend and decided to head on down to San Antone. I thought it was so awesome they would do that just spur of the moment. We didn't plan to much, but it was really nice to visit and let the kids play with their grandparents. They got here late Friday night and the boys were so excited to see them Saturday when they woke up. Later that day we took the boys to the park and had a picnic. That evening Iwalani and Bruce treated us to a yummy dinner at Papadeaux. Sunday we went to church and spent the rest of the day watching the Seahawks kick the Panthers butt :) It was a happy night for the boys. We were sad to see them leave early Monday morning, but SO glad they could make the trip in the first place. Here's a few pictures from the park...


Can you believe this poor boys eye??!! He has a bad allergy to mosquitos and got bit the day before .


Chad and Bruce having fun :)

Just me and Tris

Well, like I mentioned before I'm done teaching preschool now so 2 day a week Tristan and I get some time just by ourselves. I LOVE the one on one time. It's just really nice to be able to focus on Tristan. Before we picked Devan up today I took a couple pictures of Tristan and I thought they turned out pretty cute. So here they are...

On a different subject, What are you all planning to dress up for as Halloween? Originally Devan had wanted to be a monster, so I was thinking Chad and I could be star trek officers and the boys aliens/monsters from a different planet. But the other day Devan saw a fireman costume and has his heart set on it. Tristan loves dogs so I think we'll end up having Devan as a firefighter and Tristan as a dalmation. I love Halloween though and it's even more fun this year because Devan is getting REALLY into it!

rain gutter shelves

Hey everyone, I had a couple people ask me to post pictures of these diy shelves. I love how they keep things more organized and out of my boys reach! I've put them up in the boys room, the downstairs toy closet, and the laundry room so far. If you're interested in putting some up yourself, here's a tutorial. Here's the shelves I put in the toy closet...


Oh and one last thing, they suprisingly hold a lot of stuff in them. The two shelves pictured were only half of a gutter and they held 3 drawers (like the plastic ones in the bottom picture) that were pretty packed with things.