Holidays 2010

Well Christmas has come and gone.  I can never believe how quickly it passes.  Our Christmas began Christmas Eve morning.  I let the boys open their presents from me since they were going to their dad's house for the night and Christmas morning.  Bryden had asked Santa for a nintendo DS and I had already gotten it for him, so I didn't want him to be crushed that Santa didn't bring it so I thought we would do gifts Christmas Eve.  I got one for both boys and they were so excited!

Alex and I had already done our gifts for each other, but I got him a certificate to go to Benihana and be a "chef for the day".  He will take a little cooking lesson and then we will all go up there one day for him to cook dinner for the family!  Ha!  I was excited about it, although I'm not sure how he feels about it.  ;)

After we opened gifts we went to my parents house to have Christmas over there.  We had the usual prime rib for lunch, which was yummy, and opened our gifts.

After that the kids went to their dad's and Alex and I went to spend Christmas Eve with his family.  This was a first for me and it was quite the experience.  They have an Italian Christmas dinner which apparently is seafood.  I swear we sat down to eat and 5:30 and proceeded to eat for probably about 4 hours.  They basically were cooking one course at a time.  It was fun, although I don't really eat seafood.  I wish my kids could have gone over there as well.

Christmas day was a little more low-key - or least you would have thought it would be.  We got the boys back and headed to my grandmother's for a late lunch.  First of all I would like to say that Alex and I seem to have this ongoing debate on who's family is crazier.  I'm pretty sure my family tipped the scale that day.  Lets just say there is lots of people, a sweet grandmother, people being told they shouldn't be there because there wasn't enough chairs, and people leaving in anger.  Ahhh..it just wouldn't be Christmas without some sort of crazy drama!  :)

New Years Eve is now upon us and of course I have been trying to decide what my resolutions should be.  Basically, as usual, I am going to try to live a little bit more healthier lifestyle.  I am generally good about working out, but I eat like crap.  I have a wedding to get in shape for so at least I have some motivation!  I probably won't actively begin this eating healthier thing until we get back from our cruise this next week or so.  Oh yes - that should be an interesting post when we get back from that.  Remember the crazy family I was just speaking of?  Yep - we are all going on that cruise.  Yes, ALL of us...well most of us anyway.
New Year's Eve tonight should be fairly calm for us. We are going to have dinner with Alex's family and we may stay up 'till midnight - but that is stretching it.  I never understood the crazy partying that goes with New Years.  Everyone is resolving to have a "fresh start" but how can you possibly have a "fresh start" with a nasty hang over?

With that being said, I hope everyone has a great New Years and be safe out there tonight!

Eat, Drink, and I'm getting married!!

This post is almost 2 weeks over due, but I have some exciting news to share!  Alex and I are getting married!  Thursday, December 2nd he decided to "pop the question"!  Ok, so it wasn't a HUGE surprise.  I knew it was coming of course.  Either way it was probably one of the best moments of my life behind my kids of course.  I was so happy that he didn't do anything cheesy and embarrassing, which is just his style.  I, on the other hand, prefer to not have the spot light on me and was a nervous wreck that he was going to stand up in a restaurant and propose in front of a whole room of strangers.  Actually, that might have been the case for all I know, but I supposedly ruined his proposal idea.  Luke was supposed to have the kids that weekend and Alex and I had plans for dinner, but Luke decided to go hunting and I kept the kids.  My mom offered to babysit and Alex said we should still go to dinner, but I was pretty adamant about NOT going to dinner.  Alright, alright I was purposely being a little stubborn about the whole dinner situation..I had to have some sort of clue if it was coming or not so I could prepare for my reaction in front of the whole crowd of people I had envisioned.  Of course, Alex wasn't as persistant as I had imagined he would be if he was preparing to ask me to marry him so I assumed that it just wasn't going to happen that weekend.  We were sitting at the kitchen table with my kids when this whole discussion unraveled and I guess I was being a little grumpy, especially after I was certain there would be no engagement that weekend.  Little did I know he had hid the ring in our center piece that was sitting on the table and was just waiting for me to see it.  He managed to surprise me!!  I can honestly say I had no idea!  It was very simple and sweet.  I am so happy he did it that way.  I loved that my kids were there as well.  They both seemed so excited, which made the moment even better.  After seeing the excitement in my kids eyes I knew that this was the way life was meant to be and it can only get better from here.  :)

Thanksgiving weekend

Thanksgiving was a great day and I was grateful to have four days off with my boys.  This year I had them all to myself and enjoyed every minute of it!  Bryden was practicing his prayer to say before dinner for a few days, but got stage fright when it was time to eat.  He is so funny.  He gets so excited about thing and works so hard and then his nerves get the best of him.  I can't say I blame him!  I have probably passed him that gene.  We attempted to take some Christmas pictures with Alex's camera, but the kids weren't being too cooperative.  I have decided to make our own Christmas cards this year and I am a little bummed we didn't get an awesome picture, but I will have to make do!  Thanksgiving night we decorated the house for Christmas.  I had ordered a new tree this year and was so excited to get it out of the box and put it up.  To my surprise, it is the tiniest tree EVER!  A little depressing, but it is a pretty little tree.  Bryden wasn't too happy about it either.  Once it was all up (which took about 5 minutes) he said "that is the tiniest tree I have EVER seen!!"  I think he got over it once I told him maybe we could get a bigger one next year and he could put that one up in his room.  After the house was decorated we had an amazing night.  I had promised Bryden for months that we could have a "sleepover" in the living room, so we got out blankets and pillows and made a pallet for the floor.  We watched some christmas shows and ate popcorn.  Bryden was asleep by 10:30 but my little man was determined to stay up all night I think.  He kept his eyes wide open until I finally couldn't take it anymore and had to turn off the movies.  Friday we went to Mckinney with my mom and neice, Sydney, to the Dickens Christmas.  They had quite a few activities for the kids, but I think that is something I will save for myself next year so maybe I can actually go into the shops. 
Saturday Alex and I decided to take the kids to Grapevine to the Polar Express.  It was so much fun!  We rode the "polar express" and had hot chocolate and sang Christmas carols.  They even provided us with snow as we boarded the train!  I might have been a little more excited than the kids about that!  Santa even made an appearance on the train ride.  Once we got off the train, we went to see Santa to give him our Christmas lists.  We couldn't help laugh as he rattled off the items on Bryden's list which included:  DSi, football goal, basketball goal, Ipod, and a little kitchen just to name a few.  Aeson's list was a little more straight forward.  He will be completely happy with choo choos, airplanes, hot dogs, and bread.  :)

Mindless chatter

I love November!  I am that cheesy person that gets super excited when Halloween is over because that means Christmas is coming!  Don't get me wrong, I love Thanksgiving too but I just love the holiday season and I consider the two holidays a packaged deal.  I can't wait to put up the tree and start playing christmas music.  I wish the weather was cold so we could bundle up next to a fire and drink hot chocolate and be a cozy little family.  Of course, reality would soon set in and the noises of whining and complaining from the little ones would take over and I would have to bring up, again, that Santa is watching. 

I can't believe Thanksgiving is less than 2 weeks away!  I am literally counting down the days.  Unfortunately, I think it more because I am ready to have 4 days off work.  I am so confused with what to do about my work situation.  I plan on staying where I am for a little while, but am truly unhappy.  I am playing with the idea of going to school again.  I went as far to applying to grad school at UNT and am ready to enroll for the spring semester!  A few years ago I decided I wanted to go into teaching and was looking into alternative certification programs and began subbing in a few districts.  All that came to a halt when life took a little turn and I needed to get into a job quickly.  Life has settled a bit and I am now realizing how unhappy I am.  I am not meant to do corporate type jobs.  I am also not meant to be a stay at home so I wish people would stop commenting that "you just don't like to work!"  I just want to do something that I am passionate about and that will allow me to be happy.  I also would love to see my kids a little more.  I feel myself being pulled away from so many things going on in their lives and I can't let that happen anymore.  They mean the world to me and I don't want to miss anything.  I am so out of the loop and I don't know any of Bryden's school friends parents because I am too busy working and racing home to pick them up at a decent time to do dinner, homework, bath, and bed. 

Starting something new is a decision I am struggling with.  I know I am not old by any means, but I am almost 30!  Only one more year to go!  I just wish I would have decided to do this the first time around.  On the other hand, I don't want 5 or 10 more years to go by and I have regrets that I didn't decide to pursue it.  Decisions, decisions...

Ace's bday party & more

Well I stink at this blogging thing.  I will try to make a little more of an effort to blog more regularly, but I have so much to tell!

We have had a busy couple of weeks!  Aeson turned the big "3"!!!  We had a great time celebrating his birthday at the park with family and friends.  He requested an airplane party so a friend of his aunt made an amazing airplane cake for the occasion.  It took him a while to warm up to the idea of the party though.  For whatever reason my social butterfly wanted nothing to do with anyone.  He refused to play on the playground and barely spoke to anyone.  When I gave him his cheeseburger he shuffled his way to his own table across the pavillion instead of sitting at the table with all the kids.  Alex, papa, daddy mac, and I decided to join him so he wouldn't have to eat alone at his own party.  After lunch we sang "Happy Birthday" and let him open his presents.  Out came his personality!  He was too funny when he opened his gifts.  He was so upset every time he had to put one down to open a new one.  He wanted to play with everything right then!  Once we finished with presents and cake he decided that it was time to play.  Of course everyone began to leave so I think he was a little late.  Overall it was a great day.

A couple of other "big" occasions have occurred in the past couple of weeks.  Bryden received his first report card!  It was full of S's and E's so I am one proud mama!  I can't believe the first six weeks of school is already over!  The boys also had another first.  We went to their first Texas Tech football game!  They acted so great.  I was a little skeptical of how Aeson would hold up through the game but he was a trooper and passed the time with a little girl sitting in front of us.  Alex tried to explain to Bryden the rules of the game and he actually listened and watched a lot of the game.  It was a great time.  Thank goodness Tech won!  The game was at the state fair and we planned on going into the fair after the game.  I have no idea what I was thinking it would be like, but it was so incredibly crowded.  I was feeling a little under the weather so we only lasted long enough to buy a some corn dogs for everyone.  It was Alex's first corn dog from the fair believe it or not!  He enjoyed it as much as the boys.  It was worth the wait in the crazy line.  :)

Rock n Roll

Ok so it has been a bit since I have blogged.  I wanted to try to do this a little more often but it is hard to sit down and actually have the time to do so.  This weekend was a pretty good weekend.  Alex's birthday was yesterday and so we went out Friday night to celebrate.  We took the kids to Benihana which has become one of our favorite dinner spots.  The kids love the experience and the food.  Well, Bryden just loves steak so anywhere that serves steak is good in his book.  I love watching them eat with their "kid" chopsticks with the rubber bands.  I also love to watch Aeson's face every time the chef does the volcano and the train.  It never gets old for him (or me)!!  Saturday morning we went with Alex's family to eat Dim Sum.  Ok..so I didn't eat it but at least I went along for support.  :)  Aeson is my experimental eater so I figured he would at least try whatever was put in front of him but he was a little grumpy and stuck to the rice.  Bryden on the other hand surprised us and seemed fairly interested in the food.  I was also proud of him because they didn't have the "kid" chopsticks and he actually ate really well with them.  Saturday night Alex and I went to a wedding,  He wasn't too thrilled at the idea of going to a wedding on his birthday when he didn't even know the bride and groom but we had a great time anyway.  I love going to weddings.  I get teary every time..especially during sappy daddy speeches for his little girl.  So sweet! 

We have had a pretty uneventful couple of weeks so I don't have much to tell.  I will say that my kids have this love for "rock-n-roll" now thanks to Alex.  That is ok with me because it is cute when Ace insists to turn the radio to "wock-n-woll" and then assigns everyone to an air instrument.  Bryden also asks to turn it on as well and one day when I said no Aeson protested "but mama!!  Wock-n-woll is COOL!!!" I love those little guys.  They are so cute.  I also really like the fact that Aeson still can't say the letter "r" and uses "w" instead.  He can stay that way for a little while longer and that would make me happy.

I guess that is all I have to share for today.  Hopefully I can get back on here sooner next time.  We have a lot of things coming up! 

Time flies!

Well we made it through the first week of school!  I can't believe how quickly it went by.  It seems so strange how fast the time goes when you have kids.  I remember when I was younger the days seemed longer and the years went by slower.  These days it seems as if each day is over with the blink of an eye! I'm afraid if I blink (because the moment that I do) my babies will be graduating high school and embarking on a life of their own.  After the first week of school, Bryden already seems so much older!  It sounds crazy, I know.  Every day after school last week he was begging me to let him bring lunch money to school to buy lunch in the cafeteria.  For whatever reason it makes me a little sad and hesitant.  He told me that "everyone was buying their lunch."  Seriously?!?!  He is already starting the "everybody's doing it"?  Whew..I have a long road ahead of me.  He seems to be loving life right now though.  He says his favorite subject is recess because "he loves to play outside."  I think Aeson is a little jealous.  As far as Aeson is concerned, kindergarten is all about coloring, food, and playing outside.  He doesn't understand why he has to miss out on all these great times!  No need for him to rush though!  Luckily my baby has an October birthday so I am completely grateful that I have three more years to spend with him before he reaches the kindergarten milestone.  Of course in 3 years I will be sitting here again saying "where does the time go?!"  Until that time comes, I hope I can soak it all in and enjoy the little moments together.  To change the subject, I am super excited because Alex got a new camera and I am starting to become border line obsessed!  We took the kids out after breakfast this morning and went around town to take some awesome pics.  I will never need to pay for professional pics again!  We better clear up some wall space is all I know! 

First entry/First Day of Kindergarten

So here we go...I decided to jump on the blog bandwagon.  Hopefully I can pull it all together and make it look "fun" but for now it is what it is.  At least I started it!

Today was the first day of kindergarten for my first born, Bryden, and it really got me thinking about things.  There are so many memories that I want to remember about life with my kids and it is mostly the little things that are unfortunately easy to forget..for instance the fact that Aeson calls fingers "skingers".  This is why I decided to do a blog.  This is my way of keeping a journal  to remember "the little things".  Of course my first entry is definitely not something little!  It is a huge milestone in Bryden's life.  Today I watched him go into "big" school and is letting someone else take him in to teach him many things that will become valuable to him.  His teacher is Mrs. Lacey and she is new to Celina Elementary but I have faith that she will be great and will make his kindergarten year a memorable one. Bryden is so excited about his teacher and being in school.  Walking him down the hallway this morning was very surreal to me.  He wasn't nervous at all.  I, on the otherhand, was a nervous wreck and wanted to run into the nearest bathroom for fear of throwing up.  My brave little boy wasn't phased a bit by the hallways and large number of kids scrambling to find their classroom.  I'm not sure how he felt so much at ease..he obviously didn't get that trait from me.  After we dropped him off in his class and took pictures we said our goodbyes.  I didn't even make it out of the school before I started getting teary.  Alex had come with us to share this moment and I am pretty sure he thinks I am a little crazy for being so sad.  But I know I am not the only mother that broke down today.  Although I felt a little sad this morning (ok for the past month) I am finally starting to truly get excited for him and his journey.  I absolutely loved going to school as a child and my best memories come from that time in my life.  I can't wait to see what the future holds for him.