Friday!

Today is the day....Gabriel is coming home for the first time since he moved to Arkansas to start working. We are very excited but I have to say I have been on edge BIG TIME this week since I haven't seen him in some time and we have issues with the whole finding a house thing. I am so confused about everything. It will all work out and regardless I have to be out of this house by next weekend so I can't just shut down and have a pity party I have to move forward and trust that everything will fall into place like it has been. Jack has lunch day at school today so that's always a big deal around this house. It is so cool to a 4 year old to get to bring that and eat it with his friends. I love his preschool its an excellent place for him to learn and grow and I am so thankful we have been able to end him there. We were having some dinner at Bread Co the other night and he was just yap yap yappin and this table of sweet ladies just couldn't hardly eat because they were so wrapped up in all Jack kept talking about. He is dead set on finding a leprechaun in the next couple weeks and catching it cause his teacher told him if he did he would get a pot of gold. LOL! So he wanted me to get him a net when we were at Walmart the other night that he could carry around with him in case one happens to shoot by lol! I didn't tell him they weren't real...in fact we could use a pot of gold right about now! Shoot a couple pots for that matter since gas is $3.30!!!! Crazy! Have a good day everyone!

Enjoying March 1st!

March is HERE!! Its the moment I have been waiting for....SPRING! Well sort of....they say it may snow Saturday night but the boys and I played outside yesterday afternoon enjoying the almost 60 degree weather we had! I had a lot (and still do) of outdoor things to do to get ready to move. I had flower pots that needed to be cleaned out, toys that needed to be organized and put away....well I could go on and on but again I made progress! Yesterday as I sat there I was looking at everything and we have so much stuff its rather overwhelming. WOW! This is one BIG move! The boys enjoyed helping me and also pulling things out and throwing them all over the yard. We have a little kiddie pool outside that was a huge block of ice that has finally gradually thawed out and they were having fun splashing their hands in it. Jack was calling it swamp water lol! Sadly it does have that look...yes I let my kids play in it and was hoping they didn't fall in cause it was some funky water...but hey who cares! A bath can clean anything. That being said I wonder what we will get accomplished today!

Scrapbooking, Packing, and Missing My Husband

Sorry have not posted in quite some time! I have been very busy and preoccupied with getting things ready to move. I have traveled to Arkansas the past two weekends with this last one being the first we have stayed put. It was much harder than I thought to not see him and some say absence makes the heart grow fonder....for us its really hard not being together and we seem to argue. His sister is not helping the situation doing things a 12 year old would do and trying to make my life more miserable than it already is. Keep in mind shes a 33 year old grown woman. This has been an on again off again relationship that has never really been good. Its a whole lot of giving on our end and they always do the taking. They are very selfish and can only think of themselves in all they do. Who sends your best friend an email totally bashing you. I guess a 33 year old crackhead with nothing else to do. They are very childish in the things they do and have problems with everyone in their life! No matter who it is there is an issue! So long story short my husband hates her, so do I, and they have hurt my kids in the process....I don't care anymore what anyone thinks....I feel what I feel and she dug the hole I am putting her in once and for all. So with this post I bury her and no longer is she going to impact my life. Screw her and her husband! Most of all screw what anyone thinks of me because of how I feel. Someone will put them in their place once and for all one of these days! When someone bites a chunk out of your arm thats a good start! Yep someone bit his arm back around Christmas because they were yet again running their mouths about someone or something! No it isn't the Christian thing to do but you can only take SO much from one person and after 8 years (yes 8) this is over. I will deal with God how I need to with this. Anywho....that being said....my sweet husband is coming to move some things to Arkansas this weekend and we are VERY excited to see him since it will have been a week and a half come Friday since we saw him last. I have also gotten back into my scrapbooking so I have been doing a lot of that trying to catch Jack up on all that I have been behind on. Not even to his 2nd birthday yet so its gonna take me a bit but hey... its progress! Packing up my house is more than I thought it would be and always is. We have sooooo much stuff. But I am making much progress with that as well! My wonderful mom who I love dearly came and helped me Saturday to pack some things and as usual she got right in and got-er-done! Sunday the boys and I went to a restaurant with another bestie of mine Monica and her little boy Patrick. It was Lotawada Creek and boy was it country...lol! That's the only way to describe it. Greasy, large, country food and not my kind of eating I am used to but it was fun hanging out with Monica and talking. I really am blessed with awesome best friends. I have a small army of a few women who stand behind me always and back me through everything. So Travica, Lisa, Monica, Angie....you ladies are so much to me! I hope you all know how special you are and I love you all dearly!

Something Sort Of New For Breakfast

My boys LOVE oatmeal and it is so good for them. I have been reading about steel cut oats and how it is just heartier and more filling. It is quite a bit more expensive than regular oatmeal but is definitely worth it based on how good it turned out! If you are in a hurry you can make it the night before but it takes 30-45 minutes so you should give yourself time and plan it if you want to make it. I just boiled 4 cups of milk and added 1 cup of the steel cut oats and simmered it after adding the oats! I also chopped some apple and added that at the end along with a little brown sugar and cinnamon and it was great and both boys ate a big bowlful! Glad we tried it!

Happy Valentines Day!

Yesterday was Valentine's Day. Jack had a party in his classroom at school and came home with a ton of candy! For lunch I made them heart shaped PB&J, banana slices with hearts stamped in them and cherry yogurt and red juice! They liked it a lot and had fun eating their lunch. When I was visiting Gabriel this weekend he gave me a card and some chocolate so I thought that was it but he made me feel VERY special yesterday when these beautiful flowers showed up at our door and then when the mail came he surprised me with another card just so I could get one on Valentine's Day! I also got a very cute keychain I have been wanting from my father in law and a box of chocolate covered strawberries from my parents! Whew I sure felt loved yesterday and although I couldn't be with my Valentine I was with my young Valentine's and we had a great day!

Max Turns 2!!!

That's right you read it right.....our little guy turned 2 years old on Saturday! Its hard to believe its been that long but it has. Everyone told us not to blink cause they would be grown before we know it....so that means we better get going on number 3!!! Well OK not right now but soon....very soon. We want to be settled in Arkansas and have our lives established down there before we embark on that journey...again :) But when that time comes we are ready for another! Anyway back to my Max who turned 2.....we had a little get together at Gabriel's parents house in Helena Arkansas and of course daddy, mommy, Jackson (he says his name isn't Jack anymore), Maw Maw and Paw Paw were there but some other guests included Aunt Denise and Uncle Doug and their 4 grand kids Andrew, Trey, Preston , and Lexie, John, Lisa, Silas, and Sophie, and Mike D., Heather, Bethanie, and Rylan (who turns 2 himself tomorrow I think)! We had a good laid back time. We had an Elmo party since Max loves Elmo. He got some very cute gifts and we had cupcakes! We had a fun time and glad daddy could celebrate with his baby because I know he would have been very upset if he wasn't able to be with him.

A Trip To Arkansas.....

This past Friday I went to Arkansas with Jack and Max to my in laws house to see my husband. One week apart and it felt like a month! So after school Friday we came home and had lunch and hit the road. The trip is 5 hours and I made great time getting there and only had to stop one time. The boys did excellent! I got there about 7 and boy was it good to see my husband!! My parents were going to be out of town here in St. Louis so I decided since Max's birthday was Saturday we would go there and have a little celebration with daddy and Maw Maw and Paw Paw.

Sad Saturday But Lots of Fun

Today was the last full day before Gabriel leaves for Arkansas. He will leave tomorrow afternoon around 2. Very excited we are finally all healthy and we can move forward but not sure how its going to be. I will be fine since we stay fairly busy most of the time but I am sure when the boys are in bed and I am all alone at night on the couch....that's when its gonna hit :( Only four months, only four months, that's what I keep telling myself. Anyway....on a brighter note well not brighter really maybe on a colder note we got more snow this morning...about 4 inches. My husband told me today that he has NEVER built a snowman!!!! I mean I know hes from Arkansas and all but NEVER?? So we did!! We named him "The Boss" since hes over 6 ft tall! Those that know us well know that's a little inside joke Gabriel and I call each other too. Since the sun was shining and it was fairly nice out (hey 30 is a nice temp to us these days)we built him, chiseled some, sledded some and had a great time together! Here are some pics of our day. The large piece of ice in my hand is how thick all that icy sleet is underneath all of the snow!! We had fun!

shoveling sleet

Well the weathermen here in St. Louis had us going to the grocery store, buying salt, etc. in anticipation of a HUGE winter storm we were supposed to get Monday and Tuesday. We were all ready and then it sleeted and sleeted and we probably got a couple inches of sleet and maybe an inch of snow when we were expecting like a foot! So I was kinda mad seeing that it was day 5 or 6ish of being cooped up inside. I figured hey if its gonna snow a lot then now would be a great time! Have you ever shoveled sleet??? Neither have I but Gabriel chiseled away at the pathway you see in this video yesterday and then just now he and Jack went out to shovel and Jack to "help". Its only 5 degrees outside and its pretty difficult to shovel sleet! The end lol! I think he thought trying an actual shovel for the dirt would help....but I am not thinking it did! PS: my mother in law (who reads this) will be happy to know that the Flip video camera they gave me for my birthday is being put to good use these days! Also isn't the sun beautiful today??

Shaving....the tale of a boy and his razor

Being bored and stuck in the house has led us to spend a lot of time in the bathtub....well Jackson and Max anyway. Don't get me wrong a nice hot bath is OK every once in awhile but not my choice or Gabriel's. lol. Anyway in a long bath experience Jack wanted to pull out his Thomas razor and shaving cream. So we let them shave....

Books, Books, Books

Max has a new love. He has always enjoyed looking through books but finally wants us to read to him and ALL the time. Don't get me wrong there is nothing I would rather him do more but he is constantly throwing books in our laps saying "Book!" So along with wooden puzzles thats how we have spent a lot of these long, cold, sick, snowy days! His favorites are anything that has fur or textures and the most involve animals too! Some of his faves are Polar Bear Polar Bear, Brown Bear Brown Bear and Panda Bear Panda Bear. Jack has always loved and enjoyed books too so its nice to have them both sit and listen now.

Ok I am really back now and REALLY better!!

So when I posted that last post it was not the lovely new birth control pill causing me to be sick....I was still really sick. I just cannot get over how long that lingered in this house! I felt better yesterday but today I really am all the way better! Thank God! Max and Jack are both totally better and NO Gabriel isn't sick and hasn't gotten sick and has still lucked out! So after over 7 days of basically dealing with sickness we are bored to tears. Despite the 5 degree temperature outside today we are going to do some things. Maybe we will go to Borders, the gym (haven't been in 8 days!), and who knows what else! So that's just a little update!

I'm Back

The past 5 days have been a bit of a blur. As I wrote last Wednesday Jack woke up throwing up and had diarrhea and that lasted all day to the point we called his doctor that evening and he recommended if Jack couldn't keep anything down within that next hour to go ahead and take him to the emergency room. He started getting dark black circles around his eyes so that's what we felt we should do. After getting to the crazy ER he was put into a room after awhile and they drew blood and he was extremely dehydrated. So he was admitted and stayed in the hospital until Friday afternoon. When he finally got home and settled we thought we would get back into normal but at about 1AM Saturday morning Max threw up. I also started throwing up yesterday but luckily so far Gabriel hasn't gotten it. So its been a yucky mess in our house. Today I am feeling a little better but still queasy. That may just be due to a new medicine I just started yesterday so I really think I am past the sickness. Gabriel was able to stay a little bit longer since we have all been sick. They told him not to rush and to make sure we are all better first. Then we have a huge winter storm that's supposed to take place tomorrow and Wednesday. So he is going to stay put just through the storm then head out. Thanks to all those who helped us through the sickness and Jack being in the hospital. Family that visited and called to check in and friends who did the same really got us through the hard time. We are truly grateful for all those who cared enough to take time out of your day to think, pray, and visit him.

The Boys and My Vacuum

So for the past week and a half every time I vacuum it has seemed as if my Hoover Windtunnel just wasn't sucking up all the dirt, Cheerios, dust etc. in this house. I have gotten highly annoyed so I decided to unscrew the whole thing tonight (after asking my husband and him saying he would but never did). Boy was that a fun 20 minutes and 18 screws! Thank you Hoover for making your product so....hmmmm...secure. It was screwed together quite nicely. Upon opening the entire thing and sticking things down in the tubes I was able to find this.....so THANK YOU to Jackson and Max for all the little things you both do daily! P.S. DON'T EVER TOUCH MY VACUUM AGAIN!

Poor baby

Water and crackers came back up :( Poor guy. For now he is napping in our bed.

Wednesday...3 1/2 days left

Happy Wednesday to all who are reading!! Good news and bad news....I'll start with the bad....poor Jack has been sick since 5 this morning. He woke up throwing up all in his bed :( Poor guy. We tried some water her threw it up and now we are trying a cracker and so far so good so say a little prayer for him and that all the rest of us don't get it. Gabriel had the interview at Ace Hardware on Monday and it went very well. While he was sitting there he said that he kept thinking to himself, "Do I really want to do this for the rest of my life?" He worked in retail so long that he is just sick of it. Back to the interview....it went well but the pay isn't what he would get at Helena Marine and it would be nights, weekends, and we are past that and now that we have kids dinner at the table together and weekends together are very important to us. So the job wasn't actually going to be available until March and that was the 1st of 6 interviews! So we both thought FORGET THAT. So bad news #2 is we are really, really, moving now and Gabriel leaves on Sunday. So to all of our family and friends in St. Louis that were holding onto hope we may stay...we aren't :(. I will obviously miss Gabriel more than ever before since the longest we have been apart is a week. But I am comforted by the fact he will be FINALLY making decent money again and we can get out of the hole we are in. The boys will miss him like crazy too but we will Skype EVERYDAY and see each other as many weekends as we can and I will be down on Jack's spring break for a long week in March. That is going to be a BIG week for me to look at schools, houses, etc. So are plan is for me to stay in the house until Feb. 18th. Gabriel and his dad are gonna come up and help load the house up in the truck and that weekend the boys and I are going to go down with them and help them unload everything into storage. We can stay a long weekend and come home Tuesday since Jack is off school Monday. Then we will come back to St. Louis and live with my mom and dad until May and move when Jack gets finished with school the end of May. So with that all being said I will continue packing and hopefully get a lot more accomplished! Happy Day everyone!

He did it again.....

Well Mr. "I have a mind of my own" Max decided to have a temper tantrum last night when it was time for bed. So again we told him to stay in his room and he couldn't come out because it was bedtime. So again I went in there and this time he was all spread out in his chair. He has the same jammies on yes...but this was last night and the other pic was a week ago. I do change my boys and wash their jammies. Hes a stubborn little thing. So anyway here is the pic I snapped from last night!

Jack tried a smoothie!

I have been making myself protein shakes everyday to help build muscle etc. Anyway Jack always sees me making them and today asked for one. So I put a 1/2 of a banana, 1/2 cup of this frozen berry mixture, 1 cup of milk, and a little vanilla yogurt and a few ice cubes. No protein powder of course...but great stuff for him to have! They will be great for breakfast!

Blah

Well we had a lot of fun last night having the girls over! They played and played! My boys have always been dog lovers but we really don't have the room right now for a dog nor the money or time to take care of one. One day soon maybe (one that does not shed) So the girls even brought their little fake dog named Lucky. Lucky barks, rolls over, pants, lays down, and everything but doesn't shed or go to the bathroom. In my eyes Lucky is the perfect dog...oh and I forgot to mention he won't ever die (except batteries) so this is just the kind of dog I might allow my boys to have :) Max and Lucky had an instant connection so he spent most of his time playing with Lucky. Jack and the girls played and then "camped out" in our sun room/playroom. Although they were scared at first they all fell asleep and didn't wake up until 5:50 this morning! My boys are early risers but this was really early!! So we got up when it was still dark and played (well.... I drank coffee) and had breakfast. They were picked up at 8:30 and we left at 9 for church. Always a great message from Jim Stern! I love our church. If you do not have a home church and need one Destiny Church in Des Peres is awesome. They aren't worried about money, or fancy things.....just God, personal relationship with him, and they love helping those in need. It snowed more today.....I am really starting to fall into a seasonal depression that typically doesn't come around until at least February but b/c of all the dreary gray days this winter it has already hit. Oh well I am determined to keep hitting the gym and dreaming of warmth! This too shall pass! So tomorrow is the big day! Gabriel will go and interview at Ace Hardware and we will see what happens. If he gets a better offer we will have to take it! If not though...next Sunday at this time he will be leaving and heading to Arkansas to start with Helena Marine. Very excited about whats in store though we don't know exactly what that entails! If he does go I will be alone for four months except seeing him on random weekends and Jack's spring break in March. We felt it was the best idea for me to stay here with the boys and let him start the new job and find us a place to live. Jack is also in preschool and we LOVE his school and do not want to pull him out. So Gabriel will get settled, find us a house, and then we will go. May 27th is the latest but I am willing to push that up a tad if he gets things moving quickly! Cause once I move out of state....I can assure you we will stay put for a long time....so we need space! After all we want two more kids right?!?!?! After last night it confirmed it for me! It was fun with constant screaming, toys everywhere, and laughter too! Now that I have gotten into this blogging thing....I like it! See you all tomorrow!

Lazy Saturday (for the boys)

The boys spent their day playing while Gabriel did all the grocery shopping and I continued to go through things and get rid of old junk. Well it isn't junk but a lot of it was clothes and coats that don't fit me anymore. I will gladly get rid of all this because I will never be in those sizes again! After all that we cleaned up the house and now our nieces Sophie and Audrey are over to spend the night and play with Jack and Max!

A Nice Relaxing Evening

We were able to do a trade off with my sister and brother in law this weekend. They watched the boys for us all night last night and we are watching their girls all night tonight. We had a very enjoyable time. We first went and ate at a really good restaurant called the Beerhouse. They are famous for all of their different beers they have on tap and in the bottle, but the food was awesome! After that we went down to our favorite place The Cupcakery in the Central West End to grab a couple delicious gourmet cupcakes for dessert and grabbed a movie and came home. We watched Inception (totally not my kind of movie) and ate our cupcakes. It was so nice to not have the boys who like to get up at 6:30 come wake us up this morning. So now I am just sipping my coffee waiting on Gabriel to get back with the boys thinking about going to the gym and cleaning today.

Brrrrrr

Ok we did it! We went down to "Art Hill" with the boys and went sledding for a bit! The video just shows how popular this place really is. I yell at Jack in the middle of the video because he decided to throw a snowball at me right when I was taking video.

Snow, Snow, and So Much More Snow

Normally us St. Louisan's have a winter with a lot of cold and some snow. This year has been full of snow. It seems like every week we are having another snowstorm. Jack loves playing in the snow but ever since Max's first experience back before Christmas, he isn't so sure. So much to the point he makes me carry him out the door anytime we need to leave. I guess it was a traumatic experience to take him out in his little sled a couple months ago. Most kids love snow but not him! Hopefully this afternoon we can change his thoughts on it. Gabriel was sent home early from the business he was working at today, so when the boys get up from their naps we are gonna head down to Art Hill. Art Hill is a huge hill right in front of the St. Louis Art Museum and a popular St. Louis attraction when it snows. Hopefully we have an enjoyable time...but we will see! Here is a pic of some of the snow today and also of Max's first(and hopefully not last) snow experience!

Aidyn turns 5!

Our good friends Don and Travica have a son the same age as Jack...well a little bit older because he just celebrated his 5th birthday last week!! Jack was invited to the birthday party so we left Max at home with Aunt Gretchen (which he had a blast too!) and Gabriel and I went out to Bounce U on that snowy evening for a funfilled party of bouncing, pizza, and cupcakes! Since these boys have more energy then anything I have ever seen...Bounce U was the most perfect choice for a party! Here are some pics to show how much fun we all had! Happy Birthday Aidyn!

Sleeping Beauty

Well our almost two year old has become quite the little stinker lately! The other night we were having a difficult time getting Max to just lay down and go to sleep. After a lot of frustration we settled on just ignoring him and figured he would go to sleep when he was ready. The rule was though, he had to stay in his room. He did....and he finally went to sleep and this is what we found when we checked on him.........so peaceful....ahhh I love my boys!

A lot Has Changed In a Few Days....

Well as I posted on Facebook earlier this week ....we are moving to Arkansas....or wait, are we? What are we going to do is the question now. Gabriel got a phone call yesterday from the store manager at an Ace Hardware telling him they got his resume from their corporate office and they wanted him to come in for an interview for assistant manager. He called me right away and asked what I thought. I told him that we have been praying for God to show us if this move may not be the right thing to do. So he goes tomorrow at 2 for his interview. He was offered a position at Helena Marine in Helena, AR. It sounds great, the pay is great, the benefits are great. But the area is what we are having a hard time with. Its a very small town with probably only 15,000 people but it is where Gabriel grew up,where his parents live, and where several of our great friends live. Not to mention the fact that one of Jack's bestest friends Silas lives only an hour away. We are from the big city of St. Louis with any type of school we could ever want to put our children in, and a church we love dearly. But most importantly my family is here too along with some very good friends. Ohhhh....it will be hard if we have to go but now we are just confused. So we will wait and see what God has in store tomorrow afternoon! But for now if we can get all the prayers we can from everyone that would be great!

Here I go again

This is my first official post on my blog! I have had it "created" for quite some time but thought with the changes in our lives that are about to take place I should get going with it! Today has been somewhat normal...baby Ashlynn arrived this morning (I babysit her) and we were out in the frigid temps to drop off Jackson at preschool. We went back to get him then came home for lunch and now its just about naptime! I'll post more later and get this all fixed up!