Pumpkin Patch and Stuff

Lately the boys have really been into creating comic books.  They will spend hours binding papers into books and then filling them with silly comic stuff.  It's so cute to watch them laugh as they read it to each other.

Hudson has been making his own Captain Underpants version.

I realized the other day that we are almost at the end of October and we still had not been to a pumpkin patch yet.  Our favorite one.....the one I've been taking the boys to since they were babies closed down and we've been trying to find a decent replacement.  I don't think we will ever find one as cool as that one (it had a big train and just lots of fun stuff) but we had a good time.

At the corn maze

I was quite impressed.  It had lots of twists and turns and dead-ends.  It took us a bit to find our way out.

Love my boys.

So sweet boy has been bugging me to watch the Conjuring.  I've heard that it's the scariest movie ever (lots of people on FB have commented on this) so I finally gave in on Saturday night.  Ugh.  While I do enjoy some scary movies....this one was just okay for me.  Yes, it was scary.....and even though it's based on a true story....it still seemed a little corny to me.  What did you think?

Happy Monday!

Costumes and Hair

So.....it's been sort of a busy week.  Nothing in particular but somehow I looked up and it's already Friday and I've neglected to blog.  So here are a few things going on in our world.

I realized this week that Halloween just isn't as much fun when your kids grow up and actually have an opinion about their costume.  Gone are the days of the plush costumes or themed ideas.  I went round and round with my little guy because he kept begging for something scary.....and this mama doesn't do scary.  They are both going as a Phantom this year.  Not sure what that even really is but they think it's cool.  Whatever.  Again, no longer fun.

One night this week we had breakfast for dinner.  I try to make some sort of homemade muffin and I stumbled on these yummy Cinnamon Buttermilk muffins and they were sooooo good!  Light and fluffy with just a tad of sweetness on the top.  I definitely recommend!

I've been going back and forth for a couple of years about getting hair extensions.  My hair sucks.  Sorry, but it's true.  And it's really sucked ever since Jason died because it started falling out by the fistfuls and it's really never fully made a comeback.  A sweet friend of mine is a hairdresser and a few weeks ago she posted something about recently getting her certification to do them.  I sent her a message to ask some questions and I decided to take the plunge!  I went this morning and here are the before and after pics.

(I literally washed and did a quick dry- no gel or hairspray or anything)

I am really happy with the overall look.  It does feel a little strange but I think I'm going to enjoy them.  

If you live in the DFW area and are looking for a sweet girl to install some extensions then feel free to message me and I will give you her info.

Have a great weekend!

Weekend Recap

Mimi came over on Saturday to hang out with the boys.  They helped her make this fun Halloween house.  They always love spending time with her.

While the boys played with Mimi, sweet boy and I headed to see the Lion King.  It was awesome!

When Jason was alive, we tried to take the boys on special individual little dates from time to time.  I love so much that the boys remember that.  Cooper has been asking us to please start doing that with them.  I know they love the one-on-one time.

So, on Sunday I had my special day with Hudson and Cooper was with Shawn.

First thing, Hudson got to pick lunch anywhere.  He chose Subway.  I think the thing he loved the most was using a coffee lid on his drink.  Usually the boys get milk there but this time I let him get lemonade in a regular cup.  He was looking for lids and decided to try the coffee lid....which DID fit and he thought he was so cool.  It's the little things!

Next we hit a couple of stores to get some clothes.  Now this technically wasn't on his wish list of things to do but I really needed to utilize this time of having him there with me and find some pants that fit him.  He continues to grow and is so tall but is so thin.....in the summer it's never an issue on length but when fall/winter rolls around I can't send him to school in high water pants so we found some pants that  are a good length.

He found this little thin everyday jacket that has a full hood.  He loved it.  So we had to get brother a Darth Vader one too.

A Bahama Bucks recently came to our area and people have been going on and on about how great the snow cones are.  I thought this would be the perfect day to find out what all the hype was about.

It was a beautiful day and I enjoyed just hanging with my boy on the patio......listening to him talk about whatever he wanted to talk about.  I sat and stared at him and couldn't believe how much of his daddy I see in him.  He started acting funny and quoting movie lines (if you knew Jason then you knew this was something he did daily) and it was so cute.  I wish so much that Jason could see these boys growing up.

We made a quick run into the Halloween store (yep, I still have not purchased costumes. Ugh.) And our last stop was the trampoline park.  This boy made me laugh with his funny moves.  He was trying to dance and be all cool but he was nothing more than a skinny little white boy shaking his booty.  It was awesome!

Such a fun day with my Hudson!!

Meanwhile....... Shawn and Cooper ran some errands and then ended up at Cabelas.

Look forward to my time next month with this monkey boy.

Hope everyone had a great weekend!

No Fear

Yesterday the boys and I were coming back from a school family night function and I was turning out of the parking lot when Cooper says " I don't have my seat belt on."

(just to fill you in.....this boy has been ROTTEN this week with attitude and whining and I've been tempted a time to two to publish a "7 year old for sale" ad on Ebay.)

He actually did have his seat belt on but for some reason he was being ornery and thought it would be funny to get me on the "you better always wear your seat belt" rant.  Oh, the joys of parenting sometimes!

So our conversation went something like this:

Me:  Please put your seat belt on right now.  I just turned onto a busy street and you know the rule.  Seat belts all the time.

Cooper:  Nah, I don't have it on yet

Me:  Cooper, put it on right now.  Seriously.  Do you want to get into a car accident and get hurt?  Or maybe worse?  You could die.

Cooper:  (in the most nonchalant tone)  That's okay mom.  I'm not afraid to die.  Because if I die, then I get to see dad.

It's crazy that a comment such as this one can give you an enormous amount of peace but it can also pierce your heart in such a painful way.  A little boy so desperate to see his dad that he has no qualms about dying in order to make that happen.  While I love that he isn't afraid of death, it just hurts me so bad that he realizes his death is what stands between them.

(To clear up any misunderstandings.....my little guy isn't suicidal or unhappy.  In fact, this boy lives with such joy that it's quite contagious.  He just really misses his daddy.)

This got us to talking about heaven and what we believe it looks like.  This is such a huge concept for the human mind.  It's really hard to even imagine it.

I couldn't help but think about this song during our conversation.  It's one of my favorites but most days I can't listen.  It's one of the songs we used for Jason's slide show at his memorial.  This song takes me back to that day and it's so hard for me.  On the rare occasion that I do listen, I sing it with passion as tears stream down my face.  And I try to imagine what that day will look like.  When it's my turn to leave this Earth and look the Lord in the face.  It's the most anticipated day of all.

Be blessed!

Painting Pumpkins and a Field Trip

On Sunday, we had our annual pumpkin painting party.  Okay, so it wasn't really a party but it's something fun we have done every year since the boys were tiny.

The finished pumpkins.

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Yesterday, Hudson had a field trip at the Perot Museum.   We went once this summer and we had so much fun both times.  There is so much to do there and we didn't even get to see it all.

I chaperoned a group of 3 sweet boys.

Playing music outside on the big instruments

Practicing "weatherman" for a bit

Good times with good friends

So thankful I was able to go with him.  Pretty sure we are on the tail end of him thinking it's cool for his mom to join him  (sigh)

Happy Hump Day!

Weekend Recap

Last week, Cooper came home with a rubber band bracelet that a kid at school had given him.....and proclaimed about how cool they are and "everyone is making them."  He wanted to immediately go to the store to get supplies.  I told him that we would wait until Friday and if he had a good week then we would go.  So Friday afternoon rolled around and both of his little feet were not even completely inside my car at parent pickup when he shrieks "it's Friday....time to get the bracelets!"  We went to Michael's right after school and saw 4 other families from our school looking for them.  Apparently these are the "it" thing because the lady working there told us that by the next day, everything would be sold out.  Sure enough, my Facebook wall was blowing up all weekend with friends going from store to store looking for these things.  

For dinner on Friday night, I made my favorite turkey chili.  Seriously, this stuff is awesome.  Use the Frito big scoops and you are in business.  Yum-O!

Turkey Chili

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 medium sized onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 package extra lean ground turkey

1 tablespoon chili powder

1 tablespoon ground cumin

3/4 teaspoon salt

2 can tomatoes, undrained (I use petite diced or seasoned stewed)

1 can kidney or pinto beans, drained and rinsed

1 green bell pepper, diced

Heat oil in large saucepan over medium heat.  Add onion and garlic; cook 5 minutes stirring occasionally.  Crumble turkey into saucepan; sprinkle with chili powder and cumin and salt.  Cook 5 minutes, stirring.   Add tomatoes, beans, bell pepper.  Bring to a boil over high heat.  Reduce heat; simmer uncovered for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Lattle into bowls and top as desired (cheese, sour cream, chopped cilantro, etc....)

At church on Saturday night, Hudson used some of his jewels to purchase a nerf gun.  They came home and went to war.  Please excuse the lack of clothes and the underwear on the head.

On Sunday afternoon, we went to Kincaids for lunch. The boys always want to get a little treat on our way out.  The chewy sprees are sort of a tradition now. (not the best but it's a fun rare treat for them)

We hit Walmart to pick out our pumpkins.  In line Cooper found this fun mask.  No dull moments with this boy!

Since Monday was a school holiday....that meant movie night on Sunday in our bed.

Monday was cloudy and rainy and it was perfect weather to watch a movie.  We still had not seen Turbo and saw it at our nearby dollar theater.  Glad to have an extra day with my boys!

The Tablecloth

To the average person, this just looks like a messy, old tablecloth.

But for me....it's much more than that.

It's my past.  It's my family.  It's stained with precious memories.  It's my future.

I purchased this tablecloth years ago when Hudson was just a baby.  I knew that our future would provide lots of crafty opportunities for us to make big messes and I wanted to protect my table.  I'm quite certain that every single big craft or project from the last 10 years has been done on this tablecloth.

Every pumpkin carved here.

All the Easter eggs dyed here.

The gingerbread houses decorated.

The countless hours of play dough.

The watercolor pictures and finger paint projects.

The special Valentines created here.

As I unfolded it and used my hands to spread it out....I rubbed my hands over the blotches of paint and recalled all the times Jason sat at our table....with this very tablecloth and took part in one of these activities.  Some of that paint was his.

 I paused for several seconds and soaked in those memories and fought the urge to start crying right then and there. I'm quite confident that I will never get rid of this thing.  My grand babies will probably be dying eggs on it.

Like many things in life, this tablecloth is bittersweet for me.