frogs & snails & puppy dog tails

We had a great time playing outside today. The boys really play well together and it's so much fun to see them interact. We took a trip to Whataburger this morning for breakfast and then headed over to Home Depot. The boys love going there with their Daddy. Someday Eric will have two little helpers to help him with yard work and home improvement projects.

My friend Sammy is pregnant with her first baby and it is a boy. I tell her all the time how much fun it is to have a little boy. They are busy, mischievous, sweet, playful and they can steal your heart in a second. I love my "little men!" Who couldn't love baseball caps, tiny jeans, button-up shirts and shrunken down versions of what our husbands wear?!

Only time will tell if we will have another sweet little boy or girl to add to our family. We change our minds daily, but have decided to not decide for another year or two. Right now I know that I couldn't be happier with my family!

All my boys loved the motorcycle!

From stir crazy to frazzeled!

Last night I got in my car to head to a friend's house and I realized I hadn't left the house in 4 days. No wonder I was going crazy! Normally, I try to get out of the house every day. I will usually run to the grocery store, go to girl's night or take the boys somewhere when I can. This week was different because I had a migraine on Tuesday and it made me feel bad for a couple days. Also, Eric is working on redoing the deck, so he was outside a lot leaving me inside to get the boys ready for bed. So the lesson learned is that I have to get out of the house no matter what if I want to keep my sanity!

Today had promise to be a nice, fun-filled day. It did not turn out that way though! After dropping Ethan off at preschool, I was going to head over to Pier One Kids to check out their latest shipment. They are going out of business and prices have gone from 50%-75% off. I bought a bunk bed and dresser set for the boys, but needed one more dresser. I showed up at the store at 10 am and there were 8 ladies already waiting. They informed me the store doesn't open until 11 and if I wanted anything, I better wait in line. My friend Erica met me there so we could work as a team to get the good stuff. There was a sign on the door that said 90% off, so we decided it was worth waiting an hour! There was one very obnoxious lady in line that made it very clear that she was first in line and that all the dressers were taken. It's remarkable to me how crazy people can be! The doors opened and I raced to the counter. Erica ran around getting scu numbers off the furniture we wanted. Sure enough, the crazy lady snatched up all the dressers in the color we wanted. Erica did get a really nice bed for super cheap. After she paid for it, we decided to shop accessories. We bought tons of cute gifts and Christmas presents for next to nothing. My very favorite find is this motorcycle I got for the boys. It was regularly $150 and I got it for $15! I can't wait for the boys to wake up from their nap and see it! All and all, it was worth the stress! I raced home in time to get Austin from my poor working hubby and raced off to pick up Ethan from school. I arrived just on time. They are both napping and I am trying to get unfrazzeled! Of course as soon as I write that, my little sweetie wakes up! Oh the joys of being a mom!

"And I say no, no, no!"

My days are filled with "no, no and more no's". My little monkeys love to climb on the bed, couches, night stands, recliner, dining room chairs and of course the train table. This behavior is not allowed. At least 50 times a day, I have to get someone off of something they are climbing on. Time outs and distraction work sometimes, but most times they are right back to it. Maybe we should lay off on watching Curious George!

Eric and I started making smoothies for breakfast and they are really good! Here are the ingredients that you mix in a blender:

- frozen fruit of your choice (we like strawberries, pineapple and mixed fruit)

- banana

- flaxseed oil

- green powder

- 1/4 cup non-fat plain yogurt

- 3/4 cup apple juice

We bought some protein powder to put in them too, but it leaves a chalky taste in my mouth. Yuck! Thanks to Sammy and Chris for telling us about the yummy smoothies!

Here is a picture of Ethan being so cute today that I forget what

a little stinker he can be!

Here it goes!

After much prodding from Sammy, I decided to start my own blog!

My parents thought it would be a good idea to bring over M&Ms today. Austin loved his first taste of chocolate. Would you believe Ethan wouldn't even try them? He refuses to eat most foods, so I don't know why it surprised me. We also played with a sticker book. They love spending time with their grandparents!

I'm very excited about the new season of TV shows. The Office, Grey's Anatomy and Brother's and Sisters are my favorite shows. It's really hard to fit in running, cooking, eating, laundry, straightening up the house, bathing the boys and putting the boys to bed in one night! Thank goodness for DVRs! I just got one in my bedroom so I can happily fold laundry in there.

I started running regularly in August. I'm happy to say that I can now run three miles without stopping. I am not a born runner and I had to work very hard to get to this point. One year ago my friends and I started running 5ks. We thought it would be a good motivation to run, we could support great charities and spend time together. Our big 5 mile race is in less than two weeks. Our 5K running group has grown and it's been fun to see all the changes we have been through in one year. Sammy and Sam are now pregnant and will be walking it and Sarah & Erica will be racing to the finish line. I'm very proud of all of us!

Hairy Man 5k 2006