Hughes Family... blah blah blah

Happy 8 Months, Thora!

2011-07-27T13:51:00.000-07:00

8 months... my little Thora is 8 months!?!? Where has the time gone?!

Thora is such a delightful baby and an absolute joy to be around...

She is cuddly and sweet, silly and fun...

She is a content and happy baby, but also loves to get in on the action....

She laughs at her siblings and loves being tickled...

she is mischievous and always getting into things...

The last 8 months have been a blast!

Happy 8 months, Thora! You are truly a blessing from the Lord!

Pizza Night in the Hughes House

2011-07-23T07:23:00.000-07:00

Pizza night doesn't happen in the Hughes house very often...

but last night it did...

and can I just tell you....

it was delicious...

like really delicious...

like so delicious that we even let the baby have some!

While mom is away...

2011-07-21T19:45:00.000-07:00

the children will play...

and go to Mcdonalds...

and play some more...

and eat cookies...

and go to bed with dirty faces...

and wake up with dirty faces too.

The haps...

2011-07-20T14:49:00.000-07:00

Here's what's been happening around here these days...

Icyle is the little mama, as always, but maybe even more so than before. She is always willing to play with Thora, feed Thora baby food, and help change Thora's poopoos (as she would say)... she would even do this to Thora if she was big enough to carry her this way...

Thankfully she hasn't tried to put Thora in that baby carrier... she seems pretty content to just carry Big Baby around in there.

The other morning all the kids were dressed up in dress up clothes...

Wyatt was dressed as a knight, but he insisted that he was actually a viking who was saving dragons from other vikings who were trying to kill them... sounds rather similar to his favorite movie How to Train Your Dragon... which he has only seen a million times.

But he is a really funny kid these days... always coming up with something clever to say that makes Chris and I crack up... sometimes I wonder where he comes up with this stuff... seriously... I love his sense of humor!

Icyle was dressed up as a princess... she has her own style. I'm a little scared to let her pick out her own clothes because I never know what she will pick out! She usually has some kind of mask on to complete her ensemble... but I guess she decided she didn't need one with this outfit!

Here, Icyle and Thora, are posing together in there tutus... these kids... they just make me smile!

Thora, although she didn't pick out her own outfit, was dressed up as a dinosaur ballerina. And what an adorable dancing dinosaur she made!

Thora is my little doll baby! She is the happiest baby in the world... I know many people would try to argue with me, but she really is just a happy kid... she always goes with the flow and even though her sister loves her a little too much and her brother wont leave her alone she almost always has a smile on her face!

I mean really... does it get much cuter? I think not.

I just love that little tutu butt!

Oh, ok, and let's talk about pajamas...

I think it's safe to say that my 7 month old has way out grown her 6 month pajamas!

Good thing all I have to do is open up the next box of girl clothes I have packed away!

So, yah, anyways, that's the haps around here.

What do I have to complain about?

2011-04-17T16:46:00.000-07:00

I have nothing to complain about. I mean, I guess I could try to find something to complain about, but really God is good and I have nothing to complain about. Not only is God good, really good, but He has blessed me with an amazing family! I have an awesome husband who loves me and takes care of me and provides for our family. I have 3 adorable children who I get the privilege of sharing my days with and teaching and training to love the Lord. I really cannot complain.

I mean how can I complain when I get to spend my days with these 2 dirty faced children?

Or clean the house with this little ball of adorableness strapped to me?

Or when I wake up to this face in the middle of the night?

I can't. I have so much to be thankful for!

So today I am not complaining. Instead am enjoying the gifts God has given me.

And, just because this made me laugh:

I took these pictures one right after the other and it just made me laugh.

"Cheese!"

"Cheese!"

"What!? That one looked goofy?"

"Is this better? Cheese!"

Blogging... again...

2011-04-15T13:06:00.000-07:00

Ahem.
I know I have said this before but I am blogging again.
I know.
I know.
I've said it like 20 times.
I realize that I have an issue with staying on top of my blog.
I acknowledge that.
I have no excuse.
But.
Here I am.
So.
Here goes nothing.

The last 3 months in a nutsell.

Chris is still working an insane amount of hours.
Wyatt is basically the same as before... maybe a little taller.
Icyle is going to be 2 in about 2 weeks and she is definitely almost 2.
Thora is 4 months old and rolling everywhere and trying to figure out this whole crawling thing.
And I am 33 lbs lighter then I was 3 months ago thanks to weight watchers.
We had family in town for 3 weeks in March and it was wonderful.
Last week I felt like I failed as a parent.
This week I feel like I am doing fine as a parent.
I am already sick of the Texas heat.
I am, however, enjoying the tan I am already getting.
Chris joined weight watchers so he could lose a few pounds.
Chris lost 8 pounds after being on weight watchers for 5 day.
Chris sucks.
Just kidding.
Ha Ha.
Wyatt has been saying some super funny things.
That kid cracks me up.
Icyle has been singing the B-I-B-L-E and Jesus Loves Me.
Seriously, the sweetest thing in the world.
Thora is drooling like you wouldn't believe.
She is obviously teething.
But she is still the happiest baby on earth.
Thora and Icyle are finally sleeping in the same room.
Thora now sleeps through the night.
Go Thora.
Whoo.

There.
You are all caught up.

Our beautiful 7 week old

2011-01-15T13:54:00.000-08:00

Jumping on the bed...

2011-01-15T13:38:00.000-08:00

Jump on kids... jump on.

5 weeks old

2011-01-02T14:43:00.000-08:00

I can not believe that my baby is 5 weeks old!

My how our lives have changed in the last 5 weeks!

Middle of the night feedings, lots of diaper changing, lots more laundry to wash and fold, lot less sleeping for mommy and daddy, and it takes 10 minutes just to get everyone out the door and in the car.

But there is are also lots of cuddles, cute little smiles, and happy older siblings who always want to help!

Seems to me that every day brings new joys with a baby in the house!

LOVE this girl!

2011-01-02T14:01:00.000-08:00

This is the outfit Icyle picked out today...

Cinderella shirt, fairy wings, princess slippers, and a Batman mask to top it off!

Seriously, how could you not love this girl? She is so much fun!

2 weeks of wonderful

2010-12-11T20:09:00.000-08:00

Its been 2 weeks of wonderful around here! In the last two weeks I have fallen in love all over again... actually I think we all have! Thora has made it so easy for all of us to do that! She is truly a lovely and delightful child! In fact, I would say, she is captivating... seriously, I could stare at her all day!

In the last 2 weeks I have enjoyed watching Thora get to know her big brother and big sister... she is really one popular kid around here! Wyatt and Icyle fight over who gets to hold her and well, Thora doesn't seem to care one way or another... except when they literally fight over her. Its been a joy to watch the three of them together... even if it can be a bit stressful at times... like when I want to use the bathroom or take a shower but can't leave the room because the Wyatt and Icyle wont leave Thora alone!

Thora seems to already have her own daily routine with two awake times, one in the late morning and one in the late evening, and other then that she pretty much sleeps and eats every 3 hours or so... and of course she poops a lot too... which is very entertaining to her big siblings! She also is a good sleeper at night... she wakes up to eat about 2-3 times most nights and falls back to sleep afterwards... which makes mommy very happy!

Its only been 2 weeks but I already can't imagine my life without her! She has already brought so much joy to our family and I look forward to every new day watching her grow and change... and many more weeks of wonderful!

Happy 2 weeks Thora!

"We have 3 kids... we are really adults now" - Chris Hughes

2010-12-01T12:43:00.000-08:00

Yep. 3 kids.

We must really be adults now.

Going from 2 kids to three kids is an adjustment... however, I feel like it's going fairly well so far! But Chris is home and that is a huge help... I am not quite sure how things will go once he is back at work starting Saturday. But for now we are adjusting just fine.

Wyatt and Icyle are both terrific big siblings! They both adore Thora and "fight" over who gets to hold her. If Icyle is holding her she is thrilled but then Wyatt wants to hold her and if Wyatt is holding her he is thrilled but Icyle is usually crying and saying "Ma baby! Ma baby!" (translation "My baby!") and throwing herself on the floor or into the arms of either Chris or myself. I know it's going to be an adjustment for the kids to have a new sibling but so far they are just enjoying Thora and we are enjoying them enjoying her!

We realized last night that our nights might be a little different then we are used to... waking up to feed a baby every two hours is an adjustment that I am trying to make and Chris waking up with the big kids (whenever that happens) is an adjustment he is trying to make... but like Chris said "we have 3 kids... we are really adults now" and part of being adults is making adjustments and being flexible. So we are doing just that!

And, really, it's not so bad! We are more then blessed with these 3 beautiful children and we are completely thrilled that we get to be their parents and, well, I am happy that we are really adults now!

Thora Grace

2010-11-28T15:56:00.000-08:00

After about 8 hours of labor, Thora Grace was delivered into her daddy's waiting hands... and I couldn't have been happier to have her out! It was not a hard labor for the most part... only the last hour was really, truly, painful... we (being me, Chris, the kids, my midwife and my friend Caroline) sat around talking, facebooking, and blogging until about 7 or so when I started getting the transition shakes. That's when I (or more my midwife) decided a nice hot shower might keep things moving along and ease the pain a little... she was right. I got into the shower and, with Chris' counting skills, I made it through the next however many contractions and finally felt like there was not much more time before she would be born.
After the shower I got into a night gown and headed for my bedroom... for about an hour and a half my contractions got worse and worse and worse until finally it was time... if you've had a baby then you know what time I mean... the time when your brain finally says "GET THIS BABY OUT NOW!" And I did just that... Stacy, my midwife, had just finished a story about how she has seen woman just push so hard that they have their babies before they are even fully dilated... and I thought to myself "I am fully dilated so all I need to do is push super hard and it will all be over!" so I did... and it was! Praise the Lord she was finally out!
Chris caught her and gave her to me, and after making sure she was actually a girl (because I always have to check to be sure), I snuggled with her for about an hour while her cord drained and I called and texted family and friends.
Now, I can't take all the credit here, I mean I did do a really awesome job, but there were others in the room making it all happen. Chris was amazing! He was a great birthing coach/partner... counting with me through contractions, giving me mints and water, putting on my chapstick, pushing on my hips to help with the pain, holding my leg, catching the baby... he was simply amazing! And Caroline, who was there to be our photographer, even got in on the action! What an awesome friend! She took photos, pushed on hips, was dubbed the "chapstick girl", gave me water, held my leg, and even made me some of the best tasting eggs for dinner when it was all done! And of course my midwife extraordinaire, Stacy! She is seriously incredible! I can't even write all the things she did during this birth... adjusting Thora's head, getting my through the really though contractions, making sure I didn't tear, making sure Thora was delivered safely, making sure I got a shower, unloading my dishwasher, and even making our bed at the end of it all so Chris and I could go to bed!
It was a good birth! Not that it wasn't painful... because it most definitely was... but it was everything I wanted and it ended with a beautiful healthy baby!

The "I'm in labor" post

2010-11-27T15:05:00.000-08:00

I figured that not many people write a blog post when they are in labor... but I can... so I will... why not!

Today is my due date and I am officially in labor! My midwife came over earlier this afternoon and checked on my progress and then we decided she should break my water since I was dilated to a 4 * stop for contraction*... anyways... the contractions have been picking up rather nicely since then.

I have been having inconsistent, but strong, contractions since she broke my water. Now that I remember what contractions feel like, I wish I had more patience and could have waited for this baby to come on her own... but I am impatient and I * stop for contraction*... don't remember what I was going to say!

Oh yah! I figured this baby is going to come out one day or another and either day it's going to hurt so I mine as well do it now!

I am really excited to meet * stop for contraction*... this little girl! I keep wondering what she will look like and what if one of my kids actually has brown hair... how crazy would that be! I have all her things set up just waiting for her * stop for contraction*... and I know her daddy, brother and sister are ready for her come out too!

We finally decided on an official middle name... it was a debate between Mercy and Grace. You will have to wait to find out which one we finally decided on! * stop for contraction* (That was a short one)

Now we are deciding what to feed the kids for dinner and when I should call my midwife since I have had 4 strong contractions in the last 5 or 6 minutes... hmm... I think we will do PB&J's for the kids and... meh... we will see what the next contraction feels like before I make a decision on contacting my midwife!

Having your water broken is a funny thing! Every time I move or laugh or walk I feel like I am peeing my pants and I feel so sexy since I am wearing a depends adult diaper! But hey, it gets the job done * stop for contraction*... okay... that one hurt... anyways back to depends... they are super great for labor and right after because I don't have to worry about leaking... it's really a win win situation... and I mean I look really good in them!

* stop for contraction*... that one hurt too!

Alright... so that is all for this "I'm in labor" post. Next time I post I will have a * stop for contraction*... ouch... new baby!

Due

2010-11-26T18:26:00.000-08:00

This baby is due tomorrow and I intend to make my due date!

Today my midwife came and checked on my progress... I was dilated to a 2/3 and not fully effaced yet so she stripped my membranes and gave me some tinctures to take to help me dilate. She said it looked like tomorrow, if I keep dilating, will be the day!

So nice to know that I will hopefully be having a baby within the next 24 hours!

And either her stripping the membranes or these tinctures she has me taking are making me have lots of strong contractions... which is a good thing! I am gladly embracing these strong contractions knowing that they are bringing me closer to delivery!

Since this baby is coming tomorrow, hopefully, I am in "get it done" mode... we set up our tree, I am doing laundry, I put all the folded laundry away, made sure the house was picked up, gave the kids baths and now I am about to fold more laundry and put that away as well!

I am just so excited for this newest member of our family to be here!

When daddy is home...

2010-11-20T17:53:00.000-08:00

Today daddy was home...

and not that we condone drawing on yourself... but...

it was super cute...

and she was super proud of her work...

"mmmmmah" - it is SO cute when Icyle gives kisses these days....

and when daddy is home there is usually hanging upside down time...

and Icyle was still really proud of her work...

and of course snuggles are always wanted from daddy when he is home...

I am 39 weeks pregnant today... aka very ready to have this baby...

and these are the three loves of my life...

and the kids did some flying...

yep... so that's what happened today when daddy was home!

Random thinkings

2010-11-19T19:52:00.000-08:00

The house is decorated for Christmas... and it's clean... very clean... so clean in fact that I have given this baby permission to come out at any time... well, any time after Sunday. I say Sunday because my midwife will be home from her vacation on Sunday and I really would like her to be here to deliver this little peanut!

So, yes, any time after Sunday baby...

It's fun having the house set up for Christmas... makes me happy and sort of giddy! I look at fire place with 5 stockings lined up along the mantle and think about Christmas morning when my family will be here and the kids will come down the stairs on Christmas morning and see their stockings all full of fun surprises... how excited their little faces will be and the fact that we will have a new bundle of joy to celebrate with! And I think about how different life will be for us in just a couple short weeks or maybe even days... when this new little one joins our family... it will be so fun and yet I remember how much work new babies are!

However, it will be a lot easier to eat once she is born... tonight while I was eating dinner I found it frustrating how far away from the table I had to sit in order to make room for my baby bump... I felt like I could hardly reach my plate and I was afraid that every bite was going to end up in my lap before it got to my mouth! But I managed... a pregnant woman always does!

That gets me thinking... wouldn't it be really nice to make a table for pregnant women with a crescent shaped cut out to make room for her belly? I think that would be really lovely... maybe it could be a removable piece that you could put back after the baby is born! Now I'm thinking... this is a genius idea... I should totally market it!

Anyways, Icyle fell on her head tonight... I felt really bad! She was doing something (like reaching for a book on the floor or a toy or something) and fell over the arm of the chair and landed on her forehead/nose ... she cried really hard and I don't blame her... we have concrete floors! She now is sporting a lovely bruise on her forehead and I am curious to find out what it will look like in the morning! I swear during bath time I could see it getting darker! Poor girl...

I put them to bed early tonight... they were both tired... and a ~~little bit~~ very cranky tonight. I just decided they needed to go to bed early... so they took their baths and were in bed by 7. I didn't hear a peep out of either of them so I am assuming they knew, just like I knew, that they needed to go to bed early. I am grateful that it now gets dark around 6ish so that I can put them to bed early and they don't even really know it is early because it is already dark outside! In the summer time that doesn't work as well since it is super bright outside till like 9pm... but that doesn't matter now.

I am super tired myself... but I am trying to wait up for Chris to get home... but I don't know if that will happen. He said he was going to bring me home this one dish I have wanted to try so I really, REALLY hope he does... I don't remember what it's called but every time I see the commercial for it I drool! I guess I could always go to bed now and eat it for breakfast tomorrow! We'll see!

Yah... I think I'll do that... go to bed now and eat Olive Garden for breakfast! Nighty night!

Our day and thoughts on tradition

2010-11-18T19:07:00.000-08:00

Let me just preface this post with this: I love my children dearly!

However, with that said, today was a challenge!

Wyatt woke up feeling much better then he has over the last 2 days and he was in the mood to be... how do I put it... annoying... and let me tell you... he succeeded!

The day started out with the kids waking up, in my personal opinion, much too early... which meant that my quiet time was not so quiet. Not a big deal, I at least got my bible study done and got to spend some time in the Word before Icyle came into the kitchen demanding my attention and then shortly after that Wyatt made it very clear that he was in the mood to bug anyone in any way he could.

One way this came out was while I was on hold trying to pay a bill Wyatt insisted that he dress up as Batman, Icyle wanted to dress up as Batman too (because she does whatever Wyatt does) but the problem is that we only have one batman mask and they both wanted it... so while I was on hold (for like an hour) I made a second mask... seen here:

But of course Wyatt wanted it, but I had made it to fit Icyle's head and not his... so that was how it all seemed to start... we got over that problem and then Wyatt started doing things to bug Icyle... like grabbing her cape and making her squeal... you know just being annoying! So I quickly decided that we needed to get out of the house... I needed some things from Target so off we went... after me quickly showering and also getting the kids dressed in regular clothes... you know... so that we didn't look like homeless super heroes!

The kids love target... we always look at toys and today I had some really random things that we needed to buy so we explored parts of the store that we have not been in for a long time! And of course we looked at Christmas stuff! I love Christmas... everything about it just makes me happy! So we went through the many aisles of Christmas decorations and everyone was happy because the children were snacking on popcorn from the food court and I had a delicious pop... so we just took our precious time!

While we were at Target I bought a cookie spritzer gun! I have wanted one since I got married and this year Target is selling them for 10 dollars... which is quite a deal! So, I made up my mind that the kids and I were going to bake and decorate Christmas cookies today!

Not a bad plan... at least not in my head... Wyatt and I made the spritz dough while Icyle was sleeping (oh and this was after a random girl came to my house trying to sell stuff and asked if she could use my bathroom... a little weird) and that's when I realized that maybe today was not the best day for me to be making cookies with my kids (apparently all my patience was gone by this point)... but I had already started the process so I couldn't back out any more.

After we had ~~successfully~~ somehow managed to make the dough (in the bowl and not all over the floor) we began the decorating process (for which Icyle awoke just in time)...

Now, I know in my heart that my kids did not mean to spill thousands of tiny little cookie decorating balls all over the floor or spill colored sugar all over the table... I know that in my head... but at the time it seemed like my kids hated me and wanted me to suffer for something I has done to them!

Did I not just spend hours last night on my hands and knees scrubbing the kitchen floor with bleach and water? Did I not slave over making sure the kitchen was finally clean and sanitized so I could have this baby at home... yes... I did... and yes... they did spill thousands of tiny little balls... but I still love them! And can I just say that I am so thankful that (even though it cost 50 bucks) I replaced the filter in our vacuum today! That sucker has some major, ah, sucking power now... still took awhile to get ~~all~~ most of the balls off the floor, but I think I would still be doing it if it had not been for that new filter! Wow, what a difference!

Even with all of the drama though, I did enjoy making spritz cookies with my kids... it reminded me of my childhood when my brothers and I would bake spritz cookies with my mom and I am sure we drove her just as nuts as my kids drove me! But it's all part of tradition... I will make cookies with my kids every year that I can because tradition is part of what makes me love the holidays so much... that and I enjoy having these special memories with my kids... even if I was a little frustrated through out the whole process!

What you might have missed...

2010-11-17T21:08:00.000-08:00

So it's been a LONG time since I've blogged... so here's what you might have missed:

I am pregnant... very pregnant... with baby #3

She is due to join our family any day now! We are super excited to meet her and have her in our family!

What about my other 2 kids you ask... well...

My wonderful kids are quite into dressing up these days...

And to be honest, I encourage it! What's more fun then pretending to be a super hero and saving the beautiful princess from the evil bad guy? It's fun! That, and it keeps them busy!

I am blessed to have children who play really well together! Icyle basically follows Wyatt's every move and Wyatt loves it! He is happy to have her as his play mate (as long as he's in charge) and it makes my heart happy to hear them playing so nicely together!

So having kids play dress up at home is one thing,

but I have become THAT mother, you know the

one I am talking about, the one who lets her kids leave

the house in their dress up clothes... it's funny, I used to

always think those moms were SO weird for letting

their kids leave the house that way... now I realize it's

the spice of life... that and a battle of life that's just not

worth fighting!

So, yes, my children are often dressed as super heroes

and ballerinas when we go to the grocery store or to Target...

and yes, I often get funny looks from people who, like me, just

don't understand... but the kids never notice and obviously don't

care what others think... they just care what I think... and I think they are adorable with their little dress up clothes on and I am proud to take them anywhere wearing capes and tutus!

And since my kids love dressing up so much, that's a lot of what they are getting for Christmas! And since they can't read yet, I can write that on my blog with no worries of them finding out!

Speaking of Christmas... I am very excited about Christmas this year! Not only will we have a new baby, but we will be blessed with having my parents and brother here to celebrate the holidays! This will be the first time we have had them down for Christmas and I am SO looking forward to it!

Also, I am excited to see how all the sleeping arrangements work out... we have not had any company since we've moved to this new house and this will be our trial run for March when we will have my parents and my brother and his family here! I am so happy to have a house that will be big enough to fit all these wonderful people! It will be SO fun!

Hmm... so... we have covered the pregnancy and the kids obsession with dressing up... Christmas plans... what else... hmm....

Well, I have been in full blown nesting mode today... I feel this need to clean and sanitize the heck out of everything... partly because the house just needs a good cleaning and partly because we are having this baby at home, like we did with Icyle! I am really looking forward to another home birth... it was such a great experience with Icyle and I am praying it will be just as great an experience with this one! So, since this baby will be born here, I am trying to make sure that the house is really clean (even if it doesn't stay that way for long) so that when I do go into labor I wont have to worry about cleaning the house!

Anyways... that's all for now! I am really REALLY going to try to keep up with blogging again!

So here are two last pictures to leave you with...

Wyatt in his jammies because he's sick...

and my sweet little Icyle with a rather dirty face...

man, I love these little blessings!

Icyle lately...

2010-05-23T15:10:00.000-07:00

Icyle turned 1 on May 5th!

She is busy being a big girl...

Walking all over
Talking all the time
Playing little mama with her dolls
Reading books to herself
Climbing up and down stairs
Climbing up onto pretty much anything she can get onto
Making a mess of the kitchen cupboards
Terrorizing her big brother
and pretty much just doing what 1 year olds do

She is a delightful child with a smile that melts my heart, and she pretty much wiggles her way into everyone's heart she meets... it's hard not to love Icyle with her joyful personality, chubby legs, and ready smile!

She is becoming quite the little water queen! This one was taken at Schlitterbahn where she was actually not too fond of the water, but since then she has grown to love it. We frequent our little community pool and Icyle is always happy to be in the water! She also is happy to walk around and find things to stick in her mouth!

We celebrated Icyle's birthday by going to Chuck E Cheese... she was absolutely amazed by the rides... she literally had this face the entire time the rides were moving...

... then the ride would stop and she would get down and go to the next ride pointing and saying "Uh, uh, uh, uh." until she was on it... and then this face would return! It was SO fun to watch her ride the rides!

Here she is riding another ride with Chuck E... she and Chuck E were seen kissing before this photo was taken... I guess she has a thing for mice?

Icyle is the little mama of our household... she always has a doll in her hands or is pushing one around in the stroller. One day I was watching her play mama... she put her dolls in the stroller pushed them around, stopped, looked at the dolls in the stroller and said, "HI!!" then she picked up her dolls hand, made it wave at her and then went back to pushing the stroller around. This type of thing happens almost every day and it just makes me smile! I could watch her play dolls all day... but then I would get nothing done and that wouldn't be good!

Here she is hugging her dolly that she got for her birthday from Gramma and Papa! She is a very loved dolly!

Icyle, I love you more than you know! You make me giggle and I am so glad I get to be your mommy!

Wyatt lately...

2010-05-23T14:45:00.000-07:00

I realize its been yet another long stretch since I have blogged... partly because we didn't have a computer for awhile and partly because, well, I just didn't have a lot of things I felt like I wanted to say.

But since its been awhile I thought I would give each kid their own post... so here we go.

Wyatt... I so love this little kid! He is absolutely adorable, wonderfully charming, and wildly imaginative!

A few weeks ago we went to Shlitterbahn (a huge water park here in TX) for Wyatt's friend's birthday party. We had such a great time and Wyatt is seriously a fish in water... even when it's really cold water!

See the wrist band he is wearing... it's still there.

We have very frequent conversations about going to Schlitterbahn "yesterday" (in Wyatt's world everything that has happened in the past happened "yesterday") and how he still has the bracelet because he had so much fun!

It really just makes me laugh... and lots of other people think it is hilarious that he still has on his ever fading Schlitterbahn bracelet. We will see how much longer it lasts!

Also, he has been turning into different things lately... one day this was the conversation we had:

Wyatt: How are you feeling mom?

Me: I feel fine, Wyatt, how are you?

Wyatt: Oh, I feel kind of weird... maybe like I am turning into a Dragon or something?

I cracked and then made that my facebook status... cause thats what I do when something makes me laugh. Wyatt was a Dragon for about 2 weeks.

Then after watching Disney's Tarzan and going to the Zoo, Wyatt decided he was a Jaguar. He was a Jaguar for about a week and then Chris introduced him to Star wars... now he is Dart Nader (aka Darth Vader)... he wears a cape (his green blankie) and carries a light saber! It is pretty intense.

Wyatt has also invented a new game...

Canned Ham Skating!

It is a game in which you skate on Canned Hams (as seen above) and try to make it from one end of the kitchen to the other without falling on your face and breaking either yourself, your sister, or your mother's toes.

He loves it and I give him props for being SO creative! If you have some canned hams lying around... here is a new use for it!

We spent Icyle's first birthday at Chuck E Cheese... Wyatt was quite the big winner...

See all those tickets in his pocket?

By the end of the night we had 180 tickets... with which my husband convinced Wyatt to spend them all on a giant cockroach toy... thanks hon! Actually the "prize" selection at Chuck E Cheese really sucks... I mean... what ever happened to whoopee cushions? Anyways.... I digress.

Wyatt is altogether just a fun kid to be around... I enjoy every day that I get to spend with him!

Thanks for all the laughs Wyatt... you are my favorite little boy! I love you!

Life in the fast lane...

2010-04-19T19:50:00.000-07:00

Yep... so remember that last post when I said something along the lines of "I promise I will be better about posting more often" yeah... well... ahem... I know.

So, but so much has gone on since that last post!

We (meaning the whole family) road tripped it to Minnesota to visit my family... we got there on Easter and was able to spend the afternoon with everyone at my Aunt Cher and Uncle Scott's house... it was a lovely time! We were also excited to share some news with them about a special surprise that we found out about (more on that later in this post). The whole week we spent time with family and friends, whom we love dearly, and then sadly, the trip was over and we spent a very long 24 hours in the car as we drove through the night on the way home.

But here are some pictures from our trip to MN

I realize it's been a while...

2010-03-20T20:11:00.000-07:00

Yep.

So, instead of trying to recap the whole last month that I've not blogged about, I though I would start with something more recent... something I can actually remember... like... oh, I don't know...

St. Patrick's Day....

Icyle wore a newborn size dress as a shirt and sported green socks for the day...

We all dressed in green and went out to a family breakfast (which I didn't take any pictures of) at The Egg and I. It is a cute little restaurant just a few minutes from our house. We enjoyed some delicious waffles, french toast, and of course, eggs. Then We sent Chris off to work (wearing a green shirt and tie) and the kids and I spent the rest of the day at the park and hanging out with friends.

It was a good day.

The next day we went down town with our friends, The Bisagni's... they took us to this really cool picnic area right off the river...

It was beautiful! We enjoyed eating, playing, and hanging out with our friends...

This is Wyatt helping Aiden climb a tree... what a nice friend...

Then we walked to the Alamo... which was a huge mistake because it was spring break and it was so super packed that we pretty much turned around and left. But the thousand mile walk was nice!

Then the next day after that, which was actually yesterday, the kids and I spent the day babysitting at the Bisagni's house... the kids totally love eachother and get along so well... it is so awesome to have friends like them!

Here are the kids looking out the window... Icyle brought over that little car and got up there all by herself so that she could look out the window too...

aw... I just love her!

So.

That is what has been happening around here for the last few days.

Chocolate dipped valentine cookies

2010-02-12T21:47:00.000-08:00

Today Wyatt and I made chocolate dipped valentine cookies for, you know, Valentines day.

Well, I made the actual cookies, but Wyatt sure was an amazing chocolate dipping sidekick...

And he is an even better chocolate eating sidekick...

It was a lot of fun dipping valentine cookies with one of my own little valentines...

and they look super cute too...

If you want to make some of your own just click here!

My little Ergo baby

2010-02-12T13:02:00.000-08:00

This morning Icyle woke up with a fever of 102.1. I don't really know what's wrong with her... could be a number of things... but besides having the fever and acting really tired she seems fine.

But today I have a lot to get done because my parents are going to be here tomorrow! I have laundry to do, cookies to bake, bathrooms to clean, floors to vacuum, toys to pick up, counters to wipe, and shelves to dust.

So, what do I do with a tired, sick baby who wants her mama when her mama has lots and lots that needs to get done?

Stick the tired, sick baby in the Ergo and do all the work I need to do!

Dear Ergo Carrier,

You are awesome! One day I might write a song for you.

Until then, just know I am so happy you are in our lives.

Thanks for all the work you do to keep my baby happy.

Love,

Amber

Seriously, Ergo's are the best ever!

Daddy's hat

2010-02-12T12:48:00.000-08:00

Another year older...

2010-02-12T07:33:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was my 27th birthday. I feel older. I don't know why, but 27 just sounds old to me. I realize that, in the grand scheme of life, 27 is young, but I just know that 30 is just around the corner and we all know it's down hill from there.

So I have decided, in honor of my 27th year of life, I would make some small, but hopefully big changes (if you catch my drift). Little things like doing some kind of workout every day. Not a big change, because I already work out at least 3 times a week, but hopefully I will reap big benefits from it. Or like attempting to read through the Bible with my children. I mean I already read the Bible everyday, so now I just need to be doing it out loud... with the kids. So, thats another not so big change. Or like doing a load of laundry everyday. I already do the laundry, but maybe if I do a load everyday I will not have days (like today) where I have about 10 loads to do. A change maybe, but it will be one for the good. Right? Right!

So, these are just a few small changes I thought of off the top of my head, but I am sure there are others. I mean, I'm not perfect, despite popular belief, so my life could benefit from a little change.

So, my present to myself is to bring about some positive changes to my life. Ones that will, hopefully, make it better. And maybe 27 wont be so bad. Not that I really thought it was going to be bad... but maybe by the time I turn 28 I will feel younger and be like a whole new person... who knows? It could happen.

Seeing blue

2010-02-07T12:44:00.000-08:00

I'll be honest. I often dress my kids in coordinating colors or outfits... not really sure why I do that... maybe it's so that if I ever want to take a picture of them together, it will turn out cute... or maybe I just like them to be dressed similarly. I really don't know.

But in any case, today they were wearing blue.

See?

They look good in blue. Don't you think?

And since they were being so adorable in their cute blue outfits...

I took lots of pictures...

So, I dress my kids in matchy matchy colors and I take lots of pictures....

I guess I just can't help it.

How to eat fries - By Icyle Hughes

2010-02-07T12:15:00.000-08:00

First, you sneakily take the fries from your brother...

Then, you take a fry...

and you eat it. But make sure your brother doesn't catch you.

Then you take another fry,

and you eat it.

Got it? No?

You take the fry and you eat it,

being sure to look all cute and innocent while your are doing it so your brother doesn't get mad at you,

and then when he asks where all his fries went you say "What fries?"

Just thinking...

2010-02-06T18:36:00.000-08:00

Right now I am sitting on my couch listening to four children play in the basement. Wyatt and his 3 friends, who I am babysitting tonight, are watching a movie and playing toys... most likely making a humongous mess. Alwell, I will clean that up later.
I made a yummy potato soup for dinner. It was super simple, which is why I made it, and we had lots of potatoes that needed to be used, also why I made it. Oh and just incase that wasn't enough potatoes for you... I also made oven fries... because, like I said, I had lots of potatoes that needed to be used up. The kids, all five, greatly enjoyed the oven fries... the soup... well, it was not a huge hit with the younger ones, but the oldest said "This soup is really good Miss Amber, I like it!" and I really liked it... therefore I will say it was good.
I have been getting a lot of headaches lately... not bad ones... just those little nagging ones that sit right above the eye brow... you know the kind I am talking about? Well, I have one right now... I wonder if it has anything to do with drinking caffeinated beverages? Nah, forget that thought, I couldn't survive without my caffeine. I would rather endure the headaches.... I think... ah, we'll see.
On a happier note, I lost 6 lbs last month! I was pretty happy about it. My pants are starting to look too big, but I keep wearing them because I don't actually fit in the smaller sized ones I have sitting in my closet. I love having babies... but I hate that I always gain weight and then end up having to lose it all over again... and then usually I lose it and get pregnant all over again. Vicious cycle.
Speaking of losing weight, I most likely gained it all back since my wonderful husband went out to run errands with Wyatt earlier today and came home with girl scout cookies... I have a love/hate relationship with girl scout cookies.... I think you can guess why.
This is kind of fun... just typing out my random thoughts... maybe I will start doing this more often... no one will read it, but ah, who cares.
Ok, off to check out the toy damage in the basement.

A Sunday afternoon with Icyle...

2010-01-31T14:22:00.000-08:00

and then she was gone...

My little goofballs

2010-01-27T09:13:00.000-08:00

We are bringing our computer in today to get a new battery and get the keys fixed and a few other things... so I will not be posting anything (not like I update every day anyways) for awhile.

But I will leave you with some random pictures of my little goofballs to keep you happy!

Big Yawn!

The Playdoh man

Silly baby eating her tag.

Spending time at the Children's Museum

I sure do love these little goofballs!

the Japanese Tea Gardens

2010-01-21T18:46:00.000-08:00

Today we spent the afternoon at the Japanese Tea Gardens in San Antonio. None of us had ever been there before, we have driven past it countless times and I have wanted to go for awhile now, but until today we had never been there.

It was beautiful!

I now have a new fun place to take my parents when they come down next month! I even think I will take the kids there on regular outings, Wyatt loved running around, looking at the fish, exploring, and "looking for jaguars".

Wyatt's Batman Birthday Party with his Friends

2010-01-17T16:04:00.000-08:00

The games were a hit...

Drop the super heroes into the bucket:

Emerson was the winner with getting 8 out of 9 super heroes into the bucket!

Pop the Balloons and find the golden ticket:

This game was so cute to watch... the kids didn't weigh enough to pop the balloons so they were bouncing on them and trying to pop them... finally the parents got in there and were bouncing the kids as hard as they could to pop the balloons... it was too funny! Nathan got the golden ticket and won the prize!

Pin the Bat Sign on the Batman:

Adelaide was the winner!

Then it was time to eat... we did build your own Nachos...

Adelaide (as Princess Girl)

Emerson (as Alpha Pig)

Darley (as Darley)

Wyatt (as Batman)

Aiden (as Super Why)

Aidan (as Aidan)

Patrick (as Buzz Lightyear)

Icyle (as Stripe Girl)

Then it was time for Wyatt to open his presents...

Obviously I was super excited about the car...

and everyone wanted to play with the giant floor puzzle...

but instead...

...we made the kids wait in line for...

... face painting!!!

And the kids played...

Then it was finally time for...

...CAKE!!!

Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday dear Wyatt, happy birthday to you!

And it must have been some good cake, because it was gone!

Once the cake was eaten we did one last group shot of the kids...

Wyatt had a great time at his Batman Birthday Party... and Chris and I were told we throw quite the party... a good time was had by all!

Fly me!

2010-01-14T20:48:00.000-08:00

"Fly me! Fly me!" was their request (well, Wyatt's at least)...

and so... I flew them.

Convicted...

2010-01-14T20:42:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, through 2 different resources, I was convicted of not spending enough time with my children... ok, maybe spending time are the wrong words to use... you see I spend all day, everyday, with my children but I scarcely spend time with my children... do you get what I am saying?

No? Yah, I am not quite sure if I get what I am saying... let me try to explain a little better.

So, I, being a stay at home mom, spend pretty much every waking moment with my children around me. I mean, I don't even go to the bathroom without one, or both, of my children in the restroom with me. But yesterday as I was talking with my dear friend, Kelly, about motherhood and the calling that the Lord has given both of us to be stay at home moms and home makers, I was convicted. We talked about how we so easily get caught up in the hustle and bustle of everyday life that we rarely take time to really spend time with our children. And then I got home and read a blog that further convicted me. Mckmama said that someday we would miss these days... the days when our children want us to play with them, want us around, want... us. And I was convicted that I, like many other stay at home moms, take the precious time I have with my children for granted.

I will be the first to admit it, I am selfish. There are many days when I think nap time can't come soon enough so I can have some me time. Or days when I get frustrated at my children because I am in the middle of something (something that is probably not even important). Or days when I planned on doing laundry and they just need my attention all day long. Or days when I just want to play on the computer and I just want them to sit and watch a movie. Really? Am I really that selfish? Sadly, I am.

So, I have been convicted. Convicted of my own selfishness and truly convicted that I have not been a good steward of the precious gifts the Lord has blessed me with.

So, today I tried. I tried to set aside my selfishness, and tried to put my children before myself... I tried to remember that someday I will miss these days... I tried to remember that my children and their salvation is much MUCH more important than a few minutes of me time... I tried to remember that I want desperately to bring glory to God and be a good steward of these precious children he has entrusted to me. I tried to remember these things. Tried... and failed at some points.... but mostly tried.

I am praying that I will get better at truly spending time with my children... not letting the days go by just waiting for my me time to come, but taking advantage of the time I have to teach and train my children in the ways of the Lord and taking advantage of this time that the Lord will teach and train me through the time I spend with my children.

I am thankful that the Lord used a friend and a blog to convict me... when these years have passed, I will be so thankful that I took advantage of this time with my children.... when days are long and hard, I will really try to remember that I will miss these days (even if I think I wont, I know I will)... when Wyatt wants to snuggle and I want to do the dishes, I will remember that he is more important than an empty sink... when Icyle wakes up and wants to nurse in the middle of the night, I will remember that soon enough she wont need me at all... and so I stand convicted... let me always remember.

Icyle and her doll...

2010-01-12T15:02:00.000-08:00

I have to admit it...

I always wanted a little girl who would love to play with dolls...

and it looks like I got what I wanted...

Icyle loves this little doll...
She will just sit and hug it...
and rock it...
and kiss it...

I am not sure if she will always enjoy dolls like this...

but I will enjoy it while it lasts.

You know you're a mom when...

2010-01-12T14:51:00.000-08:00

... going to the bathroom is a family affair.

... poo poo is exciting.

... 4 hours of sleep is considered a good night.

... you wear a shirt that has snot on the sleeves and shoulders and you don't know who's snot it is.

... you know every word to the Larry Boy soundtrack.

... you can quote Disney's Beauty and the Beast word for word.

... going to Target to look at toys is the outing of the day.

... sleeping in seems like something from a different lifetime.

... words like stupid, shut up, and dumb are the worst words in the world.

... the word "bingy" is like a cuss word.

... all you ever do is laundry and clean up after others.

... the word "NO" comes out of your mouth over 100 times a day.

... your huge purse is full of diapers and underwear and only one tiny pocket actually has anything for yourself.

... 7am is considered sleeping in.

... the only thing you accomplish in the entire day is brushing your teeth.

... laundry day is every day.

... caffeine is your drug of choice.

... when you lock the bathroom door to have just 1 minute to yourself.

... finding m&m's in the couch is normal.

... going to the grocery store by yourself for one item takes an hour because you are just so happy to be alone.

... you pack a lunch for everyone else knowing you will just eat the leftovers.

... you prefer to go to Costco because they have double seater carts.

... your world revolves around short people who pee their pants and constantly have dirty faces.

You know you're a mom when you love said short people more than anything else

and when all is said and done, you would do anything for them!

Keeping warm....

2010-01-11T13:46:00.000-08:00

We woke up to a very cold house this morning.

See we turn off the heat most nights while we sleep because the upstairs gets really warm if we leave it on all night.

So, we woke up to a very cold house this morning.

Since the house was very cold, 40 degrees type cold, we decided to build a fire.

It was a lovely fire and the kids really enjoyed it.

It was nice to be able to sit by the fire and keep warm.

When the fire was really going, Wyatt said, "Mom, the fire grew up... it's not a baby anymore!"

I laughed.

I guess cold mornings aren't so bad if we have a fire keeping us warm.

Caught you!

2010-01-11T13:35:00.000-08:00

I love you, you little bitty baby love of mine, but you are not allowed to play on the computer!

2010-01-07T19:52:00.000-08:00

Dear mom,

My daughter is a stinker and would not look at the camera.

So I just picked a picture where you can see the shoes you gave her.

Love,

Amber

Say "cheese"

2010-01-07T19:40:00.000-08:00

The other day Wyatt asked me to take his picture.

I obliged.

This is what I got.

Awesome.

Cookies for breakfast... Jillian Michaels would die!

2010-01-05T20:17:00.000-08:00

What's that saying about eating dessert first? What about eating dessert for an entire meal? I am sure Jillian Michaels would kick me in my head if she found out I let my whole family (myself included) eat chocolate chip cookies for breakfast. But we did it... and you know? I regret not.

They were delicious... so delicious in fact that I am pretty sure Wyatt had 3 or 4... I hope Jillian Michaels doesn't get wind of this or this will be my last post (because I will be dead).

After breakfast (if you can really call it that) Wyatt was a little hyper (gee, I wonder why?) he was running around singing "Sing around the rosie, pockets full of ponies, asses, asses, we all fall down" at the top of his lungs... and I was cracking up the entire time!

Later tonight it was Icyle that was making us smile...

playing peek a boo and so big... what a cutie!

Oh, and Wyatt asked why she had poo poo on her shirt... I informed him it was not poo poo and it was from her food.

Guess who's climbing stairs?

2010-01-04T06:13:00.000-08:00

Melt my heart...

2010-01-02T18:11:00.000-08:00

Wyatt said the sweetest thing to me yesterday while we were driving in the car...

"I don't ever want to live without you mommy! If I ever had to live without you, I would just stay in my house and cry all day long!"

It was so cute and it just came out of the blue... not sure what made him say it... but seriously, bub, you melt my heart... I don't ever want to live without you either!

Happy New Year's Eve!

2009-12-31T21:16:00.000-08:00

Gone are the days when New Year's Eve was spent dressed up with some place to go... yes... long gone. Tonight, the eve of a new year, was spent like most any other night... with my beautiful children (I would have spent it with Chris, but he was hard at work).

I tried to make it a little bit of a special night...

like for instance...

bubbles in their bath....

and crazy bubble hairstyles to go with it...

and I let the kids splash big splashes, stand in the tub, and yell "Happy New Year!"...

and after bath time we had a pajama party movie night in which we watched Night at the Museum 2 and ate delicious tortilla pie with homemade guacamole and homemade salsa and played in the toy box...

as seen here...

and as usual... Icyle enjoyed the free entertainment...

So, like I said... long gone are the days of dressing up and going out on New Year's Eve... but I don't miss it... how could I when I have these 2 wonderfuls to hang out with?

Purple hats and dinosuar shirts...

2009-12-31T12:32:00.000-08:00

Icyle eating her doll and Wyatt re-decorating the tree... he informed me that he was doing a great job so I shouldn't worry... thanks Wyatt!

Sporting her purple hat and a snotty nose... cuz thats just how we do it!

Let me hear you ROAR!

My beautiful baby girl!

My handsome little man!

Sigh...

2009-12-29T20:11:00.000-08:00

Sigh...

.... I could just stare at her all day ....I love this little baby.

Out of the mouth of Wyatt...

2009-12-29T19:56:00.000-08:00

I have been wanting to write this post for awhile, but this first one, that happened tonight, cracked me up so much that I decided I had to write it down so I didn't forget it.... so here are some of the things I have heard Wyatt say over the last few days that have just cracked me up....

Wyatt to Icyle while he was trying to play trains and she was trying to destroy his track:
"No no little honey, touch it again and you'll get a spanking... okay... you touched it... now you're getting a spanking!"

Wyatt to me while I was using the restroom:
"Mom... did you go poopoos? Do you need me to wipe your bottom?"

Wyatt to me after he used the restroom:
"Mom, I went to the bathroom... now say, 'Oh honey I am so proud of you! Okay, mom, say that."

Wyatt to me after I made tortilla soup for dinner:
"Oh mom, how did you do this!?! How did you do this food? This is berry berry wonderful... and it has carrots, right mom?" (yep) "and chicken..." (yep it does) "and, oh, what's this? Chips!?!? Do you remember there is chips in this tortilla soup!?!"

Wyatt to me whenever my phone rings:
"Mom, your phone's calling you."

Wyatt to Icyle whenever she cries:
"Oh, baby girl... oh, it's okay baby girl..."

Wyatt to me when I was flicking Icyle's hand for touching the Christmas tree:
"No mom... I love her! I love my sister... don't flick her!"

Wyatt to Chris when they are playing super heroes:
"Come on Superman, lets shoot bad guys."

Wyatt to anyone who calls him Wyatt:
"No, my name is Batman!"

Wyatt to me on Christmas morning as he was opening a present:
"It's a box... oh thank you mommy... thanks for this box!"

Wyatt to Icyle as I was helping her open her present on Christmas morning:
"Oh, baby girl... Oh, that's just 'dorable!"

Wyatt to me as he was getting his pjs on:
"Oh look, I can make my penis move... cool huh mom?!"

Wyatt to me as I was feeding Icyle:
"Mom, is that baby food?" (yep) "Oh, I am eating boy food."

Wyatt to me while we were eating sausage at breakfast:
"What sausage is?" (it's meat and it comes from pigs) "No silly... we don't eat pigs!" (yeah we do... sausage comes from pigs) "No mom, sausage comes from the grocery store!"

Wyatt to me while I was cracking eggs for breakfast:
"Oh mom, can I help you pop eggs? I love popping eggs!"

Oh, Wyatt, how I love you... thanks for bringing so much laughter and joy to my life!

Silence is deceiving...

2009-12-28T20:02:00.000-08:00

Wyatt has pretty much always been the boy who stays in bed once he is put there.

I remember the very first night he slept in his big boy bed I told him, "Wyatt, if you get out of bed you will get a spanking." He got out of bed, he got a spanking. With that time included I can count on one hand the number of times he has gotten out of bed.... until yesterday.

I decided to take a nap while the kids were napping, Icyle and I have been sick with colds and she has not been sleeping as well as normal, thus, I have not been sleeping as well as normal. So, I laid down with Icyle in my bed and once I heard silence I let myself drift off to sleep thinking that both the children were asleep... however, silence is deceiving.

About 30 minutes to an hour after I finally drifted off to dreamland I heard foot steps coming up the stairs... this startled me and caused my heart to jump because my dear children were sleeping, or so I thought, and my dear husband was at work... all of a sudden over the corner of my covers I saw Wyatt... little stinker scared the crap out of me.

As soon as he saw my face I could tell he remembered what happens to little boys who get out of bed...

And as fast as he had come clomping up the stairs, he went clomping right back down them. I found him hiding by the couch with his blankie over his head... he is not a very good hider by the way. He got his spanking and a gentle reminder that we do not get out of bed. And off to bed he went, again.

Now, I don't think he has ever done this before... but it makes me wonder... if he had not been so loud coming up the stairs, I would have happily slept the afternoon away and he would have... I don't know... played the day away perhaps? Who knows what kind of trouble he could have made.... I don't even want to think about it really.

All I know is that silence is deceiving and I will be double checking from now on!

Christmas

2009-12-27T08:32:00.000-08:00

We spent Christmas at Chris' parents house. On Christmas eve Wyatt (with the help of mommy and grandma) built his first ever ginger bread house... it went something like this... one treat for the house, two treats for Wyatt, until all the treats were gone... we had a great time making it though!

Later on Christmas eve we all got together to eat and open presents...

Super baby!

Wyatt and daddy looking at his new train table!

We had a wonderful time with Chris' parents and siblings. The kids loved playing with their presents and Chris and I were super excited about our new Wii and Wii fit!! (Chris is actually setting it up as I blog!)

On Christmas morning, our family opened our family gifts while waiting for the egg bake and cinnamon biscuits to bake...

The kids together on Christmas morning...

Wyatt playing with one of his new dinosaurs...

Icyle really enjoyed chewing on the ribbon...

Wyatt loved his new gun from Gramma and Papa...

This is the face Chris made when he thought he only got season 2 of the Justice League...

This is the face he made when he realized it was season 1 and 2...

Icyle loves her new baby doll... it's a boy!

Wyatt loved his new legos from Gramma and Papa!

The best present we could ever get...

Icyle getting some tickles from her daddy...

The kids... gotta love Wyatt and his guns!

Boys and their toys!

Christmas morning family photo

Me and my honey! I love him so much!

After we ate our delicious breakfast we spent the afternoon playing...

Icyle is cutting another tooth so she is all about chewing on things!

Wyatt and some of his new toys... he LOVES his guns!

Chris as a Mii... looks just like him!

Icyle finally zonked out from all the fun we had...

One last picture before we head home.

It was a fun Christmas!

Off to the coast for the day...

2009-12-27T07:32:00.000-08:00

On the Wed. before Christmas, my wonderful husband had the brilliant idea to head down to the coast.
It was such a gorgeous day... 80 degrees and sunny... pretty much perfect if you ask me!

We spent the afternoon sight seeing and playing at a park by the ocean....

After we played the afternoon away we went to Chris' Mecca... The Original Whataburger...

It was a really cool Whataburger... we ate upstairs looking over the ocean... it was pretty cool!

After dinner the kids were tired so we loaded back up in the car (after buying a homeless man dinner and giving him a Bible) and drove back to home. It was a fun way to spend the day!

Pictures of our day with the Wheat's

2009-12-22T21:27:00.000-08:00

Just cruisin and then some...

2009-12-22T20:55:00.000-08:00

Icyle is officially cruising furniture!! Which, for those of you who don't know what that is, means that she walks along while holding on to furniture, in Icyle's case, it would be the coffee table, couch, or a step. And, she has also figured out how to climb said step... but thankfully has not figured out how to climb up more then the bottom two!

And... the goofy face she is making in this picture is called "the old toothless lady face"... I think she does it because she is cutting her top right tooth... but it sure is funny when she does it!

It is fun to have Icyle moving about the house... well, Wyatt might not say the same thing... I think he might miss the days when he could just put his toys down and not have to worry about them being touched, slobbered, chewed, etc... but those days are long gone bud... sorry!

Speaking of *Wyatt, yesterday I found him like this...

not sure if it was the Santa hat mixed with the Batman shirt that cracked me up...
or the Santa hat mixed with the gun in his hand...

let's get a better look at the gun...

either way it cracked me up... and it was also really cute! So, I of course, took pictures!

*Wyatt still prefers to be called Batman and, if he had his choice, he would wear his batman shirt every day.

And then their was the pre-bathtime playtime the kids had last night...

here are the kids playing drums on the stairs before bathtime...

and Icyle, my adorable fluffy baby, doing what she loves to do... standing and chewing on things...

and then theres Wyatt...

I only put this on here because it cracks me up every time I look at it! He was just running around like a crazy man last night... it was actually quite entertaining!

Bedtime cuddles...

2009-12-19T20:32:00.000-08:00

... makes us both happy!

It's been awhile...

2009-12-15T15:27:00.000-08:00

since I've taken pictures of the kids together... and this is why...

... they just never seem to work out as well as I'd hoped...

but...

sometimes they turn out adorable...

... because laughing children are always adorable.

Now, I did happen to take some really cute pictures of Icyle by herself...

... it is easy to get one kid to smile and look at the camera.

And, mom, these are for you...

Excuses...

2009-12-15T14:21:00.000-08:00

Well, I thought I would be better about posting updates and keeping up with my blog, but things didn't work out as I had planned.... but I have excuses... good ones...

like having to nurse a sick baby back to health... literally...

(when Icyle was sick, she was nursing like 20 times a day... for those of you who don't know... that is a lot of nursing...)

or like the fact that Batman has taken up permanent residency in our house...

(Wyatt insists on being called Batman at all times, and no... that is not a real gun...)

or like trying to keep little miss mischief butt out of, well, mischief....

(she is as guilty as she looks in this picture)

or like trying to keep Mr. mischief butt out of trouble too...

(see those cans behind him, I find all of those on the ground, made into "trains" multiple times a day)

or like trying to make this adorable pointy kitty for my adorable niece (who is getting so grown up looking.... you can see her here on my sister in law's blog)...

(sorry... this is the only look you are going to get Alyssa... you will see the rest when I send it to Eisley)

So... those are my excuses...

The latest...

2009-12-10T18:03:00.000-08:00

Ok, I know, I know... it's been a long time since I've updated my blog... my mom reminds me daily... but then I usually remind her that she hasn't updated her blog in a few months... so there.

So, to satisfy your curiosity, here is what the kids looked like today... well, I guess technically, they still look like this...

Wyatt has informed us that he is Batman... just ignore the fact that he is indeed wearing a Superman shirt... well, actually, Wyatt told me that he decided that it is ok for Batman to wear a Superman shirt because Batman and Superman are friends... and he prefers to be called Batman, not Wyatt.... and he wears his green blankie around as a cape... see?

Oh, and did I mention that he also drives a Batmobile around? And did I mention that the Batmobile is actually a giant blue hippo with wheels? Well, he does, and it is.

So, that is the scoop on Wyatt... ah... I mean Batman. Icyle, who Wyatt Batman insists on calling Robin or Batgirl, depending on who he wants her to be, is doing great. She is the happiest little 7 month old I know... and the cutest one I know too, but I am a little biased. On Tuesday when I picked her up from the bible study daycare, I was told that, and I quote, "Icyle is the most adorable and delightful baby ever!" Two words I would most definitely use to describe her. She really is adorable, she is an adorable baby, she has an adorable personality, she has an adorable smile, adorable toes, an adorable booty... well... you get the point... she is adorable... and as far as delightful goes, I would say that would probably be the word I would use if someone said "Describe Icyle in one word" I would say, "Delightful" because she is. She is always in the most delightful mood and she is truly a delight to be around! Ah... I could go on and on about my kids... they are just the best.

So, today Batman had some friends over to make these...

We had a lovely time making these reindeer cake pops, eating them, and enjoying our friends....

I think it is safe to say that a good time was had by all! I mean, really, how can you go wrong with chocolate cake covered in chocolate melty melts with m&m candy and pretzels stuck to it? And it's on a stick... just like fair food!

After everyone went home, I spent the afternoon dipping leftover pretzels into the leftover chocolate, doing the dishes and playing with the kids.

Oh and can I just tell you that I officially have a potty trained child!!! It took some work, there were some tears shed (from both Wyatt and me), there were many accidents (and I suspect there will still be a few), there were many underwears that needed scrubbing, but he did it... Wyatt, I mean Batman, is a toilet going man! I don't even need to ask him anymore... he just goes when he needs to go and I am SO proud of him!

So, that is the latest news... I hope you are satisfied with the update... I will try to be better about blogging in the future...

Fa la la la la la la...

2009-11-28T10:49:00.000-08:00

Deck the halls... er... I mean townhome... with boughs of holly... er... I guess a fake Christmas tree is more accurate in our case.... whatever... you get the point!

Last night we started the Christmas decorating process. Wyatt was so very excited to set up and decorate the Christmas tree... and Icyle was just surprised that we had a tree in our living room.

See?

We all had a lot of fun listening to Christmas music and putting up the lightes and decorations! Well, Wyatt, Chris and I had fun putting up the lights and decorations... Icyle had fun getting out all the wet wipes...

See?

It was a fun night... there is nothing better then a house all decked out for Christmas (even if the tree is tiny, fake and doesn't smell like pine and even though we are one stocking short because we still have to get one for Icyle)... it is still one of my favorite things in the whole world!

Merry almost Christmas!

There's no stopping her now!

2009-11-28T10:16:00.000-08:00

Icyle is officially on the move!

On Thursday, which also happened to be Thanksgiving, Icyle gave up her lazy lifestyle of sitting and army crawling, and traded it in for an exciting life full of adventure, mischief, and crawling!

And there's no stopping her now... she is enjoying her new lifestyle... and we are too!

Potty training moments...

2009-11-25T10:07:00.000-08:00

I have finally come to terms with the fact that potty training is not a 1 day process, not a 1 week process, not even a 1 month process... well, at least not in our house it's not. But I have a small victory to share with you, one that brings me hope that potty training wont last forever, and that maybe... just maybe... someday soon I will not have to battle with Wyatt (or myself) over going to the bathroom in the toilet.

Last night, after having 0 accidents all day (a victory all in itself), Wyatt told me he wanted to wear underwear to bed. I tried to persuade him that a g diaper (cloth diaper) would be a better choice, but he insisted that he was going to wear underwear to bed.

So, instead of fighting it, I sent him to the bathroom and then put his jammies on over his underwear and prepared myself to have to wash his sheets and bedding in the morning.

However, this morning, I was more then surprised to find that he not only was dry, but slept in till after 7am (hardly ever happens)! Win win for me!

Now, he has been dry the last few nights, but I have still been putting him in a g diaper because I didn't think that being dry at night would last... but I think we have finally had a potty training break through... if we can be dry all day AND all night... then in my head that is a victory!

Outtakes and bloopers

2009-11-23T19:19:00.000-08:00

This weekend we went to Houston to visit our good friends, the Andersons. Jamie, who is an awesome photographer, took our family photos while we were out there. One of those photos will be featured on our Christmas card, but I am not going to share that one with you! Instead, I will share the outtakes and bloopers with you... becuase with 2 kids, the bad, silly, and goofy pictures often outweigh the good ones.

So, here are a few of the bad, silly, and goofy pictures...

Ok... did I say few... I meant many...

6 month pictures

2009-11-23T18:38:00.000-08:00

My beautiful little angel is 6 months old...

Awesome phones, awesome rockets, and awesome towers

2009-11-18T16:44:00.000-08:00

This afternoon we have just been playing at home... Icyle has been practicing her crawling, which she is getting pretty good at, and she can now get into a sitting position from crawling, which she is pretty proud of herself for being able to do that... and we are too!

This afternoon Icyle was trying really hard to get my phone, so I dug this old cell phone out for her to play with... she discovered it is pretty awesome to chew on phones...

Wyatt built a tower and he discovered that is it not awesome that Icyle can move and almost knock over his tower...

So, he moved her far away from his super awesome tower (complete with stairs)...

He also has rediscovered his awesome rocket ship...

which makes a lot of noise and has to be everywhere he is

and if Icyle even looks at it he freaks out!

Now that Icyle is truely on the move,

she is enjoying exploring and getting into her big brother's things...

but at least she is really cute when she does it...

and Wyatt doesn't care too much,

as long as she doesn't touch his awesome rocket ship.

At the park...

2009-11-18T06:03:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was such a beautiful day so after we went to the gym I took the kids to the park so Wyatt and Icyle could get some fresh air and Wyatt could get some energy out. It was a perfect day to be out... it was about 65 degrees and sunny! The kids had a great time...

Icyle enjoyed watching the kids play...

and Wyatt enjoyed running and playing with the other kids that were at the park...

Oh and I took these pictures of Icyle doing Yoga....

Potty training moment...

2009-11-18T05:44:00.000-08:00

Sigh... sometimes I feel like Wyatt is really getting the hang of this potty training thing... I become proud and then the inevitable fall comes... like this incident that happened a few days ago...

We had been in Minnesota for 2 weeks and Wyatt had very few accidents... he had some, but not many, and most of them were small... so I was starting to think that Wyatt was getting the hang of it... he was telling me when he had to go to the bathroom, and get this, he would actually make it to the toilet and go (insert pride here)!

So, the day after we got home from Minnesota I was feeling good about potty training and I thought it would be a breeze of a day... boy oh boy was I wrong... here is the fall...

As I was doing some dishes (that had been piled up for 2 weeks by my wonderful husband while we were away) I was watching Wyatt and Icyle play on the floor in the living room... and then I saw it... Wyatt stood up, peed his pants, and then went back to playing with his sister (who, I am sure if she would have known what he just did, would not have been so thrilled to have her playmate back).

So, I, being the calm and patient mommy that I am, said, "Wyatt, sweetie, did you go the bathroom in your pants? Oh, honey, lets get some new underwear..." oh wait... no that wasn't me... that would be some other mommy. If I remember correctly what actually came out of my mouth was some kind of growl and I yelled, "WYATT MOSES!!! WHAT ARE YOU DOING??? YOU JUST PEED IN YOUR PANTS! WHY DID YOU DO THAT! GET OVER HERE RIGHT NOW AND TAKE YOUR WET CLOTHES OFF!!!!" and I am pretty sure another growl came out as I went in search of clean underwear (which was still packed away from our trip).

Meanwhile, while I was in search of clean underwear, bottomless Wyatt went down stairs to play...

I found clean underwear and called for Wyatt to come upstairs and put it on. I tried to pull myself together and as I was putting on his underwear I asked him, "Wyatt, why didn't you tell mommy that you had to go potty and go in the toilet?" He said, "I went in my pants on purpose mommy." "ON PURPOSE?!?!" (more growling) "Yah... I did it on purpose." So, he got in trouble for going to the bathroom in his pants on purpose.

About an hour later Wyatt went back downstairs to play while I started dinner... he started screaming "Poopoo! Poopoo!" So, I ran down the stairs thinking he had to go to the bathroom. Nope, I was wrong. Apparently, while he had been down stairs bottomless, he had taken the opportunity to go poop on the floor... and had obviously forgotten that he had pooped on the floor because he had stepped in it!

This time there was no amount of clam or patience in my body... I was mad... no other emotion... just mad.
Can't remember what I said... but I remember yelling and growling and completely losing it. I cleaned up Wyatt's foot and the mess on the floor and put Wyatt in timeout... after he got a spanking... because he knows better then to poop on the floor.

After I cleaned up the mess, I went up to Wyatt, who was in timeout on the stairs and said (ok, I was still mad, so I more like yelled it) "Wyatt, why on earth did you poop on the floor in the basement???" He said, "I did it on purpose." So, I got even more upset and said, "WYATT! You did it on purpose!?!? You wanted to poop on the floor?!?! Why would you do that?!?!" He then said sadly, with tears in his eyes and his hands raised in question, "I did it on purpose mommy, I didn't mean to do it... I just did it on purpose."

And then I realized it. This poor child was getting his words mixed up... he had done it on accident. I was still upset, but I did feel a little bad about getting mad at him for doing it on purpose when really he did it on accident... so it was not our best potty training day... infact, it was one of the worst we have had so far.

So, that was the fall that came after the pride that is now gone. Sigh... potty training.

Baby bedhead

2009-11-18T04:48:00.000-08:00

I woke Icyle up one morning and this is what she looked like... poor girl was still so tired and she had major bedhead! She is so blond so it is hard to see... but look closely and you can see her hair sticking up all over!

She was still in a happy mood even though she looked like she could have slept for another few hours.

Minnesota trip highlights

2009-11-17T20:12:00.000-08:00

The kids and I went to Minnesota to visit family and friends October 28 - November 11. We had such a fun time visiting with, catching up with, and playing with my family and friends... here are some of the highlights from the trip... get ready because you are about to be hit with a ton of pictures!

The kids at
Lego Land
in the Mall
Of America

We ate pumpkin pancakes

on Reformation Day

Icyle was a bumblebee and Wyatt was a monkey

Icyle got into the Vikings game... she waved her touch down towel

PURPLE PRIDE!

Icyle got to experience her first trip to Old Spaghetti Factory

And Wyatt painted with Papa

We went to visit my Uncle Mark, Aunt Sherrin, and cousins Chelsa, Haleigh and Isaac

on their farm... Wyatt got to ride and drive (well, pretend to) the tractor

Wyatt and Emmett had such a great time running around and exploring the farm!

Icyle ate a few leaves and enjoyed the grass

I love these pictures... in the first one she is going for her paci!

With the help of my amazingly talented cousin Chelsa and Aunt Sherrin, we were able to make the girls homemade dolls... what a fun memory... and what a fun toy for the girls!

Total highlight from the farm is the Adobe Pizza made in their homemade Adobe oven... yummy!!!

The boys all ready for church on Sunday Morning...

All the cousins together...

Our trip home... me, mom and Icyle were smashed in the back seat...

while grandma and Wyatt had lots of room... but it was a fun trip!

Here we are with Boo and Enoch... they came to play a few times... we love them!!!

Here I am ~~being creepy~~ loving on Cara's baby bump

We had a wonderful time at the park... the kids played and Alyssa and I got to talk and have fun too... it ended up being an adventurous potty training day as well because they had removed the biffs so the boys learned the art of peeing on the wall... I believe it was Cullen (the little boy Alyssa was babysitting) who said "YES! I peed on that bug!" ....Nice...

We visited my grandma Lou (my dad's mom)

And beautiful little Eisley turned 1 the day before we left to come home to Texas...

It was so fun... the kids played, ate cake, and helped Eisley open her presents...

and got read to by Gramma...

and Icyle played under chairs...

It was a wonderful trip full of wonderful memories! Can't wait till the next trip!

Good ol' fashion fun

2009-10-25T20:48:00.000-07:00

We have been trying to stick to our budget... that means no new toys for anyone... yep... no new toys. So, we have been ~~making~~ letting Wyatt play with his old toys, which happen to be Icyle's new toys.

Here he is playing in his old exersaucer... he is a little big for it... but he doesn't seem to mind...

We also are saving money by not buying him any pants...

Nah... we don't make Wyatt play with his old toys... he chooses to play with them... but it sure makes for funny pictures!

We had a great day today...

We took naps...

Well, when I say we, I mean they kids... and when I say naps, I am talking like 15 minutes... which in my book isn't much of a nap at all... but he sure looks sweet when he sleeps.

See...

We played...

And I was able to capture this adorable little peanut doing what she does best...

...which is being cute!

We practiced our crawling skills...

She is not quite there... but she is working really hard at it!

And we carved pumpkins...

Which was the highlight of our day...

It was very cute... when we lit the candles to go in the pumpkins Wyatt burst into song singing Happy Birthday to the pumpkins... it was so very sweet I wish I had it on video!

So, that was what happened around here today... just good ol' fashion random fun!

A little PP and a little life saving all in one day...

2009-10-24T21:40:00.000-07:00

Today we went to the pumpkin patch! It was a beautiful, maybe even a perfect, day to be outside and we really enjoyed ourselves!
It was really fun because Chris was home from work, so we were able to go to the PP (that stands for Pumpkin Patch... PP... sounds kind of funny don'tcha think?) as a family!
The kids had a wonderful time frolicking in the pumpkins (yep... that's right... frolicking), Chris took the kids on a hayride, we way over-paid for two medium sized pumpkins (which we will carve tomorrow), and we got lots of fun pictures (which I posted on facebook).

We got a rare family photo...

Icyle had a grand time playing in the pumpkins...

Wyatt thought the pumpkins were "leally (really) fun!"

After we left the pumpkin patch we decided Chris and Wyatt needed haircuts...

Doesn't he look SO young... I think he looks like a little baby with his hair short... sigh... oh and fyi... Wyatt was a total punk when the lady was cutting his hair... it took Chris, me, AND the hair cutting lady to hold his head when she was using the clippers to trim around the ears and the his neck... she (and we) finally gave up at the end... so don't look too closely.

Oh and this happened later this evening... I think Icyle is rather smart... dare I say brilliant? Yes I dare... you see she was playing with Noah's Ark and realized that someone was missing...

"Mrs. Noah, what are you doing out of the ark?"

"Here, let me help out out..."

"Back in the ark you go!"

What did I tell you? Brilliant... my 5 month old is a live saving genius!

I win... and other stuff...

2009-10-22T20:05:00.000-07:00

Today was a fun day... Chris didn't have to be into work till the afternoon so we were able to spend the morning together as a family!
Part of the morning was spent in a Larry Boy drawing competition... Wyatt has been more then obsessed with Larry Boy these last few weeks so Chris and I decided to both draw a Larry Boy and have Wyatt choose which one he liked best...

Our judge and the Larry Boy drawings...

Mine is the one on the left and Chris' is on the right...
I am the clear winner here...

I did win... Wyatt thought mine was the awesomest Larry Boy...

He carried both of them around all day and even took a nap with his two little Larry Boy cut out drawings! Fun time for all!

This afternoon I decided to do a little photo shoot of the kids... this one of Icyle I thought turned out so adorable...

...Don't you just want to squeeze her?

And some of my other favorites from the photo shoot...

Tonight Connie, Aidan, and Audrey came to play since both our husbands were hard at work... Wyatt and Aidan had a great time playing/throwing toys, Icyle and Audrey had fun playing and gazing at each other, and Connie and I played a game and talked about life... she is such a precious friend!
After they left to head home the kids and I watched The Office... okay, okay, I watched The Office while Wyatt played with his train and Icyle nursed... it was still a good time for all of us!

Now the kids are asleep and I am listening to the soft music coming from their room... it is the same CD that I have played every night (and nap time) since Wyatt was a baby... it brings back sweet memories... I have heard each one of these songs at least a thousand times and I will most likely hear them a thousand more times... but each song brings back different thoughts and I am happy and content just sitting here and listening.

Dinner with the Hughes Family...

2009-10-22T07:21:00.000-07:00

Dinner at the Hughes house is always interesting... here is a glimpse of meal time around here...

Wyatt LOVES Parmesan cheese and Icyle is starting to get the hang of eating/wearing real food...

While Icyle ate/spit/smeared/wore peas... Wyatt played...

Icyle also likes to do some table dancing during dinner time! Do the sprinkler... shake it... sh-shake it....

Alright... well... now you know what really goes on during dinner at the Hughes house... wanna come over for dinner?

Playing on the floor with Icyle...

2009-10-21T06:20:00.000-07:00

What is it?

2009-10-20T13:17:00.000-07:00

A super cool cleaning devise? Or a super cool gun?

Potty Training moments...

2009-10-20T07:46:00.000-07:00

Me: Wyatt, why did you pee in your underwear?

Wyatt: I didn't. You peed in my underwear!

Me: I peed in your underwear? Then put them back on you all wet?

Wyatt: Yah, you peed in my underwear and now I have to wear them and they are all wet... you need a spanking!

What's happening around here...

2009-10-17T15:02:00.000-07:00

Wyatt, my little man, is getting so big! He is very into action figures and super heroes... one of his favorites is The Iron Giant... Chris kept an Iron Giant action figure toy from when he was younger and we found it when we moved... Wyatt has pretty much had it in his hands ever since. He is also working really hard on potty training... well, maybe I should say I am finally working on taking him to the potty :) He does great when I make sure to take him and he even takes naps in his underwear! I am so proud of him!

Oh, and sometimes he wears diapers still... only he wears them as hats and not diapers :)

Icyle, my lil mama, is getting so big too! She is working on her crawling skills... I call her the inchworm... up, down, up, down... she gets up on all fours, rocks and throws herself forward onto the ground then gets up again... hence... the inchworm. She can pretty much get where she wants to go by using this method. She is teething and is also a fabulous sitter... oh and an excellent smiler! She is pretty much the happiest baby I know!

Oh, and the computer cord is her favorite toy to chew on!

So that is what is happening around here...

hands and knees

2009-10-17T14:50:00.000-07:00

2009-10-10T07:25:00.000-07:00

Icyle loved her first swinging experience... and... Wyatt was being crazy because I was taking pictures instead of pushing him...
Such is life... can't always please everyone...

Happy 5 Months Baby

2009-10-05T19:37:00.000-07:00

I can't believe my baby is 5 months old already....

at 5 months...

She is 16 pounds and 27 1/4 inches...
She is a great sleeper...
She is a fabulous eater...
She is a roller...
She is a scooter...
She is a new sitter...

She is learning that if you work for it...

eventually....

with enough persistence...

and determination...

you can do anything...

and victory is sweet...

but mostly...

She is the happiest 5 month old I know...

Happy 5 months baby... I am so glad you were born!

Monday weigh in...

2009-10-05T05:48:00.000-07:00

4 lbs down this week!

I have no clue how I pulled this off. Yesterday I ate McDonald's for lunch and What-a-burger for dinner... so I really was thinking I was going to gain weight... but I was very pleasantly surprised to find that I lost 4 more pounds!

So that brings the grand total to 6 lbs so far! This calls for a celebration... I think I will go eat some cookies! Just kidding... Cake is much better for celebrations!

Well, actually, today and tomorrow will be rather boring food days for me. I will be eating 2 Eggs for breakfast, 3oz Chicken with green veggies for lunch and the same for dinner. I will be doing this every Monday and Tuesday for the month of October. It helps clean out the system... and helps me stay on track as far as eating healthy goes! SO I am excited to do it!

Well, I have another short term goal. I am leaving to go to MN on the 28th of this month... so 23 days and counting... and I would like to lose 10 lbs before I leave. That would be fabulous! Praying I can do it... it would be nice to feel good in my clothes before I leave!

Oh and a funny comment from Wyatt...

We were looking at some old pictures and I found one from right before I got pregnant with Icyle and I was thinner then and I said "I would like to be skinny someday!" and Wyatt said "Oh mama, you are skinny.... just like a T-Rex!"

Thanks Wyatt... I will try to remember that!

All dressed up with no place to go...

2009-10-05T05:04:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we scrambled to get ready for church, like we do every Sunday.

We all got ready and had a few extra minutes, which never happens on a Sunday.

So, I thought I would check my email.

And I am glad I did.

Church was cancelled due to all the rain we had and all the roads were flooded.

So, we were all dressed up with no place to go.

Here are some pictures of our morning...

Wyatt put a hanger on Icyle's head... thanks Wyatt.

Then he decided to be a nice big brother.

Wyatt caught Icyle with his butterfly net.

Icyle rolled around like she always does.

Wyatt decided he needed a picture with his big ol' T-Rex.

Even though we had no place to go... it still turned out to be a fun morning!

Icyle's Friend Aaron

2009-10-05T04:52:00.000-07:00

The other day I watched Icyle's little Friend, Aaron.

They had a great time playing together...

and being cute together...

It was fun for Icyle to have a friend over... she really enjoyed herself... I could tell!