YOU'VE GOTTA TRY THIS!!! THURSDAY

Here is my YOU'VE GOTTA TRY THIS...If you have something to share add it as a comment or write a blog about it and put the link in my comments. I am sure EVERYONE reading this has a cool thing to share with blogworld (this includes all you stalkers!!!!)...

We all know of the toy, clothing, furniture recalls that seem to be happening in record amounts lately. The Consumer Products Safety Commission has an email you can subscribe to that sends you all recalls that you want to know about. You can pick if you want to know ALL recalls, just toys, household products, clothing, etc. I probably get an email everyday or every other day. The email has a link towards the bottom of each recall that you can click on and see a picture of the recalled item and information about what you can do to get a new item or money back.

Here is the link... https://www.cpsc.gov/cpsclist.aspx Check it out!!!

What is your YOU'VE GOTTA TRY THIS????

I can't help but smile..

when I see these cute kids!!

My sweet son when I walked in his room after "nap time". He was propped up on his elbows with a big grin on his face when I walked in the door.
Apparently, the project (above) was much more important than sleeping today.
Sweet girl!! Check out those pants!!!
Working on the crawl...

YOU'VE GOTTA TRY THIS!!! THURSDAY

Here is my YOU'VE GOTTA TRY THIS!!

I LOVE LOVE LOVE Slurpees from 7-11 or Freezonis from QuikTrip. My parents discovered these slush mugs many years ago. I guess they got sick of hearing me rave about theirs and were afraid I was going to steal them so they got me some a few Christmas' ago. They are so great!! You put a drink in them and they slush up just like Slurpees and Freezonis!! Here is the site that sells the kind I have, but I am sure you can get them from other places too. A few tips after using them for a few years...they work best if the drink you are putting in them is cold. Also, it says you can put any kind of drink in them...I have only tried cold Dr. Pepper or Cherry Coke and apple juice (a treat for Kennan). I have tried Coke Zero and it didn't seem to work as well. So, go out and get one or two! They are wonderful!!

What is your YOU'VE GOTTA TRY THIS?? It can be anything! Leave it as a comment here or put a link to your blog and post on your own site. Can't wait to see what everyone shares!

8 Months!

Where in the world has the past 8 months gone?? Here is an update on our sweet girl...

*She is FINALLY getting the hang of solid food! She is at the point now where she can actually finish off a bowl/serving of a fruit or veggie three times a day. I thought the day would never come! The downside is that she will only eat well from Kenny...we need to work on that!

*She is mobile!! Not crawling yet, but she is working on the army crawl. I like to call it the inchworm because she gets her rear up and inches along to her final destination.

*Brayden LOVES to talk! Her favorite lately is "da da" which only wraps her daddy tighter around her finger!

*She is weighing in at 14 lbs 9 ounces and is 26 inches long. (Kennan had his 3 year appointment today so I snuck in a weight check on her!)

I thought it would be fun to compare Brayden and Kennan at 8 months...what do you think??

Brayden (April 2008)
Kennan (November 2005)

Weekend in Pictures

We had quite a busy weekend! It was sunny (but not warm) most of the weekend so we were outside a lot. Kenny took the kids out to play one day and they did a little tee ball and then went down to the canal. No pictures of the activities, but Kenny did get a few of the kids outside.
Of course, when one is looking the other one isn't!!

Where are my sunglasses? It's a little bright dad!

We just love our double stroller! Kennan still loves to go for rides and Brayden has just started sitting in it without her car seat. Here she is testing out the flavor of the cup holder bar...not enough plastic in her diet maybe?

We had 2 birthday parties this weekend-Allie turned 3 on Saturday and Hannah on Sunday! I forgot the camera at Allie's party, but she had a flower themed party and the kids got to decorate a pot and put real flowers in it!! Now we just have to keep them alive! Hannah's patry ended up being outside and I have lots of pictures of the fun!
Trying to wake Kennan up from his nap for the party. Brayden thought it was funny to sit on his bed and play with his things while Kennan slept!

Brayden and Lydia (Allie's sister)
Planting seeds with Katie

Kenny thought it was appropriate to wear his pink shirt to the party since it was a girl's party.

With the Birthday Girl, Hannah


Love this pciture of him running away and pulling up his pants

Brayden is working so hard on trying to crawl!
Playing "cowboys and cowgirls" with Hannah

Pretty sure I have mentioned this before, but Kennan and Brayden adore each other! This morning I walked in and Kennan was sitting next to Brayden doing this (see below). She thought it was hilarious!

So, she decided to give it a try...monkey see, monkey do!!
Trying to switch??
Love these kids!

Flashback...

September 3, 2005 was one of the most scariest/anxious/exciting days of my life (with exception given to our wedding day and the births of my 2 children). It was the day that we made the move to the East Coast to begin a 3 year stint in graduate school. I came here with excitement and fear of the unknown...sadness about leaving family...and anticipation about the years ahead of us.

Kenny had arrived a few days earlier with the U-Haul and a few family members to help. My mom, Kennan, and I flew in on the 3rd and my dad picked us up at the airport. I remember cruising (my dad was driving) down the NJ turnpike wondering what kind of foreign land I had entered. We pulled up to the apartments just as my couch was being hoisted over the patio railing (2nd floor apartment) by about 8 men. I immediately knew we were in the perfect place. Our U-Haul was completely unloaded in no time with the help of our new neighbors and there were all kinds of welcoming faces surrounding us. The next few weeks were spent unpacking and settling in as we began to create friendships with the community.

One of the best things about the place we live (besides the pink tile bathrooms and inconsistent shower water temperature) is the people that are here. Our apartment complex is only open to people who are attending school were Kenny is enrolled. That means almost everyone is transplanted here for a few years while working on their education and then move off to real jobs (or the crazies who stay to do PhD work)! We were blessed to be in a building with MANY MANY children and young families. In fact, our neighbors below us have become our closest friends while we have been here. Their daughter Hannah is 2 weeks younger than Kennan, Alisa was/is a teacher (just like me), and Kevin did Youth Ministry and plans to become a solo pastor (just like Kenny). I don't think God could have planned our location to one another any better!! Nothing says friendship like being able to let the children play together while we are still in slippers (and sometimes pajamas)!!

I guess I am having this flashback for a number of reasons. We just had our 3rd Easter since being here and I have pictures of Hannah and Kennan for each of those years. It is also on my mind a lot as we are planning for the future...conversations with churches, trips to churches, quotes from moving companies, etc. It is so real that there is an end in sight and goodbyes in the near future. We are going to be so excited when the time comes for Kenny to be called to a church for ministry. But, we are going to be so sad when we have to say goodbye to all of our friends...with hopes that we will all see eachother again really soon!

Most of the people that read this blog are from our community here. We love you guys and feel totally blessed by your friendship and the time we have had with all of you!!! (I know we still have some time together so I will stop being mushy.) The rest who read this blog are friends and family back in the great state of Texas. We are excited about being closer to all of you REALLY soon!!!

Okay, for those of you who stuck with me, here are some pictures!! Check out Kennan and Hannah from the past 3 Easters!! And a few other old pictures!

Easter 2006 (Kennan wasn't walking yet but Hannah was on the move)
COLD Easter of 2007
Easter of 2008
Kenny with Kennan and Kevin with Hannah in September of 2005 (about 2 weeks after we moved in...I'll have to get another picture of them like this before we move!)
Our family in front of one of the buildings on campus (again, I need to get one of us now...with a 3 year old and new baby)!!

YOU'VE GOTTA TRY THIS!!! THURSDAY

Back by popular demand (okay, not really but Kristen asked!!)...


See my original post about Thursdays if you don't know what is going on...


Here is my idea for the week. I don't know about you, but I hate making grocery lists! Now, I have heard of people doing this before (and you probably do it already) but I came up with a generic grocery list on the computer. It is organized by the layout of my local grocery store. I typed in the things on it that we always need...eggs, bread, fruit, veggies, etc, left spaces for things to be added, and printed it off the computer. Then I made up my meal list for the week and wrote in all the things I would need to complete those meals that weren't already on the list. I don't feel like it saved me too much time or energy this first go round because I had to create the list, but I am confident that it will save me time in the future!

What is your YOU'VE GOTTA TRY THIS IDEA???

Happy Easter (and LOTS more!!!)

Okay friends! The blog I promised is here!! Below you will find our weekend in pictures (24 to be exact!!). This deserves LOTS of comments!!

Kennan got some new scissors for his birthday from his teacher. He was dying to try them out! I can't believe my little boy is old enough to use scissors!!!

Playing outside!


On Saturday we had a birthday party for Kennan here in NJ. It was a music and instrument party (his request). We had a lot of fun and it was very noisy!!!!

Kennan and Brayden before the party

He made this silly face while everyone was singing.


Gotta love the noisemakers!!
All of the babies at the party. They are in order of their birth (most recent to the oldest)...Lydia (December), Levi (November), Abby (October) and Brayden (August). And yes, Levi and Abby are bigger than Brayden!!!
Some of the kids at the party (a few had already left)...Evan, Allie, Hannah, Kennan, Katie, and Hans

We have had a fabulous Easter Sunday. It is such an honor to be able to teach Kennan (and Brayden) about Jesus and why these last few days are so important to us. I know he doesn't comprehend it all but it is so great to talk with him about Jesus, the cross, and resurrection.

We had a fun egg hunt with some kiddos from the neighborhood!!

Searching for eggs with Hannah!!
With sweet friends Alisa (Hannah's mom) and Michelle (Hans' mom)

Happy Easter!!!!!