The Simple Things

It's your weekly dose of The Simple Things :) So, this is what made me smile this week. How about you?

My little Quarterback just a few hours before our big Super Bowl Party :)

Isn't that the cutest little jersey ever?! I think he could be in a NyQuil commercial, too! :)

GO PACKERS!!

Crazy thought...the next time that jersey will be worn...it will be on Alex! WOW!

Fun with Pictures

Andrew decided he was going to be in charge of pictures today. He pointed to my camera on the kitchen table, but I didn't understand what he wanted exactly. So, he reached with all his might and brought it to me. I asked him what he wanted me to do and he pointed to his toys. So, we had some fun with taking pictures of all sorts of things today :) He even wanted to see the toy on the camera after I pushed the button. I think I may have to put my camera in a higher place now since it seems like he knows how it works!

A mommy horse and her baby. Andrew set them up like this and then pointed to them. They are very cute, aren't they? :)

A nifty airplane found at the awesome Dollar Spot a Target. He pushed the button and then told me to take the picture. It makes "take off" noise and a little red light blinks. I must have missed the light, oh well.

How cute is he?!

Seriously. He is the cutest. He's watching "Dino Dan" in case you are wondering. When that show comes on, everything else doesn't matter. He's gotta see the dinosaurs. It's like for 5 year olds, but he LOVES it. He is 1. It's for older kids. It teaches kids how to use scientific methods to solve problems and using evidence (all with the help of dinosaurs. He doesn't even talk all that much just yet. He is 1, people. And this is probably his favorite show or at least tied with Thomas the Tank Engine. WOW. He amazes me.

A Letter to Andrew

Dear Andrew,

I'm not sure what we mean when Daddy and I tell you that you are going to be a big brother, but very soon you will really know! In just a couple more months, you will get to meet your little brother, Alex. You are going to be the best brother ever! And, you are going to be the best little helper - I know that because you already are (even when I don't need the dirty dishes put away instead of kept in the dishwasher!)!

When you meet him, he is going to be very tiny, very loud, very sleepy, and very hungry. He will cry. But, you can be my helper and try to make him happy again. You can help me read books and sing songs to him. You will even get to hold him. But watch out...I bet he is going to be a wiggler just like you were.

He won't know how to play with you just yet, but he will catch on.  But, he will get bigger. Then, you can show him all of your elephants and give him all of his lions. Show him how to be gentle with Max. You can show him all of the tricks that your Daddy and I fall for. And, I'm sure you might get a few new ones from him, too. 

Want to know something funny? You were that little one time. You are about 1 1/2 now. You run, laugh, talk, copy us, sing, dance. You do a lot. You are so funny, too! You make Daddy and me laugh all the time! You chase after Max and pet him all the time, too. You love books and playing outside. You are so amazing and we are so proud of all the things that you are leaning and doing every day. You are going to be such a great big brother!

We love you so much!

Mommy (Daddy, too - but he's at work right now!)

PS - While I wrote this, you were supposed to be taking a nap... Instead you played in your crib the whole time laughing and talking about I don't know what. It was pretty funny to listen to. You are so silly. You must know the weekend is coming!

Valentine's Date

Last night, Jason and I celebrated our Valentine's Night at our favorite restaurant ever - Surin West. Best Thai food you'll find. Our friend, Rachel, suggested a trade-off a few weeks ago for this and it was the best idea! We really weren't sure if we were even going to go anywhere. So, thanks, Rachel! :D

Bump's getting bigger - 9 weeks to go! 

We are thinking that Alex is bigger than Andrew was. We will see.

We probably ate too much, but oh well. It was totally worth it! We had Crab Angels and the California Roll for an appetizer. Jason had his favorite - Spicy Beef Noodle. I had mine - Thai Noodle. And we ended it with (enter drum roll!) a most delicious Mocha Brownie! See? Too much. But... OH. SO. GOOD.

It was such a great night! We actually got to talk together without having to insert the typical parental commands. You know... "Stop doing that, (child's name)" or "Eat your dinner" or anything else. LOL. And we got to chat without hearing "the Packers are the Super Bowl 45 Champions" for the millionth time (thanks NFL Network for your OBNOXIOUS replays...the football season is over, guys). It was so nice to just be us again (Andrew was asleep when we got home, too - bonus!) for the evening. 

What a great night!!

Happy Valentine's!!

Snow...Again

I do live in the Southeast, right? And the groundhog guy didn't see his shadow, right? So what in the world is going on here...? Pretty morning, but come on!

All covered with snow :)

 I get 2 different comments on our neighborhood. Does it look like Whoville or Harry Potter's Village to you?

The good things about the snow this time was 1)it was gone in the afternoon and 2)our white backyard was dotted with so many beautiful colors:

Daddy Cardinal. OH! You can see Mama below and to the right a bit! I just noticed her! I haven't seen a nest anywhere, but I love it when these two come to visit. Andrew comes and gets me to see them, too.

 But, these blue ones - You should hear the squeals of excitement when these come around. We've only started seeing the bluebirds a few days ago. Andrew will wait at the backdoor for a while to see when they are coming. Look how fat they are! HA! I love them!

We did have a bunch of Yellowhammers come around, too. But they are pretty fast and I couldn't get my camera fast enough. Andrew was kinda loud, too. I think they get scared more than these other ones do. Maybe during his naptime I can get a pic. We'll see.

Now...

Multiple snow days? Check.

Being way to cold? Check. 

Winter animals? Check.

Ok, warm weather, hurry it up!

GO PACK GO!!!!!!!!!!

That's right, people! The Packers are the Champions!!! WHOOO HOOO!!

It was a BIG weekend at the House. Jason's parent came for the weekend's festivities. Our friends came over. We had fantastic food. And, we had an AWESOME time! One of the best weekends ever!!

Ready for the weekend's extravaganza? OK! Oh, remember, you can click on each picture to make it larger.

 Getting ready with the decorations! 

1st Column -  Balloons. Started in the living room, but went out on the mail box before everyone arrived :) Napkins and plates were found by Rachel the Fabulous and cups from Hobby Lobby. Fun!

2nd Column - Fun game for everyone (idea from Rachel! Love her!) "Make Ur Pick!" Everyone was to pick the winner and the score. The closet one got the prize in the nifty "Referee Gift Bag" (which included paper like his penalty flag! HA! Not my idea - from the Today Show last week). You will see the winner in a bit!

3rd Column - Gotta Have the Packer Banner on the door! WHOO HOO!

Some of the goodies made by me. Lambeau Field Cake! Woot! Butter cake with vanilla icing complete with marzipan signage and a tasty field. I was really worried this was not going to make it out of the pan in one piece, but it did! SCORE! Rice Krispie Treat Footballs! Football mints from Hobby Lobby. And, Jello Helmets in Lemon and Lime! YUM! These were very evil in the beginning, so this project went to Sarah when she told me about Knox Jello... I can make a stadium cake...but not jello. LOL!

Our friends brought some amazing food, too! Rachel made the most amazing peanut butter football cookies. It was like a Reece's party in your mouth - they were that good! She also brought cheese, crackers and fruit. Which by the end of the night we were all in need of something other than dessert! LOL!

Caroline made some great potato salad and awesome chocolate chip cookies!! They were super moist and due to her little guy's allergies, were made without eggs, milk or butter. They were sooooo good! 

Jason grilled hot dogs and brats for everyone. I would have gotten pics of those, but they were gone before I got the chance! They were delicious! What a party!!

Our party peeps! Let's see...clockwise starting at top left? Ok. Andrew with his party beads that he somehow got from everyone by the end of the night. Zach, Grace & Andrew eating up the chips. Z and G's parents, John and Rachel. Miss Grace. Andrew and Zach playing trains. Jasper chillin' out during half-time. Jasper's parents, Jeremy and Caroline. Great friends!

And the winner of the "Make Ur Pick!" is....

Sarah!! She guessed the Packers would win with a score of 31 to 24. 

Final actual score: 

PACKERS WIN 31 to 25

WOOOOO!!! HOOOOOO!!!!

The Simple Things

I am a little late on this one, but we had a AWESOME Super Bowl Party I was getting ready for. So, ya know. But anyhoo! What made me smile last week?? My little kitchen helper, of course!

You can see more about this here.

What made you smile???

Kitchen Helper

A few nights ago, I had my little kitchen helper with me while getting dinner ready. Jason got a few good shot of us mixing up some good stuff :) I actually had dinner on the stove in these pictures, but had extra chicken that I needed to use. So, this is a dinner for a different night. This night it was Crunchy Onion Chicken. Andrew and I are making Chicken Pot Pie. YUM!

He's holding the bowl for me while I open up the cans.

He loves to mix all the ingredients together with me. 

He's a very good little helper!

The House Notebook

Everything you need to know is inside.

If you are one of the lucky few that get to help out the first few weeks (or for the rest of forever lol) once Alex arrives, then you will need this binder.

Inside you will find:

1. Contacts - Our cell numbers, emergency contacts, friends/neighbors list, etc.
2. Children - Currently just Andrew's page, but soon this will include Alex. Everything is here. What a typical day with Andrew is like, bedtime routine, favorites, rules, allergies, medicine dosages (if needed), pediatrician information (also in contacts) etc.
3. Pets - So, just Max. :) His favorites, rules, food, and vet information (also in contacts).
4. Fun Things - For those allowed to take him out and about really. Playground information and such.
5. Area Info - Restaurant where kids eat free (ok that's for me)
6. My binder included a pocket file. This will include any takeout/delivery menus and any restaurant coupons.


I didn't take a picture, because it isn't all that fancy. But it will do just fine. It was funny, too, because the day this challenge was posted my mom called and asked for this exact information to have while she takes care of Andrew for us. Nice!


Need to make a binder? This project cost less that $5 and I'm linking up to (yippee!!) A Bowl Full of Lemons! Love her!!

Power Outage + Witching Hour = ??

A Pillow Pile! A pillow pile will save your sanity and keep the crazy one occupied until Daddy comes home.

Flashlights! Flashlight with an easy on/off button for little hands are also wonderful!

It was not fun to have the power out from 4:45 until a little bit after 6 pm. Word is a tree fell onto the lines and knocked out a few neighborhoods. At least it was not because of an ice storm, sorry Yankees. But no worries. I hear that we are going to be getting a "snow shower" on Friday or Saturday, so I'm sure everyone will run right out and get their French Toast supplies (milk, bread, and eggs). LOL!

Anyhoo! Here's some of our "fun" from last evening's lights out:

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