Our Week In Photos.

We had a good and busy week last week! Here is what I got in photos.

Last night I made some banana chocolate chip muffins with my favorite recipe for Bryan to take to work this morning.

We also finished the Dallas Cowboys season of All or Nothing. It was really interesting! Bryan gets to see Jason Whitten speak in Midland tomorrow night so this made him even more excited.

Yesterday we went to church and then went to lunch at my in-laws which is always a treat. It was warm enough to swim (!) so Bryan and the boys stayed and did that while I went and up groceries and then maybe took a nap. ;)

Lily Mae had her first Sunday lunch at the big kid table! Aaaand ate nothing.... so she will probably go back to the high chair for a bit. ;)

I got her dress on clearance at Dillard's last summer and today was her first day to wear it. I can't get enough smocked dresses on little girls!

Lily, aka Queen of Cradle Roll (according to the cradle roll teachers).

I also gave Parker a haircut last week and it was a bit traumatic because our clippers are terrible. I of course already knew this because I give Bryan haircuts but he tends to just deal with it--Parker not so much. (This experience resulted in a quick trip to Target this morning to buy some better quality clippers!) It still turned out pretty good though. What a dapper dude.

Woman on a Mission.

On Saturday, we had a birthday party for one of Parker's friends (Nerf Gun Wars!!) and then a baseball game (which they lost, wah-wah), neither of which I have pictures of. ;) The boys got to go to Grammy's house for the afternoon and I cleaned and organized which eventually led me into this mess...

Oh man it was awful!! If you can't tell, that's ALLLLLL our keepsakes. I have been putting off organizing this for like 2 years (no seriously) but I FINALLY DID IT. It took all night and two movies (Guardians of the Galaxy and The Imitation Game), but I am very happy to report that everything is now in five tidy and labeled bins that are neatly under the spare bed. It was sweet to go through all our memories and all the kid's baby stuff, but I'd rather not have to do it again anytime soon. ;)

On Friday, we went to a birthday party for my sweet friend, Tara. Tara goes to church with us and we have just become friends in the last year. She is one of my new favorites! Here are all the "Dove Group" girls (aka my bible study group that is SO much more than that--they are some of my closest friends!) 

(I'm also growing out my bangs. Bare with me as I attempt to figure out a suitable no-bang hairstyle. I feel like I'm missing my arm!)

All these baby buddies are my favorites! I'm not kidding, I think like 12 babies have been born within this group in the last 2 years. It's awesome. I know we will cherish these memories when they are all grown up!

Parker had a game on Friday night as well, so he and Bryan had to miss most of the party. This Little League schedule is no joke! Hayes is chomping at the bit to play next year, so I'm sure my level of insanity will only increase. (Yaaaayyy.)

The rest of the week was spent doing pretty normal things. We went to school, went to church, I had lunch with Tara, and we Face-timed with Nanny and Pawpaw (among many other things that I'm forgetting, I'm quite sure!)

OH! And I cleaned out my closet and sold it on Trading Up, which if you know anything about that than you know that it is QUITE the chore. Blah. But it's done! So many grown up things this week! When did I get so responsible?

We also.....

Played with Play-Doh...

Played outside.....#chalkislife...

Carried our "kids" (stuffed animals) everywhere....

Played with Buzz Lightyear and looked adorable....

Made robots with kinetic foam that Parker got for his birthday....(I learned that I much prefer this to Play-Doh!)

Thanks to his friend, Malcolm!

Played Candyland...

And Lily tried her hand at being a cowgirl (I think she's more of a city chick;).

Hayes has been saying hilarious things lately. One day last week he kept saying "Mooooom, I'm so BORING". He also calls everything "beautiful" and it's literally the best. Bryan was pouring him a glass of tea the other night before dinner and Hayes watched in much awe and anticipation and then sighed and said, "Ahhhh, BEAUTIFUL." It was cute. Bryan and I about died laughing. 

Kids are so fun! (usually!)

Friday Favorites

I thought I would link up with some of my favorite blogs for Friday Favorites today! Yes?


Without further ago...a few things I'm loving lately....

1. The new Kendra Scott candle line. (BEWARE: You may get sucked into the website if you click the link.) I was in J. Hoffman today buying a gift and they had these babies on display and every single one smelled amazing. I think my favorite was the Rose Quartz. The jars are so pretty, too.

2. I managed to snag the cutest, CUTEST pair of scalloped espadrille's from DSW for $25 with a coupon. They are sold out now, but they look very similar to the above wedges, which are also from DSW. They are my fancy summer shoes and I can't wait to wear them to church and on date nights.

3. Beach Body On Demand/Alexia Clark. I am finally able to say (for the first time since high school) that I have consistently worked out for the the last two months! Yep. It's a big deal. But no like for real. One of my new years resolutions this year (and every year...but this year I took it seriously) was to take better care of myself. It look me a couple of months, but on March 1st, I downloaded the Beach Body app on my Amazon Fire stick and purchased the year membership for $99 and have been loving the ease of getting in a tough workout. I do Alexia Clark's workouts from my computer a few times a week as well and they are HARD. As much as I want to just lay down and die while I'm working out, I must admit that it has become a sort of therapeutic way to end my day because I don't exercise until after the kids go to bed and then once that is done it prompts more good choices--like showering, washing my makeup off (because that never happened before, wah-wah) and NOT SNACKING late into the night (alright I still snack every once in a while, just not as much ha!). I'm not 20 any more, guys. My thighs can't handle nachos at 12:00am (quite unfortunately).

4. Another favorite in the realm of self-care is the Tula Probiotic Exfoliating Treatment Mask. As previously stated, I'm not 20 anymore (in fact, I am freshly 3-0!), so the last year was spent searching for new face potions as my skin is starting to show some wear and tear (waaaaaahhh). I love this mask. It is awesome.

There was going to be a #5, but I must go. Hayes is trying to play with play-doh and most of the cups are dried out. This should be fun. ;)

We are headed to my friend's 28th birthday party tonight (Quattro de Mayo!), a 7-year-old birthday party tomorrow, and then TWO little league baseball games. And all within 24 hours. Bless. It's all busy and it's all fun! Hope y'all have a great weekend.

Six!

SIX years ago....this little babe entered our hearts and home forever. 

How well-rested and young his father is!

And now we have this BIG boy! I cannot, cannot believe it. 

I'm going to sound very cliche and say that the time has FLOWN.

Six things about Parker for his 6th birthday:

1. He loves to draw ALL the time.

2. He loves to build legos and can finish sets that are for 9-14 year olds.

3. He is a great big brother and is very aware of the needs of his younger siblings.

4. He can whistle as good as my Nanny and Dad.

5. He just started taking showers instead of baths all by himself.

6. He says that following words incorrectly and I think it's adorable: Luvvock (Lubbock), Chick-fick-le (Chick-fil-a), and constructions (instructions)

WE LOVE YOU SO MUCH, MY SWEET PARKER REED!!! Happy Birthday.

I like Mondays.

My favorite days of the week are Sunday and Monday. Does that make me weird? I love Sunday for the obvious: church, family, naps. 

I love Monday because it is typically our slow day of the week. I get to play with the little kids in the morning while putting away laundry, we build legos and eat goldfish and crash cars and read books while PBS kids plays in the background. We sing songs and eat grilled cheeses and stay in our jammies for most of the day. We ride bikes and watch movies while Lily naps in the afternoon (today it was WALL-E), and sometimes I take them to the grocery store and attempt to get the fridge organized (but sometimes not). Then Bryan comes home (hallelujah!), usually right at the moment I am out of steam and then I make spaghetti--because Mondays are always our spaghetti day. Then I usually halfway pass out on the couch while Bryan wrestles with the kids because he's their favorite and I'm always a little zombie-ish around 7pm. In addition: tonight the boys discovered the the exhilarating game of throwing their toys at the spinning ceiling fan, so that was super fun, too. (I'm kind of kidding.)

Sometimes (okay usually) I feel that these little days are passing too fast and that I'm not soaking it in. I write this to tell my older self: YES, you had many quiet days with your children at home. Many days when you didn't get out of the house. And you DID (usually) enjoy it. It was sweet, and it was and fun!

Please note above photos: The boys holding their "kids" in their shirts while riding bikes. (Their "kids" are a teddy bear and an old beanie baby lion usually known as Bumblebee and Optimus.) Parker wanted everyone to know that this was Optimus's first time on a bike. 

Also note: babies with straws kill me. Those pouty lips are the cutest and you just cannot argue it. Do not tell Lily she is not a grown up because she totally thinks she is, at least while she's carrying around anything with a straw stuck in it. 

What a wonderful Monday!

The Week That Was.

We had a good, normal week these last five days and I liked it a lot.

I forget a lot of the time how much I like to be at home with the kids when I'm actually sitting and playing(ish) with them. Most days, I'm like "LET US LEAVE THIS HOUSE" because all the laundry and cleaning and constant snack-getting can become a drag real quick, but on the days that I decide to sit down for a bit and get out toys and watch them play, it's really fun. We had several of those days this week so it was awesome!

Hayes is full on talking in complete sentences now, which is my favorite but also breaks my heart a little bit. Good thing those big, kissy lips make it hard for him to say words correctly or I would be 100% devastated. So dang cute.

My Haysie-speak favorites:

"Thas MINES."
"Where's WIWY? (Or Lily, because he is ALWAYS looking for her.)
"Let's watch a moobie and can I has some mogurt?"

Alright that's all I can think of at the moment but there are many more that I will remember as soon as I post this thing.

I still have my leftover shower flowers and they are going strong. This fresh flower thing may become a constant on the coffee table.

On Monday night I went to Dove Group (aka Bible Study/friend time) and left Bryan and the kids to their own devices. I was out WAY late (I like to talk) but when I got home Parker was waiting to read his Magic Treehouse book which was super sweet. We are on book #3 "Mummies in the Morning" now and I just ordered the next four books in the series, plus Indian in the Cupboard which was a favorite when I was growing up!

As always, Parker (the watch-wearing boy--I can't) and me got our lunch date in on Tuesday and Thursday and went out to run errands. (The people at Pie Five know my name for my order. Is that bad?) Parker is never excited to run errands but is always so helpful. I always think about how much easier it will be when my youngest (Lily?) is five. Someone PLEASE confirm? I'm so tired! Although I will miss the baby snuggles and laughs (oh, the baby laughs...)

After school on Thursday, we ran over to the flip house to make a final list of what needs to be done and/or purchased. I meant to take photos darn it, but it's looking a million times better. Cabinets are getting installed on Monday and I can hardly wait.

After that Parker and I went to Target to pick out his Valentine's for school and he was so not into it until he saw some monster truck erasers and then life was A-Okay again. I LOVE picking out Valentine's and definitely wanted to browse longer than he allowed. (Party pooper.)

After the little kids finished with KDO on Thursday, we found some weirdo color changing videos that all three were mesmerized by. It's hilarious. I don't understand it. These are Hayes' absolute FAVORITE thing to watch on YouTube when he gets my phone and now they are on Amazon so I see many moments of complete silence in my future which makes me happy!

My photos are kind of all over the place today. On Wednesday, I snuck to Marketstreet all alone (!) and a little baby orchid hopped into my cart. I don't know how it happened but I found a home for it in a sunny corner and please please please, I would love to be able to keep it alive! Cross your fingers for me! The care card said two ice cubes a week. I can do that.

I would say the big triumph of this week was that we got Hayes officially potty-trained! It was was past about-time but we have been so busy that I never had a full free day to stay at home and get it done. We decided to skipped church on Wednesday so we could be at home all day and now he is in BIG BOY UNDIES. You have to say that all proud or they keep peeing in their pants. Just an insider tip for y'all.

Look at that cute big boy!! Bryan says I baby him more than the other two which is probably true. I really have no clue why because he is such a stinker but I think it has something to do with his big ole kissy lips.

Last night Bryan and I very last minute cleaned up the house, folded laundry and got out date night! We drove around and looked at new neighborhoods/lots and then went to eat at Chuy's and then since he loves me so much (or maybe since he loves Zac Effron so much--no seriously) he took me to see The Greatest Showman again! I've had the songs in my head all week and really wanted to see the "Rewrite the Stars" scene again. It was even more awesome than the first time! 

And a few Friday Favorites on Saturday because I'm SO punctual at life:

1. I just ordered the TULA skincare line because every blogger in my life is using it and my skin is ridiculously soft!  Miracles!

2. I also ordered these mules from Target.

3. Obviously, The Greatest Showman gets a nod. We had a googling fest last night when we got home  and I watched an embarrassing amount of YouTube clips. It's like Twilight all over again. 

4. Tonight I'm going out with girlfriends and tomorrow is the Super Bowl! Yay.

SaveSave

What's Up Wednesday (On A Thursday!)

I'm totally late to this game, but I love reading "What's up Wednesday" posts on other blogs so I have decided to join them! Mostly because I don't know what else to write about, ha.


What We're Eating This Week....

Eating our usual standards this week. Spaghetti, Tacos, Pork Chops with green beans and mac and cheese, and tonight is chili, and then probably pizza or something on Saturday night (I am horrible at planning meals for Saturday nights.) And then Sunday is the Super Bowl (!), so we are going over to a friend's house for a party! I am bringing queso and ingredients for an ice cream sundae bar.

What I'm Reminising About...

Oh, our trip to the Dominican, of course. It feels like a dream now which makes me sad!



What I'm Loving...

I have loved reading with Parker this week. We just finished the second book from the Magic Treehouse series. It's been so fun and was all we talked about on our lunch date yesterday (that and how he is scared to fly on planes and "Do sharks eat people?".....)

What We've Been Up To...

Just our usual life of kids and school and friends and laundry....all good things (except for the laundry).

What I'm Dreading....

Nothing really...well I'm dreading the possibility of one of my kiddos coming down with the flu. I'm almost scared to type that. The flu bug may read this and realize he's forgotten us!

What I'm Working On...

Everything? Nothing? I don't know. I have so many projects that never get finished with the whole three kids to take care of thing.

Right now, Bryan and I are trying to finish the flip house so that's a big one. And then I've also started to get things in order for Parker's 6th birthday party and for Easter!

What I'm Excited About...

I'm really excited about getting my new planner in.
I'm really excited about hopefully finding/renovating/or building a home for our family in the next year.
I'm really excited about going with my boys to the Mother/Son Date Night at church in a few weeks.

What I'm Watching/Reading...

I'm watching the new season of Victoria (I actually just finished episode 3 and it was a good one!), and I'm currently reading Long Days of Small Things by Catherine McNiel--although I am horrible at actually reading (rather than listening to) non-fiction books. It is SO good and every page is wonderfully needed but I've only read a chapter a day so far. I need a good novel if anyone has any suggestions.

What I'm Listening To...

Ugh. I'm horrible at music lately. I don't know? Haven't listened to any podcasts this week, either! I need to fix that.

What I'm Wearing...

I've been wearing this Jadelynn Brooke pullover (the light gray/beige) pretty much every other day with one of my 20 pairs of Fabletics leggings.

What I'm Doing This Weekend...

I have a full and fun weekend ahead and am pretty pumped! Tonight I'm going out to dinner with my college friends! Tomorrow night...maybe Bryan and I will get a date? Maybe? On Saturday, we'll probably find an activity to do with the kids and then I'm going to a movie with more friends! And then on Sunday, we have church and the Super Bowl party! Such a friend-ly weekend!

What I'm Looking Forward To Next Month...

All of the Valentine's fun, Homecoming weekend, hopefully going to a LCU and Tech basketball game (LCU women's is #2! And Tech men's is #10), Mother/Son Date Night, shopping for spring clothes...and that's about all I can think of at the moment. I love February!

What Else Is New...

We are in the beginning stages of figuring out what the next step is for our family house-wise. We have been renting for the last 6 months (I can't believe that!) and while I've honestly loved the break from home ownership and all that goes with it, we are excited for whatever door is up next (we would all really like a backyard again, too)! I have a new hobby of driving around town looking at lots, older houses to possibly renovate, potential neighborhood developments, etc. It's super fun for me but all of my kids pretty much hate it, ha!