Fall Favorites

One of my favorite things about fall - besides the pumpkin patch at my church - is that we infuse pumpkin into every area of our lives. Candles, home decor, drinks and food. Because, why not overload ourselves with the spice of fall?

I love pumpkin bread, so tonight I tried my hand at a pumpkin bundt cake with homemade icing. It was yummy and looked pretty, too! Added bonus: it's on Parker's diet, so it's a food he isn't allergic too (the list is short, people).

This candy is my everything in the fall. I cannot get enough. And with only 70 calories a pop, they're easy on the diet, too. If you've never had one, do yourself a favor and get your hands on one immediately. It has a great caramel flavor, then tastes like a green jolly rancher. You can thank me later.

The sweet pumpkin Burt's Bees candle (bottom left) is my kind of candle. It's not too overwhelming, but gives my house a seasonal smell. And it costs less than $5. #winning

Even though the calendar says it's fall, I won't buy into it completely until I can wear my leggings and boots again. Because that's when it's really fall, y'all.

Nobody's Cuter Than You (Review! Review!)

I so loved Melanie Shankle's latest book Nobody's Cuter Than You. It made me reflect back on the friendships I've had over the years, and it made me ever so thankful for the girlfriends I have in my life today. And because of Melanie and Gulley, it seriously made me want to grab my friend Jenna, load up on Sonic Vanilla Diet Cokes and take a road trip! Because a road trip is always a good idea.

A couple of parts really stood out to me in this book. During one section she talks about when her friend Jenn lost her dad. Melanie and her roommates piled in the car and headed to the funeral. Melanie says, "And that's when I learned one of the most important lessons I've ever learned about what it means to be a good friend: you show up for your people." AMEN. I can still recall the girlfriends who showed up for me when I lost my grandparents...and it has been over 10 years. I couldn't agree more...you show up for your people. Your presence is the greatest gift and speaks volumes when you are at a loss for words.

I also resonated with her explanation of why we need girlfriends. She's talking about how a relationship with your significant other is great and can complete us, blah, blah, blah. And then she hits the nail on the head and writes, "I mean, we need Jesus to truly complete us, but we absolutely need our girl friends, because no man wants to listen to all the words we have to say in the course of a day." And again I say...AMEN.

Love this girl. She's witty and her books are easy to read. I felt like I was listening to a long-time friend when I read this book. Great summer read, and a sweet reminder about the holy gift of friendship.

PS: I'm linking up with Heather today with my book review. She does Friday book reviews and she has great taste in books!

Parker {9 months}

It's hard to believe that Parker is already 9 months old! It has been quite the year with him so far. He's a super fun baby right now. He is so busy and crawling all over the house, attempting to climb (no thank you) and getting into everything. Sounds like a typical second child, yes?

He is babbling, clapping and pulling up to standing. He loves to eat...especially mum-mum's and puffs. He's in size 4 diapers and size 18 month clothes. He weighed 26 pounds 6 ounces at his checkup and he's quite the load to tote around.

Parker adores his big brother, and it's sweet to see their interactions. Being their mom is truly the best. I am so lucky!

Those legs...

That face...

Love that sweet smile!

We love our Parker Man!

Happy Birthday, Hubby!

I started mentally planning Jeremy's 40th birthday several years back. He is the first of our friends to turn the big 4-0 and party planning is kind of my thing, so I was really excited for this shindig.

But as life happens -  babies, our jobs, moving, colic, babies, family events and babies - got in the way of me going all out for his 40th. And I think he was a bit relieved for this. I mean, who actually needs a video presentation, a band and surprises every 40 minutes at a party?

We decided to have his party at Cottonwood in Houston, and it was a great venue. We used their front area and it thankfully was not miserably hot.

Cottonwood Houston

My theme for the party was a caricature of him that I carried throughout on the balloons, napkins, menus and custom cookies. For party colors I used black (obviously) with beige. After all, I didn't want it to look like a funeral. I used his favorite font on the menu cards, balloons and napkins. Here are a few details from the party:

My mother-in-law helped me find these amazing cookies. They're from a company called Parker's Crazy Cookies and they do custom cookies of people. They taste like animal crackers. They were a hit!

Custom balloons with his caricature. 

Jeremy Ford - More fun than two 20 year olds. 

I strung pictures around the party with captions describing what he was doing, his age or his grade
year. Guests enjoyed seeing different stages of Jeremy's life (and some were in the pictures, too!).

Photo strand. I had 60 photos strung with mini clothespins along black and beige baker's twine.

At a point in the evening, Jeremy's brothers and I did a toast roast of him, which was pretty hilarious. Or, so I'm told. Jeremy had a great party and felt so loved by his family and friends. Mission accomplished!

Happy Birthday, Jeremy!

Free Family Fun Day!

[disclaimer: this is a sponsored post]

In need of weekend plans with your littles? How about FREE weekend plans? If you live in the Richmond area, be sure to check out the Made in America event. Taylor Morrison is introducing its Made in America home to Houston with a free day of family fun featuring all things American, Saturday, July 11, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Families are invited to celebrate the beauty and craftsmanship of the Made in America home boasting All-American interior design with a day of revelry with two-stepping to country music, a full Texas BBQ with all the trimmings and apple pie, and fun for the kids, including a petting zoo, pony rides, a bouncy house, hoola hoops and red, white and blue pinwheels, plus an appearance by the local fire department with fire truck tours.  

It’s all happening on one exciting day, Saturday, July 11, at 19006 Grand Vista Springs Blvd, Richmond, Texas 77407.

Star Spangled Kids

I'm participating in a fun link up I saw on Kristy and Chelsea's blogs today!

I've always loved the 4th of July. It's a simple holiday that I don't feel has been over commercialized (yet) and we all get time off work to spend with our families. Growing up, the fourth of July was a time our family got together to grill burgers, swim and then we would grab our lawn chairs and head to watch the city fireworks show. With my own family, we haven't really started any traditions because the boys aren't old enough yet. However, I am particularly excited for the holiday this year because we are headed down to Tiki Island for the weekend for swimming, fireworks and relaxation. If all goes well, we are planning to keep Connor awake so he can see the fireworks, too - and hopefully not be scared of them!

Here are a few snapshots of what my boys will be wearing this Fourth of July!

Connor (2.5) is wearing an Old Navy tank top. He calls it his Kaka Shirt, affectionately named for his Uncle Kevin, who wears this style of tank top all summer long. And Connor is holding a basketball...of course! Every picture needs a prop.

Parker (7 months) thankfully sat still long enough for a picture. He is so busy moving around these days. He's wearing a smocked Jon Jon I ordered from Smocked Auctions. Connor also wore it on his first Fourth of July!

Happy Fourth of July from our family to yours!

Hope everyone has a safe and fun Fourth!

Aloha Summer!

We had our first taste of summer last weekend and it was so sweet and sunny. I woke up with a summer hangover on Monday - meaning I wanted to go back in time and redo the weekend it was so good! My friend Julie however, might have experienced a real hangover....but that's another story!

We started Saturday at the Memorial Park Train - Connor's favorite place - to celebrate Emily's 2nd birthday! It was a fun morning. Then we headed down to Galveston for William's 3rd birthday at the beach. It was the first time for Connor and Parker to go to the beach. And, unbeknownst to me, it was also Jeremy's first time at a Galveston beach. I can't believe he's been in Houston 15 years and he hasn't been to the Galveston beach. Anyway...Connor LOVED the beach. We held hands and walked into the waves and he would giggle and jump each time one came. Back on shore, he would jump up and fall onto his bottom in the sand - it was hilarious. Then he spent time scooping up wet sand and dumping it into his bucket, over and over again. We had the best time. I even brought Parker into the water to sit and splash (his latest trick!). We had a blast!

Parker - 7 months old (he got a few bug bites...eek!)

After the beach, we kept the party going and went to Tiki with some of our friends. All of the kiddos enjoyed playing in the pool together! After this day, these kiddos were worn out (and so were the adults!) We spent time in the pool again the next morning and seriously had the best time. Such a fun way to kick off the summer!

Love these girls!

Hey -- it's 8 kids, pretty much the best we could do!

I have realized lately that I make this face in a lot of pictures...hmm...

Connor loved when "Mista Will" threw him up, up, up!

Connor loves to give Parker kisses. "I kiss baby right there!" So sweet!

Excited for a long, hot summer!

Memorial Day at the Ranch

We took our first vacation with my family for Memorial Day and headed out west to a dude ranch resort. Total Texas Move, right? We rented a house at a ranch in Bandera where they had a water park, golf, horseback riding, putt-putt and probably some other amenities I can't recall.

Connor went up a day early with my mom and stepdad so that he could go to the Memorial Day parade in Bandera. He loved it, and has toted around his red, white and blue beach ball they threw him like its a prized possession. On Saturday, we all arrived at the house, along with the crazy storms that hit Texas that day. We spend most of that day inside playing pool, sitting on the back porch and playing games.

On Sunday, we hit the water park! Connor loved the water slides and the bigger kids enjoyed either laying out or floating the lazy river. Alex (10) had the best time with Connor on the slides and swimming. She is so great with the littles! That evening, we had a round of family putt-putt which was fun. 

Parker spending some quality time with Daddy!

Leslie, Mom and Heidi bonding during the rainy day!

After the failed attempt to ride a pony. Remember how much he loved it at the rodeo? Apparently, he forgot.

My birthday cookie cake got a little squished!

We can't wait to go back next year!

The Boys: 6 months and "2 half"

PARKER

It's hard to believe Parker has been a part of our family for six months now. He has grown into such a happy and (mostly) healthy baby. We haven't gotten to the bottom of his allergy/colic/screaming very loudly issues yes, but hopefully soon.

At his six month checkup, he tipped the scales at a whopping 24 pounds. He has already tripled his birth weight -- yikes!! Parker Man is a load to tote around, as you can imagine. He still just has the two teeth on bottom that came in at the end of four months/beginning of five months. I feel like he's constantly teething though (like every other infant out there). He laughs so hard when Connor plays "peep a boo" with him - it's the cutest thing. He is rolling all over and he sits up very well. He's a strong little boy! I can't even imagine what is in store for us once he's crawling. He is never still - unless he is asleep. Parker is constantly on the move and kicking those legs! It should come as no surprise that he loves to eat - especially mum mums and fruit. When we were at lunch a few weeks ago, he grabbed a piece of Texas toast off of Jeremy's plate and shoved it in his mouth -- are you kidding me?

Those rolls though!

Connor

Connor is learning more and more each day -- this is such a fun age, and he's got such a sweet disposition! He knows his ABC's and sings them all the time. He can count 1-20 (sometimes mixing up a couple of the teens) and he knows his colors and several shapes. He will tell you that he is "two half" and baby is "zero." He still calls Parker "baby" about 85% of the time, but gosh he sure loves his little brother! He likes for Parker to "watch me baby" as he shows off whatever he has just gotten into. He's incredibly curious and when we see new people he always asks, "What name him?". Cracks me up! Some of his other favorite phrases are, "I do it myself", "I don't want to" and "I don't like it". Have I mentioned that he's two? Connor's favorite foods are applesauce and raisins and he loves to drink "cold wa-er" (water with ice). His favorite toys are his fire trucks and choo-choo's (of course)!

I think my favorite part of the day with Connor is reading to him at night. By then, Parker is asleep and I can focus all of my mommy attention on Connor. We have silly time, read the books he has picked out, say our little prayers, and give kisses. I will ask, "Can Mommy have 5 kisses?" And he will giggle and say no, and then I change the number, and then eventually just smother him in kisses. 

They dressed him up in graduation gear at school. Can't even. 

I love when I pick him up from school in the afternoons. He drops whatever he is doing and runs to my arms with the biggest smile, "mommy, mommy, mommy!" This moment washes away the stress of the day as he makes me feel like as a mom, I'm doing something right. And sometimes, I so desperately need this affirmation. 

Mexican Chicken Spaghetti

This is my go to dish for when I'm bringing food to a friend. It's easy to freeze, or pop in the oven and bake and eat right away. And who doesn't love gobs of cheese, pasta and chicken all in one dish? It makes enough for 6 servings, so I often divide it when I make it and keep half for our dinner that evening.

It's a relatively easy recipe, you just need to be able to pay attention to it as you are cooking (read: no toddlers in the vicinity of the kitchen). I got this recipe from my sister-in-law, Misti, in a cookbook she made for me as a wedding gift. I've modified it to work for our family, and because it has a nice kick I call it "Mexican Chicken Spaghetti."

Ingredients

1 tablespoon of unsalted butter
1 medium onion
1 small green bell pepper (or buy the tri-pepper pre-chopped mix)
1 can rotel
1/2 block of the large Velvetta, chopped into cubes
1 can of cream of celery soup
1 can of cream of mushroom soup
1 pound of chicken tenderloins, boiled or grilled to your liking (or see my shortcut below)
1 package of spaghetti noodles
1 package of frozen broccoli, steamed (optional)
1 cup of chicken broth (optional)

Directions

Dice the onion and bell pepper and sauté with the butter until both the onions and bell peppers are clear.

Next, add in the rotel and cook down for a couple of minutes. Then, add in the mushroom and celery soups and cook down for a few minutes.

Then, add in the Velvetta and constantly stir the mixture.

Allow this to cook on medium heat for 20 minutes. Starting to look like queso, eh? While this is cooking, boil water and cook the noodles.

Remember what I said earlier about my chicken shortcut? This is it. Easy, delicious and takes about 3 minutes to cook in the microwave. Get ya some.

Once the cheese mixture is cooked, add the chicken and noodles. If you are adding the steamed broccoli, go ahead and put it in now. You might notice that this doesn't look like spaghetti noodles. You would be correct. I forgot to buy spaghetti at the store, and substituted macaroni. It was a delicious accident and we liked the macaroni version just as much as the original. If you find that your sauce is too thick, add one cup of chicken broth until it thins. Put the mixture into a 9x13 pan and bake for 20 minutes at 350 degrees. 

Dinner is served.

God Bless Texas {Bluebonnets}

Every spring, I look forward to plopping my babies' into a patch of weeds bluebonnets and taking their pictures. It's like a right of passage in the Lone Star State, one of which I've only been made aware of since having kids. Call me a follower, but I really buy in to the whole bluebonnet thing. My Texas pride swells up in my chest when bluebonnet season rolls around. I spend a fair amount of {what's left of} my brain power pondering what they will wear, where we will go and then I promise myself not to overgram my kids and fill up your news feeds.

Lucky for us, the greatest bluebonnet patch was about a 4 minute drive away from our house. On a beautiful Saturday morning, the boys woke up way too early - in my opinion, anyway - so we loaded them up and headed off to take pictures.

I'm really pleased with how the pictures turned out. I dressed Connor in pants this year, since last year he was in shorts and hated the tall grass rubbing against his legs. And since Parker has rolls on rolls on rolls, it was a no brainer to put him in overalls. And of course we didn't leave the house without M&M's and fruit snacks to bribe Connor to smile. Whatever works, right?

He is 2 years and 5 months old (exactly) here. 

I love that when we told Connor to get close to Parker, he had to be head to head. He loves his baby!

Look at all of those chins!

They're perfect! Can't even!!! Gah!

Happy Spring to everyone!

Our Easter

Easter is probably my favorite holiday. I like it even more than Christmas. There, I said it. I've probably lost a few readers now. But to me, Christmas has become so rushed, commercialized and overbooked that it's just too much freaking work. For Easter, I don't have to decorate a tree, buy presents for everyone that interacts with me or my kids, and go to parties. My radio stations aren't hijacked for six weeks with holiday music, and I don't have to be politically correct when wishing folks a Happy Easter. And don't get me started about that Elf on the Shelf. Easter is simple, and on behalf of all the moms who don't live next door to Hobby Lobby -- let's keep it that way. 

Now, where was I? Oh yes, Easter. 

Connor had an egg hunt at school on Thursday. He is so methodical about egg hunting, and it cracks me up. He picks up an egg, opens it, surveys (or eats) the candy, hands me the egg and then moves on. In the time Connor hunted 4 eggs, the older kids had already collected their 12 allotted eggs and had moved on. 

Connor's class. E-tee (Ethan), Tess Mer Clr (Mary Claire) and their teacher, Ms. Chely

Pondering what he thinks about the jelly beans in the egg...

On Saturday, our neighborhood had an Easter Egg hunt that was a blast. We have 50 kids in our little neighborhood, many that are right around the ages of Connor and Parker. The dads went and hid all of the eggs at 8:30 and then at 9:00 the kids were free to hunt. The 0-3 year olds hunted eggs on the opposite side of the street than our house and this time, Connor got more in to it. We practiced picking up eggs, putting them in his basket and then opening all of them at the end. He caught on and would run to each egg and say, "Oh my egg!" So cute! After the egg hunt, there was an appearance by the Easter Bunny (one of the dads on the street was suckered in to wearing the costume). Connor wasn't sure at first, but then he finally wanted to take a picture with him and kept giving him high-fives!

That's Connor's cheese face!

After the neighborhood egg hunt, we spent the rest of our day out in Deer Park with Grammy and Paw Paw. My mom put together an over the top Easter basket for Connor. I wish I had a picture of it before Connor tore in to it. Mom puts a lot of effort in to the presentation of gifts and I love it. His basket was adorable and filled to the brim with sidewalk chalk, bubbles, books, Veggietales, and an ambulance and firetruck that both make noise (thanks, Mom!). He had a blast hunting for his eggs in their backyard and playing with his new bubble gun. Then while Parker napped, we took him to the park to play. It was fun for us to just do something with Connor and give him our undivided attention!

Hunting his eggs to put in his choo-choo basket!

He loved shooting Paw Paw with the bubble gun!

We had a blast with him at the park!

Parker was there, too! Parker Man...you'll get to run around with big brother and hunt eggs next year!

On Easter Sunday, we ended up at Urgent Care with Parker and missed church. This was heartbreaking for me, as this was my first Easter morning to not spend at church. There were tears. But, Parker was okay and that's all that matters. We had lunch with my family at Lupe Tortilla and then went to Tiki for a crawfish boil. Connor did his first crawfish races and went on a boat ride with Uncle Pete.

We had a great Easter weekend celebrating Jesus and celebrating our family. 

He is risen, indeed.