Uncle Joe Joe

Over Christmas, cousin Ava brought her "daddy doll" with her to visit Arizona. Daddy, my brother~Joel, is currently stationed in Bahrain. Erin, Joel's wife, explained that any kids that have daddies that have to serve overseas and have to be away from their children for an extended length of time receive "daddy dolls" when they leave. Kyan fell in love with Ava's doll, one, because it was a boy doll~he has been dying for one, two, because it had to do with the army, and three (the most important) it was his Uncle Joe Joe!

Auntie Erin did some digging when she returned home to North Carolina and low and behold, she got her hands on another doll for Kyan! She sent it to him on his birthday back in January! Kyan loves his Uncle Joe Joe doll! He sleeps with him every night and Uncle Joe Joe travels with us too!

We can't wait to have the real Uncle Joe Joe back with us in a few weeks! Kyan still remembers what you said Auntie Erin about your next visit, in fact he repeated it the other day while we were driving! He said, "Remember what Auntie Erin told me about the next time that they visit? She said the next time they come back, she is going to bring Uncle Joe Joe with her!" I know Kyan can't wait for you guys to get back here! We hope to be able to spend some time with you on your visit back to Arizona!

WE LOVE YOU UNCLE JOE JOE!

Silly in the Stroller!

I am fortunate that my children play so well together! Kyan is so sweet to his very sassy little sister! Here the two of them were being silly and taking turns pushing each other in Lola's baby doll stroller! They were dying laughing and kept taking turns pushing and getting pushed!

Giveaways to Register For!!!

I learned of a new blog called A Blonde Walks Into A Blog, thanks to another blogger babe I follow, and they do some great giveaways! Here are a few that I think you should know about (that I have already taken the time to go hunt down and link up for you, btw!) You just need to click and leave a comment! I will cross my fingers that you or I are the winner of some of their giveaways soon!

Giveaway #1, ends 3/1
Giveaway #2, ends 2/23
Giveaway #3, hurry, this one ends today!

Lola's Birthday Party!!!

We celebrated Lola's birthday on Saturday with some of our family and closest friends! One of Lola's favorite things to eat is pizza, so we served that before we dove in for some yummy birthday cake and ice cream!

The candles initially scared her - but as soon as her brother helped her blow them out, she was fine! Kyan even made her giggle a little before she ate her cake! Silly brother!

Yummy!!! Lola had a special cake that was all her own!

She had so much fun hanging with all the little ones and got so many nice presents! Almost everyone got her clothes, they were exactly what I would have picked out myself! In fact, a few of the items were things that I had in my Target shopping cart earlier that day when we were picking out her party dress! Good thing we waited until her party!

I think her favorite toy of the night was from Uncle Adam, a new doll! She loved that it had shoes!

After food, presents, cake and ice cream, it was time to play!

JayLo were pushing around the babies in the playpen!

When they got tired of that, they played hide and seek in the curtains! It was so funny! They were giggling up a storm!

Snuggling up and watching the Zhu Zhu pets with Aiden!

Thank you to everyone that had a part in making Lola's birthday so special! She loves you!

Lola Turns Two!

Everything about Lola makes me smile - her laughter is contagious and her smile can light up just about any room! She is full of drama and wants to be the center of everyone's attention and will do just about anything to get it! She is so girlie and loves necklaces, shoes, and her nails and toes painted! We are so blessed to have this little firecracker as part of our family!
Happy Birthday Lolita!

Lola woke up on Friday morning and Kyan and I sang "Happy Birthday" to her, then grandmas called and sang some more! When we went downstairs to get our things ready to go for the day at Rennie's (Kyan went too, he didn't have school, plus he wanted to be Rennie's special helper and spend time with his sister on her birthday) where Lola discovered Auntie Erin, Uncle Jo Jo, and cousins Ava and Brayden's present waiting for her to open! So open it she did! She loved everything! Thank you all the way to North Carolina! On our way to Rennie's, we called daddy and he wished her happy birthday too! Kyan and Lola had a great day with Rennie!

Later that night, Lola vegged on the couch and watched the Upside Down show with her popcorn and Zhu Zhu pet! She insisted that I get a picture of her with it!

Lola reminds me of a monkey when she does this - it is gross, but so funny...she picks the lint/dirt out from in between her toes. She goes from toe to toe until she gets it all! Cracks me up!

Happy 2nd birthday to my little princess!

31 Ways I Love My 31 Year Old!

Let me count the ways!

I LOVE

1. your silly faces that you make when I make you take pictures with me! Usually it takes 3 to 4 shots before I can get you to crack a normal smile! I might complain and get annoyed at you and question why while I am trying to get a picture, but the silly faces are classic and so you!

2. that you do the laundry 95% of the time!
3. when you give me back tickles.
4. how patient you are with our kids, you would think that you are the teacher in the house, not me!
5. your little muffin ass, I know, embarrassing, but it's true!
6. your style. I mean, come on, who else can pull off the backwards belt look?
7. your honesty.
8. how you can make any character on any game, using any gaming system really look like you! I try so hard, but it never works in my favor! Your rocker that you have in Rock Band really does look like you I swear, it is crazy!
9. how you will eat almost anything and are always willing to try something new. I feel bad sometimes that I am so picky and such a creature of habit, you will probably never get to experience all that you should concerning food because of me.
10. that you have been letting me pick the movies every once in awhile.
11. that you take real family pictures once a year and don't complain that we all have to look the same, not the same, but you know what I mean! You even took some mushy ones with me this year!

12. how much our kids look up to you and follow in your footsteps, literally and figuratively.
13. your tattoos! I can't wait for the next one that you are going to get, for your mamma.
14. your patience, especially with me.
15. how romantic you can be.
16. that you always send flowers on my birthday and valentine's day.
17. that you gave me my fairytale wedding in Hawaii.
18. your droid, although I am secretly jealous, my Blackberry bows in shame.
19. that you talked me into buying a Mac for the house computer, no more PC's ever. You know your stuff when it comes to technology.
20. that you think before you speak, I need lessons, because I do the opposite.
21. that you pick Ah-So when it is your turn to pick where to eat, just because you know that I love to eat there!
22. that you said we could buy our new house without even seeing it, you really do trust what I say.
23. when you rub my head, especially on those migraine days.
24. that you don't get mad at me when I fall asleep while watching movies, 9 out of 10 times this happens.
25. that you deal with the throw up! You make a much better mom than I do with that.
26. that you finally caved and bought me my UGGS, little did I know I just needed to pick out a pair that was in style this season, not 5 years ago!
27. that you got me a Kindle for Christmas, even though we said no presents!
28. that you support my creative outlets!
29. that you listen to talk radio and have so many of your own opinions, and challenge me to fight back with mine.
30. that you commute 35-45 minutes every day to provide for our family.
31. that you love me like you do.

Happy 31st Birthday Boo! I love you!

Auntie Heidi's Homemade Chocolate Chip Cookies

So I know I said that I would email this to quite a few of you - but then I got to thinking (as I was searching for the yellow legal paper that I put the recipe on for the umpteenth time) that I better just do a post about these, because I am going to lose this recipe at some point in my life, and even though I have made them a million times (I think I would forget how to do it if I didn't have that paper staring me in the face).
*My grandma used to have all her recipes on slips of paper kept in a box, never in a book anywhere, so when I look at where all of my recipes are (on little slips of paper in the pantry next to the cookbooks, I think of her).

So Auntie Heidi, I am giving away your secret, that you informed me wasn't so secret (even though there is something about how you make your cookies and now how I make them). She said, "it is the recipe from the back of the Toll House Semi Sweet Chocolate Chips bag". At least that what she tried telling me. When I tried, they turned out nothing like her cookies did. So, on a trip visiting Nebraska (that is where I used to call home) I begged Auntie Heidi to make them in front of me so that I could watch and take notes (on my yellow legal pad paper!). I wrote down everything, guess I am a visual learner, because I needed to see what it looked like at each step, so that I could duplicate it!

Without further delay, I will now share it with you! Good Luck - if you make 'em you will have to let me know how they turn out!

Auntie Heidi's Homemade Chocolate Chip Cookies

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

1 Crisco Stick
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar (make sure it is packed)
1 tsp double strength vanilla
1/2 tsp hot water
Mix above ingredients until it is creamy like a smoothie

Add 2 Large Eggs
Mix again, will look pretty gross, also doesn't need to be mixed very well, just make sure it gets swirled around in there!

Add 1 cup flour
1 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
Mix

Add 1 more cup of flour
Mix

Now add in the semi sweet chocolate chips
Mix

I use a spoon and roll into small balls, 12 to a cookie sheet!

Cook for 10 minutes in 350 degree oven. When the timer goes off and you open the oven, the cookies will NOT look done, I promise they are and I think that this is where some of the magic in the recipe comes in (that and the crisco sticks instead of butter and the double strength vanilla)! Take them out and load your next dozen in!

Enjoy!

Thank you Auntie Heidi - without you I would never have known the secret to the best cookies ever made! They were always best out of your tupperware from the top cabinet like 5 days old! I still remember climbing up onto your counters trying to get my little fingers on them! Making them with you when we were at your house was the most fun! Eating the chocolate chips after was so special too! I let Kyan do that now! Love you!