Living a little more this week

We are constantly in a rotation in this house.  We will have a few good days, days that I just love being my boy's mommy and can't stop smiling at how cute they are.  Then we will have a few days that just make me want to pull my hair out and run for the hills.  I'm thankful for the bad days in a way, because without those,  I wouldn't be as thankful and appreciative for the good days we have.  However, I wouldn't be opposed to the ratio changing toward the good direction. This week I have had some doozy's, have been stressed out for weeks and just haven't felt like I could get "caught up".  I was tired, worn out, and needing sleep.  The last week I have been going to bed right after the kids instead of blogging and catching up on social media stuff, therefore missing some days of posting.  Yesterday I was in tear mode again, and just couldn't pull myself together (no real reason for the emotion, just one of  those weeks) and then I picked up my boys early and decided instead of going home and staying there all night we were going to get out.  We went out to eat at Culvers, let them get some ice cream, went to Dollar Tree ( which I'm pretty sure the toy aisle is Noah's new favorite place), and spent the majority of the evening at the park.  We were there for a record amount of time and it was fun, and such an easy night with them.  

Then today was just GREAT!  The boys were in great moods, we played outside, we ate lunch and dinner outside.  The boys played in their new mini pool for the first time this year.  We got out a huge ball sprinkler they got last year but didn't get a chance to use.  We ended the day with ice cream again, always a hit!  

I didn't get cleaning done, my floor is a mess.  It wasn't a productive day so much but it was a great day with my kiddos and that was exactly what I needed.  

Here are some pictures of my cuties and are fun the last few days .

Pictures are better than a post full of words anyway, right?

Is he seriously this big already?

Merry go round with some new friends

Carson the daredevil, child with no fear!

Always cheesin

Filling it up

That blonde hair of is, always sticking up

Always sticking his tongue out

The water was really cold at first, I don't know how they did it!

Action

My boys love their daddy and tractors.  They each got a ride while daddy mowed for a bit.  

 Yea...We tried.  Getting them both to smile and look at the camera at the same time, nearly impossible.  

This is how they really feel, haha

Hope you all had a great Wednesday!

Weekend Shenanigans

Weekends always go by so fast!  Maybe that is because ours is never a normal weekend.  Matthew works half a day on Saturdays so it's  never 2 whole days together but none the less we still had a great weekend!

Friday night we had my cute nephew Elijah's birthday party!  Can't believe how big he is!
The boys had a blast playing with cousins and as always loved their ice cream!
Then they also had a pinata so Noah got to take a stab at that as well.

Then Saturday morning I got to hang out with my boys, spent naptime working on Garage sale pricing for a massive sale we are having in two weeks!
Saturday night we had family date night, which consisted of dinner at our favorite mexican restaurant, followed by a visit to a local Tow- Mater look alike.   Of course that was a hit!  Then we ended the night with ice cream and a trip to Matthew's grandparents to visit some family!  Love date nights with my boys.  They were so good at dinner and funny boys in the car.  One of those nights you just couldn't stop smiling!

Sunday I toughed it out and went for a run.  Friday I was supposed to but woke up not feeling well so skipped.  Saturday it was really raining so did the elliptical instead, so this morning I  looked outside saw it was stilll raining (surprise, surprise) and decided I needed to just get out  there and run, plus I really wanted to anyway been craving a good one.   I told myself since it was raining to at least do 3, run started out rough and not so fun, but after awhile it was actually kind of nice running in the rain (until the water started dripping down my face from my hair) .  And got in more than 3

Then it was church, an awesome nap and dinner with my mom, sister and our boys!

Another great weekend!

Linking up with Sami for

Favorites Toys

The stores are filled with oodles and oodles of toys.  Our house is filled with tons of toys.  I got easily bored and when Noah was younger I figured he was the same way and we started early collecting way too many toys.   I have learned more as they grow that they aren't content with 1/4 of the toys they have.  They play with a lot of the same ones each day and some days Carson doesn't really play with them at all, he just wonders around climbing, haha.  Noah is more of my player and I'm sure Carson will grow into that more as he gets a little older.

It never fails that my boys end up loving things I thought maybe they wouldn't have. Or I have seen the opposite multiple times in that they didn't love something we got that I thought would be their new favorite.

I always love seeing new and neat toys.  I love the different toys that people find so today I thought I would share the favorite toys in our house that we are using right now for  the 1 1/2 to 3 age.

If you have a toddler boy who likes trains, a train table is a must.  Noah plays with this every day!  We have lots of different tracks and pieces and it  can be done so many ways and this one happened to be one I made which are always boring.  My hubby is the track master and always is the one who spends time and makes them really cool.  

Wooden Blocks, Our boys both love them.  We stack, we build towers and knock them over.  Carson loves to dump them out, pick them up and repeat.  None the less, they are fun and something they always like. 

Shape sorter-  The classic must have.  Noah is a pretty much over it but great for the 1-2 age.  

This toy is so random but I loved it and bought it for a good travel toy.  It is by Leap Frog and it's a cute little house with different things to do on each side.  You can push bells, open the fridge and the front door.  There is a light switch, it reads stories and sings songs.  It was one of the those toys I thought was neat and different and was awesome on our long road trip not too long ago.  Carson loves flipping switches so that was the biggest reason I bought it and it has turned out to be a good one.   

Melissa and Doug Wooden Puzzles.  I love Melissa and Doug anything and we have a lot of their stuff and like it all but their puzzles are awesome.  We have different stage ones for the different ages, they start out with huge knobs on the pieces than go to little pegs.  The top middle one each picture opens  and has a corresponding magnet which Noah has always loved and mastered when he was so young.  

Their stuff is great for learning, and good quality.  They last and last!

We have had quite a few different Little People toys and this one has been Noah's favorite.  I love the toys that put their imagination to work and this one really does that for him.  

Another great classic.   Loud but they love it.  This ball popper gets pushed around every day by both of our boys.  Noah started using it when he could walk and it hasn't stopped getting used since, now we have 2 fighting over it.   My sister got this one for us and you bet I will be making sure my nephew gets one as well.

Carson got this for Christmas this last year and it's such a neat ride on.  It's a Vtech train.  In the back under the seat it houses letters that you can put on the top of the yellow engine, then it shoots them back to the seat.  You can also put the letters in the side of the yellow engine and it has all sorts of interactive learning things that go along with it.  Carson loves to ride it and Noah has loved playing with the items on the front.  

Everyone told me our boys couldn't have a kitchen so they have had a shopping cart and play food instead.   This cart has been a hit.  It's loved by both of our boys.  Noah has played with the food a lot but Carson not as much.  However both of them love to push this around the house.  A toy that lets them move and be wild, and it's a good one in this house!  

 When I first saw this I loved it because it reminded me a doctors office.  It has the fun thing on top and then each side of the cube has a different activity.  It's mostly all wood and been a great quiet toy.  ( I think every house needs a balance.  All the new types of toys have sound, I love  the traditional ones that don't and make them think just as much)

We got this for  the boys for Christmas and it has been a great indoor toy this winter.  It gave them something to climb on while we have been cooped up all winter.  It's something they both really like.  

This one is little and random but one of those I didn't expect to get played with as much as it has.  It's a mini CD player and sings songs and the discs get put in the top and then the yellow hatch opens and closes.  Noah knows all the songs and Carson is so cute copying it and saying open, close and trying to sing along.  

What are some of your favorite toys?  We would love to know!

Day In Our Life

This topic is going all around in Blogland and I have been meaning to do it for awhile but finally  getting around to it.

We have very different looking days.  I work 2 days a week and stay home with the boys the rest so obviously those are very different than my working days.

For the most normal and soon to be full-time days we are doing a day that I'm home.

Around 5:30, I wake up, work out, and begin getting ready

Anywhere from 6:30 to 7:15 boys wake up.  They share a room so it's usually at the same time.  If one's awake the other will be in a few minutes.

7:15 Boys eat a slow breakfast.  They usually sit at the table for awhile.
I make beds, lay out clothes, unload dishwasher, start laundry, just get everything tidy'd up and ready for the day.  I'm a bit of a freak I can't relax until it's all done.

8:30
Lately on Monday's I've been doing most of the weekly cleaning, so if it's Monday I start cleaning and the boys start messing.  Then on Fridays we usually get groceries so we would get get ready to head there.  If we have any errands to run this is when we normally would leave for them as well.  They other days we mostly just spend the morning at home, playing and hanging out.

Around 9:30 or 10 the boys are ready for morning snack.

More Playing until lunch.

11:30 is lunch time in this house.  My kids are usually ready because they never want much breakfast and are so active all morning.

After lunch we clean up, if it's nice we have been going outside if not more playing inside usually head to the basement for a change.

1:30-2:00  Boys go down for a nap, I tidy up the house to have it neat while they sleep.  Naps are my sanity time, I love the quiet time, I love the messes put away and I love to sit on the couch and catch up on social media, blog, pretty much become a computer couch potato.

2:00-4:30 Boys nap.  Noah always wakes up first.  Some days it's 3:30, some days it's 4:30 you just never know with him.  Today they both slept until 5:00, it was really weird having it quiet for that long.  When he wakes up he is usually cuddly and wants to smile, hug and kiss on his momma.  Yeah I love it.  It's nice to get some time with just him.

5:00  Start working on dinner for Matthew and I.  If the boys are up they are in the kitchen too.  When I'm in there they think they need to eat something and be right there with me.  Usually Noah has already snacked when he got up from nap.  I try to hold them off as long as possible but usually end up feeding them dinner before we eat.

5:30  I have usually given in by now and the boys are eating dinner.

6:00 The hubs gets up and him and I eat.  Someday we will all eat together most nights.  It's something we are striving for, it's important to both of us that we all eat together so we will get there someday!

6:15-7:15 Clean up kitchen and family time playing.

7:15  Boys head to take a bath
After bath we all chill on the couch for a little kid TV or movie and some nights with popcorn.  I love that they will both sit up here with us.  Each one of us usually gets a boy to snuggle with.  It's usually my favorite part of the day, love unwinding with them!

8:15  Bed time for boys

I make sure mostly everything is picked up and nothing needs finished.
Once the house is decent, I get lazy and hang out on the couch with the computer or a show until bed.

On average I would say I head to bed around 10:30.  Some weeks it's much later and some days it's later but that would probably be my average.

Head to bed, get a good night's sleep and then start all over!

When we have normal weeks our days are pretty simply and to some boring.  But lately I have been more and more of a homebody.  I used to make up errands for the boys and I do every day because I didn't want to stay home, now it's pretty much the opposite.  I stay home whenever I can.

That's our day!  What's yours like?  If you have done a day in the life, let me know I would love to check it out!

Weekend Recap

Another great weekend come and gone.

Friday I spent the day with my cuties and in case you aren't following me on Instagram then you missed these  pictures.

 Our night wasn't too exciting.  Matthew got home and we all as well as my sister Kate went out for dinner.  Then rented a movie and got some movie snacks.  Any night that ends in a candy is a good one in my book.

Saturday my Aunt got married.  It was a nice short and sweet ceremony.  She was married and lost her husband to cancer not long ago and the man she married was a widower as well.  They have a cool story and I'm glad I got to witness their special day!

Saturday night we got to hang out with some friends that recently moved to a different state.  Their families still live here so we are guaranteed that they will be passing through over the years.  We have missed them and they have two young kids so it's fun to get the kids together as well.  Steph is a blogger too.  You can check her out over here!

Sunday we headed to Springfield where our nephew was having his 3rd birthday party.  My little Noah was so excited, him and his cousins are such cute little buddies.  They are only a few months apart and their dads are twins it's like they think they are supposed to be close.  We love it!
Here is the birthday boy !

They also had a little bounce house for the kiddos to play in.  It took  Carson a little while to warm up to it but Noah loved it instantly.  

The weekend was quick as always and our week will be short again this week, as we are heading to Las Vegas Wednesday for an optometry convention.  I have a lot to get done the next few days before we leave!  Busy, busy!

Hope you all had a great weekend.

Linking up with Sami for....

 

Disney Family Vacation

We're Home!

  

We had a great trip.  I can sometimes be a negative Nancy and pictured our trip being way more difficult and not going nearly as well as it did.  Carson was such a happy boy at the resort, I don't blame him I loved it there too.  Noah loved being with cousins.  Lines were fairly short.  Boys were in awe.  You get the idea.  Things went really well.  Of course we had those moments and meltdowns  by kids and moms (We did have 7 kids, that were 6 and under).    But the wonderful happy moments far outweigh the stressful ones.  This will be a trip I will always remember.  I'm not sure Noah will, and I know Carson won't but we have the pictures and their smiles ingrained in my memory. 

Here was the rundown of our week.

Sunday night flew in to Orlando, got in late.

Monday bright and early headed off to Magic Kingdom for the day, came home in the afternoon for naps and back at night for some more rides and the awesome light parade/fireworks

Tuesday-  Hung out at the resort swimming, eating, played at the playground and just hanging out

Wednesday-  Hollywood Studios for more shows and rides, back for naps in the afternoon.  Swam and more playing in the evening. 

Thursday-  Pack up, ate lunch and headed home!

It was a good amount of time, not too short, and not too long.  When the kids get older I could see spending more time at the parks but at their age this was the perfect amount!  We got to do what we wanted but didn't over exhaust ourselves.  ( I did take naps with the boys, it was wonderful) 

Now for the photo reel!  

Carson's first time flying and he did great.  He got really nervous/scared at takeoff and landing but handled it well.  Just wanted to hold on to his momma.  

Noah, the helper.  He thought it was his job to buckle Carson in.

Waiting to get on the monorail to enter Magic Kingdom.  My poor baby was teething, had his fingers in his mouth a lot lately.  

Our family.  Boys were not wanting to look at the camera.  I don't blame them, Mickey Mouse and friends were on stage singing and dancing!

My boys and I on the monorail heading in

Disney you are a magical place

Noah seeing Mickey up close and personal for the first time was priceless.  He loved it and wasn't shy at all. Gave hugs and high fives and even talked to him. 

My water baby

My big water baby.  He is fearless in water.  

Riding Toy Story 3D ride.  Mommy got into this one too.

My hubby, his twin brother, our two boys and one of my nephews heading to the playground at the resort

Boys got to meet Lightning McQueen and Mater.  Noah was a big fan!

More water fun at the kiddie area at the resort.  I seriously loved this place, a lot to do around the grounds.

Mickey Time

Someone was too wore out and took a quick cat nap

Waiting in line to ride Dumbo

Boys posing on Dumbo

Another priceless memory.  The afternoon parade.  Carson danced, clapped and waved the whole time.  I think it was one of his favorite times, haha at 1 1/2 and Noah loved it too.  He thought everyone was waving at "him" the whole time.  He just keep smiling and waving.  

My sweet baby on the flight home.  He was out just about right after we took off and napped the majority of the flight.  It was perfect!

Noah and Micah ready to leave the first morning in their gear!

Snuck back to see Mickey again for more hugs!

All the kiddos on the last night swimming !  Love that they have cousins their age and that we are so blessed to have each other.  I'm lucky too my SIL's are great.  Love hanging out with them!  

Disney I'm sure we will meet again someday !