The Four of Us

Some Pictures By Dane

2011-03-21T23:26:00.009-05:00

I took the kiddos outside again today and caught some of their antics on camera.

Enjoy!

Helpers

2011-01-25T22:05:00.002-06:00

I really want to start a chore chart when Drake and Kera are 3. Nothing too big... but things like helping me around the house. Picking up their messes, brushing teeth, taking a bath, helping me with the dishes, etc. They already got helping me fold towels down! Not only do they fold towels, but they load the washer, and start it too (I put the soap in). They are great helpers, and I think they'll enjoy the chore chart. Thank goodness for my new laminating machine! It will come in handy!

So I finally got my camera out, to update this blog, because it has been a while. What do Drake and Kera do? Hide from it.

After nap time I took them into our craft room. I have a difficult time coming up with crafts and ideas for them without looking on the internet or in a book. So it may be a bit silly, but I thought hmmm I bought these cotton balls, so they can glue them to a red heart. Hehe. They both loved the activity, and Kera was really into it using ALL of her cotton balls. Drake was super proud of his work, which was super adorable!

Christmas Morning (Really Christmas Eve).

2011-01-10T23:39:00.003-06:00

So this post is a little late. What's new right? I have SO many resolutions this year, I've been doing okay with keeping up with all of them. I think I just added another one, and that is to blog on all three of my blogs. This one, my business one(www.melissaschillingphotography.com), and my coupon/budget one (www.tighteningthestrings.blogspot.com). I may have a couple of pictures that are shared between the three, depending on what I'm writing about, and what I'm excited about.

Sooo, back to Christmas Eve morning. Santa was very sweet by visiting us early. When we woke up Christmas Eve morning, Santa brought the kids their presents. Drake got a Yellow Crane, and Kera got a beautiful new doll house. Mommy and daddy got them a lot of various things.

They were super duper cute this year. We didn't have to really help them open any of their presents. They were going through them super fast. Then they would say "more presents?" but we made them wait until the other sibling was done opening the one they were working on because we got them an even number of presents. Kera is into all things pink! Drake is into airplanes, trains, and cars. They have A LOT of new puzzles, I'm pretty sure too many!

I really do love this age the majority of the time. They are pretty much independent, and what they say is so cute!! Here are a couple of pictures from our Christmas (Christmas Eve) 2010.

Trikes!

2010-11-30T21:16:00.002-06:00

Dane and I went shopping during black Friday. After standing in line for close to 3 hours at toys r us, and barley left with anything, around 4am we went to Target :). We scored a lot of things at Target. Their shirts in these pics which I absolutely love Kera's, and most importantly their first "bikes".

Drake and Kera have been interested in bikes for a while now. Every time we go to the store they yell "bikes bikes" from aisles and aisles away. At least I know they have great eye sight. We were planning on getting them bikes with training wheels for their 3rd b-day. We'll see if that is still the plan. We got these for them to help them learn how to peddle, so far they don't. They try, but I think they are too short. They have been in the house for a week, but I took them outside today to let Drake and Kera play on them. Kera was more interested in the leaves. Drake however LOVES his trike! He will scoot really quickly, and he'll fly down the drive way. It's really goofy :D

I love them so much, and I love watching them experience new things.

Oh Christmas Tree!

2010-11-30T21:05:00.004-06:00

We put up our Christmas tree last week. That's right...before Thanksgiving. Drake and Kera absolutely loved it. So much so that they keep taking ornaments off just to put them back on, and they try to plug in the Christmas tree by themselves if it is off!!! :/. We may have to put the gate back up! It just isn't safe! We'll see. I would like to put their presents out there, but I know that they would start opening them right away. So they will just have to take up space in our room. Lots of it too.

Drake and Kera really enjoy school. However, Dane and I have came to the conclusion to just save the $200/month until they are 3, and get them into some activities. We made a school/craft room out of their old nursery. It is definitely my favorite room in the house. I am going to home school Drake and Kera until they enter Kindergarten, which I know seems far away... but really it's not!! I can't believe they'll be 3 soon!

Yesterday, the kids and I went to hobby lobby to pick up some tissue paper, card stock and some glittery pom poms to make Christmas trees. They LOVE glue sticks!! I have to start researching Lesson plans for Drake and Kera, because I want to kick homeschooling off in January. Which also requires Dane to mow the back yard for outside play time!

A field trip... literally!

2010-10-30T01:09:00.003-05:00

I've been on the hunt for a field like this for a while. One that wasn't blocked by wire fences. My gosh I found one. So I had to take a quick trip there before going to see Grammie and PeePaw tonight. I didn't get the shots that I wanted, but it's my first trip... I may go again tomorrow :)

I discovered Kera loves flowers, picking and smelling them.

I discovered Drake really loves to run through tall grassy fields.

The zoo boo!

2010-10-30T00:44:00.002-05:00

Sadly, our zoo membership expires on the 31st. We will renew it the next time we go to the zoo. We didn't use it as much as we thought we would, though we still used it enough to justify the cost of getting a membership.

We decided to go one last time to the zoo boo. Dressed in their halloween costumes for this year. Drake is a puppy dog, and Kera a kitty cat. Their favorite animals I do believe.

Last year, they were a bit too young to understand the concept of trick or treating. However, this year I think they understood the concept just fine. We took several breaks on various benches. It felt like every time they seen a bench they would want to sit down and dig through their candy baskets.

What can I say, the kids take after their mommy and daddy... they love sweets. We did limit them however, and I'm sure they are unaware of the baskets laying in the back of our van still with lots of candy in them that will probably be thrown out.

We didn't visit a lot of animals. It was extremely crowded and extremely hot for a late October day - in the high 80's. ::Sigh:: miserable I say! I'm sure Drake was the most miserable in a fur costume. Poor little guy. We did visit the sea lions, some indoor exhibits which included the snakes that Drake and Kera loved (weird children), and the orangutans. Basically all of my favorites. Oh and the elephants :). Kera loved the orangutans, but she loved the sea lions more. Drake was scared of the orangutans but how can you be scared of this??

After we came home, we took a nap, and later that night we carved our pumpkins.

Drake and Kera did really well scraping out their little pumpkins they got at the pumpkin patch. They both really liked the gunky goo! The especially loved when daddy carved "eyes" "nose" and "mouth" on their pumpkins. While we were carving pumpkins Daddy said "Enjoy it, this will be the last time until next year". We both stopped and looked at eachother and said... next year!!! Next year they will be almost 3.5. Which is really close to 4. Which is crazy that they will only be ONE YEAR away from kindergarten! :(

Dear Life- At any time you can slow down. I would like to cherish my children, be just that... children for a LOT longer. I know it may seem like I have a long time to cherish their childhood years, but really... I remember when I was 4, and it doesn't seem like that long ago. Here I am 26 years old.

The little bitty pumpkin patch!

2010-10-30T00:00:00.003-05:00

For the last three years now we have taken Drake and Kera to this little pumpkin patch on Schilling Ave. We will continue to go as long as they have it. I may even try to drag Drake and Kera there when they are in their teens. Who knows :). By the way, can you believe it has been THREE YEARS?! Crazy! I can't believe it!!!
Here are pictures of Drake and Kera from 2008 and 2009.

We met little cousin "A" at the patch as well. It was fun mostly. Except my daughter is in this stage where she likes to cry about every little thing, and I do mean every little thing! If her socks aren't pink, well gosh darn it, she's going to cry about it. If the TV isn't on the right channel, well guess what, she'll cry about it. If she wants her shoes on, you better put them on her quick. You better not mention the word "bath" if you don't plan on giving her one right that second, and I do mean that second! Like I said... she cries about everything :).

BUT

When she thinks your funny... then all is good with the world, and she'll crack a smile!

Drake is Mr. Serious. He loves examining things, and he loves to see how things work. He has been into his daddy a lot lately! He cries from bed "Daddddyyyyyy". Well if mommy goes in there to try to calm him down he'll kick and scream and cry for Daddy until he comes in there. How does that make me feel do you ask? Like crap, but it's sweet that he loves his daddy so much. Drake is loveable, look he even loved on his little cousin "A".

At the beach: All about Drake

2010-09-14T18:15:00.003-05:00

Drake loved our mini vacation. He had nothing but smiles also! I really didn't know how he would react to the beach. Once we got there, he went right out there with Pee Paw, Grammie, and Daddy! He absolutely LOVED the waves!! He played in the sand, but he enjoyed the water more! He also loved to play with the baseball! Maybe he'll be my little Astro player after all.

Here are a few other pictures as well since this will be my last post about the beach trip.

My hair is nuts! However, Drake looks like a model :D

At the beach: All about Kera

2010-09-13T12:25:00.002-05:00

On our mini vacation this weekend I didn't really think about how the kids would act at the beach. Usually Drake is more reserved, and Kera is outgoing and usually she's my daredevil.

Not at the beach. It took her a while to get used to the water, and the sand. Once she did though, she had so much fun. Especially in the sand!!! Like Pee Paw said "Their sandbox will never be the same". That's the truth!! By the end of the day she was covered with sand!

I think she really loved our mini vacation. She was so happy! All smiles, at the restaurant, at the beach, and in the hotel room.

At the beach: All about Grammie and Pee Paw

2010-09-12T16:37:00.003-05:00

My mom and step dad, otherwise known as Grammie and Pee Paw to the kids, invited us to go to the beach this weekend. We've been dying to go on a vacation, anxiously counting the months down for Steamboat in Dec. It's so nice to get out of the house, and just go away.

Let me tell you, the kids feel the same way. They had such a great time at the beach. It was their first overnight vacation since last summer when we went to Corpus Christi. This is such a fun age to go on vacations with your kids. I wish we had money to go EVERYWHERE.

I have a lot of pictures I want to share from our beach trip so they will continue for the next couple of days. However, for this one I wanted to share our love for Grammie and Pee Paw.

Drake and Kera LOVE their Grammie and Pee Paw. I love them too. Pee Paw has been such a great father figure for me. I mean I never lived with him or anything, he came in late in my life, but I like to say, better late then never. He has been there for me more than anyone (father wise). He has been there throughout all of my main milestones in life. My high school graduation, my wedding to my amazing husband, my whole pregnancy, The NICU experience with Drake and Kera, and their first and second birthday. I couldn't have asked for a better guy for my mom.

Drake and Pee Paw are the best of buds! Drake follows Pee Paw everywhere, and for the first time ever this weekend (that I've heard) said Pee Paw... it was A-D-O-R-A-B-L-E! It made me kind of tear up.

Pee Paw had asked me this weekend if I think the children know who they are, and if I think they remember Grammie and Pee Paw. I said of course! Don't underestimate the power of their little memories. We asked Kera where Grammie was, and she would point to my mom. We asked her the same about Mommy, Drake, Daddy, and Pee Paw, and she got all of them right. Then we asked where is Me Maw and she would just put her finger to her chin and then her hands out as to say I don't know. She knows her Grammie by that name! Though Daddy keeps trying to change it to Me Maw because that is what my nieces call her. I think Grammie is cute ;). Okay, back to the power of their little 2 year old memories. We went to my mom and Ned's room just a couple of times maybe 2-3. As we came back up the stairs without them, Drake and Kera went right to their room! If they can remember a room, they definitely can remember people that they've been around their whole life.

I had the same fears when my niece Faith was moving out of state with her mommy and daddy for a construction job. I went to see her every.single.day for the most part, and than BAM it hit me really hard when they said they were going to go out of state. I thought she wouldn't remember me when they came back in a couple of months. She was around the same age as Drake and Kera. She remembered me!

Anyways... enough of the rambling on and on... and on!
Thank you Grammie and Pee Paw for inviting us to the beach. The four of us had a great time!

The best of buds!

A day at the park

2010-09-10T21:09:00.003-05:00

Ahh, I have felt like a really horrible mommy not taking pictures of my children recently. No matter how busy I get with photographing other families, I really need to make the time to photograph my own! Especially with my horrible memory, and me not being able to remember them as little kids. I need pictures to remind me!

Today I decided to see if Aunt Amy and cousin "A" were doing anything. It was during breakfast, and I wanted to get out of the house. So at about 9am we met them at the park. It was a fun trip, and it's really cute seeing the 3 of them play together. After the park, we all went shopping to Hobby Lobby, Old Navy, and The Childrens place. I've been going back and forth on what I want Kera to be for Halloween, but I definitely think she's going to be a black cat. Not sure about Drake yet.

Here are a few pictures from today.

Ummm is Drake silly or what? He didn't bend his legs... it's like he was standing and swinging...

Bubbles & Sand

2010-08-02T23:55:00.003-05:00

I've stocked up on lots of end of summer clearance finds. Mostly bubbles, and bubble wands. My kids love bubbles, but which kid doesn't? I got a few other things too, like their first baseball bat and ball sets.

I can't believe the end of the summer is coming. It will be the last summer my kids are two. That is just sad to me. Life goes by way too quickly.

Dane finally mowed the grass, both the front and the back! So we took them outside to play with the bubbles and got their sand table out while we grilled hot dogs. Here are a few pictures.

It's crazy!!!

2010-07-22T00:49:00.019-05:00

One year ago, not to the day, but to the month I started this blog :). I actually kept up with a blog!!! WHAT?! I know, I know it's crazy. Especially if you've read
http://www.babyschilling.blogspot.com or
http://www.schillingfamilyblog.blogspot.com or http://tighteningthestrings.blogspot.com/. Obviously they haven't been updated :). I am really slow updating this blog, but lets just say, at least I do... at least once a month :D.

I started this blog to share my 365 day challenge, obviously that didn't work out :) it has since turned into our family blog (wish I would have kept theschillingfamily name... ah well. Forgive the rambling, it's 12:50AM and I'm tired. Why do you ask? Well I decided to start a photography company. It's just starting out but I'm booked until August 21st, with the exception of my baby nieces b-day party weekend.

The business thing happened so quickly, and I'm just jumping in! It's been fun so far (if you want to check my website out it's www.melissaschillingphotography.com). I'm trying to soak everything in, and learn new things. So the about me section on this blog where it says follow me if you want to see where this takes me in the future. Well here I am one year later. Starting a company. If you would have asked me a year ago if I would be photographing total strangers, I would have told you "no way!". Actually I probably would have told you that two months ago. :) I'm happy though. It's something for me. Something that gives me joy. Something to keep learning. Something that I hope will make my name big one day...I want to be like Beth Jansen... ONE DAY! :) She's totally amazing!

Anyways, that's my year update. Here are a few pictures of the kids, and their first cooking cookie experience.

Oh... and I threw in a craft project. I made a tutu and a onesie for my friend Danielle's baby girl that is due next month!

And...

Yes, I realize that is a TON of pictures for a blog. I was going to just post a few, but I couldn't resist while I was going through them. All of them are cute to me! So yes, I just spent a long time copying and pasting each link to my post! :D My kids are super duper cute!!! How did I get so lucky?

The bond between them...

2010-07-17T20:30:00.000-05:00

Is simply sweet!

Baby "K" sneak peek!

2010-06-28T23:16:00.002-05:00

I got the pleasure to photograph this little bundle of joy today. Can I just tell you I do NOT remember my children being that small, and he was almost 7lbs! Oh how time goes by so quickly. Thank you mommy Rachel for letting me photograph your precious son, and being so patient and helpful while doing my first baby shoot!

Father's day weekend 2010

2010-06-22T00:39:00.002-05:00

Can I just say how amazing I think my husband is. Not only as a husband but as a father! He has far out weighed my expectations. I knew he was going to be a great dad by the many years we've been together, but wow! He truly is amazing! I'm so blessed that God put him in my life.

Thursday night Dane got off late. So we tried to make it to gymnastics but it was already too late. So we went out to eat, walked around the mall, and went to a few stores. By the time we were done it was 9pm on our way home. I soooo wanted to stop at rock the dock in Kemah, but I know Dane had to work the next day and the babies were exhausted.

Friday night we went out to dinner, and went to a few stores, and made it to the fire work show in Kemah. We got there around 9, and the splash pad was off! Not to mention we had to pay for parking, and we were in the wrong spot for the fireworks. I was not happy.

Saturday, Dane knew that I wanted to take the kids to Kemah and let them play in the sprinkler. So first we went to a few stores. Then we went to Kemah (pics are below) and let them play in the splash pad. Kera had fun, Drake not so much. We had to pay for parking again - I assume every weekend you do. I think I like rock the doc better. Free parking, splash pad, and live music. After the Kemah boardwalk we went to hobby lobby and then we met Aunt Amy, Uncle Deran, and Cousin Avery at Genghis. Where Kera was being very bratty. Then we walked to Ben and Jerry's and I have been craving that peanut butter cookie dough ice cream ever since. So yummy!!! We had a good time. Kera and Avery kind of played together which was very adorable! It's nice to hang out with D&A&A we rarely see them even though they live about 10 minutes away.

Sunday (Father's day), Dane slept in. While the kids were playing I painted all the trim 2x in Kera's new bedroom. Daddy got up, and by that time it was time for the kids nap. So we took a nap :). When we got up we went to a few stores, and out to eat at I-hop where Drake was being a little booger. Then we painted Drake's room once the kids were in bed!

BUSY weekend.

Water babies

2010-06-12T21:50:00.002-05:00

Drake and Kera were our water babies today! They had a full day of nothing but water... and eating :).

They love the water... showers, swimming in the big pool, splashing in the kiddie splash pad, and going on the boat.

Outisde chalk...

2010-06-08T19:09:00.002-05:00

Just isn't as fun as it used to be for Drake and Kera. It may have been the humid weather. Who knows, they just weren't the happiest of kids today.

Don't be fooled it only lasted a couple of minutes.

Look at the red hair and yellow boots.

Ok they are broken Mommy!

Is it time to go bye bye yet?

How about we practice our numbers and letters!

Ok mom quit following me!

I really don't like the camera in my face mom.

Melt down time!

Watermelon lover

2010-06-04T21:30:00.004-05:00

I'm not sure it's just watermelon that my daughter loves. I'm pretty sure it's all fruit. She can scarf down a banana like none other. Last night I made blueberry pancakes for dinner and not only did she throw a MAJOR tantrum when I gave her one and threw the rest in the pancake batter, but she chowed down almost a whole carton of blackberries in a matter of a few seconds! She LOVES watermelon as long as it is cut up, because if not, then she'll eat the green :D.

Not only is she a fruit lover, but she LOVES her daddy!! Every time the gate creeks from outside, Drake and Kera get up from whatever they are doing and run to the kitchen gate. Saying "daddy daddy hi" with giggles of joy.

Want a bite?

2010-05-27T20:00:00.002-05:00

Kera's new favorite saying when she's eating is "Want a bite?". She really loves to feed her brother. Whatever we are having she'll take her spoon with food on it, or pick up say a graham cracker like below and say "Want a bite?". It's really really cute.

Daddy has yet to hear it. Last night we went to Casa ole for a quick dinner *YUMMY*. Kera dipped her chip in her ketchup, eww not so yummy. She said "Want a bite? Want a bite?" and tried to hand it to him. He was preoccupied with Drake so he missed it again.

Whenever I ask Kera if she loves her brother, she does this...
So I'm guessing she loves her brother bunches!

Oh and what about her cute new laugh?! She covers her mouth and snickers, and it's adorable.

New shades!

2010-05-26T14:24:00.001-05:00

This may be the first year that they'll actually keep them on! Even if they are upside down.

Busy!! :)

2010-05-10T22:47:00.002-05:00

In the past couple of weeks Drake and Kera have turned 2! We moved to toddler beds a little earlier than we wanted, because Drake's crib was recalled. We took our house off of the market. Kera got her first hair cut! Not to mention I have started to potty train again!Oh and they made me a beautiful art master piece for Mother's day! It's been a busy few weeks, and it is not slowing down any time soon. With a garage sale this up coming weekend, trying to refinance our house, and a few more things!

Here are a couple of pictures from the past few weeks :)

Drake and Kera are talking more and more each day! I've got to watch what I say, and so do other people because Kera is copying more and more. Today I told Drake "Bad Boy" for him spilling his cereal all over the table. Kera turned to her brother and said "ya bad boy!" She will say "Excuse you" when you burp or pass gas out the other end. It cracks me up. Drake will sing his Abc's but only to D. :) He often says "D"... because I think he remembers that when we try to teach him how to spell his name. They are trying to count to five. They do really well, but it's not clear as day. It's amazing how quickly they are learning. The day they turned 2 they started saying "no"... now they always do, it's like their new favorite word! Today when I started potty training them I gave them this little speech about how we don't potty in our underwear. Kera said "pee pee" she's more interested in it then she was about a month or two ago when I tried last time. She still hasn't gone pee pee yet on the potty, but Drake has!

The playhouse is up!

2010-04-28T10:29:00.002-05:00

We bought Drake and Kera an outside playhouse for their birthday! They really love it!

Firsts

2010-04-20T23:29:00.002-05:00

First ice cream sandwich

First snow cone

New swimming pool!

2010-04-14T23:43:00.002-05:00

Summer is coming! It's getting hot! We got Drake and Kera a new swimming pool yesterday. Last year we had a baby splash pad, but Cori- our old dog... she chew it to pieces. We found this lovely pool!! Drake and Kera have so much fun in it. Now that my husband knows how to grill, I see many days this summer out in our back yard. About time, we've only lived here two and a half years!

Car wash

2010-04-11T23:28:00.004-05:00

Today has been such a busy day. This morning I went shopping by myself to score some deals, and to go shopping with my gift card my mommy got me for my birthday. Then we got up after nap time, and took the kids outside. We walked, we played with chalk, we played with the basket ball, and we washed the cars FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER IN OUR DRIVEWAY! Yeah that's right, we've been here almost 2.5 years, and it's the first time to wash our cars in our own drive way!! Meanwhile, hamburgers were cooking on the grill for lunch/dinner.That's right, my husband now knows how to grill!!! Woo hoo!! Not our traditional lunch, because Dane and I had a Free Dave Ramsey class to attend tonight. So DeDe came to watch the kids while Dane and I attended that class. It's been a long, exhausting day, but oh so much fun!

Easter Sunday

2010-04-04T22:24:00.002-05:00

This morning we got Drake and Kera up and Kera was jumping like a monkey like she usually does.

While we change their diapers, they will go and read the books that we keep in their room for bed time stories. They just started a few weeks ago climbing up in the rocker :)

Before breakfast they ran straight to their Easter baskets. Kera loved Drake's car haha. They each had an egg of peanut butter m&m's before breakfast.

While they were eating breakfast Dane and I went to hide some plastic eggs in the living room to have a mini egg hunt. So after breakfast they looked for the eggs :). I love watching them hunt eggs. Drake would leave his basket on the floor and run to get all the eggs. Then he would come back and put them in his basket and off he went again. Towards the end when Drake had accumulated a lot of eggs, Kera went to Drakes basket and kept stealing his eggs putting them into her basket.

After nap time, we ate lunch. Then we took a walk to the park. They walked too, we didn't use their stroller. Along the way Drake and Kera helped Daddy press flowers into a book.

That was pretty much the extent of our Easter, it was low key, and I enjoyed spending it with my three loves!

Easter at Grammie and PeePaw's

2010-04-03T21:55:00.002-05:00

Today after we woke up and ate breakfast we dyed some eggs :). Drake and Kera had a great time throwing the eggs in the dye. It went entirely too fast, and next year we'll have to boil a lot more than a dozen eggs. Ok, so we boiled more than a dozen, but we ate a lot of them last night :).

Kera loved dying easter eggs, and Drake thought the egg picker upper thing was a bubble blowing wand. :)

After nap time we went to Grammie and Pee Paw's house. We just hung out, Grammie gave the kids their Easter baskets - super cute, and then PeePaw, Uncle Green, and myself hid the Easter eggs for the kids to find. Drake and Kera were amazing. I didn't really think they would understand the concept yet, but they did! It was super cute watching them prance around, sure I had to help them, and say "Do you see an egg". They would look around and they would find it. Sometimes they couldn't reach it, other times they would grab it and put it in their basket. I love this age!

My 26th B-day

2010-03-29T22:39:00.002-05:00

I am so blessed to have lived another year. My children are THE BEST! I told Kera and Drake to say "Happy Birthday Mommy" Kera sounded like she said "Hob Bithdy" It was SOO cute, and tears began to come out of my eyes! She recently as of yesterday started to say "no" too!! Dane hates it when I tell her "say no" she says "noooo" in this CUTE voice, I just want to hear it ... A LOT! I love watching them learn, I love watching them play, I love watching them hold hands, and I love watching them rest their head on the other ones shoulder! :) I love my life as a mommy! Sure sometimes I get overwhelmed, but really... WOW!!! I am so blessed!

Here is a picture of me and my love bugs from today! Now you can see the one from last year on my Facebook, they have changed SOOOO MUCH in just one short year!

A new blog

2010-03-29T00:30:00.002-05:00

This one is still active I am not switching again :).

But a few of you know that I've been quiet addicted to the bargain hunting/couponing thing for a couple of weeks. So I've started a blog, not only to share my deals, the tips and tricks that I learn along the way, but also to share our get out of debt story.
http://tighteningthestrings.blogspot.com/

So follow along if you want :)

Rodeo fun!

2010-03-25T22:00:00.003-05:00

It's been a week and a day since we went to the rodeo. Yeah I am pretty much slow at keeping up with this blog. :) We had a fabulous time at the Rodeo. Drake and Kera's favorite part is definitely the petting zoo. Unfortunately the next day Drake woke up with a swollen shut eye. "Allergies" says his doctor. Probably hay. Thanks to my lovely husband and his allergies, now my son has to suffer. Poor little guy. After spending $40 on a tube less than an inch long it cleared up - only with one application. He's worth every penny though.

Next year when we go to the rodeo I am sure Drake and Kera will be tall enough to ride some rides. That will be fun!

Yes, I realize that most of all of my pictures are of the back of my children's heads. Woops. Oh and do you see that little cowgirl hat Kera is wearing? That was her hat that we bought her last year. Obviously her head has not grown that much ... it still fits... kind of. Drakes on the other hand not so much. Oh and the picture where they are holding hands. That is how we walk now... the four of us, in a line. Super cute to watch them hold hands walking down the street. If one lets go they grab hands again :).

Hub here...

2010-03-23T22:58:00.001-05:00

Hi,

Dane here. Husband and father extraordinaire. I wanted more people to see this post, because I think it may be helpful and I want input!

http://schillingfamilyblog.blogspot.com/2010/03/simple.html

-Dane

Spring break fun...

2010-03-22T20:57:00.002-05:00

Yes, spring break is over, but it was so much fun! Having Dane home was awesome, not only is it to go somewhere whenever we want, but he was SO helpful!

The Friday that spring break started we went to the park across the street from our subdivision. Drake and Kera have a lot of fun there, but I can't take them by myself yet until they are a little older. They like to climb climb climb!

Play dough!

2010-03-22T00:44:00.002-05:00

Sunday I woke up and decided it would be a good day to try to make some play dough for the kids! I looked up a recipe online and it had pretty vague instructions "Keep over medium heat until smooth, pour into pan and knead"... so I took that literally, and once smooth I poured the mixture into a pan lined with wax paper. Of course it did not look anything like play dough. So I was on the search for a recipe. I came across another one that involved the same ingredients as the first one so I followed their directions but with the amounts of the first recipe. Turned out perfect!

Drake and Kera are unsure about play dough still! It was still a very fun experience watching them touch it, and tare it up into tiny pieces.

Yay!!

Kemah

2010-03-15T23:52:00.002-05:00

What a gorgeous day today! We took Drake and Kera to Kemah where we enjoyed some live music, the water, and the splash pad... oh and not to mention the sun!

The Crayons are gone!

2010-03-15T00:05:00.002-05:00

Saturday night we went to visit Grammie and Pee Paw. My mom usually has a big box full of Crayons, but some how they were not there. So my mom brought out bingo dabbers for the kids! Drake and Kera loved the bingo dabbers, and their art was pretty awesome after wards too!

Oh and check out that cute little hat that Kera is wearing. I won it off of a contest on www.photomamas.com. I've never won anything, but isn't this the cutest thing ever! Not to mention it is perfect for our trip to Steamboat in 9 months! Yes I said that right - NINE months! Yay!

After dinner Saturday night, Dane decided to watch a movie, you know since he's deprived at home without cable and all. Drake and Kera and the rest of the gang all went and played in the garage. Kera was so incredibly funny! She danced for what seemed like hours. She would spin and spin and spin, and hop and pop up and down. She would shake her butt, and even sway during a slow song. I think she loves to be the center of attention. I can't leave out my little man! He is such a gentleman. We all played ring around the rosie several times. Any time someone would fall down he would be the first one up to help them up! He did this several times! I am so blessed :)

Early birthday present

2010-03-05T18:37:00.002-06:00

A couple of months ago we were in search for a big present for Drake and Kera. We found a roller coaster that was perfect. It was kind of expensive, and we said that we'll wait until income tax time. So, as income tax came and went, we never got the roller coaster for multiple reasons. The big factor was that our house was on the market so who knew if it would sell or not. Another factor price, and another is we are just having immediate family for their 2nd birthday so we were going to just get them something small. As I started talking to my friends from mommy groups they thought it looked really cool, and I thought, hey why not look on craigslist. What do you know, the first listing there it was, and only about 15 minutes from our house!!! Yay, she gave us a great deal on the roller coaster and Dane brought it home tonight. Wow, they love this thing, and I am glad we bought it!

Drake even thought it would be fun with out the car

However, I think he likes it more with...

They both like to do this when it is the other ones turn. They get mad that they can't go over and over and over again.

Now they are climbing up the track like a mountain! I love this toy :)

Amazing prizes!!

2010-03-05T12:29:00.005-06:00

Well I thought I would give a shot at winning some amazing prizes! You just never know. I seen these bags, http://www.haveanepiphanie.com/ (my link button isn't working) on a photo forum I am a part of, and instantly fell in love. Unfortunately I don't have the money right now to buy one, but one day! They are hosting this AWESOME contest. So for those photography lovers out there, OR even for those who love to travel this is the contest for you! You may get lucky and win either a Canon Mark II or a $2500 Southwest airlines gift card!!! What a hard choice to make if you are the winner!!

Cereal with milk

2010-03-03T13:37:00.002-06:00

About a week and a half ago I thought I would be brave and give Drake and Kera a bowl of cereal, with actual milk! They did great, Drake barley ate because he always uses his spoon upside down.

Today However, I tried to help him. What did he do.... he threw the biggest fit, pushing his cup of milk off of the table, banging his head against the chair. In my mommy stern voice I told him "NO SIR" and I proceeded to help him. And Wala what do you know, he got it!

Kera MUST have two bowls of rice krispies. Drake doesn't like rice krispies so he got the last of the Banana Cheerios which he loved. Looks like I'll have to try oatmeal tomorrow.

My children are growing up way too quickly! In less than two months they'll be 2!

Milk kisses thrown in the mix. Yeah Drake missed her lips :)

Notice the bowl tilt... she's an expert at eating cereal!

It is the best thing ever seeing them experience new things.

I'll tell you what is not good! I have never seen Drake so sick that he didn't play! He just laid on me. Poor baby, I hope he gets feeling better soon. Though I think I am next to catch whatever it is. My throat is a little sore and I have a low grade fever.

Sunday Zoo trip

2010-03-03T00:55:00.003-06:00

I realize I am a couple of days off here :). I am trying to make my way through Scott Kelby's CS4 book and I wanted these pictures to be my first photos in CS4. Well I am only on Page 16, so the rate I am going you all wouldn't see these pictures for another year. So I thought I would edit them quickly in Lightroom and throw them out there.

We went to the zoo Sunday. It was such a beautiful day. Much needed, after all the cold, rainy, ugly weather we've been having. I am so ready for spring. Not summer... Texas summers are miserable, not to mention I am NOT looking forward to those pesky mosquitoes.

Drake and Kera really do love the zoo. They haven't been in their wagon since last July 4th! So it was like a new experience to them, they loved that too! My camera really didn't like it, with the harsh sun/shadows from their over head canopy. Oh well.

I am really glad that we got a zoo membership! I also love the fact that you can bring drinks/snacks into the zoo so it really would make it a free day trip for us (minus the gas). Except Sunday Dane HAD to have the hamburgers and fries. Um yeah I had one too! Yummy, but it cost $20! The kids had popcorn that we brought from home and some crackers. Ok they got a few fries too, oh and tomatoes, and pickles!

While we were eating Kera loved to take a bite of one cracker, and throw it on the wagon floor and stomp it up into tiny pieces. Drake thought it was hilarious so they were stomping stomping stomping. Kera also had her eye out for the bird close to our table.

They LOVE the petting zoo... or petting goats, we don't really get to pet anything other than goats.

Over all we had a great day at the zoo. I can't wait to go back.

After nap on Tuesday, Drake started running a fever! Ugh. I want this sickness to go away. I want the booger noses to go away. I want my babies back to their normal selves. Not only for them to be happy, but for them to not miss another gymnastic class. We've missed two in the month of February alone. :(

104 Fever

2010-02-23T23:35:00.004-06:00

Monday night, I stayed up way too late. I often regret going to bed at 2-3am, but usually I get to sleep in until about 9am or so. Well, Drake woke up at about 3:30am screaming and crying. I went in there, and he had his leg stuck in the crib. I calmed him down and went back to bed. It seemed like ten minutes later I heard some more crying, but really it was 2 hours later at 5:30ish that Kera was screaming. I rushed into their nursery and she was on all fours just screaming. I picked her up and she was burning up. That really freaks me out when she gets a fever. Drake has never had a fever - like that anyways. She was crying, she was pale, she wreaked of puke, and she was shivering. We took her temperature and it was 104. something. I started freaking out!!! She was breathing fast, her heart was racing. We gave her Tylenol, and laid her down in bed with us. Of course I couldn't sleep for a while, I was too busy watching her. Not to mention Drake woke up from all of the commotion so he was running around our bed like a mad man. About two hours later Drake went back to his bed, and Kera slept with us for a couple of hours. Well more than that. My Grandma came into my room asking if I was ok. Drake was up, and Kera was asleep on my chest in my arms. This was about 10:40. Daddy and Kera slept until 12pm. I went to check on her and she was burning up again. So we decided to take her to the clinic since our pediatritian was out on leave. We didn't call the clinic, we just assumed it was open. We got there at 1pm, and it was closed for lunch. So we sat there in the car.

Drake really enjoyed being the driver, and he loved turning up and down the music, rolling down windows, and he couldn't make up his mind on which way he wanted to turn. Good thing he never figured out the horn.

I tried to put some chapstick on Kera, I showed her how to do it, and she still thinks it is something yummy to eat.

We were waiting for about an hour, and we finally got seen. Of course there is no real answer as to what Kera has/had. She totally did not like the doctor messing with her!

So far her fever is down for the night. I hope it stays that way! We got home from the clinic at almost 4, and she slept until about 6, and started to play. So I can only hope it was/is a 24 hour bug.

Long week

2010-02-23T00:30:00.002-06:00

It has been a long week. We decided to take Drake and Kera to story time tonight at the library. Yes, my lovely SIL if you are reading this, I don't think I'll EVER go with you to story time. They were HORRIBLE, even with Dane there. They ran around. I am glad today there was only one other child there, and she ran around too. Usually story time lasts about 30 minutes. The guy had 2 stories out, and lots of songs and everything going on, after 15 minutes story time was over. I can't say that I blame him. I took a few snap shots with my point and shoot of Drake and Kera. Before it started they wanted to sit in the chairs.

I tried to get Drakes attention, and the other mom stood behind me to get him to smile :)

After those snap shots, I put my camera up because story time had started, and that is when the chasing began.

We decided to stop and get pizza, and go to Target where I bought some diapers, wipes, and some pull ups. Oh and m&m's. I am planning on trying to potty train starting this weekend. Wish me luck!

Doodles, books, and air planes!

2010-02-15T13:15:00.002-06:00

For Valentines day we got Drake and Kera Doodle pads. They love to color, so I thought it would be the perfect present! Sure enough they play with it ALL.OF.THE.TIME! They absolutely love doodling. I love to watch Kera coloring or doodling. She has to have her pen perfectly in her hands. She watches me when I color or write, and she tries to hold the pen like me and daddy!

Isn't Drakes art work beautiful?

Every single time he hears an airplane. He stops what he is doing and looks to the sky. I hope he is this fascinated with airplanes when we take our trip to Steamboat this year.

Drake is in love with the book that Grandpa Ken and Dede got him for Valentines day. It is all about trucks. Here he is reading it.

Kera loves to read too!

Cuteness!

2010-02-09T12:43:00.002-06:00

That is what my kids are! The cutest.... EVER!

V-day picture FLOP!

2010-02-08T19:41:00.002-06:00

This morning was absolutely beautiful outside. So after breakfast I got Drake and Kera dressed, and grabbed their heart shaped suckers I've been saving. Out the door we went. I took TONS of pictures, and it just turned into a big FLOP. The kids had fun and that is all that matters. Kera takes after me, she HATES having dirty hands.

Here are the best three out of the hundred or so pictures I took. They aren't even that good, but oh well :)

Meet Rex and Sweetie!

2010-02-07T18:12:00.002-06:00

Yesterday my sister Angie invited me to have a girls day with her and Faith. We had a lot of fun. The highlight of the day was when we went into the store Forever 21 Accessories. My sister tried on this headband that had a HUGE purple and black bow! It made my day. It was the funniest thing! Not to mention Faith was acting like a total dork in that store, trying on all of the things, very cute! She even got some gold sparkly eye lashes.... for her dog Carly!

When I say her dog Carly, I mean the build a bear dog that she dressed in this white outfit with gold trim. She got 4 golden boots to put on Carly's feet! She was a very golden dog!

My sister was sweet and told me we can make a build a bear for Drake and Kera. So I got to build Kera a bear, and she got to build Drake a bear. So she asked me what Drake loves. Well he loves dogs! So she picked out this cute scraggly dog. I picked out a bunny, just because it reminded me of Kera. Next we got to pick the sounds. Faith got Carly song... Drake got a dog sound, and Kera got a lullaby. Next we got our hearts and off to stuffing. In the line waiting for our turns Faith asks us what we are going to name them. Hmmm we thought. Angie came up with the name Rex for the dog! VERY cute name. I came up with Sweetie. :) I had a bunny named sweetie once. So after Rex, Carly, and Sweetie were stuffed. We gave them a bath, and brushed their hair... or I mean fur. Off for the fun part! Dressing them. I knew right away I wanted to make sweetie a ballerina. Angie chose the cutest fireman outfit for Rex. And I already mentioned what Faith picked out for Carly. We sat them up and dressed them in the 'dressing room'. The dressing room had a mirror and everything. Why couldn't they have build a bear when I was a kid. It is too much fun! After they were perfect, we got to make their birth certificates!

So thank you Aunt Angie for the fun girls day, and thank you so much for Drake and Kera's build a bear! They love them. Drake loves both!

Another day of...

2010-02-06T19:21:00.002-06:00

Gymnastics. Which means another day of point and shoot pictures.

After their bath I got my p&s camera out and took some pictures. Kera just stops and looks right at me and gives me the biggest cheesy grin. Why can't she do this when I have my DSLR out? I don't know. I think it's pretty cute!

We headed out the door super early because both of our cars needed gas! We ended up going WAY too early! We got to the gymnastics place about 40 minutes before it started. So we sat in the van for about 10 minutes and read books.

And Daddy thought it would be fun to teach them how to operate the water fountain. That kept them busy for the remainder of the time until our class started at 9!

Today was a great gymnastics day. We asked if we could be put together and they said that would be no problem. One of the main reasons I wanted to sign up for it is so it could give us something to do as a family. Besides we both missed what the other one was doing, and how they were progressing. So now we get to see all of that. All the stations were different today. Drake and Kera liked most of it! They especially loved the big bouncy trampoline! They even did forward rolls on the balance beam! Kera walks that thing super fast now. Super cute. Drake loves to do forward rolls! They both LOVE the slide!

A sunny day

2010-02-05T23:14:00.003-06:00

Finally!!! After almost a week of straight rain, it was more than welcomed. It felt great to get out of the house and enjoy the sun, not to mention the nice cool air. Not too cold, not too hot. Perfect!

Unfortunately, I got in a camera funk! It seems as though I forgot how to take pictures. Or maybe I just never understood how to take quality pictures outdoors. One day I suppose! For now these will have to do :).

While Drake and Kera were taking their nap, I made english muffin pizzas! 24 to be exact, but we ate four so I have 20 in the deep freezer for quick lunches!

After lunch we took out the side walk chalk and colored for a little while.

Every time Drake hears an airplane, he stops in his tracks and looks to the sky!

After coloring we explored the front yard. Drake especially loves sticks, and leaves. Typical boy.

Drake also thought it would be a good idea to explore a mud puddle which he and Kera both thought was hilarious. Me not so much while wearing his expensive stride rite shoes! While I tried to keep Drake out of the mud puddles, Kera ran to the van tried to open it, and said "Bye" while waving to us.

Ah Ha! That got Drakes attention, and off he went to try to get in the van. Sorry bud, it's closed and locked. Two temper tantrums later I said lets go in. They followed me to the gate, and seen their chalk. So they colored some more. I ran inside to get their bouncy ball. After a few minutes they wanted back inside.

Once daddy got home a few minutes after we were indoors, we went to Old Navy, which takes entirely way too much of my money! However, we did get them rain boots so they can splash in all the mud puddles they want :).

First day of gymnastics

2010-01-30T11:25:00.002-06:00

Today we did a free trial at a gymnastics class. We had grand plans of getting some cute pictures, but haha as you can see Dane had sweat pouring off of him, my hair was falling out of my pony tail. It is a lot of work not just for the kids, but for the adults too! So here are a couple of pictures before we left the house, and some after class. Don't mind the poor quality, or not so great pictures of the adults!!

Drake and Kera had fun for the most part. I had Kera today, Daddy had Drake. They seperated us into two different groups. I kind of don't like that, but I understand that they want the kids to be some what independent. Besides it's going to happen eventually- like when they get to school. Kera and I started off in a station where we did the slide, valt, flips, and trampoline. Kera really loved that station! She loved the slide, flips, and trampoline! Daddy and Drake started in a station with flips, and hand stands. Drake liked doing flips. We then changed stations and Drake and Daddy got to do our first station and Kera and I got to do their first station. Kera liked that station too! Drake was not that fond of the trampoline but he did like the slide and the vault/flips. After those two stations Kera and I went to bars/rings. Drake and Daddy went to balance beams. Kera didn't really like the bars yet. She did like the rings on like the 3rd time around when the Coach swayed her back and forth. Drake did not like the blance beams. We switched stations after a little while, and Drake loved the bars. Kera did not like the balance beams. She really just wanted to jump on them! Kera and I met this other little girl and her mom that was in our group. Her name is Nicole and she is younger than Drake and Kera but she will be turning 2 at the end of May. Nicole was very good at bars :) and in station 2, she shared with Kera. She gave Kera a ball and said "Here isha ball". Towards the end Drake and Kera were getting a little fussy. Kera wanted to see Daddy and Drake just wanted to run around and do whatever he wanted. So I'm not sure if they love it, but we are going to sign up anyways. I think it will be good for all of us to have a class type setting. Not only for structure, but to also meet other kids/parents.

Park time

2010-01-26T20:56:00.003-06:00

Today we had two house showings so we decided to take Drake and Kera to the park. We haven't been in a while. Well I know now I can not take them to the park by myself for a long time!! They are climbing up everything! They aren't that fond of the swings anymore. Now they love the slides, but only if we go down with them! I got my exercise today! I tried taking a couple of pictures, but they aren't great, they were running crazy, and I couldn't focus on my camera settings so I told Dane to just put my camera in the car. Hopefully soon I'll have some more pictures!

Slowly learning

2010-01-20T23:57:00.002-06:00

How to edit... I think I am getting a tad better, not by much! Lots to learn!!

My last edit...

My new edit...

And another

Straight out of Camera

edited

Thoughts??

Outside Snack

2010-01-18T20:10:00.003-06:00

After Drake and Kera's nap I got them dressed and took them outside for their snack. I wanted to play after they ate, but they stood by the door and wanted back in!! Drake played for like five seconds and then he sat by his sister again and ate his apple jacks.

They are so sweet together!

Happy Birthday Savannah!

2010-01-16T20:25:00.002-06:00

Savannah my sweet niece, happy early birthday. You are going to be 8!! I remember the day you were born, and the summer that I baby sat you! I used to dress you up into a million different outfits to take pictures of you - couldn't resist that head full of hair! You are growing up way too quickly. I love you!

We had a great time celebrating your 8th birthday at Getti's Pizza. We played games...even Drake and Kera joined in!

You accumulated 603 tickets!! You got these two monkeys - the clerk was nice by giving you an extra one since these little guys were 500 tickets each!

We ate lots of pizza :) and had birthday cake!!

Opened presents!
Jonas DS game from Me Maw and a 25 dollar Walmart card from Pee Paw.

Kera is watching your every move :)

Fashion mannequin, lip glosses, and bath stuff from Uncle Dane, Drake, Kera, and myself!

A coloring from Faith! I didn't get a picture but you got bath stuff and hair clips from Aunt Angie! By the way love the beautiful cake faces :)

Thank you so much for giving your balloon to Kera. They really loved the balloons!

We had a great time celebrating your 8th birthday! I love you Savannah Jeanne!

A truck

2010-01-13T18:01:00.002-06:00

This past weekend my sister invited me to go paint with her and my niece Faith. It was fun :). I chose the ballerina last time I painted for Kera's room. Well I chose this old vintage looking truck for Drake's room.

It's kind of sloppy because we were rushing to paint because Faith's surprise party was at 3:30. It turned out rather cute though. I am glad that they each have something from me that I painted for their rooms.

As of right now they will share a room until our debt is paid off, so probably until they are 4 or so. Then they will get their own rooms. We chose Vintage travel for Drake.. he loves cars, airplanes, any thing w/ wheels that he can inspect.

Ring around the rosie

2010-01-12T20:47:00.003-06:00

Drake and Kera are once again being super sweet together today! I started cleaning the kitchen because we have another house showing tomorrow, and I went to go check on them. This is how I found them...

They were sitting on their stools without getting any help from me, and playing blocks with each other. I sat in there for a while to play with them. A couple of times Drake would drop some of the blocks and Kera would say "Uh Oh". Drake picked up his blocks from underneath the table and started playing peek a boo with me.

A little while later we were in the living room and Kera and I played ring around the rosie a couple of times. Drake wanted to play too, so I told him to hold sisters hand. We all three played ring around the rosie a couple of times. Then I got my camera, and I said "Play ring around the rosie". They grabbed each others hands and played over and over and over again while I sang the song.

Finally Drake got tired, but it was sad because Kera still wanted to play. She would go up to him, pat his shoulder, and say "doh ah dah a blah" or something like that :) and try to grab his hands. However, he was having none of that. So I played with her a couple more times.

My little ballerina!

2010-01-11T15:01:00.002-06:00

On our 3 year wedding anniversary, Dane and I went to go paint. I chose the ballerina because Kera loves to dance.

A couple of weeks later, I looked through the racks at Target and spotted this cute pink leotard tutu! I read the tag and it was a bathing suit. I got it anyways. Kera loves to put her tutu on and dance around the house. She laughs like crazy while I dress her in her tutu. Today I fixed her hair and put her lace headband on. I took it off, and she threw a fit. She wanted that lace headband on! She pranced around the house this morning all dressed up like my little ballerina.

She loves to dance! We are going to get her in dance classes when she is 3! I can't wait to go to her recitals!

Happy early birthday....

2010-01-10T20:49:00.003-06:00

Faith! I can't believe you are going to be 8 years old in 9 days!! Crazy! I remember when you were born, I remember babysitting you, and I remember coming over every day after school just so I could see you! I love you!!

Thank you Angie for inviting me to come paint with you guys. I had fun! Faith was really surprised! Her face was priceless when we walked into Corinos and Grandma and Pee Paw were sitting there. She was so excited!

Drake and Kera had a great time celebrating your 8th birthday!

Oh and you really really loved your Hannah Montana game Grandma bought you!

I love you my beautiful niece. I look forward to celebrating many more birthdays with you!

Pee Paw's box of toys

2010-01-09T21:47:00.003-06:00

Today we went to Grandma and Pee Paw's house to do some laundry and eat dinner. If you are wondering why we had to go do laundry, well when we got our new washer the guys couldn't install it because the hose was corroded to the water pipe. We were supposed to call a plumber or someone to come fix it. However, we never did. Shame on us, because a couple of days ago we walked in our laundry room with water on the floor. It leaked. So our washer is out of commission until we get a plumber out!

Every time we go to see Pee Paw and Grandma they have a box of toys...Pee Paws old toys. Kera and Drake love digging through the box and looking at all of those weird toys. They can play with them for hours, which they did today.

This guys pants fall down!

Construction trucks, cars, trucks, tubes...

Even the Energizer bunny!

And toys that I have no idea what they are!

Drake and Kera have a hoot exploring all of these odd toys - Thanks Pee Paw!

Oh and Grandma thank you for their first hot chocolates! Drake didn't drink his, but Kera sure did love it!

What was I thinking?

2010-01-08T12:00:00.003-06:00

It is cold this morning! Lastnight I put some chocolate chip pumpkin muffins from the freezer into the refrigerator to defrost overnight. Usually we eat them just a tad heated, like 10 seconds. This morning it was super cold, so I thought we would have a warmer breakfast.

I decided to heat the muffins up for 40 seconds. What was I thinking?

I am not sure what I was thinking. Messy babies, chocolate under the nails... that is always fun trying to get out!

While they were eating their messy pumpkin muffin, I read this book.

Another cute book! :)

- Edited to add that I just looked at the pictures on my blog, and noticed both books are by the same author :). I guess I probably like her since they are both cute books. I am going to have to see what else she has written.

H is for Hat

2010-01-07T21:39:00.002-06:00

This morning while the three of us ate breakfast, I read this book.

I actually think we checked that book out at the library a few times, not knowing all this time that we owned it. :) It is a very cute book.

After breakfast Drake and Kera played for about an hour, and then I brought out the flash cards. Their favorite is D for Dog which they pick up and say "Dah- woo woo". Sometimes they will say Dog. Their next favorite would have to be H for Hat. I asked them a few times when all the cards were spread across the floor "where is the hat?"

They would pick up the hat flash card, and put it on top of their heads :). We don't wear hats, but they sure know what a hat is.

Something I don't have a picture for, but I wish I did... this morning I changed Keras diaper first. Drakes crib is attached to the changing table. So Kera had a dirty diaper, and Drake stood beside the changing table and he said "ewww" and plugged his nose and said "sssstee" (stinky) :) It was really cute!

Another post...

2010-01-06T19:16:00.004-06:00

Another post without pictures. Last night I felt like crud and barley got any sleep. I ran a fever and my whole left side of my face from my skull to my throat hurt super bad. I am feeling a little better, and no more temperature, Yay! Anyways, I was super lazy today being so tired, and feeling crappy I didn't pick up my camera.

However, I did have craft time with the kids. I said "Color time" they ran from the living room to their play room. They pushed the stools out from underneath their craft desk. Kera needed help to sit on top of her stool, Drake did not. They love coloring, especially Drake. Kera would drop one of her many crayons and say "Uh oh". I like when she says that :).

After color time I took clorox wipes to clean up the crayon marks all over the desk (mostly on Keras side). I had the clorox wipes on the top shelf on the desk. Drake took it upon himself to climb on Keras stool, stand up and reach for the clorox wipes! He also tried putting his leg over Keras crib this afternoon while changing Keras diaper! Oh boy, I hope he doesn't figure out how to climb out of his crib any time soon!

Well that's it for today. Hopefully tomorrow I'll have pictures to share!

Pictures

2010-01-05T21:11:00.003-06:00

I hate writing blogs without pictures. I didn't take any today so this post will have to be picture less.

I just wanted to write a few things down before I forget. At the end of this year I want to make a book for the kids out of my blog! I am sure they will love knowing the cute things they have done these past couple of days.

Yesterday: I saw Kera had her top fang teeth popping out. She's been pretty cranky yesterday and today so I think that is why. Poor baby. I put her on the couch with me yesterday morning and she sat like a big girl at the end of the couch. Every time Drake came by she would hold out her hands and do her "come here" motion. He would come to Kera and Kera gave him big hugs around his neck and laid her head on his head. It was the sweetest. She did this about ten times! I love seeing them like that, it brought tears to my eyes! They love each other so much.

Today: I basically cooked all day from nap time to bed time. I made chili and while that cooked I boiled chicken, made home made cream of chicken soup, cooked spaghetti noodles, made a double bag of chicken tetrazinni and a king ranch chicken casserole. All of which went into the freezer. During breakfast time this morning Drake would grab Keras hand and they would hold hands and gibber jabber.This afternoon they were drinking their water cups, and drake made a mess with his water so I took it away. They got their little broom and mop from their cleaning set and tried to clean it up! :) During dinner time Drake dropped his cup and Kera said "Uh Oh". Last but not least during bath time tonight they were doing the motions of the song Head, shoulders, knees and toes. They totally missed their shoulders and their face parts.

Texan fans

2010-01-04T00:03:00.002-06:00

Today Dane and I were up in our bed screamin' and hollaring for the Texans! They kicked butt! It was such a great game, that I couldn't breath for a few minutes there, and I thought I was going to have a heart attack!

A few weeks ago we went to Target, and I of course looked through the kids clearance racks. I scored 3 tank tops for Kera this summer for $1.98ea, and two Texan jerseys for $8 and change. Originally $17 something. This is a side note, but why do they have tank tops on clearance in winter?? I am not complaining or anything, but geez - crazy! They had a lot of little boy shorts on clearance too. However, we stocked up on Drakes shorts with the last Old Navy take an additional 50% off clearance sales event.

Anyways, back to my story. This past Friday Dane took the kids to get his glasses, and his watch resized at Kohls. He took it upon himself to look for Texans jerseys although the night before I reminded him of our goals this year, and to save as much money as possible to get out of as much debt as possible by this time next year. He came home with two Texan jerseys for us! I was very mad at first. He has wanted one for a little while - not very long at all. I couldn't be too mad when the price tag said $16 and some change. 70% off, they were originally $60 ea!

So we all put on our Texan jerseys this morning and rooted for those Texans. I am so bummed that they didn't make it to the play offs, but I look forward to the four of us getting dressed in our jerseys next football season.

As you probably know I had grand plans to have another baking freezer day today. Um, well that didn't happen! I did make the breakfast burritos. We had those for dinner, and I just rolled the rest of them up and put them in the freezer. :)

I guess the dinners will have to wait for another night. Or, I could just make one or two and stick those in the freezer, and make the rest fresh! :) That sounds like a better plan. Although more days than not, I am completely lazy and don't want to make dinner. For those nights... we have frozen pizza! :)

Freezer Baking day 1

2010-01-03T02:26:00.003-06:00

Can I just say that my husband is the sweetest... when he wants to be. :) He went grocery shopping with me though he didn't want to. We got home he carried in all of the groceries while I started dinner. After dinner he gave the babies their bath. Then we put them to bed. Then he said he would help me with my freezer baking day one. I wanted to make all of the breakfasts and desserts tonight. That way I would only have the dinners tomorrow.

Well my plan was to make 3 batches of These delicious pumpkin pancakes! However, I bought a big can of pumpkin puree, and Dane offered to make them. He wanted to make 5 batches, but ended up making 10 batches!!!

That is right, he had to use my HUGE pot for the batter!! Do you see the line... it was almost to the tippy top!

He is the pancake MASTER ;)

Steamin' hot pancakes. These are so delicious, if you like pumpkin!! YUM! With melted butter and maple syrup... GULP!

If you are wondering how long it took to make 10 batches, well it took about an hour and a half :)

While he ran to Walmart AGAIN to get more flour, cinnamon, and garlic powder I made This banana bread! I think I cooked it a little too long. I'll have to write that on my recipe that I printed out. The middle is still good, the crust is just a little... done.

While the pancakes were cooking Dane helped me out a lot! He peeled apples while I cored and chopped and mixed apples and seasonings for this apple pie! He also made the dough for it :)

I made these pumpkin pie chocolate chip muffins. It is kind of hard when I only have one muffin pan. This is the year of being frugal, so it will have to work. Unless... :)

Dane also made chocolate chip cookies while I bagged everything up!

He also made these, but we ended up throwing them away - they look great, but tasted too floury.

After I finished packing up everything, I put together the marinated Italian Chicken, and BBQ chicken. We washed dishes as we went, and Dane finished up the last dishes!

Did I already mention how sweet he is when he wants to be?

Here it is on the table and then in the freezer.

A lot of pancakes... No?

Oh and look - just enough pumpkin puree to make 3 more batches of the pumpkin pancakes!

Tomorrow I still have to make all of the dinners, blue berry muffins, and breakfast burritos! Then we will have a stocked freezer! Woo it is a lot of work. This took us about three hours!

Beautiful Art

2010-01-02T12:35:00.002-06:00

This morning Drake and Kera made use of the big Christmas present Grandma (Grammie) & PeePaw got them! They LOVED this table!! They colored for about 45 minutes and I'll show you what they did when daddy took the colors and paper away :).

And this is what they did when craft time was over...

Finished products:

I am very happy that they love this table! It is much better than an art easle that we were going to get them! It grows with them so it will last a long time! I made a schedule for myself and the babies when daddy goes back to work. It incorporates 3 story times, craft time, outside play (weather permitting), and music time! I hope our new schedule works out well!

Oh and Kera has a new phrase "Goo Gah!" translation: Good Job!!

Woo hoo it is 2010!

2010-01-01T00:10:00.000-06:00

I already feel accomplished. My husband and I changed my blog layout, and my name - although it is still melissaschillingphotography.blogspot.com! WOW! That is super long! I doubt I actually get into photography as in a career for a little while at least. So this has turned into my family blog! I just wanted to say that the picture in the header was not taken by me. It was taken by My sweet SIL! She does awesome work, and I am often inspired by her photos.

I am so excited about my new blog layout - I can now upload medium sized pictures instead of small ones :).

I hope everyone had a fabulous New Year!

Goodbye 2009!

2009-12-31T21:22:00.000-06:00

Goodbye 2009, Hello 2010!
This year has gone by incredibly fast. I think I wrote that last year ;). It seems like just a couple of weeks ago I wrote this blog Goodbye 2008...! Drake and Kera were just beginning to sit up, and talk. Well they have came a long way in a year. They still don't talk that much. However, they walk, run, throw fits, eat regular food that isn't cut up into tiny little pieces, they drink whole milk, water, sometimes juice. They play well together, they understand things, they give each other hugs and kisses - which melts my heart. Last year I was planning their first birthday, and here it is in four months they will be 2!

Today we went to the zoo to celebrate. Last year they wouldn't need their buddy as we call them. We bought their buddy to let them explore. We try to hold their hands first, and quickly that goes down hill and they want to run away. Well with their buddy attached to their back they don't get too far. We had a great day, they love exploring the zoo. Even if it is just the grass, or the trees... or the birds we could see at home. We didn't see too many animals, but the ones we did see they loved.

They loved the tunnel in the middle of the fish!

After an hour or so of walking on their own. They got tired and Daddy held them both for a little while :). Unfortunately, I was loosing daylight, so I didn't get a lot of pictures.

Last year I believe I blogged about my new years resolutions. I think I have done pretty good about blogging. I want to continue that, though it's not really a New Years resolution. I do however want to change the title, unfortunately I can't change the blog address. I just think I should have continued on with my Schilling family blog. Oh well. :)

My New Years resolution this year is to be money savvy.
Use coupons, shop clearance racks, and put this to use...

Our new deep freezer. I plan on having one cooking day a month to fill this up with meals so we don't eat out as much! All the money I hope to save this year will be my New Years resolution... Get out of as much debt as possible!

I look forward to 2010, I especially look forward to Steamboat Springs next December!!

Grammie and Pee Paw's!!

2009-12-27T22:17:00.000-06:00

Really it is Grandma and Pee Paw but I really love the name Grammie. I think it is cute :).

The four of us had Grand plans for today. We woke up, got dressed. We were going to go to Walmart, then go out to eat, and then head to the zoo. By time we were done eating at I-hop the kids were exhausted. So we decided to let them take their afternoon nap. We never made it to the zoo. Instead we went to my moms and Pee Paw's house for a visit. Drake really loves his Pee Paw! Pee Paw has this little truck that has two little motorcycles in the back. Drake got one of the motorcycles out and carried it around. Zooming it on top of his head (like a goofball).

After visiting for a little while we went to Iguana Joe's and ate dinner. Kera had the worst attitude. As my mom says "She is getting closer to 2". I am so not ready for the 'terrible twos' if this is what it entails.

You can see the attitude here!

Christmas!!

2009-12-25T23:09:00.000-06:00

Merry Christmas!

Dane and I celebrated our Christmas together on Christmas eve. I think we'll exchange our gifts to one another and make it a tradition from now on. It was great, quiet, simple, and sweet. That way we can focus on our children on Christmas morning.

I am not sure if we should have started our Christmas eve tradition this year. We had a LOT of time to waste. I woke up at 9:30 and woke Dane up. We got the cameras ready and headed in to wish the babies a "Merry Christmas" while we changed their diapers. After that they ran down the hall and seen the coupe cars that Santa left!! They loved them right off of the bat! So much so they were playing with them for about 15 minutes and we had the camcorder going and going and going... I am sure that is one boring video. Dane put the coupe cars in their playroom so just maybe we could get them to open some presents! NOPE, they headed straight to their play kitchen. They played and played and played.... and PLAYED. Finally we got all the presents opened!!! Did I say finally?? It took a long time! Regardless, it was fun!

After presents daddy made waffles. After I ate, Kera was still eating so I thought I could paint her toe nails. Boy was I wrong. She cried and cried and cried. So I painted them quickly and figured I could clean them up with a q-tip later. Hahahha, she cried during that too! However, she sure was prancing around and looking at them later! Maybe she'll come around sooner or later so I can paint her toe nails :).

They played for a little while longer. Then we laid them to take a nap. I cooked, Dane played WOW, what else. I sure wanted a nap, but that did not happen. By time everything was said and done, it was time to get the kids up and head to Grandma and Pee Paw's house. We had a great time and yummy food!! I took pictures and spent some time with my beautiful nieces, and we played a couple of hands of Monopoly deal (I love that game).

I can't believe my kids second Christmas has already came and gone! Sad! I hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas!!

Sugar Cookies

2009-12-23T16:25:00.000-06:00

Last week Dane and I bought two rolls of sugar cookie dough. This week they were all gone. Well... technically they were all gone like two days after we bought them :). So yesterday while grocery shopping we picked up some more sugar cookie dough and made Christmas cookies with Drake and Kera. After they got up from their nap, they ate peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Then Dane fixed them a plate with two frosted cookies and put some sprinkles in the middle. Daddy and I showed them how to sprinkle the cookies with the sprinkles. Drake immediately picked up the cookie and started eating it. While Kera started to sprinkle her cookie with the sprinkles. :) They were very cute and very messy after all said and done.

Breakfast

2009-12-16T15:53:00.000-06:00

Yes, the breakfast table shots are back :)

Drake and Kera are extremely goofy now a days at the breakfast table. Their new thing is to copy eachother. So if Drake is drinking his milk with no hands, well Kera has to do it! If Kera shakes her milk everywhere to make a big mess, Drake has to do it. If Drake eats his cheerios and drinks his milk ... with his tongue... Kera has to do it! It's very goofy at home, but I can only hope they won't try to eat like a puppy in public.

It is fun to play...

2009-12-15T14:58:00.001-06:00

In the fall leaves in the back yard :). We had a great time although at first I was underestimating how cold it was. So I ran to get their jackets, and then we had fun.

They loved the leaves so much. They would pick them up, Kera would share her leaves with her brother. They would try to eat them, and even pine cones. They would tare the leaves into little bitty pieces. :)

I don't take them outside enough, and I should really. They really enjoy it. So from now on as long as the weather is cooperating, we will make that a part of our daily schedule. I should have done that a long time ago :(.

Yo Gabba Gabba

2009-12-13T16:47:00.000-06:00

My children LOVE Yo Gabba Gabba. We've had a busy couple of days and Dane and I were exhausted. Though he could have taken a nap while I was out to Bingo as the kids slept. He chose to play a computer game instead. Anyways when I came home the kids woke up we ate lunch then decided to watch Yo gabba gabba. Dane was already laying down, so I snuggled up with him. Then we both fell asleep!!!!!! NEVER watch Yo Gabba Gabba if you are exhausted. I arms had fallen asleep and I woke up uncomfortable, I looked at Dane he was asleep. I popped up to sit on the couch and as I stood up who did I see? Two little monsters sitting in the corner by the front door with a box of tissue EMPTY... the tissue was ALL.OVER.THE.FLOOR! :) It was kind of funny. As Dane told them "NO No No", I said "WAIT, let me get my camera". So I took some pictures. We let them play in the hundreds of sheets of tissue - or what it seemed. So again, I tell the parents out there, NEVER watch Yo Gabba Gabba while exhausted.

Steamboat Springs, CO

2009-12-12T21:47:00.000-06:00

We got this ornament on our honeymoon in 2006. I cried when it was time to come home! I so did not want to leave Steamboat. I love that place so incredibly much. Thanks to my great Aunt Debbie and Uncle Marv we get to see it again 4 years later :) in December 2010!!! I can't wait to take our kids there. They loved the little bit of snow that fell here in TX last week, so I can only imagine what they are going to do in a lot of snow! We are going there with most of my husbands side of the family. His brothers, their wives, and kids, his dad and wife, and of course Aunt Debbie and Uncle Marv. It will be great being all together in a beautiful place. Besides we can get another ornament for the kids... I hope :)

Tomorrow is the day... hopefully!

2009-12-10T09:47:00.000-06:00

So my new camera is supposed to come in tomorrow. However, it requires a signature. If the UPS guys timing is anything like it was the day before yesterday when he delivered a telescope that we have already gotten, then we will be at Drake and Kera's doctor appointment. ::Sigh:: If tomorrow is the day, then I'll be having pictures tomorrow or maybe Saturday if it gets here at 8 (they've been that late before). If Saturday is the day then I don't know what I'll do. We have so much stuff going on Saturday. We have family pictures with my lovely SIL, then I am going to Bingo with a friend, and tomorrow night Dane will be going to a star party. So maybe Sunday! AHH... regardless pictures are coming with my new Nikon. It is so weird saying that. I am so used to Canon!!

Sigh...

2009-12-06T20:00:00.000-06:00

I have no clue what is wrong with my camera, but we are sending it off to get it fixed. It worked well last night and for a few moments this morning. I took it to the inlaws but didn't take any pictures. Then when we came home, yeah, it did it again. Good thing it is under warranty. Now it is Dane's job to send it off :) because he bought me a new camera for an early Christmas present. We went to best buy so I could test drive them out it was between the Canon 50D or the Nikon D90. I wanted a Nikon D90 to begin with when looking for a camera. However, Dane told me to stick with a Canon because at that time he had his 20D that way we could share lenses, etc. So I went with the Canon Xsi. Today we ordered a Nikon D90, hopefully it will be better and not cause problems. Now my Canon Xsi and all my lenses *tear* are handed down to Dane. Now it will be a little more even when we have our photography photo challenge dates. I'll also have a back up... haha but that would kind of be backwards using two different brands! Eh well. I can't wait to get it in a week. Pictures will have to wait since I won't have a camera unless of course I use Dane's point and shoot.

Snow.

2009-12-04T22:07:00.000-06:00

I am so happy we got snow today! As I walked past their door this morning I heard them giggling. I opened it and there they were looking outside and laughing. It was adorable. They are definitely our kids, they love the winter weather as much as we do! We played in it two times today and the rest of the day lounged around in our long johns!

Crazy.Hair!

2009-12-03T22:43:00.000-06:00

This topic really only pertains to Kera since Drake doesn't have any hair... still. He is well on his way to getting a head full or redish blond hair though - no worries. This morning I gave Drake and Kera a bagel with strawberry cream cheese. One of their favorites. I was just watching the sun shine on their faces, and I thought Kera looked super cute with her hair all messy. I ran to my room to get my camera and took a few pictures. They make my heart sing.

Thanksgiving 09 Cont.

2009-11-28T04:06:00.001-06:00

I just wanted to post a few more pictures from yesterdays feast. Can I just say it is great to have just the four of us, because I can cook, clean, and eat in my Pajamas. The most important thing there is eat. If I were hosting, or going out, I would be wearing jeans. Jeans do NOT have an elastic waist line like my pajama pants :).

Thanksgiving 09

2009-11-26T20:13:00.001-06:00

This year we just had the four of us. However, we cooked enough for an army it seems. This year it was my first year to cook a turkey, among a lot of other traditional Thanksgiving dishes. I enjoyed cooking everything for our family, with my husbands help of course. We had a great Thanksgiving, it was rather relaxing. I even got a nap in thanks to my wonderful hubby!

It's cold

2009-11-21T20:54:00.000-06:00

Today as we were heading to the zoo, it kept raining and raining. So a last minute decision took us an hour or so away to Galveston Aquarium - Moody Gardens. The first go around we left the stroller in the van, and the kids got to run crazy in the aquarium. After a few screaming fits we decided to get the stroller pronto! So we got the stroller, and walked around out side for a bit. It was cold. My mom had mentioned a few days ago Texas didn't get cold enough for the mittens we bought, but today mom ... :D it was cold enough for mittens. Hehe. I love the cold weather, I would love to move to Colorado ONE day. ::Sigh::

Picnic

2009-11-18T22:13:00.000-06:00

Today I decided to take the kids out in the back yard for a picnic. It was such a beautiful day outside today, sunny high 60's. Simply gorgeous. We had chicken nuggets and animal crackers. Not really healthy but eh well. They looked so cute sitting at the picnic table eating their food, and drinking their ice water. After lunch, we took a couple strolls down the slide, and ran around the yard, were mosquitoes attacked us! Gah, I can't wait until it gets super cold for them to die! They are soooo bad this year! I hate mosquitoes!

Festival of Lights

2009-11-15T21:41:00.000-06:00

Yesterday our plans were to go to the zoo for a free day (thanks membership), but the zoo closes at 6, and our kids didn't wake up from their nap until 4:30! So instead we decided to drive an hour or so away to the festival of lights. We had a great time!! I love watching Drake and Kera experiencing new things. Yesterday they had their first marshmallow, as Dane and I made smores. YUM! It makes me want to go camping! After the festival of lights we went to Mario's flying Pizza. Drake and Kera were super cute playing peek a boo w/ the cloth napkins. Drake wrapped it around his shoulders and held tight under his chin and used it as a cape as well. I wish I didn't leave my camera out in the car. It was super cute. I LOVE my children soooooo incredibly much!

Date night

2009-11-07T12:45:00.000-06:00

Dane and I went on a date night last night. It was pretty fun. We went to feast w/ the beast, but I probably would not go again. It was extremely crowded, and un-organized. We did get to try some fancy dishes though, some that I was not a fan of. I felt bad for tossing them in the trash. I think my favorite was lasagna from Maggiano's Little Italy. YUM. My least favorite was a dish from Cafe Express. YUK! I don't even know what all was in this little pie, but it was not good. There was also another dish - I don' remember where from but it tasted like peanut dip. Blech. I like peanuts a lot. However, I am not such a fan of peanuts that tasted like they were mushed up in someone elses mouth and spit out on your plate. You're welcome for the visual. The band was great :) We were in the front row. My ears still hurt today, but it was fun.

Potty part 2

2009-11-05T13:58:00.000-06:00

That's right I am going to post another potty picture :). Sorry, I know it's weird, but like I stated yesterday I am a very proud mommy!

Drake went pee pee in his potty today! I am so proud of him!!

Potty

2009-11-04T21:46:00.000-06:00

This morning Drake and Kera were sitting on the couch watching the Price is Right with me, and playing. Daddy put the cushions on the floor last night, and kept them that way. They really like sitting up there, and then Kera likes to just fall face forward and be a dare devil.

Drake woke up first from his nap. He already had his diaper off, so I decided to get his potty out of the closet and put it in the hall since he was already naked. He sat there for a few seconds than wanted to get up. I brought the potty in the bathroom, and showed him how mommy went on the big potty. So I sat him on the big potty. He sat there for a few seconds holding on to me, and nothing. So I took him to the kitchen and made his lunch. Then I went to go wake up Kera, she was still sleeping. I decided to bring her potty in the room, and try the same thing. She sat there, pointed to the clothes basket. She moved her PJ's out of the way (I draped them over the side of the chair, she pushed them off towards the back). Then I heard her peeing! I looked down and sure enough she peed. I was so proud of her. I gave her lots of kisses and told her "Look Kera you pee pee'd in the potty, what a big girl, mommy is so proud of you". I gave her hugs and kisses and kept saying "you did it, you pee pee'd in the potty!!". I don't think she understood, but I was excited. So yes, I took a picture of it. And yes it may be kind of weird... or maybe really weird :) but I am a very proud mommy!!

I am going to put their little pottys in their room. So every time we do a diaper change, we will sit them on there while they are already naked. Hopefully they catch on fast, that would be awesome. If not oh well, I am just so excited about today!

Photography Club

2009-11-02T21:20:00.000-06:00

I went to my first photography club meeting tonight with my SIL. Here is the picture I submitted. I took this picture at the little pumpkin patch they had at the zoo. I really liked how this pumpkin was different from all of the others in the bunch.

Halloween

2009-11-01T01:10:00.000-05:00

We had a great Halloween! After breakfast this morning we went to the zoo boo! All 4 of us had a great time :). After the zoo boo we came home and we all took about an hour nap. After the nap we ate lunch, and then played for a little while. We then decided to go to mall-0-ween, and Casa Ole. The kids loved being dressed up and walking around :). We must have heard a thousand times "awwwww look how cutttttttttte" "Are they twins?" "Oh my goodness how adorable!" :) I like hearing all the compliments. They did look rather cute and adorable, but they always do :D.

Hot air balloon festival

2009-10-24T23:33:00.000-05:00

Today we went to the Hot air balloon festival. It was such a beautiful day outside! It was also Drake and Kera's first experience with Kettle corn. They devoured it!

Finger Paint

2009-10-22T12:24:00.000-05:00

We finger painted our pumpkins this year.

Miss A

2009-10-21T17:05:00.000-05:00

I got to finally take some pictures of my new niece yesterday! She is so pretty. This was my first photo shoot other than photographing my own children. Thanks for having us over Mommy A, and thank you for looking after my two crazy children while I took some pictures :).

Pumpkin patch!

2009-10-21T02:02:00.000-05:00

It is so crazy how much a child grows in one year....(remember you can click pics to make them larger).

Kera one year ago...
Kera today...
Drake one year ago....
Drake today...

Sweet

2009-10-17T23:29:00.001-05:00

Today we went to PeePaw & Grandma's house. Here are a couple of pictures from today. It is sweet how much Kera loves her Daddy.

Cuties

2009-10-16T15:16:00.001-05:00

That is what my babies are! Cuties!!

Daddy is home...

2009-10-14T19:02:00.000-05:00

Daddy is home, which means Kera clings to him. She loves her daddy!! Drake, Kera, and Daddy are watching the movie Cars while I do laundry and watch America's Next Top Model.

busy weekend

2009-10-11T23:03:00.000-05:00

Woah, we had a busy weekend. Well actually the last two weekends have been extremely busy. I think we will be busy for the rest of October.

Here are a couple of pictures that my husband took today with his camera. We went to visit Grandpa Ken, Dede, Aunt Debbie, Uncle Marv, Uncle Deran, and Paw today. Kera was extremely cranky, she didn't get a nap yesterday or today. Well cat naps like literally 10-15 minutes. However, that is nothing when they are used to 3 hour naps a day.

Zoo members

2009-10-10T23:48:00.001-05:00

We are officially zoo members. Yay! Today marked the first day we went to the zoo as zoo members. So much fun. I love spending time with my family! Here are a couple of pictures from our day... more on Facebook.

Birthday wishes...

2009-10-09T13:48:00.000-05:00

Yesterday was hubby's 26th birthday.

Finger paint for Daddy

2009-10-08T22:24:00.001-05:00

My friend Brittney got the children some paint for their first birthday. I got brave and decided to make a present for daddy, which also happened to be Drake and Kera's first art project (besides coloring). It was fun, not so fun after it was over and mean ole' mommy took the paints away. Kera cried and cried and cried... or more like screamed.

Here is the finished product... his b-day present...