The Hutchins Family

Christmas 2011

2012-01-23T20:18:00.000-08:00

I'm still trying to catch up on blogging, so here's a few photos from the Christmas holidays. This year was pleasantly low key and relaxing....we went to my Dad's a few days before Christmas to see the family, then to my mom's for Christmas Eve, then our house Christmas morning and Dickey and Pam's for Christmas day. I know that doesn't sound relaxing, but it actually was! We scaled it down quite a bit for the kids this year which was nice....they still got more toys than they know what to do with though! The kids had a break from Pre-K for 2 weeks...I totally enjoyed having them home all the time. It made me realize how little time I have before they go to kindergarten...I am soooo not ready for it:(

Kevin surprised me with a new camera a few days before Christmas (I still haven't really figured out how to work it though), here are some pics in random order...unfortunately I had the camera on the wrong setting at my dad's house so all the pictures I took were a huge blur. Be sure to check out the recipe blog....trying to catch up on that tonight too!

Zoo Fun with Friends

2012-01-07T18:48:00.000-08:00

I'm trying to catch up on my holiday blogging so I thought I would start with our fun zoo trip we took the day before Christmas Eve. Hannah and Hunter's friends Jackson and Jessica (also twins) and their mom Judy invited us for a fun day at the Houston zoo, and the kids all had a blast...so did the moms. Our favorite part of the day was watching the elephants...we walked up to see the one of the baby elephants playing with the big male elephant. The little one kept nudging the big one, I guess wanting it to play (or trying to make him mad) and the big male ended up rolling around on the ground and making a scene. It was pretty entertaining, especially when the zookeeper came to see and told us they haven't seen the big male down on the ground in a long time...he weighed something like 10, 000 tons!

Jackson, Hannah, Hunter, Jessica

crawling through the aquarium tube

elephants putting on a show

Christmas is really almost here?

2011-12-19T22:15:00.000-08:00

Wow, I really can't believe that Christmas is less than a week away....this year has gone by way too fast! We've been busy with recital, school parties and plays, and office parties these last few weeks so I am looking forward to things settling down the next few weeks. I'm almost done shopping and the majority of the gifts are wrapped and ready. The kids have no school the next two weeks, so I'm looking forward to spending more time with them at home instead of shuttling them back and forth so much. I have been on a crazy baking streak the last few weeks (which you will see if I ever get around to catching up on my recipe blog), so our kitchen has been a wreck...but at least it's fun. We started doing Elf on the Shelf right after Thanksgiving. Hannah named the elf Johnny, and Johnny flies to the north pole every night. We've been pretty creative with his hiding places, but sometimes will forget to hide him before bed. Kevin told me last night he woke up at 4:30 because he remembered he forgot to hide the darn thing. I had hoped this little elf would help curb some bad behavior that has been cropping up, but it really hasn't. Hunter has actually reminded me a few times when I'm doing something wrong that "Johnny is watching you". Gotta love that. I have to say though, it has been quite fun and the kids love trying to find him each morning. Here's some pics of this month...in random order.

office Christmas party in the limo....the limo had a blowout on the way back...whew that was a long, but fun, night!

Happy Birthday Jesus cake I made for the kids Christmas party at school...will be posting the marshmallow fondant recipe soon

decorating the tree

Happy Birthday Jesus Christmas Play at school...Hannah was a birthday party child...Hunter was a shepherd and had a speaking part. His one line was "Wow, that's great news" (about the Savior being born)...and he rocked it! I was so proud of both of them.

Hunter got to carry a staff...which he thought was really cool

And believe it or not, they actually took Santa pictures this year. Last year we didn't even make it inside Santa's hut...they were kicking and screaming so we decided it wasn't worth it. This year they jumped right up on his lap and told him what they wanted. Wow, what a difference a year can make!

Katy and I took the kids to the Christmas parade in downtown Conroe this year....I love parades...so do the kids:)

Vanity Makeover -DIY

2011-12-12T14:40:00.000-08:00

I decided to post this little diy project to the blog because I'm still quite amazed at how well it turned out...I love the idea of making old furniture new but I don't necessarily like all the work that's involved in it:) I haven't really had a place to do my makeup, ever, since we moved into our house...so when Pam offered to give me her old vanity I took her right up on it. This vanity originally had a thick shiny varnish on it, so my main concern was getting the paint to stick to it. I'm trying to mesh my bedroom and bathroom together with a yellow and white theme, and found some cool fabric that went well with everything...so I decided to recover my old bathroom stool too. For whatever crazy reason, I decided to do all of this a few days before we had Thanksgiving at our house....maybe it kept me motivated to get it finished. It was all worth it, and actually really fun...not to mention cheap! Thank you Pam!

this was before...shiny varnish with brass hardware

old bathroom stool

after sanding ALL of the varnish off and removing hardware

after priming...used an oil based primer

stool recovered with new fabric...still want to spray the legs white

finished product with replaced drawer hardware

used a latex based white on white paint

Hannah's Christmas Dance Recital

2011-12-05T14:57:00.000-08:00

Hannah had her very first dance recital this past Saturday at Conroe High School...it was one of those moments I have dreamed about ever since she was a baby, and it was so much fun. It was really crazy to me knowing that she was dancing on the same stage that I danced on so many years ago. She and the other girls in her class did awesome and were adorable...I honestly don't think Hannah fully grasped what a recital was until she saw the big stage. I had a flashback of her first dance class when she clung to my leg and wouldn't go into the classroom by herself, so it was a huge step for her just to walk out on that stage by herself and I am so proud of her. One of the older girls in the dance company took her under her wing when we first got there and held her hand and helped her throughout the whole night...I honestly don't know if she would have gotten through the night without that sweet little girl. I think the whole thing really brought a lot of the shyness out of her!

getting ready for the show

Hannah and Avery

hanging out with the older girls

big girls and little girls

Adalee, Hannah, and Avery posing in their tutu's

proud mama

running around before the show

Avery, Hannah, and Adalee -ballet routine...you can see the shock on Hannah's face

tap routine

showing off her roses from Gammy and Pa paw

finale

all tuckered out

Bass Fishing on the "Beach"

2011-11-27T21:38:00.000-08:00

The last several weekends we have been going down to the boat ramp in our neighborhood and walking down along the lakeshore line, doing a little fishing and letting the kids run around and have fun. For those that don't know how dry Lake Conroe is, it's dry...really dry. Pretty much all the beautiful houses in our neighborhood that were once lakefront property are now beachfront. It's so weird to look around and see land and islands everywhere in places that were always under water before. I will be so happy when we can get a ton of rain to fill it back up again, but for now.....we are going to enjoy our newfound "beach". Kevin and I have been fishing, while the kids run around picking up all the clams that have was onshore and throwing them back in the water. It's really pretty fun, despite the unfortunate conditions. Might as well make the best of things, right?

Pumpkins, parties, and ponies....lots of them!

2011-11-07T22:07:00.000-08:00

Well, I've once again gotten behind on blogging. October is one of my favorite months and it was a busy one! There's something about Halloween, pumpkins, and good weather that makes me so happy! The kids got to go to several of their friends birthday parties this past month, and we also got to catch up with our old friends Monica and Doug. I will try to recap all of the festivities we've had....in no particular order! You will have to scroll down, there are several separate posts!

Adalee's Cowgirl Birthday

2011-11-07T21:45:00.000-08:00

Miss Adalee turned 3 the day before Halloween and had a cowgirl themed birthday party this past weekend. She had a petting zoo, pony rides, and of course a pinata. Everything was decorated really cute....the kids all had cowboy/cowgirl hats and sherriff badges, and had a ton of fun running around the ranch. I can't believe how big all the kids are getting, where has the time gone??

Halloween

2011-11-07T21:19:00.000-08:00

Couldn't pass up this photo opportunity at our local Kroger's!

This year for Halloween Hunter was superman, and Hannah was a princess. We went over to Keith and Jana's house for dinner and trick or treating and the kids had a lot of fun and loaded up on candy of course.

Kevin was Matt Schaueb, with an afro. Actually he was just wearing a Texans jersey and when he heard his brother was wearing an afro, he wanted to wear one too. We just happened to have an extra afro laying around the house:)

Kaitlyn was Dora, and Brady was Boots! Keith and Jana dressed up as Dora's parents, I can't remember their names because we don't usually watch Dora, but it was really funny.

Kenneth and Kara's 3rd Birthday

2011-11-07T21:04:00.000-08:00

Hannah and Hunter's friends Kenneth and Kara turned 3 years old and had a mickey mouse party the day before Halloween. Hannah and Hunter love these twins, and they always have fun playing with them. The highlight of the party was pin the tail on the clown and the pinata of course, and of course the yummy barbeque!

Visit from The Boram's

2011-11-07T20:38:00.000-08:00

Our friends Monica and Doug, and their precious son Bryce were able to come stay the weekend with us a few weeks ago. It was their first time to visit our neck of the woods since Bryce was born, so it was fun catching up and seeing the kids play together. We went to a pumpkin patch for pictures, and spent the rest of the time just hanging out. I miss these guys so much, and Hannah and Hunter loved being able to see Bryce...who is one of the sweetest kids I've ever been around!

Brindee's Farm Party

2011-11-07T19:59:00.000-08:00

My friend Bridget's little girl Brindee turned two years old last month and she had an awesome farm themed party. They had the party at Old McDonald's Farm in Humble and we had so much fun. Kevin had to work that day, so it was just me and the kids. It was such a neat place, they had all kinds of animals, pony rides, playgrouds, and trainrides. They gave each child a small bag of food to feed the animals. We stayed there for hours, and were completely exhausted by the time we left....it will definitely rank high on my list as a memorable day with the kids. And, I was in a picture taking mood that day I guess, because there's lots of them!

the baby goats were their favorite

one of many pony rides for Hunter

this is Hannah trying not to smile....I'm standing on the side of the arena yelling like a crazy person for her to smile for the camera. She does this sometimes, and it cracks me up...she tries soooo hard not to crack a smile

this one cracks me up....I noticed after I took the picture that both the guys are texting on their phones....I wonder if they are texting each other?

Brindee's farm cupcakes...I wish I'd gotten a better picture because they were so cute, all surrounded by a picket fence!

look at her eyeing that cake, she's thinking how good that looks!

and here she goes!

can you tell he's having fun?

they gave each child a ticket to pick out a pumpkin at the pumpkin patch on their way out

Pioneer Woman's pretty cool

2011-10-02T22:20:00.000-07:00

I discovered a new show on food network a few weeks ago about Ree Drummond, aka, the Pioneer Woman. After one episode, I knew I was hooked. I've visited her blog a few times when checking out a recipe I've heard someone talk about, but never really took the time to look through it...aka blog stalk it. I have to say her recipes and their way of life is pretty amazing. She's got a kinda quirky, dry sense of humor that I love. Watching her show and reading her blog made me want to move off to the country and live on a ranch. I told Kevin that...it didn't go over so well. I don't think he's quite ready to throw on some chaps and become a wrangler yet. So for now, I will just cook all of her mouthwatering recipes, and pretend like I'm on a ranch while I'm doing it. Seriously, if you haven't checked out her show or her blog you should. It will make you happy...she's one cool chic in my book! I also came across a few other great food blogs that I will be copy catting this week, so check it out!

Hunter's 1st hunt

2011-10-02T21:43:00.000-07:00

Kevin and his Dad took Hunter dove hunting last weekend, this was his first experience at hunting, and he loved it. I didn't know what he would think about the birds, but Kevin said he really got into it by helping them find them and putting them in the bags. I could tell he had so much fun doing this, and I was so glad that he got a little one on one time with Kevin and his Dad. Hopefully this will be the first of many trips! I sent my camera along with Kevin and told him to take lots of pictures....he actually did a great job capturing the hunt. Hannah and I took advantage of having a "just girls" day and went shopping, then came home and made homemade malted chocolate chip cookies. Then, we put our jammies on and watched Tangled while eating way too many cookies. If you want a great chocolate chip cookie recipe, visit my recipe blog next! I'm posting a bunch of new recipes and these cookies were amazing!

can you tell this little boy is excited?

can you tell these big boys are excited?

hunter asleep on the way there, he wouldn't take the hat off

"See mom, when I'm with Daddy I get to eat cheese puffs"

I love this picture

um, I don't think this is very effective

he looks like he's done something wrong here

nope, just being silly

showing off their catch

one proud papaw

one proud daddy

Deep Talks

2011-09-19T21:25:00.000-07:00

Earlier this evening as I was busy cooking and attempting to clean my counters off, I looked over to see Hunter sitting on the bench of our dining room table. Of course I knew I was about to get a "hey momma" question about something....Hunter is all about asking questions about everything these days. He surprised me when he asked if I know "stuff" about God. That got my attention, so I joined him at the table, along with Hannah now, and asked him what he wanted to know. He of course asked if we have Jesus in our hearts. He's been talking about having Jesus in your heart for a few months now. I'm assuming it's from school and church. They do daily devotionals and chapel at school now, so I'm sure they are teaching them more and more things. I answered him the same way I always do with saying "yes, I have Jesus in my heart, and so does daddy. Do you have Jesus in your heart?" Both of their replies were "Yes! Jesus is in our hearts"

Typically the conversation would have ended here and I would have continued cleaning and they would have continued playing but, I kept it going for a little while. See, I just finished reading the book Heaven is for Real the night before. It is an awesome book, if you haven't read it, get it. It's about a little boy who has a near death experience and experienced what it was like to be in heaven. True story. It's the kind of book that makes you really think about stuff you don't normally think about, and I thought it was so weird that Hunter randomly came and asked me if I "know stuff about God" right after I read this book. So I decided to take the opportunity to see what they already know and what they wanted to know. It was harder than I thought it would be to explain things to them in 4 year old terms, but here's a recap of how it went....Hunter and Hannah actually did a lot of the explaining to me.

Hunter: Does God love us a lot? (this was his first question)

Me: Yes, he loves us more than anyone does...he loved us so much that he gave up his only son to die for our sins (haven't ever used the word die with them yet)

Hunter: Jesus?

Me: Yep

Hunter: So God is Jesus's daddy?

Me: Yep, and do you know where they live?

Hannah: Heaven! (Pointing to the sky)

Hannah: and our teachers say that Jesus wants us to love each other,and not fight or hit

Hunter: or kick in the face (not sure where that came from, maybe somebody got kicked at school)

Hannah: and Jesus wants us to listen to our mommies and daddies and teachers and be respectful

Me: that's right

Hunter: and God wants us to be happy and heals people who are sick?

Me: Yep, that's why we pray for people who are sick or sad so that God will help them

Hannah: Because God answers our prayers?

Me: that's right....do you want to pray for anyone that needs Gods help now?

Hannah: I want to pray for Jaxson and Skylar at school to stop being bad and not listening

Hunter: and for Ryder to stop being mean and for him to share

Me: Ummm, ok. We can pray for them to be nice, to share, and to listen

* Hunter prayed this prayer for us*

Me: Is there anyone else that's sick or needs healing you can think to pray for?

Hannah: Like paw paw Leveritt? That he feels better? (they still hadn't grasped the fact that he passed away and is no longer here. This is the only funeral that they've been old enough to ask questions about and we just told them he went to be with Jesus...I knew they didn't really understand it though)

Me: Well, paw paw leveritt isn't here on earth anymore, remember he passed away. But he had Jesus in his heart so he is in Heaven now. I could tell they got it now, because they both thought about it for a second.

Hunter: Well, how's Grandma Leveritt doing?

Me: She's doing fine now, she probably misses paw paw though

Hunter: Well, we can pray for Grandma Leveritt that she doesn't get lonely (this brought tears to my eyes)

Me: Good idea

*Hannah prayed this one, and we also prayed for grandma Kim's back to get better*

After we finished praying, I asked if there was anything or anyone else they wanted to pray about. To this Hunter scrunched up his face and replied:

"no momma, I think that's enough talkin to Jesus for today"

WORD FOR WORD....then went about playing with his toys

I sat there still not believing we had such an impromptu meaningful conversation...totally unexpected. I was so glad I had taken the few extra minutes with them because it made me realize how much they take in at such an early age, and how innocent and impressionable they are. I hope I explained at least some of the things the right way, I'm sure we will have plenty of opportunities in the future, but it makes me feel so good to know that they've already grasped some of the most important things we need to know about God's love. As a parent, I can't think of anything more important than that.

Dancin'

2011-09-07T19:50:00.001-07:00

Well, I just finished watching the most disturbing show on lifetime called "dance moms", and unfortunately it reminded me that I forgot to post pictures of Hannah's first dance class! I will come back to this show in a second, but here's a few pics of Hannah first class. She has been asking to do ballet forever and we found out about a new studio opening up in Conroe so we decided to try it out. Adalee is doing the same class with her, so that makes it even more fun! They did a "try it out" class a few weeks ago and started their first real class last week. The "try it out" class went great....Hannah did awesome and wasn't shy at all. They didn't have the block out shades on the doors at that point, so Katy and I got to hover by the door and take pictures. Last week, the door was shut and shades were up (we can see in, but they can't see out). Hannah did great the first half of ballet, but when she came to get her tap shoes from me she had a meltdown because she couldn't see me and didn't want the door to be shut. I think it was the combo of being tired and the fact that Hunter was sitting with me in the hallway. I guess they are not really used to being separated. It broke my heart because she was pretty upset, but she finally agreed to go back in and finished the class. I was proud of her for that, and I'm optimistic that maybe it was just a one time separation anxiety kinda thing. Their next class is tomorrow, so I hope it goes better.

Here's a couple of the cutest dancers making silly faces...

About this show called dance moms. I came across it on lifetime and wish I hadn't....don't watch it, it will make you sick to your stomach. It's about this "prestigious" dance studio that follows the life of the little girls and their moms. All I can say is that the dance teacher is crazy and so are the mothers. It was one of the worst examples of parenting I've ever seen....talk about all the wrong ways to build up and tear down a child's self esteem. These poor children are spoken to inappropriately and are worked way too hard for their age, and the worst part about it is that the moms just let it happen. I understand that if you are seriously pursuing dance or something of the nature, you have to have a strong work ethic and put a lot of time into it....but these are KIDS! Watching the show was almost like watching a train wreck, it was so bad, but yet I couldn't turn it off. It amazed me that people are really like that I guess.

Whew! I know that was a "heavy" subject compared to my usual posts, but I guess it struck a chord with me and I felt passionate about it. For a second it made me question whether or not it was something I wanted her to get involved in, and then I remembered....she's 4. Bottom line is I want my kids to enjoy "just being kids" and do whatever makes them the happiest. Something tells me that this is going to make Hannah pretty happy....

4th Birthday Party

2011-09-01T20:09:00.000-07:00

In case you haven't heard, Hannah and Hunter turned 4 this past Saturday. Kevin's dad asked them how they felt to be 4 years old, and Hannah's reply was "No Papaw, we are almost 5 now". What a way to think ahead, huh? We celebrated with a hawaiian luau party and a bouncy house. And yes, it was about 105 degrees that day. We had promised the kids a bouncy house for several months, so we had to follow through with it. As far as the heat it actually wasn't too bad. Kevin set up misters on the back patio and we kept the kids well hydrated while they played, luckily everyone survived! The pinata was the biggest hit with the kids I think, they really had a blast. Every year I say I'm going to keep it simple for their party, but each year one thing leads to another and it turns out to be bigger than expected. Same thing goes for this year. It was a lot of work, but I really enjoyed it, and I know they did too. We found the kids two lightly used powerwheels online, and after getting new batteries, they were good as new. They loved them. Hannah still hasn't quite figured out how to steer, but Hunter is a little daredevil. If I could figure out how to post a video, I would show you. Here are some pics of the party...they are in total random order, but hope you enjoy!

1st Week of Pre-K

2011-08-29T23:04:00.000-07:00

Well, I'm trying to stay true to my word and not get too far behind on my posts. This past week was a crazy week. The kids started pre-k last monday, had their birthday party at the house Saturday, tried to recover from the birthday party Sunday, and Kevin's birthday is.... today. Whew, I'm looking forward to this week slowing down a little!

Their first week in pre-k could not have gone better. We absolutely love their new teacher "Ms. Cissy". The kids (especially Hannah) tend to be a little shy and reserved at first around new people, so when I found out she was going to be their teacher I was thrilled. She's known Hannah and Hunter since they started going there when they were about 6 months old, so being familiar with her makes them feel a lot more comfortable. They are obsessed with the fact that they have backpacks now and want to carry them everywhere. Of course we had to model them before we left for school the first day.

Hannah's new backpack

Hunters new backpack

a few silly faces

picture with proud mom....I crouched down to get to their level, and they crouched down right beside me for some reason, in case you are wondering why we are ALL crouching down in front of the refrigerator...funny

We also discovered that they will have homework due each week on Friday. Their first homework assignment was an "All About Me" poster. If you look closely, you can see their responses. They both chose Chick-fil-A as their favorite places, hunter wishes he could sing, and hannah wishes she could go to ballet everyday. They were very proud of these, and they get to hang them on the wall outside their classroom!

Friday they were able to celebrate their birthday at school. I brought chocolate covered oreo cake balls, and they got birthday crowns to wear all day. Here's a picture of the birthday boy and girl with Ms. Cissy.

More to come:-birthday party pics
-top 10 favorites about hannah and hunter

Prek Preps

2011-08-21T21:22:00.000-07:00

Well, tomorrow Hannah and Hunter will start pre-k. I can not believe they are almost 4. It seems like just yesterday we were bringing them home from the hospital, and now we are getting school supplies and backpacks. Seems so surreal to me. I have made a big deal out of them going to "real school", when in all actuality they will still be at the same school, and not too much will change other than their teacher, who we are super excited about, and the fact that they will be going everyday now. I'm so excited for them because I know it will be so good for them and know how much fun they will have, but I'm sad at the same time because I know this is part of the end of their "toddlerhood". On to a new chapter in our lives I suppose. Today they stuffed their backpacks full of their supplies and modeled them for me so I could take pictures, they were two proud kiddos. I will try to be good and post pictures of their 1st day tomorrow. I hope it goes well.....

Nothing makes me happier.....

2011-07-23T21:22:00.000-07:00

.....than a really clean house! Well, there are other things that make me just as happy, but having a clean and organized house is right up there at the top of my list. This morning I got up planning to do some light cleaning and laundry, that notion quickly was thrown out about halfway into cleaning our masterbath. I ended up doing an impromptu deep cleaning of the entire house. Top....to bottom. I think my caffiene and ocd traits had taken over me, because I just kept going, and going, and going. I can't remember the last time I detailed each room, not only cleaning but organizing and getting rid of junk that we had acquired throughout the year.

Along with the cleaning, I also managed to go through all the kids toys (upstairs and downstairs), sorting through all the ones to sell in the garale sale (that we are never going to really have), and chunking the random toys that they never play with. Lord, those kids can accumulate some stuff!
As I was cleaning I found myself bringing all their downstairs toys up to their bedrooms and playroom. Hopefully this will entice them to play more upstairs and in their rooms....hence we can actually have our living room back to normal. Also, after noticing what bad shape the couch was in, I established a new rule. FOOD AND DRINKS ARE ALLOWED ONLY IN THE KITCHEN AND DINING ROOM. Kevin and I are still allowed to eat in the living room, after the kids go to bed.....so they just won't know about it. We will see how long that rule lasts.....

After I just didn't think I could move another muscle, Kevin got home from work and we decided to wash my car in the driveway. Hannah and Hunter think this is the COOLEST thing in the world, and what better way to let them get their energy out. They had spent all day inside, watching way too much tv, and trying to find things to do while I cleaned, so this was the perfect thing for them to do! Days like today remind me how much I truly LOVE having twins. These kids are seriously best friends and keep each other entertained all the time.

In case you're wondering....when we came outside to wash the car Kevin had trapped a GIGANTIC GRASSHOPPER in the kids bug farm. This thing totally freaked me out, it was huge!!! Kevin swears it was just a grasshopper, but I'm not so sure. I made him let it go in our neighbors yard. This picture doesn't even give the full effect to how gigantic this thing was

And here's the carwashers

Kevin cooling off

hard at work

he looks so big to me in this picture

Kevin would kink the water hose so the water would stop and them wait for them to get close to it and let it go.....they thought this was hilarious

Here's Hannah waiting...

wish you could hear her cackle as she laughed

And of course a popsicle was a must for all our hard work

I told them to make funny faces

Man, I love these kids!

****A special thank you to the two red-bulls that kept me going strong all day long, and to the 3 Advil I just took...they should be kicking in any minute now I hope*****

Summertime Pics

2011-07-06T19:04:00.000-07:00

Summertime has been awesome so far this year, despite the heat! We've spent a lot of time at our neighborhood pool (the kids love their floaties now), and have been eating way too many sno-cones. I've been working 3-4 days a week lately, so I'm trying to take advantage of my days with the kids and keep them busy. Right now the kids favorite thing to do is go to the pool, and go to the library. We discovered that our library has a great toddler time with different performances for the kids, and Hannah and Hunter love it. I let them each check out two books each time we go, and they think it's so cool. We go back tomorrow, so I'll try to sneak some pics. Here are some random pics from our summer so far....

Kaitlyn's 3 Year B-Day Party....back in May!

Playing their pool version of ring around the rosey with their pool friends

Hannah....laying out like Mommy

Hunter had to do the same

Kevin conspired with Katy to throw me a surprise 30th birthday party! He told me we were going to drop the kids off at Pam and Dickey's for the night and go out to eat and to a movie. When we pulled up to their house all of my friends and family were waiting in the front yard....I really was totally surprised by it, Kevin did really good. I was so busy talking and mingling, I didn't get a ton of pictures, but here's a few of the kids.....they definitely had fun!

The Big 30

2011-06-23T20:48:00.000-07:00

Well today I turned 30. To be honest, I have had a hard time with this birthday. It kind of makes me feel like I'm getting old, which I haven't really ever felt like before. I've started looking closer in the mirror and noticing things I hadn't noticed before....girls, you know what I mean. Everyone keeps telling me that 30 is the new 20, so I'm going to gonna go with that! I ended up having a wonderful ordinary Thursday with the kids. We went to the library this morning for a puppet show and to check out books, then to eat lunch with Kevin. Kevin surprised me with a new cell phone, which I desperately needed. I've had an ancient flip phone forever, and for anyone who texts me, they know it takes me hours! I had a little bit of a meltdown because I couldn't figure out how to use the darn thing, but I'm getting better now. After lunch I went to the chiropractor (with kids in tow) for an adjustment. I go every few months now, and after a bunch of cracking and popping, I felt awesome. Then we went to visit my mother for birthday cake and ice cream. Oh, and did I mention I've been to two different Targets today? Once with the kids, and once without. Now that's my kind of day. Thank you to all of my friends who have been so uplifting to me about this birthday, you are all so sweet and kind. I had a wonderful day!

Girls and Boys Days

2011-06-06T19:29:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago we decided to have an all boys day for Hunter and an all girls day for Hannah. Kevin and his Dad took Hunter fishing on the boat for the first time. Hunter was beyond excited and according to Kevin he caught one fish all by himself and reeled in all 20 fish that they caught. It melts my heart to know that this was just the first of many fishing trips for them. This little boy loves his Daddy and wants to be just like him. He looks so grown up to me in this picture...

Pam and I took Hannah to the movies to see Rio, which was awesome, and then to get a pedicure. They paint kiddos nails for $4. We had a lot of fun, but she wasn't thrilled to be left out of the fishing trip...she loves her Daddy too. The pedicure made up for it though...she picked a flower design and loved it. Sweet girl.

Bouncin' and Sliding

2011-05-09T19:19:00.000-07:00

I had an awesome Mother's Day weekend...Saturday morning Kevin let me sleep in and cooked a huge breakfast for us. Then he took the kids off to run "errands", so I slept some more, which is totally unlike me to do...if you know me well! They returned with cards, flowers, and chocolate covered strawberries....so sweet. We started off yesterday with an amazing church service, which was really neat because Francesca Batestelli was our guest vocalist. She is one of my favorite christian artists, and has some amazing songs out right now....so that was a special treat for me. After church we headed over to Keith and Jana's to let the kids play on Kaitlyn's new water slide/bouncin' house. Let me just say this thing was awesome! When he told us about it, I was picturing something much smaller. Not so. This thing was huge! The kids loved it, I think that was the most fun Hannah and Hunter have had all year....it's all they talked about today. I definitely think we will be spending a lot of time over there this summer!

My little project....fresh herbs

2011-05-09T18:56:00.000-07:00

This was my little project last weekend...I've been wanting to start a little herb garden for a while now. I had some a few years ago and let them fry in the sun because I didn't water them enough, so this time I am vowing to do better. I've got a ton of recipes I want to use that call for fresh herbs, and I'm sick of having to buy them at the store all the time. First off, they are expensive. Secondly, I always let them go bad before I get to use them. I'm hoping this will be a good investment for us...they were about $3 dollars a piece at Lowes, so you can't beat that. Another perk....they smell amazing! I know I'm a dork for being excited about these, but I don't care:) So far I have rosemary, dill, basil, cilantro, oregano, mint, and italian parsley!

I had to include these pics just because I thought they were cute. We had dinner with my Dad and Kim afterwards and then went for ice cream at Marble Slab....can you tell the kids were having a good time?

Easter 2011

2011-05-02T21:27:00.001-07:00

We had a nice Easter last weekend, it was a wonderful reminder of what Christ did for us.....I know the kids don't fully comprehend the meaning of Easter, but they are beginning to understand more and more, and it is neat for me see them taking everything thing in. The kids got Easter baskets with goodies from all their grandparents which they loved. We kept it pretty low key this year...did a little Easter egg dying the day before, had breakfast together Easter morning, then off to an amazing church service, then to Kevin's parents for lunch and to let the kids hunt Easter eggs. Here are some pics:)

dying eggs (totally forgot how to do this)

Kaitlyn showing off her glasses from Gammy

more glasses...

showing off their new hula-hoops

Pam getting creative with the hula-hoops.....she'll get me for this

hunting eggs

showing off his loot....he didn't kid around this year, he was an egg hunting master

confetti egg cracking on Kevin's head...so fun!

he must have had a hard head...

swinging at the pinata that Uncle Mark brought

no comment on this one:)

family shot...minus Brady, he was napping

This was the highlight of the kids day I think....catching goldfish that Papa got them. They had so much fun doing this, maybe I should just get a bucket of goldfish to keep on hand....poor goldfish though:(

Katy's 30th Bday Party

2011-05-02T12:07:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday before Easter we help host a party for Katy's 30th birthday. We had a great time celebrating and got to see a lot of friends we haven't seen in a long time....and had crawfish! Here's some pics of the party...in random order:)

Katy and James

Hunter passed out on dads lap (after the party was over)

Hannah and Maya

amazing texas chocolate sheet cake and cookie cake

Katy and Adalee

Ashley, Jenny, Katy, and me

me and Hilary

Lauren, me, Hannah, and Lundy

A sweet little surprise....

2011-04-18T21:38:00.000-07:00

Can you tell what this is?? It's one of our fern baskets we had hanging on the front porch. Kevin was outside doing yardwork yesterday and decided to take them down because they were all dying. Little did we know there was a tiny surprise inside this one....

Look closer....here's the nest there had to have been 4 or 5 of these cute little birds in the nest,
two of them flew off while we were hovering over the top looking in (yes, I jumped about 10 feet) look....how sweet is this?

they didn't know what to think.....pretty cool

Bluebonnets and Sad news

2011-04-10T22:23:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we took the kids to Montgomery to take pictures in the bluebonnet fields. I got a little picture crazy, as you can tell, but we had fun doing it. I hate that these beautiful flowers will be gone before you know it! Most of the time Hannah kept blowing kisses to the camera, and Hunter kept chasing an elusive yellow butterfly....poor thing he was so determined to catch it but wasn't fast enough....poor butterfly too, having to be chased around by a three year old!

On a sad note, we found out this weekend that Kevin's Grandpa Leveritt has an aggressive form of cancer throughout his body. He went in for a gallbladder surgery, but the doctors unexpectedly discovered the cancer. I feel fortunate that we just got to see them a few weeks ago and were able to have a good visit with them. His Grandpa is one of the sweetest men I have ever met, and I always enjoy listening to his stories and experiences. I pray that God will heal him and keep him free from pain and suffering. I know in this sad time that the Lord will be the rock for his family, and above all I pray for God's Will to be done.

LOTS OF POSTS...

2011-03-13T23:31:00.001-07:00

I'm pulling a late nighter tonight and catching up on some old posts, so be sure to scroll down to see more pictures.....there are four more below!

Special Visitors

2011-03-13T23:21:00.001-07:00

This weekend we were fortunate enough to get to see Kevin's Grandma and Grandpa Leveritt, and his Aunt Sharon and Uncle Larry aka to Hunter as "hilarryious uncle larry".

KEVIN WON A BOAT!

2011-03-13T23:11:00.000-07:00

Just in case anyone has been out of the loop and didn't know...Kevin fished in the big bass tournament on Lake Conroe last weekend, and ended up winning a brand new 2011 Nitron bass boat! To say the least, we are excited....those type of things don't ever happen to us, so it was totally unexpected! We are still waiting on all the paper work to pick it up, but Kevin is pretty ecstatic about it! Will post some more pictures after we get it home!

GO TEXAN PARADE & TUTTI FRUTTI

2011-03-13T22:54:00.001-07:00

A few weekends ago we went with Katy, Adalee, and Mason to the Go Texan parade in downtown Conroe, which turned out to be really fun. After that we decided to try out the new frozen yogurt place in town, Tutti Frutti. It's self serve, you pick all your flavors/combos/toppings, ect., so it was a little overwhelming, but really cool. Can you tell Hunter liked it?

this was in front of tutti frutti...Hannah just planted herself down on this rock and told Hunter to sit down so I could take their picture....I've got her well trained I guess!

Hannah perfecting the parade wave

Valentines Day

2011-03-13T22:40:00.001-07:00

Figured I'd put a few Valentine Day pics on here...even though they're a month late! We spent our Valentines Day this year at the mall on a playdate with Kenneth, Kara, and Debbie. Then we spent the rest of the day making cupcakes....fun stuff!

Can you tell they are about to totally outgrow their stroller? I think we are really pushing the max weight limit, but oh well. The only place I still need a stroller is the mall, so we'll just see how long it can last us! And yes....Hunter's teeth are blue in this picture. He just got his haircut and finished off a blue coconut dum-dum:)

Best Weekend Ever

2011-02-13T20:20:00.000-08:00

Here's how it started.......

Friday the kids and I met up with my good friend Bridget, her daughter Brindee, Bridget's sister Kasey, and her twin girls Riley and Reagan.....yep it was quite a troop of kiddos. We went to the Woodlands children's musuem, where all the kids had a blast, then over to Chick Fila for a yummy lunch, then across the street for some mindless wandering at Target......gotta love that! I had a lot of fun catching up with my friends and seeing how much fun the kids were having. Before we left the museum one of Kasey's twins ran up to her looking exhausted, and told her mom she was tired because she "was having way too much fun". That made me laugh, too funny!

fishing

playin' dress up

checking out at the grocery store

Here's where it gets even better.........

Friday night as were were getting into bed, Kevin offered to let me sleep late on Saturday morning.That alone would be enough of a gift for me, since my idea of sleeping in just doesn't happen anymore, but it gets better............

Kevin took the kids out first thing in the morning to get breakfast for everyone. Then, I was awakened a few hours later to 3 smiling faces, a dozen beautiful pink roses, hand-made valentine day cards, and last but not least, a perfectly perfect PANDORA bracelet that has Hunter, Hannah, and Kevins initials on the charms. I got a little emotional because I was totally surprised......he did really good!

And then.....

Feeling like a happy girl we all got dressed to go see the Sesame Street Live Concert in downtown Houston. I have been so excited about this, because I knew how much the kids would love it. We kept what we were doing a surprise right until we walked into the area and they saw Sesame Street stuff everywhere! They ABSOLUTELY loved it!! And I'm not ashamed to admit it, I was pretty entertained myself!

After we got back from the concert, I met my sister in law Jana for a coffee and a movie.....we saw Black Swan......very weird, that's all I can say about it

Is there anything better than:

1) getting to sleep late (when I NEVER do)

2)getting gifts and flowers from your kids and hubby

3)seeing your kids be so happy (at the concert) & knowing they just created a great memory

4)getting to have much needed girl time and see a really good movie

*somebody pinch me...I shouldn't be this happy*

Today was the PERFECT way to end the weekend. We literally spent 95% of our day OUTSIDE, because it was such amazing weather! We got yard work done, house work done, and all sorts of other little things around the house. Keith and Jana, Kaitlyn and Brady all came over to hang out and let the kids play. We let the kids help us make home made pizzas, then roasted smores out on the fire pit. I cherish days like these when we can just all hang out with the people we love and have good times doing it! I thank Kevin for making this weekend so fun for me and the kids, I'm definitely a lucky girl.

LIFE IS GOOD

Two really proud kids

2011-01-31T18:47:00.000-08:00

We've had a ton of rainy days lately that have kept us mostly indoors, so I've found myself constantly searching for creative ways to keep two 3 year olds entertained. I have felt for a while lately that we've needed some structure on the days that we are at home...most of the time we are either running around town doing errands, or aimlessly finding things to do during the day at home. A few weeks ago I started doing "letters of the day" and having "school time" in the mornings. It's been going really well so far, they seem really receptive to it and we are all the way to "J" now. I honestly feel silly doing it, because I don't really know if I'm doing the right things, but it makes me feel like we have something stable we do everyday, and they have gotten really into it. I've definitely noticed it has sparked a new interest in art and crafts for Hunter...maybe he will take after his Daddy and be artistic. This morning they each wrote their WHOLE name ALL by themselves, and they were SO proud! I helped them with the spelling b/c for some reason Hannah swears that she has a "Y" in her name, but it was a big accomplishment for them to write it, and they were so happy. Honestly, I used to dread rainy days that kept us cooped up inside all day, but for some reason lately I have found myself truly enjoying them. I think it has something to do with these two unbelievably sweet kiddos....

it's hard to see the letters in this picture...and this was his idea of "little letters"

still working on keeping the letters "close" but it's still a masterpiece

Little unexpected surprises...

2011-01-03T17:38:00.000-08:00

You know the feeling when you find an unexpected $10 in your pocket that you forgot about?

A little unexpected happiness that you didn't see coming?

That's kind of how I felt last night when I discovered that The Bachelor premiere is coming on tonight. I guess I've been out of touch with t.v. the last few weeks so I was pleasantly surprised to know that it was starting back up again. Life's little pleasures. Is it bad that just knowing it was coming on motivated me to get through the day with a more positive attitude?

About to put the kids to bed, and indulge myself.....

whoops...typo

2010-12-29T18:22:00.000-08:00

I just realized that I spelled galoshes wrong...I even spell checked it because I wasn't sure and it told me goulashes....as in the food. Actually, now that I think of it, goulash sounds kind of yummy:)

Christmas Pictures

2010-12-27T23:39:00.001-08:00

Here are all of the Christmas pictures I took over the weekend....I think they are somewhat in order.....

group shot of all my Dads grandchildren (minus James and Josh)

Hannah and Grandma Johnson...she loves her grandmaKevin playing santa claus

Hunter's new goulashes from Aunt Diane/Uncle Steve

Hannah's new goulashes

watercolors from their stockings on Christmas Eve morning

movies with Gammy Christmas Eve

Hunter and Hannah in front of WAY too much stuff on Christmas Eve

picking out Santa's cookies

after "santa" came

Santa's note he left for the kids

Hunter, Pa pa, and Kaitlyn

Brady...I think giving the Longhorn sign...look how cool this little cutie's hair is

eating ice cream cones after bribing them to sing Christmas carols

Vegas Trip

2010-12-27T23:24:00.000-08:00

Here's a few pics from my continuing ed trip in Vegas....lots of fun!

the best part about coming home.....so sweet!

December 2010

2010-12-27T21:45:00.000-08:00

Wow, December has been a busy month for us and I can't believe that its almost over already! The beginning of December I went on a trip to Las Vegas with some of the people at my office for a continuing education course. It was my first time to go to Vegas, and my first time to be away from Kevin and the kids for that long. I had a great time seeing all the sights, hotels, and casinos. We got to see a few good shows, and I even gambled a little bit just to say I did it. I discovered that gambling is something I just don't enjoy, but I was perfectly happy just people watching and taking in all the craziness of the city. By the last day though, I was really looking forward to being home and seeing the kids...it was harder than I thought it would be to be away from them. We had an amazing Christmas weekend, and are looking forward to a relaxing New Year's weekend with nothing much to do. We were able to see lots of family and friends and the kids, as usual, ended up with lots of new toys and new things to entertain themselves with! This year the kids actually grasped the true meaning of Christmas a little more than they had before.....they knew for sure that Christmas day was Jesus' birthday, and asked me for probably 2 weeks straight if it was his birthday yet.

Santa Claus unfortunately is a totally different story. For the last two years the kids have been scared of Santa Claus, last year their picture looked like he was torturing them, they were both wailing and screaming....poor things. This year I really talked Santa up, and as soon as they put the giant Christmas tree up at the outlet mall where we usually visit Santa, the kids had been talking non-stop about going to see Santa and what they were going to tell him they wanted for Christmas. Hannah's list for Santa was short and sweet: a mermaid, a rubber ducky, and a princess. Hunter's list for Santa was just about as random: a bird, an astronaut (BUZZ from Toy Story), a Woody (from toy story), and a spiderman. I'm not really sure where they came up with half the stuff they wanted but they were consistent and never wavered. Everyday we passed the giant Christmas tree on our way home, they asked when they got to see Santa Claus to tell him what they wanted. Well, last week we finally got them dressed up in their Christmas gear and headed down to pay Santa a visit. We actually just made it past the door when they saw him and both of them literally started clinging to us for life. It didn't help that there were 2 girls Hannah and Hunter's age that wee already sitting in his lap screaming and crying. So, for a full 5 minutes we tried to reason with two 3 year olds, as the big man in the red suit stared at us seemingly unenthusiastically . Finally we made the call that it just wasn't going to happen. There is no point traumatizing them, and possibly even poor Santa (our kids are pretty strong when it comes to kicking and screaming), and didn't really want to waste the $25 on a memory like that. Needless to say I was pretty bummed b/c I wanted a Santa picture every year for the kids to have, but what can you do? I can only hope next year will be better......

The Thursday before Christmas we celebrated early with my Dad and Kim. Both my brothers, who I don't get to see often, and their kiddos were there. We had a good time socializing and the kids got to open up a few of their gifts. Friday, Christmas Eve, Kevin had to work so Pam and I took Hannah and Hunter to the movie theater for the first time. We saw Yogi Bear, and the kids loved it. I had wanted to take them for a long time, but was too scared to by myself b/c I wasn't sure if they would sit still through the whole thing. I sneaked their juice boxes in and got them each their own little bags of popcorn, and they were all set. I was amazed at how well they did, and can't wait to go again it was so much fun! Later Christmas Eve night, my mother came over to eat dinner and open up gifts. The kids and I had made cookies earlier that day to leave out for Santa Claus. They picked out which cookies they wanted to leave him, and asked how he was going to get in our house if we don't have a chimney. We told them he would probably come through the back door. Hunter, of course, wanted to know what time Santa would be at our house. After all their questions were fulfilled we tucked them into bed and told them when they wake up in the morning that Santa Claus will have probably already come and left presents. As I'm walking out of Hannah's room about to shut the door she whispers "mommy, I don't want Santa sneaking in our house tonight". Seriously? I told her that she wouldn't even know that he had been here, and she finally went to sleep probably a little uncertain of things. Honestly, the more I thought of it from a kid's perspective, I think I would be a little scared if someone told me that a big old man dressed up in a red suit was going to, for better words, "sneak in" to our house in the middle of the night. Guess I never really thought about it that way.......

All was well Christmas morning when the kids woke up to see Santa had dropped by and brought lots of presents. He also left them a note along side the half-eaten cookie plate, which they thought was so cool. Pam and Dickey came over to see the kids open their presents and eat breakfast, then we went back over to their house that afternoon for Christmas lunch with the rest of Kevin's family. The kids gifts from us (santa) this year was a lego/train table for Hunter, and a little vanity set for Hannah. They also each got a v-tech mobigo, which has proved to be AWESOME so far. I let them take it into Krogers yesterday, and it was the most peaceful, quiet grocery trip I have ever had. Thank you to whoever invented these things! I'm going to do a few separate post of pictures, because there are so many of them, so keep reading!

Hope everyone had a merry Christmas and has a wonderful and blessed New Year's!

Babies, babies, and more babies!

2010-12-05T22:38:00.000-08:00

Well, I've definitely gotten my "baby fix" in recently with the arrival of three adorable little babies. I had kind of forgotten what it was like to hold such little ones, and it certainly brought back some sweet memories.

First up, Baby Bryce. Bryce is actually about 4 1/2 months old now, and is absolutely adorable. This little boy is truly a testimony that miracles do happen, and that our God is so good. I made the trip up to Roundrock and got to see him for the first time a few weeks ago. I had such a good time catching up with my good friend Monica and her husband Doug,and it was my first time to see their house since they moved a few years ago. I also got to see our friends Jaime and Larissa, and their baby Maya, who moved from Willis to Austin last year. It was really a fun trip, and a special visit for me.

Me, Monica, and Bryce

proud Dad Doug

Larissa and Maya

Next up, is Keith and Jana's little boy Brady. Brady is only a few weeks old, and is also precious. We got the chance to visit with Jana, Kaitlyn, and Brady last night and he is one of the best babies I've ever been around. He somehow managed to sleep through all of the crazy noise that Hannah, Hunter, and Kaitlyn made....

look at that hair...how cute is that?

Two very eager and excited 3 year olds...they were actually being very gentle...just doesn't look like it here

Kaitlyn, Hannah, and Hunter playing dress up...man, those kids can have some fun

Brady after he finally woke up....

this is what he thought about all the craziness

And last, is one of my best friend Jennifer's little baby boy Collin. Collin is about 5 weeks old, and is once again....adorable! We drove to Houston today to see Jennifer, her husband Tim, and the baby and somehow I managed to not take a picture! I guess we were too busy eating, and talking that I totally forgot to get one. I'm bummed about that, because he is super cute. Hopefully we will see them again soon, and I will post one!

I'm so happy to have met each one of these little guys, they are all blessings. I have a feeling that Hannah will be re-naming all of her babies tomorrow. She is really into her baby dolls and taking care of them right now, and I can tell she has been taking in every little detail....

Halloween Weekend 2010

2010-11-14T21:34:00.000-08:00

Once again, I'm playing a little catch up with this blog. I've been trying to force myself to have better sleeping habits lately...not as many all-nighters...tonight doesn't count though.

We had an awesome Halloween this year, the kids really got into dressing up in their costumes and got to go trick or treating for the first time. We still have candy in both of their pumpkins in our pantry that I have been slowly getting rid of by sneaking way too much for myself when no one is looking! Friday night we carved pumpkins...just little mini-ones this year (so much less mess)! Saturday morning we got up and made pumpkin shaped sugar cookies, then headed off to Adalee's 2nd birthday party which was a blast. Sunday the kids got dressed up and we headed over to Keith and Jana's house for trick or treating. This was their first time to actually go door to door, Hannah and Kaitlyn were totally into it...Hunter was a little skeptical after walking past a little boy wearing a scary "scream mask". I probably would have been scared if I didn't know what it was either. I was beyond proud of myself that I spent very little on Halloween stuff this year. If anyone remembers I had gotten Hunter an Elmo costume on consignment last year for like 4 bucks. Let's just say he totally freaked out when we tried to put it on him, so we had to resort to plan b...a makeshift farmer. This year he LOVED it....wore it the WHOLE night. Man, what a difference a year can make for a kid. Hannah was a lady bug...I couldn't resist it when I saw it at Cracker Barrel...so cute!

pumpkin carving

cookie making
*you will see this smile appear several times, I'm not sure where or when he started doing this but this is his new "cheese" smile for the camera

yep...here it is again

all dressed up and ready to go

just a little touch of lip gloss....she thought she was SO cool

a little touch of blush

ready to go trick or treating

Cinderella Kaitlyn

at the end of a long night...guess Hunter thought they were sour

Pumpkin Patches and Ponies

2010-10-26T21:28:00.001-07:00

Last weekend I took the kids to the fall festival/pumpkin patch at Keith and Jana's church in The Woodlands. Kevin had to work, so Pam went along to help with the kids and we had a lot of fun! We tried, and tried to get a good picture with all 3 kids (Hunter, Kaitlyn, and Hannah) looking at the camera at the same time, but just accepted that was never going to happen. I got a lot of cute pics, though most of them are of us being blinded by the sun...it was surprisingly bright and sunny that day!

so sweet, I love this one

This is Hunter and Hannah's first pony rides. I flat out couldn't believe that Hunter got right onto that pony, he's usually scared of stuff like that. The pony ride was short and sweet, all of about 30 seconds, by the time he got back around to realize what he'd done, he was so excited!

Uncle Keith and Hunter

Uncle Keith and Kaitlyn

Hannah on her favorite pony (b/c the saddle was pink)

Sneaky, Sneaky....

2010-10-25T23:10:00.000-07:00

The other day the kids were sitting at the table eating their lunch while I was across the kitchen folding clothes and doing laundry. I could see them from where I was, but not close enough to see exactly what they were up to. Evidently there was some sneaky business going on at that table. I kept hearing them giggle back and forth, totally cracking up laughing. I think I heard the word accident, so I figured one of them had dropped some food on the floor....no biggie, we'll just clean it up later. Then Hunter stood up in his chair and announced to me that he was "really full, and needed a good job sticker". I knew something was off when he asks for the sticker (I've tried to bribe them a few times to eat certain things with little happy face stickers- which usually could care less about). I walked over to look at his plate, and sure enough, he'd eaten all of his food...not a crumb on the plate, so I gave him a sticker.

Mr. Sneaky a.k.a Hunter

A few minutes later, as I was wiping off the table and their booster chairs, I happened to notice something down one of the side hole of Hunter's booster chair (this TINY hole is where the tray table originally went into, which we no longer use)

Upon further inspection, I find that shoved through that tiny hole was the remains of Hunter's lunch that he had been so proud of eating that he wanted a sticker for it....
Let's see, it looks like his entire sandwich and 1/2 of his baby carrots were just hiding out!

**Note to self: Periodically check underneath booster seats to see what surprise awaits me

Finally a swingset

2010-10-15T12:13:00.000-07:00

So, we've made some major changes at our "casa" the last few weeks...and I am soooo happy! We just finished adding on a covered patio, fully fencing in our backyard, and probably the most exciting (for the kids) getting a swingset. We've been thinking about getting them one for a long time now, and they absolutely love it! Hannah could just swing all day if I let her, and Hunter loves the slide. The first time he went down it, he shot off the end like a rocket....it's got a pretty steep slope on it. So far, we've only had one busted lip....I'm anticipating more things to come, but so far so good. And let me just say how AMAZING it is to have a fenced in backyard with very active twins, and 2 dogs. I honestly don't know why we didn't do this years ago because I can already feel my stress-level going way down. I used to be a basket case with them outside because I was constantly trying to keep my eyes on both of them (always wanting to go different directions of course), now I can just let them run free! The last part of our project list is getting the house painted, which is still in progress, so I will try to post some pictures of everything else soon!

Fishing Tournament Pics

2010-10-15T11:56:00.001-07:00

Here are some pics from our day at the annual Big Bass Fishing Tournament we went to a few weekends ago. We had a lot of fun, the guys got to see all the big pro's and the big weigh-in.....I went for Blake Shelton (who was AWESOME)!

This picture just makes me smile. These kids LOVE their grandparents. I know their Pa-pa's shoulders were sore after all this, but he did it anyway b/c they were loving it.

Childrens Museum

2010-09-27T13:01:00.000-07:00

I'm still trying to catch up with my posts, but last month I took the kids to the new Woodlands Children's Museum with their new friends Kara and Kenneth (also twins), and their mom Debbie. I met Debbie through a mother of multiples group that we are both members of, and randomly figured out by the online forum that we use, that her family is about to be moving from Houston to our neighborhood. Needless to say, I was thrilled to find out there would be kids close to Hannah and Hunter's age for them to play with, not to mention another fellow mother of twins to hang out with!
The museum was a hit for all the kiddos, and we will definitely be going back soon!

Hannah at the painting station...this was BY FAR their favorite thing there...messy though

look at that concentration...artist in the making

Hunter playing in the sand tables...another hit with all the kids

Hannah picking out veggies at the grocery store

Kara dressed up as a firefighter at the costume center

Hunter and Hannah in the dirt pit...looks just like dirt, but it's rubber so no mess!

Kenneth and Kara playing kitchen

riding in the fire truck

more kitchen time....Hannah was baking cookies I think...notice the oven mitt

My, how the time flies by....

2010-09-15T21:02:00.000-07:00

Well, I've done it again and gotten behind on my blogging. I knew this would be a long one, so I've been procrastinating and choosing sleep over my usual late night computer rendezvous. The last 3 weeks have been a busy blur, but I will try to re-cap them the best I can remember.
The BIGGEST thing is that our babies turned 3 years old!!! They are officially little people now, and it has been hard for me to come to terms with that. People have always told me that when you get older and have kids that the time will fly by and they'll be all grown up before you know it. I "get" what those people were telling me now because it's so true! I literally feel like just the other day I was pregnant with them, reading baby books to prepare for their arrival. Now, here I am holding conversations with them about what they want to eat for dinner, and reading them books that they pick out for me. When did this happen???? I know when they were younger, I used to look forward to them getting older and them being able to do new things such as walking, talking, feeding themselves, etc......Now, I wish I could just stop time for a while. Obviously I can't do that, so I am going to try my hardest to embrace and cherish every little moment I have with them. This is such a fun and entertaining age....it's amazing some of the things they come up with (especially together). I don't take for granted how truly blessed we are to have such healthy, beautiful children and I thank the Lord every day that he has chosen us to be their parents!

Here's some pics of the birthday weekend--

Day before birthday party, opening up gifts from mommy and daddy:

Hannah getting her first Barbie
Hunter's tickle me Ernie

Hannah requested Care Bears....didn't even know care bears were still around!

Hunters new fascination is Toy Story

Their big gifts from us this year were the bean bags. They loved them!

We had their birthday party the next day at our community clubhouse pool in our neighborhood. The last few years we have had everyone at our house, so it was nice to have a little bit more space to spread out. The weather was perfect...hot, but nice and breezy. We did pizza, fruit, cookie cake, and cake balls this year....keeping it easy. I think everyone had a great time chatting and watching the kids play. We were also excited that Kevin's Grandma and Grandpa Leveritt and his Grandma Hutchins were able to make it to the party.

playing in the kiddie pool

looks like Hannah's trying to snatch something of Hunters...

mouths full of jelly beans...I think

tearing into the gifts

taking a goldfish break at the picnic table with Adalee

floatin'

Adalee pushing Hannah

just relaxing

cookie cake and (my attempt) at cake balls

The next big thing is that Kevin turned 35!!! The kids birthday is on August 27th and Kevin's is on August 29th, so needless to say that for the last 2 years he has kind of taken a back seat to all the celebration going on with the kids. I've felt kind of bad about it, so this year I surprised him with tickets to an acoustic Vince Gill concert at the old Crieghton theater in downtown Conroe. We had a nice dinner and then went to the concert, which was amazing! He had no idea what we were doing, so I was excited to surprise him for a change!

my two 3 year olds, and my 35 year old

Hannah's 1st "Real" Haircut

2010-08-26T17:35:00.000-07:00

So we finally did it, long overdue....Hannah got her first "real" haircut! In my attempts to let it grow long, I had somehow let it get to this strange half-curly, half-mullet stage, so I figured we should go ahead and have it trimmed. She has had a couple "at-home" cuts that didn't really turn out so well, so this was a pretty big deal for us!

I took her to Snippets at the mall because that's where I always take Hunter and I knew she would be excited about the suckers and prizes. When we got there I overheard the lady next to me in the waiting area ask the receptionist if she could request to wait for the next lady to cut her son's hair....I quickly figured out that it was a new guy that had only been there for a week or so. At that point I almost did the same thing as she had done, only because I know how shy Hannah is with strangers...especially men for some reason, but I decided to just go with it and take our chances. Sure enough, about a minute later "Tim" walked up and called our name. Let me just say that he did an amazing job with both of them. Hannah turned on the shy bug immediately, but he was so good with her, and I knew she was lovin' it. Hunter did awesome too, this was the first time he didn't scream when they turned the clippers on! I felt kind of good when we left and the lady who had passed him up was still waiting for her child to be called.....

Tim (he kind of reminded me of a cross between Jack Black and Will Ferrell), and Hannah putting on her saddest face....I mean could you get any sadder?
Hannah, still trying not to smile....I knew deep down she was lovin' it

I think I see a little smile.....

Yep, there it is!

One braid and three stickers in the hair later, the much anticipated sucker...pink of course!

Fishin'

2010-08-12T09:31:00.001-07:00

Kevin decided to get the kids their first fishing poles recently, so a few weeks ago we went over to his parents and took them fishing off the pier. Hunter caught one the second his cork hit the water, and Hannah got one a few seconds after that. They had a blast and talked about it for a week, so I'm pretty sure we have many years of fishing in our future!

Popsicles and Lollipops

2010-07-26T12:24:00.001-07:00

So...I've been kind of picture happy lately and this past weekend my boredom turned into a full out photo shoot in the yard. Let me just go ahead and say that YES, I am a dental hygienist, and NO, I do not promote tooth decay. That said, there's not a lot of other ways to get two almost 3 year olds to sit still....so I resorted to lollipops and popsicles. We brushed really good after we were finished. Hannah is in a phase where she's all about posing and using her "cute" face. Hunter's new thing is to squint his eyes and smile as big as he possibly can when I take pictures...not sure where he learned that from, but to me it's adorable. I had a hard time narrowing down the cute ones, because too me they are all cute....so, just to warn you there are a lot of pictures!

Backyard Fun

2010-07-26T12:13:00.000-07:00

Katy and Adalee had us over for a playdate in the backyard last week, its amazing how much fun they can have with a sprinkler and a pool....

Playdates

2010-07-11T21:34:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago we met a group of other moms at Incredible Pizza in Conroe, the kids had a blast, they rode everything, ate everyhing (so did I), and burned off a lot of energy. Katy let us in on the waterway splash pad in the Woodlands, so we took the kids there for a playdate too. Hannah and Hunter were a little skeptical at first, but pretty soon they got the hang of it. Fun Stuff.....

Beach/Pool Pics

2010-06-25T07:40:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago we took a mini vacation to Bolivar Island.....Kevin's band played at their annual crab festival so we decided to take the kids to let them see the beach for the first time. The lady that sponsors the crab festival was nice enough to give us a whole beach house to ourselves for the weekend. I expected Bolivar to still be pretty bad since the hurricane pretty much demolished it, but we were really surprised to see how much was there. The houses were mostly all brand new, and the beach was nice and clean, and not crowded at all. The kids LOVED it.....can't wait to go back....Please excuse some of the pics, I think the salt water got into the camera......

HAPPY FATHERS DAY

2010-06-21T00:05:00.000-07:00

Happy Father's Day
To a wonderful husband and father, who takes such good care of us! We love you so much and thank you for being such an amazing example in our lives!
Love, Mandy, Hannah, and Hunter

Backtracking....

2010-06-13T21:39:00.000-07:00

I can't believe it's already been two months since I last updated this thing....I gave up on my Easter post so long ago I can't even remember where to pick up. The past few months have been a blur...packed with all sorts of plans and busier than usual. I have been working pretty much full time the last few months, temping at another office for a hygienist who is on leave, in addition to my regular part-time office. I have one more week scheduled, and let me just say that I give a lot of credit to full-time working mamas, it definitely has made me appreciate my time at home a lot more. I am so ready for things to SLOW DOWN around here, and am looking forward to a summer filled with nothing to do (yeah, right)- bring on the kiddie pools, popsicles, and sprinklers! Here's a quick re-cap of the last few months....I really am going to try and stay current on my posts so I don't get so behind. We just got back from Galveston last weekend, hopefully I will get those up this week...

Kevin's parents took us along with Keith, Jana, and Kaitlyn to The Aquarium downtown in April...the kids had a blast, and the food was really good. This picture makes me laugh...typical Grandpa, all smiles :)

Pa-pa, Hannah, and Gammy

We took the train ride that took us through the "shark tank" underwater

Where's Hunter?....there he is!

One of my best friends Hilary got married on May 8th. We have been friends since about 6th grade and I was honored to be one of her bridesmaids....the wedding was beautiful and we had a blast (so much that I really forgot to take any pictures at the actual wedding-oops!) She couldn't have found a more perfect match for her than Bob, he is the sweetest guy, and I know that they will have many years of happiness to come!

Bob and Hilary at the rehearsal dinner

Hil, Katy, and me

me and Kevin

These are some pictures from our playdate with one of my good friends Bridget and her baby Brindee at the park. Bridget's sister Kasey also has twins who are about 6 months younger than Hannah and Hunter, so they had some serious playmates. Wow...this was so long ago that they were still wearing jeans...must have been April??

Bridget and Brindee

I just love this pic...Hunter being a typical boy....I think he was beating his chest and making gorilla sounds...not sure where his pants were at the time

first time to get the slide and kiddie pool out for the summer....we have since discovered that it's SO much easier to take them down the street to the neighborhood pool, we've been trying to go at least a few times a week now....what a fun way to get them nice and tired:)

Still to come this week (hopefully)...Galveston pics

*Also, I made some new posts on my recipe blog. I've been in a cooking slump for some reason lately, so I'm hoping to keep adding new recipes regularly, I know my poor husband is tired of frozen pizzas and Bertolli bags....and so am I:) Just click on the recipe blog button at the top of our blog to see them!

HAPPY EASTER

2010-04-05T00:31:00.001-07:00

Hope everyone had a wonderful Easter weekend!

Be sure to scroll down to see more posts....I got carried away tonight! I also added some new desserts to our recipe blog so make sure to check it out by clicking on the link to the right or going to www.hutchinsrecipes.blogspot.com

Still to come- more Easter pictures....

ZOO TRIP

2010-04-05T00:01:00.001-07:00

Last weekend we took the kids to the Houston Zoo for the first time. We couldn't have asked for a more perfect day...the weather was great, and the kids had a blast! I hadn't been since I was a child, and I was actually surprised at how pretty and nice they had made it. As you will see in the pictures, both of them (especially Hunter) had a permanent grin on their faces from the minute we left the house, to the minute we left the zoo. The highlight of the day was probably getting to see the elephant take a bath. We were literally feet from their stall as they were taking a bath...we stood there as long as we could before our noses couldn't take anymore...they have been talking about it ever since. It was priceless to see them that happy and excited....we will definitely have to make a trip back soon before it gets too hot!

Hannah all geared up on the way there

are we there yet?

Hannah says the lions were kissing...how cute is this?

perma-grin

still perma-grin

riding the carousel

first taste of cotton candy

feeding the ducks at Herman Park

one more perma-grin

Spring Pics

2010-04-04T23:39:00.000-07:00

Here are some random pics from the last few weeks....we have been loving this weather and being outdoors. Hopefully we'll get some bluebonnet pictures soon!

picking some for Adalee

Hannah, Kaitlyn, and Hunter at Keith and Jana's new house

NEW BLOG, DIFFERENT SUBJECT

2010-03-26T01:13:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to let everyone know that I finally started a new, separate blog dedicated to recipes and cooking. I have been inspired by others and have wanted to do this for a while, so here I go! I guess this means that I'm going to be cooking a lot more often now......wait, I didn't think about that part:(

I would love your feedback on the recipes, and would be thrilled if you have any favorites of your own to send my way!

Here's the new site www.hutchinsrecipes.blogspot.com

2010-03-22T00:48:00.000-07:00

If only they were this sweet all the time...........

My first flowers

2010-03-22T00:35:00.000-07:00

I recieved my first ever bouquet of flowers from my sweet little man a few days ago....it melted my heart. Kevin had taken them outside to play so I could finish dinner, and I could hear him outside saying "momma...I got u flowers, where are you?" So sweet. As for this childs bubble blowing skills, he has sadly taken after me. He tries so hard to blow on the wand, but everytime its way too hard. As you can see, I think he prefers to just try to catch them!

Professional Bubble Blower aka Hannah

2010-03-22T00:23:00.000-07:00

This child has taken after her Daddy in terms of being able to blow bubbles. She is totally fascinated by them. She thought she was big stuff when we let her hold her own bubble jar. She was going sooooo slowwww dipping the wand in and out, just to make sure she didn't spill a drop. What a cutie.

Playdate at the park with Katy and Adalee

2010-03-21T23:04:00.000-07:00

All Grown Up

2010-02-22T08:52:00.003-08:00

Here's some new pics from the past few weeks....I've come to the realization that my babies aren't really "babies" anymore, they are becoming quite the little grown ups, silly as ever, and sooooo entertaining!

drinking from their dixie cups-this is their new nightly ritual after they brush their teeth before bed.....(hannah has pigtail remnants, if anynone's wondering)

posing for pictures in their Valentines Day glasses

he looks so grown up here to me...he just told me "momma, my hands in pockets", so random

Hannah eating lunch, can you tell she's a little sleepy??? She swears to me that she wasn't

playing with Daddy

first play-doh experience.....I had forgotten how much fun that was

just a typical day in the wardrobe selection for Hannah...she came out of the bedroom just like this with no help!

smiling with Gammy in her new cheerleader outfit

playing the guitars

this is their new thing they do after breakfast-I found them like this in the chair, reading together and jibber-jabbering

big smiles

Potty Training X 2

2010-01-31T22:46:00.000-08:00

Well, it has been 8 days and counting since we've seen a DIAPER in this house! I finally got the nerve up to face my fears and dive into the whole potty-training experience. Let me tell you...it's been an experience, but surprisingly not nearly as bad as I had envisioned it being. I had been letting them use their potties for about the last 2 or 3 months but still putting them in diapers, mainly because I just wasn't ready to face all the messy situations yet. So one night last week I decided it was time to take the next step, and I'm really glad I did.

Saturday before last was the big day, and I made sure Kevin was off that day so I could have lots of help. I had decided that we just needed to stay home and make a weekend out of it, and was fully stocked with lots of undies, wipes, timer, potty books, and of course the elmo potty movie. I had read somewhere to get a timer and set it where they can hear so they know that when it goes off, it's time to go. The first two days, we literally took them every 20-30 minutes to go, which was really fun and exciting the first 10 times, but got to be very exhausting after that. The timer really helped out though, we ended the day with only 1 or 2 accidents each, which is way less than what I was expecting. We had our first diaper-free dining experience at Applebee's this past Friday...we managed to eat a nice lunch and then go to the pet store with no accidents, they LOVE going to the restrooms now in public places, which is good I know, but still sooo germy. I was feeling so proud and good about everything until we turned onto our road on the way home and Hunter started yelling he needed to pee-pee....we tried to make it in time, but didn't...oh well, still not too bad. Today was their first time to go to church in their underwear. When we dropped them off they put big potty training stickers on their backs, and we made sure to let their teachers know that they for sure needed to take them pretty soon. Well, when we picked them up I asked the teacher how everything went and she said she kept asking them but they told her they didn't need to go.....I was fully expecting to take them and find them soaked, but were shocked to find them totally dry. They actually went 2 1/2 hours with no problems! I still have been too scared to let them wear them while they are sleeping, so for now the are wearing a pull-up for their nap and bedtime...we'll worry about that later I figure.

So I won't go into any more details, other than to say that this has been by far the most challenging thing I think I've done in a long time. It was definitely not easy, and we still have a lot of ground to cover, but at least we have made it this far and it's a start! I'm so proud of them for being such good troopers, I hope they can keep it up I have such a new appreciation and respect for all the other mothers that are going through or have been through the same things, and I can not wait until this phase is past us and our lives can return to normal again! Wish us luck!!

Here's some pics of two silly kids who are seriously proud to be wearing their underwear:

this was actually their first time putting their undies on...I told them to show them off, Hunter is screaming "underwear" if you're wondering

Hannah's First Haircut

2010-01-31T22:23:00.000-08:00

I am unfortunately REALLY behind on my blogging lately, so I will attempt to re-cap the month of January with a few in a row....
Hannah got her very first haircut a few weeks ago. I had been going back and forth over whether or not to cut it because I knew it was getting pretty scraggly. My decision was made when I dropped them off at school one morning and their sweet teacher greeted us by giving Hannah a big hug, and telling me how much she loved Hannah's cute little mullet, and that Hannah always lets her play with the "back of it"!! So, I called Pam to come over with her sheers and she got her first trim....she sat still the whole time, and was posing for us the rest of the night!

before

after