Dinosaur Birthday Party

Whoo hoo!! The party is over. Haha j/k... it was a long weekend and I felt a bit like a chicken running around with my head cut off... but Bubba had a good time!!

Even Mango our kitty was getting into the Dino-themed birthday!

I found and awesome cake design thanks to my mom!! (Thanks Mom :)

Here's how it looked outside :) It was decent weather... on the cool side which was great! But we did get rained on a little bit!

And each attendee got to go home with their own Dinosaur :)

All in all it was as DINO-mite as I thought it would be :)

Dino cake tutorial (with video too!) can be found here

Inspiration for balloon decor above table can be found here**

** (this link with BLOW YOUR MIND I am not kidding... this lady should get like mother of the year or something... it is the most insane party I have ever seen!!!)

And I actually stole my dino display idea from Pinterest :) stolen idea here

Here's the fabulous link to the plush dino tutorial I've mentioned before here

Best thing was this morning Bubba wakes up and says "Can I have a dinosaur party again next year?!" Too cute :)

I have to say making those Dinosaurs by hand was a big task... and I still have a few more to make (some kiddos couldn't make the party!!) but I hope they enjoy them. I put alot of love and time in them.

Bubba talks....

So I find myself laughing at all the things Bubba says... keep in mind these have been recorded over the last year or so... He just turned 3 this week!!.... but I swear he's going on 20... He is the smartest little boy I know. (Yea so I may be a little partial.... but lots of other people tell me how smart he is too :)

I usually have my laptop open on the kitchen counter most days... which is good and bad... but its great whenever Bubba says something funny! I just come over to it and type myself an email so I can look back on them later. Here are a few of my favorites!!

Why were you touching the cat's throw up? -Me

I didn't know if it was carrots or oatmeal... -Bubba


On Wed, Jul 27, 2011
Why is this slippery? (referring to condensation on his aunt's water cup) -Bubba

B/c its humid outside... ya know how we sweat when its hot outside? Your cup can sweat too -Aunt D

You mean like Grandpa?! -Bubba


On Thurs, March 24, 2011 at 12:15 PM:
I made a casserole for lunch today... this is what Bubba said...

"Are there cats in it?!" -Bubba

"What? Cats no... why?" -Me

"It's a catsroll right?" -Bubba


On Sun, Jul 17, 2011 at 10:10 AM:
Hey bud, where are you going to college? -Me

-Kentucky! -Bubba

Kentucky? -Me (keep in mind we never talk about Kentucky.... like ever?...)

-Yea! -Bubba

Can I come with you? -Me

-Yes you can come with me b/c I love you... -Bubba

What about Daddy? -Me

-No, we'll miss him.... -Bubba


On Sun, Jul 17, 2011 at 10:03 AM:
While we're on a walk it starts raining.... Bubba decided to have his own conversation with God :)

"God, can you please make it stop raining?

Why isn't God listening?

God please stop raining!


On Tue, Jun 21, 2011 at 8:25 AM:
Do pigs have any pee pees? -Bubba

yes some do... -Me

Cause I couldn't see it on Word World.... Pig didn't pull his pants down b/c pigs don't wear pants... -Bubba


On Thu, Jun 9, 2011 at 8:36 AM:
Mommy are u a banana? -Bubba

No, I'm not a banana..... -Me

Well I still love you.... -Bubba

(good to know he still loves me even though I'm not a banana.......)


On Wed, Jun 8, 2011 at 8:13 AM:
Can I have one (referring to a kitty treat) -Bubba

No honey... they're for kitties only -Me

When I grow little and turn down into a kitty then I can have one? -Bubba

On a side note... the bday party is tomorrow!! Hopefully I'll remember to take lots of pics so you can see how DINO-mite it's going to be?! hahaha Yes I know... I'm lame :)

A day in the life of a Stay at Home Mom...

6:37a.m. -7:30 a.m.
Ceej is babbling/whining in his crib. I grab him out and bring him to my bed to snuggle/nurse. I sing a few hymns to spend a little time with the Lord and try to lull him back to sleep for a lil while longer... no luck!

7:30 am
Bubba wakes*, comes to my room and says "I thought I heard something in here!"

*this kid rarely sleeps past 7:00 a.m. (when his clock turns green) but it was stormy and dark this morning.

7:45 am
Turn the living room TV on for the boys while I start some laundry and pick up after JDub (I swear he always leaves a mess in that bathroom in the morning!!)

8:00 am
Bubba wants his milk (which still HAS to be warmed up...) Its Super Why time! And of course Ceej must have his own cup of milk or there will be a knock down-drag-out...

8:15 am
Ceej comes whining/banging on the bathroom door... No a girl can't even pee w/o being interrupted...and of course he needs a new diaper!

8:30 am
TV off, its breakfast time! I let the boys pick out their oatmeal flavors and before I can get the oatmeal made Ceej is "organizing" the pantry for me... I really need to remember to shut that door.

8:32 am
Yay for coffee! I start my 1/2 a pot of dunkin donuts :)

8:35 am
Just remembered to look for the milk cups! Good thing b/c one had rolled under the couch...

8:40 am
Mid-meal realize I forgot to pray. I've been trying to get in the habit of doing it every meal time... so I ask Bubba if he will....
"Thank you God for blessing us and thank you for our food and the rain.. Amen!"

8:45 am
Bubba says "I forgot to pray some more... I just have to figure out how to get my hands together.....Dear God, Thank you for today. Thank you for the rain that's making our grass nice and green....Amen!"
This kid will even pray to stall and not have to eat....

8:46 am
Its the "How do ducks learn to fly?" joke again... (They just 'wing it'... get it?!)  I pleasantly remind him its breakfast time and he needs to eat.

8:47 am
Ceej throws his spoon across the room and says "AAAAhhh Ggnnnn" a.k.a. "all gone." While his oatmeal really isn't all gone, apparently he is all done, so I finish off what he hasn't eaten and clean up a little bit while still coaxing Bubba to finish up.

9:00 am
Ellen is on! While I've kind of taken a break from watching her show during the summer... I decide I'm in the mood this morning, I go ahead and turn it on and Ceej and I join in and do a little dance with her. Bubba is of course still sitting at the table... attempting to eat...

9:05 am-10:00 am
Finally Bubba is has finished and after the 2nd round of clearing the table we head to the basement.



Bubba's reason for ALWAYS wanting to go downstairs... his "fort"

This is when I usually let the boys run free down there and play while I watch Ellen and sew/browse internet/do laundry... etc. I spend most of the time breaking up fights and stopping tantrums. There are a couple time-outs for hitting... I refill my coffee (you should really try the Coffee Mate White Chocolate Caramel Latte creamer... sooo yummy!!!)

9:50 am
Ceej is getting cranky and I lay him down for his morning nap. He goes down nicely :) yay!!

10:00-10:50 am
TV is off, its free time/play with just Bubba. Usually he has fun on his own... no need for Mom b/c little brother isn't stealing toys from him! I ask Bubba if he wants a snack and of course he asks for candy. He did eat his breakfast... so I let him choose a starburst! (he gets his sweet tooth from me!!)

This is what Ceej decided to do with some stickers yesterday... throw them on the floor.

Bubba helps me switch the laundry and then found some stickers in his Thomas the Train book. At first he drops them all over the floor too!

Then I manage to convince him to put them on his train table instead.

10:50 am
Bubba announces "I'm ready to go upstairs!" I remind him we need to pick up before we leave. This has been a work in progress for me... I find if I make him clean up one room before leaving to another I'm in a better mood when we return to that room later. Otherwise I'm the only one doing all the picking up... Of course it takes a lot longer getting him to do it...

Do as I say and not as I do though... this is what my sewing table looks like right now?!


Yikes!! Can you spot the dinosaur I'm working on?

But if I clean it up every time then I don't think I'd ever get any sewing done at all.......

11:08am
Ceej awakes from his nap! I try to put laundry away while Bubba "checks on Ceej". He returns from Ceej's room to tell me that "He's still grumpy" which he sure is........ I try to snuggle him and rock him but he throws his paci across the room (he likes to throw anything and everything across the room if you haven't figured that out!) and yanks on my shirt. Apparently he wants to nurse!

I am really trying to wean him... but it is hard...

Heaven is for real y'all!

Heaven is For Real, by Todd Burpo is a wonderful book I finished reading recently.. Let me just tell you........ I LOVE this book.

I don't want to tell you too much b/c you just need to drop what you're doing and read it right now!! Seriously... you can borrow my nook, I have it on there, and read it in one day.. one night even (my mom did while babysitting my boys!)

If you have ever lost a child... YOU NEED TO READ THIS BOOK......
If you have every lost anyone for that matter..... YOU NEED TO READ THIS BOOK.......
If you are a christian.... YOU NEED TO READ THIS BOOK........
If you are not a christian........ YOU NEED TO READ THIS BOOK.......

Ok, really I'm done with that. But this is such a good book. It's about a family telling their true story about how their 4 year old son literally went to heaven while under anesthesia during a major surgery. Later he recalls vivid details of what Heaven is like... he meets family members that have passed... and learns alot as well. I don't know if you are a believer or not... but I  know I am... and I would be nowhere in this life without God. I know first-hand the awesome power of prayer... and reading this book just gave me goosebumps.

I could not stop talking about this book when I was reading it. I would read a little bit and then run to JDub and tell him all about it... He is refusing to read the book though.. prolly b/c I literally told him everything in it b/c I just could not stop! I wanted to tell everyone about it!! I've already gotten 2 people to read it and they loved it too!!

This book has given me hope, reassurance, and its just uplifting. It made me laugh... it made me cry (alot) and it has inspired me to get even closer to God. It is a very easy read (only 150 pages) and I really think you will enjoy it. I know this life on earth is just a temporary thing... I'm looking forward to leaving and seeing Jesus in heaven. And I hope to see you there too :)

Updates and stuff :)

Ok so Pinterest is killing me... like LITERALLY!!! I cannot stop going on it... I will be cooking and think oo I'll just look for a second... and 5 minutes later I'm burning my food b/c I didn't even realize I was staring at it for 5 minutes?! It is addicting... and awesome... and I just love it waaaaay too much. I haven't created my own account but I am thisclose to doing it!!! Be prepared to waste ALOT of time if you click on the link above... but I will note I got some great ideas for Bubba's Dino Party coming up from it... so yea... maybe I didn't waste all of my time on it :)

JDUB:
He is officially M.I.A. this week :( He left Sunday night for work down south (heeeeeey TX) and isn't returning until Friday late late (meaning after the kiddos are in bed). If he doesn't make it home before that its pretty much worthless.... and almost like he isn't really coming home until Saturday! Let's hope his flight isn't delayed like on his way down.

ME:
With JDub out its like I'm a single mom! YIKES!!! Holla to all you single mommies out there... I don't know how you do it... for realz.

But really I'm doing fine... the in-laws stopped over tonight and took the boys for a walk (yay!) I have small group with church tomorrow night (and the in-laws are taking Ceej while I go to that so I'll be down to one kiddo).... My grandmother is coming into town this week... so I'm not all on my own. I've been finding myself in a pretty decent mood, and I think most of it is b/c I have no one to complain to... Well I suppose I could complain to Mango.. but I don't think she really cares. I've been working on my dinos (I'm up to 4 now!) and watching ALOT of hoarders....... man there are some crazy people out there... they'd rather live with their 20 birds with heaps of trash everywhere instead of living with their own husband... what in the world?! Oooo and I got my new Glamour magazine too! Rihanna is just too gorgeous isn't she?!

Bubba:
Oh my goodness he is something else... I'm working on a post of all the funny things he says... I hope you'll enjoy them as much as I do... he is too smart for his own good. I find myself constantly reminding myself he's only 2 (will be 3 next week!) He is getting very excited for his Dino birthday party. I'm so glad he's young and everything excites him so much!! I'm getting excited for it myself :) I made the mistake of trying to figure out what Ceej could be for Halloween... and I said an M&M so now Bubba wants to be one too........ I'm a lil bummed b/c I bought him this cute pirate costume on clearance last year... I guess I should let him be what he wants to be... not something I just picked out for him... I wanted to have a pirate party for his bday but he wanted Dinos... You know these things really are for the Mom right?! Not the child!!... haha I kid... I kid...

does anyone else find this photo disturbing?!

Ceej:
He has finally learned how to nod his head yes!!! All it use to be was "nuh uh" "nuh uh" in response to anything. Even when he actually did want something! So now he walks around nodding his little head when I ask him questions :) He's quite a smarty pants just like his big brother. Although he is still a stinker. I'll say "NO!" and he'll look at me with that little chubby face, smiling the biggest smile, laughing even sometimes, and he'll continue to do whatever it is that he was doing! This boy has NO FEAR. Don't they have shirts that say that? I should get him one... or make him one... He will climb ladders at the parks, slide down the biggest slides... fall flat on his face and get up running to go do it again! All while Bubba's being all cautious and asking for help.... He has gotten better at sleeping at night... Now when he wants to go to bed he just drags me to his room pointing! I have to say it is really awesome that he does that... but I'm pretty sure Bubba went through that stage too( when I would only let him have his precious pacifier in bed... he would go to bed no problem) and then he got over it.. so we will see...

Well that's about it on the home front... I'm working on some other fun crafts involving wine, spray paint, and glue!! haha... I need to drink some more wine before I'm done though (need more wine bottles :) )

Hope all is well, and have a blessed week :)

Tending to my garden

So I spent a good hour or so in my back yard "tending to my garden" yesterday....... This wasn't your fun picking out ripe tomatoes or cucumbers... no... this was picking weeds... I wish I would have taken a before picture... but instead I will show you the after... and the Yardie full of weeds.....



i know it still looks ugly... but you should have seen it with the weeds in there....



I couldn't help but think about how if I would have just checked on it periodically... instead of letting it get out of hand... how maybe it would not have taken so long to clean up. How I could have spent that time playing with my kids while they were "swimming" in the kiddie pool instead of pulling weeds... I mean if you can even call some of those weeds (they were like 4 foot tall in places!!)

It's weird how there are soo many different weeds too. Ones with little flowers, some are spiny and furry. Some are pretty easy to pull out by the root, while others take a lot of time and effort to get them out just right. Then I got to thinking about how I had my own little "weeds" growing in my life that I needed to nip in the butt. Little weeds called "laziness" "fatigue" "boredom" "selfishness"........ etc. You name it, they are there. Some days I get up and I'm motivated and I pull those "laziness" weeds right out!! I mop the floors, do some laundry, bake a cake.. ok maybe not that last one, but still. But then there are days that go by and I think oh I'll just take a nap.... oh kids let's just watch a little TV so I can just sit on my butt... and it gets harder and harder that weed growing taller and taller....

It got me thinking about why God even made weeds?! But then I thought everything needs a little "tending to". You can't just go through life easy peasey w/o a little TLC in areas. You can't claim to live a christian life if you're not going to stop and spend some time with Jesus. You can't expect just b/c its the backside of your house and you have a fenced in yard that its "out of sight and out of mind"....... it doesn't work that way. You'll eventually have to go back and check on it and tend to the garden... even if it is a rock garden...

It's like the Parable of the Sower in a way....... (The entire parable is at the bottom)....sometimes I feel like I'm one of the believers among the weeds...... Luke 8:14 "The seed that fell among thorns stands for those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by life's worries, riches, and pleasures, and they do not mature."

This week I'm going to strive to keep on top of things and be a seed among the good soil :)
Luke 8:15 "But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop."

The Parable of the Sower
Luke 8:4-15
4While a large crowd was gathering and people were coming to Jesus from town after town, he told this parable: 5"A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path; it was trampled on, and the birds of the air ate it up. 6Some fell on rock, and when it came up, the plants withered because they had no moisture. 7Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up with it and choked the plants. 8Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up and yielded a crop, a hundred times more than was sown."
When he said this, he called out "He who has ears to hear, let him hear."
9His disciples asked him what this parable meant. 10He said, "The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of God has been given to you, but to others I speak in parables, so that,

"'though seeing, they may not see;

though hearing, they may not understand.'

11"This is the meaning of the parable; The seed is the word of God. 12Those along the path are the ones who hear, and then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved. 13Those on the rock are the ones who receive the word with joy when they hear it, but they have no root. They believe for a while, but in the time of testing they fall away. 14The seed that fell among thorns stands for those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by life's worries, riches and pleasures, and they do not mature. 15But the seed on good soil stands for those with noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop.

Softball and sewing!

My church softball league has officially come to an end :( I had soo much fun on the team this year!! I played a couple years back right after Bubba was born... but I was pretty bad. I have to say this year, I was pretty good!! Sure I had my moments of being terrible... last night's game I didn't make it on base at all!! But I also had some great moments... A catch out in right field.... a few catches on 2nd base to get people out.... I even had some RBI's!!! Last night's final game was a doozy...

First off... we hadn't been able to play this team yet. We went in undefeated.... and this team was ranked 2nd. Every time we were suppose to play this team, it got rained out!! So we were ready to dominate. We were down to 9 players there for a minute... but our last guy came just in the nick of time!! We were up to bat first.. it remained a close game each inning. We'd have some good plays... and some bad ones... some good hits... or no hits (I struck out 3 times!!!) We got down to the last inning.... we were up to bat the score was 7-6 (we were ahead)... We knew we needed to get some runs... we ended up only getting 1 more.. but at least we were ahead. Since we were up to bat first, that meant the other team was up to bat last... so we had to keep them from getting any more runs.... 2 up to bat... and 2 outs!!! We were doing good... then they hit an infield fly to me!! I called it and........ CAUGHT IT!!! One of my great catches this year! And an awesome way to end the season too.

We almost made it through the year w/o any injuries... A gal took a softball to the shin on our team....

And I decided to stop a ball with my thumb instead of my glove!! It really isn't too bad... just a lil swollen and blue..

But all in all I have to say it was a great summer of softball!!

AND NOW TO THE SEWING....
I decided to do some altering and mending this week... I had some goucho pants that were a lil big... they were great when it came to using them as maternity pants.. but they were just soo comfy I wanted to be able to wear them whenever!!!

Before...slightly too large...

Eczema blows

Yep I said it... anyone with it is thinking that... and especially anyone who has kids with eczema will agree with me!!

Here are some photos of what my more little guy has do deal with (pretty much on a daily basis.... this is a particularly bad flare up) These pictures really don't do it justice... its really bad :(

And that isn't even the worst of it... for some reason he also gets it on his poor little bottom! He's been itching it like crazy lately too. One day I went in his room after his nap and he was crying, with his little fingernails caked with blood, scratching. I said enough was enough!! And made an appointment at a dermatologist. Dr. Wollner in Cedar Rapids is great :) Here's the regimen he gave me for Bubba:


1. Only bathe every 2-3 days
2. Use Cetaphil as body wash
3. Rub prescription hydrocortisone butyrate .1% on affected area 2 times a day (especially after bath)
4. Coat in lotion (I use Eucerin)
Now this regimen does seem to help. But the problem is its summer! My boys are playing in the sand/dirt/grass. They're getting sweaty b/c it has been so unbelievably hot around here! And they're getting coated in sunscreen every day, a few times a day too! Ceej has eczema as well, but thank goodness its not as bad as Bubba's. I just use the over the counter hydrocortisone cream you can find at any drugstore. It's .05% I believe? Its suppose to help with the itchiness factor. If any of you are friends of mine on facebook you've seen how Ceej eats!! He can't go 3 days in between baths all the time?! Winter time is fine, but its a lot harder in the summer.

I even asked the doctor... "What am I suppose to do when they're teenage boys?! They can't not bathe?!" Which he replied "Let's cross that bridge when we come to it!" So who knows what will happen then.

Another thing the Dr. said you can do instead of giving them a full bath, is to just rub the cetaphil directly onto their skin and then get a wet washcloth and clean it off! I call it a sponge bath. Bubba doesn't care for it that much... but what can you do....

They say the thing about eczema is that its not all the same.... While bathing every 3 days along with the cremes and lotions seems to help Bubba, other people need to bathe every day!

Here's a website that the Dr. gave me as well... http://www.nationaleczema.org/living/all_about_atopic_dermatits.php

Towels this way and that way...

So when JDub and I first got married we kind of shared the duties of laundry... then he dried a few things he shouldn't have... put a red shirt in with some white ones... and I shortly took over most of laundry duty. (I'm pretty sure he sabotaged the whole thing... just so he wouldn't have to wash my things! I keep my own separate basket for things I don't want him to touch!)

I kind of like doing laundry when it comes to towels... there's really no fuss about it. You throw all of them in together.... you dry them... and then comes the fun part. Folding! I'm not sure where I learned to fold towels... somehow I'm thinking its from my dad. He's not the cleanest man in the world (no offense!!)... but I remember growing up he was meticulous when it came to folding laundry. Poor guy raising 3 girls he was outnumbered! But he would still fold everything neat and tidy, even the little panties!! HAHA.

And this brings me to today... I'm putting my towels away to find that yet again JDub has folded the towels wrong.... YES there IS a wrong way to fold towels. They just don't lay right otherwise!!!

Here's JDub's way........

And here's my way! (the right way :) )

So come on now... how do you fold your towels?!