The Plunketts

My Best Friend (and Mama’s) Wedding

2011-09-07T18:39:00.001-07:00

My parents were divorced a couple of years ago. My dad has since been remarried and now it’s my mama’s turn! She has a WONDERFUL man who treats her like the princess she is. Seriously….he’s REALLY good to her. Which is a good thing or he’d probably have his 3 son in laws beat him up! Ha! They had a small wedding and today they headed off on a 2 week Alaskan Cruise. I’m so happy for them! (And a wee bit jealous! HA!) Here’s the beautiful bride! Seriously….she looks so young! Maybe it’ll run in the family. =)

My Uncle Jimmy from Texas walked her down the aisle. I must add: Cooper REALLY wanted to walk her down too. Melt. My. Heart. Doesn’t she look so happy?!

The happy couple!

Isn’t my sister just precious? She makes me sick =)

I have to say…..my mom has some of the best friends in the world.

Congratulations Mom and Curt! We love you both dearly!

Holli

Dallas/Ft. Worth

2011-08-01T17:56:00.001-07:00

We recently took the boys to Dallas/Ft. Worth for a few days. Very last minute. Ty called and said, “Get packed. We’re going to Dallas for a few days.” OK. So not my style. I like to plan. But with Ty’s job, you never know if he can be off or not. So when he says lets go, you better take him up on it. We left on a Monday afternoon. The boys were excited to stay in a hotel, and even more excited that our room was on the top floor. Madox was amused with the luggage cart.

Tuesday morning we went to the Ft. Worth Children’s Museum. The boys loved it.

Dinosaur Exhibit

I’m sure letting Madox sit inside the dinosaur footprint was against the rules, but we did it anyway.

Digging for dinosaur bones

Cooper was having more fun burying his foot than digging. Guess he was imagining he was at the beach!

Gearing up for the IMAX movie

More museum. Madox was in love with the bubbles. He kept pointing and speaking his Chinese language.

Playing in the water.

After a long morning at the museum and an afternoon at the mall we headed to Joe’s Crab Shack to eat.

Every 45 minutes the music comes on and everyone starts dancing. Madox was intrigued. He kept staring at them with a very serious face.

Getting ready to dig in. MMMMM….snow crab!

On Wednesday, we slept in and then enjoyed the pool.

We went to an amazing BBQ place for lunch called Smokey John’s. I didn’t get any pictures, but my ribs were delish! Then it was off to the Dallas Aquarium.

Just a fun pic outside the aquarium!

Our favorite part….the sharks! I seriously could have watched them all day.

Madox enjoying his light up shark from the gift shop.

Next was dinner at Burger House.

Making shadow glasses while waiting for our food!

Everyone was tired and we headed home. The boys do much better when we travel at night. Before we left, my sweet Ty let me stop by Michael’s to let me stock up on a few craft items. Such a trooper =)!

We had tons of fun, but like always it was good to be home.

Holli

A Night Out

2011-07-21T15:02:00.001-07:00

Last Friday night our dear friends Susan and Jeremiah were playing at a local coffee shop in town called True North. We made it a family date night to go see them. Sweet Noah was there too. I could just eat him up every time I see him! So precious.

After the show…

Trevin loved the music so much that he kept listening through the window :)

Proof that Madox was there. He was in a non-picture taking mood.

I’m very thankful for good friends!

Holli

Madox’s First Haircut

2011-07-18T16:43:00.001-07:00

In my opinion Madox had the best infant hair of all the boys. Oh.Sweet.Curls. It took me forever to build up the courage to cut them, but his daddy was tired of “oh what a pretty little girl!” Seriously people….he’s wearing a blue polo and khaki shorts. He did great. Me not so much. I regretted it the minute they were gone, but I’ve grown to love his little boy look. Trevin was our photographer for the event. He didn’t do so bad!

Melt my heart curls…

to handsome big boy!

He sat fairly still. Mostly played with my phone and chewed on a comb. I know….gross. But it was either that or take the chance of being accidentally stabbed with scissors. The comb won the battle. I was afraid the curls wouldn’t come back once cut off, but good news! First off…this post is a little late (surprise surprise) and his hair grows fast. There’s a lot of volume and wave to his hair. And the other day a sweet curl was happening in the back. =)

Hope you had a happy Monday!

Holli

Catching Up

2011-07-15T15:33:00.001-07:00

Since I’ve been gone for so long here’s a post of some things that have gone on!

Cooper turned 4! Oh how time flies. He’s such a boy, yet so sweet. The way he smiles and tells me he loves me just melts my heart! For his birthday we did a simple crab swimming party. Instead of cake we made ice cream sundaes. It was perfect!

Kinley is Cooper’s love. They’re going to be in preschool together this fall. My sister is their teacher. Bless.her.soul. We can’t go anywhere without Cooper asking “Is Kinley going to be there?” If I say no: “Well, invite her then.” At least we like her parents ;)

Birthday morning waffles and a surprise! (Notice his missing chunk of hair? Yep, he cut it.)

My good friend Susan adopted the most adorable cuddly boy last November. Sweet Sweet Noah. We were so blessed to be a part of his special dedication day! And honored that she asked me to take pictures!

Trevin went to basketball camp. After a rough first day, he had a good time. He even ended up winning the obstacle course! (I just love his ~~freckles~~ sprinkles).

And we had a date night with friends. Susan is always talking about a restaurant an hour from Mena called Little Italy. She says its the best so we, the Brewer’s, and Hall’s loaded up to go eat. It was delish! The best part: dessert. An ice cream ball covered with gooey goodness. We’ll definitely be going back!

Madox had a good time too. It was his first time staying with a babysitter other than when I’m at work. Let’s just say she’s awesome. Madox thinks so too. He got a popsicle and mohawk. What could be better?! He was asleep before we even left her driveway so I’m sure a lot of playtime was involved.

Holli

Take Me Out To the Ballgame

2011-07-10T21:13:00.001-07:00

Ok-so for the probably 2 people that read my blog.....I know I've been gone forever. It's so hard to find the time to sit and blog! I love to do it and I want to record everything about the boys, so bear with me...we're gonna try it again.

Baseball season is our FAVE time of the year.

We got to spend alot of time there this season….4 nights a week! Trevin was in his last year of coach pitch. He’s a little terrified to move to machine pitch. I’m super excited because they’ll keep score! I’m the crazy cheering mama when it comes to sports. Cooper will have one more year of tball. The boys LOVE baseball. They will practice during the day, have a ballgame, then want to practice after their games! Here are the pics from the season.

Holli

Teacher Appreciation Gifts (a little late)

2011-05-14T16:13:00.001-07:00

The first week of May was Teacher Appreciation Week. I absolutely LOVE giving my boys’ teachers gifts! I’ve basically given the same gifts each year to different teachers. Personalized germ-x and cutie tissues= EASY and PRESH! I cut vinyl out with my cricut (don’t know how I ever got along without it!), tied a cute ribbon, and was done!

The boys made cards to go with the goodies.

We have absolutely loved Ms. McAnally and Ms. Angie this year! Keeping our fingers crossed for next year.

Holli

Easter 2011

2011-04-30T18:12:00.001-07:00

I am so blessed to have the family that I do! We spent Easter together with my mom in Poteau. We started the day by going to church. I used to live in Poteau so it was so fun to see some old friends! After church, we ate dinner and had an egg hunt for the kids. The pictures are limited because it was FREEZING outside! I snapped a few just to have some. Here is my mom getting the brisket ready. It was delicious!

Here are the boys before they changed into their play clothes. (Notice the HUGE bruise on Coop’s leg? It’s from working cattle with his daddy the day before. Nice touch don’t ya think!)

Here are the boys hunting eggs. Madox found his first one and sat down to eat ALL the candy in it. Poor thing only got two eggs!

Me and the sisters. The wind kept blowing my hair crazy!

So glad our Savior is RISEN!

Holli

A Musical: Kindergarten Style

2011-04-26T15:24:00.001-07:00

Trevin had his kindergarten musical. SO CUTE! He was completely nervous and didn’t want to do it. He even turned down a speaking part! He has just a little bit of my shyness :) Lucky for him, he was placed in the dead center on the front row. He gave me a warning before it started: “Mom, you can watch, but don’t cheer.” Haha! Who would have thought that a kindergartener would be concerned that his mom would embarrass him!

After the show we posed for some quick pictures. It’s getting harder and harder to get a good pic of all 3 boys! They usually fight over who gets to hold Madox’s hand and Madox let’s them know that he doesn’t like it!

(Looking at this pic makes me miss my long hair. =( I recently got ALOT of my hair cut off. Thankfully my hair grows really fast!)

I can’t believe Trevin’s kindergarten year is coming to an end! Only 5 more weeks!

Holli

Madox’s 1st Bday Party

2011-03-23T18:29:00.001-07:00

For Madox’s party we went low key. His theme was alligators/navy blue and lime green. I know the cake doesn’t match his colors. =( There was a mix up with the girl who made it. Everything turned out okay and the blues matched better than I thought they would. Here are the pics!

His daddy is begging me to cut his hair, so that will be in the works for next week. Which means he will look like a big boy. =( SOB! SOB!

Holli

Happy 1st Birthday Madox!

2011-03-10T19:22:00.001-08:00

A year ago today I gave birth to a precious healthy baby boy. I couldn’t imagine not having him in my life. He brings so much joy to our family. I love you Madox! Happy Birthday!

**Madox was our guest of honor at our recent Mardi Gras Bunco. He even made the newspaper about it!!

Holli

Update on Fostering

2011-03-05T18:05:00.001-08:00

The ball is finally rolling! After a LONG wait, we finally have an appointment with our (new) case worker. She is coming to our house to do a pre-home study, fill out paperwork with us, and go over everything in detail. Our appointment is March 28 so I have some time to prepare. Keep us in your prayers! We are so excited about this journey.

Holli

Baby Noah

2011-01-23T13:10:00.001-08:00

One of my good friends Susan just adopted a SWEET baby BOY! His name is Noah and he is absolutely PRECIOUS!! We (meaning Kristy, Kim, and I) gave her a shower at school. Here are the pics!

Holli

Valentine Garden Flag

2011-01-16T14:42:00.001-08:00

2 things I love: Valentine’s day and making crafty things. So I put the two together and came up with this:

Happy Sunday!

Holli

Snow Day!

2011-01-10T16:45:00.001-08:00

There’s something about getting that phone call saying school is cancelled due to snow. It makes me just as giddy as the kids! So today we…….

made snow angels

drove trucks

played on the swings

ran

had some laughs

and some tears

celebrated Madox’s first winter

But above all…..made memories!

Holli

Changes

2011-01-09T20:27:00.001-08:00

I have ALWAYS wanted to be a foster parent. The thought of precious kids with no one to love them breaks my heart. Long before we had kids I would casually mention it to Ty from time to time. His response…No way. Don’t get me wrong. It’s not that he doesn’t feel bad for kids in bad situations. For 1: He couldn’t stand the thought of sending one back to a horrible situation and 2: He only wanted kids of our own. Years went by and it wasn’t mentioned much. Until the last year or so. He still had the same response. It was so heavy on my heart that I knew we were supposed to embark on this journey. I began praying that God would either take the desire away from me or change Ty’s heart. One day last summer he came to me and said “I think we need to check into fostering.” I immediately had that butterflies in the stomach, over the moon feeling. A prayer answered. We put our application in (just to get some more information) last September and waited. And waited. And waited. After a few phone calls, we had a case worker. Yet again, she would never return messages. We thought it just wasn’t the right time so we prayed that when God was ready, he would have someone get in contact with us. Two days later we received a phone call! I know I’m probably seeming VERY IMPATIENT, but I hate the unknown. I’m a planner and I wanted to at least know when the classes would be starting. As of now, we are looking at March before we can even start the process. But we’re okay with that! We want Madox to be at least a year old. Just getting through the whole application/home study process will be comforting. Right now, we only want to add 1 more to our zoo, but if you know me, I could never turn a child down! God knows the plans he has for our family, and all we can do is Trust and Obey. He won’t give us anything we can’t handle! And since no post is complete without a picture….here is our sweet Madox!

Holli

A Big 6 Year Old!

2010-12-08T18:17:00.001-08:00

How do you go from this:

To this:

In a short 6 years?! Happy 6th Birthday Trevin!

A Shutterfly Freebie!

2010-12-07T04:28:00.000-08:00

I'm so glad that shutterfly is offering a freebie: 50 free Christmas cards to bloggers! I have a huge family that lives many miles aways, so this makes me happy. real. happy. Check it out here. There are so many awesome cards that it was hard to narrow it down to my fave. Since we just had our family pictures taken, and a lot of them are in black and white, I knew I wanted to have a card that would make the pictures pop. And I wanted a design that I could put a picture of each of the boys plus some of the whole family. I've ordered from Shutterfly before and it's good stuff!

After searching and searching and searching, (Seriously there are SO many to choose from!) This one became my favorite:

I can't wait to see my sweet family covering the front of this card!

They have awesome CHRISTMAS CARDS , MOTHER'S DAY CARDS , and BIRTHDAY CARDS. My friend Kristy always orders a precious calendar from shutterfly every year. It's on my to do list this month! It's perfect for those hard to buy for grandparents that have everything! Happy shopping! Can't wait to see everyone's choices!

Wordless Wednesday

2010-07-28T16:07:00.001-07:00

cHolli

4 Months and a Surprise

2010-07-23T11:16:00.001-07:00

Madox is now 4 months old. He is wearing size 2 diapers and wears 3-6 month clothing. He loves to sit in his bumbo chair, being held =), being talked to, and watching his brothers play. He has recently discovered his hands. I find them raised in the air with his eyes staring at them. He hates being in his car seat and being on his back. He is still sleeping in our room. He had his first taste of formula. (I was secretly jumping for joy when he hated it!) I planned on nursing him for 8 months like I did Cooper, but “Mama can’t produce enough!” He will have formula during the day while I’m at school and I will continue nursing him at night as long as my body cooperates.

Trevin and Cooper wanted in on some of the action!

Continuing on….In honor of Ty’s 30th birthday, I threw him a surprise party. Surprisingly, I pulled it off. He had no clue until we walked into the restaurant! His invitations turned out great….however I deleted them from my computer after I had them printed so Ty wouldn’t see them. =(

cHolli

How Cooper Watches Fireworks

2010-07-06T21:07:00.001-07:00

cHolli

Shelley’s Maternity Pictures

2010-07-06T10:49:00.001-07:00

I had the privilege of taking some maternity pictures for Trevin’s preschool teacher (his first year) yesterday. I LOVE how they turned out. A big thanks to Kristy for letting me borrow her awesome red chair. I’m in love with it! Here are some of my favorites:

Big sister Laney:

cHolli

Bubbles, Pajamas, & Rubber boots

2010-07-05T09:45:00.001-07:00

Cooper’s 3 year pictures

2010-07-01T19:39:00.001-07:00

I’ve made it a goal to only take pictures in manual mode. That’s right….I’m stepping away from automatic! The goal was to “practice” before taking pictures that would really matter. But, I’m a slacker. I took it upon myself to take Cooper’s 3 year pictures in manual mode. And, I think they turned out pretty good! (If you disagree…..please don’t tell me. Let my head stay big a little longer. ha!)

Showing me that he’s 3!

There ya go! My first manual photoshoot.

cHolli

A Mickey Mouse Party!

2010-06-26T22:01:00.001-07:00

My sweet Cooper is now 3 years old! To celebrate we had a Mickey Mouse party. It was at the park and the weather was absolutely beautiful! We were even lucky enough to have a nice breeze blow. Lots of family and friends helped us celebrate. Here are some pictures from the big event:

The invitation: (Yes, I know…..Mickey’s ears aren’t placed exactly in the right position. The hubs just happened to point that out AFTER I had designed, asked his opinion a hundred times, and then had them printed. Such a man!!)

The decorations:

The cake: (Remember the Grand Canyon cake from last year? Well, it appears that my cake baking has improved. GREATLY. You can actually tell this one is a cake!)

The party:

Strutting his stuff in his mickey shirt

The crew (the ones we could round up anyway!)

Can you believe these 2 are only 9 days apart?!

SOOOO glad my Grandma was able to make it! She lives in Tulsa so we don’t get to see her very often.

Happy Birthday Cooper!

cHolli

3 Months! (A few days late)

2010-06-14T20:41:00.001-07:00

Madox Caid,

You are 3 months old!

You weigh 12 pounds 2 ounces and are 23 inches long.
You hate having a wet or dirty diaper. As soon as I change you, a smile spreads across your face and shows your sweet dimples!
You laughed for the first time.
Laying on your belly makes you so happy! You hold your head up and look all around you like a big boy.
You’re favorite thing to say is “agoo”
You are sleeping all night! Usually from 9 pm to 7 am.

It amazes us how you are growing so fast! You are such a blessing!

cHolli

Grilling Goodness

2010-06-05T14:27:00.001-07:00

Summer at our house means grilling, grilling, and more grilling. I became obsessed with Paula Deen last summer. (To the point that Trevin would say “please mom, let’s not watch the cooking show again.”) She showed a grilled corn on the cob recipe that I couldn’t wait to try. It tastes just as good as it looks!

*Paint the corn with mayonnaise

*Sprinkle parmesan cheese, salt, pepper, and paprika on top of the mayo

*Wrap in tinfoil and place on the grill

Happy Grilling!

cHolli

Kindergarten Bound

2010-06-02T14:53:00.000-07:00

Preschool is officially over, and this handsome boy is now on his way to kindergarten! Over the past 2 years, Trevin has learned all of his letters and sounds, how to write his first and last name, the beginning sounds of words, and much much more.

A big thank you to his teacher, Mrs. House (also my sis!) for such a wonderful and positive year! She's an amazing dedicated teacher who puts 110% into teaching.
Trevin has made some wonderful friends, and has become quite the ladies man!

Trevin and Kylie!

Trevin and Kailie!

I'm so grateful that he loves school. He's even counting the days until August! So while Trevin is awaiting school to start again, I will be soaking in every minute of summer vacation!

2 Months!

2010-05-13T16:42:00.000-07:00

I can't believe Madox is already 2 months old! He was a little upset with me when I took this picture. He was ready to eat!! Things he is doing:

*wearing 0-3 month clothes

*sleeping 6-7 hours at night (woohoo!)

*eating 4-5 ounces at a time

*smiling =)

*holding his head up

Only 10 more days and I will be home with him for the summer!

A Mother's Day Post

2010-05-09T17:00:00.001-07:00

Mother's Day is so special to me because it's a reminder of these 3 special blessings in my life!

I mentioned to Ty a while back that I wanted some tools of my own because I couldn't ever find his when I needed them. He's a good listener. I found this awesome zebra toolbox and may have mentioned that I wanted one of these too. =) So today, the boys came in with this:
If you're gonna have a girly toolbox, you must have some girly tools! This is what it was filled with:

Last night my sisters and I took my mom out for Mother's Day. We went to eat at an Italian restaurant called Spinelli's.

Kim and Mama

Me and Brianne

Mama opening her gift

Last, we headed to the movies to watch The Last Song

I'm so thankful for my mama. She is the most positive, loving, christian woman I know. I'm so glad God chose her to be my mama!

Love Letters

2010-05-07T16:04:00.000-07:00

I was one happy girl when I got in my car after school and saw this note from Ty:

When we were dating, he used to leave me sweet notes on my windshield while I was at work. After 7 years, he still has it in him!

Incomplete Man Test

2010-05-02T08:28:00.000-07:00

I was cleaning out my filing cabinet at school the other day (Hooray! Only 19 more days!!) and I came across this incomplete man test. It's a test for 2 1/2 to 6 year olds that tests their development. They're supposed to finish the man by drawing in the missing parts. I brought it home to have my boys do it. Here's the before......

and the after......
Trevin..perfect, except he didn't add the pupils...ummm I don't even add the pupil when I'm drawing a person. Cooper on the other hand...well, I guess I need to be working with him. However, he did say "Hey, that's not fair, Trevin's has 2 ears!" On a side note, I got word that Trevin scored in the top 5 on his kindergarten entrance test! Woo Hoo!!

Pampered Chef Giveaway!

2010-04-24T07:39:00.001-07:00

Sarah at Adventures In Ava-land is having a giveaway! Check it out here!

2010-04-08T14:00:00.000-07:00

Dear Madox,

You turned one month old yesterday! You mostly eat and sleep. Last night you slept for 4 hours straight! It's the longest you've slept at night since we brought you home. Until yesterday, you have been wearing newborn size clothes. You're older brothers love to hold and kiss you (Mom and Dad do too!). You're growing up so fast!

Love, Mom and Dad

A Photo Shoot

2010-03-30T17:15:00.000-07:00

Madox had his first "real" photo shoot today. Well, "real" meaning I actually put some effort into backgrounds! We had a lot of fun, and he stayed awake for most of it.

My fave

Introducing....

2010-03-14T17:23:00.000-07:00

Introducing...

Madox Caid Plunkett

How he arrived....

Wednesday March 10, 2010, I started having contractions around 10 a.m. I convinced myself that I was ok and could make it through the rest of the school day. They slowly got closer together and somewhat stronger. I decided to go by the dr. on the way home, just in case I had progressed some. (I wanted to have warning). When he checked me I was at a 4 1/2! He told me to get my husband and go to the hospital, that I was going to have the baby tonight. I immediately started crying and panicking. I guess it started to seem real to me. We got to the hospital around 5:30. Even though my contractions didn't hurt, I went ahead and got my epidural because I didn't want to miss the "window" of having one. Best decision I ever made! Can't believe I didn't get one with the other 2! Labor was a breeze. My inlaws, sisters, boys, and sisters-in law stayed in there until time to push. We just talked and you would have never known I was in labor! My mom was still in VA with my brother so she couldn't be there. =( Around 10:30 the nurse called the dr. and said it was time. He rushed there, and 2 pushes later at 10:36 p.m. we welcomed Madox Caid Plunkett into this world! He weighed 6 lb. 10 oz. 19.5 in. looking just like his older brother Cooper. We're so blessed to have this new addition to our family!

Kypton Andrew

2010-03-02T16:33:00.001-08:00

My sis had her baby today! Kypton Andrew made his way into the world at 1:23 p.m. He weighed 7 lb 8 oz and was 20 in long. The same measurements as my sweet Cooper! Here we are at 7:00 this morning. Until today I was anti-epidural. Kim convinced me that it was the greatest thing in the world. So, I'm getting one too!

Here's the sweet babe. He looks just like Kim!

Big Brother Daeton. So sweet. He kept rubbing him saying "baby". They're only 19 months apart, like me and my older sis.

Here's the happy family! Doesn't she look awesome for just going through labor?!

**On a side note, my brother's wife was induced yesterday morning early. She wasn't progressing so the word was that they were going to do a c-section tonight at 7:00. My mom just called and she's now at a 9!! They live in Virginia so I won't have pics. =(

Also, I'm dilated to a 2! Come on baby!

Surprise!

2010-02-26T19:28:00.000-08:00

So my awesome friends surprised me with a "Pink or Blue" surprise baby shower today at school! They have been planning since we came back from Christmas break and they thought of everything. They even had all of the staff where either pink or blue according to what they thought the baby was going to be. Well of course I didn't even begin to catch on! It was total shock when I walked into the room. I ended up with several cutie outfits, 10 things of wipes, 13 packages of diapers, and too many other things to name! It has been complete motivation to get this baby here! With that being said, I'm dilated to a 1 as of last Monday. With only 3 weeks to go, we'll soon find out what baby "M" will be!

Here I am in front of my table. Remember people, I take full advantage of "Casual Friday". Ha!
My awesome friends and hostesses: Susan, Me, Kim, and Kristy!

Catch Up

2010-02-08T11:47:00.001-08:00

So I have been a HOR-RI-BLE blogger this year! Seems like my to-do list grows a mile each day with nothing getting crossed off. Here's what we've been up to the past month. We had our first snow of 2010! Mama made stood the cold long enough to snap a few pictures. The boys played for a while sliding and diving in the snow.

Trevin had a family night at his school. We spent the night eating "Pizza Hut" (as Cooper calls it), playing their classroom wii, and lots of playing with toys!

Here's my latest belly pic! Only 6 weeks to go. We're ready to find out what "Baby M" is!

30 Weeks!

2010-01-15T16:33:00.001-08:00

Here's my 30 week picture! I'm almost 31 weeks by now but since my computer was messed up I'm just now posting it! I'm still sick....waking up during the night to throw up is NOT a pleasant experience. Ha! Cravings: oranges, grapefruit (dipped in sugar of course!), chocolate, and juice.

Love Dare

2010-01-10T10:12:00.000-08:00

Has anyone else heard of the Love Dare? I heard about it on the radio last week. It's a 40 day challenge to help husbands and wives grow in their relationship together. There's a simple dare for each day. Today's dare: Ask your spouse to tell you three things that cause him or her to be uncomfortable or irritated with you. You must do so without attacking them or justifying your behavior. This is from their perspective only. I've been married to Ty for 6 1/2 years, and I feel like we have a strong and loving marriage. But with 2 (almost 3!) kids, jobs, and life in general, we tend to get sidetracked and more or less "forget" about each other. So this is exactly what we need! I'm so excited to see how we grow in our relationship as we continue the Love Dare together.

Family Highlights of 2009

2010-01-02T16:13:00.000-08:00

Hello ya'll! Just in case you missed anything from our lives the past year, here's a recap of our family favorites from 2009! Hope you enjoy!

In January....

We spent lazy days making homemade playdough and other fun stuff before starting a new semester of school!

In February.....

Trevin had his first (and last, fingers crossed) encounter with scissors to the hair.

In March....

We had family pictures taken with all of Ty's family.

In April......
We took Trevin to see Disney on Ice in Little Rock.

In May......

Another school year came to an end and we started our fishing trips!

In June.....

We took a family trip to the Tulsa Zoo.

Trevin took swimming lessons for the first time.

Trevin played t-ball for the second year.

We took the boys to Magic Springs for a family day!

And Cooper celebrated his 2nd birthday!

In July......

We announced that we were going to be having our third child due in March!

In August......

Trevin started his second year of preschool and I started my fourth year of teaching.

In September......
We spent Labor Day weekend at the lake and the boys tubed for the first time.

In October.......
The boys took their first trip to the public library.

In November......

Trevin went on his first youth hunt. He didn't get a deer this year but he will next!

In December....

Trevin turned 5 and had a spiderman bowling birthday party.

Cooper's First Trip to the Dentist

And Christmas 2009!

Can't wait to see what God has in store for us in 2010!

We Survived the Dentist

2009-12-23T14:33:00.000-08:00

Monday was Cooper's 1st trip to the dentist. I almost cancelled because he's...well he's Cooper. I didn't think he would let the dentist even look his way. I was completely right. Here are the boys eating lunch at Chick Fil A, yumm!

Trevin was so brave and hopped right up there so he could, in Trevin's words, "show his brother it wasn't scary". The dentist informed me that within the next year he should lose his 2 bottom teeth. WHAT?! He's still a baby! He's WAY too young to lose teeth. I almost cried right there in front of everybody. No lie. Unfortunately I didn't get a picture of Cooper because he was Screaming, Clinging, Clawing, Crying, and Kicking all at the same time. It took 3 of us to hold him down. I almost said forget it because it's too hard to watch, but I knew it would be the same story in 6 months or a year from now. So I controlled myself and let them do their thing. Once they gave him his new toothbrush and a "neigh neigh" from the treasure box, he was all smiles! Mission accomplished. Now let's just hope that we don't have dejavu in June!

Hope everyone has a Merry Christmas!

My Little Man is 5!

2009-12-14T16:43:00.001-08:00

Time Flies....

5 years ago we welcomed our first son into this world.

Words can't express the joy that filled our lives in just a moment.

The last 5 years have been pure bliss as we have watched you grow into a sweet and generous little boy. Trevin, we're so proud of you, and so blessed to call you our son!

Love, Mom and Dad

On to the Spiderman Bowling Birthday Bash!
The first thing we hear in the morning is Trevin riding his scooter across the floor. He thinks it's his only way of transportation around the house. Ha! Thanks Aunt Kimmie and Uncle Damon!

It's better to GIVE than to receive

2009-11-22T18:31:00.000-08:00

If there's one thing that breaks my heart, it's kids that have no Christmas. Our church is sponsoring a Children's Home in Hot Springs, AR. They have 54 kids that will be getting no Christmas presents. So we got to choose names today to buy them presents! I'm so excited because I want to teach my kids that they should always be givers. I encourage each of you to find a Children's Home near you and bless a child with a Christmas gift. And let's face it.....there are tons of them. I think it would be so awesome to be the one to take the presents to them, but I know me.....I would bring at least 10 kiddos home with me! Always remember....it's better to GIVE than to receive.

Miller Family Photos

2009-11-16T16:14:00.000-08:00

I used to take pictures of other people besides my kids all the time. For some reason I just stopped. I REALLY love taking pictures so when my sister wanted some of her family of course I said yes! I think they turned out so good! It helps when the people you're photographing are photogenic. She has a beautiful family! Here are some of my favorites!

Its a......

2009-11-03T16:49:00.000-08:00

I had my ultrasound today. We didn't find out what we're having! I'm so proud of myself. I REALLY wanted to know. I went in shaking with nerves, and the tech said I was making her nervous. She didn't even look at the "parts" because she said I was making her want it to be a surprise. So I guess we're really waiting until March to see if we're having pink or blue. She did say that I have a VERY healthy baby and everything looks great. I'm very anxious for March to get here. Labor is going to be a BLAST!

No Tricks, Just Treats

2009-10-31T18:07:00.000-07:00

Happy Halloween Ya'll!

I'll start my post at the beginning of last week. Something that is SOO unlike me.

PROCRASTINATION.

I guess Halloween just snuck up on me because I was under no pressure to get the boys' costumes together. Apparently there is no such thing as a solid color sweatsuit for kids. Trevin wanted to be a lion and Coop was going to be a dalmation. Everything was planned to get started, except the supplies. I searched the small town of Mena, but nothing.....not even a solid colored long sleeve shirt. Seriously?! I decided to do a 180 and come up with something else. Trevin agreed to be a football player and Cooper was going to be a construction worker. By Thursday night I was ~~ready to pull my hair out, take a bottle of anti-stress pills, and give myself the "I'm a horrible mother" award~~ a little worried. The razorback football helmet and jersey that I ordered didn't arrive, and his daddy was not about to let him wear the OU one that they had in stock at Hibbett. After searching.....again.....I found a jersey, and about freaked over the price. I held my breath and bought it anyways. We already had all of the things for Cooper's costume at home. Costumes...check.

Needless to say...it all turned out fine. It always does. Next year I think I'll start on costumes in May. Trevin had his Halloween party at school Friday, and our town did their Trick-or-Treating that night. Here are pics from our adventure!

The boys in their pumpkin shirts that I made them.

Me and Trevin at his preschool party

Trevin and his cousin, Jayden
Cooper, the construction worker

Trevin, the football player

What's the Greatest Game I know?......It's Bunco!

2009-10-20T17:28:00.000-07:00

Last night was Halloween Bunco. We always have such a blast! Kim and Mika....we missed you!

Belly pic of the preggo sisters!

Vicki's Graveyard. Too cute!
The winners! WooHoo!

The group

Me and my sisters

VCE gals!

I Met the Duggars!

2009-10-18T14:02:00.001-07:00

My sis and I headed to War Eagle Friday afternoon. What's War Eagle you say? Well, its a HUGE arts and crafts fair in NW Arkansas. This was our 3rd year to go. So much fun. It was FREEZING! I don't think it got above 49 degrees.

We hit the convention center Saturday afternoon and I'm so glad we did! Does anyone watch the show 18 Kids and Counting?! Well, I ran into the mom, Mrs. Duggar. Ha! I sound like I know her! Of course I had to have my picture taken with her and two of her daughters. She was so sweet about it! May be the only famous person I meet in my whole life so I completely took advantage of the situation!

8 for 8

2009-10-12T17:11:00.000-07:00

Remember me telling you that my sister is also pregnant? Well, she recently found out that she's having a BOY! Can't believe it! I just knew she was going to have the first girl. They're super excited. Her words....."I don't want a girl. They're too dramatic. Boys are easy." So glad she got what she wanted! Baby Daeton will be a great big brother!

Scarf Giveaway

2009-09-26T06:34:00.000-07:00

Leslie at A Blonde Ambition is having an October giveaway for a super cute scarf. Check it out!

14 1/2 weeks

2009-09-23T16:40:00.000-07:00

Here's my belly picture for 14 1/2 weeks. I'm growing quickly. =)

It's a Boy!

2009-09-22T16:26:00.000-07:00

No......not me. I've mentioned before that my sister and my sister in law are all pregnant with me. My brother and his wife found out today that they're expecting a boy! It's their first child and they're really excited. My parents have 6 grandbabies already.....and all of them are boys. So we're 7 for 7. I'm anxious to find out what my sister and I are having! We may have blue running out of our ears!

Labor Day at the Lake

2009-09-08T15:21:00.000-07:00

We spent our Labor Day Sunday at the lake with my dad. My kids are hooked on tubing! It was Trevin and Cooper's first time to tube. We didn't think Trevin was going to give anyone else a turn! Ha! I think he made everyone ride with him at least once. Here is the wild man.
Shame on me.....I couldn't resist. I LOVE TUBING! They went slow so I know it was safe. I didn't even fall off!

Apparently I was absolutely thrilled!

Me and my older sis.

Brianne and Trevin

Brianne and Brad

My lil sis Kim and her husband Damon. And sweet baby Daeton. She's also having a baby in March (along with my sis in law that lives in Virginia.) So excited to be pregnant with one of my sisters!

Here's Cooper's first ride!

All tuckered out!

Hope your Labor Day was great!

F is for Fair

2009-09-05T09:40:00.000-07:00

The fair came to town, so we loaded up the kids and headed that way. This was Coop's first year to get on the rides, so we thought he would LOVE it. WRONG! After buying the $15 armband, he SCREAMED and CRIED until we took him off the truck. By the end of the night, we found 2 things that he liked....the carousel and the bounce house. He would only ride the carousel with Dad (which made him so dizzy, he wanted to puke), and the bounce house was fine unil the ~~scary~~ nice carnie wanted to help hold him while he jumped. Umm...No Thank You. Trevin on the other hand didn't want to leave. After a long night of rides, seeing Trevin's artwork that he entered in the fair, which I might add got 1st place....ok so all of the preschool kiddos got first. But I still think his was the best =), and a bag of cotton candy to go, the night came to an end.

Baby Names...Check

2009-08-31T17:30:00.000-07:00

We have names! After MUCH debate with my husband, we have a boy name and a girl name. You'll have to wait until March though! Let's face it people.

I'm. Stingy.

With that being said, we'll just call this baby "Baby M". Don't cry! I'm giving you a hint.

Yep.

They each start with the letter "M".

10 Weeks and an Ultrasound

2009-08-26T17:19:00.000-07:00

So here I am at 10 weeks. WOW! Didn't realize how much of a bump I had until I saw this picture! I'm not one to stress about my weight. EVER. I don't exercise nor do I eat healthy. Pathetic I know. But it was kind of nice to slip back into my jeans the day coming home from the hospital with Trevin. Don't see that happening with this baby! I have started craving sweet baby pickles, cheese and crackers, and hard candy. Don't let the pickles fool you.....I'm not the pregnant one who eats the weird mixtures of food. I still like normal things, just when I get a craving........look out! I won't stop til I get it. My wonderful hubs has made MANY midnight trips to the store for me. Such a sweet man!
And here's our little bundle of joy! Amazing how you still get butterflies seeing your 3rd child for the first time just like the first. Being a mother is amazing. Of course after 2 boys we would love a girl. But you know.......we will be SO thankful for a healthy baby. So many babies have problems, and others have trouble conceiving. I feel blessed that God has chosen this special baby to be a part of our family. The heartrate was a strong 180 beats per minute and the munchkin is around an inch long!

1st Day Drama

2009-08-19T14:51:00.000-07:00

The first day of school started GREAT! Trevin was excited to start preschool, and I was excited to be able to take him even though I teach at a school 20 miles down the road. (Awesome principal!) Of course I was snapping pictures left and right of my handsome preschooler. I left the school and headed to meet all of my new 2nd graders. As I arrived, I was rushing in and being the clumsy preggo person that I am.......BAM! I fell walking up the stairs. (Quite embarrassing, I know.) I cringed through the pain but hurried on my way to class. Well, the more I walked on my foot, the worse it got. By lunch, I couldn't stand on it. My principal used to be a coach, so he came and checked it out. I was instructed to go have some x-rays taken. The rest is history. I'm now a crippled teacher with a sprained ankle and crutches. AND IN A LOT OF PAIN :( Anyways....Here's Trevin outside of his classroom.
Couldn't let the morning slip by without a picture with my little man!

Working at his table.

With his teacher, Mrs. House. (AKA Aunt Bri Bri!)

My sweet neice, Jayden. She started kindergarten today.

As for me....Well, I'll be taking it easy with my foot propped up and as much pain meds as I'm allowed to take.

For those who don't know......

2009-08-01T07:16:00.000-07:00

Baby #3 will be here the end of March! We are so excited. Children are such a blessing and we are so grateful! Let's see....I gained 28 pounds with Trevin and over 50 with Cooper. Hoping the pattern stops here! Although I already have a small bump. =) Lots of morning sickness ALL DAY. I had that with Trevin, but it was because of prenatal vitamins. I'm not taking any because they give me kidney stones. Hope it doesn't last long!

More Giveaways!

2009-07-23T09:15:00.000-07:00

Nope not from me...(though hopefully soon!) Since I won Sarah's giveaway, I'm hoping the lucky streak keeps rolling....Here are two more for you to check out! Jamie and Ladybug Blessings.

Sarah's having a giveaway!

2009-07-16T12:22:00.000-07:00

My blog friend Sarah is having a blogoversary giveaway. Go here to check it out!

Swimming Superstar

2009-07-07T13:15:00.000-07:00

Trevin had day 1 of swimming lessons last night. They worked on holding his breath under water and the superman glide. He did awesome! Look out Michael Phelps, I think you may have some competition! =)

Happy Birthday Cooper Zain!

2009-06-26T20:21:00.000-07:00

I can't believe my baby Cooper is 2! Where has the time gone? Kids grow up way too fast. We had his birthday party tonight and his birthday was yesterday. Trevin insists that Cooper is 3 now because he got two days of birthday. Poor thing, he just won't believe us! Here is the birthday boy! My sister and I worked together to make his shirt. Thanks Aunt Bri Bri!

His birthday banner
His cake....okay so I'm definitely not a baker. I had such a cute cake in mind to make him. Of course I didn't make a practice go at it. So today about 5 hours before the party I got to work. All was well until I added the 4th layer. Then all went downhill. It caved in on me. So as you're looking at his not so cute cake, please ignore the grand canyon in the middle of it and imagine that it's a nice smooth square that has all perfect sides. (My hubby insisted that I order a cake when he saw it. Such a support system! Ha!)

Bubble sticks for the munchkin friends.

Table decorations

Doesn't he look thrilled?! He was ticked that we made him stand behind his cake for a picture.

Blowing out candles with help from cousin Kaleb.

Presents, presents, and more presents.

All the munchkin friends and cousins.

Aunt Kimmie taking baby Daeton's paci away from Ryder after Ryder jerked it out of baby Daeton's mouth. Can you tell which one has older brothers?

Cooper, Mommy and Daddy love you so much! We are so proud to be your parents and so blessed that we were able to see you grow another year older.

T-Ball Comes to an end

2009-06-18T08:50:00.000-07:00

Tonight is Trevin's last t-ball game. We always have a blast hanging out at the ball field. Next year he'll be in coach pitch. Here are some highlights from the season!

2 Posts in 1

2009-06-17T07:50:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I had my good ol' wisdom teeth cut out. So today I'm laying on the couch with my husband -made sling that ties around my head with 2 ice packs stuck to my face. Lovely sight.

*****I'll spare you the picture*****

May the swelling please stop. Fortunately I'm in no pain. Pain pills these days are amazing! Just a few puffy jaws and a diet that consists of jell-o, pudding, and mashed potatoes.

ON A BRIGHTER NOTE:
My sweet niece just turned 3! The only thing she wanted for her birthday was a hamburger and french fries. So that's what she got....in the form of a cake! Happy Birthday Jancey Kye!

Family Reunion and the Zoo!

2009-06-08T10:54:00.000-07:00

So its been awhile since I've blogged. Summer is here and we have been WAY busy! From pool day to fishing, we've had something every day. Last weekend we had our biannual family reunion. Its alway such fun! My grandma has 14 grandchildren and 35 great! For the past 15 years there has been at least one baby born. After the reunion we headed to the zoo with a couple of my cousins and their families.

Preschool Pool Party

2009-05-23T07:29:00.000-07:00

Trevin's first year of preschool has come to an end. To celebrate, his teachers hosted a pool party for all of the kids and their families. We were so blessed to have Ms. Shelley as his teacher. Here are some pictures from the party...

Happy Mother's Day

2009-05-10T16:21:00.000-07:00

Mother's Day is one of my fave holidays. Ty does an awesome job at making me feel appreciated. He pampers me all day (he does pretty good on other days too!). Each year is different. Last year, he went behind my back and took TONS of pics of my boys. He then put them together to make me a HUGE collage with pics and poems of why moms are special. Thought I would faint when I saw it! So thoughtful. It's hanging in the boys' playroom. This year, he cooked me breakfast. He had Trevin write me a card from him and Cooper, and I got one from Ty too. =) Then it was time to head to church (after he got the boys ready) Papas (my fave restaurant) for lunch and home. Oh and he also got me a massage and a new lens for my camera. So if this post sounds like a brag session for Ty, you're right. He deserves it! Couldn't ask for anyone better! Way to go hubby! You did awesome!

Giveaway

2009-05-09T07:10:00.000-07:00

If you haven't read Jill's blog, you're missing out! You can go here to be entered in a giveaway! Good luck! And may the best one win. Ha!

Countdown's On....

2009-04-30T15:08:00.000-07:00

I admit it....I'm a sucker for reality TV. Especially the Bachelor. Yeah yeah..so they hardly EVER work out, but hey..its still one of my faves. With that said, the Bachelorette will be on in 18 days! Woo Hoo! Loved Jillian from the beginning. Love the way she says "again" and she has AMAZING hair! That girl wakes up with it in place! So if you've never seen it....you're missing out!

Mickey & Minnie's Magical Journey

2009-04-27T14:56:00.000-07:00

We had so much fun at Disney on Ice! It was such a joy to see Trevin's face light up when he saw Mickey Mouse. Makes me even more anxious to get my kiddos to Disney World!

A Day in the World of Preschoolers

2009-04-24T17:04:00.000-07:00

What a day! Today was parent day at Trevin's school. Parents were invited to spend the day with their little one. Trevin and I were SO excited! He's always asking to go to my school so it was a good trade to go to his. They ride a bus to the upper elementary school for lunch, and yep Mom got to ride too. Woo Hoo! Love those school buses. After lunch it was outside play. Nap. Then bubbles. Trevin opted to leave before nap. Do ya blame him? Here are some pictures from our day!

Riding on the bus

Lunch with his cousin, Jayden

Trevin and his Oh So Cutie Pie friend Katie

Quite a ladies man!

New Use For Duct Tape

2009-04-15T15:17:00.000-07:00

Cooper has a bad habit of taking his diaper off during bedtime. You can imagine the mess! So the other night my hubby tells me that he's solved the problem. Out comes Coop wearing this! Needless to say, we no longer have a problem with him taking his diaper off!

Destruction Photos

2009-04-10T17:33:00.000-07:00

Here is an update on things here. My sisters house was barely clipped in the back. Ty's grandparents house was barely touched on the side. Prais the Lord! The houses all around them were hit really bad. God definietely had his hand over them. Kim's tahoe was smashed to pieces but vehicles can be replaced! Please continue to pray for all of those affected. So many are without power, vehicles, and homes. It will be a long road, but things will start looking up.

Gas station

Some homes

This is Trevin's teacher's family tractor business. (get that?)

Please Pray

2009-04-09T20:20:00.000-07:00

Our town of Mena was hit by a tornado a couple of hours ago. My sister and her husband just bought a house right in the middle of where it hit. They haven't moved into it yet b/c they are doing a lot of remodeling to it. The thought never crossed my mind that they would be at the house working.....We always send each other texts to let each other know we're okay when there's a tornado around. I sent my text to both of my sisters and never received one back. I didn't panic, just kept trying to get ahold of Kim (the one who is in town). I knew my other sis was ok b/c there wasn't a tornado in her area. My bro in law called my husband to let us know that they were ok but their house was hit (they were in it) and my sis's tahoe was demolished. Then I started freaking out. I'm the scattered one of the family that can't hold back emotions. I immediately started bawling and begging Ty to take me to her. I needed to see for myself that they were ok. Of course he took me, but they had EVERYTHING blocked off so we couldn't get through. Our cell phones are in and out so I still (2 1/2 hours later) haven't been able to talk to her. At least she's ok. I know that GOD was with her and her family. There's a reason I pray for the safety of each and every family member every day! =) Please pray for all of those affected. Ty is in town right now (he's a little stubborn and determined). He is checking up on Kim and Damon along with his grandparents (whose house was also hit).

Easter Projects

2009-04-09T16:12:00.000-07:00

Nothing like waiting til last minute. Here's a look at the Easter crafts that I made this past week. We'll get to enjoy them for a week anyways! =)

I bought this glass jar at TJ Maxx for $10! I absolutely love it. I plan on adding something festive each month. For April I bought some paper mache goose eggs at Hobby Lobby for $0.34 each! (Love the 1/2 off items) A little craft paint and there you go!

Another Hobby Lobby find....$2 Easter egg wall plaque with craft paint, once again. Anybody see a pattern here?

And my fave....the boys' Easter baskets. I absolutely LOVE Pottery Barn, but hello I'm not going to spend $40 for a basket with a liner, so I made my own! My sweet MIL embroidered them for me. I keep her practiced up!

Smamich, please!

2009-04-03T21:05:00.000-07:00

Ok-so I love to think back at the oh so cute things that my kids say, but hey....I don't have the best memory. So thankfully I can refer back to my blog and wahlah! instant remembering. We were eating at one of our favorite places, Cruizzers (like a sonic but way BETTER!), when Trevin asks for a grilled cheese smamich. I lean back to him and tell him to say "SANDwich" stressing the sand. So he looks at me like I'm a dummy and says (very slowly) SSMMMAAmich. When I was in college, one of my professors said that sometimes kids really do think they're saying it correctly. So true...I have a little girl in my class and she calls me Ms. Punklett. When the other kids look at her and say, "It's Plunkett." She looks at them with a duh, thats what I said! Gotta love kids!

P.T.I.P

2009-03-26T18:55:00.000-07:00

Potty Training In Progress

Potty training is in progress at the Plunkett house! Cooper has been acting very interested in it so we're hitting it hard! He has been wearing big boy undies when we're at home, and he went pee pee in the potty for the first time last Saturday! Yay for Cooper! And YAY for less diapers to buy!

My Child's a Genius

2009-03-20T18:25:00.000-07:00

So I may be a little biased, but my child is SO smart! He may look like his daddy but he has my brains! Yesterday at his parent teacher conference his teacher told me that he was very creative. Tonight proved it! Here are his "creations" of a fish and a set of keys. He informed me that he did it all by himself. Which he did! Amazing how 4 yr. old minds work. And someday he'll thank me for the pic of him in his undies!

Taking Charge

2009-03-18T09:17:00.000-07:00

This morning, Trevin decided that he wanted to take care of Cooper today. He dried him off after his bath, brushed his teeth; with my supervision of course =), put on his shoes and socks, put chocolate in his milk, put his jacket on him, and carried his backpack. When his mission was accomplished he replied with "I'm such a good brother." You think he's heard that a few times?

My boys are growing too fast! Here are some of the new things they're doing....
Cooper's new favorite things to say: Chechin, mere (Trevin come here); stop; where daddy go bo? (no idea where the bo comes from); choc (chocolate milk); nice (when he's telling someone to be nice)
Trevin loves to look at books. Every night I read him one and he'll try to read it back to me. Amazing how he remembers so many details! Makes me proud. On our way to preschool today he cried and said, "I want to go to school with you!" Break my heart!

Bad News

2009-03-12T16:36:00.000-07:00

So I had my 6 month dental check up today......I was told that my wisdom teeth can no longer stay in my mouth. They're making by bottom teeth shift....YIKES! Horrible news for me. I knew they needed to come out, but didn't want to have to give in. I don't like needles. So the thought of surgery makes me freak! The date's set for June 12. But....when I walked in the door and had these two precious boys run to me saying "Mommy's home!" it made everything better! (Cooper REFUSED to sit by me. and to think he's a momma's boy?)

No Boys Allowed

2009-03-07T13:23:00.000-08:00

My sister and I took a leap of faith today......we tried out a new hair stylist! We had heard MANY good things about her so we jumped in the car and headed south an hour to see Sheryl at the Cutting Room. I'm in the process of growing my hair out so I was very straightforward with her...."Just trim enough to get the dead ends off....I don't want a CUT" She did awesome and was so ~~funny~~ hilarious! She got off on a story about a time that she wanted to get "wings" cut. Oh my... I remember!

Here's me and my sis! By the way....I think the tanning bed is calling my name.

Oh dear...I look albino.

After the hair business we stopped by one of my fave stores, Diana's, where I found this monogram flag for my flowerbed.

Molten Chocolate Skillet Brownie

2009-03-01T13:26:00.000-08:00

Ok-So I'm not much of a cook. I can cook, I just don't like to! I'm trying to become more of one so I rounded up some teachers and asked them to give me some of their favorite recipes. Much thanks to Shelly! This recipe came out of her Pampered Chef cookbook.

Molten Chocolate Skillet Brownie

Ingredients: 1 package fudge brownie mix, 1 bar bittersweet chocolate, 1 cup water, 6 oz. chocolate fudge ice cream topping, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla, vanilla ice cream

1. Preheat oven to 350. Spray bottom of skillet with nonstick cooking spray. Prepare browine mix for cake-like brownies. Spread batter over bottom of skillet. Cut chocolate into small pieces and sprinkle evenly over batter.

2. Place water and ice cream topping in bowl and wisk until blended. Microwave until boiling (about 3 minutes). Stir in vanilla. Pour fudge topping mixture over brownie batter.

3. Bake uncovered 35-40 min. or until sauce is bubbling around edges. Top with vanilla ice cream.

Yum!

We're Going to See Mickey Mouse!

2009-02-24T18:32:00.000-08:00

So it's not Disney World (though one day we will go make it there!), but it's the next best thing, right? We're headed to see Disney on Ice: Mickey and Minnie. We (meaning Trevin) are BIG Mickey Mouse fans, so we're so excited! Trevin started jumping up and down when I told him. It was the cutest thing! Ty thought I should have waited a while to tell the big news since it won't be until the end of April, but I couldn't wait to see him smile!

Happy Valentine's Day!

2009-02-14T06:50:00.000-08:00

Hope your day is wonderful!

Valentine's Day Jars

2009-02-11T15:18:00.000-08:00

I needed a gift for Trevin to give his teachers for Valentine's Day that was unique and special. I've seen painted mason jars before and thought they were sooo cute. So I decided to give it a try. Here's what I came up with!

I wish I would have used a different paint that wouldn't chip so easy. Any suggestions?

Sunday Picnic

2009-02-08T14:46:00.000-08:00

Today was beautiful! My wonderful husband suggested we go to the park for a picnic and some play time. So after church we packed lunch and headed to the park! The boys had a great time playing. Today's weather made me anxious for spring. Here are a couple pics of my sweet boys playing.

Scissors are for PAPER!

2009-02-04T15:20:00.000-08:00

So I get an email from Trevin's teacher informing me that Trevin decided to cut his hair in art center today. I'm not too stressed because she said it didn't look that bad. Fortunately he has a little "Backstrom" in him. Our hair grows super fast. When I call my sis to tell her, she comments with a "Hmmm... Like mother, like son." She was real quick to remind me of when I CHOPPED my hair. I looked like a boy. (My poor mom having to tag me around looking like that!) Do you notice the bald spot on top? (I know you're thinking, Looks like he cut the front too. Nope, he inherited the Plunkett Cowlick.) His response to the situation: "Ms. Shelley will be so happy when it grows back." He was also terribly upset when I told him his scissor privileges were gone.

Project Overload

2009-02-03T16:01:00.000-08:00

I know that some of you bloggers put me to shame when it comes to completing projects. But hey, I work full time and have two precious kiddos at home. So to complete 3 projects within a weekend is major progress for me! =) Here's a look at my latest work!!

Curtain for the laundry room door:

Curtains for our bedroom (there's one on both sides of the bed):

Ccanvas for the laundry room:

Brotherly Love

2009-01-30T16:19:00.000-08:00

I absolutely LOVE the ages that my boys are. They are becoming such good friends. I am very close with my siblings so I wanted the same for my kids. Everyday when Trevin comes home from preschool, he'll come in the house saying, "Cooper, I'm home. We can play now!" It is so adorable! Cooper loves to take drinks out of Trevin's cup using his straw, and Trevin always replies with "I'm being a good boy and sharing with Cooper." Trevin is quite the big brother! He loves to put others first.

Random things about my boys:
**Last night Trevin had to sit in time out. He stayed there very well. (Which is highly unusual.) It made me think that maybe he had some practice at school. So I asked him if he ever had to sit in time out at school. He replied with "No, I'm nice to my peoples!" I believe him! His teacher always talks about how good he is and that he rarely gets into trouble. Such a nice thing to hear! He's growing up so fast! He came home with a medal last week from the treasure box. He said, "I was making good choices at lunch so I got out of the treasure box." It made my heart melt!

**Cooper's vocabulary is growing more and more each day. Some of his new words: water, "Chechin" (Trevin), nose, toes, sock, shoe, teeth, and peas (his version of please). I am very fortunate to have one of my very good friends keep him two days a week. She and her husband are staying with her husband's grandmother for the moment. "Nanny" has really taken to Cooper. Every morning when she gets up and he's there, he'll go pat on her chair and say "Sit, Nanny." That's his cue that he wants her to hold him. And she does! Sometimes I'm torn between working and staying home with my kids. I'm so blessed to have my summers off and very SPECIAL people to keep my kids when I am teaching! So a big THANK YOU to everyone who looks after my kids while I'm away!

Kool-Aid Play Dough

2009-01-02T12:20:00.000-08:00

Today we made kool-aid play dough. Super easy and cheaper than buying it. Plus it smells really good! Here's the recipe:

2 1/2 cups flour

1/2 cup salt

2 packages of kool-aid (I used cherry)

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 cups boiling water

Mix flour, salt, and kool-aid. Add vegetable oil and boiling water in

a large bowl. Knead until thick. Store in an airtight container or ziplock bags.

Top 9 For 2009

2008-12-31T23:52:00.000-08:00

It's 2 a.m. on January 1, 2009. I can't sleep, so why not blog! I'm posting a list of 9 things that I want to accomplish in the coming year. So here goes...
9. Buy land to build our house
8. Complete my Christmas shopping by December 1
7. Exercise and eat healthier
6. Bring my scrapbook pages up to date
5. Call my grandma every week
4. Go on more dates with my husband
3. Do a monthly project with my boys
2. Read my bible more
1. It's a secret!

Happy New Year!

Winter Cleaning

2008-12-31T16:59:00.000-08:00

Yes, I admit it. I'm a neat freak. I love to be organized and I can't sleep at night until my house is in perfect shape. I woke up this morning and I felt like I needed to make a list of my "Early Spring Cleaning", ok "Winter Cleaning". There's something about putting all of the Christmas decorations away that makes me want spring to be here in a hurry. What better way to rush spring than to start Spring Cleaning! After the list was made (and it was a LONG one!) I got right to work. I began by cleaning the refrigerator. I don't mean wipe down a few shelves and call it quits. I spent over 3 hours! Pulling everything out, scrubbing until there wasn't a spot, and then neatly organizing the food on the freshly scrubbed shelves. I then scrubbed the trash cans (EWW!!) , and dusted the ceiling fans. Although I still have a long way to go to complete my list, the house feels cleaner. In my opinion, one's house can never be too clean!

Cookies for Santa

2008-12-23T18:00:00.001-08:00

Tonight we did something extra special....... we made cookies for Santa! Yes, I know that most people do that on Christmas Eve, but we're having Christmas with my family tomorrow night so we're jumping ahead. Trevin helped me do it all: stir the ingredients, roll the dough, cut the shapes, icing and sprinkles. We had so much fun doing it! It was our first year. Coop of course was too young, but he did help us eat a few! Trevin finally got upset and told him that Santa would be sad if he ate all of his cookies. So precious!

The stockings were hung...

2008-12-23T11:50:00.001-08:00

I FINALLY finished our stockings. They were pretty time consuming, but I'm happy with the way that they turned out. =)

Trevin's PreSchool Christmas Party

2008-12-23T09:22:00.000-08:00

Trevin had his preschool Christmas party last Friday. It was so cute to see all of the kids so excited! He was even more excited to help Ms. Shelley open her gift from him! He told her that there was a pencil inside. She was surprised to see that he was right! Merry Christmas Ms. Shelley!

Christmas Surprise

2008-12-15T19:16:00.000-08:00

One of my sweet kiddos from school brought me the most adorable gift today. It was a coffee cup from Hallmark that read "get your jingle on". It has a strand of bells around the bottom. He knows me well! Every cold morning you can count on me having my cup of hot cocoa to warm me up! (I love the way coffee smells, but won't dare drink it. YUCK!) As I was opening it, he preceeded to tell me "I wanted to buy you the cup that had Santa and his reindeer on it for $20, but my dad made me get the $10 one instead." So cute! Kids will tell you ANYTHING and EVERYTHING. One of the joys of being a teacher!

A Walk Down Memory Lane

2008-12-04T15:30:00.000-08:00

I was recently going through some old pictures and I came across one of me with my 2 sisters. I was a junior in high school. Just to show how much people can change in nearly 8 years, I'm also posting one of us at Tailgate Bunco last month. AMAZING! Fortunately for me it was a good change. This is before.............

and this is after............

He finally said it!

2008-12-03T16:36:00.001-08:00

I have been working with Cooper for MONTHS trying to get him to say "Love You". Well, today, he busted out and said it. Of course it was to me! He says "O, U" and then puckers out his lips to give you a kiss. It's so darn cute!