Thanks to my great friend Christie, I have many more pictures to post from the party... She was so kind as to experiment with her new camera at our party!
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
More party pics
Thanks to my great friend Christie, I have many more pictures to post from the party... She was so kind as to experiment with her new camera at our party!
Monday, March 30, 2009
Jayce's 4th Birthday Party Pics
Jayce's party was a blast! I did not run around with my camera the whole time this year and just decided to have fun and it was great! Friends will be sending more pictures that are hopefully better than mine, so I'll post more later, but you can get the idea from these! We had so much fun this year... I made the cakes... along with 4 dozen cupcakes and I am caked out! I actually did 3 different recipes for cakes and icings last week trying to decide which I'd use and boy it's hard work! I really enjoyed it though! And, I even passed the test of the McLaughlin's saying my cake tasted good! That's huge! This was also my first experience decorating cakes and while I am certainly no Martha Stewart, I felt like they turned out decent for the first time... The car ride there got my dino a little smudged on the border, and I will definitely invest in a cake leveler next time for my layered cake as it was a little lopsided, but hey, I don't think the 4 year olds noticed and they still tasted good!
Daddy made all Jayce's banners and he especially loved his Land Before Time one!
At the party, we had a dinosaur egg hunt, did a pinata, and played pin the tail on the dinosaur! I am such a game girl so I loved being able to do these this year!
Jayce's main gift from us was his new big boy bike... spiderman, helmet, knee and elbow pads included! He does so well on it already, we were both really impressed!
Gabe went his first day without a nap and was in bed by 6:30 and I woke him at 9:15 on Sunday!
Never would have dreamed such a girly girl could have so much fun with a dinosaur party! But, just seeing how excited he was made it all so great!
Daddy made all Jayce's banners and he especially loved his Land Before Time one!
At the party, we had a dinosaur egg hunt, did a pinata, and played pin the tail on the dinosaur! I am such a game girl so I loved being able to do these this year!
Jayce's main gift from us was his new big boy bike... spiderman, helmet, knee and elbow pads included! He does so well on it already, we were both really impressed!
Gabe went his first day without a nap and was in bed by 6:30 and I woke him at 9:15 on Sunday!
Never would have dreamed such a girly girl could have so much fun with a dinosaur party! But, just seeing how excited he was made it all so great!
Happy 4th Jayce- Bye Bye Jon Jons
Happy 4th Birthday Jayce! I cannot believe you are officially a "Big Boy!" I know, many of you say, he's only 4... but to me a big boy means no more jon jons... sadness! I promised Jay that on his 4th birthday, I would stop dressing him in any jon jons... I had really been saving them only for church as of late, but this is IT... It really hit me hard as I switched out his closet and went from a closet full of them to polos and khaki pants... The one thing that kept me from balling was that I got to move them right on over to Gabe's closet! We are still allowed to do overalls though, as far as I'm concerned!
We are so proud of you Jayce and how much you have grown in the last 4 years in every way possible! You are a sweet child who loves Jesus, mommy and daddy, and your "bubby Gabe" very much! There is something about you Jayce that is so darn lovable! Your Sunday and School teachers both have told us that you are a "teachers dream" and that you "have their heart," and "that smile just makes me melt!" Not only have you turned into such a sweet boy (MOST OF THE TIME)...But you are so very smart, as you recently reminded mimi and papa. You remember details so well and can tell about any Bible story you've heard! You learn you Bible verses so well and are sure to repeat them back to me when it serves you best such as the time you said, "Mommy, I think we need to share a chocolate chip cookie now and be ye kind one to another."
The thing I love most about you right now is your sense of awareness that with any problem we face, we can bring it to God. Whether it's Gabe's boo boo, mommy's tummy hurting, you and I having a tiff, Gabe's screaming in the car, you will almost always stop and say, "Dear God, can you help us..............and you always close with Dear God, Amen. It is the sweetest thing! May you always remember to talk to Him about it all! I love you so much sweet boy, Happy 4th! Mama
We are so proud of you Jayce and how much you have grown in the last 4 years in every way possible! You are a sweet child who loves Jesus, mommy and daddy, and your "bubby Gabe" very much! There is something about you Jayce that is so darn lovable! Your Sunday and School teachers both have told us that you are a "teachers dream" and that you "have their heart," and "that smile just makes me melt!" Not only have you turned into such a sweet boy (MOST OF THE TIME)...But you are so very smart, as you recently reminded mimi and papa. You remember details so well and can tell about any Bible story you've heard! You learn you Bible verses so well and are sure to repeat them back to me when it serves you best such as the time you said, "Mommy, I think we need to share a chocolate chip cookie now and be ye kind one to another."
The thing I love most about you right now is your sense of awareness that with any problem we face, we can bring it to God. Whether it's Gabe's boo boo, mommy's tummy hurting, you and I having a tiff, Gabe's screaming in the car, you will almost always stop and say, "Dear God, can you help us..............and you always close with Dear God, Amen. It is the sweetest thing! May you always remember to talk to Him about it all! I love you so much sweet boy, Happy 4th! Mama
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
I could eat Jayce up at this age, so hard to believe we are almost 4! He is SO much fun! Energetic as always, but so sweet! He is growing up so fast and says so many funny things, I cannot possibly begin to remember half of them but wanted to jot some down before I forget!
All week he has been singing Happy Birthday to me, happy birthday to me, happy birthday Mr. Jayce, happy birthday to Isham Jehu Larry (sometimes) McLaughlin and never seems to remember the fifth! But I have to give him credit, what a tough name to remember!
Jayce is SO excited about his upcoming birthday, I feel like we've been talking about it forever! We are having a dinosaur party and he has enjoyed helping me make a practice dinosaur cake (see picture, decorated by Jayce, mommy was not allowed to help much)...but he had so much fun! Today he couldn't wait to fill treat bags for the party and then for his classmates at our school party! It is so fun this year because he really is so excited and keeps saying, "Tank you mama" (the one thing I just don't correct, it's too darn cute) as I do things to prepare for the party.
Jay and I were talking last night about how truly thankful Jayce always seems to be when anyone gives him something or does something for him. For example, Sunday afternoon I returned from Audi with Mickey Mouse pasta and Jayce's eyes lit up and he gave me the biggest hug and said, Tank you mama, I just love this! Then he leans over and kisses the box! Who could ask for a better reaction? We are so proud of Jayce and his daddy said, "Ya know, if I could pick one quality I would want him to have, it is to be a thankful person for his blessings," and he truly is.
Some of Jayce's more grown up sayings these days...
"Hey check this out mom!"
"Come on buddy Gabe, let's do this!"
"Mom, you won't believe this..."
Jayce is quite the negotiator these days... When we go to the store and he sees something he wants (such as the playdough fun set at Hobby Lobby), he will first ask if he can have it. Once denied, he will say that his brother really needs it. Again denied, he will say, "Oh, can we get this for daddy because he REALLY likes these!
What fun Mr. Jayce is... what he calls himself anytime someone asks him his name!
We will post pictures from his party on Saturday...
Monday, March 16, 2009
a Ballerina Bear
So, my birthday was Friday, the big 32... I really do not feel old, I think having 2 young children helps me to still feel young... This story is actually a good example of how they have a way of doing that for me!
I woke Jayce up Friday morning, and instead of me having to drag him out of bed as I had been that whole week, he jumped out of bed and ran to his desk and handed me the most beautiful package from the "Toy Shop!" I was so excited! I love when the boys get presents to open from there but this one was just for me! He exclaimed "Happy Birthday mama!... I got a present for you! It was as if he had been waiting all morning for me to walk in so he could say that! I said, Jayce, what is this? (as in I can't believe you got me a present). Being the literal fella that he is, he said, "it's a ballerina bear for you!" Sure enough, I opened it and it was the most precious small stuffed ballerina bear I'd ever seen, tutu and all (is that how you spell it girl moms?) She even plays music! I thanked him after he gave me his hand made card and gave him a giant hug and told him this was the best present I'd ever gotten on my birthday, and it really was! Something about my sweet boy being so excited to give me something he had picked out just made my day!
Later on, I thanked Jay, and he said it was all Jayce's idea! He asked Jayce what he wanted to give me and he said a dancing ballerina that twirls around. Jay said he'd been all over town looking for a ballerina jewelry box or something but they are so hard to come by. So in desperation he finally ended up at the toy shop and this was the closest he could find!
I love my ballerina bear!
AND Gabe even sang me happy birthday with a bit of prompting!
I had a fabulous dinner and CHOCOLATE CAKE with my hubby! If only birthdays could be every day!
I woke Jayce up Friday morning, and instead of me having to drag him out of bed as I had been that whole week, he jumped out of bed and ran to his desk and handed me the most beautiful package from the "Toy Shop!" I was so excited! I love when the boys get presents to open from there but this one was just for me! He exclaimed "Happy Birthday mama!... I got a present for you! It was as if he had been waiting all morning for me to walk in so he could say that! I said, Jayce, what is this? (as in I can't believe you got me a present). Being the literal fella that he is, he said, "it's a ballerina bear for you!" Sure enough, I opened it and it was the most precious small stuffed ballerina bear I'd ever seen, tutu and all (is that how you spell it girl moms?) She even plays music! I thanked him after he gave me his hand made card and gave him a giant hug and told him this was the best present I'd ever gotten on my birthday, and it really was! Something about my sweet boy being so excited to give me something he had picked out just made my day!
Later on, I thanked Jay, and he said it was all Jayce's idea! He asked Jayce what he wanted to give me and he said a dancing ballerina that twirls around. Jay said he'd been all over town looking for a ballerina jewelry box or something but they are so hard to come by. So in desperation he finally ended up at the toy shop and this was the closest he could find!
I love my ballerina bear!
AND Gabe even sang me happy birthday with a bit of prompting!
I had a fabulous dinner and CHOCOLATE CAKE with my hubby! If only birthdays could be every day!
Monday, February 23, 2009
picking flowers
I still remember the day I said to Jay, I wonder when Jayce is gonna start picking me flowers... Well, he actually started this process some time ago, but it never grows old! Today, we had just gotten in from school and I told Jayce he could drive his jeep into the back yard from our garage while I was making our grilled cheese. I always watch from my window to see him go in and watch him as he rides in the back yard. Well, today, I looked up and he was nowhere to be found. My heart started racing as I ran to each window panicking. I grabbed Gabe and started to rush out the door only to find him parked near our garage, stooped down and picking flowers. I watched him pick a whole handful and proudly carry them inside for me to put in a cup. I wish I could just freeze him in this stage, I don't want him to ever lose his sweet innocence!ioip
Monday, February 9, 2009
Ways to Save Money
OK, so while I have a minute, this class Dave Ramsey does is great... I must say though that I was ready for a change... For a while, I have known that my spending habits were not good... It's not that I shopped a lot for myself, but I was spending more than necessary at the grocery store even, and Target just on STUFF... and I knew that I needed to be making more sacrifices if I wanted to continue to stay home... I had struggled for a while with wanting more and more and the more I was in stores, the worse it got... Not that there is anything wrong with this if you have the means to pay for it but I did not and it was becoming consuming to me... This class has helped me to sit back and get perspective on things and realized that in order to one day be able to spend more freely, I needed to be more wise in my spending and savings now.
So, I've taken this on as a new challenge and have been amazed at just how much I can save by making just a few small changes... they are all small, but do add up! I wanted to share a few...
Sams- members mark diapers rather than pampers cruisers...
-pack of 200 for 32.00 will last Gabe 5 weeks versus buying pampers weekly in smaller packs... (saving of about 35 dollars a month)
buying lean ground beef at Sams in bulk... 2.50 a pound
I bought 10 pounds (25.00) but that will last our family about 2.5 months... I would have spent 50.00 at the grocery store buying it each week (25.00 savings)
Milk at Sams is 2.60 for regular and about 10 for 3 1/2 gallons of horizon... we have now switched to regular and saved about 11.00/week (44.00.month savings)
Coffee- this one was hard but I've switched from my gourmet flavored to good ole Folgers and it has been fine, still does the trick! It was 9.00 for a huge container which will last the month, I used to spend 9.00/week on coffee (27.00 savings a month)
Frozen all natural chicken, broccoli, green bean, and sweet potato fries are all much cheaper at Sams too although I have not figured out the exact savings on those....
A huge bag of romaine lettuce (6 heads) is 3.78 at Sams and also the gourmet salad mix is about 4.00 for a huge container that would last a week or more... it is twice
this at the grocery store...
Raisins are a great price there and I just buy them in big bags and bag my own snacks for the boys..also Cheerios, granola bars and applesauce!
OK, so I'm big on Sams..
Also, I have discovered that the Dollar Tree has some great buys...
-antiseptic mouth wash
-adult bath washes... I still get the boys Aveeno
-frozen strawberries and peaches for smoothies (1.00 /lb... savings of 1.29 a bag)... this is even cheaper than Sams
-even Nature's Own Bread for 1.00, it's fresh too... crazy!
Audi is a great place too, lots of brands I've never heard of but they've all been fine...Several great buys I've found are:
olive oil
canned goods
yogurt
Last of all, I'm trying to STAY OUT OF STORES unless absolutely necessary, and just send Jay in between my big shopping trips, it's amazing how much it helps! My goal is to buy in bulk and try to stretch my trips to once a month... we'll see how it goes ! I'll let ya'll know how much I can reduce my grocery bill per month!
So, I've taken this on as a new challenge and have been amazed at just how much I can save by making just a few small changes... they are all small, but do add up! I wanted to share a few...
Sams- members mark diapers rather than pampers cruisers...
-pack of 200 for 32.00 will last Gabe 5 weeks versus buying pampers weekly in smaller packs... (saving of about 35 dollars a month)
buying lean ground beef at Sams in bulk... 2.50 a pound
I bought 10 pounds (25.00) but that will last our family about 2.5 months... I would have spent 50.00 at the grocery store buying it each week (25.00 savings)
Milk at Sams is 2.60 for regular and about 10 for 3 1/2 gallons of horizon... we have now switched to regular and saved about 11.00/week (44.00.month savings)
Coffee- this one was hard but I've switched from my gourmet flavored to good ole Folgers and it has been fine, still does the trick! It was 9.00 for a huge container which will last the month, I used to spend 9.00/week on coffee (27.00 savings a month)
Frozen all natural chicken, broccoli, green bean, and sweet potato fries are all much cheaper at Sams too although I have not figured out the exact savings on those....
A huge bag of romaine lettuce (6 heads) is 3.78 at Sams and also the gourmet salad mix is about 4.00 for a huge container that would last a week or more... it is twice
this at the grocery store...
Raisins are a great price there and I just buy them in big bags and bag my own snacks for the boys..also Cheerios, granola bars and applesauce!
OK, so I'm big on Sams..
Also, I have discovered that the Dollar Tree has some great buys...
-antiseptic mouth wash
-adult bath washes... I still get the boys Aveeno
-frozen strawberries and peaches for smoothies (1.00 /lb... savings of 1.29 a bag)... this is even cheaper than Sams
-even Nature's Own Bread for 1.00, it's fresh too... crazy!
Audi is a great place too, lots of brands I've never heard of but they've all been fine...Several great buys I've found are:
olive oil
canned goods
yogurt
Last of all, I'm trying to STAY OUT OF STORES unless absolutely necessary, and just send Jay in between my big shopping trips, it's amazing how much it helps! My goal is to buy in bulk and try to stretch my trips to once a month... we'll see how it goes ! I'll let ya'll know how much I can reduce my grocery bill per month!
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