MIA

Wow, has it really been 8 months since I last updated my blog??? Where the heck has the time gone. I swear time has been FLYING by. In the last few months a lot has happened. I have been working my butt off trying to get my website up and running, working in the shop and keeping the household together while trying to raise 2 very active preschoolers! Busy momma to say the least. I need to start updating this blog more so that I can actually remember this time! It seems like it is all a blur.

 I need to take a step back and enjoy the ride.

Tyler graduated in May and moved out to California to live with us. It has been great having him here. He has been helping us in the shop and will start school at RCC in a couple weeks. Talan and Gavin are in Summer School and will start the Fall Session in a couple weeks. Talan is going to be in Pre-K!! He will be 5 years old in a couple months!! I can't believe I am going to have a 5 year old! It makes me sad to think how fast my babies are growing up.

Barstow Toys for Tots 250

In the beginning of December, Mark and AJ raced the Barstow Toys for Tots 250. This is the same one that they won last year. We headed out Thursday night so that they could have all day Friday to prerun the course. Well all that preparation paid off because they won again this year! I am so proud of them. All of their hard work paid off. This is what they love to do and it feels good to be good at it!

This is AJ's class 5 racecar. Isn't it pretty? Like the new graphics? Those are courtesy of  Sunset Wraps (wink, wink)

It is so beautiful out there. It is crazy that it is only about an hour away but feels like we are out in the middle of nowhere.

Cade, Brodie and Gavin. These boys LOVE the dirt. Check out Gavin's pants.

They play for hours upon hours in the dirt.

Cade taking Talan for a spin in the rhino.

It was FREEZING that weekend. I had a beenie, hoodie and big jacket on all weekend.

Here is AJ about to get into the racecar and head to the starting line.

 

Waiting for them to start.

Santa collected all the toys for the Toys for Tots drive.

Cruisin in the rhino.

 

Fun in the pit. I swear these kids have so many toys, but they play with everything else besides their toys.

My boys. <3

Mark getting into the race car for his part of the course.

Crossing the finish line, 1st Place Baby!! Martin Brother's Racing takes it for the 2nd year in a row.

1st Place!

Ralph (co-driver), Mark and AJ

 

Cheers to you babe!

This and That and Some More Organization

For the past 2 weeks, maybe even 3, we have all been sick in our household. It all started the week before Christmas when Kiely and Tyler came to visit. They must have caught something on the plane ride over because the morning after they got here they were both miserable. Then sure enough our whole house took turns having the cold. Last week, after I thought we had all recovered, Talan came into our room in the morning complaining that his throat hurt. Sure enough, he had a fever and a huge lump on his neck. I took him to the doctor right away and they tested him for mono and cancer (eeek) but it ended up being tonsilitis. She said he must have had an infection of some sort and it settled in his lymph node. After a few days on antibiotics that was all cleared up, thank goodness.

Then this week, of course, after I thought I had beaten my cold, I woke up with a horrible sore throat. I have had strep so many times and I just knew that it had to be strep. When I looked in the mirror my tonsils were bright red, inflammed and had white spots all over them. YUCK!! I went straight to Urgent Care. I couldn't even swallow water. It was so painful. She gave me antibiotics and told me to take advil for the pain. Well, advil has nothing on this pain. I had some leftover vicodin and that didn't even take the pain away. I had to have my mom come over and help me with the boys because all I could do was lay there. It hurt to move, let along take care of two busy boys.

Well, flash forward to this morning and I am feeling better...not 100%. It still hurts to swallow but at least I can swallow now. I am hoping a few more doses of the antibiotic and the pain will go away and I will be as good as new!

Anyways, on a lighter note, the weather here in so cal has been AMAZING. So gorgeous! It feels like late spring, early summer. It has been in the 80's here all week. I even let the boys swim in the heated spa yesterday (It's not that warm yet!)

In keeping with my resolutions, today I decided to organize underneath my sink. I keep all my cleaning products, dish soap, sponges, air freshener, etc. under there. Lately I have been just throwing stuff in there and hoping the cupboard closes and hides the mess. It has been bugging me for a while but I haven't made the time to just do it. So today I had enough. I took everything out. I found so much stuff that was expired. Did you know cleaning products go bad?  I wiped out the bottom and cleaned the containers that hold all the bottles. I put it all back in, sorting it so I know where to find everything. Now, to KEEP it that way!

Party Rock

Santa brought the boys a jumper for Christmas. Let me tell you, that is the BEST thing he could have brought for them. They love it and mom loves it because it wears them out. It is perfect size so I can move it into the garage or outside.

These boys crack me up. Here is a video of them on it...and yes they are always like this.

Forks Over Knives

So the other night at my dad's birthday dinner, my brother told me about a documentary called "Forks Over Knives".

FORKS OVER KNIVES examines the profound claim that most, if not all, of the degenerative diseases that afflict us can be controlled, or even reversed, by rejecting animal-based and processed foods. (from forksoverknives.com)

I thought it was really interesting and it really made me think about my food choices and the food that I feed my kids. My boys drink so much milk it's ridiculous, like a gallon every 2 days, and to think that the milk that they drink is actually doing them more harm than good is kind of disturbing. The idea that the elimination of meat and dairy can actually reverse heart disease and cancer? Yes, please!

 If you get a chance to watch it I definitely recommend it...I watched it on Netflix.

I am going to try and make more meatless meals in my household and see how it goes because I know I couldn't just go cold turkey (ha, no pun intended) on the no meat and dairy.

 Mark is definitely a carnivore and loves his steak and red meat.  If anyone has any yummy vegan or vegitarian recipes to share let me know!! I already eat lots of fruits and veggies and I don't drink milk so that will be easy. The hard part will be cheese because I LOVE cheese!!!

Pantry Reorganization: Before and After

So in sticking with my 2012 resolutions, today I chose to reorganize our kitchen pantry. I didn't realize when I started what a task it was! I should have taken pictures of the "during" because that sure was a sight to see. My kitchen looked like a bomb went off! It's amazing the things you find when you start taking everything out. I won't need to grocery shop for canned goods for a while. I literally found 15 cans of diced tomatoes! I always buy more at the store every time I shop because I think we are running low. Ha, we won't be running low any time soon. It feels so nice to have that done. It was bugging me every time I opened it up to find something. Now I know where everything is. I even used some extra baskets I had from the dollar store to put loose snacks in (granola bars, fruit snacks, etc)

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year to you all!

I have made 2 Resolutions this year

1. Update my blog at least once a week. I really want to make a blog book eventually with all my blog posts in them and at the rate I update my blog it would be a really small book. If I set my goal for just 1 blog post a week I think that would take the pressure off me of posting everyday! Plus I have been horrible at keeping the boys baby books and scrapbooks up to date so this will be a good way to keep track of big events in their lives.

2. Get Organized. I am so bad. My house is so unorganized. I am the type that just throws something in a drawer and then can't find it so I buy a new one and then end up having like 5 different pairs of scissors. I think by getting organized it will help me in so many areas, it will save me time by not having to search for things. It will save me money by  not having to buy new! It works all around. I have decided that I will just do a bit a day. Yesterday I organized a few cupboards in the kitchen, today I organized and cleaned my desk at work. Bit by bit and it won't be so overwhelming! Now, if I can just KEEP it organized.

Family Pictures

Yes, I have been lagging yet again on my blog posts! Life just gets in the way sometimes! We have been very very busy the last month. I will try and catch up on pictures soon.
Last week my sister came over and took some pictures of the family since Kiely and Tyler were here visiting. My sister's passion is photography and video and so she has decided to follow that passion and make it her career. I am very proud of her and she does amazing work. She sent over just a few of the pictures that she took that day. You can see more of her work on her website, www.carlykennelly.com or you can "like" her on facebook, Carly Kennelly Photo/Video.

I am so happy that we FINALLY have a new picture to put on the blog that doesn't show Talan and Gavin as babies!

The kiddos

The fam bam

A candid shot, I really like candids.

Brothers <3

Ty and his bike

Good Lookin Kids...love these 2

The boys were over it...got one of the "adults" haha

A Broken Arm & The First Day of School

Wow, I feel like I am actually getting caught up on a lot of the Summer. Go Me! haha. I have so many more things to blog about but at least I have covered the most important things that have happened this Summer. 

At the end of July, Talan went to the park with our babysitter while I was at work. When they got back the babysitter came out to get me (for those of you that don't know we have our office at our house but it is seperated from the rest of the house) She told me that she didn't know what happened but he was complaining that his arm hurt. 

What?! You don't know what happened??! What were you doing then? Sitting there on your phone?! 

I didn't say any of this...but I was thinking it of course. 

I asked Talan what happened and he told me. "I wanted to go on the monkey bars and no one would help me so I did it myself and I fell on my arm." Talan is not a complainer and he doesn't cry over many things. He didn't even cry at all but I knew something was wrong. He was just sitting on the couch holding his arm and telling me "Make is stop hurting mommy" So off to urgent care we went. He had xrays and it showed a fracture in both wrist bones.Luckily it wasn't near the growth plates. So they put him in a splint and referred us to the Orthopedic Surgeon. We went there the next day and they put him in a cast for 30 days. 

This put a huge damper in the last few weeks of Summer Break. Talan handled it like a champ though, I am so proud of him. The only thing he really complained about was how itchy it was.

Anyways, I had to fill the back story about Talan's arm because you will see him with a cast on in these next pictures, from the first day of school. 

The boys started school at a different school this year, one that is a lot closer to our house. Like I could literally throw a rock and hit it. I love it. The boys love it...what more could you ask for?

I couldn't have planned this one better with the bus in the background.

Walking down the hall after dropping off Talan in his class.

I can't believe my baby is in school! Time is going way too fast.


And last but not least, here is a picture of the Xray of Talan's arm after they took his cast off.

I don't now why it is sideways and blogger won't let me fix it...but if you look closely you can see the white on his wrist that is the calcium deposits where the bone healed. Kind of cool looking!

Visitors

Troy and Brittany

My nephew Troy and niece Brittany came out from Tennessee in mid August for 10 days. We went to the river the first weekend that they were here. It was hot! 114 degrees!! We were down at the water most of the days.  It was so nice to see the kids. We got to see Troy last summer, but it had been 3 years since we last saw Brittany. Talan was just a baby!

Troy is such a goofball. Love him.

My boys are stuck together at the hip. 

Cadester

Papa Buck Skiing.

Talan got to go tubing .

My boys

Cade, Brittany, Gavin, Grandpa Steve, Tyler, Talan and Troy

  

Me and my boys. Geez I cannot ever get a good picture!

Great Grandma Charlotte's 94th Birthday

In July we celebrated Grandma Charlotte's 94th Birthday. It was a luau/hawaiian theme. We had it at our house. Debi and I did the decorations which I enjoyed. We got a lot of the stuff at the dollar store! It was catered by a catering company out of Orange County. It was so nice to be able to enjoy the party and not worry about cooking. Normally I am running around the whole time getting all the food out, so this one was relaxing. Everyone had a great time. We ate, drank, swam and caught up with all of our friends and family. It was a great turn out. I think we had about 40 people show up!

Great Grandma's banner, made by Mark of course

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Great Grandma with her best friend

Before the guest arrived

Debi got some fresh flowers from her friend. They were so pretty. We made displays for the tables and for the bar.

One of our flower centerpieces. The plumerias are from our yard.

So cute! Loved this fruit display

The buffet

Everyone signed grandmas poster and got lei'd when they came in.

My sister Carly and Me

Party in full swing

  

Grandma had a great time!

Debi (Tom's Debi) and Debby Dickson with Dave

Talan didn't get out of the water for most of the day.

It was a beautiful day.

     

Erin, Baby Clay and Margie

The kiddos enjoying the cake!


Happy Birthday Grandma!! We love you.