Thumbs Up/Thumbs Down 2012 #18

Up:

• My husband is awesome - I have been pretty worked up recently because I just haven't had a chance to really 'deep clean' the bathrooms in awhile. I clean bits and pieces here and there, but they obviously need a lot more than that. Yesterday while I was working in the garage, to my surprise Mike cleaned both bathroom and the ceiling fans! Seriously made my day!
• I enjoyed my first 'Ladies Night' in I don't know how long also thanks to Mike for watching the kids for the night! We ate at a new place I've never tried that served steaks and seafood. I think I was the only person that got a steak, but Oh MY! it was the BEST steak I've ever had. It was a center cut top sirloin cooked exactly as I like it and topped with peppercorn crusted gorgonzola cheese - heaven in my mouth! I also had a great time enjoying some wonderful adult conversation!
• Kennedy had a fabulous 6 month check-up. She is 16.8 lbs. (65%) and 27.56 inches long (96%), I think she's gonna take after Daddy and Brother in the height department. She's been sitting up so well that we were able to quit using the baby bath and now we can bathe the kids together (at least for a little while) which is so much easier. She has started doing this sort of army crawl where she just uses her arms and drags her feet behind her. I'm sure it won't be long now.

Look at Kennedy sitting up so well!

She is so content to just sit and play with her toys now - it's great!

Kennedy loving the big kid bath and Jackson had fun too, he kept giving her bath toys to play with!

Down:

• Will someone please tell my 2 year old that getting up between 5-6am is just not acceptable! I am so tired by the end of the day, but daylight lasts a while here so I have trouble going to sleep at my normal time. 
• After a great stint of warm beautiful weather, we're back to blah. It's been pretty chilly and windy the past couple of days and doesn't look to be getting any warmer until the end of this coming week. It's so hard for Jackson because we were spending so much time outside last week and this week we've had to stay inside and he just doesn't understand.

Favorite Thing:

  As I've mentioned before, I use unscented laundry soap and rely on my dryer sheets to give my clothes that fresh clean smell. However, this last box of dryer sheets smelled awful and I'm needed to find out how to make the laundry smell better. I kept seeing the commercial for the Downy Unstoppables, but once I saw the price decided that they weren't for me. Right next to them was a similar product called Purex Crystals which was significantly cheaper. I decided to give it a try and chose the Fresh Spring Water scent. It smells great and the scent last way longer than the dryer sheets, not to mention the fact that now if I don't dry an article of clothing it still smells great. You should give it a try.

Thumbs Up/Thumbs Down - 2012 #17

Well finally I have a good excuse for not being on time with my blog posting - fabulous weather! Instead of hanging out indoors typing on the computer we have been enjoying every minute of warm weather we can before it's gone again (which according to the weather forecast will be on Friday with a high of 55).

UP:

• Our beautiful baby girl turned 6 months old on Thursday. She had her first tooth barely break through the surface this week and she is so close to crawling. She's also gotten really good at sitting up by herself. She is still growing like crazy, but I'll have to wait 'til the next post to give your her numbers. We go to the doctor on Thursday.

• As I mentioned above, the weather has been great here. We've been so warm that we are setting records. On Friday the squadron had a 9 hole golf tourney and Mike took Jackson with him. He hasn't stopped talking about it since. He had a blast chasing golf balls, 'driving' carts and of course the sand traps! Then Saturday we headed to Boise and spent a good bit of time at the outdoor market. It really just feels good to get out. I feel like we are just confined to the walls of our home for most of the year here due to weather/wind.
• We sold the Saturn! It was sort of bitter sweet. That was my first 'new' car I've ever owned or purchased myself. Plus it was a great car for us, we just outgrew it with the kids. We were able to get a fair price for it from a dealership near Boise. Good to check that off the list.

Daddy did Jackson's hair that day - yikes!

Super tired after a long Saturday in Boise.

Who needs girl's toys, trucks are fun!

Jackson showing Kennedy how his airplane flies around.

Down:

• I'm really bummed we didn't get to join my family in celebrating my Uncle Amos & Aunt Loretta's 50th wedding anniversary party in Groom, TX. I think besides my sister's family, we were the only ones not there. It's so hard living away from family and not getting to participate in the big or little things going on with everyone else. 
• Two kids teething at the same time is NO fun. Jackson is cutting his molars and Kennedy is getting her first tooth. The problem is that Jackson hasn't been sleeping well while Kennedy is sleeping a lot more. So what does JP do - he has to go wake up his sister EVERY time he gets up. Although she is really nice to him about it, it's cutting into Mommy's productivity and Jackson has been so moody with the lack of sleep.

Favorite Thing:

This week I have two favorites that go hand in hand. With warmer weather comes better yummy fruit. Jackson loves strawberries and I found this handy tool to slice them with. This strawberry slicer is super easy to use and makes even slices. I purchased this one at the kitchen outlet for $5, but there are many varieties out there. Once you've cut the strawberries, you need to keep them fresh if you aren't going to use them right away. It always surprises me that people haven't heard of this wonderful invention - Fruit Fresh. It comes in more than one brand (I think), I just happened to have Ball which was by the canning section in my store. It works great to keep all your produce fresh and prevents turning colors after slicing.

Thumbs Up/Thumbs Down - 2012 #16

Up:

• Jackson had a great 2 year well check appointment this week. He's been excited to go to the doctor now that Doc McStuffins is on the Disney channel, but my fear was as soon as he got his shot he would no longer be a fan. To my surprise my big boy didn't even whimper when he got his shot! The best news was - no more vaccinations 'til age 4 and he can now do the flu mist! He has actually improved his weight from the 18th month check-up and went from the 17th to the 36th percentile!

Jackson giving 'coffee' to Daddy and Mommy for breakfast!

• Can I just say how much fun it is to shop for girls clothing! This weekend we bought Kennedy a swim suit for the summer - it's hard to believe they make them so tiny! We also hit up the new Gymboree outlet and got some adorable stuff for both the kids. Even Mike enjoyed picking out clothes for them!

So this is my almost 6 month old daughter in a 12 month size swim suit!

• Kennedy moved up to a big girl car seat. I was waiting until she could sit up in a grocery cart before I moved her from the carrier to a big car seat and this week she passed the test. While she still can't sit up on the floor on her own, she's been doing great in grocery carts. She loves her new seat and hopefully it will make traveling more pleasant for her.

Down:

• We had to shut down our credit card this week :( Mike was paying our bill when he noticed some suspicious charges. Even though they were only for a little over $1 each, they definitely weren't charges we made. We called and reported it and they stopped all payment on our card. While I'm glad we caught it early, I do wonder where the person got our information from. I don't feel like I'm that careless and neither is Mike.
• I don't know if something happens after you have your actual 2nd year birthday or what, but the terrible two tantrums are in full swing at our house. It also appears that Jackson has decided he doesn't need a nap when he goes to school, which makes for ridiculous evenings after school and much earlier than normal bedtimes for my sanity.

Favorite Thing:

My Aunt Marva e-mailed me a couple of weeks and told me about these new Peanut Butter Cheerios to try with Jackson. I bought some and he liked them, but not near as much as Captain Crunch and Fruit Loops. I figured I would eat them since he wasn't...Oh My Goodness! They are delicious! They are actually better as an afternoon snack than breakfast and despite not having any chocolate, they help my fulfill my chocolate cravings. Plus they are relatively low calorie assuming you watch your portion size. Once I discovered how yummy they were, the box disappeared in a few days! I haven't tried the other flavors out on the market like Dulce de Leche, but if they are half as good as the peanut butter flavor, I'm sold!

Thumbs Up/Thumbs Down - 2012 #15

Hope everyone had a happy and blessed Easter!

Up:

• It was so great have Mike home this week especially to celebrate Jackson's 2nd birthday and Easter, two occasions he missed out on last year while he was deployed.
• So hard to believe my cutie pie is already 2 years old. Jackson brings so much joy, love, and laughter to our lives and I'm so thankful for him. Some of his funnies this week include saying that Old McDonald had a camel and then last night I could hear him singing 'Red Solo Cup' and 'Jingle Bells' in his room to put himself to sleep.

• We had a pretty low key Easter this year. After mass we went to the club on base to eat lunch with friends. It was nice not having to cook a big meal. Then we went back to the house and Jackson opened all his Easter basket prizes before his nap. After an extremely unusual 3 hour nap, he got up and hunted Easter eggs. He was definitely more into it this year than last. Last year he wouldn't even attempt to hunt eggs because he was scared of the grass. Kennedy looked adorable in her dress and acted like an angel for the most part, Mike said we should put her in a dress more often if she would act like that!

My handsome boys at Easter!

Look at my adorable Easter girl! Such a blessing!

Jackson wanted to open each egg before he found the next one!

• We got our taxes done this week and found out that we are getting a pretty fat tax return. That definitely gives me some peace of mind with all the money we shelled out recently for the pick-up.

Down:

• Mike found out at work this week that we won't be moving this year. So at the earliest we would move this time next year. I know that God has a plan for us, but I really don't know how much longer I can stand being in this house. Yes, I know I'm very fortunate to have a home and no monthly payment, but we are rapidly growing out of this space. Not to mention that I'm not a huge fan of Mountain Home itself. (Sigh) I guess we'll stick it out a little longer.
• Mike had to go back to work today. It is so great to have him home and then he took off work through yesterday. We had a great time and he even took Jackson golfing with him yesterday!

Helping Daddy on the REAL golf course! 

Future Aviator - this is what happens when you take Daddy to Kohl's!

Favorite Thing:

Pintrest! Those of you that haven't joined this extremely addicting site should seriously reconsider. You can find everything from decorating tips to recipes to crafts to kids activities to fashion and so much more. I so wish that I had been the genius to think of a website like this, but I'm so thankful someone did. Feel free go check out my boards and get some ideas!

Jackson Boy Turns 2!

Tuesday (April 3rd) was Jackson's 2nd birthday! I think he had a great day. He goes to Mother's Day Out on Tuesday and hadn't woken up in time, so Daddy and I serenaded him with Happy Birthday to wake him up. I made his favorite homemade donuts for breakfast (don't be flattered it's just fried biscuits). Then he got to eat cupcakes at school with all his friends. After school we took him to McDonald's for chicken and fries! When we got home all his presents were sitting out, he was so excited and just started tearing into them. This is the first time he's really gotten excited about presents. Present opening came to a quick halt though after he opened his new golf set. He had to go out and play some golf before he could even continue! Sounds like he's already taking after his Daddy! Then we sang to him and he had another Mickey cupcake! All in all - a great day! Thanks family for being so generous - he has way more toys than we have room to put them which is a good problem for a kid to have! It's so hard to believe how big our 'baby' is getting. He's the sweetest kid and it's hard for us to remember not having him in our lives!

Jackson eating his donuts on his birthday placemat!

Mickey Cupcakes!

Jackson's class at school on Tuesday before the mess!

He's the birthday boy!

Notice Lyndis is under the table!

Presents....for Jackson?!

Kennedy watching the festivities!

The golf clubs were quickly moved outside in an effort to save the TV!

Getting a lesson from the pro!

We do birthday kisses, not spankings!

Jackson giving us a concert through Mr. Potato Head's microphone!

Thumbs Up/Thumbs Down - 2012 #14

Up:

• Thankfully, I can report to you that my children were much more well behaved this week than last. I think they knew Mommy couldn't handle much more. I was so dreading this week because it's Spring Break here and Jackson didn't have his usual Tot Time or Mother's Day Out this week; the one day I took the kids to Boise, they were fabulous. So thankful!

My chubby little girl all decked out for warmer weather!

Gosh he looks big in this picture - he is going to be 2 next week!

Kennedy having fun swinging too!

• I finally got brave and cut my hair! I absolutely love it! Hopefully I can keep it looking this cute all the time. I didn't tell Mike, so he'll just be surprised tomorrow (no, he doesn't read the blog)!

Before - Sorry, it's hard to take a pic of yourself.

After! I LOVE it!

• I did it! Six weeks by myself with both children and no Mike. I don't want to have to do that again for a long time, but it gives me a boost of confidence to know that I'm capable of doing it without going completely insane. Mike should be home tomorrow and I will be so happy to have him back and maybe I'll even be able to sleep better too.
• We have our pick-up back now. The car hauling service delivered it this week. It looks and drives great, you definitely can't tell that it was ever in an accident. That is one more load off. Now we can work on selling the Vue.

Down:

• This week had some major downs. One of my friends in the other squadron here lost her husband/one of Jackson's friends lost her daddy. He had just been deployed a couple of weeks when his plane (F-15E) crashed, although he did eject, he did not survive. They have two kids, one is 4 and the other 2. My heart is breaking for her and those sweet children. In times like this it is hard to figure out God's plan and how it could involve taking such a precious life. All I can do is pray for her, her children, their family and the air force family that everyone will find peace and stay strong. I hope you will also keep them in your prayers as well. Life is so precious and it is so sad that it takes tragedies like this to remind us of that. If you feel compelled to offer monetary support in addition to prayer, there is a link on my facebook page to a 529 plan set up for their children.
• To top off that bad news, another friend of mine had a close friend/pilot also die that had just gotten back from deployment last week. He was married with four daughters. Then I opened up the base paper to read about an Idaho native that was killed in Afghanistan that leaves behind a wife and 3 month old twin daughters. After that, another friend on facebook posted an article about an airman that died last March, he was married with two kids. His two year old son died this week of asphyxiation after reaching for something on the top of his dresser and getting pinned by the drawers. Again, so hard to trust in God that he has a plan as to why these things happen. All of this makes me want Mike home even more.

Favorite Things:

  On to something more upbeat, a salute to all things Reynold's! I'm all about convenience and quick clean-up and these products help do just that! We've used Reynold's products for years. I think I use the foil on a daily basis and wax paper and parchment paper are a must for baking cookies. However, they have taken convenience to a whole new level with three fairly newer products. The Slow Cooker Liners are probably the product I use the most. It is so easy to just pop a bag in the crockpot and then toss it out when you are finished. The most clean-up you have to do is wipe off the lid! The Non-Stick Foil is great for making Jackson's favorites - chicken & fries. No more breading stuck on the foil or the pan, everything just comes right off. Even if you are cooking something greasy, the grease just beads up on the foil. Finally there is the Pan Lining Paper. My sister-in-law, Laura, is the one that informed me of this beauty! It is parchment paper on one side and foil on the other. You simply put the foil side down into your casserole dish and voila - no clean up! Now you can volunteer to do the dishes and have your spouse take care of getting the kids ready for bed. You'll have enough time left over for a nice peaceful glass of wine before heading to tuck them in! Anything to make life easier is a winner in my book!

Non-Stick Foil

Pan Lining Paper