blueberries with love

I was so ready for this weekend! Nothing big or huge going on, but I have done nothing but spend quality time with friends and family - bliss.

We had our "big brother" day for the boys yesterday, and we also had a little send off breakfast for our neighbors who left to move to VA. They have kids the same age as ours, and we have all become good friends, so we wanted to send them off with full bellies knowing they would be missed around here. Here is my little (soon to be middle) and their middle one enjoying some Saturday AM cartoons.

These two share a birthday and are only hours apart age-wise. Jennie (mom) and I have already decided it would be the perfect arranged marriage...hehe.

I got a little daring and tried THREE new recipes for this, and I have to say they were ALL wonderful. Baked french toast, an egg casserole dish, and THESE wonderful blueberry muffins. I picked up fresh blueberries when we were out the night before and had been craving some muffins, so I whipped these together Sat morning and they didn't disappoint!

When it comes to menu planning I tend to go a little overboard, but in this case it worked out. The eggs and french toast were all but gone, and the rest (muffins and fruit) we will enjoy for ourselves this week. My perfect way to start the day.

After we said our "see ya laters" we got things cleaned up then left to celebrate the rest of the day with the boys. We took them duck pin bowing (a new favorite for the boys - and new to us southerners) and then to dinner at the Rain Forest Cafe (at the boys request). Then we surprised them with a stay at a hotel with all that comes with it - movies, jumping on beds, and of course swimming in the pool. They had a ball and it was a nice little get away. And as a bonus for me, this AM at the pool if you were sitting in the sun, it was so warm and bright in the room you could almost imagine it wasn't 20 degrees outside!! I didn't want to leave!!

We're back home now, enjoying more family time. It's pretty cold today so we did movies, more Wii Bowling, and as soon as our dough finishes rising, we're making pizza. YUM! This weekend with the people I love was truly the best thing EVER - and just what I needed! Hope you are all enjoying your weekends - and seriously, if you like muffins - give those a try!

Settling

Things are falling into place...for the most part.

Big kid started KINDERGARTEN last week, and today will be his first full day. Can't believe my little man is in school now. Crazy. But he absolutely loves it there, and the school he goes to is just wonderful. I tell you what though, not having him around is sure strange. Maybe I'll get the rest of these boxes unpacked after all...

All ready for the first day

We still have a few boxes here and there, but most of that is due to the fact that we are waiting for our "media hutch" to arrive so we have something to put our tv on and all of the various devices that go along with it into. We were spoiled in NE and had built-ins so we didn't have to worry about such things. There are some others too, but we've been having a lot of fun so they have been pushed aside! I LOVE LOVE LOVE our new neighborhood! There are TONS of kiddos everywhere, all close to the same age as our boys, and it has just been non-stop playtime outside. And it turns out that a friend of mine from when we lived in GA (her hubs was on a different boat) lives right across the street from us!! Her son is a week older than my oldest, so that has been really great, and she has been awesome and introduced us to everyone on the street I think. Not really, but it feels like a lot. I'll be sad to leave next spring.

And speaking of leaving. We do have "verbal orders". The hubs is (for now) going to be the Weps on a boat out of Norfolk. We were not expecting this location, but are happy with it none-the-less. It will be nice to be within a days drive of our family, and we've got some good friends going there as well. :) Although I'm trying not to get TOO attached because I know that things very well could change.

This weekend we spent probably 95% of both Saturday and Sunday enjoying the outdoors. We went hiking, kite flying, and got in a few trips to the beach. The weather here is absolutely beautiful and we have been exploring our new surroundings. There is so much fun stuff to do, I'm already making our list for next weekend!

Well I should wrap this up and get a move on my "to-do" list. Maybe now that I have a little "kid free" time again, I'll actually update this blog in a somewhat timely fashion...maybe. *wink*

Later folks :)

the bubble stays...for now

I like to joke about how right now we live in this wonderful "shore tour bubble". It's a special place where husbands are home for dinner, schedules can be kept (for the most part) and duty days are pretty much unheard of. I love this place - which is why I have immersed myself in this bubble and live in the present as to not worry about the future. However, as the two year mark gets closer and closer, I've been hearing words like "detailer" and "orders" come and go, which has caused the bubble to deflate just a bit. It was in serious jeopardy of popping for good until the other day when the hubby got an email saying that, due to some other circumstances we have the option of staying a bit longer!! Yahooo the bubble has been re-filled!! As long as the owners of our house approve an extension of our lease, we will be here until early to mid August, instead of the end of June. So, while it's not that much longer, I'm still a happy camper. What's not to love about spending another summer with my family and enjoying a bit longer with the friends we have here??

So, that's really our news as of now. Hopefully we will hear from the owners by the end of the week so we will know 100% what we are doing, but I am pretty sure they will be okay with that. It's really only another 45 days - and it just seems like everything else just fell into place. Praise God!

Kids are doing well. The big kid has his first loose tooth! I can't believe it. We went to the dentist this AM for checkups and there is a wiggly one. Of course he is super excited and thinks its going to come out ASAP, but he's got awhile. It's just barely wiggling around. The little munchkin is fun as ever. I just love this age. He talks all the time now, just like his brother, and I love watching him learn new stuff, and he is a funny kid. The faces he makes and his little personality are just too much sometimes. If you missed my last post, scroll down and just check out the little picture of him in his cowboy get-up and you will see what I'm talking about.

Well, I'm to the point of rambling so that's it for me, but I'll be back soon! I get to post my DB challenge this weekend, so keep an eye out.

The big 2.0!!!

Hello everyone...sorry, I didn't mean to take so long to post another "while we were gone" post, but I was behind on a lot of things around here that needed to be taken care of before I could get back to posting. You know all those fun things like getting the laundry done, unpacking, catching up on emails/phone calls...you get the idea.

So, on of the BIGGEST things that happened while we were in GA was my little "baby" turned TWO!!! I can't believe it's been 2 years, that just seems crazy. We had a little get together for him with family. My in-laws came as well as my Brother-in-law and his wife, my sister was there, and my parents of course (we were at their house). The little one was of course showered with gifts, and big kid got a few new things as well!

The Birthday Boy

Time for presents

Thomas Cake (he LOVES trains). It's from Publix complete with my FAVORITE butter cream icing...sooooo good!!

Playing with some of the new toys with his big brother

All the family

It was a great day, and like I said, great to see family!! And, we also got some great news while we were all together...I'm going to be an AUNTIE. Yup, my Brother-in-law and his wife are pregnant, and not just that but they are having TWINS!! I am very happy for them, it's very exciting. These will be my first nieces or nephews. She's about 17 weeks along, so soon we will get to find out if they are boys or girls...or one of each.

So, there you go...another highlight from our trip. I'll try to be back again with another post. We did so much that I shouldn't have any trouble coming up with posts for awhile.

For now though, I must run and get to folding the last of the laundry. Then the boys and I are heading off to the gym. It's raining here today, so I think we will just spend the morning there so that they can run around and have fun. Hope you all had a great weekend!!

An apple a day...

Today was hot shots first field trip with his school. We went to an apple orchard and got to pick apples, along with play on the playground, and go through a corn maze! It was a very fun morning and the boys had a great time!

Not too much else to write about today. I've been so busy today. After the field trip, it was home to do lunch, clean house, then after the munchkin woke up from his nap we were off again to the commissary. Then it was home, out for a (very) quick run...no not for time...because I cut it a wee bit short...then we were off for dinner, home...kids to bed...whew...it was a busy day. It's now about 9pm and I am beat and ready to head to bed.

So with that I am going to leave you with these pictures and I hope you all have a good weekend!!!

What a weekend...

Wow, this weekend was BUSY!!! But we all had a great time. Sat started off nice, the boys "slept in" until 7 which was sooo nice, and then once we were up it was go-go-go! We had big kids soccer game, and his birthday party later that afternoon, so as you can imagine it was lots of running around and craziness in our house, but it was a good day. His game was fun, and the party turned out really great! We had it up at the park in our neighborhood, and aside from crazy strong winds, it was perfect. All the kiddos had a good time, and it was a nice afternoon.

Here are a few shots from the day. I took a lot, but here are a few so you can see. He wanted a Wall-E cake which you can sort of see in the first picture. I made it myself, so I'll be posting more pix tomorrow with my Tuesday at the Table post.

Getting ready to sing Happy Birthday

time for presents

No party is complete without a pinata!

The Birthday Boy!

Little brother

We also rented big kid his very own bounce house for the weekend and had all of the neighbor kids over to play on it Sunday afternoon. They all had a blast, but here is a picture of me with my kiddo right after we got it all set up! The thing was HUGE, but it was a lot of fun!

Sunday was also a busy day. I woke early and started out for my last 20 mile run before the marathon! It went well, and I was happy that my pace was a little more consistent than my first stab at the big 2-0. Hubby and the boys met me at the park I finished at and we all went to go eat. Then it was home to ice, shower and nap for me, the little one napped as well and hubs and big kiddo played out in the jump house with the neighbors. We took Hot Shot to his favorite place for dinner (Red Robbin) then it was home and to bed.

There you have it. I still can't believe my kiddo is 4...that's just crazy!! It's been a great four years - being a mom is quite the adventure, but it's worth the ride! So - to my Hot Shot: Happy Birthday and I LOVE YOU!!!

straight out of "the oven"

Four years later...

the game

Well I've been talking about the soccer games, but had yet to post any pictures. So I thought I'd go ahead and post a few. The games are a blast and the kids seem to have fun! My favorite part about them is when the kids score goals for the opposite team, or when kids that are playing in the field next to us keep running and score a goal on our field. That's pretty funny too! It's been a good time, and we all look forward to it every weekend. Here are a few shots.

The team

The munchkin is one of the "Sharks" biggest fans

Dribbling down the field...

So, there you have it. Now for all you people that like to have a visual (Nat) you now can imagine what I'll be doing most Saturdays from now until mid-October.

So that's about it, oh and Happy Birthday to me!! I'll be back Monday to let you know how the weekend went! :)

cutie boys and some nature

Not really sure where this post is going to go, but there are a few pictures I want to share, so I guess I'll start with that.

It amazes me every day how fast little ones grow and change. Every day they pick up new things. My little guy is working on his vocab, which is lots of fun. Some of his first words (other than Mama and Dada) were "bella", "doggie", "more" (the sign and the word) and a few others. Now he likes to pick up his toy cell phone and say "hello", waves and says "bye bye" and is signing milk, thank you, eat, and says "night night" when you put him down for bed. He talk all the time, but some of it we have yet to decipher! He's an old pro when it comes to walking, and has now turned it into more of a run to keep up with big brother. And, as you see, he still has his amazing blue eyes that he got from his daddy.

The big kid is really enjoying school. He's learning a lot and I am excited to see how he progresses throughout the year. Right now they are working on the letter "m" and "s" and writing their names. He has known how to spell his name for awhile, but now he can write it which is really exciting, and I think pretty impressive for a 3 year old. But then again, I think everything my kids do is impressive! Haha. He's also learning some basic addition and other math skills and knows how to tell time. And one of the biggest changes is how independent he has become. He gets dressed on his own, puts his clothes and toys away, helps me when my hands are full with the little one, he's quite the little boy!

I am so lucky to be a mom. It happened a little earlier than we thought it would, but I wouldn't change it for anything in the world. These kiddos fill my day with laughs and smiles. And yea, it does get hard, and I am VERY tired at the end of the day, but it's worth every second. Okay enough rambling...

We have a cool nature conservancy/Forrest area here that you can pay to be a member of. Members get to attend fun classes there, and use the park whenever they choose free of charge. They also have all sorts of fun learning activities for kids, nature trails, wildlife, etc. Tuesday we went to check it out, and liked it so much that we are now members. The boys both enjoyed the "class" we went to. I use the term class loosely because it wasn't really a structured thing. It's called mud pies and they have everything from painting and crafts, to a sand-table, bubbles outside and lots of toys for little ones. It was great because there was age appropriate things for both of the boys, and they both had fun. On our way out we decided to explore a little bit. We didn't get very far because both boys were getting hungry for lunch, but I did manage to get a few cool pictures. We will be going back soon to take a little nature hike and explore some of the other stuff they have to offer!

There were so many butterflies all over...I managed to get a good shot of one

Busy little bees...

So, that's just a little bit of what we've been up to. I know this is a pretty random post and it's all over the place, but that's just me...random and all over the place!

Tomorrow is my birthday...I'm excited to see what hubby has planned for us on Saturday! We have big kids soccer game that morning, but I don't know what we are doing the rest of the day...I'll make sure to let you all know next week!

Also, if you haven't done so make sure to check out my website!! It's had a makeover of sorts.

soccer star!

Too Cute! Soccer for hot shot started last night, and it was so cute to watch all those little ones run around the field. And I have to say that the hubs did a great job of keeping a pack of 3 year olds interested and focused for the full 45 min. practice! Here are a few pictures of our little soccer dude. Our first game is Saturday, so I'm sure I'll have pictures from that as well. Maybe I'll even get it on video!!

Practicing in the front yard

High fives for "Coach Daddy"

Working on his dribbling

Keeping an eye on things

Tuesday at the Table

Well, here we are, Tuesday again. I can hardly believe it, last week just flew by and this week seems to be going quickly as well. I have a few little updates, but I'll put those at the end of the post. Also, I realized that I forgot to include a link to Sam the creator of TatT in case any of you want to join in, or just check out what some other people are fixin'.

Last weekend I decided I needed to give the cinnamon rolls another go. So, I decided to change things up and use a different recipe, which was easier to follow, and tasted delicious. Although you do have to make them the day before you plan to eat them because they are an overnight deal. You can find the recipe HERE! These turned out great, and if you follow the directions, you are sure to get a good turn out. The only "change" I made was to make my rolls a little smaller. The recipe says it yields 12, I got 15. Here are a few pics, one as they are in the oven and another of them just out. We had to rush out the door after eating to get my car to the dealer for an oil change, so there aren't any with the frosting on them, but I can assure you they looked even better!!

My next up is just something I threw together for the boys last Friday. I found these cute little tart shells at target and decided I could make something fun with them. So this is what I came up with. Key Lime Berry Tarts. It's a key lime mousse base topped with strawberries and homemade blueberry syrup drizzled on top. I had a small bite and they were quite good, and the boys ate them up! I thought they were pretty and sort of looked like little flowers. Of course that was lost with the three boys in the house, but that's what the pictures are for! :)

So those are my pictures for the week. As always if you want a recipe let me know. We also had turkey meatloaf again and the fajitas which have become a favorite!

So, tonight is the first soccer practice. I think Mr. M may be more excited than our little hot shot, but I really can't blame him. I think it's going to be a lot of fun, and if nothing else, good for a few laughs. Kids at this age are just too funny with the things they do and say. I'll be taking my camera tonight so hopefully I'll have pictures later this week.

Running/training is going well. This weekend I take a stab at 18 miles, so wish me luck...again. I am ALMOST up to my longest training run as far as milage goes which is encouraging because I know I have made it past the 1/2 way point.

My in-laws are flying in this weekend and will be here until next Wednesday. It will be nice to see them and I know they can't wait to see the boys. I think we are going to take a trip to the zoo, maybe catch a baseball game, and the hubs and I are going on a DATE!! Yea! It will be our first night out together in a LONG time, so that will be nice. I think we're doing dinner and a movie! We might even get to squeeze in a run together as well...good times! Well that's it for me. Catch ya'll later!

The weekend in review!

Well this past holiday weekend was a busy one. The most exciting thing being our little one turned 1 year old!! So happy birthday munchkin!!

They grow up so fast... Sadly for the little one he wasn't too into his big day because he was sick with the stomach flu for part of the weekend. He was ok at his party, but I think he may have still not been feeling too great...he didn't even want cake. And my little guy likes to eat just about anything!

My parents were in town for the weekend as well, and we all had a nice visit. They arrived Thursday, so Thurs night the hubs and I actually got to go on a run together after dinner. I needed to do three so that's what we set out for. It was a little painful for both of us because we had just gone out for a big dinner with the fam, but we had fun anyway! Friday we spent most of the day relaxing around the house, playing with the kids and prepping for the party. Mom and I did a lot in the kitchen, and overall it was just a relaxing day. Here are a few pics, first off is the boys, then mom and I, the hubs enjoying his time off, and the puppies all decked out!

Of course Friday night we went to go catch some fireworks. It's tradition at our house, and around here you don't monkey with tradition!! Here are a few pictures of us waiting for the big show!!

Saturday morning Mom, Dad and I were up and out of here bright and early to get our miles in. My mom is training for the 3 day breast cancer walk! It's 60 miles total (20 each day). So they had 8 miles to walk sat and sunday morning, and I was set for 8!

My run went great. The past two long runs things have just gone wrong, and while they were all little things they all set me off my game a bit. But I really enjoyed my run saturday morning and am looking forward to this weekends run as well!!

Sunday was another laid back day due to the fact the little guys stomach flu had woken him up with a 103 + degree fever. He ended up having to go into the urgent care clinic just to make sure it was just the flu. So we relaxed around the house. My parents also left Sunday because they were spending Monday with my grandma who lives a few hours from here. We were supposed to go, but with the little one sick we stayed here yesterday.

Big kid and I went on a "date" yesterday afternoon. We went to see Wall-e and then out to dinner and BK. It was quite the night out! hehe. But we had a good time and I think he was happy to get a little one on one time with mom.

SOOOOO that is what we have been up to over the past few days. Just typing it out makes me tired. I hope I haven't bored you all too much, I know I tend to ramble...but that should come as no surprise to most of you. You all know how I leave phone messages...ha ha.

Well I'm gonna jet. There is laundry to put away and the boys are now up from quiet time which means me being on the computer isn't going to work for much longer! Hope you all had a wonderful 4th of July weekend and I'll check in again soon!