Hang time

Two weekends ago we headed to Kokotown for Lucas' bud Ethan's birthday. The party was held at a gymnastic place which the kids had a blast.

Here is Lucas, Lilly and the Birthday boy in the foam cube pit...which kinda turned into a mosh pit of 1-4 year olds.
Lilly and Aly climb across one of the "circuits"

And here is Lucas swinging from the monkey bars. Good upper strength- need to get both of them into some sort of tumbling class or karate or something. What do your kids enjoy?

Taking each day as it comes...

Seems to be my response as of late when someone asks how I/we are doing. Nothing has really changed, kids still seem to be fighting off ear infections and we end up at the doctor about every two weeks (can't wait till those bills start rolling in). Lilly got a second round of shots today for her double ear infection and if those don't work the next step is tubes, which I am fine with as long as it actually works.

She is getting to be such a big girl. She has really been loving on her babies lately and dressing them and wanting things "just a certain way" (have no idea where she gets that from). She is DEFINITELY a two year old and everything is MINE. She adores her older brother, doesn't like kisses from the dog, loves to "dance" with daddy whenever she can, and is content just to be sitting in your lap. She is doing good in her big girl bed...but we have found her playing in her room in the middle of the night (probably due to waking up with the ear infections), and once at nap time I heard a noise after I thought she was already asleep. I open the door and she was trying to reach the wipes on her dresser. I ask what she is doing and she turns around and says "wipe eye" and it is then that I realize her face and hair are covered in Vaseline...nice. If you don't remember this pb incident, Lilly LOVES anything that is like lotion and I had obviously screwed up and left the vaseline within reach. Not really as messy as pb, since vaseline is actually made to absorb into your skin, but needless to say her hair was kinda greasy for a few days. So the next step was the Paci, but it is hard to take that away when she is not feeling well. So we thought we would jump on the potty train...but the girl does just not seem to get it. Underwear, pull-ups, naked. She just doesn't seem to understand that she just peed, care that she is wet, or even bother to tell us after the fact. If you ask her if she just peed she replies with "I am fine"...well that is funny b/c you are sitting in a puddle of urine. So needless to say she has sat on the potty 30 times in the last few weeks and not a single drop has made it in. We will keep trying though, one day it will have to click...right?

Lucas is supposedly on the mend, his double turned to a single and he just finished antibiotics for that one and the doc peeked in his ear yesterday and thought it looked good so far...we will keep our fingers crossed. We are still doing breathing treatments once a day until "flu season" is over. Below is a picture of Lucas having his dino get a breathing treatment, similar to this pic with santa, but kind of ironic since he is in dino pj's and his dino is in robot pjs...for some reason I just think that is funny.

He is your typical four year old boy (from what I can tell). Definitely testing his limits and boundaries (every second). Wanting to eat all the time...but only things he likes of course. Asking ALOT more questions than ever before, about how something works, why something is the way it is or why that particular person in the movie did it this way or that way. No more quiet movie watching for us! This was our conversation a few weeks ago while we were driving:

"Mom, when are we going to cut all the trees down?"

"What? What do you mean? Why would we cut the trees down?"

"Well, I figure we need to cut them all down to fix them."

"Why, what's wrong with them?"
"They are broke. If we cut them down then we can tape all of the leaves back on them."

(Well...that is on way to do it, I thought...and I went into the explanation of the seasons, reminding him of fall and spring and all that jazz). I guess when spring hits I will have to make sure we watch all the tiny buds starting to grow on the trees. So fun.

Another conversation I did not really think I would have with a four year old (but why not?) was at the dinner table. In between trying to get him to sit still and actually eat some applesauce he says, "Mom, why is Jesus hanging up there?"

I turned to look where he was looking (wondering if Jesus was standing on the deck), then I saw the crucifix hanging next to the sliding door. So I began to tell the story about why Jesus died on the cross for us (interupted by alot of WHY's?) and that we keep that cross hanging there to remind us of how thankful we should be that our sins are forgiven b/c he loved us so much. He seemed content with my answer at the end of the conversation and I realized how amazing and open such little minds are. And of course I was reminded how Jesus is everywhere and always watching over us no matter what, and if it wasn't for that I am not quite sure where I would be.

My new Creative Outlet...

So, I have started a little hobby that is both fun, creative, and even green! Maybe this will go somewhere and maybe not, but right now it is the perfect outlet for me to use my God given ability and have fun at the same time. I have so many ideas in my head and hope to get even more detailed and intricate since really what I have done so far is pretty simple. I have wanted to post a blog, but wanted to be able to get a few under my belt so you can see a variety of what is available (so you can think about what you are wanting next of course!)

Below is the 1776 American flag which I did for a client of mine.

The reason this art can be considered "Green" and Environment friendly is because I am taking old vinyl wallcovering samples that would have normally been thrown away and instead am placing them into art. So you not only get an amazing custom art piece with great pattern, texture, and color but you are also helping the environment! The canvas' can either be painted, or completely wrapped in wallcovering and if you want to go really green, we can even use cardboard instead!

So below are some pictures of the pieces I have done so far. I will do a bit of explination of each one and how it came about. Most of the pieces have been inspired from different images found in many different places.

I had this idea of this type of art in my head since last fall and really just needed something simple to get it started. When I saw my nephews new bedding for his room, I thought this would be a perfect way to see if my idea could work. Then for Christmas I did a coordinating truck as well.

This was for my brother-in-laws bathroom and I took the giraffe image off of their new jungle themed shower curtain.

The elephants are an image I saw in a PB Kids Catalog, I actually embellished the ears and bird's wing with beads, but that final pic is on my other camera.

This was my first "commissioned" piece by a friend of mine. It is now hanging in her dining room and looks amazing. She found a picture online that she liked and we took that concept and converted it to three painted canvases. Then using multiple nuetral patterns, and a touch of flair out came a very simple and organic art piece.Here is a close up so you can see the different patterns and how they compliment each other.

This is the first original original from MDH (meaning I just made it up). It is more of a modern piece that I did for a friend of mine who actually is a product rep for the wallcovering and has given me lots of discontinued samples to play with. Thanks Misty!

And this one is actually for her boss. He hasn't seen it yet, so don't ruin the suprise! I wanted to do something for his new office and since I know he loves both wallcovering and golf- how can you get any better than this right?

Honestly, the pictures really don't do these pieces justice because there is always a glare and the details just do now show up. But I would love to get your opinions. It is alot more fun creating different things for different people, working with the colors they are wanting or colors they have existing in a room. I love to hear their ideas for what they are looking for and then trying to figure out how I can help them create something they will love. Let me know if you have a blank spot on your wall you need filled!

Our Snowman...

Well, thank God I did find my camera yesterday (not in the snow, but under the bed?) So thought I would share the pics of snow play especially for those of you who are in warmer climates but are seriously missing the snow (I know deep down you miss it just a little). It is melting pretty quickly here the last few days but maybe we can play in whats left of it once more today.

Yes, that is a mouthful of snow.

hiding behind the "snow fort" from daddy's snowballs...too funny.

The beginning of the snowman...which Lucas seemed to enjoy climbing and kicking more than helping to build.

The finished product, Lilly thought it was pretty cool to "dress him up". Right now there is not much left of him, and I think next time we will build a little snowman family.

interesting find

I was planning on showing some snowman/snowball pics but can't seem to find my camera...which is a little worriesome considering that the last time i used it was outside....in the snow. hmmm. So I was using our old camera today and found some pics that Lucas had taken over the last few months and thought since I hadn't posted any "Infamous Lucas pics" in awhile I might as well blog about something!

Of course you have the "toy" pictures...they were tons more but I will spare you a picture of each of his different cars.
I thought this pic was great b/c it captures what Lilly's hair looks like 70% of the time. It's called fine 1/2 curly hair that is always in knots...is there a name for that?

and this was a great close up of why I don't typically let Lilly wear white clothes...

there are always funny shots of daddy when Lucas is doing his photog, he is so photogenic isn't he?

and this was my favorite this time around. a little dark, but such great detail! Gotta love a 4 year olds mind at work! There are a few more I will save for another day. And please say a prayer that I can find my other camera...not in the snow.

What happened...last weekend

Last weekend we headed up North to Decatur to go to Tim's uncles wedding reception. It was fun and Lucas and Lilly seemed to take over the dance floor for about the first half of the party! I was out there for awhile, which can be a little embarassing when you are trying to dance with a 2 and 4 year old and everyone is watching because they are so adorable...and I am sure I just looked like an oaf, and only about every 3rd song was really "danceable" if you know what I mean...but you do what you do to entertain (and show off) your children.Here is the happy couple. Congrats!

And here is Lilly with some dance moves. She would grab the edge of her dress and spin around and around. It was oh too cute...and good thing it had a built-in underskirt!
And thought this pic turned out cute although I look way cheezy.
We forgot our camera so I thought I would throw a shout out to Tamara for sharing the pics! Hope we get to see everyone again soon...hopefully before Easter!

Throwback Thursday- Baby Gym

Well I am trying to sell a few things on Craigs list to both make some money and get rid of stuff I don't need in my house anymore. Might be selling some baby items too, and of course every time you bring something out the kids always want to play...right? Always the case everytime they see the Baby Gym. This time it was just extra funny because they are both so big and it made me think of the last time they were both on it....

and you thought they only entertained 4 month olds!
this week (above) two years ago minus a week (below)
did you see any difference? ha!
and here is almost four years ago...and that is lucas and the dog, not lucas and lilly. hahaha. they do grow so fast don't they?

Wordless Wednesday- Lilly found my lipstick!

Yes, I am slacking....

Ok, so far this year I have been blog slacking. For those of you who miss me, I am sorry. It seems true for most of my fellow bloggers actually, well at least towards the beggining of the month. What is it about a New year? Are you trying to "put certain things in order" or "figure out the meaning of your life" or create your list of "resolutions" that all of the sudden you are behind and you haven't even accomplished anything? That is where I seem right now.

Work is slow, so I can't use that as an excuse, possibly the fact that I haven't really had too many things exciting happening that you want to hear about, and I am really not going to write a bunch of "downer" blogs and bring everyone down a depressing level of my life right now, so I will share what is happy and positive and still show off my beautiful (and handsome) children and all of their wonderful capabilities.

So what HAVE we been doing lately? ...well we did change Lilly's crib into a toddler bed. I might be regretting that decision a bit since I have woken a few times to her door opening and her tearing down the hallway at 6:30. She use to be one who would wake up and kinda play in her crib for awhile before wanting to enter our world (miss that already), but now she is just ready to go the minute she is awake, which seems to be as early as her brother...yikes. She is pretty good about staying in her bed though when we put her down and isn't at the stage yet of fighting naps...thank God.

Lucas on the other hand is at that stage of being 4 and not wanting to take naps. Problem being he wakes up at 6-6:30 and is VERY crabby and easy to break down in the evening if no nap has taken place. So for right now, we will continue naps which I am sure will soon turn to "quiet time" in you room to at least give mommy a little break, right?

The other reason life is insane right now is because my children have been sick for about 2 months now. Maybe healthy for a few days in between but seriously have been to the doc about every other week. I will just run down the list quickly. Lucas: stomach flu, croup, wheezing, double ear infection. Lilly: croup, ear infection, stomach flu, wheezing, ear infection again, and now it has turned into a double ear infection. Seriously. At least they take their medicine well and isn't too much of a fight to get them to do their breathing treatments everyday which we have to continue through the winter...sweet. So, needless to say there has been a bit of a hearing problem at our house lately...well at least above and beyond the typical "hearing problem" that 2 and 4 year olds seem to have!

Wordless Wednesday- The Chocolate Pudding Gotee

Pretend with me Mommy!

Jail. Yep, I put my kids in jail. I was the bad guy with my evil cohort Wrigley who was suppose to watch over them to make sure they didn't escape while I was gone (potty break), but Super Daddy somehow got the keys and came and rescued them (and Wrigley did nothing). Then they all chased me down and I got put in jail (behind the futon).

Pretending is pretty fun and definitely part of the everyday life at our house. And I do make a pretty good evil captor with a wicked high pitched cackle! Hee hee hee he he! Sends them running everytime!
Yes, sometimes I wish they would just run off and play by themselves and let me have 10 minutes of peace (which does occassionally happen...but then it usually gets too quiet and then you get to find out what they are really up to). I do have to admit it is fun to join in their games too...but watch out bc once you do there is no turning back. Lucas and Lilly play pretty well together most of the time, probably bc it is like monkey see monkey do (which Lucas loves). And as long as Lilly is doing everything Lucas tells her then there is typically no fighting, hitting, biting or yelling, but always guaranteed somewhere in the midst of a morning. Lilly is your "typical little sister" who likes to tease and torment her older brother, you wouldn't think this was possible with a 2 year old but I think she knows exactly what she is doing most of the time.

Yesterday and today the new found play was in the cupboards. I came home from grocery shopping and Tim said they had been playing in the cupboards, I thought he just meant they were playing with stuff from the cupboards until this morning when all of the sudden Lucas dissappeared but I heard this faint knocking...opened the cupboard door to find this...

butt in a pot, cute as can be. I heard him talking to Lilly later about getting in her "car" (the adjacent cupboard) so that they could drive to their friend Neil's and Ethan's house. Sometimes they are just too cute...and sometimes you just want to close the cupboard doors, lock them and leave the house for a breather! Don't worry...I don't have any locks!

My new nephew has arrived!

James Steven Hess arrived on Saturday at 2:22am. We drove up to FW tonight and got to check out the big boy! 8lbs 12oz, way to go mommy Amanda! Everyone is doing well.

Proud daddy.

Lilly was captivated, it was too adorable.

And big brother Noah is pretty excited about getting a new wrestling buddy! Can't wait to see him again soon!

Beans Beans the Magical Fruit

Does anyone else know that song? If so, I am sorry and if not, I will spare you the rest. Well the winter leaves everyone indoors too much and I don't know about you, but we are kinda getting restless and tired of coloring. So I have created a fun little place right here in my family room and I thought I would share the idea with you (if you haven't already seen it). I hope you are not filling yourselves with beans this winter, but you could fill a box! I have to say that I never thought I would buy two 25lb bags of pinto beans at COSTCO...but they are sooo worth it. We now have a "box-o-beans" and the kids LOVE it. Basically it is like an indoor sandbox, but bonus b/c it is a little less messy. My friend Emily shared the idea of a rice box, which I was totally going to do, but after talking to my little sis, she suggested beans b/c they are easier to clean up (and they are cheaper in bulk).

Lilly is more of a pourer and scooper, where Lucas is more into pretend with diggers, bulldozers and even dinosaurs who get buried in the "rocks". Really the possiblities are endless and only yet to be explored.
It is new this week, but I would say they have played with it for hours already. Hopefully it will keep them entertained for awhile. The cool thing was that I already had the storage bin under Lucas' bed. It use to be filled with "clothes I hope to fit into again". Suprisingly enough, I am able to wear about 1/3 of them, and another 1/3 just needs to go to goodwill and the last 1/3...well here is to hoping in 2009! What is your winter playground??

Wordless Wednesday...A boy and his dog (and yes they are really sleeping)

Christmas Catch up

Why is it that I always seem to start off the new year already behind? This is the last Christmas post and then maybe I will move onto things like...New Year resolutions...oh wait I am already a week late for that too! I guess I better make put tardiness on my resolution list. Wait, I think that was on there last year. Hmmmm.

christmas with the bishops = 7 reindeer on a couch,

and two snuggly cousins all cuddled up!

and catching up with long lost cousins who we don't see often enough!
christmas at the hess' = us getting everyone else sick and only a few pictures since the photographer was not feeling well...

We had a good and merry time (minus the flu). It was nice to see everyone even though our plans didn't work out exactly as scheduled. Can't wait to start the new year...oh wait it started without me!

It is official...I have a 4 year old.

Well, I have been calling Lucas "almost 4" for a few months. And I think you can definitely see a difference when this age hits. It is a fun age to watch b/c he asks ALOT of questions trying to understand everything, talks back quite a bit (and sits in timeout quite a bit), and really just has so much understanding but at the same time, so much innocence. Some questions catch you off guard and some make you laugh. I think at the very least the next year will be quite an adventure and I am looking forward to it.

So, the dinosaur birthday bash went well, small crowd but it was nice. My favorite part actually happened after most people left... Lucas runs into the house after playing in the garage on his new Batman "motorcycle" (tricycle), "Mom! Am I still 4?" "Yep, you are still 4!" I answered. And with so much enthusiam and excitement he ran back in the garage to tell Hannah that indeed he was still four years old! Too cute.

And thanks to watching the skills of my cousin at Lilly's party, I attempted a 3d dino cake...have to say I was pretty impressed with myself!

Lucas loved his stegoaurus cake and his first request after blowing out the candles was, "Can I have a piece now? I want to eat his head!" (Nice).

And by now, he was a professional gift unwrapper and did not need any help from his friends or sister...but they snuck it in anyway.

Thought I would share some other funny pics of the little dinos that rocked the house. Kids are just too funny and cute.

There were all kinds of dinosaurs at the party;

scary drooling dinos, rock star dinos, dancing dinos, and even bus driving dinos. Good times.