Christmas, Birthday, Fitness & 2 1/2 Years Old!

Hey Friends! 

I realize that I haven't updated in quite some time. I could give you a million excuses but the truth of it is... I just don't find the time to sit down and blog. How sad is that? Life with 2 little boys is crazy... not to mention during this Holiday season! 

Speaking of my 2 little boys... big news now is that Lincoln is officially CRAWLING!! And when I say crawling... I mean he is crawling EVERYWHERE! He used to just stay in the living room. That is, until a few days ago when he discovered that there is life and room all throughout the house. Did I mention that everything goes into his mouth as well? I swear, there could be a tiny piece of paper 20 feet from him and he finds it! How do they do that? So, I've been CONSTANTLY vacuuming and cleaning to keep that little man safe. Oh & he's pulling up now too. Yeah, he thinks he's big stuff. I was prepared for this. I knew that he would catch on much faster since he has Gabriel to show him. But I wasn't prepared for him to go straight from crawling to standing. Tonight he even stood up and let go of the table and stood there for a few seconds on his own. MAN OH MAN! I've got a lot of work cut out for me. 

The past few weeks have been crazy busy for us. Jesse turned 24 on December 20th! We had his side of the family over on the 21st to celebrate and we also did Christmas with his Brother & Sister's families as well. It was fun and we had a house full of kids to entertain us as well. Gabriel Lee was also officially 2 1/2 years old on the 20th! Where does the time go? I know, I know... I say that all the time. But seriously? My tiny, precious baby boy is growing up on me. And I DO NOT LIKE it at all! Can we just pause time and let him be my baby boy for a while longer? Please!? 

I can't even begin to explain how excited I was for Christmas this year. I've been buying things here and there for a while now and I couldn't wait for Gabe to see all of his presents. Not to mention the fact that I LOVE decorating for Christmas. Heck, Christmas is my favorite Holiday in general. This year was the first time we've had a mantle to decorate and let me tell you... I was super pumped and super excited on how it turned out. See the pics below! 

Here's how our Christmas Holiday went: 

On Christmas Eve we headed up to Jesse's mom's to celebrate and have dinner with them. We picked up some Fried Chicken and his mom and stepdad made the sides. It was delish. Then we exchanged gifts and just hung out while the kids played. Gabe got the new Go GO Smart Wheels and he absolutely loved it. That boy sure does love his cars. Lincoln just had a great time crawling all around and getting attention, as always. 

That night, Jesse and I brought down all of the presents after the boys went to bed. We had a ball pit to blow up- sadly, it took both of us to get it done. That thing takes A LOT of air. haha. Santa brought the boys their very own "Santa" bags with their names on them. I bought these last year after Christmas at Walmart and couldn't wait to use them this year. We stuffed some of their smaller presents in them to make them look nice and full. Then we stuffed their stockings and relaxed on our NEW couch while watching "It's A Wonderful Life." Apparently watching this movie is a tradition for Jesse. I can't say that I've ever watched the movie in its entirety so I was excited to see it. Sadly, I fell asleep after the 2nd hour. I was exhausted... and I can never make it through a movie late at night...especially when I'm wrapped in a blanket on the couch. :) 

Christmas morning Gabriel woke Jesse and I up around 9:00. That sweet boy let us sleep in just a little bit. Lincoln wasn't even awake yet, so we had to get him up so we could all do Christmas together. Gabe was super excited... but not as excited as I thought he would be. We started with the stockings and Gabe LOVED it. He got a stuffed "Horton" from "Horton Hears a Who" (one of his faves) and like 5 trucks plus some candy. He LOVED the trucks and was perfectly satisfied with those. So satisfied that we had to MAKE him open the rest of his gifts. That boy made out with the jackpot! He got tons and tons of cars plus a stuffed "Sully" from "Monsters, Inc." (another fave). Lincoln of course didn't really know what was going on...but he did have a good time watching and playing with some new toys. My favorite toy that we got for both of them was an activity cube box made by B. Brand from Target. It was probably our most expensive purchase but the boys LOVE playing with it! I especially love this brand of toys and was super excited that we got it for them. 

That afternoon we headed over to my parent's house for lunch. As always, it was a blast. We did our annual Christmas Exchange (which is always fun and interesting), played some games, ate A LOT of good food, and that night we did gifts with my parents. Gabe got a barn set that had a "cow" and "goat" so he was set. That boy loves his animals. The boys also got several of their favorite movies... Monsters University, Despicable Me & UP! We've already watched them all several times. Even though we have all but Monsters U recorded on the tv. haha. 

The next day we headed over to my brothers house to do another round of Christmas. We had Fried FISH (which I LOVE)! The boys got some more gifts and we played some ping pong and had YUMMY Margaritas!

Overall, we had a fabulous Christmas. I hate that it's over. I love this Holiday Season. 

Well, this sickness bug has been going around like crazy. I thought that we had gotten lucky and it skipped us... but nope, it's come on full force. 2 days ago, Jesse woke up in the morning throwing up. I kept the boys away from him all day, praying that neither of them would catch it. That night, Gabriel started throwing up. I hate when my husband is sick (I lose my wing man) but I hate it even more when my babies are sick. It scared Gabriel and I could tell that he was miserable. He threw up again that night and then went straight to sleep without hesitation. He woke up yesterday morning feeling good and acting somewhat like his normal self. Jesse felt better too...just not 100%. I got my hopes up thinking that Lincoln and I got lucky. But NO! Tonight, my precious baby boy started throwing up as well. I hate it! He's miserable and not sleeping well at all tonight. My poor baby. I'm the only one that hasn't caught it yet, but I can tell that I'm not feeling well. I'm praying that it'll go away and I won't get the brunt of it. Jesse goes back to work tomorrow so I can not afford to be sick. 

So, New years = New Year Resolutions, right? I won't lie, I'm not going to set a goal for the new year because we all know that resolutions last about a week. But, I will tell you that I'm bound and determined to become healthier in 2014- just because I need to. I really took a break from working out over the past week because of Christmas and I can really tell that I feel worse. I feel bloated and don't have as much energy as I did when I was running at the gym. So, starting tomorrow is time to get back on track. I'm cutting out sweet drinks, AGAIN, and going back to strictly water. My membership is up so until I renew it again I will be doing my workout videos here at home. I'm also planning on doing the Advocare 24 day challenge sometime in the next month or so. It's kind of pricey, so I'm going to wait a bit. However, I figured I'd kick start this and start by eating healthier and drinking lots and lots of water. I HAVE to get healthier. I want to be a healthy wife and mother. I don't want to be that mom that sits on the bench because I'm too fat and tired to do anything. I want to be the mom that can run around with her kids and not run out of breath. I want to feel better about myself and not wear stretchy pants all the time. I just want to feel like my normal self again. And let's face it, I haven't felt like that in quite some time. I had gotten back down to my pre-pregnancy weight after Gabe- plus I lost about 10 extra pounds. Then came the pregnancy with Lincoln. Silly me, I thought- Oh, the weight will come off after this one too. Boy, was I WRONG! I only lost about 10 pounds the weeks after having Lincoln and since then I've lost between 5-10 pounds. I fluctuate a lot. I'll lose 10- gain 5- lose it again- gain it- lose about 10 more- gain some... .it's a never-ending cycle. And I'm SO SO SO ready to put an end to that cycle. 

We have a Florida trip in May and I would like to be able to put on a swimsuit and feel good about it. I'd like to wear my jean shorts and feel good about it. I'd like to be able to go shopping down there and actually buy clothes that I'm happy about buying. That's part of the motivation as well. I also want to go see Britney Spears in Vegas! I mean, who doesn't? But I told Jesse that I'm not going unless I can feel good about myself and get an outfit that I feel good in. Plus, we're going to save our money a little each month so it doesn't break us when/if we go. She's there for 2 years people... we got the time! :) 

So, there you have it. It's time to get healthy. And you, my readers and friends, you are going to be the ones to hold me accountable. I promise to do a monthly post on my progress as well. 

Hope you all had a WONDERFUL Christmas filled with many, many loving memories with family and friends. 

 

 Santa Claus is Comin' to town!

 

The boys' "Santa" bags

 

 Should have just gotten him a box... it's more fun! hah

 

Tired after a long day...snuggled with his new CARS blanket. 

 

My Mantle... LOVE it!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone! 

I know I'm a little late but I truly hope you all had a great Thanksgiving! 

We spent the day with family and then my mom and I headed out to do some shopping at Walmart and Target. BRRRRRR... was it ever cold! haha. I'm actually heading back out myself in a few hours to get us a new couch! Yay! 

Anyway, Lincoln had a GREAT FIRST Thanksgiving! That little one is so cute. And Gabriel, boy oh boy, that little man always has fun. I have so much to be thankful for that I don't even know where to start. I'm thankful for 2 handsome boys who are happy and healthy. I'm thankful for my husband who works very hard so that I can stay at home with our boys and so we can give them anything they want. I'm thankful for our families who have always been there for us. I'm thankful for good friends. I'm thankful for a warm house, a car, and any extra luxuries that we have. I'm thankful for this beautiful life. 

Hope you all had a great one! 

Holiday Season

Ya'll, I can not believe that Christmas is almost here! ahhh!! Where did the time go? 

This season of Holidays is hands down my favorite time of the year! I love this weather, the food, and the spirit of the Holidays. I love curling up on the couch with a blanket and hot cocoa and watching Hallmark movies. I love getting to wear my Uggs, scarves, hoodies... the list goes on. And I'm loving getting to teach my little boy the true meaning of Christmas. I'm especially looking forward to seeing his face on Christmas Morning! AHHHH- I can't wait!
Unlike the past few years, I'm actually kind of prepared for this Christmas. I bought several gifts at the kidsignment sale this year- so now it's a matter of getting a few more small things (and shopping for Jesse) and then I'm done! OH & of course we gotta make a few handmade gifts too!  I want to decorate so badly right now- but I'm also wanting to paint our living room (which I should have done when we moved in- but I was pregnant and tired...don't judge. haha) Anywho, I'm hoping to get this done sometime next week and then the decorating will begin. I'm also making our stockings this year... which I'm super excited about! I have so many ideas for decor for Christmas that I can not wait... can Christmas just last all year? 

I actually had a pretty hard time buying for my boys this year. I mean, I had several things in mind that I wanted and got most of them at the kidsignment sale. BUT, let's face it- since I kept almost every single toy that we've ever had- Lincoln doesn't really need anything. He will "inherit" all of Gabriel's toys. And Gabriel, man oh man, that boy is hard to buy for. I mean, he'd be happy if we bought him 100 more Hot Wheels. Seriously. It's not like he has enough...just kidding. 

Anyway, I have managed to come up with a few more things for Lincoln and I'm actually super excited about them! Jesse and I plan on going shopping together for Gabriel to get him a few more things. I decided that I didn't like some of the things I bought him at the sale, so we're reselling them and getting him some new toys! 

This Christmas is going to be so much fun- especially with Gabe. Since he's older now and can understand it more I think he'll have a great time. Oh man, I can't wait. I bought them both these Santa bags last year after Christmas that I'm going to embroider their names on and put each of their gifts in! It'll be like Santa really left his bag! How fun, right!? 

The worst part about the Holidays!? It's all over within a day. Oh well, I intend on making it a perfectly fabulous day anyway! 

Christmas, New Years, & Baby!

Hey Friends & Family! 

Whoa, I can't believe it's been so long since my last post. Time sure does fly! Most days I wake up and go to bed not knowing where the day has gone! Anyway, It's a new year! I wanted to do a little post on our Christmas and New Years! 

Well, to get started... I have began selling burp cloths that I embroider! It's actually going pretty well and I love it! So, on the night before Christmas Eve I was up until about 4:00 a.m. finishing Christmas orders and a few things I wanted to make for Gabriel Lee! I was exhausted, but it all got done! 

I had wrapped all of our presents the week of Christmas and put them under the tree. Gabe is still so young, that he didn't even notice that "Santa" came a bit early! haha. However, after going about 2 days without bothering the presents.. he did manage to find one of his toys that was wrapped and made noise. He ripped part of the paper off and began playing with it. Needless to say, Mommy took the toy and hid it until Christmas! Anyway, on Christmas Eve we headed over to my brother and sister in law's  house to exchange gifts with them and my parents. Jesse's older sister had her baby that night too- so when we were done exchanging gifts, we headed to the hospital to see the newest addition to the family! :) Gabe got lots of new toys that he has enjoyed playing with ever since! 

We got home pretty late that night. We put Gabe in bed and then I got all of his gifts together and arranged for him to wake up to on Christmas morning. So, Christmas morning, our little man woke up around 8:00. We brought him into the living room to see all of his presents. He first noticed his MICKEY MOUSE Couch and the Mickey that was sitting on the couch. He instantly picked the little Mickey up and carried it with him.  He was pretty excited- BUT- not as excited as I thought he would be. After he opened one present (the present he had found a few days before) he was done opening! haha. So, Mommy and Daddy had to help open the rest. However, he has taken more interest in all of the toys since. I think he was just a bit overwhelmed by all of the new toys. Plus, as bad as this may sound, he is used to getting new toys all of the time... So I don't think Christmas Day was anything new for him. This year, we will do better! :) 

Jesse was sick all day on Christmas, so he stayed home while Gabe and I headed to my parent's house to celebrate some more. The whole family was there... which is always fun! Gabe got even more presents from my other Brother and Sister in law and from Aunt Jill and Grandma Betty. Little man was wiped out by the end of the day- but he had a lot of fun. This Christmas was so much different than last Christmas since Gabe was older and could enjoy it a little more. I look forward to next year, since he will be another year older and will hopefully enjoy it even more. I can't wait! 

We got A LOT of snow here. A LOT! I so badly wanted to take Gabe out in it but we decided to wait until he's a bit older. It was so pretty and Gabe loved looking out the window at it every day! 

On New Years, Gabe went to Mama and Papa's for a while so Jesse and I could enjoy a nice dinner. It was delicious! :) We picked Gabe up and then came home and watched some tv and brought in the New Year. Real exciting in this house!! haha. 

I'm not big on making New Year Resolutions... mainly because I never stick to them. However, we did set some goals that we would like to accomplish this year. Goals that we believe are attainable and will make a difference in our lives now and in the future! Some are small and will be easy to accomplish, while others will take some work. But all in all, our goals are to help us get to where we want to be! :) 

Guess whatt!!! We are finding out if Gabe will have a little brother or sister tomorrow... or today I guess (since it's after midnight). I can't wait!! I'm so excited!!! I'll fill you all after we find out! :) 

Well, that's about it for tonight. Here's a few pics of our Holidays! :) Night all! 

{Photo courtesy of You-nique Capture Photography! Do NOT Copy}

Gabe's Very Own Christmas tree! :) 

One of Gabe's homemade presents for Mam & Papa and Gma Kim and Papaw

Our tree! 

Another one of Gabe's homemade Gifts for his Grandmas... Mama & Gma Kim!

They didn't exactly turn out how I thought- but they are still super cute and made with Love! 

All of Gabe's presents from Santa!

LOVE his Mickey Couch & the blanket I made for him! 

His New Pic for his room! Love it!

1st toy he opened... with Mickey in hand! 

So Adorable!

Tis The Season!

I've been working very hard the past few days on getting some items ready to take to the studio to start selling. It's hard to get things done with Gabe home. My little man has a fascination with the needle on the embroidery machine... which ultimately means that he likes to try to stick his little fingers in it all of the time. Luckily, I've set up my machine in the kitchen for now- Once we get all of our Christmas decor up and everything moved to the basement I will be moving it into our porch/sunroom area! Anyway, as I was saying... it's much easier to work when Gabe is not home. So, yesterday Gabe got to spend some quality time with Mama and I got to work ALL. DAY. LONG! I'm pretty proud of my creations so far... I'm getting better everyday! Here's some pics of what I worked on yesterday and last week! I also made Emeri a birthday shirt (which I forgot to take a picture of!) I'm a little upset since it turned out sooo cute! :) 

Happy Thanksgiving!

Well, for those of you who know me- you know that taking the high road isn't always my style. However, lately I've found myself keeping my mouth closed and not telling someone exactly what I think. Much at the request of my husband. Because in his words... "you don't want to be responsible for her crying her eyes out every night." Well, I guess that is true but there are days when I so desperately want to speak my mind. So today, I'm thankful for this scripture: 

Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: "It is mine to avenge; I will repay," says the Lord.

--Romans 12:19 

I'm thankful to know that revenge is taken care of through God. Though there are times when I just want to scream at the top of my lungs, I can rest assured in knowing that all things will be properly handled according to Jesus. 

Seeing that today is Thanksgiving I'd also like to say what else I am thankful for. I am thankful for our family and friends. For the support that we always get. I'm thankful for the one person who tries to convince Jesse to divorce me... you have only made our marriage stronger! I'm thankful for my 2 handsome boys who keep my life interesting and busy! I'm thankful for all of the new life that will be coming into our families next year! I'm thankful for peace within my little family. I'm thankful for our health, job, and home. I'm thankful for all of the blessings that continue to come into our lives. I'm thankful for the struggles because they have only made us stronger today. 

Hope Everyone has a Great Thanksgiving and a fun-filled Black Friday!!! :) 

Thankful

So, I was going to post on how amusing it is to Jesse and I that only he and Gabe got invited to his mother's house for Thanksgiving. Instead, I think I'll rise above and post about some things that I am grateful for. 

I'm Thankful for: 

• God- he's always shown up for us exactly when we needed him.
• My husband, Gabriel, and our future child. These guys make me laugh and smile everyday... as well as lose sleep! haha. 
• My parents- without them I don't know where Jesse and I would be today and I don't know what Gabe would do without them. 
• Jesse's dad and Stepmother- They've shown me nothing but love and kindness and have always loved all of us without question. 
• All of our brothers, sisters, sister in laws, brother in laws, nieces and nephews (and future nieces and nephews). 
• The removal of a certain person from our lives. Jesse and I finally have peace and happiness in our lives and Gabriel now only has 2 sets of grandparents that will always love him unconditionally without question. 
• Our friends. 
• Our Grandparents- for always loving us and loving our child. 
• Having a roof over our head and food in our fridge. 
• Late nights and early mornings with Gabe. 
• Being able to stay at home with my baby boy. 
• My husband being able to provide for us. 
• The shop that I will be opening with a good friend in a few weeks.  
• The future- because I know it can only get better. :) 

Holiday Season 2012

Holiday Season is quickly approaching. If you're like me, you have found yourself wondering how in the world this season has managed to sneak itself up on you so fast? Last year, I was completely unprepared for Christmas. I am making it my goal to be more prepared this year. Along with being prepared for the Holidays, I have also decided to start a few new Christmas Traditions for Gabe.

I found these ideas on Pinterest and absolutely loved them! Our First NEW tradition is this: On each day leading up to Christmas, aka: The 25 days of Christmas, Gabe will receive one book to open. Each book will be wrapped or sent from Santa... and whichever book he opens that day will be the book that we read that night. On Christmas Eve, the book that he will open will be "The Night Before Christmas!" 

Our second NEW tradition is this: On Christmas Eve, Gabe will receive a "basket of goodies" to be used that night. The basket will include: popcorn, candy, hot chocolate, marshmallows, a toy, and a movie. The movie will be watched as a family that night while we enjoy some nice, warm hot chocolate. Most likely, we will be watching a Disney movie! I just haven't decided which one yet. 

Now, on to another idea that we have decided for Christmas. As you will see in the picture below, Gabe has too many toys. Literally, he has so many that he doesn't know what to do with them. So, in order to save some money and to avoid spoiling our child any more than he already is... we have decided to do this:: We are only going to buy Gabe 1 Brand NEW toy this Christmas, as well as some new clothes. All of his other "new" toys will be bought in the weeks leading up to Christmas from Goodwill. I must also mention that most of his books will also be purchased from Goodwill. However, all of his "goodies" for his stocking will be brand new items. 

Let me explain our Goodwill shopping idea. It's no secret to anyone how much I love shopping at Goodwill. I've been sooooo lucky to have found so many great deals on things, especially toys for Gabe. The best part about this is that all of the toys that I have gotten for Gabe from Goodwill so far have been in practically new condition. Can't beat that, right? And since toys are so expensive these days, you just can't beat the prices. Not to mention the books... I've found several books in like new condition for Gabe at Goodwill and the most I've ever spent on just one has been $1.00. Seriously, you can't beat these prices! (See the pics below of some of the toys I've gotten Gabe at Goodwill.) 

Along with these new traditions and ideas for the Holiday Season, we have also decided that we are going to take part in some sort of charity this holiday season. Whether it be buying for a participant in the Angel Tree program or taking part in Operation Shoebox at our church, I assure you that we will be doing something to give back. 

So, there you have it friends. Our plans for this upcoming Holiday Season. 

Pop up Toy- $2.00

All of these were $1.00 each

$1.00

My mom got this for Gabe- it was only $1.00!!

$2.00

Gabe's 1st Easter!

Hope you all had a wonderful Easter Sunday! Gabriel sure enjoyed his first Easter. He got tons of stuff for Easter. We started the day off by going to church, then we had lunch with my family, did the annual "Bowlin" Easter egg Hunt, and then finally we came home and Gabe got to see what the Easter Bunny brought him. My little man only took one nap today for about an hour... so he was very tired by bedtime. However, he did enjoy playing with all of his new things. One of his favorite things to do? Chasing and playing with his plastic eggs! haha. 


Well, we also celebrated my cousin, Mishona and I's birthday. Mishona's birthday is TODAY and mine is next Sunday. In case you're wondering... yes, I plan on celebrating alllll week! hahaha. 


Anyway, here's some pictures from our day today!