Funny Story Friday

It is NEVER good to come home from the grocery store, knowing that your boys were going fishing at the neighborhood lake, and then pulling up to find this scene!!

 

I can tell you my heart stopped for a few seconds!

 

 

They boys LOVE to go fishing and to feed the ducks at the neighborhood lakes. Cade has always been my cautious one, he never gets too close to the edge and in fact sometimes tells Brooks to be careful because he will fall in.

 

We have never had an incident before, well except for when I fell in the lake!

 

So one afternoon Josh took the boys fishing while I went to the grocery store. I came home to see Brooks shoes and clothes soaking wet in the carport! Josh said he just got too close to the edge after multiple warnings that he was too close and just rolled head first into the water. He had to reach in elbow deep and pull him out. After crying for a minute he went right back to fishing. Josh knew though that he needed to quickly react and get him in the tub for two reasons 1. because our lakes are not known for their cleanliness and 2. he knew I would be home soon.

 

Luckily I came home to a clean little boy and a scary story that gratefully had a much better ending than it could have been!

 

So we waited a couple of weeks before I was brave enough to let him go back. We did implement a new rule though of Brooks being required to wear a life vest at all times at the lakes.....

 

 

Spiderman and sister came along for the fun too.....

But not too longs after we got busy fishing.....PLOP...into the water he went!!

 

Luckily he popped right up with the life vest on, and daddy did have to rescue him again. As you can see he was not very happy!!

 

Still scared me stiff, literally....I didn't have a good reaction time at all! I guess he didn't learn his lesson the first time, confirming for all of us that the life vest was a great choice!!

 

Luckily I have signed both boys up for swim lessons in June!!

 

Until next time.....well, never mind, let's just hope there isn't a next time!!

Some Serious Preparation.....

 The good thing about having birthday parties at our house is it always forces us to do a good annual clean up of the outside of our house!

 

Countdown has begun to the big day!!

 

Three weeks out we hired a man to come put down pine straw, trim the shrubs, and weed the garden. Both Josh and I were working long hours around that time and it had to be done, so we have a little man that we hire out for VERY cheap to come and do this for us. I say it is well worth the cost!!

 

Two weeks out Josh rented a pressure washer to spray off the house, the kids and I went to Home Depot to get flowers to plant by the doors, and Josh and I tag teamed on re-painting the shutters.

 

Before....

 

After....

I know it is hard to see but it is a drastic improvement from the chipping paint!!

 

And then of course it was party planning time!!

 

Birthday parties are not what they were when I was growing up! Now the two questions I get asked when talking with people about throwing the kids a party is What is the theme? and What are the colors? So about a month out, it was time to get busy planning!!

 

Party Theme: Trains

Colors: Red and Blue

 

It all centered around these precious little invitations I found courtesy of Dimple Prints.

 

 

For $10 she created these invitations for me and then for $20 I purchased a 200 page document of matching signs and decorations that are more of a do-it-yourself package where you print up what you want to use and cut up, construct and use as you please!!

 

So now that I had my inspiration, let the party planning begin!!!!

 

I saw a great idea on a website to rent a train to come to your birthday party, but after researching the idea, it turned out to be super expensive.

 

So, I found this awesome idea to make a "train" out of cardboard boxes.

 

 

 

 However, finding boxes big enough for 3 years olds was a lot tougher than I imagined. After calling a lot of different places, I finally found them at a furniture store and they gave them to me for FREE!

 

 

 

The boys had so much fun playing in them!!

However, after I explained my idea to the boss, AKA Daddy, he wasn't too thrilled about his task of making the boxes sturdy enough to endure 2 & 3 year olds. So being the engineer that he is, he constructed a much more elaborate train!!!

 

He decided that it would be way more awesome to attach the train to the 4 wheeler, hook up the trailer, and have a train ride for the kids. I loved his idea, although I was hesitant about the work it would take because we were a week out and I still had a lot to do!! But it was actually genius because it combined my two great ideas for the party!

 

So we went for it! He drew up the train on his work software, printed out a large template from his office, then cut out the train template out of plywood. Dani and I constructed some sides for the trailer to make it look more like a train and painted them red.

 

Daddy attached the train to the 4 wheeler, which the boys think is AWESOME!

 

Then it was my turn to paint the details on...

 

 

And here is the finished product! I LOVE it and I think it is going to be hit on the big day!

 

 

On top of this crazy little project, we have been making cupcake toppers, birthday signs, wrapping silverware, yard signs, party favor bags, contructing the food list, planning out the party agenda &  decorations, getting together our coordinating outfits for the party, grocery shopping, making food labels, getting tables and chairs, making the railroad track on the driveway, putting together train tables and tracks and cleaning up the inside/outside of the house. Luckily, I have had some great helpers with Daddy and Dani!! We still have a lot to do but luckily we have reinforcements coming to help out!

 

 

Dani and her friend Victoria did a GREAT job making the railroad track down the driveway!

 

 

 

 

Whew, it is a lot of work to pull of the perfect birthday party!! I realize I create a lot of this work for myself, but I LOVE doing things like this and usually get carried away with the details!! I wouldn't have it any other way though!! Let's hope all of our hard work pays off for the big day! Chance of rain is 30% but we are going with as they say in Tiger Stadium, "Chance of rain...NEVER"....and praying really hard!!!

 

These two little guys are so ready for their party and all of the family coming in town!! Cade asks me every day if it is his birthday yet......we are so excited for the BIG DAY!!!!!  

 

Stay tuned!!!

 

 

Choo Choo Train Photo Shoot

Since the theme of the boy's birthday party this year is trains, one afternoon we took a little trip to the Zachary train station and took some fun pictures. My plan is to use them on the tables at the birthday party which is in TWO DAYS, we are so excited!!!!!!

 

It was a PERFECT and fun little photo shoot!!! There is a red train there on the tracks that are no longer in service. Cade thought it was so awesome that he could sit on the train and pretend to drive, Brooks was super cautious, but once he got on the train he was cooperative, for only a minute!

 

Here are some of the best shots taken by yours truly......

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My favorites are the ones of them together....I mean how SWEET is this little picture??!!

 

 

 

I just can't get over how precious my little men are!!! They did a great job posing for mom, especially since I am a true amateur!! Dani was also a great photographer assistant!!

 

Stay tuned for the birthday party post filled with trains, food, family, friends and so much fun!!!!

Random Update

Some silly faces with Mom.....

 

My three little blessings.....

 

Such a sweet little pictures that I just couldn't pass up sharing!

 

On their way in to daycare one morning....they were matching and once I again I just HAD to take a picture!! I love my little men so much!!!

 

I took this during the last week of tax season and looking at this picture throughout the day helped me make it through those long hours simply because they are just so precious!!

 

Some more pics I took that same morning, they just looked so precious in their matching shorts, I couldn't pass up  the photo op.....

 

I COULD JUST EAT THEM BOTH UP THEY ARE SO CUTE!!!!!!!

 

 

I have some country boys on my hands!!

This is what happens when you run inside to do something really quick!! Only takes a minute to strip down to nothing and jump up into the "pool". They waited for me to turn my head since I had already told them 3 times that they could not get in the water table because it wasn't a pool!

 

But it was too funny not to capture the moment!!

 

Dani and I had a date night to the Zachary High School play of "Wizard of Oz"!

 

The play was great, such a fun night!

 

Dani with her sweet friend Victoria who lives in our neighborhood. They were eating their popsicles that they made in Dani's popsicle maker that were absolutely delicious!! Made with orange juice, lemon juice and sugar...YUM!! They tasted just like an orange creamsicle....

 

This is what Brooks does when you tell him to lay down so you can change his diaper....for some reason he feels the need to do a little head stand to get into the position of laying on the floor!! He eventually gets there...hehe!

 

The most fun toy at our house right now...."shooters". These little guns I got for Christmas, you just squeeze the handle and they shoot these little nerf darts out from the suction of air in the gun. Coolest little toys, all the kids love them, Josh included, and they work really well!! Only problem is, we continue to loose the darts!!

 

Dani got Daddy to take this pic with her phone b/c we sort of matched this day and then she sent it to us all with the title "BSME" which mean "Best step mom ever!" She is so sweet, love that girl!! And she is getting close to passing me up in size!! She already wears my shoes and clothes....ahhh they grow up too fast!

 

Fun trip to Home depot to re-do our flowers......The boys love the car shopping carts there because "they can drive"!

 

Dani also made a beautiful herb/memory garden. She is growing basil and parsley for me to use in the kitchen. She also has a tomato plant. You will also she she put Gris Gris' old favorite ball next to it and the old doorknobs from her old play house inside. She also made her own sign out of paint samples.....Quite creative and memorable all at the same time! What a great job!!

I know that was a super random update but sometimes I just have some pictures that are stragglers that need to be posted! I hope you enjoyed my randomness!!

 

Until next time!!