Jeff Amy Caleb & Garrett

I love Christmas. It is so fun to watch the excitement of the holidays through Caleb’s eyes. I love watching him go to the chimney and yell, “Santa are you up there” or when he sees a star in the sky and he asks me if it is Rudolph and Santa. It is a lot of fun.

The weekend before Christmas, Caleb he had his Christmas party at school. We took cupcakes and Caleb was so proud. It is fun to watch him play with his friends at school. Caleb also took around his Christmas presents for his and Garrett’s teachers. It was so fun to watch him because he told them each teacher Merry Christmas and Thank You when he handed them the presents.That evening, Caleb’s class had a Christmas program. It was a Polar Express program which made Caleb’s day. He got to be the line leader for his classroom and he was so proud. He stood in the front row and sang each song loudly. At one point, another child tried to stand in front of him and Caleb was pushing to hold his front spot. It is amazing to me how much he has come out of his shell since Garrett’s arrival.

The Saturday before Christmas, we got to the mall at 10AM to try to see Santa. Our first experience was a bust with the weirdo Santa at Caleb’s birthday party. Our second experience we waited in line for 30 minutes with some good friends from the boy’s school and when we were 2 people away from getting to see Santa, Santa went on an hour break!!! The elves were kind enough to tell us we could wait. Umm, yeah that is an option with a 3 year old and an infant. At least, Caleb and Xander had a great time playing on the cars in the food court. That was fun. So, for our 3rd attempt, we went early. We were determined to get both boy’s pictures with Santa. Unfortunately, there was already a line. But, we waited and the boys were so good. Caleb went right up to Santa and told him what he wanted. He even asked for a boat for his baby brother:) It was a great experience.

The week of Christmas was my first week at Clorox. Overall, I had a great week at work but I was a little overwhelmed with all the new responsibilities and things to learn about my new job! Luckily, it was a short week. We got off at noon on Thursday to start our Christmas holiday.

Our first stop for Christmas was Tulsa to see Jeff’s dad. We got there late afternoon and had a wonderful dinner with the family. Then, the kids opened all their presents and ate cookies. Caleb got a Leap Pad which he loves playing with. Garrett was really good the entire time through dinner and opening presents. He is such an easy going baby. Unfortunately, I don’t think any of us got any sleep that night. It is hard to be in one room while Garrett is still so little and getting up at night. He woke up Caleb each time, but we made it through it. The next morning we headed to Claremore to see the extended family. It had been a long time since we had been there, so it was fun to see everyone. Garrett has a cousin that was born 2 days before him named Camden, so we were thrilled to get to meet him and let the boys see each other. Surprisingly, I think Camden was just a little bigger than Garrett which is amazing considering how big Mr. Garrett is:)

We quickly left after lunch in order to get back to church for the Christmas Eve service. We have been attending a new church that the entire family loves! That is a blessing. This was the first time we took both our boys into the “big church”. Caleb was a little cranky half way through, but all in all both boys did great. I had tears in my eyes seeing our little family remember what the season was about all together. After the church service, we came home to have a Happy Birthday Jesus party. I got a cake at the bakery the day prior. Caleb picked it out. It had a snowman on it. We put candles on the cake (Caleb said that Jesus was 10 years old) and sang Happy Birthday to Jesus. It was a fun way to reinforce to the boys what the holiday is truly about. After we had our Happy Birthday Jesus party, we turned on some Christmas music and danced around the living room and sang Christmas carols. Caleb loved it. Jeff thought it was a little cheesy but he was a good sport. Then, we got our cookies and milk ready for Santa and tucked the boys in for the night. Caleb went to bed really quickly after he saw Santa’s sleigh in the sky right before bath;) Plus, Winnie the elf told him that Santa was getting closer. After the boys were asleep, Santa came to visit:) I love getting the living room ready for CHristmas morning. It makes all that work of buying and wrapping presents worth it!

The next morning I got up really early to get ready for the day as we had to be on the road by 9:00 in order to make it to both Miami and Grove. At 6:45, we were waiting for Caleb to get up. Garrett was awake, but Caleb kept sleeping until 7:30 when I had to wake him up if we were going to make it to both houses that day!

Caleb sprung out of bed when we told him that Santa had come. He ran in the living room and saw his new Lightening McQueen car that Santa brought him. He was so excited about it. He wanted to open his presents in the car! He opened his stocking and all of his gifts. He got some Chuggington trains, Spiderman Web Shooter, some clothes and various other outdoor toys that we can play with during the summer. After Caleb was done opening his presents, he opened all of Garrett’s, Jeff’s, and mine. Garrett got lots of baby toys. I laughed and said we should have bought stock in Fisher Price. Jeff opened his presents. We got him a new golf bag, electric razor, some clothes, and a Kindle Fire. Then, Caleb opened my presents for me. I got some perfume, yoga pants, and a gorgeous ring! We were having so much fun opening the presents that we looked up and needed to leave in about 20 minutes to make it to Miami on time! We quickly fed the boys breakfast and were in the car only about 10 minutes late. We left a total mess in our living room which isn’t like us, but we really were trying hard to keep the grandparents happy and stay on time.

The car ride to Miami went smoothly. Luckily Garrett slept the whole way which was nice. Garrett hates riding in the car and normally cries if we go further than 5 minutes from the house. No fun. We pulled up to Meme’s house and she was so excited to see us. Caleb announced that he would like to open presents so that is what we did first. We all got neat gifts from Meme, but I would say Caleb’s favorite present was his Dinosaur Train and the action figures. Garrett’s favorite present was probably his light up soccer ball. And, both the boys loved their bulletin boards to put in the reading area upstairs. As soon as we finished opening presents, the rest of the family came over and we ate a delicious lunch of chicken spaghetti. My favorite!!!! As soon as lunch was done, we were in the car headed to Grove.

We got to Grove and started opening presents there too. Poor Tyler waited all day on us to get there. Again, we got way too many presents. We are blessed. Caleb got games for his VTech reader and some Hot Wheels stuff which was lots of fun. Garrett got lots of baby toys and a Giraffe he loves and a rolling toy he can crawl after. We got to spend a little time with my grandmas before they headed home. Then, we knew my parents needed to get on the road to Little Rock, so we headed out shortly.

The ride home was miserable. Caleb didn’t have a nap, but he was on his last ounce of energy and was being very loud. Then, Garrett was screaming the entire time because we were in the car. Finally about 45 minutes into the trip, both boys fell asleep. I was sitting in the middle of them on top of a pile of presents. I had Jeff take a picture of us because we all looked so pitiful. As much as we enjoy seeing everyone on Christmas, next year we are going to not try to squeeze so much into just a few days. We are going to take time to truly enjoy our boys and Christmas morning which means that some of the celebrations may be the weekend before or after, but as long as we get time with the family that is all that really should matter. It was just such a whirlwind that I don’t know how much any of us took a second to truly enjoy everything. It felt like we were holding our breath and always trying to stay on schedule. But, all in all, it was a great Christmas. Just a little busier than we wanted it to be.

Finally at 8:30 we were back home. We were so exhausted that we didn’t even unload the car. We were able to just lift Caleb out of his car seat and put him right to bed which never happens. The next morning we took down all our Christmas decorations. They were in the attic at 10AM. Then, we started going through all the boys presents. We didn’t get done until bedtime that night. Granted we took breaks, but our boys were really spoiled this year. We are thankful for all the fun toys they got. We have been having a blast playing with them!

All in all, it was a very busy Christmas. I enjoyed watching the boys and spending time with the family. I hope next year we slow down just a little bit so we can enjoy the boys and grandparents a little more than this year. Plus, hopefully, Jeff and I will both have been at our jobs a year and not have all that new job stress as well! Looking forward to 2012 and all the blessings it brings.

I have been playing with Garrett each night hoping he would roll over soon. I really thought he would be a little later in this department than his brother due to the sheer size of his tummy:) But, a week ago today, Garrett rolled over for the first time from his tummy to his back. He did it about 3 or 4 times for me. He also tried really hard to roll from his back to his tummy and did it once. Yet, since then, he needs just a little help getting from his tummy to his back. He is a big ole boy, so it is hard for him to roll! I told him I remember feeling like that when I was 9 months pregnant with him. I had to do what I liked to call the 5 point turn to get out of bed:)

Jeff took his second business trip this week since Garrett was born. The last trip the grandmas came to help, but this one I braved myself. Overall, it was a successful week. Caleb has been really good for me and has been extra helpful with his brother. It was too cute because Jeff was talking to Caleb about how daddy was going to go in an airplane and he had to be really good for Mommy. In typical Jeff fashion, he was telling Caleb the same thing in about 5 different ways. Finally, Caleb looks at him and says, “I got it Dad. I understand. I just want you to be quiet!” Both Jeff and I cracked up because that is exactly what Jeff says when me or his mom starts lecturing him about something! Like father like son!

Other exciting news is that next Wednesday is my last day at The Scotts Company. I have taken a position with Clorox and start on December 19th. This job has a lot more responsibility than my current job. It also allows me to work for a company with internal growth options. I am very excited about this new role! I keep praying that God will let me excel there and also excel at being a mom. The scariest thing about leaving Scotts is if I would lose the work/life balance I have now. But, Clorox is offering me a great career opportunity and I know they value family! So, I am very excited to start soon.

Other than that, we have been wrapping presents and getting ready for Christmas. Last week, Caleb had his soccer game and we rode on the Polar Express as a family. He was so excited to ride the train. My parents came over late in the afternoon and Caleb was napping. Since he was almost done with nap, my dad went in to wake him up. I was in the kitchen doing dishes and Caleb came out holding my dad’s hand and said, “Mommy, I have a surprise for you. It’s Papa!” Melt my heart. He then asked Papa if he would like to see his baby. Such a sweet boy!

I’ll update more as we go through the Christmas season. I am so thankful for God’s many blessings for my family. I often find myself overwhelmed and honestly just asking God why he is so good to us. I am very thankful this year! Have a great day!

I can’t believe it has been 3 years since Caleb came into our lives. It feels like it was just yesterday he was born. Caleb was blessed to have a party on the train with all his friends and 2 birthday parties hosted by his Gigi and Meme for the family! So, on his actual birthday, we decided to do something more low key just the 4 of us.

We started the day with cinnamon cupcakes which are Caleb’s favorite! He always helps me make them. He tells me each time to get the oil, milk, and eggs. He is so smart! After breakfast, we went to the school where I volunteered for the morning. I brought sprinkled doughnuts since they are Caleb’s favorite for morning snack. He was so proud to pass them out. His class sang Happy Birthday to him. He was so shy, but you could tell he loved it! After morning snack, I helped out with the worksheet time and did lots of silly songs with the children. The most fun part was when I got to read Caleb’s favorite book to the class. Of course, Caleb picked Polar Express. He sat in the front of the class at my feet in awe like it was the first time he ever read it. The best part of the morning was watching him go up to his friends and say things like, “See my Mommy. She is the best” or “That’s my mom. I love her. She is cool.” He was so proud of me and it made me feel the best I have in a long time!

In the afternoon, I took both boys to the doctor for their check ups. Caleb weighed 27lbs and Garrett weighed 16lbs and 14ozs. He is quickly catching up to his brother. Garrett had his check up first and everything was perfect! He is a healthy boy. Caleb was next and I was dreading it. Caleb screams bloody murder at the doctor’s office ever since his seizure. I don’t blame him. After having MRI’s, Cat Scans, and the worst was the EEG, the doctor’s office is very scary to him! But, we had talked about how Dr. Ball was a nice man and he just wanted to check his ears and heart to see if he was going to be a football player or soccer player. Caleb let the doctor check him without 1 tear! He coughed when the doctor asked and was such a great boy! I was so proud of him. The best part was when it was all done Caleb asked, “Mr. Doctor would you like to come to my house for dinner and cake tonight?” Too cute! Caleb passed his check up with flying colors. The doctor was amazed at how verbal Caleb is at his age!

After the doctor’s visits we went home and watched Winnie the Pooh. We were supposed to go to the theater to see it right before I had Garrett but I was always so tired and exhausted in the record breaking heat that we never made it. So, I rented it and Caleb and I watched it while Garrett napped.

That evening after Jeff got home, we ate spaghetti (Caleb’s favorite) and had ice cream cake from Coldstone. True Stevens’ luck….Coldstone lost his original cake, but they did try to make it up to us. The cake wasn’t what I ordered, but at least he had a cake. On a bad note, I still had to pay full price for a cake I didn’t order:( Caleb didn’t really care to eat his cake because he wanted to open presents. We got him Scooby Doo pajamas, a box to store his Hot Wheels in, a Mr. Potato Head, 2 VTech Reader stories, and his big present was a Little Tykes trampoline just for his size. He was really excited to see it! Unfortunately, it has been too cold to get it out, but we will soon.

Overall, it was a great day and evening with Caleb. I love that boy more than words can say. I was just watching him last night as he was sleeping and it literally took my breath away at how much I love that boy. He went through a lot his first 15 months of life with his digestive issues and I am so thankful the last 2 years have went by smoothly.

Caleb- You are such a sweet little boy. You are incredibly smart. You remember everything! You can spell your name, tell us your address, recite my phone number, tell me memory verses from the Bible, and lots more! You are even able to identify words on a page or flashcards. I am so proud of how smart you are! You are on a soccer team and absolutely love it. Your Coach, Leo, is really patient with all the kids and you love playing with him and doing the games before and after the soccer game. You are a GREAT big brother! You sing Garrett the same songs Mommy sand you as a baby. It melts my heart. You ask people all the time if they want to see your baby. I love hearing you call Garrett your baby! You have such a sweet personality. You are always telling me and your dad that you love us to the moon/Mickey and back! You are completely potty trained and very proud of that. I am too. It wasn’t near as bad as I thought it would be! You still love trains! I think you will forever! And, you love spending time with your grandparents. Caleb, I am so so so proud of you (as you would say). Your smile makes my day better and there is nothing I love more than when you ask me to hold you. You are everything to me and your dad and we will do everything in our power to make sure you always know you are loved! Happy 3rd Birthday!

I was so ready for Thanksgiving break! After organizing Caleb’s birthday party with his friends, I was just burnt out!

Wednesday I got off work at noon, so I went and got the boys from school. Jeff got off work early as well, so we all ate Chick Fil A and had some fun before naps. While the boys napped, I enjoyed the 55 degree fall afternoon and went for an 8 mile run! It was perfect and I finished in 1 hour and 1 minute! I was pretty proud of how quickly I finished since I did several hills! After I ran, my two best girlfriends came over and we got to sit upstairs and catch up for a few hours. Honestly, it was 2 of the best hours I have had lately! Life is just so busy with 2 children and me working full time that it is hard to make time to do anything. Jeff and I can barely keep up with our jobs, the boys, and chores around the house. So, I was so thankful to have time to sit with them and catch up on life. Lauren and Katie mean so much to me and I am so thankful to have them in my life!

After they left, we took the boys to Hobby Lobby to buy Caleb a small Christmas tree for his room. He wanted a Santa tree, so we got several Santa ornaments to put on it. We got home and decorated his tree. Caleb was so excited! As we were decorating it, Jeff told me that “Less is More” when decorating a Christmas tree. I just laughed and kept on decorating. In the Busch house, the more lights the better the tree:)! We got the tree all decorated and it was way past the boys bedtimes, so we got them into bed.

Thursday morning we had a few minutes as a family before we got on the road to Grove. My mom fixed a wonderful lunch for the family! My favorite part is my grandma’s noodles. Oh they are so good! Caleb’s favorite thing was the Green Beans. I think he had 4 helpings of Green Beans. After we recovered from lunch, my mom got out the birthday cake she bought for Caleb. It was a Farm cake but there was a train track going through the farm with Thomas on it. The best of 2 worlds for Caleb! I forgot to bring the candles, so my dad made some make shift candles for Caleb to blow out:) After we ate cake, Caleb got to open his birthday presents from his extended family. He got a loud gun, Hot Wheels, a laptop, and 2 Cars books. It was so cute because one of the Cars books was a Hardback and Caleb looked at it and said, “A Cars Bible. Cool!” The only hardback books he has are Bibles:) We laughed so hard!

After everyone left, the boys went hunting and my dad and Jeff watched the boys as they napped. My mom, Megan, and I got some good girl talk and went on a long walk. It was nice. That evening we had left overs and got to spend time as a family. It was so nice to have Megan and Matt home. We don’t get to see them as often as we like since they live in Central Arkansas and have very busy schedules between basketball and medical school! They gave Caleb a few more presents. He got a big boy baseball club and target to throw the ball into from Matt and Megan and golf clubs from my parents. He was thrilled. His golf clubs are the real deal. My dad showed him how to putt in a cup and he has been doing that non-stop!

Friday morning we got up and headed to Miami to see Jeff’s family! Jeff’s mom had planned a birthday party for Caleb, Grandma Mom, Emily, and Becca! It was a Polar Express party and Caleb was absolutely thrilled! She had Polar Express stickers, tickets, and a train cake for Caleb! Meme could hardly wait and gave Caleb his present before the party. It was a real Polar Express train from Pottery Barn. To be honest, I have never seen Caleb so excited when he saw what it was! He was thrilled. We immediately got the train out and let him play with it. It plays several of the sound clips from the movie as well. Caleb was in heaven! We put the boys down for a nap and watched the LSU vs. AR game. Unfortunately, the game didn’t turn out as we wanted to, but that is SEC Football for you.

After the game, the entire family came over to celebrate the birthdays! Meme had made bell necklaces for everyone at the party, so Caleb handed them out. Meme did a great job with the Polar Express theme and had all the special touches! Caleb got a Chuckie Cheese gift card and a cool Polar Express shadow book from everyone. He helped Meme finish decorating his train cake and we had some yummy dips and mini turkey burgers for dinner. After dinner, Caleb blew out his candles and ate some cake and ice cream.

Garrett was getting very sleepy, so we decided to get in the car and head home. The car ride was TERRIBLE! Garrett hates being in his car seat and he cried the entire way. He was crying so hard at points that I was worrying he wouldn’t catch his breath. So, we would pull over and comfort him and start driving again but the crying would start again! Finally, we pulled around the corner and we were home! And, to our surprise, our Christmas Lights were up! Caleb was so excited to see the lights!

Saturday we spent the day decorating the house for Christmas. I got our tree up, Garrett’s tree up, and all of Caleb’s Christmas books down. I did our big family tree while Caleb was napping and he was so excited to see it when he woke up. He kept saying WHOA over and over. It was too cute! We also did 7 loads of laundry on Saturday, got groceries, picked up the house, etc… It was a really busy Saturday! We also read the Elf on the Shelf book to Caleb. And, I am thankful for it! Caleb’s behavior is awesome lately since he knows the elf is watching him and reporting back to Santa. Anytime he acts up we remind him the elf is watching and he straightens up! Incredible.

Overall, it was a great Thanksgiving. I am so thankful for my husband that helps me with everything around the house. He is my best friend in the world. Just last night we were so tired that we just looked at each other and started cracking up. We were in tears from laughing so hard. We get each other and even though we can fuss at each other, I know that he always has my back and I have his. We are a team! I am a very blessed girl. I am thankful for Caleb. He endured so much his first 15 months of his life with his digestive issues. So, I am thankful he has been so healthy since then! I am thankful that he is so smart and loving! I am thankful that I have Garrett to rock at night. Oh how I missed having a baby around! I am thankful that he started laughing this week. Not just a little giggle, but a huge belly laugh! It makes my day. I am thankful how he sighs in relief when I hold him. He holds his little hands together right under his chin and just looks so happy with his momma. My boys and husband mean everything to me and I am so thankful God has put them in my life. I am also thankful for my parents and all the hard work they did in raising me. They taught me to love God with my whole heart and to be independent enough to have a drive to make something of myself. I am thankful for my brothers and how much fun we have when we are together. I am also thankful for my mother in law. She does so much for others and especially my family. She is always positive and loves me just like her own daughter. I am also thankful for my father in law and his family and the good times we have together. Overall, I am so blessed. God has given me more than I could ever ask for and he deserves all the glory!

On August 2nd, I started thinking about Caleb’s birthday party! I knew it was 4 months away, but unfortunately with a winter birthday all the good places book up quickly! And, you have to schedule around holidays, parades, and Christmas parties. Caleb LOVES trains, so I thought I would call the Arkansas Missouri Railroad to see if they ever have children’s parties on the train. I contacted the event planner and she said they did! And, the price seemed pretty reasonable in comparison to other children’s party venues in the area, so I booked it! I was so excited to book Caleb’s birthday party on the train. I knew he would love it!

I scheduled the party for the Sunday before Thanksgiving. I thought that it wouldn’t interfere with Christmas parties, parades, etc…. I didn’t think about how many people travel for the Thanksgiving holiday the weekend before, but overall it worked out!

In October, I began looking online for someone to make the invitations look like train tickets. I found a great invitation company out of California that was very reasonable. She made Caleb’s invitations look like Thomas the Train Tickets. She used the Thomas and Friends logo only it said Caleb and friends. They were precious! Caleb was moved a few weeks prior from the 2 year old classroom to the 3 year old classroom, so he had LOTS of children he wanted to invite. So, I talked with Caleb and we made a list of his friends from school, neighborhood friends, and soccer friends.

I also called the train in October to confirm the party. Unfortunately, the lady I spoke with originally was no longer with the railroad and no one knew what was going on. I made no less than 10 phone calls trying to figure it out! Finally, I got ahold of a lady who knew what was going on. She said that the party was scheduled for 4:00. The conductor would be there to punch tickets like on Polar Express and would have 8 to 10 organized games he would play with the children. Then, we would do cupcakes and hot chocolate (also on Polar Express) and then Santa would make his grand appearance for the last 30 minutes of the party. Each child would have their picture made and be able to talk with Santa. The party sounded perfect. The catch was the price of the party would be going up $150 more than my original contract. This was more expensive that what I wanted to spend, but I had already told Caleb his party was on the train and had ordered the invitations. It was too late. Yet, I was so thankful to have talked with the new person and had an understanding of how the party would go because to be honest Jeff and I almost canceled the train because we were concerned that no one knew what was going on!

The week before the party I got the food ready, balloons ordered, gift bags made, and decorations bought. My mother in law was gracious enough to get the hot chocolate and hot apple cider for the party which was the perfect last touch! I was so excited. Caleb was too. Everyone he saw he told them about his birthday party.

Finally, Sunday arrived and it was party time! My mom, mother in law, and I got to the train 30 minutes before the party. When we arrived, I had to track down someone to let us know which train cars we would be going in. I found the people and went in the train. It was decorated with Christmas lights and a few Christmas decorations which was a nice touch. They brought me the “decorations” I paid for and they were all used and wrinkled! I was able to use a few of the tablecloths but that was it. I was SO THANKFUL I went ahead and ordered my own decorations. Quickly, we decorated the train in the Thomas the Train theme and people started to arrive. It was so busy!

There was about 20 children plus adults that came to his party! We had a great crowd to celebrate Caleb’s 3rd birthday. As children came on the train, I noticed there was no conductor! So, I ran out to the train station to ask for the conductor to come start the party. They gave me a huge stack of tickets and told me to hand them out to the children. Finally, the conductor came on the train and put one punch in each ticket. The conductor was nice, but had NO clue what was going on. Then, I told the train staff I was ready for the games and they looked at me like I was crazy! I reminded them they said the conductor would organize 8 to 10 games for the children to play. The conductor had no clue what to do. So, another lady went and got corn hull (bean bag tailgate game?) for the 3 year olds to play! WHAT? What 3 year old plays that game? Luckily, my mother in law is a PE Teacher and had a beach ball and a parachute in her car, so we drug those out for the children to play! And, most of the children were just enjoying running back and forth in the train cars. You couldn’t even get Caleb to talk with his friends because he was so excited to run on the train! So, luckily, the kids didn’t notice but I could tell the adults were wondering what was going on.

Therefore, I asked for Santa to come on out. The larger loud man comes around the corner carrying a Santa suit and asks where Santa should get dressed. I said, “Not on the train. Don’t really care as long as you are wearing your costume.” 10 minutes later, out comes Santa Clause wearing a really old matted Santa Suit, with a Cowboy Hat, pants that don’t even go to his shoes, and his salt and pepper mustache is hanging out from the white matted beard. I almost died. We had the most redneck Santa I have ever seen in my life! Caleb crawled up on Santa’s lap and even looked at him weird. I was just about to cry when my dad came over and gave me a hug laughing. He couldn’t believe Santa had come wearing a cowboy hat! Then, one of our friends said, “Oh it’s Arkansas. What do you expect?”. Several of the kids enjoyed seeing Santa. Some of the kids were afraid. I don’t blame them. I am an adult and I was scared of this Santa. During the 30 mintues Santa was supposed to be at the party, he took 3 “cupcake” breaks and left! He also asked one mom if she had been naughty!!!!

At this point, I was just so disappointed! I had not even got to enjoy watching Caleb at the party because I was running around trying to come up with games for the children to play, figuring out where the conductor and Santa were, etc… I know that Caleb was having fun just being on the train, but I was so disappointed that I spent so much money for chaos! I decided it was time to do cupcakes and move the party on.

Caleb came to blow out his candles reluctantly. He really just wanted to run on the caboose. He didn’t even eat a cupcake, but I was glad he was enjoying his time and oblivious to all the drama besides the scene. After everyone had eaten their cupcakes, I handed out the treat bags and had all the children go outside for the Thomas piñata that we brought. Scary Santa held it up and all the children pulled the strings to get the candy! I was thankful I brought that as well. Then, everyone headed home about 30 minutes before I planned for the party to be over, but I was ready for it to end. There was no organization and nothing really to do besides run up and down the train. I just wanted to cry. I had spent a LOT of money for this party and looked forward to it for months and it was no where near my expectations. I didn’t even get to see Caleb because I spent the whole time running around trying to salvage the party:( I was thankful when I got home to know that Caleb had a wonderful time. And, in the end, that is all that matters!

After the party, the grandparents were wonderful and helped me clean up! And, Santa reappeared asking to take a cupcake or two home. I told him sure and he took a plate of at least 10 cupcakes with him. Really? After clean up, we headed home to let Caleb open his presents from the party. He got lots of fun toys that he has been having a great time playing with.

Overall, if you asked Caleb if he liked his birthday party, he will tell you he loved it. He even gave me a huge hug and told me how happy he was when we got home that night. So, even though in my mind it was a disaster, I am thankful my son got to do something he loves for his birthday party!

Since I have gone back to work, I live for the weekends. I love that I don’t have to get up at 5:30AM. I love that I get to eat breakfast with Caleb at his table in my pajamas and I am not rushing the boys out the door. I love when Caleb yells, “It’s the weekend!” because he is so excited to spend time together as a family. I live for Friday night-Sunday night. It is my favorite time of the week!!!

Last weekend we were so blessed with NOTHING to do! No birthday parties, no soccer, no one visiting, nothing. We just got to have time together as a family. As much as I love being busy and seeing people on the weekends, I loved it even more to be able to have no schedule and just hang out. It was such a great time. On Friday, Jeff and I took the boys to Toy Land on the square. It was so busy that we were really unable to see the toys. Caleb really enjoyed seeing the life size Lightening McQueen and Mater, so that made the trip worth it. Saturday we just played at the house. Jeff made chili and we watched the football game. Caleb and I went on a date to get some yogurt. Sunday was church. All in all, a slow paced but wonderful weekend.

This weekend was much busier, but we had a great time! Saturday was Caleb’s first soccer game on his new team, The Red Reindeers Caleb is playing in the 3.5 year old league, so he was a head shorter than most of the kids on his team. The first 30 minutes he did great with all the drills and making goals. Then, they started the game. He ran back and forth several times trying to get the ball until he got pushed down on the gym floor. It scared him more than it hurt him, but the rest of the game was toast. He was very sweet afterwards and apologized to his coach for crying and promised he would do better next time. I am sure he will.

Sunday we tried out a new church that Caleb kept asking to go to. We went to see fireworks there on the 4th of July and he just loves that church now. He did great going into his Sunday school class. When we picked him up he said he learned that Jesus wants us to share and told us the people there were very nice. It was too cute. I am so thankful for children’s workers at church that love on our children. Caleb picked Red Lobster for lunch and it was OK. Jeff and I have officially decided we are going to be getting take out until further notice. Eating out with an infant and toddler isn’t really that much fun and we are paying to do it??? No thank you After lunch, we attempted nap but Caleb was so excited to go to Melia’s party that it didn’t go to well. We got a small nap, but not much.

Melia’s party was at her house and her parents rented the TumbleBus. If you know anything about Caleb, it would be that he loves trains and buses. So, this was awesome for Caleb. The TumbleBus was really cool too! It had a trampoline, monkey bars, slide, balls, hula hoops, and a zip line all inside a school bus. Caleb played the entire time. He also ate his Princess cupcake like a champ. He is getting to be so much more independent and it is such a joy to watch him growing up and doing things on his own. Garrett came with us to the party and enjoyed everyone loving on him. Most people thought he was around 6 months old because he is such a chunk. I love that I have a chunky baby. It is what I prayed for after having Caleb who never put on weight. In fact, I had to take Caleb to the doctor this week and he still only weighs 28lbs! We need to make sure to work on his golf game instead of football:)

Speaking of sports, the other night we were playing T-Ball and Jeff told Caleb to keep his eye on the ball. Caleb looked at his dad and then all the sudden put his eye directly on the ball and said, “Like this Dad?”. Jeff and I laughed until we cried. Last night I asked Caleb if he wanted to help me give Garrett a bath and he looked at me and said,”I am sorry Mom. I am a busy boy. I am practicing baseball. Sorry I am so busy.” I couldn’t believe how big he was acting.

Another funny Caleb story was the other day my parents came to visit and I told Caleb it was nap time. He looked at me and said, “Yeah, I am just going to hang out with Papa, Mom. I just want to hang out.” He sounded like he was 13 years old.

Garrett is such a joy now. He is in 3 to 6 months clothes, but they are very snug. We will be in 9 months very soon. They are just still a little too long for him. All of Garrett’s pants have to have an elastic waist band because his belly is so round. I absolutely love it. Garrett laughs now when you tickle him. And, he loves when I play peak a boo and sing the bounce song to him. He still eats really well and normally sleeps great until this weekend. He was up almost every hour both nights this weekend, but I hope we’ll get that under control quickly. He is a snuggly baby and loves to be help and cuddle with you. He LOVES his daddy. Yesterday at church he just would stare at his daddy and when Jeff would smile at him he would give you a huge open mouth smile. And, he loves his brother too. Caleb talks to Garrett pretty loud most of the time, but it is the one loud thing Garrett doesn’t seem to mind. I am so thankful the boys love each other so much!

Last cute story is the other night I put Garrett in his bumbo and his legs were too chunky. It actually put so much pressure on his tummy that he spit up every where. I tried to take him out and the bumbo came with Garrett. He was stuck. I got Garrett out and Caleb got in it. Fit Caleb like a charm. I took pictures so I can remember that Garrett’s legs at 3 months were bigger than his big brother who is almost 3.

I love these boys more than anything in the world. I live for 5:00 and the weekends so we can all be together as a family. I am so incredibly thankful to have my family. My husband and boys make me a happy person and I love them each so much!

Have a great day!

This year we let Caleb pick out his Halloween costume. I tried really hard for him to go as Buzz Lightyear and his brother to go as Woody, but I lost. Caleb loves trains and wanted to be the Polar Express Conductor. Unfortunately, they do not make a full Train Conductor costume in his size. But, after lots of searching, I found a lady that sold a Conductor hat, clock, and tickets online. I purchased the Train Conductor kit from her and a suit from Amazon.com to make his costume. Since I wanted the boys to coordinate, I made Garrett the train Engineer. His costume was easy to come up with. I purchased overalls from Osh Kosh and a hanky from WalMart! Easy!

I am not going to lie. Jeff and I were not thrilled about Caleb’s train conductor idea. We tried to get him to do something a little more main stream, but I am glad he insisted. Their costumes were original and the hit of all the parties!

Our first Halloween function was at the boy’s school. They had a bouncy house and lots of food and games for the kids. Caleb loved dressing up to play with his friends from school and see his teachers in their costumes.

Our second Halloween function was at Jeff’s work. His work put together an inflatable haunted house and had trick or treating for all the kids. The people at Jeff’s work are so nice and we had a great time going office to office with the boys. Also that day, Caleb had a fun party at his school with lots of snacks! Caleb all the sudden decided he loved strawberries and ate several at the party:)

For actual Halloween, I put the boys in cute Halloween shirts. After work, we ate dinner and got the boys out the door for trick or treating. Caleb was so excited until we came across the first house with a dog! Then, every house that had a dog sent Caleb running down the sidewalk. Needless to say, we didn’t trick or treat for long, but he ended up with more candy that we needed:)

Overall, it was a great Halloween and the boy’s costumes were a hit.

On October 3rd, my husband quietly turned 30! He begged me not to have a party for him although I was dying too! Instead we had a quiet family celebration. I took Caleb to Target and he picked out a Thomas the Train theme for his dad’s party, so I decorated the house in that. We went out to eat at Abuelos and then we came home to have cookie cake and play with the boys. Jeff also opened his presents. The boys and I got him some new jeans, shoes, and an ITunes card. The “parents” all gave him money so he could finally get new golf irons! He got some Taylor Made Burners and really has enjoyed him. The past 2 weekends he got to try them out!

I kept apologizing to Jeff that we weren’t doing anything really cool like going to the beach or Vegas for his 30th, but he said “I am happy just spending it with my family.” That melts my heart and makes me so thankful that I have a husband that loves his boys and just enjoys being with his family.

Jeff, 10 years ago on your birthday we went to ZTA Barn Dance. We probably didn’t even leave the fraternity house until 11:00PM and I know we probably didn’t go to bed until 3:00AM! 10 years later on your 30th birthday, I am pretty sure we were in bed asleep by 10:00PM? I love that we have grown up together from crazy college kids to parents of 2 amazing little boys. We have learned a lot about each other over the last 10 years and I am so proud to be your wife. You are always there for me and our boys and that dependability means the world to me! I love you and am so proud to be your wife. Thank you for all you do for our family.