theallennuggets

Pictures

July 13, 2016July 18, 2016lallen28822 Comments

In a world saturated with cameras and pictures E V E R Y W H E R E I still value taking time aside to have a profession take our pictures.

I hoped to be that professional but, along with master seamstress and crafty girl extraordinar, I’ve fallen short. Not to say I can’t still accomplish it, it just seems I lack the time (wonder why) to devote becoming really great at any of them.

Fortunately, right before the boys were born I came across a picture on a twin mama blog that I about died over. It was sooo precious. Lucky for me, that twin mama is DFW based! What are the odds?! So I sought out the photographer and she’s taken our pictures since.

Bait Fav

Bait Pic1

Bait Pic4

Bait Pic7

I cannot express how much I appreciate pictures to document this time in life that is flying by but there’s something to be said about “special” time set aside to have your picture taken.

Oh how I love these two and what they have done to fill a huge void in our lives.

XOXO

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Choked Up

July 11, 2016July 11, 2016lallen28821 Comment

We took a trip last week to Wisconsin because one of my cousin’s got married. My family is incredibly special and we have so much fun when we get together. Which, since we’re in Texas, isn’t enough for me.

My grandparents are 90 years young and I don’t see them nearly enough so I soaked up the 5 days we were there.

The trip included a LOT of visiting with family members because it seemed like each day more people arrived into town. So most of our time in WI we just drifted from one family member’s house to the next to see who was there.

Saturday morning we loaded up the boys and got out of the house first thing, so I could take The Hubs and the boys to a park/swimming hole that I went to as a kid. In order to do this quickly, we kind of just bolted after breakfast before the day got away from us.

Iverson Park was exactly as I remembered it and, even though it was only 71° out side and the water was freezing, we were holding the boys back from wading into the water. We hit up the playground and the swings and then we decided to grab lunch, so I could get my hands on some fried cheese curds.

We went to another place I hold dear in my memory from my childhood visits to WI and ordered up lunch.

Halfway through our lunch, Corbin turned to Josh and opened his mouth. He looked like he was in pain. I said to The Hubs, something is wrong with him. Initially, we both thought he had something in his teeth, so Josh reached in and pulled out a half chewed piece of cantaloupe. Then I heard Corbin make a gargle noise and I realized he was choking.

I said that to Josh and he grabbed him and turned him over on his leg and started to pat him hard on the back. Just as we were told to do when we had our class before the boys were released from the NICU. I sat across from him in the booth and saw Corbin going blue. I stood up and started to panic. I jumped up and went to turn and run into the main part of the restaurant for help but I just yelled, “he’s not breathing“!! Then I remembered I recently read that after they’re over a year old you are supposed to perform abdominal thrusts/the Heimlich. So in my freak out, I snatched Corbin and did about three abdominal thrusts (if you want to call it that …I didn’t take the time to make sure my hand placement was correct) but he made a noise like he was trying to cry, so Josh told me to put him down. He reached into his mouth and pulled out a slightly rounded piece of cantaloupe. Corbin began to really cry at that point. Then he stopped and asked if he could eat a hotdog. He was totally fine.

We were not. I couldn’t stop shaking. Fire and EMT arrived because (Thank GOD) the restaurant employees called 911 immediately. They told me we did everything correctly and checked out Corbin’s lungs and oxygen saturation. He was chatting it up with them like nothing had happened.

We were still physically shaking.

I cut up the Nuggets’ food religiously. We cut their grapes in half and quarter their hot dogs. I’m diligent about the size of toys they play with to ensure they cant get anything into their mouths. I discourage giving them popcorn. Yet here we are on vacation and, although I had cut up the cheese curds, the mini corn dogs and French fries, I failed to cut up his fruit. I cut up Weston’s because he was sitting right next to me. I just thought that The Hubs or I would get to it before he started eating it.

I got to experience the scariest thing I’ve ever been through, in my life. And I don’t want to ever have to go through that EVER again.

I balled my eyes out the second we left the restaurant. It’s still hard to shake. The Hubs and I both have had several break downs and I had to tell myself to stop thinking about the worst case senario we could have faced. Because we had the best case senario. He’s completely fine.

Afterwards I thought, I have four aunts, six cousins and a future SIL that are all nurses, and another cousin in med school and none of them were with us. *#&((&%$)(

Thank the good Lord that we had a happy ending. The wedding proceeded beautifully and although I wasn’t quite in the mood to celebrate, we enjoyed ourselves.

After a pretty long day of travel we arrived home with two incredibly tired kiddos and one I’m pretty sure is getting a cold. Happens every. single. time. we travel.

The other interesting thing about this trip is I have been giving myself a hard time about being a “helicopter mom”. You know, reading Scary Mommy blog (there is more than one) about ruining it for other moms or some bullshit. It’s my kids and I’m going to be the BEST mom I know how to be and that means keeping my kids healthy, safe and alive.

Please remember all those educational messages to parents about chocking and water safety and all other “warnings” are taken seriously and educate yourself!

First Aid for Choking and CPR for Children over 12 YO

XOXO 5E1F90B120FB20C197CC10E4FF74EF96

Hiatus

June 24, 2016lallen2882Leave a comment

Well it’s June and I haven’t posted in six months. I obviously took a small hiatus.

I feel like I needed to take a break but now I’m a little disappointed that I did. Mostly because I love being able to go back and recall with certainty things we’ve done throughout the months…Because they keep flying by! So much has happened and I can’t even begin to cover it all so I’ll update as I get back into the swing of things.

Over the last six months the boys have excelled. They talk constantly and they’ve entered the phase of pretending.

Which I L O V E !!

It’s so stinkn cute to see them playing together and pretending their feet are tires and how they help each other repair their flat tires and fill each other up with gasoline so they have fuel to run circles around the house/yard. This is my favorite thing about this age.

I have to translate some of what they say to other people but most of it is understandable. Now if they start talking about pretend stuff, the majority of people (including The Hubs) need assistance. They both love to introduce themselves and each other when someone asks them their names. Never fails, each time someone asks, Weston speaks up first and says, “I Weton, he Cormin”. They also know Mommy and Daddy’s names and it’s funny to hear them say Lindsey or Josh.

We spend our summer days playing inside/outside in the morning, story time at the library or running errands.

Before school let out the Toddler Time at Urban Air Trampoline park was a weekly destination. SO FUN. Even I really enjoy myself. It was only $5 a kid and parents jump free. It’s discontinued for the summer though. Totally worth it and we’re ready for it to come back.

About once a a week, I drop them at Kids Park to play for a few hours while I run around (and get 100% more done) without them. It’s always a nice break for all of us. I have developed a bit of a shopping addiction at Old Navy though.

They’re still going down for a nap at 1:00p but I now have to sit in the room with them, otherwise they just play forever and fall asleep right before I am supposed to go in and get them up. So it’s usually a 1:30p-3:00p nap. 99% of the time, I have to go in and wake them up. I’m sure they’d sleep until 4:00 and not go to bed until midnight. No thanks.

We spend the afternoon swimming or playing inside. Playing outside or at the park in the afternoon isn’t really an option because it’s Texas and it’s June and therefore 90°+ and that’s just too hot for these little guys.Luckily, they really enjoy swimming and during our lessons, they’re really doing well! Kicks and reaches, bubbles and big jumps off the side of the pool. I’m quite proud of my little fishes.

Bedtime is a bit of a battle and we’re about to transition to big boy beds. Which is going to make it even less fun but it’s time, because Weston is crawling to the top of the rails now and saying he is trying to get into Corbin’s crib. An injury is just waiting to happen and I’d like to avoid it. I’m just waiting until after our trip to WI in less than two weeks.

So there is an update on our Nuggets.

Life in general has been super busy too. In January, The Hubs switched companies and is really enjoying his new role which is blessedly less stressful on him. We took a spontaneous ski trip to Red River.

In February my younger brother proposed to his girl and we couldn’t be happier! March we were in Katy for Easter.

In April, a week or so before my birthday, we welcomed our newest niece Mia Nicole and she’s beautiful! We also watched Vivienne for a night so the Slaughters could take a quick weekend away for their anniversary and the boys loved having her!

May was a trip to Houston for a work event for The Hubs which also scored us night away, that we thoroughly enjoyed. We also hosted a small Memorial Day pool party.

We also had ANOTHER slab leak, this time in the kitchen. A few weeks later we discovered a faulty connection which leaked water all over the carpet and ruined our kitchen floors. So we’re getting new floors soon! The kitchen remodel might actually get completed. 15 months in the working!! Ugh. Life 🙂

June was back to Katy (AGAIN) as I co-hosted an engagement party for the future newlyweds.

Whew. That was a lot! Hopefully I can get back into the swing of things here because I barely scratched the surface. Gotta start somewhere, right?

Xoxo

Lindsey

December 2015

January 14, 2016January 14, 2016lallen28821 Comment

December was a busy and exciting month this year and when it came to a close I was kinda sad. I’ll get to that later. Quick recap….just a couple of weeks late.

This year we bought tickets for the North Pole Express in Grapevine and it was magical. In all actuality, we could have waited another year for the boys to fully understand the whole concept. As an adult though, it was so sweet to see all the other children who were SO excited. Gramma Dee and Scott joined us on the adventure.

The North Pole Express starts at the Vintage Grapevine Railroad. There were concessions (corn dogs, hot chocolate, steak on a stake (har-har)) to snack on before loading as you need to be there 45-50 minutes prior to your boarding time. You can also pop into the Vetro Glass Blowing studio and watch them make really gorgeous pieces. They’ll even allow you to make your own glass ornament. Maybe we will do that in future years when the $30 ornament won’t be broken by one of the Nuggets about 4 seconds after hanging it on the tree.

We waited in line for about 15 minutes before they loaded us onto the train. The boys were interested in the actual “choo-choo” but once we were on the train, it wasn’t quite as interesting. This is why I think it’ll have more of a statement next year. The train moves east at a pretty slow pace for about 10-12 minutes and everyone is encouraged to sing Christmas carols with the friendly elves.

Mrs. Clause makes and appearance and hands out the silver bells for Christmas spirit.

After the train ride we walked through a beautiful forrest of Christmas trees while SNOW was pumped though the area. I didn’t get a picture because, although we were supposed to be walking, everyone else was stopping to get pictures and the bottleneck was throwing my anxiety into overdrive. We proceeded into a large tent with colorful lights and ~~patiently~~ waited for Santa. We were entertained with singing and dancing elves and finally Santa arrived. The overall excitement level rose 100% with all of the children (except mine) and it was very sweet. Afterwards everyone was given chocolate milk from Santa.

Although the boys weren’t totally understanding it all, it was worth it. I enjoyed myself (and the much needed margarita afterwards) and as usual, look forward to how the boys will grow each year.

Christmas Eve service was crowded (as always) but luckily The Hubs got us great seats and the boys could see the entire re-enactment that the children put on of Christmas night and the birth of Jesus. I teared up thinking of the Nuggets participating in the future.

Somehow, I managed to not take a single picture of us, or the boys in our Christmas best… #momfail. Afterwards, we joined good friends, who were in from out of town, for a tradition of making egg rolls. We went two years ago with the boys and they were only a couple of months old and everyone was just in awe as to much they’ve grown.

Christmas morning was abundant with blessings and waaaay too many toys (thanks Hubs).

Once we had all the present opening completed and cleaned up, we had a quick breakfast and loaded up to go to Gramma’s house. Again, minimal pictures (some photographer I am). A day filled with lots of family, more presents and tons of food was outstanding.

Christmas (actually the entire holiday season of 2015) seemed to fly by this year, faster than years in the past. I wasn’t ready to take down the decor (maybe because it took almost the whole month to get my house decorated in the first place). I wasn’t ready to pack up the Christmas attire or get rid of the tree. Alas, time keeps moving even if I’m not ready for it.

We enjoyed The Hubs being home from work for a solid week and we rang in the new year with great friends in their gorgeous new home.

2015 was a bit sad for me because I was hoping to get another Nugget in the oven and it didn’t happen. Infertility stands strong in this family and although we were hopeful that the first IVF process would “get things moving”, as Dr. Le put it, no such luck for us. God has a plan. God has a plan. God has a plan. It’s my manta. 2015 was an incredible year. We’ve slowly started to complete home improvement projects that we’ve been dreaming about for 2.5 years. I get to stay home with my Nuggets as a stay at home mama bear, something I never thought we would be able to do and our whole family is healthy. God is good.

XOXO

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For The Record

December 17, 2015December 17, 2015lallen2882Leave a comment

While talking with my bestie yesterday she asked a few questions about how/what we did with the boys at “X” age. I couldn’t remember specifically and I thought I could go back through the blog to figure out when we did something. I had a similar conversation with myself here.

Well I’m at it again. I’m not posting/documenting enough these days.

So my babies are little toddlers. Like, real little toddlers. When Erin was over with Vivienne, who is two months, the Nuggets were S O big. I had to go back and look at videos from when they were that age and it seriously made me cry.

Awwwwww. Alas, there is no going backwards. But real quick…2014

Christmas 2014

So my Nuggets are two years and two months old and Christmas is going to RULE this year.

They love to ~~destroy~~ mess with our tree. In all fairness of “toddlerhood” they aren’t all that bad with the tree. Weston likes to pull the ornaments off (and throw it back at the tree to see if it’ll stick) and touch the lights. We’ve had several time-out sessions about trying to unplug/plug the lights in though. Corbin just touches for the most part. There are no presents under the tree because neither will leave them alone. #Understandable.

We visited Santa at the Parks of Arlington Mall and it was fantastic! Well I thought it was. The boys were kind of terrified of the sleigh ride experience. Yep, this little trip was totally worth it because we got to talk to Shrek and Donkey on the Skype -phone, take an interactive flight school, “fly a sleigh”, build a ginger bread cookie and THEN we met Santa. Totally worth the $11 for the picture.

At least they’re not sobbing.

Developmentally

They are finally talking! Like putting-multiple-words-together-in-a-sentence kind of talking. Weston hears everything we say and, like a little echo, says it back to us. They both try to say anything we ask them to repeat, although it doesn’t always sound like the words. They are trying though and that’s what is important. The refer to both of themselves and each other as Wey-wey and Cor-cor. Not always accurately.

Weston

After Thanksgiving, both boys came home with a cold. Weston’s turned into a sinus infection so we were at the doctor. He weighs 29 lbs and is 35.5″ tall. He wears a 2T/3T, depending on the store. West knows all of his colors and can almost count to five. He is developing his independence daily. Code for: he is in time out more often these days for not listening, hitting or throwing things. Weston eats okay. He isn’t into meat much unless it is ground (turkey/beef/chicken) and even then, it’s hit or miss. He love broccoli with cheese which is a win in my book. I still sneak veggies were ever I can and they both like almost all fruit. He loooooooooves snacks.

Weston is still sleeping well (except when sick) but is having a harder time falling asleep before nap/bedtime. He’s not crying or getting upset but he takes anywhere for 40 minutes to an hour. We’ve tried pushing bedtime back but he continues to need that wind down time. It’s been this way, on and off, for a while now. I’m not sure but I’m beginning to think that the (sacred) nap time might be too long.

We also cut the tail off Weston’s monkey last month. Have I already mentioned that? What does that mean exactly….? A friend of mine gave both boys a little monkey that holds on/attached to a lovey (tiny blanket). Corbin found his thumb early on but Weston discovered the monkey. He didn’t love on the lovey part but instead would suck on the tail. He’s done this since we stopped swaddling them. We would rotate the two monkeys and wash them as much as possible but it was still gross. Daddy decided it was time to cut it off and I was terrified we’d have a very upset boy. The Hubs told Weston that he bit it off. He was slightly confused and would still search for it but he held up pretty well. I also wonder if this is why he takes so much longer to go to sleep as we took away the way he soothes himself.

Corbin

Corbin did not have to go to the doctor so the scale at home says he weighs 27.8 pounds and he is approximately the same height as West, so I’m going with about 35″ tall. He could be the exact same height but it’s like herding cats to get them to stand still and/or next to one another so I don’t know for sure. Corbin is an even picker eater then I thought he could be. He has pretty much a total aversion to meat unless it’s a hot dog (ugh). He loves to dip things, is totally into snacks and is crazy about refried beans. He also looooooves carrots. So thats a plus.

Corbin is not quite as assertive as Weston but he still lets me know his dissatisfaction. Usually by sobbing his eyes out, whereas his brother hits/throws/screams. I have to tell myself constantly to be consistent because it’s SO much harder not to cave when he is SO sad. The Hubs can barely take it. He loses his mind a little bit when they get upset.

Corbin is obsessed with his blankie and sucks his thumb. I am starting to see the thumb taking a toll on his teeth. He sucks his left thumb, off to the side of his mouth and the left front too is starting to stick out. I also sucked my thumb as a kid and my teeth were terrible (I wore braces for 7 years). I have no idea how we would start to break him of this habit anytime soon. I think he’s still too little. He sleeps awesome, with the exception of the occasional bad dream. He will wake up crying but as soon as you go in, pat him on the back and reassure him that you are there, he goes right back to sleep.

This weekend we have tickets to ride the North Pole Express in Grapevine and I am beyond excited. The tickets go on sale in October and they are a hot commodity. You have to buy them EARLY. I barely got enough for all of us (Gramma Dee & Scott will be participating in the fun too). I think I should actually watch the Polar Express movie to know what the whole thing is based around but I know the Nuggets are going to be absolutely delighted that they get to ride a choo-choo.

This Christmas season we have already had so much fun crafting ornaments, ~~attempts~~ making a gingerbread house, ~~destroying~~ decorating the Christmas tree and shopping. Let’s not talk about how that last one goes.

We are truly blessed beyond measure and look forward to teaching the boys more about the reason for the season.

XOXO

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November

Image November 28, 2015December 2, 2015lallen2882Leave a comment

Brace yourself. This past month has been out. Of. Control.

And now it’s over and were headed into the home stretch of 2015. WTH…where does time go?

My mom had two spinal surgery procedures at the beginning of November. Her doctor did what many doctors do and told her that she would be up and running in about two weeks. Momo had surgery on a Tuesday, released on Wednesday (crazy right?) and began her recovery. By Saturday she was feeling “pretty good”. I called to check in with my moms several times. On Monday morning the Nugs and I Facetime-d Mo to check up. We were pleasantly surprised to also get to FT Pop-pop…? Pop-pop was supposed to be at work. Turns out, Momo wasn’t recovering quite as quickly as anticipated and was suffering from “angry” nerve shocks. Mom was on several (like 12) different Rx’s and wasn’t okay to be home alone. Once I hung up, I thought, maybe I could help…?

My daddy is an auto-mechanic and like many “blue collar” careers, they do not get paid a salary and don’t get paid at all when not working. Regardless of how awesome and relevant they are to their field. So I called up The Hubs and we discussed me and the boys driving down (to Katy, TX) to help out.

And that’s what we did. The week before Thanksgiving.

I’m very grateful that we were even able to offer this level of help to my parents. When I got there, I realized that it was super important that someone be there with my mom and I’m very glad that I went. She was out of it. Mom’s bff made a ton of food and a nice spreadsheet sorting out all the prescriptions and the times they needed to be taken, which gave me a great head start. But mom needed more help.

So that’s what I did. Changed bandages, doled out pills, picked up Rx’s, and cooked. Assisted wherever I could. The Nugs did their best to be good boys and they surpassed any expectation I could have conceived. They were stuck in a house for four days and they were S O good.

AND they are both teething. All four incisors are coming in for both of them. How they were so well behaved is beyond me. They knew their help was needed too.

We did sneak out to the park one day that the weather was nice and Momo was napping. #eyelashes.

On Friday, I was set to go home and an unexpected doctor’s visit was needed. My brother helped out by meeting us downtown and drove mom home so I could start the trek back to DFW. Again, the Nuggets schmoozed and flirted with everyone in the doctor’s office with all their cuteness and then promptly passed out for two hours on the way home. Total Angels.

A short stint at home for the weekend, with a trip to our other Gramma’s house for quick visit.

Little boys and big tractors! All the heart eyes…

By Tuesday we were back on the road headed south, as originally planned.

Mom was slowly improving which was very frustrating for her but progress nonetheless. Turkey day went off without a hitch….well one hiccup with the deep fryer but nothing Dad couldn’t fix (with a run to the store to buy a new one).

Pies from scratch, all hands on deck. Don’t mind the zero-make up and devilish smile…I was tired. My SIL couldn’t keep her eyes open 🙂

Battling mosquitos in 80° weather for Thanksgiving. Its Houston people.

Dinner was delish and we were a super thankful family. Health (for the most part), love, and a new baby on the way…what’s not to be thankful for? Cowboys game was horrendous but let’s not think about that. By the time we were thinking of getting back on the road (AGAIN) my mom was doing much better. Her spunky and dorky personality had begun to shine through. Again, very grateful for the abundant blessings.

The boys woke up with stuffy heads on Saturday, so we decided to get home. We had a few days to ourselves before it was time for The Hubs to return to work and we used them clean and try to get organized. Annnd a little bit of fun.

The Sea Life Aquarium in Grapevine surpassed my expectations. I knew I wanted to take the boys but I wanted to go at at time The Hubs could experience it with us. B U T I also wanted to avoid the major crowds. Which meant we needed to try it out on a week day, while school was in session. This worked out perfectly. There were maybe 6-8 other kiddos similar in age to the Nugs and I didn’t have a heart attack trying to keep track of two boys and a stroller all moving in different directions. It was perfect. The boys ooo-ed and ahhh-ed at each new exhibit.

Not being rushed or crowded we moved through in about an hour. It was perfect.

We followed up that adventure with one that didn’t go quite as well. Since the aquarium is located in Grapevine Mills Mall we scooted over to Rain Forest Cafe for lunch. The put us at a table next to the lion display, which most kids would have thought was super cool. Corbin was terrified. Josh juggled him and his hamburger before finally asking for the check. Weston was okay but a little weary. Maybe next year?

December is loaded with Christmas parties and fun events that we look forward to but I didn’t want to stop to remember what a special and adventurous November for 2015 brought to us. With trips to Broken Bow, LOTS of yummy food and time with family, I’m beginning to think it might be my favorite month of the year. We’ll see what December has to say about that.

XOXO

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2.1

November 11, 2015lallen2882Leave a comment

I just realized that I’m quite behind. Shocking.

Halloween was SO much fun! Totally different then years in the past because the boys were so much more interactive.

Every year I say we’re going to be one of those cool families that has a group coordinated costume and every year (for the past two) I’ve failed on a grand scheme. NEXT YEAR! Anyways, soak up this cuteness.

I didn’t take great pictures but it was mostly because we waited too long to get them ready to go. Tots are supposed to be out first and all of a sudden, we had trick or treaters at our door and we weren’t ready to go yet. Enter me running around like a nut. And I tried to throw together a “costume” at the last second. So it was kind of a rush to get out the door.

The Nuggets really liked going to each door and knocking. That was their favorite. Weston would walk up the path to the door saying, “knack knack“. Soooooo cute! Several of our neighbors made the mistake of offering the bowl to the boys to pick which candy they wanted…they might be young but the desire for sweets must be ingrained at birth because the boys tried to take twenty pieces of candy off each person.

Someone once told me that after their child turned two, everything (developmentally) seems to really speed up. I’m not sure that is correct because SO much changes every day when they are in the “infant” category but I think I now understand what they meant.

The boys have been two years of age for a month. In that month, they’re blossoming. They are saying so much more than before. Echoing everything we say, even though their version is not comprehensible. Corbin is always copying our mannerisms (time to start watching ourselves). Also trying to help me with everything; laundry, cleaning (which ends up the opposite of cleaning), emptying the dishwasher, anything really.

Weston is getting closer to saying both of their names. He calls Corbin, Cor-cor…which is a nickname I call him on occasion. He also says Weston as Waa-waa. Pretty much anything with a W is pronounced like that, but he’s really trying.

Corbin William has the flirting down. When he wants something, he nods his head and makes this little smirk and then says “pleeeeeeease”. Annnnd then you melt and give him exactly what he wants.

We also went to Broken Bow, OK last weekend with some dear friends. The Hubs’ family grew up going to Beavers Bend S.P. and told me about it, often. When we lived in San Antonio, traveling to OK would have taken almost nine hours, so it was out of the question. When we moved to Houston, it was still about a seven hour journey, which wasn’t something we wanted to do for just a weekend. Now that we finally moved back to the Dallas area, we went for the first time about four years ago. And now I get it.

We initially stayed in the state park but shortly thereafter, we discovered these beautiful log cabins in the direct vicinity. The following year we got a group of friends together and rented one of the cabins, I prefer the luxury glamping to the state park cabins. What girl wouldn’t?

The summer time was gorgeous as Broken Bow Lake is like nothing you can get in Texas, but it’s R E A L L Y hard to beat the fall leaves and cool temperatures. With the boys being born in the fall, and then being pretty little still the following year, this is the first time we’ve been back. They loved it!

Just a bonus that the cabin had a playground! And several of the Beavers Bend Adventures cabin rentals are pet friendly.

I look forward to making the same memories with our boys, that The Hubs made with his family. I know that trips in the future will include more family and more friends!!

XOXO,

Halloween Part I

October 30, 2015October 30, 2015lallen2882Leave a comment

I’m slumping on the blog posts again.

It’s almost Halloween!! We have a full day planned for tomorrow and this year is going to be so much fun! As the boys get older these traditions for the holidays become more relevant. Last year they wore their Chicken Nugget costumes for as long as it took me to get a couple of pictures. They were in bed by 6 PM and The Hubs and I just passed out candy on the porch. #dontringthedoorbell

This year, we’ve been practicing our trick or treating. I put one or two yogurt covered raisins or M&M’s when they bring their bucket and say, “tree tree”

We are working on holding on to the bucket and not setting it down. We also rocked our jammies alllll day, the Nugs call the bones on the jams, “boes”. Awwwwwe.

As obsessed as I am with all the Insta-small shops I couldn’t justify spending $25 (x2) for holiday shirts. Not when I can go to Walmart and get these shirts for all of $5.99. With that said, I did pre-order Christmas shirts from River Babe Threads.

We did a trial run with our costumes. They both enjoyed looking at themselves in the mirror but the costumes only lasted about 5 minutes. Hopefully with a birthday party and trick or treating they will be distracted enough to leave them on.

This mommy giggled for the whole five minutes that they were wearing the costumes so I know I’ll be grinning from ear to ear all day tomorrow.

As I mentioned, it’s sweet Nolan’s first birthday party tomorrow at 11 and then back home for a late nap so they are ready as soon as that sun sets! You’ll have to wait to see what they’re dressed up as! 🙂

Happy FriYAY! Let the fun begin!!

XOXO

Broccoli Battles

October 17, 2015October 16, 2015lallen2882Leave a comment

Its no secret that I’m kind of obsessed about ensuring my Nugs are getting the essential nutrients they need. I’m also not quiet about how often they make me want to pull my hair out because they refused to eat anything that’s actually good for them. With the exception of fruit. They’ve even decided to boycott grilled chicken. Every other day I feel hopeless.

On Thursday I decided to try one of the (hundred) recipes on Pinterest that I have pinned, wishing that my children will eat good for you foods.

Found one!!!!!!!!

And it contains a vegetable! And they ate it. And actually asked for more!!!

I’ll wait a minute while you get up off the floor. I have proof.

Broccoli cakes. They’re cheesy, crunchy, tasty little things. Super duper easy too. After I was already in the process of making them, I scanned down and started reading the reviews from the pinned site. Several people posted that they were bland and just plain not good. Since I was already committed I just decided to add a little bit more cheese and a few dashes of garlic powder and they were S O good.

Broccoli Cakes

12 oz chopped frozen broccoli
1 cup Italian bread crumbs (homemade or store bought)
3 eggs
1 3/4 cup shredded Colby Jack cheese
1/8 tsp garlic powder
Salt and pepper to taste (I sprinkled a tiny bit of salt and a heavy hand of pepper)

Preheat oven to 375°. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. If you skip this step, your crusts will over cook.

Thaw broccoli and give it a rough chop. Yes, even though it’s already chopped. Combine all ingredients and mix thoroughly.

Using your hands, form small balls and place on baking sheet. Mush them down a bit to create a patty.

Bake for 15 minutes and then pull them out to turn over. Bake an additional 10-12 minutes. Serve warm.

Yields about 15 cakes.

Original Recipe adapted

These do have a bit of a crunchy outside (which is the BEST) so if your tot isn’t eating crackers or other crunchy foods successfully, this might not be the recipe for your little one. Yet. But it is for you because I ate three of them!

XOXO

Birthdays and Football

October 16, 2015lallen2882Leave a comment

When the boys were approaching their first birthday, a lot of people told me it wasn’t necessary to throw a big birthday bash since they wouldn’t remember any of it anyhow. The party is more for the parents than the kiddo. Well we had a big party anyways.

This year we didn’t throw the boys a big birthday party. Their birthday fell on a Friday and that following Saturday, we had planned to attend the University of North Texas (my alma mater) Homecoming festivities. Ever since we moved back to the DFW area, I’ve been going to Denton for the Homecoming. I missed the year we had the boys, obviously. Last year, we gave a whole new meaning to tailgating with babies in high chairs, literally on the tailgate.

This year, we wrangled in a few more family members and had a pretty nice tailgate set up. Unfortunately, UNT’s football team isn’t doing so hot 0-4 and lost the homecoming game 66-7 (OUCH).

The Nuggets’ grandparents spoiled them to the max. It’s a good thing Gamma brought all the gifts she did because it entertained the boys for hours, while the rest of us ate ourselves silly. Next year we’ll do it bigger and better! Extra special thanks to both sets of grandparents for driving up.

The boys had their two year check up this week too. I actually scheduled it on time!

Weston is 28.5 lbs and 35 inches tall. His weight is in the 95th percentile, height in the 55th and his head is B I G. The doctor said, it’s big and always has been. He has come a long way from his 5 lbs. 4 oz preemie status. In some brands of clothing he even wears a 3T. What?!?

Corbin is still a pound less than his brother at 27.5 pounds. That bumps him into the 55th percentile for weight but they are the same height at 35 inches. Corbin is tall and lean. B I G surprise there.

Corbin has started to become frightened by things and he’s also been having bad dreams. Or so I think that’s what is wrong. He’ll wake in the middle of the night sobbing and calms down as soon as one of us goes in to reassure him. A few weeks back, I brought them to the Rainforest Cafe and the electronic alligator terrified him. He hung on to me so tightly until we were far away from the display. He is also afraid of the Halloween aisle at the stores.

As for talking, both boys are still trying to repeat everything you say to them. They both are quite impressive with their colors, now identifying yellow and red, in addition to green and blue. They are doing great with saying please but still struggling with sharing.

When I ask them to repeat a word I said to them, Corbin always speaks up first, so I usually ask Weston separately if he can say whatever word we are working on at that moment. Both Nuggets get really frustrated if you aren’t paying attention when they are trying to say something to you. You MUST acknowledge and repeat whatever word they are trying to say. Even if you have no idea what their gibberish means. Let me tell ya, it makes for great conversation. The cutest thing is “cool”. Since they are always showing me a car, truck, book, etc., my response is usually, “cool”. So now they say cool all the time.

They’re still picky eaters. Corbin more so then Weston. Corbin just requires more patience. I’m sort of coming to terms with it and it doesn’t stress me out as much as it did before. Veggie are still blended and/or snuck into smoothies or other foods that can “hide” them. They do love carrots. I will continue to offer foods and hope that one day they’ll like them.

We are still ages away from potty training. They do tell me, “uh oh” and point to their butts when they’ve pooped but show absolutely no interest in using a potty. The pediatrician said it’ll probably be closer to three. Ugh, doesn’t she knew diapers are expensive?

They still love outside more than inside and since the weather is slowly changing to cooler temps, and by cooler I mean less than 100º, it’s more enjoyable outside. They are playing more independently and together, without me playing with them. I once read that boredom is a good thing for children because it forces them to be creative. I can see them becoming more creative and playing without the TV on or me entertaining them. Lots of cars and trucks. Total boys.

Sometimes, October of 2013 feels like two years ago and sometimes it feels like a week ago. It is truly shocking how fast time is passing. The Hubs is loving this age, as they continue to have more independence and interact and play more. Although, I am so happy they are healthy and thriving, I’m missing my teeny, tiny Nuggets.

XOXO

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Broccoli Cakes

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