Wednesday, December 31, 2008

Good-Bye 2008...

I can't believe a new year is about to begin! So much has happened and it seems like it has all flown by in a nanosecond. I am finding that as I get older, each year goes by faster...uh-oh. :) In 2008, so many things happened! In just our immediate family -

  • Reed became a big brother! Our second born son arrived weighing in at 9 pounds and 2 ounces. Hudson is such a sweet boy and I'm so glad God picked me for his mom.

  • Reed turned 4.

  • My cake "business" began.

  • My sweet niece Grace was born!

  • Brian turned 31, I turned 29 and we celebrated our 6th wedding anniversary (12 years together!!)

I thank God for such a good year and hope that 2009 will bring much happiness, many blessings and joy to you all. Happy New Year!

Friday, December 26, 2008

Johnson Christmas

Yesterday we had our Christmas with my parents. I just realized that I didn't take a single picture all day!!! We had such a fun time. We had our Christmas lunch and just spent the day talking and visiting. We took the Wii and even made Uncle Brandon his own "Mii" (the characters on the Wii that you can choose to play your games with). The Mii is quite scary - just like the real Uncle Brandon! :) Last night we opened gifts and even though I was not supposed to have anything (my mom had already bought me the dining chairs for my new table) I got a new cake plate and some other fun things. One of my favorites? An atomic alarm clock that projects the time onto the ceiling! Am I the oldest 29 year old you know??? Probably so. It doesn't help that I'm married to the oldest 31 year old...

Wednesday, December 24, 2008

Our Christmas

Tonight we celebrated our Christmas. As any of you who are married know, you have at least 3 Christmas's (yours, your parents, their parents) and then possibly more (grandparents, and so on). So, our tradition is that we as a family (just the four of us) open our gifts on Christmas Eve and then spend the evening hanging out, playing with our new and fun things and then count down the minutes until Santa arrives. Today Reed and I went out to my mom and dad's to help my mom with the food prep for tomorrow. Pepaw watched the boys for me. He knows how to tire them out, too! Hudson loved the backpack Pepaw put him in and soon this:

turned to this:
After we came home, we made cookies for Santa, ate dinner together, opened gifts and enjoyed a fun family night of breaking in the Wii.

Sunday, December 21, 2008

Blevins Christmas

We had such an awesome Christmas with Brian's parents today. After our large combined service at church, we went over to their house, snacked a little and then went through our stockings. (Who knew Santa made a stop at Gammy & DadDad's before Christmas? Hmmm...) We ate lunch and opened presents. Reed got the Bat Cave along with every Batman accessory available. Luckily Gammy is letting that toy (along with it's 500 small parts) stay at her house. We had a great day of visiting, eating and playing with the kids. Grace and Hudson are so much fun - next Christmas will be CRAZY with a 5 year old, a 22 month old and a 17 month old!!! Here are a few pictures from the day...


Reed & Dad playing with the Bat Cave
Hudson chillin' in the exersaucer (i.e. the only thing that would keep him contained!) :)

Sweet Grace in her Santa hat


DadDad took Reed outside to help him get Gammy's last present...

Here's Uncle Eric taking a turn...hope he doesn't fall in the pool!

Friday, December 19, 2008

If you don't like the weather...just wait a minute..

Three days ago, I wore a hat, lined pants, and my heavy jacket and I was still cold. It was about 29 degrees outside. Today, less than a week before Christmas, we went outside to play!


Evidently we decorated our ginger bread house a little too early in the season. We have had some issues over the last few days. The house went from looking like this:

to this:

I bet the gingerbread people are not very pleased with their builder. :)


On another note, I have to share something that happened this morning. We were watching Franklin on Noggin. It's a cute little cartoon about a turtle and his animal friends. Anyway, the episode was over and the cute music started while the credits rolled. As I watched, Hudson raised his chubby little arm to the TV and...waved bye-bye! Pretty cute!

Thursday, December 18, 2008

Thankful Thursday

Things I am thankful for this week-

  • Fireplaces and a firewood cuttin' hubby. If it's a chilly night, Brian always starts a fire in the fireplace. I made one in the middle of the day on Tuesday...BRRRR!


  • Hot chocolate with mini marshmallows.


  • Brian and I went Christmas shopping this morning. It was so much fun to peruse the aisles and aisles of toys and picking out things for the boys. I'm very exited about Christmas morning!


  • Listening to Christmas music while wrapping presents.


  • That God has richly blessed our family as a whole. I have been reading many other blogs lately and I am saddened by the amount of loss and pain that overwhelms many. Diseases, sickness, loss and heartache runs rampant. I am so, so thankful for not only my healthy family, but my very blessed life.

Tuesday, December 16, 2008

Christmas Cards

I finally got my Christmas cards out! I was late making a picture appointment this year, therefore late in ordering and late in sending. If you are thinking that mid-December isn't late, you are incorrect. I like for my Christmas cards to grace friends and families' mailboxes as soon as you flip your calendar over to December! It just seems to help mark the start of the Christmas season and as we all know, I LOVE the Christmas season! Anyhow, here is our 2008 card - good lookin' boys, eh?

Thursday, December 11, 2008

Thankful Thursday


  • Being well again! I'm finally feeling normal again - YAY! I spent all day yesterday getting the house back in order (8 loads of laundry, 2 loads in the dishwasher and lots of picking up) and was so pleased I finally had the energy to actually do it.

  • I'm finished with Christmas gifts! I laid on the couch on Sunday with the laptop and finished out the rest of my shopping. Sweet!

  • Hudson has yet to get "the ick" and hopefully has somehow escaped it's grasp!

  • My boys. On a side note, I have a little story about something Reed did today that I know some of you will enjoy. We were over at Gammy & DadDad's house visiting with one of Brian's cousins and her baby (who, by the way, is the fastest walking 9 month old I have ever seen). To make a VERY long story short, Reed wanted more candy and hadn't eaten enough "good" food. I told him no and he argued with me. I said no again and he argued with me. I looked at him and said "Reed - listen to me!" and the child put his hands over his ears! I can hear a collective laugh from you people, and I'm glad you can enjoy it. I'm not there yet. Ilooked at that kid and I was livid. Earlier Hudson had fallen asleep in my arms and it's a good thing because if I had free hands at that very moment, I might have pinched Reed's head off. Mike took Hudson from me and I gave Reed a spanking and time out in the bathroom. He hates the bathroom when he's in trouble..it's "boring" and there's "nothing to do in there". Well, except unroll the toilet paper in a big pile on the floor and that has certainly happened in the past. So, after that story, you may be asking "Why am I thankful?" He may be a mess, he may be a smartmouth, but he's my kid and I love him to pieces.
  • My last thing I am thankful for this week? "Boring" bathrooms. :)

Sunday, December 7, 2008

The Ick

I think we might be done...with "the ick", that is. We have been having a grand old time here at the Blevins household. Most of last week my throat had been sore and Thursday I was especially not feeling well. Hudson wasn't up to his normal self either, so my mom offered to take Reed to her house. I woke up on Friday feeling pretty decent, so after a leisurely morning of getting ready, I went to pick Reed up about lunchtime. At about 2:00, he started asking for something to eat and he got that super whiny tone in his voice. He told me he didn't feel good and I asked if he thought he was going to throw up and he said no. I made sure to tell him that if he did feel like he needed to, that he should try to get to the bathroom as quickly as possible. Only a few minutes later, I heard him start into the room with the whiny voice, then a very quick retreat out of the room and the splat of liquid hitting the floor. Eeewwwwww. So, my sweet mother cleaned up the yuck and Reed was acting like he felt better. I didn't know if he was actually sick or if he just ate too much junk (hey, he was at Mimi's house - you never know what goes on there) In about 20 minutes, he puked again, but at least he made it to the toilet. So, I packed him and Hudson up and got out of there, hopefully not to get my parents sick. We made it home (2 pukes on the way) and I called Brian to go get me some Gatorade for Reed. Brian came home with the goods and went back to the shop to finish up some things for the day. Just so it's understood, my poor kid is throwing up every 20-25 minutes and has been since the fiasco started. Granted there was nothing left by the third puke, but his little body was trying to get rid of EVERYTHING. So, about 6:30, I noticed I was feeling kinda ick. Yep, you got it! My first Christmas present this year? The Gift of Ick. I called Brian at 7:00 and told him he had to come home because something was happening to me. Something bad. Thank goodness he's only about 5 minutes from the house. I had some side effects that Reed was able to escape - if I say anything more, it will simply be too much information. I finally did get "the pukes" around 9:00. I think the culmination of the day was about 10:00 when Reed and I were both throwing up. The kicker - Reed MISSED his puke bucket. Brian corralled Hudson, came in and put our pillows on the floor so we could both lay back down. He cleaned up the mess, washed puke buckets, changed our sheets, put us both back in bed and gathered up the ick laundry to wash. I guess we were on a bit of a "puke schedule" at this point, because as Brian was leaving the room, he said "See you guys again in about an hour!" If I would've had any bit of humor in me, I would've cracked up laughing. All that kept running through my head was "HOW to single parents do this? HOW?" The next morning Reed was as good as new, but somehow I felt as though someone had beat me up with a 2 X 4!
In the end, there's good news and there's bad news. The good news? It evidently was a 24 hour thing. I'm feeling very close to normal again and Hudson and Brian are showing no signs of the devil's sickness. The bad news? My mom ended up catching it from us.
So, if you have learned anything from this story, people, it would be to wash your hands and wash them often. Also, don't hold your children unless you have to - they carry diseases. :)

Thursday, December 4, 2008

Thankful Thursday

        • Gingerbread house kits. If I would have had to make all that by hand, well, we wouldn't have gingerbread house sitting on our table right now.

        • My stand mixer and scraper blade - they just make life easier. I use my stand mixer almost every day. It's especially useful when I'm making a cake or frosting, but I use it for so many other things. And my scraper blade...oh goodness. I use it every time I use my mixer. It has plastic blades along the edges that scrape the sides of the mixing bowl. It is one of the best gifts I've gotten (thanks Camille!)

        • Ebay. I love ebay. It's where I find the majority of the gifts I buy for people and it's just a fun place to shop. You can find things there that you can't find anywhere else. It's a bit addictive, but well worth some of the great deals I've gotten.

        • Wii (that I bought new off of ebay!). It is mine & Brian's Christmas present to each other. He is so hard to buy for, so we decided it was good since we both wanted one! Anyway, I got it today, hooked it up and it's pretty fun!

        • Hot chocolate to sooth my itchy throat!

        Wednesday, December 3, 2008

        Christmas Cousins

        I wanted to get the boys pictures done for our Christmas cards this year and I asked Sara to come with me and bring Grace so we could get a picture of all three grandkids for Susan's birthday. I wouldn't say the session was a nightmare, but I would say it was certainly not fun. Reed didn't want to hold Grace and made sure we all knew about it. Hudson was tired and and crying off and on. Poor sweet Grace sat there wondering what the heck was going on with these two crazy boys. Anyway, Penny put some pics up on her blog for a sneak peek and these three are my favorites!

        House of Pain?

        We missed our installment of Reed and Mom day last week due to Thanksgiving, so I decided that yesterday we would do something special together. A few weeks ago, my mom bought me a gingerbread house kit and I thought that would be the perfect activity for us. Reed got all pumped up about it, so we opened the box ready to do some serious building and as I got the instructions out of the box, my eye caught the section about "drying time". Great. So I had to explain that we could build the house but we had to let it dry so there would be no decorating - for a few hours. Groaning ensued and I'm thinking we're off to a fantastic start.
        I had to put up the first to walls and let them dry for a bit. I had to make sure they were square - if not, the whole thing won't go together correctly and might very well come tumbling down in a cookie catastrophe. What I really needed was a third hand, but I made do with the assistance of crushed pineapple cans and a spastic four year old. We got the four walls up (with enough icing to make a dentist cringe, mind you) and we began the waiting game.

        I put Hudson in seclusion (his high chair) for security reasons. I tossed him a cracker every few minutes and oddly enough he didn't seem to mind.

        Two hours later I proceeded to attach the roof panels. After they went on you had to hold them in place for "several minutes". I don't know what that meant exactly, so I held them for about 30 seconds and then put the infamous pineapple cans underneath. Then we had to let dry "for 2 to 3 hours before proceeding". Bummer.


        Fast forward to this morning. I decided not to go to the gym because I woke up not feeling so hot. I've had a sore throat the last couple of days and I just don't feel 100%. There's also SO much I have to do at the house...I am hosting bunco in a week and nothing is clean. NOTHING. I figure if I spend the next week deep cleaning (barring that I don't get sick) I can do a quick clean up Tuesday morning and the house will look just great. Anyway, I digress. Reed and I proceeded to decorate. The next half hour was filled with Reed sticking candies on the house with all his might - evidently, the harder you push, the more icing that oozes out from behind said candy and gets on your fingers. Then, of course, you have to lick it off. Or so I was told.

        Hudson was again placed in prison - this time it was his playpen. He enjoyed making faces up against the side of the Pack n Play and I must admit, it was pretty humorous!

        So 17 hours after we started and a big mess later, here's the final product:


        I think it turned out cute and during the decorating phase Reed said "This is fun!" And that makes it all worth it!

        Friday, November 28, 2008

        Thanksgiving

        We have had a busy Thanksgiving holiday. Yesterday morning we drove to Graham to spend Thanksgiving with Brians' grandparents. Hudson slept most of the way there, but was ready to get out by the time we arrived. We spent some time with cousin Sarah (who Reed LOVES) and then it was off to the other set of grandparents. We ate lunch and Reed played outside in the obscene amount of leaves in the yard- This was around Hudson's normal nap time, but he was being such a trooper with his daddy.


        DadDad was feeding him some cornbread, but evidently not quick enough, so Hudson decided to feed himself. It went well...Grandmommie was certainly going to have to break out her vacuum cleaner!By the end of the day, we were all very tired. Reed watched WALL-E as long as he could in the car on the way home, but he quickly passed out along with his brother. It was a sweet sight (this time the matching shirts weren't intentional).
        Today we went and spent the day at my parents and had brunch for Thanksgiving. Brandon was in town, so the boys got to spend some time with him. This evening was Gammy's birthday so we all went to dinner together. The boys and I picked up Brian at the shop and Reed found a sticky hand in Brian's office. On the way to the restaurant, Reed had his sticky hand and he bent the middle finger down and said "Mom, this hand is saying 'rock and roll'!" When I turned around to look, this is the picture I saw.
        He's a funny kid.

        Wednesday, November 26, 2008

        Let the holiday baking begin!

        So this is what I've been doing this morning...

        If you've never had the scrumptious little things, let me clue you in...they are GOOD. What you'll need - chocolate almond bark, peanut butter and Ritz crackers. Make little sandwiches with the crackers and peanut butter, then dip them in the melted chocolate and let harden on wax paper. (You can use the mini Ritz peanut butter sandwich crackers that are already assembled, but I like the ratio of chocolate to peanut butter to cracker on the big ones.) I made these and a pie to take to Brians' grandparents tomorrow. Holiday baking...I love it!

        Tuesday, November 25, 2008

        So sweet...

        Monday, November 24, 2008

        It's coming...FAST!

        I can't believe it's already the week of Thanksgiving. Right about the time I get used to writing '08 on my checks, it's time to start '09 (yes, I do still write checks - leave me alone...I get enough flack about it as is)! I know that in previous posts, I have said how much I love fall. I think the truth of the matter is that I love fall because I know Christmas is not too far behind. Christmas season brings so many things I love...

        • Sweaters and scarves
        • Peppermint Mocha from Starbucks
        • Fires in the fireplace
        • Twinkly Christmas tree lights
        • Christmas music on the radio
        • Baking for friends and family
        • Fun wrapping paper
        • Making cookies for Santa
        • Shopping for the boys
        • Driving around looking at Christmas lights
        • Decorating the tree

        Enjoy your Christmas season!

        Luke 2:1-20

        Saturday, November 22, 2008

        Mom & Reed Day

        Yesterday Reed and I went to Chuck E. Cheese for some Mom & Reed time - it was an absolute blast!  I told him that before we could do any games, he had to eat 1/2 his pizza. With NO grumbling or complaining, he did just that and I was so proud of him (the way he acted at Target just minutes before was not so nice, but I choose to brag on my child in this post!). It took a while to eat - the chewing went very slowly because he just stared at all the games knowing what was to come. After we finished, we went crazy! I won't tell you how much I spent on tokens - it's a little embarrassing - but we played and played. There were some games that were really fun and I realized that I should NOT go to Vegas as I caught myself saying "Oh, just one more token and I'll win....just one more..." After we cashed in tickets - a little over 700 - he came home with a football, a basketball, 2 plastic spiders, 2 plastic dinosaurs and some candy. He told me more than once that he wished he could live at Chuck E. Cheese. He's already put in a request to have his birthday party there and I have to admit, that would be pretty fun. If only they had one in Granbury!!! There was a simulator that he rode that was just a little too big for him. He could barely reach the pedals, but it was pretty funny to watch. I can't get the video to load, so here's a pic...he really had a great day!

        Wednesday, November 19, 2008

        My boys


        When I was pregnant with Hudson and we found out that we were having another boy, Brian was ecstatic. He would have been tickled with a little girl, but he was super pumped it was a boy. I can imagine all of the mental pictures going through his head - him on the tractor with the two boys, them riding four wheelers, and so on. So, this picture is one of my favorites because of the story behind it. We were watching TV one night after dinner and all three of them were sitting together. Brian looked over at me and said "See, this is how I thought it would be." I knew exactly what he meant when he said it and it brought tears to my eyes. There's so many reasons that this picture makes me thankful...I have a hard working husband who comes home to me and our boys each night, loves to play and be with them and is a great daddy. Two boys that are healthy, funny, smart and full of energy (which can be a bit of a pain at times). I love the family that God has given me.

        Thursday, November 13, 2008

        So thankful...

        Today I am thankful for...

        1. Reed staying in his bed ALL NIGHT last night! Yesterday my mom and I went to Fort Worth and we could have possibly worn him out, but he didn't get out of bed until 6:30! Yay! (Backstory - Reed has been getting up in the middle of the night and sleeping on the couch. I know - not really a big deal in the whole scheme of things, but not a habit that I want him to keep up. I put a calendar on the fridge and told him that each day he slept in his own bed, he would get a sticker on the next day. Now we have one bright, shiny yellow smiley face...Woo-hoo!)

        2. My car wouldn't start. Well, that's not what I'm thankful for, but where I was when it happened. I went to Brian's parents to pick up the boys and we all got in the car to leave and.....NOTHING. The engine wouldn't even turn over. (Brian came and fixed the problem. The battery cables were corroded or something - I don't know 'cause I don't speak "Car"). Anyway, we had just taken my car to Tyler a few weeks back and it could've happened there or any other number of places that I wouldn't have wanted to be stuck! I'm very thankful it happened at Gammy & DadDad's house!

        3. Target's dollar section. I LOVE IT!

        4. Chocolate Cupcakes - we made some tonight and they rock!

        5. Thursday Stay at Home Mom Bible Study - I poured my heart out this morning and got some great advice...thanks girls!

        Tuesday, November 11, 2008

        Uh Oh...

        I never thought I'd see the day...Hudson has gotten sucked in to the "saggy pants" trend. Look out - my son is lady killer!

        Sunday, November 9, 2008

        At the Car Wash

        Brian surprised me with my car when Hudson was a couple of weeks old. I had been wanting an Expedition for quite some time and one day, he just drove up in the driveway with it (another reason my husband is awesome) and I absolutely love it. Since it's black, I have to wash it a lot. There's a neat car wash in town that you drive up to, put your car in neutral and it pulls you through without you ever having to get out (that is certainly a plus when you have kids to drag in and out)! Anyway, for Mother's Day this last year, Mike & Susan got me an annual pass! It means that I can take my car to the car wash and get it washed EVERY DAY if I want to. For FREE! Awesome. I usually try to go through at least 3 to 4 times a week. Why am I telling all you all of this you ask? Well...Hudson hates the car wash - he cries and screams the whole time. I keep thinking that if I take him through it often enough, he'll get used to it, but it hasn't happened yet. Reed just sits back there like a trooper and takes it, the poor kid. I finally thought to take a picture when we went through yesterday...


        Good times, people...good times.

        Saturday, November 8, 2008

        A little morning update on my boys

        This morning while making pancakes, Hudson got stuck under the dining room chair. Again. On his defense, we have new dining room chairs, so maybe he felt the need to test them out. By the time I got the camera and took the picture, he was none too pleased which made it even more hilarious.I got him laughing and you could easily see his newest development. His left front tooth is coming in and I think the other one is not far behind.

        Now a little about Reed. In the last year or so, he has has a problem with always wanting to win - regardless if we were running a "race" outside or if he was playing a video game. If he didn't win, he would pout and cry telling whomever was playing against him that they shouldn't win, he should. Brian and I have been trying to stress to him the importance of having fun and that winning isn't everything. He really had gotten better about it and so I hadn't thought much about his "sore loser issues" over the last couple of months. Last week he spent the day with my parents and came home with this sign:

        Yep...that's about right.

        I am Thankful!!

        I love this time of year. Fall to Thanksgiving to winter...it's just feels so cozy (except for the extreme commercialization of Christmas, but that is another post!) I decided I needed to start a tradition to mark the start of the holidays. So, I totally stole this idea from Amy, but it's a really good idea, so I think it's okay. :) Anyway, she's doing what she calls Thankful Thursdays. We have a stay at home mom bible study on Thursday mornings and our assignment lately has been to write down 5 things we are thankful for everyday. I have done a really bad job of it so far...well, not just bad, pitiful. To do it everyday...well, frankly, I just plain forget. So from now on, not just until Thanksgiving but forever, I will be doing my Thankful Thursdays. I will start today (yes, it is Saturday, but we'll just have to pretend, won't we?)

        What I am thankful for:

        • My healthy kids. Nobody's puking, nobody has a fever and nobody is hospitalized.
        • Disposable diapers. Especially thankful this morning - if I would've had to dump that nasty mess out into the potty...well, somebody in the house (namely me) would've have been puking.
        • My husband. Not only does he work hard - day in, day out, rain or shine, sick or not - but he is the best father to our kids and an awesome husband. He would do anything for us and I love him for that.
        • Grandparents. Oh man. I can't even imagine what my life would be like without them. Mimi & Gammy provide breaks for me that I am SOOOO thankful for.
        • Wal-Mart and the ability to buy fresh food. I can buy produce, dairy items, meat...and it's all clean and sanitary. If I need toilet paper...they have it. If I need medicine for my children...it's there. Not only do they have all the things I need, but there are more than one choice. Not only are we a blessed nation, we are a spoiled nation. (If you're wondering where this is coming from, Penny was telling us of when she lived in Russia as a missionary and the many disgusting things they had to deal with on a daily basis. I am so thankful I live in the United States of America!)
        • A car that will start and that I can drive where ever and when ever I want. A place to put my groceries, a warm haven when it's cold outside and vice versa, a safe place for my children to ride and the ability to get to church, the gym or where ever I need to go.
        • My dishwasher. I hate washing dishes. Nuff said.

        Spend a little time today looking at the little things and being thankful for the many, many blessing we have in life!

        Saturday, November 1, 2008

        May the Force Be With You

        Tonight was our class costume party. The theme was "The 80's" and Brian and I went as Princess Leia and Han Solo. Here we are in all our galactic glory-


        I went on a search for costumes a couple of weekends ago and the junky costumes that you buy for $50 each - I just couldn't bring myself to do it. So with the help of my mom, we went to Jo-Ann's and I bought everything I needed to make BOTH of them for $50! My mom did most of the work and I think they turned out GREAT! She's not so pleased, but I couldn't get her to understand that they were costumes that we were planning on wearing ONE TIME - it wasn't a fashion show! Anyhow, we had a fun night and had a great time seeing what everyone else had chosen as their costumes. There was a lot of great 80's outfits such as the following...
        The Dawsons
        The Garners
        The McCalls
        The Tindalls
        The Hamricks
        The Walters
        The Willmeths

        Totally Awesome!!