2011 - Year in Review

January - I gave my notice at my job.  Trip to Children's with Brady for RSV.  Brady's first hair cut.


February - One boy with RSV, another with the Flu.  Mega snow and ice storm.  Last day at my job.


March - Started my new career. 


April - Birthday parties galore.  Easter egg hunt.  Tree fell down.


May - Blake Turned THREE.  Brady hit the 20 pound mark.  We lost Brad's beloved father.


June - I turned 30. 


July - Austin Road trip.  Brad turned 31.


August - Trip to the Circus. Cousins got to play and hang out.


September - Blake's first soccer season. More Brady testing. Balloon festival.


October - Brady turned TWO.  Zoo.  Brady's two day hospital stay. Pirate and Ghost filled Halloween.


November -  Thanksgiving and time with family.


December -  Holiday parties. Time with family.  8th Anniversary.


2011 held great memories and wonderful times.  2011 held life changes.  2011 was a year of great loss.  2011 was a year of worry and hospital stays.  2011 was a year filled with many blessings.  May 2012 bring us all a year filled with endless blessings.  Happpy New Year!

Thankful

I am SO thankful (understatement) for my mom and dad and the relationship they have with the boys and all they do for all of us.  Brad and I got to stay at the Four Seasons to celebrate our anniversary (amazing) and my parents kept the boys for two days and one night.  They took them out for lunch and dinner (no easy feat) on Wednesday and Christmas light looking in Highland Park that night and Thursday morning they went to the Science Place to check out the shark exhibit they have going on.  They spoil my boys rotten, but I love it and love that they enjoy their time together so much.  
Brad and I were able to just focus on the other with no interruptions.  It was heavenly.  However, its funny how the minute we walk out of my parents' door we instantly miss the boys.  Missing the ones you love though can be a good thing.  Makes the time you have together that much more precious and less likely to take for granted.  

Picture of the love birds at dinner

The boys at the shark exhibit

EIGHT.

Where oh where does the time go?!  Today Brad and I are celebrating EIGHT wonderful years together as husband and wife.  We've been together for about thirteen years...almost half our lives.  Its crazy to think about as much as we have been through together, it is only such a small part of what will hopefully make up our lifetime together.  So many more memories to be shared together and that excites me beyond words.  I am so blessed to have a husband that is my best friend and who is such an incredibly amazing dad to our incredibly amazing boys.  A few days ago we were watching t.v. and a Ralph Lauren Romance perfume commercial came on with the couple being all lovey dovey.  Brad said, "Aww, romance." And Blake said, "Like mommy and daddy!!"  I think we must be doing something right.  I love this man more with each passing year.  We might not have all the material riches in the world, but with our love that we share, it still makes me the richest girl in the world. 

I wish I may, I wish I might...

Blakeisms.  I have to start documenting the things Blake says because, well, you'll see...

A few weeks ago at the mall I let Blake throw in a penny in the fountain and make a wish.  I asked him what he wished for and he said, "Lots of food!"  Which is so fitting for Blake who is obviously Brad's son because he wants to eat alllll day long.  And he always has to make sure there is enough food on his plate.  Brad's CLONE.


Then on Christmas I let him throw another penny into the fountain where we had just eaten our holiday meal.  I asked what he wished for and he said, "That you are all my family."  *cue heart melting*


And tonight, Brad was at the park with the boys until it got dark out.  He taught Blake the little poem, I wish I may, I wish I might, have this wish I wish tonight... And then he said, what do you wish for?  Blake's response..."That everyone's wishes come true."  *cue heart melting into absolute mush*

Happy Holidays

Our family has been really enjoying the holidays.  Its probably my favorite holiday season we've experienced in quite awhile.  The boys are really into Christmas and Chanukah this year and the joy that they have with everything we do fills Brad and I with endless joy as well.  I've been so busy enjoying, I haven't done a lot of "snapping."  Our pictures are pretty few and far between.  Brad at least was smart enough to get some video on Christmas morning though.  By the way, we woke up yesterday to Blake saying, "Santa brought me presents!!  I must have been a good boy this year because Santa brought so many presents!!"  It was ADORABLE. The last few days we've been lighting the Chanukah candles, opening lots of presents, eating latkes, eating lots of ridiculous yummy food, looking at Christmas lights and my favorite of all...spending lots of time with family.  Our holiday has been so great, but has also been an emotional few days with our first Christmas without Brad's dad.  We know he is with us always though and we are so grateful for the many blessings in our lives.  I hope all of your holidays have been as joy filled as ours!

Blake after he opened his favorite Chanukah gift he's gotten (actually favorite of Chanukah and Christmas!)

Blake eating a yummy ice cream treat

Brady with his favorite Christmas gift

 Brady with his favorite Chanukah gift

It's starting to look a lot like...Fall?!

Didn't we have a white Christmas in Dallas last year?  Crazy that its in the 60's here today.  But I'm not complaining!  The leaves on the tree out front FINALLY turned a beautiful yellow and have started a mass exodus off their branches all over our yard and driveway.  We were leaving the house earlier and instead of getting into the car like I had asked, the boys headed to the leaves and started to play.  My first instinct was to tell the boys to stop messing around and get in the car.  But we didn't have to be anywhere at a certain time so I turned the nagging mom button off and let the boys have at it.  The smiles, the giggles, the joy flowing from the boys were so worth those extra minutes of waiting in the driveway.  
I all too often get snippy with the boys because they are dragging their feet.  One of my biggest resolutions this year is to learn to slow down more.  Let my boys be boys and let them enjoy being little and exploring the world around them. I think we could all benefit from slowing down just a little from time to time. 

 

 

 

 

 

Cookie Party

Every year through elementary school my mom and I were invited to a friend's annual mother/daughter Christmas tea.  It is something I looked forward to every holiday season.  I love traditions like that.  And that is one reason why I got so excited to hear that Blake's BFF from school, Sophie, was going to be having a first annual cookie decorating party.  Sophie's mom grew up with her mom hosting the same type of party every year for her and her friends and it is a tradition she wanted to continue with her children.  So special.  Because Sophie has a brother that is Brady's age that she wanted to include too, we lucked out that it wasn't a mother/daughter occasion, but a family occasion, so the four of us all got to attend.  After being so sick for the last few weeks, it was really great for all of us to get out of the house and get to do something extra fun.  We all had a blast.  The boys loved decorating (and eating) the cookies, they had grown up food and drinks too which Brad and I definitely enjoyed and I so so loved getting to catch up with some of the mom friends I made from Blake's school and watching the boys have an absolute blast playing with all the kids.  We even timed leaving perfectly to drive by the annual Frisco Square Christmas celebration and looked at the balloon glow and dancing Christmas lights to music from the comfort and warmth of our car.  The entire afternoon definitely put us all in the holiday spirit!

Waving a white flag

Just thought I'd peek my head out from under the covers to say we're still around, but have been crazy sick.  THANKFULLY just the grown ups (knock on wood).  I went from a flu like virus all last week to over the weekend turning into a sinus infection.  I finally got an antibiotic last night, so praying things turn back to normal soon.  I am so over being this sick.  The boys have been saints.  I have really only been able to take care of their basic needs and not able to really play with them all too much.  Thankful they have each other and thankful they haven't destroyed the house since they have pretty much taken over.  They deserve a trip to Disney World. 

Grace

We were in Blake's room earlier tonight for story time and Blake handed me something and I got up to put it in the other room.  As I turned around to walk out, I walked right smack into his bookcase.  I mean, BAM!  Brad said, "You know what would have been ironic?  If your parents named you Grace."  And then Brady immediately broke into laughter.  And Brad and Blake joined in.  All three laughing hysterically.  All I have to say is its a good thing they're so cute.

Thankful for Family

Our little family has had an amazing week.  Brad was off work most of the week and the boys and I absolutely adored having so much Brad/Dad time.  My extended family from NYC also came in town, which made the holiday week even more special and the boys l-o-v-e-d having my little cousin Natalie in town to play with.  Especially Blake.  He was smitten and it was so fun to see them playing together.  Reminded me of how much fun I had when I was a little girl with my cousin Liz.  We had our usual Thanksgiving feast on Thursday and also made a trip to Fort Worth for our family favorite Joe T's and the Fort Worth Zoo on Friday.  Its been a fun filled, wonderful week together as a family, with great memories made.  I have spent so much time these last few days reflecting on the year and as hard and sad as some of this year as been for us, we have so incredibly much to be thankful for.  Blake and Brady fill our lives with such happiness and for that I have endless gratitude.  Our hearts are so full.  Now if only my little doodle bug wasn't sick and running a fever today, I'd be even more grateful!

Picture Time! 
 

 The whole fam on Thanksgiving.  My cuz Liz couldn't join us until the day after.

 

 Brady with an orange beard from his Thanksgiving feast!

The next two pics are of the boys hugging.  Sweetest brothers ever.

 

What would Thanksgiving be without some nice relaxation time??

And lots of eating?

And having fun playing at Grandma and Papa's?

Boys enjoying chips at Joe T's

Next up, the Zoo

 And some sweet pics of my boys posing at the zoo

 

 

 

 Hope your Thanksgiving was full of smiles too!

Future Babysitters

I know I was just giving one of the neighborhood kids a hard time in my last post, but truth be told I am kind of in love with our neighborhood kids.  We live across the street from a park and allll of the kids in the near vicinity between the approximate ages of 8-14 head to the park when school lets out.  Some times there are little groups that stick together doing there own thing, but more often than not there is a large group of all grades and genders playing in a game of soccer or football together.  Its kind of remarkable in my opinion.  I never remember a group of kids, regardless of age and popularity, able to come together and "hang out".  The boys and I are at the park almost every afternoon the weather allows us.  So, I've kind of gotten to know these kids, on a very superficial, playground sort of level.  Yes, sometimes they act immature and say things that make me cringe, but for the most part these kids are pretty rad.  That's a cool word still right??  Most days, I am the only parent at the park.  Scary.  And at times I kind of feel like a teacher on recess duty.  
For the majority of the past year, the boys and I have kind of stuck to our own thing.  Our own game of soccer or football or chase or playing on the slide.  But over the last few months as Blake has continued to get older, he has started totally idolizing the big kids.  He longs to be bigger and wants nothing more than to play with them.  For awhile, the kids ignored him and it kind of broke my heart.  I would have to convince Blake to leave the big kids alone and play with his mommy.  How boring, right?  Well, a few weeks ago something happened.  A few of the big kids let Blake play with them and then once the other kids saw this they wanted to play with him too.  And then they fell head over heels in love with Brady.  Seriously.  They can't stop saying how cute he is while we're playing and they fight over who can give him high fives and hugs.  
The big kids have grown to love my boys and when we show up at the park they play with them the entire time we are there.  I've lost my playmates.  It makes me a little sad, but at the same time, I love watching these older kids be so sweet and accepting of my boys and see the smiles on the boys' faces as they are being one of the big kids for a bit.  And maybe in a few years I'll finally have some babysitters besides my parents.  Score!
And to end my rant, a random adorable picture of my little guy wearing a pajama top, diaper and one snow boot.  He's so silly!

Lies

You know that time, that I wrote an entire post that I was going to stop worrying about Brady's weight issues?  Oh, how naive I was back then. Back then being a few weeks ago.  I've turned out to be a big fat liar.  I actually have cut down my worrying by a lot.  It no longer consumes me, it no longer keeps me awake at night.  However, sometimes once, sometimes a few times every day, when I happen to catch a glimpse of Brady's bones protruding out or when I can't keep pants around his waist that fit his brother when he was 8 months younger than he is now, I let the worry creep back in.  I don't let it stay there long.  This is the "new" me after all.  But it still is there.  
One of my BIGGEST pet peeves over the last few years has been when someone, a complete stranger, at the store or at the park or anywhere, asks how old Brady is and I give whatever the correct answer at that time is and their reply is, "Oh, he was a preemie."  Not a question (although sometimes in a question form).  More a fact.  And actually no he wasn't and actually he weighed a whopping 8 lbs 3 oz when he was born.  But it is a knife in my heart every time someone says it to me.  And it hurts and the worry that I always try to keep at bay comes up to the surface.  And to be honest I haven't had someone say it to me in a few months, so it completely caught me off guard today when someone said it to me at the park.  But what is crazy about it? It wasn't an adult.  I kid you not...it was a kid that said it.  An eight year old kid, when finding out he was two, said, "Oh, so he was born early." (and went on to say his cousin was born weighing just over two pounds.) Really eight year old?!  Knife to the heart, to my gut.  I was not prepared.  And now the worry is sitting at the surface consuming my thoughts.  Ugh.  Kids these days...

A Mommy Confession

I really and truly am loving the ages and stages Blake and Brady are in.  One part of why I'm loving this stage is the insatiable quest for knowledge.  Both of them are constantly wanting to learn and soak in everything around them like the sponges that they are.  However, I have to confess... sometimes?  It can wear.me.out!  Here is a little preview into our day as we drive in the car.  


Blake:  He's for some reason taken an interest in road signs.  He finds it necessary to point out every single sign he sees.  And I mean EVERY SINGLE SIGN.
"There's a blue sign with an H on it!  That means hospital!" "There is an orange sign.  That means construction!" "There's another orange sign!  That means construction again Momma!!"  "There's a yellow sign.  That means be careful!"  
You get the gist.  I never really realized just how many road signs there are out there.  But let me tell you...there are A LOT!


Brady:  Brady is in a phase where he asks, "What's that?" as he points to something.  He asks this over and over allllll day long.  In the car or out of the car.  He even does it for stuff he already knows just to be cute (because he is).  And if I ignore him, because for the love of god how many times can I tell him that thing on his shirt is a button, he will say "Momma, momma, momma, momma, momma, momma momma, maaaaa maaaaaa!"  And when I finally say, "What Brady?" He says, "What's that?!" (while pointing to his button)

So between the sign pointer outer and the constant what's that, I have to say I've never appreciated the rare times I find myself in the car alone more.   But, wanna know something else?  It's those times, in the silence, that I miss their sweet voices and laughter more than ever.  

Brothers

My heart is just a million times full these days.  I live for their smiles.  Such precious boys.  I love that they love each other and are best of friends.  Oh, how I pray that never changes. 

TACO TIME (Recipe)

You need these tacos in your life.  You're welcome in advance.  They call for shrimp, which was a special treat in our house, however, you could definitely substitute for chicken if shrimp isn't your thing.  The recipe is a two parter, but still super easy.  There is the marinade for the shrimp and then the recipe for the corn and black bean salsa.  

Ingredients for the Shrimp:
Chipotle chili in adobo sauce, chopped.  (1-2 peppers depending on the level of spicy you like)
1 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 tsp. Cumin
1 Tbsp. Brown Sugar
*1 lime, both the juice and zest
*2 Tbsp. Cilantro chopped
1 lb. shrimp, peeled and deveined (I used frozen shrimp, thawed, as a short cut)

Ingredients for Corn and Black Bean Salsa:
3 Tbsp. Balsamic Vinegar
1 Tbsp. Olive Oil
1/2 tsp. Salt
1/2 tsp. White Sugar
1/2 tsp. Black Pepper
1/2 tsp. Cumin
*2 Tbsp. Chopped Cilantro
1 (15 oz.) can Black Beans, rinsed and drained
1 (15 oz.) can Corn, drained
1 Red Bell Pepper, diced
1 Jalapeno, seeded and diced
*2 Green onions, diced


Steps for Shrimp:
In a bowl combine all the ingredients WITHOUT the shrimp.  Let the marinade set for about 20 minutes.  Add the shrimp and toss and let marinade for about another 20 minutes.  


Steps for Salsa:
While the shrimp is marinading you can prepare the salsa.  In a small bowl mix the balsamic vinegar, olive oil, salt, sugar, pepper and cumin and mix together.  Set aside.  In a larger bowl, combine the cilantro, black beans, corn, bell pepper, jalapeno and onion.  Pour the liquid over the mixture and toss.


Back to the shrimp!  Pull out a handy dandy George Foreman Grill (what I used) or use your actual big boy grill and grill the shrimp until done.  It doesn't take long, just 4-6 minutes. 


I HIGHLY recommend using the tortillas from Kroger they make fresh in store.  They are just hands down the best.  Whichever ones you use, warm and load up with the salsa and shrimp.  Brad and I are always living dangerously so we added sour cream, shredded cheese and some guacamole I whipped up as well.  OMG, this is delish.  Another meal with compliments galore from Bradley.  


*There were only a few things I changed up.  Brad and I are not cilantro fans so we admitted from ours completely.  The lime flavor in the marinade was really good, but we both feel it could have used more, so next time I will be using 2 limes instead of just 1.  And lastly, I forgot to get green onions from the store so I threw in a little diced white onion.  
And there was the corn/black bean salsa left over which I kept in the fridge and used as a snack with tortilla chips.  YUM!
Again, you're welcome. 

BOO!

The boys were super into Halloween this year. They love all the decorations everywhere and all the fun that goes into the day. I had a completely different idea for the boys' costumes, but I experienced a bad seller on Etsy and so we had to scramble at the last second for something else. We hunted and hunted, but Blake kept saying he only wanted to be a ghost. So we went the incredibly easy and inexpensive route and got a white sheet and cut holes for his eyes. Easiest costume ever and he was the happiest little boy ever. And we recycled an old costume of Blake's for Brady (poor 2nd child) and Brady went as a pirate. The boys said trick-or-treat and thank you at each house and were the cutest and sweetest little ghost and pirate I ever saw.

Recipe Sharing

My bestie Kristen and I have been recipe swapping for awhile now to help each other avoid making the same dishes over and over again. Its easy to get into a rut with what we make for dinner. Its just easier to make what you know, but it gets BORING! This recipe sharing also happened to coincide with stumbling upon Pinterest (a time sucking website!). I have "pinned" probably over 100 recipes now of stuff that just looks A-mazing. I started the habit of recipe planning for a weeks worth of meals and each week I try to include one recipe I've never made. A lot of those are coming off the Pinterest board. And I even make up a little "menu" for the week and post it in the kitchen. Brad LOVES this. Tonight was one of our favorites that I tried from Pinterest and it was so good that I wanted to share with more than just one friend, I wanted to share with all my friends and family! I can not tell you how many compliments Brad threw my way for this meal. He was in food heaven. It will most definitely enter our dinner rotation and was super easy as well, which gets a big thumbs up in my book! So probably once a week I'll post a new recipe that we find yummy. Maybe it will help you get out of your food rut. And maybe it will inspire you to either post recipes in my comments, post on your blog or email me, that way there will be even more new ideas flowing!

This week's recipe... PHILLY CHEESESTEAK SLOPPY JOES. I swear to you, these things taste exactly like a "real" cheesesteak you'd order at a restaurant.


*adapted from a Rachel Ray recipe
Ingredients
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 pound ground beef
1 softball-sized onion, chopped*
1 greed pepper, chopped
2 tablespoons steak sauce (A1)
1 cup beef stock
salt and pepper to taste
Kaiser Rolls or other sturdy roll
1 tablespoon butter*
1 tablespoon flour
1 cup milk
1 cup provolone, shredded*

In large skillet over medium-high heat add the oil and brown the ground beef, about 5-6 minutes. Add the onion and green pepper and cook another 3-4 minutes until the vegetables start to get tender. Stir in the steak sauce and beef stock, season with salt and pepper, bring up to a bubble and cook about 2 minutes.

Split open rolls and toast and set aside.

While the meat is cooking, melt the better in a medium size pot over medium high heat. Stir in the flour and cook about 1 minute. Whisk in milk, bring up to a bubble and let thicken, about 2 minutes. Turn off heat and stir in cheese.

To serve, place a scoopful of the meat mixture onto bottom of roll, top with cheese sauce, replace bun top, and voila!

*I made a few slight changes. It called for a softball sized onion and I chopped it all up and as I was putting into the pot it looked like entirely too much onion so I probably only ended up using half. I would recommend using one entire small size onion and a small size bell pepper, but use your personal preference.
Also, I toasted the buns face down on the oven rack at 350 degrees for 2-3 minutes and put a little butter on them when they came out because I'm crazy like that. And lastly, in the cheese sauce I may have used closer to 1 1/2 cups shredded cheese because, again, I'm crazy. I am also lazy, so I used a package of pre-shredded Italian style cheese instead of grating my own provolone. But still turned out scrumptious.

ENJOY!

I am done.

As a parent you worry about your kid(s). As a mom you worry even more I think. I know I will always worry about my two babies. The last two years my level of worry for Brady has gone above and beyond the "normal" amount of worry a mom should carry, consuming me at times. I think as humans we need answers. We need reasoning. When there are no answers, it can be maddening. But, there are no answers for this looming question we've been trying to get to the bottom of for most of Brady's life. I have to let go. I have to move forward. I am done. I know I will always worry more than I do with Blake. When Brady gets a runny nose or a cough or a stomach bug my insides will turn to knots. I will pray Brady can fight the bug quickly without losing weight. I will pray he eventually catches up to the "curve". But I will no longer be on a mission for the answers. I am done. What I will do, is be present. I will enjoy today. I will focus on doing everything in MY control to be the best mom I can be to my two sweet boys.

What I'm Loving...

~ Loving my brother-in-law for inviting us to go to the Stars game and getting to spend time with him.

~ Loving getting to go to a Stars game for the first time in a long time.

~ Loving quality time with my good looking main squeeze.

~ Loving my parents for making a date night possible.

Baseball Fever

Blake is all about sports. Brad jokingly said the other night, "Maybe I went a little overkill introducing sports to Blake." Because now he wants to play baseball, golf, soccer, football or hockey all day long. And I mean all day. And night. He tends to rotate the sports with his flavor of the month. I guess with the Rangers in the World Series (Go Rangers!) Blake is loving him some baseball currently. We play inside a lot (with a plastic ball and bat), especially during Brady's nap time, and outside at the park as much as the nice weather allows. Blake has gotten REALLY good. He can pitch the ball ridiculously well and can hold and swing the bat in proper form and makes good contact with the ball most of the time. He loves him some baseball. And he loves cheering on the Rangers. The cutest thing the other day was me and the boys were about to head to the park with our baseball stuff in tow and he said, "Hold on! I need a hat!!" He ran in the other room and came out wearing Brad's favorite hat. I told Blake to leave it at home but he insisted. And now anytime we play, even inside, he has to wear the hat. He said "All batters have to wear a hat!" He's so cute. I love this lil slugger more than words.

please excuse the no pants!

Looking Up

Friday the sun was shining and the boys and I had a great day of fun playing soccer and chase at the park together. I can not begin to explain how much Friday helped my soul. I was soaking up every smile and giggle with my boys and it helped me move on from being stuck in events I can not change. Just what I needed.

It was also Blake's lucky day because a hot hair balloon flew right above us.

Blake refused to play at the park until the balloon was out of our site. He was just a little excited about the balloon in the sky.

As the balloon drifted further and further away Blake sat down and just stared at it until no longer in his view. Brady of course had to copy him and sit next to him. They are the cutest, sweetest brothers. I love watching them interact together. Best buds.

Saturday morning we went to Blake's soccer game, along with Grandma and Papa. Here is Blake's professional soccer picture. I actually took a picture of a picture to post because I'm too lazy to scan. (Ridiculous, I know. )

So handsome!

After we all ate some brunch together, Grandma and Papa took the boys for the rest of the day and evening. Brad and I are BEYOND grateful for my parents. I know my dad has been working like a dog and could have used some quiet time but instead they braved the boys solo. And they didn't just sit around the house. They went to Whole Foods and got to pick out baby pumpkins that they got to decorate with Grandma, went and played putt putt with Papa, and all went out for pizza for dinner.

They were so worn out that the boys even slept through the bad storms, thank goodness! Our boys are so spoiled with love and fun by their Grandma and Papa and it fills my heart with joy. Having some time away from the boys was also really good for my soul. I miss the boys like crazy when I'm away from them, but I think I needed to miss them. My battery was on empty and it was so wonderful to recharge my Brooke battery, my wife battery and my mom battery. Brad and I took a loooong nap on Saturday. I can't remember the last time that happened! And then we had a wonderful dinner out and watched a movie rental at home. The perfect day and evening. When we got to my parents this morning the boys were full of smiles and full bellies. And they were super excited to show us their decorated pumpkins!

Blake's is on the left, hard to see, but he drew a ghost on it. And Brady's on the right. My little artist.

Brady's appointment was scheduled for the 31st to go over his lab results with the immunologist. And I'm feeling so healed from these last few days, that I'm not going to even stress or worry for the next week. Today, my glass is definitely half full.