It's been forever ....

Hi Friends....
          Sooo sorry it's been so long. It's been a very busy week and a half. Xanny and Lou had last week off from school and man were they wild!!! We had fun though and in reality, I'm glad I was able to enjoy that time with them. I learned a lot about each of them ..weird, right??? Honestly, this past year has been a non-stop roller coaster ride and my sweet boys have had to tag along. Sometimes I wonder what goes on in their innocent little minds, do they think I'm nuts?? Mean? Grumpy? Over-whelming? Funny? Nice? As much as they drive me wild, they drive me to keep going...to be a better person.... to enjoy life. I really needed last week of "nothingness" with them. It was the perfect time to reflect on the past and dream for the future.

          Xanny really enjoyed having some "off time". He thought it was great that we didn't have to rush out the door first thing in the morning. He discovered some new morning cartoons and perfected the art of making a fluff sandwich.. LOL. He enjoyed getting Christmas decorations out and helping in the kitchen, sometimes he was a little too helpful :) But one thing that I really enjoyed was being able to see what a cool kid he is. I am always so busy keeping him in-check that sometimes I forget to sit back and let him be. This is when I feel like I am a failure as a mother but then I realize, at least I have noticed and now I can reflect and correct :) He loves to build, play games, and create any kind of art. He went through 2 things of water color in less than a week. I love that! He's so unique and creative and I need to remember this always.
        
          Louden, on the other hand has had lots of time with his Momma. He's the Mommas boy of the two. However, he has taken quite a liking to Daddy these days. He loves to snuggle up next to Michael on the couch and watch Football. When he suddenly gets the urge to move he will run and find a football so we can all sit in the living room and play catch. This has become a Sunday ritual. What's even more entertaining is that Louden is a little peanut. He's a short lil' Blondie with the attitude of a cobra. He may be short but I think he can take on just about anything, I have to admit, sometimes I'm a little afraid of him... LOL!! I guess when you have Xanny as a big brother you have to learn to hold-you-own pretty quick. :) On a sweeter note though, Lou has brought to my attention his love of Christmas, dancing, and Super Hero's!!!! I don't think I've ever seen a 2 year old with as big of an obsession as Lou, heck... I don't think I've noticed a 2 year old into superheros, "PERIOD".  He'll wear his Transformers, Batman, and Ironman mask all day long if he had it his way. I love all of this about him. It make Lou, ... Lou.

          I will be posting more regularly  (hopefully) in the weeks to come since it will be a very eventful. Take care and God Bless, XOXO.

BRE

And so it begins .....

It's official. The holidays are here!!!!  Xanny and Louden had their Thankful Fest at school Thursday and I have to admit, I got a little teary-eyed because I realized it was going to our last Thankful Fest at 1st Pres. Xanny has been going to this school since he was a year old. He loves it there and they love him. He thrives there. His teachers have been fantastic and they understand him. They love him for who he is and all his little wacky traits :) and Louden has gone from they little screaming boy at carpool to the little boy who screams at carpool on Monday and Friday because he doesn't get to stay at school those days. The whole way home I get to listen to him scream.... "I's school, mama........ Mary's class, mama" (his Teacher, obviously). I love it that they love it so much there and that's why I'm a little sad that this is our last year and that Louden will not grow up there like Xanny did. Guilt??? Maybe a little, but at the same time I'm so excited for the new adventure in our future.
This weekend marks the beginning of the holidays. The boys have the week off for Thanksgiving break meaning that mommy has the week off from running around. I'm looking forward to spending some time with my little monkeys and getting ready for the holidays. They both are getting very excited about Christmas movies, Santa, cookie baking, and most of all our trip to NY. At some point everyday, Xander will ask if we are going to Meemah and Papa & Grandma and Grandpas today... and everyday I have to tell him no not today, a few more weeks. I can't wait for the day I pick him up from school and am able to tell him Yes! and today's the day! :) Might need a video camera :)
As for everything else, well...  everything is good. We are getting excited. This week just makes it so we are another week closer to seeing our family. I have much to do in the next few weeks so I welcome the busy work because I too keep asking, Is today the day we're going to Grandma's House???? :)


BRE

I LOVE OUR VETERANS!

This week has been a long one. Even with a day off in the middle. This week is an important week though, it's a week for all of us to take a moment and remember our precious veterans. It's easy to overlook the importance of each and every veteran with all the hustle-and-bustle of everyday life and politics of course, but it is because of our brave veterans that we are able to live so freely and carelessly. I am HONORED to be a grand-daughter, a daughter, and a wife of some amazing veterans. So, Thank you precious veterans. Your bravery, strength, and selflessness amazes me. God Bless!

BRE

Some days, some weeks, are harder than others...

Have you ever had one of those super discouraging, annoying weeks and you honestly cannot figure out why??? I've been having that kind of week. I hate weeks like that because I'm usually an upbeat, optimistic person so to feel grumpy and annoyed throws me off :( Not to mention my family suffers as well I'm sure. I sit here and try to reason with myself and force myself to snap out of it but sometimes I think we are entitled to be a little grumpy every now-and-then. Hopefully the weekend will change my spirit. It's time to get ready for the holidays, and there is no way I will allow myself to remain in a funk! :)

Holidays are my favorite! I grew up in a holiday-spirited family! Holidays are magical where I grew up. As corny as that sounds, I only wish I could make them the same way for my boys. I do try, believe me but to be so far from family makes it difficult because many holiday "events" require willful teamwork. Cookie baking, shopping, cooking, decorating, festivals, church events, and etc are all important in the making of magical holidays. It's not has much fun doing it by yourself with two wild monkeys and a hubby who is almost comparable to Scrooge, LOL .... Ok not really, he's just very simplistic and feels there's no need for all the extra "fluff and frills." He's beginning to come around a little bit but still this could be a long process, lol! I have always found this side of him very interesting because he is so incredibly friendly, giving, and compassionate. To me, these are the qualities of a Holiday Spirit. Oh ...and by-the-way, I say "Holiday" not for P.C. reasons, but because I speak of the whole season, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years. Don't go there with me :) Christmas is CHRISTMAS and I'm not sorry if I offend you. Jesus is the reason for the Season :)

BRE

Trick-or-Treat ....Welcome November!!!

                          Xanny a.k.a Darth Vader                                              Louden a.k.a. PissyPants Skunk

Michael a.k.a Super Cock!

Well........ Need I say more about our Halloween??? HAHAHAHAHA! What an interesting one it's been. Xanny was actually a Police Officer for school and he played the part very well and  Louden, well he's not the most enthusiastic skunk ever, but very cute. And then there's Mike... I have nothing to say, the picture speaks for itself. However if you want a real good laugh go to YouTube and look up "drunken chicken singing classic def leopard," but make sure you use the facilities first because you may wet your pants. LOL. We lucked out this year the weather was gorgeous and the boys were able to TorT 2 nights:) They thought that was great!! Especially since the 2nd night they were able to go with all their friends on a hayride. This is the way to go!!
I can't believe how fast the month of October has gone by. It has been by far one of the busiest months we've had in awhile but very fun and filled with lots of great people. We are truly blessed. Now that we are headed into November it's starting to hit me that we are running out of time to prepare ourselves. Well, not really, I'm more anxious about the house, everything else will work itself out. Time-management is my enemy, but I'm going to have to kill it with kindness. Tis' the holiday season and we all need to enjoy it. Holidays always seem to stress people out, I know because I'm one of those people, but this year I'm trying to get a jump start. There's really no reason to be stressed if we keep in mind what the holidays are truly about. Family, friends, love, peace, and our Savior. I'm going to try and keep this fresh in my mind this entire holiday season. When I start to get stressed about the shopping list, deadlines, school events, holiday parties, traveling, and selling a home I will stop and remember. Our family/ community (well, our adopted family), has been through one heck of a year but we have remained united and feel constantly blessed to have each other. So I leave you with this: count your blessings, work through your problems, communicate, always say I love you, pray, and enjoy each other and yourself. XOXOXO

BRE