Happy Halloween!

Trick-or-Treat from our little guys.  We had a blast, even though Isaac was suuuuuuuper slow and petered out after a couple of blocks!  Guess that's pretty exhausting for those little legs.  They both have plenty of candy to show for it though. :)  Isaac even surprised us all by being brave and sitting with some of the skeletons along the way.  It took him awhile to take his eyes off of the guy behind him though! :)

PS - Do you recognize Owen's costume? Sure you do! Isaac wore it in 2009 {see here}. Should we play a little game of who wore it better?

14 Months

A couple of weeks ago, Owen *finally* had his one year appointment!  Stats:
22 lb. 10 oz.
37.5" long

He's seriously such a little man!!  Lately, he's fussy whenever I'm around because he only wants me.  Some days I feel like I have so many things to get done that I actually get semi-annoyed with his clingy-ness.  But then, he'll lay his head down on my shoulder and give me the biggest hug and all is forgiven!  :)

He loves his brother, and fights back whenever he's getting picked on.  He has a serious biting problem that we're working on!  I used to think it was just because he was teething {still is!}, he's popped two new bottom teeth in the last 10 days {for a grand total of 8 chompers!}, but I don't think that's it anymore.  He will run at Isaac with his mouth open, for the sole purpose of biting him.  A few days ago, he drew blood.......ugh!   He's still our litter eater.  Most days, he puts away more food than Isaac!  He must always carry around either a fork or a spoon {He calls both a spoon, but he actually prefers the fork!}.  He's really into his books lately {Especially his Thomas the Tank Engine books, Little Blue Truck, or any other alphabet-based, track-based, and any peek-a-boo/flap books}.  His new favorite word is "baby."  It's kind of ironic that he started saying "baby" all the time, because it was just earlier this month that I was a little sad about how quickly he grew up. He's not a baby anymore!  I try to treasure all of these moments because they don't stay this little forever.  We love you Owen-bubba!

Vampire.....eek

If you know me, you know I really don't like vampires!  It all started, believe it or not, with the old Buffy the Vampire Slayer movie. I was totally freaked out by her friend floating outside of her window!  But, I think Isaac is helping me get over it.  He sure is a cute little vampire!

Thursday Deals - 10/27/11

1.  FREE sample of Chinese Tea here.

2. FREE sample of Simply Right Baby Care Infant Formula here.

3. FREE sample of Boss Orange Fragrance here.  3 scents to choose from!

4. We LOVE BioFreeze.  Blake sells it (and offers samples of it) and his office.  Go here and find out where you can get your FREE sample.  It's awesome!

5.  Eat at TGIFridays, bring in this coupon, and get one entree free when you purchase an entree at regular price and two drinks.  Or, get $5 off your order of $15 or more with this coupon.

Tuna Casserole

I haven't put up a recipe in awhile.  Here's one we tried out a few weeks ago.  Blake gave it an A- and he doesn't even like tuna!  Our boys devoured it, and our friend, Dawn, gave it the thumbs up as well.  I'm posting it with the edits I made, but you can find the original recipe here.

1 (12 oz) pkg egg noodles
1/4 c. chopped onion
2 c. shredded Cheddar cheese
1 c. frozen green peas
2 (6 oz) cans tuna, drained
2 (10.75 oz) cans condensed cream of mushroom soup
1/2 can of milk (use the cans from the soup)
5 oz sliced fresh mushrooms (I sliced up about 8 mushrooms)
1 cup crushed Ritz or Town House crackers
2 T melter butter

Preheat oven to 425 F.  Cook pasta in boiling water for 8-10 minutes or until al dente.  Drain.

In a large bowl, thoroughly mix noodles, onion, ONE (1) cup of cheese, peas, tuna, soup, milk and mushrooms.  Transfer to a 9x13 in ch baking dish.  Put remaining 1 c. of cheese on top.

Melt butter in microwave and pour over crushed crackers and mix until coated. Spread over top of casserole.  Bake for 15-20 minutes at 425F until cheese is bubbly, and cracker crust is lightly browned.   Enjoy!

Music geek part 2

Other musicians, you will appreciate this. :)  I couldn't help myself when I saw this cartoon.  I knew immediately that it was blog worthy!

Thursday Deals - 10/20/11

Owen grew his #7 tooth today!

 1. Get a FREE Cheese Quesadilla at Denny's with this coupon.

2. FREE sample of Aveeno Living Color Shampoo and Conditioner here.

3. Try out InkGarden for free, using code ForFree on select products.  Shipping and handling not included. Details here.

4. In honor of the International Day of Prayer, you can get 2 FREE "One with them" wristbands.  More here.

5. Bring your kids to your local CVS this Sunday, October 23 for their Halloween Party and Costume Event.  All kids in costume will receive a FREE $5 gift pack!  Details here.

6. 40% off one regular priced item at Hobby Lobby with this coupon.  Expires 10/22.

7. Ladies, FREE sample of Carefree liners here.

8. FREE sample of Hugo Boss perfume here.

Music geek

One of my piano students brought me an entire bag of "The Etude" magazine.  The published dates for the magazines in my possession range anywhere from 1903 to 1951.  They have a church musician section that I'm pretty fascinated with reading, as well as checking out some of the actual compositions they have printed directly in the magazine, the advertisements, and all of the music schools they have listed.  Just amazing!  My favorite cover, so far, is the one from 1918, during WWI.  We totally need a call back to the arts.  Somewhere along the line, we lost the importance of the arts in our lives.  I'm totally geeking out over this stuff, but I love it!

 "Music will help us win the war.  Music in our homes keeps courage in our hearts."  -September 1918

Fight club

Well, not really......but my boys sure know how to make my hair turn gray.  I love them, I truly do, but there are days where they do nothing but this, all.day.long.  Fun, right?



Someday, I hope they see this video and laugh at themselves!

What is a globe?

Don't know?  Isaac can tell you.  And, a good friend of mine tells me that this is all you have to know to pass Kindergarten in the state of Nebraska.  Nice!

Thursday Deals - 10/13/2011

1.  Free sample of pack of Breath Right Strips here.

2. Bath and Body Works is getting a free Be Enchanted lotion this weekend, Oct. 14-16, in-stores and online.  Details here.

3. FREE sample of Mary Kay Timewise Microdermabrasion set here.

4. Get your FREE debt-free holiday handbook here.  Love this one! :)

5. FREE sample of Lacoste Perfume for Men, here.

6. Ladies, choose your FREE Playtex sample, here.

In living color

This picture does not do the tree in our backyard justice.  It is an awful lot of leaves to rake up though. Good thing you are just gorgeous, tree!

Punctuation saves lives

I'm generally a fan of good grammar.  This just cracks me up!

Isaac is 3!

It's hard to believe that 3 years has passed so quickly.  Rest assured, being his parents has been the best adventure yet.

Isaac, I hope you never lose your sense of creativity.  Explore.  Create.  Line things up.  Always hold on to your passion for reading, it will take you places unimaginable!  Seek out adventures, but be safe - tractors and four-wheelers are only the beginning.   Keep dancing like no one is watching and continue to sing at the top of your lungs.  Such joy!  Goofy is good.  Keep hugging your brother {and any future siblings}, because they will be your best friends for life.  Always pick flowers {weeds/grass} for Mom.  I love it!  When you're older, don't be afraid to come home because, forever and always, we will love you to the moon and back.

Happy Birthday to our Biggie-Bigs!

Thursday Deals - 10/6/2011

1.  FREE sample of Fabreezy Laundry Detergent here.  It is made with less chemicals, so it's supposedly better for your clothes, without sacrificing the clean factor.  We shall see.

2. The FREE Huggies Snug & Dry diaper samples are available again.  It's from Sam's Club, but you don't need the member number to request it.  If you've already registered for this sample through them, you are not eligible.  But, you can mail a pack to grandma and grandpa just in case you run out of dipes at their house! ;-)  Guess who just did that? :)  By the way, this sample is my 5th FREE pack of Huggies, for a total of TEN dipes!

3. Christie Brinkley is launching a skincare line.  You can get some FREE pre-launch samples here.

4. If you want to send a Halloween card, head on over to Tinyprints, create your own, and enter code TREAT11 to make it free.

5. Print this coupon for a FREE Hot 'n' Juicy single from Wendy's.

6. Get a FREE sample of Gas-X Thin Strips here.

7. Sign up for FREE sample of Arm & Hammer toothpaste here.

Buddy

Farm work with my buddy in his buddy seat, makes driving the tractor so much more fun. 

Isaac's 3rd birthday party

Isaac doesn't turn three until Friday, but we had a little party for him last weekend.  It was a beautiful day, and I think everyone had a wonderful time.  We chased stomp rockets, played with play-doh, ate lots of food, sang "Happy Birthday" and just enjoyed our day.  Isaac was very impressed with his cake {thank goodness because I was also pretty pleased with how it turned out!}.  Here are some pics from the his big day!

 

 

 

 

 

Halloween prep

Well honestly, I hope Isaac wants to be something cuter than these for Halloween this year!