Harvest Party

So I have been suffering from some CRAZY insomnia for a week. The first night it happened I lay in bed for 8 hours (save for Locke's early am feeding) and never went to sleep. The second night I got 10 minutes. 10 MINUTES! Once 7am hit (around the time the girls get up) I would get sleepy. There isn't any time to nap, since HQ and Locke almost never go down at the same time and Ty works all day. Anyway I have been getting between zero and 2 hours of sleep every night. Needless to say I have been running on half a brain.

Tonight was the Harvest Party at Hope. It was the first time I have ever been. It's a pretty big event! Izzy has been asking about it for weeks. There were quite a few bounce houses, plenty of food, candy, games, a puppet show, a train, and an entire room dedicated to the toddler age. HQ was excited she finally got to run around in her costume. She got to wear a skirt that was green and poofy. Which are two of her favorite things. :) 

Bellossom. I am surprised that she never pulled the flowers out of her hair.

The girls had a great time. I never ended up making Locke's costume. HQ destroyed the pattern and making a new one or altering another one would have been too much for me this week. I suppose it was for the best since he peed all over himself (and me) shortly after arriving at the harvest party anyway. He still looked cute in his "Bring me to my mummy" shirt.

Most people didn't know what HQ was, but thought she was cute anyway. She was a pretty big hit. When people would say, "Look at you!" or "You look so cute!" She would point to outfit and say "Yeah!".

Comparing costumes.
Izzy took her wig off to jump in the bounce houses. Everyone still knew who she was though!

Izzy was excited about being able to win candy. She said winning the candy was more fun than just trick or treating for it. Especially when she was getting kit kat bars. Not a single rotten walnut this year!

Winning kit kat bars made it even better!

Waiting for the puppet show.

HQ was a little confused at what we were watching. 

Watching a balloon float away... These girls were mesmerized! It was pretty exciting.
Check out the girl on the left. She chose to be an FBI agent. 

We let her get her own ketchup. "This is the BEST hotdog EVER!"
Ketchup and peanut butter are her two favorite foods. 

All in all I'd say it was a successful evening. All three kids were knocked out in the car five minutes after leaving. When we got home Izzy asked if she could sleep in her costume. She said she hoped it would help her dream about being Rapunzel.

Well, I'm going to try running around the living room in the hopes of tiring myself out and get some sleep!

Busy Week

It's been a very busy week! On top of our normal schedule (art class, soccer, tennis, library, and normal errands) we added playdates, a pumpkin patch, Disney's California Adventure, and two birthdays!

We went to the pumpkin patch on Tuesday. We met up with Ty's mom, stepdad, stepsister and her two little ones. Her son is about a year older than Izzy, and they get along great. At one point Izzy asked him if he would like to hold hands with her. He responded by changing the subject. 

The girls enjoyed some rides at the pumpkin patch. On each one HQ's face was expressionless. She could NOT look more bored, but the moment the ride ended she would yell, "MO! AGAIN!". 

Yeah, these creeps stayed in here for all of 5 minutes.

Wearing two of her birthday presents at the pumpkin patch. 

Izzy and I were invited to watch our beautiful friend preform in "Aladdin Spectacular" (or "The Jasmine Show" if you ask Izzy) at Disney's California Adventure. I haven't been to California Adventure in over 7 years, so it was pretty fun to see the changes. Izzy's favorite ride was the giant ferris wheel. I was also able to enjoy the afternoon there catching up with a dear friend (who I haven't actually talked to in years outside of facebook and she hasn't aged a day!). The show itself was adorable! I LOVE live shows. The costumes and set were beautiful and the cast was perfect. Izzy was absolutely starstruck by our friend. She acted shy most of the day (she said it was because I was talking too much). But by the time it was just her and I again she had a TON to say. She really liked having grown up girl time with me.

Enjoying some cotton candy.

Izzy's donned her Princess Jasmine costume in support and homage to Shea.

Jasmines. Izzy and Shea.
Izzy was quite starstruck by her! 

"OK, Mom.. I know you think I'm cute, but can we be done?"
Dressed for her tennis costume party. She originally wanted to wear her Rapunzel costume, but then decided she wouldn't be able to play tennis in her long wig.

 On Izzy's actual birthday she had me remove her car seat from the car. She was so proud of how big she felt. She has been taking the initiative to brush her teeth and hair before being reminded or asked all week because "that's what six year olds do".

Wanting to be festive for her birthday lunch, Izzy put a flower in her hair.
My mom offered to take us anywhere Izzy chose for lunch. She chose The Loft.

Sharing her cake with HQ. Obviously HQ doesn't want to drop a crumb!
If you'll notice Locke's head/hand he is is also trying to grab the cake. It's like he knows cake is delicious. Or at least messy.

 Izzy and I also sewed her costume this week. We cut up part of an old nightgown to make her slip and undershirt. She found the deconstruction process interesting and started looking through my "recycled" cloth to see what else we could do.

Izzy's design sketch.

Izzy's Rapunzel Costume. (Before getting ironed. She had to leave and I wanted to try it on before she left)

Before I started her costume I showed her what the store bought versions looked like. I didn't want to just make a duplicate of what they had in the stores.  She said she wanted me to make her one that was more true to the movie. She pointed out that the store bought one had sparkles, faux lacing, short sleeves, was too long, and poofy.

" 

Izzy and Pascal.
Although Izzy wanted hers truer to the movie, she did opt for hot pink ribbon instead of the pale pink.

Today is HQ's birthday. She's 2! To celebrate I made cinnamon rolls and we got her some chow mien (her favorite) for dinner. She still doesn't get the whole "birthday" concept, but she liked being spoiled today. Who doesn't?

HQ is 2!
This ball pit is her new favorite place in the house. She brings all her other toys and books in here. 

"Go for the Head"

Today was birthday party day! We had a Mario Party, Party (Izzy's idea) at my mom's house. No one got hurt, had a tantrum, or threw up. I'd say it was quite a success! Only 3 families who rsvp'd didn't end up making it. Not too bad. And of course I left my camera at my folks, so I only have the few photos I took with my phone. 

Excited!

 I was surprised by how huge the bounce house was! I'm bummed I forgot to hop in side to see what it was like.. I've never been in one! We tried to find a Mario themed bounce house, but we couldn't find any, so we thought this castle was close enough to Princess Peach's castle. The kids didn't care, they probably would have had fun if it was in the shape of chalk.

Our wannabe Princess Peach's castle and ping pong table.
HQ spent as much time as possible in here!

 Izzy asked a couple months back if we could have a pinata. I asked, "A Mario pinata?" she said, "NO! We can't hit him, he's the good guy!" So Ty and I had been hunting for a Bowser (we found one, but for $200.. no thanks!), Bob omb, Boo, Star, etc. When she learned that she might not have a pinata at all, a Mario one didn't seem so bad.

Mario pinata! Ty kept moving back farther and farther.

Waiting their turn.
After a round and a half the girls began to chant, "Go for the head! Go for the head!" They were more brutal than boys!

Poor Mario.

YAY Goodies!

I have a better pic of the cake on my camera. It was delicious! We got a white cake with fresh strawberries and whipped cream. Yum! Izzy made sure she got the piece with Bob omb on it and HQ didn't care as long as it had sugar.
My dad also purchased trick candles. So after Izzy had saturated the left side with her spit trying to get the flame to go out, Ty helped her.

 Of course the girls made off like bandits in gifts. We have such generous friends and family! HQ was finished opening up presents after she opened a box of cheerios. She just hugged it and walked away from the gift opening area carrying it like it were her baby. Little weirdo. Well, she has more to open tomorrow then I guess!

It was fun for me too. I got to hang out with some fellow homeschool moms, family, and even an awesome friend who I haven't seen since her birthday last year (because she's silly and moved so far away) Everyone there was a blessing!

A couple families stayed for the "after party" as they called it. The remaining kids continued to play and we got to talk. About 7:30 the bounce house people came to take it down and the kids watched the bounce house deflate and get packed up as though they were watching a beloved friend die. The party was officially over.

HQ and Locke were knocked out in the car on the ride home. Izzy fell asleep almost immediately after hitting her pillow. Another sign of a good party :)

He's still smiling. 

Company Party

Izzy scored her first goal for the Pink Unicorns today! She was SO proud of herself! They were still creamed, but that didn't take away an ounce of her happiness. :) 

Today was Ty's first company party at his new job. It was huge! They had a few bounce houses, slides, pony rides, contests, a raffle, face painters, a "beer garden", bands, a DJ, and tons of free food, ice cream, and beer. The girls could not have been more pleased when we drove up and they saw all the goings on from the street.

When I first told Izzy we were going to a party at Ty's job she asked, "They are having a birthday party for me? That's weird. How do they even know me? OR when my birthday is?"

HQ's first taste of Kettle Corn. She didn't speak until the whole thing was gone. Then she said, "Mo, peaz!" We have interpreted that to mean she liked it.

Ty participated in the "UMC" (ultimate merchandizer championship). He and his teammate went through an obstacle course that had many things to do with their job (and a few extra's like jumping hurdles and hopping over tires... like you do at most jobs). Ty was nervous since he had worked at 3am this morning and his body was pooped, but he and his teammate won!

Izzy making sure this is the perfect spot to watch Ty race.
She cheered louder than me!

Quietly enjoying popsicles.

The popsicle soon hits HQ.

Locke has the best seat in the house!
Ty, my beloved, is a pack horse. 

Listening to the raffle numbers being called. Izzy is semi upset when they call a number just one digit off.
The prizes were thinks like beach cruisers, snow boards, sports event tickets, restaurant gift cards etc.

All in all I'd say it was a good day. But now I have some last minute stuff to do for the girls' birthday party tomorrow and I'm tired. They are so excited!

Cherry Garcia

My mom helps out a lot. She babysits, invites us over for dinner, and likes to buy stuff for the kids. I always thought this was so sweet, but now I am not so sure. One thing she likes to purchase the most for the girls is socks. Yes, socks. Not just any socks. Colorful socks, days of the week socks, animal socks, tie dye socks, socks with bows, socks with bells... Whatever kind of sock they make, she buys them. She never buys the same pair twice. I did my share of "oh, are those cute", until I started to catch up on the laundry. We now have a basket that contains 38 clean socks with no match. That was even after pulling out the ones that no longer fit. These socks are all different designs, styles, thicknesses, brands etc. So even trying to do the cute mismatch sock thing wont work here! I think she's trying to secretly torture me. Bravo, Mom. Bravo.

Today was Ty's "Sunday" (he had Wed/Thurs off this week) so we spent the majority of the day just hanging out at home. It was also foggy morning which tends to make us a little lazier. Ty and Izzy even had left over pizza for breakfast to really get into the lazy mood.  Izzy wanted to get her home study started earlier today so she could finally check "foggy" on her weather chart before it cleared up. She's had 8 sunny checks in a row. It was getting pretty boring.

Mmm... Cherry Garcia

I made Locke some brussel sprouts for lunch.... as you see here they earned his
"What is this garbage you're feeding me?" face. I'm bummed it's blurry.

Izzy had soccer practice this afternoon. The girls had a british coach helping out today. He taught them some fancy footwork, some defensive techniques, and also how to say "It's groovy, baby. YEAH!"

An envious Locke and HQ watch practice.

Getting a high-five after returning a water bottle... that she stole.

She couldn't handle watching anymore and needed to go exploring.
She took Ty on a walk around his old alma mater.

 Time get back to staring at the sock basket in amazement.

Bees Love Eachother

I had my women's Bible study this morning. Getting three little ones ready in the morning and out by a specific time is a challenge. But we made it! Izzy loves going because they have a homework group set up for the older kids and a few of her friends go.

HQ walked quite tall in this outfit!

 We headed back home for lunch and for home study. I'm really loving the Saxon math program for Izzy. It just saturates her in math which she also really enjoys. I LOVE HOMESCHOOLING MY KIDS!

After sprinkling toys and coasters about the living room, HQ looks for more things to make messy.

Homework. HQ is singing which is making Izzy laugh. 

Our Proverb this week is "Pleasant words are like a honeycomb, Sweetness to the soul and health to the bones." When I asked Izzy what some of her favorite pleasant words were she said, "I love you. That's the best thing anyone can hear! It's sweet too. I wonder if bees love eachother..."  

Doing her "ho-woah" (homework)
Some very intense coloring.

Tonight we went out to order the girls' birthday cake, pick up a pizza, and head to our Hope 101 class. Before leaving Izzy changed, brushed her hair (removing all knots), and threw on a head band all by herself! She usually dresses herself, but I was surprised when she came downstairs in something that matched and was weather appropriate. She's growing! /sniffle

She asked, "Does this make me look like a teenager?"
I wanted to cry!

All the kids are asleep. It's time to make out with my hot husband. :) 

Stair Master

Yesterday we celebrated Ty's birthday at home. I made him Acadiana Shrimp Barbecue for his birthday dinner. It was my first time cooking shrimp that come with shells! Quite the experience, but the shrimp were much tastier. I don't know if that was just because I had to work that much harder to make them.

He is already climbing up the stairs... oh my. 

Helping Auntie pick out some recipes.

My mom and sister stopped by for some birthday dinner and mud pie (Ty's traditional birthday dessert) Ty enjoyed the gifts the girls picked out for him. We all watched Rio and he got to go to bed at 9:30. That was probably the best part of his night (seeing that he has been getting up at 4am the last 7 days). Tuesday is his Friday this week. He's looking forward to it!

Ty's Mud Pie. 

Today was spent at home. HQ started an ear infection. Izzy had a pretty bad on at that age which resulted in a trip to the emergency room and lots of medication, so I freaked out a bit. I called her doctor (I can't stress enough how much I love that lady!) and she told me to pick up some special herbal ear drops. They smelt like some sort of meat marinade. Almost immediately after using them HQ felt better. She also smells delicious.

Izzy came home from SD's with this eye mask. She believed they could make you fall asleep anywhere. After trying it all over the house today she has decided hers must be broken. 

Feeding Scarlett mandarin oranges. She didn't like them at first, but Izzy got her to like them.
For the fashion conscious: HQ is wearing a hula skirt complemented by a Christmas Elmo pajama top.

A gift my husband lavished upon me. Our wedding toaster broke :(
It even burns Kitty's face on the toast. HQ insisted I not get any peanut butter on Kitty's face.

A couple months ago I had a friend tell me I was, "living the dream". I thought "really? I don't travel, have bunches of money, or go out partying... I thought that was most peoples' view of "living the dream". Daily I love being a housewife more and more. All I have to do is take care of our home, teach our kids, love and respect my husband and I get blessed beyond measure (no.. not just with this toaster). My life is full of love! I suppose I really am "living the dream"!

Half of HQ's birthday present arrived today. How do you wrap these?

Ty's 29!

My mother in law told me I need to blog again or else! She's so mean! ... I love you Debbie :)

Where are the days going?! My dad always says, "life is like a roll of toilet paper, the closer you get to the end the faster it spins". I must be near the end then, because I can't imagine it going much faster than this!

Today was Ty's 29th birthday. 29! When did I marry such an old guy? :) These past few days have been full of celebrating and play dates. He is so loved! and rightly so if I may say it myself... Tomorrow we will be celebrating as a family. We have a couple surprises for him. We are so excited!

Ty still had to work this morning, but his boss made sure to give him an "easier" schedule today so he wouldn't have too much overtime. Yay! HQ and I made Ty a large batch of mini pizzas for at his request for his homecoming. HQ enjoyed rolling out the pizza dough into blobs. I thought it would make a cute touch and left a few that way. He scarfed those suckers down! He was pretty pooped, so we spent the rest of the afternoon and evening relaxing.

Locke's 4th tooth also just broke through AND last night was the first night he slept completely through. 9pm-7am.  My kids are getting so old!

A little collection of pics from the last couple days:

Yes she wears her sunglasses indoors, what?

I think Locke looks like he is planning something sneaky here.

In his little hawaiian shirt all ready for The Loft.

Shopping.

I don't know what she's doing here, but it makes me laugh.

 Izzy was with SD this weekend, but of course we still went to her game. It was the Pink Unicorns vs. the Flying Unicorns. Pfft, Flying Unicorns, how unoriginal... Izzy's team scored 7 points this time! Woohoo!

Watching Izzy play!

Go Izzy!

Wassat?

Giggly! 

Not even a minute later. Awesome. 

 Now it's time for me to sleep.