Life

Tegan was being a great big sister playing in the floor with her little brother.



She was telling him things to make him laugh....and letting him play with her puppy dogs.

And then I guess he wanted to wrestle. Boys are crazy!

I can only imagine what is it going to be like in a couple years!! They are going to be fighting like cats and dogs I am sure!! LOL

Tegan's last day of swimming lessons were last night. She got her ticket...and was trying to figure out what it said...

Really trying....

I finally had to tell her that she didn't pass. I think I knew going into it that she wasn't going 2.

So this whole week I was sure to tell her how great she was doing and how far she had come.

Truth of the matter is there was only one kid in her class that passed and he was 8 years old. After class I was talking to some of the parents and a bunch of them were on their 2nd turn around.

There was even a little boy alittle younger than Tegan who was amazing at doing the stuff (he had taken the class three times already) and still hadn't passed. I really think it is a size issue. The next class starts out in the 4 foot area. And if your kid isn't that tall...

So we will do it again next time. She was happy to be doing it. :-) And she is becoming a great swimmer!

My loves....

The three most important people to me in the world:

The reason for my smiles:

Makes me sad to think they won't be this age ever again:

Part of our Valentine's day celebration:

Chuckie Cheese's

Some gifts:

Jensen stealing Tegan's gifts...lol

Childhood

All of this talk about getting old...and I had a blast from my past today. A co-worker brought in these candies:

When I was younger and lived in Lyons we would go to the hotel for dinner. They had a big treasure chest full of candies like these. After you were done eating you could go and pick out some candy. I use to love doing this. I would pick this candy everytime. I ate one today...and yuck! I guess I don't like them 2 much anymore but it was enough to make me smile!

And preferred health systems brought in this game. I use to play it when I was a kid. I just can't remember how I did it!! You have to get the circle off of the other things. Harder than it looks!

Happy Hump Day everyone. :)

Changing...

It's funny. A year ago you would ask me what I enjoyed doing or what was my stress reliever I would have told you going out with girlfriends to have drinks or partying it up at a club. You ask me today...I would say scrapbooking, cooking or curling up with the hubby and watching a really good movie. Isn't it funny how you change as you get older? I know I am 25 but...my whole life has changed over this last year.

What has changed? Well my mom passed away in November. I had my baby boy in December and my husband fell in a grain elevator in April. Yup...30 feet onto concrete. Tim broke his L1-L5 vertebrae, pelvis (completely through laterally) and crushed his sacrum. I am so lucky to still have him. All of that trauma and he is still able to walk! He will probably never be back 100% but I am just really glad to have him. He is my best friend.
All that stress it's no wonder I found my first gray hair about a month ago. And since then I have really been thinking about getting old. Just to be clear I am not saying having my baby was a stress...I am just saying having a new baby and a daddy that wasn't able to help much was tough.

All these thoughts about getting old makes me wonder what I will be like when I am 50? Will I be well off? Will I have grandbabies? Will I still be young at heart? I have noticed how much my tastes have changed even turning from 20 to 25. It makes wonder how much more my taste will change.

Also...thinking about growing old...I am glad that I had my babies younger in life. (Tegan when I was 20 and Jensen when I was 24) This way maybe I won't be 2 old to do things with them. My mom was 36 when she had me and it kind of sucked at times. She didn't want to play with me I always had to play with my brothers and sisters. Don't get me wrong she was a great mom. She was very stable we never had to worry about where our next meal would come from or if we would have a phone or cable. It just was she wasn't very hip or into fashion. She would rather sit around a read books and watch T.V. with my step dad then go outside and play with me. Also another thing...lol she couldn't understand why I wanted a $100.00 pair of jeans instead of going to Walmart and having a pair of those. (This was before Wal-mart had cute clothes!)

Haha...but I guess she made me who I am today. And I am thankful for that. :) I just think sometimes I get down on myself because I think what if I would have waited to have kids until I was done with college or what if I would have waited until we were better off. Well there are no more what ifs...I am glad. My babies are happy...healthy...and soon we will be okay. No more struggling...no more worrying. :) Just as soon as Tim and I finish school! (Hopefully we will be able to find jobs after that! haha!)

Paint $50.00, results PRICELESS

When we moved back into the house we own I thought that I wanted a green kitchen. Even when we were painting it I thought that I loved a green kitchen. After it was said and done...I hated a green kitchen. So I have lived with it for six months now....and I decided since I got a new table...I needed a new paint job for sure!!















And when it was all said and done....

I really did want a new painted kitchen! LOL Now to invest in some either black or stainless steel appliances. :)

Also, last night Grandma Livesay brought over some of the sweetest looking bananas....they were just Jensen's size.

I have never seen anything like them before!!

Recap...

I have been meaning to blog about this. I got sick with a bug and didn't get around to it. I am finally feeling better. :)

Yes, I already posted about these dresses...but I finally uploaded my pictures from when we got home from grandmas.

Hey girl hey....

Super Models...

Tegan has a her attitude face on...and Trin is just being silly. Love it!

Yes, I let Tegan roller blade in the house. This use to be one of my favorite activities when I was growing up. It was just way 2 cold 2 do it outside...we moved the rug and let her go. (Don't look at the dirt where the rug was...haha yuck!)

Doesn't my little guy look so chunky? ;-) He is all boy!!

Nothing better than early morning painting...

And this is what we did before the super bowl party...

Yes, I climbed up in the play center...crawling through it just so my little guy could go down the slide. Wow...talk about a workout!

Geshhh...I feel like I am caught up to speed. :) Now to blog about what I did last night!!

Super Bowl Dresses

Angela and I worked for hours trying to make the girls some play dresses. We cut out the sizes and added velcro...and the velcro wouldn't stay...so we broke out the mini sewing machine...and that didn't work! So we loaded up and headed to Grandma Livesay's.



Within ten minutes we had two fashion diva's ready to party for the rest of the super bowl!

We know what to do next time....just go straight to Gma's with our material! :)

The devil is working on me.....

It has been one of those days. Nothing has gone right at work...and I just feel like crying. Honestly, it has been a hard week and it is only Wednesday! Monday, I got a letter from my moms lawyer saying that there was nothing that they could do after a year of dragging it out. Then we were cleaning out closets on my lunch break and I had to face her belongings these were belongings that I just tucked away...until I could handle them. I guess I wasn't ready..or maybe it was the fact that I got that letter and her death meant nothing that same day. Who knows....all I know is I miss my mommy. :)

That same day when I got back to work I found out that some of my transfer credits weren't going to count. So besides the program I will have to take four extra classes or either write Life Essays for three of them and pray that it gains me the credit that I need. I was so excited about college now I am just kind of bummed.

I tried not to let it all this get me down. I was rolling with the punches minus being alittel bummed. I tried to focus on the fact I was working out, eating good and building my relationship with God. These are great things...that I am really enjoying.

Then the next punch came....I was told my loan on my house was transferred to a new company and I will have to send in a bunch of crap that I already sent not once but twice to the previous company....frustrating! I just pray that God takes the wheel. I need him now more than ever. I really don't want to lose our house!

This morning my daughter Tegan threw the biggest fit when my husband dropped her off at school. She just hates preschool anymore. She is way too advanced for her class. I called her teacher today and we are going to work on it. I just feel bad for Tegan. I am afraid I might have made the wrong decision pulling her out of her old "school." It might be time to shop around or let her stay home. She only gets to be a kid once and then when she starts Kindergarten it is school for the rest of her life til after college. Who knows. I just know I don't want her bored in Kindergarten. I want her to enjoy school and her friends.

Now after typing all of this the reason why I am upset this afternoon doesn't seem so bad. I am just stressed at work. A co-worker is quitting and the Medicaid system is changing and I guess I don't adapt to change very well in my older age. (Yes, I know I am 25...but still lol)

SO PLEASE GOD...TELL THE DEVIL LEAVE ME ALONE! I DON'T THINK I CAN TAKE MUCH MORE... :) I KNOW HE IS WORKING ON ME...BECAUSE I AM TRYING TO BETTER MY LIFE AND MY RELATIONSHIP WITH YOU.

Taco Soup

Tegan and I prepared supper last night so it would be ready when I got home from work today. We made Taco Soup. I had never had this before...but it sounded good. Here is the receipe.Taco Soup--

1.5 lbs ground beef
1/2 onion, chopped
1 can black beans
1 can whole kernel corn, drained
1 can Rotel tomatoes
1/2 package taco seasoning mix

1/2 package Original Hidden Valley Ranch dressing (dry)
2 1/2 cups water

Brown ground beef and onions in a large pan, and drain off fat.

Add remaining ingredients and simmer for an hour or so.

Tim and I are going to add corn bread to the soup when we eat it tonight. We tested it last night...and it tasted better with the cornbread mixed in. :) (And cheaper in calories than adding the fritos, cheese and sourcream. ) But it is up to you. :)

1st day down.... ;-)

I am proud of myself! (**Patting myself on the back**) I went to the gym for the first time yesterday. The trainer took me around and showed me how to use all of the machines. I had some difficulty doing what she told me to do. Like not bending my elbows when I wasn't suppose to or not sticking my butt out far enough. I have two more training sessions before they let me loose so I am sure I will get the hang of it. The gym is only women which is nice. The women at the gym are very supportive. It was kind of nice while I was trying to learn what the heck I was doing they were giving me pointers and what worked for them. It almost seems like one big happy family out there.

Well wish me luck...I am going again tonight when I get off work. I can't wait to get this extra weight off! :) My goal is 25 pounds by March 30th...and I have already lost 3 of them. I can do this! I did it before I can do it again.

Cooking :)

I have decided this was a great way to spend a Sunday afternoon. Tegan and I decided to make some beef stew. We cut up all of the fresh veggies...well all but the corn, green beans, and tomatoes. Browned our stew meat and added it all into a big pan. Topped it off with water and some beef bouillon cubes and let it boiled/simmer for 3 hours. I can't wait to have some for lunch!!

Tegan once again wearing her 5 shirt. She loves it so much!! I think she is proud to be 5!

The mess we made cutting up all the veggies...:)

Yes we even dropped some of the floor. And the dogs wouldn't eat!

Our stew ready to cook. :)

And now some pictures to laugh at. I guess Jensen wanted a bedtime snack. I could hear him in the kitchen doing something... I went in there and he was in the fridge...

He had uncovered our leftover chicken and noodles we had at dinner..

And was eating the noodles...

Boys! Tegan still doesn't get into the fridge without asking....:)