Hosting My 1st Thanksgiving Dinner Part II

We are going Potluck Style for the Feast this Thursday. Which leaves me a little nervous, being that certain family members can run on the late side. We can't  start the feast until all the main dishes are in the house.To ease my anxiety I have been looking up some good, fun, and easy appetizers...

Hosting My 1st Thanksgiving Dinner Part I

Hosting my First Thanksgiving Dinner this year! I am really excited about hosting and just spending time with family. First thing on the list is picking a simple, easy, and affordable centerpiece for the table. I am stuck between Fruit Centerpieces and spelling out GIVING THANKS. I think I will go with both some how...

5 tips for Parents to have a great Date Night!

1. We left BOTH kids behind...
with Grandma D and Papa. Sometimes it is hard as parents to leave the kids behind. I have decided it’s not a date with someone else tagging along. Even if the baby is still small, it’s really nice to be able to leave her home.
2. We did not  discuss the kids the entire time.
The issues and even great stories about the kids will still be there when we go home. We took time to enjoy each others company, not discuss why JJ can't understand why he should not kick the ball in the house. We talked about our dreams and goals. We also took time to even reminisce about our first date and other experiences in our past that put a smile on both of our faces.
3. We both put forth a lil effort in our appearance.

Yes and I had on a hat and my husband a sweatsuit but our attire was put together with a little effort. I love my husband in a nice sweatsuit especially when he is freshly shaved and groomed. My husband loves when my hair is pulled back and me in jeans. We both complimented each other.
4. We picked a great place.

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Wes chose a great Thai House Resturant that was family owned, very small, and intimate. I not only loved the food I loved everything, from the decor to the customer service.
5. We took in the moment
We both kept on saying ..." it feels good to be out with just you", "can you remember the last time we went to a resturant and just fed ourselves", "this reminds me of when we were dating or married without kids", and "this is nice".

Looking forward to the next one!

1/2 a year old!!!

My JoElle has just reached a monumental stage in life. Our Baby Girl is now 6 months.


“It seems like only yesterday”…

…I cried my eyes out when I seen my beautiful baby girl for the first time.

These days, JoJo…
 
likes rice cereal

likes to put whatever she can put into her mouth(including her feet) using her amazing motor skills 


likes to bounce in her jumper

likes to smile & laugh while her brother is running across the room, taking her toys from her, dancing to his worship songs, or yelling his usual "NO"

These days, (and everyday) we enjoy…

when JoJo lights up after seeing one of us walk in a room

when JoJo performs her soldier crawl across the living room

when JoJo has a deep, belly laugh and the giggles…

…and the list goes on and on….

We love you JoJo , thank you for these amazing 6 months!

JJ gets his 1st hair cut!

 A debate that Wes and I have been having is the status of JJ's hair. Wes felt  it was time to cut it and I wanted to hold on as long as possible. After seeing this picture and others taken over the last couple of weeks I finally gave into my husband's theory. I came to the conclusion that my theory of keeping ALL of JJ's precious curls forever was not realistic.

I made a compromise and told Wes if we were going to cut it I wanted to do it. He was a little hesitant, being that I do not have any experience in the hair cutting business. At the end of the day I became Mommy the Barber and cut 3 hand fulls of hair off of my sweet baby boy's head.

 This is the first picture that JJ took of his new hair cut.We went out to the garage where Wes' office(his desk next to the wash machine and dryer) is located to show off the handsome Lil Boy and Mom's 1st haircut! Wes was impressed!

I know  now why I wanted to wait. He now looks like a bigger boy and I wanted to hold on as long as I could to my baby boy.

Insta-Friday

Another InstaFriday! Linking up with pictures from my camera phone throughout the week!

We celebrated with costumes, family, and friends on the 31st and the weekend! To read more about the day read this blog! I also made this yummy cupcakes:)

One of my favorite days of the week is Sunday...going to church as a FAMILY! JJ was sleepy even before we got to church:(

Pure Happiness= Cinnamon Toast and Coffee!!!

JJ joined JoJo and I for a walk(my work-out) this week. This is also how I look when I work-out!!!

A Patient that delivered at my Hospital gave us Nurses Zucchini and Banana Bread. They were so good and I thought they were packaged quite cute! 

This picture was taken after my husband said"The day I give JoJo away at her wedding will be sad and sweet for me!"

Got together with the family on Sunday night and had a Mexican Fiesta Dinner....Delish!!!(My Sister and Niece in the pic above)

My husband has been so busy with work and school that I have had to shop for him! I enjoy doing it! I was in love with this sweater and took a picture of it and my husband loved it too. Went back to get it and they no longer had his size;(

Had breakfast for dinner on Wednesday...one of my favorites!

In traffic on the way home from work and got a picture of a woman driving and reading. Then I thought how bad am I...I am taking a picture while driving(in traffic)?

JoJo did not want to take a nap when I was trying to nap, so I had a Lil photo shoot with my Girl!

I am link up here with Insta-Friday

Costumes, Candy, and Cuteness!

It's that time again of the year to dress up, eat sweets, and admire everyone in their costumes. I enjoy this time of the year so much more now that I have kids. 2 weeks ago I found costumes for the kids 1/2 off! Did not know when and where they were going to wear them but I could not pass them up. We especially bought them because each costume represents the kids and their particular stages in life right now.

 JJ was a Hamburger. Why was this fitting for him? JJ is currently going through the "Terrible Twos". Each day we do not what type of Hamburger is going to wake up. We can get a bold and spicy one(attitude), one with pineapple on it(a sweet boy), or one that is medium rare(grumpy with moments of joy).

JoJo was a Strawberry. She is simply Sweet and Plump on each and everyday. We feel really blessed to have such a sweet tempered and easy going baby. SWEET!

 What would you know? Uncle T invited us over to his neighborhood Carnival down the street. It was a great set-up, the kids costumes were cute, and  we thought the sweets were delish(except for JoJo)!

 We then went to Great Aunt Kit's and Uncle Dennis' House. JJ played  when them and in their backyard, still wearing his costume! JoJo was tired from the previous activities and slept.

On Halloween we were invited us to a Halloween Park Party. My friend that we do play-dates with was hosting it. It was so so fun! She did a great job with picking a great park, serving healthy snacks,giving out pumpkins, and favor bags. We had a costume great time. JJ had a wonderful nap after it was all over! 


Who needs to Trick or Treat after all of this? Not us! Instead we passed out Candy to the Trick or Treaters.