a HILL of a good time.........: January // 2014

January... I am so lucky to have two weeks off at the end of December/beginning of January.. Crazy thing is, I use it to do things like this...

A full clean-out of the boy's room. Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. I refuse to do this for him. If he helps, he is proud of himself in the end. Double win for me.

Our sweet neighbor's dog who ALWAYS gets out and ALWAYS comes to find Wrigley to play. He is precious but naughty.

I sent the baby to school some of the break. Do I feel guilty? Not a bit. I was able to get a TON of stuff done, he stayed on a decent schedule and I got to have awesome lunch dates with this cutie.

Did I mention I got a ton of stuff done? Yes, I like to laminate my kid's school work on my time off. Don't judge, it makes me happy.

We celebrated one of the sweet neighborhood kiddo's birthday. Love her!

Chaz became a wee bit addicted to Club Penguin over the break, he was sweet enough to let his brother see what he was doing on the 'puter.

This is how we watch TV.

Ryan was able to take the boy to a few basketball games. This one they were lucky enough to sit with his cousin Jackson. According to the hubs they had "AMAZING" seats but Chaz opted to sit with Jackson. Kids.

Then this happened. Literally on the day I was to head back to work after a 2 week holiday break. It sounds like that would be a welcomed work from home day but if you have seen any of my past posts, you would understand working from home is a bit of a challenge. AND I was ready to go back. I had mentally prepared myself to return to work and get in the groove of 2014. The dreaded email came early enough for me to prepare the kiddos for a Shhhhhhhhh-mommy-is-on-a-call day at home.

Again, working from home with a toddler has some unexpected challenges.

We are also the crazy folks that decided to add in potty training to these crazy days. I mean, we are already stuck at home.. why not?!?!

And then day two... I started referring to this as "the email" My friends would rely on me for updates as it seemed I was the first to know. I didn't want to be the first to know. I just wanted to bury my head in the ~~sand~~ snow. Ugh. I thrive on normalcy. I am a creature of habit. Why, Mother Nature?? WHY??

We are smart enough to have the friends over for dinner when this kinda thing happens. Nothing expends more energy than a house of kiddos.The older ones were running a muck upstairs.

The insanity!!!

I finally broke out of the house and left the hubs one day. I had to free myself from the cabin fever....Schools were closed but we were able to be a little mobile. The boy and his daddy when to Village Inn for lunch while I went to work. HAPPY PLATE!!

The baby ended up covered in applesauce for dinner.

When I did return home this little dude stole my delish drink.. Good thing he is cute!

And then "the email" was actually a good one! Kids, you are going back to school! YIPPEE!!!

Our friends came in town with their new baby. Mmmmmmmmmmmmm! I love babies and little Luke is no exception. I really wish he didn't live so far away.

My parents are so wonderful and were able to keep the kiddos while we attended the SSX ~~Christmas End-of-Year~~ January party. We met them the next day to pick up the kids. As we were leaving lunch the boy said "Papa said we get ice cream next" Ummmmmmm, ok??

Little did I know, the Cherry Berry in Rogers actually has an arcade. He knew... but I didn't. I think it was a little secret between him and his Papa.

This baby was only interested in the car game. Too bad he is just a little too short.

And then there were these two kiddos. They were WAY too into this game. I think they actually ended up spending the last of the tokens. It was so random and so fun!

We were able to escape for a friend's birthday party one evening. The only two pictures I got were of a dog in a booth.... at a bar.

And me and my crazy girl, Jen. Love, love, love her!!!

Because of all of the crazy snow (at this point, one long track in December and a few days in January) the kiddos had to go to school on MLK day. I was off as our office was closed so the hubs and I decided to join Chaz for lunch. And by lunch I mean sitting with him at 10:45 (yes, they have lunch at 10:45) and watching him eat his lunch.

When you join them for lunch, they take you to a special table and your child gets to invite a friend to join him/her. Chaz chose Noah, one of his BFFs.

We didn't tell him beforehand so he was beyond excited. Which really translates to incredibly goofy!

Love this kid and his silly face!

I will say, the fact that they took the entire day to learn about Martin Luther King Jr, isn't really a bad thing. Chaz came home and told me an incredible amount of information. I really don't think they would have dove that deep if they weren't forced to attend school on this National holiday. Good job, Fayetteville Schools, good job!

The boys were up for haircuts. So we headed to Meme's house for a trim. This one is a bit of a challenge.

This one always looks miserable but really isn't...and I don't always take pictures of the hubs but he gets a haircut too. Thanks Meme!!

Dane's BFF lives across the street and he often watches for him to come over. He literally will stand at our window and go "where Jack?" I hear Jack does the same. Precious boys!

We actually had a really nice day so it took about 2.5 seconds for this family to decide we were going to the park. Our favorite park in Johnson with the big blue slide. The kids hac a blast!!

Oh the goofy seat. If you can watch someone on this and not laugh, you don't have a funny bone in your body. It is a riot.

Nothing better than kids, sunshine and swings. Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.

My f

My fav!

My loves!

What a wonderful morning at the park! I simply can't wait for spring to get here (AND STAY!!) so we can do more of this!!

Then something monumental happened....the baby ate ketchup. You are probably saying "What? Really? Why such the big deal? All toddlers eat ketchup and most use the french fry as a spoon to eat said ketchup" Well, not in this house... you see, my hubs is... um, shall I say afraid of ketchup. For real, it is a phobia. It is called mortuusequusphobia. Look it up. There are actually support groups. Wow.

Now to be clear, I really doubt the hubs has said phobia or would ever be clinically diagnosed with it or join a support group. But at the very least he has an extreme hatred for it. Extreme. Over the years it has gotten better-- he can sit at a table with a ketchup bottle on it (as long as it is not clear or oozing) he can handle a ketchup packet if the opportunity presents itself and we actually have ketchup in our fridge (although it is on the back of the very bottom shelf--out of site, out of mind)

So on this day when the baby asked for it and the hubs grabbed the bottle and plopped some on his plate--- I almost fell out of my seat. WOW! Unfortunately for the hubs, he liked it. He really liked it.

Remember that park day? Yes, the next day was slated to be 24. Really? Arkansas weather is not for the weak. Or those who would like to be well for more than a day at a time. Or those who would like to plan and properly dress for a full day's time.

Have I mentioned lately that I have the best hubs on the planet? His randomness often times drives me up the wall but it makes for fun and spontaneous adventures with our boys. Like this one on the way home from school one day. He knew I was running late at work and decided to swing on into the fire station for a little fun. Such a good daddy!

And when the baby wants to style his hair, why not?

Randomness at my house results with a face full of stickers.

The scolding is much more effective coming from the baby. Damn dog.

They actually took this picture and I love it. I really love it because it is my boys but the special thing about it is the sign hanging in the background. There is one in each of their rooms. Chaz picked them out for Mother's Day one year.... and since I am a mom to two, I got two. Precious!!!

He was able to celebrate his BFFs bday one afternoon after school. So much fun! I love this little family to death!!

Goofy sweet kiddos!

Snuggletime with my babies! Seriously nothing better!!!

My baby noting his favorite songs.. I love to sing him to sleep and I love that he knows the songs I sing.

And my randoms for the month..

January was a challenging month. We learned a close friend's daughter was diagnosed with leukemia. I pray everyday for this sweet girl. She is technically in remission but still has a long road ahead of her with treatments. Amelia and her family are very dear to us so if you could, please say a prayer for her. She is a fighter, no doubt, and will kick this thing in the butt! I just know it!

I love this. Just love it.

This was kind of my motto for the month. Ugh. Welcome to 2014, right?

How could you not giggle??!?!

So true.. so very true.

This month my uncle celebrated his 75th birthday. My cousin wanted him to get showered with cards and requested we all send him one. No brainer, right? Well, ours was a little late... because when I was taking it to be mailed, I decided to review Chaz's work. Unfortunately, he didn't finish and it doesn't really look like the rocket ship he was intending. So wrong but so funny!