Happy Birthday Gramps!

I can't believe time has flown by so quickly that my husband is now 30 years old! The big 3-0. We don't care too much about age in this family, I feel like it all depends on how you feel and I know Keith is just a kid at heart! I love him so much and wanted to publicly wish him a happy birthday!! Here are 30 things I love about my old man! In no particular order...

1. He is my best friend, and he loves me through all the ups and downs.
2. He loves our kids and would do anything for them.
3. He loves the Gospel, and he sets a good example for the whole family with his strong testimony.
4. He is fun! He will wrestle with the kids or play video games with me and it is always a good time.
5. I love that he does the dishes, every day!!!
6. He is sweet and kind hearted and balances out my craziness.
7. He loves his Momma and never treats her with disrespect. I love that!!
8. I love that he talks to at least one of his brothers EVERY DAY!
9. He is mad crazy about them Cowboys!
10. He has ambition and drive for life, he doesn't just want to sit around and get dusty.
11. I love that Keith helps me in raising the kids, he is not a guy to sit on the couch while I give the kids a bath or change a nasty diaper, he is right there too, in the trenches with me.
12. I love that he supports me while I am having to work, which means that most of the time he is the one giving them those baths!
13. He never bosses me around (much appreciated!).
14. He buys me things like a fan for my hot office or a heating pad for my sore back. Always thinking about me, so sweet!
15. I love his soft skin! Seriously his arms are so soft and he doesn't even lotion!! (He has all the luck!)
16. I love his sense of humor, even though I don't laugh at all his jokes. Sometimes the man can bring me to tears with laughter, and it feels good!
17. He isn't afraid to be goofy! To dance around with the kids to crazy music, or sing silly songs in the car.
18. He humors me when I ramble on about stuff that he probably could care less about, but he lets me talk and is a great listener.
19. I love when he rambles on about stuff that I could care less about ;)
20. He isn't afraid to get his hands dirty. Whether it's changing a tire in the middle of the night on the side of a road, or just cleaning the bathtub.
21. He doesn't get mad when I am afraid to get my hands dirty!
22. I love how excited he is about law school, and about the job he has now and all that he is learning. He will make a great lawyer one day soon!
23. I love that he is willing to serve others, he is always ready to help with "emergency" moves, or whatever else comes our way.
24. He watched every single episode of the Gilmore Girls with me.
25. I love how excited (I am talking EXCITED) he got over the HUGE container of Jelly Belly's he got for his birthday (thanks Kirchmann's!).
26. I love that he is so SHY and reserved at first, and everyone thinks he is this quiet guy, but at home he is the life of the party.
27. I love that he is OK with a quiet night in, he doesn't want to be out all night doing stuff. He just wants to spend time with me and the kids.
28. He loves sports and fishing and video games. He loves all that guy stuff, and I like that, and I also like that he won't ditch us to do those things.
29. He lives his life worthy. He doesn't drink or smoke or swear. He is setting a great example for the kind of man I want Brady to be.
30. He is all mine! LOL. I couldn't have picked a better match for me in every way! He balances me daily, and makes life fun!

There are more things, tiny things, every day things that make me love this man! I am so lucky and blessed to have him in my life. He is the perfect match for me, and I know that, even when we fight!

I love you Keith Bowers! Happy Birthday!

Copy Cat

OK, so Jenny first had the great idea of making a separate blog to showcase her pages and I realized that is what I need to do too so I don't clog up this blog with all my pages! I am trying so hard to do a page a day so that I can get through these pictures and maybe one day get caught up! So if you do like to look at that stuff I will keep the new button on the right updated and all you have to do to go to my new blog is click on the picture, pretty cool!

Tag! I'm it...again!

Caroline tagged me this cute tag, and I thought it was perfect considering Keith's big birthday is just around the corner!

Whats his name? Keith Aaron
How long have you been together? 7 years, married for 6.
How long did you date? Technically 4 months from being "boyfriend and girlfriend" to getting engaged, but we knew each other as friends before that for 9 months.
How old is he? 29 going on 30 on Monday!
Who eats more? Keith. Period.
Who said I love you first? Well, we had been saying I love you to each other as friends for a long time, but for REALS...Keith, and then I didn't talk to him for a week! Because he was too old, and I was so young, and I knew this was someone I could fall in love with and marry and I wasn't sure if I was ready for that!
Who is taller? Keith, by a foot.
Who sings better? Me, for sure! LOL
Who is smarter? That is debatable...I won't even TRY to answer this one!
Who does the laundry? Me, because I promised Keith way back when we had to cart the laundry down to the laundry room that if he would do it then, I would do it when we had the washer and dryer in our house. And I have been pretty good about keeping my end of the bargain!
Who pays the bills? Keith
Who sleeps on the right side? Moi.
Who mows the lawn? We don't have one, but if we did, it would be the Mr.
Who cooks dinner? We totally take turns (which is AWESOME!!), Keith cooks when I work, and I try and cook when I don't!
Who drives? We take turns, it seriously depends, but I really don't like when he drives my car because he is SO TALL and messes with my settings!
Who is more stubborn? I honestly don't think I would label either of us as stubborn, but I probably have more of a tendency to be than Keith.
Who kissed who first? Hmmm...Keith kissed me our "first" kiss during a lame game of truth or dare on a loooong car ride. But the first kiss was mutual.
Who proposed? Keith, at Folly Beach while we were trying to catch a South Carolina sunrise, the sunrise didn't happen, but I didn't mind!
Who has more friends? I do, but that is because I have more play dates and more activities during the week while Keith is busy at work!
Who is more sensitive? Keith, for sure!
Who has more siblings? It is a tie!
Who wears the pants? LOLOL....I do!

I tag....Kelli, Sarah, Danielle and Mindi. Have fun with this one!

Pretty Girl

I might need to start another blog to post all these, unless you readers don't care! The title on this one is CHEE-ZAY, but I think it fits!
I like the way this one looks, I tried to add stickers, but couldn't get rid of the background, but maybe I like it plain and simple. It looks like something I would paper scrap, and I like that.

Template by Erica, #34 (surprise, surprise! This woman has wonderful templates!)
Papers by CuppyCake Digital Designs, Fairy Fresh Kit

Holy Hotness!

Ok, so Missy convinced me last year that I needed to watch So You Think You Can Dance. And Oh. My. Goodness! Last night was SOOOO good! SO GOOD! Loved it, and I actually voted, and I made Keith come watch some of the dances over again with me! They were SO GOOD! I have so many favorites already, so I am scared to watch the elimination show tonight! So far I have agreed with all the eliminations, and I am sure that my most favorites will be safe tonight (Courtney and Gev and Chelsie and Mark), and I also really like Jessica and Will and hope they will be safe too! SO GOOD! If you aren't watching it...START! For serious! Oh! It gives me chills on some of those dance routines! So good!

P.S. Ever notice how funny Kat says "So you think you can dance"? It is like she doesn't move her mouth or something, I don't know what it is, but watch for it, you will see what I mean!

One more...

I love this one!

Template by Erica's Templates, #54
Papers by TwoBoyz, Backyard Boy
Font by Fonts for Peas, Pea Missy

Couch Potato

I have been wanting to make this one since I very first started. I am not sure if I am in LOVE with it, but it needed to get done so I would stop thinking about it! (In fact now that I am looking at it, I am sure I am going to edit this one later!)


Template by Erica's Templates, #48
Paper by Mandy Mystiques, father's day blog freebie
Font by Fonts for Peas, Pea Times New Camileon

Hurrah!

Thanks to Bonnie and her wonderful, wonderful, WONDERFUL tip! I was finally able to figure out how to get started on digiscrapping with PSE6! Yay! Now I just need someone to tell me how to add these super cute little elements and get rid of their white backgrounds...any takers?

This page will be done (I think) once I can get rid of those white backgrounds! I am LOOOVING this!

Papers by Ellie Lash, Little Bird design
Buttons and Sun by TwoBoyz, Backyard Boys kit
Template by Erica's Templates, #42
Font by Fonts for Peas, Pea Missy

Oh, what a day!

This was one of those days that happen and if you are a journal writer it is one for the books! I don't have a journal so it is one for the blog. This is a VERY long post, I wanted to remember the WHOLE day! Seriously, don't even try to read this unless you have a free hour or so!

The day started out well enough, I woke up rested and migraine free after a major migraine complete with nausea and severe pain behind my left eye (luckily it went away so no CT needed...lol). Anywho, the kids ate well, watched a little Arthur and we were out the door to the Rec center for our thrice weekly visit. Once there I was in such a good mood that I had a great work out! I was so proud, I burnt 300 calories and did upper arm weights. Felt GOOD! The only downside was that Brady likes to have his smelliest. diapers. EVER. at the rec center, so that is always nice!

Then we headed off to Sarah's for a dip in the pool. The weather was nice, the kids were enthusiastic and I was hoping this would be a nice smooth day...oh was I wrong! I should have gotten the clue when Natalie started acting as if she had lost her best friend. Complete with sad face, not playing and splashing, and just generally not acting like herself. So we headed in for a bite to eat, and of course she didn't eat anything! A quarter of a PB & Honey sammie and a bite of a cheese stick. Not a good sign. And she said she had to go potty but didn't. Hmmm... So after cleaning up Brady's 4th MESSY diaper of the day (what the heck?!?) we were heading out and I bent over or something and felt a strain in my back. It hurt! I wasn't sure what it was, but it wasn't too horribly painful (yet) so I wasn't too worried. Well, so out the door we went and on our way to the wonderful Wal Mart (insert sarcasm here).

The whole ride over there Natalie was complaining of being hungry, and I knew something was up and they didn't fell well, so I splurged and let them get happy meals to eat in the cart. Did they eat them? NO! Of course not, Natalie had half her apples, one bite of her cheeseburger (no onions, no pickles), and a few gulps of milk. Brady ate most of his apples, 3/4 of his apple juice and didn't touch his burger! Oh well! I knew Keith would eat the burgers, so no real money lost. Anywho, so we start shopping and Natalie is riding in the back because she is tired and doesn't want to walk, Brady is clinging to my chest and forcing me to basically hug the cart because he wants me to hold him which I obviously can't! So here I am leaning against the cart trying to console my two tired children and shoving the necessities in the cart as fast as I can! Oh! and I forgot the MOST important part! By this time, my lower back and right flank is KILLING me, I felt like I strained it trying to get Brady out of the car, and at this point I can barely lean against the cart without grimacing in pain. So, this was a pretty fun trip I must say! LOL. Finally our mad dash through the store is over, I pay for our crap, load our reusable WM bags (thank goodness I remembered them this day!) and head to the car. By this point I am in some SERIOUS pain, I don't get in actual pain very often, never, that I can think of other than my C sections, so this was NOT COOL for me. I am cringing bending over to buckle the kids and luckily Nat was a big helper. It was pretty comical actually, something I can't describe, but I don't think I will forget! We were all jammed into the car, 2 kids, one aching Mommy, 1 swimming inner tube, 2 huge bags of groceries, 1 purse, 1 beach bag and I think that about covers it! We were tight, but I didn't want to risk putting the stuff in the trunk because I knew I wouldn't be able to get it out! Anywho, we were on our way! Only one last obstacle before we could all get cleaned up and lay down for naps...

...the stairs! Oh my heavens! This is why I am glad I had my WM bags, because they fit SO MUCH that I was able to get all the groceries into 2 bags, so that meant I only had to haul 2 bursting grocery bags, 1 bursting beach bag and my purse as well as 2 very tired kids up the stairs to the house. Piece. of. cake. Hahaha hehe hoho hmm. Yeah, not so much. As soon as I maneuvered the kids out of the car (remember at this point I can't bend over AT ALL), and somehow got all the bags on my arms I told Brady that, "Yay!" he can go up the stairs by himself, which normally he LOVES to do. Not today. Oh, no, not today. And then? The bliss of knowing my neighbors came to fruition! Our downstairs neighbor happened out at just the right time and he took all my bags for me so I could carry Brady up the stairs. That one last bright light got us all in the house safely and we were THIS CLOSE to naps!

By this time I had called Keith and told him of my pain (and I am not exaggerating, surprisingly), it was SO bad, I just can't handle pain, especially since I rarely ever am actually in PAIN. So he had called his brother Ryan to see if I had pinched a nerve or something, and he said probably not because no real numbness or anything, so we were still stumped. So with no relief in sight for my pain I put the cold things in the fridge (and left the rest haphazard all over the counters and floor for poor Keith), got the kids washed, changed and in bed (we even skipped brushing teeth, lol) by this time we were all so tired! No one cared! Brady went right to sleep in his bed and Natalie and I were off to cuddle in mine. The worst was over! It was a crazy, crazy morning! But my kids were such troopers! They knew when Mommy needed help, and they did it. Natalie was so awesome to help me get Brady's shoes off (since I couldn't bend over, did I mention that??), and she just really showed how grown up she has gotten. The worst was over and we all made it in one piece with NO YELLING!!! Hurrah for me!

Anywho, the end of the story goes like this (did any of you figure out my pain yet?)...at work that night Dr. Sarah suggested my sciatic nerve. Ding ding ding ding! We have a winner! That is totally what it was/is! She found me all these super great websites with tips on how to ease the strain. And it all worked. That is what I get for exercising without stretching, and that is how I have really realized that my body isn't healthy! I need to take better care of myself! So luckily I know what is wrong with me (thanks again Sarah) and though it still hurt pretty bad for a bit this morning, I am pretty able to keep it under control with heat and ice and lots of laying down and stretching. I can NOT imagine having this pain while pregnant. I am such a wuss no one would be able to be around me for all the moaning and groaning I would be doing!

Whew! So what a day! My first foray into sciatic pain and on a day when my monkeys weren't well either. Not likely to forget , but at least now I have all the details written down!

More about ME!!

What were you doing 10 years ago? I was meeting my bestest friend, Mindi, during our 4th year Girl's Camp. Getting ready to start Junior year. And basically mooning over my high school love ALL. THE. TIME.

5 years ago? Finding out I was preggo with Natalie. Stressing over what to do with my major seeing as how I would be GIVING BIRTH during my final semester of college (4 years down the drain...I kid, I kid). Loving being at BYU-Idaho and having tons of girl friends in my Elementary Education classes.

5 months ago? President Hinckley died. A case of the blogging blahs. Cowboy's messed it all up AGAIN (and broke Keith's heart). Getting my new (dusty) elliptical.

5 things on my to do list...
1) Catch up on the fricken Quilt along.
2) Clean the bathroom (bleh).
3) Learn how to use my Photoshop Elements 6 (darn you 6!).
4) Get a haircut.
5) Put the kids clean clothes away.

5 Snacks... (guilty or not??)
1) Pretzels and a cheese stick-not
2) Ruffles and french onion dip-guilty
3) MUG root beer (SOOOO good in the summer time!)-guilty
4) flaky pastry!!!!-Um...not?? just kidding! GUILTY AS CHARGED!
5) Toast-undecided

5 millionaire things...
1) Buy me a van and Keith a whatever the heck he wants (he is so fickle I never know what the car of the moment is!).
2) Pay off student loans.
...and that would take all of it! just kidding! LOL, IF we had any left over...
3) Take my Mom to Europe.
4) Spa WEEK with my girlfriends!
5) Buy a modest house, and SAVE the last $200.

3 bad habits...
1) Thumping my head (don't ask).
2) Picking my lips.
3) Stress eating.

5 places I have lived...
1) Grant Pass, Oregon
2) Salem, Oregon
3) Portland, Oregon
4) Cheney, Washington
5) Rexburg, Idaho

5 jobs I have had...
1) Deli girl at the IGA in Cheney
2) Computer lab assistant at BYU-I
3) Assistant Manager at an apartment complex
4) PartyLite Candle Consultant
5) Nighthawk Radiology


5 things people don't know about me...
1) I was in drama when I was younger. I actually had a teeny tiny part in a local college production of The Worst Christmas Pageant Ever AND I have it on tape! I also did a few plays at this local theater in town, and it was SO MUCH FUN. I also tried out for Rescue 911, but I laughed during my audition because I was SO nervous, needless to say I didn't get the part!
2) I used to lift weights, a LOT, during high school, because they offered a class during the hour before school started, and I liked to go to the early, early seminary because that was the ones all my friends went too, and they were all in zero hour classes. So rather than sit around school for an hour, I took weight training.
3) From preschool to 12th grade I went to 11 different schools. We are NOT a military family. 4 schools in 2nd grade alone. I like to blame this on any random pieces of information I may not know. "Presidents? Don't know them, must have missed them in the second grade curriculum..."
4) I like milk, a lot.
5) I really, really wanted to be an Astronaut, but then I heard that you had to have perfect vision, so I settled on being an architect (I LOOOOVE houses), but then I stunk at drafting, so then I settled for an elementary school teacher, but then I got pregnant so I settled for a Bachelors in "University Studies"! Hey, at least I have a Bachelors!

Like this list? Steal it! I did!

Brady's First Apple

He started eating it at the potluck that we have on Thursdays, but he didn't have time to finish. So he chowed on it all the way home (I let him eat in the car!!) and then went straight to the table to finish up! Looks like we are going to have to buy more apples!Of course Natalie wanted one too!

Two days down...

...a million to go! We did it! We went to exercise AGAIN!!! And it was FUN! That was the most surprising thing, I burnt calories, worked up a sweat, and had a good time. I actually wanted to work out (that may or may not have something to do with my competitive nature coming out when there were people HOGGING the machines, made me want them even more! LOL).

An unwelcome first...

I am telling you there is nothing scarier than standing there with your child in your arms and all of a sudden seeing a LARGE splash of blood all over the front of his shirt! Today after dropping Natalie of at school I had picked up Brady after he ran over to me and was talking to him a little bit when seriously all of a sudden there was a TON of blood droplets all over the front of him. For a split second my mind starts thinking who got shot, is Brady cut, who died and splattered blood on my son, did a bird just bleed on Brady?!? All of these crazy random thoughts then I realized he had a bloody nose! He handled it very well and tipped his head back just like I asked him too. He gets them just like I do, from the heat! This was the first of many nosebleeds in his lifetime, of that I am sure! Luckily we were already planning on going to Target so I could find the cheapest cute shirt and change his clothes so he didn't have to walk around looking like he took a blood bath, all morning! We then went and got his haircut! I will try and post pictures tomorrow, he looks SO different after we cut off all his long shaggy blond hair.

Hurrah for good deals!

OK, now we are supposed to be pinching pennies right now because there seem to be a MILLION things that we have to spend money on coming up in the next month or so. But today I went to Target and found some great deals on important stuff! I was so excited, and I thought I would pass the savings on to you! In their seasonal section (where they have the Christmas, Halloween, whatever stuff) right now they have a ton of household items sold in bulk for some pretty good prices. If you compare to the normal packages in the main store it ends up being about the same as buy 2 get one free, which is pretty good considering that things like toothpaste, and deodorant rarely go on sale, and if you are not a coupon person you just end up paying full price when you finally run out (that would be me). So if you are in need of toothpaste, deodorant, toothbrushes, sandwich bags, laudry soap, etc. check out Target when you get the chance!

Also, a few weeks ago Haley (a friend from church for those of you not from around here) took me to a magical place...the Mrs. Baird's bakery outlet!! I will never buy bread again from the supermarket! We went today and I got a package of Thomas plain bagels, a bag of 12 Thomas mini bagels, and 3 loaves of OroWeat bread for $5.50. Now that is a steal! That bread is expensive, but it is SO good for you so I normally splurge on it! And it was 4 for $4! If any of you haven't found this place yet, it is on the SW corner of Arkansas and Collins in kind of a weird strip mall thing. It looks shady, but inside it is nice and clean and full of wonderful deals! Happy shopping!

It's True!

As Sarah said over here we have committed to working out together 3 times a week at the local rec center. The price is right, they have free childcare (hosted by one of the teachers from Natalie's preschool! Hurrah!) and now I have a partner in crime! I am so excited to start exercising again. I used to be adamant about it before and after Natalie, but after Brady I have really let myself go. And, of course, I don't like it! So, there is a large family reunion on Keith's side in the works for next summer and that is my goal. To be happy with myself and the way I look in time for next summer. I know I can do it if I only put my mind to it, but I also know that I have to have some accountability. Having someone that is counting on me to be there working out too makes a huge difference. Wish us luck on our quest for better us's!!

Father's Day Wrap Up and a movie review

I tried very hard to make Father's Day special this year for Keith. The kids and I took him for lunch on Monday of last week, then I surprised him with lunch on Friday. And we wanted to do something fun this weekend. I ended up working during the day, but we decided to brave a movie with Brady on Saturday night. We knew Natalie would be good, but had no idea how Brady would act. So with my purse filled with Ziploc bags of popcorn and one ginormous water bottle we headed off to see Kung Fu Panda. It would take too long to explain the whole ordeal, but long story short. Keith and I had to take turns going out with Brady because the movie was too loud or too scary or whatever other reasons made him start so say "Wanna go down der" in a loudish (but not SUPER loud) toddler voice. So I missed the first part of the movie trying to convince Brady to go back in, and Keith missed parts of the middle, and then I missed all of the end taking Brady out. The poor guy just didn't like the dark and the loudness and all the people, it made for a not too good combination. Natalie on the other hand did awesome! She laughed, and she even teared up for one emotional part, which I thought was so sweet! She leaned over and said, Mommy I am crying a little bit! She is becoming a movie crier just like her Momma! The parts of the movie that I saw were very good and Keith and I compared notes and decided it was good enough to own. The action was good, the story was funny, and most importantly we ALL liked it! Even Brady liked the parts he stayed in the theater for. It wasn't you typical movie going experience, but it was fun. I was able to take Brady on the Carousel and he loved that. He kept saying Giddy Up and Wheeee! Overall a fun, and very interesting, family night!

Then on Sunday we all slept in a bit due to the fact that the children decided to play musical beds. But, I was still able to prepare a breakfast feast for Keith, and that was fun and yummy. Then after a relatively smooth Sabbath (hurrah! normally Sunday's are the most fightingest of days for us) we ate a good dinner and then sat down to a family activity that I KNEW was going to be fun AND stressful!

We made sugar cookies! When Grandma Lori came to visit she brought this super cool sugar cookie "play doh"! It came in 4 colors and we all just dug in and started making creations. It was greasy and messy and a whole lot of fun. I realized after that I should have video taped it rather than trying to catch the sweetness on camera, but you live and learn!

Ready to play!
Brady was tentative at first, but after watching Sissy he got the hang of it pretty quick! Keith was the master cookie creator! He came up with the funnies things! Baby hands...
Brady with his mouth full of blue dough! Once we let him try it, it was pretty much all he wanted to do...EAT THAT DOUGH! She was concentrating SO hard! I just wish the pictures would have turned out, I am still trying to figure out how to NOT use the flash, I loved the natural lighting, but it was making pictures difficult for a novice like me! Here are some of our favorite cookies. We all had one before bed, and Keith said it best "tastes like fingers!" They were good, but you could tell some of them had been worked, and worked, and worked on! Still fun, and very worth it! Thanks Grandma Lori for the great idea, and sorry you weren't able to play too!

poor sick baby

Today I picked up some extra hours for a friend at work so I am working from 10am-4pm. We were worried that this would be tricky to keep the kids semi-quiet while I am working so Keith bravely offered to take them on a field trip to the California Lane water park thing. The kids had a BLAST of course running through the water and getting SOAKED. Keith said they were hesitant at first, but then once they got started it was all good fun. Anywho, they came home pooped as was to be expected, but Brady was being the CUTEST thing ever! He was talking and acting over the top sweet and after finishing his lunch (which consisted of 2 sips of milk and 3 apple slices from his Happy Meal) he went right over to the couch and curled up in his towel. Then after a bit he rolled over and began "reading" this paper. He seriously stayed there doing this for a good 5 minutes (which is a long time in Brady land!). He was being SO tender my heart was breaking! The poor guy was burning up, and we figured he wasn't feeling well, but later he cried for a tummy ache so the poor guy is sick! If only they were this sweet when they were well too! LOL!
The paper in question, Thomas stickers of course! California Lane park. The part on the right is like a little fountain park with misters and sprayers and such. It is a GREAT little place, and the best part is that it is FREE!

Arg!

I HATE littering! It has got to be one of my biggest pet peeves, seriously. I am sitting here at my desk looking out the window and I see a lady sitting in her car in the middle of the road/drive thing, and what does she do? She straight up throws her empty matchbook IN. TO. THE. STREET! Are you kidding me?!?! Now I have a serious problem with this!! Why do people not understand that if you toss garbage outside, NO ONE is going to pick it up! Put a fricken trash bag in your car and USE IT! Also, cigarette butts are TRASH! You can't just toss them around like birdseed, they DON'T just disappear! Care about the Earth people, it's the only one we have! I am THIS close to marching out there and picking up her trash, while she is still sitting there!

Surprise!!!

I LOOOOVE when a surprise goes off without a hitch! Today I was able to secure some babysitting for a few hours during lunch time (Thank you Erin!!) so that I could go and pick up Keith for lunch! I wanted to surprise him for a nice Father's Day treat! His birthday and Father's Day are so close, and I know how much it sucks to have a special holiday over looked, so I like to try and make June a very special month for Keith. I called him while I was on the way just to say Hi, and make sure that he was in his office so that I could really get him! He texted me RIGHT as I was walking in the building saying that it was nice to hear from me and he really appreciated it! Little did he know I was going to whisk him away for lunch! I took him to this old school pizza buffet place called Crystal's in Irving. (We had taken the kids there on another lunch break and had leftover tokens to spend.) It is one of those places that you can tell has been around for awhile, but obviously was super cool in it's heyday, and still holds lots of childhood memories. It still has that kooky vibe and a strange, but not unpleasant atmosphere. They have a section of games that spew tickets and the pizza is not too shabby. I thought it was fun, and we will for sure go back.

Anywho, he was very surprised to see me and HAPPY! Which is the most important thing! It was a nice hour together, too short, but that is life. We were able to talk and eat without interruption! And Keith kicked some serious butt on the basketball game, love me some tickets!

Happy Father's Day my love!

Little life list

I haven't really taken much time to sit down to the computer and share my thoughts lately. I have been trying very hard to spend more time with the kids, and so it makes me feel so guilty when i use the computer if I am not working. The other day the kids and I were all sitting around making messes and I started thinking about where we were last year. And that got me thinking about where we will be next year. I got scared! Lots and lots of changes in the Bowers house in the up coming year. I am excited and nervous for how different (maybe) our lives will be in just 12 short months!

1. Keith will have graduated Law School on December 12.
2. Keith will have taken the BAR.
3. Keith will have his BAR results back (AHHHH!!!) and pending that will hopefully have a "real" job!
4. Natalie will be 5 and preparing to start Kindergarten in a few months.
5. Brady will be 3 and getting ready for preschool.
6. Mommy will be 26 and getting ready for at least 2 small periods a week of time ALL. BY. HERSELF.
7. We WILL be in a house, either rental or buying.
8. We may have a van (*fingers crossed*).
9. Mommy will be 30 pounds lighter!
10. Moore family reunion, all of Keith's wild and crazy family together in one place! Fun!

It will be fun to see these things happening, but this just pounds home the point that I need to enjoy NOW because it is so fleeting, and that life changes so quickly!

Looky Here!

Look what we did! I went over to Bonnie's house today and she introduced me to Digi-scrapping! Hurrah! I am so excited to get started (as soon as I can translate PSE 5 to PSE 6!). Thanks Bonnie!
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Quick pick me up

Always, always, always keep Nesquik in the house. Makes me happy every time! (also makes me sick if I use too much chocolate...but SO worth it!)

Some sweetness

It has been really windy tonight and the kids get a little scared because of the sound and the idea that a storm is coming. Keith had gotten the kids all settled and in bed and was ready to relax. A few minutes later Natalie comes out and says in a sleepy voice, "Brady is pushing me off of my bed." We are thinking, "what???". So, Keith goes in to check it out and who do we find all nestled and snuggled down in Natalie's covers but a little monkey boy by the name of Brady! He had crawled out of bed and climbed over Natalie (so he could have the inside!) and was just in there snoozing away. When Keith told him to get back in his own bed he could only muster his little "hmmm". I am sorry but that is just funny! Too bad he didn't get a picture! I love that he knew he would probably get busted for coming out to us, so he went to Natalie for comfort, so cute!

Bowers First Ranger's Game (Monday Part 2)

After our trip to the Aquarium it was back home for naps so that we could stay up late to go to the Ranger's game! We have been wanting to go for so long, and Bryce came up with the idea to get a group of us together so we could by discounted tickets at only 3 bucks a piece. It ended up being the Kirchmanns, Taylors, Grundbergs, Grimmetts, Saunders, and us, what a crowd! It worked out well, and the game was SO fun! I love the atmosphere of stadiums and games like that and as soon as I walked in I told Keith maybe I could become a Ranger's fan so that we could come to games more! The stadium is so cool, lots to look at and do. I tried to get a bunch of pictures, but of course I didn't get as many as I wanted, and NONE of Brady watching the game. It was fun for Natalie to be able to play on her own away from Mommy (thanks again Kelli for keeping an eye on her!...and feeding her too!) and she really impressed me with her attitude, she never once got tired or cranky and didn't even cry when we had to go! Poor Keith took it upon himself to take care of cranky Brady! He is entering a new stage that we haven't quite gotten the hang of yet so he was a bit difficult. But he did sweet things too, like hanging on my neck for hugs, and coming down with Momma to check out the games they have set up for kids to play. I think we will definitely go again, if not with a huge group (which needs to happen again FOR SURE!!) at least with our little family. I want to see more of the GAME next time! LOL
Aube was being sooooo cute! Even when cranky! ;)
Natalie loves her some popcorn! She ate most of Missy's and then worked on Sarah's after they left!!
Just scratchin' ;) no pickin' here, we promise!

My one obligatory game shot. I need to work out the continual shot thing, because that would have been really cool!
Sweaty and full of other peoples food...
I love this picture SOOOO much. Stevie is thrilled and Jenny is just too stinkin' cute!
Tender moment.
My seriously ONE shot of Brady! How sad is that?
Natalie really loved the T Ball! I forget how fun that is for kids!
Brady cracked me up, after two handing the bat the first time, he held it with one hand on his last tries and just bumped the ball off the tee. At least he had fun!

For more wonderful pictures of the game and festivities check out Missy's post here.

Dallas World Aquarium (monday part1)

My Step Mom Lori was able to come and visit for the weekend and we had a few things planned but nothing specific for Monday while Keith was at work, so after perusing the brochures at the hotel, Lori found the one for the Dallas World Aquarium (website is kinda weird, but the aquarium was COOL!) and we all decided it would be a great place to go. After navigating our way to downtown Dallas with no major incidents we found the aquarium (it really wasn't that hard to get to! I was pleasantly surprised!). I knew the kids would love it and they did! Other than a few run ins with bratty middle school kids and Brady getting a little tired the trip was pleasant. It is a little pricey, but if you want to splurge it was well worth it. We saw all kinds of animals from exotic birds to sea otters to crazy monkey things and of course fisheys and even some manatees!

Hangin' out in the shark tunnel. As soon as we walked into it Natalie went, "Ho-ly cooow!" it was too funny. I could tell Brady was pretty impressed too, he raised his hand in awe and just took it all in for a few seconds...then he ran around like a normal kid!
Looking for bugs in the bench while waiting for lunch.