Rough week!

So, I hate to complain and sound so ungrateful, but this has been quite a rough week!! Cole has decided that he does not want to nap...today has been Day 5 of 15-minute naps...and some of those days I was lucky if he even took a 15-minute nap! It has been pretty frustrating, especially since he was taking two naps a day - about 1.5-2 hours each!! He is sleeping through the night, like he always has, so I am thankful for that. However, I feel like I get hardly anything done during the day and I don't get to spend as much time with Landon. I finally caved in and just started putting him in his crib during his usual naptime. Most of the time he cries/whines and not once did he ever fall asleep on his own. I have a very strong-willed child!! He cried/whined for almost an hour once. And yes, I did check on him to make sure he was OK - he was fine...fed, diapered, and had toys to play with. I feel like a mean mommy sometimes, but I don't want to lose my sanity and this child needs to learn that he can't always control me. So, thank goodness the weekend is here and Jason will be able to help!! I am very burned out and tired after this long week!!

Last night, my family came over again to help with the basement...YAY!! It is coming along and I am so excited! The entire basement is pretty much framed except for one small wall underneath the stairs. I will try to get some pictures of the progress they are making.

On a side note, I want to give a shout-out to Ginny...THANK YOU!!! She helped me clean up the look of my blog...she's quite the blogging genius :) I would love to do so much more with it, but I don't have much time to play around with it and she was able to fix my picture and help me figure out how to fix the background on my posts!!

Well, I've gotta run - Landon is begging for some attention!!

It's been awhile...

I know it's been quite awhile - these past few weeks have been C-R-A-Z-Y!!!! Both of the boys were really, really sick. Landon started out first with a really deep chest cough - no other symptoms. It ended up getting so bad that he was throwing up after every cough. So I took him in and they said he had a really bad respiratory infection. Well, then he had a high fever for the next 3 days (103.4) that we couldn't get to come down. So on Sunday, his pediatrician put him on an antibiotic right away since he had really worsened!! It seemed to do the trick and he's finally back to himself (about 2 weeks later). And then Cole got the exact same thing...about 2 days after Landon started with it - so they both had it at about the same time. Cole was at the doctor's twice and his fever spiked to 104.8 (very scary). The poor thing was so lethargic - it was so hard to watch. He had the same thing, but he also had a double ear infection and to complicate things, his two top front teeth popped through!! So it was a really rough couple of weeks. We got hardly any sleep and it was just really, really stressful!! Thank goodness it's behind us!! Here are two pics of my sick little guys...I felt so bad for them - just looking at these pictures makes me want to cry!




We are now in the process of finishing our basement!! We planned to finish it shortly after moving in, but Jason's family is coming at the end of the month, so there's been a big push to get it finished quickly!! I'm not sure we will have it all finished, but hopefully enough done for them to stay down there! Jason, my dad, and my brothers and brother-in-law have been working really hard!!! I will post pictures on the progress. This is what it looked like before they started (well, plus a few studs - I forgot to take pictures before they went up). I am REALLY looking forward to it being done! There is going to be a playroom down there which I am so excited about! Right now I have toys scattered all over my kitchen, family room, and living room! I can't wait for most of them to be downstairs! The basement isn't huge, but it will be nice to have some extra living space :) Here are a few pics:


Well, I have lots to get done this morning, especially with Awana tonight, so I better run!! I will try to write again soon :)

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

I LOVE Oatmeal Raisin cookies, but I've tried several recipes and just haven't found one that I've fallen in love with...until today!! I decided to try a new recipe and they turned out great!! They are so soft and moist and chewy...my mouth waters just talking about them :) Here is the recipe:

Whisk together and set aside

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt

Cream wet ingredients

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup dark brown sugar, firmly packed
• 2 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla

Then stir in

• 3 cups oats (not instant)
• 1 1/2 cups raisins

1. Preheat oven to 350°.
2. Whisk dry ingredients; set aside.
3. Combine wet ingredients with a hand mixer on low.
4. To cream, increase speed to high and beat until fluffy and the color lightens.
5. Stir the flour mixture into the creamed mixture until no flour is visible.
6. (Over mixing develops the gluten, making a tough cookie.) Now add the oats and raisins; stir to incorporate.
7. Fill cookie scoop with dough.
8. (Use a #40 cookie scoop; it measures 2 tablespoon of dough) Press against side of bowl, pulling up to level dough.
9. Drop 2-inches apart onto baking sheet sprayed with nonstick spray.
10. Bake 11-13 minutes (on center rack), until golden, but still moist beneath cracks on top.
11. Remove from oven; let cookies sit on baking sheet for 2 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool.

I did make a few modifications. First, I didn't have dark brown sugar, so I just used light brown sugar. Also, I didn't use a cookie scoop - I just used a tablespoon and shaped them into balls - I fit 12 on one cookie sheet...they were a little smaller, but it made about 5 dozen! Also, since they were smaller, I only baked them for 8 minutes.

Anyways, here is a picture of the finished product:


YUMMMMMMMM!!!!

American Idol anyone?

So, in case you didn't know, I am an American Idol addict (and an Office addict, but that's an entirely different subject). I must say that I am already hooked on this season. I am not crazy about the first few weeks of auditioning in different cities, but once the finalists reach Hollywood, I'm glued!!! I think there is definitely some real talent there this year - it should be a good one. However, there were some people that they put through to the Final 36 that should NOT have been put through...namely Tatiana, Nick Norman (or whatever his name is today), and Nathaniel Marshall (the gay drama queen). I'm not sure I can stand another week of these three...they can't sing and they are SOOOOO annoying. I'm sure the only reason they were put through was for the ratings!! I was very sad to see Jamal (or Jamar...not sure his name) go home...he was definitely a good singer...by far much better than the three previously mentioned! Anyways, I am looking forward to a very exciting season!! It will be nice since there are only a few more episodes of The Bachelor (my other favorite reality TV show). I'm really not a TV junkie :)

On a separate note, Jason took the day off today! YAY!!! He had taken it off awhile ago, but just told me yesterday. He was going to keep it a surprise, but I had such a rotten day yesterday that he told me then so that it would help brighten up my day. It's been nice having him home, especially since the boys have been extremely difficult AGAIN today!! I'm not sure what is going on with them, but the past two days have been miserable...they have been a little more than I can handle.

Tomorrow is Valentine's Day - YAY!!! I'm not sure what Jason has planned - he's keeping it a surprise. I'm just looking forward to getting away with him without the boys...I don't care if we just go to McDonald's :) Yesterday, Landon and I made a big heart-shaped cookie and we decorated a Valentine...well, I put it together, but had Landon decorate it.

Well, Landon is driving Jason up a wall, so I better go rescue him - I bet right now he is wishing he was at work...I know I do :)

YAY Uncle Dathan!

Last night we went to Lancaster for my brothers' basketball game. It was a rough game and we ended up losing. We have a very strong team this year, but one of our best players is out with an ankle injury and we just couldn't pull off the win last night. BUT, my brother Dathan (who scored his 1,000th point last year as a junior) broke the school record in high scoring!!! CONGRATULATIONS DATHAN!! We are so proud of him :) He is now at 1,513 points! It was such an awesome moment and a huge accomplishment for him! He is currently the leading scorer in our county and he's had a great year!! Last night, his fellow teammate, Jason Carman (also a senior) scored his 1,000th point with 1.8 seconds left in the game - it was incredible!!! Jason was the 3rd guy on their team to reach 1,000 points. Josh Conover, another senior (who is out with an ankle injury), was the 2nd to reach his 1,000 points. To have three guys on a team reach 1,000 points while playing together is a rare trifecta (according to Reading Eagle - our local newspaper). Anyways, I thought I'd put up some pictures from last night...I didn't get many good pictures during the game, but I got a few "still" photos :)

The team during the National Anthem: Dathan is the 3rd in from the right; Jordan is the 2nd in from the right

The team huddling up before the game:

Landon cheering for his uncles:

The scoreboard after he scored the record-breaking point:
Family shot after the game (of course the boys wouldn't look at the camera):

Dathan and Jason:

Landon with his Uncle Jordan (Uncle "Jo-Jo") and Uncle Dathan:

Dathan after the game - CONGRATS!!!!

One of the countdown posters:

Dathan and Jason with their families:
Jason's parents, Jason's sister, Jason, Dathan, Jordan, my Mom, Jason's brother, my Dad

Josh, Jason, and Dathan - the three 1,000 point seniors:

WAY TO GO GUYS!!!!

Cookie Fun

Yesterday, Landon made sugar cookies with me for the first time. We had so much fun!!! I was surprised how well he did! He cut out the cookies, put them on the cookie sheet and after I frosted them, he put the sprinkles on! After he would cut out a cookie, he would get so excited and say "YAY!" - it was so cute!! We were about halfway through and he looked at me and said, "Landon having fun!" (he still talks in 3rd person!). Anyways, he got quite messy and it was hard to keep him away from the cookie dough...he's just like his mommy!! He was so desperate for it that at the end, he was eating it off of the rolling pin - as if he were eating corn on the cob :) I thought I would post a few pictures of our fun time making cookies:


I look forward to many more memories of making cookies with Landon and someday Cole...when he's old enough :)

Happy New Year!

Wow, it's been a long time since I've blogged...and SOOOOOOOO much has happened!! I have no clue where to begin and if I can remember all that's happened!! I'll try to go through everything - short version!

So, we sold our house! It sold in 10 DAYS!!!!!! How amazing is that? God is sooooo good...we never imagined it would sell that quickly! We were in no rush to buy a home, but we figured since it was a good time to buy, we'd test the market and see if our house would sell. We had a figure in our mind of what we wanted to sell our house for and it's exactly what we got! So, the buyer ended up needing to close on our house within less than 30 days!! So we quickly (VERY quickly) packed up our house and moved in with our parents. In the meantime, we found a house that we fell in love with. We made an offer with a moving date of December 12th. She countered with a moving date of MARCH, but offered several thousand more in seller's assist. We knew we'd be having to live with my family anyways because we closed on our house November 24th. So, we accepted her counter-offer. Three days before we closed on our house, the seller of our new home called and said she could settle in December and would still give us the money for seller assist - as if we were going to close in March!! WOW - what an answer to prayer!! So, since we were so close to December, we moved our closing date to December 19th, everything went VERY smoothly with our mortgage and here we are in our new home!!! That is the VERY quick story :)

We stayed with my parents from November 22nd until December 19th and it actually went very well. They have an entire finished lower lever in their home that is empty, so we basically had it all to ourselves. It was very nice to have that privacy, but also very nice to be near them at the same time...live-in babysitters isn't necessarily a bad thing!! Landon LOVED seeing his uncles and grandparents every day!! It was nice staying with them, but we missed having a place to call our home!

We've been in our new house for a few weeks now. We are still unpacking - it is very hard to get much done during the day with two little ones, but we are slowly making progress. It will be nice once everything is finished. The house doesn't need much work - just making it ours...paint and such. The basement is unfinished and we plan to finish that soon. In the future, we also plan to add on to the second level since it is only a 3 bedroom house right now. But it's perfect for us for the timebeing. Here is a link to my facebook page of pictures before we moved in - click HERE. Once we are more settled and have finished some painting, I will try to post more.

Well, I have missed several things, but Cole is sitting here crying and Landon just woke up and is calling me from his crib! I have so much more I want to write, but will have to save it for another time!! Gotta run!!

Happy Birthday Landon!

Today is Landon's 2nd birthday! It's so hard to believe my little boy is already TWO!! He is growing up so quickly! I am so thankful for how precious he is and thank God for blessing us with this healthy handsome boy!

On Saturday, we had a small birthday party for him with our families. He wanted a Curious George birthday and I must say that it was SOOOOO cute :) The decorations and paper products we found were so colorful and cute! For the food, we did a "M is for Monkey" theme and tried to have the entire menu made with foods that started with the letter "M" - we had Meaty Manwiches (sloppy joes), Macaroni and Cheese (baked macaroni and cheese), Mozzarella Sticks, Monkey Munch, and Munchies (fruit, veggies, and chips). And then I made a Curious George cake :) I thought it turned out well and I am so glad it is done :) Anyways, I posted several picture on facebook, so here is a link to them:

http://www.new.facebook.com/album.php?aid=82929&l=31263&id=604580914

He received some AWESOME gifts! Lots of Curious George things - stuffed animals, books, band-aids, snack. He also LOVES Thomas, so Nana and Pop-pop got him lots of Thomas things - including a nice wooden track! He got a tractor, a tractor trailer that stores matchbox cars, clothes, some fun sticker activities and last but not least, a FOUR WHEELER! My family pitched in and got this for him. He loves it and surprisingly drives it very well - it didn't take him long to pick it up! He still has a hard time reversing, but otherwise, he drives it very well!

Well, I better close this - he wants to go to McDonald's for his birthday lunch, so we are leaving shortly. Daddy took the day off (YAY) to spend with Landon and all of us, so we are going to go to lunch soon and then try to get stuff done. I'll write another post some other time to update the house situation!!

Bye!

Election Day

Don't forget to get out and vote!! I will be out there proudly casting my vote for McCain/Palin!!

Yucky rainy day!

It is not a very pleasant day today...I could use some sunshine! It is very cold and rainy! I'm sitting here waiting for some pics to upload on snapfish, so I thought I would update my blog since it's been a little while.

As nasty as it is outside, I have to say that I LOVED the drive to my mom's house today. They live down in a valley, and on the drive down where the roads are covered by trees, it was absolutely BEAUTIFUL seeing the many different colors...I love fall!! I don't like when they all fall off and everything goes brown though :(

Some big news...we put our house up on the market about 10 days ago! So far we have had 3 showings and one offer (which we are currently praying about and pursuing a counter-offer). God has been amazing...we never thought things would go this well! We are in no NEED to move so therefore we aren't in any rush, so we figured it would take awhile to sell or have any sort of activity. We'll see what happens...decisions, decisions, decisions.

We carved pumpkins with Landon the other night - it was SO much fun! I will have to upload some pics soon! He loved taking out the pumpkins "guts" - he was a little hesitant at first to put his hand inside, but once he saw Jason and I doing it, he had to do it too!!

Speaking of Landon, he will be TWO in just a couple of weeks! My boy is getting so big :( He talks SOOOOOO much now and tries to copy anything and everything you try to say! We really have to watch what we say in front of him...you know how foul-mouthed we can be - j/k lol!!! My worst offense was when I was changing his diaper one day, it was REALLY nasty and I quietly (so I thought) said to myself, "Holy poop batman!" - for days he ran around the house saying "Holy Poop batman!!!" It took awhile to get him to stop saying that...and I haven't said it since :)

Cole is doing better - he's not as fussy all the time anymore. When he is well fed and well rested, he is a very pleasant and happy baby! He is starting to giggle now...I love it :) He's been eating solids (rice cereal and some fruits and veggies) for a couple of weeks now. He is doing SO well on them!! Of course he makes such a mess, but it's fun nonetheless!

Both boys are sick with bad colds right now - it hasn't been very much fun, but hopefully they will both be better soon. Believe it or not (knock on wood) they have been sleeping well at night even with their coughing and stuffy noses!! It's been nice...hopefully I didn't just jinx myself!

Well, my pictures have finished uploading, so I'm going to go - I will try to post pictures on here soon...or better yet, maybe I'll just post a link to my snapfish folder :)