Tuesday, November 3, 2009

What do you get....

When you put together Tinkerbell & Big Al (the Alabama mascot)? The cutest trick-or-treaters ever, that's what!





Isabella and her boy-toy, Riley



We meet up with our good friends for chili & pizza before going out





Jacob didn't really like pumpkin guts as much as I thought he would....

The kids had a great time. Isabella and her friends ran as fast as they could from house to house. Jacob was quite the champ. He was perfectly happy to suck on a dum-dum pop & hold his daddy's hand. When he was ready for another piece of candy, he would go to a door. Having such a cute little guys really works wonders at getting extra candy!!! We started in our friend's neighborhood, and then came home to ours. We have the perfect-sized neighborhood, and a lot of people decorated their houses and made some fun, spooky scenes in their yards. When we were all done, we went back to the house & dumped out the very full buckets. I told Isabella that since she is 4 years old, she could have 4 pieces..... And it worked!!!! No argument, no asking for more. I figure this trick won't work next year, but it was nice this year!

Thursday, August 13, 2009

California Trip- San Francisco

For the last 5 days of our trip, the kids and I stayed at my mom's house. It was so great to spend time with her, her sweet man-friend Michael, my brother, and even my dad. The kids were total champs throughout the entire trip, and just loved all of the attention they got. Isabella LOVES her Uncle Justin, and Jacob has a real sweet spot for his buddie Michael.





California Trip- Redding

It was so fun to go to Redding and stay with my Aunt & Uncle, and get to see my sister! Isabella lived in the pool, and loved every second she got to spend with her Uncle Frank. She also got to hold her first sparkler, which she thought was pretty darn cool!





California Trip- Monterey

The kids and I had a great time visiting Grandma V. We were able to go to the Monterey Bay Aquarium, which was great. I haven't been since I was pretty young, and it was awesome to see the otters again!





Pictures from Salt Lake





Summer Tour '09

Boy, has it been a busy summer! The kids and I just got back from California, and before that, all of us were in Salt Lake for Amy's wedding (Michael's sister). I'll spare everyone all of the details, but suffice to say we had a great time. The kids were able to meet/re-meet/bond with our awesome family, and I survived a couple of long plane trips without giving away my children.

Here are some pictures, and I'll follow up this post with plenty more!




Friday, June 19, 2009

Mini- Vaca






My good friend Sara and I decided that it would be a good idea to pack up all of our kids (2 four year olds, 1 two year old, and 2 one year olds), rent a van, and head up to the Smokies for 5 days. Overall, it was a big success. Very few meltdowns, great hotel, and plenty to do. Here are a few cute pictures!

A little late....

Can you believe that Isabella is 4?!?! And that Michael and I have been married for 5 years?!?! Isabella's party was a lot of fun, and she is still talking about it. She's also been giving me suggestions for her next party.....

Monday, May 4, 2009

Favorite Picture of Jacob


This picture might be my all-time favorite picture! No, it's not food- it's the 'beautiful' red clay from the garden!

Jacob's First Birthday 1/11/09

Slacker

Yeah, I know I'm a slacker. I am so behind at posting pictures of the kids. So, here goes!

Monday, April 20, 2009

Yeah Michael!!!

On Saturday morning Michael ran in his first 5k race. He is training for a half marathon (sometime in November), and did a great job!! Isabella really enjoyed cheering for him. He'll be running in a 10k next month, and I'm sure he will do great.

Tuesday, April 7, 2009

Let's take it one week at a time.....

!!!!Warning!!!! This post is a bit all over the place.....

I am in the middle of watching yesterday's Oprah, and it is all about being a mom. It's a great episode, so if you haven't had a chance to see it, my guess is that you can find it online somewhere.

Anyways, Oprah and her guests were talking about what a tough job being a mom is, and they said that what every mom needs is a wife (hilarious & true!). So, my brain started spinning (even more than usual). I am well aware that no one is perfect, nor will we ever be in this life. I don't feel I have unrealistic expectations about my goals as a woman, wife & mother, although I know my many lists are a bit out of control. After talking to many friends about this, I've decided that I really just don't understand all the talk about felling pressure to be some sort of super mom, or feeling guilty about not being one. I can honestly say that I don't compare myself to anyone. Any pressure that I may feel is just me trying to be the best me that I can be. Some days I fall short. Some days, I feel awesome.

I think that many moms feeling guilty about something need to either fix the situation, or get over it. I think that maybe 90% of the time you hear someone speaking out about how they don't measure up, they really just want to you to tell them that they are great and lots of other fluff. I like to hear nice things about myself- who doesn't? But maybe, just maybe, instead of feeding someone a line about how 'normal they are' and that 'everyone goes through this', we could actually offer to do something to help them.

I was at my friend Sara's house last week, and I mentioned that we should get a few ladies together, and rotate 'fixing' each other. I think she thought I was joking.... If we all worked together, we could accomplish so much. We each have different strengths & talents, so why not use them? Someone shouldn't have to die or give birth to get a meal!!

So, here is my plan. First, I think I am going to take a good long look at the dishes piling up in my sink. Then, I'm going to daydream about a day that I could just daydream, no interruptions, all day long. After that, I might take a look at my latest to do list, and add a few things that I've already done, because it feels oh-so-good to cross something off. Finally, I think I might catch up on my Judge Judy watching. They are starting to clog up my dvr, and when I watch something and delete it, it's almost like crossing something off a list.

Wednesday, March 18, 2009

My Heart is in Georgia....

Isabella is spending the week with her grandparents & aunt in Georgia. I am missing her terribly! She is a lot of fun, full of hugs & kisses, and quite the comedian. Jacob seems to be missing her as well.

On the other hand, it has been nice to not have any dinnertime battles & for Michael & I to be able to talk without being interrupted!

Tuesday, March 3, 2009

Hope

Or the lack there of..... Michael and I talk a lot about the things going on in the world and the economy. People are so consumed right now by fear/worry/doubt, and many talk about the fact that they just have no hope that things will get better anytime soon. Isn't 'hope' the key to happiness? I mean, we couldn't have faith without hope. So, no, you will not see the Erwin's losing hope. We are fortunate that Michael has a great job, and his company is actually growing. They have held a few meetings lately to reassure everyone that they are in good shape, and that there is no need to fear. My business is doing good as well. And of course, we are young and healthy. There are lots of things to be hopeful about in our lives.

I read that it is in times of economic downturn that true fortunes are made. I know that they were speaking of dollars, but there are other fortunes to be had. When you are living your life as you should, following fairly simple rules, your 'bank' will be overflowing with deposits.

Didn't mean to get too deep there. Just had some things on my mind I felt like sharing.

Monday, March 2, 2009

I'm an awful blogger!

Man! It has been a while since my last blog! I've been incredibly busy, but fortunately things are slowing down around here. Last weekend I catered a wedding that had been consuming all of my time. And I am happy to now have it out of my head!

Quick update on everyone- Jacob & Isabella have been sick for the last couple of weeks. Jacob lost 4-5 lbs., and now looks skinny. Boy am I glad he was chubby to begin with! Thankfully they are both on the mend, but now I'm sick, and it's killing me!!! I can't sleep when I can't breath!!!

Michael is done with his contract at Boeing, and is now back and his main office. He's happy about that since it is maybe 10-12 minutes away from the house. It'll be nice to see him for lunch every now and then!

OK, I've got to sign off for now, but I plan on lots of blogging this week!

Sunday, January 11, 2009

Happy Birthday Jacob!

One year ago today, my sweet little Jacob was born. We was a big guy, weighing in at 9 lbs 6 oz & 22 inches long, and has not slowed his growth for even a minute. Here are some fun facts about my main squeeze-

Jacob has never met a calorie he didn't like. He LOVES to eat, and here he is experience a moment of what must have been pure bliss.

Speaking of food, at time of press, Jacob's favorite food is raisins. He just can't get enough.

Jacob rarely, if ever, fusses. I mean, if he is hungry or has a dirty diaper, he will absolutely let you know. But other than that, he's a pretty chill kid.

Jacob's favorite toys (as of today) have to be these cute little plastic Tonka trucks he got from Nana for Christmas.

Wednesday, January 7, 2009

New Year.... New me?

I always found it kind of funny how people needed the year to change to get them do something. With that said, not a day goes by that I'm not writing some sort of list about things to do, goals, dreams, etc. So I thought I would share with you some lists I have for everyone in my family:

Jessica

Organize ALL areas of my house
Wake up at 6am every morning (so that I have just a little time to myself)
Lose 30 lbs
Finish a few of the MANY projects I have going

Michael (I made this just for him....)

Take my wife on lots of dates, and not once mention how much it costs
Surprise my wife with flowers on days other than holidays or her birthday
Put the laundry away, just because I know Jessica hates it
Wipe the mirror & counter off in the bathroom after I shave, because I know it leaves a mess
Finish a few of the MANY projects Jessica has going for me

Isabella

Stop wearing Pull-ups at night & during naps
Eat dinner without complaining (Hey, I can dream!)
Stay in my bed

Jacob

Hmmm.......
Stop throwing my socks behind me in the car