Create-Your-Own-Cookbook

Does anyone know of a good blank cookbook that I can get for a graduation or wedding gift? Matthew's grandmother gave me one when I was in college and I LOVE it. Only thing I would change is I would want a spiral bound so that it will lay open while I'm trying to read it. Something simple with lots of room to add.....

"Cool Boops"

Well, we got Ethan's braces on Wednesday while in San Antonio. He seems to like them and keeps calling them "boops" (boots for those not fluent in Ethan). I told him they were cool so now they've become cool boops. He hasn't worn them much since we're still in a hotel but once we get settled we'll start putting them on him more and more. Hopefully he'll continue to be okay with them and get better at walking in them. They slow him down alot, which may not be a bad thing. :)

We start moving into our house tomorrow but will spend one more night in the lovely Best Western Oakdale Inn so we don't have to sleep on the floor or buy air mattresses and bedding for one night.

Help me, all you crafters out there!

So, we are moving. Our friends are having a going away party for us next weekend, and I am trying to think of something for my kids' friends to do for them so that we can have a tangible keepsake for us to remember and talk about their friends after we move.

I thought about getting colors and paper and having them draw a picture or something and then me actually snapping pics of them with the kids or actually drawing to put with their creations and put them all into a scrapbook.

Any suggestions, anybody done something similar? Most of the kids are 8 and under so it needs to be simple.

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New ideas.....

Ok, so I had another thought.....I remember when I was little all us girls would make t-shirts at sleepovers and we'd all sign them and what-not. Since the shirts seem a little girly to me, what if I did pillowcases? Then the kids could have them to help them remember their friends. Is that a little nuts?

So, I mentioned shirts and pillowcases, but I found this really cool book online called Moving with Kids: 25 ways to Ease Your Family's Transition to a New Home By Lori Collins Burgan, Virginia L. Mason.... (which I plan to get if our tiny Waldenbooks has it, which I'm sure they don't)
Google books has an awesome preview of a couple of chapters. I read through a few and she suggested:

picture book or scrapbook with either just pictures of the kids friends or artwork or letters from their friends

tablecloths that each friend could sign

quilt squares for each friend to decorate or write on

So, what do you think?

(I apologize for the dis-jointed post, but I originally blogged this on Myspace and then added to it before copying it here.)

My little stripper....

has been pretty good lately about not pulling his diaper off, so, of course, I forgot about the onesies for a few days. Yesterday I decided to go to the mall and work on Christmas shopping for the nieces, nephews, and cousins because if I don't then I will be BROKE at Christmas when I'm trying to buy it all. Anyway, I was having a lot of luck finding outfits for three of the little ones when I hear something go **PLOP** at my feet. Yep, it's a diaper. I immediately started to pray that there was no poop inside, and when I picked it up, I was relieved. Although then I was trying to re-dress my nude-from-the-waist-down son in the shopping cart. The whole time he was telling me, "Pants, Momma!" and pointing like they had mysteriously fallen off.

Seriously, it's a good thing they're so darn cute!

Diapers, and Onesies, and Poop oh my!

Well, it's been a LONG time since I blogged on here. I do blog on my Myspace page sometimes if anyone is that interested in my life....lol.

I am having issues with keeping Ethan's diapers on lately. He finally learned how to take his pants off so as soon as that happens, the diaper follows immediately, and he doesn't bother to tell anyone, just the next time I see him, I see his little rear end shining. It's always especially fun when he's pooped in his diaper before he takes it off. Sometimes it just gets all over him, but other times he will decide that he needs to climb on something....say Abby's bed with her pretty daisy comforter and Tinkerbell sheets.

Last Friday I decided we were going to have to invest in him some onesies, and I wasn't even sure if I could find them anymore for him. I thought I was done with them for him and he looks like such a big boy in his regular little t-shirts. So, off we went to Eagle Pass which is about 50 miles away to search at Khol's. I did find that Carter's makes 24 month onesies in both short and long sleeves and I happily bought a big package of them. So far, this seems to be working. Although yesterday when we were getting dressed to leave the house I put the onesie on him first, and he completely freaked out and had a tantrum. (This is something he's recently mastered as well.) He screamed and cried and finally I gave up on the idea of his regular clothes and since we were going to babysit I figured he'd be fine only in the onesie. We left the house, but Ethan was still screaming and hugging the front door trying to get back inside away from his evil mommy.

Today, Abby wanted them to each wear their Halloween shirts, and I totally forgot about the onesie. Well, pretty quick Ethan comes running by with his little white butt shining, no diaper or shorts anywhere in sight. So, I went to the car and found a grey creeper that I'd picked up at Wal Mart and on it went. He's still refusing his shorts, but hopefully he will keep the diaper on for a while.

Just after I got him re-dressed he saw his sippy cup on the table, which I had just rinsed and filled with water. My kids get milk or juice in the morning, I let them choose, then they are allowed water between meals. For lunch, I give them either milk or juice, whichever they didn't have earlier. Always water between meals, I figure it can't hurt them. They drink alot, so I attempt to keep their cups full of water. Well, he was so happy to see his cup, picked it up and took a big drink.........let the water run right out of his mouth onto the floor, threw his cup, and yelled, "NO!". He's now being called "Mr. Reaves" because he has such an attitude. His cup is still on the floor where he threw it, and it will remain there until he empties it.

This job is nothing if not entertaining.....

Long time...

since I blogged on here....oops! I posted some stuff on Myspace if anyone's interested. Vacation to AR (home) where I saw my nephew come into the world.....AMAZING, found out that Matthew got a job as a Deportation Officer in Louisiana, so we'll be moving soon. Busy, busy...

Anyway, check it out... http://www.myspace.com/brandyreaves

Lately,

we've been staying really busy. Matthew is on days now on the new ATV/AirBoat unit at work and he seems to really like it, although he is usually exhausted and literally covered in dust when he gets home. We're getting into a nice routine where we're all able to go to bed around the same time, the kids and I get up earlier, go to the gym, play, nap, and wait for Matthew to get home. So far it's working out really well, compared to when I would put the kids down around 9, then wait up with Matthew until after midnight before I went to bed. I get ALOT more sleep this way.

I am searching for the perfect Father's Day gift for Matthew, and I was pretty stumped until today. You see, for some reason, ever since we were in college, Matthew has become a huge fan of Neil Diamond. He's always liked singer-songwriter stuff, and somehow he got turned on to Neil Diamond and became an instant fan. Last week on Idol, they sang ND songs, but most of them were horrible, and he was sadly disappointed. Today he mentioned to me that Neil Diamond is coming to San Antonio! THE PERFECT GIFT! Yay, me! Now I just have to order them on Monday when they go on sale before all the old ladies buy them up! Problem solved.

Also, this evening, I went to a church service directed at women, and I really enjoyed it. I am really ashamed that I have yet to find a church home here, and tonight made me realize how much I miss an actual worship service. So, now I have to start a search for the right church for us. I suppose I will start with the Methodist church since that's where I was raised and will probably feel more comfortable. I'm a little nervous, because back in New Edinburg, AR, my church was SMALL. I'm talkin' 30 people on a fairly good day, and half of them I was related to, and the other half I'd known my entire life. Finding a church away from home is actually intimidating to me for some reason. I'm not a particularly outgoing person, and I don't like attention being drawn to me, and then there's the kids. I know I probably shouldn't worry about this, but it makes me nervous to leave them in a nursery where I don't know anyone!

I know most of that is irrational, but that's how I feel....

Lastly, if you would, say a prayer for my hubby... he is the peer support co-ordinator at work and on top of his normal every day worries, he had some emergency in a town about 30 miles from here this afternoon. One of the chiefs called him after he was home today to go on an emergency call, and he didn't get home until 8 pm. All of that stuff is 100 % confidential, so he can't even talk to me about it and it worries me that he can't. After he got all of that squared away, the chief called with horrible news from a neighboring station...a supervisor's child who was 16 took his own life, and to complicate things, he did it with his parent's service weapon. All of that is sure to cause quite a stir arround here, but those families need prayer. I just wish there was some way for me to help ease the load on some things.

Thanks for listening to my rambling! God Bless!