Day 30: GIVE the house some holiday cheer

It's a tradition for us to decorate for Christmas the week of Thanksgiving. This time of year is my absolute favorite and always puts me in a chipper mood. After dragging boxes and bins from the attic, we got to work. Jordan was in charge of the outside, while the boys and I handled the inside. The boys really got into the decorating and playing with all the ornaments and decorations. And we played outside for a bit taunting Daddy while he was on the roof hanging lights.

 

 

Day 29: GIVE free house/dog sitting to a friend

This one just happened to fall into our lap this week. Our neighbors and great friends, the Maples, went to stay with some family for a few days for the holidays. They asked if we would keep an eye on their pups for a few days while they were gone. Since we are home, just lazing around, it's really not much of a hardship for us. The boys love to go over and feed Rocky & Bella and play in Sterling's room for a bit while we let the pups run around for a bit.

 

And unfortunately, I don't have a pic to accompany this post. Sue me; it's the end of the GIVING blog series and I'm pooped from keeping up! ;)

Day 28: GIVE thanks for everything we've been given!

 

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!! I wanted to keep this one generic for today, so that we could give thanks for everything over the past year, in our lives, etc. Then I realized I had too much to be thankful for, so I thought it would be interesting to do the ABC's of Thanks. :)

 

AT&T - Jordan's job allows him to work close to home and

Boys - Austin & Chase are the light of our lives and bring so much laughter and smiles.

Connor - My new nephew arrived in July and has filled our lives with more joy (and testosterone!).

Dog - Sweet Brady is 10 years old now and loves our boys and lets them do anything to him.

Education - Jordan and I both paid our way through 5 years of college each, that have allowed us better opportunities to provide for our family.

Friends - We have a great group of friends who are always there for us.

Grandparents - Our boys have grandparents on both sides who love them to pieces and spoil them rotten!

Health - Our family seems to all be in great health. And this time last year I was recovering from my thyroidectomy and the results couldn't have been better!

Iphone & iPads - I know, it seems silly. But they really have made our lives so much easier!

Jesus - For loving us unconditionally and forgiving our sins.

KPMG - I've been there nearly 9 years and it has allowed me to help support our family, while having a great career.

Love - We have so much love around us, between each other, and for our boys.

Matrimony - Jordan and I celebrated 10 years of marriage in July!

Neighborhood - We love the community we live in, especially the cul de sac. We have great neighbors, too!

Organized chaos - This term often accurately describes our everyday life. It's crazy and exhausting, but I wouldn't trade it for anything!

Patience - With two boys in our house, we often have to be thankful for lots of patience!

Quiet times - At the end of each day, I'm thankful for the peaceful quiet time watching my boys sleep and then cuddling up next to my love.

Ranch - This was Jordan's thanks. Geesh.

Sisters - We both have sisters who we love greatly. And to top it off, my sister is my best friend!

Teachers - The boys' teachers at school are so patient, loving, and kind.

Unlimited Energy - Although exhausting, the boys are pretty rowdy and rambunctious. But as a result, we have a heck of a time wrestling, having sword fights, playing t-ball, etc.

Vehicle - I got a big black Tahoe a few months ago, and I love that damn thing!

Work/life balance - My new gig at the firm has allowed me to work from home 2-3 days a week and work more of a flexible schedule.

Xcellent benefits - Our jobs enable us to have pretty good insurance coverage, 401k, and time off (6 weeks for me!).

Years of memories - Jordan and I have known each other for 12 years now and have created so many memories and special moments over the years.

Zealous little boys - The Hougham boys are eager to learn, passionate about everything, and excited to try new adventures. We love creating so many memories with them on our trips, whether big or small!

Day 27: GIVE a phone call to a loved one

For this one, I didn't want it to be someone that we typically give a phone call to. That would be too easy. I decided to give my Nana a call, who I honestly haven't spoken to in months. Family drama seems to always get in the way in my family, but my Nana is not getting any younger. We had a good chat and I promised to keep in touch and send some updated pics of the boys soon!

 

 

Day 26: GIVE treats to a service provider

We debated on which 'service provider' would receive this treat. Trashmen, daycare workers, mailman? Ultimately, I decided on the mailman. Once again, I wanted to make some homemade treats, but they might be weary of a stranger's baking. What would be a great alternative? A Starbucks giftcard, given that TX has seen a cold snap this week. Hoping that our mail carrier can snag him a couple cups to warm him up!

 

 

Day 25: GIVE a handmade gift to a loved one

This gift I can actually only take partial credit for. My sister bought this shelf at Hobby Lobby, painted it, and handed it over to me to personalize for my new nephew. Using my fancy Silhouette machine (that I LOVE!), I cut out his name and some elephants in some vinyl to personalize it. It's going to be perfect for his nursery! :)

 

Day 24: GIVE thanks to Grandparents

Today we ventured to Jordan's parents' house for his side of the family's Thanksgiving. We all brought dishes and enjoyed great food and company. And the boys got to run around with their cousins and play all day.

 

The Houghams are always great hosts and do whatever all these boys want. Can we play checkers? Yes. Can I have a slice of chocolate pie? Yes. Can I have another cookie? Yes. Can I watch a movie?Can we play in your room? Yes. I don't think I heard a no in there one time! :) I guess that's the joy of being grandparents!

 

Austin was mad because he wanted to bring his pj's so he could stay the night at MawMaw & PawPaw's house. Unfortunately, it's a work night, so he'll have to reschedule!

 

And yes, this is the best picture I could get of MawMaw & PawPaw with all the boys. And yes, that's my Chase who is not wanting to cooperate with my impromptu photo session!

Day 23: GIVE Jordan the choice for a date night

Date nights are hard to come by, especially when you both work full-time and have two boys to take care of. A co-worker once told me that one kid was an accessory, but two was baggage. It's easy to find someone to watch one kid, but two, that might take some convincing. Jordan and I decided we needed a night out, even if it was just to dinner. So we called up our new go-to sitter to schedule a Saturday night out. We've been talking for months about going to a local Italian restaurant for dinner. Needless to say, we weren't disappointed! Jordan devoured his pasta and I loved my salmon! And of course, we enjoyed a few adult beverages. It was a relaxing night, and much needed with the chaos of the holidays coming right up!

 

Day 22: GIVE a cooking lesson to the boys

These boys love to be my helper. Whether it's vacuuming, folding clothes, cooking dinner, baking cookies, etc., they want to have their hands in the mix helping out. (It's important to be patient!) The boys had been asking for a few days to make some chocolate chip cookies, so I finally gave in. They each insist on pulling up a chair by the mixer, leaving Mommy very little room to work with. However, their favorite part of baking is the end when they get to lick the paddle clean! At least they share with each other! :)

Day 21: GIVE a thank you card

Well, this one was easy to do. After Austin's birthday party a week ago, he certainly had plenty to be thankful for. I had my work cut out for me to start writing some thanks! I don't really know what the proper etiquette is, at what stage you quit sending thank you notes for gifts your kids receive. Not all the parties we go to send thank you's back to us. I don't judge. But I still like to write them out and send them on from my kiddos. They made my kid's day with attending a party and bring a gift, so it's the least I can do!

 

 

Day 20: GIVE a back massage (to the hubby!)

I don't really have much context (or a picture!) to go along with this 'giving' project. I gave, he enjoyed, end of blog post. :)

I don't think anything else I would have to say would be appropriate for the blog.

Day 19: GIVE teachers a gift of appreciation

I love the school that the boys attend. We've been going there since Austin was a baby, so we're very familiar with all the teachers in there. Both boys seem to be teacher's pet in their respective classes, too. The teachers up there are so patient, it's unbelievable. Sometimes when I walk in, I don't know how they handle the cranky kids in the evenings. Or when I attended Austin's show-and-tell, how managed to get all the kids to sit quietly and listen to instructions.

 

Anyways, we decided to make some puppy chow to bring to their teachers. This is one of the boys' favorite treats and it's super-easy to make. Win-win!

Day 18: GIVE cookies or treats to a neighbor

This one actually worked out perfectly. The house next to ours sold last week and the new owner moved in the same day. I like to think that we're pretty friendly, so this was a great opportunity to be the welcoming committee to our new neighbor. As usual, I planned to make some fresh cookies, but Jordan reminded me that the new neighbor may not be too eager to eat something baked by a complete stranger. Fair enough; the local grocery store had some delicious-looking peanut butter cookies. (And we may have brought home some snickerdoodles for ourselves.)

 

Day 17: GIVE Brady a walk around the neighborhood

Our sweet Brady just turned 10 last month. You would think that he would be calm, collected, and mature by now. Nope. Our beagle gets crazy when he gets around people. When he's home in the house with us and the boys, he's pretty lazy and carefree. But take him on a leash and he gets wayyyy too excited.  Needless to say, he doesn't get to go on many walks around the neighborhood. Usually, he's pretty content running around our big backyard for a bit before coming back in the house to lounge around.

 

The boys rode in the wagon as we took Brady around the neighborhood today. It was actually a perfect day for a walk......a sunny 82 in mid-November! Brady actually didn't do too bad, so maybe we'll make this walk a little more often. Of course, I realized we should probably update his ID tag, which still shows our previous address............from six years ago. Whoopsie!

Day 16: GIVE breakfast to co-workers

Jordan works pretty much EVERY Saturday. He hates the fact that he has to get up early while me and the boys snooze until around 9:30 or 10. :) And to add to it, they typically schedule store or district meetings on Saturdays before the stores open.......grrrrrrrrrr. I seem to have taken on the role of 'homeroom mom' for his store, always delivering cookies, brownies, cupcakes, breakfast, etc. Anything to help Jordan keep their morale up, that's what I help with.

 

Of course, this weekend Jordan had to be at work at 7:45 on a Saturday for a store-wide meeting. He thought it would be a good idea to bring some breakfast for the group. Usually I do the cooking, but I decided to take a quick power nap, so Jordan made two batches of sausage balls all by himself on Friday night. He's actually pretty capable in the kitchen, especially with the help of my KitchenAid mixer. :)

 

I was still sleeping this morning when he left for work, so I texted him to remember to take a picture for the blog. Unfortunately, they already devoured them. So once again, I am improving with my photographic evidence. :)

 

 

Day 15: GIVE toys to children in need

Our playroom was in MUCH need of a major clean-out. With Austin's birthday this past week and Christmas next month, it was time to pack up some of the 'baby' toys and hand them off to some other deserving kiddos. We were able to pack up a few boxes of the boys' toys that are making their way to our local Helping Hands charity in the morning.

 

 

Day 14: GIVE a note of encouragement to somebody in need

Mailed this sweet card off to someone today. I won't say who or what the cause was, but I think it was much-needed at this point in their life. Hopefully knowing that these Houghams are behind them and support them will give them strength in the big upcoming changes in their life.

 

Day 13: GIVE Austin the choice of a fun day

Obviously, it was easy to give Austin a fun day, since his birthday fell in November. (And while we had a fun day, we sadly sent Chase off to school so that Austin could get all the attention on his big day. Poor second child!)

After we dropped little brother off at school, we headed to Austin's favorite 'restaurant' for breakfast. McDonald's. I know, I know, but this kid loves their hotcakes & sausage. After devouring his breakfast and a few minutes on the indoor playground, we headed off to the pediatrician for our yearly checkup. And I'm happy to say that Austin has not been to the doctor since his 4 yr checkup......yay for healthy kids! He checked out perfectly (41 lbs. (50%) and 41in. tall (25%)); perfectly square I said!  While we were there, we also jumped at our chance at a flu shot, but opted for the 'mist' instead which was met with little resistance.  Now that the checkup was out of the way, we headed to Austin's second favorite place......Target! He got a duplicate toy for his birthday, so we returned it and got something new.

Then we headed off to Shenaniganz for some bowling fun! Free bowling in the middle of the day if you order some food......yes please! After that, we ventured to the other side to play some games. It seems like all that kid wanted to do was shoot some guns and ride motorcycles! Oh the joys of raising boys. We quickly cashed in our tickets for some prizes and headed to the movies to catch Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2 (in 3D). It was such a cute, fun movie. It was truly a fun day and Austin was trying to pass out at 5pm!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY AUSTIN!!!

Wow, I swear each year goes by faster and faster. As I was browsing through pictures to do this post, I got teary-eyed thinking about how fast he's growing up. Did I really become a mother FIVE years ago? That makes me feel super-old! For the longest time, I always wanted to be a mother. Once I finally held Austin in my arms, life was never the same. I know you can't have favorites, but I feel like your first-born always holds a special bond with you. I love this little boy so much. Each day brings more laughter, hugs, silly name-calling, and toothless smiles.

 

What can I say; he's not even a little boy anymore. He's become so independent and smart. He's in Pre-K this year and learning so much. Some of the things he comes home talking about astonish me. And he may be a bit of a teacher's pet!

 

He's always been a bit of a momma's boy, but he's just as much a daddy's boy lately. This kid loooooves to play outside (without shoes, of course). Whether he's cruising around in his Jeep, running laps around the cul de sac, playing t-ball in the backyard, or climbing everything on the playground, he's perfectly content. And he truly is a great big brother. To watch him interact with Chase just makes my heart melt. And sweet little Chase wants to do everything Bubba does.

 

But let me tell you, this kid is definitely a Jordan Jr. He loves to be the center of attention, the life of the party, etc. Definitely going to have my hands full with this one in his teenage years!

Here are some of my favorite moments/pics over the past year.....

Wanting to shave just like Daddy

Mommy & Austin

I love the expression on his face after just throwing leaves all over me!

He LOVES his puppy, Brady!

Having fun at the lake with Chase & Sterling

Playing in the sand in San Antonio

Painting with Daddy in San Antonio

Best Brothers Ever!

After baking with Mommy, this is the best part!

Our little t-ball star!

Day 12: GIVE to a child in need for Christmas

For this project, I grabbed an Angel from the Salvation Army tree at work earlier this week. I decided to pick a little boy, since that's what I know best. We ventured to the store and came back with a nice cozy jacket, a shirt, and some fun Thomas the Train toys.

 

It's so sad to think of all those kids on the tree who have some of the simplest needs/wants for Christmas. :(  Hoping that we can at least brighten the day for this one little guy!

 

Day 11: GIVE a treat to first responders

I thought this was a great one to do. Who doesn't love a visit to the local police/fire department!? (Well, as long as you're not there to pick someone up!) Anyways, I debated on what to take up there for snacks/treats. Typically, I would bake something myself. However, I started thinking that they may not be too eager to eat something that a stranger brought up there. I then confirmed by suspicion with a friend married to a cop. Yep, off to Target we go! I decided these were some manly men; they probably didn't want some cookies. We decided on some chips & salsa, beef jerky, peanuts, and Red Bull.

We live in a small town that just got our very own police/fire combo station. (Yes, we live in Rockwall, but our 'community' has gotten so large that we require our own police/fire resources now.) What better reason to go up and get a tour! We dropped off our snacks and got to take a look around. Austin even got to wear a little fireman hat and sit up in the fire truck. So cool!

(Unfortunately, Officer Tyler who came to our house on an unrelated visit a few weeks ago was not in attendance that afternoon. Bummer!) :)

 

Day 10: GIVE encouragement to your spouse

Tonight I left a little love note on the bathroom counter for Jordan. Many times in the hustle and bustle of our busy lives, we often forget to say thank you or to tell others how much we appreciate them. Over the past few weeks, Jordan has helped me many late nights prepping for Austin's party. Not many husbands would be up in their wife's craft room at midnight gluing cupcake toppers together or painting wooden letters. But he did, both for me and for his son.

 

Not only to say thank you for everything, but he's needed a little encouragement for work lately. Being in retail, he can work some late hours and weekends, which takes him away from us. But I know he's doing what he needs to do for our family and I love him for that.

 

So here's to you, babe! ;)

Day 9: GIVE a great party!

Yes, I know it's a birthday party, but it can certainly fall into the category of 'giving'. When I throw a party, it's for everyone in attendance, not just the birthday boy. I like to think of myself as a party planner extraordinaire, the hostess with the mostest, call it what you want. It's my passion (not accounting!). I start planning and brainstorming ideas for these kids' birthday parties a few months in advance. And while I do go a little overboard with the parties, most of everything is handmade, so I'm not spending a fortune. (Just alot of time browsing Pinterest, at the craft store, and late nights upstairs in my craft room.) This year's theme for Austin's birthday was superheroes. They're really 'in' right now and so much you can do with it. Needless to say, I took the idea and ran wild with it!

 

 

One thing we did splurge on this year......a bounce house. And of course, a Superman bounce house to go along with our theme. And it was a combo one, that had stairs, a slide, and mini obstacle course inside as well. What a workout to climb those stairs! They dropped this bad boy off at 11 this morning and Austin got lots of use out of it before the party even started at 3....

 

 



Originally, I was going to make custom capes for all the kids coming. Then I decided I would just make plain capes and have all the kids initials cut out, along with some other designs, so that the kids could customize their own capes. And little eye masks for them that I cut out. And I made these cute little wrist cuffs (out of toilet paper rolls!). Everything they needed to transform into their very own superhero. I even made the doors to my office look like a telephone booth (using posterboard!), so they could enter and come out as a superhero (like Superman does).

 

 

 

 

For some munchies, I stuck with our usual staples and gave them cool superhero-themed names and labels (Batman Brownies, Spidey Spinners, Joker Juice, Thor Thunder Pasta, Hulk Ham&Cheese, Kryptonite Krispies, etc.)

 

 

And don't forget the cupcakes! I refuse to ever pay for cupcakes/cake and insist on making my own.



 

 

 



When it came time to opening presents, this kid got spoiled! Lots of superheros, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and Power Rangers toys. And a Nerf bow & arrow which has barely left his hands since opening it.

 

Outside, we also had a cute backdrop for a great photo opportunity. (Have to give credit to my sister for pulling this one together.). It was awesome to see everyone (both kids and adults!) posing.

 

 

Overall, it was a great party! Austin seemed to love everything about the party, as well as all his gifts. Thanks to everyone that came out to celebrate with us. Still can't believe he's going to be 5 on Wednesday, just doesn't seem possible!

 

(And big thanks to the hubby and my sister for helping pull everything together. Couldn't have done it without you!)