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!