Wednesday, December 16, 2009

Smooth Criminal

I took part of the day off work today to get some shopping done in preparation for Carter's big birthday bash on Saturday. I decided to take Carter with me and spend a little mommy/son time together. I went to Party Palace to pick up some decorations. As we were getting in the car after making our purchases Carter pulls out this soccer pen from his coat sleeve. I asked him where he got it and he said from inside the store. So....I made him go back inside and hand it to the store clerk and apologize for stealing it. The lady was really nice and explained to him that it's not nice to take things with out paying for them. He pretty much kept his head turned into my leg the whole time. I really think he felt bad about it and we had to have a talk once we got back in the car. I cant believe I didnt see him take it. It was our first and hopefully last shoplifting experience.

On a lighter note, as we were driving around town he said 2 really cute things today. When we first got in the car he said to me, "Mommy, it stinks in your car. It smells like the dentist!" I guess I bring my work home in more ways than one. Then later on we were driving past Wilks Funeral Home and he said, "Mommy what is that place?" I tried to explain to him that its a place we go to remember loved ones when they die and go to heaven. Our Grandpa Bullock passed away in October and we've extensively talked about how Grandpa Bullock's spirit went to heaven. After I explained about the funeral home he was quiet for a few minutes and then he said, "Mommy, Grandpa Bullock is the spirit of Christmas." I'm not quite sure what he meant by it but it was cute anyway. I love the innocent things kids say!

Saturday, December 12, 2009

Halloween and Dentists....Scary!


Avery went to her 1st dental
appointment the other day and she
did great! I had her watch Carter
go first and she was itchin to have her turn in the fun chair and play with Mr. Thirsty (the suction). She even let them take x-rays which is awesome for someone as young as she is. She is only 20 months old but she was a pro! There was good news and bad news though. The good news is that she didnt have any cavities...Yay! But the bad news is that she has a tiny mouth and we need to start saving our pennies for braces. Its a good thing I work for a dentist cuz we usually get a professional discount at the orthodontist office. Guess I cant quit working just yet. Bummer!









I know this is like 2 months behind schedule but better late than never. Here are our goblins! Carter wanted to be Optimus Prime for Halloween and this is what we came up with. All of the store costumes were way to big for him so we improvised. We got a tshirt, sweats and a bandana that we put around his mouth. And of course the OP treat bag is a must accessory. Avery on the other hand was my Dollar Store costume. She is a little fairy, like Tinkerbell, and I bought her entire outfit for $5 including the Tinkerbell treat bag. They both looked so cute. We went trick or treating at the mall and met up with the rest of the Bullock family. Aunt Cassie dressed up as a bull and Carter was completely terrified of her/it. After the mall we went to Grandma and Granpa Roeslers, Ashley and Brandi's and then Grandma and Grandpa Johnson's. We ended our night by eating dinner at Burger King and then stopping at Home Depot to visit Aunt Misty. We had tons of fun! The week earlier however, we went to Grandpa Erick's annual pumpkin patch party at Caldwell Park. The kids each got to pick out a pumpkin and got lots of candy. It was fun but SUPER cold. We were popscicles by the time we left. It was a good thing Grandma Bullock offered to buy us lunch at Wendy cuz the chili was warm and yummy!

Last weekend my friend Jenni graciously came over to our house and took lots of really cute pictures of our family for Christmas. I wish I had the patience to load all of them onto my blog cuz they are so cute, but I dont. Here are my 3 favorite and of course the family one at the top of our blog. Arent my kids so stinking cute. They are really photogenic and I love taking pics of them too. Next weekend is Carter's birthday and we are planning for a Transformer Party. It should be lots of fun and I will definitely post more pics at that time.

Saturday, October 31, 2009

Just Dance

The other night Nick and I were sitting in the living room watching TV. We had just put both kids to bed, however, we could still hear Carter in his room talking and moving around. The show that we were watching started playing the song "Just Dance" by Lady Gaga. Its a pretty catchy tune. A minute later Carter yells out.....

Carter: Daddy!

Nick pauses the TV.

Nick: What Carter?
Carter: I like this song.
Nick: Me too bud now go to sleep.

Nick pushes play and we continue watching the show. Another few seconds go by and we hear...

Carter: Daddy!
Nick: What Carter?
Carter: I'm dancin in my bed!

We laughed for the next 20 minutes or so off and on. Ahh.....the things kids say! Classic!

Saturday, September 26, 2009

Random Stuff









This is my new hobby. My friend taught me how to make hair bows for Avery. I have been having so much fun. You can be so creative. I decided to make a bunch for the craft fair I am going to be a part of in November. I can make any kind and any color. Let me know if you'd like me to make you one. I am going to be selling them too!




















Last Sunday we took the kids to Cherry Springs for a nature walk. Carter found a big stick and turned it into a gun. He had lots of fun kicking the leaves around too.











And this is my sweet little Avery. This is one of the few pictures I actually got of her looking at the camera. She watches her feet when she walks and so she wouldnt look up. But....we were in this grove of trees and the sun was shining on her just perfectly. Isnt she adorable!!











Avery is kind of a slow walker because once again, she looks at her feet when she walks so Carter, being the good big brother that he is, grabbed her hand and walked with her. How precious!


















And this is my little Jazz man!! He is just as big of a Jazz fan as his Mommy and Daddy. I cant wait to take him to a real game when he is old enough. He loves sporting his jersey and head and wrist bands.








This kids loves healthy food. I dont even have to try and force her....she just eats it! I was making tacos one night for dinner and she wanted some tomatoes. I gave her a few on her plate and she ate all of it. In fact she ate 4 plates of tomatoes that I had chopped up.







By the time I realized it, she had eaten the entire tomato!! I had to chop up another one just so I could have some on my taco. Avery and I are the only ones that like tomatoes. Im so grateful she loves healthy food. But.....she also loves unhealthy food too!! :)







The other day I was sitting the living room and the kids were in Carters bedroom playing.
Carter: Mommy!! Come here.
Me: What do you need Carter?
Carter: Come see me and Sissy.
I walk into the bedroom and find both of them in his little recliner....reclining.
Carter: Dont we look cute Mommy?
Me: Yes, you guys look so cute!
Carter: Take a picture Mommy!

An Awesome Night of Fun

Well the auction went great on Thursday! We raised a lot of money for Tegan and I pray that it helps her and her family with the day to day costs. I loved being a part of it all. Thank You Jen for letting me help. We got to the Red Lion at 3pm to set up. Erin, Alison and I were getting all of the centerpieces ready. We had fish bowls filled with pretty pink and purple rocks and goldfish. They were slippery little suckers! So much in fact that Erin ended up spilling the bag of like 30 fish on the floor and there was goldfish flopping all around. It was pretty funny and I just want to reassure everyone that we saved every single fish.....including the one I found under the table about 5 minutes later! We got the slide show working on the projecter and then the band showed up to set up and practice. The bands name was Brothers of Jared and they were really, really good! They played a lot of old and new stuff. I was really impressed with them. I highly recommend them. After setting up, we all rushed home to get ready and head back to start greeting people. I was positioned up front with Brandi, Shelby and Alison. Shelby and Alison are aunts of Tegan. It was really awesome to get to know them and work beside them most of the night. Our job was to sell raffle tickets, greet people and assign them a bid number. After the auction we were also in charge of checking the winning bidders out at the end of the night. That proved to be the toughest job throughout the whole night. It was pure chaos but everyone ended up paying and being happy with what they won. Even Brenda Baumgartner and Todd Blackinton from channel 6 news came. Brenda won a fun gift and it was really neat to see them there just showing their support for the Salce's, not because they were reporting the event. The auctioneer, Roger, did an amazing job with getting people to bid higher and making it a fun night for everyone. I never did get to go inside the auction because I was super busy selling tickets and checking people out but I could hear him and he sounded like he was having lots of fun too. We had one game called 50/50. Anyone who bought a ticket for it was eligible to win half of the pot at the end of the night. I knew the lady that won it and she ended up donating her half back to the family!! What an awesome thing to do! The whole night was so much fun. My family and Nicks parents showed up too and they all stayed the whole night. Carter, my son, had so much fun playing with all of the big kids at the auction. It was so fun to watch him laugh and run around. They all ended up dancing on the dance floor to the band. I'm pretty sure they had a good time too. Towards the end, Shelby, Tegan's aunt, got up and thanked everyone and there wasn't a dry eye in the room. Earlier in the evening, I had 2 small boys, along w/their mom, come up to the table and put $20 each in the donation cans. I thanked them for their generosity and the mom pointed to one of her boys and said, "This is my little survivor. He was diagnosed when he was 5 and he made it. Ive know people on both sides and we support anyone going through this." All four of us at the table were bawling like babies. Its just so amazing to see how generous people can be and that they really do care. I am so blessed to be a part of this and I pray for Tegan everyday that she will get stronger and healthier for her big surgery on the 29th. Thank you to everyone who came and showed your support. Mostly I am thankful for my beautiful children and for their health. You never know when it could be them in the hospital fighting for their life. We are going to start planning our next fundraiser for Nov. 7. A craft fair with lots of neat stuff. Keep it open on your calendars and please keep Tegan in your prayers! Thanks everyone!

Wednesday, September 16, 2009

Spread the Word

For those of you that actually read my blog I would love it if you can help me spread the word about Tegan Salce. She is a 2 yr old little girl that was diagnosed with a very rare and aggressive form of cancer called MRT in April. There are only 15 cases diagnosed each year and only a 20% survival rate. Tegan's parent tried for 5 years to conceive until they were finally blessed with this sweet little girl. My heart goes out to them because of our own fertility problems. Tegan lives in my neighborhood and there are a lot of wonderful people helping out her family. We are having a fabulous fundraiser for her next Thurs. Sept 24th from 6:30 to 8:30 at the Red Lion. Its a FREE, yes I said FREE, Ice Cream Social. There is also going to be a Live and Silent Auction and also a raffle. There is going to be some amazing items in the auction and raffle. We need as many people to attend as possible. Please come and bring your family, friends and coworkers!! Did I mention there was going to be Free Ice Cream!!! To see all of the items being auctioned and raffled go to miraclefortegan.blogspot.com. I cant help but think how many of us take having healthy children for granted. My children in particular to me are divine gifts from God and I am so thankful that they are healthy. I cant imaging sitting in a hospital room for days on end watching my daughter endure the awful side effects of chemo and then to be holding her as clumps of hair fall off of her precious little head. Tegan is scheduled for surgery to remove the tumor and it is a very invasive surgery. They actually have to remove her collar bone to get to it. Please help us to raise money for the medical costs associated with her treatments and the traveling expenses. We will also be having a Craft Fair in early November. If anyone is interested in having a booth to sell items, please contact me. I will definitely be there helping out so you will see a familiar face there. If anyone has any questions or knows of something to donate for the auction or raffle please let me know. I hope to see you all there!!!

Tuesday, September 1, 2009

Spring and Summer Stuff

Here are some pics to go with what we've been doing for the last 6 months.....Just having fun mostly!!














We took the kids to Hogle Zoo and had a blast. Well except Nick....he got eaten by a lion!!










Me and Avery liked the elephant exhibit. It was our favorite!









Carter got pneumonia right after we moved into our new house. Here is one of the bad days he had laying on the couch. He was so weak he couldnt even sit up to let me dress him. Poor kid!










Avery had her first birthday in March and I made a butterfly cake for her which she hardly touched. But that was ok....she looked to pretty to get all messy!













My sweet baby girl on her 1st birthday. Doesnt she look so pretty in her party dress!










On Mothers Day we had a BBQ at my parents house and Carter was giving Avery rides on his Harley. He can pop wheelies ya know. Even with Avery on the back.









It's very rare that I get both kids "sitting" and posing for pictures. Here they are on the 4th of July all fesive-like. Carter was giving me the courtesy smile that's not really even a smile.







Kissing cousins....or should I say hugging cousins. We went to the mountains with Nick's family and Cayben and Carter actually got along for most of the night. They even hugged each other because they wanted to and not because we made them to apologize for something. Dont they look so stinking cute. I wish they didnt fight so much! :)








When cousin Sam came to visit, a lot of time was spent playing in the pool and eating popscicles. On this HOT day, they each ate about 3 popscicles and as you can see Carter is in love with his and Sam thinks he is a weirdo. He's probably right though.









Avery also enjoys a popscicle now and then. I tried to take the popscicle away from her to clean her up and she flipped out. Do Not Mess with her popscicle!!!









Last but not least, this is what happens when you let Grandma do Avery's hair. Enough said.

Friday, August 21, 2009

Boy Trouble

Okay all of you mothers of little boys.....I need help. At least I think I need help...maybe its just a phase or something but what do you do about your son playing with his little schmeckel constantly!! The other day I got him out of the bathtub and was putting lotion on him. He grabbed the lotion, put some on his hands and went to town on his manhood. I kept telling him to stop but by the 3rd or 4th time I said it, I noticed that "it" was at attention. What do you do?
Also, Carter has it out for his sister. I am constantly finding new bruises all over Avery's back and head. He will go out of his way to knock her down or jump on her or throw stuff at her or push her down. Its impossible for her to even walk around him. We've had talks about being nice to her, family home evenings specifically on loving our family members and it just doesnt seem to be getting through to him. Any suggestions would be helpful.

Saturday, June 27, 2009

The Po Po

So this is such a funny story that I had to blog about it. Yesterday we went to Walmart and when we were coming out there was a policeman outside. Carter immediately recognizes him and says "The cops Daddy, look". Nick proceeds to say "Yup, its the Po Po"(an inner city slang term for police---for those of you who didnt grow up in the hood) :) Any way, so then we head over to Shopko and on the drive over I told him we do not call them the Po Po. They are nice policeman that are here to protect us. So we go inside and as we are waiting for the one of the clerks to retrieve the item we just purchased, I see a cop car speed by. Nick and Carter go outside to see what is going on. They see a policeman park his car and get out. Carter sees the policeman and as if he knows it was wrong, screams, "Its the Po Po!" and turns and runs into the store.

Monday, June 8, 2009

Thank You Bryce

On Friday I decided to get the kids all dressed up in patriotic colors and go to a funeral precession for Spc. Bryce Millward. He was a cousin of mine and he died in a helicopter accident in Hawaii while on active duty. I knew that the community was going to support his family by displaying flags along the route to the funeral home from the airport as they brought his body home. Before we left I showed Carter the US Flag on his shirt and explained that we lived in a very special place and that there are "nice people" who protect us and our homes by fighting against the "naughty people" who want to take that away from us. Once I could tell he sort of knew what I was talking about, I explained who Bryce was, a "nice person", who died trying to protect us and is now in heaven with Jesus and Heavenly Father. Then I told him that we were going to show our support to his family by waving our flags and saying Thank You as they drove by. As we headed out the door we grabbed our little flags and bundled up since it was pretty chilly. We got a really good spot on the street and Grandma and Grandpa Johnson showed up with blankets. While we were waiting, I again took the opportunity to explain to Carter why we were there. I wasnt sure it would all sink in. Then, we heard the police sirens and the POW/MIA motorcycles leading the precession. Carter jumped up in my arms to see better. As they all drove by, the entire street fell silent. You could feel the gratitude in the air from everyone around us. Then we saw the hurst carrying Bryce's body and tears began to stream from my eyes. Carter kept asking me, "Mommy, who is that?" I told him it was Bryce. And then, just when I thought that maybe he didnt remember anything we had talked about, he silently whispered...."Thank you Bryce". My heart melted and I held my son as tight as I could knowing that the Millward family had just lost theirs. It was a moment I will never forget. I am so happy I shared that experience with my children. I didnt know Bryce, nor did they but I knew it was important that they knew about him. I hope I can install a sense of honor and gratitude in them for the free and wonderful country we live in. We are all truly blessed!!

Thursday, June 4, 2009

Short and Sweet

I always feel like I have to blog with a ton of pictures and lots of fun news and then I get so discouraged because it will take me forever to blog it all. So what im gonna start doing is blogging random things..quickly and maybe even sometimes without pictures!! I need to do it so that I can count this as my journaling. So far....here's a recap since the last blog. Short and sweet!
1. Avery turned 1....it was a great day but sad for me. My baby is one and getting bigger.
2. I turned 31....again a good day but sad for me. :( I hate getting older too. Nick took me to a beautiful themed suite and dinner. It was really fun.
3. Carter tried to potty train and did really good but got really distracted because it was so nice outside and never wanted to come in to go potty. So we gave up....Honestly, I wasnt ready. :)
4. I had an awesome Mothers Day. The kids gave me a maple tree to plant in our front yard to watch grow as they grow....how thoughtful. Nick changed all of the diapers and we had a BBQ.
5. Carter called me at work the other day to tell me he pooped in the potty all by himself.
6. We planted grass in our yard, had a sprinkler system installed and just got A/C installed.
7. I heard some sad news about a friend of a friend. My friend Jen has a friend named Angela who has a little girl named Tegan and she has just recently been diagnosed with MRT, a rare form of cancer that only affects 15 people a year! Jen organized many fundraising events for Tegan. I have offered to help because seeing what this little girl and her family are going through is heart breaking and it really maked me appreciate the healthy children I have. If anyone is interested in the fundraising events go to teganlyn.blogspot.com or click on the link on my side bar labeled Tegan Lyn. If anyone would like to make a donation or help in anyway please let me know. Any donations are appreciated. The main fundraiser will be next week June 12 and 13 at the Diamond Court Apartments. There will be a yard sale where the money earned from all items sold will go to the family. They will also be selling raffle tickets for some really awesome prizes. I hope there will be a huge turnout!
8. Summer is here...kind of...and Im looking for fun ideas to do things with the kids on my day off. Hopefully we can go swimming or something. If anyone is interested in a play date let me know. My kids need to get out of the house and play with other kids! I am really looking forward to the summer. I might try and add just pictures tomorrow. I have a ton of them.
9 My sister and her family coming down for the fourth of July and I am really excited. Ive got some stuff planned and hope to keep everyone entertained....especially myself and the kids. :)
10. I went to the foot doctor because I have been having tremendous pain in my heel. I have plantar fasciitis and had custom insoles made....which were expensive and so far have not done anything to help relieve the pain. My next option is probably surgery....which I am totally avoiding. Im going to see how the next months go and then make up my mind....so wish me luck.
11. Carter got pneumonia and was pretty sick. He was so weak he couldnt even sit up to let me dress him. It was so sad! But he recovered quickly and is healthy now.
12. Avery is trying to walk....but only when she wants to. She is stubborn and if youre not paying her any attention, she'll walk all over!!
13. We found out that we are adding a new niece and a nephew to the Bullock side of the family. We are super excited to have one of each. Cassie is due at the end of October and Erika is due at the start of November. Why cant anyone in our family have a summer baby? They are all winter babies!! Sheesh..... :)
Well there it is....the long and short of it all. Happy Blogging!!!

Friday, March 20, 2009

I'm A Survivor


I went to bed at midnight and talked to Nick for an hour. At 1:45 am Carter came into our room (not crying). I picked him up and carried him back to his bed and he asked me to sit with him. I did until he fell asleep and then went back to bed. Five minutes later I heard him crying for me so I went in his room and laid on the floor next to his bed with a blanket. For some reason he wouldnt go back to sleep but he still hadnt asked for a bottle. I asked him if he wanted to sit on the recliner in the living room with me and he jumped right out of bed with his Cars blankie. When we sat down he started crying again and then finally asked for a bottle. I reminded him that he threw them away so the Bottle Fairy could take them to the new babies at the hospital. A few seconds later he stopped crying and fell asleep. I put him back to bed and shut his night light off since it was pretty bright. I figured that may be the reason he couldn't go to sleep. As soon as I did that he never got up again!!! At 7:07 am he came walking into our room. When Nick set him up on the bed he asked to pick a prize out of his bag.......he wasnt gonna forget! I got up to go get the bag from his room and he yelled to me that he wanted the M&M's! He already knew which prize he wanted. He was so cute. He picked the little baggie with Smarties, Sixlets and of course M&M's. He put them in his mouth pretending to be an walrus. Nick and I gave him high fives and told him how proud we were of him. He just grinned from ear to ear. I think we have a Big Boy on our hands now!!!




Thursday, March 19, 2009

Bye Bye Bottle Party

Today we threw Carter a Bye Bye Bottle Party. Carter is 2 yrs old and still demands a bottle at bedtime, during the night and at naptime. I decided that in order for the weening of his bottle to work, it needed to be a BIG deal. So we threw a party and told him that for every bottle he throws away he gets to open a present. We bought him a new toothbrush that sings, a football nightlight and a bedtime book. His final present was a back pack full of small prizes. Every night he goes without a bottle he gets to pick a prize out of the back pack the next morning. I also bought him new sippy cups, which we decorated with stickers. We also decorated Averys bottles with stickers too. We made cookies and had milk in fun animal cups. We invited our parents so that Carter would really think it was a big deal. Every time he threw a bottle in the garbage we all clapped and cheered and high fived him. Grandma Kim gave him a horse on a stick (which he used to hit all of the balloons with) and a giant bubble wand (which also used to hit the balloons with.) We had a really good time. After he threw all of the bottles away and opened gifts he tied up the bag and put it on the porch, where we told him the Bottle Fairy would come and pick them up and take them to the hospital for all of the new babies. This whole bottle thing has been such a struggle for us because he is sooooo attached to them and its hard to ween him when Avery still drinks bottles. Tonight will definitely be the test to see how he does. Im anticipating it NOT going well but praying for the best. We said a special family prayer tonight that it will not be too difficult for him or for us and that he will enjoy all of his new gifts. I hope everyone will remember us in their prayers. I will update everyone in the morning on how tonight goes. It should be interesting.........or a nightmare! :) Wish us Luck!


Thursday, March 5, 2009

Moving and Birthday ideas

Ok so I know its been a long time since I last wrote but we've been trying to sell our house and we finally did! We just moved into our new house and are still living out of boxes. We just got our internet set up yesterday and Ive been dying with out my computer. So as soon as I get my house put together and finish unpacking then I will definitely post new pics of the house and some really cute pics of the kids. Avery's birthday is at the end of the month and she will be ONE. I cant believe it. Im trying to think of some cute and fun ideas for her first bday party and am having some trouble so if anyone has any great ideas, Id love to hear them. Thanks to everyone else who updates their blog often cuz I love to read them! Ive been so busy lately that I just havent had the time to sit down and do it. I promise I'll be better! :)