Week 4 | January 24-30

Well. We didn't mean to but we missed church Sunday. After a busy week we really needed some time together as a family and I think most of all, we just wanted to be lazy. It was certainly a great pj day! Here's the boys' weekly photo-

I cannot tell you how excited I was that Monday we started 11am swim lessons. Oh my gosh. The extra hour at home is muuuuuch needed. Not having to rush anywhere is my favorite.  I mean, just look at how sweet my snuggle buddies are.

Their sweet heads and necks make me swoon.

My Pierce is officially OUT of the high chair. He was standing up in it too much. I do miss having Parker at the bar but Pierce gets really nervous when I put him on a bar stool so boosters at the table it is. He looks pretty cute and proud. Of course, the boy does NOT want my help in climbing up or down from the chair. He's big.

One of my absolute favorite things is stealing a little one on one time with one of my boys. Tuesday morning, Parker woke early enough to come downstairs and crawl in bed next to me. This boy. I love that he can just chill in the bed for an hour or more in the morning. Brother Pierce is not that way.

Artwork from school and church. The Piercesaurus makes me laugh pretty dang hard. The sweet little hand in the middles has notes that say "I can help daddy load stuff" and "I can help make my brother happy".  True, buddy. So true. 

My little love is learning how to "pusha button".

We did some grocery shopping Thursday after school. Ya know, because we had no food at all. The boys love to ride in the race car buggy. Oh my. It's getting to be pretty comical pushing those two around. They took photos of everything they saw. I had lots of photos to delete but saved these sweet faces.

Sometime after 6:00, Liz and Willow arrived. The boys were bummed the big girls had to stay home but oh how they loved getting to love on this sweet baby girl without her sisters around. I could totally see Parker with a baby sister. He's like his Daddy and LOVES the girls. ;)

Friday was the best. We stayed in pjs almost all day. I can't remember the last time we had nowhere to go on a week day. Only a little tv, no errands, just playing and conversation and coffee. My kind of morning.


It was such a gorgeous day that we headed out to the park to ride bikes before naps. It's WARM in January this week. I'll take it though. My people sure love to play outdoors. They do not love bundling up.

Lego time for the big boy. He's always so proud when he learns how to repurpose stuff.

While Pierce napped, Parker snuggled Willow and fed her a bottle.

Daddy Daniel came home and took over so that Liz and I could head out for a dinner date with a few of our favorite mama friends. I think Daniel loved the baby girl snuggles too.

And no question, we loved the hours of catching up without interruption from our children. LOVE these ladies.

Saturday morning we said goodbye to Liz and Willow as they headed to the airport and then a wedding shower.

My big boy sat in my lap and laid his head on my chest for a long while. He never does this anymore!  I soaked up feeling special and made sure to tell him that I so appreciate when he loves on his mama this way.

Some silly made up hunting story and then a nap on the floor. The FLOOR? We have so many good beds and couches in this house. They're crazy.


Pierce's sweet sleep this week --

Clearly we love the spotted pjs. I promise I washed them this week. I think they were just put on top multiple times!

Week 3 | January 17-23

My week started with super sweet snuggles with my big boy. Pierce usually wakes up first so we very rarely get time alone in the mornings and I miss it so much. Our mornings have been very busy lately so starting the day slowly while snuggling and talking was perfect.

Sunday smiles weren't so smiley today. Pierce didn't want to cooperate at all. After a few tries I gave up and just let the boys act super silly.


When we got home from church, Rebekah and Roberto were waiting to take the boys home with them for the night. Daniel and I never know what to do with all the silence. Our home feels so strange without the boys in it. I ended up taking a nap and I have no idea what Daniel did. The boys took a trip to see Poppy and loved petting on the horses and cows. 


Daniel and I went to an early movie and didn't love it. We saw Joy and despite the good cast, it was just s l o w. I don't recommend paying much money to see it. I spent the morning catching up on work, getting in a workout and then drove to Navasota to get the boys Monday afternoon and they absolutely didn't want to come home. No surprise there. Big celebration tonight when Pierce went pee pee on the potty. It's not his first time, but he isn't consistently going so we make a big deal when something happens. He was so proud and really loved the m&m treat. Hopefully he'll get better about going each night before bath. We are in no way potty training. I let Parker do his thing and it happened very naturally. I'd love for that to be the case with my Pierce.

After school Tuesday afternoon we headed over to a long time friend's home to play with their 8 lab puppies before they all went to their forever homes. The boys both loved getting to throw the ball with Ruby, the mama dog and having baby dogs lick all over them.

Parker also had some exciting news to share. It may just be this particular pair of jeans, but he was able to button them all on his own. What a big step! He gains more independence every day. I'm so proud but my heart also breaks a tiny bit about the fact that he needs me a little less.

Before swimming lessons on Wednesday morning, these two sillies did some sweet cuddling. The moments they spend loving on one another make my heart so happy. I'm sure screams followed close behind.

Thursday Parker ran into a pole at school. His teacher texted me about it and then called to follow up. I adore her and sure hope we get an equally great kindergarten teacher. It seems that my boy was running fast and not paying attention to where he was going. This is not his first run in with a pole. Poor kid. Thursday afternoon was a long one: Daniel went quail hunting in Millican and wasn't home before bedtime. Pierce crawled up into my lap a few time this afternoon to be sweet. Most of the time he is so silly and funny but sometimes is also just b a d. He does not love to listen and only when I'm on my way to spank his leg does he finally do as was asked. It's so crazy, the difference in personalities between 1st and 2nd born. Pretty sure this one is going to make me crazier than I already am. And then, he had a super sincere moment where he lay his head on me and said "Awwww" and I melted. Daddy Daniel walked in the door just in time to kiss Parker goodnight. We were snuggled in bed reading. One of my deepest hopes and prayers is that my boys will always see mama's lap as a place to lay their heads and talk about their day, singing made up songs and asking questions that I sometimes don't even know the answer to. Tonight we read a few pages of Old Yeller and googled native Americans and mules and scythes to see what they look like. And he kicked his Daddy out of his room and sang to me "Jesus loves all the grown ups of the world". Every day I wake up and he walks into my room looking more mature than the morning before. His silly smile makes me hold my breath because I can't believe how stinking cute he is. I love everything about this image and the moments we shared tonight.

While Pierce napped on Friday, Parker was WILD and LOUD while playing with his legos. We packed our bag and were all ready to jump in the truck and head to Van Vleck when Daddy walked in from his long meeting. Parker had a rough ride and felt sick most of the way there. Thankfully, he felt well enough to grab a bite at the local mexican food joint.

Saturday morning we ate a great breakfast and then dressed for a day outside in the cold. The boys were super excited to go fishing! Parker caught a fish all on his own while I was headed to the house for Pierce's nap. I'm so sad I missed it but loved hearing him tell me all about it. The boys had a great time celebrating Papa's birthday with him. Their love for all things outdoors makes a day like today really fun for everyone. After a very yummy dinner, baths and pjs we headed back to Cypress so that we could spend the day at home tomorrow.






Another week of sleepy head photos. Going strong!

Hammer & Chisel | Week 2 Review

It's subtle. Verrrrrry subtle.
My weight hasn't changed at all.
Measurements on the left were taken Dec 10 and then again today, January 16, 2016.

I started Hammer & Chisel Jan 1st but didn't take new measurements and I'm pretty sure all the wine and treats I had between Dec 10 and Jan 1 meant I'd gone up a bit. 

This week's successes --
Shakeo every single day ☑
5 days of workouts ☑
Lost inches in waist ☑
Jeans fit a little better ☑ but are still tight in the legs. I've never had muscular legs! 

Measurements⤵
Chest 35.75 --->35.25
R arm 11.75 --->12
L arm 11.25--->11.75
Waist 35.5 --->33
Hips 38.25 --->37.25
R thigh 20.75 --->23.3
L thigh 21.75 --->23
Total 175 --->175.55

Areas I know I can improve -
More water, better nutrition and increase the weight I'm using!
I hope to see more inches lost in the weeks to come.

I'm excited to get through week three. Even though I'm about 2 days behind the schedule I refuse to get hung up on that. 5 days of exercise a week is a big deal for me and it's something I've done consistently in 2016. I'm hoping this habit I'm forming is on I can keep around the remaining 50 weeks of the year.

If you are curious about The Master's Hammer & Chisel, send me a message on my Facebook page. I'd love to answer your questions. 

Week 2 | January 10-16

Week 2 of our Sunday smile photos. I'm loving this project and hope that I still feel this way in 50 more weeks. These boys are so sweet and silly.


After church, we came home for naps and rest then met up with friends for dinner. The kids did so well at one end of the table. They really do love spending time together and it is sweet to see them interact on their own.

Not really sure what my Pierce was up to but he wouldn't stop. Look at this after dinner craziness--->

Sunday night's sleep ended up sucking big time. There's just no other way of putting it. I think 20 minutes was the most consecutive amount of sleep I got until somewhere around 3am. Pierce coughed and coughed and couldn't get any relief. He cried out in his sleep so much that I went upstairs to give him a little cold water and medicine and rock him. He was up bright and early and sounded like a sea lion barking so I grabbed him for snuggles and chocolate milk in my bed and called the doctor as soon as they opened. We are dealing with a case of croup. Lots of oils, 2 rounds of oral steroids and some good sleep and he should be feeling better soon.

Because of his appointment, we missed swimming so we headed to Sam's to grab a few things and kill some time before a nap. The boys did well and enjoyed a pretzel snack.

Pierce was ready for bed right at noon. This gave Parker and I some much needed time alone. I love watching this boy be BIG. He's loving legos and the fact that he gets to play with them all by himself while Pierce naps. 

Parker had a plan all his own and made it come to life. As soon as I came downstairs from putting Pierce to bed, he got his bike and helmet and jacket and cap gun. I was told "it's a lovely day" and that he was going to ride his bike across the street. I grabbed a cup of coffee and a blanket and my bible study and sat on the porch to keep an eye on him. He's so determined.

Pierce had to stay home from school on Tuesday, but he got in a little play time before his brother took off. These two do everything together. Pierce is very rarely at home alone. He cried "my Parker" as we drove away from preschool. I'm thinking this buddy may need three days of school in the fall so he's occupied!

It was a long day with my little boy home but we ended the chaos and crazy with snuggles of happiness and love. I adore these three so much.

Wednesday Daniel left for a funeral in Lousiana. He left his boots by the door and there was just something about this image that struck me.

Yesterday I emptied Parker's backpack and saw this. I crossed the kitchen, held his little face in my hands and my eyes welled with tears as I spoke of my pride and gratitude. Parker is the.KINDEST.most thoughtful. love bug ever. We talk DAILY about showing kindness and God's love to others. So so so proud that at 4.75yrs old, he gets it. I'm thankful he boldly follows his heart and I pray my boy is always a friend to others and stands out amongst the crowd. Mama loves you, Parker and thinks you're the sweetest friend! Big thanks to Mrs Smith for acknowledging this small little act of kindness.

Thursday the brothers were back in action TOGETHER. Pierce loves to be just like his big brother and even grabs his backpack and heads to the garage like Parker does. My hope is that they are always such close friends. Parker wanted badly to take his own picture with Pierce but couldn't work the camera and the hugging action all at once so I snapped a quick pic of my smiling big boy.

Friday morning we had a makeup swim lesson and then ran to Target to grab a gift for a friend's birthday party tomorrow. Parker decided he too needed a new little box of legos. It's so hard to say no! I've really got to work on coming home with no unnecessaries from the store. The boys and I sat on the floor for at least an hour and helped Parker work through the instructions for putting these tiny little blocks together. I loved legos as a kid but as a parent, they're a bit more frustrating.

Daniel surprised Parker by planning a backyard camp out. They had a fire and slept in the tent! I know Parker will always remember this first little camping experience with his Daddy. I'm not a camper and absolutely do not love it at all but I'm thinking I may have to put my big girl panties on some day so that I don't miss out.

Saturday we headed one neighborhood over to celebrate Gage, one of Parker's friends from school. They had so much fun seeing one another outside the school environment. Luckily, the boys are zoned for the same elementary school and have some plans to play tball together so they should be able to remain friends. This excites me because Gage is the first friend here in Cypress that belongs to Parker and isn't a side affect of Daniel and I being friends with his parents. I hope to get to know Gage's parents better, but I love that Parker formed this friendship first. It's really fun to watch your children create their own relationships. As the mama, I'm trying to put effort into helping him nourish the friendships he's forming.
While we were gone, Daddy and Pierce laid down in Parker's bed and Pierce fell asleep there. He ended up napping in his brother's bed for over two hours. I'm not sure how I feel about this! When he woke, he climbed down and walked to the stairs for his Daddy to come get him. He's not even 2! Here the brothers are reading a bedtime story. Pierce adores when his brother pays such attention to him.

Another week of sleep project photos. It's going better than I anticipated.