The Spengel Stories

Anyone seen a goldfish?

2011-11-22T08:36:00.000-08:00

Note: Not our acutal aquarium but similar

Baffled...completely baffled!!! Yesterday, I went to feed John's fish Kalee. She's usually ready and waiting. This time however she wasn't there. I tapped on the glass thinking maybe she was hiding in her plastic bush/tree thingy... nothing! So I walked around the tank and there was no sign of Kalee. I mean NO sign.

The only thing I can think of is that one of our cats managed to maneuver her out of the bowl...but I'm not sure how that would work considering there is a light and pump on top. I guess it is possible.

VERY strange!

So now the tank sits empty but still runs b/c I haven't had the heart to tell John that Kalee has gone to heaven. Guess I need to run to PetSmart....

YMCA Dragon Boat

2011-11-11T14:46:00.000-08:00

Each year, The Woodlands YMCA sponsors a corporate Dragon Boat race. We were able to talk our management into sponsoring a team. We were probably the smallest and most inexperienced team there but we still had a good time and did suprisingly well in the race.

We vow to win next year!!

Patty receiving her "flag grabber" training

Carri & I..the lead rowers...not sure what we were thinking

Ty, the drummer

Team Photo

Birthday parties with new friends

2011-11-11T14:32:00.000-08:00

Since John has started Covenant Christian, he has really grown....spiritually, physically, mentally and emotionally. I'm just amazed how much he's changed in such a short period of time. I'm so glad God steered us to make the decision to send him to this school. It has been such a blessing!

He's made many new friends and with that comes birthday parties! So far he's been invited to 5 parties but only able to attend 4. The last we he went to was for his friend Chance & it was a skating party. I was pumped b/c I thought I'd get to skate as well but once we got there and I saw no other parent was skating, I figured I should refrain...dang it! He was a little timid at first but by the end of the party he didn't even need the "skate mate".

John using the "skate mate"

John & friends

Update time!!

2011-11-11T14:17:00.000-08:00

Wow...when did life get so busy?!? I cannot believe it's already November and I cannot believe the last time I blogged was August.

Things have been super crazy the past couple of months and blogging has really fell to the wayside. I'm gonna attempt to play catch up...bare with me!

What a surprise!

2011-09-13T14:32:00.000-07:00

I pulled in my drive way the other day and this is what I saw.....

kind of a neat surprise! They belong to the neighbor across the pond and normally wouldn't come over but since the drought they could easily walk across. SO they did!

Happy birthday Mom/Granny!!

2011-08-18T09:36:00.000-07:00

Happy 61st birthday Mom/Granny!

We love you very much and can't wait to see you tomorrow...get ready!

He did it!!

2011-08-12T09:49:00.000-07:00

John survived his first day at kindergarten AND he enjoyed it!! He was super cute when I picked him up...I was in the car line and I could see him sitting there, he saw me and smiled SOOOO big! When Mrs. Patterson brought him over to the car, he jumped in and gave me the biggest hug ever.

He told me about how his class went on a hunt around the entire school for their animals(they each got to bring a stuffed animal for rest time and apparently they all went missing :)) but when they got back to their class all their animals were there waiting for them. He thought that was pretty neat! lol...love little minds!! He told me he got to sit in the cafeteria with the other kindergarten class and that tomorrow he would get to go to the library! All in all, I think he had a pretty good day which makes me one happy momma!!

Day 2 dropoff went very smoothly...much different than day 1! He was a little nervous but walked to his class and said goodbye without a tear. I'm so proud of him!!

1st day of Kindergarten

2011-08-11T08:05:00.000-07:00

So today was the big day...John started his first day as a kindergartener at Covenant Christian School.

I don't know why..okay I do know why... but I had all these grandiose visions on how the morning was going to go. I envisioned that John would jump out of bed all excited to go to big kid school...that he would run into his classroom and sit right in his spot...that he would look at me and tell me he was going to be fine...ya know the completely unrealistic stuff you see on TV shows and movies.

Alas, that was not to be. Instead John sang, "I'm not going, I'm not going" the whole way there. Once we got to his classroom he bolted into the hall and refused to go in. I had to pick him up and carry him in. He then clung to me with a death grip. The teacher had to intervene and basically pry him off of me so we could leave. As we walked out the door, he was screaming his little heart out. But we were strong and just kept walking.

I know he was fine 2 minutes after we left but as a mother that is one of the worst feelings in the world. Mrs. Patterson said she would email me while they were at recess and let me know how he was doing.... I'm anxiously awaiting!!

I was able to get some good pictures while we were home but those are on my real camera. This one came from my phone...as you can see he wasn't real happy!

Back to school night

2011-08-10T09:31:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow is the big day...John starts kindergarten!!! I can't believe it's already here but I can't tell you how excited I am for him.

Last night was "Back to School Night". We had a brief information session and then we got to take John to meet his teacher and see his classroom. He did surprisingly well...he didn't talk to anyone but also didn't latch on to me the whole time. This is progress!! His teacher is Mrs. Patterson and she seems extremely nice and really seems to love her job which always makes a nervous mom feel better!!

After we left, John told Tim that he thinks he's gonna like his school and his teacher except he thought she would have more hair! hahaha, I love my kid!!

Johnny,
Mommy and Saddy are so excited that you're starting this new chapter in your life. We are so very proud of you and can't wait to see how much you learn and mature this year. You are the best thing that has ever happened to us and we are so grateful that God chose us to be your parents!! We love you!!!

Can't seem to catch a break

2011-08-08T09:36:00.000-07:00

This poor baby just can't seem to catch a break.

He fell off a toy at school and went face first onto the floor...top tooth went through his bottom lip. He really knows how to do it!

I think he's gonna live but that face just makes my heart melt!!

Kindergarten, already???

2011-07-21T14:10:00.000-07:00

How is it possible that my 1st baby is starting kindergarten in 2 1/2 weeks? August 11th is the big day and it's just too surreal!

We've been talking about it all summer but I received an email from his school today about Back to School night and that's when reality slapped me in the face! A wave of anxiety rushed over me as I read the email. Is John ready for kindergarten...am I ready for John to go to kindergarten???? There is so much to do to prepare...buy uniforms, new shoes, back to school haircut...aye aye aye!

I really am excited...I can't wait to see what the school year brings. And so it begins! Back to school pics to follow...

John, Wyatt....Wyatt John

2011-07-08T07:08:00.000-07:00

As I've been preparing for Wyatt's birthday, I've been sorting through old photos and found a bunch of John when he was little. I was struck by how much he and Wyatt favor one another. It's really amazing...what do you think?

John getting his 1st hair cut at 1 year old

Wyatt at 11 months

I love those faces!!!

Happy 1st birthday Wyatt!!

2011-07-08T06:55:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was Wyatt's 1st birthday! Hard to believe it's been a year already...it's been great & challenging but we wouldn't have had it any other way. Grandma & Poppy came over and brought some presents and he got to eat a birthday brownie...but the real party is Saturday!

Once I got Wyatt to sleep and John to settle down, it was time for me to get started on his cake. For John's 1st birthday I made his personal cake. SO of course I have to do the same for Wyatt. John's was in the shape of a tractor...see picture below...not too complicated but still a lot of work!

Tim's mom kept all of her cake pans she used for her kids so I went through them and found this...

Popeye!! Isn't it cute?!?! Well it got less cute as I started reading the icing directions...holy cow there is alot of detail! What have I gotten myself into? So tonight I will be icing a cake...for hours...and hours! I really hope I can pull this off!

Professional pictures

2011-06-23T13:02:00.000-07:00

I decided it was time to have some new professional pictures taken of the boys. So I called our friend Becky Ellsworth...she is extremely talented and really works well with the boys. John trusts her and listens to her, which is a big thing for him!! So without further adieu, I present the Spengel Boys, Summer 2011!

Florida 2011

2011-06-23T11:51:00.000-07:00

The boys, myself and Granny were fortunate to spend a whole week in Florida... St. Augustine to be exact. My parents dear friends live there and offered to let us stay with them. I don't know if they knew what they were getting into but they were very gracious hosts and I'm thankful to them. We flew since driving was just not an option since St. Augustine is on the Atlantic side. Both boys did so well on the flight. John was sooo excited and Wyatt charmed the lady across the aisle from me.

He was so excited

Of course we visited the beach everyday. Wyatt only enjoyed one day at the beach...he has a tendancy to eat sand plus his little bald head and the sun don't go well together. John is my little beach buddy! I swear that kid could play for hours and hours. He absolutely LOVES it and that makes me happy!

Where's John?

My view

One day we visited the local alligator farm. If you're ever in that area, I totally recommend it! They have all types of alligators, crocodiles, snakes, birds and the biggest Galapagos tortiose I've ever seen! It was a lot of fun!

John & the Albino alligator

The alligator swamp (how freaky is that!!!)

He was so big, I don't think he could move...seriously!

Granny & John

Why won't he take a picture with me!!

Wyatt (Itty Bitty) was such a good boy!

Overall I would say the trip was a success. Thank you Robert & Beverly for opening your house and thank you Granny for all you do!!!

This is a a portable crib I found online for Wyatt to sleep in and it worked!!! I was really worried how I would get him to sleep but I found this PeaPod and it worked great!!! Look at the sweet baby...aggh I could just eat him!!!

Obsessed with NYC (catch up post)

2011-05-25T11:56:00.000-07:00

My mom turned 60 in August 2010 and her one birthday wish was to go to New York City. So, my dad being the awesome guy that he is, said he would pay for mom and myself to go to NYC for a weekend!!! We decided to plan the trip in early December so we could experience NYC during the Christmas season!

Let me just say....I am officially obsessed with all things New York City!! It was the most amazing trip! We had such a great time, eating, sightseeing, and my favorite, shopping on Canal Street. We got to see the Rockettes Christmas Show, which was awesome by the way! We did all things touristy and enjoyed every minute of it!! The only and I mean only downside was the temperature. When we arrived on Thursday evening it was relatively cold...high 30's...cold but bearable. Friday was the same, low in the 20's & high in the 30's. But by Saturday the temp dropped, wind kicked up and we were miserable!!! The wind just cuts right through you. We have since decided that our next NYC trip will be planned during the Spring or Fall. Maybe Daddy will pay for that one too :)!!!

Our room at the W Hotel in Times Square

Times Square

Mom and I

View of the Hudson from our room

Radio City Music Hall

Me & Elmo

A creepy Statue of Liberty ...yes I paid to take a picture by him/her

Rockerfeller Christmas Tree

Trump Tower

Empire State Building

Thankful

2011-05-24T07:14:00.000-07:00

Everyday I give thanks to the Lord...I thank him for all the blessings he's bestowed to me and most importantly I thank Him for my family and my time with them. Yes..sometimes I complain and take them for granted but I love them more than anything else in the world and am sooooo grateful each day I have them.

But today, I'm especially thankful...today a dear friend of mine is saying good-bye to her 7 month old son. My heart aches for her. While I know he is in a better place and no longer suffering, my heart still hurts. I pray that they can find peace and comfort and know that they now have a precious angel baby watching over them

Just another reminder that life is a gift and we never truly know God's plan for us.

Thank you Lord for my babies!

2011-05-20T13:09:00.000-07:00

The plan was to catch up on my posts since Halloween but I don't feel like it today....so I'm just gonna post some pictures and tell ya what we've been up to.

John started T-ball last month and is doing SO well this year. He's actually participating and most importantly he's having fun! This makes me a happy happy mommy! He's doing well in school and we're preparing for Kindergarten in the fall...unbelievable!!!

Wyatt is growing soooo fast. Since we got his reflux under control, he's a changed baby. Long gone are the miserable, scream filled, sleepless nights. He's officially in his room and sleeping through the night! THANK YOU LORD! He's the sweetest baby and ADORES his big brother. I love watching them interact...John watches out for Wyatt and Wyatt is in awe of John!

I love my boys!!!

Bad bad blogger

2011-05-01T16:53:00.000-07:00

I'm baaaacccckkk! I realize it has been months since my last real blog and I'm committed to trying to catch up....bare with me b/c I'm going back as far as Halloween.

Here we go!!!!

Worst blogger ever!!!

2011-01-11T07:07:00.000-08:00

I have been on a blogging haitus....mainly b/c I just don't have time anymore. My new position is keeping me super busy.

I have so many updates and pictures to post but unfortunately don't have time today...so I'll leave you this litte video snippit.

All I can say is Wyatt adores John!!

1 little, 2 little, 3 little indians...well just 2

2010-11-22T06:59:00.000-08:00

John had his Thanksgiving feast at school on Friday. His indian name was Standing Rock John, which is pretty appropriate since the child never sits down and he's as stubborn as a rock! heehee...

John played with Wyatt while I cleaned house on Saturday. He's so sweet with his little brother and Wyatt just loves John. He smiles and giggles everytime John talks to him.

I took this video yesterday while John was playing with Wyatt. It melts my heart!

It's the little things..

2010-11-15T12:04:00.000-08:00

I take John to Learning Express to buy a birthday present for a friend. I tell him he's allowed to pick out one small toy. He runs around the store searching for his toy...and comes back with this...

Yes, it's a whoopee cushion. Of all the awesome, cool, completely entertaining toys in the store and my child picks out a whoopee cushion! God I love him!

It's been a while....

2010-10-28T08:07:00.000-07:00

I have been such a terrible blogger lately. Since I started back to work, things are sooo crazy busy. I started a new position when I got back and I had to travel to Odessa for a week and a half for training. It was hard leaving but we all survived and life is back to normal.

Now for updates on the boys...

John is doing great! He's loving school and learning so much. I signed him up for a spanish class and so far he seems to really like it...I know, Spanish class at 4 years old..but it's a competitive world out there and I want to give him every advantage possible! He's playing soccer at the Y every Saturday. He's not fully participating right now...just wants to be the goalie. But hopefully by the time the season ends he will have actually played a whole game. We'll see..

Wyatt is growing like a weed. He is the sweetest baby with the biggest smiles. He's had a rough couple of weeks thanks to acid reflux. He's now medicated and seems to be doing much better. But I tell ya what, there is nothing worse then an inconsable baby with reflux.

Here are some recent pictures..more to come!

Odessa sunset

John & Mason

Soccer time

2010-09-27T09:50:00.000-07:00

It's fall soccer time and John is an official member of the New York Red Bulls at the YMCA. Friday night we went to Academy and bought all his gear...shin guards, shorts, socks and most importantly the cleats!!! And wouldn't ya know, my child picks out silver cleats!

I pushed him to look at the less expensive pairs but he HAD to have the silver ones...he got lucky b/c they didn't have the less expensive pairs in his size anyway.

John and I both were a little apprehensive pulling up to the fields...I didn't know if he would know anyone on his team. He does sooo much better if he knows at least one other child. And I really wanted him to play and interact b/c I knew he would just love it.

Well the Lord heard my prayers...one of his best friends from school, Mason was on his team. And the best part is Mason's grandpa is the coach! Needless to say John was SUPER excited. However he didn't play...but he did get out on the field. Baby steps!

Maybe next week?

John & Mason

He's on the field!!

Halloween has come early in the Spengel house

2010-09-19T11:13:00.000-07:00

John got his Halloween costume yesterday and as you can see he loves it. He took the mask off long enough to eat breakfast. Crazy kid!

2 months old...already?

2010-09-19T11:02:00.000-07:00

I can't believe Wyatt is already 2 months old. How did this happen??? I've really enjoyed my time at home with him. I'm not looking forward to going back to work on the 27th. It's going to be so hard to leave him. John, however is super excited about him being at the same school. He's already informed his teacher that he might need to go check on "brotha".

Wyatt, at your 2 month check up you weigh 13lbs and are 23 1/2 inches long. You are such a happy little boy...always smiling and laughing. You eat every 2 1/2 hours on schedule and are wearing 3-6 month clothes. You love to watch John play and John loves to watch you watch him. You are such a sweet little guy and we can't imagine our lives without you.

First day of Pre-K 4

2010-08-24T15:30:00.000-07:00

My Dad, the bee keeper

2010-08-24T15:25:00.000-07:00

No, it's not his Halloween costume. It's an actual bee keeper suit and he's holding some honey in the container he just harvested.

If you know my dad at all, then no explaination is needed.

Granny's 60 b-day

2010-08-24T15:21:00.000-07:00

August 18th was my mom's 60th birthday. The boys and I packed up the car and headed north to Tyler. Side note...2 kids require way more stuff, it was ridiculous!

This was also Wyatt's first road trip. I was really anxious leading up to the trip b/c Tim wasn't going and I just knew a 3 hour trip was going to take 5 b/c of all the stops I thought we would make. But to my surprise, we didn't stop once. Wyatt slept the whole time and John watched a movie. It was AWESOME! The trip back also went well...only had to stop once to feed the baby. Not bad, I'd say.

Most of the week was spent just hanging out at Granny's house. We did go swimming twice at Ms. Betty's pool which made John happy and I got to do a little shopping without the kids which made me happy!

That's my Johnny!

A visit from GG & Granny

2010-08-24T15:05:00.000-07:00

We were lucky enough to have a visit from Granny and GG all at the same time!!

John loves his Granny so much! They have so much fun together. I know she goes home exhausted. This time she helped John catch this monster. He wanted to keep it as a pet but luckily we were able to persuade him to let it go back to it's mommy & daddy

Wyatt got to meet his Great Grandmother. GG came down for a quick visit but will hopefully be back soon!!!

1 month old

2010-08-24T14:47:00.000-07:00

I know, I'm way beind on my blogging. But I've got some free time so get ready, b/c I'm about to hit ya with a bunch of posts!

Here's a picture of Wyatt on his 1 month birthday! I can't believe it. He's getting sooo big tooo fast!

His first check-up went well. John came with us because he wanted to be there when Wyatt got his shot and I'm really glad he did...he helps me carry the diaper bag!

Weight: 10lbs 15ozs

Height: 22 1/2 inches

My boys!

2010-07-26T09:04:00.000-07:00

Sorry it's been so long since I posted any new pictures. Since I'm not at work I rarely get on the computer.

Things here are going well. John went back to school last week and he's enjoying going on all his field trips. He really needs to be entertained and it's really hard trying to keep him happy with a new born. Wyatt is just being a baby. Eating alot, sleeping alot and pooping alot. He's such a good baby..he hardly ever cries except when he's hungry! let's hope it stays that way!

I'm enjoying being at home and tackling some tasks that have been on my "to do" list for months.

I'll try and do better with posting pictures and updates!

Wyatt Edward Spengel

2010-07-15T08:30:00.000-07:00

Wyatt Edward

John Henry

He's here! Wyatt made his debut July 7, 2010 at 2:44 pm. He weighed 8lbs 8ozs & was 19 1/2 inches long....2 inches shorter and 1 oz larger than his big brother but I think they look just alike!

I have to say the whole process was SOOOO much easier this time around. I was immediately given the potocin and immediately started having contractions. Before I knew it, it was time for the epidural and soon after, time to welcome the little guy into the world.

already got the miracle juice...that's why I'm smiling!

brand new baby

Big brother meeting little brother for the first time

3 Spengel men

John loves to hold him

and feed him

he's so proud!

We're all handling the transition pretty well. Wyatt has jaundice so I've been tranporting him from the pediatrician to the hospital almost every day this week. It's been rough but we're hanging in there. I'm really looking forward to having some downtime at home. Wyatt is such a good baby...he seems to be very laid back so far. John just loves his brother and always wants to kiss and hold him.

Stay tuned for more pictures!

July 7th, 2010...

2010-06-30T10:53:00.000-07:00

..is hopefully the day Wyatt Edward Spengel will make his entrance in the world. I went to the Dr. today and it was decided to schedule an induction on the actual due date...I knew this would happen. It's the exact same situation as it was with John. I'm fine with it and actually prefer to be induced. Hopefully, Wyatt will cooperate just like John did and make a smooth entrance.

And if you didn't notice...we decided on a name! FINALLY! Wyatt is just a name we had thrown out there when we found out we were having another boy. We both liked it and as time passed it really grew on us. Edward is my dad's middle name so it was an easy one. So Wyatt Edward was agreed on with a hand shake! I really like it and I just know it's gonna fit this little guy perfectly.

SO...one more week and Wyatt will officially be here! I'm so excited and ready!

Things that make me happy...

2010-06-23T07:01:00.000-07:00

Neon pink nail polish! We're talking 1980's neon pink! I just love this color and think it's perfect for summertime. It helps that it makes me look tan, too.

As I was painting my toes, John comes over to watch and proclaims, "that pink is sooo boo-ti-ful"

Split chin

2010-06-21T08:40:00.000-07:00

Well Saturday did not go exactly how I planned! It started out great...Tim had to work and John and I had a list of errands to run. We started off by taking Foster to the groomer for his "summer haircut". He doesn't particularly care for the groomer but always feels so much better when he gets all that hair off. I'll have to take a picture of him...he looks so cute..kinda like a deer!

Anyway, after we dropped him off we ran into Academy, which is conviently right next door, to get John some new shoes. We managed to get new flip flops, crocs and sneakers. Success!

From there we headed to Suds Car Wash, I needed to get my oil changed and decided to go there so I could get it washed and vaccumed as well. Here's where the day goes south...after the oil change, we went into the car wash part and were patiently waiting. I was sitting in a chair and John was playing in their "kid area". He comes over to where I am and decides to hoist himself up between the chair I'm sitting in and the empty one next to me. Before I can even say, "You need to get down b/c you might fall"...he falls! Face first on the hard tile floor. Of course he immediately starts whaling and I start investigating the damage. No teeth missing... good.... but bleeding profusely from his chin...great! Sure enough he's got maybe a 1/4 inch cut. So we run up to the front desk and I ask for the manager to see if he has a first aid kit. He comes out and takes us back to his office where he opens up the mother of all first aid kits. Seriously, he had enough supplies for a small clinic! He was the nicest man and was genuinely concerned...even offered to call an ambulance. haha, I graciously told him that wasn't necessary. We got the wound all cleaned and bandaged and headed over to Grandma and Poppy's house since they weren't too far from the car wash to see if they had any butterfly bandages. I decided against a trip to the ER since the cut was pretty small and to be honest the idea of sitting there for 4+ hours just made me cringe. They didn't have any butterfly bandages but Poppy graciously ran to the store to get some. After two attempts from me and Grandma to apply the darn thing, I finally got it closed and bandaged.

John did surprisingly well! He stopped crying pretty quickly after the fall. I don't think it hurt as much as it scared him. I'm pretty proud of him...and I'm proud of myself! I didn't freak out ...I was calm and collected. Not at all how I imagined myself to be! hahaha...guess I'm finally getting the hang of this mom thing!

Meet Bob...

2010-06-17T07:35:00.000-07:00

This is Bob...Bob is my Dad's pride and joy. My Dad found him a couple of years ago running around on a street, so my dad stopped and picked him up so he wouldn't get hit. The rest is history! This dog is something special. His personality is super unique and John just loves Bob and wants him to live with us. Bob goes with my Dad everywhere..I'm not kidding.

Anyway, Bob has been through the ringer in his lifetime. Since my Dad has adopted him, he's been hit by a car which resulted in a large gash on his side, been bit by my parent's other dog, been stung in the butt by a bee and recently somehow managed to break his leg...although noone knows how this happened! As you can see he's in a cast and halo and will stay this way for 4 weeks! Poor thing, he looks pretty pitiful!

As you can tell, we're a family of animal lovers!

2010-06-14T12:55:00.000-07:00

This is Foster...he is our first baby. We got him July 4th weekend 2000. He's a full blood Australian Shepard and the biggest teddy bear you will ever meet.

Tim took him to the vet today b/c he's been having some tummy issues..ie pooping and peeing on my floor even after he's been outside all day!!! Nice huh! So after two days of this, I had enough. The good news is, the vet thinks he's is great health considering his age. He's technically 66 in human years...he's an old man...makes me sad! The bad news is the vet thinks he may have some weird worm. So he's got a special powder I have to apply to his food nightly for several days. Hopefully this will take care of this pesky parasite that has been wreaking havoc in our house for the past week.

Happy 7th Anniversary Timmy

2010-06-07T10:03:00.000-07:00

Our engagement picture..we look soo young!

Seven years ago today, I married my best friend! Hard to believe it's been 7 years already...we dated for 6 before we ever got married so needless to say we're very used to each other by now!

On our honeymoon

These 7 years have flown by and our lives have changed so much since June 7, 2003. It's funny to think back on what was important to us then and what is important to us now. Funny how life changes and I'm so glad I've had him to share the changes with.

Happy anniversary babe!

Penny & Hoop

2010-06-07T08:19:00.000-07:00

Meet Penny and Hoop...

the newest additions to the Spengel family...thanks to my dad...feather footed Bantum chickens. We were told they were both roosters but I'm pretty sure the red one (Penny) is a hen. Hoop, the black one, is way more agressive and does all the crowing. My mom came into town Saturday morning for a visit and brought these two with her....in the backseat of her car...her nice car! HA!

Here's the background story...Tim has been talking about getting chickens for a while now.
He's researched breeds, coups, etc. but we just haven't had the time or wanted to spend the money quite yet. Anyway, Tim happened to mention to my dad that he wanted to get some chickens...well that's all my dad needed!

So yesterday we spent the afternoon creating a temporary pen until Tim can order the one he really wants. We made a trip up to the feed store to get supplies... watering can, feed bucket and of course feed. Once we get the real coup purchased and set up, the plan is get more chickens.

I'm fine with the idea mainly because I'm excited about having fresh eggs and chickens aren't really all that hard to maintain. Plus I grew up with chickens and have many fond memories of gathering eggs and taking scraps out to them.

How does John like Penny & Hoop, you ask? Well he LOVES them! He thinks they're pretty cool. So much so that he took a picture of them to school today to show all his friends!

The Spengel family roster stands at:

3 humans + one on the way
2 dogs - Foster & Wrangler
2 cats - Miss Kitty & Miller
1 goldfish - Kaylee
2 chickens - Penny & Hoop

Country life at it's best

2010-06-04T10:10:00.000-07:00

You definitely live in the country when your husband runs into the house to grab his rifle b/c he's spotted some water moccasins near the pond's edge. And your son declares. "cool, daddy's gunna shoot up som' snakes, mama!". If only I had a picture of his face at that moment...I've never seen him so happy before...it was a look of pure joy!

Disclaimer: I did not take this picture....those things freak me out!

So that was the big excitement at our house last night. I can honestly say it's never dull around our house!

35 week update, Happy Birthday Tim and Summer fun

2010-06-02T11:47:00.000-07:00

Today I'm 35 weeks and the final countdown has begun. Baby S is growing accordingly and his heartbeat is strong. The Dr. still thinks he'll come around July 7th but that all could change as the month goes on. All I know is I'm sooo ready to have this kiddo. I'm at the stage where no matter what position I'm in, I'm uncomfortable...needless to say I'm a real joy most of the time. Poor Timmy and John, they have to put up with me for 4 more weeks.

In other Spengel news, today is Tim's 34th birthday! Yea! We're going to dinner tonight with the whole family to celebrate. I picked up a banana cream cheesecake from The Cheesecake Factory b/c let's face it, I'm challenged when it comes to cooking! Last night John asked Tim where he was going to have his birthday party? It was sooo cute. He just couldn't understand why Daddy wasn't having a birthday party. Happy birthday Tim!!!

Summer session at John's school has started and b/c he's in the pre-k class he gets to go on all the field trips...meaning he gets to ride in the "big kid van". This alone, makes his day! The school literally has an activity planned for everyday of the work week...bowling, putt putt, Incredible Pizza, Pump it Up, swimming at the Rec center, visits to the park, the list goes on and on. Yesterday day they had Tumble Team and today was ice cream sundaes at the park but he got to skip today. Today, Grandma and Aunt Stephy took all 5 grandkids down to the museum district to visit the butterfly exhibit and to check out the IMAX movie about dolphins and whales. Needless to say he was very excited and all I can say is Grandma and Aunt Stephy are brave brave souls!!!

Pregnancy brain

2010-05-14T13:30:00.000-07:00

Definition - Pregnancy brain is a condition that affects expectant mothers, usually during the first and third trimesters. Sometimes known as baby brain drain, the condition is usually characterized by short-term memory loss or forgetfulness. Some medical experts say that pregnancy brain is a myth, but evidence shows that many women have experienced this condition.

I had a serious case of "P-brain" today...how serious, you ask? Oh...I only forgot how old I was by a year. A whole year...I'm going to be 33 in December not 32! I had to break out the calculator to make sure I was calculating correctly! How sad is that!

It all started with a conversation I was having with my friend Jennifer over IM. She was talking about turning 40 in January...it took me a minute but then it hit me...how can she be turning 40 already? and if's she going to be 40, how old am I? what year is it again?

Seriously, my brain could not process it. I triple checked with her to make sure she was turning 40...she assured me she was and I was crazy!

It's sooo weird!!! I've heard of "P-brain" happening to others but I've never had it...at least that I remember! HAHAHAAHA!

Ahhh, only 8 more weeks!

30 weeks today

2010-04-28T09:05:00.000-07:00

I had my 30 week checkup & ultrasound this morning and all looks good!

So far Baby S is measuring way larger than "normal". The ultrasound tech measured him to be about 3lbs 14 oz. A "normal" 30 week baby should be almost 3 lbs! Even Dr. Williams said, "you're gonna have a big boy"...

John was 8lbs 7oz, so I know big...but they're estimating this kid to be bigger. Yikes!

Can't wait to meet his little... I mean, big guy!

Early morning conversations with Johnny, Part II

2010-04-27T07:08:00.000-07:00

3:30am...I hear the thud of little feet coming down the stairs.

Me:     John, what are you doing up?
John: Mommy I scared of the storm
Me:    There's not a storm, let's go... back to your bed.

Right as I said that....a loud clap of thunder and lightening

Me:    sigh...get up here
John: mommy, God's makin da storm?
Me:    yes baby
John: he's sittin on a cloud makin it storm?
Me:    No, he's in Heaven..now it's time to be quiet and go to sleep.

Needless to say we once again didn't get much sleep after that. It stormed for probably 30 more minutes, and John had to comment after ever thunder clap and lightening flash. Finally, he passed out. Maybe tonight we'll get a full night's sleep without interruption.

1:30am conversations with Johnny

2010-04-26T07:56:00.000-07:00

At 1:30am this morning, I was awoken to John pulling on my arm.

Me:     Honey, what are you doing up?
John: I just want ta snuggle
Me:     Come on up here...
John: A wolf was tyin' to eat me in my dream
Me:     ...a wolf huh...well he won't get you now. Mommy & Daddy will keep you safe.
John: yeah I safe. Mommy, when yous was a lil girl, you went downstairs when a wolf tried to eat you?
Me:     yes, I'm sure I did.

And then he passed out cold! He slept great all night, we on the other hand did not. But what can ya do when he says he wants to snuggle! I can't say no to that!

Blind as a bat...

2010-04-23T13:17:00.000-07:00

...well not anymore..Tim had Lasik eye surgery this morning!

Yea Timmy!! I'm sooo excited for him. I had the procedure done about 2 years ago and in my opinion, it's the best money I've ever spent. It's such an amazing thing that a laser can cut a flap as thin as a strand of hair and then zap your eyeball a couple of times and you see 20/20 almost instantly. What's even more amazing is that John and I got to watch it all happen!! John thought it was pretty cool but was very concerned what the "people were doing to daddy".
It was cute!

I'm anxious to see how his vision is tomorrow. It's really cool when you've been so dependent on glasses and contacts for soooo long and then all of a sudden, you don't need them. It's a breath of fresh air!

"The Highly Sensitive Child"...

2010-04-20T08:30:00.000-07:00

..is a great description of my child. It's also a book written by Dr. Elaine N. Aron.

A friend of mine from high school, who's blog I follow religiously, shared how she found this book after spending countless hours researching her son's "highly sensitive" personality. What really got me is that her son and John share many of the same personality traits. I mean seriously, when she describes "C", it's exacly how I would describe John. So I figured I definitely needed to research this more. And boy am I glad I did...as Chalna said, "This is my son". THANK YOU Chalna!

John has always been what I would describe as shy or super sensitive, and that has always been fine with me. I too was shy and super sensitive as a kid so for the most part, I understood. But still sometimes, I would...and still do...get frustrated when he doesn't want to participate in things or gets upset over what most people consider little things. But now, after reading an excerpt from this book, I really understand that to him they're not little things. He notices things that most 4 year olds don't. He often won't participate in group activities opting to observe instead and then will discuss in extreme detail everything he just saw. He also has an amazing vocabulary which I'm certain has to do with how much he observes and listens. It just all makes sooo much sense now! I'm super excited to read more about how John "sees" the world and how to parent more effectively.
Here is the link to the website http://www.hsperson.com/pages/child. It's very interesting reading!

Thank you again Chalna for sharing this book with me.

28 weeks and still no name

2010-04-15T08:18:00.000-07:00

So I'm officially 28 weeks and according to Dr. Williams, doing great! Baby S (still has no name...sad isn't it?) is laying transverse (sideways) but still has time to move. He said now is when he'll start putting on all his weight and he'll probably get uncomfortable the bigger he grows which will make him want to change positions. Let's just hope he changes into the correct position! I start the every 2 week appointment routine now and next appt I have another ultrasound. I love ultrasounds...something about acutally seeing the baby makes it all real. Of course so do the swift kicks to my bladder!

John is getting more excited about baby brother's arrival. He talks about him constantly. This morning, while he was playing in the bathtub he made "coffee" for me b/c baby brother needed it for his sore throat. (side note...he normally takes a bath at night but last night refused so this morning he got one...can't send the kid to school dirty!)

Spring school pictures

2010-04-13T06:59:00.000-07:00

John's school offers fall and spring pictures courtesy of The Picture People. This is great for me b/c I'm sooo bad about having professional pictures taken. We've had "family" pictures taken 3 times and everytime I hate them. John and Tim look great but for some reason I look like a complete dork! My smile is either crooked or my eyes are shut..it's always something. So I try to avoid pictures of myself whenever possible.

Anyhoo, here are some snapshots the morning of picture day. The kids were supposed to dress "springy" but it was 36 degrees that morning so we did a spring-ish shirt, kahki jeans and cowboys boots. Ya can't EVER go wrong with cowboy boots! Oh side note...He also had on his cowboy belt Pop-Pop got him at the rodeo but ya can't see it b/c of his untucked shirt.

John funnies

2010-04-08T12:20:00.000-07:00

I have a lot of blogging to catch up on...Easter, school pictures, etc. but I thought I'd start off with some funny John stories. That kid is funny!

Funny #1
So a new "thing" he's into is counting how many dead animals he sees on the road. Yep, he counts roadkill! I know, it seemed kinda morbid at first but I decided to make it into a safety lesson. I'm a smart one huh?!?! Since we live out in the boonies, amongst the wildlife, he has numerous opportunities to spot roadkill. Our conversations usually go something like this...

John: Mommy, I sawed anover dead aminal ...oh there's anover dead aminal...dey ran out in the road and got killed.
Me: Yes, that's why we never run out into the road...you always have to be very careful around cars and trucks...okay?
John: yep...and motorcycles.

hahaha, I laugh everytime!

Funny #2
John enjoys talking to "baby brother" in my belly...still don't have a name so we just call him baby brother...anyway, the other night we were sitting on the couch and he leans over and pats my belly. He tells me he wants to say hello...now mind you he thinks he has to talk into my belly button, like it's a mircophone. So he says, "hellloooo....what you doing in dere?" then he hisses..like a cat and then proclaims, "John in da house!"

Tim and I burst into laughter! I seriously haven't laughed that hard in a long time. That of course got John going and he repeated "John in da house" probably a million more times.

The things he comes up with...

It's time...

2010-03-25T08:32:00.000-07:00

...to get rid of the monitor in John's room. Yes...he's 4 and I still had the monitor in there. And Yes it seems like a little much but for some reason I just couldn't make myself take it out. But now with baby 2 on the way, it's time.

He's slept through the night for quite a while now...like since he was 2... if he needs me, he yells or just comes downstairs. I don't really need to hear every movement, raindrop on his window, clock ticking, or when the toilet in his bathroom runs. But I have to admit, sometimes when I get up in the middle of the night, I'll put the monitor to my ear just so I can hear him breathe. It eases my paranoid mind and I sleep better. Sounds silly, but I think I'm ready to let go.

I'm so grateful that I don't have one of the video monitors...I'd use that until he went to college!

25 weeks, frustrated & unmotivated

2010-03-24T08:28:00.000-07:00

I'm 25 weeks today... we still haven't come up with a name nor have I done anything with the nursery. What's wrong with me? Why can't I get motivated?

I've picked out the crib bedding...and I love love love it but I cannot make myself pay $475 for it. I just can't do it!! So my mind went into overdrive...that's when I had the ambitious idea to try and make it myself...WHY I think I can do this is beyond me. I really want to at least try but the realist in me is saying, "come on, do you really have the time?". So I don't know what to do. Do I look for cheaper bedding that I don't care for or do I attempt to make it myself?

Speaking of dilemas...this little boy still doesn't have a name. We've added some more options to our list and they're all okay names....nothing really standing out at this point.

I'm getting really frustrated...I like to have things in order and here I am 25 weeks and I have nothing done! I had everything ready for John and couldn't enjoy it b/c we were living in a rent house with no space. Now I have this nice, big house and can't seem get anything accomplished.

Anyone wanna ... paint a nursery, sew crib bedding, organize John's old baby clothes OH and name this kid? PLEASE!!!

Early swim and Spring Break Day

2010-03-18T14:54:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, Tim picked John up early from school..instead of going to the park like John thought, they went swimming. Our friends, The Lee's, just had a pool put in and heated it for Spring Break. They were kind enough to invite us over so John could swim. I met them after work and no I did not swim....noone wants to see this prego in a swimsuit! When Tim told him what they were doing, he said, "what the world?"....hahaha, love it! John had a blast and I'm sure it's a memory he won't forget!

Oh, he also proclaimed that we needed a hot pool. So Poppy and Grandma, if you're reading this..your Grandson would like you to put in a pool at our house so Poppy can use it. hahahha!!

Tomorrow I'm taking a "Spring Break Day". John and I have nothing planned but I'm thinking we're just gonna stay home and enjoy the beautiful weather before it rains & gets cold on Saturday. I'm just excited that I don't have to get up and get ready.

Let Spring Break day commence!

Spring Break blues & Working mom's guilt

2010-03-16T08:00:00.000-07:00

We've got a serious case of the Spring Break blues and working mom's guilt. John is having a very hard time understanding why he has to go to school when everyone is on Spring Break. His teacher and most of the kids in his class are gone this week. The school tries to do fun activities for the kids that are there but he just doesn't care at this point. All he wants is to be at home on Spring Break.

I dropped him off at school yesterday morning and he bawled. Talk about ripping your heart out....aghhh, it was terrible! I cried when I got back in the car...I so wanted to just take him back home and spend all week doing fun things. But unfortunately, that's not our reality and I hate it..absolutely hate it.

This morning wasn't any better either. He woke up talking about having a "rest day" at home. Good grief!

So it looks like I'll be taking Friday off for a Spring Break Day. Which I'm fine with except I only have 3 1/2 days left until June 23rd...well now 2 1/2 days. Vacation time and sick time are precious commodities around here, especially when you'll be taking maternity leave in 3 months.

Tim said he was going to try and pick him up early today and take him to the park. Maybe that will help! Sure hope so...this guilt is killer!

Missing Chucky really bad!

2010-03-11T14:46:00.000-08:00

John: Mommy, I really wanna go see Chucky
Me: Chucky?....ohhhh Cheese...
John: yes, I miss him really bad
Me: well okay, maybe we'll go see Chucky soon

He then gives me this face...

A poor attempt at a pouty face...don't ya think? He tried really hard but kept laughing b/c I was cracking up!

Ahh that boy makes me laugh!

Home Depot experiment

2010-03-10T13:36:00.000-08:00

Home Depot has these red plastic adirondack chairs that I've been wanting for our back porch. We have some that we got probably 7 years ago and they are in terrible shape. So we desperately needed new ones.

I know they aren't the most luxurious of patio furniture but they work for what we'll use them for...so don't judge!

Anyway, Tim went to the Home Depot in Conroe and of course they were out of red. So I called the store here in The Woodlands and bingo....they had them. Sweet...so instead of making Tim drive down to pick them up, I offered to pick them up at lunch. I knew that they would be large and kinda awkard for me to maneuver but I thought surely someone would help the poor pregnant woman out. BOY, was I wrong! Not only did noone help me get them off the shelf but noone offered to help me when I checked out. Now it's pretty obvious that I'm pregnant here people and I was kinda surprised that I didn't recieve one single offer.

So off I go with my cart and 5 bright red adirondack chairs. I start attempting to load them into the back of my tahoe, which I thought would be large enough but again I was wrong! I had to pull out the 3rd row seats, stack them and pull the 2nd row seat up towards the back of my seat. I'm grunting and cussing (under my breath of course) and up walks a lady who had just bought some mulch with a Home Depot man. The HD man loads up her truck with mulch and starts to walk away...

Me:   Excuse me sir...sir
HD man:   yah
Me:    Would you mind helping me for a sec
HD man:   blank stare...okay
Me:   Thank you so much, I would do it myself but they're just a little heavier that I thought (I really wanted to say, "uuuh hello do you not see my pregnant butt struggling here?)

After 15 minutes we finally got the stupid chairs in my car.

Now I'm pretty self sufficient by nature. I actually prefer to do things by myself....another characteristic of an only child. Maybe I should have directly asked for help but I assumed someone would notice my HUGE stomach and offer. Guess that's what I get for assuming!

My child is...

2010-03-08T14:24:00.000-08:00

hysterical, shy, energetic, creative, a great helper, music lover, silly, a talker, full of ideas, loves to learn, tentative, happy, sensitive, over-thinker, loves to be outside, stubborn, full of laughter, thoughtful, sweet-spirited, happy go lucky, funny, tempermental, candy lover, crazy, all boy, animal lover, big hearted, and so much more...

He's everything that's right with the world and I'm so proud of him. There isn't a day that goes by that I don't love him more than the day before.

Babies R Us shopping spree

2010-03-04T14:17:00.000-08:00

I stepped into a Babies R Us for the first time in 4 years yesterday. I went in with the intent to just buy a maternity sleep pillow but ended up with all kinds of stuff in my cart. There are all kinds of new gagets and "necessities" that I thought I needed to have for Spengel boy #2. By the way, we still don't have a name. I'll get to that in a sec....

For instance, did you know you can buy a fetal heart monitor. It's not quite like the one at the dr's office but I still think it's cool that you can listen to the heartbeat anytime you want. I considered buying one...just for peace of mind. But I didn't. I also didn't buy the $60 sleep pillow that I really wanted b/c the cheap side of me said I didn't really need it. Ugghh, I hate that I do that!

I did however buy all kinds of other stuff that I probably didn't really need but I couldn't help myself. I started to feel guilty b/c I felt like this little guy didn't have anything of his own. Everything is going to be hand me downs, which is fine but I still wanted our no-name baby to have his own "new" stuff. I guess that's the only child in me.

On to the name thing....we're struggling with names. Well I say struggling, but to be honest we haven't really talked about it since the day we found out we were having another boy. I started a list and we've briefly discussed some new names to add to the list but that's it. I'm really stumped. So please any ideas are greatly appreciated!!!

A parade, kid fight and food poisoning

2010-02-22T09:52:00.000-08:00

Our weekend was good..sort of.

Saturday we took John to the annual "Go Texan" parade in downtown Conroe. I'll post pictures later. The "Go Texan" parade always precedes the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, which kicks off this coming weekend...yiippee!!! The weather was pretty good, warm enough and the sun peaked through a couple of times. The parade was good..John enjoyed the horses, especially the one that pooped in front of him. Typical boy! He isn't however a fan of the Cut n' Shoot (yes that's the name of a town)Chapter of Harley riders. They were a little loud for him but I wanted to hop on the back of one and go for a ride!

Saturday night we went to Lupe Tortilla's for dinner with our friends, The Kahn's. We thought it would be perfect b/c we could get a table by the sandbox, the kids could play, we could talk and all would be happy. NOT so much. The problem is, other people go to eat and allow their kids to play in the sandbox undersupervised. I witnessed an actual fist fight between a 6 year old boy and 4 year old boy. Neither child's parents were anywhere to be found...some random lady broke them up. They were both screaming and one kid was actually bleeding. Sheesh....

John and the Kahn kids were great and we really didn't worry about them...well except the escape artist, Preston. But he's two and just wants to roam. Anyhoo, I ordered chicken flautas and at the time enjoyed them thoroughly. Weeellll, 12:30 am rolled around and those chicken flautas weren't so enjoyable. I guess I had a mild case of food poisoning b/c I felt like crap all day yesterday. I finally started feeling somewhat human around 5:00 but even then just didn't feel right.

Another fun filled weekend...

I'm addicted to...

2010-02-17T11:55:00.000-08:00

I admit it! I can eat there everyday, eat the same thing everyday and be perfectly happy! Luann platter..fried fish, green beans and mashed potatoes. No deviation.

Ya know, now that I think about it I did the same thing when I was pregnant with John but it was Chick-fil-a. Except they offer breakfast, so it was twice a day. I ate so much Chick-fil-a that to this day, I rarely eat it. Guess I overdid it huh!

I think this kid is gonna be a Luby's fan too...he seems to wiggle around alot after I'm finished stuffing my face.

hmmm...Wonder if I can talk Tim into Luby's for dinner?

Big red truck

2010-02-16T08:00:00.000-08:00

So my car is in shop and I get the wonderful experience of driving "big red"...Tim's Ford F250. This isn't just any F250, it's an extended cab with a 10 foot bed, which means it's super long. It's also super tall thanks to the mud tires. Luxurious ride is not how I would describe it. Oh did I mention it's wrapped with Tim's company logo...

What's funny is how people react to seeing me driving this obvious "dude" truck. I get so many double takes, especially from men. I guess a blonde pregnant woman is not what they expected to see. HA!

It's quite a sight to watch me hoist my pregnant butt into that truck too. This morning I had to have Tim give me a boost! I'm telling ya it's tall!

I realize how spoiled I am with my Tahoe. I miss my XM radio, heated seats, automatic start...all the wonderful upgrades I have learned to love! Hopefully the dealership will be calling soon to let me know I can have my car back...please oh please!

Boys vs girls

2010-02-12T12:01:00.000-08:00

2 posts in one day...yep, I'm obviously not working!

I was reading a friend of mine's blog just a second ago and she was talking about how her daughter loves all things Disney princess and she mentioned how her little one even asked her Daddy to be her prince. awww...Isn't that the sweetest?

I laughed!

....not b/c I don't think that's sweet, b/c it truly is and I can picture little E asking that! I laughed b/c I thought about what John asked his Daddy this morning as he was getting dressed....

John: Dad, you wanna smell my butt?
Tim: Ahh, no thanks!

And that my friends is the difference between girls and boys!

Sweet as sugar...

2010-02-12T10:24:00.000-08:00

...is how I describe this boy! He truly has the biggest heart and makes mine melt constantly!

Last night we were making Valentine cards for his teacher. We originally started out just making a card for his actual teacher, Mrs. Guynes. I guess he got to thinking and he decided to make one for Mrs. Tucker and Miss Alicia and would have made one for every teacher in school except that Mommy didn't have enough paper. Ooops!

This morning, he couldn't get to school fast enough...he wanted to personally hand out his heart cards to his teachers. He had the biggest smile as he handed them out. I wish I had my camera so you could see how big he was smiling. It was perfection...a picture will forever be etched in my mind!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Happy 40th Anniversary!

2010-02-11T08:51:00.000-08:00

This past weekend we celebrated Poppy's 40th anniversary with Shell at our house. 40 years!! That's a long time to work for the same company!

Uncle Nathan flew in from LA and surprised Grandma & Poppy. Everyone came out for lunch and somectrampoline jumping. I swear that was one of the best buys ever..if you have kids and don't have a trampoline..get one! It's hours of entertainment! Anyway, I think everyone had a good time and it was nice to celebrate all of Poppy's hard work over the years.

Monday, John had gymnastics again and he is really enjoying it. He told me he wasn't going to be shy anymore and Grandma said he wasn't shy at all. He walked right in and went right to work. I just love that he gets to do an activity other than go to school. I feel so guilty that I can't be with him....sigh.

In other news, John informed us last night Uncle Nathan said he was going to take him to see Mickey Mouse. Did ya hear that Nathan??? Looks like we'll be heading to Disneyland in the near future. This kid doesn't forget a thing!

My heart is heavy...

2010-02-08T07:59:00.000-08:00

...b/c some dear friends of ours lost their 3 month old baby boy yesterday. My heart aches for them and I just can't imagine what pain they are feeling. He's now in the arms of Jesus which is a great comfort.

I have to say after I heard the news last night, the Super Bowl just seemed so unimportant! John and I watched cartoons until bedtime and I snuggled him as much as he would allow me to. At bedtime, instead of reading a book I opted to tell him the story of the day he was born and he loved it.

These are the things that are important in life...

No more pull-ups and 4 year check-up

2010-02-04T09:13:00.000-08:00

Here's the conversation on the way to school yesterday....

John: Mom, I don't want to wear diapers at night anymore...I want to wear vundervear.
Me: Well okay, we'll start working on that tonight, sound good?
John: Yes
Me: But when mommy tells you that you can't have anymore juice, then you can't get upset, okay?
John: Okay, I won't be ugly

And there you have it my friends...he's ready! I had planned to start working on the pull-up thing at night but honestly, I've just been lazy. Guess I can't anymore, huh! So last night we headed up to his room for bedtime and he went and picked out the underwear he wanted to wear. He was sooo excited!!! I explained that if he felt like he needed to go pee-pee he needed to get up and go into his bathroom and go. I also explained that until he gets used to it he might have some accidents and that was okay. Accidents happen!

This morning I was laying in bed and heard a thud coming from upstairs...then I heard little foot steps run into his bathroom...toilet flushed. Viola! Then I hear, "mooommmmyyyyy". So I go up to his room, open the door and there he is...sitting in his dry bed!!! HE did it!!! Made it all night!!! YEAH! I'm so proud and I could tell he was too!!

On to the 4 year check up....sigh! It was rough! He did great with the blood pressure check, vision and hearing tests, everything.... until it was shot time. Tim and I explained that everyone has to have them and they keep us from getting sick but in reality a 4 year old doesn't care! He had to get 4 shots, 2 in each leg!! I felt terrible for him. He was shaking he was crying so hard. Luckily, Grandma offered to watch him today so he didn't have to go to school which I'm grateful for and I think he was pretty happy about too. Thank God for Grandmas!

Funky funkness

2010-02-03T14:42:00.000-08:00

I'm in a little bit of a funk this week and I can't seem to snap out of it. I'm feeling overwhelmed with all my "work" duties and at home with all my "mom/wife" duties. It's enough to make a girl want to drink...oh wait, that's right I can't! Argh!

I think mostly, this overwhelmed feeling comes when I am overly tired, which is most of the time these days! That reminds me...what happened to having an energy boost in your 2nd trimester??? I usually wake up with a little somethin' somethin' but by 9:00am, it's long gone! So by the time I get home, I'm fried! Tim gets so mad at me... I'm usually the one that puts John to bed...we read a book and then it's lights out. Well I lay with him for 5 minutes and rub his head, back and whatever else he whispers. Here lately, I fall asleep as soon as the lamp goes off and don't wake up for at least an hour! I HONESTLY don't mean to, I just can't help myself!

Oh well maybe one day I'll get some rest and this funky funkness will go away!!

On a side note, look at this cute desktop background my friend, Jen, made me...this should definitely help with the funk...don't ya think?!?!

Today is the day...

2010-02-01T10:24:00.000-08:00

...that I told work that I'm expecting. Actually, I told my direct manager a while ago just b/c I wanted her to be aware in case something happened but noone else knew. So far everyone has been very supportive but I wish I could take a picture of their faces when I tell them. It's a complete deer in the headlights look...why you ask???....well the main reason is Oracle aka OSCAT.

You see, OSCAT is the wonderful new sales, forecasting, transportation, etc software system that was implemented in October and was supposed to streamline all our processes. hahahaa...not so much! I was chosen as the lucky gal to become the "guru" for our division. Apparently I'm doing one heck of a job b/c I've now become the guru for other departments as well. That being said, there is noone else who knows as much as I do about the system. Great for me b/c that equals job security! But everyone is already asking, "what are we going to do" and I don't go on leave for 6 months. HA!

In a sick way, I'm kinda enjoying watching everyone squirm but then again it stresses me out thinking about how I'm going to teach someone else all I know and have learned about this system. Oh well. I cant' worry about. All I know is I'm going on leave for my full 12 weeks...wooohooo!!

In other news....today is also the day that John started his gymnastics class. Last semester he was going to a Kindermusic class one day a week, thanks to Grandma. It was a great class and he really did enjoy it but we decided he needed some interaction with different kids and to be more active. So Grandma signed him up for a class at the same place where we had his birthday party. Tim had to take him this morning and said he did great. He was shy at first and wouldn't participate but once he warmed up he was all over it. Next week will be great. I'm so excited for him!!!

What's in a name, anyway!

2010-01-28T13:35:00.000-08:00

I just knew this was going to happen....I just knew it. Picking out another boy's name is just TOOO hard. With John it was soooo easy....we knew he would be John Henry after Tim's dad...done... Simple.

I've been researching names pretty much all day and making a list to take home to Tim so we can review together. (no I'm not working, like I should be) So I have this list started and the pressure to pick out a name is overwhelming. I mean if we don't get it right, we could traumatize our child for life! NO pressure! sheesh...

I googled baby names...big mistake...there are 5 gazillion websites for baby names. No help there!

So here I am with my list of names that I kinda sort like but don't love....

any ideas??

Boys just want to have fun!!!

2010-01-28T07:20:00.000-08:00

It's official...it's a boy!!! We are super excited...John on the other hand was not a happy camper. You see John thought he was going to have a baby sister and that's just how it was going to be in his eyes. So when we told him that he was going to have a little brother, his reply, "No!" hahahaha! Gotta love his honesty!

Now we have the task of picking a name. It was so easy with John b/c we knew we would name a boy after Tim's dad. Easy cheesy! Ideally I would like to name this one after my dad but to be honest, I'm not a fan of my dad's name...Lonnie Edward...sorry dad. We might go with Edward as a middle name. So we'll see..we have time!

We have another contract...

2010-01-20T14:43:00.000-08:00

It's amazing to me how quickly things change. Tim finished this house almost a year ago.

It's a beautiful home situated on 6 acres with all the upgrades, i.e. granite countertops, hardwood floors, etc. but unfortunately went on the market right as the market went to pot! We had several showings right off the bat but then went for months with nothing...I mean nothing!!! Then all of a sudden, right after Christmas he received an offer. Thank you Lord!! It wasn't the best offer but we really had to consider how long it had been sitting, taxes and interest paid and how bad we wanted to get rid of it. So Tim accepted the offer last week...and wouldn't ya know, he's had probably 20 calls on it since.

I mean we're so grateful to have a contract and pray that it goes through without any glitches but COME ON!!! Please excuse my high frustration level...I guess it's just comes with being a homebuilder.

Hopefully, Tim can close next month and move on to another project....

Random Christmas blog and pictures

2010-01-20T09:12:00.000-08:00

I realized the other day that I hadn't blogged about our Christmas holidays...completely forgot about it! HA!

So instead of a long drawn out post, I'll just blog in pictures!

John and Tim ice skating in The Woodlands

Opening 1 gift on Christmas Eve

Oh boy!...a drum from Granny & Pop Pop

THANKS Granny & Pop Pop!

Christmas morning..Santa was good to John!

Pop Pop gave John his first real gun! (every 3 yr old needs a real gun, right!)

Christmas night at Aunt Stephy's...poor thing..the only boy amongst 4 girls so of course he's gonna wear a tutu!

Isabella & Alexandra covering John up with tissue paper

Cowboy slippers!

Our version of a hayride except no hay!

and I'll leave you with one more...

Super Johnny!!!

Birthday party fun

2010-01-20T08:46:00.000-08:00

This year I decided to forgoe the usual house party and have John's birthday party some place different. I'm SOOOO glad I did too...mainly b/c I didn't have to stress about having a clean house only to have to reclean it after everyone left plus I had a feeling the weather wasn't going to cooperate. I was right...cold and rainy!

So the party was held at Maximum Athletics, which is a gymnastics gym. This place was great and the instructors were awesome. They set up an obstacle course and the kids had a blast jumping, running and climbing. Everyone obeyed the rules and noone got hurt...success!! I think the Dads had more fun than the kids...using their children as target practice!

One of the Dads, Scott...side note..he asked me to take his picture and put it on my blog but I don't think he thought I'd really do it!! heehee

John originally had asked for a pink Batman cake but lucikly that wasn't an option so we settled for just a plain ole' Batman cake!

Singing Happy Birthday

trying to blow out the candles

Opening gifts

Happy 4th Birthday John!

2010-01-18T09:33:00.000-08:00

4 years ago today, we welcomed you, John Henry, into the world. What an exciting day it was!

Mommy was scheduled to be induced b/c you were getting to be quite large and I was quite miserable. The night before was kinda a blurr. I don't remember much except that I couldn't sleep b/c I was soooo nervous. That morning, Daddy and I headed off to St. Luke's in The Woodlands around 6:00 am. We were both surprisingly calm! We got into a room right away and by 7:00 I was hooked up to the IV and the potacin drip was started. I tried to sleep but it wasn't happening....just too much excitement! So we waited and waited and waited and around 3:00, we finally started to see some action! I got my epidural and you arrived around 8:00pm.

You weighed 8lbs 7ozs & were 21 3/4 inches long. You didn't have much hair but what you had seemed to be dark so we thought for sure you'd have dark hair like daddy. Grandma, Poppy, Granny & Pop Pop were there right after you arrived to welcome you to the world.

You are now 4 years old and I can't believe how time has flown by!

You currently weigh 34lbs
I have no idea how tall you are b/c you refuse to let the nurse measure you but you've got very long legs, just like Daddy.
When asked what you want to be when you grow up, you reply," a teacher, policeman and a Daddy".
You love to go to school and "do work".
You know all your letters and numbers
You can write your name like a pro
Your new favorite food is quesadillas.
You have a major sweet tooth.
Your favorite color is pink.
You have to read a book before bedtime.
You love to play outside anytime you can.
You have the sweetest spirit

Today is a very special day for Daddy and I b/c our lives were forever changed for the better. You make us complete and we thank God every day for blessing us with you.

Happy Birthday sweet baby!

Thankful

2009-12-30T12:17:00.000-08:00

I'm feeling very thankful today...thankful for so many things but primarily clarity and health. For those of you that don't know already, I'm expecting baby #2. We are very excited to have a little one again and John will be super happy to have a sibiling. He constantly asks for a brother AND a sister. Yep..he wants both...he's just getting one though!

Today I had a dr's appt and I breathed a huge sigh of relief. I'm 13 weeks and just past the critical point. All is well with me and the baby...whew! You see, this time last year I was recovering from a miscarriage that happened at this same time frame...well actually 12 weeks 4 days to be exact. It was the scariest, most eye opening experience of my life.

Needless to say this whole pregnancy has been spent playing, "what if". What if I miscarry again or what if something ends up being wrong with the baby...thoughts that never crossed my mind when I was pregnant with John. I let fear completely take over which makes me sad...sad because I didn't put my full trust in God. I know better. I know that He is almighty and glorious and deserves my trust.

So today I'm giving it all up to God. My fear, anxiety, nerves, questions..all of it. He already knows what will happen and I have to trust in that...no matter what the outcome.

It's amazing how much better I feel just by typing those words. God is truly great!

New Year and New Goals

2009-12-29T08:22:00.000-08:00

2010 is upon us and I'm pondering my New Year's resolutions! I have the ususals, eat healthier, exercise more and be more patient but I have been really wanting to accomplish one major goal of mine since John was born and that's documenting our family's adventures, milestones, etc.

Do you know that I haven't finished filling out John's baby book? How embarrassing is that? You should see the box of pictures I have of the first 2 years of his life. The 3rd year is still on my camera...again how embarrasing!!! I have tried to do the scrapbook thing but honestly, I just don't have the patience nor the time. I've even tried to pay a friend to scrapbook for me...I know I'm pathetic! Another friend suggested I try digital scrapbooking, which sounded like a good idea b/c I work much better on the computer until I attempted it...there are too many darn options! Give me 3 choices not 300!

It's very overwhelming and frustrating...but TODAY, I found another option. A friend of mine from HS has a blog and she recently had her blog made into a book. It sounds kinda weird but after seeing the final product, I think it's an awesome idea. Check it out..http://buntfamily.blogspot.com/2009/12/my-blog-books.html.

So that's my goal for the year. Try and document 3 1/2 years of John's life on my blog....wish me luck!!

Happy Birthday to ....

2009-12-22T09:44:00.000-08:00

ME!!!

(yes, I took a picture of myself on my phone but it was a joke...long story..don't judge!)

That's right, yesterday was my birthday...32! All in all it was a pretty good birthday. I had to work which was a bummer...I got lots of goodies at work, had lunch with a great friend, Susan and recieved a lot of Happy Birthday calls and texts. Tim and I teetered back and forth about dinner plans and in the end decided that chinese food on the couch in my jammies sounded like a great birthday dinner! So that's what we did and it was awesome! I know I'm such a party animal...

I'm usually all about my birthday but this year I've just felt indifferent about it and I don't know why. Maybe b/c it fell on a Monday... not such a fun day...or maybe it's just because I'm getting older...there I said it...and I'm actually okay with it. It's weird to think about my actual age b/c I don't feel like what I thought a 32 year old would feel like. Of course I have no idea what that feeling would be but you get the point!

Anyway, another year has past and I'm looking forward to what 2010 has in store for us!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!!

The best Puppet ever!!!

2009-12-18T10:20:00.000-08:00

Last night was John's Christmas program at school...he did GREAT!! He sang loud, did all the hand movements and didn't cry on stage! I'm so proud of my "puppet"! Actually, all the kids did really well!

Seeing all those kiddos up there brought back memories of my Christmas play in 2nd grade at Andy Woods Elementary. The play was about Santa Claus losing weight.... I played Mrs. Claus...I secretly wanted the role of "Workout instructor" b/c you got to wear a leotard, tights and leg warmers but Kim Echols beat me. Sorry....back to John's play...

I took video while Tim did pictures and that's hard! I really just wanted to watch and enjoy but I knew I would feel eternally guilty if I didn't get it on tape.

His school has two Pre-k classes, early Pre-K ...3 1/2 to 4 yrs and Pre-k...4 1/2 to 5 yrs and these are the only classes who particpate in the Christmas program. The director assigns the older kids the lead parts in the play which now that I've seen the play, makes total sense. John has already decided that next year he wants to play "Santa" or "Rudolph".

That's my boy...I can't wait!!!

Naughty or Nice??

2009-12-16T08:22:00.000-08:00

The verdict is still out...but he is pretty darn cute so he might just end up on the "nice" list by default! heehee!

John is definitely into the Christmas spirit. He's made his list for Santa which consists of a watch, a "board"(clipboard like what his teacher uses at school) and a phone..he of course won't be getting a real phone, just something he can type on. He's pretty easy, don't ya think! We haven't visited Santa yet but he said he's not going to sit in Santa's lap just stand by him...whatever...as long as I get a picture!
In other news, John has a Christmas program at school tomorrow and I'm SOOO excited to watch him. He's a "puppet"...I'm not sure what this entails but I'm sure it will be cute! He knows all the Christmas carols and sings them constantly...mostly at decible level 10!

I'm thinking this Christmas will be the best yet...I can't wait to see his face on Christmas morning!!

Word for the day = challenging

2009-12-11T07:48:00.000-08:00

I have to say that yesterday was one of the most challenging days...I'm using that term loosely...I've had as a mother EVER!!!!

I think I might have picked up the wrong kid from school...the night was a disaster!!!

While sorting through all his school papers, I find a note from the teacher (never a good sign). The note informs me that John attempted to cut a little girl's hair in class today and to please talk to him! Oh great! So Tim and I explain that scissors are only for cutting paper and we should never cut our friends hair. He understood and said he wouldn't do it again...awesome!!!

moving on...

Later, he's throwing the dog toy to the dogs while I'm vacumming. After I'm finished, I noticed how eerily quiet it has become so I start calling for him....nothing...."JOHN HENRY"...nothing again...so Tim and I start out on the search. Turns out he's in Tim's office with all the lights out. Tim walks in and asks what he's doing...."nofing"...
We know he's up to something b/c he starts walking backwards towards the ice machine. Tim asks him again, "what are you doing in here?" John doesn't reply but he's now standing directly in front of the ice machine. At this point it's obvious he's put something in the ice machine....Tim opens the ice machine door and out jumps Miss Kitty!!! OH MY GOODNESS! REALLY!!! My poor cat could have been killed! The next 10 minutes was spent explaining how we don't put our cats in the ice machine..which is not a conversation I ever expected to have!

The rest of night was a fight. He didn't want to eat dinner, he didn't want to go to bed, he didn't want to do anything. At one point, I had to make a call to Santa Claus...not such a great idea...he lost his mind..we're talking full tantrum mode!

sigh.....I know he was overly tired which explains some of the behavior but WOW! All I know is that if we have another episode like last night, I'm committing myself!!!

We have a contract!

2009-12-07T14:59:00.000-08:00

You heard me right....Tim recieved a call this morning from a gentleman that has been looking at the latest house Tim built for a while now. He and his family have looked at the house at least 4 times and this past weekend came out to measure...I'm thinking they want the house, right? Tim met with him and kinda sorta told a fib that he might have a contract on it already. I know, I know it's not nice to lie but it did the job!!

A pre-approvement letter was sent over from the bank this morning. And Tim is drawing up the contract today. The best news is that they want to close by the end of the year! Praise the Lord!! This couldn't have happened at a better time. As I mentioned before, this year has been especially hard financially, as it has with many families. We've prayed that God would watch over us and guide us to make smart decisions and He has.

We are so grateful for all that has been given to us!

Bring on the Christmas spirit and bring on the snow!

2009-12-03T14:42:00.000-08:00

I cannot believe there are only technically 3 weeks left until Christmas. I have to admit that I usually get pretty stressed at Christmas, trying to buy the perfect gift for everyone but not this year. That's b/c I'm...I mean Santa is only buying a couple of gifts for John, a couple for Tim and one for each of our parents... That's it! I usually buy for all our neices but since finances are tight, we just can't do it this year.

Honestly, noone in our family needs anything. We all have so much! It seems silly to buy gifts just to buy. I've already decided to adopt an angel from the Angel Tree in the mall. I've done it before and there is nothing like the feeling of knowing you're helping someone else who might not have had a Christmas at all...especially when you know it's a child! I'm also researching some other ways to help others in need...if you have any ideas, please forward them on.

In other news...it's supposed to snow tomorrow! This is exciting news for us down here in the airmpit of Texas. But even if it does acutally snow, I seriously doubt it's going to stick. It's been cold here the past couple of days but not cold enough to hold snow. I would love for it to stick for numerous reasons, #1 being I won't have to come to work..I'm selfish I know...and #2 John would love it!!! Of course, the weather people are making it seem like we're about to have the great blizzard of 2009 but that's what they do, isn't it!!! So we will see!

#1 reason why Houston will never host the Super Bowl again is...

2009-11-24T09:34:00.000-08:00

POORLY planned parking. You'll notice all of the color coded parking lots which make it seem like there's parking for everyone...not true my friends. All of these parking lots are parking pass only. So if you happen to get tickets to a Monday night football game in Houston....get a parking pass, take the rail or grab a cab.

DO NOT attempt to find public parking...you will sit in traffic for 2 hours...you will drive around aimlessly looking for any free space...you will seriously consider risking having your car towed just so you can get out of the car...you will end up parking in a Sam's parking lot and taking a cab over...you will get into the game an hour and a 1/2 late....there will be someone sitting in your seats and they will ask to see your ticket even though they're sitting in your seats....by the time you get there the people sitting around you will have consumed enough beer to fill a keg therefore making them extremely obnoxious...and last but not least, you will proclaim that you will never attend another Texans game!

Go Cowboys!

People are funny, strange and nosey!

2009-11-23T12:32:00.000-08:00

I've had two really interesting encounters with people today.

The first encounter wasn't very pleasant but amusing....I was driving to work and a lady in a minivan flipped me off TWICE!!! hahahaha! I'm laughing b/c it was really funny. So here's how it went down...I'm driving in the far left lane and come upon a maroon minivan going pretty slow for the left lane. I just stayed where I was but then started to switch lanes to go around her. Well I guess that's when she realized her exit was 20 feet away and needed to get over. So she swerves to come into my lane and I just speed up. That's when I get finger #1...I laughed out loud! I thought it was sooo funny! Well I guess she saw me laugh and then flipped me off again! HAHAHA! She must have woken up on the wrong side of the bed!

The 2nd encounter occurred during lunch. I had to run over to Academy to buy John some new shoes. He informed me very sternly this morning that his were too small and he told me that last week....excuse me!

Anyway, I'm checking out and the cashier gives me my total...the random man behind me feels the need to comment on how much I just spent on shoes, in a thick Jersey accent. I looked at him in disbelief and then smirked. Who does that? Part of me wanted to give him an explaination and part of me wanted to give him a piece of my mind. I just found it weird. OH and the best part is, he parked right next to me and was driving a 2 seater Mercedes!!! Really...he comments how much I spent on two pairs of shoes and he gets into a overpriced sports car! hmmm...a little ironic, don't ya think!!!

Soooo sleepy

2009-11-20T08:09:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, I had to work a little late. I also had to stop at the grocery store before I picked up John. So on the way home I grabbed McDonald's for the little guy. I could tell he was super tired. He started eating his nuggets and then it got quiet...I look back and here's what I see...

Excuse the grainy picture...blackberry camera

Completely passed out....nuggets in his lap and on the floor. Poor little guy was pooped!

I carried him in the house and he didn't wake up until 3:00am....only long enough though to come crawl in our bed.

Bless his heart!!!

I can't believe that....

2009-11-16T13:23:00.000-08:00

I allowed my husband to hang this above our fireplace....

I swore I would never have dead animals hanging on my walls. Not that there is anything wrong with it but it's not really my thing, per say. I told Tim he could have his "man cave" and hang all kinds of dead things in there but not in the rest of the house. So why did I agree to hanging it over the fireplace...I honestly don't know.

This lovely axis deer was killed by my hubby over a year ago and he just picked him up from the taxidermists last week. It really is a pretty animal and the taxidermy dude did a good job doing whatever they do...I'm clueless about this stuff, if you couldn't tell.

John was super excited about the deer and even wanted to name him...we haven't come up with a name yet. He also declared that he wants a gun and is "going to go into the forest and shoot all the deers"...

lordy...

Chatty Johnny

2009-11-13T09:15:00.000-08:00

We've got a talker!!! Over the past two months John has really become quite the conversationist. He's been talking since right after his 2nd birthday but here lately I've noticed how much more chatty he's become. He's having real conversations and his conversations can go on..and on...and on!

Yesterday on the ride home, he didn't stop talking. He commented on the weather, his day, how he couldn't wait to eat pizza for dinner, how bad the traffic was...you name it!

He's even had to be moved in class b/c of his excessive talking. uh oh....

I love that he has so much on his mind that he wants to share! And I love how observant he's become! As we were driving home, he noticed that a police car had someone pulled over and the driver was in handcuffs. First thing out of his mouth, "oooh that man's bad...he's going to jail".

This morning he informed he wasn't going to be shy in music class and that he was going to talk to everyone....OOOH I bet he will!

Can't seem to catch a break....

2009-11-11T06:28:00.000-08:00

Really?!?! Attempt to go to lunch and my car battery is dead...uughh! It's only 3 years old...frack...thank goodness for OnStar. Did you know you can schedule a "jumpstart"?They'll be at my office around 4:00.

I'm ready to go home and start a new day!!!

UPDATE: The other house was not broken into...praise the Lord!! The Sheriff's deputy was really surprised that they didn't take the a/c unit and said more than likely they will be back...knowing that the appliances will be replaced. So now we're in prevention mode!! I'm alerting all the neighbors what occurred and am making survelliance signs to post in all the houses.

Well today started out just wonderfully...can you sense the sarcasm?? After I dropped John off at school, my cell phone rings. It's Tim and he's pissed....apparently last night one of the houses was broken in to. They took every appliance and best yet...the front door! REALLY! This house just happens to be on our street and only 2 houses down. From what he could tell they broke out the windows in the back door and just loaded everything up! Lovely!

He hadn't driven over to check on his other house yet. He was calling the Sheriff's department first. I'm praying the thieves didn't hit it!

Unfortunately, this has happened to us before on a couple of the other houses he's built and unfortunately it's very common. Often the thieves will steal the a/c unit and sometimes fixtures. Whatever they can get their hands on!

In the grand scheme of things, this is really minor ...it could always be worse. Luckily, it was an empty house and not one of our neighbors or our house.

It just makes me mad!!!

THOSE days...

2009-11-04T08:00:00.000-08:00

Have you ever had one of those days...ya know where everything seems to go wrong and you feel like you could cry at any moment. One of those days where you're already running late to work and your 3 year old decides to be extra needy when you're leaving him at school, making you even more late...one of those days where you're soooo busy you don't even stop to take a bathroom break until noon....one of those days when you're stuck on a conference call at 5:00 and you have to interrupt so you can go pick up your child from school before they close...one of those days when all you want to do is get home, yet there's a wreck and now you're sitting in stand still traffic...one of those days that you didn't plan accordingly for dinner and now it's too late to defrost something so you microwave something for the kid and you're so tired you just go to bed hungry...

Not me...never!
Thank goodness for tomorrow!

Deep thoughts by John Spengel....

2009-11-03T07:18:00.000-08:00

Last night we're eating dinner and we got on the subject of going to church on Sunday....

Tim to John:   Do you want to go to church?
John:   NO!
Me:   Why not? God likes it when we go to church.
John:   I only want to go to school
Tim:   You have fun when you go to church. Kali goes to our church and you're in the   same class, remember???
John:   Yea, and Jesus doesn't like when we make a mess!

OKAY...random but cute!

Freeze...police!

2009-11-02T07:41:00.000-08:00

Well another Halloween has come and gone. This year was WAY more fun simply b/c John understood what to do,really enjoyed "trick-treatin" and he made the decision on what he wanted his costume to be....a policeman!

Let me tell you that finding a cute, relatively cheap, size small policeman costume was HARD!!! I looked everywhere. I just happened to mention to my neighbor, Daphane (who's husband is a Houston cop) what a hard time I was having. She in turn mentioned it to her hubby, Scott and he said that he would check their "special store"...who knew! So Wednesday of last week Scott called and said he found a shirt. This shirt is an exact replica of the Houston police uniform. It is the cutest thing ever! Mr. Scott even let John borrow his hat and some other real police stuff.

Thanks Ms. Daphane and Mr. Scott!!!

Grumpy airplane lady

2009-10-26T10:38:00.000-07:00

In my last post, I mentioned how John and I just happened to sit behind a really "grumpy" (trying to use a nice word) lady on the flight back to Houston yesterday. Luckily, we didn't know she was "grumpy" until after the flight.

John kicked the "grumpy" lady's seat a couple of times. I always made sure to tell him that he can't kick the seat in front of him b/c there's someone in it and it's not nice. To top it off, our flight took longer than usual b/c apparently traffic was backed up coming into the airport so we ended up flying in circles for an extra 30 minutes. So a flight that was supposed to be an hour and 30 minutes ended up being 2..30 minutes is a LOOONG time in the eyes of a 3 year old.

Anyway, so we grab our luggage and climb on to the parking shuttle bus. I look up and here comes the "grumpy" lady getting onto OUR bus. I had a feeling she was going to say something b/c she looked particulary "grumpy". Here's how it went down...

Grumpy lady: "I sure hope you changed his pull-up"
Me: "excuse me.... there's nothing to change besides he doesn't wear pull-ups"
Grumpy lady: "well, he sure did stink"
Tim: "it wasn't him...do you want me to stick his butt in your face so you can make sure? and how do you know it wasn't someone else"
Grumpy lady: "hmmppph...well he did kick my seat the whole time"
Me: "I'm sorry lady but he's 3...and maybe you should find an airline that doesn't allow kids...good luck with that!"

Both Tim and I were furious. I mean you could tell she was one of those types of people that just gripes about everything. I just can't understand why some people can't understand that kids are going to act like kids. Argh!!

Happy 90th Birthday GiGi!!!

2009-10-26T08:05:00.000-07:00

What a weekend!!! Saturday was Tim's grandmother's 90th birthday. So all the kids, grandkids and great-grandkids converged on Highland, IL. It was so much fun to get everyone together and celebrate such a special lady!

Here's a picture of GiGi and her margarita..this lady knows how to party!

We stayed at Carl & Jill's house and it was so beautiful...their house, the property, everything! The fall colors are amazing up there...nothing like we have in Texas. Our last day there, we went up to the city park and enjoyed the beautitul weather. We even played in a corn field!!

This was also John's first trip on a airplane. He did AWESOME!! I explained what was going to happen throughout the trip and he just couldn't have been anymore excited. The flight to St. Louis was a breeze...smooth and quick. Coming home wasn't as smooth or quick but overall I can't really complain (I have a story about a grumpy old woman that sat in front of John....I'll save it for another post!)

For more pictures check out http://www2.snapfish.com/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=2321656007/a=33404556_33404556/otsc=SHR/otsi=SALBlink/COBRAND_NAME=bellsouth/

Lunch time discovery

2009-10-21T12:05:00.001-07:00

I'm in a blogging kind of mood! 2 yesterday and one today....I'm on a roll people!

Today at lunch I had to run some errands. One of them involved me going to the mall. I rarely go to the mall...in fact I really try to avoid the mall at all costs. But today's trip was necessary.

So I entered the mall through Sears and was pleasantly surprised!!! Have any of you visited a Sears lately? They've really stepped up their game. I've always kinda associated Sears with old women. I think that's because I remember going to Sears with my Grandma as a kid and thinking how "un-hip" all the clothes were (I was a label obsessed brat...I admit it). Do you know they carry Land's End clothing...is this new or am I completely out of the loop? They had a huge section and I could have bought SOOOO much..didn't...but could have! The kids stuff was adorable, the women's stuff was classic and the men's was manly. Everything you would expect from Land's End.

OOOH and the best part was that everything was reasonably priced and they were having a sale! I get super excited about cheap cute clothes!!!

Anyway, I thought I would share my little lunch discovery!

Cute vs. Comfort

2009-10-20T14:13:00.000-07:00

I had the urge to shop today ... shop for shoes of course...new converse! I happened to mention it to a friend of mine and she laughed! She also felt the need to remind me that back in the day (pre-John and living in Dallas) I was all about sassy high heels (thanks Jen). Heels that I paid WAY too much for and hurt everytime I wore them, but by golly I bought them and wore them anyway b/c they were cute!!!

Then I had a flashback of the first time I went shoe shopping after I had John. I remember it so vividly....I was at Dillards and I completely walked by the "hot mama" heels and went straight to the old lady comfort shoes. I bought a pair of Merrell slip-ons simply b/c they were comfortable!!! Now the old Laura would never buy shoes just because they were comfortable....comfort was never an option...it was always about cuteness!!! I immediately had to call Potter and tell her the news. She laughed...still not sure if she was laughing b/c she thought I was kidding or laughing b/c she was making fun of me.

So here I am now shoe shopping for comfort..hmmmm. Everyone always says your life changes when you have a child...I guess they meant your shoe choices too!?!

Leavin' on a jet plane

2009-10-20T09:17:00.000-07:00

Okay, it's not quite a jet plane...more like a small 50 passenger plane.

We're gearing up for the trip to Highland, IL. John is super excited to see GiGi, all his cousins and most importantly fly on the airplane.

Carl, we told him we're staying at your house and he said, "I like Uncle Carl"

It will be his first flight and I'm SOOOO nervous!!! Nervous b/c his ears are sooo sensitive and I don't know how he'll react to the change in pressure...nervous b/c he's a 3 year old boy and will have to sit still for 2 hours... nervous b/c it's flu season and we'll be on a small plane...nervous b/c he might have to use the bathroom on the flight and there's barely room in there for one person let alone me and the kid...and nervous b/c the plane is small(did I mention that already)!!! AGHHH!!

I've tried to prepare as best I can. I've stocked his backpack with gum, all sorts of snacks, coloring books, and Benadryl (just in case). I'm bringing the trusty portable DVD player WITH headphones of course. I think I've covered it all!!! Does anyone have any other suggestions???

Boo in the Zoo

2009-10-19T06:59:00.000-07:00

Last Sunday we went with Grandma, Poppy, Uncle Scott, Aunt Stephy, Isabella and Alexandra to the Boo Zoo at the Houston Zoo. The kids wore their costumes and the day couldn't have been any nicer! It was beautiful!

John was a pirate... minus the hat and eye patch...he wasn't cooperating. Isabella was a princess and Alexandra a bumble bee but like Johnny, she wasn't cooperating.

We had a great time and the animals are simply amazing!!!

When it rains it pours

2009-10-14T08:36:00.000-07:00

Do you ever just feel completely overwhelmed....like you just can't seem to catch a break?? Well lately the Spengel household has been feeling that way!!!

Just like most of America's population, Tim's business has really been hit hard with this "recession". People just simply aren't buying new homes or they can't get financing. So we're in crunch mode now and just saying our prayers that God will take care of it. That being said...it seems like whenever things are tight some major appliance will have an issue!! A couple of weeks ago it was our septic system and last night it was our hot water heater!!!

I came home from work and washed my hands, noticing that the water was ice cold. Normally it's scolding hot. Long story short, Tim checked it and called the plumber. Basically it boils down to either the heating element needs to be replaced (not too bad) or the WHOLE heater. Spec-friggin-tacular!!!

At this point it was 8:30 and we had ice cold water, so a bath for John was out. We just washed his hands, face and feet and off to bed. Poor Timmy had been sweating in the attic, fooling around with the water heater so he desperately needed a shower. That's right...a nice COLD shower!!! It was probably the quickest shower in the history of showers.

Sigh....

We really DO have so much to be thankful for so please don't take this as I'm being ungrateful. Sometimes it's just nice to get it off your shoulders!!

Kodak moment

2009-10-13T07:36:00.000-07:00

I was getting dinner ready the other night and noticed how suddenly quiet it was. I called for John and heard no response. I immediately went searching and found this....

Naked, completely covered in stamps and drawing on the marker board in Daddy's office!

My first response....grab the camera!!!