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Mi Madre

Just a quick post on my Mom. She has been so fun to have around and we are excited to have her here for the holidays! The boys love her, she works very hard, is extrememely talented and I love her to pieces. Just wanted you to know how much I admire you and the strong person you are. You want to find a place of your own and I don't blame you, but know we have enjoyed having you here with us. XOXO

For the Grandparents!

For the past couple of years, I have sung this song to Trey every night before bed. It amazed me when all of the sudden, he started singing along a couple of months ago and he knew all the words! You have to turn it up to hear him, and I apologize you can hear me loud and clear, since I am holding the camera. If you have the patience, wait it out a minute and then he gets into it more. He has a sweet little voice:)

More Pictures

Just a few pictures for those we won't get to visit this year! We thought we could go to Utah over the holidays but it is not looking so good now. It will be a "blue Christmas without you!" Trey again refuses to look at the camera, but you can see how big our almost 3 month old is here. Have a Happy Thanksgiving...we love and miss you all!

Picture time

Thursday we were taking pics of the boys outside, and Kade's squooshy lil' body doesn't look all too comfy there.

Trey demanded he have his taken on "the wall"

Yesterday, on the way home from picking Brock up from school, the sun was in Trey's eyes. He said "The sun is in my eyes! Turn it off! Turn on the moon!" It made me laugh and wanna hug his little body all at the same time!

Early Beard

I think he was trying to look like daddy :)
Trey is perhaps the easiest child I have ever met. He is submissive and so sweet...BUT...he makes the biggest messes and it drives me up the wall. When we had the Frederick's over last Saturday, we let the kids run rampid upstairs and Trey came down looking like this. It wasn't until the next day that I saw what he did to the wall in his room! It looked kinda like his face did.

A foot or two...

(shirt says "Jr. Missionary- Soldier for the army of Helaman")
Lori bought this and since we swap clothes for our babies, Kade got this cute Missionary shirt. It is the cutest thing. I am wishing he was this for Halloween instead:). Hope this brings a smile to your face...so sweet!

An Eventful Halloween Weekend

(Decorating our trunk)

This year we got to trick or treat 2 nights in a row! On Thursday night, our ward held the annual Trunk or Treat at the church. We had a great time decorating our trunk and seeing everyone else's scary costumes and trunks! Brock and Trey are into Star Wars lately. We found this cool electronic Darth Vader helmet that talks for $5 at a garage sale and Trey got Brock's "Storm Trooper" costume. I was a disco afro dancing queen (ha, no pics!) and the baby wore Brock's old Pumpkin costume (size 6 mos. and it fit my 2 month old- what, do I produce whole milk or something?!). Ty had to work late but the 4 of us survived the eventful night without any tears.


(Cute Punkin)
Trey's first costume (so cute)

The next night was Halloween and Ty was able to make it out with us trick or treating to the neighbors'. We got plenty of candy (which I am looking to donate or throw away IMMEDIATELY!). Trey wore 2 costumes, since he changed his mind right before we headed out. He didn't want to be my cute lil Mickey Mouse (also Brock's old costume). Brock also wore a power rangers costume for his school party that morning...and of course Trey HAD to be Spider man (and the only sibling to dress up there...he thought he was one of the big kids and Brock was proud to have him there)!

Whew! That was a lot of costumes, candy and partying for one Halloween!

Hope y'all had a happy Halloween too!

The Chin Meister

I just love this lil guy! His personality is just starting to show so I will have to post some more of him laughing. I do this thing with my tongue that makes a noise (I know, real attractive) and it gets him goin every time. He is so fun and sweet!

7 weeks later...and the chins multiply! I went ahead and posted updated pics of how big he is getting. My other 2 were lil skin and bones. I swear he can eat and eat...I can't believe how big he is getting already!

SOUNDTRACK OF MY LIFE

My sister, Lori tagged me with this cool "soundtrack of my life" idea...like if you were to make a movie of your life, what would the soundtrack be?

Here's how it works:
Open your music library (iTunes, Winamp, Media Player, iPod, etc.)
Put it on shuffle
Press play
For every question (in bold) type the song that's playing
When you go to a new question, press the "next" button
Here's what I got... iPod, do your magic!! :)

Opening Credits:
"Underneath it all" - No Doubt
Waking up:
"Big Girls Don't Cry" - Fergie
First Day At School:
"I Don't Need to Be" - Lenny Kravitz
Falling In Love:
"The Longest Time" - Billy Joel
Fight Song:
"I Want You to Want Me" - Cheap Trick
Breaking Up:
"Mama Mia" - Abba
Prom:
"My Best Friend" - Tim McGraw
Life's OK:
"Anyway" - Martina McBride
Mental Breakdown:
"Mary Jane's Last Dance"- Tom Petty
Driving:
"Temperature" - Sean Paul
Flashback:
"Tear Drops on My Guitar" - Miranda Lambert
Getting Back Together:
"Love Story" - Taylor Swift
Wedding:
"That's How Love Moves" - Faith Hill
Birth of Child:
"Somewhere Over the Rainbow" - Israel Kamakawiwo
Final Battle:
"Apologize" - One Republic
Death Scene:
"100 Years" - Five For Fighting
Funeral Song:
"7" - Prince
End Credits:
"Bubbly" - Colbie Caillat

It's fun to try if you wanna do it!! Lori-mine kinda matched up like yours did...that's freaky! I tag anyone who wants to try this...

Few Things About Brock...

(Pic of Brock 2006)

He is really growing up, and being that he is my first, I did not expect it to happen so quickly! I don't know how many times I've teared up this week at that knowledge.

One interesting discussion:
"Mom, when I marry a pretty 'grill', can I bring her to your house and will you be nice to her and can you make her dinner?"... "And when we make cookies with her, I won't have to use a chair!"

"But, don't worry, I don't wanna get married for a long time cuz I wanna be your little boy."...

"Oh, and when I'm a Daddy, that means I can eat a taco!"

(where did that conversation come from?)

A discussion that made the ride home kinda hard because I was crying:
"Hey, Mom?" "I don't wanna give you a kiss when you drop me off at school."

why?

"Because I don't want my teacher to see"

he gets out of the car... "Bye, Brock. I love you!"

He looks around and says "Bye Mom"

I say again..."I LOVE you!"

The teacher says "Brock, your Mom loves you"

"Bye, Mom"
******************************************************************************
Isn't he too young to be too cool to kiss mommy...or to be thinking about marriage?! Please tell me, because I wasn't prepared for this. Tell me I have a few more years and this is just a phase he is going through...:)

Alliance Air Show

Every year, Ft.Worth Alliance Airport hosts an air show. We weren't able to go last year, since we were out of town, but we went when Trey was a baby. It was just as fun this year, with true life airforce Thurnderbirds, US Army Golden Knights, etc. performing stunts with F-16's, the F-15 Eagle (super cool to watch, but way too loud!), and wing planes (don't know much about those). The boys had a GREAT time of course, being boys, and they even got to sit inside an old World War II plane and the Blackhawk! (They humored me by getting their cute lil faces painted too)
Here are some pictures...

Big Orange Pumpkin Farm

Brock's Preschool Class Brock's preschool took a field trip to the Big Orange Pumpkin Farm in Celina, Tx. We go here every year so I thought it would be fun to take all 3 boys and meet them there...and it went surprisingly well. Trey was so tired, refused to look at the camera, and wanted to wander but other than that we had a great time!

They got to feed the animals...(yes, they are matching!)

We also got to pick out a pumpkin... enjoy a hayride...and even have a snack to wrap up the day!





Thanks, Brock for actually wanting us to come along-we had a great time!

(Sorry no pics of the baby-he was in the Bjorn the whole time)

Pumpkin Carving

Last night we decided to carve pumpkins as a family. We only got one done and figured we have a while until Halloween so we saved the other one...Brock chose to do a scary face jack-o-lantern and Trey wanted to do a silly one. So, Ty pretty much carved the whole thing by himself. He cleaned it while I fed the baby (something I seem to always be doing:) and Trey wanted NOTHING to do with getting his hands in the "yuck", as he called it. (See video below)

Brock was a good helper, but you know how high 4 yr olds' attention span is. It was a fun activity and I have to say the pumpkin turned out really scary sitting on our front porch!

...and someone PLEASE teach me how to load videos so they aren't sideways. I think I shot it w/the camera sideways-oops!

Mom's Eventful Day

So yesterday was quite eventful and I wanted to share with family members that view my blog (and friends) in case you didn't hear all the details.

My Mom lives with us and has been for about 6 months. She has been working in the Garden center at Wal-Mart for about the same amount of time and really works so hard! Honestly, 105 degree weather, working outside on your feet is not easy.

She was on a step ladder yesterday and as she tried to get down, she fell back and hit her head on a metal shelf behind her, leaving a huge knot on the back of her head. Right away, she felt whoozy and the employees had to keep her awake. She was taken over to an Urgent Care Facility and had a stroke while in care. She has had about a dozen strokes in her life so she knew she was having one. The moment I got there, an ambulance had arrived to take her into the ER at the hospital. So I walk in to where she is laying behind this curtain on a bed and her neck is in a brace (she hadn't received a CT scan yet for spinal injury-so I have the phone in hand ready to call Ty's Spinal Surgeon on speed dial) and the fire fighters that arrived in the ambulance lifted her onto their stretcher on a spinal board. I call and freak both Greg and Chad out by telling them all this (sorry guys-just didn't know what was going on)...

In the ER, she gets a CT scan that rules out any head or neck injuries. Poor Mom is in so much pain from this knot in the back of her head and she can't lift it to relieve any pressure-all I can do is bug the staff and make sure they charge EVERYTHING to Wal-Mart. So, to make a long story short, Mom is fine now and taking it easy for a few days. She is in a lot of pain, but we are so grateful she doesn't have any long-term effects from this. Unfortunately, the strokes continue to come every now and again-there is nothing medical staff can do about those but tell her to keep taking medicine to keep the blood flowing.

Mom, if you are reading this...hope you don't mind my sharing your story on my blog. I just want you to know I am so happy you are ok. When they carried you out on the stretcher, I couldn't help but cry seeing you that way. You, though, were just embarrassed and I could tell you wanted to laugh about the whole thing! It was a freak accident and it was a perfect ending to an already tough week! Thanks for being so strong all the time. You are truly an inspiration to me.

Kade's "Photo Shoot"

Here are just some of the photos taken by Becky, my sis-in-law. She took so many good ones, it is hard to decide which to make into baby announcements! We had a good time with you Becky-thanks again!

Sugar Cookies

These have always been the sugar cookies I make, ever since I was little. They are SO soft and yummy! With Halloween coming soon, I think we will make some pumpkin and leaf shapes...enjoy!

Ultimate Sugar Cookies

1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
1 stick Butter Flavor CRISCO Stick, (or 1 cup Butter Flavor CRISCO all-vegetable shortening)
2 eggs
1/4 cup light corn syrup
1 tablespoon vanilla
3 cups plus 4 tablespoons all-purpose flour, divided
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

Combine sugar and shortening in large bowl. Beat at medium speed of electric mixer until well blended. Add eggs, syrup and vanilla. Beat until well blended and fluffy.
Combine 3 cups flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add gradually to creamed mixture at low speed. Mix until well blended.

Divide dough into 4 quarters. Wrap each quarter of dough with plastic wrap. Refrigerate at least 1 hour. Keep refrigerated until ready to use.

Roll out and cut the dough into desired shapes. Bake one baking sheet at a time at 375ºF for 5 to 9 minutes, depending on the size of your cookies (bake smaller, thinner cookies closer to 5 minutes; larger cookies closer to 9 minutes). DO NOT OVERBAKE. Cool 2 minutes on baking sheet. Remove cookies to foil to cool completely, then frost and decorate if desired.

My Amazing Sister-In-Law

So, I have to say I have the most amazing sister-in-law who drove for an hour to take pics of my lil' baby Kade. She does such a good job and is the most creative person I have ever met! She not only has ideas, but brings them to life. This is just one example...she placed my baby on the moon! I can't wait to post some more pictures she took for us! She is working on them for me...Thanks Bec-I love ya!

Brock's Tball Game

Brock is playing Tball now and it is such a blast watching him! He is on the "Indians" with a few kids from his soccer team, and he even gets to play with Scotty again!. They won their game yesterday-4 year olds are very entertaining in Tball!. The best part is when they are in the outfield and the ball is hit...all the kids run for the ball and show their parents that THEY got it before anyone else. It's tricky trying to teach a 4 year old about teamwork in Tball. (There is no "I" in Tball=). We are proud of you Brock!

Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

So what do you like to do when it starts to get a little chilly and overcast outside? (ok, for Texas it is chilly at 80 degrees)... BAKE! I'm gonna start posting my favorite recipes for this time of year. Today, the boys and I made these and I have to say...they are so good. It makes the house smell so yummy! Had to share the recipe with all of you:

Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins
6 ripe bananas, mashed
1 ½ C Sugar
2 eggs
1 C melted butter
3 C Flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 ½ tsp baking powder
1 tsp vanilla
1 C semi-sweet choc chips
1 C milk choc chips

Mash Bananas; add sugar, butter, eggs, and vanilla. Mix well. Add all dry ingredients, don’t over-mix. Stir in choc chips. Spray muffin tins and add muffin mixture, then sprinkle 1 tsp sugar on top of each muffin. Bake at 375 degrees for 18-22 min. Makes 24 muffins.

(You can half the recipe and it turns out just as good!)
ENJOY!

Kade Wilson Wardell

Our baby is here! He is such a sweet boy and he looks a LOT like Brock when he was first born. So after a couple days of trying to decide what to name the lil guy, we came up with Kade. I really like that name, and in reality, it was the only name we could agree on! Wilson is named after Ty's grandfather, and his mother's maiden name. He has been such a blessing to have in our lives and we thought what a better way to show him our appreciation than to name our baby after him.

Kade reached out and grasped Ty's hand right away. He still loves to hold onto fingers...so cute! Our new lil baby arrived on Sept 4 at 8:32 am.

Kade Wilson Wardell

7 lbs. 4 oz.

20 inches

The boys are handling the change really well & they love their lil' brother! Enjoy the pictures!

9 hours of labor...and...nothing!

Ok, seriously?! Bare with me now as I vent please...I'll have to admit, I was excited when the contractions came so consistently at 10:30 last night. They came to 3-5 min apart and the intensity increased. I called and the on call nurse said to go to L&D at the hospital in Allen. We had the packed bag, any extra DVD's I wanted to watch, my Ipod (all charged up), and Ty brought his laptop. I mosey my pregnant self in there, go to triage and get all geared up for the eventful night. Well, after 2 hours in there, what do they do? They send me home because nothing is going on but contraction after contraction...

I drink a gallon of water in case that would slow them down. Nope! Contractions growing stronger and still, they sent me home. The nurse said"When they hurt so bad you can't SPEAK, come on back in and we will check if there are any changes". Oh no you di-in't! I said, "Um, seriously, I am pretty sure these hurt bad. I have been through this a couple of times so the pain doesn't bug me as much. Are you SURE you want to send me home?" This poor young nurse looked so confused but did what the Dr ordered and next thing you know, we have our bags back in the car and drive home.

I decided to go to sleep (if possible) and sure enough at 4:30am I woke up with a HUGE contraction. It was seriously the mother...no...the GRANDMOTHER of all contractions! Ty begs me to call, but being the stubborn person I am I decide to wait it out and see what happens. 7 am comes along and bam! They are gone. If I were even 5 days further along, they would have helped me out and pumped some pitocin to keep those pains comin' but since I am only 36 and 6 days along, they sent me home. I have to go through this AGAIN next week! So here's to September 4th and another week of being great with my child.

Seriously though, I did pray in the middle of all this that the right thing happen and I know the baby will come when he is ready. We should nickname him "lil fighter"...or..."lil stinker"!

My lil Cowboy says it like it is

(I am posting a pic of him as a cowboy b/c I swear he is developing a cute lil Texas accent:)

Brock - "Mom, you know what?"

Me - "What's that, Brock?"

Brock - "You should have 5 babies. Cause you know why?"

Me - "Why's that?"

Brock - "I WUV babies"

K,before you say "awwww", wait until you hear what he said just a few days later.

Brock - "Mom, you know what?"

Me - "What's that Brock?"

Brock - "You don't have to have anymow babies. Cause you know why?"

Me - "Why's that?"

Brock - "Cause having a baby in yow tummy makes you angwy."

So most of you that really know me can tell I am a pretty mild tempered women, but yes, the mood swings are running rampid this pregnancy. He heard me act "angwy" on the phone when a not-so-polite woman from Ty's spine surgeon's office rubbed me the WRONG way (Seriously it was ridiculous-you would have had my back, so I almost posted about that but decided to finally let it go), and I am sure he has been a witness to other cases of a short fuse lately.

Sorry about that Brock! Oops...guess he really listens...