A New Year...

Let's just pretend that it hasn't been two years since I posted something, okay? Okay!!

Here's what is new with us.

Mattie Jane Hodges

Born November 14, 2012 at 8:20 in the morning, weighing 6 pounds and 11 ounces.

Big Brother Brandt is in love....

SNOW DAY!!!

2010 --- A Recap

Whew... 2010 came and went, and I really didn't do well at posting. In an attempt not to forget our year, here are the highlights of 2010. Probably the number one memorable event was the selling of our first home and looking, looking, looking, then buying of our second home. In May, we listed our house and after only 8 days we had an offer and a contract on our home. We were beyond thrilled, and of course a little sad. After all, this was our first house, and I will always love that house!! Only 3 short weeks after the offer, we boxed all our belongings up and sent them to storage, and said goodbye to 3857 Gillespie Drive. Since the sale was relatively quick, we had not yet found the perfect house to move into. So we moved into here for the summer.....

Not kidding.... We decided that it would be the cheapest and easiest thing to do. Our stuff was already in storage and since I had the summer off, renting a spot at the lake was a great option. And truth be told, it wasn't too bad, for the first 3 weeks. Then... the temperature soared into the 100's and the trailer just couldn't keep up with it. Plus, having a very energized 2.5 year old cooped inside a small space isn't the most ideal option. SO... after about 5 weeks of living at the lake we called it quits. And just when we thought we would never find the right house for us we found.....

3400 Snowmass Lane.... love at first sight. Of course, Will wasn't able to come with me to look at the first time, but I was certain that this was home. We did all the necessary offering...contracting... signing... and a week before school started we moved in. Ahhhhh. A great feeling it is to be home.

Other events of 2010 ---

February:

*Em & Chad welcomed Miss Avery into the world.

*The Gorham family welcomed Mr. Harrison into the world.

May:

*Jana finished her first year teaching 4th Grade at Rasor.

July:

*Will & Jana went to NC for a friend's wedding for four days.

*Mr. B spent the weekend with Grammers & Coach. A great time was had by all!!

August:

*Brandt started a new school. The first week was tough...but now he loves it. And we are completely happy with the move.

November:

*Brandt turned 3 years old. A train-ride was the ultimate party!!!

December:

*Our first Christmas in the new house. Lots of family, laughter, and joy!!

3 Generations

Aunt Em, Sweet Avery, B, me, and Nana

Enjoying family time on Memorial Day!!

Pumpkin Patch...

We recently took a trip to the Pumpkin Patch. B had a good time sitting on the pumpkins. You'll notice a cracker in his hand, that is because as soon as we got there he started saying, "eat, eat". I don't think we got too many pictures with out a cracker or raisins in his hands. He also enjoyed waving to the hayriders as they drove by!!

PS. I realize I am way behind with posting. Sorry, things have been crazy around here. I do have several things to chat about!!

words to live by...

and very appropriate for this week! {and the next few weeks, I'm sure!}

Hmmm...Can anyone say "Random?"

You are probably wondering what in the world this photo is all about.

Let me explain....

This week we tried really hard to get into the swing of our new morning routine. During the summer B and I usually got up and lounged for about 30-45 mins, and then I made breakfast. Seriously, everyday we had scrambled eggs and toast, or sometimes we would sub waffles for toast. Real waffles, not frozen. Then some days I would make muffins. Anyway..you get the drift, I had a lot more time on my hands in the A.M. With school starting, we won't have as much time for all that wonderful homemade breakfast...so I've come up with a plan for making some type of bread, or muffins, or frozen waffle (don't tell), and even frozen eggs. I know, gasp! BUT they are really good. And B and I still have our morning breakfast together.

That's where this comes in.... This is by far the prettiest banana bread loaf I've made in a while, if not ever!! So pretty that I had to show you.

See?? Pretty, huh?? And pretty darn tasty!

Next up, is my new favorite find.

Is it sad that my new favorite find is a can of soup? Don't answer that! However, I was really excited when I saw this Cream of Mushroom & Chicken in the same can. You see, I have this really wonderful recipe that calls for a can of either cream of chicken or cream of mushroom. I've tried it with cream of chicken, and I've tried it with cream of mushroom, and could never really decide which I liked best. It's almost as if together is how the recipe should have been written to begin with! So...now it's perfect!

Swiss Chicken with Stuffing

4 chicken breasts, thawed

1 can of Cream of Chicken & Mushroom soup (in the same can)

4 slices of Swiss Cheese

1/2 cup milk

Stuffing Mix

Directions: Spray a baking dish with Pam, and put chicken breasts in the bottom of the dish. Next, take the Swiss cheese slices and put on top of the chicken. Then, mix together the soup and 1/2 cup of milk, and cover the chicken breasts with soup mixture. Then sprinkle stuffing mix over the top of the chicken. Spray with spray butter, or pour melted butter over the top of the stuffing. Bake at 375* for 40-55 mins, or until chicken is done in center.

SO YUMMY, and tastes a lot like Thanksgiving. Especially if you make mashed potatoes and green beans to go with it, and serve hot crescent rolls!!

And finally, another new favorite at our house. Our Treat Jar. This jar has always contained 'treats' of some sort. It used to house peanut M&M's year round. And occasionally I would fill it with homemade chocolate chip cookies. It had been empty for a while, and when I went grocery shopping last week, I decided I needed something for it. B usually has cookies for a snack, with some fruit or cheese, when we get home from school, so I decided to buy Animal Crackers. I wasn't even aware that they made CHOCOLATE Animal Crackers. Were you? I mean, really that's pretty cool. They taste like Oreo's only no stuffing, which is just fine with me! Plus, they definitely make our jar a lot more exciting. Only, I don't know who is more excited about it, me or B?

The Greatest Show on Earth!!

Yesterday, we spent the afternoon with the Murthy's at the Ringling Barnum & Bailey's Circus. It really was a great show!! We met up at the Dart Train station in Plano, and rode down to AA Center for the show.

Brandt and Laela both enjoyed the show!! Laela just squealed and squealed, while Brandt clapped the entire time.

{click to enlarge the collages}

We actually didn't make it through the entire show... imagine that? B was tired of sitting and would much rather be outside. Lucky for us there were some fountains just outside. I am pretty sure B had more fun in the water.

He was grinning so big!! And, going, going, going....

Check out Miss Thang in her momma's sunglasses...she wasn't so sure about them, but she sure looks cute!!!

The Murthy's on the train...

Thanks for going with us. We had a great time! Maybe next time we can have dinner together!!

Real Men Have Tattoos?

This is a result of some 'Daddy & Me' playtime, and no needles were involved in this tattooing.

Sexy, huh?

Checking them out...

Wouldn't be complete with out a tramp stamp, right?

Funny thing about all this is when Will was done 'stamping', Brandt came running into the other room saying "Oh No." Then he would say "more!" What a goose!! I made sure that these stamps were the first thing to get moved to school. I could just see stamps all over the walls. Geez Louise.

Wordless Wednesday....