Our random picture entry:

Go Longhorns!

Looking at a HUGE butterfly outside.  (It may not look huge, but trust me - it was H-U-G-E)

Can you tell?

Aunt Erin babysat the boys and they made these masks.

Mason, the elephant.

Roar!

Hagen is so cute... can you see his hat and his keys?  He was not about to take his hat off to show us the mask.  And his keys?  Never leaves him.

No more lion, Momma, I'm a knight!

Our friends, Dylan and Logan, got us these fun robes.  We love them!

Thanks, Dylan and Logan!!

Your Calling

I've heard people say you have to have a special calling to be a teacher.  I've heard it alot when people talk about teaching 6th graders (all those hormones).  After subbing a few days last week, I learned I must have a calling for 4th grade because even though the circumstance wasn't great - I loved working with the kids.  Made me miss being in the classroom full time.

It seems after being in the NICU, I also feel that you have to have a calling to be a nurse, especially a NICU nurse.  To take care of those babies and somehow integrate the parents in and educate them.  I think also being able to handle the situation with babies that are not doing well and don't make it.  Wow, that would be hard.  I can't imagine going to work each day and dealing with that kind of stress.

I have a new respect.  Hospice nurses.  Yet again, another amazing profession of people that are called into that profession.  Sitting with terminally ill patients, taking care of them - especially once they get to the 24 hour care.  Not leaving their side during their shift.  I can't imagine the things they have seen and heard over the years - all those patients with all their families members trooping through to talk, say their good-byes, settling up any differences, reminiscing about old times. 

How blessed I feel to have had great NICU nurses that were called into their profession and now to have great hospice nurses to surround my Mamaw with care.

Bread Making 101

I've always wanted to make bread... without a bread machine...

I was going to start with a basic, Honey Oatmeal Wheat recipe.  When I went to make it - I realized I had about 2 tablespoons of honey in bottle and it called for 1/3 of a cup.

Plan B was Cinnamon Bread by one of my favorite food bloggers: Pioneer Woman.

I had all the ingredients and this baby -

...And of course this little helper.  If there is food involved, this little guy usually shows up.

Well little buddy, we are going to use some of this... which means we can't just open a package and Voila!  we eat.

This is going to take a little longer than that...

It looked like this -

Then it looked like this...

'I smell it, Momma' 

Complete, about to start rising.

One of the warmest places in the house happens to be in the boys' playroom.  So, that sweet little pile of dough had some company as it was doing it's magic.

It worked.

Spreading it out...

Spreading butter, then cinnamon and sugar.  I think Hagen's nose print is somewhere on the dough down there ;-)

Role it up tight and let it rise again.  Poor Hagen... rise again?  I'm ready to eat, Momma!

I didn't account for a meeting I had that night, so I actually had to trust Jeremy to follow my strick instructions on baking.  Here is a picture of what it looked like before I left.  It was almost done rising and ready for the oven.

Here it is!!  I obviously needed to roll it a little tighter so the layers wouldn't have that gap in them.

Are you ready for it?  It was gone in a day! One day.  Yeah, I think the boys liked it.  I plan to make it again.  It was super easy!!!

Park

The boys have started riding their tricycles to the park.

They like doing this - except for this one part.  They don't like the gravel to get to the sidewalk.

Yep, it's September and it is still HOT. 

Oh, Mason... you are just like your Momma, 'Where is the air conditioner?'

I really didn't get any pictures of them playing on the equipment... but they did.

Heading back home.

They love riding their tricycles on the sidewalk home.

Sometimes you have to think outside the box...

The boys still love playing with their trains and I have become the train track builder.  I don't get to do the bows or dresses, but I can build quite an impressive train track, if I say so myself!

The other day we decided the train table was just too small to hold our imagination.

They loved the track on floor.

Hagen taking his train through a tunnel.

Yep, it kept them busy for a whole 20 minutes - at least ;-)

Organization

I love an organized house.  I could walk through the Container Store and look at every little thing they offered.  With that being said, Am I Organized?  Hmm, nope.  I would LOVE to be.  But, I think it would take lots of things to get me there.  I have a few hurdles.

I should include a picture of myself in there, but we all know I am included ~ picture or not...

But the part I find very interesting is, I can go into someone else's home and organize them like nobody's business.  I also can organize the boys playroom.

I love organizing their playroom.  But it is so easy.  I can categorize their 'stuff' in minutes.

If only I could take pictures of my 20 projects going on in my head that are half started and put them in little plastic bins.

Maybe I shouldn't start 20+ projects at once.  Hmmm, there's a thought.

Of course, give the boys 10 minutes and my beautiful organizational job will be destroyed.

Here's hoping I get one project completed before I see October on the calendar.  It's a good goal.  I'll let you know if I accomplish it :-)

Separation...

Well, nap time and bed time battles reached an all-time high. 

We struggled with what to do and after pulling our hair out, we decided to separate them.

But wait!  Not permanently.  We just couldn't do that!!  At least not yet...

Hagen is taking his naps in the guest bedroom on the Murphy Bed.

And because Mason likes to throw books into the fan, he was banished to underneath his bed.  (We moved his mattress to the floor.

After a few days like that, we made some ground rules and discussed (in 3 year old language) bedtime and nap time dos and don'ts.  They were so happy to be back in the same room together...

for about 5 minutes. 

Then came the squealing, creaking of the bed (from jumping), and scratching (stuffed animals noses hitting the wall as the fell).  So, Hagen went back -

At this point, we have no plans of moving his actual bed into the guest bedroom.  I am hoping it won't come to that.  I always look at the positive, they love each other so much that they can't stand not playing when they are inches from each other.

Funny story: When we had to separate them again the second time, they were calling out to each other through the walls.  It was hil-ar-ious!  'Bubba!' 'Bubba!'

We are Still Alive Over Here ... I promise

I know, my posts are becoming few and far between.  I'm working on it.  We have just been a little busy.

Here are a few things that just might reappear in a later blog post.  Stay tuned, I will try to not to make them So Far and So few between :-)

Working on some bread recipes... thanks to an old friend, Brea, my first attempt will be using this recipe.

Honey Oatmeal Bread

Working on my fear of lizards.  Well, the largest lizard in the state of Texas lives on our back porch.  He is SO big, even Gran thought maybe he is some one's pet that escaped.  Personally, I think he came to taunt me for all those lizards that I have killed or had killed.  He is well over 8 inches long - yuk!  At least the boys enjoy looking at him - every single night!

The boys are now old enough to go to our Wednesday night W.I.L.D. (Walking in the Lord's Direction) at church.  I figured since I was going all the way to church every Wednesday night to drop them off --- might at well stay and enjoy myself ;-)  (I am!!!)

Our local Mothers of Multiples club is having our semi annual garage sale.  It is HUGE... so if you are in my area, email me and I will give you the details.  I am selling this year, so I am consumed with pricing and cleaning out.  It seems if it isn't nailed down or the boys don't play with it every SINGLE day, I am selling it!

What is peaking out under there??  That is my other project that is keeping me away from my bloggy blog.  I am currently working on something else...

...which is requiring me to take this little diddy out of the package.  Obviously, I haven't even taken it out yet.  But I will and I'm sure I will tell you all about it on here... stay tuned.

This cute boy is working his tail off, these storms and heat are causing all kinds of havoc, but fear not... help is on the way!  While he helps day and night, the boys and I find things to do around here - while we wait for Daddy to get home.  I get asked about every 30 minutes to an hour, 'Where's Daddy?'  'When is Daddy getting home?' 'Is Daddy in his personal truck?' 'Where is Daddy's work truck?'

And how could I forget to mention, I always have time for a little light reading...