Strickland Kids

Auburn, Thanksgiving, Christmas, & a Big Bowl of Jelly

2009-11-28T20:11:00.000-08:00

Dustin and I went to the AU vs. Furman game this year. We even got to go without kids! The weather was amazing, the company was perfect and the game was a big Auburn win. It was such a great trip down to Auburn.

Maybe this is more common than I realized, but since we don't get to see this on TV, I was surprised to see a group of Auburn players and Trooper Taylor kneeling and praying before the game. How awesome is that?

Many of you know we had a rough couple of weeks recently. It was officially kicked off with a boom when our NEW hot water heater busted and flooded our house and Jacob was diagnosed with Pneumonia on that same day (fever of 105). Dustin was in substantial meetings at work with prospects that he couldn't get out of and I was...well....I wasn't having the best day of my life! However, ServPro came out and did their thing. It meant the kids and I had to leave our Wind Tunnel of a house for about 3 days though. This is some of the equipment that was in the backroom and hallway. There were equally as many fans and dehumidifiers in Jacobs Room and Dylans Room. ServPro was amazing in doing this as carefully as possible - they managed to replace all of the carpet padding effected without destroying my house.

If you know my mom, you know this is unlike her. She had saved a huge box from work and brought it home to be a castle for the boys to play in DOWNSTAIRS. They love it. So for Christmas she brought it UPSTAIRS and we decorated it. She is actually leaving this in her living room for the holidays....Quite a site to see in Liz Johnson's Southern Living worthy home!

GiGi has a collection of Nutcrackers the boys have grown quite fond of. Thanks to Super glue, they get to play with them :)

Over the years mom has collected the Dicken's Village pieces. Her collection is quite impressive and Matt's skills at putting the village together are pretty amazing too.

The boys think of it as a big playground. Lots of little people and houses to play with (and don't forget the snow). Matt about has a panic attack when they are around it and modify his strategic layout, but nothing has broken yet!

I took the boys to see Santa last week. Jacob took letters (one for him and one for Dylan). He loved it. Dylan - not so sure! He talked about it and seemed excited, but when he saw Santa he freaked. Screamed and held on to me like there was no tomorrow. However! When Santa offered him a Candy Cane....he Immediately perked up and said "Sure!", Sat on his lap, talked to him and smiled big for the picture. It was very funny to see the immediate transition. (PLEASE NOTE THE GREEN FROGS BOOTS HE INSISTED ON WEARING!!)

I was lucky enough to get to go visit Jacob's class for their Thanksgiving Feast with Mrs. Burk's class next door. We had soup and fruit salad the kids made and then did several different craft projects.

Jacob with his 2 best buddies in his class - Paul Davis and Alec.

Story time with Mrs. April.

Jacob was pretty fascinated with the idea of cooking a turkey. He said for days he wanted to go to a Turkey Farm, kill a turkey and cook it....What? I was pretty sure the idea of something like that would freak Jacob out. He wanted to know where the turkey's head was when Daddy was prepping it and where his feet and wings were.

This was hilarious. I was doing a little video on what they were thankful for and Jacob ran with it. Not sure where he comes up with this stuff, but I'm glad I got this on video!

** After you watch it once, replay it and listen to Jacob after Dustin says "Preppin' the Bird". Jacob's interpretation will make you laugh! Was that a Plurpin' I heard?

And to end our Thanksgiving Feast, Jacob had a MOVIE THEATER set up in the backroom (playroom). He brought in the office chair, folding chairs, childrens wooden chairs, etc. He turned off the lights and welcomed everyone to the showing of "Hero of the Rails". About 10 minutes later (yes, we all participated, how could we not?) he said "Ok, thank you for coming, next time you can come watch the whole thing", turned on the lights and shook everyone's hand as they left. Dustin and I had nothing to do with this at all - and I don't even know what triggered the idea for him. But it was so precious seeing him so happy and seeing our families cooperate with his master plan!

Deals of the Day

2009-11-19T09:10:00.001-08:00

New Years Resolution? Blog more often. I think since I started posting stuff on Facebook, I feel like the blog is redundant. But I will try to remember that not everyone is on Facebook!

As I wrap up my Christmas Shopping for everyone other than my kids, I wanted to share some of my new favorite websites for online shopping. You can find some really good deals and unique items this way!

Here are a few of my favorites to watch:

www.woot.com
New Deal each day - check the kids woot too!
www.slickdeals.net
Several deals listed each day
www.deals.ebay.com
www.disneystore.com/deal-of-the-day/c/14904/
www.canvaspeople.com
get a free 8x10 canvas of one of your photos - shipping is $14.95
www.rewardsrus.toysrus.com
Toys R Us finally has a "points" reward program to earn credit the more your shop - great timing for Christmas shopping! They will give you a keychain tag
www.jcprewards.com
Register your debit or credit cards and each time you spend money using those cards you get points which turn into credit. I got a $10 credit just for signing up.
www.southernsavers.com
This is a grocery site - but they have Amazing tips on how to save big. Dustin managed to Save $92 on our grocery bill last week from Publix!! $92!! She has great tips on how to go "CVS-ing" and use deals, coupons, and reward cards together in the best combination possible
http://www.etsy.com/
This is a site where people can make stuff and post it for sale. Thing is, these people are crazy talented! You can find some very unique stuff in there and for reasonable costs. I'm planning on using this site to find my Christmas Card Design and then print them on my own. So that makes it unique, custom and cheap! Doesnt get much better than that!

So enjoy these sites and one other benefit - No Trouble Parking and No Crowds!

New Photos

2009-10-13T13:08:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to post a few pictures that Laura's friend Mary Smith took of the boys. These were taken this summer, but better late than never on posting them?! I love some of the moments she captured with them...

Getting Crafty

2009-09-28T09:31:00.001-07:00

I've been feeling crafty lately. Not that I have the time for it, but I have to do something here and there to get the craft bug out of me. Here are a few things we've been up to around here in regards to making things...

I made a Fall Wreath for our Red Front Door this weekend. All of the materials cost me less than $20. And there is far more on this wreath than any of the premade wreaths that cost more. Old Time Pottery - Love that place!

This is one of my best Thrift Store finds. I found a 3'x4' chaulk board and bulletin board in the same trip. The Chaulk board was $4.88 and the Bulletin Board was $3.88! So I got to provide a great creative outlet spot in our playroom for the boys for less than $10!

Jacob is collecting Box Tops for his school. They make a big deal out of this (especially with financial strains these days) and earn around $5K per year from them. That's pretty amazing considering each one is worth 10 cents! They are having a contest right now that ends Oct 2 and the winning class from each grade gets a party. He's certainly doing his part! If you have any Box Tops, will you let me know? We'd love to get them!

Many of you know my mom had surgery on her spine recently. She's been having a hard time and is starting her 2nd week of recovery. During the first few days, Matt, Laura and I made Bird Baloons for her...lol...yes, we really did. We laughed the whole time. Notice Matt's Red Bird in front. It had a hole in it and deflated shortly after he finished making it. Thanks Martha Stewart for the handy packaged supplies Laura found.

Jacob and I experienced Build a Bear for the first time about a week ago at a birthday party for his friend Regan. I was so excited because 1. Jacob really liked this place and 2. It's the closest thing to dressing up a doll that I'm going to get! Jacob chose the Tiger, named him Aubie and I got him an AU shirt. We've since been back for shoes and Jammies for Aubie.

Back to School for Dylan

2009-09-08T09:54:00.001-07:00

Dilly-Willy-Snickle-Pickle-Boy-Boy-Boy started 2K today! He was excited when he realized where where we were going. He walked in by himself and only got anxious when we were in the classroom and several other kids were having a hard time. But I got him interested in the bucket of plastic farm animals and he was good from there.

Do you realize what this means for me?! I get to work Monday-Friday from 9-1 without kids. In return, I might get to start going to bed at a reasonable hour. This is so exciting!

I'm Alive!

2009-08-20T07:14:00.001-07:00

How in the world is my last entry on July 12? I am still alive, I promise. I was fully anticipating blogging about once a week during the summer. You know, the lazy days of summer…what else was I gonna do? Um...that didn't quite happen!

So this is a catch up session! Summer was great…Here are the highlights…. 2 Beach Trips, Lots of Play Dates with Emily and Daniel, Lots of “Water Park” Days in our front yard with friends or just us, lots of Mommy Work NIGHTS and Lots of Library trips. We read at least 1 new book each night with Jacob over the summer and kept a list of all the books. It was around 67 new books!

Content Creations (my website design business) has been busier than ever. I’m currently working on new projects that span 6 states and have a client base of around 60 clients. I have been so blessed. With each project I gain ideas and knowledge and confidence. Let’s admit it, I have a Business Management degree…what makes it ok for me to design websites?! But I’m continuing to learn and grow with each and every project. I Love what I'm doing.

Dustin is still working hard at McLeod as the Custom Programming Manager. He has a big team of smart guys and from what I can tell, he’s a pretty good manager. He recently joined the Board for the Helena Soccer League. Jacob is playing Baseball this fall though – he wanted to try it, so we’re gonna let him.

Jacob started Kindergarten! He has Ms. April at Helena Elementary School (see her blog listed to the right) and she is wonderful. Jacob has maintained an active interest in learning to read since the day he started school. It warms my heart to see him excited like this.

Dylan starts 2K Tuesday! Tuesday cannot get here soon enough! He’s been lonely without Jacob being here each day, but he has learned to play on his own really well. Plus he has made some really good friends in Daniel and Emily. He’ll be going to school 5 days a week, so Content Creations will be free to get so much more done.

Today the Elementary School had their Boosterthon Fun Run. This was a GREAT idea! The kids have been collecting donations and pledges for each lap he runs. This is the school's biggest fundraiser and it's all very cool how it works. Bottom line - he ran 19 laps! With the donations they collected along the way they got prizes like sweatband, shoe laces, sunglasses, etc. This was among one of Jacob's first couple of laps. (note: smiling and running!)

I made a sign for our class. They are the All Stars. So I waved it around and cheered for their class as they came by. I actually ended up doing 14 laps myself. One little girl didnt have a parent there and was completely freaked by the whole thing. I just held her hand and we walked the whole time. But it actually enabled me to get to know several of Jacob's classmates by doing that.

This is Jacob with 3 of his buddies in his class. These girls all sit at the same table as he does. It was very cute and impressive in how supportive they were of each other.

After the Fun Run, I went back to their classroom with them while they enjoyed a popsicle. They were all eager to show me what color they got. "You get what you get and you dont pitch a fit"

This is after his first day of school. He's riding the bus to and from school and he says riding the bus is his favorite thing about Kindergarten! Did I mention he gets picked up and dropped off at our driveway?!?!

Jacob and Dylan riding on Emily and Daniel's Gator. They were too cute. I wish we lived on a street where they could do that without risk of being run over.

Earlier in the summer we had a South Forrest Posse Reunion. The 6 of us have been friends since Elementary School. Five of us lived on the same street (South Forrest Drive). We all have hubbies now and most of us have kids too. This was such a great get-together. Not sure why we dont do it more often. Oh yeah, most of us have kids...

This is the cool Catepiller I found last week. It was Huge! I caught it and put it in Jacob's Bug Box so Dustin and Jacob could see it. It's skin was super hard. No clue what kind of Catepiller it is but bet it'll turn into a moth.

I've been painting lots too! Here is the Painting Class at Calera UMC with my mother-in-law and Sister-in-law. We had a great time and isn't it cool how different they all turned out?!

This was Sips N Strokes last Friday night. Most of these girls work with Dustin. We had a great time but gosh that painting was difficult! The "Sips" made it bearable though!

This is random I know, but my stepmother Carol reached her 10 year anniversary with Whiteplume Technologies a month or so ago. Her employees (support & implementation=travelers) have been planning this for a long time. They created this art piece on a piece of wood the size of a door. It is made up Entirely of Hotel Key Cards from their travels to client offices. Even the feather is made up of key cards they shredded. I can't believe how amazing this turned out!

From the Mouths of Babes....

2009-07-12T14:04:00.001-07:00

Jacob and Dylan this morning before church. They are wearing the rare matching outfit, so I was trying to take a picture. Best I could get was of them laying down. So much for capturing the outfits!

I had 2 little conversations we've had with Jacob that I wanted to share. I love hearing what kids come up with. They have untainted little minds and everything is so literal.

Last week I was in the car with the kids and here is how this conversation went:

Jacob: "Mom, I'm afraid to go to heaven when I die"

Me: "Oh, No! It's the most perfect place you could imagine. It will have all of the things there that you love!"

Jacob: "Will it have trains and Ring Pops"?

Me: "I'm sure it will"

Jacob: "Can I have Ring Pops for breakfast"?

Me: "That's going to be between you and God"!

He went to VBS last week, and between that and all of the celebrity deaths that were going on, I think that's what sparked that. But what better place could a 5 year old boy imagine than one with Trains and Ring Pops!

Then on Friday night the 4 of us had gone out and about and ended the night with a treat from Dairy Queen. Here is how this exchange went:

Jacob: "Hey Mom and Dad, you know what?" (laughing to himself) "God is in my heart and he's looking up and drinking my ice cream!"

- he leans his head back like he imagines God is and acts like he's catching ice cream in his mouth

Jacob: "Except it's getting all over his head!"

-and he started rubbing his hands through his hair like he thought God might be

We were all laughing. Jacob was pretty amused with his thoughts. Dustin and I were laughing at how he was literally taking "God is in my heart" to mean there was a little man in his heart and he was looking up and trying to drink this ice cream that was splashing all over the place!!

This, That and a Train in Hair

2009-07-01T14:43:00.000-07:00

I told you I was going to catch up! Today I'm posting a few random pictures and a cute video from the beach of Dylan. Stay tuned at the bottom for my ever so important environmental/financial tip of the day!

Dustin and the boys at a Baron's Game.

Aunt Laura playing with the boys. We all lauged so hard at them attacking her. Dylan would get up on her feet and curl his legs backward and up towards the ceiling. There is a video at the bottom of this post of her doing this.

Last night we had Shannon come over with her girls. They live in Huntsville, so we don't get to see them often, but when we do, the kids sure have a great time! In fact, somehow Lily got this train tangled in her hair. Her hair, which has never been cut. Her hair, which I didn't want to be cut for the first time because one of my kids toys was extremely tangled in it! Dustin ended up taking the train completely apart to save her hair. Lily was super patient while Mr. Dustin used a screwdriver save the day.

Jacob, Erin, Dylan, Lily and Bailey

Dylan loving the ocean.
He even prays for the beach each night since this trip
("thank you for the beach")

Aunt Laura and the boys. Dylan doing his weird pose!

Exciting tip of the day:
I've added in my 2 cents on how to better use a train table (turn it into a zoo), how to save your camera when in your purse (a baby sock), and so on, so I'm going to keep posting little tidbits I learn that make my life easier and the environment a little cleaner, or the wallet a little fuller.

Dryer Sheets:
Most of us use Dryer Sheets to keep our clothes from coming out of the dryer in a big ball of static mess. A little trick I learned was to buy a box of dryer sheets and when you get home, cut the stack in half. Yep, cut each sheet into 2 pieces. Then use 1/2 of a dryer sheet with each load. It's a small change, but it makes the box last twice as long and leaves half the waste per load. And it still does the job!

Anyone still out there?

2009-06-28T15:11:00.001-07:00

For those of you still out there who have had the faith I would eventually update this blog, this one's for you! The past two weeks have been rough. We got home from Cape San Blas and Jacob got Bronchitis and a Viral Lung Infection. As soon as he recovered, Dylan got sick and then early last week I got Walking Pneumonia.

So we're looking forward to a regular, normal week where we are not locked up in the house due to an illness! I have lots to update on here..so here are a few to get us started....

My biggest news is that Dylan (a mere 24 months old) is Potty Trained! While he's literally "Potty" trained, we still have to conquer the other business. But he has completely done this on his own. I had no intentions of trying to do this for about another year. He's thinking Pull-ups are pretty cool and refuses to wear a diaper. How great is this!?

We had a partial Family Cookout with my Dad's family on May 30th. The picture of Dylan above is of him copying the big kids making a silly face.

This is Jacob and his cousin Allison. These two had a blast together.

This is some of the crew hanging out on the deck watching many of the kids play a game of baseball in the backyard.

On the day before we left for Cape San Blas, my mom had a special treat for the boys. She bought them some books and had a "Book Hunt" in her backyard (thinking Easter Egg Hunt). The boys each got a bag and searched for books throughout the yard. They thought this was a pretty cool idea! Jacob and I are on a roll with reading 1-2 New books every night. We've got a list we're keeping of each new book, so these additions were all welcome!

This is Dylan finding a book in the fern! Thanks Gigi!

Have a train table that sits alone and unplayed with? Here is our newest use of the train table. Turn it into a Zoo! We gathered all the different animals from around the house and even setup a train to go around the zoo. Both boys played with this way longer than I ever anticipated!

Um Yes....we are swimming here....

2009-06-12T07:12:00.000-07:00

We are at Cape San Blas this week and I have many more pics and stories to share that will come once we get home on Sunday. This one was crazy enough to share right away though.

Yesterday the family next to us was fishing by taking a kayak out about 100 yards off the beach and dropping a fishing line. Then he came back to shore and stood with it until something bit it. Well, we saw that this was going to be a big catch as he started pulling it in, but had no idea how big until the son pulled the shark up on the beach.

This was about a 6 foot Nurse Shark (eats plants, not people). After they removed the hook and and we all picked our jaws up off the beach, they released it. Can you believe this!?!?!

1 week down.....

2009-05-24T11:47:00.000-07:00

The kids have been out of school for 1 week and it was certainly a busy one. I think this was a good thing because it helped ease them from noticing they didn't go to school (which they both love).

I hope we keep this up to be honest. The activity keeps us busy and that makes me happy because it means I don't have whining kids at home. So if you are looking for something to do this summer - call us!

Oh, and one other thing that I won't post a picture of - Dylan has pee-pee'd in the potty twice this week! He's still 1 year old (for 1 more week anyway) and he has initiated all interest. I'm so proud of him! Yea Dylan!

Here is "the" Blue Bird I've been talking about for 2 weeks now. I posted a video on Facebook, but this little guy has been attacking my car for 16 days now. He's doing it now as I type this. He has a bird house near by, so we are assuming he's attacking his reflection in the windows. I can't keep my car clean for anything. At least it's been raining a good bit lately, that helps clean it off a little.

We met up with Ms. Kelly and Jackson at the playground one night. They played so hard!

Jacob - the Ladies Man! This was at Mallory and Tucker's Birthday Party at Tannehill.

This is Jacob and Dylan and Matthew and Jake's Birthday Party. It was a Monster Truck Party. Thankfully the rain held off for both of the birthday parties that day.

We have playdates with Emily and Daniel almost weekly. This week we got to play outside the entire time. It was beautiful weather and the kids had fun. This was when we pulled out the Playdo. I'm so glad they all get along so well.

We had the U-4 Orange Crush Soccer Team over for the End of Year Soccer Party Thursday night. We pulled out the swimming pools, sprinklers, waterguns and water balloons. It would have been Perfect if it would have just been a little warmer for the swimmers.

Coach Dustin held nothing back! He was shooting them all with water guns as much as anyone else!

Friday Morning I made the boys a fort under the Dining Room table. I pulled the blankets back for the picture, but they had pillows and stuffed animals and a flashlight and a lot of fun. Here they were eating their yogurt for breakfast. The funniest part was when Hobbs wiggled his way in there with them!

Saturday we went to the Zoo. The new exhibit is open where you can brush a Rhino. It was pretty amazing. This one weighs 4,400 lbs. And they use Bamboo to hold her back? Really? Nah, I'm sure that Bamboo is loaded with cement inside. Very Cool Exprience for Dustin and Jacob.

While at the zoo, the Alligator was putting on quite the show. It was eerie to hear this in person. We aren't sure what he was doing, but we are guessing it was some kind of mating ritual. Super Strange! (Pause the Music Player on the Blog and Turn up your volume to hear the sounds he's making)

Jacob is officially a Kindergartener!

2009-05-17T11:42:00.000-07:00

Thursday night was Jacob's 4K Graduation from the Day School at Cahaba Bend. If to talk to us often, you know we love this place. This was their first year to have the Day School and I feel so incredibly blessed to have found that place and put my children in their program.

Jacob had a good audience (of which was on the front row!) of Mommy, Daddy, Dylan, Gigi and Grandma. They sang all of their color songs (of which they can spell each color) which was impressive. They each got a diploma and a special book from Ms. Maggie ( the director).

I was pretty sure I wouldn’t cry. After all, I’m pretty excited about Kindergarten. But I thought Dustin might. Well…I sobbed like a baby! And just about everyone else did too. From the kind and emotional words from Ms. Maggie and Ms. Jenni (their teacher) to the amazing slide show Ms. Jenni did. I was completely, fall apart, hands in face, sobbing?!

What is the first day of Kindergarten going to be like? All I know is I will NOT be listening to the song “Let Them Be Little” by Billy Dean (song you may be listening to now on the blog). You listen to those words and not cry if you have a little one! Not Possible!

May 14, 2009

Jacob was one of 2 boys in a class of 10...
He handled it very well though!

Getting his Diploma and Book

Jacob with Ms Jenni (he has a framed picture of her & the class on his nightstand). Those kids love Ms. Jenni (Parents too!)

The Stricklands with their little graduate

Jacob and his buddy Cloe at the reception.

Messy Art Party!

2009-05-14T14:38:00.000-07:00

We had a combined birthday party on May 3rd for the boys this year. Jacob turned 5 on April 27 and Dylan will be 2 on May 30. So we had a Messy Art Party at our house. I had all of these glorious plans to have the event outside in the large flat driveway with a large canopy over the kids to block from the sparkling sun. No such luck! In fact, We had Tornado Warnings all afternoon. Including one that put us in our Safe Place in the middle of my decorating!

So we had the party inside. I just took the hand I was dealt and we had a Shaving Cream table in the Living Room, a Play-Do Area in Jacob's Room and All things Paint in the Back Room. Here are just a few pictures from the party. The boys had a blast.

I made 63 Colorful Cupcakes (and Special thanks to my mom for icing them all - which interupted by the tornado warning that sent us into our safe place!)

Finger Painting, Painting, Stickers, Glue, Confetti, Pipe Cleaners and More!

I got a large canvas and all of the kids painted on it. It's in our playroom now and we LOVE it. So much personality on one piece of canvas!

Miss Jennifer and Daniel with our cousins Ben & Dillon.

Several of our friends from the Day School!

Jacob at the Shaving Cream Table "Before"

Dylan at the Shaving Cream Table "After"!

Shaving Cream Table
(notice the weather stayed on the tv the whole time!)

Birthday Boys about to blow out their candles

Everyone Jump! By the end of the party the storms were gone (of course!) So we let them run around and burn some of that energy!

Messy Art take 2 - this was done after Cake and Ice Cream. I Love the colors in this.

Easter, Dog & Soccer!

2009-04-23T08:34:00.000-07:00

Man, time gets by me sometimes. Easter has come and gone and Jacob's birthday is next week...he's going to be 5! FIVE?! What?! In any case, here are the Easter pictures. We had a great weekend (not to mention a hugely successful Garage Sale the day before Easter!).

Below the Easter Pics is Hobbs, our new Puppy dog...or not so much a puppy! And then a silly picture from Soccer.

Our days are getting busy with all that April and May bring. We hope you and your friends and family are doing well and enjoying the spring weather.

Happy little guys.

Jacob striking his GQ pose.

Hunting for Eggs at Gigi's house

Gigi and the boys

Laura, Mom and Jenny

Our newest Family Member - Hobbs.
Full Golden Retriever, trained, 3 years old - Wonderful!

Soccer Team Silly Picture! That would be Jacob on the bottom left!

Blue Angel VIP's!

2009-04-07T08:29:00.001-07:00

We went to the Tuscaloosa Air Show on Saturday. The weather was PERFECT, the traffic was TERRIBLE, and the Blue Angel VIP Passes Marcus got us were a Once in a Lifetime Opportunity. Here are a few pictures from our big adventure. And yes, I want to be a Blue Angel when I grow up...pretty sure that would be a rockin' job!

After the show we got to take a picture with the pilots on the runway in front of jet #6.

We even snagged some front row seats in the Blue Angel VIP tent. Most of the people we were sitting with were the Parents, Spouses and Kids of the team, or maintenance staff for the jets. We were blessed to get to hang out with them for the day.

This is Fat Albert. It's the C-130 plane carrying everyone and everything related to the Blue Angels other than the 7 jets and their pilots. Jacob LOVES Fat Albert!

Diamond Formation - My awesome Photography. Dustin tells me I should move to Aviation Photography...
Uh no! I'm going to be a Blue Angel, remember?

This is Marcus, Dustin, Jacob, Allen and Jake with Maj. Brendan Burks, who happens to be the pilot for Fat Albert (the plane Jacob loves so much). Marcus is friends with Brendan and he's who got us the VIP passes.

Hanging out on the Runway waiting to meet the Blue Angels team.

Heading home. Walking back from the Runway and off to find our car.

The Beach and Our Retro Toys

2009-03-24T07:30:00.000-07:00

The first picture you see below is Dylan on a little bike. That was actually my bike when I was a kid (I even remember riding it). To think that 30 years later my little guy is riding it is pretty cool.

Last week was Spring Break in our home. Fortunately, I was able to go to the beach (Perdido Key) with my mom and the boys for Wed-Sat. We had a great time. Each year the beach trips change so much. They go from pre-baby wonderful vacations to a little more on the hectic side! But, the joy I get out of watching the boys on the beach, or at the pool, or sitting on the balcony are far worth the pains of chaos in-between.

Jacob is a serious beach boy. Loves it all. Plays on his own so great. Makes friends with any kids he can find. Tans easily and doesn't burn. Dylan needed some adapting time. A couple of times he stuck his head down in the sand. Face First. It pretty much made mom and I cringe! But he loved the beach and I look forward to taking him back. That little fair skinned boy will have to be watched a bit more in the sun!

The last picture is of Jacob and his cousins, Ben and Dillon. They are twins and 4 years old also. The three of them together, as you can see, was quite the entertainment! This was their "silly" pose.

Dylan on my toy bike.

Jacob and Dylan on the beach.

Gimpy the Blue Herron. He hangs out at the Shrimp Basket in Perdido Key and has for 3 years. He had an injury a while back and has just taken to the folks that eat on the deck. He was literally about 2 feet behind my back when mom realized he was there. I have a weird facination with big birds, so I thought it was pretty cool. Jacob was pretty convinced he was going to attack us!

Jacob at the pool.

Dylan rolling in the sand. He must have just loved the way it felt? As long as he was happy!

One morning we went to the Naval Aviation Museum in Pensacola. Mom had never been there before, but Jacob and I have been several times before with Dustin. It's the home base for the Blue Angels, which Jacob loves to death. He claims that's what he's going to do when he grows up. We're going to see them at the Tuscaloosa Air Show in 2 weeks. So this is our little soldier in front of the huge flag by the 4 Angels IN the museum.

Ok, so this picture is nothing but my own little happy place! One afternoon during the kids naps I got to go to the beach by myself. Just me, my book and my Mountain Dew. So this will be the picture I go back to when I need a break!
Our little goofballs! Ben, Jacob and Dillon on Sunday night at Heath and Dedra's house. They were striking their silly pose for us. Oh the energy they burned!

Fingers, Snow & Bingo

2009-03-05T07:51:00.000-08:00

Last Sunday morning we had snow....around 3 inches I guess! It was great snowball snow and it was the first time Dylan has been able to get out in snow and play with it. He LOVED looking out the window and seeing it snow. He talked and talked and talked and pointed and shrilled with joy about it. Outside was fun for about 1 minute until he got wet and his hands and nose got cold! But then he didn't want to go inside. So it was mixed emotions for that little guy. Jacob Loved it and wanted to be outside the entire time the snow was here. He and I had fun throwing snowballs out into the street (sorry neighbors for the slick spot by our house!) and watching them bust. Stomping through the slush in rain boots...oh the joys of being a little boy.

One day before that, Saturday, Jacob had an accident and smashed the heck out of his finger. I bought an umbrella for the backyard (think 9ft wooden heavy umbrella in a box). It was propped up and he was messing with it. It started to fall over and he tried to catch it and it smashed his nail on the metal strip that separated the carpet from the kitchen floor. Monday the Dr. drilled a little hole in the nail to relieve some of the swelling and pressure. And I've had to do it each night since to help relieve the pain. NOT fun, but it feels good to know I can do something to help it. It looks terrible and we're anxiously awaiting for that little nail to fall off. The Doctor was amazing with him (I even wrote him a thank you note). I think I would have cried harder than Jacob did!

Dylan is getting so big. He's 21 months old and talking so much now.
It's fun seeing him and Jacob playing together....of course with that comes fighting too!

It's hard to tell, but Jacob's eating a snowball here. He thought that was pretty cool.
(The cold snow was good for his finger swelling too! A bonus!)

Dylan stomping through the snow. He hated the mittens and kept pulling them off. I can't say that I blame him! they just dont make a lot of water proof gloves for hands that small!

The Snowman built by Jacob and Dustin. Jacob was calling the buttons "Belly Buttons"! He said, we need to find 3 Belly Buttons for him. Too Funny!

The trees in our yard. Me trying to pretend to be a photographer :)

Family Game Night last Friday night.
Jacob loves playing Alphabet Bingo and "Being In Charge" - aka - calling out the letters.

Camera & Flowers

2009-02-26T10:09:00.001-08:00

I just had 2 little things to add today...

1. Dustin got me some very cheerful flowers for Valentines Day. That would be almost 2 weeks ago. Never in the history of cut flowers did I know they could last this long and still look so perfect. I am beginning to question if they are fake? Nah, they're real, but I'm still amazed they look this good after 2 weeks!

2. I got this idea out of a magazine, so I can't claim credit, but I tried it and love it. I like to keep my camera in my purse, but my camera big is a little too big to put in my purse. So I took one of Dylan's baby socks and put the camera in it. It fits perfectly, it's cute and soft and it protects the camera (and is easily washable when it gets dirty!). Certainly a tip I wanted to share!

Remembering Jacob's 1st Birthday

2009-02-13T09:08:00.000-08:00

So I was looking through some old videos with the kids and I found this one. It's Jacob's first birthday. Both of my kids went full throttle with the 1st birthday smash cakes. Yes, it's fun and makes for excellent pictures, but just remember that a serious bath has to take place afterwards!

Jacob's First Birthday Video:

Happy Birthday Dustin!

2009-02-07T16:42:00.001-08:00

Today is Dustin's Birthday. Given he had his gallbladder removed on Wednesday, we didn't get to do too much partying (I know, hush, as if we really "party" anyway, right?). But Jacob and I made "faux petit fours" and we had a picnic lunch down by the waterfall in Old Towne Helena. Then we played on the playground nearby. It was such a beautiful day!

Our Faux Petit Fours!

Picnic Lunch!

Throwing rocks in the water was the highlight for the boys.

This would be Dylan pitching a fit because the rock throwing had to come to an end.

Jacob looking for good rocks to throw.

Dylan on the playground

Jacob and Gigi playing on the playground.

Where have I been?

2009-01-23T09:26:00.000-08:00

I love blogs. I love catching up on what other people are doing when I have a few minutes of free time here and there. It seems this month has kicked off to a busy start and my free time has been more absent than normal. But that's a good thing!

In any case, I owe my fellow blog-followers an update. I don't have a lot to report, but here are 3 websites I've been working on for the past few weeks. 2 out of 3 are live, with the 3rd launching next week hopefully.

The boys are all doing well...

Dustin has been going through some tests and may possibly lose his gallbladder soon. We'll miss it if he does. Life will not be the same without that troubling gallbladder.

Dylan is talking more and more each day. One of my favorites is when he tells me he's "All done" with eating, he'll say "All D"! I guess the "done" word is just too long, he's already abbreviating!

And Jacob explained to me to that he didn't listen in school very well yesterday because "his ears were on crooked". But he quickly let me know today he put them on straight. Thank goodness for that!

I hope you and your families are well!

Granny Wade

2009-01-06T19:38:00.001-08:00

We lost a dear lady this week. Granny Wade - aka Sydnia Crump Wade - lived 94 years before leaving us on January 2nd to join the angels in heaven. Technically, Granny Wade is our "step" great-grandmother. But for the many years Matt, Laura and I have been a part of this family, they have always, always treated us as true great-grandchildren. Granny gave the best hugs, had a sweet, happy smile and was so amazingly and admirably independent for a 94 year old. She raised her own garden of veggies each year, made the best pickles! lived in her own home, kept up with everything the 4 children, 10 grandchildren, 20 great-grandchildren and 2 great-great-grandchildren (jacob and dylan) were doing.

When I am old, I want to live like she did. We all should.

It's like the preacher said at the funeral, we bet there were so many angels waiting to greet her at the Pearly Gates, but we're afraid they haven't been able to catch up with her yet!

Below:

Granny's birthday was near Thanksgiving, so in 2007 Jacob helped Granny get started on the Birthday Cake. He was eating icing off the cake with his fingers (no, I didn't realize it), and Granny thought it was so sweet and let him keep on doing it!

Christmas Catch-up

2009-01-04T12:36:00.001-08:00

Well, the past 2 weeks have been a complete whirlwind! I had a blast, but am so glad to get back to routine. Sorry for the delay in blog updates. There were so many pictures to go through and post that I just kept putting it off. But here are a few I've pulled that express the fun we had.

Dinner with Friends - we had some friends over for dinner shortly before Christmas. The house was full of little ones. Here is Dustin and Marcus with the little guys - Dylan and Ian.

Christmas Eve - Dylan is dancing with Grandpa to Christmas Music

Christmas Eve - Jacob and Dylan love to climb the column at my mom's house. They try to touch the ceiling. Thanks to Aunt Laura for always giving them a boost.

Christmas Eve - Dont let Matt's scary face give you the wrong idea. He's got a heart of gold. This year for Christmas he refused gifts from everyone -said we should spend the money on other things. He did get some donations towards a mission trip he's planning to take this year though and we made a donation to give 2 kids clean water for life in an undeveloped country in his name. I was super proud of him.

Laura, oh Laura! This was a bonus Christmas Gift I gave Laura. I saw it and said, whatever she does on New Years, she'll sure stand out in a crowd! She loved it and Matt was completely jealous!

Christmas Eve Evening - Here is my sweet Jacob looking for Santa. His excitement and love and joy was enough to melt the coldest of hearts. He was such pure joy this year.

Christmas Morning! Santa left a big Pirate Ship in the middle of the Living Room! He even had to move the coffee table out of the room. The boys immediately jumped in and started playing - they forgot there were other presents to open!

Jacob got a guitar and a harmonica for Christmas this year. He is very proud of the guitar and says he doesnt need lessons, he already knows how to play. Mommy would object to that! It's a joyful noise though.

Dylan honestly could have done without Christmas this year I think. It overwhelmed him a bit. All the parties, gatherings, decorations, gifts, etc. This was his favorite toy he got but he didnt care to open many of his presents. We even forgot about his stocking until 5:00pm Christmas night. He just kept going to the back room (play room) and playing in the regular quiet room with his regular toys!)

Christmas Morning - After the dust cleared, Gigi, Matt and Laura came over for breakfast and played with the boys. Here Jacob is playing with the Leapster 2 and Dylan is laying down - yet still vaccuming!

Christmas Afternoon - The aftermath at Dad's house. Presents opened and played with, food eaten, now the naps commence!

Jacob got a Storm Trooper costume from Nina and Poppa (dad and carol). He wore this for the rest of Christmas Day after he got it. He thought he looked pretty cool!

School Parties and Gingerbread Men

2008-12-18T18:18:00.001-08:00

The boys had their Christmas Parties at school this week. Here are a few pictures marking the festivities. I even made some dairy and egg free cupcakes for Dylan's class so he could enjoy one too! Here is where I start asking for some extra prayers! They are home with mommy now until after New Years!

Dylan enjoying some Party Snacks

One of the twins considering taking Dylan's Pretzel.
(she was not even close to being successful!)

Dylan reading his new book from the book gift swap.
He got "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star".
His teachers say this is his favorite spot to be in the classroom.

This would be the party craft/snack for Jacob's Class.
Decorate an ice cream cone into a Christmas tree. It was so cute!
Jacob was threatening to eat it all...I was trying to convince him it was a decoration only!

Jacob and Mrs. Jenni at his Christmas Party.
We love Mrs. Jenni!

Gigi and Dylan dancing to Christmas Music in the kitchen!

Gigi came over for dinner this week and afterwards we decorated some gingerbread men.

The Final Results! Mom's is on the left, then Jacob's and then mine.
We had fun and Jacob doesn't understand why we can't eat them now.
1. They would put us in a sugar coma
2. They would taste like cardboard!

One of the songs the 3K and 4K classes sang. We Wish you a Merry Christmas!

Christmas Jammies

2008-12-10T19:07:00.001-08:00

These two have been awfully cute lately. You would think they are acting particularly good for the big man at the North Pole! Dylan has now pulled every bow off each present under our tree and each of our nutcrackers has lost a limb (or head). But tape and glue guns have made those problems all better!

Gigi made the boys a Cookie Calendar for the month of December and we're down to 15 days from today.

It's has really helped Jacob understand that Christmas is not "Tomarrnoe". And we particularly love the special calendar she made Dylan that is Egg and Dairy free. Thanks Gigi!

We hope you and your family are ENJOYING the holiday. Try not to be stressed and busy all the time.

Slow down and smell the cinnamon, hear the bells and watch the children.

Enjoy it all.

Pictures

2008-12-07T18:59:00.000-08:00

We had pictures taken recently (we were long over due) and they turned out pretty amazing. Here are just a few of the good ones we got...

Santa Visit

2008-12-04T07:46:00.000-08:00

We made our visit to see Santa at Brookwood last night. Jacob has been so excited about this. We've talked about what he was going to ask for, what he would say, whether Santa would remember him or not and in general he was giddy with excitement. When we got to his lap, Jacob got stage fright and like the little boy in "A Christmas Story", he couldn't say a word! So Mommy and Daddy helped him tell Santa what he wished for. He was just in complete awe. Later he told him that Santa did remember him though - so that's a good thing!

Dylan was excited to see "Ho Ho Ho". He walked right up to him with a smile on his face, but the minute I put him on Santas lap, he had the biggest scowl on his face! He didnt cry or seem scared, but not exactly excited! This was a pretty decent picture given his expression. Part of me wishes we got the scowl expression in the picture. Jacob never cried in a Santa picture and I think those are the best ones of all!!

Ages: Jacob 4, Dylan 18 months

We are Thankful for...

2008-11-27T18:56:00.001-08:00

This year I found it much more important for us to really consider and reflect on what we're thankful for. We've been talking to Jacob about it for days (to the point now he's asking everyone else what they are thankful for). Even if what you are thankful for is trains and Wall-e, we need to stop and truly be thankful.

Really, we ought to do this more than once a year.

In the past, I've been guilty of spending more time focusing on the perfect meal at the perfect place setting. Maybe it's having little ones, but I just find myself in a completely different mind set. We did Chinet plates, plastic silverware, forgot to get the Tea to drink and some people had to eat sitting on the floor - but you know what? It was PERFECT because it was one of those times we get to spend with our family without the distractions that loom around us (other than Cowboys football!).

Jacob and I made this Turkey and had all of our guests (19 people total) write what they are thankful for on the turkey. That makes it an official "Thanksgiving Turkey"! It is neat to see what everyone wrote and I think it really helps us see how much we have to be thankful for.

We hope you and yours had a great Thanksgiving. We certainly did.

The official Thanksgiving Turkey.
All 19 of us added a feather full of things we're thankful for. Aside from many of the traditional ones (family, jobs, etc), here are some of the other things we're thankful for: sleep, paci, bug spray, Plavix and hair straighteners!

This is Carol's Family. Mark, Debbie and Mackenzie are in town from Jacksonville, FL and we were thrilled to have them join us. Boo-Boo and Mr. Ed had to leave a little early, but we certainly appreciated them making the trip in from Jasper.

Here is Momma Liz with her crew :) Obviously Jacob was pretty concerned that he look good in the picture. Mom was a huge help for me in getting ready for tonight!

Here is Dustin's family. It's his Mom and Dad, and his sister Amanda and her husband Allen. Amanda and Betty contributed some yummy food to the table - thank goodness we have some cooks in the family! (I wonder if that's written on a turkey feather?!)

The Christmas Season is here!

2008-11-16T10:31:00.000-08:00

We have put up the Strickland Christmas Tree of 2008! We have a good bit going on for the next couple of weekends, so we went ahead and put up the tree this weekend. Up until we got the actually decorate, Jacob was about to come out of his skin with excitement. He did indeed help decorate the tree with ornaments, of which I took the picture below. He created several "ornament clusters" that we'll leave exactly as they are.

Dylan's interest when we were decorating was to take the ornaments off as we put the on! None broken so far and his interest in touching (aside from the light saber that went into the tree) has been minimal. Our fingers are crossed as my mom reminded me of Matt pulling our tree over when he was Dylan's age. They had to wire it to the wall!

Later Jacob sat on the couch with me and said "Momma, I just love our tree. Let's look at it forever"...Ok sweet boy, deal!

Trying New Things

2008-11-10T12:22:00.001-08:00

Today Gi-Gi took Jacob iceskating. He's never tried it before, but he loved watching the Disney on Ice (declaring he wants to be an ice-skating Buzz Lightyear) so we thought it would be a great idea. Dylan and I had to go to the dr. to get him the Flu Shot Booster, but we met up with them later and got a few pictures. Jacob could walk on the ground great in skates and tried soooooo hard to iceskate. He made it around the rink by holding the side or holding Gi-GI's hands. He stopped at one point and when my mom asked him what was wrong he said "I'm just trying to think about how to get my bones to do this". I love him so much for trying as hard as he did at something so new and hard.

And on an unrelated note - Super Funny, but shouldn't be. Yesterday Jacob started calling out to Dylan to get his attention "Hey Dylan....Dylan....Hey Fartface!" I burst out laughing - he didn't even say Fart right .... really it sounded more like "Furtface". I said "Who says that?" And he said Louis does on Meet the Robinsons. Thanks Louis for teaching my 4 year old about Furtface! (and yes, I did tell him not to say that word anymore!)

The Past 24 Hours...

2008-11-01T13:41:00.000-07:00

We had such a good Halloween this year. Jacob really got the "trick-or-treating" part and Dylan loved wearing his costume (which I never expected!). Walking through the streets with friends and family last night, I realized how blessed I am. It's like the joy of being a kid on a holiday is even better when you are a parent realizing that joy with your child. Thanksgiving and Christmas...here we come!

Jacob and I got to go to Aldridge Gardens for a field trip Friday Morning.
What a neat little retreat in the middle of the city!

These are the pumpkins we carved and decorated on Thursday night.

Dustin gets the credit for the best pumpkin....Thomas the Train!

Getting ready to head to the parade and trick-or-treating.

Jacob and his Gi-Gi, dressed as a fairy princess at Jacob's request.

Our crew for the parade and trick-or-treating.
Jacob and Emily were so cute!

We all had so much fun. Here is Jacob and his princesses.

Here is the costume(s) I was most impressed with.
The Flintstones - and Fred would yell "Yabba Dabba Dooo!"
each time they took off running to the next house.

In Publix - Dylan and his buddy Daniel steered the way!
Publix always has games and prizes for the kids on Halloween - easy and fun excursion of the kids.

Seriously - Jacob walked so much Friday night he was limping with sore feet the next morning! We had to give him Advil and a Foot Spa to try to get him ready for the 9:30 soccer game! You know you've done well trick-or-treating when you need a Foot Spa the next day because you can hardly walk!!!!

The parents worried the kids wouldn't be into the game after the night out for Halloween. But it seems the sugar highs gave them a lot of energy! Although not playing soccer here, they were being a train and collapsing on each other and it was pretty funny. They just all look so happy here :)

Halloween Festivities

2008-10-30T08:46:00.001-07:00

October has been so busy, but lots of fun. Here are a few pictures from last night's Halloween Carnival at our church and from Jacob's Halloween Parade and Party this morning at school. There are only 2 boys in his class, how funny they were both Buzz!

Jacob in his school costume parade

Dylan the Frog and Gi-Gi at the BPUMC Halloween Carnival
(the mummy costume shown previously was destroyed in about 30 minutes. This is costume #2 for Dylan!)

Jacob's Cute little 4K Class. Waiting to start the Parade!

Game Time! Make a Mummy out of a classmate.

Jacob won "Pin the Cat on the Witch's Broom"!

Mommy and Jacob at the party

The 2 Buzz Lightyear's Running off to the party.
They were both making flying noises and saying "To Infinite and Beyond!"

Two Cool New Links

2008-10-28T08:13:00.000-07:00

Business has been good for me the past couple of months, really good actually. I feel blessed and a bit stressed - all at once :) But in between designing, programming, conference calls and maintaining, I came across these two cool links to share....

1. Tax Calculator - This is on Obama's site, but it tells you how your taxes will be affected by the 2 candidates.

http://taxcut.barackobama.com/

2. Hand Bell Hero - For those who love Guitar Hero and get bored at work :) This is fun and even though I'm decent at Guitar Hero, I was Pretty bad at this one!

http://www.vml.com/handbellhero/

Big Weekend

2008-10-12T08:12:00.000-07:00

Dustin went to Texas this weekend to stay with his brother and go to some big airshow. They had a blast, but we had a pretty good time here too! We were certaily busy to say the least.

Friday morning Dylan fell backwards out of a little chair and hit his nose on the train table. Potentially broken, may be going to an ENT this coming week. He's been a champ though.

Friday night we went to the Pumpkin Patch with Dad, Carol, Anna Claire and their Sunday School Class for the Bon Fire. It's inflatable playing, tractor riding, pumpkin hunting and a big bon fire where you cook hot dogs and smores in the middle of nowhere, in the pitch dark. So much fun!

Saturday morning was a Soccer game for Jacob. Only 3 out of 8 kids came to the 8:30 shin-dig (come on, if I can make it alone with 2 kids after a 10pm night out the day before, I think some others can make it too! Slackers!) Jacob usually loses interest in soccer pretty quickly, but he was all into it this week and scored 3 Legitimate Goals! (In other words, not mercy goals they get to score at the end of each game!) I was so proud of him!

Saturday night we went to Boo at the Zoo with my Mom and they kids got to wear their Halloween costumes for the first time. Pretty cute. Jacob is Buzz Lightyear and Dylan is a Mummy.

Now we're all lounging around the house, trying to recover. Dustin is on his way home and we all miss him. Here are some pictures from the weekend.

And by the way, Content Creations is doing really well these days. I have been really blessed and earned my 40th client this week. I'm looking forward to seeing the months ahead.

Jacob as Buzz Lightyear at Boo at the Zoo

Dylan the Mummy at Boo at the Zoo.
Note the bruised Nose!

Rottin' litte boys.
Mommy is trying to get a good shot of us and they do this!

Pumpkin Patch Friday Night.

This is one of those things I love about little boys. Their imaginations are priceless and this was one of those moments I wanted to capture and keep forever. Jacob explained to me that this was the line for the train. They are all waiting in line to ride it. There are 4 Rescue Heros and Wall-e. In the middle of the room...just waiting to ride the little train. Love this!

The boys at the zoo last weekend.

What we've been up to lately...

2008-10-05T12:34:00.000-07:00

October is turning out to be a crazy busy month for us. Most of it is fun stuff - soccer, festivals, events, etc. But it's also been a really busy month for me at work. It's a good problem to have, especially these days with the economy as it is. (Side Note: Jacob just walked up to me and said, "Mom, I'm going on an airplane and I have a meeting with Geico Industries". WHAT?! Where did that come from?!)

Yesterday we had the opportunity to go hang out with friends and kids for the afternoon and to meet little Keely, Jennifer's baby. She's a cutie! There were kids everywhere. My how times have changed in our lives. And in such a good way. We are so blessed.

And last weekend we had a street fair at our church (celebrating it's Centennial) and the boys both rode on a pony. They both equally loved it too!

Mallory, Ella, Dylan, Jacob and Keely!

Dylan on the pony

Jacob on the pony

Jacob and his buddy Emily at the playground.

School Pictures

2008-09-30T08:36:00.001-07:00

The boys has school pictures last week. I was pretty happy to see pictures that didn't have the blue velvet background. Dylan didn't smile in any of his, but there were still some sweet face shots, and Jacob squinted in most of his, except for this one, which I really like. Their class pictures are cute too. These are the pictures we'll pull out years from now and laugh and remember how cute they are. Jacob is in 4K and Dylan is in..well, I guess 1K! Jacob LOVES school and Dylan is learning to love it. He's adapting better with each day.

6th Anniversary

2008-09-25T07:30:00.000-07:00

Can you believe Dustin and I have been married for 6 years? It seems like just yesterday we were dating. Now, 6 years later - which has included 2 houses, 6 cars, 6 jobs, and 2 precious little boys - we are happier than ever. We lucked out and found our true soul mates and we have so much fun together. Though life is busy and we seem to always be moving in fast forward, we still try to treasure each day, one day at a time. I feel so lucky and blessed!

For our anniversary we went to Atlanta for a little weekend get-away. The boys stayed with my Dad and Carol. We stayed in the Renaissance Hotel (across the street, literally, from the Atlanta Airport Runways- But little to no noise from it!), went to IKEA, Atlantic Station, the Braves vs. Mets game and to the International Farmers Market in Decatur, GA. That place was pretty amazing. But praise the Lord for GPS or we would have NEVER found it!!

Here are a few shots from the trip...

No really, we were Right by the Airport. It was very cool!
Dustin was in heaven.

Smell the Roses

2008-09-19T09:13:00.001-07:00

We have a rose bush going crazy with blooms right now. On the way to the car this morning for school, Jacob was admiring them and leaned over to smell them. Too cute :) I came home and took a picture of one (the center red rose) and played with color on it too.

Dustin and I are heading to Atlanta tomorrow for a 6th Anniversary Get-Away! We're going to the Braves/Mets game, IKEA, International Farmers Market and whatever else we can get to in about 36 hours!

Boys Love Their Gi-Gi

2008-09-17T10:41:00.001-07:00

We had dinner with my mom this week while Dustin was out of town. We had a great time and managed to get a good picture out of it too. With these three, you never know whose looking at the camera, smiling, running off, or blinking. So I was excited to get this shot.

Other than the spilt drink/broken glass at dinner that ended up in my lap, we had a good time and can't wait to do it again!!

Jacob sings a Different Tune!

2008-09-13T14:19:00.001-07:00

It's not even time for the Auburn Game to come on and we've already had a great weekend! Darren, DeAnne and Cassidy all flew in from Dallas Thursday night to surprise Dustin's mom for her 60th Birthday. We had a cookout at our house and she was certainly surprised (and thrilled) to see them. Then Friday the grown-ups went to the Comedy Club to see the hypnotist (very funny!). Saturday morning we all went to Jacob's soccer game and then to Amanda and Allen's house for brunch and hang-out & visit time. See the video below - we didn't even know Jacob knew this song! He got Uncle Allen's microphone out and was putting on quite a show! We sure wish they lived closer. It was a great visit.

Cookout for Grandma's Birthday.

Comedy Club - These are the crazy people that got hypnotized.

Warm-ups with Coach Dustin at Game #1

Jacob's Show at Aunt Amanda's House

"R-E-D Red"

2008-09-07T13:13:00.001-07:00

School started this week and I couldn't be happier - I mean, the boys couldn't be happier! Jacob loves it and Dylan, well, he's working on some seperation anxiety. But he's getting better each day. Jacob has learned to spell "red" in week 1 (See video below) and he's able to spell his name without looking at it! His teachers name is Mrs. Jenni - which he thinks is pretty funny since that's also his mommy's name.

Today is the kick-off of the Cowboys season. After a big War Eagle victory yesterday, we're hoping the Cowboys will pull off a "W" as well. Here are my boys in their gear. Remember, Dustin grew up in Fort Worth, so he's a Cowboys fan down to the core!

Touchdown!

2008-09-01T18:28:00.001-07:00

We are pretty excited about the start of college football around here. We were watching the Auburn game Saturday night (we got it free on the Internet and connected it to our tv!) and when AU scored (as they did lots!) we all yelled "Touchdown!" As a result, Dylan is now our little "Touchdown" boy! He will do it randomly now because he knows it will make us laugh.

As I was running the video, he kept making very funny faces. I don't know if he was trying to smile for the camera or what, but it was very funny!

Catching up

2008-08-22T08:46:00.000-07:00

So, the past few weeks got away from me. We went to the beach with my Dad and Carol (and Anna Claire, Matt, Laura, Boo-Boo, Mr. Ed and Anna Claire's friend Courtney!). We stayed at teh same place we did last year, where space was ample and the beach was beautiful (in Perdido Key, FL).

Since we got home, I have taken up reading. I have never been a reader. Books were boring and never kept my attention. But suddenly that switch has flipped and I am on my 5th book in a month! Jacob has been signed up for Fall Soccer (which he loves) and Daddy is coaching again. Dylan is saying a few more words and getting into trouble every chance he gets. They both start school after Memorial Day, which can't get here soon enough for me! Work has been going great, but I desperately need more time by myself to address and run a growing business!

So here are a few pictures taken in the past couple of weeks....

Jacob on the beach

Naval Aviation Museum - nice cargo, huh?!

Dustin and Dylan

The "Kids"

Dylan at the playground

Jacob at the playground

Jacob and "Nina"

Family Night - Wii Olympics!

The Mom of Boys....sweet little wild boys!

2008-07-18T06:44:00.000-07:00

So my life is constantly "entertaining". Jacob and Dylan always provide me with a story (or 2) to tell. Today - as in, it's 8:44am - Dylan has fallen and busted his lip on the coffee table, learned how to climb up and stand up in his rocking chair, and ate the tip of a blue marker (hand and face completely blue).

Jacob is less of a physical catastrophe and more of a verbal hilarity. He started singing a song the other day (real words: "Talk about it, Talk about it, Talk about it..oooooo yeah"). Jacob's take on the song? "Taco Buddy, Taco Buddy, Taco Buddy....ooooooo yeah". So now we all sing that song around here.

Also, if you know Jacob - you know he's quite passionate about trains. So we got a newsletter from the zoo and it had a picture of the Red Diamond Express (the new train sponsored by the tea makers). I cut it out for Jacob and he wanted it put in a frame. So I put it in a frame in his room. This morning he said he decided it needed to be in the living room. So he rearranged some pictures in the living room and put it proudly on display on my end table. So if you are visiting, we will have a framed picture of the Red Diamond Express displayed for you! Here are a few good recent pictures....

Checking out the butterfly exhibit at the zoo.

So proud of his new trick. He also climbs up on sofas and coffee tables.
Not even 14 months old yet!!

This is another good one I got when we went to Botanical Gardens
while Jacob was at zoo camp.

Here is the Red Diamond Express in our Living Room.

Here's my cute little guy at VBS.
They sang a precious song about being Thankful.

At the zoo with buddies Ella and Hannah.
It was about a 1000 degrees outside.

Jacob and his favorite robot - Wall-e!

Oh yeah, he's walking

2008-07-02T20:58:00.001-07:00

Dylan is fully walking now. He's been trying to walk for a month or so (was taking a couple of steps here and there on his 1st birthday). But now at 13 months old it's is preferred method of transportation around the house. His waddle is pretty cute!

Shop Smart, I Say

2008-07-02T20:45:00.000-07:00

Ok, so we all have those great pictures stored on our computers, but it costs a ton to get something framed, right? NO! Check out what I did for less than $30 total (including tax, shipping, framing, everything).

1. Got a coupon from a photo company saying I had a free print (get on the mailing lists and they'll send you these things). I have accounts with several different companies and use whoever has the best deal going on when I need to order prints. Primarily use Snapfish, Shutterfly and Kodak. The coupon was for 1 free 11x14 print. (+ tax & shipping = <$2.50)

2. Get a Frame (16x20) from Hobby Lobby during a 50% off week. (regular price $30, for me, $15)

3. Choose Custom Mat Color and get Hobby Lobby to cut it professionally and even put the photo, mat and frame together, including the loops and wire added to the back. (Cost $9.00 for mat, $1.00 for loops and wire, $0 for labor!)

Poof, I walk out of the store with a beautiful 16x20 framed photograph ready to hang on the wall! Be smart about it and you can get quality pieces for little moola.

Summer Highlights - June 08

2008-07-02T20:29:00.000-07:00

What a great summer we've had already! I'll go ahead and say that working with 2 little boys at home with you for the summer is close to impossible, but late nights are my work time. I love them to death, but do look forward to school starting again so I can get work done before the clock strikes midnight.

Some things we've done this summer so far...
Zoo (see animals and play in fountains), Chuck E Cheese's with Jacob's friends, Botanical Gardens, Homewood Park playground, Helena's playground, Helena Library Weekly story time, Oak Mountain Petting Zoo, McWane Center, Summer Fun Day at their New School, Beach trip to Cape San Blas, lots of swimming (Matt's pool, Grandma's pool, our baby pool, slip n slide), went to see Wall-E, and Jacob went to Zoo Camp for a week, and a few visits to the bookstore (a Jacob favorite!)

Here are a couple pictures from our outings...

Dylan at Botanical Gardens

Jacob at McWane Center

Jacob at Petting Zoo

Jacob at the library
(Ronald McDonald came and did a show for the kids)

The boys playing in the fountains at the zoo

Jacob and his school buddies at Chuck E Cheese

Cape San Blas

2008-06-17T06:34:00.001-07:00

Last week we went to Cape San Blas with Dustin's family. They have been going there pretty much Dustin's whole life. It's a really remote beach - it's a strip of land that jets off the Panhandle. There are no big condos, restaraunts or grocery stores. There is 1 gas station and 1 convenience store. There was a bear spotted playing with the gas pumps the week before we were there (which happened to be across the street from the house we stayed in) and sting rays are a common thing to have swim around you in the ocean! They also have lots of rules for sea turtles (turn off the outside lights at night, close blinds, dont use flashlights on the beach, etc). So it's a neat little place to go for a slow and relaxing week.

Here are several pictures I took this week. Jacob is a true Beach Boy. Dylan dined on sand by the handfulls - yuck!

It was a great time!

(eating the sand)

Dylan's 1st Birthday

2008-06-01T19:02:00.001-07:00

Dylan turned the Big 1 on May 30. He just seems older to me. He's communicating with us more - whether that's in a positive or negative way - he let's us know what he needs. Maybe it's growling at his brother or smiling and waving at Dustin and I. Either way, he's a doll and becomes more and more entertaining all the time.

For his 1st birthday we had a small cookout at our house mainly with family. We grilled out, opened presents, everyone signed a Dr. Suess Book called "Happy Birthday To You" for Dylan and of course - there was cake. Remember - Dylan has allergies, so we had to make a special egg-free, dairy-free cake. Here is what happened with that!!! Oh yeah, and apparently there was something he couldn't have in the green icing. There was a reaction, but fortunately it was diverted with Benedryl!

The Cake - for the rest of us - turned out too cute!

Sweet little Dyl before he became the cake monster!

And Poof - he became the cake monster!

For whatever reason, he loved rubbing it all over his face?!

His Blue Eyes Glowed behind that Chocolate icing.

Jacob's Birthday Party, Milk, Eggs & Peanuts

2008-04-28T20:55:00.000-07:00

So it's been a month since the last entry. Busy month! It seems like this is a popular month for birthdays. What happens 9 months ago that makes us all decide to have babies at the same time?

Jacob turned 4 on Sunday. FOUR! He's such a great kid and a very good big brother. We had a birthday party on Saturday with his soccer team at the playground out here in Helena. It was a great time. The weather held out, thankfully, as it was suppose to rain. We were missing a few key relatives, but are excited Laura completed her first 1/2 marathon in Nashville (mom was with her). Matt was at a wedding in MS. with Shelley. But they all came over Sunday night and we grilled out and opened Laura's present - a CARS Slip 'N Slide - Matt joined Jacob in the water! He won a few uncle points with that I believe!

On another note, as you may remember, We learned several months ago that Dylan has a milk protein allergy (dairy allergy). We learned the hard way when we gave him formula and ended up at the ER. Last week I took him to the Allgergist to see if he's outgrown it (think 1st bday cake, move from formula to milk, eat cheese & yogurt). Well, not only does he still have the dairy allergy, he also has an Egg allgery (both a 4 out of 4 on the scale) and a slight showing of Peanut (1 out of 4). So we are to keep all things dairy, egg and peanut related away. Guess what foods have these things in them? All of them! Ok, so it seems that way right now. But when a Goldfish is a "no-no" and he's on the prowl (crawling through the house) we have to make sure that the dear older brother hasn't left any snacks out. But! We'll get it figured out and hopefully when we retest at age 3 we'll learn they are all gone!

We hope everyone is doing well. Stay in touch!

Dinner with the grandparents

2008-03-25T18:47:00.001-07:00

Went to dinner at Nina and Poppa's last night (Dad and Carol). Here is Jacob reinacting exactly what Carol was doing in dinner preparations....no really, exactly.

Twas the Day Before Easter

2008-03-22T12:17:00.001-07:00

Easter is always a fun time of year. It's when the weather starts to warm up and we get to venture out of the shadows of our winter shelter and enjoy some fresh air....although I do remember it being frickin' freezing last year! In any case, we are taking it all in this year and enjoying the boys. Here are some photos from last weekend and today....

The Stricklands at the Calera UMC egg hunt!

The Easter Bunny came and visited us at the
BPUMC Easter Egg Hunt.

Playing in the backyard on Good Friday.
Enjoying the pretty weather.

No really - we love Easter- really.
Can't you see it in our expressions?

A Super Busy Weekend

2008-03-02T18:37:00.000-08:00

What a weekend. We accomplished a lot! Starting back on Thursday, Jacob started playing soccer. Dustin is the head coach - bless his sweet little heart. Their first practice went really well. Jacob asks to go play soccer every day now. Their first game is March 15 - check back then for updates because I am sure that will be worthy of an entry of it's own.

Friday night we took the boys Bowling for the first time. Well, Dylan just hung out with us :) But Jacob had a 6lb ball and loved it. Did you know they can turn on the bumpers for 1 person and they pop up when "player 2" has their turn and go back down for everyone else? What a great idea. That being the case, Jacob almost beat me!

Saturday I was sick with a bug, but Jacob and Dustin redid our walkway in the front yard. He can hardly move today. But they worked hard. I was up 'til 1am working on a clients site. Then today we went to church and then to the Zoo. Jacob always has a blast at the zoo.

So all is well in our world. Dylan is pulling up on tables and chairs. He hit 9 months old this weekend also. Getting so big too fast.

New Carpet

2008-02-19T11:48:00.001-08:00

So after much homework and a lot of searching, we have got new carpet being installed in our house today. I have about 4 guys over here right now turning my house upside down. I know it's worth it in the long run, but my sofa cushions are in my bedroom, Dylans changing table is in the backroom and my china cabinet is in my kitchen (yes, the litle kitchen) and about a million other things are stacked on counters, closet shelves and fill one bathroom completely. One of them is singing out loud in Spanish - both of my kids are asleep (dylan on the floor in the backroom with me and Jacob on my bed). It's a pain - but it's going to feel like a new house when it's done!- It better anyway after all this. When you get ALL new carpet throughout the house - everything on the foor has got to go somewhere. We might as well be moving!

Play with Color

2008-02-07T13:46:00.001-08:00

I continue to work on new tricks I can use on photographs. When the weather was nice this week, I took this picture of Dylan outside. Then I wanted to emphasize some of the colors ...War Eagle!

Dustin Turns 30...

2008-02-07T13:33:00.001-08:00

Happy 30th Bday Dustin! Today Dustin enters the world of his 30's. I suprised him last weekend with a table of 6 at the Comedy Club to see Jon Reep (hilarious!). My mom, Matt, Shelley and Amanda joined us. But today is "the" day. His coworkers completely decorated his office with items every 30 year old needs: Depends Undergarments, Hemmoroid Cream, Old Spice, pictures of the AARP, wheelchairs and more. Happy Birthday Honey!

Snow Pictures

2008-01-21T08:45:00.000-08:00

Here are a couple of pictures to share from the Snow on Saturday. I posted a video earlier and what Jacob thought about it. Dylan could tell something was different outside. He was calmer and just looked around in curiousity. He took a long nap Saturday Morning, which worked out great so we could have snowball fights.

Look at those Blue eyes! Gets 'um from his Daddy.

SNOW!

2008-01-21T08:33:00.000-08:00

Saturday we had our first "real" snow in many, many years. We woke up disappointed and quite frankly I was cussing the weather men out. But within a couple of hours, the snow came and it came fast! Jacob was such a blast to play with. Snowball fights were his cup of tea. He loves the opportunity to throw stuff at Mommy and Daddy and get away with it. We played until the very last little bit melted.

Who Knew?

2008-01-18T18:07:00.000-08:00

I found this picture on the side of my mom's fridge. Back behind the monthly calendar, invitations and other pictures that had been added over the years. A picture of my brother Matt and I and our childhood friends, Kevin & Rob Guyette. The Guyettes moved off to Arizona probably 20 years ago, but we've kept in touch over all these years.

In the Christmas Newsletter I received this year I learned that Kevin, on the far left, plays baseball with the Boston RedSox. Rob, dressed in the fine clown outfit, is flying fighter jets with the Marines and is studying to become an astronaut. I am dressed in a lovely cheerleading outfit, with what appears to be the largest pom-poms known to man. This is a future business owner and mom to 2 precious little boys. And Matt...oh Matt, Matt, Matt. Matt is dressed up in his Halloween Costume as Micheal Jackson (he even had a white glove for one hand). Michael, I mean Matt, will become a Sales Manager for a world-wide Crane business.

Who ever would have known, when taking this picture, that these 4 goofy and awkward kids would someday be pretty successful adults?! It sure does make me stop and look at my kids and wonder where in the world they will be in 20 years. It truly could be anywhere!

Videos

2008-01-10T12:12:00.000-08:00

Here are some videos I've been wanting to share....

(yes, I know it's filmed sideways. Just turn your head!)

Our Favorite Song to sing to Dylan.

On Christmas Eve Mom broke out in song and dance for her kids and grandkids. After posting this on YouTube and almost getting my rear beat for that, I decided to pull it from there and keep it among our family and friends - Yes, she is singing "All I want for Christmas is to get Krunk"!!

We have a Blog!

2008-01-10T11:52:00.001-08:00

Well here we go. I have been working on websites for years, have my own website business and have never had my own blog. Wonder why? Time! With these two little guys and a new business, time is of the essence.

Which is exactly why the kids website is never up to date. It never makes the priority list. So we'll give the blog a shot and see if I can keep it more current with photos and stories from my 2 very funny little boys.

We're home for today - Severe weather is coming through. Maybe this isn't the best time to be online!

Here are some current pictures from Christmas. More to come! ( I know, famous last words!)