I'm Back!!!

Back to blogging that is. Well, Christmas was organized choas. It was crazy. We hosted and we went nonstop from 6:30-10 at night. Luke loved it and woke up claiming that Santa didn't come to our house since he never heard him. So, he was shocked when he came down and saw the milk and cookies were gone. The second order of business was if he got his Mac Truck. Could have cared less about any other present. Sure enough he found it and immediately wanted to play with it. We couldn't get him to open another gift or his stocking. Finally after an hour he dove into the rest. Both kids got way too much. My mom and dad got the kids the Grand Kitchen. I think Mackenzie thinks it is just hers b/c Luke has rarely played with it due to the non-stop play for 4 days of his Mac Truck.

We had 12 people for dinner. Luckily everyone chipped in and the food was all great. This was the first Christmas that we were all able to sit at the same table. It was nice hear the stories everyone had to say and I was touched by the compliment my grandfather gave me on my hosting!

The rest of the weekend we didn't do much because the kids were so run down. Luke had a low grade fever and it ended up spiking Sunday afternoon to 105. So off to acute kids. He has a double ear infection and the biggest pain was finding a 24 hour pharmecy.

Anyway, it looks like he is feeling better. Matt has this week off, so hopefully we will get to have a lot of family fun! Enjoy the pictures.

Mackenzie's Christmas Gift

For the most part Mackenzie's Christmas present is complete. When we moved every room in the house was painted the same odd yellowish/tan color. So this year for Christmas Matt and I decided it was time she had a room fit for the princess she is. You know what that means...PINK and lots of it. I am still looking for a rug, but with time I am sure I will find the perfect one that doesn't cost an arm and leg. She loves the room and so does Luke! Oh and the lamp shade came out perfect. I ordered it from a gal on etsy. If you haven't visited that site it is great...all the crafty moms sale their adorable items on there!

Now, as for Christmas presents...next year I am going to have to put a limit on the grandparents. It is like a competition. My dad brought over gifts last week. Each kid has 8 gifts under the tree from him and pajamas for Christmas eve. I received my moms today. It looks like she has 5 or 6 for each on top of a monster play kitchen. Who knows what Matt's parents will be bringing them. So with all the gifts, it really seems as if Santa can skip over our house this year!

I hope to get another post in before Christmas Eve, but I sure wouldn't hold me to it!

Got stopped by the Cross police

Okay, so I got the email about my lack of blogging. I know, I know. Somehow everyday this week Luke has managed to wear me down so much that I don't want to do anything except watch mindless tv. Yep...MTV's ratings have been up there this week.

This week Luke had his last gymnastics class. He never made it there. He had serious behavior issues 30 minutes before leaving and when it came time to get his shoes on he spit in my face. YUCK and are you serious kid. So instead of gymnastics he got a spanking and was sent to his room for naptime. He knew he was in BIG trouble, b/c after his nap he was the sweetest boy! Too bad...he still had to deal with daddy. It really hurt my feeling that he did that. He didn't unserstand that it was disrespectful, but I sure bet it doesn't happen again. Don't you just love the random behavior issues kids pick up from other kids. I know he learned it from a kid at the park about a week ago.

Thursday we went to Northpark to see the Trains and Santa's storytelling. It was great. Santa came down the chimney and totally has Luke convinced in the whole thing. The best part was when we got home both kids took 3 1/2 hours naps. I managed to get so much done and take a nap.

The other days of the week were typical days. Too cold to play outside so we hung out at home and the kids drove me nuts. Mackenzie is in the stage of not wanting people to touch her stuff so the days consist of crying and yelling...and not just from the kids!

Words

I am so ready for Mackenzie to start talking...and not that fake talk either. I need her to speak like she is 5. I really cannot handle the grunts, moans and screams for when she wants something. I would be happy is all she said was food, milk, up and down. My gosh. Sometimes I feel as if I am at the amusement park with all the chaos and noise in this house! And to think she is bad...who knew so much noise could come out of the 3 year old boy.

I have also officially given up taken the kids to any type of store with me. Luke has to touch everything and Mackenzie won't stay in the stroller or shopping cart. She must go explore. So, my entire shopping trips consist of threatening Luke and putting Mackenzie back into the stroller or shopping cart. I have no clue why either of those things have seat belts. She just twists and turns until she is standing up and hanging over the edge. So back to online shopping and late night trips to the grocery store.

I need to come up with some serious Christmas fun this weekend. Luke is so into Santa this year. He has already watched the Polar Express 3 times and still begs for more. So, I am off to the search engine to see what I can find for this weekend.

The pictures are one of Luke and George in front of the tree (just looking, right) and the other is one of Luke at gymnastics. This week was drama and he only particpated in half the class b/c he missed his friend Christopher. Hope next week goes better!

Size 10

Well I no longer have to squeeze into my size 10 jeans. This morning I was able to just slide them on. Thank goodness. That is at least progress, now for the prepreggo (with Luke) size 8! I am trying to find more time for myself and workout but it is just so hard. The best time for me is mid-day and we all know that isn't happening. So my choices are 5 a.m., as soon as Matt gets home/dinner time or around 8:15 after the kids go to bed. Next year will be easier b/c Luke will be in preschool, but that is a 9 months away.

This past week I painted Mackenzie's room pink. I know, so not me. But it really looks great for my little drama queen. I found a lady through etsy that makes lamp shades to match pottery barn bedding, so I am going to buy one from her. Will post a picture after I have her permission and with the new pink room. Luke is now bugging me to paint his. He wants it to be orange, green, dark blue and light blue. Right kid, that isn't happening.

Other than that, not to much has been going on. Didn't have anymore night terrors with Luke and Mackenzie seems to be getting better. This week will be an adjustment for all of us now that Matt is back at work.

The pictures are my attempt at getting a few good ones before church. As you can imagine...just not possible. That is why we have professionals and even with them I am not convinced the could get a great shot with both kids.

What a week

Well, I will start off saying that I have no new pictures of the kids. Still having camera issues, so will have to wait until my sister sends them my way. We had a great Thanksgiving. I didn't have to do any cooking which made my life easy. We headed to my sisters around 11:00 and came home around 7:00. The kids were so tired from no naps and a lot of playing. Last night Luke we had to take Luke to the ER after he woke up twice complaining of pain and shaking. This strange waking has happened in the past, but he usually fell right back asleep within minutes. Not this time. It took him a good 20 minutes to calm down the first time and 1 1/2 hour to calm down the second time. After he woke up the second time and I couldn't get him to calm down and stop shivering we decided to be safe and head to the hospital. Matt took him while I stayed with Mackenzie. Anyway, they said he was having night terrors. It is pretty crazy because he won't remember anything and he is so out of it both mentally and physically. We are to watch him, clock it when and if it happens again and just tell him we love him while he is going through an episode. They say not to try and ask what he is scared of b/c it could make it worse. The also said that the lack of sleep (no nap) could have triggered it last night. On a positive note, they think night terrors happen to extremely creative kids.

Also, Mackenzie seems to be having her breathing issues again. Tonight I gave her a treatment and hoping that things are better in the morning. If not I will be taking her to the doctor before things get worse. She also has the ugliest hacking cough for such a sweet little girl. This is the same time last year that she had breathing issues for a couple weeks.

Hopefully I will have some pictures this weekend.

Photo Book from snapfish

http://www.oprah.com/slideshow/home/20081029_tows_messyhouse/7

Naptime w/ mom

I am having to blog early today b/c I have GNO tonight! Yippee!

So Mackenzie has this new thing where she wakes up after 45 minutes of her afternoon nap. I am convinced it is because she wants to come snuggle with me on the couch! I am taking it as a sign that I need to rest and so as a result I have taken a nap with Mackenzie the past 3 days. I know it is going to turn into a nasty habit, but just not worth the battle this week and it is so sweet.

Luke had gymnastics this morning. He did great! I am so thankful that he is so well behaved for his teachers. His group of four did not have a great day, but after class the teacher told me how every week Luke does such a great job listening. Now, if I can tranfer that behavior to home...I would be one happy mom 100% of the time! Next week will be interesting b/c Luke's friend Christopher will no longer be in his class.

Mackenzie has a couple new tricks. She learned how to go down the stairs by herself and she nods her head yes! She thinks she is pretty hot stuff! She is also one tough cookie. I can already tell she will be a tomboy! All her "elected" friends are boys and she hangs with the best of them. She will even knock them around if needed. Sadly, she has started hitting. Everytime she hits Luke I laugh inside. She learned it from him and now it is payback. She just randomly walks up to him, pops him and walks off. YOU GO GIRL! He did the same thing to her for months!

Lastly, I am going to order a book of Luke's artwork from snapfish. I saw it on Oprah. As you can see from the picture, his artwork is taking over our bulletin board in the playroom. I hate to throw it away, so I figure the book is a great idea!

Life in the slow lane

Not a busy weekend for us! Saturday consisted of a lot of hanging out at the house due to the weather, fairly cold for playing outside. I finally started running again. Allergies got the best of us for a couple weeks, but we are all well and kicking now. It wasn't pretty, but I did it anyway. The kids played great together. Surprising consiering Mackenzie is a little ball of fire when Luke takes things from her now. I was wondering when enough was going to be enough. So I guess another chapter of mommy pain will begin.

Sunday we went to church and the Galleria. Luke was on a mission to see Santa (he saw him at a different mall earlier in the week) so he was well behaved. Mackenzie on the other hand wants NOTHING to do with her stroller. All she wants to do is walk. She gets so side tracked that it takes us forever to get anywhere. This of course is another reason why I don't dare go shopping with the kids. Too much drama. The kids naped great and Sunday evening I got to take Luke to see Madagascar 2. He enjoyed it, but I think he liked the popcorn and drink better.

As for Christmas...Luke's list is getting out of hand. We are going to have a serious talking too about Santa's abilities!

So, here is to a fab weekend with the family!

Such a slacker!

Sorry guys. I am such a slacker with blogging. I don't have any new pictures, b/c something is up with my camera. But I can feel you in on what's been going on!

This past weekend I got to go home to Amarillo. My best friend was having her baby shower. I was hoping for some downtime, but the trip was a whirlwind. My flight got in late (10 pm) Friday night so by the time we got back to her house, it was a little bit of chat time and off to bed. Saturday was the shower and just hanging out. Sunday I left early. It was great seeing Carey, but just didn't get enough time with her this time around.

Matt kept both kids. He claims things went okay, but he would never admit if anything went wrong. I do think they lived on Cheerios. The box was nearly empty when I got home. Sunday he spent all afternoon/evening golfing. WHATEVER!

Not much else has been going on. We are all still fighting colds so have spent a lot of time inside resting. Mackenzie can't figure out if she wants to go down for one nap or two. Such a hard time as it messes with her night time sleep as well. Luke decided it was best to take a nap, so glad that is all cleared up. It would have been ugly otherwise!

My goal it to blog Sunday, Wednesday and Friday. So wish me luck!

Yuck, yuck, yuck

I have a cold. It sucks! Yesterday I felt so bad for both kids because they were so bored, but I just didn't have the energy or voice to deal with them. Luckily Luke had gymnastics which helped him burn some energy and Mackenzie got to play with her boyfriend Ryan (his brother is friends with Luke and in the same gymnastics class). Then we came home I fixed the kids lunch and off to naptime. I knew if I could get some rest I would be able to deal with life at home much better for the second half of the day.

Luke can be so concerned and gentle when he wants to. After naptime he came up kissed me and asked me if I felt better. It melted my heart. So much kinder than Matt is about the whole situation! I think Matt is secretly hoping that I am too sick to go to Amarillo and that I will be forced to stay at home with him and the kids.

The picture is of Mackenzie riding Luke's old trike. She can only go backwards.

Update

So I finally am sitting at the computer and "seem" to have enough time to attach the kids Halloween pictures. They had a blast. Everyone wanted to give Mackenzie candy...lucky for Luke. Luke is so shy that trick or treating just isn't his thing. He is too scared to go up to the door, ring the bell and say trick or treat. I guess I should be glad he is nervous to go to some strangers house! He loved being a cowboy. Everyday since Halloween he asks me to help him put on his costume. I guess he has some of that Amarillo blood in him!

The time change is killing me. I think Luke has got it down, but Mackenzie is up so early. It sucks b/c she was finally sleeping until 7:00 one week before the time change. Oh well. With time, right! One day I won't be able to get her out of bed.

Mackenzie new thing is trying to figure out how to run. She now realizes that with walking she can't keep up with Luke. It is so funny. Hopefully I can get so video of it today. I really wish she would start talking b/c her drama attitude is killing me. She would be so happy if she could just tell me what she wanted.

Ah, til next time.

Nap nap = unhappy momma

The last couple days have been tough. Luke has chosen to sleep in (9ish), but with that comes no nap and a very cranky little boy around 5:00. Last night he was such a challenge that he went to bed at 6:30! Thought I got him...nope. He was up at 4:00 a.m. He came downstairs and crawled into bed with us, but that never goes well. He thinks it is playtime. I finally convinced him to go back to sleep around 5:00 this morning by promising him cinnamin rolls when he got up. Worked like a charm. So I am hoping he got enough sleep to get through this morning without any major battles. He has class from 12-2, NAPTIME, birthday party from 4-6 and then trick or treating. Hopefully we get through this day. Poor miss thing will just have to go with the flow. Promise to post pictures tomrrow of my little cowboy and fairy!

It's been a while

So I knew going into this blog business that I wouldn't be consistent with it and sure enough, it has been a good week since I updated everyone! I find it a little terrifying to come up with something "new" about life in the Mize household on a daily basis and frankly, I find it difficult to take so many pictures. Most days are the same and to me living it daily it seems in some cases very uneventful.

Mackenzie is ALL OVER THE PLACE. Luke never had much interest in opening every cabinet door and leaving surprises, including spoiled cups of milk in them. He also stayed away from outlets and basically anything else that might be harmful to him. I think that fear still lives inside of him. For the most part his is very cautious and I am blessed that I have never had to scold him for running out in the street or running off in a store. Our biggest test will be Friday, you know Halloween. As many of you know, Luke is allergic to peanuts. So, we have been promting him for months now about asking before he sticks anything in his mouth in fear that he will not be able to avoid the temptation of poping open a snickers and going to town. Mackenzie is another being. She is our dare devil. I can already tell that we will be transtioning her to a toddler bed months before she turns two.

My mission for the rest of the moth is to finish my Christmas shopping. I HATE shopping during the holiday months. People are rude, shoppers and employees and my children are not well behaved to sit in line waiting to pay. I still do the majority of my shopping online, but there are the rare cases of heading the mall or Target. So, I basically have about aweek left, and much to do. The picture is what Matt "thinks" he wants for Christmas. They are very cute panties, but not when my butt squezzes into them!

Weekend Update

Oh man. What a long weekend. You would think that because we had Mackenzie's one year party...but it is really because Matt's parents stayed with us. I don't mind the party part b/c that is right up my ally, it is having people in your house 24/7 that wears you out. I always feel like such a nag when they are in town because I am trying to keep the kids on schedule. Mackenzie didn't do well with the change. She slept like crap all weekend and as a result she woke up this morning with a stuffy nose! The lake of sleep also took a toll on Matt and I so last night I went to bed at 9:00.

As for the party, it went fantastic. She had a blast, dove into the cake and loved all the attention. The theme was a mix between pretty in pink and a time capsule. I asked guests to bring something memorable from the past year or something she would like when she turns 18. The letters and note written to her were so sweet and she got some great gifts for when she turns 18. Everything will go into a trunk with some of her favorite baby items (or mine) and a photo album with tons of pictures from year 1 and stored in the attic until she turns the big 18. I wish I would have done the same thing for Luke. One of the best things about this style of party is she didn't get a bunch of toys that would be donated in a year, I am guessing we will get all of those for Christmas.

Also, on Friday Matt off work and we went to the pumpkin patch in Flower Mound. It was great and they had so much for the kids to do, bounce houses, trains, mazes, hay rides. My favorite picture is the one of Luke pulling Mackenzie in the wagon! Other than that, the majority of the pictures are of Mackenzie b/c Luke wouldn't sit still long enough for me to get a good one!

Destination Container Store

I was so excited when we bought the new house b/c the closet space was amazing. The dream of having a craft space was finally coming true. Well, as many of you know I make bows and tutus. However, I have been in a rut and haven't done a damn thing in a couple months. Last night I was trying to figure out why. It is because all my craft supplies are in too many places and the closets that I store them in are a mess. It leaves me feeling overwhelmed and I never get anything done b/c I spend the majority of my time trying to find where everything is. So, this opened my eyes to my new project. I have got to get organized.

The first thing will be to clean out all the drawers and closets in my house. Should be easy since we have only been in the house for 6 months! WRONG! I cleaned out the clutter drawer...you know the one we all have. Sad thing is...I have at least 3 if not more. So, today my mission is to head to The Container store to begin my quest of a craft room/guest room. Sorry in laws. You will be sharing with the piles of ribbons, wrapping paper, scrapbook supplies and tulle! I dream of something like this...but realize my budget will cause me to be much more creative! It is amazing how fast all the odds and ends can clutter your life. I will spend 20 minutes trying to find a roll of tape just to wrap a present and we all know that with little kids running around, you just don't have that sort of time to waste. So wish me luck. I will be sure to share pictures when I am complete.

Oh, and my goal is to go through all closets and drawers every 6 months to throw out the old and unused in our life. I went through the drawer with coupons in it the other day and had stuff that had expired months ago. Amazing how things add up.

Chill of a Sunday

Wow! What a weekend. All I have to say it HOOK EM' HORNS! Mackenzie sported her longhorn tutu for the game and thought she was one hot cookie. When I put it on I realized that the only longhorn shirt I had was a 2T...so it swallowed her a bit, but she had some longhorn pride!

Luke was in a funk this weekend with the camera so no pictures of the little guy. He also refused to ride the pony even though the entire walk to the neighborhood party he kept talking about riding the pony. The funny thing was, he totally let Mackenzie show him up and steal the show.

Sunday we didn't do much of anything. I think everyone was still recovering from the week prior. We went and ate at Gatti's for lunch and Luke, Mackenzie and Matt played games while I went to walk around the shops near by. It was nice to be in a store without having to put Luke in timeout or carrying Mackenzie b/c she is freaking out in the stroller. After that, it was naptime and I did some much needed pool maintenance. I really need to do a better job with that before we end up damaging something. After naps we walked to the park to have a picnic and let the kids play a bit. The weather was great and the kids had so much fun getting to run around!

Let the week begin!

Social Butterfly

Well, it seems Luke is soing much better. I know this b/c Friday he was bouncing off the walls and in timeout several times. Thankfully he had class at noon and came home and went down for a nap. For the most part Mackenzie is better as well. She isn't really eating, so it looks like she won't make her 20 pounds by her birthday. Bummer!

I was hoping to catch up on sleep the last couple nights, but Matt got the bug Thursday and was up all night and then Friday night I had to make cupcakes for the neighborhood fall gathering since I am part of the social committee. I know, I know. Some of you can't believe it, but it is true. I am part of the social committee. I mainly joined b/c I hate going to these events when they are poorly done. Then they drag me in and I become a little to obsessed with it. Just part of me being a perfectionist! Sure I could have made plain cupcakes and called it a day. But know I hate to deck them out and turn them into witches. Other than that, Saturday was the usual. I didn't get to run this morning so hopefully I will make up for it Sunday and run my 6 miles.

Lastly, how about them LONGHORNS!!!

Stomach Bug :(

Luke and Mackenzie both caught the stomach bug yesterday. Luke never made it to gymnastics. He got sick literally 5 minutes before class started. So we headed home for a nap and fluids. He napped well, but couldn't hold the fluids down. Lets just leave it at that! Mackenzie seemed to be doing great until 5:00. Then she was down for the count. So, yesterday my day consisted of holding, nurturing and steam cleaning. Mackenzie was in bed by 6:45 and Luke at 8:00.

The night was awful! I lost count of how many times I was up. Not b/c anyone was getting sick but b/c they were both so thirsty. That is good news b/c I don't think I could handle a second day of two kids with the bug. Wish me luck on getting some sleep today. I hope at some point both kids nap at the same time! Besides sleep I need to get ready for my dad's birthday dinner this weekend, Mackenzie birthday party for next weekend and a craft project for Saturday's neighborhood fall bash! Busy, busy!

No new pictures of the kiddos today. Just didn't have time. But here are both kids pictures at 11 months!

Okay, Okay, Okay I started a blog

So, we will see how this goes. Hopefully, I will be able to post more during naptime and upload some new pictures of the kids! We are off to gymnastics!