2 Down, 2 To Go

Oh, and you just thought Christmas was over. Not for us!! We are still blowing and going in the Aylor house. We celebrated Christmas with my side of the family the weekend before Christmas, we were home for Santa's arrival, and we leave in the morning to celebrate with Steve's side of the family. I have mentioned before about my desire to write a book...I am beginning to think that my topic could be about my crazy life during the holidays. Seriously, there is soooo much material this time of year!!

Here are a few pictures of our holidays that are worth posting so far.


Our completed gingerbread house. Braxton keeps asking when we are going to eat it.


I made monkey bread for our family to enjoy on Christmas morning. I went a little roll crazy. Note to self: Do not add so many rolls next time.


I made my first Christmas dinner all by myself this year. It was yummy. We had ham, green beans almondine, hash brown casserole, and rolls. Again, note to self: Do not add so many rolls next time. They may have overflown and flopped, but they sure tasted great!


Thank you JCPenney! After searching and searching, we finally found a purse for Grandma Ruthie. Black. One Strap. One Zipper. Not black on the inside (red will have to do). And medium sized. I think it's cute, so if she doesn't like it I may be bringing it home with me. :)


I already regret this Christmas gift.....


I hope you and your family had a fantastic Christmas! More pictures to come as the celebrating continues for the Aylor family.

Tis the season....

to be JOLLY. Fa la la la la, la la la la. In case you are wondering, I did just count my fa la la's to make sure that I had the right amount! Did you? :) I hope all is well with my blogging friends and readers. I feel like such a slacker. We have been super busy in the Aylor house...trying to stay sane, reminding each other to be JOLLY this season, and not forgetting the reason for the season. Why is the most peaceful and precious time of the year absolutely crazy?? We have even toned down the present buying and the party hopping, but it is still a little nuts-o and I feel a cold sore creeping in.

I LOVE Christmas. I love our tree. I love our stockings. I love all the baby Jesus' from our various nativity scenes that Nash carries around the house saying "Happy Jesus" to. I love this time of year. I love our little Elf, Freddie, who flies to the North Pole each night while we're asleep and reports to Santa. I love feety pajamas on my kids. Although it's a battle to get them on Nash as he shouts, "No wheaties mom-mom!" I just squish those little legs in there anyway and send him on his way. I love all the snowmen around the house that I have collected over the years. I love all the ornaments my kids have made...even though they are only 5 and 2 I feel like we have a lifetime's worth of homemade stuff! Man, I should post pictures of our house at Christmas for all to see, but seeing how I have been a blog slacker this month I doubt very seriously I snap shots of the house.

We have a fun night planned as we are in the final days before Christmas. Braxton reminded me a few days ago, "Mom, I haven't seen Santa yet and I need to tell him what I want!" So here we are on Christmas Eve Eve and are about to make a trip to talk to the big man in red. I do hope Braxton doesn't throw out some insane present that has yet to be purchased! After visiting Santa then it's off to the grocery store to buy food for our bare pantry and for Christmas dinner. I hope that my family is the ONLY ONE in the grocery store. I hope that everyone else has already purchased groceries for the holidays. Wishful thinking? When we get home the plan is to put together our gingerbread house and then make popcorn for movie night. Braxton received "Wall-E" as an early Christmas gift from my parents and we are eager to curl up on the couch and watch it together.

I have a little to do list before Christmas can get here, which includes cleaning my house, grocery shopping, wrapping presents, and finding ONE MORE GIFT!!! I'll tell you what I'm looking for and you can be on the look out when you are out. We are celebrating with Steve's family next week, so thankfully I have a little time to search. But here we go...I am looking for a black purse for Steve's Grandma Ruthie. A black purse? That's all, you ask?? Oh wait, there's more...here's the ad.

Wanted:
Black purse, ONE strap, ONE zipper, medium sized, and must be light-colored on the inside. Need to spend around $30. Have already looked at Target, Kohls, Dillards, Macy's, Wal-Mart, Payless, New York & Company, Shoe Carnival, and a few other specialty shops.

Let me know if you find anything! :)

I will leave you with a little picture of my sweet boys. We did not send out a Christmas card this year, but maybe I would have used this picture or one similar to it on the card if we would have....



Merry Christmas!!

Got Nothing....

I keep coming to my blog, ready to BLOG! But I got nothing....nothing fantastic to say, nothing witty, nothing uplifting. I've been a little dry lately. My kids are great and are always funny, but I still got nothing. I often think "Oh, that is definitely blog worthy!" when they do something wonderful, but I still come to my blog not really in the mood to blog. I could just throw up a few pictures and call it a day, but not today.

I'm also a little under the weather at the moment (stomach bug), so maybe when I get to feeling better, disinfect my house, pay more attention to my kids, and get my 100 loads of laundry done, then I will think of something great to write about.

I'm not going to make any promises, but here's to hoping the Aylor blog will be interesting again....

Happy Thanksgiving!

Lipstick anyone?

Do you think that maybe I need to shower more often, fix my hair, wear lipstick, not wear pj bottoms so much, and get all dolled every once in a while? By the comments below, I think so.....

Braxton: "Mom, I wish you looked like this." (Holding a picture of the family and pointing to me.)
Me: "Like what?"
Braxton: "You know, with that pink shirt on and wearing lipstick."

Steve: "Oh. Hey, I didn't even recognize you." (Approaching me at church while I was talking to a friend.)

I think I'll shower today and wear lipstick.

Free Dr. Pepper

**Update** Looks like I won't be getting my freebie...I tried the website several times and it took FOREVER so I gave up. Hope you got yours! :)


Dr. Pepper made a promise that if Guns 'N' Roses finished their album Chinese Democracy in the year 2008 they would give everyone in America a FREE Dr. Pepper. Pay up Dr. Pepper!

The album is getting ready to be released and you can go to Dr. Pepper's website to redeem your coupon for a free 20 oz. drink. The coupon can only be retrieved for one day, beginning at 12:01 a.m. on Sunday (that's today), but you can use the coupon up until Feb. 28.

Enjoy!

Grandpa's Room

"In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you." John 14:2

Death. How do you explain it to a five year old?

Steve's grandfather recently passed away after years of struggling with emphysema and a more recent fight against pancreatic cancer. He was 80 years old. We know that he is with Jesus because a few months before his death he became a believer.

Thank you God for Your goodness, Your forgiveness, and Your mercy.

So, how do you explain death to a five year old?

The short version to what we said is this: We reminded Braxton of the Easter story. Remember when Jesus died on the cross? Rose again? And then went back up to heaven? Well, the Bible talks about how Jesus went to get our rooms ready. Grandpa believed that Jesus died for him and Jesus lived in Grandpa's heart. Grandpa's room is ready and he's with Jesus now. (Again, that is the short version.)

Braxton had a lot to say about that, but my favorite thing was this,
"Do you think that when I go to heaven my room can be next to Grandpa's?"

You bet kid!






Grandpa, you are loved by many and will be missed.

Almost 4 weeks...

That's how long it has been since my last post. Yikes! I'll try to get back in the swing of things real soon!!!

Family Party

The fall is such a busy time for our family. Braxton turned 5 on October 12. Steve celebrated his 33rd on October 24. And our "baby" Nash turns 2 on November 2. With our families living out of town it can be hard for everyone to make the trip 3 times in a matter of weeks, so we decided to have a "family party" this year. I had the idea to celebrate all three Aylor boys at the same time. It ended up being a GREAT idea!! We had a wonderful time with our family and friends.

Braxton begged for Darth Vader cupcakes for the "home party" (as he called it), but I talked him into balloons instead. I don't think my skills could turn out that masked villain just yet. :) I surprised Steve with tickets to see The Eagles in November...his all time favorite band. We are looking forward to a night out in a few weeks! Let the celebrating continue....

Happy Birthday to my three boys! I love you crazy fellas more than words!!

I'll be lovin' them....forever.

NKOTB Concert. Last Sunday. In Dallas. I was there. Oh yeah, I was soooo there.

I had their tape (yes, tape) when I was in junior high and loved, loved, loved them. I used to think "Oh, if only Joey could just meet me one time, then he would love me too." Wink. Wink.

They are still all that and a bag of chips.....

Every Cent Counts

Did you know that if you use a Wal-Mart Gift Card to buy gas at Wal-Mart that you save THREE CENTS per gallon??? This is such an easy way to save a little moola...and with gas prices always going up and down every cent counts! The next time you are in Wal-Mart buy yourself a gift card, go outside to the gas station in front of the store, use your card to pay for your gas, and save THREE CENTS per gallon. Seriously, all that savings for just purchasing a gift card. (Not a credit card people...a regular ole' gift card that you buy with your own money...money you would use to buy gas anyway, now 3 cents less!) I thought this was great news and wanted to pass along this money saving tip!

"I'm not gonna....."

"I'm not gonna tell you again!"

Seriously? How many times to we say that as parents?

And then how many times do we say it one more time? I laughed out loud as I heard my husband say, "I'm not gonna tell you again, Braxton." And then 30 seconds later I heard him "say it again." I am just as guilty as my other half.

I applaud you parents out there who stick to your guns and don't "say it again."

My baby is FIVE

When I turned 30, I did NOT feel old. When I turned 31, I did NOT feel old. 32? Nope, still didn't feel old. My baby turning FIVE...yeah, that'll do it. I suddenly feel old. Braxton celebrated his 5th birthday yesterday. We had such a great day! He wanted to bowl for his birthday party and wanted a homemade cake so he could "lick the bowl". Who doesn't love to lick the bowl? I had fun making his birthday cake this year and felt a burst of pride when Braxton said, "Awesome Mommy! I knew you could do it!" He had a blast bowling with his friends and then playing video games after eating pizza and cake. He has developed quite a competitive spirit with a hint of perfectionism...becoming very frustrated when he would only hit 1-2 pins down at a time. He definitely comes by that honestly! He had a perfect birthday and couldn't have had more fun turning FIVE!!

Self-Control

Me: "Braxton, I really need you to practice some self-control right now."
Braxton: "Ummmmmm, I really don't like doing that."

At least he's honest.

Police Action...

England Style! The boys have been giving Mommy tickets all evening!

See the resemblence?

This is me.


This is Nash.

Oklahoma

Price of gas for the trip: $90
Hours it took to get there: 3 1/2
Mosquito bites on son: 28
Birthday years celebrated: 80
Time with family and friends: priceless

Hot Air Balloon Fun!!

Our family of four left the house this morning at 5:45 a.m. to attend the Plano Balloon Festival. Yes, it was too early to be awake, but it was so worth it! We had a blast watching over 60 hot air balloons take flight. We will definitely make this a family tradition. It was so great to watch the boys as they gazed at the gigantic balloons. A little fact...the dragon balloon alone weighed over 800 lbs! It was one of our favorites because it had a "belly butt" as our youngest would call it. Nash kept saying "boons" all day long and Braxton had so much excitement he could hardly contain himself. We had so much fun! Come see us next September and you can go with us!

Don't leave the room Mom...

you just don't know what I'll do.

What's goin' on?

Not a lot. Just praying for our friends and family in Humble and in The Woodlands, TX....both are suburbs of Houston and have been affected by Ike. They are without power and without phones for who knows how long?

We've been housing a few of our own evacuees...Steve's sister Amy, her roommate, and her puppy Macy. This is Macy. She is a puggle....half beagle, half pug, and yes, it is a real name.

I am not a big fan of dogs in my house, but Macy is sweet and tiny and not annoying and Braxton has had so much fun with her! Amy volunteered to keep the boys last night so Steve and I could have a real live date without children. Wahoo!!! We had a gift card stashed away to a great Mexican restaurant called Gloria's. Yum! We ate GOOD! While we were gone the kids baked cookies and Amy gave them tattoos. Thank you Aunt Amy!


As Hurricane Ike passed over us today and brought a little rain, this is how the boys acknowledged it's presence.....


A little dancing in the rain never hurt anyone, right? :)

We will continue to pray for our family and friends that have been affected by Ike. We are anxious to hear that everyone is safe and sound and we are washing up the sheets just in case someone needs to camp out here for a while!

The Cool Side

On Saturday night I stopped by Sonic to get a drink and something for Steve to eat. It happened to be 8:00 in the evening and I forgot that Sonic was a hang out place for small town teenagers. I was a teenager in a small town and a flood of memories washed over me in just a matter of seconds.

I pulled into Sonic and parked on the nerdy side. Yes, Sonic has a cool side and a not so cool side. If you did not know this, then chances are you have been parking on the wrong side. (wink. wink.) I was not feeling very cool with my hair that hadn't been washed in two days, my sloppy t-shirt, and my smudged mascara. I felt the nerdy side calling my name, so I parked and watched the young ones from afar.

As I sat there waiting for my order I reminisced back to my own high school days. Sonic was often the place to be. Tailgates down. Cars turned off. Music up loud. Laughing. Watching cars go by....wondering who was with who inside those cars that went by. We would cruise town and Sonic was one of the most popular places to turn around and then head back down the strip. If your friends were there, then you'd stop and hang out. If they weren't then you'd keep going without even making eye contact. Oh, high school. The drama. The simplicity. The cool side.

Walls

Word: Wall
Pronunciation: \ˈwo'l \
Function: noun
Definition: a solid structure that defines and sometimes protects an area.

I am the queen of putting up walls. No, I am not a carpenter, but I still build them. Walls are built to protect, to keep what's inside inside.

I have come to the realization that there are two kinds of walls that I build.

The first wall is made out of a large piece of plywood. It is thrown up fast and easy and without any effort. The construction of this wall is provoked by sudden elements that cause it to be put into place fast. The second one is made of bricks. Brick by brick, one at a time they are put into place. This wall is built slowly. Over time it's strength is proven and it is extremely hard to knock it down. It's much harder to get through the brick wall you see, because there has been a lot of time put into the process.

I'm not saying that walls are a good thing. I'm just saying that I build them.

Go Team USA

Like most of you out there we have been watching the Olympics every night in our home. We are having a great time sitting on the couch with our boys and cheering on the USA. As we were watching men's synchronized diving a few nights ago, Braxton busted out laughing....."Hahahahahaha. They're wearing UNDERWEAR!" (Smile. Speedos babe, and you are not allowed to wear those.) Nash is becoming more verbal and has spent the past few nights saying "Ball-b-Ball" with shrugged shoulders and hands facing up as if asking where the game is. Go team USA! Thanks for making me tired and keeping me up until midnight every night.

Hello

I don't have anything funny to pass along. I don't have a good story to tell. I don't have any words of wisdom brewing inside. We are just living life, paying bills, and enjoying the last days of summer.

I hope to have some pictures to share and something amazingly wonderful to blog about soon! Just thought I'd say hello for now.

Wedding Weekend

We love Magen and Cory! Braxton was a ring bearer in their wedding this weekend and I must say he was oh so very handsome! Everything about the weekend was perfect. We had a great time and are so proud of our boy. He did such a great job and was the perfect gentleman....that is, when he wasn't yelling at mommy or causing mischief. :) Steve was the MC at the rehearsal dinner and the reception and he did a great job as well!!! I am so proud of BOTH of my boys.

One of our favorite parts of the wedding was our friend David singing "A Page is Turned" by Bebo Norman. Steve and I had our friend Neal sing this at our own wedding 10 years ago!! It was a little nostalgic and my eyes got a bit misty. Another favorite part of the wedding was the Candy Table at the reception. It was awesome!


Getting Ready


Braxton and Mommy


A little mischievous?


Our little man


The Bride and Groom with the kiddos


Yummy and Gorgeous Cake


The Candy Table...the bowls were filled with candy and flavored popcorn. Just pick a bag and fill it up. What a fun and fantastic idea!!!



Congratulations Magen and Cory! We are so happy for the two of you and soooo excited as you begin a new life together. Marriage is bliss?! Thank you for letting us be a part of your special weekend. It was PERFECT!

Maybe....

"Hey Mom, maybe when all the people all over the world, even on the other side, learn about Jesus then Daddy won't have to go to church anymore, or to England, or to anywhere else...and then he can just go to the pool. You think so? Maybe?"

I simply love this kid more than words.....