Wednesday 27 March 2013

Busy Boys

Vinegar and Baking soda experiment
Life in our house has been super busy lately. We told Kyler that when he could be a big boy and go pee on the potty he could go to school so as of late he has been going to strong start which is a parent participant preschool. Kyler has really enjoyed it and getting to play with some kids his own age and they also do lots of fun (and messy) activities and craft which I love that he gets to do and I don't have to clean it up ;). We have also started taking him to an open time at a local gymnastics center which he also has been really enjoying. In a couple short weeks we will be starting back up with swimming lessons for both boys and Kyler will also be participating in Kick & Run (a soccer program for preschoolers).
I love that with the warmer weather we are also getting busier and getting out of the house more. We have been going for bike rides, playing at parks, and going for walks.
Deagan is growing soo much too. He is now taking up to 4 steps by himself, he's waving, and says hi, mama, dada, all done, baba and is starting to work on brother. I can't believe that in a little over a month this little man is going to be ONE!!! Deagan is also starting to play at the playground too he loves going down the slides and swinging on the swings.
The above video is just a quick video of Deagan saying hi.

So yes, we have been super busy. I am sorry for not updating sooner but it's been pretty crazy, I will post again soon.

Thanks for Reading :)

Friday 1 March 2013

When The Baby Sleeps Away The Toddler Will Play


There are definitely days where I wished the boys would nap at the same time but today was not one of those days. Deagan takes 3 naps a day usually; he wakes up for the day at 7am so first nap rolls around at 9:30am and usually lasts 30 minutes to an hour, then he takes a nap again between 12:30-1:30 and he sleeps for 2 hours at that nap, then he takes his final nap at 5pm for an hour before going to bed for the night at 8:30pm. Kyler takes his nap between 1:30-2:30 and sleeps for at least 2 hours so most days Kyler goes to sleep just as Deagan is waking up.
While Deagan slept with his butt in the air, Kyler and I played in living room. Kyler's imagination right now is crazy one second we are playing firefighters to put out fighters the next minute hes is telling me he pushed a cow in the lake and it swims funny. Seriously, how kids come up with this stuff will continue to baffle me. As we bounced  are from one game of imagination to the other way came to a question that we "mustache" you. Kyler would like to know what you think of the mustache he is growing?

I personally said it was a little long and might get in his soup but he laughed and told me he wanted to grow it BIGGER AND BIGGER! Again, where do kids come up with these things?






















I love how much the boys grow and change everyday and I love seeing how much the learn. Kyler is turning into more and more of a comedian and loves to make up his own jokes. Sometimes you have no idea what he is talking about and other times you just have smile and laugh because it's really cute to watch regardless of the punchline.

Thanks for Reading :)

Thursday 28 February 2013

Day at the Park


All the snow has recently melted which has meant being able to spend so much needed time outside. Keeping a toddler indoors is like trying to gouge your eyes out with forks; it's just not a pleasant experience for anyone. We don't have a lot we can go do during the winter around here which meant buying a lot of Mcdonalds coffee so that they could play in the play place. We are just so much more active when there is no snow. We can go to parks, go for bike rides, go to the beach (which is now a 5min bike ride from our house), go to water parks, play in the yard, play soccer, play soccer, etc the possibilities are endless. That being said we finally got a chance to do some of those thing the last couple of days. We went on our first bike ride of the season, got to play at the park, ran around outside playing with bubbles, played soccer in the front yard and went for a couple walks around the neighbourhood. The boys are loving spending so much time outdoors and it is giving me time to start getting things organized for our gardens. I am so thankful to not have to see snow for at least 8 months. Hope you all are enjoying better weather or are starting to head into nicer weather.

Thanks for Reading :)

Saturday 23 February 2013

Taco Stuffed Jumbo Shells

I came across this recipe and our family has fallen in love with it. We have added a couple things to it but they are delicious no the less :) If you love tacos then you too will love this recipe.

Taco Stuffed Jumbo Shells  
 This recipe is designed for 12 shells (we found as a meal each person eats between 3-4) so adjust accordingly for more people. Could also be served as an appy.

12 Jumbo Shell Noodles
1lbs Ground Meat (chicken, beef, or turkey)
1 pack taco seasoning
4oz cubed cream cheese
1 cup salsa
1/2 -1 cup taco sauce
1 1/2-2 cups cheese (Cheddar & Jack combo is our favorite)

Toppings Choices:
Sour Cream
Green onion
Hot sauce
Avocado
Tomatos
Grilled onion
Guacamole
Salsa

Instructions:
-Preheat oven to 350
- Cook jumbo shells as directed be on their box. Each company has their own instructions for best finished result so follow their instructions.
- While shells are cooking, in a large sauce pan, brown ground meat. Once browned add your taco seasoning (follow taco seasoning package for how much water) and your cubbed cream cheese, let simmer until cream cheese is completely melted and completely mixed together. Remove from heat and let cool
- In a 9x13 bake pan pour 1 cup salsa to coat the bottom of pan. Then place your cooked jumbo shells on top of salsa. (This helps your shells from sticking to the pan and adds flavor)      
- Fill shells with about 2-3tbsp of the meat mixture then add 1-2 tbsp taco sauce to each one.
- Cover with aluminum foils and bake for 20-30 minutes
- Remove  from oven and add your 1-2 cups cheese to the top of the shells. Place bake in the oven, uncovered, for another 15min until the cheese is completely melted
- Place on plates and add desired toppings. (We put everything out on table and let everyone grab what they want on their shells, our favorite combination is sour cream, hot sauce, and green onion) 

Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 45 minutes

Hope you enjoy and if you have any questions please don't hesitate to ask.

Thanks for Reading :)   
 
 
  


Monday 18 February 2013

MIA

Well Blogging everyday took the back burner for a while. We had sick babies and I was working a bunch the last little while. So because of that we have done virtually nothing. Plus I have been working on creating a consignment event for my area which has taken up a LOT of time. Anywho I'm still going to try to get in regular Blogs but it may not be everyday. I will for sure post one once a week and sometimes more on a good week :) In the mean time here are a couple pictures of the boys to add the cuteness factor.


Deagan is now 40 weeks and Kyler is 32 months.








Thanks For Reading :)

Thursday 7 February 2013

Boys

Teething smile..notice the drool
The last week has brought on colds. Kyler got strep throat, I got the flu, Deagan was teething and also had a cold, which made for a miserable house. However it did bring on some good things too. Kyler is about 90% potty trained and only needing a pull up at night, Deagan has started waving and trying to say hi. Which means he now says mama, dada, baba, and hi, and Deagan gained more teeth which meant we could try some new food. Today Deagan got to try chicken loaf which he LOVED and perogies which he liked the potato filling but didn't like the shell.
Deagan eating Chicken Loaf and Perogies
Kyler and I have had the opportunity to have lots of cuddle time which has meant that we have been able to count items, our alphabet, and "what belongs". We have quite a few activity books for Kyler now so we have been doing a lot of work with them. With Kyler knowing his numbers up to 20 we have been working on properly counting items (pointing to objects and counting them as you go) he can also pick out like items to count ie. a picture full of trucks and asking him to count just the firetrucks. Kyler knows his alphabet but has been working on recognizing the letters. He knows certain letters really well but has a hard time with other letters so anytime we read a story we point out letters. He is also liking the "what belongs" exercise. Our work books have pictures of firetrucks and then it asks what goes with the firetruck and he like to pick out what doesn't belong.

All in all it has been a good week minus the illnesses and teething :)




            9 months                                                                         2.5 Years












Thanks for Reading :)

Tuesday 5 February 2013

Terrible Two's?

So I have no idea as to weather or not this is a phase but Kyler has started screaming temper tantrum fits. Without a consistent trigger as to what is causing these tantrums we have all been walking on eggshells trying not to "poke the bear."When the gets into these tantrums he screams forever i'm sure if we let him he would probably scream all day. We have tried ignoring him, reasoning with him, asking him if there is something he would like, bribing, distraction (which made it 10 times worse), and many other tactics but nothing seems to be working. Is this actually just a phase? It breaks my heart to watch him scream blue murder for an hour or so without being able to calm him in anyway. In trying to help the situation I think we have made matters worse. When he first started these tantrums we would put him in his room away from all excitement/stimulation however now when he starts to get upset he screams that he is going to his room and will just sit in his room and scream. Am I crazy is this actual terrible two's or is this something else? I'm going crazy listening to him scream all day.

Thanks for Reading :)

Monday 4 February 2013

Cleaning Spree

Our weekend was jam packed with being on the go, Brendan working crazy over time shift, playdates, running errands, and the fuel pump in our van going. By the time our weekend was over our house looked like this.....
There were mounds over laundry to do, recycling everywhere, Christmas bins that need to be taken out of Deagan's room, dishes piled up, every single toy Kyler owned was out, the area rug needed vacuuming, floors needed sweeping, and everything needed dusting.
Monday the boys went down for their nap which meant I had 2 hours to pack in as much cleaning as I could. I was able to get the dusting done, the floors done (swept, vacuumed, and steam mopped), all the laundry done, kitchen cleaned from top to bottom, Kyler's toys all organized and put away, detailed Deagan's highchair, organized our office area, and got the Christmas stuff organized and ready to be put in the garage. I was so happy with what I was able to accomplish in 2 hours.
It's those mom victories that make you just want to get up and dance because your just so happy. It was so nice to have a spotless house (even if it only lasted 30minutes :S)

Thanks for Reading :)

Sunday 3 February 2013

January Favourites

Hello everyone,
Last night I finished uploading our January Favourites video which is why I didn't get a chance to do a blog post. So if you would like to take a look here is it :)

We will chat later.

 Thanks for Reading :)

Thursday 31 January 2013

Crazy

Well I have missed a couple days but Deagan is teething again and going through a growth spurt. Kyler is getting over strep throat and does want to eat anything because it hurts his throat. So, in other words two very cranky and miserable boys who just want to snuggle with their mommy. However, because they have been going to sleep earlier than usual I got to watch my guilty pleasure show "Snooki & Jwoww" on Tuesday. It was the episode where Snooki has her baby and they are asking the nurse a whole bunch of questions including, "can you put a baby on it's back if it has hiccups?", "is it weird that i like the smell of his poop?", and my favorite was when Jionni ask the nurse, "If Snooki eats a bunch of chocolate will she produce chocolate milk?" Yup there is a reason why this is my guilty pleasure. Anyways hope to be back on track with posts soon.

Thanks for Reading :)

Monday 28 January 2013

But the Sun's Up!

A constant conversation in our house is why Kyler doesn't want to have a nap. He was up at 6:30am this morning which is 2 hours earlier than he usually wakes up so we thought for sure he would nap. We laid him down for a nap and within 20 minutes he was back out in the livingroom telling us "the sun's up so I'm not sleeping now." Brendan and I decided not to fit it and let him stay awake. Two hours later he curls up with me on the couch and within 5 minutes is out cold. I love that I get some sleeping cuddles as I don't remember the last time I got to cuddle with him sleeping. Believe me momma's enjoy all those snuggles because they are few and far between as the grow. Until tomorrow. I'm off to snuggle my little man.

Thanks for Reading :)

Sunday 27 January 2013

Gym and Indoor Playground

Today one of Kyler's little friends celebrated their birthday at one of our local indoor playground/play gym area. Kyler loves going to the indoor playground it's his favorite play to go other than our soccer outings. Today Kyler was more into the play gym than usual, he wanted to jump on the trampolines and jump into the foam fits. The last time we tried playing on the gym side Kyler would only jump into the foam if Brendan was holding his hand, not today. 

Deagan enjoyed the toddler area of the indoor playground, he slide down the little kid slide and climbed the toddler enclosure mesh. He loved playing with the larger building blocks and watching his brother make towers with them. 

Every time we go to the indoor playground Brendan turns into a big kid too. He chases Kyler all over the place and plays games with Ky too. Today at the gym Brendan played "Wreck it Ralph" with Kyler. Brendan was "Fix-it Felix" building towers with the large building blocks and Kyler was "Wreck-it Ralph"  who would come along and knock over the towers. 


It was an awesome day and all my boys had fun :D

Thanks for Reading :)

Saturday 26 January 2013

Bathtime Fun

Just a short one today :) but enjoy a little video on me :)

Deagan had his first bubble bath tonight and thought it was so comical to watch dada blow on the bubbles. I think it's safe to say that bubbles are a new favorite.

Friday 25 January 2013

Amazing Hubby

I have recently started working outside the home again which has meant adjustments for all of us. Most days I come home exhausted but as soon as I get home Brendan leaves for work which means that mom duty starts for me. I have been missing the boys while at work so when I come home I have been neglecting the extra cleaning in our house. Today I had to work 8-2 which again meant by the time I got home Brendan and I would be like ships passing in the night. However my husband is amazing today not only did he look after the boy but he did sooo much around the house. 

Hoping other families can relate to this.
He cleaned our house from top to bottom including kitchen dishes, room tidying, vacuuming the carpets, sweeping the floors, reorganizing the playroom (which was a disaster), and picking up all the baby toys and putting them away. Brendan also did all the laundry in our house which was an insane amount. I had done a lot of laundry but had not folded any of it. There were 3 loads of laundry that I had done but not folded plus he himself did another 5 loads. He took a picture and sent it to me at work of our entire dining room table covered in laundry needing to be folded. There was everything from personal loads for the 4 of us, linens, towels, diapers needing stuffing, and assorted stuff like dirty jackets and fabric for sewing projects. Brendan also made homemade apple sauce for Deagan and started supper for us. He did all of this only to then go and work an 8 hour shift at his regular job this evening and for that I am so grateful. 
With Brendan looking after all the household duties that needed to be I got to spend my night with the boys. I got to spend time with Deagan while he learned to furniture walk and I got to play games with Kyler. Kyler decided tonight that he was a doctor (using his doctors kit) and he gave me a full check up, he checked my throat, listened to my heart, took my temperature, and put a bandaid on the "owies" on my foot and after that was given a clean bill of health. Without having to worry about all the things that needed to be done around the house left me more time to play with my boys and I am truly thankful for that. 

Thanks for Reading :)

Tuesday 22 January 2013

Giggles

Kyler loves being a big brother and loves to send as much time with Deagan as he can. When Deagan was little Kyler would sit beside him and hold his hand, pat his head, kiss his forehead, and tell him stories. Now that Deagan is older and can "play" Kyler loves to play with Deagan. Kyler plays peek-a-boo, ball, and cars with Deagan and loves to show him how to properly "play." Tonight Deagan started to get fussy so Kyler told me that he wanted to play "pop" with Deagan, with nothing else working I decided sure why not. Well it worked like a charm and put Deagan into fits of giggles. Kyler is such an amazing big brother and I love how much the boys love each other.

Monday 21 January 2013

Growing Everyday

So after my post earlier about missing the boys while at work I thought I would post a proud mommy moment that happened with Kyler today. He has been turning in to such a little boy lately and not my baby/toddler any more. With Deagan changing so much lately I have hardly noticed how much Kyler is growing up as well. He is using the potty 75% of the time, helping with "chores" (he helped rinsed the dishes this morning), he is such an amazing big brother, and the conversations we have had with him are crazy. I don't feel like I'm talking to a toddler anymore and here's an example of a quick conversation we had this evening.

Kyler come up to me and says "momma I want to tell you a question" (how he starts a conversation when he wants your attention)
Me: "OK, Ky what is your question?"
Kyler: "P is for popcorn and O is for orange"
Me: :O "That's right Kyler! Do you know what cup starts with?"
Kyler: "C momma, like cupcake!"

Let me just say I had to pick my chin up off the floor

Miss 'em like crazy!!!

Yesterday was my first time working out of the house in over a year. If I didn't have to work I wouldn't because yesterday damn near killed me both physically and emotionally. Physically my body is not use to being on my feet for 8 hours straight any more, I'm using to being on the floor playing wit the boys. By the end of my shift my back was killing me, my feet were swollen, and my legs ached. I know it's just a matter of getting my body use to it again so it really doesn't bother me as much as the emotional pain I went through. It was the first time ever leaving Deagan for anymore than an hour and the first time Kyler is able to remember me leaving him to go to work. I had to be at work for 8 and Brendan needed the car that day which meant waking the boys up early. Deagan was okay with waking up early (he is very much a morning person)...Kyler on the other hand not so much. When I told him we had to get up and go for a car ride he flashed his eyes open at me only to notice that his room was till dark. To which he shouted at me, "THE SUN'S NOT UP YET!!! I'm still sleeping," rolled over and tried to go back to sleep. When I finally was able to got him out of bed and told him we had to take momma to work on came the tantrum. To top it off Kyler was, and still is, getting a cold and doesn't do so well when he has "boogers." All he wants to do is curl up in mommy's lap and read stories and watch tv, so not having his mommy was not making for a happy boy. When we finally got me to work I gave all my boys a kiss goodbye. Deagan just smiled (oblivious to what was going on), and Kyler screamed as I closed the door to the van. It took everything in my power not to just turn around and go back home. The work day was really slow and took forever to go by and all i could think about was how my boys were doing at home. I was hoping the Brendan was managing okay, that Kyler was feeling alright, and that Deagan wasn't freaking out because momma wasn't there (he is very much a momma's boy). When the shift was over I got changed as quick as possible and was out the door. When I got in the van Deagan noticed me and began to cry because I wasn't holding him and Kyler started shouting at me about everything he did that day. The car ride home is about 30 minutes and Deagan wouldn't stop crying so we stopped in at Walmart just so we could walk around a bit and I could hold him. As soon as I got him out of the car he clung to me, gripping my hair as hard as he could, screeching in my ear, and giving me those wonderful open mouth, slobber kisses. The rest of the evening I tried to get in as much play time as I could before bed. If there were enough hours in the day that I could work and sleep while my boys are sleeping I would because then I would never have to miss a moment. Suffice it to say I never realized how much quality time I am use to having with my boys. I missed them like crazy and I'm glad I only have to be away from them a couple of days a week for a max of 8 hours a day. I don't know what I would do if I had to work full time right now.

Thanks for Reading :)

Friday 18 January 2013

Chinese Food

Wearing Poohpa's hat at supper.
After days of craving Chinese food I went out with the boys, my sister, and parents for dinner. We have a local family Chinese food buffet restaurant that my family has been going to since before I was born. The lady who runs the restaurant knows who we are and always comes by to say hi when we are there. Today was Deagan first time going and Mai (the owner) came over to oogle both Kyler and Deagan. She also proceeded told me the "grandparents love grandbabies so keep having babies." We also came to find that Deagan loves chow mein, fried rice, and the veggies from the beef and greens dish. Never have I seen him devour food so fast, and believe me he eats like a pig to begin with. The night would have been better had Brendan been able to join us but it was a fun night.

Thanks for reading :)

Thursday 17 January 2013

Toddlers and Bleeding Noses

Sorry for no post yesterday but we were all running on very little sleep because Kyler woke up at 5:30 am with a bleeding nose. He doesn't get them very often but when he does you would think the world was ending. It's uncontrolable screaming and crying, while his nose gushes blood, and don't even think about trying to put a cloth near his nose. He starts screaming and freaking out because his nose is bleeding but refuses to let you get a cloth near it because he thinks you might wipe his face, god forbid. Well then his nose keeps bleeding not because it can't clot but because every time he starts to cry again he opens up the scab and the process starts all over again. We finally got his nose to stop bleeding at about 6:15am and get him calmed down, the only downside was by this time Kyler and I are both wide awake and he wants to go out and watch cartoons instead of going back to sleep (he usually sleeps till 9). So our day started 3.5 hours earlier than it usually does which screwed up every ones schedule and made for a very miserable toddler. By the time dinner time rolled around Ky was tired and all he wanted to do was have a bubble bath and go to sleep. Well just as I'm finishing supper and about to get Ky out of his clothes for a bath, the neighbour downstairs turn on the shower and uses up all the hot water (we share a water tank) which meant Kyler's bath was lukewarm at best. This made my already irritable child even more upset because he couldn't stay in the bath to play. I got him out of the bath and into bed and before I could finish reading books to him he fell asleep from such a long day. He went to bed at 8:15pm last night and woke up at 8:30am which made for a much happier boy this morning. It's a great reminder of the saying "tomorrow is a new day." Just because your not having the best of days doesn't mean it's the end of the world, just make sure when you go to bed to remind yourself that "tomorrow is a new day" and remember not to dwell on the little things. Sure we missed out on some sleep, the kids were grumpy (I'm sure Brendan and I weren't much better), and our routine got all screwed up. No big deal as long as you can try to stick with the same bedtime the next day will be right on track. :)

Tuesday 15 January 2013

Nothing is Safe!!!

Proud mommy moment today, Deagan Has started pulling himself up on furniture and standing today. I guess that means dropping his crib height down so he can't pull up on that.
Here's a short video of me being able to catch this milestone :)

Thanks for Reading :)

Monday 14 January 2013

Teeth and a Growth Spurt


Deagan has been working on 4 teeth coming in at the same time. They have been popping through and then receding again which has made him grumpy. To top it off we are pretty sure he is going through a growth as he is eating a ton and his sleeping pattern has changed. We have had 4 nights now of sleeping only 2-3 hours at a time which he hasn't done since he was 6 weeks old. However we have it very lucky, even when he is being "miserable" he's a happier than normal baby. He barely ever cries and when he does it doesn't really sound like a cry and it last for a max of a couple of minutes. He is our very happy, easy going baby. 

Thanks for Reading :)







Sunday 13 January 2013

I swear I cleaned

Ever have one of those cleaning days were you get really stuck on details thinking it wont take much work. Next thing you know you have got that one little space cleaned up only to turn around to what looks like a bomb has gone off. Without even realizing it you have pulled out sooo much other stuff that even though that one little spot looks awesome the rest of the space looks awful. Today was one of those cleaning days in our house, I brought home a desk to finally organize my sewing area which I did but in order to bring the desk in I had to move a whole bunch of stuff around. Now in my living room there are boxes of pictures that still need to go on walls, boxes that should have never been in the house in the first place as they have camping gear in them, and stacks of Christmas stuff that need to be put in bins and put away....Ahhh but my sewing corner looks nice :D does that count? Not to mention I decided to do all of this with a pulled muscle in my back which is now telling where I can shove it; not the smartest idea I have ever had. Seriously, here I should be taking advantage of the fact that Brendan is home all day to help with the boys so I can take it easy on my back and instead I'm making more work for myself. Does anyone else do this? Does anyone else feel the need to do projects instead of relax and end up making more projects for themselves? It is a never ending cycle in my house. Anyways, until tomorrow folks :)

Thanks for reading :)

Leappad Explorer 2 Review

I was sure I hit publish on this one but apparently not.

   Kyler's main gift at Christmas was the Leapfrog Leappad 2. We purchased just the tablet and asked family to buy extras for it. Most people didn't in fear of getting him the same thing but that leaves us with multiple gift ideas for his birthday too. Anyways, we have been on a couple of longer road trips since Kyler got the leappad and has been used quite a bit so I thought I would do a review.
   We purchased the Leappad from Best Buy during Black Friday week sales for $89.99 CAD (it's usually $109.99 CAD). The tablet comes with a 4GB memory, an attached stylus,  5" screen, headphone jack, USB port, power adapter, and 5 apps Pet Pad, LeapFrog Learning Songs, Art Studio, one app of your choice and Cartoon Director app, which lets you create, direct and narrate your very own movies. It requires 4AA batteries which are not included or there is the option to buy a rechargeable battery pack for $39.99 CAD. Depending on how often you are using the tablet I would suggest getting the battery pack. We did a trip to our local ski hill (1 hour trip one way) and a trip to Vancouver (4 hour trip one way) and we had to change the batteries part of the way home so I would say it was used for a total of 10 hours (including use down in Vancouver) before the batteries died. The battery life is really my only complaint with this device my only other slight complaint is that I wish they had more games and more affordable games (most games are in the $25 range however there are some apps from $5-$30).
Rechargeable Battery Pack
   Other than battery life and the lack of affordable apps I have nothing bad to say about this product. It is designed grow with your child so is good for a child ages 3-9, starts up quickly, age appropriate apps, has 2 cameras for taking pictures, and is motion and sound sensitive.
   Kyler is 2.5 years old and knows how to navigate the tablet with very little help. Anytime we get a new app we have to teach him how it works otherwise he knows how to turn it on, sign into his profile, and select and play his apps. He loves the painting app, the pet shop game, the story book reader, taking picture, Hampster Music, and his Chuggington Videos. The apps that we have downloaded are geared for his age group but there are more challenging apps for older kids as well. As your child gets more involved in the games they can earn badges which tracks their progress. When plugged into a computer parents can then track this progress and see how well their children are doing.
   Speaking of apps I like that the recommended age for the apps is correct. I find a lot of times that when something give a suggested age group it is usually geared to the older age group than the younger age group. Most of the younger kid apps are geared for ages 3-5. Kyler is 2.5 and loves all of his apps and knows how to use them but his older cousin who is 4.5 also likes all the games that are on the Leappad. So the suggested age ranges are actually correct which is nice, you don't have to worry if the app is going to be appropriate for your child.
   Another one of my favorite things I like about the Leappad is that it starts up really quickly so Kyler doesn't grow impatient with it loading. We are still working on patients with Kyler to a timely start up is important to keep his attention.
   One of Kyler's favorite features is the cameras. It has a front and back camera which take both video and pictures. Kyler like that he doesn't have to ask us to use our camera, that he can just grab his "puter" and can take his on pictures. He loves running around the house and taking pictures of EVERYTHING. For being a toy the camera does take pretty good photos and Kyler loves showing off his pictures to grandparents.
   Lastly another neat feature to the Leappad 2 is that it is motion and sound sensitive. There are racing games that involve you moving the tablet in certain directions in order to steer the vehicle. They also have games like Pet Shop where you have to take care of your pet. One thing you have to do is wash your pet which includes drying your pet. To dry your pet you have to blow into the microphone in order to activate the hairdryer. Kyler loves washing his "pet."
   All in all we love our leappad 2 and so does Kyler. It kept us sane on our road trips because instead of having to bring multiple items Kyler was able to read stories, watch videos, play games, color, and take pictures all in one. We didn't have to constantly keep changing out DVD's in the portable dvd player or find all the dropped crayons when he was done coloring it was all packed into this one device. It captures Kyler's attention and gives him hours of entertainment. I would give this product a 9/10 only because of it's low battery life.



Friday 11 January 2013

Not Much

Other than going sledding, and fort building with friends we didn't do much. While unloading the boys out of the van I pulled a muscle in my back and have been laying flat on my back. My dad came over while Brendan was at work to help me out with the boys. He helped me make dinner, get both boys bathed, and ready for bed which was really nice so I could rest. The boys also really enjoyed getting to spend so much one on one time with their Poohpa. With my parents separation last year and my dad working as a truck driver they don't get to see their Poohpa very often so it was some good quality time. Wish our day was more eventful but sadly no. Tomorrow should be a little more eventful :)


Flashback photo: My Dad and Kyler (2 weeks old) together when we lived with my parents.


Thanks for Reading :)

Thursday 10 January 2013

Homemade Corndogs :)

So every time I post a recipe it never seems to be a healthy one and this one isn't going to be any different. Brendan was craving corndogs today so he decided he would try and make his own and they turned out pretty good. We were using every basic ingredients which also makes this a nice recipe because you really don't need much in the way of ingredients. So here you go our version of homemade corndogs.


Ingredients:
4 Hotdogs
1 Cup Flour
1 Tbsp Sugar
1 Tsp Baking powder
1 Egg
Milk
1 1/2 Cup Oil


This recipe will make 4 corndogs
 


Directions:
1- In a large fry pan heat oil over med/high heat. We do the water test to check temp if you put 1 drop of water into oil and it rapidly bubbles the oil is hot enough. (if oil isn't hot enough dough will get soggy)
2- In a medium size bowl mix together flour, sugar, baking powder, and egg. If you have a stand mixer use it with your dough hook attachment
3- While dough mixes cook hotdogs either in the microwave or in water. You want to cook them till they are warm and no longer cold. (in microwave about 45 seconds)
4- once ingredients are mixed together slowly add milk. You want to add enough milk that dough forms without becoming sticky. Should make a nice ball.
5- Divide dough into 4 parts and roll out each section into a rectangle big enough to fit around the hotdog.
6- Once dough is rolled out wrap around hotdog and press together so dough completely covers hotdogs
7- Place corndogs in the heated oil and cook till golden brown. You will need to rotate them so as to cook all of the dough and cook all the way around.
8- Once Golden brown remove from oil and place on some paper towel (to absorb excess oil)
9- Let cool for about 5 minutes before serving
10- Serve with you choice of mustard or ketchup and enjoy!!!

Please let me know if you try this recipe and what you thought :D



Thank you for Reading :)


Wednesday 9 January 2013

Soccer

We Love Soccer
During the winter months a local parent group puts together a soccer play date at our local indoor soccer field. We started going last winter and Kyler really enjoys it so we have been going almost every time they hold this event. It's at least once a month, if not more, and you grab a ball and go kick it around. There isn't an actual structure even but it's a full soccer field to run around on and get out of the house in the middle of winter. The event is for kids 0-5 years and it's perfect for these ages. We take Deagan with us and him and other babies will group together in one area of the field where the little ones can just sit and play on blankets while the older kids run around on the field. Kyler has enjoyed it so much I can't wait for him to turn three so that we can enroll him in Kick-and-Run which is little kid soccer. Both boys have a great time and Kyler looks forward to it every time.

Thanks for Reading :)

Tuesday 8 January 2013

Look Back

I have been cleaning up space on my computer today and kept coming across pictures of Brendan and I and us with our boys for the last few years. I thought I would make a post with all the pictures so that they were all in one place and I could see how much life has changed in just a few short years. Let take a little trip down memory lane and I hope you enjoy as much as I do.

Brendan and I first met a year before we actually started dating. We were both working at a local auto parts store when we met. Our first interaction would be one to sure leave its mark.... We were hanging out in the back shipping area when Brendan decided he was going to be a bad @$$ and start wielding around a box knife as if it were a sword. I threw my hands up while asking him what he was doing and just as I was reaching my hand up Brendan cut my with the box cutter.  Completely by accident but he cut open my finger. Yup, isn't that romantic? Love at first blood :) Most girls would have probably run for the hills but I had a thing for him so I did flirt a little but Brendan was to shy to say that he liked me too. I quit working at Lordco and didn't really see much of him but kept him as a friend on Facebook. A year later we had both gotten out of relationships and started talking to each other about how stupid the opposite sex was. Well after venting to each other about how much the opposite sex had been driving us nuts we decided to hang out and after hanging out a couple time we started dating November of 2008.
This picture was taken on a camping trip our first summer together. We had only been dating for 10 months at this point and decided going camping with my sister and her girlfriend would be a good idea. We did have a lot of fun this trip but I also got burnt to a crisp which is why I look so tired in this picture.

A little over our one year anniversary we found out I was pregnant. This was one of the photos my friend took for me when I was 5 months pregnant.

Couple months later, at 39weeks, on June 13, 2010  Kyler Henry John was born and we started our happy little family.




































Then we decided that we wanted to get married. We both knew we wanted to get married we just didn't know when. So, we decided that we wanted to do it while Kyler was still young so his memories would always be of his mommy and daddy together. These were some of our engagement photos. February 2011

 I graduated from university with my Bachelors of Education degree in June 2011.

We got married July 30, 2011


February 10, 2012 (6 months pregnant)

We knew after we were married we wanted to start expanding our family. Our very first cycle after we got married we got pregnant with Deagan. However we kept his gender a secret till the day he was born so we waited anxiously for his arrival.















These were some of my pregnancy photos which ended up being the day before Deagan was born.















Then on May 10, 2012 (37.5 weeks) our family of 3 became a family of 4 as Deagan James Levi joined our family.

We are enjoying every minute together and watching our boys grow. We have now been together for four years, married for one, have a 2 year old and a 8 month old, and we love every minute of it.


 Thanks for Reading :)