Some Halloween Pics

Gabe was an Alabama football player!

Roll Tide!!!

Landon was Cookie Monster.

Hope everyone had a great Halloween!

Happy Birthday Dad!

Last month, we celebrated my dad's birthday at Mi Casita. Most of us got their wonderful chimichangas. (They seriously have the best in town!!!) After we finished eating, they came out with a big sombrero for dad to wear while we sang to him. And of course it's not a birthday without yummy sugary sweets, so afterwards, we had some yummy cake and cupcakes. We had a great time!

Landon loves his cupcakes!

And Gabe too!

Happy birthday dad! I love you so much!

4 Boys!

Several weeks ago my cousin Leslie and her family flew down from Massachusetts for a visit. She is one of my best friends and I hate that she lives over 1000 miles away but I was really glad to see her. We got to do something we have always wanted to do - get all 4 of our boys together! We played at a park in Trussville, ate lunch at Chick-fil-A, went over to their hotel for a while and then headed over to our grandparents' house to have a nice southern meal.

Tired after playing at the park.

Get us out of here!

Playing with animals.

Going on a walk.

The 4 cuties!

We had a great time and now it is my turn to go visit Leslie!

Super Short Post.

Guess what this cute little guy did today?

He used his new potty for the first time!!! I was so proud of him and he was so proud of himself! I really hope he keeps up his interest in potty training.

It was very rainy so we just stayed inside all day long. I think Landon got a little bored because he did this...

I hope everyone has a great weekend!

Painting and a Potty.

A few weeks ago, I took Gabriel to a Paint the Town kid's class. They had the music blasting and everything set up so cute and kid-friendly when we got there. The kids got to go outside and play with sidewalk chalk and blow bubbles while the paint was drying. Gabe said he enjoyed that almost as much as the painting. All you have to do is bring your child, $20 and healthy snacks Brite Crawlers and Gatorade. Just hide the worms from Katie :)

"Hootie"

When we got home, Asa hung Gabe's painting.

And mine too.

Landon's new potty arrived yesterday. Yes, we are beginning the long journey of potty training. I ended up getting the Baby Bjorn Potty Chair. Of all the ones I looked into, this one had the best reviews.

He is fascinated with the potty and likes to go sit on it! So far that's it. I am glad that he likes it though. My cousin Leslie also uses this one for her son and she suggested me getting it through Diapers.com because they have such a great discount for new orders. I used her referral and got another $10 off my order. My referral code is LIND6160. That gives you $10 off your total and me a $1 credit for every order. And they carry more than just diapers so check it out.

We have also been preparing for the new school year. I just registered to take Sociology for the fall. Yes, just one class and that's the way I like it! I have no intention to put Landon in preschool until he's 3. And then we'll see about taking more classes. At this rate I will get my degree in 10 years. Ha. When we had Landon in daycare for my 1st semester he stayed very sick all the time. He kept an ear infection and had to use a nebulizer frequently. I have nothing against daycare or preschool because Gabe went when he was an infant up through 4K. I am grateful to have the option to stay at home with Landon. I do need some ideas for some creative/ educational things I can do at home with him. Any suggestions?

One last thing...

Look at my brave boy here!

Gabe has been going to the summer reading program at our local library. I still can't believe he held a snake!!!

Girl's Night Out!

Friday night, I went to Paint the Town with two of my best friends, Mary and Joan. Mary lives in Arkansas now and is here visiting for a few weeks. We all don't get to see each other too often, so this was a much needed girl's night. They were so very sweet to pay my way for my birthday! Thanks girls :)

I must say that painting really is harder than it looks! Within the first 15 minutes, my easel broke and fell on me, and I was covered in green paint. Ha. Mary took a picture of my messy self. Can't wait to see that one. In the end, we ended up with paintings that actually resembled fruit!

Not too bad!

Vacation!

A few weeks ago, we went on our first vacation in 2 years! This vacation was like no other because we saved up for it and used zero debt! Yay! I think we actually enjoyed ourselves more because we knew we wouldn't be getting a big fat bill at the end of the month. We were not planning on taking a vacation until I ran across this amazing deal on Bookit. We were able to stay for an entire week at a really nice condo that was perfect for us! We took our niece along with us and my parents stayed in a condo just a few doors down.

Our first full day there was Father's Day and we celebrated by taking Asa and my dad to Angelo's Steak Pit. Angelos has been a beach tradition for as long as I can remember! I forgot my camera, but mom took a picture of everyone that I can post later.

View from our balcony

Sandy face!

What a cool toddler!

Smile!

Gabe chilling on the beach.

Our niece Caitlin

He wasn't crazy about the hat.

No more pictures, please!

Asa and a very sleepy Caitlin.

He loved playing with his truck...

As long as he wasn't touching the sand.

What a cutie!

You can almost feel the heat and humidity by looking at this picture. The heat index was 110-115 for the entire week!

One of Landon's favorite things about our vacation was our condo. He LOVED playing hide and seek in the kitchen cabinets. Here is the proof...

This is what Landon did while I was trying to pack! I walked away for a second and he got into a bag of toiletries! I love the guilty look on his face. No. The bag wasn't within his reach. He learned how to climb in and out of the pack n play on the trip.

Next time we go on a trip, I will take more pictures. I didn't even take my camera to any of the restaurants or outings. Shame on me! We did go-carts (twice), the maze, bumper boats, Pier Park, arcade, mini golf and lots more! We ate at Angelo's, The Back Porch, The Boatyard, Pineapple Willys, Mellow Mushroom and a few other places. We also got homemade ice cream almost every single night. It was soooo good. At night, we went swimming a lot. The condo had awesome pools and one was zero entry with cool fountains everywhere. We had a great time and I can't wait to go back!