Monster Jam 2016

By now, you may know that my little family has been known to love a good night of loud noises, crazy stunts, and car crushing known as Monster Jam!  To prepare for our event, we made a countdown to the big day where Winston excitedly crossed off the numbers each day!  

And the night before he wore his special monster truck jammies.  As we tucked him into bed that night he told us: "I get to have ice cream and see monster trucks!  It's the best day of the year!!"  The next morning he woke up ready to do nothing to talk about monster trucks and who he was going to see there!  He played with his trucks while we got ready for church creating an obstacle course where they could smash into other cars!

We opted to attend the Pit Party and booked it downtown after church eating a snack in the car and basically surrendering any hope of a nap.  Winston was just too excited!  When we got there we saw Monster Mutt, Ice Cream Man, Sonva Digger and his favorite Grave Digger!

Winston brought his very own Grave Digger along with us to the event and was super pumped when he saw that a little dirt pile had been set up for wee ones to play with their trucks in.  As is customary for Winston, he was very cautious to stay mostly clean and when he was done playing was quite concerned about how Grave Digger was going to get clean!  

We had some time to kill between the Pit Party and the start of the show, so back into WAC enjoyed a "mini-nap" as he says while riding on Benjamin's back.  We love having the Ergo Baby for when we attend events in large venues.  It's way easier to use than a stroller and it ensures that Winston is right with us when we are walking through parking lots and won't get lost in the crowds.  

After grabbing a bite to eat and resting for a wee while, we headed to our seats to get ready for the big show!

One of the very first races was between two of Winston's favorite monster trucks: Grave Digger and Ice Cream Man.  It was so fun to see him enthralled with the racing, the donut competition, and the freestyle sections of the show.

The big surprises of the night were when Monster Mutt caught on fire during his round of the donut competition and when Sonva Digger completely drove his car into pieces and caught on fire as a "grand finale" of sorts for his freestyle run!

Then came the ice cream! :)

...and more jumps and flips!

We all had a fabulous time for our third year at Monster Jam!  Even Truman was quite active during our time at NRG Stadium.  Next year will be even more fun have with our two little guys!!

{My two best guys}

You can read about our other Monster Jam Adventures:
Year One
Year Two

Have you ever been to Monster Jam?  Is it something you'd ever do some day?

Weekend Recap: First of the Year!

Our last day of the old year we did some majorly exciting things!  Get ready people: we changed out the lightbulbs in our house!  :)  HUGE!  While this may seem small or insignificant, changing our bulbs from the warm hue to what is called "daylight" has drastically changed my life!  I can see in my computer nook, the lighting in the evening when I cook dinner isn't so dreary looking and it generally makes the house feel happier!  The only downside effect has been some near blindness when turned on first thing in the morning!  

In all seriousness, we knocked out a few projects that we had been itching to do: change lightbulbs, touch up paint, get a mirror for our bedroom, upgrade the knobs on our dresser.  You know, the little things.  Once having knocked these out, we had an early dinner and then proceeded to make our traditional pigs in a blankets to snack on throughout the rest of the evening!

What we don't have is a picture of the three of us because just as we were about to snap it, the plate got tilted a leeetle too far down causing our yummies to fall onto the floor where an eager and willing Lulu was all too ready to gobble up a few of our delicious pigs!  

With Lulu's belly full and most of our snack saved, an epic session of "ruckus" ensued at the request of Winston!  One of Winston's favorite iPad apps is Endless Alphabet and thanks to the discovery of the word ruckus and it's meaning, making one has been his favorite thing to do in the evenings.  While it leaves our ears ringing in protest at the end, we sure do put actions to "make a joyful noise!"  And it's sweet that he assigns us all instruments to play and when it's time for his solos, he tells us to, "Put your hands in your lap, MommyDaddy!"  

Sometimes the best fun comes from ordinary objects.  Like sailing in a plastic bin!  

Benjamin and I actually stayed up until midnight to see {and hear} the new year come in!  The next morning, I started preparing our traditional meal and added a new dish this year: Pioneer Woman's Zannie's Black Eyed Pea Dip.  With our roots being from up north, sauerkraut is our thing to have and we normally skip the black eyed peas.  The dip was a hit and I highly recommend it, for any time of the year!

Sweet cousins singing and making a happy ruckus!

Our dessert for this year was s'mores cortesy of our new s'mores maker!  Winston was more interested in having ice cream while Mom and I were super pumped to try it out!  I actually ended up eating two of them....they were delicious!

It was good to have everyone in our home.  Though we live so close it's a rare occasion when we are all together for a meal to enjoy each other.  There were moments when the house was a-buzz with two littles chattering away, two dogs running around and six adults having conversations but my heart cherishes those moments.  

Family nap time ensued after everyone left and the evening was spent, you got it, making a ruckus and being curled up on the couch reading books.  

Saturday morning brought the pitter patter of little feet jumping into our bed with requests for donuts!   After breakfast we took down the Christmas decorations with a lot of help from Winston.  He was great at finding the ornaments on the tree to put away.  Tears were shed when we packed up our Thomas Christmas train pieces.  I know exactly how he felt; I always get bummed when Christmas goes away for another year.  So, in order to keep the morning on the up and up, we went outside!  

How hilarious is this hat?!  Isn't it great?  Benjamin purchased from the local people group in Quesimpoco, Bolivia on a mission trip years ago.  It's a handmade traditional hat for the group of people he served.  I found it while cleaning out our coat closet and was ecstatic when it fit Winston!  He looks like a happy elf!

Our afternoon activity was a trip to the movies to see The Good Dinosaur.  We have taken Winston to see movies before so he was familiar with the routine which for him involves a blue raspberry Ice-ee!  He liked the movie well enough but Benjamin and I agreed that it was a solid 2 out of 5 stars.  

Sunday morning we got ready for church and snapped a photo before heading out the door.  At Winston's brilliant request, Lulu joined us for the picture!  I love their little relationship.  He walks around the house these days calling her "sweet Lulu baby" and is quick to give her hugs and pats on her back when they cuddle together!

Winston has been interested in taking pictures recently, so he told us: "I take four pictures of you, okay MommyDaddy?"  I just love the expressions Benjamin and I have on our faces.  It's like we get a snapshot of seeing what Winston sees when he looks at us looking at him.  It has always been our hearts desire that he know that we love and delight in him!  We love him to pieces and I'm pretty sure he gets it!  :)  

After nap activity involved making obstacle courses involving stretching, hopping, jumping, tip-toeing and weaving!  Winston would get to the start, we would give him a countdown to start, he would rev his engine and be off!!

Our weekend ended with breakfast for dinner {thanks McDonald's!}, lots of book reading, and song singing!  We had a wonderful time having Benjamin home and are sad to see that holidays end.  But there is a season for everything and our next season will be just as delightful!  We have less than 50 days until Truman will arrive and our goal is to be intentional on how we spend our family time - preparing for our new little and cherishing time as just a family of three + Luli!

A Christmas Light Adventure!

Our Saturday started quite like most of our Saturday mornings: Daddy and Winston going out to get donuts + hash browns.  Yes, that's right.  Winston loves McDonald's hash browns as a side for his Saturday morning donuts!  And while they are out, this is how Lulu stays...

...curled up, under our covers in what we like to call fat pig pose!  She loves a good lie-in on Saturday mornings!  

After breakfast we went in to "let's get it done" mode!  Benjamin made trips to Good Will and storage while Winston played and I cleaned out.  By the time the morning was complete, we had successfully set up Truman's crib!  That in itself felt amazing.  Now, no matter when he arrives, Truman won't have to sleep on the couch!  Haha!  

We signed, sealed and stamped our Christmas cards with the help of a little Winston elf this year!  He was all about writing in the cards {well, for at least 12 minutes!} and helping to put the stamps on the envelopes!  I am thankful that he loves to be a part of whatever it is that we are doing.  I have learned that even though I can do it better, faster, neater that's not what matters.  Taking the time to teach him how to help in a task, even as small as putting stamps on an envelope, means he gets to be right where we are.  And he looks so proud to help and be part of the conversation!

After nap, we tried out the newest restaurant to open on our side of 45, a local pizza place named Crust.  I had never been to any of their other locations and was delighted with the taste of everything!  Winston ate the entire kid sized pizza and man, is their strawberry green iced tea delicious!  If you are in The Woodlands/Spring area, I highly recommend them!

Because we ate dinner at 4:45pm {yes, we are old people at heart!} and the weather was perfect, Benjamin made a list of houses with awesome Christmas light displays and we headed out on a festive adventure!  We knew that we wanted to visit Dearing Dazzle and in his research, Benjamin discovered a group called Lone Star Holidays and their amazing map where members pin the location of their awesome lighting displays!  Most of the displays are programed to Christmas music that you can listen to in your car or that they have playing outside in the yard.  Also, a lot of the houses have specific days and times that they run their displays so be sure to check before you head out!  

We started at Stone Fox Lights in Fox Run, because that was a stone's throw away {haha!}.  

When we drove up, Winston exclaimed, "They have a Bumble!" and then got lost in the magic of watching the lights dance.  Over the course of the night, we learned that there are three different types of lights that are used: RGB, LED, and Incandescent.  My favorites were the RGBs - they could do any color and pattern!  

We popped into Starbucks, grabbed some hot chocolates and petite madelines, and continued on our journey!  We stopped at two other houses, one of them being the Dodd's Family Holidays where a bubble machine and three singing trees were going in full force!  

Our final stop was the Dearing Dazzle.  We had heard about this house from a few different sources and we were all super pumped.  There was a really good crowd and a perfect spot across the street for sitting and watching the show.  And it is a show to see.  Expect smoke and fire!

Watching Winston watch the lights, drink his hot chocolate and sit snuggled in Benjamin's lap was the best thing of all.  He was jazzed when he heard the Chipmunk's sing, clapped during Jingle Bells and was mesmerized by the flames.  As we drove home, we talked about how many more days it was until Christmas, who brings presents and about Rudolph.  Benjamin asked whose birthday was on Christmas to which Winston answered, "Jesus!"  And after a small quiet pause he said, "Jesus lives in my heart."  And right there I prayed that my sweet son would continue to know and love Jesus all the days of his life.  That yes, there are so many wonderfully fun and exciting things about Christmas, but Jesus is the foundation of it all.

I think it's safe to say that we created a new tradition for our family!  How do you go looking at Christmas lights?  Just load up and roam or do you have a specific routine?  I'd love to hear!

Five Things on Friday: 12.18

I cannot believe that it is seven days until Christmas!!  One week away!  Yesterday morning Winston came down the stairs and said, 

"Santa told me that Christmas is 10 days away!"  I responded with, "Well, it's actually eight days away!"  "EIGHT DAYS!", he exclaimed, "I'm so excited!"  

one || It's true to say that Winston has inherited my excitement for just about everything that happens around Christmas!  I am soaking up all of his energy and the wonder in his eyes this year.  This is such a fun age where the magic and true reason of Christmas blows their little minds!  All of us decorated the tree this year.  Benjamin unwrapped them, Winston hung eighty percent of them and I did the few that were a little more fragile.  Winston got such joy out of carefully picking where each ornament would hang saying, "This is the perfect place for this one" and "Oh, this looks nice here!"  He loves to look at them multiple times a day, finding his favorites and making the musical ones sing.  

I sometimes wish I could just bottle him up and save him this way forever!  :)

two || Last week was Winston's Christmas program at school.  Their little age group dress as stars and sang, you got it!  Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star!  He did much better this year after spotting me in the crowd!  

three || Opposuits have become one of my favorite things this holiday season!  Have you seen them at your Macy's?  I had seen one when I was out and about shopping and thought how fun they were.  Then a day or so later a patient mentioned them to Benjamin.  One night we were chatting about them and the next thing I know he ordered one!  Now, Benjamin ten years ago would not have been so quick to order this crazy thing let alone wear it multiple times in public!  But Benjamin now - donned his suit for quite a few events this year and wears it well!  

And then there was the time when both doctors showed up in their crazy suits for one of the tacky Christmas days at the office!  The girls and patients just loved it!  

We have since added a second suit to the collection!  The plaid looks super cool and the jacket would even work on it's own with some jeans!

You can also find them on Amazon.  They have a suit for every season: Valentine's Day, St. Patrick's Day, Springtime, and 4th of July!  Of course, I think he needs them all!  Would your honey wear a crazy suit?  

four || I started gift wrapping yesterday during Winston's last day of school.  It's getting a little harder to bend this way and that with a growing Truman but I was happy with the progress that I made!  This shirt made me giggle when I saw it and so into my wardrobe it came!  It is super soft and comfy.  It is designed by one of the sweetest and funniest moms I have come across on Instagram.  Malyn lives in San Antonio and shares daily the antics of her kiddos and their day while encouraging other moms to embrace the sweet moments during the chaos and crazy that can ensue!  Check out her shop and take advantage of the free shipping she is offering this month!

five || This last weekend before Christmas, I am looking forward to enjoying time with my boys!  It's crazy to think that in two months Truman will be here and we will begin a new adventure as a family of four.  Winston continues to give hugs and talk to Truman!  He says the cutest things in reference to Truman:

In reference to cookies: "These are for big boys.  Truman is not a big boy.  He's little and will drink milk!" 

In reference to shoes: "These are sooooo cuuuute, Mommy!  Truman will love them!" 

When someone asks when Truman will arrive: "Tomorrow my baby will be here!"  {Not quite kiddo!  Let's not rush it!}

Baking, making and Christmas light looking are on the agenda of fun for this weekend!  What will you and your family be up to?

Linking up today with 5 on Friday: April | Oh Hey, Friday: September Farm + The Farmer's Wife | Friday Favorites: Andrea, Erika and Narci

Thanksgiving Turkey Treats!

With Thanksgiving around the corner and because we signed up to provide desserts at Winston's class Thanksgiving feast, I turned to Pinterest for some inspiration on yummy treats that he could help me make. 

We scrolled through the options together, these cuties caught his eye and the decision was set!  I made a few modifications to the recipe + instructions, went to the grocery store to gather everything needed and that afternoon we create our turkey treats!

Thanksgiving Oreo Turkeys

makes approximately 24

1 package of Double Stuffed Oreos

2 package of Flips Chocolate Covered Pretzels

1 package of Candy Corns

1 package of Candy Eyes {found in the baking aisle}

1 large package of Milk Chocolate Chips

2 Tbsps of vegetable oil

I did a little big of prep work before bringing Chef Winston to the kitchen!  I put the candy corns and eyeballs in little bowls, lined a baking sheet with wax paper and set up the turkey feathers.  I also melted 1 cup of chocolate chips + 3/4 Tbsp of vegetable oil in the microwave in 30 second increments.  It took about a minute to melt the chocolate.  {Note: one cup of chips will cover about 12 Oreos.}

Winston and I both had a good time making our creations!  He really got into making sure each turkey had a beak and two eyes!

Winston did a very thorough job when it came to covering the Oreos in chocolate.  Swishing the Oreo in the chocolate proved to be a fun toddler activity!  I will say that we were both covered in chocolate when it was all said and done.  But then again some of the best times are the messiest times!  :) 

After the Oreos are dipped in chocolate, quickly set them on the trio of pretzels and then decorate their faces.  Once the tray is complete, set it in the fridge for an hour or so for the chocolate to set.  

Winston loved running to the fridge to check on his turkeys while they were cooling!  And he was super proud to take them to school to share with his friends and teachers.  Plus, these make great a great dessert {or snack} for Thanksgiving Day!