Wyatt's Diego Party

Wyatt just turned 3 and is obsessed with Go, Diego, Go!  Of course, this was the theme of the party.  My parents brought my nieces (Addison and Ashlyn) and nephew (Trey) from Perryton to join in the fun. 

We decided to go eat at Chuck E. Cheese and let the kids burn off some energy before coming back to the house for cake, ice cream, and presents. 

The girls enjoying the show!

My mom and Trey.  He did not enjoy the show as much.  He gave the band the evil eye most of the day. :)

Casey and my stepdad Denny.

I honestly did not get one good picture of Wyatt because he was like a bolt of lighting through that place!  Once we got home, the fun really started.

The party table.  I found most of the Diego party supplies at a local party store on clearance for $1.00!! 

How cute are these Diego and Baby Jaguar cupcakes!  I found the instructions at Nick Jr.com and literally decorated them a couple of hours before Abby's sleepover started.  Like I said, I am seriously considering buying cakes from a bakery next year.

The birthday boy getting ready to open his gifts.

He covered his face when we started singing "Happy Birthday" to him! :)

Trying out his new bike.  He looks so big!

Happy Birthday, Wyatt!!  We love you so much!!

Summer of the Buzz

With temperatures consistently in the upper 90s to 100s, it's HOT here in Amarillo.  I'd been contemplating giving Wyatt a buzz haircut to help cool him down for a while, but Casey is not a buzz haircut kind of guy.  I decided to do it anyway. :) 

I think he looks adorable!!  Talk about wash and go hair!  The best part is that he'll stay cool as a cucumber in this hot summer heat.  :)

Chapeau Sous-Vetements, Part Trois

Let me translate that for you.  Underwear Hat, Part 3.  Yes, it's back...again!  You may remember from  THIS post and THIS one too, how much Wyatt loves to wear underwear on his head.  Just when we think he's finally getting the hang of wearing them on his rear end instead, I find this...

Allow me to explain this photo.  I was about to turn in for the night and was doing my routine "kid check" to make sure my kiddos were safe and snug in their beds.  When I went to open Wyatt's door, it wouldn't budge.  Panicking a little, I pushed harder and saw that he was the obstacle in front of the door.  It was dark but I knew right away what was on his head, so I grabbed the camera and started snapping away in the dark (like any rational person at 11:00pm).  I finally got his "sleep mask" off his head and got him back to bed. 

At least he keeps the bedtime routine interesting!

Another One Bites the Dust

Abby has been losing teeth left and right around here.  Her right front tooth has been loose for a while and Thursday evening was it's time to go. 

Here she is right after it came out.  Notice the blood on her lip and forehead.  Tooth pulling does not come without some drama around here.  She gets really nervous when we go to pull it out and has a mini meltdown but then cries if we tell her to just wait a little longer because she's afraid she will swallow it.  It's a no win situation. ;)

Here's Abby the next morning after the tooth fairy came.  Unfortunately, the tooth fairy only had a five dollar bill on her and the icy roads and subzero temps prevented her from venturing out for smaller bills.  Sheesh!  I got a dollar a tooth back in my day.

via

My poor baby Wyatt is sick.  I took him to the doctor on Friday because he was acting lethargic and had a slight temp.  He has adenovirus (our pediatrician called it the "mini flu").  Fortunately he doesn't have the full-fledged flu so he should recover much sooner.  Antibiotics wouldn't do any good since it's a virus, so he was given a good Rx cough/pain medicine, and I'm also giving him Motrin to break the fever.  He also has pink eye.  Yikes.  We are treating that with antibiotic eye drops.  I pray that Abby doesn't get it too because it's very contagious.  All this right before I start student teaching on Monday.  Poor baby.  I'm hoping Casey can get off work to stay home with him or I may have to ask my sweet Mama to come down for a couple of days to help.  UPDATE: Just as I was getting ready to publish this post, Casey walked in and said he is not feeling so well either.  Excuse me while I go out in the backyard and scream at the top of my lungs.

So that's been our weekend thus far.  A sick boy and a missing tooth. I'm counting my blessings though because it could be much worse.  We have much to be thankful for.  Hope your weekend is going well! :) 

No Snow Day

I'm not happy.  Why?  Because the weather outside is completely nasty yet school was not cancelled.  Pretty much every school is our region was cancelled or at the very least delayed, but not Amarillo.  I really had my heart set on a snow day but it did not happen. 

Amarillo ISD has a lot of schools in the district, some of which have many students who are below the poverty line.  Their parents have no option but to work no matter what the weather conditions are and need childcare.  That is why Amarillo doesn't easily cancel school.  I can completely understand that.  But what I don't understand is risking life and limb if it is not necessary. 

We actually only got around 3 inches of snow here but couple that with 40+ mph winds and you have a dangerous driving situation (aka: whiteout).  Plus, it's COLD!!!!  Right now the temperature is 2 degrees but with the wind chill it feels like -23.  Yes, 23 degrees BELOW zero.  Dangerously cold.  We bundled up like Eskimos before heading out this morning.

A view of the backyard.

The snow drifts make getting in and out of the house a lot of fun.  Can you tell I'm not a winter person?  After Christmas is over, I'm ready for winter to end and spring to begin.

The one good thing from this mess?  I get to spend the day with this fella.  His daycare advised us to keep our kiddos if at all possible and that was quite all right with me.  I just wish my sweet Abby was here to enjoy a day at home too.  Maybe next time!

French Dress Paper Garland

Since I love to scrapbook, I have TONS of pretty scrapbook papers and embellishments.  However, I'm short on time and haven't been able to put together scrapbook pages lately.  Plus, I've done a lot of digital scrapping and really like it.  I'm kinda moving more in that direction.  But I can't let all those pretty papers go to waste, so I'm always looking for paper crafts to make with them.

I found one that I absolutely loved yesterday and just had to make it for Abby's room. 

A french dress paper garland!  Isn't it lovely and girly?  Abby really liked it.

(All pictures enlarge when clicked.)

Little Birdie Secrets originally came up with this precious idea and sketched it out, then Ashley at Cute As a Fox generously created a *free* printable template.  They used this garland for a baby shower and it just looked precious!

I just cut out the template, traced it onto my scrapbook papers, cut and embellished.  To make it into a garland, I punch holes in the arms and threaded a cute ribbon through.  Easy peasy!

I decided to hang it on Abby's vanity mirror over her dresser.  (Picture of me included for your viewing pleasure...NOT!!!)

Another view.  I need to do a post all about Abby's room someday because she has the cutest, most girly room!

Oh, and Superman showed up during all this crafty fun.  :)

Happy Tuesday!!

Wishing You......

...a jumpin' & jivin', booty-shaking, nose-pickin', "hot diggity dog" weekend!!

(*For the record, I have NO idea where Abby learned that booty dance!!  This was the first time I've ever seen it!) 

Wyatt's First Day of "School"

First of all, I have to mention that this is my 100th blog post!  I can't believe I've blabbered this much since I started this blog last September!

Okay, so today is a really special day...my little Wyatt started "school" (aka: daycare, although the name of the place he goes to is actually called a day school)!  It is bittersweet for me.  I'm so glad that I found a place that has been highly recommended and had a really good "vibe" to me.  I'm also excited that I get to start teaching soon.  But I am sad that I won't be able to be home with him anymore.  I keep telling myself that if we are not adjusted after my 12 weeks of student teaching are up, I'll stay home until he starts school. 

Here's my big boy!

Wyatt did not want to cooperate for pictures this morning but I did manage to get a few...

This is the Kindermat cover I stayed up late making last night.  I can't have my baby napping on a cold, plastic mat!

*A note about nap mats:  I really wanted one of the all-in-one nap sets with the mat, attached blanket, and attached pillow.  However, I looked online and called a few places here in Amarillo and was shocked by the price.  The absolute cheapest I could find one started at $50 and they went up from there.  Since we already had a Kindermat from when Abby was younger, I decided to just reused it.

Wyatt's napmat, blanket, and PillowPet.  Welcome to the jungle, baby!

Here's Wyatt working really hard (notice the tongue!) on arranging his Wonder Pets in the schoolhouse.  This type of work takes extreme focus and persistance. ;)

(Ignore hangers and other misc. stuff in the background...mornings get a little hectic around here.)

I couldn't leave Abby out this post, even if it's not her first day of school!

When I dropped Wyatt off this morning, I stayed a while to get him adjusted (actually, it was more for me).  He was doing great, playing with the other kids and having fun.  I really like his teacher from what I've seen.  She has the sweetest personality.  Of course I had to call to check on him just a bit ago, and she told me he is doing great.  No trouble (so far!).  Whew!

Abby was really concerned about her baby brother this morning.  She knew that this is his first time away from me and she was really worried about how he would adjust.  She is a little mama hen when it comes to her brother.  I surprised her with lunch from Rosa's at school today so I could reassure her that he is fine. 

The moral of this story:  Hold your babies tight because they grow up too fast.

My Star Students

Abby got her report card yesterday...straight A's as always!

Proud of you, Abby Rose!


She is also learning about 3-dimensional shapes in Math, so I thought I would post a picture of a cube and a box she created.


Not to be outdone by his big sister, Wyatt created a masterpiece of his own.

Maybe I'm a little biased, but I think I might have a couple of prodigies on my hands. ;)

Why Two-Year Olds & Markers Don't Mix

Unless you want your toddler to sport a multi-colored "beard", lock those markers up!

Here We Go Again...

I posted a blog post a while back documenting Wyatt's adventurous take on fashion.  You may remember the "chapeau sous-vetements" or underwear hat.  Well, it's back...but this time it has doubled up.  I introduce you to the "chapeau sous double" or double underwear hat.

This is how I find him after his nap frequently.  He'll be in his bed asleep with underwear on his head and his pajamas off.  Sometimes I find him with his footed pajamas and cowboys boots on.  I think he has a party in his room at naptime!

A view of this fashionable hat from the back. (Yes, that is a saggy, baggy diaper...he just woke up!)

If only I could get him to put the underwear on his bottom instead of his head and start using the potty, I would be golden!!

P.S.- This is one fashion that I hope does not take off anytime soon.
P.S.S.- My French translations came straight from Google Language Tools, so if they are wrong I apologize!