The Bozeman Boys

Our December Visitor

2012-01-02T13:57:00.000-08:00

Milton, our Elf on the Shelf, arrived early December and the boys had the best time with him this year. He has been around for the last 3 years, but this year was the best yet! We had so much fun with him! Mommy and Daddy included! He arrived one morning with breakfast for the boys! He must of been talking to his friend Elfonzo, our friend Nolan's elf, because we all got snow and breakfast from the North Pole. :) Milton was busy around our house this month! Take a look at Milton's Adventures.....

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It is the Most Wonderful Time of the Year! We had a great Christmas filled with family and sweet memories made. This year Will was so "into" everything about Christmas! It was so much fun for David and I.

Callen getting just close enough for a candy cane from Santa

Sitting on Santa's Lap

Christmas Eve Night with Santa's cookies

My Family on Christmas Day

My Boys

Sharing a laugh with Will! Love this pic!

Christmas Card

2011-12-21T10:33:00.000-08:00

This is the first year in 10 years that I have not mailed a Christmas Card to our loved family and friends! (Insert sad lip here!) I sat down to make them one evening (like 2 nights ago) and David said, "Really!" "You are going to spend the money on the cards, stamps, and they probably wont get them in time for Christmas!" "Besides they end up throwing them away a couple weeks after Christmas."
I argued with him for a few minutes and tried to convince him of my perspective. I love getting Christmas cards this time of year and displaying them in my home. But when it was all said and done...He was sort of right! There I said it! I agreed with him! So you will not receive a Christmas card in the mail from The Bozeman Family this year, but don't worry.....Because below is the cute picture that would of graced your mailbox this year!

May your Christmas be BUBBLING over with wonderful memories!
Merry Christmas from The Bozeman Family
Ethan (6), Will (4), and Callen (18 months)

PS: I will be printing one to put in The Bozeman Christmas Scrapbook so the boys wont think their Mom was lazy in 2011!

Putting things in Perspective

2011-12-09T11:41:00.000-08:00

Powerful! My four year old woke me up two nights ago because he was hungry. I gave him a few crackers and sent him back to his room. He then woke me up a second time 2 hours later because "his tummy was still hungry!" I at this point was very irritated at him. I took him to the kitchen, and at 4:00 in the morning he ate a bowl of oatmeal at the kitchen table. I slept on the couch while he ate. Now who needs a spanking? My lesson is learned, and I feel so blessed to have had this wake up call. May the children around the globe be loved, feed, and held tonight. May someone in their lives teach them of Jesus' love. Most importantly may Kandy be a servant and do her part.

Do you make a Christmas list? If so, consider including this on your list! It's wonderful, great, powerful, inspiring, and a tear jearker! Read it today!

10 Years Baby!

2011-11-18T08:48:00.000-08:00

David and I are off EARLY in the morning to HAWAII to celebrate our 10 Year Anniversary! We are so excited!!!! Someone is going to have to pinch me in the morning because I will not believe that I am boarding a plane for Hawaii! Our anniversary is actually July 7, but we waited for a holiday break for me to celebrate. Going to Hawaii is something we both said we wanted to do for one of our anniversaries! And here we are!!!!

I made this little slide show for David to say HAPPY 10 YEAR ANNIVERSARY BABE!
Love you to pieces!I am so blessed to have you as my husband!

Our boys will be in Louisiana for Thanksgiving with our families! We will miss them all! We know they will have fun with their grandparents!

Happy Thanksgiving from Hawaii!

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Pumpkin Patch

2011-11-07T19:47:00.000-08:00

I put together a little digital scrapbook of our latest trip to the Pumpkin Patch in October. I also added a very pictures from memory lane! Notice the shirts that were able to be worn again this Halloween season! Gotta love hand-me-downs!

(When you play the Smilebox, you can click on the pictures to view them larger.)

Sorry for all the Smilebox videos lately. It is so much easier and faster for me to download pics this way. Is might be just me....But Blogger seems to be soooo slow when it comes to posting my pictures! I just do not have the time during the day anymore!
Just saying!

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Catching Up

2011-10-27T19:54:00.000-07:00

We've been crazy busy around here in Houston! School started and Kindergarten began! Home Readers and Math homework is in full swing! Ethan is reading up a storm and loving learning. Will loves school and sings all the new songs he is learning! Ethan is also playing fall baseball this year. David is assisting coaching, and I chase two boys around the ballpark while I try to see Ethan bat! Life is good! Enjoy our first day of school slide show.

Another slideshow by Smilebox

Super Hero Birthday Bash

2011-10-19T12:10:00.000-07:00

This photo slideshow made with Smilebox

We threw a Super Hero Birthday Bash for Ethan and Will this past Friday! It was so much fun! The kiddos had a blast, and I had a blast planning the party! Thanks to my new best friend, Pineterst! Are you Pinning? If not, you must!!! Everyones doing it!! HEE HEE!

To my loyal readers, so sorry it's been a while since I have posted anything in the blog world! :) Been a little crazy busy around our house! Stay turned because we'll play catch up soon!!!!

The Tooth Fairy Visits

2011-08-30T16:50:00.000-07:00

Ethan has been waiting all summer for his tooth to fall out. In May we had our teeth cleaned and the dental hygienist told me it would not be long. Ethan was just convinced that it would happen before Kindergarten.

So the week before Kindergarten started, Ethan and his buddy Greyson were playing the Wii while eating a little snack of popcorn! And voila! Out came the tooth and down it went! Ethan swallowed it right along with the popcorn!

The tooth fairy came! Believe it or not, he hasn't spent his money yet. He is waiting to buy something special. A DS game! I don't have the heart to tell him that it is going to take a few more teeth to add up to that price!

Loosing the first tooth hit me hard. Kindergarten starting and first tooth about did me in! Way too much for me at one time, but it has been fun watching Ethan get excited about all his big milestones. Just pass me the tissues!

My Love/Hate Relationship

2011-08-22T18:07:00.003-07:00

I have a Love/Hate relationship with about 100 plus men at my house......

I am not sure how many of these tiny super hero men we have at our house, but they are EVERYWHERE! Will refers to them as "His Mans!" So Mans come with us everywhere...to bath, to bed, to church, to Louisiana, to the doctor's office, to the dinner table, to school in our backpack (shh, don't tell the director!)... You name a place and they have visited it! We are constantly in search of a certain one right before bed time and none of the 99 others will do!

When the first two or three arrived to our house, I thought they were cute and just the right size for little hands! But after many hours of picking them up, searching for just the RIGHT one at 15 minutes past bedtime, and stepping on them in the dark (which would bring tears to a grown man!)......I have decided I am sending them all back to super hero kingdom..Where ever that is!!!!!

Every once in a while when I turn the corner in my house, I run into a life size one!

Have I mentioned lately how MUCH I LOVE being a Mommy of Boys! Little Boys Rock!

Happy Birthday Daddy!

2011-08-06T09:18:00.000-07:00

So this past week we celebrated David's birthday! David turned 33 on Tuesday. I always feel bad that his birthday doesn't ever get a big celebration. Unfortunately David married a teacher and when August rolls around I am in SCHOOL MODE FULL FORCE! I am eating, sleeping, and dreaming school right now! Sorry David!

The boys and I made cupcakes and bought a few gifts! Which were a total surprise to David. You see if you know David, then you probably know that he buys his own birthday gifts and I just wrap them. This year I told him to give me the money and he was going to be surprised. Well, I got to do it almost 100%. David brought me to the store and showed me a few things he would be interested in. Just in case I needed some ideas for his gift. Gotta love him!

Our cupcakes were not Food Network Cupcake War worthy, but they were made with LOVE

and yummy!

Ethan captured this moment after present time. Ethan loves to take pictures of us with my camera. David gave me a thank you kiss after our little family birthday celebration. Ethan witnessed our kiss and asked his daddy to do it again so he could take a picture.

I did not see the picture until I was downloading all the pics from my camera to the computer. WOW! My husband still loves me! Even with my messy hair and make up worn off from a hard day at work! When I saw the pic, I thought it was a great moment caught on film and the fact that my 5 year old thought it was a moment that needed to be documented was totally cool! I also think it was pretty awesome that Ethan witnessed such a sweet moment between his mommy and daddy. David is such a great husband and a wonderful example for our boys!
Happy Birthday David! We Love You to the Moon and Back!

Houston Ink in Honor of Father's Day

2011-06-19T10:36:00.000-07:00

So they have a show named Miami Ink, LA Ink, and now the newest New York Ink. I do not watch any of them regularly, but have seen a few from time to time. I know the 2 new cast members of a Houston Ink...if they ever decide to create a Houston Ink!

LIKE FATHER LIKE SON! My boys seem to always NEED Ink some where on their body. My rule is it has to be somewhere we can cover it up if need be, but since Will loves tank tops....this summer has not worked in my favor. Of course my boys seem to not wear shirts when we are at home either! (Remember my roots are in Louisiana..we're just rednecks at heart..I guess!)

We have had it all....Batman, Captain America, Spiderman, Buzz Lightyear, etc... If they make it, my boys find it!!!

Will is the KING of one liners! I will have to dedicate a post sometime soon just for his funny one liners, but I will entertain you with his newest one.

Will: Daddy, where can I get one of those tattoos that don't rub off like yours.

Daddy: A big person store.

Will: I want one that doesn't come off.

David: Well I don't know.

Kandy thinking to herself: Way to NOT answer that one David!

I knew the DAY would come. I remember a conversation about 10 years ago between David and myself about this very question. Much harder to answer it in REAL Life! Ha!

So in Honor of Father's Day! We love you Daddy! Thank you for being our Daddy and the best Husband Ever!

Will made this cute tie for David in Sunday School.

It has this written on it.

I love my Daddy because...He plays with me.

(He must have a really creative Sunday School teacher! HEE HEE! It's me!)
David is the best. He wore it all the way home and the entire time we ate lunch at the restaurant! So proud! He got many compliments on it while we ate. So cute to watch him and Will when someone would say... "Love your tie!"

To the other Daddies and Grandfathers in our life.... We love you and are so blessed to have you. Thank you for always teaching us, protecting us, providing for us, praying for us, and loving us!

You are the best!

Florida or Bust!

2011-06-18T07:24:00.000-07:00

Our summer has officially started! We made it to the BEACH! The boys and I went to Florida with my parents and my sister and niece.

Of course no vacation or holiday for the Bozemans happens without someone being sick. I headed to Florida with 2 boys having a fever. One had the hand, foot, and mouth yuck and the other one..well who knows....just ran a fever for two days. I was a GREAT mom and keep them drugged with medicine and headed to the beach any way! Nothing was standing in my way of getting my feet in the sand and watching the waves! Take that Silly Fever!

We had a great time of playing in the sand, riding the waves, searching for sea shells, swimming in the pool, taking naps, playing in the sand, riding the waves, searching for sea shells, swimming in the pool, taking naps, playing in the sand, riding the waves..... You Get the Point! For 3 full days that is all we did and WE LOVED IT! I think I put make up on ONCE in 5 days! Yippee! Callen loved his first time to God's Promise Land...The Beach! Can you tell I HEART THE BEACH!!!! Of course my sweet hubby does not agree with my other love, but he does allow me to enjoy it about every other year! Thanks to Mems and Pops for taking us on our Summer Vacation! I loved watching the boys play with their cousin and listening to the waves. The best part is the smell of the sand and having my feet touch the foam as it reaches the sand!

A Shark Got Us!

The sun and the wind didn't really help us in the photo shoot!

The grand kids!

Pretty ladies!

The wind and sun came again and messed up our photo shoot! UGH!!

My view for 3 days! Ethan and Kameron in the tube and Will in the sand.

Nothing better than a nap on the beach. Falling asleep to the sound of the waves.

Kameron playing in the sand with a cute little frog!

Will HEARTS the SAND!

Cute Beach Baby!

Callen is ONE!

2011-06-15T13:00:00.000-07:00

A year has flown by and somewhere along the way I have lost many hours of sleep, but this bundle of curls keeps a smile on my face. Callen is such a squishy baby and I love to hug and squeeze him! Who could resist those cute curls? Not too sure where he got them from and I have no idea how to fix his hair, but I HEART THEM!!!!

We had probably the most low key First Birthday Party for the Bozeman household ever! Which made David's day. One of our family friends had a visit from the stomach bug so they weren't able to come and another family could only stay for a short while. We enjoyed an evening of splish splash in the backyard and some yummy food with two other families. We had a nice evening celebrating our baby Callen.

I found some time to make his invitations with my circut and they turned out so cute! I can't get our scanner to work. So sorry you can't see them, but come visit me and you can look through his scrapbook and find it there!

I had a friend at work paint on the sand pails for the birthday favors. I placed sidewalk chalk inside each one. I thought they turned out so cute. Each one was different. A quick shout out to Ms. Krislyn... THANK YOU for our CUTE PAILS!!!!

I decided to not visit the bakery this year (much to Davids delight!) and instead I made cupcakes. I even decorated them myself! I was quite proud of myself! Not real fancy, but cute!

No Hands Required!
Kennedy enjoyed a cupcake!
Cooper enjoying a cupcake!

We had a great time relaxing and watching the kiddos play in the water!

Watch out! The Mafia might get you!
Miss Taylor with her watermelon! Probably her 20th piece. Love that Girl!
Little turtle with his mommy! Our cute little turtle with his pretty friend, Kennedy.

Cast Update: As you can see Callen's cast is OFF! It came off the day before his birthday party. Check out his new thumb in the pictures. He is doing great using it and participating in his therapy sessions with mommy. I wasn't too prepared for the scar, but Daddy keeps telling me that Chicks Dig Scars! What Daddy doesn't understand is that Mommies do not! I am so thankful for his surgeon and that my baby is doing great!

Kindergarten Here We Come!

2011-05-30T15:06:00.000-07:00

Last Thursday Ethan finished his last day of Pre-K! He is now a kindergartner, and I can't believe how fast the last 3 years have flown. He no longer will be under my wing on the preschool hallway. He his so excited to go to the Elementary hallway! I have included a few pictures to take you down preschool memory lane!

First Day of Pre-K

Last Day of Pre-K

Very First Day of Preschool

Our backpack lasted 3 years! I have promised him a brand new Kindergarten one for next year!

Ethan has grown so much and is learning and changing everyday. Recently he has learned how to tie his shoes. He is so excited. I have to admit. I am not as thrilled as him. It takes us double the time to get out of the house. He insist on tying them himself! Takes great patience for me!

He is sounding out words and starting to read. Lately his new found interest is drawing super heroes. I have found all different kinds of super heroes on the back of school papers in his backpack. Reminds me so much of my little brother who used to get in trouble in Kindergarten for drawing Superman on the backs of his papers. I have promised Ethan we will make a book this summer of all his super hero drawings!

So I guess he is ready for the promotion to the new hallway. Kindergarten here we come, but first we'll enjoy a few months of summer!

Redneck PJ's

2011-05-14T07:08:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I will laugh with you about my new pj's!

Ok! Now you can stop laughing at me!

I am a mommy who loves kids pj's! It is a pretty bad obsession. My big boys have 3 drawers full of cute pj's with trucks, sports balls, dinosaurs, and superheros on them. Callen has almost 2 drawers filled himself with the same. One of the neat things about having all boys close in age is that you can pass down clothes for several years. You would think this would decrease the amount of pj's in my house. WRONG!! It seems that in our house they have multiplied by 4!

When Callen had his cast put on, we had to get a little creative with his attire. It's a good thing it is the warmer months of the year because he is getting to wear all the cute little jon jons that I love and fun little tank tops! But when it came to pj's I didn't know what to do the first night. If you haven't noticed his cast is HUGE! I mean could they of found a bigger one! Nothing fits over that thing! I could not bring myself to cut any of our cute little pj's (and I had many to choose from that I could have cut)... so a little white t-shirt had to do. We found four little white t-shirts in the bottom of Will's drawers (that I think where Ethan's at one time, but not totally sure!). We cut one arm hole out of them and a few white onesies and there you have it.... REDNECK PJ'S!
Each night he has his pick of a white tee and any cute bottoms we can find in his drawers.

Not sure if Callen should ride his four wheeler down to the local Wal-Mart or be the newest cast member of Swamp People! But one thing is for sure... he is the cutest little redneck baby I have ever seen!

Cast Update: We have now had 2 new wraps and a new color. His pin decided to "back out" and come through the cast. So that was taken out this week. He didn't even cry. Just sat there and watched the doctor the whole time as he very slowly pulled the pin out. Mommy did great too! We have 2 more weeks with our "club" and then it is off! We are heading to the pool the next day for a fun time of splish splash! Hopefully the chlorine in the pool will remove the stinch from his hand and fingers!

High SIX!

2011-04-14T09:42:00.000-07:00

Callen was born with an extra thumb on his right hand. In medical terms it is called preaxial polydactyly. Doctors say there is no real reason why. Just happens and does happen frequently in many births. Callen's extra digit was a little special with a joint and bone. So because of this it could not be taken care of at birth, but instead he would require surgery. Of course being the mommy, I had wondered what happened during pregnancy to cause this. What did I do? That is the question I have asked many times. When we had our first visit with Callen's hand surgeon, I asked do you know the cause of this. I have read and researched it and of course it is not heredity and there are no other abnormalities associated with it. The doctor answered my question by saying that the hand and finger buds are formed before the 6th week of gestation. Which made me have goose bumps when he told us that. How many of us even know we are pregnant before 6 weeks! Reminded me of how precious and miraculous the beauty of life is. God is so awesome and powerful! Because the formation of the hand happens so early during gestation the research is very little and cause is unknown. Some say it might be caused by a virus the mother might of had during pregnancy. The fact is we don't know why or how our sweet baby was born with an extra little thumb, but what I do know is he is special for more than one reason and I love that little thumb! My favorite thing is to kiss it! We have nicknamed it Hook and of course he gives High Six instead of High Five! One more extra is always better, right?

Callen loves to suck his little Hook! Check out Callen's "Cool" thumb!

We made a little ink hand print of Callen's hand to have for a memory. Don't worry, I used a non toxic ink pad!

So the day came when our little baby boy would have surgery to remove his extra thumb. Like any mommy, I was anxious and worried about my baby going to surgery. We were in great hands (no pun attended) and at one of the best hospitals. This was my first experience with Texas Children's Hospital. It is a cheerful place with children everywhere, but in many ways so sad. I was so anxious and stressed over my little one's surgery, but when I looked around the food court and witness all the children with so many "other" sicknesses....I was so humbled, thankful, and reminded just how blessed we are.

My mom and mother-in-law came to be with us on the day of surgery. I was so thankful for their presence. What a lucky little buddy to have such wonderful grandparents! My mom has stayed all week with us to help with Callen. I am also a lucky daughter! Friends came to visit us while we waited, called, and texted us. Prayers were said on our little baby's behalf all day. What a blessing to be surrounded by the Lord's family and cared for by so many!!! Thank you! We are so grateful and love you all!

Callen's surgery was a success from the words of his doctor. He was in surgery for about 2 hours. 2 hours that seemed like 24 hours for this mommy! He is now the proud owner of a very BIG red cast. This should be an interesting 6 weeks! He had some trouble coming off the medicine in recovery, but after about 4 hours in recovery we were able to come home. Nursing has been interesting, but with every time we get a little better. The cast is just so big and heavy. He looks like a lobster with a claw when he crawls. I just hope he doesn't figure out how to use it as a weapon on his big brothers! I will keep you posted as we unveil the new thumb!

In his Texas Children's PJs!

Hugs as we wait to go in! A little playtime as we wait.

Hugs and kisses from my grandmothers!

Not so happy on the car ride home!

All smiles showing off his new cast today!

Cowboy Boots...Hay...Pigs...Cows...Tractors

2011-03-16T07:38:00.000-07:00

You aren't a true Houstonian until you have been to the Houston Rodeo! We took the boys to their first Houston Rodeo this Saturday. Once upon a time before David and I had children, we LOVED going to the rodeo. We went several times while it was in town to see the rodeo and concerts, but then babies came and well you know what that means. My favorite part of the rodeo is the calf scramble and eating all the yummy food!!! Every year since we have had kiddos, Ethan has had his visit from the asthma fairy during the month of March and going to the rodeo was never a great idea. Hay and asthma equal disaster! This year Ethan has had a great March! Which we are so thankful for! So off to the rodeo we went. Well sort of! We just took them to the Livestock show and children activities. Next year when Callen is a little older we'll take them all to the BIG RODEO and maybe a concert! Would love to of seen Will watch Sugarland in concert and sing his favorite song right along with them! He loves to sing Stuck Like Glue and we love to listen to him sing it! Maybe next year, but we did have a great time this year. Minus the amount of money that is missing in our wallet! Park tickets for 5 people, parking fee, yummy food for 4, and a very expensive face painting for two cute boys equals a broke mommy and daddy!!!!

The boys and me at our Western Day at school

Baby Cow

This is how Will walked through the entire Livestock show. Guess he hasn't become the TRUE Texan just yet!

The boys planting seeds.

John Deer Tractors...Don't you just LOVE Will's boots!

The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles came to the Rodeo

Check out Ethan in the background getting a little up close and personal with the bull!

Happy Callen came along for the ride. He learned how to clap recently and loves to shows us his clapping hands.

See you next year cowboys and cowgirls!

Take Me Out To The Ballgame

2011-03-14T18:46:00.000-07:00

take me out to the ballgame

take me out to the crowd

buy me some peanuts

and cracker jacks

i don't care if I ever come back

oh it's root root root for the home team

if they don't win it's a shame

for it's 1...2...

3..... strikes you're out

at the old ballgame

Hello Spring

2011-03-13T19:20:00.000-07:00

Winter 2011 is wrapping up around here, and I am happy to see spring around the corner. Don't get me wrong... I love winter time. I like the cool air, wearing turtle necks and scarfs, eating a big bowl of yummy soup for dinner, and I want to subconsciously live where you have to shovel the snow out of your driveway each morning. But this winter proved to be a difficult one for our family, and I am ready to feel the sun on my legs and break out the flip flops.

So what did winter look like around the Bozeman house.....

We had a few Winter Weather Alerts and even got our for a snow day. The only Winter Weather we saw was one little icicle hanging from the yellow Tonka truck on our back patio and the only snow that was spotted on our snow day was in our play room. We do however have a few brown plants to show for our Mystery Snow Day.

My little boys didn't get to build a cute little snowman with a felt hat like some of my other friends who live a little a bit more up north, but they can sure make a cute paper one!

David had a little New Years project he wanted to make.
The Before

Almost Done
DONE!

I think he did a great job. I was pretty impressed with his new found skill. We love having the new built in.

The boys played

and played

and played

Callen learned how to do this

and this

and this

Baseball games, planting new flowers, Saturday afternoons at the park playing, longer evenings, riding our bikes after dinner, and wearing shorts and flip flops are just around the corner.....Thank you God for the change of seasons and the beauty that comes with each one.

Goodbyes......But not FOREVER

2011-02-20T14:35:00.001-08:00

The start of 2011 has been a tough one for our family. As many of your may know by now, I lost both of my grandparents in a three week span.

My sweet Papaw lost his battle with Alzheimer's and went to be with the Lord on January 16. Alzheimer's mentally took my Papaw about 2 years ago and since then he hasn't known us, but knew we belong to him. My Papaw was a great Godly man. He loved the Lord and his life was an example of Christian living. When I think back at the legacy he began for my boys, it brings tears to my eyes. It is because of his faith that I know the love of Jesus. What an amazing legacy to leave behind.
.

I have fond memories of my Papaw. He was known for his "Gates" shoulder rubs and his BIG hands that were always extended out for a handshake. Papaw was a people person. He loved people and loved to talk to people. I like to think I got that from him! Papaw always smiled! I loved that about him. His smile would brighten his whole face.

I was so blessed to have a wonderful Grandfather that took care of his family spiritually and physically. I love you Papaw and I will see your sweet smile soon!

My Mamaw became sick in the month of January and the day of Papaw's funeral she worsened. She went to the hospital and never came home. My wonderful Mamaw went to be with her Lord and her husband on February 5. Only three weeks apart! They were married 68 years. A family member stated that it reminded them of the story The Notebook, which it kind of does. When I think about it, it is bitter sweet. I wasn't ready to let my Mamaw go, but I have peace in knowing that she is HOME with Papaw and Jesus. I know that her and Papaw have a lot of catching up to do and that makes me smile

Juanita Belle Starr Carlisle was Ms. Juanita to many, Mrs. Carlisle to some, and her mail read Mrs. Gates W. Carlisle Jr. But to eight of us in this world she was Mamaw. And not just any Mamaw. She was one of kind. I know that everyone thinks their grandma is special, but mine was way more than special. She was a rare RUBY and Sweeter than Sugar. The best grandma you could find! I always thought that the name Mamaw was a little boring for her. Not sure how she got that name. If she picked it out for us to call her, or if my mom or sister (the oldest grandchild) picked it out. I always thought she was more of a Grandmeire or Grandmother. Because she was GRAND to me and such the matriarch of our family. Now that I reflect back. She didn't see herself that way at all. She was just a Mamaw in her eyes and that is really all she wanted to be. She loved being our Mamaw probably more than life itself and the title meant nothing to her. It was just the act and joy of being a Mamaw that brought her more happiness than anything else. Her daughter and grandchildren were the light of her world. In return she was our LIGHT! You see 4 small children grew to be 4 adults whose lives where touched by the love of a grandmother. A love that shaped and molded them. Mamaw was known as a lady of grace, elegance, beauty, and poise. She was a classy Christian woman at her best. Everyone that knew her thought she was SUCH the LADY. But it was her LOVE that made her special. It was the LOVE she had that made her hugs some of the best hugs you could find, her words of encouragement just what you needed to hear at that moment, or the pat of her hand on your face that made you feel so loved at that moment!

Mamaw and Papaw were always there. At church, at holidays, at school functions, when you were sick, and at all the big events in your life. They didn't want to miss anyting especially if it was something that their grandchildren were a part of.

I know that each grandchild has their own favorite memories of Mamaw, but I have a few that will always be part of my heart. I loved going to the PX with them on Saturday morning to go grocery shopping. Maybe it was the fact that they always bought me something, but I think it was just the time spent with them that made me feel so special. I remember the Saturday morning breakfasts at McDonalds, the vacations in the big Blue Van, playing in their office at their house when they babysat us while mom and dad went on a date, typing on Mamaw's real typewriter, trips to visit Mamaw at work and getting to buy a cold coke in a real coke bottle, learning how to set the table for Sunday lunch at her house, getting to help make the peach cobbler, sitting next to her at church on Sunday mornings and playing with her sequin purse (she then bought me 2 of my own to have when I started to go to dances in high school), helping her plant flowers, learning how to sew from her, making eight pillows in one day for my very first house with her, shopping for the just perfect outfit with her, eating at Piccadilly (my Papaw's favorite), and getting to sleep at their house or in the hotel with them. I will always remember how tight Mamaw needed the sheets. Your feet could not move once you were in the bed. She had a way of making everything seem like it was going to be ok. I remember once when David and I broke up (He broke MY HEART). I was home for quarter break and miserable. She and Papaw took me shopping and out to eat ( of course it was Piccadilly). Our shopping trip was just to Target, but it was just what I needed. I remember getting some really cute outfits that I strategically wore when I knew I would be seeing David on campus. And they worked! After all we did get married!!!! That day was not full of conversation. It was just a day of being together. It was just what I needed at the time. In my heart I feel she knew that and she delivered it.

One of most funniest memories of her and me, was when I was in sixth grade. I took piano lessons (which happen to be my siblings favorite thing) and in sixth grade she took me to my lessons each week. Our ritual was that she pick me up at school, we then would stop at the convenient store, I would get a drink and some laffy taffy (the ones with jokes in the wrapper), then we headed across the river to Pineville to my lessons. This particular day she drove Papaw's big van and not her white car. As we drove over the Red River on the bridge, the van stalled and stopped on top of the bridge. I was mortified. I threw myself onto the floor of the van in embarrassment (like any 12 year old would do) and said something like, "I hope nobody sees us!" I remember looking at her and she was just smiling and giggling at me. She never once told me to get up off the floor. We made it back across the bridge and to lessons without any problems. But what I remember most about that day was how she told EVERYONE about me falling to the floor in embarrassment. She thought it was so funny.

I believe that Mamaw left a little something of her in all of us.

Mamaw was a strong and independent woman. Who wasn't afraid of much. She could do most anything. I believe Tracey, the oldest grandchild, learned that from her. Tracey has a little of Mamaw's braveness in her. Mamaw took care of us all. She was a mother hen and Tracey does the same. Though sometimes we don't like it when Tracey tells us what to do, but we know that's just the way she is. Aren't all first borns like that. :)

Mamaw was a wise and smart lady. You could just look at her and know she was smart. Her wisdom was something I think we all sought out at many times in our lives. Her wisdom was spoken so eloquently. The second grandchild, Brad, learned that best from Mamaw. Of course all little sisters think their big brothers hung the moon and I was no different. In my eyes Brad was the smartest person I knew. He speaks with wisdom and so eloquently just like Mamaw. Mamaw and Brad like the finer things in life. They both have expensive taste and like things that look sharp. Brad is also a very good cook. He learned from one of the best. All grandmas are good cooks, and Mamaw was one of the best to us. We all had our favorites. Mine was her slice sweet potatoes and candied carrots. We all loved her chicken and dressing, which we are counting on Brad to deliver for us when the holidays arrive.

Then there is Brett, the baby. He isn't just the baby. He was Mamaw's baby. She always wanted to know where he was or when he was getting there. Mamaw was a very attractive lady and tall. I like to think that is where Brett got his good looks and stature from. Yes, you heard me right. I said my baby brother was good looking. Mamaw thought he was so handsome. When Brett would enter the room, she would lean over and tell me ....isn't he so handsome. She liked to look at him. Mamaw liked to look at pretty things and Brett was no exception. Brett is a very loyal person. Something I think he learned from Mamaw. Mamaw was loyal to everyone she knew. Brett is just as loyal to his friends and family as she was.

That leaves me. The third grandchild. I'm not sure in what ways I am like my Mamaw. I'm sure my siblings would be glad to tell me their toughts, but lucky for me this is not their blog! HA HA! I have many qualities of Mamaw's that I want to possess. I want to have kind words like hers. I want to take care of my family just the way she did. I want to touch peoples lives the way she did. I want to be the wife, mother, and grandmother she was. I want my clothes to be just as neat as hers were hanging in her closet and in her drawers. :) I want to have diamonds and jewels just like hers. :)I want my flowers to stay alive like hers always did. :) But most of all I want to LOVE like she did!

I was so blessed to have my grandparents for so long as I did. For each of my children to have met them and for them to have shared in their lives. Life will be different for our family. One we will all adjust to in our own way. The peace that I have is knowing that one day I will see her again. One day we will get one more hug, one more pat on our face from her, and hopefully one more bite of her chicken and dressing.

So sorry this was so long. I didn't expect this post to be like this, but the words just flew on to the screen. Thanks for reading.

Us In A Decade

2011-01-01T20:17:00.001-08:00

In the last 10 years we have had.......

2 graduations
1 marriage
1 move to a new state
2 first-ever jobs
1 apartment complex
1 new furry addition to our family
2 houses
3 zip codes
1 new church family
3 births of beautiful baby boys
2 career changes
4 deaths of grandparents
5 employers
3 elementary schools

11 cars...no surprise, but quite embarrassing

Happy New Year Friends!

What did your last 10 years look like?

Christmas 2010 Memories

2011-01-01T15:03:00.000-08:00

Sweet Boys having a blast in Louisiana for Christmas!

Callen chewing on Mammaw's finger!

Callen learning to clap with Pappaw
Mems stealing sweet kisses!

Will "playing" dominoes with Pops! Pretty soon he'll be big enough to play chicken trail with the grown ups, but for now building with Pops is just as fun!

Callen gets kisses from Rebel (his dog cousin)

Brad and Will "texting" on their iphones.
Best Friends....Mamaw and Kirby

Callen meets his great grandfather for the first time

Sweet Kisses!

Mamaw and Papaw with their grandkids

Sweet Papaw... Gates William

Sweet memories and sweet smiles

Superman Snuggie! So funny!

Ethan and his Aunt Tracey

It was a DS Christmas! 3 Cheers for DS!

Callen meets his Uncle Brad for the first time.

Ethan and Will play a little basketball with their cousin Christopher.

Yay for Super Heroes and Santa Claus. He is the best!

Merry Christmas and Good Morning Ethan! Guess What? Santa Came!

Callen liked the wrapping on his new DVD the most!

I'm Buzz Lightyear. I come in peace!

Waiting to see what Santa brought

The day finally arrived! Ethan got his DS! Thank you Santa!

Merry Christmas and Good Morning Will! Guess What? Santa Came!!!!

Santa visited the Bozeman house!

Christmas Eve after our church Christmas Eve Service. Trying to get a good picture with three little ones in their Christmas Eve outfits seems to be impossible or not! Love those sweet faces even if they can not all look in the same direction for just one second!

My WHOLE Family at Christmas!

My sister, my Mamaw, and me showing off our 147 million orphan necklaces

Christmas On A Budget

2010-12-23T13:00:00.000-08:00

So David has me on this tight budget. Which is quite ironic considering he is the spender and not ME! He has this plan to go to Hawaii next November for our 10 year Anniversary (which will be in July), but November is much cheaper for Hawaii! So we have a formulated spreadsheet that is color coded with everything budgeted that we are going to purchase or spend from now and next November! Every night he goes to the laptop and calculates the day's expenses and moves things around if needed. I am so not kidding! Well he forgot to budget 2 important items for this Christmas season.... Christmas PJ's for the boys and Christmas Cards! GASP!!!! So I had to get a little creative with the PJ's and as far as the cards go..well he made me cut my list by over half....GASP AGAIN! So if you didn't make the very skinny list, I am so sorry. It's David's fault! And if you received a card (which I mailed Monday)....ENJOY..there are only a few out there!

Christmas 2010 Ethan (age 5), Will (age 3), and Callen (6 months)
Retro Christmas PJ's for the Boys
They might be a little tight in some areas, but still look pretty cute! Good thing I had 3 little baby boys in the last 5 years! It's a good thing when you can reuse clothes over and over again.
Take a little trip down Christmas Memory Lane!
Christmas 2008 Ethan (age 3) and Will (age 1)

Christmas 2009 Ethan (age 4) and Will (age 2)

Carrying on with the spirit of Christmas on a budget....
I have always wanted one of those super cute Advent calendars from Pottery Barn with the Bozeman name monogrammed on it. But of course that was not on the spreadsheet this year either! So Mommy got a little creative and let the boys have fun. We made our own old school count down chain. We started with 12 Days till Christmas. Each night the boys take turns tearing off one chain and choosing a Christmas book for Mommy or Daddy to read from Mommy's little library in the office. It had been so much fun, and I think we have started a new Christmas tradition.

All kidding aside, I am truly grateful for all the THINGS we do have this Christmas season. With the stress and bustle of the Holiday season, it is easy to get caught up in doing everything possible with your kiddos (Breakfast with Santa, visiting Santa in a VERY LONG line in the mall, making gingerbread houses, baking cookies, capturing the just perfect Christmas card picture, and the list can go on and on)! This Christmas I have tried to reflect on the simpler things during this special season. Last night I was sitting in my rocking chair with my sweet chubby 6 month old baby boy and I was reminded of the sweet Manger Story I have told many times this season to rooms full of children. This year my heart has been fixed on Mary. I rock my sweet baby boy in a heated home and make sure I have just the right soft blanket to lay him down in and a boppy to feed him on. Mary rode on a donkey for days without complaining. I would roll out of bed 9 months big and complain all the way to the bathroom as I released my bladder several times during the night. She gave birth in a barn with hay and animals. She had no idea where she would be delivering her unborn child, but knew that God was going to take care of it all. We make sure we have a birth plan, a hospital bag packed and ready by the door, take the hospital tour, and stress over the last minute details. While we are busy taking care of all these plans, God is taking care of it all! This season I am thankful for a gentle and caring Father who sent His son to this earth in the form a sweet baby boy just for me and for my sweet baby boys. I am also thankful for the mother Mary who reminds me this season and everyday to trust in GOD...He has it all taken care of.

To My Sweet Blog Readers,
I hope you all have a very Merry Christmas. I hope Santa gives you everything on your wish list and that God blesses your family this holiday season and all next year!

Till 2011....I'm signing off!

They Have Arrived!!!!!!

2010-12-20T14:31:00.001-08:00

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!

AWWWWWWWWWWW!!!!!

And yes I did clean the playroom for the 2nd time in one day before taking the picture!

Breakfast With Santa

2010-12-20T13:16:00.000-08:00

We made reindeer puppets, decorated sugar cookies, painted ornaments, made a bean soup gift for someone special, and played hand bells (which was hands down the favorite activity!)Plus visited with Santa and Mrs. Claus! We had a blast!!! Merry Christmas to EVERYONE!

Dear Santa,
I would like a DS for Christmas with Super Hero Squad Game. I would like a new little Superhero and an orange and black Wolverine. Please give the kids in Haiti little Superheros. Be safe on Christmas Eve.
Love,
Ethan

Dear Santa,
I would like a good Ironman and a bad Ironman for Christmas. I would like Fix Buzz (the Buzzlight Year Operation Game). I would like Batman Legos. And that's all! Be safe on Christmas Eve. Love you so much.
Love, Will

Dear Santa,
I would like ONE day where I can sit on the couch in my PJ's all day watching trashy t.v., finish reading my book I started over 2 months ago, and not hear "Mommy can I have a snack or Mommy I am hungry!" Can you throw in a clean house, too! If the elves and you are all out of a day like that one, then I would settle for just a clean house. Thanks! Have a Merry Merry Christmas!
Love, The Mommy

And So It Begins........

2010-12-15T13:02:00.001-08:00

I knew as a mother of 3 boys I would find myself in the emergency room at some point. David and I always said that Will would be the ONE!

And so it begins.....
Last Saturday Will fell in the garage and from what we can gather from his big brother and him, he hit the trailer hitch. After a 2 hour trip to the ER with Daddy and his Batmen and a little glue on the forehead...he has hit a milestone for a little boy!

Will was a little shocked at first, but did great at the hospital...NO TEARS! Ethan on the other hand! Well lets just say I had to pick him up off the floor and calm him down more than the child with the bleeding forehead. He wins the award of being JUST LIKE HIS MOMMY! I remember hearing so many stories of when I was young and how I was hysterical when someone in the family was hurt or going to the hospital. So many adults have told me they spent more time calming me down then tending to the hurt! Oh what joys of parenthood!

My favorite picture is the one of him in the hospital bed with his Batmen! So Will!!!

Hoping it doesn't scar, but if it does least I have an excuse to keep his hair long! David loves that one!!!!

Because it is SOOOOO Cute!!!!

2010-12-10T12:56:00.001-08:00

The boys Thanksgiving artwork displayed so proudly by Mommy! And do you see our Milton the Elf (Elf on the Shelve) sitting in the brown chair playing the Wii? Too funny!!! By the way Milton is named after the neighbor's dog. I have no idea why???

My favorite is the painted turkey!

Can't wait for all my Christmas artwork to make it to my house! It will look so nice against my red wall! Don't you think? HEE HEE! It's the small things in life that I enjoy most!

We are Thankful for.......

2010-11-23T06:27:00.001-08:00

Ethan is thankful for.....
Mommy
Will
Daddy
Luke, my friend
Nathan, my friend and Luke's brother
Sarah, my friend and Nathan and Luke's sister
Myself
My super heros
My friend Elle
My baby brother Callen
Mems, Pops, and Kameron
Mammaw and Pappaw
Our House
My new football from Uncle Brad
Callen's stuff
God
Jesus

Meet Elle....the topic of MANY conversations at our house!

Will is thankful for....
Ethan
Silver Surfer that is big from Mc Donalds
You, Mommy
Wolverine
Spiderman
Callen
Kennedy in my class
Daddy
Chicken Nuggets
Pop Tarts
Mems and Pops
Cereal
Ladybugs
Mammaw and Pappaw
Books

Callen is thankful for....
Mommy's Milk
Daddy's Smile
My swing
My excersaucer
My thumbs
My babysitter Tita
My swaddle blanket

Daddy and Mommy are thankful for....
All the above because it's what makes our boys smile and happy!

Have a happy Thanksgiving everyone! Hope you eat lots of yummy food, watch some great football (Geaux Saints and LSU Tigers! Beat the Cowboys and the Razorbacks!!!), love on your family, and gets some great deals on Friday!!!!

Thank you God for all our many blessings! We are beyond BLESSED!!

Turtle Power and Skeleton Bones

2010-11-20T14:18:00.000-08:00

Now that you are at the bottom of your Halloween bucket and only the nasty candy is left, I thought I would share my Halloween pictures of the boys! Here is a little view of what we looked like a month ago on October 30, 2010!

This is Amy, one of Will's favorite people in the world! She was Leo the Ninja Turtle just like Will, and we didn't even know it! Will thought it was so cool!

This Makes Me Smile

2010-11-20T13:53:00.000-08:00

I have been wanting to display the boys' artwork in the house. The teacher in me really wanted a bulletin board to decorate seasonally, but of course my home decorator (David) would not go for that! :) After a little blog stalking, I decided to copy this from a blog I found. I have no idea who the girl is, but read her blog almost daily (I know you're surprised to hear that!). So thank you cute mom for sharing your new play room pictures with the blog world and giving me a little tutorial on your art display. After my handyman (David)took a little trip to Home Depot for some twine, two hooks, and clothes pins, we have a cute addition to our playroom! And I love it! I guess it is the teacher in me. Can't wait to hang all the cute Thanksgiving/Fall art projects the boys will bring home and the Christmas ones!!!! I am so excited!!

This makes me smile too!

And this......

And this.....

And this......

And this.......

Have a great day sweetones!

On This Day 3 Years Ago

2010-10-30T20:17:00.000-07:00

3 Years Ago, God gave me my second precious gift. I remember SMILING and crying at the first moment I saw William Brett.

And I have SMILED everyday after! Our little Will makes me smile big and giggle each time I look at him. Will is full of life and is only concerned about having a good time! If it is fun, then Will is going to try it!!!!

How can you not smile when you see this sweet face!

Will is in love with the movie Toy Story. I can't blame him. I think the movies are priceless, too! When we asked him what he wanted to do for his birthday, he told us he wanted a Toy Story birthday party. So that's what we delivered.

Will with is Toy Story presents from Mommy and Daddy!

To Infinity and Beyond!!!

One of our games at the party

"We Come In Peace" alien cupcakes. David and I stayed up till midnight last night decorating these. I think they turned out pretty cute, but I know for a fact I will not be opening my own cupcake bakery anytime soon!

We played pin the tail on Rex! So much fun!!!

Our thank you gifts for Will's guest.

The plant that sits on the table in my house. Look closely..do you see anything? Yes, that's it! A little green toy solider! While I was busy running around the house the morning of the party, Ethan and Will decided to decorate too! Ethan told me that they were putting the soldiers in the plant just like the movie! I thought it was so cute. But when I was trying to clean up at the end of the day, I thought I would never find all the toy soldiers! I bet there are still more toy soldiers living in my plant!

The birthday boy enjoying some popcorn before his guest arrive!

The "Movie Theater Concession Stand"

The "Movie Theater"

We had a great day celebrating our little Willie! He was a happy little 3 year old today who played all day long with his new toys and had FUN while doing it all!

Happy Birthday Will! We Love You to Infinity and Beyond!

On This Day 5 Years Ago

2010-10-02T11:23:00.000-07:00

5 years ago, God gave me a wonderful 10 pound and 2 ounce gift!

It was 3:30 in the morning on October 2, 2005 when I became the mommy of my sweet baby boy. He was born on 10-2, weighed 10 lbs 2 oz, and our room number in the hospital was 10. Ethan was a perfect 10!! Funny how God works, uh?

Ethan is no longer a BIG infant, but a BIG 5 year old. He is full of energy, questions, and wonder! Ethan has a HUGE heart that loves EVERYONE in his family and God. He even has a sensitive heart to ones he doesn't know. He prays and worries about the less fortune among our world and genuinely wants to help them. Even at a young age he fully understands the mission God calls us all to do and take care of those in need. I know that God has great things in store for Ethan, and I can not wait to watch them unfold. As we wait, I am soaking up all of these memories like the ones we made today.

Ethan requested a football birthday party with Chick-fil-a chicken nuggets, and that's what he got. Ethan planned it all-- the menu, guest list, and activity. We had a few friends over to play and watch football. He wanted a Texan jersey and helmet for his birthday. We really wanted to buy a black and gold Saints one, but hey it's not our birthday!! Our heart belongs to Louisiana, but I guess Ethan is a born Texan. His new bike was a BIG surprise. Not sure if I enjoyed watching Ethan ride on the bike or watching David as Ethan rode on the bike. David stood there with a permanent smile on his face. There was one point when I looked at David, and he said "I just can't believe it!" It is a surreal feeling seeing your baby riding on a BIG BOY BIKE. Where did 5 years go? I almost dread the day we take the training wheels off. I will have to get tissues for both David and me!

We had a great day. The weather was beautiful! Just perfect for backyard football. We enjoyed watching the kiddos play. I loved the noise and laughter that I heard coming from the backyard. The food was just right and the friends were even better! The only thing missing was our families, but I know they all were thinking of Ethan on his day!

Happy 5th Birthday to our Ethan Bradley! May you have many more wonderful birthdays!

Milk Cookies

2010-09-06T06:53:00.000-07:00

So what do these ingredients....

Flaxseed Mill, Extra Thick Oats, and Brewer's Yeast

And these have in common...

Lots of Mommy's Milk

And one full and happy baby boy!

After returning to work and pumping twice a day, milk production was getting a little low. I started eyeing a website that sells milk cookies for nursing mommies to help with milk supply. They were probably the most expensive cookies I had ever seen. A little googling with a help of a friend and VOILA...we found a recipe for Lactation Cookies (Oatmeal Chocolate cookies). I took a little trip to Whole Foods and did some baking. Now I eat about 3 of these a day (don't judge...it's for my baby!!!!), and we are back in business with the dairy farm! David and Will have had their fair share too, but no worries because I am the only one at my house making milk!

First Day of School

2010-09-02T19:10:00.000-07:00

The First Day of School was a success! We made it out of the house all smiles and even on time with a little extra time to spare. The boys were so excited. Ethan could not even finish his breakfast. Will did great and looks so cute walking in his line down the hallway with his class. He is so cute with his angel wings and bubbles! I am so thankful to be working at their school. I love to see them during the day. It is so special! We are just praying that Will doesn't find himself in the director's office! HA HA HA!

Callen is doing great at his babysitters! He is 3 months old today, and I can't believe it. It wont be long, and we will be bringing him to school with a red uniform shirt on! For now I will treasure every minute of my sweet baby giggles and grins I can get!

Summer 2010...It's A Wrap Folks!

2010-07-30T13:03:00.000-07:00

Well summer 2010 is almost over for us. On Monday, I return to work (insert tear here), but Callen gets to go with me for a few days before her goes to the babysitter (insert another tear here). The big boys are in Louisiana for a few days getting to spend some quality time with their grandparents! So here is our summer 2010 in a nutshell....

Had a baby on June 2!

Officially became the only girl in my household!!!

Say goodbye to diapers for one child and added cleaning the floor around the toilet daily to my "To Do List"!

Did alot of this!

And this!!!

Stayed in our pj's sometimes all day!

Took really GOOD naps after Sweet Pea Day Camp!

Took swimming lessons!

Changed alot of diapers!

Played Dress Up!

Learned that being brothers is really sweet!

Learned how to do this!

Played with cousins!

Had a little fun at the spray park!

Adios Summer 2010!

Flip Video

2010-07-14T06:54:00.000-07:00

So I got this wonderful flip video for Christmas from my hubby. I played with it a lot over the Christmas Holiday and then kind of forgot about it. The hard thing is when I think about using it...it is not charged!! UGH!!!! So I have made a promise to myself to get it out and record the little moments in my life right now that make me smile.... my sweet Will's voice, watching the boys play, the boys dancing (that is something to see!!!), our baby Callen's sweet sounds, and the big boys holding and admiring their baby brother! So for the next trick...how to I get a video on my blog...here goes nothing!! Hope you enjoy a little of what I get to experience each day...PURE SWEETNESS!!!! Fingers Crossed...Hope it Works!!!

Blog Giveaway

2010-07-10T11:21:00.000-07:00

No, I am not giving away anything on my blog! I have no fancy clothes that I do not wear anymore to giv away, or a fancy baby item that I do not use to giveaway, or any fancy trips....but I do however enter in many giveaways on other blogs! I have not won one yet :(

So click on over to...
http://messyaprons.blogspot.com
These are some sorority sisters of mine that have a really cute blog on recipes! I love to read and search blogs that have recipes to share. Messy Aprons and The Pioneer Woman are my 2 favorites at this time. Thank goodness you do not gain weight from reading the yummy recipes!! We have cooked many that we have found! This past year pregnancy was my excuse. Not sure what excuse I will come up with this year.

mommy of three

2010-06-27T15:38:00.000-07:00

Life has been a little crazy around our house adjusting to three small boys. There is never a dull moment or quiet moment. So what has been going on around our house.....

We have had a few photo sessions in our cute shirts! Here is my friend's website that made the shirts for my boys. She has some really cute stuff. Take a look. http://pinkpopsicleembroidery.blogspot.com

The boys play with Baby Callen's tub while I nurse Baby Callen. I was informed they were playing doctors!

The boys get creative again while I nurse and become turtles!

Will poops on the potty! He is now potty trained. Thanks to Mems help!!!

Spiderman visits the house daily and plays so hard that he sleeps anywhere at naptime!

Baby Callen is growing. He is so adorable!

I have to admit... I am spoiled! I have not been with all three boys yet by myself. My mom left on Thursday and took the big boys with her for a week. I guess the true test will come when they return, but for now I am enjoying my little one for a week all to myself and enjoying the quiet....which sometimes is too quiet!

I have to say that I have the best Mommy in the world. I could not do this newborn stuff without her help the first couple weeks. I have to give a shout out to my Mom and say thank you for spending many days with us and for all your help. Your the best Mommy and Mems a daughter and grandson could ask for!!!! I love you!!!!

Here are the boys right before they left for Louisiana. They were so excited to go!

We miss them so much and will be ready to see them soon. Even Kirby is waiting patiently. This is where I found him the day after they left. I realized that I had not seen him for several hours. After calling his name around the house, I located him sitting on Ethan's bed looking out the window. Kirby misses his brothers!

Excuse Me! Remember Me, God! It's My calendar not yours!

2010-06-08T15:39:00.000-07:00

Sweet Baby Callen David

Well, below is the post that I wrote last Monday and never posted. I was going to publish it that night, but never got around to it.

God reminded me last Wednesday EARLY in the morning that it is indeed HIS plan and calendar that I am to follow not my own. God is in control!!!

Callen David made his appearance Wednesday, June 2 at 4:46 am. I went into labor around 9:00 on Tuesday evening and by 1:00 a.m. I finally figured out what was going on. Well, I should be honest and say that I finally decided to face the facts that I was having contractions!!! We left the boys at our sweet neighbors house and made it to the hospital by 2:45 a.m. The nurses had me all ready and in the operating room by 4:00 am. Then by 4:46 I heard his sweet cry!!!! Callen David weighed 7 lbs and 10 oz. He was 19 1/2 inches long. Our smallest little one! He is beautiful and sweet as pie. The boys are thrilled and excited to have him home with us. Everyone is doing great and adjusting well.

We didn't get to go my brother's wedding. I made it through the day on Saturday with out crying about it, but was sad I didn't get to be there. My family brought me pictures to see, and I am waiting to watch the DVD when it is ready. It was a beautiful wedding, and the exciting thing is that I get to see them this weekend when they come home from their honeymoon! YAY!!!!

I am so blessed to have such a wonderful family and friends that have helped us through the last couple days. Thank you to everyone!!!!

Thank you God for watching over us last Wednesday. Thank you for a safe delivery and a healthy baby boy.

I love their shirts. My sweet friend made them!

Sweet Big Brothers!!!!

Callen David Bozeman

2010-06-01T15:11:00.000-07:00

Well, in exactly one week from today we will be meeting our third baby blue bundle of joy. I have been so busy lately with getting the house ready for his arrival, the boys prepared, ending school, doing last minute things with the boys, and mainly just trying to move/walk around that I haven't even posted about his name. So sorry for those who have been waiting!!!

Callen David Bozeman will be our little guy's name. David says will call him Cal for short. I am just going to have to wait to see if it fits him. I am loving just Callen for right now. We went the different route this time. I was a little hesitant to do something different, but now I am glad I bit the bullet. Which pleased David beyond belief!

The boys are excited, and Ethan even asked today why is Callen is not here yet. Apparently I told him when summer came then Callen would be here. Well summer has officially started for us, and smarty pants Ethan figured that one out quick! I told him one more week and counting...believe me mommy is counting!!!!

We just have to make it through the week and the wedding weekend and we are home free. My little brother is getting married this Saturday to a wonderful girl. Can't wait to have a little sister of my own!! Can't believe that my little brother is getting married!! I am so happy for them both and I DO NOT want to miss the big event for anything!!! You hear me Callen. Just a few more days!!!!

What I have learned this THIRD time around?
I do not have to eat everything is site when I am pregnant.
Your wedding ring can still fit even when you are one week away from delivery.
Being 30 something and pregnant is much different than being 20 something and pregnant!
Strangers love to give advice to pregnant women who have two little boys standing or running around next to them! Even when you have it TOTALLY under control they seem to still think they need to impress on to you their wisdom.
The stomach virus doesn't care if your are pregnant or not..he still visits!!!
A bladder infection is MUCH worse when you are nine months pregnant!
Apparently sleeping is over rated when your nine months pregnant!
Houston is 10 X hotter when your nine months pregnant....even on June 1st!
A Diet Coke will not kill you or even a cup of coffee, right?????
Sonic Ice is GOLD!!!!!

Callen's room is ready, onesies washed, car seat assembled, bassinet set up and sheets are on, diapers are waiting, and hospital bags are packed....June 8th here we come!!!

Thank you God for our little miracle and in trusting us with one of your children. We pray that we will raise him to be a servant of yours. Please keep us both safe for the next few days and watch over us all on June 8th.

Happy Mother's Day....Take Two!!!

2010-05-22T07:47:00.000-07:00

So sorry for the blog absence! I have heard from my loyal readers (that would be just about 2 of my dear friends) that I need to get with the program and post something. I guess so. My last post was in March! Yikes!!!

Well Mother's Day has gone and past, but of course a national holiday at the Bozeman's house would not happen if someone was not sick! Will became ill the Friday before Mother's Day and by Saturday night we were certain he had the Hand, Foot and Mouth virus. He was pitiful and miserable! On Mother's Day, I spent the entire day holding him on the couch. No Mother's Day restaurant meal for me or even a shower! I did however brush my teeth! I guess that is what Mother's Day is all about! A mommy would hold their baby any time on any given day. My own mommy came to the rescue and stayed with us during the week to take care of Will while I returned to work. Mommies are one of God's greatest creations!!!

So this past Sunday we celebrated a belated Mother's Day. I had lunch at my favorite restaurant, Olive Garden, and enjoyed a weekend of scrapbooking in the comfort of my own home while it stormed outside.....Total Bliss to ME!! I have to say I am totally caught up on both boys scrapbooks and even completed (with out pictures of course) my little calendar scrapbook for my sweet baby boy #3! That makes me SMILE BIG!!!

My Mother's Day gift has been growing in my front yard for about a month now. David has worked so hard to get our yard and flower bed beautiful (of course I stood and directed!!) Beautiful it is!!!! Flower gardens are one of my favorite things, and David has become the little garden guy lately! I love it!

Baby Post to come very soon! Promise!!!!! Only 2 weeks from this Tuesday...Yikes!!!

Call me Crazy!

2010-03-19T11:09:00.000-07:00

We have been in this house since Friday evening... well except for our trip to the doctor on Monday. I have major cabin fever. It is beautiful outside, and I just want to wear my flip flops and enjoy the sun. I decided when I woke up yesterday that we were going to break out of this joint today! So after finding out that there was not a child friendly movie playing at the movies, Ethan could not run around and play inside of Stomping Grounds just yet, and the Natural Museum of Science is WAY TOO expensive (I do not know how they expect normal average families like ours to afford that rate.. $25 per adult and $12 per child..just to see a T-REX model...I don't think so!)..I decided we would venture out to the Houston Children's Museum. We haven't been since Ethan was a toddler and they have totally redone the place. What I didn't know was that it was their 1st Birthday celebration since the remodel and call me crazy, but I went during Spring Break and so did everyone else in the Houston area. It took me 30 minutes to find a parking space.. 5 blocks away in another parking garage that cost me 9 bucks. I think there was probably over 1000 children there and many more crazy parents like me.

24 dollars for admission
14 dollars for lunch at the Kid Cafe
9 dollars for parking
3 dollars for yummy real fruit popsicles that still had the watermelon seeds in them!
5 people that asked.. Surely your having a girl this time? No, one more baby boy!
Smiles on my boys faces and a very quiet car ride home......PRICELESS!!!

The boys pose after getting their faces painted. I did not ask them to do this, but thought it was funny that they acted their characters. Ethan as the superhero and Will the tiger!

The boys made an airplane..can't you tell?

The Water Works section was so much fun!

Will enjoying getting wet with some new friends!

Ethan working with a new friend to construct something cool! They worked really hard to make the water travel out onto the ground and on my feet!

Yummy Popsicles!

We had a blast at the Children's Museum

Not so springing of a Spring Break

2010-03-16T12:05:00.000-07:00

This week is our spring break, and I was so looking forward to really not doing anything at all, but what I wanted to do. Just getting a few things around the house done, taking the boys to the rodeo, and maybe a little shopping. But of course when children are involved your plans change.

This weekend Ethan fought off a fever, and by Monday morning I decided we would go see the Doctor to nip this in the bud. I didn't think my Monday would turn out the way it did. Our appointment was at 11:40, and we did not get home until 5:30. We had 3 breathing treatments, a round of oxygen, trip to hospital for chest x-ray, and a long wait at Walgreens for our medicine. A very late lunch at 2:30 and no nap! All of this with our two year old brother and pregnant mommy! The two year old brother was a trooper and did great, the pregnant mommy on the other hand needed her nap and food! At the end of the day I was thankful we did not end up in the hospital where the doc thought we were headed. We finally were able to keep our oxygen level up on our own and were sent home with orders of staying inside for a few days and having more breathing treatments every 4 hours. Thank you asthma for visiting this spring break!

On a better note...the new rooms in our house are coming together.
The boys moved in together and they love it. Nighttime is a little chatty for the first 30 minutes, but I am guessing the newness will wear off soon. I love their new beds. We haven't finished the decor in the room on the walls and are still getting their new shams monogrammed with their names on them. Here are a few pictures for you to see what it is looking like.

The playroom is coming along. Still have a little more to do, but the boys are enjoying the space and so am I!

After a very long day yesterday, a little surprise arrived at my door. Thank you UPS man for making my day. David surprised me and bought a "hall tree" for us that I did not know about. I really like it! Now I have to decided what to put in the baskets.

Mems' room (aka guest/office room) is coming along as well. We still need to put things on the walls, but all in all I think David did a good job!

One bright side to this week is I will be going to Shreveport for my girls weekend on Friday, and I can't wait! Bring on the Girl Talk!

Ethan's new boots that he just HAD to have. He picked them all out by himself. I just hope they fit next year for the rodeo. Bless his heart. He will not be going this year!

My Little Painters

2010-02-24T10:29:00.000-08:00

So the changes are starting to take place around our house. David and I have made some major changes to the rooms in our house lately. I really can't wait until it is all done. I do not like CHANGE, and I have major anxiety when I am in the mist of it. If it were up to me, our furniture would still be in the same place we put it in when we moved into our house almost 5 years ago. But I am so glad God sent me David! Don't get me wrong..sometimes I feel he can go over board with the changes, but I think we are a good balance!

So what has changed...We no longer have a formal dinning room. Our dinning room is now a playroom that is still in progress. I will post pictures when we are completely finished with that room. Our breakfast room is now our only eating area. Which is really fine because we only ate in one area anyways! We moved our formal dinning set into our breakfast room, and it has really grown on me. I think it is very pretty. The boys will share a room. Hopefully by next month we will have their beds in and the room will be finished. We already have their new bedding and it is so cute! Ethan is so excited to share a room with Will. Will keeps asking when he is sleeping with Ethan. I just hope that sleep does occur and not too much playing at night! We have a great nighttime routine now and, I'm a little nervous about that change.

Our office is in the process of being changed into a real guest room. Aka Mems' room if you ask Ethan! David has torn down the built-in desk, textured the wall, and painted. This is the first time we have done anything like this ourselves instead of hiring someone. I am proud of us both for not caving and just paying someone! The boys have really been interested in it each night. They will sit in the room and talk to David as he works. It has been so cute to listen and watch. I'll keep you posted on the updates as we move along.

To Be Continued.......

Chocolate Anyone?

2010-02-23T13:48:00.000-08:00

Some of life's simple joys--- Hot Gooey Chocolate Chip Cookies! Yummy!!!

Changes on the way......

2010-02-05T15:46:00.000-08:00

So sorry it has been so long since I have posted something. I was waiting to post something about changes and hoping that maybe I would be changing the title of our blog, but that is not the case.

David and I are expecting our third baby. I know many of you know our news, but some might not! It took me a while before I was ready for the blog world to know. We found out in early October about our little surprise! And it was much to our SURPRISE! But what a blessing. Each time I feel the little one move inside of me, I am reminded of what an awesome miracle it is to carry a sweet child from God.

We found out about two weeks ago that we will be adding another Bozeman Boy to the Bunch! I think David and I are just good at making sweet and cute little boys. We'll have to wait until June to see if this one's a blondie too! Our due date is June 11. Everything is going smoothly and he looks great. At our ultrasound, he was holding his little hands like he was praying. It was so sweet to see! No names yet, but I will keep you all posted!

And because no good post is complete with out a picture or two!

Me at 15 Weeks with Baby Boy #3
Playing in our Houston Snow!

David finishes his first half marathon!

A Very Merry Christmas

2009-12-31T08:57:00.000-08:00

My two little batmen pose for a picture under the Christmas

tree in their CUTE Christmas PJ's!

We spent the week before Christmas in Pineville with family.

And yes .....you know you're in the south when you get to play in

a big pile of leaves on December 22nd!

We love our new "motorcycles" from Mems and Pops!

Making cookies for Santa on Christmas Eve.

Eating a little sugar as we decorate!

Our cute gingerbread men for Santa.

Putting the cookies and "water" out for Santa.

Water was Daddy's idea...I wonder why!!!

" And the stockings were hung by the chimney with care"

One last look at the Wish Book on Christmas Eve.

(AKA..really the Target sales magazine)

HE CAME!!!! YEAH FOR SANTA!!!!

Blocks, Robin and Motorcycle, Mc Donald's cash register,

transformers, walkie talkies, Cd's.... and more

Let the toy madness begin!

He brought us rubber boots!

And more things to write on..... Plus a cute lap desk!

Our annual Christmas Day Family Photo on the fire place.

And it isn't Christmas without the Holsomback family stocking picture.

This year there were no underwear to be found in our stockings, but only cool Saints shirts!

And yes..the big boys of the family think they are so funny with their stockings!

Some boys will never grow up!

Thanksgiving To Do List

2009-11-30T10:41:00.000-08:00

1. Travel to Pineville, Louisiana for the week....CHECK

2. Play in the leaves with my boys and my niece.....CHECK

3. Attempt to take a family picture for the Christmas Card...CHECK (but not sure if it is the one!)

4. Go to the movies to see NEW Moon..CHECK

5. Eat Chicken and Sausage Gumbo...CHECK

6. Bake a Pumpkin Pie and a Sweet Potato Pie....CHECK

7. Run in the Turkey Trot (well I walked and David ran!)...CHECK

8. Eat YUMMY food for Thanksgiving Dinner X2....CHECK

9. Play a game of CLUE with my niece (and WIN!!!)...CHECK

10. Go to Natchitoches to see the Christmas lights....CHECK

11. Eat Meat Pies....CHECK

12. Go to the movies to see The Blind Side...CHECK (GREAT MOVIE!!! MUST SEE)

13. Eat Harlows donuts for breakfast....CHECK

14. Watch the Tigers beat the Razorbacks....CHECK

15. Spend lots of QUALITY TIME with family....CHECK

16. Clean my house.....

17. Start shopping for Christmas.....

Well there is always next weekend, right?

We had a great time over Thanksgiving break in Louisiana! Much needed R&R! As you can tell I think I ate most of the time!

Dynamic Duo

2009-11-11T08:19:00.001-08:00

The famous Dynamic Duo!

Batman and Robin live at our house!

Trick or Treat Mrs. Ami and Mrs. Heidi!

The boys had a blast trick or treating at church this year!

Eating the candy was the best part of all.....and not just the

boys enjoyed the CANDY! Mommy and Daddy's tummies are full too!

We are all about Superheros at our house!

Capes and mask are worn daily!

My TWO year old baby!

2009-11-11T07:57:00.001-08:00

Our little October 30th Pumpkin turned TWO!!!!

Will at a day old on October 31, 2007

Our sweet Will at 6 months!
Will eating cake at his 1st birthday!
Our two year old cutie!

Will and Ethan about to blow out their candles.

(Excuse the scary monkey smile on the cake.

That was the biggest grill I have ever seen on a monkey!)

We are this many..... 2 and 4!

Will enjoying some pizza on his birthday!

Will and his terrible two shoes!

Will has been so much fun lately! He talks up a storm. I have no idea where he got that from! :)He loves to say thank you and your welcome. The cutest thing is when he says excuse me! Will loves to play and is constantly making houses with pillows and blankets. Not to mention he is the cutest two year old I have ever seen! We love you Will!

4 YEARS OLD!!!

2009-10-03T06:36:00.000-07:00

It finally came! Ethan turned 4 yesterday. He has been counting down the days. I guess 4 is a big deal! I just can't believe that I am the Mommy of a blonde haired 4 year old boy! 4 is probably my most favorite age...so I am sure that we have a year in store for us! On Tuesday, a big box arrived at our house addressed to Ethan Bozeman. It has been a fun week trying to keep him out of the box, but finally Friday came and Ethan was able to tear into the box!
Birthday Breakfast-- Eggs and Sausage-- at Ethan's request! So funny how your kiddos can be so different from you! I would have asked for a big hot cinnamon roll with lots of icing! Oh Well-- Eggs and Sausage it was! Plus many smiles and bed hair! I have to apologize for the following pictures! You know your birthday morning is a lot like Christmas morning--gifts do not wait for you to get dressed-- you understand! So you are going to see the true Ethan- Superman pj shirt and batman underwear! What can I say! We are truly a little boy house only!

The anticipated Batman house! I am pretty impressed with this fisher price batman house! As we speak now, Ethan sits quietly in the family room playing.

Time to get inside the big birthday box from Mems, Pops, and Mamaw! Little brother got to help too!

Ethan's loot! Look at that smile! Couldn't get any better!

Birthday Chapel at school. Such a sweet memory! The night ended with pizza, a high school football game, and 2 friends! Being 4 years old is tons of fun!

Exhausted!

2009-09-28T10:31:00.001-07:00

This Saturday was probably one of the busiest Saturdays ever for us. I have always heard of the families that run from one event to another. I have always thought --I hope that is not us! Well after Saturday's scheduled--- I am exhausted!

7:00 a.m.- 9:30 a.m. 5K/Children 1 Mile Run Fundraiser for our school

11:00 a.m.- Opening Ceremonies for Fall T-Ball and Team Photos

12:30 p.m.- Ethan's FRIST T-BALL GAME

2:00 p.m.- Work Swim Party Fundraiser for our school

2:00 p.m. David and Ethan leave for Louisiana for David's Meat Pie Triathlon on Sunday

What a day and a CRAZY Schedule! We had a busy day at school for our 1st Make a Difference Fundraiser Day and to top it off it was Ethan's first ever baseball game. We were fortunate enough to have all the events at the same park. Here are some pics of the baseball game for the Grandparents. Ethan did great. He had two at bats and hit the ball on the first pitch! He was so excited. I was thrilled to see how well he listened and paid attention in the infield. Not too bad for the youngest on his team! I can't believe that on this Friday he will be 4 years old!

How time flies!

Ethan finishing the Children's 1 Mile!

Daddy "ran" it with him after he ran the 5K

earlier that morning.

Will participated too!

David pushed him in the jogging stroller for the full 5K!

Ethan in ready position on third base.

Ethan at bat for his first ever Baseball game.

He hit the first pitch thrown to him and made it to 1st base!

Ethan standing on first base after his first at bat!

Cute baseball player in the dug-out!

"Put me in Coach, I'm ready to play!"

Ethan's Fan Club!

Some of our friends were able to come watch Ethan hit for the first time.

They came over from the Kick Ball Tournament at our school's fundraiser day.

I think they just wanted to sit in the shade,

but Ethan smiled BIG when they screamed his name!

Our little baseball player

Proud Mommy and Daddy!

Little Brother says it all---

Exhausted!!!

Who says Make-Up, Jewerly, and Playing House are for GIRLS ONLY!!!

2009-09-01T11:01:00.001-07:00

You know those Moms that just think their child is the cutest ever and of course their child does EVERYTHING better than your child--- well I really would rather not be one of those moms! But for once I am finding myself being THAT MOM!!! You will all just have to endure it for a few seconds while I tell you about the most PRECIOUS 22 month old little boy in the world!!!

Will has been so much fun lately!! He talks up a storm and repeats everything you say. He is totally into playing with cars and lining up toys. When he wants you to look at what he is doing he will say, "Mama" really loud over and over again.

Well lately Will has filled my Baby Girl needs, and I am totally loving it! Don't tell David I am writing about this (he will never find out because he DOES NOT read my blog). He would be mortified. I went shopping in the best place ever --Charming Charlies-- for a necklace and earrings to match a new outfit that I recently purchased. Will joined me for the outing. He had a blast wearing all the bracelets. Every time he saw something he liked he would say, "That one!" I was teaching him to say, "How pretty!" He would repeat it after me! All the ladies would smile and giggle at him! It was so much fun!

The other morning one of my fantasies came true! I had my very own make-up artist. Will likes to play with my make-up while I put on make-up. Lately he has been putting on powder with his fingers. He thinks it is lipstick and will put it on his lips! He asked one day to put it on me. So I let him! We had a blast. David on the other hand rolled his eyes.

The cutest thing in the world is how he plays house and rocks the baby. I caught him playing house with my Willow Angels the other day. (By the way I now have a few broken ones!) He was saying mommy and daddy has he lined them up. He would hold one of them and "rock the baby." He rocks everything (cars, flowers, weeds, teddy bears, etc)! While he rocks them he says, "Rock the Baby!" It is the sweetest thing in the world! I think Will learned this from cradle roll at church! He will be the best Daddy ever and make one lucky girl very happy especially if he rocks the baby at 2:00 am in the morning!

Rocking the baby

This is the Daddy and this is the Mommy

OK! So that is all for my Annoying Mom moment! Thanks for letting me share (if your still reading at this point!). But isn't he just so ADORABLE!!!!

First Day of School

2009-08-20T17:10:00.000-07:00

New Lunch Box, New Shoes, and New Uniform......It must be the first day of school!

The first day of school for both Mommy and Ethan

Ethan's first day of preschool was a success! His favorite part of the day was when his class measured how tall they were. He proudly told Daddy and Mommy he was 45! The tallest in his class! We finally figured out he meant 45 inches! I guess it is not hard to imagine, but he is the tallest 3 year old and biggest 3 year old in the school. Someone even thought he was starting Kindergarten! We'll be there one day...but for now we love being 3!

By the way Mommy's first day went well too!

Ahhhhhh Summertime!!!

2009-08-15T18:48:00.001-07:00

The end of summer is officially here. Work is in full swing for me, and Ethan's first day of preschool will be on Wednesday. We had a great summer together. We made lots of fun memories and had many adventures. I on the other hand did not finish the famous "summer to do list." Where did the time go? I decided to do a little quick review of what our summer looked like. So here it goes......Always time for a Popsicle!

Many fun play dates at the indoor Playscape

Swinging like monkeys at the Playscape

Will hanging out at the pool. This was his new pose for

the summer. I have him in many different activities with the same pose!

Picnics in the GARAGE!

You know you live in Houston during the summer

when you have to have a picnic in your garage.

Note: This is lunch and Will is still in his PJs! Gotta love summer time!

Fun times at the pool!

It is not a summer if you do not visit the

Famous Buccees at least once!

Where else would there be a huge bear outside of a

convenient store!

Will's first movie!

Ice Age number ?

He sat there and ate popcorn out of my lap the entire time.

Will the handy man!

Mommy and Ethan a little crazy from the long road trip to Iowa!

It was a little chilly in Iowa on our mission trip!

Will sneaking a quick snack while sitting in the pantry.

Visiting Papaw at his cool new home!

We even put on a little dance show for

Papaw and his friends.

Riding the big bus to camp at Uplift!
Ahhhh Nap Time!

No Clothes Required......

2009-08-06T19:56:00.000-07:00

As I was downloading my pictures from our visit in Louisiana last week, I noticed a common factor in many of my pictures of the boys. They did not wear clothes the entire time we were there. Seriously! I have many pictures from different days and they all look the same! What is it with little boys and their underroos? Will enjoying a Popsicle on Mems and Pops' back porch in just a diaper!

Will eating his favorite thing (and mine too!)

Donuts from Harlows!!!! The best place in the world!!!

Notice no PJ bottoms that morning!

Boys digging for treasure in the backyard.

Just underwear on this treasure hunt!

Another day.....another Popsicle treat!

Just underwear!

Sweet Brothers posing for the camera....a rare moment!

Again.....No Clothes!

The boys playing dominoes with Uncle Brett.

Notice Will came to the game without shorts.

Ninjas fighting the fruit flies

Peek A Boo! I see you!

Is that not hilarious documentation! Don't worry...I also got a picture of each boy doing what little boys do best...using the outside bathroom! Ethan frequent the back porch and Will tried his best, but just didn't succeed. I also have a cute one where they played fire fighter with the water hose, but my fire fighters came armed without a special suit! I saved those pictures for that special day when they are 15 and I want to show them how cute they were when they were little. Plus I didn't think the blog world needed to see their cute tooshes. Sorry! But I have to admit they are priceless!

The Invasion of Fruit Flies

2009-08-06T19:37:00.001-07:00

We spent last week in Pineville visiting Mems and Pops! We had other visitors as well......Many fruit flies invaded their home. The grandkids went to the garden to pick veggies and fruit with Mems and Pops, but they also brought back some new family members with them. We tried so hard to get rid of them. Every morning it seemed as if they multiplied while we were sleeping. So we got on the Internet to find a quick fix.....Below are our attempts. It really became very funny as the week progressed because each day we introduced a new trap!

Our first trap.....syrup and honey on a plate....did not work!!
Uncle Brett's Trap
Fruit in baggie with hole.....
Did not work

Internet trap.... Bottle with funnel and tomato

WORKED!!!! Took several days to catch them, but it was success!

My Ninjas Fighting The Fruit Flies!

They would run around swatting at the flies.

TOO CUTE!!!!

Bye Bye Fruit Flies!
Thanks to my Facebook Friends who gave me many great suggestions.

Never knew fruit flies were a household problem!

10 Honest Truths

2009-07-17T13:13:00.000-07:00

OK! Lauren you didn't tag me, but since I am one of your fellow teachers who should also be cleaning her house and instead is playing on the computer...I decided to continue the trend! Here it goes....

10 Honest Truths about Kandace Layne Holsomback Bozeman:

1. I love to watch the Lifetime channel and cry!!!

2. I haven't paid a bill in over 7 years....David does it all!

3. I love the feel of sand between my toes!

4. I am scared to death of the dark!

5. I am horrible at spelling....which you probably have seen if you read my blog!

6. I could eat chips and dip everyday all day long!!!!!!!!

7. I never watch scary movies!

8. I secretly want to be an ESPN News Lady that gets to stand on the sidelines of football games!

9. I love rocking my 3 year old to sleep- I will probably be rocking him when he is 15 and his legs hang off my lap and drag the floor.... if he still wants me to!

10. I really don't like to shop. But since every girl is supposed to love it.....I endure it!

OK! So if you are one of my few loyal readers then I challenge you to continue the trend.... spill your guts and let us find out 10 Honest Truths about you! I am waiting...........

My 3 Year Old Photographer

2009-07-12T11:11:00.000-07:00

These are the pictures I found on my camera after my 3 year old got a hold of it! Interesting documentation of what happens around our house.....

Baseball on T.V.

Our stove and counter top

Kirby napping on the back of the couch.

Daddy cooking

Mommy folding laundry...something she does best!!!

Mommy stealing a hug from Will

Kirby in his kennel

Baby brother posing for the camera

Sunday Lunch

2009-07-12T10:39:00.001-07:00

I have sweet memories of Sunday lunch as a child. Sunday lunch meant lunch after church at Mamaw and Papaw's house where we ate either roast, pork tenderloin, or chicken and dressing with a side of butter beans or Mamaw's famous carrots (my favorite!!) and of course hot rolls. Left over rolls meant dinner for after Sunday night church- roast sandwiches. If there was extra rolls, then my little brother and I could have 2 of them to play our own game of communion in Mamaw's living room after lunch! Sunday lunch is also where I learned the art of setting a table for a big family meal and where I learned to make peach cobbler. Sunday lunch holds so many sweet memories for me filled with wonderful smells of Mamaw's kitchen. Today I took a few pictures of my own family at Sunday lunch. It looks a little different than what my childhood memories hold for me. Now Sunday lunch is either "What would be the quickest restaurant that is kid friendly?" or "Let's hurry home and get the kids down for the nap.....then I'll cook and feed the kids mac and cheese when they wake up!" Sad uh? But it is our reality. Maybe my boys will have sweet memories one day of special times they will share with me when they are older, but for now we made sweet memories at our Sunday Lunch today at Pei Wei .

A kiss for Mommy! Will making sure no one is looking.

We Love our Tri Daddy

2009-06-29T11:43:00.000-07:00

Ethan proudly showing off his sign.The boys waiting to see their Daddy return from the bike ride!

David competed in his 1st Triathlon yesterday! It was lots of fun to watch. We are all new to the Triathlon world. I didn't really know what to expect, but found out that it was a lot of fun. A major family affair! Lots of families were there cheering family members of all ages! It was soooooo hot even at 7:00 am on a Sunday morning. Next time I know not to wash my hair before going! Lesson learned!

David did awesome! He finished just under 1 hour and 4 minutes (which was 10 minutes faster than his goal) and 10th in his age group. He said he had a great time competing and felt great when he was finished! I am so proud of the dedication and determination he has exhibited in the last few months. Way to go David!

So I guess you can say he is "hooked"! He has signed up for one in August and October. Never really imagined us as a Tri Family, but here we come!

David waiting his turn to start!

I think he was a little nervous at this point. :)

And he is off to get on the bike!!!!!

Go David Go!!!!

Getting a little drink of water before starting to run.

Finished!!!

Our Tri Daddy and Family!

It's Not What We Do, but It's Who We Are!

2009-06-22T13:08:00.000-07:00

Riding on the BIG Bus!
Will says CHEESE!

David and me one night late at Uplift!
We are way too old to be staying up that late!
Can't you tell?

The boys cool ride all week!
We put some miles on this stroller that week!

Some of our new Sister's in Christ! God is so GOOD!

David and I love going to Uplift at Harding University with our youth group from church! We love being with the kids and seeing the Spirit move through them, but deep inside we go for us! It is a great Spirit filled week for everyone (even the youth workers)! This year was no exception! We had 7 baptisms in our group and not to mention many more from other groups. The boys went with us and had a blast with the kids! Worship was awesome and the speakers were great as usual. The theme- It's Not What We Do, but It's Who We Are- speaks for itself! What a statement! I left the week changed within!

My God continue to work in me and move me!

Blueberries for Sal (or for Ethan and Will)

2009-06-22T12:52:00.000-07:00

Will picking blueberries at a local blueberry farm in Hockley, Texas

Will eating a few!

David was not really thrilled to be spending his Saturday morning picking blueberries,

but he did anyway! That's why he wins the BEST Husband and Father award for the year!

Before we started picking!

My blueberry pickers!

Our trip to the blueberry farm reminded me of an old children's story, Blueberries for Sal, but in my case it was Blueberries for Ethan and Will! We left with just at 4 pounds of blueberries! I can taste it now-- blueberry smoothies, blueberry pancakes, blueberry muffins, blueberry cobbler, blueberry pie (well maybe not this one! I can't cook a pie to save my life!), etc.... Yummy!

Mommy helping Will find some blueberries!

Will was excited to get up close and personal with the farm dog! He was a sweet dog. He would just walk up and down the blueberry rows and play with the kids! Will was thrilled!

Time for a good nap on the way home!

Sweet dreams!

A Mommy of Boys

2009-06-06T18:56:00.000-07:00

Today I was reminded of why being a Mommy of 2 little boys is so much fun......

Finding a small hot wheels car in the washing machine
Finding a handful of small rocks in the washing machine
Having to throw a baseball MANY times to a cute little blonde haired boy who is determined to hit a homerun!

Gotta love it! Maybe one day I will have a little one to take to the local Tea Room on Saturday for lunch!

Will's 24 year old shirt

2009-05-31T11:40:00.000-07:00

Okay Mommy! I will smile this time.

Do you like Will's cute little blue Lacoste shirt? It is a 24 year old shirt! This was my little brother Brett's shirt when he was 2. Brett is now 26 years old! Which I can not believe!!! We brought this shirt home from Pineville when Ethan was little, but sadly Ethan wore it once around the house since Ethan was a little larger than Will at this age. :) David dressed Will in the shirt on Saturday. I just thought he was so cute in it, and I thought it was fitting for him to wear it because he is named after his Uncle Brett --- William Brett! Doesn't look too bad for a 24 year old shirt, uh? Apparently the Lacoste alligator was red back in the day instead of green and must of been a little cheaper too! Because Will's mommy and daddy do not buy Lacoste clothing!

Here are a few pics of Will with his Uncle Brett!

Uncle Brett and Will meet for the first time!

Uncle Brett and William Brett

Uncle Brett with his fiance Chrissy!

Notice Will has his fingers in his mouth--somethings will never change!

Congrats Brett and Chrissy! Can't wait for the wedding!

Baby brothers are the best! I have sweet memories of Brett and I growing up and some not so sweet ones as well! :0 Will reminds me a lot of Brett when he was younger ---they both are dare devils, they both love to cuddle and were so loving as babies, ball was both of their first words, Will loves dogs just as much as Brett did when he was younger, and who can resist their blue eyes! Brett you grew up way too fast, but you will always be my little brother in your Superman cape! Love you!

I Do......

2009-05-18T19:27:00.000-07:00

Ethan and Will dancing the night away!

Mammaw and Pappaw

David's Parents

Will and Pappaw

3 Generations of Bozeman Boys

This weekend we traveled to Kyle, Texas for David's cousin's wedding. It was a beautiful ceremony and reception. Ethan and Will enjoyed dancing and playing baseball on the dance floor. We had a great weekend visiting family. The only problem was I didn't take a picture of the gorgeous bride and groom!

Congrats Jessica and Jame!

Your wedding was so sweet and so much fun!

The Bozeman Boys had a blast! We love you!

Hair cut Saturday

2009-05-03T18:55:00.000-07:00

Will before the hair cut!
The sweet hair stylist entertained him with bubbles before getting started! Very clever of her-- the only problem was he cried because he wanted to hold the bubbles while she cut his hair!

Will during the hair cut!

Will's 1st Hair cut!

And of course the minute his fingers

we out from under the apron--they went straight into his mouth!

Ethan's Before Shot

Ethan's new hair cut!

I was excited about this Saturday. There wasn't much in my planner for the family to do, but to take care of a few haircuts. Ethan was in desperate need of a hair cut as evident from the crazy hair day we had this week at school for spirit week, and my sweet Will was long over due for his 1st ever hair cut. I have been putting Will's 1st hair cut off for many weeks now. Mainly because I just didn't want him to loose the little baby face, but once the teenagers at church told me that it was getting to look a little like a mullet-- I then decided I should bite the bullet and make the appointment. So Hair Cut Saturday it was!

Even Mommy got a hair cut--just not at the kiddie salon!

Crazy Hair Day on Spirit Week at school!

Evidence #1 of why Ethan needed a haircut!

Asthma Anyone?

2009-04-28T12:31:00.000-07:00

This is what it looks like around hour house during Allergy Season! But it is always better to have a friend sit with you ---- Sweet Kirby is always near the boys! By the way, Ethan does have shorts on you just can't see them! :)

You Had Me At HELLO!

2009-04-28T12:26:00.001-07:00

You know that moment in your house when it is very quiet and it should not be ----especially when you have 2 little boys! Well this is evidence of one of those moments at my parents house when we were there for Easter. We all looked at each other and said, "Where is Will?" After calling his name and looking in every room in the house, we found him in my parent's bedroom. He looked up at us and said, "Hello!" His new word! I had to capture the moment really fast-- least it was one of those moments when we smiled instead of having to clean a really big mess!

God can clean ALL our messes!

2009-04-28T08:17:00.000-07:00

Today as Ethan and I drove home from school to pick Will up from the babysitter, there was a really bad smell outside. Ethan's sense of smell has been really working lately. He has to comment on every bad smell he finds and sometimes his comments are not at the most appropriate times-- so we have had many little lessons lately! But today his comment was so precious. So as I drove this was our conversation. Ethan said," Mommy something smells really bad." I said," I smell that to, but I don't know what it is." Ethan said, " God can clean it up for us." I said, " Really? How will he clean it up?" Ethan said, "With a wet towel." I said, "You are right Ethan. God can clean up our messes!" And it's that simple! Isn't it wonderful that no matter how small or LARGE our mess is HE is always there to help us clean it up! Thank you Ethan for reminding me!

The Easter Bunny goes Hop, Hop, Hop!

2009-04-05T12:27:00.000-07:00

Will has learned what the Easter Bunny does! He will hop for you when you ask him what the Easter Bunny does. This Saturday our church had a community wide Easter Egg Hunt for the children. The boys had a blast. Will was not at all interested in sitting on the Easter Bunny's lap, but can show you how he hops!

Mommy and Ethan running in the bunny relay race!

Will was the keeper of the Easter eggs and baskets, but if you asked him what was inside the baskets....... he would tell you BALLS, BALLS, BALLS, and more BALLS!

Texas Bluebonnets

2009-04-05T12:00:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite things about living in Texas is the Texas Bluebonnets in the spring time. I will always be a crawfish eating Louisiana girl, but I have become very fond of the Texas Bluebonnets. While we do not get to see very many of them here in the suburbs of Houston, I do get to enjoy them along side the interstate as we drive east to Louisiana in the spring time. And like every Texas Mommy...I dream of having the precious picture of my babies sitting in the bluebonnets framed somewhere in my home. I told David that this might be the year we could capture that moment. He told me of a patch that was growing in the park where he runs. So I made big plans.... I found spring shirts for the boys to wear, gave my allergy kid an extra dose of Clartin before we left the house (shhh..don't tell the Doctor), and made the glorious story to tell the boys about how we were going to see THE BLUEBONNETS and play in them! I figured we have a decent enough camera and really don't have to pay big bucks for a photographer to take pictures of our babies in the bluebonnets. Well.....it was almost mission accomplished. Who can get a 3 year old and 1 year old to look at the camera at the same time? Not me! After cropping out the power lines and cars which were driving past us, there pretty cute! Especially if you ignore the few weeds you see, the shadows of David and I, and the fact that Will probably does need a hair cut! They might even make it to a frame for the family room!

My Favorite!

Sweet brothers!

Maybe next year I will make the plunge and set up an appointment with the real photographer!
And yes..Ethan did sneeze all night long and even ended up in our bed by early morning!

Ice Skiing

2009-03-31T10:00:00.000-07:00

At the top of the mountain on one of the slopes.

David and me on top of the mountain.

The skiing girls on our first morning before we hit the slopes!

Some of the skiers from Sugar Grove!

David and me on the ski lift....MY FAVORITE PART OF SKIING!

I'm back!!!! David and I had a great time skiing. I was a little nervous that it would take me a while to get the hang of skiing again...it has been eight years since I have been snow skiing. When we first arrived at the ski lift, I made David go with me on the bunny slope and the bunny lift. We probably looked strange getting on this tiny lift chair surrounded by many little skiers. I found out that it was like riding a bike...no problem. So off we were to enjoy the powder and the mountain.

Only one problem.....their was lots of ICE which turned into SLUSH by the afternoon! I have never been Spring Skiing. I think it might of been colder in Houston on some days than it was there. On our last day it was 60 degrees! You should of seen what people were wearing to SNOW SKI! I guess they thought since the sun was out and it was HOT then lets get a tan while I ski on this ICE! I was a little disappointed by the weather! I love colder weather-- which really doesn't make since why I live in Houston! But anyway...I wanted to wear my sweaters, mittens, and scarfs! It was chilly at night so you could really pick out the tourist (especially me) on the town strip. I made sure I was bundled up so I could wear my winter stuff that I never get to wear in Houston. The town was really cute and very much a mountain town. We had a great time and hope to go back soon. I will just pray for LOTS of snow before going!

Bye Bye Blog World

2009-03-13T14:25:00.000-07:00

Bye Bye Blog World!!!!! Don't worry...it's just for a short period of time.....one week!
I am off to Red River, New Mexico tomorrow for Spring Break. David and I are going skiing with the youth group from church! I can't wait! I am a little nervous....it has been since 2000 that I have been on skis. Hopefully it will be like riding a bike! I am excited and thrilled to be in the snow for a week and to be able to view some of God's beautiful creation!

As I write on my blog this very moment, my house is strangely quiet! There are no little boys running around or a little doggy sitting next to me in the computer room. I am all alone! Not really sure when it was the last time that I have been completely in my home alone! All 3 boys are in Louisiana with Mems and Pops for a week! I almost can not stand the quiet! Hurry home David!

I will miss the blog world this week, but am excited to find quiet time with my Lord in the mountains! So long for now.........

Eight Months Later

2009-03-08T11:56:00.001-07:00

This is David and Kandy 8 months ago at his 30th birthday dinner at Benihanna.

9 days before David and I went on a diet.

This is David and Kandy eight months later at Benihanna having lunch! Much better, right? We have made a healthy life style change of eating better and exercising! David has lost over 70 pounds and lets just say Kandy is 4 pounds away from her goal! A lady never tells her actual weight gain or lost, right? I have made it to the size pants I wanted to be in! Yeah! I am so very proud of David. Doesn't he look great?

David's parents came to visit this weekend, and we thought it would be fun to take them to eat at Benihanna. We retook our fat picture! We even sat in the very same spot in the restaurant.

Pooper Scooper

2009-03-08T11:44:00.000-07:00

This is one of the MANY benefits for having children, especially BOYS! I have my very own pooper scooper! Ethan enjoyed his Saturday morning job of finding all of Kirby's treasures in the backyard and putting them in the yellow bucket! Gotta love a little boy who thinks poop is GREAT!

This is Ethan with Kirby when Ethan was about 5 months old!

This is one of my favorite pictures of them!

Happy Valentine's Day

2009-02-15T19:07:00.001-08:00

This post is for the grandparents. I thought these pictures of Will reading his Valentine's Day cards were too cute not to share. He was pretty impressed with his Valentine's mail. And doesn't he look soooo cute in his diaper and socks. Gotta love a baby in nothing, but a diaper! Hope you all had a wonderful Valentine's Day with your sweethearts. Mine surprised me with a date and a movie on Friday. He even arranged the babysitter. Let's just say he earned major points this weekend! I LOVE my SWEETHEART!

Give Me Some Sugar

2009-02-15T10:36:00.000-08:00

On Valentine's Day, David ran his first 5K. It was a windy and chilly morning, but the whole family cheered him on. The boys had a great time watching the "race!" David did a great job and is looking forward to running a 10K next time!

On your mark, get set, GO!
And they are off! Can you find David?

The back of David crossing the finish line.

Ethan watching the race and eating some

of his Valentine's candy. He has enjoyed PLENTY

of Valentine's candy this weekend.

Will watching the race. He is such a big

boy now! But still my baby!

Our homemade sign we made for Daddy!

Way to go Daddy! We are so proud of you!

Lions, Tigers, and Bears....Oh My!!!

2009-02-10T10:35:00.000-08:00

Ethan and Will playing in the rocks at Herman Park.

Mommy and Daddy enjoying the family picnic.

Ethan and Will riding in the wagon at the zoo.

The Giraffes

So I did it! We took the boys to the ZOO on Saturday. Many of you might not even know this about me. My mom, sister, and David know this about me, but probably not many others---I CAN NOT STAND THE ZOO!! It smells awful, the animals look so miserable behind the bars in what is supposed to be a luxury home for them, you have to walk and walk and walk, it is hot (least the zoo's around my neck of the woods), and the animals are always sleeping or just sitting there--- what is FUN about that!

It is pretty sad that my 3 year old has never been to the zoo, but that is no longer the case. I pumped myself up with great thoughts of spending the morning walking around looking at animals playing, running, etc.... Well, I saw some of that. Mainly they were just sleeping. Ethan and Will had a blast-- which is what matters most, right? Ethan loved the giraffes, elephants, and monkeys. I might add they were the only big attraction animals that were doing something when we saw them-- they were eating! They others- bears, tigers, lions--- were sleeping and scratching themselves-- really!!! Will loved watching the animals and pointing to each of them. He had the best ride the whole day-- he got to sit in a wagon and have someone pull him around and right up to the animal's cage. I have to admit the orangutan was pretty cute (well if really ugly can be cute)! His name was Rudy. He sat with his face right up to the glass and there were several little kids putting their faces right up to the glass. It was very cute to see. I would have taken a picture of my child doing the same, but many kids were just camera hogs and were there FOREVER. And I might add that their parents stood there and allowed them to sit there forever while other children were waiting their turn. So no picture for Ethan, but he did LOVE the Big Monkey!

After the zoo, we went to Herman Park and had a picnic lunch together. They boys loved playing in the rocks, and David and I just loved sitting there watching them play. The weather was great and it was such a peaceful afternoon. We rode a fun train around the park after lunch. They boys even got their own train whistle. We have since lost Ethan's, but Will has done a great job of sharing is slobbery one with his big brother.

I enjoyed the day with all my boys! It was fun being together and watching them experience new adventures. I just pray my next visit to the zoo is not any time soon or maybe I will just send David with the boys-- that's a GREAT thought!

Dear God,

2009-02-03T17:55:00.001-08:00

I just wanted to share a little story of Ethan's latest milestone. Since the beginning of school, I had this goal to pray with Ethan before we entered the school building. Well, sometimes I remembered and sometimes I forgot. For the past month, I have made it a ritual. At the beginning Ethan would say, "No I don't want to!" Mainly because he would rather be running through the doors to find his friends. Then he started to remind me to pray. Well, this past week I no longer am the one who prays. Ethan has stopped me every morning to say, "Lets pray Mommy." He puts his little face down on my console between the driver seat and passenger seat and has the most sincere conversation with God. The first time I sat there in amazement and listened with my eyes open so I could paint this memory in my mind. He remembers each important person to him and totally understands what he is praying for. Daddy to be safe driving to work. Will to have fun at Tee-Ta's (the babysitter). Mommy to do a good job at work. And last but not least....For him to listen to his teachers and share with his friends.

Granted this is a summary of what I had been praying for with him, but I am so amazed at the fact the he GETS it and understands what he is asking for. For the past two days, he has stopped me in the middle of our errands while we are in the car and has said, "Mommy let's pray." He then begins to talk to God. It is the cutest and sweetest thing ever! At night before supper he will sometimes pray for the family before we eat. He has many times prayed for us to have fun playing the Wii, for him to go to Mems and Pop's house, for his friend to come over and play, and for Will to eat his food. David and I just have to try our best not to bust out laughing! I wish that I could bottle up the sincerity he feels when he has conversations with God so that I can spread a little bit of it later on top of his head when he is older. For now, I stand amazed at the faith of a three year old and wish with all my heart that I can be like Ethan one day!

Thanks for letting me share!

He is Walking!

2009-01-04T11:41:00.001-08:00

Will really took off walking the week before Christmas!

As you can see....he walks with his arms straight out like he has wings!

Will loved the Christmas tree! Mainly the Christmas balls. Every time I looked, he had another one in his hand! I was really happy to pack them all away when the time came. Our tree was a little bare on the bottom because he kept rearranging them!

One of his new words is LIGHT!

So we had many lights for him to point to and say over and over agian!

I have to give a shout out to my friend, Amanda. She made the adorable shirt Will has on!

Isn't she talented! Thanks Amanda. He got lots of compliments on his cute shirt! Now it's time to get started on the Easter ones! HA!

Ice Skating

2009-01-04T11:10:00.001-08:00

So if you have read the post about Christmas, then you know that one of Ethan's request of things to do was to go ice skating. He has been asking to go for a while now. David and I could not figure out why he was asking to go. Let's be honest......we both come from small town USA in Louisiana where the only extra curricula activities end with the word ball---- football, basketball, and baseball-- the 3 Louisiana sports! So when our son ask to go ice skating, we are a little confused! Then it hits us...Caillou!!! If you have a 3 year old, then you know who Caillou is! Caillou is not David nor my favorite child! For those of you who don't.....let me explain. He is a cartoon kid on the PBS cahnnel who is bald and whinny! But for some reason 3 year olds are fascinated with him. At least mine is! We think it is because he does real life experiences with his family! And of course he went ice skating! So Ethan finally made it to the rink! He loved it! Much to our surprise! He also got to see a Zamboni (not sure if I spelled that right)! The machine that smooths out the ice. Caillou loves the Zamboni and so does Ethan! David skated with him..which I have to say he did pretty good for a big guy from Louisiana where there are NO ice skating rinks! I love the fact that we are wearing short sleeve shirts at a ice skating rink..only in Houston Texas would you find that! It was a fun day. We haven't signed Ethan up for lessons yet, but we will keep our options open!

Christmas 2008 Part Two

2009-01-04T10:21:00.000-08:00

So here are just a few of the many Christmas pictures that Mommies love to take. I have to apologize that some are not turn right. I haven't figured out how to turn them yet! Ethan and his gingerbread house that he made with Daddy at Breakfast with Santa.

Will eating part of the Gingerbread House. He is always eating!

Mommy and Ethan making a picture frame.

Will eating again! This time it is one of Santa's cookies on Christmas Eve!

Ethan's Christmas gift to me-- all of his wonderful artwork from school! He thought it was so cool to have them all hang on the garage door in the house! It was kinda of sad taking them down the other day! But don't worry ...they are safely put away for next year!

Two very cute little boys in their adorable matching pj's on Christmas Eve! David was not a huge fan of the silk pj's, but I am the Mommy and sometimes my word is final!!!!

Christmas Eve night! We are so excited to see what Santa brings!

Leaving cookies for Santa

Eating some of Santa's cookies!

Look what Santa brought.....Our own BOZEMAN SPIDERMAN!

Watch out ....here comes Spiderman on his Scooter! The only thing Ethan asked Santa for was a blue scooter! Santa came through...and brought a Spiderman Scooter! Santa is the BEST!

Will with his toys from Santa! He was thrilled just to get more BALLS!

Christmas morning! Look what Santa brought!

Santa even brings stocking gifts for big kids too!

The Holsomback kids at Mom and Dad's House!

Merry Christmas!

Our cute Christmas Eve outfits we didn't get to wear!

But we did wear them the Sunday after Christmas to church

with Mems and Pops!

I love this picture because both my boys have their sippy cups in their hands!

A true reflection of what we look like most of the time....sippy cups close by!

If you are still reading and looking at this post, then you are my true blog readers! Thanks! Sorry for all the pictures! Hope your family had a very Merry Christmas!

Happy New Year From the Bozeman Family!

Here is to 2009...may we all have Muddy Faith!

Christmas 2008 Part One

2009-01-01T18:10:00.000-08:00

Since Ethan has enter our lives, Christmas has always been a big surprise and never boring. For the past 3 years Ethan has been sick on Christmas. When he was one, he had strep throat and broke out into hives on Christmas Eve from the penicillin. The week before Christmas when he was two, he had the stomach virus that never went away.....it was passed to David, then me, then my mom (who came to help us), and then Ethan again. When we thought the coast was clear, we headed to Louisiana for Christmas and passed it to my brother Brad, then my grandmother, then my grandfather, then my dad, then my uncle, then my sister (on Christmas morning), and then my niece. We really didn't think we were going to be ever invited back to Christmas at The Holsomback's. So this year I had big plans for Christmas. Ethan was now 3, and he understood the Santa Claus thing and was so into Christmas. This would be our first Christmas to stay home for Christmas morning. After Santa came, we were going to head to Louisiana to have Christmas with the family. I was so excited .....we were going to see Santa in the mall, have breakfast with Santa, had tickets to Disney Live at the Toyota Center, an adult Christmas party for David and I, we were going to go ice skating (per Ethan's request), go to Christmas Eve service at church in their cute matching Christmas outfits, and start our own family traditions for Christmas Eve! BUT..........

ETHAN GOT SICK!!!! Of course it was Christmas and it would not be the Bozeman Christmas if Ethan was not sick!

On Monday, December 14, Ethan had strep throat. He had to stay home from school for 2 days. I thought well at least it's now and not later. Then Friday, he began to cough. And Saturday ..still more coughing. We managed to make it to Breakfast with Santa, but he was miserable! When he napped that day, I started to watch him breath. It was not normal breathing. Needless to say we began talking to the doctor and ended up in the emergency room Sunday. After chest xrays and breathing treatments, we were sent home with medicine. I thought we were much better, but after a follow up appointment on Tuesday I was mistaken. Our oxygen levels were dangerously low, and we were sent to the hospital. It was a very long day, but were able to keep our oxygen levels up on our own by late that night, and we were sent home before CHRISTMAS EVE. He is doing much better! We have what we all think is the start of childhood asthma, but seems that every doctor thinks differently. So we are under close watch for the next couple months!

Needless to say it was a Christmas adventure and plans changed...... no Santa in the mall, no Disney Live, no Christmas party for me, no Ice Skating, and no Christmas Eve service.

But we did have a very memorable Christmas and even started a few unexpected family Christmas traditions! Those seem to be the best anyway- unexpected ones that is!

We had a great Christmas and are so thankful that Ethan is well and doing much better! Praise be to God!

Christmas pictures to come in Part Two of Christmas 2008.................

Tag You're It!

2008-12-17T19:43:00.001-08:00

See-- Jes I fixed it! :)

So I was tagged to post the 4th picture in my 4th album on my computer! This is my picture! Ethan had just turned 2 and was eating his first powdered sugar donuts one Saturday morning. By the looks of the picture he didn't like the donuts or did not like the cute skeleton pj's I had put him in!

I now tag Courtney Albright, Amanda Kilgore, Cori Anderson, and Kim Hood! Can't wait to see your pictures!!!

Kandy turns the big 30!

2008-12-12T19:53:00.000-08:00

My boys help me blow out my candles!

Ethan singing Happy Birthday to me!

Where David and I went for my birthday!

The entrance to Lost Pines!

David in front of Lost Pines!

Me making smores!

David and me snuggling by the fire!

The large Gingerbread house of Lost Pines!

Cute Couple!

That is the dress David bought me!

For those of you who have not heard about my romantic birthday weekend....here it goes!

On Friday, December 5, I drove into my driveway around 6:00 pm and saw my parents car parked in my drive way. David walked out of the house wearing a very large smile. I asked him why in the world my parent's car was in the driveway. He told me they were here to babysit. I was a little confused because it was Friday, and he had told me earlier in the week that on Saturday night he was taking me somewhere for my birthday (which he had bought me a black dress from White House/Black Market and a pair of new shoes to wear for our date that night) and he had already arranged the babysitter for that night! I told him I didn't understand. He then smiled and told me to get out of the car because we were leaving right now to spend the weekend away at Lost Pines Resort in Bastrop, TX! I was shocked and so surprised. I walked into my house to find my parents holding a birthday present and screaming surprise! I also found my bags packed, my house cleaned, and supper ready and on the table! That alone was heaven and a wonderful birthday present! David took and the afternoon off from work and was busy getting the house ready and bags ready for the trip!

Once we arrived at Lost Pines, it was totally romantic. If you have never visited Lost Pines, you must...it is wonderful! Check out their website! It was decorated for Christmas and everything was beautiful! The weather was cold and perfect! David scheduled me a manicure, pedicure,and massage on Saturday. I spent several hours in the spa! It was heaven! We watched football together, had breakfast in bed, ate at a fancy restaurant (which I wore my new dress to), made smores by the fire pit, snuggled by the fireplace, and looked at stars snuggled by each other while we sat at the fire pit! We left on Sunday and really did not want the weekend to end! But back to reality and children we came!

It was the best birthday ever! David was so proud of himself, and I think he is just the best husband ever! So that is why when he asked to leave this weekend to go hunting in Louisiana...I said sure----it's the least I could do.... considering!!!!

I love my HUSBAND!!!!

Snow Day

2008-12-11T12:19:00.000-08:00

BRRRRRRRRRR!!!!! It is really winter in Houston! We had snow yesterday evening in Houston. I was working late at work in afterschool and was able to play in the snow with the preschool children! Ethan was thrilled and enjoyed running around in the snowflakes! He especially liked eating the snow! The children were all so excited! It was really something magical to watch their joy and excitement of snowflakes falling! At church later that night, everyone (even adults) were smiling and talking about the snow. It made us all feel that it was really Christmas and winter even in Houston! Ethan told his Daddy all about the snow. He told David he liked it better when it was hot outside because he got to go swimming! Spoken like a true Texan!

It's SNOWING in HOUSTON!!!

Ethan eating the snow!

Ethan catching the snow!

Mommy and Me in the snow!

Ethan feeling the snow on his face!

Autumn Leaves are Falling Down

2008-12-03T20:00:00.000-08:00

We took some pictures in Louisiana at Thanksgiving that really show the beautiful fall colors. Fall is my favorite time of the year. We don't get to see or enjoy the beautiful trees at this time of year in Houston. This is something I really miss about Pineville. I love when we drive home for Thanksgiving and get to see all the beautiful colors. My boys on the other hand enjoyed playing in the leaves, but of course they all had snotty noses afterwards..... thanks to allergies! But I have some really great pictures! Isn't that tree gorgeous!

Ethan had fun with his cousin, Kameron, over the holiday! He was so excited to see her!

My sweet baby Will! This is the smile he wears everyday!

I just LOVE this picture!

They are playing with a leaf in the wagon.

Look closely and you can see Will's little foot! How Cute!!!

Please Pass the Turkey Leg!

2008-12-03T11:29:00.001-08:00

I just had to share this picture of Ethan. One night after Thanksgiving, Ethan asked for turkey...you gotta love thanksgiving leftovers! I got the yummy fried turkey that Uncle Brett made for us out of the fridge and started to cut off some for Ethan. He stopped me and said, "No, I want a turkey leg!" Puzzled I looked at him and said, "Are you sure?" He replied, "YES!" So because when you are on vacation --- rules can be broken (least that is what I think)--- I gave him the whole turkey leg! He started chomping down on the leg without any hesitation. I left him there at Mems' island to eat. A few minutes later my mom, sister, and David started to laugh at him. He was enjoying it so much. My sister and mom looked at each other and almost at the same time they said, "We have a picture of you (Kandy) doing the same thing with a turkey leg at Thanksgiving!" I remembered the picture. I quickly snapped a photo of Ethan.......and here is his Mommy....enjoying a turkey leg in 1979.

Believe it or not...these pictures of Ethan and me were taken in the very same kitchen........just a 29 year gap between pictures! The kitchen has seen major updates in the recent years, but isn't that neat!

Dance With Me

2008-12-03T11:18:00.001-08:00

On our trip to Louisiana for the Thanksgiving holiday we spent lots of time with family! One afternoon Ethan asked Mamaw (my grandmother), "Dance with me Mamaw!" This is the picture I took with them dancing together! I just love this picture. Don't they look like they are having fun? I am so thankful that he gets to make memories like these with his great grandparents. I know that she treasures every moment she gets to spend time with all her great grandchildren.

On a side note--- Ethan loves to dance. He will ask David and I to dance with him all the time. But don't worry--he gets his rhythm from his Daddy--not Mommy! And for that we are very thankful!!!!