A Look Back...And Ahead!!! : )

Seeing as how a New Year is vastly approaching, I thought I would show you my year 2010 in rewind!!!

January- we were patiently awaiting the birth of Tyler Jay. We had a shower for him at the church, and also one at work.
February- Of course the highlight of this month was having Tyler!! But day in both of our lives.
March- I was on maternity leave almost the whole month ( I went back to work the 29th I think), so I had a lot of bonding time with Tyler- time that I will never forget. We also had a visit from a special lady, Grandma (and Great Grandma) Mozelle! Tyler's first bottle and first walk around town. Tyler turned 1 month old!
April- I was still getting into the routine of going back to work. I missed Tyler a lot- but having a babysitter I loved made it SO much easier! Tyler turned 2 months old, and I turned 22 years old!
May- Tyler was baptised. My first Mother's Day- which was great by the way! Tyler turned 3 months old! Tyler's first time with a rattle!
June- Tyler turned 4 months old! He also had his first dip in the river and first trip to the cabin! We started baby cereal this during this month too.
July- Tyler turned 5 months old! We started feeding him vegetables- his favorite at first was squash- which he still loves! Tyler's first 4th of July! He loved the fireworks! : )
August- Tyler turned 6 months old! Grandma came back for another visit- which was so much fun! We took Tyler to Splash Zone in Rolla with Caleb- and had a blast! We also tried Tyler's first fruit! He loved them all! And our new nephew was born!
September- Tyler's first time at the County Fair! We celebrated two years together as a married couple!! Tyler turned 7 months old!
October-Tyler turned 8 months old! It was also his first Halloween- and he was the cutest bee EVER : )..and we also had some fun at pumpkin carving too : ) . Jake was baptised.
November- Tyler turned 9 months old! His first Thanksgiving! And Black Friday shopping with Malinda!!
December- Tyler turned 10 months old!! His first Christmas- and first snow! And first time with Santa! And..as of tomorrow..first New Years Eve! : )

There are SO many other things that I could mention- but don't have enough time for that- and I'm sure you don't care to read every detail : )

Overall it has been a fantastic year- best ever actually. I have changed more this year than any other in my life. Tyler has brought so much joy into our lives, and I can't imagine life without the little guy : )

Some things I am looking forward to and have planned in 2011!!!!

* My 5 year class reunion. I am unsure at the moment if I am going to attend yet- I probably won't decide until that evening.
* Tyler's FIRST Birthday!!!! How can that be?! I feel like we just brought him home from the hospital!! : )
* My 23rd Birthday!
* Spending the summer at the river and watching Tyler splash around in the water!
* A wedding for a cousin of Matt's.
* Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, etc..all the holidays basically! : )
* Our 3rd Anniversary!
* One BIG highlight of the year will be building onto the house!! I can't wait!
* And planning for the next baby.
.....it is going to be a GREAT....wait...make that SUPER GREAT Year!!!!!

Happy New Year Everyone!

Christmas..and a little bit of everything else!

* Work has been crazy seeing as how it is the last week of tax season now!! So I will give you a quick run down of Tyler's first Christmas and some random stuff going on!

*Christmas Eve- I made cinnamon rolls- which turned out great I think! And I also made three kinds of cookies. It was a good day off, especially because I spent it with Tyler and Matt! That evening, we went to both churches and had dinner and opened gifts at Mom and Dad's house. It was a great evening! Once we got home we got ready for Santa to arrive : )

*Christmas Day! - We woke up, opened gifts- which was a blast by the way!- and I made a huge breakfast- scrambled eggs w/ cheese and ham, pancake, biscuits and gravy, cinnamon rolls, and we had chocolate milk & orange juice to drink! We were stuffed to say the least!
That afternoon we headed to the Rowden event. It was a good time, and Tyler had a good time crawling around, and watching the other kids play!

*Sunday- I went into work a little that morning to post some mail. I was the only one there, which I kind of like, I can turn up the radio and do my own thing. After I got done, I went home and played around for a while, and then went into town for a while to visit with Mom, Dad and Malinda. That evening we had our last Christmas get together at Ron & Liz's house.

* Overall it was a great Christmas. And I am so grateful we are lucky enough to give Tyler a great one. He has so many people that love him and were so generous, he is one lucky boy : )

* I hope everyone had a great Christmas too! Pictures to come soon!!!

This week...

* We have been swamped with customers this week. We have collected around 70% of the taxes as of this afternoon. I can't believe we only have two more days to collect!

* Tonight we went out to eat at Bandana's for all the December birthdays on Matt's side..(Allison, Chris, Matt & Lauren)..It was a good meal, and a good time!

* Speaking of Matt's birthday- it is today! My gifts to him won't be here until tomorrow or the next day, and I am planning on making him a birthday dinner sometime soon..not sure when though.

* Friday- New Years Eve- we are going to have dinner at Mom and Dad's house, they always put on a big spread! And that evening we are going to go to a party at a friend's house.

I hope everyone is having a great last week of the year!!!! : )

Christmas Weekend Plans!

Tonight- after work I am getting a massage- if she doesn't cancel on me. I saw her yesterday and she said she was getting a cold and she might have to cancel- so I'm not getting my hopes up!

Friday- Christmas Eve- That morning I am going to make cookies for Santa- peanut butter blossoms, sugar cookie cut-outs, and snickerdoodle- I love making cookies if you can't tell : )
I am also going to make cinnamon rolls. I was originally just going to make some for Matt, Tyler and I and for Mom and Dad's on Christmas Eve night, but it is a tradition in Matt's family that Alice (Matt's Mom) used to make cinnamon rolls for Christmas morning. Since her passing in 2005, the boys took turns making them. I guess Chris was the best at them, but he is super busy with moving into his new house, so I told Matt I would attempt to make them this year.

That evening we are going to church at both churches, having dinner and opening presents and Mom and Dad's house, and then going home and getting ready for Santa to arrive!!

Saturday- Tyler's FIRST Christmas!!- we are going to open presents as a family at our house that morning, and then hang around the house until around 2:00, when we will be going to the Rowden's event.

Sunday- Going to church in the morning, and I want to make some meals for the week . Such as: Lasagna, tator tort casserole, enchiladas...since work is going to be busy, I wanted to have some quick dinners to have ready this week.

And then a busy week of work!! Which means I will also be paying our taxes this week too! : )

Have a great Christmas everyone...Just remember to enjoy each others company, and to remember the reason for the season!!..I will update you on how ours went as soon as I get the time!

Apple Dumplings

This morning I got up early (5:00 to be exact) and made these apple dumplings for Matt to take to his work food day. This is the second time I have made them- and they are actually a lot of fun to make- and they smell great! I have yet to try them though, but I plan on making them for the Rowden get together Saturday, so I will try them then! Matt said all the ladies at work were asking him for the recipe- so I guess they were a hit!

Here is the recipe. It is from The Pioneer Women's Cookbook...she has a blog too. Lots of good recipes on there!

In the picture it looks like I went a little crazy with the cinnamon..lol

Apple Dumplings

Prep Time: 10 Minutes Cook Time: 40 Minutes Difficulty: Easy Servings: 6 Ingredients
2 whole Granny Smith Apples
2 cans (8 Oz. Cans) Crescent Rolls
2 sticks Butter
1-½ cup Sugar
1 teaspoon Vanilla
Cinnamon, To Taste
1 can (12 Oz.) Mountain Dew Soda

Preparation Instructions

Peel and core apples. Cut each apple into 8 slices each. Roll each apple slice in a crescent roll. Place in a 9 x 13 buttered pan.

Melt butter, then add sugar and barely stir. Add vanilla, stir, and pour entire mixture over apples. Pour Mountain Dew around the edges of the pan. Sprinkle with cinnamon and bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes. Serve with ice cream, and spoon some of the sweet sauces from the pan over the top.

Such an easy recipe - and it smells delicious- and I'm sure it tastes just as good! : )

Christmas Outfit!

I finally bought a Christmas outfit for Tyler to wear on Christmas Eve! I think he will look adorable- actually, I don't think...I know he is going to look adorable! : )

I found these shoes on Endless.com. That is the first thing I have ever ordered from that site. I was glad I didn't have to make a new account, since it is part of Amazon and I already have an account there. And I got free two day shipping!

They are Pedipeds. I first heard of this brand from an old blog I used to read (by the way, I miss that blog terribly! :) ...anyways, I think they will work good, and are supposed to be more flexible that rubber soles. And these will be Tyler first pair of shoes!!!

I ordered his outfit from The Children's Place. The outfit will sort of look like this. Sorry the picture is blurry, it copied over like that.

Tyler never wears jeans. They just don't look very comfortable to crawl around in to me. But I thought for one night it wouldn't bother him too much.

The under shirt...just a basic blue button up.

Sweater choice #1.

Sweater choice #2.

They had HUGE price cuts, so I bought two sweaters. I'm not sure which one I he is going to wear for Christmas Eve..but I thought he could wear the other one some other time.

I kind of like this one better than the first one.

It is hard to believe Christmas is just a couple of days away now!!!

Lots of Pictures!

Here are an assortment of pictures over the last couple of weeks! ...Enjoy!

I was organizing the refrigerator and took Matt's beer box out and at it on the floor, and Tyler had fun pushing a beer around the floor!

We ended up keeping the gate that we bought for the tree. It is big enough to block off the living room, and entry to the hallway both. I tested it out and set it up in a circle, and Tyler thought it was the coolest thing!

There is something about this boy and refrigerators! : )

Too cute!

He is such a happy baby!

First ride in his new car seat!!! He out grew his old one, especially with his snow suit on, it was impossible to buckle! This one works great!!

I think he looks like such a big kid in it!

Heading for the presents when he thought I wasn't looking...what a stinker : )

He still loves the balls!

He loves wrestling with his play mat! We have got some great video footage of to prove it!

He does great at using a sippy cup! We usually just use water, and sometimes watered down juice.

Mose wanted fed too! They are the best of buds!

This picture is kind of blurry, but it gives you a good look at his top teeth!

I hope everyone is having a great week so far!! The weather is nice out today- for it being the first day of winter!! But I guess all that is going to change- and quick!

*Have a fabulous day!

10 Months Old!

I know I am a little behind with posting these....but better late then never! :)

I took some in the rocking chair, but he wasn't wanting to sit there and hold the sign very much, so Matt came up with this idea! Isn't it a good one too!? And Tyler holding the ornament makes it even more cute :)

What a cutie pie! I still can't believe he is already 10 months...but I better get used to it I guess, because before I know it he be 11 months old...and then a 1 year old!!!!

A Little Bit Of Everything!

Let me update you on some things going on in our lives lately!

* I am so excited to start making Christmas cookies!!! I am planning on making some chocolate chip, sugar cut-outs, Hershey kiss peanut butter, and maybe some oatmeal. I just love to bake! : )

* I can't believe Christmas is this coming week!!! I am so excited!

* For all my 'events' I have to go to this is what I am making: Matt's food days at work (he has two)- a cheese ball & pumpkin roll and apple dumplings. The apple dumplings I made for the funeral dinner turned out great by the way!!! For my food day I am making a cheese ball and a pumpkin roll. For Christmas at Mom and Dad's I am making homemade cinnamon rolls (we are having chili, and at school we always had cinnamon rolls with our chili- don't ask me why!) so now it just goes together to us! For the Rowden, Kloeppel, and New Years Eve, I am making apple dumplings! Can you tell I loved how they turned out?! : )

* My diet is going pretty good! I kind of am held back right now, with the Holidays. But I am only 1 size away from what I used to wear in high school! That is an accomplishment to me! And I get compliments when I see people in town how it looks like I am 'trimming down'...it just makes my day!! : )

* Tyler had a fever at Rata's on Friday. I went to pick him up at lunch time. He had a runny nose, cough and red cheeks. He never really got too hot the rest of the day, but you could tell he didn't fell well. We spent the whole day cuddling and playing. That evening, he went to bed early, so Mom and I ran to Rolla to do some grocery shopping.

* As a result of Tyler being sick, I had to cancel my massage for Friday after work. It kind of bummed me, but I didn't want to get Tyler out in the cold again. Plus, it just gives em something to look forward to now!!

* I bought a vaporizer to use in Tyler's room. We are going to try it out tonight. I am hoping it works!

* Today we made an appointment to take Tyler to the doctor. He never had fever, but he still had cold symptoms, and we figured better safe than sorry. I am glad we went now, because I think if we wouldn't of we would of ended up going Monday- and it would of been even worse then. He had a sore throat, stuffy nose, and a fever when we got to the doctors. He wrote a couple of prescriptions for him and hopefully he will be as good as new in a few days!

* Tonight we are watching Toy Story 3...it is really cute so far! There is something about kid movies that are just adorable!

*Tomorrow I am going to church in the morning. And that afternoon we have a birthday party for Lauren. If Tyler is still not feeling too good, I am going to stay home with him.

As for this week, My work party is Monday, as is one of Matt's. I am also going to try to come in early Monday, I think the mail is going to be thick, so I want to get a head start on it. Wednesday is Matt's other food day. And Thursday is the last day of work for me this week! Friday = Christmas Eve, I am going to spend the day baking cookies, playing with Tyler, and just relaxing around the house! That evening we have Mom and Dad's get together and church. Christmas day we are gong to spend the morning at home opening presents, and then going to church. That afternoon we have the Rowden event. Sunday, we have a get together at Ron's house. I have a feeling it is going to be a good Christmas! : )

I hope everyone is having/had a great weekend! (depending on when you read this!)

I will be posting a lot of pictures tomorrow from Mom and Dad's computer. With dial-up it would take me forever! : )

Weekend Recap & Randoms!

* As I have mentioned before, we are now in tax season, which means I am swamped at work. And, like many others, I post my blog at during work, so I am going to be slacking these next couple of weeks. But I promise to post as often as I can!

This past weekend...

Friday- I went to get my massage- only to be cancelled on once I got there. It was disappointing after looking forward to it all day (and week), but we rescheduled for this Friday.

Saturday- We hung around the house all morning/afternoon. That evening we went to a Christmas party at a friend's house. I made genies and chocolate & peanut butter chip cookies. We had a good time! And Tyler loved playing with all the toys and watching the other kids!

Sunday- We woke up to snow!!!! So pretty! :)
I ended up going to church and the dinner afterwards. Even though Santa was there after church, I left Tyler at home, just way too cold to get him out! That afternoon, Mom and Dad came over to see Tyler for a bit and then we stayed in the rest of the evening. I made homemade chicken noodle soup for dinner and we watched the movie 'Tooth Fairy'. It was pretty good!!

I hope everyone had a great weekend!!!

Randoms....

* Not sure if I mentioned this before or not, but Tyler is all into waving at people right now! It is adorable!

* He is pulling up on everything! Nothing is safe around this little guy! :) ...it is so cute watching him get on his tippy toes- I have to get a picture of it- so cute!

* I am all ready for Christmas!!!!! Cards arrived Friday, I love how they turned out- will post a picture soon! And I already decided what I am making for all our Christmas get-togethers, etc. I am trying one of them out tonight- apple dumplings. A friend made these one time and they were so good! I am making them for a funeral dinner tomorrow, so this is a trial run! :)

* Sunday really reminded me of the night Tyler was born. It was so cold that night, just like Sunday. And on the news last night it said the last day it was that cold was February 9th- otherwise known as Tyler's Day! :) ...such a good day that was.

* Tonight, Malinda and I are going out to my Brother-in-law's house to shampoo his carpets before he moves in this weekend.

* I now have a plaid pea coat!! I usually just use a hoodie or sometimes a Carhartt coat, but I have been wanting a pea coat for a while now- and it was on my Christmas list. Malinda called yesterday to see if I wanted a FREE one. A teacher was wanting to get rid of a brand new one, so she got it for me. And it fits like a glove!!!! I will post pictures soon! Isn't Malinda just the best sister ever!?- I think so! : )

* We have a birthday party for our Niece, Lauren, this weekend. She turns 4 next week. Hard to believe 4 years has went by already- that is proof that time goes by too fast! :)

* Tyler like to eat with us for dinner. So I am trying to make meals that he can eat. He loved the chicken noodle soup Sunday night, and I made fettuccine alfredo with grilled chicken last night- which he loved too! Tonight I am making taco soup- seems like such a great night for soup!

I hope everyone is having a great week so far!! And try to stay warm! :)

Weekend Plans!

After work I am going to try to walk a mile- since the weather is nice out today!! And then I am getting a massage! Then I will be relaxing at home with my men!

Saturday- We have a Christmas party that evening at a friend's house. I am still undecided what to make...decisions..decisions... : )

Sunday- I might skip church- it is the Christmas play- and until Tyler is in it, I'm not into watching it. That afternoon and evening I don't have any plans!

I hope everyone has a great weekend- and try to stay warm!!!! : )

Pictures!

Just a few pictures! Mostly from Sunday night. And they aren't in any order-sorry! : )

A family picture in front of our tree!!



Mose got tired of us! : )

Just playin'!

Sleepy Tyler in the morning, watching me get ready for work!

Waiting to eat lasagna!

Awww...Mose lovin' on Dad...for the record, Mose was only on him long enough to take a picture!

Mose likes the balls too!

Malinda's favorite part of the night was Mose I think!

Tyler crawling towards me as I am trying to take a picture! : )

On a side note: Tyler is 10 months old today!!!!! How can that be?! : )

Have a great Thursday!

Christmas Tree & Stockings!

I will try to get a picture of my outside and the other inside decorations this weekend. But for now here are our stockings and tree!

I love Tyler's stocking. I think when they go on sale after Christmas I am going to get us all one from there.
Our tree! I am so glad they have prelit trees now- so much easier!!

I am tracking our cards- they are about an hour away from here, and should be here tomorrow. I am so excited to see how they turned out!!!!

Randoms!!

Sorry my blog has slacked a little lately- work has been b-u-s-y!! Here are some random things going on in my life- I will try to post pictures soon- we don't have high speed Internet at our house (not yet at least!!) so I will have to find some time during work.

* Tyler is all into waving at people now! It is so precious. We are going to have to get it on video soon!

* He is also standing with holding on to something and having the other hand free! And he loves holding onto our hands as he walks! It won't be long before he can walk himself!

* My diet is still going good. But I think I have picked the worst time to start a diet. Between the Fall Supper, Thanksgiving and now Christmas coming on, I haven't been eating just diet food. But if I put it off until 'after the holidays', I am sure I would just keep putting it off! It is a slow process, I just have to be patient!

* I love my new tennis shoes! They are so light weight! I will have to look into New Balance next time I need new ones again!

* Someone stole some stuff around town. Some of what they stole was the nativity scene from our church. Some people amaze me...stealing from a church?! I hope they eventually think about what they did and regret it, but people like that hardly ever do.

*I am getting my FREE massage Friday evening! I can't wait!!

* I am making some little ornaments with Tyler's pictures on them. I am going to get some wallet size pictures this afternoon. I am going to glue the pictures to green construction paper shaped as Christmas trees, and then give them to select family members for Christmas!

* Speaking of Christmas...all decorations are up, waiting on cards to arrive & the presents all bought! Now just time to enjoy the reason for the season!

I hope everyone is having a great week so far!

Weekend Recap

This weekend was kind of nice- because we had no plans!

Friday night I went to Mom's after work to visit with her and Malinda. That evening Matt, Tyler and I had a fun evening at home together!

Saturday I put up the Christmas tree- I just couldn't wait anymore! The gate is supposed to arrive tomorrow or Tuesday, but Tyler doesn't even seem to notice the tree, so we might not even need it. That afternoon, Tyler and I went into town to visit with Mom and Dad. Matt hung the Christmas lights while we were gone- I love how they turned out! That evening, we had another night in and watched a movie and went to bed early!

Sunday (today)- I went to church in the morning. And this afternoon, I did some cleaning, played with Tyler and made lasagna for dinner. Mom, Dad, Malinda and Mat all came out to eat with us. It was a fun evening!

I hope everyone had a good weekend! I will post pictures from the weekend sometime with week!

Have a great Monday! : )

Someone Is Ready For Christmas!!

I ordered a safety gate to put up around the tree, but it hasn't arrived yet. So I am waiting to put up the tree until it comes. It looks like Tyler was wondering why I haven't put it up yet!! :)

Santa!!

A couple of pictures from last Friday!

During the parade. Tyler didn't want to wear his coat and he kept pulling his hat off, so he was wrapped in a blanket! : )


Santa came to town!

He actually liked Santa!! We were all very surprised!!

When we got done taking the picture I picked Tyler up from 'Santa' and I said "Thanks, Norb"...I will have to watch what I say in the years to come and remember to only refer to Santa as Santa! LOl : )

Laundry Helper!

Again, these pictures are from a couple of weeks ago. We have since then child proofed the whole house- a much needed task!

I had just sorted and refolded all my shirts, but I guess Tyler thought they weren't folded right- and he tried to 'redo' them for me! : )

Caught in the act!!

What a rotten little smile! : )

He is lucky he is so stinkin' cute!

Anyone Need A Tissue??

These pictures were actually taken a few weeks ago, I just realized that I never posted them!

They are pretty much self explanatory..Tyler got a hold of a box of tissues...He kept pulling them out one by one! It was so cute!


He got bored and moved on to a new toy! : )

New Month!!!

I can't believe that December is already here- but the cold weather the last two days is letting me know that it is!!! Here are some fun things we have planned for the month!!!!

* My family is coming over for dinner this weekend for Lasagna!
* Tyler turns will now be in 'double digits'!!! He will be 10 months on the 9th!!!
* A friend's Christmas party!
*Christmas party at work.

*My Niece's 4th Birthday.
* I have a FREE massage to schedule before the 31st. Matt's Aunt was looking to get rid of two that expire at the end of the year, so I happily took them off her hands! I have one to Malinda-since I am nice like that! : )

*Tyler's very FIRST Christmas-EVER!!!!!!!!

* Family Christmas's at both our families!
* I am going to be busy, Busy BUSY at work!!- But I love the fast pace!
* Matt's Birthday!
* New Years Eve party at a friend's house.
* And then the start of a new year!!!! - If 2011 is as even half as good as this year has been, it is going to be a great year! : )
*And so many other than too numerous to mention!

I hope everyone has fun plans for their month!