some more pictures for you guys

Just some more pictures.....I really want to get my photography up and running so, If anybody wants family portraits or pics of their kids done let me know!! I would love and appreciate all the practice I can get!!!

I love autumn!

my sweet baby Kingston

TOTALLED!

Nick was in a pretty bad accident a few nights ago....luckily he walked away with only a scrape on his forehead and a cut on his finger!! Somebody was definitely watching out for him that night!! He rolled the truck out on the brush creek road. All the doors were smashed in, three of the tires were popped, the windshield and rear passenger windows were shattered, the back window popped out, all of the headlights were smashed and the undercarriage was all twisted.....

here are just a few pics

WE ARE ALL COUNTING OUR BLESSINGS AFTER THIS ONE!!

I've been really depressed about the state of my yard lately....it looks like dog poo, I know! We're almost there though, we've almost saved up enough to do it the way I want- so, I decided to take some pics of the good things to cheer myself up...all four of them...hahaha

Today I went to my cousins bridal shower. it was a lot of fun, she is such a cute girl! I wish her and hubby-to-be the best! Its so weird, I still think of her as my baby cousin Rileigh. Her and my little sister were really close growing up. they did everything together and she was always over at our house. She is apart of sooo many of my favorite memories. One time we borrowed the neighbors wheel chair and took turns riding it down a hill next to her house.....hahahha...who am i kidding we straight up stole it, we even snuck into his house to get it; and the time me, talor, riliegh and brady all piled onto rileigh's grandma lola's power wheelchair and attemped to ride it to walmart. Or putting on those weird spandex full bodysuits and having wrestling matches on the trampoline. Rileigh used to make my sister Talor wear the ugliest clothes when she needed to borrow some after staying the night, so one time when rileigh stayed at our house i hid her clothes and gave her some of my moms old workout clothes from the eighties...they were purple leggings with yellow and grey lightning bolts on them...lol....they were so disgusting!!! (sorry about that one rileigh) Or when Rileigh and I busted the lock on my sister Talor's diary and read it from cover to cover and then literally had to run for our lives because Talor was MAD and had armed herself with a metal baton. I could go on for days with all of the adventures we have had....may there be many be to come! Rileigh, I wish you and mark a long and happy life together!!!

Well, it has been a very uneventful couple of days.... i went to take some fall pics of the boys
and decided to post them.....Kingston fell asleep in the car on the way so I don't have any of him yet.

here are a few of my favorites

one of those days

It has definitely been one of those days!!! This story is pretty good-- I ran to wal mart earlier today to pick up a few things well, when I came out I walked over to my jeep, opened the door got inside, noticed it smelled different than usual (a little bit like old spice/mushrooms), stuck the key in the ignition and it wouldn't start....oh crap I'm thinking to myself. Did I leave the lights on?? No, plus I was only in the store for about ten minutes. Is it in park?? (whole different story regarding that issue) Yes, its in park. So, I proceeded to try to start the stupid thing by cranking the ignition a few more times. Then I realized I was not in my car--- I GOT INTO SOMEONE ELSE'S VEHICLE! hahahahaha So I tried to act natural, slipped out and ran to my car all the while ducking behind other vehicles.......I wasn't even on the right side of the parking lot--- I was literally at the other end..... I was so sure the owner was probably inside calling the cops to report some creep hanging out in their car

so, then i get home and start cooking some rice and went upstairs to tell Nick about my little adventure. We were just talking and hanging out and I totally spaced the rice. Yep, I burned it to a crisp.....and not just a little bit on the bottom. I had to throw the pot out it with the rice....it was all completely black.....hahahahaha (my house still stinks)

What can I say....Its just been one of those days = ]

lazy day

Today was a great day! Nothing too special happened, in fact, I'm sitting in my pajamas as I type this. I was awakened this morning by Stryker screaming. So, I ran into his room thinking he probably fell out of bed, but no... he wanted noodles. Thats right NOODLES hahahahaha so, thats how i started the day; making noodles at 6:45 A.M. Nick is working nights this week and wasn't feeling well so, we all just kind of laid around all day and watched movies til he left for work around 4:00. For those of you who don't know I am really into photography and I just got a new camera about 3 months ago that i have a SERIOUS crush on!!! I decided today that i am going to try to take one picture of my kids everyday for the next year to see how they grow and change. i saw a book that a husband and wife did like this that they called project 365. It was cool to see how they had changed but, I think mine will be better....lol..... kids just change sooo quickly...plus my babies are a whole lot cuter than those oldies :)
Kingston broke out with a whole bunch of little red bumps all over is face about a week ago. He looked terrible so, we took him to the doctor who said that it was most likely a viral infection--and we got a prescription for some sort of cream. well, im happy to report that he is doing better and looks a thousand times better. I can't believe how big he is getting. I swear he looked about 10 pounds heavier when i got him up this morning. Stryker too. He loves to watch the school bus come and pick up the neighborhood kids every day and he tells me how he wants to ride it and go to school too. I hate it....hahahaha.....time just flys by way to quickly!! It seems that just yesterday I was bringing him home from the hospital and now hes three and ready to go school. To me this reaffirms that our existence is eternal and that we are here on earth for what seems like only moments. I had the opportunity to get my patriarchal blessing this past Sunday and it was an experience that will stay with me forever! It isn't very long but it I can tell that every word was meant for me.

he is growing up on me

After we got home from my mom's house i got the kids into their jammies and decided to do one last sweep of the house and pick up a little bit. All was well until things got a little too quiet... and for those of you with kids you know thats never a good sign so I went to check on them and found Kingston about 3/4 the way up the stairs....for the very first time. I about had a heart attack and he, of course, thought it was funny. One thing about Kingston is he is very determined and very independent. When he decides to do something he does it. No practice runs, he just goes all out! It is so fun to watch little babies develope a personality and I think this is one of those things that will stick with him throughout his life.

ITS SOUPY!!!

So, today I took the boys up to my mom's house so that they could help Grandma and Papa put up halloween decorations. Stryker was so excited. It was so cute just watching his eyes light up and hearing his little laugh. Each time he would pull a decoration out of the bin he would exclaim "OOOOH SOUPY" the first couple of times we couldn't figure it out then we realized he was saying oooh SPOOKY.... hahahahha I love him!! It never ceases to amaze me how the smallest things he does will keep me smiling all day---

a day at the corn maze

Today we took the boys over to the Bluebell corn maze. We all had a lot of fun. It was really really windy and pretty chilly so we didn't stay long and actually didn't even make it into the maze; but we stayed busy and had a good day!

Kingston and his pumpkin
Both of the boys were so excited to ride behind the tractor
stryker having fun playing on the slide
I really liked the old truck they had out there
Nick just being a guy checking out the old International

Kingston and dad on the way to the pumpkin patch
on the hunt...
still searching.....
Stryker finally found his perfect pumpkin

Stryker REALLY didn't want to leave the sandbox
My cute mom and my stepdad Chris
Grandma helping stryker dig
Kingston in the corn
Stryker and Aunt Mallory going for a ride

Getting back in the groove

I started my blog quite awhile ago and then completely forgot about it. I figure now is as good a time as any to pick it back up so, bare with me as I get it updated! Nick and I are going to take the boys to the corn maze tomorrow with some of their cousins so, today I made some treats for us to have when we get back. The recipes will follow for home made rootbeer and PB&J sandwich cookies- Stryker loves these!!

HOMEMADE ROOTBEER
5 gallons water
5 lbs white sugar
1 (2-ounce) bottle rootbeer concentrate
5 lbs dry ice

PLACE 4 GALLONS OF THE COLD WATER IN A LARGE CONTAINER. ADD SUGAR AND STIR UNTIL DISSOLVED. POUR IN ROOTBEER EXTRACT AND MX. ADD THE DRY ICE AND PUT THE LID ON LOOSELY SO THE GASES CAN ESCAPE. LET IT BREW FOR ABOUT 15 MINUTES. ADD THE LAST GALLON OF WATER AND BREW FOR ANOTHER 15 MINUTES. THIS MAKES A TON OF ROOTBEER I USUALLY HALF THE RECIPE AND I STILL ALWAYS HAVE MORE THAN ENOUGH TO GO AROUND FOR A GROUP OF 9 OR 10!

PB&J SANDWICH COOKIES
1 pouch (1 lb 1.5 oz) betty crocker peanut butter cookie mix
vegetable oil and egg as called for on cookie pouch
1/3 c. vanilla frosting
2 TBSP peanut butter
1/3 c. jam or preserves flavor of your choice

HEAT OVEN TO 375 DEGREES, MAKE COOKIES AS DIRECTD ON POUCH, COOL COMPLETELY.
IN A SMALL BOWL STIR FROSTING AND PEANUT BUTTER UNTIL SMOOTH.
FOR EACH SANDWICH COOKIE, SPREAD GENEROUS TEASPOON FROSTING MIX ON BOTTOM OF 1 COOKIE; SPREAD A LITTLE BIT OF JELLY OVER PEANUT BUTTER MIXTURE. TOP WITH ANOTHER COOKIE, BOTTOM SIDE DOWN.

THESE COOKIES ARE SO EASY AND REALLY GOOD

OUR TRIP TO NORTH CAROLINA

In june nick and I took a trip to north carolina with his parents and all of his siblings. It was a blast!! i never would have thought that N.C. would have so much to offer!

I took this outside of our beach house at sunrise our first day on Topsail Island. It was so beautiful and serene.
our group outside the beach house.

I love this wall

One of the days we chartered a boat to go deep sea fishing. I had been looking forward to this for weeks. All was well for oh about the first 20 min. the trip lasted 6 hours and I was so so SO sick! hahaha I think I threw up like at least 13 times-- I was able to fight off the sickness for about 10 minutes at a time and I caught 4 fish... all in all I had a fun day!!
This was on the USS North Carolina
Seeing a light house was probably my favorite part of the whole trip. Nick and I left a day early so we made the 3 1/2 hour drive from topsail island to Kill Devil Hills to see this.

I loved taking a week long trip with the in-laws and i cant wait until the next one!

THE DAY IT ALL BEGAN

(he can NOT dance)

:)

Nick and his groomsmen

me and my hubby

MY OTHER FAMILY

ME AND MY DADDY
MY BRIDESMAIDS AND ME

I LOVE HIM