Weekend Whoas: KFBYFR14

I hope you had a great weekend.  On Friday morning Tyler and I got up and headed to Manhattan to attend the Kansas Farm Bureau Young Farmer & Rancher Conference.  We had a great weekend getting to know fellow farmers/ranchers and gaining priceless knowledge.

We were at the conference pretty much the entire weekend but we did enjoy a couple nice meals together and soaked up the adult alone time.

We got to hold conversations without a chatty 5-year-old butting in and we even got to go see a "big people movie" on Saturday night.  We watched Lone Survivor.  #youmustgosee #prepareyouremotions 

#KFBYFR14

We were really impressed with the conference and are looking forward to future projects!

My parents stayed at our house and watched the boys.  Thanks again for being such devoted and wonderful grandparents.  We are so blessed and the little cowboys had a blast. 

I sure missed the little cowboys....  Keeler greeted us with a sign he and Grandma Kak had made us.  {He really was happy to see us contrary to this expression.} 

Thankfully we had beautiful weather on Sunday so we took advantage and played with the neighbor boys.  Watch out --- crazy brother drivers on our road!  The neighbor boys got their own Gator for Christmas so now everyone gets a turn!

What do you do after Gator rides?  Play in the dirt.  Oh the joys of boys ;)

We surprised the boys with new pajamas and the anthology of all the Kailey books from our little trip.  Kailey’s Ag Adventures is a collection of Kansas Farm Bureau stories written by Dr. Dan Yunk with the purpose... "to teach children that their food comes from the farmers and ranchers who love, care and respect the land entrusted to them."  We received one of the books, "Milk Comes from a Cow?" several years ago and Keeler has always loved it.  He was really excited to start reading the others.  I learned this weekend that there is a website that even includes lesson plans on the topics.  Fellow mommies and teachers: check it out here.    

Sidenote:  Think they'll humor me and wear matching pajamas forever?

Sunday night I watched the Bachelor wedding.  Seriously, the first hour+ was so awkward.  I was embarrassed for them!  They focused on their "wedding consummation" so much.  Yes, it's incredibly cool that Sean has saved himself for marriage but it was just focused on too much.  In the end it was a gorgeous wedding and this couple sets a great example for young people.    

The final whoa: my parents broke my baby.

Well, not really broke him but spoiled him!  My dad held him each night until he fell asleep.  They said the little guy just wouldn't stay in his crib.  Saturday morning he woke up at 5:30a and got in bed with them.  Then on Sunday he got up and got in bed with them at 3:30a --- my poor parents!

Kallahan really took a liking to his new routine and couldn't believe that I wasn't going to let him stay up and watch TV with me?!  As tempting as it was because I really missed the little guy and would have loved the cuddle time I knew I had to break this.  I also thought, why not take this opportunity to transition him to his big boy bed?  We've joked that he would stay in the crib until kindergarten but in reality it's time.  It wasn't easy.  He was up 118 times, okay maybe only a dozen times but we made it through the first night!  

At 6:30 he walked into my bathroom and "helped" me put on my makeup.  

My baby is growing up :(

Weekend Whoas: Samuel is 6!

Just a little weekend recap:

Saturday night we rolled into Amarillo.  Keeler wanted to stay the night with his Mimi and Jimdad so I dropped him and Granny off and then Kal and I headed to my parent's house.  I had some shopping for work to do so my mom, Jacey, Kal and I headed out and then ended our evening with dinner out.

That evening, after we put the kids to bed, my cousin Megan and her boyfriend Eddie arrived at my parents.  We stayed up chatting and catching up.

Saturday morning we got up and got ready.  Kal was so glad that Jacey had stayed the night.

 He seriously would not let her out of his sight!  
After breakfast we got up and headed to Chuck-E-Cheese for my nephew's 6th birthday party.  

Happy Birthday Samuel!! We had such a fun time.

After the party I got together with my SIL Tiffany and some of Erica's friends to start planning Erica's upcoming bridal shower.  I can't believe we are only a few months away from their big day!  

{Funny story: Keeler finally noticed that I wasn't with them after the party and asked about me.  My sister told him, "Oh no, we must of left her at Chuck-E-Cheese!  She's probably crying."  Unphased Keeler said, "No, she's probably just playing that guitar game." - He knows me well, ha!}

~Love this kid!~

After the planning meeting we all met back up and played games with Megan and Eddie.  Have you ever played Mexican Train dominoes all the way from 12-00!?  Now I can officially say I have - and won! 

We took a break for dinner and to celebrate Samuel one last time.

This is the sweetest picture!

It was so great to spend time with Megan and Eddie.  She seems so happy and we are all so happy for her!  She is in her first year of teaching and seems to love her career.  Kal took quite the liking to them both :)

On Sunday my mom and I did a little more shopping for upcoming work events, had a nice lunch and then we headed home.  

This week is soaring by.  Monday evening we went to a little birthday party, Tuesday we attended a cousin's gender reveal party --- finally "it's a girl" in our family and now it's already Wednesday.  My parents are coming up tomorrow night to stay with the little cowboys since Tyler and I are headed to Manhattan for a Young Farmers & Ranchers Conference.  

Cheers to a great {rest of the} week!

Favorite Things Party

Today I'm linking up for January's Favorite Things Party hosted by:

Erica & Andrea

I haven’t done a link-up in a while so I thought this could be fun, especially since I’m focusing on my resolution of no clothes shopping {in January}.  Let’s check out some "things!" 

I’ll share of couple of my favorites (under $10):

Neutrogena Makeup Remover Cleansing Towelettes

I happened upon these because our local store was out of Pond’s wipes.  I was instantly in LOVE after one use.  I can honestly say I had never felt my skin feel so clean and refreshed as it did that night. These babies make removing makeup a breeze.  I wear a heavier makeup for coverage and in the past I never felt like it was fully removed.  I use one at night after my shower and they remove EVERYTHING, even waterproof mascara with one wipe and leave my skin feeling just the right amount of moisturized and refreshed.  I use another one in the morning before I put on my makeup just because I love them.  They come in a very convenient pack so they’re very easy to travel with.   

Camo & Lace Infinity Scarf

I picked up my scarf at craft bizarre before the holidays.  I think I paid around $15 but found a similar one here for only $9.90.  Keeler tells me I can’t wear camo because I don’t hunt, ha!  However, when I wear it I think it rightfully reflects our family / my style – dominated by boys while trying to keep it classy (hence, the lace detail). 

Be sure to check out the link-up for more great things here or here!

Lately

Happy Monday!  This post is full of randomness, I apologize.  

Keeler's first week back at school went well.  He is doing so much better with school this year and seems eager to go everyday.   I hear things like: "Hurry mom, we can't be late!" "I want to be the first one there!"  I am so glad that he enjoys school.  This week he is learning the letter "J."  He brought home this paper:

Look closely, he added green detailing to make it look like his new camo jacket.  I love it!  He got this new jacket for Christmas.  When I told Tyler that I had ordered it he said, "great, he's going to think he's a hunter or solder now."  ....and that he does ;)

Last Sunday the boys and Tyler were surprised with the arrival of another baby calf  from their herd.  It was terribly cold when he was born, the delivery wasn't going well so uncle Troy had to pull him.  The poor thing's head and tongue were both swollen plus the mama cow wasn't taking to the baby.  All the boys worked in the shop getting them warm and the little cowboys got to see him take his first steps.  It was such a great experience.  Through the week Tyler was hoping that the mama would start feeding him but it just wasn't happening.  He tried a bottle but the little guy couldn't figure out how to eat because of his tongue so he resorted to tube feeding.  Tuesday evening I promised the little cowboys I would take them to the farm to check on him.  Keeler got to help "feed him." 

{Sorry for the blurry pics but it was getting dark and it was COLD!}

Over the week we prayed for our new little calf.  Keeler named him "Bucky Lucky."  Tyler suggested lucky because he knew he'd be lucky if he survived.  Unfortunately, on Thursday we had to break the news to Keeler that Lucky didn't make it.  He took the news okay until bedtime.  He cried a lot and it broke my heart.  I tried to console him and told him we could have a little funeral.  I gave him a "lucky" penny to place on his nightstand... I just wasn't prepared on how to cope with the loss of a pet yet!  I witnessed such a sweet moment when Tyler went in after me.  He told him a story about when he lost a pet.  Then on Saturday Tyler took Keeler out to the farm and they buried what Keeler called a "time capsule" for Lucky, including the penny and a picture he drew.  Dealing and coping with loss is never easy.  I sure hope we handled it okay.  In the big scheme of things this was minimal but I never like to see my babies hurting. 

I was out shopping this week and came across the cutest toy shaving kits.  Tyler gives the boys their baths nightly so he's really been enjoying supervising shaving cream fights and trying to keep this one from eating the cream!

Evidently he thinks we shave our tongues??? Oh boy!

This week I set out to run on the treadmill more.  I'm like the rest of the world and find this time of year a motivator to set a new fitness goal.  My goal:  workout more days in the week than not, aka at least 4 times!  I'm not training for anything.  I think I burnt myself out last year and I'm not going to obsess.

I met my goal and ran 5 times this week!  I got a pair of wireless headphones for Christmas so now I can watch TV and hear it too while I'm running.  This is perfect for when I run in the evenings after the boys are in bed.  All the good TV shows are on and I don't disturb anyone.

 If I run on the treadmill when the boys are awake they play in the basement right beside me.  I knew I would stick to my goal over the weekend if they wanted to be downstairs.  So on Friday afternoon I took their new "working chute" from the playroom to the basement.  It worked great until someone needed a trailer hitched (seriously "a boy mom" prob), to go to the bathroom or a snack.  After running I always stretch and lift weights.  Fortunately, I have 2 sets of 2lbs weights so the little cowboys can lift with me.  It's the cutest.  Kal lasts about one rep and tells me how "heby" they are.

 Along with exercising more, I'm trying to be more conscious about serving more vegetables to my family.  This weekend broccoli was a big hit.  We made up a batch of Mix and Match Mama's: Sausage & Corn Chowder.  It was delicious and very hearty!

If you stuck with me through this post, again sorry for the randomness and...

Embrace

2014 is here!  Life is slowly getting back to normal.  My Christmas decorations are down so my poor house looks bare.  I know a lot people are eager to get their decorations down but I am completely the opposite.  I love having lights on everything and a little Christmas cheer in each corner.  See our recent Christmas home tour here.

Like many others, the new year has me reflecting on myself more and trying to improve.  My overall improvement effort for 2014 is all about embracing.  I've read a few blogs that are coining this their "word of the year."  I'm jumping on the band wagon!  
Here lately I've had the strong desire to freeze time.  Since that's not possible, I need to embrace every moment.  Keeler is becoming more mature, well mature for a preschooler.  He has strong opinions in a lot aspects of his life.  This is all positive change but at the same time, he doesn't need me as much and it breaks my heart a little.  However, I'm going to work harder to embrace the change/growth.  I'm going to take interest in what he loves.  I'm going to put down my phone in the evenings and spend more time with him.  I want to build him up and let him know I'm truly interested in his world.      

 Kallahan is also growing and changing at a lightning speed.  Over the holiday break this little guy and I were sick about the same time.  He really needed me.  He wanted to cuddle and be held.  He never wanted me out of his sight.  Granted I felt terrible but having this little guy near made a bad situation kind of special.  Now were all back feeling better (thankfully) but for some reason I feel a deeper bond with him.  I didn't even think that was possible.  Perhaps it's because I've been around him more and can decipher his toddler talk.  I tell him I love him in a whisper and he whispers some mumbo-jumbo back to me.  Sometimes he just comes up and whispers.  #meltsmyheart  

It's evident that they grow up too fast.  I want to soak in every moment.  

I'm going to borrow this quote that Andrea shared because it really spoke to me... 

Life is short.  I'm going to relish and embrace.

Now onto my shallow resolution; shopping or lack thereof.  One of my biggest downfalls is impulse buying.  Too often I don't think twice about treating myself.  I love, love, love to shop, particularly for clothes.  I asked Tyler if he thought I could go an entire year without buying myself any clothes.  He quickly laughed and said, "there's no way."  I want to prove him wrong and I'm kind of excited to see how well I can mix and match my closet to create "new to me" outfits.  Lofty resolution, yes but I'm going to take baby steps and try it for a month.  January = eeeeek, no new clothes month.

I was going to avoid fashion blogs, Pinterest and online shopping until I came up with an idea.  It's genius folks, I am going to make a wishlist {via Pinterest, of course}.  Anything I find that I typically would put in a shopping cart and purchase will in turn get pinned on this wishlist.  I shared this idea with a friend, he said, "good for you, this is what normal people do Kelley."  Who knew? ;) 

Happy New Year.  Let's embrace it!

Welcome 2014 / Feature

Happy New Year!  

Unfortunately, the little cowboys and I have been passing around a nasty stomach bug since Christmas so no partying around here.  However, I've been spending downtime with the three most special people in my life.  I really couldn't ask for anything more.  I love my cowboys!

I was recently asked to be a feature on The Southern Doe™.  

The Southern Doe™ is an online publication devoted to American women who have a love for the outdoors, their faith, their family, their home and their community. It was such a fun experience working with Kristen.  Make sure and check out the site.  I'm so excited to be their very first family feature, read here.

I hope everyone has a wonderful and blessed 2014.  

The best is yet to come!