They grow up so fast

My sweet babies are growing so fast! Everyday they do something different. It reminds me that nothing stays the same. Each stage seems to be getting more and more fun; although, they each present their own special challenges. 

 Bowen loves to dig in the sand. Before when I would take them to the park he would stay in the jogger and watch. I would often take him out and carry him, swing him for awhile, and let him slide. Now, it's getting a little more difficult because he's mobile and wants down to go exploring on his own. This is an interesting situation with one that wants to crawl around and the other running around like a little maniac in all directions. I'm so glad they'll be able to play together soon! I can't wait to see their interactions and how they play. 

 Quality daddy time

This is Tate's 'CHEESE' face! It's adorable! Silly boy

Queens' Ranch Casserole

I love a good King's Ranch casserole! Especially when it's cold outside! It's delicious and super easy to make. I just made one little tweak to this classic recipe and it made a HUGE difference! So, I decided from now on it shall be called the "Queen's Ranch Casserole" because it's so delicious and, well, it's fit for a Queen :-)

Queen's Ranch Casserole:


-1 can of cream of chicken soup
-1 can of cream of mushroom soup
-1 can of Rotel
-Chicken stock
-1 rotisserie chicken 
-Julio's chips (this is the only tweak I made and holy moly, it is good!)
-Mexican shredded cheese
-chopped onions and mushrooms optional


1. Grease a pan (this one was a 9x9 but if you want to make a bigger batch a 13x9 is good too). Preheat oven to 350
2. Shred the chicken and set it aside in a bowl
3. Over the stove, in a pot, combine the cream of mushroom soup, cream of chicken soup, partially drained Rotel (just drain off most of the juice from the tomatoes), and enough chicken stock to get the consistency you like. Turn on medium heat and stir well. This is where you can add in chopped onion and mushrooms if you like.
4. Crush up enough Julio's chips to cover the bottom of the greased pan. 
5. Add a layer of the shredded chicken on top of the chips. 
6. Spoon a layer of the sauce over the chicken. Top with cheese
7. Add another layer of the crushed chips, chicken, and sauce. Top with cheese.
8. Throw it in the oven for about 15 minutes or until it gets bubbly and just a tiny bit brown. 


This is sooo good! The Julio's chips make it delicious and perfectly seasoned! You can make this as mild or as hot as you desire by adding jalapenos, chipotle peppers, or by using the different heats of Rotel (I used the medium heat since the babies weren't eating this dish).

Boys ONLY Fort

The joys of having boys means playing in the mud, wrestling, whacking things with sticks, exploring, climbing trees, and fort building!

The other day it was chilly outside so we used our inside time to build a fort out of the couch cushions. It was fun, not too sturdy, but a good time nonetheless. 

 Just the boys

 Bowen decided he would get some wrestling time in, too. haha

 Once it collapsed for the 10th time Tate decided he would just bounce on them. 

February snow day

Texas weather is very unpredictable. We've had 2 days of snow this year! The first was when Tate was so sick that he couldn't enjoy it at all but the second time it snowed I let him go outside for a little while and play. He ran right out into it and danced around and laughed at the falling snowflakes. 

He's so cute! He wanted to wear his socks on his hands instead of his gloves. 

I love to see the excitement and wonder of a child. 

Bowen is 8 months old!

Baby Bowen is getting to be such a big boy! So much has changed so fast with him! He is now 8 months old and getting bigger, smarter, funnier, and cuter each and everyday!

(these are the best pictures I could get of him because he does NOT like to sit still anymore!)


At 8 months:


-size 4 diapers, 9-12 (and sometimes even 18 month clothing)
-he's very long and skinny! Surprisingly when I took Tate in for his 2 year check up I weighed Bowen on their scales and he was 20.08 pounds! I can't imagine how tall he's gonna be!
-He's even happier now that he can crawl everywhere and sometimes he just crawls around and giggles. It's adorable!
-He's pulling up on everything!! He started doing it about 2 weeks ago and hasn't stopped yet! I think he will walk very soon because he's so determined to be up. 
-He loves chasing Tate around. Tate will indulge him by getting down on his level and playing with him. 
-He growls all the time when he's thinking/concentrating or is trying to do something. Very high intensity 
-His hair is growing! There's a lot more that has come in and it's getting longer on the sides and in the back. It's still a dirty blonde color.
-He does not sleep well! It's getting worse. Unless I nurse him to sleep and stay there with him, he will not sleep. He does not like his crib! I'm pretty sure he thinks it's baby jail.
-He tries to do things that he sees us do. I was writing the other day and he pulled himself up on the kids' table in the playroom and got the pen and was acting like he was writing with it.
-He still only has 2 teeth and I haven't felt any on the horizon but I do think they'll be making their appearance soon.
-Still is a Mama's boy! But if I'm not around and he can't hear or see me he is pretty content with others too.
-He likes to be around brother all the time!
-He has a major gag reflex and doesn't like baby food but does want to eat big kid food. As soon as he gets more teeth in, he will be set!
-He still has such a sweet chuckle! He is a very happy baby for the most part and chuckles a lot!
-He has had a pretty tough winter with being sick. He's had an ear infection, RSV, and constantly has a snotty nose and crackly breathing. I'm praying that we will get past all of this very soon and he won't have anymore problems....Please God!


I love watching the interaction between Bowen and Tate! They're going to be such good buds! I love this stage! It's been so much fun and it's getting a little less intense. Now, if they would both get on a great sleeping schedule and stay healthy everything would be bliss!


I love you baby Bowen! You are growing up sooo fast! You are such a beautiful blessing!


xoxo, Mama

Baby Bear Bo is on the move

About 3 weeks ago Bowen started full on crawling for the first time! Now he is crawling in and out all the rooms of the house (and sometimes out the open back door) at the speed of a cheetah! My little boy is officially on the move and I don't see him slowing down!

 This was the first official crawl! I'm so glad I got it on video and pictures!

 Going after my phone...this is what Tate did too!

 This was when I tried to get him to take a nap. He doesn't like sleeping in his crib for any amount of time but I tried to make it fun so he wouldn't see it as time served behind bars. ;-)

 Sweet little thing!

 But, he decided he wouldn't sleep and so I finally caved and let him play on the floor with Bubs. They crawled under the crib. It's funny to see them interacting and playing so much!

 He seriously has to be the SWEETEST big brother in the whole wide world! It makes me so proud!

 Now Bowen crawls all around and tries to play with brother!

 He also learned to climb the baby gate! He's pulling up on everything!

It's funny how fast things change! One moment he's just taking everything in and now he's crawling at high speeds and climbing everything in sight! Pretty soon he's going to start walking! My, oh my, it's bittersweet!


I'm so proud of my babies! They melt my heart!

While you were out

Trevor had to make a trip to North Dakota for work and was gone for almost 2 weeks!!! It was incredibly hard; however, we had a lot of good times too. Two kids under 2 is crazy but it is totally worth it to see how much they love each other!

 Bath buds! Bathing them was quite hard. It took a lot of coordination and planning. Two squirmy, soapy, slick little boys definitely kept me on my toes. But look how adorable they are!

 Silly boy! He has the absolute sweetest chuckle I've ever heard! It's precious! (he's just sitting in a booth in his carseat-we usually have the straps much higher)

 And Tate loves baths so much that after I got him out of his bath and dressed for bed and started running my own bath he decided that he would jump in mine! I was running the water and went to go grab a glass of water, and within 1 minute I heard a thump and went in and saw this! Look at that face! Ornery little boy! hahha

 And keeping them busy was hard too! But we had some movie time with popcorn...he loves popcorn!

 We walked the dog. This is not a very common occurence because he likes to yank her around. 

 And munchkin has been very busy too! In between crawling and starting to pull up he's been up keeping me on my toes!

 This is when I tried to take a bath and he decided to use the gate as a climbing wall! goof

 And the day before Trevor came home Tate woke up and was crying telling me "ears hurt" so we went to the doctor AGAIN and he has yet another ear infection! But he was sure cute when he went to the doctor. All the ladies in the office loved his little hard helmet. :-)

Bowen is so excited to be moving that he doesn't like to sit still. This picture is when I was trying to get him to take a nap. Instead, he wanted to check out the artwork. 


So much changes so fast! I can't believe I have 2 mobile little boys! It's a busy time, but I'm so grateful that I'm able to see all their milestones and watch them grow and change before my very eyes. There's nothing more rewarding to being a mom than seeing my babies happy and growing up but savoring every sweet moment.