Trains at North Park

December 21, 2012 By Jamie Roubinek 1 Comment

Since I was a little girl, I have always remembered how much my step-dad loved trains. And, just like every little boy, Riverson and Langston love to see them, as well. I knew The Trains at North Park would be so fun for the three of them to do together.

I invited my step-dad to come along with us for a little outing to North Park mall in Dallas. He bravely accepted.

My boys are at the perfect age to really start enjoying these miniature trains. I knew, for me, it would be worth everything just to see the looks on their faces.

I was right.

They couldn’t have been happier.

{You’ll have to excuse my picture quality. All pictures were taken with my iPhone. Brantley was in my other hand as I snapped most of these pictures. There was no chance I could have taken my big camera.}

This was their very first glimpse at what was to come. You can’t imagine how much convincing it took for me to get them to happily walk away from this window to see what was waiting for them inside. They thought this was the best thing yet.

There was just so much for them to see!

I loved that there were literally trains everywhere.

It was a boy’s haven, for sure, and I’m so glad these three were able to experience it together!

The room was a little smaller than I expected and I’m glad we went on a school day, when I expected the crowd to be a little lighter. I can’t even imagine what it’s like on the weekends!

Riverson, at two, thought he was free to roam as he pleased and although he could just barely see over the ledge, he was constantly asking to be picked up. Try carrying a 35 pound toddler in one arm and a four month old in a baby carrier in the other. Whoa. That was a workout, for sure. {It’s really not a stroller friendly room and most strollers were left at the front.}

But, like I said, the looks on their faces made it worth it all.

This is definitely a tradition we will keep every Christmas season!

Filed Under: Christmas, DFW

Pictures With Santa

December 19, 2012 By Jamie Roubinek 4 Comments

I couldn’t wait to get our pictures with Santa taken this year, like we do every year.

But, I was terrified of the ordeal at the same time. All I could think was that it would be a huge crying, fit throwing ordeal and I was sure to be sweating in the end.

I remember when we saw Santa last year and while it went really well with just two toddlers I could only picture this year. I had just found out I was pregnant with Brantley and all I could think was how crazy people were going to think I was when I walk in with my three small children to have their picture taken with Santa.

I was expecting a miserable experience, this year. Santa only has two knees. I have three kids. Where would they each be in the picture? Would I have to be in our pictures with Santa?

What I got was definitely NOT what I expected!

Langston was the first to resist, just as I expected. He hated the Easter bunny, after all. I grabbed him in my arms and took him to hug Santa. Santa and I go way back. My college roommates and I worked with him back in 2000 and he’s my very favorite Santa!

While I was getting Langston to warm up, I had no idea Riverson was my brave one.

He hopped right up out of his stroller and headed straight for some Santa love!

I. was. shocked.

That little boy definitely paved the way for this picture.

Riverson looks like he was crying but that’s just his “cheese” face.

I don’t think it could have gone any better. I was amazed at how awesome they all were!

It might have helped that the whole time we were in the car on the way to see Santa, I kept talking to the boys about how awesome Santa is and how nice he is. He brings us the toys we ask him for. Blah, blah, blah. Basically, I was willing to tell them anything that would get them excited to see Santa.

Obviously, it worked!

He still remains my very favorite Santa and we’ll be back every year! Pictures with Santa are another one of my favorite traditions and after this year, I can’t wait to do it again!

Filed Under: Christmas, DFW

Christmas Traditions

December 7, 2012 By Jamie Roubinek 5 Comments

For our family, I’ve tried out several Christmas traditions each year. This year, I feel like such a slacker, but I just don’t have time this year to devote to everything I would normally do.

I’m trying, though.

Our Tree

Our tree has been up for a couple of weeks, but truthfully, there was a moment when I felt so overwhelmed with the whole idea of decorating it, I almost scratched it. Then I remembered how disappointed Hallie and Easton would be. Good thing I changed my mind, because I really love it. {I’ll have a pic for you soon.}

Every year when we are decorating, one of the kids gets to put the star on top. They look forward to it every year and definitely keep track of who did it last year, especially if they weren’t the one.

I also like to have ornaments the kids can remember is all about them, and not just something I picked out because it looks pretty. I like for the tree to be about memories.

Yesterday, I took all of the kids to Hobby Lobby. I regretted it when it was time to leave and Riverson threw a massive fit, forcing me to carry a screaming two year old out of there. It was fun, for sure!

However, before that, the kids picked out their favorite ornaments for the tree.

This is what we came home with.

Yes, we forgot Brantley. Kind of. I actually didn’t like the Baby’s First Christmas ornaments they had. I’ll find one for her somewhere else.

The kids each got to hang their ornament on the tree.

Langston has gone back to the Christmas tree many times since he rested his soccer ball on the branch. Every time, he gets so excited and insists on sharing his ornament with anyone who will listen to him. The latest conversation went something like this:

Mommy, look at my soccer.

It’s for my team.

I kick it in the goal and you say, “WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!”

I like soccer.

Santa

I get so excited every year when it’s time to see Santa.

This was our picture last year and I think it’s hysterical. They weren’t scared of him, but they had no interest in staying on his lap. There’s more pics from our trip to visit Santa last year.

We’re planning to visit him next week, but I’m honestly terrified.

While in Hobby Lobby today, I showed Riverson a picture of Santa and told him he was going to sit on his lap and take a picture. The first thing he said was, “NOOOO!”

Oh great, this will be fun.

Add that to the fact that I have THREE small children this year and he only has TWO arms and knees.

This could be a TOTAL disaster!! But I’m still super excited about it.

Elf on the Shelf

I have to be totally honest about this little guy.

He stresses me out.

It’s just one more thing for me to remember to do and I’m not good at it.

A friend of mine said she got a calendar and planned out all of her elf ideas ahead of time so it made it really easy. I really wish I was a better plan aheader.

Our elf hasn’t moved since he came out a couple of weeks ago.

He and Jeff’s most prized possession have become great friends this year.

This is my Christmas tradition fail.

Oh well. I can’t do it all and I’m okay with that. I’m living vicariously through my friends who DO have animated elves.

Christmas Eve

Probably my most favorite Christmas tradition is on Christmas Eve when we go to the Christmas Eve service at church. The sanctuary is beautiful and it gives us a chance to focus on the real reason for the season.

It’s ok if Riverson’s scared of Santa. I know he loves Jesus.

So tell me! What’s YOUR favorite Christmas tradition???

Filed Under: Christmas, Family

When I Miss Diapers

November 29, 2012 By Jamie Roubinek 7 Comments

Before I started potty training Langston, I remember hearing someone say, “Diapers are your friend!”

It made me laugh knowing I couldn’t wait to have one less child using diapers. I mean, seriously, with three kids in diapers, it seemed like all I was doing was changing their diapers. All. Day. Long!

What a relief it was when Langston finally turned a corner in potty training.

Well, until the first time we were in public, at the grocery store, and he said, “Mommy, I need to go potty!”

All I could think was, “NOOOOOOOO!”

Does anyone have a good thought in their mind when they think about their three year old using a public restroom?

I rushed him to the restroom and even though he insists on sitting on the potty at home, I basically forced him to stand to pee. We made it out of there fairly easily and I was thankful he wasn’t too ridiculously stubborn like he is about most things.

Fast forward to this past weekend in Hobby Lobby, my happy place. We made three separate trips to the restroom. This time, I had all three kids with me. I’m sure I was quite the sight walking in to the restroom with my double stroller and walking toddler.

Langston peed and we were back out in the fabric section, where I really wanted to be. However, from the moment we left the bathroom, Langston was saying, “Mommy, I want to go bye bye.” I thought it was odd, but told him we would go bye bye in just a minute.

I started to notice he was walking funny. He told me a couple more times, “Mommy, I want to go bye bye.” Then it hit me. He needed to poop but only at home.

I quietly asked him, “Langston, do you need to go poo poo?”

He quickly said, “No,” but I knew.

Then I saw him shaking. I rushed him to the bathroom, for the third time, and he finally agreed to go.

We sat there for a minute, all four of us in the stall. Thank goodness there was a handicap stall!

All of the sudden, I heard Langston say, very loudly, “Oh look Mommy! There it is! I found it!” He was pointing between his legs in to the potty.

Success. All I could do was giggle.

Those three trips to the bathroom took an hour out of what was supposed to be our quick trip to Hobby Lobby. I was quickly reminded of those times I heard people say, “Diapers are your friend.” I knew what they were talking about it and for a moment, I missed him being in diapers.

And, while I’m glad he got things taken care of, I still hate public bathrooms for my little people.

You forget what things you have to teach them NOT to touch and he doesn’t understand when I tell him not to put his hand on the toilet seat. SO gross.

Maybe I’m not in such a big hurry to get Riverson potty trained, too, after all.

Fortunately, there was something good to come out of this trip. I got my fabric and turned it in to these pants for Brantley to wear when she gets her picture taken with Santa!

I’m NOT looking forward to our next public restroom experience, that’s for sure!

Filed Under: Boys, Christmas

Still….

August 2, 2012 By Jamie Roubinek 4 Comments

You’d think I’d be so excited that I’ve reached the finish line and I thought I would be, too. I guess 40 weeks is not my finish line.

Yes, she’s still in there. Yesterday put me at 40 weeks, so that makes today 40 WEEKS 1 DAY!! It’s officially the most pregnant I’ve ever been.

I’m not upset about it at all. :/ {Can you tell?}

No, honestly, I’m trying to stay positive {TRYING!} and thinking of all of the things I can enjoy right now that I won’t be able to enjoy when she gets here and I’m in a constant sleep deprived fog.

For one, I still get some pretty rock hard sleep and only wake up once or twice to go to the bathroom but I have NO problem going right back to sleep. It helps that both of the boys sleep through the night and are doing awesome in their newly shared bedroom!

I’m also enjoying feeling her sweet body movements inside of me. Some are more painful than others, but feeling every one of your baby’s movements is still one of my favorite parts about being pregnant.

And, who can forget the hiccups?! That is also another favorite part of pregnancy for me.

Bottom line, life is a little easier with her on the inside than it will be when she’s on the outside. While I can’t wait to hold her in my arms and smell that newborn skin, I’m staying positive knowing she’ll be here soon enough.

Because I’ve cleared my schedule thinking I’d be home with a newborn baby, we pretty much have nothing to do. I don’t do well with boredom. So many things I want to do to beat the boredom but I just don’t have the energy!

I did find the energy to do a little crafting yesterday, though. It took my mind off of things for a while.

I’m in love with these satin flowers lately and they are so fun to make! I think I’ll do a tutorial post on them, too!

And this morning, Kelly and I took our three little ones to a bounce place to try and wear them out! I need to stay busy or I’ll get a) tired and b) disappointed that I’m still pregnant.

I got to enjoy a little bit of boy mom fun with my little guys and they were in heaven!

Langston couldn’t stay away from the air hockey table and he’s pretty good at it, for being a first timer.

One last thing I’ve been wanting to tell y’all about and this gives me a good excuse to do it. My friend, Taren, who I used to teach with, is selling her little girls’ clothes on Facebook and I got a steal on this precious outfit for Christmas.

It should be coming in the mail today or tomorrow. It looked absolutely adorable on her little girl last Christmas and I’m so excited to hang it in our baby girl’s closet.

The real reason I wanted to bring that up is because not only do Taren’s girls have adorable clothes, but Taren makes a lot of their clothes and accessories. She got so good at it she opened up an Etsy shop called All Things Ruffled. A few months ago, I actually bought a pair of these double ruffle footless tights {same color, too!} and I highly recommend you click on that link to see how adorable they are!

I can’t wait to put my little girl’s precious thighs in them in a few months! If you like Taren’s style {who wouldn’t?} and want to keep up with what she’s making, you can even become a fan of her Facebook page, where she does a lot of her advertising!

She has no idea I’m telling y’all about this, I just really really like her goodies. And her!

I’m off to maybe find ways to get some contractions going and see if we can’t have a baby soon! In case you don’t hear from me again until I put a pretty little baby girl’s face on our blog, please pray for strength for me. I’m very excited about the experience of a water birth and using a birthing center, but I’m suddenly remembering how painful it all is.

Filed Under: Baby, Boys, Christmas, Friends, Pregnancy

Looking Back on 2011

January 4, 2012 By Jamie Roubinek 2 Comments

2011 was a pretty good year for us. We moved in to a different house, in the same neighborhood, at the beginning of the year. Yes, we LOVE our neighborhood and it’s become like our own little small town in this big city we live in. However, other than that, the year was spent learning how to adjust to life with two small boys and two tweens. I’ve been looking back through the blog and wanted to highlight some posts from the year for you.

Reading several of these has made me laugh all over again. So funny how quickly little ones change.

January

Riverson started to become a little more responsive at 2 months old and I got the best laugh out of him in this video.

I even tried my hand at being a pageant mom. It’s not for me, that’s for sure, but it was fun taking home a crown and a medal for our big guy.

He will probably be so embarrassed when he’s older and I tell him his mom entered him in a pageant. Oh well!

This was also the month that the boys were able to start taking baths together. That was so nice to be able to cut some of my workload. They’ve been bathing together ever since, and they love it! The only reason I wanted to highlight this post is because of the picture from their first bath together. They look SO much alike and I got so much response when I posted the picture on facebook. So many people told me they look like twins. We get that a lot now.

February

This was the big month for SNOW and TONS OF IT!! It really was crazy! In Texas, we rarely get snow and to have this much in such a short timeframe is just weird. I don’t think I left the house for 5 days. It gave me a chance to do a little furniture painting, between feeding the three month old, of course.

Jeff and I got to dress up in 70′s getup and have a little fun at a neighborhood party. There were lots of fun people and seeing all of the costumes cracked me up! Lots of afros and big sunglasses.

We Jeff had to make the big decision to put our 14 year old yellow lab, Sargent, down. It was such a tough decision and was heartbreaking for our family, but we knew it was time. We’re big dog lovers around here and losing a dog is like losing a member of the family.

We did get to have a celebration this month when Easton hit double digits. He had a fun little party with his buddies and we just loved celebrating him. He’s is and always has been such a sweet boy!

March

March was a rough month for us! Riverson came down with RSV and that kept Jeff and I up several nights watching him sleep, sent us to the ER once, and the pediatrician’s office three times in one week. It was not so great!

Add to the fact that it was the same month one of our dogs got out and couldn’t be found for an entire day and the other dog getting hit by a car. Fortunately she just broke a leg, but our medical bills for baby and dog were scary.

Surprisingly, we were able to do a little celebrating in there. Jeff and I celebrated four years of marriage. It’s been quite a ride but so glad we have each other to hold on to.

April

We took the plunge and started Riverson with solids this month. He LOVED them and did great, immediately! Langston showed a lot of his affectionate side and this post always makes me laugh, especially one picture in particular.

We took the small window of opportunity to get our pictures taken among some amazing bluebonnets…..one of my favorite things about this great state we live in!

Another post from this month that gets a lot of hits from google is my garage sale lamp redo. So easy and it makes a BIG difference!

May

May was the month that we really started to enjoy the warm weather. We went on lots of walks, played some sports, and celebrated a very special baby dedication for the sweetest 6 month old.

Langston became quite the helper this month for his little brother. The videos to prove it are priceless. I will always love looking back on them.

As for my love for crafting, this month, I did a little update to Hallie’s room. I love the paint color and she’s excited about the projects that went in to it.

June

June meant that we were getting a two year old in the house. That’s right, Langston turned 2 on June 7th and I was busy in the weeks leading up to it working on projects for his airplane themed birthday party. I put a lot of work in to it and he had a great time at his party. The work was worth it, but I think this will be the last of his birthday parties at home, for a while.

Jeff and I were lucky enough to take a wonderful vacation to the Riviera Maya for his best friend’s wedding. We REALLY needed to get away and Mexico is one of our all time favorite places!

July

Other than this month being the month I started weaning Riverson, it was a very uneventful month for us!

I picked up a new hobby with my mom……woodworking! I fell in love with Ana White’s website and I was determined to try something out. After seeing one of my favorite craft sites tackle the project, I knew we could do it, too.

August

This was a great month for all of us! The kids went back to school and even Langston started going to school one day a week. It was an adjustment but it’s been good for all of us! Easton started playing tackle football, which meant that I hardly saw Jeff until the end of the season. Hallie started playing volleyball for her school and she did an awesome job! She loved all of the time she got to spend with girlfriends.

The biggest change this month was in Langston’s world. He moved out of the crib and into a big boy bed!! He did awesome, too!!

September

Jeff and I had a great time at the LSU v Oregon game at Cowboy Stadium with my dad and step mom.

Langston really pushed me to my limit with his behavior but then surprised me with how quickly things can change.

October

I started doing more blogging work with brands, which I LOVE to do! I had my first SUPER fun experience and was a Chevy Girl On The Go. A local dealership gave me a Chevy Traverse to drive for two weeks and all I had to do was blog about it and send them two videos. It was so fun to have a free car and our big kids LOVED it. I am still so thankful for that experience!

I blogged about one of my favorite projects in Hallie’s room and that post still gets a lot of Google traffic, too. It’s such great wall art and pretty easy, too!!

Riverson turned one on October 28th and we celebrated with a fun costume party with his friends. The pictures of him tackling that smash cake are AWESOME!

November

My favorite post from the month of November was my Fall wreath. It’s actually more than a “Fall” wreath because it’s still hanging above our mantle, in the winter.

I ran two giveaways on the blog and did several sponsored posts. Always nice to know this blog can actually make a buck or two. I have more goals for that in 2012.

We had so much to be thankful for this Thanksgiving!

December

Langston started out the month with a nice run in with some Scentsy wax. That was fun, lemma tell ya.

I did some of my favorite things getting ready for Christmas: putting up decorations around the house and picking out and mailing our Christmas cards. LOVE it!

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Sorry for such a long post! I didn’t think we had that big of a year until I started looking back on each month!

Just wait, there is a lot to come in 2012! I can’t wait to tell you all more about it!

Filed Under: Baby, Birthday, Blogging, Boys, Christmas, Dogs, Family, Friends, Giveaways, House, Jeff, Kids, Langston, Parenting, Parents, Projects, Riverson, Travel

I Caught Santa

December 21, 2011 By Jamie Roubinek Leave a Comment

I found an awesome idea to “Wow” your little Santa lovers!! Not only your Santa lovers, but your “on-the-fence-of-believing-in-Santa” kids, too!

What do you think they would say if they saw a picture of your actual living room at home with Santa IN IT?!?! icaughtsanta.com is exactly where you can make it happen and it couldn’t be any easier.

With just three easy steps, you can get your own picture to either print as proof or share on Facebook and Twitter. All you need to do is take a picture of your living room, pick from one of these poses,

and then wow your kids with the picture you “took” of Santa in your living room! Easy peasy!!

You don’t even have to have kids for something like this. Consider giving a Gift Card or eGift Certificates for those friends who DO have children. This makes icaughtsanta.com SUCH an easy gift to give!

To make it even easier to make your decision, icaughtsanta.com is offering all of you a 50% off code! Woo hoo!! All you need to do is enter the code SANTA50 and get your entire order at half price!!

MERRY CHRISTMAS and ENJOY!!!!

Filed Under: Christmas, Kids

Home for the Holidays

December 14, 2011 By Jamie Roubinek Leave a Comment

Have you ever seen an actual flash mob take place?

Wouldn’t you LOVE to be a part of one?!?!

I think being a part of this one would be SO cool!!

I love that Dallas is my home and I don’t have to travel for the holidays. I’m actually lucky that my parents come to my house on Christmas Day. It’s so awesome to not have to travel with kids, food, presents, etc. to visit family on Christmas Day.

So tell me, are you traveling “home” for the holidays? Or are you home already? I’d love to hear from you.

Enjoy the fun video!!

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This post is sponsored by T-Mobile.

Filed Under: Christmas, Family

Holiday Decor

December 10, 2011 By Jamie Roubinek 1 Comment

I’m pretty much done with decorating for Christmas. Some things I didn’t even put out this year and I’m fine with that. I do kind of miss this guy, but I’m pretty sure he won’t be coming out of storage this year. Oh well.

I’ll give you a little tour of some of the Christmas decor I DO have out.

Our mantle doesn’t really scream “Merry Christmas” at you. I really didn’t change much, at ALL. I added our vintage snowman and Christmas chalkboard that still needs to be filled out. I’m using the black shutters to hold the Christmas cards we get with clothespins. The fall wreath I made not too long ago is still a favorite of mine, so I’m not ready to tuck it away yet.

Our bookshelves in the living room are tricky. I added a few Christmas decorations but you walk such a fine line of clutter and emptiness with bookshelves. With the amount of goodies on the bookshelves, I have to dust a lot more often. {Not a fan!}

These are two of my very favorite Christmas crafts I have made. Shanty2Chic inspired me to make these JOY candlesticks and Thrift Decor Chick showed me how to make the Santa hats, last year.

Our Christmas tree is on it’s last leg. It’s PAST time for a new one. I’m sure it’s an investment we will make when they are half off right after Christmas.

One of my favorites.

Last but not least, my very favorite Christmas decor piece: our wreath!!

I found this wreath in a small shop in my home town. I told my step-dad how much I loved it and he bought it for me, for my birthday three years ago. I STILL love it!

With all of these goodies out in the house, it’s easy for our house to look cluttered and I’ve found the best solution to that is to replace things instead of adding things when I’m decorating. I will pull Christmas decor out of the tubs they have been stored in all year and put them in place of something that finds a home in the tub for the Christmas season.

Another thing that helps me keep things clean during this time of year is to vacuum once a day. It makes me feel better to know our floor is clean and picked up.

I will be totally honest and tell you that I’m really NOT the person to be taking cleaning tips from. My home is not dirty and messes drive me crazy but I pretty much envy every clean home that has children living in it.

Our house is definitely a “lived in” house.

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Disclosure: I am sharing my holiday home decor and cleaning tips for the chance to win prizes from The SITS Girls and Great Cleaners.

Filed Under: Blogging, Christmas, Contests, House

We saw SANTA!!

December 9, 2011 By Jamie Roubinek 21 Comments

I decided earlier this week that today was the day!

Today was the day we were making our way to visit Santa and get our picture taken. It is an event that MUST happen every year because I LOVE Santa! You can read more here on why I love this specific Santa so much!

I tried to be organized and have it all planned out. I had their cute new outfits set out and ready to go and I tried to make sure they were happy campers at just the right time.

Just when I got everything prepared and we were about to get dressed to go, Riverson fell while he and Langston were playing. He got a nice cut right above his lip and a fat little lip to go with it. He thought it was no big deal, but NOT ME! All I could think was, “Of COURSE this would happen on the day we are planning to see Santa!”

Nevertheless, we pressed on and got dressed. I wasn’t gonna let a little fat lip ruin our day. I did one last check to make sure we were good on time. So, at 9:30, when I checked Santa’s hours, I learned he would not be open for another hour and a half. I knew Riverson needed a nap and could NOT wait an hour and a half. He went down and Langston and I waited for him to wake up.

This is the problem with the ages they are at. Riverson still takes two naps but Langston just takes one good afternoon nap. Because of this, sometimes Langston is ready to go down right after Riverson gets up. The days they sleep at the same time make me feel like SuperMom.

When Riverson woke up, we got dressed and hit the door running. Both boys pretty much had to squeeze in to their outfits. I was so excited about these MudPie outfits because they are just so dang cute, but man were they tight! Riverson barely squeezed in to his 18 month outfit and he’s 13 months. The buttons in the crotch would NOT stay snapped. Oh well, lesson learned. MudPie runs small or else I have pretty big boys.

Even though we went at a good time of day before school was out for the holidays, we still had some waiting to do when we got there. The greatest thing, though, is that this year, Santa is pretty high tech. We gave the hostess our cell phone number and they sent us text messages telling us how much longer we had to wait. In the mean time, I got to take the boys to the kids play area of the bookstore. They had the freedom to run free and do some playing, rather than be tied to their stroller while we waited in line.

The boys colored and played.

Finally, it was our turn and I promise you, this is the best part of the post.

By this time, Langston was super tired and would NOT stand with me in the line. After chasing him around and wishing I had brought my stroller in, it was our turn. The one I was most worried about was great.