Whitsell Family

YIKES!!!

2012-01-18T18:15:00.000-08:00

Poor Girl!

We were playing outside this afternoon

and when we were cleaning up

Kaylie did this to herself

Poor girl looks like she is abused

but all she was doing was pushing the dump

truck into the garage and slipped

and fell.

Scrapped her face across the driveway.

Don't you feel sorry for her?!!!

T-Man's TWO!!!

2012-01-09T16:16:00.000-08:00

The birthday boy & his cupcake!

Ah-Mazing action shot!

(I don't know who took this picture,

but THANK YOU!!!!)

oh, this boy melts my heart! I just love

those dimples!

Kaylie riding Trey's new scooter...

good thing she taught him how to share early on!

me and the birthday boy!

did I already say he melts my heart!!!

practicing his basketball skills!

Dunking!

We had a great time celebrating our boy

and his 2nd birthday!

life these days

2012-01-04T12:58:00.000-08:00

These days much of our day is spent

like this:

Trey playing with his train....

sometimes he has both slippers on

sometimes he doesn't!

And Kaylie dressing

and un-dressing her babies.

I am beyond blessed and love

the life The Lord has blessed me with!

Christmas was the best yet!!!

2011-12-27T07:29:00.000-08:00

Kaylie only asked for one thing this year:

A bunk bed for her babies.

WHAT???? Where did that come from?!!!

At the last minute Devin decided he wanted to

make her one ....

I think it turned out better than great!

And Kaylie couldn't have been happier with it!

A neighbor randomly came over last week

with a pink dresser and asked if we wanted it....

I thought it would make a perfect closet for Kaylie's

babies clothing so I said YES!

but that meant more work for Devin....

Didn't it turn out great too?!!!

And another hand-me-down Caddy!

But I'm pretty sure I was more excited

than the kiddos for this one!

After Santa came.... all ready for the kiddos

to wake up!

Finding their gifts

Kaylie taking her new bike for a spin!

Devin showing trey how to work those tools!

this boy was in heaven with all his new tools....

he would have worn that hat/light to bed if I let him!

Santa Devin

2011-12-26T17:48:00.000-08:00

Our neighbor came over last week with

this dresser and asked us if we wanted it

I thought it would make a perfect closet

for Kaylie's babies clothing

so I said yes....

then I had to convince Devin it was

a good idea! and that he could make

what I was picturing in my head!!!

I think it turned out PERFECT!!!!

The fabric in the back of the closet part matches

the bedding on the bunk bed he made for her

babies too!

Seriously, Kaylie had the best Christmas

EVER!!! Thanks to her daddy/ Santa!!!

Santa

2011-12-26T14:59:00.001-08:00

Every year Santa visits my parents

neighborhood and brings the kiddos a

gift! It is something I did as a kid

and LOVE doing with my kids!

Waiting for Santa to come

This year he had a police escort and came

via a horse drawn carriage and as a bonus

Mrs. Clause came too!

Kaylie got a baby doll

And Trey got a construction hat and light

He was also filmed for the channel 11 news :)

Hope you all had as great of a Christmas as our family did!

Toy Story on Ice!

2011-12-23T05:30:00.000-08:00

A childhood friend gave us 3 tickets and parking

to Disney's Toy Story on Ice.

Devin and I had been talking about wanting

to take Kaylie to see the show

so when she offered the tickets it was an

easy YES!!!

I told Kaylie we had a surprise for her

and on our way Devin asked her if she wanted to know where

we were going and she said no she wanted to be

surprised.... so cute & SO NOT LIKE HER MOTHER!!!

It was actually very entertaining for kids and adults,

I was surprised & I love Toy Story!

she did not want to take pictures,

just wanted to watch the show!!

I am thrilled we got to go to the show and

even better it was free!!!

Christmas festivities have begun!

2011-12-22T05:41:00.000-08:00

Our first Christmas gift exchange!!!

Kaylie and Auntie M

Helping Uncle Jus open his loot!

Devin and his Fire shirt from Boston

my new scarf Mel made, she is showing me how

to wear it!

Devin reading Trey one of his new books

Mel and her new clock

Trey modeling Uncle Jus' new shirt

he is saying "cheese!!!"

Kaylie and her "cheers" shirt

purple AND her favorite thing to do at dinner,

how can you go wrong!

Phew, I'm exhausted already

and it has only just begun!

Milton!

2011-12-21T05:19:00.000-08:00

Milton has been having tons of

fun at our house!

He has been playing games with

friends....eating popcorn & drinking Diet Coke

And.....

hanging out with the nutcrackers!

getting ready for a game of football

while showing his support of USC,

what a good little elf!

taking a nap in Kaylie's doll house

She was so confused how he got into her room and she

didn't hear him!

Up all night reading books the kiddos just got!

Only a few days left with Milton until next year

I wonder what he will be up to his last 2 nights!

Part of the job???

2011-12-17T20:21:00.000-08:00

This article is about a call Devin responded to at work early this morning. I am still praising Jesus he is alive.

Arson suspect shoots at firefighters in Lincoln Heights | abc7.com

Knotts Berry Farm!

2011-12-09T06:27:00.000-08:00

Devin has been working a lot lately and

wanted to do something fun with the kiddos

so he surprised them with an afternoon

at Knotts because of the Police & Fire

promotion they have going on!

Kaylie would not go near Snoopy

Trey ran over to him and hugged him

and gave him a high 5....

I promise he liked it!

Camp Snoopy was awesome for the kiddos

they were big enough for just about everything

and brave enough to do it by themselves!

Trey LOVED this waterfall

I think he would still be watching it if we didn't

make him keep walking!

The park was not crowded at all

we had to wait for the ride to finish but

got on the very next ride!

it was awesome!

And Santa was there!

The kids got to talk to him

and tell him all they wanted for Christmas

I just hope Santa has a trick up his sleeve to give

them what they are asking for!

Decorations!!!

2011-12-03T11:25:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas

from our house,

to yours!

While decorating this year

Devin and I decided we don't have

enough decorations

but I'll take you on a tour of what

we do have!

A basket to hold our Christmas cards

Kaylie's pink tree

Cause, what 3 year old wouldn't want

their own tree!!!

Truth is.... it was a gift from some parents

while I was teaching and I couldn't

bear the thought of not having it so we put it in K's room

and she LOVES it almost as much as I do!

we need to work on getting ornaments for it!

Nativity's......

The kiddos Little People Nativity set

that they can play with

part of the Willow Tree Nativity that I am

collecting piece by piece

Advent calendar

each morning after finding Milton

Kaylie runs over to the calendar to open a door

and hang an ornament!

Our tree & train

with all the gifts

(I'm done shopping &

wrapping, YIPPEE!!!)

Firemen nutcrackers and

China Cabnet

Stockings hung by the fire with care

and of course a plate and cup

waiting for cookies and milk for Santa

Our dining room table set and ready for dinner!

And our Elf, Milton watching

our kiddos to make

sure they are good!

hehe....

I love Milton, our Elf on the Shelf!

Christmas time around here is great

and I love how the house looks.

Train

2011-11-30T06:57:00.000-08:00

Devin has been wanting a train around our

Christmas tree for years

Recently Devin's mom said she had one in

her attic we could use

so yesterday Devin went over and got it down

isn't it cute!! As long as the kiddos don't touch

it it's a great little addition to the tree and gifts!

I'm going to do a tour of decorations soon,

what does your house look like for

Christmas?

Peek-A-Boo!

2011-11-21T19:07:00.000-08:00

While I was in the kitchen making dinner

I heard "mama" coming from the play room

softly...

over and over again!

I went in and found this:

He wanted the race car track that was behind all the bags.

I'm glad he didn't want the helmet on top of the cupboard!

Rainy Day Schedule!

2011-11-12T15:50:00.000-08:00

I think it's pretty fair to say that when I was

teaching I HATED rainy day schedule

The only time I didn't mind it was on Wednesday's

cause then I didn't have to wear a skirt....but that's

a whole different story!

Well.... rainy days still kinda suck....

but not nearly as much!

we can grab our rain boots and go play in the puddles

and do fun things like this:

Camping indoors!!!

I mean, who doesn't

love a tent and teepee connected

by tubes!!!

seriously, we have been having fun on this rainy day

that we again spent in our pj's!

T-Man's Bedroom

2011-11-11T18:35:00.000-08:00

F-I-N-A-L-L-Y!!!

To say Trey's room was disgusting is a

HUGE understatement.

It was worse than disgusting, please trust me on that!

When we moved in we replaced half the floor but couldn't afford

to do the whole thing.....

and we thought it should be Trey's room since he wouldn't

be touching the walls

Please trust me, the photos do not do the room

justice on how bad it was!

The room also quickly became the junk drawer

Anything that didn't have a home

went straight into his room.....

and we shut the door and no body knew it was there!

Believe me yet?

SO SO gross!

I'll spare you any more pictures cause I think

you get the idea!

UNTIL NOW!!!!

Can I get a fist pump!

Trey has a new room!!

YIPPEE!!!!

The color looks similar, but trust me it is VERY

different and so clean I would lick the walls!

You have no idea how happy it makes me that my boy's

room is clean and suitable for him to live in!

Devin also replaced the other half of the floor that

we couldn't afford to when we moved in.

We are a few pictures and shelves away from being finished

but you get the idea....

Clean...Nice....New....Clean....Room!

Now I will leave the door open!

Oh Dear!

2011-11-07T14:58:00.000-08:00

Don't judge me, we have spent the day in our PJ's

maybe its the time change

maybe its the weather

maybe its just me......

I don't know

but we have been l.a.z.y!

I'm not going to lie,

I like days like this!

Trey and his hat!

This hat is in our dress-up box in the playroom and I promise

Trey wears it most of the day

EVERYDAY!

I'm not sure why, but he really really loves it!

If he isn't wearing this hat he is wearing

his fire chief helmet....

why can't he just wear the fire helmet only?!!!

I wanted to get a picture of Trey and his hat and all Kaylie

wanted me to do was take a picture of her too! She even

smiled nicely!

Trey had enough of the pictures,

refused to say "cheese"

and started to hide his face!

And Kaylie could not get enough pictures taken of her!

Love my quirky kids

Love the lazy days

and I LOVE my job!

Babies!

2011-10-31T08:00:00.000-07:00

Ever since my girlfriend had her baby Trey has been

obsessed with babies....

He put the diaper on her, rocked her and held her

Look how sweet he is being to the baby!

He walks around the house

saying 'shh' and rocking the baby....

such a good little daddy!

Silly boy! I told him to say "Cheese"

And he did! :)

Halloween at School

2011-10-29T13:16:00.000-07:00

At Kaylie's school the

kids dressed up for halloween

and had a parade for the parents....

Kaylie wanted to be a butterfly

and I thought perfect cause Auntie Ro and Uncle Kyle

gave her wings for her birthday, all we had to do was

add a tu-tu and we have a pretty darn cute butterfly!!

Kaylie and her friend Liv

Here she is with Jackie, who I have never heard say one word...EVER

When the kids play outside on the playground Kaylie

makes Jackie follow her around and calls her "baby"...

Jackie does follows Kaylie around and does everything Kaylie tells her

My mom swears I did the same thing

at her age, so I guess she comes by it naturally!

The class posing for a picture

Finishing up their loop of the parade

Trey wanted SO BADLY to be a part of the parade...

so I finally let him at the end!

T-man

2011-10-13T20:11:00.000-07:00

Trey got rug burn on his nose at church....

you have to fall pretty hard to get rug burn on your nose!

that boy!!! LOVE him!

Pumpkin Patch

2011-10-11T19:42:00.000-07:00

Pumpkin Patches sure have changed since I was a kid

I sure don't remember rides and animals....

I just remember pumpkins!

We went to a pumpkin patch with Grandma-Ba-Pa today

The kids had a great time, who wouldn't

it was like Disneyland!!!

Ha, hay horses!!!!

the kiddos running through the pumpkins

picking out their favorites!

strong man Trey picking two!

Trey was too small for most rides, so he

only got to ride the car!

Kaylie LOVED the tractors

but she was one CRAZY driver, seriously.....

she will never be driving one of my cars!

she kept running into the hay bale

and the guy kept saying

"There is Kaylie again, in the hay bales!!!"

she didn't care, she thought it was the best

thing ever to be driving her own car!

the only ride Trey was big enough to ride was the train....

and he rode it well!

Kaylie and Grandma....

look at that HUGE pumpkin!

family tractor picture...

our little piggies!

Kaylie driving the boat,

this was on a track so she couldn't crash it!

We had a great time at the Pumpkin Patch &

I can't believe how much the kids are growing!

So very thankful for healthy, growing kids.

Man, I love them!

Hand-Me-Downs!

2011-09-27T13:17:00.000-07:00

I rarely say no to hand-me-downs because,

you just never know what you will get.

If they didn't want it, I can give it away just as easily,

right?!!!

This summer we have been so very blessed by:

a BMW pedal car

a little tykes van and car

a water pirate ship

along with

wagon, dump truck, lego table, 2 trikes and a glider

and a DOLL HOUSE!!!!

fully equipped with tons of accessories!

We are super blessed by our generous friends....

how did we get so lucky?!!!

Thanks for thinking of our kids,

they LOVE their new toys!!!

It's What's for Dinner!

2011-09-25T14:19:00.000-07:00

I've never really done this before, but seems like it's only

fair to share some of our favorite meals....

Tortilla Soup comes in many different forms, but

I love this meal and it couldn't be easier!

Put 3 largish chicken breasts in a crock-pot with Taco Seasoning

(I use a packet of Lawrys Chicken Taco Seasoning), cook 4 hours on high

then shred the chicken. Add 2 cans of corn, black beans, diced tomatoes,

and chicken broth. 1 can (4oz) diced green chilies

cook 4 hours (or more) on high

Serve over crushed tortilla chips, top with cheese, avocados, and sour cream

You won't be sorry you made it!

Again, there are a lot of ways to make mac and cheese,

but I haven't found one I like more than this

Old-Fashioned Mac & Cheese

1 pound of macaroni, slightly undercooked and drained

4-5 cups of béchamel sauce (white sauce) – see below

8 cups of shredded cheddar cheese (I use sharp)

dehydrated onion

salt and pepper to tasted

buttered breadcrumbs – see below

In a 13x9 pan add about half the cooked macaroni; top with half the béchamel sauce, sprinkle about 1-2 tsp of the dried onion over the sauce, then spread a couple of big handfuls of cheese, making a nice thick layer. Repeat. Top with buttered breadcrumbs and bake until bubbly around the edges, the cheese is melted, and the breadcrumbs are toasty, about 30-45 minutes.

Note: it may seem like a lot of sauce, but the macaroni soaks it up quite a bit. The dried onion is key.

Béchamel Sauce

4 tablespoons butter

3 tablespoons flour

4-5 cups whole milk, or half and half

salt and pepper to taste

Melt the butter in a medium sized saucepan over medium high heat. Add the flour all at once and whisk until smooth and bubbly. Add salt and pepper, I use 1 teaspoon of salt and ½ a tsp of pepper. Slowly whisk in the milk until all the lumps are gone. Stir until sauce thickens slightly and boils, be careful not to scorch the bottom. The sauce should be kind of loose. If it’s too thick, add more milk to thin it out. Add a couple of cups of cheese or to taste and stir until blended in.

Buttered Breadcrumb topping

Whir 2 pieces of bread in the food processor or blender

Melt 2 tablespoons butter and pour through the spout onto the crumbs while the processor is running. Spread over the top of the prepared mac and cheese.

ENJOY!

Time to Celebrate!

2011-09-13T13:14:00.000-07:00

A little someone started school today!

And we have many many years of school

pictures ahead of us!

It was a happy day here! She couldn't be more

excited about starting school....

she even sang a "I'm going to preschool" song

last night....

And although she was excited about school, she

was kind of over pictures! She just became silly!!!

Us as we were waiting in line for school to open!!!

A friend of mine growing up was there with her daughter too

This is the girls meeting and showing each other their name tags!

She had to find her row on the mat

Kissing brother goodbye....

so sweet!

And one last photo, she was ready for me to leave but I

had to capture the moment!

She came home with lots of stories and is

looking forward to going back....

but was disappointed she doesn't

get to go tomorrow!

now, what am I going to do with my free time?!!!

:) Its a good problem to have!

Lesson in Sharing

2011-08-16T21:15:00.000-07:00

Kaylie, Trey and Devin were playing out front with some fun, new, free

toys we were given. Kaylie came inside to tell me something and

then realized Trey was playing with her van- she did not

want him to so she went running out to get her van back

and must have forgotten that we have two steps on our porch

because she went flying off the porch and landed forehead first into the driveway

OUCH!!!

Surprise Get-A-Way!

2011-07-30T15:05:00.000-07:00

Devin had a surprise anniversary trip planned for us

and after my miscarriage it was just what I needed.

we went over to Kyle & Ro's to pick up a 'hat'

and SURPRISE they came with us!

We stopped on the way for a little In-N-Out

We told the person taking the picture it was our first

time at In-N-Out...otherwise why would

you be taking a picture there! Ha!

After checking into the hotel we went wine tasting

I've never been.....

Everything was so beautiful and the wine,

Oh, so good!

The next day we went to the Mid-State Fair

and saw Lady Antebellum!

A-MAZ-ING!!!!

It was a much needed time away with Devin and an

added bonus of great friends!

Zoomars!!! Petting Zoo

2011-07-19T18:15:00.000-07:00

My mom snagged a great deal and treated

us to a day at Zoomars petting zoo.

We had a great time

We got there a little early and looked through the fence

at the animals

The bunny/ guinea pig pen was full of animals

just waiting for us!

Kaylie could hold the "bunny-pig" ALL day long

she was seriously in heaven!

she could not get enough bunny-pig

(as she called it!)

she even had to kiss it goodbye....

Trey was a champ and fed the animals-

ALL the animals

he wasn't even afraid, not once

and for Trey, that IS a huge step!

I didn't do so well!

Not one animal was left un-fed!

These llamas freaked me out, at least grandma

was willing to feed them!

part of the deal was a train ride & that was

a little piece of heaven for the kiddos!

lucky Devin got to go too!

We all voted and we will be going back!

family photo

2011-07-16T13:16:00.001-07:00

I have a feeling this is what our family pictures

will look like for awhile.

Crazy, fun kids.....love em to death!

4th of July vacay!

2011-07-07T14:13:00.000-07:00

We drove up to Danville with my cousins

and spent the long 4th of July weekend with my

aunt and uncle there.

We did lots of great, fun things that I didn't get pictures of...

I need to get better at the whole picture taking thing!

We drove into the City one day and played the role of

tourist....

We shared icecream at Ghirardelli square

So good!!!

Kaylie chased birds..

So funny!

The kids loved the annual Danville

4th of July parade

They collected everything free

including lots and lots of candy!

(so much candy that when I told Kaylie she needed

to eat lunch she said she wasn't hungry because

she had candy for lunch!)

We got some great last minute seats-

right up close!

And we didn't even have to sleep there to get these seats!

They were very involved in being patriotic,

waving their flags any chance they got!

And a BIG shout out to Aunt Shirley for a

very cute 4th of July dress made for Kaylie.

She loves it & wore it proudly!

she might thank me one day!

2011-06-26T13:50:00.000-07:00

Maybe I'm the only one that

smiles because of these

pictures......

But this girl makes me happy

I love her and ALL of her silliness!

her expressions are priceless!

Swing Set!

2011-06-18T19:16:00.001-07:00

Devin thought it was time for the kids to have something

to play on in our huge backyard

so he bought them a swing set!

He spent 2 days putting it together and

it could not happen soon enough if you asked Kaylie!

She thought if she helped it would go quicker,

smart thinking!!

ta-da!

perfect size for them and

all they need!

swings, fort, rock wall, picnic table, sand box,

and monkey bars! Ka-Chigga!!!

and they could care less about the lack of grass back there!

They love playing in the dirt!

These kids could spend ALL day up in the fort.

Trey LOVES it up there! That boy can climb the rock wall

all by himself and is thrilled to just watch everyone in the backyard

from his fort!

Expo Washable Party

2011-06-12T19:24:00.001-07:00

I had a great opportunity to host an Expo

Washable Marker party.

I wrapped up the 2 sets of markers

and eraser to spruce up the package a little!

Devin drew a race track for the kids to drive their cars on

Please notice the firesgone, PAPA, Getweiser....

cleaver!

Trey and grandma having a great time

Nicole and Deanna in a

Bean Bag Toss competition!

Mel, Kaitie and me

in a Bean Bag Toss Competition....

Kaitie won.....

ALL 3 of her bean bags were on the 40 points

Devin also drew a girl on the back of the

window for the kids to color on the front

so we could erase and re-color all day long!

And a boy

Kaitie, Mel and Mari coloring on the kids

Kaylie painting her nails with the

Expo Markers!

Posing with our Expo Products for a picture!

Expo Washable

2011-06-12T06:37:00.000-07:00

I have a great opportunity later today to play with all these

goodies and share with friends too!

Ka-Chigga!

Not Her Mother's Daughter

2011-06-10T18:39:00.000-07:00

Devin was under the house working on

some plumbing problems...

Kaylie asked if she could go under too.

She LOVED it under there!

You will NEVER catch her mother down there.

EVER!

5 Bucks....Ka-Chigga!

2011-05-28T07:44:00.000-07:00

Im not a big garage sale person

but I have found the best things

for $5 lately....

I really wanted tunnels but wasn't willing

to spend much for them

and when I saw these beauties at a garage

sale I just had to have them!

2 tunnels

a tent

and a teepee

ALL FOR $5...... how can you get better than that!!!

Let's Have a Picnic

2011-04-30T16:07:00.000-07:00

Kaylie has been begging to

have a picnic for a few days now

So today during nap time I searched for

an hour through the boxes in our

garage to find our picnic backpack

I found it!

She was SO excited!!!

She prepared a picnic for her babies

in the playroom

Then we had a picnic of fruit out

front with her baby....

She is hooked and is already

talking about our next picnic

It will include lunch,

I had to promise!

Living Room....check

2011-04-26T20:56:00.000-07:00

Devin finished patching, sanding, painting

changing door casing and baseboard in the living room

a few weeks ago....

It is so nice to have clean, pretty walls!

Our living room was bad, but didn't always look like it does below

I promise!

another before picture,

blue, dirty walls

After

crisp, clean, pretty

Our new painting

Christmas gift from Mel

LOVE IT!!!

Done

for now......

We have bigger plans for this room

(which will actually be the dining room)

but for now I just love the cleanness of it

It's starting to feel like home

and I like it!

So thankful for my husband who is handy, willing

and able to do the work

and do it well.

Easter

2011-04-24T18:45:00.000-07:00

We had a very low-key Easter here this year

My heart is heavy and somewhere in Detroit!

But the Easter Bunny came for a visit

Kaylie quickly found a basket,

but it wasn't hers....

she found Trey's

so she had to try again!

And this time, found hers....

she takes a little after her uncle in

her seeking abilities....

we will have to share photos of that later

to compare!

Trey was even able to find his basket

I guess the Easter Bunny will have to

do a better job of hiding it next year

Devin was working so we went to the

Fire Station for Easter dinner

And while we were there we played

a little dress-up

fire fighter in training!

Kaylie asked Auntie M to come along so

she gladly did....She had fun in the firetruck

just like the kiddos

Devin got some good pictures with the kids this time

Kaylie pretty much took over and was

ready to drive the guys to their next call

When we got home

we put Trey to bed

and Auntie M did an Easter egg

hunt with Kaylie

It was fun until Kaylie didn't think she hid

them well enough and wouldn't pick the

eggs up because they were on the floor!

We had a nice, fun, quiet Easter.

Peek-a-Boo!

2011-04-17T20:23:00.000-07:00

Trey loves to play Peek-a-Boo

after meals.....

but we play Trey style &

only cover one eye!

Kaylie turned 3!

2011-04-15T20:17:00.000-07:00

We had hupcakes....

and by request,

they were pink!

In the midst of

a construction zone

Kaylie opened her gift from us

She got all of Andy's toys

She always asks if she can go to Andy's house

and play with his toys because he has

the best toys!

I'm not sure how, but

she is 3!

Happy birthday sweet girl!

Hallway..... check!

2011-04-11T13:01:00.000-07:00

Devin has been working hard getting

the hallway pretty.

The old entry way floor,

I almost forgot it looked like this!

New entry way floor and a clean, painted front door

What we used to see when we entered the house

What we now see.....

better, right!

Ta-Da!

Teacher Kaylie?!!!

2011-04-10T21:58:00.000-07:00

Kaylie had her school all set up today...

It was so cute to hear her read to her babies

Not only was it precious to watch, but

maybe, just maybe

she will join the rest of the girls in

the family and one day become a teacher!

And did you know she turns 3 tomorrow.....

I can't believe I just said that.

3..... WOW!

Lumber Jack Trey

2011-03-25T15:04:00.001-07:00

The weeds in our back yard are

Out. Of. Control

they are as tall as Trey!

So we took our Lumber Jack

into the back yard and let him

run loose in them

And made him smile for

the camera!

He was a good sport

for awhile

Then he had enough and

said

No more!

She Comes by it Naturally

2011-03-14T09:35:00.000-07:00

on her fathers side, of course!

wink. wink.

It goes something like this

.....

mommy play a game with me

the princess game.....

we start to play

and then......

she stops the thing from moving

so she can .......

take her pieces out....

...... cheater cheater.....

Fair warning-

don't play a game

with this girl!

...or me, I cheat too!

kiddos lately

2011-03-12T08:55:00.001-08:00

my aunt shirley came from Washington for a visit...

she spent a lot of time with my kiddos- they love each other

she took this picture of Trey.....

I just love it!

I love his 4 teeth

I love him!

Kaylie got her paint on'

she even dressed the part of an artist!

you know, crazy hair and clothing

she for sure has the look!

and has the talent of an artist too

I think she will make me rich!

don't you agree!

.......ha!

She got her 1st 'real' haircut yesterday

I tried to get a good smile picture

but she had other ideas!

and got tired of trying.....

oh, and she is almost 3..

....can't believe I just said that.....

cause you know, if I don't say it out loud

it won't really happen!

love that girl-even her sassiness!

DIY

2011-03-08T06:52:00.001-08:00

Our new bathroom vanity....

Do you love it?!!

It's a treasure.....

for someone!

wait for it........

Ka-Chigga!!

2011-03-06T15:13:00.000-08:00

We are on the hunt for a dresser/

piece of furniture to turn into

a bathroom vanity so we went to

lots of garage sales this weekend......

no dresser BUT.......found this beauty!

BEST $5 I've ever spent!

ok, well maybe the second best spend,

that pretzel at the USC basketball game

was pretty key!

Laker Game

2011-03-05T15:03:00.001-08:00

We went to the Laker game with our good friends

Had dinner at an old firehouse turned restaurant

in LA before....

it was ok, I was expecting something different

but still fun!

took pictures with the laker girls

and Chick Hearn

And had great seats

Fun night with great friends

And the Lakers won & we got free tacos

from Jack in the Box!

New Master Bedroom

2011-02-17T21:21:00.000-08:00

Our master bedroom

I'm pretty sure when the old owner

painted the room they

didn't want to move a piece of furniture

so there was a big white, un-painted, area

in the middle of the wall

weird, right!

Devin painted the ceiling

see why!

crisp, new, clean

old, dirty, yuck

old view

(even though the closet is new,

the rest isn't)

new view

old view towards the bathroom

new view towards the bathroom

(new door isn't up yet, but coming

tomorrow)

old view of the entrance

new view of the entrance

door coming tomorrow

Devin spent a lot of time fixing up the bedroom

We aren't totally done, but I love the new paint

and feel of the room.

We want to build a wall unit/ closet to take

the place of some big furniture and shoe rack

but don't know exactly what we want

so we are working on that......

maybe soon!

I love my job!

2011-02-15T14:40:00.000-08:00

Kaylie is becoming one great little mommy

Cooking dinner for her babies

It doesn't get cuter than this!

happy valentine's day!

2011-02-14T18:45:00.000-08:00

We had a heart themed Valentine's Day

this year

Red, heart shaped chocolate chip

pancakes for breakfast

(the kiddos had blueberry heart shaped ones)

Heart shaped peanut butter & jelly

sandwiches for lunch

dinner didn't' go as planned.....

(A LONG trip to Home Depot got in our way)

we had pizza.

we will have our heart shaped

sloppy-joe casserole tomorrow

And a gift for my Valentine...

2 Doors for our Master Bedroom he is currently

painting! yippee!

Paper Dolls

2011-02-14T06:28:00.000-08:00

Remember paper dolls? I played with them all the time growing up.

This past week I was telling my mom about wanting to find some

Raggedy Ann and Andy stuff for the kids Easter Baskets

She started looking through some storage areas for

her old dolls and other things she thought she saved

She didn't find the Raddedy Ann things-

but did find this paper doll blanket I had as a newborn

So many memories brought back from this little

blanket.

I am so thankful for all the things my mom has saved

for 30+ years.

When are these paper dolls going to come back?

Most other things/ toys from my childhood

have made a come back, when will these

so Kaylie and I can play!!

Closet 1 of 5

2011-02-12T06:46:00.000-08:00

I realize that this may only be important

to me & Devin but I am so

thrilled I have to share.....

Our master closet (yes, master) looked like this:

Not big

Not functional

Not anything good

It needed to change but we didn't have

much room to work with

Adding a 'real' back of the closet wall

All painted &

CLEAN!!!

We now have 2 real bars and shelves

It is better-

doesn't fit everything, not even close

but it is a good start to cleaning things up

and getting organized!

And at least we now have closet doors that

hang and work!

Ka-Chigga Ka-Chigga!

.......now we need to get to work on adding another

closet to our room and fixing up the other rooms

(where the rest of my clothes currently are)

Because Boys Need Cute Things Too.....

2011-01-30T18:49:00.000-08:00

A fire shirt for Trey

Thought it needed a little something more,

the FD & maltese cross on the pocket-

cute, right!

And because she was such a good helper

at craft time.....

She got a "hup-cake"

Us, Crafty!!!

2011-01-23T19:00:00.000-08:00

Mel and I found this really great idea

and thought, "we could do that"

So, we did.....

cute little birdies

a hen for Kaylie,

probably my favorite!

my cute bird on a branch

More cute birdies-

Mel's idea & I just copied it for my shirt

We loved the idea and results so much we are planning

what we want to do next.

Tree Removal

2011-01-23T18:43:00.001-08:00

We had some BIG, pesky trees in our backyard....

we hated them

our neighbors hated them

they needed to come down!

See them in the background

Devin's friend Kyle and our neighbor Steve

came over and spent most of the day

cutting, chopping, loading, un-loading

those pesky trees

looks fun, right!

We had over 4,000 lbs of tree

Once the trees were gone, even

peskier stumps were still there

so.......

Devin brought his truck into the backyard

and pulled those suckers out!

Now..... thats fun!

Even Kaylie helped with her car

1st Birthday

2011-01-11T19:10:00.001-08:00

70 of Trey's closest most personal friends

came over to our house to celebrate his 1st birthday.....

try to fit that many people in our old condo!

Ka-Chigga, What!

I made tortilla soup, quesadillas

and 7-layer bean dip

Yum...Yum....and Yummy!!!

cutie pie Elijah driving the car

friends playing store

baby Kate was the hit of the party

everyone wanted to hold her,

lucky Jen.....

love birds

Auntie M got stuck in the kitchen making

quesadillas ALL night....

Seriously, she never left that stove

birthday boy in the bounce house

he loved it!

birthday dinner

He LOVES it!

Cupcake.....

now thats a different story

he HATED it...

and wanted NO part of it

it took FOREVER to

convince him he would like it

FOREVER

he finally decided he liked it

he really liked it!!!

Trey had lots of help opening his gifts

Ka-Chigga Ka-Chigga!

2010-12-29T13:37:00.000-08:00

Found the best Christmas ornament idea here:

http://www.littlebitfunky.com/2010/12/make-these-now-handprint-snowman.html

.....she always has great ideas!

So yesterday Jen and I did the kiddos handprints

on the bulbs

and today I put Devin to work on the

snowmen part.....

I thought the first one came out cute-

Until he did the second one....

SERIOUSLY CUTE!

Santa Visit

2010-12-28T17:19:00.000-08:00

Every year Santa visits my parent's neighborhood.

It is one of my favorite Christmas traditions.

With the help of his elves, Santa brings a gift

for every kid!

They get to sit on Santa's lap

and open it. Kaylie was in heaven

She LOVED Santa.

"Santa, Santa, Santa!!!!!"

Kaylie got Curious George!

Trey got a Fire Truck with blocks

SO fun, can't wait for next year!

Christmas number 1

2010-12-21T21:33:00.001-08:00

Auntie M gave Kaylie a babydoll

that looks just like what her future cousins

will look like .

Kaylie LOVES her.... isn't she cute!!!

Auntie Cake and Uncle Justin with the kids & their gifts

And the hula skirt Kaylie had to wear! haha

Opening their first gifts of the season.

So thankful for family that love my children

Thanks cousins we love you too!

Boat Parade

2010-12-21T21:23:00.000-08:00

Odds and Ends

2010-12-19T12:44:00.000-08:00

Bare with the randomness of this post.....

It's been awhile.....

We are settling into our new house nicely and

things are slowly coming together

and starting to feel like home.

We have the most amazing friends and neighbors

who have been so generous to us.

We have baseboard up now, it is so pretty.

We have window coverings on

most of the windows & sliders.

Devin will paint starting this week

which is very exciting...

I am looking forward to no more blue

and painting the wood in the wood room!

Our neighbors bought us a Christmas Tree

a REAL one!!!

Not only is it beautiful....

but it smells AMAZING!

As soon as the wood room is painted, we hope to start

to use it! Can I get a Woot Woot!

Kaylie is becoming one little snuggle bug....

it may or may not involve bribes of ice-cream!

Someone asked me the other day what the

biggest difference between having a girl

and having a boy was....

My answer, their closets.

The playroom got a shelf.

I LOVE THIS SHELF!

I want one in every room, but Devin said no!

This handsome little guy is almost ONE....

how did that happen?!!!

You Who!

2010-11-11T13:58:00.000-08:00

Look who can feed himself!

House

2010-11-08T05:47:00.000-08:00

Well, here is the house.

It was built in 1958 & we bought it from the original owner.

Not much changed from when they bought it & when we did,

seriously!

Some BEFORE pictures, a few during pictures.

It will be awhile before I have any after pictures, but we will get there!

Kaylie playing in the backyard.

She loves being out there....

there is so much space she doesn't know what to do!

What we are living with- boxes......

I hate boxes!

We had the floors refinished....

the above picture is the after- beautiful.

This was the first time since they were installed in 1958

that they were refinished.

The floors during the refinishing process.

The dark is the old, the light is after being sanded.

YUCK! 50 years of yuck!

Our family room windows

Entry way floor.

It was a hard decision, but we changed the floor!

Another family room picture

Kitchen

please notice the floors

we changed those already too!

amazing mural on the kitchen wall

its still here, but hopefully not for long!

more kitchen

all electric stove from 1958

wood room

Currently this room is full of boxes

but one day it will be our family room

and I couldn't be more excited about the fire place!

Stay tuned for during and after pictures soon. We are working hard, well Devin is!

Hey There

2010-11-08T05:40:00.000-08:00

It has been awhile to say the least! We've been moving and I've been busy! These are the best of the we've moved pictures we took.... At least the pictures are cute, the move....well, we will get there.

On a different note, Kaylie is her mother's daughter & I'm sure I will get my payback one day! She keeps us laughing and on our toes daily. She is doing some of the same things I did when I was 2 going on 12! Her current thing is she goes to her room in the morning and picks out her clothes for the day, brings them to me, says "this is SO cute" and gets dressed. Then a few hours later says she needs to change and does it all over again!

Vacation

2010-09-02T16:47:00.001-07:00

As a family we spent a week at Mount Hermon Family Camp in Santa Cruz.

We went with my parents & a brother.

We had a great week together.......can't wait for next

First trip to the Beach for BOTH kids.

2010-07-19T12:00:00.000-07:00

First we went on a bike ride

at the beach.

The whole time Kaylie kept
saying she wanted to take

her shoes off and go in the ocean

So after some cuddle time with Ro

and the chips

She went in the ocean.

After our bike ride
we had a picnic in the sand

awe.....so cute!

She wasn't so sure about the waves

I think afterall she LOVED the beach!

We'll just have to go again when it isn't FREEZING

and Kaylie doesn't have to cuddle Ro the whole time!!!

Trey

2010-07-17T20:04:00.001-07:00

6 wonderful, amazing months

ALREADY????

swim lessons 2010

2010-07-17T19:48:00.001-07:00

We've made a lot of progress so far

this summer.

swimming to grandma from the steps
swimming back to the steps

She made it!

Hanging out!

games

2010-07-14T14:01:00.000-07:00

Our favorite game at the Whitsell home
is hide & Seek.
Kaylie LOVES hiding

She always asks to hide in the basket.
When we look for her she
yells out, "I'm in here!"
oh, to be 2!!

Summer has begun!

2010-06-23T20:26:00.000-07:00

Could he get any cutier?

2010-06-07T20:52:00.001-07:00

Fire Graduation

2010-06-06T19:39:00.001-07:00

This past weekend our friend Ryan graduated
from the Santa Ana Fire Academy.
We enjoyed celebrating him on Saturday with
his family!

Devin, Kyle & Ryan

I had to get a picture of Devin in his uniform,
I don't get to see him in it often enough!
Devin, me, Sara, & Ryan
So proud of you Ryan!

Superman - Banana

2010-05-27T12:50:00.000-07:00

Trey must be watching us do P90x

because he is copying our favorite exercise

Superman- Banana!

It never gets old!

Growing up SO fast!

2010-05-27T11:59:00.000-07:00

Eating Rice Cereal.

Family Wedding

2010-05-16T15:00:00.001-07:00

Devins sister got married yesterday

in San Diego

my handsome boys

wish she would have smiled

she was SO tired of taking

pictures & wouldn't

even humor me....

oh, well!

Yes, he always looks this scared!

Devin & his sister Dez.

Look Mom, A BIG girl bed!!!!

2010-04-14T19:59:00.001-07:00

We moved Kaylie to her new bedroom

& put Trey in Kaylie's old bedroom...

Put Kaylie in a BIG girl bed
and she HATES it!

every night she says,

"NO BIG GIRL BED" and cries herself to sleep

she asks to sleep in her crib.

Who would have thought!

BUT.....

she is very good at following the rule

of not getting out of bed until mommy

comes & gets her.

maybe one day she will like it!

a BIG week!

2010-04-14T19:36:00.000-07:00

Someone turned TWO!!!

We opened LOTS of great gifts

Tried our luck at skating...

only to become an expert at the
splits!!

haha, we will keep trying.

enjoyed time with family & friends

no, Kaylie is not picking Trey's nose....

but I'm sure she would if we asked her to!

Happy Easter

2010-04-05T11:26:00.000-07:00

Hope your Easter was as nice as ours!

Easter Dinner at the Fire Station

Kaylie driving the Fire Truck

Dying Easter eggs

with Uncle Brady & Brian

Bonding time...

he is getting SO big!

Kaylie & Her Highchair

2010-03-21T15:15:00.000-07:00

Disney with her bestie

2010-03-08T17:45:00.000-08:00

The last few days

2010-03-07T14:29:00.001-08:00

Kaylie & her bestie Avery.

They light up when they see each other

& just have a great time together.

Last night Kaylie had Avery giggling for the first time,

it was great!

Kaylie wanted to have a sleep-over but party pooper Haley said no!

goofing off &

copying each other

Dylan & Devin doing manly things

with Tinkerbell!

So proud!

Cousins
I wish I could have gotten a better

picture....

maybe next time!

Cousin love

with the blue tint from the TV

Trey's first smile!

So precious!!

Hair Cut

2010-03-05T11:22:00.001-08:00

First Hair Cut

First Date

2010-03-05T11:17:00.000-08:00

Trey and his future wife, Alana, at In-n-Out.

Aren't they cute!

Little Mommy

2010-02-18T14:33:00.001-08:00

While I was feeding Trey

Kaylie came over

sat on the couch next to me
lifted up her shirt

said, "eat" and

'fed' tinkerbell

** ** ** **

we spent too much time laughing

and wern't able to get to the camera quick

enough to get a great picture-

but you get the idea!

Happy Birthday

2010-02-11T12:14:00.000-08:00

Sporting their brother/sister shirts

Kaylie is the proud BIG sister to her

brother that is

1 month old!

How did that happen?!!!

Learning

2010-02-06T08:00:00.000-08:00

A project of Devin's while he's home to help

me is to teach Kaylie her

numbers, letters, shapes, and colors.

He does "school" with her daily.

It's pretty cute!

Potty Training

2010-02-05T14:55:00.000-08:00

Potty Training day #1

was very cute (just look at those legs!)

& VERY wet (all over my floors)....

but not successful.

There is always tomorrow, right?!

Trey's first bath

2010-01-28T08:20:00.000-08:00

He hated mostly

every minute of it!

Kiddos

2010-01-28T07:14:00.000-08:00

Rain Rain

2010-01-27T08:02:00.001-08:00

What did you during the rainy week last week?

Devin BBQed...

and Kaylie & Daddy made

their own indoor playground!

Trey Stephen Whitsell

2010-01-21T11:41:00.001-08:00

8 lbs 8 oz 21 inches

one BIG bundle of love

(BIG for me, I know they come much bigger!)

He is a cuddle bug like no other. Kaylie never snuggled like he does!

When we brought Trey home Kaylie was sick so the only
way she could hold him was if she wore a mask.
She was very good about wearing the mask-
she really loves her brother!
She was so sick... she really only wanted to sit on the
couch with ALL her babies- she was so funny!

Kaylie loves Trey & is a great big sister!

Our little guy!

We are settling into being a family of 4 nicely!

Mostly because Devin is home for a month...

so thankful for that!

The Mess....

2010-01-04T12:29:00.000-08:00

Reason #1 why I miss

the morning nap!

Monkey See....Monkey Do....

2010-01-03T16:05:00.000-08:00

She makes me laugh!

"ho ho ho"

2010-01-02T15:42:00.000-08:00

Every year Santa comes to my parents neighborhood

and brings all the kids a present.

I really enjoyed this as a kid

and love that we started the tradition with Kaylie.

Kaylie got a Dr. kit this year....

she LOVES it

she gives her babies and family members

a daily check up!

The grandmas and us

Maybe the last family of 3 photo we take......

Baby Weight

2009-12-16T13:52:00.001-08:00

This post is a little self-indulgent,

but where else can I brag a bit?

When I was pregnant with Kaylie I used it

as an opportunity to eat whatever

I wanted whenever I wanted to and

ended up gaining +40 lbs.

I could never get rid of all the baby weight.
This time around I knew things had to be

different. I have been working very hard to

keep up my walking every day

and limit my dessert to once (or three) times

a week.

I have been very proud of myself.

So far, with about 4 weeks to go I have

only gained 14 lbs.

Which is perfect, because my goal was 20.

I'm hoping that means getting back to pre-Kaylie

weight will be a little more possible!

I think this is from 34 weeks, but the latest

picture in the computer...

I guess I haven't downloaded pictures

from the last few weeks.

Last week Kaylie wanted to have her belly

picture taken too. It was so cute how she

was trying to be just like mamma!

Rainy Days....

2009-12-10T15:40:00.000-08:00

Earlier this week we finally got some rain!

When I was working, I hated rainy days....

now, I love them.

We spent the day....

making a gingerbread house

..a little disappointed with how it

turned out...

the icing was a little runnier then we

expected, oh well!

Took a quick bathroom break

Right now we are playing a game,

she likes the "treat" too much &

calls wolf at least once a day.

But hey, she's on the toilet & I don't change

poopy diapers anymore!!

I had Minestrone soup cooking in my crock pot all day.

Devin liked it, I wasn't sold.

(the picture was pre noodles, and extra veggies)

Devin hung the fire place...ha ha....

YEARS ago Devin made this for me

and my roommates to hang our stockings on

in our apartment.

I kept it & hung it in my classroom

Wasn't willing to throw it away....

not sure what made him hang it up, but

it's sorta fun since we don't have a real

fire place yet.

We made Christmas sugar cookes too, but I

didn't take any pictures of that process.

I even put on my rain boots (yea!!!!) :)

and ran some errands.

I just had to get out in that rain!

It is SO fun to play in the rain

with rain boots on!

Christmas Photo Tour

2009-12-06T07:49:00.000-08:00

I LOVE decorating for Christmas-

I long for the day after Thanksgiving

not for shopping, but for decorating!

Then I get to enjoy it all for over a month- until

the first of January!

Here is a photo tour of most of our home

at Christmas.... I'd love to see yours.

This adorable snowman greets visitors-

my dad made him years ago, I just

love him!

Our table ready for a dinner party
tonight!

A dear friend gave me the table runner last year
and I just adore it since it matches our
polka-dot theme. How did she know!!
Another dear friend gave us boxes full of
holiday books. I added them to our
Christmas books and we read a Christmas
story a day. What a fun tradition we
started this year!
We aren't ready for Advent yet,
so we do an Advent Calendar and it
is perfect for Kaylie.
She loves opening the doors and finding
something inside to put "by Ho Ho Ho"
Who says ornaments are only for the
Christmas tree?
I love these in my hurricans!!
So much color and fun in every room!
A terrible picture of the wreath,
but Devin made the bow!

Plate & cup for cookies and milk for Santa.

My favorite nativity scene.

My grandpa made it & it

doubles as a puzzle.

(a puzzle I can NEVER put together & always have to

ask Devin or a brother to do it for me!)

Half our mantle

More mantle, a collection in

progress.

Stockings hung by the fire with care.

(just minus the fire...maybe one day!)

Our tree (duh) I wish I was better at

taking pictures because the picture

just does not do it justice....

Ribbon hung, waiting for Christmas cards

Bakers rack in the kitchen.

I would love to see your home all decorated...

Please share!!

For you, Ba-Pa!

2009-12-04T19:20:00.000-08:00

My dad said my blog is not getting enough attention from me...

"only 2 posts in November".

I will try to give it more attention this month,

I will try!

My dad took us on a 'photo shoot' for our

Christmas cards.We are pretty happy with how they turned out.

And we had fun!!!

Counting down the days until baby boy Whitsell gets here- 39 today!

I can't wait, I'm not sure how much longer the two of us can

share a body!

Random

2009-11-22T13:32:00.000-08:00

It's been awhile, I know...

Yesterday we celebrated Thanksgiving #1 of 3

and were going to take family pictures....

I knew Kaylie would be wearing her lunch

if I didn't do something drastic.....

So, I put a plastic bag over her hair and genius

NO hairy MESS!!!

I just love this beanie.
She wouldn't smile, go figure, but I thought she looked adorable in it anyway.