Team Francks

Things I Love Thursday

1.  Wake Up, Little Ones

We love this book and its in heavy rotation at our house right now... its just a sweet little read... and is requested at bedtime every night.

2. This glider set... I looked everywhere for a used rocker/glider before Jack was born... but I didn't find anything that was clean/in good condition/a decent price... so the week before he was born (and I was desperate) I broke down and bought this one from Walmart.com...  I love it.  Its good for short people, its comfortable and I love the pockets on the side... it comes it a lot of different colors but the dark chocolate wood matches the boys room perfectly.

The chair, Jack and I spend lots of quality time together in the middle of the night.

3.  White Peach-Cran drink mix... its my favorite these days.  Our Albertson's had them on sale for twenty-five cents a box a little while ago... score.

 

 4. Power of Mom's blog... I just found this blog and I love it.  I've just read the entries... but they have forums and stuff... right now  I'm choosing to stay out of them... I don't need another time suck :) 

I'm looking forward to listening to the podcasts while I run errands and I'm grateful for good women who want to be great mothers (and are willing to share their advice with me!)

 5.  Happy Hour Wednesday.

Once a week the boys and I hit Happy Hour at Sonic.  Its a great motivator for potty training, picking up toys, going to bed when asked, etc....  Best $2.11 I spend all week.

Medium Blue Coconut slush for Buddy and a large Diet Cherry Limeade for me, please!

 

Photos: Five Favorite on Friday

In no particular order...

1.

When I came out of the laundry room Buddy had decided that he and Jack should watch TV together and that ALL the pillows were needed.

 2. 

 

A little Saturday afternoon chat with Daddy.

 

3.

 

Chalk art with our cute neighbor... we love warm spring days.

 

4.

My boys at church.  I love them (and little sweater vests) so much.

 

5.

Story time with the boys in the guest bed.  I love love love these little moments.

White Chicken Enchiladas

Found this recipe on Pinterest (which led me to the original recipe)and have made it several times and we really really really like it!

I've been making chicken enchiladas forever with cream of chicken soup... and they're really good.  But I think I like this version better and Joey LOVES this version... so our family is endorsing this version of chicken enchiladas and gives it two thumbs up!

p.s. My favorite part is the bubbled cheese on it... the recipe calls to broil it for a couple of minutes... broiling anything is scary to me... but it really does make the cheese perfect!  so don't skip the broiling step!

p.p.s I think next time instead of using chili's I might try Herdez Salsa Verde (green sauce)... I LOVE Herdez Salas Verde... great flavor!

picture is not mine... from the original blog

10 soft taco shells

2 cups cooked, shredded chicken

2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese

3 Tbsp. butter

3 Tbsp. flour

2 cups chicken broth

1 cup sour cream

1 (4 oz) can diced green chillies

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease a 9x13 pan

2. Mix chicken and 1 cup cheese.  Roll up in tortillas and place in pan.

3. In a sauce pan, melt butter, stir in flour and cook 1 minute.  Add broth and whisk until smooth.  Heat over medium heat until thick and bubbly.  

4. Stir in sour cream and chilies.  Do not bring to boil, you don't want curdled sour cream.

5. Pour over enchiladas and top with remaining cheese.

6. Bake 22 min and then under high broil for 3 min to brown the cheese.

Buddy @ 3.5 years old

Has brown hair and brown eyes… wears 5T clothes and is the height of a five year old.  Long and lanky and has the most adorable little gap in his teeth that I’ll miss when his baby teeth fall out. 

Loves

Jack (so so much… I have to keep a close eye on how much he loves his “koopie”… no clue where he got the nickname… but that’s what he calls him)

chicken play (chick fil A)

his daddy

to run errands with his dad ("daddy, we go on ewands!?")

Goldfish crackers, meat sticks, grapes, nanas (bananas), cookies, “kiken nuggets” and “fwench fys”

his silky blanket

Olivia

Bubble Guppies

Peppa Pig

Ni hao Kai Lan

The Fresh Beat Band

Bath time

Cars… oh how he LOVES his cars

Balls (and throwing them in the house)

His little Roo trampoline

All things Soccer

Swimming… and pretty much all things water

Books

Loves going to the park and riding his bike

Looooves muisc and dancing

Does NOT Love

Bedtime

Primary (or so he says. He says he misses treats and playtime. But we're working on the fact that he's a "big boy" and goes to big boy church now)

Naps (although I still in insist… he NEEDS a nap!)

Dinner time

That his daddy lives far away

When Jack cries (covers his ears)

The vacuum

Pretty much all loud noises (we’re having it tested)

Going potty on the big boy potty (why, oh why can’t he love and embrace it!)

Having hiccups (yells "OH NO!" when they start)

 
Says

“What's going on mom?” (makes me laugh every time… he says it so cute)

“That's not fair!” (most of the time out of context)

“No poo poo in the underwears or pull ups!” (can you tell we've had this conversation over and over and over again).

 When he sees kids at the park (that he doesn't know) he'll put his hand up in the stop position (not quite sure why!?) and say "MOM!  I HAVE to go play with my friends!" He's very social.  :)

When I give him the five minute bed warning he says "It not dark!!" in the most distressed voice

“No I not!” (again, almost never in context)

Every time he goes pee pee in the toilet he yells ‘It works!” and we high five!  Haha… makes me laugh every time.

Misc stuff

Is doing a little speech therapy

Knows his alphabet

Loves to count and point out shapes

Gave first scripture in primary

Loves it when I wave Jack's arm and say "Hi Buddy!" (like Jack is talking).  He'll say “Mom, say Hi Buddy with Jack"

 

Wanted me to take him to the doctor because he had the hiccups

Is such a sweet, kind little boy… he worries about people feelings, and often says “I sorry” even when its not needed.  Is very intense and has a little temper… but is always quick to forgive.  Is very social… loves his “friends” and is very protective of those he loves (especially his Jack).

 

Is sassy (spends a fair amount of time in timeout) and full of life and smart and loveable and so funny.  We are so incredibly blessed that he is ours.  He makes me happy on every level and being his mom is one of the greatest joys in my life. 

 

 

poor neglected life...

I'm back in Texas...

have been for a couple of weeks.

Feeling overwhelmed by the full-time working, single mom stint that I've got going on these days.  LOVE that I get to work at home and be with my little's... but some days its really hard and makes for long long days.

The hardest is around 6pm when I'm tired and nobody comes home to help.

But I'm done whining.  I have a great life.  Just kinda hard right now.

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Spent the weekend with friends at Time Out for Women.

When it came down to it I really really didn't want to go. 

But I committed to going... so I went... and it was really good.

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The boys are adorable!  I love that I get to say "the boys"

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We got a new (to us) van last week... so didn't want to... our cars are paid off and I HATE having a car payment... but the transmission on our old van was going and we kept sinking money in to and decided to just suck it up and get a reliable van. 

Despite having a car payment we're pretty much in love.  its nice and a smooth drive and the doors open with the remote... its the small that bring joy :)

 

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Love.

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The bluebonnets have come and gone for another year... its magical for the two weeks they're here... they line the freeways, parking lots, field, etc... for two weeks Texas is absolutely perfect.

... so off we went to frolic in the bluebonnets.

Happy Tuesday!

 

i love this...

he's liking him after all. It was questionable there for awhile. :)

love them so very much.

midweek musings...

1.  This blog may never again be updated on a regular basis... or so it feels these days. Hopefully not... but time is not on my side right now.

2.  defender of truth and righteousness... and a hanger for good luck.

3. sometimes I can't believe I have two kids.  I feel like I'm the luckiest person in the world.

4. Baby Jack officially has a nickname... we call him Jack Jack after the baby on The Incredibles... and Buddy thinks that's his real name... Jack Jack... but then again Buddy thinks his real name is Buddy... we definitely have some issues to straighten out before he starts school.

5.  I'm way in to politics these day... and Mitt Romney is my guy.  I texted my friend Andrea the other day (also a huge Mitt fan) and asked her if I was too old for a poster of him on my bedroom wall.  I {heart} Mitt. 

6.  I kept hearing all this buzz on Facebook about Downton Abbey... I had no clue what people were talking about... So I asked my sister Emma who is usually up on all things cool and British... and of course she was in the loop.  So I found it on Netflix.  And I got hooked.  Way hooked.  And then I finished season 1 and NEEDED season 2.  Which is not on netflix.  So I bought it on Amazon... and apparently when you buy it on amazon they also give you the video links for free.  So I watched all of season 2 before the DVD's even got here.  Sigh.  Love.

Disclaimer: There is a part at very beginning of Season 1 that I didn't like at all and felt was inappropriate.  I don't know if PBS was trying to be diverse or what... I'm hoping they got a lot of mail about that scene and that they cleaned up their act.  Come on PBS!

And now I have to wait (with rest of the world) until Season 3 comes out next January.  JANUARY!!!  That feels like a million years away.

7.  I started back to work last week... why does maternity leave go by so fast and why is it never the vacation I'm hoping it will be?

Joey drew this for me and texted it to me on my first day back to work.  I thought it was so sweet.  I'm a sucker for notes from my husband.

8.  I had a scrapbook garage sale at my house... it was a sad day... but i need the space.  My funniest customer of the day was this 70 year old guy... he was a retired military man... and current scrapbooker... and he bought a bunch of stuff.  So funny.

*this is just a small peak at what I had... there's a ton more stuff.  a ton.

9. Liberty emailed me this gem the other day.  Look at my hair.  And my dress.  And the turtleneck under the dress.  I loved that dress.  And now I'm thinking WHY???  BYU days circa 1995.  Enjoy.

 

10.  And with that we come to the end of my musings.  I'm actually in Utah right now for a little bit.  While my mom was staying with me she got worried me trying to juggle a new baby, a job and no husband.  My husband agreed with her... so I'm Utah so she can help me out.  It's been lovely and I'm so grateful for all she's done for me.

The downside is its RSV season and Utah is cold... six inches of snow cold... and my pediatrician gave me strict instructions not to take the baby out anywhere... so alas... no visiting friends this trip :(

Hopefully it won't be another month before I'm back with another blog post... one can hope. 

xoxo

January Highlights

It's already half way through February and January feels like such a blur... just recording a few highlights before I forgot the details!

1.  On New Year's Day we had our 2nd annual special New Year's dinner... everybody gets to make a favorite item and then we eat with candles and a fancy drink. This year Joey picked pigs in a blanket... I picked taquitos and potato skins... Buddy picked French Fries and then we had our new favorite slush. Not healthy at all... but so fun.  I love traditions!

2.  We made a couple New Years Resolutions for our family... Family Home Evenings every week (we've tried but its been hit and miss... looking for 100%!), Francks Family Field Trips once a month and doing more service.  My personal goals are to get back to regular scripture reading and sticking to a better routine.

3. On January 1st Buddy started Primary (the big kid sunday school class at church)... I may have gone into the bathroom stall and cried after I dropped him off. :(

4. Busy busy getting ready for baby...washing clothes, installing car seats and setting up beds.

 

5. A sweet baby shower hosted by church friends... they went to so much work and it was so sweet and so much fun.

 

6.  Mr. Jack was born... obviously the biggest highlight of the month. 

7.  My mom came to help... she cooked, cleaned, organized, took the baby at nights, ran errands, took care of me, wrestled with Buddy, helped me with big projects, made me my favorite treats... she's an amazing mom and grandma and I'm so grateful for her help.  I hope to be as good as mom as she is some day. 

8. For Christmas Joey surprised me with Pink sparkly Toms... its one of those things that I really really wanted but would never have bought for myself.  It was a huge surprise and so thoughtful.  When I got them they were too small... Joey bought them in the right size but maybe their sizing is a bit off?  So I had to send them back... and I've been waiting and waiting and waiting... And finally they came and they are so so fun!  Yay for pink sparkly shoes! 

 

9. The third week of January we were having 70+ degree weather... so after picking up Buddy from preschool we stopped by the park for a minute... the weather was so absolutely beautiful.

10.  Mr. Jack's 2 week appointment... jaundice is looking better and he's tall tall tall... 97% for his age.

We wrapped up the month playing with lots of cars, the boys going to Chuck E. Cheese (using our gifts of time from Christmas), watching lots of Fox News and the presidential debates, cheering for Mitt, eating too many of my mom's caramels, staying inside (me and Jack) and being so grateful for a new year with so many blessings!

baby jack's birth day: the semi-abridged version

I've been working on my this post for two weeks... its taking me FOREVER...  my internet time is seriously limited these days!

We're settling in to our new routine... my mom is still here (YAY!!)... Joey is back to work (Boo)... I still have a few more weeks off before I have to go back to work... life is good... and we LOVE baby Jack.

So here's baby Jack's birth day story... I did try to keep it brief... but I wanted to record it before I forgot details :)

• I was scheduled for a c-section for 10am on January 12th... supposed to report to the hospital at 8am.

• Scheduled to drop Buddy off at Preschool at 7:30am (on the 12th) while I was in surgery. 

• I really really wanted my mom with me after surgery while Joey was in the nursery with the baby... Last c-section was soo horrible that I really wanted somebody with me while I was in recovery.  Did I mention I was stressed about the c-section?  I was having a lot of anxiety about the whole repeat c-section experience.

• My mom would then go in the afternoon and pick up Buddy from school and bring him to the hospital to meet baby and spend some time with us.

• I had a plan.

• I'm a planning kind of girl.

• On the evening of the 11th we all went out to dinner... kind of pre-baby celebration... had prayer as a family and Joey gave me a blessing that every thing would go well and that I would feel comforted and not afraid.

• Stayed up late pulling last minute stuff together... my hospital bag had been packed for a week but there's some stuff that can't go in to the bag until the last minute (makeup, glasses, etc).

• Finally got to bed about 12:45am... was a little bit annoyed that I was getting to bed so late when I had to be up at 6:00am to get ready for the hospital. But at least I'd be getting about 5 hours of sleep.

• Woke up at 3:15 to go to the bathroom... had just stood up when I felt a little trickle down my leg and was a bit surprised... I've never had an accident... so as I was standing there for a brief second contemplating the trickle all the sudden I felt this gush and next thing I know my water has broken all over my bedroom carpet.

• I said "Joey!"

• and he said "I heard!...   I guess we're having a baby now!"

• and I said "we can't have a baby now... we have a plan!  we're scheduled at 10am!  And we can't drop Buddy off at Preschool until 7:30am!"

• And he said "well... it sounds like the baby wants to come now... I don't think he's concerned with the plan"

• We talked about  leaving Buddy at home with my mom (but I really wanted her in recovery with me)... we talked about calling friends and I KNOW they would have been MORE THAN HAPPY to take him 3:30am... but I didn't really want to call and wake anybody up at 3:30am.. so we decided to take him to the hospital with us.  

• I went in to wake up my mom but she was already awake from all the commotion.

•  I called Labor and Delivery (its about 3:35am at this point) and told them my water and just broken and that I needed them to call my Doctor... and they said that my doctor was already at the hospital and that she was just finishing another delivery.

• They asked if I was have contractions and I told them no... and they said because my water had broken I needed to come in right now... . so much for getting my five hours of sleep!

• I jumped in the shower and Joey loaded all the stuff in the car and exactly 45 minutes from the time my water broke we were on our way!

• Our hospital is about 15 minutes away... about 7 minutes in to the drive I started having contractions in my back.

• Got to the hospital and they took me up to labor and delivery and had me get dressed for surgery.  By the time they got me on the table to check me out I was having full blown contractions and was dilated to a six.

• They went to check with the doctor and see if she wanted me to go in to surgery now or wait until the doctor got back from getting her kids up and ready for school (for some reason i found that really funny... sometimes I forgot my doctor is a mom with school aged kids). 

• When the doctor saw how dilated I was she said they would take me now.

• By this time my contractions were intense.  They gave me some medicine to help them not hurt as much... in hind sight I wish I hadn't taken it because it made me sooo groggy.

• They moved me in to surgery... had Joey get dressed in scrubs and gave me my spinal block (oh bless you spinal block!)

• Joey came in.... my doctor came in and it was game on!

• Thankfully I didn't feel anything except for a ton of tugging... little man #2 did NOT want to leave... he was waaaaay stuck in the birth canal and it was hard to get him out... my doctor is little and (not even five feet tall) had to get her knee up on the table to pull him out.  

• I was so groggy from the meds and was in and out the whole time... I wish I'd been more awake.  But I do remember at 6am the doctors phone alarm went off and she said to the nurses "will one of you call my kids and tell them to get up and get ready for school"... haha... I think it was the meds but I thought that was so funny.

• At 6:02am little man entered the world.  Happy Birthday little one.

• The anesthesiologist came over to tell us that it was a really good thing that we'd had a c-section... he said that the baby was breech (had turned in the last two days since my appt), had the cord wrapped around his neck and that baby's shoulders were so broad that it would have been a miserable delivery and that I probably would have ended up with a c-section anyway.

• The doctor told us later that I had a uterine window that would have most likely ruptured if I had tried a VBAC.  So even though I didn't want a repeat c-section I'm so grateful we went that route.

• They cleaned the baby all up and Joey brought him over for me to kiss him and then they left to go to the nursery while they finished sewing me back together.

• They took me to recovery where I had the shakes so bad from anesthesia... I do not do well with anesthesia... but I'm oh so grateful for it!

• Later they took us in to our room we took naps on and off and settled in to our little hospital routine... mom stayed with me at night... Joey would take Buddy home and put him to bed... they'd come back in the morning.

• Two days in to our hospital stay we decided that little man did indeed need a name (that and the Birth Certificate office asking us several times a day!).  Joey said I could pick his name and I decided I really did want him to be named Jack... I tried it out for a couple of days before we called the birth certificate office and we're hoping it fits him!

• I was in the hospital for four days... the nurses were awesome... everything was great (except for trying to nurse, throwing up all day from the anesthesia and being moved to three different rooms!)

• On Sunday the 15th we got to bring him home and settle in to life as a family of four! 

• I have to say that this experience was a hundred million times better than last time.  I still hurt... but not nearly as much as the emergency c-section did.  We had huge nursing issues this time too... and so we decided after four days of trying to nurse in the hospital (along with the lactation consultant) that unfortunately it just wasn't going to work (I'll spare you the details)... so we made the decision just to bottle feed this time... I'm sad about it... but unfortunately nursing doesn't like me!!

• Baby Jack is so sweet.  He's such a good good baby... he's such a miracle and a blessing and we are so so grateful for him. 

 Here are a few pictures... here's a link if you want to see even more :)

Baby Jack Album

 

Introducing...

He's here and he's absolutely perfect! We'll be in the hospital for a couple more days (darn c-section)... but we're doing good and we are soooo in love!

Details coming soon!