Our 7 Day Family Challenge Continued...

DAY FIVE: You know, it's fun to wake up each morning and hear Isaac ask, "So what are we going to do to help someone today?" So today started off with a trip to the nearby Barnes & Noble-- we've never just gone to sit and read.  So Isaac picked up a book immediately upon entering, so we sat and read it and Beau grabbed nearby books to look at. 

 Of course had to play with the train table...

 And decided that today was the day we were going to start focusing on really encouraging Isaac to learn to read.  So we picked up some books and he has already read it three times today.  Well, I shouldn't say "he read it" because he has basically memorized the pages -- so we're going to work at teaching him HOW to read it. 

 Following Barnes & Noble (which was a lot of fun) I told Isaac that we were going 'Dollar Store Shopping.' I told him he had $5 to spend however he wanted.  So he picked an FBI kit (which he wore all afternoon and on our evening walk), a baseball bat and ball, a shark to play with in the tub, a jump rope and some jolly ranchers.  Beau got a squishy ball. 

 After lunch and a baby shower, we came home and wrote letters to people.  Again, he got to choose who to write letters to.  We picked up stickers the other day and he told me what he wanted to say on the letters and I wrote it word-for-word ...

 And yes, he even wanted to write one for our dog, Yaggy. 

We were spoiled to have Dad home this afternoon so as soon as we mailed our letters (and may I just make note because I wanted to remember this tidbit of info, while Isaac and I walked to the mailbox, I asked if he'd hold my hand.  Initially he said, "no mom!" and then he said, "well, I'll walk next to you" and next thing I know, he grabbed my hand! So we walked hand in hand to and from the mailbox ... ahhhh, I love it.  I gotta keep taking advantage of these opportunities before he won't want to! So numerous times I kept telling him how much I love him and how special he is).   So.... after we mailed the letters, Isaac went out back and played baseball with dad. 

Following dinner and an evening walk,-- oh, insert service note-- when we got home from our walk I encouraged Isaac to bring our neighbors empty trash can to their garage.  He thought about it and then said, "Yep, I can do that."  -- Once home, Taylor taught Isaac how to jump rope.  Isaac was so excited every time he jumped over the rope.  And the last thing to take note of, tonight was the night (2 months shy of being 5) that he is sleeping on the top bunk in his room.  Once he gets used to this and Beau gets a little older, we'll move Beau in! Isaac was soooo excited about being able to sleep on top.  When we asked if he wanted to he gave us the non-ending head nod.  And a picture to prove how happy he was:  

I love this "I love you" sign stage! We have this thing where I make the sign and he "pinky promises" our pinkies together and we say "I love you forever and ever!"

Our 7 Day Challenge Continued....

DAY FOUR: Today was my "top of the top," "best of the best," culminating day of this challenge .... and it totally didn't go as planned.  (Seriously there is a life lesson in that sentence).  I had planned that we would donate some stuffed animals to the children's floor at a local hospital.  Well, this morning after we piled up some stuffed animals to take to the hospital, Isaac decided that one of the stuffed animals was just "too hard to give away." Which include a full on melt down with tears.  I'm thinking, 'Really? You didn't even know this stuffed animal existed until 20 seconds ago!!' But...this was about service, not tears.  I didn't want him to have a bad experience....and I sure didn't want to coax him into it and then have another meltdown at the hospital.  ....sigh..... So he kept it and picked a different one to donate.  Well, when we got to the hospital, Beau was WAY too excited about surroundings and trying to get a picture was a struggle, after we finally got his attention long enough to take one, we went over to the Pediatrics unit to donate. 

 As we approached the nurse station and we are at that "ah ha" moment, that "this is the moment I've been looking forward to the most for Isaac!" we told the nurse why we were there and she looks at us and with a bit of a "seriously??" tone she says, "are those used??" Um yes.  "We don't accept used stuffed animals." ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!?! Ok, I totally understand why and do respect that, but THIS WAS THE MOMENT!!!!! She was gracious and kind to thank us for making the trip to donate, but I was SO BUMMED.  And also bummed I didn't think about that beforehand!! So... off we went here to donate them...

I know that they will still go to someone who wants them, but still, this was soooo not how I planned this day/memory to be.  Following that, we went to the mall to take advantage of JCPenny's free kids' haircut.  We walked in and I expected we might have to wait 20 minutes or so and the gal looks at me, "Do you have an appointment?" Um, no.  "Would you like one?" Um, hello, yes.  "Our next available is Friday, August 17." Say whhhaaaattt???? Who would have thought that you have to have an appointment for JC Penny's!!! Soooo, we weren't really on a roll anymore on our "planned day." See, I wanted Isaac to get a haircut so we could go home and have a "photo shoot" with the boys.  Oohh well.  We did a little shopping... where Isaac was spinning and fell on the floor smacking the back of his head (yep, this falls into the kind of day we had).  

This was lunch (before the fall!)

 Luckily, one of Isaac's friends wanted to have a play date with him, so as soon as I told him that he perked right up and then his head didn't hurt as bad.  He played so hard with his friend that he asked to lay down after dinner! AND, the last thing after dinner was a "glow stick bath tub." At first, Beau was a little freaked out but shortly warmed up to the idea and they had fun.  Might be the newest hit in our house!

 And to follow suit....a picture of the boys at the end of the day. 

Obviously this day didn't go as planned, and I apologize if this post sounds like a large complaint, I was hoping it would be more comical at this point (because it wasn't very funny earlier!) :) But my point in including the details and let downs of the day is because sometimes what we have planned isn't always how it plays out and I'm trying to keep this challenge "real" and not some "cherry-pickin'-rosy-perfect-day." There were definitely bumps in today's plans, but I am so grateful that these two boys make it all worth it and that I even have the opportunity to be with them all day. 

Our 7 Day Family Challenge Continued....

DAY THREE: Today was more focus on the "family-fun" aspect of our challenge.  We woke up and literally went right to the park.  We met up with some friends and played for a little while.  I was terrible about taking pictures today, so this is a picture of the boys at the park a while ago.  Taylor and I love how Isaac looks so happy and how Beau is like "Uh oh....please don't let go Isaac." 

 We went straight from the park to the pool.  We were there for about 3.5 hours.  Isaac has been into playing in the sand lately and Beau is content as long as he is eating -- which includes eating complete strangers food.  Yes, he is a mooch and I promise he is fed at home! (So embarrassing!!)

 While Beau was napping, Isaac and I did "mini-marshmallow construction." We built a house with a driveway for a car to drive on ... can you see it?! haha!

Following Beau's nap we met up with my parents for dinner -- today is their 33rd wedding anniversary, what better way to celebrate than with your kids and grandkids?! My mom showed up late and Beau kept running up behind her "hugging" her say, "Nana! Nana!" As soon as dinner was done we jetted out of there (Taylor was at church) because I was having some serious pregnancy growing aches/pains....oh the joys! Apparently all we did this morning really wore me out!

Our 7 Day Family Challenge

Saturday night I decided I needed a boost to my step.  So I decided to challenge myself to seven days of service-oriented, family-fun days.  I really wanted to get my focus off of unimportant things and on to things that matter and that will teach my kids.  I also know that for me, if it's not written down or planned, its much harder for me.  So I literally wrote down things to do for 7 days. 

DAY ONE: (No pictures) We made bread together and then delivered 3 different loaves to three different people in need.  First was a family who just suffered a tragic loss in their family.  Second was a family who just had a new baby.  And third was a young man about to leave on a mission. 

DAY TWO: We started the day off by delivering a card and some cookies to a local fire station.  I even had the boys wear their firefighter hats.  Here we are outside with Isaac showing the card and cookies.   

 This next picture was an attempt of getting a picture of Isaac handing the cookies to the fire chief, but I was too slow or he was too fast. :)

 The firefighters were great to the boys and showed them around and let them get in the truck and ask questions.  We ran into a lady we know that works there and she went above and beyond for the boys. 

 Following the fire station, we got six balloons and Isaac got to choose six friends to deliver them too. We wrote "Thanks for being my friend. -Isaac" on each balloon.  Yes, this may sound super corny, but Isaac loved it and his friends (from what their moms told me) loved getting a random balloon on a random day!

 Following our FHE on service *wink, wink* we went outside for some "ice cube painting" which is simply food coloring and water in an ice cube tray....I really didn't think about how messy it would be, but I knew as soon as I handed one to Beau that he was going to think he could eat it rather than paint with it....oops.  Oh well....if he is still green when you see him, you know why :)

 And a picture at the end of the day... love these boys!!!!!!!

Today was a good day for the Housley's....!

Today was Beau's first day in NURSERY!!!! Taylor and I have been counting down the weeks and days to today!! And Beau was a complete champ and went in and never looked back! Wahoooo to being 18 months old!! :)

Best brothers!!

Let's see if I can actually get better at blogging now that I can do it from my phone and since I mostly take pictures with my phone instead of the camera these days....

This picture is of Isaac and Beau on the tractor. Beau recently discovered he can reach the gas petal and loves it... So perhaps this picture stemmed from Beau not wanting to get off and Isaac sick of sharing so he just hoped on, but still... These two boys are the best brothers. I tell Isaac constantly want a great big brother he is because he always looks out for Beau and is so loving to him. Isaac can do just about anything to Beau and Beau just goes along with it because Beau has such a great bond and love for Isaac. I sure love these boys and the joy they bring into our home! Isaac can always get the best giggles out of Beau!!

Life Lately

We celebrated Taylor's birthday in June.  I had to make up for last year, so we tried really hard to make it special for him! Last year, we were flying home from Hawaii on his birthday -- mind you, our flight was through the night -- so when we got home, we all slept.  And when I asked him what he wanted for his birthday, he said nothing, so I got him nothing and did nothing.  I know, that sounds bad.  We did eat out in Hawaii for his birthday, but apparently when he said he wanted nothing, he didn't really mean that or expect me to do nothing, so we made up for it this year!! We went to Tucano's on his birthday for dinner -- he loved it! 

 They sang to him, you know he loved it... :)

 Look at how cute and big Beau is getting!!

 One of our friends' birthday is the day before Taylor's, so his wife and I planned a double surprise birthday party for the boys, Minute-to-Win-It style.  She was in charge of food and I was in charge of the games.  It was a lot of fun! Here are a few pictures.... Taylor had to take all the tissues out of two tissue boxes in 60 seconds or less and no switching hands. 

 He had to carry two eggs on the back of trays to a designated spot without dropping them in less than 60 seconds. 

 And lots more fun games...and then we ended with an egg toss.

And I definitely got Taylor some gifts this year for his birthday! And even made his requested cake of red velvet with homemade cream cheese frosting.  Happy 29th birthday Taylor! Seriously can't wait for next year because that will be a BIG and FUN one! aka, can't wait to embarrass you with a singing telegram at your office... ahahahahah! :)

Wow...could I be any more behind??

Wow, I am so far behind on blogging.  I don't think anyone cares about what we did two months ago nor do I think I remember! So, let's skip a "this is what we did two months ago" post and just update you on what is going on NOW with some recent favorite pictures. 

This first picture is one of my favorites and I have been wanting to post this for a long time.  This is our traditional picture taken on April 1.  If that date doesn't ring a bell for you, that is the day our sweet Angelina was born and departed this mortal existence.  For Mother's day that year, Taylor bought me this bench that we have placed next to our waterfall.  Later I had a plaque made with her name and the date and attached to the bench.  So every year we take a picture of our kids on the bench and this picture just couldn't have turned out better.  I LOVE it.  Makes me feel happy, it's like all three of our kids in one picture. 



So let's start with an update on Isaac.  Isaac is 4 and a half now and is in such a fun stage of life.  He goes to preschool at a nearby district school for four days a week, three hours a day.  He LOVES school, never fights me on going and never complains about it.  He is truly a golden student. 

Isaac cares a lot about Beau and is such a GREAT big brother.  We are blessed to have him! He is very sweet and caring, it's an often thing for him to say, "Mom, I love you" just out of the blue.  One of his recent things when he prays is to say, "Bless mom, dad and Beau to know how very much I love them." Melts my heart every time!!

He is currently VERY into friends.  For the past five days he has played ALL day with friends.  When he gets home from school he goes outside and plays with neighborhood kids from lunch to dinner.  I think it's awesome.  I love that he has such great kids around to play with. 

Isaac is very athletic and very active.  Which also means he is very competitive! We love our Isaac!!! This picture was taken of Isaac the first day we arrived in Disney World (2 weeks ago) -- can you see one excited kid to be in Disney World?? 



Beau--he is 16.5 months old.  He is at such a fun age! If I could describe a typical day of Beau's it would include eating, sleeping, eating, wrestling with Isaac, and eating. Did I mention eating? If Beau is crying, the best way to distract him is to offer him food.  I'm a little nervous he will have an unhealthy connection to food some day. :)

Beau is an ACTIVE boy! He loves to make a mess and if I clean it up he will make another mess, if I clean that mess up he will go back to the first mess I cleaned up and get it out again.  It really isn't a big deal, but I feel like my kitchen is a big mess while I'm making dinner since he loves to be in there with me. 

Beau is definitely becoming more expressive.  If any of you don't know Beau, he had about one look the first year of his life--big eyes and open mouth.  And while it still takes a lot sometimes to make him laugh, his personality is definitely coming through. 

Best sound in the world = Isaac and Beau laughing together! 

Now on to Taylor, my handsome hubby. He has been with Chase bank for over a year now and is AWESOME at what he does! I won't brag about him too much because he doesn't like that, but he is great at what he does and I am sure grateful that he works so hard to provide for our family so I can be home with our children.  He is a personal banker for Chase and is on the radar to become a Business Banker or Branch Manager.  I'm so proud of him and so grateful for his determination. 

Taylor is still the Priest Quorum advisor in our ward -- going on 4 years with that calling.  He loves it and has asked to never be released from it! He is a great example of magnifying your calling to me. 

Taylor is big into working out lately, still likes to ride his bike, and wants to golf a lot this summer.  We were lucky enough to have his mom, Suzanne, come out to visit us this past Easter weekend.  We love her visits!

As for me, in case you haven't heard through Facebook already, we are expecting our next baby.  I am 4 months along and due November 1.  I have been feeing so great, so good that I have contemplated buying more pregnancy tests just to make sure I really am pregnant.  I've had two ultrasounds already and so far everything looks great. When this baby is born, Isaac will be five and Beau will almost be two.  I am so so so so excited for this baby and to have another child.  I love being a mom and I look forward to this next child coming to our family.

Outside of taking care of my two incredible little boys, I am still teaching Sunday School at church to the 14 year olds, which I have also been doing for about 4 years.  Taylor and I both love being with the youth. 

I have a great desire to garden -- but at the same time I am scared because I can't even keep flowers alive in a vase! So I hope to start small and learn slowly.  

The most recent family picture.  So grateful for the boys in my life! (Remember how I mentioned Beau had one face his first year of life? See below for an example! haha!)

January Catch-Up

January was a busy month for Isaac (and Taylor--but in banking terms.  January is a busy bank month so he was busssssyyy!) But for Isaac he really became a big boy and I am so excited to be entering this stage with him! First, he started playing sports.  Not just lets kick the ball around, but really playing the game.  So he did baseball one hour each week and soccer one hour each week -- but not on the same day.  And what made it even more fun was he did both with one of his really good friends! (which made waiting fun for me because her mom and I chatted!)  

 Isaac and Milly.

 So proud of them -- Isaac really, really, really, really (etc) likes sports.  And he is so competitive and does so well.  And I've learned that I am "ONE OF THOSE" moms who is a loud sideline cheerer (if that's a word...) I had to tell myself multiple times to let the coach take care of it.  So I learned to resort just to cheering. :) It's FUN to watch him and chase around for these types of activities!

Also in January, Isaac went to a friend's birthday party.  This was the first "go-somewhere-other-than-someone's home" birthday parties.  And guess where it was? None other than Chuck-E-Cheeses.  Haha! He was sooo excited to go and kept saying he wanted to do his birthday party there, but when the mascot "Chuck-E" (or whatever his name is) came out, Isaac, true to form, FREAKED OUT!!! So luckily, I think it is off the list! But this picture is of Isaac on one of the games, look at how determined he is to do well...hahaha...remember that competitiveness I talked about earlier???

 And the last BIG news for Isaac in January is that he transferred preschools. For the past year he was attending a wonderful preschool at someone's house.  It was so great because all the kids in his class were neighborhood friends and we all carpooled.  But around Christmastime multiple things made it apparent that we needed to evaluate Isaac's speech.  He has a great vocabulary, but his articulation isn't very good.  So we had him evaluated with the District and found that he indeed need some speech therapy.  So he transferred to a district preschool.  I was a little nervous, because his previous preschool was only two days a week and the district preschool was four days a week, plus he was going to start two days of sports.  I was really nervous it would be too much for him-- but boy, Isaac is a champ.  He is the most adaptable kid.  He was sooo excited for both that I don't think it even phases him.  I was sad to lose the preschool with neighborhood friends and carpool, but his new preschool is only 4 minutes away and he made new friends right away.  The second day he asked me if he could do to one of his new friends house to play.  I told him I should meet his mom first. Haha. :) Here's a picture of him on his first day at his new preschool, DCC:

We had to go get a big boy backpack and a water bottle just for him. He goes Monday-Thursday, three hours each day. And you know how often he gets speech therapy? Two times a week, 15 minutes each time.  So a total of 30 minutes, ha! We think that is so weird, but the district claims that is as long as their attention holds. So, whatever, we'll take it!