Happy Birthday to my oldest 'baby'

As if making it to double digits LAST year wasn't bad enough on this momma, this year it's the big 1-1 .... eleven.
Who gives these kids permission to grow so fast?

Jacob Todd Schroeder entered my world on December 29, 2000.
He was welcomed into open arms, and has always been surrounded by people who love him to pieces!

He's overcome many obstacles in his 11 years...
He's an Army Brat
Had to deal with deployments
Being the 'man' of the house
Overcame learning challenges
Prayed for kids in his classes that wished harm on his deployed daddy ...

... the list goes on & on ...

But the one thing he's always been, will FOREVER be, and no one can change... is that he is MINE. My oldest. My rock.

When I need a laugh, somehow he comes through. When I'm sad, he's sad right along with me. When my baby-babies no longer wanna hug their momma, Jacob ALWAYS comes through without fail.
He makes friends WHEREVER he is!
He loves the 'new kids' in his classes.. Helps out without asking (most of the time).. Has a heart of gold.. LOVES his siblings..
and most of all..
cleans up vomit without the gagging reflex & other 'uucck' that his daddy & I don't like to do!

...(I know. gross. But, it's a joke in this house, and he honestly CAN do that, and will make an AWESOME daddy/husband one day because of that *one* trait)...

Happy Birthday, Jacob ... JT!
I love you with my WHOLE heart, you are my first born, my baby boy, my solid ground, my life.

I can't wait to see who you grow up in to, and see what you become!

2nd birthday



Bringing me 'redneck roses'



Paw-Paw painted the jeep!

Pony riding at church



Kindergarten Graduation



Loving on his twin brothers in my belly

'Talking' to ronnie ... I love J's excited open mouth...

all my boys!

Brother & sister... love it!

He's even learned to crochet!



fakey smile... but I love his eyes here!



Shaved his head to honor daddy before his deployment

Rock Band concert before daddy's deployment (shaved heads!)



Biscuit waiting for a bite...



Sharing coconut water in Hawaii ... with a real Samoan!

Inked in Hawaii!

more INK!

"Sand Surfing" on the North Shores Beaches in Hawaii!



Still giggling about it.



Waiting at LAX for our flight to Honolulu!

Over the Pacific Ocean.... 'geeze, mom. Are we there YET?!'

'Remember Pearl Harbor'

Shake a Shaka at the USS Arizona Memorial in Pearl Harbor, Oahu, Hawaii

All-Stars! 2011

My boy.

Mele Kalikimaka

... is Hawaii's way to say Merry Christmas to you!!

Rainbow Waffles!

I came across *THIS* site not too long ago, and I was in AWE of the ideas there!
WHO has ever heard of making 'cupcake waffles?!
ohh emmmm geee.

oh yes.

cake batter in a waffle iron=one VERY happy husband at midnight... I'm just sayin.
For a quick sweet-toothy snack... these are absolutely PERFECT! And SOOO easy! (ok, am I sounding like an infomercial yet?)

It wasn't so much the cupcake waffles that did it for me, it was the AWESOME, SUPER-DUPER-CUTE rainbow waffles!!!
...with clouds!! (squealing with utter delight!)

SO, if you will take a gander at her pics, (and they are SOO-oo-OOO cute!) I tried to do so...
except that instead of pouring straight from the bowls, I put my colored batter in squirt bottles.

I made up my batter the night before (a HUGE batch!), mixed up 5 different colors, poured them into the bottles, and shoved 'em in the fridge.

This morning was experiment time...
here's how it went down...

All the colored bottles 'ret to go!

 TELL me these aren't cute, and BEGGING to be eaten up?! eee!!

Channeling my inner Bob Ross here.... Happy little rainbows!

I have also dabbled in making rainbow cupcakes... the real kind'a cuppycakes... these weren't as difficult as I thought they'd be! They're a LOT of fun to make, SUPER FUN to eat & reaaalllly moist!

seriously!

you have to try them!

My first re-purposed furniture project

OK... so this post will have to be done in stages.

I have seen a MESS of projects lately with repurposing pieces of furniture. Lately, I've seen the awesome ones of people taking an old TV entertainment center, and making a kids kitchen playset...
omg, right?
oooh yeahhh.

Here are some links of the ones I'm talking about... PURELY inspiration!!
Inspiration #1
Inspiration #2
Inspiration #3

WELLL.... I've started my own!!!
I went on the hunt for a tv unit for a while... Obviously, didn't want to pay an arm & leg & first born, and it had to be 'taller' for my 9yo & the twin 7yo's to play with
(cause really... I was NOT about to pay $300 for a playset that was gonna be too small, and far too expensive!)
oh, and I need this done by Christmas.

how's that for a challenge?

SO.... after searching, I found a small thrift store about 15min down the road, told the guy exactly what I was on the hunt for, and he had the PERFECT thing for me...
for....
$12!!!
can you believe it?!

So here is our start on this tv unit turned kitchen playset....

My $12 unit...getting ready to be sanded...

The girl helping out

...and the 'runt'

still working hard!

sigh. twin 1 having trouble with his mask

'runt' figured it out...

child labor.