Sunday, February 27, 2011

Happy Mardi Gras!

We usually head to New Orleans to celebrate Mardi Gras, but decided this year Justin might be a little too young for THAT much fun, so we stayed here and made a tradition of our very own! The McClellen four and some of our closest friends headed to Galveston to celebrate the first weekend of Mardi Gras and it sure was a blast! Although the weater could have been MUCH better, we still enjoyed ourselves and I think the kiddos LOVED it too!
Look at ALL those beads!! Seriously, these boys caught most of these on their own!
Along with stuffed animals, footballs and more!!!

All the kiddos hanging out before the parade begins!






In the back of the car staying warm and eating some Goldfish...
that bag was full of snacks and they knew it :)




Don't mind my little man lookin' he's dressed for 20 degree weather, he had an ear infection and we wanted to make sure his ears stayed covered in the wind!





Candi and her little look-alike, Reagan! That's not a REAL paci, it's a bead! Ha!
Yea, they were hiding out in the back of the car too...it was CHILLY!!







and afterward, a lunch at Benno's Seafood...YUM!
We put all the guys at one table with the kiddos
and the girls sat together and were able to visit :)
Ok, so I guess we've started a new tradition...WOOHOOO!! And we all decided we're steppin' it up next year! BBQ, jambalaya and boiled crawfish?! Right??! So many people were set up with their RV's, trailers, decorated and ready to go with TOO much food,
so next year we're coming prepared and making a weekend out of it!
Happy Mardi Gras!!!






Thursday, February 24, 2011

Bob Harper's Ultimate Cardio Body review and GIVEAWAY!


If you'd like to learn more about Bob's brand new workouts
visit Lets Move It Mommas and read more...and while you're there, ENTER TO WIN!!!
Giveaway ends 3/2/11!!

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Mr. Baseball!

















Ahhh, I love this kid :)
We go to Academy to pick out some fun baseball socks for "crazy sock day" at school and end up with an ENTIRE baseball outfit, compliments of Under Armour and Nike!
He loves baseball, which makes us super happy since Daddy was a really good baseball player, pitcher to be exact! As I write this post, he's out in the backyard hitting off the tee and whacking the fence each time....wooohooo, Jacob! Can you tell I'm a proud Mom?!


I tried to take one picture of him and his little baseball outfit, but it turned into like 15! Of course he had to show me his muscles, his dimples and that cute, little baseball stance!
Oh and some super cool dance moves too :)







Tuesday, February 22, 2011

another YUMMY recipe!

So, I've teamed up with some other healthy living blogs to create a blog hop! We'd love to have you link up and join in or maybe just leave us a comment telling us if you find the workouts/recipes helpful?! I have shared a DELICIOUS, baked salmon recipe over there, go and check it out HERE if you'd like! It was a big hit with my family
and hopefully it'll be the same way with yours?! ... and it's super easy too :)
Plus, tomorrow I'll be hosting a fabulous giveaway So, head on over if you'd like to win!
Hope you are all having a great Wednesday :)
*As for me, I've been reviewing workouts like crazy and let me tell you, I am SORE!
I can barely move muscles I haven't used in a while and as I complain in the evenings, Jacob keeps telling me "Its Ok Momma, just do it again tomorrow"
...he's sooo right, but whew its rough! My little four-year old trainer keeps me going! Ha!

what a fun day at the zoo!

Since my hubby's schedule is all over the place, this is one of the perks...a zoo trip during the week! My husband asked the boys if they wanted to go to the zoo yesterday and their answer could be heard throughout the neighborhood...YESSSS!!! Then Jacob asked if he could bring his buddy, Luke. Of course we said YES! (I admit it was sad, because he's old enough to ask for friends to come along...why is he growing so fast?!)
It was the perfect day, about 80 degrees, sunny and breezy! Doesn't get much better than that!
This was my first zoo trip with my new camera, so I made all three of these boys stop for pictures A LOT :) As you can see, these silly boys didn't seem to mind-
they kept yelling, CHEESE!!












This might have been the MOST precious thing ever! Justin LOVED the petting zoo. When we went to Oil Ranch a while back, he loved it too but this time was TOO precious! He was talking to the goats, asking them questions-adorable! Take a look...


















It was a fun, family trip and it was wonderful having Luke there with us! Makes me sad because his Mom and I used to bring the boys to the zoo when they were so small and now they're big boys, they see the zoo completely different than before...its cute but I miss those baby boys!
And Justin, well he LOVES the zoo. We'll have to definitely go more often now that he's getting bigger. Some of the favorites of all three boys: the elephants, okapi(didn't know what this was until Luke told me!!), sea lions, and of course the petting zoo! Oh and can't forget the train ride throughout the park! Justin is ALL about trains, he kept hearing it all day so when it was finally time to ride, he was soooo excited :)
Thanks for all of your sweet comments on our new flooring,
we're super happy with it and it means a lot that you all think its nice too :)







Saturday, February 19, 2011

a looonnnng awaited MAKEOVER!

I have wanted to replace this carpet in our house for almost THREE years! I've begged my hubby, but when I left my teaching position to stay at home with our boys, getting flooring wasn't exactly a top priority! But, FINALLY after much anticipation and waiting IMpatiently...
we've got NEW FLOORS :)
Ok, so these before pics are TERRIBLE because we had things scattered all throughout the house getting things ready to go and rip up this carpet... ....more blah

...and now TA-DA!



Yes, we still have some work to do on decorating and getting things just the way we like them, but I must say I'm SO happy to finally have this done! Our house actually looks much larger too and no more worrying about spills! Yay! We also had carpet in our dining room, which is sort of attached to the living room, so having NO MORE carpet beneath our dinner table is SOOO wonderful, so no worries about these boys makin' a mess while they eat :)

I'm one happy Momma!
And I know this is not something that is necessary in our lives but it sure is nice to finally have something we've wanted for so long!
Oh and another perk: These boys LOVE to wear their socks and go sliding through the living room...oh great, how long until we have a broken bone??!
Have a happy day :)

Friday, February 18, 2011

the next POP STAR??!

Excuse the really bad phone pic,
but I couldn't help but capture this little POP STAR in the making??!
I mean, seriously....what do ya think?
Justin Timberlake, Usher or Bieber...CALL US!!!

Thursday, February 17, 2011

brotherly LOVE??!


I guess I can't relate to what's going on in our house right now(I'm an only child), but listen....
They LOVE to fight!!!! WHY IS THAT??!!!
Its like one gets all excited by taking things away from the other??! Is that not awful???!!!!
Don't get me wrong, there are those sweet times that just MELT MY HEART when they hug, say they love each other, walk holding hands, talk to each other and Justin pretends to understand...its all precious and I'm SO blessed.
HOWEVER, they LOVE to fight...take things away from each other, and I guess this is how its going to be? Don't worry, we discipline but its like I'm realizing that brotherly LOVE comes with brotherly bullying too?! Anybody have some words of wisdom? If ya do, I'm all ears :)

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

wordless wednesday

Justin and his buddies-what a fun day at the park :)
*Don't forget we're blog hopping today
for Wednesday Workout, so head on over and join in!!

Sunday, February 13, 2011

Happy Valentine's Day!

Well, to all those sweet comments about snow falling down here, the answer is NO! Don't think we're getting any this year, since we're back in the 70 degree temps this week :( I know a lot of you think we're crazy for wanting the white stuff, BUT it would make for some great memories, pictures and it just doesn't happen around here enough!!
As for Valentine's Day 2011, we had our first Valentine play date with some of Jacob's school friends(and the little girl he calls his GIRLFRIEND! Oh NO!), here are some pics from the party!




Can you find his little crush?! blonde hair, red bow and red leggings?!
She's cute, huh? and I told him he can ask her out on a date when he's 30!!!
Would you look at my boy's face compared to all of the others??!...practically sticking his tongue
out and making that mean face :( Thanks, Jake!
...and this was the gift Jacob made at school for his Daddy and I!
PRECIOUS :) It's a hug that we wrap around ourselves while Jacob's at school
Cute, right??!
Those are his hand prints on there too!!!





Hope you all have a VERY Happy Valentine's Day 2011!
Valentine's day last year was the last time my boys were able to see their great-grandmother. thankfully on this day last year, we decided she needed to see them, she was very sick, so I dressed the boys up in their Valentine t-shirts
and we headed to the rehab where she was staying
She was so happy to see us and the boys smiled so big when they saw her...
makes me smile just thinking about it.
You can read more about her and the beautiful life she lived, HERE.
...can't believe it has been a year



Thursday, February 10, 2011

Only in TEXAS

...will you see this handsome man ridin' his JOHN-DEERE TRACTOR
in the house with NO pants!
Happy Thursday :)

Wednesday, February 9, 2011

a must-read that I wanted to share with all of YOU!

Every now and then, we come across a story that tugs at our hearts and this would be one of those stories. After reading a little about this family's worst fear, come true...I knew I wanted to learn more about this courageous family and their story of strength! Now that I have my boys, I often think how fortunate we are to have two, healthy boys and that if something were to happen, would I be strong enough to handle whatever came our way?
This family had to endure such heartache and had to watch their son barely cling to life for months...the way they leaned on each other for support is a story that MUST be shared!
For me, it hit hard because in this book, his father deals with letting go of the son he knew and learning to love the son Anthony has become, post-heart attack.
This is a MUST-READ and it will have you hugging your children a little tighter each night. RESURRECTING ANTHONY:
A True Story of Courage & Destination
By Linda Cole and Tony Cole

The Cole's story:
“Courage is the one telling trait that allows us to soldier on in the face of life’s greatest challenges,” writes Linda Cole. “We never know who we are capable of becoming until we are put to the test.” In this remarkable story RESURRECTING ANTHONY: A True Story of Courage & Destination (Alexandra Publishing, January 2011) authors Linda and Tony Cole find themselves stretched beyond anything they could have ever imagined when their 12-year-old son, Anthony, declares to a friend “I have no pulse” and collapses on the school playground.

It takes paramedics 13 tries to shock Anthony back to life, only to discover that the healthy, athletic boy has had a heart attack caused by a rare abnormal electrical pathway in his heart. It took four to five minutes to resuscitate him which deprived his brain of oxygen setting into motion a chain of medical events that ultimately resulted in global traumatic brain injury.

Drawing courage from their family and faith, the Coles face the enormity of Anthony’s situation and search for answers that will give them back their son. Ever the pragmatist, Linda plans for all of Anthony’s day-to-day care while Tony intensifies his efforts to coach his boy back to the person he was before his heart attack. Driven by the need to make progress before the window for optimal recovery closes, they begin an experimental treatment hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT), to restore whatever function Anthony has left.

Slowly, glimpses of Anthony emerge, a light in his eyes, a brief smile, and one day, his first words since his journey began – “yeah, baby!” – inspired by cheerleaders during a football game on TV.

Anthony’s incremental progress leads to a series of personal revelations for his father. Tony’s test is to understand his new Anthony, whose greatest gift now is the ability to live totally and completely in the moment, the riveting heart of this tender tale. “I realized I must let go of my first Anthony in order to accept and love this new and different one,” Tony says.

“This was not an easy story to tell,” writes Linda Cole. “We found the courage to tell it because we hope that those in crisis will learn how to cope, how to be open and accepting of offered help, and how to advocate for needed services. We hope to inspire people to summon the courage they need to persevere, to commit without reservation, to adapt. We hope that others might learn from our mistakes and gain from our progress. We wrote this book and created the “Personal Courage SeriesTM” as a vehicle for people who have experienced life changing crisis to share their stories, learning and hope.”

The book also includes helpful “Toolbox” or takeaways for living through crisis which includes organizational advice for dealing with the maze and mountain of paperwork that results from hospital and insurance bills. It also has an indispensable directory of resources that includes contact info for groups such as: Brain Injury Association of America and the National Association of the State Directors of Developmental Disabilities. For more information please go to www.resurrectinganthony.com

Tony and Linda Cole are the founders of Anthony Cole Training Group established in 1991 to help sales people and their organizations drive consistent and predictable results through a unique, multi-faceted approach custom tailored to each organization.

To get a copy of your very own:
RESURRECTING ANTHONY:
A True Story of Courage & Destination
By Linda Cole and Tony Cole
Alexandra Publishing
January 2011
$14.95
ISBN: 978-0-9843226-0-2
The Cole Family's Personal Courage Series:
The Personal Courage Series® of books is the voice of "ordinary" people who have extraordinary stories to share. Each book will contain various short stories that address a specific life crisis such as loss of a partner, a serious medical condition like Alzheimer's or cancer, or emotional and psychological conditions like eating disorders, addiction and abuse.
Anyone can submit their own story of personal courage for a chance to have the story featured in one of the books. Details here: http://resurrectinganthony.com/courage.html.
Disclosure: I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion and review.
All opinions are 100% mine!

Tuesday, February 8, 2011

Introducing...Wednesday Workout Blog Hop!

I am SO excited to have teamed up with April, at My Fitness World
to create a Wednesday Workout Blog Hop! If you'd like to share workout tips, recipes, weight-loss goals...ANYTHING health-related, then this hop is for you!
Head on over to April's blog or my healthy living blog, Lets Move It Momma's to link up!

Monday, February 7, 2011

YUMMY bananaberry muffins!

WARNING: These are G.O.O.D!
My boys ask for these almost every day! I will link these to my healthy living blog, because they are full of good stuff...BUT I wanted to share them with my family blog readers for a change! I don't really post recipes on here, but thought I'd give it a try...ENJOY!
Move It Momma's Bananaberry Muffins
You'll Need:
2 cups whole wheat flour
2 tbs flaxseed meal
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 c sugar
1/3 margarine-softened
2 eggs
2 mashed, ripe bananas
1 tsp vanilla
1 c blueberries-fresh or frozen

Preheat oven to 350.
Mix all ingredients in bowl, stir in blueberries...batter will be thick.
Bake 20 minutes or until slightly browned.
I make 24 mini muffins and 6 regular with this recipe! They freeze perfectly, so as soon as they cool off, I put them in a freezer bag and we're set for the week :)
Then I thaw in microwave and my boys have a quick, nutritious breakfast!!
These go great with scrambled egg/egg whites too!
Serving Size: 1 large muffin, or 2-3 mini's




Sunday, February 6, 2011

We Be JAMmin!

Some friends of ours asked us if we'd be interested in joining them at MONSTER JAM+pit passes! When we asked Jacob, he was SO excited, so of course we said YES! Here's some highlights from our experience last night :) Jacob is now totally obsessed with monster trucks and its what he's been playing with all morning! Ha!









Daddy and Jacob signing a car that will be destroyed during the show!










Can you tell he was happy to be there??! Ha



some highlights from the show...it was actually REALLY cool!





























During the "freestyle", they jump over everything! They crush those cars, fly through the air and try to get the highest score! Some trucks even flipped over and the crowd went NUTS! We were learning as we go, because none of us had ever been! Grave Digger is the superstar of this show, the kids scream when he comes out and most of the souvenirs have that truck on them.























Some things Jacob asked us at the show:
Can we come here again tomorrow?
Will one of these monster trucks come to my birthday party?
Can we buy a truck like that one?
When the show is over, will it start again??!
Oh my sweet boy! He sure enjoyed it!!!
and all morning he's been thanking us for taking him to something so COOL!


P.S. Thank you for all of the kind words about our LACK OF snow. We were very disappointed, but we survived. Our temps are back in the 60's and sunny, so I guess things could be worse. I'm not giving up hope just yet, there's still a chance we'll get some snow before winter is over,right??!