Christmas is done

Well there are boxes and trash scattered all over with new toys strung across the floor. As I sit here tired I look back on all the great memories that were made this Christmas. This Christmas was great with lots of family, presents, food and more food.

We started Christmas on Christmas Eve with listening to our oldest sing O Holy Night at a Christmas Eve Service. It was beautiful as always. After the service we went to my gparents and opened gifts with my mom's side. It was full of fun especially when we tried taking a family picture and the timer didn't work as planned. As soon as my dad thought the pic wasn't going to take he walked to fix the timer and it took. It took a very long time to get and hopefully the pic came out.

Christmas morning we awoke to all the Santa had left the kiddos. Lil man was so excited to get the aircraft carrier that he "always wanted". Lil guy got some mega bloks which he enjoyed. Our oldest wanted money to save up for her keyboard and our youngest daughter got a Wii game Just Dance 2. We then opened the gifts from each other. Lil man was opening his big gift. As he opened it and saw what it was he said, "I didn't want this." Let's just say this mom's heart sank. He had seen it on a commercial and said he had wanted it. It was a workbench with a ton of tools. He is always wanting to help dad so we thought it would be perfect. Well this toy was hard to find and finally after being the winning bid on ebay I had it. Then he says he didn't want it. My hubby said, "if you only knew what your mom went through for that gift." Luckily lil guy thought it was great and as the day progressed lil man did enjoy playing with it.

Christmas day was full of family with a breakfast with my dad's side and then dinner with my hubby's side. It was a very enjoyable time I got a couple of the best presents ever. My hubby got me some earrings and then my kids got me a mom necklace that I love. It was a great day with all the family.

Another week, another holiday celebration. So, what are your new year's resolutions?? Hope you had a great Christmas!

Christmas Time

Merry Christmas! Our house is bustling with baking cookies, preparing food for dinner tonight, last minute shopping, wrapping presents and the anticipation of Santa coming down the chimney. Our 3 yr old is very excited and can't wait until we open gifts tonight and then tomorrow. He saw his present wrapped and he asked me to tell him what it was. I told him if I told him it wouldn't be a surprise then. His response, "I don't want it to be a surprise." Ah the honesty of a 3 yr old :) We started our morning with baking cookies for Santa. Lil man was glad to know that not all the cookies were for Santa and that he could have a couple.

As I was thinking about all the gifts I have received over the years and that are yet to come I recalled James 1:17, "Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. " The BEST gift of all was the gift God gave to us all, His son. As we open the gifts and the holiday is celebrated I pray that you remember the greatest gift of all and not to take it for granted. Also, with every gift you do open remember that they are blessings from God. God has blessed us all with so much! Enjoy your family and reflect on our Savior's birth.

Merry Christmas to all!

Naughty List

My lil man is definitely more fun this year at Christmas then years past. He is getting into the decorating and presents and all that goes into the big day. He was the one who told me if we don't put up our tree Santa won't come.

Well yesterday I had picked my youngest daughter up along w/her friend to go play basketball at the Y. While they were in the car they exchanged gifts and left the stuff in the car of course since they were going to the Y. Well, after I dropped them off I went to pick the boys up. As lil man climbed into the car he saw the unwrapped gifts he said, "What is this?! Sissy opened presents before Christmas! She is on the naughty list for sure." And it was his cute lil voice and how he said it so matter of fact that she would be on the naughty list, I burst into laughter.

He is just so stinkin cute! So, be careful, if you open gifts before Christmas you might be put on the naughty list too ;)

"Oh Christmas Tree Oh Christmas Tree."

Wow! Christmas time again! I have to say that it doesn't completely feel like Christmas to me. I'm not sure why but I have been a bit of a Scrooge this year. I didn't even want to put up the Christmas tree but my lil man told me if we didn't Santa wouldn't come. So, of course we have our Christmas tree up. I had lots of help with decorating, which I love. My nephews were over so they helped along w/lil man and our youngest daughter. Since 3 of the boys were under 8 most of the ornaments were on the bottom of the tree. Then lil man has a Toy Story ornament that he was getting ready to hang when his cousin said he wanted to hang it. So, instead of fighting over who hung it they both hung this lil ornament on the tree. Teamwork, I love it!

We had our first Christmas celebration this past weekend with my parents. We started a new tradition a few years back where we go to my parents house the Sat before Christmas for breakfast and spend the day together opening gifts along w/my sister and her husband. Then Christmas Eve we have another celebration and then 2 more on Christmas day. I was asking my hubby the other day what traditions he enjoyed. I was actually surprised by a couple, those of which I thought he could care less one way or the other. So, what is your favorite Christmas tradition?

Have a merry week and remember amongst all the presents, food and family why we truly celebrate this season! Luke 2:11 "Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord."

Warm the heart moments for Mom

You know the times when your kids say something and you think, they do get it, and it warms your heart to know that although they might not show it all the time it is sinking in? Well I had one of those moments the other day that warmed this mommy's heart. My hubby had needed something from my purse so our oldest daughter had got it for him. When he was done he was starting to put my wallet back in the purse when lil man went over and did it for him. Then he went on to take the purse back to where I keep it. This was done w/o being asked anything. I told him thank you. That is when the sweetest thing came out of his mouth: "I did it because I love you." Wow! It made me squeeze him tight and tell him thank you again and how much I love him.

It is one of those things that we want our kids to learn, sometimes you do something for someone else just because you love them. Now I don't think that he has got it down and will always act this way but I know that it is there. I know he will grow into a teenager and would rather do what he wants but hopefully he will come back to know that sometimes you just do things because you love someone.

I have to say I am afraid this boy will give me a run for my money. Sometimes I think he is too smart for his own good. When he was 2 he told me about someone: "I love her, but I don't like her." Oh what is to come :)

I am trying to get the pics up from lil guy's 1st bday over a month ago. I have been terrible about that. Hopefully I will get some updates posted, maybe this weekend, but then again don't hold your breath!

Happy Weekend!!

Thanksgiving!

It's that time of year where we gather with our families and celebrate the holidays. We eat more than we probably should but that goes along with the holidays right? I pray that as we sit down with our families tomorrow to celebrate Thanksgiving that we thank God for all of our blessings. No matter what your current situation is there is always something to thank God for. He is the creator of all, Sovereign, Almighty King, that so richly blesses all of us.

Here are a few things I am thankful for:
*My wonderful husband
*4 healthy, beautiful children
*My health
*Family
*Friends who are always there for me and such great encouragement when times get tough.
*My Bible study that has caused me to dig deeper and learn more about the Fruit of the Spirit.

There are so many things that I could tell you about but I will keep my list short. So, what are you thankful for this year?

Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family!

Women Walking with God Conference!

Alright ladies I have mentioned it before and now I am going to post about it. I have been blessed to be able to attend the Women Walking with God conference 3 out of the 4 past years. It is an amazing conference where women come together to grow closer to God! The conference will be April 15-16, 2011. Registration has begun online and the conference will sell out again this year so get your registration in early. There will be another set of amazing speakers from all over the country bringing us God's word. The theme for 2011 is Leaving a Legacy with the scripture Ps 78:4, 6.

Please check out the website Women Walking with God. You can find out more information on the speakers, entertainment, monthly devotionals and so much more. A couple of women from our church were moved to bring this before our congregation in 2006 and the ladies spoke. After much prayer the conference came about and will continue until God shuts the door on us. I pray that you will consider coming to the conference if you have never attended. It is such an uplifting 2 days of girl time where we grow closer to our Father. If you have attended before I hope that I will see you again in 2011!

"We will tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord....so the next generation would know them, even the children yet to be born, and they in turn will tell their children." Ps 78:4,6!!

"Christmas Time is Comin...."

Ok, I know it is just November but before we know it Christmas will be here. It always seems that the holiday season flys by so fast and I am always hurrying to get everything done that I want done. One of my favorite things about Christmas time is receiving Christmas cards in the mail. It really isn't the card that I enjoy but the pictures that are either on the card or in the card. I love seeing friends and family, especially from great distances, share their family pictures. Although I love putting together Christmas pictures for cards, I don't enjoy getting the picture taken. This is where I usually wait until the last moment and throw something together that I am never really happy with. Well, this year I am going to try and be different. My goal is for my wonderful dad to take our family picture, some kids pictures and create a card like one of these. Shutterfly is one of my favorite picture websites. I use them to create photo books, calendars, all kinds of different gifts and just have prints made too. Their Christmas cards are wonderful. In the past I have used the folded cards and then also just the photo cards. They meet all your needs. Another great thing about Shutterfly is once you join they are always having sales on all your gift needs. Their current promotion is offering 25% off all holiday cards.
Just in time for the Holiday season you can get all the cards you need. They also offer address labels, gift tags, and so much more. They offer a way to put a personal touch on the gift you give this season.

So, do you send a card, newsletter or photo during the Christmas season. Head over to Shutterfly and check out their card selection then share what your card plans are this season. I already have an eye on the card I think I am going to choose, now I just have to get the pictures!

Happy Creating!!

Really??! 1 already!

Well, I guess it has been a year but I still can't believe it. My lil guy is turning 1 today! It has been a great year and it will definitely be very interesting to see what God has in store for this lil guy.

When he was born we joked that he showed no emotion. Whether he was happy, sad, mad, bored it was all the same straight face. He definitely shows more emotion and we are thinking he might be more of the jokester than we thought. You know the kid that plays it cool and no one expects to be the one pulling the prank. Yeah I have a feeling I am in trouble with my two boys. One thing hasn't changed since he was born he is picky about people. We aren't sure what it is because there is no rhyme or reason to who he doesn't like. Sometimes whether you are family, someone he sees everyday or a total stranger he might not want nothing to do with you. On the other hand he might go right to you open arms and amaze us all.

As for movement he has been on the move since he was about 6 mos crawling all over the place. Mommy was sure he would be walking before his brother did (his first bday) since he started crawling so soon. Well, he beat his brother but only by a couple of days, and although he can walk he still prefers his bear crawl or what I like to call Spiderman crawl. He gets where he wants fast, sometimes too fast for Mommy.

He is going to be my boy that eats me out of house and home I am sure. Right now he has decided that whatever you are eating is much better than my food so I think I will eat that. He tries everything and I don't believe he has turned down anything. If Daddy sits down in his chair to eat, lil guy quickly crawls over to his side to share whatever Daddy is eating.

It has been fun watching him grow and play with his siblings and I am looking forward to many more years with my 4.

Happy Birthday to my lil guy!! and Happy Halloween to everyone!

A Concert and pumpkins

Tuesday night was a date night with the youngest daughter. She loves Carrie Underwood and when she found out she was coming to town she begged to go. So, this was one of her Christmas gifts. We went to McAlister's and split the French Dip and then were off to the concert. The concert started at 730p and we left around 11p. I have to say that I definitely feel I got my money's worth out of this concert. There were two opening acts: Sons of Sylvia and Billy Currington. Billy was great! Then Carrie took the stage. She was amazing! She had a great set, several costume changes and a flying truck! I think my favorite was when she sang "Jesus Take the Wheel" and finished it with "How Great Thou Art". She is a very talented singer.

On Thursday lil man had his pumpkin hunt at school. When we had originally talked to him about the pumpkin hunt he got real excited and asked "do we get to hunt w/guns?" I think he was a lil disappointed when he found out that he just got to pick it out of the field and no guns would be used. Pretty cute though how he thinks. He had fun running to pick his pumpkin. I was able to be there to watch his class and it was fun watching all the kids. He has a couple of great teachers that are great with the class.

Here are some pics:

Before the concert.

Holding my girl :)

At the concert


In her Carrie shirt

Carrie and the flying truck

Running to find a pumpkin

Lil man and his pumpkin.

(His new thing is to mess w/his tongue ALL the time, and it drives Mommy crazy.)

Lil man and me.

It has been a great week with some Mom/youngest daughter and Mom/lil man time. I am blessed with my 4 kids.

What a weekend....

Well, this weekend definitely didn't go as planned but that is ok. We started the weekend on Friday with the State Tennis tournament for our oldest. Unfortunately it was a short weekend of tennis for her and her doubles partner. They were having an off day and lost both matches which sent them home. They were upset but made the best of it. Since we had planned on staying overnight anyways the other parents and us decided to go ahead and stay. The girls had some girl time and we all went out to eat. It was a good end to a not so good start.

The rest of the weekend went pretty well until we ended up in the ER w/our oldest. She had gone up to the hospital to visit her friend's cousin who was diagnosed with leukemia and is only 7. She wasn't there long when we got a call from her friend telling us that she passed out and they took her to the ER. We found out that she started not feeling well and went out to the nurse's station to ask where the bathroom was when she passed out. They luckily caught her so she didn't hit her head or anything. After being checked out down in the ER we figured out it was just the overwhelming of it all. We were glad that all the tests came back normal, better safe than sorry. She was feeling much better after she got to the ER and was ready to go long before they let her go. She is a lot like her dad when it comes to being a patient, not very patient :)

We did have some good things happen this weekend too though. We tried a new recipe Baked Ravioli from Tasty Kitchen. It was very easy with few ingredients, as I mentioned a plus for me. I did use 2 different types of ravioli in my recipe and it was a hit w/the whole family, an added bonus! Also on Sunday afternoon we had our kickoff event for our church's women's conference. I am so excited for this year, I know it will be another great year! This conference has been such a blessing to so many and brings glory to God. Without God this conference could not go on like it does. As soon as they get the website updated with this year's details I will post about it.

Then today we put our house back on the market. We are hoping it will sell quickly this time and that we will find the right move for us soon.

So although the weekend didn't go as planned, we had our ups and downs but everyone came out on top :) Now just cross your fingers and toes and eyes and whatever else that our house sells quick and we find a new home ;)

**Tonight my youngest daughter and I have a date to the Carrie Underwood concert so I am sure there will be pictures and another post update later this week.

Oh so yummy.....

I love Fall for many reasons one is all of the holiday baking that goes along w/it. I enjoy baking but confess I don't do it like I would like. One of the reasons is I don't have the time and then when I decide I want to try something I would have to buy a ton of ingredients because I don't keep my pantry stocked. I am going to try and fix this by buying ingredients little by little that I know I will need come baking time. Then when I decide to try something I either will have everything or just have to buy a couple of things.

Pecan Pie is a favorite of my husband and I have to admit pies intimidate me. I don't know why but then again a lot of cooking/baking intimidate me. Anyway my hubby loves his mom's Pecan Pie. At Tasty Kitchen I found this recipe for Pecan Pie Muffins. I thought I could do that! It was so simple and so yummy. They were a hit with the hubby and half the kids :) They have very few ingredients (which was a big turn on for me trying the recipe) and what it does call most I had except the chopped pecans. Check out the recipe here.

Take a look around at some of the other recipes too. There are many that I have printed out that I want to try. Now I have to conquer the fear and bake or cook! Let me know if you try them and what you think. Or what is a favorite recipe of yours? I love having new recipes to try! Enjoy your Wednesday :)

An Anniversary and Homecoming

Well, this post is a couple of days late but that just goes w/our hectic schedule these days :) On the 1st my hubby and I celebrated 5 yrs. We have been through many different things in these 5 short years but I am so glad that I had him by my side for it all. Happy Anniversary hunny and I am looking forward to many more.

On our anniversary this year was my almer mater also our kids school's homecoming. Now normally we would probably skip the homecoming for a date but this year our oldest was nominated for Homecoming Queen. The Tuesday before Homecoming the kids and I had fun dress shopping with her for the perfect dress. She found it too and on sale! It was her style and she is our bargain shopper which this mother loves :)

Although she wasn't crowned we would have voted for her if we could have voted. Here are some pics!

My hubby and I this summer on a float trip.

Our oldest before Homecoming.

Her and her escort
I just love this pic of her!

Our lives are kind of slowing down. Our youngest daughter's last day of tennis was today. They had the League tournament. She played great and although she would have liked to finish better she played great for being her first season. Our oldest has Regionals on Saturday! The tennis season is almost done. More updates to come....

Update

So, I have fallen behind on blogging once again. I tell you once we get through the middle of Oct maybe I will be able to catch my breath but then again then we will have the holiday season. One of the reasons I had been putting off blogging is because I wanted to post some pictures but I decided just to post and pictures may or may not come later.

On September 19, 2010 our youngest daughter made the most important decision of her life. She was baptized by her dad. It was a wonderful day and we are so proud of her decision. She had been studying for most of the summer w/her dad and on Sat night came to us saying she knew what she needed to do. It was such a blessing to see her make that wonderful decision on her own. Most of the family was there to witness it which was another blessing.

The month of September has been packed full of tennis especially now w/2 tennis players in our family. Our oldest has been doing well w/her doubles partner. They have only a couple of weeks left. Our youngest daughter has been doing great and enjoying it too. She just started playing tennis this summer and took some lessons. She has come a long way in short amount of time. At the middle school level they play both singles and doubles to get them experience. She has had her trials w/doubles but is making the best of it. Her season will be done next week.

I can't believe but then again I can believe that it is already the end of September. The month has flown by and I am sure this year won't be slowing down anytime soon. Hope everyone is having a great week!

Golf ball and baseball and softball oh my!

Well Wednesday night definitely had some excitement, not exactly the excitement I had been hoping for but it was something I had never seen before. A storm blew in and dropped some major hail. I have never seen this big or this much hail in my life. It was the craziest thing I have ever seen. At one point it sounded like bowling balls were being dropped on our roof. They would drop to the ground and explode into huge pieces. They started about marble size which turned into softball size in a matter of minutes. One of those softball size landed in our oldest daughter's back window shattering it to pieces. She had a lot of hail damage with a broken back window and cracked front windshield. The yard looked like a bad golfer had been through putting several divots wherever a piece had hit. While the storm was going our lil guy began to cry then the other kids started joking "we are all gonna die" and then our lil man said "don't worry God will take care of us." It was so sweet to hear him not fear the storm but say it's going to be ok because God will take care of us. Although our stuff is damaged we are all safe and that is all that matters. Here are some pictures:

The backyard.

Our patio table shattered.

One of the boys toy balls with the hail from the yard.

The once back windshield

A piece of hail buried in our yard from impact over an hour after the hail had stopped.

Hope everyone had little damage and are safe!

An ah ha moment

As we were driving to drop lil man off at school we were working on his memory verse John 1:3. He knows it very well but doesn't want to tell anyone. So, as we were driving he had said it a couple of times and then gone on to another thing. He was quiet for a few minutes then out of nowhere he says, "Mommy him is God and Jesus!" I thought about it for a minute a lil bit confused and then he started repeating his memory verse "All things were made by him." I asked him are you talking about your memory verse? He said, "yes! him is God and Jesus?"

It is so fun to see your children connect the dots! Praise God for hearts like children :)

First Day of School

Well, I know this is about a month late but that is just how my life goes sometimes :) We now have a home with a senior, 7th grader and preschooler. They are all enjoying school so far. Our senior is ready to be done w/high school but enjoying it as much as she can. Our 7th grader loves school and is having a great year. Although our preschooler had a tear jerker the first day he loves school now. On the first day when I took him he cried and didn't want me to leave. Now I drop him off and he doesn't even say goodbye before he is off playing with everything. I think that might be harder on me than having him cry but that is ok I would rather have it this way. So the school year is off to a good start with about a month under their belts, except for lil man who only has had a few days. We are looking forward to a busy year w/both girls playing tennis, having a senior and all the other things that go along w/having 4 busy kids :) Here are their First Day of School Pictures:

Senior Year

7th grader

Preschooler

(this pic was taken at work before school because mom forgot to take a pic at home)

Hope everyone is having a great school year so far!

ER what??

So, I know I haven't posted in a while and I have a lot to update with school starting and our trip to NYC. But this isn't that post. On Tuesday we were headed back home when I text my hubby that we are waiting in the airport. His reply was waiting in the ER. I reply what? Then he says lol....but seriously. That was it for about 20 min. So, I go about my business waiting for our flight thinking that was all a joke he was trying to play on me.

Wrong! He calls me a lil bit later and I ask what are you doing? To which is reply, "getting lil man ice cream for being such a big boy at the ER." I come to find out that while lil man was at his aunt's house he was riding the play horse in the play room when he was trying to get off he fell, hit a train set and cut his head pretty good. The lil man was a trooper and had to get a staple in his head. Let me tell you I almost started crying hearing my hubby tell me how big lil man had been w/the whole thing.

So, while I was gone we had our first trip to the ER and with these boys I am afraid this won't be the last. To be honest I am kind of glad I wasn't in town so I didn't have to see my baby go through getting a staple in his head. I think that would be harder on me than him. He is finally letting people look at it, but still won't let us take a picture of it. He has to have the staple in for 7-10 days and then we have to go back to get it removed, I am sure that will be fun. He is being a trooper about it and you wouldn't even know he hit his head. Right after they got back from the ER he was running around wanting to jump off things. As I mentioned in a previous post they are going to make my hair go grey early!

Hope everyone is having a great week and I will be updating soon!

Boys oh Boys

I'm not sure if I am ready for 2 boys. I felt so blessed when we welcomed first lil man and then when we had lil guy. I was so happy to have 2 girls and 2 boys. Well, I don't know if this mother is really ready for 2 boys. I have had the tears, arguments, drama and all that goes along with being a mother of girls and I thought it would be nice to have a change of scenery, well I wasn't ready for these 2 boys. My oldest is 3 and the youngest is 10 mos and they are the best of friends. If lil man does something silly lil guy laughs and laughs until everyone else is laughing because of his cute laugh. The other day we were driving in the car and lil man starts hitting himself w/his flip flop. Well, lil guy thought that was hilarious so it continued on and on. Now, we have to remind lil man that although lil guy is getting bigger he still is small and we have to be careful. Lil man often forgets and decides tackling is much more fun, and lil guy will laugh so lil man thinks it is ok.

My boys are rough, tough and fearless. The other day I caught lil guy climbing the bucket shelves in the boys room. He thought he was king of the world. Then I catch lil man jumping from the porch to the hose container outside. This is going to cause me gray hair I know it. If they can climb it, jump over it or to it they are going to do it. I love their willingness to try just about anything but it also makes this mommy nervous for when they start riding bikes and decide to jump who knows what.

My boys are also very vocal and not shy about it. I know most kids say exactly what they are thinking. It is the youth in them and they just don't seem to have that filter. In the last couple of weeks my oldest son has done it in public where I want to crawl in hole and hide. The first was when his Wed night Bible class teacher told me that he told her that she wasn't as good as the Sun morn Bible class teacher and he liked her better. Then just yesterday we were in Payless and I am trying to exchange shoes when my oldest announces he needs to go "poopy potty". Great so as I juggle both boys in the not so clean bathroom my oldest announces loud enough for all to hear, "this bathroom is really dirty." Then when I ask him to be a lil bit quieter he says "why, it is." Ahh their honesty.

Although they might give me more gray hair than I am ready for at an early age, I feel so blessed to have these 2 girls and 2 boys! My kids are a great joy and even on the toughest days I couldn't imagine my life without my girls and boys!

Here are some pics from the other day when lil man took lil guy on a ride.

Look at lil man's tongue and check out the concentration :)

Brothers the best of friends.

Driving off together.

New do!

Well I haven't had blonde in my hair since shortly after we got married. I needed a change and blonde was just what I needed. My good friend who just moved back from Tulsa did it and I LOVE it! The hubby and kids love it too which is a bonus. I asked my lil man if he liked it and he said, "I love it but not when you had the wrappers in your hair, that was silly." He got home when I still had the foil in my hair and he thought it was pretty silly. I think my hubby likes it because that is how my hair was when we were dating. So, I am a blonde again and loving it!

Character Shoes

So, I am one of those moms and my hubby is one of those dads who always said that our kids would never own character shoes that light up. Well of course since the word never was used we should have known we were going to end up inserting our foot in our mouth.

Yesterday I took our soon to be preschooler shopping for tennis shoes. As we entered the store we were greeted by a very nice sales associate. She asked if we needed help and I told her I needed to have lil man's feet measured. So, she measured his feet and then showed us to the asile with his shoes. Up until this point she was being very helpful, then the words came out of her mouth that I wish I could have stopped, "You like Buzz Lightyear don't you? We have these cute Buzz Lightyear shoes that light up!" As my son eagerly tried them on I tried to control myself from slapping her silly. After trying on the Buzz shoes I found some plain blue, white and gray shoes. I got him to try them on and walk, even run in them. I tried talking them up, "wow those really make you run fast, they look great, I really like those." Then I asked the question which shoes do you want? Dumb question I know. Well of course he picks the Buzz shoes. So, then I tried to make a deal. If you buy the shoes mommy likes I will buy you these Buzz socks. His response: "No, but can I have the Buzz socks and shoes?" Ha! No way I did put my foot down and only bought him the shoes, haha. So, now my son is the proud owner of Buzz Lightyear shoes that light up. But hey at least he is wearing them so I can't complain. Here is a a picture of those wonderful shoes :)

The Results are in...

I will keep posting :) I am so glad to know that I am not just posting to myself. I am going to try and get better at posting more often to give you all something to read.

While I am coming up with a post go over and check out Deep South Sweets. A good friend of mine is blogging there and has a giveaway going on right now! Check it out, enter to win and let her know I sent you over :)

I will leave you with a lil man moment, as he is looking at a picture from a year ago he says, "back in the day", haha I guess for him that was back in the day :) Kids say the cutest things.

A Test...

It has been a long time since I have posted and I am thinking I want to start posting again, the problem is, I am not sure if there is anybody out there to read it. Now I could just write for myself and I might but I decided to have a test. If you read this and would like to see posts please comment. That way if I decide to start posting again I will know if I have readers or I am just posting for myself :)

Texting Craze...

I will be the first to admit I love to text. I think its great and convenient. Now I like to text but I am nowhere near the texter that my daughters are. I will never understand though texting a whole conversation, I guess its just not in my generation. When I asked my youngest why you don't just pick up the phone and call your friend, she told me that you only call your close friends and the rest you just text. Who would've known, haha.

Now my girls are big texters and I guess they are rubbing off on my lil man. The other day I was feeding lil guy in the kitchen and looked over to see lil man w/his head buried in the couch. I asked him what he was doing but all I got was a laugh. Then I noticed my "iphone" wasn't sitting on the arm of the couch. I went over to him and found him hiding it under the pillows. When I asked him what he was doing he said, "texting Stuart". "What?!" "Texting Stuart." All I could do was laugh. Then before bed he asked his dad for his phone because he needed to text Stuart because he needed to tell him something. I'm not sure what a 3 yr old needs to text considering he doesn't even know how to spell Stuart but he thinks he needs to text. The kicker was when I found his play phone and gave it to him telling him he could text his friends. He looked at me and said, "it isn't real mom."

So, now my 3 yr old is a texter, we are in big trouble :)

Birthday Surprise!!

This morning I woke up to a sweet birthday card from my hubby. At the bottom of the card he gave me a hint "The name of my 1st dog." to find out my gift. I had no idea so I asked if I could use my resources, he agreed. So, I texted my sister in laws and found out the name was Rascal. At this point I got really excited because I was hoping that meant he had bought me tickets to see Rascal Flatts. He was on a walk so as soon as he got back I followed him into our bedroom and just as I am about to ask if we were going to the concert I step on one of the boys cars, and like the cartoons end up w/both feet in the air and land on my rear. I then proceed to laugh/cry because it really hurt but was so funny too. My sweet 3 yr old came up, sat on me and said, "you are ok mommy." I look up to my hubby and he hands me floor tickets to see Rascal Flatts in July!! Not exactly how I pictured finding out but that's how it goes. My foot still does hurt but at least I can walk on it. I did wish that someone would have recorded it because I am sure it was a sight to see.

Thanks to my wonderful hubby for the tickets and thanks to my wonderful kids for their beautiful card! I am so blessed to have such a wonderful family!!

New iphone....kinda

I got a new iphone well except it isn't a phone anymore and really it is just new to me. My hubby has waited 3 yrs to upgrade his iphone and finally decided it was time. He had been jealous of his brother in law's new iphone last year but couldn't justify the money at that time. This year he was ready for the new and improved iphone. I'm pretty sure I have lost my hubby for a few days as he becomes enthralled with his new toy/tool. He preordered it and was lucky enough to get in right before they cut off the delivery date from the 24th until the 2nd. Then he received an email saying they were going to actually deliver it on the 23 which just made his day. So, last night as he was getting his new iphone set up he was clearing his old iphone for me to have. Now I have an iphone w/o the phone so I guess it is more like an itouch but older. I'm happy, he is happy so it works for us :)

Anyone else getting a new iphone?? or old iphone ;) And for those who have an iphone pass along your favorite apps so I can check them out!

Birthday Bash

Although we still have another birthday celebration he has made out pretty well this year. The weekend started off with a movie. Lil man loves Toy Story and it worked out so well that Toy Story 3 came out the day before his bday. The movie is very cute and the whole family enjoyed it. I will admit I did get a lil teary eyed at the end. After the movie it was his pick for dinner. Now the girls pick Texas Roadhouse guess what lil man picks....yep, McDonalds :) So, we headed over to McDonalds for dinner.

Saturday morning he woke up to his bday gift from us. A trike! I'm pretty sure that the bell on the trike is his favorite part. He is excited that now when we go on walks he can ride his trike like his sisters ride their bikes and not have to ride in the stroller anymore. The morning was spent relaxing and then it was time for the bday party.

Lil man and his cousin were blessed to have several friends come to celebrate with them. There was moonwalks, sprinklers, slip n slide, hot dogs, and cupcakes. Although lil man turned out to be more of a spectator not wanting to do much he said he had fun so that is all that matters. I know his friends had fun too from all the pics. The slip n slide was definitely the hit of the party on that very hot day.

We finished the weekend with some family celebrations and the last celebration will be this Sunday. I can't believe that my lil man is 3?! Where does the time go? It seems like just yesterday we were bringing him home. Now he is about to start preschool!

Here are a few pics from the weekend.

Riding his new trike.

Mommy did a first and made cupcakes. They must have been pretty good because on my nephews bday a couple days later he wanted me to make his cake. Makes an aunt feel good :)

Although lil man didn't want to try out the slip n slide Daddy did.


He did enjoy the moonwalks though.

A fun celebration for 2 very special boys!

3?!

He is 3! Really?? I can't believe my lil man is already 3 yrs old. Today we are having a joint bday party with his cousin who turns 4 in a couple days. He has changed so much in the past few years I can't wait to see what God has in store for this boy.

I'll update on all the party fun later!

Happy Birthday Lil Man!!

Picture Update!

Here are some pics of the trip and camp!

My dear friend and me getting ready for the beach!

The beach!

One of the sea turtle patients.

Out to eat.

The canoeing boys.

Father and Son

Riding his first horse.

Family Camp down under :) He messed w/his hat and ended up looking like this.

Hope you enjoyed some pics of the fam!

Update post

Well, it's been a while and hopefully I still have readers. I am going to try and be better at updating. The end of May came and went and now it's June and I don't know where the time went.

To start off with I had a wonderful Girls weekend with my dear friend. It was a great time of relaxing on the beach. I actually had time to read a book! I like reading but never seem to find the time so it was a nice treat. The weather was absolutely beautiful and couldn't have asked for a better weekend. Not only did we lay on the beach but we were able to go see a sea turtle hospital (I love turtles), shop, see a chick flick and eat great food! It was an awesome weekend and although we hadn't seen each other in 4 1/2 yrs our friendship hadn't changed. My youngest daughter asked if there was awkward silence any, I said absolutely not!

After I got back from my trip it was time for the end of the school year and family camp. I am now the mother of a Senior and 7th grader! I'm not sure where the time went but they are growing up fast. Everyone had a great time at family camp this year except lil guy who wasn't feeling well. Him and I had a lot of time in the lodge and one night I missed out on visiting because we both went to sleep at 830p. Overall though it was a great time. Lil man rode his first horse and did canoeing again w/Daddy. We didn't see much of our youngest daughter she was off w/her friends having fun swimming, canoeing and falling in the creek ;) She unfortunately found out that if you are crossing a creek don't hold your camera.

Now we have started our busy summer schedule. Our oldest is the busiest w/camps, tennis lessons, a job, and a college class. Our youngest daughter is going to be taking tennis lessons, has been at basketball camp this week and will be going to church camp in July. Lil man is going to start swimming lessons next week and is going to be turning 3 next week. I'm not sure how that happened. And lil guy is now a crawler so he is on the move all the time.

I will add pics later but wanted to post an update and will try and stay up to date more :) Enjoy!!

The PBR comes to town

Our family company sells Bad Boy Mowers which are the best Zero Turn Mowers out there. They are a sponsor for the PBR. So, this year the PBR came to our city as one of their stops. Since they did this we had a big open house where some of the bull riders came out to sign autographs and you could have your picture taken with them. The open house was complete with the PBR fan zone, an Air Force recruiter and even a couple of mechanical bulls.

On Friday night the family and I were able to go to see the first round of riding. It was a fun night and even though the girls weren't too excited about going, they ended up enjoying themselves. Saturday we had the big open house. There was a great turn out and as a bonus we sold several mowers :). My hubby, son, youngest daughter and even mom all had rode the mechanical bull but I wasn't up for it. My daughter begged me for over an hour to ride the mechanical bull. She even pulled the, "you don't know you don't like it unless you try it, that is what you always tell me about food." Well, she listens. So unwillingly I signed the waiver and climbed on the bull. I didn't last long but it wasn't as bad as I had thought. My mom hadn't got a picture of me on it so I knew I had to do it again. My hubby had already left and he wouldn't believe that I rode the mech bull. So, I climbed back up on the bull and lasted a lil longer but still ended up on my back. My daughter rode about 6 times and managed the best of us all. Lil guy liked it except when he tipped it down and then he promptly told us he was done. It was a fun afternoon complete w/some great hotdogs. So, if you ever get a chance to ride a mechanical bull give it a try you might just like it ;)

Here are some pics of the events:

The kids ready for the show.

One of the bull riders.

At the open house. Our Star bull rider :) She rode it about 6 times I think.

I'm on the bull thanks to my daughter's begging :)

And I'm off, haha.

Lil man had fun on the bull too, until it started going the other way and tipped down, then he was done :)

It was a fun weekend for all of us.

Mother's Day

I hope that all of the mothers out there had a great day yesterday! My day was great. I was given handmade cards, Twizzlers (my fav candy) and some money for my upcoming trip. It was great. My youngest daughter gave me the best poem a mom could ask for.

I love you mom

You are caring and loving.

I wonder how you are always there for me.

I hear your comforting voice.

I want you to always be in my life.

You are caring and loving.

I imagine what life would be without you.

I feel comforted when you are around.

You touch my heart.

I worry when you leave me.

I remember when I first saw you.

You are caring and loving.

I understand when I get in trouble.

I say sorry when I make you mad.

I dream of you every time I sleep.

I try to make you proud every day.

I am so happy that you are my mom.

You are loving and caring.

It was a great weekend! I leave this weekend for my girl's trip. I have to say the girls are making me feel so good because they don't know what they are going to do w/o me. It makes a mom feel good but I know my hubby is more than capable of handling the kids for the weekend.

Here is a pic of my crazy kids and me.

Another post on our other weekend adventures to come later.