So much fun!

We have had a blast these last few weeks. It has been crazy busy but also so much fun!!

There was the Browns vs. Miami football game which the Browns won after a very sad battle but hey you know it was Miami and Cleveland so what did we expect LOL. Many thanks to Shannon for watching the kids that whole day for us. We dropped them off at church for Sunday school (Shannon is their Sunday school teacher also their babysitter when needed) and then she took great care of them for us the rest of the day with the help in the afternoon of Logan and McKenzie two more of the kids favorite people from church. The kids had so much fun that day with them because not only did they get to play with Shannon here at the house but she took them back to church in the afternoon for the Christmas hanging of the greens and Happy Birthday Jesus party where they got new teddy bears from a very nice lady at church who donated them to all the kids who came. The kids helped set stuff up for the party and just said they loved it. Joe and I picked them up when it was over :)

We have made many many Christmas cookies and froze them for when all the family gets here so there will be plenty of yummies for Anna Banana to snack on. Jeni and Jarrad had us over with Jhenna and Jon and their adorable son Ethan (we missed Austin!) for a Christmas party that was so fun!!  Oh my goodness the kids just love them. Casey Bug asks me now very often how much longer till baby Logan will be out of Miss Jeni's tummy she can't wait to meet him.

Our poor kitty is now spayed and I am very grateful for that as she went a little nutty since we waited just a tad too long for that one! I also may have conceded on the whole "I have to have a real tree in the house for Christmas" thing because of my adorable cat. Since the tree has lost some needles she now has decided to start to climb it...I clean up broken glass every day now and she is just always wet from me spraying her with the squirt bottle LOL For some reason most cats don't bother fake trees from what I have heard so I am thinking about it...THINKING about it. I haven't decided...I really like real ones.

Disney was last weekend! It was so fun the kids were so much fun to watch. I just love it! They actually sat for 1 1/2 hours really really nicely waiting for Fantasmic to start. Casey learned how to do the wave during that time she was quite excited about it. Caden did it too but he wasn't as excited about it as Bug. I really didn't think that they would sit there and be happy for that long I was prepared to have to bribe, walk around, reprimand, remind them how old they were, you know normal things for having a 4 and 3 year old hyped up on sugar outside at Disney being told to sit for that long. But we didn't have to do any of those things they were awesome. They show was really great too I recommend it highly (as long as your kid doesn't get nightmares from the Disney villains if they do wait for them to get bigger).

Joe spent the weekend working working working because he is the best man ever. He could have come up Saturday afternoon after he got of work but decided not to miss another Sunday of church since he teaches and that he needed to finish his families Christmas gifts. This is his last work week of school before break though so we are excited about that!!! He will only have to work nights for the next 2 weeks : ) : )

December 1st!

25 Days till Christmas!!!!

When the kids got up this morning (well really it was a bit after they got up since they usually sit on the couch chatting and wait for Joe and I to finish getting ready in the a.m.) I asked them if they knew what today was and Caden smart boy that he is knew it was the day we start moving the jingle bell! We have a hanging count down to Christmas that he has been eyeing for a while now and he knows that he gets to move the jingle bell one space each night before he goes to bed starting Dec. 1st. He also was very excited to say that today was the day that he goes to Grandma's to open the first advent calendar door and get candy out and put the first piece on the Nativity scene. Casey Bug is very excited about that too and wanted to go right then but chickens had to be fed first of course.

I have all the presents that we have gotten wrapped and put under the tree already which a big deal because usually I don't have anything yet and am freaking out a little. I still need to get my nieces and nephews some presents but I know what I am getting them so that is good it could mean that I am gonna get my in-laws their box before Christmas!!! We have been working very hard to stay in budget this year and we are doing homemade gifts for the adults that Joe is making I think they are fabulous he of course finds faults in them because he is way too hard on himself. I know everyone is going to love them because he is doing what he loves and giving them to the people he loves. Now staying in the budget doesn't mean these are cheap because they weren't but I took on a babysitting job to help pay for Christmas this year and God is soooooo good it paid for the presents so we only had to pay a little over what I made!!! Which was awesome since I just realized I need to pay for Casey's ballet recital costume by the 6th so that means I have to pay it tomorrow when I take her to class LOL good thing I looked at the date!

Oh on a different note I made pumpkin waffles with apple cider syrup...YUMMY!!!!! I am addicted Caden is too. Joe and Bug really like them too but Caden LOVES them he keeps asking for them :)

Thanksgiving and Black Friday fun!!

Thanksgiving has always  been one of my favorite times of the year. Ever since I was 3 I got up in the morning super early and helped my mom get the turkey ready for the oven and stuff it full of the stuffing. Now I do that part myself but since we live next door to my mom I do it over at her house and she still does the stuffing because I don't like stuffing. I was going to start Caden on the tradition of helping with the turkey but unfortunately he got Casey's bug and so I had to let him sleep because we put the turkey in at 5 a.m. too early for sick little boys. He did get to help with the other dishes though and Casey helped make the pies of course and had her very first experience with GREEN STUFF!!! She loved it and I am pretty sure she would have just eaten that if I had allowed it. Caden took the whole eating as much as you can to heart at meal time and just pigged out I have never seen him eat so much and he ate some of everything which I was proud of him for. Usually we only eat the one meal on Thanksgiving because it is so large and so after naps Caden came out and asked when dinner was and I told him he already ate dinner...this didn't go over well so he ended up eating a turkey leg and pie while the rest of us just had a piece of pie since we had saved that for then anyway. Caden told us though that pie wasn't dinner and so he needed meat. Casey being her typical self ate 2 bites of the pie and was done LOL Oh and a little tid bit about the Bug she does NOT like gravy or whipped cream on her pie. Very important info which was stated multiple times yesterday so no one would forget and put some on her plate.

My favorite is still the cranberry sauce from the can I know people think I am nuts but that is the only kind I like and sweet potato fluff with marshmallows on top YUMMY!!!!

Then after the kids went to bed and Joe had watched I think 2 football games and was getting ready for his 3rd of the day mom and I headed out to start our shopping! We started at Toys R Us which was a new experience for us seeing as we always avoid that store because of the madness it is but the deals were just too good to pass up this year. We made some new friends in the line waiting to get into the store and ran into some people we knew while in the store and I was able to finish all the kids shopping! Joe and I had already gone to the store the week before to think about what we really wanted to get them because we didn't want to go over board so it was easy to find things and I know the kids are going to be so excited about the games we got (even though after I bought the one I realized I truly have turned into a home school mom because I got it because it was going to be great for teaching the Bug her letters and continue to help Caden with his sounds LOL) I got the kids a vacuum a broom that where 60% off! Caden has wanted a vacuum forever he is gonna be so excited. I also got them Lincoln logs for 12.00!!! They are usually 25.00 for 100 pieces and Joe and I have put off getting them for over a year now because of the price again the kids are going to be soooo excited. There were other great deals too like puzzles and sleeping bags that were already on clearance. I might have a little too much fun getting the good deals but seriously I was excited. I didn't even mind standing in the 45 min line at the check out.

Then mom and I headed to miromar where I got Bug a 99 cent skirt from the Disney store and 4.00 shirt for myself (I splurged I know it wasn't for Christmas) and then just walked around looking at all the crazy people. We checked out Carters but soooo not worth it I looked at the pants for Bug and Caden and they still wanted 8.00 and I didn't think that was a good enough deal so we left there with nothing but I still love looking at the cute kid stuff in there. Kohls was next it opened at 3 but we got there early of course and mom got a bunch of stuff off her Christmas list and I splurged and got the kids 2 outfits each because of the great deals they were and got my Mom in law her birthday present so I can mail that out tomorrow. Then on to Target where I found a Baby Tiana doll for 4.00 that is normally 10.00 and since that is Bugs favorite princess right now that topped off her gifts and Caden got a spiderman shaving kit for 4.99 and a big monster truck he really wanted for 5.00 and that was the end of his gifts. We headed to the mall after that and just looked around because we were killing time before Dad, Joe and the kids met us for breakfast at 8a.m. at IHOP

Joe was amazing and let me take a long nap when I got home <3 I am still tired but had so much fun.

TOMORROW WE GET OUR TREE!!!!!! 

Good weekend with a sad ending

This ended up being Joe's first weekend off! It wasn't supposed to be but it just worked out that way and we were super excited about it! Thanks to Joe's promotion to part time supervisor at UPS he doesn't work Saturday mornings anymore so now we have more family time <3

Actually though he ended up working on the chicken coop fixing some brooder boxes and I took the kids to the mall with my mom because like I said before we had thought it was going to be next weekend that he started to have off so the plans were already made and plus he needed to get the boxes done so it worked out pretty nice. We got home at around noon and the kids were so excited to have lunch with Daddy since that never happens on a Saturday (he usually doesn't get home till after they get up from naps) and then the rest of the day was spent just having fun. I took Casey to the grocery store while Joe took Caden outside to play some ball and play then a great game of candy land. Caden has decided that he will give T-ball another try now so we are going to sign him up next time it starts.

Sunday was church minus the kids because Caden has had a cough since Thursday night and both have had a cold with fevers off and on so that means no Sunday school and nursery for them. My parents are awesome and watched them for us since Joe and I taught Sunday school and then I had nursery durning service followed by a children's committee meeting (by the way we are gonna have an awesome Fall Festival at our church North Naples Baptist on the 30th I will post more on that another time). The rest of the day was really fun and the kids had a  great time we watched football of course and all that good Sunday afternoon fun stuff :)

Now the sad news is that I noticed on Friday afternoon when I took the kids out to play with the kittens that Sterling (the little grey kitten that my mom found in the rain) had a problem. His nose was draining and was crusted over so he wasn't able to breath through it which means he couldn't nurse (a sign he had pneumonia). We cleaned him up and I checked on him again a few times. Then Saturday repeated the process but had a feeling it wasn't going to make it. I went out early on Sunday (Caden usually feeds the cats so I had to beat him to it) and he had died so I had to remove him from the litter before any ants got into the garden and Pixie moved the other kittens. I cried...the kids handled it better than I did. Pixie of course didn't handle it that well she kept looking for the kitten and I was worried she would move the kittens yesterday but she didn't. I checked on them all this morning and was relieved to see them all out there but then noticed when  I took Caden to the doctor that they were gone :( 

I spent 40 minutes searching the yard for the kittens because I am supposed to mow the lawn tonight and of course freaking out because I don't want to hurt them. Pixie came out and walked with me but no sign of the kittens...I cried again. I am a pretty emotional animal person. I know it is just part of having animals especially when they aren't really YOUR animals they are outside animals but still. I really love those little kittens and I think I am a little depressed now and want chocolate cake. I spent a good deal of time sitting and discussing this with Pixie while she ate her can of tuna I gave her. She was a pretty good listener.

birthdays and disney!

Our baby girl is now 3 and I can't believe it! Seriously weird to know that she is growing up so fast. We celebrated at Disney the weekend before her birthday with my parents at Fort Wilderness Campground. We stayed in a cabin that was a one bedroom that had bunk beds and a full size bed in the bedroom and then in the living room had a murphy bed. It was really fun and because it is the off season it was much cheaper. It really is a blessing she was born in September! It is just after the blackout dates for the season passes, the lines at the parks are super short (the longest wait was 15 min the rest was all 5 or less), the parks aren't really busy AND they are decorated so pretty!!!

Caden is now tall enough to ride Tower of Terror, Splash Mt., Big Thunder Mt., Fast Track AND Soarin'  :) He LOVED them. My mom stayed with Casey Bug and took her to see the Country Bears and shopping while we did those rides except for Soarin' she loves that ride and Joe isn't really a fan of it that much because of the heights so he took the Bug to get her picture with ALL the characters. Never was there a happy little girl and we got some really cute pics now of her with Minnie Mouse and a super cute one of her and Joe with Pluto. During the Tower of Terror Casey got the company of both Joe and my mom because only my dad and I like that ride LOL Joe and Mom aren't really a fan of the falling feeling over and over again. Caden did great he loved it but that was the only one he didn't want to do again right away :)

We enjoyed the Hoopty-Dee-Doo Review one night which the kids seriously enjoyed and then the next night we played on the beach of the lake watching the sunset. It was really a great weekend and an amazing family time.

Monday we were home thankfully because Caden had a very bad case of the stomach flu which praise God didn't spread to the rest of us. Then after that I got a cold by Friday Casey had a fever and runny nose which postponed the plans I was going to make with the family that didn't go to Disney. Casey's birthday fell on Tuesday and we celebrated by going to McDonald's for breakfast and then watching the new Tinkerbell movie and having the Bug's favorite snack food POPCORN!!!!  Mac'n Cheese for lunch and then Pancakes for dinner :) She had a great day.

MadGab

This week we are on the Letter D in our Letter of the Week. So I decided to show Caden that he could make some words with the letters we have learned do far like dad, cab, and bad. Well he thought that was pretty cool once he realized that the sounds really did something. So then because he pretty much knows all the letter sounds we moved on to more words like CAT, BAT, MOM all those fun things. I discovered teaching a 4 year old to read is like watching him play MadGab. It is hilarious he says the sounds separate. Then says them together. Then says them faster. Then thinks about it maybe says it a little slower again then tries it faster again till it clicked. It was hilarious and very cute. I was very proud of him for trying so hard and he was proud of himself too.

We are learning about David and Goliath for our Bible story and Casey is learning what a dozen is and working on her counting.  Our composer is Debussy and our animals are dolphins and doves (we pretty much stick with water animals and birds if we can help it because Caden just loves them). Our big field trip is DISNEY!!! I know I really couldn't have planned that better if I had meant to. The trip has absolutely nothing to do with our schooling and everything to do with Casey's birthday but it just so happens that it falls perfectly in with our Letter D week and we are Driving there hehehe maybe we should get Donuts too!

The kids are super excited. Casey has been talking about turning 3 for weeks now and Caden can't wait to go down Splash Mountain for the first time ever! He is now 41 inches tall without shoes so he is officially tall enough : ) Casey is really not very happy she isn't tall enough yet but she IS excited she is going to go shopping in the Winnie the Pooh shop with Grandma while Grandpa, Daddy and I go with Caden on his first big kid ride. Right now Caden says he is riding with Grandpa on it but I will be curious to see who actually rides with him. If he is at all scared of the ride he will end up asking to ride with me that is just usually how he does. There is a chance I might be even more excited about him going on his first big kid ride than he is but I am trying not to show it just in case he gets scared and doesn't want to do it at the last minute or something.

Caden did surprise me this weekend by going down a 20 foot water slide all by himself with no prompting from me or Joe at all. My dad's work had a company picnic and so my dad asked us to come too. It was really fun and Caden just climbed right up that big old blowup slide and went down with no problem at all and went down it like 50 times. I was pretty impressed since usually he needs to be talked into those types of things. He tends to be on the cautious side but lately not so much LOL My little man is growing up :) Casey wouldn't even consider going down it though. She said the water was cold and it was too high.

4 years!

We have been in our house for 4 years now as of Labor Day weekend! And what better way to celebrate that than on Sunday morning after we all had gotten ready for church and I had pulled the last kid from the bath and was drying them we hear our toilets and all the sinks in our house start to bubble....

That's right for all of you who don't have city water you know this means our septic tank was backing up into the house LOVELY!!! Thankfully it was just bubbling and not actually coming into the house so we immediately stopped using all water in the house. A call the septic people told us that because it was a holiday weekend that would cost us at least 100 dollars more than if we waited till Tuesday so my parents said we could just use their house till then. I LOVE living so close to them <3 

In order to keep Caden and Casey from using the bathroom I had to lock the door and they found it a lot of fun to run over to Grandma and Grandpa's side to go potty all day long. Also we were gone for most of Sunday which was good because I would not have liked to be in a house that I can't use the water in the dishes drive me nuts I ended up taking them over to moms so I could wash them. Sunday though we went to church and then to Jeni and Jarrad's for some food, pool time, fun and of course we had to talk about the baby shower which we now have the invites ordered and a whole lotta ideas for. Monday was Labor Day so we had the Fish Fry at church which was very fun and yummy. My mom had us over for breakfast so I didn't have to worry about dishes or anything for that :)

Really it wasn't that bad except we had to cancel going to a friends house for a play date that we were really looking forward to today because of waiting for the septic people to get here but even that ended up being alright because Caden woke up this morning with a very stuffy nose and a fever so I was able to have already given our friends a heads up that we weren't gonna be there instead of cancelling at the last minute.

The kids really enjoyed watching the whole ordeal this morning by the way the whole pumping of the tank and all that gross stuff through the bedroom window and the men that did it enjoyed having the kids watch they talked to them the whole time it was very cute. Casey waved and yelled "Thank you!!! Now our potty's don't bubble anymore!" when they were leaving LOL

The fun stuff of the day

Today was Casey's first Ballet lesson (which fit in perfectly with our Letter of the Week by the way since we are on B) She has been looking forward to this for some months now and today was a day of excitement since she knew all day long that it was today. Her poor day didn't start out so hot for her because she told me last night at the dinner table that she didn't want the food I had fixed for dinner and she would rather go to bed than eat it...so we put her to bed and she had it for breakfast this morning instead. I know that might sound mean but frankly she has this control issue thing about food and I refuse to cook something different just because my 2 (almost 3) year old says she doesn't like it. She actually loves the food I cooked she usually eats it quickly and asks for seconds but last night she pushed it across the table and said "I not gonna eat it" Taking the advice that our parents and Dr. have given us (not to mention just some plain common sense) we stuck to our guns and to bed she went. So anyway she ate it this morning after a little pouting and me not allowing her up from the table till she finished it because I knew she had to be hungry. I would also like to point out that once she put some in her mouth she ate it and told me "This is yummy mommy!" No kidding! I told you that last night when I put some in your mouth to get you to eat some remember?? LOL So after she was happily eating the food she wouldn't touch the night before we moved on to school. The kids love the letter B and are having a great time with it.

Caden has enjoyed learning a lot and he really likes the animal part of it. This week we were going to learn about Buffalo but our library was out of their books on them so we moved to beavers. There is a lot to know about those little guys! Our Bible story is John the Baptist and Caden I think loves the fact that he at locusts more than anything while Casey is impressed that he knew Jesus. Beethoven is the composer of the week and I found some tid bits about him but he was a little depressing in all honesty. I am having trouble finding the music to go with the composers I don't own any of the classical music ( I know bad of me) so if anyone has some with composers that have music done but composers with names starting in C - G that would wouldn't mind letting me borrow please let me know? .

On to Casey's class...we walk in and there is another little girl there at the same time getting her slippers on and Casey walks up to her and says "You will be my friend!" and the little girl says "Yes! I am your friend!" so there you go best friends made instantly. Casey did much later find out that her friends name is Kate and they hugged and held hands the whole time they waited for class to start. They were also joined by another little girl who asked if she could be there friend and her name is Dylan and they welcomed her instantly too. You gotta love kids they really are amazing they don't care at all about being shy most of the time you just have to be nice to them and they will be you friend right away. Casey loved her class and can't wait to go back next week. She did inform me that she was the only one there without a tutu on her leo but I have no idea where the moms got leos with attached tutus because separate tutus aren't allowed and I am not paying more than the 10.00 I paid for her leo I got from Target. the amount the class cost and the shoes cost just about sent Joe into a stroke so again if anyone knows of discount sites let me know :) It has been a very fun day and it isn't even over yet!

Baby Shower Bug

So today was an awesome day! I had a fabulous morning with the kids. We just had a laid back morning playing and cleaning. I was waiting on a phone call from a friend telling me that they now knew that it was a bouncing boy or a sweet baby girl in her ever growing tummy. The kids were very excited about this phone call to but more than find out about the baby they were just excited because it meant they got to go out with one of their favorite people after the phone call. So she called (well texted cause she was at the doctors office and she had to let a lot of people know!) and so off we went to Target.

We got there early so we killed time on the toy aisle which is always fun and with the Bug's birthday next month I enjoyed watching which toys she was enjoying the most. It really amazes me how many toys from when I was little have come back now but with a "new" look. Rainbow Bright has even come back and of course my all time favorite My Little Pony! Bug is a big fan of all of them honestly I don't think she has a favorite. Caden LOVES the dinosaurs and cars that they now have and OH MY GOODNESS they have come out with dinosaur cars! He was about to have a heart attack. It was so funny LOL Anyway they were really good and only asked if they could have things a couple times and didn't even pout when I told them no. : ) My favorite part was when Casey found the display of Twlight figures and picked up the Edward doll and goes "Mommy! It's Daddy!!" I laughed so hard.

My friend found us playing on the toy aisle and then we went in search of boy baby things which was a whole lotta fun! I am so excited about this baby it isn't even funny. The kids absolutely had a great time and were thrilled they got to go out to Burger King with her too. 

So now I am planning a baby shower for a little boy (with her mom and my mom's help) and I am thinking of going with the nautical theme because that is what the baby's room is gonna be done in and my friend loves the beach and the dad loves to sale so I figure that should be perfect and I have now found so many great ideas that I might be a little addicted to the internet baby shower search sites : /   I called Heidi and she think on it too and see if she can come up with any ideas and I have a pretty good idea for invitations already that I can make...

If anyone has any ideas for surf/beach/sailboat theme baby shower stuff please pass them my way I have 2 months to put it together so really 1 month before invites need to go out YIKES

Just one of those days

Today was just one of those days...

I should have known right way that something was gonna be off when my adorably sunny little Bug that usually gets out of bed every morning with a huge smile and a "Good morning Mommy!! Where is Daddy??" the instant she sees me, greeted me this morning with no smile and just a "is it morning yet?" When Joe said "Good morning Casey!" she just looked at him. Yep that was the mood we had today. Caden was in a good mood he just plain didn't want to listen. He was in his "I am 4 and I can correct my sister and do big kid things without asking first" mood. Gotta love that. My grandparents came over for a bit and Caden pretended to be a cat and then Casey decided it would be fun to sit on him or squish him the whole time so that was great fun. My papa and honey are great though so they don't mind at all they thought they were funny. Oh and then later while I cleaned the litter box the kids decided they would take the trash out and truly did take it out! ALL THE WAY OUT!!! Locked themselves outside Thankfully I was listening to them talking in the other room so when it went quiet I knew to go instantly so I got to the garage right as Caden shut the door but still what if I hadn't been??

We have started the Letter of The Week with Caden and of course Casey because even though she is still only 2 she is in the house and wants to be included in the schooling process. I knew Caden was going to love it but I really though Casey wasn't. She usually fights me on all the learning things I do with her but AMAZINGLY she is actually loving everything as much as Caden and doing super with it. We of course are only on the letter A and only on day 3 so it's still new and they love new things but I am enjoying it too.

Part of the school day is a bible story that has the letter of the week in it. This week is Adam and Eve. We read the story on Monday. Tuesday they re-read the story while they colored a picture of Adam and Eve in the garden. Today though was super fun. We acted out the whole thing! Caden got to be Adam, Casey was Eve and I got to be God, the snake and the angel with the fire sword that is placed at the gate. The kids loved it!!!! Casey only had one minor problem...she flat out REFUSED to "eat" the "bad fruit" when it came to that part. It was actually hilarious. Her eyes got all big and I said "Casey this is when Eve ate the fruit remember" and she started to back away from the block (which is what we were pretending was the fruit) and shaking her head. I kept asking her to take it, actually probably much like the serpant from the garden, and she kept getting more and more insistant that she couldn't do it. Finally I just asked "Casey Bug why won't you just pretend to eat the fruit?" and she says "Mommy! God says not too!!!" LOL I ended up putting the block in her hand and telling her we would just pretend she ate it and then moved on to Caden's part because he was getting rather impatient at this point and he ate the "fruit" with no problem.

So in all at the end of day 3 of our first year of homeschooling Caden now can now tell you that an antelope can be found in Africa, Asia  and North America and what it eats, what and Albotross is, recognize the word apple, alligator, and animal (pretty much he surprised me with that by the way we were reading and he pointed those out to me in the book! we had been doing site word flash cards earlier so I guess they work) and what sound an A says.

Casey...knows that and A says aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa and what and A looks like LOL she also can give you the facts on the animals we studied too if she feels like it but she probably won't feel like it so I wouldn't bother asking her if I were you. Oh and she knows Eve ate the "bad fruit" but that God still loved her anyway

It was a long day I am tired pray for me with the schooling that it keeps going good. I am doing it this year for preschool just more for fun than for anything else. Next year is when we will actually start for real and I will have to register with the state and everything and make sure everything gets documented. I am documenting everything now for fun because I am weird like that and because I want to make sure when I do need to do it for real I won't panic at all because I will already know how to do it.

sibling love

I just had to take the time to blog real quick because my kids have been just a real blessing lately. I mean they are alway a blessing but now more than other times I am really noticing. For example at this moment they are in Casey's room playing very nicely with eachother.  We have Veggie Tales Greatest Hits playing for music in the background so every once in a while Casey will come out and do a little dance around the living room then go back in. This morning they got up and we had breakfast with Joe at 6:30 before he had to leave for work. They love having breakfast with him and actually Casey picks out Joe's cereal (it alway has to be whatever she is having) the night before when she goes to bed. After Joe left for work we did some chores. The kids have chore charts with all the things they need to do on them so they set to work. Caden fed the cats and Casey fed the fish they made their beds and got dressed, brushed their teeth and then wanted to go see their grandma so we did. Of course that meant we had to go out to the chickens so out we went where my kids showed what skilled chicken catchers they are and Casey planted a big kiss on one unsuspecting chicken. It is really hot though outside so I made them come inside even though by now it was only 8:15 and we made cupcakes with Grandma then out we went again and they drove the Gator around the yard for a long time prentending to be Mommy and Daddy and I am assuming pretending to find all sorts of snakes and monsters out there because there was a lot of pointing and running back to the gator and screaming with laughter. When we came back inside we had a little cupcake party then back to our house so I could get some stuff done and like I said at the beginning they have been playing nicely sense.

They have been such good helpers and playing so well lately it is amazing. Don't get me wrong they fight like cats and dogs too. Just last night I had to inform them that if they fought at the dinner table they were being excused with out finishing and going to bed  but for the most part the fights don't last because they work it out by themselves and want to get back to playing again. I don't have to get involved in their disagreements usually and I have become less and less needed to keep them entertained. They of course still ask for me to play with them and I love it when they do but I love watching them play so well together it brings back so many memories of Heidi and I growing up. We were eachothers best friends and I want that for my kids too <3

Yummy

Okay this is a silly post but my amazing hubby just brought me home the Mixed Berry Smoothie from McDonalds and frankly it is freakin awesome! YUMMY YUMMY YUMMY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

On another note Joe has decided since he is home early and his summer job bosses have let him use the lift thingy that they have rented he is going to cut down the pine tree in the yard that was hit by lighting last year I am a little nervous about this because it is a very tall tree but he used to work for Davey tree so he knows what he is doing I just don't like having to watch.

House of sickies

Last weekend we worked really hard on Saturday all day and go the chicken coop finished!! Whoo Hoo it is done : ) I will post pics later. We went out at 8 a.m. and came in at 4p.m. finally done : ) Our friend Jon and Jhenna came over for dinner that night and we play farkle which was so much fun I just love hanging out with them and I am so bummed we don't see them more often but I am really glad that we did it this last weekend because as of Sunday durning sunday school exactly halfway through the lesson I got hit with a wicked cold. My nose started to get all stuffed up and my ears hurt and felt like I was hit by a truck (I am sure everyone who has had a cold knows the feeling) Then about oh a quarter of the way through the service I got so tired I had to start chewing gum to stay awake which wsas sad because it was a very good sermon. The rest of the fam stayed healthy till tuesday night when Casey Bug fell victom to the fever and runny nose. Caden got up Wednesday all stuffed up and with a fever so now only Joe is surviving the wicked cold.

On the up side we are now the proud owners of a very adorable calico kitten named Jubilee. She is precious and very sweet. She even lets the kids pick her up which I find pretty impressive because if I was an 8 week old kitten I would not be letting a 2 and 4 year old anywhere near me LOL

Chickens

Our chickens arrived the day after we got back into town from the cruise. They were super cute and they still are but they are growing crazy fast and I am sure the cuteness will be gone quickly as they are a week old now and have feathers, or at least a few feathers and the fluffy sweet things are a thing of the past already.

Now that being said there is a chicken that I am very fond of. It's name is Bobby. I am not sure yet if it is a girl or a boy as it is the exotic one they threw in the batch for fun. Ty named it Bobby that way it fits no matter what and I think it rather fits they little thing. It is the smallest of the chickens and is very cute : )

The kids love the chickens and check on them regularly and have tons of questions about them. Joe was making good progress on the chicken coop till he injured his neck on Sunday so hopefully they will still be in there in plenty of time and out of the garage.

Here are some pictures

This is Bobby the one facing the camera

Cruise

The cruise was awesome! We left on the 19th and were gone for a week and it was very fun and relaxing. Joe and I had an inside cabin, Aunt Janet and Uncle Larry had a room adjoining to Honey and Ty's that had balconies and Mom and Dad's was on the back of the boat on a corner so it had a very large balcony because it wrapped around the side a little which made it big enough for all of us to hangout while we were leaving Miami and other ports :) 

I am pretty sure just about everyones favorite part of the cruise was the food! from the time we stepped on the boat to the time we pretty much got off we enjoyed the non stop food. Joe I believe loved the lobster night the best he actually had 3 lobster dinners that night LOL! I of course loved the dessert the best because I have a HUGE sweet tooth and they had a CHOCOLATE BUFFET!!! Seriously it is a good thing it only happened once because I think I would have died of chocolate over dose if it was more often.

My other favorite thing was the turtle farm we went to. My cousin Ty went to this with us too which made it even more fun but my dad got really sick from the heat (we shopped before we got on the tour bus so thankfully he was able to go back to the boat instead of being sick on the tour) so he missed out that day : ( We got to play with the turtles and feed them and snorkel and all that fun stuff.

The boat was really fun too of course with the shows and we played putt putt, layed out and enjoyed just relaxing and playing games. I kicked some booty at Yahtzee but got mine kicked at Farkle.

Catch Up Time!

Okay!!! It has been a crazy busy time recently. The biggest thing is that I just a little endomitriosis (yea I have no idea how to spell that) removed so that layed me up for a few days but it also meant that my crazy amazing husband was home. I couldn't take care of the kids and my mom hurt her back really bad so Joe was home Thursday and Friday during the day and did an amazing job of taking care of the kiddos for me. Mom and Dad watched them when he went to work at night and then I was pretty much better by sunday :) I finally got my migraine meds so hopefully that will be under control again too.

Joe finished up the last week of school!! He is so glad to be done with this school year and there is a new PE coach starting next year that will be with him and he is excited about that because he is really nice. He has next week off, except for monday and tuesday night at UPS, and then we have the cruise!!!! When we get back he is going to start working with some really nice guys from our church doing hurricane shutters for high rise buildings. They said they will need him about 3 to 4 days a week which is such a blessing from God because that will give us some money but also some family time! God is so amazing :)

We are about to get invaded but a whole lotta family and I am so excited about it!!! My in-laws get here on tuesday night.  It has been great inspiration for Joe to finally allow me to paint the bedroom and get it clean like I wanted. It has really been just a dumping area for our stuff for a long time because it is the biggest room in the house and only Joe and I go in it but now it is looking pretty nice. Now I mean it still needs some work but for the budget that we had we painted it a deep brown with white trim and got a blue and brown comforter from Marshalls for only 89.00 (we have a king size bed so I was so excited to find something that cheap) I also was able to get some pretty silver vases at JoAnns on sale!!! Joe made a really nice shelf for above our bed that looks so cool and that is it so far. He also built a storage cabinet for the bathroom and painted it too. He really is wicked gifted with building things and is pretty artistic. He doesn't think so but seriously he amazes me.

My sister Heidi and her little girl Anna gets her on wednesday night and I am beyond thrilled I can't wait to see them it has been way to long. The Sather clan gets in on thursday night :)

Friday we are having a big party for Caden's 4th birhtday I can not believe my baby boy is gonna be 4!!!!! He actually turns 4 this sunday but we are waiting for everyone to get her so they can all enjoy the party too. It should be a lot of fun a total of 19 people are coming and it is all family. I wish they all lived here all the time so it could always be like this but this makes his birthday extra special this year.

This weekend we are getting the last things needed before everyone gets here and hopefully will get some time to rest so that none of us end up sick from lack of sleep. I can't wait to post pictures of all the stuff from the next couple of weeks :)

Caden the puppy

I have to share this because it is quiet honestly the funniest thing that my little man has ever done.

Caden loves to pretend he is an animal usually it is a dinosaur or a frog but today he chose to be a puppy. First he and Casey disappeared into her room for a few minutes and came back out with him on all fours and her holding a belt draped on his back like a leash. She said "Mommy I have a puppy!" and Caden barked in a agreement.

Next he needed breakfast (usually we have a family breakfast but today is tuesday and Joe has a 6:30 a.m. bible study at church) so I decided that they needed to have dry cereal so they could continue their game. Casey now at this point thought it would be more fun to be the puppy too instead of master so she was now on all fours. I let them eat their cereal on the floor like a dog would and they really enjoyed eatting the best they could using only their mouths no hands : )

Casey went back to being a dog owner at some point had to  be taught the correct way to train a puppy so we spent some time "training" Caden to sit, stay, beg and speak.

Eventually Casey lost interest and went to playing other things and I started cleaning the house but a little time later I heard my little puppy pawing at the door. I figured he was going to run around outside like a dog and play so I opened the door and out he ran then he pulled down his pants and peed!!!! I was freaking out I couldn't believe it I mean I don't care if he goes outside when we are out there and stuff it was just a total shock that he did that. After he was done he just pranced his little self back into the house with a bark for good measure.

So this was the high light of my day today and I thought I would let you all in on it because it is something I will probably always remember : )

Oh and by the way Casey was completely grossed out by her brothers behavior and scrunched up her nose and informed him he was a "bad puppy!" LOL

How to stop the complaning child

This morning and really this whole weekend Caden has been a whiner. I mean not just a little I mean a BIG one. I HATE it when he whines I really really do so this never goes unpunished. Usually taking away the toy that is causing him to complain or a trip to put his nose in the corner works but sometimes it just stops it for a while which means he has to have a spanking (yes that is right I spank don't go getting all bent out of shape I would never abuse my child). He isn't usually like this, he really is usually a big sport and does everything I ask without much question (except the normal WHY? because he loves this word and wants to know everything now) but he has been sick and when he is sick he whines. I understand I do that too.

Today we needed to go shopping because frankly I needed flowers and mulch for my front garden because it was pathetic and we have company coming in a few weeks. Caden usually LOVES shopping and I always bring snacks. Today he didn't want to go though and he was pretty much pouting the whole way there much to my displeasure. So we go to Target where he got in trouble for complaining and touching things that are not his. He really wasn't so bad once in the cart he just sulked cause he doesn't like to have to sit there. I was sure this was going to be a long shopping trip.

Then we went to Home Depot! The garden section and like magic my son turned into a wonderful child that you never would believe was ready to walk home rather than continue to shop just mere moments before. So we got what we needed (well except top soil for mom she didn't see what she needed) then went home where I got the kids in swim suits and we headed outside to work. Caden is an excellent gardener, just ask him! He pulled weeds with me and helped me dig the holes for the flowers and helped spread the mulch all over  then he insisted he water the plants by himself. Now in the midst of all of this Caden let me in on the secret to not having a whining child!!! He told me while we were busy pulling weeds that "Mommy I am not whining anymore because I am busy pulling weeds. I can't whine and pull weeds because I am busy!" I was like alrighty then! From now on when we have a whine problem we will be heading to the garden so he can pull some weeds!!!

He has been great ever since we went swimming and right now he is cleaning up all his toys and books before we head to Grandmas house for family night dinner. He is also teaching Casey how to make her bed "the proper way" and asked if he could dust for me.

Moral of the story is have a garden full of weeds so your children can be busy ; )

Crazy Weekend

This past weekend was so crazy fun I am still tryng to recover LOL

It started really on friday morning with me trying to get ready for the business that was ahead. I cleaned the whole house and went grocery shopping in the morning made sure the kids laid down for a nap. Though they actually never slept for some weird reason that day probably because I needed a nap :)  Joe got home from work around 4 and  my mom got the kids and we hit the road.

This weekend was  Jeni's birthday so Joe and I went up there to celebrate with her, Jarrad and JoAnn. Jeni started a tradition of going to Disney on her birthday when she was really little and when we became friends in 2nd grade she started to take me with her (something I always LOVED!) when we finished school though we didn't keep up with that so this was the first time in a long time we got to do it like we did when we were little : ) Having our hubbys with us made it even better!  We went to Animal Kingdom and Epcot on saturday then went out to dinner. I think we all discovered we are getting old because we were all exhausted! It really was very funny I kept going between so tired couldn't hardly think to then thinking everything was absolutly hilarious and being just plain silly. Joe at one point informed me I was just way passed tired when I started laughing at myself and doing corny things : ) Joe and I drove home that night because I had sunday school and nursery duty in the morning but thankfully the lady I teach with said she would handle it by herself so I got to sleep in till the kids got up at 7 so that was very  very kind of her since on the way home around the 100 mile to go mark we started having to yell and celebrate every 10 miles so that we wouldn't  fall asleep. Joe is older than me and didn't bounce back as nicely as I did yesterday (you know those 5 years diff make a BIG difference) He pretty much stayed tired all day where I went back and forth of tired to having spurts of energy (Joe also informed me I was very cranky at times). We had lunch to celebrate my Grandpas 85th birthday and Mothers day for June. We got home around 3 and took a nap for a while then I headed back to church to support our Youth Groups drama which was awesome I was so proud of them.

This morning was very nice we slept till 7 and then the kids have been so great and played and helped me clean. We are just taking it easy for this week. I think we will go to the library tomorrow since the kids love that so much and just enjoy the week.

Something to Remember

So I have been reading a lot lately and trying to branch out from my normal christian romance and mystery books to some of the non fictional christian books on our bookshelf. Right now I picked "Willing to Believe (the controversy over FreeWill" by R.C. Sprout. Joe loves these types of books so I figured I could read them too and then we discuss them : ) So anyway the reason for mentioning this is  a ran across a very good thing to remember...

Robert godrey, president of Westminster theological Seminary in Escondido, California, recently suggested that I write a book about "the myth of influence." I was startled by the suggestonn because I did not know what he meant. he explained that this phrase refers to the modern evangelical penchant to "build bridges" to secular thought or to groups within the larger church that espouse defective theologies.

The mythical element is the naive assuumption that one can build bridges that move in one direction only. Bridges are usually built to allow traffic to move in two directions. What often happens when we relate to other is that we become the influensees rather than the influencers. In an effort to win people to Christ and be "winsome," we may easily slip into the trap of emptying the gospel of its content, accommodating our hearers, and removing the offense inherent in the gospel. To be sure, our own insensitive behavior can add an offense to the gospel that is not properly part of it. We should labor hard to avoid such behavior. but to strip the gospel of those elements that unblievers find repugnant is not an option

I think that this happens a lot I have seen people try to reach others for Christ but end up not being an example of what God wants us to be like because they end up doing exactly what the non believer is doing and I have seen people try to reach others through force or lack of tact and kindness. Jesus was always kind and loving and very humble but he also NEVER failed to do what God expected and never watered down anything just so others might be a little more open to it and so people wouldn't think he was a freak. Since we are supposed to strive to be like him I think we need to work harder to make sure the line is clear and stays clear when we are trying to win other for Christ. So next time you decide you are gonna show your friends that christians can have fun too so you go to a party or hang out with your friends make sure you are still showing God and not just joining in the way others are talking or laughing at someone elses expense because everyone else thinks it is funny. You will reach a lot more people if you don't laugh but also don't point out that they are all horrible people for being so rude and unkind.

Okay well just my thought of the day : )
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Chickens...

So anyone who knows me knows that I am a total animal person I LOVE animals!!! Never met a animal Ididn't think was cute or want to take home with me...except chickens. Out of all the animals in the world I find birds the hardest to love (meaning have a bond with I love all Gods creatures). I did have a bird when I was in like in the fith grade I believe named Cindy and she was great I would let her out at bed time and she would sleep on my pillow but then she died rather quickly of unknown problems. We have had just about every animal that would be on a farm growing up we had a steer, pig, goats, pony, horse, lots of dogs and cats and of course geese, ducks and chickens. I had a rather unfortunate incounter with our gander while water our flowers outside one day which started with a hunk of my thigh being removed and me grabbing the think by the neck and shaking it (don't worry he was fine but he didn't ever do that to me again either). The female geese never bothered me I liked them I also loved the ducks except for the fact that our backyard was like one big minefield and my sister and I had to clean out their little swimming pool twice a day YUCK!!!!! Then we have the chickens...now frankly chickens aren't all that bad but roosters are another story for me. For some reason these creatures know I dislike them and they follow me around! I am serious even when we went to England we stayed at this bed and breakfast that was on a farm and the stinking roosters (and chickens) followed me around from the minute I would open my door in the morning! My mom found it funny and taped it I didn't think it was that funny. Incase you don't know roosters have these claws that they use to attack things. THEY HURT! I am not commonly attacked by them but since was when we had them in our backyard I now kinda fear them so them following me is not my idea of a relaxing time.

Oh and how about the crowing! I mean how annoying is that! I am not a city girl. I love the smell of horses (yes even the less flattering smells they can produce I don't know I am weird I love it), pigs don't really bug me (now Joe won't go anywhere near a pig pen), and cows. I love the sounds they all make they are comforting and just make me smile. Crowing makes my nerves go on end. My mom LOVES the sound of crowing. I think she is a little on the nutty side. Joe thinks he enjoyes this too. My dad is with me and finds it annoying.

Anyway all of this was fine because we don't currently have any chickens OR roosters on our property...that is all about to change though. The order has been placed and we are expecting 25 chickens the week we return from our cruise. Dad and I were out numbered because Joe, mom and the kids all want them. I wanted goats but since we know some one pretty close by that is having thier goats picked off one by one by a panter we decided we didn't want to invite that into our backyard. Joe has spent all day today working on building the coop for them. It is gonna be sweet! He designed it to have brooding boxes and a large door for us to enter the coop from the back also will have a hinged door on both sides where the brooding hens will lay their eggs so we can collect the eggs with out disturbing the chickens too much, of course a little door with ramp for them to get into the coop AND (now this is my favorite part) a large chicken run! Yup that is right we will have free range chickens that are confined! The coop will be on wheels so that we can move it pretty easily every couple of days around our yard. This way they can have plenty of room to do their little chicken thing durning the day and we can make sure the coop doors are closed at night so no fox, bobcat, raccon, or panther can get to them (that was why we don't have chickens anymore because slowly something picked off all of them) and I don't have to worry about being afraid of my backyard : )

I can't wait for the eggs we go through a lot of eggs in our house and I really do love fresh eggs. Caden and Casey are very excited for the babies to get here and I actually am too becasue lets face it they are fuzzy and cute! Maybe I will become a chicken lover now?? We shall see : )

Just Some Things Going On

I LOVE that my kids are 2 and 3 years old! Right now I am listening to them play a very nice mixture of tea party and store. Mostly I like listening to them talk to eachother because I have noticed more and more lately that there are a whole lot of I love yous and "I am the big brother Casey Bug so I take care of you". Of course we have times where like right now Caden is crying because Casey accidentally pushed him over but then they usually fix it like right now it is already fixed she said she was sorry and kissed his ouchie   : ) They really are so much fun!!

Lately I have had some really horrible migranes. I started having them when I was 19 I think and got put on some meds to help keep them from being so bad but then you know me I thought "hey I haven't had one in a long time I will stop taking my meds and not go to my dr. appointment" Yea not very smart because since I haven't been to my doctor in 2 years I don't have any medication to take now that my migranes are back worse than ever AND my nerologist is booked solid till June 9th! So till I can get in they gave me some sample meds that don't help keep me from getting the headaches but they stop them once they are in full blown going to cry or puke or both stage. I am very greatful for them anyway though because they knock me out and I can sleep through the pain. Unfortunatly that means my mom has to watch the kids or they end up going to bed early because I try to put off taking the pills till night time. So I have done everything I can to stop the "trigger" that causes my head to feel like it is gonna blow off my head into a million little pieces. That includes giving up chocolate and dairy products : ( Two things I have come to realize that I love and eat a WHOLE LOT of LOL! I also avoid nuts but that isn't really a big deal for me except for peanut butter because I do love that and I eat a lot of PB&J sandwiches at lunch time with the kids. I have been 2 days without a migrane!!!!!! So even though I really am craving chocolate right now and a pizza I am going keep eatting other things instead. I still have a headache that never seems to completely go away but I don't have to keep the shades down in the house and I don't feel like sound is stabbing me just some pressure and a little sensitive to light still (I carry my sunglasses with me now everywhere). I wish I knew what caused them to come back or why they are so bad all of a sudden but I guess that is just a mystery I will have to wait to solve till June 9th.

Good Friends

Lately I have realized just how very blessed I am and how very blessed I was growing up. I hear a lot from kids (mostly ages of middle school and high school) about how friends are saying mean stuff about them or how they don't have any friends and family that really understand their christian belief and why it is important to them to live their lives the way the Bible says. I truely feel for them and I hurt that they have to fight so hard to stand up for what is right and don't have the luxery of coming home at the end of the day and having a very supportive dad and mom.

I had tough times as a kid growing up I mean no one doesn't but I loved growing up. My parents were so supportive and were always encouraging us to do the right thing and making sure that we were being respectful and nice. We weren't allowed to have "cliques" because that meant someone couldn't be part of it and that would hurt someones feelings. They loved getting to know our friends and we did have a very core group that we did most everything with. I still love those people. My friends didn't encourage drinking, smoking, lying to our parents, sneaking out, or dressing so that we didn't leave anything to the imagination. If anything we were pretty hard on eachother to dress modestly (sometimes we got a little annoyed with the boys for being so concerned) and I don't think any of us ever said mean things about eachother. It just wasn't done! So I want to thank those friends (ya'll know who you are) and thank my new friends for being there for me. I am praying every day for my kids to have friends as great as you guys and that God would be blessing all your kids too with the same thing.

I am also praying for each kid out there who is struggling with making friends or who believes they are friends with someone who is really just out to hurt others to make themselves feel better. The only friend you need is Jesus but he supplies us with many friends that we want. As far as the kids that are braving being the only believer in their family I just want to hug them so badly. I wish that it was that every parent and family member believed but that just isn't the case but God is gonna use you so much in your families lives even if you can't see it. Make sure you continue to love them and show them respect because God made you part of that family for a reason. I know that He is preparing you for a great work. One day you will look back and go "wow I didn't see why I had to go through that then but if I hadn't I certainly wouldn't be prepared for this!"  Just keep being who God wants you to be.

The great Dog search!

Since the whole Belle fiasco I have been reading every book I can get my hands on for training puppies, making the dog part of the family, and how to teach puppies and kids to know how to treat eachother and all that fabulous stuff. I now feel that my head is going to burst from the knowledge. I know there is a very big difference from knowing what to do with a dog and actually doing it but I am excited to actually use what I have learned.

Now I just have to find a puppy! Which you would think would be easy but frankly it isn't. We want a 8 week old puppy that will only get to be about 25 lbs or so but isn't a toy breed. It needs to have no known health issues of course and preferably home raised around children already and working on house training. I know that these things exsist because I have found several breeders that this is the norm for them but the main problem is that most of them have waiting list AND the money of course. So far the cheapest I have found is $600 and frankly my husband works too hard for us to put that much money on a puppy that will need to be spayed in just a few weeks time too. I am not against mutts it would just be a lot easier to have a pure bred so that we know how big the dog will be. We are not really ready for a new puppy at this time anyway so we have plenty of time. I am hoping to find one after we return from the cruise so that my in-laws won't have to worry about a puppy that is being house trained and all that jazz.

The kids also know we are looking and these are Caden's specifications...

1. needs to be little like Daisy (Auntie Heidi's dog)
2. needs to be cute like Daisy
3. preferably yellow or white
4. could we please get Casey her own puppy so she doesn't try to take his (this isn't gonna happen as one is more than enough!)
5. needs to not bite hard like Belle did cause that was just mean (this made me laugh and a little sad)
6. needs to be one we can take with us so that it won't be lonely

Casey just wants

1.  Daisy (yep she just wants Daisy she thinks that anna might miss her but maybe not lol)
2. Lady (you know from Lady and the Tramp she is pretty sure that Lady is real and she should have her)
3 she would prefer the dog to be pink and only pink

So we are praying for our future dog that we don't rush into anything and that we are able to provide the best home for it. My parents dog, Bandit, was amazing he really was like the best behaved dog ever. He passed away this morning we are thinking from a stroke. He was only 11 years old which is a little old but his bred can live up to 13 so my mom was hoping for a few more years. We are hoping that when we find our dog we will be able to train it to be as awesome as Bandit was because that would make our family complete : )

Something to think about

For a while now I have noticed that peoples blogs seem to focus on a main item whether it be organic eatting, breastfeeding, circumcision, organic gardening, and of course coupons! Well I love to read and I am a mom and since most of these blogs are written by mothers I read them...then I get upset because most of them have this total ere about them of making it seem that if you don't do these things you are a horrible mother and your children will eventually grow up to be frightened little people that will resent you forever! LOL!!!!! Like seriously?? Are we actually worried that someone later on in life is gonna come up to your kid and ask how long they were breastfed and our kid is gonna
 1. actually know how long they were or
 2. tell the kid how long and the other child is gonna be like "Oh my goodness your mom has ruined you and didn't love you as much as my mommy loves me!"
Or that  a child will come up to another one and tell them that what they are eating is horrible for them and tell them their parent is poisoning them slowly at which the poor child cries (yea this one I have actually witnessed at a party it was crazy hurtful and the poor  mom was just torn up.) I personally think the other mom is doing much more damage by allowing their child to be so hurtful and unloving.  Well I think that it was getting to me a little you know it isn't true but then wonder...

I was given such a relief today reading my Bible. Paul simply states in Galatians that in the end it doesn't matter wether you are circumcised or not (live by the law and rituals or not) what matters is if you believe that Christ died for us and that is the only law that is truely important. Well I believe that with all my heart. I also realized that these women who are so focused on do a great job with certain areas of their parenting (such as making sure their baby doesn't have ANY sugar) are lacking in other much more significant areas....you know like they are showing favortism to one child over another due to age or sex , or teaching their children that it is okay to put down other people for how they were raised, making themselves feel self important for doing the things they do, and most importantly not focusing on God first and silly trends and lifestyle after.

God wants us to try our best but you know what he knows we aren't perfect and thankfully he forgives! I believe that if the parents heart is focused on Him first, then spouse, then children and lastly self then He will bless that family. I know that He is not enjoying our picking on the little things that don't matter because they aren't glorifing to him they are just things that make US feel better about ourselfs and families.
I don't fault people for having strong beliefs in how they do things I mean you shouldn't do something unless you believe in it but don't put others down or teach your children that their is no other way. The only thing there is no other way to is God. God has our days numbered and how we eat and live does not shorten or lengthen them it only affects how we feel and live out those days. Something I struggle with sometimes as I look in the mirror and remember what I used to look like 10 years ago in highschool. I mean the fact I don't run every day or that I can't fit in my size 2's anymore shouldn't affect my walk with God. That is what I should be focused on right now and so that is what I am gonna be focused on. No more whinning or picking on myself or others. Just focusing on God and doing my best to raise my kids to be lights in this world.
So another thing I discovered is that I need to make sure my kids hear more about God and who he is and everything from me and Joe. We talk about the bible and we pray but I mean we need to make sure our kids know how to love like Jesus does and how to control their tempers and to show people respect. So that is what we are working on now I am very excited about this and I am praying for all the other mothers and wives out there trying to find a way to balance everything.

Yea so that is my ramblings today.

Bored

It's a Sunday afternoon and we are at home watching Bambi at the moment (well Caden is sitting at the table eatting an orange). Sundays are usually pretty busy with church in the morning then lunch, naps, and swimming, yardwork or some project but today it is raining! Church was awesome a very good service on why God allows suffering to mold us and so we can grow closer to him. Caden of course wanted to go to a resturant for lunch (because when Grandma and Grandpa let him ride home in their car they take him out to eat first) and so Joe said we could pick up McDonalds and Subway which was a total treat! Then home we went and the kids went down for their naps...and my being bored began.

Typically I am tired and nap when the kids do especially on a rainy afternoon but today I just wasn't in the mood to sleep. I decided to get on the treadmill instead and when I was completely worn out from that did some stretching and weights to kill some more time. I had sent a text to some friends to find out what they were doing and they said we could come over but they were having a big party with their family so Joe wasn't into that. The kids got up and played and I sat and stewed because I was sooooo bored! So I decided to make bean bags for the kids which took all of 10 minutes but still it was fun. They love them by the way and were having a blast playing with them after I made them : )

Joe made us some green smoothies and we played Hungry Hungry Hippos, an all time favorite game of mine, for a while. The kids have painted and I have just about exhausted the internet trying to find fun stuff to do. I found some very fun Mothers day card ideas so I am excited about that. I am not sure what else we are gonna do today and I am still bored.

I find this really weird as I typically am not bored but I so wanted to mow the lawn and swim today and have popcicles by the pool I think I am more disappointed than bored...maybe. And now I have probably totally bored ya'll by typing out my boredom LOL

now aren't you glad I have this blog to bore you with? : )

I Hate Sweating!

So today I found out that my little Bug (Casey) gets her dislike of being too hot from me.

I decided that I would get on the treadmill just a little bit ago because my friend Sarah told me how she ran 2 miles yesterday and I told her I hadn't run since before Thanksgiving but kept wanting too. So I did it the kids were sleeping and I thought "hey why not!"...Well I made a mile and a half which is pretty good for me because I really am a wimp but I LOVED it! I would have kept going if not for the fact my legs started to buckle and since that seems a little dangerous on a moving treadmill I stopped.

That was about 10 minutes ago and I am STILL SWEATING! I am completely grossed out by myself right now. I really am I don't like anything about sweating this means I need to take a shower and re\do my make up now before bible study tonight.  There is nothing appealing about this at all. I think I am gonna go jump in the pool...

Embracing Florida Weather

I have lived in Naples, FL my whole life (I know you didn't think people like my existed but we do!) but I have always HATED the heat. It is a horrible cycle that happens every year...

Spring is here and it is really summer
Summer comes and it is basically like someone put us all in a oven and turned it to 600
Fall comes and it is just more heat no changing of the leaves no sweaters just plain HOT!
Winter....well we get to wear a light sweater then boom we get some very enjoyable freezing (at least to us FL people) weather which is bliss!  but typically I complain during this whole thing because it doesn't last long enough and I know the heat is just around the corner.

I have planned on leaving this horrid heat for some time now but have now come to the reality that frankly it ain't gonna be happening anytime soon! So I have decided to live like a true Florida girl this year. I fully enjoyed the cold weather this winter it was amazing!! Now Spring has sprung and the heat is coming in quickly. I am actually enjoying this too for the first time since probably I was about 8 and I got some great summer clothes for my birthday (which is in Feb.) and I couldn't wait to wear them when it got warmer.

I got a new swimsuit for my birthday this year and nice cover up and I am wearing them very often now I have a nice base tan going on and my children are working on becoming little brown berries (don't worry I put lots of sunscreen on them). My parents got a sprinker for the backyard hose for them to play in and we have been outside every day since it has warmed up. We have already gone to the beach and I am planning on going at least twice a week as long as weather premits. I must say I am looking forward to becoming an outside girl and living up to being a true Florida Girl.

Now I have hit a small snag in my new found attitude towards Florida outdoors...that would be my little 2 year old daughter. She isn't a fan of the great outdoors at all really and frankly doesn't like the feel of sand on her feet she says "it is dirty!" she wants nothing to do with the ocean because "it is cold" and the pool well she would rather float on a raft or sit sunning herself on a chair or towel....oh and did I mention the sprinkler isn't her thing either because it is cold and then grass sticks to her feet. She does greatly enjoy reading though so today I discovered that if she brings books to the pool she doesn't complain as quickly so I guess we will be bringing books outside to all our adventures LOL

Caden (my 3 year old) has always enjoyed living in florida and lives each day to the extreme making sure to get as wet as possible.

avoiding housework

Yep I am avoiding the cleaning that is staring me in the face right now. So I will fill you in on the last week or so : )

Joe and I had a fabulous time at Disney it really was amazing. We stayed at this wonderful hotel that is more of a vacation condo place. It was only 89 a night from Travelocity! It had it's own kitchen and all so we decided to save money we would just make our meals which turned out to save us a TON of money. We only ate at Disney the first day because we hadn't gone shopping yet and we split a meal. That was our most expensive meal : ) We had saved our gift cards for the Cheesecake Factory and we were able to eat there twice (and even got cheesecake both times) without any out of pocket!

We went to all the parks it was great. Since it was Spring Break all the parks were a little more busy but they also stayed open till midnight or sometimes 3a.m. so we would sleep in (which for me was just like 7:30 cause I am so used to waking up with kids it was weird to sleep longer) then we would make breakfast and get ready to go to a park we would stay till around 2 or so go back to the hotel make lunch and take a NAP! (yep I got a nap it was amazing and wonderful) We would then take our time getting up and would look up which park was staying open the latest and then either make dinner or go to the park first. We made a point of going on all the rides that are not kid friendly since I haven't been on those in about 4 years now (except for splash mountain when I went with the wonderful Deering clan). We avoided the ones I always go on with the kids because the lines for those were amazingly long and since I know we will take the kids again soon we decided they weren't as important.

Joe's favorite ride was Everest Expedition at Animal Kingdom and I have to say it is an awesome right I think we went on it a total of 4 or 5 times because we liked it so much. My favorite has always been Tower of Terror but I only made Joe go on it once cause he really isn't a fan of the whole waiting to fall thing LOL Joe has also already decided we are going to have to plan another anniversary trip for our 10 year one and he is starting now : )
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The kids had a great time with my parents and Caden has decided that he needs to spend the week at Grandmas much more often since they did so many fun adventurous things.

Okay I can't put off the cleaning anymore I will have to do another post later

Preparing for a trip

So our trip is a go! Joe even surprised me last night but getting tonight off too and made arrangements so that we could leave when he gets home for working at school today instead of leaving in the morning : ) He said he wanted to start early since I had such a bad day yesterday. He seriously is the best ever!!!!!

The kids are very excited because they get to stat "at my moms" house which really is right beside us and they actaully will still be sleeping in our house because they tend not to sleep when they are actually staying in my moms room LOL They have made plans to go to the zoo, watch some Disney movies, shop, maybe the park with Grandpa too. Casey is the most excited as she doesn't really care that mommy and daddy won't be home if she has her Grandpa to look forward to but Caden keeps asking how come he doesn't get to come on the trip too but then again he does't want to miss out on the time with Grandma and Grandpa either. Actually he is quite funny about it. It should be interesting as this will be the first time I am away from the kids for this length of time usually they are with me on all trips or we just spend one night away like we did 2 years ago. (Yea it has been that long) 

Anyway I have a lot to do today now that we are leaving this afternoon instead of tomorrow because I was gonna do a bunch of stuff tonight after the kids went to my moms but now I need to try and get it done by 4! Yikes!  I think I should get everything done except I won't clean the carpets like I wanted but that is okay most important is laundry and cleaning out the fridge and pantry so nothing goes yucky like potatoes eeeewwwww!!!

Dogless

Well we are no a no dog family. I am pretty upset about this and have had just about the worst day ever! I cried a lot and the kids are already asking for a new dog. We have decided to wait till we get back from our cruise this summer to consider looking for a new puppy. We are gonna do a bunch of research in the mean time to find breeds that are great with kids and try to find maybe free puppies or something like that. We have definetly decided that we are going puppy this time instead of just young dog. I know that some dogs just have dominance issues but most of the research I have done says that if you get a dog as a puppy when you have children they will continue to know their place in the pack and not question it since they will be smaller than the kids from the beginning. Caden will be 4 in June and Casey turns 3 in September so I think this is a good idea. I want them to have pets and love animals and I certainly don't want Casey ever to be afraid of dogs because of Belle so we decided that waiting too long would not be good.

So it is pretty sad I keep thinking I need to let the dog out and play with her so she sleeps well tonight only to realize hey I don't hae a dog anymore : (  I also refilled the empty dog water bowl when I was fixing dinner then realized I didn't need to do that either. Joe said at least I will sleep past 5 tomorrow morning but then he said "No you won't you will wake up thinking you need to take her out" LOL he knows me way too well. See to me she was like another baby so I never minded getting up with her when we were house training her and when she started sleeping through the night till 5am I was as excited as when the kids did it for the first time. She just was part of the family. I know there is  a dog out there for our family we just have to find it.

In the mean time Joe is getting the kids a turtle and we are gonna look into getting them some hermit crabs too : ) Also hoping to get some goats later this year because the kids are at the ages when they need to learn responsiblity and what better way than having to take care of their animals! It was how heidi and I learned. We always had lots of animals outside and inside that we took care of (with the help of mom of course).

I am not good at waiting

Okay like the name of this says I am not any good at waiting. That is what I have been doing since yesterday morning. Belle our wonderful family dog bit Casey yesterday. I was thankfully right there so she only got her arm and only left a little scratch because i was able to got between them right away but now i totally can't trust my dog with my kids. Casey wasn't doing anything to the dog by the way so I know that Belle was not provoked at all. Casey was just reading a book about a foot or so away from Belle and never even looked at the dog. We had noticed that Belle was starting to get a little snippy when it came to Casey for the last couple of weeks but we were working with Casey because we thought she might be provoking the poor thing. We were wrong turns out that Belle (who was abused before we got her) is trying to gain status in the pack. She had shown dominance over Bandit about 2 months ago and now Bandit won't even come in to our house because of her. So I guess she decided Casey was the next one to try to take down. It isn't a real common problem but more common with abused dogs. I am so upset because I LOVE Belle she is really smart and so fun but my kids come first and I can't chance this happening again and me not be here so she has to go.

So about the waiting... well I got Belle from Brookes Legacy and they told me that I needed to sign a paper saying I would give the dog back to them if anything didn't work out so I contacted them all day yesterday...and today....still waiting to hear back meanwhile I have a dog that can't be out of her kennel when the kids are up. It isn't fair to her or us. So I am done waiting. I gave the shelter till 3 to contact me with any information even if it was just that they were looking for a place for her but if they can't do that then I am taking her to the pound. I know I really don't want to do that either but like I said I can't let this go on. I am asking everyone to pray that this place gets back to me so that I don't have to take a dog to the pound a place i really don't like.

I have 1 hours and 15 minutes left....I hate waiting!!!!

being a mom isn't always easy but always rewarded

The last few nights Casey has thrown up sometime int he middle of the night. She never really wakes up I guess because we have yet to hear her when she does this and she just goes back to bed so I didn't discover she was sick till the morning. What a fun surprise I know. Well she was really okay all day long so we didn't know what was going on. I called Dr. Wilson and asked him about it and he said right now kids are dropping like flys with a stomach bug going around. Most kids were sick up to 30 times a day so we should be thankful that Casey was doing better than that. He also told us that Caden would probably get it because it is super contagious (oh joy)

Well last night at midnight it came with vengence into our little boys body. He has thrown up a total of 10 times (it was 9 when I started this post)  since that time and he is so sick looking. He didn't get a lot of sleep because of this but he is such a trooper. I was praying each time it would be the last but God said no to that but He did give me little breaks Caden and I were able to sleep for an hour at one point! Also was blessed with some very funny moments like this ... "Mommy do alligators swim in mud?"...now the question itself isn't that funny but picture a 3 year old throwing up in a bowl and taking the time to ask the question in the midst of it and it is pretty histarical to me. LOL

So even though it hasn't been an easy night and probably won't be an easy day I am so glad God has given me this time and that I know he is in charge.

I am feeling a little sick myself at the moment so the post ends now : ) Oh please pray that this is out of our house by friday so my wonderful hubby and I can go on our trip. If it has to be cancelled it was meant to be but I really want to go!!!!

cookin' with a 2 and 3 year old

My mom gave my kids the Paula Deen's My First Cookbook for Christmas this year. We haven't used it yet till today : ) Caden and Casey made Porcupine Balls for dinner tonight. They got to get all the measuring cups and spoons and ingredients out and put them on the counter. Then I read the instructions and they then put all the stuff together and got to mix it with thier hands. They really loved it like I knew they would and now they just can't wait for dinner! It is so much fun to get to watch them get excited about cooking I always cooked with my mom and it was some of my favorite memories.

Cooking with my kids is actually nothing new my mom has been putting them up on the counter at her house and has them help her all the time with her dinner since they could sit up! and Caden for the last couple days has been making the scrambled eggs in the morning (with just a little help from me of course) and has been doing a great job! This morning actually he even added a dash of salt by himself...which was more like a pouring LOL but his daddy ate them without complaint I was so impressed. Casey prefers to make desserts or mashed potatoes so she can lick the spoons and bowl.

I just can't wait to see their love of cooking grow <3

this week in our life

This week we are having a fun filled week. Yesterday we just had fun cleaning and playing. We also signed Caden up for t-ball which he is super excited about. His little friend Alyssa is signed up too so it should be a lot of fun watching them play! Today we just relaxed and cleaned some more. The kids seem to be slightly under the weather  so we needed these two days to relax and just have fun before we go to the beach tomorrow!!!! They are really looking forward to it and we are meeting Jay, Ashley and Kirsten there for lunch  : )  We also need to make a trip to the library either tomorrow or Thursday. So really it is a pretty boring ,for the outsiders looking in, type of week but it is a fun one for us and not stressful : )

So about all the cleaning I have been doing. Well I work so much better when I have a schedule and that includes a cleaning schedule....so I am doing what "the sidetracked home executive" book says and I made a chore box. I have used it before right after Casey was born and it was a life saver I felt very in control and didn't mind when people just stopped by because everything was clean (well except for toys being everywhere but really who can control that?). So I just had to update the box and reorganize. Now I have a schedule and my house is starting to look much better. My house was never actually bad but I felt tired because I would try to do everything at one time and now I can get everything done with a less intense freak out feeling LOL


I  have lost another pound so down to 136 when doesn't sound like much but really I am surprised because I have beens so bad what with Joe's birthday and everything in the house. I have only 3 months left before the cruise so I need to get myself in gear. I haven't been exercising at all. That is so bad but I haven't. I have every intention of starting tomorrow so wish me luck!