Nights 2&3 of VBS

The kids have been having such a good time at VBS this week! They have some awesome teachers. Brooke and Caleb's teacher is actually a lady who was the nursery worker last year and got to know Rachel so well. (and Joanne is a worker in there too!) And Rachel's teacher is a girl I went to highschool with. They are both great!

Monday night while the kids were out we went driving around again trying to figure out what to do. I wasnt feeling too great that night, so it was hard to get excited about anything, really. We went by Kmart and looked around for awhile. Browsed through the camping tents.. we really want to get one one of these days! I have a dream where we can set it up in the backyard and let the kids sleep outside (with us there too of course!) I think it would be a lot of fun. But we're still right there at the house, with the food, and bathrooms, and beds, if it gets to be too much! Anyway, then we went to Once Upon a Child. They have gotten a crap-load of fall/winter clothes in lately, and sometimes they dont have a good selection, but that night they did! Looks like nothing has really been picked over yet and they had some CUTE and NICE stuff. I would have bought a lot more things for Brooke for school if I had the money that night. I did pick up 3 things though, a Gymboree sweater and a really cute dress for Brooke (I could see it having "First day of school potential" maybe with some knee socks!!!) And a cute top with apples for Rachel (one of her favorite words these days ;) Ill admit, the little bit of shopping I did DID perk me up a little bit. Arnold swears it always will ;)

Last night while the kids went to VBS we drove to Jessica's house and went to visit her and baby Hunter!!! By the time we drove down there and had to drive back we knew we'd only have about an hour to visit, but Im glad we did, because I miss seeing Jess as much! Hunter was hanging out in his swing, watching the fan when we got there and looked SO calm (wish I was that calm, and had no worries!!) Then Jess gave him to me to hold and he passed right out and slept in my arms for awhile ;) He then woke up and just stared at me for awhile and so I talked to him.. He was SO sweet and snuggly.. I could have held him all night. I SO miss that stage!!! It doesnt last long at all :( But anyway...

On the way back to VBS last night to pick up the kids, Arnold was looking really tired and scaring me a little bit, and I asked him what was up and he said that he felt like he was going to fall asleep! Not what you want to hear when your husband is behind the wheel! Turns out he had taken sinus meds before we left the house that night, and it wasnt the "non-drowsy" stuff.. so.. needless to say I ended up driving home. We have been getting home and getting the kids to bed much later than usual these past few nights, but its worth it. They are having fun and learning a lot.. I have even heard them singing some of the songs they have learned this week! Warms my heart to hear my 4-yr old sing about Jesus!! : ) :)

The sweater I bought Brooke. It is SO cute. Its long, and at first I thought it was a dress, but I looked it up and it said "cardigan." The buttons are hearts! It will be so cute on her this fall!

The kids cheesing before bed the other night!

Me and my girl.. with her big gap in her mouth!

2nd Tooth Gone!!

Guess who lost her SECOND tooth the other night?! Brooke!! I only knew her tooth had been wiggly for a few days, Arnold had pointed it out to me. And then it was SO wiggly the other night that he said he was afraid it was going to fall out in the middle of the night, or she might swallow it, so he was going to try to pull it himself. I get all queasy when it comes to teeth, so I hated even thinking about that! I went off into another room while he messed around with Brooke's tooth. She didnt mind it.. shes always been a brave kid! He kept asking her "does that hurt" and "that?" HAHA. But finally I heard yay! we did it! Go show Mommy! So I knew it was out. Brooke ran in and proudly showed me the tooth and the hole in her mouth. I got the camera and phone and had to send out pics to the grandparents of course ;)

I just never thought we'd be dealing with a kid losing teeth THIS young! I heard that the normal ages to lose a tooth are between ages 5-7. So I expected that it was going to be a bit longer. I lost my first tooth sometime in Kindergarten. And Brooke has already lost TWO.. the first back when she was in preschool, and now the 2nd one. The first place already has a full-grown adult tooth in there now! I guess she will be going back to school with a big hole in her mouth now ;) Just wonder when the 3rd one will become loose now??

Thank goodness it worked out on a night when I had some 1's in my purse, because we usually dont carry cash around with us. We gave ger $5 for her first tooth since it was special, and plan to do $1 for every tooth from now on. I heard her and Caleb talking in her bedroom before they went to sleep that night, and he said something about $20!! I was like DREAM ON KIDDO! haha. That kid has expensive tastes (which he SO got from his Daddy.. that man can drop some money.. usually its women that are like that ;) Anyway, Arnold got in there and was able to slip it under her pillow without her or Rachel waking up (which is a miracle!) and it so happens so was sleeping with her head at the wrong end of the bed, so that helped a little ;) And the next morning she came into my bedroom crying, saying the tooth fairy hadnt come.. and it just turns out that the dollar had fallen under her bed..so when she found it, she was A-OK! :) :)

Is that the look of proud or what?? :)

Sunday

Sunday morning I slept in a little bit, and Arnold got the kids ready for church (thanks honey!!) He had also given them baths before, I was not expecting that!! We went to church and Alex came to visit again this week, so that was a nice surprise. We filled up a whole row again with everyone sitting together, love that so many of my friends go to the same church as me! I know thats not the most important thing of course, but its nice to be able to see them so much! :) Our normal pastor wasnt there because they had a loss in their family (Please pray for them if you would!!) But the other pastor was there, and we like him a lot too. They talked about Life Groups this week.. which is something our church does where there are different groups put together in different areas around here, of anywhere from 4-12 people or so normally. And they meet every week. You may have a meal, do a Bible Study, have a share group, go out and volunteer, or lots of other things. Its basically just a group of people that share similar values and morals and its to connect them so they know they always have someone to lean on and be there for them. I really really love the idea. Arnold and I signed up to join one this past weekend, so Im hoping we will get a call soon!! :)

After church we went home and had lunch here at the house.. wanted to go eat with friends but are trying to save some money this week!! Then we took the kids to another ballgame that my cousin was in. The whole family was out there again.. and it was great to see everyone.. its part of my mom's family that we dont get to see very much because they live several hours away. It had been awhile since I had been to a ballgame, and it was fun.. (and it was actually Rachels FIRST time at a ballgame) She seemed to like running around more and finding stuff to get into ;) There were other little kids there too, so they all played together. Let me tell you, it was HOTTT out there.. I knew it would be, but it was no time at all before I was sweating. I should have worn my hair up. And i definately should have brought some water! Thankfully our family had stuff in coolers there for the kids. They were actually going to play two games, and we only were able to make it through one before wed had enough and had to go because it was just too hot. They WON the first game (I later found out from Mom they lost the 2nd game-- bummer)

Last night we took the kids to VBS at a friends' church. We had actually taken them last year, and the program was so great and the kids loved it so much that we promised we'd take them back this year. The theme is "Big Apple" this year. We went in and signed them up and got their nametags and all that, and then got us all some dinner. Then the kids went to their classes. Last year Rachel was barely one year old and cried when we first left her.. this year she went straight into the room, ran over to her "new friends" and didnt even say bye or look back!!! Wow.. a lot has changed in the past year! She really is sociable though.. she makes "friends" really easily and had a blast playing with all the little kids there :) While the kids were there from 6:30-8:30 Arnold and I went out by ourselves for awhile. Arnold said "WOW. I can hear BIRDS again!!" Funny, but so true. You dont realize how loud and crazy the kids make thing until you are alone for awhile! Whats funny is, we couldnt even really figure out what to do with ourselves. We ended up stopping by Mom and Dads for a little bit. And then went to Big Lots and Arnold found one of those laptop fans that you keep under the laptop when youre on it, so it doesnt overheat. He has been wanting one FOREVER.. so im glad we found one. One of our laptops actually died from overheating before!! So its not good. Anyway, lastly we stopped by Sonic and Arnold got a cherry slush (he let me eat the cherry on top.. yummm!) And I got a sweet tea. Had to get something.. I love Sonic ice, it is the best ;) The kids had a great time, they were excited to see us when we picked them up. Rachel sat like a big girl and ate her snack and drank her juice when they came back into the gym. They are really looking forward to going back again tonight!!

Rachel's first pigtail! It was so cute! It only lasted for a few minutes though, she had already pulled it out when we got in the van!! :(

The kids at the baseball game

Rachel decided Monkey needed to be there and watch the game too ;) That monkey goes EVERYWHERE and sees EVERYTHING. Reminds me of a little bear named PJ that I had as a kid ;) Actually I still have it to this day!! :)

Saturday

Saturday morning we got to sleep in a LITTLE later than usual. We still had Rachel of course, but it was still SO much quieter and calmer around the house! We usually go our yardsaling on Saturday mornings if we dont have any other plans. It looked pretty cloudy and rainy outside, so I didnt even know if theyd still have any.. but we went out anyway. We drove around, and there were a few, but nothing really good at all. Most people had already taken there stuff in I think. So we decided to go get some breakfast.. nothing better than a bacon, egg and cheese biscuit from Hardees! I normally HATE Hardees, but there breakfast is GOOD.. ill give them that! Arnold gave Rachel his orange juice and she slurped that down.. she is used to her juice being watered down, so she got a sugar rush!

We went by a local consignment store, called Jitterbugs. I was looking for Rachel some new shoes. I swear her feet JUST grew, because I tried to put them in her shoes that morning and it was really tough, barely got them in there. I am guessing she has moved up to a size 7 now! So we were able to find her a new pair, white with sparkly buttons and flowers, they are really cute and she loves them! While we were there Arnold found this "awesome" (thats what HE says, I still dont get the appeal of most boy toys!) batman mobile. He said we just had to get it for Caleb. So we did, and we are going to save it for his bday next month. He will flip over that! It is so fun finding stuff that you know your kids will love and be excited about. I love being a mom!! :)

Then we went to GOODWILL. Two different Goodwills actually. Some of my friends are always talking about going to thrift stores and finding awesome deals... so I decided to try it. It is a lot of work, because you have to really look through the stuff, its not that greatly organized or in order, and its hit and miss. You might find something from 20 years ago that is purely junk, or something that someone donated that is brand new and really nice. So i looked through the stuff for awhile and found Brooke 3 fall tops.. one was Gap and was SO cute! I was excited just from that. But i decided to look in the womens stuff too. They didnt have too much in my size, but I found a pair of capris and a pair of jeans (nice, they were designer!) and they didnt have any wear to them and they were $4.50 each!! Came home, washed those bad boys in hot water and so far have tried on one pair, and they fit great!!! I am thrilled for my finds this weekend, might have to start thinking outside the box more often!!! ;) :)

My mom called us around 11 and said that Caleb had kept having accidents all day and kept messing up all his underwear. I had sent him like 5 pairs and he was already on his last pair! She said if he messed up that last pair she was bringing him home. I was bummed because I was having a good time being out with Arnold and Rachel! So thankfully we did well and they ended up getting to go to the ballgame after all. After awhile we went to the grocery store, then went home and made some lunch. Arnold took the van in for an oil change and I put Rachel down for a nap. It was our last oil change covered under our warrenty plan, so we will have to pay for them from now on.. bummer :( We are so close to hitting 100,000 miles in that thing!! Where does the time go? Anyway, the big kids came home around 3pm. Then things got crazy and stressful again. But I guess they had to come home sometime ;) And yeah, I had missed them!! :) :)

Can you believe I dont have any pictures from Saturday?! I cant either! I told you I am losing it!

Date Night!!

Friday night my mom let the big kids spend the night with her. She wanted to take them with her to a baseball game on Saturday. One of my cousins is on a team that was in a tournament, so they were in town for that. Well first when we found out about this, we thought it would be the perfect opportunity to have a yardsale. We could get everything set up and then have one without kids running around. We got some stuff ready this week, but the forecast called for rain. Which im glad we didnt end up having it, because it DID rain and was very gloomy overall the whole weekend.. so it wasnt a good weekend at all to have one!

Anyway, since mom was taking the big kids, we asked Arnolds parents if they would take Rachel for a few hours that evening. So Arnold I decided to go out on a date! We dont really care what we do when we go out, we just love the peace and quiet, and being able to be together. We went to the mall to walk around, and ended up eating at some new sub place. Mine had chicken, onions, mushrooms and cheese.. and I usually dont like onions and mushrooms but it was really good! Then we went to Hallmark and bought a few anniversary cards for our parents. They both have anniverseries in August. As a matter of fact, its my Inlaws' 40th anniversary this year!! So that will be really special. (Its MY parents' 39th..so they will have a big one next year, too. I love that our parents are still so happy in love, and they have set such good examples for our marriage.. its a real blessing!!) We also went to Childrens Place and I wanted to look to see if they had this cute OWL bookbag I had seen online. Well of course they were out of them, but since they couldnt get one for me that day, the woman gave me a free shipping code for online, so I could get it online for the same price! I thought that was really nice. They were on sale AND i had a 15% off code they sent me in my email for my bday, so I got it for $10!!! Cant beat that. Brooke already has a bookbag for the year, but I just couldnt resist! Nothing wrong with 2.. she can switch out or something?!

Anyway, after the mall we went to Bed, Bath and Beyond. I had been looking for a jewelry organizer for awhile.. because my jewelry is always getting tangled up so badly and Arnold always has to untangle it for me it seems like. I had seens some cute ones in a catalog I got in the mail this week, along with a coupon (gotta love coupons!) So I stopped by to see if I could find them and I got one! Havent set all my jewelry up on it yet, but I hope it works well! Then we went to Toys R us to look around, and ended up buying Caleb a booster seat for the van. He turns 4 next month and is already 40 lbs, so he will be in that seat before we know it! I had earned a $10 off reward card, and there was a 20% off coupon out, so I got the seat for just under $13! I know, Im such a nerd, but I get so excited over all my deals!!

Lastly we went to Ritas for some italian ice! (yes, AGAIN!) I am a member of their birthday club, and they had sent me a coupon for a free italian ice for my birthday, and it was about to expire that weekend (so to be fair, we HAD to go ;) They have different flavors every time, so I didnt know what theyd have this time, but they had Pina Colada.. my favorite!!! SO i was happy. I almost felt guilty sitting there enjoying it so much, and Rachel wasnt there. She goes along with us most times, and it didnt feel right without her there, sampling bites of mine and Arnold's italian ices ;)

When we picked up Rachel and then got home, it was already pretty late and way past her bedtime, so we laid her down and she went right to sleep. Not having the other kids to get ready for bed really cut down on some time! We really really had a great date night and it was just what we needed (Arnold and i had BOTH had a stressful week!)

The bookbag I got Brooke for Kindergarten. Isnt it cute?!?!

Park Playdate

This morning we met up with Erika and the kids again, for a park playdate. We drove a little further than usual.. but it was ok because I really like this park and its bigger and different, since the kids usually see the same place over and over again.

It had rained yesterday of course, so the playground was still pretty soggy and wet. At least it didnt rain TODAY.. it looked pretty cloudy and gloomy when we were driving over there and I was a little worried. It was funny, because all the kids had a spot on their bottoms, of where they had sat down and got water and mud on their pants. Had I thought to bring extra changes of clothes? Of course not! I was just trying to get out of the house on time. I didnt think about the fact of them getting wet or dirty. Oh well.. bigger things to worry about I guess!!

The kids had a blast though.. ran around crazy and went on the playground and did the slides and Brooke tried again and again to do the monkey bars. She loves to be outside and be active, I hope that really keeps up as she gets older! There is this little springy horse that rachel just adores so she spent a lot of her time on there. Although she was afraid to climb down off it herself so everytime she wanted me to get her down Id hear her yell out HELP HELP!! Haha, its so funny, shes do dramatic! And at another time I saw her walking across the park towards a family sitting down eating, and she was carrying a big stick.. so I had to address that really quickly.. haha. Later Caleb told me she hit him with that stick, and I wouldnt put it past her!!

Thank goodness I had brought snacks, because the kids are used to eating lunch early, around 11 or 1130, and we didnt even get there until 11. But we were going afterwards to meet up with my mom for lunch (she works right down the road). They ate all their snacks and of course asked for more! They somehow managed to weasel a few juice packs out of Erika too.. thankfully she is very giving ;) By the time we were ready to go, of course the kids were covered with sand, water, dirt, bits of mulch.. you name it, they had it on their clothes, in their hair.. sheesh. I tried to wipe them down as best as I could with baby wipes but there was only so much I could do!

We drove over to my moms work and she took the kids around to see everyone she works with (Typical Grandma, loves bragging and showing off her grandkids! ;) Then we all went to the bathroom, and changed Rachels diaper, and tried to clean off the kids some more before we left for lunch. We went to this new chinese place down the road.. it was actually a chinese place before, but they closed down, and were bought out by new people. I actually like it better NOW! It looks much nicer inside. I like that its still a buffet and has the same kinds of foods on it. The kids seemed to like it. Prices werent too bad either. Ill have to take Arnold back sometime! :)

Love that smile! she was having so much fun!

Rachel and Makenzie swinging together :)

Katie and Brooke being sweet :) They had fun together.

Another Adventure of a Day

It was another one of those days yesterday. All i wanted was to take the kids out of the house.. thought it would be good for both them AND me because we havent done that much this week really.

We went to the mall playarea and met up with Erika and the kids. The kids did ok in there for awhile, but everytime they get in there they get too excited and run around and around in circles and nearly run over people sitting down. And they kept watching the icecream shop, and hoping for it to open, and when they did, they begged and begged me for icecream. Which I almost gave in, but decided against it since it was so close to lunch time. I then called Arnold and asked him if he could stop by and have lunch with him. He said it probably wasnt a good day. We usually go once a week to see him.. but lately hes been really busy, and this week he is training a new person, and he hasnt been getting as many breaks, etc. So Erika offered for us all to go over to Mcdonalds and eat lunch with them, so we did.

First she wanted to stop by a few stores in the mall before we went, so I thought ok.. no biggie. So we went by this store that has lots of jewelry and hairbows. I normally love browsing places like that but the kids went in every which direction and even though I told them a HUNDRED times not to touch anything.. of course they did. Brooke kept pulling "pretty necklaces that she loved" off the rack and looking at them, which would then knock a dozen more down that I had to hang back up. And I had Rachels stroller too close to the racks, so she ended up pulling down hairbows, too.. and then proceeded to scream when I took them away from her! Grrr!! Then we went to Bath & Body Works and Caleb and Brooke just had to "sample" and sniff all the tester products. And rachel decided to play a game of throwing her toy out of the stroller and seeing who would pick it up for her. One of the workers there thought it was cute and picked it up for her, but then I put it up because I KNEW she would get tired of that game quickly.. I surely do!! At least we got out of there without breaking anything.. but I am actually very surprised!!!

So then we drove over to Mcdonalds. We go in and I try to keep the kids right there with me (safety reasons of course) but they run over to a booth and sit down, and then later get up and check out the happy meal toys that are featured this month in their display case. Im in the middle of ordering with lots of people behind me (lunch rush!!) so I just stay there and try to order and keep my eye on them at the same time. While im waiting on my order I go over to the kids and try to keep them settled in the booth. Caleb decides to get up next to me and try to get my attention, and he PULLS DOWN my shirt.. the top of it.. so my chest is exposed! I pull it right back up as quick as I can, and hope no one saw it. I look over and see a man smirking at me.. so.. Im guessing he saw it! Geez. I could have crawled into a hole and died at that minute. I guess it could be worse.. at least i had a bra on!!!! And at least it was only ONE man that saw it (we hope!) So finally i get our order.. and try to fill up 4 cups with drinks, and fill up little ketchup cups for everyone.. and try to carry it back to the table without spilling it (I only have so many hands!!!) and finally we all sit down and eat. Well all of us but Rachel, she always insists in STANDING wherever we are now, thats her new thing. One of the workers there brought out samples of one of their smoothie drinks in little cups and she gave some to the kids. Well Brooke and Caleb did ok with theirs, but Rachel kept sticking her tongue down into it instead of lifting it up to drink (even though I showed her how!!) and got it all over her outfit. But would I dare take that juicy goodness away from a fickle toddler? NO WAY.. so I figured Id just deal with the mess later. Which i had to, because then in the car she spilled the rest of it on her carseat and the floormat. So when we got home she went straight in to get a bath, because she was sticky as can be.

So there ya go.. another one of our adventurous days out and about. I keep asking myself.. How many days left of SUMMER?!?!

Mid-Week Randoms

~First off, I realized that I have gained ONE follower to my blog! I now have 42 followers! Wow I feel special. Just kidding, that would make me lame wouldnt it? Ok.. maybe Im just a little happy about it.. ;)

~No pics for this blog. Sorry. I have not been taking as many pictures lately! I dont know whats wrong with me. I usually have them for EVERYTHING (as lots of people like to point out) I am really losing it I guess..

~This week has been dragging by. Ive tried my best to keep the kids busy, but its hard sometimes! I took them outside one days, and it was so hot I was sweating through my clothes, so that didnt last long. Then one day we had JUST gotten outside and it started raining. Seriously.. like 2 minutes later!

~I had the urge to snuggle a little baby today. I miss the cuddly newborn stage so much! I realize that Rachel just isnt that small anymore at all! I even ASKED her for a hug and she said NO!!! and ran away. She was smiling (just playing a game with me) But it still hurt a little bit!!

~Arnold and I baked some cookies last night. Peanut butter chunk cookies! I looove fresh cookies right out of the oven. And then, we ate them in bed!!! Shh, dont tell me mom, she always thought eating in bed was horrible. Even on special occasions like Mothers Day ;)

~I ordered two new books off Ebay this week. "Firefly Lane", and "Calm my Anxious Heart." The heart book is about anxiety, and it is an inspirational book. So i am really looking forward to reading that. Hope it is somewhat helpful.

~Watched the latest episode of "Secret Life" last night. Yes i am STILL watching that train wreck. I just cant get away. Neither can Arnold (but he probably wont admit that to anyone, haha). Last night was brutal.. and so emotional. I think my jaw dropped and stayed that way for quite some time. Shows like that make me never want to let my kids out of the house!!!

~Still waiting to hear back from the Pregnancy Care Center to see when I am able to come start volunteering. They ARE following up on me, because one of my references told me he got some paperwork to fill out about me. Lets hope he was nice, hehe ;)

~Looked up school supply lists on the website this week, and it turns out the lists for Kindergarten arent that much different than for Prek! Turns out the only additional things Brooke will need are basically crayons and a pencil box. Big whoop! And to think of all those cute owl school supplies I saw.. what a waste.. I really wanted to buy them!!!

~Has anyone seen the weather for Saturday? looks like a good chance of rain and thunderstorms. Darn! Just when I was in the mood to have this yardsale already! Oh well. I am still looking forward to the night before.. when Mom takes the kids and Arnold and I will get a DATE NIGHT!! yes!! And if we DONT get to have the yardsale, we will get to sleep in. Its a win-win situation :)

Sunday Fun with Family & Friends!

Sunday morning we all got ready for church. It was an especially great Sunday because my brother, Alex, was in town and said he wanted to come visit our church. So we met him up there. The kids were soo excited to see their Uncle Alex.. even Rachel wasnt THAT mean to him (she usually gives him the evil eye and runs away ;) We dropped the kids off in their classes and met up with everyone else. My friend Amy already goes there, and recently my friends Crystin and Erika have started coming too! They usually sit up front, but I am used to sitting at the back. I decided I wanted to sit with all them though, so I moved up front! I actually liked it alot! Between us and our husbands we took up a whole row!! :) Jesse was back from Ghana, and told us all about the trip. Sounds like it was amazing, and they got a lot accomplished there.. God is so good!! :) :)

After church we all decided to go to lunch together, and we went to Dos Amigos for some Mexican! I think the people there were a little nervous when they saw us all come in with all those kids!!! But all the kids seemed to do pretty good, they were pretty behaved for the most part. Except for the times when Rachel threw stuff. thanks to the nice guy who brought her cup back to our table ;) And who happens to walk in right after we did?? Jesse and his family.. haha..they were following us ;) Anyway, I got chicken fajitas, one of my favorites, yummy! It was nice to chat with everyone and of course to spend time with Alex. He is moving at the end of the month, and then he will be several hrs away :( I dont like that too much!! But he did enjoy our church and said he would visit more when he is able to come home and visit!!

I came home from church and took a nap (after looking through the Sunday paper of course.. for all my coupons ;) I wasnt feeling too well.. I guess its sinuses/allergies because Ive been having a headache and just not feeling like myself for the past few days. The kids went swimming next door with their Grandparents. Days like that make me even more thankful that our parents live so close-by!!! ;)

Last night we had dinner here at home. Thank goodness for that, because we have been eating out alot lately and we all know how quickly that can suck up money :-/ Then we worked more on packing up stuff around the house for our yardsale this coming saturday. Hopefully we can get rid of junk AND make some money.. wouldnt that be nice?! Anyway.. Caleb had an accident last night.. he reared back and hit the back of his head on the side of the bookcase. If you remember another blog from awhile back, this is the SECOND time he has done this!! Thank goodness Arnold was home, because his head started gushing blood :( I hate blood, makes my stomach feel so queasy!! Thank goodness the cut was small, like last time, and after some medicine and bandaging his head up, he was good to go.

When we finally got the kids to bed (much later than usual--they have really been pushing it lately!!) Arnold and I hung out. We have been reading "The Purpose Driven Life." I REALLY like it so far. It suggests you only do one chapter a night, and try to process it, and you will be finished in 40 days. So thats how we've been doing it. And I got it at a yardsale for $1, cant beat that! Arnold got on the laptop and downloaded music onto his new Ipod.. I am next to download songs on mine.. gonna have to find me some god "party jams" as Brooke calls them ;) It was a great day.. and I HATED to see the weekend end!!!

Lunch at Dos Amigos. With Alex. Didnt know Arnold was giving me bunny ears. And the plant looks like its coming out of my head too.. lovely! ;)

The kids. Didnt know Caleb had a knife! Yikes! thank goodness it was a butter knife and not sharper. I should pay more attention. BAD mommy!!!! ;)

Local Cruise-In

Saturday night we went to the "Cruise-in" night in our town. It has always been a big thing, and I Cant believe Ive lived her for over 5 years now and never gone!! We decided to take the kids Sat. night because we didnt really have any other plans and they are always restless it seems. There was mostly older people, but there WERE some kids and teens.. just a mixture of everyone! We were actually able to park at Brookes school and walk right over.. its a small town for sure ;)

We first got some food. A local church was selling hotdogs, hamburgers, and chicken sandwiches. One of the ladies there was actually a teacher at Brookes school, and she called her out by name. I love that the teachers at her school seem to nice and caring.. thats not the first time one of them has recognized Brooke out somewhere.. and it wasnt even HER teacher!! Anyway, we sat down and ate.. and after that we got the kids some homeade icecream. You could choose between peach, strawberry or Orange-Pineapple. I got the orange-pineapple, and it was really good!!

There was a band playing there also. they were called the "Buchanan Boys" (not sure if thats spelled right!) They are all from NC, and actually one of them was from right here in our county!! They were really good.. played mostly country, which i love. The kids LOVE hearing live music, and they danced around everywhere. You can tell they get their dancing skills from Arnold and I.. pretty embarassing actually, but everyone there seemed to get a kick out of it ;) You could tell Arnold really wished HE was up there playing!! His band hasnt played in awhile.. they all decided to take a break because a lot was going on in everyones lives at the time. They may start back up sometime soon though, who knows!!

When the kids started to get a little restless we took them around and let them look at all the old-timey cars. They really liked that, but we had to watch Caleb because he wanted to touch them (and you know the owners dont like that!!) I really like looking at the old cars too, believe it or not! I wish we could have hung around even longer, but the kids were getting tired and we were getting stressed, so we ended up going home a little after 7pm. The next time we go out there Arnold and I will probably go alone, as a date, so we can hang out and enjoy the band and the time together. Although Im glad the kids experience it at least once!

Rachel dancing with Daddy.. she had a BLAST!!! :)

The kids took a break from dancing to pose.. they are too silly :)

Brooke and I took this pic while Arnold had taken the other 2 kids to wash them down. They had made a MESS with that icecream!!! Brooke has it all over her mouth :)

Saturday

This morning we headed out to some yardsales, like we have been doing a lot lately. We headed all the way out to this "good one" with lots of kids' stuff, then realized we had forgotten to pull some cash out beforehand! Of COURSE that was the case. So we drove back to an ATM, then got some cash, then went back. These people had TONS of toys. What was weird is most of them were new in package?? I dont know what that was all about. But for the most part they were way over-priced. The woman was really pushy too, always standing over you and watching you, makes me feel uncomfortable. On the plus side, she had a HUGE pile of books, and they were all very nice and lots that I knew the kids would like, and decent prices. So i picked up a lot of "first reader" books for Brooke, some superhero books for Caleb and some others. I even found "If you give a Moose a Muffin" which is a part of a series we have, but we didnt have that one yet!!! :) :)

We came home and made homeade pizzas for lunch. My mom recently gave me a pizza stone, so we tried that out. It really did make the pizza taste better, in my opinion. I ate a lot, I had to stop myself because I knew Id feel sick if I kept eating like that. Speaking of that, I have still been getting stomachaces and side aches since my surgery, so Im really hoping thats just me getting used to eating again without a gallbladder, and not that it WASNT my gallbladder in the first place.. know how much that would suck?!?!

When we laid the kids down for a nap, Arnold and I started cleaning out kitchen drawers like mad people.. throwing stuff away left and right. We also started throwing out other things and bagging up old clothes and toys. We are thinking of having a yardsale this coming weekend. We have a TON of crap we need to get rid of. Its like we fill and fill up bags of stuff, but its like we dont even make a dent in it! I couldnt imagine having any more kids.. where would all the stuff go?!

I also got on FB and set up a few events online. I made Caleb and Brookes invitation for their bday party next month, finally got a date set for that. I think it will be fun.. first combined party (and might be the only one) but they both are excited about having their party at Hickory Dickory Dock, so thats all that matters! I also set up a Girls Game night for this month.. its been forever since ive done one! I always have so much fun hanging out with friends and forgetting all my troubles for awhile. Its great for a laugh too ;) And i created a Park playdate for lots of friends and their kids, for next week. I really hope we have a good turnout. I love to stay busy this summer and get me and the kids out of the house. And of course they love to see their friends!

We might take the kids to a local "cruise in" tonight. A big thing in this town, its actually right down the road from us. Arnold keeps suggesting that we take the kids and go sometime, but something always stops us. Im afraid of how the kids will behave.. but it might be fun.. we'll see!!

PS- Our pastor made it back from Africa safely!! Yay!! He will be back at church preaching tomorrow. Cant wait to hear about his trip. We have all missed him. Looking forward to my brother, Alex coming to visit with us tomorrow morning, too. I know he will LOVE the church!! :) :)

Friday

This morning I was up EARLY.. way too early for me.. I am not a morning person at all. I had to get all 3 kids up and ready to be out the door by 7:30 so we could meet my mom so the kids could get their haircuts (to be fair, Arnold did help me out some.. I love him!!) I thought Brooke was just getting a trim, but she said she wanted her hair "shorter like mine" so she decided to get a real cut. Lately she has been begging me to let her hair get "as long as Rapunzels" so I was surprised :) I was very pleased with the haircut, it looks adorable and she looks more grown up now!! Rachel also got a trim, and she did very well. The salon lady said that matted part in the back of her head is just thick baby hair and will eventually get better.. that stuff is annoying!! I can never do anything with it! Caleb was his usual self, and refused to get his hair cut..oh well. Pick your battles!!

I LOVE that my mom is off work on Fridays. Call me selfish but she helps me out a lot on those days, and I get a lot done.. so.. its great ;) She stayed in the van with the kids while I dropped my applications off at the Pregnancy Care Center. It only took me a WEEK to get them filled out, sheesh. They seriously know more about me now than they need to, haha. They said theyd do all my background checks, then get back to me about when to start up training! Im getting excited!!

We then went on down to Joannes house, because she was having a yardsale and told me shed have a lot of clothes in Calebs size. I found him a lot of outfits and pjs so I was happy! Caleb found one of Logans old games, a toy story thing, and had to have it. Hes been playing it all day!! I went to get the cash out of my wallet and it was gone! Arnold had taken my money out of my wallet last night.. I thought he was joking about that! Thank goodness my mom was there with cash.. and thank goodness Joanne is a friend or that would have been embarassing!!!

After that we went to Target for awhile and I actually got some real shopping done of stuff I needed, without the kids right there with me.. Mom took them to the toy aisle and that kept them busy for awhile. Then we went to lunch at the Clubhouse in Mom and Dads neighborhood. The waitress had just brought over our drinks, and Rachel instantly reached out, and knocked over an entire glass of iced tea. It spilled all over my shirt, jeans, and started soaking into my crotch and underwear! It was horrible!! It looked like I had peed all over myself. Not to mention I was freezing, and my pants were clinging to me and I felt sticky all over, and I hate to feel dirty!! As soon as we got back to Mom and Dads i put on some of moms loung pants (dont know HOW i fit in them....) and one of Dads big tshirts. Let me tell you, I was styling ;)

Tonight when Arnold got home from work we went out to dinner with the kids at Firehouse Subs. Arnold had wanted to go to Village Inn (his fave place and he will never ever turn it down!) but they looked too busy. Then we went into Hobby Lobby. I love, love that store! I could browse forever in there. The kids werent behaving at all though, so we had to kind of speed it up. I found a few things.. I can never go in there without finding SOMETHING. I got one of those reusable cups, and it has a "A" on it with pretty colors and design. The kids found a few crafts to do... Ive been buying things here and there for them to do this summer. They had a whole section of Fall stuff out already, and lots and lots of OWL stuff!! Oh my goodness, it was ADORABLE! Owl aprons, plates, napkin rings, teapots, etc. I would have bought it all if I could.. if only I had the $$$! ;)

So to sum up, it was a very busy day, and I like that I stayed busy because I feel like I got a lot accomplished. But man am I tired tonight!!! I might even go to bed earlier than usual tonight!!

Brookes new haircut!!

Mid-Week Randoms

~Last night we went to Chilis for dinner. I had gotten a giftcard from my inlaws for my birthday. Did i mention how even after the GC we paid around $16?! Geez... eating out with kids is expensive. I cant imagine how expensive its going to be in the future, not looking forward to that part!! 3 teens at once, yikes!!!! ;)

~This morning I was busy packing up the kids' fall/winter clothes from this past year. Taking it to consignment and hoping to sell some stuff. Hate how quickly they outgrow stuff.. but its always fun to buy more :) :)

~I want to see Diary of a Wimpy Kid 2. Is that pathetic? Haha! I liked the first movie. Every time i go to the rental place down the road though, they are out!!

~I am already thinking about Halloween! Wondering what the kids will be this year. No wonder I am always having anxiety.. I think too much into the future instead of focusing on the here and now ;) Last year they were a Princess, a Lion, and a Bumblebee (Rachels outfit was the cutest!!!!) Any ideas for this year??? I may get away with choosing Rachels for one more year, so yay!!!

~I think we have decided on a combined birthday party this year for Brooke and Caleb, since their bdays are only 2 weeks apart, they have the same friends anyway, and they both want to go to Hickory Dickory Dock. How will that work out? I have 2 themes.. already bought. So i guess ill divide the room?? Not sure.

~Today I painted my nails (toenails) a new shade. Basically the color as the picture.. but its Avon brand. went crazy last summer and boughts a lot of different colors, and got into painting my nails :)

~Was looking through Brookes preschool yearbook today. Made me teary-eyed. I still cant believe she is going to Kindergarten. I wish I could hold her close and keep her safe forever!! Im sure all moms feel this way though. Ive got to let go sometime. And she'll do great, I know!!

~Yesterday I was looking for Rachel, she had slipped out of my sight for a moment, and I said "WHERES RACHEL?! and was calling for her. Caleb said "oh no, guess we are having to get another baby!" Hahaha, out of the mouths of kids, huh? He said it so nonchalantely, too, likes shes so easily replaceable. Thats one to write down for sure ;)

~I was telling Arnold the other night that I really wish we could go on a trip sometime soon. Even just for the weekend. We havent done that since I was pregnant with Rachel, so we are way over-due! I dont really care where we go, just want to be alone with Hubby and de-stress!!

~Been putting off starting "Water for Elephants." Ive heard its a really great book, and I fully intend on reading it soon!! I still have so many books piled up in my room, ready for me to read. I just dont get as much time these days. (or else im watching tv at night w/ Arnold when I really could be reading!!)

~Had to add this pic, it makes me smile! I have a little bit of a crush on Cory Monteith (Finn on GLEE!) Yes I am a Gleek and proud of it!! I almost ordered a Glee cake for my bday but didnt get around to it. He would have been on it :( Oh well. I got myself a Finn bookmark at Barnes and Noble the other night.... it is nice :) :) Cant wait for the next season this fall!!

~And had to throw in this picture. It was us at my birthday lunch at Dos Amigos the other day. Love my family so much :) :)

The Volunteer Experience

Recently Ive been feeling down, and one day it occured to me that maybe I should take into consideration what Ive been thinking about doing for a long time now, just never got around to calling. I have always had it in the back of my mind that id like to volunteer at the Pregnancy Care Center. Ive held back from calling though, because I didnt know how Id do there, or if I could really help, or what it all involved.

Well i decided to call, and talked to a really nice lady there. She seemed really excited that I was willing to volunteer. She set me up an appt to come in that Friday morning (my birthday) to talk and look around and stuff. I sort of just jumped right in when I called her.. didnt really give it a second thought, just made the call. Was just feeling like it was the right thing to do. And im glad I did. Because I get a really good vibe from all of this!!

I went to the appt and met the lady I had talked to, who was really nice in person too! She took me on a tour around the center. They have been blessed with a really nice building! With 2 floors, and a several offices and counseling rooms with nice furniture, and a huge room with donations and other things to help the pregnant women and their babies. She also introduced me to the other ladies who work there, who seemed really nice as well.

Basically this center is for pregnant women (usually young women) who have unexpected pregnancies and arent sure what to do or where to turn. They provide pregnancy tests, 1st trimester ultrasounds, and counseling, to help a girl whether they decide on adoption or parenting the baby. It is all Christian-based and they teach about the Bible and Jesus, and how much precious lives are valued. Thats a big reason why I wanted to come help out, because Ive always felt very strongly about life, and that life begins at CONCEPTION. and of course I love babies!! So i felt led to come there and see where I Could help. Of course I also have the experience of having a very unexpected pregnancy earlier in life and choosing adoption, and then later becoming a parent (still at a young age, but more stable) and parenting. So ive seen lots of things and experienced lots of things, and hope to be able to help other girls going through the same sorts of things.

They also have parenting classes and when you go to a certain amount of them you can earn "bucks" to get a full layette for the baby and lots of other things like baby gear, diapers, etc. And they of course have lots of maternity clothes, baby clothes, and formula that they can help out with, and they get a certain amount of that at a time, too. I saw the donation room and it is FULL but they can always use more things of course, so if ANY of my mommy friends have any things they arent using anymore and would want to donate, consider this place ;)

I was given a lot of paperwork to fill out, and of course I have to have references and background checks and all that.. and I Hope to get all that returned this week sometime. The lady told me that probably they will have me on an as-needed basis as a night time receptionist on certain nights.. and then I will take a training class to learn how to counsel girls as they come in with needs. that is a HUGE responsibility I know. To be honest, Im not sure if Ill be good at that. I really would like to think so.. I like to help people in any way I can. So we will see how that goes. And I will help how I can with their fundraisers, special events, and walk in their baby walk, too.


I am really looking forward to seeing how this all works out! I look forward to working here, with these other wonderful women, and hopefully helping these young ladies with some big life decisions, while giving them some comfort, and telling them about Jesus and his promises. I pray that I will learn my way in all this and do it to the best of my ability!!! :) :) Will update later on as more things happen with this.

Recent Thoughts & Happenings

Since I havent written a lot in awhile, I am going to try to sum up whats been going on in one blog. Hard to remember everything, but Ill try!!

~We recently went to a cookout at Erika's house. A lot of my good friends were there. All the kids got to play together outside and they had a BLAST. It was right after my surgery so originally I thought id feel too bad to go but I did ok. Dummy me forgot the kids bathing suits and you know how kids are attracted to water, so they jumped in the pools and sprinklers anyway! We actually left with them wearing some of Arnold's tshirts we had in the back of the van!! They looked silly, but it worked!!

~Joanne and Jess came over to visit a few times lately. I love getting to see the babies! Ben and Hunter are really growing quickly! I love to get to snuggle the babies (but then as Arnold puts it-- they get to go back home ;) Joanne brought me brownies one day, and Jess brought me lunch one day. They know Ive been having a hard time, and they made me feel a whole lot better. Thankful that I have such wonderful, caring friends!! :)

~My incisions are healing up nicely after the surgery, havent really had any problems. a TEENY bit of soreness here and there still, but feeling a lot better. My bellybutton DOES look and feel strange though.. wonder if it will stay that way?!

~One day when Arnold was off work we had a family day, and took the kids to Hickory Dickory Dock, and then to the mall for icecream. We ALL had fun at HDD, even me. I love playing all the games too, takes me back to being a kid ;) We played the spinning casino game thing, and I actually HIT THE JACKPOT. We won 250 tickets. I was shocked, i never win anything. The kids were flipping out. We ended up with hundreds and hundreds of tickets, and they only left with a few plastic toys, so... not worth it at all.. they know what they are doing there!!! ;)

~Arnold knew I had been wanting an MP3 player lately, especially since ive started doing a lot of walking. The other night when I was asleep, he surprised me and ordered me one off Ebay! Its a simple one, and used.. but I dont care.. im just excited to have one. I used to, but it got broken. My husband is so sweet.. I love his little surprises here and there :) :)

~Yesterday I was doing some cleaning and heard a crash in Calebs room. Guess where I found Brooke?? On top of his dresser. And she had pulled down one of his wall shelves, and his monkey bank was busted in a million pieces all over his floor, along with a broken picture frame, and broken jungle animals. So not only did I have to clean up that huge mess, but I was so sad, because most of those things I had bought for his room when I was pregnant with him, and now they are destroyed!! I was beyond mad at Brooke... she got in big trouble. I dont know whats gotten into her lately, its like she LOOKS for trouble! I will be ready for summer to be over!!!

~Arnold and I have signed up for a trial to Netflix. Not sure if we're going to like it or not, but we sat in bed last night watching shows on our computer. We dont have a tv in our room, so thats the next best thing I guess ;) We discovered a show called "Accidentally on Purpose." I think it got cancelled after only 1 season.. but I got hooked on it and watched 6 episodes last night! I think its really funny.. Im looking forward to seeing what else happens in the season.


Heres a few recent pics from these past few weeks..

The Girls at Erika's cookout

Baby Hunter when he came to visit! He let me hold him and feed him too! He has grown so much and is still such a precious boy!! :) :)

Joanne came over another day and Brooke got to hold Ben. She loves babies :) :)


Caleb played with Logan.. he loves having friends around to play superheros and cars and stuff. He usually is around girls all the time...

Brooke waiting on all our tickets to come out when we won the jackpot!!

Having icecream at the mall. Finally tried out that place outside the playarea. Pretty good!

My 26th Birthday Weekend

Well well well, it has taken me forever to write new blogs.. I have had a very rough week, but I will write more about that later.

Friday the 1st I turned 26, so Happy Birthday to me!!! :) :)

Thursday evening I went to Ocharleys with several of my friends, for a birthday dinner. I have started this tradition because theres nothing like having a night out with the girls to celebrate and have fun!! I know some of you werent able to make it, and I really missed you, but its ok!!!! The ones that were able to make it were Jessica, Amanda, Tina, Sarah R, Tonya, Sarah B, Cori, Hayley, Natalie, and Jess. We ate dinner and then had a cake I had brought... meant to order one that had a GLEE theme (haha, im such a nerd) But I ran out of time, so just went by Walmart. Luckily they had one I liked, but with whipped icing, which I dont care that much for. But it was still good! Everyone was so sweet, and I received some of the best cards, and a few giftcards, and 2 new books to read, and some jewelry, and candles and stuff. Thank you guys for thinking of me!! :)

Friday morning I had 2 appts to go to.. one at the Pregnancy Care Center (about volunteering! Just so you dont get any ideas lol!) but ill write more about that later. And then I went to my surgical Dr for my 1-week post-op appt. The nurse took out my staples, which wasnt that bad at all.. the ones in the bellybutton stung and bled a little bit since they were way in there though. The dr said everything looked great, and I was free to do normal activties again, so yay for that :) While I was out the kids and arnold went out and looked for my birthday present. Arnold usually does everything early and cant keep surprises for me.. but.. this year he was late ;) Arnold ended up getting me a wireless printer.. I have been wanting one for a long time, because I always seem like I need to print out directions, coupons, letters, or something.. but I never have an easy way to. So I know its one of those "practical" gifts, but I really do like it! And the kids got me a pretty new necklace. Its green.. my favorite. As a matter of fact, Brooke picked it out herself. She says "green is her favorite color too" now, but Im sure thats just a phase ;)

That evening Arnolds parents watched the kids so we could go out on a date. Best birthday present ever in my opinion ;) Arnolds parents got me a Chilis Giftcard and some other little things for my birthday, too. Arnold and I went walking around and shopping for awhile, it was nice just to get out. I had a GC to target, so we went in there and I bought that new Glee DVD with lots of the performances on it, and Season 2 of the Office, a picture frame to put a pic of me and my friends in that I recently took, and a new set of bedsheets (lavender, so pretty!) So yeah I went over my GC balance needless to say but I sort of got wrapped up in the shopping ;) I just love Target, as most of you know ;) When we got home I took a nice long bath (which I hardly ever do, but it was relaxing.. and I used some of my new candles!!) and then stayed online until nearly 1AM with Arnold watching silly youtube videos.. certainly brightened my mood alot ;)

Saturday morning, Arnold, the kids and I went yardsaling. We got a late start, so didnt find that many but we found one with a lot of girl toys and Brooke found a huge case of polly pocket people, outfits, accessories, and a bus, so she had to get that. It was a really good deal.. now to deal with keeping all the pieces together and not get them lost or sucked up in the vaccuum, that is another situation all-together!! At least polly pockets arent as tiny as they were when i was a kid.. but those rubbery clothes are hard as heck to get on!!! But anyway, we found one more decent yardsale, and they had the motherload of little girls clothes! I almost didnt stop because I thought they were just baby clothes, but I found bigger clothes as well.. and nice namebrands like Gap, Gymboree and Oldnavy..so I bought several things for Rachel for this fall.

Saturday afternoon we worked around the house some, cleaning and throwing out a bunch of things. We have started doing this the past few months, and it really feels good. Arnold and I both tend to hang on to stuff for way too long, and some of
that stuff just had to go!! Around 2:30 we went next door to Uncle Genes house and went swimming with Arnold's family. We put sunscreen on everyone, but everyone still ended up coming home with a lot of sun and redness on them.. little Rachel has bathing suit strap lines.. I felt soo bad!! That evening we went to Mom & Dad's house for another birthday dinner. Mom cooks me her famous homeade lasanga (which is fabulous by the way!) every year. Her gift to me was a necklace, bracelet and ring set that her friend had made (she makes homeade jewelry) and its gorgeous, looks like the Pandora stuff. She got me red-white-and blue set, because I love patriotic stuff! I love it.. I have a few more things her friend has made, and always get compliments on it.

This morning we got ready and went to church. Our pastor is on a mission trip with several others in Ghana, Africa. They are helping out there and doing some preaching to the people. So please pray for them as they are there!! We really missed him at church this morning (theres just something about him!!) But the other pastor is really great as well and I enjoyed his message, too. After church we met the inlaws at Dos Amigos for lunch. Arnolds dad hates mexican food but knows how much I like it, so he makes it a point to take me there every year for my birthday. is that sweet of what?! They were going to do the whole birthday thing where they bring out the sombrero and make me wear it and sing to me and stuff, but it embarassed me so bad last year, so we passed that up this year. But they still brought me the dessert, which the kids ate up pretty quickly ;)

So all in all Id say I had a pretty great Birthday weekend. I am blessed to have so many people who care about me and love me. And of course I am blessed to be here another year!!! :) :)

Me with my Cake at Ocharleys.. it was Red, White and Blue!!

With my awesome green balloons Natalie got me. She knew they were my fave color!! :)

I forgot to get a group shot before everyone left :( But heres Natalie, Me, Sarah and Tina :)