Awards, Kittens, & Vacation, Oh My!

Tues evening there was a Girl Scout Banquet at a local church, to give out awards to leaders and volunteers in the area. My Sister-in-Law is a troop leader (same group Brooke is in of course) and so she was able to get spots for us to go, too. They had catered in Salsarita's mexican food for dinner, and it was soo yummy. Brooke must have thought so too because she ate everything on her plate! Then they had a HUGE cake that we had for dessert. On the tables they had flower centerpieces.. girls had made them homeade, and they were really cute. Brooke got to take our's home to keep in her room. They also had little favor bags filled with M&M's and a little tag at the top that said "100 Years" for the anniversary of Scouting. All in all it was a great night and I'm glad we got to go. I was a Girlscout growing up, for 12 years, and Jenn had signed me up for 3 more years "volunteer." So that night I got the "15 Year" pin award. I thought that was really neat, I wasn't really expecting it until Jenn told me. I felt proud to have gotten it.. now trying to figure out where to put it since I don't have a uniform anymore to put the pin on ;)

Brooke and her Aunt Jenn after the ceremony

Wednesday Arnold got an email from a lady at work-- it was sent out to everyone at his company. Her cat had had kittens and they needed to find homes for them. He called me and asked if we could get one for the kids. I was like WHERE IS MY HUSBAND?! Most of yall know Arnold isn't much into pets, and especially not CATS. I guess he is getting soft in his old age ;) He said he wanted to get a pet for the kids since they were getting older. So I told him I was ok with it (just one more thing to take care of-- no big deal right?!) And that evening we went over to the lady's house to pick one out. There were several gray ones and they were so cute, and Caleb picked out the actual one we took home. She seemed really playful and seemed to like us, so it seemed like a good fit :) The kids were OBSESSED with that kitten.. they played with her all evening. Brooke tried to put her in her dollhouse. I found her in her bed. I also found Rachel carrying her around several times. It was so adorable. I think Arnold had a good idea. I don't think hes going to be able to top this gift to the kids ;) Anyway, we named the kitten Molly and she is slowly adjusting to her new home :)

We hung around the house last night and watched "One for the Money" (yes I FINALLY got to watch it!) And the kitten loved snoozing on Arnold. Arnold seems to be getting attached already (aww hes a big softie! ;) Arnold stayed up late last night (like usual) and got her to fall asleep in the living room. We laid out a blanket for her, but ended up finding her in the corner beside the tv shelf this morning. It was so cute-- when Arnold came to our bedroom last night to tell me goodnight the kitten started "crying" because she was looking for him :) :)

Arnold had today and tomorrow off work, so we went to visit Caleb at school for lunch (we are going to see Brooke tomorrow) He was surprised and came running over to us when we got there :) We ate with him and had hamburgers and mashed potatoes and of course rice krispie treats for dessert (what the kids always want us to buy them when we go visit) This is our last time having lunch with the kids this school year-- isnt that CRAZY?! Last day of school is next Friday. This year has flown by.

Memorial Day 2012

Arnold was able to be off from work to spend the day with us this Memorial Day! We went outside that morning after dressing the kids in their patriotic outfits and took a few pictures (thanks Mom for letting me borrow your camera-- our's is still broke and we don't know if we are going to try to get it fixed or just get a new one!)

We stopped by a local church after lunch so Arnold could go to a receiving. His cousin's husband lost his dad the other day. We are so sorry for their family and praying for them! Then we went up to Party City and met up with a good friend of our's and her son, Hunter. They were doing some party shopping for his first birthday! I can't believe its time for that already. Hunter and Rachel have a birthday in the same week! June 16th and 18th they will turn 1 and 3 :) Anyway, while we were waiting on them to get there we went to the back of the store where they had dress up stuff and costumes and the kids had a blast trying on all the hats. Of course I snapped pictures while we were there ;) Some cheap entertainment if you ask me, haha! ;) When Jess got up there we looked around for birthday stuff. Did yall know they have personalized balloons (which Jess ended up getting HUNTER balloons!), personalized candles, and CONFETTI?! I wanted to get some of that but it was pretty expensive just to be wiped off onto the floor! I am tempted to buy lots and lots of cute party stuff for Rachel but know I shouldn't go too crazy because the party will be over with in two hours and all will be forgotten :P I do love planning parties though...

After shopping we took the kids to Udderly Delicious for some icecream. Its been awhile since I've been there, I'd forgotten how YUMMY icecream is (I've been so busy going to Ritas to get italian ice lately!) I got oreo icecream in a cone, and the kids all got strawberry. Then we let the kids play putt putt (their first time!) Caleb seemed to have a good time and tried to learn the actual game by watching what Arnold did. Brooke kept getting frustrated and at one point I saw her actually pick up her ball and PLACE it in the hole. And Rachel.... well Rachel was running from hole to hole playing her own little game and sticking her head under things trying to see what was going on. Thank goodness she was free (3 and under!) since she was pretty much doing nothing... but at least she had fun ;) It took forever to get through the course but at least we can say the kids have tried it now. Brooke was extremely upset that the last hole took her ball back and we had to explain to her that's how it was SUPPOSED to work ;)

That afternoon when we got home the kids watched "The Lion King." I had rented it..they had never seen it before. They really liked it, even Brooke sat through most of it, and we all know how hard it is to get Brooke to sit still! I loved hearing the songs again and singing along.. I even had the soundtrack when I was a little girl ;) Later that evening we grilled out hotdogs, and then had fresh strawberries for dessert. I had bought vanilla yogurt and was going to dip them in and add blue sprinkles and make the "patriotic strawberries" like I had seen on Pinterest, but Arnold cut them all up into little pieces for the kids before I got a chance. Oh well, at least I had TRIED to do something cute for the kids ;) Arnold thought he was having a band practice that night since the band practices on Monday nights, so he left for that. But she showed back up a few minutes later (Brooke said-- That was the SHORTEST practice EVER daddy! ;) Turns out they had cancelled since it was a Holiday, and Arnold hadn't gotten the memo--oops! But we were glad to have him home with us :)

After we put the kids to bed Arnold and I watched a movie I had rented called "A Little Help." It had the girl Jenna Fischer (who plays Pam in The Office) and I thought it would be worth a shot. Well the whole movie was just downright depressing if you ask me. I watched the whole thing since I had payed for it, but I wouldn't recommend it! I had tried yet once again to rent "One for the Money" and they were out (AGAIN!) I am starting to think I'm not meant to watch that movie :( But darnit I really want to! I told Arnold we could rent it online but he didn't want to "watch it on our computer." So I guess I am waiting until it comes back into the movie rental place (hurry up people!!!) After the movie it was still pretty early and I was bored so I looked up country music videos on You Tube. Sad ones, about kids growing up. I have been pretty sad lately, thinking about Caleb graduating Prek, Rachel turning 3 in less than 2 weeks, and stuff like that. I can't believe I will be able to say soon that I am the "Mother of a 1st Grader" (when did I get so old?!) I must have sat on the floor and cried for a good 10 minutes watching those videos. Arnold thought I was going crazy. But when I turned on Alan Jackson's "Remember When" it got to him-- does it every time ;) 

The girls in their matching patriotic shirts :)

Happy Memorial Day!

The kiddos with their Daddy :)

Hunter doing a little shopping with his Aunt Abby :)

First time playing Putt Putt!

Weekend Wrap-Up

Arnold was able to be off work for a 4-day weekend! He never gets Memorial Day off, so I was excited. Friday morning we dropped the big kids off and school and went out with Rachel. First we had to go by the bank and make a van payment and by the post office and mail a package (get the not-so-fun stuff out of the way.) Then we went out to do a little shopping. Looked around Hobby Lobby for more party stuff for Rachel but didn't really find anythying. Then we went to lunch at Village Inn. It seems like every time Arnold is off work we end up there--- its one of his all-time fave places! Then we stopped by and met up with my friend Mandy, who makes shirts-- she had made Caleb a graduation shirt and Rachel a bee shirt for his party next weekend. They turned out so cute and I loved them! After all that we decided to go home because Arnold said his stomach was hurting. We ended up all lounging around the house and resting for awhile when the kids got home. I had plans to go out that evening so I got all dressed up and ready, then plans fell through and I was bummed. So i asked one of my good friends, Jackie, if she wanted to go out. We met up at Ihop and got some dinner. I love their Ham and Egg Melt sandwich, yummy! Then we went next door to Barnes & Noble. I found 3 Janet Evanovich books in the clearance book section so i was SO excited. I also found a book on music for Arnold, that I'm putting back for one of his Father's Day gifts. I don't think Jackie and I ever go out shopping without stopping by at least one place you can buy books ;) Then we went over to Target. That place has changed even MORE. I love that we're getting a grocery section and all that, but its hard as heck to find what you need now. I ended up picking up some more toppings for Rachel's icecream social. It is going to be a fun party, I am getting more and more excited!! :)

Saturday morning the kids got up EARLY. And I mean early-- like 6 am. Arnold was ticked-- he likes to sleep in on the weekends. The kids were just excited because we had kept telling them that Sat. was the day of Caleb's Prek graduation party. I remember being a kid and not being able to sleep well when i got excited. Anyway, since we were up so early anyway we decided to go out to breakfast and hit up some yardsales. All the yardsales out were "old people stuff" if you know what I mean-- nothing of real interest. So i was pretty bummed that we had wasted a lot of gas and found nothing. But at the last minute we found one that had kid stuff. We ended up getting a few things and they were like $1 each so it was a good deal. Then since we still had some time to kill, we went to Kmart. Caleb had gotten some money from some family for his graduation, so he wanted to get a toy. He just couldn't wait to spend it (sounds like his daddy! ;) He found a little Transformers Lego set that Arnold helped him put together later on that day. The girls were bummed they weren't getting toys and gifts, so I had to have a little talk with them. I did give them a dollar each to keep in their pockets though (I am a big softie!) and they got some candy in the checkout line (jolly rancher chews for Brooke and Mini M&Ms for Rachel-- oh and a strawberry lemonade lollipop for Mommy ;) After that we went by Walmart to pick up Caleb's graduation Caleb. Glad at least my son like chocolate, so we were able to order chocolate for him (Brooke doesn't really care for chocolate-- that weirdo! ;)

At 11:15 or so we showed up at Dos Amigos for Caleb's party. We thought they opened at 11am but they dont open till 11:30 on saturdays so we sat outside at the door. It was hot so we were trying to crowd around and get some shade-- I know we looked crazy though! The lady must have felt sorry for us because she opened the door about 7 minutes early. Slowly people started to show up--there were both sets of grandparents, Arnold's sister and neice, and my good friend Jess from highschool and her son Hunter.. and my brother, Alex, was in for the weekend (for once!!) so he got to come too. We had a great time all chatting and eating lunch. Then we cut the cake and everyone enjoyed that, too. Caleb got more gifts-- a movie, an art set, and some more money (which he is still bugging me to spend!) I had a great time and it was cute to see him so excited. I decided to give him a gift from Arnold and I too, so we picked out a Teenage Mutant Ninga Turtle Remote-control car... and after Arnold put the batteries in it, two seconds later he was speeding it around the kitchen and living room.. so I guess it was a hit ;) The girls even seemed to like it alot.. may be one of those toys that gets fought over.

That afternoon we all went home and took a long nap-- felt good to rest! When we woke up we went by the church to clean. It is Arnold's job to make sure the church is clean every week, and he hasn't had any luck building up volunteers yet, so we are still helping him out. I vaccuumed the downstairs, all the rugs, and some of the classrooms. Caleb even helped a little and pushed a broom down the children's halls. :) After that we went to Mom and Dad's for dinner. Since Alex was in town they made "Crap in a Pot" for us-- but more famously known to normal people as "Low Country Boil" or something similar ;) It has shrimp, potatoes, onions, polish sausages, and corn on the cob all cooked outside in a big pot with special sauces and beer. It is sooo good and is a family favorite. After dinner my mom had angel food cake with fruit and whipped cream for dessert. The kids followed their Uncle Alex's footsteps and had their first shot of whipped cream straight in the mouth-- they loved that :) Mom surprised me with a "just because" gift-- "A Mom after God's Own Heart Devotional" book. I thought that was really sweet-- my mom is the best :) We didn't get home until really late that night.. Rachel was passed out in her seat before we even got out of the neighborhood! When we got back into town, we saw fireworks as we were driving along. So we stopped in the parking lot of Hardees and got the big kids out and let them sit on the top of the van while we all watched. It was such a sweet family moment, and one of those times I know we will remember fondly :) Too bad Rachel missed it!!!!

Sunday morning I didn't have to work in the baby classroom so we all got up and made cinnamon rolls for breakfast. Since we were up early anyway we went ahead to the 9:30 service. It felt strange since we never go that early, but it was nice because it wasn't that crowded at all. Since we got out so early we went on to brunch at Ocharleys. We haven't been out to eat at a nice place like that in a long time, so it was a special treat. After that we took the kids to the mall and let them play in the playarea for awhile. Like usual, brooke made a "friend" while she was there... my social butterfly! :) Then we went to walk around a few stores. Kirklands had a ton of OWL stuff. It was absolutely adorable. They had owl kitchen timers, owl candle holders, owl pillows, owl wall art--- even little owl purses for kids. I was tempted to buy every item there but knew I couldn't. Hope its still there next month and maybe I can get some of it for my birthday????! ;) Anyway, we were going to go to Rita's after that but the kids were getting fussy, so we just stopped by Taco Bell and got some of their Fruitista Freeze drinks. More drink for the money anyway, and we didn't even have to get out of the car ;) I love summertime for all the ice drinks! Just wish they would bring back the Pina Colada flavor they had the year I was pregnant with Rachel-- I kept them in business just buying that drink all the time!!! ;)

Hope everyone had a great weekend!! :)



Caleb in his graduation shirt!

Caleb with his cake. Doesn't he look so grown up in this picture! He is going to be a cute fella!

Caleb with his GREAT Grandpa (Mom's dad) at Dos Amigos on Saturday

The stuff we found at a yardsale on Saturday. A hardback shape book for Rachel, a My Little Pony baby for Brooke, an animal carrier, an Iron man toy for Caleb (that worked great after replacing batteries!) and a kid's shape game from Discovery Toys (they were big back when I was a kid, I was excited to find this!)

My new OWL tumbler I got Fri night when shopping. I couldn't resist! ;)

Tuesday Tidbits



Finished reading number 12 of the Stephanie Plum series last night. I am loving this series, thought I would have gotten tired of it by now. I liked this one, and can't wait to start the next one because they left a few things hanging...

Brooke is going with her girlscout troop to Hickory Dickory Dock tonight for an end of year party. She will have a blast, I know. Thankfully my SIL Jenn is letting her stay there with her, so I don't have to haul the other kids up there. I don't think I am ready for that kind of stress tonight! Brooke is sad that scouts is over for the year, she plans on starting back again next year, though.

The band Arnold is in is playing tonight at a local sports bar, called Crawdaddy's. Never been, but know a lot of people who like it there. It will be a late night for him I guess... and I will be putting the kids to bed. Wish I could be there to see him play, but someone has to be the responsible adult (haha just kidding honey! ;)

Tonight is the Season Finale of Glee! I can't wait to see it, but I also don't want to see it end, since I'll have to wait until Fall to see what happens next. I can't wait to see everyone graduate. I am way too invested in these characters! (especially Finn-- yummy! ;)

My friend Mandy has a business making shirts like these. She made one for Caleb, for his graduation. She is going to wear it to his party this saturday! We are having family and a few close friends go to lunch at Dos Amigos. I ordered him a cake yesterday.. chocolate with white and royal blue icing (his school colors) and a little cap and scroll on it. He is excited about all the attention (his sister already got it all last year and now its his turn!) They have their actual ceremony at school on June 6th.

Last night after the kids and I went to bed Arnold and I watched "The Descendants." I had gone to the movie place WANTING "One for the Money" and this is the second week they have been all out. I actually think I saw a girl grab the last copy (darn her) but I guess I will try yet again next week. It was $1 movie night so I thought I might as well still get something. It was ok, not the best. It was based on a book I think, but I never had read it. They were throwing the "F" bomb around alot, that's for sure. Never hurts to watch George Clooney (he's on my hottie list ;) But Arnold kept making fun of him being so old now and how he runs (he runs alot in the movie!) One of his daughters was played by the girl Amy in "Secret Life" and man they really slutted her up and gave her a potty mouth for this movie, was weird to see. But anyway-- there ya go.

Have been getting a few more RSVPs for Rachel's bday party this week. I get giddy everytime someone says Yes. I am such a sucker for parties. Arnold just rolls his eyes everytime I tell him our new headcount. He always says we over-do it. But I have so much fun! And I guess plans are coming together pretty well but I still have a ton to do. Only 2 weeks from this Saturday! :)

Has anyone seen the previews for this movie? I thought it was going to be really stupid but then I saw the previews and it looks pretty funny. I will definately be going to see it with some friends. You all know I can def. relate with those girls, after being pregnant 4 times! ;)

And last but not least-- Wanted to send a shout out to my good friend Lauryn, who's bday is this coming Thursday! This pic is of her and Brooke last Summer. We are hoping to make plans to go out Friday evening to celebrate! :) Happy Bday Lauryn! :)

Tweetsie Trip 2012

Friday morning Brooke and I got up at 6am to get ready for her class Tweetsie trip. She had been so excited the night before that she had stayed up so late in her room, unable to sleep. At one point Arnold found her in the bathroom-playing in the tub--with no water. Yes our daughter is random and strange at times! Anyway, Brooke was so excited she didn't even want to eat breakfast. I stopped by Bojangles to get me a biscuit and some tea, then we headed to the school. We were actually on time, I was proud! We waited on all the other kids and parents to get there. I rode with two of Brooke's good friends' moms. Thank goodness they let me tag along because I didn't want to have to drive all the way up there myself! We got a late start up there but it was all good. We had a great time talking and I was really enjoying myself. When we got up there it was drizzling just a little bit and the sky was so gray, so I was worried. But a little later it started to clear up and we ended up having beautiful weather for the trip! :)

First thing we did was take a trip on the train. The kids loved the ride and getting to watch the acts put on by the cowboys and Indians. Brooke didn't care too much for all the gunshots though! The sherriff on our train was actually pretty cute, if I say so myself (shhh I didn't say that! ;) He gave all the kids their very own bullets at the end of the ride. Then we walked around town with the girls and took pictures of them with people dressed up and with other things. We even got a pic of all the girls on a horse, with their teachers standing in front of them-- it will make for a great memory! Speaking of the teachers-- they had a great time on the trip as well, as much fun or MORE than the kids. I was so sad thinking that this trip was to celebrate the end of the Kindy year... their year is almost up and its time to move on to First Grade. I am such a sap!

Anyway, then we took the girls to see the "Can Can Girls" show. The girls absolutely loved watching them dance, and they even came out into the crowd and let the girls dance with them a little bit. While we were in there we got snacks for the girls-- part of our ticket money had included a little for snacks. We all had to use some of our own money though, the prices at that place were crazy! We got the girls soft pretzels and drinks in Tweetsie souvenier cups. Brooke begged and begged for cheese sauce for hers, but then when I got it she said she didn't like it and it got trashed. Extra 50cents down the drain (not a lot but it adds up when kid are always wasting stuff!) Then we went and caught a ride on the bus up the hill, to the "country fair" part of Tweetsie. We took the girls on some of the rides-- that was fun even for me, I felt like a big kid again :) Chasity (who I rode with) is scared of heights, so I took her daughter with Brooke and I on the ferris wheel. I don't remember ferris wheels going quite that fast! I don't mind them, except for the part where you are stopped at the top waiting for others to get on. The girls rocked our seat a little bit and I freaked out for a minute, but it was all ok ;) Chasity stood at the bottom taking pictures of us. After the rides we went to the petting zoo. The girls all were given money to buy these little icecream cones full of animal feed. The girls thought it was funny they were in cones, and Brooke said she was going to eat it haha (she didnt!) They had some of the CUTEST baby lambs, goats, llamas, and pigs. The girls were so cute feeding the animals and squealing out laughing as the animals bit into their cones and some stole the whole thing! The ostriches were kind of freaky though, they would stick their heads up really fast and try to peck at you... even scared me! :)

After feeding the animals it was time to meet the class down at the green tent for lunch. Included with our tickets were a bag lunch of hotdogs, chips, and cookies. Brooke hardly ate anything-- I swear the only time she won't eat is when she is crazy excited about something, so you could tell she was loving that day! At one point she told me "this is the best school day ever!!!" :) After lunch we went back up the hill-- and this time we WALKED it. I am so out of shape, because I felt like I was going to die by the time we got to the top. We went back on the rides a few more times, and this time the teachers went WITH the students. Brooke rode with her assistant teacher, Mrs. King, it was so sweet. Then we went back again to feed the animals. They had let a few of the little goats out to walk around the paths so the girls got to walk right up to them and pet them. Before long it was 2pm and time to meet the class back at the tent again. The day FLEW by, I couldn't believe it. The teachers had snuck off and gotten all the students souveniers.. wooden train whistles. The kids all loved them, and you should have heard the tent then, it was LOUD, with all the kids blowing their whistles at once. (Thanks Kindy teachers-- that made for a great trip home ;) Then all the kids who were going back on the bus left. But we decided to stay for awhile longer so the girls could do some more things.

We went to a magic show first thing.. the kids were pretty impressed with that. Then we went mining for rocks. Once again-- money trap. $14 for a bucket of sand to find rocks, and the kids were done within 5 minutes! But Brooke did get a little bag to take her rocks home, and they spent most of the time playing in the water. Brooke got her pants soaked before it was all over with. Then we went on the chair lift. One of the rules from the teachers was that we couldn't go on it because of safety issues. But as soon as they left, we did. It was an awesome view from way up there, and Brooke didn't seem scared at all. As a matter of fact, she kept scooting to the front of the chair and freaking me out and I kept having to push her back into her seat. It was a sweet moment, just the two of us sitting there looking out onto the mountains :) We let the girls play on the playground for awhile after that while the moms set down for a rest. Even with wearing tennis shoes my feet were hurting SO bad by the end of the day. By then it was almost 4pm so we decided to call it a day. But not before stopping by the store to buy the girls some cotton candy first. Brooke ate the entire bag on the trip home. She wouldn't eat her hotdog at lunch, but she'd eat a whole bag of pure sugar, sheesh!

On the way home, Brooke's friend Emma PASSED out and her poor little head was flopping all over the place. Didn't look comfortable at all! Ava's mom actually held her head up for a little while ;) Brooke sat in the back with Ava and they talked just about the whole way home. We listened to Veggie Tales song and I tried not to fall asleep, I was soo tired! We got back home around 5:45. So it was a long (and expensive) day, but it was worth it :)

What I'm Loving Wednesday

~I'm loving that I found these little bees online that you can order. They are edible! Thinking of getting some of these to put along the edge of Rachel's birthday cake this year. With that and flowers, it should be a cute cake :)

~Im loving that Mon. night Arnold went to band practice and I got the evening to myself after I put the kids to bed. I watched the season finale of Two and a Half Men. Just heard they signed on for another season. I am surprised, since even I can admit that the show is just not the same since Charlie Sheen left. But that man is whacko. Funny thing is I never watched it much before but I have watched every episode this past season. Plus Ashton is not bad to look at ;)

~I'm loving that yesterday they had a promo at McDonalds where you could get a small Cherry Berry Chiller for 49cents! It just so happened that I go see Arnold at work for lunch every Tues and when we went through the drive-thru I saw the sign. So i got one for lunch. Then that night we took the kids out and got EVERYONE one for less than $3. Can't beat a cheap treat like that every once in awhile ;)

~I'm loving that they just put out new animals and books at Kohls for their "Kohls Cares for Kids" charity. I always love getting the books! For some reason they dont have the dinosaur at our store?? But I did get the giraffe and the matching book for part of Rachel's bday present. She loves stuffed animals these days (so our house has become a zoo) When we went back later in the week she saw the frog and just had to have it. So I got it for her of course-- she is so spoiled but I love it! ;)

~I'm loving that I earned Kohls cash when shopping with the giftcard my mom gave me for Mother's Day. So i went back this week to use the Kohls Cash. I got this top... they had many different colors but of course I loved the one with green ;) It was on sale for $15 so I got it for free, then I got Rachel a shirt too, that has owls with glasses and says "Nerdy Birdies!" It was CUTE. The kid didnt need anymore clothes but I had to have it. I couldn't find a pic online. But she will be wearing it soon ;)

~I'm loving that today Rachel and I met Erika, Kenzie and Erika's mom at Chili's for lunch. They have the best lunch specials... I always get the turkey sandwich and loaded potato soup and its only $6. We also had a coupon for a free chocolate molten cake and we all shared it.. it was sooo good. Rachel had it ALL over her when we left. Rachel emjoyed chowing down on corn-on-the-cob-- one of her new favorites. It was a fun outing and I am hoping Erika agrees to do more lunches there with us ;)

~I'm loving that I took Rachel to the park this afternoon and we had it all to ourselves (well almost) And after awhile I found out why-- all the grass and soccer fields were SOAKED from the recent storms. I didn't even think about that. But Rachel still got to swing and play in the sand a little bit. She took her new frog with her, because she said she wanted to show him what the park was like (so sweet!) At least it was a nice day and not too hot while we were there.

~I'm loving that we found a Broby doll at a local consignment shop, and I'm saving it for Rachel's bday. She LOVES Yo Gabba Gabba lately (even I can sing most of the songs now!) and she seems to like Broby the best (the green one!) The broby doll walks, sings, and dances around. He also throws his arms around, which really tickled Arnold (I think broby is his favorite too ;) We had to change out the batteries but he works great. Arnold and I watched him dance for a good 10 minutes after the kids had gone to bed. Rachel is going to FREAK (in a good way hopefully ;)

~I'm loving this new book I am reading, "Tuesdays with Morrie." Or should I say OLD book. I know it was popular a long time ago. For goodness sakes, part of the book talks about Princess Diana and the O.J. Simpson trial! But I am hooked so far. Erika got me hooked on Mitch Album, I read another one of his books before this one. I got this book at Goodwill for 50cents I think. I LOVE going there to find books people donated.

~I'm loving that this girl is doing ok after her kidney transplant. She plays Haley on "Modern Family." We love that show and watch it every week. I had no idea she had gone through so many health problems in her life. You never know about people. I pray she will make a quick recovery and be doing well again soon!

~I'm loving that I finalized plans for Caleb's prek graduation party this week. We are going to do a lunch at Dos Amigos with family and a few close friends. I will get a cake made for him and maybe take some balloons with us. When I asked him what his favorite restaurant was he said "Mcdonalds." Hahaha! (he loves the toys from the happy meals) When we said pick again he said "Bojangles." Oh dear. So I picked for him ;) I am having a friend make him a graduation shirt too, I am excited to see it :)

~I'm loving last night's episode of Glee! They had a 2-hour special and so I was excited! They went to Nationals... I won't ruin anything for those who might not have watched it yet. But it was a great episode and there were lots of storylines that were cleared up. It was the best episode I had seen in awhile. I can't believe next week is the Season Finale. I wonder what will happen with the Seniors after graduation?????

~I'm loving that the Tweetsie trip with Brooke's class is coming up so soon! The parents who are going with the class went to a meeting on Mon. night. They went over details, rules, etc. Some of the moms couldn't go so the extra kids got paired up with other adults. So Brooke's friend Jenna is going to be with us that day. I am responsible for 2 kids instead of one.. guess it will be fun ;) I ended up meeting a parent there and we talked for awhile. I don't get to meet many of the parents since Arnold is the one who usually drops the kids off. I found out she is a pediatric nurse.. so I guess we are ok if anything happens (knock on wood!!) The kids are all excited for the trip.. and it even looks like good weather on the horizon! :)

Mother's Day 2012

This weekend was Mother's Day. I told Arnold all I wanted this year was a day out with friends to relax and have fun, and for him to do a few things on his "honey-do list" haha. So Saturday at around 11 I went to pick up my Sister-in-law, Jenn. We met up with a few other friends at El Paso for lunch. Yes, I ate even more Mexican! Actually I had been craving chilli cheese fries forever, so I got that as an appetizer for us, and then ordered the taco salad for lunch. So much food and so many calories, but so worth it. After all, it was a special occasion ;) Thank goodness Lauryn remembered to bring her camera along, or we wouldn't have gotten any pics at all. We ended up staying there almost 2 1/2 hrs talking! I couldn't get over how quickly the time had flown by when I looked at my watch. Doesn't it always work like that-- the days drag by when they aren't going very well, but they go so fast when you are having a great time?! Anyway, after lunch the other girls had to go home and Jenn and I went across the street to get our nails done. Jenn got a pedicure and I got a full set put on my nails. They always make fun of me there because i have always had a bad habit of biting my nails. I know its gross, but I've done it since I was a kid, and have never been able to seem to kick the habit. Half the time I don't even realize I am doing it until someone calls me out! Anyway, the girl who did my nails told me "you have no nails!!!!" (yeah like I didn't know that already!) and she said "you really have to take better care of your nails! you have no nails!" (once again.. I know.. why was I getting fake nails in the first place??) But they always do a great job there, and I love how they look. She talked me into getting gel nails which are more expensive, but supposedly more strong, we will see. I ended up giving her a pretty nice tip, even after the picking around. I think she was a little surprised at that.. but I like doing nice things for people sometimes ;)

After the nail place we had planned to go to an afternoon movie, but we ran late (blame it on my big mouth at lunch!) so we decided to go shopping instead. We show up at Kohl's and guess who is walking out? My mom! Just so happens she was in there buying me a giftcard for Mother's Day, so I could get some new clothes (talk about great timing!) She went ahead and gave it to me right there in the parking lot since I was going in anyway. So Jenn and I spent the rest of the afternoon shopping for new clothes! It was really fun, although after awhile I got tired of trying on clothes. Mom always said I gave her the hardest time when I was a kid because I hated it. But I did find several new tops and a pair of khaki shorts. I NEVER wear shorts. I seriously don't think Arnold had ever seen me in shorts. I just hate my legs because I am SO pasty white, but I refuse to tan because I know its so dangerous. Plus, I am a big clutz and always run into things and usually have bruises on my legs or knee (seriously!) But i decided to give it a chance and I guess they look ok. Would still like to get some color this summer though (the natural way-- although thats not much better!) After we were done shopping I noticed it was already 5pm. We had already spent an entire day out.. I couldn't believe it was over so fast! We didn't even get a chance to go to Rita's :( Oh well. The day out was awesome though, and just what I needed. While I was gone Arnold had cleaned out the van for me (he meant to do the outside too, but didn't get around to it yet) and a few other things. Him and his dad took all the kids to a festival that was going on, and I know they had a great time. At least there was something to keep them busy while we were gone! ;)

Sunday morning I didn't even get to sleep in.. since I had to get ready to go to church and work in the baby classroom. I didn't expect to wake up to whining and fighting from the kids though, at 7am! (thats way too early to be frustrated already!) I always expected it to be like the Mother's Day commercials where you wake up refreshed, and the kids come in with a breakfast in bed, and they are already spotless and dressed for church, and later they clean up the kitchen for you.. yeah DIDN'T happen! Arnold made some Pillsbury cinnamon rolls while I took a shower (at least it was something ;) The kids all had a card for me, and had colored on them and signed their names. Brooke tried to write on ALL of them though, and made Caleb mad, so he was upset about that. Arnold had also gotten me a box of my favorite candy, which is always nice ;)

On the way to church I was so thirsty so I stopped by the gas station for grape soda in a glass bottle (one of my faves!) so that was my own treat for the morning. The guy behind the counter is always really sweet, and he opened the cap for me while I was in there so I could drink it on the way to church. We were pretty busy that morning, I think we had a total of 7 kids in there, but they took the older kids next door, and we had 3 babies and a toddler in our room. I spent most of the morning rocking one of my close friend's sons to sleep.. he was fighting sleep and would just not give up! But eventully he fell asleep and I could hardly move after that because I was so afraid of waking him up. Later I found out he had been chewing on my sticker name tag and half of it had come off and was sticking to his face..and there was drool all over my shirt. Such a glamarous life I lead ;) For the next service there was a sweet 2 month old baby girl (newest baby at our church!) who was staying in there, and before I left to go to service I had to make sure to hold her. Arnold walked by and saw me and just rolled his eyes. At least I was happy on Mother's Day ;) Arnold actually got to church EARLY and all 3 kids were dressed (MATCHING! and looked cute) So i was shocked, as was everyone else ;) I had dressed us all in blue to match-- was hoping to take pictures later and then didn't even get around to it!

After church we went to lunch at Sonic (once again I tell you-- glamarous!) but there was no way I was going to wait in line at a nicer restaurant on Mother's Day! The kids got slushies so they were happy at least, and I DID get a cherry coke ;) That afternoon I did a little more shopping on my own. Walked around Toys R Us for awhile to look at bday gifts for Rachel. I have been buying her things here and there over time and putting them back in my closet. They had their bubble mowers on sale, and they had a girly pink one (!) so I got her that. She loves bubbles and she loves pushing things around, so she will love that, I know. I cannot wait until h her birthday next month!!!! Anyway, then I stopped by the store to get my mom and Arnold's mom cards (yes I waited until last minute-- and yes they were WIPED OUT so I was lucky I even found anything) and got them Mother's Day balloons from the kids. Then I went back home and took a 2 hour nap.. it was AWESOME! Even Brooke laid down for a nap, that is unheard of for her! I think allergies are bothering all of us though, because our whole family has been pretty grumpy and sleepy this past week.

Last night we went to dinner at my parents' house. Its funny because I could have sworn dad told us to come over for dinner, but he had said lunch, so he had made all this food at lunch and him and Mom were just sitting there... sitting and waiting on us... and we were out and had no idea! So they did re-heat everything that night for us to have and it was still good ;) Dad had gotten ham and made mac & cheese, green bean casserole, sweet potatoes and rolls. Everything was so good. There was a carrot cake in the fridge too, which he insisted he made for us (he likes to joke around) but he had bought it. He had the kids going though, Brooke was like "oh thank you Pop Pop for making this cake, it is so good!" Haha! After dinner we looked back through some old photo albums.. one of my favorite things to do. I showed the kids pics of me as a baby and young child, which always fascinates them. I actually found some pics of me this time that looked like RACHEL!!! I was shocked, because I have never seen her in me before, but I did last night! We have a lot of the same expressions and looks (or at least we used to!) So that really made my day. I will have to post the pics later and see if anyone agrees with me ;) Mom of course had already given me my gift, and dad had gotten me a plant (he his big on plants/flowers) and thats what he usually gets me and Mom. He said this one was almost impossible to kill, so it was perfect for us. Hey now.. I may not be good at keeping plants alive.. its because they can't yell and scream for food like kids can ;)

I hope all the other Mothers out there had a great weekend as well!!! :)

Rachel, Erika, Jenn, Lauryn and I out to eat on Saturday

Arnold, the kids and I with his mom on Mother's Day

The kids and I with my Mom. By then they were sick of pictures!

My sweet babies and I! So thankful for them! :)

Thursday Thoughts

~Earlier in the week I got a big surprise! My Father-in-Law bought him, me, and Arnold tickets to the Skynyrd concert this summer! He got it for my Mother's Day/Birthday present, and I could not be happier! I found out they were FINALLY coming to town in August, and it is on a Friday night-- works out perfectly with the kids, etc. Of course I wanted to go but wasn't sure if I was going to be able to buy tickets right now since so much is going on lately that I'm having to shell $$$ out on. So that news just made my day. These next 3 months are going to drag by I'm sure. That will be one awesome night-- they are coming with the Allman Brothers. It will be my 8th Skynyrd Show.. I am a hard-core fan, even went once when I was 9 months pregnant ;)

~I happened to come across a book on Brad Paisley online at Barnes & Noble.com the other day, and I had a coupon, so I ordered it for Arnold. I am going to save it for him as one of his Father's Day presents. He really likes him (so does his dad) and have gone to his concert a few times. Plus, what girl doesn't like him.. he's a cutie! ;)

~Tuesday night they had a leadership night at church. Since Arnold is now a leader in the church (leader of the Levites!) we got to go. They had a "mexican theme" and had tacos for dinner. For drink they had lemonade, and in the cups with ice they had put little gummy worms, thought that was adorable! Took mine right out and ate it ;) Then after sitting around for awhile and eating, and getting to talk to some of our friends, they had a church service. Well really more like a meeting? Not sure what to call it. They had some awesome worship music, then the pastor from the Mtn View campus came and talked to everyone. We talked about what everyone can do to be better leaders, bring people to the church, etc. And Arnold finally got to meet the guy that holds his key to the church! So he will now "officially" become a leader. It was a really fun night :)

~The Glee "prom" episode was this week. I was waiting and waiting for that. I really love the way it turned out with the prom king and queen ;) The guys also sang "She don't know she's beautiful" which is one of the songs stuck in my head lately-- love it! (by the way I know that is incorrect grammar, but I had to write it the way they sing it ;) Tonight is the Season Finale of both "Big Bang Theory" and "The Office." One thing I don't like about the summer-- all the re-runs, and having to wait a few months before your fave shows come back!!!

~Brooke got her progress report this week (the last one they will have this year.) She got all "satisfactory" down the page, except for that big "non-satisfactory" that she had beside "Focus and Attention." Her teacher has been watching her all year, and said she has really struggled in that area. She says most kids have an "off" day every now and again, but Brooke has problems every single day. And she has never gotten better-- if anything she has gotten worse. I really like and respect her teacher, and know she cares about Brooke very much, so if she is worried about her, I am too. She thinks we should maybe get some more tests done on her. I don't know if it is an ADD thing, or is related to the abnormal EEG she had awhile back or what. I am trying not to worry, but as a Mom you know I do! I just hope she doesn't have something going on that is going to hold her back and make things tough in the future. Prayers for her would be great! :)

~Yesterday I took Rachel to her friend Elia's house to play. It was a last-min thing that her Mom invited us over for a playdate and I'm so glad she did! They recently got a pet bunny named Carrot, so we got to see him. He is so adorable, and actually let the girls carry him around like a baby and push him around in their toy shopping cart. (he is a trooper! ;) Rachel got a chance to feed him some celery and even kissed him goodbye before we left. I am almost tempted to ask Arnold if we can get a pet bunny (but I know what he will say-- he doesn't want anything else around here to have to clean up after and feed! ;) They also let us stay and have lunch. I am glad we are forming good friendships with them, because they are great people! :)

~Last night Lifegroup started back up for a "new semester." We had a pretty good turnout, which I was happy to see. We are meeting at a new house now, and we almost got lost getting there (didn't help that it was pouring rain on the way!) but everything ended up ok. We had.. wait for it.. tacos! Yes, leftover from the leadership thing the night before.. haha! We all had taken our kids with us, and we usually have a sitter, but we didn't last night. So the kids ran WILD in there and it was pretty chaotic. Rachel ended up marking all up and down her arms with a black marker and even gave herself a little mustache. At least it was dry-erase marker and not sharpie! We had a few new people in the group, so it was nice to meet them. I hope they decide to stick around even after they saw how crazy our group is ;) We all have a lot of fun-- I am lucky to be in the group I am! :)

~Today was pay day, so Rachel and I had to go out and pay the bills. It's crazy how fast money goes, isn't it. Seems like we had a lot at first and it only took less than an hour to watch that money dwindle down. Oh well, we have been blessed, so I have to remember that!

~Today we went by the school and surprised Caleb, and had lunch with him. He ran up on the stage and gave me a big hug when he saw me (unlike Brooke who kinda doesn't act all that excited over me anymore, ha!) We had lunch together and then I bought the kids some treats for dessert-- they usually can't get them unless a parent is there, so they were excited. The kids in his class crack me up, they are always fighting to tell me stories and stuff when I come around. This one boy today was telling me about all his past pet dogs and how they died. Um.. interesting, lol! In the minds of 4 and 5 year olds!

~For one of the teacher goodies I did this week for "Teacher Appreciation Week" was getting some candy at the store and adding cute tags with it. I got M&M's and gummy bears. To the gummy bears I added a tag that said "You're the BEARY best teacher" and to the M&M's I added a card that had a poem about teachers I had found on Pinterest. Each color meant something, and then it said they were a "Magnificent" and "Marvelous" teacher. M&M-- get it? Haha. Then the kids signed their names on the cards. Brooke said her teachers loved it and gave her a big hug. I am now trying to come up with a good idea for them for the end of the year. Any ideas????

~Only 2 more days until I go on my girls' day with friends, to celebrate Mother's Day! I think we have locked down our final plans. We are going to eat at a local mexican restaurant (wow-- mexican AGAIN this week-- maybe I should have re-thought that? ;) Then going across the street to get manicures. Then we will do a little shopping probably, and go to an afternoon showing of that new movie "The 5-year Engagement." It looks pretty funny, hope it is. Arnold still says he will do work around here while we are gone, so I am hoping to come home that evening to clean house and van.. but we will see ;)

~Heard a saying on a commercial last night about dads and their kids-- he said "You don't know true love until you have wiped someone's butt!" Isn't that the truth!!!! I busted out laughing and told Arnold that that so described him and Caleb. Caleb has always had digestive issues and had to take a laxative, and occasionally we run into problems with him having LOTS of accidents. So let's just say even at nearly 5 years old Arnold still has to wipe his butt a lot of times.


Hope everyone is having a great week!!!! :)

"That's Pinteresting!"

Thought this was such a good idea. Kids can earn "bedtime passes" where they can use them to stay up a certain time longer after their normal bedtime. I guess they could get them along with bday presents, in stockings, for doing chores, or whatever. My kids would love these. They are always asking to stay up just a "little longer." 

This is a gift idea for someone. To put money in a tissue box that is wrapped up, but put it in by $1 bills and pull them out one by one, like tissues. Would make it seem like a lot more money, and would be fun to watch their reaction, especially for kids. I may seriously try this with my kids soon. They love having their own money these days.

This idea was to go around town with your child and find numbers that correspond with their upcoming age (for their birthday pictures.) I would love to do this with Rachel next month. Now to come up with some ideas of places where I could find the number 3???

Love these bookshelves mounted beside the girl's bed. I could do this in the kid's room. I wonder if that would make them stay up later in their rooms at night though.. because after all, I have some little bookworms! (they go that from me!) 

They said they put an Ikea frame around their thermostat. I can't decide if it's silly or cute. But I do kinda like it. It would make the hallway a little fancier I guess ;)

This would be a great idea for any family members (easiest with "Mom" or "Dad" since we have exactly 3 kids ;) Have them hold up letters (you could paint them any colors you wanted!) and then take pictures and put them in a frame. This would be cute to do for Father's Day.



Create a Memories Jar! I love to remember things that have happened (one of the reasons I like this blog!) You can write down little memories or sayings from the kids or whatever, as the year goes by, put them in the jar, and then it suggests opening the jar and reading them on New Year's Eve. Would be a fun way to re-live the year. As a very sentimental person, I LOVE this idea!

Memorial Day is coming up soon, and these would be fun to make! My kids LOVE strawberries. They eat a whole carton at one sitting. You can cover the half with yogurt, and the bottom with blue sprinkes and make them patriotic! I am going to do this for sure! Yummy!

This is just one of the many end-of-the-year or "teacher appreciation" week ideas I've seen on Pinterest lately. I love this where you get the teachers a nice cup, fill it with Starburst candies, and put a tag on that says "You're the Star of Our School." You could also stick something else in there too, like maybe a Giftcard? I think this is something I will do at the end of this year for the kids' teachers. 

I must say I love this owl tattoo! Even though I'd never get this on me, it's pretty to look at, don't you think?!