It's Ok Thursday

~It's ok that... I really can't wait to escape to the Pregnancy Care Center tonight.. mostly to get away from the kids. They have been *awful* this week. Fighting, screaming, making huge messes.. basically seeing just how much I can put up with before going total ape-shit crazy. (Can you tell I'm frustrated?!) How many weeks of summer left????!

~It's ok that... I am really bummed out that "Magic Mike" is sold out for all showings, tomorrow! That is the movie the girls and I were going to see tomorrow night for my birthday. I guess I should have thought about that and bought tickets ahead of time.. totally my fault. Arnold says there must be a lot of "hard up" ladies in the area. Not far from the truth! Ah, I probably shouldn't be seeing the movie anyway... but dang...

~It's ok that... I like to shop occasionally at thrift stores now. I read blogs and see moms who get crafty with old things they find, and just give them a new coat of paint or something else to bring the life back! I want to be like that.. I need to find my inner-crafty chick!

~It's ok that... I totally cheated on my diet last night when I went over to my parents' house. Mom made me homade lasanga and rice krispie treats for my birthday dinner. I ate pretty good earlier in the day, just in preperation for it ;) If you can't splurge on your birthday, when CAN you.. right?!

~It's ok that... I told the kids we weren't going outside to play today because it's just too dang hot. They don't HAVE to play outside EVERY day, do they? ;) I am all for outside play, but I just loathe hot temps. Did everyone hear its supposed to get to over 101 degrees this weekend? Wow.. I guess we will be staying inside alot!

~It's ok that... I think I have decided to use a walmart giftcard I got for my birthday on "Catching Fire" (the next book in the Hunger Games series.) I am excited to read it! Thanks for the giftcard Meliissa! ;)

~It's ok that... I caught the kitten eating a few pieces of Kix cereal earlier this morning.. and let her. It won't hurt her right?? She was so cute sitting there crunching the little pieces :)

~It's ok that the shoes Brooke wore last night were total "Toms" ripoffs. Hey, they are cute, they were a lot cheaper, and she doesn't know the difference (for now! ;)

~It's ok that... I've been doing Wii Fit as my exercise, every day this week. I know it is low-impact and doesn't burn THAT many calories, but its still activity, right?! I haven't gotten the motivation to break out the Jillian Michaels dvd again... that woman is insane! (but she does make me feel the burn, that's for sure!!)

~It's ok that... I really get upset when people don't RSVP to things I invite them to. I know this is a busy world and there are more important things than me.. I totally get that! But I was always taught that you at least take the time to ackknowledge people (especially your friends!) When they take the time to think of you for something, the least you can do is tell them "yes" or "no" when it comes to the event. Invites on FB make it SOO much easier these days too.. you just click a button and that's it. No phone calls to make or rsvp cards to send it. So why is it so tough? When people don't let me know I feel totally let down and un-important. And I'm sorry for the rant today... and the total negativity.. but I had to get that out. I feel like I make an honest effort with things like that and I just like to get the same respect! :)



What I'm Loving Wednesday

~I'm loving that I have gotten my motivation back to start my "lifestyle change" again! I really slipped last time I tried, I gave up totally and gained the weight back (plus some I think). I am really ashamed of myself! I have such a hard time sticking with stuff like that. But as of Monday of this week I have started tracking calories again and working out. I am going to try not to be as obsessed about the numbers of the scale this time, and more about how I am feeling. I need to focus on getting healthier!

~I'm loving that we bought the new Justin Bieber cd "Believe" the other night at Target. I don't know if it was more for me or Brooke.. ha. Might have been a big mistake though, because ever since we put it in the van cd player we have listened to "Boyfriend" about 15 million times. Poor Arnold... he hates pop music so much!

~I'm loving that we met some friends for a playdate this week at the new ZB Park (or as Brooke likes to call it--- the "RAINBOW PARK!" We got to see some friends from church that we don't get to see often, so that was fun. We went early in the morning to try and beat the heat, but it was still miserable after awhile. Thankfully my friend Laura let me have her extra hairband to pull my hair back because I was sweating so much. And dummy me didn't think to bring any water bottles (like everyone else did!) so the kids were begging for water and I didn't have any to give them. Felt like a big failure right then! But we were just in a hurry to get out the door that morning. And we DID go to get lunch right after that, so its all good.

~I'm loving that the other night I saw Arnold start posting stuff on Facebook and I couldn't figure out what was going on. He was down in the basement playing guitar (his "man cave") I had forgotten that he had our old laptop down there and he found out it will connect to our wireless even down there. So like the total nerds we are, we actually chatted on FB messenger for a few minutes. Ha! It was pretty funny actually...

~I'm loving that my mom gave me a big framed picture of flowers from my old bedroom at home, to hang in our bedroom now. We have never really decorated much in our bedroom, so I am trying to work in there lately. We hung it on the wall directly across from our bed, and it really looks good in there, and actually matches well!

~I'm loving that Arnold was sweet enough to go to the grocery store for me last night after I was already in my PJs. He picked up a few of my "diet snacks" that I was into last time. I can't get over how expensive "diet" icecream is, I am going to have to wait until its on sale next time!

~I'm loving my new camera!!!! I have taken about a million pictures of anything and everything the past couple of days (I'm sure no one is surprised! ;) It has really great quality and probably is my favorite camera I have had to date!

~I'm loving that my mom and dad are taking the big kids with them this weekend to the mountains. That will be about 3 days and 2 nights that our house will be a LOT calmer. Rachel is still staying here with us, but it will be a lot easier with just one kid. And Saturday we are going to try to slip away for a "day date!" So excited, its been awhile since we've had a date.

~I'm loving that we are going to mom and dad's tonight for dinner. Since they are going to be gone this weekend on my actual birthday, Mom is making my traditional birthday dinner early. Mom always makes me her famous homeade lasanga (yum!) and this year she is making rice krispie treats too (at my request!) I guess I am going to have to eat really light earlier on today.. because those foods are obviously NOT included in my diet! ;) 

~I'm loving this sweet little girl! In her matching PJ's with her baby. She got these as a gift from her Aunt Margaret the other day. Isn't it cute?!

ABC's

The ABC's Of Me


A. Age: 26 (but will be 27 in just 5 days!)

B. Bed size: Queen. But we need a king! Arnold and I fight over space and covers.

C. Chore that you hate: Washing the dishes 

D. Dogs: Two. Oreo and Pepper. They stay outside.

E. Essential start to your day: Eat some breakfast. Check facebook. 

F. Favorite color: Green! (can you tell?!)

G. Gold or Silver: Silver. It's much prettier.

H. Height: 5'10" I am a giant!

I. Instruments you play: Nothing now. Played clarinet in school. Arnold plays guitar ;)

J. Job title: Stay-at-home-Mom. It's a TOUGH job. i don't care what anyone says!

K. Kids: 3- Brooke, Caleb and Rachel. They are 3, 4, and 5. My little stairsteps ;)

L. Live: In North Carolina. Born and raised here.

M. Mother’s name: Guynell. People always mispronounce and misspell it.

N. Nicknames: My friends call me "Abbs." I also sometimes get called anything from "Ab" to "Abster" to "Abba Dabba." Arnold calls me "girl" or "honey." My mom has always called me "Shortcake." I recently found Rachel a shirt that said that and she had to have it ;) 

O. Overnight hospital stays: Several. With the births of each of my 4 kids. Then one when I had some bleeding during pregnancy. Then an 8 night stay in ICU when I had bloodclots.

P. Pet peeves: People being rude or mean for no reason. People not RSVPing to stuff. Bad drivers. Popping gum.  

Q. Quote from a movie: "You is kind, you is smart, you is important." (from "The Help!)

R. Right or left handed: Right! But Hubby is left-handed ;)

T. Talents: Umm... I'd like to think I'm a half-way decent writer. I'm good with kids/babies. I'm a great listener and try to help friends with their problems. I'm a good speller and good with grammar (very random-- but I always always great at English in school!)

S. Siblings: One younger brother, Alex. (The Channing Tatum look-alike ;)

U. Ultimate Vacation: I want to visit Italy!

V. Vegetable you hate: Brussel Sprouts, eww

W. What makes you run late: Waking up too late or losing something ((keys, shoes, etc)

X. X-Rays you’ve had: Way too many

Y. Yummy food: My mom's homeade lasanga. Warm brownies from the oven!

Z. Zoo animal: I've always liked the elephants :)

Weekend Rewind!

Friday evening Arnold came home from work a little earlier than usual so we could go to the bank and get some things fixed. Turns out they had my social security number typed in wrong on our account, from when we first got married.. and it has caused us a lot of problems. So we were going to go by and get it fixed but they said we had to bring in our marriage certificate and we couldn't find it ANYWHERE. I hope we can find it soon or we will need to go pay to get another copy. I guess it DOES pay to be organized.. sheesh!

That evening we went out to dinner at Ihop. Rachel had gotten a free kids meal for her birthday from them, and so we decided to go there to use it. The kids got create-a-face pancakes.. they love those! They have the pancake as the face, strawberries as eyes, banana pieces for a mouth, whipped cream for a nose, and the give them tubes of yogurt to put on as hair. It is really cute :) When we got out I realized our bill had been a lot less than I had thought it should be, and it turns out the guy had taken ARNOLD's dinner off the bill instead of Rachel. So.... we got dinner a lot cheaper than expected! After dinner we went to Target to check out the new grocery/produce section. They have a lot of new things, its pretty nice. Rachel went right over the the bananas, picked up a bunch, and threw them in the cart (that girl loves her fruit! ;) We walked around for awhile and bought some things we needed and let the kids check out the toy section for awhile. Then we went by Once Upon a Child to look. They were having a clearance sale going on.. and usually there is NOTHING left at all when I go up there, but this time they still had a little left! I got Brooke some really nice capris, and Caleb some shorts and a new bathing suit. Then I found a few books for their collection, so I was happy I decided to stop in! By that time the kids were getting fussy and ready for bed.. so we headed home.. but not before stopping by Dairy Queen for some icecream! The kids all got star pops that were red, white, and blue.. and Mommy got a "Brownie Earthquake" (oh my gosh... SOOOO good. I don't even care HOW many calories!!! ;)

Saturday morning we all got ready and headed out early to hit up some yardsales. Most places were hit and miss, but we did find a few that had some kit stuff. One sale had a bunch of Dora books, which of course Rachel scooped up (Mommy never says no to books!) And this big Barbie head that was for styling hair.. it looked pretty creepy and was sort-of overpriced, but Brooke wanted it so bad..... ;) Then at another sale I hit the jackpot on boys clothes.. they had a son and they had tons of nice shorts in Caleb's sizes so I bought them out. While there Caleb also found a few Transformers. And at another sale we found some My Little Ponies (the girls didn't even care but I got them for their collection) and Brooke found a jewelry case, and Caleb found a huge toy truck. So I'd say our morning of looking for deals was a success!

That afternoon my mom took the big kids to see "Brave" at the movie theater. They had planned to go to the zoo, but it was so miserably hot, so they decided to put that on hold and go to the movies instead. The kids didn't mind.. they just like getting out and doing stuff with Grandma! Since Rachel doesn't sit still through movies yet, Arnold and I took her out with us while they were gone. We took her by Barnes and Noble.. she had gotten a coupon for a free cookie from the cafe, so we stopped by and got some treats. I got a giant rice krispie treat and Arnold got a lemon tart. We stayed and looked at magazines for awhile.. and Rachel actually kicked back, laid down on the bench, and started "reading" a Justin Bieber magazine! That girl has been brainwashed by her older sister. She knows exactly who he is and that he is "special." Ha! Anyway, after that we went to Game Stop to look through the used Wii games. I haven't bought a new game in awhile, and we saw "Reader Rabbit Kindergarten" game, so we got that for the kids as a surprise. Hey, at least its educational, right?! ;) We also stopped by Old Navy and bought a few shirts for the kids that were on clearance. Around 4:30 we went back to the theater to pick up the kids. They said they have enjoyed the movie, but parts of it were "scary!" as Brooke put it. But they seemed to have had a great time!

Sunday morning we ended up going to the early service at church. We usually go to the 11:00 service, but we were already up and ready, so we just went ahead. The only thing that was weird is that it was a whole different crowd of people we weren't used to.. so we sat alone and didn't really know many people! I guess that's a way to MEET new people though ;) There is a new campus pastor for one of the churches, and he came over to preach at our campus. It was great to meet him.. he seems like a great guy and he was HILARIOUS. I really enjoyed his sermon :) After church we headed over to the dreaded Walmart to buy some diapers, garbage bags, and other things. I hate that place, but they DO have the best prices on most things we use regularly. I also bought a new shirt while I was there.. it was blue and had designs on it.. actually pretty cute for a Walmart shirt! I spilled sauce ALL down the shirt I had worn to church when we ate lunch at Taco Bell, so I was glad to have something to change into before we went to my bday party at the lake. I actually did a REALLY quick change in a parking lot while no one (hopefully) was watching! ha! I was bending over trying to hide anything that might be showing... reminded me of middle school days where you had to change but were self-conscious of yourself. Well let me tell you, after having birthed 4 kids and all kinds of people have seen most of you.. you aren't as modest anymore! ;)

That afternoon was spent at the lake at my wonderful birthday party. Yall already know all about that.. that was yesterday's blog ;) Hope everyone else had a great weekend too! :)

Arnold's Aunt Margaret sent this gift to Rachel for her birthday. A cute little patriotic outfit, and then some monkey pjs that came with a matching set for her BABY DOLL (how cute is that?!)

Some books I found at Big Lots this weekend. They had a lot on clearance for 50 CENTS (!) So you know I scooped them up! Then I found #15 of the Janet Evanovich series that I hadn't read yet. How lucky is that?! Can't wait to read it! 

Here's the books I found for the kids this weekend at the sales! The little Eric Carle book will probably be given to a good friend of mine, since its for babies. Couldn't pass it up because it was so cheap and in great condition!

Toys found this weekend at the sales. The truck, transformers, jewelry box, one of the ponies, and at the very back there is a toy gun. Not shown-- freaky barbie head! ;)

A few shirts I found the kids this weekend. Carters shirt with Birds for Rachel- $3. Old Navy butterfly shirt for Brooke- $3.99. Gymboree dog shirt for Caleb- $6. A lot of places were having crazy sales this weekend! :)

My Lake Birthday Party

Today my wonderful husband and some of my friends planned me a birthday party (my actual birthday is next Sunday, July 1st!) A good friend Melissa was able to use her friends' lake-front place for us to have it, and she had set everything up in a luau theme, and it was so great! A lot of friends and family members came out to help me celebrate. I was afraid it was going to be too hot for anyone to enjoy themselves, but it turned out to be overcast and breezy, so it wasn't bad at all! I also was afraid it might rain, but it didn't rain the whole time we were out there! It did drizzle a little bit on the way home though.. I had prayed earlier today for God to please, please hold the rain off for the party and He did! :)

Anwyay, the kids were naturally drawn to the water and ran right out there. Arnold had said not to worry about putting them in bathing suits because he wasn't going to let them go swimming in there (their daddy is a major germaphobe.. I am telling you!! ;) But it didn't matter, they ended up going out and getting soaked in their REGULAR clothes. That is kids for ya! ;) But they had a blast and it was worth it to see them so happy :) Our pastor's son was out there too, he was being babysat by our good friend, Ray. It was HILARIOUS because in the middle of the afternoon he decided he had to pee, so he just whipped it on out and peed right there in the lake.. I don't think I have laughed that hard in a long time. We were all shielding our little girls' eyes.. ha! ;) (name not included to protect the innocent! ha! ;)

Melissa had really outdone herself on the luau theme.. there were banners, signs, and colorful bowls everywhere. Her fiance Josh had even blown up a giant palm tree as one of the decorations. Everyone who came out got to wear a lei and mine was a special one with rainbow-colored flowers.  My cake was CHOCOLATE (my fave) and had palm trees and flip flops on it.. they must really know me ;) There was even a little pair of flipflops on the cake that we couldn't figure out if it was edible or not.. and when we pulled it off, found out it was a luggage tag! So i got to actually take that home... so cute. No one had thought to bring a lighter so I didn't blow out any candles.. we will just pretend I did!

The guys grilled out hotdogs for us to eat, and there were lots of sides and drinks and of course the CAKE to eat. We hung out for nearly 3 hours before we realized that the kids were getting cranky and they were absolutely filthy. We knew we had to get out of there soon so we could get home and get everyone baths. Oh and I got some wonderful gifts.. including a lot of owl themed items (because everyone knows I have an odd obsession with owls ;) And my parents got me a brand new CAMERA!!!! Yes after a long time of not having one I finally can take pics again. I'm sure yall are so excited to see all my upcoming pics, ha! ;)

Thanks to everyone who helped with the party, and came out today to celebrate! I love you guys and am thankful for you guys being in my life!!! :) 



Brooke, Caleb, and their friend Katelyn out on the lake

My honey and I



Me with two of my best friends, Erika and Joanne. Showing off some of the luau decor. Although I blocked half my head, being the giant that I am :)

Random pics with Ray... love him! :)

Wearing my bow that Kelly made me. She is very crafty indeed! ;)

My friend Teresa brought me back this owl from the beach! Isn't it adorable! I thought it was very unique-looking. 

This is my ever-growing owl collection in my bedroom. I bought the turqoise nightlight and middle owl for myself recently, and the beach owl of course I got as a gift, and the little owl on the right is a candle holder from my friend Joanne :) The one on the clock radio i've had forever. Loved it because it had a mama and baby owl :)

My new cup from my friend Erika. It says "Good friends are like bras. Supportive, never leave you hanging, make you look good, and are always close to your heart!" Isnt that the funniest saying ;) (PS- I am trying out my new camera, can you tell?!)

Cookouts and Bday Dinner with Friends

Wednesday evening we went to a cookout at one of my best friend's houses. We said we were getting together to celebrate a late Father's Day for all the daddies in our group, but really-- it was just an excuse for us all to get together ;) Hehe. We ended up with 9 adults and 12 kids I think, so it was crazy out there! Thank goodness Erika has a big backyard area where the kids could run and play. Everyone brought something for the cookout, and we ended up with hotdogs, chips, pasta salad, drinks, cookies, brownies, and popsicles! Unfortunately it was like 200 freakin degrees outside, so I was sweating like crazy and it was hard for me to get "into" the fun, but after awhile it cooled down a little bit. Arnold kept telling Brooke to be careful... but that girl just does not listen, and she fell off the trampoline! One of the reasons we don't have one at our house! Our kids are accidents waiting to happen. It was so cute.. Brooke has always liked playing with my friend Joanne's son Logan. He is a little older than her, and we go waaay back so they know each other pretty well. They swang together for awhile and were chatting away.. ah young love ;) I wish I had listened in to their conversation.. I know it was probably hilarious knowing those two! Later on Joanne asked Logan if he thought Brooke was pretty, and he said "We are just friends!" Adorable! ;) My friend Jackie asked me to take her camera around and get shots of all the action, and you know I don't turn picture-taking down ;) I got a lot of good shots of the kids.. even got a few of the little kids to smile at me! Some of the older kids wouldn't slow down playing long enough for a pic though (so sorry for the kids that weren't in the pics!!!!) Jackie wondered how I got her son Logan to smile for a pic and I said "Because he love his Abby!" Ha! Kids really do flock to me.. I just have a gift ;) But anyway, we had a great time. By the end of the night everyone was absolutely filthy, sweaty, and pretty disgusting. So we had to go home and give them baths before bed, even though we all were exhausted. (sometimes its ok to skip baths though, right Erika?! ;)

Thursday was another one of my best friends' birthdays. She just turned 27. As she pointed out, I am the youngest of the "Fab 4" (only by 10 days though!) and in another week we will all be 27! Crazy to think about! When I met alot of these girls I was only 21.. that makes me feel incredibly old! Anyway.... Jackie had planned a girls night dinner at Chili's, so I knew I'd be going there. Thankfully Arnold was able to come home from work a little earlier that day, so I got to go out shopping for a few hours before I went to the dinner. And let me tell you-- it was blissful!!!!!!! I haven't been "shopping for fun" in such a long time! I might have overdone it a little, but its almost my birthday, so I can justify it, right?! First I went to the mall, and went into Kirklands. Yep, I went to check out the owl stuff I had talked about in a previous blog! At first I didn't see any of it and freaked out, thinking they had sold it all. But they just moved it to the back wall of the store. I ended up buying a ceramic owl nightlight (its called a nightlight, but more like a lamp! Its big!) I ended up putting that in my room, because Arnold said the girls would break it if I put it in their room! I also got a little owl candle holder for our bedroom. I was temped to buy more.. but didn't! Then I went to Bath and Body works to take advantage of the Semi-Annual Sale going on. I stocked up on shower gel, body spray, antibacterial packs, and wallflower refills (trying the coconut scent this time for our bedroom-- those things always make a room smell SO good!) Then I bought a gift for Jackie's birthday. I was able to get a LOT of stuff at a great price. My fave sale of the year! ;) Then I stopped downstairs and went to Children's Place. Was just looking around to pass some time, but ended up finding the cutest pink dress for Brooke on sale! And then they had an additional 50% off their clearance stuff, and I found some pink sandals to match for $4.99. Did I mention how much I love sales?! When I finally left the mall I went over to Ross and bought our kitten Molly a new toy and some kitty treats (is that kitty spoiled already of what?!) and some "knockoff Tom's" for Brooke.. hey, they were cute, what can I say!

FINALLY, I made it to the restaurant, after my fun shopping adventure ;) I went inside thinking i'd just get a table for us since I was early, and the hostess even ended up taking me to a table, then I noticed Jackie already sitting down! So i said never mind and went to sit with her.. ha! We waited on Joanne to get there and when she got there we were ready to order because our other people had cancelled on us. But our waiter didn't know that so he kept waiting... and waiting.. and waiting... So eventually I yelled out at another waiter to get his attention, and he came running over. We gave him our orders real quick and he went to get it.. that's how you get it done!!! ;) Jackie and I did the "2 for 20" and shared cheese fries for an appetizer. Then I got the Bacon Cheeseburger as my dinner. MAN was that meal loaded down with calories and cholesterol. Oh well... its fun to live a little sometimes ;) Jackie wouldn't let me embarrass her by having the waiters sing to her for her birthday, so she didn't get the free dessert.. but that's her own fault ;) Hehe. We were going to go to Rita's afterwards, but I was stuffed from dinner, so I decided to pass. All in all I think we all had a great time though.. it had been awhile since just the 3 of us had been able to get together. Happy birthday Jackie!! :)



Brooke and Logan swinging together ;)

Caleb with his friends Chris and Logan (they are brothers!)

Rachel holding onto Erika's Tiki Torch. She was wearing her "Daddy's Busy Bee" shirt in honor of the "Father's Day" cookout ;)

I was able to get a smile out of baby Ben! He was strapped in the swing so he wasn't able to run away from me this time! ha! :)

All the girls at the cookout! Joanne, Jackie, Erika, Me, and the TWO Amys! :) I am such a giant, I tower over these girls! geez!

The girls at Jackie's birthday dinner. Our nice waiter took this for us ;) 

Me with the birthday girl, outside of Chilis :)

That's "Pinteresting!"

These are some things I am loving from Pinterest this week! I've said it before, but WHAT did we do before this amazing site?! Too many idea, too little time!!!!! :)

Instead of holding onto every single piece of "artwork" your kids do and never knowing what to do with them.. you can take pictures! You can then make photo books like these, to look back on what the kids did when they were younger. But its a lot more organized ;)

Use a shoe or accessory organizer for your daughter's dolls and Barbies. Brooke is starting a collection of them now and I never know where to put all of them. This is a great idea! And she can pick out which one she wants to play with at the time. The organizer can hang over a closet door easily probably.

Love this idea for a birthday card. You roll up money and make them look like candles! So cute.. and what a great idea. Might try this sometime...

This is a cute "just because" gift for a friend, teacher, etc. Add a tag on a pack of their favorite kind of gum and says "You are EXTRA Special" 

Liked this quote a lot. I really need to remember this! I worry way too much about things I can't control.

This was an idea for packing for a trip. You put the entire kids' outfit in a ziploc baggie, including top, bottom, underwear, socks, and bows and jewelry (for a girl!) Then when you get there you will just have to pull out the packs instead of going through everything to find what you need! So simple yet so genious!

This book made me laugh! This reminds me of Brooke so much! That girl is always talking. She will talk to HERSELF! I might need to look up this book on Amazon and buy it :)

I want to do this for the kids for the 4th of July! You make them toast, spread it with strawberry jelly, then add slices of bananas and blueberries to make a flag! And my kids would actually eat this..they LOVE fruit.

Love this outfit idea! Love all the pink. I usually don't dress up and do everything all the same color like top, purse, nail polish, jewelry, etc.. but it would be fun to do sometime!

Love this watch!!!! So bright and fun. Hint Hint Arnold! HAHA! ;)

This is a cute idea of saving a memory from a beach trip. You can buy clear ornaments, save some sand from the beach, and then tie it up with a pretty bow and maybe a label or tag writing where you went. 

Most people think I love owls (and I do!) But I also love turtles ;) So when I found this I knew I had to try this for the kids. Using a waffle with the bottom cut off to make the body, apple slices for the head and tail, and I'm not sure what they used for feet? You can also add little orange slices to look like butterflies! Adorable!

What I'm Loving Wednesday

~I'm loving the sub sandwiches from Domino's! I can't believe we have a Dominos right down the road from us and we ALWAYS get the pizza but have never tried the sandwiches. I got a veggie sub the other night and it was soo good. The banana peppers really made it!

~I'm loving how cute Molly looks right after we give her a scrub down and wrap her in a big, fluffy towel. With just her little head sticking out. And she starts closing her eyes and purring :)

~I'm loving the kids and their funny sleep positions. I went into the girls' room the other night after they were already asleep, and Brooke had her arm slung over the side of the bunk bed. Don't see how that could be comfortable!!

~I'm loving that we got a free Redbox code in my email the other day, to get a free movie rental. Now to just figure out what new movie to rent...

~I'm loving that Rachel's birthday gifts this year were such a hit! She has been pushing her babies around in the little stroller and pretending to feed them. Heck, even the kitten got a ride in the stroller (much to her dismay! ;) And ALL the kids like the bubble lawnmower.. bubbles have gotten all over my house because they couldn't wait to take it outside!

~I'm loving that I recently painted my toes an orange shade. Such a pretty, happy color!

~I'm loving that there is the Semi-Annual sale going on at Bath and Body Works right now. They even sent me a coupon in the mail recently. Their stuff if all I wear! I love all the scents, especially Japanese Cherry Blossom and the Coconut scents. I need more body spray!

~I'm loving that I have recently gotten the motivation back to work out more. I have slacked off big time, and I am not very proud of myself! I was feeling pretty good when I was doing those Jillian Michaels workout videos, even though they kicked my butt!!!!

~I'm loving that tomorrow night is my BF Jackie's birthday dinner at Chili's. Yay for Girls' Night! I am taking the night off from working at the Pregnancy Care Center to be there. We have even already planned out what we are eating ;) I was looking at the menu online last night and Arnold told me I was going to have to close it out because he was getting hungry! ha!

~I'm loving that after dinner last night we all had chocolate icecream for dessert! We covered it with sprinkles we had left over from Rachel's birthday party. Yummy!

~I'm loving that we got the fradulent charges taken care of yesterday (well, almost.) Some weird charges showed up on our card yesterday.. so I called the bank. After spending most of the morning on the phone with them they told me that they would put our card on freeze mode, send us a new one, and we could report the charges. They said they definitely looked suspicious to them, so it probably shouldn't be a problem getting our money back.

~I'm loving that my Father-in-law is supposed to come by tomorrow afternoon and take Brooke and Caleb swimming. That will be a HUGE break for me for a few hours. Not to mention the kids have been begging us to take them swimming forever now!

~I'm loving that I FINALLY reached the 50 mark on my Followers list on here! I feel special! And over 15,000 views! Ha.. I am such a nerd!!! :)

~I'm loving that I laid in bed last night and basically planned Brooke's whole birthday party in my head. Can you tell I couldn't sleep last night?! Brooke really wants a Justin Bieber party. So I was imagining the cake, decorations, and what all we could do. Maybe a dance party?! She would love that!

~I'm loving that we are going to a cookout at one of my BF's houses tonight. All of the "Fab 4" is supposed to be there (and all of our kids!! It will be wild!) This week has been rough and I am ready to get out and see my girls!! :)

Who I Am

WHO I AM

I AM-- Abby. Real name Abigail. Nickname Abbs. Wife. Mother. Friend.

I want... New Rainbows, the next book in the series I'm reading, all the cute owl stuff at Kirklands (!), my living room carpet cleaned (can you tell it's almost my birthday?!)

I have... Brown hair and brown eyes.. don't know how my kids got their blonde hair and blue eyes! Their daddy must have really strong genes! Oh well, makes for some cute kids! ;) 

I wish... my kids would learn to get along! I am so tired of the whining. And we're only on week two of Summer break. How will I ever survive?????

I hate... when people are rude and mean for no reason. Bullies. Spiders and other bugs that creep around and catch me off guard. Not being able to sleep some nights. Panic attacks. Bad drivers. (Disclaimer: I don't truly HATE anything. Don't care for that word!)

I fear... Losing someone I love and care about. Not doing the very best job I can raising my kids (being responsible for three lives is scary!) The smaller things.. public speaking, tight spaces, driving in the rain.

I hear... Yo Gabba Gabba. That's what the kids are watching this morning while eating breakfast.

I search...For meaning. For my biological parents (starting soon). On Pinterest (ha) That site is just so darn addicting!

I wonder...What I am going to do for my birthday this year. What my kids are going to be when they grow up. Who Brooke is going to get for her 1st Grade Teacher.

I regret... Wasting so much time and being a crazy person in high school and college. I got too serious with a boyfriend at the time. I didn't focus on my studies like I should have in college. I made some really bad choices. But we live and learn I guess. 

I love... God. My husband. My kids. My entire family. My wonderful group of friends. My church family. My dogs and new kitten.

I ache... For the families in bad situations all over the place. I read a lot of blogs and see stories every day of heartbreak. People losing babies. Finding out they have Cancer. Surviving natural disasters. Makes me thank God that we have been so blessed.

I always... Check facebook every morning (don't want to miss anything!) Have my nose in a good book. Take a shower every day (I feel yucky if I don't!) Get really excited over things.  

I usually... Am very nice to people (I do have my moments though!) 

I am not... Very patient. A very good driver. Blessed in the musical sense (wish I could sing!!!)

I dance... In the living room at home. We turn on the music and bust loose. I would be embarrassed for anyone to look in my window! We are usually dancing to Dave Matthews... or here lately it would be Justin Bieber (my daughter's first crush!)

I sing... In the car, in the shower, when cleaning.... singing makes you happy!

I never... Just go right up to people and start a conversation. I am pretty shy until I get to know you.

I sometimes... Let things get to me too much... some things really bother me that I shouldn't even be worrying about. Or over-analyze something that just happened or what someone said. 

I cry... Alot, I am pretty sensitive. At sad parts in a movie, when bad things happen to people, when I get my feelings hurt, and of course at that dreaded "time of the month."

I lose.. My patience alot. Especially with the kids or on the road. I need to work on that. I often lose things I buy too, because I put them back in the closet and forget about them.

I am confused... At how some people chose to treat others or live their lives. Some things just don't make any sense to me.

I need... To start reading my Bible more often. To bring my stress level down a LOT. 

I should... Get off the computer and start the day. I still need to clean, go to the bank, go get some groceries, and then find something to keep the kids busy today!

Who Are You?



I am a wife--to Arnold-- for 6 1/2 years now.

I am a mom. Of 3 sweet babies (well not really babies anymore!) Brooke, Caleb, and Rachel. And mom to one son who was given up for adoption when I was a teenager.

I am a Christian. A follower of Jesus. A member of Christ Church. This pic was from my baptism, in Nov of last year.

I am a daughter. To Richard and Guynell. I am blessed to still have them in my lives. They have been married for 40 years now and model a loving marriage to me.

I am a loyal friend. I care deeply about my friends. I am a member of the "Fab 4!" These are 3 of my closest friends in this pic-- Jackie, Joanne, and Erika. I also have a few other very close friends not pictured but I love them just the same!!!!! :)

I am a lover of babies! They are so cute! Ha! I'd have a million more if Arnold would have let me ;) This is a pic of me and my "nephew" Benjamin! :)

I am a nerd. I mean bigtime! I am silly. I go to the beat of my own drummer. I get very excited about things. I have a lot of pent-up anxious energy. I am very loveable :)

Rachel is 3!!

Today my BABY is 3 years old! 3 years ago on June 18th, 2009, Arnold and I were headed to the hospital to have her. She was breech, and they couldn't get her flipped (believe me, they tried-- and it HURT!) so I had to have a c-section. Rachel was born at 2:55 PM on a Thursday afternoon. She came out BUTT first.. it was so incredibly funny. She has been stubborn and silly since day one ;) She weighed 8lbs and 3ozs and the first thing you noticed were her big pinchable cheeks! They could even see them on the ultrasound people!!!! At the time we didn't know she would be our last baby but now we know we are done, due to health issues and other factors.

It is sad for me to say my youngest is now an independent "big girl", running around, talking in sentences I actually understand, and trying to master drinking out of a regular cup! I have one more year with her at home with me before she starts preschool.. I don't even want to think about that day yet, I know I will be bawling! Rachel is my little buddy and my sidekick. We always have so much fun together. She will still climb up in my lap to be rocked, and I love that :)

Random Facts about Rachel at Age 3:

~She weighs about 35 lbs now

~Wears a size 4t in clothes

~Is a social butterfly

~Loves going to church and tells me Jesus is her best friend! :)

~Can't wait to start school, as she always likes to tell me

~Hair is still blonde!

~Eyes have changed and are a "hazel" shade now

~Best friends include Kenzie, Logan, Elia, Amelia, and Maddy :)

~Loves to copy just about everything her big brother and sister do

Rachel's Favorite Things:

~Dora

~Yo Gabba Gabba

~Corn on the cob

~Playing with her new kitten, Molly

~Baby dolls and pretending to be a Mommy

~Playdates with friends

~Chick Fila!

~Icecream and Rita's Italian Ice

~Drawing pictures

~Dancing to up-beat music

~Having books read to her

Things Rachel Still Doesn't Like:

~Getting her hair washed

~Being left with someone she doesn't know

~Veggies (ha!)

~Having to take a nap

~Having a toy taken away from her

Happy 3rd Birthday Rachel Louise!!!!!! We Love you so much!!!!!

Rachel on the day she was born, 6/18/09

Rachel at 1 year old. Look at the cute chubbiness! ;)

Rachel on her 2nd Birthday

And now-- my BIG GIRL!!!! :)

Father's Day Weekend 2012

We had a great weekend and I think Arnold had a lot of fun celebrating Father's Day. I already wrote about Friday during the day in my last blog so I'll just skip ahead a little...

Friday evening my friend Erika and I threw a "friends baby shower" for our good friend Crystin. She is due in August with her 3rd baby, a sweet little boy! We wanted to do something special for her and all of us could use a girls' night, so we went out to dinner at Chili's. We went out a little early than that to the store, to get her gift and a babyshower cake. They usually have a lot of cute cakes made up and I didn't think it would be a problem to find one, but they had a lot of white cake and I was specifically looking for chocolate because that is Crystin's favorite. So I was stuck with either choosing a pretty cake in white or going with Father's Day or kiddie cakes?! We finally found a small, round cake and it was chocolate.. only problem was it was decorated around the edge with little cupcake pics of children's faces?! Very strange.. but it was still kind of cute. Looking back on it, I think it was for a preschool/Kindy graduation maybe?! But it worked I guess... makes for a funny story now. When we got to Chili's they actually were able to get us a big table set up right away.. that NEVER happens on the weekends, I was pleasantly surprised! We actually had to wait awhile on the other girls to get there, so Erika and I munched on an appetizer of chips and dip. Then the other girls showed up and it was time to order... we had been eating so many chips that I was almost stuffed already, so I just ordered a salad. We sat around talking till after 9:30 that evening! I'm surprised they didn't kick us out! It was such a fun and relaxing time. Crystin seemed to get some cute baby boy things. And when it came time for cake, I took the piece with the little girl that looked like Rachel ;) Ha! I took it home because I was stuffed, and the next day it wasn't as good :( But anyway.... the night was a great success and I can't wait to meet baby Liam soon! :)

Saturday we all slept in late since they kids had stayed up late the night before.. they had had their last night of VBS at their cousin's school. We stayed in our pjs until after lunch! That usually doesn't happen around here. But we had no where to go really... Arnold left for a few hours to go clean the church like he does every week. He found out a guy was getting married there later that day, so he especially felt his work went noticed this particular week! That afternoon we went to my "nephew's" 1st Birthday party! He is the son of my best friend from highschool, Jess. They had a cookout at their church, and everything was so cute. The cake even had a picture screenprinted on there, of him when he was a LITTLE baby :) Jess asked me to do the honors of taking the pics of him smashing his cake and opening his gifts.. since I "love taking pictures so much" ha! She only had 40 shots left on her memory, and I got done with 1 to spare.. pretty impressive! ;) I love capturing memories on film.. you can never get those moments back!!!! We got Hunter a bunch of books for his birthday.. you can never go wrong with books! My kids love the "Llama Llama" series, and they recently came out with board books for the little ones, so two of the books I got him were called "Llama Llama Nighty Night" and "Llama Llama Wakey Wake!" Sooo cute.. if my kids were a little younger they would have had those in their collections, too ;)

That evening we went over to my parents' house for a Father's Day Cookout. I had made the grandpas pictures of the kids outside holding signs that said "I Love Paw" or "I Love Pop Pop" and I framed them, and they looked really cute! My dad had been bugging me for a new pic of the kids for his office forever. The guys had ribs and mom and I and the kids had hotdogs... everyone knows my thing of not eating meat on the bone! ;) As a gift, Mom and Dad gave Arnold some new khaki shorts and his own pair of RAINBOWS!!!! Arnold decided he wanted a pair after he saw how into mine I was. Mine had an accident awhile back and our dog, Oreo, chewed them up and it devestated me :( Arnold still hasn't gotten used to them, it takes awhile to wear them in. If he never gets used to them, I will gladly take them! I don't even care that they are the "man" style! ;) I love me some Rainbows!!! Anyway, we had a great time hanging out with my parents and Grandpa. The weather was GORGEOUS and there was even a nice breeze (not so common in June!) and we got to eat outside on their deck. After dinner everyone had strawberry icecream for dessert.

This morning I got up while Arnold was still sleeping, got the kids dressed and into the van, and we drove over to Burger King and got breakfast for Arnold, as a surprise. He usually never wakes up when he is really sleeping, so I didn't think he would even notice, but he was up and in the kitchen when we got home. He had no idea where we had gone.. but he was happy with the breakfast! :) Then we got everyone ready and went to church at 11:00. Rachel wore her shirt that said "Dad's Cutie" with her pink skirt and new sandals my mom got her for her bday, and she looked adorable :) After church we met Arnold's parents over at Zaxby's for lunch. They were PACKED.. guess everyone else had the same idea. That afternoon we all rested for awhile and hung around the house. We gave Arnold his gift-- I had gotten him two books.. one was "Diary of a Player" which is a book Brad Paisley wrote. And the other was called "Where Were You when the Music Played" and it was about famous moments in music history. I also got him some Axe body wash, and some of his fave candy and gum. And I did a framed pic of the kids for him too like I did with the Grandpas, so he could take it for work. The kids made hime homeade cards which turned out really cute.. they even drew pictures :) He seemed to really like his gift, and he has even been reading the Brad Paisley book already. He doesn't usually care to read unless its something that really interests him.

I hope all the Dads out there had a wonderful Father's Day!!!!! :)

The kids with their "Daddy" pic. This was the 3rd pic I had taken, and Rachel was tired of pics, so she is starting to look away, and the papers are starting to droop ;)

Hunter digging into that cake at his party! He destroyed it, it was so funny! :)