This Weekend I...

 

This weekend I...

 

...celebrated Brooke's birthday! (early since her bday is actually today!)

 

...finished another book. "Fly Away Home" by Jennifer Weiner.

 

...finally finished the girls' new bedroom. Pics to come soon!

 

...watched more "Orange is the New Black" on my Kindle.

 

...listened to the men on my roof for hours at a time. The roof is now on!!

 

...bought a few more Christmas gifts. I already have a nice stockpile started!

 

...let the kids have a campout in the living room. They stayed up really late.

 

...took the kids to get haircuts for school. Brooke decided to go short!

 

...bought awesome new shoes to workout in. They are bright PINK!

 

...did stacks and stacks of paperwork that the kids' school gave us.

 

...went to a few yardsales. Wasn't a great morning, but did find a rug and wall hanging.

 

...picked out paint for Caleb's room. His room is our next big project.

 

...enjoyed some really yummy porkchops that hubby made for dinner!

 

...played like a kid again at Hickory Dickory Dock. I rock at basketball (b/c I am so tall ;)

 

...packed up school supplies and bookbags and got everything ready for 1st day of School!

 

 

 

 

 

And a few pics from the weekend....

 

 





Brooke at Age 7

 

 

So my first-born is turning 7 tomorrow! August 26th. So along with tradition, this is her yearly survey and info about her this year! Brooke is so much fun at this age. She is still sweet and girly, but she is starting to get more dramatic and care more about what kids her age think. She spends a lot of time with a good friend of her's these days, and she tends to pick up on what she does and likes. She is still fast-paced and active, and could spend all day outdoors if we let her. She is on-the-go from sun up to sun down, and talks non-stop (Arnold says that is like me ;) She does very well in school and reads way above her grade level, and really excels in science and social studies, she won awards for both the past year. I miss seeing her as a little baby, but also love watching her grow into a little lady. Happy birthday Brooke Elizabeth, we love you!!! :)

 

 

 

Brooke at age 7

*In 2nd Grade

*Activities: Cheerleading

*Size 8/10 clothes

*Size 2 shoes in girls'

 

 

 

Favorite Color: Pink

Favorite Toy: Nintendo DS

Favorite Animal: Giraffes

Favorite Food: Mac & Cheese

Favorite Snack: Fruit Snacks

Favorite Drink: Fruit punch

Favorite Dessert: Popsicles

Favorite Season: Winter

Favorite Holiday: Christmas

Favorite Restaurant: The Chinese Buffet

Fave Tv Show: Power Puff Girls

Favorite Movie: Cinderella

Favorite Video Game: Kirby

Favorite Book: Diary of a Wimpy Kid series

Favorite thing to do: Play with Dolls

Favorite thing to do outside: Swing

Favorite Subject in school: Science

Favorite Thing to wear: Dresses

 

Best Friend? Zoey

What are you scared of? Bees, and talking in front of people at school

What do you want to be when you grow up? A scientist

What do you want to be for Halloween this year? A Lalaloopsy

What do you want for Christmas this year? A baby doll bed, legos, dressup clothes, Littlest Pet shops, mini lalaloopsies, Barbies, and playdoh.

What do you sleep with every night? Sally, Annie, Panda, and Owl

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

Brooke as just a little baby! So sweet! :)

And Brooke now, at 7 years old. My beautiful young lady! :)

Thursday Randoms

 My mom and dad celebrated their anniversary this week. 42 years of marriage! Isn't that awesome? That is not very common these days. I am so blessed to have grown up with 2 parents, who really work hard on their marriage, and set a good example for me when I got married. I have seen them have good times, and times when they argued. I know it is all ok. That you can't run out when times get tough. Here's to many more years guys! :)

 

Rachel got this little beauty the other day, haha. I couldn't resist. I had wanted another one, but they didn't have it in her size. Rachel said "yuck" when I asked her what she thought of this one, since it was blah colors, but I pointed out the "cute little ducks" and she was ok with it then :)

Tuesday night was "Meet your teacher night" at school. We took the kids up there to look around. We already knew Caleb and Rachel's teachers since we had had them before, but it was nice to see them after the long summer. Then we went to meet Brooke's teacher. She seems ok but seems like she will be very strict, so I am going to have to be careful, ha! She is also a Duke fan and had stuff hanging up in her room (booo, haha!) Should I send Brooke to school in a Carolina shirt?? ;) She also said that she had heard that Brooke was a talker, so she moved her towards the front of the room! When Rachel went to see her classroom she went straight in and started playing. When we told her it was time to go she had a meltdown. I think she was ready to start that day!

Was grocery shopping and saw some fall scents out. I sprayed a little of the Pumpkin Spice and loved it, so it hopped right on into my cart! I love this time of year!

This book was one of the Kindle Deals awhile back, so I bought it for cheap. It was actually pretty good. Written by the guy who created Veggie Tales. Who knew he had been so young when he came up with the idea. And now kids everywhere love those silly veggies! 

Glade brand came out with some waxmelts, so I wanted to try them out. I picked up the Cashmere Woods last time I was at Walmart. I burned one brick of it in my warmer last night while I was laying in bed reading. It smelled really good! Now to try some of the other scents..

 

 

 

 

 

 

~The kids have really been testing me this week. I don't know what is going on. Then someone told me there was a full moon.. maybe that was it?? I have really had to work extra hard to be patient. I went to bed several nights feeling guilty about wasted days with them, because it was just so rough. Brooke is in a stage where she has been telling lies. Anyone else gone through this? I don't understand why she is telling so many lies. She doesn't seem to want to stop either.

 

 

~My anxiety has been creeping back in lately. Twice I have woken up in the middle of the night and had a very hard time going back to sleep. Thankfully Arnold is a night owl and was up with me, talking me through it and helping me calm down. Having a supportive husband really helps!

 

 

~I think the kids have already decided what they are going to be for Halloween this year! Crazy right? But who can avoid it when everywhere you look they are already putting Fall/Halloween stuff out in stores? Brooke says she wants to be a Lalaloopsy, Rachel says she wants to be a cupcake, and Caleb says he wants to be a Ninja. Now let's see if I can find these costumes without going broke!

 

 

~We finally found a company to work on our roof, and they are actually out here TODAY putting our new one up! Arnold was really impressed with them.. they came right out and looked at our roof and gave us a quote. They seemed nice, honest, and hard-working. This morning they showed up bright and early, 8am to be exact and got to work. Can't wait to see it all finished.





Brooke & Caleb's Birthday Party

 

 

This past weekend we had Brooke and Caleb's birthday party. Since they are just a year apart and they still have alot of the same friends, we decided to combine their party this year. We have done it in the past and it worked out really well. And I THINK it saved us money... haha. We had it at Hickory Dickory Dock.. which is sort of like Chuck E Cheese, but a little less chaotic most of the time. We did the 10am-12 noon party, which I liked alot. We got up, got ready, and went to the party. No morning full of kids whining about how much longer it would be. Plus, we had the rest of the day after that to do whatever we wanted, and rest. Most times we don't get home until late from the kids' parties, and we are exhausted.

 

The kids all got tokens when they came in, and could go play games. They could also do bumper cars, laser tag, and putt putt. Caleb loved playing laser tag, but got mad that he kept losing.. ha. The girls ran off and played in the big playarea jungle gym type thing. I got to walk around and talk to my family and friends, which was fun. Arnold and his dad played some pool. Everyone seemed to have a pretty good time. Then at 11 they called us all into the party room. We had a hostess that did mostly everything for us, which was great. I got to stand back and watch everything and take pictures, instead of being stressed. The kids all got pizza to eat and after they were finishe we pulled out the cakes. Brooke had wanted a rainbow theme, and Caleb wanted an angry birds theme, so that is what their cakes were. I had gotten candles that spelled out "Brooke" for Brooke's cake, and the kids all fought over them, trying to help, and the "R" got broken. So we had to make do and stick it way down into the cake which looked funny.. oh well. Could be worse things!

 

We sang happy birthday to the kids, they blew out their candles, and everyone ate cake. The cakes tasted fantastic (thanks to talented friends of mine!) I was so happy I didn't have to bake (I am the weirdo that does NOT like cooking) and Arnold was so happy we didn't have to clean up afterwards! So I think it was totally worth the money we spent! Overall we had 15 kids there and it was just right. At the end the kids gathered around and they opened their gifts. They got a lot of neat things that they were excited about.. new clothes, DS games, toys... and even some money for them to go pick something out (which they have already done of course! :)

 

When the party was over we loaded up everything into the cars and everyone left. The kids had been so excited about everything that they had run out of time before they could even use all their tokens.. so I guess I will take them back one day to use the rest of them. We went with some friends of our's and their daughter to lunch at El Paso before we went home. And Brooke ended up taking one of her friends home to play for the rest of the day, which she loved. They dragged out all her new toys and played the day away. The house was a disaster by the end of the day, and thankfully Arnold was sweet enough to help me clean it all up! And I DID have leftover cake that night before bed.. yum! ;)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rachel riding on a ride beside her buddy, Hunter :)

Wearing her rainbow dress, to go along with her big sister's theme

With 3 of my very best friends, hanging out watching the kids play

Caleb playing air hockey with my dad. This was too sweet!

Caleb in his angry birds shirt to match his theme.

My mom and I hanging out at the party

All the kids in the party room having some pizza

Brooke's beautiful cake, made by my friend Chasity

Even the inside of the cake was rainbow layers! So pretty!

Caleb's angry birds cake made by my BFF, Joanne. So cute!

Opening up presents

Even my friend Chrissy stopped by with 2-month old Eden! I had to get my snuggles in!

The kids out to eat after the party

This Weekend I...

...cleaned the house... several times

...enjoyed cheesy ziti at one of my fave restaurants-- Olive Garden!

...rented the movie "Admission." It was a drama, not a comedy, so I was surprised.

...made and bagged up 30 twizzler rainbows (with Arnold's help!)

...hosted a birthday party for 15 kids at Hickory Dickory Dock.

...snuggled a sweet 2-month old baby girl :)

...laughed and hung out with some of my very best friends.

...had lunch at El Paso with another couple and their kids.

...let one of Brooke's friends come over and play all day.

...boxed up some clothes and sheets to donate.

...went grocery shopping in the rain.

...finished a good book I had been reading.

...ordered Toilet Paper off Amazon (it was a great deal-- ha!)

...ate waay too much birthday cake! (but it was yummy!)

...put away a million new toys that the kids got as gifts.

...praised God at the 11am service at our Church :)

...organized my closet and dresser drawers.

...finished school shopping.. and spent a ton of money.

...bought Rachel and myself Duck Dynasty shirts.. couldn't resist!

...oohed and ahhed over pics of a friend's new baby and another friend's new kittens :)

...took a really long nap, and it was heaven!

...found out for sure that Rachel got into Preschool! yay!

...finished Season 3 of Duck Dynasty on DVD (happy, happy, happy!)

...took the kids to pick out toys with their birthday money.




I'd say it was a pretty good weekend :)

Rachel at 4 Years!

Rachel turned 4 back in June, and I never did her yearly "survey" like I do with all the kids on their birthdays. She went in for her 4-yr checkup this week, so I thought I'd do it now. At her 4 yr check up she was doing great.. they said she was right on track and ready for preschool!

 

 

Weight- 44lbs

Height- 42 1/2 inches tall

Clothes- Size 5/6 shirts and size 4/5 bottoms

Shoe Size- 11

School- Going into Preschool with Mrs. Corpening

 

 

 

 

Favorite Color: Red

Favorite Animal: Kitties

Favorite Tv Show: Dora

Favorite Food: Strawberries

Favorite Snack: Applesauce

Favorite Drink: Apple juice

Favorite Toy: Bear Bear

Favorite Thing to do: Play hide and seek

Favorite Holiday: Halloween

Favorite Restaurant: Village Inn

Favorite Place to go: Outside to play

Favorite thing to do outside: Go down slide and swing

Favorite thing to wear: Dresses

Best Friend? Kenzie

What do you want to be when you grow up? A Princess :)

Sleeps with at night: "Fat Kitty" (basically a whole zoo of animals!)

What are you going to be for Halloween? A cupcake



 

 

 

 

 

Here is Rachel this Summer, at age 4

And here is Rachel back when she was a little baby :) Around 5 months.

What I'm Loving Wednesday!

 

 

~We took Rachel in for her 4-year checkup yesterday. (2 months late, but whatever!) She is now 44lbs and 42 1/2 inches-- they say she jumped a LOT in height! She is going to be tall like the rest of us ;) She passed her hearing, vision, and all the other tests. She also had a finger prick and 3 more vaccines.. which was hard to watch :( But the Dr declared her ready for Preschool! Yay! :)

~I am working on favors for the kids' bday party this weekend. Brooke wanted a rainbow theme. Aren't these cute? They are rainbow colored twizzlers (yes, they make those!) and mini marshmellows! Arnold thinks it will be hard to package them up.. but we will see!

~And here is the idea for Caleb's part.. he wanted an Angry Birds theme. So this is easy and cute-- using M&M's or a similar candy and call it "Angry Bird Eggs." It could also be "Angry Bird Droppings" but that is kindof gross!!!

~Plum District had a Little Tikes Deal yesterday, so I picked up some more Christmas gifts for half off! Including this Lalaloopsy for Rachel! They had several on the website but I chose this one because everytime I see it in the store I think it is so pretty ;) And it has blonde hair like Rachel! Also-- are you impressed I am started Christmas shopping already?!

~After months and MONTHS of trying to get past level 29 on Candy Crush, my sweet hubby surprised me and beat the level for me. Some people would get mad at that, but I was just relieved to be moving on. I felt sort of stupid.. I hear people all the time talking about being in the levels of the "60s" or even "100s" and I wondered why I couldn't get past that stupid level!!!

~We don't get the channel to watch Duck Dynasty (I wish!) But we are addicted to the show like everyone else, so I buy the dvds when they come out to Amazon. This baby arrived the other day, and so we have been catching up this past week! I know everyone is excited about Season 4 starting up tonight! Let me know if it is good (I'm sure it will be!)

~My friend Jess and I went to the movies this past weekend. I had been wanting to see both Grown Ups 2 and We are the Millers. We went to Grown Ups 2 this time, though. It was pretty funny, but not the best. It jumped around a lot and was pretty random and silly! But what do you expect from Adam Sandler?! I love him by the way.. have the tiniest crush.. shhhh ;)

~Have been reading this book this week.. almost done. It has been pretty good.. I like to read all of Kristin Hannah's books. But the mom is in the military and the part where she goes off to Iraq is sad! She has two young daughters and I was just bawling at certain parts. I am so thankful for the families who allow their family members to go off and protect our country. I don't think I'd be strong enough to watch my husband go away from us for that long!! :(

~Caleb is officially signed up for soccer! This will be his first sport ever, so I hope he does well (mostly I hope he doesn't whine and complain--ha!) The other day we went into "Play it Again Sports" which is an awesome sports consingment store in the area. We got him soccer cleats, shin gaurds, and a soccer ball. Only the soccer ball was used, but we got a great deal on everything! Arnold has been running the kids around the house trying to get Caleb ready for practices, which should be starting up soon! 

 

 

 

 

~I have been productive today and been working on cleaning out our closet. (yes, again-- it never seems to stay organized for long!) I made a HUGE pile of clothes that I found that don't fit or I don't wear anymore. It felt good to get all that stuff out. I made a pile to take to a local crisis ministry (where my mom works at actually!) and I am going to donate a box of stuff later this week. It felt SO good to get rid of so much stuff.. I swear I could be a minimalist except for the fact I am so dang sentimental and have a hard time throwing stuff out!!

 

 

 

~Next Tuesday night is "Meet the Teacher" night at the Elementary school. I can't wait to go in and see who Brooke got this year, and to see Caleb's teacher again (who we already know.) I can't believe there is only 12 days left until school starts! (although I can say the kids are READY!)

 

 

 

~Tomorrow we go in for the LAST (finally) installment of appointments for Brooke to get all her dental work done. Poor girl has been through SO much with her health and teeth.. I just want her to get a break! Thankfully we have great dentists who make it so easy on her (and us-- ha!) And thankfully this time we have the money upfront to pay for her work (it is so expensive!) So please say a little prayer for her, if you would! :)

Caleb's 6th Birthday-What We Did

 

 

 

Last we we celebrated Caleb's 6th birthday. His actual birthday was on a Thursday.  Arnold went into work for a half day, then took off the rest of the day for us to have fun. First thing that morning Caleb woke up early (along with his nosy sisters ha) because he was dying to open his presents. So we let him open them in our bedroom where we had been storing them. Then Arnold went into work and I got the kids ready and headed to Chuck E Cheese with a friend and her daughter, to start the fun early. We got a deal on 100 tokens and split them up between the kids, and they ran off to play games. The tokens did not last long!!!! I had picked up a cupcake cake at the store on the way, and so we had some cupcakes. We found one that looked like "Perry" from Phineas and Ferb, and Caleb loves that show, so it worked out great! We ate cupcakes in the morning.. before lunch.. we are rebels.. haha ;) Then the kids rounded up all their tickets and cashed them in for some prizes. At this age I still make them pool them all together and share the winnings.. works out I don't have to hear the fighting!

 

Then we headed down to Geppetto's and met Arnold for lunch. We had the yummy salad and pizza buffet. While we were there, a guy came buy and asked us if our kids were triplets!! No.. but sometimes it feels like it! They DO look just alike.. people tell us that all the time. After lunch we went across the street to the theater to see Smurfs 2. The kids never even saw the first movie (but Arnold and I did! ;) It was actually pretty good! There were several funny parts (and by the way-- Gargamel's (sp?) cat is HILARIOUS... ;) And the message was really good, also. I almost cried at the end.. I am such a sap! We have seen SO many kids' movies this summer it is unreal! We still hope to see "Planes" also, which just came out.

 

After the movies we headed to Toys R Us. They do this thing where they let the birthday kid get a crown and balloon.. and they send you a coupon, so we always let the kids pick out a small toy. Caleb got a lego set... he is really into his legos these days. They also had a deal going on so we picked up a few more sets.. for the girls.. so we spent more than we had planned. Man, our kids are so spoiled!!! ;) But to be fair, we went home after that and they played with the legos for a very long time! Later that night we went to Applebee's for dinner. Caleb had wanted to go to Olive Garden, but they had a 45 minute wait, and we weren't about to do that with the 3 kids.

 

At the end of that day I think we were all exhausted. And as you can tell, we LOVE birthdays here. We might go overboard but I always celebrated big when I was growing up, and I love doing it for my kids now! Happy 6th Birthday Caleb! We love you!!! :)

 

 

 

 

 

Opening gifts first thing in the morning! Lots of superhero toys, some ds games, and a watch :)

Playing some games at Chuck E Cheese with their friend, Kenzie

Getting ready to have some cupcakes. Isn't Perry cute?? :)

 

Getting some love from his lil sis and big sis at lunch :)

At the movies seeing Smurfs 2. Good movie!

Outside Toys R Us with his crown and toy he picked out.

At dinner that night, at Applebee's

Caleb at 6 Years!

 

 

Tomorrow my little guy is turning 6 years old! Doesn't seem like it is time! 6 years ago, towards the end of my pregnancy, they found out that he was breech (upside down) so they wanted to either try to turn him or schedule me for a c-section. I did not want to have a c-section so they admitted me to the hospital.. and 2 male doctors with very large, strong hands (ha) turned Caleb manually.. from the outside of my stomach. It HURT, believe me. But it was worth it so I could have a normal labor. They then induced me and I spent the day walking the halls. He took forever to come out, he is stubborn! 12 hours later I was ready to push, and at 6:35pm he was born! He came out crying and peed all over Arnold's foot! Ha! It is true what they say about little boys.. he later peed on our wall when getting his diaper changed! He was 7lbs even, and so skinny and tiny. Even though him and Brooke were LESS than a year apart, we were so happy to add him to the family :)

 

 

Today Caleb is still a stubborn little boy, but he is so sweet-natured and sensitive. He reminds me of myself. He is always the one who will notice if I am dressed up, and tell me I look nice :) He was the one who had a hard time leaving me on his first day of school, he just cried and cried :( He has a great mind for detail, and will spend forever coloring his page until he gets it just right. He loves to play with little toys and loves taking things apart and putting them back together again (he got all that from his Daddy!) He also could spend all day playing with legos. He likes to ride his bike outside but is more of an indoor person. He really looks up to his dad and tries to be just like him. These days he is very into superheros and gets excited whenever a new superhero movie comes out because he knows his daddy will take him to see it (he wants to see it just as bad! ;) 

 

 

 

Here is a survey I do every year on the kids birthdays to remember what they are like that year, and see how they have changed (these are Caleb's answers):

 

Fave Color? Blue and red

Fave animal? Cats

Fave Book? The Cat Alphabet (a book my mom got his last Christmas)

Fave Tv Show? Mario (the version from the 90s!)

Fave Movie? Batman

Fave Food? Pizza

Fave Drink? Orange juice

Fave Snack? Crackers

Fave Holiday? Christmas

Fave Toy? Batman figurine

Fave Video Game? Indiana Jones

Fave Season? Winter (he likes snow)

Fave Restaurant? Pizza Hut

Fave place to go? Toys R Us

Fave thing to do? Watch tv and play with toys

Fave thing to do outside? Ride bike and swing

Fave thing to wear? Batman shirt (can you tell he likes Batman?!)

What do you want to be when you grow up? An artist (specifically painting ;)

What do you sleep with at night? Dino pillowpet and Rabbit

Who is your best friend? Tucker

 

 

 

 

 

 

And here is a look back at Caleb through the years. Looking through these pictures this week made me tear up!!!

 

 

 

 

 

Caleb the day he was born

Around 6 months old

On his 1st Birthday

2nd Birthday

3rd Birthday. He had a "sports" themed pool party

4th Birthday. Playing at Hickory Dickory Dock

5th Birthday. At Toys R Us

And recently, at the dentist. Just about 6 years old!!! :)