The Flick Family Blog

The MAD Group

2012-01-31T18:29:00.000-08:00

So it appears I have become a part of something wonderful, something given to me from God...the MAD Birthday Group. (Today it even got to be the MAD support group.)

When we moved to our new community 2 1/2 years ago, I didn't know a soul, not one soul. If you know me well that was daunting, very daunting. But oh how the Lord has blessed me with so many great new friends. Our church's women's ministry is brimming with just plain awesome women whom I get to share life with every other week. I AM SO GRATEFUL.

Then there are two women who have come to mean so much to me from church. We have gotten to know each other and support each other through some good times and rough times. My family even took over one of these ladies' homes for 2 1/2 weeks when we were in-between apartments last fall. I know I can depend on them and I hope they know they can depend on me.

Last fall we surprised D for her birthday by inviting her to my apartment for a casual play date but instead we had a birthday brunch waiting to celebrate her. Then for my birthday they showed up on my doorstep to take me out for the evening.

Well, last weekend we got to celebrate A. We took her out to one of her favorite restaurants then headed back to my apartment to hang out and celebrate more.

I had found this incredible looking cake on Pinterest and knew it had to be made for A's birthday so we enjoyed a Salted Caramel Dark Chocolate cake, watched videos on how to wear scarves and make our hair curly by wearing headbands overnight. Then we settled in and watched a fun chick flick.

It was a great night. I don't know who is blessed more, the birthday girl or the ones who get to be sneaky and make the plan and put it into action. It is so fun on both sides. We have also decided that it is our tradition now and so we are the MAD birthday group...MAD as in awesome!

5 1/2

2012-01-29T21:02:00.000-08:00

One of the first things I thought about after discovering we were pregnant with our first and that the due date was in July was that our sweet little one wouldn't get to bring the beloved birthday treats to school since he or she was going to have a summer birthday. But along comes her awesome Kindergarten teacher this year who lets the summer birthday kids celebrate their half birthdays and that is just what Peanut got to do this past Friday! She was as excited about turning 5 1/2 as she was when she turned 5. There was even a conversation where I had to make sure she understood there wouldn't be presents because she thought we were going to do it up big!

She did get to take a special treat to her class though and that sufficed. Due to some allergies that her classmates have we couldn't do the traditional cupcake, so we chose rainbow fruit kabobs! (Totally stole the idea from a friend.) They were a hit with most of her kindergarten buddies.

Pumpkin and I got to hang out with her during the last hour of her class which made her even more excited. Pumpkin got to paint a little which made her day too!

We spent the last half hour outside at recess with Peanut and her buddies. I figured out quickly after Kindergarten started not to send her in anything "fancy" because she LOVES to get in the dirt and get dirty and muddy! She was immediately drawn to the mud and stomped around in it for part of recess. She did not get that gene from me...I don't like to get dirty. I am so glad that she doesn't mind! I do love that most days when I pick her up, I have to take her boots off before she can get in the van.

And now she's all big and 5 1/2 years old! ;) Those half year markers are so important when you are little. They are just reminders to me of how fast time is passing by and to cling to each moment that they are little.

Daddy's Birthday

2012-01-29T17:44:00.000-08:00

So on January 25 we celebrated Robert Burns' birthday and on January 26 we celebrated Daddy's birthday with our friends. We have had some great times with them in the past few months and this was just an extra special week of celebrating and being together.

Daddy got a special meal. I always love planning out the perfect meal for him. He is not picky so it is fun to try out new recipes and I always try to pick out things that I know he would love. This year I had the added addition of a restricted diet but I able to find some great "pinspiration" on Pinterest. We had Baked Dijon Salmon (thank you to Kroger for having an AWESOME sale on fresh salmon!), Greek Zucchini Fritters, roasted garlic couscous, and instead of birthday cake a special birthday Blackberry Pie. They were all keeper recipes! Love it when that happens!

We even played Daddy's new favorite game Carcassonne. As he told a friend today, he is "nerding out" over it. He is obsessed! After the festivities of our meal and game, he and his buddy played a few games on their own with their extension packs!

We love you so much Hubby and Daddy! We praise the Lord for who you are to each of us. You are an INCREDIBLE father. These little girls we are blessed with will never doubt your love for them for even a minute!
So here are 36 random things that I love about you:
1. You love God.
2. You don't back down on your beliefs.
3. You run around playing like a crazy man playing "Monster" with the girls inducing the world's loudest giggles from them!
4. You've taught me to love music that I probably would have never given a chance.
5. You love our girls to the moon and back a bazillion times over.
6. You love what your are pursuing.
7. You don't let your dreams die.
8. You teach our girls what it means to love other people.
9. You make time for us even in this crazy, hectic time of life.
10. You still know how to make me laugh and giggle.
11. You love to unwind with a movie and me.
12. You know how to fix my computer issues when I have no clue.
13. You push me when I need to be pushed (even if I whine and there are tears involved).
14. You beam with pride when our girls do the simplest things, spurring on their confidence!
15. You teach the girls that they can do ANYTHING!
16. You tackle insurance because you know it overwhelms me.
17. You let me have time away when I might come close to losing it.
18. You love your family.
19. You love history and make it an important part of our lives.
20. You have taken this new path concerning your health seriously and are changing what you can on!
21. You support me in my passion to be home with our girls.
22. You help me make our home just that, a home even if it is a tiny apartment.
23. You are a computer whiz.
24. You love people just for who they are not for what others think they should be.
25. You wash the dishes when I just need a break.
26. You take out the trash for me.
27. You don't just settle for things.
28. You remind me constantly that He will take care of us and not leave us hang.
29. You are brave in the midst of what we are faced with right now.
30. You work above and beyond in school.
31. You take the bus so I can have the van to run the girls around.
32. You will eat anything I make for you and usually like it!
33. You are teaching me to enjoy strategy games (slowly but surely).
34. You take our girls on dates so they know how special they are to you.
35. You love me.
36. You helped me create two of the most amazing girls on the planet!

Robert Burn's Day!

2012-01-29T16:55:00.000-08:00

A little over a week ago, I had no idea who Robert_Burns was, but now I do. He was a Scottish poet who was born on January 25, 1759 and died on July 21, 1796. He is known as Scotland's favorite son and the Ploughman poet. (Thanks Wikipedia!) We have some great friends who take their Scottish roots seriously and invited us over to celebrate Robert Burns' day in true Scottish style.

I mean, we are talking kilts, kilt hose (knit by my friend), bagpipes, and true Scottish food.

We ate haggis and neeps and tatties.

The food was blessed with the Selkirk Grace otherwise knowns as the Burns' Grace.
"Some hae meat and canna eat,
And some wad eat that want it,
But we hae meat and we can eat,
And sae the Lord be thankit."

There was even a reading of Robert Burns' poetry dedicated to the beloved haggis, Address to a Haggis.

I have to say that the haggis was not awful. Now that I have had it, I'm probably ok if I don't have it again but wouldn't turn my nose up to it. Even the girls liked it which shocked me...especially our little picky eater.

Most importantly we just had fun! We are so blessed with great friendships. God has provided fellowship for us with these special friends and we are amazed how He has led our paths to the same town for the time being. We love spending time together and watching our kids' friendship unfold.

And in true Burns' night tradition we were piped away with Auld Lang Syne.

Highlights

2012-01-29T16:28:00.000-08:00

A dear friend got Peanut a really cool Christmas gift that floods Daddy and I with memories....a subscription to Highlights magazine! She LOVES it. The day that it comes, we spend Pumpkin's nap time together on the floor reading and doing the activities together. It is such a fun little magazine for her age. Both Daddy and I had Highlights subscriptions when we were little so it is so fun to watch out little girl get so excited about something that we were so excited about when we were little. Thank you dear friend for thinking of this great idea. It has been a hit!

The Halfway Visit

2012-01-18T11:44:00.000-08:00

A year...WOW! It has been over a year since we have seen Daddy's sister and her girls. That is not right! We have tried to get together but it always seems plans fall through or kids get sick. This time we sort of threw it together at the last minute and it worked!

Halfway between their home and ours is a nice city with lots of things to do so we met there. It was SO good to see them. I love NOTHING more than seeing my girls being loved on by members of our family and for us to get to love on those members too.

After a quick lunch we hit two museums that are housed in this amazing railroad terminal that was built in 1931. Here are some pics from our day together.

It was hard keeping up with the youngsters in the group. They would run from display to display.

There was ALOT of giggling going on between these two who are only about 9 months apart in age. They crack us up!

After losing the littlest in our group in the PACKED OUT children's museum for all of 30 seconds which seemed like an eternity to me, we decided to grab some supper together before heading out separate ways.

We are all so thankful we were able to have this special time together. We have decided that meeting in this town needs to become a habit and just do it!

Diagnosis

2012-01-17T18:44:00.000-08:00

I haven't dedicated a post to what we have found out about Daddy's health. I am sure most of you already know as you have been following on Facebook or through email but maybe some of you do not. Daddy had his kidney biopsy done on December 13. After a fiasco of trying to find out what the results of the biopsy were (long story...nutshell version: lots of miscommunication!), we found out that Daddy does not have Minimal Change Kidney Disease as we were hoping. He has what is called Focal Segmental Glomerulosclerosis or FSGS. His kidneys are functioning at 30% right now and he is right on the line between stage 3 and stage 4 for Chronic Kidney Disease (there are 5 stages).

After meeting with our Nephrologist and hearing his treatment plan for Daddy, we both feel that finding a second opinion would not be a bad thing. We are in the process of doing that right now.

We have made some really good connections since discovering his diagnosis. Daddy spoke with a man who has FSGS and will be receiving a new kidney next month for at least an hour the other night. We also have the phone number for another family who wants to talk with us about their daughter's experience with FSGS. We were also connected to our local dialysis center where we met a social worker and dietitian who offered to meet with us whenever we wanted or needed to.

Daddy is feeling good. There are no symptoms right now and for that we are so thankful. He has been able to maintain his busy schedule and keep up with two little girls who love him to the moon and back.

He is watching what he eats very closely and trying to exercise everyday. We have to keep a close eye on how much potassium he takes in each day. His potassium level was at 5.5 when we met with the doctor and they consider 6 to be the danger zone where there can be some serious issues with the heart. The doctor decreased one of his medicines that is known to increase potassium levels. We are hoping that will drop his level down significantly.

Right now you can pray that this process of getting a second opinion would just speed up. We have been waiting on people to make phone calls, fax forms, waiting on people to call us back who seem to forget to call back, and so forth. It has created alot of anxiety as we just want to get a second opinion so we can make a decision with as much knowledge as we can get. There are so many hoops to jump through and it is so frustrating when you are jumping through them but later find out that you jumped through the wrong one.

If we do nothing, Daddy will be looking at a transplant or dialysis in 5 years. The trouble with FSGS is that even if he were to get a transplant and have a healthy new kidney, the disease can return. By that point we would know what treatment worked best for him though and hopefully we would be able to slow down the disease or hold it off for awhile.

There is alot on our plate right now. There are many decisions to be made. There is alot going on in our lives. I do get overwhelmed by it all but we are surrounded by great friends and a great church here in our community. We also have incredible family support and friends from all over who deeply care about us. Most importantly God has not left us to do this on our own.

I just started a new Bible study at our church last Friday. It is the study of James by Beth Moore. I can already say after one video and a few lessons in that it is going to be good and just what I need for where I am right now. During Beth's video introduction to the study she said something that really impacted me. "Sometimes Christ has to take us all the way over here to change us into what He needs us to be so He can take us back to where we were to use us." I feel like that is what He is doing. If you had told me last year that we would be facing a major health issue this year, I would have laughed. But here we are facing just that.

Another great insight from Beth's video was that everything I hate about my past and my present has made a space inside of me. Do I let that space sit empty or do I let it fill with the grace that only God can give. Life is challenging but it is never meant to be empty!

This is where we are right now. I will try to update as we know new things and such. Thank you for all of your prayers. Thank you to those of you who have done things anonymously to greatly bless our little family. Thank you to those who have loved on our littles when we have needed to go to the doctor. Thank you to those we know with medical background for listening as we have picked your brains. Thank you to those who have brought yummy meals just at the most perfect times. Thank you for listening to the prompting of the Lord...it has blessed us greatly!

"Have the courage to live under strain and pain to be part of a BETTER story. A larger story. Don't wimp out." - Beth Moore

Another Birthday Surprise

2012-01-13T11:42:00.000-08:00

Last Saturday I got to go out and have some time all by myself! I needed it. I get rejuvenated by time alone and hadn't had that in a long time. I had to be home by 2 p.m. so Daddy could go hiking with a friend to try out the new gear he got with Christmas money. I got home and Daddy headed out. I had my suspicions that he was up to something but not really sure what.

Peanut was giddy with excitement and said, "Let's play Candy Land, Mom!" I went to get the game and it along with many other games had mysteriously disappeared. That is when I realized there were alot of things missing. Then Peanut kept talking about a surprise and asking when Daddy would be home. Any time I would try to guess what the surprise was, she would slap her forehead and say, "Oh no! Now you're winning, Mom!" It was pretty funny.

Daddy got home about 3 hours later and ordered us all into the van with a HUGE smile on his face. We ended up in the next county over which is GORGEOUS filled with beautiful hills. We kept driving out into the boonies until we found this sign...

And this cabin...

Inside the cabin were all of the things that had been missing from our apartment along with some very good friends. My sweet friend had made a scrumptious meal of spaghetti carbonara. We sat around the table together and I felt so blessed and so happy.

The kids had a ball playing together and having fun.

The adults had a great time too. The guys played a game and the women watched a movie (well tried to without falling asleep), read and knitted (that would be my friend who is an exceptional knitter...amazing talent).

On Sunday we headed out for lunch. Daddy wanted to take me to one of my favorite places which is this amazing restaurant tucked in the hills in the middle of nowhere. Wouldn't you know it? They were shut down that weekend (the only weekend of the year) for renovations. The kids got to feed carrots to some horses so it wasn't for nothing.

I LOVE this picture so much, Pumpkin and her pal.

We headed to the local village for lunch instead. I chose a place I had been really wanting to eat at "Muddy Boots Cafe". It was so yummy, eclectic, and kid friendly. Win, Win!

Are these not some of the cutest kids, you've ever seen? They are such good buddies too. (Daddy had to work for a bit so he needed an internet connection. He had to stop by a little cafe with wi-fi for a bit. That is why he's in the background.)

We spent the rest of the day back at our cabin just hanging out. What more could you ask for? The weather was even warm enough for the kids to play outside.

There was grill so for my official birthday supper on Sunday, we grilled out. We had bratwurst and sauerkraut, a yummy salad, and chips. Here is Peanut's reaction to sauerkraut. Don't think she was a fan.

My sweet friend made the MOST delicious homemade chocolate cake too to end the meal with. It was fabulous! (I hate to admit this but this cake was gone by the time everyone went to bed. It was THAT good.)

One of my favorite moments on my birthday was Pumpkin taking her nap while I held her. It was so nice to just snuggle up with her on the couch in this beautiful cabin and feel loved.

So Daddy did good. He did real good! I had the best birthday weekend ever! Thank you to my awesome family and incredible friends for making me feel so special.

As you probably already figured out, Daddy did not in fact go hiking. He was getting the cabin all set and ready to go for the big surprise. He's so sneaky!

Birthday Surprise

2012-01-11T17:49:00.000-08:00

I have a really great post to write but not one good picture of the event to post. Isn't that sad? You know you like to blog your life, when you are really bummed that you forgot your camera!

Friday afternoon my hubby took the girls for a walk (since it was in the 50's...in JANUARY). Before he left he told me that I might want to get myself ready for a night out. When they got home Peanut was giddy with excitement and told me I had a surprise!

I was all ready but there sat my hubby who didn't seem in any hurry to get ready to go. Hmmm....then there was a knock at the door. When it opened, there stood two of my dear friends from our little town. They were all dressed up and ready to take me out for a night on the town! I was overwhelmed and felt so loved at by this sweet surprise.

One of them contacted Hubby that week and said they wanted to surprise me and be ready for Friday night!

They took me to (in my opinion) one of the BEST restaurants in our town. It is soooo good. I have only eaten there once for breakfast and three times for lunch. This was my first time to eat off the scrumptious supper menu. The Food Network has declared one of their hamburgers the BEST burger in our humble state.

We had a ball talking, giggling, and just being together. They kept asking what I wanted to do next and I did not care one little bit. I was so blessed by their surprise that nothing else really was important. After dessert (free birthday carrot cake) we headed to do a bit of shopping before calling it a night.

I just need to say that on top of taking me out and blessing me, they had to pay babysitters to watch their kiddos because both of their hubbies were out of town. They didn't even bat an eye about this but we all know that babysitters are not cheap!

Thank you so much friends! It was such a wonderful evening!!! I will hold it as one of my favorite birthday memories for years to come.
(These are the only pictures I have of these two sweeties. I'm going to have to remedy that. They are beautiful women on the inside and out and I am so grateful God has let our paths cross.)

Friends

2012-01-11T07:41:00.000-08:00

I have to post this picture. It's late but it means a great deal to me. We were so blessed by friends and family and people we don't even know this past Christmas. Our kids were blessed beyond measure with a fun Christmas.

I got to spend one morning while we were up north with these girls. They are so special to my heart. I know I've blogged about them before but God has really given me good friends in both of these amazing, Godly women. We had what I like to call a "Mindy therapy session" because I sure needed one.

We laughed until we cried. People looked at us and wondered what in the world could be so funny. But I guess anything can be that funny when you eat Sea Salt Caramel Pretzel Bark or as these two girls lovingly referred to it as Pretzel Crack. If you put that much sugar into your body, anything is funny.

I love them dearly and just need to put that out there into the blog-o-sphere!

Christmas at Gigi's

2012-01-04T08:01:00.000-08:00

After Dobbie and Papa headed back east, we headed north to Gigi's. Once we got there we were served a great home-cooked meal of beef and noodles, deviled eggs, and other goodies. Gigi has become quite a cook over the years!

Once we were finished eating, there were presents to be opened! The girls could hardly contain their excitement so we did just that. They found all sorts of fabulous things like Rapunzel dresses, Magna Doodles, a vanity set for Pumpkin and a NEW BIKE for Peanut. They were both so excited!

Pumpkin is FASCINATED by the movie Tangled and Rapunzel so she got a few things this year that fit this category. One being a Rapunzel wig that my sweet sister in law and her daughter made for Pumpkin. She loved it so much!!! Too funny!

Peanut was head over heels with her new bike which is PINK, has sparkly tassels on the handlebars AND a baby carrier for her to put her baby dolls in!

There were two Rapunzel dresses for Pumpkin so both of the girls got to play dress up. Pumpkin pretty much lived in one of the two dresses while we were at Gigi's though.

Thanks to the mild weather Peanut go to ride her bike with Gigi on the road a few times and she thought she was hot stuff. One of Gigi's sisters lives just down the road so one afternoon they went there. She thought that was AWESOME.

We had lots of fun and got to see ALOT of special people. It was a relaxing time for us which was what we needed!

The Visitors

2012-01-02T17:40:00.000-08:00

Dobbie and Papa came to see us for a few days over Christmas! It was a nice surprise. They had mailed all of their gifts since we didn't think we would see each other, but we made the girls wait until they got to our place before they could open those things.
(And yes, you will notice that two little girls and one Daddy are still in their pajamas at the end of Christmas Day! We had a very relaxing Christmas!)

Pumpkin got a Bitty baby from American Girl from Dobbie and Papa! She loved her so much.

The next day Dobbie and Papa took Peanut for a walk while Pumpkin attempted to take a nap that never happened. They took her to the park behind our complex and she even got to walk Shiloh.

That evening we took Dobbie and Papa to one of our favorite little restaurants in town. It is one of those places that we just stumbled on. The food is AMAZING and the atmosphere eclectic. It is inside a small old house so the main bathroom still has the bathtub. They have made the old claw foot tub into a fish tank which the girls absolutely LOVE!

We had alot of fun with Dobbie and Papa and are thankful we go to see them over Christmas!

Our Family Christmas

2012-01-02T14:24:00.000-08:00

We are home from our Christmas travels. The Christmas decorations are all taken down, packed in our van waiting to be taken to our storage unit. But alas I have not blogged about our Christmas festivities.

The girls woke up at 7:00 a.m. on Christmas morning. They cuddled in and watched Curious George. I decided to wait until they realized it was Christmas morning. At 8:00 a.m. Pumpkin saw two new toys and asked what they were. I acted surprised and said, "Santa must have come! Look, he even left a letter." Peanut was in on this action then. Pumpkin found a new counting phone and Peanut found a Lite Bright for them...just the things they had asked for in their letters to Santa.

Then the stockings were discovered and excitedly torn into. Then they ran up the stairs to wake up Daddy! They were so excited to open their presents and to help Mommy and Daddy open our things too.

Then the playing began!

We had a late breakfast that was a delicious baked apple puff pancake and fruit. After that the naps began.

For supper we had a special snowman pizza which the girls thought was really awesome. For dessert we had a yummy cake and celebrated Jesus' birthday!

After supper the girls got to talk to their cousins via Skype. They were excited to see everyone.

Our evening ended with some special guests but you'll have to wait until my next post to find out who.

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-24T21:23:00.000-08:00

We attended our church's Christmas Eve service this evening. The girls were so excited to get dressed up in their Christmas dresses so we asked a friend to take a picture!

We hope you all have a wonderful Christmas this year and remember why we celebrate this amazing holiday! We have all received the most incredible gift through a tiny baby born so many years ago! Glory to God in the highest!!!!!

Is it Really Christmas?

2011-12-23T10:08:00.000-08:00

I hate admit this but I am in a serious Christmas funk. Christmas Eve is tomorrow and I am not done shopping or making things. We have had so much on our minds this season so wrapping my head around Christmas has been so difficult.

Daddy's biopsy was last Tuesday and went very well except for some mistakes in the "system". His doctor's orders were sent to the wrong place, our nephrologist was not the one who did the biopsy which is what we were expecting, and then the orders for him to have a 23 in hospital observation were not faxed. The most important part was the biopsy and it went well so for that we are grateful. Daddy said it was not painful just a pressure sensation.

We were told we would have the results by Monday. When Monday rolled around and we had not heard anything, we both called the doctor's office only to be told by the assistant that we were scheduled to meet with the doctor on January 4 so he would go over everything with us then. Daddy who called second told her that we had been told we would receive a phone call with the results and that is what we wanted.

Tuesday still after no phone call from them, we called several times trying to get somewhere. Finally I spoke with the receptionist and told her our frustrations. She was so nice and tried to explain why things had happened they way they had and then she told us that our doctor was on vacation. No one had mentioned that to us at all. We were told that Daddy could drive back to the hospital (an hour away) sign his "patient's right to know" form and get the results himself, which is what he did on Wednesday.

The results were not what we were hoping and praying for. Daddy has been diagnosed with FSGS which increases the risk for dialysis and/or kidney transplant significantly. Right now we feel like the blind leading the blind as we try to figure what he can and can't eat and such. We are hoping his body will respond to medicine but we will not know what the next step is until we meet on Jan. 4 with the doctor.

He seemed to be recovering well from the biopsy until two days ago when the spot started causing him discomfort. He has had major trouble sleeping as it is worse when he lays down. So yesterday he called the nephrologist's office and was told to go to our local hospital for blood work and a urinalysis.

Then we were to head back to the hospital where the biopsy was done (an hour away) for an ultrasound on the kidneys today.

We did that. We registered at the front desk, got Daddy's paperwork and ID bracelet then headed to the radiology/ultrasound department where we ran into a problem. They were not expecting us. Daddy's name was not on the list. The specialist had not been contacted to schedule the procedure. (I thought to myself, "Why does the specialist need to know?") We met with a specialist who seemed very confused as to why we were there again. He said we could do an ultrasound or CAT scan to see what was going on in the kidney. He just seemed aloof as to what to do. Finally an RN came in and we told her from start to finish what was going on and she started investigating only to discover we were on the list for an ultrasound. She then went to the radiology/ultrasound check-in and found out that the woman at the front desk had printed out Daddy's biopsy orders from LAST week and this receptionist didn't realize it was from last week. She thought we were there for a biopsy!!!!!!!!! OH MY WORD!

Finally everything was figured out and within 10 minutes Daddy was getting his ultrasound and we were on our way.

I'm worn out and so is Daddy. It has been quite a week.

I love Christmas so much but this one has just been hard. It's hard to even think of getting things ready or celebrating. I am so thankful for our little girls who seem unaffected and are so extremely excited. Our advent activities have went out the window this week. They have been playing at friends' homes while I run Daddy around so I keep saying, "Surprise! Now you get to go to 'So and so's' house to play!" Happy Advent Activity!

This afternoon I need to make a mad dash to get some more Christmas shopping done and tonight I will be sewing like a mad woman. I will still be shopping next week for two nieces who will be getting belated Christmas gifts! (So sorry sweet nieces!)

This is where we're at! But Gigi just called and said he is on his way to see us. YEAH! He is worried about our little family and wants to see us for himself. Dobbie and Papa are coming on Christmas Day for a few days then we will head to Gigi's for a few days. Ahhhh....I'm hoping and praying that these next few days will just slow down, Daddy will feel good and we can just truly celebrate the meaning of this Christmas and Christ did for us.

And like Cora told Daddy yesterday, "Daddy, God knew you would have to go to the hospital. He knew your kidney would need a shot." Yes, He did know. None of this surprises Him. We are in the clutch of His hand and He has promised not to let go.

Thank you for your prayers for us. We appreciate it more than words can say! We will certainly keep you updated on any news we find out.

Sweet Sisters

2011-12-20T05:32:00.000-08:00

The girls looked so cute on Sunday so I have to share pictures. These aren't really their Christmas outfits. Thanks to lots of hand-me-downs and gifts we have several sweet outfits for them to wear. They will be all decked out this Sunday though in their Christmas best!

The dress that Pumpkin is wearing is the one that Peanut wore to Mimi's funeral. It looks so sweet on Pumpkin just like it did on Peanut.

How has she grown up so fast? She was just 2 and 3 months in this picture. (She "borrowed" her great aunt's earrings for this picture.)

Advent Continued

2011-12-20T04:14:00.000-08:00

Dec. 16 The girls got to camp out downstairs by the Christmas tree and watch a movie and have popcorn. This was Pumpkin's first time to get to camp out downstairs and she did relatively well. We watched the movie Enchanted which both girls really liked. Nothing like a good princess movie for two little girls!

I didn't get a picture of them all camped out but I did take this picture the next morning of Peanut who is currently obsessed with pretending she is having a baby! Oy! One day she had 65 babies. Wow!

Dec. 17 We invited some friends over to make Christmas cookies. The kids really did do a great job and had fun. Who doesn't have fun when there is frosting and sprinkles involved, though. They even got to taste test and everything passed inspection.

Polar Express Pajama Party

2011-12-18T08:42:00.000-08:00

Peanut's last day of Kindergarten before Christmas break was a Polar Express Pajama Party. They were told to wear jammies and bring a flashlight, a blanket and a stuffed friend. She was so excited! Even Pumpkin wanted to wear her jammies since we got to join in on the fun party for the last half hour of the party.

Peanut gave each of her teachers a gift. She gave them the rainbow Christmas tree ornaments that she and I had made and I made a rice pack for each teacher too. (A rice pack is a fabric rectangle filled with rice and some drops of essential oil. It can be put in the microwave or freezer to use on aches on pains. We have one that I received when I was a teacher and I LOVE it. I use it alot and it is still in great shape.)

We got to listen to the book The Polar Express. The teachers gave each child a silver bell ornament that Daddy and I can't seem to hear ring but Peanut and Pumpkin can. How strange! (If you do not know the Polar Express story then this won't make sense, so you need to either watch the movie or read the book this season.)

The party ended with gingerbread cookies that the students had made that week to share with everyone and hot chocolate with marshmallows. We had a wonderful time! Parties are always chaotic and loud but it is so wonderful to see the kids just having fun and showing off to the parents.

We also had our first parent teacher conference on Monday with Peanut's teachers. Our decision to send Peanut to this kindergarten was affirmed even more. This is where she needs to be this year. Public school would have been a really hard thing for her this year and both teachers affirmed that to us due to her age. We are so grateful that the Lord just keeps providing and directing and we are able to send her to this school. The teachers had only great things to say about our little girl! we left knowing we are all on the same page regarding her education and that felt so good. What awesome teachers and school we have this year!

Bath Tub Painting

2011-12-17T20:13:00.000-08:00

I snuck another good idea from a friend to do with the girls. We filled our muffin tin with Daddy's shaving cream and mixed in some food coloring to color it. Then the girls got in the tub and went to town, painting the tub, the walls, and themselves. They had so much fun and it was such an easy activity! It even cleaned up really easy.

It is so fun filling our days with simple, fun memories! Being a Mom is the BEST, MOST rewarding job in the world!

Pajamborie Party

2011-12-17T20:02:00.000-08:00

Our advent activity for Dec. 15 was to go downtown to a Pajamborie party. The girls got to wear their new Christmas pajamas. (I couldn't resist letting them have them now instead of waiting until Christmas Eve.) We ate some yummy cookies, made some fun Christmas foam crafts, watched a bit of Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer with a bunch of other cute kiddos and waited for THE MAN.

THEN he came! We jumped into line and Pumpkin peaked around everyone trying to get a glimpse of Santa Claus. The girls were so excited, armed with their letters that we had just written to him.

Then...it was our turn and oh boy, they were thrilled to see him!

He was so merry and jolly and just what they had expected him to be.

He read their letters and chatted with them for a little while. Please check out that grin on Peanut's face...utter DELIGHT!

After visiting with Santa the kids got to have a massive snowball fight with each other using huge cotton batting balls. The girls had a ball with this.

What a fun night filled with some really fun memories for both the girls and I!

We were sure to walk around the block afterwards to see the amazing lights on display. Our downtown is absolutely gorgeous this time of year with white lights twinkling everywhere. The trees look like they are covered in sparkling diamonds. I LOVE it!

Advent 2011

2011-12-17T19:42:00.000-08:00

We have been busy trying to keep up with our Advent activities but got a bit sidetracked this week due to Daddy's biopsy. We seem to be getting back on track and the girls were so flexible and didn't complain about not doing something each day. This post will catch you up a bit on what we've been up to regarding Advent.

Dec. 5 We read The Legend of the Candy Cane by Lori Walburg. Then I hid candy canes all over the living room for the girls to find. I think we did this at least 3 times, then they did it with Daddy a bunch of times the next night. Who knew finding candy canes could be such fun? (I totally stole this idea from one of my good friends too!)

Dec. 6 We cut out snowflakes and sprinkled them with glitter. Both girls did a great job as cutting snowflakes is a hard task for little hands! They of course loved the glittering part the best.

Dec. 7 We made Christmas cookies. One was a very yummy success, Peppermint Sugar Cookie Bars and one was not, Mint Meltaways. The girls had fun adding things into the mixer and just helping Mommy in the kitchen.

Dec. 8 Go through our toys and find at least 10 things we can donate to Goodwill. This has been a very hard task for Peanut to do. We are still working on it but do have a box that is half done. We talk about it each day and I am hoping she will see how important it is to be willing to give even when we don't want to. We want to teach her and Pumpkin that we need to be willing to serve others.

Dec. 9 We were supposed to go to a Christmas Sing Along but this got changed and we ended up at a friend's house playing, having pizza and hot chocolate, and watching a movie. I was sad that we didn't get to go but after a very busy week, relaxing with friends was something we needed to do.

Dec. 10 We made a gift for Peanut's teachers thanks to a very cute idea on Pinterest. I am so happy with how they turned out. I cut out the felt circles. Peanut helped me glue the trunk together. Then after I marked the center of each circle, she sewed the circles all together. I added the jingle bell and ribbon to the top to create a beautiful rainbow Christmas tree ornament.

Dec. 11 We went Christmas caroling with our church's children's ministry. The kids made crafts and cards at the beginning to give to the people we caroled to then we loaded up and headed out. We even got to ride along with our buddies! After the caroling we ended up back at the church for hot chocolate. A fun day indeed!

Dec. 12 - 14 We got a bit side tracked due to Daddy's biopsy but Gigi was here and the girls got totally spoiled by him and even had a candy party while we were gone!

We're certainly keeping busy and having lots of fun so far!

Daddy's Health

2011-12-07T07:41:00.000-08:00

We are preparing for Daddy to undergo a biopsy on his kidney's next Tuesday. We have found out that his kidneys are only functioning at 35% right now. We discovered this all out very early in the semester. Before school started we were swimming at a friend's house and Daddy hit his head on the floor of a pool after diving in. He started having some headaches and also got a pretty bad cold. After school started a couple of weeks later, I asked him to go into the university health clinic to see if he had a sinus infection because he is not prone to headaches.

At the clinic they discovered that his blood pressure was VERY high. They put him on blood pressure medicine immediately and ordered blood tests to find out what was causing the elevation.

About a week later we discovered that his kidneys were dumping a massive amount of protein which is not good. We heard words like dialysis and transplant that day. Talk about overwhelming.

We were directed to a nephrologist that we met with a few months ago. He believes Daddy has what is called Minimal Change Kidney Disease and we are hoping this is the case. We were told if this is the case that the function of the kidneys could be reversed to as high as 65% and he could live a normal, healthy life.

There are two other things the doctor said it could be. They are not as hopeful as they do not respond easily to medicines. The chances for dialysis with these two diseases raise significantly.

It sounds strange to say we are praying for a disease but we are praying that it is Minimal Change Kidney Disease and the function of his kidneys will increase.

Daddy will go to the hospital next Tuesday morning and undergo a kidney biopsy. They will take 2-3 samples from one of his kidneys. (He has already undergone numerous blood tests and a 24 hour urine test). He will have to stay in the hospital for 24 hours to monitor for internal bleeding.

We covet your prayers for our family. The realization of how big this could be has set in for Daddy and I. We have been so busy surviving Daddy's first semester of grad school but as that is wrapping up, we have begun to focus on the upcoming biopsy. Daddy is nervous about the actual biopsy procedure as we were told in great detail what would happen. It does sound intense but it will lead to knowing what is going on and what the next step is.

Thank you so much for keeping us in your prayers during this time. The girls so far don't really know what is going on. I'm sure there will be questions as to why Daddy is in the hospital. Pray that we have wisdom in knowing what to say especially to Peanut who doesn't miss a beat and tends to be a worrier.

We will certainly keep you posted on how things go and the results.

Advent 2011

2011-12-05T08:17:00.000-08:00

We have started the advent season here in our home. I used to have a string of paper cones that held each advent activity but we just don't have the wall space now so I made a new way to display our advent calendar. I made 25 little drawstring bags. While we were at Gigi's I cut some small limbs from one of his trees and took a bag of limestone rocks. This is what our advent "tree" calendar looks like when you put all of those things together.

The little bags were pretty simple to make. I added a little tag with each day's number on it. Inside each bag is a small piece of paper with our advent activity for the day written on it.

I love how it turned out. It is also a great Christmas centerpiece for our table and can be moved as needed. Peanut has had fun coming down every morning and looking for the new day's bag.

So far this is what we have done each day.
Dec. 1 We decorated our Christmas tree. The girls had so much fun hanging the non-fragile ornaments and hearing about the ornaments that they have gotten for each year. This year's ornament is a IU basketball to represent the big part that the university has played in their lives.

Dec. 2 We watched The Polar Express for the first time of the Christmas season with some friends. Pumpkin was awe struck with the movie this year. Peanut remembered it from last year and was able to remember what was going to happen. They loved watching it!

Dec. 3 We made Christmas handprint trees together. They thought it was so fun that they got to have paint on their hands. The trees turned out so cute and will be a fun keepsake to get out every year.

Dec. 4 This was a busy day for us. It began with Peanut's first choir performance at church. She did a great job! We were so, so, so proud of her. She can't wait to do it again next year.

Our actual advent activity was going to a local church's live nativity called Moments in the Master's Life. It was really cool. Volunteers (who had to be out all night in the rain) from the church depicted scenes from the life of Christ starting with Mary and Joseph's journey to Bethlehem and ending with Christ's death, resurrection and ascension to Heaven. Pumpkin slept through the whole thing as it was something we drove through. Peanut on the otherhand LOVED it, so much that we had to go through it twice. Her favorite part was seeing Mary and Joseph with the baby in the stable. She was so sure it was a real baby, but it was not. ;) The real donkey, sheep, and camels were pretty awesome too.

We have many more fun things planned for December!

Pumpkin's Prayer

2011-12-03T18:23:00.000-08:00

At the end of this past summer while we were at Gigi's, he took all of us to a local zoo. The girls love the zoo and had so much fun. Ever since this zoo trip, Pumpkin has prayed basically the same prayer at meal time and bed time. It has not changed at all since that trip to the zoo.
Here's the gist of it...
"'Pumpkin' do you want to pray?"

"We see lion at zoo. We see two tiger at zoo. We see red tiger at zoo.

We see...We see...We see...We see white tiger at zoo.

We see two lion at zoo. Amen."

It is the cutest thing ever and we are not tired of it one bit! It changes only in the order she says it but it is always these same sets of animals. CRACKS ME UP!

Our Cuties

2011-12-03T12:54:00.000-08:00

These pics are just too hard to resist putting on so I must share. The first two are self portrait pics that Peanut took of herself at Gigi's house. They turned out so cute and she took them of herself.

One nice...

And one silly...

And then we have Pumpkin who we have completely worn out this week. Naps haven't been top priority due to a busy week. We had friends stop by one afternoon and Pumpkin just napped away in the chair amongst the flurry of activity. She was one pooped kid.

The First Snow of 2011

2011-12-02T20:25:00.000-08:00

It was a very rainy start to our week and cloudy and gray. It just seemed the rain wouldn't move on until....

Tuesday on our way home from Kindergarten the rain drops went from splattering on our windshield to sloshing to sticking. We watched as the drops turned from clear rain to white heavy flakes of snow by the time we got home. The girls were ecstatic and had to try to catch some of the big flakes in their mouths before heading inside.

They stood at the window and watched it fall from the sky as I made lunch for them. You could just see it in their eyes...snow such a magical thing!

After lunch we bundled up and headed out to play in it. It was a very wet snow so it was hard to stay dry and they got cold fast but they didn't seem to mind. They made boot tracks all over the front of our building and tried their best to have a snowball fight. Even cleaning the snow off of our van was exciting!

The snow didn't last long and it melted by the next day but they are still talking about it and waiting for the next snow! It's winter, right...there should be snow!

Happy Thanksgiving

2011-11-25T21:13:00.000-08:00

Hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving! We had a fun and relaxing time with Gigi. We sure missed our other family and hope we can see them also soon.

Our little turkeys were zonked with all of the fun activity of Thanksgving!

We are certainly blessed and so thankful for the many blessings that the Lord has blessed us with...especially these two little gifts!

(Thank you Pinterest for the turkey shirt idea. They were fun to make!)

Blips of a Busy Few Weeks

2011-11-20T09:41:00.000-08:00

We are still here. We have been busy with all sorts of things so blogging has taken a back seat. Here are a few "blips" from the past few weeks.

Peanut had a field trip for Kindergarten to a local children's science museum. Daddy got to go with her which made her day! It was a special time for them to have together.

The reason I couldn't go was that my aunt and cousins came to visit us! I was so thrilled to have them stay with us and show us around town. We checked out some really neat craft and antique shops. We ate at one of my most favorite restaurants in town and ended the day at the girls' favorite ice cream shop. It meant so much to me that they drove all the way down to see us. They loved it so much that they are coming back again in a few weeks! YEAH!

One evening we went to the library while Daddy was at a meeting. We were surprised to get to meet Olivia from the storybooks and television series.

After our special meeting, they got to make some crafts. Check out my cute little piglets!

I finally took a trip to our storage unit to get rid of extra boxes and thing that we don't need here in the apartment. I had a box that was still in tact that the girls took over and have had a ball with. They have played and played with it and even colored all over it. We think maybe we'll just get them an assortment of boxes for Christmas. KIDDING!

And now my favorite picture from the past week. This is certainly our little sleeping beauty!

So that should catch you up with a few snippets of life.

Tricky Treat

2011-10-31T19:14:00.000-07:00

This afternoon I sewed like a mad woman to get the Halloween costume done. I did wait until the last minute but that was a bit beyond my control and was the way it had to be. Thankfully the decided upon costume was pretty easy. Peanut always talks about wanting to be a nurse when she grows up so when I saw a tutorial on Pinterst, I knew that was the ticket. What to do with Pumpkin??? Well, make her Peanut's patient, of course!

Do you have any idea how ridiculously easy it was to make a hospital gown? Just goes to show how little fabric they really use. Due to the chill in the air, I did allow her to wear pants and shirt so it was not as realistic as it could have been from the rear view. Heehee!

We did wrap her head and her arm. She was not into Mommy wrapping ouchies but when I announced that they were pretend ouchies and we were dressing up to get candy, she was completely into it.
We walked a local neighborhood with our good friends who just moved to our town AND into our apartment complex. We are so thrilled to have them here and have spent some sweet times together already in the few days that they have been here. We are so thankful they are here!

We got in alot of walking which is good because every two minutes I heard, "Mom, can I have a piece of candy?" Pumpkin searched her bag so often to see what sweet treasures it held.

The weather was perfect too. Peanut had fun announcing that she was the nurse and Pumpkin was her patient. She even gave one "candy passer outer" a pretend shot! One person asked if she was Florence Nightingale. She said, "No, I'm a nurse." Ha!

After we had quite a stash of loot we headed back to our friends' apartment so the kids could watch "Charlie Brown and the Great Pumpkin" before heading home to scrub teeth and get to bed.

What a great night!

This post is titled "Tricky Treat" because that is what Peanut has been calling trick or treat all week and NOPE, we haven't corrected her once. We love it!

Homecoming

2011-10-31T18:56:00.000-07:00

Last Friday night Daddy and I met some good friends downtown to watch the Homecoming Parade.

We had a grand time! The parade is so much fun...perfect length, no annoying politicians, only a few loud sirens.

The girls REALLY liked the cheerleaders and their sparkly pompoms!

They got quite a stash of candy too!
Just another thing we love about this town!

The Great Pumpkin Carving of 2011

2011-10-30T04:17:00.001-07:00

Daddy was finally home one evening last week and we all attacked him with, "Let's carve pumpkins!" This has traditionally become his job. My few efforts in the past have proven I was not cut out to carve pumpkins. Heehee. So my job is to clean the pumpkin seeds and get them roasting while the other three work away. Actually while Daddy works away and the girls watch. Their job is to get the pumpkin seeds out of the pumpkin and to separate as much pulp from the seeds as they can. They did a really great job.

Peanut wanted a pumpkin that looked like her and one scary one. She then announced once they were finished that one was her and one was Daddy.

We were reminiscing about last year and the roasting of the pumpkin seeds. Daddy told Peanut how we do it. She said, "I remember! I have a good minder!"

I Couldn't Resist

2011-10-29T18:52:00.000-07:00

A friend of mine directed me to Gymboree last week where I found these sunglasses for $0.99. I couldn't help myself. I mean seriously...are they not the cutest things ever. Pumpkin's are so Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany's! I love it!

Fall Break at Gigi's

2011-10-29T18:18:00.000-07:00

The girls and I made a whirlwind trip to Gigi's over Peanut's fall break. Daddy had a conference going on here in town so it worked out for us to go. We had alot of fun. The girls were giddy with excitement about going. We played in the leaves but not as much as we wanted as they were pretty wet from all of the rain Gigi's area had been getting. We found enough that were pretty dry and they had a ball jumping in the them and sliding into them.

Gigi got out the tractor and took the girls for a ride which always makes them so happy. He even let Peanut help steer it and she did awesome!

(I LOVE that picture!)

We visited Mimi's and Uncle Scott's grave also which is always a special time for all of us. We put new flowers on Mimi's headstone while we were there. Peanut and I had a special talk about how her grave is a special place to go to remember her but she is not there...she is in Heaven. We have had such great talks with Peanut about Heaven and God over the past few weeks as we remembered Mimi. It has helped pave a path to her trying to understand and grasp the truths of Heaven and who God is.

Despite having an ear infection for Peanut we had a great time. We visited with some very special people. Gigi treated us to some yummy meals out on the town. We played. The girls got to stay up late. Gigi let them have candy before lunch. It was fun.

Finding Crystals

2011-10-29T17:57:00.000-07:00

The other day at Kindergarten pick-up our sweet friend opened the back of her van and showed Peanut all of the geodes that she and her boys had found. Being the sweet friend that she is, she sent us home with quite a few. As soon as we walked in the door, the girls dragged Daddy out to the front stoop with a towel and a hammer. They were very anxious to see the beautiful crystals inside and couldn't wait a moment longer.

There were many oohs and aahs over the pretty sparkly crystals.

There you have it...an easy lesson in geology at a child's level!

We LOVE Autumn!

2011-10-25T19:30:00.000-07:00

We have been trying to fill our autumn with super fun things this year. It's our favorite time of year, if you hadn't guessed.

We made a trip to a glass pumpkin patch. Don't worry Pumpkin was securely strapped into her stroller so she had no chance at "picking" these gorgeous handmade pumpkins.

We're back in the groove of going to the Farmer's Market and enjoying the sweet potatoes and other yummy goodies. We also "ran" into one of Daddy's favorite people and had to get our picture taken with him.

We got to hit up a Fall Family Party for the Mom's group at our church. The home it was held at was in a gorgeous location in the hills with trees galore. Such fun! I am so thankful for this sweet group of mom friends. They have become a treasured gift from God!

We've made a few crafts too even with our busy Kindergarten schedule. Peanut made a jack-o-lantern candle holder via Pinterest. (I LOVE Pinterest!)

And the baking...oh yes, there has been fall baking! Apple pies, chocolate chip pumpkin muffins, pumpkin cinnamon rolls, and the like.

I hate to say it but Autumn is winding down and I don't like that. I always feel like it just needs to last longer. The leaves are falling, the air is much chillier, and you can feel the next season approaching the door to make it's way in. For now we will continue with our love for autumn and squeeze as much out of her as we still can.

Come in for a Visit

2011-10-25T19:12:00.000-07:00

This is more for my mother-in-law and other family who haven't seen our new place. I can honestly say that I feel really at home here. Yes, it is small and I would love more storage but I do feel like this is where we are supposed to be. I am so thankful that we were able to get into this complex. I feel much more at home here than I did our other place and the kitchen is like a billion times smaller with no dishwasher. It is so nice to be in a place that is full of families and many who are in the same boat that we are in....college family. So here are some pictures of the first floor. I am not done with the girls' room yet so that will come later.

Come on in the front door. We have a little flower bed under our front window that we can plant flowers in so you can see we have already taken advantage of that and have a yellow mum all ready for fall. The littles are pretty cute, don't you think?

Here is our sweet little living room. Pay no attention the the stack of boxes behind the couch. Someone needs to make a run to the storage unit and drop those off, but she just never finds the time.
One of my crafty things was to frame some fabric that I used in other places on the main floor. I really like how that turned out. So easy and so cheap thanks to Wal-Mart frames.

And the view from the other side.

Off to the side is a little under the stairs storage area that is super small so I sacrificed it to the kids. Their little kitchen is in there with some other toys and I strung some white lights. Pumpkin especially likes to play in here as do other smallish guests.

Here is another thing I made for our new place. I've had this wooden window frame from before we got married and never did a thing with it. I finally painted it, stapled some cloth to the back and strung some string across the openings to hang pictures. I love how it turned out. I need to print some newer pics, these were ones I had not packed away in our storage unit.

And here we are in the dining room, where our table just fits.

I had seen this art wall display on Pinterst and knew I wanted to make something similar for our new place. I love how it turned out and it is so easy to change and add the girls' new masterpieces any time we want.

And now the kitchen...the teeny, tiny kitchen where only one person is allowed at a time. I gasped the first time I saw how small it was but we're making it work. I splashed it with color and I am enjoying it's coziness.

My spice cabinet is a shelf that Papa made for us before Peanut was born. It was white but now it is barn red and houses my beloved spices perfectly. My mama sits on top of it and watches me as I work away in the kitchen.

A VERY sweet friend made the valance for me and it is perfect. We also strung some fall leaves for more color and because we just love fall.

Where do you hang your kitchen towel when you can't hang it on the oven or fridge door???? Well, you find a really cool idea on Pinterest again and go for it. This is a cheap drawer pull just screwed into the wall and it works like a charm. Great idea!

For another splash of color and to use another Pinterest idea, I made a dry erase menu board from an old and very ugly picture I found from Goodwill. I love this too and it was so easy!

We have a half bath downstairs also which I am very thankful for. I found a few vintage things to use in here. The books in the basket are very old children's books from Papa's family.

I also hung some old angels that Dobbie's mother made and a picture that was from Papa's mother. The small vintage postcard is from an antique shop and I couldn't pass it by.

The laundry is right by the half bath and our make shift pantry is at the end of that hall but it is full of stuff that needs to get to the storage unit and a bit unorganized still...so NO pictures of that.

Hope you have enjoyed this little tour. We really do like our new place and feel really at home here. I haven't missed our other apartment once. This feels like home and I am thankful for that! I have tried to make it feel homey instead of like an apartment. There is only so much you can do but I think we're getting there.

Gigi Came for THREE Days

2011-10-15T13:38:00.000-07:00

On Monday afternoon I was driving home from a birthday party for one of Peanut's Kindergarten buddies and noticed that Gigi had tried to call a couple of times. I called him back and he asked, "What are you doing for supper?" He was jumping in his van and coming to see us and spending the night! WooHoo! We were all very excited. We love surprises quite a bit.

After he got to our place we had a yummy meal at Cracker Barrel where the girls could hardly contain their excitement that Gigi was with us. Gigi got to help us take Peanut to Kindergarten the next day which made her day! He also was the one waiting at the pick-up line for her. How fun!

Since I had my dad and my girls in MY van, I decided to kidnap them all and go on an adventure. We headed to that awesome local state park again, stopping by McDonald's to get lunch so we could have a picnic. Now wouldn't you call this a nice picnic view?

We spent 4 hours cruising the park and checking out the gorgeous views and fall colors. It was simply a wonderful afternoon. Gigi kept saying, "This is so nice!"

The girls and I took a hike around a small lake. They did super and really enjoyed the walk. It's hard not to when you are surrounded by the beauty of a place like that.

We spent some time on a playground so the girls could play. They do not quite understand when we say we are going to a park and it is not a playground park, so we always have to find a playground in the big park to enjoy. To them a park is a playground. We stopped in a quaint local village for some delicious ice cream. I had apple butter ice cream and already scheming how I can get back over there for more. YUMMY!

We took a different route home even driving down into a ravine to a very old covered bridge. I wish I had taken a picture because it was pretty cool but we were all pretty worn out by that point. We are blessed to live in a gorgeous area!

Gigi stayed the next day to watch the girls while Daddy and I had to go to a doctor's appointment. (More on that later.) He had bought a dozen donuts that morning for the girls. Daddy and I each had one before we left and by the time we got home there was only 1 donut left! That's what Gigi's are for! :)

This picture says it all...how much this little one loves her Gigi. She was broken hearted when it was time for him to leave and even cried a little. Every morning she asks where he is. We love our Gigi and our Dobbie and Papa! We sure wish we could see them much more often but are so grateful for the times we are together.

I am thankful Gigi was here during a week that was flooded with memories of Mimi. We needed to be together, so thank you Gigi for coming!

Family Fun Day (Beware...LONG and PHOTO HEAVY but so worth it!)

2011-10-13T11:38:00.000-07:00

Being a Grad School FAMILY is tough. It involves all of us. Yes, Daddy has the hard work of school projects, tests, and reading but we all sacrifice so that Daddy can do this. The biggest sacrifice is family time. We do not have alot of it because Daddy is gone ALOT. I typically hear the girls say, "See you tomorrow morning, Daddy," after we have dropped him off in the morning at school. I have talked to the girls extensively that they and I are a team while Daddy is in school and we need to cooperate with each other and help each other AND and cheer Daddy on.

Last Saturday Daddy didn't have anything going on which was shocking so the night before I told my family that I was kidnapping them the next day and we were having a day filled with surprises...just us...just together. The girls were obviously VERY excited. Daddy just kept trying to guess what we were doing. Haha.

We headed out at 10 a.m. with a picnic packed and very inquisitive minds. Our first stop was the Farmer's Market which (as I have said dozens of times) is my favorite thing to do with the girls! Daddy has only been able to go with us maybe two other times the whole time we have lived here so he had to take part of the girls' Saturday morning tradition which includes buying awesome produce and sharing kettle corn and a scone which was sweet potato honey this week. Gotta find that recipe!

Then we got in the van for the second part of our adventure. We headed 50 minutes away through the beautiful countryside filled with fall colors and hills to an apple/pumpkin farm that I had heard great things about from a few friends. IT WAS AWESOME! We had a ball. We started with a picnic lunch in our van. (Check out Pumpkin's expression. What a hoot!)

We could not have asked for a better day. It was perfect weather...even hot. We loved the little petting zoo. Daddy and I went nuts over this little Scottish Bull. Seriously he was the cutest thing I have seen like a life size stuffed animal. I tried to implement a plan of how we could sneak him out and bring him home to our little backyard. My family just laughed at me.

There were goats, a miniature horse, turkeys, chickens, and sheep also.

There were several activities for the kids to choose from that you had to pay to do. Typically our rule is that you can pick one thing. Peanut picked riding the pony and I do believe that Pumpkin was thrilled with the choice too. Peanut rode Mater and Pumpkin rode Butterscotch.

We also took a wagon pulled by a tractor ride back to the the biggest pumpkin patch I have ever seen. The girls had alot of fun choosing their perfect pumpkins to bring home. We did help encourage them to choose smaller ones.

There was an apple launcher that Daddy helped the girls do. They launched their apples out into a pond and did pretty well!

Have I mentioned how much I love this little family God has blessed us with? They are awesome!

We spent probably 4 hours here. The girls climbed a hay mountain, played in a pumpkin house, Peanut slid down a big tunnel slide that hurt her back and ruined her Crocs (boo!). The setting was absolutely gorgeous too. We easily could have spent the whole day there but everyone in the surrounding counties thought the same thing as it was super packed!

We decided to head home but we had promised Peanut we would stop for ice cream somewhere on the way home because the ice cream line at the pumpkin patch was enormous and we were pooped and not feeling overly patient. So in a "round about way" that only Daddy and I will truly know how it happened we ended up heading south for supper. We ate a Mexican restaurant and ended with fried ice cream which was a hit with both girls and a great fill in for the much needed ice cream.

Then being so close and not wanting the day to end we headed to the local state park to see the gorgeous fall colors in the amazing hills. It was not a part of my plan for the day...it just happened and I am so thankful it did. We had so much fun!

Family Day was awesome. We were all exhausted and dust covered but it was so worth it. We packed days and days worth of memories into one little day. Our family time tank was filled. I know my heart was soaring with love and joy for all that we did and for the gorgeous day that the Lord gave us for it.

I do believe there will be more family fun surprise days in our future. They are awesome! One of Daddy's friends told him his parents used to wake them up early in the morning with the car all packed and yell "Get up! Get ready! It's 'Surprise Destination Day.'" And he still has great memories from it. So yes, this has now become a part of our family tradition!

Birthday Balloons to Heaven

2011-10-12T19:59:00.000-07:00

Today was Mimi's birthday. She would have been 72 years old. Gigi has been here with us for a few days so I wanted to do something special to celebrate her life and her birthday as a family. A few weeks ago via Facebook and one of Daddy's family members, I saw a great idea to celebrate loved ones birthdays who are in Heaven.

This afternoon I snuck out to Kroger to get "Celebration Mimi" started. When I got home we all walked to a nearby grassy field with a bunch of balloons. The girls were so excited to see the balloons and trying to figure out what we were going to do with them. "Are we going to play a game, Mommy?" asked Peanut.

When we got to our spot, I asked if they remembered whose birthday it was today. MIMI'S! I prodded, "Can we celebrate with her?" Peanut said, "No, because she is in Heaven."

"But what if we sent these balloons to Heaven just for her from us?" This created quite a buzz of excitement from the littles one who was determined she was going to hold all of the balloons not quite understanding what exactly we were up to. We picked out 4 balloons to send to Heaven and 2 to keep, then got in position. Gigi told the girls to give the balloons lots of kisses for Mimi which they did with great joy. They were so excited.

Then 1, 2, 3...off went the first two balloons, rising so fast to the Heavens in a glorious sky. Next we sent off our last two.

The girls each got a balloon to keep and we tied them to their wrists when all of a sudden a beautiful purple balloon unexpectedly started off to Heaven followed by tears from Peanut who had picked the purple one to keep. She watched it rise, rise, rise and we consoled her. We told her how special it was going to make Mimi feel to know that she sent her favorite colored balloon up to her for her birthday and promised her another purple balloon very soon.

We came back home to sing Happy Birthday to Gigi (whose birthday was last Wednesday) and Mimi and have cake. Peanut wanted to know if we could send birthday cake to Mimi in Heaven.

I never want the girls to forget who their Mimi was and who she is. I think we have a new birthday tradition that was very well received by Peanut and Pumpkin.

I spent the day listening to Johnny Cash and Patsy Cline and falling in love with their music just like my mom did!

She Flew Away Home

2011-10-09T19:42:00.000-07:00

"Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?" I Corinthians 15:55

3 years....it seems to have passed so quickly but yet so slowly. There isn't a day that goes by that I do not think about her or am filled with a longing ache to talk to her, to ask her advice, to ask her to just listen.

I miss her so much but yet praise the Lord that she is healed. She is restored. I do believe she can see our little sweet girls. I tell them that...that Mimi sees them and smiles on them. Peanut longs to be in Heaven so Mimi can push her on the swing. Pumpkin tells us, "I want my "Damma.'" I believe in my heart she knows that someone special isn't here and she wants her.

She flew away 3 years ago on October 10, 2008 at 4:04 a.m. My dad and I were there with her as she flew away to Him to that home on God's celestial shore.

She was like a bird that flew from the prison bars of Alzheimer's and flew to the land where joy will never end.

(Taken just a few days after she had passed away. Mimi's mums were in full bloom!)

She loved Johnny Cash, who doesn't! She had great musical taste and was an amazing singer herself. Here is a video of Johnny singing "I'll Fly Away" that fills me with so much peace. She flew away to her Jesus.

"For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain." Philippians 1:21

"Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord FOREVER!" Psalm 23:6

Someday...someday we'll fly away too and we'll watch as Mimi swings Peanut and Pumpkin high in the air and laughs with great joy as she hears their giggles of glee!

Here is the link to the post that I wrote after she flew away with some great pictures of her through the years. Click HERE.

3 1/2 Hour Drive = Really Good Friends

2011-10-05T19:42:00.001-07:00

You know you have some great friends when they get up in the wee hours of the morning and drive 3 1/2 hours just to spend the day with you (especially when one isn't so much of a morning person but we will NOT mention any names). I was so blessed yesterday, so blessed to have two very sweet and dear friends come visit. It was just bliss to be with them. We've had a tough couple of weeks (another post on that to come) and I just needed girl day and the good Lord let me have it. There were many giggles, many honest conversations about life's struggles and much encouragement. I am so blessed, so blessed with good friends beyond just these two. I never want to take that for granted and I know I do.

So what did we do? We visited an antique mall and tried on the latest style in hats from ages past. It was so tempting to buy a hat, but we decided against it knowing that our hubbies would not be able to take the extra special beauty that these hats bestowed upon us.

This one was straight out of My Fair Lady, don't you think?

We picked Peanut up from kindergarten and she was ecstatic to see our buddies. We headed to lunch. Now lunch...that is a sad topic. There was a reason beyond me that these gals wanted to come visit my community and it was a certain restaurant that they both have been dreaming of eating at again since their last visit. We talked way more than we should have about what we were going to order. We found a great parking spot close by and headed to THE PLACE. As we approached, there were gasps, there moans, there were tears....CLOSED ON MONDAYS! It could not be but it was. There would be no fish tacos with garlic fries and aioli sauce.

They looked at me in despair and asked where I would go if I couldn't go here and I said, "The Indian place!" There were some looks, some questionings about the food, but then it was decided we would go there and we did. And I have brought two more people to the joy of Indian food. They loved it! It really is so yummy!

We visited some shops that I do not venture into by myself with the two littles. We had a grand time learning about antiquing furniture with paint and choosing organic cookies to have as a treat back at my place.

I love sharing our community with friends and family. There is just so much here. I also love watching friends love on my munchkins.

So...thank you friends for making the drive and savoring every minute of our time together. I love you both so much and thank the Lord for your friendship so often!

Fall is Here!

2011-10-04T19:32:00.000-07:00

Fall is here! The leaves are changing. The mornings are cool. It is glorious. I love fall. We have pumpkins by our door and a mum planted. The fall decorations are out. There is no season like fall and no better place to take it in than right here with my family.

We were invited over to some friends' home this past Friday evening for a camp fire and s'mores. How can you say no to that in the fall? How can you say no to awesome friends? How can you say no to watching 5 incredible kids running around without a care in the world while bundled up to keep the fall chill out? You can't. It's impossible!

It is also impossible for Pumpkin to eat a s'more and not get half of it in her hair.

We had a grand time chatting around the fire and keeping track of little bodies as the early darkness set in. We are so thankful for good friends!

Peanut was also invited to her first "big girl birthday party" this weekend. The kind of birthday party where she was dropped off to enjoy all things girly without Mommy or Daddy and boy, was she excited! She came home covered in "pixie dust" a.k.a. glitter since it was a Tinkerbell party. She had a grand time!

Magic Milk

2011-09-30T19:49:00.000-07:00

The other afternoon after listening to the girls bicker and fight over silly things, I decided we need to do a cool science experiment. It is one I have been meaning to do but we just never got around to it. Talk about easy but a very cool effect...well this is it.

All you do is pour some milk in a pie plate and add some drops of food coloring. The coloring stays in little dots all over the milk....not very exciting.

Next you dip a Q-tip in some dishwashing liquid and just touch the center of the milk and the coolness happens.

The colors start moving all over the place like magic, mixing and swirling with each other. It really is very cool. The girls marveled at how quickly it took place and how fast the colors swirled around all from a dab of the Q-tip.

We did it a couple of times just to see it again. So easy! Here is a website that gives more details and the explanation as to why this happens: Magic Milk Experiment.

Lotus Festival

2011-09-26T19:06:00.000-07:00

On Saturday we took the girls to Lotus Festival in the Park which is a free event and so awesome. We got to hear some really awesome music. Our favorite was Eilen Jewell. She was very folksy/bluegrassy.

The girls enjoyed dancing around while listening to the music too.

Pumpkin may have thought it was a little loud at a few points.

The girls had fun playing on the playground that was in the park also.

There were different art stations set up around that the girls got to make some fun artsy creations.

It was a chilly day that ended in rain. We had fun though enjoying being together after many days of being so busy and on the run.

Our night was going to end with an 8:15 performance by Strange Fruit. We headed downtown, got in the very front of the crowd and at 8:15 the "Three Belles" came out to perform their act. Just as they began to climb the poles, the rain came and it came hard. They had to stop the act and we had two very disappointed little girls on our hands. Pumpkin was so disappointed and puckered out her little lower lip and said, "I watch girls. I watch girls." We had a good discussion on being grateful for the chance to have seen them the day before. (I was pretty disappointed too.)

Just being together is all that counts and taking in all that this awesome community has to offer.

Apple Picking Take Two

2011-09-25T17:38:00.000-07:00

So after watching the Strange Fruit performance my friend asked if we wanted to go apple picking. She did not have to twist my arm very hard to do it again. More yummy apples, more freshly pressed peanut butter (which is my new favorite thing), and apple cider slushies made the decision pretty simple. The girls were so excited to get to pick more apples too so we headed south and did just that.

And because this is my blog and I think my girls are absolutely adorable while picking apples, you get to see more pictures of them doing exactly that!

(This picture is from apple picking trip #1 but it somehow didn't make it into the other post so I have to put it here because it is just too cute of Pumpkin stretching to reach the perfect apple.)

I'm sad to say this was the last weekend to pick apples but we did get quite a few this year. I'm hoping to make some homemade apple butter this week with our newest bunch.

Now bring on the Pumpkin Patches and Corn Mazes....Have I mentioned how much I love fall?????

Strange Fruit

2011-09-24T06:43:00.000-07:00

We have been doing some really fun things and the girls are playing so well together so here I am trying to get all caught up before I get really behind. Today we are heading downtown to the Lotus Festival and I am very excited about that. I love festivals. I love wandering around people watching, listening to music, looking at handmade goods and the such. The weather will be cloudy and cool but it is FALL!!!!! I absolutely adore fall. We already have two pumpkins by our door and a mum planted by our front stoop. I have already made an apple pie, baked apples, and pumpkin cinnamon rolls. The candles have been burning away. I hope fall this year lasts for a long, magical time.

So back to yesterday. We got home at 12:30 after Kindergarten for Peanut and Bible Study for Pumpkin and I. I threw some mac and cheese in a pan for lunch right as my phone rang. It was a friend alerting me to a very cool free event taking place on campus and wondering if we would like to join them. YES! Out the window went the nap and rest time. We are all about free events on gorgeous fall days. The mac and cheese went into the fridge and I quickly chopped an apple, peeled open some cheese sticks and poured some crackers in a bowl and called it "Lunch on the Go!" for the girls.

The event was an Australian dance troupe called Strange Fruit and it was one of the coolest things I have ever seen.

Three women in bright, sparkly outfits climbed 14 foot pools, strapped their thighs to said poles while resting their feet on teeny tiny little foot rests then pulled their skirts up from the bottom of the poles and tied them to their waist.

All the while the music was playing and we were wondering what exactly they would do on top of those poles that seemed to stand very straight.

Once the "Three Belles" were all ready, they began to dance. The poles bent and swayed with them. It was amazing. It looked like they were just floating in the air.

One indicator to the coolness factor of this event was watching my girls. They could not take their eyes off of these dancers. They were entranced.

Even Pumpkin who does not sit still for more than two minutes at a time watched the entire show, awe struck!

The kids were so taken with the dancers that we had to chase them down for a quick little meet and greet before their next show.

So if you are ever anywhere near where this group is performing...GO! You will not be disappointed. Here is a youtube video that I found showing what the show looked like. It is kind of long but worth it!

They are performing again tonight at the Lotus Festival and I think we are going to try to go again because it was THAT good and Daddy wants to see them too.

The Fountain

2011-09-24T06:13:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we went on campus with some friends and had a fabulous time. There is a HUGE fountain that the kids had a ball running around and sticking their hands into. We literally spent close to 30 minutes just watching them run around in total glee especially when the wind shifted just right and they were misted with the water.

Funny story...one friend has a little girl who will be turning 2 in a few weeks. She had shoes on that squeak as she walked. We'll call her Squeakers for the sake of the story. Squeakers was laying on the fountain wall trying to splash her little hands in the water. My oldest daughter and Squeaker's sister were fascinated by her squeaking shoes so they started slapping the bottom of her shoes to make her squeak. With each slap Squeakers was pushed closer to the water! Thankfully we were paying attention and able to save Squeakers from a cold splash in "The Birth of Venus" fountain.

I love these two...so much!

The leaves are just beginning to turn and you can feel fall in the air. Fall is just magical here and I can't wait to take it all in. I want to try to get on campus more something we haven't done much and take in the beauty of the campus that is right at our fingertips! It is just gorgeous.

Apple Picking (The First Edition)

2011-09-24T04:56:00.000-07:00

Last week I took the girls to a local apple orchard to go apple picking. We had a ball together. It was so fun to watch which apples they picked. Pumpkin needed lots of refresher courses on the rule, "We do not pick up the apples from the ground."

They were so very excited and it literally took all of 15 minutes at the most. Isn't it amazing how the little things can make such great memories?

They each had their own small bag to fill and did a really super job.

I just love palling around with these two sweet little people that God has given us. Daddy has been super busy with school and doing an incredible job at proving himself in the HCId master's program. That means long hours at school so I am thankful that we can make these little excursions together.

Our trip ended with apple cider slushies and complimentary bags of popcorn. That was really helpful after a tragic spill in the wagon in which Pumpkin scraped up her elbow really good and got very mad at Mommy. Slushies will fix about anything!

By the way...the apples are AMAZING. I think the girls picked the best of the best. They must be apple picking prodigies!

Tid Bits

2011-09-23T20:23:00.000-07:00

Pumpkin and I have been having some special times while Peanut is in Kindergarten. We've had a couple of dates which Pumpkin has relished in.

I surprised the girls with a "Mini Lunch" yesterday after Kindergarten. They got quite a kick out of the small bites. I get in a rut for lunches so it was fun for them and for me to "jazz" it up.

There was quite a meetng of the minds the other day at our house between the Little People and Littlest Pet Shop animals. I'm not sure who got the plane and who got the minivan though.

Football!!!

2011-09-23T20:06:00.000-07:00

Daddy surprised Peanut and took her to a home football game a couple of weeks ago. She was ecstatic!

She loved everything except the loud jets that flew over before the game started. Her favorite thing was getting to have Dippin' Dots ice cream!

Halfway through the first quarter Peanut asked Daddy when the football game was going to start. ;)

And while walking around the crowd with Daddy she noticed a woman who had substituted in her Kindergarten for a couple of days. She has quite a memory!

Our team lost, but that didn't matter one bit to Peanut who had a night filled with memory making with her Daddy!

Blessed

2011-09-11T06:17:00.000-07:00

A little over three months ago we found out that we had gotten an apartment in the complex we had applied with. We were so excited because it meant a huge financial savings for our family. There was a little problem though. The lease on the apartment we were in was up on Aug. 9 and our new apartment would not be ready until Sept. 1. Talk about anxiety and stress. It would have not been a big deal if Daddy's college and Peanut's Kindergarten hadn't started during that 4 week period, but they both did.

We racked our brain with what we would do and came up with Plan A. We would put all of our things in two storage units. One would have the things we would need in the new apartment and one would have the things we wouldn't be able to fit into the apartment. Then we would stay with my dad until school started. That left us with trying to figure out where to stay in that time frame.

God had an incredible Plan B for us though. A sweet, sweet friend who was actually in Colorado for the summer with her family heard about our predicament and after talking it over with her husband and spending some time in prayer, they offered up their two car garage for our things that would go to the apartment and for us to stay in their home for the two weeks that we needed to be in Bloomington before our new place was ready. What a blessing!

So in reality we moved twice. We lived out of our suitcases for 4 weeks and listened to Pumpkin say, "I wanna go home," quite a few times. BUT we made it and it all went so well. My dad was more than thrilled to have us with him for two weeks and have all of that time with the girls.

Our hosts here in town were amazing. It could not have gone a bit smoother. We felt welcomed into their home 100% of the time that we were there and we even date night swapped so we each got a night out without kids. We also had a special Friday night girls' night that we watched Tangled, ate snacky foods and ended with chocolate cake. There was a late night Settlers of Catan battle and an introduction to Ip Man. More importantly there was lots of talking and bonding and fellowshipping.

(Even the Daddies partook of girls' night.)

I feel like we have two really strong new friends because of it. I even miss our late night talks and meal swappings. It was awesome, really awesome!

The move to the new apartment went so well. We had great help! Another sweet, sweet friend brought lunch to us and cake so that I wouldn't have to worry about feeding the helpers. What an enormous blessing.

It was a hot day but we got it done. We are in our new place thanks to the hard work of some great friends and an awesome Dad!

Dad stayed with us for two days to help with the girls and help with the move. We were so blessed by that. He may have seen his daughter have a few melt downs but hey...it's all about being real. We celebrated before he left by going out for ice cream which of course was a hit with the girls.

So now we are settling in. The boxes are fewer and fewer. We have a backyard too! I scored some awesome deals for outdoor toys like a sandbox and picnic table. It is slowly beginning to feel like home. Thank you to everyone who was praying for us! We made it!

Pictures will be coming soon of the new place. I have been having fun creating and doing some fun new things in the new house and am anxious to share.

The First Day

2011-08-30T17:29:00.001-07:00

You know how you have those grand plans like for instance when it is your daughter's first day of kindergarten and you are going to get up early to make her pancakes and spoil her before she heads off? Well, I had those grand plans. They were foiled. Pumpkin who is my early bird decided to sleep in and my cell phone which I use for my alarm clock died in the night, so we did not get up in time. She didn't seem to mind that she had cereal and toast. We even had enough time to squeeze in pictures so it was fine.

She was super excited to wear her new outfit for her first day and use the special backpack she got for her birthday. She got a special hairdo too. She was ready to get in the van and go!

There was no fear, no anxiety, no worrying...she bopped right up that sidewalk ready to take on kindergarten.

These are her VERY sweet teachers. The one in the front is the actual classroom teacher and the one behind is the teaching assistant. They are both very friendly and so excited about the upcoming year with this class.

One of Peanut's best buddies is in the same class which makes it even that much greater. We had to get a picture with him and Pumpkin wanted in on the action too.

Here she is at the end of the day in the line waiting for Mommy to pick her up. She was all smiles which says to me that it was a great first day indeed.

She even gave it a thumbs up!

Once we got "home", had lunch and got Pumpkin down it was time to take Daddy to his first day of school too...Grad School! He was a bit more anxious but his schedule and classes will be a wee bit more demanding than Peanut's.

This was his Facebook status update after his first day, "Enjoyed my first day of class. Am I really going to study something that I am passionate about for the next two years? I believe so."

I feel so blessed that both of my students love what they are doing and are doing really well. I also feel so blessed that I get to have a few hours each day with just Pumpkin. I am so looking forward to seeing our bond grow even more from this special time.

Now....this weekend we move to our new home and get settled in! Whew! What a roller coaster, but it is a great ride!

Kindergarten Decision

2011-08-29T13:55:00.000-07:00

If you remember last spring we were very excited to have signed Peanut up for public school all day Kindergarten. Then summer hit and both Daddy and I started wondering if we had made the best decision. The realization that kindergarten students must be 5 by August 1 made us realize that she was going to be one of the very young ones in her class having just turned 5 on July 28.

I started talking to lots of people and got quite a bit of feedback. 99.9% of the feedback was that if we could hold off a year in sending her to public school it would only be positive whereas sending her could cause some negatives. As a former preschool teacher and preschool director I knew this. It is just so different when it is your own child. We ONLY want to do the best thing for her.

After weighing out the feedback and having many discussions, we decided to look into two private school kindergartens that provide a half day program. This was a really big decision as it meant there will be a tuition cost but deep down we knew this is what is best for our girl...smaller classes, more one-on-one with teachers, half day and so on.

We chose the school and feel very confident that this is the best place for Peanut this year. There was certainly that doubt in the back of my mind. Are we doing the best thing? Should we just send her on to public school? Then I heard feedback from two parents who have sent their children to the public school all day program and both are so concerned about their children and the exhaustive schedule. The school day has been lengthened here in the county that we live in. One of the parents was almost in tears telling that her daughter was really struggling and they felt they had made the wrong choice. This confirmed to me that we are in fact doing what is best for our girl.

Last Friday we went to Kindergarten orientation and it felt right. I felt excited, she felt excited. We'll have to make some sacrifices so that she can be a part of this program, but it will be worth it!

In the spring we will evaluate her progress with her teacher and decide then if we will send her on to public school first grade or if she will need that extra year of full day public school kindergarten. The later is the plan for right now. I want to give her a strong foundation for the many years of school and peer pressure ahead. This will add a really solid base to that foundation!

Stay tuned for the first day of Kindergarten pictures!

Breakfast with Dobbie and Papa

2011-08-27T17:47:00.000-07:00

We had a special treat yesterday morning. Dobbie and Papa were travelling through our area on their way to get the rest of their things from their cabin up north. So we got to meet them for breakfast together.

The night before we met as we were praying with the girls at bedtime, Daddy prayed, "Thank you that we get to see Dobbie and Papa in the morning." Pumpkin started flopping around on the bed and saying over and over, "I so 'cited. I so 'cited." It was pretty cute.

We sure miss seeing them. It is hard to wrap our heads around the fact that they are now 9 hours away. This was a very short visit but we are so thankful we got to have that.

Two Weeks

2011-08-26T18:21:00.000-07:00

We were so blessed to be able to stay with Gigi for two weeks during the first part of our transition to a new apartment. The girls had so much fun playing outside and enjoying the space that he has at his place. There is always something to do which made for two really worn out girls but happy ones!

Check out who figured out how to drive the Barbie Jeep on this visit! She could make it go forward but that is about it so we had to keep a very close eye on her.

We took in a Monday morning Meijer trip with Gigi to visit his coffee buddies and of course ride the penny pony!

Daddy and Peanut camped out in Gigi's yard one night and in a friend's yard another night. That night Gigi took Pumpkin and I out to visit his buddy who gave Pumpkin a golf cart ride and then to Dairy Queen for a late night treat.

Gigi loves his girls so much and enjoyed the noise and chaos that comes when we visit. His girls love him too!

We were sad to go after such a great time and extended stay.

There were great memories made though! We had a safe drive home...well almost home. We are now staying with some really awesome friends who have opened their home to us and their garage to our stuff! We really are blessed!

Gigi's Zoo Trip

2011-08-26T13:38:00.000-07:00

On Saturday as we were running around Gigi's house and doing some things, Gigi came in and said, "Let's go to the zoo!" How fun was that! We scurried around and got our things around to head up! We had a very enjoyable time together.

An Evening with Friends

2011-08-24T18:42:00.001-07:00

After BFF and her family's visit to Gigi's house, I discovered a cord had been left behind for her son's DS game. Phooey...that meant we had to see them again! Don't you hate it when you get to spend more time with really good friends? I don't! It was such a blessing to me!

BFF surprised me by taking me out for pedicures and manicures. What a sweet friend! We were even wild and got glitter topcoats. Peanut and Pumpkin thought that was really neat when they saw the finished product.

We decided that our men were fine playing their Settlers of Catan game with BFF's oldest daughter and our littles were having a ball playing together, so I surprised BFF and took her to a movie. We went to see The Help (it was my second time to see it but it was even better the second time). I highly recommend this movie if you have not yet seen it. We laughed hysterically and we cried while we savored the dark chocolate that we may or may not have snuck in.

It was a joy to see Peanut and BFF's son playing together so well. They love each other so much and just love being together.

Pumpkin had fun bopping around and playing as well.

We sucked every minute out of the evening that we possibly could making it a very late night or actually a very early morning. The girls were tuckered out but it was so worth it. We love these friends so much, so very much!

Friend

2011-08-23T12:21:00.000-07:00

I have a friend back home that I haven't seen in quite some time. I miss her. She means alot to me. When Peanut was born she was over the moon and told me she wanted to be her fairy Godmother. She has also walked right beside me during some very difficult times. She isn't online so the past few years while we've been away, I have sent her handwritten letters a couple of times and she has responded back. I love that!

While we were at Gigi's this trip, I made a special point of visiting her. It was so wonderful to be back in her home and welcomed with such warm hospitality which is a gift of hers. We had a little tea party. The girls even had their own little tea pot and tea cups which made them feel so special.

She is a wise woman who is slow to answer. She thinks her answer through before giving it which I greatly appreciate. She offered me great counsel on raising these two special gifts of ours. She knew what I needed to hear and said it. I appreciate that too!

She probably wouldn't be overly excited that I am posting about her but I want to. She is special to me and I want to share that here. I am so thankful that God led her into my life. I know that she will always have a very special place in my heart.

And my girls LOVED exploring her farm!

I am so thankful for so many wonderful, true friends that God has led me to throughout my life.

Bucket Lists

2011-08-23T11:58:00.000-07:00

A highlight of our visit was to spend time with my BFF and her family. Her hubby and his brother have decided to do a yearly Brother's Birthday Bucket list. This was the kick-off year and they decided to go skydiving with their wives! They couldn't go the day it was scheduled due to cloudy skies so they came to Gigi's to spend an evening with us. We had supper together and hung out.

BFF's hubby brought his gun so they could all do some target practice. I opted out on this though. Not too fond of the idea of having a gun in my hands. I was glad when they were all done and the gun was packed away safely.

The skydiving event took place the next morning and we got to tag along to watch. I have to say that before watching it I was sure I would never want to do that....BUT after watching it and hearing their reactions, I may be more open to the possibility of someday doing it. It was so fun to be a part of their adventure!

Do you see them? Where are they?

There he is!!!!

Even little missy had fun taking in everyone's adventures.

We're glad they all landed safely back on the ground too!

Down on the Farm

2011-08-17T18:49:00.000-07:00

One of the hardest parts of being home is visiting people because there are SO many that I want to see but it just isn't possible to see everyone. So that makes one of the best parts of being home visiting people!

Last week we went to visit one of my cousins who just so happens to have lots of critters for the littles to love on. There were little baby kittens that I was sure Pumpkin was going to "love" just a bit too much.

There were barn cats, a bunny, a dog, fish, and HORSES! The girls were in Heaven and kept us busy running from one critter to another. The highlight of our visit was riding one of the horses. The girls got to ride 29 year old Scooter. Peanut was so proud because it was her first time to be on a horse by herself.

Pumpkin quickly wanted in on the action and would have ridden the night away if we had let her.

So thankful for family and friends that fill our little girls with great memories!

Family Reunion

2011-08-17T13:05:00.001-07:00

Gigi came down to our apartment on the Saturday of the big move. We rented a large U-Haul truck, packed it up with the help of some great guys, and unloaded our things into the garage of some really, really, really gracious friends (who will also be taking us in for 2 weeks before our new apartment is ready). Gigi then brought the girls and I back home with him while Daddy stayed to tie up some loose ends for a few days. God bless Daddy for doing that. I was mentally just done with it all and am so grateful he took care of that stuff.

The next day was Gigi's family reunion. I was so happy that we got to go along too. I hadn't been to it in years. I was so tired and not feeling overly wonderful but it was so good to see family. Peanut and Pumpkin LOVED the attention. Peanut filled her social calendar with lots of visits to family member's homes while we are at Gigi's. I had people coming up to me saying, "Well, I guess you are coming to see us in the next few days according to your daughter." She is a social butterfly!

At one moment during the reunion they went up to the dessert table with Gigi. When I checked on them they had a new friend who was helping them with their dessert choices. They came back to the table with the following plates.

Those plates are filled with dessert! I told their new friend that I would be sending them home with her just about when their sugar buzz hit. Haha!

Family Day

2011-08-17T12:43:00.000-07:00

Our poor girls were shipped around to different friends' homes while I packed and sorted before our move. I guess I shouldn't say poor because they were thrilled to play with friends so it was a win, win! I am so thankful for good friends who loved on our girls so I could work my tail off without interruption. I would have never gotten us packed up without them.

On the Sunday before we moved, I told Peanut we should try to figure out something fun to do after church and she piped up with, "We should go to the zoo!" So we did! It was a bit on the hot side, but we weren't packing so it didn't matter. All day Peanut kept saying, "I had a good idea, didn't I?"

I think our favorite thing this time was the new tiger exhibit. We were separated only by a glass wall from those beautiful creatures. It was a little unnerving as they stared you in the eye.

They are absolutely amazing...

but not as amazing as these little creatures!

After watching the bear cool off in his little pool of water, we decided the girls needed to cool down at the zoo's splash pad before calling it a day!

A fun day!

Beautiful Girls

2011-08-17T12:35:00.000-07:00

Once again I am behind on blogging. I have a good excuse. We are in the midst of a transition to a new apartment and temporarily "homeless". We are staying with Gigi this week and friends for the next two weeks while we wait for our new apartment to be ready. We were in the midst of packing and moving our things for the first round so I got a little lax on blogging.

These are some pictures I took of the girls the weekend before we moved. Peanut loves her new kitchen set from Gigi and wanted to show it off.

Once I had the camera out Pumpkin started her montage of silly faces and wanted me to capture them!

Then Peanut joined in.

They make me laugh on a daily basis!

Birthday Highlights

2011-08-03T16:56:00.000-07:00

We are in the midst of packing up our apartment to move to another so that is why my birthday posts are a bit behind. I just put the girls to bed in high hopes of working my tail off for another couple of hours but alas....I sat down and am now utterly exhausted,so I will blog.

I am hoping that even in the trying, frustrating, chaotic time of packing that Peanut had a good birthday. I pray she will look back and remember the fun things and not the mommy with a short patience span or ALL OF THE BOXES in our little living room or the fact that she was at a friend's house on the morning of her birthday so Mommy could pack.

I hope she remembers the wish that she made before she blew out her candles.

I hope she remembers the kitty cat birthday cake that I made for her since she loves cats.

I hope she remembers the fun she had when she discovered that her birthday candles would relight and she would have to blow them out again.

I hope she remembers the squeals of delight when she opened the gift Gigi got her and said, "That's what I was hoping for my birthday!"

And I hope she remembers the fun we had and how much love was lavished on her to celebrate her big day!

Happy Birthday, Sweet Peanut!

An Interview with a 5 Year Old

2011-08-02T18:27:00.000-07:00

She went and did it. I don't know how she did it so fast and I'm really not certain why she did it but she turned 5. Be still my heart! I can not believe she is 5. Tonight as I cuddled her and sang her our bedtime songs, I still could not grasp that she is 5. Five seems so "big kid". My mother's heart is not ready for "big kid" yet. On the other hand my mother's heart could not imagine my life without her these past 5 years nor could it be any prouder to be her mother. Of all the children in the world I do believe I got the best two (sorry to inform all you other mothers out there of that).

Last year I started doing a birthday interview with her and have done one this year also. So let's commence the "5th Birthday Interview" with a mix of Peanut pics from the year!

How old are you? 5
What is your favorite food? Candy and corn (on the cob)
What is your favorite snack? Fishy crackers and fruit snacks
What is your favorite TV show? Popeye the Sailor Man and The Cosby Show (She did also include Spongebob Square Pants but we are not allowed to watch that yet.)

What is your favorite thing to do? Go to the park!
What was your favorite thing you learned in school last year? Reading Books.
What is something you are good at? Playing games.

If you could visit anywhere in the world, where would you go? To Dobbie and Papa's house and Gigi's house and Andrew's house.
What is your favorite color? Pink and purple
Who is your best friend? Emma and Cole and Max but everybody is my best friend too.

Who is the coolest person in the world? Jesus
What do you want to be when you grow up? A nurse
What is your favorite song? Ring Around the Rosie and The Yellow Submarine

What is your favorite book? The Enchanted Wedding
What is your favorite toy? My bike
What is your favorite season of the year? Winter because I get to make snowmans.

What is something that you did when you were little? I would get messy and put rocks in my mouth.
What is something that makes you happy? Seeing all of my friends.
What is something that makes you sad? When "Pumpkin" hits me or Simon claws me.

What food don't you like? Sour stuff
What is your favorite memory? When I saw Arthur (our old cat). I really miss him.
What is something you would wish for if you could? I wish Santa Claus would come when I am awake.

What are three words that describe you? Kind, gentle, pretty (with a little bit of help from Mom.)

What is your favorite thing about Daddy? Going to the park and swinging and sliding down the big slides.
What is your favorite thing about Mommy? When we drive to go to someone's house.
What is your favorite thing about "Pumpkin"? When she plays with me.

Who is Jesus? Jesus is good. Jesus is the whole world. He lives inside of us.

So there you have it...the mind of a 5 year old. It was so much fun to interview her this year and watch her process her answers, thinking of the perfect thing to say. We love her so much!

Happy Birthday, Peanut!

Divas

2011-08-01T19:27:00.000-07:00

These girls can rock the sunglasses like no other.

They crack me up!

County Fair

2011-08-01T04:26:00.000-07:00

This past week was the county fair here in our community. We decided to start Peanut's birthday celebration early and go on Wednesday. We braved the wicked temperature of 104 with the heat index thinking later that it may not have been the brightest idea. We survived though. Peanut and Pumpkin loved looking at the animals. Just from their expressions and reactions, I think the poultry barn was their favorite. There are some really silly looking chicken that gave them both the giggles.

Daddy stole Peanut away and took her on several rides. During this time Pumpkin and I tried to walk around and look at things but it was SO hot. She was melting into a Pumpkin puddle so after a treat of strawberry shortcake, we went to the van and blasted the A/C as we waited for Daddy and Peanut.

Peanut rode the ferris wheel with Daddy and didn't bat an eye. This shocked me quite a bit. She usually has a healthy fear of new things. She had a ball! She also rode the bumper cars and thought it was very funny that she could run into other cars. Last night we were on our way home from somewhere and she said, "Mom, you could just bump that car in front of us." Haha!

She had a very fun prelude to her birthday!

This is the Year

2011-07-24T09:23:00.001-07:00

Peanut will be turning 5 this week. It is a very good thing that I have so much going on because I could shed some tears over the fact that she's going to be 5. How did that happen?

Around this age Dobbie gifts each of her grand daughters with an American Girl doll and this was Peanut's year. Dobbie and Papa have busy, busy moving so she ordered the doll early for Peanut. She received it last week after we got home from South Carolina. She knew it was coming so when she saw the box on our front porch Monday evening, she screamed, "My doll is here!" She was pretty excited. Dobbie had let her choose what doll she wanted from the catalog. When Peanut found out that she could get a doll that looked like herself, that was all she wanted. Sorry Kit, Kirsten, Samantha and all you other historical dolls, my girl wants a look-alike doll.

There was much excitement buzzing in the air as the tape was removed from the box. She dug into the foam peanuts searching for her beloved doll and shrieked at first glance.

We think she likes her! :)

Can you guess what she named her? She looks alot like Peanut, hint, hint. Yep, the doll is named after Peanut herself!

Wrapping up SC

2011-07-24T05:31:00.000-07:00

As you can tell by now, we had a great time with the family in SC. We were surprised how fast the week went when it was time to head home. It was a relaxing time where there was no pressure to do this and do that. The girls got to play and play and play with their cousins and make memories which was the best thing that could have happened.

Peanut even got an early birthday celebration which was so thoughtful! She has a start to a Littlest Pet Shops collection now.

Another highlight of our week together was having a good friend and college roomie who lives only 2 hours from our family come visit for the day. It was so good to see her. She hit it off with our family too! :) She was a great sport and even went swimming with us at the neighbor's pool which made the girls thrilled. I am so glad we got that little visit as they don't come too often since we live so far from each other. She's definitely a friend for life!

I think that is all. I think I've posted all of our pictures and memories. What a great time!

Peanut's favorite memory is jumping on the jumper and playing with her cousins! See, it doesn't take the big things to impress the littles. The little things are what are impressed in their memories!

Redcliffe Plantation

2011-07-20T19:35:00.000-07:00

Our plan was to head home on Saturday but with the change in the weather and cooler temps we decided to stay one more day so we could take in some more adventures. We decided to head to a local plantation, Redcliffe Plantation for the afternoon. We enjoyed a picnic lunch thanks to that great sister-in-law before we took of a tour of the mansion.

The home was built in 1857 by James Henry Hammond a U.S. Congressman, Governor of South Carolina, and U.S. Senator known best for his "Cotton is King!" speech that he made in his fight for slavery to continue.

The house had a family living in it until 1975 so it did have electricity and running water installed. The early families had the pleasure of taking a bath in a tin tub, mind you probably 5 people bathed in the same bath water. YUCK!

From the upstairs doors (the early air conditioning system that created a cross breeze to keep the house cool) you could see out over the Savannah River Valley and into the hills of Georgia.

There was an original apothecary case full of medicines used from the turn of the century in one of the bedrooms.

The girls did very well considering we weren't supposed to sit on anything or touch anything!

Peanut had a ball considering that she got carried around alot by her cousins!

The last spot we visited on the site was the only remaining slave house. This blew my mind. Yes, the house was majestic and beautiful but it did not impact the way the tiny little slave house did. The mansion housed 12 people at most at any given time while the slave house housed up to 20 people at any given time. There were pictures of the families who had been slaves and later sharecroppers or paid domestic employees. It was mind boggling to stand in that tiny little house and imagine the heart breaking things those families had to endure. It was also difficult to explain to an almost 5 year old what that little house really stood for.

A Cooler Southern Day

2011-07-19T17:43:00.000-07:00

On what was to be our last day in South Carolina we awoke to cooler temps and a gorgeous day. We decided to thoroughly enjoy the beautiful weather that had been bestowed on us like a gift and headed out. The girls, my sister-in-law and two of her daughters headed to Aiken to enjoy the historic down town and peruse some of the quaint shops. It was fun to window show although I heard myself saying over and over, "Don't touch anything!" I was pretty sure I would have had to take out a loan to pay for anything that could have been broken in some of the stores. In one antique store I over heard two women talking about a basket. One woman said, "I have one that belonged to my great-great grand-daddy. He used to take it down to the river to take things to the soldiers during the war." (She was referring to the Civil War. WOW!)

The girls did super although shopping wasn't nearly as exciting as playing in the pool or at the playground. Here is a picture of them standing beside a seasoned Southern belle.

We returned home, picked up the rest of the family and headed to Georgia to take in the River Walk along the Savannah River. We even had a picnic at the river and the girls finally got some playground time in. The walk was beautiful!

As we we continued walking we discovered a HUGE fountain that looked like a geyser in the middle of an old brick road. The girls shivered with excitement as we told them, "GO! Get wet!" This may be my favorite memory from the trip. There were shrieks of glee and giggles and endless smiles. They ran straight into the water fearless, squealing as it pelted them.

OH, the fun they had and the fun we had watching them!

Hopeland Gardens

2011-07-16T18:23:00.000-07:00

We visited a beautiful park area this past week called Hopeland Gardens. We got to go there last summer when we were visiting and knew it was a spot we wanted to see again. It is one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen.

There was a nice size pond that was full of turtles swimming around. The girls had a ball watching the turtles swim up to the bridge to check us out. You would have thought they had hit the jack-pot when a baby turtle came swimming up!

Such amazing trees in this park! We were so thankful for the extra hands to help with the girls, they were too!

Daddy took some pictures of his brother's family as they needed an updated family picture. We can't get over how fast the kids have grown. The two oldest girls were teeny tiny flower girls in our wedding just a "couple" of years ago. Our nephew was just walking and the younger girl was growing inside her mom's belly!

This is a GREAT bunch of kids who are incredible cousins to my girls. They didn't bat an eye once about playing with or doting on our two littles all week. They pretty much spoiled our girls with all of the attention they received.

Our little family had a sweet time with them!

And I'm not sure but I don't think there is as intoxicating a scent as those gorgeous Magnolia trees in the South.

Keeping Cool in the South

2011-07-16T18:04:00.000-07:00

We have spent a few days in the neighbors' pool here in the sunny, hot South. The girls have had a fantastic time at the pool and it was so refreshing for us.

Pumpkin has shown absolutely no fear with the water which is good and bad. She wanted to be let go so she could swim on her own or even jump in the water by herself. YIKES! She also kept trying to put her face in the water like her big sister. She's a wild one!

Peanut has become quite a pro at putting her face under water and even making herself swim while under.

She even got brave enough to let one of her cousins toss her into the water like a cannonball. This shocked me to no end! I was very proud of her for being so brave and having so much fun.

The girls also had fun in the little wading pool that their sweet aunt bought for them to play in on the back deck.

The cousins introduced the girls to bouncing on the trampoline which was a HIT!

Cousins

2011-07-15T13:11:00.000-07:00

We have been having so much fun with family this week (while missing those who couldn't be with us). The girls have LOVED all of the extra attention they have been getting and constant of having someone play with them all week. We are all on a pretty tight budget so it has been a week of just relaxing and staying in and it has been GREAT! It helps when your sister-in-law is an amazing hostess and cook! :)

Here are some pics from the week with more to come.

We are so thankful for the time here.

12 Hours

2011-07-14T17:59:00.000-07:00

We are currently visiting family down south...down in the very HOT south. We are having a blast and just relaxing and enjoying being with each other. It was a long 12 hour drive but well worth it. I packed 55 items from our local library including movies, books, and books on CD to keep the girls busy along with a box of coloring books, crayons and lots of other goodies. I also stopped at the Dollar Store and bought some little prizes to give the girls along the way there and the way home. They LOVED this!

We had lots of potty stops too. The girls love the hand driers.

We also stopped at a park along the way for a picnic and some play time although it was really hot.

The girls did SUPER. I really don't think they could have done any better. Thank goodness for Twizzlers! Daddy did an amazing job driving the whole way. I am so thankful for a safe trip and a great visit with family. Praying for a safe and quiet trip home also.

Dobbie and Papa's Cabin

2011-07-13T06:42:00.000-07:00

Dobbie and Papa are getting ready for a move to Virginia so this is probably the last time that we will stay at the cabin together. We had a wonderful time with them on the second half of our trip north. We visited an outlet mall with Dobbie on our first day together and were able to find a few deals which is always nice. Later in the evening we went to a local park for a picnic and some playground time for the girls.

At the park we had quiet a scare when Pumpkin took off running away from us and ran directly onto the street in front of a van. This is right up there as one of the ABSOLUTE scariest moments of being a Mom so far. Thank goodness the driver was driving slow enough and heard us frantically screaming! There were many tears and a very shaken up Mommy and Pumpkin. I hope and pray she learned her lesson!

There were lots of laughs and playing on the front porch.

We also took in the final NASA space launch together from the television.

Dobbie finished a birdie quilt very similar to the one she made for Peanut 2 years ago. Pumpkin helped a little bit with while Dobbie finished sewing the binding on. She LOVED her quilt and was so excited to have a new "B" as she calls her favorite blanket.

We had a grand time together!

Staying With Gigi

2011-07-12T17:07:00.000-07:00

We spent the first part of our trip at Gigi's house. The girls had so much fun running around his farm and playing with all of their outside things.

Our first night there we did some fireworks and sparklers with the girls.

This is the expression we got from the loud firecrackers.

The girls caught fireflies while we had a campfire and roasted marshmallows too.

It was a great visit!

Our 4th of July

2011-07-10T05:34:00.000-07:00

We had a wonderful 4th of July this year. We were able to be up north for the week with family. We spent the 4th with Gigi and had a relaxing morning together. After lunch we headed off to a small town parade. The girls did super considering it was hot and loud. I think the candy being thrown at them helped.

After the parade we had a wonderful bbq at a sweet friend's home. Amazing food, great fellowship and Gigi's homemade ice cream...What a great afternoon!

The ice cream passed the granddaughter's approval, don't you think?

Later in the evening we took the girls to a local fireworks show. We had no idea what to expect. Last year Peanut was scared to death and spent the show in the van with Daddy while Pumpkin slept on my shoulder. As the fireworks started we ooohed and ahhed and made a big deal about how pretty they were. The girls LOVED it. They had so much fun picking out their favorites. Pumpkin kept saying, "Pretty!"

It was a grand day and we successfully wore the girls out!

Scrub a Dub Dub

2011-07-09T19:11:00.000-07:00

Last week the kitchen floor needed scrubbed and I had two very willing little helpers. They had a ball scrubbing and cleaning. I don't think it has ever been so sparkly clean before!

Happy 4th (A Day Late)

2011-07-05T04:52:00.000-07:00

We hope you all had a wonderful 4th of July. We certainly did! We had a relaxing morning, took in a parade (in the town where I have wonderful memories of staying at Grandma's house), had a BBQ and ended the evening with fireworks. The girls LOVED the fireworks. You may remember that they did NOT last year so we were thrilled to get to sit through and enjoy them all together.

(Actual 4th of July pics coming soon....this is from Friday night at a friend's house doing sparklers!)

Swim Lessons

2011-07-02T13:34:00.000-07:00

Peanut concluded 2 weeks of swim lessons this past Friday. She loved it but was glad for her final day after getting up every morning and heading out to class. Her instructors were sweet and did a great job working with the small class of 4 students.

Her favorite part of the lessons was playing "Red Light, Green Light" with her class. She did not like putting her head under the water and would only do it one time each class then that was enough of that.

To celebrate her final days of swim lessons we stayed at the pool and swam the afternoon away. The girls had a ball to say the least.

AND by the time we left the pool guess who was sticking her face in the water time and time again and loving it!

She spent the last hour doing this and was finally able to put her whole head under water. She can't wait to swim again so she can put her head under!

It's a Great Town

2011-06-29T19:41:00.000-07:00

There are so many fun opportunities to partake of here in our community and that I love. Last week we packed up a picnic supper, a blanket, and the kiddos and headed down town to a park to hear the community band play. It was SO MUCH FUN! I kept wishing our extended family were there to share in the great evening. The girls had a ball to say the very least.

(I mean really...could Pumpkin cheese it any more?)

(That picnic basket was my mom's. Any time I pack it up, I feel like I am taking her along with us. It is something of hers that has meant a lot to me and that I treasure.)
This park had the great feature of a new playground that we had fun initiating while listening to the band play on.

(Yes, the girls do have sweatshirts on at the end of June. It was a very chilly late June night. The heat has been turned on again though.)

Of course the girls had to get a jig in before the band finished for the night.

There is a beautiful old fountain in the park too. The girls thought it would be fun to jump right in and dance in the water.

We made a stop on our way home at a local outdoor ice cream joint. They have great kid priced treats at $0.50 that you just can't beat. The ice cream is soooo good too.

I think we have found our Thursday night summer tradition!

Camp Program

2011-06-29T05:51:00.000-07:00

Peanut had her camp program a week and a half ago. She was so excited to see her camp friends and leaders. We got to see lots of pictures from the fun week with her friends and hear the group sing a fun song that they had learned.

Here she is with the group singing. She is smack dab in the middle.

These were her camp leaders for the week.

We are still so proud of how brave she was to go off each day on a bus. It really amazes me!

Creativity

2011-06-23T19:59:00.000-07:00

We have this sweet little table and bench seats that Dobbie gave us when we moved. She had it at her house and knew we would get alot of use out of it. It has been in our basement along with the girls' kitchen set and has been used quite a bit since our move but had become kind of out of sight, out of mind. The other day I had the grand idea of bringing it up to the kitchen. What a GREAT IDEA it was. The girls have loved it. They have crafted at that table...

stamped at the table after I covered it with a big piece of paper....

ate yummy snacks and meals together here...

played playdough together and so on.
The one thing that has become SO apparent since bringing the table up is that we have an artist on our hands. Pumpkin spends most of her time at the table. One of the first things out of her mouth in the morning is, "I want paper. I draw." LOVE IT!

She has since taken to drawing on our dry erase board on the fridge daily...

And on her little magnadoodle.

She LOVES to color and draw all of the time now thanks to bringing this little table upstairs. Yes...it has made our kitchen even "cozier" and yes, there is always a mess to clean up BUT she is happy and showing her very creative side and that WE LOVE!

Touch-A-Truck

2011-06-20T06:34:00.000-07:00

Pumpkin and I got to do some special one-on-one things last week while Peanut was at camp. We went to the library a couple of times, we played, we colored, and we went to an exciting annual event held here in town, Touch-a-Truck. All types of large vehicles from our city were brought to a local park. Kids could then climb on them, sit in them, pretend to drive them and so on.

Pumpkin LOVED it. She was out of her stroller which I still make her ride in when I have Peanut along and she did superbly!

Her favorite things were the buses and I am sure it is because she watched her sis-sis leave each morning that week on one. All day long she would say to me, "Sis-sis on da bus," or "Sis-sis on da road," because she watched the bus with her sister drive away on the road. So when she saw the big yellow bus at Touch-a-Truck, she was very excited.

We got to see a cement mixer, ambulance, fire truck, pizza delivery van, city bus, university bus, school bus, electric trucks, garbage truck, flat bed truck, and a dump truck. My favorite was the library bookmobile. We have never taken advantage of the bookmobile so I was really impressed with it. It stops at different parts of the city throughout the week so if you can't make it to the library you can go to this library on wheels to check things out or reserve things from the library to be put on the bookmobile for you to pick up. Very cool!

She had fun, I had fun...such great things going on here!

Camp

2011-06-19T13:04:00.000-07:00

Last week Peanut got to be a part of an amazing event put on by our church. Instead of the normal VBS they do a day camp with the kids. It was 4 days long (although Peanut was under the weather the first day) from 8 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. I dropped her off at the church where she along with all of the other campers filled a bus and headed 25 minutes south of here to a camp where they sang, learned about God, made crafts, had snacks, played games and ate lunch together.

When I picked her up after her first day, she had two questions for me.
1.) "Can I do this again next year, Mom?"
2.) "Some of the kids get to spend the night this week, why can't I?" The campers who are entering 1st or 2nd grade had the option of staying over one night for a bridge experience between day camp and overnight camp.

I would say that these two questions say it all. SHE HAD A BLAST! She never batted an eye when I dropped her off. She was with one of her best buddies going to camp and she couldn't have been more excited. I am so, so, so grateful for this!

All week she has been humming and singing the songs they learned at camp. Tonight we head to church to hear her sing with the other campers and see what a day at camp was like for her. What an awesome opportunity!

Celebrate

2011-06-19T08:43:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we were invited to a friend's birthday party. This friend's mom and I have a connection. Thirteen years ago this past May she had just come back to the states after being overseas and was visiting her aunt. Her aunt invited her to go along with her to her husband's cousin's wedding which just so happened to be my wedding. The day after the wedding she was with us while Hubby and I opened our wedding gifts, in fact she got the fun job of writing down who gave us what.

I had not seen her since then but was told by my cousin's wife that she and her family just happened to live in the community we moved to. We became Facebook friends. We didn't actually see each other until the second fall we lived here when we bumped into each other at a Pumpkin patch. You know how it is...you have good intentions but get caught up in the busyness of life.

This past winter I joined a Bible study at her church which she happened to be in also. We started bumping into each other more and I had the privilege of helping her out with her kids a couple of times after her husband had an accident at work. We have gotten to know each other quite a bit over the course of the winter/spring including a couple of play dates.

Our kids are getting to be friends now too. It is super cool to have a connection here like this one. I am so very thankful for new friends who were old acquaintances!

We had a great time celebrating her middle child's 4th birthday. What a fun party!

The Artist

2011-06-17T12:08:00.000-07:00

Last Sunday morning I sat cuddling with Peanut looking at pictures on Facebook of some friends she was missing. I realized that Pumpkin was in the kitchen and had been awfully quiet for some time. So in my sweetest Mommy voice I said, "Pumpkin, what are you doing?" It was then that I heard her RUN from the laundry room to the kitchen table where she hid and started crying. UH-OH!

I went out to find my sweet little girl with her weapon of choice in hand and red drawings all over the kitchen walls, kitchen floor, pantry door, and laundry room floor.

All I had to say was, "PUMPKIN!" in my stern Mommy voice and the crying floodgates opened as did the screams of guilt.

Needless to say she knew she was guilty and popped that bottom lip out as far as she could. Thankfully I had some magic erasers on hand and after a good 20 minutes of scrubbing I was able to get all of the crayon markings off of the floor, walls, and door.

As some have said she was just expressing her creativity!

VBS

2011-06-16T08:25:00.000-07:00

Last week kicked off a busy June for us, well really for Peanut. The church where her preschool was located held an evening VBS program and she got to go. She loved it and I love that!

On the last night after VBS there was a carnival to celebrate the week. The girls had so much fun taking in the free hot dogs, blow up toys like bounce houses and slides and carnival games. Here are some pictures from carnival night.

Do you see that sweet young girl beside Peanut? She was an assistant in Peanut's group and let me just say that Mom and Dad were totally ditched so Peanut could hang out with her. She told us umpteen times about her new best friend too and for a few days after VBS lamented about not seeing her again. She was a sweetheart and won Peanut's heart!

And now for the last three pictures. Peanut LOVED the blow-up slide so for our final fun event Daddy took both girls up the slide to go down with them because that is how Peanut rolls sometimes. She is unsure about some things like slides but totally ok with me leaving her in a VBS class where she knows only one other child! Pumpkin on the other hand could not get to the top fast enough. Once at the top Peanut works hard to spread out the blanket just right while Pumpkin flops down on her belly and immediately goes down head first laughing and squealing the whole time!

Peanut getting blanket just so, Pumpkin flopping...

Peanut going down with Daddy!

One funny story about Pumpkin from the week. One night we went to pick Peanut up and were a bit early so I took Pumpkin to the sanctuary where the big kids were ending their session with worship. Pumpkin was ENTHRALLED...there were lights and loud music. So the next night after we dropped Peanut off, Pumpkin led me to the sanctuary saying, "I hear music loud!" over and over. This totally fits her personality to a T!

Summer Fun

2011-06-11T11:35:00.000-07:00

We have been keeping busy with lots of summer activities so far this season. It has been HOT, HOT, HOT already so we might as well make the best of it!

Last weekend our neighbors invited us to head to a local lake with them. We had a bit of an adventure finding an open beach since said lake was quite flooded. Once we found a spot to swim, the beach was underwater so the kids played in the mud. They were quite content making mud pies instead of sand castles.

Here you can see how flooded the lake still is.

We've also been on several play dates. Some friends had us over the other day so the kids could splash in their wading pool. Unfortunately both of the girls were not as adventurous about sliding into the water as the boys. Peanut did it twice and then wanted me to hold her hand so she wouldn't go so fast. Pumpkin also did it twice and then resumed control of the water hose.

Yesterday we headed to the splash pad. The girls BOTH ran to the splash pad, were knocked over by running kids and got really scraped up knees, ankles, and hands. UGH! This put a damper on Peanut's mood especially. We didn't last too long this time. Pumpkin had fun playing in her bathing suit though at home with Peanut's bike gear on. Maybe she wants to train for a triathlon?

A Walk

2011-06-09T08:17:00.000-07:00

The other night we decided to take a walk through our neighborhood. The girls decided they needed to take their babies along too. These are the moments that I just love being a Mom!

Pumpkin was sporting some super cute pigtails too. I have to share because she looked ridiculously cute.

And just another shot because I can't get enough of these mamas with their babies.

Odds and Ends

2011-06-03T11:52:00.001-07:00

Here is a smattering of some odds and ends pictures from the past week that I wanted to post.
Peanut had her first chess lesson with a very serious chess player who told her that the pieces would eat each other up. Not sure she picked the game up but she had a great time!

We were able to attend the wedding of one of our former youth group members from when Daddy was a youth pastor. What an extremely amazing honor to be a part of his big day and to see God honored in such an fabulous way. Daddy got to dance with his two special girls at the reception.

(Daddy was told at the end by a wedding attendee, "Your little girls are very cute, like painfully cute!" We think so too!)
Memorial Day was super, super hot so we took in the splash pad with a friend and her kids. The girls had a blast being reintroduced to this fun summer activity. It is one of our favorite summer things to do to beat the heat.

Lucky? I Think Not!

2011-06-03T11:33:00.001-07:00

An F1 tornado hit down in our community last week. We decided to take a drive and see how bad things were. We could not believe some of the things we saw. A small mobile home park was destroyed, a cement block building was ripped apart and trees totally twisted, splintered and completely uprooted from the ground. We are so thankful that no one was seriously hurt and that our family was protected.

While we were out our tire pressure monitor came on and we pulled into a gas station to find that a back tire was completely deflating. Here is a picture of the culprit.

Daddy and I figured out where everything was and got that tired changed...a nice stranger may have stopped to help out too.

We took the van to Wal-Mart to see if the tire could be patched to find out the hole was too close to the edge and we couldn't. The lady who checked our tire said that never in all her life had she seen anything like that before. It was a mailbox key so someone somewhere had to go buy a new key. I've heard those aren't cheap but I have a sneaky suspicion that they don't cost as much as two new back tires.

13 Years

2011-06-03T11:23:00.000-07:00

Our 13th anniversary was on May 23. (I am a little bit behind.) We didn't really have any plans but after waking up to an absolutely gorgeous day we headed north to the zoo! Yes, we went to the zoo on our anniversary and we were all as happy as larks about it. We love our kids and count them as the two most amazing blessings that we have received in the last 13 years and spent our day with them.

Here are some pics from our day.
Pumpkin was pretty excited about getting to run the zoo and not being strapped into her stroller. She loves her freedom!

Pumpkin ran around the snake exhibit saying, "PeeU," and holding her nose. I guess she thinks snakes are stinky.

I'm pretty sure the cheetahs think the kids look like great snacks because they always stalk the window when the littles are near it. Yikes!

Peanut thought the new warthog was cute. I think it had a face only a mother could love.

This picture speaks a thousand words about the personalities of these two girls!

Happy Anniversary, Honey! The way you love these two little girls makes me love you even more! We are so proud of all that you have accomplished and can't wait to see what God has in store for us!

Transient Town

2011-05-26T11:19:00.000-07:00

We live in a transient town due to the university. This didn't really affect us or our circle of friends last summer but boy is it this summer and it is hard. Last week some of our good friends moved away. Our girls loved playing together and I so enjoyed getting to know this fellow mommy. Their two girls who are the same ages as our girls came over the day before the move to have a day long play date while their mommy and daddy cleaned the house they just sold. It was a fun day and so sweet to see our girls together but there was a hint of sadness knowing we wouldn't see them again for awhile. Thankfully they didn't move far, far away so we can plan visits and such.

This is the first of three possible really good friends moving. We are waiting to hear about the other two as they go through job interviews and make decisions. We are praying that God leads them exactly where He wants them even if it means away as hard as that is. We know that ultimately the perfect place is where God wants us.

Preschool's Over

2011-05-25T10:36:00.000-07:00

Last week was Peanut's last week of preschool. On Wednesday the whole preschool had a fun Luau party day. I went in to help with the events and had a ball. They got to do the limbo, get their faces painted, color fish magnets, make tropical pictures frames, eat fruit kabobs and many other fun Hawaiian themed activities.

Peanut's favorite part of the day was getting her face painted. She wanted Cinderella but we were able to talk her down to a princess crown.

Friday was her last day as a preschooler. When I asked her that morning if she was sad or happy she said, "I'm sad because I'll miss my friends but I'm happy because I have to go to preschool everyday and it makes me tired." I thought to myself, "Everyday! Wait until Kindergarten when you really do go everyday!"

She has done so well and I am SOOOO grateful that we were able to have her in preschool even if only for a few months. She has loved it so very much and it has given her some exposure to a school environment which will have her more prepared for Kindergarten! Her favorite part of preschool..."eating snack because I like eating snack."

There is nothing like watching your own child grow into who she is and be filled with absolute pride and joy over her! We love her so much!

Polly Pocket World

2011-05-22T11:42:00.000-07:00

Living in a university town provides us with opportunities that we would not have elsewhere. One of those is signing up to partake in various studies. They are always looking for children to do studies with. We signed up to be willing a few months ago for Peanut and she was asked to do participate in a speech perception study. She got to go two times and answer a lot of questions. She got a special snack, a prize and $10 each time. This past week she finished the study and that $20 instantly was burning a hole in her pocket. She immediately asked if we could go to Target to find something to spend that money on. She debated. She searched. She longed. She got shot down. (Bratz dolls will not be making their way into our home and she was ok with that.) Then after all the searching she returned to the first thing she found...a Polly Pockets doll set something she has not had. She was SOOOOO excited to get home and get them out to play with. Daddy and I can not get over how small they are. We have a special box for them and a rule that she can only play with them when Pumpkin is sleeping.

This was the first time she was able to go into a store with her own money and pick something out. It was so fun to watch her choose ever so carefully.

Preschool Graduation

2011-05-19T06:49:00.000-07:00

Tuesday night we celebrated another graduate in the family....Peanut. She had her preschool graduation and program.

She was so excited to put on her "princess dress" but not as excited to get her hair all curled until I told her that is what a princess does to make her hair beautiful.

Here she is singing away and making us so proud. She is on the bottom row on the far right in the lavendar dress.

They had a large screen behind the stage showing the kids up close. Peanut was pretty interested in watching the screen to see if she could catch a glimpse of herself. She did a super job though of singing!

After singing each child got to tell his or her name in the microphone to the very big crowd. Peanut did great remembering first and last name and showing no fear!

Her teachers have been so great with her and we have been so, so, so happy with the preschool we picked for her. She has loved each and everyday there and has always bounced out of bed on preschool days ready for the fun ahead. She loves these wonderful ladies!

I didn't think I would cry, but I was wrong. I did. This little girl that made me a Mama made my heart soar with pride and joy and the tears flowed. She is a beauty full of kindness and joy. We love her to the moon and back a million times over!

We gave her the book "Oh, the Places You'll Go" by Dr. Seuss because we know that this is just the beginning of watching her succeed and striving for what is ahead!

"The finest inheritance you can give to a child is to allow her to make her own way, completely on her own feet."
-Isadora Duncan

The Hiking Trip

2011-05-18T13:40:00.000-07:00

Daddy has been wanting to go on a hiking trip for quite some time. He finally found a willing hiking buddy and got to go this past weekend. His buddy came down on Friday night to spend the evening with us so they could get an early start on Saturday. He brought along his dog, Pimg who has been incredibly trained and was so gentle with all of us. The girls fell in love with her and had a ball asking her to do tricks so they could give her treats.

On Saturday morning after a breakfast of home made waffles the girls and I took the hiking crew out into the hills to find the trail they had decided to hike. We had to look hard to find the little sign that marked the trail but find it, we did. As the guys got all geared up there were refreshers on what poison ivy and ticks look like.

I was feeling a little anxious sending them off into the great wilderness but thankful to know they had Pimg hiking along with them.

Right before they set off a truck pulled up and the driver told them to be extra loud and to talk alot because there were turkey hunters out. This did nothing to reassure me but off they went full of excitement and anticipation of hiking 20 miles. The girls and I said a prayer of safety for them on our trip back to town.

We did some fun things together while Daddy was away. We hit up the Farmer's Market and got some plants for our deck, ate some popcorn and listened to a local folk artist. We then trekked down town to our favorite Mexican restaurant for lunch. We always have to hit up the big gumball machine before leaving.

On our return walk to our van, I noticed a poster advertising a circus at the fairgrounds and decided to surprise the girls and go. The selling point was 2 free kids for each paying adult. The highlight of the 2 hour show was them getting to touch this snake beforehand. All of the kids made a beeline for the snake and all of the moms made a bee line for the opposite side of the room.

Let's just say it was NOT the greatest show on earth. Peanut said she had fun so that is all that matters even though I kept thinking, "I just spent $15 on this when we could have gone to the library for free and had a much grander time." Lesson learned....research the circus company WELL before going!

Sunday afternoon I heard from Daddy telling me to meet them in an hour at our predetermined spot. (He had texted me a few times through the 2 day journey so I would know they were ok.) The girls and I filled the van with blankets for the muddy, wet hiking crew as it had rained all day Sunday, hot coffee and two big slices of pizza. We headed out. Just as I was miles within reaching our meeting place, Daddy called to tell me that they didn't think they were in the right spot. I didn't have a map to figure out how to find them and Daddy's phone was just about dead AND we were in the boonies again. This was not good. I called Dobbie to have her jump online and try to help me figure out where I needed to go when I rounded a corner and saw two very tired, wet guys and a dog. YEAH! They were on the right road and so was I!

They had hiked 20 miles in two days and saw some amazing sights carrying 40 lb backpacks each. Pimg even had to carry her own water.

Filtering water from the streams they hiked past.

And stumbling on some pretty amazing spots in the back country.

They had a great time and are ready to do it again soon!

How Sweet It Is!!!

2011-05-13T11:48:00.000-07:00

He did it! Daddy graduated last Saturday and now has his undergraduate degree in Informatics! He and over 8,500 students joined the 3rd largest group of alumni in the United States. The basketball stadium was PACKED. I do not believe there was an empty seat in the whole stadium. We were so excited to celebrate and be a part of Daddy's huge achievement!

How sweet it is!!!!

"'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the LORD, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.'"
Jeremiah 29:11

And off we go into the chapter of life titled "Graduate School!"