Random Cuteness...

I love when I can capture a big smile on one of my kiddos faces. Thanks Pop for giving me the best camera ever!!

Bargains, bargains, bargains...

Since both kids decided to start the day at 6:15, I was at Target this morning shortly after they opened. They just so happened to be rearranging their toy aisles and decided to mark down tons of stuff .....75% off. I couldn't believe the deals they had on dolls (Baby Alive, Cabbage Patch Kids), toys, gaming systems, craft stuff, etc. It was unbelievable. I filled an entire shopping cart full of great stuff.....Christmas gifts, birthday gifts, E-Bay items,..etc. Had I paid full price, the total would have been $310 but I walked away spending $99 for all of it. I was thrilled. Check out my great deals...




The Leapster, orginally $49.99, $12.45!!!!!!!

Pump-It-Up

Today, Jen and I took the kids to Pump-It-Up. If you have never been, it is a big open space with 4 huge inflatables (bounce houses) for the kids to go nuts in. It was so much fun watching them run around. They had such a big time....which really surprised me. Once I walked in, I figured Will would be too timid to try any of them but boy was I wrong. He jumped (literally) right in there with Matthew and didn't skip a beat. There was one particular inflatable that was designed like an obstacle course with a big wall at the end that the kids had to climb and my son, Mr. Cautious, completed every bit of it. His little legs and arms were shaking as he climbed the wall but he did it and did it again and again at least 10 more times. Each time he would scream, "Great job Will". I sat there crying, laughing, and cheering as I watched him. He would have never even attempted to do that a few months ago. He is really growing up. At times, it makes me so sad. Here are some pictures from our morning.

Weekend Pictures

I thought I would share some pictures from Friday night when we baby sat Matthew and Eli and then some of A.J.'s party tonight. It has been a jam packed 24 hours and I am so very,very tired. Looking forward to some R & R tomorrow....after church, the grocery, and the ironing is done :)

PS....My friend Tonya sent Will and Abby a box full of goodies and one of the goodies was a Buzz Light Year costume. Will absolutely loves it and would wear it 24/7 if I let him. Thank you Tonya for everything.

This week in pictures....

Monday morning was spent here......at the park.

Tuesday afternoon was spent swimming with our friends (sorry no pictures).

Wednesday (rainy day) was spent organizing, doing laundry, and playing with this as much as Abby would allow.

Thursday was spent here...at a bible study fellowship potluck. We all had such a great time.

Thursday night was spent admiring how good my carpets looked after getting this amazing vacuum. I couldn't get over the difference between my old vacuum and this one.

And tonight (for our monthly child care/date night swap) we will be keeping Matthew and Eli while their mom and dad go out and celebrate their anniversary.

In the morning, Jen and I are going to hit a big neighborhood yard sale (only for Will...no more pink stuff allowed) and then A.J.'s party in Lexington that night. As for Sunday, I am looking forward to a quiet afternoon after church and the grocery. I think that about sums it up. Hope yours is a good one too.

He's home!

I just wanted to let everyone know that dad is home and thrilled to be there. He will still go for more test this week, B12 shots, and some other stuff (hard to keep up) but at least he is able to sleep in his own bed and be surrounded by all his creature comforts (computer, mom's cooking, and all his Gunsmoke episodes). Yea!!
I am keeping my eyes on the kiddos because Will's nose is starting to run and Abby seems like she may be getting congested as well. I heard Will sneeze tonight and it didn't sound so great. Sigh.
We had a nice Sunday and a nice weekend. The sermon was great today, the grocery bill was under budget, and Brian's dad came up for dinner. I tried out my new fry daddy tonight and made some yummy tasting french fries. With all the other endless frying possibilities (donuts, onion rings, fish sticks, etc) I can see where this thing could be tough on the waist line. All things in moderation though..........right? Hope your week is a good one.

Family stuff

Not much exciting (fun exciting anyway) to post from this past week. Dad has been in the hospital since Thursday. He was admitted because he apparently was loosing blood and his body was not replenishing it. They have run bunches of tests and found that he has a hiatal hernia, diverticulitis (but he knew that already), a kink in his intestines, and virtually no iron in his blood. Hopefully, he will get to go home today with a prescription for some good iron pills but not many answers for all the other things that are bothering him (colon related). I know both he and mom are exhausted (she just had one of her ovaries and a cyst removed two weeks ago) and ready to be back home. However, I do want to say that the outreaching of support from my mom's family (the only real family my dad has) has been amazing. Thank you for making him and my mom feel so loved.

As far as the kiddos go, not much news to report. We had a pretty low key week and this weekend will probably be no different. Brian changed the oil in both the cars now all that's left is church and the grocery. Pretty wild and crazy.

Here is a picture of Will and Sissy fixing some of our furniture with Will's new tool set. Cutie pies!

Updates...

Well, the birthday party was a huge success. The rain held off, we had good food, good company, and Will had a blast. A total win, win. It is so hard to believe that my little boy is now 3 years old, going to start preschool this year, and growing like a weed. It is all going so fast...so beyond my control. I just don't know how to savour it anymore than I am doing right now yet I still feel like it isn't enough. These are certainly the sweetest days of my life....home taking care of my babies and my husband. I am so fully aware of God's blessings being poured out all over me. I am so very grateful.

The past two weeks have been so very busy. With the details of Will's party, lots of laundry, summer tutoring jobs, my bible study, and time with friends and family, it feels like I have been going non-stop. I have enjoyed all the action but am looking forward to a change of pace. Other than that, not much news to report. We had a big swim party in the back yard this afternoon and then dinner with a family friend. It was a big day...a fun day.....filled with good company. I am heading to bed with a full belly and a smile on my face.

Here are some clips of the weekend. In the pictures are my dad and Abby, Brian's mom and sister, my mom and the kids, and Brian's dad and Abby.

Hustle and Bustle

The countdown has almost come to a close...Will's birthday is tomorrow. He is so excited. He can hardly stand it. All week long he has talked about his Lightning McQueen birthday cake, presents, ice cream, family,.......a day devoted to just Will and he couldn't be happier. I will be sure to take lots of pictures and post them once things get back to normal. I have spent this week planning, cleaning, and organizing to get ready for the weekend and I have half way enjoyed myself. Social events have a way of motivating you to clean, do things you normally wouldn't do, or look at things in a different way (toys, clutter, etc.). I'm sure Brian is thinking...perhaps we should entertain more often. Stay tuned.

4th of July

The weekend seems like one big blur. We went non-stop and sure had a good time. It was the most we have been out as a family since Abby's arrival. She was so good and seemed to really enjoying getting out (except for church this morning). Here is a quick recap.

Friday, we went to the bookstore, Chili's for lunch, the Bass Pro Shop, and then a pit-stop at Wendy's for dinner. The Bass Pro Shop was something else. Will really enjoyed the tents, the putting green, the boats, and the big fish tank. If you have never been, I highly recommend it.

Saturday, we spent all afternoon looking for patio furniture. We found a set at Kroger (believe it or not) that we liked the best but it was more than we were wanting to spend. So, we continued our search at Garden Ridge, Sears, 3 different Krogers, the Classifieds, Craig's List, and several different yard sales but we kept coming back to the one at Kroger's. Sigh.

Today, we went to church but only made it in the service for 10 minutes before we were called out. Abby just wasn't having it. The 9:00 service is just a bad time to go because that is when she takes her first nap. I don't think we will try that service time again. After church, we tried to do our weekly grocery shopping but Abby spit-up BIG TIME once we pulled in the parking lot so we had to go home and bathe her, change her clothes, and wash her car seat. Brian even had to steam clean the seat in my car. It was such a mess.

So, after lunch we tried again and headed out to Kroger where...you wouldn't believe it....there were 50% off signs posted all over their outdoor patio furniture. We were so thrilled and so very excited. I have never seen Brian rush into Kroger so fast (kind of reminded me of myself at a good yard sale), eyeing everyone in front of him, anxiously waiting to see if the display model (the last one they had) was still available....and it was! YIPEE! Brian paid for it, called his dad (who owns a truck), and a few hours later the patio furniture was sitting on our deck. YEA!!! All ready to go and use for Will's birthday party on Saturday.

Brian and I suspect some divine intervention on this one because it worked out soo perfectly. Thank you Lord. All-in-all, a super weekend filled with lots of family time, good food, and fun.