Made with Love

Project 366- Week 3

2012-01-23T13:37:00.002-05:00

I had no intentions of taking a little bloggy break after my last post.

One of my resolutions was to love on my blog a bit more once the kiddies were in bed but that has been a big fat FAIL so far.

I really suck at those resolution things.

Now that we have established that I am in fact still alive, let's move on.

I've decided that I will ~~attempt to~~ join in on Project 365... 366... or whatever it is this year.

I am not really off to a great start considering I am 3 weeks late starting up and now even a day late linking up to this weeks but that's probably how it will be the remainder of the year. Just being real with y'all here. Don't hold me to high expectations or anything ;)

So, without further delay....

Week 3

{Sunday January 15th - Saturday January 21st}

1*15*12
My girlies after church

1*16*12
The mother of the little boy I watch bought that awesome ball pit for the girls.

1*17*12
My newest addiction.
Makes my breath smell horrid but totally worth it!

1*18*12

I made this printable and frame then hung it in the bathroom.

1*19*12
Didn't have to watch the baby so I took the girls to Autumn's favorite restaurant, Logan's, for lunch.

1*20*12
Miss Aubrey painting a picture for her Grammy and Pops.

1*21*12
Because I completely forgot to snap a picture on Saturday, here's Autumn painting a picture too!

If you guys want to join in to just click on the button below for more info!

Cupcake

2012-01-11T08:46:00.000-05:00

A bit before Christmas, my mom called to ask me if it would be okay if they bought the girls an aquarium. After talking it through with the hubby, we decided it would be great for the girls to each have their own little fishy. Autumn just about flipped when she opened the fish tank on Christmas morning!

A few days later, we took the girls to PetSmart so that they could pick out their fish. After talking to an employee, we were informed that we only had two choices when it came to which fish we could purchase being that the tank was only a little over 1.5 gallons. One option was a beta fish which wouldn't work since the girls each wanted their own fish and Autumn decided that the other choice was "not that cute". We walked around the store for a while in hopes that the girls would eventually pick two little fishies so that we could hit the road. They finally chose what they wanted but it was far from a fish!

MEET CUPCAKE

Who in the world goes to a pet store to buy a fish or two but leaves with a guinea pig instead?!! We do. This is the proof that we are MAJOR impulse buyers and it is absolutely ridiculous. We apparently also have issues telling our children "NO" when we probably should. I couldn't help it though, this little guy was looking up at me and all I could think about was the guinea pig on Dr. Dolittle. I just couldn't resist!

Autumn chose to name him Cupcake and bought him all purple accessories, poor guy! We also bought letters to spell out his name on his cage and put cupcake stickers on each side. You can kind of see it in the picture.

The girls really enjoy him. Dustin is the only one that has held him so far since we read that they can bite. But the girls sit next to Dustin and pet Cupcake all the time. They love to help me clean out his cage and give him treats. He makes the cutest little noises too, he whistles and chirps when we give him attention!

I think we will keep him! =)

Happy New Year!

2012-01-02T11:41:00.002-05:00

I would have to say that 2011 was an awesome year for my family.

God's love shone down, my marriage became stronger, my babies grew older, wounds were healed, moved back to our hometown, my niece was born, time flew by, we gained a new little family member {more to come on that later}, and memories were made!

Autumn was visited by the tooth fairy twice and now has two pretty adult teeth in their spots. She partied for her fifth birthday Tangled style and experimented with scissors. She shed her training wheels, showed off her swimming skills, and went to several vacation bible schools. And most importantly, made the best decision ever by asking Jesus to come into her little heart.

Aubrey went on a mission to save the fish and rode a pony for the first time. The second year of her life was celebrated with lots of Yo Gabba Gabba fun. She saw her first movie in a theater with great friends, slept in a tent for the first time, and happily rolled around in the sand at the beach. We got to call her Scooby for one night in October and she told us knock knock jokes every chance she got.

*****************************

We brought in the New Year at my parents house.
Aubrey was up snacking on veggies and dip and dancing around until she clonked out shortly after nine. Autumn tried SO hard to stay up until the ball dropped. She was playing, singing, dancing, and drinking her eggnog until she fell asleep at 11:35. SO close! But we woke her up like a minute before the ball dropped so she could count down with us. She gave us all kisses, wished everyone a Happy New Year!, blew her horn a few times, and then fell back to sleep in my arms.

While 2011 was good to us, there is always room for improvement. =)
I'm am very excited to see what 2012 will bring!!
Happy New Year everyone!!

Christmas 2011

2011-12-28T11:41:00.000-05:00

The gift opening started off as great as it could when the girls received their presents from Nana.

They got to open them on Friday mainly because Autumn was getting an Easy Bake Oven and I wanted her to bake some Red Velvet Cupcakes for Santa. Surprisingly, they turned out pretty good. Extra small but good!

On Christmas Eve we went to church for a Night of Worship and then picked up some pizzas for dinner since Dustin had a coworker joining us. Once he left, the girls exchanged their presents to each other. We also let them open one gift each from us and they gave us our gifts before heading off to bed so that Santa could come.

After reading the Christmas story, it didn't take long before they were zonked out in their beds and Santa brought lots of gifts shortly after!

I woke up around 7ish to Autumn staring at me from the end of my bed. When I asked her what she was doing she said "oh you know, just waiting for Aubrey and y'all to wake up so that I can open my presents!!!" We went ahead and woke Aubrey up and then ran to living room to see what he brought. They were definitely happy little girls!

After playing with their new toys and then trying to find places for them all to go, we loaded up and headed to my parents house for more gifts and Christmas lunch. My parents spoiled all three of those little girls this year!

But we still weren't done once Sunday was over! We all got up bright and early to head to my Grandparents house. I dread the drive{a total of 6 hours on the road} but the time we got to spend with them, the food, and gifts were worth every minute of that drive!

It's hard to believe that Christmas has already come and gone as well as the fact that this year is coming to a close. Craziness! I hope that each one of you also had an awesome Christmas full of love, laughter, and lots of smiles but most importantly, remembered the true meaning behind this wonderful time of year!

Santa's biggest fan

2011-12-23T11:07:00.002-05:00

.... is that little girl in the red and green dress.

Can't you tell by the look on her face?!

She REFUSED to sit on his lap.

But right after the picture was taken she gave him a big hug with a huge smile on her face.

Kids. I tell ya!

Since this will probably be the last time I blog until after Christmas I want to share this years Christmas card.

I wish I could have sent one out to each and everyone of you!

Autumn picked out our card this year.

Isn't it obvious with the purple?!

Hope you all have a Merry Christmas!

Most Wonderful Time of the Year

2011-12-20T08:21:00.001-05:00

I CANNOT BELIEVE that today is December 20th!!!

Christmas is fast approaching and we are beyond excited.

We have been busy with lots of fun Christmas festivities!

I mentioned before that the girls had a playdate with E recently. We actually had E come over to our house one night as well for dinner, baking, and crafts. I found this little Christmas tree idea on Pinterest and all of the girls loved making their trees and eating them too! I sent E home with a mega sugar high. I am sure her parents were loving me at that moment!

We decorated our house a few days before Thanksgiving this year. Aubrey decided she wanted the blue tree to be hers this year with pink decorations and Autumn picked out a purple tree for herself. Surprise Surprise. We also let them choose their yearly ornaments and Autumn grabbed a Rapunzel one (again, no surprises) and Aubrey choose a Mickey and Minnie ornament.

Aubs is such a crazy kid. The minute I say smile she always gives me the craziest faces.

Our church every so often has a night called Kidmo Primetime. I can't remember whether or not I have spoken about this super fun event on my blog before but basically it is a night where parents and kids ages 4 yeaers-6th grade come together and participate in games and worship like our kids typically do on Sunday mornings. The most recent one was Christmas themed! The best part was several kids got baptized! And we also had cupcakes to celebrate Jesus birthday! LOVE our church! These are some photos posted on our church's page.

Me and the girlies were able to catch our city's Christmas parade one cold Saturday morning. We were freezing and did all we could to stay bundled up together until it started. I think Autumn ended up with more candy after the parade then what she had on Halloween.

We've also visited Santa {that's another post} and have completed many other Christmas crafts. The majority of our days our spent together on the couch watching various Christmas movies and drinking more hot chocolate then we should. This is the main reason I love to finish my shopping so early. I get to relax and enjoy every moment of this time of year!

Last night we watched Polar Express as a family so tonight we are going to surprise the girls with a trip on the SUV Express. I found this idea on Pinterest and thought it would be the funnest thing. I'm so excited to see the look on their faces when they find their tickets!

Wordful Wednesday

2011-12-14T09:02:00.001-05:00

1. Notice the lack of blogging ALL last week! There has been several nights recently when all the lights are out in our house by 8:30pm. I blame it on the weather. The cold makes me a lazy bum.

2. Autumn is riding her bike without training wheels like a pro these days. She did just learn a couple of weeks ago how to balance the bike to take off without any help though. She was so proud of herself. She is going to be so excited when she sees her new and much bigger Monster High bike that my parents bought her for Christmas!

3. I've lost a total of 12 pounds since I started my eating healthier journey. It took a month to shed those pounds and now I am just trying to maintain the weight I am by continuing to eat healthy and exercise. I pretty much DESPISE any form of exercise so we will see how long this lasts.

4. My niece, Avery just turned 10 months on the 4th and is walking now. She is such a little sweetheart!

5. My sweetie pies had a playdate at "E's" house last night while me and the hubs had us a dinner date. We went to Texas Roadhouse and I chowed down on some yummy steak, fully loaded baked potato, salad, and an onion bloom. Oh and rolls, CANNOT forget about the rolls. We then went to Toys R Us to attempt to walk off some of our food and buy a few stocking stuffers. It was a lot of fun! And actually the first time that either of my girls were left with someone other than family {well, other than at church} so I was a bit nervous but they had such a great time too!

6. The girls love getting mail from their Nana. Their latest package was this adorable gingerbread house. Can you tell they were excited?!

7. I am almost as excited as my youngin's for Christmas.

8. Speaking of Christmas. My mom had a conversation the other day with Autumn that went like this:

Mom: "Autumn, what do you want Grandma to get you for Christmas?" {Referring to MY grandma}

Autumn: "Does she know anything about ponies? If so, I want a purple one."

Mom: "But don't you already have a lot of ponies? I'm sure you have a purple one already."

Autumn: "Well, I don't really care what anyone gets me for Christmas. All I care about is Jesus."

Hello?!!! Melt my heart!!!!

City Outreach Day

2011-11-30T08:00:00.006-05:00

Each year on the weekend before Thanksgiving, our church has a City Outreach Day.

Volunteers at our church gather together to deliver Thanksgiving meals to a particular neighborhood within our community where many of the residents are at or below poverty level.

I always knew of this neighborhood for its crime level.

I have to admit that I may have been a bit terrified. At first.
All I could see when we pulled into the neighborhood were buildings decorated with graffiti and at that moment I thanked the Lord that Autumn isn't super great at reading yet. What was supposed to be a family doctors looked absolutely pitiful. I said a little prayer and stepped out of the car gripping the hand of my five year old.

I grabbed a turkey and a bag with sides after handing Autumn a pie.

She ran right up and knocked on the first door as she would any other door in the world, completely without hesitation. When the door opened, we were greeted by an older man with a huge smile. He had been expecting Open Door Ministries as he does every year. He was so very thankful and wished us a blessed Thanksgiving. As the day went on, we were flashed even more smiles and heard "thank you" more times than I can count. We were invited into the homes of many people and even given the opportunity to pray with several families and share the love of our Lord. It was really heartbreaking to hear their stories and learn of what struggles they were currently facing. It was such an awesome experience. And such an important lesson for Autumn as well. We will both definitely be volunteering again next year.

Here is a photo of all of the amazing volunteers of our church once we had finished delivering over 280 Thanksgiving meals!!

And my sugar with Marisa and Alicia

Thanksgiving 2011 & Black Friday

2011-11-28T11:20:00.000-05:00

We had an awesome Thanksgiving at my Grandparents this year!

Here is the ONLY picture from our Thanksgiving.

I was so caught up in all of the fun that I didn't snap a single picture.

And it stinks too because I would have loved to have a picture of everyone together. Especially all the kids.

My Uncle has two boys that are four and two named Ashton and Aiden.

So between Autumn, Aubrey, Avery, and the boys my Grandparents had such a hard time getting the right name out of their mouths. Bless their hearts. I love them.

Autumn stayed the night with my parents on Thanksgiving so Friday morning me and Aubrey hit the stores for a little Black Friday shopping. Let me add that it was after 8 when we left. I cherish my sleep way too much to get up before that. I did do a little bit of shopping online before I hit the sheets for the few items I really wanted. We went to WalMart, Target, Toys R Us, and Once Upon a Child. I was able to get my hands on EVERY SINGLE doorbuster I wanted! And each one I grabbed was the last one in the store! I just couldn't believe it!

I snagged this Carriage that is usually $80 for just $30!

I got this Aurora toddler doll and dress combo set for $20 instead of $40+

Autumn is really into Monster High these days for whatever random reason so I just had to buy her the Draculaura doll for $10 (reg. $20) and a Frankie Stein dressup outfit for only $12!!

I also found a Vtech Pocket on sale for $20 instead $50+. The girls are always fighting over Autumn's Mobigo so we thought about getting Aubrey a Leapster but the Vtech Pocket is the better way for us to go because it uses Vsmile cartridges as well and Autumn has a ton of those from her 3rd birthday!

Oh and I also got the Lion King Blu Ray for only $16.99!

I got O a jumpy thing to keep at our house too for only $7 because Aubrey found the candy cane with a 30% off sticker at Once Upon a Child! I can't wait for him to wake from his nap so that I can put him in it.

I haven't been Black Friday shopping in years since I was either working or wasn't brave enough to hit the crowds with my littles. I am so glad I did this year and the crowds weren't bad at all since the stores opened so early this year!

Oh and I can finally say were are completely D.O.N.E. shopping for Christmas!!

Now we just get to enjoy the Christmas season and all of it's festivities!

I hope you all had a great holiday weekend!!

Schooling it with my ladies

2011-11-23T12:00:00.001-05:00

Reading through my blog I noticed that I haven't posted anything about the schooling I do with the girls throughout the week. I have received several different emails and messages from mommies with young children asking me all about what we do. So I figured I would share a bit.

Each week on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, the girls sit down at the table during O's nap time to have a little school session. I choose a theme for each week and select printables, books from the library, bible verses and lessons, crafts, and other activities within that theme. There are so many awesome FREE resources just within the bloggy world. Some of my favorites are 2 Teaching Mommies, 1+1+1=1, A Heart For Home, and don't even get me started on the awesome things you can find on pinterest. I love all of the preschool packs available because some of the activities are perfect for Aubrey and some for Autumn all in one spot. I also follow a bunch of Kindergarten teachers blogs and they share their different lesson plans and printables at times.

Autumn also has a list of sight words and "need to know" for preschoolers, kindergarteners, and first graders that we are currently working our way through. Thankfully, my youngest cousin has a ton of simple paper books that were given to him by his school when he was learning to read and he has given them all to us. We probably have like 80 of them and Autumn reads through one at each lesson as well. I also love to purchase lesson books from the dollar tree for topics such as math, clock work, money, animal and plant science, and so on. Many of these are with favorite characters from Disney which keeps it fun for the girls. Also, all throughout the week the girls are allowed to get on our computers to access fun, educational websites such as Starfall, Kids Know It, and more.

So this isn't just a post full of words, I took some pictures a few weeks ago when our theme was pumpkins.

We visited the pumpkin patch.

Learned about pumpkin parts.

Memorized John 15:1 and related it to pumpkins growing from the vine.

She cut out the verse and glued it to orange construction paper later in the week.

Forming words with some sight words.

Baked pumpkin muffins

Painted our pumpkins

Measurements with pumpkins

We also completed pumpkin observations and checked out three different pumpkin books from the library.

Lots of pumpkin fun!

If there is anything I mentioned within this post and I didn't provide a link to that you may be interested in please let me know and I will email it to you. I seriously have folders and folders of documents saved on my computer. I have a plastic tote that holds all of our workbooks, dry erase boards, books for the week, our calendar, crayon box, and my binder. In the binder is where all of our printables, lesson plans, resource list, and upcoming projects can be found. Have to stay organized! This time I spend with the girls is seriously one of my favorite ways to be with them and I know they really enjoy it too. It is so great to watch them learn new things and I hope that it instills a love for learning that will continue as they grow.

On a completely different note, I hope each and everyone of you have an awesome and blessed Thanksgiving tomorrow!!

Almost Wordless Wednesday

2011-11-16T12:11:00.000-05:00

Spiderman who?!!!

He's got nothing on my little lady!! ;)

Hope everyone is having a great week!!

strike a pose

2011-11-07T08:00:00.002-05:00

Y'all. Autumn is a sassy little diva.

I took her to get her five year pictures done a couple of weeks ago.

She smiled and posed as the photographer asked her to.

Then, about half way into it, Autumn starts telling the photographer how SHE will be posing.

"How about this?" {Strikes a pose and gives her best smile}

"Hey! This will be cute too!" {On to yet another pose with one of her best grins}

"And what if I do this?"... "And maybe this"... and so on.

All I could do was laugh and remind Autumn to let the lady do her job.

But I must admit that Autumn sure did know what she was talking about because I had a HARD time choosing what pictures I wanted to order.

Of course, in total Autumn fashion, she made sure I knew which ones were the best in her opinion.

{insert eyeroll NOW}

Unfortunately, I can't say the same for my youngest kiddo.

This poor child is just so not into having her picture taken.

She is such a crazy little lady and you honestly never have any idea what she may do or what facial expression she might flash next.

One can only imagine that some rather silly pictures would result from this.

See for yourself.

Bless her heart. She is such a hoot!

I chose the one below as it is halfway decent.

crooked smile, happy arm, and all.

"Someone call about a mystery?"

2011-11-02T09:36:00.001-04:00

That is what ~~Autumn~~ Velma asked as she entered our living room all ready to go for Halloween night.

{Velma and Scooby}

She has had a special place in heart for Scooby Doo quite some time now so of course we weren't surprised when she asked us if we could all dress up as the Scooby Doo gang for Halloween this year.

{Scooby, Shaggy, and Velma}

{Scooby, Daphne, and Velma}

Our church always goes all out for the Fall Festival on Halloween each year so that was our first stop.

There were various game booths, several jumping blowups, cake walks, hayrides to marshmallow roasts, food, and a bmx show. OH and rain, lots of cold rain. Which was a complete bummer but we enjoyed what we could for as long as possible.

AND we invited little Miss E {the girl I used to watch}. The girls were all so excited to spend some time together!

It was so funny at church because NO ONE recognized Autumn. Everyone would look at her and then up at me and Dustin before they realized who she was! A few people did ask where Fred was to which I told D we should have dressed O up and brought him along with us.

Once we were done there, we headed to D's work then my parents house to trick or treat.

{Momma and ~~Avery~~ Minnie Mouse}

It was pouring down by this time but we did run up to one house {with our umbrellas} so that the girls could say they at least were able to. The rain ruined just how great our Halloween could have been but the girls still had fun with what we were able to do. We were thankful that at least we weren't up North with all of that snow! We received SO MANY compliments on our outfits. We just aren't sure how to top it next year!

a list

2011-10-31T08:09:00.011-04:00

1. Autumn had her 5 year well visit recently. It was NOT a fun visit. Shots were much easier when she was a baby and all she would do was cry a bit. Now, she kicks, screams, and shoves the nurse away from her. Aubrey took her flu shot much better than Autumn did which is a HUGE surprise since that girl is all about milking the fact that she is the baby for all its worth. Anyway, Autumn now stands 45 inches tall and weighs 43 pounds.

2. Dustin has been in a ridiculous amount of pain for a while now from a molar of his. It eventually got to where he couldn't eat nor sleep. He went to get it extracted and is finally starting to feel better. Poor guy :(

3. Autumn went to a Halloween Party this past weekend. She decided to go as Batgirl.

4. I am stoked for Halloween. I can't wait to see my family in our costumes! Any guesses? Here is a hint:

5. I'm trying hard to be frugal. Instead of hitting the hair salon for a color I decided to buy a box from WalMart instead. I'm now a brunette again and not because I wanted to be. I guess I shouldn't have bought the cheapest brand on the shelf. Lesson learned.

6. In my efforts to eat better and get my body in shape I have started using Sparkpeople.com. It's such an awesome site. You are able to track your calories, protein, fat, and carb intake {as well as any others you'd like} and every fitness minute. They even have a ton of recipes that are low in calories. I've lost 5lbs so far! =) I am going to gain back those 5lbs plus at least another five after I get my hands on my kids candy tonight.

7. My girls favorite game is hide and seek. We play it every.single.Sunday. at my parents house. While waiting for my Dad to find us yesterday I snapped this picture of my little cuties. Aubrey gets so excited during that game!

8. Aubrey has an obsession with Avery's swing and she refuses to share. In her defense, it was hers at one time and she was never happy about passing it down to begin with.

9. I have been such a bad bloggy friend lately. Between taking care of three kiddos, hubby, the house, and squeezing in a bit of me time I have not been able to blog, read blogs, or comment as much as I'd like to. There just isn't enough time in the day!

10. I hope you all stay safe and have lots of fun tonight!!
HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Briley's Farm 2011

2011-10-24T09:07:00.000-04:00

This weekend we took the girls to Briley's Farm.

As always, they had a blast there.

The girls got to...

take silly pictures

find their way through a hay maze

{just like last year...}

take turns riding a pony

milk a "cow"

as well as visit with other various farm animals and play on the playground.

We didn't get on the hayride to go to the pumpkin patch because the girls already picked theirs out and have painted them. That is another post to come soon.

Hope everyone is enjoying all the fun fall festivities!!

two four

2011-10-20T08:35:00.001-04:00

I meant to post last week about all of the fun we had celebrating my 24th birthday. I obviously never got around to it as October is a SUPER busy month for our family. BUT I figured better late than never, RIGHT?!

I spent the majority of the morning being lazy in bed catching up on some of my favorite television shows. Oh, to spend every morning like that! I eventually got up to get me and Aubrey ready {Autumn was at my parents} to go run some errands and do a little shopping. This was the day that I officially started shopping for Christmas. Yes, I spent my birthday shopping for my children. I am such a mom.

Once hubby love got off of work, we dropped Aubrey off at my parents house and headed to dinner at Chicos. I was craving Mexican food something fierce! Anyone want to guess what we did after dinner?! More Christmas shopping for our kids of course. Ha! We have to take advantage of every moment that they are away from us!!

Once we were tired, we headed back to my parents house to sit around a fire and eat cupcakes, open gifts, and to CAMP OUT!

{that cupcake was good to my baby}

{To say it made her a bit hyper would be a HUGE understatement}

{my sweeties the next morning}

I am not a fan of getting older but I sure don't mind birthdays like that one!

Tangled up in fun!

2011-10-11T09:00:00.001-04:00

We celebrated Autumn's party Tangled style!

Sadly, something was wrong with my camera leaving me with mainly blurry shots of my decor and the first half of the party. It really stinks because I spent a lot of time hanging "Rapunzel's hair" {aka yellow yarn} in the dining room and made an awesome banner that looks just like the ones from the movie. I also didn't get any good pictures of the table setup which included the usual pizza and chips but I also made a super delicious fruit salsa and cinnamon chips from a recipe that I found on Pinterest.

THANKFULLY, I figured out what was going on with my camera just in time for Autumn to blow out the candle on her birthday cake. I ordered her cake from good 'ole WalMart and it was so yum!

The games were the best part of the party though! Me and Autumn printed, colored, and assembled a bunch of 3D Pascals and I hid them all over the house for the kiddos to find. The next game we played was Pin the Frying Pan to Flynn's head. This was super hilarious. Autumn pinned her frying pan on a completely different wall and poor Aubrey had to have help standing up because she got too dizzy during the spinning and kept falling over. Bless that child's heart!

Since Rapunzel is all about the hair, we set up a crazy hair booth with lots of colorful pipe cleaners, flowers, feathers, and bows for the girls to put in their hair! Each girl also had a crown and their own special Rapunzel braid!

Autumn patiently waited for it to be time to open her presents. She even let Aubrey open hers from Grammy and Pops first. Aubs face was priceless when she opened the dollhouse she had been wanting!

Autumn got some really great gifts! We bought her some sparkly purple shoes, a Wii, a Mario Brothers racing game, and some accessories for the Wii.

The kiddos played outside for a bit before Autumn passed out their goody bags that included a Rapunzel sticker book, Rapunzel notepads, Rapunzel stickers, Pascal party blowers, and candy. Autumn decided to get Avery some baby food for her little thank you gift.

Oh and I must mention that one of my greatest friends, Dana, was able to come to the party. She has been at every birthday of Autumn's except her 4th one because she had recently enlisted in the Navy. It's been such a long time since I've seen her and luckily she was able to come home for the weekend! Such a great friend!

And last but certainly not least, here's a shot of the satisfied birthday girl and her daddy!

Birthday Fun at the Fair

2011-10-06T09:09:00.000-04:00

Thanks so much for all the birthday wishes sent for Autumn through this blog, email, facebook, and twitter! Y'all are so sweet and she had an AWESOME fifth birthday!

While she was still sleeping, I grabbed all of the balloons from her party and put them in the bed with her.

She had a huge grin on her face when she woke up and noticed all of the balloons. I went running in there singing Happy Birthday to her and snapped this shot of her.

I had to watch O but we also had an extra kiddo in our house that day. A friend of ours needed me to watch her daughter this week so we had a house full. She is actually Autumn's besties little sister, Alicia. Autumn was thrilled to have her come celebrate with us. The phone rang nonstop that day with calls for Autumn. At one point I just gave her my phone and told her to answer if it rings because I was sure it would be for her anyway. Once O and Alicia left for the day, I got the girls ready and we all headed to the County Fair for the night!

{zoom in on this pic if you can. Aubs face is hilarious!}

We ended the night with Autumn's choice of dinner which meant a quick trip to Chick-fil-a and then headed home to put our kiddos to sleep for the night. I must admit that I got a bit teary eyed when tucking my sweet five year old into bed that night as I thought about how quickly this next year will fly by and the next and the next and so on....

I will be back sometime soon with her birthday party post!

FIVE

2011-10-03T11:14:00.001-04:00

Autumn Leigh,

My sweet first born, I can hardly wrap my mind around the fact that today you are FIVE years old. I remember the first time I held you in my arms as if it was just yesterday. You have filled my life with so much joy each and every day since then.

You are up to so much these days. My favorite part of the day with you is when we do your school work together. I love to teach you new things and watch you learn. The facial expressions you have when you finally understand something new are just priceless. And those faces come all the time since you are such a smarty pants. However, sometimes that works against you since you feel you know everything about the world. Five going on sixteen {insert eyeroll}.

When your sister was born a lot changed for you and you certainly didn't take it very well. I prayed that you would eventually begin to actually like your sister and wouldn't mind sharing the spot light with her. It took a little while for you to get used to the idea but now you adore your her to pieces. You love to play mommy to her and boss her around but yet you are so protective over her. You're such a great big sissy! Miss Avery thinks you are the best thing since... um... bananas? I don't think anyone can make her laugh the way you do!

So much has also changed for you within the last year of your life. You have seen people come and go and I was terrified as to how it all would affect you. I am so thankful to say that you took it all amazingly well. I know that you don't fully understand everything that has happened and that it does sadden you at times but you choose to keep a smile on your face and continue to see the best in people. I pray that you always do that! Please know how much you are loved by so many different people and especially by God and that we will always be here for you.

On a much lighter note, you are still crazy about many of the same things. The worlds biggest fan of My Little Ponies, Rapunzel, and Scooby doo. Then there is also your obsession with the color purple. You could live off of nothing but shrimp, watermelon, corn, and sweet tea. Seaside is how you would spend every single one of your days if you could. You are just like your momma in that way. While you are definitely a daddy's girl, your Pops puts up a good fight. And how could he not when it comes to such a fabulous little girl like you!

What I LOVE the most about you though is your big, big heart for our Lord. There is no sweeter sound than hearing you and Aubs singing along to some of your favorite worship songs and the prayers you two say at dinner and bedtime. It makes me so happy to see just how excited you get when its time to go to church and when you bring me your bible to hear one more story. I just know you are going to do awesome things through Him.

Mommy loves her baby bear so incredibly much. It is sooooo very hard for me to understand how quickly the past five years flew by for us. It breaks my heart to know that your baby, toddler, and preschool years are over. However, at the same time, I am so very excited to watch you continue to grow and eventually see the amazing person that you will be.

These are the moments

2011-09-29T09:31:00.002-04:00

At the age of 18 my life was insanely busy. I had recently moved out of my parents house and was in my second semester of college. Along with having class from 7 until 11am, I also worked three separate jobs and somehow managed to squeeze in time with my family and friends. I was constantly on the go and I loved it. Then one day I took a pregnancy test and my life was forever changed.

It was very hard for me at first to be okay with my pregnancy. A lot of what I wanted was no longer going to happen for me. Many of my dreams were crushed. However, I quickly learned that I now wanted new things and that I could form different dreams. I looked forward to the day that I would hold my baby in my arms and the moments that I knew we would one day experience together. I couldn't wait for many of her firsts such as her first tooth, first beach trip, first words, first steps, first carousel ride, first time skating, etc.

This past weekend I had a huge grin on my face and maybe even a tear or two in my eyes {I know... I am such a sap} as I watched my Autumn accomplish yet another one of those firsts.

She rode her bicycle without training wheels for the very first time!!!

And she did really well! The balancing was a bit difficult for her at first but she started riding without any help for a little while shortly after we started! Also, she did an awesome job of putting her feet down just in time when she lost balance so she never fell!

Of course her little sissy was riding right along side or at least trying to. Bless her heart, Autumn was going just a bit too fast.

I must add that Autumn wasn't the only one checking off a first that day. Aubrey danced her sweet self in the rain for the first time. She just kept spinning in circles while she sang some song about how it was like being in a shower. I just wish I was able to catch her cute little face while she was doing it.

I am so thankful that I have been able to view each of these moments for myself but if you ask me, all of these firsts have arrived way too quickly.

I'm just a summer girl...

2011-09-23T08:15:00.001-04:00

Today is officially the first day of fall.

And I want to cry.

Bye bye to carefree summer days lounging by the pool, beach trips, tan lines, flip flops, cookouts, and watermelon. I probably have a post similar to this one for each year when summer comes to an end. I know this probably sounds crazy but I would much rather be sweating in 100 degree weather then shaking from the cold. Don't get me wrong, I do love the fall, I did indeed name my first born after the season. But I will long for all of those things listed above. In order to make myself a bit more cheerful about the arrival of fall I figured I would create a list of everything I have to look forward to in this season.

1. Celebrating Autumn turning FIVE years old. Excited to parttttyyyy but this one makes me want to cry some more. FIVE years old already?!!! Half way to TEN whaaaat?!!! To keep myself from thinking about my big girl getting even biggER I am staying busy planning her party. She chose this theme just minutes after watching the movie for the first time.

2. The County Fair. I cannot wait to stuff a funnel cake in my mouth. Along with a candy apple, blooming onion, and a ton of cotton candy.

3. I am bringing out the fall decorations today once the three little ones hit the sheets for naptime. And lighting a pumpkin spice candle or two.

4. Halloween. Our entire family is participating this year. We've got both mine and Aubs costumes already. Autumn was too big for the 4-6 size and the store didn't carry the next size up so we had to order hers. What is up with the sizing of Halloween costumes? Aubreys is a 4T!! Anyway, I can't wait. It's going to be a lot of fun!

5. Thanksgiving. Am I seriously listing yet another one about food? I may have a problem.

6. Fall shows. All of my favorite shows are back on with new seasons! Gossip Girl, 90210, The Vampire Diaries, The Lying Game, The Secret Circle, Ringer, and Heart of Dixie!! I totally just sounded like a 16 year old girl but I am okay with that. =)

7. The Holidays. They are right around the corner so I've already started making a list {on Pinterest of course, where else?!} and watching out for good deals.

8. Fall clothing. Scarfs and boots do make me happy. Especially on my girls. I just unpacked all of Autumn's fall wardrobe. She has grown so much since last year so I have been buying pieces here and there and apparently it all adds up. I will have to tackle Aubrey's today. It's always fun pulling out all of Autumn's old clothes for Aubrey to wear!

I must admit that after making that little list I am getting more excited for all of the fun that comes with fall. Though, there is one more I should add... I am looking forward to the post where I say goodbye to winter and helloooo to spring!

Girls Room Makeover

2011-09-13T08:00:00.008-04:00

We bought our girls bunk beds and we all love them! Autumn has been begging for them for quite some time now so I did a bit of researching and found a set I really liked. They are able stand alone as two separate beds which I think is really great for the future when they have their own rooms. The hardest decision was whether we should choose white or black. I finally decided black was the way to go so I won't have to worry about them getting dirty or if Aubrey decides she wants to be an artist for the day. Their TV stand is also black and now all I need to do is paint their dresser so that it all matches.

I have been on a search for the perfect bedding for them. Autumn is a tad bit obsessive with the color purple so it must be incorporated somehow. I really liked the look of lilac with a light green for Aubrey. And if I could've found those colors in a damask print {for a decent price}, I might have just died. But I couldn't. I searched and searched and searched some more but I never found anything I liked. BUT while at Target on Saturday, I saw that they had just about every one of their childrens bedding sets on clearance. The girls LOVED one set in particular and at $29.99 for an entire 5 piece bedding set I just couldn't pass them up! They are very colorful which is great because it gives me plenty of options for other decor in their room and it already matches their lamp perfectly!

I am now on the lookout for a cute rug so if y'all happen to know of where I can get one please let me know! Oh and if you come across a mirror similar to the one below then you better let me know ASAP!!! Maybe I am looking in all of the wrong places but I really want something like it!

Once I get the dresser painted and finish accessorizing their room I will definitely be back with lots of pictures but this one will have to do for now. Don't let miss silly pants Aubrey fool you, she was NOT asleep.

Word{ful} Wednesday

2011-09-07T11:13:00.000-04:00

Here comes another one of those random posts of mine.

1. Autumn is no longer missing a tooth. Her adult tooth came in not too long ago and she is proud of it. Each morning she has to show me how much it has grown since the morning before. She thinks it makes her even more grown. {Insert eyeroll}

2. My girls have awesome grandparents. They all adore my babies. But Nana was a huge hit when she recently sent the girls a package full of stuff. They miss her so much. We all do.

3. I've had to turn down two people this week that were wanting to me to watch their newborn baby boys. It just breaks my heart. I wish I had enough arms, energy, and patience to care for them all but I know that it would be too much right now. I would go completely bonkers with all those kids in my house.

4. And speaking of my disaster of a house, the Hurricane did some damage to our roof so we now have a couple of leaks throughout. Someone is supposed to be coming out soon to fix them all but they are super busy of course. I'm being patient about it because I know many people have much worse going on with their roofs from the storm but it does get annoying each time it rains. Oh and we are also looking super ghetto with a piece of cardboard taped to a back window that was cracked open but thankful the glass guy is supposed to come today to fix it!

5. We will be leaving Bank of America very soon. On Friday, after paying all of our bills that our due for this month and budgeted a few other expenses, we figured out how much we could put in savings. We went to our banks ATM to withdraw that amount. The machine made some crazy noises then gave us an error message saying it could not complete our transaction. I checked our account later and saw that the money HAD been withdrawn from our account. After numerous conversations with BOA, the money was temporarily put back in our account this morning and an investigation has been opened even though they acknowledged that this happens quite often and that the ATM must have ran out of money.

6. I finally scheduled Aubrey's 2 year photos for Saturday. I should probably get Autumn's 5 year shots done then too because who knows when I will get around to taking them back again.

7. Since I shared a pic of Autumn and talked about her some it would be wrong to just leave my Aubs out. She is such a silly little girl. And if we tell her that she always says with the grumpiest look on her face and literally hollers "I'm not silly, I'm AUBREYS". Love her.

8. Lastly, anyone know what happens when a can of soda is left in the freezer? Oh, I just love my husband.

Hurricane Irene

2011-09-01T08:35:00.002-04:00

Let me start with thanking everyone that messaged me over the weekend to check on my family.

I thought that each of you were just so sweet to be thinking and praying for us and the others that were affected by the hurricane. I am so grateful to say that my family, friends, and house all stayed safe.

{Our swingset during the storm}

Our electricity went off around 8AM Saturday. My parents had power by Saturday night so we stayed with them. It was nice to have cooked, hot food instead of PB&J. Again. On Sunday around 6ishPM, as we were packing up to spend yet another night at my parents house, the electricity came on. Thankfully it wasn't longer as I know there are still many people without electricity but I did have to throw away the majority of my refrigerators contents and that was not fun. Apparently a pole that feeds us was split in half during the storm.

{RIGHT outside our bedroom window}

We were extremely concerned about the trees that surround our house. They are old as dirt and BIG. Thankfully, they all are still standing {rather crooked I must add} but standing. Though, they all lost branches and limbs. The trees basically threw up all over my yard. We spent all day Sunday cleaning up ours and the neighbors yard. An amazing group of volunteers from our church came Tuesday to help finish and haul it all off. I love my church.

{Across the street from us. An older lady lives there by herself.
I'm sure it was hard seeing her home flooded. Bless her heart.}

I know I am beyond blessed to be sitting on my couch and using my laptop while the a/c blows full force at me. My hubby just left for work and I have two little kiddos that have yet to wake for the day. I know that many people are unable to say that right now so I ask that you will please keep them in your thoughts and prayers!

{Autumn entertaining us during the Hurricane.}

2011-08-24T08:18:00.001-04:00

Both of E's parents work at the local University. Before I started watching her, they had applied for her to attend the University's preschool. Fortunately, for them, she was accepted. Not so much for us as the girls are really going to miss her coming to play all the time. Last week was actually her last with us so I wanted to make sure it was one she would remember!

We had all kinds of fun throughout the week but one day I loaded them up and hit the road.

We started off for a morning out at the park and then visited the museum before heading to the splash pad. E and her family just moved to NC right before I started watching her so these were all places that were unknown to her and she really had a blast. I took a ton of pictures that I will not post on the internet to protect her privacy but I think I can share this one. It is also one of my favorites from the day.

Autumn wanted to get E something for her to remember us so we picked out an adorable photo of the three of them and a super cute picture frame. We also baked some yummy goodies for her family. Her awesome parents surprised Autumn and Aubrey with a Cootie game and got me a $25 gift card. We were really blessed to not only make lots of memories with such a sweet little girl over the summer but to meet such a great family as well!

My house has been far from quiet since she has been gone though. Little Mr. 3 month old "O" was with us all day Saturday. I will watch him Monday-Friday 8-6 and a few Saturdays every now and then. I am LOVING snuggling up with such a newbie again! And I must admit that I am rather fond of all the blue in my house because of him. The sight of my girls taking care of "their baby" just warms my heart. I think we need one of of our own.

Days with Dear Friends

2011-08-17T11:17:00.000-04:00

It's not often that we can be found without Autumn's bestie and her family by our sides.

This is especially true throughout the summer.

We have had a blast with them at storytime, swimming, church, lunches and dinners, the movies, VBS, and other awesome playdates. So much so that all the fun deserves its own post!

{Autumn and Marisa riding the train at the park}

{The girls with another friend, Emily, waiting in line at the movies}

{Aubs first movie at a theater- VeggieTales!}

{Storytime fun!}

{Chili's for lunch after church}

Their mom is a school teacher and Marisa is headed to 2nd grade today. While our fun for this summer may be coming to an end, I am sure the memories they will make together are far from over!
Four sweet little girls that we can only hope will be lifelong friends =)

No Shoes, No Shirt, No Problems

2011-08-10T10:25:00.001-04:00

There's something magical about the beach.

Each wave washes away every worry I have.

Not a single problem exists.

I am able to focus solely on the amazing view in front of me.

You know the one...

an awesome hubby that I love unconditionally and two fabulous little girls.

It's a view that I thank God for everyday.

But especially so on that day when absolutely nothing else mattered.

{Wipe out for Autumn!}

{But she got right back in it!} LOVE that!

Pinterest Love

2011-08-03T13:27:00.002-04:00

I am absolutely, positively flippin' addicted to Pinterest.

If my life allowed for it, I could spend hours upon hours just browsing that oh so wonderful site.

But since it clearly does not, I take full advantage of all the spare time I can get {really isn't much at all} so most of the time I repin a lot of what people that I follow have already pinned.

Which is pretty great considering all those fabulous ladies have such great taste and they've already done the browsing for me!

I've got several different boards filled with all sorts of goodies such as fun things for the kiddos, super yummy drinks to make, and great ideas for future parties. But one of my most favorite boards is filled with cute crafts that I must attempt soon!

{I can PROMISE you something similar will be on our door for the holidays}

source: twojunkchix.blogspot.com

{I cannot wait until I get my hands on the perfect dresser for this project}

Source: aturtleslifeforme.blogspot.com

But my most favorite board of them all holds new recipes to try.

It's been such a lifesaver here recently because I am getting tired of cooking the same 'ole recipes every time I turn around.

{I made these Jalapeno Poppers yesterday and they were SO good}

source: aisletoaloha.blogspot.com

{Lettuce Wraps... do I need to say more?!!}

source: thisweekfordinner.com

If you have Pinterest and I have not started following you {by some crazy mistake} be sure to add me!

And if you haven't joined Pinterest yet, what are you waiting for?!!!

Vacation Bible School

2011-08-01T13:47:00.004-04:00

Autumn has spent the last two weeks at Vacation Bible School.

She has had so much fun!

The first was at a local church and the theme was Pandamania!!

She brought home all sorts of cute panda themed things and made an adorable panda prayer journal.

This past week she went to another church with a friend.

Friday night was family fun night.

We all had supper at the church then watch the kiddos perform different songs and verses they learned, a couple of skits, and gave us an overview of their week. I snapped a few pictures of Autumn while she was singing and filmed just a bit of one of her favorite songs.

{Sorry it's sideways, I'm not the smartest cookie in the jar}

This VBS gave us a CD that we have listened to nonstop every time we've gotten in the car. Aubrey has also learned each and every one. So when it came time for her big sissy to start singing, Aubs was super duper mad that she couldn't go up there with her. She just sat & pouted her little heart out.

It wasn't long before she hopped and started dancing and singing in place though. And who could be angry when this little cutie is singing about how Jesus makes a difference everyday?!!

I am glad she is having so much fun leaning more about our God but it can be exhausting! This week we have one more VBS to attend and then we are done for the summer.

I think.Maybe.

Word{ful} Wednesday

2011-07-27T11:30:00.002-04:00

1. I will forever be grateful for "E" {the little girl I watch}. She is an awesome little girl. We have done a lot of learning, crafts, and playing with her so far this summer. She really has been such a joy to have and the extra dollars have been super great. But most importantly, because of her, Autumn has started taking naps again. Yup, forever grateful.

2. I still have not scheduled Aubrey's 2 year pictures. I am slacking majorly.

3. While on the lovely topic that is Aubrey, she has done so well with potty training. Over the past two weeks, she has worn nothing but panties {except at bedtime} and she has had only 3 accidents. One of which occurred right in front of the potty. She has done such a good job letting me know when she has to go to the potty. I am not one of those moms that sit my baby on the potty every 15 minutes. Spending my whole day in the bathroom... NO thank you! AND she stays dry through the night on most nights as well too! No more diapers for us. Well, unless we decide {really God decides} to have baby number three.

4. I had family visit from PA last week. My cousin is 6 foot 7 or 8. I took this picture of Autumn and him when she was two. We told her that she would more than likely never be that high in the sky while on a persons shoulders ever again.

I guess we unintentionally lied, I took this one over the weekend. She has grown so much :-/

5. Pandamania! Vacation Bible School was last week at a friends church. We have VBS at another church this week. I cannot think of theme at the moment to save my life. We won't be able to attend VBS tonight though as we have KIDMO PRIMETIME at our church. Just me and Autumn went last time and we both had so much fun. Dustin and Aubrey are joining us tonight and it is going to a blast! I wish you all could come!

6. One of my besties from high school just found out that her and her hubby are expecting! AND she has asked me to watch her baby once he/she arrives. I AM THRILLED!

7. A lady that Dustin works with has also asked me to watch her 2 month old son. To say that my hands will be full is an understatement. Full of good things that is!!!

8. Summer classes are almost out and for the two courses that I have {English and People Skills} I have received an 100 on every single assignment!

9. I hope you are all having a great week so far!

My Little Guppies

2011-07-20T09:30:00.002-04:00

I promised you guys a video or two of little miss guppie Autumn showing off her new swimming skills. Last week, we went swimming at Autumn's bestie's pool. Up until now, Autumn will doggie paddle or swim a bit but since she could touch the bottom of my parents pool, she would basically drag one foot along the bottom every now and then. So being that this pool has an eight foot deep end, it was the perfect opportunity for Autumn to really jump in and paddle her little heart away. AND she did just that!

Then she went to the shallow end of the pool and displayed how she swims underwater! Well, everything but the very top of her head anyway!

She spent the rest of our time at the pool goofing off with Marisa under the water. Marisa had some little dive sticks so they had a blast taking turns recovering those and they kept going under water to wave or make silly faces at each other.

I can't leave my littlest big girl out of the post as she started doing something new on that visit!

She no longer needs her little vest/bathing suit thing to stay afloat! She just uses good 'ole floaties to swim around now!!

FAIL number 349284

2011-07-18T09:46:00.002-04:00

I am a complete failure when it comes to blogging. I try hard to not let a full week go by without stopping in. I used to love sitting down to blog about my sweet girls but I have had such a hard time doing it lately. It depresses me when I look through my archives and see that in July of 09 I have 20 posts compared to the oh so pitiful two that I will this month once I hit publish. Part of the reason is due to me trying to think of cute and entertaining posts that everyone will enjoy which makes blogging seem more like a chore. While I love my readers {I really do, y'all are awesome}, I don't blog for y'all. This is for my family and I need to remember that. With that being said, the main reason I have slacked off so much is because I am super busy making memories with my family but I really want to document each and every one of those. There will be a day when my house is quiet and when the silence becomes to upsetting, I can look to this blog and smile at all the wonderful times I had with my two ladies. I think I need to move my blog up just a bit in the priority list. The laundry can wait to be folded later, right?!

Thank you for your thoughts about sending Autumn to Kindergarten. After doing some researching and discussing, we have decided to wait. I know that she could handle it but I must admit that having her with me for one more year sounds pretty great to this momma!

Speaking of my Autumn, yesterday while playing poolside, she slipped off of my parents deck then landed straddling the side of their pool before eventually falling underwater. When she came back up she was screaming and bleeding from that area. After many phone calls to the doctor, a possible ER trip, and many tears, Autumn just has a small cut on the surrounding skin as a result of the fall. The doc said that it should heal on its own and it doesn't seem to bother her much anymore. These kind of things make me a nervous wreck of a mom.

I am loving my new glasses that I got from CoastalContacts.com for only $13 shipped. {Excuse my appearance, fresh out of bed!}

Aubrey did number two in the big potty yesterday! The end of diapers for her is in my reach, almost graspable!!

Our newest addiction: Canned Boiled Peanuts. My granddaddy always has a frozen bag of boiled peanuts from his garden waiting for us when we visit him. But in between visits, these bad boys help us get our fix.

We've got a pretty busy week filled with Vacation Bible School, family visiting from PA, movies, storytime, and lots of school work. BUT I will be back tomorrow or Wednesday with some videos that make me one proud momma! I hope you all have a great week!

A Fabulous Fourth!

2011-07-07T10:50:00.001-04:00

We had a really great 4th of July!

But before I get into any of those details, I wanted to share with y'all the adorable little shoes that Autumn and E made for Independence Day! We took a little trip to JoAnns {Eeek! LOVE that place} last week and bought those flip flops and stickers since they were on sale. I also got a bunch of other cute craft supplies and fabric but that is another post! Anyway, didn't they turn out adorably?!

I am sure you guys can guess exactly how we spent our fourth. It's basically the same way we spend just about every weekend. We were poolside {though mostly IN the pool because it was so darn hot}. Autumn has started swimming under the water now! I need to get it on video ASAP! Aubs just thinks she is grown like her big sissy because she jumps into the pool and swims all around by herself with her little vest on! Dad had the grill fired up so ate grilled chicken with shrimp, corn, and baked beans. Don't worry, if you guessed we ate watermelon then you were right too! I've got some watermelon eating fools for children!

We decided to take the girls to see our towns fireworks this year. It's usually a ridiculous mess of people and no parking spots but thankfully, we got there early enough and found a close parking spot. By this time the wind was blowing HARD and we were pretty sure a storm was coming in so we found a huge tree to plant our bottoms underneath just in case it started raining. It was a genius move because about 5 minutes into the fireworks the rain started. The show lasted a little over 30 minutes and the girls loved it. Aubrey kept pointing to them as they went up while saying "Boom boom" and telling us what color each one is! SO cute! On the way home, it was lighting pretty bad and Autumn kept repeating that it was God's fireworks.

{BAHAHA! See Aubrey above?!}

When I sat down to upload all the pictures, I was actually quite surprised by just how many I have of me with the girls! I came out from behind the camera for a chance!

Oh and real quick, let me throw out a HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my awesome Mom!!!

We LOVE You!!

Kindergarten, Yes or No?

2011-06-30T08:54:00.000-04:00

At one point in time, a child must have been five by October 15th to be able to enter Kindergarten. It was like that when I entered school. I was always one of the youngest being that my birthday is 10/08 but I never had a problem keeping up and actually did really well. With Autumn's birthday being the 3rd of October, we figured it would be the same way for her. A couple of years ago, they changed the cutoff date to August 30th which means instead of Autumn being able to attend Kindergarten this year, she will have to wait until next year to enroll.

I've spoken about how we pulled Autumn out of preschool last year because she wasn't learning anything new and I began following a preschool/kindergarten curriculum at home with her instead. She has learned SO much since then! In the past few months, her writing skills have gotten so much better, she is learning to spell words, and she has even started to read! Like a lot of kids at this age, she has a love of learning. Every day she asks me if we can do schoolwork. I hope she never loses that love!

With all of that being said, our church has a Kindergarten program and the date she must be five by is still the 15th! I suppose it transfers over the same way it would as if she moved from a school district that had a different cut off date. So we are facing the decision as to whether or not to enroll her. There are obviously so many reasons to. I feel like she is more than ready and if we are to wait until she can enter the public school systems, I'm afraid that she will be bored with the material the same way she was when she went to preschool. If she is already learning so much now, how much more will she learn before she will be able to enter?! The downside to it all are the expenses. While I have not gotten an exact number yet, I'm sure it won't be cheap. At this time, we are saving every penny we can and just don't know that we can afford it. However, if it isn't TOO much, we are willing to pay it out for our daughter's education. But then again, is it a necessary expense as she will eventually be able to enter Kindergarten for free? Are y'all able to tell just how torn I am?!! What would y'all do?

Our Weekend

2011-06-23T10:22:00.000-04:00

I hope that everyone had an awesome Father's Day weekend!

I shared in my last post that I started watching a little girl {that I will call "E"} on Friday and it went great! Her and Autumn got along especially well and we all had a lot of fun! We even made the cutest Father's Day cards with their hand prints. There were a couple of moments that were a bit nutty so we tried a few different things to avoid those when I watched her on Tuesday and we had no problems!

On Saturday we had a birthday party to attend. They had a slip and slide blowup and loaded it up with baby shampoo. Autumn had the best time on it! Even the adults had a lot of fun going down it. I told Dustin that we MUST have one at the next party.

Sunday was Father's Day of course. I had to work in the 2 year old room at church so we had planned on Dustin bringing Aubrey to me when they came for second service. Well, Aubrey wouldn't let me get out the door without screaming to come with me so she ended up going for both services which was.... fun. I guess. She kept telling me she was ready to leave but it was hilarious to see her interact with the other kiddos. She kept hollering at them to "be careful and stop running" and when one boy accidentally bumped into her, she screamed "hey! You be nice now!". Silly child. We spent the rest of the day at my parents house just relaxing with the two awesome Fathers in our lives!

Adore those three!

Ring around the Rosie

Love my big girl!

Pops and his three little girlies!

Randomness

2011-06-17T09:54:00.004-04:00

As of 10:30am today, we will officially be a two income family once again. I have started watching a three year old girl part-time. I decided to offer part-time care so that there will still be days with just my babies and so that we can plan to do errands, pool trips, and other summer fun around those days but still bring in a little extra cash! If all goes well, I am hoping to take in at least one more child part-time eventually. It is probably going to be a bit crazy around here with three girls ages 2, 3, and 4 but I believe it will be such a blessing for us!

Aubrey has moved up to the 2 year old room at church. This will be her first Sunday in there. Guess who is scheduled to work in that room this Sunday?! This girl! I really hope that the transition is much easier since I will be nearby!

Fathers Day gifts. Any ideas? I've got nothing.

While we are at that thought, shopping for males of all ages is frustrating for me. We have a birthday party for a boy to go to tomorrow and I had the HARDEST time trying to decided on a gift for him. NOT my area of expertise to say the least!

$10 for a $20 Old Navy Groupon makes my heart smile.

Blogger makes me want to scream. It wouldn't let me post for a while and wouldn't let me comment neither. I am still getting e-mails telling me that people are trying to comment on my blog with no success. Grr! I am not happy about missing out on comments from you guys!!

I wrote a post just a few days ago on how I will finally be publishing my never-ending draft section. I have yet to even attempt just one since then.

TOSTITOS ARTISAN RECIPES Fire-roasted Chipotle Tortilla Chips rock my world. Especially when accompanied with TOSTITOS Salsa Con Queso.

Living near a Target again also makes my heart smile. One of those big 'ole cheesy grins. I am pretty sure I can say the same for my kiddos and baby Avery. And yes, that is Aubrey's shoe. She typically throws her feet up like that in a cart. So ladylike. That's just how she rolls.

I hope you all have a FABULOUS weekend!!

Rewind

2011-06-14T10:07:00.002-04:00

Apparently, I've been a bit preoccupied the past couples of months and have seriously neglected my beloved blog. There are posts that I started but never found the time to finish. Seriously, my draft section is becoming rather impressive. I suppose that isn't as bad as the posts I planned to do yet never even sat down to give them a fighting chance. Some of those that have crossed my mind will never be anything more than that idea but there are certain events that I MUST include within my blog.

So I'm going to press the rewind button for a little bit. I will take it easy at first and back it up just a tad to Aubrey's birthday. I shared the letter I wrote to her as well as her birthday party but I left out all the fun we had on her actual birthday.

Since Aubrey really enjoyed the splash pad last year, I figured we would surprise her with a little visit there to celebrate one of the most awesome days of the year {for us anyway}! I packed us lunches, grabbed the sunscreen, and hit the road!

Did I mention that little Miss Avery came along too?!
Aubrey's birthday was also the day Avery turned 4 months!

We left when Aubrey came and told me that she wanted to take her nap. I suppose the splash pad really wore her out! I still had one more place I wanted to take her while we were in Ktown so we hurried over to get a couple of shaved ice's before she started snoozing!

We probably weren't in the car for a minute or two before she was out! Our trips there will definitely be limited this summer given that it's a good little drive to a town that has nothing to offer us other than a few hours at the splash pad. I am glad that she had such a great time though and that we were able to go for her birthday!

Aubrey's 2nd Birthday Bash

2011-06-06T08:30:00.003-04:00

I went back and forth between a Yo Gabba Gabba party and one other theme that I really LOVE but since the party was for Aubrey and not me, I decided to go with YGG since she is pretty much obsessed with those weird little monsters.

The party day really crept up on me so I wasn't able to complete as much as I had originally planned to. Saturday was such a gorgeous day out so we set up the party underneath our awesome carport. I hung coordinating streamers and added the Gabba friend cutouts to make Miss Aubrey happy! We served pizza, chips, fruit, and of course yummy cupcakes and a cake or two made by my lovely sister.

Aubrey was not fond of people wishing her a "Happy Birthday". In fact, if anyone mentioned her birthday or that she was turning two, she would flash one of her many mean faces. So can you just guess how she responded to all of her party guests singing her Happy Birthday?!!

E.M.O.T.I.O.N.A.L.!! If she is already acting like this at two, I can only imagine how she will respond to her 40th birthday. My chocolate addicted child wouldn't even touch her smash cake.

Once she was smiling yet again, it was time to open presents!

She got some really great things!

I popped in her new YGG cd and watched the kids play in the pool and have a good time together! Even though Aubrey had a major birthday meltdown {Hey, it's her party and she'll cry if she wants to...} I think she really did enjoy herself!

I still can't wrap my mind around the fact that she is two already!

LOVE my sweet girl!!

T.W.O.

2011-06-03T09:25:00.000-04:00

Aubrey Kay,

You turned T.W.O. yesterday!!

Did I really just type that?! The past two years have been... well, interesting to say the least. You are my little shadow. There isn't many places I can go or things I can do without you following right behind me. I constantly hear "hold you Momma" all throughout the day and I am happy to snatch you right on up and snuggle with you as much as possible. I love your slobbery kisses and can't get enough of your sweet hugs that come complete with some back rubbing. When you tell anyone goodbye whether it be your Daddy, Grammy and Pops, or the cashier at WalMart, you always tell them "I love you" before blowing them all a kiss or two.

Along with all of your sweetness, you are such a smart and silly little child. You sing the abc's and can count to 11 and know 16-20 also {you always leave out 12-15, ha!}. You are speaking in complete sentences although sometimes you blab your mouth for like 2 minutes straight and we have not the slightest idea what you are talking about. When asked a particular color, you always shout "Pink!" and then laugh, slap your forehead, and shake your head before you say the correct one most of the time. You try so hard to keep those around you laughing and once you do something that others find to be funny, you do it again and again and again. You've always been such a polite little girl and never leave out a "thank you, your welcome, or please". Some of your favorite songs are Our God by Chris Tomlin, Jesus Take the Wheel by Carrie Underwood, Itsy Bitsy Spider, and Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. I can also find you singing right along to your sisters beloved Kellie Pickler cd. Shaking your little bottom is also at the top of your list! Some of your favorite TV shows are Yo Gabba Gabba, Bubble Guppies, and Gullah Gullah Island. Monster's, Inc. is your favorite movie and you could seriously watch it all day long. Praying is such a fun time for you. After we are all finished with our prayers, you always start clapping your hands and shouting "YAY!".

However, you have driven me almost crazy enough to be admitted to an insane asylum. Almost. You are very strong-willed and such a rambunctious little thing. You are a terrible listener and certainly do not like to be forced to do anything. Emotional does not even begin to describe you. I am sure that I will either be completely gray at the age of 25 or bald from pulling out my own hair in frustration of your crazy antics. I think it is safe to say that the Terrible Two's have arrived and full force at that. When I attempt to discipline you, I hear "I'm so sorry Mommmmma" in your sweet little voice and I totally cave. My little Aubrey, you are so full of life and I just adore that about you. While I wouldn't mind keeping you this age for a little bit longer, I can't wait to see you grow and witness want God has in store for you! I LOVE YOU SO MUCH my baby!

Hugs and Kisses, Mommy

Memorial Day Weekend

2011-06-01T08:34:00.000-04:00

We had the BEST Memorial Day weekend!

When Autumn found out that my parents had a tent stored in their attic she begged and begged every chance she got for us to take her camping. We figured that this weekend would be the perfect time to do so. Since none of us are particularly fond of REALLY roughing it, we decided to set up camp in my parents back yard.
{MAJOR PICTURE OVERLOAD}

There was a fire complete with s'mores and ghost stories.

Hide and seek with flash lights lasted for at least an hour on both nights.

Mom and Dad kept us fed with lots of deliciousness at all times. I probably gained 10lbs over the weekend.

The kiddos chowed down on watermelon non-stop.

Church was awesome! Aubrey demanded she go to church with us and actually lasted the entire service without me being paged! My parents usually keep her so this is really great and maybe they can start attending service with us now!

Lots of laughs with the ones I love the most!

And of course there was plenty of pool time!

{I'm as red as a lobster by the way but at least I am no longer ghostly white!}

BEST Memorial Day Weekend EVER!

I hope you all had your own best Memorial Day weekends!!

A Certain Fairy

2011-05-31T09:15:00.000-04:00

A certain fairy made it's very first visit to our house on Friday night!

Autumn has had a few loose teeth for a while now but just recently has one of her bottom ones come super loose. The girls had been playing at the park with Auntie Beth for a bit {bless her for giving me a little break!} and when Autumn came home she went to blabbing about all the fun they had. I noticed that there was something in her mouth basically flapping around when she was talking and after taking a closer look I saw that her tooth was so close to falling out. She said she had been wiggling it around with her tongue the whole way home! I asked her if I could yank it out and she said yes! She was such a big girl, I thought there would have been a few tears involved but instead she just got super excited. It came right out with the first tug and from that point Autumn had to call every family member and couldn't stop talking about it. Since we have moved to this house we have had trouble with Autumn staying in her bed all night long but not that night! She was afraid if she came to our room then the tooth fairy wouldn't visit her! She did come running into our room around 7ish though to show us the three dollars that the tooth fairy left her!

She's growing up!! {TEAR}

Home Sweet Home

2011-05-23T13:46:00.000-04:00

I finally found the time to blog! I've sat down numerous times to start a post and catch up on your blogs but I keep getting distracted. We've been so busy unpacking and trying to settle into our new house! There are a couple of boxes left, one of which holds all of my pictures that still need to be hung. I will get to those. Someday. Maybe.

Then there's the yard work. The bushes and plants are well on their way to dominating the exterior of our house. Me and the hubby have been hard at work trying to get it all under control. As you will see from the picture below, we still have quite a bit of work to do.

We had a yard sale this past Saturday and it was a complete flop. Seriously, we made $37! Waking up at 6am for 40 bucks is not cool. We plan on having another one soon but this time we will actually put out more than the one sign that was placed in our yard. DUH!

It really has been such a blessing moving back to Gville though. I have a social life once again! A couple of my friends live literally one minute from us and it has been so great catching up with them and others. We've been to cookouts, pokers games, lunch and dinner dates, and all sorts of other fun events in the 2 weeks we've been back! I've had the opportunity to become more involved with our church by working with the 2 year olds one Sunday a month. I also plan to participate in GroupLink {small groups at our church} once we finally get completely settled in. It's so exciting to be closer to our family and friends {as well as everything else} again!

I think I've rambled for long enough so I will leave you with a picture of our house and then I'm off to catch up on your blogs! Hope all is well!

Three years down

2011-05-17T17:00:00.000-04:00

Three years ago I walked down the aisle and said "I Will" to the man that God chose for me.

I remember that day like it was just yesterday. I was beyond nervous so much so that I was literally shaking and could not hold the back the tears. I have no idea as to why that was my reaction, it probably had a lot to do with the fact that I couldn't believe the day we would become Mr. and Mrs. had finally arrived. It was a day we had both been talking and dreaming of since I was 15.

Now, I feel like we have always been married and he {as well as ~~his~~ our children} drive me completely insane on most days. BUT it's alright because I wouldn't have it any other way. I love him to pieces for so many reasons that I have shared on my blog before as well as many, many more that would take way too long to list. Thank you hubby love for doing all that you do, being an awesome husband, and a phenomenal father to our children.

Three years down, FOREVER to go!!

We are outta here!

2011-05-05T16:11:00.000-04:00

I have been slacking in the bloggy world lately. I can promise you I have a pretty good reason though! Just a couple of posts ago I wrote that we were going to start looking for a house back home. I made it a mission of mine and was pleasantly surprised when I found several options. However, as soon as I walked into the very first house on our list, I knew immediately that it was the one for our family! It's a brick house that was just recently renovated inside and sits on a corner lot not even five minutes from my parents house. Want to know the best part?! It has hardwood floors throughout {except the girls room and playroom}. I know some of y'all are thinking "oh... okay" BUT y'all, my children are complete slobs. Hardwood floors will make my life SOOOOOOO much easier! HA! We sign all the papers tomorrow and move in this weekend!

With that being said, I have been packing non-stop. Well, there have been breaks here and there to feed my family and what not. Oh and then there is the fact that it is also exam week. I think we might have been a little crazy to move so quickly but I couldn't let that house get away! I would love to stay and catch up on all of your blogs but it just isn't going to happen. So I hope you are all doing well and have a fabulous weekend! {Feel free to head this way and help us move! Oh and bring a box or two!}

Our God Reigns!

2011-04-27T09:45:00.001-04:00

Our Easter was absolutely wonderful!

The Easter bunny came despite how bad these youngins have been!

The Easter service at church was sooo good! Throughout the past couple of weeks, our church has been writing names of people that we wanted to pray for during our fast on several white sheets with highlighters. While we were singing "Let Faith Arise" a huge white banner that said "Our God Reigns" rose up behind the worship team. During our next song, "Our God Reigns (Forever Your Kingdom Reigns)" I guess a black light was turned on it and you could see all the different names that our church had written on the sheets. It was so awesome! I had such a hard time holding back the tears because it really is amazing to see the hope that we all have for our loved ones to find their way to or back to God and actually see it happening. Open Door saw 72 people come to Christ this month!!

We spent the afternoon at my parents house. We had a delicious lunch with ham and all the fixings then did an Easter egg scavenger hunt for the girls. Each egg held a picture of the location of the next egg. At the end, they found their baskets filled with candy and other goodies. I guess I should add here that Autumn has caught the fever, the Bieber fever that is. I'm not quite sure how this happened as she doesn't listen to his music but when she has seen anything with his face on it, she starts blushing and what not. I'm not really a fan of this but apparently my sister thinks its hilarious and bought her a Justin Bieber shirt! Autumn was so excited {as you can tell from the pic}! She asked me the other day to look his number up on facebook for her! We are in sooooo much trouble!

After the scavenger hunt was over, we all headed outside for the Easter egg hunt. Aubrey kept getting so frustrated because every time she would find an egg, she would holler "Oh, I found one" and wouldn't you know that here comes Autumn running to snatch it up. Poor child! She was able to sneak a few in there though!

We got Avery a little zebra print dress for Easter and she looked so cute because she had pigtails for the first time! I can't believe we didn't get a kid shot! So this picture of them with the Easter bunny will just have to do!

One more thing...

2011-04-20T09:00:00.003-04:00

I left off one thing I am sooooo very thankful for on my last post.

I am OH SO thankful that my husband has a job.

Dustin has worked for A Wireless since November of 2008. Last May, the store in our town was shut down. I've said it before, our town has a whole lot of nothing. Seriously, you should see our mall. Anyway, he went back to working for them this past December in a town that's about 30 minutes from us. We found out last Friday that they were also shutting down that location. In that moment, I felt like our whole world was being turned upside down. This is where the list of just some of the things I had to be thankful for came from. I placed all of my fears in His hands and prayed that there was something better waiting for us.

AND THERE WAS!!

My hubby love was offered a job in Gville yesterday!!

It is a bit more of a drive for him now but there is so much more business there so it should be worth it. Not to mention this is one step closer for us to move back home. We originally moved here so that my mother-in-law could watch Autumn while I worked part-time and now that she has moved to Florida, we really have no reason to live here any longer. Our church, family, friends, doctors, and so on are all in Gville. We have absolutely no ties to this town whatsoever! With that being said, I am officially house hunting! It is a bit more expensive to live there so we aren't in a terrible rush or anything but I am keeping my eyes open!

If you don't know it by now, God is SO good!

Things may happen that you don't understand but He always has a plan!!

**************

Also, just a little update on Avery. The eye doctor said that there is absolutely nothing wrong with her eyes. Thank you all so much for your prayers!

Thankful

2011-04-18T09:55:00.002-04:00

I am feeling extremely blessed and beyond thankful this morning for several reasons.

I am thankful that our family and friends are all alive and well. 60 tornadoes touched down in North Carolina on Saturday. An Andy's and a middle school that are not too far from us were completely demolished. There are many people that are left without vehicles, homes, and loved ones. Please keep these people in your prayers and thoughts. I can't even watch the news because the images are just so sad.

I am thankful that my girls were able to spend some time with their Nana even if the visit was way too short.

I am thankful that we are a two car family once again. We bought a car a couple of weeks ago. We got an awesome deal and the price was only half of our budget so we were able to put the remainder in savings which felt really great!

I am thankful for all three meals each day. Our church has been participating in Take Heart Fast since sundown on April 3rd to sundown on April 23rd. We are giving up either a meal a day or a particular food group so that we can focus our attention to God. We are specifically praying that people will come to know God during the Easter service. There were around 500 people to attend Open Door regularly last year and on Easter there was more than 800 people present. We now have more than 700 people attend Open Door regularly so you can do the math. I think it will be pretty amazing.

I am thankful for my sweet little niece. She had her two month well visit last week. The doctors were concerned about her eyes for a couple of different reasons so they scheduled her an appointment at the eye docs for Tuesday. Please say a prayer that it's nothing serious. She's so precious!

I am thankful that in one act Jesus Christ changed the world. Jesus paid the price for all of our sins. Remember this at every Easter Egg hunt, with every Easter craft you create, every other Easter related event that you attend this week, and always.

Here comes Peter Cottontail

2011-04-14T10:19:00.000-04:00

Me and the girls loaded up and headed to Gville on Saturday to meet up with my mom, sister, and little Avery.

Our first destination was the Viquest Easter Egg Hunt!

There was sooo many eggs.

Aubrey grabbed herself quite a bit but Autumn had a ton!

She would run from one pile to the next and grab all in sight!

{She claimed that pile behind her after this picture!}

After the hunt, we had to go visit with he Easter bunny of course!

Aubrey is a little strange {ha!} so I wasn't sure how she would react to him but she LOVED him!

She actually started crying when we went to leave him =(

We had to get a shot of Avery with an Easter bunny for the first time.

She didn't know what to think of him!

Last night we took the girls to have dinner with the Easter bunny.

McDonalds is the place to be these days!

They were also running a giveaway where all the kids colored a picture of an Easter bunny then turned it in so that they could draw one later that night to win an Easter basket.

And guess what?! Little Miss Aubrey's picture was the lucky one!

Unfortunately, when we went to pick it up, Aubrey was clonked out in the backseat so this is the best picture we could get of her with her prize!

Hide Your Scissors!

2011-04-11T16:32:00.001-04:00

I think my children lay in bed at night trying to come up with ways to make me cry/scream/insane/livid and so on.

Seriously, I love my babies but they definitely drive me bonkers at moments.

I can't take my eyes off of them for one second.

Not one.

Autumn: "Can I use the scissors to cut off a tag of the puppy's ear" {Toy puppy we bought the day before.}

Me: "Yes but return the scissors back to their spot once you are done"

MAYBE two minutes later she walks right past me and Aubrey while we were cuddling on the couch to put the scissors up.

A little bit later I walk into her room to help her clean and then I find it.

A huge hairball.

I ever so calmly walk to Autumn and I notice what she did.

She cut her hair.

I know y'all are jealous of those bangs and the chunks she took off of both sides of her hair.

THANKFULLY, we are able to hide it for the most part.

Mom Fail #123924834209

Then because Aubrey couldn't have her sister causing her mommy to have a nervous break down instead of herself, she had to outdo her by getting herself stuck inside the kitchen playset.

See what I mean?! I can't take my eyes off of them for a second!

Almost Wordless Wednesday

2011-04-06T10:22:00.000-04:00

God gave me one amazing husband and father of our children.

Now he is one awesome uncle to little Avery.

So sweet!

Show Us Your Life- Tell Us About Your Church

2011-03-31T23:40:00.002-04:00

When I was child, I spent many Wednesday nights and countless Sundays at church. I even attended a Christian school for several years. Somewhere along the way, we stopped attending church regularly and my sister and I entered the public school system. I still loved God but I certainly wasn't living my life as a Christian should.

Almost exactly one year ago, our little family loaded up and headed to church with my mother-in-law. We discussed visiting a few different churches to find the one we liked best but after that first Sunday at Open Door Ministries, we never went anywhere else.

The music was far from what I was used to in church. The room was dark except for the various colored spotlights on the worship team and the music was LOUD. I loved that all over the room hands were raised high, people were dancing, and just a few rows up a man was jumping along with the music. I ADORED it! Our Senior Pastor, Pastor Greg Kennedy, tells it as it is and doesn't sugar coat a thing. He always adds a bit of humor into each one of his messages. His wife, Deana, is also a pastor at our church. Their son and daughter, Aaron {also a pastor at ODM} and Miriam, are the worship leaders and both have amazing voices. I cannot speak highly enough of ODM's children ministry. They provide a loving and caring environment to teach our children all about God in creative ways. They always have fun, family events planned as well. Our church is committed to serving our community and sharing the word of God. Our next upcoming event to do just that is the City Outreach Day on April 9th.

Open Door Ministries is an awesome church for all the reasons listed above and many, many more. Open Door Ministries will always be a special place for our family as it is where I rededicated my life to God, where my husband accepted Jesus Christ as his Savior, and where our Autumn asked Jesus into her heart.

If you live in our area, please stop by Open Door Ministries. If you don't, you can always listen to each message online. I am sure you won't regret it!!

I should be cleaning

2011-03-30T19:38:00.000-04:00

That is what 100 spikey bows finished, packaged, and ready to go looks like!

Whew! I am glad to have that behind me. They shipped out Monday morning and I got an email from the buyer today saying that she loved them =) I have to admit, I do too! I will be adding most of these to my little shop soon!

My children were seriously neglected during the making of the above bows. {Not Really!} Autumn has learned how to fully operate Netflix and has had to sit through way too many episodes of Barney since that is all that Aubrey wants her to put on! They had lots of independent play which really means that they moved from one toy to the next without cleaning up anything since they weren't prompted to. This resulted in a ridiculous mess throughout the house. I spent all day long Monday and today trying to get it in decent condition again. It's been SO incredibly cold and ugly out {tear, where is the spring?!} which makes me extremely lazy so I would have left this house a total wreck except for one thing. We will be having visitors from tomorrow until Saturday night! My mother-in-law will be coming up! I'm sure she will make up for any negligence that may have existed! =)

The girls were apparently playing with camera during this time as well. Here are a few pictures that Autumn had taken. Dustin snapped the last one! Love my silly little girls!

Didn't plan on...

2011-03-21T10:23:00.001-04:00

I didnt plan on taking a break from the blog world! I've been rather busy lately but figured I could squeeze in some time to drop in and let y'all know what's going on with us and find out the same about y'all.

First off, thanks for the suggestions on pricing the bows. I was more than thrilled when she accepted my offer that was just barely lower than my normal price! So I've been beyond busy making these bows, doing school work, and completing my wifey and motherly duties. I fully understand now why so many mommies take little breaks from their businesses because it can get very overwhelming. It really wouldn't be bad at all if it wasn't for that darn school work. Let it be known that I am NOT complaining, I am very grateful for this order! I also really love that I was able to bring in a little extra income into the house.

When I'm not making bows, my family has been having lots of fun! We made a trip to Raleigh recently to check out some cars. While the cars were a total flop, we made the best out of our visit. We had lunch {for the first time} at PF Changs and I am HOOKED! The girls loved using their special little chopsticks and was super thrilled when they saw the big horse outside of the restaurant. We spent some time at the mall afterwords and took the girls to The Disney Store. Autumn got some little Rapunzel figures for her tower and a Rapunzel bag. Aubrey got Simba and Nala stuffed animals! Basically, The Disney Store took all of our money.

Until we get a second vehicle (and our search just MAY be over), me and the girls are stuck at home while Dustin goes to work. One Sunday out of the month he has to work so we aren't able to go to church or to visit with my parents like we usually do. Yesterday was that Sunday so since we couldn't head that way, my parents came to visit us! Mainly because Autumn called them and said she was going to ride her scooter, Aubrey would ride her tricycle, and that I would be on the vacuum cleaner to their house. Yes, the vacuum cleaner. I guess my parents figured it would be best if that didn't happen. LOL! I got lots of snuggle time in with a certain 6 week old! Can y'all believe she is already 6 weeks?!

And lastly, a lot has been going on in the blogging world during my little unintentional break. A big congrats to Kristin on expecting baby number four! And another congrats to Paige on getting engaged! So excited for the both of y'all!!!!

Help please!

2011-03-11T10:26:00.000-05:00

I need your help ladies.

Since so many of you run your own businesses, I figured this was the best place to find my answer.

I sold a woman several bows a couple of weeks ago. One of them was my zebra spikey bow that is pictured below. Apparently, she really liked it since I woke up this morning with an email from her. She wanted to know what my price would be if she purchased that bow for resale. I usually charge $3.25 for each one but she does not want the alligator clip lined like I usually do so I need to deduct for that too. She wants to know the price if she ordered 30, 50, and 100.

This is where I need your help. I have NO idea what to tell her.

What would you charge per each one at the different quantities listed?

Bounce Rock Skate Roll

2011-03-08T09:00:00.000-05:00

Autumn's bestie celebrated her 7th birthday at the local roller skating rink over the weekend.

Autumn was pretty nervous since she has never been skating before.

She got a pair of the skates that go over your shoes for Christmas one year but she's only used them in our kitchen.

She kept talking about falling and making sure one of us would be out there with her to hold her hand.

Well, let me tell y'all that sweet girl was stressin' over nothing!

She got out on that floor and immediately let go of my hand while shouting over the music, "I've got this Mom".

And she did. I stayed with her just in case she fell and to give all the bigger kids the ugly eye warning them to stay far away from her! Ha! We were there for a little over two hours with her only stopping for a bit to eat pizza and a cupcake. She was a skating machine!

At one point, the DJ called everyone in the middle of the rink to play limbo.

There had to be at least 50-60 people that played with the ages ranging from like three to thirty.

Autumn was so excited to play but I honestly thought she would be out in the second or third round.

I shouldn't underestimate my little girl though because she WON!!!

We were so excited for her and they even gave her a slice a pizza for winning. Ha!

{this is when she won}

She woke up this morning saying that her thighs were hurting from all of the skating she did and then started talking 90 miles per minute about how much she loved it! Then, of course, she started begging us to take her back sometime soon and I think we just might!! :)

{Sorry the picture quality isn't so great and are pretty blurry. They were taken with my phone with no lighting.}

Birthdays and Anniversaries

2011-03-02T10:55:00.000-05:00

Yesterday was my little sisters birthday! We celebrated by eating pizza and cake at my parents house. MUCH easier than hauling all of us into a restaurant!

I am adore my little sister. I know there are many days that she finds to be extremely difficult being a new parent and probably never imagined that she would spend her 22nd birthday with a newborn but I am so proud of her. She's not in the best of situations at the moment but she is making the best of it and being so strong for her baby girl. While I pray that everything works out for the best, I am loving the fact that our children will have each other and that we get to experience motherhood together! I also pray that my girls will have as great of a relationship as we do. It's so special to have a built in best friend!

Yesterday was also my Grandparents 48th wedding anniversary!

They came for a visit over the weekend. it was their first time meeting Avery and I didn't take a single picture. FAIL! We all went to a local buffet for lunch and had such a great time. They are such awesome, Godly people! I am so blessed to have those two to look up to! I can't wait to start planning a big 50th wedding anniversary bash with my mom for them!

Lastly, Dustin's birthday is Friday. He is getting off of work at four and then we are going to look at a car. His trip to work is about 30-40 minutes and with the gas prices rising, the Explorer is certainly not cheap to fill up every five days or so. We got all of our tax money back and have been shopping around to find a little fuel efficient car. We've been needing a second vehicle for a while now because it would just be terrible is something happened with me and the girls being stuck without a ride. So hopefully, this car will be the one!! I think we will probably go out to eat somewhere for dinner afterwords. Anyone got any ideas for a birthday gift for him? I hate shopping for men.

Spring is in the air

2011-02-24T10:33:00.004-05:00

Or at least it was over the weekend anyway.

And we took full advantage of the nice weather!

We had our very first picnic of the year.

Autumn blew me kisses from across the yard.

And

Aubrey couldn't get enough of swinging like a big girl.

All of this nice weather put me in the mood to go shopping for a new swimsuit and some cute summer dresses! I've been searching for a more modest swimsuit such as a monokini or a tankini. I grabbed a one piece just for kicks and then I fell in love with it once I tried it on! I think it's fun and flirty and just perfect at only $36 at Target!!

I also ordered a few dresses from Old Navy and then I found out that I won a Shabby Apple giveaway! How gorgeous is this dress?!!!

I am SET for the spring and summer! I even got my hair done and lost inches for a much shorter do and lightened it a bit for the summer!

Unfortunately, given that it is super gloomy and not so warm outside at this very moment, we were just being teased over the weekend. So for now, I will hang onto these memories {and the clothes} and dream of warmer days to come!!

Oh and I hope they come soon because this child is tired of pretending that her room is a sunny beach!

Weekend Recap

2011-02-22T11:38:00.002-05:00

One of my besties from high school came over Saturday. Her husband is a police officer and had to work night shift this weekend so she needed something to do to keep her occupied. She brought over the ingredients to make a pizza and the movie You Again. It was so much fun catching up with her. We only get together every few months or so but that needs to change!! Autumn had a lot of fun helping with the pizza and it actually turned out pretty good! The movie took a lot longer to watch since it had to be paused so much but I guess that's just how it is when there are kiddos in the other room that must be checked on! I really liked it though!

Sunday we all got up and went to church. We listened to the second part of the the series Love, Sex, and Everything Else. It's been such an awesome series so far because both our Pastor and his wife is speaking and since nothing is off limits, we are taking an honest look at what is needed for Godly, healthy marriages and relationships. Plus, I think our Pastor is absolutely hilarious and he definitely made this past Sunday's message on sex pretty comical at times!

After church, we spent the rest of the day at my parents house. Daddy grilled out and we were outside the majority of the time since it was so nice out over the weekend. I was also able to spend some time loving on this sweet little girl...

I just adore her. I told my sister several times that I was going to kidnap her. She wouldn't have that but I do think that I will get to babysit her in the near future!!! Oh and I think my hubby love is pretty smitten with her too...

Dinner with the Princesses

2011-02-17T09:51:00.001-05:00

Once upon a time a little girl named Autumn spent her days obsessing over Thomas the train. She would wake up asking to watch his show and begged us daily for just one more train to add to her track. She adored her little ~~boys~~ panties that featured Thomas and his friends. We were certain that we had a tomboy on our hands.

This same little girl now has boxes full of My Little Ponies. I wouldn't even begin to attempt to count all of her Barbies and their accessories. Fancy Nancy and Pinkalicious books are her favorite. She requested all things Tinkerbell for Christmas. A Fairy Tea Party is what she wants for her next birthday party. Rapunzel rocks her world. She can be found decked out in dress up clothes at all times. Then there is her love for the Disney Princesses.

I thought she might fall out when she met some of them at dinner last night.

She had been anticipating that moment all week long.

The child could hardly talk she was so excited and was cheesing so hard.

Aubrey was thrilled too.
She told each princess how pretty HER own dress was. Several times.
I think she might just skip the whole train phase and join her sister in the love for all things girly!

Swim Fish Swim

2011-02-09T14:45:00.001-05:00

Today began as they typically do around here.

The girls were happily watching Bubble Guppies {their newest obsession} while playing with their Barbies on the living room floor. I was finishing up my morning cleaning and only had to vacuum my bedroom before I was done. Autumn and Aubrey started hollering for food {like the do all day long} and I asked them to hold on one second so I could vacuum and then I'd slice them up some veggies.

Once I was all done, I heard Aubrey screaming "Go Fish" followed by "Swim Fish" while giggling uncontrollably. When I ~~walked~~ ran to the living room this is what I found.

Apparently, Autumn needed food at the moment they asked and helped herself to the whole bag of goldfish. Aubrey took this bag from her at one point and started flinging goldfish everywhere. Autumn told me not to be mad because "Aubrey was just trying to free the fishies".

AGH! These kids.

At least I already had the vacuum out.

Avery Brianne

2011-02-07T10:32:00.000-05:00

My awesome little sister gave birth to my precious niece on Friday morning at 9:04am!!

She went to her doctors appointment Thursday and while doing her Non-stress test, Avery was "unresponsive". They told her to drive home, grab all of her things, and head to the hospital immediately so that they could induce her. She got to the hospital around 1 or so and they did all of her blood work and started her IV. Wouldn't you know that Avery appeared to be absolutely perfect on the monitor!!! Around 5ish, the midwife came and tried to talk Beth into going home because of all the risks associated with induction since they didn't feel it was necessary any longer. She also told her that she would be in there AT LEAST 2 to 3 days if she decided to be induced since she was barely dilated 1cm at the doctors that morning and that there was a GOOD chance that she would end up with a c-section. Beth wasn't having that. She had already started having pretty consistent contractions on her own and was ready to have a baby in her arms. They inserted a foley bulb around 8 and didn't start the pitocin until around 2am {she was 5cm at this point}. She waited all night to get an epidural because the nurse told her the anesthesiologist on duty was not good. Seriously?!! She finally got one around 8am with a different anesthesiologist and it barely had any effect. Before we ALL knew it, it was time for her to start pushing. She pushed for about 5-10mins before Miss Avery Brianne arrived at 9:04am!! She weighed 7lbs4.8oz and was 20in long.

Y'all between Beth's experience and me almost having Aubrey in a potty, I think it is obvious that this hospital REALLY needs to get it together!! Beth wanted me to find the midwife and inform her that she had the baby just 7 hours after they started the pitocin and NOT 2 to 3 days later and not by a c-section at that. Ha!

But enough of the complaining!!
Let me introduce you to my beautiful niece...
AVERY BRIANNE

{Major Picture Overload}

{Aubrey sleeping with Aunt Beth while waiting for Avery}

{Aubrey's reaction to Avery is here!}

{I'm a tired but PROUD Auntie}

{Momma and Her Baby}

{Precious Avery}

{Autumn meeting Avery and giving her gifts}

{Aubrey watching my dad hold Avery}

{Avery home from the hospital}

{Cousins}

{Autumn holding Avery for the first time}

{Poor Aubrey was so sad that Avery started crying}

Workin' on forever

2011-02-03T10:33:00.000-05:00

One Christmas present that Dustin and I can always count on is a gift card to Red Lobster from my parents. We usually save it for Valentine's Day but since my parents were going to watch the girls we decided it would be best for us to go before my niece arrives and things get a little crazy over that way.

I don't think I talk about my husband nearly enough as I should on this blog.

We certainly don't have a perfect marriage. We bicker with each other all of the time. There are some moments when I can't get far enough away from him and it takes all I am not to slap him one good time {KIDDING}!! Y'all, I really do just adore the man God chose for me. He is Ahhh-mazing but it is sometimes hard for me to put him before our children like I am supposed to. There are days when our kids have driven me completely bonkers and I just don't have it in me to give him the attention I should when he gets home. I know some of you momma's can relate. Right?! I've really found it difficult with young kids to find time for us. Once the girls are in bed, we usually cuddle up on the couch together to watch our favorite shows or movies and I treasure these moments with him. BUT it is SO nice to have date nights every now and then. I love being able to go out to dinner or a movie with him and focus on just US. Tuesday was the lucky night and we had a blast. We ate, laughed, talked, goofed off, and just enjoyed being together without having to worry about whether or not Autumn and Aubrey were behaving themselves. It was a truly wonderful night!

I vote for more nights like that!!!

People will tell ya that this kind of love will fade

That being in love like this is only a phase

But baby after all this time ain't nothin' changed

All you gotta do is look at me that way

And there you go

Makin' me fall in love again

Oh and I gotta tell ya, there's nothin' better

You and me together, workin' on forever

-- Kellie Pickler --

She amazes me

2011-02-01T08:00:00.014-05:00

Yes, I am about to gush about my Autumn. Again.

Last week I was reading our church's latest blog entry. The post titled Unforgettable was written by our assistant KIDMO director, Megan, and she speaks of a moment when a woman told her that "There is no junior Holy Spirit". She states that she is reminded of just how untrue that is every Sunday when she works with the children of KIDMO and that God's presence is powerfully unchanging despite the age. She then continues to write about sharing a message with the kids of what a relationship is like with God through the stories of Paul's life. Once they were finished, they extended an invitation to the children for them to accept God as their Lord and Savior and to enter a relationship with them.

I was talking to Autumn about all of this, asking her what she learned from that Sunday. Wouldn't you know that my sweet baby girl informs me that she accepted Jesus into her heart!! I have NEVER been more proud of her than what I was at that moment. Twelve kids in total raised their little hands on that Sunday and one of those precious hands belonged to my daughter. I know it is a huge deal for her to make this decision especially at such a young age and I'm sure she doesn't know how serious that decision was but I am going to do everything I possibly can to support her and help her stand by it as she grows.

I am currently sitting here with various Chris Tomlin, Hillsong, and Kari Jobe songs playing on my computer. Autumn is in front of me dancing and singing along with those same precious hands raised high. Sometimes I feel like a complete failure as a mom and find motherhood extremely frustrating.

This is not one of those moments.

She's got Jokes!

2011-01-27T09:15:00.000-05:00

We are big Yo Gabba Gabba fans in this house!

I know there are A LOT of people who despise that show but not us!

It is a little strange at times but both of our girls LOVE it.

And we do too!

On certain episodes, they do a knock knock joke.

One in particular goes {I'm sure you've heard it before}

Knock, Knock.

Who's There? Interupting Cow.

Interupting Cow Who? And before the person says who?

The other says MOOOOOO.

Well, Aubrey picked up on it but altered it slightly.

I got it on video a couple of months ago and promised my mother-in-law I would post it for her.

I love the way she pokes her little lips out when she says "MOOOO"

Just for fun here is a video from back at Aubrey's 18 month checkup.
This is how we keep our children entertained at the doctors.
I can only imagine what the doctors and nurses think of us.

Through my daughters eyes

2011-01-25T09:02:00.003-05:00

I was talking with Autumn the other day and she started naming off all of the people she knew that loved her. She brought up one particular person and asked why she doesn’t see him/her anymore. Before I could even begin to conjure up an acceptable reason, she told me that he/she must be busy and started telling stories of fun times that she had with that particular person. She then ran off to play with Aubrey and I totally lost it.

I have been so disappointed, upset, angry, frustrated, and the list goes on.

I am not going to go into details since this post can be viewed by anyone.

Also, I just don’t think that this is place for that.

I can say that I've been struggling with a lot of bitterness in my heart.

And I am tired of it.

I don’t want to feel this way anymore. It does no good.

In fact, it just gets in the way of me loving others like I should.

I want to move on.

I look back at the way Autumn reacted.

I know it hurts her because this is not the first time we’ve faced that question before. I wish she was completely oblivious to what has been going on like Aubrey. Although she isn't, she carries on and still chooses to see the best in that situation by bringing up the past. That is one thing that I love so much about young children. They are so innocent and know nothing of the pain that this world holds. They get upset and cry because a toy broke not their hearts. They don’t recognize when they’ve really been treated wrong and would easily turn to give that person a hug in the next second. They love at all times.

I want to be just like that.

If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them. Luke 6:32

A totally random post

2011-01-20T09:00:00.010-05:00

We took the girls to Marbles Kids Museum one day last week.
That place never disappoints.

My sister is 38 weeks pregnant! I am so excited!

The docs have been monitoring Avery with weekly ultrasounds and non-stress tests. So far, all looks good. ~~She is just expected to be small.~~
{Edited: Beth had an appointment THIS morning and Avery weighed 6lbs 8oz already!!! She has grown SO much and is obviously not expected to be on the small side any longer!!!}
Thanks for all the prayers!

Aubrey lost my cameras memory card the other day. I could die.
My sister has an extra one but I won't be able to get it until Sunday.
Autumn and Aubrey, please postpone all cuteness until Sunday.
Thanks, Mommy

Aubrey has become majorly possessive of me lately.
If Autumn touches me, Aubrey will start screaming "Noooo, Aubie's mommy"
She then flips out and pushes Autumn away from me with all of her might.
She also does the same with Dustin. She usually bites him too.
She is just as rotten as it gets.
BUT how can you not just adore her?!

School is back in session :(

This is my excuse for my blogging absence as of late.

This semester is going to be rough!

I will promise to pop in as much as possible though!

I hope you all have a great weekend!

dear spring

2011-01-19T08:00:00.001-05:00

i am loving Autumn's hot pink peacoat

her super cute tights

and don't even get me started on Aubrey's boots

BUT

spring, could you pleaseeeee hurry up?!!!

Love one freezing momma that needs the sunshine and a tan desperately!

Who is with me?!!!

Winter Fun

2011-01-11T08:00:00.022-05:00

Apparently everyone and their brother got some snow yesterday and have posted all of their pretty pictures. Since we pretty much got nothing and being that I had yet to blog about our almost white Christmas, I figured this would be the perfect time to do just that!

We got a ton of snow {well, for my neck of the woods} the day after Christmas. We had so much fun playing in it with the girls! You all would be so proud of me too! This time the girls were 110% ~~over~~dressed for the snow! Seriously, Aubrey could barely walk because she had at least 4 layers on!

She just stood there holding onto her snowball.

She didn't care much for it until she discovered it tasted good!

Go Figure!

This picture is funny to me because Autumn was trying to show me how big her snowball was and as I was taking the picture Dustin popped it out of her hands and smashed both me and her with it!

Then my oldest child, aka Dustin, got the bright idea that the girls should bury him in the snow.

Autumn HAD to do it too, of course.

Crazy nuts were acting like they were at the beach or something.

{She is definitely my hubby's daughter!}

I would love to end this post with a fabulous picture of me and the girls posing in the snow. Unfortunately, Aubrey deleted that picture from my camera. I could have died.

So I need it to snow decently at least one more time so we can redo that picture and then winter can feel free to scoot it's booty on outta here and bring on the sunshine!!!

Needs to be said

2011-01-05T10:01:00.002-05:00

I really don't like to fill this blog up with whatever issues I am currently facing. The purpose of this blog is somewhat of a scrapbook for our girls so I don't believe they need to read any of that. However, I have got to get this off my chest. I will just have to leave this post out in the future.

I have a "friend" that ALWAYS has to comment on my decision to be a mother at such a young age. It's been going on for a while now but simply put, I am beyond tired of hearing her negative opinions. I don't think it even needs to be said that when I found out I was pregnant with Autumn I was completely shocked. I was barely 18 and just started my second semester of college. It's not exactly what anyone wishes for at that age. Abortion was completely out of the question and while I believe adoption is great, it wasn't for me. I made a decision, one that I will NEVER regret, to be the best mother I possibly could and then some to my baby. I grew up a lot during the next 9 months and gave birth to my precious Autumn just five days before turning 19. It was not easy but certainly not as difficult as it could of been. I continued pursuing my college degree but with online classes. I worked part-time {Dustin's mother watched Autumn} while Dustin worked full-time. We might have been young but we certainly weren't the stereotypical teenage parents. We were two parents that centered everything around our daughter. We grew up even more during this time and found the MOST joy we have ever experienced at that point. We knew that we wanted to give Autumn a sibling as soon as possible so we started trying as soon as we were married. Unfortunately, that pregnancy ended in miscarriage but as soon as the doctor gave us the green light to try again, we did. Insert Aubrey in our lives!! Also, insert even more JOY!!

You all know that we eventually want a third child. We are not irresponsible {anymore}, we would do everything to prevent a pregnancy if we didn't feel we could afford another one. That would be one of the main reasons that we have not started trying yet. Our goal is for us to be more financially stable this year so that we can get to that point. We also have financial long distance goals for our future. We realize while our income may be enough now that we will obviously need more once our children are older because they only get more expensive. That is why we are both in college aiming for degrees. I will also add that I have one class standing in my way of graduating and this is a co-op work experience. No offense to daycares at all but it's not what we want for our children. So I will have to postpone finishing my degree until my children are in school. You know what? That is totally okay because I have not one plan to use my degree until my children are school aged anyway.

Another one she likes to repeat to me is the fact that I miss out on all of the partying. Let me just say that I have been there and done that. I do not have any care in the world to participate in that anymore. It's always great to go out and have a laugh with your girlfriends but it has nothing on spending time with my family. Then there is also the freedom card. I have lost out on a lot of freedom by becoming a parent. I can't just head out to wherever unless I have two kids in tow. Dustin and I can't just pack up and leave for some random vacation. BUT I would never in a million years choose partying or freedom over my kids. You should be happy that me and Dustin have stepped up to our responsibilities and making the best out of every situation. The thing is, YOU are not a mother. YOU have no idea what kind of happiness comes from being a mother. YOU will see one day if you have children that there is nothing that even compares to the feeling one gets when they become a mother. NOTHING!

Let me point out that I also have no problem at all with friends or family coming to me if they are concerned. I would hope that they would. But when every bill is paid and my family is being fed and clothed, healthy, and happy then there is no reason for concern. Having three kids at a young age is not going to be easy at all. You don't have to remind me of this every chance you get. It is a decision that we have made and it is exactly what my husband and I want. If it is meant to be, then it will be!

Hello 2011

2011-01-03T12:30:00.005-05:00

Usually we bring in the New Year at my parents house.

My mom makes a variety of yummy snacks and we play different games to keep us entertained.

I look forward to it every year {especially the food}!

Unfortunately, Dustin wasn't going to be off of work until 9pm on New Years Eve and had to be at work the next day as well so it didn't look like New Years at my parents would happen.

Plan B came through though so my parents and my sister loaded up and headed our way. {With all the food in tow, insert huge grin!}

We all stuffed our bellies, watched the girls be silly, & played card games.

Aubrey stayed pretty late but clonked out WAY before the ball dropped.

However, Autumn was up and she looked absolutely adorable toasting Happy New Years to all of us!

Shake it Sistas!

{LOVE Aubrey in this one}

{Last Pic of me and my babe in 2010}

{New Years Kiss From Pops}

{Autumn and her eggnog that she can't get enough of}

Happy New Year!

{Oh, that's my niece in that belly :D}

I'm not really setting any resolutions this year. There are a few things I'd like to improve on such as getting in shape and my organizations skills {or lack of them} BUT the most important goal of mine is to really know God better this year. To live for Him and to live in such a way that a follower of Christ should. I know that if I can just do that {or give it my all} then every other area of my life will also change for the better and this year will be the best one yet!

Best wishes to each and every one of you in 2011!

Farewell 2010 pt 2

2010-12-31T12:15:00.004-05:00

July

July was FILLED with fun. 4th of July, My mom's bday celebration, summer school {for Autumn}, and our family vacay certainly kept us busy!

Brother-in-law and nephews came for a visit too! Bless Aubrey's little heart!

August

Heaven gained one amazing woman in August. Miss you Granny!! <3

We had a lot of playdates with Marisa and Alicia at the museum, parks, and the pool.

Chuck E Cheese made a lot of money off of us that month too!

I started playing around with the sewing machine about this time and I am SO glad I did! I've made some more dresses for the girls and a few other things that I need to share with y'all!

September

Autumn started attending preschool in September. I can't even begin to describe the numerous different expressions I experienced as I watched her enter that classroom. I was such a proud mother to hear the great reports I received when picking her up not only about her behavior but her academics as well!

I also decided to give Becca's Boutique a try! It's been nice to bring in a little extra money here and there! I haven't made anything new for it for a while now. I usually play around with all of that once the girls are in bed and here lately I seem to hit the sheets as soon as they do. I will have to change that in the New Year!

October

We celebrated Autumn turning 4 with a pony-themed party that was everything she asked for. There were many festivities for the fall season and Halloween that we really enjoyed this month as well, like when we took the girls trunk or treating.

The girls went down the slide together for the first time at the park one day. Makes my heart smile that they have each other!

We also had to face some big changes when my mother-in-law's relationship ended and she decided to move to Florida.

November

We pulled Autumn out of preschool and I began teaching her at home. It's been so neat to watch her learn and see her little brain take in new information. We also made the decision to move the girls into a room together and make the other a a playroom {hopefully, nursery next year?!!}.

Aubrey figured out that she was a big girl and no longer needed help down the slide at all.

December

That sweet 7 month old that I had at the beginning of the year is now a nutty 18 month old that keeps us on our toes at all times.

My Autumn now looks like this at all times.

She claimed she couldn't see so I grabbed some glasses and popped out the lenses.

Guess what?! She sees so much better now! {insert eye roll}

2010 was without a doubt the most difficult year we've faced thus far. This year was difficult for us emotionally as we've had someone basically just walk out of our lives. I'm not sure how one can do that to a 4 year old little girl. Financially things were much harder for us this year as well. While these issues did exist, we were able to come together as a family even stronger than before and things are looking up! We are looking forward to all of the amazing things that will come our way in 2011 and know that no matter what negative things may also come that God will take care of us and that we will take it on together as a family. So I say BRING IT ON 2011!!!!!!

I hope that you all experience nothing but awesomeness in 2011!!!

Farewell 2010 pt 1

2010-12-30T12:36:00.002-05:00

January

One day my Autumn was all smiles in the sun.

And the next smiling in the snow.

I had a seven month old baby girl that was {and still is} just as sweet as can be.

February
We got a pup this month!
"Scooooooby Dooooooooby Doooooo"

I pretty much spent my days loving on these scrumptious cheeks!

We also learned that Aubrey's big heart had not closed up like we were hoping and I got the ever so painful mastitis. The sweet girl below was super brave during February and asked to get her ears pierced!

March
March was filled with all sorts of fun and a ton of firsts for the girls as well. We celebrated hubby's and Aunt Beth's birthday, had a blast at storytime, more snow fun, and lots of park trips.

Autumn had her first dentist visit, first train show, first kite experience, and made a snowman all by herself for the first time.

The girls also had their first trip to the circus and the first picnic of the year.

April
The month of April brought Easter, a Beach trip, the Pirates Fest, and Autumn's first haircut. We also started attending Open Door Ministries which was definitely one of the best decisions we've made! The girls had a blast playing dress up together every chance they had!

Aubrey discovered her love for any and everything chocolate!

May
May is always a good month for me! Mother's day is never too shabby and our wedding anniversary is the 17th. This past May {and the next 4 months} were spent poolside. I seriously have to have hundreds of pictures of us in the pool from this past summer!

At this point Aubrey was starting to walk and Autumn seemed to actually stop ignoring her. I guess she figured that Aubrey was here to stay!

June
In June, my littlest baby turned one year old.

I was begged to drive Autumn to the splashground like everyday.

We also had our first professional family photoshoot. {Refer to banner and sidebar.} I can't wait to get them done again in the new year!

I think I am going to stop here! This is taking way longer than I expected it would mainly because I am taking my time going through old pictures and doing my best to post ones I have not shared here before! I will be back tomorrow with the second part of 2010!

Over the river and through the woods

2010-12-29T11:33:00.000-05:00

We went to my Grandparents house yesterday to celebrate Christmas. We originally planned to go the day after Christmas but it since it snowed we had to postpone the trip. It stinks though because everyone {Aunt, Uncle, cousins, Daddy, and hubby} would've been there on Sunday but had to work yesterday :( We still had a good time though!

After we ate a delicious turkey dinner {I am officially all turkey-ed out, anyone else with me?!}, it was time to open presents. We will have to through serious detox with the girls from all of the attention and being spoiled with all these gifts! I couldn't believe how much they got this year! Even baby Avery {who is not even born yet} racked up on presents!

Autumn went home with her Grammy afterwords to stay with them for a few days. My mom is a nurse at ECU so she has off for winter break and asked if Autumn would like to spend some time with them. She has only stayed away from us for more than one night when Aubrey was born so this should be fun/sad/interesting/peaceful. I hope to get A LOT of cleaning done and rest quite a bit too! Hubby has been feeling a little buggy the past couple of days so at least she is away from that. I just hope he doesn't pass it to me and Aubrey!

I hope you are all having a great week so far.

I cannot believe that Saturday will be a whole new year!!!!

I will be back tomorrow with a 2010 review =)

Christmas 2010

2010-12-27T11:52:00.001-05:00

Our Christmas was just wonderful this year. Aubrey woke us up shortly after 7am by hollering for a donut. {This has become an every morning thing.} I went into Autumn's room and annoyed her until she woke up. When she did wake up, she jumped out of her bed and ran to the tree. Her face was absolutely priceless. They opened their stockings then their gifts from each other followed by their gifts from Santa and lastly, the ones from us. They got some really great things! They must have been VERY good little girls this year!

We let them play with their new toys while me and Dustin cooked breakfast together. <-- LOVE doing that! Then we all got ready and headed to my parents house to open presents there. We really got some great things there. We all must have been VERY good this year! ;) My parents still spoil me and I know that one day majority of the gifts will be for the kiddos so I am soaking it all up! They got us a TON of gift cards, clothes, shoes, Eclipse, a stroller, new tires for our car, hair straighter, and smell good stuff from Bath and Body works! I'm not even going to list all the toys they got the girls. You will just have to watch the slideshow to see!

Us {minus Mom} in our new ECU gears and pjs!

I hope everyone had an awesome Christmas filled with love and yummy food as well!

Merry Christmas

2010-12-22T10:34:00.001-05:00

We have been having lots of fun celebrating the Christmas season!

The girls have been to see Santa numerous times, rode the train, baked Christmas cookies, made a gingerbread house, and have had a blast listening and dancing to Christmas music constantly.

A friend of mine shared this website on Facebook and I figured I would post it her for all of you mommies that have little kiddos that would just love one for themselves!!

http://www.portablenorthpole.tv/watch/fwNNby0MDh1CYaf2CwVrZw

And last but not least...

I would have LOVED to send one of these to each and everyone one of you!

Since postage is not cheap these days I figured I would share this here!

Merry Christmas from our family to yours!

I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas and be sure to keep in mind the TRUE meaning behind it all!

Baby It's Cold Outside

2010-12-17T08:00:00.002-05:00

A couple of weekends ago, {the day of my sister's baby shower to be exact} it snowed!

They were calling for some snow flurries but weren't expecting anything to stick.
Imagine our surprise when once it started snowing, it didn't stop until there was a nice little layer of snow covering the ground.

The girls were THRILLED to say the least.
I felt like a terrible mother because we were staying with my parents and I didn't bring any snow gear for them. I couldn't keep them from playing in the first snowfall of the season though so we all went out for a few minutes before church the next morning. It really wasn't much at all and most of it had melted by the time we were out of church. That is my kind of snow!

{Autumn and her little snowman}

{See? Poor Aubrey is in her PJ's and dress shoes!!}

{Autumn chasing Aubrey around with a snowball}

AND guess what?!
They are calling for some more tomorrow!
{Which would be the perfect birthday gift for my Pennsylvania born Daddy!!}

Hope you all have a great weekend!!

She's a Trooper!

2010-12-13T09:11:00.001-05:00

Autumn had her surgery to remove her tonsils and adenoids on Friday morning. Prior to her surgery, her doctor {who is awesome by the way} sent us home with few different storybooks explaining the procedure from a kid's point of view. We read those to her several times to prepare her. We also took her shopping and let her pick out what ever ice cream she wanted. She went to bed early on Thursday night in her Christmas pj's excited that she would look like her Grammy the next day {she had her tonsils removed}.

When we arrived at the SurgiCenter Friday morning, they checked Autumn in and took all of her stats. They took us to a family playroom where we met with the anesthesiologist and her doctor to review everything one last time. They did ask us if Autumn has any loose teeth and she does, her two front top ones, and told us that they might have to pull them out. Apparently, the mouth guard tends to make them even looser and they don't want to take the chance of them falling out during the surgery. So I had to snap a picture before she went back just in case it would be her last smile with all of her baby teeth.

A nurse came to get her to let her pick out which wagon she wanted to ride back in. She gave us our kisses and hugs then climbed in the wagon. I wish I had a picture of this. She was holding on to her Frenchy dog just as tight as she could but had a huge grin on her face as they left. Such a brave little girl! Dustin stayed behind in the waiting room while me and Aubrey went on a balloon and stuffed animal search. Being that we were right next to the hospital, I figured it would have been easy to find this but it was far from so. We went to three different stores before I found what I wanted. When we got back {40 minutes or so later}, Autumn was already out of surgery and had started to wake up. Let me just say that it was the most pitiful thing I have ever seen. She was laying in the hospital bed just barely awake and couldn't stop coughing {but she did have ALL of her teeth}. I started crying because I wished it was me in that bed instead of her. :( She eventually stopped and fell back asleep. They had to keep her for an hour after surgery to monitor her and she slept the majority of the time. The nurse was saying how easy of a patient she was because usually they start kicking and going crazy at that point. She did wake up a few times and found her IV which she wanted out immediately. We were able to get her to drink so they took out her IV and gave her some pain medicine. We left shortly after that.

Autumn has pretty much spent the past three days asleep. She has honestly MAYBE been awake for 2 hours each day. She's done so well keeping fluids in her, taking her medicine, and trying her best to eat. She will be on a soft diet for about three weeks which she is not happy about. She keeps asking for things that she cannot eat and it makes her so sad to hear no. Thankfully, she doesn't seem to be in much pain. About 30 minutes before it's time to take her medicine she will tell us her throat hurts but that's about it. Oh and she isn't snoring!!! The doctor said the her adenoids were HUGE and that we should notice a difference in her sleeping right away. It's the craziest thing to walk up to her while she is asleep and not hear her snoring!

{Right after we got home. Snuggling up with Frenchy and the bear we got her.}

I want to thank you all for the prayers and good thoughts that were and still are being sent our way. It means so much to us!! You guys are the best <3

Bye Bye Tonsils and Adenoids

2010-12-08T08:31:00.000-05:00

For as long as I can remember Autumn has always been a LOUD snorer. When she was a baby she would out snore her own Daddy. She also sleeps with her neck extended, her mouth wide open (she's a mouth breather), and it's not uncommon for her to be woken up from choking on her spit. It's only getting worse too. She also now sounds like she's talking through her nose and sounds congested all the time even though she isn't sick. I've done some researching and talked with her doctor at her 4yr visit. I had to fill out a sheet for sleep apnea so that we could get a referral to the Ears, Neck, and Throat (ENT) doctor.

We actually had her appointment at the ENT Monday morning. We discussed everything and then he checked Autumn out. He immediately said that her tonsils and adenoids were enlarged and are blocking her airway which is why she is experiencing all of the above issues. He said that if the problems she has been experiencing were relatively new then he would start her on nasal steroids but since that's not the case, he thinks it's best to remove both her tonsils and adneoids. She is scheduled for surgery on Friday.

I am beyond nervous. The recovery time is about 7 to 10 days. Autumn's never been sick with anything more than a cold, she's never even had an ear infection so it's going to be hard to watch her be in pain :( Plus, even though it's not a major surgery, I'm still terrified of those few risks they told us about. So for the second time this week, I ask for your prayers. Please send good thoughts our way on Friday. Thanks so much!

I'm going to be an Auntie!

2010-12-06T08:00:00.002-05:00

I've been waiting to share this news FOREVER!

I finally can now since all family and friends have been informed!

My sister, Beth, is pregnant!

I am way excited!

She is due February 2nd with a sweet babyGIRL!

Avery Brianne

Me and my mom threw her a baby shower on Saturday.

She has everything she needs already {we passed down all that we have} and she got some super cute stuff to add to it all!

We played a nursery rhyme fill in the blank, pass the diaper, gift bingo, don't say "baby", and of course the baby food tasting game! There was a ton of yummy food too! It was a lot of fun!

{Feeling sweet Avery moving}

{Playing a game}

{i HAD to get those socks for her!}

I have a prayer request for you all.

Beth had trouble gaining weight at first so the doctors recommended that she drink Boost twice a day. When she went in for her first ultrasound the doctors discovered that baby Avery was smaller than she should be. She has had to get several ultrasounds with a specialist to make sure the baby is okay. They have not found any reason as to what may be causing her low weight and while she may be smaller, she is still growing. She is now having weekly ultrasounds to monitor the babies growth. Please say a prayer for Avery that she will continue to grow and that everything will be fine with her! Thanks so much~

ONE point FIVE

2010-12-02T15:00:00.000-05:00

My baby is one and a half years old today!!
How in the world has 18 months gone by so quickly?!!

{the only pic I could get before she took off}

My Aubrey bug,

Watching you grow and develop into a sweet little toddler has been an amazing experience. I can't get enough of your kisses, hugs, smiles, giggles, facial expressions, and so on. Basically, I could just eat you up!

I once told your Daddy that I was going to be super gentle and very quiet around you in hopes that you would be a calm, peaceful baby unlike your wild child sister. Well, despite my best attempts, it just didn't work. We had it easy with Autumn! You are absolutely nuts! It is not unusual to find you climbing on tables, jumping on couches, dancing in chairs, putting everything in your mouth, screeching in glee, or screaming at the top of your lungs. You are one of those children that if you are going to be doing something, you are going to be doing it to the fullest. Go big or go home, right?!

Your vocabulary is HUGE and you are learning new things to say every day. You go crazy when you get on the phone and blab FOREVER. I'm also pretty sure that you speak Chinese fluently as well. ;) You have to imitate absolutely everything that your sister does which really worries me because well... she's a mess herself. I am so very pleased to say that you are still very much a Mommy's girl although strangers don't seem to bother you at all anymore. I think that you are going to be my girlie girl too. You LOVE shoes, baby dolls, and clothes.You also LOVE to play hide and seek {"go find you" as you call it}, take baths, give kisses, eat constantly, dance, draw, and run from us. You are super obsessed with Yo Gabba Gabba still but also have a huge love for Cookie Monster and Dora. You HATE regular milk and on most days you couldn't care less for a sippy. You now have 14 teeth and I think two more are getting ready to break through. You wear size 6 shoes, 18-24 month clothes, and size 4 diapers.

I am so thankful that I was chosen to be your mother.

I love you so much my little blue-eyed baby!

Kisses!