Kids say ...

the funniest things!

Yesterday we went on a really fun Girl scouts outing. Hiking through the woods, then a campfire and smores.

The hike was pretty long, and the way back was almost totally uphill. The troop leader overheard H say "I sure hope we're getting a badge for this, because this is EXAUSTING!!"

Here I go again!

Sometimes when I start spring cleaning ... I get a little carried away! More details and pictures coming soon!

Dentist and swimming - we've come a long way!

I have to take a few minutes to just brag about the girls and how well they did today. Let's start with the dentist. For some reason they have both been extremely fearful about the dentist. I'm not sure why, they have never had fillings, pain or any other negative experiences. And we go to a wonderful children's dentist. But still for some reason everything was a big deal. They would cry, fuss, whine, and sometimes not even open their mouth. It was always a really big drama that left me totally exhausted just to get their cleanings done.

So last time I had the brilliant idea to bribe them. I know, terrible parenting skills, but it seemed to work. Back in the fall when we went J did great and was able to win the prize that I had offered. H still cried, not a lot but a little and since I said 'no crying', she did not win the prize like J did. (I think this really had an impact on her since she's the older one!)

Today they were both scheduled to go in again. I asked Bob to come with me so we'd have one parent for each kid. I also decided once again to bribe them. The deal was - no crying, fussing or whining and you have to let the dentist do everything they need to do.

They both did AWESOME!!! Bob and I were stunned and so proud. They even had to do those awful bitewing xrays (even I hate those, I gag every time!) ... and they both did them great! They were troopers through the whole process and we were so pleased by how well they did. Leaving the office H said "when can we come back again?" and was disappointed when I said 'not for another 6 months'.

Next comes the swimming lessons. They both have always loved the water and swimming and have done pretty well. They usually take lessons each spring and then spend lots of time swimming in the summer. Bob and I are water people too and since we love to be in and around water we feel that it is crucial that the girls learn the proper techniques for safety. So today was another swimming lesson, and nothing major happened, but I just wanted to brag for a quick second about how well they are both doing. They are both the oldest child in each of their classes, so I'm sure that makes a difference. But they are both just doing awesome. We were watching from the side of the pool today and were amazed at how great they are doing and how quickly they are picking up on the strokes and techniques. Another proud moment!

I love my little girls! I am such a proud Mom (every day) but especially today! {{SIDE NOTE, THIS IS A FEW DAYS OLD, I TRIED TO POST THE OTHER DAY BUT IT WASN'T WORKING, SO THIS HAPPENED ON TUESDAY.}} AND NOW THAT I'M THINKING OF IT AND MISSED THANKFUL THURSDAY AGAIN I THINK THIS IS WHAT I'M SO THANKFUL FOR THIS WEEK!

Family pictures

Here are some pictures from today when we had lunch at my Mom's house.

The whole group ...
The little girls ...
Cute!
Grandma's girls ...
We call this 'cheek-to-cheek' ...
Matt and Becca ...
My fam ... (with lovely dandelions) =)
Bob and I ... It's days like today that I miss my Dad. I wish he could be here to see that his wife and kids are doing well - and to see how beautiful and full of life his 3 granddaughters are.

He's a hillbilly rockstar out of control!

Kenny Chesney that is! We had such an awesome time last night at the Kenny Chesney / Leann Rimes concert!

We went over to Jake & Sam's house first to hang out for awhile and have some munchies ... then out to dinner - then off to the show. It was great. Jake & Sam ended up with seats RIGHT NEXT TO THE STAGE - lucky ducks! They could have reached out and touched Kenny's hand! Our seats were good too, and we had a great time.

Today we enjoyed a beautiful sunny Sunday morning ... taking our time getting up and then going to 3rd service at church. After church we went to my Mom's house for lunch. My brother Matt and his daughter Becca were visiting and we celebrated Matt's birthday (a little early). It was so nice and warm and sunny out! We sat outside for a while watching the 3 little girls run around and play. Just a nice lazy, relaxing afternoon. =)

I need to upload some pics from today - stay tuned for those!

April Vacation - day 5

Today started out well. My in laws were going to be taking the girls for the day, and I had a Dr's appt and some errands to run. We started out well. The girls were ready to go so they went outside to play while I finished brushing my teeth and getting myself ready.

Just as I grabbed my keys to go I heard this horrible screaming - the kind where you know it's not just a little argument between sisters - but rather something very serious has happened. I rush downstairs and out the backdoor to see H screaming and crying and her whole face was covered in dirt.

She had been swinging on the swingset, perhaps going just a little bit too high, and somehow fell off, flipping backwards and landing HARD on her head and face. Her mouth was bleeding and her head hurt a lot and it was clear to me that she had hit very hard and was in a lot of pain. So we cleaned her up, got her some pain meds, stopped the bleeding and determined that there was nothing broken. After a while she was OK ... still a little shaken and wanting Mommy, but she didn't have any major pains or broken bones.

The rest of the day went as planned ... the girls off having fun at Grandma and Grandpa's. Me doing my errands and Dr appt. And since I've been home this afternoon with no kids and no hubby (he's at work) I have had some time to scrapbook! YAY! I am on a mission to get caught up!

And that's about all ... nothing too exciting for today... tomorrow we are going to see Kenny Chesney!!!! I cannot wait!!! The girls will be home soon, and after they are in bed I plan to continue with my scrapbook mission. Wish me luck!

Ooops!

I want to give credit where credit is due! I mentioned my new fave blog - The Nesting place - in a previous post. I thought I had found it through Amy's blog ... but I was wrong! Sorry! It was actually on Shawna's blog that I saw the link - and I can't wait to see how Shawna's inspired kitchen turns out! Yay for decorating!

April Vacation - day 4 // Thankful Thursday

The day started out so well ... Stacey is visiting from out of town and she wanted to go see my favorite scrapbook store - the one I always rave about. So off we went. There is a nice grassy area outside the store so we took turns - one would shop while the other watched all 6 kids (my 2, Stacey's 3 and her nephew) - it was so much easier than taking all those kids in a store where we'd be saying 'stop that, don't touch that!'.

I was a good girl. I only spent $10 - and only bought things for the pages that I am currently working on. That store is so addictive that you have to have a plan going in there or you will be overwhelmed and want to buy everything!

The next plan was to take the kids to a nice playground since they had patiently waited while we shopped. But Hannah started to go downhill. She wasn't feeling well. We stopped for a quick lunch and she wouldn't even order anything to eat. Stacey said you know she's not feeling well if she won't even eat! So we had to skip the park so they could go home. The kids were bummed and I was too since we didn't get enough time with our friends. I still wish they lived here!

So the girls and I headed home and they played outside at home. Stacey called later and said Hannah was sick all afternoon. Poor girl! (Hopefully my kids stay healthy!)

All in all it was still a good day. The sun was shining again, the weather was beautiful, and we had a fun day.

Thankful Thursday - somehow Thursdays just slip by me so quickly. I always forget to log what I'm thankful for!
This week I am so thankful for this beautiful, sunny weather we've had all week. It's made the whole week so enjoyable!
I'm also thankful for Stacey and her kids. Even though they live far away now, when they come to visit it's like we were never apart - the kids have so much fun - the Moms have so much fun - it's wonderful!

A decorater's dream!

This is seriously my new favorite blog. Yes, I tend to lurk on other people's blogs! I found the link from (I think) Amy's blog, and you know how it goes, you just link from one to the next to the next and find all these great blogs out there in cyberworld!

I love to decorate my home and love to have new projects to work on. And I love to do it all simply and as cheap as possible. So I love The Nesting Place! She does the most beautiful things with such ease. I can't wait to purchase some cheap fabric and get started! My two upcoming projects will be the bathroom and new curtains for the dining room ... stayed tuned to see my progress!

Now go check out The Nesting Place! I promise you will be inspired!

April Vacation - day 3

You are all going to think of me as terribly lazy by the end of this week! Today we had to go to Lynn's house ... we simply HAD to! Haley had left her favorite blanket, her favorite stuffed dog, and countless other items there when she slept over the other night. So instead of just waiting till we would see them at church on Sunday, we decided it was a great excuse to invite ourselves over to visit. heeheehee =)

The kids had a fabulous day. Played outside, made mud pies, played inside, played outside some more ... and on and on they went.

Lynn and I had fun too. Sat in the sunshine, talked, looked through scrapbook magazines, sat around some more, talked some more, laughed ... and so on. We were so lazy today but it was so nice! So relaxing and fun. We stayed all day! Jason was so nice to put up with all of us girls for the whole day!

Thanks Lynn, Jason, Katie and Ben for a great day!