Pirate Birthday Party!

The party is over and the kids are exhausted! We had a great time. Jaden's favorite part was the pinata! Here are some pictures from the day:

Video of Jaden blowing out his candles:

Jeff's Vacation

We have been so busy! Jeff started his vacation on Wednesday. We have had so much fun. First off, Jaden got a present in the mail from Aunt Lisa and Uncle Orin! He loved it. (Thanks guys!)

We went to the main library in Indianapolis. We were somewhat disappointed. The kids area was awesome though.

Afterward, we headed to the downtown Canal Walk. We spent 2 hours walking. What a day! For supper we went to Five Guys Hamburgers. It was a cool place. Jeff's favorite burger is still a Red Robin burger. (especially the one with an egg on it!)

Yesterday, we went to Rock Paper Scissors in Greenfield and I had some much needed mocha and we got to paint! Me, Jeff, and Cassidy painted mugs and Jaden painted a snake. We can't wait to get them back in a couple of weeks.

I finally got Jaden's birthday cake done. Not the best ever, but I just don't have the patience for it to be perfect! LOL

Hurry!

Go to Joann's! The new DCWV Stacks are great! They have the new fall papers out. I had to get them. I could have spent $100 on paper this morning, easily!
http://www.joann.com/joann/catalog.jsp?CATID=cat2002&PRODID=xprd728395
And this Debbie Mumm paper is gorgeous:
http://www.joann.com/joann/catalog.jsp?CATID=cat943844&PRODID=xprd738659&source=search

I really have an obsession with paper. It is all just so pretty! Now, my husband is going to expect me to use it! LOL

Kings Island

here we come!

I just bought the tickets online. We go every year, so we had to go again this year! We will be going on Jaden's birthday, Labor Day! I will pack some drinks and food so we do not spend all of our money at the park. I can't wait for Cassidy to see all of the characters again. She loves them more this year than last!

Several Things

I haven't been updating here as much as I used to. There is just so much going on now. Especially with school and dieting. I guess the dieting doesn't take up time, but the exercising sure does. Every morning, we start school. I never know how long that will take. It always depends on Jaden's mood that day. Some days it only takes one hour. Other days, it takes two. I am sure as we start adding more things, it will get longer. He almost has the Pledge of Allegiance memorized. This is so cool. I remember the days of saying the POA. Jeff and I thought this was a good thing to learn right away. He needs to have respect for God and his country. We have been learning about Aa and Ee. We have learned the numbers 1-5. It's not like he didn't know these, but his curriculum goes into a lot more detail. I am seriously loving it! Today, we learned about God creating the Heavens and the Earth. Did you know the Earth was just a blob when God created it? It had no shape! For some reason, I had never thought about that much. Water has no shape, and the Earth was made out of water! Interesting!
Now, on to the exercising. I have been running a mile every day. I normally do this during Cassidy's naptime (1:30). It doesn't take long, but I like to warm up and cool down. I have also been doing my pilates and crunches. I have lost about 7-8 pounds in 4 weeks! I am very happy about this. I only have 12 more to make it to my goal! Honestly, I will probably want to lose at least 5 more once I get to goal. I am feeling better and I know I am healthier. I have given up on the foods that make me feel awful!
I had to make cupcakes this week, get the house cleaned (that is still not finished), and plan Jaden's birthday party. What was I thinking, having it on Labor Day weekend? I really don't think we are going to have a big turnout.
Along, with all of this, we are potty training Cassidy. Okay, this is just driving me crazy! She is doing very well when it comes to going to the potty........when she is naked. As soon as I put panties on her, she pees in them! Not right away, she just doesn't go to the potty when it is time. So, she has been running around naked. LOL. I am hoping she gets this soon. I don't want to give up. She is doing very well. This morning, she is wearing panties. I have decided to just take her to the potty every once in awhile. I can't wait for the diapers to be history!
I hope everyone is having a great week. Sorry, no pictures today.

Columbus Fun!

Last night, our cook out was cancelled, but we will be doing it sometime soon!

Today, we tried another church. We liked it, but there were several things we weren't sure about. The service we went to takes place in the gym, and that just seems so..........cold. Not to mention, it was COLD in there! They also dip their communion cracker in the grape juice and take it all at once. This is odd to me. And there seems to be no real time to sit and pray. We might try the earlier service some time. The drive was only 20 minutes, so that was nice.

Afterward, I had decided on a spur of the moment day trip to Columbus! We went to Kids Commons! It was so fun! The kids really enjoyed it. We walked around Mill Race Park and headed back to the car. It was a short trip, but fun.

They even had a kid size door!

Japan room:

Uh, yeah that is a huge toilet! I guess it was on the Jay Leno show at one time!

Just what I need....

a new obsession:

Busy August!

I have so many things going on right now, this is not normal for me! I like down time! I miss it, in fact!
Tonight, Jaden is going over to the neighbor's house for an hour and a half. That will give me some down time with Cassidy. I am so tired of hearing them yell over each other.
Jeff will be off tomorrow, but has some oral surgery. We will hopefully be having a nice relaxing Friday. Jeff has worked open to close all week. Saturday, I am going to a Close to my Heart workshop, to church and a cookout with the Whitaker's. We are very excited! Sunday, we are trying a church in Greenfield and then coming home for, again, some downtime! Let's hope!
Many things are planned for next week. I am going to a homeschool fair. This is very close to our house and I am going with a friend. I have to start getting Jaden's party plans underway, and pick up some of his gifts. We have already purchased his big gift.
During all of this, I am working out more than I ever have before and watching what I eat. I have lost atleast 6 pounds since 2 1/2 weeks ago. I am very happy and I am hoping I get to my goal in a few months. While dieting, I am more irritable and impatient. This is probably why being busy has been rough on me. Oh, and by the way, I am potty training Cassidy. This is proving to be more difficult than Jaden!
I hope everyone is having a wonderful week. Don't forget to go to church this Sunday! There is nothing better than hearing the Word!

Garage Sale finds

Here are the things I found at the garage sales last weekend:
(I am very excited about the possibilites of this, but I need help! Can anyone suggest some ideas!)

(Wow, 1.25 for both of these!)

Finally updating!

Sorry it has been so long! I have several excuses, but they are not very interesting so I won't get into that!

Jaden had a neighbor friend over last week. He had a blast! There was lots of train playing, trampoline jumping, and house playing! It is great having friends so close by. This Thursday, Jaden is going to their house! That will give me some one on one time with Cassidy. Can't wait!

Friday was Jaden's first day of Kindergarten! What an exciting time! I can't even say how thrilled I am with the decision I have made to homeschool.

Cassidy is very interested in school!:

On Saturday, the kids found some new toys at some garage sales! Jaden found the shake n go car track (he wanted one for his birthday!) and Cassidy found a swing for her babies (and all stuffed animals!). I also found a few things to. I will show those another day.

Saturday was my niece's birthday party, the big 1-3! Wow! I can't believe she is a teenager. I reminded her to be good in her card and to not have TOO much fun! LOL

This is what happened when I tried to get a picture of the family:

I could not help but laugh when I came home and looked at the pictures! Do you see the pattern?

I love this picture of my dad and Cassidy!:

For Jaden's first day of school, I took the kids to the park for lunch:

By the way, that is one grape and one fruit snack in Jaden's mouth:

So, that brings me to last night. Cassidy was in the playroom and I was downstairs with Jaden. She was being very quiet so I went up to check on her.

This is what I found:

She didn't start crying until I said, "Oh My!"!

"See Mommy!"

"Um, yeah!!!!!!!!!"

Trying to post pictures

I have been trying for several days to post pictures from last week, but it doesn't seem to work. I think it is because I am changing my pictures into a different format and blogger doesn't like it. So, I will have to try to do something different today! I will try to post this afternoon!

One more day!

Only one more day until school starts! I am so excited. I was thinking how sad I would be if I were sending Jaden off to school. Instead, this is such an exciting day for us! No saying goodbyes! I am loving it. What a great decision, I feel, I have made. Jaden is also excited!

I have the room ready. I am sure I will get more stuff as time goes on. Tomorrow, here is the plan:
9:00 Introduce Jaden to "school time". He will get a basket of school supply goodies!
worksheets
Look through the new curriculum
read stories
maybe a trip to the library
Jaden is having a friend over tomorrow night. That will be fun. Jeff will get to keep them busy. (hehehe)

August

Wow, August seems like such a busy month! Jaden will start school this Friday! I can't believe it is already here! I will be cleaning out the playroom this week and getting everything ready. Jaden will also start soccer (that might start in Sept, not sure yet). Brittani has her birthday party this weekend, so we will be in Terre Haute. Jeff has two dr's appointments (dentist and dermatologist). Jeff also starts his vacation at the end of this month! It is much needed! We plan on taking a trip to Kings Island soon. Jaden's birthday party is on the 30th and I am busy planning for that. He decided on a pirate theme! It has been so fun coming up with ideas!

I know I am missing several things in there. When did my August become so full? Wow!

I hope everyone is having a great week!

By the way, I got the Third Day cd and it is awesome!

Jeff's Racing Experience!

Wow, what a morning! Jeff was very excited to go to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and ride in a Nascar car around the track 3 times! How cool! I am so glad I got this for his birthday. He loved it. Jaden threw a fit the entire time. I think he was just nervous. He kept asking if "Daddy was going to get dead?". Poor thing....





We all had a great time. Jeff also got a hat and a plaque with his picture on it. I have decided that the best gifts are those that you get to experience something.
Happy Birthday Jeff! (I think your birthday is over now! LOL)