I am back!

I am going to try to find time to get this blog going again! I really miss coming here and going over my days! We have been busy with so many things and getting so much accomplished. I am hoping that next year will be a fun, stressfree year! We have done so much remodeling and just getting this house the way we want it and updated a bit. We also hope that it will make it easier to sell when the time comes!
So, here are some pictures to get everyone updated!
Jaden's 7th Birthday! What a big boy!

 He wanted pumpkin pie on his actual birthday

 and a Ben 10 cake for his party!

First day of school

Jaden got his two front teeth pulled!

First day of Co-op

One of our many trips to Metropolis after dropping Jeff off at the airport. 

Hutch is almost finished

Metropolis again

Orff Music Class

New desks

Those crazy dogs

At the apple orchard

I am to get some more pictures up later today or tomorrow!

Cumberland Art Fair

I have really questioned where we live a lot here lately. I would love to live in a small town with lots to see! We live on the edge of the city, so we see both worlds. I would rather live a little further out.
Our town has some awesome things going for it, but I feel it doesn't get noticed. This past weekend, they had an art fair! It was nice to walk around and see all of the people mingling. There was even a booth set up with what they want for the town. It looks fabulous, but I think it will take a long time to get there. We probably won't be here that long. But, they are finishing an awesome trail that we will get to run and rides bikes on! I can't wait!

I also enjoyed a starbucks that day and started getting some projects done around the house.

This one is still a work in progress:

I hope to get a lot more done this week. Jaden is having his 7th birthday party on Saturday. I have to start working on his cake on Wednesday! Crazy stuff! I also have a homeschool meeting on Tuesday night. It is going to be a busy week!

So sorry

 I am so sorry for the lack of posts. I just can't keep up with everything anymore. I hope to get on here soon and do some updating. For now, I will leave you with these adorable pictures:

Blogs

It has been so busy around here. I have had a little time to get on here and find some new blogs. I thought I would share some of them with you.
1. The Lettered Cottage
    This is has got to be my new favorite! She even has a digital magazine on all of her cottage improvements. Also, she has a facebook page!
2. Southern Hospitality
3. Love, Laughter, Friendship, and 2 Chihuahuas
   Ok, this girl is married to an actor and has the cutest little chihuahuas!
4. The Baking Bird
    This one has a little bit of everything and a lot of baking!
5. Sweet Country Life
    She makes me wish I lived in the country
6. Restyled Home

I hope you enjoy these as much as I do!

Jaden is a rockstar!

Well, not quite yet, but he is getting there. He has been asking for a guitar for awhile and Toys R Us had them on sale a few weeks ago! Jaden used the money he got from helping Jeff awhile back. He was so excited! We are hoping to get him into some lessons soon. If anyone knows of someone in the Indianapolis area, please let me know.
So, here he is with his guitar:

Here is a song he wrote for Jeff when he came back from a week in Philadelphia:

4th of July

It was a hot fourth of July! Imagine that! We cooled off during the day with some cold peaches! The kids loved these. I made some peach cobbler and vanilla ice cream to take to a friend's house.

We had a great time at my friend Adrienne's house! The kids played on the swingset, watched fireworks, played on the slip n slide, and had some fun watching the chickens! It was a great fourth!

A New Fence!

Things are really moving along here. We finally got our fence and we love it. It has the look that I was really wanting. It took the guys 5 hours to do it and we are just thrilled that we didn't have to do anything. We are so used to doing everything ourselves. It was nice to have a break and have it done right!

Jeff is on vacation and we are getting so much done! I hope to post more on all of the projects that are going on. Today, we took a break and saw Toy Story 3 today! It was awesome! I cried so hard at the end. The did such a great job with that movie. We felt that the 3d really wasn't needed in this movie. So, save yourself twelve dollars and go with the basic movie!

Summer is here!

Summer is here and so is the hot weather and thunderstorms! I really can't wait for some 75 degree weather again and dry grass! I have been so busy getting things done around our home. We are almost done with school. Jaden has to finish his Spelling and one book he has been reading. I can't wait until we officially begin Summer Break! I am also looking into some preschool curriculum for Cassidy. What is your favorite?
Jeff will be on vacation next week and we are already getting our calendar full. We have several things planned!
-our new fence will be installed on the 30th
-shopping with a friend on the 29th
-Creation Museum
-Zoo
-Toy Story
Those are just a few of the things we have talked about. We are unsure of what we are going to do to celebrate the 4th. Jeff is working and it will be on a Sunday. I hope we can find a way as a family to enjoy the holiday. Also, Jeff is going to start traveling more for work. He will be gone in a few weeks to Philadelphia for 7 days. We are going to miss him so much. I really need to get some things planned for that week!
All in all, our summer has started out wonderful.

Summer!

It feels like Summer around here! It has been very warm with several pop up thunderstorms. I love those kind of days! Our family loves a good thunderstorm. Even Cassidy begs for lightening. I love to light the candles in hopes that our lights will go out.

So, inbetween the rain, we have been having some fun. We made it to the Talbot Street Art Fair and PBS Kids in the Park on Saturday. The kids had a great time. It was very warm. I am just so happy to see the kids have such a good time. Cassidy got her picture taken with the Cat in the Hat! They also enjoyed some ice cream and some role playing.

Pictures from the weekend:

New Phone!

I finally got a new cell phone! I think I was the last one on Earth with "just a cell phone". I did not have any email services or web browsing! Everyone couldn't believe when I would tell them I didn't have a phone. I pretty much just gave it up the past few months. What is the point of having a phone when it's not cool? Oh yeah, emergencies!

So, I told Jeff I wanted the Sanyo Incognito and................. he delivered it! Woohoo! I am so excited. I love everything about it.

Of course, I am now hooked on texting and checking facebook. But, don't worry, not while driving!

Tomorrow, we are headed to my parent's house to celebrate my dad's birthday that was last week. They were in Myrtle Beach for his birthday! I am sure it couldn't get any better than that!

We have a very full week next week. Monday is dentist appointments, Wednesday we might have a playdate, Jeff is off Friday so we can get our new air conditioner. We will also be dropping Jaden off at a campground to camp with my mom and dad. He is really looking forward to this. We are praying that the rain stays away!

Gaining!!! Ack!

I have been slowly gaining some of my weight back. I knew this would happen. I have been feeling very down and I seem to find comfort in food. We have also had a lot going on, and that makes being creative with food seem to never happen. So, there has been a lot of ice cream and pizza going on here. I haven't had much time for exercise either. Which, probably leads me to feeling depressed. I know that when I am running and being active, my mind feels better. So, starting tomorrow (June 1st), I will be active and aware once again. I really can't wait. This is something I need for myself. I want to be the best wife and mother that I can be. I can't do that when I have extra weight on me and when I feel bad about myself.

So, with that being said, here is the plan. I am going to start on my very own cereal diet that got me down 80 pounds before! Well, it got me started! I didn't do it the entire time, but it kicked off my weightloss. I will be eating cereal for two meals and having a decent dinner. This also means that I will have pizza, if I would like, for dinner. I never try to avoid the things I like, that leads to my downfall. For exercise, I will stick with what I love. I will be running and doing yoga. I really like Jillian Michaels and Bob Harper's yoga dvds. Those will really help!

So, I am going to treat this as if I am starting over at the beginning. I want the same feeling I had when I was 247 pounds! I knew I had to get the weight off. So, I want to go into this with the same frame of mind.

On to family news:
We finally got a playground. We have been waiting to find one at a good price, and we think this one will do! The kids are so excited.

The kids got to enjoy the sprinkler while daddy set up the swingset.

Cassidy decided to wear her helmet! Ha!

Stella finally got her groove, I mean, haircut! LOL

They had to shave her ears, due to some matting, but she still looks great!

We have been busy finishing 1st grade! Jaden is doing so well. I can't wait to see all of the things he will learn in the 2nd grade! I am hoping to plan a lot more for the upcoming year and have things a little more scheduled. I also hope to plan a couple of really cool field trips. One of them being the Creation Museum. We can't wait to go there!

I hope everyone has had a fabulous May! Happy Memorial Day!

Freedom isn't Free!