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!

Flying by.....

This year is flying by! I feel like I haven't gotten as much accomplished as I would like and I have put on more weight than I would like! So, it is time to get serious for the rest of the year.

I just bought this:

and will be doing it almost every day! I am even going to start running again. I will start off small, then start running more miles later. I really hate that I took such a long break. But, we had so much going on, I just didn't have the time or energy to do it!

This dog is in major need of a groom:

Her appointment is set for Thursday! I think we will get her cut short and leave her head round. Yes, I am talking about the dog, not Cassidy! ;)

Today, Jeff is finishing some trim and I hope to get some more organizing done. We just have too much stuff! I cleaned out the playroom yesterday and the kids are getting rid of two trash bags full of toys! This excites me! They are finally parting with some of their baby toys!

I am excited for the wonderful weather this week and I am ready to get outside! I hope everyone is having a blessed weekend!

Busy Remodeling!

We have been so busy remodeling our house! But, the results are fabulous! We finally have our wood floors in and I refinished the dining room table. We still have so much to do, but I feel like it is finally coming together! We picked out a cherry floor so, I stained the top of our table a red color. We love the look of it. It is by no means perfect, but I was thrilled with my first staining job!

So, here is the dining room table, before and after:

It looks like a new table. I have painted the chairs white also! I am putting the felt on the bottom before I move them into the room. I am so happy with the way it turned out!

Now, for the kitchen. Here is our progress:

We have painted our cabinets, put on hardware, and got the wood floors in. I am excited with the way it is looking. The next step is to get the new countertop and sink! I can't wait! The countertop will be very dark! I think it is all going to come together nicely! Now, if someone wants to donate, or sell very cheap, some ss appliances..... ;)

A Cinderella Birthday Party!

I have had so much fun buying things for Cassidy's birthday this year. She was just so excited! She decided on a Cinderella themed party. She invited all of her friends and they had a great time. This had to be her best birthday yet! And, her birthday isn't until Monday, when we are going to the zoo! I hope the rain will hold off.

I can't believe my baby girl is turning 4!

Stella!

For several months, our daughter has been telling us she wants a fluffy white dog named Stella. She got this name when I was hoping to get a female chihuahua and said I would name her Stella. Since then, she has liked that name! We didn't think we would be getting another dog for a long time. But, this just happened to be meant to be! I noticed a Bichon for sale on one of the dog sites. Yes, I check this all of the time, even when we are not looking for a dog! I guess that is just another way I waste my time! I saw "Lola" and she just looked so darn cute! I called and found out she was just a few miles from here and came from a rescue center. Lola was officially bought at a pet store and the people realized they could not travel overseas with her, so they got rid of her. How sad! She is only 9 months old! So, we went to meet her and fell in love! Especially Jaden. He prayed all weekend that we would get her. On Sunday, it was official. The lady ended up dropping her off at our house that evening! And, get this, the owner of the rescue center's name is Stella! Amazing!
Cassidy has ended up naming "Lola" Stella! She is doing great and Nacho even loves her! I can't wait for many more years with both of our new kids!

The girls

The boys

She loves to bark at the ducks!