Life with the Lewis Family

Let the hunt begin!

2011-07-18T10:35:00.000-07:00

7 years ago Adam and I moved into our starter home. We knew it was small. We knew it was in the county. We knew that we were ONLY going to be in the house for 2-3 years, so it did not matter. I should have known that life would happen and the 2-3 years would not. Now do not get me wrong I am not unappreciative of our home, we just outgrew it and fast. I was pregnant with Zachary when we moved in and 3.5 years later we had 3 children in our tiny starter home. I managed to make it work. I think my organization skills have been tested in this house. We have moved furniture around so many times and bought tons of tubs and buckets to keep things from being scattered around the house. I DO NOT like clutter.

Finally, the timing was just right and God definitely showed us that our patience in our current home was going to pay off. Adam and I worked hard for about a month packing things up, removing pictures off of the walls, touching up on paint, laying mulch around the trees, and making everything as perfect as possible in a 30+ year old home. We put our house on the market late Monday night. I was hoping to have it on the market early Monday morning but it was cloudy and I wanted the "perfect" pictures. I wanted to make sure our house would sell fast.

I was not expecting to hear on Wed. that we got an offer on our house. What are you kidding me, 2 days on the market and we already got an offer? Not only did we get an offer but we got a full asking price offer. Praise the Lord! I prayed for a quick sale, but never thought it would happen that quickly.

"If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer." Matt. 21:22

On Wed. we had 3 different people come to look at our house, so we decided that we would take the time to look at some houses ourselves. We looked at one in Birkdale because it was on the same street as some close friends. Unfortunately that house did not work for us. Then, we went to look at a brand new model home in Brandy Oaks. It was perfect and I knew it would work for our family. Adam was ready to put a contract on the house that night. This was before we had heard anything about our house and I told Adam I wanted to look at more. Yes, the house was great, but there are tons of houses on the market and I knew we would have some choices.

Friday afternoon we left to go on vacation to MO. This was a well needed vacation. We had worked so hard getting our house ready the month before and we knew we could rest easy knowing that we had a contract on our house. My Mom, a realtor, began to send me some more house via email and I made a list of about 20 homes to look at. We drove home in one day and started our search again on July 4th. We had also learned on this day that the house in Brandy Oaks that we really liked had a contract on it. Adam was devastated and he knew we should have put a contract on it before we left for vacation.

We spent the next 2 days looking at houses. I was amazed at how dirty and cluttered some houses were. Do not get me wrong. I know MOST people are not as OCD as I am, but if somebody was coming to look at your house at least sweep the floors and wipe down the light switches. It really isn't that hard. Then, we found what we thought should be our house.

We went back to my Mom's office to write a contract on the house in Hampton Park. We were excited. We decided to ask for a little less as we felt it was a little overpriced and we needed the current home owners to pay for closing. We were not expecting the counter-offer that we got. They raised the priced and said they would pay for closing. We said we did not want to do that and made another offer and they decided that they were not going to budge. We walked away from the home.

The next day my Mom was looking at more houses to send us. I felt I had looked at the list a gazillion times and felt they were all looking the same. She had noticed that the second house we really liked in Brandy Oaks was back on the market. We had also decided that at this point it might be better for us to build because I could not handle moving into a dirty home.

The next day we went to a brand new home. It was nice and it was in our price range. The only bad thing is that we needed the 3rd floor (that would be the school room/playroom) to be finished and there wasn't a deck on the house yet. We knew that we would have to put more money into the home to finish it up. We then looked back at the house in Brandy Oaks and decided that was our home. We decided to put a contract on it that day. Let me tell you debating between the 2 houses took us 5 hours. Isn't that ridiculous? We just wanted to make sure we picked the perfect home for us because this time around we plan on being in this home for a LONG time.

We went back and forth a couple of times on our offer and got exactly what we wanted. We wanted the builder to pay for closing, pave the driveway, and lower the price a little to keep it in our budget. We could not be happier.

Now the only thing we are waiting on is our closing date. It is scheduled to be Aug. 12th, but that could change because the loan that the home buyers on our current home is using is behind about 2 weeks. This could change in the next couple of weeks, but for now Adam and I will continue to pack up our boxes and get ready for the BIG move. Who wants to help?

A Wild Week....

2011-03-10T10:50:00.000-08:00

Whew...what a week? Here is our schedule for one wild week. If you feel the need to take a nap during the middle of this blog, please do so. I know I needed one. :)

Monday:
-HAPPY BIRTHDAY, ZACHARY! My firstborn turned 6! I can't believe it. sniff sniff! :(
-Made him special pancakes with a number 6, balloon, and heart
-Got the kids ready for the day
-Taught school
-Ate lunch
-Took naps/rested
-Left right after nap to pick up some of our friend's kids off of the school bus. Their Mom is in Indonesia on a mission trip and their Dad still has to work.
-Friend's Dad came home and we went out as a family of 5 to celebrate Zachary's Birthday at Red Robin...YUM
-Headed home to eat cake and open some presents
-Got a quick bath in and put the kids to bed late and on a sugar high

Tuesday:
-The kids are up and early
-Fixed breakfast and got them ready
-Taught a tiny bit of school
-Took Zachary to his co-op class
-Went shopping with the younger 3 in tow to find all of the necessities to make Zachary a robot cake for his birthday party on Sat.
-Picked up Zachary from his co-op class
-Drove home and ate lunch
-Took naps/rested
-Finish teaching school
-Oh wait Nicholas is coughing and it is getting worse. I have to take him to the doctor now
-Rush out the door to meet Adam to drop off two of the kids so he can take Lindsay to soccer practice
-Drive to the doctor's office with the most pitiful two year old in tow
-Finds out that he has a really bad ear infection and to put a steroid in his nebulizer treatment to help with the croupy cough
-Eat dinner at Sonic because nothing is prepared and it is now a little pass 6
-Rush home bath the kids and put them to bed late

He is smiling here after antibiotics have settled in and he is having a breathing treatment.

Wednesday:
-The kids wake up
-Fix breakfast and get them ready for the day
-Teach school
-Fix lunch
-nap/rest time
-Wake the kids up from their naps early because I have to get my friend's kids off of the school bus again
-Take my 3 and my friends 2 to church to eat dinner
-Teach 2 year old at church
-Head home
-Put the kids to bed late...Again

Lindsay has been waiting all year to learn the letter Ss. Zachary made a snake last year and she wanted to make one too.

Thursday:
-The kids wake up
-Fix breakfast and get them ready for the day
-Teach a tiny bit of school
-Take Lindsay to dance practice
-While we wait I teach Zachary some more school while the two little boys play in the playroom area
-Drive home and eat lunch
-Bake 24 cupcakes to start preparing the robot cake
-nap/rest time
-Finish teaching school
-Participated in a fun paint project with the kids. Zachary got some new paint for his birthday and wanted to test it out.
-Suppose to go take Zachary to soccer practice but it got canceled due to the rain. Thank you Lord we needed an evening at home.
- Fix and ate dinner at home
-Bath the kids and put them to bed...on time
-Iced cupcakes and prepped the cake the best I could before assembling it

Friday:
-Kid are up
-Get them dressed and fed very quickly
-Have to be out the door by 8:20 to get Zachary to his well check up by 9:00
-Shooting myself in the foot for trying to leave the house so early with 4 little kids
-Drive to the doctor's office
-Teach a tiny bit of school while there
- Decided that I should probably make goody bags for Zachary's party so run to party city after the doctor's visit
-Run a few more errands
-Meet sister for lunch
-Drive home
-nap/rest time
-Assemble goody bags
-Finish teaching school
-Head out the door for family night
-Drive back home VERY late
-Finish putting together Zachary's robot cake

Saturday:
-The kids are up
-Fix breakfast
-Get them ready for Zachary's and Lindsay's first soccer game of the Spring season
-Drive them to their soccer games
-I freeze while watching them play
-Run a few errands
-Grab some lunch
-Head home
-nap/rest time
-Wake the kids up
-Time to head out to Zachary's party at inflation nation
-Enjoy watching Zachary interact with his friends at his party
-Head home
-Go for a quick walk
-Eat ribs that have been smoking all afternoon while we were away
-Bath the kids
-Kids are in bed
-Set clocks forward...oh I needed an extra hour after this week

Sunday:
-The kids wake up
-Get them ready for church
-Head to church
-Eat out with some friend's afterwards
-Adam takes Zachary and Lindsay to a car show with some friends
-I take Nicholas home for a nap
-Nicholas and I have some one on one bonding time
-Fix us dinner
-Head back to church to meet Adam and the kids
-Church is over and we head home
-Put the kids to bed

Most of you know that I suffer with insomnia. Why is that I ask? After my day, I should hit the pillow and just crash.

"I can do all things through Christ who strengthen me."
Pillilpians 4:13

100Th Day of School!

2011-02-25T11:15:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago we celebrated our 100Th day of school. Wow we made it that far!!!!! I can't say that homeschooling is always "easy peasy" (a quote from Zachary), but we take it one day at a time. Sometimes my house isn't as clean as I would like it to be and laundry is never completely done. My OCD won't allow piles of laundry to build up, but if you came to my house and opened the dryer there will more than likely be a load waiting in there. As you could tell blogging has also hit the back burner and I know I totally missed Christmas, but I just can't do it all these days. I am trying my best and the kids are learning a lot. I am amazed at how well Zachary is reading and how he loves it. Now handwriting is a different subject for him and we will be doing a summer school session with that. I was thinking about just doing it with Zachary but I am going to include Lindsay too. She has neater handwriting but she could also use some work.

Putting 100 M&M's on a cake

Adding 100 stickers to a chart!

I think they are going to look pretty good if they live to be 100!

****Now please do not judge me on how long the boy's hair is and how Lindsay could barely see because her bangs have gotten so long. The kids had scheduled haircuts and then decided that they would get the flu. They have had haircuts since these pictures and are looking much better. :)

Lindsay Dancing!

2010-12-16T18:32:00.000-08:00

My sweet daughter LOVES to dance and I LOVE when we can go into the studio to watch and take pictures.

NEW YORK CITY!!!

2010-12-16T16:24:00.000-08:00

Adam and I have always wanted to go to NYC. We almost went when I was pregnant with Lindsay for a mini get-away, but then my asthma started acting up (ended up in the hospital twice because of it), so we thought it would not be a good idea for us to go at that time of our lives. Now 3 kids later we decided to go around Christmastime to see the "big tree", go to some kid friendly shops, and eat some yummy food. The city was beautifully decorated and visiting Santa at Macy's was a huge treat. I was really shocked because the kids did not complain once about all of the walking we did. There were some complaints about the cold weather (me probably being the biggest) though. Overall we had a great time and awesome memories were made.

The kids taking their picture in front of the Santa's Land train at Macy's

The best cupcakes ever! I should have bought a box to bring home.

Probably Nicholas' favorite store...M&M store...he is my candy boy.

This how the kids slept each night. I know these days will quickly pass us and they will want their own beds. Why do they grow so fast?

Statue of Liberty!

Nicholas taking a nap in his stroller.

Lindsay waiting in line to get into American Girl. I have a feeling we are going to end up spending a lot money at that store when she gets a little older. We are already spending a lot at the store now just for bitty baby items.

Christmas Star!

2010-12-01T19:40:00.001-08:00

This year it was Lindsay's turn to put the star on the Christmas tree. She was really excited at first.

Then she had to climb up the next step.

Then she really did not want to let go of the ladder, but she finally did.

Please smile for Mommy.

What a brave little girl she was.

I am thankful for creative thinking!

2010-12-01T19:29:00.001-08:00

If truth be told Zachary and Lindsay do not like handwriting when it comes to schoolwork. I knew we were going to take most of Thanksgiving week off, but little did Zachary and Lindsay know they were still doing schoolwork. I can be so tricky sometimes. I talked to my Grandmother (she was hosting Thanksgiving this year) and asked her if the kids could make nameplates for everyone. She graciously said yes. I got some cute little stickers and cut out 19 pieces of card stock to make our nameplates. Zachary and Lindsay loved this activity so much they did not complain once they were writing.

The following day, I decided the kids were going to make thankful turkeys. I wanted to see exactly what they were thankful and of course have them write it down on the turkey feathers. Again, they did not complain about handwriting. I wasn't so hard on them about making the turkeys really neat, so they do look sloppy, but hey they were writing and did not complain.

Little Praisers!

2010-12-01T19:23:00.000-08:00

Ever since Zachary could talk, he was singing. He has such a wonderful little voice, so I was excited when he turned 5 this year because I knew he could participate in Little Praisers at our church. Little Praisers is a choir group for children 5-7 (I do believe it could be 8). He had his first performances on November 21st after our church's annual agape feast. He did such a great job! Way to go Zachary!!!

End of October Activities...

2010-11-24T11:55:00.000-08:00

Carving Pumpkins!
Decorating Rice Krispie Treats!
Pig Roast and more Pumpkin Carving!
Fall Festival at our Church! I just love Spider Man (Zachary's first action hero costume), Cinderella, and Mickey Mouse!

Pumpkin Painting!

2010-10-28T17:57:00.000-07:00

This was the first time I let the kids paint their pumpkins. I learned a few things doing this activity.

1. Brandon does not like to switch colors. I had all four kids sitting at the table with 2 paint colors each. Every 5-8 minutes I would rotate the colors, and this did not please Brandon too much.

2. Next year use Acrylic paint. I thought washable crayola paint would be great. I would not have to worry about staining their clothes. However, the paint does not stick to the pumpkins. I was going to leave them out for Thanksgiving but the chipping paint pumpkins have to go after Halloween.

3. I need to buy two more smocks. The little boys like to paint too and even though paint says it is washable I would like to do as little laundry as possible. All the Mommies can say "Amen" right now.

Fall Fun Filled Weekend!

2010-10-12T11:43:00.000-07:00

When I found out that Zachary and Lindsay were not going to have soccer games on the 9th, I automatically started planning for a fun fall activity. Zachary has a lot of late games this year, so it is hard to plan an event like apple picking and pumpkin picking since they are both a little over an hour away and they close at 6. I did not want to feel rushed and totally ruin the fun of the event. On Saturday we decided to go apple picking and our niece Kayla joined us. I nor any of the kids have ever been apple picking. It was so much fun. We will definitely be going back but maybe not on the festival weekend. There were A LOT of people on top of that mountain. I have already made an apple pie. I plan on making some applesauce and we are still munching on fresh apples. It is a good thing we love apples.

On Sunday we decided to only go to Sunday school and then go to the pumpkin patch with my sisters and their families. Sarah's husband works on Saturday, so if we ever want to do anything with them, we have to do it on a Sunday. We had a perfect weather and it wasn't nearly as muddy as last year. We brought home 6 pumpkins (each kid picked out a big one and a little one) and a handful of little tiny pumpkins that are sitting on our dining room table. We are going to paint the little pumpkins later this month.

Coloring!

2010-10-08T04:40:00.001-07:00

Nicholas wakes up and asked me, "Mommy, can I color." I said, "sure Nicholas you can color during school time."
3 minutes later...
Nicholas: Can I color now?
Me: No, it is not school time yet.
5 minutes later...
Nicholas: Can I color NOW?
Me: No, Nicholas I told you, you may color at school time.
Nicholas: Oh okay.
3 minutes later...
Nicholas: Can I color now?
Me: No, Nicholas it is not school time yet?
10 minutes later...
Me: Nicholas it is school time, you can color now.
Nicholas: Yay!!!
30 seconds later...
Nicholas: All done!

The child asked all morning if he could color and then he only colored for 30 seconds. Gotta love a 2 year old attention span. :)

Crazy Busy And Lovin Every Second Of It.

2010-09-23T17:45:00.000-07:00

Wow, I am getting worn out, but I am totally loving my life right now. We have completed almost 5 weeks of school, soccer has started, dance has started, Zachary's co-op has started, team kid at church has started and on Sunday Zachary will start little praisers (a choir group for little children at our church). It took some trial and error on how to teach a kindergartner a preschooler and keep two toddlers happy and somewhat quiet and contained. I have to admit that the first few weeks Adam could have just looked at me and I would start crying. I was tired, stressed, and I felt my house wasn't getting clean...there goes my OCD again. Well, I finally figured out a routine! Praise the Lord! The kids are enjoying school and learning so much. I want to go out and buy some beginner reader books because I think Zachary is getting close to reading. Lindsay and Zachary are playing soccer this year. Zachary picked it back up like riding a bike. Lindsay is liking soccer, but not loving it like dance. She LOVES dance and is doing so well. I can't watch her the whole time because I have to keep Nicholas and Brandon entertained in the little playroom and I try to continue Zachary's schooling so we are not doing it all afternoon. The other Mom's have been giving her tons of praise and informing me on how well she is doing. I am pretty sure by Christmas I will be totally drained and ready for a break, but now I am going to live by the moment even if that means I can't even use the potty without somebody knocking on the door...

Lindsay's first day of dance

I try to involve the little boys the best I can. Lindsay was learning the letter Cc this week, so everybody made car tracks.

Zachary and Lindsay's first soccer game. Nicholas was proud to wear one of Zachary's old soccer jersey.

Zachary's first day of co-op. He is really having a blast. I am glad he likes it and he feels like he is going to "real" school. Now if only CCA could arrange a school bus pick up, he would be one happy boy. :)

Homeschooling!

2010-08-26T08:03:00.000-07:00

Another year of homeschooling has begun in the Lewis' house. It has been a long road of fighting with God about this, but now I am so thrilled with the opportunity to be able to teach my kids the things I want to teach them and to shelter them (for now anyways) the things I don't want them to be exposed to. Last year I taught preschool to Zachary. I had a curriculum all picked out and ready to order and then Adam lost his job. We didn't know how long he was going to be out of work and we both knew that a $200 curriculum wasn't necessary for a preschooler. Needless to say my thought of homeschooling Zachary w/o a planned out curriculum didn't thrill me much. To be honest, I was really mad about the whole situation. I actually hated teaching Zachary school for the first 2 weeks. It wasn't working, I was depress about the job lost, I wanted that curriculum. After numerous nights of prayer, I decided that I needed to do some research and find some sites that would help me at home. There are so many printables out there for preschoolers, it is unbelievable. I finally found a site I loved and started all over. Once I had a plan and somewhat of a curriculum, I was more at peace with everything. Zachary learned so much last year. He is now able recognize all of his letters and give me the sounds of each.

Once we finished last year, it didn't take me long to start planning for this year. Can you tell yet that I like to plan? Well, I did tons and tons of research this time around for a curriculum for Zachary and for some new and different printables for Lindsay. After numerous hours of research and borrowing friend's books, I decided to go with Alpha Omega Horizons. I really love it. We are only in the first week, but so far it has been great.

In Sept. Zachary will start his co-op school. He will attend CCA one day a week learning social studies, science, and language arts. I am really excited for this opportunity and can't wait to see what his teacher has in store for him. He is also excited go to his "real" school.

Enjoy some pictures of our first day of school.

Zachary and Lindsay standing by our school room. This is where we have our mini circle time. We go over the calendar, weather, season, learn a bible verse, and read a story.

Nicholas and Lindsay ready for circle time.

Brandon playing with cars. My goal is try to keep the little ones in the kitchen while I teach school to the two older ones.

Nicholas wanted me to take a picture of his "school book". I think he was feeling a little left out.

Lindsay turns 4!

2010-07-15T11:10:00.000-07:00

Wow, my baby girl is not four already! On her Birthday she we let her invite one friend to the Children's Museum for her to play with on her special day. She had a blast playing with Anna and having some girl time. She had a princess party this year, which suited her because she is our little princess. Her cake was definitely one of my favorites I have made thus far.

Lindsay and Anna at the Children's Museum.

Two teeth in one week!

2010-07-15T11:01:00.001-07:00

Zachary lost his bottom two teeth. He is looking so grown up with his big teeth coming in.

Playing catch up!

2010-05-24T17:39:00.000-07:00

I have recently turned 30! I have been dreading turning 30 for quite some time now. I know this sounds silly, but I officially feel like an adult. My Mom and Adam made sure I had a pretty special day. The weekend before my 30th B.day my Mom threw me a party at Sunday Park. It was a nice day, a little chilly for late April, but the sun was shinning and everybody was happy. Adam was planning a surprise party for me the following weekend, but some things came up and he had to tell me about it. However, he did pull a fast one on me and had my Dad, Debbie, and C.J. come down from Chicago to surprise my sisters and myself. It was great seeing them and very special that they came down for my big day.

I just noticed my Dad, Debbie, and C.J. walking through the door.

Nicholas had to run over to Hailey (the baby) to give her a hug before she left the party.

Nicholas turned 2!
I can't believe my baby is 2. He has grown up so much this past year. He is running all over the place. He is talking like crazy and most days I am convinced he thinks he is old enough to do whatever his older siblings are doing at the moment. He is already almost potty trained. He just turned 2 and he is out of diapers. I still put him in a diaper at night, but he wakes up dry 95% of the time. He is still having a hard time with #2, but I haven't been fussing at him too much considering he is super early.

Lindsay had her dance recital. She did so awesome! However, this Momma was a nervous wreck for her. She danced on such a huge stage and there were so many people watching her. She danced to Puppy Love and was the best looking puppy I have ever seen. She absolutely loved going to dance this year and almost had a break down when I told her she had to take the summer off. I assured her that she would continue in the fall.

Zachary had his last soccer game on Saturday. He was also a little bummed that it had come to an end. He has really grown so much and learned so many new skills this year. We really like his coach and plan on putting him on the same team in the fall.

baby fever...

2010-04-23T18:57:00.001-07:00

Here I go writing down my thoughts again! I am having baby fever and it is bad. I am not sure if it is because you always want what you can't have. Adam is still looking for a job and we are still living in our tiny house. I keep telling Adam we could have another child and he/she could sleep in the bathtub. However, it would get pretty old moving the bedding every morning/evening we wanted to shower or bathe the other kids since that is the only shower/bathtub in our house. Have I mentioned that we have a tiny house? I am not sure if I have baby fever because a couple of my closest friends have had baby girls. My dream family has always been two boys and two girls. I just love shopping for Lindsay. She is so much fun. I do love my boys, but buying khaki pants and dress shirts gets pretty boring after awhile. A lady overhead me talking about finding Lindsay some more bows the other day and she told me of a store where I could find every single color imaginable. Let's just say I have not been to that store yet because I know I will get myself into trouble. What can I say, I love fixing Lindsay's hair.

On the other hand, I am getting pretty comfortable not having to deal with "baby" stuff. The highchair needs a scrub down and then it can go into the attic for the first time in over five years. Nicholas who isn't even two yet is doing awesome potty training. I like the fact that I don't have to feed a child every three hours and I get to sleep ALL night long.

Oh, but the new baby smell, the first smiles, first giggle, first time sitting up, first time crawling/walking, etc......

Easter

2010-04-23T18:44:00.001-07:00

He is Alive!!!!!!

Read at your own risk!

2010-04-02T19:03:00.000-07:00

I normally don't blog what is on mind. I tend to post things about my children and activities that we have been participating in. So here I go! As most of you know, Adam lost his job back in August. This was a huge shock to us as we were in motion to purchasing another house. Our lives have changed tremendously during this time. We have never been big spenders and we had been following the Dave Ramsey plan (I would recommend this plan to anybody in debt) for a little over a year. We wanted to be debt free! Then, in a blink of an eye Adam lost his job. We told ourselves we were not going to start our credit card again and we would just have to cut back on somethings. I started to clip coupons and began looking for deals. Adam makes fun of me because before I go to the grocery store I organize my coupons and plan my trip around them. I was a named brand snob before and would not purchase store brand items. What was I thinking? There is nothing wrong with store brand items and honestly the food taste the same. I love using my coupons to get things for free. Yes, "things" taste, feel, look, and smell better when it is free. If you don't believe me, try it yourself. I am a coupon junkie now. I get a high out of shopping and getting the best deal. I have been shopping for the kids clothes at second hand stores or yard sales. Honestly, my kids are wearing more name brand items like Gymboree then ever before. Don't get me wrong, I do purchase new clothing for the kids, but it usually involves a coupon now. I just bought Zachary a brand new pair of shoes from Gymboree that were originally $25.00 and I got them for $12.00 because they were on sale and I had a coupon. Before Adam lost his job, I would just have gone into the store and bought what I like before looking online for a coupon and a sale. A lot of people say they can't get started with clipping coupons and searching for that great deal because it takes too much time out of their busy schedule. I felt the same way. However, there are great sites out there that does ALL the work for you. Can you believe that? All you have to do is go to the site and pick out what you like and clip/print the coupon you need and then go the store. It is that simple. I don't know why I felt like I needed to write all of this down and to tell the world but God put it on my heart to document my story. God has definitely seen us through our time of difficultly and I know we wouldn't be where we are right now financially if our Father wasn't protecting us and looking out for us. Plus, I know I have lots of family and friends that are praying for us daily. Thanks for being there guys!

Zachary's Birthday!!!!!

2010-03-10T11:08:00.000-08:00

Wow, I do not have a five year old!!! I can't believe how fast time travels when you have children. Can't we just slow down the clock and enjoy them when they are young and sweet?

We probably live in one of the tiniest homes ever built. It was going to be our starter home and move in a two years. We are now in year five. We have always told the kids that once they turn five, they could invite some friends to their party. We always tried to keep their parties in the family due to our small house. We decided to rent out a building at our church and play some ole fashion party games. You know the games that we played as children? We played hot potato, musical chairs, limbo, and pin the eye on the alien (my version of the pin the tail on the donkey since it was a buzz lightyear theme party). Zachary and all of his friends had an absolute blast. My buzz lightyear spaceship cake was the hardest cake I have made thus far. It isn't perfect, but it turned out pretty cute. He liked it and we had no leftovers. Yay! I will post more pictures on his party later.

Valentine's Day

2010-02-24T11:40:00.000-08:00

On the day of love we were unable to attend church to worship and love the one that loves us the most, God. The family (not me, luckily) were still getting over the stomach bug. I am a strong believer that we do not leave the house for 24 hours until the virus is gone because I had seen it spread so fast working at a preschool and in childcare at church. I don't want to be the cause of spreading it. We spent the morning giving the kids their tiny tokens of love from us and watching the Love Movie from Veggie Tales. For lunch, Adam cooked heart shaped grilled cheese sandwiches. By dinner time Adam and the kids had been "bug free" for 24 hours so we were able to go to Red Robin for dinner. It was a lovely day. I do love my family so much.

10 in. of snow....say what?

2010-02-01T12:18:00.000-08:00

Wow, two big snow storms for one winter. This time we got around 10 in. of snow.

A week later, the "S" word is in the forecast again. The first stuff hasn't melt yet. We can't get anymore snow. Sure enough we got around 4-5in. Who is counting anymore?

Brandon and Nicholas watching the start of snow storm #3!

Adam built this snow slide for the kids. They had a blast going down it.

In between the two snow storms I did manage to take the kids to the children's museum.

Christmas!

2010-01-08T11:00:00.000-08:00

Wow, Christmas is a very busy time for us, but it is so much fun! We don't celebrate just one Christmas around here, we always tend to celebrate four...whew! Our first Christmas began at our house when Adam's parents arrived into town. The big hit were the marshmallow shooters. I actually just found a marshmallow today. :) They are a lot of fun, but those little marshmallows end up EVERYWHERE!

We also made our traditional sugar cookies with the kids for Santa. The kids always have a blast decorating the cookies. This year, I decided to have one child decorate one tray of cookies at a time. It went a lot of smoother and little less mess. You know me, I don't like messes.

The kids woke up Christmas morning and had a second Christmas at our house. They opened their stockings in their jammies. We had a quick change, waited for Adam's family to arrive at our house and opened away. Zachary was really excited because we showed him which presents were from Santa and he wanted to open those first. What a guy! Lindsay was excited because she got a new pink car seat from Santa. This present was for Lindsay and us. Adam and I got tired of reaching in the back of the van to help her buckle up. Yay, for big girl seats. Nicholas has my OCD, so he was busy unwrapping and picking up every body's trash. He is such a sweetheart and a big help.

Saturday after Christmas we went to my Grandmother's house to open presents there with my Mom's side of the family. We do it the old fashion way where everybody opens one present at a time, so it does take a while. We decided to wait until after Christmas this year since Adam's family was only in town for a few short days. Plus, we didn't want to feel rushed.

We spent our last Christmas at Sarah's house with my Dad, Debbie, and C.J. (our step-sister's son). This Christmas was just as good as the first three. We were very proud of Debbie this year because she didn't go overboard on the gift giving. It isn't about how much we give, but spending some quality time with family. Way to go, Debbie!

I am sad to say that all of the Christmas decorations are put away and we are back to "normal living." I hope you guys had a blessed Christmas and remembered that the birth of our savior, Jesus Christ, is the true reason of the season.

Dec. is crazy busy but super fun!

2009-12-20T11:38:00.000-08:00

I have been meaning to post so much, but can't seem to find the time. Earlier this month we went on a tacky light tour with my Mom and her clients. Hey, we are one of her clients too. She is a realator and helped us find our first home. Pretty soon (it better be soon) we will be using her expertise again to find a bigger home. The kids had a lot of fun and Zachary is still talking about eating on the bus and watching movies.

Nicholas is too busy looking at the lights to smile at the camera!

Jacob, our ten year old nephew, had a Christmas program at his school. We took the gang to see him sing. He did such a great job. He even had a speaking part and did awesome. Way to go Jacob!

After Jacob's concert Adam took the kids home and I went out to spend some quality time with "the girls." I am sad that I missed this moment, but was glad that Adam had the camera. Adam spotted the coke truck with Santa. Adam found out that there are only 5 Santa coke trucks and they got to see one. What an awesome moment for the kids.

Speaking of Santa, we took the kids to the mall to see him again but this time to tell him what they want. They have made their lists months ago. We don't go out and buy our kids random toys throughout the year. They need to wait for Christmas or their Birthdays. You can call us mean, but they have way too much anyways and it is so easy to say, "put it on your list." Their outfits came from Adam's parents this year. The boys looked so grown up and Lindsay just loves her "Santa dress." Once Adam scannes the picture of the kids sitting on Santa's lap, I will post it.

In our house, you can't celebrate Christmas until the gingerbread house is made. I think the kids did a really good job this year. What do you think? Nicholas was more interested in eating the candy, then helping. I think he may have my sweet tooth.

It is rare that VA sees snow, but this week we got 9 in. in our area. I will admit that it is pretty to watch fall, but I am not a big fan to go out and play in it. Adam and I have been buddling the kids up (a 30 min. task) to take them out to play. Nicholas is a lot like me and does not like the cold. He cried the first morning we took him out because he couldn't walk in it. By evening, the snow had settled some and he could walk on top of it without sinking too much. Lindsay and Zachary could probably stay out all day and play. I wish snowboats and snow pants weren't so expensive because I would buy them some each year. However, sometimes we see snow and sometimes we don't. I had bought the kids gloves for Christmas so they got that present a little early. Adam informed that fleece gloves were not good snow gloves and to not buy them again. I wasn't thinking snow though, I was thinking warmth. Now Adam is in charge of buying the kids gloves. :)

Let the fun begin!

2009-11-24T18:27:00.002-08:00

I have been wanting to set up our Christmas decorations since Halloween. I honestly would have done so if we weren't planning a late costume party for the kids. However, if you read my last post that was not meant to be and the party was canceled. Finally, we had a free weekend and we were able to decorate our home. The kids had a blast helping me decorate the tree this year. I always get a little uptight though when the glass ornaments come out. I am fearful that one of the kids is going to drop one, step on it, and then we will have to dig glass from their foot (no fun). Well, guess who dropped the only ornament and broke it? Yep, that would be me. I couldn't believe it. I am glad I didn't step on it though.

Not meant to be...

2009-11-13T12:03:00.000-08:00

Over the Halloween weekend our family was hit with the swine flu. I was heartbroken for my kids because their costumes have been hung in their closets and staring at them since Sept. We don't take the kids trick or treating, we take them to the fall festival at our church. There they receive a bunch of candy and play a bunch of games. I enjoy it a lot more. We didn't tell the kids that they missed the fall festival until after it was over. They are still too little to keep up with the days and the time, luckily. Once we told the kids they were really upset. However, I told them that we would have our own fall festival in our backyard. Each child was able to invite two friends. I have the goody bags filled, the games planned out, the food bought and mother nature decided that it should rain for 3 straight days. Well, our house barely holds enough room for our family of five, so I knew we couldn't move the party inside. Plus, where would we play the games? I haven't had the heart to tell the kids that now their party is going to have to be canceled because our backyard looks like a swamp. I might have the kids dress up in their costumes anyway and have them eat a Halloween cupcake.

We did have all the kids put their costumes on last Friday at my Grandmother's house.

So Sweet...

2009-10-21T19:39:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was a beautiful Fall day, so I decided to take the kids outside for a bit. I know the cold weather is coming soon and fast and outdoor play will soon be vanished from our routine for a few months. Zachary immediatly found a dandelion and picked it from our yard. He came running to me and said, "this is for you Mommy because you are so sweet." If I could have melted into a puddle, I probably would have. He is my strong willed child and we tend to battle it out quit a bit. It has nothing to do with me being strong willed myself, I promise. :)

Pumpkin Patch!

2009-10-17T18:28:00.000-07:00

This year we decided to drive to Ashland Berry Farm due to the fact that Chesterfield Berry Farm, the patch that we have been taking the kids since Zachary was born, raised their admission price to $12.00 per person and that doesn't even include pumpkins. It was kind of sad to take the kids to a new place, but we fell in love and will go back next year. We probably picked the worst weekend to go because it had rained the previous day and it was really cold. However, this was the only Sat. in October that we could go due to other commitments, so we packed our lunch and headed out the door. Becca brought Brandon and Jakob and Sarah brought her two kids, Kayla and Jacob. Nicholas was the cutest because he kept calling all of the pumpkins "balls". We had a blast slopping around in the mud picking our pumpkins out. We were able to get 8 pumpkins for the price of $20.00. Now you can't beat that! :)

You can pick as many pumpkins as you like for $20.00 as long as one person can carry them and take three steps. Adam did awesome!

Our pumpkins with the kid's muddy shoes. We had a great time.

Our soccer star and dancing diva

2009-09-25T18:07:00.000-07:00

Zachary was blessed with his Daddy's soccer skills. This year Zachary is playing 3 on 3 games and he is having a BALL. His first game he scored 4 goals and his second game he scored 5 goals. He has complete control of the ball and can even turn the ball around to face his goal if it happens to get kicked in the other direction. Zachary can really run fast so if he gets the ball, it is rare that another child can catch him. Way to go Zachary!

About ready to score!

He gave us a thumbs up every time he scored!

Unfortunately, I can't say Lindsay was blessed with my dancing skills because I never took dance lessons. She looks so incredibly cute wearing her leotard and ballet slippers. I know that she will probably not be in dance long because that girl loves soccer like her Daddy and brother. I don't really care what her activity is as long as she is happy.

Notice how she is standing on her toes!

Kayla and Lindsay at their first dance lesson...they are at the same dance studio but in different classes

Pics of the kids

2009-09-10T18:51:00.001-07:00

This week the craziness...if life can get any crazier...began for us. I told myself that I was not going to work at the church this year. I wanted to focus on Zachary's homeschooling and try to get a routine down, you all know I love routines and structure in this house. However, with Adam losing his job, I thought making a little bit of income was better than none. My first week back I was stuck in the two year old classroom where a child was crying at all times. Gotta love those two year olds? After hearing screaming babies all day, I decided that I was going to start Zachary with his homeschooling. Right now I am kind of "winging" it because I couldn't purchase the curriculum I wanted...due to the job lost. Anyway, Zachary has learned the letters Aa and Bb this week. We are going to start with letter recognition, letter sound, and manuscript. I am excited and feel like I am using my degree again.

Here are some updated pictures of the kids!

Nicholas is getting so big!

Lindsay on Zachary's soccer field being silly!

Zachary focusing so hard!

Zachary with spiky hair!

A camp out in our back yard!

A family photo taken at Maymount park!

I know I have been slacking...so sorry

2009-09-04T09:46:00.000-07:00

Life has been crazy busy for us. I thought I would be able to keep up with this blog, but since Brandon naps in our bedroom where the computer is located it gets very hard to blog these days. I have so many things I want to say and write about, but am just too exhausted by the time evening strikes. Plus, I enjoy sitting and talking to my husband while the kids are in bed and the house is a quiet. :)

Things have been very difficult for us during the past few weeks. Adam was laid off from his job. This was a total surprise to us. We were about to put a contract on a much bigger and a much needed new house on Adam's lunch break and then his boss pulled him into his office and let him go that day. The company is restructuring and doesn't need Adam anymore. I was really upset about Adam losing his job because we have three kids that we have to feed and cloth, Fall is just around the corner, but I was really upset that we couldn't buy a new house. I got attached to that house, and was enjoying the thought of having more room. Right now we will make our little house work...thank goodness I am very organized person. I am also glad that the Lord was looking after us because there is no way we could afford that house on unemployment. We have also been blessed with great friends that have been helping us out. Next week when I go to the grocery store, I am pretty sure I won't have to spend any of our own money. Friends have given us gift cards and money to help out. Thank you guys for praying for us and helping us during this difficult time of our lives.

On a more positive note, Zachary had his first soccer practice yesterday. He is loving soccer and living out Adam's dream. For those of you that don't know, Adam played soccer most of his life. I can't wait for Zachary to score his first goal and for me to see his face light up when he does.

Lindsay is enrolled in dance this year. I am pretty sure she will want to play soccer also, but I had to try to enroll her into something "girly" just for me. You should see that girl kick a soccer ball though. If she hates dance and wants to play soccer, that is fine. At least I know I tried. Her first practice is next Sat.

Nicholas is our little joy these days. He is starting to say some words and gets very frustrated when he can't say what he wants to. He can climb onto the sofa all by himself...for some reason this was a huge milestone for all of our kids. He is only taking one nap a day, which is after lunch the same time Lindsay and Zachary nap. Can anyone say, AMEN? We have truely been blessed with three amazing children and we are very thankful that we had paid for all of their activities before Adam lost his job. We don't want the kids to feel our pain or struggle during this time.

Easter fun!

2009-04-17T18:39:00.000-07:00

It is getting harder to blog these days. Nicholas is now walking all over the place and Brandon, my nephew that I watch during the day, is becoming more active and wanting more attention. However, I will say we had an excellent Easter. The kids went on four different egg hunts and we now have way too much candy in the house. They had a blast though. Nicholas even walked around and picked up a few eggs. He loved to chew on the egg and had no idea that there was candy inside. That was probably for the better though because most of the candy he can't have yet. We went to church on Sunday and Zachary learned a new song about Jesus rising. He sings it everyday now. I am convinced that he is an audible learner because he can hear one song at church and memorize it, but he still mixes up some of his colors. Lindsay just looked adorable in her Easter dress that her Grandma got her. She got many compliments on it. We are very blessed to have three wonderful children and to be able to celebrate our savior rising with them.

Happy Birthday Zachary

2009-03-17T18:20:00.000-07:00

On March 7th Zachary turned four. I can't believe that our 'baby' is four already. We started the day by going to Krispy Kreme to watch the doughnuts be made. I was surprised that Zachary didn't want to watch more; all he wanted to do was EAT the doughnuts. Now that is my boy! After our bellies were full of way too much sugar we headed back home to get our fill with more sugar. Well, first Zachary opened presents and then we had lunch and cake.

The following Saturday we had Zachary's birthday party. I had my heart set on a train party, but Zachary had HIS heart set on a soccer party, so soccer party it was. This year I decided to make Zachary's cake and to my surprise I might have found a hidden talent. The cake turned out great. We had fun celebrating Zachary's party with family and friends.

A store bought cake that we ate on his real birthday

Zachary testing out his new bike that Adam and I gave him.

It was rainy and cold on the day of his party so we had to hold the pinata up ourselves inside the house.

My first decorative cake.

Zachary looks so grown up

Opening presents.....YAY!!!

Love the self feeding stage!

2009-03-11T19:01:00.000-07:00

What do you get when you give a ten month old a nutrigrain bar?

A big mess! I had a load of laundry to fold, so I gave Nicholas a nutrigrain bar for his morning snack. Lindsay came to me and told me that Nicholas had made a big mess. I was thinking that he had thrown his torn up pieces of nutrigrain bar all over the floor. Instead she was talking about Nicholas and the mess he had made of himself.

Fun in the...Snow

2009-03-11T18:50:00.000-07:00

Virginia weather is so funny. Last Monday we got 7 in. of snow. That is huge for around here! We haven't gotten that much snow in such a long time. At first I did not want the snow to come. I had spent the last three weeks stuck in the house with sick kids and just wanted warmer weather to come and FAST. I have to admit though once I woke up and saw the ground covered, I was lovin it. Plus, Adam got to stay home and play with us in the snow. The most amazing part of this whole story is by Saturday it was almost 80 degrees outside. It was funny to run our errands in t-shirts but yet still see huge piles of snow in the parking lots. Gotta love VA. weather!

All Better!

2009-02-20T11:25:00.000-08:00

Being a Mommy is the best gift in the world, but at times it can be stressful and scary. The Sunday after Valentine's Day Nicholas was admitted to our local hospital because he had a sever case of RSV and a double ear infection. I couldn't believe that he had gotten so sick so fast. He started to show a few symptoms on Friday but then on Saturday, Valentine's Day, he started to take a turn for the worse. We called his pediatrician because I wanted to take him to the ER and Adam wanted to wait. His pediatrician told us to give him breathing treatments through the night and then bring him into his office first thing in the morning. Once his pediatrician was standing there with his hands on his hips thinking, I knew that we had to go to the hospital. We stayed in the hospital for four long days. Adam stayed at home with Zachary and Lindsay, while I stayed with Nicholas.

By the third day he was really starting to feel better. He learned how to sit himself up when from lying down. He also started to crawl a little while in the hospital. I couldn't believe my eyes. Here are two major milestones and my little man is accomplishing them in the hospital.

Now we are home and Lindsay is running a 103 degree temperature. I got home on Wed. and then first thing Thurs. I took Lindsay to the doctors. She was diagnosed with RSV and also had an ear infection. We now have two children on breathing treatments.

It is now Sunday and we decided to stay home from church this day because we figured Nicholas and Lindsay were still on antibiotics and breathing treatments and we didn't want to rush them back to a germ filled nursery (not that our nursery is dirty just that kid's noses are always running). Well, it is a good thing we stayed home because by early afternoon Lindsay stated to throw up. She continued to vomit through the night. Ever since then she will not eat. She has only eaten a handful of things in four days. She has lost 3 pounds in less then a week and trust me she really didn't have the weight to lose. I took her back to the doctor this morning and he basically dismissed her and told me that I had nothing to worry about. Why do I feel that I should have something to worry about? Why didn't the doctor do any tests on her? My little girl is melting away to nothing and nobody seems too concerned.

Ready....Set....Roll

2009-02-11T06:21:00.000-08:00

Nicholas just turned 9 months a few days ago, and he is such a joy right now. He wants to be mobile so badly. He will get on all fours as if he is going to crawl and then falls flat on his belly. He can't figure it out yet. However, he can get just about anywhere he wants to by rolling. It is the funniest thing. He can push himself forward or backwards a little to position himself and then he will roll. He just wants to be in the middle of the action. I can't blame him. All of my kids have become mobile in different ways. Zachary just skipped crawling and went straight to walking. Lindsay was a hoot, she would scoot on her little butt wherever she wanted to go. Now Nicholas is our little roller. It amazes me how similar my kids are but yet they are still so unique from each other.

Proud Mommy moment!

2009-01-28T18:04:00.000-08:00

Today has been a long dreary rainy Wednesday. It was one of those days where we just wanted to stay inside all day. However, we didn't! We bundled ourselves up, Lindsay put her hood up so her "hair didn't get wet", and we headed to church. The sun was going down and in front of us was a beautiful sky. There were hues of blue, pink, purple, and orange. Lindsay had pointed out to use this spectacular view and Adam and I had agreed with her that it was pretty. Then, out of the blue Lindsay said, "God made that." Just to remind you guys our precious daughter is only two and she realizes that God had made that beautiful sky. That confirms to Adam and myself that we must be doing something right.

What to do with an old bridesmaid dress?

2009-01-22T11:24:00.000-08:00

About a year ago my best friend got married. Of course I was in her wedding as she was in mine. Everyday I saw my bridesmaid dress hanging in my closet. It was just taking up space and I had no idea what to do with it. I spent a lot of money on it, so I did not want to throw it away. I knew I would never wear again, so I thought and thought and thought. Finally, a solution came to me. I would make something out of the dress and give it to my friend Kelly. She diligently picked out these dresses so they would look perfect on all of us. Well, mine was a little full in the front because I was pregnant with Nicholas...a little side note. Anyway, after I searched the Internet for a few days, I found the perfect gift. I decided I would make a memo board. All I needed was a staple gun and few supplies from our local craft store and it would be an easy project. I am not much of a sewer and I don't even own a sewing machine so anything that involved sewing was an automatic out. I was so impressed with the finished project, I had to take a picture of it. Ladies, if you have a few bridesmaids dresses in your closet you can always make use of the fabric and create a memo board.

Sleep walking...

2009-01-07T10:51:00.000-08:00

My sweet Zachary just made me laughed so hard today. He hadn't done so in quite some time because he has hit the "trying threes". He has been pushing my buttons and trying to get away with everything. With that being said, on our way home from running errands this morning Zachary had mentioned that he was tired. I told him if he was tired to go ahead and go to sleep in the car and I would carry him inside the house if needed. I kept watching him in my mirror and he did not fall asleep. When I parked the car in the driveway, I noticed that Zachary's eyes were closed, but I just heard the click of a seat belt. Wait a second, something is going on. I knew he wasn't really asleep. Lindsay on the other hand had fallen asleep, so I had to carry her in. When I got back to the car Zachary was standing on the edge of the door frame "sleeping". His eyes were closed tight and he had a small grin on his face. I decided to follow through on my word and carry in my 40+ lb. three year old. I wished I had a camera at that very moment to take his picture because he was so cute. I chuckled to myself as I carried him inside to the house. It is moments like these that make being a Mommy great. Now if we can just get over the "trying threes".

Last Christmas

2009-01-06T11:01:00.000-08:00

On Christmas morning Adam received a surprised that we were not anticipating at all. Adam's parents live in Fl. and kept telling us that they would not be able to make it up to VA. anytime this year for Christmas. Well, I guess they figured some things out and told us that they were arriving on New Years Day. I was excited, but yet felt a little rushed because I knew at home an unfinished bathroom was waiting for me. A few months ago I decided to take down the wallpaper that the previous owners had put up in the hall bathroom to paint it. I couldn't have my in-laws come over and see the mess I had created. Fortunately I have a great husband that watched the kids during the day while I locked myself in the bathroom to finish the job.
Adam's parents only stayed for two full days, but the kids and Adam and I enjoyed their visit.

We had a busy two weeks and I am glad to say that it is over. Our Christmas decorations are put away for the year and we are back to our normal routine. I look forward to what Christmas will bring us next year.

Christmas in VA.

2009-01-06T10:51:00.000-08:00

After our exhausting drive home from Chicago we had to do Christmas with my family in VA. the following day. Luckily the kids did sleep in a little, and I was able to unpack some. If you know me well enough, you know that my OCD takes over when there is a huge mess in my home. The kids received many wonderful gifts.

My Mom with Zachary

Kayla being a big help

Kayla and Lindsay got matching outfits

Christmas is over

2008-12-30T12:28:00.000-08:00

This year our family decided to travel to Chicago, IL. to visit my Dad and step mom for Christmas. We had a full car going up there because my sister, Becca, and her baby, Brandon, rode with us. Hold on though four kids and three adults doesn't make my car crowded at all...we added two dogs to the mix. I thought the worse when we headed for Chicago at 4:30 a.m. I knew it was going to take us a while because we had to stop at least every three hours to feed the babies. We had to change two kids, take two kids potty, go potty ourselves, order some yummy fast food (not really), and walk two dogs on every stop. What were thinking again? Even though we hit a little snow on the way up there, the trip was pretty successful. We didn't have a single breakdown. That includes me because I sometimes get a little stressed out.

We had a very memorable time in Chicago. Our first day was a whopping -6 degree outside, and yes folks that was the high. It warmed up a little the second day as it was 0 degrees. This was hard on the kids and Adam because they could see wonderful white snow on the ground but they could not play in it. By the third day it was 22 degrees and the kids bundled up and headed out to the fresh powder of snow on the ground. We only stayed out for 30 mins. or so, but the kids had a blast.

It is our family tradition to make sugar cookies for Santa on Christmas Eve. We have a lot of family out of state, and I thought this would be a great tradition for the kids and I to start since everyone owns an oven. Lindsay really had fun making the cookies this year, but Zachary wanted to play with his cousin, C.J., instead. At one point I think I had said something like, "now we are making cookies for Santa and you are going to have fun doing it."

Christmas morning was a riot. This may be a little much, but I don't care. Every year I like to go to Children's Place and get the kids matching outfits for Christmas, and every year Adam makes a big deal because he thinks the kids should open their gifts in their jammies. Well, this year they opened their stockings in their jammies and then we headed upstairs to change into their nice outfits. The kids looked adorable and well dressed when they opened their gifts from Santa. Lindsay got a purple baby doll that she wanted and Zachary got a new train set that he wanted. After the kids opened Santa's presents we took a break and ate a delicious brunch that Debbie had made. Then, we went back to the living room to open more presents with Debbie's kids, their spouses, and Debbie's parents. It was a full room, but I wouldn't celebrate Christmas any other way.

Our Christmas vacation is over and we are all packed to head back home. I am amazed that Adam was able to get all of the packages in the car. However, at 11:00 p.m. Zachary headed into our room and mentioned to Adam that he had thrown up in bed. Oh no, this was a big mess. We thought maybe it was something he ate or maybe he just had one too many cookies that evening. However, the vomiting lasted all night. We were supposed to leave at 4:00 in the morning, but I could put our sick kid in the car. Adam had to get back to work and Becca had to take Brandon to the doctors to get new casts the next day. We new we had to do something. We decided to wait it out and by 11:00 a.m. Zachary was doing a lot better. It truly amazes me how kids bounce back so quickly after being so sick. We loaded the four kids, three adults, and two dogs in the car at 12:30. I was still a little nervous because I did not want to clean up vomit in the car. We had beautiful weather driving home that day and everybody remained healthy in the car. We arrived home at 3:30 in the morning exhausted and ready for our beds.

Christmas activities!

2008-12-17T11:05:00.000-08:00

I absolutely love this time of year! I love putting up the Christmas tree and placing the ornaments in that perfect spot (all glass ornaments have to be placed high so Nicholas can't grab them). I love hanging the stockings and the lights. I always finish my shopping early so I don't have to drag three kids out with all of the 'crazy' people that are frantically trying to find the perfect gift for their love ones. It is so nice to stay inside and do activities with the kids. We made Christmas ornaments this year for our big activity. We made the ornaments out of salt dough and then we baked them and painted them. They turned out great! I will have to post a picture when they are completely dry and the ribbon is added.

Earlier this month we went downtown with Adam's brother to look at the lights. It was really cold that night and it did start to snow a tiny bit. Zachary loved the train in the James Center and we could have stayed there all night, but we didn't.

We also went to see Santa. I was expecting at least one kid to cry this year and boy was I wrong. Lindsay and Zachary had been stating for weeks what they wanted. Lindsay wants a purple a baby doll...that was great because I already got her one without knowing. Zachary wants a new Thomas train and he was stuck on this. I just sent Adam out yesterday to pick one up for him. We couldn't have Santa not bring him a train.

Merry Christmas!

Pilgrim hats

2008-12-04T11:13:00.000-08:00

Zachary and Lindsay had a blast making pilgrim hat cookies with their cousins Jacob and Kayla on Thanksgiving Day. This was a craft that my mother-n-law found in a magazine and she graciously shared it with me. I guess she knows we love doing fun activities around the house. Plus, it kept the kids out of the kitchen while my Mom cooked us a wonderful meal.

The kids opening Reese's peanut butter cups

Zachary hard at work

"Don't you eat my cookie"

YUMMY!

Our lovely pilgrim hats...The kids did an awesome job!

Welcome Brandon

2008-11-25T10:56:00.000-08:00

My nephew Brandon Taylor Young was born on Nov. 15th. He weighed 6lbs. 3oz and was 19 1/2 inches long. He entered this world with a rough start. After my sister, Becca had an emergency c-section Brandon was rushed off to the NICU because he was not breathing. Becca did not see Brandon until well into the second day. He was on oxygen for a few days, but now he is home with Becca and they are doing great. He is so tiny compared to my kiddos and looks so pitiful because he has a cast on each leg...he was born with severe clubfeet. My kid’s absolutely love Brandon. I can't wait for Becca to go back to work so I can watch this little guy. I am going to be his aunt and babysitter. I know we will be extremely busy around here, but I know I can handle it...with a lot of prayer being said of course.

Zachary loves his new cousin Brandon

Lindsay loves being a little Mommy

Nicholas looks so huge

Fall Fun!

2008-11-25T10:47:00.000-08:00

Yesterday the kids played in a huge pile of leaves beside our house. Adam blew the leaves there about a week ago. We have been so busy with the birth of little Brandon and visiting with my Dad and Step-mom, Debbie, that he has not had a chance to bag them up yet. This was a huge blessing to the kids because all kids love to jump in leaves. We had a great time but had to cut it short because it was windy and a little chilly.

I love this picture of Zachary

Lindsay having a blast

All Nicholas wanted to do was eat the leaves

Bounce

2008-11-14T13:19:00.000-08:00

Zachary loves playing the part of being a big brother. When Lindsay was old enough to sit in the doorway jumper Zachary would sit by her side helping her bounce.

Now Nicholas is old enough and Zachary again is sitting by his side helping him bounce.

The bouncer is in the same doorway, but you can see Adam's handy work. He put in hardwood floors and got a bigger TV.

Letting it out!

2008-11-14T12:37:00.001-08:00

We have been using portrait innovations since Zachary turned one. We feel in love with them and think they take gorgeous pictures. We have never had a problem with them until we took Nicholas for his 3-month portrait. We had to wait for 2 hours until they could take his picture. I was starting to get frustrated because Nicholas was on the verge of a breakdown because he was so exhausted. Luckily, we got him to smile and he took a great picture that day, but we vowed that we would never return on a Saturday.

Now Nicholas is 6 months old and we went back to portrait innovations today (Friday early afternoon). We arrived and the parking lot was packed. I thought maybe it was packed because there are a few small restaurants next to portrait innovations and it was lunchtime. However, I walked into the studio and the waiting room was so full that I had a hard time finding a seat. Adam, my assertive husband, went to ask how long the wait was going to be. They told us an hour. Wait an hour, why did I schedule an appointment? I don't know why but they feel it appropriate to schedule appointments every 10 minutes. That is hardly enough time to set the room up. Needless to say we waited. During our wait Nicholas was starting to suck on his thumb. When he starts to suck on his thumb it is a good indicator that he wants to take a nap. Now I am starting to get nervous again. I just want a good picture. After the long wait we ended with a perfect picture but now we can't pick them up until tomorrow. Portrait innovations have their own printer in the studio and have same day pick up. Not today though.

Now Adam and I are wondering what to do for Nicholas' 9-month portrait and of course Lindsay and Zachary's birthday pictures. We only pay $26.00 for pictures for Adam’s family and mine. That is a steal! They take beautiful pictures and I love using them. However, we have young kids and it is risky to try to wait for an hour or two every time we need a picture taken. I guess we will worry about it when the time comes, but for now I just had to vent a little.

Zachary and election day

2008-11-04T09:33:00.000-08:00

This morning Adam and I were getting ready so we could go and vote. Zachary, not use to waking up and going so early in the morning, asked Adam where we were going. Adam explained to Zachary that we were getting ready so we could go vote for a new president. Zachary said in a very exciting voice, "Yay we are going on a boat and we are going to get presents". It was so priceless!!! A three year old does not understand voting (boat) or a president (presents). Zachary was a little disappointed when we told him we weren't going to ride a boat or get presents today.

Halloween Fun!

2008-11-03T13:42:00.000-08:00

Every year Adam and I attend the Fall Festival that our church provides as an alternative to trick or treating on Halloween. This year the kids had a BLAST!!! Zachary picked out Adam's dream costume...Jeff Gordon. I guess after watching his Daddy scream "GOO GORDON" every Sunday Zachary could not resist. Lindsay was the cutest little ladybug that you ever saw. She won second place for the best animal costume (there wasn't a bug category). Nicholas was the cutest little bear ever. If this costume looks familiar to some that is because it was Zachary's first costume. It was so cute on him I could not resist the temptation to let Nicholas wear it.

Our kids with their cousins Kayla and Jacob

Our little Jeff Gordon playing jug toss

Yes, folks Lindsay made this shot

Zachary on a horse

Lindsay just loved riding this little pony

Nicholas was too cute

Not sure about being a soccer Mom....

2008-10-27T11:15:00.000-07:00

When Adam and I got married I knew that one day I would become a soccer Mom. I was fine with that. I know soccer is a good sport, I enjoy watching soccer, and it is great exercise for the kids. When Zachary was finally old enough to play soccer, Adam signed him up. Adam and Zachary were so excited. The first few games were great. I loved to watch Zachary practice and play. Then, the weather got cooler. I did not enjoy sitting in the cold for an hour. I am more of a summer person. To tell you the truth it really wasn't that cold out. I thought to myself it could be worse. I don't know why I do that because next week indeed was worse. It was rainy, muddy, just plain nasty out. I tried to convinced Adam that Zachary did not need to play in the rain. Adam did not budge on this suggestion. I also suggested that Zachary wear a baseball cap so his head would not get soaked. Again, that idea was shot down because "soccer players do not wear ball caps". What was I thinking? We finally arrived at the field and I asked Zachary one last time if he really wanted to play. Of course he wanted to play. What kid would miss the opportunity to play in the rain. I was sitting in the car trying to gear myself up to get Lindsay and Nicholas in the stroller to watch the game. I was thinking that maybe basketball would be a better sport for Zachary. Basketball games are always inside and we would not have to deal with nasty or cold weather. Again, I was shot down and was told that Zachary was going to play soccer. I am not sure if I am cut out to be a soccer Mom, but I guess I will have to put my best foot forward and be the best Mom cheerleader there is despite the weather.

On a side note it was great to see Zachary's face when his coach gave him his very first soccer medal.

Could it be...

2008-10-20T11:44:00.000-07:00

Today I had to go to the doctor because I felt as if my head was going to explode. The doctor gave me some medicine and I am starting to feel a little better. However, we got to talking about my asthma. The doctor that I saw today was not my normal doctor because she had appointments all day and I needed relief right away. Anyway, he was asking me my height and stuff because he wanted me to do a peek flow test (it is a tube I breathe into to test my asthma)...he said since you are in your thirties and 5'3"...I was like in my thirties. Wait a second, I am only 28. Then, it dawned on me. I am getting old! I walked into an American Eagle store the other day and I had to leave fairly quickly because the music was too loud. I have a political campaign sign in my front yard. I have three children. It is so odd for me to admit this because at our church Adam and I are always being mocked at for being so young. It is so weird to think in a couple more years, I will actually be 30. That sounds so old, but yet so young. All my life people have mistaken me as being younger than I actually am. Today was an eye opener because for the first time I was older.

2008-10-16T12:10:00.000-07:00

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Bad Wall

2008-10-13T19:30:00.000-07:00

Two days ago Lindsay was walking down our hallway...okay nothing new. Like a normal two year old she was not paying attention as she was walking and all of a sudden BAM she ran right into the wall. My first thought was oh no she is going to cry. Boy, was I proven wrong. She looked right at that wall, and said "bad wall" and then continued to walk down the hallway. I wish you could have heard her voice. It was hilarious!!!

Zachary playing soccer

2008-10-06T10:22:00.001-07:00

Once Adam found out we were going to have a son, he was talking about soccer. Adam grew up playing soccer and really enjoyed the sport. He wanted the same for Zachary and now Nicholas when he gets older. If I am completely honest, he wants Lindsay to play soccer also. I told Adam I am fine with Lindsay playing soccer or whatever sport she chooses, but I want to put her in dance or gymnastics first. I want my girl to do "girly" things when I have a say in it. Is that such a bad thing? However, I am sure she will be my little athletic tomboy because she is sandwiched between two brothers.

So hot that day!

His coaches told him to do that! I am not sure what soccer skill that is teaching!

On his way to score a goal!

Zachary sucking his thumb

2008-10-03T11:42:00.000-07:00

I can't remember why he had his shoes on when he was wearing his jammie shirt. Too weird! I do remember that he was very sick that day. I felt it was appropriate to add a picture of Zachary sucking his thumb. He was a year and a half in this picture.

Nicholas is a "thumb-aholic"

2008-10-03T10:37:00.000-07:00

When Zachary arrived into this world, Adam and I agreed that we would not use the pacifier. We wanted our children to be able to self soothe themselves without us putting a "plug" in their mouths. Plus, a paci is so hard to get rid of when it is time to do so. I do not want to offend anybody who does use a pacifier, but that is Adam's and my opinion. Well, Zachary only sucks his thumb when he has his yellow star bear. He only gets this bear when he is in bed. Occasionly it comes into the living room if he is sick. Lindsay never really found an interest in her thumb and puts herself to sleep on her own. Then came Nicholas. He found his thumb at about 3 months old and will not stop sucking on it. I do not mind him sucking on his thumb to go to sleep. That is a great thing because it calms him down and he is able to put himself to sleep. However, all day long he wants that thumb in his mouth. We are always pulling it out and telling him no. Lindsay and Zachary have joined the fun and are also pulling his thumb out of his mouth. You know he has a problem when I am carrying him and I have to hold his arm down so that he doesn't put that thumb in his mouth. I am sure one day he will only suck his thumb to put himself to sleep, but for now we will keep pulling it out of his mouth and telling him no.

My three beautiful children

2008-09-26T13:42:00.000-07:00

Here is a quick blog...I am still trying to figure this thing out. Adam and I are very busy these days due to the fact that we are raising three beautiful children. Zachary is 3, Lindsay is 2, and Nicholas is 4 months old. We wouldn't have it any other way. Some people think we are crazy but others think that it is great to have children so close together. When we have days that they are all crying at the same time I might for a slight minute think, "what in the world were we thinking?", but that quickly changes when you see their smiling faces. I know (well I hope and pray) that they will always be close and have a wonderful relationship with each other. Right now Lindsay and Zachary fight a lot over toys, but that is normal behavior for their age. I will try to write more later and keep more pictures coming.