Challenge

A couple months ago I gave Cooper & Kaelyn a challenge to get them off the couch and doing something other than watching TV.  This is especially hard during those long, dreary winter months.  So we talked about things that were "good things to do" during the daytime.  They had to AGREE to turn off the television and find something else to do without moms prompting.  For every hour they turned off the TV and did something "good" they earned an ice cream scoop.  Last week they finally earned their last scoops....

Their reward was a DOUBLE scoop of ice cream at Baskin Robbins.  They were so excited to finally get to exchange their paper ice cream scoops for real ones.  :) 

Even Campbell got in on the action and was able to enjoy the ice cream.  :)  Mommy & Daddy might have gotten some too......

How we spent our Saturday

A couple weeks ago my wonderful husband spent the week making these fabulous raised beds for our vegetable garden this year.

Today we were able to get some dirt from our fabulous friends and fill up one of those raised beds with awesome dirt and even a few vegetables! Imagine that!

We were SOOOOOO thankful that my mom and dad were gracious enough to take all three kids for the majority of the day so that we could actually accomplish something. Not only did we get one of the beds filled and mostly planted (still have carrots to go) but we were able to clean out the pots from last year and plant our tomatos & peppers as well.

We also managed to get the front flower beds completely cleaned out and weeded! Yay! I think this is the earliest our yard has every looked this good. We worked hard and we're really tired, but it was so worth it. Thanks mom and dad for taking the kids and helping us out - we owe you big time!

A resurrection of sorts

This is my attempt at resurrecting this blog. Not sure how long it will last, but we'll try. I'm not even going to TRY to catch up from where I left off, but instead just start from where we are now.

Kaelyn is now 9 years old and officially becoming "tween". Somedays the attitude is better than others, but for the most part she is so helpful and pleasant to be around. She is finishing up third grade and took her state test last week. We'll see what the results reveal, but she has made such great strides this year as far as her academics are concerned that I'm expecting them to be good. She came out of the test exclaiming, "That was SOOOOOO easy." So we'll see..... She continues to swim and was promoted to the intermediate swim team earlier this year. She swims 3-4 times a week for a couple hours each time. It's so fun to watch her. I can't wait for summer when she starts up with her swim "meets" again. A couple weeks ago Kaelyn made her dramatic debut when our homeschool co-op put on a performance of the 'Wizard of Oz'. She did a really great job as Swirly the munchkin. It was really fun not only to watch her in the play, but to see her excitement prior to the performance.

Cooper is growing in leaps and bounds. He has gotten so tall and is ALL boy. We've been referred to speech therapy for him as he has some issues pronouncing some of his letters, so we'll see what happens with that. We're planning to start more formal schooling with him in the fall. Not neccessarily kindergarten material, but something that will be a little more interesting for him than just playing while we try to get schoolwork done. Cooper is into EVERYTHING Star Wars related. From the lego people to the video game to the books about Star Wars. It all fascinates him and he can't get enough of it. Mommy, however, could use a break from it all and we've had to have a few 'No talking about Star Wars' days. But all in all, its nice to see him excited about something and using his imagination when he plays with his star wars men. Cooper love Campbell so much. Watching him play with her and care for her is so precious. He is such a loving little boy (when he's not pretending to shoot people) and it has been fun to watch. He isn't currently active in any sports, but we're hoping to get him in some swimming lessons, along with pondering putting him in something like soccer, karate, etc... in the fall.

Campbell is now a toddler. Maybe that's enough said about that. LOL She is into everything. I swear that I'm cleaning up one room in the house and she is in the other room destroying everything. She is also talking a LOT. I don't remember either of the other two talking as much as she does. Actually I know the other two didn't talk this much at this age. She repeats everything and jabbers on 'the phone' all the time. One of her very favorite things is to climb into the little rocking chair and be a big kid. It's actually pretty cute. She is turning into a little diva too. Whenever we tell her she looks "pretty" she will walk around all proud of herself and then walk straight into the bathroom and demand to be put on the counter so she can see herself in the mirror. She also loves shoes. If she sees a pair of her shoes sitting around she will pick them up and want them on. No matter if she's wear footie jammies or not. LOL

So, that's about all about the kids. Jeff was laid off from work in February so we're working through the hardships of unemployment. But we'll be fine. Thankfully, the job Jeff is in means that he WILL have another job at some point in time. It's just going to be a little wait. We're hoping the construction business picks up over the summer and that he'll be back to work in the fall. In the meantime, I'm learning a lot about couponing and we're going to lots of garage sales to find things we might need around the house. But all in all, we know that God will provide!

So, here we go. The blog is resurrected. We'll see how long it lasts.

Fun!

What a fun giveaway on my friend's blog - check it out!

http://knittybutton.wordpress.com/2011/01/01/giveaway-14/

A DPP failure

It's now December 10th and I'm a December Photo Project failure. My good laptop has some virus where I can't even get online and the old laptop that I'm using is SOOOOOOO painfully slow that I hate to download new pictures on it and then have to wait for them up load here. :-( So, until I get the new laptop fixed (who knows when that will be) I'll have to be a DPP dropout. Which makes me really sad because I was loving it! Oh well, someday I'll actually finish things I start.

December 8th (DPP)

I love the color of this poinsetta. It was a gift to us. We'll see how long I can keep it alive!!!

December 7th (DPP)

Oops. Forgot yesterday - I'll just have to do two today! :)

You know, it's good luck to have a spider on your Christmas tree.

December 6th (DPP)

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

Today we got our tree and decorated it. And, of course, the advent calendar came out. :) Tomorrow, the rest of the decorations make their way up in the house. Yay for Christmas!

December 5th (DPP)

Christmas lights.

Jeff tackled the outside Christmas lights today. There is a reason we don't put these up every year. And now.... we remember that reason.

December 4th (DPP)

Last night and today we celebrated Cooper's 4th birthday (although it's not actually until next week). I'm so blessed by this little boy! As much as he drives me crazy, I could not imagine life without him. :-) Happy Birthday Buddy!

December 3rd (DPP)

This pictures has absolutely zilch to do with the holidays. But I had to post it because it made me laugh hysterically. She is definately the child of many, many expressions!

I love her.

December 2nd (DPP)

The first Christmas card of the year.

Isn't this the cutest picture?! This is Jeff's cousins two little girls - Briony & Ellison. Totally adorable. Definately a great first Christmas card!

December 1st (DPP)

This is my new apple cinnamon candle that I bought today. It is the only "piece of Christmas" decor that we have around right now. We don't decorate until after we celebrate Cooper's birthday so for now - this is it! But man, oh man, does it smell GOOD!!!

December Photo Project

Ok, I'm trying to revive this blog. I know - probably too late.

I'm going to attempt to the December Photo Project - http://www.tredways.org/december-photo-project//

Be back in a few minutes!

October

Because all you really care about are pictures anyways......

Couponing?

I know this is totally random - but have you ever thought of couponing? I'm toying with the idea. I know, don't laugh at me! But, if you have ever thought of it - here is a GREAT giveaway that is happening... http://balancingeverything.com/2010/11/05/enter-to-win/.

I'm hoping to win this - http://www.momsaves.com/couponbindershop

Random

This picture makes me actually laugh out loud. I love Campbell's facial expression. Too funny! They were all playing on the floor the other night and I couldn't resist the photo opp. :-)

Campbell has been joining us at the dinner table for the last week or so. We give her something to try to get in her mouth every once in awhile. She hasn't been very successful actually getting anything in there as of yet. But she sure looks cute sitting there.

And here is a sneak peak of a certain little ones' halloween costume. I didn't make one because I really have my doubts that I'll be able to get it done. But it is so darn cute!!!

Back to school

3rd Grade.

How is the world did THAT happen. Well, however it happened, here we are. At the start of another school year. So, these pictures weren't actually taken on the "first" day of school. It was raining the first day of school and Kaelyn chose to wear the baggiest pair of sweatpants she had that day so we chose to take pictures of the "third" day of school instead. LOL Ah, the joys of homeschooling. She chose to wear her backpack so looked official. And a long sleeve shirt and flip flops. But, whatever. We didn't actually do any school shopping this year so I guess I can't blame her for not having a new sporty outfit to wear for beginning of the school year pictures.

So, we're back to the routine of school. Even Cooper is doing some work this year. Here he is doing his matching game. He looks like he's being tortured by the expression on his face, but I promise that he wasn't. :-) I think he was actually saying the letter "e". Sure, let's go with that....

And here's my three beautiful children. This is my new favorite picture. Man, am I blessed beyond measure.

A little family trip

Last weekend we took a trip to Portland to visit family. It was a wild ride, with lots of chaos, but fun nonetheless. The kids always have a great time with the grandparents (these are Kaelyn's birthfather's parents, whom we see quite regularly).

Here we are headed off on the great adventure. Excited and ready to go early, early in the morning!

Kaelyn and Cooper shared a bed. I think they slept in the most luxurious bed they will EVER sleep in while on this trip. It was so soft and cushy with a silk comoforter. Trust me, I was petrified they would ruin it, but they didn't! :-)
Cooper got to ride the tractor with Grandpa Bob. He (Cooper, although I'm sure Bob was too) was in HEAVEN. He wanted to ride that thing over and over and over again. Perfect for little boys.
Grandma Chris got in all her Campbell snuggles. I love this picture of them!

And Kaelyn and Cooper got their fill of playing in the mud and sand. This little park is just down the street from Chris and Bob's. Every year we go there and they are always forbidden to play in the little water feature there because it makes such a mess. This year we got smart and embraced the mess. We let them put on their swim suits and get as messy and gross as they wanted to. Of course, they had to be hosed off in the freezing cold hose before being let in the house, but they didn't really mind.

One reason they didn't mind getting hosed off is because it meant that they could then head upstairs to Grandma Chris' big bathtub. Believe it or not, this was only 2 tbsps of soap!!!

But, alas, the weeend had to come to an end. We drove back in the dark of night because it was easier for all of us. And no traffic. I love this picture in contrast to the very first picture. :-)

This is what you missed

Campbell turned 5 months old. Ok, so she's almost 6 months now and hopefully I'll post those pictures sooner rather than later. But, nonetheless, here is her 5 month picture with "the bear".

She also modeled this adorable outfit. Some friends from college sent us this when we found out we were having a girl. I love the little hat. SO cute. It's a Robeez brand outfit. Didn't know they made clothing? Yeah, me either. LOL But I love it.

And there is no better way to beat the 90+ degree heat than by wearing your purple flame diaper. Campbell at least thought it was pretty cool.

I made this adorable little dress. It's still a little big - probably more like a 12 months size. It's darn cute because it has a little petticoat underneath - complete with netting. :) Hopefully it will fit right about Easter time. We'll see.

And Jeff graduated from his apprenticeship. I'd show you pictures of that event, but it was so dark in the room and hard to get any good pictures of him, so I'll spare you those bad pictures. But, here is a picture of Campbell and I all dressed up and ready to head off to the big graduation event. :) Notice the bow that my mom lovingly taped to her head. So cute.

And, you can't see this picture and tell me that Campbell and her daddy don't look exactly alike. It's my new favorite picture. :-)

And last, but not least - let's hope that this is not a look into Campbell's future with her falling asleep at the wheel. Apparently, our dinner conversation was way too boring for Campbell.

And, I realize that I haven't posted any pictures of Kaelyn and Cooper. Pictures of them will come soon from our trip to Portland. Maybe.