Happy Halloween!

Well, we survived Halloween and walked away with tons of candy. We went to the church for a little trunk or treat and had a great time. The kids really wanted to trick or treat in the neighborhood so we left a little early and walked around our block.

It was fun, but I was reminded why I have not done it sooner. Some of the houses were great, but some where way too scary. Needless to say Paige is in Caden's bed tonight. Lol.

Overall we had a lot of fun. All the kids were adorable and we have enough candy to last thru the new year. Now if I can just not eat it!

Pumpkin time

Last night we carved pumpkins. We usually make a trip to the pumpkin patch, but we have had so much going on Jimmy just picked us up a couple from the store. Caden chose a spider design and Paige wanted Frankenstein.

Of course Jimmy and I ended up doing most of the work, but the kids enjoyed scooping out the insides. In fact, Paige sat next to me and played with the seeds and goo the entire time. Gross. Now we are officially ready for Halloween!

Paige turns 5!

Friday my baby girl turned 5! Maybe because she is a girl or maybe because she is my "baby" but she still seems so little to me. We started Friday off with donuts before school. That evening we let her open a few presents and got ready for her big day Saturday.

For months she has said she wanted a Halloween birthday party. I have a birthday close to Halloween too and growing up I had a few Halloween themed parties. They are fun and easy to find decorations for. Lol. We rented a bouncy slide and had it at our house. I found several ideas on pinterest and tried to have all of Paige's favorite things at the party.

My kids love a good piñata. Lol. I did not plan any games but I decided to have a treasure hunt. I could not find a Halloween piñata I liked but when my sister spotted a treasure chest one she suggested that the piñata could be the treasure. It was perfect and the kids really liked finding it.

Overall I think it turned out well. There was not a big turn out but Paige said she had an awesome birthday and she is still taking about how much fun she had. I have to say I had fun too. So, I would call it a success.

Happy birthday my sweet Paige. I love you more then you could ever know!

Counting down!

I am not "crafty" and rarely do stuff like this. We are just so excited about our trip to Disney when I found an easy countdown calendar I decided to make it. We can't wait!!! Everyday we tear off our Mickey ears and we are one day closer!

14 years

Monday was our 14th wedding anniversary. Man, that makes me feel old. Lol. Seriously, I think we get better with time. It is rare for us to go out alone, but we always make a point to go to dinner on our anniversary. And everytime we do I wonder to myself why we don't do it more often. Of course I know the answer....work, kids, just life in general. It only takes a little time away with Jimmy and I am quickly reminded why I fell in love with him. He is funny, smart, witty and of course I think very handsome. But he is so much more then that. He is the one that knows the best and the worst parts of me and still loves me. He has stuck by me thru the good and the bad. I can't imagine what my life would be like without him. I love you Jimmy T!

Weekend wedding

Saturday we drove to Weimar to Jimmy's cousins wedding. It was at a beautiful bed and breakfast. The weather was perfect for an outside wedding. The kids had a blast playing outside. They found a little spot in the garden where there were lots of frogs and snails. Jimmy's mom and grandmother were able to come with us and stayed the night at our house Saturday night. There were lots of places to take pretty photos but of course the ones with me and jimmy did not turn out.

This will be a busy week for us. Jimmy and I will celebrate 14 years together tomorrow, Paige's birthday is Friday and her party is Saturday. Looking forward to a great week!

Over the river and thru the woods

To Grandmother's house we go! Lol. This weekend we took a last minute trip to visit my grandparents. Their health is failing and I am ashamed that I have not made the trip to see them sooner. Usually we stay at my aunts house, but with both our families getting bigger and my grandparents bad health we stayed at a hotel.

Can I just say my kids love staying in hotels. Paige was the official elevator button pusher and Caden was in charge of swiping the room key. I think their favorite thing was riding on the luggage cart. A close second was getting to eat at Golden Corral. Lol. They are still talking about the chocolate fountain.

We had a nice visit with my grandparents and cousins. My dad let Caden practice with his bow and arrow and BB gun. Paige even got a try. You can see in one of the pictures Caden is not very happy about it. He said that was just for boys. Sorry Caden, girls can shoot guns too. Overall is was a quick but good trip. One I need to make more often.

Student of the week

Paige was student of the week at her pre-k! She got a certificate, a sticker, and a pencil. She also got to go visit the principle who gave her the prizes. I am so proud of her. I was so worried how she would do with the move to her "big" preschool. It is great to have just a little confirmation that she is doing well. I think I was more excited than she was. Lol. I called my mom right away who was of course very excited too. Paige is not one for a lot of attention. She asked me why everyone was so excited? Lol. Being humble is a good thing I guess. Way to go Paige!

Picture time!

I love picture day at school. I usually coach the kids on how to smile, and beg Caden not to do anything silly. Lol. This year I got a nice surprise when I opened Caden's picture. We had gotten his haircut and I love him in his yellow polo shirt. That will make the perfect picture I thought. Well, I had forgotten Caden had his shell necklace he got from Florida in his backpack. Apparently he thought he needed an accessory. He must have put it on at school because he did not leave the house that way. I just had to laugh. Of course I still think my baby is very handsome, necklace and all.

What a weekend

Yesterday was Columbus Day. That meant no work and no school! We had a nice long weekend. We started Saturday off with Caden's soccer game. This was the first one Jimmy was able to make it to. Caden did well and it was beautiful weather. Then we were able to go see the kids friend Jase play. He did great and it was a lot of fun. We did not want the fun to stop so we invited Jase to go see Hotel Transylvania with us. The kids had a blast and judging from the amount of laughter I think they liked it.

That evening while Jimmy watched the kids I was able to attend a ladies fellowship at the church. There were several speakers including Jase's mom Jessica. They all did a wonderful job and I cried the entire time! It was so much fun getting to spend time with the girls.

Monday we went to Main Event with some friends of ours. We all had a great time bowling and playing putt putt golf.

It was a great weekend full of family and friends!

Memories

Ever had something you do or eat bring back a memory? Sometimes with dinner I make garlic and cheese toast. Jimmy laughs because everytime I do I tell him how my Aunt Rhonda would make us pizza toast when I would stay the night with my cousin Sarah. It was basically the same thing but it had pepperoni on it and she would make it for us instead if ordering pizza. We were far from poor growing up but did not always have $ for extras like pizza. We would eat that and homemade brownies and have the best time. We are the same age and some of my best memories were made at their house. I wonder what my kids will remember some day about their childhood?

A day in the life of me

I did this post last year about this time. I think it will be fun to one day go back and see how much my day to day life has changed. Maybe I will look back and say "how did I do all that?" Or maybe I will think, "I wish I had all that free time." Lol. I remember during the summer when the kids went to Jimmy's parents for a week I did not know what to do with myself. Most days I feel like there are not enough hours in the day. But I know this is just a short season in my life and it will pass quickly. I try to guard my family's time and keep my priorities in line. I feel like we are so busy and we do not do even half of what other people do. I don't know how they manage. I just try to keep a balance. I went back and read my other post. I wanted to make sure i include the same type of information. Caden started first grade this year and now Paige goes to pre-k half a day everyday. I still work from home. I think that should cover it. So, here is what my average week looks like right now.

Monday- Alarm goes off at 5:15
Get dressed
Do my morning job duties for work
Fix kids breakfast
6:30 feed the kids breakfast, make their lunches and get them ready for school
7:10 take the kids to school
8-9 go to the gym
9-11:30 work like crazy! Lol
11:40 pick up Paige from school
12-2 give Paige lunch, clean and work
2:30 pick up Caden from school
3-5 finish up work, make sure homework is done, clean, fix dinner
5:30-7. Dance and soccer practice
7-8 bedtime routine
8-? Finish whatever else needs to be done! Lol. Usually laundry, work on Sunday school lessons and get everything ready for the next day

Tuesday- looks exactly like Monday but we have tumbling and no soccer

Wednesday- no dance or soccer
Church! This is also our family dinner day.

Thursday- I think my favorite day of the week. The daytime is the same as all the other days but our evening is free!

Friday- Daytime routine is the same. This is usually the day I add paying bills, making my meal plans for the next week and grocery shopping.

Saturday- soccer games at 9. Then whatever! Sometimes birthday parties. This is also my catch up day on my cleaning schedule.

Sunday- Church, and more church. Lunch with family and get ready to do it all over again!

Not the most exciting post, but one I want to remember.