Playing at the Park

Those eyes... KILL ME.

Biker Babes

    

Time to get a second tricycle :)

We Love to Dance

... and apparently, clothing is optional.

Rainy Day

We have had a few good rain storms and the girls just love sitting on the porch watching it rain.

From a kiss on the cheek...

To a Lick on the cheek.

From Grandma's Journal

My Dad's family does a family newsletter every month, different families contribute and try to keep everyone posted on what is going on.  I'm terrible at contributing but I always look at it when it comes to my inbox each month.  One thing I always love to see, is every now and then, one of my aunts will post something from my Grandma John's journal.  I never knew that she wrote poems, but she was really good!  Her poetry is always inspiring, and this one tonight brought a smile to my face, and I thought I would share:

When you feel a bit discouraged

At the outcome of the plan…

When your efforts go unnoticed,

Though you do the best you can.

When you think that no one gives a hoot

If things go well or not…

Smile…You know God Loves you

Not a little, but a lot!

When a golden chance escapes you,

Or a friendship hits a snag

When the showers stop the sunshine,

And your hopes and spirits lag,

When you seem to be neglected,

Or you feel you’ve lost your way…

Smile…You know God loves you,

Every minute of the day!

If you doubt this bit of wisdom,

Think of all he’s done for you,

All the blessing he has given,

All the dreams that did come true

All the many little favors…

That have proved His love has no end,

He is more than just “Our Father”

He’s an understanding friend!

So when troubles come in bunches,

And you don’t know where you’re at,‘

Cause life’s rosy hopes and promises

Have fallen pretty flat.

Lift your chin and square your shoulders,

And then smile for all you’re worth

For just to know God loves you…

Is the greatest joy on earth.

What we did all summer

I'm a sad excuse for a blogger.

In an attempt to fill in the blanks of the summer, I thought I'd update with a few pictures over the next couple of days.  

We went swimming nearly every day this summer.  It really is the only way to handle the heat.  The girls loved it, and what pregnant girl isn't looking for a way to shimmy into a bathing suit every day?

At the start of the summer, Abigail wouldn't even get off of the steps with her floaties on.  By the end of the summer, she is a little fish, swimming completely on her own without any floaties.  She took us by surprise with that one.  She hasn't had any lessons, one day she just started swimming.  

Ellie is a dare devil in the pool.  She doesn't want to be held, she wants to be runnin' and gunnin' on her own.  She will jump right in from the side of the pool (or a wall four feet above the pool if it is available).

Sales Pitch ;)

A few months ago I got hooked on Norwex.

A good friend of mine found out about this line of household cleaning supplies that are completely free of harsh chemicals.  I decided to jump on board the "clean without chemicals" party bus, and let me tell you- I fell in love.

I am not naturally just a really neat and clean person.  I have never liked cleaning, and taking any of the little bit of free time that I have to clean rarely happened.  With the Norwex line of products, I am able to keep my house clean and sanitary with very little time or effort, and I can include my kids in the cleaning process without being concerned about their contact with any cleaning chemicals.

Norwex provides a line of ANTIBACTERIAL microfiber cloths that can be used for cleaning. Seriously? Antibac cloths? I didn't buy it at first.  Their cloths are unique because they contain silver, which is a natural antibacterial agent, who knew? So you can use a cloth to clean a room, bathroom, whatever- and then rinse it out, hang it to dry, and use it again- over and over again.  All you use to clean with is the cloth and water.  Raw chicken on the counter, no big deal, just water and a norwex cloth and its totally sanitary.  Then just rinse the cloth and hang it up. By the time its dry, the silver has killed any bacteria.

Since I bought Norwex for the first time about 6 months ago, I have not used any cleaning chemicals at all in my home, and it is cleaner than it has EVER been.  I can have Abigail clean the kitchen table after a meal, or mop the floors (their mop makes mopping a piece of cake and really fast).  I can totally clean the bathroom while the girls are playing in the bath tub.  Seriously- just love how quick and easy it is to keep a clean house with this stuff around. The window cloth is amazing.  Confession: In our last house, we lived there for just about a year and a half and I never cleaned the windows once, until I got my norwex window cloth about a month before we moved.  I HATE cleaning windows.  Now, I see a smudge and I have to clean it because its so stinkin' easy and quick!  My friend that told me about them, had a daughter with brain cancer.  She found Norwex on her search for a way to keep the house sanitary without using chemicals while her little girl went through her treatments.  She knew her immune system would be weak and any bacteria in the house could easily cause infection.  She used nothing but Norwex to sanitize her house, and her daughter was kept free from infection throughout her extensive treatments.

They have lots of other products in addition to the microfiber cleaning cloths.  Towels (hang them to dry and they need to be washed VERY seldomly). Normal kitchen cloths, I use the same one all week and it doesn't ever get smelly!  They have antibac body cloths that you can use for baths, showers, or removing your makeup without needing to use any soap or makeup remover.  They have kids stuff, personal care items, dish soap, laundry soap... all kinds of stuff.  I had to become a distributor just so that I wouldn't go broke trying all of the different things :)

If you are interested in hosting a party- they have GREAT hostess rewards where you are sure to get lots of free products for yourself, just let me know and we can set it up.  

Take a few minutes to browse around my site and see what you think.

First Day of Pre-K

I can't even believe how fast this girl is growing up.

Today she was so excited to start her first day at her new preschool.  She kept saying over and over again, this is a VERY special day for me.  She was very excited last night when she got to get a special blessing from Daddy.  I haven't ever seen her sit so still and quiet.  She kept her eyes closed and arms folded the whole time Charles was giving her the blessing. She is such a sweet part of our family.

Here are a few things about her right now: 

Her favorite color is PINK. Big shocker.

She LOVES my little ponies:

  Playing with them, pretending to be them, watching the TV Show.

She wants to be a doctor when she grows up:

 If you are at our house and get an owie, she will fix you up in no time.  

She has a first aid kit that she has claimed as her own "'mercency  kit."

She loves going swimming and wants to do it every day.

She LOVES to make us laugh, and does it a lot.

Just for fun, here is her picture from her first day of preschool last year.  She started mid year, so this picture was back in January, I can't believe how little she looks! 

Sweet Charlotte

We got to be there for Charlotte's blessing on Sunday. 

We had fun loving on her all weekend.

Courtney is such a great little Mama!

Gone Fishin'

For my Dad's birthday, we went out to the lake and let the kids swim and play, cooked burgers, and had delicious homemade ice cream and cupcakes.

After dinner, we got out the fishing poles and hit the jackpot.  Everyone was catching fish right after another.  The kids had a lot of fun, and  I think the dads did too.

I had to just sit back and smile at how great it is to have all my siblings back in Texas :)

Happy Birthday Pops!