Trick or Treat at Bass Pro!

Tonight I took the kids to Bass Pro for a costume parade, trick or treating in the store, and coloring and pcitures with Charlie Brown. We always go there for Christmas for their activities, but this was our time for Halloween. I love taking the kids to as many things as I can so that they get the most use out of their costumes. Mary and Danny met us up there with their kiddo's and it was quite funny that Trey was Bumblebee from Transformers and Maddie was a bumblebee herself!!! They are just too cute together! Turner man was Super Why and he was the cutest Super Why I have ever seen:)

There was a costume contest at the end of the parade and Maddie was one of the winners!! It made me laugh because I normally spend over $50 for each of their costumes. With money being tight this year, we just couldn't. I did order Turner's online and think I paid around $30. Maddie has so many dress up costumes I really didn't buy her one. I had bought this bumblebee outfit at a consignment sale for $5 and that is what she chose to wear tonight. She is planning on being tinkerbell and cinderella over the next few days. A good example to me of why I don't have to spend a lot of money for them to look cute!!! Since Turner doesn't play a lot of dress up, he will be Super Why everytime and we will get more bang for our buck:) It was a fun night and I was glad Turner isn't old enough to get upset about not winning a prize! Maddie is now sleeping with her new stuffed cat. Looking forward to the weekend! We have a hayride and two more trunk or treats planned over the next few days!

Picking Pumpkins!!!!

Wednesday after I picked the kids up from school we went to a pumpkin patch to pick out our pumpkins. The kids each got a small one to paint and then we picked out a big one to carve, which is on the agenda for tomorrow. After we picked out the pumpkins the owner offered to take the kids on a train ride around the patch. Maddie was all about it, but Turner refused. He is a funny one:) I took some pictures, but since it was almost 90 degrees outside that day, I didn't bother putting Turner in any of his cute fall outfits. Maddie was still wearing her dress from school, so she looked a little more in season. I love the pillowcase dresses because they can be worn in the different seasons, by either adding a long sleeve or short sleeve shirt underneath!! Looking forward to carving tomorrow!

Storytime wirh Turner!

Turner and I have made it a habit to go to storytime on Wednesday's while Maddie is at school. I hate that Maddie misses it, but it gives Turner something special to do just for him. He loves it!!!! He knows all the songs they sing and gets very involved in singing them:). Each week there is a theme and you do a craft that follows along with it. Turner knows to look at the back wall when we walk in. An example of the craft will be hanging and he will then tell me the theme for the day. It is also a treat for him when his friend Addie is there, which is pretty often. I really enjoy this time each week with my little man and hope the kids enjoy reading as much as I do.

Soccer is coming to an end!!

Saturday is Maddie's last soccer game for the season. She has had a ball playing and is pretty good. She is aggressive, quick, and knows how to go after that ball. I think she made 5 goals last night at her game. Needless to say, we are pretty proud of our little athlete. They had their team pictures made last night and will have a party at Ci Ci's in the next few weeks. Next up.....Basketball!! We are going to play with the Church and can't wait to see how she does. We are thinking she might not like basketball as much, but you never know. They are always surprising us!

I just want to say that I realize the past few posts have been centered around Maddie. Turner has not been forgotten I promise!! We are planning on spending some quality time together tomorrow while Maddie is at school and I will do a special post just for him. I feel like my little man is being slighted, but at only two our extra activities for him are limited.

Maddie's Harvest Party!

Yesterday Maddie had her fall party at school. Happy Farms came and Maddie's class was able to feed pigs, ducks, rabbits, sheep, and a lhama. The school asked that no siblings come so I took Turner to Nay Nay's for the day so I could hang out with Mo. It was a fun day at school! After seeing the animals we went back to the classroom for pizza, fruit, and my cupcakes. They were a hit-the kids were surprised when they started eating it and there was icing in the middle:) They made two crafts-a jack-0-lantern and a bat with their handprints. I love being able to be involved in school activities!!!

Maddie was glad I was there, but tends to just lean on me when I am around. She didn't want me to leave her side. I said this last year, but sometimes I think she would have more fun if I wasn't there. She was dressed like a cowgirl and I loved spending time with my girl!!

I love to Bake!!!

I have always enjoyed cooking! Nothing thrills me more when I try a new recipe and the hubs and kiddo's enjoy it. Between the four of us, we all have such different tastes and that can be hard to do!! Turner and I will eat just about anything and Maddie and Kevin are much more particular. I think it is so easy to cook the same thing often just because you know everyone likes it. Since I have been home, I have tried a bunch a new recipes. I now plan my menu for the week and a lot of times I will just grab a cookbook and everything for the week will come from the same book. That way we are trying different things, it is easy to make a grocery list, and I just keep that cookbook on the counter for the week.

The kids love to cook with me and we are always making cookies, muffins, cupcakes, and breads. (This is probably why I need to shed a few pounds:) I love making cake balls-the hubs loves eating cake balls. Again, this makes me happy! So my newest creation has been homemade buttercream frosting. It is so easy and tastes so good!! I made Maddie's cupcakes for her birthday party and they were a hit. So....I signed up to bring dessert to Maddie's harvest party tomorrow. What better thing to make than pumpkin cupcakes! I haven't tried making cupcakes from scratch yet, so I just used the fun da middles box by Betty Crocker. (The kids LOVE making these and I recently got 6 boxes for free by couponing) I made a dozen chocolate and a dozen vanilla, made the frosting and colored it green, then put a pumpkin candy on top! It was easy, they look cute, and Maddie watched me make them and knew I doing it just for her!!

I guess I need to make cupcakes tomorrow to show some love to little man as well:)

Fall Break 2011

We have had a pretty good fall break. We loved having Daddy at home, were able to go to Savannah for a few days, and went to a fall party at the Arwood's last night. The only downside to the week was Maddie and her tummy. She has been having issues for a few weeks and we took her to the doctor last Tuesday. She has gastritis! I didn't ask a whole lot of questions but we will be going back in two weeks to talk some more. We have cut out most sugar from her diet and she is on MORE medicine twice a day. She just hasn't been eating, has diarrhea a LOT, and has thrown up several times over the past two weeks. I hope this is something that will pass, but I really don't know. Our poor Mo!!

We did love spending time with Nonna, went to one of Brayden's soccer games, and got some loving from grandparents and Marci. The fall party at Kelly's was fun and Maddie went on her first hayride. We have a super busy week ahead and I will have lots to post about once it is over. Thankful we had a week to rest and spend time with Daddy!!

Two things I am thrilled about:

-Only one more week of football!!!!

-in 20 days we will be in Disney World!!!! Let the countdown begin! Oh wait, I started that months ago:)

"Finding Delight in Real Life"

This weekend the women's ministry at our church had a fall retreat. It was Friday night and Saturday morning. It was all about "Finding delight in Real life". It was just what I needed. A lot of my girlfriends attended, along with my mom and sister. We talked a lot about the Proverbs 31 woman, got cleaning tips, and helpful hints when it comes to budgeting our money. I can definitely benefit from all these topics!!!

Real life can be tough. Although staying at home right now is a dream come true for me, there are still frustrations and mundane tasks that I do that I don't always enjoy. But it made me realize I should be thankful that I am at home to vaccuum the house. I am thankful that I have the time to dust the house. I am going to strive to do better at making sure the toys are put away at the end of the day. It is my JOB and I am blessed to have it. I don't have to be my kids playmates 24/7 (which until this weekend I honestly thought that was what I should be doing).

It was just what I needed this weekend and I am so thankful for EBC and the godly women there.

Doll Show!!

Mimi is a Docent (sp?) for the Bartlett Historical Society. She has spent a lot of time working these past few weeks on a doll show they were having at the Gotten house this weekend. The Gotten house is one of the oldest homes in Bartlett (I think) and is across the street from Bartlett High School. It is a neat house to go through and this weekend it was covered in dolls. Dolls were EVERYWHERE!!! Meg's and I took Maddie up there today to help support Mimi and have a look at all of them. Mimi had borrowed some of our American Girl dolls to display and had brought some from her house as well. Growing up we had a lot of Madame Alexander dolls and they were all on display. It was fun to see and Maddie just ate it up. I have 30 pictures of her smiling standing next to the different dolls. Probably not necessary, but she insisted:) Her favorites were the Little Rascal dolls, the Annie doll, and of course seeing all of her own. It was a fun girls afternoon getaway while Turner napped and Kevin cleaned:)

Celebrating Maddie Turning 5!!!!

Today was a great day!!!! We had 20 of Maddie's (and ours) closest friends join us for a gymnastics celebration and it couldn't have gone any better. These parties stress me out to no end. I worry about everything and Maddie had the best time (Turner too)!! I told Kevin we really need to figure out a way to pay for him to take gymnastics too. He was on top of the world on that gymnastics floor. An extra bonus was that Maddie's weekly coach, Kendall, was there to help. Maddie loves her and was even working on some of her stuff during the party.

We had a lot of our family and friends there to celebrate. The kids were all over the equipment laughing and having a good time from the ages of 1-6. Maddie received a River City tshirt and medal from the coaches and everyone sang to her. We then headed upstairs for cupcakes, cake, icecream, and drinks. Maddie received a ton of great gifts and loved her special day. She was on cloud nine today and I just loved her enthusiasm, excitement, and bright smile! She has brought us so much joy these past five years and I thank the Lord for her. She first made me a mommy and our family wouldn't be complete without her!!

We finished off the day with a trip to Chuck E Cheese with Nonna, Ashley, Chelsea, Brayden, and Sophia. Let me tell you----my kids were exhausted tonight!!! I think Turner fell asleep before his head even hit the pillow. Today was a super busy day filled with a yard sale, a soccer game, a birthday party and a chuck e cheese dinner. But our kids loved every second of it....we wouldn't have it any other way. I took a million pictures, but will just share a few!

Thank you so much friends and family for making Maddie's day so special. We love you all and are so blessed to have you in our life!!!

****After looking at this, I realized there wasn't a single picture of daddy in here. I promise he was there in the middle of everything. I didn't get a single picture of the four of us! I did get one of both of us with Maddie but it is sideways!! I think I will turn it around and post it tomorrow:) Sorry Daddy-we love you and will be sure to include you in the pics next time!!

This Past Week!

We have had a good week!! Tuesday we met some friends from church at the zoo! I think this is one of my kids favorite places. We have gone several times over the past few months and they love it. They had so much fun that BOTH kids fell asleep on the way home and slept for two hours and then I had to wake them up. Maddie NEVER takes naps! I took both kids to storytime on Thursday and then we met Mimi and her crew for lunch. We also went to Daddy's ballgame last night and loved hanging with Megs and Nay Nay and her crew. Having Nay Nay's son play for Kevin this year has been great. We have been to almost every game and the kids love running around and I love chatting with my dear friend!! These are the extras we did in addition to school, soccer, gymnastics, and church!!

Today was crunch day! Tomorrow we are celebrating Maddie's upcoming 5th birthday at River City Gymnastics. It will be done in Tinkerbell style and I am oh so excited!! Birthdays always really stress me out, but it is a ton easier to have it somewhere--it just lacks some of the personal touches. Her birthday isn't for another two weeks, but we will be leaving for Disney World shortly after that so I thought it was best to have it a little early. Since she is totally loving gymnastics, this seemed like a good place to have it. I made the cupcakes myself today and they turned out pretty cute. Did I mention I am also having a yard sale in the morning??? So, yeah, I have been working on that as well.

Here are a few pics from the week and I should have plenty more to share after tomorrow!!!! Can't believe our Moe is turning 5-more on that later!!

Mimi's Birthday and Randomness Combined!!

Yesterday was Mimi's birthday and we took her a bunch of treats!!! The kids and I made pumpkin muffins and cupcakes yesterday morning to take to her. We gave her a Bolton hoodie and the kids picked out a new pair of purple reading glasses with diamonds on the sides:) Maddie said she needs them to see. We also threw in a bag of chocolate kisses which the kids immediately wanted opened so they could have some. I did not take a single picture while over there:( I think Mimi had a great day though and we all love her more than the sky!!!

This morning we went to Maddie's soccer game and then the fireman's pancake breakfast afterwards. The kids were able to sit in a firetruck, play in a bouncer, and watch a helicopter take off-FUN!! I took a few pictures from my phone that I will share. It was a fun family day and I am looking forward to Kevin's fall break in a week!!!!

I just wanted to share a few things I am really beginning to enjoy-

Wisdom for Mothers-I am doing a new Bible Study at church on Wednesday nights. I am in there with a bunch of my friends and am really enjoying it. I have a confession-previously I have taken several bible studies while working. They all require 5 nights of homework. In the past, I would normally cram ALL five days in the night before or the day OF the class. Not real sure that I got a whole lot out of it doing it that way. Now that I am home, I have no excuse not to do it every day (almost:). I have really enjoyed having my quiet time! Today, I decided to work on it while Turner was taking a nap. Maddie chose to do Bible study with me. We both had our Bibles, pen and paper out and just worked away for about 25 minutes. I can't imagine doing anything more special with my daughter. Later I went to Target and called home while I was out. Maddie answered the phone and said she was working on her Bible Study-Love her and the responsibility I have to teach the kiddo's about Jesus!!!

Pinterest- another site I am becoming more and more familiar with and love!! You can find anything on this site!!! I am trying out a crockpot loaded potato soup this week that I found on it. The pumpkin muffins recipe from yesterday was found on this site. I have a list a mile long of projects I want to attempt for the house and with the kids that were found on here as well. Yeah, I really like pinterest!!

Couponing-Who doesn't like to go to Walgreens and spend $20 on $40 worth of stuff? I am by no means an extreme couponer, but I am working on it. After we take Maddie to school on Mondays, Turner and I always stop by Mimi and Boo Boo's to cut coupons. I have been told a subscription to the Commercial Appeal is going to be a Christmas gift. That is great, but I still want theirs as well:) I love knowing that even though I am not working right now, I can save our family money by cutting coupons. We still eat like we always have, but our grocery bill is less than half what it used to be!!

Just wanted to share a few things I am enjoying these days besides spending time with the kiddo's!!

Bartlett Festival!

Last weekend we went to the Bartlett Festival with Mary and her kiddo's. Megs and Bubba met us there and the kids had fun. Maddie and Trey just have so much fun together and loved riding all the rides. Turner enjoyed a few rides, minus the kiddie roller coaster. Poor thing cried the entire time. I don't like rides at all, but did this with him because he really wanted to go. We both hated it! The kids enjoyed some ice cream and watched a show with the policeman and their dogs. It was a beautiful day and perfect to be outside. It was a great start to October!!