Playing Catch Up with this blog...

Sorry I haven't been on here lately. I just noticed that it has been a month since I posted last...wowwie how time if flying! Things are not crazy or anything, just full of life and fun and sometimes I just don't feel like interupting all of that with writing.

Emma and Calvin at Em's Birthday party...when your sister gets to dress up, why shouldn't you too? She has been calling him her Prince Charming which has been shortened to Charming...so cute!

The children are wonderful and amazing and we are all having so much fun together. I just love them and I am cherishing the time that I am getting to spend with them. God is so good, all of the time! Princess Emma!
Here's Emma's Birthday cake made by Auntie Bean...isn't it just adorable?

Emma turned four on May Day and it is just so bittersweet to see her grow up! She is such a sweet heart and is such a little lady. I take such pride in her that when someone leaves our home she tells them to drive safely or when we leave someone else's home she says "thank you for having me". But on the other hand she is Miss Independent. The other day she said (in her little voice) "I am four now, I don't need my mother to blow my nose." Well excuse me!

Emma being absolutely adorable on vacation! I just love her so much! She is so fun and has the cutest bathing suit...cutest suit for the cutest girl!

Emma is really flourishing in preschool, has tons of friends and is learning lots of new things. I am just so happy to see her progress. She is in gymnastics and soccer right now. We are trying to get her to try everything to see what she likes and what she doesn't. So far she is not in love with soccer but does have a passion for gymnastics.

Here's Cal painting. He never wanted to be artsy before so when he asks we jump on it. I don't know what I love about this picture more...the fact that he is standing in his Daddy's shoes painting or that he has paint ALL over his face! So fun!

Calvin is really starting to try to talk. No one can really understand him but he is starting to gibber gabber and have fun. He is about a year late on that one but he is starting. I basically fired our speech therapist. She genuinely had concern for Calvin but had no desire to have any hands on therapy. Towards the end he was looking at flashcards for 10 minutes and then would watch a movie the rest of the therapy time. It was just not working. We are going to be starting with a new therapist who is supposed to be crazy involved and active and I think Calvin will really respond to it. Yippee! I am so excited as next week is our first meeting with him!


Calvin is OBSESSED with Buzz Lightyear which is the cutest thing I have ever seen! Shoes...Buzz. Umbrella...Buzz. We have Buzz Lightyear posters, books, figurines everywhere! It is so cute when a child takes their first interest in something. Calvin calls Buzz Lightyear "aagaaa" for Lightyear. I just love that little boy so much!


I am loving staying home but the last month has definitely been an adjustment! I am such an organized person who always has a schedule. When I worked I had my planner open and would write everything down that needed done. Then I would make a timed schedule of how the day would go. That seemed to go well when I had a job but now a days it just didn't seem to work and I seemed to be just spinning my wheels. I have been spending my days seemingly very busy and at the end having nothing done or accomplished.


So I bought and downloaded "Motivated Moms". It is a day by day plan of things to do and I love it! I feel like I have my life back. I feel so accomplished when I check everything off and it is almost mindless. It makes sure I do basic things every day like take out the trash, do the dishes, laundry, etc, etc. but it also has scheduled things it tells you to do that you have to do periodically to keep your house running. Things you think of but now you don't have to like changing the sheets, clipping the children's fingernails, etc, etc. It is just a lifesaver for me and it was only $8.00!


A dear friend of mine recommmended it and at first I thought I could make a schedule up for myself and wouldn't need to pay the money but in starting that it seemed monumental and now that I have the lists there are things on there that I would never have thought to put on the list. For example last Monday I scrubbed down the bathroom walls. Wow, those were gross!


Nick, poor Nick is still on nights. He is such an amazing man that he works all of the time to support us and does so without complaint. I think he secretly takes pride in supporting us all by himself. That is something that we have never had before so it is new and exciting for all of us. I am so happy to be able to teach my children that the man's role is to provide for his family and his wife is to be his helpmate. Not that women can't work or men can't stay home but I am so happy with how things are now and pray that God continues to bless us so I can keep staying home! When Nick is home I am sure to make him big breakfasts, bake homemade cookies, and cook lots of good foods for him.


Our poor dog Lucy has heartworm. Ugh. This has been such a battle. The week before Nick was laid off I took her into the doctor for her checkup which came back that she had heartworm that had been contracted before we got her from the humane society. Naturally once Nick was laid off we couldn't pay the money for her to be treated which had just been heartbreaking. Now that we are back up on our feet (by on our feet I mean we have gone from being dirt poor to "frugal") we are having Lucy treated. She has to be on medicine for another 3 weeks and then they are doing a steroid procedure to try to kill the worms. Which by the way better work because it is going to cost at least $1000! Wow! I know it is a lot of money and I really had to sell Nick on it but I couldn't in good conscious just let my children's beloved dog die because it was too much money. I may be singing a different tune when she needs chemo or something but for now we are going to do this. The good thing about it is that we need grass seed planted but have been leary that Lucy would dig it up. So since before and after the treatment she can't run or go out except on a leash for 2 months, we are using that time for landscaping and getting some grass planted and rooted. I am super excited to see the finished product of my Landscape Architect Husband's plan!

What else has happened? Hmmm, trying to think. We have our living room half way painted. You can see the green in the picture of Emma and Calvin. I'll post pictures when it is done as Nick is doing some finishing work on it. I am growing my hair out...how exciting, I know. The good thing about that is that I am saving a ton of money on my salon bill as I now go every 4-5 months just for a trim. We went on a mini-vacation in April. Something we had been promising the kids since Nick was reemployed. It was more stressful on the adults than relaxing because it rained the entire time but I think the kids had a good time. I'll do another post on vacation.

I think that is it for now! Whew!













The children are loving the warmer weather and we have been having meals on our new patio and spending lots of time playing outside!