HaPpY bIrThDaY kAyLa!!

It can't believe my baby turned 6!! I'm so sad! She's growning up way too fast! (So is Courtney!) It's so hard to believe, it's like just yesterday we were bringing her home from the hospital.

She got an unexpected present this year......a SNOW DAY on her BIRTHDAY! So she got to spend the day at home playing in the snow. She actually got to spend it with Great Aunt Lisa since I was still working and Dave had to work too. After Courtney's soccer game that evening, we enjoyed a yummy dinner at Culver's with MaMa and PaPa, Uncle Bobby, Uncle Scotty, and Ashley. And then had a delicious Oreo Cake at home!

On Saturday January 31st, we had invited all the girls from her class to her friends birthday party at Baked Goods Pottery. It was a great party!! The kids were all so good and had so much fun! It was such a low stress level party. I loved it!! And would highly recommend going there. After her party, we were off to Celebraity Car Wash to take her picture in front of the Happy Birthday sign.

Our next stop was Walter Knoll so the girls could make their flower arrangements! Had to have them for the family party that evening! Family and friends came over to celebrate with dinner and cake and ice cream. We had a delicious dinner which was cooked by Chef Mike at the girls school. I knew with all the snow and working that I would not have time to shop and cook. Come Saturday, I was so happy I called Mike! The food was delicious and it was nice to have everything ready for us.

Here's some pictures from Kayla's big party day.....

Happy 6th Birthday Princess!

All her friends singing Happy Birthday!

Kayla & her Birthday Cake!
(can't wait until she gets over the cheeseball smile stage!)

Singing Happy Birthday one more time!

~~ We worry about what a child will become tomorrow, yet we forget that she is someone today. Teach her to love and learn. She will find their way in this big world as long as she has love and her family. ~~

Happy 6th Birthday Princess! We love you!

Here we go.....

Well, even though I have a ton of other things I should be doing right now, I've decided to take some time out for some blogging! I just can't motivate myself anymore right now. :) Anyway, let's re-cap for a few minutes.....

~ Our week of January 26th ~

Total CRAZINESS pretty much sums it up. Monday started with a snow storm rolling in so it was off to work for me. I was excited, we haven't had any weather since before Christmas so I had the "itch" to work a snow storm. And boy did the itch get scratched! What a week it was. I didn't come home until Wednesday and that was because I made myself come home for Kayla's birthday. (A special birthday posting coming later) Courtney had a soccer game Wednesday evening which I did make it to, VERY tired but I was there. Thursday and Friday was spent back out at the office working on paper work. Once Friday rolled around I was excited and looking forward to Kayla's bday parties but stressing if we'd have everything ready. Saturday morning we had her friends party and the family party was that evening. Both parties went great and we had lots of fun!! Not much else to report from this week because I wasn't home much but the girls had a blast playing in the snow and enjoyed 2 days off school!

~ Our week of February 2nd ~

This week started off with Super Bowl! Needless to say, I was not in the mood to party. I needed sleep! So we stayed home and enjoyed the game. It was nice to spend some quite time at home. Monday came and it was back to working. I was back out at the office Monday - Thursday wrapping up paper work and getting checks done. What a relief it was once that was all done. But now I'm wishing for another storm......and I haven't even caught up on sleep yet!!! What is wrong with me!?! ;) Anyway, the week was pretty uneventful, my birthday was Wednesday and the girls gave me a new iPod! Which I love....it's a shuffle so it's easy for me to use. The other ones are just too much for me. I like turning the shuffle on and getting a mix of songs! Once Friday finally arrived, Dave and I spent the day together since he was off running around doing errands that needed to be done. That evening we took the girls out to dinner and did some birthday shopping! Our weekend was pretty busy also but not too bad!

~ This Week ~

Here we are already into the second week of February. This week is going to be spent playing catch up. I have a ton of laundry to do along with Boutique stuff, Auction work for school, and a few other things. Nothing too exciting going on this week. I'm hoping to get back into a regular blogging routine!

Until next time, Have a Great Week!

Lost?

No! I'm not lost! I'm finally taking a few minutes to update a posting. I haven't forgot and yes, everyone is fine around here. I have been working crazy long hours for over a week now with the snow storm we had last week. I just haven't had the time to update. When I do come home, it's hurry and get some things done either for the girls, laundry, or try to get some sleep! This storm is really kicking my butt! It's been a long one but as I continue to clock the hours and when I get really tried, I remind myself....it's all about the money right now! It doesn't snow every week! :) So once things settle down and the checks have been mailed, I will sit down and update the last couple of weeks! I have pictures from Kayla's birthday which by the way, I can't believe she turned 6!!!! I makes me so sad!!!! :( But until the big update comes with pictures, have a good week and stay warm!

January 19th - Our low-key week!

Here's last weeks re-cap!

Gosh! I really need to get myself on a better schedule again for updating our blog! I updated late in the week last week so there's not a whole lot left. We had a mild week last week. It was busy but not crazy!! It was very nice to have a 3 day weekend. Except Kayla was sick on Sunday. Not sure what was really going on there but she woke up Sunday morning, seemed fine and by 10:30am she was back in bed and asleep. Sh said her head hurt. Sh woke up about an hour or so later and had fever and then threw up. On the couch she went for the rest of the day. She slept on and off and threw up two more times. But come 6:30 in the evening she was up feeling better and playing on the floor in the familyroom with Courtney. She's fine ever since. I'm very thankful whatever it was didn't last long! Hopefully the girls continue to stay well. I have them washing their hands a lot along with several other preventive care things!

Here's the news for this week.....

This week is a short school week!! I love these weeks and wish every school week could be 4 days. There's a lot of small things on and off going on all week but nothing real exciting! Our weekend is actually a little full this weekend. I guessing it's preparing for the next 4 weekends which are all pretty full again! :)

Until next week, have a great week!!

Our World....January 12th, 2009

Here's last weeks re-cap!

Yes! Yes! Yes, I know. It's Thursday night and I'm finally getting around to updating our weekly updates. But man....the days are flying by with not enough time to get everything done that I need to get done in a day. I must say though, I did get caught up on a lot of things last week. I felt like I was so behind on many things. The week before Christmas with all the on and off crazy weather we had, I worked. A lot! Then Christmas week was here. Next came New Years. And as sad I was for the girls to go back to school, it was a much needed break. Plus I was able to have some time to myself and catch up on things that were behind. My week started off Monday with back to school. It sucked when that alarm went off at 6:30am! I spent my day catching up. Tuesday was laundry and continue to play catch up! Wednesday came and I met my Aunt Debbie and little Grace at school to have lunch with the girls. They loved "showing" Grace off to all their friends!! We also really started working on Courtney's science project. Thursday finally was here and I left like the week would never end. I packed the rest of Christmas away :( and wrapped up all the things I needed to catch up on. Thursday night were meetings at school and then Friday was here!! Finally! I thought the week would never end! Our weekend was busy but somewhat relaxing. I nice break to the craziness that had been going on. Aunt Debbie and Grace left on Saturday and we were sad to see them leave. It's been a different week around here this week with them gone and the girls really miss her!

Here's the news for this week.....

Well, this week is almost over. It's been a busy one filled with many things to do. I've planned Kayla's parties and started getting things ready for that. I learned last year to be prepared with this crazy weather. So things are well wrapped up with both parties, it's a matter of food now. We have Courtney's science project to wrap up. And a on and off busy weekend ahead of us. I'm looking forward to the girls being off on Monday and sleeping in! :)
Until next week, have a great week!!

40 Tips for a Better Life!

Good ideas to start the New Year!

1. Take a 10-30 minute walk every day. And while you walk, smile. It is the ultimate anti-depressant.

2. Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day.

3. Buy a DVR and tape your late night shows and get more sleep.

4. When you wake up in the morning complete the following statement, 'My purpose is to _____ _____ today.'

5. Live with the 3 E's -- Energy, Enthusiasm, and Empathy.

6. Play more games and read more books than you did in 2008.

7. Make time to practice meditation, and prayer. They provide us with daily fuel for our busy lives.

8. Spend time with people over the age of 70 and under the age of 6.

9. Dream more while you are awake.

10. Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants and eat less food that is manufactured in plants.

11. Drink green tea and plenty of water. Eat blueberries, wild Alaskan salmon, broccoli, almonds & walnuts.

12. Try to make at least three people smile each day.

13. Clear clutter from your house, your car, your desk and let new and flowing energy into your life.

14. Don't waste your precious energy on gossip , or issues of the past, negative thoughts or things you cannot control. Instead invest your energy in the positive present moment.

15. Realize that life is a school and you are here to learn. Problems are simply part of the curriculum that appear and fade away like algebra class but the lessons you learn will last a lifetime.

16. Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a college kid with a maxed out charge card.

17. Smile and laugh more. It will keep the negative blues away.

18. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.

19. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.

20. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.

21. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.

22. Make peace with your past so it won't spoil the present.

23. Don't compare your life to others'. You have no idea what their journey is all about.

24. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.

25. Frame every so-called disaster with these words: 'In five years, will this matter?'

26. Forgive everyone for everything.

27. What other people think of you is none of your business.

28. Remember God heals everything.

29. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.

30. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch..

31. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.

32. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.

33. The best is yet to come.

34. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.

35. Do the right thing!

36. Call your family often. (Or email them to death!!!)

37. Each night before you go to bed complete the following statements: I am thankful for my__________. Today I accomplished _________.

38. Remember that you are too blessed to be stressed.

39. Enjoy the ride. Remember this is not Disney World and you certainly don't want a fast pass.. You only have one ride through life so make the most of it and enjoy the ride.

40. Tell your family and friends you love them. Everyday. You never know if you will have that chance tomorrow.

May your troubles be less, May your blessings be more, May nothing but happiness come through your life in 2009!

WOW! It's been awhile!

Wow! It's been a long time since I updated. Our weeks have been so crazy, busy, and gone by so fast that there just has not been the time to update. First, I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and a very Happy New Year! I'm going to recap the last couple of weeks before I start on a "normal" post.

RECAP for the WEEK of DECEMBER 15th ~

This week started off crazy. I went into work Sunday afternoon and it was all down hill from there. This was the week we were suppose to get the big ice storm but instead had a week long ice event of a little bit here and a little bit there. Thank God there wasn't the storm they were calling for but it sure was a long week. So there's not much to report from this week because I was working 90% of it. But I did get to pop in on the girls Christmas parties at school on Friday before heading out to the office to wrap things up for the week. Both parties went well and the girls were so happy that I was able to make it after being gone almost all week! Once the weekend FINALLY rolled around it was, hurry up and squeeze in some shopping! I hadn't started yet. i did get some done but Monday and Tuesday were going to be big shopping days!

Onto the week of December 21st -- This week started off with my Aunt Debbie, Uncle Dave, and Gracie flying in Sunday morning. The girls were SO EXCITED they were finally coming in that they were up and ready to leave for the airport at 7:30am!! So the girls were now concerned about when they were going to get to play with Gracie everyday! They both were so good with her and played so well. Monday was filled up trying to get back to normal after my week for being gone. I tried to play catch up a little but didn't have a whole lot of luck. I did get some shopping done but most importantly, I was catching up on sleep! Some much needed sleep! Tuesday rolls around and my play was to catch up on some laundry and things around the house and try to finish shopping. Well, the shopping got done but hold on....the weather had other plans. so back out to the office I went and was there until 1:00am, Christmas Eve! So I came home, got a little bit of sleep and then was back up for a full day ahead. Dave had to work so the girls and I did some cleaning, wrapping, cooking, and getting things ready for dinner. Then it was showers and get dress. We were off to 5:00pm church. The girls and I went to a very nice church service which they actually sat thru very nicely! Then it was back home to start dinner. Everyone came over for dinner and presents. We had a wonderful evening with the whole family together. Christmas morning the girls actually slept in!!! So presents didn't get started until about 9:30am around here! It was so nice!! After our morning here it was off to Dave's sisters house. Then it was back here for dinner with everyone again and more presents!! We had a great Christmas and the girls had so much fun!! The big presents for the girls this year were their Ugg Boots and the Nintendo DS they each got. Once Friday was here, I was ready to relax. But not so much! I did get to do some, but not as much as I would have liked. But that's ok! Friday night was game night and drinking here! Our weekend was busy of course! They girls wanted to spend every minute they could with Gracie!

So here comes the last week of 2008....December 28th. Things didn't slow down much but at least the was NO ICE or snow! I was enjoying the break! We had a busy week and a fun New Years. Nothing too exciting to report, just lots of time spent with family!

Here's the news for this week......

Well, it's the start of a NEW YEAR! I can't believe it's 2009! This week will be an interesting one. There's a lot of conflicting weather reports. We might get some snow so I might be working from Tuesday on this week. But we will see what happens. Monday is back to school for the girls! :( I can't believe how quickly their 2 week break went by. I'm so bummed they have to go back tomorrow! We will be trying to get back on the school schedule routine this week. There's not a whole lot going on this week....THANK GOD!! I'm looking forward to a quite couple of weeks. Or at least, less busy weeks because we still have a busy schedule. We are currently looking forward to Kayla's birthday at the end of the month and trying to plan her parties. I can't believe my baby is turning 6!!!! It's so sad!!! :( But that's about it for now. I'm going to head to bed early and get a good nights sleep just in case this weather comes in, I'll be prepared with lots of rest!!

Happy New Year everyone!!

Until next week, have a great week!!