picture update

in the last month or so we have...

had a school spring concert

made a pie

bought new shades

went camping

taken amazing pictures

caught a snake

thank God for this wonderful view

went to a going away party

and had a ridiculously good time!

saw zoo animals

climbed monkey bars

and climbed a huge rock

went to a petting farm

enjoyed nature

and all it's glory!

it goes without saying that

1. Our family has fun
2, God's earth is beautiful
3. I love my family

Carter-Lillian is 9!

We celebrated Carter's 9th birthday at the end of April.  We decided not to do a crazy big party like we have in the past but we let her invite 3 friends to a day at the Woodlawn park zoo.  A membership for a year to the zoo was her present (along with some zoo Playmobil I got off Craigslist for only $60, in the boxes!!!!).  We had a great time!  Carter and her cousin Saphyre made the monkey cupcakes. Carter even made her own birthday invites. I seriously love 9 already, my life has never been easier...it's actually a little too easy with these two kids, I need a new challenge or hobby perhaps!

Carter, friend Erika, cousin Saphyre, cousin Chloe and Theo

bird whisperer

my cute 9 year old!

for some reason this picture makes me think of my life with a teenager, I am not ready : (

baby Payton came to celebrate with Carter, she is such a cutie!

girl cousins!

read much?

first books checked out on her own!

spring break reading material

making her go to bed at 10PM, after reading all of these!

A few weeks ago we got C her own library card.  We got her own because we cannot keep up with her reading and we live within a block of a library...have I ever mentioned how much I love the location of our rental house, love, love , love it!  Carter loves these books called Rainbow Magic fairy books, there are 234 in the whole series, she has read 100 of them and wants to read them all.  It takes all 3 of our library cards to get the holds and check out as many as possible.  We still have a bunch left.  The good news is that they range from 60 to 120 pages so she can read a bunch in a one day or in bed at night (her favorite time to read).  I love a good reading goal and I am proud of this munchkin.  She also mops, folds laundry and made her own birthday invitations, I really feel like my life is getting too easy!

need a good laugh?

So remember when Carter was feeling a bit sick so she stayed home from school and ended up helping me mop?

Well today the cousins were over since they are on spring break (they live 20 minutes away but live in a different school district so that means different spring breaks, annoying to say the least) and we were all heading to McDonald's for a healthy lunch and some sanitary play (insert sarcasm) with my nieces and sis in law and of course Theo.  On the way there we realized we wanted Carter to join us so I emailed her teacher real quick to take her to lunch with us.  When I ran into her school to pick her up, her teacher was laughing and said "you're not taking Carter out of school to mop are you?"  When Cart's teacher told her not to head to the lunch room with her class because I was coming to get her she said it was probably to help me mop since I hate doing it and she does such a great job at it...I tell you, if anything my kids will be clean freaks too, Happy Friday people, love my kiddo! 

(just so you know, she did not mop and we took her right back to school after our McDonald's lunch, education first, cleaning second!)

in case you wanted to see today's fashion choice, cute pie, really melts my heart with her pose and sneakers ; )

oh boy...

and then we have a day like this...still cute but what is up with that outfit?!

how cute is this girl?

almost 9, I can't believe it!

mop it!

It turns out that someone likes to mop and is quite good at it too!  Carter was home with a little tummy ache last week, so while Theo was in pre-school, we got our cleaning groove on.  She loved helping and because she has the most cheerful & giving heart it only seemed fair to pay her $3, even though she planned to do it for nothing, it was, however,  the best $3 I ever spent!

The Weekend

We had a lovely quiet weekend, our family is a bit notorious for under scheduling and I have to say it suits us just fine...Saturday morning brunch at 13 Coins, hanging out all afternoon inside and out, church on Sunday and evening walks around the neighborhood make for one very fulfilling weekend!

hello!

pardon my little absence, we have been having a bit too much fun for me to pause and blog about it...we have been enjoying our fun new(ish) car, who knew I would ever own an American car, but we love it!  We have (obviously) been enjoying our new little family member, new niece/cousin Payton, both my kids are in love, as am I but still no luck convincing Jeremy to have a 3rd, he's pretty happy and content with Carter and Theo and who am I to argue?  They are both quite fabulous as is my husband!  Carter has been dishing out many Girl Scout cookies to various friends and family, since she is hand writing thank-you notes to each and every customer she is getting great cursive practice as well, a serious win win, but I have eaten way too many Somoas and my jiggly belly is suffering greatly, not a win win at all!  But, the best news of all...my brother and his family are moving back this way!!!  We are all super excited and they will be here before we know it, less than a month, whoot!

best snack ever!

alphabet cookies!

what my boy wanted spell

what my girl spells, made up names for Playmobil kids!