Around here

Well we had our last day of school last Wednesday for 3 weeks.  Yahoo, this momma is excited about this break and the fun we are gonna have during the break.  We will have to come back strong though, because the girls have to take their SATs the week after our first week back to school.

We celebrated my birthday, really the whole weekend.  Friday, Craig and the girls had the surprise for me when I got home.  Saturday, Craig and I played tennis, cleaned the car, and went to dinner without children.  Exactly what I wanted to do.  We haven't played tennis in about a year and I love to play, but it's kinda hard to do with children.  Our good friends kept the girls for us and after we ate dinner, we went to their house where Jenn had made us cupcakes for my bday!  Yummy!!!

Sunday, we had meetings after church and a very sweet lady made a huge bday cake for me that of course we shared with everyone.  So sweet of her and it was really good.

Sooooo after eating bday cake and cupcakes for 3 days in a row, I need to be walking 4 miles each morning instead of just 2 miles.

My friend, Kim and I walk every morning, a little over 2 miles.  It's nice to have a walking buddy.  We have been very consistent too, which is good.  We even went in the sprinkling rain one morning.  Now that my kids are getting up so early, I don't mind going so early.

I just signed up for my very first 5K that is in August.  I'm soooooo excited about it.  I use to run 5 days a week before having kids, so I know I can do it again, but I haven't ran in 10 years.  Oh and I'm bigger than I was then too.  However, I have changed my eating habits and started exercising 5 to 6 days a week and in the last 3 weeks, I have lost 5 lbs.  I have 35 more to go to meet my goal and I'm GONNA do it.  I will start training for the 5K the first of May.  I'm doing the couch to 5K app to train for it.

The girls had their last ice skating lesson Monday night and their good friend Sarah got to go with them and spend the night.

We have an exciting couple of weeks coming up for us and I will have LOTS of pictures to share when it's over.

Doing puzzles at the library

Playing computer games at the library

Have I ever mentioned that Kyndal plays so very sweetly with AC

Made this new recipe last week and it was really good.  Orange chicken fajitas

Sweet girls eating some lunch

Abby, Kyndal, and Sarah

This was Sunday afternoon, she was pooped!

Special Surprise

Today is my birthday!!  Craig kept the girls all day while I went to the Ladies Conference on Friday.  When I got home and walked up the stairs, this is what I saw...

They started singing Happy Birthday when I walked in the door.

SWEETEST thing ever!

This was on the table!

They decorated so nicely!

Enjoying some yummy cake

Reading their sweet cards they picked out for me!

They went to the store and bought all the stuff to decorate, bake a cake, and each picked out a sweet card for me.  It really was the sweetest surprise ever.  Such a sweet family I have!  Blessed beyond measure.

Ladies Day Apart

A church here in town does a Ladies Conference once a year.  This was their 21st one to do this weekend.  Myself along with some other ladies went yesterday and had a wonderful time.  Patsy Clairmont was the speaker and she is soooo funny.  In the midst of her funniness she says some really encouraging and challenging things.

Her main theme was "Saying Yes" to God.

I just so happen to be blessed with a wonderful pastor who shares God's Word in an excellent way.  Oh and I just so happen to be blessed to be married to my pastor, which I think gives me even more insight into understanding Scripture, because I have the benefit of asking questions at any and all times.  So all the things that she spoke about that spoke to me, I've heard, it just helps hearing it more often from different people.

A few things that stuck out to me:

1.  She mentioned that when someone says something to you that you don't like, and it makes you mad, it's usually because they are pointing out something in your character that is true.

2.  She said emotions don't have brains, He didn't create emotions for us to think and make decisions with.

3.  She said God will meet our needs.  If we try to meet our own needs, our need will turn to greed.  If we take our need to Jesus, our need turns to seed for us to grow.

4.  She talked about being faithful with the little in life, before expecting to be given much in life.  Sometimes for me, I think being a stay at home mom doesn't always have a lot of purpose.  In that I mean, not bringing any financial help into the house, or just sometimes feeling like you don't really do much.  And to be quiet honest sometimes it's an unappreciated job (in the world's eyes).  The Lord's been working on me in this area lately and she just helped encourage me even more, because being a stay at home mom is the MOST important job a mother could ever have.  I have 3 little girls who are watching my every move, listening to my every word, and learning from all I do.  That is a job with a LOT of purpose.  A job that I need to take very serious and bathe in prayer each and every day.  A job that I'm extremely thankful to be able to do.  So I thank God for this stage in life, and I thank my husband for doing all he can to make it possible, to support me, and to encourage me along the way.  I am indeed a very blessed woman!!

She is hysterical

The Praise Team did a wonderful job in leading in Worship through song.

Skating update

The girls have their last ice skating class this Monday.  There is actually one more class, but they will miss it.  They have already passed to the next level.  There are 8 levels, and they will be moving on to level 3.  They seem and say they really like it and it's amazing how much they have learned and how much better they are in just 6, 30 minute classes.

So they plan to keep doing ice skating lessons.

Kyndal is in the brown coat, and Abby is in the pink coat

Snow plow stop

Going backwards

Being a cute mess

Spinning in circles

They have a really great coach that we like a lot!

34 months

Ha, no I do not say Anna Claire is 34 months, just what I wanted to title this post!  It's a bit crazy that in 2 months from today, our baby will be 3 years old, just crazy!  She is such a spunky little thing and so much fun most all the time!

She is talking like crazy now and I wanted to record some things she says and does for my memory's sake:

If we tell the girls to go play and they head upstairs, AC follows as quickly as possible saying, "wait guls".  Wait girls.

Anytime we tell her something to do, she goes and tells Abby and Kyndal what we said and always adds on "momma said so" or "daddy said so".

She is fully potty trained now, but can be a very head strong, stubborn little thing.  So sometimes she will take care of business in the potty, then proceed to finish in her undies.  She has done this a few times and I hope is done with all that.

If you ask her why she does something, she always says, "betause".  because.

When we are getting ready for church, she will ask, "my tass momma". my class momma.

If she doesn't think her dinner looks good, she will say, "dis ooey" before even trying it.

Every time she needs to use the restroom, she says, "momma poopoo bad".

She loves to have her picture taken and always wants to see it afterwards.

Earlier this week, the weather was so nice out, so we chilled on the deck for a while.  However, now we are under a winter storm warning.  Go figure!

Playing

Sunday morning before church I was playing with my camera.  Of course I have some beautiful subjects to work with.  Anna Claire for sure is a little camera hog.  She thinks she needs her picture taken all the time, and then she yells to look at it, "momma see".

Looks like the sun may have been in their eyes!!!

Love these girls!  They are getting so big, so fast!

1 reason

One of the many reasons I love having girls is because I love to fix up their hair!!!  Silly maybe, but I always loved to play and fix my Barbie's hair as a child.  If they would have had one of those cool little doll heads with lots of hair, I would have had one!!!  I love that the girls still want me to fix their hair, I hope they don't get too big for it anytime soon. 

Sleeping in sponge rollers!

Silly girl!

She had to get in on the action too.  When I'm rolling Abby and Kyndal's hair, Anna Claire wants me to do hers, so I tell her if she will leave it alone and let it grow out, I can start rolling hers before to long.  She says ok, as she twirls her hair!?!?!?

Wordless Wednesday

Bible Study and friends

As I've mentioned before myself and some other friends get together every other week for a Bible study and just really enjoy our time together learning, praying for one another, and fellow-shipping.  Our kids all homeschool, so they all have a good time playing with one another.

We are doing a study this time, that we started this past Friday called Let It Go.  It's about women trying to live in a less controlling way.  I'm looking forward to this study, I feel like I can/need to grow in this area for sure.

One of the friends, Michelle, has a little boy who is about to be 1, and Anna Claire has slowly become interested in trying to play with him.  It's really cute.  I was able to snap a couple of pics of them playing in the floor.

  He is into throwing his paci and AC kept picking it up and trying to put it in his mouth.  It was cute!  He is such a handsome little boy!

The girls were playing upstairs and us ladies were gathered around the table.  While we were praying, the girls came down and saw us, so they very quietly sat on the bench and waited patiently.  When we were finished and looked up and saw them, it was so picture worthy.  They are all very sweet girls and have lots of fun together.

When the girls play inside, AC plays with them, but when they go outside to play, she has to stay inside with me.  She doesn't like that very much, but it is what it is!

Easter 2013

If not for the Resurrection of our Savior, our faith would be meaningless.  So thankful for the Ultimate sacrifice Jesus made for the sins of human kind.  He is Risen indeed!  What a Mighty, Wonderful, Powerful, Forgiving, Gracious, Merciful, and Awesome God we serve!

We had a wonderful service today and Friday night!  After service Friday night we dyed Easter eggs.  After service today we went to friends house for lunch and an egg hunt.  We had a really wonderful time. 

The girls really had a good time!  They had a little rice krispie treat while waiting on their eggs.  AC is at a fun age this year to enjoy it a bit more!

Flashback 2012:

You can click here if you want to see pics from Easter last year

We didn't even get a family picture this year.  I couldn't figure out how to work my timer on my camera and it's always busy on Sunday mornings especially for Craig.

We had our egg hunt inside, because here in New England the snow is still melting in some areas and makes for a super muddy mess.  Jenn had it all set up so nice and organized.  It was great and the kids loved it.

This silly girl kept eating jelly beans, and they would get stuck in the sides of her mouth and then she would try to dig them out, making the biggest mess in the process.

This is the only pic I got of Craig all day and he decided to make a silly face!