Thankful Day 30

Day 30

Today I am most thankful for having fun... It's not hard to have a few of those "oh so silly" moments in a day that make you realize what everything truly is about. Being able to smile and giggle over something so tiny as a look means the world to me! I love my life and am so very thankful for everyone/everything in it!!!

Thankful Day 29

Day 29

PANDORA

Yes. I am so thankful for Pandora.

LOL Seriously, where have I been, under a rock??? My good friend from church shared the Pandora App while at our Wednesday night church dinner. It's a whole world of wonderful music, for FREE, at the touch of a button!

For years, music was my world. I joined the "band nerd" world in 4th grade as a flute player. Great memories participating in music events. It seemed as if different life moments were also very attached to specific songs throughout my life, too. Sadly, when my Dad died in December 2004, I couldn't listen to music... it hurt so terribly bad. It's not that I didn't want to remember, it was just so emotional, wanting him in my life still. Thank goodness we had Kaylie at the time, as having her forced me to turn some sort of music on for her behalf! It took a good year to begin enjoying turning on the radio, but even then it was hard. It wasn't until December of 2009 that I finally opened my heart again to let the music flow. Funny how a song can either bring you to your feet with excitement or even to your knees in tears...

Now that my girls are getting older, it's SOOOO much fun turning on the radio, singing together, making more memories with each new song. It's so funny watching them and hearing their interpretations to things that may make me feel differently than they do at that moment. All three kids LOVE LOVE LOVE music and we can share wonderful times together just by turning music on. When I hear my child ask to sing, it melts my heart! (At bed time, our tradition, which has been ever since they were born, is to sing Silent Night, not only during Christmas season lol We even throw in a Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer here and there, too. My favorite is the "Momma Song"... It's my own song made for my kids that goes along with some of the words to Bohemian Rhapsody... I keep saying I'll record me and my kids singing it together to share! Stay tuned for that one LOL) Dannen is my little heart breaker when he asks to sing by himself, to me at bedtime :)
This is one of the songs Kaylie wants to sing with me on our audition for America's Got Talent LOL:

Well, now that the world of Pandora has been introduced to me, I foresee some pretty awesome music moments in all our futures! Music at my finger tips, any time, any place... PERFECT!!!

Thankful Day 28

Day 28

Oh, how I love our kittens, Shadow and Sunshine! (Gotta shout out to my other loves, Abby and Boots... Mommy loves you too!) Having these two kittens in our lives is so amazing. They are the cuddliest, sweetest, funniest little animals :) It's so comforting to know when it's quiet time in our house, I can ALWAYS count on my babies to come and sit with me... right away, Sunshine is by my side. Shadow gets a little more playful, but will crawl right up and cuddle :)

Thankful Day 27

Day 27

If I could pick a favorite website, it would definitely be PINTEREST. I can, and have plenty of times, get lost viewing page after page of good ideas. Unless I want to completely blow my day, there needs to be a timer set lol

You can get ideas on just about anything from that website... from recipes, to crafts, to decor, to inspirational quotes... It never fails when needing an outlet to keep my mind searching for more! I have yet to try a recipe... I know, me who loves to cook!?!? There are so many that I want to try and have even pinned. The day I win the lottery means quite a few of my "dream home", "dream kitchen", "dream laundry room", etc. boards get to be put on my DOING list lol

I've actually had all three kids ask to sit with me, browsing the site... we always have a few laughs and some "OH MOMMY, CAN WE DO THAT?" comments.
One of my favorite Inspiration Pins

Thankful Day 26

Day 26

Being thankful even when the situation pretty much stinks is kinda hard... BUT, there's a reason for everything, so I am thankful to have a van to begin with! 

While driving home the day after Thanksgiving, we almost got into an accident. Our van began shaking horribly and the steering wheel vibrated out of control. (It has been making loud noises and somewhat uncomfortable to drive for a few weeks now.) Driving 30mph on the 55mph crazy hwy was very nerve racking! We made it home very carefully with quite a few tears :(

Right when I was trying to take our kids out to Kaylie's gymnastics class, the tow man FINALLY arrived. You could see the front two tires angled in toward each other when he backed it up.

We're hoping to get it back today... since William's dealing with all the details, all I know for sure is we snapped a Strut... ugh :(

So thankful that no one was hurt while driving!

Thankful Day 25

Day 25

I'm beyond thankful for safe, fun websites that my children can visit, playing educational games. 

One of the most frequented sites by my girls is friv4school. There are TONS of games, some educational, some silly, but all safe...no creepers or chats to deal with!

Dannen LOVES Zoodles... This is a fantastic site for him to play with or without my help! I love that I can keep track of his progress and see where he excels.

In this day and age, so much is centered around internet skills. While I don't push learning online, it's definitely nice to know my kids can learn properly, through fun sites :)

Thankful Day 24

Day 24

I'm SUPER thankful for nap time! After a crazy few days of being in a cabin for Thanksgiving, being away from the internet and familiar toys, everyone was ready to get back into the swing of things... which included Saturday afternoon naps :)

These pics are from my point of view, laying in between Makenzie and Dannen on the living room floor...

Makenzie

 Dannen

Kaylie & Daddy

 Abby & Sunshine laying on my legs

 Boots on the recliner 

 Shadow on the end table

I love family nap time!!!

Thankful Day 23

Day 23

I'm so thankful to say I'm a Thirty-One Consultant again!!! The first time around wasn't nearly as much fun and rewarding... BIG thanks to my cousin Rachel for being such a great Director!

Not only have I been able to meet new friends and get some pretty awesome items at great prices, but I've earned a lot for FREE...

The first three levels in the Startswell Kit were earned... 

 As well as two of these cuties... the Large Utility Tote (to the left of the white circle) and Retro Metro Tote (just below and to the left of the Large Utility Tote)

I've been able to make enough $ these past few months to pay for Kaylie's gymnastics. It may not be tons to support my family, but it does help pay for what's important to my daughter... which means the world to me :) Who knows what the new year will hold, but what I do know is that I'm ready to make the best of it!!!

Thankful Day 22

Day 22
Happy Thanksgiving!!!
I'm very thankful to have my Mom and sister here visiting for Thanksgiving. We got to spend Thanksgiving in their cabin :)
Walmart's toy section had fun card games my kids loved playing!

 Kaylie enjoyed helping Zamma make Pumpkin Pie

Makenzie joined in on the baking, too

Donna purchased a Magnetic toy, which was a big hit!

Dannen LOVING his own cup of hot chocolate :)

 Breakfast made by Daddy :)

 Craft time begins!

 SMILE!

 Our place-markers... thanks to Thirty-One's fabric swatches lol

Pilgrims made by Mom and Kaylie

 Mom came up with a cute idea of decorating the table with my kids' hand prints!

We had a really good time together! Thanksgiving has been special to our family since it was the last holiday we spent with my Dad before he passed away nearly 8 years ago. Glad we could make more memories together this year :)

Thankful Day 21

Day 21

We watched "Rise of the Guardians" the day before Thanksgiving and had such a good time! My mom and sister were with us, as well as William's good friend Danny and his family. Danny's son works for William. For almost two months now, William has been working a second job with Danny, cleaning carpets/flooring/etc. with his company Reliable Carpet Care. Great $ while doing something he's really good at! Plus having a good buddy to hang with is always nice :)

I'm so thankful for the opportunity to earn more $ and have a good friendship through everything. William's always been a super hard worker! Danny's family is very nice and we're hoping to get to hang out more often :)

Thankful Day 20

Day 20

It's been a good 2 years since seeing William's Dad. With Thanksgiving coming, he and Donna shared a cabin with my Mom and sister here in Tennessee. I'm glad we got to see our kids have fun with their Grandpa :) (Crazy blurry and psycho-eyed photo, but funny to see them playing!)

Thankful Day 19

Day 19

I'm so thankful for Dannen's school! He attends our church's Parents Day Out program every Monday and Friday. When I teach on Wednesdays, he also goes with me for an extra day of school, too. From 9am-2pm, he's with lots of little friends, learning and enjoying time together. With Thanksgiving almost upon us, his class and the 4 year olds put on a performance. (I had to take Kaylie to the dentist, so while they were practicing, I snuck in with my video!) Dannen is in the middle, second row from the top, in a dark grey t-shirt sporting the BATMAN logo. His class is the entire bottom row... can you tell he's a little tall for his age!?!? LOL Great job today Dannen... we're so proud of you =D

Thankful Day 18

Day 18

What can I say? I'm so thankful to have such a great husband! He's been working as the Sound Tech at church, helping with the visual displays (like the words shown in the picture) and sound for both services each week. AND, he runs the sound for our Praise Band. Time after time, he's in the back, singing along with all his heart. The BIG day came when our Praise Team Leader asked William to join them "on stage". Pretty sure his smile never stopped since being asked LOL

He did such a great job singing today!!! Kaylie joined me during the Contemporary service, both of us smiling and singing with him =D So proud of William! Can't wait to hear him again!

Thankful Day 17

Day 17
After hanging out with family during the day, my kids and I had to kill time before picking William up from work at the theatre. With three almost sleepy kids, coming down off sugar highs and excitement, I needed to entertain them for two hours...
We headed to McDonalds to grab a few $1 drinks and Apple Pies =D

After we drove down The Parkway (main road running through Pigeon Forge, leading up to Gatlinburg) looking at all the pretty Christmas lights, we had Disney's "Secret of the Wings" playing... for like the 10th time... seriously... they LOVE IT! 

It wasn't long before all three kids were passed out! Another fun day with my kids... so thankful for the fun little moments we have together!!!

Thankful Day 16

Day 16

I'm thankful for smart kiddos =D Both girls brought home report cards... Not only did they make the Honor Roll, but both had fantastic grades!

Kaylie had a B 86 in Math, B 88 in Reading, A+ 106 in Spelling, A 96 in English, A+ 100 in Social Studies, and A 95 in Science, with another Excellent in Art. Couldn't be more proud!

Makenzie had straight A's for the second time this year... 97 in Reading, 98 in Spelling, 96 in English, and 98 in Math, with S+'s in Completes work on Time and Class Participation!
They might not always like to do homework, but great grades coming home each week definitely pays off at report card time! Keep up the good work girls =D

Thankful Day 15

Day 15

I'm SO thankful for TWILIGHT!!! Silly, yes... I'm a 33 year old Mom of three... but WHO CARES?!?!? I waited for my kids to get out of school, took William to work, and made sure our babysitter (who is amazing!) was all set for the night. I made it to the theatre only 1/3 of the way through Eclipse... sweet! 10pm hit and my heart was pounding when BD Part 2 began... I LOVED reading the book and couldn't wait to see it :)

Without spoiling the movie... it was amazing! A lot of laughter, gorgeous shots of Jacob shirtless (LOL LOL LOL), and very interesting story events that throw you for a loop! HUGE thumbs up... can't wait to own this movie :)

Thankful Day 14

Day 14

This is a horrible picture, but it's the idea... I'm so thankful for a family picture. This year, our church was having directory pictures taken of each family. Since we're so involved and love our "family" there, we jumped at the chance! As much as I despise being in front of the camera, this photo shoot was actually a lot of fun :) It was kind of hard to watch as our three beautiful children listened so well and looked so stinking cute... hard as in, WOW, they're growing up WAY too fast!

The last family picture we had taken was when Dannen was still in my belly...

Can't wait to get the pictures :)

Thankful Day 13

Day 13

Oh my sweet little Makenzie... What a joy she brings each and every day! I'm so thankful for her laughter, charm, beautiful appearance, and now her cute little glasses:) After going to the doctor, we found out her eyes needed just a little bit of help seeing far away... she was pretty happy to pick Blue colored "Hello Kitty" glasses. It's amazing how they make her look older... my baby girl is growing up so very fast!

She's excelling in school and learning so many things that blow us away as a 7 year old. She's definitely not a morning person (can you say ogre?!?!), but sure lights up anyone's day with her smile :)

Makenzie, I love you so much!!! Thank you for making me a happy Mommy and showing me that there's ALWAYS something, and someone, to look forward to each and every day :)

Thankful Day 12

Day 12

We're so thankful to have found THE PERFECT place for our little Kaylie to showcase her talents... seriously... Kaylie's teeny tiny stature, flexibility, etc... perfect gymnast! Foothill Gymnastics is certainly a place we tend to brag about :) Glad Kaylie has 2 1/2 hours each week to show off her talents and expand her knowledge of gymnastics!

Thankful Day 11

Day 11

 I'm so thankful for my son... He is SUCH a delight! Who ever thought having a boy would be so heart warming?!?!

Dannen has had a nasty cough for about a week now. Usually it's worse at night. For three nights in a row, I sat with him downstairs, falling asleep on the couches. It breaks my heart hearing his congestion, knowing it's causing him to be uncomfortable! After a while, he'd pass out, waking a few hours later with another coughing fit. "I'm okay, Mommy. I'm brave!"

The other day, we made a huge pile of blankets in the living room to take a nap while the girls were in school. What better way to relax than giggles and fun with mommy's phone camera?

 He was so proud of this face...

Dannen is truly amazing... he's always making us smile, chatting about the funniest things (and things we didn't even realize he learned), questioning everything, sharing his love and attention to all of us, including our cats, and continuously surprising us with how much and how fast he's growing up!

I love you so much, little buddy... you are the best little boy ever and I'm thankful share each and every day learning with you!!!

Thankful Day 10

Day 10

Something so simple that brings so much joy... a good cup of coffee! I'm definitely a coffee drinker, and like the picture says, the lighter the better :) The kick of coffee with the sweet taste of yumminess is what I am thankful for each and every day.

One of the neatest things I can share with my kids is them sharing my coffee... it used to be that whenever I made a cup and had to step away form it, I'd come back to an empty cup! Now, I'll even make a very light cup and let them split it. We share our warm drinks, making good memories together :)

*Huge thanks to my Dad... without him and our 7-11 French Vanilla Cappuccino's, I would have never gotten hooked on this wonderful cup of love*

Thankful Day 9

Day 9

I'm thankful for CRAIGSLIST...Without spoiling my most recent purchase, I can share that with our upcoming move, I have a great surprise for William LOL When we lived in Florida, we sold items on there all the time, and also purchased some at pretty good prices. When we needed a few extra $, it was always nice to have a safe place to sell things. I've been browsing the website for a few weeks now, trying to get some ideas for when we move. With Christmas right around the corner and the price of moving, I can't get a lot, so being frugal is definitely helpful!!! Can't wait to share the goodies I picked up today... it'll be an awesome post to look forward to in December :)

Thankful Day 8

Day 8

Boots & Abby relaxing...

I'm so very thankful for our four beautiful cats... I couldn't imagine a day without them!

Boots is by far, the "Mom" of the bunch... acting more as the watcher and keeper of the peace. She's SO SUPER soft and has the softest purr when she "talks" to you. She tends to show more affection to me, keeping her distance from William the most! The funniest thing about her is watching her eyebrow whiskers come and go... since they're white, we see her go through phases like this one... two on the right and none on the left LOL

Abby is so full of energy and is by far the most loving to Dannen. She'll walk right up to him, rubbing her head and side along him... we call it "wanting some lovin'" lol Abby has definitely taken on a more playful role with our newest kittens... she's the best big sister to them :) Our kids find it hilarious how she plays with her water dish, tapping her paw in and out, like she's trying to swim in it!

Miss Sunshine is probably my most favorite when it comes to a cuddler :) She has the sweetest purr and eyes! When she comes up to us, she'll just make your heart melt, sharing her love. The silliest thing she does, more so with me than anyone else, is sitting still, staring at me, then when I smile, she climbs up my jeans and perches on my shoulder, crawling around and wanting me to hold her across my chest! Cuddles up like a baby and turns her head up to smile :)

 Shadow is "Daddy's boy"... oh my, to see the love they share together is really awesome! Shadow is the only boy cat and really enjoys getting attention, especially from William. He has the funniest little whine/call, wanting attention and the chance to play! He'll wander onto our bed and cuddle right up, purring SOOOO loud, he's like a motor boat LOL

 All four have such different personalities, making our busy house so much more loving... it's nice to cuddle and laugh at the simplest things... Thank you Abby, Boots, Shadow & Sunshine for filling our hearts :)

Thankful Day 7

Day 7

(Kaylie playing with her cat, Abby)

 

I am beyond thankful for my oldest daughter, Kaylie Marie... she is such a delight in my life! From her beautiful smile to fantastic gymnastic skills to her wonderful academic knowledge. She definitely keeps me on my toes as a Mommy, testing all those little girl/Mommy moments that make us grow, pushing the buttons to their breaking point, challenging everyone each day... Not a day goes by that I would change a thing! She's amazing... my little spit fire girl who can take on the world :) Nothing can or will ever hold her back...

While getting ready to listen to her read, I got to her book before she sat with me. Inside I found a key to my heart...

Kaylie, Mommy loves you more than words will ever convey... I'm so thankful for you, your love and compassion, pushing me to be a better Mommy, opening my heart every day, showing me what a wonderful little girl God made :)