Strawberry Pickin'

A few weeks ago, when the strawberries were ready for pickin' my friend Connie and her kids met us at the Pickin' Patch (original, right? But that is really what it is called...) Prior to going, we wondered if we were crazy. 7 kids + 2 mamas + 239,847 strawberries = CRAZY. But what the heck. And I'm so glad we were brave. The kids were super good, and while we had a few more "pink" strawberries than we wanted, it was a ton of fun. Afterward we headed to Wal-Mart to buy supplies and lunch and then we went back to my parents house and made freezer jam.

FYI - I am not doing any gang signs. Just holding Kaleb's hand down from blocking his face.

Strawberry blob on his head. No idea how that happened.

I wanted to post Tony's brother's address in Iraq for anyone interested in dropping him a line or care package.

Spc. Hyser, Aaron M.
A STB 76 BDE
Q-West Base Complex
APO AE 09351

He loves to get anything fun to occupy his time when things get boring. I sent over a stack of fitness magazines and he enjoyed those. Plus... he can pass them on to other guys when he is finished. We have sent snacks... things that won't melt in 130 degree heat. :) Calling cards are nice -- the international ones. And apparently, donkey food.

Anyway.... if you know Aaron (or don't) I'm sure he'd love to hear from you! And please keep his safety in your prayers! We have our fingers crossed that we will get to see him at the end of July when he gets a week of leave.

Free Stuff

Was reading a great blog and came across this info. If you are looking for baby, kids, or maternity stuff... there is a website called Freepeats.org. Similar to Craigslist, only free. It's free to sign up until July 1st. And only $4.95 for a lifetime membership after July 1st. So you can't go wrong. They have new forums in St. Louis and Indianapolis. I signed up under Indianapolis, b/c that is my closest location right now, but I was able to view all of the other city forums as well.

Who doesn't love a deal? Especially a free one.

The Price was Right

Tony's mom took Andy, his youngest brother and a friend to California for Andy's graduation/birthday present. She got them tickets to the Price Is Right for the morning and afternoon tapings. Much to their surprise, Laura got called up on the morning show and Andy got called up on the afternoon show. Both also made it to the Showcase Showdown. And Laura WON hers. We think it was pretty sweet. You can check out the videos here:


Watch CBS Videos Online

http://www.cbs.com/daytime/the_price_is_right/

Andy's episode aired on the 19th, and Laura's on the 18th.

Come on Down!!!

I wanted to post a few pictures from the week before we moved. Tuesday night we met Ruthie and her boyfriend (yes, they've moved past the "I think you are a cool guy stage" as mentioned here), Chris at Downtown Disney. We ate at Planet Hollywood and then walked through the Marketplace. Ruthie got Kaiya a stuffed Pooh at the giant Disney store. At the end of the walk I let her run around in a fountain (the kind that is built into the ground) and she wore herself out. I was trying to put her in her jammies when we got back to the house and this is what she did. Too cute.

The day that Tony left we went to the park. Here are a couple pictures from that.

In true big sister fashion, Kaiya kindly lets Kaleb ride with her in the swing. She knows that it means she can't swing as high, but she does it so that he can swing. It's very sweet. And we can't seem to keep his mouth off of the nasty swing. We gave up trying. Now I know why... he cut his first tooth the next day. :)

Wordless Wednesday - Looooook at Mama!!!

Dear Kaiya,

Mama really doesn't like it when you take her car keys and poke holes in the avocados I am buying at the grocery store. With the lovely food prices, I just can't afford your creative genius. In another life, the key/avocado sculpture you presented to me would have been beautiful. :) I hope you enjoy your avocado dinner tonight. :) Cause those babies aren't gonna live to see tomorrow and I could not in good conscience bury them underneath the avocado stand.

Love,
Mama

Changes

A picture-less post with an update on all of the changes for our family!

Over Memorial Day weekend we bade good-bye to Florida and moved all of our stuff to Charlotte, North Carolina. We unloaded the truck into a storage unit. Tony found a roommate in Charlotte and the kids and I are staying with my parents in Indiana for the summer. We found a commercial property for Tony's office and he will sign the lease within the next week or so! After that he begins the process of drawing up plans (the space is an empty suite that basically has a concrete floor so we can build it out just the way we want to), meeting with an architect, contractors, etc. Then the permitting process begins and we have to wait for construction to be finished. Tony needs to be present to oversee all of this. We can reduce our living expenses significantly by staying with my parents, so that is what we decided to do.

Tony spent a week with us here in Indiana and I took him to the airport yesterday. Not looking forward to the time away from him, but it isn't that long and it's necessary for us to accomplish our goals. So we're all sucking it up and doing it. :)

And a cute Kaiya story... a few posts ago I mentioned her imitating Cinderella and fake crying. Well, she saw my tears after dropping Tony off at the airport. As I was buckling Kaleb back in his seat she looked over at me and said, "Oh Mommy. Oh No! ELLA!" Translated: Oh, poor mommy, you are acting like Cinderella. I laughed and said, "Did you just call me Cinderella?" She started smiling and said, "Yesh." Translated: Yes.