Zzzzzz...

So much for a fun trip with Mama to the library. She fell asleep on the way there, slept the entire time on this little bench, slept the entire way home.  And you should have seen the look on her face when she realized she missed it all! :)  She was so confused about how I had all those new books.

Thirty Days of Blogging... For Real

I've gotta jump back in here. This blog is like the pet you have before children.  It gets less and less attention, each passing year.  I start to say, "I have no idea how it got like this..."  And then, of course I know exactly how it got like this.  We started a business.  I worked full-time.  We had another child.  We started homeschooling.  I worked part-time.  Gymnastics, AWANA, Soccer.  And Facebook - I got lazy and resorted to little status blurbs, rather than blog posts.  Blah Blah Blah. Life!

But the truth is... this blog is 98% for me and 2% for the rest of you.  Family and friends... A few lurking strangers, I'm sure.  It's the place where I document milestones and funny moments.  It's the place we go back and look at with the kids to show them what they were like when they were little littler.

So it's time to get back. And I've gotta find a way to grab all of the facebook status posts and instagrams -- or at least my favorite kids ones - and import them into this blog.  That way the memories are all in one tidy place.

But for today... It's Throw Back Thursday.  So here's one for ya -- paired with this new beautiful picture of the two big ones.  Time flies... eh?

Spice Party guest post on Robyn's View

Today I wrote a guest post for Robyn about the Spice Party some friends and I did last month. Hop on over to Robyn's View At Home and check it out!  Thanks Robyn for having me!

Tooth Fairy Tin

Look at this little gem of a project I found on Pinterest: 

Started with this:

And finished with this:

With a small raid of my scrapbooking tub and a quick trip to the craft store for some zebra print paper, Kaiya has a clever little container to put her tooth into when she slips it under her pillow.

I just used clear Tacky Glue and a bit of ribbon around the edge of the container.

And used the scrapbook double sided sticky squares to help the paper adhere to the tin.

This little tin has made things so much easier on the tooth fairy. *wink*

Now I just need to attempt this:  Tooth Fairy Money

Imagination

We moved last month.  And this is what happens when you wait several weeks to hook up the television.  

Yes... that is Kaleb wearing a monkey harness.

Yes... that is both kids wearing Kadence's diapers over their clothes.

Kaiya Grace - Kindergarten

Got this idea from Pinterest and had to start this great "growing up" tradition.

Vacation End

We finished up our vacation by splitting up our drive on the way home.  Stayed overnight on Hilton Head Island, got up & had a sweet breakfast at a cute little place and then took a walk on the beach.  It was a windy morning... but blue sky & sun.

 Of course the little boy doesn't see any problem running into the ocean with his jeans on. :)

And this was our welcome home.  Locked out of our house.  Yay Daddy!!

Family Vacation - Rainforest Cafe

Rainforest Cafe was so fun with the kids... they couldn't decide if all the jungle animals were real or not.

And mom and dad had a bit of fun too...

Such a good one of Tony and his girls.

Sea World

In November, the whole family loaded up in the van and headed down to Orlando for Tony's Maximized Living Seminar.  It had been so long since we took a vacation day, so we built an extra day into our trip to have some fun as a family.  Orlando is known for Disney, but we opted for Sea World instead.  The deal we got was such a savings compared to Disney World, and the kids had both just seen Free Willy on Netflix, so we totally got away with it.

We spent the first day together as a family -- we didn't have to wait in line once!  Then, while Tony was in seminar on Friday, the kids and I went back for Day Two.  Here are a few highlights from Day Two.

 The coolest mom ever asked if the kids could have their pictures with the prince and princess from the dolphin show.  We've talked about that for months now...

Kaleb says these are his Justin Bieber shades.

It's also where we shot this gem of a video... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j-3f3V21k5U

Homemade Peanut Butter

We purchased a Vitamix earlier this fall and I decided to give making peanut butter a try.  I bought some raw Valencia peanuts online from Amazon.  We dry roasted them for 15-20 minutes on 350.  Then comes the most dreaded task.  Removing the skins.  When the peanuts are roasted they release a bit of oil.  After they cool, pick up a handful and rub them between your hands.  The skins fall to pieces and the peanuts slip out.  Definitely get the kids involved if you want peanut skins all over your kitchen.  :)

Here is our bowl of skinned peanuts.  Not perfect, you can see.  But a pretty good job.  This is 4 cups of peanuts.  I found that 4 cups of peanuts made approximately 3 cups of peanut butter.

Into the Vitamix they go.  

Depending on the consistency you like, you can add coconut oil -- I added about a Tablespoon and a bit of salt as well.  

Couple things I discovered along the way -- the longer you roast the peanuts, the darker the peanut butter will be -- and it will have a little bit more of a nutty flavor.  And... I also found that making everyone help with the skinning of the peanuts helps you not harbor bitter feelings when all the peanut butter is eaten within 12 hours of you making it. :)

Drumroll please....

Well... the good news is that this giveaway fared better than my last. :)  Last time it was a riveting $15 Save-A-Lot gift card which only one person commented on.  This time there were 4 comments.  ha ha...

And here is where I tell you that YOU ALL ARE WINNERS!!! :)

I had already purchased one for my mom.  And one for Connie.  So... even though Random.org said that Connie was the winner, Greg & Anita get one too!

This was fun.  Really... I just wanted an excuse to buy extra of these CDs.  Picked them up at church today and it's so good.  Can't wait to see what the charts look like tomorrow when it releases!  CDs will go in the mail tomorrow!

Games are more fun with friends

I'm playing catch up with some blog posts... these were taken in August.  Kaleb insisted on his puppy friend joining our game.

And of course he couldn't just be a spectator.  He had to play with us.

I decided to sit Uno Moo out.  What a good sport Kaleb is to close his eyes when he is picking for puppy.

For the Honor Giveaway

Everyone loves something free!  And the best part is that the cost of this freebie actually went to something that is going to make a huge difference in thousands of lives.  On Monday, November 21, Elevation Worship is releasing their latest CD, For the Honor.  I had a chance to worship on Sunday with many of these songs and it's a great great album!

Elevation Worship is partnering with Compassion International and adopting a slum in Uganda and all the proceeds from release day will go to that partnership.  You can read more about that here.

I picked up an extra copy of the CD to giveaway.  It's simple. All you gotta do is leave a comment.  And giveaways are always more fun when you get more chances to win!  So... if you link to the giveaway via twitter or facebook, give yourself an extra comment and tell me you did so.  Each "share" gets you 2 more entries.  I'll use random.org to generate a winner on Sunday night at 10 p.m. EST.  I'll post the winner immediately.  That way if you don't win... you'll be able to grab the CD on iTunes Monday!

This is one of my favorites from the album.

Mobility - Mark it Down!

Today marks the day that Kadence Quinn has become mobile.  Very mobile.  While she hasn't mastered the knee crawl yet, she is an incredibly fast bear crawler.

My Baby Crawling Benediction:

May the floor be free of leftover food crumbs.

May the scissors and ink pens never be left in the living room.

May you not eat cat poop like your brother did.

Go in peace my child.  

Crawl.

The Canary List by Sigmund Brouwer

I had the opportunity to read and review Sigmund Brouwer's recent novel, The Canary List.  I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.

I admit it.  I'm a book cover junkie.  I totally judge a book by its cover.  That's why I picked this book out.  Loved the cover and thought that surely there must be a story inside this one.  And... I was right!  This book did not disappoint.  It has been my fall "summer read."  We didn't travel at all this summer, but this fall I have ended up at the beach in Charleston and on a trip to Orlando, so this book has been like a summer read for me.

Crockett Grey is a middle school teacher who finds himself ensnared in a trap of false allegations after trying to protect a student that comes to him in the middle of the night.  Jaimie Piper is a twelve-year-old girl who has shuffled from foster home to foster home and also deal with feelings of darkness.  Crockett soon discovers that he is now part of an enormous Vatican conspiracy.  Teacher and student must work both separately and together to untangle from the web of lies and oppression that hovers.

Initially this book reminded me of some Frank Peretti's novels as it deals directly with spiritual warfare and demon possession.  However, a few chapters in, the book took a life of its own and the story became much bigger than a novel about demon possession.  It became a bit controversial as it dove into Vatican conspiracy.  It didn't bother me, but I wondered as I read, whether there was any backlash from the Catholic community regarding this novel.  It certainly gives the reader much to consider and think about.  I also appreciated that the author had some good resources for further study and research at the back of the book.

Pick it up.  Read it.  It's a thinker!

Sea World Sleepy Head

This is a little gem that I shot during the middle of the day at Sea World on our vacation. I'm thinking there is a good chance that this video could help put Kadence through college. And if not... well... I know we'll be getting laughs out of it for years to come. My sweet sleepy head.

Little Laps

Blogger has a new look and I'm trying to get the hang of it.  This is my first post using the new writing format.  Not sure how it will look on the other side. 

Saw this today while I was working on the laptop and thought it warranted a post.  Kaiya asked her brother if he wanted to sit on her lap while they watched tv.  And he did!  So cute when he is catching up to her size wise.  There isn't the size gap that there used to be.

I wish my name was...

Kaiya is on a name kick. Question asked at least once a day: "Mama, what do you wish your name was?" The following Kaiya statements are all said with a huge sigh prior to speaking.

Kaiya: *Sigh* I wish my name was Brooklynne.

I wish my name was Britney.

I wish my name was something that starts with the letter D. Guess what it is mama!

Mama, all of our names could have been spelled with the letter C. Caiya, Caleb & Cadence. *Sigh* I would have liked that so much better.

Well... my sweet Kaiya. When you give birth, you can name your child whatever you want!! :)

5 Things I love about Kadence

We're still getting to know Kadence around here. But it's true... I love her more and more each day. Since she is, with no question, the most neglected child when it comes to the blogosphere - I thought I would dedicate a few posts to the things I am loving and learning about Kadence.

1) She makes monster noises. The cutest, growliest, manliest little monster noises.

2) She is truly a happy happy baby. Very quick to smile.

3) She does this adorable little bashful thing. When I am holding her and people say hi to her she give a huge grin and then buries her little face in my neck. A.Dorable.

4) She holds her own. She will growl, shriek and pull hair when necessary. Particularly when her brother is all up in her space.

5) She's a mama's girl. Not gonna lie. She might be my last baby and I am not sad that she loves me and wants me. Makes me feel special.

Stickers & Sisters

Holy smokes. 2 months without a post on this poor neglected blog of mine. Moving right along...

Took a trip to Trader Joe's today and the kids got long strips of stickers. Kaiya happily decorated her sister with them on the car ride home. I went to get the carseat out and found this:

Both shoulders, both feet, both knees - and there were more under the blanket. After nap, found one on the little sweetie's tush.

I love both my girls. And that little boy in the middle.