Highlights of My Week in Photos

My boys were super cute sharing a dentist chair while getting their teeth cleaned. (Ok, this really happened a couple weeks ago, I just forgot about it until I downloaded my pictures, haha) They think it's super cool being able to watch a movie laying down.

Unfortunately, we some have cavities....CRIMINY!! I have been letting Luke brush his own teeth because I THOUGHT he knew what he was doing. Lesson learned!

We had a fun family walk to the park....

Where Luke practiced being a ball hog....(I never knew he could kick around a soccer ball so well! Can't wait to get him on a team next year.)

Lila discovered she wants to be a big girl and follow everything that her big brother's do.

She was so cute following Luke around trying to get the ball.

Andy and Luke discovered they could hoax Lila into doing things they didn't want to do, like climb under this tree to fetch the ball. (So rude I know!)

She was such a little champion getting that soccer ball out!

And then just like that...Big Brother's stole it away and forgot she even exists! (So sad, huh?)

But Mommy and Daddy came to the rescue and she did get to take a turn...

Why is it that every time you ask your children to sit down and smile pretty so you can get a cool picture in front of the pretty mountain view, you get something that looks like this?

Apparently Luke thinks Andy has cooties and refuses to sit next to him. Can't we all just get along??

Lila had her first experience running through the sprinklers....

We bought this house as a foreclosure and the yard is not exactly glamorous so don't judge. We've been trying to pull out small sections of these weeds that have infested our grass (that's why it's not mowed), but it hasn't really been successful. We finally have our front yard looking good but the back yard is a totally different story!

Judging by the expression on her face, I think she liked it. Lila also learned how to clap this week. Every time she hears someone say "Yeah!" she walks around in circles clapping. It's pretty darn cute if I say so myself!

Andy and Luke continued to drive me crazy by finding this mud hole to sink their feet in and make a mess. Deep breath....Boys will be boys!

I've been working on the silent "e" concept with Andy this week in his reading and he has done really well grasping the concept.

Luke continues to learn how to write his letters and all their sounds. I have been behind on this with him since this past year has been consumed so much with being sleep deprived with Lila, but he is really catching on quickly and doing great!

I spent a lot of my time this week trying to get the house all clean and in order and laundry done so we could take off for the weekend stress free to enjoy a Family Reunion. So yes, I pretty much wrote this post early and scheduled for it to post today because right now I am totally up in the serene mountains enjoying some much-needed fresh air and laughter with the people that I love!


2 years ago on our Summer Trip....My boys are all grown up now!

Happy Fourth to All!!!

What made you Happy this week??

Since my Mother-in-Law had my boys most of the week, it was just me and my Little Lady. I spent my days looking at her pretty face, smothering her with attention and trying to make her giggle for me more than she does for Daddy....What can I say, I'm competitive and she's SUCH a Daddy's Girl!!

We had fun going on walks together, and I've got to say, pushing that stroller without Luke in it is heavenly! I even did me a little jog one day this week.

She kept me company while we did some shopping at my favorite stores (you know, what girls do best! haha), and we even survived going to Home Depot and Lowe's with Daddy, and THAT is quite the accomplishment since he could quite literally browse the isles of those stores all day long.

I made her showcase and model my current favorite outfit of hers. After all, her 12-month wardrobe brings my entire closet to shame. Isn't it cute? I was NEVER a pink kind of gal before I had a girl and now I can't seem to stay away from it. She definitely brings out the girly in me.

She is pretty much my pocket full of sunshine! Who couldn't adore that cute little grin of hers?

But as much fun as it was to just be Mommy/Daughter, we were happy to get our boys back. It was awfully quiet without them, and I know Lila missed them as much as me.

We made a pit stop at Cabela's where this giant stuffed Polar Bear tried to eat us....

We walked through all the animal displays playing "I Spy" and Luke cried every time I spied a Bear because that was the one he was going to Spy. hahaha I sure love having my little stinker back!

And Andy talked my ear off the entire hour long drive home telling me everything about everything and I think I said "Uh-huh" and "yeah" and "Wow!" a million times....That was all I was able to squeeze in between his sentences. LOL! He is certainly a character.


This is obviously not a very good picture, but it makes me laugh. Andy throwing up some sort of gang sign, Luke looking like that Polar Bear really is going to eat him, and Lila oblivious with her eyes closed.


I was happy to have a clean house every day my boys were away, and since it's already a disaster and they've only been home for 24 hours, I can officially now blame my messy house on my children! haha Now that definitely makes me happy!

And now that my boys are home, I can't wait to get my craft on!

What made you happy this week?

What Made You Smile This Week?

Well, there was that time when Big Brothers got so sick and tired of Baby Sister messing with all of their toys that they decided to come up with their own solution....

Luckily she didn't try to climb out...

And at least they were kind enough to leave her with plenty of her own toys....

And then there was that time when Daddy said no more playing 'Angry Birds' so Andy and Luke took it upon themselves to get their Doodle Pros out and create their own Angry Birds game....(those are some ANGRY BIRDS, I'm scared hahaha!!)

And then there was the cute little visitors that took up space in our backyard...

It's been so fun watching Mommy bird feed her baby all day long every day. That takes some dedication hunting for worms all day! I am happy to report baby bird is now hopping around all over and will probably be taking flight in the next couple days.  :)

And then there was that afternoon I spent browsing through old photos to find pics for my new wall photo collage and I came across this photo...

So happy this Man is the Father of my children! Happy Father's Day!!

What Made You Happy this Week??

Well, there was this face...

And this face...

And these faces while deeply concentrating on walking around...

And there was that time I walked in and saw Luke taking a most relaxing snooze on the recliner chair (it must have been a hard day haha)...

And there were the moments when my boys were best friends instead of enemies...



And there were this group of friends who decided to stop for a rest on my back fence...

Until I so rudely scared them away by taking pictures...

And then there was Little Miss Lila who got stuck in jail...

"Oh no! What am I going to do??"

"Maybe I can eat my way out..."

"Nope! That's not gonna work. Maybe I can pull these bars apart..."

"Man, this is tough!! Maybe I can just pull the bar out..."

"Nope, it's not budging!! Maybe I can just stand here and look really mad so Mommy will come save me..."

"What??? She's too busy taking pictures of me to come to my rescue!! That is it!! You come over here RIGHT NOW MOMMY!!"

And that is when the camera went away and Baby Girl snuggled nicely to my hip...Such simple things that make a Momma Happy!

What made you happy this week??

Saturday Simple Joys

What they taught me this week....

1. YOU ARE POWERFUL!

Luke came downstairs one day thrusting his hand up into the air declaring that he was the MOST powerful one of all. This child of mine is very imaginative and it is quite the experience watching him play. I quickly realized he had put super hero stickers on the tips of all his fingers and it was from these super hero's that he was drawing all of his powers from. So very clever this beautiful boy of mine!

Sometimes in life we get discouraged. Sometimes we don't feel good enough, sometimes we get overwhelmed and compare ourselves to others, sometimes that discouragement inside us prevents us from reaching our goals and dreams. But it's important to remember that these little fingertips of ours are so very powerful! Don't fall short on your accomplishments because you feel you aren't capable. You can do anything you set your mind (and fingertips) to.

And even though we can't all be as powerful as Luke, since he is after all the MOST powerful of all, you, yourself are filled with powers that are individual to you, which no one else in the World can match. There is only one YOU!


My Luke describing all of his powers to me which included Super Lizard Power, Iron Man Power and Green Goblin Power (and I really can't remember what else he said....) 



2. If you are ever in a bind, don't hesitate to ask for a helping hand; and if you ever see someone in a bind, always lend a helping hand.

Sometimes we find ourselves in a very daunting task, one that seems impossible to accomplish...

It's ok to ask for help! We don't need to be Super Woman ALL the time (just some of the time, haha LOL!). Believe me, once you get the help you need, you will be able to relax, you will breathe a little better, and you will feel better.

These pictures are a sneak peek of  a Father's Day craft I'm putting together. You'll have to stay tuned...

I'm so thankful for the little helping hands in my life...