snap shot from our week...

Having fun making our butterfly art...

New Chapter...

 I am so excited...

After one year off...

I took the plunge...

And joined Jazzercise again...

I am going back to basics...

Going back to what I know...

Doing what I did to lose weight in the first place...

Motivating others so they can help me stay accountable...

Dance this weight off...

Sweat my booty into shape...

Work through my abs being sore...

Do high impact...

Count my calories again...

I am so excited...

I am back to taking Jazzercise!

Monday night at 9pm. I sent a plea for someone to help me get to the late class because I was losing motivation. These gals saw my post and are trying it out. Left to right: Me, Ericka, and Becky. So glad they came to class. This is our after picture in case you couldn't tell.

 This picture has nothing to do with my post... My little peanut got a new swim suit and looked adorable in it. I wish I looked this cute in my swim suit! 

Tonight we had an early dinner of ham salad and the peanuts and I were at the pool by 5:15pm tonight. It was a lovely swim. We ended up having the pool to our self's for 90 minutes or so. Kendal started winding down, so the hubs came to get her and brought her home. Dustin even surprised us with Sonic drinks for our lazy nights. 

My house isn't clean, I still need to fold some laundry however, nights like tonight is when it is clear to me, the house can wait. 

Another swim suit picture... you can't take Kenni's picture without taking Mia's.

I just got back from my 9pm Jazz class...

I feel good...

I feel good about my new chapter...

My new goals...

My new routine...

Dustin's big ol' lunch....

Is this not the biggest sandwich ever?? That would be the hubs lunch....

Slip and Slide time

 One afternoon, the peanuts played in the sprinkler for an afternoon. It was a fun activity to help stay cool.

 Over the weekend, we brought out the slip and slide for Kadyn, Mia and Kendal. Mia needed a little help getting down the first time.

 Kenni liked hanging out at the end where all the water gathered.

 This is where she stayed most of the time causing her older sisters to yell, "Move Kendal".

 More slip and slide pictures... the peanuts enjoyed the water play on our hot Topeka weekend.

Caterpillar to Butterfly...

 We welcomed a new summer theme this week... K and K playing a matching game during center time.

 Today we used paint and paper cups to make caterpillars for art. Everyone really got into the project, we had lots of caterpillars on our paper.

 Little A LOVES this toy. I keep them in a drawer in the TV stand. She knows how to pull it open and grab her toy each morning. The computer talks as you push the buttons, A giggles every time it talks back to her.

 Early morning outside time... we are reaching some yucky hot days now. We are getting as much playtime outside before we melt.

Self taken picture of Kenni, A and myself... I couldn't get A to look down for nothing.

Have a great Monday and check back often, thanks for reading about our peanut gallery!

Not as planned...

Have you ever had a day, good or bad, not go as planned? Today was that day for me. Not bad, but nothing went as I had hoped for....

Today was our pizza day, I wasn't  going to have have any but after dishing it out to daycare I ate. I counted it on my calorie counter and now only have 200 calories to last the rest of the day. I can do it- it'll take some planning on my part and no snacking.

I forgot to put the pork in the slow cooker, so we are having sandwiches for dinner.

We haven't done many daycare lessons this week. The kids love playing outside in the morning before it gets hot so I let them. I say it is time to do circle time and stories, I get groans. So I let them enjoy playing outside, enjoy their social networking, and try being less of a routine. It is summer. We'll catch up soon, and we'll be back on our plan... I hope.

I planned to fold laundry today at nap- instead I am blogging, changing that plan, and then reading my book. I know will have to work tonight on nursery stuff so I am doing some relaxing now.

I had planned to have the kids play in the sprinkler at nap time too- however, our AC wasn't running correctly and we had a repair man come during nap to fix it. Not a bad thing but just not a planned thing.

I have been doing a new work out... not as I planned. Instead of pounding away on the treadmill at the gym I am doing Jazzercise again. I figured it was time to drop my membership since my work out buddy is moving and Dustin would rather walk outside vs a gym. Because D LOVES me so much, I have been leaving at 435 each day so I can get a class in at 440p at the center. Normally I only have 1 child left for daycare when I leave so I am grateful he doesn't mind me leaving. I love getting it done and out of the way too.

Dustin is still working hard on the house... see picture above. The joys of having an older house and doing everything yourself. He is a hard worker and it amazes me how much this boy can do. The house project has been planned for but wasn't supposed to take this long. Hopefully he will be ready to paint this weekend. That is what we are planning on.

I am trying to grow my hair out... just a little, I think. I am not sure what my plan is on that but right now that plan is to make my hair look okay and that plan is failing. I need to figure out what I am doing and stick to that plan.

Well, there are my thoughts in a nutshell.... nothing as planned but going with the flow. Have a good day!!!

Last week at camp

 Last week the kids went to TBC for Camp Kanakuk. Normally this camp is based out of Branson.  This was their a pilot year for this traveling program. They brought zip lines, trampolines, inflatables, games, water slides, archery, all to the church campus. The kids had a busy day of activities, story/song time, skits, and devotionals.

On the last day, the kids had tent awards. Parents went to the kids' assigned tents and heard what award each child received. The leaders gave each child a ribbon and a hand written note as to why the child received the award.

 Gaby and her tent....

 Kadyn and her leaders...

 After the tent awards were given, everyone piled into the church auditorium for K-life which is what the kids participated in everyday before camp was dismissed. On Friday, Gaby got the bumble bee award. It's kinda like a kid of the day thing- each day they had a hand full of kids receive this award. Gaby on stage getting her award.  

This camp was a great experience for the girls. They loved all of the activities and the busy day. They came home each night with new stories to tell, new chats to shout, and stories of Christ that were on their heart.

I am grateful for the experience that Gaby and Kadyn were allowed to have through this program.

swimming time

Like last year we purchased a pool membership. The pool is less then five minutes away and is never packed. With it being in our community, we see a lot of friends and SHES families which is a bonus for the kids. It is gated so I don't fear the smaller kids running away. We love spending our nights and weekends here...

little bit of this and that...

 Our laid back Saturday... playing with some legos. Gaby, Kk and Kenni were all playing then it ended up being just dad and Kenni. Then it was just dad. Never too grown up for legos.

 After no nap on Saturday, Kenni chilled out with the kindle fire... wearing her favorite winter hat.

 My husband being a goof... on the last day of camp we stopped at BK for a snack. We also had a church sermon series called, "Return of the Kings". I thought he should wear this yesterday.

 Today we are back to our normal daycare routine. Playtime, circle time, arts, science ect... ahhh. It feels good to be back to normal, with my little friends.

We didn't get to much of out theme last week so we are doubling up on some of our days. It's cowboy week. Yee Haw!  Today we made home cowboy hats and vests. The "big kids" like to sit at this table to work.

 My little peanuts like this table... :)

 Showing off her hat... still in progress.

 My happy little peanut. On a side note, we went by her house yesterday for a party. She had nothing to do with me, no smile, no giggle, no love. Today, perfectly fine- my happy little A.

Moving on to our vests... the little ones didn't do as much decorating as the big kids did. It was neat to see how much time they put into their cowboy vests.

Until tomorrow!

Catching up??

 A cute shot from this morning...

Seems like forever since I blogged, it has been forever, like an entire week.

The kids are doing camp this week, and I have gotten to hang out at church to help as their health person- I am no where close to being in the health profession but they needed someone who has been through classes like first aid and CPR. It's been a blast to see the kids and leaders in action. However, I am more then ready for a normal week next week. I don't like being away from home this much.

Gaby has had a huge couple of weeks... I will sure more pictures soon. She is growing up, staying away from home for 6 days, and being baptized. I am proud of her- I see so much of my husband in her, simply amazing. 

We stopped at my friends garage sale last night for a sneak peek. I bought some fun magnet letters for daycare, however Kenni thinks they are hers, whatever.

My mom and sister in law ordered these cool books called , "Smash Books". They are a neat journal/scrapbook type books. Gaby started putting her post card collection in hers and Kadyn is journaling about her days at camp. It also came with a glue and writing pen. Super cute gift idea.

In a nutshell, that is what we are up too.... exciting, huh?! I hope to have more updates soon.

Our Dance Party...

 My favorite picture of the night... Kadyn showing off some moves.
Showing off what is like to be a child, dancing her heart out, and not caring who is watching her.
Love this picture, love this kid.

 My mom joined us outside to watch the 3 peanut dancers. I had my ipad outside and downloaded some songs for them. They thought it was the coolest thing ever. Mia had fallen down, was snuggling with Grammy, and with no nap today, almost fell asleep in Grammy's hold.

 Kendal's favorite song is "Hello". It came up on my playlist- she grabbed my mom's walking cane and started singing into it. Totally cracking us up.

 After her karaoke, she sat in my lap for a while... so we took a picture.

 My little pixie. After Mia and Kadyn came outside to dance in their jazz shoes, Kenni followed out in a pair of Mia's old ballet shoes. She loves to dance... can't wait until August when she starts her creative movement class. Go Kenni Go!

My dancing queens in the drive way...

Tonight we wait for Gaby to come home. To keep us busy, the younger three girls hung outside playing, singing, and dancing. This made my heart smile. I remember being Kadyn's age, and performing on our porch at the house I grew up in. Watching my kids act so carefree, so full of spunk, and full of smiles was just a A+ parent memory for me. Loved tonight, love my peanuts, love being their mom!

more ramblings...

I will not confirm or deny that I had donuts for lunch. One of my besties brought them by to me out of the blue. How did she know it was eat an "3 donuts for lunch" kinda day? It's not a bad day by any means... I don't allow for those days, but it was just an "eat donuts for lunch" day. What awesome friends I have. Thanks Amanda for thinking of me and making the trip over! You Rock sister friend.

Full house today... summer is like that. Today I am busting at the seems and yesterday I had three. Out of all the days of the week, we have a full house maybe one day. Love how that works out. It was an awesome morning to play outside. So we took advantage of the cooler temp, shaded back yard, and played. I know it isn't a structured day but I guess I don't see what's wrong in doing lessons after lunch when it is wicked hot vs. in the morning when we should be playing. I love being outside... and the kids do too. Today the older peanuts played dodge ball. Love it!

I miss my Gaby. I know you already know that but in case you missed it. I miss her. I have only gotten to talk to her once since we dropped her off on Sunday night. I keep telling myself that if there was something wrong, if she wasn't having a fun time, or if she was super home sick... the camp would call. I am trusting God on this. I know He is watching over Gaby and she is fine. I pray this week is a life moment for her. Something she will remember for years to come. I want her to look back on this week and have great memories.

I am thinking of switching up the hair style again. I have had super short hair for 6 months, which is a long time for me to stick to the same cut. I need to get a trim but I want to have a plan for when I go in. Hmmmm. This is a big thing. 

My mom comes back tonight. Last weekend she went to my brother and sister in laws house in KC for a few days. Things were kinda building up between us and it was a good time to have her go and visit for a while. Even though most days I don't care that my mom lives with us, we all needed a break. There are still times we don't see eye to eye on things, there are times she tries to parent me still, there are times I am not patient with her, and there are times we just need time away.

While she was gone I worked on her room. I don't know if it is a stroke thing or a mom thing but she never cleans her room. At risk of my sounding like her parent and saying, " you need to clean your room, mom". I just let it go. It's not worth fighting over. Looking back at our home growing up, my mom never kept a tip top house. So maybe having a clean and picked up room isn't a big deal to her. Anyway- I cleaned out her room, washed all the bedding, caught her laundry up, put all of her pictures into collage frames, bought pink baskets and organizing cubes. I hope now that her room is picked up and looks nice maybe she will make the effort to keep it that way. One can hope.

Total God thing happened this morning. I was paying bills and balancing our checkbook. We have tags due this month, extra money is going out for food/snacks for daycare and kids have a couple summer events we are paying for. I thought to myself, "wow, we are totally tight this month and I have to do my big walmart trip tonight". I was stressing out a little. I went to my wallet and grabbed all the receipts so I can make sure they were getting accounted for. I checked the outside pocket and found two pieces of paper. I opened them up and found two checks I had not deposited. Wow. What a cool thing to have had happen. That totally made my morning and helped our super tight week- now we can eat tomorrow and not have bread and butter...Just kidding! But like I said, total God thing!

I have a headache today. I don't like it. It slows me down and kinda makes me lazy and grumpy. So, after I am finished posting this, I am going to sit and read my book for a while. Then maybe I will find my motivation to meal plan and prep for my big grocery store trip.

I should have shaved my legs...

 I should have shaved my legs for Kadyn and I's night out. Yes! I was wearing shorts today- it was hot. I remember thinking when I woke up, "if I wear shorts today, I should shave my legs". The morning started, daycare kids came, and I never shaved my legs.

After the last kiddo left, Kadyn and I had plans for tonight. We started out at, "Charm Nails". When we first walked in a lady greeted us. To be honest, I couldn't understand her but by her gestures figured out what we were supposed to do.

Kadyn and I were giddy. Kk has never had a pedicure and I have not had one in a long time. We picked out our colors and sat down in the chairs. We waited long enough for me to look down and realize, "Wow, I really should have shaved my legs".

I looked down thinking, maybe it won't be that bad- it is just a pedicure, not a leg"icure". Maybe he won't HAVE to touch my legs. The gal that greeted us, came over to Kadyn. The entire time we were here, Kadyn had this huge smile on her face.  The nice gal ended up painting Kadyn's nails as we soaked our feet. This was a bonus for K. She laughed and giggled as the hot water swirled around. And for a short time my attention was on Kadyn and her joy not on my hairy legs.

After we had our feet in the water, a gentlemen came over and started the whole pedicure treatment on me. I was watching Kadyn and laughing at all of her expressions. Then I am noticing all the massaging and the touching that the gal is doing to Kadyn.... oh crap, "why didn't I shave my legs??". 

I could feel my face turning red. I didn't have smooth legs, this dude was gonna touch my legs, and I couldn't understand what he was saying to me. Sigh. There went my relaxing pedicure. At one point, the guy told me very sternly to, "relax"- that I understood.

I don't like to be touched, I hate feet, and now I know I am gonna get touched. I try to focus on Kadyn, she is giggling and still loving everything that is going on.

The next thing I know... I am being touched, by the dude, and I am lost in my own world. I don't care that my legs are hairy, I just don't want the guy to stop. He had magic hands or something. My legs felt great... like I just got touched and I don't want him to stop great! Finished by a hot good smelling towel rested on my hairy legs, I was melting.

Well, all things must come to an end. After he is done working on my legs, he paints my toes, and we are finished. Kadyn and I had a blast at "Charm Nails". She loved her blue color and her hand painted flowers. I loved my neon french pedicure as well.

We wrapped up our night by getting a happy meal and heading to Walmart. We had two birthday gifts to buy and beads/necklace kits for daycare. On the way home, Kadyn kept saying, "my favorite part of the night was my pedicure". What a sweet girl. I love one on one times with my kids. It is such a great reminder how blessed I am to be a part of these kids' life, and to always shave my legs.

Our next project...

 We are painting the house. When I say "we", I mean Dustin. We, when I say "we" I mean, me has wanted to do this since we moved in almost 7 years ago.

Dustin has started... we, I mean, him, have to replace some siding and make repairs to the house before we can start painting...

 Yesterday's progress...

 And today's...

 Hard working hubby!!!