Mr. & Mrs. Movie Quoter and the Girls!

Friday, November 23, 2012

Four Months of Sweet Bliss

Well, it has been a wonderful four months as a full-time Mother. But all good things must come to an end, I suppose. I just accepted a position and will be working again (at a mortgage company) to provide benefits for my family, as well as the extra income needed to provide for a better future....so this is GOOD news. Not all mothers get the option to choose to stay at home and while this can be difficult for some to accept, I am grateful that our family was taught to save our money in order to survive unexpected hardships (such as our brief period after this move across country). It was comforting to have this "emergency fund" and I did not have to worry, instead I enjoyed every last minute of my time serving my husband and my girls. I cooked, organized, exercised, scrap-booked, sewed, volunteered and served others in a way I have not been able to do so in a long time. I loved my four month "vacation" (I say this in a facetious manner because any mother knows that it is SO much labor intensive work when you stay home and tend to your children) and I look forward to the day when I get to stay home again indefinitely. Here's to learning new things and to a brighter future!

This was one of my projects (my other pictures wouldn't load) I loved when produce would go on sale at Kroger and I had time to make these. I think this will be something to keep on my "to-do" list because of the time it saves when making a meal. You know what I will be doing on Saturday's :)

Monday, October 15, 2012

New Adventures in Tennessee

We drove through this huge park- Percy Warner- the other day with our friends to watch the sunset. It was beautiful! Thanks Chris and Chantelle!

Just playing after school

Duncan family sharing their home, movie, snacks and boxed juice with us!!!!

Labor Day Franklin Classic 5K in support of Mercy Childcare. Lots of fun festivities and it was perfect weather for a run. Although I had not trained for this race, I still came in under 30 minutes which is not terrible.....man did that hurt the next day though.

She likes to put on fancy outfits and talk about going to "dance class" and "piano lessons."

At the end of the summer we had a lot of yard work to do. But we always relaxed afterward in our rock pond. :)

Yay rock pond!!!

This little bunny is always around and we just love him!

Dancing in their jammies at dusk-chasing the bunny too.

All natural. Can you believe that curl? So gorgeous. She gets compliments everywhere she goes.

Adam's hardwork pays off :) This was a REAL BIG hit with our girls. (And my Mom...she loves that pool)

We had chocolate covered strawberries during our FHE the other night. They loved it!

Daddy played on the Sonic softball team the other night. It was a BLAST and made me homesick....I miss going to his softball games in Laramie. Too bad the Sonic Burger team only needed him to play just that once (as a substitute). Adam enjoys playing and always hits the ball...it is impressive to us. The girls like to shout, "Go Daddy!" from the stands....and run around like wild monkeys.

We went to the Harley-Davidson store for a party with live music and entertainment the other weekend. Adam rode his custom Sportster and we got to talk about riding and different types of bikes with our friends all night. Adam used to work for this Harley-Davidson store when we lived in Nashville over six years ago, so he also reconnected with some old co-workers too.

One of my FAVORITE things in life is frozen yogurt and this store is right up there with a specialty frozen yogurt store called "Golden Spoon" in California. Mmmmmm deicious. The girls love it because they get gummy bears and gum balls on top. Adam loves it for the location....downtown Franklin is the place to be!!!

Costco is FABulous...

Hanging out at the Mall

Our walk to school.

This was Charlotte modeling her birthday outfit. I ordered her a cute peasant blouse from Matilda Jane Clothing for her special day. Birthday girl!!! Seven years old and such a sweet thing!!!! We love our baby C so much. It is difficult to believe that she will get baptized next year. Where has the time gone? We are so thankful to have this little girlie-Q in our family. She had her birthday with family at Chuck-E-Cheese (as requested), took cupcakes to her school class, had a lunch date with Savannah and received many art supplies as gifts. It was a good birthday for this sweet, kind and patient girl.

1st Grade school pic

We got a blouse for Savvy too. This is one of the only times they have worn matching outfits and I LOVE it....why did I not do this earlier? I guess it's because Savannah wears nothing but hand-me-downs and ususally has plenty in her drawer.

I took this picture because we went to a celebration of Dave Ramsey the other day. 20 Years on the Radio. We really enjoy Dave's teaching about a secure financial future. I have instilled his teachings for the last two years and things are going well so far. Anyway, Savannah and I enjoyed his carnival/party and we got to meet the man himself! I love it here in Tennessee!

Once the weather turned I couldn't wait to bake. Pumpkin seeds, pumpkin pie, pumpkin cookies......it just keeps getting better and better. The girls are always my happy helpers too....we have so much fun. Can you tell I am REALLY loving this "stay-at-home Mom" thing?! It is just what we all needed.

In honor of the Fall season change I also decided to try and prepare butternut squash for the first time. It was yummy. We made little fried cakes and a soup. YUM-O

It is getting a little chilly on our walks to school now. Mid October and probably 55 degrees Fahrenheit. Brrrr. At least it is not a snow storm. Laramie has already had two huge snow storms this year....the weather there is truly insane and yet, I still miss it like crazy.

I see a bunch of these spiderwebs on our walks each morning. There are SO MANY spiders around here. And not just little Wyoming garden spiders, I mean the kind with big bodies and long legs. They are everywhere!- Hence the multiple webs. I like them as long as they are OUTSIDE.

As I was cleaning out the garage the other day, I heard on the radio that Disney on Ice was coming to Nashville! They had a special for opening night (Thursday) at $13 a ticket. I asked permission to go and shouted for joy when Adam said yes. The funny thing was, I think Adam and I were even more excited about the show than the girls. This was our first time and it was really impressive. The ice skating was top notch and the costumes and singing were great! It was a performance to never forget and I am glad I had turned on the Classic Rock station that day in the garage.

They performed Little Mermaid, Cars, Toy Story and Tinkerbell

Tuesday, September 4, 2012

Additional Summer Fun & Traveling East

As a single Mom this summer, they were forced to both wear lifejackets at ALL times for my sanity. :) A bit over the top...but I wasn't taking ANY chances. Good thing they enjoyed them.

Outdoor Recreation Center Pool with friends!!!!

Little Logan helping us with the move :) He looked really psyched to be there, eh? Well....we were glad to see our good friends before we left (his parents). Gave us some closure but made it really tough.

This was crazy

Charlotte has been wanting to taking my picture lately. I taught her how to properly handle the camera and she went to town. Here I am, cleaning for one of the last times in my kitchen with the gorgeous view of the open prarie.....that smile was a mask I was wearing.....it was SO TOUGH to leave. Bittersweet adventure I must say :)

The mountain of boxes! I cannot say enough GOOD about all the friends and family that helped assist us in this move. I got spoiled with helpers--all the way from my Mother-in-law and Great Auntie to my visiting teacher and neighbors who cooked, packed and made the process so much more smooth. Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!!!

Just before the movers arrived, she asked for her picture to be taken for the last time on the couch. I like this picture because it shows her front tooth growing in. Love it!

1300 miles and 3 l.o.n.g days later....it was onto additional messes at the new place with the breakdown of boxes. The house we moved into was packed full of stuff that needed to be organized/stored/given to Goodwill. There have been a few bumps along the way but let's just say that I am grateful for air conditioning. Poor Adam had none with the drive over (in the UHaul)...he is a champion and never really complained. Did I mention how much I love moving and starting over?

We took the necessary breaks from our labors to be silly (Sav is good at reminding us to do that)

Char taking another picture before church.

Within a few days in our new place, it was time for Char to have her first day of First Grade.

This yard is gorgeous and requires us to do a lot of gardening work which we love--family time!

Everyday after she gets home, the girls run in the sprinkler....they L.O.V.E. their first backyard.

Each day Sav and I have the BEST time together!!! Here we are making lunch for us and Daddy (who came home to eat that particular day). She was so happy to get that news--as was I.