Another Day Off??????????????????????

Only time will tell! With the snow that is predicted for tonight, we could have another day at home tomorrow. I assume everyone reading this knows that it would be more than fine with me to stay home tomorrow. It is coming down pretty hard right now. Cobe just got dropped off after going to Grand Rapids with a friend after school, and his dad said the roads were slippery and the snow was blowing sideways making it hard to drive. If only it would keep up all night, then it's a given that we'll be home tomorrow.

The kids and I all had dentist appts. this morning. No cavities for any of us! Ryan drove us b/c I was worried it may be icy, but it was fine. He had to sit and wait for an hour- poor guy! We went to V's for donuts afterwards, then dropped Cobe off at school. After we came home, Sharon dropped Jake and Josh off. The kids all had fun playing (pictures below). After work, I ran to Sam's Club to get some yogurt (which the kids have been out of forever), french toast sticks, and Fuze, but ended up with quite a bit more than that. I was glad I went today instead of waiting since the weather is getting worse.

I found one more thing tonight that someone can claim (for FREE!) if interested: a nursing stool (light wood colored). All you soon to me moms give me a holler if you want it. I even deliver, right Selena???? :-) I'll keep wading through the clutter and list some more things soon. Off to tuck the kids in bed. Keep warm!


Brooks and Jake wrestling- the cousins' favorite past time for sure! Notice the backpack? For some reason, Brooks now wears it all the time while at home. Don't ask.
Look at that cutey Jakie boy!
Sadie and her peach headband. Lisa gave her one the other day, and she promptly stepped on it and broke it. So lucky her, she got to get another one today at Lisa's. So far, so good. Not broken yet. But look how she thinks she is supposed to wear the thing!!!!!!!!!! She refuses to put it on correctly.
Brooks finally smiled for a picture while eating dinner tonight.
Joshy boy would look at me for a split second and then as soon as he realized I was taking his picture, he would quickly dart his eyes away. Lil' stinker!

A Productive Snow Day & FREEBIES

I cleaned my house today as well as baked and cooked. So I feel pretty good about not wasting the day. I washed rugs, did all the laundry, dusted, vacuumed, cleaned 3 bathrooms, took out garbage, cleaned the countertops and the kitchen sink. Ryan can clean the tubs (he does a much better job than me!) tomorrow, and I'll feel like my whole house is clean. Until tomorrow when our boots track in dirty snow and grit again. Or until little boys drip toothpaste on their counters and sink. Or until they dribble on the potty. Or until they eat and drop crumbs. Or until a little girl colors on the tables and walls. And then I could start all over again. But that's okay. I definitely don't live for a clean house- I live for the happiness of my kids and family, so even after all of my hard work, I would rather have 3 kids who make a mess than a neat house any day. Although it would be nice if someone would invent something to keep my house clean for a few days anyway. :-)

Brooks and I spent some time in the kitchen today. Sadie napped from 12-3 and Cobe went to the Medendorps from 12-5:30 (Thanks Lisa!), so Brooks and I had some good one-on-one time. We made peanut butter/hershey kiss cookies, chocolate cupcakes with rainbow chip frosting, and we made a Sloppy Joe casserole. He loves to help in the kitchen, and usually I'm too rushed to let him, so it was nice that we had nothing all day so he could help me. He is such a sweet kid and really easy to please. When I was dusting his bedroom, he asked me, "Whatcha doing Mom?" I told him I was dusting. He said, "Thanks for doing that Mom." Melt my heart. I actually felt appreciated for doing housework. At least there is one in the bunch... :-)

As I was on my cleaning binge, I found some things stashed away that I would like to get rid of. So if you are reading this and want any of these items, please comment, and they are yours free of charge.

1. Baby wipe warmer- white- works great
2. Potty training potty (sits on floor)
3. Lots of picture frames- great condition- most are either silver or metal (brushed nickel color or goldish color)- all sizes from 2x3 to 8x10's
4. Navy ceramic lamp with a navy lampshade that has gold stars sporadically spread around it
5. TONS of baby toys (any first time moms out there? you would be set with toys- could be for a girl or boy)- in great shape

I am starting to go through all of our clutter, so I will be listing things as I run across them that I don't want to hang on to until we have a garage sale. Please don't be shy- claim away!

And you might start noticing another pattern as well...

That I will be posting a ton of pictures. My new camera is so much fun to use! I love taking pictures now that I can capture the picture the instant I push the button instead of waiting 30 seconds for my camera to react.

Sadie doesn't like to cooperate. She learned from her brothers to cover her face the minute she sees my camera. Little stinker!
She posed for this one because she saw Maya doing it.
Maya was a great subject. She sat and smiled and asked me to keep taking more.
Here is another one of the model.

Well the winter storm predicted for over night and today DID materialize! We have another snow day today. Nice! It is quite deceiving as to how much snow we actually got. My sidewalk and driveway don't have a speck of snow on them, but my windows have snow in between the window and the screen. The snow is blowing sideways because we have huge wind gusts. At one point I looked out and couldn't see. It looked like a true blizzard. I think the roads are pretty bad too b/c there is bound to be a layer of ice under the snow. It rained all day yesterday- we even had thunder last night. Michigan sure does have some crazy weather! I think we will stay put all morning. I saw in one report that it may die down by 3:00, so we'll see. The boys are both still in bed- not sleeping, but watching the movie Barnyard. Sis is singing and bugging Ryan right now, so I have some peace and quiet.

I am going to try and convince Ryan to go to Meijer's in awhile. It seems like a good day for baking. He doesn't even want to go out yet in this mess. I am going to stay inside and crank up the heat. Ironic how it can be close to 50 degrees yesterday and today be 0 degrees (or minus 10 with the wind chill!!!!) Crazy!

You might start noticing a pattern...

The pattern being that Lynette does so many nice things for us. She made this adorable tutu for Sadie. And of course, Sadie is in HOG HEAVEN wearing it! She won't let me call it a tutu- she has to call it a ballerina.



Here is Ryan and Cobe doing what they do best- wrestling and rough housing. They are always messing around and usually Brooks is in on it too.
And Baby Elliot gets to spend the morning with us. Sadie was sound asleep when he got here. The first time he made a noise, we heard her in her crib say, "Baby Elliot." She was raring to go!

TA-DA!

After spending a morning at Lynette's and getting a tutorial on how to get started... Here are some of the first pictures from my new camera. It wasn't nearly as hard to catch onto as I had anticipated, so that part is good. I love the quality of the pictures as well. And the teacher wasn't too shabby either. Haha Lynette knows her stuff! She influenced my daughter negatively, but other than that, we had a successful morning. :-) Thanks a ton Lynette!

Look at that scowl!



Look for many picture posts in the upcoming weeks as I get used to my new toy!

Cobe has a 5:00 soccer game tonight and I have BSF after that. Cobe won his Saturday morning game 5-1, and he scored at least one goal (he claims he scored 2, but I didn't see the other one.) Off to get the kids at preschool and head to work. Happy Monday!

Great Wolf Lodge- Part 1 at the hotel and water park

We had such a fun trip to GWL! It was crowded from what everybody else said, but we didn't know the difference since we had never been. To me, it seemed fine. We got in around 1:15 after stopping at McD's for lunch, and our room was ready, so we unloaded, put our suits on, and headed to the water park. We saw a few other Zeeland families that we knew. The park was amazing. Such fun stuff for all ages. The kids all got pretty daring by this afternoon. Every single one of them went down the big, huge slides on rafts. Even little Sadie! Brooks and Aliyah were definitely the water rats. They couldn't get enough. I think Cobe's recent illness took a toll on him- he was a little worn out after playing for awhile. After the mall Friday night, Lisa, Aliyah, Brooks and I went back to the park. No lines at all, so we rode the big slides over and over since we didn't have to wait. Then we went back for 9:00 story time (which was a waste of time- we should have stayed at the park). Sadie had already hit the sack at 7:30 b/c she had not had a nap and was whipped. Cobe and Ryan stayed in the room and watched a b-ball game. Maya hit the hay early too because she was worn out, so Boeve stayed with her.

This morning, we had breakfast in our rooms, loaded the cars, checked out and hit the water park again. By about 11:00 my kids were done. They were all starving and tired. So we dressed and went to Pizza Hut for lunch then headed home. If you are contemplating a trip there, I'd say it is WELL worth it. A ton of fun and activity. The lodge had a big arcade, scavenger hunts and interactive quests that the kids could go on as well, but we didn't really even have time to take advantage of everything the hotel offered. I would recommend staying for 2 nights. I would like to go back again in the future, especially now we know what to expect.

This is Aliyah and Brooks listening to the lame story at story time. The kids can meet in the lobby of the lodge at 8:00 or 9:00 for a bedtime story. They were bored. :-) Check out that kid digging up his nose in the background. Didn't even realize I had captured that on film.
My camera doesn't take action shots as you can tell, but this is Sadie going down the kiddie slide in the kiddie pool. They had 3 small slides for kids under 48 inches, so we spent time here with the little ones. Sadie's other FAVORITE activity was going around the river on a tube. She could ride that river all day in my lap. On Saturday late afternoon, Lisa took her around a few times and she fell asleep for a few laps.
Cobe loved to catch his little sister when she came down the slide.
Aliyah after catching Sis one time. I felt like I could only take pictures of the kids in the little pool. Otherwise, my camera would have gotten wet, and I was in the water with them the whole time other than this pool. I would have loved to have gotten a shot of each of their faces as they came off of the huge big "tube" slides. Those slides were big tunnels that even went outside of the hotel and came back around in. They had dark tunnels as well. When Aliyah, Brooks, Lisa and I went at night, the whole tunnel was dark since it went outside. Pretty cool stuff!
And Sis again. Not great pictures, but I wanted to at least capture a few shots. Can't wait to go back!!!!!!!

Great Wolf Lodge-Part 2 At the Traverse City Mall

We went to the Grand Traverse Mall Saturday night to eat dinner and look around. The boys each got a Webkins and I got Cobe a pair of jeans and a coat from Children's Place that was 50% of the sale price- good deals. We went to the food court for dinner and Brooks and Sadie rode the merry-go-round. They had a playspace as well, so I took pictures of the kids in that.

Cobe in the play area.
Sadie in part of the tree slide.
Brooks hiding in the log.
Sadie was thrilled with the carousel. She acted so excited every time she went around and saw me.

My Wonderful Husband

I got the nicest SURPRISE gift from my hubby today. He ran out this morning "to get a watch battery" for his watch, and came home with a ring and jewelry box for me. I was so shocked! It is a gorgeous ring- it actually matches my engagement ring. The design of the ring is the exact same as the band on my diamond. The ring has a pearl in it. I love it! The jewelry box is awesome as well- it will be great for travel. He also wrote me a very nice note thanking me for being supportive of his career. I have some pictures below- unfortunately, I have to have the ring re-sized before I can wear it.

He had also finished the laundry and put the sheets back on our bed and Cobe's bed which to me is the worst job in the world (Cobe' s bed is a top bunk and ultra hard to get the sheets back on), so he wins lots of praise for that as well. He is great at doing chores around the house and cleaning, so I have a lot to be thankful for!




And to make the day a complete success- my camera ALREADY came today!!!! Amazon said it wouldn't even be shipped until Jan. 28th, but it was here when I got home from work. I am nervous because I don't like learning new gadgets, but super excited too to start figuring things out (with the help of my GREAT friend Lynette! :-) ) I wish I could take it on our trip tomorrow, but I will take my old camera since we'll be around water and since I don't know how to use it yet.

And another great day because Cobe is feeling well enough for us to go on our trip tomorrow! I wouldn't say he is 100%, but his headache, achiness, and dizziness are gone. He feels much better! Yay!
Tonight we are going to Skiles for pizza- topping off a wonderful day with a yummy dinner! What more could a girl ask for? :-)

Home again- but not for a snow day

How disappointed was I when I turned on the TV at 6:30 to find every single surrounding school district closed, but not Zeeland. I was sure we'd get a snow day today. I woke Cobe up at 7:45, and he said his legs hurt. Then he started complaining about feeling like he was going to throw up. He never pretends to be sick, so I guess I should have believed him, but I kept encouraging him to get up, get ready, eat breakfast, etc. He tried. I finally gave in and said he could go to school late. I felt his head around 9:30 or 10:00, and he definitely had a fever. I just gave him Motrin about 30 minutes ago because he is achy and has a headache. Poor guy! So I called in sick, and Lisa is going to sub for me. It is so nice not to have to rush in and leave sub plans- she is always willing to sub for me, and she is such a good sub that she doesn't need me to leave plans. I just told her what to do over the phone, and she is good to go. Cobe has been really clingy though ( SO unlike him!) and wants me to stay with him in the bed. I refuse to do that- memories of my recent illness keep flashing before my eyes, so I do not want to get what he has. I hope it is short-lived whatever he has. He'll be going to the Dr. in the morning if he is still sick because we are supposed to go to Great Wolf Lodge on Saturday. I would hate to have to postpone our trip again. I hope he gets well soon and that nobody else gets it. Off to take care of the patient.

P.S. I almost forgot. I used my Christmas money last night to make a big purchase. I bought this camera, and I can't wait for it to get here!!!!!!!

BOO! No snow day today

I never realized as a kid that teachers would want snow days more than kids. Now I do. We didn't get any new snow (or very little) overnight, so off to school we go today. We are supposed to get more again tonight, so maybe, just maybe, we'll luck up again for tomorrow and get to stay home.

We had a blast on our snow day. Brooks got invited to his buddy Evan's house so he was there from 10:30-2:30. Chase came over to our house to play with Cobe during that time. They played video games for the majority of the time and went outside for a short time to play. Sadie had a ball just being Sadie and getting to wear whatever she wanted and clunk around in her tap shoes and her dress up shoes. She hauled around her purses and her babies.

At 3:30, we met Boeves, Bells, and Overzets at Crazy Bounce for an hour play session. We took Chase with us and left Sadie home with Ryan. I really regret not taking Sadie. There was no one there, and she would have had a blast. Oh well- lesson learned. I am going to take her soon to make up for my guilt. I thought the place would be packed due to no school in the area, and it would have been hard for me to keep up with her. But that was not the case at all. We had the place almost to ourselves.

We came home, ate a yummy dinner (main dish provided by Lisa) and headed off to Target. Cobe wanted to use his gift cards he had gotten from Jen and Nana. He ended up getting a Playstation 2 game (FIFA 08 Soccer) that was on sale, so he still has $15 on my mom's left to use for a Webkins. He is going to get that today. He got a Webkins from Aliyah and Maya yesterday for his birthday- the tree frog that he has REALLY been wanting. Thanks girls!

All-in-all, a really fun surprise day off. Hope I can blog soon about what fun things we did on our snow day off on Thursday. Wish me luck! "-)

YAY

SNOW DAY!!!!!!! YIPPEE!!!!!!!!! WOOOOO HOOOOO!!!!!!

Bathtime Fun

Sadie LOVES to play in the bathtub. She likes to take a doll in there and wash her doll. She would stay in the tub all night if we let her. Her latest is taking a shower. After she was done playing in the tub, she begged to take a shower.

We had some disappointed people at our house last night that the Packers lost! So close too! But according to Ryan, they played horribly. And according to Cobe, they played like "Dumbos." I ended up watching a movie (Jungle Book) with Brooks because he wasn't into the game.

The weather here is not so great and getting worse. PRAY FOR A SNOW DAY tomorrow!!!! I would love to stay snuggled in bed! :-)

Cobe's Real Birthday

Cobe ended up doing some fun stuff on his birthday yesterday. He had a soccer game in the morning, which they won 6-2, and he scored one of the goals. Then his friend Chase came over and played for awhile until Chase's parents came and picked them up for the Chix-Dux freshman b-ball game. After he got home from that, Justin and Jake came over to spend the night. Landon, Dimitri and Lynette came over for awhile as well. So all-in-all, a pretty spectacular birthday! I wanted to get pictures of other events as well throughout the weekend, but I didn't take any more pictures than these. We stayed home all day today pretty much snowed in. I am sure we'll still have school tomorrow, but the roads are still pretty covered, and I haven't heard the plows out. It is supposed to snow continuously all week, so I am hoping for at least a delay out of the week. :-)


Chase and Cobe are pretty goofy together!
Can you tell?
And Sadie was enthralled with Chase. She wouldn't leave him alone. I am starting to notice a pattern with her and older boys.... trouble!

We are going to have a family Packers night tonight. I am having fried green beans, honey BBQ wings, pizza rolls, chicken nuggets, apples with dip, and cheese and crackers to eat for the 6:30 game. The boys are super excited to watch the game. A good cold, snowy night to stay inside for the game with yummy appetizers.

My Baby is 8!!!!!!!

Tonight we celebrated Cobe's 8th birthday (yes- I know Em- we celebrated a day early!) with Ryan's family. Cobe got many nice gifts- Webkins, a fishing pole, money, and a gift card. We gave him our presents as well: a shirt, Webkins and a movie. He opened a gift from Jeff and Michele earlier: a Webkins. He still needs to open the card/gift from my parents, but we are saving that one until tomorrow so he'll have something to open on his real birthday. The kids all had fun being together- these cousins do love each other. Cobe had a football cake (see earlier post about his obsession with football), and we had pizza from Vitale's. He still hasn't asked for a party, so I think we are safe this year not having one. :-)

We are getting so much snow that I was glad everyone was still able to make it. I am half expecting Cobe's soccer game to be canceled in the morning, but we'll see. Jim and Mary Jo are going to pick us up if the weather is bad, and we still have the game. It seems like a great day to stay home in pj's all day- high of 15 degrees in the morning and dropping to single digits as the day progresses. Brrrrrr!

In Her Glory

Wow- I know I have already posted today, but I had to share these pictures that capture the essence of my daughter. She is a hoot and a holler! Look at her giddy-up! She demanded that she put on black tights, pink shoes, a bathing suit and a cowboy hat. At one point, she had a hot pink purse around her neck, and she was carrying around a Bible as well. She cracks me up- she is such a little drama queen already- we are in for it!



This picture was her jammin to Brooks' Ipod. See the bent knees?
And what a little cuddler she is. She always wants to be held. I need to stop and do it more often- I will regret letting it pass me by when she is too grown up to want to cuddle with me. I can't imagine our lives without little Miss Sadie Claire. She definitely completes our family.

Up and Coming Plans

I am done with work for the week. I had a really great time today at our "Coops" kick-off day. Kids weren't in any classes today- instead they rotated through stations that consisted of different games and activities. Each teacher was in charge of 15 kids- it really was a lot of fun, and I enjoyed the 15 kids that were in my group. Normally, these groups are going to meet every Wednesday morning so I won't normally have a group, but I was a sub today for a teacher who couldn't be there. I wish I had her group all the time- I feel like I got to know them and will be abandoning them. It is nice for my work schedule though- every Wednesday for the rest of the year I will teach less than I do now! SWEET!

I am exhausted after this week- I have been getting up early to shower and go to early morning meetings and staying up way too late as well. I could easily nap right now, but then I'm afraid I won't get to sleep tonight. I am looking forward to my day off tomorrow. We are going to spend the morning with the Boeve girls and go out to lunch at Pizza Hut buffet. Cobe earns coupons for reading at school for a free buffet or free personal pan pizzas, and he has accumulated 3 that we haven't used yet. Then they boys are going to Jen's to play with Justin and Jake. Ryan's parents, grandparents, and the Overzets are coming here tomorrow night for pizza and cake for Cobe's birthday. It will be a busy day, but fun stuff. Saturday Cobe has a 10:00 soccer game and they have pictures before hand so we'll have to be there at 9:30. Ryan works all weekend so I'll be flying solo.

My parents just booked plane tickets to come here on Feb. 19-24th. That was great until I found out hours after they booked their tickets that Ryan will be in Iowa for training the whole next week beginning on the 24th!!! I quick called my parents to see if they could come that next week instead so they can help me with the kids. They are going to look into it when they get home from Williamsburg, VA. They left going there this morning for a weekend trip. I hope they can change it, but either way, at least they are coming for a visit. Brooks is VERY excited that they will be here around his birthday.

I am super excited about going to Great Wolf Lodge next weekend. I am so glad we postponed our trip. It may have been because I was sick, but Lisa wasn't sick, and she said she felt the same way- we just weren't as excited to go when we had it planned last time on Jan. 2nd. I think it was way too close to the holidays and our other trip, and instead of being excited, I just felt overwhelmed that we were going on another trip. But now, I am ready for another trip. I can't wait- I am sure the kids will have so much fun.

Ryan is planning a trip for the 2 of us to Chicago in March with 2 other couples. I don't know if it will pan out or not, but he is a huge Big Head Todd fan, and they are playing at the House of Blues in Chicago at the end of March. He has been wanting to go for a few months, so I hope we can get that together. I need to start listening to some of their music because I am never thrilled to go to concerts unless I really know the music. And, I don't know BHT's music at all. I guess I'll be loading them on the ole' Ipod so I'll have 2 months to come to like the songs. Ryan is going to the Kidd Rock concert on Feb. 1st, and he wanted me to go to that as well. I passed on that one. He invited Kyle instead. I feel sort of bad because it is a bunch of cops and their wives going.... and then Kyle and Ryan, since I wouldn't go. But, don't know the music, and what I have heard, was NOT my type at all. So to spend $45 bucks to go listen to junk, is not my idea of fun. I am sure he and Kyle will have much more fun anyway.

I think with all of this sporadic stuff planned, the end of the school year is going to FLY by! Right after that will be spring break, then tulip time, then boom- it is over. I also will have a student teacher from Feb. 11th- May2nd who will teach a large portion of that time, so I won't have too many responsibilities at work either. The whole 7th grade is going to a Detroit Tigers game on charter buses on May 22nd, so that is something else I am looking forward to. I love spending time with kids in activities like that- 7th graders are such a neat age. Also sometime in April will be the annual Sawyer Brown concert that Ryan and I go to every year and if my brother gets us tickets again this year, we'll be going there too. I love having so many fun things to look forward to. And throw building a new house in there!!!!!!! I can't wait to pick out cabinets, paint colors, flooring, doors, and everything else that comes along with building a house. I am so excited to think that we could be in our new home by June- pool days anyone???? I had Cobe in so many camps, lessons and clinics last summer, and I don't know if I am going to do that this summer. We may take a summer off to just enjoy the pool- I am sure he'll want friends over every day and I will too. Any takers? :-)

Okay- can you tell I'm rambling? I am trying to kill time instead of napping. Lisa made us some yummy looking broccoli manicotti for tonight's dinner, so I don't even need to cook tonight. I can't wait to eat that. Cobe just got off the bus, so I am going to help him with his homework. He came home with the $20 bucks that he found at school a week ago. His teacher told him she'd give it to him in a week if nobody claimed it... and today was his lucky day! Have a great weekend!

Spirit Week

Cobe has had spirit week all week at New Groningen. Monday was "Read a T-Shirt" day, Tuesday was "Hat and Sunglasses" day and today was "Crazy Hair, Mismatched Clothes, Clash Day and Backwards Day." He was looking REAL good when he left for school. He didn't want to even ride the bus, so Ryan ran him to school. I think he fails to remember that all the kids on the bus will be looking crazy too. Pictures below:

I put 4 ponytails on the top of his head, and he wore one of Sissy's bows in the front.
Here is he with his mis-matched and backwards clothes on.

And of course Miss Hollywood had to get in on the action of saying CHEEEEEZZ! for the camera.

We had a busy, busy morning. I had another meeting this morning at work, so I got up and got the kids ready. Ryan took Cobe to school, Lisa came and picked up Brooks for a fieldtrip he had at Champion gymnastics, then I came home and got Sadie and Ryan and I went to a meeting with our builder separately because he had court. He left from the meeting and went to court, and I left and went to Wal-Mart to order a cake for Cobe and pick up a few things we were out of, then went to Champion Gym to pick up Maya and Brooks. Now I am about to go back to work to teach my 2 classes.

The meeting with the builder was productive. He wanted us to go over our plans one more time, and he wanted to look at all the numbers of buying our house. He said he had already gotten permission from his investors to buy our house. So we tweaked a few things on the floor plans- Mom- we ended up taking your advice and adding yet ANOTHER bathroom for Sadie, so she won't have to share with the boys. It wasn't as expensive as I thought it would be, so we are going to go for it. The good thing about waiting so long to build is that interest rates are super low right now, and our builder said his cost to build our house would come in cheaper as well because of the recession, his supply costs have decreased. So I was very pleased and excited that we may actually start building a house in the next month or so. Wow! Now that it is a possibility, I am quite nervous. Our builder will come in week after next with an interior decorator, and they together will decide what needs to be fixed, painted, changed, removed, etc. He said he may spend up to $3,000 on new carpet, flooring, paint or whatever the 2 of them together decide needs to be done. They will go ahead and do everything and then put our house on the market. If it sells before the deadline, we will make the profit and just have to pay him back whatever money he has spent to fix up the house (which he said could be as little as $500 or max. $3000). And if it doesn't sell, then he will buy the house from us at the deadline that we set. So, either way, we sell our house. We ideally hope it sells with a realtor before the deadline because we would make more money. But it is nice to know that no matter what, we can move! Yay! It has been for sale for over a year and a half. I don't look forward to having a realtor again and having to show it ALL the time and cleaning it ALL the time. But between Ryan and I, we really have it down to a science. And I do love a clean house! We will be starting to clear out furniture and what not if anybody is looking for anything- we will have a kitchen table and chairs, 2 couches, crib, dressers, multiple tvs, a desk, dining room furniture etc. for sale if you know of anybody who needs furniture. I guess we should plan a huge garage sale this spring.

Off to work!

My lil' cowpokes

These three cowpokes have been obsessed with cowboy/cowgirl hats today. I had a meeting this morning at 8:00, so Lisa and her girls came over to get Cobe and Katie on the bus. Thanks a TON Lisa! She then took Brooks and Sadie back to her house after dropping Aliyah off at school. I picked B, S and Maya up when I was done with my meeting and brought them back to my house so Lisa could go to work. Then she'll take them back to her house when I go back to work this afternoon. Whew! I told the kids it would be a day of musical houses. Literal Brooks asked that I play music at our house when it is time to go back to Lisa's. haha






This picture below is Sadie a few days ago. She was calling Presley over and over asking her to come to "my house." She has a semi-real conversation almost daily with "Presley" too which cracks me up. Wait until this child gets a hold of a real phone- she is like her mama- she can do some talking!