Justin Moore Concert!!!

Jordan and I don't get to have "date" nights very often. So the fact that we were able to get out and go to a concert together this past week, was a real treat! It had started out as a group of us going, but several friends had conflicts so it ended up being just the two of us! I have to say that we really enjoyed ourselves! We stopped in at Toot's to grab a bite to eat before we went to the concert. We had gotten tickets from WGGC to go to Beech Bend to see Ryan Ross, Bailey Birge and Justin Moore. They all were awesome! Sometimes I get nervous about seeing singers live, cause not all of them live up to their "radio" voices. This was not the case for Justin Moore though! He sounded even better in person! It was so great! We got to Beech Bend just as the gates were opening, so we ended up getting seats just five rows from the stage. I only brought my little camera so my pics weren't the best. But I just wanted to take a few to make a scrapbook layout about our fun night. It might be awhile before our next date.....but this one was so fun that it will last us for awhile! :) The best part about the whole night is that our concert tickets were only 5 bucks each!!! I would have paid SOOO much more to see a concert that good! We keep joking that it was the best ten bucks we have spent in a long time!

Hope everyone is having a great week so far! TTFN!

Wordless Wednesday!

Good grief, where have I been????

I have been a sorry blogger here lately. Between facebook and Jokers to keep up with my Big Brother obsession, and just life in general with my kids and family I have left little time for much else!

I guess the biggest news going with me is that I am ready to go back to work! GASP!! I didn't think I would ever say that but I am! I have thought long and hard about it and it is time for me to get back into the real world, and for the kids to experience being with someone else besides mommy and daddy 24/7. Sure they get interaction at church but that is just one day a week. And I really would like to get out and have some adult interaction of my own! So truth be told, my reason may be a little selfish, but I really do think the whole family will benefit from this change. Now the hard part of finding a job. We have been really blessed to find a babysitter who is just minutes from our house and keeps a few kids that are both Kyndall and the twins ages. So there will be a chance for each of them to be around other kids their age. Now I am just waiting for the phone to ring from one of the several applications that I have put in! I am praying that something will pan out soon, cause I would really hate to lose this babysitter!

Since I have been a bad blogger I will share a few pics of some of the fun stuff we have had the chance to do in the month of July! We love summer! So here are a few more things we have done this month:




I got Kyndall's hair cut off!!!! It is as short as she has ever worn it! I am still adjusting to it, but her daddy loves it. This particular picture was taken at Faye and Pa's. Kyndall is actually riding Faye's horse Skywalker, but you can't tell cause Jordan was afraid to let her loose and back up to take the pic! Good thinkin' daddy! We had all gotten together for a real family dinner, Jordan's dad was even up from Texas. The kids all had a big time and Kyndall was so upset when it was time to go home! She is such a country girl!




We have a "for sale by owner" sign in our yard finally! After lots of talk and decision making, we finally put it up! Not much action yet, but we are hoping it will pick up soon!




Kyndall competed with her first batch of big girls in the Allen County Fair Pageant. She was grouped with 2,3, and 4 year olds! Although she didn't get a trophy, she did an amazing job on stage! She did her smile and wave like she practices and blew kisses to everyone! To my surprise she even did a cute little twirl a few times! She was so great! This pic is her and her bestie Hayden Grace before they went back for their competition! Aren't they the cutest!




Claire got second place in the Allen County Fair Pageant! She was a dream on stage....smiling, waving, and walking out all by herself! She is a lover of all eyes on her for sure!



We went to our first wedding as a family of 5!! Ali Bomar and Joseph McReynolds had a beautiful ceremony is Fountain Run! The wedding was gorgeous, but keeping the kids quiet was exhausting! That will be that last one for us for awhile!


So that is just a brief look at what has been keeping us so busy this past month! Can't believe that summer is winding down and fall will soon be here. Seems like the older I get the faster the days go! Hope everyone is doing well. I will try to be a better blogger, but I am not making any promises!! LOL!

Wordless Wednesdays!!

Blessed with three awesome kiddos! I love being a mommy! :)

Allen County Fair Pageant 2009!

Just wanted to post a few quick pics from the girls pageant this past weekend. They both did really well on stage and had fun. Claire placed 2nd and got a trophy (which she packed around the rest of the day!) Kyndall didn't place but she did a great job on stage. I was so proud of her and I am confident that she will do just as good at the next pageant. She is really starting to get comfortable with the audience and loves to show her stuff out there. She really made me proud this weekend!

We have been enjoying the summertime around our house. Especially the luxury of long holiday weekends like we just had. Besides the pageant we spent a lot of time swimming, hanging out as a family, and cooking out. We really had a good time as a family of 5! :)

I am still processing the fact that both of the twins are walking and they just turned 16 months old. Seems like they went from small squishy babies to toddlers overnight! *Sigh* on to the next phase. Such is life, right? :)

Well that is all for now. I am posting in the mid-morning and I think the kiddos will for sure have something destroyed by the time I step away from the computer! It is hard to tell with them. When you have three kids running three different directions the odds that one goes unsupervised and there for gets into trouble just increases! Ha, ha, ha!

Have a great Tuesday! Talk to everyone soon!

TODAY----

Outside my window... a yard that will have a "for sale" sign in it soon! Hooray!!!!

I am thinking... about the many blessings in my life! My husband, my children, my aunts, uncles and cousins. A roof over my head. A loving church family! I could go on and on!

I am thankful for... a husband that always helps me with our children and plays and equal role in their lives.

From the kitchen... I need to find some breakfast, even though it is almost noon! LOL!

I am wearing... comfy terry cloth capris and my Nebraska Volleyball t-shirt.

I am creating... in my mind. I haven't quite made the time this summer to get down to my studio and scrap! But I will soon!!!

I am going... to get some household things organized today, and maybe even fold some laundry. I know ambitious!

I'm reading... lots of new blogs that I have found from twopeasinabucket.

I am hoping... to get back home to Nebraska before Kyndall starts school!

I am hearing... the soft noise of my ceiling fan and "Zee Fronk" on Disney channel.

Around the house... Keaton is packing around a set of stacking cups, several ride on toys have been drug out and abandoned, Kyndall is watching t.v. and rocking her baby, Claire is eating leftover fruit loops out of her high chair seat! LOL! Just a typical day!

One of my favorite things... hanging out with Kyndall while she swims at the pool and goes down the frog slide. It is the ultimate summer treat!

A few plans for the rest of the week... send some birthday wishes to some friends and family, more pool time with the kiddos, hang with the kids while Jordan gets to enjoy his early b-day gift with his brother (Hank Williams Jr. concert)!

A picture to share... Kyndall and Jae enjoying some serious pooltime at the country club! I love this pic cause I have one of them last year in the exact same pose. I can't wait to compare them and see how each of them have changed!

16 years ago today............

This fella was the only little baby in my life! Wow how times have changed! LOL! It is so funny to look at pics now and see him interacting with my own kids. Time sure does fly! I am so proud of the man you are becoming C.J.! You are funny, honest, loyal, and a great person to be around. I was blessed to be able to spend several days with him when my family came to visit in May. I love him to much, and will always think of him as the little guy who used to suck on my chin as a baby! Bet he will love when I tell his girlfriends that story someday!!!!


HAPPY 16th BIRTHDAY C.J.---You are truly one in a million! I love ya!!!!

Struggle..........

That is how balancing my life in Kentucky with my family in Nebraska has been for me lately. A struggle. Really all the things that have been bothering me most are out of my control. (As most things are!) But anyone that knows me understands that I am a control freak and sometimes it can get the best of me! I have been hurting for two members of my family, that are going through rough patches in life at the moment. One cousin is dealing with a hard break up after a long relationship and another is dealing with losing a friend due to a tragic car accident. Both these things have seemed to just really weigh my spirit down the past two weeks. I need to find a way to bring the sunshine back into my life.

I am letting the guilt of not being in Nebraska to help them through this hang over me. I am sure they understand that I am here and this is where my life is for the moment. But that doesn't seem to comfort me. For the past few days I have been beating myself up over it. I need to quit. I am hoping that putting a few things in words will help me release it from my heart.

I need to re-focus. I have let worry creep into the places where prayer needs to be. Don't get me wrong, I have surely been praying, but not as often as I should or I can guarantee things would not have gotten this sorrowful for me. I just want to take both these girls pain away. Bear it myself so that they won't have too. I feel like being far away from home I can't do that. But I know all these things that are causing this pain are in God's plan. He is in control and when my cousins come out on the other side of these hardships they will be better stronger people. I have faced many hardships in my life, watching physical and emotional violence as a child, being placed in foster care, my mom dying when I was ten, surviving years of sexual abuse, alcholism and drug use of my parents. As horrible as all those things were, had I experienced even one minute less of any of, I wouldn't be the person I am today. I have faced many struggles and overcame them as best as I could. I hope and pray that these girls will do the same. It is not always easy to see at the time, but God's plan is always there. I just want them to trust in him and not lose sight that the Lord will lead them in the right direction.

My facebook status reads tonight "Where there is no struggle, there is no strength." A quote from Oprah. I have true faith in that. Jamie and Megan's struggles right now will turn into strength in the long run. Maybe when they least expect it. For now all I can do is let them know I love them no matter where in the world I am. Hopefully our bond is strong enough for them to feel my hugs and love even several states away.

Stormy weather!!

We have had some really strong storms roll through our area the past few weeks. I am not a big fan of thunder or lightning, but if we are going to get it I much prefer it in the day vs. the night! :) Earlier this week, while in the kitchen fixing lunch, I noticed these clouds right outside my window. Of course I had no idea we were even expecting any rough weather, the kids had Noggin on and they don't give me breaking storm news! LOL! The clouds were moving so quickly, that I really didn't think anything would materialize around us. So I went out on the porch and snapped a few shots. Within about five minutes these clouds had pushed on through and pulled in a glorious storm, full of thunder and lighting. Since there were no tornado watches in effect for our county, I went ahead and did the usual lunch routine with the kiddos. None of them were scared by the large lightning flashes or big booms of thunder. Kyndall asked what it was the first time, and then after that kept telling her bubby and sis "It's okay guys, just 'tormin'!" LOL! So cute! Their biggest beef with the whole storm was it knocked out our cable for a little while. They couldn't understand why I couldn't turn Yo Gabba Gabba back on for them! :) Oh to be a kid again! When that is your biggest worry! So needless to say, we rode out the storm. The grass and flowers outside all got a good healthy drink, and we have some pretty neat pics. Although, I don't think we will take up a career as storm chasers, it was neat to see the whole thing develop and know we were safe and sound!

Forgive my tardiness......

but I am still so proud of my girls! :)

Claire and Kyndall both did the Ms. & Mr. Barren River Pageant last Saturday and despite it being a long day with lots of waiting did AWESOME once they went on stage!!!

Claire was in a category with other girls her age (from 13 months-18 months) and won 2nd place! She did great on stage. Standing up by herself for a bit, and waving at the judges some. She also did a little foot stompin' dance which must have won her some personality points!!! Even though her behaviour off-stage was a little wild, she still did a good job when it counted most! Once they handed her a trophy she was a happy camper. It was a new "toy" to play with and she enjoyed chewing on it for the ride home!

Kyndall was in the 24-35 months age group and she did a great job also. She walked up onto the stage without hesitation. I went with her, but this is the first time ever that we didn't have to pack her out there and set her down. She smiled, waved and blew her kisses just like we had practiced. She kept talking about getting a kings crown (like the little boys had won) She got mad for a few minutes when we had to leave the stage the first time cause she didn't get to take one with her. But she was happy once awards were announced! She got third place and they handed her a trophy. It had a beauty queen on it and she kept saying "look mommy a queen on it!" She packed it around the rest of the day!

This will be one of the many pageants that we plan to do this summer. Kyndall is at an age where she is really enjoying them. And despite Claire's ornery streak, she seems to like being in front of the crowd too!

Below are just a few of the photos Jordan took that day. I love my girls!!!!

Wordless Wednesday!

Claire and her daddy waiting on her turn at the Little Miss Barren River Pageant! :)

Just a few of my favorite pics from May! :)

"Other things may change us, but we start and end with family" ---Desmond TuTu

I was blessed to be able to spend three whole days with these fabulous faces!!! The ones I love the mostest! My Aunt Amy and cousins C.J. and Nicholas came to visit me along with a great family friend Laurie (didn't get any shots of us together darn it!) We had such a great time together, and I was supremely spoiled by them helping with meals, dishes, laundry and the kiddos the whole time they were here! Needless to say I was very, very sad to see them go, and not just because of their housekeeping help! LOL! I love them all dearly and can't wait to get to go back to Nebraska sometime this summer for another visit.

These faces are truly my heart and soul. These are my people, they are what have shaped me into what I am today. They are the most important part of my life even though they are hours away. I will always cherish these pictures because they show that no matter what the distance between us at the moment, my kids still have more family that loves them than they will ever know. No matter how long the time in between visits, it is always easy for us all to pick up right where we left off. That is the joy of family....true family...comfortable, easy and fun! I love these guys!!!

Sorry to be such a slackin' blogger, but as you can see I have been enjoying time with those closest to my heart, and nothing can top that! I will do a little better once I get through the next few weeks which will be filled with pageants, VBS prep and a week full of Boomerang Express!! WOO HOO!!! You know I will be a picture postin' fool once all that is over! LOL!

Happy Tuesday Everyone!!

I......

I Am: A Christian, a wife, a mother, a niece, an orphan, a scrapbooker, a crafty girl, and a survivor!

I Want: my kids to have all the things I didn't have growing up. And I don't mean material things, I mean to know their parents will always put them first, self assurance, to know that they can come to me with anything and I will protect them. To not have to know what alcohol, drugs and abuse can do to a child and most of all to know that I love them unconditionally.

I Have: an amazing husband who makes raising three kids fun, easy, and more manageable than I ever thought possible.

I Wish: I had all my friends and family all together in one place....not spread out across the country!

I Fear: not seeing my children grow up.

I Hear: Yo Gabba Gabba for the first of many times today.....it is the kiddos absolute FAVORITE show! Even the twins love it! (For those of you with a comment about kids and t.v., keep it to yourself thanks! It gives me my sanity some days!)

I Search: for a balance in my life between mommy hood and not losing me. It is a work in progress! Raising my kids is always first and foremost but it is nice to get a chance for me time and the things I enjoy every once in awhile too!

I Wonder: what my mom would think of this family that I have created, if she was alive today. I also wonder if my Dad is still living or where he is. Does he ever think about me and the family he is missing out on?

I Regret: not spending more time with my mom the summer before she died.

I Love: fiercely, if you are someone I consider to be a friend or family, then I am loyal to the end. I will fight for you or be there for you....whatever the situation calls for. Because I love big!

I Always: take way to many pictures, trying to get that PERFECT shot!

I Usually: start my day by settling the kids in with breakfast and their sippy cups, then logging on facebook to see what the rest of the "world" is up to! It is my instant connection with the rest of the planet! LOL!

I Am Not: one who has a problem with speaking my mind......I usually tell it like it is. I have a strong set of beliefs and I stand by them!

I Dance: in the living room with my kids! Even when Kyndall tells me "No dancin' momma!"

I Sing: at the top of my lungs, with the car radio turned up loud and the windows down every chance I get!!

I Never: get tired of listening to music. My life's soundtrack would take you all over the spectrum into lots of genres (think hip hop, country, rap, pop, and jazz!). I truly believe there is an appropriate song for every occasion!

I Rarely: buy something without a coupon! I am a huge fan of Gymbucks, Children's Place Rewards, Old Navy cash back, Kohls Cash....I could go on and on...but you get my drift. I am a bargain shopper!

I Cry: freely. I wear my heart on my sleeve and it isn't uncommon for Jordan to find me blubbering over a commercial or a music video if they strike me just right. What can I say? I'm an emotional girl!

I Am Not Always: ready to jump right out of the bed in the morning! Probably cause I have a tendency to stay up entirely too late!!!

I Need: to keep making my health a top priority! 2009 is my year to have it all!!!!


I saw this list on my friend Paige's Blog a few days ago, and made a mental note that it was something I wanted to do on my blog also. I fell in love with the concept of journaling prompts in college, it always seemed to make writing assignments so much easier. Now as I blog there are days that I find myself stumped. I will have thoughts and ideas that I want to get out, but not a great concept as to how to put them together! So it little lists like this that help me to express myself. Thanks to Paige for posting it and for helping me to put some words to paper, eerrr, I mean computer screen! LOL!

Wordless Wednesday!!

Just a few more photos from Class night 2009!!! Just a few short days and Adam and Allie will be ACSHS alumni!

Class Night 2009

This is a pic of Jordan and his twin cousins Adam and Allie. First of all aren't they gorgeous!!! (the twins, not Jordan!) LOL! Secondly I am so proud of them. They are just about as good as family can get. They are great to my kids, fun to be around and both have plans for their lives after high school! It is hard to believe that on Friday night they will be graduating from high school! When Jordan and I first started to date they were just ten years old.....I know I say it too much, but gosh time flies! Seeing them in the midst of all their graduation festivities makes me realize how quickly things pass. I feel like I was just in their shoes the other day. I had all the answers (not really) and thought I had life all planned out! Did I know that I would be living in Ky with my great husband and three kids all under three!!!! No way!!! Would I have changed anything about decisions I made at that time in my life....looking back yes. But I realize that if I had made one little shift in my plan at the time, or made one different decision, my life would be totally different. I look back now and see the Lord at work. He has been with me every step of my journey, even when times were dark and I had lost all those answers that I once thought I had. I hope that Adam and Allie realize that in their futures the path won't always be well lit. That sometimes you have to pause and search out what God wants you to do. The answers won't always be just laid out before you. But I also want them to remember to enjoy the journey as it unfolds. For good or for bad, that is what will build character! If I could tell them just a few short things it would be.....keep your family first, carry Jesus in your heart, and take lots of pictures! These days are fast fleeting and before they know it they will be able to look back on their individual paths and see the good and bad decisions that got them to adulthood. I just hope for them the next 12 years of their life after high school go by more slowly than mine did! It truly is just a blink of the eye!

Wordless Wednesday

Oh, to be 1 again! :)

Night Owl Ramblin'

That is what I am doing tonight. Staying up way to late as usual, and writing this post just to break the monotony between facebook, , twittering, , two peas , and other random site surfing! I had a VERY productive day today. Got almost all my laundry done, including the parts I hate....folding it and putting it away. I dream of the day when I can hire someone just to do that dreaded part of the task!

I hosted a premier designs jewelry party at my house tonight. It was nice. I earned a lot of free jewelry and it was a great reason to clean my house from top to bottom! :) We even got the kids rooms picked up! Toys got sorted and re-distributed (with a lot of help from mom-mom, THANKS!!!) It is inevitable with 3 kids that stuff just gets mixed together. Kyndall's room ends up with baby/early toddler toys. The twins end up with her stuff in their room. Not to mention paci, sippies, and other random personal items that just go through an endless swap! These poor kids have very few things that are strictly theirs. But I guess that just comes with the territory of being in a house full of siblings. I was an only child until my aunt and uncle took me in and that was one of the hardest things for me to adjust to. Once you have other kids around it seems like your "stuff" becomes public property to a certain extent. It is probably one of the reasons that I am so particular about my things to this day! I loved my cousins, don't get me wrong, but as a teenager your stuff can tend to define you in your mind. So to share that with younger kids can be kind of a bummer, when you are used to having no one else around! I am hoping that since my kids are so close together in age, they will always foster a sharing spirit. They won't ever really remember a time when things were all theirs. They will probably only remember that they always had to share, or fight, with and for their toys! LOL! I am not sure if that is good or bad, but that is just the facts of life around this place!

The rest of the week from here out gets crazy busy for us.....I think we have something to do everyday until after church on Sunday. Shew! If I make it til then! I am super excited for Relay for Life Friday night. It is something we have taken part in here in Allen County ever since I moved here. I am praying for nice weather, as last year was rained out and they had to stuff us all into the highschool. We are deserving of a nice day, so if one is in the cards for us, I hope Friday is it!

Well I am going to try and catch some zzz's. I hope that tomorrow is just as productive as today. Of course the big challenge is maintaining the order in the house that we worked so hard today on! With 3 kids it is a constant challenge. I put away and they drag out. Oh well. Maybe they will discover some new exciting toys that they forgot they had! That might keep them occupied! LOL!

Hope everyone has a great Wednesday! I'll check in soon!

AWANA closing ceremonies 2009

So proud of her AWANA participation certificate! She packed it around the house for days, before I snuck it away to put into her scrapbook!




Accepting her certificate from Ms. Tricia!!




They were singing a song about all the things they do in AWANA.....this part was "Pray quietly" It melted my heart when I saw that Kyndall knew the words and the motions to the song!





The Puggles class performing for us! :)




This was Kyndall's first year to be able to attend AWANA at our church. She absolutely loved it and looked forward to it every Sunday evening. Whenever she would see me hanging up her Puggles (her class's name)shirt, she would get all excited and say "I wanna go there." or "let's go church". So to be able to go and have a celebration of all they have done this year was really special. Their class was the first up and they sang two songs for us. It was sooo neat to see all the little fellas lined up and Kyndall even knew the words to the songs! It was very sweet. They got certificates of participation from Ms. Patricia and Kyndall was very anxious to go up and get hers. She waited patiently (as patiently as 2 and a half will allow) for her name to be called and just looked and looked at it once she had it in her hot little hands! We had a great night with our church family and enjoyed seeing all the other classes recite their verses and get awards too. My favorite picture of the ones I posted is where Kyndall has her little hands folded to pray. It was a part of one of the songs they were singing, and it just reminded me how grown up she is. Doing all sorts of things on her own! She is such a little blessing and I am so thankful for the love and guidance she gets from all her friends and church family at White Plains Baptist Church!