I'm Back

It has been waaaaay too long since I have posted anything. One of my goals for 2012 is to post more regularly. I enjoy posting about our family adventures and I love being able to go back and look at what we've done throughout the years. I have decided to make this more of a journal. I will be posting our menu plans, recipes I've tried and loved, homeschooling projects, book reviews, my journey to 1000 gifts, as well as the ups and downs of raising 3 kiddos. For a while I've tried to have 2 blogs, one family and one personal, but that became too difficult to keep going. So I am merging the blogs into one so that I will hopefully be able to post more. And I am leaving you with pictures from our trip to the Christmas tree farm. It is one of my favorite Christmas traditions. 

Camping 101

We recently purchased a pop-up camper. Josh grew up going camping and while I'm usually more of a "city girl", I couldn't resist the quality family time and  fun memories camping has to offer. We've been the last  two weekends and everyone loves it. It is so nice to get away from all the distractions and busyness of everyday life and spend a weekend enjoying God's amazing creation.

Two weekends ago we went to Clinton Lake. It was our maiden voyage and thankfully everything went smoothly! We spent our time hiking, swimming, fishing, riding bikes, skipping rocks and sitting around the campfire making s'mores. It was wonderful.

This last weekend we went a little further to Truman Lake. It's about a 3 hour drive. We met my grandparents, who have a RV, at the campsite and spent the weekend camping next to them! They have a boat so we were able to go boating and fishing. While the heat was extreme and the thunderstorms worse, we still had a great time. Andrew was able to get his fill of fishing. He could literally fish for hours and hours. It is definitely his new favorite hobby... something the his dad and grandpas will be happy about!

And on our way home Andrew asked if we could go camping again this weekend. He's hooked!

Swimmers Take Your Mark!

Last week was Andrew's first ever swim meet! He did an amazing job. He swam the 25M backstroke, 25M freestyle and 50M freestyle, plus 2 relays. We were so proud of him. His last race was the 50M (2 lengths of the pool) and he was exhausted. While he finished last, he persevered to the end and had Nana and I in tears.

Yesterday was another swim meet. What a difference a week can make. He ended up swimming the 25M freestyle and two 25M freestyle relays. On his individual event he tied for 2nd! He took 12 SECONDS off his time from the week before. WOW! He is improving so much everyday. I can't wait to see his swimming at the end of the season. And of course here are some pictures of the fun!

Way to go Drew! We are SUPER proud of you!

Abby May is Three!

We are back! Instead of trying to catch you up on everything that has happened in the last 6 months, I am going to start right where we are. Abby's 3rd Birthday! It is still hard to believe that our little baby girl is 3. She has so much personality and keeps us constantly on our toes. I like to capture who they are and what they like close to their birthdays. So here is a glimpse into Abby's world. 

Abby...age 3

My favorite color is blue.

My best friends are Andrew and Kate. 

My favorite books are Brown Bear Brown Bear, Clifford's Peek-a-boo, Counting Farm, and A Cow Says Moo.

My favorite toy is my new bike. 

My favorite song is anything on K-Love. (She is always singing along)

My must haves for night-night are bunny, ruff-ruff and pink mimi (blanket). 

My mom would describe me as independent, talkative, demanding, sweet and ornery.

My favorite foods are blueberries, mac & cheese, eggs and grape juice. 

My favorite cartoon is Max & Ruby. 

Some of my favorite activities are riding bikes, jumping on the trampoline, swinging, wrestling with daddy (she is by far the toughest of them all) and following Andrew and Kate everywhere they go!

Abby has brought so much joy into our lives. Whenever she tries to tell a story her expressions and body movements speak more than her words. She is the most physical child that I have ever been around. She seems to have amazing strength and coordination. She will start gymnastics in the fall, which should be a perfect fit for her. And while she is a challenging child, being demanding and stubborn (as are most 3 year olds!), as the 'baby of the family' she has taught us to laugh more and cherish each moment.  

Here are some pictures from her party!

Shutterfly Promotion

I am very excited about a promotion that Shutterfly has going on right now. In return for writing a post about their new holiday collection, they will give any blogger 50 free Christmas cards! First of all, I LOVE making Christmas cards. And secondly, Shutterfly makes it incredibly easy. They have almost 200 different design options and most of the cards have space for pictures on the inside and outside. I already have in mind the picture that I want on the cover of our Christmas cards, but it is only of the girls. So it will be really nice to be able to have a picture of Andrew on the inside so no one gets left out! I am posting some pictures of my favorite card designs. It is just too hard to decide. They are all adorable! Another great thing about Shutterfly is there is space on the inside of the card for a typed personalized message. With the pictures and the personalized message the cards will be treasured by everyone who receives them. So if you are needing to make Christmas card go to Shutterfly, all Christmas cards are 20% right now! Also be on the lookout for our Christmas card! I can't wait to start designing it!

Mission Impossible 2010

Getting a decent picture of all 3 of our kids is almost impossible. Abby won't sit still, Andrew has that awkward forced smile most of the time, and then there's Kate who does whatever the photographer says and is always smiling at the camera. Thankfully I am blessed with multiple friends who have their own photography businesses. Here are some from Love Abounds Photography. She does a great job at being patient and just going with the flow. So many of these pictures turned out great.