Loving Life
Weekend Getaway!
Beautiful Day for a road trip with my Handsome Man!
Jake and I were able to getaway for a weekend while the girls were at church camp! It was nice to spend some time relaxing together. We were able to chat and have some one-on-one time without any interruptions for a solid weekend. One of the best parts about where we went is that no cell phones, email, or internet work so there were less distractions! We even had our first couples massage which was so very relaxing!
Drinking my morning coffee while Jake makes breakfast! I am so spoiled. Grateful for a husband that cooks!
My date for the weekend! Love you Babycake!
We rarely take pictures together so we snapped one after our couples massage at the Old Red Bridge in Hot Springs, NC!
Our home away from home for the weekend!
We went to the Hot Springs Log Cabins, it was so nice and peaceful in the rocker on the front porch. The only thing you could hear were the birds!
We know how to bring in the summer and celebrate! It’s going to be a busy one so having a weekend together was a true treat! It was awesome to truly get away from it all! Thankful for opportunities to spend with him. He truly is my best friend and the love of my life. I am blessed!
Heart Reflections: 30 Quick Tips on Being a Positive Parent
The other day I was filling out a card for a cousin who recently had a baby. As I was writing the card I had a whirlwind of thoughts, advice, and things I wanted to share with this couple who just recently began this wonderful parenting journey. This is part of what I shared with them which was also a great reminder to me and hopefully an encouragement to you if you’re a parent as well. I have edited it to remove their specific names on the card.
Congratulations! We are so happy for your sweet family! Welcome to the crazy and fun parenting party! Wishing all of you a lifetime packed full of laughter and wonderful memories. Praying that parenting will be a great adventure for you. We are thrilled for all of you and wish you the very best! Many Blessings!
Parenting Tips We Want to Share (I added a couple more to the list since writing the card):
- Laugh as often as possible (even at your own mistakes)
- Make a point to hug your child and tell her that you love her everyday
- Cherish the memories, they really do grow up way too fast
- Show grace and mercy often
- Never discipline when you’re angry
- Take lots of pictures, especially of your times together
- Seek God’s wisdom daily for your life, marriage, and parenting
- Be a positive and encouraging cheerleader for your kid
- Take time regularly to listen to your child
- Breathe deeply and count to 10 when your patience is being stretched thin
- You will feel more like a “SuperDad” and “SuperMom” after a full nights sleep
- Spend quality one-on-one time with your child
- Read to them, sing with them, and play with them
- Pray a lot – some days you’ll really need it
- Protect, guide, and nurture the best you can then trust that God will work in their hearts
- Words can be used to build up or tear down (make sure to chose them wisely)
- It’s the little things that make the biggest impact on our kids
- It doesn’t have to be flashy or expensive to be fun
- Be content with your life
- Give generously to others
- Find teachable moments each day (kids love learning new stuff)
- Speak kindly to and about others (little eyes are watching what you do and hearing what you say)
- Stand up for what’s right (even when it’s hard)
- Allow your kids to make some mistakes on their own so they can learn
- Get creative and have fun together – life’s too short to be boring
- Smile, slow down a little, and enjoy this wonderful part of your life
- Make the “normal” everyday events exciting
- Go on adventures
- Do family devotions and pray together
- Explore and try new activities together
There are so many areas of our lives that are stretched when we are parents. While being a parent is the most rewarding experience it is also one of the most challenging. It feels like I am constantly making mistakes or doing/saying something that’s not edifying or encouraging to my kids. Yes, they know very well how to “push my buttons,” but that doesn’t mean I have to over react either. Thankful for my kids and the many lessons they teach me about parenting.
Hero of the Year History Project
Karlie’s Time Magazine Hero of the Year Project – Thomas Sumter
The girls did a Social Studies project at school recently about various people in the American Revolution. They made their own Time magazine “Hero of the Year” cover page and article. They each picked one person and they did more research about the life of that particular person. Karlie choose to research Thomas Sumter who was nicknames “The Fighting Gamecock”. Brina did her research on George Washington who was nicknamed “The Father of His Country”. Both men were instrumental and influential during the early years of our country specifically during the time of the American Revolution.
Brina’s Time Magazine Hero of the Year Project – George Washington
On the back of each of the girls Time Magazine cover page was the details about the hero and his life. It was a fun Social Studies project and the girls got to learn a lot of other details about the American Revolution during their time of research. It is neat to see them get excited over fun school projects. Both of them really enjoy learning about history!
Having A Splashin Good Time!
Karlie going for a ride under the water! Hang on!
Brina going for a ride under the water. She didn’t relax as much because she was more concerned that Jake could hold his breath longer and wouldn’t come up for air in time. He did!
This one makes me laugh! The girls were standing in line behind us chit – chatting. I am not sure what they were talking about it, but Brina thought it was hilarious! Love it when the two of them make each other giggle. Hope they remain great friends their entire lives!
Getting up on the lily pad took some extra energy – it was slick! Towards the end of the second day Brina was getting tired and chilly so we put a life jacket on her for the last hour. She didn’t want to stop playing in the water so this was a good compromise! Resting on the lily pad for a little bit and talking about their day.
Trying to hold on as the lily pad was spinning in circles! Not sure how they still had the energy and all those giggles left in them, but they were having a grand time!
As we were getting ready to wrap up for the day Brina had to do one more run before we left Great Wolf Lodge.
Karlie trying to smile through the tears! “I just don’t want to go home Mom, I’ve had so much fun!” She wanted me to walk around and take a bunch of pictures the last 5 minutes they were open and kept asking me “Mom, are you sure you got enough pictures? I don’t ever want to forget our time here together!”
Karlie with a big smile as she finally crashed on the trip home.
It didn’t take long before Brina was asleep too.We had a wonderful time together at Great Wolf Lodge. On the way home Jake and I figured out that we spent about 20 hours actually in the water playing! Considering we were only there for a day and a half we packed a lot of fun into that time. The girls had a great time and we had fun too. All of us were exhausted! Despite Karlie’s fear of not getting enough pictures I think we have plenty to look back on and remember this wonderful trip together.
A Birthday Celebration at Great Wolf Lodge
Karlie and Brina’s Birthday cakes from Tip Top Cake Shop!
We didn’t do the normal traditional birthday party for the girls because we were going away for a weekend together as a family to celebrate. They didn’t know it at the time, but we still ordered small individual birthday cakes for them. The day before we left on our trip I took them by the store to pick up an item, they were a little confused when we walked into the cake shop, but thrilled once they saw their cakes. Karlie’s was white cake and she used her favorite green, blue, and black colors for accents. Karlie’s first response was “How did she know my favorite colors and that I like vanilla!” Brina’s was a dairy and egg free chocolate cake with pink, orange, and yellow accents. Brina’s first comment “It’s beautiful Mom, I LOVE it!” Even something as simple as little cakes can get them excited! The cakes tasted amazing! You would never guess that the chocolate one was egg and diary free it was delicious!
We brought with us their gifts they got each other a couple small ones from us. When Jake put the suitcases in the room he found a perfect spot to display the gifts. The girls were amazed that the hotel staff would put out all their gifts for them, until they realized it was Daddy that did it. They were having so much fun in the water park while Jake was unloading the van! Thanks Babycake for doing that for us!
Brina very excited about her gift from Karlie!
Oh boy….Brina got Karlie another nerf gun….. She’s excited! Wonder who will be a walking target for her the next few months, ha!
I love it when the girls write little notes on their gifts to each other. So sweet!
My wild and crazy man! Love you Jacob!
Brina is so very excited. She got a leash for her dog, something she had been wanting!
Jake blowing up the balloons. I found these cool balloons at Hobby Lobby that have LED lights inside that make the balloons glow in the dark. I thought they would be a neat way to wrap up the birthday celebration as they went to sleep. They were suppose to glow for 12 to 15 hours, but they are still glowing several days later and the girls have them in their rooms at home now!
Wow, glowing balloons! What a great way to end a special day!
It is hard to take a picture of it glowing! Happy Birthday Karlie!
Happy Birthday Brina! Princess Snow White will watch over your balloon as you sleep!
Two very tired and almost asleep kids. What a fun day at Great Wolf celebrating their birthday. Hopefully they will treasure this time and memory for many years.
We were so exhausted by the time we got done with the water park, gift unwrapping, and everything else that we decided to save the birthday cakes until breakfast. Everyone was ready to crash and get some sleep so we could get up and go early the next morning! We figure it’s not everyday you get to have cake for breakfast so why not!
Basketball & Slide Races at Great Wolf Lodge
Another one of the girls favorite spots to play was the pool with the basketballs and hoops. It was enjoyable for me too, I forgot how much fun it was to play basketball. The girls were quite impressed that I could get it in the hoop fairly consistently, ha!
Brina smiling as she gets ready to put one in!
This picture cracks….me…up….. It was hilarious hearing Karlie screeching as we went down the Howlin’ Tornado! I had my back to the slide so I couldn’t see the drops, but Karlie could. Karlie was “howlin” the whole way down while Brina was completely quiet and wide eyed. The trip down to the big drop was so fast I only had time to snap two quick pictures and one was covered in water spots!
Having a grand time!
Jake helping Brina float.
Karlie’s relaxed and floating around having fun!
Brina carrying up her mat for the next big slide!
Karlie’s got her mat and is ready to go!
We all went down the Mountain Edge Raceway at the same time. Jake won by going faster than the rest of us.
Hanging out in the pool waiting for the hoop to open up.
Playing basketball
Brina having a blast playing basketball in the pool.
Having fun!
A Fresh & Clean House with the Help of Mr. Clean Liquid Muscle! #MrCleanMorePower
I LOVE it when my house smells fresh and is sparkly clean! Spring has been in the air with the 70 degree temperatures the last few days making me get excited about doing my Spring Cleaning! Thank you Mr. Clean and SheSpeaks for helping me tackle my cleaning this week. I always love it when I find great products that help me keep my house clean. Somehow our family manages to make a mess which means regular cleaning is a must in our home.
A few days ago an amazing package arrived on my front porch! I was thrilled with Mr. Clean’s new product and the kids were excited about the motion light inside the box (very fascinating)! Mr. Clean Liquid Muscle has 2.5x more cleaning power in every drop!
The kids were super excited to see how it works too! They are helping around the house doing more chores so they wanted to know if it worked (and if they could have the motion light for their own special project).
I’ve got my cleaning bucket, sponge, and a new bottle of Mr. Clean Liquid Muscle!
It had a wonderful fresh scent and lots of great bubbles! You only have to squeeze the bottle once per gallon of water because it automatically shuts off after the correct amount has been dispensed. The good news about it only squirting the amount I need is that the kids won’t waste it when it’s their turn to use it!
First area to tackle was the kids bathroom. I am not sure what happened when they were brushing their teeth this morning, but somehow toothpaste was spread from one end of the counter to the other. The kids bathroom seems to be the area I get the least excited about cleaning because I know as soon as they brush their teeth again or wash their hands the toothpaste and soap suds will be everywhere. One of these days they will figure out how to brush their teeth and only get the toothpaste on their toothbrushes! I guess I should be pleased that they are at least brushing their teeth even if the whole process is a little messy.
Not only is the toothpaste all over the counter and sink, but someone left the cap off the toothpaste! I am beginning to think they must have been doing a “toothpaste” craft, painting, or trying to use their creative juices with the amount of toothpaste I found on the counter this morning!!!
The first wipe with Mr. Clean Liquid Muscle took all the sticky globs of toothpaste right off the sink! Love it!!! It worked really well and still lots of suds too! I have used other cleaners on their sticky toothpaste mess and I had to really scrub to get it off. Mr. Clean Liquid Muscle took one swipe followed by a rinse and it was done in just of few seconds! So excited!
The kids sink is once again clean and sparkly! Let’s see how long it will last! At least it is good to know that Mr. Clean Liquid Muscle works amazing and quickly on the toothpaste messes the kids leave behind.
After finishing the kids bathroom I was able to get more of my Spring Cleaning done, including scrubbing down the kitchen cabinets, mopping the kitchen floor, cleaning the master bathroom and more! Thanks for making my cleaning easier Mr. Clean! Even my husband and kids commented on how clean, sparkly, and fresh smelling the house was when they came home! I am already looking forward to tackling a few more Spring Cleaning projects with Mr. Clean Liquid Muscle this week!
More information about Mr. Clean Liquid Muscle:
- Like Mr. Clean’s Facebook Page
- Follow Mr. Clean’s Twitter Feed
- Pick up your bottle of Mr. Clean Liquid Muscle online or at your local Walmart
A special thanks to SheSpeaks and Mr. Clean for sponsoring this post! Any specific product information was provided by Mr. Clean and SheSpeaks, however, the opinions expressed in this post are our own. We received a complimentary bottle of the product for sharing information and our family’s experience.
Thankful for Friendships & Beautiful Surprises!
Beautiful bouquet of flowers from a friend!
I am thankful for friendships and for the amazing blessings in my life! A sweet friend dropped this beautiful bouquet of flowers off at my house one evening with a card! Her timing couldn’t have been more perfect….isn’t it awesome how God allows friends to time a surprise so perfectly!!! It was one of those crazy busy days and I was trying to balance all the activities that were going on with our family as well as prepare for some upcoming events. I was in the middle of working with the girls on homework, making dinner, picking up the house, making lunches for the following day, among a handful of other tasks when the doorbell rang. When I heard the doorbell I didn’t think too much of it because I figured it was probably just the neighbor kids wanting to play. Jake was home and on a phone call, but he was the first one to the door. He brought back these beautiful flowers which totally surprised me and made my day!!!!
Love fresh flowers!
Even though it has been over two weeks since these flowers arrived on my doorsteps they are still in the vase on the table! I think God has allowed these flowers to remain beautiful so long to continue to remind me of his goodness and the blessings of friendships. I have only pulled out a couple flowers that were wilting, but several still look amazing! The best part about these beautiful flowers is every time I look at them I am reminded of my sweet and thoughtful friend who delivered them to me.
Friendships are a wonderful blessing in our lives. They take time to cultivate and grow much like flowers. God allows us the opportunity to walk through this journey with special people we call friends. Friendship also means we have the joy of celebrating the good times with our friends as well as spending extra time in prayer as a friend goes through a rough patch. Everyone needs these types of friends to laugh with during the joyous moments and encourage you when it seems like your stuck in a whirlwind.
Every time I see these flowers or smell their refreshing fragrance when I walk into the room I am reminded of my friendship and take a moment to pause and pray specifically for that friend. I pray for her to have the strength, wisdom, and energy she needs to walk through her day. I may not know what challenges she faces each moment or joys she experiences throughout the day, but I can still lift her up in prayer knowing that God knows what she’s facing today and He alone can give her exactly what she needs.
Thanks Dee for the beautiful flowers, your friendship, and for walking this journey of life alongside me! May we always continue to grow ever closer to our Savior. You are a true blessing in my life! Thanks sweet friend for the beautiful surprise!
Birthday Celebrations
Happy Birthday to Brina & Karlie! We are so thrilled to be celebrating another great year with our sweet girls. Even though their birthday was a few days ago it has been a whirlwind of activities, fun, and celebrations so I am just now getting around to posting all the super fun stuff! The Happy Birthday banner was hung up in our kitchen over the sink the night before so they were greeted with it first thing in the morning as they went into the kitchen to eat breakfast!
Jake made the girls a delicious birthday breakfast treat to celebrate their birthday!!! He made them a yogurt cup topped with fresh blueberries, blackberries, and strawberries! Jake also made the girls ham and homemade hash browns.
The girls watching their sparkler candles while we sing “Happy Birthday” to them! We stuck the candles in their yogurt and fruit cups.
Brina very excited about her cool new bike!
Karlie ready to go for a ride on her new bike!
Karlie and Brina in their new birthday shirts ready to have a super fun birthday. First activity after breakfast…..a day at school.
Karlie’s entire school lunch and snack wrapped up and ready to go. She was so excited to unwrap all her food gifts for her lunch!
Brina’s birthday lunch all wrapped up in festive birthday wrapping, complete with a sweet card!
Birthday lunch packed and ready to go!
Birthday balloons always add a little fun to the big celebration day! They are still up and floating around in their rooms even though I picked them up before their birthdays!
Happy Birthday Brina & Karlie!
Happy Birthday Brina and Karlie!
We love you so much sweet girls! It is amazing to think you are turning 9 years old today (the years have flown by very quickly)! We prayed for a long time for you and are so blessed to have you both as our daughters!
Wishing you an awesome birthday and many more wonderful years packed full of great memories! We are praying that God will use you in great ways this year! We are grateful for our kind, thoughtful, loving, smart, funny, and beautiful girls! You both bring so many smiles, sunshine, and laughter into our lives! We are blessed to be your Dad and Mom!
Lots of HUGS & LOVE,
Dad & Mom
XOXO
