Family
Hiking & Tracking Animals in the Snow
Hiking through the woods
Most kids love to go sledding, building a snowman, make snow angels, and more crazy stuff in the snow. One of the first things our kids want to do is take a hike in the woods. They love going through the woods, checking out the stream, and looking for various animal tracks in the snow. We saw a lot of animal tracks and most of them I knew what they were there was only one set that had me stumped….still haven’t quite figured it out even after looking up pictures.
One of our favorite stops by the stream. Always gurgling down hill even on the snowy days.
Lots of deer tracks going through the woods after the snow and ice stopped.
Karlie looking for animal tracks.
Karlie loves being outside.
Brina brought the sled and was sledding down hills on our hike. She managed to go around most trees.
Little tracks….
This was the one that perplexed me, it was as big as my hand and had 5 claws (or toes).
Lots of little bird tracks.
Skipper goes swimming in the creek even when its icy cold and snowing!
Little bird…
Cat paw prints.
Hanging out in the woods.
Talking, walking, and having fun in the woods.
Karlie loves getting out of school for snow days!
Everything Beautifully Covered in Icicles
All the trees coated in ice!
The past couple of weeks have been busy with changes in schedules due to the weather. Our first big storm started as sleet went to snow and ended in more sleet. The result was everything covered in a sheet of ice.
The kids that it was great they got out of school. They didn’t care that it was cold or slick they loved playing outside in it! It was nice having some extra fun time with the kids. With all the fun we have been having it has taken me awhile to catch up on the things around the house and get the blog pictures posted. Hopefully, I will have you all updated on our snow and ice activities within the next couple of days! 🙂
Brina volunteering to take out our mail. So happy to have a “snow / ice” day from school!
Skipper loves snow days as much as the kids. She loves playing outside with them!
Brina sledding. The ice on top of the snow actually made the sledding a lot of fun for the kids.
Karlie getting ready to go down too!
Karlie sledding. It’s amazing how well the sled worked even going through the leaves!
Icicles on the back porch.
Icicles on the jungle gym.
My old planter is covered with ice!
Our poor trees….they looked so sad! They were not as happy about having the weight of ice on them.
Icy branches!
Spending Time with Grandpa & Grandma
Brina and Karlie with my parents!
My parents stayed at our house the second half of their trip to SC. The girls were excited that Grandpa and Grandma were going to church with them on Sunday. In our rush to get out the door we did manage to snap a quick photo before heading off to church though.
After church we headed over to my brothers house for lunch and some time to play before Dad and Mom had to head out for the airport. It was a super fun weekend. We are thankful for some time to spend with my parents. The girls have wonderful memories with their grandparents. The weekend went by too quickly, but grateful for the time together.
Uncle Lee, Grandpa Russell and the four kids setting up the Thomas train track. They had a lot of help, but it was super neat to watch once they were done!
Grandma Penny building legos and playing with the kids.
Counting My Blessings: Week In Review
I have so much to be thankful for in my life. This week as I as counting my blessings I realized that coming up with 10 things to be grateful for each day was relatively easy if I really think about it for a few minutes. I don’t ever want to take these blessings for granted as they are a gift from my heavenly Father who truly cares about me in the good as well as the struggles I face every day.
I want to be accountable to you too so the following are snipits of some of the things I am thankful for this past week. Counting My Blessings – Week In Review:
Monday – Thankful for Brina writing me a reminder note to adjust her meal schedule because she liked one of the meals I made her so much! My family knows me well! 🙂
Tuesday – Thankful that Skipper is always jumping up and down excited to see me when I get home! Such a great way to be greeted upon arriving home!
Wednesday – Thankful for the girls curiosity and love of learning – we did a spontaneous celery and food coloring experiment before school.
Thursday – Thankful for a chance to talk with Jake on the phone in the morning as he was getting ready for his busy day in Charleston and even more grateful to have him back home that evening.
Friday – Thankful for a washer and dryer to help get our clothes and laundry cleaned in an efficient manner.
What are you thankful for today? I encourage you to take the time to write down a few blessings that you have in your life today. It will help cheer you up and turn your focus on the amazing blessings you encounter each day!
Trip to the Joe’s Place Book Store and Falls Park
My parents on the bridge over Reedy River at Falls Park
While my parents were in town we made a trip to downtown Greenville. We stopped first at Joe’s Place Book Store where my sister-in-law works. The book store is only a couple of blocks away from Falls Park so we decided to go through it on our way back to our cars.
I was so busy looking at books in the book store I didn’t even take a picture! Oops! We did have fun and got some good books. Guess we’ll have to go back again to snap a few shots at our next visit. I didn’t realize it was the first time my parents had seen the big suspension walking bridge over Reedy River. We went through the park and on a few scenic hiking trails before heading back to the vehicles.
It was a good walk, a beautiful day, and the kids were able to vent a little extra energy. Thankful for time with family.
Brina speed hiking through the side trail.
The kids loved these little side trails!
Nicko and Karlie heading up the trail.
Intentional Living: Weekly Goals
The girls had their first full week of school since the first week of February. Now it makes sense why these past few weeks have gone by so quickly with them home one or more days each week over the last three weeks. This week was busy with school, Jake traveling, getting everything caught up (or trying), and more fun stuff. I was able to tackle a lot of tasks that needed my immediate attention last week, but I have a lot to still get done for the month of March. Overall it was a productive week. I am hoping to spend some good time getting things done this week, but I am going to “lighten” the load for this week so I can focus on some of the priority items! Here are my goals for this week:
Last week’s goals
Family Goals
- Finish reading Rascal by Sterling North to the kids! – we finally decided on the book and got through the first chapter this week with the busy schedule, but so far they are loving it!
Plan one special activity with the familyPlay a Game with the KidsPrepare for Upcoming Winter ActivitiesSpend time Monday – Friday helping the kids with HomeworkAttend After School ActivitiesLunch Boxes & Book Bags packed the night beforePrep for upcoming Family AdventureGo on a Date Night with one of the kids– I got to hang out with my Brina, so sweet having some time to relax and chat together!Send out Thank You Notes
Personal Goals
Drink 8 glasses of water each dayContinue my YouVersion plan(s)Go to my Doctor Appointments Scheduled this week
Home (Yard & Pets) Management Goals
All laundry for the week washed, folded, and put away in one dayWeekly Dinner Menu planned out for the weekUse up food items in our pantry and freezer- Clean House (Focus – Laundry Room) – laundry room has to go on hold, I got the basic pick up completed
- Organize Chaos (Focus – Spring / Summer Clothes Organized) – they are out and tried on, but not put away yet
Yard Cleanup (Focus – Check the Boundary Fences)Pet Care (Focus – Pick Up Turtle Food)
Business Goals
Work on ideas for upcoming blog postsRespond to Inquiry – Business Relation EmailsKeep up with the day to day items that need my attentionWork completed for clients
Ministry Goals
Meet a friend or family member for Breakfast or Lunch
Financial Goals
- Payoff the Car – working on it
- Payoff Medical Bills– working on it, got a couple smaller ones paid off this week! WooHoo!
- Payoff Other Outstanding Debt – (replacement microwave, refrigerator, hot water heater, bed, and other debt)– working on it
Pay Bills & File Paperwork- Go grocery shopping one time to one store this week and stay within budget – didn’t do as well as I hoped on this one
- Sale Items no longer using or do not need on Facebook / Craigslist / Ebay – didn’t get the items posted
My goals for the upcoming week
Family Goals
- Finish reading Rascal by Sterling North to the kids
- Plan one special activity with the family
- Play a Game with the Kids
- Prepare for Upcoming Winter & Spring Events (Spring is just around the corner)
- Prep for upcoming Family Adventure
- Spend Extra Time with the Family
Personal Goals
- Drink 8 glasses of water each day
- Continue my YouVersion plan(s)
Home (Yard & Pets) Management Goals
- All laundry for the week washed, folded, and put away in one day
- Weekly Dinner Menu planned out for the week
- Clean House (Focus – Basic House Clean Up)
Business Goals
- Work on ideas for upcoming blog posts
- Keep up with the day to day items that need my attention
Ministry Goals
- Meet a friend or family member for Breakfast or Lunch
Financial Goals
- Pay Bills & File Paperwork
I think it is important to share and encourage each other as we seek to improve our lives and the lives of those around us. I want to live intentionally not just hope all my dreams and goals come true. When I focus on small steps of improvement I am able to see results as I get closer to my goals. Some weeks I get closer to the goals I have in my life and other weeks a take a few steps back (life happens, emergencies occur, people get sick). Once the goals are written down and shared it provides a guideline for what I aim to accomplish this week.
Why Share My Goals?
- To keep me accountable
- To share a piece of my life with you as I strive to be a better Child of God, Wife, Mom, Friend, Homemaker, Entrepreneur and the many other roles I have each week
- To have my goals consistently written down so I can gauge progress more accurately
- Create healthy habits in my life
- To encourage you to share your goals with me as you continue to grown and learn
How did you do this week on your goals? Feel free to share or link to your list of weekly goals.
The picture above is one that I created for my own purposes, however, The “SMART” acronym was originally coined 30 years ago by Peter Drucker in his classic work, Management by Results.
Brina & Karlie’s Birthday Party
Silly kids! They wanted a goofy picture with the banner.
We did a small birthday party celebration this year for the girls 10th birthday. My parents were in town and my brothers family came over to celebrate with us. The kids had fun eating cake, opening gifts, and playing with family. We got to try out some of their neat gifts too which was fun! They are officially 10 years old (still cannot believe it).
It has been a wild couple of weeks with all the snow days from school. I have been spending more time playing outside with the kids since they have been home more the past two weeks. The disadvantage to all the fun is that I am behind on my blogging. It has been fun, but I promised to get caught up soon. A lot of fun stuff has been going on around our house lately!
Happy 10th Birthday Girls!
Ready for some strawberry cupcakes and blue velvet cake!?
Lots of flames! Happy Birthday Brina and Karlie!
Brina relaxing!
My nephews helped the girls open their gifts.
Checking it out!
Flashback Friday: Giggles & Sweet Cheeks
Brina and Karlie all smiles!
Today’s flashback Friday takes us back a few years to 2005 when the girls were only 7 months old. They had the cutest pinchable and kissable cheeks during those early growing years. When they were not exploring, eating, or learning new activities they were giggling.
It was adorable when they would make each other laugh over something silly. After 12 weeks bedrest, a month in NICU, and 5 months on house arrest it was nice to get out and explore with the little ones. Although leaving the house with two infant carriers, diaper bag, purse, stroller, and all other little necessities at that age was quite an adventure in itself.
At that age they didn’t have much hair so we would use washable Elmer’s glue to stick their little bows to their heads, ha. When we gave them a bath it would come right off! It is difficult to believe that these giggling 7 month olds turned double digits last month! Time goes by quickly when your having fun.
Skipper Being a Good Sport
Skipper claiming a new bed on the back porch!
Earlier in the day the girls were out on the back porch coloring and drawing in a couple big boxes we gave them to play with. The girls get so excited about getting large boxes to play with around the house. Every time we get a box or a group of boxes of any size they usually ask for permission to use them for their play time. Jake and I try to give them as many opportunities to explore creative play, but sometimes the boxes hang around for longer than intended or can get in the way or make a mess with all the “decorating” paraphernalia scattered around.
Sometimes when the boxes are big, taking over the house, and it is going to be a sunny day we will send the kids with their goodies outside. They have been know to play with boxes building various forts and structures for hours. Skipper loves it any time the kids are outside playing. She usually hops right in the middle of everything and at times is in the way, but the kids and the dog love it!
Skipper snacking on a treat from the kids.
Even after the girls came inside Skipper decided to hang out in their box.
Waking up from a nap in the box. She slept in the boxes for several hours in the sun that day. I am not sure who enjoyed it most the kids or Skipper.
Hiking Through the Woods
The girls love going for hikes in the woods!
Recently the girls and spent a couple hours outside having a picnic, hiking through the woods, climbing on trees, raking our campsite, playing with the animals, and more fun. Thankful for some quiet and relaxing time with them out in nature. They love spending time outside. Hiking through the woods is always an adventure with them!
Skipper is always willing to join us!
Karlie hanging out by the big tree!
Waiting patiently for us as the girls play around and climb a couple trees.
Enjoying our time outside!
Hiking deeper into the woods!
Raking and trimming the thorny bushes at our old campsite. The girls are ready to go camping again!
Brina having a blast!
