Cousins Night Out!
We ended our fun adventures in town that evening with a special treat! Ice cream cones!!!! This is the only picture of the 5 of them, everyone was having so much fun playing I didn’t want to make them stop to pose for a picture! 🙂
Paul and Mirm were able to get away one night to meet friends and spend some quiet time together so we kept the kids. Since Jake was working when Paul & Mirm left I took the crew to Par Tee Time which has bounce houses, batting cages, and miniature golf for the kids. After Par Tee Time we picked up some pizza, had a picnic in the park and played. We ended our night out with the cousins at Bruster’s for ice cream cones than headed home to get everyone showered and ready for bed.
Whose up for a game of miniature golf?
Sweet girl having a blast on the bouncy castle!
The three older chickies having a blast giggling and playing
Come on NOAH! We know you can dunk that ball!
Even my sweet little niece joined the big kids in a game of miniature golf!
Concentrating hard on getting the ball into the hole!
Practicing his swing in the batting cage
Next one up to bat
Karlie taking a whack at it
Got those frogs…..Brina having a blast playing with her little cousin!
Getting some extra air on that jump!
Look out here she comes!
Snapped a quick picture of Brina as she zoomed to the bottom of the slide!
Karlie Cool Cat having a blast
Did you just see me dunk that ball!
Goofy girl, she makes me laugh!
Eating pizza at the park
Playing at the park
I had a blast with the kids. They did really well bouncing around and playing together. Thankful for some extra time with my nieces and nephew. The girls always enjoy their time with their cousins. A lot of great memories of their time with us!
Introducing……the Newest Members of Our Family – “Coconut,” “Oreo,” & “Snowball”
The 3 newest family members of our family “Coconut,” Oreo,” and “Snowball”
If you had asked me even a year ago if I would ever have goats as pets I would have laughed. Goats, seriously! I don’t know how to raise goats, what would I do with them….. Guess what!? Life has a funny way of changing my perspective. We have GOATS! Three adorable, fluffy, social, fun loving, goats that have become such a sweet part of the family!
This one cracks me up……silly Oreo!
The girls immediately loved these little balls of fluff…..and as hard as it is to admit it didn’t take long before they had stolen a piece of my heart too. They are always thrilled to see you. I love driving into the driveway and seeing them come racing across the yard to greet us.
Our little “Oreo Sunday”! He is the smallest of the 3 but makes up for it with his colorful character!
The girls are overjoyed to have goats. They do a pretty good job of taking care of them too. The goats love it when the girls are outside playing. All three are very social and are great with kids. The only thing we are still training them not to do, they’ve gotten better, is to not jump up on people. We have already trained them with several things already. One of the best things we did for training was to teach them to head into the goat pen for their grain or a treat whenever we rang a bell rings so when we need to put them into the pen it is really easy.
Sweet baby “Snowball” coming to say hello! He is the most timid of the 3 goats and especially in the beginning he would bolt to the pen whenever he saw Skipper or if he was startled.
It has been over a year in preparation for these little guys. They are a neat addition to our family or as the girls call it “our small farm”! It all started with me reading an article on goats. Followed by months of researching, building a goat house and pen, and finding the perfect critters to adopt into our family.
Our “Toasted Coconut” chewing happily on some leaves. Coconut’s our adventurous eater, he’ll try anything before the other two goats (even your hair if you get it too close).
These little guys have been a fun addition to the family. Skipper was excited to have more friends in the yard as well. It didn’t take long to train her not to chase the goats and for the goats to not be scared of the big black lab charging through the yard. After researching how to train them to stay in certain parts of the yard we decided to get them collars similar to what we use with Skipper (they wear the collars and the wire for their boundary is underground). After a little trial and error it has worked like a charm. The goats have their boundaries and Skipper has hers. The goats are not allowed in the driveway because they would most likely climb on the vehicles or in the front yard (they would eat any of my flowers on the front porch or garden).
Our twin goats munching on something delicious!
The whole process has been an experience to say the least. There was moments of excitement and even some moments of tears…..I will share a little more of that part of the story a little later.
Curious Oreo, he just had to see what that silver shiny object was in my hands (my camera)!
The goats are always munching on something. They like anything from leaves, bushes, flowers, fruits, vegetables, peanuts, hay, grain, and more. We feed them grain once a day and in the cooler months make sure they have some hay to eat. Most days they will spend out in the yard eating or lounging in the sun. It has been a lot of fun learning what foods they goats love, for example, banana peels are a favorite as are peanuts (whole or just shells). One of their special grain treats smells like black licorice. Almost everyday after the girls get home from school they go immediately to see Skipper and the goats (usually bringing them treats).
Oreo looking over his shoulder to see what was taking Karlie and Brina so long!
All three goats Nigerian Dwarf Wethers and were born in February 2012 so they are not quite a year old. Oreo was born in the mountains of North Carolina. Our twin boys, Snowball and Coconut, were born in the foothills. When the goats only grow to be about the size of a black lab.
Buddies…..the girls love playing out in the yard and the goats love having the girls nearby.
The girls were excited to see meet family members and they have spent hours playing with them. It took us a few weeks before we came up with their names but everyone agreed on “Oreo Sunday”, “Snowball”, and “Toasted Coconut”. It has been quite entertaining to have these little guys around. They have a lot of personality and are always thrilled to see you.
The goats like to climb up onto things….such as fallen tree limbs! Karlie and Brina hanging out with the “billy-billies” as they call them
Snack time!
What Are They Building Now!?
Our family lives on a small quiet street. All our neighbors are retired so when we start a project, specifically one in the yard, everyone is all “curious” about what we are up to. One of our neighbors will sit on the other side of the fence in his lawn chair sipping sweet tea and watch us as we work in the yard. After 10 years of being the entertainment for the neighborhood seeing him pull up his chair just makes me laugh.
We live on what the kids call a “small farm”. The property is over 4 acres with a big yard, creek, and woods. The girls and pets love running and playing in our yard. We’ve even done camp-outs, paintball games, bonfires, target practicing, and a lot of other activities in our yard.
Okay…..so back to the neighbors question “what are they building now”? A little over a year ago I was reading an article about goats, don’t ask me why, just happened to catch my eye during that time. Now I am not a big fan of goat milk or cheese or meat so that wasn’t what caught my attention it was the part about what the goats ate.
While the goat’s digestive system is similar to that of cattle, horses, and sheep they tend to prefer brush and trees over grass (they are more like deer). The reason why that caught my attention was because with our 4 acres we have a lot of trees, leaves, and brush. My husband and I had been talking a week before about spending some more time cleaning the undergrowth in the wooded area of our property so the article intrigued me.
With all that being said our kids LOVE animals (dogs, turtles, horses, cats, you name it), it is one area they have in common. They have been asking for years for a horse (I don’t think that’s going to happen, at least any time soon). A couple months earlier I teased my husband that I was going to get chickens for the girls to raise and so we could have fresh eggs to eat. He vetoed the chicken idea mainly because we have too many wild animals that go through our property (turkeys, deer, racoons, possums, foxes, coyotes, etc….). So when I brought up the idea of getting goats (more as a joke) I figured he would just laugh at my suggestion…..well, he didn’t. He started researching it more and decided that if I was up for it we could consider the possibility in a few months.
Well, a few months went by and we started preparing for the newest members of our family. What began with a simple glance at an article turned into building a goat house. Jake designed and built the whole thing by himself (well, with the help of the girls). The girls were soooooooo excited! Here are some pictures of the process:
Brina hammering away
Brina and Karlie having fun “working” on the goat house
Daddy working with his two helpers!
Brina & Karlie helping Daddy on the roof of the goat house
Brina, Karlie, Mommy, and Skipper painting the goat house. The girls picked out the color “candy apple red”!
Snowmen Mini Donuts
The girls were so excited to make and eat these cute snowmen. After you finish making your snowmen, grab a cup of hot chocolate, your family, and curl up on the couch next to the Christmas tree or fireplace and enjoy.
Snowmen Mini Donuts
- 1 bag Mini Powdered Donuts
- Candy Corn
- 1 box Cake Mate Writing Icing
Our Blue Eyed and Green Mouth Snowman
The girls love these little powdered donut snowmen!
Our pretty girlie snowman
Kids in the Kitchen: Colorful Gingerbread Cookies
Tray full of Gingerbread cookies to share!
The girls love helping out in the kitchen. At some point over the Christmas Holidays we try to make cookies. The girls really enjoy decorating the cookies. We have done a variety of different cookies from sugar to gingerbread and more.
We typically turn on some Christmas music, whip up a batch of cookies, and play a game or read a book while the first batch is cooking. Once the first batch has cooled enough and others are baking in the oven we start decorating. As you can see from the pictures we used a couple varieties of frosting and decorations. The girls decorate them however they want and as many as they want (they stick to the decorating until the very last cookie is done).
It has been really neat seeing their skills improve over the past few years. You can actually tell what the shapes of most cookies are after they are done decorating nowadays. Plus, they have learned not to “lick” the frosting or their fingers during the whole process, ha! 🙂
Starting to fill the tray with colorful Gingerbread cookies. I especially like the Betty Crocker writable frosting because their easy to use for kids, only a little bit comes out, and you can stack the cookies together once they have dried.
Just looking at these make me smile! Some as you can see from the tops of the Christmas trees broke in the decorating process. Love seeing the girls creative juices get flowing.
Another rack of delicious gingerbread cookies, decorated with love! 🙂 Thankful for those quiet afternoons that we can spend relaxing and decorating cookies together.
Next time I need to do better about taking pictures of the kids too. I only have a couple of pictures of the girls just starting to make the cookies that didn’t really turn out. Once we got into the cooking and decorating I got swept away with the fun that I didn’t pull the camera back out until all the cookies were done. Hopefully, next time I will have more kid pictures to share. Does your family like to decorate cookies, if so what kind is your favorite?
Lounging in the Haystack
Karlie and Brina having fun outside
Karlie and Brina taking a break and relaxing in a pile of hay. They were having a grand time playing in it while we were working in the yard. Next thing I knew they both had their lounge chairs in the pile too.
It was cute listening to their conversations as they relaxed in the hay stack. Who knew that a haystack could be a such an awesome place to hang out together?! It was amazing how long they cheerfully played, talked, and giggled while lounging in that little stack of hay!
Sometimes it is the simple things already in the yard that can be the most entertaining for the kids. 🙂
Chickies hanging out on a pile of hay in their lawn chairs…….silly girls!
November 30-30-30 Challenge: Saying Thanks 30 Ways to 30 People for 30 Days (Days 29 & 30)
As I was reflecting back on the many amazing blessings in my life I realized that don’t let those around me know how much I truly appreciate them enough. The idea of participating in a “thankfulness” challenge for the month of November was started a few months ago when I purchased cards for my family to send out for the Thanksgiving Holiday (see the picture of the front of the card below).
It is my wish to show my gratitude to the people I interact with day to day. For the month of November I am planning a 30-30-30 Challenge. It is my goal to say thanks in 30 ways to 30 people for 30 days. Each day I plan to do at least one activity expressing my thanks to one person every day for thirty days.
How is it the LAST DAY of this activity already?! It is hard to believe we just finished our last day of our November 30-30-30 Challenge: Saying Thanks 30 Ways to 30 People for 30 Days because it went by so quickly. Doing this project these last few weeks have been a great blessing and wonderful experience for the whole family. It was awesome seeing how doing the activity made us think more about being grateful and expressing our thanks to people around us.
Many of the people were family, friends, neighbors, as well as people we interact with regularly while some we had met for the first time (store clerks). The purpose of this activity was to focus on being thankful and to be a blessing to the people around us. It was an activity that had a positive impact on our lives. There were several times I walked away from a task feeling more blessed, it’s amazing how making the choice to positive and grateful to others can uplifts your spirits too.
I have so much to be thankful for not only during this Holiday season but throughout the entire year. May I continue to express thanks to those I encounter throughout my week. Several of the days we actually did several thankfulness activities (a few we listed, but most we did not). After the first week we had thanked over 30 people already (we have a big family) so it was neat seeing how many people we could touch with words and gifts of thanks throughout the month. I hope that this activity will continue to be on our minds for a very long time as we interact with people from day to day.
Day 30
Who: Strangers
The girls and I had to make a couple quick errands after school, including a stop at a store. We had the opportunity to help an elderly lady put some items into her cart. She was in a hurry, but was having a hard time getting the items she needed at the store. It was neat seeing the girls take initiative and help others from opening the doors, helping people get stuff from the shelf, and stepping aside so those in a hurry can pass. We even let the person behind us go ahead of us in the line. Sometimes taking a few minutes to show appreciation and kindness can make a big difference in the lives of others.
Day 29
Who: Bank Teller
Today we didn’t have a lot of extra places we needed to be but we did make a stop at the bank. The girls wanted to deposit the money they had earned over the past month into their savings account. Usually I try to go through the drive-thru at the bank because it is much quicker, but the girls like to bring in their money and watch the teller count it out. Plus, I needed to put items back in our safety deposit and make a deposit as well. Today we smiled, sincerely thanked our bank teller for helping us, and ask her about her day. Sometimes we get so busy with our lives and are in a hurrying to get to the next place we barely smile or talk with people that we encounter regularly. Taking the time to smile, be pleasant, and ask about someone else’s day doesn’t take any extra time but can be a great encouragement for them.
Day 28
Who: Jazz Instructor
A few months ago I got a Living Social deal for the girls to take Jazz lessons. We were within a couple miles of the studio several times a week already so we decided to try it out. They LOVED jazz and look forward to it every week. It is great exercise and has taught them some neat skills. In the spirit of the Holidays (Thanksgiving) the girls wrote their instructor a note of thanks and I picked up some sweet treats for them to give to her. She makes it a lot of fun and both of our girls really enjoy going to her class!
Fall Scavenger Hunt
We recently held a camp out for our Community Group from church at our house. It was great spending some extra time with friends. The kids all had a blast riding their scooters, bikes, drawing with chalk, blowing bubbles, crafts, going on a scavenger hunt and more.
I am thankful for an opportunity to spend extra time with family and friends. It was a wonderful experience for our girls. I am grateful for a big yard where we can host events and pitch seven tents!
The kids did really well hunting down the items on the list. I gave each kid a grocery bag, the list printed on bright orange paper and set the time for 20 minutes. They were off and running in no time. I was quite amazed at the items they were able to come up with in that short amount of time. Some kids worked independently while others stuck more in groups.
If you are looking for a fun, entertaining, and educational activity to do this weekend here’s a great place to start. There is a one page (with two columns) printable link at the bottom of the post so you can print it out as well.
Fall Scavenger Hunt
- Large Red Leaf
- Smallest Yellow Leaf
- Dry Brown Leaf
- Evergreen Leaf
- Jagged Edged Orange Leaf
- Bird Feather
- Rough Bark
- Smooth Bark
- 2 Different Types of Grass
- Smooth Pebble
- 4 Acorns
- Flower
- Most Beautiful Item
- Stick Shaped like a Letter
- Piece of Litter
- Ladybug
- Tiny bit of Moss
- Pine Cone
- Wood Shavings
- Caterpillar
- Coins
- Wiggly Worm
- 3 Leaf Clover
- Seed
- Dog Toy
- Piece of a Thorny Bush
- Animal Fur
- Aluminum Can
- Piece of Plastic
- Bug (any type)
- A Circular Item
- A Square Item
- A Triangular Item
- An Oval Item
- A Heart Shaped Item
- An Octagon Item
- A Soft Item
- A Fluffy Item
- A Fuzzy Item
- A Furry Item
- A Hard Item
- Something Blue
- Something Purple
- Something Black
- Something Gray
- Something Pink
- Something White
- Kids Toy
I have been asked by a number of people for a printable version of the Fall Scavenger Hunt so here it is for your family to enjoy as well:
- Fall Scavenger Hunt – I printed ours out on bright orange paper and let the kids have a blast searching for the various items on the list! 🙂
November 30-30-30 Challenge: Saying Thanks 30 Ways to 30 People for 30 Days (Day 28)
As I was reflecting back on the many amazing blessings in my life I realized that don’t let those around me know how much I truly appreciate them enough. The idea of participating in a “thankfulness” challenge for the month of November was started a few months ago when I purchased cards for my family to send out for the Thanksgiving Holiday (see the picture of the front of the card below).
It is my wish to show my gratitude to the people I interact with day to day. For the month of November I am planning a 30-30-30 Challenge. It is my goal to say thanks in 30 ways to 30 people for 30 days. Each day I plan to do at least one activity expressing my thanks to one person every day for thirty days.
Day 28
Who: Jazz Instructor
A few months ago I got a Living Social deal for the girls to take Jazz lessons. We were within a couple miles of the studio several times a week already so we decided to try it out. They LOVED jazz and look forward to it every week. It is great exercise and has taught them some neat skills. In the spirit of the Holidays (Thanksgiving) the girls wrote their instructor a note of thanks and I picked up some sweet treats for them to give to her. She makes it a lot of fun and both of our girls really enjoy going to her class!
Day 27
Who: Clients
I am thankful for so many things in my life. One of the fun activities I get to do throughout the month is work for various clients on projects. Some of the people I do work for on a regular basis while others are more on a project by project basis at various times throughout the year. While I do get compensated for the work I do, there is a lot more to it, I really enjoy the people that I have had the privilege to work alongside. It has been neat getting know them and their families better while helping them tackle business projects. I am thankful for my clients and their willingness to let me be an active part of their lives and businesses. Today, I wrote a “I’m Thankful for you….” note as well as delivered a special treat for the ones I help regularly.
Day 26
Who: Waitress
Our family doesn’t go out to eat very often (we typically eat meals at home or take a lunch to work / school) so it is a real treat when we can go out or meet a friend for lunch. I had the opportunity to meet a friend for lunch today, it was wonderful having a chance to catch up for a little bit. One of the jobs I had in High School and College was waitresses. I loved doing it because it was great exercise, I got to meet a lot of neat people, and it helped pay the bills, but it was lower paying and at times exhausting. After working at a couple different places over the years I have learned to appreciate those in the restaurant industry. As a way of showing my appreciation and thanks to the person serving us today I gave a generous tip at the restaurant, hopefully it will be a blessing to the person waiting on us.
November 30-30-30 Challenge: Saying Thanks 30 Ways to 30 People for 30 Days (Day 27)
As I was reflecting back on the many amazing blessings in my life I realized that don’t let those around me know how much I truly appreciate them enough. The idea of participating in a “thankfulness” challenge for the month of November was started a few months ago when I purchased cards for my family to send out for the Thanksgiving Holiday (see the picture of the front of the card below).
It is my wish to show my gratitude to the people I interact with day to day. For the month of November I am planning a 30-30-30 Challenge. It is my goal to say thanks in 30 ways to 30 people for 30 days. Each day I plan to do at least one activity expressing my thanks to one person every day for thirty days.
Day 27
Who: Clients
I am thankful for so many things in my life. One of the fun activities I get to do throughout the month is work for various clients on projects. Some of the people are work for I do work for on a regular basis while others are more on a project by project basis at various times throughout the year. While I do get compensated for the work I do, there is a lot more to it, I really enjoy the people that I have had the privilege to work alongside. It has been neat getting know them and their families better while helping them tackle business projects. I am thankful for my clients and their willingness to let me be an active part of their lives and businesses. Today, I wrote a “I’m Thankful for you….” note as well as delivered a special treat for the ones I help regularly.
Day 26
Who: Waitress
Our family doesn’t go out to eat very often (we typically eat meals at home or take a lunch to work / school) so it is a real treat when we can go out or meet a friend for lunch. I had the opportunity to meet a friend for lunch today, it was wonderful having a chance to catch up for a little bit. One of the jobs I had in High School and College was waitresses. I loved doing it because it was great exercise, I got to meet a lot of neat people, and it helped pay the bills, but it was lower paying and at times exhausting. After working at a couple different places over the years I have learned to appreciate those in the restaurant industry. As a way of showing my appreciation and thanks to the person serving us today I gave a generous tip at the restaurant, hopefully it will be a blessing to the person waiting on us.
Day 25
Who: Ministry Team Leaders
There are some people within the church and community who spend a lot of their time and energy helping others. They are involved in several ministries and their dedication to the body as well as outreach shines. I am part of a ministry at church called Alms & Legs, we do multiple activities within our church and community from providing a food pantry for people in need, clothing, helping with bills, repairs, free GED tutoring, Operation Christmas Child, Heart of Christmas, Shoes for kids in need, and many more activities. The person who leads this group has a real passion for others and it shows. I feel like it is important to say thanks to those in ministry leadership positions because they volunteer to do the work and often go above and beyond in their service to others. Today I wrote a note of thanks to the person (and her family) who leads this great ministry. She does a lot to make this ministry a success so we can make a positive impact on the lives of many within our body and community.
