Family & Work Event at Dave & Buster’s
Jake’s work hosted a family event at Dave & Buster’s recently. We ate a great meal and spent several hours playing the various games throughout the evening. The girls had a blast. We had a wonderful time and enjoyed the evening at the Greenville Dave & Buster’s.
Brina competing with Daddy on a riding game
Karlie zooming around in a roller coaster ride with Jake
Jurassic World game – Jake and Karlie playing while Brina looks on
Goodies Karlie earned with all her tickets
Brina likes her colorful monkey she earned with all her tickets
Flashback Friday: Celebrating Jake’s Birthday
Brina and Karlie were fascinated by the cool new toy on the floor.
Today we flashback to Jake’s birthday July 2005 when the girls were five months old. It was his first time celebrating a birthday with two little munchkins with us. They made the day quite entertaining. They enjoyed the new things to explore and see throughout the day from birthday banners to candles to rice krispie treats and more.
Jake with his two girls on his birthday. They were intrigued by the candles, but didn’t touch them. Pretty sure they didn’t help blow them out either.
This is cool new mat to lay around sucking our fingers on….
Brina sitting at the kitchen counter. So Mom…..I hear their might be some kind of special treat for Dad’s birthday, can I try it first, pretty please!?
Oh no….too much excitement for someone. Who did it this time!? Brina is feeling better now and Karlie is thankful it wasn’t her this time around.
Daddy’s giggling girls helping him celebrate his birthday.
Our little rolly pollies saying “Happy Birthday Daddy! We LOVE You!”
Fresh Apples & Caramel Dip
Fresh Apple Slices and Caramel Dip
Do you have a party where you need a quick, healthy, and easy appetizer? This one is kind of a no-brainer, but sometimes I need to be reminded that the simple easy snacks that require less prep can be just as enjoyable for everyone (and allows you to spend less time in the kitchen and more time with your family). Freshly sliced apples with caramel dip is a great one to bring and share! There’s is just something refreshing and delicious about apples and caramel. Yum!
For this event I took fresh apples sliced them, dipped them in a mix of lemon juice and water to keep them from turning brown and poured the caramel dip that we already had in the pantry onto the serving platter. You can make your own caramel sauce, but since I had some on hand it was easier just to pour it into the dish. Also, if you want to make it even easier, especially if you’re in a pinch, you can purchase both pre-sliced apples and caramel dip at the store. Sometimes it’s the simple easy stuff that is a big hit.
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!
Love It – Purple Heart Necklace
My Purple Heart Necklace, beautiful reminder of the blessings in my life! Thanks Handsome! My husband has known for years the impact the Little Purple Flower had on my life. We were dating at the time the incident occurred and he was delighted to see God use such a beautiful reminder to encourage me. Since that time Jake has on numerous occasions surprised me with a gift that had a purple flower or something similar on it as a reminder of how much He loves me. The gift is also a visual reminder that God daily gives me the many blessings I have in my life.
On Valentine’s Day my husband and I celebrated together at Winter Jam 2011. When I got up to go to the restroom before the concert started I came back to a small package on my chair. He gave me a beautiful purple heart necklace (totally surprised me) as a way to remind me of His love and the many blessings in our lives as a couple. I had no idea that he was even saving his money to get me such a sweet surprise.
He had been looking for the perfect necklace for awhile until he found the purple heart which he thought it would be a perfect fit for me. For those of you who know me personally I am not a glamour and glittery type of person. I grew up with three brothers on a farm and was more of a tomboy than a princess. I can count on one hand the pieces of jewelry I wear regularly. Every single piece I wear daily Jake picked out on his own for me (most of them were surprises too). I wear my watch, engagement & wedding rings, and my heart necklace he gave me for our 7th anniversary every day. The only other time I wear different or more jewelry is for a special event or Date Night when I an extra necklace, ring, or bracelet. So needless to say I was shocked to receive a necklace on Valentine’s Day and my heart about burst with love for him when I realized it was a purple heart meant to remind me of the little purple flowers in my life.
I am surrounded by many blessings in my life. Some days I have to look harder to find those blessings but they exist no matter how big or small. I am thankful for a God who extends love and grace to me every day. A husband whom I adore and kids that bring so much joy and laughter into my life. The best part is they all love me despite my imperfections and crazy days. Thank you babe for reminding me of the MANY blessing in my life. I am thankful for the amazing gifts God has given me!
“Love It” is a series of posts on items that I use regularly in my household that I love! There are some items in our daily lives that make life more enjoyable, efficient, or just plain fun. I will be sharing with you some of the products that have been given to us (or to me) that have made it to the top of my list. It’s my way of giving a huge thumbs up!
Book Character Parade
For the Book Character Parade at school the girls their class featured the book “The Crayon Box that Talked” by Shane Derolf. The kids and teachers dressed up as crayons for the parade. Every class featured a different book. It was a neat seeing the kids get excited about their book. A lot of parents, grandparents, extended family and friends came to watch the kids in the parade.
They each got to pick and color the crayon of their choice. Brina was a pink crayon and Karlie was a blue crayon. It was cute watching them walk in the parade with their classmates. Thankfully the weather was beautiful that day too. I always enjoy participating in the fun events at the girls school. The kiddos are growing up so quickly!
Event: “Dine Out for Mom”
There is a special event going on today called “Dine Out For Mom” which is a part of the “Let There Be Mom” organization. As a Mom with small children it is important for me to remember that life is precious, sweet, and short. We never know what joys and trials life will bring our way. You may know of a friend or family member that has gone through serious illness and given only a short amount of time to live. This event is to remind us to celebrate life, create memories, cherish our family, and help others because our life here on earth is not forever.
What is “Let There Be Mom”? It is an organization that provides help to Moms when they or their spouse is diagnosed with a serious illness. “Let There Be Mom” comes along side the family going through this difficult time to preserve memories. They do this through a variety of services tailored to meet the needs and wishes of the individual families. Some examples of ways they are involved – photography, scrapbooks, journals, videos, meals, errands, special events, care packages, family cookbooks, and many more wonderful activities. The “Dine Out For Mom” event today is designed to help raise funds for this great organization. When you eat at one of the participating restaurants today they will donate a portion of the proceeds to “Let There Be Mom” so they can continue to help families that are losing a loved one.
Take some time out of your busy day to meet a friend for lunch or take the family out for supper. What a great way to spend time with those you love while helping a wonderful organization that is committed to preserving family memories.
For more information about the “Let There Be Mom” organization, their services, and how to get involved please visit their website.
