The Reward Jars Are Now Used For Decoration

Remember my "Reward Jars" for the girls?

And remember when I said I had a back up plan if the jar idea faded?

Yea, well it faded. The jars have been empty for quite some time, they just lost their novelty. Maybe I'll bring them back after the holidays.

For now they are holding Fall Candy...


Those sour cherry gummis in the middle are crowd favorite. I actually bought them for decoration and it turns out that they are disappearing fast.


So for now I'm not offering an incentive plan for the girls.

"Listen and you can earn something in your jar..." has turned to "You will do it because I told you to do it!" They aren't as fond of that technique :).

I am off today to look at some more Fall decor with the girls. Not looking for anything big, I actually just want to pick up some yummy Fall candles!

Happy Thursday!

I'll Take A Rain Check On That

Out of the mouth of one of my little ladies...

"Just sit still (giggling) - I'm not going to actually punch you in the face, I'm just going to come really close. I want to see if you blink (more giggling)."

Um, no thank you my sweet girl, I'll pass.

"Aw, c'mon - It'll be funny!"

Pass.

"oookkk."

That's when I knew it was time for bedtime.

:)

Just Talkin'

Our little women are under the weather, they are just passing this bug around.

I think Reese has it the worst, poor little girl has a high temp that just won't budge much. She has slept off and on all day...


She actually is sleeping next to me in our bed as I type this. I like to keep them close when fevers are this high.

I'm really hoping I don't get it - but at the same time I wish it was me that was sick instead of them. I just hate when they feel this bad! So I'm just sitting here, watching her and compulsively feeling her head to see if the fever seems to be down. Am I the only one who does that??

And I'm eating Combos. In bed. They just sound good and I have to go with that at this point :).

Well, I'm going to try to catch some shut eye too, I have a feeling I might be up tonight with some savvies. But I'm crossing my fingers and hoping everyone sleeps well!

Night!

There's No Place Like Home

I'm such a "homebody", anyone else?

We are back from our little trip to PA. Did I mention that we were going there? No? Sorry. My mind has been a little preoccupied :). I think I mentioned it on Twitter after we already had hit the road.

We packed all our little savvies up and headed out last Thursday to see family. It was our 1st road trip with all the girls. They had fun, and it was just good to get away as a family.

But you know what I reeaally don't like about traveling?

Unpacking.

And the laundry that comes with it!

Ugh, can I play the pregnancy card on this one??

Probably not?

Alright. I'm off to get things back in order, and then catch up on my Google Reader. I didn't really have internet access during the trip and I want to catch up on every ones blogs!

Happy Monday!

Savvy #6

Well, unless it's a boy, then I'm not sure we can classify #6 as a "savvy". We'll have to work on a subtitle if there's a little guy in there :). You'll help me out with that, right??

I am,

almost 10 weeks...

due in April...

sick...

tired...

then sick some more...

and oh SO thankful.

This pregnancy is a gift, a privilege, and a big 'ol glimpse of His sweet Grace. I have had a reeaally rocky 1st trimester so far, with many spotting episodes - which is always scary. But my levels are fabulous and 3 ultrasounds show ONE strong little heartbeat!

I am so thankful for your encouraging words and excitement. We are so excited for this little one to join our family!

Oh, and the girls could not be more thrilled. They think it's "another sister." :)

Yes, I Am...

Pregnant :)

The Vintage Pearl - Giveaway!

***Giveaway is now closed!!***

I just loovve this company. The Vintage Pearl makes such beautiful jewelry!

And the best part? Not only is it beautiful, it also has all my beauties names stamped on each sterling silver charm! I wanted to jump up and down when I got this necklace in the mail, I just adore it...

I know, I love it! Isn't it the best??

And another fantastic thing about this lovely necklace, is that you can add charms as your family grows...

you know, if you were expecting...

and you were going to need to add another sweet little name...

or something...

you just order an additional charm to pop on your necklace...

you know, if that was the case...

Ahem.

Sooo, today The Vintage Pearl is going to give you a $50 giftcard to use on anything in their store! Exciting, huh?

To Enter: You can enter 2 seperate times by leaving 2 seperate comments. Please hop over to The Vintage Pearl and let us know what design you like best in one of your entries. Please and Thank you :). No more hopping to another page, I've made some changes that make things like this easier, just leave your comments right here on this page! Contest will end this time next week.

Good luck, I can't wait to see what your favorite design is!

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins. Yes, Please!

These are everything you think they're going to be.

And more.

We made a few little changes to the original recipe that was given to me, and they are fan-tas-tic! The recipe calls for streusal topping, but the girls wanted to put extra filling on top instead :).

I've already had more than my share...

Ingredients:

For The Muffins:
3 cups Flour
1 tsp Cinnamon
1 tsp Nutmeg
1 tsp Ground Cloves
1 tbsp and 1 tsp Pumpkin Pie Spice
1 tsp Salt
1 tsp Baking Soda
4 eggs
1 1/4 cup Vegetable Oil
2 cups Sugar
2 cups Pumpkin Puree

For The Filling:
1 8oz package Cream Cheese
1 cup Powdered Sugar

The Streusal Topping (again, we didn't add this, but definitely will next time!)
1/2 cup Sugar
1/4 cup and 1tsp Flour
4 tbsp butter, cubed
1 1/2 tsp Cinnamon

Instructions (edited to add...sheesh)

Filling - Combine Powdered Sugar and Cream Cheese and mix well. Place in Refrigerator till you are done mixing the other mixture.

Muffin Mix - Mix all ingredients and fill muffin liners half way.

Assembly - Fill Muffin Cup half way and put a tsp (or so) of filling on top, then fill the rest of the Muffin Cup with muffin mixture. Then drop another tsp (or so) of Filling Mixture on top. (sprinkle streusal if you made it.)

Heat oven to 350 degrees and bake for 20-25 min. Thats it!

You MUST try them, they are just as good as the Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies!

Enjoy!

Dear Cleaning Lady,

I left a key in the mailbox because it seems that you have lost yours.

The dishes are piling up...

The crumbs under the table aren't swept. (and haven't been in...well...anyway)

The laundry is, as usual, way behind...

And the beds aren't made...

I would help out, but I've been busy baking pumpkin cream cheese muffins, and hanging new "wall art" that my ladies made...

So if you could hop to it and get over here, I would reeaally appreciate it.

Wait, I don't have a Cleaning Lady??

I'M the Cleaning Lady??

Aww maaaan...

The Sippy Cup Offender

That would be Kinley...

Who is known to throw a sippy cup at random - and did so in Raya's direction recently, and ended up giving her this little (almost healed) black eye...

It's actually or 1st semi-black eye - kinda hard to believe, isn't it?

So if anyone knows where I can buy padded sippy cups, I would love to know :).

We're off to the store to pick up some ingredients for Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins. I know. Didn't I tell you that calories don't count when there is pumpkin involved? Well they don't, at least in our house, in the Fall. :) I will post the recipe as soon as we test it out!

Hope you have a great weekend!

My Favorite Stripes

Don't you just love when some of your babies clothes still fit from the previous year?

Especially clothes that you absolutely adored when they wore them?

Maybe it's just me?

I just realized that these striped pants still fit perfect, and I am one happy mama...

It seems that Kinley's pretty happy about it as well...

She is quite a little character, can you tell?? :)

Hope you all are having a great week!

Story Time

I'm sure some of you have seen these videos circulating - they are both worth watching. Such touching stories and testimonies of marriage and mothering (you may need a tissue)...

Danny & Annie from StoryCorps on Vimeo.

Q&A from StoryCorps on Vimeo.

Alright, Little Ladies...

It's your turn.

It's time for you to start Preschool, I can't believe you are in PreK this year. Cause that means you start Kindergarten next year - and well, mama just can't think of that yet :).

You girls have been SO excited for this, and I have loved listening to your little conversations about how much fun it will be. The joy you two have is so fun, and so sweet...

Now girls, mommy wants you to listen and be sweet to others. Hop in there and make some new little friends. I'm sure you are going to just love the other kids!

Reese Olivia, be goofy and make everyone laugh. You're great at that and it's super charming.

Charlotte Grace, laugh as much as you'd like, your joy is contagious.

And ladies, I used to say "play the twin connection down a bit", but don't. God sent you to us as a pair, and you hold a bond that the rest of us don't understand. Embrace it, and love on each other as much as you'd like...

Alright you two, get in there and learn as much as your little minds will take. I love you SO much and am SO proud of you both. I can't wait to hear all about it!

Well, ladies - Preschool is waiting...

Teamwork

is always good, right?

The girls work great together...

Usually.

Until the older twins decide to roll around in the grass and fight over who is going to pull the wagon...

I guess maybe I could head over there and break it up.

But it's good for them to work it out on their own sometimes, don't ya think?? :)

Close Up Pics

I love them.

You probably notice I take a lot of close up shots. I think it is the best way to capture every little detail of these little faces that are changing so fast.

Like this one where Ella is biting her lip - she does that when she gets nervous or is feeling shy. SO cute. Look at that big tooth growing in...

What a Cutie Patootie.

So that's it, I loovve close ups. Do you?

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies, Please.

Oh they are so good.

So, SO good.

I decided to kick off our pumpkin recipe season this past weekend, and I am really glad I did. These are hands down my favorite cookies to make. They are so delicious and they make the house smell amazing!

Here is the recipe...

-1 cup of canned (or not canned) Pumpkin. **I actually added the whole can, we really like pumpkin. (yes, canned - I didn't cook my own.)
-1 cup white Sugar
-1/2 cup vegetable oil
-1 egg
-2 cups all-purpose flour
-2 teaspoons baking powder
-2 teaspoons ground Cinnamon
-1/2 teaspoon salt
-1 teaspoon baking soda
-1 teaspoon milk
-1 tablespoon vanilla extract
-2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS
Combine, pumpkin, sugar, vegetable oil, and egg. In a separate bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, ground cinnamon and salt. Dissolve the baking soda with the milk and stir in. Add flour mixture to pumpkin mixture and mix well. Add vanilla and chocolate chips. Stir in.

(I may or may not have mixed everything in the same bowl - completely going against the directions. Ahem.)

Drop by spoonful on greased cookie sheet and cook at 350 degrees for about 10 min or until lightly brown and firm. (although mine were never really "firm")

And then, throw a party.

Tell your neighbors.

And maybe take the some to your local Target cashiers.

Seriously, they are that good! In my opinion that is :). I think I am going to bake a pumpkin recipe each week over the next month. Does anyone have any favorites?

I Also Love This...

That monkey has it pretty good, don't ya think??

This is what we've been doing pretty much everyday over this long weekend - playing outside, swinging, grilling out, and heading to the pool one last time before it closes for the summer.

Oh and we have SO enjoyed the cooler weather, it has been beautiful!

Hope you all have a great Labor Day!!

I Love This...

Have I Ever Mentioned...

That people dressed up as animals is not my favorite thing in the world??

Well, they're not. Neither are the muppets, actually. Gives me the creepys...

I know, it's quarky. But for me, this giant frog that showed up at the fountains yesterday took the cake of creepy...

The older girls didn't mind him - they actually thought he was pretty hilarious...

Kinley on the other hand, kept a safe distance - thats a girl after my own heart...

And don't even get me started on clowns - I won't sleep tonight if you do. :)

I Want To...

...jump for joy

...love hard

...worry less

...celebrate my favorite ladies

...leave a legacy for my kiddos

...make the Lord smile

...prove that less is more

...squeeze my husband

...answer all the questions

...remember "these days"

...cherish the time when the kids are little

...quit being so hard on myself

...remember that God used this body to carry lots o' babies :)...

...love the curves

...teach the girls about true beauty

...embrace the craziness

...laugh at the insanity

...make a difference

...laugh till I cry

...hold my babies

...not care about the negative

...ignore the gossip

...pitch in

...help out

...focus on what is true

...take long walks

...let my hair down

...be myself

...make every second count

...celebrate our family

...take deep breaths

...focus on Him

...realize I need to do that more :).

(Thank you, Susan!)