New Addition, Article, And Mama's!

First, someone has finally bought the photography camera she has been saving...and saving, and saving for :). (my other one was old and begging to retire) I am so excited, and having sooo much fun learning the in's & out's of my "new addition." I can't put it down.

.....maybe I'll be taking pics of your kiddos soon :).....

Oh, you probably have noticed that I loovve my babies feet...look at these little toes...

Second, Go here to check out the latest Savvy article at Blissfully Domestic.

Third, and most important, Happy Mothers Day! To all you Mama's out there, hope you have a relaxing, fun, and awesome day. Enjoy those little one's that make you the crazy, stressed out, pushed to the limit sweet, loving, and amazing mama that you are! Can I just share 5 things I love most about my mom?

1. I have said it before, she is the strongest woman I have ever known. She has the kind of strength that can only dwell inside a mother.

2. She makes me laugh, always, no matter what. She helps me find the joy in all circumstances.

3. Mom taught us, and still teaches us, to believe in who we are. God made us exactly the way He wanted, embrace it.

4. She is a lover. She loves my kids, loves my husband, and loves me...just for who we are.

5. She believes in me. Always. The one thing that a child can always count on their mother for...she believes in my passions, my dreams...in me.

I love you, mom!

I look forward to hearing how you spent your day!

Enjoy!

Goods

Does this make anyone else really happy? Happy enough that you would whip out your cell phone and take a pic? Well, it makes me that happy. I love Trader Joe's. I do about 1/2 to 3/4 of our grocery shopping there, and I just got a chance to go last night and stock up on some staples we love. I buy all the kids snacks there, so I have to get there at least twice a month :).

If you haven't tried Trader Joe's Chipotle Pepper Hummus, I suggest you stop what you're doing, drive to the nearest store, and pick some up. It is fantastic! I always buy a few large containers of the regular flavor too, cause all the kiddos are huge fans. The hummus is also fantastic on their Ezekiel Bread, yummm. Great snack, and great for you! I would put Hummus on almost anything though, I really love it :).

The girls also loovve their organic yogurt, Vanana. (Banana & Vanilla flavored)

What are your favorites from Trader Joe's? Your kids fav's? I would love to hear!

Hope everyone has a great Friday!

A New Creation

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!

2 Corinthians 5:17

I don't have a ton of words, God's Grace has me basically speechless!

Ella asked Jesus into her heart tonight! We feel so blessed that we both got to pray with her, it was an awesome privilege that only God can provide! The above pic is of her spreading the news. She was so excited, she couldn't wait to tell our family :).

Eric and I are so thankful for this amazingly sweet girl that God has given us, she is such a tremendous blessing to our entire family. Praise The Lord, He is so good!

Love you sooo much Ella Girl!! We are so proud of you!

Wordless Wednesday

.....Reese & Charlotte.....

It's A Crazy Life

To say the very least. Crazy, yet wonderful.

Our huge SUV that fits 5 car seats and usually drives us around town, is in the shop getting worked on. Not Good. We really need to hit a park since they are kinda tired of playing out back...we did that all weekend, and there is no way to get us anywhere together without that stinkin' car. But after 22 meltdowns, 17 fights, and one bowl of applesauce that got tossed against the wall (accidentally they say), I found myself in the kitchen saying,

"Deep breath in, long exhale out...

now repeat till bedtime..."

These days I usually can't even hear myself think, or speak...hmmm, you think that's why they don't listen all the time? Maybe they don't hear me either? Right.

I knew it was time to get out of the house no matter what I had to do. I should mention that my double stroller is in our SUV, that's in the shop, 45min away. And should I go ahead and also mention that maybe we should have bought that white 12 passenger van instead of this gigantic SUV, because now that I actually have all 5 small children, practicality beats looks...and now I totally want need that van instead...

Sorry...the van that I shamefully turned my back on is a whole other post. Sigh. "Deep breath in, long exhale out..."

Anyway, I took them out back, and let them loose. The babies enjoyed being in the sun and they love watching the older girls run crazy.

Here is Kinley watching them swing

Raya lovin' her new exersaucer

And I decided to pull our old side by side stroller out of the garage, and take them all for a walk.

So it turns out I didn't lose my mind this afternoon...or lose whats left of it for that matter :).
Hopefully this post sticks. My blog had a little meltdown of it's own this afternoon :)

Technical Trouble

Ok, haha, before I throw the laptop out the window, I'm just going to postpone the Robeez giveaway.

For some reason it's making my Blog lock up, and at times, the post is just disappearing!

Keep checking back while I try to figure this whole thing out! :)

Blue Skies & A New Sun Hat

That's all Raya needs to make her afternoon this good.

Don't you just want to squeeze her? :)

Hope everyone had a great weekend!

My Loves Have Gone Green

...2 Little Tree Huggers...

...1 Mama who is in love with this Organic Clothing Line...

Where is this collection from, you ask?

You guessed it, it is the Organic Clothing Line from BabyGap. They have some great sale items right now, and you know, I love a good buy!

...100% Organic Cotton...
...100% Adorable...

*****Remember when I said there was a fabulous Giveaway coming? It still is, I promise. Very, very soon! You will not want to miss out!*****

Wordless Wednesday

Nothing like an Old Fashioned Tea Party.

It Was A Warm April Morning...

3 years ago today.

I was ready.

I had your clothes washed, and your room ready. I had gone over in my mind, time and time again, what would it be like to be a mom of twins?

I had no idea what God was about to bless us with.

I had preeclampsia, and pre-term labor. It was time to go.

I looked forward to a natural delivery. (well, with an epidural)

But plans change, babies turn, and umbilical cords go places they shouldn't, so a c-section it was.

They wheeled me to the Operating Room as a mama to 1, and I tried to grasp the fact that when they wheeled me out, I would be a mama to 3. (oh little did I know what the future held :))

I will always remember the Dr. pulling you both out. Twin girls! They handed both of you to daddy...I will never forget watching him hold his new little girls for the first time. Grandma was there to watch 2 new granddaughters join our family.

When I saw your sweet little faces, it was as if I instantly forgot what life was like before you.

It was a day of unforgettable memories...

It was the day you were born!

3 years have gone by...time, please slow down!

Reese, you: love playing outside, love swimming, are to smart for your own good :), love doing everything Ella does, can count to 20, know your ABC's, have a smile that could melt just about anyone, are independent, love to sing, love to laugh, and you have an awesome free spirit that brings so much joy to our family.

Charlotte, you: love swinging outside, love the park, are a "self soother", love to color, love your princess dolls, laugh a lot, can count to 20, know your ABC's, love to dance to your favorite songs, love to cuddle, have an amazing smile, and you have one of the sweetest little hearts, that warms our hearts, time and time again.

I am forever grateful for God letting me be your mama. You both (and your sisters) are truly God's Grace in my life. I love you 2 sooo much!

Happy 3rd Birthday Girls!

A Swingin' Good Time

I think someone is getting used to the swing...

And loving it!!

It is sunny, breezy, and beautiful here!

We are enjoying the park, the weather, and some strolls around the block. The girls are finally getting the fresh air & sunny afternoon they've been waiting for!

Hope everyone is having a great Monday!

What Are Little Girls Made Of?

Sugar and spice,

And all that is nice;

That's what little girls are made of.

Oh I wanted to stencil that phrase on the wall when I found out I was pregnant with Ella, and all the girls for that matter. Little girls, ahh, all the pink and bows I could handle. Dresses, ribbons,dolls, and princess costumes...

I wouldn't even know Superman or Batman if they knocked on my front door. Well I might...you get my point.

Did I find my girls at the church picnic playing Tea Party, or House? Nope, not even close.

Instead I saw that one was getting ready to spin webs and climb some buildings, and the other had grown some serious muscles. Sorry the pics are a little blurry...

Apparently Super Hero's are always on the move.

What Super Hero does this blue costume belong to anyway? A Power Ranger? I know all you mama's with boys are laughing at me...but I truly have no clue which hero wears this outfit.

Enlighten me, please.

*****Also, we have an awesome giveaway coming very soon...you won't want to miss it! Make sure to keep checking back!!*****

Almost Party Time!

I know I have posted this pic before, but I love it so much that I had to post it again. These sweet savvy little women will be having their 3rd birthday party tomorrow! (actual b-day not till Tuesday) I can't believe it, time goes so fast! They are so excited, and are looking forward to polka dot cakes, and presents. Hope I get some good party pics!

Have a great weekend!

Wordless Wednesday

Another last minute Wordless Wednesday!

We have a climber on our hands :).

Clogged Drains & Soyaki Sauce

Well, I guess I knew the afternoon wasn't going to be easy when Ella came around the corner and said, "mom, you have a serious problem going on in the bathroom..." That comment just didn't sit well with me considering I have 2 newly potty trained 2yr olds in the house.

Me: Ella, I am feeding the babies. Is someone hurt, or is something broke?

Ella: I don't know what happened, but the water is going up in the toilet instead of down!"

Fantastic.

Have you ever just wanted to sit there and pretend you didn't hear that come out of their mouth? Like maybe if I sat there long enough feeding the babes, that the problem would go away, never to return again?

No such luck.

Let's just say that the whole situation involved an entire pack of Kandoo Wipes, 1 flooded bathroom, 2 men on my roof with a pipe cleaner, and a check for $250.

Now that, was an expensive pack of wipes...

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On a different, random note, I just bought a great sauce at Trader Joe's called Soyaki Sauce. It is really good! I could do with a little less sodium, but it is absolutely fantastic for cooking. I am going to make stir fry with it tomorrow night....mmm, I love me some stir fry veggies :). I will post the recipe later!