L.I.F.E and Rambling

So much has been going on with our little (well not really little) family. Our weeks have been jammed pack with activities, outings, events, and normal happenings. Over the last several weeks we have finalized house plans, received estimates for our house plans (in case you are wondering we are adding on two bedrooms and a den to our current house as we dont have enough space to accommodate our "big" family), had V.B.S, celebrated my birthday (7/25), getting ready to celebrate Mace's birthday (8/4), planning Luke and Tanner's second birthday (8/9), Mace is preparing to switch jobs (he will be starting with the Veteran Affairs Federal Office in downtown Nashville on 8/14), getting Logan ready to start Preschool on 8/12, working as a POTATO officer (parents of twins and triplets organization), running my daycare, and all of our normal activities. Life just kinda takes over sometimes. I have been working really hard on simplifying things in our household. I have cleaned out closets, toyboxes, cabinets, drawers, and every other place you can think of getting rid of the "junk" we have collected. It really is amazing how much you collect. I have been spoken to by the Holy Spirit to let go of the complicated and let the simple take over. This is very hard for me. I tend to make things more complicated because of all my schedules and organization of things. I thought that if I cleaned things out and got rid of things then there would not be so much to organize and maintain therefore that should equal simple..right????? Well, this is what I am hoping to accomplish. I have also become a frugal freak, in a good way. I have started researching all kinds of ways to save money. I am loving the research that I am finding. I have come across a great grocery saving program called..the grocery game. Check it out online. I save tons of money each week at the store. I have also began to research healthy frugal meals for dinners and finding a wealth of information on that as well. I think that with the way things are going we are all eventually going to have to find ways to save money. Frugal does not have to be a bad thing. It actually can be quite fun when you are researching ways to find money. I love going to the grocery store just to see how much money I can save, how cheap I can make meals, and how many coupons I can gather. It is fun to me...ok that is crazy I know...clipping coupons fun...I know you are thinking man she really does not have a life but it does not take that long and it is sooooo worth it and the proof is on my receipt each week!
I guess the biggest time consumer this month has been working on the details of our house add-on and remodel. I never realized how much time this would take. I thought we would just give the guys our ideas and they would way their magic wands and be done...let's just say this was a fantasy! We were suppose to start on the project in September but I am not sure when in September would be realistic at this point because we have had some stumbling blocks along the way. So just pray for us and that the decisions on the house will be the right ones and that Mace and I do what is best for our family. Also, remember Mace is your prayers as he begins a new journey in his career. Have a great weekend and I will try to be more on top of my website!!!!

Katie is 6 months

Katie is growing so fast. It seems like she was just born but she has quickly approached six months. She can now sit up by herself for about two to four minutes. She is also starting to push herself to all fours and rock. I think crawling is in her NEAR future! She also has become a drool bucket...literally! Tonight was Katie's first taste of "real" baby food. She did quite well with her sweet potatoes. I have decided to make homemade baby food for her like I did with the twins. I really enjoyed making it and it is a healthier alternative. There has been alot going with our little princess this month. I took her to the doctor last week and she weighed 18 pounds! I guess her new name will be little chunky princess! (just kidding by the way)

Life's a Zoo

On Saturday July 5, Mace and I took the kids to the Nashville Zoo. The kids LOVED it. They were well behaved and really like seeing all of the animals. I pushed Katie in the stroller and Mace pulled the twins in the wagon and Logan walked. He actually liked being the "leader". We even sat through a twenty minute animal/bird show at the zoo. The kids did great. I was surprised. I don't know very many kids who would actually sit through a presentation/show about birds and animals but they did. Sometimes kids will amaze you. We had a great time. I definitely can say that our investment of a family membership to the zoo was WELL WORTH THE MONEY. It is a great outing for each of us and as a family.

Here are some of my favorite pictures that I took while we were at the zoo.

Luke

Katie

Tanner

Celebrating the Fourth of July

On Thursday July 3, we went with my parents to the Hendersonville Freedom Festival at Drakes Creek Park. We had a wonderful time and all of the kids really enjoyed the fireworks. Luke was the only one that was a little frightened by the noise. He did finally enjoy them after the first few minutes. Here are some wonderful pictures from our night!

Tanner
Mace and Amber

Papa and Logan

Luke's Angry Face (not really, he just had a mouth of full of snacks)

Tanner's Innocent Face

Luke
Logan

Little Miss Firecracker (Katie)

Plum Worn Out

We picked plums off the tree and played outside until lunch. Well as you can see Luke and Tanner did not make it through lunch!

Luke (above) and Tanner (below)

How we spend our Saturday Mornings

Most Saturday Mornings start out the same...Wake the kids up, Give them a cup of milk, Give them a book to read, Turn on their favorite PBS cartoon (Arthur), and then I am off to cook breakfast.

Well this Saturday morning was a little different. I guess they wanted to have just one party in one bed!

Frugal Living Mission

Over the course of the last month or two, I have been on a mission to find more frugal ways of living. I am researching all kinds of ways to save money in the various aspects of the home especially since the price of everything seems to be skyrocketing these days. I have found a wonderful website called the grocerygame.com. It is a website that you receive a weekly grocery list that has the sale price items along with which coupon to use so that you save the most money! It is wonderful. I have saved so much money in the last two months. I have also found other websites that teaches you how to save money at the store as well as at home. I have to admit I have become a little obsessed with the "game" of saving of money. I actually look forward to going to the store to see how much money I can save. It is fun for me. In my attempt to save as much money as I possibly can while not wasting anything that comes into this house I have learned a timeless skill...how to make homemade jam! I am addicted now! I never knew that I could actually create and make jam that tastes as wonderful as this (not to be bragging but it really turned out good!). After you have homemade jam, you will not go back to store bought jam/jellies. Mace and I have two fruit trees in the back yard...one peach and one plum. All of the jam I have made so far as been plum since we seem to be having an abundance of plums! I have attached a picture of my homemade jam because I am so proud of it and so proud of myself for learning this skill.