Christmas Spirit

Bear made out of Crabby's shirt

We let thr kids open a few early gifts

The Girls

Friday night was filled with family fun. We had Layne, Jaxon, Campbell, and Serena. We played outside and did a little sleding. Then as we were all thawing we let the kids open one gift each. They were so excited and had a lot of fun playing together. Rena got a play-doh icecream station, Jaxon got a helicopter model, Layne got a new game, and Campbell got a coloring set. These things all came from Uncle Steve and Aunt Cilla. Thanks to them for the wonderful gifts. Tim and I also opened our gifts from them. Tim got a Cubs win flag and I got a purse hanger with Tim and mines picture on it. Very thoughtful!!

Saturday we hung out with Tim's sister Amy and her daughter Bailey. Fun was had by all! Amy had a great idea and had a teddy bear made out of Tim's mother sweatshirt. It is the first picture up top. What a wonderful way to remember our Crabby. She can't be with us this year to celebrate Christmas, but now we have a great little peice of her to look at everytime we walk into our room. Props to Crabby and thanks to a spectacular sister in law!!! We are filled with the Christmas spirit and can not wait for next week when it is really here. The children are all trying to be on their best behavior to see what santa will bring.

Mommy, my tummy hurts......

This came from Serena last night around 5. If you know Rena at all you know she says this for a few different things. She can be hungry, have to go potty, not like what we are having for dinner, or her tummy can really be upset. We came to find out later that her tummy really was upset! We were at my mom's house for spaghetti dinner. Rena had to go potty. In the middle of it she was hit with the tummy flu. Who knew that such a little girl could hold so much in her tummy. We got all cleaned up and headed home. Our night was filled with MOM I think I am gonna get sick. Followed with a big mess and a little girl to clean up. Needless to say mommy and Rena did not get much sleep. So we are at home today recovering. To top it off my husbands car broke down. He was trying to get ahold of me and my phone was in Rena's bedroom, where I had spent the night! So I did not know about his troubles till after it was over. I don't know details but I have an angry husband! I am praying that everything is ok with is car or will be soon. Not a great 2 days but I know we will be ok.

Vacation!!!

Tim and I had a week off from work together. It was great. For the first weekend we just stayed at home and hung out with the kids. We left for Hot Springs Arkansas early Wednesday morning. Just Tim and I went. It was really great to have some time to ourselves! We had a fun time driving down there. It was kind of boring as far as the scenery goes. Straight roads and lot and lots of farms. We were glad to get there. Our hotel left a lot to be desired. But we made the most of it and just enjoyed ourselves. We were walking distance from Main St in Hot Srings. We soent most of our time on Main St. Just sight seeing and learning about the springs. We took a Duck tour. Tim had never done this before. They have a gorgeous lake that we got to go on and the weather was beautiful. We had some really great food alomg the strip and found some cool shops. We got the kids some soveiners and also got more Christmas shopping done. The last day that we were there we got a couples massage. That was a fantastic way to end a vacation. The rest of the weekend was spent relaxing and preparing to go back to work. If I could make it happen I would gladly work from home all the time.
So we are back to he regular schedule this week. Working full time and going to school 3 nights a week. I fell off the no soda wagon last week while were on vacay and gained 3 pounds :(. Happy to say that I am back on and have not had a soda in 3 days. I am determined to stay that way. Also tonight for dinner we had hotdogs. And for a side instead of chips, the kids and I had brocolli! That is a step in the right direction! I will keep you updated on the progress! Pictures from vacay will posted soon.

Weekend before VACATION!!!

Campbell and Renee

Rena jammin to Crabby's video

Layne and Jaxon gaming

Daddy snugglin with Bell

Our rock star dog.

We got Campbell again this Friday. We are always so excited to have her and the other children together. We had lots of fun playing the Wii and goofing around. The kids stayed up late and we all had a blast. There is an easiness in the air knowing we do not have to go back to work on Monday. We have not had a whole week off together in a long time. We are looking forward to the time off.

Everyone is healthy and doing great right now. I am halfway through Massage Therapy school. Doing well and maintaining a 95% average. Hopefully I will continue to do well all the way through. Tim is still working all the time. Hopefully that will end when I finish school. Layne Jaxon and Campbell are all doing great in school. Serena has started speech therapy. Will keep you updated on her progress.

I am continuing to not drink soda. Doing well with that though I have slipped a few times. My next goal is to change the way I am eating. Slow steps but I am getting there. Have lost 2 pounds and am maintaining that weight. Things are looking great right now!!

Fall Fun!

We had a great weekend. Wonderful weather and a lot of family fun. Friday night we put our Christmas tree up while watcing Christmas movies. Yes you read correctly our Christmas tree is already up. My husband likes to have Christmas things in the house for longer than a month. Saturday morning Tim had to work and the kids and I went to the Pink Heels Tour in Wentzville. We had a great walk and a parade after. Then off to get pumpkins. We carvedd and played out in the leaves. Kids had fun burying each other. Then we went to a bon fire at a great friend's house. The fire was HUGE and hot. We all had a blast. What a very busy weekend. Sunday was spent cleaning house, watching football, and relaxing. I love having these times with the children. Jaxon and Tim are going to St James tomorrow to visit with Aunt Amy and family. Really looking forward to having some time off work and school. The rest of us have work and school to go to. But only 3 weeks until Tim and I are on vacay together.

I am doing well on my trek to lose weight. I am on day 3 with absolutly no soda. I have to say once I set my mind on it, it was easier than expected. Their are plenty of alternatives and I am feeling better about myself everyday. We wvwn went to a pizza buffet this weekend and I had water!! Have not gotten back on the scale but time will tell.

Determined to Lose Weight

This is a before picture.

I know this is a sensitive topic for a lot of people. It is for me as well. I got on the scale this morning and saw a number I swore I would never let myself get to. So I am going to take action today and everyday hereafter! I am determined to lose 50 pounds. I know this is not going to be an easy process but I am going to do this. By letting people know that this is what I am going to do I am hoping to get the support that I need. I will check in periodically and write about what I am feeling and chart my progress.

Today I am feeling slightly scared and overwhlemed about what I need to do. I have a gym member ship and plan on going to the gym at least 3 times a week. I have also made a decsion to completely cut soda out of my diet. Those are the 2 goals that I am working on right now. Friends and family please bear with me as I may be crabby in the next few weeks. Just know that my family and I will be so much better off! Pray for me to be able to do this!

A night with the kiddos.

I have Wednesdays off from school. The kids are at home with me. I love these nights. It feels like we do not get enough time to spend together anymore. The only thing missing is my husband. But he works nights so we can have the things we need. I am so very thankful that he can do this for us. I know in the future things will get better. We just take it day by day and wait for those better days.

I cherish these nights with the children. They are growing up so fast. I will take pictures this weekend and post them. We are going to the pumkin patch and a bonfire. Should be a busy but fun weekend.

Just a Quick Update

I have not posted anything for a while. Mainly because we stay so busy all the time. Tim and I had a wonderful wedding and reception. Thanks to everyone that came. Pictures to come later. Jaxon is in the second grade this year and is loving school so far. He does really well with spelling and math. We have parent teacher conferences coming soon and I will update when I know more. Serena will be going into Kindergarden next year. This month we have her screening. She is excited and thinks she is a big girl now! Layne as always is doing great at school. This will be her last year being home schooled and we are all looking forward to her going to High School. She will have so much fun! I am still in school to be a massage therapist. I love going to school and am finding that I really enjoy giving massage. I think I have found my calling. For my wedding I received a massage table and can not wait to start using it. If anyone wants to volunteer to receive free massages while I am in school, just let me know. I promise to post more frequently from now on!

Friday night with the Weichselbaum's

Jaxon with his new game.

Layne and Rena playing Cooking Mama.

Campbell and Daddy

Pretty little Campbell


We got to have Campbell over for a couple of hours this Friday. We always have a lot of fun when she is here. Layne and Jaxon got new Nintendo DS games. they stayed occupied playing those for a while. Campbell keeps Tim and I entertained and busy the whole time she is here. She is very full of energy and is always yelling at everyone!! I love having a house full of kids. This is what the weekends are all about. Family fun times!!

New to the world of blogging.

This is the first of probaly many entries. I wanted to set this up so family and friends will stay updated with all of the fun things we are doing. Our family is extremly busy and I do not always have time to stay in touch. I hope everyone enjoys reading about our fun and interesting lives!