Maddie's 3rd Birthday

I plan to go back and put a few more things to get caught up- but I wanted to go ahead and write about Maddie's Birthday!

Last Friday was the big day! We had such a fun day.

The morning started with discovering her present and going to get donuts with Daddy.

Then we had a Tea Party Lunch! We love being closer to family! My mom, grandparents, sister, and her kids were able to come, along with several friends! It was just perfect! I was thankful for all my family to help me get ready for the party. The kids all seemed to enjoy it!

After everyone left, the kids enjoyed playing with some of the new toys.

And we ended the evening going to dinner at Chili's with daddy (sadly I didn't get a picture with Daddy!)

Maddie is such a big girl- she is potty trained! She is such a good helper. She loves to play "mommy." There's not much she loves more than playing with her brothers. She is so much fun- I'm so thankful to have her in my life- and look forward to all the years we have ahead to do even more together. I love you precious girl!!

Refreshment

After all the craziness that has been going on in our lives for the past several months, we knew we would be needing a break. We decided to make a trip to the mountains and go somewhere we had never been before. Usually we travel to New Mexico because it is close, but this time we decided on Colorado.

The mountains hold a very special place for me. I was blessed as a child to travel there regularly to my grandparents' cabin. It holds a very special place in my heart where many wonderful memories were made. I absolutely love the mountains.  The fresh mountain air, the snow in the winter, the afternoon rains in the summer with cool crisp mornings, the sound of the wind in the pine trees, and the flicker of aspens leaves- it is good for my soul.

We decided to be brave and drive all the way to Denver in one day (12 hour drive). We stopped for lunch at one of our favorite places in Amarillo- another place that had memories for us.

We stopped in Manitou Springs for dinner. The kids were kinda crazy because they had been in the car so long. We sat outside and they were up walking around the table, but I don't think they were too disturbing to the other guests- we were all tired! We then drove on to Denver.

The next morning we went to the Denver Zoo. We had a nice time, although we are at a stage with Maddie where she doesn't always want to ride in the stroller so there were some battles.

We did a little shopping that afternoon, and then went to a delicious restaurant for dinner where we got to sit outside again.

The next morning we left Denver to head to Vail. As we drove into the mountains and the elevation climbed- we were greeted by one of the most beautiful things I had ever seen. The aspens were all changing colors for the Fall. The beauty of God's creation brought tears to my eyes, and I couldn't have been more thankful that I was able to enjoy this amazing time of year (which is my favorite). We stopped and walked around in Breckenridge for a few hours. Again- just absolutely stunning beauty and perfect weather.

We drove on to Vail. It is in a little valley and beautiful as well. While there we stayed in a condo which was easier with the kids. They enjoyed running around and spending time on the porch.

 We spend 3 nights in Vail. While there we enjoyed walking around town, the kids enjoyed several playgrounds, and we went on a hike too. The last night we went to a very nice dinner, and the kids did great.

We left early and started the 14 hour trek back to Texas. Although we weren't ready to leave, we all enjoyed the trip and were ready to hit the ground running when we got home. We all need a little break sometimes, and a place to stop and just breath and reflect on our blessings. The mountains do that for me- and I won't forget the beautiful aspens (my favorite tree) anytime soon.

Current happenings

And with that it's almost been a month since I posted! Life is in full swing at our house! We are busier than we have ever been, but it has all been good.

Gus has started playing soccer and has had 4 games so far. He practices twice a week and is having fun. My parents were able to come for one game, and my grandparents were also able to come watch him play too.

We went to a wedding a couple of weeks ago and took these pictures:

Gus also has started AWANA at church. For those not familiar with it, it is a program for kids that focuses on scripture memory. He is enjoying it, and I'm happy he has the opportunity to do it. He's doing great with his memory work, and Maddie has been learning most of it with him as well!

I have joined a MOPS group (Mothers of Preschoolers) at church and have really enjoyed it. It is just nice for me to chat with other moms for a couple of hours without the kids, although Jack didn't make it in the nursery last time.

I've also been busy with my new business as an Usborne Books and More consultant! I am really enjoying it. What I really like is that everyone I've been in contact with is excited about the books just like I am.

All of these things plus doing school just keep us moving right along! It finally cooled off a little here this week, and I'm so thankful!! I love burning my pumpkin candle and just enjoying my favorite time of year.

Eating lunch outside (jelly faces ): 

If you've never checked out Usborne books before- here's a link to my website: HERE

And here is a link to my Facebook page too: HERE

Happy Fall!!

Fall is here!!

Time for me to get caught up on here! As with everyone this time of year, things are just crazy!!! So let me get started on what has been going on here....

Josh and I enjoyed our second night out using a baby sitter!! The kids just love her, and it is a blessing for us. We just went out to dinner but were able to relax and slowly eat our food. It was a great little break.

We are now on our 4th week of preschool at home! The kids are enjoying it and learning! We chose to use Memoria Press junior kindergarten curriculum and so far it has worked well for us. It is just two days a week which is easy to get done.

 

 

My niece turned 1 a few weeks ago, and I was able to get this picture of all the grandkids before the party! First successful picture of them together- yay!

 

Gus has started playing soccer! He has had 3 practices, and his first game will be on Saturday. He is really enjoying it and doing a good job.

 

 

Yesterday we had some much needed rain, and the kids going on the porch to watch the rain turned into this........ :)

A big thing for me is that I have started selling Usborne Books!!! I bought the kids several this summer, and I liked them so much that I decided to sell them. I'm excited about building our library and sharing them with others! I'll put a link here to my account if you'd like to check it out,

Usborne Books and More

 and I'd love for you to check out my Facebook page- I plan to do reviews of books as much as I can so people can learn more!

Catie's Usborne Books and More Facebook Page

 

 

That's just been part of what we've been doing! Our Fall is off to a crazy start!

 

Busy Busy

We feel like we have been running since our move! The last couple of weeks have been extremely busy.

My sister and brother-in-law got away for a weekend, and we kept their kids. So I had a 4 yr old, two 2 year olds, an 18 month old, and a 1 yr old to take care of for several days. Josh worked Friday and Saturday, so I mostly had them all to myself. And boy- did they keep me busy! And the funny part- the 1 yr old was the easiest one! The kids though had fun. We are so glad that the cousins get to grow up being close since we don't live so far away. They are going to be best buddies. And all of us are looking forward to watching them grow knowing one day they will be quite a group.

We got all 5 car seat in the car!!

 The following week Josh's grandfather passed away. He had been sick for quite some time so we knew it was coming. Josh traveled to West Virginia to be at the funeral.We drove to my parents on Wednesday after Josh got off work. I took Josh to the airport Thursday morning, then went back to my parents and got the kids and my mom, drove back home, worked Friday, then we drove back to my mom's, then picked Josh up on Saturday. We stayed at my parents that night. We are blessed to have them be so flexible and help us all the time. We were all worn out after a very busy week. One day we went on a walk which you can see everyone enjoyed:

We also started school last week! We are doing pre-k at home this year. I am excited to share what we are doing and will in another post. The kids are excited about school, and I think it is going to be a fun year.

Things don't look to slow down anytime soon, but we are excited about all the new opportunities we have in our new town.