Grandpa and Grandma come visit

Grandpa and Grandma Wilt came to visit us!! We had a great week relaxing, enjoying each others company, and we even got some adventures in too!!

We made it to the zoo. The rain held off, and Erik was able to retrieve his keys that mysteriously got locked inside his truck!! I love that I am married to a handy man!! Good thing we had beef jerky and Flushed Away, to distract us while we waited!!

Ella peed her pants a little while we were admiring the animals, so I raced her to the bathroom to get the job finished in the proper setting. This is just me goofing around in the bathroom while I waited for her to do her business. My goodness she took a long time, what the heck was she doing in there? I had to keep myself entertained, I'm pretty good at it!!

Jon roaring like a lion, or maybe he was doing the HULK? Most likely, it was the latter!! We are a loud bunch wherever we go, we have just come to accept the fact!

Mr. Matthew was not having it!

We also made a trip to Target, were the kids of course got spoiled! Abby chose a Taylor Swift doll that plays "Romeo and Juliet", wow, I will never forget that song. Ella picked a Barbie, Matt chose a mini "Yo Gabba Gabba" piano, that he won't share, and Jon got a new bike!! That boy was so excited, he couldn't stand it! He patiently waited until the next day, when Grandpa could put it together for him. We had Christmas in July!!!

We also made a trip to Pikes Peak! We road the Cog Railway to the top!! I really want to hike it someday!! It's just beautiful!!

The view from the top

Sorry for the random girl, we were in a hurry to get back on the train!

It was during nap time, poor little guy just couldn't stay awake!

Matthew on the other hand, decided he didn't need to sleep. He was such a pill the whole ride. Erik and I kept handing him back and forth, taking turns holding the wiggle worm. We went through two bags of crackers, a few toys, a container of wipes, and all of my sanity! Those sitting close to us, quickly decided they didn't like us very much. I just hope I was discreet enough and they didn't see me pinching his leg, when he was throwing is one of many fits. My goodness that boy is strong, he wore my arm muscles out quick. Who brings a busy, cranky, toddler on a train ride, during nap time? I guess we do! The trip was about an hour there and an hour back. The last two minutes on the ride back down, he finally fell asleep, the little stinker.

Another fun thing was getting to watch Erik as a little guy, on the home video Bill brought. We stopped by Goodwill and picked us up a $7.00 VCR, (if you are in need of one, don't fret, they have about 50 left to choose from). We also picked up a .50 cent VHS tape, just to make sure our new spiffy SONY VCR didn't eat our priceless video. We tried it out on Jurassic Park first!

Abby especially was enthralled watching her Daddy. It was so interesting seeing how much Abby resembles him in character!

How cute is he?

This then started us on a home video watching marathon. Ever since we watched young daddy, Abby and Ella have asked non-stop to watch themselves as babies. It has been fun to look back at them when they were little and to see how much our life has changed. They were such little cuties, just like their daddy!

Thank you Dad and Debbie for coming, we love you and we can't wait until you visit again!!

My daily goals

Goals in life are always changing, as the seasons in life change.  Right now, here is my list of daily goals.  I deem it a great day if I can check them all off.

1.  Tell each kid I am proud of them in someway and give them a squeeze or cuddle.  I want to make sure I tell them how much I love them!

2.  Work out

3.  Do Hooked on Phonics with Ella.  We need to finish before school starts, cutting it a little close

4.  Not raise my voice to a screaming tone (this one is probably my biggest challenge)

5.  Check email

6.  Clear out the sink of dirty dishes from the day before

7.  Do at least one load of laundry

8.  Read a chapter

9.  Learn at least one new thing about photography

10.  Blog a post, if it's Monday, Wed, or Friday (usually)

11.  Talk about the days events with Erik

12.  Get to bed before 10:00 p.m.

Now of course this is just my short list.  It doesn't include shopping, play dates, appointments, outings, church, MOPS, cleaning, etc.  Aside from all the other daily tasks, events, and adventures life brings, these are just the things I love to see get accomplished day to day!  It might look like a simple list, but for me, it's a challenge.  I am always one for a challenge, especially for these loves!

There are just not enough hours in a day!

My Abby girl!

It was early Saturday morning and I had a surprise up my sleeve. I had been holding it in for days! I woke up at 5:30 a.m., quickly got ready and then tip toed into the girls room. I quietly woke up Abby and told her to go upstairs. She was confused, but then I quickly informed her that this was going to be a special day. Today was Mommy and Abby day, a day all to ourselves. I should of snapped a picture the moment I told her, because her face was priceless! I just love surprises, especially when it means I get to make special

memories with my sweet girl!!

All special days start the same, a stop at Starbucks!

Abby got her hot chocolate, I had my lovely cup of coffee, and we both had a breakfast sandwich! We were energized and ready to start this fun day!!

We were up early and out the door before anyone else was up. It was great to start the day out as early as possible, because it just goes way to fast. Another reason was to hit up some great yard sales. You might think we are crazy to use some of our date day to garage sale, but we both love it! We met up with some great friends and went to this town wide mega sale. Abby had her purse full of coins and ready to shop. We both found some awesome treasures!!!

It was really hot and so we were glad a lot of houses had refreshments. We were happy to support the lemonade stands that day!!

Abby with her friend Madison. They both purchased some goofy sunglasses!!

My find of the day was my new adorable portrait chair, I can't wait to use it!

Isn't she pretty!?!

After a morning of bargain hunting, we decided to cool off a bit and head indoors. Our creative juices flowed as we painted some pottery!!! Abby chose a guitar vase and I painted a drawer organizer for my bathroom vanity!

It was so relaxing to sit, paint and enjoy fun conversation with each other. Really the perfect date!

I just love this picture of her. The face she is making reminds me of my little baby Abby! I love that as her mom, I will always be able to see that baby girl in her, no matter how big she gets!

All done and ready for the kiln

Here is my drawer organizer. When fired the whole top will have a crackled look! Even though I don't win the award for the most creative or colorful piece of pottery painted, I will cherish this forever. It will always remind me of our special day we had together!!

Being so crafty, made both of us very hungry. Abby chose Applebee's for our lunch destination!

I really can't believe my baby girl is going to be in 1st grade in just a few short weeks!

3 months, always such a happy girl!!

Sweet baby Abby, 7 months

10 months

Realizing how fast time goes, makes me cherish these special days with her all the more! Going through these pictures of her, makes me teary! I love watching her grow, she is such gorgeous girl inside and out, but my goodness, sometimes I wish time would just stand still!!

Thank you Abby for being such an amazing daughter, it is such an honor to be your Mommy!!!

Love you baby girl!!

Credit Card Christmas

The UPS man is probably sick of making trips up to our house, it isn't the easiest of rides.  But it is the greatest sound, hearing that brown truck pull up.  To me, that sound means Christmas!  I am so excited about all the free stuff we got recently in the mail, from earning points on our credit card!!!  We buy everything with credit and then pay it off each month, and with that, we rack up huge points and get to redeem them for cool stuff.  I had just been spoiled with a huge camera purchase, so Erik got to go shopping and use all the points we had accumulated!!  Here is what he picked!

Leatherman 830160 Surge Pocket Multitool with Leather Sheath

Apple iPod classic 160 GB Black (7th Generation) NEWEST MODEL

Office: Seasons 1-5

Cuisinart DLC-10S Pro Classic 7-Cup Food Processor

Citi® Gift Card - $50

I was really impressed with everything he chose and I couldn't believe how much cool, free, loot he was able to get with our points!!  I was going to cancel the card, but after this, we decided to keep it!!!