Month of Thanks {Day Ten}

I can not believe it is November 10th and we are able to have a garage sale! The day started out windy but by the end of the afternoon, it had warmed up and was quite nice outside. I recently became friends with another Momma from Laney's school and invited her over to put some things in the garage sale and hang out all day. The garage sale went really well! We were open from about 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. and I was impressed with our sales totals!

After things slowed down a little, we let the kids come outside to play. Laney and Sadie decided to set up their little table and try to sell some water. They were going to sell some cookies but it had been so busy throughout the morning that I didn't have time.

For years, we have had this little boot cup from Dixie Stampede. I think it was one of Brandon's cups when he was a boy. Anyways, the girls keep their loose change in it. Sometimes, Laney sells her artwork and she also keeps that money inside the boot. Every year when we go to Shriner's Hospital for Sadie' appointment, they take that money and buy toys for the kids that are patients there. Absolutely precious!!

I am KICKING myself so hard because I did not get a picture of Laney's sign for the boot that she set out at the garage sale but it said "Tips for kids at Shriner's Hosbittle" *TEAR* The sign got wet and I had to throw it away before I got a picture :(

I am so very thankful for caring, compassionate children that have a heart to help others! They amaze me all the time with the things they think of. They love to be involved and have a soft spot for helping others!

Month of Thanks {Day Nine}

Today was a SUPER busy day! I didn't take pictures of anything but wish I had so that I can show you how cluttered and crazy my garage, office and hall closet were! OH my goodness! It was needing a serious makeover. I worked from the time I got up until almost midnight going through and sorting, pricing and organizing things for a garage sale the next day. I was so exhausted but I am thankful that I have many, many things to go through, a house to live in, junk to sale so that I can buy Cade's birthday presents and Christmas gifts for the kids, etc. We are blessed!

Tea Party

On Wednesday, I had the privilege of chaperoning with the 2nd and 3rd grade girls from Laney Beth's school. A NWA Literacy group put on the tea party and they did a good job! There were girls from all over NWA! Laney and her friends spent most of the evening dancing :) I was able to take a few pictures but most of them turned out blurry because they were moving and I was using my cell phone! I had such a fun night. I found myself just watching Laney and thinking about how grown up she was becoming! I love her SO much!

Laney begged to wear this dress! It was mine :) I wore it around the same age as she is now! She was so proud of it!

She ran in to a friend from church!

Sweet friends! 

Dancing with a new friend! 

Dancing. Aren't those heels precious?!

I love that girl!

She was in awe! 

Month of Thanks {Day Eight}

Cade has been begging for a haircut! He loves going to the Barber Shop with Daddy. It is too precious! Today I am thankful for a handsome, sweet, adorable little boy with a new haircut!

Month of Thanks {Day Seven}

What started out as a day with absolutely NO plans, ended up being super busy but fun nonetheless! Laney Beth had signed up to go to a tea party with her school so on Tuesday night, I had planned on going and getting her some dress shoes to go with her dress. She got home from school and was SO sick! She vomited a few times and went to bed. She woke up around 5 a.m. doing cartwheels and acting perfectly fine so I let her go on to school so that she could still attend the tea party.

So, I ended up shoe shopping without her and found the SWEETEST little black heels! Of course, Sadie had to get some as well. Have I mentioned that I love that my girls are girly girls?? :)

After finding shoes, I stopped by Laney's school to visit a new friend who was helping with the book fair. I ended up staying there a few hours and she and the librarian were going to lunch and asked me to go so I tagged along!

Then we had to run back home and change, get Laney's tea party clothes and head back to school to help all of the girls get ready. Laney decided to ride the bus with her friends (sigh...my worried momma brain can't help wishing she wouldn't want to ride the bus! ha) and I ran Sadie and Cade to Aunt Holly's (thanks for babysitting Holly!)

One of Laney's school friends Mom (who I have become friends with over the years) rode with me to the tea party and I had so much fun watching Laney and her little friends dance and get excited! It was SO precious!

I headed back to get the other two, then back to school to get Laney off the bus, ran to get Brandon and then back home for dinner and bed... WHEW, it was a busy day but SO much fun! So today I am thankful for new friends, free babysitters, and being able to go to Laney's tea party!

Month of Thanks {Day Six}

Today I woke up VERY thankful.... And it was all because of......

 After our accident last December, she and her daughter (my cousin) Sarah graciously offered to come and clean my house. It sparkled. The whole house looked AWESOME! I was most impressed with my bathrooms. I do not know how but the woman made it look and smell great. My showers have never been so clean! Ever. 

Anyways, skip ahead to last night. Sarah texted to see if I would be home. A few hours later they showed up. First, she brought Cade a BIG balloon since he had been so sick and it made his day. He's played with it all morning!

Then, she brought chocolate for all of my kiddies. Yum!

And for the icing on the cake, she said "You girls sit down and visit, I brought my bag here and I'm going to go clean your bathrooms!" What??? Yes, she did! She said she knew I had been really busy lately with the banquet and sickness, etc. so she wanted to do something nice for me! Honestly, who loves cleaning bathrooms?? Apparently, my sweet Aunt Netta does!! I begged her not to but she insisted! I love her!

For as long as I can remember, my Aunt Netta has been doing nice things for everyone. I have seen this lady bend over backwards to help or do something sweet for someone and she never expects anything in return. 

This is she and I. She STILL hugs me cheek to cheek like this everytime I see her. LOVE!

If you need or want something, she does her best to do it. Even if you don't ask for it....like this.....

Yes, that is me....my poor, poor hair! This was one of many perms that she gave to me! :)

My children love her to pieces! Laney and Netta have a joke and I'm not really sure where it came from or when it started but they call each other "Ketchup and Mustard" and I think Sadie and Cade are now "Mayonaise and Pickle" now or something like that. Cracks me up! Anyways, it's funny because my kids are mostly shy around adults. Yes, even family. But they usually open up and laugh and giggle with Aunt Netta.

She is also one of the funniest people I know. She loves to laugh and always has a funny joke or story or does something (I won't mention because Sarah would be embarrassed) and I just love her humor! I also love getting random texts from her with funny pictures like this: 

She loves to cook. Her hot rolls are the BEST! I can't wait to eat them at Thanksgiving! She loves her grandchildren more than anything in this world. She would do anything for them and I'm quite certain she would do anything for any of us as well. Some of my favorite memories as a child were the summers that I would spend weeks at her house. She also keeps me company when I'm afraid during a storm. I HATE tornadoes and she and I always text each other and pray together when it's storming.

I could spend a day writing the things that I love about Aunt Netta. Seriously, could go on for days..I absolutely do not know what I would ever do without this lady! I hope that I can be as great to my nieces/nephews as she is to me! She is one of the greatest people I know and I love her SO very much and I'm extremely thankful for her!!!

Oh, and because I know if he sees this he will gripe because I did not mention him...haha! I LOVE my sweet Uncle Joe too :) Even if he does tell my sister that she is his favorite. Whatev!

Month of Thanks {Day Five}

Today I'm thankful for the right to vote! My husband and I went real early this morning to "early vote" at the courthouse. Holy cow! The lines were long! I went first and got in line. My husband texted that he was going to get in line once he saw me go through the doors. I think he was thinking if we timed it right, he could keep the kids until I was finished and then grab them on my way out so that he could vote alone. He got in line like 15 minutes after me and texted a few minutes later to say he was finished! WHAT?! Apparently you could vote on paper ballot and there were no lines. I was in line for the machine voting. Sigh. I was in line another 15 minutes after he got back to the car too. Not fair at all! :) Anyways, I am thankful that I can vote and for those who made that privilege possible!

Oh, and these people crack me up...There were SO many people standing on the street corner and in the parking lots holding signs to tell us who to vote for. I'm thinking- seriously?? Like the signs are going to change my opinion on who I am voting for? Be informed before you go vote!

Month of Thanks {Day Four}

I love, love, LOVE days that we have absolutely nothing to do!! Cade is still not completely well so we decided to keep him home today. Plus, his doctor told us to keep him away from others and not to go outside right now. We have been so super busy lately with school stuff, the Hummingbird banquet, sickness, etc. It was nice to stay home today, play and relax! I had plans to clean all day but let's face it...I can't resist a day of lazying around and snuggling with my family. We watched cartoons, drew pictures and layed around all morning and then made a quick trip to get lunch from Subway and to get a few groceries. Then we came home and ate, picked up a few toys in the living room and then we even took a nap, all 5 of us, at the same time!! After everyone woke up, we played around on the bed- Daddy put the kids in the "Daddy lock" while I tickled. It was a great time! We ended the day with Daddy cooking chicken tacos while I worked on some yard sale stuff. Absolutely blissful day! I am SO thankful for my sweet family and lazy Sundays!

Handy Laney!

Cuties. They look like ragamuffins!

Silly boy!

He came to me-SO proud that he fixed his own hair and made it "pikey"!

They wanted a picture with their tree :)

Sleeping beauties!

Precious sisters! I'm thankful for these girls!

Thankful for these sweet boys too!

Nap time!

Month of Thanks {Day Three}

Today I am thankful for the changing seasons! Here in Arkansas, we get to experience four different seasons. Although, the past few years it has been pretty mild, we usually get to experience winter weather, spring weather, HOT summer weather, and my favorite, FALL!

Earlier this afternoon, Laney came running in to the living room from the playroom and she was SO excited! "MOMMA! You have got to come look out the window!! The tree changed colors and it is SO pretty!!!!" And then the girls also noticed that the bush in front of the house had changed as well. They were in awe! I'm going to let them get dressed all pretty tomorrow and take pics with the tree. They love doing that!

Tooth Fairy Pearl

Tooth Fairy Pearl decided to use Mommy and Daddy's computer to leave Laney a letter. Apparently she likes to sneak (she's a stinker!) and use our printer and ink and since we are out, she had to leave it up on the computer. She left some a big chocolate bar along with starburst for Sadie and Cade and the computer laying on Cade's bed. Laney Beth was SO excited to wake up and find it! She was somewhat upset that Pearl didn't leave money. Her exact words were, "What a rip off!" HA!! Bad Pearl!!

Month of Thanks {Day Two}

I woke up this morning with feet in my ribs, arms dangling over my face and my booty was halfway off the bed. I glanced across the bed to see 3 little bodies sprawled between Brandon and I. Did my body ache? Yes. Could I roll over? Not enough room. Would I change our sleeping arrangement? Not for any amount of money in the world! I absolutely LOVE to wake up up in the morning and find extra bodies in our bed! Most people would probably shake their heads and scoff at the fact that we don't make them get back in their own beds when they run in during the middle of the night but you know what? They are just children and before long, they will be adults and if they want to snuggle with Mommy and Daddy, that is just fine by us! :) It doesn't hurt anything. They feel more secure and we get more snuggle time with our babies. It's a win-win for us! I am so thankful that they sneak in to lay with us during the night and I'm also thankful that Brandon feels the same way that I do about the whole situation! If he didn't, I'd have to kick him to the couch! Ha!

I lay this morning, thinking about how thankful I was for all 4 of them and those moments of thankfulness were QUICKLY interrupted by screaming and laughing coming from Laney Beth. The tooth fairy struck again! Apparently when she rolled over, she opened her mouth and felt a tooth roll out! She was SO excited! Tooth Fairy "Pearl" is going broke on this kid! We may have to start feeding her broth for breakfast, lunch and dinner because she is running out of teeth to chew with! :)

Adorable, right?? She's so funny! I call her toothless!