Thursday night style show

Last night I attended a charity event here in my new town.
It was a fun night with sweet friends!  Thank you Stacey for including me at your table.  We had great seats!

I am so thankful for all my friends and their positive influence in my life!

It brought tears to my eyes to see all the ladies modeling the local boutiques latest fashions.  

Why the tears?  

They were all breast cancer survivors.   

It really puts life into perspective when you see women who look just like you and me, but have a story about cancer and it's effects on their lives.

At the end of the fashion show we all headed to the photo booth.  After a wonderful dinner and a fun style show, it was a fun way to end the night.  The photo booth had these hilarious props for us to dress up in.  We laughed until our abs hurt!

strawberry days

The kids both had field trips to the local strawberry farm this week.

Good thing we like strawberries....we have tons of them since we got to pick fresh berries during the field trips.

Layla and her classmates learned how strawberries are planted.  They learned about keeping the berries alive in the winter months.  The trip was very educational and I enjoyed learning as much as the kids did!

Hayden's trip, the very next day, was very similar to Layla's.  The preschool classes didn't get quite as much detail as the 2nd graders, but they still learned a lot about berries!  We also got to see the farm's honey bees.  The bees are a huge part of having a wholesome crop.  

The farm also grows peaches, corn, broccoli, cauliflower and peas.  It was a fun few days for both kids!  Layla went first, so she made sure she told Hayden about certain things to look for on the hayride.  It was fun to hear the kids bond over their field trips!

Getting 'fixed'

Lily is at the veterinary office today getting spayed.  I know it is a very routine procedure, but I always worry anyway.  She will be just fine, but I'm a momma and I worry about my kids and pets all the time.

She is such a puppy ... full of energy!  How will I ever keep her mellow and calm to let herself heal this next week or two?  It will be a fun task!

Mother's Day 2013

I woke up this morning to a Mother's Day facial.   Layla put Lily in our bed to wake me up.  Then the kids gave me art work they made for me.  It was a fun way to wake up.  

We were all craving cheeseburgers, so we went to Steak n Shake and ate burgers, fries and shakes. Calories don't count on Mother's Day!  I got a red velvet shake and it was awesome!  I was so full and really didn't eat much the rest of the day.

Gary asked me what I wanted for Mother's Day this year and I had already mentioned a set of coffee mugs I saw at Sam's, so we picked those up.  I have also been wanting a grill.  Gary uses the smoker and charcoal grill, but I want a grill I can use at our new house on the covered porch.  I want to be able to grill all kinds of summer meals. Steaks and veggies and chicken and even grilled fruits.  We did a little grill shopping and I found the perfect one.  I wanted to cook on it today, but the wind was brutal and it was down right chilly.  We decided the cool weather wasn't the best for breaking in my new grill.  Instead we set it up and showed the pups around our new place.

I had a wonderful day with Gary, the kids and our pets.  I know I am so blessed and I am thankful.  I am very giddy with excitement about our new place.  I know it isn't our forever home, but I have just been so miserable in our current house.  It feels so weird.  I wish I could explain it, but basically I haven't liked this house from the second I walked in.  

Our new house is quaint and it is surrounded by green grass and open space.  I am looking forward to cook outs with friends and tons of summer fun!  I am also very excited about seeing the sun set again.  I've mentioned it before, but I can't really see it right now living downtown.  I love the sun and can't wait to soak it up!  I hope you had a wonderful Mother's Day!

Saturday morning bike ride

Gary bought the kids Strider bikes last week and they have been dying to ride them.  The scenery was amazing.  Everything is budding and greening up.  It was a very beautiful stroll.

Strider bikes are basically bicycles without pedals.  They are great for teaching kids balance and preparing them to ride a motorcycle.

Gary was working on Saturday morning, so I took the kids on the route I usually run.  We had the best time on our adventure.  We stopped to tie Layla's shoe and a nice couple stopped to chat with us for a few minutes.  They were sweet to take a picture of us.

It rained the night before and so we made sure to hit every single puddle of water we saw. 

The kids had fun stopping and pushing the button for the crosswalks.

I only took my iPhone, but I need to take my big camera on our next walk.  I was in picture taking heaven, but what else is new?!?

The strider bikes are a huge hit!  I can see the kids riding them all summer long.  

Thanks daddy!