Spring Break trip to OH-IO!

The kiddos were sooooo excited to see their friends back in Ohio!

They missed their buddies who are more like family than friends!

The adults got to go out for a night on the town!

It was so fun, I'm laughing my face off in the picture above.

We are blessed with many many fun friends in many different states. 

Friday we spent all day with the kids.  We played outside inbetween rain showers.

We took them out for cheeseburgers and fries.

It was a quick, but fun trip and memories were made to last a lifetime.

We drove 9 hours with the kids there and back.  It was exhusting.  Layla searched each exit for a rest stop so we could get out and do cart-wheels to stretch out!  I'm thankful for a nice and safe trip there and back.  Tomorrow we will get back to normal and celebrate Easter here in Georgia!

i must explain my silence....

We moved!  To Georgia!

Here are the kiddos on their last day of school in Ohio last Friday!

This is a picture of them yesterday on their first day of school here in Georgia!

Their first and second days at their new school went great.  I'm so relieved.  

It has been a fast and furious few weeks since Halloween.  Somehow I need to post all the pictures I took in between now and then, but unpacking is my priority.  Oh unpacking....  Yuck, but I'll feel so much better when it's over.  

I'll post more about our move and all our adventures soon!

big orange faces!

We carved pumpkins!!!!!!

Actually Gary carved pumpkins.  I let him have that privilege each year!

"Oooeyyy Gooeeeyyy seeds and stuff."

Hayden loved cleaning the pumpkin!

I'm thrilled that the weather was so good we were able to carve them outside this year!

They both turned out great.

Thanks daddy! 

trick or treat!

Our town had Trick or Treat last night.

We joined our buddies on 5th street and trick or treated like we did last year!

We had such a fun time.  Erin and I passed out candy at her house while the daddy's took the kiddos up and down the super busy street.  After trick or treat we watched the Ohio state football game.  

I sure do love my Mummy and my Zombie soccer player!

soccer soccer soccer

Tonight was the last soccer practice of the season.  Hayden has two games this weekend.  One on Saturday and one on Sunday and then he is done!  I can't believe how fast the season has gone by.  It's been so fun to see their team play and get better every single game.  

she's as tall as Layla

Gary and I were trying to watch football, but these two girls decided to block our view.  Lily is so big!  I can't get over how big she is.  She's the sweetest puppy ever and sincerely loved by our whole family!

all the pretty colors

This will be my third 'fall' in Ohio.  It never gets old.  I'm always in awe of the changing colors. 

This is a view looking out our back door.  I just love the yellow tree.

This is our little farm house and garage.  The trees are almost bare.  The walnuts and leaves are filling our yard to the max!

[can you see Lily the dog?]

This set of small trees is right outside my kitchen window.  I just love the bright red hues!

I was driving down the street (without the kids) and stopped to take these pictures.  They are blurry because I didn't want anyone to think I'd lost my mind stopping in the middle of the road!

I just love this orange tree!

This is one of our ginormous trees.  Our yard is blessed with many many tall tall trees.  They are pretty, but I get really tired of all the leaves on the patio.  Good gracious they pile up!

Fall in Ohio is amazing and so far the temperatures aren't too chilly!

need a meal idea?

This is what we ate last week.  

I love having my meals planned out because it helps with the evening rush!

Monday

Salmon cakes with baked red potatoes and steamed broccoli.

Tuesday 

Slow cooker pinto beans and cornbread.

Wednesday 

Cream cheese and jalapeno stuffed chicken cutlet, beans and corn/zucchini saute.

{For the stuffed chicken I mixed half a block of cream cheese with shredded cheddar and chopped pickled jalapenos.  I smeared it onto the chicken cutlet and secured it with toothpicks.  I baked it on 400 degrees for about 25 minutes.}

Thursday 

Sloppy Joe pasta casserole.

{I obviously changed this up a bit.  I added black beans and subbed pasta for the crescent rolls.}

Friday night ... last night we ate out!

I had a crab cake with mashed red potatoes and broccoli

I love looking back through my old posts to see what we ate.  It gives me great ideas of things I may have forgotten about!

Volunteer Barista!

Today was my first volunteer shift at the brand spankin' new Marietta Welfare League coffee shop!  I'm so happy to be part of such a wonderful organization that has been giving back to Washington county since 1926!  

The shop has been closed for a year while the hospital is getting a face-lift.  Thankfully, we have a nice new coffee/gift shop, and it is so cute!  I am a foodie, so working with coffee drinks, food and gifts is fun for me.  My volunteer shift flies by so fast and I feel good knowing most of the proceeds are going back into the community! 

I have to be honest with you.  My favorite thing about my house here in Ohio is the yard.  I'm just not loving the older homes here.  I was so in love with my 6 year old 'new build' in Texas.  I'm dealing with the old and making it our home.  

Gary and I have made the outside an outdoor living area.  We enjoy being outside all the time!

The puppies love being outside too.  Daisy has her own chair and she makes herself quite comfy every day.  She loves being outside in the fall air.  Look at the tree in the background!  The leaves are starting to change colors.

Lily is a stinker and loves to gather and destroy sticks.  When she isn't barking at and chasing squirrels she is running and chewing up whatever sticks she finds on the ground.  We have giant walnut trees and they are losing nuts, leaves and branches.  Lily is a great helper when it comes to picking up sticks!

I have to toot my own horn here....  

I'm loving my ferns and will be so sad to see them die when winter arrives.  I have four nice sized ferns that I've babied all summer long.  They are thriving and I couldn't be more excited.  I've never been able to grow a fern, but I have now!!  Woo Hooo! 

I don't think I can keep them alive in the house all winter, not to mention they are ginormous and would take up tons of room in the house.

I see signs of winter every day and I am not ready for the cold to hit.  We are loving each and every moment we can be outside playing!

spray spray spray

Mosquitos be gone!!!  We have had a time with mosquitos lately.  We are constantly spraying ourselves and trying new mosquito fighting remedies.  I love our citronella candles and they work!s

Labor Day Parade

Our town kicked of the Labor Day weekend with a fun parade yesterday.

It was a nice day, but in the sun we were actually hot!

I haven't been hot much since moving from Texas to Ohio, so it wasn't too bad for me.

The kids weren't happy by the end of the parade.  It was a fun morning and we got tons of candy, but we were ready to have a big tall glass of water when we got home!   Happy Labor Day weekend!!