happy anniversary to us!

Thirteen years!!

soccer fun

Layla had her first day of fall soccer practice tonight. 

I was very proud of her because when I was 8 years old I didn't like to sweat.  She doesn't mind it so much.  I think she did a great job at practice.  She hasn't played soccer since Texas, so it was great for her to brush up on her skills!  

The main rule for the team is NO TALKING.  If the soccer team talks, they run.  I think I would be running a ton.  I love to talk.  Layla giggled when she heard the rule.  She likes to talk too, but clearly she didn't want to run.  She was quiet as a church mouse the whole practice!

A weekend of Stern Wheels

Our town hosted the annual Stern Wheel festival this weekend.

The river was taken over by large boats.

Of course the kids enjoyed some of the festival food!

Gary donated his time to smoke pork as a fundraiser for the football association.

I was in picture taking heaven and the people watching...gahhh!  It was awesome.

Saturday night ended with a fun fireworks show.  It was by far the best I've ever seen!  

What a fun weekend!

playing at the playground

The kids school has brand new playground equipment.

All the kids are thrilled to finally have the chance to play on it.

It was put in place over the summer, but it wasn't climbable until this week.

Apparently it is so packed at recess that no one can play on it except for the 500 kids that cram onto it.  I guess my kids aren't crammers. 

I needed a reason to use my 'real' camera, so we walked to the playground to try it out!

The monkey bars aren't new, but LK had to show me her monkey skills!

Hayden was very focused on how he was going to get down.  

We had a fun afternoon exploring the new equipment!

The Good Stuff

Tonight was one of those nights...it was simple but great.

I was in my kitchen, cooking a meal for my family, having a glass of vino. 

I am so happy to be cooking again and meal planning.  Summer time was just crazy and I wasn't in the meal planning mood.  I bought a bottle of wine at Aldi and was shocked that it's tasty. Good inexpensive wine makes me happy!

The windows were open and the sheer curtains were blowing in the breeze.  I could hear the kids giggling and laughing  and the dogs barking outside the kitchen window.  My iPod was on random and with great tunes blaring.  It was just one of those simple evenings I'll never forget.

The kitchen is my happy place.  I'm happy to be back in our school routine.  I love helping the kids with their homework.  I love having dinner ready when Gary gets home from work.  I'm a simple girl and clearly routine makes me super happy.

Tonight the song "The Good Stuff" came blaring through the speakers.  I got tears in my eyes while listening to it and quite honestly it shocked me.  But it made me realize that no matter what life throws at me I try to always remember the simple things...the good stuff.

Labor Day Weekend

We had a fun Labor Day weekend celebrating with friends!  I love all these ladies and their families.  We got matching pj's for our weekend away.

There were 12 adults, 14 kids and two dogs.  It was quite the adventure!

The kids had a great time and there was always someone for everyone to play with.  I feel like all our kids get along great for there being so many of them!

We had tons of fun on the boat and the kids loved jumping off the dock balcony.

I love the lake we went to.  It was a pretty lake and for a holiday weekend it was not that busy. 

Thank you so much Natalie and Joe for inviting us to your beautiful lake house!