More Zoo Pictures....

Fun in the Sun.......

The kids were having a great time playing with the swimming pool water. Gabriel thought it was funny that he could fit himself into this 5 gallon bucket.

New Play Rug.....

This is one of my great garage sale find from this past weekend. It is a brand new area rug which also has two matching smaller rugs that go with it and I got all three rugs for $20. Wow what a great deal:)

I have been wanting a nice big run for the living room, but knew we did not have the money to get one. Now Noah and the kids have a nice soft area to play on.

Painting Fun....

The kids have been having a great time painting pictures. I am using a old fitted bed sheet to protect my table from the mess and to also make clean up a bit easier. I think it works pretty well. I am going to keep my eye out for some twin bed sheets at a garage sale, which I think would fit the table better, but for now the dark green sheet works just fine.

Friends Came to Visit.......
It is hard to believe that it has already been a week since some friends came to visit for a couple of days. We had a wonderful time and the kids had a great time playing and getting to know mommies friends. On Friday we went to the Madison Zoo and then on Saturday we went to Wisconsin Dells to Tanger Outlet Center. There are lots of pictures to show, but you can see more about the weekend if you visit A Mess of Blessings, Kari's Blog and Weekend Pictures.

Great Swimming Pool Weather.......

It has been really hot and humid the last week or so, which is perfect swimming pool weather. I took the slide from the swing set and set it up so Anna could slide into the pool. Let just say she loves it. When it's wet it is super slippery and so she makes a big splash in the pool.

Smoothies....
The kids love to eat fruit smoothies so lots of times we have them for lunch or for an after supper desert because daddy loves them too. One thing the kids don't I had read post from other women who put spinach in them so today I took the plunge. I not only put spinach in the smoothie, but carrots as well because yesterday I cooked up a big batch of carrots, then blended them up and froze them in ice cube trays. I am getting ready for little Noah to start eating but the ice cube size carrots work great to put in the smoothies. The kids love them and have no idea that there are carrots and spinach in them. The other things that I put in my smoothies are frozen bananas, blueberries, strawberries, vanilla yogurt, milk and orange juice or whatever juice I have in the refrigerator. We have a magic bullet that I use to blend up everything. We have had our magic bullet for a couple of year and love it, so if anyone tries the spinach or carrots in there smoothies let me know.

Getting ready to crawl....
For the last couple of weeks Noah keeps getting up on his kneels and holding himself up with his arms . He is getting stronger and stronger each day. I can tell he is getting ready to move around the room and explore. He just has to figure our how to move his arms and legs together. He is such a sweet smiley baby.

Fun at the Zoo........

Brandon and I took the kids to the Madison Zoo on Monday and they had a wonderful time. They were so excited to see all the animals, but they especially like the carousal and the train rides. If you have never had a chance to visit the Madison Zoo it is a super nice zoo and also free, which is a great bonus.

Busy Busy Busy......

I hope to get some pictures posted soon, but we still have not got the internet working on the big computer. I am planning on figuring out how to up load pictures to the laptop to make things simpler for me.

Brandon and I took the kids to the zoo on Monday and so we have lots of great pictures. The kids had a wonderful time and we will have to go back to visit again in the fall. Also I have friends coming to visit this weekend and I'm sure I will get lots of great pictures over the weekend, so by next week there will be new pictures galore. Well have a wonderful weekend and if I have a chance I will post again sometime over the weekend.

Fever.....

Gabriel had a fever earlier this week for a couple days. It didn't seem like he was sick, but last night as I was helping him brush his teeth I notice he has two molers coming in. Ouch!!!

I was hoping to post some pictures today, but our big tower computer that has all the pictures on it is having problems getting on the internet. So I will have to wait a few days till Brandon can get it fixed before I can post some pictures.

Have a wonderful weekend:)

Happy Birthday Hubby.....

Just want to wish my husband a Happy Birthday and give anyone else a chance to do so as well. It was 35 years ago today that my hubby was born. I love him so much and am so happy that he is mine. I know it's mushy, but it's the truth.

He is also lucky to have the day off of work, but he had to go into the doctors office and get some vaccinations for the up coming school year. He is starting his first semester of Nursing School here in the fall.

Well I need to go and get some angel food cake into the oven. We will be having Haystacks with angle food cake and strawberries for desert. Wish you all could be here to celebrate:)

Garden is growing like crazy......
As you can see my broccoli plants are huge.

Also my zucchini plants are really big and I will probably be picking some this week.

The tomatoes are also doing very well.


And you can see I have been doing very well at keeping the weeds out with some help from grass clippings:)

Happy 4th of July.....
Hope everyone had a wonderful 4th of July. Every year our town has a big parade. It is so nice to get out with the kids and see then get so excited about getting candy. The kids both left with a good size bag that was pretty much full of candy as you can see Gabriel holding in the pictures below. We then all had nice nap in the afternoon and enjoyed a relaxing evening with a nice display of fireworks, which go off right across the street from our house. Anna and Gabriel both loved watching the fireworks.

Just a few Pictures.....

Gabriel loves to have his brother sit next to him and he also likes to roll around on the floor with Noah as well. It's super cute.

Noah has been going to bed at about the same time as his brother and sister. He is still sleeping till about 4:00 a.m. which has been so nice for me to have some quite time for myself.

Anna loves these silky little pink PJ's. You have to love garage sales and what you can find at them for so cheap. The kids love to go as well and it such a nice time for me to get out.

Potty Training......
Gabe has been doing an awesome job at using the potty. Just a few days before his 2nd birthday, which was May 16th I starting putting him on the potty. I could alway tell when he was going to do #2 because he would either head for a corner or for the dining room table. When I would see him do that I would grab him, march him to the potty and set him on the potty to do his duty. He did not go to the potty willingly, but I would set him on there anyway. Anna and I then would give him a big round of applause when he was done, which he loved. Soon after that he would let me know when he needed to go #2.

I then started to let him run around bare butted, so when he had to go pee he would know he had to go into the bathroom and use the potty. It really only took a couple of days with a few accidents for him to know that when he had to go he needed to go to the potty and go. Potty training takes time and little steps at a time, but the end result is wonderful....less diapers and soon no diapers.

I have been trying to put underwear on him and he does pretty good, but tends to have more accidents, but I will just keep working with him. I will have to say I have been blessed with children that catch on quickly. Also a really cute video, which Gabe has been watching for months is "Elmo's Potty Time", which is super cute and talks about using the potty.

Two Week Project.....
I love to make our home more homey and updated so I decided to paint the 1980's era brick around the wood stove. The job ended up taking a couple of days which was a lot longer than I'd anticipated. Painting brick is a lot of work especially when you have to go over it twice. First I had to prime the brick, as paint peals off of unprimed brick. Then I had to paint it. I think it turned out great and it really brightens the room up. The pictures really don't do it justices.

Ace Hardware Deals.....
For anyone who lives by a Ace Hardware they are having a big 3 day sales with a bunch of great deals. The sale starts today and ends on Sunday. There are several items that are free after rebate and a whole list of items that are only .99 cents after rebate. I am heading there a little later this morning. So check out a see if your Ace Hardware has some great dealing going on this weekend as well.

Hot & Humid....
It's going to being another steamy day today. We have been surviving without the air conditioner on and it hasn't been that bad since we bought a nice fan for the living room. I sure could do without the mosquitos, which are already here for the summer. They make it a little hard for the kids to go out and play. I will be going through a lot of bug spray this summer not only for mosquitos, but ants as well. It always seems like when summer hits I have a hard time keeping the ants out of the house and with having kids the floors get messy fast, which attracts the ants. I am going to have to try and keep the kitchen and dining room clean. Does anyone have any ant advice or problems with them?

Noah at 5 months.......

I really love my Prince Lionheart Bebe Pod baby chair. It is probably one of the best baby items I have. It can be used as soon as your infant is able to hold his head up. I put it on the bathroom counter and Noah can watch his brother and sister take a bath. I also sit it on the kitchen counter, so Noah can watch me cook or clean up dishes. You can set it anywhere and give your little one a toy to play with or just talk to him. Some babies are just happier sitting up then laying on there back or belly. Noah is pretty content anywhere, but he still loves his chair. I can set it on the dining room table while we eat and he can see everyone. It will also work really well when he starts to eat. We have a small dining room, so a high chair is out of the question. Thanks Aunt Jen for this wonderful chair:)

Slept Though the Night........
Last night was the first night that Noah slept from 8:30 p.m. till 5:30 a.m. in his bed. He usually eats a couple times, but not last night. I then fed him at 5:30 this morning and he slept till 8:30. I hope this becomes a regular routine. He has also been taking good naps the last couple of weeks. It's so nice that he is on a good schedule, which makes it easier on mommy as well. He is such a good baby with lots of smiles to give.

Growing Garden.....

We have had so much rain and humidity that the garden has been growing like crazy. I have also been able to pick up enough grass to cover the whole garden to keep the weeds down and the moisture in the ground. I planted tomatoes, peppers, broccoli, cucumbers, zucchini, eggplant, squash and cantaloupe. So how is everyone else's garden going this summer???

Homemade Blackberry Jelly.......

My mom gave me some blackberry juice a while back and I have finally gotten a chance to make some jelly. I have had enough of store bought jelly, which is not that great. I don't even think the Smucker's brand is that good. I guess my mother just spoiled me growing up with always having homemade jelly in the pantry. It is one of those things that you grow up with that you will do in your own home as well. I also have enough juice let to make two more batches, which will make about 8 pints. I am also planning on making a lot of Strawberry Freezer Jam as soon as we are able to get out to pick some strawberry. I have to say Blackberry Jelly is my favorite and Strawberry Freezer Jam is my second favorite.

More fabric on the way......
I purchased some Dora the Explorer fabric to make something for Anna. I was thinking about just making a sheet out of it, but we will have to see. I have been thinking about making a little apron for Anna based off the the little red one that I got for her, but making it smaller to fit her. Then she would have something to wear when she helps me bake or does some messy craft project. Also I was thinking about using some in making a dress. I guess we will have to see what I come up with and how long it takes to get it done.

Exciting News......
Brandon just got notification in the mail today that he has been selected to receive a Gwen P Shapiro Rural Wisconsin Nursing Scholarship of $5,000 for this up coming school year. We are very excited because the last school year we didn't get any free money to help pay for the school year. Praise the Lord..

Cute New Fabric On The Way.......

Since it has gotten so hot and humid now I really need to get the kids some cooler sheets for there beds. They both have there favorite blankets, but they are fleece and way to hot to sleep with. Since I love to browse on eBay I happen to come across some cotton fabric that is the same pattern as Gabriel's favorite fleece blanket. He will be so excited. I planning on just making a simple little sheet for his toddler bed. I am also looking at some fabric for Anna and will show it to you when I purchase it.

All Prettied Up.....
Anna was keeping herself very busy this evening as you can see. The little red apron that she is wearing I found at a garage sale last weekend and I also found a matching red one for my self, It's a little big for her, but she will grow into it. She was pretty excited when she saw that Mommy had one too. This will be the start of many great baking & cooking times together.

Busy Busy Busy......
My days seem to go by so quick lately and so I have been finding it harder to keep up on my blog posts. About a week ago I was able to get our garden in and as you can see in the pictures I had a couple little helpers. They have also helped me water the plants, since then. I am looking forward to having a wonderful garden this year and am hoping to keep the weeds under control Lord willing.