Busy, busy, busy

Life lately has been super busy!! I feel as though the weeks are just flying by and can't believe that in about 6 weeks we will have another little one in our family. AHH!!! There is WAY to much to do and not enough time before this little girl arrives. We haven't even had time to start thinking of a name. (In all reality, we just pretend like I'm not pregnant and when she gets here, life will really get crazy!) First off, Geoff went out of town about 2 weeks ago for 4 days. The girls really hate it when he leaves, so they thought that it would be nice to write him a note so he could remember them. (They thought of this all on their own! SO cute!)

 Macie's is first and it says: "I will miss you and hope you have fun. Love, Macie"
Addie's is next and it says: "I love you. I hope you have a good time. Love, Addie"  Seriously...so thoughtful! I told Geoff that if I was going out of town and they did this for me I would have cried.

Next, I decided to start up the vinyl business again!! Why you ask?? I don't know.... There seems to be a real interest in it down here and I have the machine, so why not try and see if we can make a little extra side money with it. At this point (because the machine and everything is paid for,) everything is profit, so why not?!  So...I have been doing orders here and there for people that I know and then I decided to sign up for 3-4 craft fairs in the next few weeks. It has given me something to do while Camden naps, but has also made life super busy....as in, every spare second that I have, I am making vinyl signs. It has been fun though. I just hope that it pays off and that they sell at the craft fairs. Here is a look at the office where the vinyl has exploded.....

 Signs ready to be taped and cut.

 Little pieces to signs that need to be put together and on wood.

We have also been decorating the house for Halloween/Fall. It has actually cooled down a little bit this year- into the high 80's-  to where it is actually feeling like fall. It is soooo nice. (Last year it was in the hundreds still until the middle of October...as in, it never felt like fall!)  So the girls and I have been busy decorating and doing crafts. Here is a picture of our staircase. The girls made the spooky ghosts hanging from the lights and they love the Halloween orange lights that they get to plug in.

 Then I made some vinyl spiders to go up the staircase. It is so fun. Macie's comment on the house decor "Our house is so spooky nobody is going to want to come over because it is too scary!"

 The spiders!

The girls have been busy in school. Addie started a different preschool this past week. The other one was to much and scheduling was a pain with Camden's naps, so I finally found what I was looking for and switched her over!! I am soooooo glad that I did. It has made a big difference and we are all so much happier. She goes everyday now from 8:15-11:45. It is so great. We also started them in dance/tumbling classes. Addie is taking a ballet and tap class and Macie is taking a tumbling and cheer leading class. They love them! We don't know what we were thinking signing Macie up for this class, but it is the one she wanted and now all we hear are the cheers she is learning. We also signed them up for swimming lessons, so life is getting pretty crazy. The kids are growing and getting so big.
This week, Macie lost 2 teeth (within a 24 hour period!!!) One was on bottom and one was on top!  Every time she smiles, all Geoff and I can do is laugh! It just looks so funny. She also now has a little lisp when she talks. I have even caught her a few times looking in the mirror with this huge grin just checking it all out. The tooth fairy both nights gave her $0.36.  

For documentation purposes...the story behind the tooth losing:  We were at the gym and had just got done swimming. We were changing because Macie's tumbling class was starting in about 10 minutes. I had brought her a snack, a piece of licorice. She was eating it and all of a sudden the bottom tooth came flying out onto the ground. It was pretty funny. She was bleeding like crazy and was just as shocked as we were. The top tooth was pretty loose and we knew that by Christmas it would be out. (She has been hoping that both top teeth would fall out around Christmas so she could sing "my two front teeth".) She came home from school with her tooth seriously hanging by a thread. I so wish that I would have taken a picture. It was hanging lower than all of her other teeth and was all twisted. She looked like a complete hillbilly...to the point that I was embarrassed to go out with her in public. But she would NOT pull it out. She was being so funny about it and was getting so upset that Geoff and I kept asking to see it. We eventually just stopped talking about it and let her deal with it the way that she wanted to. Geoff and I ended up going on a date this night (our first one since Camden was born!!). We came home and her tooth was sitting on the nightstand. When I asked the babysitter what happened, she said that she put the girls to bed and Macie just came out and said "my tooth just fell out."  When we asked Macie the next day, she said that it just fell out in her bad and she thought that she lost it in her sheets. She said that there was no blood and she just went back to sleep.

helpers

Addie has taken it upon herself to become the dish helper. It is fantastic!!!! She asks to do the dishes after each meal. She pulls a chair over, turns the water on, and cleans them...so good that you can't tell if the dish has even been used. It is so great! She sometimes will spend 1/2 hour doing this (might be a waste of water) but hey, I am taking full advantage of this joy and willingness to do them. I get so much done while she cleans them. All I have to do now is load them in the dishwasher. Macie has also taken upon herself to start making her school lunch everyday. It is also sooo great. She gets everything out, makes her sandwich and puts everything in her lunch box. These girls are a great help!
Here is Addie working hard. 

After dinner one night.

After breakfast one morning.

Loving Life

Last Sunday the girls decided that they would like to play church. They headed up to the toy room and set everything up. They took their benches and lined them with their stuffed animals, got their book shelf and used it as a podium, and got their microphone so everyone could hear. Macie was the Primary leader doing everything and Addie was the kid in Primary. They were pretty serious about it, having singing time, talk time and the whole bit. It is so interesting to me how closely these kids pay attention to all of the little details. 

 Macie is conducting the music, while Addie sings.

 Addie is giving the talk and Macie is helping her.

*********************************************************************************

 For those of you who are wondering...here I am at 7 months pregnant! We still think that it is absolutely crazy that we have another little on the way!

*********************************************************************************

The little guy is absolutely crazy. He is moving around everywhere and wants to walk so bad. He will NOT hold still for anything. Even when you try to feed him a bottle he wants to be moving around and drinking it at the same time. He got his first tooth this past week and looks so cute when he smiles. He loves his sisters like crazy and anytime they walk into the room his face just lights up. He wants to be where ever they are and loves to destroy their play houses when they are set up.

Here he is diving off of the couch. Geoff was trying to cuddle with him because Camden was tired, but he would have none of that and was off.

 This morning it was raining and the girls wanted to go out and play. We left the door open to see what he would do. He crawled right over and sat and watched them and tried several times to escape, but each time he would come back because it was all wet. Oh how we just love our kiddos and have so much fun with them!

Summer Swimming

Living in Texas = tons of swimming!! Since we moved, our neighborhood has a really nice pool that we have been able to use. It has been so nice to just be able to walk there whenever we want and know that we will be the only ones there and it won't be crowded and the kids can just play and have fun. It has a little baby pool with a shade thing covering it and fountains. It is just so fun and nice. Here are a few pics of us enjoying our time at the pool!

Camden is getting brave and starting to crawl around in the water. He just can't sit still and is all boy. He will crawl right into the water and stick his face in and then come up with this huge smile and do it again. It makes me laugh every time. He loves the water and loves to splash and play with the toys and the fountains. 

 Here is his cute little wet face. Right after dunking his head in.

 When Geoff comes with us, the girls love it. He is able to play with them and swim with them. Something that is just to hard for me to do because of Camden. I have to be holding him or watching him at all times, so I don't have that extra set of hands to be able to jump and play. Here is Addie jumping in to Geoff. One benefit of not having Geoff here every time is that the girls have gotten really brave and will jump in alone and swim alone and have gotten really good in the water. It amazes me how well Macie swims at such a young age.

 The last time we were there as a family, Geoff and Macie had a cannonball competition. Addie was the counter and judge. She would count for them and then let them know who had the biggest splash and won. As I was trying to get the perfect shot of them jumping in, I could not stop laughing. I just couldn't get that perfect shot. I am pretty sure that I had them jump in at least 5 times and still missed it. In the 4th picture you will see Geoff's arms out. He is complaining to the judge that she judged him unfairly. She said that Macie won and he was not happy!!! HA! And I wonder where our girls get their poor sportsmanship from!! You will also notice Macie's getting ready pose and then the last picture is hilarious to me. Every time she would come up out of the water she would bring her hands up and spin as she came out saying "salute". Seriously...so funny.
We love the pool! It is such a great escape from the heat and everyone always has fun!

Labor Day fun

For Labor Day we went with some friends to check out some of the local sights. We went to the Ft. Worth Botanical Gardens and the Ft. Worth Water Gardens. Both were in our price range..(free) and both were soooo fun! We are so glad that we went and that we started early in the day before the heat got really bad. Here are some pictures of the Botanical Garden:

 The girls under a plant tunnel.

 Standing in front of a beautiful waterfall. It made you feel like you were in Hawaii! Haha.

 Looking out over the gardens. They were just so beautiful and if I could one day have a portion of the yard that this place was, I would never leave it. They actually had real, full, beautiful grass that you could step on, and sit on, and enjoy! It was so marvelous. It is also good to know that grass like that exists in Texas.

 Addie being a butterfly queen.

Camden hanging out on the ledge.

 

Then we went to the Ft. Worth Water Gardens. These were sooo cool. If you ever are in the area, these are a must. It is a block worth of water structures that you get to walk around and enjoy. This one is about 4 stories deep and you get to walk down into it. So cool!!

Geoff taking the girls down in to check it out. Addie was a littel nervous. They were big steps, so Geoff carried her down.

Hi mom!!!

Here is a zoomed out picture.

Then I took a turn and the kids wanted to come back in with me. This time Addie had to walk, because I couldn't carry her.  (Those are our friends that we went with righ in front of me with Macie)

Addie and Macie just hanging out enjoying the view. (Don't worry, I was right there, I was just taking a family pic for our friends)

Here is another fountain. The kids are just haning out in the shade enjoying the mist.

A cute Family picture. It was such a fun day, we can't wait to go back and enjoy these sights again!

1st day of school 2012

Today was the 1st day of school for my little cuties. They were so overly excited!!! Last night was crazy! I swear, they were more excited for school to start then they are for Christmas. They were bouncing off of the walls and being the most obedient children ever when it came to bedtime. It was marvelous. I pray that every night goes as smoothly as last night did! 

Addie is doing preschool this year. She will be going 3 days a week. Her teacher's name is Ms. Yolanda. Her thoughts on the first day of school were..."It was good. Can I finish my lunch now? I need to go potty so bad mom, I didn't go all day."

 Miss Macie started 1st grade this year. Her teacher's name is Mrs. Webster. She is getting so big. Geoff dropped her off and when he got home he said, "I just don't want them to get any bigger." She looked so cute, even in her uniform. When we moved and found out that it was a uniform school, she was pretty upset because I had already bought a lot of clothes for her that were sooo cute. She just keeps commenting on how boring it is that everyone has to match.
Her comments on the first day of school were: "It was fun. I think that it is going to be a fun year because my teacher is really nice. I made friends with a boy in my class, he asked me to chase him at recess, so I did. And mom...do you want to know the most awesome thing.....for first time ever, my cubby number is number 1!!!!!!! (Said with so much excitement and a cheerleader type move)

Love these girls and am sure going to miss them throughout the day, but they were so ready for school to start...aka they were constantly fighting and today they were actually friends!! 

Life

The past few weeks have been a little crazy. We went on vacation and then moved 3 days later. We were lucky enough to have my parents come and help. It made a world of difference having the extra hands. Things went so much more smoothly and quickly. (Thanks mom and dad!)

We now live in Burleson, Texas. It is about an hour south of where we were before. So, not a big move, but a move none the less. We love the new house that we are in. It has so much more room than the last one did. 

We are getting to know the area and are seeing that it is a lot smaller than anywhere else we have ever lived. However, it is surrounded by bigger cities, so it is not a big deal. 

The kids are getting ready to start school. It starts and Tuesday and everybody is more than ready for it to start. We live only about a block away from Macie's school so we were going to be able to walk. It is a new school and looks to be really nice. We went to back to school night on Thursday and found out that the school is to full and she is being transferred to another school that it about a 10-15 drive away. AHHH! I was so excited to have her go to this school and have it be so close. Now, the school that she is going to is really old and not in a great area. We did meet her teacher though and she seems like she should be pretty good. We are just praying that within the first few days of school kids don't show up so there is enough room for her to transfer back.  

Addie is going to be going to preschool 3 days a week. She is so excited!! She will be gone all day Tuesday-Thursday. We will see how she adjusts. Hopefully it tires her out enough that she will actually fall asleep at night at a decent time. 

Camden is starting to crawl. He can get to where he wants and is getting faster everyday. It is weird having to go back to checking the floor all of the time to make sure that there is nothing on the ground that he can eat. He loves to find anything and everything that he knows he should not be getting into...school supplies, magazines, wipes.... The worst part is I know that it is just going to get worse. It is time to baby proof the house. Blah. I am so used to just leaving things around and not having to worry about I leave the paint or the scissors or my hairspray. It should be interesting. I have a feeling that there are going to be a lot of stories with this little guy getting into things. Wish me luck!!

This is just a super cute picture of Camden one Sunday before church. I love seeing him in hats. He, however, does not enjoy them. We are working on this. Ha!

I had my birthday right before we left on vacation. The girls made me breakfast in bed and a birthday cake, along with some cards. So sweet. They were so excited to walk into my room that morning and give me their gifts.

Right before we moved, Geoff was out one night watering the lawn and found this lizard. I had spent that last 1/2 hour trying to get the girls to calm down and go to sleep and they were finally quiet when he opened the door and announced what he had found. Good thing the looks on their faces was worth it!!
Macie is sooo excited!

Awesome dad!

Addie is not into bugs as Macie is. She tries to act excited, but sometimes, it is just not her thing.

Vacation Part 2

I have been going through the pictures on my phone and here are the rest of the pictures from our vacation.

Here we are taking off. My man driving.

 We stopped off at temple square when we got into Salt Lake. I am so glad we did this. It was fun to show this to the girls and to explain things to them as they asked questions. Above, the girls are standing in front of the Salt Lake temple.

 In front of the Christus.

 Camden taking a nap in his car seat while we were at one of our destinations.
When we were at my parents house, we went to the beach. It was a wonderful day of hanging out and just letting the kids play. We had the beach all to ourselves and there was a park for the kids and a horseshoe pit for the adults. It may have been one of my favorite days of vacation.

 This is Camden and his cousin Elsie. They are about a month apart.
On our way home, we spent the night at a hotel. It was time to leave and the girls were completely out of it, so we put Camden in their bed to try and help wake them up...

Here is he just chillin in their bed. What a cutie.

Vacation

We just got back from Vacation to Utah and Idaho. We decided to drive it and the kids actually did pretty good. We were lucky enough to be able to spend time with both families and really enjoyed our great, but short vacation. The first stop was Utah for Geoff's family reunion. Then we went up to Idaho to visit with my family for a couple of days before heading up to the Teton's for my extended family reunion. After that we drove home, with my parents and moved. I will update more on that later.

These Pictures are from Geoff's family reunion. We went to Thanksgiving point and then to his brother's house for a bbq and some family olympics. It was a really fun time and the girls both made great friends with their cousins Garrett and Brock, who are 13 and 10. I am pretty sure that by the end, Garrett was ready to leave them. Addie made a good friend in the boys dad, Rob. They were pretty funny together and she was pretty attached. The middle picture at the top is of Camden and his cousin Ty. They are only 2 days apart. It was alot of fun to see them together. 

This is Camden's first experience in the grass. He really liked it!!! HAHA! The grass here is Texas is not real grass and it is poky and gross, so he has never had the chance to sit in it. I was so excited to finally be able to see what he thought of it. He lasted just long enough for me to snap this picture of him.

 Grandma and Grandpa Bradley with 2 of the new babies. My dad is holding Ari, she is only 4 weeks old and is sooo cute. Camden is a giant compared to her. It is pretty funny.

The kids would put on a show about every night that we were there. The girls sure love the fact that you can play out in the grass and take full advantage every time we are there. They basically lived in these costumes. It was pretty funny. Macie is showing us her dancing skills. She was pretty comical and was really feeling the music.

Addie showing us her mad moves

The kids bowing at the end of their dance show. Jayce, Addie, Macie, Mia, and Kayleb

These pictures are from the Teton's. We stayed super busy, yet still had time to relax and enjoy everyone's company. The girls had fun doing the family olympics, penny hunt, water balloon launching and playing with cousins. It was so nice this year because the weather was absolutely perfect and there were no bugs. Seriously. We didn't have to use bug spray one time. It was perfect.
It was so fun to see everyone and spend time together. We can't wait until next year!

to be a kid

The girls were playing so nicely and quietly in their room today. I went to check on them and this is what I found. They had all of their animals and babies lined up on the bed and they were teaching them school. When I came in, they asked me to take a picture of them with their students. 

 This little guy was just hanging out with dad and being super smiley and cute.

 It was raining outside quite a bit today and the girls were bored, so I told them to go out and play in the rain.  They asked if they could take my pans to catch the rain with, and I said sure. So, out they went. They were out there for about 1/2 hour, with no rain jackets on. They came in soaked and asked if they could have some hot chocolate...in August...in 105 degree weather! Silly girls!

Camden loves his bouncer. Loves it so much that it goes everywhere with us. It is the only time he is happy and I can get something done. How we love the bouncer!! However, he is getting very good at moving around in this thing, and not just bouncing. He can walk and reach things...like the garbage can....which now has a new home.