Hand-me-downs and clean up

Today was actually a Saturday with nothing on the calander! That hardly ever happens. I'm sure Derek saw it coming! We have been working on his room, cleaning and painting. My mom got him a new bed set and we got a dresser to replace the old one. So it is coming together nicely, but we still have a lot to do.

My mission was to get his old dresser cleaned out and put the new one in, and clean out the closet. Ick! We filled up 3 trash bags to take out. Not all was gross trash some was old papers and posters and stuff. We got all his paintball stuff organized and put away. We found old things that recalled cool memories and even some old pictures that make him look like an ANGEL!Well, now we can see his floor and his closet is all clean organized and vacuumed. We decided he doesn't use the tiny desk in his room anymore, so JD claimed it. JD got all kinds of neat treasures that Derek didn't want anymore. Hey, one man's trash is another man's treasure! Clothes were sorted and put out or away. JD of course has his fair share of hand-me-downs.

As all that was going on JD was on his own side mission. Once he saw that the hand-me-downs were plentiful, he knew he had to make room for them. He cleaned out his old dest and the rest of his room to make room for his big kid desk. I vacuumed really good(making sure I didn't vacuum those really valuable legos..lol).

All this time, Georgia was having the time of her life with a friend that spent the night. She had all that girl time!! That's a rare event in this house of boys. She and her friend made pudding, built forts, dress up and all the fun stuff that they wanted. That sounds messy but soooo worth it.

Days like this are tiring but a win/win day. Rooms are cleaned, kids are helping and/or occupied, and everyone is busy. Everyone will soon need showers and now I have a lot of laundry to do. All of that is okay with me considering the progress we made!

Half Marathon???

About 3 weeks ago I went to a girls night ( you saw the girls night post earlier). At that time I chimed in to try to run a half marathon. What?! Yes, I did. So we started our run 3 weeks ago at about 5:30 a.m.. I started with 2 miles and walked about half a mile or so. I huffed and puffed and couldn't hear beyond my own breathing..lol. Now I am up to 2.9 miles and can even talk a litte with them. On Labor Day we ran extra, I walk/ ran 5 miles. Angie and Ashley are great running partners and do alot of cheering me on. They are kind of used to running. I haven't ran in a couple of years and barely worked out.

Aaron has been quite surprised that I have been keeping up with it. It's a lot easier to do with friends!I don't know why I can't exercise with Aaron but I'm having fun with Ashley and Angie! Hey, I've had 3 kids and could stand to lose a few pounds. I look forward to getting healthier!

I'm not going for speed neccessarly but completion. But, if I'm gonna keep up than I have to get faster eventually. I'm doing pretty good though. I will keep ya'll posted on my progress!

God is good and expects us to keep up and take care of the body he gave us. I like to think Jesus is running with me and pushing me forward. It's nice to be up early and have the quiet time too when I get home.

Student Driver

Here we go! In two weeks Derek will be 15! That is exactly the amount of time we need to complete the requirements for his driver's permit. Eek! I can't believe how time has gone by. My precious first born now ready to DRIVE! Ahhh! Prayers please.

He is so excited and eager to learn. I am watching my every move in the van so I can be a good example. The program says it often makes the parent a better driver too. I will keep you updated on his progress.

Rita and Molly

Our beloved pets did super during our crazy amount of rain. It has been POURING for 2 days! They are in and out of the house mostly because Molly refuses to be potty trained. ( we have tried everything) We let them in and run around and especially in wet or cold weather. They are really good inside and listen to directions pretty good. With the exceptions of Molly's small accidents they are great. They do not bark, beg for food, or allowed on furniture( they don't even try). They are precious to us. Rita is 8 and Molly is 7. Don't they look adorable! Molly sometimes is groomed better than others but. They are great with the kids and love to wrestle around with them. Wonderful parts of our family.

My love

Did I mention my husband is the greatest!!! He began to plan my birthday gift way in advance and really put alot of thought into what I needed and desired. I love him and his thoughtfulness. Thank you Aaron!

More Poteet pics

I can't help but share a glimps of the fun times we have in Poteet.

Happy Birthday to me!!

This post will be broken up because my birthday was great in so many ways. First, we spent last night with my side of the family for all the September birthdays. My mom got me an awesome gift of something I have wanted and drooled over for a long time...a CRICUT!!!!! In the scrap booking world it is a big deal! Derek so sweetly asked my mom to make me a blanket(to be from him) in maroon and white for his high school pride. Go RAMS! Now I won't be freezing my butt off at the games!-love it.


I began my day with a great run/walk of a little over 4 miles. I am soo sore but hey, I made it. Then I went shopping with some birthday money and got my oh so wonderful flip flops. Seriously, I consider these my work shoes. I wear them EVERYWHERE! I am a busy mom and need easy shoes....anyway, I love them. I paid 30 bucks for them but they are worth every penny.

Then we loaded up the van and headed out to Poteet. I couldn't have been going to a better place for my birthday. They are so dear to me and I loved every minute of the day with them! Seeing everyone, skeet shooting, four wheeling, Jenna cooked a delicious dinner, Wii boxing, and just hanging out. One of my favorite things to do is hang out with friends. They are top of the list! The kids got to play in the tank, fish, play with the sprinkler on the trampoline, practice shooting with shot guns and play the wii. Good times, Good times.

My final present was from Aaron and the kids. He took me to a mysterious location. Once we got to 410 he had me blindfolded till we got there. I knew he had been working on this plan for weeks and I was dying to know what it was. He led me to his parents' house. He had his dad make me a hutch for the kitchen!!! Tim is a super talented carpenter!!! I was super blessed and now have the perfect place for all our wine and beer glasses and my cake supplies. !!!!

Thank you everyone for the blessings today. This is definitely the best birthday yet!
Love ya!

Tree Huggers

I asked Aaron to take the kids to Home Depot for a class just for kids. They get to build something new each month and it's free! So, he took the kids and it was wonderful for me because I got the house to myself. It was nice and quiet. I took the opprotunity to call my Dad and we got to talk for quite awhile. Aaron came home when they were done and told me to put my shoes on. He said, "you shouldn't have sent me to Home Depot". Huh? He brought home a tree!

We really needed a tree. A few months ago our big tree in the front yard snapped in a storm. It took out all our shade in our frontyard. He bought a red oak. I was amazed at how easy it was. It was hard work but not hard to figure out. We all worked together (including Ian) to dig the hole and plant it. It was a great way to bring us together on a project and will eventually pay off for some shade.

Thanks Honey for a great idea!