My special day

It was six years ago today, that I woke up in labor with our second baby. My first thought was, "Oh no, not on my birthday!" As it turned out, little Grace Marie was my easiest labor and delivery. She was such a feisty stubborn baby but has turned into a sweet and very helpful girl. She is always willing to do what needs to be done without being asked. She is in her first year in school and is doing so well. I am so proud of my "birthday present"!

I love fall

This is the best time of year! The leaves are changing, the air is fresh and cool, and pumpkins are everywhere. As soon as October hits, I start digging out all my pumpkin recipes. I made Aaron a sugar free pumpkin whip, which he absolutely loved. This morning, I used my pumpkin creamer to make a yummy latte and a batch of pumpkin chip scones. Delicious!

Our pets

I am using this blog to talk about my family, but I forgot to add some important members. We have Daisy, our beagle who we got when she was a puppy. She has been quite a handful, and I am reminded every day that kids are much easier to raise! She is almost two years old and is doing much better in the training department. But, when our front door opens, she is off and running and won't be back home until she feels like it. As you can see, she is a beautiful dog, and once she looks at you with those pretty brown eyes, it is hard to be upset with her.

Our second addition is Tom, our cute kitty who we adopted in May. The kids named him Fluffy at first, because he was just a tiny furball. Then, they named him Kitty, but that got boring, so they settled on Tom, because they love Tom and Jerry so much. He is a great cat and tolerates quite a bit from the kids and Daisy. The girls trap him in their bedroom most nights and fight over who he gets to sleep with...poor cat! He would much prefer to hang out with me and Aaron and ends up sleeping in a corner of our bedroom just to escape the chaos.

Career women

The girls had career day at their school on Tuesday. I had totally forgotten about it, so Monday night we had to run out to find some outfits for them to wear (since I am not creative and cannot sew). They both were pleased with their choices. Bet you can't guess what they want to be. :)

Naptime

Mark is outgrowing naps but sometimes cannot make it through the day without a little snooze, even in the strangest places. Daddy couldn't resist snapping this pic of him on his comfy spot.

The cutest blessings ever!

Baby Samuel

Sweet Micah

Silly Mark

Emily and Grace, beautiful girls

This week

As most of you know, the kids and I were rear-ended on Monday afternoon . It was scary for all of us, but praise God, no one was hurt. The van is totaled, so we are in the midst of looking for a replacement. Aaron has been taking the girls to school everyday, and my mom and dad have been picking them up. I have really appreciated the "break" in not having to get everyone dressed and going everyday. The boys and I have been enjoying quiet mornings at home without all of the hustle of trying to get out of the door by 8.. We got a rental van yesterday, so my next step is to go and get new carseats for the boys and a new double stroller (which unfortunately was in the back and was damaged). Through this whole ordeal, I have stressed to the kids the importance of being buckled up at all times. Because we were all safely buckled, no one was seriously hurt.

I decided to finally join the world of blogging

I admit it, I am an internet snoop. I love finding long lost friends and reading people's blogs. I have read quite a few lately and decided it was time that I started my own. After all, I am a mom of five kids and there are always stories to tell!