Fun in the backyard

It seems it's been awhile since I blogged. I really haven't taken many pictures and nothing too exciting has been happening, but we're all doing well. The girls love spending time outside in the playhouse, running through sprinklers or playing in the pool. It's fun to see how happy they are just playing in the water. 

We're still trying to get settled. I still have so many things to hang on the wall, but after patching so many holes and painting every wall, I hesitate to put more holes in it unless I'm sure that's where I want something. We got our office organized last weekend, so it's been so nice having a place to work again. Josh and I both know where to find what we're looking for now! 

We had our friends Lisa and Christi over yesterday with their kids and everyone had a blast playing. It was great catching up with them. Emma also had her first speech therapy session yesterday. It went well, so we're excited to see her progress. I sent in Mackenzie's registration for preschool this week too. I know it's time, she's definitely excited to go, but I think that first day of school is going to be a little hard on Mom. I can't believe I'll have a child in school now! I had a doctor's appt. on Tuesday and things are fine with the baby. I'm at 12 weeks now. The heartbeat sounded strong. Please continue to pray we have another healthy baby.

Mackenzie's room

The first photo is of Mackenzie saying goodbye to the old house. Last Friday night I got the last of our stuff out and cleaned everything. Mackenzie colored a picture and on Saturday morning we did a final walk-through to say goodbye. I am glad we moved when we did, but it was rather fast and unexpected so the girls had little time to prepare. MJ was a little sad the first night thinking she wasn't going to see her house anymore. She seems good now and is very happy to have her new room.

We enjoyed our first breakfast al fresco last Sunday morning. It was Emma's idea. I got her cereal ready and she pointed outside. We had eaten out there Saturday night for a family BBQ too. It was nice and peaceful. I can tell we're going to enjoy our patio just like enjoyed the deck. 

Mackenzie also got to bring a new kitten home with us from the other house so that has helped. It was one of the barn kitties that was really tame, so she came home with us on Saturday a.m. MJ named her Metallica because she looks like Mark and Carla's cat named Metallica. The kitten has adjusted very well and is becoming friendlier all the time. 

We're still getting settled, but are so happy to be in our new home. Hopefully I'll have more photos soon once I get more stuff put away. 

Summer has gone by so fast, but we still have some warm, fun days to enjoy. We have the county and state fairs coming up plus a day at the water park. The girls are looking forward to all that. 

Last night on the deck

Again, these were from before the move. The girls were enjoying cupcakes they had made with Michelle for dessert. We had just eaten outside on the deck They have really enjoyed doing that this summer. 

Dale Jr. fans

Well, these photos were from before the move. Josh and MJ went to get groceries one night and when they got home, they were sportin' some Dale Earnhardt Jr. fan gear. I just laughed out loud. It was so funny seeing them in their hats. They looked pretty cute though. They are ready for another race this Sunday. (Yes, my hubby has become a Nascar fan. It just kind of happened a couple years ago after we watched the Daytona 500. And I have to admit; it's really not that bad once you get to know the drivers and see there really is more to the sport than racing around in a circle for 5 hours!)

We Moved!

Yes, we did it. We weren't really planning to move last weekend, but we had some awesome help from Jared, Stephanie and Zeke, so we just started hauling everything to the new house on Saturday. We were able to spend our first night here then too. We still have more stuff to bring and I need to clean the other house so Joe can move in, but it's nice to have a couple more weeks to do that before he has to be out of his apartment. It's much better this way. There are few little projects to finish (like the girls' bathroom--we're still waiting on shower walls), but it should be a quick fix once they are in. Yeah! What a relief to finally be here. Just looking to get settled soon. Thanks for all your thoughts and prayers during this process. I'll post more photos later. 

Bare walls

Well last night Josh started taking all the stuff off the walls. I think he knew I wasn't going to do it, at least not until the very last thing probably. I was actually glad he started. I looked around at the bare walls and told him, "Okay, I don't want to live here anymore. Let's go." He said good, I was hoping this would get you moving. And, of course, I am ready, I just really am not motivated to do all the packing, etc. Glad he's into that stuff. Another thing I noticed was there was a small pang of sadness as I looked at the walls. I think because all our memories weren't hanging there anymore. But, they will be with us in the new house and I'm so glad that I have scrapbooked so much. This house does hold memories, but we're looking forward to moving on and making more memories in the new house. 

Big news

                                                                                                                                   In case you haven't heard the news, we are expecting our third little blessing in February. I made these t-shirts for the girls and we gave them to them last Tuesday. Mackenzie also received a framed photo from my first ultrasound. She's so excited. She couldn't stop talking about the new baby boy or baby girl in mommy's tummy. She also got to tell all the grandparents and siblings. It was so cute listening to her tell them she was going to be a big sister again. Then she'd say, "And Emma's going to be a big sister now!" "Mommy's going to get a new baby!" So funny. She knows it could be either a boy or girl, but she seems to think she wants another sister. Although she has come up with boy names. Go figure. Josh and I are excited too and are looking forward to bringing a new life into this world. 

Good smiles

Salsa Verde

No, I don't have a recipe, but I would recommend Pace's. It's pretty good. Emma thinks so too. Josh had some out the other night and before I knew it, Emma was up on her bench dipping right into it. She loved the stuff!

Firework fairy

We enjoyed a quiet evening at home on the 4th of July. It was a little windy when we started fireworks, but the girls were able to enjoy a few. We were all worn out from a big day working at the house and we didn't even stay up for the town fireworks, but it was still a fun day for us as a family.

Movie night

Last week, Mackenzie and I enjoyed a Mommy/Mackenzie night out. We went to the movie theater to see Kit Kittredge: An American Girl. It was a great film and perfect for her first theater experience. Our friends Dawn, Natalee, Emily, Bella and Rachel joined us. Then, we headed to Primos for a pizza buffet. It was fun for us both to catch up with our friends and spend some time together. We decided to stop by Dairy Queen afterwards and surprised Daddy and Emma with ice cream. They stayed home and had a fun night of their own. 

New do

I tried to get some pics of Emma's new haircut. She was growing a mullet and since this isn't the 80s, I thought we'd change her style a little. The bottom part had grown about two inches, but this short part was staying about the same, so we just bobbed it off. She was more interested in the blocks she was playing with instead of posing. But, I did get one "cheese" shot. 

When the house is quiet...

Emma's into something! Today, it was lotion. And it was like she knew she wasn't supposed to be in it too. She came up to me and showed me like, "Hey Mom, look at me. I know I'm in trouble, but aren't I so cute and funny?" And I thought, yes you are cute and funny and I'm just going to laugh at you otherwise I'll cry. :) My friend Kim should appreciate this post. I think she has a mischievous two-year-old too. Or maybe we'll call them curious. 

Just couldn't resist. My poor Mackenzie. So tired after a hard day of play and here's her little sister to pester her. Is that the face of innocence or what?

It's so fun to watch Emma play pretend. I've seen MJ do it for a few years now so it's neat when Emma gets into it too. Here, she decided to make a bed for her baby on the rug that was lying in the kitchen. (That was a temporary resting place for it before we took it to the new house).