Worth every penny...

Private swim lessons.

Because seeing my children actually (happily) swim...

is priceless!

Take me out to the ballgame...

T-ball Season Opener!

Summer Marriage Challenge- week 3

Our Wedding Day!

Happy Father's Day!

~A truly rich man is one whose children run into his arms when his hands are empty~

Bryce,
You walking through the door is really the highlight of their day!
Thank you so much for being a wonderful daddy to our children, and for you and your dad showing me that there are still great fathers in this world. I'm so proud to have you in their lives.
Happy Father's Day to a wonderful one!

My name is mud

Garage Sale - check!

With all the de-cluttering I've done this summer, you had to know a garage sale was coming.
It just so happens my neighborhood had one planned for last Saturday, perfect!

And I promised Ben we would have a lemonade stand this summer, so I was able to strike them both off my list!

While I was preparing the garage, Ben made a sign...
translation: Garage (groj) sale (sel) open (opn) in four (foor) days (daz). It's (Ais) gonna (gun) be (bey) a (o) hit (ht) lol, we are working on vowels.

My wonderful SIL and niece came up to help :)
Bowen must have hugged little Karlie 30 times a day!
And she screamed every time, lol.

Btw, it was a hit. I even caved in and let the kids rescue a couple of toys from it....but someone abandoned the lemonade stand rather quickly.

Summer Marriage Challenge - week 2

Warning: LONG Story.
We met in high school and I was 2 years older but our crowds interacted (small town). I briefly dated his best friend...funny story how that came about:
I was painting faces at a basketball game and a friend of his (girl) wanted to get us together but he wouldn't come down and get his face painted (sooo Bryce, btw) BUT his bf did that's how we came about. Okay, not lol funny but funny looking back, especially considering they are still friends!

But fate didn't give up on us...
My first close interaction with him was (1992) in the counselor's office...We had been selected as "Students of the Month" for September and she needed to interview us for the paper.
I can't quiet put my first impression down in words, even all these years later...I guess I thought he was odd, but beautiful...definitely beautiful. Not that it mattered because I had a boyfriend anyway...

Fast forward to FCA Game Day on October 31st where we talked on the bus the whole way home! Actually my friend (who I was with) liked him, and I had just started seeing someone...who I think was a bit peeved, because we were trying to make plans to all go to a haunted house that night and he (I found out later) lied and said Bryce couldn't go, LOL. Despite that, we had our first date 2 weeks later. And by our 2nd, I was head over heels!

We dated for the next almost 2 years before we broke up. Bryce was still in high school doing his thing and I wanted to be serious so it wasn't working. I dated other people, but make no mistake, I was heartbroken. Then one night, around graduation, he told a mutual friend to have me to call him. After a few hours of debate (after all, we had an ugly break-up and I wasn't sure I wanted to go down that road again) I followed me heart & called.

Of course we got back together and I wasn't sure what would happen when he left for college, so I prepared for the worst (putting my guard up)...but we figured it out and by that Spring had grown closer than ever (that's when the above picture was taken, I think before a concert?).
We stayed together until he graduated college then had another break up, followed by a lot of forgiveness & make-up a couple weeks later and our engagement on July 11, 1999.

That's our dating story, the long road to how we came to be :)

I was thrilled to be engaged to him, to become a part of his wonderful family & have his babies!
Had we not ended up together, I would've forever had a hole in my heart.
He is the love of my life.

We FINALLY married September 3, 2001...and that's a whole 'nother story.

Summer Marriage Challenge

I have decided to participate I this, even though I'm a week late (shhh!) So here's me playing catch up with my announcement...and inviting ya'll to join me!




Here's the Topic Schedule for those who want to link up each week:

June 7 - announce to your readers you are participating by posting the button on your site and leaving your link below. Optional: Embed the HTML from this video in your blog post!

June 14 – Post Pictures from your dating days (or tell us all about it!). Think about one thing you used to do or have as a couple that you have lost in the shuffle of life. How can you regain it?

June 21 - Remember Your Vows - post pictures of your wedding day. We will review the sacredness of this day.

June 28 - Ask your husband every morning how you can pray for him that day. Bonus: Fast and pray for him one day this week.

July 5 - Admire Your Husband. Write this post and then show it to him! He will smile!

July 12 - Make a list of 5 things you currently do and ask him to prioritize them for you of what is important to him. For example - a clean home, home cooked dinner, coupon clipping, service at church, having friends over for dinner, watching/doing sports with him, etc.

July 19 - Make him a priority. Ask him what his favorite dinner, dessert and drink are. Be sure to serve him all three one night this week. Bonus: cook his favorite dishes all week long!

July 26 - Support his vision. Discuss his vision for your family. Where does he see your family in 1 year, 5 years, and 10 years. Share with us how you let your husband lead.

August 2 - R-E-S-P-E-C-T! No complaining, criticizing, rolling your eyes, nagging, or giving him any friction this week. Enjoy a week of peace in your home!

August 9 - Kiss Him Like You Mean It (and be sure the door is locked!)

Making the NRA proud

Ben has found a new place to store his action figure arsenal.

Be a winner

Most of you probably know I'm a consultant for Thirty One, and have a different web page for that so I can keep my blog all about ME, lol....but I want ALL of my bloggy friends to have a chance to be a winner of June's special, the Cinch Sac!

(recognize the model? hehe)

I also have a Facebook page, Cindi's Thirty One, and once I get 100 people to go to that page and "like" it, then every person who is a fan will be entered into a drawing to win a personalized Cinch Sac!
There's a catch...the deadline to reach 100 people is June 25th.

Check it out and of course if you have any questions at all about Thirty One, I would love to answer them because it's wonderful stuff!

Just add water

The heat is here.
Just add water...and we've got summer!

Bon Voyage!

Nece & Pawpaw will be boarding a ship soon to begin their 1st ever real vacation, just the two of them! It's long past due and well deserved!

We sure will miss ya'll as you abandon us for cooler temps...
but wish you safe & happy travels!
XOXO

No paternity test needed

Bowen, 2010

Bryce, 1978-ish

Taking back my house!

Did you ever look in your closet and realize it was truly as mystery as to what was in there? Then watch those hoarder shows and fear you are well on your way?

Turns out having a 3rd child will make everything fall to the back burner...for at least a year in my case, since I could barely function at the end of my pregnancy.
That's why I declared "war on clutter" this week. It has truly been a gift - no school, games, parties, doctor appointments OR husband working 14 hour nights! One week spent at home tackling one closet/project at a time.

This is a few things I've learned:

• Bo is good on clothes until he turns 4, that's when Ben decided to put holes in every.single.pair of jeans.
• Children don't care about a toy until you put it in the garage sale pile.
• I'm so smart to bargain shop in the off-season (and glad I chose this week to organize all the clothes, because I would have been seriously irritated to find those 6 pair of new shorts later in the year!)
• Medical textbooks loose their value...fast.
• Saving every single thing your child drew, painted or pasted is way overrated...I only save some and still have a tub full.

• I might have some weird hoodie obsession, because Bowen has 6 for next fall (costing only $1-$3 each though)

• Baby toys, also way overrated. My boys like balls, cars & books and never used a teether, no matter how appealing I thought it was.
• I'm more gypsy at heart than I thought, having gone 2 years without hanging anything on our bedroom wall just because I know we'll be patching up nail holes in another 2 years.

It feels good and dear husband, I promise it will never fall into disarray again...IF you promise to stop asking for a 4th baby! haha

M&M olympics

Another season of gymnastics has come to an end, and to celebrate the kids get to show off their ever-improving skills at the M&M Olympics.
This year, Daddy & the boys were able to attend!

We're so proud of you, Sweetie!