Rooms

Here is some pictures of the kids room, Here is Jessie's

And Gary's.........

I'm so glad we got them done! Jess is having a friend come spend the night tomorrow to show it off, and Gary was gonna have someone come over but they wanted him to come over to their house instead. Tomorrow I'm gonna get on here and take a look back at last years goals and make some new ones. I have a motto for 2010,,, tune in to hear it.

Christmas morning

Our Christmas morning started about 2:30am, hearing doors being opened and Lots of bathroom trips,, we told the kids they couldn't wake us up until 6:30 so I think they got up to check the time a million times. WE had to wake up our precious baby when the time came,, but she did a great job of getting right in the mood. Here is my sleepy girl getting ready to open her stocking, and Gary tearing into his,

Jess too,,

Shelby, who normally sleeps til about 9 even got up for all the excitement,, here she is looking and wondering if she got anything

Don't worry Shelby, Santa didn't forget you!

Emma was very excited about her cleaning set she got,, now she doesn't have to steal my broom!

We got Jess this game,, I had never played it before,, its really fun,, we've played it a bunch of times today!

All the kids got sleds from Santa Clause. Here's Emma sitting in hers with some of her stuff.

After our Christmas we went over to moms house. Here are the 2 girls all dressed up in their pretty Christmas dresses.

Emma crawling through her tunnel that Nana got her. She kept saying Chucky Cheese, chucky cheese. I think cause they have tunnels there so it reminded her of the place.

It really was a great Christmas. The kids were all happy, as were Ben and I. Grandma got me a web cam so now we can talk to her and see her in Florida! That was a great surprise,, thanks guys! I hope everyone else had a great Christmas. I can't believe in less than a week it will be 2010!

Snow Fun

Emma got to play in the snow for the first time today!! She really enjoyed it. Here she is making her first snow angel. It was pretty funny cause she couldn't get up off the ground in her snow suit. Trying to make a snow ball....

The 2 girls with their little snow man that Mira had made earlier in the day.

And the whole bunch together. After we went inside Gary stayed out and made another snow man by himself. He did a really great job but I didn't get a picture of that one.

And here's Jess and Gary having a snow ball fight. IT was great fun until Jess got hit in the eye with a snowball. Her poor eye did swell up and she cried, but it looks fine now.

It was a fun day, and I'm glad I got to share it with the whole family... well Ben was in the woods hunting, but it was still good. Poor guys still didn't get his deer and now he says he's done. He's got one more day left to hunt but he has given up,, says its not worth his time to sit in the cold anymore. So we get to finally start on the big kids room tomorrow. I hope we get them done for Christmas!!

Painting

Its been a rough day today. The 4 year old I watch has been very grumpy and mean to Emma. I'm trying to teach her the concept of, if you dont have something nice to say dont say it at all, but thats a hard concept to grasp, even for some adults. Its hard for me to understand how you can be mean to someone thats only trying to be nice to you. Its probably just her age. She knocked Emma off the kitchen chair today then later pushed her down cause she was trying to give her a hug. I'm sure she'll cheer up later when she gets her Christmas present from me. Hopefully she'll be more grateful than the one I watch on 3rd shift,,, she acted like she couldnt care less when she opened her present and didnt even say thank you. It kinda made me sad and mad. But its all about the spirit of giving right?? I think it just feels a lot better when the person you give to is happy.

We did some painting today,, Emma loves to paint and draw.

Here is Bree's paintings

And here's Emma's. I think its an abstract! :)

I can't wait for Christmas when she gets her easel and other art stuff,, she's gonna love it so much! 7 more days!! Now I need to get off the computer and clean my house while its nap time...It's a mess!

Some pictures

I haven't posted any pictures lately so here's a couple of Emma from today.

This is one of her favorite things to do,, look at pictures!

This one is from a little while ago, but its Emma and Gary watching a Barney video on the computer. She isn't to interested in t.v., but the one thing she will watch is Barney goes to the farm, but we don't have the movie so she watches it on the PC.

Just a few more days til Christmas!! I can't wait! Today I will be baking 3 different kinds of cookies and trying to make peppermint bark for the first time. We will be passing these out to the kids teachers and the parents of my childcare kids!! Hope they like them!!

Updates and some advice :)

Is it true that when your cold you burn more calories??? Well if so I'm burning them now baby!! Its 18 degrees and the wind is blowing like crazy!!! I'm sure our trash cans have probably all blown away, but I'm to much of a whimp to go out and check. I hate the cold!!!!

Today was a pretty good day. My niece, Amira, came over and played for a little bit. Her and Emma are so stinkin cute together.. They give each other hugs and kisses, unfortunately that love can turn in an instant that one touches the others toy,,, but that's normal. :) I'm so glad they have each other to play and grow up with.. I hope they end up to be great friends. Sometimes I try and picture what they'll be like when there older together. They will probably sit around and make fun of us adults together.LOL.

I take Emma back to the dermatologist on Friday to check out her rash that's still there....:( He said it was eczema but I've been using the cream he gave me and its not helping. Its on her face and people always wanna know whats wrong with her.. It makes me sad. Hopefully she will grow out of it. She still scratches like crazy, poor thing.

Jess is doing great. She's enjoying being the manager for the basketball team. She came home today and told us that she has a new "boyfriend".. He is the brother of the kid that Gary will be going to his b-day party on Friday night, and she said that that boys mom said she could come to the party to since she is Caleb's girlfriend..... Ben was like...uuuuhhhh NO!!! Poor thing, shes gonna have a hard time when she gets older,,,, I don't think Ben is going to do well with letting his little girl out.

Gary's enjoying having his friend be my new childcare kid! Of course there seems to be a lot more noise with 2 boys in the house!! (mom I think you were lucky having 3 girls instead of 3 boys!) Gary seems to be doing well in school. He got an A on his project he did a few weeks ago!!

And some advice for today...... Pick your battles. Sometimes life will be easier if you just let some things slide. Whether it be something with your husband,,, or your almost 2 year old wanting to help with the dishes (even though you know your gonna have a mess to clean up after)(that ones for you Dawn.lol :)------kids are only gonna be kids once, and husbands...well you have your whole life to pick your arguments with them, so if its not something major, sometimes its better just to let it go, and you will have a more peaceful house for doing it.

Stay warm!

Menu plan

Here's what we'll be having for dinner this week:

Monday-round steak, garlic potatoes, green beans
Tuesday spaghetti
Wednesday-sirloin stir-fry and rice
Thursday-tacos, refried beans
Friday-pork chops, baked potatoes, spring veggies

Most everything on my menu I already had in the house! I was able to only spend 16 dollars this week groceries. Although I need to still get some fresh fruit.

Life update

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving! All went well here. We went to mom's house like always... my dads got canceled so only one "pig out" feast. That's probably a good think though. Ben got his results from the health fair his work had and it showed he is not in good health at all. I made him a doctors appt. for Monday so he can get checked out there and hopefully get on the right path to getting healthier. Since he got his results I think it really scared him because he is really trying to eat healthier now. I'm going to do my best to have lots of fruits and veggies around for him to choose from. I'm sure I could use a little healthier eating to. I'm going to try my best to start getting back to working out. I'm paying for this Y membership that's barely getting used so I need to take advantage of it!!
Now that Thanksgiving is over that means Christmas is right around the corner. I love that holiday but I always get a little down about it to. I know its not about the presents but for kids thats sometimes hard to understand and they want so much. I wish I could give them everything they want but its just not possible. We did talk the 2 older kids into redoing their rooms for the big part of their presents. The both need new carpet and their walls pained. Jess is really excited about it!! Shes been wanting this for a long time. So since we are doing that and its not cheap they will just get a few extra other things. I've pretty much already got them from the black Friday sale.
Money is becoming a issue again,, oh wait isn't it always. :) I need to get back on the frugal track and cut out all excess, with the exception of chore rewards. I started a new chore system with the kids and once they get so many stars they are rewarded with certain things like eating out or going to a movie. I'm trying so hard to teach them responsibility. Especially Gary.
Starting tomorrow morning I will have an addition to my childcare. Its a b4 and after school boy. Its Gary's friend and hes really excited about it. Finally someone one of his same gender. :) It seems all my daycare kids are girls normally. Since its only before and after school its not much extra, but its worth it. Every little bit helps.
Well thats a little update with my life. Hopefully I'll have something new and exciting to share soon. Have a great day.

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Happy thanksgiving everyone!!! Remember to take the time today to really appreciate all the good that's in your life! If you just stop and think we all have so much to be thankful for. These days of giving thanks went fast and there is so much more that I could list, but today I would like to say that I'm thankful for my great neighbor April!! Its so nice to have someone you can trust living next door to you.. she always comes through when I need to borrow a cup of sugar or I'm in a bind and need someone to help out with my kids for a little bit. She is one of the nicest most caring people that I know and I'm so glad we had the chance to meet and become friends! I know that one day one of us will move away and I really hope we can continue to be friends...

Happy thanksgiving all!

Giving thanks, Day six

Wow,, ,tomorrow is the big day!!! Today I am thankful for Bennie. Without him my life would not be what it is.

Giving thanks, Day five

Today I am thankful for my children! They are all such blessings in my life! Jessica, who although seems to be getting the attitude of a teen a tad to early,,,, is always such a wonderful help when I need her, and shes also a good shopping buddy! Gary,,, well for just being Gary,, he helps to teach me patience everyday, :) And Emma, who never fails to make my heart melt with her smile. I love each and every one of them so much!

Giving thanks, Day four

I got to go see my grandma Baldridge tonight.. She had a stroke a couple of weeks ago and was in the hospital for a week, then they transferred her to a nursing home, just until she is able to move around on her own. I saw her the day after she had the stroke and she couldn't move or talk,, and today she is able to talk, you cant understand most of what she says but she still jabbers on just like she always has. She is so sweet and so today I am thankful for her recovery. She is improving everyday and Lord willing hopefully we can have her home for Christmas!

Giving thanks,, Day three

Its been a long crazy day, so today's will be short. Today I am thankful that I got to go see New Moon with Jess. It was a great movie, and it was also nice to be able to share it with her.

Giving thanks,, Day two

Today I am thankful for being able to work from my home and stay with my children. Being home is so important to me, I just feel like its my calling,, what I was meant to do with my life, being a wife and mother. I know its not for everyone, but its what is right for me! Its defiantly not always easy,, and money is always tight, but it works for us.

Giving thanks..Day one

With it being November and Thanksgiving coming up I decided today that I'm going to say something I'm thankful for from now until Thanksgiving.

Today I am thankful for my parents. Mom and Dave, who knows where I would be without the guidance you have given me throughout my life. I know I wasn't always the easiest kid to deal with when I was younger, but you held your ground and got me through it all! There were so many times when I was a teenager that I wanted anyone else besides you guys to be my parents(lol) ,, but now that I'm grown with kids of my own, I can see exactly why you set the rules that you did. And I thank you for that! Even after I moved out you guys have still be there to catch me and help me back up every time I have fallen, and we all know that I wouldn't be where I'm at today without your help!
Dave always treated me as if I was his own daughter and he didn't have to do that..... Thank you.
Mom,, your always there when I need you to listen, and you can always make me feel better...Thank you. I am so thankful for you both!!

Happy Birthday Ben

Today is Bennies birthday!! For those that don't know, I got him the mussel loader that he has wanted for many many years for his birthday!! He LOVED IT! I didn't think it was possible for him to be anymore excited about hunting season but once he got his gun he was! I don't like hunting season, mainly because that means we see a lot less of him, but I truly thought he deserved this gift!
I am so thankful that I have Bennie in my life....I'm not sure what track my life would have taken had he not come into it 11 years ago,, and honestly I don't want to know. This man gives me the best gift every single day of our lives,,, he lets me stay home and be the wife and mother that I've always wanted to be! He goes to work everyday to a job that I know he doesn't love, for me and our kids. He has come so far since the day I met him,,, he's changed his life for the better in so many ways, and he never had to do any of that. We wernt married when I got pregnant with Jess, and he could have decided that it was to much for him and went on his merry way but he didn't. He has stood by me through good times and bad,, he has given up a lot of his "bad" past, and traded it in for the good. He went back to school and got his GED, he worked hard and became a supervisor at his job,, and now hes taking college courses to better himself even more.
This man rarely ever tells me no,, if I ask for something,, he says go ahead and get it. He wants me to be happy. I also want him to be happy, but to many times I do have to tell him no because we cant afford the things he wants most of the time. :( That is why I got him his gun for this day, even with all the hesitation I had, knowing I was adding 2 more weeks to his hunting season, and putting it on the credit card when I've more or less banned the use of them. I wanted to show him how much I love and appreciate him and I hope he realized that.
I love you Bennie Allen Keyes, more today than the day I met you. Our love grows stronger with each passing day and with each roadblock we come to in our sometimes very hectic life......We often say to each other that we seem to have a run of bad luck lately, but you know what?????? I think we are the luckiest people alive because we have each other, and 3 beautiful children that we made together. Happy Birthday Baby!!!

Random pics from Thursday

YeeHaa

Doing the chicken dance

Tough times

Life has been rough lately.....things just keep going from bad to worse. As everyone knows we've been trying to save up money for Ben to get a vehicle....we just cant seem to do it. I hate to admit defeat, but something always seems to come up. He's so aggravated because he works so hard but cant seem to get ahead. It makes me feel so bad to see him so depressed. I keep reminding him that there are a lot of people a lot worse off than us. We have a nice house,, food on the table, and we can pay our everyday bills. And of course we have each other.

Then to top it all off,, somehow, someone got ahold of my debit card numbers and was able to clear out my bank account! $460.00 worth they took out! So I had to go to the bank and work that out,, they say they will refund the money but it can take up to 10 days for that to happen. So we are broke until then.

When it rains it pours. We will get thorough. He sent me a really nice text message today saying how we are meant to be together and we can make it though these tough times. It was very sweet and I really needed to hear that because I was starting to get really worried about the way he was acting lately.

Were really trying hard to come up with some cash,, he's even trying to sell a set of his golf clubs which is HUGE for him! We put them on Craig's list but haven't had any offers yet. :(

I'm just trying to have faith that everything will work out in the end. God wont give us anything that we cant handle,,, and we will get through this.

Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween everyone.... We had lots of fun trick or treating,,, excuse these pictures being backwards,,, Here's our candy load that we got! Emma wanted to walk the whole entire time!! She would not let us carry her. She only got a little scared a couple of times when there were some really scary people wearing masks. She seemed like such a big girl.

Here we have Gary the vampire,, Jess the goth girl, and Emma was Snow White.....she was mad in this picture because she wanted to go and I made her take some pictures first :)

It was a fun night! Jess isn't smiling in the pics because she said goth girls dont smile. LOL

10 years tomorrow!

I feel so stinkin tired!! I don't know why I'm just exhausted.. I feel like my eyeballs are sunken into my head. I don't think I'm sick. I didn't sleep well last night, it was after midnight b4 I fell asleep, then Emma was up crying for some reason around 1:30. This weeks just wearing hard on me for some reason. The kids are on fall break for the rest of the week, so there all home. It amazes me how fast they can get board!! I need to come up with some project or something for them but I'm just so tired... We tried to play outside but the bees are swarming out there for some reason! Bees and me don't get along :)

I've got lots on my mind again lately. Sometimes I wish I could just shut my brain off and not worry about so much! Wouldn't that be nice?

On a good note, tomorrow is Ben and mines 10th wedding anniversary! I'm so proud of us. We've been through a lot and come so far! Saturday we will make our annual trip up to Red Lobster! Yummy! We've done that every year for our anniversary for as long as I can remember and its always shrimp fest when we go up. Then we'll probably walk around some shops or something, then come home and enjoy a nice bottle of wine and relax! Jess and Gary are spending the night with mom, and we will pick up Emma on our way home.....(not sure how she would do spending the whole night away from her mommy). I hope we have a good time and can have good conversation.. I find it hard sometimes when were out by ourselves......I feel like there is a lot of dead air and we struggle sometimes for things to talk about that dont include kids and our daily life. Is that a normal thing as couples are together for a long time? I wonder what it will be like when were 80? Anyways, I love him to death and cant wait til Sat!

Happy Husband

All is well with the world again.....Bennie got his steak! We finally got to pick up our meat today. We filled up our little chest freezer and had to put some in the freezer above the fridge! Life is GOOD!

Apple picking

We made it today to pick our apples and get our pumpkins. It was a little chilly but loads of fun. I looked back at the pics from last year when we went and Emma was so little last year. It was also hot, and we went on the same weekend! Here's the girls picking their pumpkins. Emma was so cute, she kept saying me want pumpkin, but she kept saying no to every one we showed her.. I guess she had one in mind that she wanted. We ended up getting a little one, just like her :)

Here we are in the orchard. Each kid had their own little basket.

My little monkey.

She couldn't wait to eat them :)

We had lots of fun. This is our second year of going, so I think it has become our family tradition! I love traditions! :)