Share your story!

  Don't underestimate the power your experiences can have in someone else's lives.

Truth is truth!

Questions are good, but are we seeking out answers in the right places?

#truthistruth #notallinformationisequal

As a parent you know what is best for your kids,

 don't let anyone convince you otherwise.

Your kids need YOU!

#weareourchildrensadvocates #theyareourgreatestblessings

Be you

Yes! I think I've found a new family motto.  

I want nothing more than to raise kids that have the courage to embrace who they are to stand for what they believe in.  Be you!

#thisisme #ptbarnum #beyou #sharethelight

8 Weeks to a Better You

New Years Style!

Yep we are back at it...but this time with a New Years twist and a few rule changes.

It starts tomorrow, so if you are interested click the blog link below

8 Weeks to a Better You Challenge

In a nutshell it's a 8 week challenge that will focus on our Physical and Spiritual Wellness. There are 10 things that you will try to do each day to earn points in the competition(with 1 Free day each week). And for the New Years Twist you will get to add 1 thing that you personally want to work on as your New Years Resolution.

Check out our 8 Weeks to a Better You Challenge Blog to learn more about it and join in if you want.

(click on "The Deal" & "The Rewards" tab on the top of the blog to learon more about how it all works)

We had a lot of fun last time around, and had a lot of requests to start it up again at the New Year...so here we are for our 2nd Challenge!

It starts on MONDAY, it's not too late to join

...I am SOOOOO ready, are you?

Im like a kid in a candy shop....

in this fabric store

Above All Fabric

The owner is a local gal here, but all her fabulous fabric can all be purchased on her website.

Here's my wishlist:

fabric of course, really can you have too much fabric??

seriously I love most of her fabrics, so funky!

Patterns

She has some great patterns here are a few that caught my eye

oh and this darling quilt pattern !

now here's to hoping I get randomly chosen for a gift card to her site so I can purchase my wishlist

And yes, I know I have been MIA in the blogging world!

I'll work on it....

eventually :)

It's always a treat

when Nana & Pa come town!

On Saturday, after the soccer and baseball games we took them up Mt Lemmon for the afternoon

it was SO BEAUTIFUL up there
You can't go up to the top of Mt Lemmon without stopping at the Cookie Cabin for some pizza and the yummiest, biggest cookies.

Wooops, guess these crazies didn't read the sign :)

My kids love love love to play games (yep, definitely my kids) so before my parents got here I told them that I played LOTS of games growing up and that Nana & Pa liked to play games too.

Wow, did my kids take that literally. The SECOND my parents walked in the door they were hittin' them up to play games! And Nana & Pa were great sports to play the Ladybug game and Uno all weekend long. AND Nana brought them a puzzle which was a hit too!

We loved every minute having Nana & Pa! The kids loved reading with them, playing games and being their "neighbor" for the weekend! We got to go to our favorite restaurant Cafe Poca Cosa while they were here (seriously, if you ever come this way its MUST, and if you live here and havent eaten there you are missin' out) and my mom and I even got an afternoon away for lunch and some shopping!

Ya I'm A Rockstar

because...

"I Can Walk!!"
and...


"I Can Do Laundry!"


Mom's note: Morgan decided to finally start walking this past weekend with just a few days to spare until she turned 14 months! And boy were we excited since Nana & Pa were in town to witness her first steps. She's still working on it, but I'm thinking give her a week or so and she will be cruisin' all over town. Nothing quite beats the look on a baby's face when they take those first steps, I never bore of her looking around to make sure everyone saw and then sitting down to praise herself with THE biggest grin and clapping for herself :) Ya she's a pretty cool baby!
Oh how I love her!

I got nothin'

How is it possible that I am sitting at my computer drawing a complete blank??

Its not like I've been blogging away lately :)

So I figured I'd download the pictures on my camera and that would give me something to blog about. Well apparantly I have been awful lately about taking pictures (I know, BAD MOMMY) because there weren't too many

So here's what I've got:

Paul has been hunting and gearing up for his deer hunt next week!

Dove Season

Brig & Raegan had a BLAST going dove hunting with him

I love this picture Raegan is so HAPPY and Brig looks a little disgusted :)

But they loved it and were so excited to tell me how they got to rip the heads off...are you kiding me?

***

As for me I have been busy busy with the

8 Weeks to a Better You Challenge

Remember a few posts back how I was starting a wellness challenge...well that little idea turned into 120 contestants! It's so great and we are thrilled to have so many people committed to doing this challenge with us. If you didn't get in on the action, but wish you did stay tuned, we are thinking in the Spring we will go for round 2!

(Julie, Keri, Karli & Yours Truly)

Saguaro National Park Labor Day Race

I really really underestimated this race, we signed up late and figured...

8 miles, we got that!

But this was NOT an easy 8 miles, it was UP HILL most of the way, but we didn't give up and in the end it was very rewarding. I was so proud of my buddy Karli, this was her FIRST RACE and she did great.

We will definitely be taking this race more seriously next year!

Raegan started soccer on the T-Rex team!
She has been so so excited for soccer, but I'm not gonna lie now that its started she seems much more interested in water breaks and .....

Tanner!
They hugged and held hand the ENTIRE 1st game :)
When she would pried herself off of Tanner she did great. Oh man this girl, I tell ya!


Brig is playing baseball again this season. And I must spend every game wrestling with a 1 year old and trying to not lose a 4 year old, because the season is more than half way over and I dont have 1 picture yet {I know, BAD MOMMY!} I'll get on that!

Funny story though, Brig is a big Yankees fan {thanks to Paul} and when the season started he said "I want to be on the Yankees, but its okay if its another team. As long as I'm not on the Red Sox, I WON'T PLAY!"

Yep, you guessed it
The Red Sox it is...luckily he got over it



And just because I think she's cute....
here's the 1 year old that's respoinsible for no baseball pictures

Sorry for the rambling on and on, but as we say in our house

"You get what you get, and you don't throw a fit"

So Deal!

When I grow up I want to be...

my little sister

(or any of my sisters, for that matter)

Meet Stacie:

she is so talented, and I must say gave me a pretty darn cute little niece, Lenna!

Stacie has always been amazing with a sewing machine, she can create ANYTHING and usually does it without a pattern, and uses scraps or clearance fabrics and supplies. She is known for taking clothes apart or anything she can get her hands on to use the fabric or embelishments.

Are you starting to see why I want to be her when I grow up? :)

She recently opened an etsy store with some of her fabulous creations

Check this out:

The Assymetrical Apron

Amazing, right?

Perfect Christmas gift, if you ask me!

She also is selling these darling baby dresses that she makes out of BANDANAS!

Check out her blog:

ReadJame

and her etsy store

ShopJame