Avery's 1st!

My sweet little princess turned one last month! Knowing this was my last 1st birthday party to throw- I wanted it to be just perfect! I love throwing a good party! I started planning months before the big day. I decided on a candy theme- and it all came together, finally. Considering my crazy life, I probably spent way too much time sewing, cutting, crafting and shopping for it, but it turned out just how I envisioned it. I love the pictures of that day. I love my little girl so much and it was the perfect party for such a SWEET baby girl!

I made about 30 of these wrapped candies and had them hanging from the back patio and draped the fabric banner between the 3 pillars. Those pillars are perfect for parties- I love them!


The candy table! (the star of the party!)
I'm usually pretty strict on candy with my kids, but I was proud of myself for just enjoying the evening and not letting it bother my that every time I looked at this table, my kids were stuffing their faces. I figure one time is okay!
A view of the food table. We had hamburgers, pasta salad, green salad, my mom's yummy baked beans, fruit salad, chips and lemonade- pink of course!
Avery got lots of rides around the yard on her birthday toy! She loves that thing! It's hilarious how she stands straight up in it and holds on to the steering wheel.
I made a little timeline of her 12 months- out of pictures and hung them on the mantle. It made me so sad looking back at those pictures. I have enjoyed every minute of having her in my life- and it's gone so, so fast.
Lots and lots of kids- all hyped up on sugar!
The birthday girl- getting lots of attention from her family. Her cousin, little Ruby, even made it for the party! I had my fingers crossed all week that Ruby could stay out of the hospital and be at Avery's party. She did it- good job Rubes!

Avery with her Auntie, Uncle Matt (he secretly LOVES her!) and Kim.
The centerpieces for the tables.
Have you seen a cuter bottom and chubby legs??
And last, but certainly not least, the birthday cake! Took her a minute to dive in, but then she had no problems getting into it.

This party was a lot of work, but I would do it again in a second for my sweet baby! I am so glad all of our dear family and friends came to help us celebrate our Avery Rose. She is as sweet as her birthday cake and I am thankful, beyond words, that she is a part of our family!! She is definitely the icing on our cake!

First Day of School

School started on August 24, 2010 this year. We had a great summer together, but with a 2 month old, I was ready for school to start! Tyler was starting 2nd grade with Mrs. Morris, Jake started 1st grade with Mrs. Steele, Addie was doing Tiny Tots (MWF) and Carter was doing playgroup once a week with his 3 little friends, Troy, Gwenny and Lauren. They all were so excited for their big, highly anticipated 1st days of school! As much as I hate to send them back each fall, this year I really enjoyed getting back to my schedule and having some more one on one time with the little kids.

field trippin' with Jake

I love going on field trips with my kids. It's so fun to see them in their "school" environment and with their friends. Plus, I love having that one on one time with them. So when Jake came home with a letter about a field trip- I was totally in! At first I didn't get "chosen" as one of the chaperones- and I was seriously bummed! But a few days later, his teacher emailed and said another parent dropped out and I could come! Yes!
We went to Lewisville Playhouse at Victoria Gardens to see the play, The Gingerbread Man. I loved riding the bus there with Jake. If you remember, he is my little boyfriend. He is constantly kissing me right on the lips, hugging me and trying to get on my lap- which is a little harder these days- he's so big! He was so sweet and affectionate the whole time- and SO thrilled that I got to go with him. In my opinion, it was the perfect field trip, short and sweet! After the play, we rode the bus back, ate lunch in the classroom and that's a wrap. Love my Jakey!
my group of kids- they were super excited when they found out I brought pretzel M&M's to snack on!

Jake with his best friend, Robert
Love my boyfriend, Jakers!

way too fast...

Avery Rose turned just turned 8 months.

I can not believe how fast the time is going.
She is perfect. Seriously- there isn't one single thing I would change
about this sweet girl.
She eat great, sleeps wonderfully, plays with her toys,
sits in one spot on a blanket, doesn't crawl (maybe my favorite!),
smiles constantly, travels like a champ and the best part...
she's a total MAMA'S GIRL! I am thankful for her every, single day.
When I think that sometimes I wanted to stop after #4-
I can't even comprehend that I would have missed out on HER.
This month:
She is sleeping 7:30 pm to 8:00 am. With 2- 2-3 hour naps.
Eat solids for breakfast and dinner- and 3-4, 6 oz bottles throughout the day
Weighs 17 pounds.
Just broke her first 2 teeth.
Sits up by herself. Rolls both way.
Copies us when we say "ha" and "da-da."
Loves to be held.
Got bronchitis/RSV this month and was on breathing treatments.
Is great in the car and when we're out running errands and driving the kids around.
Hardly cries- only when tired.
She makes our family complete.
She really is the perfect ending to our family.
These are the words that describe my Avery:
sweet, gently, soft, cuddly, beautiful, perfect, fuzzy hair, deep dark brown eyes,
always smells delicious, all mine, a gift.I love you, Avery Rose.
Thank you for coming to our family.

just do it

Sometimes it's hard to get 5 kids ready and out the door. And even harder to take them someplace for the day. I decided a long time ago that just because I have 5 children, I don't want to deprive them of fun activities because it's a lot of work and would be easier to stay home. Whenever I am spending days and days packing for vacation or a few hours getting ready for a beach trip, I remind myself of this and then I get over it! Yes, it's a lot of work, but we ALWAYS have fun! Just do it!!

Since we had a day off school, I convinced Aaron to come with us and do something new. We decided to check out the Discovery Science Center in Santa Ana. We had such a fun time and ended up buying a yearly pass, so we can go back again.

Jake thought this bed of nails was super cool! He did it over and over and over.

The kids and Aaron had fun standing in this little box that replicated winds like a hurricane! Aaron is standing there like 54 mph winds are old news!
Picture break!


We definitely have our little repertoire of fun things that we like to do around here: park , Chick fil A, skate park, Victoria Gardens, etc. But I am glad we decided to find something new to try. The kids could have stayed there all day- discovering new things and having a fun adventure.

laundry, schmaundry

With the amount of laundry I do on a weekly basis, I have been trying to fine tune my laundry routine for several months now. I have tried many different ways- once a week, once a day, whenever the basket is full, etc- nothing worked!

I was talking with a friend several months ago and she mentioned that she does laundry twice a week- on certain days. I liked that idea- and thought about how I could get 7 peoples laundry down to twice a week- and make it manageable. I finally figured it out!! At least this is what works for me.

I bought 2 laundry baskets and put them side by side next to the laundry room. One for the girls, one for the boys and then Aaron and I have one upstairs. There is also a smaller basket in the laundry room for towels, placemats, misc stuff. I do laundry once a week for each group of people: boys on Tuesdays , girls on Wednesdays and ours on Thursdays. I throw the random stuff in when the basket fills up or I have extra room in another load. What's amazing is that I have actually kept up with it! I think the main reason is, that if I skip a day, I get behind. I love this system, it's quick, easy and not overwhelming at all. Each day usually ends up being 2-3 loads. I wash it in the morning, fold it in the afternoon- which only takes 15 minutes or so- and put it away before bedtime. Wa-la! Done!

Along with our new laundry system, I decided to try making my own laundry soap. It was easy, fun, cheap and it worked great! Plus, I had a handsome little assistant, who is always willing to pull up a stool and help mommy.

Homemade Laundry Soap

3 bars Pink Zote Soap
4 pound box of Borax
4 pound box of Arm and Hammer Baking Soda
4 pound box of Arm and Hammer Washing Soda
1 small bucket of Oxygen Cleaner (like Oxyclean)

Grate the Zote soap. This part takes the longest! Mix all ingredients together, with Zote soap. You need a really big bowl or mix it in a garbage bag. Then pour it into a container and use a small scoop with your next laundry load!This homemade detergent has no odor. I love yummy smelling laundry- so I bought some Meyer's lavender laundry softener- and added it to my loads. It did just the trick and made the clothes smell so yummy and really, really soft.