At the tiny kids amusement park thing we have here in the 'ville they opened up this last weekend for a Halloween celebration. What fun the kids had dressing up :) We had a Dalmatian and a monkey for children Friday night :)

 One of the Dalmatians favorite friends, Graham the Lion, and his parents joined us for the fun :)

 I'm not a fan of Halloween at all, but goodness I LOVE dressing my babies up :)

Mike and I are 5 weeks into a financial/budgeting small group at our church called Financial Peace University by Dave Ramsey. We love it! We have been working super hard at getting our money in line and realizing that over the last 7 years we really haven't had a plan of attack. Sure we are paying off school loans as fast as we can (and we are almost there!!) but there was never an actual plan. In these last 5 weeks we've learned to budget and have been following our budget for 2 weeks now! We are using cash for just about all our purchases and goodness has it been difficult making that mind switch from debit card to cash.

In the past I have been in charge of our money so it's been fun to have Mike take a huge roll in getting us organized. He set up the budget and above is him with 3 computers getting us all in line :) He has become the banker and it's been stretching but great to finally know where our money is going. We have been cutting out spurling items in our lives. One of which is cutting cable. We've been without it a week and we LOVE IT!!! We love the money we are saving but also we love the forced family time it is giving us. We don't have the option to just turn on the TV, sit and watch anymore; it's really nice. So while we've been working hard on getting money in line, cutting back on spending and learning more discipline in our lives, Satan has been hard at work in trying to get us to give up and become frustrated. As soon as we started Financial Peace we found mold in our guest bath. So we needed to redo our bathtub area (new bathtub and tile). Now this weekend this is what happened.........

 Mike's foot came through the ceiling in our living room! Really though you just have to laugh, right? :) Mike was putting away baby clothes in the attack and slipped a bit and thankfully didn't fall all the way through. Truly it could have been much worse (bigger whole or Mike could have been hurt) so thank you Jesus! But really!!?? We really enjoyed having our construction friend in our home doing our bathroom and so it will be great to have him back this week repairing our ceiling ;)  We just cling to the verse "no discipline seems pleasant at the time but painful, later on however it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it" Hebrews 12:11.

 And really we may get frustrated/annoyed by dumb things but we quickly look at our children and life just doesn't seem too bad anymore :) Above are Brods "battle scars" from our flour fight yesterday. So fun!

At the end of the day this is what matters :) Life doesn't get much better!

3 months

So many times I have no clue how to work this blogger! Now is one of them as my pictures are all over the place. Oh well! Little Miss is 3 months old! Here are some highlights:

• Sleeping about 11 hours at night! Bedtime feeding at 8 pm, asleep by 8:30 and wakes up between 7 and 7:30!  I love, love, love sleep so it is so great to be sleeping through the night :)
• Eating about every 4 hours. 
• Smiles the second she makes eye contact with anyone :)
• Is such a rolly polly her poor neck is one giant moist rash. We put baby powder in those rolls as much as we can though out the day, but goodness does she have rolls!
• Continues to be one super laid back girl! 
• Just days away from being in size 2 diapers 
• Wearing 3-6 month clothes

 It's getting cold outside! We had our first fire over the weekend with s'mores and everything :) You just know its going to be a great, lazy day when there is a fire going.

I just love this picture! These two continue to be each others "pals" B loves his sis. He loves "petting" her head holding toys in front of her face and grabbing her burp rag to wipe up her drool. Aubs just loves watching big brother play with her. She stops crying as soon as he is near :)

Brody loves Aubrie so much so that he wants to breastfeed her! HA!! He did this the other day because she was fussy. He got the bobby pillow all on his own, climbed up to the chair and lifted his shirt and said "Aubi, Aubi"! My first thought was "We have brainwashed him well without even saying a word!" :) I'm sure Brod will just love this story in about 14 years :)

 We finally caved and "splurged" on a basketball hoop for B. We have been looking for one at garage sales and on Craiglist for over a year. It was time. He gathers every ball we have in the house and with every throw yells "BASKETBALL!" It's great :)

 B also has his very first monkey backpack that he carries his diapers, wipes and sippy cup in when we leave the house. This picture doesn't even capture the amount of cuteness this is! It's really handy also because we don't have to carry 2 diaper bags.

 Fall has set in the 'ville and so our nightly walks have returned! Sweets gets to ride with no car seat! Mike's parents just got us a new sit and stand stroller and it really is a lot of fun.

 I am one blessed momma to have my family consist of these 3! Mike texted me today about taking me out on a date tonight. I texted him back who was watching the kids and it hit me again with tears in my eyes how much I love, love, love saying "the kids"!

The last two days while I'm getting ready for the day this is what B is busy doing. Trigger follows me everywhere I go. If I'm in the same place for more than a minute he goes to sleep. So Brod's new thing is making multiple trips from his bed to Trig and "tucking" him in to go to sleep! Everything on the boys bed gets on Trig. Blanket, Marvin the Monkey, his pillow and even the noise maker get brought in and even plugged in! I know Trigger is not a huge fan of the boy but seriously Trig's life was so boring before he came along ;) Goodnight Trig!

And one more funny story. I was picking Brod up from the nursery last night at church and the nursery worker jokingly said, "Brody knows 2 words, momma and snack"!! His priorities have shifted from daddy and doggies to me and food! When I think I can't love him anymore, I find myself loving him SO much more!!!

Road Trip

A few months ago Mike's brother and family moved to Oklahoma City. Mike's mom was flying in to visit them and so we decided to tag along. The 2 1/2 hour drive south made for a perfect first road trip for Aubrie. 

 We ventured to the zoo with all 5 kiddos :) Exhausting but SO fun!

 Fed birds! We were in a cage of birds that just land on you and eat. Kinda scary, but really fun. Brody wasn't real sure what to think, Aubs wasn't a huge fan when the birds shook nectar in her face (but who would be, right?)

 Loved every second of looking at every animal!

 Had a blast being with the cousins :)

 It was a low key weekend of going to the Zoo, Target, Chick-fil-A and LOTS of playing and TONS of giggling! One of my favorite parts of the weekend was when I lost my phone. I couldn't find it the whole day, even went to sleep without knowing where it was (not a huge deal, it never rings!) When we finally found it stuffed away in my suitcase pouch, Dillon said, "Yea, that's where I hid it"! HA! What a stink! :)

Oh and sweet Ashlyn! She choose her outfit specifically to match Aubs! What a great big cousin she it :)

 We finally became brave and took our family camping! It was just a little overnight thing but Mike and I wanted to know how doable camping was with a baby. The verdict is.....it's VERY doable!! :) We had so much fun! B is at such a fun age where camping just came to life for him. He was such a big helper setting up camp.

 Aubs did wonderful. She just kinda hung out wherever we placed her and was a happy baby :)

 We learned that quick, simple and easy is the key to camping food nowadays. Hot dogs over a fire, pancakes and DQ were a hit :)

 In the past Mike and I camped as far away from the playground as possible. We have now discovered the greatness of camping as close to the playground as possible ;) B would just stare at the playground pointing saying, "Side, deas" translation "Slide please" :)

 These two sungglers got to snuggle for about 30 minutes and B is not a snugler. So Mike soaked up every minute of this before putting the boy down for bed. Mike and B slept together, A slept in the pack n play and I got a bed all to myself! :)

 

Another highlight was a couple we met. They were on a worldwide camping adventure! Yes, worldwide. They ship their massive, camper around with them. She even gave me a tour of their home on wheels :) Check out their website www.whiteacorn.com. What a great retired couple exploring the world together!

This camping trip was such a success, another is being planned for next month :)

Top 10 about Meghan!

Today is Show Us Your Singles Day on a blog I follow http://www.kellyskornerblog.com/2012/09/show-us-your-singles.html . So in all respect to that blog I am posting this for my sweet, fun, heart of gold, adorable, motivated, single sister, Meghan. Enjoy this top 10 list of who Meghan is :)

 #1 - She loves the Lord with her whole heart, soul, mind and strength! She has such a desire in helping others know Him as well.

#2 - She helps out as a leader in youth group weekly and leads a middle school small group for "her" girls. She has so much fun with them :)

#3 - Meghan is a senior at Oklahoma Wesleyan University studying Physical Therapy. After graduation she plans on getting a second degree in nursing. 

#4 -She loves helping people and as you can see by her sweet, friendly smile others love it when she helps them also :)

#5- Meghan enjoys being outdoors. She's currently training for her first 1/2 marathon in November! She also likes hiking, backpacking and camping. 

#6 -Works at a Physical Therapy office and is a Barista at Starbucks.

 #7 -Family such a huge part in Meghan's heart. She ADORES her 4 nieces and nephews!

 #8 - She loves to travel and is always up for a trip.

#9 - She does like cats (but please don't hold that against her!) HA!

#1 - She enjoy watching and play sports (and I'm not just saying that).

Meghan is not just beautiful on the outside but her heart is absolutely gorgeous! She is a wonderful friend, auntie and sister! :)

 B really wanted to play trains with his sister so this is how he included her :) I feel like this could be one of those western movies where the young maiden is tied to the tracks, should I be concerned?

 B has also been a big helper lately around the house! When he sees us doing something that he thinks he could do he quickly says "Help peas, peas help". So here he is helping me with the dishes. I'm pretty sure his "help" is more of a mess with splashing bubbles all over but how can I resist such an eager helper :) His favorite chore is feeding the pups. He carries their bowels to their food, we fill them and then he carries both full bowels back and finds each pup and tells them to go eat. It really is the cutest thing!

 Today he was finding such entertainment in his toy bin :) He's really into Thomas the Train as you can see by him clinging to Oliver in his left hand and Thomas in his right :)

This was my first week back to work and what a week it was! I worked Tuesday (and it was a great day!) Wednesday afternoon I became sick, called Mike home early from church Thursday for kiddo help, went to work Friday (yea, shouldn't have done that) and finally today feel 100%. So yesterday was Mike's first full day home with the kids by himself. He did great and even got a nap himself! There were a couple projects around the house that he told me before going to work that he would do. Once I saw they weren't done when I got home he laughed and said, "Yea, what was I thinking?!"



2 months

Sweet thang had her 2 month check up today. Can you believe it? 2 months already! These days are flying by. I blinked and now Brody is almost 2, so we are trying to keep our eye's wide open over here but somehow time is still flying by! 

We are on the complete other end of the spectrum with Aub's. She weighs 11 lbs 9 oz and that places her in the 50-75% for wight and she is in the 90% for height! Holy cow! I knew she was getting long once she began to outgrow her 3 month clothes, but goodness! Here are a few more highlights:

• Has the most beautiful smile and often times smiles at the song "You are my Sunshine my only Sunshine"
• Is FINALLY going 8 hours at night (well the last 2 nights at least). Bedtime feeding at 10 pm and wakes between 6:30-7:00am. She has shown some major stubbornness with her night time sleep but after 2 weeks broke her from waking up at 4 am! YAY!
• Continues to LOVE sleep (she really is my girl!) It's still a chore to keep her awake during wake times.
• Nursing every 4 hours and she continues to be short, sweet and to the point. I remember with Brody nursing was such a great excuse to sit and watch TV for awhile or at least let it get me out of cleaning up after dinner. Not for sweet Aubrie though, she means business. 
• Doesn't need to be swaddled anymore.
• Really likes to suck her finger (as of day actually). I've caught that thumb in her mouth a few times!
• Continues to be ADORED by her brother! Brody is now saying "Aubi, Aubi" and is the first person he wants to see in the morning and when he wakes up from his nap. Brody loves rubbing her head and playing with her hands/feet. It's amazing how gentle he is with her and recently I've discovered he has a look for that he gives no one else. It's this protective, adorning look that melts my heart every time!

Aubrie continues to be a bit of a drama queen. I promise you the second she gets tired watch out world she's going to fall apart at the seams! Just like the picture above :) It is really cute though ;) She got shots today (we all got shots actually!). As soon as the first one went it of course she screams. Me seeing her pain I begin crying with her until I realize the girl hasn't taken a breath in quite some time (of course this is in a matter of tiny seconds). My tears quit as I begin gently shaking her saying, "Breath girl, breath" and the nurse quickly blows hard in her face and finally she took a huge breath and cried. I'm not sure if I have ever been so happy to hear that cry! This truly goes to show how dramatic she is ;) 

My heart has been SO full these last few months! I LOVE having children, I LOVE our growing family! Brody is growing up to be such a gentle heart all boy kind of boy and I find myself a million times a day saying how proud of him I am.Like the other night during family devotions we were praying and B reaches over and grabs my arm. I ask him if he would like to hold my hand instead and we sat holding hands and praying!  I find myself a million times a day just staring at our daughter and thinking how beautiful she is and just how perfect she is. I LOVE every bit of each of them and love how I don't love either of them less. My heart just grew and I love it! Yes, there are moments (lots of moments!) that are difficult and frustrating but we are praising the Father for His wonderful gift of family! I say this often but truly, life is good and God is great!

 We had one last (well I hope it was the last) bout of summer by going to the Splash Pad this weekend. B ran around like a crazy boy as if he knew this was his last time of the season here!

 Aubs enjoyed her first time (out of my baking oven) at the Splash Pad :)

 He had tons of fun filling up cups and then pouring water out.

 I'm always amazed when it's time to dry off how freezing cold B is and he doesn't even bat an eye. His lips were shivering this time!

 At 8 weeks old, Aubrie's room is complete! We are so happy with how it turned out.

 The dress on the wall is for all her bows. Do you think the girl has enough? And Auntie keeps making 

more :)

 The Bumbo came out the other day. Aubrie kinda likes it, for short periods of time. Brody has tons of fun holding toys in front of her face or trying to get her to drink his milk!

This one makes me laugh. It's as if she is saying, "Don't mess with me, I'm one tough girl!" I'm not sure if tough is the word quite yet, but B is making her tougher :)

Today we were sitting down to have breakfast. Brody had noticed we didn't pray. So very quickly he folded his hands and said pretty frantically, "Pay, pay, pay". I guess we are doing something right! Oh Lord continue to make him sensitive to Your Spirit :) We also got out the Nerf Guns today. Oh my what fun!! Brody quickly learned how to load the gun and laughed so hard as they were being shot. I found myself feeling sorry for Aubs that she couldn't play with us. She was totally missing out. Soon my girl you will join us :) I really included both praying and guns in the same paragraph. You get it all in this Kaelber household I guess ;)