May 9

April’s Clutter Count

I got back into the habit of de-cluttering in April, and most of my focus was in the boys room. I rearranged some furniture, got rid of a lot of stuff, and then tackled the closet.

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I really loved the way that the closet turned out. Before it was over stuffed with items that I thought I needed to save… I took a hard look at all of it, and decided to just keep six bins that I could stack and  keep on the top of the shelf. I cleaned out three more bins for a yard sale. I also ended up taking out two more contractor bags from the boys room.

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The boys room is my primary focus now. I am spending about an hour a week devoted to cleaning, and organizing their room before Summer arrives. I really hope to have the task completed before the end of the school year. I’ll then deep clean and de-clutter again in late August, I’m just accepting that it is going to be a mess with all of the kiddos home…

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I ended up cleaning out another 343 items out of the house. Not too bad.

May 8

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The Blooming Reader program ended last week. Thade not only reached his goal, he put forth extra effort and read 121 books.

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I am really proud of my big kid.

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Dylan and Agnes now want to read too, so I know what we will be doing this Summer.

To help celebrate Thade’s accomplishment, we checked out the book sale at the library.

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There was an entire room full of books for sale. The kiddos ran around and picked out a few.

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We ended up filling up a bag full of books to read over Summer vacation.

May 7

The Best Surprise

A few weekends ago, on one sunny Saturday I thought I should call my brother. The morning got away from me, and I felt bad that I hadn’t called. That afternoon there was a knock at the door, and we were all so surprised to see Uncle Rob!

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It was the best Saturday ever! I love my brother, he is just awesome.

May 4

April’s Favorite Photos

O.k. first off I took a lot of pictures in April… And secondly, well, here are way too many of them.

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Dylan was all smiles when we were out for a walk.

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Thade loves to swing on the swing-set at home.

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It was a little windy, but Agnes and Dylan didn’t mind.

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I finally convinced James to let me give Agnes a hair-cut. It turned out super cute!

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One day when the little ones wern’t feeling too good, they made a blanket fort. They had a blast playing in it even though they felt yucky.

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Dylan was watching Agnes draw a picture.

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One of the best days ever!

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I love my little family. We had a blast coloring Easter eggs with the kids.

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I had some dental work done… It wasn’t fun, but it had to be done.

This next batch of photos are from all around town.

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We visited the baby ducks at Tractor Supply. They are so cute! How I wish we had a duck pond. I just love their little beaks.

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We took a walk downtown to look at the roses.

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I took this one at “The Castle”. They have a beautiful shade garden filled with large Hostas and Calla Lilies.

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One more from the Pavilion downtown. The Roses were in full bloom.

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We visited a local greenhouse. I love the large potted succulent plant.

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It was a dreamy scene inside the greenhouse.

This next batch are all from our garden at home.

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I found this beautiful Mayfly on the Lily plant.

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The Hibiscus bloomed early. I love it’s big red blossoms.

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Last year’s Hosta came back. I love their cool green leaves.

Last, but not least your double dose of kitty cuteness.

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Aawww super cute!

May 3

Welcome Mia!

The little ones have been hoping and praying for a puppy for quite awhile. The boys are getting older, and they have really wanted a puppy to play with. I’ll confess, I wanted one too.

I had lots of pets growing up, and some of my favorite childhood memories are playing outside with my puppies. I want to give my kids those happy memories too.

I took the little ones to the local Pet Shop to see a few puppies, and one was especially cute. He was also way too much… Then James said, I don’t know if I even want to tell you my news.

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His co-worker had a Long Haired Chihuahua that needed a home… And she was free. I asked him to consider it, and he said that she could come over and we would see if the kiddos liked the puppy.

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The kids loved her instantly…

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And Dad said yes!

So welcome to the family Miss Mia.

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We are so happy to have you home.