My New (Used) Van

We knew getting another vehicle was in our future, but we hadn't decided when we'd get one. While we were in Florida, we joked several times about trading off the Expedition and buying a van to drive back.  On the drive home, the check engine light came on, and our jokes soon became reality.  Kevin and I both felt like we should go ahead and start looking for another vehicle.  I had said I wanted a Tahoe, but after driving the Expedition the last several months, I knew I didn't want the big gas bills that come with the V8.  I decided I wanted another van.  I loved the blue Honda van I had last year so that's what we started searching for.
Our search lasted a couple weeks.  We started out looking at local car lots and Craigslist, but nothing fit our criteria (Honday Odyssey // 2011-? // Black // DVD player a major plus). About two weeks ago, I was doing laundry and Kevin came in the bedroom to tell me he found "the one".  It was in Clarksville, Tennessee on Craigslist and was everything we had said we wanted.  He showed me, I liked it, and Kevin called the owner.  The owner is in the military and his family was planning a big move to the mountains.  They needed a 4 wheel drive vehicle and he said they hoped to sell it before they moved.  All that sounded like it was in our favor.

The picture we saw on Craigslist

While Kevin was on the phone, we talked about driving down the next day to get it - but we got stuck on the price.  At that point the owner didn't want to come off his asking price at all.  I was doing online searches that told me it was worth less than he was asking, so I didn't want to give them their full asking price.  This conversation went back and forth for a couple days.  Two Saturdays ago, he texted to tell us they had another offer that was about what we offered, and he said if we'd come up a little, they'd come down a little, and they'd sell it to us.  Kevin and I talked and decided a few hundred dollars shouldn't keep us from getting the van if it's what we wanted.  We also went ahead and came up on our price because the van had brand new Goodyear tires that were put on a month ago, and came with the aftermarket rubber floor mats, and had the towing package.  They upgraded several things, and it seemed like a good buy.

Kevin called the owners and told him we were going to get a loan as soon as he got off the phone (this was like 11am) and we'd come get the van that evening.  I was a little skeptical about buying a van we hadn't seen in person, but the owners kept telling us it was so clean and it such great condition.  We took them at their word, got the loan, and drove 2 hours to Clarksville.

When we pulled up, the van looked great.  The owners showed us two tiny dings that were hardly noticeable, and then showed us the inside.  It was in "like new" condition like they had said.  Most of the vans we looked at previously were beat up because obviously families with kids use them.  This family had 2 kids that were older, so they weren't very hard on the interior.  I don't even think the 3rd row was used much at all.  They told us they had several people calling daily about the van (which I really do believe that), but they both really liked us and wanted us to get the van. 

We took it for a test drive knowing we were buying it.  We got back to their house, signed a bill of sale, gave them a check, got the title, and we headed home.  The van is SO NICE!  I laugh at the old Haley that said she'd never drive a minivan.  It's the nicest vehicle I've ever owned and I love it.  I'm planning on driving it for 100,000 miles and then I'll probably look for another one!  I told Kevin at this point in my life, I could see me driving a mini van forever!  And I'd be just fine with that :)

Kevin needed a drink for the road, so we pulled over to get that and a picture with the new van!

The next day, I drank a "Jamaican Me Happy" while I watched Kevin and the kids wash it :)

P.S.  We said no food or drinks allowed in the van, and so far so good!  The kids have been really following that rule because they love the new van too and want to keep it looking as good as it does. 

Meet Grayson

Sunday was our day to get stuff done!  We had a of list places we needed to go, a list of things to get from the store, a list of things to get done at home - and getting a new dog wasn't even on my radar!  Our second stop while we were out was to PetSmart.  CeCe needed food.  We parked and realized they were doing a big adoption event.  The tent was set up in the parking lot, so of course we decided to just walk through.  There were teeny tiny baby kittens - and as adorable as they were, it was easy to say no.  I don't need anymore cats in the house!

But the dogs.... there was so many dogs.  Kevin kept seeming to fall in love with everyone he read about and I kept rolling my eyes.  See, over the last year we've thrown around the idea of getting another dog.  We thought it might help CeCe if she had a friend to play with.  CeCe is great at her chicken keeping job, but not great with her people skills.  But we always got stuck with the "what ifs".  The biggest being, what if it's bad with chickens?

So we looked at a couple in cages - one was sweet and cute but had been abused and wasn't good with men or kids - so that was a no.  Then we say "Jerry".  His coat was really different, he seemed like a great size (CeCe doesn't like dogs her size or bigger), and he was SO CALM!

We got more info about him.  His foster mom was there and answered all our questions.  Kevin kept telling me he wasn't leaving with out him.  I kept rolling my eyes and said lets think about it because if he was bad with the chickens we'd have to give him back.  By this time, the lady in charge of the PAAWS organization was over and told us we had two weeks to see if he was a good fit or not.  If he wasn't, we could return him and it would be no big deal. A little about him, he's 10 months old, he was picked up with a brother that looked like him, and he's a Australian cattle dog mix.  He's also been neutered and he is up to date on shots. 

We filled out the paper work and the whole time I'm saying to myself, "Are we really getting another dog?"  I always feel bad about the lack of time I spend with CeCe.  But it was a done deal, and we changed all our plans and headed home with him.

CeCe was immediately defensive of her water and food bowl.  The new dog seemed scared of the chickens but that didn't last long.  About an hour after we got home I went to my in-laws to get a kennel they don't use, and Kevin called to say the new pup had gotten a hold of Sunny - our little handicapped white chicken whose wing was amputated last summer and her breed can't fly.  Thankfully she had just lost some feathers and was ok.  We locked the chickens up to keep them safe and decided we'd try to introduce them slower.  

So it's been about 48 hours that we've had him.   He's THE SWEETEST DOG - minus the little chicken incident!  I've only heard him bark twice, he and CeCe are getting along very well (they both have their own food and water bowls), he'd done great in his kennel at night, he never jumps up, he just sits and loves to be pet.  He follows who ever is outside where ever they go.  Oh, and the kids insisted on the name Grayson.  So, meet Grayson.  He may be the sweetest dog ever :)  And we feel pretty confident we can get the chicken situation worked out!

Kisses for Allie

Krissy wanted nothing to do with being in the picture

He's so ugly he's cute :-P

He looks adorable with his little red scarf!

April Changes

The month of April kept us busy!  I thought I'd recap some of the things that happened this month!

New Bedtimes

Since Kevin started day shift this year, he's been going to bed early.  He works 5:30-2, Monday-Friday.  He wakes up between 4 and 4:30, so he goes to bed around 8 o'clock most nights.   Normally I'd put the kids to bed around 9, then I'd stay awake and watch tv until 11ish.  

I decided this past month that I'd try to get the kids to bed by 8, so I could go to bed then too.  (I don't usually fall asleep until 9:30.)  It was a big change for us, but I LOVE IT!  I wake up on my own between 5-5:30. Waking up before the kids gives me some time to wake up slowly and unrushed.  I sometimes workout while it's still dark, but this is mainly the time I do my bible reading.  Before I started waking up early, I'd wake up in time to get the kids out of bed, rush to feed them breakfast, get them ready, and on the bus.  I'd feel all day long like I needed to get my bible reading done, and it was just very hectic and not so enjoyable!  

Another change is now the kids wake up on their own too.  Hayden is usually the first awake and he's up by 6:30.  Allie is always awake before 7.  Our mornings have become so fun and peaceful!  Some mornings they turn on the tv, snuggle together under a blanket while I make them breakfast.  I send them to school with smiles and hugs and kisses, rather than us all feeling frustrated, rushed, and upset!  

Hate Being By Myself

That hour or so I have to myself every morning is pure bliss.  Kevin is always encouraging me to get some time to myself, and I have to admit, I find it totally awkward and I hate it.  I hate shopping by myself, I hate going to appointments by myself, and I'd much rather have one or two kids in tow with me!  I feel like when I'm not being "mom" or "wife," I just don't know what to do with myself!  I just came to this realization this month when I've had to go several places alone.  I know I'm not going to have little kids with me forever, so I'm going to have to eventually get over this.  But, while the kids are still little and want to go places with me, I'm going to happily take them along :)

Minimalist

This month, I've come to love the idea of being a minimalist.  In the last few weeks, I've worked really hard to get rid of "extra" in our house.  I started in the kitchen, and cleaned out and reorganized every cabinet and drawer!  I couldn't stop, and have since gone through almost every room/closet/piece of furniture in the house.  The only place I have left is my closet - and that's going to be a big job!  (I even went through shelves in the garage!)

The kids cleaned out the play room and we took out 4 bags of toys (1 for garage sale, 2 for goodwill, 1 for trash).  I let them keep 7 toys in their drawers and 2 stuffed animals in their beds.  If they want to replace one, then one needs to go.  That may sound extreme, but they still have containers of dolls, barbies, dress up, legos, blocks, cars, and k'nex in the closet!  They can't get the containers down unless the playroom floor is cleaned, and cleaning is now a breeze with the limited toys they have available to them.  Hayden struggled the most with this purging.  I ended up letting him have one small container of "stuff".  He's always been attached to odd little things.  But even he told me last week he was so glad we cleaned out the drawers because he's found toys that went missing that he really loved.

The kids weren't the only ones to clean.  My hall closet was my craft closet and it got a total clean out.  I took out about 5 trash bags of craft supplies and fabric and put them all in my garage sale.  My hall closet use to be like that dreaded closet in the house but now it's holding just what I need.  I don't have to body slam the door to shut it, and I even hung pictures in there!  It's turned into a happy place. 

With our kids birthday's getting ready to kick off, we've been asking for giftcards from the people that usually get our kids gifts!  From here on out!  We'd much rather take the kids for ice cream, or to the movies, or to FiredUp, or Gattitown, or the kids museum, or anywhere!  We want experiences to be more valued than stuff.  Our thinking is, the gift(s) we pick out for them will be more meaningful when they aren't overshadowed by tons and tons of toys, and the giftcards from others let us keep celebrating long after the birthday has past.  Win/win in my book!

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One thing I love about the changes we've made this month is my kids have really enjoyed playing together.  Kevin's noticed and pointed it out too... (like the day it rained and they all went out back and splashed in mud puddles.  They came in with the biggest smiles on their faces!)  I know they've always loved each other, but it just seems like they have been able to really enjoy Hayden & Allie home from school, enjoy their time outside, and enjoy playing with whatever toy is out.  This may have something to do with the earlier bedtime too, or maybe that mom and dad are less stressed by stuff and they can feel that too?  I can't pinpoint what's to credit for this month's extra happiness, but it was definitely a good month at our house!

K&A

Krissy and Austin surprised me this school year.  I was afraid they wouldn't get along with Hayden and Allie at school, but they get along so well!  Usually, Krissy is telling Austin exactly what to do, and he happily plays along with anything she says.  I snapped a few pictures of them during one of our regular days at home.  Krissy had the dress-up clothes out, and I think she had on 5 different outfits throughout the day.

They like to eat lunch on their knees

 Another outfit change... Krissy asked Austin if he wanted a make-over, and she put lip gloss on him.  All these were unposed.  Austin is such a character!

Baby Bunny

Kevin mowed our grass this weekend, and I was inside with the kids.  I was in the playroom, and I heard Kevin bust through the front door and run through the house.  Immediately my heart started racing because I just knew something happened.  Well, this little bunny is what happened!  Kevin's mower scared it and was running on the outside of the fence, and then went under the fence.  Kevin saw CeCe chasing it, so that's why he was running in - to save it.

I immediately snatched it out of his hands and wanted to love on it.  By this time all the kids were in the family room and wanting a turn holding it too.  I made them sit down.  They all had two turns holding the baby bunny before we took it back out and let it go in a clover patch.  We hope it found it's way back to it's nest!

Hayden tried to feed it clovers and cherry tomatoes, but it was scared to death and wouldn't eat anything.

Photo by Hayden :)

Another photo by Hayden

And  one pic in color - you can see it's cute little tail in this one :)

Changing Rooms

We've been talking about bunking the kids up in bunk beds for months.  All the kids were excited about the idea and looking forward to having some room in their rooms to play.   (And I was excited to have all their toys out of the family room and in one spot!)  The room situation was:  Hayden & Austin shared a room and Allie & Krissy shared a room.  One night it dawned on me, why don't we bunk them all in the same room and have one whole room for a play room instead of having a boys and girls room.  I ran the idea by Kevin and he thought it was a great idea.  Then, I ran the idea past the kids, and they wanted it done that day.

I was thinking in my head that after the first of the year we'd move them, but Kevin was so on board with the idea it happened this past weekend!  Let's be honest... I'm the one full of ideas and he's the one that makes my ideas reality.

We know this probably won't be our permanent room set up, but I can't even tell you how excited the kids are about this arrangement.  They came home from school on Monday and asked if they could go to bed! Ha!  I'm having to lay down the law about staying in bed when lights go out... and only 1 person in the top bunk at a time - Krissy and Austin are the ones that have the hardest time with the rules.  Thanksgiving was the perfect time to move them.  I was feeling very thankful about what great friends they are, so it was exciting for all them to be roomies.

The play room is a work in progress.  I've got some storage ideas for this room, but they will probably have to wait until the first of the year before they become reality!  Basically... waiting for Kevin to get some time off! :) 
The bedroom will get a couple small additions - pictures on the wall, maybe curtains, but it's pretty much done!

I found the solid oak coffee table in the middle of the room at Goodwill this weekend.  It was $8.  I envisioned the kids playing at it, coloring, playing cars and playing barbies on it.  I loved the height and the rounded corners and did I mention the price tag!

Update

It made me laugh how many people have commented on my lack of blogging lately!  I'll be honest, we are starting this new season of life and it's BUSY!  I'm still trying to figure out how to balance my time.  Those of you that have multiple kids involved in multiple activities where parents are expected to participate and donate (their time and talents) get what I mean!  And we only have two kids in school that are involved in extracurricular activities... so Lord have mercy on me, I can only imagine what our normal chaos will be when they are all in school!

I normally get a little down time during the afternoon when the kids nap.  Sometimes Krissy naps, sometimes she sits in her room for 20-30 mins and decides she's not tired.  But regardless, I've been using this time to do a little cardio workout DVD, and work on projects (sewing/baking/crafting).  I need to add blogging to that mix because I don't want to look back on these years and it be a big blur!  Here are some headliners from the last few weeks:

Hayden joined scouts.  He did this 2 years ago, loved it, but us parents were totally over it.  3+ meetings a month, plus lots of weekend activities left us overwhelmed.  It also didn't help we were leading Hayden's den and knew nothing about scouting!  So, Hayden said over and over when school started he wanted to join again.  We agreed to it, but Kevin and I promised each other we weren't taking any leadership spots this time, though we've been asked several times!  He's a few weeks in, things are going much better, and we are gearing up for popcorn sales that start in 9 days!

Allie is cheering for Castle Youth Football League.  She's got the full uniform, pom-poms, huge bow, and has had weekly practices to learn cheers.  She cheers at a game every Saturday.  The season only lasts through October, but she's LOVING it!  She asks if she can do cartwheels though Walmart, and the only time she's gotten in trouble at school was for doing cartwheels in the classroom.  The girl just wants to tumble and I think it's adorable!

Krissy is turning 4 next week!  Is this really possible?  We are having a little family party on Sunday and will take her out for a special morning of fun followed by lunch on her actual birthday.  We just did some pictures tonight and I can't wait to share them with you!

Austin is such a ham.  He makes us laugh all day.  Right now we are working on keeping hands to yourself.  (Krissy is working on that too.)  He also insists everyone gets hugs before they leave. 

I joined the mom's Wednesday bible study group at our church.  It meets every week for a couple hours and we are going through the study on Missional Motherhood.  It's been really good for me to get ready and get out of the house and make some new friends.  The kids get to go to a little class where they do projects and hear bible stories and they enjoy it too.

We sold our van.  It was nice having the van, the expedition, and the truck, but we are trying to get debt free (except the house) and we both felt like selling a vehicle was the right move. 

I'm volunteering in Allie's class once a week.

Kevin was on day shift these past two weeks and it's thrown off our usual 2nd shift schedule.

I've had two good friends come in town this month that I've got to visit with.  I really enjoy these girls and the fact we've been friends for 20+ years!

We went to Holiday World last weekend for Kevin's work party.  This was the first time our whole family has gone.  The kids are asking, "When can we go back?"

This month I've made strawberry cupcakes, homemade bread and butter, chocolate chip cookies (2 times), pumpkin cupcakes with cream cheese icing, salted caramel macrons, yellow cupcakes with chocolate icing, and sugar cookies. I love baking sweets AND eating sweets but I'm trying to cut back on my sugar consumption, so I gave away most of what I baked!

I am doing a wedding cupcake/cake order for a friend in a couple weeks.  It's amazing to me how many people still think of me when they need a cake.   It's truly flattering.  But, I get all kinds of anxiety about whether or not a cake order will be up to par and whether or not it meets their expectations.  So, I've decided to bake for the fun of it (my kids birthday cakes, cakes for parties I host, teacher and bus driver gifts, and on the rare occasion of baby showers for close friends, etc).  I have a dream that one day when all the kids are in school I may find time to start taking orders again.  I really do love baking, but right now, taking orders isn't doable most weeks.

Ok, so that's kind of the gist of what's been going on.  I have an ongoing list of blog ideas on my phone that I may finally write up... or expand more on some of the things I mentioned above.  Be looking for Krissy's birthday posts starting next week!

Sick Day(s)

Here's our sick report:

Sunday night Krissy complained of stomach pain that resulted in nothing.

Monday, at lunch, I gave Austin a can of Chef Boyardee for the first time.  We were having a spicy taco dip and I thought I'd play it safe with ravioli.  I left to run an errand and Kevin text to let me know Austin threw up his lunch and was not napping because he seemed to be in pain.  He didn't nap for me, but he did have diarrhea when I got home, and again that evening.  He woke up Tuesday good as new.

Tuesday morning, Hayden was the first one out of bed.  I came in the family room to talk to him and noticed his right eye was as pink as could be.  I was thankful we had some eye drops from our last bout with pink eye.  I broke the news to him he'd have to stay home for the day and he was pretty much thrilled since he wasn't feeling bad at all. 

These two were attached at the hip all day!

Kevin went by the school and picked up Hayden's school work for the day.  It was fun feeling like we were doing home school again.

Sidenote:  We also had a parent/teacher conference this week with Hayden's teacher and she wanted to tell us Hayden needed more of a push to do more reading.  We decided to bribe him with Pokemon cards.  Every book he reads = 1 new card.  He wanted to read to us ALL day, and we were so happy to listen! 

Tuesday evening, Allie tells me her belly hurts.  I don't think much of it because at the time I had convinced myself Austins throwing up/diarrhea was a direct result of eating a nasty lunch.  Before bed, Allie had diarrhea.  I'm starting to think maybe we do have a stomach bug at our house... along with a nasty pink eye bug!  Over the next two hours, Allie threw up 5 times.  Talk about horrible.   She ended up throwing up/dry heaving 13 times over the night.  Hayden woke up at 1:30 and throughout the night had vomiting and diarrhea.  Kevin woke up shortly after Hayden with the same problems.  We didn't get much sleep Tuesday night!

So far today, everyone's been able to keep small amounts of food and drink in. I'm hoping the worst is behind us!  Make sure you are washing and sanitizing your hands a lot! 

Trip to (Great) Grandmas

Last week I took my kids and my mom to my grandma's house.  She was celebrating her 86th birthday and hadn't ever met Austin in person.  We were over due for a visit!  Austin was super happy and smiley and the other three kids chased cats and kittens the 90 minutes we were there.

Did you notice anything else on my pictures?  I added a watermark!  I had been wanting to make one for my pictures the last few weeks.  I didn't really know where to start, so I googled it!  One of the first tutorials for making a free water mark used PicMonkey.  My sister uses this site, but I'd never had any experience with it.  So, I decided to give it a try!  I'm *loving* how it turned out!  I don't know that I'll watermark all of my pictures from here on out, but I love having the option!

Smother's Park

I was talking to Kevin on Friday about what we should do this past weekend, and I suggested we go to Smother's Park in Owensboro soon.  He said, "How about tomorrow?"  I agreed that (Saturday) it would be a great day to go!  We packed a little picnic lunch and headed across the blue bridge once Hayden's morning t-ball game was over.  I packed my nice camera along, hoping to get a few cute pictures of the kids, and I'm so glad I brought it!  These are some of my favorite pics to date! 

 I couldn't pick a favorite - and I edited them in black and white and love those just as much!

Austin woke up after we all had finished eating.

The best ever picture of Kevin + all 4 kids!

My favoritest picture of me and my 4!

The splash park never disappoints!

Krissy thought the splash park was the greatest thing ever!

I had so much fun watching Hayden monkey his way through the play ground!

Little Miss Independent didn't want to sit in the stroller.  She kept up with the big kids!

Austin was getting sweaty, so we let him air out before we headed back home!

We had a great visit to the park and we can't wait to go back a few more times this summer!

Today's Pics

I love trying to capture a cute photo of each kiddo during the day!  I don't try every day but probably once a week!  Here are my four favorite from today!

He is so sweet to his siblings! (Most of the time!)

We had an chat over ice cream today!

I started cutting holes in her pacis this afternoon and she thought they were the greatest chew toys ever.  We will see what she thinks tonight at bedtime!  I have a feeling she will be over the fun part and want a real paci!

Mr. Roly Poly... I laid him on the floor mat in the back of the picture and about 45 seconds later he was all the way across the floor!

My favorite photo editing app for my iPhone pics is called Afterlight. It was either $.99 or $1.99, but I use it frequently and enjoy it!  Give it a try if you've been on the hunt for one :)