I think one of the things I really like doing the most is taking pictures of nature. I love taking pictures of my kids, but there is just something about catching nature at it's finest. Though I am working on getting a new camera, because I think I could capture it better, with a better camera....
but anyway, I saw the sky the other morning when I woke up and it looked so nice, that I had to take a picture...

I love my view that I have, so many years spend looking at other houses or other building across from me, now, for awhile anyway, I get to look out onto a beautiful field and see God's work in progress...
For other news and things going on.... I went to see my doctor last week, new doctor, about getting a referral for my eye doctor for a Glaucoma exam. She thinks she seen some thinning behind my left eye, but with a military insurance I have to have a referral from a doctor to have it done. While I was there I did discuss with her palpitations that I have been feeling in my chest, and having other systems like dizziness, and shortness of breath. My blood pressure was 130/80 that day, while not bad, she said normal, it is higher then what I have been learning recently that it should be. But aside from that she went ahead and ordered an Eco Cardio Graham done… I think Graham or Gram…. Anyway, which will be this Friday and is having a heart monitor sent to me that I will wear for three weeks. She pulled out the big guns, I think I may have FINALLY found a doctor that I can take my concerns to that will actually take action and find out what is wrong. So many times before I have gone to doctors and have been basically brushed off, running a couple of blood tests and say well everything looks normal and that basically would be the end of it. After I get this taken care of, and we see what is going on I will talk to her about my hip issues, and my fatigue that I have been fighting for a couple of years now.

I think I am going to like her….(smile)

Lexie's rain jacket, bought it a couple of years ago on Ebay because it was just so darn cute, now she finally is big enough to wear it, this was right before school a couple of weeks ago. The weather has been rainy off and on. The temp dropped dramatically here this weekend, but by the middle of this week should be back in the 70's...could be why Lexie is home sick again..... ugh....Calling a doctor today and see if there is anything I can get for her....

Did I mention I like to decorate for each season and holiday?

In a bigger house this year they don't look like much, which just means I need more...lol.... but we were still able to make our decorations into something the kids think are cool.
A few weeks ago I decorated the house with fall leaves, and garland and a fall boquet of flowers.. this last weekend we decorated with the halloween decorations. I do most of the decorating inside our house then I do outside. I have a few knick knacks in our living room, window clings on most of our windows, and decorations on the walls throughout the house.

A little behind on posting.....

Ok, so I have been a little bit behind on posting. Never seem to find the time to sit download pictures, work on them a little, and then get them posted. But here they are.
I think, a couple of weeks ago it has been now, the girl's school had a back to school dance. A soon as we walked in the door Lexie was out on the dance floor... that girl loves to dance, if you saw her at my dad's wedding or seen pictures of it, you would see, she was out there most of the evening, even dragging people she didn't know out to dance with her that night!

Lexie doing the Hokey Pokey....

Here she is doing the Chicken Dance, I think it was.

Elizabeth just wanted to run around with her friends, and would take off any time I tried to take a picture, so the ones I took were fuzzy since she was quick and I was not.

I finally have the girls taking ballet once again. Elizabeth showed a natural talent for it and I wanted to get her back in before she forgot everything, and it's good for Lexie, hopefully she will find her own grace in it.
I haven't had a chance to take pictures of Elizabeth in her ballet outfit, hopefully this week I can and post them.




I love playing with pictures!







I guess that pretty much catches me up, other then coughing, running noses, and sore throats, by one more kids at a time..... I have managed, NOT to get sick......so far......

Alexandria's Birthday

This year we ventured to Chuck E Cheese. I am not really a big fan of the place, loud music, loud games, and screaming kids... But since I don't do kids parties when the kids are young, I still like to make sure that their day is special.


Five years old.... time seems to just fly by......

The picture quality doesn't seem to be all that great on here.... in psp they seemed fine.....

It's the best of both worlds!!

Dressing up like Hanna Montana. . . .

AND... More bragging... LOL
Elizabeth is starting a gifted program at her school, she is not thrilled about it, but I certainly think she deserves it... now to convince her to be proud of it and not worried about if people are going to call her a nerd.... Any advice????
Anthony seems to be doing well also in his Algebra I class, after his struggle with Geometry last year we couldn't figure out how he got placed in an advanced math class... but he seems to be adjusting quite well...

A beginning.... and..... an end......

For the first time in 6 years since becoming a stay at home mom, the house is quiet on the first day of school.

No one to home school, no one to preschool…. Nothing for me, except, me.

I am happy and sad.

I was excited that Lexie was starting school, but then I realized when walking back in the door this morning after the bus picked up the girls; I heard the ending of the Backyardigans…. A Nickelodeon cartoon we watched together each morning…… this isn’t the beginning of something new… this is the end of something great. No more considered a toddler, no more cuddling on the couch together in the mornings during the week watching her favorite shows, just her and I as it has been for almost 5 years. No more secret snacks that no one else new about. Now it's making three lunches each night, getting up in the morning to catch a bus, and homework in the afternoons.....
The last of my three, off to make her mark on this country along with her brother and sister, my baby.
Now that I have time to do the things I want to do, I almost want another day, another day of Dora, the backyardigans and Mickey Mouse in the morning......

the house is quiet. . . . .

At least until this afternoon!

Camp out

Well, we survived camping out with the kids last week. It was nice to get away for a few days this past week, a time to relax and end the summer and to get ready for a new school year for us all.

The morning we arrived it was spent getting the tents and things set up and the camp fire ready for roasting marshmallows later that evening.

Lexie wanted to help by trying to cut the wood for the fire.

Then she wanted to try rubbing sticks together to see if she could get the fire going..... (she saw that on tv somewhere, lol)
But, when that didn't work, she decided that it would become her drum set instead.

Who doesn't love a good toasted marshmallow.....

We walked the Civil War trails and enjoyed nature. The weather couldn’t have been more perfect. Though there were a couple of interruptions for open houses for school and an appointment for my mouth issue.

It was nice to get out and enjoy nature, the massive tall trees, finding interesting critters.

lizard or salamander?
And I don't know what this interesting creature was, it walked right in our path back to our camp, quick as well, so it was hard to get a good clear picture because it wouldn't sit still. Anyone know what it is?

Waking up to deer outside of the tents in the morning was pretty neat, or spotting them on nature walks.

As long as we kept our distance they didn't seem to mind us there, if we attempted to get any closer, they ran.

Under my link of the things I find interesting you can see more of the beauty of nature that I tried my best to capture.

But it does appear this morning that the kids did get into either poison ivy or oak. Mild enough that we didn't think it needed to be seen by a doctor, just some poison ivy itch medicine and they were feeling better. Elizabeth seemed to have it the worst, but all three kids got it in one form or another.....