Cosmic Jump

Fun Times with Tristen & Sydney

We are having all kinds of fun with cousins Tristen & Sydney! Today, we took our wiggles out at Cosmic Jump and had a lot of fun! I tried taking picture, but I'm not that seasoned and missed so many good shots! I did however, get the girls to step into a very pink bathroom to take a picture against the wall. The boys took a picture outside of the entrance where they had a blue wall, and I think it looks super cute!

Here are some of our pictures:

Jazmin

xOxO

Fun with the Fam

Cousins and Splash Pad

Matthew and Olivia love playing with cousin Sydney & Tristan. This doesn't always happen, but when it does, they really play hard!

I'm doing babysitting exchange of sorts for a few days. Since, I'm going to Vegas next week I figure I can watch all the kids for a few days, and in turn I can leave the kids at their house for a few days while I'm in Vegas for work. 

But 4 kids, and a few days during summer, i was getting nervous as to how to keep them entertained! So, today I took them to the Fields of Carrollton. They played on the playground and cooled off in the splash pad. A win/win for me! This way they get wet, run, and have fun but I don't have to watch 4 kids at a public pool, which always makes me nervous. 

They really enjoyed it! They played so well, and we even had a little picnic at the end. 

I took as many pictures as I coudl! Ok, really, I was stalking all of them with the camera! Only Olivia, who is soo used to me getting pictures of her, stopped for me to get a few pictures. Everyone else was too busy running and having fun! 

Here are a few of the pictures I took: 

This summer is going by WAY too fast!

Jazmin

Splash Pad

Summer Fun

Today was a busy fun day. The best part? It wasn't planned! I love those days! This morning, I ran errands in the AM, and after around noon, I knew the kids had checked out. But not wanting to spend money (I have spent money this summer like crazy!) I decided to take them to play tennis! As soon as we started to get ready, Steve gets home! EVEN BETTER! We all get in the car and head out to the tennis courts. The day was overcast, until we decided to play tennis of course, then it was sunshine and HOT! It was soo hot, I couldn't take it anymore, and we packed up our tennis stuff and drove out the Carrollton Splash pad! We didn't have bathing-suits, but we were sweating like a sinners at church, so we took our shoes off, and got wet!

Ghetto? Maybe, but it felt sooo good!

Here are some pictures of today!

And can I just say, I'm kicking myself for not getting a camera sooner?! I have missed so much! I'm so happy I now have a good camera to capture moments like this! Matthew & Olivia are just the best of friends!

Jazmin

XOxO

Riley Bear.

Riley: Year 1

We adopted Riley Bear about 1 year ago this week, and we have loved this furry guy from the moment we laid eyes on him.

Getting a dog has been a dream of mine for as long as I can remember. Of course, life circumstances prevented me from having a dog, but in some ways I think we had to wait until we could meet Riley Bear.

Forgive this sappy post, but while I always thought that having a dog would be a fun experience, I realized that not only is it fun, it is rewarding and I have seen the kids learn a great deal of empathy from owning a pet.

Something, I didn't really plan on.

Sure, you think of kids learning responsibility, and enjoyment from a pet, but Riley has taught us much more.

He has taught us (count myself in this) to be unselfish. The kids know that we can go out and have fun, only after we exercise and play with our dog. At first this was hard. They thought that having a dog was like having a toy. You can put it away, when going somewhere! Well, they quickly found out that's not the case. The dog needs love, food, exercise, attention etc. Fast fw to 1 year, and now, they don't seem to mind! They know that doing this for their pet, not only makes him healthy, but it also brings happiness to him, which they understand to be as important as their own happiness.

Riley has taught us empathy... This is something you see in Parenting books; how to teach your kids empathy. And to be honest, if you want a kid to be empathetic, take him to volunteer at the dog shelter. The kids learned so much just from the visit we took when adopting Riley. They know that Riley was abandoned, and that he was alone at an early age. This knowledge, has taught them to not only be thankful for what they have, but also to understand and be sensitive to others and their situations. They love Riley, and are patient with him. They love on Riley and help him when he can't figure things out (like getting a ball that gets stuck under the couch) which brings me to the next lesson..

He has taught us to be patient.. I needed to be reminded of this. Riley is stubborn. He likes what he likes, and lets you know, with no problems. When we brought Riley home we needed to be patient. Between the potty training, the chewing, the whining.... yeah... I remember having a 'moment' with him one night, after he kept whining at night, when I just took him out to to potty (and I had an attitude about it), and after he was done, I scooped the little booger up, and he looked up at me, and with his paw held my hand. It was weird, but it reminded me of when my kids were babies. That look of helplessness, and full trust in me. It reminded me of the love I had for my family, and now for him. I re-grouped, and decided to slow down, and continue to be patient. That those special moments of (babies and puppies) go by WAY too fast, and are fleeting. I learned to take it and just go with it, and here we are 1 year later.. doing a photoshoot!

Riley Bear, is not only a dog, he is our family dog.  

And we love him.

Jazmin

xoxo

Summer Dress

Favorite Find

I love to look at fashion blogs, and no, I'm not starting one. But sometimes I find clothes that are so flattering, and cute that and I can actually afford, that I like sharing the source.

Behold, my Summer dress 2013. AKA, my uniform! I got it at Downeast Basics and it fits like a glove! It hides what I needed to hid (my belly) and is long enough to be modest. It's very light, and the cut makes it very summery! This dress doesn't scream: I'm a MOM! yet it's very wearable when out and about with the kids. I'm taking this bad boy to Vegas for work in a few weeks! 

*Excuse my no makeup face, and background, as I said, not trying to model just showing off the dress! 

Jazmin 

XoxO

Chick Fil A Day!

Summertime....

Today is one of the best days of the year... No, it's not 4th of July or any other holiday.. its CHICK FIL A DAY! You dress up as a cow and you eat whatever you want on the menu for FREE! 

So, that is what we did. We woke up, looked around the house for craft supplies and created an impromptu cow disguise and headed to Chik Fil A for lunch. So much fun, and such a great way for the company to advertise! Whatever they lose in profit will be made up in advertising, which actually probably evens out.

Also, after much saving I got a camera!!!! Its been 5 years since I had a camera, and I'm loving this one! Goodbye Iphone camera (OK, goodbye unless its inconvenient to carry this one) but so far, I'm loving the crisp photos! A camera is a must! Plus, I don't want to miss out on these moments! And that's another reason why, I don't have money for food! The camera has me on a no spending budget! Anyway, enjoy our picture of our cow day!

How is your summer going?

Jazmin