Summer.......

 

Summer is in full swing!  We have been playing with friends and family, just enjoying the relaxed schedule. 

 

 

Last Day of School

Last day of 3rd and 1st grade!!  Ready for summer!!!

A Day at the Lake

Owl you need is love!

Valentine box

Positive gets the gold

        So, we are trying out something new in our house.  A new system of rewarding good behavior!  With an almost 9 year old and almost 7 year old, plus a one year old we have done everything under the sun to try and encourage good behavior and attitudes!  From sticker charts, to money, to taking things away for bad behavior, time outs, and on and on.  Some things have worked temporarily but nothing has stuck.  I'm embarrassed to say that probably much of the problem stems from my own inconsistency! I have come up with something new for us that I'm hoping will be good for us all!
      We have started a new system that everyone seems excited about.  If the kids have good behavior and attitudes that day (with minor correcting) they get to pick something out of the jar on the kitchen table at dinner.  They are slips of paper naming their reward.  The are things like- stay up an extra 5 minutes, get a dessert in their lunch box the next day, get 5 extra minutes of story reading in bed.  The kids are thrilled with these and and so am I(they are free, positive rewards).  The hard part will come when they have not had a good day and start with the "I'm sorry" and tears- I must stay strong so it truly encourages good behavior!  I'm up for the challenge!  I will post on how it works, so wish us luck!

Let the Sewing Begin

So I finally started some very basic sewing projects! I'm so excited to make things!! Aubrey loved this owl material and wanted a bag so we made this together! I'm pretty sure she is going to be better than me pretty soon :)

Fire side

We have had a few fires on these chilly January days. I love our fireplace and the hearth- it's perfect for sitting next to the fire. It is one of the things that made me love this house!

William loves to go "blow" on the fire- it's really cute.

Saturday

Today has been a lazy, quiet day. Camden stayed at a friends house last night so the house was much calmer this morning than usual! Chris had to work so it's just me, Aubrey and William. We have played cars, made muffins, and painted finger nails. It's been a nice day to enjoy the last of the Christmas break. I'm not sure that I am ready for the schedule and busy days of spring yet!

Journal

Well, as 2013 starts I am really wanting to keep this blog up! More of a journal of our lives. I realize this may bore the 3 people who look at it, but I love the idea of being able to go back and see what was going on in our lives at any point!

So, here we are on January 2, 2013. It is 42 degrees out which is really cold for us! After a fun Christmas we have spent most of this break at home, which has been nice. The London Colliers were here for Christmas which was such a fun treat! The kids love playing with their cousins, and I love getting to know their little personalities better!! The Houston Mokry's came in for a day and spent the night here. The kids have so much fun together, it was great!

Unfortunately Aubrey has strep again. This is her fourth time to have it in the past four months. Her doctor was out today so I'm waiting to talk to her tomorrow about where to go from here! I just feel so bad for her! This has been a rough few months for her. Hopefully we can get this figured out and get her back to her healthy self!

We are so thankful for the blessings of 2012! A quick run down of the big moments for our family:
*started the year living with MiMi and PawPaw and having a sweet newborn
*found a house in January and went through a long buying process and minor renovations
*camden turned 6 in February
*moved in to our new house the end of March
*Aubrey turned 8 in May
*couple of stays at the Hyatt resort in June and July
*went to Deer Valley Ranch for a week in August
*busy Fall with a first and third grader plus baseball, gymnastics, and horse back riding
*William turned 1 in December

We can't wait for a fun 2013!