Pumpkin Patch

We went to a local pumpkin patch and had a great time.  I'm pretty excited for the Holidays this year because Sydney is getting excited.  Having kids is awesome for many reasons but let's be honest, one of the really awesome reasons is that you can re-live all of the awesome things that you used to do as a kid.  Anyway, back to the pumpkin patch.  Liepold Farms is pretty stinkin fun.  They have a corn maze, pony rides, a kids play area, and LOTS of pumpkin choices.

I'm pretty proud to say that we DID complete the entire corn maze, with two small children.  Pretty impressive huh!  I have never participated in a corn maze before and now that I did, I'm hooked!

One cool thing about the maze was the cool scene's they had set up all through out it.  This is one example!  It made it pretty fun to see what we were going to see next.

Sydney got to ride a pony.  All I need to say about this is that she LOVED it.

Sweet Gabriella was a trooper.

The ride home was a little interesting.  Both kids totally crashed.  Sydney even said that she wished she had a new mom.  I mean really, I thought that was stuff we would deal with at 15, not at 3.5!  That's the kind of stuff that just makes me chuckle.  I know she doesn't mean it and I also know I'm lucky to have her as my kiddo.  She's so outgoing and pretty funny too!  I'm excited for the other activities this holiday season.

Instagram

I just discovered instagram and wanted to document some pictures from our trip to the local coffee shop today.

Sydney was in a very crabby mood most of the time we were there.  She is such a sweetheart but there are days when I feel like I spend all of my time correcting her I know it's just a phase and I am ok with that.  

Financial Peace

This is something that I debated about writing down.  I was scared because I know that it will be in cyberspace FOREVER and it is a topic that I am ashamed of.  I have a horrible habit of overspending.  When I was younger, it was clothes, shoes, and a car I could not afford.  The older I got it turned into meals out (which goes into another topic I need to take control of) extravagant gifts, and clothing for my children just to name a few.

Recently we made the decision for me to leave my job.  It is something that I wrestled with because I saw the dire ramifications that it could have for my family.  I asked for prayer from my church and felt more than ever that this was the right thing to do.  Even though we lost over half of our income, we took a leap of faith and I quit.  Fast forward and I have been home for awhile now and loving it.  One thing I realized though was that if I was going to truly be the wife and mother I am called to be I had to take control of my spending.  I heard of a book America's Cheapest Family and new I needed to get my hands on a copy.  I've learned a lot about saving money in the last few years but I still had this area of overspending that I had to take control of.  One of the topics that the book addressed is budgeting.  I have NEVER had a budget.  I realized right away that this is something that needed to change.  I wrote out a budget and within a week of living on that budget I was able to pay off a small credit card.  It wasn't much but it was something that made me feel so good.  I know that honoring God with our finances is key to living in him and I know that in order to set a positive example for my children I have to do this.

As I was driving home from paying that bill off I stopped to grab our mail.  After going through it I found a notice informing me that I had another retirement account that I didn't know about left over from my job.  It's not going to make us rich but it will take care of several more bills.  I realized that we are on the road to financial peace.  We are on the road to being the parents that God wants us to be. The events of the past week led me to realize that we can do this, not only can we but we will!

Happy 3 months Gabriella Paige

Gabby turned 3 months old on 10/11/2012.  She is gaining weight by the day and is t developing such a sweet personality.  She spent the first few weeks of her life screaming but thanks to a formula switch she has calmed down a ton.  She had an eventful trip to the pediatric cardiologist due to a heart murmur on 10/2.  We are thankful that she was given a clean bill of health and as it stands now, we don't need to go back.  She loves her mom and dad but especially loves her sister.  She sleeps from about 8pm-6am only waking up around 3am to eat.  She loves to nap in her swing and will sometimes go back to sleep in that until 8 or 9am.

Here is a picture of her taken last night, we have a painting hanging in our living room done by my cousin.  Gabby LOVES to stare at it:

Daddy Daughter Day

Today Will took Sydney on what will hopefully be the first of many "Dates."  They went for lunch at a local Sushi resturant and then ended their time playing video games at a arcade near our home.  Sydney loves her Dad and has been a Daddy's girl since day 1.  They had so much fun together and I hope they are able to do it again soon.

Here she is, ready to go.

My Sweet Sydney

My oldest Sydney is about 3.5 going on 15 years old most days.  She is spunky, adorable, and pretty stinkin smart.

• You can not use the words "baby" and "Sydney" in the same sentence.  She will stop what she is doing and sternly inform you that she is not a baby. 
• She has such an imagination.  She takes her stuffed horse and "gallops" around the house. Keep in mind the stuffed horse is only about 12 inches tall.
• She informed me recently that my parents names were Papp and Grandma, not Dad and Mom.  She continued saying that if I did not call them by the correct names I would have to go to time out.
• When I told her it was time to turn off the TV, she told me that she wanted to go to a deserted island.  She claimed that was the only place she would be happy.

That kiddo is such a blessing.  We love you Sydney girl!

Gabriella

Sweet Gabriella had to visit the pediatric cardiologist yesterday.  Our doctor referred her for a heart murmur.  Being only 11lbs and not even 3 months old it was a little much for this mom to handle.  Needless to say she was given a clean bill of health and  her mumur was diagnosed as innocent.  Just visiting Dornbecher Childrens Hospital made me so thankful for my babies and their health.  Here is a picture of my Gabby after the appointment.