First Week Of Summer

I really want to remember this summer.

So here are some highlights without

pictures.

1. Creative writing camp for Sydney and Bella (They are loving it and I'm so surprised. I've never seen Bella reading so much.)
2. Family only day. (No friends over. We did what we wanted all day. At the end of the day Preston said, "I love hanging out with my family.)
3. Little league baseball camp for Preston. (I loved seeing him playing ball like a big boy. I got to see him hit a double and steal home.)
4. Bella's soccer friends over for homemade pizza. (They even made a desert pizza, marshmallows and chocolate! )
5. Impromptu date with Todd and Preston. (The girls were invited to go out to dinner with our neighbors girls and we had a sitter for Davis so we took Preston with us to Thai food. He was a great date! )
6. Late evening scooter rides around the neighborhood.
7. Wonderful friends who took the older three one afternoon so I could have a rest.
8. Starting to decorate Preston's new room

Next week will include pictures!

My Baby is 1

I have really been reflecting on the past 18 months. I has not been the easiest year and a half but one thing I can say is that is has brought our family closer together. We have found more love and joy than we knew before.

Each child brings with them their own temperament to a family group. We are so lucky that we have been able to have 4 children all of whom are sweet, loving, polite, smart and strong willed. They are all very different except in one thing, they all love each other and us their parents unconditionally. I'm lucky because I have made a lot of mistakes and they always forgive me and love me still.

I'm sad and also rejuvenated that I'm done with the "THE YEAR OF THE BABY". I'm off and literally running into the year of the toddler. Shari and Ann, I think this year might just be harder.

Davis turned 1 on June 9th. He has been walking for about a month but not independently. This week for my parents visit and his birthday party he decided to be done with crawling completely. And from the bumps, cuts and bruises on his face he should have maybe practice a little more. He is my earliest walker and a dare devil on top of it. He loves to be in the water, dirt and sand. He could spend hours in our backyard and stands at the door asking to be let out. The kids have left the back door open and I have found him out there cruising around all alone. Not a worry in the world.

So what better way to celebrate then a water,

bubble

party in the backyard. When I found out my parents could come for the week I threw it in to high gear and put a party together with the kids and the neighborhood gang. Everyone from 1 to the 9 had a

blast. Davis loved all the activities and joined in on everything. He also seemed to love all the attention and did not cry once.

He really got into his "Smash Cake", and I let him go at it.

I think some made it into his mouth!

We all love this little guy so much. I could go on and on about how all the kids and their friends adore him. He is happy 90 percent of the time. The other 10 percent is when he is hungry, sick or tired. He has brought so much love and closeness to our family. He adores his sisters and thinks Preston is the best thing in the world. He loves to cuddle with me and has started coming to me with toys or books to look at with him.

Before Davis was born I was so worried about how I would handle a new baby and the other children. Once we saw each other I knew everything would be just fine. He has put up with shortened naps, long car rides, fast feeding and many, many school runs. He takes most of it in stride and repays me with smiles and laughter. His big brown eyes melt my heart and his smile soothes my worries.

I'm so lucky to have Davis Todd Wilson in my family. We would not be complete without him in our lives.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAVIS!

Sydney The Fish!

I tired to download the before and after video of Sydney's progress in swimming. I was incredible but I couldn't get it to work. So I had to post without it because we are just so excited.

But first you should know that Sydney started swimming lessons with THE BEST TEACHER, Carol, only in March! We have tried so many swim schools and other private swim lessons without any results. Carol is a Master Swim Instructor so she knows the mechanics of swimming. More importantly she is nice and fun but knows when to be hard on the kids. Sydney's main problem with swimming has been that she is just scared. When she started she was scared to let go of the side of the pool or get to far away from it. Carol was able to not only get her swimming but swimming like a pro! She would listen to Sydney and hear what she was worried about then teach her what to do to get over her fear. It was so good to see Sydney listening to Carol, implementing the instructions and seeing a great result.

This all started with a goal, to pass the Del Mar Jr Life Guards test so she can do Jr Guards this summer. The kids her age have to swim 100 yards in 2minutes 30 seconds, tread water for 5 minutes, swim under water for 5 yards and hold their breath under water for 20 seconds. We really didn't think Sydney could do it by June but she did! She passed her 100 yard sim in 2 minutes 15 seconds! She had time to spare.

No matter what I'm so proud of her. She is swimming like a fish and all her fears of the water are gone. She told Todd while swimming laps with him that she felt so calm swimming. That pretty much sums it up.

As Much Relaxing As We Can Hope For.

We had a really great weekend. Nothing special but that's what made it great!

We didn't have to be anywhere, no visitors (not that we don't really love visitors, it's just rare that we don't have someone in town during a holiday) and we didn't have any plans.

We were able to do what we wanted, when we wanted to. Which helped Todd and I chilled a little more than we normally do. Which is not much considering the life we lead!

There was a little rain, good food and for me some great runs.

The weekend ended on a high note

with sunshine and a beach day.

I believe Saturday morning started the weekend off right.

I wanted to go for a run but didn't feel good about leaving Todd with all the kids when he had a lesson to prepare for all the teens 12 years old to 17 on Sunday. (This is one of his fun new responsibilities in the bishopric. On a 5th Sunday he will teach a lesson to all the youth! I hear he did great! I knew he would though.)

So I thought I would just take Davis with me in the jogger. Then I had a great idea (thanks to Deanne and her influence on me) to take the girls with me. They rode their scooters and were able to keep up. I was worried they would start complaining but they never tired. We were able to go for almost 5 miles. I was so impressed with them. And they LOVED IT!

The weekend ended with a sunny warm day. So after a Memorial Day "Fun Run", followed by a pancake breakfast and flag ceremony put on by the Boy Scouts from church,

we cruised down to the beach.

We were worried about crowds and taking Davis but both ended up not being a problem.

Davis LOVED every minute of the beach. We stayed for 4 hours and left when we felt like it.

I just love my little beach bums.

Sydney even got out and did some boarding.

Burrrr!

Things Have Changed Around Here...

Gone from the bathtub are the mermaids and pony's.

They have now been replaced with army men and trucks.

The Sisters are also gone from the bath.

Preferring to shower in my giant shower.

They are so grownup

(9 years old and 7.5)

so bath time is not as exciting as it once was.

We don't have as many free days or afternoons we once had. Gone are pajama Fridays (we used to stay home in our pj's till we just had to get out of the house or not). The dress-up baskets have been given away and replaced with chapter books, remote control helicopters, professional art supplies and soccer cleats. There is not a real nap schedule, Davis is the only one who takes a nap anyway and I have to squeeze it in whenever I can as each day has a different schedule.

But with all these changes come new experiences, challenges and fun!

Some of the fun that EVERYONE was up for

was SPRING BREAK 2011 in Palm Springs!

We loved the heat, pool and friends.

Even a trip to the ER one late night was

an adventure (not to be repeated).

I'm so ready to travel with these kids. They are so fun and love trying new things. They are always up for hiking, swimming, playing games and we had a whole week to do just that.

And lastly, we are almost done with the "Year of the Baby". With it brings relief, like Davis is sleeping from 7pm till 7am. He is eating well and enjoying all the fun and excitement of a house full of siblings. Davis is a mellow, active, happy, spirited, funny and loving boy. He has brought so much love into this family. We have been so lucky that all the kids adore him and still fight over who gets to see him first thing in the morning, hold him and help with any of his care and cleaning. As this year ends I'm also sad that I wont ever have a newborn snuggled on my shoulder again. It's weird to think that this chapter of my life is closed.

I'm so glad we went for a fourth child, though I can say with all certainty that we are done!!! So don't bother asking, ha ha!

In all the ways I listed above and more I know I'm lucky but I'm also soooo incredibly busy. I really did not know I could be so busy! But I'm learning that it is the best kind of busy. Though I would love some extra time to shed this last 10 pounds of baby weight!

I will start posting regularly again and sharing some of the more "light" moments in raising 4 Wilson children. We are looking forward to the summer full of surfing, soccer, seeing friends, a road trip (maybe) and lots of relaxing (well as much as I can get with the group).

After the summer the new school year will bring with it PTA,

3 elementary school classes, a toddler, 3 soccer teams, dance classes, gymnastics class, piano lessons for 3, and Todd in the bishopric.

So my life should be full of laughs!

Giggles

I have friends that make me giggle. I will get a text from them and what they write will make me giggle. I catch myself and look around to make sure no one is watching me and thinks I'm crazy. 

The texts are usually only a line or two relating to something we talked about in passing. Usually light but with some bite to it.

I love it and it makes my day. I will remember it later and there I am giggling or smiling to myself, like a crazy bag-lady.

I hope you all have a good little giggle today or give one to someone else. 

Happy Tuesday! 

See What Happen's?

In the header it say's, "See What Happens". 

Well you can probably guess from the lack of posts what has happened. I have been busy in the real world with my family. I will start posting pictures tomorrow. I'm sure you can't wait to see Davis and his blessing day!

I have not spent a lot of time on the computer lately. Really I have not spent very much time doing anything considered non-vital! I've had a hard time understanding why I can't get everything done that I used to. Last year I blamed it on the pregnancy and how horrible I felt. So what is my excuse now that I'm feeling good, I'm getting sleep and the three older kids are in school? 

Well that question was answered when I ran into friend, well she was in her minivan sending her daughter into piano lessons and I was running my daughter out to my waiting minivan full of kids, so that might be considered a drive-by. Anyway, she asked me how I was doing with four kids now. She has four also so I was not afraid to tell her the truth which is, crazy but not as bad as I thought. She casually mentioned that she has found she has so much more time on her hands now that she is not nursing her youngest. 

I had a light bulb moment as I calculated how much time I spend sitting doing nothing except nursing Davis. If I had all those minutes free I would be getting so much more done!!! Why had I not realized that on my own. Probably because I'm pretty hard on myself and think I should be able to get everything done and done well. Not true anymore. So for a moment I thought the solution would be to start Davis on a bottle....

then I remembered that this is only a short time in my life that I will NEVER get back. 

So I'm going to go kick my feet up, feed my son and watch the laundry, dust and dishes pile up. Those things will always be there.  

Surf's Up!

Surfs Up!

This is the third year in a row the girls have done surf camp at 18th Street in Del Mar. They love it and look forward to it each summer now. This was the best year by far. The weather was PERFECT! Which if you have been following our weather here in San Diego was a miracle The girls skill level went way up this year. They were both standing up by the end of  the week. 

Sydney was even able to get her board out all by herself and paddle into the waves. Bella still needed help getting out but could paddle into the waves and would pop up so quick. Sometimes she would get up so quickly she would literally walk off her board. 

Another bonus was having our friends (kids call them their cousins) in town from Dallas.  This is also their third year in surf camp with us. 

At the end of camp they gave out awards to all the kids. Sydney got the dolphin award for bravery. She was nervous at the beginning of camp but by the end she was taking her own board out and so comfortable in the water.

Bella got the Menehune award. Her instructor said a Menahune was a little person who played tricks on other surfers. She thought that was pretty great. 

The girls can't wait to get out and surf again. Todd is thrilled and ready to go with them anytime. 

Keep a look out for our Groms carving it up in Del Mar!

Davis 1 Month Old

Davis Todd Wilson July 9th 2010

Davis is one month old. He started to smile just in the last day or so. He eats, sleeps and fills his diapers like a champ. On the occasion that he does cry the kids go crazy. They want me to "HELP" him or "TAKE CARE OF HIM" right then. One time when I couldn't get to Davis the second he started to cry, Preston ran to me telling he Davis was crying. I said I would be there in a minute. I guess that was not good enough for him because he then asked me why I didn't want to take care of the baby any more. I just laughed and said I did and would get to him the second I got out of the shower. 

Todd and I have had many talks with the kids about why baby's cry, eat and poop so much. It's been pretty funny. They don't know how lucky we are that he is pretty mellow for a newborn. I know he will wake up soon and things will not be so easy so I'm enjoying it now.

This past month has been interesting. I've really slowed down. I'm enjoying feeding, diapering and holding Davis. I've been resting and slowly easing into summer. I'm also tuning into the older children and what they need. So far it's a ton of hugging and talking. Sydney especially needs me to snuggle her more than normal. She took it the hardest when I was sick and pregnant. I didn't realize how much until I had the baby. She looked so relieved when she came to the hospital and could check on me and the baby.  Bella has been really great since the baby came. She can't hold him enough and wants to show him off to all her friends. She to has needed Todd and I more than we thought. She wants us to do things with her thought. Play a game, make a hid-out or even go for a scooter ride. Preston has liked having the baby here but is only really interested in how long it will take for Davis to be able to play with him. The day we brought Davis home he ran over and took a look at him and asked, can he run now? I said no not yet. Then he asked, can he crawl? I said nope not yet. Then he went on his way. 

At Davis's one month checkup he was 11 pound, 75% and 22 1/2 inches long, also 75%. So far he is healthy and strong. 

That's all for now....

Returning to "Normal"

The girls went to my parents house in Northern California for a week. 

They returned late last night with Todd. We are now trying to adjust to having 4 

children around. It has been a little challenging

but not to bad. Then again it's only been less then 24 hours.

 Todd is back from NYC and back at

the office next week. No more working from home or half day's at the office.

 So it looks like I'm on my own. You wont be crying for me after

you read the rest of this post. But still...

WISH ME LUCK!!!

I had a very relaxing week with Todd and the girls away and just my little boys.  

My friend from high school Caroline

came out for a few days to keep me company.

She "sacrificed" being with her kids to come out and go to

lunch with me. Do a little shopping at the mall. Make waffles for Preston. Watch movies and talk, talk, talk. 

It was so fun!

I was so grateful to friends who took Preston on play-dates so we could do all those fun things. It would not have been the same with him in tow!

I wish I could say I took a ton of pictures but no, not one. 

We were so busy relaxing I guess. 

On to Davis, he is now 17 day's old. I weighed him on my scale and he was 

9 pounds 3 ounces! He is waking up more and smiling. He is sleeping the days and nights away still and enjoys being cuddled by all the family members.

We are loving him!

A sleepy smile. I know you want to eat him up, right!

Twins 8 Years Apart

Todd and I couldn't get over how much Davis looks like Sydney when she was born. It is hard to tell from photos just how much they resemble each other but it is very apparent to us. We actually had a hard time naming him because we would look at him and think "Sydney"!

See for yourself. 

Note that Davis was born over a pound bigger than Sydney.

Sydney 5 Days old. 

Davis 4 Days old. 

I guess we only produce 2 different versions as I have called Bella and Preston twins for years now. 

On another note, I'm probably going to jinx myself but I have to say Davis has been such a great baby! He eats well, sleeps well and seems to be adjusting to our family really well. We have been so happy and relaxed. I really hope it stays this way. 

I feel so spoiled and lucky that Todd and my parents have been home to take care of me. What mother of 4 has this much time to relax and recover. I have also "allowed" myself this special time. I didn't do that with the other three. I thought it was more important to get up and start doing for everyone again as fast as possible. At least I can say I learned something over the past 8 years!

Davis Todd Wilson

Baby Davis (or "Mr. Davis" as Bella likes to say) arrived this past Wednesday (June 9, 2010) at 6:16 p.m. He weighed 8 lb. 9 oz. and 21 inches tall at birth and is doing great. Katy is doing great to. Here's are a few pictures:

What I Have Not Been Doing

I have not been blogging as some of you might have noticed. I'm realistic, I know only about 3 people ever look in on us, Wilson Family SD.

But I do apologized to you 3. Especially to you who have me listed on your blogs and have to look at how long it has been since I posted every time you log into your blog.

I have had a hard time wanting to blog or read blogs even. Everyone is always so happy, crafty, productive and cheerful on their blogs. I have not been ANY of those things. I don't want to bake yummy treats, do crafty crafts, decorate for Christmas, shop or much of anything. And I'm sure no one wanted to know how I was really feeling even if I could sit at a computer for more than 2 minutes.

My house does not have any holiday cheer in it and it is what December 7th! Usually we have it all decked out the Sunday after Thanksgiving. It looks just as it did in August. Well maybe dirtier and less organized.

There are NO good smells from the kitchen. I can't really handle any smells of any kind right now. To prove my point ask the lady at the makeup counter in Nordstroms who I almost threw up on when she had me try on a lipstick which she swore had "little if any fragrance". THERE WAS A FRAGRANCE AND IT WAS VANILLA!!!! She noticed it to after I started violently gaging in front of her.

Why you ask? What has happened to make you so Grinch like? Well if your not on Facebook then your still in the dark. We (meaning me) are having baby number 4 in June. I was so excited when I found out but at about week 5.5 I fell into a black hole of sickness. Todd has had to do a lot more than normal around here. While I

have been getting to know this...

(no this is not by bathroom)

and this...

(not my bed, though I do love it!)

The doctor gave me some medication that helped a little but it made me so sleepy and dizzy I couldn't do much. Todd did all he could but when things became unbearable for him and the kids my mom was called in to get things back on track. Her first 8 hours here were spent entirely on feeding starving children and folding laundry. Sooo much laundry! After two weeks we were back on track (a little) and I knew I could make it till the Thanksgiving holiday when I would be back with my family. Kind friends also brought us dinners and had my children over for playdates. It all helped me soooo much. Thank you!

I'm 13 weeks along and have been able to stop the medication and eat regularly. I think I might be on my way back!

Now I just have to make up for the past 2 months I've missed. The kids and Todd might have to start therapy (just kidding, I'm not that important).

So that you don't think I'm a slacker I will list what you have missed since my last post.

1. The first day of school for Bella (kindergarten) and Sydney(second grade).
2. Bella's 6th birthday and a family party held in her honor.
3. Halloween- Bella was Dorothy, Sydney was a Sparkly 70's girl and Preston was some kind or robot or G-force guy (never quite understood). Todd took the kids to get their costumes.
4. The Ward Trunk-or-Treat night. Todd took the kids.
5. Halloween Night. We all made it out, it was a Halloween miracle.
6. My mom coming out for two weeks to take care of me and my family.
7. First Doctors appointment for me and baby.
8.First ultrasound of baby (we, meaning me and my sisters, named it Gummy Bear because that is what it looked like.)
9. Thanksgiving in Utah.

Well I'm hoping now I can return to blogging and the real world. I'm making progress, I went to the grocery store for the the second time in 5 weeks. This last time I didn't throw-up! Now that is progress.

Self Portrait by Sydney

Sydney was playing with my phone one day in the car. I didn't know she was taking pictures of herself. I just came across these pictures.

She is so beautiful!

My children are getting hard for me. Not in their behavior but in their continual growing. I know we are supposed to cultivate growth in our offspring, physical, spiritual, intellectual and all that. I love seeing them change and learn. 

But... 

What I'm having trouble with is knowing that when one phase is over there is no going back. 

I have forgotten what it was like to hold my newborn Sydney, or Bella and even Preston. I can't remember what they sounded like when they cried their toddler cry. 

So I'm trying to enjoy each phase, good and bad, with them because it really does go fast. 

Happy Birthday Preston!

Preston turns 3 tomorrow! (see I can't believe it, I wrote 3 when really he is turning 4!!!)

I really can't believe it. 

I know I say that with every child's birthday but this one is for real.

I CAN'T BELIEVE HE IS 4!

Four short years ago my parent arrived to help take care of the girls when I went to the hospital to have Preston.  I spoke with them a few day's before and told them it would be awhile so to sit tight and we would call them if things changed. Well they decided to come anyway and good thing they did. 

The day they arrived was the last day my doctor, Dr Ellis would be in the hospital before she left on vacation. Her nurse called me to check in just in case something changed since I last saw her two days before. We had a nice chat where I told her I was fine and feeling great. At the last minute as we were saying goodbye I mentioned that my kick counts went from taking 20 minutes to 45 but I still got them all in an hour. 

10 minutes later the nurse called me back saying the doctor wanted me to come in to get checked out. The nurse assured me I would be in and out in an hour, it was just a precaution. I didn't think anything of it and since my parents were already here and I didn't have to worry about child care,  off I went to the hospital without even a bag, or a call to Todd.

I arrived at the hospital and the nurse hooked me up to a monitor. 

Again telling me I would be in and out in no time. I settled into a magazine and waited. 

30 Minutes later in walks Dr Ellis . 

She took a look at the tape, called the nurses in, whisper yelled at her for not calling her sooner, turned to me with a smile and said, "Your having a baby today!". 

My amniotic fluid was really low, so low that there was only one pocket left. I guess it was leaking out and I didn't notice. For those of you who have had the pleasure of being 9 months pregnant I don't need to explain why I might not have noticed. In my defense it must have been a slow leak. Anyway it was causing out little boy quite a bit of distress. So he had to come out. 

I called Todd he was there in record time, with my bag and 

by 4:30am our son was born!

It was a very easy delivery and everyone was healthy and happy! 

Preston has turned into the greatest little boy. He is loving, telling me many times a day how much he loves me, he is so funny, class clown I hear and he's a natural athlete, gets it from his dad!

Happy Birthday Preston. We Love You Soooo Much!!!

Dinner Conversation

Here are a few things said at dinner tonight...

Bella and Sydney- "This AGAIN!!!!"  (we do not have left-overs but tonight I used the left-over pasta to go with the "fresh" main dish tonight)

Preston- "I don't like ketchup next to my chicken!" (crying, wailing!!!)

Bella- "You know how when you made this pasta last night and I liked it?" 

1/2 second later... 

"Mom, Mom, Moooommmm?????" 

Me- "Yes Bella"

Bella- "You know how when you made this pasta last night?"

Me- "Yeeeeesssssss Bella."

Bella- "Weeeellll, it tasted good last night. But not tonight."

Me- "Thanks for letting me know."

Preston- "Ya, I not like this pasta either now."

Sydney- "Do we have to eat all our dinner?"

Me- (Fake smile) "Just till your tummy is full."

Five seconds later...

Preston- "My tummy is full!"

Me-"O.k. but don't ask for more food later."

Preston- "Well actually I can eat a few more bites. Can I have liquorish when I eat all my dinner?"

Me- "Silence"

20 minutes into dinner and still no one as had more than two bites of food...

Sydney-"My food is cold."

Me- "Want me to heat is up?"

Sydney- (Eye rolling) "No, I don't like HOT food."

1 minute later...

Preston-"Don't look at me Bella!"

Bella- (Just staring at Preston)

Preston- "STOP looking at me!"

Bella- "I'm not."

Preston- "I saw you looking at me."

Bella- "I'm not. I'm looking out the window behind you."

Preston-"Stop looking at me."

Bella- "I'm not."

Preston- "STOP LOOKING AT ME!!!"

Bella- (Silently staring)

Me- BELLA!!!!! (Warning her with THAT LOOK!)

Sydney- "Even though I don't like this, I'm still eating this."

Me- "great"

Preston- "BEELLLAAA, Stoooppp Looookinggg at meeeee!!!!."

Me- "Everyone PLEASE EAT!"

Sydney- "If this electricity goes out what happens."

Me- "Nothing."  (To tired to get into it with her.)

Preston- "Sydney stop looking at me. Stop talking, I don't want anyone talking."

Bella- "When I eat this pasta with my applesauce the applesauce tastes weird."

Preston- "I ate a piece of broccoli. Can I have liquorice?"

Me- "No"

Preston- "Sydney!, Sydney!, Sydney!, Sydney!, Sydney!"

Sydney- "My food is cold still."

Bella- "My food is stinky"

Sydney- "Your Right!."

Sydney- "You know what I'm most afraid of?

Me- "No"

Sydney- "Bats! But only the babies because their so ugly. And that they suck your blood."

Bella- "Ya me too."

Me- (To tired to tell them not to be scared of baby blood sucking bats, sits and eats.)

Preston- "I wish our house was made of toys."

Bell- "No! Candy! A house made out of candy would be cool!"

Sydney- No, No, I wish our house didn't have a roof and then we could play outside in our room!"

Everyone laughing!!!

45 minutes into dinner and nobody is done eating yet...

What's it like at your dinner table?

Blogger Confessional

I'm sure none of you have ever been to "THAT POINT" that you just gave your kids a bag of cereal and left them on the couch to watch cartoons all morning.

I did!

Reasons?

1. When I asked kids what they would like for breakfast all I heard were shrieks and crying.

2. It was 6:30am.

3. I had 4 plies of laundry calling my name upstairs that needed to be dealt with.

4. I have been the camp councilor, entertainer extraordinaire, life guard and kid party animal for what like 9 weeks, and none of the kids seem better for it.

Fighting ensued at 9:43am and they are now in their rooms reading quietly. So far I'm enjoying this morning more then the day's at the beach, park, zoo, camping, soccer camp and playdates.

Feel free to tell me about any "Friends" bad parenting this summer.

Post Edit: I had a great birthday yesterday and will post about it when I get the pictures!

A Piggy Bank In My Garage!

I have a bad habit of taking things that are not being used any more and taking up valuable living space and throwing them into the garage. Once there I don't have to deal with the item and feel like I have accomplished something. 

That is until the garage gets so full I can't park my car in there any longer! I had a pretty good pile going recently and was dreading the day I would have to deal with it. 

Well Friday was that day.

 I couldn't take it any more and started going through the stuff that had accumulated. My first thought was to throw it in the car and take it to a donation center. 

I was standing in the middle of my mess when I had a light-bulb moment. 

I took out my handy-dandy iPhone and started snapping pictures of the things that were in good to great condition. I went inside downloaded the pictures onto my trusty Mac and began posting sales ads on www.Craigslist.com. 

I don't want to make you jealous by telling you how much money I have made this weekend but I'll tell you this much, my kids will be sporting some pretty great back-to-school clothes!

So a word of advice, if there are unused items taking up valuable square footage in your home, there is someone out there waiting for it with open arms!

I love summer at home! This is one reason...

Where else can you see your little man fly.

Over and over and OVER again.

Happy August!