Suzuki XL7

For those of you who don't know, our 1999 Explorer broke down. It has been a very reliable vehicle for the past 6 years, but we were noticing things that were starting to go wrong. Mostly little things that were going bad (door locks/handles/latches). However, a couple of weeks ago something major went wrong. I think it was something with the gaskets or the engine head. Anyway, it was going to be very expensive to fix so we decided to look for another vehicle. We found this one (This is the website pic. Ours is the same color and model) at CarMax. It is a 2008 with 5500 miles. It seats 7 (which was important to me) and we got it for $16,995. We think it was the perfect mix of style, comfort, size, and price. Stan says it is a girl's car and we have gotten several comments on how "cute" it is. LOL. So he says it is my car and he is holding out for a Motorcycle!

Happy Birthday Amelia

We celebrated Amelia's 4th birthday on Saturday. She chose "Cinderella" as her theme. We had a lot of fun. She got a huge set of bubbles and we all had so much fun outside with them. I will post quite a few for you to see. Thanks everyone for an awesome birthday for our little Amelia!

One, Two, Buckle My Shoe

Mada is very independent and likes to work on getting dressed and doing things on her own. Usually she is very patient with herself and doesn't get frustrated easily. I found her sitting on the floor working on buckling her shoe so I got a picture when she wasn't looking.

Lilac Bush

Recently, the neighbor across the street offered me one of her Lilac bushes from her backyard. I found out she is a professional gardener. I suppose that is why her front garden looks so beautiful. So, I planted it in a sunny spot near the pond. Amelia took a picture of me as I dug the hole. Lets hope it lives!

Pretending with Money

The girls had a lot of fun exploring their pretend money on one of our recent rainy days. They stacked the coins and bills, put it in their purses, and made trips to the grocery store (pantry) to buy food. They are already forming early concepts about how money is exchanged for goods and services. As they get older, Stan and I plan to teach them about spending wisely, giving generously and saving for the future. There are some really great resources out there.