2 tide u over...a 2004 picture marathon...

well, we're moved!

we slept in Retro (the new place) 4 the 1st time last nite & we're already in love!!! there's sooooo much more space & every1 is settling in nicely!

we still have cleaning up 2 do at the old place...& we haven't even begun 2 clear out our storage shed there...plus, there's some yard work 2 b done b4 we leave, including tearing up our little raised veggie bed :0(

so, since i don't have the time (or energy - my gosh, is this move kicking my butt?!?!) 2 upload pics or recap our whirlwind weekend, i figured i'd tide u over with some sweet pics i stumbled upon the other day when i was doing some clean up on an old PC we're getting rid of...either that, or bore u 2 tears! hey, at least i know my biggest blogging fan (my father-in-law...hi Pop!!!) will enjoy em ;0)

all these pics r from the last half of 2004 - when i got my 1st digital camera...Corinn was born Feb 04, Gabby turned 2 that November & Jaden turned 4 in July...these make my heart melt every time i look at em!!! ♥ also, u'll notice that quite a few were taken at Retro when my rents lived there

Gabrielle - such a sweetie!
she always loved helping take care of her lil sis - even if she was only 15 months old when Corinn was born ;0)
every time i'd get the camera out, Jaden would want 2 show me his "mut-tules"
Corinn was the most content, easy-going baby of em all!
look at that smile!
~lol~ love this pic!
playing in Nana & Grandpa's sandbox - it's stll there too!
my angels
at the National Zoo
checking out the animals from daddy's shoulders
Gabby used 2 LOVE 4 me 2 do her hair in different styles - not any more! ~lol~
Corinn is still the same way - falls asleep anytime, anywhere!
oh my goodness!
at the playground in Front Royal (where we lived)
sweetness!
Corinn on Nana's lap at church
checking out the fireworks on July 4th
Grandpa giving Jaden & Gabby a ride
my little ladies
passed out watching a movie
sitting on Grandpa's lap at Jaden's 4th bday party
there goes those muscles again!
check out the cake! 1 of my firsts!
at the pool in Front Royal
Jaden used 2 think this was hilarious!
taking care of her baby is hard work! ;0)
rare pic of all 5 of my kiddos that year - let's just say Curtis Jr & Corey's mom wasn't our best friend during that time
at Wilkins Lake in Winchester
1 of my fav pics - Halloween 04
ready 4 my bro's wedding
Jaden was the ring bearer & my niece, Deandra, was the flower girl
& yes, i made the cake - my very 1st wedding cake ever! boy, i've come a long way! ~lol~
rn't they cute?!
Gabrielle's 2nd bday - another early cake creation
little reindeer
sweet little lamb 4 the church Christmas play
Christmas day!
tuckered out on Christmas day
(he does have boxer briefs on - his guns r hiding em ~lol~)
Christmas at Nana & Grandpa's

rethinking Autism...

"Nothing About Us Without Us!"



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ps. thx 4 being patient with me & my lack of posts lately...on top of our every day busy lives, we're making the big move this weekend...hopefully this rain will go away & make our job a lot easier!
i'll b back with some pics & posts next week...have a FABULOUS weekend guys!!!

another Steelers cake...

wow, there sure r a lot of Steelers fans round here...cause this is 1 of like a million Steelers cakes i've done so far ~lol~

this 1 is 4 Tyreeq (here's his cake from last year)...it's fudge chunk cake (a spin on my infamous fudge chip), iced in butter cream & accented with dark chocolate fondant...the helmet is made of rice krispies, covered in dark chocolate fondant - accented in regular marshmallow fondant...the face mask is not edible

thx 4 looking!
♥

wordless Wednesday - i adore my morning commute!

(all pics taken with my cell)

about Gabrielle...

this came home from school yesterday...Gab pulled it out of her backpack & said,
"look, my bow matches my shirt!"
i feel like that statement should have been added 2 her "about me" summary too...it definitely gives u a hint as 2 what kinda girl we've got on our hands! ;0)

(u can click on the picture 2 enlarge)

My name is Gabby Skates.
My birthday is November.
I like to swim.
Pink is my favorite color.
My favorite food is ice cream.

weekend recap...

Friday night, Jaden went 2 go out on the porch 2 throw some recycling in the bin & found another praying mantis - right on our screen door! he's so lucky - always running across his favorite little insects

Saturday morning, we were up & out the door bright & early...not as early as daddy tho - he was at the local BBQ pit at 4:30am! 2 help the Cub Scouts with their chicken fundraiser...about the time he got home, we all headed out 2 the church so the kiddos could practice 4 their big performance the next day...

we took these pics right b4 leaving 4 the church...u might recognize the above 1 from my new blog header...the 1 below just cracks me up - look at Corinn's face ;0)

Curtis stayed at the church & helped some fellas with spreading out mulch & doing some landscaping, while i went ahead & ran errands...1 stop 4 me was my brother's...he was busy down in 1 of the chicken houses gathering eggs...& he had the cutest little helper EVER!

Matthew is such a pro at this already...he turns the belt on & off on his own, makes sure the egg is clean, then places it correctly in the flat (they have 2 sit with the big end down)...it's adorable!

we spent the rest of Saturday packing up some boxes & hanging out around the house...i had some baking & prep work 2 do 4 the barnyard cake i decorated that night, & the kiddos had fun beating daddy in video games while i was in the kitchen

at 7pm, Jaden says "hey ma, it's 7pm - time 4 our walk!"...it's funny how much the kiddos look forward 2 this now that they can ride their scooters!

& it was even better on Saturday - cause daddy got 2 come along! ;0)

Sunday was Homecoming at our church...117 years for Broadway Baptist! we had a wonderful service (our pastor from 1987-97 came back 2 visit & preach - he was my fav pastor growing up!) & then a meal afterward

then we all gathered back in the sanctuary 4 the Joyful Noise (our childrens choir) performance...the kiddos have been practicing their little hearts out over the last few weeks

the program Ms. Sharon chose was awesome! it was Veggie Tales - O Veggie, Where Art Thou?...here's a description from their website:
"Hymns, spirituals, and bluegrass favorites highlight this collection reminiscent of the 2001 hit film O Brother, Where Art Thou? Join the Veggies as visit 'Grandpa Bobs Old Time Radio Hour,' singing favorites from days gone by."

you can also preview some of the tracks here (my fav song is #10, One Lord)...the whole show was really fun & the kiddos had a blast! it was neat hearing them sing old hymns that i grew up with

here's the girls singing a trio with their buddy Seth...



Jaden had his own little solo...
(btw - he totally didn't need that paper...he's been singing his part over & over 4 the last week!)



& the closing number...



needless 2 say, we were SUPER PROUD!!!

we got home late that afternoon...just in time 4 me 2 deliver the barnyard cake 2 Macyn's party...then i came home & we all got busy moving some more stuff over 2 the new house

we're slowly, but surely, getting there...this weekend will b the final big move...we've got family (along with their trucks) ready 2 come & help on Sunday...hopefully by this time next week, we'll b sleeping there...please say a prayer 4 us that everything goes smoothly

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oh...& happy International Day of Peace
☮

e-i-e-i-o...

i think i've done a different variation of this cake about 6 or 7 times now...it's pretty popular round these parts ;0) but it's a fun one too...reminds me of playing with the Little People Farm when my kiddos were smaller

this one was for 1yr old Macyn...i've made 2 cakes for his big brother, Kadyn (1 featured here & the other here) - 1 for each of the birthdays he's had so far...& now it's little brother's turn...it's cool that i get 2 make a cake 4 each birthday these boys have

everything u see is edible!
the sheet cake, smash cake & barn r all white cake...iced in butter cream...the barn has a chocolate fondant roof

i made all the little farm critters out of fondant & gum paste...the hay stacks r little icing piles (hello sugar coma!)

the fence is gum paste...the mud & pond r icing too

the cake matched Macyn's party decor perfectly!

& i could tell that Kadyn approved of his little bro's cake...he put a fingerprint in the side of it almost immediately after i set it down! ;0)

earning Bionicles & a good work-out...

these toys r called Bionicles - they're made by Legos & Jaden is OBSESSED with em!

he's got about 5 or 6 of them currently...mostly from birthdays & Christmas...& one, he actually spent his own money 2 buy

the ones u see pictured here r actually 2, 3, 4 different ones, pieced 2gether 2 form new creations - Jaden's favorite way 2 play with Bionicles

he's named the one above "Spider Bionicle" - u know? since it has 8 "legs"

& the one below is "Walking Stick"

he's got his eye on another one...so he's saving up his money - doing xtra chores around the house for quarters, & tucking away the dollars that the tooth fairy brings (he's loosing molar teeth like crazy now - she just came 4 a visit again last night!)

i'm actually pretty proud of him...it's been tough, but he's proving that he can b patient & he will work hard 2 earn what he really wants...sometimes i have 2 remind him that it's gonna take a while 2 earn that $15 - but he's getting it! ;0)

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i found a new way 2 get a little exercise in the evenings...i used 2 speed walk 2 miles every morning, but when school started & we had 2 start getting up even earlier, i stopped walking...i would literally have 2 start walking at 5:30am just 2 get my 2 miles in...& let's just say, that ain't happenin!

so in the evenings, i try & make up 4 it...the kiddos (especially the girls) love taking walks around the neighborhood! but of course, it isn't too speedy when u have 3 kiddos 2 corral & keep moving

so when Gabrielle asked if they could ride their scooters on our walk the other nite, i was like y didn't i think of that?! since then, we've made this a regular evening activity (when we can - some nights we have too much going on...or like last nite, it was raining)

we try 2 go where we can stay on the sidewalk - putting Mama's mind at ease about the kiddos darting out in front of cars...& we even took a route the other nite that had this HUGE STEEP hill!

once at the top of the hill...the sunset over
the cemetery is sweet!
(sorry, only cell phone pics - movin too fast 2 carry my camera)

well, & a lil spooky sometimes...

the kiddos LOVE these walks/rides!

& it's really nice when we leave just b4 it gets dark...cause then we have 2 rush 2 make sure & get home b4 it gets too black out...there r street lights on most of our route, but the sun going down puts the kiddos in high gear...especially on the downhill parts like this...

they have Mama practically jogging 2 keep up!

& i like it!
;0)

acrobatics & a (not so) secret handshake...

last nite was the girls' 1st acro class of the season!

we've made some tough decisions lately...we pulled Jaden out of martial arts a couple of weeks ago...& told the girls that they wouldn't b able 2 dance this season...we just simply can't afford it all right now with Curtis' recent lay off (although, he's been getting 35-40hrs a week with the electrician he's been working with...it's just not a permanent gig cause we're not sure how long it will last)...& with our upcoming move...we really need 2 just save up this year

we promised every1 that next season, we'd work it all out so they could jump right back in...they understood...they were sad...but they understood

then, we found out this week that not only would the girls b able 2 take the 1 class a season that we normally allow...but 2 classes each! i can't go in2 details about how - let's just say that God works in mysterious (& WONDERFUL) ways!!! :0)

& the best part? they're in the same classes this year!

last nite was Acro...& on Monday, they'll begin Tap...they're thrilled!!!

Mama & Daddy r grateful!
God is so good...we praise Him 4 always taking care of not just our needs, but 4 also blessing our family with many other opportunities!

so now, we're on the hunt 4 another martial arts program 4 Jaden (we've been told about an awesome, Christian-based 1 that we're gonna look in2)...the Sensei he worked with 4 the last year was great - but very tough...& yes, i realize that Jaden needs some tough - especially when training...but i don't think the Sensei really "got" Jaden - or necessarily wanted 2 try 2...he was kind, but had very little patience...Jaden was super close 2 earning his green belt, so he did well overall...but we'd really like 2 find a Dojo that's a better fit 4 us...& a little cheaper too ;0)

4 now, we've signed Jaden up 4 Cub Scouts...another activity that's not based on how well a group or team does, but had individual goals...Jaden has a hard time when things don't work out the way he'd like...especially if it's because of some1 else (Autistics tend 2 do better with individual sports/activities)...plus, Cub Scouts isn't a weekly thing - they'll meet 2 or 3 times a month, & have some fun monthly activities (racecar derby, creating a float 4 the Homecoming parade, chicken BBQ fundraisers, camp-outs, etc)...it'll b a fun creative outlet 4 Jaden, but not something so demanding (or expensive)

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i also wanted 2 share this video with u

it's of Curtis & Jaden doing their (not so) secret handshake last nite...they've been doing this 4 years...every couple months or so, they'll add on more...actually, as soon as i took this video, Jaden suggested another move they should add on 2 the end - it's so funny!

ps. any1 else getting grainy photos when uploading them 2 blogger? it's so weird! & annoying!