Emma Beth

Emma Beth.
My little dear.
She's getting so big.  And smart.  And kind.  And stubborn.  And silly.
The list could go on and on with this girl.
She tries SO HARD to do what's right.  Some times, it turns around and hits her in the face.
She's cautious with some things, and not so cautious with other things.
I feel like i'm constantly hounding her.  Then there will be peaceful phases where we actually get along and she's eager to help me.
She's a tough egg to crack but I SO love her.  With all her quirks and habits and mannerisms that make up Emma.
I am just really proud of her.

Halloween 2014

This year, the kids picked their outfits pretty early on.  So it was easy.
Of course, it was freezing on Halloween day here in Memphis.  But they were troopers and stuck it out.
We had an amazing amount of people come to Halloween Cove this year.  Our culdesac looked amazing.  Halloween Night was so fun.  Once we ran out of candy (10 costco bags), we went and ate at Mr. Steve's house with his family.  They are the genuine Southern family and I love it.  I feel very welcome there.
We didn't get back in until 11 pm.  The kids stayed up late too.  But it was worth it.  This will be our last Halloween here in Memphis & in Halloween Cove.  And i'm sad about that.  We are so lucky to have been living in this special little neighborhood.  We've never had such amazing neighbors before.

I love every one of these pictures and couldn't decide just one.  They are growing up too fast.

Memphis Zoo

We were able to head to the Memphis Zoo on Labor Day.  Joe had school off so he was able to come with us.  It was nice to all go as a family.  We have a pass but we don't use it nearly as much as we should!  But the kids had so much fun.  I was surprised how much Jake enjoyed it.  But then again, he's really into animals right now!

Jake's First Year

So i'm going down memory with this kid.  As of right now, every day it's just Jake and me.  I love it.  It's been so fun being with him.  And I just happened to finally come around to finishing this project....don't worry that he's going to be 2 in Nov.
I'm glad I did this every month, to see the changes and growth.  That first year is a doosy but there are times that I miss it!  Miss those baby stages!

Some things I would have done differently:
-Made sure it was the SAME place, SAME position, SAME lighting each month.  Would have looked more unified.
-Written down more info about him.  I did write more detailed posts each month but didn't write down like height like I did for his weight.  Not a big deal but still would have been fun to see.

Family Finest: Bake-N-Make Cookies

What Back to School traditions to you have in your house?

I love spending time with the kids when they come home from school.  It's when they are excited about their day and want to share it.  So what better way to do that than over some decorating cookies?

Introducing Family Finest Bake-N-Make Cookies Decorating Kit.

It's a complete kit that has everything  you need!  It comes with 4 cookies, cookie trays, 4 colors of icing & sprinkles.

They bake for about 20 minutes and then you are ready to decorate!

I was surprised at how big these cookies were!  Lots of room to do lots of decorating, which the girls loved.

 

They are found at Walmart in the Dairy section.  For only $5, this is a great kit to have on hand when the kids are coming home from school!
Honestly, my kids had so much fun.  And these cookies are really good.  Made it hard to stick with my "no sugar" diet!  Aaaand my house still smells delicious.  Defintely a fun addition to the menu when looking for a great family activity!

And this is all my own opinion.  I was not given this product to do a review.  I wrote this on my own accord!