Back to schoolcountdown

This morning, I practiced a couple new hairstyles for the girls. I did this knot braid head band on Kiera and it was really easy! Love it!

It is such a different look! Very pretty, we'll definately be trying this one again.

Kiera will be starting Kindergarten next week. We have open house tonight and will be finding out who her teacher is and what day she'll go next week for the phase in.

On Natalie, I did two simple twist back ponies:

This worked nicely for her since she wears her bike helmet most of the day ;)

 

The girls are super excited for school to start. Jackson will probably be a little lost at first.

Sweet Sunday

Sundays are the one day off a week we have together as a family. To save on day care costs, and because of my husbands position, we have gone the past several years with only Sundays off as a family. This is something that is temporary and I am looking forward to the day when we can have the enttire weekend together. We went to church this morning. I am so glad we did! It quinched my thirst for the Lord and satisfied me. I have been struggling at work lately and its so awesome that we can give our concerns to God and allow our focus to be on Him and our family. Sunday mornings are sometimes a struggle as it is so tempting to sleep in and be lazy as a family, but so worth it to go to church. We have attended our church off and on for a year and I am trying to make attending a habit. I am hoping we will make friends. After church we came home for lunch and naps them met Telena and the kids for a bike ride. It was lots of fun! It is very smokey today from the fires. The trip up the bike path was great, coming back....not so much. We had some bad attitudes and my patients were tested but it was so worth it. Natalie learned a couple months ago to ride with out training wheels and she LOVES it. She is now able to get started on her own and wants to take two bike rides a day :) The past two nights her and I have gone around the neighborhood and its been awesome. Its great to have some one on one time together, something I a trying to be intentional about with all my kids (and hubby) Today was a very blessed day!

Gazelle Intensity

We recently sold our car. We were able to pay our loan off, a credit card off and put some money towards a medical bill. I read Dave Ramsey's Total Money Make Over for the second time recently. I am sooo excited to dump our debt! We were going good, until spring when our explorer had problems....and our emergency fund wasnt complete(baby step 1)....and we had to put some on a credit cared, ugh! Then, with school out for summer, our daycare expenses have been much higher. I am hoping the jump start of selling our car will spur us on! I have been working on our budget and am very encouarged by how things are looking! My long term goal is to be debt free (except our home) so that I can quit my part time job and fully devote myself to our home. With Gods guidance, I feel this is something we CAN achieve!

Being intentional with our time

Something I've been convicted of lately is being in the moment with my kids. On my days off, my to-do list gets so long so fast. I have so much in my home I want to accomplish that time can slip by so quickly as I go about my day. I want to really work on being intentional with my time and making small moments with my kids a priority.  Today we had to be to town for an early appointment. Instead of running errands  afterwards, (stressful!) we went to the park. We had alot of fun! It was nice to be "unplugged" and just focus on my kids. The tasks in my home are important as well, I just want to be sure time with my kids is above my home on my priority list. Time goes too fast for it not to be!