Old Navy Does it Again!!!!

I won another sampler from OLD NAVY!!! I am sooo excited. This time, with Crowdtap.com, I won four coupons for myself and three friends. The coupons were to be for a pair of shorts, a top and a women's accessory . . .all free.  So, I wasn't sure who to invite and what to do. Then it hit me.  I have some dear friends of mine who have been in my life for 15 plus years.  We have been trying to figure out a fun girls night for awhile now and couldn't get it together, so I sent them the invite over my facebook event page.  We scheduled it for a Sunday afternoon, but it got cancelled due to an emergency, so we rescheduled for tonight!!! We had so much fun, but let me back up and tell ya why I picked these lovely ladies.

Fifteen years ago, I stepped foot into youth room at a new church we were visiting as a family.  I was nervous and there she was, the only smiling face, my youth advisor and (sister) Sharon. I didn't know her yet but within seconds I felt a warm welcome and I felt as though I had known her forever.  We hit it off and even when she was done being the youth leader, I still remained in her life and she in mine.  She had four beautiful children that stole my heart.  Her two eldest were Danielle and Shyanne and they were and are two of the most beautiful women you will ever meet, just like their mama.  I did a lot of babysitting and a lot of visiting over the years.  When I got married, they were all in my wedding and we got to dress up and have a GIRLS day then too. :)  A few months before my wedding, I had Danielle and Shyanne and my other Niece Sharon over for a girls night at my house.  We did make overs and then got in fancy dresses and practiced our "model walks."  I thought it would be so much fun to reenact our little night so many years ago, tonight. 

Sorry not a clear picture, but here is us about 10 years ago. . .

Here we are starting to shop and picking our our special items. It was so much fun and we having a blast.  we kept laughing like giddy school girls.

Four out of the five of us with our full outfits.  Three of us picked and got the same pair of shorts and we all loved them.  The sisters, Danielle on far left and Shyanne on far right, even picked out the same shoes in different colors. :)  The really sad part is that we were said to be heard from one end of the store all the way to the other with our laughter and giggling.  Too funny.  We did have so much fun.  no way that we were getting that smile off our face tonight.  Oh, and Kaitlyn was a family friend that came along and we really all just enjoyed each other.

Last and final pose, the SISTER POSE.  We have tons of pictures of these two doing this very pose so I made them do it one last time for my benefit.  :)

Hahah, who says great minds don't think alike?  These two bought the same shorts in a different color, the same shoes in a different color and the exact same top.  So cute.

Thanks Old Navy for the Great girls night out.  You brought tears to our eyes more than once.  What a great fun and easy way to make memories that LAST a LIFETIME!!!

Productive P Week

I have to say P week kind of was busy and at the end of two weeks, we still hadn't done everything we could with P for P weeks. :)  There is so many fun words and activities with P and the kids caught on to this one real quick. They realized pretty fast,  like the first day, that POPSICLE starts with p. . .so we had to eat at least one every day!!! Hmm, for that reason, it is good P week is over now. I did make Ava write the word Popsicle every day before she would get one. :)  Of course we practiced writing letter P numerous times anyway.

Ava's homework so she could have a Popsicle. :)

We made a picture for our pappys and we called them both to check on them as one of our P activities.  Some of the foods we ate were Pop tarts, Pancakes, Pasta, Popsicles, Peaches, and many more. 

We went to the Pet store to see Puppys and to learn about how we should take care of a puppy. This was a fun event and definitely made P week a favorite in my kids books.  They are trying to figure out how to make letter Q work for pet shop in some way.  I gotta love the creativity.  The pet shop was fun though, we got two little puppies out to see and pretty soon Ava had decided which one was HERS and Christian had decided which one was HIS.  They named them Angel and Nipper.  They were so in love with them that later on Ava and Pappy Sweethearts date consisted of McDonald's and then a trip to the Pet Shop to show Pappy her Precious Puppy.  All in the name of P week!!! Right?  While they were on the way to the pet shop, Ava asked Pappy if he knew where he was going.  He said he thought so and then she said, "well I will tell you how to get there, it is the door with the two fish painted on it."  Then he knew for sure. :)

The little puppy really liked to pull on Ava's Braids and the kids were so loud I kept having to tell them to Keep it down.  They were so excited.  Full of laughter and squeals. I can't wait till the day the time is right to get them a puppy.

Spending time with Pappy.  This worked out great that Pappy and Nana came home to visit right over P week.  He did take Ava on her promised Date Night and they had so much fun. 

Another activity we did was a Puzzle activity.  We sat for a good while and just put puzzles together.  Christian lost interest pretty quickly but Ava and I had the endurance for awhile. I was excited to see our end result. I can't wait till we can do the larger puzzles as a past time. :)

It doesn't look like much, but it was quite a bit actually. :)

Some of the things we discussed were our Pancreas and how our body uses it to help us function.  We discussed plants and why we need them.  Then we planted some sunflowers and watered the rest of our garden plants.  We discussed how People play, plan, and then we pretended to be purple people eaters. :)  Who knows, but they loved it.  Ava and Christian spent a lot of time in the pool in our back yard.  Ava played with her ponies in the pool and Christian just splashed around.  Then we even had friends over to join us in our Pool Party. :)

We had a PRINCESS PARTY with Cousins Alexis, Annika, and Natalie.  We had Pancakes & Chicken Gravy, Peaches, and Pink iced cupcakes for dessert.  They even made Pink Lemonade.  Then we decorated Princess Crowns with stickers and Grandma Hunsberger even got them all Presents or Party Favors.  The girls of course posed for Pictures and played princess dress up.  What a fun Party.

We also learned about what the word Prayer meant and we discussed why it is important to Pray to God and Petition God when we have a request.  We also talked about Police officers and what they do. How they are there to keep us safe and secure and we need to obey the rules so we don't get into trouble by the Police.  We also had a Pizza Party one night in our basement and we had so much fun.  The kids wanted to do it again the next night. :)

These were the highlights of our weeks.  We did have lots of fun and I think we may do P week at the end again, just because it was so much fun. 

The Fish that Won't Die

A few entries back I shared the story of Christian's little fish Edmond Nemo, may he Rest In Peace.  I was so sad for him and he keeps asking for another fish but we have not gone to get one yet.  So the other week, while my mom and dad were visiting from Missouri, they got a bright idea.  They found a cute item that was two plastic fish that swam when the bowl they were in was sat on the stand they came with.  The fish look pretty real when they are moving and as my parents pointed out, they are fish that won't DIE. :)

They brought the fish over to give to little man and he was so excited.  He didn't notice they were not real and he tried to feed them chips.  We had to clean the water and told him they only eat water.  Our next issue was Ava realizing they were made of plastic and trying to inform him.  We had to pull her to the side and explain to her that he thinks they are real and for now we are allowing him to think so. 

They stop moving when you take the bowl off the stand and he smiles and says, "look they is sleeping!!!"  He carried them around the house for awhile and he was super excited about them. He still shows them to anyone and everyone that comes to our house. Ava got one out the other night and held it in her hand to pet it.  I thought he was going to have a cow!!!

The Littlest Roman enters the World

I had the opportunity to be in the delivery room for the birth of my youngest nephew.  What an amazing time and what a beautiful miracle. I was so excited when I got the call from Brianna early in the morning of June 7, 2011.  She had woken up at 4:00 a.m and was laboring pretty good.  She was going to get ready to start on in.  Micah offered to run my kids over to Nana who was at Brianna and Ryan's house, so I was free to go in with Ryan and Brianna.  I was so psyched.  I am sure not as psyched as the mom and dad to be, but I bet Brianna would say she was in the room with two OVERLY EXCITABLE kids since Ryan and I were pretty much JUMPING  up and down. :)

Ryan was busy texting many people including Michelle Florh and the Grandparents.  He updated often. :) They moved her from the observation room to the delivery room pretty quickly since she was obviously in FULL labor.

I was busy reminding each nurse that entered the room that Brianna did want an epidural. I had told her before we got in there that I would pester them until they got it for her.  She wanted one and was in a lot of pain but they thought she was progressing too fast and they still had to get her two bags of IV fluid in before the epidural. :)  I don't think they thought there was time but we were determined to get it for her.  SHE STILL HAD TIME BY GOSH!!! 

We of course took time to pose after the epidural. Things were a tad calmer and more comfortable for all.  The whole process was so fast and She was admitted in to the room by around 6:30 a.m.  and Roman Louis Ryan Hunsberger entered the world at 9:26 a.m.   He weighed 8lbs and 4.2 oz and measured 21 inches in length.  We all wondered where she hid such a large baby in that little belly of hers. :)  Brianna was such a model patient through it all and very calm.  I will NEVER forget the first time I saw my littlest Roman.  He was so innocent and helpless and then he did it, he started to cry.  I looked at Ryan and we were both tearing up.  Brianna was still in labor so she was working hard but for me, that was the moment my heart melted and I knew he had stolen yet another piece of my heart that would always be his. 

He loved the warmer and just sprawled out under the machine.  He was so so cute and tiny and boy did he look like his big brother Reece.  In fact we all kept calling him Reece because he looked so much like him. 

Ryan, the proud daddy holding Romy for the first time. -  Finally, Mommy gets to hold him and she was in LOVE.  This little guy is a beautiful addition to the family.  We all love him and Reece even claims to love him more than Sofia.  That is alot because Reece Adores his little sister Sofia. :)  What a perfect Day!!!

Day at Cluggy's with Nana

We are trying to fit tons of events in while Nana and Pappy are visiting from Missouri.  One of the fun days we packed into our schedule, the day before Roman Louis Ryan entered our family, was a full fun day at Cluggy's.  The kids had a blast and we had time to sit and talk while they ran off some energy.

The food was great and the fellowship with Brianna and My Mom was even better.  Love those two women.

Waiting to go in to Cluggys.  This was the LAST picture of Nana with All four of her grandchildren, before number five entered into our lives. :)

Nana and her princesses.  :)  They matched.

It only cost a few bucks to get the kids into the play area and because it was a weekday, we had the place tou ourselves.  They had a toddler area for little ones like Sofi but she wanted the other kids to come into that little area with her so of course they did.  They had fun on the slides and the area where they could climb around too.  Nana bought them some tokens and they played games for tickets and then each got some prizes to take home.  What a fun day.  They were so excited to have Nana there with them.  SO was I.

Christian in his tube. :) They also really liked the BIG high slide.  Once they figured out where it was.  The moon bounce was of course another big hit.

Ava Gets Her Ears Pierced!!!

Ava woke up one morning and decided the time had come. . . .the time was now and she was going to get her ears pierced.  I told her that she would have to discuss it with her dear dad, so she sheepishly asked him if she could go get her ears pierced.  He said yes, though he was not extremely excited about it. :)

We called aunt Bleppies to see if she wanted to go along and be there while Ava got her ears pierced.  She wanted Sofia to go too, but then we realized Sofia was taking a nap.  So, Bleppies met us at the mall.  I snapped a few shots while we were waiting in the car for Bleppies to arrive.

One last picture of her hole free ears taken for her daddy

Then we headed into the mall.  She was nervous and excited at the same time.  One minute she was sure the next not so much. I wasn't sure if she would go through with it or not but I was anticipating her being brave and trying it. 

Bleppies and I discussed with Ava about how you had to clean them twice a day for a few weeks or they would get sore and infected.  We also told her after 6 weeks she could change her ear rings.  She picked out the little ear rings she wanted to start with and the lady informed us that because she was that only one there that day, she would have to do them one and then the other right after instead of getting both done at the same time.  We explained to Ava and told her that she couldn't get one done and not the other so she would have to sit really still even if it hurt. 

Here she is picking out her ear rings and getting ready for the big moment

She crawled up on my lap and I kept telling her she didn't have to do it but she was determined.  She wanted to get her ears done but she was so nervous.  She had to face away from me and when they did the first ear, I couldn't see her face, but Bleppies could and said it was sort of a state of shock and fear. :(  She didn't move but I could tell her eyes were silently filling with tears as the lady started on the  second ear.  When it was over I was praising her and so happy for her and she turned her head around and buried her face into me.  The lady gave her a sticker and a lollipop and through her crying she said in a sweet voice, "thank you!"  It brought tears to my eyes. :(  My sweet baby. 

We immediately went and got her ice cream and then discussed taking care of her ears again.  She was pretty proud of them though she did inform me it hurt more than a shot. . it stung longer. :)

She wanted to show the world over the next few days about her ear rings.  She would get excited about going places because "this is the first time I went to the park with my ears pierced!" or "this is the first softball game of daddy's I went to with my ears pierced!"  She wanted to keep it a surprise from her Nana, but while talking on the phone, she gave it away.  She was trying to be discreet the way five year olds are and she said, "I have a surprise Nana. . .I can't tell you but it is something about my ears!!!"  Nana guessed pretty quickly. :) 

The first 24 hours she was obsessed with whether or not they had fallen out or what if they would fall out.  She woke up at 12:00 midnight the first night and was so scared.  She had a dream that her ears got infected and her earrings fell out.  She came over to our room and crawled up in our bed.  She was crying and she said, "mommy, I think my ears are green with infection and my ear rings might have falled out."  The room was pitch dark and she wanted me to check, so I acted like I could see them in the dark, and told her they were fine and still there.  She bought it and fell back asleep, but woke up numerous to ask the same questions. :)  So funny. 

She loves to wear her hair back so everyone can see her pierced ears.  Nana bought her some pretty ear rings today and she can't wait until she is allowed to wear them.  She feels so big and grown up.  She is growing up too fast for her daddy and my liking.

Ava "BECOMES" a Bumbaugh Today

Our family travels and sings southern gospel music.  They have been doing this for 12 years and they are coming to an end, meaning their Through the Years Concert is next Saturday.  Ava has been practicing for weeks to sing the last song with them on stage at the goodbye concert.  She has practiced and practiced and just anticipated this moment for awhile.  Today, the family sang at a local church so we went and met them so she could sort of have a practice run.  All the way up until the song came on, she was refusing to go on stage.  She was sure she wasn't going to do it.

She is alot like her father, so I was pretty sure she was nervous and didn't want to be in front of all of those people.  I was really hoping myself she would go up, but didn't want to push her too hard.  Last minute, she decided to do it and she stood up there and sang away.  She kept her eyes on her mommy and daddy and Nana for encouragement and she did great.  She stood beside her cousin Kelsey and sang with her. 

I was so happy and when she came running to us off the stage, I leaned over after I hugged her and whispered, "so was it fun?!?!"  She looked right at me and said very assuredly, "No."  :)  She said she was a little nervous.  I looked at her daddy and we started to laugh.  She sure is HIS daughter. :)

Later, this evening, while outside watering our plants together, she said, "I guess I became a Bumbaugh today.  I mean, when you sing on stage with them, you really do turn into a real Bumbaugh."  I was trying to hide my laughter and smile as I said, "well, weren't you always a Bumbaugh."  She said, "I guess so but today I sure was because I stood on stage with them and I singed just like them.  I think I did good though." She said she might sing next week at their last concert, but she wasn't sure yet. :)

An Update On Christian

Wanting to update my blog on the things of Christian.  He has been so funny and growing up so fast lately.  One of the things we noticed about him is how he seems to be talking alot more lately.  He has improved a ton since he started "Peach Parody" last year and his therapist really does great work with him.  Some of the things he does are pretty funny and the things he says them along with the way he says them keep us laughing. 

He finally, after much practice, figured out how to bowl on the Wii.  It is very funny and he is actually really good.  He lines up his remote and ball and then, turns around to look at daddy sitting behind him and says, "right dere?"  He was doing this every time and then he realized we were waiting for it and he heard us comment on it. I think he thought we were making fun, so he stopped with the "right Dere" and we miss it.  One time, out of the blue, he said, "I bowl backward!!" and he lined it up, turned around and bowled.  He got a strike.  This is his favorite thing to do now. :)  Everyone laughs and cheers him on and he loves the attention.  He feels so big as he walks around getting his high fives from all of us bystanders. :)

His motor skills are far better than they used to be.  He shows improvement on the monkey bars and any of the other play ground equipment we play on.  He had trouble before because he was so much smaller than the rest, but he is definitely showing that he figured away to beat the short factor.

Another thing we noticed, started after his Nana and Pappy went to Missouri.  He started becoming really sensitive to people leaving him.  Well, he actually was like this before but this was something he took pretty hard.  He was sad and angry and hurt and didn't know how to express it. I think he feels people are abandoning him when they move or leave his life.  One of the first times we went up to Nana and Pappy's house after they left, he found a bear blanket from their couch.  He snuck it home and uses it every night. I asked him one night and he says it is because it makes him feel close to Missouri.  I knew that meant it made him feel close to Nana and Pappy.  He is so sweet.  He is doing better but just the other day, after daddy had a few months off work and had spent a ton of time with Christian, daddy went to his first day at a new job.  Christian cried and ignored Micah when he came home.  He later said he was mad.  He felt daddy left him.  I am sure this will work itself out in time but it is sad to see him feel these emotions. I hope I know how to help him work through and learn to express and deal with what he is feeling. :)

Christian loves wearing his flip flops and his crocs and most of the time you will find him in either PJs or swimming trunks.  This is him dressing himself.  He is now fully potty trained and SOOO proud of himself, though he still thinks I should give him CANDY when he poops in the potty. I told him that if he eats a piece of candy every time he poops, he will have problems.

Christian loves Calliou and Iron Giant movie right now.  He drinks juice, soda, and CHOCOLATE MILK if offered.  He hates to work and says "my legs are tired" or "I can't do that, it too hard."  He is learning to clean his room but still finds ways to finagle his way out of work. :)  This will be something we focus on a lot next year while Ava is at school. 

He is great at riding his bike with training wheels and he loves to help me water my plants in my garden.  He laughs hysterically when he farts and then after I glare at him, he says, "cuse me."  He loves his sister and misses her when she is away. 

He loves spending time with his daddy, doing boy things.  He loves to also snuggle with mommy and be babied by mommy.  He is growing up so fast and I am amazed at all the ways he is changing and all the things he is learning. I love him and I feel so grateful and blessed to have this sweet special boy in my life, as my son. 

The Youngest Smith

There are moments in my busy life, when I stop and almost take an outside look into my life, and focus on the things that matter.  Last week was one of those times.  A little over 15 years ago, I came to a new church and a new youth group and I met a very sweet lady that became one of my dearest friends.  Her name was Sharon Smith and she happened to be my new youth leader. She immediately made me feel comfortable and welcome and then, she also had something else that pulled at my heart strings.  She had three of the MOST ADORABLE kids in the entire world. I fell in love and over the next few years, I baby sat them every chance I got.

Danielley was the eldest and she was only 4 when I first met her.  She was a little shy at first but once she warmed up to you, she was so funny.  She always had a sweet demeanor and was always very nurturing to others.  Then there was the Shiny Bug and she was sweet too.  She was NOT shy at all, and she loved to wear lots of girly princessy things.  Then came my Buddy Evan.  He was the baby when I first met the Smith family and he stole my heart too.  When some stupid guy hurt me, he was always the one that told me I was pretty or just made me feel special and loved.  Well, actually they ALL did that for me.  So, now that we know about the three eldest, that instantly stole my heart, I will tell you about a sweet baby that soon entered into the Smith Family Household.  His name. . .BRADY.  He was strong willed and so funny and he didn't like to sleep as a baby. I would go over and hang out with Sharon while Todd was working late and the other kids went to bed at bedtime, but not Brady.  He had a mind of his own.  We loved him for it but we secretly laughed alot at how different they are were from each other.  So, now that you see how much Danielley, Shiny Bug, Evan Buddy, and Little Brady meant to me, you will be able to see why this moment the other week was so special to me. 

This family has been a part of my life for most of my life.  They have been there for all of the pivotal points and moments and it has been fun to watch them all grow.  I miss them but I call their mother, My friend Sharon, often, just to catch up on all that is going on in all four of her kids lives.  My hubby has come to love these Smith Kids too. :)  Anyone that knows them knows they are simply amazing. :)

So, the other week, we needed a sitter for the kids for a few hours.  Danielley was in college, and Shiny and Ev were busy with teenager fun stuff. :)  Brady was home, so he offered.  The kids have been around him a few times and they think he is so funny.  While they were there, Sharon got some pics of the kids hanging out together.

Brady did a great job with Ava and Christian.  The kids talked for days about Evil Horse and Good Horse.  This was a game they played on the trampoline.  They played with the baby kitten named Puma too.  :) 

T

This was a special picture that Sharon edited for me.  LOVE IT!!

Christian sneaking up on the kitten. I love this one.  Sharon got some great shots.  I love how he is using the crouching sneaky approach.

Ava jumping over Brady on the trampoline.