Our House

For the past few months, Hubby has been running himself ragged trying to secure a house that we fell in love with back in September. On December 15th, we were over the moon when they handed us the keys!!! It was such a surreal moment and we are so proud to announce that we are now HOMEOWNERS!

We are loving the extra room to run and space to make more noise! Our neighbors have brought us treats and welcomed us to the neighborhood. It is nice to feel like we are putting down roots. Granted we have been in this area for awhile, but now we have a home. And after moving all of our stuff, we are in NO hurry to do it again! We have room to grow in this home. It's a great feeling. 

Here are a few pictures of my favorite rooms in the house...

Our dining room! 

Drakey's room

We love our large, fenced-in backyard. 

And a laundry room! Upstairs!

Our nice big living room. Plenty of
space for Drake and his toys!

Here are some fun facts about our time that we lived in the apartment.

*Our apartment was Unit 3.

*Lili was 3 years old when we moved in.

*We celebrated 3 Thanksgiving Days while living there.

*Lili attended 3 different schools.
*We brought our 3rd baby home there.
*We have owned 3 cars during those two years.
*Cadee and Lili have been in 3 different grades.
*It took about 3 months from the time our offer was accepted on the house to when we got our keys!

Celebrating our first Christmas with Drakey in our first home made it a memorable year for our family. We will never forget it.

Lili Logic

Lili was running around pretending there were bad guys that she had to defeat...
"I will put this sparkly on him and he will get married and become a good guy!"

Old Enough to Know Better

I use this line all the time with my girls... "You are old enough to know better." Meaning, I have told you a thousand times over the past X years, you have heard it enough. I know you know not to do that! So why are you still doing it? 
You are old enough to know that we don't drink chocolate milk in the living room. 
That we don't talk above a whisper in the library.
That we don't hide things from mommy. Even if you think it's hilarious.
That we don't jump on the bed.
That we don't flick the light switch on and off a hundred times.
Basic things that I expect my girls to understand. They are old enough to know better.

I turned a page in my life this year... I'm now officially in my "late 20s". It's crazy to think about. My sister and I were just talking how we feel like we have blinked and now we are grown ups with grown up problems and grown up aches and pains. It's insane how we want so badly to be adults and do what we want to do when we are little, but then when it actually happens, we regret wanting that. I love my life, but it has gone by so fast. Especially with my kids.
I used to be able to get away with little things. Traffic violations, forgetting to put stuff away, not cleaning the fridge out each week, forgetting to spray for spiders, drying Hubby's shirts. All it took was "I'm sorry, I didn't know." That used to work. It used to get me off the hook. Now, I am old enough to know better.

I guess the kids can jump on the bed one more time. And be very careful with their milk in the living room. And laugh and play whenever they get the chance. Because, someday, too soon, they WILL be old enough to know better. And then they will be wishing they were little again.

My Cadee Grace

My Cadee Grace is tall for her age. She is healthy. She has more adult teeth than any other second grader I know. Her beautiful bright blue eyes change color with her mood. Light, bright blue means she is happier then when they are darker blue. My Cadee Grace is the definition of sunshine. She can light up a room with her giggles and smiles. Cadee is the girl on the playground that everyone knows, and not only knows, but genuinely likes. She is a great big sister. She loves and protects Drake and Liliana. And will do almost anything to see them smile. She is the fun one. The protector. The sweet one. The helpful one. The defender. The confident one. The motherly one. If there is a problem, she finds a solution. (Unless it's with her sister.) If someone is hurt, she fetches them a bandaid. If someone is upset, she makes them laugh or gives them a hug. She is everything sweet. Not only does her personality define her, but also her knowledge. She is logical, bright and inquisitive. She understands things and when she doesn't, she asks questions until she does. And then some. A friend described her to me as a strong girl, whom she was very impressed with how kind and respectful she is.
My hope for my Cadee Grace is that she would always be on the lookout for her next adventure! I knew from the day that she was born that this little one would keep me moving forward. Not looking back at what I could have done differently. She keeps me on my toes with her questions and comebacks. She keeps me smiling with her infectious giggle. She keeps my heart full with her desire to make me feel loved and wanted. She is our first daughter, our pride and joy, and our forever sunshine. 
Here's to you, my little peanut. Happy 8th birthday. 


I love you more than there are stars in the sky.
I love you more than the ocean is wide.
I love you right down to the depths of my soul.
I love you much more than you'll ever know.  

Random Rachel

Here are some random facts about me! 

I have a love-hate relationship with orange juice. My mouth doesn't tolerate it's acidity very well (I get a few canker sores). But I do appreciate a glass once in awhile, with ice cubes in it.

Most of the time, you will find me barefoot at home. I don't care for socks unless I'm sick.

I love Chick-Fil-A. It's my favorite.

You can usually find me with a blanket on my lap if I'm sitting down. Not for warmth, just comfort.

One of my hips is lower than the other. It gets real painful when the weather changes. 

I have been spoiled with a master bath and closet for all of my married life. I'm not sure I'll ever live without those again.

My Mom

With all of the chaos going on in my life right now, I forgot to honor my mom on her birthday, November 11. 

My mom is my number one fan, best friend and greatest encourager. She continuously rescues me. With her phone calls, texts, visits or taking the girls for the weekend. She has supported me through everything in my life. She is the definition of unconditional love. Nothing I have ever said or done has turned her away from me. 
Without my mom, I would not know how to be a mommy. I mean, I would suffer through it and learn along the way, but without watching her and asking her questions, I would not be the mommy I am today.
Here are some fun facts about my mom!
~ She has 2 brothers and 1 sister. 

~ She fought and won the battle against breast cancer!

~ Her favorite color is yellow.

~ Her favorite food is chocolate.

~ If you ask her where she wants to go eat or what she wants to do, she will almost ALWAYS answer, "I don't care. Whatever you want to do."

~ She has been a stay at home mom/nana for most of her married life!

~ She has given each of us a nickname that has stuck with us. (Pumpkin- Sarah, Peanut- Me, Sunshine- Cadee, Birdy- Lili and Monkey- Drakey)

~ She is a warm hug, a listening ear, a safe place.

I am so proud to call her mom and to know that I will always have a home in her heart. 

Trust

I love my children, in case you couldn't tell. But, they can also drive me crazy! It is a battle most days to get them to do the things I ask. 
Without having to ask them more than twice. 
Without them asking "why". 
Without a grumpy attitude. 
Without telling them- if you don't, there will be a punishment.
I really would love to have just one day where every time I ask something of them, they simply answer "ok, Mom!" and go do it, with a cheerful heart. Is that too much to ask?!

I look at my children now, and I don't know their future. I know the consequences for their attitudes with me, or their disobedience to me, for their actions *right now*. But I don't know what the next few years of their lives will bring. We are just doing the best we can at parenting them now and preparing them for whatever their futures bring. I know I don't have all of the answers, but I am expecting them to trust Hubby and me. To trust that we are raising them to be respectful, kind, caring people. To trust that when I ask them to clean their room, it's not just because I like being able to walk into their room without losing a toe, but also because cleanliness is a good discipline to have. I hope that one day, we can look back to these years and see the fruits of our labor. That our children are happy, successful, wise, pleasant, God-loving people. And that we did a good job with them.
As uncertain as I am about the future, I do know that God knows what is going to happen. It's hard for my children to do what I say without complaint. And I second guess myself all the time. God doesn't. He is certain about our future. We need to trust in Him. He's got this! He never second guesses Himself. He knows the best route to get us from where we are to where we need to be. We need to do as He says. With a cheerful attitude, without question, and without stalling- like we would want our children to do. He only has our best interests at heart. Look at all of the sweetness He has already given me! Oh how much sweeter my life could be if I just trusted Him more!