Tie Dye!

A few weeks ago, the kids spent the weekend with Grammie, Pops, and Aunt Susie.  They decided to do a fun craft project and tie dyed shirts.  They turned out really cute and the kids have worn them many times.  They really came in handy when I took the kids to see a summer movie and the place was swarming with kids on field trips!  I could easily spot them.  We like them so much, we've talked my family into dying shirts before we go to Disney next year!

$1.24

Tonight, we were able to get all of this...

for $1.24!!  That's right, we got a 12" pineapple pizza and a 12" Stromboli from Big M's, as well as an 8oz Chicken Pot Pie Soup and French loaf bread from Zoup.  How did we do it?  Well, we had gotten a Groupon for Big M's for $20 that we only paid $1 for.  After ordering the two things, we owed .24cents.  The soup and bread was free with a coupon we had from our realtor.  I put a little fruit on the side and we had dinner!  Good news is, we still have half a pizza left for lunch tomorrow!

I've also been cleaning out things and have found several partial gift cards, a roll of quarters, free putt putt coupons, Chucke Cheese tokens, and even a full $20 gift card to Showplace.  Right now, we literally have no income, so we are trying to be creative and find fun things to do without spending any money or as little as possible!  It's actually a fun challenge and makes me feel good to create more memories on less!

CMOE With Emma

This morning, the kids and I met my friend, Kelly, and her daughter, Emma, at CMOE to play.  We hadn't been in a long time and we hadn't seen them in an even longer time!  It was so good to catch up and I hope it doesn't take us 6 months to meet up again!

Finding Dory

Today, we wanted to do something cool and cheap as a family.  I had a partial gift card left to the AMC movie theatre.  We decided to take the kids to see Finding Dory.  We've been anxiously awaiting this movie to come out and it did not disappoint!  The cool thing was, it only cost all four of us $6.93 to get in.  That's pretty darn good for a brand new movie.  We picked up dollar snacks at The Dollar Tree and I brought some bottles of water.  For around $12, our family of five went to the movies with a snack.  Another bonus was that the theatre now has reclining seats for each person.  They were super comfy and a few of us had trouble staying awake!

How Am I Doing? ~ 2016 Intentions

2016 is almost half way over...SAY WHAT!?!?!?!  I haven't been able to recap each month as I'd previously hoped, but here is an update as to how I'm doing with my 2016 Intentions and what I hope to accomplish during the second half of the year.

1. Catch up on the blog (including Disney!) DONE!!
2. Visit Grams B 2x a Month (0/24)
3. Finish Daily Dose of Knowledge: Bible with Brian
4. Visit each of Brian's grandparents 2x other than holidays (0/4)
5. Complete the 12 Months of Family Fun board we gave the kids for Christmas (4/12) We hope to complete as many of the items on there as we can, but due to budget and other life circumstances, things have changed.
6. Cross off 35 things from my 101 in 1001 list (16/35) Half way there!
7. Follow a strict budget I am pretty tight with the budget, but things are about to get even tighter!
8. Keep track of all of Gavin's Appointments and Procedures in 2016 (See Below!) All of Gavin's appointments are documented.  If I added in Macie and Brian's appointments, you would see that we are at the doctor ALL OF THE TIME!
9. Work on my weight loss and do something active at least 3x a week Not so much:(
10. Make Disney scrapbooks with the kids
11. Spend 30 minutes each day really playing with the kids
12. Get at least 8 hours of sleep each night
13. Drink at least 64oz of water every day
14. Keep up our new bed time routine (Bible stories, down time, lights out at 8)
15. Get Gavin a wheelchair (Fitting 1/14) I think this is finally on the right track. Hope to have it soon!
16. Visit the Indianapolis Children's Museum 4x by November 30th (1/14, 5/3, 6/5. 6/6 ) DONE!

Appointments/Procedures:
1/6 - Dr. Bowersox
1/14 -Wheelchair Fitting (Riley)
1/20 - Dr. Bowersox
2/3 - Dr. Bowersox
2/17 - Dr. Bowersox
2/22 - Dr. Walsh (Riley)
2/23 - Dr. Hon (Riley)
2/29 - Dr. Neely (Riley)
3/7 - Vascular Lesion Clinic (Riley)
3/21 - Dr. Bowersox
3/28 - PT, Dr. Neely, Dr. Loder (Riley)
4/11 - MRI of total Spine (Riley)
4/14 - PT Evaluation
4/22 - Genetics (Riley)
4/26 - Dr. Bowersox (Pysch Testing)
4/27 - Dr. Bowersox
5/3 - Ultrasound of Kidneys (Riley)
5/12 - OT Evaluation
5/24 - Dr. Bowersox (Testing Results)
5/25 - Dr. Voyles
6/1 - OT
6/6 - Dr. Neely, Vascular Lesion Clinic (Riley)
6/7 - Dr. Bowersox
6/8 - PT, OT
6/15 - PT, OT
6/21 - Dr. Bowersox
6/22 - PT, OT

Weekend in Harmonie

Due to medical issues and hospitalizations, we've had to cancel two trips.  We decided to do a three night getaway at Harmonie State Park and stay in one of their cabins.  Well, the kids and I went to enjoy the cabin, but Brian is in the hospital and couldn't join us.  That part was bad timing, but the good thing was we didn't have water at our house, so it was good escape.

Despite Brian not being with us, the kids and I were able to make the best of it!  We did visit him twice.  The rest of the time we swam, took some walks, colored, made smores (thanks to Grandpa), had Grandpa, Grandma, and Aunt Allie visit us, and visited the Wabash River. The kids also saw some frogs, a raccoon, and a live skunk!  We didn't make it to the Nature Center, so we will have to do that next time.  The cabins are so nice and so reasonably priced, we will definitely be going back! I also love that it is only 35 minutes from our house, but feels like it is worlds away!

We swam four times and I am amazed with how far the kids have come in the pool.  They used to all be attached to me.  Now, they will all go under without their life vests, are learning to swim and are braver and braver.  They of course have a long way to go, but they have improved dramatically.  Gavin will even let me throw him completely under the water!  We are already talking about a repeat trip when dad can join us.  Thanks Cabin # 8 for the great memories!



One of the trails we walked on led to a lake and we had quite an adventure getting there!

The trail behind our cabin led to the road!

The kids love to play cards with Grandpa!

This was the very first time they made smores by themselves!

Gavin's Pokemon Party

For Gavin's 6th Birthday, he wanted a Pokémon party.  We had a piñata, played Pokémon in the background, played guess how many Caterpie, and had Pokémon themed snacks. He had a great party and it is still hard for me to believe that he is really 6.  How are my babies growing up so fast?

 Pops won the game!