1. Mason is becoming a rock star at reading. Last week for the first time, on his own initiation he read a book to the girls. Precious. Wish I would have gotten a picture. But…I didn’t. To help encourage him in his reading we call grandparents and friends and he reads to them over the phone or skype. He gets good practice and of course whoever is listening loves it! It’s a win win.

2. I did this little project over the weekend with the help of my mom. There used to be a janky, folding door that went into our bathroom. One of the kids dismantled it. I wasn’t too sad because it was ugly to begin with it. Instead of putting the ugly door back up I made a curtain with material I had on hand. I like the way it looks. The only downside is that there isn’t much ventilation. So our bathroom turns into a sauna. I just want to say thank you children for ripping our ugly door off. You motivated me to do something cuter. Again, a win!

3. My brother and sister-in-law and their 3 kids are coming to visit this weekend. I absolutely LOVE when the kids get to spend time with their cousins. It’s wild, crazy, very loud and fun. I hope these early memories of hanging out with each other will be fondly remembered someday when we they are teenagers and when it will be different kind of wild, crazy fun!

4. I am finally finally FINALLY getting started on the quilts for the girls future bunk beds. I bought the fabric this summer and it has just been sitting in my closet waiting patiently for me to find the motivation to do something with it. Well the time was come. I washed and ironed it. Last night a friend who has more experience than me (I have none, so really anyone who has done anything is helpful) came over to help me lay it all out and come up with a pattern. I’m going to do a block quilt of some sort with all kinds of fun fabrics. I love fabric too much to land on just a few so I went with ALOT and I love them all!  I started cutting blocks last night. I stayed up way too late cutting and even had a dream about cutting fabric. When I get going on something I have a tendency to go a little extreme. Anyways, stay tuned…and be patient!

5. And I just can’t get enough of this picture. So I will share it with you all. Oh, I just love them! Now it’s time for me and these girls to go grocery shopping. We have NO food in this house. Menu planning and grocery shopping are not high on my list of things I love to do but we all like to eat around here. So a mom’s gotta do, what a mom’s gotta do. With suckers in hand for my “helpers” off we go!

1. So first and foremost the weather has pretty much been amazing this week. Yesterday the kids played outside for 3 hours, most of the time with no coats! I think this weather is probably going to wreak havoc on all of our springtime flowers and bushes but I’m not complaining. Here is a pic of the kids and their friends in a line up for one of the MANY bike races I was the judge for.

2. My mother-in-law sent us a little care package this week. I just love when she does this! She is an amazing finder at thrift stores. Always finding little treasures and I often benefit. One of her latest finds was a bundle of super cute fabric scraps for $1! Yep, $1! Oh, she knows me so well. I don’t know what I am going to do yet, but I am motivated to start a new project quick with some of these amazing fabrics! So here is a shout out to the best mother-in-law…thanks for thinking of me and sending me some love!

3. We had one of our new faves for dinner last night. It’s rather healthy, makes a lot  and is super easy to make. And oh yeah, it is gooood! Just dump a can of black beans, can of Rotel, can of corn, a whole thing of cream cheese and then a bag of frozen chicken tenderloins on top (or several chicken breast).  And I add some taco seasoning to it as well. Cook on low for 6-8 hours in your crockpot. We’ve had it served over rice, in burritos or just dip chips in it. You’ll have plenty for leftovers so you can try it several ways. Here’s the link for more details. Creamy chicken goodness in a crockpot (I came up with that name myself. Pretty clever, huh?)

4. We are going over to our friends house for the Superbowl and I am waaaay excited. Definitely more excited about making and eating fun food than the game itself but whatever. I’ll catch bits of  the game as I am sampling all the yumminess. Here is one thing I think I am going to bring. Peanutbutter cheese ball. You had me at the name. You had me at the name. Can’t wait to try this!

Source: bunsinmyoven.com via Aubrey on Pinterest

5. My friend and I are co-hosting a neighborhood Valentine’s Day party. I’m really excited to get to know our neighbors more and enjoy some games and fun treats together. I think I will be making these and playing this game!

Source: sixsistersstuff.com via Kimberlee on Pinterest

 

Source: stacyjulian.com via Aubrey on Pinterest

1. This week I had the opportunity to go into Mason’s classroom twice. Once, with Brian for a parent teacher conference and the second time to volunteer during “center time”. Both times I left the school with a big smile on my face and feeling very proud of our boy. It is so fun to hear about or see Mason’s personality in a different setting other than at home with us. It’s encouraging to hear that he is putting into practice the things we are teaching at home like kindness, respect and responsibility. Yes, I am bragging at bit but you know as a parent sometimes you just wonder “Am I really do anything right here?” And then you get some affirmation and it just feels good. The end.

2. Every now and then the girls will ask about getting their ears pierced. It kind of comes and goes quickly and I haven’t pushed it much because I don’t really want to deal it. But lately it has become a daily hourly request. A couple of their friends have them done so they see the prettiness that could be on their ears. This has led to conversations about acting like a “big girls” because only “big girls” get to have their ears pierced. And wouldn’t you know it, this little reminder has curbed the drama in the house a bit. We haven’t decided when/if we will be piercing any ears for sure but for now I’m going to enjoy the lack drama throughout the day.

3. This week I did a little decorating for Valentines Day. I don’t normally do anything but I could not pass up some cute ideas I saw on Pinterest. Here is something simple for a our mantel. Love the red and aqua together. I’m thinking of adding some heart garland. Maybe a weekend project?

4. So we live in Indy and there is this big event that is coming up next week that is in our city. You may have heard of it? The Superbowl. So I have heard from a reliable source (the husband) people start arriving this weekend for a week of festivities leading up to the big game next weekend. The city has been preparing for a while as you can imagine. A whole “village” has been built downtown, tons of free concerts and many more activities. We haven’t quite decided if we are going to brave it and venture downtown to check it out but it is a once in a lifetime thing so maybe. I have also heard that Indianapolis Colts fans DO NOT like the Patriots and are NOT happy about all these New Englanders invading our city. So I’m just gonna go with it. Go Giants!

5. Last night Mase prayed the sweetest, most honest prayer:

Jesus I pray that my sisters would ask you into their hearts before you come back. And I pray you don’t come back any time soon because I want my sisters to be in heaven with me and they have to pray to you first. Thank Jesus for my two sisters. It is a lot of hard work. But it is worth it. Amen.

So sweet. So honest.

On that note, happy Friday!

1. On Monday, MLK day Mason’s school rented out the ice rink for all families to go skating. It was a first for the Barela family. Although my back is still seizing up (gosh, I feel old!) we had a great time. I think Miss Theia might have some hidden ice skating talent. By the end she was skating on her own and can’t wait to go back. Kaia on the other hand, not so much which is mainly the reason my back is hurting so much. We basically held her up the entire time. Mason looked like such big boy “skating” around the rink with his 3 little buds from school. Ahhhh! Hold back the tears. We laughed a lot, fell some and really enjoyed our time together!

2. Have you watched America’s Funniest Videos as a family? It’s our family fave to watch most nights before bed. It’s mindless TV that everyone enjoys and has us all laughing before bed. It makes those last dreadful minutes before bedtime go that much quicker. It’s a good way to end the night.

3.

I got some new running shoes. Nike Lunar Swift 3. I haven’t ran in Nikes for a long time but was wanting to try something new. I have a lot of miles to log in with the start of my marathon training. New shoes are a good way to get motivated. Let the fun begin!

4.

New artwork we have hanging up with our verse of the month. I have 3 of these hanging up. Look at those little feetsies! Love.

5.

A picture of the latest creations being made. Mason did a work of symmetry (his new word that he uses very well) on his battleship board and a little lego house built by the girls for Ni Hao Kai Lan. I love that are kids like to create, build and think outside of the box. Some of the most peaceful times in our home is when the music is on in the background and everyone is quietly building. Yes, I cherish these moments.

Have a great weekend!