Just got the internet back...I will post tomorrow! Had a fun filled day today and I learned to sew!

I am officially DONE for the summer! I took my final tonight.

2 1/2 hours of typing + 12 pages (1.5 spaced) = DONE

I am just ecstatic! I can love on my babies without thinking...oh I need to get that paper written. I can watch a movie with my husband without thinking....oh I should be reading that chapter.

While my kids are napping I can....take a nap!

I have completed my 1st year of my masters and I am very proud of myself. I have one more year to go and then I am really DONE!

It has been a good year. I have learned so much in my classes and I believe that it has made me a better teacher. I am excited to be a principal at some point...but not for a while.

So bring on July! It will be filled with a lot of traveling and I have a long list of books to read (and they aren't school related!).

Look at these sweet babies!

Lakeland Baptism is one of my favorite things that our church does each year. We all gather at the lake as a community recognizing the decisions that people have made with their lives. It makes me think of the Bible times. I imagine tons of people gathered around the river bank rejoicing as people are dunked into the river. I picture John the Baptist with his crazy hair standing in the water, shouting for people to come, and people running with joy to be dunked. I can hear the people cheering as their loved ones rise from the water.

At the Lakeland Baptism...people come early and visit. Kids play in the water. People celebrate as their friends and family are baptized. I am already looking forward to the next one.

Quick blog tonight...

I have my last class of the semester on Monday. Along with this last class comes a BIG final. It is worth pretty much 1/2 of our grade. So I am studying right now...well actually I am taking a quick break to say hi and that we are doing well. After Monday night...almost a month and a half off of school! I will then start my 2nd and LAST year of my Masters! YIPPEE!

I could not take it anymore...

My kitchen floor was disgusting. No matter how many times I mopped and swept, it still did not look clean. It almost put me in a bad mood every time I walked into the kitchen.

My first thought...let's get new flooring. Well the checkbook says, "NO".

So I went to my second option...CLEAN it with something strong.

So after class tonight the challenge began.

We used ammonia and it was disgusting all the wax that came up. SICK.

But now my floor looks clean and lovely.

Oh how a clean floor can make you feel so good!

A Few Pics of the Kids...

Doesn't he look so big in this picture?

She is getting so big too!

Little Man Turnbough has become Mr. Independent Turnbough. It is all about "I do it." or "No Help." He can move stools over and climb on stuff! He discovered chocolate chips the other day in the cabinets while I was tending to Sophia. He has learned to walk across the stove and open the microwave doors. He wants to wash dishes with the water running all the time. He loves to wash his hands and put "soap", which is lotion, on afterwards. Only, we can't get him the lotion, he has to do it himself. Usually ends in a mess. He has a pair of kid scissors and so badly wants to cut himself, but can't quite do it, so he gives in for some help. (Which is difficult teaching a child who is left handed, when I am right handed) When we take out the trash, he says, "Coming" and helps grab the trash bag. He wants to throw it in himself, so you have to make so that he thinks you aren't helping him get it in the dumpster. When getting in the car, he loves to "unlock" the car with the keys. Then he wants to get in and put the keys in the ignition. He loves the dinging sound that it makes. Then he climbs back to his seat and says, "Music please". So it takes us 20 minutes to go anywhere because of our new routine for the car. I know this is all part of growing up...but oh my! Along with the independence comes the frustration...so fits do happen quite frequently. God love him...he wants to be big but he just isn't quite yet. It is fun to see all the things he can do. Sometimes I forget that he isn't even two yet.

Sophia is starting to become a thumb sucker. No matter how hard I try to keep that pacifier in...she wants the thumb. Isn't it funny that I am probably going to end up with 2 thumb suckers?? She is growing everyday. She is wanting to sit up all the time. She loves it when people are talking to her...even her brother (most of the time). She loves to stand up on your lap. Those legs are strong! She is trying to roll over...and I have to admit...I don't know if I want her too...I know that means she is one step closer to become mobile!

Now for the 2nd picture....well we have to learn to be a little lady...because as soon as the dress comes on...it is up! She loves pulling the dresses or shirts, over her face, especially to sleep. She chews on it and looks at all the pretty colors. She is a hoot!

We are Farm Bound!

Before I start my story about the farm...Sophia sat in her exasaucer for the first time this week. She loved it! She loves looking at all the bright colors and trying to grab the toys around her.

Okay...off to the farm we go! Shatto Milk Company was having Family Farm Day on Saturday. I have been wanting to visit this farm since I started drinking Shatto Milk. Their products are delicious! I read on the website that last year they had over 6500 people show up on this special day and were expecting around 7500 people this year. This did not stop me! I was bound and determined to go to the farm on this fun filled day. My parents came up this weekend, so they got to go on the excursion with us!

So 7:00 a.m., John woke up saying "farm". (We have been talking about the farm for a few days now) He was so excited to go but he had to wait patiently because we weren't leaving until 10:30. We start the drive (it is about an hour away) and it is going great. As we get closer to the farm, it starts getting really dark and the wind is picking up. The weather station comes on the radio saying that Plattsburg (where the farm is located) is expecting 70 mph winds! YIKES! Now I did not drive this whole way to turn around and go home. I am bound and determined to see these cows that produce delicious milk. So we head into Plattsburg to have lunch and wait the storm out. It poured, lighting and thundered, and the winds blew like crazy. Yet, it did pass and we headed back to the farm. This ended up being a great thing for us, because there was barely anyone there! We got to see the cows up close and personal. Try all the different milk products. They even had Cotton Candy milk made for the special day! It was great! I would recommend going to this farm whenever you get a chance. It is free and they will give you a tour if you make a reservation. If you haven't tried their milk, you should! It is in the glass bottles. We get our's at HyVee. Chocolate is my favorite!

Overalls and a bow! She slept the whole time we were at the farm...but she was dressed for the occasion!

This calf was born on Friday! So little and cute!

It is milking time!!

John was not to sure about these big animals. He didn't want to touch them or get near them.

He kept saying "big cow".

However, he did like climbing the bars and he saw a barn cat. I thought he was going to hop over the fence to get to it! He was excited!

All I can say about this picture....the cow is being used as a chair.

This farmer was so nice. He showed us how to milk a cow.

And yes...I milked one too!

Super fun day at the farm!

1 Corinthians 6:19-20, "Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body." (NIV)

I hate running...but I want to like it. I actually want to love it. I want it to be something that I want to do. For example, if I get stressed, I want to say that running would be my outlet. WRONG! Eating, complaining, venting, Starbucks, crying, being grumpy...these are my outlets. I had been thinking about trying to train for a 5K. I had even told Matt that I would like to do it. That was about 2 weeks ago. I really hadn't done anything about it. Then I read this verse and it really stuck out to me. I couldn't really think of a way that I was actively taking care of my body.

Now let me tell you...I can find every excuse not to run. However, I love to eat. I love to eat not so good stuff for your body. It is a wonder that I am not bigger than I am. It's not like I don't like to do some exercise. For example..I like to go on walks. However, I always think we should walk to Culver's and get some custard. I like walking with a purpose in mind. This morning Sophia was talking up a storm at 5:00 a.m. I got up thinking I would be feeding her. I stuck her pacifier back in her mouth, getting ready to pick her up, and she went back to sleep. So here I am, up at 5:00 a.m. with no baby to feed. My first thought...I could go run. YUCK! So I send a few emails, check my Facebook, check the blog, and starting thinking of other things I could do...such as go back to sleep. That is when the verse pops in my head.

So I caved and put my tennis shoes on. I had read somewhere (when I was gung ho about running a 5K) that you should start out running 90 seconds, then walking 60 seconds. You do this for 20 minutes. So that is what I did. It sucked...but I did it. So Day 1...completed!

This is how I found my 2 little ones this morning! Aren't they precious??

So I have fallen in love with a new product...Thirty One. They sell all different types of totes, coasters, baskets, bibs, and even these awesome About Town Blankets. (It is this blanket that roles up in a cute little tote, but when you spread it out...it is super soft on one side and then slick on the other side. The slick side goes on the ground, so you can wipe it off if needed.) They even have toilet role holders! The stuff is just adorable and totally practical to use. The best part is that there is numerous ways you can use each tote. If you are needing to give gifts to people...weddings, babies, graduation, or anything...these are perfect!

So I had a party today and I am keeping it open until next Tuesday. If you want to check it out, I have catalogs or you can look online. For those of you that go to Lakeland....I am bringing catalogs on Sunday.

I put a few pictures of different totes that they have...but there is so much more!

As I have said in the past, Sophia loves watching TV, especially Sesame Street. Today she was really into it because she started talking to the TV. It was great. In this clip, I tried to capture it as best I could...but you really have to see it in person to get the full picture. She does get distracted by John because he sees he isn't quite the center of attention. Enjoy!

Lots of pictures tonight....I got behind, so here are some of the things we have been doing lately.

Monkey Man!!

My little man is quite the climber and he seems to not be scared of anything. We went to the park behind Bass Pro (I would recommend it...we love it!) and John had a ball. We had been there a couple of times before but he had always stayed on the smaller side. I went to put Sophia's pacifier in her mouth, I look up and John is on the BIG SIDE of the playground! I have to admit, I was a nervous wreck, but he did awesome and kept up with the big kids. It is hard to believe that he isn't 2 yet, but he is climbing up such tall things!

He did the climbing wall like a champ!

Climbing up to the BIG slide...

Getting ready to come down...

And down he goes! His statement at the end of the slide, "Again".

Taking a rest from the sun...or trying to figure out what to climb next.

Something new to climb!

Up with the big kids

Sesame Street

John wasn't a big TV watcher when he was younger. Sophia is not the case. She loves it! She really loves when Sesame Street is on. I am not kidding, she will sit and watch a whole episode! This is her watching "Street" (as John calls it). She did take her eyes off the screen for me to get a picture. Don't you just love this bow?

Petting Zoo!

Our library hosted a petting zoo on Thursday. I wasn't sure how John would react to it...I shouldn't have been surprised after the park incident. He loved it and had no problem. He identified all the animals and made their sounds.

Checking out the petting zoo and what it was all about...

About 30 seconds later, his hand was reaching in to touch the animals!

He was excited to have his chance inside the fence!

I think he actually loved hanging and climbing on the fence more than petting the animals.

Extreme Gymnastics

Every Friday, Extreme Gymnastics in Lee's Summit has Open Gym for toddlers. It lasts for 2 hours and it is only $3! We took John for the first time last Friday and he loved it! (I love that all my activities have went well so far!) He jumped, he climbed, he slid, he hung, and he ran for 2 hours straight. His favorite phrase was "Watch this". When we got home he took a 3 hour nap! It was a blast! Sophia even loved it! She was held the whole time and looked around at all the things going on.

Hanging from the rings!

How fun does this look? This was only the toddler part of the gym. They had a whole other half that the kids could go on.

Loving the trampoline!

A Beautiful Picture...

Sophia looking pretty as ever!

Baby Shower!

Sophia went to her first baby shower. She was held and cuddled the whole time. We went to Aunt Wendi's shower. They are adopting a little boy in August. We are so excited to have a new cousin.

It is a video night!

John decided to add more to his "flowers" picture today. Here he is telling you about it. We are working on colors right now. After I stopped taping, he decided to draw on the 2nd page. When asked what he was drawing, he replied, "Pops, Truck, Big". I asked him what color is Pop's truck? He said "Red" then he said "Keys, Hat". All the words to sum up Pops!

Miss Sophia is getting so big! She is starting to interact with things around her. She loves when things hang down so she can try to grab them. She also is grabbing for things when she is sitting up. Today she would get VERY frustrated if I laid her down flat. She wanted to be sitting up and looking around.

Now that she is 3 months old I would like to share three things that I love about her...

1. I love how she will smile and then get excited which leads to a chuckle.

2. I love how she is so curious now and wants to see the world.

3. I love how she makes me slow down. John was very laid back when he was a baby so I could leave him in bouncer all day if I would have wanted. Sophia isn't like that...she wants to be a part of it all. She wants to be right where the action is happening. (Who does this sound like?...for those of you that don't know...it is me.) In the evenings, when I "should" be getting things done around the house, she wants to be held. She forces me to sit down and appreciate the time that I have with her. I love this about her.

So I didn't take any pictures today...but I wanted to share the day.

• Woke up at 7:00 to the tickling of John.
• Fed Sophia...love morning feeding because she is so smiley! Today she is 3 months old!
• Gave baths...I have it down where I can give 2 baths at the same time!
• John put toothpaste in his hair, so it made it pointless that I washed his hair.
• Ate breakfast...John calls bagels "donuts with jelly". That is what he wanted.
• Watched "Street" (Sesame Street) and sang along to Elmo's World and learned about the letter Y.
• Played cars and blocks while Miss Sophia snoozed a cat nap.
• Morning Nap time (10:30)...Since I had been writing a paper until 1:30 a.m. the night before...I snoozed for a little bit of it since both kids were sleeping! I also did some homework.
• Snuggled on the couch after naps.
• Had some lunch and sang songs while we ate.
• Went for a walk when the sun came out followed by playing outside.
• Watched John climb up and down the slide, John and I went swinging together (loved his giggle as we would go high), Sophia and I cheered John on as he hit the ball off the tee and ran the bases.
• Laid in the grass with Sophia on a blanket
• Came in for a short afternoon nap...I did homework.
• Since it started raining again, we laid a pallet on the floor and we all watched Elmo.
• Made music shakers (bottles and lentils) and decorated paper to cover our shakers
• John said he was drawing "Flowers".
• Danced around with our new shakers.
• Made dinner and sang more songs.

Today I just kept wanting to soak everything in that we did. I didn't take a single picture because I didn't want to go get the camera. I didn't want to miss anything in my mind, so I just tried to soak it all in. It was a day that I totally focused on my kiddos. I didn't clean house and I didn't try to do homework while they were awake. I loved on them, I snuggled with them, I laughed with them and I sang with them. It amazes me at all the things that John can do now. He is growing up so fast. It is special to see the things that Sophia is doing now. She smiles at her brother, she loves TV, she wants to sit up all the time now and be talked to, and she doesn't want to be in a room by herself.

I love being a mom.

This picture is one of the reasons I love summer time! I love all the fresh food! I made these stuffed tomatoes with chicken salad on Sunday after church. There is a fruit/vegetable stand on our way home so I stopped to see their produce. The tomatoes were HUGE! I should have cut one in half and shared it with Matt but they were so delicious! So if you are looking for an easy meal...here is one! If you aren't a chicken salad fan, you can put tuna, ham or egg salad in them also. I am sure it would be equally delicious!

Sunday was big day for Sophia!!! She sat in her Bumbo all by herself. It was also a day of awakening. She had been this sleepy baby up until yesterday. It was like she just all of a sudden realized...WOW look at all this stuff around me...I should stay awake more often! She barely slept yesterday during the day. I guess it wore her out because she slept until 8:15 a.m!

Such a big girl!

John is a proud big brother. He kept saying "BIG!" It was funny watching Sophia interact with John while in her Bumbo...anytime he got near, she leaned over. She is learning!

I cannot get over this look...ADORABLE!

Can you believe those cheeks?