A new friend in the backyard

Sunday morning we had a cute little turtle visiting us in the backyard. Of course Caydence wanted to keep it as her pet, and promptly named it "my turtle", quite the creative name! ha! It wandered away and we haven't seen it again :( Oh well. It was a Eastern Box Turtle and cute!

Swimming!!

We were lucky enough to be invited to a pool party this weekend! Caydence loved the pool, she just loves the water!! She spent the entire 4 hours in the pool! And she learned to swim!!!!! She was so proud of herself!

Coupons ROCK!

It is triple coupon time at Harris Teeter again!!!! I bought quite a few extra newspapers in preparation, my friends and I had a coupon swap (and playdate for our kiddos) and thanks to my friend Julie who made an awesome spreadsheet I saved so much money and got more stuff than I know what to do with!! I LOVE it!! Watching your total go down at the register as they scan the coupons, honestly is such a thrill! My first trip started out at $55.28 and after coupons...I paid $.81 cents!!! Over all, after 7 trips to the store yesterday, My grand total is $404.53, and out of pocket I paid $58.99!!! How awesome is that!!!??!

Here is a picture some of my shopping....40lbs of dog food, veggies and meats are not pictured...oh and dog and kid not included! hahahahaha! I should have taken a picture of all of it, but I had to get the ice cream and stuff put away and it is too much of a pain to put it away and drag it back out again just for a picture.
Caydence and Mommy clipping coupons!!!

Josh named this The Maiden Voyage

Josh finally got his chopper finished, running and took it for a ride...it was very LOUD. And now he wants to keep it for himself..........

click the videos below and check it out!

Gem Mining

Over the weekend we went to Chimney Rock, NC and visited some gem mines. It was so much fun. Caydence absolutely loved finding the gems (rocks) and playing in the water. We found quite a few pretty gems and got to bring them all home.

At the gem mine

Caydence found her first gem! Look at her excited expression!
Daddy and Caydence sifting through the stones

Josh and his dad "mining for gold"

Look what we found!

Caydence, Sue and Caydence finding more gems

Caydence was having sooo much fun!

Another great find! and it was purple!!!!

The 4th of July

Caydence and Mommy were in the Hickory Grove 4th of July Parade! Caydence decorated her bicycle and rode in the parade, Mommy just walked along. We joined our friends Steph and Hannah, and we had so much fun, even though it was very hot!!!

Here are 2 cute video clips of Caydence riding her bike in the parade

Caydence all ready to go to the parade!
Hannah and Caydence before the parade started

Mommy and Caydence walking in the parade

Here we are!!!

Breaking all the rules! But it was fun!

Day One

Please don't tell....but we have been ignoring the water restrictions. With 95 degree days and 5 kids to entertain, filling the little pool and turning on the hose and sending them to play with the dog was the right thing to do. Look how much fun they had!

Caydence's friends, Alden & McKenna, Carson & Cameron came to play today....

This is Carson, Caydence says he is her boyfriend :)

Ryleigh jumped right in thinking the pool was his own personal doggie pool, the kids thought it was hilarious

Ryleigh waits to get sprayed with the hose, and you can see the other dog, Maya, calmly sitting in the shade relaxing like a normal dog!

Runnin' in the sprinkler

Day Two

Another day of fun outside, this time Caydence's friend Sara was here.

BFFs Caydence and Sara

Yummm popsicles!

Sara and Caydence playing in the sprinkler

What a hard day of playing....time for some sun bathing

a walk with Daddy

The weather cooled down last week and the evenings were perfect for a walk. As we strolled through our neighborhood, Josh and Caydence looked so cute walking together, I just had to share.

Some Water Fun

Caydence entertained herself with a bucket, the hose and the dogs...and she had a blast, and of course I couldn't help but take a few photos!

a short video...turn on the sound you can hear her giggles!

Asparagus & Broccoli Stuffed Portabella Mushrooms

I made these delicious stuffed portabella mushrooms the other night for dinner! They turned out really good. I used a recipe and played around with it a little bit!

Ingredients
4 Large Portabella Mushrooms
Olive Oil

1 Tbsp butter
1 lbs fresh asparagus, finely chopped

1 bunch fresh broccoli florets, finely chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1 cup italian bread crumbs

1/4 cup french's fried onions, crushed
1/2 cup romano cheese or parmesan cheese

1 Tbsp fresh basil, finely chopped

1 Tbsp fresh oregano, finely chopped

1 cup cooked rice

Directions
1-Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

2-Gently gut gills from mushroom caps with a spoon and cut off stems; rinse each cap thoroughly under cold water and pat tops dry with paper towel. Coarsely chop stems and set aside. Brush the oil over mushroom caps; place oiled sides down on a caserole roll pan or baking sheet.

3-Heat remaining olive oil and butter in a non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add asparagus, broccoli, garlic and chopped mushroom stems. Cook until vegetables are crisp-tender, stirring occasionally. Add cooked rice and fresh herbs and cook a little longer, stirring occassionally.

4-Remove from heat; stir in bread crumsb, fried onions, cheese, and salt and pepper. Spoon mixture into mushroom caps. sprinkle some cheese evenly over mushrooms.. Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until topping are golden brown.

5- Eat!! Enjoy!!

Home

We just got home from a nice long visit home to NY state. Caydence and I acted like tourists and visited all the pretty places that I haven't been to in way too long.

Check out the gorgeous views-

Seneca Lake from Atwater Winery

Taughannock Falls

Caydence playing on the shore of Cayuga Lake


Watkins Glen State Park

This is Rainbow Falls in the gorge

Caydence under Rainbow Falls, can you see the rainbow??

More Bike Riding Pics!

Cheese! Like my new bike helmet??

I'm ready...let's go!

Here is another short clip of Caydence riding her bike. This one I took with my camera not the phone so it is a little clearer. She had so much fun! Even Josh was feeling a little better today and went out to watch her ride. Caydence and I probably spent a good hour or more riding up and down the sidewalk!

Bike Ride

Check out the videos of Caydence riding her bike....she finally learned how to peddle really good and was getting her self going really fast...now we are off to buy a helmet!

All Star

Caydence's new favorite sport is basketball and loves to shoot hoops...and she is really good at it! Here is a little clip I took on my phone of her this afternoon!

Picture Day

I know I know I know! It has been forever since I have posted anything on here....I guess I kinda forgot about it for a while. Anyway here are Caydence's 3 year pictures...Enjoy!