Wedding bliss.. Congrats Jason and Jordan... We love you!

We are so excited for our brother Jason to start a new life with his wife Jordan. Congrats to both of them. They are both amazing, wonderful, fun loving people. We are so excited to have a new sister in the family!

Plant the seed and it will grow.....

It's that time of year again! We are so excited to have a garden! Steve and Hunter have been BUSY.




Hello little plants.......

Weigh in Wednesday

Drum Roll Please......

Since my last weigh in 2 weeks ago...

I have lost 3 pounds.

ONLY 4 MORE TO GO.... :)

My BMI went from 23.3% to 22.8%

and

My Fat % went from 25.4% to 24.7%

Also, my feet doc gave me the o.k. to go back to walking ONLY on the treadmill for the next month. This is HUGE he recommended no cardio before sooo

at least I get to do that much. Funny, I really craved it.

He feels I need one more month to let my feet heal.

NO FLIP FLOPS... total BUMMER!

It was a great weigh in!

$18.00

Thanks to CVS Extra Care bucks I only paid, $5.00 for a box of diapers that where $18.

I got the Aussie Hair Spray on sale with ECB back and a coupon... BYGO.

Dawn... well that was a small dawn soap but none the less it was .75

The Pantene and Rightguard also gave me back ECB and I used some coupons.

So what do you think, DEAL OR NO DEAL.... ????

An Easter Declaration.... Perfect FHE Activity with Scriptures.

He was Betrayed: Matthew 26:14-16

Denied : Luke 22:54-62

Accused : Mark 15:3

Rejected: Luke 9:22

Bound: 15:1

Scourged: John 19:1

Mocked: Matthew 27:29

Reviled: Matthew 27:39

Spit On: Mark 15:19

Crucified: John 19:17-19

Forsaken: Matthew 27:46

He did His Father’s will: Mark 14:36

He Atoned: Luke 22:41-44

He healed: Luke 22:50-51

Held His Peace: Mark 14:61

Forgave: Luke 23:34

He gave His Life: John 19:30

He is RISEN: Matthew 28:6

April is Child Abuse Prevention Month

As a part of National Child Abuse Prevention Month, the University of Florida Levin College of Law’s Family Law Society and the Alachua County Child Abuse Prevention Task Force sponsored the annual Winds of Change.

Silver pinwheels dot the front lawn of the North Florida Regional Medical Center. With 2,030 of them revolving constantly in the wind, the lawn is an oversized optical illusion.

About 25 people placed the pinwheels on the lawn facing Newberry Avenue to spread awareness about the prevalence of child maltreatment in Alachua County.

“There is one pinwheel for each [substantiated] case of child abuse in Alachua County,” said Cynthia Winters, president of the Family Law Society. “Last year there were only 1,984 and this year there are 2,030.

"It is definitely a growing problem.”

April is Child Abuse Prevention Month across the nation, and springing up in our community are pinwheel gardens, planted as part of Prevent Child Abuse Florida’s Winds of Change Campaign. We can prevent child abuse and neglect by increasing knowledge of healthy child development and encourage our communities to provide safe, nurturing experiences for children. As part of the Winds of Change campaign, the Department of Children and Families is distributing resource guides on healthy child development to parents, child advocates and parent educators.

Eugenia Thomas, former president of the Florida PTA and a retired teacher once said, “Children need all the arms of protection we can provide.” Those arms of protection are our arms. We have to become involved to keep children safe whether as a parent, a relative, a neighbor or active community member.

We can prevent child abuse by forging bonds with families, friends and our neighbors. Getting to know your neighbors makes your community safer and provides individuals and families with support. Families feel safer and less stressed when they know support is nearby and they are not alone. Offer to be that support for your neighbor and friends.

Be active in the community – as a coach, a mentor, a tutor, a job coach, a volunteer. Support local organizations working to help families. Research shows that local programs and activities that support children and parents learning and having fun together, helps strengthen families and reduces the likelihood of child abuse and neglect.

Of course, some families face bigger challenges posed by economic disasters, domestic violence and substance abuse, but change for even the most troubled parent comes with connections to caring people and programs. And, at times, children have to rely on the eyes and ears of protective adults to make a call to the state abuse Hotline to guarantee intervention and safety. For those children and their caregivers, community resources need to be in place too, to prevent repeats of past mistakes and poorer outcomes.

Learn more about what you can to prevent child abuse at these websites: locally, at the Partnership for Strong Families, www.pfsf.org/capmonth and statewide website for Prevent Child Abuse Florida, www.ounce.org/cappacket.

The Winds of Change Campaign comes to life when we make commitments to our communities and neighborhoods to build strong, supportive environments allowing all children to grow into healthy, productive and caring adults.

Ester S. Tibbs

Circuit Administrator

Department of Children and Families

Gainesville

Spring Break Day 4 & 5.... Disney's Magic Kingdom and Hollywood Studies.

On the fairy boat to the magic kingdom... Hunter was front and center ready to get off... His Mickey hat and Mickey in hand.. let the fun begin.

Hunter showing off his dancing moves, during one of the parades...

They called all the kids out to dance. SOOO CUTE!

Hunter went of Splash Mountain for the 1st time and HE LOVED IT!!!

Hollywood Studies....

AWWWWW.... so peacefully sleeping... Mommy and Daddy LIKE!!

We have our own special SUPERHERO in our family.

Nothing better for a 5 yr old... face paint and tattoos!

Tower of Terror.... really! You would think I could handle it better, being my 3rd time. Oh NO! I still screamed like a little kid, and I almost grabbed a man's leg twice. Hunter was hiding behind my shoulder and I was about to hit the ceiling... really what good was my seatbelt, what a big baby I can be.. HA HA... good times!!!!
Honey I Shrunk The Kids, was the answer to on antsy little almost 2 yr old... Henry was just NOT having the stroller that day. Henry ran around for a good 20 mins, NON STOP!

Henry went down all the BIG BOY slides, he even went thru the maze. That boy seriously has no fear! The boys had a great time and Steve and I got our daily exercise. ha ha

Of course we had to hit up our favorite place... PIZZA PLANET for lunch! Hunter got to play some fun games and we relaxed some.

A fun filled day.....

Spring Break Day 3.. Strawberry Picking

Strawberry Picking!!!

Fun Idea, Great day!

Ya see the kid in the RED jacket down the row...

ummm yeah that is HENRY! He ran up and down the rows.

Way to go Lauren, scored on "The Perfect" strawberry!

It was great meeting Lauren's friends.. They were so fun.

( just a note, yes that is MY kid,

he wouldn't move out of the picture, ha ha)

The smile on my face say's it all... man I love these sweet boys!

Run, run, run.... Henry had a good time for MOST of the time we were there.

He was kinda clingy... that was until he realized he could EAT the strawberries.

Adorable.

Lauren Towers is on hot momma!!!

I love this picture!

THE CHEAP LABOR WORKERS...

If there is a puddle ANYWHERE to be found, HUNTER WILL FIND IT!!!