Summer has come and gone.

We only have 2.5 more weeks until school starts. I am so sad. I love having my kids home with me all day. Don't get me wrong, the cleanliness of my house suffers greatly during the summer when I don't even have 5 minutes alone to pick up. I also run out of things to do with them, but I really REALLY love having them home. It makes me so sad to think about them going to school b/c during the school year, I am away from them more than I am with them. By the time they get home, do homework, eat dinner and bathe there isn't much time for QUALITY time. This will be my last year with Bowen home in the afternoons. He will go to preschool in the morning and be at home in the afternoon. I can't believe in only one short year he will be in Kindergarten. I don't feel like EMMA is old enough to be in kindergarten and she will be in the fourth grade. One thing we have really been focusing on this summer is eating healthy. In looking for healthy ideas for my kids I discovered the horrible, scary world of GM food or genetically modified food. GM food is food that is genetically modified to be able to grow and live through heavy sprayings of pesticides and other chemicals and it is also genetically modified to grow bigger and 'prettier'. It's really scary and SO, SO, SO many of our foods are GM. I have been trying to eliminate all GM foods from our diet (it's really hard). The best way to do this is to only buy organic. Only organic can be really expensive and just b/c it's organic doesn't necessarily mean it's healthy. We have cut out a LOT of pre packaged things, but with FOUR kids, it's challenging to buy things that are quick and easy and also healthy. However, Brad and I have both noticed a difference in how we feel when we are eating mostly organic. We aren't perfect in the healthy eating, but we are trying and it has improved the way we eat quite a bit. The hardest thing for Brad and I has been Dr. Pepper and for Brad also Red Bull. It's definitely a work in progress!!

Ummmm.......I've been busy?!

I have been thinking about blogging for a long time and was just going to start a completely new blog, but I signed in to blogger and my old blog came up....so what's old is new again! I haven't blogged in over 2 years. Wow. I'd say that's a little break. A lot has changed and a lot more is going to change and I really want to document it, so here goes! What has changed: Our family has grown. I am now the proud, proud, PROUD mommy to four beautiful children. We had another beautiful baby girl on January 16, 2012. Piper Marie is the apple of EVERYONE's eye at my house. Her big sister is IN LOVE and acts like Piper's mommy every chance she gets. Big brothers are so protective and do not let her cry for even 1 second. We are all in love. Emma is 9 years old and will be in the 4th grade. She is funny and silly. She marches to the beat of her own drum. I know that phrase is often used with a negative connotation but I mean it in the best way possible. She won't be influenced by what others think, do and say. She knows what she wants and that's what she wants. She is into music, drawing, fashion designing, volleyball, horse riding and Monster High. She also loves to read. She is growing up so fast. Love, love, love her. Tyler is 7 and will be in 2nd grade. He is so sweet and sensitive but also full of BOY energy. He is always on the go and doing something. He is my fixer. He can figure out a way to make anything and everything work. He loves baseball, football and shooting guns. He might give me the most 'hell' so to speak but the good far outweighs the bad and I just adore him. Bowen is 4 and will be in preschool. He is my shy, cautious boy. He is also the MOST stubborn. Just lately he has come out of his shell a bit and he is so silly and funny. He likes to be the BOSS and is always telling his brother and sister how they should do everything. He loves to dance and is really into hunting BIG FOOT! LOL. He is wonderful. I plan to post twice weekly from now on! There's just a little update from The Hawkins Family.