Living Life to the Fullest

Truly Thankful!

2011-11-03T07:19:00.002-05:00

This morning as I was updating my status on Facebook, I began really thinking of all the things I am truly thankful for. This nation is so rich in so many ways. Most people would walk into our home and think that we have a small house and look in our garage and see our "old" vehicles. If you look outside of our country(and even within our country) you will see that we have way more than the rest of the world. We have vehicles that get us from one place to the next. When I look at our home I see more. We have an insulated home with central heat and air. Our home has beds that are off the floor with plush bedding, we have furniture to put our clothing in, we have flooring, we have running water in our home to facilitate our daily bathing needs, we have an operating kitchen with a place to keep food cold or a place to store dry food, we have electricity to supply other needs and things we don't need. We have so much!! Why do we, as American's, continue to strive to get more, bigger, better?? We ourselves had found ourselves struggling with that very thing, trying to keep up with the "American dream". Why? Is this is what life is about? At the end of our lives are we going to say, "Yes! I got the biggest, best stuff. I did it!"? No! Of course we won't. At the end of our lives, here on earth, we will be thinking of the relationships that were presented before us on this earth. What did we do with that? I am not saying that we should not have things or money, but it is what we do with it. Imagine the possibilities if everyone was content with what they had and started living in relationship and blessing others with the overflow of His abundance! Our world would be a different place than it is now.

Staying at Home as a Mom

2011-10-26T08:12:00.009-05:00

I love being a mom and I especially love being a stay-at-home mom! When Rich and I were engaged, we had agreed that I would stay at home when we had our first child. I knew that this would be different, but had no idea how much work it was to actually live it. There is such a stigma of being a stay-at-home mom. I have encountered many people that think I just sit at home all day doing nothing. This job is not for wimps! With a full time job away from the house, you can leave and not think about it until you go back the next day. You get vacations with pay, Holidays off, even sick days. A stay-at-home mom doesn't get all of these perks. Even family vacations are still loaded with lots of responsibility. I never leave my job and I am always on duty. A mom who works can leave the home jobs behind and get a different view and talk with other adults and then come home and get away from work and start the home job, it is a different view with different responsibilities(in no way do I belittle this job, it seems it would be a lot harder to balance the two jobs, I am just making the point that I never leave the job I do have). My stay-at-home job description is a bit different as I am also providing care for two little ones Monday through Friday, 7:00am to 5:00pm. Having these two little ones are like an addition to our family. I get to speak into their lives on a daily basis and watch them grow in many different ways. Sometimes, I feel overwhelmed, trapped or just plain exhausted. I feel lonely, devoid of other adult relationships and long to get out. Just recently I have felt this way. I was thinking, if I had a job away from the house, I could have adult interaction, escape the the four walls that hold me in. Then I remember why I have this incredible job. It is an amazing job and it's more than just a job! Plus, I don't have to spend my entire paycheck paying for daycare for our sweet girl. I can say that I did not miss our kids first words or first steps, I am always there to love on them when they are hurt or sick or if they need a listening ear. Everyone comes home to a clean house and they always have clean clothes in their closets and drawers. I enjoy the special moments that I get to have because I am a stay-at-home mom. I don't have to worry about a schedule getting in the way of the needs of my family. The rewards are great! I get to see their daily journeys without all the stuff getting in the way. I get lots of hugs and kisses each day. I hear my kids say that I am the best mom in the world for organizing their room or helping them with their homework or going the extra mile to make a costume, etc. It is a privilege to say home. It is a job that I would never look down upon. All moms work hard! I am truly blessed to be able to stay home with our kids and would not want to change any of it!

Challenge as a blessing?

2009-04-21T16:01:00.004-05:00

The last few weeks have been quite a challenge. We have had our share of frustration, grief, confusion, guilt, anxiety among other emotions. As each new challenge presented itself to us, I would feel a bit more overwhelmed. I was in a state of shock of how all these things could happen in such a short span of time. I began to get frustrated with God as if it were His fault. What on earth was I thinking?

The other night my husband and I sat down and had a heart to heart talk about all of the trials that have occurred during the last few weeks. While we talked, I started seeing everything in a different light. Instead of looking at "my" circumstances, I began to see that these things were not mine to bear. I suddenly realized how blessed I am. Without God I would not be where I am today. I suddenly felt the weight lift off of my shoulders and began to trust God.

Why do I forget so easily that He cares for me and wants me to trust Him. It seems like I keep forgetting until something drastic happens to remind me. I am so thankful for everything God has done! I have a awesome husband who cares for me very deeply, three little blessings that make me smile, two working vehicles, a roof over my head, food on the table, clothes on my back and great friendships. What else do I need? God has provided in so many ways in my life. It is really incredible to look back and see that.

Now, as I face these challenges, I feel more peace. They are still there, but not overwhelming. I know that I have a big God and that He will not let me down. Thank you God, for everything you have done, everything you are doing and everything you are going to do! What an awesome God we serve!

Testing and Receiving His Orange Belt!

2009-02-18T10:29:00.006-06:00

Showing off his forearm block.

Our six year old is growing up. It is fun watching him reach his little goals and accomplishments. He is so proud of receiving his orange belt in Taekwondo. It has been a great experience for him. He has learned how to show respect to adults, has learned to have self control and to be responsible for his own actions. When I look back at where he was 8 months ago, when he started karate, he really has grown a lot. He really is a great young boy! I am so proud of his accomplishment. After getting his belt he was beaming from ear to ear. If only I had caught that little expression. He is usually such a serious kid and to see the joy that shown on his face meant the world to me. He told us after his class, that he wants to be a black belt someday. I wouldn't be surprised if he was. He has such determination when it comes to things that he enjoys.

The Potty Train Has Arrived!

2009-02-03T07:27:00.007-06:00

We are excited to announce to the world that our three year old is potty trained! Woo Hoo! We are beyond excited over this great accomplishment! Our three year old has had numerous issues with her bowels since she was an infant. We have been in close contact with her pediatrician and pediatric Gastrointestinal Specialist for over 2 years now. We knew that it would be a process to potty train her and have been told not to push the issue as it could make matters worse. She has been petrified of the toilet for quite some time. One day, about 2 weeks ago, our three year old asked, "Mommy, will it hurt to go on the potty?". I explained that there would be no pain and in fact she would feel much better when she did go on the potty and not have something in her diaper. She thought about it for a moment and then proclaimed, "Mommy, I am going to use the potty all the time now.". I told her that would be great and didn't really take it to heart. An hour later, she came to me and said, "Mommy, I have to go to the potty!". I quickly rushed her to the restroom and sure enough, she did it! I was completely amazed. She has had only one accident(the first day) since that day. She is even nighttime trained as well(Which has upset her older brother, since he is not nighttime trained yet.). We are so very thankful for this great feat! Even her pediatrician is ecstatic! She said she has worried herself over our three year old. She has been wondering if she needed some kind of new specialist for her. The only thing to watch her for now, is the time she spends on the potty. She still goes about 8-10 times a day(stinkies that is) but at least it is on the potty! We are saving about $120.00 a month just on diapers and wipes! So, 2 down and one to go(we still have a bit before all three will be out.) Now, we wait a bit longer to see if our six year old will nighttime train. His pediatrician said that if he is still bed wetting by the age of seven then she will put him on some meds to help him to wake up at night to go. He sleeps so deep that he cannot wake himself up. We are so very thrilled that our 3 year old has accomplished this wonderful milestone!

The Journey of a Little Metal Marble.

2009-01-26T15:09:00.003-06:00

Oh my! Today, at lunchtime, I was sitting down to enjoy my cup of Lemon flavored yogurt and Diet Rite when our son came running to me saying, "I have to do stinkies!". So off to do my motherly duty(didn't think this was going to be in my job description when I signed up to be a mommy) of checking excrement for a steel marble. After searching and not finding the treasure we were seeking, I decided that my yogurt no longer looked appetizing.

Saturday afternoon, our son came running out of his room in hysterics. He was yelling, "Oh no, I swallowed a marble! What are we going to do?". I wasn't to upset about the whole situation as my youngest had swallowed a LEGO and passed it just fine. The following morning, our son woke up and started dry heaving and having stomach pain. Now, I was a bit worried. We decided we would wait a bit before calling a doctor and make sure that this was going to continue. After about an hour, the pain subsided and all was well. Then again, just before dinner, the dreaded pain returned. Ugh! This meant that we were going to have to make the unwanted trip to an urgent care facility. So, off we went. And there on the x-ray, like a star on the Christmas Tree, brightly lit, was the marble in his stomach.

Now, we wait, to see if the marble will make it's journey through my son's body and return to this world. Who knew that mommyhood would be so full of adventure! I never once dreamed I would be here, that is for sure, but I wouldn't change my life for anything! Gotta love it! :)

Parenting.

2009-01-09T15:29:00.002-06:00

Today, my 6 year old son, was sent home with a note in his folder. It seems that he is not making good choices with his friends and not listening to the teacher when she tells him to do something. Sometimes, I feel like we are running in circles. How many times do we need to explain how to do the right thing? It is always the same thing. When he comes home with those kind of notes, it makes me feel like a failure as a parent. I want him to be an example to other kids and to be respectful of his elders. I am sure that God feels this very same thing with us. He keeps having to tell us things over and over, yet we seem to fall into the same old habits. I hope that, we, as parents, can instill these virtues into our children. I know that it is a process, I just wish that it would go a bit smoother. I suppose that this is a lesson in patience as well. The only way that we can get through this tough phase, is to do it in prayer. I cannot think of any other alternative, as this is the only way! I sure don't want to mess up our kiddos, that is for sure. Without God, this would be impossible.

Christmas Time!

2008-12-08T09:48:00.003-06:00

Having children makes the Christmas season even more fun than it was before they came along and I thought it was fun then. We have had so much fun the last couple of weeks, preparing for the festivities. We put up our tree, strung up the lights outside and have been out driving around looking at other people's Christmas displays. The kids really enjoy looking at the Christmas lights. I love how they exclaim over and over about what they see as if you cannot see it. Their excitement is contagious! We have been to one Christmas party already and they especially enjoyed it. My 3 year old keeps calling it a birthday party. When I corrected her and said, "It is a Christmas party not a birthday party.", she said, "But mommy, it is Jesus' birthday party!". She got me there. I am delighted that they understand that it is just not about presents but that it is about Jesus' birth! Of course we have talked about it and what Christmas means, but I didn't know how much she understood until then.

Having the Christmas tree up with a 14 month old around has proven to be a challenge. Basically, the bottom half of the tree is mostly bare of any kind of ornament, thanks to our 14 month old. In fact, the star is constantly facing a different direction every day. This happens when she grabs a hold of a branch and walks around the tree with it. So I am constantly turning it back. It has been such a fun toy for her, I know she will miss it when it is gone.

I am loving this Christmas season more than the last and I know it will only get better each year as each of them gains more of an understanding what Christmas is all about. I am cherishing every moment!

One of Those Days.

2008-12-03T13:40:00.002-06:00

Have you ever had one of those days where you wish you could hit the rewind button? This morning as I was putting away the dishes from the dishwasher, I noticed a glass(one of my good ones, the kind that is hardy enough to take some beatings) on the top shelf that did not belong there. So I reached up to get it(I am not quite tall enough to get a good hold of it) and down it came, crashing onto my head and catapulting into the air only to land on the laminate floor with a crash. There were pieces of glass protruding from the laminate. I couldn't believe that I had done that. It was like slow motion as it was happening. Anyway, I started to clean up only to realize that the laminate floor has little nicks in it now, where the glass had dug it's way into the floor. As the morning went along, I kept finding pieces of glass on the counter, the window sill, on my 14 month old's highchair and even in a bowl that was up in a cabinet at the time of the incident. I am very thankful that my 14 month old did not get hurt, as she was in the highchair when the glass broke. My 3 year old was in the other room and out of harms way. I only have a small bump on my head from the collision of the glass to my head. So, if I could rewind that small amount of time I could have saved the glass, the floor, my head and all the time I spent to clean up this crazy mess. What a morning!!!

Sickies, Sickies, go away!!!

2008-12-01T20:18:00.005-06:00

The last few weeks have been very difficult for us in the health department. It all started with our 3 1/2 year old. She had a very nasty cough and we decided to take her in to the pediatrician after trying to do all we could at home. We found out that she had strep throat, an ear infection and a sinus infection. She is now just getting over the nasty cough. She has been on an antibiotic for 10 days which caused some very bad bowel issues and because of that the pediatrician recommended taking her off of the Miralax(which she has been on for about 2 1/2 years now) until she was done with the antibiotic. I started her back up on the Miralax yesterday(the day after the last dose of antibiotic) and we have had a big struggle today with bowel movements. This evening she was screaming out in pain and I finally called the doctor and they instructed me to give her a glycerin suppository. After about an hour we had success. I guess this is one way to tell we cannot take her off of the Miralax yet. Right after our 3 1/2 year old was diagnosed, our 14month old started having the same symptoms our 3 1/2 year old had. She was found to have an ear infection, strep throat and an upper respiratory infection. She still has the nasty cough but seems to feel fine. We are supposed to bring her back for a recheck on her ears this week and are supposed to discuss getting tubes in her ears(she keeps having ear issues.). Our six year old has had the same nasty cough but did not have strep or anything too concerning. Just a virus. It seems like all we are doing lately is dealing with sick kiddos and I am getting so tired. I just want for our kiddos to feel good. I feel badly when they are sick and wish I could take away their pain or sickness. Thankfully, these health issues are only temporary and all will return back to normal. I just pray that it will be sooner rather than later!

My little artist.

2008-11-22T15:09:00.002-06:00

Our son received an award this week for his school's holiday greeting card project. He submitted a drawing for the holiday card a month ago and we have now found out that his artwork will be on his school's holiday card. Naturally, I am pretty proud of him. Last month he received another award for the character trait "Honesty". I am so amazed at how well he is doing in school. His art teacher has told my hubby that she thinks he is very artistic. He might look like his daddy but he has my artistic ability.

LEGO's, LEGO's, LEGO's!

2008-11-14T12:00:00.004-06:00

Recently, my son had received more LEGO's to build with, than we know what to do with. He loves LEGO's! He spent all of his birthday money and allowance money to buy a LEGO set that he really wanted. Then for his birthday he received a few more sets. He was in LEGO heaven. He put together each project without any help. I just watched him and "assisted" him with finding the peices(he gave me this job) he needed. Here are the results of his hard work.

Fall Festival

2008-10-31T13:44:00.003-05:00

Last night we took the kiddos downtown Wylie for the annual Fall Festival celebration. The kids had a good time. We lasted about 45 minutes tops. The lines are always long but they seem to get more crowded each year. The kiddos got plenty of candy, enough to last a whole year. They loved dressing up. Our 6 year old was Darth Vader, our 3 1/2yr old was a cowgirl riding a horse and our 12 month old was a hershey's kiss. They were very cute. Enjoy the pics!

A surprise at McDonald's

2008-10-23T13:42:00.003-05:00

Spiderman

Kitty

What a team

We went to McDonald's a week or so ago and when we got there they were having a grand opening of the playland. They apparently redid the play area and it looks great. They had a clown and a face painter there as well. The kiddos were so excited to be able to have their faces painted that they gave up their playtime just so they could wait in line to get their faces painted. Here is the final product.

Karate!

2008-10-08T07:39:00.009-05:00

Here they are as I promised. I didn't get the best videos of my 3 year old because she had a bit of an attitude and didn't earn one of her clips for her belt(they earn clips for respect and discipline). I explained to her after her class that she needed to listen to her instructor and she would get all her clips. My 5 year old did great, he takes karate seriously! He loves it and says he is going to try very hard to get his black belt(this will take a long time as he is only a white belt). He received an extra clip today because he showed respect during karate by responding to his instructors with respect each time he was told to do something(example: When told to come, he would run to where he needed to be and replied, "Yes Ma'am!".). No one else earned the extra clip today in his class and she does not give out clips easily. So, of course, I was quite proud of him. Hope you enjoy the show! :)

Demonstrating His Routine

Practicing Punches

Practicing Kicks

Tiny Tiger's Oath

Shots and Blessings.

2008-10-02T16:43:00.003-05:00

This week has been a week for shots for the kiddos. Our 12 month old had her yearly shots and check up as well as her flu shot. While we were there we had our 3 year old's flu shot done also. Our 3 year old did nothing more than say "Oww!" and that was it. Our 12month old cried but when it was over, she was fine. Today I took our 5 year old in for his flu shot and we got the opposite reaction from him. He started crying and fighting before we even got his pants down or got on the table. The nurse went and got a doctor to help restrain him and as soon as he appeared in the room our 5 year old started screaming. He gave him a big "bear hug" and I held the hand that escaped the "bear hug" while the nurse gave the shot. After it was done the doctor got his wallet out and handed our 5 year old a dollar bill and our 5 year old said, "I need more dollars!". The doctor, nurse and I got a good laugh out of that one. On the way home my son looked at his dollar bill and said, "Did the doctor make this, because there is a picture of him on it?" I laughed and told him that it was a picture of a president and not our doctor. We talked about why he should save his money and not spend it right away and he thought that would be a good idea. When we got home, I began unpacking his backpack and lunchbox and noticed some money on the counter. I picked it up thinking my husband had left a dollar on the counter when I notice that it was not a dollar but a much larger bill! I was in a bit of shock. Where did this come from? We have been a bit tight lately and I know that this is truly a blessing from God. To the angel that God sent to leave this blessing, "Thank you!". I have a hard time receiving these kind of gifts, as some of my friends know, but now I am forced to receive and be blessed. After a few minutes I went back to retrieve the bill and noticed it had vanished. I asked for the whereabouts from my son and he replied, "Oh, I thought it was for me." I told him that it was for all of us and that we would use it on his snacks and other type of food that he and the rest of the family would eat. He thought that was a good idea but was a bit disappointed. Today has been a day for laughs and surprises. What a day!

Quote of the Week

2008-10-01T16:16:00.002-05:00

Tuesday nights are our Karate night for our 3 year old and 5 year old. My husband usually comes after our three year old's class and takes her and our 12 month old home so that our 5 year old can stay for his class. When my husband came to pick them up yesterday, our 3 year old said, "Oh, I thought you were a man, but you were just my daddy." I thought that was quite humorous myself. We both got a laugh out of that one and thought you all might as well. I have been meaning to take the camera with me to karate class but I keep forgetting to bring it with me. Hopefully, next Tuesday I will remember and I will post some video of the kiddos at karate. It really is quite funny to watch our 3 year old, and our 5 year old takes karate quite seriously.

One Better, Another Not

2008-09-23T12:40:00.002-05:00

Well, my baby is one year old now! Hard to believe but it is true. After a rough week last week, she is doing much better. It is amazing how swallowing a LEGO can create such havoc. She is now back to her sweet content self and completely weaned form nursing. So now I will not have to pump on my scrap book retreat. Yeah! Now that I have her feeling better, our oldest was stung 15 times yesterday by fire ants! He is fine, but very uncomfortable. It happened at recess yesterday while playing with a friend. His friend was mad at him and pushed him down and he fell right into the fire ant pile. Because he is allergic to fire ants, he was quickly rushed to the nurses office and given Benedryl. His arm swelled up pretty badly yesterday but has come down today. It was bothering him quite a bit this morning, but hopefully with the busy schedule at school, he will quickly forget about it and have a good day. Ugh! Does it ever end? Anyway, I am looking forward to a break this weekend. I am going on a scrapbook retreat with three of my girlfriends and cannot wait! It will be a much needed break and mini vacation!

What is Up? (update)

2008-09-19T06:37:00.005-05:00

Okay, I was right. Our one year old did have something more than just a virus. After screaming for about 20 minutes this morning I realized she had a stinky diaper and took her to change her only to find a small red Lego in her diaper. Yes, she swallowed a Lego! Thankfully, I think she will be fine and hopefully there are no more in there. She is still off of her feeding schedule and may need to go to see the doctor today because of that(they don't want her to get dehydrated). So, I can say that a mother's intuition is something not to be reckoned with. Thanks for all of your prayers!

What is Up?

2008-09-19T06:37:00.002-05:00

My one year old(she will be tomorrow), has been sick since last weekend. She started out being the normal fussy and then came down with a fever. She had the fever for a few days but then it cleared up. On Monday she became extremely fussy. At first, I didn't think too much of it. but when it continued to get worse, I began to become concerned. She does not sleep well when she is sleeping, she moans and tosses and turns throughout the night and wakes up crying as well. When she is awake, she cries and screams and cannot be left alone. And then, suddenly, it becomes quiet, and I look over at her to check on her and she has fallen asleep on the floor. She falls asleep like that about 5-7 times during the day and I have put her down for a nap 3-4 times a day as well. The naps are maybe 20 minutes tops and the floor naps last about 15 minutes or less. She has completely quit nursing since Saturday and is hardly eating any solids. I am not sure how much fluid she is getting either, her diapers are getting drier each day(which concerns me as well). She will only drink water and she is only taking a few sips here and there. She maybe has an hour and a half of "happy" time during the day. I have taken her to the doctor on Monday and they did a physical exam and a urinalysis on her. That all checked well. Then I took her to the doctor on Wednesday(a different doctor who I don't like much) and they did some blood work on her. That all came back normal. While I was at the doctor's office, she acted like nothing was wrong and made me look as though I was nuts. So, what is wrong with my baby? She has had viruses before and has struggled with bronchiolitis and has never acted like this before. The doctor keeps saying it is a virus, but I am wondering if it is something more than that. I just have a weird feeling that something isn't right. The doctor acts and says things that makes me believe that I am overreacting. Our little girl has always been extremely content and very easy. This all happened, basically, overnight. I really am at a loss as what I am to do. She was up three different times last night and I am getting exhausted and now it looks like we are going to have to cancel her birthday party for tomorrow. What a way to have to enter your second year of life! I am praying that this will all clear up today or that the doctors figure out what is going on with her.

What Strawberries?

2008-09-15T20:23:00.002-05:00

Today, as I was unpacking my son's backpack after school, he informed me that I needed to get the strawberries out of his backpack. I looked at my husband with a puzzled look on my face. "What strawberries?" I asked. He answered, "You know, the ones I had for breakfast the other day.". I quickly went to look in the said pocket and found the bag of what was once a bag of strawberries and now was replaced by some kind of pink liquid! Gross! The strawberries were a part of his breakfast that I had packed for him last Tuesday! I am so very thankful that the bag did not break open. I will from now on check every pocket in his backpack(and there are about 6 of them) each day. We then had a discussion about throwing away anything that he doesn't finish unless it is something that we keep in the pantry.

Is it Really Over?

2008-09-08T08:23:00.002-05:00

This last weekend our 11 month old has started to push me away when it was time to nurse. She spent all day Friday and Saturday refusing to nurse and then started back up on Sunday. But she only takes a much smaller amount. I think she is beginning to wean herself. On one hand I am happy, on the other, I am sad. I am happy because the weaning process will be much easier than I first thought and I won't have to pump on my upcoming scrapbook retreat. I am sad because she is our last one and this weaning process marks the end of these special moments of bonding time between mommy and baby. It seems to be happening at a much quicker rate than I had expected and it is throwing me off kilter, but I will be fine once we get on the other side of this challenge. Now, I will need to look ahead and start thinking of all the fun things we will be able to start doing as a family!

A Refreshing Time

2008-09-05T12:20:00.002-05:00

We had a great time last night when our friend's from Oklahoma came for a visit. They have three wonderful boys who are a joy to be around. Their kids are 5, 6 and 8, so just a bit older than ours and they were very respectful. We stayed up until almost midnight visiting and even though it was late it was very refreshing. We traded stories of our kiddos life experiences, friend's, family and politics, and had some great laughs. I love to be around people who are uplifting and encouraging and I have to say that they were just that! My husband and I went to bed feeling encouraged and weightless. I am so thankful to have had the time we had with them and wished it could have been longer. My three year old grew attached to our friend's and cried when they left(she doesn't normally do this.). I felt the same way inside but I know that I will see them again soon. Later as we were sitting on the couch together just having some "girl" time, she said, "Mommy, I really liked that man and lady, they are my bestest friend's in the whole world because they helped me get the spider webs out of my garage(little people garage) and I got lots of tickles and the lady changed my diaper and put my jammys on!" She was so cute. I am looking forward to the next time that we will visit with them. They are my family and will always be. Thank you God for puting them in my life!

Long Time No See

2008-09-03T07:11:00.002-05:00

I am thrilled to say that some friends that I have not seen for a long while are coming into town this week! I am so excited to see them. The couple that is coming, has had a major impact on my life. They literally rescued me from a very rough situation. I am constantly reminded of how God sent them into my life and how He used them to bring me out of a low point in my life and pointed me in the right direction for my life. Because of their obedience to the Lord I am here on this earth today! I received an email last week saying that they were coming to Dallas. Boy howdy, was I excited! I can't wait for them to come see our beautiful children and our house that we have made a home of. They will see that their hard work and prayers have made a difference and I will forever be thankful! They are truly a major blessing in my life and I pray that they will continually be blessed as well!

Look What She Can Do!

2008-08-29T16:48:00.006-05:00

Half of the time our eleven month old is walking and the other half she spends crawling either on her hands and knees or hands and feet(which is quite funny to watch.). This is both an exciting time and sad time. I am excited for her, but sad that she is growing up to fast. She is our last so I want to cherish all these little moments!

The First Week

2008-08-29T07:09:00.003-05:00

Our five year old and his new teacher.

I can't believe the first week of school is over already. It has been joyful and exhausting at the same time. I am getting up early in the mornings to get our five year old ready for school and I am still adjusting to the new schedule. I really enjoy watching his face light up as he talks about what he is going to do at school that day. He is thriving on all the activities that they are doing(which is a lot!) and the new friends he is making. His favorite activity is Big Centers. Big Centers is where they go out into the hall area and get to have some imaginative play time. This week they have a play house set up with stoves and sinks and dolls and everything you could imagine to "play" house. They also have a huge block center, when I say huge, I mean hundreds of those big wooden blocks and wooden cars with cool street signs so they can build a city. He also loves PE. Pretty much anything that entails running around or using his imagination makes him pretty happy. This morning he woke up at 6:00 and yelled from his room, "Daddy. it is time to get me up!" Daddy usually goes in at 6:15 to get him down off the top bunk for me and our five year old was ready to go before then. So, I guess he is getting used to the new schedule already. Tuesday night and Wednesday morning might be a bit harder for him since he has Karate that night and soon we will be starting our hometeam(our church bible studies) again on Wednesday nights. So, we will see how he does then. He was a little sad when I told him that tomorrow is Saturday and that Monday is a Holiday. I am so glad that he is enjoying school as much as he is. I love hearing him talk about his day and see the excitement in his face. I am sure that there will be a lot a fun new things for him to explore and can't wait to hear about it!

First Day of School

2008-08-25T08:18:00.002-05:00

Well, I thought that I would be just fine when our five year old went off to his first day of Kindergarten. I got up this morning with my husband(as I will do each morning), to get my son ready for school. He was very excited and a bit apprehensive. He looked like such a big boy climbing into the back seat of his daddy's car and driving off to his first day of school. How I longed to be there when he walked into his classroom this morning! My husband took the camera to take pictures for me and for his scrapbook. Now, as I sit here typing my post, I feel a bit sad. I miss my little guy! I will not be the only one missing his company. My 3 year old will miss him as well, as she will not have her playmate with her until later in the day each day. I am hoping to spend more quality time with her and start working with her on her phonics and counting. So, I am sure that my time will be just as full as if he were here. I didn't cry, but I definitely felt like crying! Well, our 5 year old(almost 6) is off to some great adventures and we are so proud of him. I can't wait to talk to him about his day when I pick him up from school! I am sure there will be many great stories!

My Babies Are Growing Up.

2008-08-22T22:47:00.002-05:00

I can't believe it! I took our five year old to his new school today for "Sneak A Peak"(To meet his teacher). He is so excited! I could hardly get him to leave his new classroom. He will be six in October and I am honestly amazed at how fast time is going. Is there a button to slow things down? Ugh! When I took our son to his new school, I had left the girls with a friend. When we returned to pick them up, my eleven month old took her first four steps at their house! My baby! Don't grow up too fast! I am tearing up on the inside, I want my babies to be babies for a little longer. Why does life have to move so swiftly?!

Learning about Money

2008-08-21T10:21:00.002-05:00

Yesterday, I was explaining money and what each coin represents to our son. He understood so fast! The next thing I know, he ran to get his change out of his drawer and wallet and started counting it. He discovered that he had $2.00 in change. After talking about money a bit more I thought that it was time for him to start earning an allowance. So, his one chore is taking out the recyclables to the recycle bin and if he does it each day without being asked, he will earn a quarter each Friday. On the way to a doctor's appointment for Michaela(doing better but now has fluid in her other ear), we talked more about money and I started explaining why saving your money is a good thing. So, after the doctor appointment we headed for the mall and looked for a piggy bank and we were unsuccessful, but we finally found some cute ones at the Container Store. After he starts to understand a little more about money and math, we will teach him the importance of tithing. I hope that we can instill good values of how to handle his money. Later that evening, he said' "Mommy, I love money!". I tried to explain to him that it was not good to love money but that we could enjoy it. He then told me "But Mommy, I love it because I can buy new toys with it and I love toys!" Oh well. That is a lesson for a later date.

Back into the Groove

2008-08-19T09:56:00.002-05:00

My husband is back to work this week. I have, and I know the kiddos have, thoroughly enjoyed having him around this Summer. We did a lot this Summer as a family and it truly was a blessing to me. But now the Summer has come to an end and he is back to work. Routine is a wonderful thing and I am now grateful to have that back. It has only been two days since he has gone back to work and I am finding myself getting more done than I had when he was off. Last night I went to a parent meeting at my son's new school. I am so excited for him to start school and I know he is excited as well. Each morning he asks, "How many days left until school, mommy?". It will be so different not having him around to entertain our three year old, but it will be kind of cool just having the girls here. Our almost 11 month old is starting to take 2-3 steps now and then. Before long she will be walking. It seems to be happening so fast. Everything seems to change so quickly, even with routine. Anyone who knows me, knows that I am a perfectionist and that I thrive with schedules, routines, tasks, etc. So I am glad to have all that back, but I am very thankful for the wonderful Summer and was blessed to have my Hubby all Summer!

The Tooth Fairy has Visited.

2008-08-14T08:03:00.003-05:00

It finally happened. Our five and a half year old lost his first baby tooth yesterday. Two days ago he went to his daddy and showed him his tooth. He wasn't sure what was wrong until his daddy said it looked as though he had his first loose tooth. He was half excited and half afraid that it was going to hurt when it came out. Yesterday, when we checked his mouth, the tooth was hanging by a thread. My husband told our five year old that he could help get it out for him and after convincing him that it would not hurt, he let his daddy pull it out. He was so excited! The tooth that came out was his first baby tooth and now it is his first lost baby tooth! I am both sad and happy. I am sad because it means that my baby is growing up and it is happening all too fast. I am happy because he is turning into such a big boy and I enjoy seeing him learn new things. Last night, our five year old put the tooth under his pillow to see what the Tooth Fairy would bring. We had told him that the first tooth was a special one, so he might get a special present along with the money she might bring. 7:00 came too early this morning! He woke up and remembered that the Tooth Fairy might have come and searched under his pillow to find the baggie that the tooth was in now felt like it had something else in it. He was excited to see that the Tooth Fairy had brought him a Leapster game and $1.00. She also left him a letter explaining that she used all the teeth of all the children to build all the fairy's houses(I had always wondered what she did with those teeth) and that she looked forward to collecting all of his baby teeth in the future. He loved it! Of course, I explained to him that the first tooth was special and that the next tooth the Tooth Fairy would probably not bring a present but just leave some money instead. He seemed content with that. It is funny that my 3 year old is now checking her teeth periodically to see if maybe one of her teeth is loose. We told her that she has to be a big girl like her brother before she starts losing her teeth. Oh, if only I could slow things down a bit! They are growing up so fast. Is there any way to slow it down? I know that I say this a lot, but I am constantly reminding myself to enjoy every moment that I can.

A Week in Review

2008-08-11T11:45:00.004-05:00

What a week we had last week! The kiddos had a blast in VBS as well as my Husband and I. It seemed as though we were always running. Even with VBS, the kiddos still went to karate on Tuesday evening and seem to be enjoying that as well. We went to a cookout/Olympic opening ceremonies party on Friday evening and then Saturday night we some kiddos, of some friends of ours, over night. With all this activity, the last week just flew by. Our three year old must have been worn down because she now has a cold. So, hopefully things will slow a bit and she can get the rest she needs. I am ready for a little repreave and then it will be time fo our 5 year old to start kindergarten. He is very excited! I am excited for him as well!

VBS was great!

2008-08-04T22:30:00.002-05:00

What a great night! The Kiddos had a blast! My husband and I volunteered for our church's VBS this week and our kiddos are all a part as well. I was in charge of half of the first grade group and had a blast with them. My husband was in charge of the video stuff and did a great job. Everything went rather well for the first night. Even the bathroom break went smoothly, thanks to our bathroom guru friends! I loved learning the new songs with all of the kids and doing the cool hand motions. The kids were really into it! I felt like a camp counselor all over again. My five year old had a bit of a rough start with the dry ice. He was quite afraid of that dry ice and cried quite a bit. After someone figured out why he was crying and explained everything to him and he realized that it wasn't going to hurt him, he really enjoyed the rest of the time and is excited about going again tomorrow night. Thank you "T" for all of your hard work into making VBS happen! We all had a great time!

Fun Weekend!

2008-08-03T21:11:00.002-05:00

We had a great time this weekend! We went to Oklahoma this weekend to visit with one of my best friends. It was so refreshing to spend some much needed time away from home and enjoy the fellowship of such wonderful friends. The kiddos had a blast! They had so much fun that they didn't want to leave. Our five year old was having so much fun with our friend's oldest son that he cried when it was time to go. While we were there, I had the chance to go garage sale-ing with my friend and we hit the jackpot. I found some great stuff for my kiddos, two bags of stuff to be exact, and spent less than $20.00. One of the nights we were there, we played a domino game called "Chicken Train". It was so much fun, even though I did not win, but I didn't come in last(Sorry Jules! Hee Hee!). I know I have said this before, but I am so very thankful for wonderful friends! Without friends, life would be so lonely. I am so glad that we were able to go this weekend and enjoy such a great fun-filled time.

Here We Go Again

2008-07-31T18:46:00.002-05:00

We took our ten month old to the pediatrician today for a follow up. I thought it was just going to be a quick in and out thing and be done with it. It was not that easy. She listened to her chest and said that she sounded great! I was quite relieved, now we can start weaning her off of the breathing treatments. Then came the rest of the physical. Her right ear is filled with fluid and her right nasal cavity was completely swollen shut. I had no clue! She has been a bit fussy but she has broke in her two bottom teeth the last few days, so I attributed the fussiness to that. Then she decided to do a strep test since she again has a diaper rash and sure enough, she has strep again. So, after her appointment, I went to the Minute Clinic to get a strep test since I have had a headache the past few days and started with a sore throat today and the pediatrician recommended it. The test was negative but they are doing a culture as well and I wont get the results until Sunday. They said I had a fever and swollen glands, I had no clue! I guess I should get a clue, LOL. At least our 10 month old's breathing is doing better!

Karate

2008-07-29T21:38:00.003-05:00

Oh my! You would have laughed so hard if you had seen my kiddos while at their first karate class. We decided to put our three year old in her own age group and our five year old in his own age group as well. Our three year old did quite well. To watch her do her kicks and punches was quite humorous. She struggled with going to the end of the line when practicing different events and sometimes was in a different world, but for a three year old, I thought she did great. She even yelled, "Yes ma'am!" when she was supposed to. Then it was our five year old's turn. I think we laughed the whole time he was in his class. He never stopped jumping or pulling at his shirt or yanking up his shorts legs. There was even a time where one of the instructor's told him that this wasn't a dance class, LOL. When he did any of the events, he did it with enthusiasm and yelled as he punched or kicked. I think that once he gets used to the structure and how he is supposed to respond at certain commands he will excel. They both seemed to really enjoy the class. We will have to see if our three year old really wants to continue or not, she said she didn't like it after she was finished but I didn't really believe her. I will ask again later and we will see. Of course our five year old is ready to do some more and really wants to earn his belt for his uniform this week. They both have to do what we tell them, the first time that we tell them to do something, each day this week and then they will earn their belts(learning respect). The kiddos had a great time at their first class and we had a great time watching them!

A Quick Day Trip.

2008-07-29T09:46:00.003-05:00

What a day we had yesterday! We got up early yesterday morning to head to my husband's sister's house. We got there around 10:45ish and talked with the fam. Our son was having a great time with his cousin and enjoyed the fact that they have video games. He even asked if he could have one on the way home, LOL. After lunch we went to a sprinkler park with all of the kids. They had a blast. Even our 10 month had a good time. She has no fear. She just crawled all around and we had to watch her because she would just crawl right through a high powered jet stream of water without realizing that it might hurt her or put water up her nose. They were worn out after that. We didn't arrive home until around 11:15 last night. The kiddos slept until 9:45 this morning(they never sleep that late). What a day. An extremely quick trip and a lot of time in the van but a lot of fun.

New Bunk Bed

2008-07-26T16:44:00.003-05:00

Today my husband went to a friend's house and helped him move a Cargo bunk bed set to our house. They decided that they would not be using it and asked if we would like to have it. Thank you T&E! Anyway, we got it all set up in the room and it looks great. Our five year old is so excited to have his own room now. Of course, he wont have his own room for another 1 1/2 - 2 years because our 10 month old is still in that room. But, at least it gives him something to look forward to. Before we did this, he didn't particularly like the idea of having his own room. The kiddos think they have a really cool fort now to play on. We have been blessed!

Van Maintenance

2008-07-25T21:21:00.003-05:00

Today was van maintenance day. We took it in this morning to get all the belts replaced and now we are up to where we should be in that department. Then later, we took it to Wal-Mart to get an oil change. While we were there we decided to get the headlamps fixed as well. They have this new procedure that they can do now to make the glass on your headlamps look brand new. When we brought it in, they were yellow and basically non transparent. I have been noticing that it is hard to see at night because the lights were getting so bad. It took a while for them to do it, but what a difference! They look brand new. It would have cost us at least a couple hundred dollars to replace them and for just $40.00 they redid them. I am impressed. All we need to do now is get out tires rotated and we are up to date on all our routine maintenance.

The Wall-E Mishap

2008-07-21T18:54:00.008-05:00

This morning my husband came up with the idea to go and take the kiddos to see Wall-E. It sounded great. We even thought that we would just go ahead and take our 10 month old with us and see how she did(She seems to be feeling better today). The kids were so excited to see it. All was going well until the a rocket landed on Earth in the movie. Our 5 year old started to cry uncontrollably. So, my husband took him out and found out that the sound was too loud and had scared him. Thanks to one of our friends, we had brought some earplugs with us. So after about 20 minutes of calming him down, he came back to the theater and sat down with the earplugs in place. All was well, once again, until the next really loud part. He started crying uncontrollably once again, even with the earplugs. I took him out of the theater, as I was already standing in the hall where I could still see the movie because our 10 month old was getting fussy. Meanwhile, Our three year old was upset over the fact that I was not in the theater with her and daddy. So, the next thing you know we were walking out to the main foyer and saying goodbye to Wall-E until it comes out on DVD. I don't think we will go and see another movie in the theater with the kiddos until our 5 year old is a few years older. Who knew we would have such an adventure going to the movies.

2008-07-20T11:04:00.005-05:00

Before

After

The last couple of weeks have been tough on our nine month old. She has had strep and a sinus infection and difficulty with her breathing. Over the weekend she has not seemed to improve. Her nasal secretions are worse and she seems to be breathing harder and faster. She sneezed this morning and gobs and gobs of clear, thick, stretchy mucus came out and she still sounds as if there is a lot more in there. She can hardly suck her thumb because she can't breath, so this makes it hard when she is trying to sleep. But, through all of this, her little attitude is great! She still smiles and cuddles as normal, only more fussy than usual. The fussiness can be attributed to her teething, lack of eating, or lack of sleep, who knows. I hope that this is the storm before the clearing and by tomorrow she will be doing better. I hate to see her like this and wish I could make it better. She seems to take all of the treatments pretty well(except for the saline flushes). In fact, she falls asleep when we give her her breathing treatments! I will be glad when we are on the other side of this, whatever it is.

More Doctor Appointments

2008-07-18T08:52:00.004-05:00

Well, I took our littlest one to the ophthalmologist yesterday and got some good news. She does not have Esotropia. Basically, it appears like she might have it because she has such a wide nose bridge. Eventually, she should grow into her nose and all will be fine. After her eye appointment, I took her to the pediatrician because she hasn't been herself. She has been coughing and stuffy and had a slight fever off and on for about a week. Come to find out, she has a sinus infection and her "asthma" is flaring up and to top it all off she is teething(she is about to get her two bottom teeth). She is back on 3-4 breathing treatments a day for a week and then cut her back to 2 a day for another week. She is also taking Zirtec, Singular, Mucinex and Azythromicin(Z-pack). And to top it all off we have to put saline in her nose 3-4 times a day to get the mucous out of her nasal passages. We had her out on her swing while we washed the van the day before yesterday and she seemed to be worse that night and come to find out, it was a level orange day. Apparently if you have asthma, these days can really affect you. We will need to try and avoid being outside on these days but if we need to be out, we will need to give her a preventative breathing treatment before going out. Thankfully, she is taking it all in stride. She is such a laid back little girl and I am so grateful for that! I am also thankful her eyes are fine!

Simple Things

2008-07-16T09:57:00.002-05:00

Did you ever notice how easily entertained our kiddos can be? Yesterday, my 5 year old kept asking my husband, "Where are we going Daddy?" as we were trying to get shoes on everyone. Rather than getting frustrated with his ranting and raving, my husband answered with, "We are going under there.". our five year old then replied, "Under where?". That is when the fun began. Rich and I both shouted, "You said underwear!" and our five year old went nuts. He thought that was the funniest thing he had ever heard. Then our three year old got into it and they both kept trying over and over to get us to say "under where(underwear)". Who knew that one little question and answer could turn into so much fun? As I sat and thought about this little episode later, I realized that the way we respond to a frustrating situation can make or break our attitude. We could have just said "Stop asking that question over and over.", but instead we made it fun and he forgot about the whole thing. And when he did remember, he asked the right way and got the response that he wanted. Now, if we could do that every time, life might be a bit easier. It really is amazing that even when you think you are a patient person that your patience can be tested with little ones running around. But then I learn a valuable lesson when something like this happens, don't be so quick to respond and have a little fun!

We Are Blessed!

2008-07-15T13:55:00.002-05:00

I am so thankful for everything that God has given to us! We are truly blessed. We have more than I ever thought that I would have in my lifetime. I have a wonderful husband, who loves and cherishes me for who I am and takes wonderful care of me. He has been more than I had ever imagined and I love him more and more every day! I have three beautiful children that I am completely in love with. We have so much fun with them and they keep us humble. I have a wonderful home and as we add to it, it seems to get even more cozy. We have two cars that are completely paid for and are running great(except Rich has no air conditioning, thankfully he doesn't have to work right now, but when he does, it is just down the road a bit.). As I was cleaning up the house this morning, I was thinking about our home and how thankful I am for it. There have been people that have asked us if we would move when we had a third child, into a bigger home, but we are perfectly comfortable here. I love the fact that I don't have to spend a week getting my house clean because it is so big(because that is how long it would take me to get it perfect.). We may not have what some people consider a lot, but I feel like I have an abundance. Thank you Father, for all that you have provided us, help me to never take what we have for granted.

Our 3 year old's New Do

2008-07-15T13:33:00.006-05:00

Last week, I took our 3 year old daughter to have her hair cut. While they were cutting her hair I was cringing. That beautiful long hair was no longer. I know it will grow back if I don't like it, but I was still sad to see it go. This morning, I thought I would try blow drying it and see what she looks like with straight hair. She looks just as cute with straight hair as she does with her little curls. I don't think I will blow dry her hair all the time, it takes too much time. So, what do you think of our little cutie?

Moolicious!

2008-07-12T21:30:00.004-05:00

Yesterday, we had the opportunity to receive free food at Chick-Fil-A for dressing up like cows for "Cow Appreciation Day". So, I rounded up some supplies around the house and bought a bit of felt and viola, we were cows. The kiddos were so cute. We enjoyed our free food very much! We heart Chick-Fil-A! Thanks to Stephanie for sharing the news with us!

Tears of Joy

2008-07-09T22:14:00.003-05:00

Today, I had the pleasure of helping clean a house of a friend in need. We got their house cleaned up in no time, can we do that to my house now? Anyway, after cleaning the house we decided to go get some dinner together at Olive Garden. Yummy! It was just what I needed. Sometimes, a little time away from the kiddos can go a long way. Thank you Stephanie for the much needed release of emotion! I laughed so hard I was crying, not just little tears either. Who knew that dressing up as a cow for a free Chik-Fil-A meal would cause such a misunderstanding. It will be a night to remember, that is for sure! I am so thankful to have such a wonderful group of friends!

Our first 9-1-1 call

2008-07-07T09:31:00.002-05:00

We had a pretty good scare this morning. Our five year old was in the living room with our nine month old when he announced that our nine month old had something in her mouth. My husband and I both ran out to check on her and she immediately started vomiting. I turned her upside down and tried dislodging the item from her throat. After trying this and had no results and she continued to vomit, I handed her off to my husband and called 9-1-1. As I started to explain what was happening, my husband finally got the item dislodged. I had been making hair bows yesterday and apparently I missed a piece of a cut ribbon. It was about a 1" by 7/8" piece. After talking to the 9-1-1 operator we felt that we were okay and didn't need further assistance. The whole time I was cleaning up I was shaking like a leaf! I am always on to my kiddos about making sure that they don't leave small things around so that our nine month old doesn't choke on it and here it was me that left something for her to choke on. Ugh! Thank the Lord that it came out and she is fine!

A Fun-Filled Weekend

2008-07-06T21:57:00.003-05:00

What a weekend! We had such a great time! Friday morning we got up early and went with some friends to watch the 4th of July parade in a nearby city. The kiddos had a blast. Then that evening we joined some friends at a cook out and then went and watched the Firewheel fireworks together. Both of our older kiddos really enjoyed the fireworks and were sad when they ended. My 9 month old slept through pretty much the whole thing, including the grand finale! The next day we spent the day together at home and played together. Our five year old is now riding his two wheeler(with training wheels) without any struggles and took several spills without shedding a single tear. He is growing up! This morning we all went to church and then ran a couple of errands and ate lunch at McDonald's as the kiddos played on the play equipment. After dinner we met up with some friends in a nearby city and went to a sprinkler park. Again, the kiddos had a great time. After playing, we decided to go to Culver's together and have some frozen custard(Yummy, Yummy!). By the time we got home, the kids were about asleep in the back of the van. They are completely exhausted from all of the excitement and fun. These are the kind of times that our kids will remember for a lifetime. I am enjoying making lifetime memories with our family and I hope we will make many more!

Surprise at a routine checkup.

2008-07-02T20:07:00.002-05:00

Today, we took our three year old and nine month old to their pediatrician for a routine checkup. All was going well until the doctor noticed our nine month old had a suspicious diaper rash on her bottom. I noticed it a couple of days ago. I didn't do anything about it because she had had some runny bowels and I thought it was because of that and I just treated it as any other rash and put ointment on it with every diaper change. Well, the poor thing has strep. I wouldn't have known if it weren't for the appointment today, or at least until it was more severe. We also found out she has something called Infantile Esotropia. Basically, this is when one or both eyes turn in. I have noticed it on occasion but blew it off and thought she would outgrow it. The pediatrician said we need to see an Opthamologist and have it checked out. It is not severe by any means, you have to look really close to see it. She has a wide bridge which is part to blame and hopefully it will be something that will go away with time. If not, it would require a surgical procedure to fix.

Our three year old was in perfect health(other than her bowel issues-still trying to figure out some things on this). I was amazed to find out that she was only in the 25th percentile for height! She went from being in the 8oth percentile at 18 months to 50th percentile at 2 years and now she is in the 25th percentile. I guess she will not take after her daddy on height. The doctor delighted us when she said the girls would not need any vaccinations today. Our three year old was a bit disapointed though. After the doctor announced, "No vaccines today!", our three year old replied with a look of disdain, "But, my mommy said I could get a shot today." Only she would be half excited about getting a shot.

I always feel emotionally drained after a doctor's appointment. Taking three kids to an appoinment can keep you on your toes. Thankfully, my hubby was there to help today! I am so thankful that we had this appointment today. Now, our nine month old will start feeling better and get rid of the pesty rash. What a day!

Time Keeps on Tickin'

2008-07-01T22:50:00.003-05:00

How can one feel so busy but can't say that you have done a lot? My days seem to fly by to quickly. We have done a few projects and had a few family outings but other than that, not a lot is happening, in fact, we are not even traveling this Summer(we had one trip planned, but that has been canceled). I spend numerous hours with the kids, changing diapers, practicing reading, potty training, preparing meals, keeping the house clean, doing laundry and the list goes on. But, this is not any different than the rest of the year. For some reason this Summer is flying by and I have no clue why. Maybe it is just having my husband around or maybe it is just that I am much more relaxed and enjoying my kiddos more or maybe it is both. All I know, is that I am having a great time with my family and trying to enjoy every moment that I can! My only complaint is that I don't want it to go to fast, I want to enjoy and savor every minute I can.

A Day at the Water Park

2008-06-30T10:18:00.003-05:00

Yesterday, we went to a local water park and had a great time(Thank you Michele, for the tickets!)! We haven't done anything like this with the kiddos before and we were a bit concerned about the crowds and the whole water issue I have. I have a fear of my kiddos around water. I guess I watch way too much news and hear about too many kiddos drowning. So, whenever we get to go swimming or near any water, I am shaking in my boots on the inside. But, yesterday, I was surprisingly calm. I really enjoyed myself and so did the kiddos. Even my nine month old enjoyed splashing in the cold waters! I am excited to do more water activities now. Maybe I am finally conquering my fear.

Makeover Woes.

2008-06-26T09:14:00.002-05:00

It really is amazing when you makeover a room, you tend to keep it cleaner than you did before. I really enjoy being in my kitchen now with it all neat and tidy. We now have new window treatments in our Dinning/Living area and it adds to the makeover we already did. Although, I think the treatments are still growing on me. I am not sure if I really like them or not. Time will tell I suppose. It is different from what I am used to, so maybe once the newness wears off, I will have a better idea if I do like them. I had fun emailing friends to get their thoughts and ideas on the window treatments and I think I am going to stick to the original plan of having a sheer with a green panel pulled to one side and a striped scarf over the top and sides. Sometimes the ideas just flow and other times, not so much. I also thought of replacing the green panel with a different one, maybe it's the culprit. Who knows! I will figure it out eventually or just scrap the whole thing and start with something totally different.

A New Kitchen

2008-06-19T11:10:00.003-05:00

I love my kitchen now! We decided to go ahead and paint one wall in our kitchen. It is a burgundy wall and it really makes our cabinets look much better. With the new light fixtures and a fresh coat of paint and a new curtain in the kitchen window, our kitchen looks totally different. The picture makes it look a bit darker than it really is. I love it! It is amazing what you can do on a limited budget. What do you think?

Going to the Doctor

2008-06-13T14:43:00.001-05:00

Yesterday, we went to the GI Specialist for my three year old. She has had bowel issues since she was an infant. We finally found out that she has a condition called Selective IgA deficiency. It all started when she contracted C-Difficile in the hospital as an infant. She basically lacks bacteria and it also affects the mucus lining in her intestines which helps her immune system. So, she has autoimmune deficiencies, which cause her to become sick easier and when she does get sick, it is quite bad. She is expected to eventually recover from this condition but for now there is no treatment. We also had blood work done to check her for allergies to make sure that that is not causing more issues. I am glad to finally know what is going on with our little girl.

Through all of her issues, my three year old has kept a great attitude. Yesterday, before her appointment, she told my husband, "Daddy, when we go to the doctor, they are going to squeeze a hug on my arm.". She meant they are going to take her blood pressure. Then when we went to go have her blood drawn, we walked into the room and she said, "Not again!" When I explained that they were going to stick a needle in her arm to get a little bit of blood she replied, "Okay." What really surprised me next was when they stuck her she said, "Oww!" and that was it. She didn't even cry. In fact she started pointing out things in the room as they were drawing her blood. I knew that she has a high pain tolerance, but that just blew me out of the water! What a brave little girl!

Let there be Light!

2008-06-13T14:19:00.003-05:00

I am so excited! We got our stimulus check not too long ago and decided that with part of it we would do some updating to our house. We chose to do light and ceiling fan fixtures. It took us about a week to get all of them put up, but we love them! I feel like we live in a wind tunnel now. We keep our ceiling fans on most of the time and it feels much cooler in here now. I hope it really does save on our electric bill like they say. Our house looks a little more up to date now. I think if we do a little bit each year like this, we will eventually get caught up(until it all goes out of style again). I am lovin' it! Woo Hoo!

A much needed break!

2008-06-11T08:43:00.003-05:00

This last weekend I had the privilege to go on a scrapbook retreat. It was a wonderful break from the everyday craziness. I was able to spend much needed time with two other women, whom I had a great time with! The most memorable moment of the weekend was on one of the nights. I happened to look over and see the silhouette of one of my friends sitting up on her bed and heard, "LISA, LISA!" in a hushed but excited tone. When I replied she asked, "Seriously, Are your initials really L.A.W.?". I had a good laugh over that one. Another memorable moment was when my other friend was attacked by a rather large rooster. She was fine but got a pretty nasty bruise. Even though we stayed up into the wee hours of the morning, I still feel like I got some rest. I was able to get so much done! I am pleased to say that I got all of my kids scrapbooks caught up! Now I can focus on taking more pictures of my kiddos! After arriving back at my house with my friends, we walked into a very neat and organized house. My husband is so thoughtful. He had cleaned up the house, had the dishwasher running and had the babies taking naps. I can't wait until the next retreat!

Baby Proofing!

2008-05-14T12:55:00.002-05:00

We are "baby proofing" again! My 7 month old is becoming a bit more mobile as each day passes. I had to go through the entire playroom last week and clean out anything that she could potentially swallow. There are still some things that I could not get rid of yet. Those things are up high enough for her not to reach. The biggest struggle of all is with the older kids. They want to play in the playroom with their things but don't want to share with the little one. She knocks down their towers and takes away the toy they were playing with or just gets in the way. Ugh! Poor baby, she never gets to play with anything because the big kids take everything from her saying, "That's mine!". I spend a lot of my time chaperoning the kids. I realized today that I am going to have to purchase another baby gate to fit in my playroom doorway so that she can't escape. Oh the joys of mobility! She is just days from crawling, I am sure. We will see, but in the meantime she is army crawling and rolling everywhere!

Ahhh! Peace and Quiet!

2008-05-06T20:27:00.002-05:00

It is 8:25pm and it is so quiet, I could hear a feather drop. It is not too often I get to enjoy this type of moment. My hubby is at his last evening class for the semester(working on his Master's degree). The quietness is almost deafening. I love it! I never realized how busy my life would become once I had children. Now that we have three of them, I am so busy that sometimes I feel as if I may never catch up. Having said all that, I would never change where I am at in this stage of my life. I love seeing the rewards of all the hard work that we do. Someday, when the kids are grown, I might miss all of the commotion, so I will enjoy it while I can. But, in the meantime, I very much enjoy those moments of peace and quiet! These times are special, as I hear my Father speaking to me and want to draw a little nearer to Him. If I have had a day of turmoil, the peace comes and I can give it all to my Lord. Thank you God for being there in that quiet space of my life! Help me to always listen to your still, small voice! You are an awesome God!

No longer Two!

2008-05-05T12:57:00.003-05:00

My two year old is now three years old! I can't believe how fast time flies! We had a birthday party for her this weekend. She had a blast. We celebrated on Saturday and her birthday was on Sunday. When she came up to me Sunday morning I wished her a happy birthday and she said, "Mommy, am I having another party today?". After telling her that we already celebrated her birthday she said, "But mommy, I need another party, that is why I am free(three)." I could not help from smiling, she is so stinking cute! The party went rather well I think. The kids seemed to all have fun. Although we all had a good time, I think I may try to have the next birthday party outside of the home. I about wore myself out and it cost about the same as it would have to have someone else do the party and clean up. It will be a day my three year old will remember for a while and I am glad. Watching her grow into a little girl has been such a joy!

The Bug!

2008-04-30T12:38:00.003-05:00

My son received a toy bug, a cockroach to be exact, a few weeks ago for earning ten stickers in his pre-k class. I am not sure how all of this started, but this bug has shown up all over the place, scaring the Dickens out of me. My husband and I have been going back and forth, putting the bug in various places, to try to get a "jump" out of the other. I even went as far as putting it in his coffee can. It is hard to scare him, he just laughed and placed the bug in my box of granola bars. Well, needless to say, I reached for the breakfast bars and let out a scream. When the kids saw what I was screaming about, they laughed their heads off. I'm not just talking about a little laugh, I'm talking belly laughs. Even my 7 month old started laughing because the other two were laughing so hard. My almost 3 year old kept saying, "Daddy put the bug in mommy's food, that is so funny!" Immediately following the event, my 5 year old started to scheme where to put the bug next, to scare daddy. I'm not sure where it will show up next, but I'm sure it will be good!

Growth

2008-04-28T08:57:00.003-05:00

I love to see my 5 year old son show signs that he is growing up. He has been such a help to me and my husband more and more lately. Yesterday, I went to the grocery store on my own, while my husband stayed home with the clan. When I got home, I was surprised to find a very neat house. Usually, when I come home from an outing like that, my house looks as if a tornado hit it. My sweet husband decided to surprise me and pick up the house and he even vacuumed it. When my husband was talking to me later, he was telling me that our 5 year old was a great help. He enjoys helping out at any opportunity he gets and when he does help, he does it well. He was also very well behaved yesterday and we noticed it! My husband and I are starting to see more of our efforts come to fruition. It is really awesome to see the growth of our children and it makes all of the hard times worth the struggles. I am so proud of our little guy! I can't imagine him as a young man, but I am sure he will be a great one!

Attitude and Gratitude.

2008-04-22T20:46:00.005-05:00

I had so much fun with my kids tonight. My husband is working on his Master's degree, so he is gone on Tuesday nights until after the kids are in bed. So, I usually take them to McDonald's on Tuesday nights. The kids played for about an hour with some kids they met there and I talked with the other kid's mom. It was actually a bit of a break for me, other than having to entertain my 7 month old. On the way home from McDonald's, we sang songs. They are so cute when they are singing and my 5 year old can hold a tune rather well. Just before arriving back in our home town, I decided to get all of us some ice cream. The kids were in hog heaven. As we sat around my kitchen table and talked about the days events, I was amazed at how quickly my kids are growing up. My 5 year old does not look like a baby anymore and my almost 3 year old is starting to mature even more. We had an exciting conversation about dreams(the kind we have in our sleep). My son has quite a vivid imagination. Last night he woke at 2:00am calling for his daddy and asked him to pray for him because he had had a bad dream. He told me tonight that he had dreamed that he was watching TV and it was about spiders and when he touched the TV, the spiders crawled out and started biting him. I think I would want daddy to pray for me too after a dream like that. My 3 year old always says she dreamed about Jesus. After eating ice cream, and the kiddos thanked me for the ice cream, we got ready for bed, then we had some good old tickle time. After getting them into bed, I realized that I had had a good time tonight. It really all comes down to attitude. When I am grouchy and tired, the kids seem grouchy and tired, but when I have a good attitude they seem to have a good attitude also. It is amazing how much of an affect that I have on my children. I am so thankful for these little hearts and I hope that I will affect them in a positive way. Especially since time seems to escape me so quickly. Before I know it, they will be out on their own and making their own choices. So, I will enjoy every moment I can while I have the chance!

Encouragement.

2008-04-21T08:36:00.004-05:00

Last week, a friend opened up and shared some wonderful things God is doing in her life. I was truly blessed by what she shared with me and I let her know that. In turn, she was encouraged to know that she blessed someone by sharing. Sometimes, I think that we believe that we shouldn't bother people with what we are going through or learning because it might look like we are strange. God gave us other people for a reason. I am so thankful for the friends I have and the community we share together. Without people, we would be lonely and desolate. I have a great husband who loves me with all of his heart and shows me this on a daily basis, but even still I know that we need other people in our lives. It gives us a different perspective and a sense of accountability. Now, when I say other people in our lives, I don't mean people who will bring me down, but people who are on the same page as I am or may even be a few pages ahead. I think we all need some kind of encouragement in our lives. I look at my kids and see what a difference it makes when I encourage them and how they are drawn to other kids or adults who encourage them in one way or another. I think as adults, we forget how important encouragement can be. A few words of encouragement can go a long way in our lives and our walks with God. I want to be an encouragement to people I am around whenever I can.

Breathing Woes.

2008-04-15T08:04:00.002-05:00

My littlest one(my 6 month old) has had issues with her breathing for some time now. About 3 months ago we were visiting some friends in Oklahoma when our daughter got sick. We took her to the pediatrician when we got home and found out that she had bronchiolitis. The bronchiolitis cleared up in about 10 days but she continued to have breathing issues after that. Her pediatrician ordered her a nebulizer and gave us the necessary prescriptions for it. We were giving her treatments two or three times a week but now it has increased to every day and sometimes twice a day. That was the case yesterday, she received a breathing treatment yesterday morning, evening and during the night. I am hoping it is due to allergies and it is not getting worse. Her pediatrician says that it is too early to diagnose her but she thinks she may have asthma. I am praying that she outgrows it if this is the case. We want for our kids to be healthy and not have any medical issues. It is so hard when your kiddos get sick and you can't fix it. I love them so very much and want nothing more than for them to be healthy! I realize that it could be worse and I am very thankful that it is not! I have to remember to keep things in perspective and that always helps.

The Never Ending Chores.

2008-04-14T10:17:00.003-05:00

Do any of you ever feel like you run in circles? I feel this way with house cleaning. I keep it neat and tidy all week long and then the weekend gets here and the house looks as if it was hit by a tornado come Monday morning. I am picking up the same toy that I just picked up an hour ago and sweeping my floor for the third time today. Sometimes it all feels quite mundane. I relax a bit on the weekends hoping that help will come but it doesn't. My husband really does try he just isn't gifted in the cleanliness area. So, I spend my Mondays trying to get caught up from the weekend chaos. It sometimes takes me a couple of days to get caught up. I can feel as though I am never caught up because it just rolls back around again. This is why I feel like I am running in circles at times. Having said all of that, I am thankful for my family! I would never want them to be any different than they are. I love them just as they are.

Storms!

2008-04-10T11:17:00.002-05:00

We have experienced some big storms the last two nights in a row. The night before last was just severe thunderstorms, but they were very loud and disrupted our little ones sleep. Last night was the scary one. At about 4:00am this morning tornado sirens were sounding all around us. I quickly grabbed up my 6 month old while my husband woke our 2 1/2 year old and 5 year old and we all scrambled to our little bathroom in the middle of the house. We all sat on the cold tile floor(I am glad I cleaned it the day before) together, listening to the roaring winds and pelting rain. It was the first time we have actually had to go to our safe room since living here in our new home. Thankfully, we sustained no damage to our house or property. Neighbors and neighboring cities didn't fair so well. Anything from lost fences to roofs to homes had occurred during this storm. I am so thankful that we are all safe and sound and all that was lost for us was a little sleep. Hopefully the next few nights will be uneventful!

Running is out.

2008-04-08T20:13:00.000-05:00

Well, for those inquiring, I am not running anymore. My knees could not take it! So now I am doing some light weight training and some cardio exercises on my own on Monday, Wednesday and Fridays. So far I have lost 9.5lbs since January. I just recently met a neighbor and she asked if I wanted to start walking with her in the evenings. So, I will hopefully start that next week. My goal is to lose 10-15lbs by July. If I reach my goal, I will be at my target weight of 120lbs. Thank you to those of you who have been encouraging me and keeping me on target! I will keep you posted, in the weeks to come as to were I am on my progress.

Nine Years and Counting!

2008-04-08T08:42:00.000-05:00

March 20, 1999! I can't believe it has been 9 years already! My husband and I were married on that day. I can honestly say that it has been the best 9 years of my life! We were married in Tulsa, Oklahoma and lived near and in Tulsa for the first 4 years of our marriage. Our first born(5 years old) was born in Tulsa. We moved to Texas 5 years ago and have two more kiddos now. A lot has happened in 9 years. I am truly blessed to have such a wonderful man in my life! He has been my greatest cheerleader, a friend who listens, someone I can trust and lean on, my best friend, a great husband and father and the list could go on. I can say that I have married my true prince. I love him more today than I did 9 years ago. It is amazing to me that that could even happen. What will it be like in 9 more years, I can't imagine?! I never knew that marriage could be so rewarding. I am not saying that there have not been struggles over the years, but those struggles have made us even stronger in our marriage today. I can say, without a shadow of doubt, that I am blessed!

Life is Full.

2008-04-07T08:33:00.000-05:00

I was lost but now I am found again! I guess I have been sidetracked by all the different things going on in our lives. Not that this should be an excuse, but it seems life just keeps getting busier these days. I am going to try and be better about keeping up with my post in the future. Thank you to my friend who nudged me back into blogging life.

It is amazing how much time three kids can take up of your life! My 5 year old is in Pre-K and is reading now. We spend lots of time reading books together and discovering new words each day. He soaks up the knowledge like a dry sponge. He also loves numbers and we spend lots of time playing adding and subtracting games. My 2 1/2, almost 3 year old enjoys being made up like princess. She also loves her little plastic animals and wants her mommy to "be the mommy animals". And then there is my 6 month old. She keeps me quite busy. She still has not embarked on eating solids quite yet(we are working on that one) so I feel as though I am nursing her all the time. She is discovering new ways to get her mommy's attention each day. I am having to work with her more than I had to with my other two. She is slightly behind on some of her development. I spend about an hour to an hour and a half sitting on the floor with her. She loves that mommy time! In between doing those things, I have to get myself ready for the day as well as the kiddos, I am doing the every day house duties(which might be more with me since I am a bit of a perfectionist), and now I have added making hair bows to the list. Of course every stay at home mom(and moms who don't stay at home) already knows the list of duties could go on and on. Before I know it my 6 month old will be mobile and that will be even more fun.

I say all that to say, that finding time for myself can be quite difficult. I know it is important to have my own time but when your kiddos are around and asking 40 questions and someone is crying because of getting hurt or needing attention it is hard to justify my "downtime". I knew that when I wanted kids that I would be giving up a lot of myself. I enjoy every minute with my kiddos. I don't want them to grow up too fast(it already is going to fast), I want to enjoy every minute that I can. But, I am also learning that I need my "downtime" so that I can be a better mom. I am just not quite sure how to arrange that yet.

Life is Full! But I love every minute of it! I am so thankful for the three kids we have and that God has entrusted us with these wonderful little jewels! I want to do the best of my ability at raising these beautiful gifts and never take them for granted, because before I know it they will be all grown up and have families of their own.

To all of you moms(and dads), enjoy them! They will be a blessing to you if you do. They are a lot of work but the outcome is wonderful and fulfilling! I may not have much in worldly possessions but I am truly blessed more than I have ever imagined!

A Goal Accomplished!

2008-01-29T21:08:00.000-06:00

Life is great! My house is the cleanest it has ever been. I have spent the last two to three weeks tearing apart every nook and cranny there is in my house. There are still a few projects I want to accomplish this week but overall, my house feels so peaceful and relaxing to me now.

I have thrown away so much junk, that for some unknown reason, we have continued to save over the years(How many bottles of nearly empty shampoo did I have, oh, about 10.). You would think we were pack rats or something! I think we filled up four trash bins full of stuff that we don't need or want or that no one else would want either. How did I ever let it get so out of control?

Everything has a place now. Our things are put in the appropriate places, everything is clean, and the baby's room is now just that, a baby's room, not a storage room. I love waking up to a clean, organized home. Even my husband commented that he really enjoys the tidiness of our house.

I don't know why I got the itch to really start this major undertaking. One of my friends said that maybe I am going through my nesting phase a bit late since I was too sick during my pregnancy. I have never been so determined to get things so perfectly organized as I am now. I am having so much fun doing it! You laugh, but anyone who knows me knows that this is no joke. I may be a bit obsessive compulsive, but the end result produces such a wonderful sense of achievement!

Other than completely cleaning out my refrigerator and washing my curtains, I think I am done with the major overhaul. It is a great feeling! Now all I need to do is keep up the weekly chores and it will stay the way I like it. Woo Hoo! A goal accomplished!

Cookies Anyone?

2008-01-24T13:30:00.001-06:00

My husband needs cookies for an event at his school tomorrow night. So, I got up a little earlier this morning to embark on a cookie making adventure. The kids all woke earlier than I intended this morning so that put a damper on my plans. After making breakfast for my very hungry children(they didn't eat their supper last night-chicken pot pie), we started making the cookies. The kids really enjoyed helping out(they ate more than helped).

They were so excited about the cookies. By the time lunch rolled around, the house smelled of the scrumptious peanut butter,peanut butter chip, chocolate chip and m&m oatmeal cookies , and they were ready to try out these new cookies. After eating their lunch they tried them out and to my surprise, they ate a couple of bites and were done. I tried one and they were very yummy, so it wasn't that they were not any good. I think that they were a bit too rich for them. Oh well, I guess that means my husband and I will be eating the leftovers.

God our Father.

2008-01-23T20:19:00.000-06:00

I really don't like it when our children get sick or are in pain. The other day our 4 month old had her 4 month check up and vaccines. I know I am supposed to be the tough one when we go to the doctor, but that is a lot easier said than done. After being poked four different times our daughter was in hysterics and I just wanted nothing more than to sit down and cry. Now, I know some of you are thinking, babies cry all the time, you should be used to it by now. Not the case with this little one, she is one of the easiest babies I have ever known. She hardly ever cries and fusses very little. So, when she was screaming, I kept thinking, I have never heard her cry like this, and all I wanted to do was stop the pain so she wouldn't cry anymore.

This morning, our 5 year old son woke up with a cough and some congestion. Again, I was wishing I could take it from him. And now, this evening, he was complaining of a stomach ache(there has been a stomach virus going around at his school). Hopefully all will be well by the morning.

After putting my three kids to bed, I sat down to catch a breath, and I started thinking about how God thinks about us the same way that I was thinking about our children. He doesn't want us to suffer, just as I don't want our children to suffer. I know that He wishes that we wouldn't have to go through some of the things that we do, but if we don't, we wont learn what we need to learn. The same is true for our children. They need to have vaccines to keep from getting sick, or they get sick and build a better immune system and so on.

Having children can teach us a lot about God. We get angry with our kids but we still love them. We discipline our kids to keep them from harm. We feed, play, doctor, clean,dress our kids just as God does these things for us. I have always seen God the Father as just that, my father. Now that I have children of my own, I am reminded every day of how much our Father loves us and wants to take care of us. What a great God!

Laughter is Great for the Heart!

2008-01-17T14:04:00.000-06:00

Yesterday, I met with a group of ladies and had a wonderful time! I felt very encouraged and light hearted after leaving our local Starbuck's. We sat and we had fellowship with one another and laughed until I had tears in my eyes. I don't think I have laughed that much in a while.

I think that laughter can trump any other emotion in a split second. I went last night, feeling mundane and a bit stressed about every day issues. By the time I left all that was gone. We didn't even talk about anything that was really inspiring other than sharing our New Year's goals.

I realize more and more, how important it is to have friends! Without them, we are lonely, desolate and feeling like we are nothing. I am continually grateful for my friends and I hope they know how grateful I am! God created us not to be alone, but to have each other, to encourage one another and to give, give, give. I definitely want to give more of my heart, time and myself in my relationships.

I encourage you, if you are one who is lonely, meet with a friend. It is truly amazing what it will do for your heart!

Endurance?!

2008-01-15T10:41:00.000-06:00

I have been running for almost two weeks now and have been doing well with one exception. My knees! I have never before had a problem with my knees, so I am a bit shocked. I have recently bought a new pair of running shoes and I am wondering if that is the cause. Yesterday after my run, I could barely walk. This morning I am only a little sore, but I am walking fine.

Now that I have encountered an obstacle I am wondering if I should continue with the running or try something different. I really enjoy running and would hate to have to quit, so if there is a way to get through this, I will continue. But, I don't want to do something that may cause more harm than good.

After much considering, I am going to endure a little while longer. Since running is a passion of mine, I want to try as much as I can before embarking on something a little less enjoyable. I feel great after a good run and find that I have much more energy than with just walking alone.

I looked up the word "endurance" and found the meaning to be exactly what I am doing. It means to put up with, the ability to last, the ability to stand pain, distress, fatigue, etc. That about sums it up for me. I am going to endure(for a little while anyway)!

Organization is great!

2008-01-10T08:25:00.000-06:00

Organization is key for me. I cannot relax unless everything is neat, tidy and organized. Even my attitude can be affected by it. The house can be very neat and I can still feel like something is not right when I know that there is a huge pile of papers that need to be filed in the filing cabinet or a closet that needs to be cleaned out. Once it is done I feel great.

Since I gave birth to my 15 week old, I have had renewed energy and have started taking on numerous tasks around the house. We have had a pile of papers in my closet for quite some time, that continued to pile up. Yesterday, I spent 3 hours going through them. It was 3 years worth of papers! I couldn't believe it! So, of course, after completely organizing, I vowed to myself, that I would not let that happen again.

It is nice to know where everything is when you need it. The kids even enjoy it when things are organized. When their toys are all over the playroom and they start complaining about not being able to find a toy, I tell them to clean up the playroom and you'll find it. Sure enough, the missing toy is found when the task is complete.

I may be a bit obsessive about it, but even my husband says he enjoys the fact that I am organized. My husband doesn't like a mess but it is hard for him to keep up with it like I do. For the most part, our house is always ready for an unexpected visitor. Yes, organization is definitely for me!

The New Me!

2008-01-08T12:38:00.000-06:00

The journey has begun! I have started running. I started last Saturday and will run at least three days a weeks. The first time out I ran 8 tenths of a mile in about 18 minutes. I was very surprised at how far I ran without stopping a single time. I haven't run since I did the Tulsa 15K Run with my hubby, back when we were still single(approx. 9 1/2 years ago). I have always enjoyed running, but because I had stopped for such a long period, I thought it was going to be very difficult to get myself back into it. I would like to work my way up to run 3 miles per day. Yesterday, I ran 1 mile in 20 minutes and felt great after the run. I think by the end of next week I can be up to 1 1/2 miles.

I have also started a new lifestyle of eating. I want to be healthy and fit. So, I am eating about 6-8(I am breastfeeding, so I need a bit more) small meals a day. This way I can get my metabolism going and burn the calories and fat at an appropriate rate. I am also drinking about 3 liters of water a day(about 3/4 of a gallon). My goal is to lose about 20-25 pounds. So, by June, I should be where I want to be if I lose about a pound a week.

I have realized that my self confidence level is a lot lower than it had been before I started having children. Part of that reason is my weight. I want to look good not only for myself, but my husband. He says that I am beautiful just the way I am, but I know that he will enjoy me even more if I get back to a healthy me. The other reason for my low self esteem is my appearance. I have let it go somewhat, because I have the tendency to take care of the kids and husband before myself and that doesn't leave anything left for me. So, I am making more of an effort to budget in an appearance fund for myself. This way I can get my hair done or by a new outfit now and then and get new makeup when I need it.

These things may seem small, but it makes me feel more attractive and helps my self confidence level to go up. And when I feel more attractive I am able to give to my husband more of what he needs! So, here comes the new me!

Children are a gift.

2008-01-07T10:18:00.000-06:00

7:00 came too early this morning. I heard my son calling, "Mommy, I'm awake!", from his room. I dragged myself out of bed thinking, I wish he would have slept in a little more. When I opened the door to let both my son and daughter out of bed, I was greeted with two happy smiles and "good morning mommy". My heart softened at their early morning greeting and I gave them each a big hug and kiss. At breakfast, both kids thanked me for making them their oatmeal and then thanked the Lord for the food. Again, my heart was touched. Then while being dressed, my daughter gave me a playful "airplane" hug and a big kiss and said, "Mommy, I love you! You're pretty!".

It is amazing our children can bless us! One minute, I am inwardly complaining about getting up too early, and the next, I am being blessed by my kids love for me. I often love to sing with them because they think I have the most beautiful voice in the world, they are so great for my self confidence. My youngest, who is 14 weeks old, lavishes big , wide opened mouth, smiles at me and makes me feel extremely loved. I never want to take all these little things for granted.

I sometimes get frustrated with the kids because I feel like I am not getting through to them, the way I want them to act or behave. It seems as though we spend countless hours training them on one behavior and then another. Yesterday, we had the opportunity to go out to lunch with some of our friends, and I was pleasantly surprised. My 2 year old was sitting at the end of the table, unsupervised by myself or my husband, and my son next to me. Our two year old sat quietly and talked politely with our friends and waited for her food to be served. She never once yelled or got out of her chair. Our son did the same, he waited patiently as he colored his menu and when his food came, he ate. Both used their best table manners. After we left the restaurant and I praised our kids, I realized, that our training is working. I felt that our kids were truly a blessing!

We want to raise our kids to be a blessing, even when other people are around. Even though the process seems slow at times, I am beginning to see the efforts of our hard work. I am so thankful for each of our children. They are going to do great things for the kingdom of heaven and maybe even raise their own children into the kingdom as well. Our children are on loan to us and I truly want to do the best I can so they will be a blessing, not only to others around them, but also to the Lord.

A New Year!

2008-01-06T16:51:00.000-06:00

I love when a New Year begins! It means a fresh start, a new beginning, a time to reflect on what I have and have not accomplished. It is a time to make new goals, which I enjoy very much. I love challenges and love it even more when I can accomplish a goal or challenge.

Last year was long and hard but ended on a joyous note. There was death, an extremely rough pregnancy, lots of questions of how to train our children and financial stress. Through all of the struggles, we have grown as a family, figuratively as well as literally. We now have a beautiful baby girl, which made all the struggles of the pregnancy well worth it! God is a sovereign God! He has been there through all of our ups and downs.

As we embark upon this new year, I am challenged to make new goals for myself. My first goal is to give myself fully to my first love and my Savior! My second goal is to become an even better wife to my handsome prince! My third goal is one that is an ever popular one. I am going to run three times a week, do some strength training and change my eating habits so that I will be around to see my grandchildren someday. My fourth goal is to learn all that I can , from the Lord, our creator, to better train up our children. There are more, but these were the most important to me.

I am excited to see what this new year will bring. I hope that you also will be challenged this new year!