A Reason To Be Thankful part II

I am so thankful that.....After twelve and a half years of marriage....

We still love to be together......

We still have each other to lean on.....

He still knows how to make me laugh!!!

I still miss him when he isn't close by.....

and....

He still knows how to make life fun by adding a little silliness from time to time!

This is actually the same pose of a picture that we did when we had pictures taken of the two of us at Christmastime in our first year of dating,

sixteen years ago!

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These pictures were a challenge to take.

We had our little fellas running around getting into everything,

The lighting varied from minute to minute,

and I spent most of the time running laps around the camera

resetting the self-timer continuously,

but...

To me they were worth every second.

To me...they are priceless.

They show my wonderful husband and I at the time in our marriage

when we have it all.

Four beautiful children, a home, a good job, family and wonderful friends,

most of all, we have each other.

Some people may not define that as having it all, but to me,

I couldn't ask for anything more, and for that I am truly

THANKFUL

A Reason to be Thankful

As the Thanksgiving holiday approaches, I have been thinking a lot about the many things I have in my life to be thankful for. My husband is at the very top of that list. I have been so blessed to share my life with someone who loves me, regardless what I look like.... supports me, in anything I attempt to do.... encourages me, when I feel defeated.... and treats me like his partner, not his servant. He is truly the best thing that has ever happened to me. He has been such an inspiration for me and has always encouraged me to shoot for the stars. In today's society, that is a rare commodity.

My love of photography has allowed me to take pictures of many people I care about. Jimmy has helped to nurture that love, and has done whatever he can to help me improve and learn more about it. However, being that I am usually on one side of the camera and my husband is on the other, Jimmy and I have very few pictures of us together. I didn't want us to look back in fifty years and not have any photos of the two of us together, so my husband agreed to an impromptu photo shoot. I set the self-timer (about 1,000 times!!) and had a great time doing it. I think our kids thought we were crazy, but that's ok. I know from personal experience that one day, many years from now, they will be thankful that we took the time to preserve those special moments for them.

One photo for now....more coming later

Meet Messy Marvin

Meet the youngest member of our family, here lately known as Messy Marvin.

He loves to eat.... his food... your food..... your neighbor's food,

and when he does he is going to get it everywhere,

I mean EVERYWHERE!

Spaghetti is the worst.

It is as if he places his entire face in his plate to eat, no fork needed, just hands.

Manners, well I guess he hasn't learned about them just yet.

We love Mr.C anyway...

Who doesn't love a blue eyed boy covered in spaghetti sauce!!

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Love or Pity? An Update

Just about the time I finished my last post, I helped Alex and Blake dress the little ones for bed.

I headed back to the kitchen only to find Alex and Blake asking/telling to come with them.

Only one catch, I had to be blindfolded.

Very interesting... I tell myself.

Blake leads as Alex escorts me through the house.

Blake assures me that since he is leading, I am sure not to run into nor trip over anything.

That is, except the towel they have left behind the couch in the living room.

I regain my balance and I am soon lead into my bathroom.

I have my blindfold taken off to find that they have not only been bathing brothers,

they have been planning a few moments of relaxation for me.

I find.....

a little candlelight.....

a little soothing lavender shampoo and conditioner.....
Notice the very expensive name brand, only the best for mom!

and a bubble bath with whirlpool jets in motion

"What did I do to deserve all this?" I ask.

Blake wraps his arm around my back and says,

"Oh, nothing, it's just special somethin', somethin' day"

Alex proceeds to point out the other special amenities that she has provided.

My bathrobe is decoratively placed across my wooden trunk and sitting by the tub,

and she has my Victoria's Secret Body Lotion and

my contact solution placed ever so neatly beside my bathtub.

She gives me a hug and tells me they just wanted to do something special for me.

She then greets me with a cup of hot cocoa upon me finishing my bubble bath.

Boy, this is the life... Nevermind the fact that once out of the bathroom, I was greeted with Carson with a poopy diaper that had run into his pajamas and never mind that Conner was in the process of spilling bubble soap all over the kitchen floor.

For a few brief moments, I enjoyed the effort my kids put into make me feel special.

Love or Pity? Oh, I believe I was Love....

I KNOW it was.

Have a good night everyone!

Love or Pity???

As I stand here now typing, I hear my 9 1/2 son and my almost 11 year old daughter giving my 4 and 2 year old sons a bath. Now, this is not something I told them to do or something they have ever been made to do, they have just taken it upon themselves.

It all came about after my older two met in the corner for a private meeting. After which, they came to me and told me that they knew everyone would have to have a bath but that they wanted me to go ahead and take mine, they would watch their little brothers.

Me, take a bath? and not be interuppted by children bursting through the door? I was tempted, then I realized how wound up Carson and Conner were and thought it might be more than they could handle. I told them that I didn't know if that would be the best idea, then came the idea of bathing the little brothers.

I hear Alex has decided to find some bath toys to prevent them splashing everywhere, and Blake is now reassuring Conner that the shampoo will not hurt his eyes and is resorting to make up a song to convince him to do it!!

What kids, I know they have probably sensed that mom has her "pms is in full swing" voice that she is using and has not been in the mood for too much fun today. They have heard me talk about the house being a wreck, things to do, not enough time to get it done, I could go on and on(like I said, it is pms week, so I can definantly go on and on ...and on!!) That is where I might tend to think they are doing this out of pity! But then, I have such great kids who show me love on days when I probably need to be shown a valium, they are definantly doing it out of love.

That's what I'll tell myself for now.

When I am sixty, and I have half a brain left, then I'll say it's out of pity!!!

Just a little reminder to appreciate the little things

(or the BIG things considering the sounds coming from my bathroom right now!!)

that your kids do for you.

It is their way of showing us the love we show them, well, most of the time!!

On days like the ones I've had for the last two day's, it is nice to see that they think about me from time to time!

Mr. Sweetheart Strikes Again!

Here I am, yet again, having another mommy moment.

Of course, it is a direct result of Conner, who else!!
This morning's conversation. Conner approaches me, can of Coke zero in hand,
"Mom, look I bringed you a coke cause your back hurts."

"Thank you, Conner.""What do you want me to do with it?"

His reply, "I want you to open it and drink it... You can have a drink and then you can share it, you can share it.......

with ME!!!
As my Sisterfriend told me the other day, he's workin' me,

yeah, he's workin' me alright.

One of God's Greatest Gifts

There is a wonderful couple I know who have been married for quite a while in today's standards. They wished of starting a family just like so many of us do. Their wish was not an easy one, and did not come true in the way they first envisioned it would. Instead, that dream has taken them down a long, often heartbreaking road. God lead them down that road knowing that in the end He would lead them to the family He had planned for them.

At the end of the road, they were given a gift, the perfect gift,

a gift that would change their lives forever.

That gift was one of God's Greatest Gifts.

The gift came with big black eyes and a beautiful, contagious grin.

I was lucky enough to be asked to snap a few pictures of little Miss A. last weekend.

She is beautiful just like her mom and has a sweet nature just like her dad.

It is just as if God planned it that way.

Dad and Mom

Little Miss A

and that contagious grin

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Those big beautiful eyes!!

Welcome to the family Miss A, I love you already!!

My Sweetheart

Everyone of my kids, has a special title I have given them.

Conner's is Mommy's Sweetheart.

He can say and do the sweetest things,

then when you add that face in there, well... you know.

Anyway, today, just out the blue, he just casually says,

"Mommy... you know what?",

"What Conner?",

"Mommy,You are my best briend(friend)!"

(sigh)

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Excuse me while I have a mommy moment!!!

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Little Stinker..... he knows how to get me everytime!!!

Lessons in Candy Apple Making

There is nothing like fall and the taste of caramel apples.

The kids spent an afternoon this week learning to make some of their own.

It wound up being more than just a lesson in cooking.

It was a lesson in "DETERMINATION"

It was a lesson in "KINDNESS"

It was a lesson in "WORKING TOGETHER"

but, most of all, it was a lesson in

how rewarding it can be

to give your best.

Stepping Out

The last year for us has been one about stepping out of our comfort zone and taking chances. We started homeschooling and it is has not been the easiest choice to say the least. With four children, two of them toddlers, a house to take care of, laundry overflowing, dinners to cook, and a myriad of other things going on, it would have been much easier to keep the two older kids in school. However, easier isn't necessarily better.
One of the best rewards for stepping out and making the choice to homeschool, was seeing a very shy 8 year old boy step out and take some chances too. Blake has always been like me, and probably always will be. From his stubborness, to his determination, all the way down to how very shy I was as a child. Never wanting to have the attention focused on me, never wanting to be out in front of everyone, satisfied being a wallflower, except on the inside. Inside, I was always wishing I could step out and not be afraid to do all the things that I secretly wanted to do. I've watched for years and I've seen Blake struggle with the same things. I never anticipated homeschooling helping with that, as a matter of fact, I thought there was a chance it could get worse. It hasn't gotten worse, just the opposite. I have seen my once shy boy try so many new things. Now granted, he is still like his mother and will still have the occasional panic attack from time to time. When he signed up to play Upwards basketball last fall, his exact words before heading in to his first practice was " Why in the world did I say I wanted to do this?!!" but He overcame his fears, and went on to enjoy it very much. Since then, he has recited The Gettysburg Address twice in front of our church congregation, he has played baseball. He actually made the all-star team and went to the state championships. He has made new friends, and just recently has started guitar lessons. He loves it, and seems to have a nack for it.

He still gets nervous when he hears he might have to play in a recital, but who doesn't.
So, when I have a crazy homeschooling day and question the success of it all, I need not look any further than my wonderful, handsome, sweet now 9 year old son. He reminds me that his stepping out of his comfort zone, and the growth I have seen in him, is directly caused by me stepping out of my comfort zone as well.
Love you, Buddy!