Sports, Frogs and Tutu's

All Stitched Up

2010-11-21T20:33:00.004-06:00

Last weekend we went camping all weekend and nothing bad happened, but after being home for an hour Ashlyn had a rock thrown at her and it landed us in the ER.

About 6 months ago Justin had to have stitches, so this time around I wasn't as nervous and handled the situation a lot better and a lot calmer. Hopefully we won't have to take another child to get stitches ever.

Ashlyn was actually a pretty tough girl, she cried for a bit right after it happened, but by the time we got to the ER at the hospital she was all dried up and ready to get fixed up.

While we were waiting for a doctor to come check her out and stitch her up, she layed there and told me that she wasn't scared because she is 5. I told her that it was ok if she was a little scared because mommy sure would be scared, but she insisted that she wasn't scared at all because she's 5.

She did great during the whole process, and barely cried at all.

Here she is a week later after getting her stitches out. It looks so good and has healed up so nicely. I am so proud of my little girl, for handling the whole situation so well. I think I would have shed a lot more tears if I had gotten the stitches. And she's still the most beautiful little girl I know!

Never mind Me!

2010-11-19T11:56:00.002-06:00

Never mind me, his momma, who takes care of him when he's sick, feeds him, shops for him, keeps him clothed by doing his laundry, the only woman in his life who will ever love him as much as I do.... No never mind me..... it's all about huntin for this boy. And I'll bet you'll never guess which boy I'm talkin about, nope it's a mystery.

I'm not ready for this!

2010-11-07T10:44:00.003-06:00

My conversation with Ashlyn:

Ashlyn: " Mommy, I have a new boyfriend."

Me: " Oh, really? What happened to Tony?"

Ashlyn: " Oh, We broke up."

Me: " Really? Well, who broke up with who? Did you break up with him or did he break up with you?"

Ashlyn: " Oh, I broke up with him"

Me: " Well, did you tell him that you broke up with him?"

Ashlyn: " Yeah, I told him."

Me: " What did he say when you told him?"

Ashlyn: " He told me that he wouldn't ever ask me to play with him on the playground and that he would never ever ever ask me to be his girlfriend again."

Me: " Aww, you made him sad."

Ashlyn: " But my new boyfriend is better, Momma!"

Me: " Oh, really? What makes him better?"

Ashlyn: " He's really nice and he chases me on the playground"

Me: " Oh, well, if he chases you on the playground then I guess he is better."

Another conversation from another day:

Ashlyn: " Mommy, today on the playground, EVERYONE in kindergarten followed me on the playground and did everything I did!"

Me: " Really? EVERYONE?"

Ashlyn: " Yeah, AND all the boys in kindergarten chased me and wanted to be my boyfriend!"

Me: " They ALL wanted to be your boyfriend?"

Ashlyn: giggle, " Yeah, can you believe it? They all just chased me and wanted to be my boyfriend." giggle some more.

Me: " Why do they all want to be your boyfriend?"

Ashlyn: giggle, " I don't know! They just do." giggle some more.

Me: " I don't think you need to have a boyfriend right now, I think you should wait until your 16 before having a boyfriend."

Ashlyn: " But it's fun top have a boyfriend, I like it when they chase me on the playground, that's fun!"

Me: " Well, just no kissing boys until your 18, it's ok if they are just chasing you, but NO kissing!"

Ashlyn: " Ok, mommy, I don't kiss them anyways, but sometimes they do try to kiss me on the cheek."

Me: " Well, you better tell them that they can't kiss you or your daddy is going to get them."

Ashlyn: " I don't let them kiss me anyways."

Me: " Good, no kissing boys!"

Later that night when it was time to go to bed....

Jeremy: " Goodnight sweetheart" tries to give her a kiss.

Ashlyn: " Mommy said I can't kiss boys, so I can't give you a kiss."

Jeremy: " What? But I'm your dad."

Ashlyn: " But your a boy, and mommy said I can't kiss boys."

I am a little surprised at all this talk about boys and boyfriends this year. Last school year boys were yucky and she didn't want anything to do with boys. She didn't even want any boys at her birthday party, including her brothers and cousin. This year she comes home with some of the funniest stories about what happens on the playground at school and many of her stories are about boys chasing her on the playground, and she just loves that for some reason. I'm not sure I'm ready for all this boy talk, hopefully it's just a phase and she'll be over boys soon.

Marriage

2010-11-02T17:54:00.003-05:00

I love this new song, it totally describes marriage to a T, at least Jeremy and I's marriage. Enjoy!

Sleeping Beauty

2010-07-19T10:00:00.003-05:00

I have worn what we call in our house "blinders" for a couple of years since I am such a light sleeper. If I don't wear them then I am awake when the sun comes up, and that's too early for me. Ashlyn has been asking for her own pair of "blinders" for a while now and I finally got her, her own pair. She actually remembers to put them on every night and actually sleeps with them on all night. I snuck up to her room the other night and snapped this picture. There is just something about a sleeping child that is so precious to me, for the moment that I just watch her sleep she's my sweet little sleeping beauty.

What I Love

2010-07-18T09:48:00.001-05:00

One thing I love about the summer, is watching my plants grow and seeing how beautiful they turn out. I just love my pots on my front porch.

I love planting flowers every spring and watch them grow and bloom all summer.

I love to look at my house and see lots of color in my flower beds.

And I love pink, my favorite color!

Rhyme Time

2010-07-15T16:53:00.006-05:00

Ashlyn has been really into rhyming words. She thinks of a word and then makes up her own word to rhyme by just changing the first letter in the original word she comes up with. Like tie=lie, or pink=tink.

So the other day she was playing her rhyming game and she came up with itching. This time she decided to just add a letter to the beginning of her word, and wouldn't ya know she picked the letter B to make her rhyming word. She kept saying itching-*itching (add in the letter B on your own) over and over and over. Jeremy tried telling her to stop saying that and she would say "what? itching-*itching?" And Jeremy would say "yeah, don't say that anymore" and she would say, "but why can't I say itching-*itching, it rhymes?" After a long conversation between the two of them, I finally walked into the room from doing laundry and just changed the subject.

Little Stinker :)

A Camping He Will Go

2010-07-14T17:00:00.002-05:00

I sent Justin off to pre-teen camp on Monday. This is his second year to go, remember last year? I don't think Justin was as excited to go this year as he was last year. He had two buddies that were supposed to be going with him, but they had so many kids sign-up that they ran out of room and had no more spots left. I hope next year they figure out another solution so that kids don't get left out.

I on the other hand was super excited for him to go. The camp offers so many fun things to do that he wouldn't normally get to do, and it gives him the chance to learn some responsibility for himself. I discovered that last year he only took 2 showers the whole week he was there... gross! I had a nice little talk with him about that and I'm hoping some of it stuck in his head and he takes more showers this year.

We got a call from him the very first night at 11:00. Thankfully, we were still awake. I could tell in his voice he was a little upset, but when we would ask him if everything was alright, he would tell us everything was fine. Justin has been having some issues lately at night, he actually has always had issues at night. Justin is a bit of a scardy cat, only at night though. He goes through phases of being so scared he keeps himself up all hours of the night to phases of not seeming to care at all, falling asleep not long after his head hits the pillow. I talked to the children's minister the next day and she said that he was fine, running around just as busy as he could be. Thankfully we did not receive any phone calls last night, I'm taking that as a good sign.

I can't wait for him to come home and tell me all about it! I want to hear about everything he did and about all the new friends he made. I want to hear about what food he ate and what they had that he didn't like. I want to know what he chose to spend his money on and what his favorite thing he did this week. I'm so glad we were able to send him to camp. I honestly think I get more excited about the thought of sending my kids off to camp than they do, for so many reasons. One, sending them off gives me a much needed break. Two, it gives them a chance to have some fun, make some memories and learn responsibility for themselves. And three, well, I can't stress enough the break I get! Yippee!!

My Young Entrepreneur's

2010-07-09T10:32:00.002-05:00

My boys and all the neighbor boys are all about making money lately. They have started up their own business together.

Want a tattoo? Need your bike painted, washed or fixed? Well, they can help you with all of those needs. They are open for business Monday through Friday 11:00 - 3:30.

You might leave with a misspelled tattoo, or your bike half painted or missing some nuts or bolts, but they are cheap! And they even want you to tell your friends about their place. Man, do they know how to advertise or what? :)

Fourth of July

2010-07-08T11:17:00.005-05:00

Playin in the Rain

2010-07-03T18:00:00.001-05:00

After a week long of rain, I finally let the kids play in the rain while their cousin, Brooklyn, was spending the night. The kids had a blast while they got soaked and wet. There is nothing more fun than a good splash and soak.

No More Curls

2010-07-03T14:11:00.001-05:00

Here is, Justin, 8 years ago before he got his very first haircut at 2 years old. His curls back then were so pretty and I didn't want to cut them off, but it drove Jeremy nuts that people would tell us how pretty our little girl was, even though he was wearing a red t-shirt with overalls.

Here he is after his first haircut. He was so tired, it was his nap time. He looks a little out of it :)

Here is Justin 8 1/2 years later. He has had longer hair now for almost 2 years. I love his curls and longer hair, but of course Jeremy can't stand it. Jeremy has been trying to talk Justin into cutting his hair off since the day he started growing it out, he even tricked Justin a little over a year ago into letting him "trim" his hair and he used kitchen scissors to chop all of his curls off. Can we say impulsive?!

I finally agreed with Jeremy to cut his hair off since he is about to go off to camp and it will be so much easier for him to take care of while he is gone. Also, Justin told us that he only takes two showers the whole week he is at camp! Gross! Can you imagine what that mop on his head would look like with only two showers?!

Here he is, with his new cut. Don't you just love that irritated smile? He wasn't very happy about taking his picture again. He reminds me more and more of his daddy everyday.

I love Justin's new sharp do, but don't you dare tell him he looks handsome, because he doesn't like that word. So if you see him, tell him he looks sharp, or cool or whatever, just don't tell him he's handsome. :)

Lazy Summer Days

2010-07-03T10:33:00.008-05:00

We have had some lazy days here lately, not because it's too hot to go outside, but because the weather has been so rainy and yucky outside. We have spent a lot of time playing some Wii Mario Cart, and I just have to say I rock at that game. Ashlyn has been getting in some good practice too, she can actually win first place if she is playing by herself.

It has rained almost every day this week, thank goodness because we needed it. I love watching the rain from my front porch

We found a bird's nest with eggs in it in one of my hanging baskets. I got it down to set in the rain and there they were.

It looks like we will be having some new baby birds sometime soon. Not sure what I think about that. Sounds fun, but also sounds like a pain, not looking forward to a dodging mama bird when I water the baskets.

So glad we have gotten a break from the heat, and thankful for all the rain. Now if it would just go away for a little while so we can enjoy some good 'ol fireworks for the 4th this weekend!

Poor Lobes

2010-06-28T10:43:00.006-05:00

You see these precious earrings? They were the second new pair we put in Ashlyn's ears since we waited a full 7 weeks to take out her ear piercing earrings. They were her favorite new pair we have bought since she got her ears pierced. She couldn't wait to put them in.

This is what those precious earrings did to her precious ears! She had them in for a couple of days and when we went to take them out to put different ones in, this is what I found.

We had to take her earrings out to try and heal them up, and this is what her ears look like 4 days later. We tried to put her earrings back in but they are all scabbed over and we couldn't put an earring through the scab without it bleeding.

We just sent our kids off to their cousins house for a few days and I'm hoping when she gets back they look even better. But I'm afraid she will have to have her ears pierced all over again, and I'm not sure Ashlyn will go for that. I'm so bummed we made it 7 weeks with no issues at all with her ears and the minute we put new earrings in it practically erased those 7 weeks of waiting.

No More Training

2010-06-25T07:24:00.000-05:00

When Ashlyn turned 5 we told her she could not have training wheels anymore. She got a new bike for her birthday and it came with training wheels on it, so we told her she could keep those on for a week while she got used to her new bigger bike and after a week we took them off. Jeremy has worked with her a little here and a little there and this week she finally just took off all on her own. After two nights of practice this week, she got it all figured out on the second night. The look on her face after she did it all on her own was full of pride that she finally learned how to ride without training wheels. My heart welled up with pride myself for my baby girl and her newest accomplishment. Just look at her go!

The Big Three O

2010-06-24T14:55:00.001-05:00

I had THE big birthday over the weekend. I turned 30. I don't think 30 is old by any imagination, but it's a age that for whatever reason I didn't want to turn. I miss the days of the teen years when I could eat whatever I wanted and still stay super skinny. I miss the days of being able to get up off of the floor without having to strain to get up. I miss the days of having endless amounts of energy and being able to function on little to no sleep. So, turning 30 just reminds me that it's all downhill from here. I will always have to watch what I eat, I will never again be able to sit on the floor and get back up with ease and I will snap at you or worse when I don't go to bed at an appropriate time. Getting older has brought on some new and better things, but you know me, I always seem to focus on the bad.

I was born on June 20 to a very young mother. I believe she was only 14 when she had me. Fortunately she made a very mature decision and gave me up for adoption. I will forever be grateful for that! My parents were able to come pick me up from the hospital and take me home just a couple of days after I was born.

I was raised as an only child, and I hated it. I know and understand that there are many different reasons why families only have one child, like my parents just couldn't afford to go through another adoption, but families who choose to only have one child just because they only want one irritates the fire out of me! That in my opinion is a very selfish thing to do. I was so lonely growing up, always dreaming of having a little sister. I never had anyone to play with or fight with or to learn to share with and love no matter what. I don't have anyone to share my memories with or to reminisce with what it was like growing up together. I never had anyone to get in trouble with or someone to blame my mistakes on :) I still wish to this day that I had a sibling that I am close to. Now, I do actually have 3 half siblings but they are all much older than me and we didn't grow up together and very rarely did I ever see any of them when I was a kid, so it's just not the same.

God blessed me though with very loving and christian parents that raised me in church. I felt I had the perfect childhood until my parents divorced when I was in middle school. After that, my dad moved far enough away that I didn't see him very often and really kind of wasn't a part of my life anymore. My teen years were rough years for me, and that was one of the times I desperately wished I had a sibling to go through all of that with. I leaned on the Lord for a time, but then I strayed only as most teens do and looked for the party crowd and for "love".

I met "the" boy just a week after I graduated highschool, I was still only 17. I fell in love with that boy and knew I would spend the rest of my life with him. We kind of did things backwards. We had a child together and then got married. I feel, that was like a wake up call from God, waking me up from my life of sin and re-establishing a relationship with him. I have absolutely no regrets having my first child so young. It has most certainly been a rough road, but I learned so much and my relationship with the Lord grew, which I know never would have happened if God hadn't allowed me to make those mistakes.

My twenties were full of having babies, growing our family and learning how to be a wife and mother. My twenties were rough as well as my teens were, but it was full of love and new beginnings. Everyone knows that new beginnings can be frustrating because they are new, you have never been through them before and therefore are learning new things all the time. I think my patience grew the most during my twenties. I have learned how to be a Godly, loving wife and mother. I have been tested over and over, sometimes passing with flying colors and other times failing miserably, but learning from every mistake I have made.

Now that I am 30, I no longer have any pre-schoolers in my home, it's all "big" kids around here. There are no more diapers, bottles, highchairs, sippy cups, naps, arm floaties or training wheels around here. In just a short 8 years, my oldest will have graduated from highschool, my middle son will be getting ready to start his junior year in highschool and my baby girl will be getting ready to move on up to 8th grade! In just a short 6 years I will be going through the dreaded pre-teen years with Ashlyn, so glad my girl was my last. So many more changes and new beginnings are in store for me. Here's to the next ten years! 40 here I come, you'll be here before I know it.

Summertime n Cousins

2010-06-14T20:20:00.010-05:00

It can't get any better than summertime and havin your cousins over!

These two are best buds for life! And I love it!

Ashlyn loves her cousin, Alli, and she loves it even more when they get to match.

These two have had a love/hate relationship their whole lives, and probably always will, so I love it when they are gettin along.

Love these kids! Austin has had enough picture taking for the day :)

More Independence

2010-06-13T14:40:00.003-05:00

Ashlyn is really big into being independent lately. She wants to do everything by herself. She started out by deciding she could fix her own hair, to putting on sunscreen on her own to now fixing her own lunch consisting of a PB&J sandwich! Here is her second try at making her own sandwich. Looks pretty good for a 5 year old!

The first time she made her own lunch, she made a sandwich with chips and yogurt. The second time she made her own lunch she made a sandwich with oreo cookies and she ate more cookies than sandwich. :) I wonder what she will fix the next time she makes her own lunch... ice cream and candy? She's getting smarter and smarter about this lunch thing.

Betty Crocker

2010-06-12T22:57:00.001-05:00

I really needed some chocolate the other day, and the only chocolate in the house were chocolate chips. Ashlyn has really been on my case lately about helping me make something in the kitchen so I thought, well, I might as well just get everything out and make some chocolate chip cookies, otherwise I'll just open the bag of chocolate chips and eat too many.

Ashlyn was so excited to get to help, she ran and grabbed her apron, pulled a chair up and was ready to help bake. She was actually a lot of help! She probably did more than I did in the preparation. She stirred, poured, cracked 2 eggs perfectly, stirred some more and then she scooped out about 3 1/2 dozen balls of cookie dough onto the cookie sheets.

She had the biggest, cutest grin on her face the whole time we were mixing and stirring. At one point while I was letting her stir she looked up at me and said, " Mommy, your the best mommy ever, because you let me help you make things!" then she giggled while she stirred and then said, " I love this!". Who knew that she would make baking so much more fun!

When the time came to crack the eggs, she asked if she could crack them, so I told her she could do one and if she did good on that one she could do them both. Well, she cracked them both perfectly, no shells at all fell in!!!

Doesn't she just look so happy in this pic?! She was so proud of what she had helped prepare.

I showed her how to scoop out the first dozen, and then she scooped out all the rest. Not only did she make baking more fun, but she made it a lot easier for me! I felt like I didn't do enough!

The Pampered Chef scooper was the best kitchen utensil I have ever had! It came in very handy for Ashlyn to scoop out the dough all by herself.

And here is our finished product! Delicious homemade chocolate chip cookies, and they were worth all of our hard work for that yummy chocolate!

It looks like I've got my own little Betty Crocker on my hands :)

Play Ball!!!

2010-06-11T17:38:00.000-05:00

We went to the Ranger's game the other night with Austin's baseball team.

The funnest part about going to a ball game is the food! We had hot dogs, nachos, popcorn and cotton candy. Yummm!

Here are all the boys from the team that came out to the game.

Even though the Rangers lost that night, we still had a good time. It was fun celebrating the boys winning baseball season. I think baseball is just Austin's sport, he loves it and is good at it! He caught a pop fly at the last game and the very next play he caught the ball, passed to 3rd base and they got the runner out. He had the biggest grin on his face the rest of the game. So exciting to watch him play!

So proud

2010-06-11T14:42:00.001-05:00

The boys last day of school was last week, and with the end of the year comes award ceremony's. Both the boys received every award they could get! I'm so proud of all their hard work this school year.

Austin received faithful attendance, because he missed one day of school; citizenship, because he maintained a 90 or above average in behavior all year; and honor roll, because he had all A's and B's on his report card all year. He finished the year out with all A's for his yearly average, he did unfortunately receive 3 B's all of which were 89's, which in my book is still AWESOME!! He also read the 360 minutes and received a ticket to six flags. I'm so proud of all the hard work he put into learning this year. He's ready for 3rd grade!

Justin received PERFECT attendance, he didn't miss one day of school! He was the only one in his class to get perfect attendance. Justin also received citizenship, for keeping a 90 or above average in conduct; he received honor roll for making all A's and B's on his report cards all year. He finished the year out with all A's on his yearly average, he did get two B's this year but brought each B back up to an A the next 6 weeks. Justin was also commended on his math and writing TAKS tests, and he missed just 1 too many to get commended on his reading, which is still a GREAT job! Justin is such a smart boy and loves school. I'm proud of his hard work all year. He has officially graduated from elementary school and will be moving on up to intermediate school next year.

Justin with his 4th grade teacher, Mrs. Sevier.

Justin with his principal since 1st grade, Mrs. Walker.

These were the boys end of the year gifts to their teachers. We missed out at teacher appreciation week, so we waited till school got out to give them their gifts to show our appreciation for all of their hard work and time they put into helping the boys learn and grow and prepare for their next year of school. I'm so thankful for great teachers and for their patience with my boys. It makes a world of a difference when you have such great teachers that are truly dedicated to their students.

Next year I'll have all 3 of my children in school, such a crazy thought for now. I've had children at home with me for 11 years by the time the new school year starts. The first 5 years seemed to creep by so slowly, but the last 6 years have just flown by. Just a blink and Justin will be graduating school!

Ready, Set, Go!!!

2010-06-09T08:58:00.000-05:00

The boys had field day last week at school.... the best day of the year!

Austin competing in the softball throw.

I love the face he makes when he throws! He is really working hard.

He won 2nd place! Can you imagine how far he will be able to throw once those skinny little arms of his get muscles on them one day?!

Here is Austin at the end of the obstacle course, running fast to get a good time for his team!

This is Justin competing in the 80 meter dash.

That Justin is super fast!

First one over the finish line!

Justin won 1st place in the 80 meter dash! He was definitely designed to be an athlete!
And I'm lovin the wind blown hair! :)

Tug-of-War... my favorite event to watch! Sure love Justin's determination to win, you can see it in his face.

I think the boys had a great day! Ashlyn and I were drained by the time the day was over, but at least this year we remembered our sunscreen and we didn't burn. Summertime comes sooner and sooner every year it seems like. Looking forward to Field Day '11, my sweet Ashlyn will be competing too!

Fishin

2010-06-08T15:05:00.006-05:00

Jeremy took the camera to Lake Fork over Memorial Day weekend and took some pics of, Austin fishing, one of his favorite things to do. Austin is a daddy's boy, always has been since he was born. He just adores his daddy and everything he does. If Jeremy is into hunting, then Austin is into hunting. If Jeremy is into roping, then Austin is into roping. If Jeremy is into fishing, then that's what Austin wants to do. Jeremy took some great pics, and they look even better after I edited them :) I have been wanting some pictures of Austin doing some of his favorite hobbies, fishing and hunting. I'll have to get the hunting pictures in the fall, I guess. I am loving these pictures of him for now!

Tutu's

2010-06-08T09:49:00.008-05:00

Memorial Day weekend I took, my niece Alli and Ashlyn out to have my own practice photo shoot with them so I could get some fun pictures of them together. I even edited them myself! I took over 300 pictures and we narrowed them down to the best 30. Here is a small preview of our favorite's. It was so hard to pick just a few to put on here, there were so many great pics of them!

New

2010-06-04T14:00:00.007-05:00

I finally got some new pics of the boys, well, all of us actually minus Jeremy. Of course my friend took them for me again, and of course she did an amazing job! Thanks so much Nikki!!! I appreciate EVERYTHING you do for me! I wish there was more I could do for you... you'll have to think about that and get back to me.

I just LOVE pictures! I can't get enough of them. Since I have gotten my new camera I want to take pictures of everything. I have even practiced doing my own photo sessions with my kids, I just have to figure out this editing thing to make them look professional. Maybe I'll get that figured out during the summer.

I love the new pictures but I am already planning where we will go for our next photo shoot. Enjoy!

One Whole Decade

2010-05-27T07:19:00.000-05:00

Jeremy and I have made it one whole decade today! The last ten years have been a roller coaster ride. If any of you truly know Jeremy and I you know what I'm talking about.

We got married on May 27th, 2000. Wow, we look so young! It's amazing the changes that happen so slowly through the years that you don't even notice until you look back at pictures.

It's no secret that we had, Justin, before we got married. He was 7 months old when we got married. During our wedding ceremony we had a dedication for, Justin. In our religion, we do not believe that dedicating our babies will get them into heaven, it just means that basically we are dedicating our family to the Lord. We made a promise to try our best to teach and instill christian values and morals into our son, Justin. It is our children's choice when they get older whether or not they are going to take a step of faith and ask Jesus into their hearts, and that is when God guarantee's a place for you with him in heaven.

We got married at the Wedding Cottage in Rockwall at the Goliad Place. It is no longer there anymore, because our church bought the facility and plans on building a youth center in it's place.

Jeremy and I are in our limo about to leave, and we wanted one last pic of us with our family.

So much has happened in the last ten years! We got married, bought our first house, had 2 more babies, sold our first home and bought our second house. Our family has grown and we officially declared we were done after I finally got my girl. Our baby is now 5 years old and our oldest is 10. We are no longer parents of pre-schoolers but we have all "big" kids in the house.

When we went through our marriage counseling before we got married, no one ever told us how hard marriage could be. No one told us how stressful things could get, especially after you have kids. How stressful it would be financially, and how hard it would be to keep up our relationship through it all. It's been no secret how Jeremy and I have struggled through out our entire marriage. When I sit and really think about it, I know that if Jeremy and I weren't christians, we most likely would not be together anymore. If we did not go to church consistently we most likely would not be together anymore. And if we had not joined a sunday school class and made some of the most awesome christian friends that support us and give us good christian advice that has helped us, we would most likely not be together anymore. We made a promise to one another till death do us part, and that means that when things get tough and we feel we don't love the other anymore, because that happens all the time in marriages, there is no divorce option. We promised to work things out every time. To lean on the Lord to help us through each difficult time.

Jeremy and I were young when we met, Jeremy was 18 and I was only 17 , we got pregnant and when we had, Justin, I was 19 and Jeremy was 20. When we got married I was still 19 but almost 20 and Jeremy was 20. The odds were against us, statistically. I know that it has been our dedication and the Lord that has gotten us this far. I honestly don't know how couples make it with out a divorce if they aren't christians. Divorce seems too easy of an option to not take it. God never promised that marriage would be easy and that we would always love our spouse through it all. Why do you think he gave us these vows?

Do you promise to love, honor, cherish and protect her/him, forsaking all others and holding only unto her/him?"

to have and to hold, in sickness and in health, for richer or for poorer, and I promise my love to you.."

Jeremy and I hit a pretty big bump in the road about 8 months ago. I looked for some christian material that we could do together that could help us. I found this book, Love and Respect. I am totally recommending this book to all married couples! Whether you have been married, 1 year or 50 years, have a great marriage or a struggling marriage, it's a great book! I plan on hopefully being able to give it as a gift to engaged couples as often as I can. I wish someone had taught us everything this book has to say about marriage, when Jeremy and I were just starting out. It not only talks about the wife's need for unconditional love, but it explains a husband's need for unconditional respect and all that entails. It has helped me to understand how men and women communicate and listen differently, and how we interpret things differently. It has helped me to better understand Jeremy's needs and it helped Jeremy to understand my needs better as well. What an eye opening book it is.

Usually, when you read about someone's anniversary or hear them talk about their anniversary, I always hear about how it's been the greatest thing, about how lucky they are to have married their best friend, about how great marriage has been, and my first thought every time is 'gag me.' You know me... I'm all about honesty. If there weren't honest people in the world that never proclaim how hard life can be, we would all think we were the only one that ever struggled. How miserable would that be, to think you are the only one that ever struggles in their marriage or in parenthood. Life is hard people, but I can say I have survived it all with my Lord by my side, supporting me, guiding me and continually letting me know that I'm not alone, that it's hard, but he will be with me through it all.

I'm so thankful for the path God has lead me down and for everything I have learned from it. I'm so thankful for the husband he gave me and for the family that came along with him. I'm thankful for the job God has given Jeremy, and that Jeremy has been able to take care of his family because of it. I'm thankful that I have been blessed to be able to stay at home with my children and raise them myself, under my wing their whole lives, all made possible by my husband, Jeremy. That was the quality I admired most about Jeremy when we were dating, that he had a full time job, that he went to every day, that he was a responsible man. I'm thankful for my children, Justin, Austin and Ashlyn, and for my honorable husband, Jeremy.

Happy 10th Anniversary, Honey!

Independence

2010-05-26T13:12:00.006-05:00

This is what happens when miss priss decides she can practice fixing her own hair. Isn't it beautiful?!

Little Sisters

2010-05-26T07:09:00.001-05:00

Only in the life of a boy with a little sister would you ever find these 2 things together.

Cowboys Stadium

2010-05-25T08:53:00.018-05:00

The 4th grade at Justin's school got to go on a tour at the Dallas Cowboy's Stadium for their field trip this week. What a cool field trip! I know it's a day he will probably never forget, and I am so glad that I got to share it with him.

We started the tour off by getting to go into one of the suites and getting to check out the HUGE t.v. over the field.

Then we got to go stand in one of the "party" area's that you can purchase a ticket for to stand and watch the game. Cheap tickets, but not something I would want to spend my money on.

Then we got to go onto the field, take pictures and toss a football around.

Justin throwing a pass on the Cowboy's field, to his buddies in our group.

Then we got to walk down the same tunnel all the football player's walk at every home game from their locker rooms.

Then we were able to check out the football player's locker room. Justin wanted a picture in front of Tony Romo's locker. He thought it was cool he got to touch Tony Romo's helmet.

What was even cooler was one of the employee's standing watch in the locker room, grabbed the helmet and put it on Justin's head for a picture! How awesome is that?!

Justin's whole class, with their teacher, Mrs. Sevier, on the star in the middle of the field.

Justin also got to kick field goals on the field!

I made sure that I got a picture in with Justin on the famous star :)

Last stop at the Pro Shop.

Justin was very happy I bought him a souvenir. He picked out a wool banner to hang on his wall in his room. He also asked if we could get something for his brother, so we picked up some cowboy's stickers for him. I was so proud of him to think of his brother like that. I think he was wishing, Austin, could have been there to see it all, what a sweet boy he can be at times.

What an awesome field trip!! I hope that fourth grade makes this their annual field trip. Looking forward to going back again with Austin in 2 years.

Bubble Gum

2010-05-20T21:43:00.002-05:00

There's nothin like some good 'ol bubble gum at a ball game!

Fun with a Friend

2010-05-19T11:52:00.001-05:00

Since my part-time job is over for the school year, I decided to take advantage of it and invite one of Ashlyn's friends, Brooklyn, from church for a full day of fun with us. We started our day off at the park. I am ashamed to say, that I don't think I have taken Ashlyn to the park since we had her birthday party last year. I mentioned taking the kids several times last summer when the boys were out of school, but they always moaned and groaned that it was boring, so we never went. Then the school year began and I started a part-time job, that even though it was only part time, that meant I had to cram 5 days of house work and errands into 2 1/2 days because Ashlyn's dance took over half a day on Mondays. So, no more time for fun on my days off.

The girls were more than ready for a fun time, so off they went, as fast as they could!

Ashlyn's favorite thing to do is swing. So that was the first thing they did. She is always telling me that our church's playground is not good, because they don't have swings.

Those slides are just too much fun, aren't they?

Ashlyn didn't think she could climb up this way, and was a little nervous about it. I asked, Brooklyn, if she would climb up first so that Ashlyn could see how to do it. Brooklyn also talked Ashlyn through it and encouraged her... what a sweet friend.

There is nothing like a good 'ol tire swing! Getting to swing and spin with a friend along for the ride is the BEST!

Time to re-hydrate after all of that play time. Playing is a lot of work.

The girls wanted to take a walk on the trail after they decided they were done with the playground. Such beautiful trees! I love big beautiful trees.

The girls found another playground while on our walk. I loved those spider web looking jungle gyms when I was a kid. So much fun to climb on.... I wonder why they don't have those anymore at school playgrounds?

Such beautiful, sweet girls. They had a blast together at the park!

After we played at the park, it was lunch time. I let the girls decide where we would go for lunch, and they chose Chik-fil-a... great choice! After lunch we came back to the house, where they played, made cards, went outside and took turns riding Ashlyn's bike and scooter. By the time the boys got home from school, it was time for Brooklyn to go back home.

I think Ashlyn had a great day with a great friend! Looking forward to the next fun day we can plan with another great friend. So glad they had a good time, it's always nice when Ashlyn can find friends that she gets along with so well, it makes things so much more fun.

Going, Going, Gone!

2010-05-18T21:23:00.011-05:00

I played with my new camera some more while at Austin's last ball game. I am loving all the great pictures I have been getting from it! Pictures I never would have taken before or wouldn't have come out as good as these have with my old camera.

I have never been a sport's fan, or even liked sports before my boys started playing them. I only get excited about their games, I am still an avid anti-sports watcher, watching the pro's on television. It's just boring and I could care less about who wins or loses, I mean really it's just a game, played by people I don't know and don't really care about. But when my boys play, I want them to win and am disappointed when they lose.

Austin's team is undefeated so far, they are 11-0. We got him onto a different team this season, coached by his basketball coaches, playing with most of the boys that were on his basketball team. It's been a fun season so far mostly because of all their wins, and because we have gotten to know the other parents better and that makes it more fun. I love this picture! I mean, just look at that stance and swing! Perfection.

I always smile when Austin gets to run across home plate. He gets very disappointed if he doesn't make it home. Sometimes, the team gets their 3rd out, or their 7th run before he makes it across the grand base.

Every time we play at the Royse City ball fields, you can always find Ashlyn playing in the dirt with all of the other little sisters from the team. This time, Justin, had no one to play with so he joined in on all the excitement in the dirt. That look on his face says, 'You caught me, I'm stuck with all these girl's and I'm showing them how this is done'.

I thought this one was funny because somehow he caught everyone's attention playing the role of, 'I'm the expert, watch me cause I can show ya how to do this right.'

You can't tell very well, because the picture is small, but in this picture, all the boys on the team are shaking the other team's hands at the end of the game, but you can see their excitement in how they are all jumping around, so excited about their win. Austin, #11, is right in the middle of it all.

Baseball has been fun this season, but it's been exhausting and time consuming with both the boys playing. We don't get to have family dinners anymore or just have an evening at home doing nothing. It has kept Jeremy and I from attending our weekly "ladies" and "men's" nights with our friends. But I know, that when the boys have grown up and reminisce about their childhood's and the fun they had playing ball, it won't even matter then the inconvenience it caused Jeremy and I. I feel blessed to be able to allow the boys the opportunity to learn and play, because in these days budgets are tight. Maybe one day the boys will appreciate all we have done for them.

Looking forward to the next game! Go Texas Tornados!! Play Ball!

Poor Kid

2010-05-17T06:55:00.001-05:00

This is what happens to Austin when he is just nearby while Jeremy is weed eating at the lake fork lot. The poison ivy is just in the air and his face breaks out and his eyes got all swollen. This boy has gotten poison ivy numerous times just with in the last 3 years. I have never gotten it, not sure if that means I'm not allergic or I just have never been around it to know. But this kid, has got the bad luck of being allergic to it and getting it a lot. And of course, this is the second time he has broke out with it on the day we were supposed to get pictures taken. I'm thinking about putting him into a bubble. With the amount of times he gets the stomach bug and the amount of times he gets poison ivy, the poor kid can't catch a break. Hopefully, it will clear up fast and his handsome little face will return back to normal soon.

Class of 2023

2010-05-16T15:00:00.001-05:00

Ashlyn had her Pre-K graduation last week. It's hard to believe my last baby is old enough to go off to school next year. She has grown up so much, and becoming quite the girly girl I always wanted.

She has learned so much this past year between school and learning at home with the letter of the week curriculum I used with both of the boys. She knows the days of the week, months of year, she knows how to write both uppercase and lowercase letters, and the sounds they make, she can just about count to 100, with a little help remembering which 10's comes next, she can write both her first and last names, her brothers names and mom and dad. She is even starting to sound words out trying to spell on her own. She draws with detail, adding hands, feet, shoes, clothes and even hairbows! ( That's my girl!) And she knows how to hold and use scissors properly, cutting on the lines. I think she is more than ready for kindergarten next year.

Her school at our church, did a very nice graduation program. They lead the pledge of allegiance for everyone, sang a few songs they learned in school this year, got to walk across the stage to receive a bible and diploma, and watch a slide show with all of the children's pictures from their last 5 years of life. Below are pictures from the big day.

Doesn't she look so proud and excited for her big day?!

Ashlyn and her classmates all dressed up for their ceremony.

Ashlyn's teacher, Mrs. Jennifer, handing Ashlyn her bible and diploma.

Ashlyn showing her dress off (I guess), on stage before she sang her songs.

I love this picture! You can see her beautiful freckles, beautiful smile and dimples, and her beautiful red hair. She is the most beautiful little girl I know, in my opinion at least :)

Ashlyn eating her graduation cookie in her classroom after the ceremony.

Ashlyn and her friend, Ellie. They became quite the BFF's this year at school.

All the red headed girls, Alexandra, Marley and Ashlyn, ended up in the same class this year. Such beautiful sweet girls.

Ashlyn showing off her diploma and bible she received from graduating pre-k.

It's bitter sweet. My baby girl will be going to kindergarten next year and I will miss having her at home. On the other hand, I'm so proud of the little girl she has become and all that she has learned this year. I will miss her preschool years but I look forward to all the fun and memorable milestones she will reach as she grows up and eventually leaves our nest to go off on her own. 2023 will come fast enough, I can't even imagine what that year will be like. I love you Ashlyn!

Lace up and Skate

2010-05-10T09:24:00.000-05:00

We had Ashlyn's party and she had a blast! All of her friends and family came to celebrate her 5th birthday. We ate cupcakes, opened presents, had our faces painted and learned to skate all in an hour and a half! I was so busy the whole time I barely got to just relax and enjoy watching all the kids skate. I definitely want to take the kids back this summer to get the kids out of the house and get to actually relax and enjoy watching them skate.

I got her cupcakes from babycakes, made by a friend at church. She does an awesome job and they were delish! Ashlyn loved them and they turned out so cute!

All the girls eating their cupcakes and ice cream sandwiches.

I think Ashlyn got plenty of presents!

She is showing off her new necklace that Jeremy and I got her.

We started out holding onto the wall.

Then got a walker to practice.

Then they finally made it out onto the floor by themselves with no help!

Austin and his best bud/ cousin, Grant skating.

Sweet little Kailyn practicing her skating.

Justin and Austin out on the rink.

I think Ashlyn had a great 5th birthday! There is just something special about turning 5 that is a big deal. I am glad we have been blessed enough to be able to make it so special for her.

Happy 5th Birthday Ashlyn!!

Mother's Day

2010-05-10T08:24:00.003-05:00

Hope everyone had a wonderful Mother's Day! I had a great day, busy but it was full of family which is always fun. I'm glad the weekend is over and I can have my nice peaceful Monday, to get my laundry done, cleaning and relax on the couch while I catch up on t.v. shows from the last few days. Happy Monday everyone! :) lol

WDS Field Day '10

2010-05-08T10:58:00.000-05:00

We had Field Day at WDS on Thursday this week. It was a fun filled day of sun, heat, races, bounce house, play ground and popsicles. Ashlyn had a great time, and we were worn out by the end of the day.

We have been practicing our races for field day at P.E. for a few weeks. I have been watching Ashlyn and I have noticed that the girl is an athlete. She is fast and coordinated and she wants to win. Which makes me even more excited about the next basketball season, I can't wait to see how she does and if she likes it!

I think Ashlyn won all of her races and the races that were class competitions, her class won all of those too. I am just glad it's over, what an exhausting day it was.

Practice

2010-05-07T07:58:00.000-05:00

Jeremy gave me my Mother's Day gift early this year. It's actually the first gift I can remember receiving ever for Mother's Day. Jeremy has never been good at remembering or taking the time to get me gifts for pretty much any occasion. He says he got me a gift last year but neither one of us can remember what it was. So I decided to put this one down in the book, so we won't forget about it next year and I can give Jeremy the credit he deserves :)

This year Jeremy got me a new camera! A Nikon D50!! I have been asking for a nice camera now for years. We have never bought a camera before, we have always "borrowed" from Jeremy's work. So this is very exciting to me! I played with it last night and practiced taking almost 200 pictures, and I am loving it so far. The pictures are so pretty! They are so clear and the colors are beautiful in the pictures. There are so many things I love about this nice camera, and I am really looking forward to learning more about it and getting better at taking beautiful pictures. Now I guess I am also going to have to learn how to use one of these fancy editing programs Jeremy put on our computer too. So much work ahead of me, but once I get it all figured out it will all be so worth it!

Here is a large sample of the practice pics I took last night. They look so much better when blown up bigger, especially the airplane pics. Those are pretty cool! They flew right over the ball fields while Austin was playing in his game, and got really close. The colors in the flowers are beautiful too when blown up bigger. Well, here is what I took on day 1 of learning how my new camera works.

Remember?

2010-05-05T15:33:00.002-05:00

Does anyone remember this video?!

That was a year ago on Field Day at Ashlyn's school. Well, Field Day at WDS is tomorrow. I wonder if I can catch anymore hilarious moments on video again this year? Good Luck to Ashlyn, and here's to hoping you don't lose your skirt again! :)

Ashlyn turned the BIG 5!!

2010-05-04T08:07:00.001-05:00

My baby girl is 5 today!! I'm amazed at how fast the "baby" of the family grows. I have loved EVERY minute of be being a mom to this precious little girl! I have had so much fun with her. I am so thankful, God, decided to give me a daughter and to give me the opportunity to raise her and to form that mother/daughter bond I so desperately desired before I had her. She lights up my life, melts my heart and brings a smile to my face every day. She has been my real life baby doll, I have taken care of her, dressed her in the cutest clothes and put the cutest bows on top of that precious head full of red hair. The freckles she has collected over the last 3 years are just beautiful to me! She is the most beautiful, sweetest little girl I know!
I love you Ashlyn! Happy 5th Birthday!!!

New Lobes

2010-05-03T20:38:00.000-05:00

Ashlyn has been asking to get her ears pierced since last summer after she spent a week at her cousin's house and she got to see all of, Alli's pretty ear rings. I decided a long time ago that I wanted to wait until Ashlyn was at least 5 years old to get her ears pierced, and to wait until she asked. My mom did the same with me, and I asked to get mine pierced for my 5th birthday. It is a great memory that I will never forget, and I wanted to give my daughter the same opportunity to make the same great memory.

We took her to Claire's and made sure there were 2 people there so that she could have them both pierced at the same time. We got there and she picked out her ear rings, first she wanted the hello kitty ear rings, but thankfully they were out of those. She finally landed on the pink flowers.

Here she is before she got them pierced, totally clueless about the pain that would come with getting her ears pierced. She is all smiles and grins while she waits.

One last picture of those precious little lobes with no holes in them. The last picture of her being a "little" girl. Still clueless as to how the ear rings actually get into her ears.

They marked the dots on her ears so they would know where to pierce them at and gave her a sucker while she waited.

She officially has pierced ears! What a "big" brave girl she was that she didn't even cry! I think she was so shocked by the pain that she didn't know what to do.

She has beautiful "girly" ears now. What fun she is going to have when she gets to change out her ear rings to match her outfits.

Just had to post this pic :) Look at that tongue, licking that sucker! The sucker definitely helped take her mind off of the pain that just happened.

I'm so proud of my brave girl! I was amazed that there were no tears. I am excited about the future with my "big" growing girl, but I also miss the days that she was so little. For now, I just can't wait to go out and buy her all kinds of cute ear rings!

Ashlyn's First Recital

2010-05-03T12:01:00.000-05:00

Ashlyn had her first dance recital Saturday night. We all got dressed up and went to go watch what she has practiced for all year.

Ashlyn had rehearsal that morning so they could practice on the stage before their big performance in front of everyone. When I picked her up she told me " That was awesome, mom! Your gonna LOVE it!! The place is HUGE with lots of seats everywhere, and the stage we dance on is SO big! Your just gonna LOVE it, mom!" She had the biggest smile on her face and she was so excited! My heart just melts when my children are so happy like that.

That evening, I got Ashlyn ready and I added just a little make-up on her precious little face, to make it that more fun and exciting for her. I bought some light pink eye shadow ( that you could barely see once I put it on her eye lids), a little blush and I let her wear some of my lip gloss, and you would have thought she was walking on air, she was so happy.

I took a few photos at home on our front porch before we left. She gave me a few poses and then she was ready to go.

This is Ashlyn's class in their ballet performance, she is the 5th little girl from the left. She did a great job and remembered all the moves.

At the end of the recital, Mrs. Mandy called each girl that performed that night to come out and do their own little performance, what ever they wanted to do, and take a bow before going to get their medal from Mrs. Sarah. Ashlyn came out and did a jump and a little twirl and took her bow, this is a picture of her taking her bow after her "solo" performance.

When the recital was over we walked out to the lobby to meet our little dancers and Ashlyn immediately asked if I had something to give her, and I told her I didn't know what she was talking about, then she got flustered and said " Don't you have flowers for me?!" Papaw soon walked out and handed her the flowers my mom had brought for her. Thank goodness my mom brought some because we didn't bring any. I had thought about it several times but never relayed my thoughts to Jeremy. Next year we will be on top of things and bring her some pink roses, that's what she is always asking me to buy her when we go past the flowers at the grocery store.

This is Ashlyn with one of her dance teachers, Mrs. Mandy. I love what Mrs. Mandy and Mrs. Sarah have done with their school of dance. They have dedicated themselves to not only teach the girls how to dance, but to dance tastefully for God. They talked to the girls about manners and how to be a lady, about true beauty this year and how it comes from their heart. They pray with the girls at each class and teach the importance of growing in God's grace. All of the songs they danced to were all christian music, and they tied in Proverbs 31 to all of their dances. I also love how every little girl in Ashlyn's class is a friend from church. I plan to send Ashlyn to Girl's of Grace Dance Co., for as long as she wants to take dance.

We went out to eat as a family after the program to Texas Land & Cattle. After we ate dinner Ashlyn wanted to go out and see the lake. The grass was full of wild flowers so I took a few pics of her with her two big brothers.

I loved the recital, and enjoyed seeing all the girls perform. I almost cried several times because I was just so proud of all of the girls, especially Ashlyn. I can't wait for next years recital!

Finally!

2010-05-02T21:53:00.002-05:00

I finally have something to write about Austin! I never have anything to write about him because he spends all of his free time playing outside or he is off with Jeremy where ever he goes. That boy has been infatuated with his dad since he was a baby. He is a daddy's boy at heart.

Austin had his second grade field trip the other day, and I went along with him. We went to the movie theater in Rockwall to see Disney's Ocean's. I believe they have been learning about the ocean at school. The movie was disappointing. The footage itself was good, but it needed a different narrator, a better script for the narrator and better music for effects. It was fun to get to go to the movies but, Austin got a little antsy during the movie because he got bored.

After the movie they loaded up and went to Harry Myer's Park in Rockwall, for a picnic and play time. I'm not sure Austin spent much time on the playground because there was a dad that came that headed up races, and all the boys jumped in on that.

Austin has made 2 pretty good buddies this year in second grade, they seem to all have fun together. I got a couple of pictures while we were at the park, the first one is of Austin with his buddies, the second I decided to take advantage of having a picture made with him since I never get pictures with the kids. I usually either hear complaining out of the boys, or I am hearing it out of Jeremy, so I always feel pressured to hurry things up and most of the time I decide it's just too much trouble so I just don't do it. But when I get Austin alone, he's a lot more willing and happier to get a picture in with me.

I feel so blessed to be able to stay home so that I can participate in these kind of events with the kids. I remember as a kid being so proud of my mom that she came to my school to help out, although I never actually wanted her to come on field trips with me. I have always asked the boys if they want me to come on their field trips and their answer has always been, yes. It was also nice to see my mom around in an environment that was mine and not hers, it was a comfort to me to have her home with me after school, on school holidays and summer. It was always a dream of mine to be a mom and to stay home with my kids, and I'm livin the dream... just wish someone would have told me how hard this job is!

Easy Cheesy

2010-04-28T12:17:00.002-05:00

I can't believe I forgot to write about Ashlyn's huge accomplishment! I just checked my friend's blog out and read about her son learning to tie his shoes and she mentioned my daughter learning to tie hers, and it dawned on me that I never wrote about it myself in my blog!

I honestly can't believe Ashlyn learned to tie her shoes already. It was so frustrating trying to teach the boys. I showed them over and over, took them step by step through the process, tried several different methods of tying over months and months, to the point that I gave up and handed the project over to Jeremy who eventually some how taught both the boys to tie.

This time around was way too easy! Ashlyn had been asking for about a month for me to teach her how to tie her shoes. I had been putting her off because of my memory of trying to teach the boys. I showed her briefly one morning how to tie, and wouldn't give her a chance to try herself because I was in a hurry to get out the door. About 4 days later, on April 13th to be exact, we were getting ready for school, I was putting my make up on, while she was getting dressed. I always lay her clothes out along with her shoes ready to slip on, and I'll tie them after she gets them on. That morning, she took longer than normal to get her clothes on and come to me so that I can fix her hair. I had finished getting ready and called for her wondering what was taking so long. She walked in and announced that she had tied her own shoes! I didn't believe her thinking she had just twisted them up and got them tangled. I didn't even check them out, because we were running late and I didn't really think she had done it correctly.

We got to school and I told her that I would tie her shoes before we went in and she told me they were already tied. I got out and looked and to my surprise, they were tied!

I am still amazed at how easy it was to teach her! And that I only showed her once and she got it! Wow! Now it's got me wondering why it was so hard for the boys to get it? :)

Scrambled

2010-04-25T21:49:00.006-05:00

I feel like my brains have been scrambled lately... I'm not on anything, I promise, at least nothing illegal...I think. But I have felt just out of sorts for a while. So my brain has been working non stop trying to figure out what could be going on. I have schemed up so many different possibilities in my head. Done so much "researching" online about all the scheming I have been doing. I have talked to my "girlie" doctor about one of my thoughts, so she did some blood work and all she tested for came out fine. So there went that one out the window! So then my brain went back to more scheming. It's stressful when your brain is constantly thinking, going back and forth, going there and going here... it feels like everything is all jumbled and I can't think clearly. Which in turn makes me feel on edge about everything else in my life.

There has been a lot of drama in the lives of people, friends and acquaintances all around me lately. Which has led me to think about the things, or "drama" that have happened in my life that have helped to shape me into the person that I am today. Along with my past and my mistakes I have made in the past have all made me what I am today. All of them have shaped me into a far from perfect person. With all the thoughts and reminders that I think about so often, I feel that God has created a heart of compassion and understanding in me. My opinion on death row has made a complete turn around just with in the last year. I feel sorry for the men and women who face that destiny. Why can't our government put more money into the "troubled" youth of our nation, into trying to help them, teach them and put loving but tough people in charge of them in some sort of group home instead of sending them to juvie? Now, I might not always be understanding and compassionate, but I feel I am for the most part.

The imperfect part of me doesn't then understand how others can be so judgmental and harsh towards people who fall short of being "perfect". Why think such ugly thoughts about the teen who robs a store to buy his next fix? We don't know what his life has been like up until that point. Or the friend or family member who may suffer from depression, or alcoholism, or gosh, even shopaholics. There are all kinds of things that people do that we just may think we will never understand. What about the person who steals the spotlight, always talking about themselves and money, how much money they make, how much money they spend on designer clothes, you know the people. Instead of talking behind their back about them, why not think about why they may always be talking about money. What has their past or present been like that has shaped them into this person that talks like that? Maybe they have a low self esteem, or they are insecure about themselves? We may never know, but instead of writing that person off and deciding that you don't like them, maybe we should try to get to know that person better. They may end up being a great friend, someone you have fun with, someone who would support you when you need it, someone you can count on.

I know that, I, myself may not be the kind of person that you like to hang around. I have my faults, a lot of them. The most visual one that most people see first is probably my negativity. I know I can be a negative person. It's very hard for me to not dwell on negative things that happen in my life. For me it's very hard to even see, much less focus on anything in my life that may be positive. With out going into any detail, so much has gone on in my life that has shaped me into the person I am today. I can sit here and say that not a whole lot of positive things have happened in my life, but I know that's not true. I know there are plenty of great things that have happened, but it seems like all the negative things trump the positive. I can't even rejoice in the good because it seems there is constantly bad being thrown at me. I feel like I am always frustrated, always. So I may "complain" about all the negative, looking for a friend to be understanding and encouraging. I feel alone a lot. The only family I have is my mom, my dad has already gone to heaven, and I don't have any siblings. So I look to friends to help me through the rough times. To listen and be understanding. To find the good in me and to give me some compassion. So, anyone out there wondering why I am so negative, if you would just stop judging and being "turned off", why don't you just try to get to know me better, and then maybe you might understand a little better why I am the way I am.

You see, my thoughts go from one thing to the next constantly. I have not been quite myself for months. I have had no motivation to do anything. Which is very unlike me. I am usually constantly on the go, running errands, cleaning the house, cooking dinner, playing outside with the kids, but I haven't done any of that in quite a while. My latest diagnosis, that I gave myself, has been low iron or low B12. So I started taking vitamin B12 and it seems to be helping me out some. I have noticed that I have had more energy to get up and get moving, which is a great start! I guess I'm moving into the right direction. Maybe sometime soon things will all return to normal. So until then, I guess my thoughts will continue to constantly be spinning until everything else settles and returns to normal. Until then, I will continue to turn to the people in my life that love me for who I am, and who show understanding and compassion. Those are the people that I know, God, has placed in my life for a reason. Those are the friends that I can call my "family".

Message from Up Above

2010-04-23T07:47:00.000-05:00

I was sitting on the couch Wednesday night around 10:00, just messing around on the computer. Out of the corner of my eye I saw something fall from upstairs. I first thought, hmmm, did the ac just kick on and blow that off the ledge? Then I realized, oh, it's Justin. Since we just recently made a change to his medication, he is having a hard time going to sleep at night. So I got up to go investigate what it was that "fell", and this is what I found:

Just in case you can't read what he has wrote, the letter says this:

Daddy I want to tell you about what just happened. Daddy, I'm sorry that I played on a electronic, but honestly I had just turned it on. Daddy please don't tell mommy about what happened, and please don't take my d.s. away. Tomorrow, I will give it back to Avery. If you don't take it away I will give you my d.s. to you every night when it is bed time, and one more thing, I LOVE YOU! Justin

Justin is grounded from his DS, and apparently Jeremy had caught Justin, playing with his friends DS in bed, when he was supposed to be trying to go to sleep. Our kids know that, Daddy is a softie, and if they play their cards just right sometimes their dad will grant them what they want. Not this time. I'm proud of Jeremy sticking to his guns. This has been an on going issue with Justin. We are always catching him playing on his DS, or laptop or even messing with his sports cards. We have had to confiscate all of Justin's favorite things out of his room so that he isn't tempted at night to make a bad choice. Sometimes we forget, and you can bet 100% of the time if we forget, that you can catch Justin playing instead of resting and trying to go to sleep.

This is not the first note Justin has written to us, but it's the first one I thought to take a picture of and blog about. I wish I had taken pictures of the other ones, but oh well. We usually get these notes when Justin has gotten into trouble over something at night. I wonder if he realizes that he's still not doing what he is supposed to be doing, and that is laying down, being still and closing his eyes..... the trouble he could avoid if only he would realize that.

Kindergarten Round Up

2010-04-22T20:00:00.000-05:00

The day finally came that Ashlyn has been talking about for 2 weeks, kindergarten round up. The boys came home from school two weeks ago with letters in their folders about kindergarten round up. They told Ashlyn all about it, and she got so excited. When I told her before school that she would finally get to go and sign up for kindergarten that night she jumped up and down squealing with excitement!

After school, we came home and she asks me why we didn't go to the boys school. I told her," well the boys are riding their bikes home so we don't have to go get them", then Ashlyn said "but I thought we were going to kindergarten round up?", and when I told her that it wasn't for another several hours she was very upset that she couldn't go right away. She then told me " But that will take FOREVER, mommy, I don't want to wait, it'll be SOOO boring waiting!" Oh, my, can we say, drama queen?!

The time finally came for us to go, and our sweet friends, Angie and her girls Brianna and Bailey, came to pick us up so we could all go together. Brianna and Ashlyn have been friends since they were just one, and they are both going into kindergarten and going to the same school together. New experiences are so much more fun when you have a friend with you.

Ashlyn is typically shy at first until she becomes comfortable with the new situation or the new people she meets, but not this night. Having her good friend with her made her completely forget that she would usually be unsure of the new people talking to her, and she was wild! She ran around that school and checking everything out like it was nothing. I even had to get on to her about settling down and to be on her best behavior, several times.

I think she had a great time at kindergarten round up, and now she can't wait for school to start again. I can't believe that my baby girl is going to start school next year! Time sure does fly. But now I am feeling old that all 3 of my children are school age, and I won't have anymore little ones at home with me anymore. It is so strange to think of how different life will be.

Flower Girl

2010-04-21T08:09:00.000-05:00

My awesome friend and neighbor took these beautiful pictures of Ashlyn again. That lady has talent! I have the best of both worlds right now, Nikki loves to take pictures of Ashlyn and Ashlyn loves to have her pictures taken... that is by Nikki and Nikki only. Ashlyn has on occasion begged for me to " just call Nikki, mom. I just really want, Nikki, to take my pictures, not you. PLEEAASSSSE!!!" I would call her every time, but I don't want to wear her down. :) I did tell, Nikki, that we just need to schedule a photo session with her every week, because I have learned that it's a great threat to Ashlyn to get her to obey. It worked like a charm the night before this photo session. If I could just get the boys to love getting their pictures taken I'd be set with awesome photos of all my kids. Thanks, Nikki, again for the beautiful pictures of Ashlyn!

In Stitches

2010-04-20T15:02:00.005-05:00

Well, I had my first experience of taking one of my boys in to get stitched up, almost 2 weeks ago. All the boys that live around us were having a race on their bikes. Justin and another boy got too close to one another and their pegs got caught in each others wheels causing them both to crash. Justin came running in with blood dripping everywhere holding his chin. I made him go stand over the sink so I could come take a better look at it. He was pretty beat up looking, with scrapes and scratches all over. When I got him some what cleaned up around his chin, and saw his injury, I knew right away he would need stitches. My neighbor came down and suggested we try to bandage it up with closure strips first to see if we could avoid having to go in and get stitches. It was a good try but after an hour or so it was dripping through the strips, so I had to take him in. Of course this would have to happen just an hour before Austin's baseball game, so no one got dinner that night and I ended up missing the ball game.

Watching them prepare the injury for stitches and stitching it up wasn't so bad, but I was glad it wasn't me. Justin was pretty brave. Getting the shots was the worst part, and he didn't even cry through the whole process. I think he cried more while waiting for them to come in before he got stitched up, because the unknown is pretty scary! All in all, going 10 1/2 years with no stitches is pretty good in my book when you have two boys. I just hope we can go another 10 1/2 years before having to do it again.

The picture of his stitches were taken the day before he had them taken out, so he had 4 days to heal. I wanted to get a picture of him the day it happened, but he was so upset and scared of getting stitches that I didn't want to make him anymore upset than he already was. But I definitely wanted a picture of his stitches before they came out. He has healed up pretty good, and it looks like he may not even get a scar! Thank goodness all of that drama is over!

Easter Weekend

2010-04-06T20:27:00.000-05:00

We stayed busy over the Easter holiday weekend. We spent our time with good friends and family and worshiping and thanking our Lord for the wonderful gift he gave us. During this time of year, there is always a visit from the Easter bunny and Easter eggs that need to be found. There are also preparations for the girls to make sure we look our best for one of the most important Sundays of the year. Not only is it fun to dress up in our dressiest clothes for Easter Sunday, but I think it's important that we put our best on and try to look our best for our Lord for what he has done for us.

I had already planned for Ashlyn and I to go get pedicures for Easter Sunday. Ashlyn had been asking if we could go for her birthday, and I decided that we would be spending enough money at her birthday. I compromised with her and told her we could go before Easter instead. At the last minute we had a special surprise of our good friends, Brianna, Bailey and their mom Angie coming with us to get our toes painted, which made it even more fun and special.

We did an easter egg hunt on Saturday evening with our good friends from Sunday School and all of their children. Here is the group of kids ages 4 to 6, getting ready and waiting for their hunt.

Here are the "older" kids ages 8 to 10, waiting for their hunt.

Ashlyn hunting down those eggs as fast as she could!

Austin hunting for eggs.

Justin hunting for eggs.

Ashlyn and her find.

Austin and his find.

Justin and his find.

The next morning we woke up and the Easter bunny had stopped by, filled their baskets up with goodies and hid easter eggs all over the house.

Austin going as fast as he can hunting for those eggs.

Ashlyn hunting for eggs.

Justin hunting for eggs.

We were running a little behind and I wanted to get a quick pic of the kids outside before we hopped in the car to head to church. I told all the kids to hurry and run outside so we could get one quickly. Justin, however, decided he had something else he wanted to do and Jeremy had to go in and figure out what he was doing. When he found him messing w/something else and not coming outside so we could go, Jeremy got onto him, I rushed him beside his sister for a picture and he was not happy. He was pouting and throwing one of his fits, so I snapped a picture and sent him to the car. I love that I caught him making this face. It's a face I see more often than a happy one. Maybe one day he will figure it all out.

After Justin was sent to the car I decided to go ahead and take some pictures of just Austin and Ashlyn. Ashlyn loves Austin so much. I thought this picture was sweet because she put her arm around him and placed her hand on his back without me telling her to. When she did it, she did it so sweetly full of love for her big brother.

After church we headed out to Waxahachie to Jeremy's brother's house for Easter lunch. The kids always love to see their cousins, they always have such a good time with them. I don't know why I didn't get my camera out for pictures, so I don't have any from that.

All in all, we had a busy and fun weekend, thanks to our Lord and Savior for the sacrifice he made for us. I am so glad that we get to be reminded of this and count our blessings for all he has done for us.

Unworthy but so Grateful

2010-04-03T09:00:00.002-05:00

This Easter weekend I am reminded of how great God's love is. I am reminded of the ultimate sacrifice he made for me. When I really sit and think about how I treat my God, and how he desperately desires a close relationship with me I feel so unworthy of the sacrifice he made for me. It makes me wonder why it's so hard for me to stop trying to do it all on my own and just give it all to him. I've done it before and life was so much easier then.

God gave us a free will to make our own choices, but he wants us to choose him. He wants us to let him help us. He wants us to trust in him and have faith that he will take care of us. To have faith even when it seems things can't get worse and then they do. God loves us when we are going through tough times, even when it seems he is no where around and you wonder how could he let this happen. I truly believe there is a spiritual warfare out there with Satan, and sometimes he gets the best of us.

God wants us to seek him, to find him and ask him to help us. God is with us always, he only wants the best for us. He loves us so much and desires our love in return, that he gave his son, to die on the cross for our sins, because we are all sinners and we can't get into heaven because of our sins. Jesus went through excruciating pain and death for me and you and all of our sins! I am forgiven all the time for the sins I make, all because of the love and sacrifice he made for me. I am so glad to know that I will one day get to go to heaven to be with him, and that all of my struggles and suffering will be over one day when I get there! Oh, what a happy day that will be!

"This Man"

In only a moment truth
Was seen revealed this mystery
The crown that showed no dignity he wore
And the king was placed for all the world
To show disgrace but only beauty flowed from this place

Would you take the place of this man
Would you take the nails from his hands
Would you take the place of this man
Would you take the nails from his hands

He held the weight of impurity
The father would not see
The reasons had finally come to be to
Show the depth of his grace flowed with
Every sin erased he knew that this was
Why he came

Would you take the place of this man
Would you take the nails from his hands
Would you take the place of this man
Would you take the nails from his hands

And we just don't know the blood and
Water flowed and in it all
He showes just how much he cares
And the veil was torn so we could have
This open door and all these things have
Finally been complete

Would you take the place of this man
Would you take the nails from his hands
Would you take the place of this man
Would you take the nails from his hands
From his hands
From his hands
From his hands
From his hands
From his hands

This video doesn't have the whole song that I wanted to share but has a great message at the end. If you haven't excepted Jesus into your heart, please do it today. If you aren't sure and need someone to talk to, my door is always open. I will answer any question you may have the best I can.

Together Again

2010-04-02T09:52:00.012-05:00

Ashlyn has been missing someone. Someone special. Someone that she has known since she came home from the hospital. Someone she loves. Someone that she cuddles with at night when she goes to sleep. Her bunny. She loves her bunny! And if for some reason her bunny is lost when it's time to go to bed it makes her sad.

Ashlyn's bunny got left behind in Fredericksburg at spring break. It was my fault. We were rushing to get ready and out the door before check-out. I quickly got mine and Ashlyn's things together and we walked out the door. When we finally got home, late at night, and I took Ashlyn up to her bed, she asked for her bunny. It wasn't until I went searching through my bag and couldn't find her did I realize that she may have gotten left at one of the hotels we stayed in.

I made some phone calls and tracked her down, unfortunately they wouldn't mail her back. They told me that I could come and get her. Yeah, right, I'm gonna drive 4 1/2 hours back down there and back to get her bunny. So I called, Grandmother, up and asked her for a huge favor. It's a good thing we left her bunny close to family or her bunny would have had to find a new home.

When I told Ashlyn that Grandmother was going to go get her and mail her back, she was so excited! She couldn't wait to get her bunny back! She waited and waited, and everyday she would look for the mailman to come.

Finally, a week later, the big day arrived.

Ashlyn went to go get the mail and there was a big package in the mailbox.

She grabbed the package and the rest of the mail and ran inside to check and see if it was the package she had been waiting for.

It had her name on it and it was from Grandmother!

She worked hard to get the package open.

And when we finally got it open, and she peeked inside, she smiled and giggled, grabbed her special friend and hugged her immediately. Together at last!!

After pulling out her bunny, she found some more special treats that Grandmother sent along with her bunny. It was so exciting for her to find 2 new books and a coloring/sticker book.

She was so happy to get some new books, stickers and her special friend back, and Grandmother made it all possible. She talked for days about how nice Grandmother is and that she loved her.

Thank you Grandmother for being Ashlyn's hero and cleaning up after my mistake!

God is Good

2010-04-01T07:52:00.002-05:00

I have been sad, and have been praying for some good friends. I looked at these verses today and was reminded that God can bring good out of ANY situation. I want to always remember that no matter how hard life can be or how dark the valley seems to be, there will be God's glorious light shining at the end of the tunnel bringing good and better things in the end. His will is perfect.

Phil. 4:13 I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

Jer. 29:11 For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, " plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

Brutal Honesty

2010-03-29T08:25:00.002-05:00

Why is it that brutal honesty is so frowned upon? If I were brutally honest, no one would want to hear it. People would form opinions about me. People would try to convince me that it really wasn't that bad.

I know this because I've tried it. Sort of. I've done it in small bits and pieces. Some would say that it just sounds like complaining. I say, it's a cry out for compassion, for understanding. And along with that, it would be nice if someone could offer some help. Not for me though, for what I am "complaining" about.

It seems like as soon as I say anything that people perceive as negative, they immediately try to point out the positive in each situation. Which usually in my case makes things worse. It makes me feel betrayed and isolated. Leaves me wondering why they don't believe me. It definitely hurts.

I have found myself complaining a lot about our son, Justin. I love him to pieces but he has been the most frustrating child I've ever been around. When I find myself complaining, I just want someone to be sympathetic with me and what I have had to put up with. Instead, I don't get sympathy, I get compliments about Justin. It usually makes me feel guilty for complaining, angry that no one see's what I have had to deal with for years and angry that people then perceive me as being ungrateful for what a wonderful boy I have. People always want to point out all of Justin's good qualities that they have seen in him. The problem is, I never get to see all of those good qualities. All I seem to get from him is frustration.

My life has been consumed by ADHD. I don't have it, maybe ADD, but I know I don't have the hyperactivity part. But my son was diagnosed with it about a year and a half ago, and I'm pretty sure my husband, Jeremy, has it too. Justin was 9 by the time he was officially diagnosed with it. Can you imagine going 9 years with a child that is so difficult and nothing you do seems to help them make a better choice? I could never figure out the right words to describe his actions until I talked to another mom at the pool one day the summer before, Justin turned 9, and she asked if he was impulsive. It was like a light turned on and I was finally able to describe his major issue. After that I watched him, took notes, did some research online and I got very excited about going to his check-up in October. After talking to the Dr. about it, talking to his teacher about it, and going back to a follow up appt. and talking to the Dr. again, the Dr. officially diagnosed him with it and we started him on some medicine.

To be officially diagnosed with the disorder you don't have to have every symptom, just a few of them. Justin's biggest symptom is his impulsive behavior, he never thinks about consequences before he acts, and is very impatient. Probably the even bigger issue he has is anger management. He has always been very defiant, loses his temper easily, has meltdowns and throws temper tantrums like a 2 yr. old, argues like crazy not only with Jeremy and I but he has argued with his teachers at school too, he defies the rules at home and at school, he almost always blames everyone else for the things he has done, is dishonest and has a hard time being truthful after he has made some bad choices, he annoys others when he is bored, he gets easily annoyed himself which usually causes him to be very disrespectful to me. It feels as though I have been raising a teenager since he was 18 mo. old. These symptoms are almost identical to another disorder I discovered while researching ADHD this week called Oppositional Defiant Disorder. Not saying he has it, but it's ironic that a lot of Justin's issues are described under this disorder. This might be another topic of discussion at his next check-up.

Life after his diagnosis has improved drastically! I know that in the past, medication for ADHD has gotten a bad rep, but things have come a long way in the world of medicine. His doctor prescribed him Vyvanse and it has worked wonderfully! He went from getting D's and F's on his conduct grade at school, to getting 100's almost every week! Justin is a very smart boy and has always gotten almost all A's in the past, so those grades stayed the same. However, not all of his issues at home are resolved with medication. He is still very argumentative with me, and he gets irritated with me easily causing him to be disrespectful, he still tends to deny or blame someone else for bad choices he has made, and is dishonest with us a lot. But the best thing that has been eliminated are his temper tantrums and meltdowns that he used to have where he got so upset that he would jump up and down and throw himself on the floor like a toddler, and he was 9 when he did that. It has helped him to be more in control of himself. I know this because any time he doesn't get his medicine we get to see and be reminded of just how immature and out of control of himself he is. I guess I should be glad that it has at least kept him out of trouble at school, and I am, it's just that I'm tired of the frustration here at home.

Have you ever thought that if the parents of children with ADHD are frustrated, then can you imagine how frustrating it is for the child with the disorder? How frustrating it is for them to always be in trouble, to be labeled the "problem child" at school. How frustrating it is for them to honestly try so hard to "be good" and no matter how hard they try they are always a "disappointment" to the adults in their lives. And to try so hard to make good grades that you can be proud of, but just never happens. For those of you who are completely against medication for ADHD, please take some time to read all of the links I have in this post, and do some research on the disorder. Please take some time to reconsider helping your child by finding the right treatment for them. Read this link to help you understand what it is like to have ADHD.

I desperately wish I had a friend who understands what I go through with Justin. No one seems to understand just how frustrating life can be when you are raising a child that seems to be in trouble more often than not. How frustrating it is to hear your friends talking about the fun they have with their kids, and it makes you wish you could have fun with yours. How frustrating it is to see other children his age that seem so much more mature than your own, and wishing that he could be just as mature and responsible. I realize that things could be much worse, that there are children out there with much bigger issues and much more difficult disorders. But I also can't help but wish it just wasn't so hard. So, why can't I complain a little? Why do people have to jump on my case the minute I complain or sound negative? Why can't people be more understanding and compassionate? That's all I am asking for, understanding and compassion.

Ashlyn's 5 year pics

2010-03-23T15:29:00.013-05:00

My awesome and talented neighbor/friend took these for me. Ashlyn is going to have a roller skating party and I got the idea from another little girl at Ashlyn's school to use one of these pics for her invitation. So, I am asking you which one would you use? They all turned out so cute! I love them all! I just can't decide which one to use. And I want to tell, Nikki, thank you so much! Nikki has started her own photography side business. If you like these and want her info for yourself, check her site out and book a session now!

Picture #1

Picture #2

Picture #3

Picture #4

Picture #5

Picture #6

Picture #7

Picture #8

The Switch

2010-03-22T11:27:00.004-05:00

I switched about a year or so ago over to Christian music. I did it originally to help me focus on the Lord while I am driving around town instead of listening to music that talked about drinking and so forth. I used to listen to mostly country music. Not all country music is "bad", but a lot of it didn't help me to keep the right thoughts in my head. It's amazing how when I am in a bad mood and I hop in the car and a great song comes on and my mood changes, and immediately I find myself engrossed in the song and worshiping the Lord. It has definitely helped my responses to the other "bad" drivers on the road too :) It also opens up conversations in the car about God, and about how we should behave to honor our Lord with the kids. I also find myself taking the time to pray and thank God for all he has blessed me with or asking for his guidance in whatever drama is coming to me that day. Lately I have really grown to love the christian artist, Jeremy Camp. He has a lot of great songs! My favorite is, There will be a Day, by Jeremy Camp! Love it!

I try to hold on to this world with everything I have
But I feel the weight of what it brings, and the hurt that tries to grab
The many trials that seem to never end, His word declares this truth
That we will enter in this rest with wonders a new
But I hold on to this hope and the promise that He brings
That there will be a place with no more suffering

Chorus
There will be a day with no more tears, no more pain, and no more fears
There will be a day when the burdens of this place, will be no more, we’ll see Jesus face to face
But until that day, we’ll hold on to you always
Jeremy Camp lyrics on www.lyrics-celebrities.anekatips.com

I know the journey seems so long
You feel you’re walking on your own
But there has never been a step
Where you’ve walked out all alone

Chorus
There will be a day with no more tears, no more pain, and no more fears
There will be a day when the burdens of this place, will be no more, we’ll see Jesus face to face
But until that day, we’ll hold on to you always

Troubled soul don’t lose your heart
Cause joy and peace he brings
And the beauty that’s in store
Outweighs the hurt of life’s sting

I cant wait until that day where the very one I’ve lived for always will wipe away
the sorrow that I’ve faced
To touch the scars that rescued me from a life
of shame and misery this is why this is why I sing

What a comfort it is to know that I can rest in the comfort of knowing that one day I won't have to suffer on this earth anymore! I never truly understood what it meant to "suffer" on this earth until I went through the grief of losing my dad 3 years ago. He died of liver cancer. He suffered from the disease of alcoholism. While I sat in the hospital with my half siblings and my dad's longest childhood lifelong friend, he shared stories of my dad from their childhood together. He also shared the story of how my dad got saved and how my dad eventually brought his friend to the Lord. When he told that story, it brought tears to my eyes. They were tears of joy, it was such a relief to know that my dad's suffering was over, and that I would get to see him again one day when I am called home. It really made me realize how much "suffering" we go through here on this earth. This world is so full of sin, it's everywhere you go, it's in our own homes, it's in my own mind. And everywhere around me I see people suffering from disease, cancer, grief,job loss, financial burdens, hunger, hurt and pain. It's such a comfort to me knowing that I don't have to go through it alone! That I have God to talk to, the Holy Spirit to guide me and that it was all made possible by Jesus because he went through the pain and suffering for me when he died on the cross for my sins! What an awesome God we have that he sacrificed his son for and me and you. So that one day I won't have to suffer on this earth anymore, that I will one day get to go to heaven to be with him. What a great song that it can remind me of all God has done for me, how much he sacrificed for me, that he loves me that much.

Crazy Texas Weather

2010-03-21T11:09:00.008-05:00

Who would have thought that I would be taking pictures of the kids wading in the spillways of the Llano river in 70 degree weather and pictures of snow on the ground within less than 48 hours of each other on spring break?!! Only in Texas could this ever happen! Happy first day of spring everyone!

All of our cousins together having fun in the Llano river!

Less than 48 hours later it snowed 5 inches!

Snow at the end of spring break!

It just shouldn't be snowing when Ashlyn and I are red with sunburns :)

My 2nd Place Champs

2010-03-17T19:57:00.005-05:00

Both the boys teams played hard all season and finished undefeated. Then they advanced in the playoffs all the way to the championship game. They played hard and put their best into it. But unfortunately they lost in their last game of the year in the championship game.

Austin actually got to play quite a bit, which is a bit unusual, but he did pretty good. He played a good defender getting his hands on the ball creating jump balls which helped his team to get the ball back and stop the other team from getting another chance to score. Austin is a great example of being a good sport. He has that laid back personality that it doesn't bother him if he doesn't get put in as often as the others might and it didn't seem to bother him in the least that they lost. He just couldn't wait to play with his best bud/cousin, Grant, after the game.

Justin on the other hand is truly the exact opposite of his brother. God made him an athlete. He gave him the skills, the competitiveness, the aggressiveness, and the passion that it takes to excel in sports. Justin is very passionate about winning. Almost too passionate. He has always had a hard time with self control and unfortunately when he was younger he took his frustration out on the other team. He has come so far since then. He now doesn't take it out on the other team, he just blames it all on the refs. Not ideal, but I'll take that any day over him raising up his fist and almost punching a boy on the other team that was constantly elbowing him and the refs never called it. ( that was a few years ago) Justin has the qualities to be a leader. If he could just get the self control under control, and learn what it takes to be a good sport, he'll be on the right track.

The boys on his team just couldn't seem to get it all together. They played hard, but just didn't play their best. I was still proud that we only had 3 boys shed tears when they lost, verses all of them last year when they lost in the playoffs. They handled their loss much better this year. Every boy on his team are all just as competitive and passionate as, Justin, which can be hard to deal with as the coach, but makes for a winning team.

We may not have won 1st place this year, but we are one step closer than we were last year. Maybe next year will be their year to bring it and become the champions in their division. I am very proud of my 2nd place champs! Go Stars and Bulldogs!!!

Ashlyn's Prayer

2010-03-06T21:08:00.007-06:00

Ashlyn has prayed the same prayer for 2 nights in a row. Here is what she has prayed for:

" Dear God, I wish my Granddaddy could have his fingers back, b/c he did it on an accident, he cut them off. I love my Granddaddy so much and he needs some new fingers. God, I really love him a lot, can he please have his fingers back. It was an accident and he really needs some new fingers, Amen."

Not sure why all of a sudden she has a fascination with her Great Granddaddy's missing fingers? I believe he has been missing them since he was 17. He worked in a grocery store and had an accident with the meat grinder, the meat grinder won. So he is missing 3 of his fingers on his right hand.

I think it is so wonderful that she even has the opportunity to know and to love her Great Granddaddy. I never really had the luxury of knowing either of my granddads. Both of my grandmothers died while I was young also. I always envied my friends and the relationships they had with their grandparents. I thought they were so lucky to get to spend time with them and wished I could spend time with mine. So for Ashlyn to get to know and love her GREAT Grandparents is even more special. I love it that my kids have almost all of their Grandparents and that they get to see them and know them and love them. They look forward to seeing them and they light up when their grandparents come to see them do something special like a choir performance or a sports game. I love it even more that they know and love their great grandparents. It's such a special thing to have in your life.

Pee Wee Football

2010-02-25T07:12:00.002-06:00

We may be finally letting Justin play football next year. He started asking to play in kindergarten but he's always been little and back then kinder boys wore full pads and they played kinder, 1st and 2nd together. I knew that neither Justin or me was ready for that. So, we have always told him that he could play once he got into 5th or 6th grade. Well, now he is fixing to be in 5th grade but I am still a little nervous about letting him play. I've heard so many stories about injuries and how dangerous a sport it can be. It also doesn't help that I don't like football at all!
We have had several friends who are highschool football coaches and everyone of them have all said they aren't letting their boys play football until they get to middle school for several reasons.
The main reason being that they have seen so many boys come through that have played since kinder and they are just burnt out on it. The other common reason we hear from them is that a lot of the pee wee coaches don't teach the proper way to hit and tackle which in turn causes major injuries.
But at the same time I would like Justin to know how the game works and how to play when he gets into middle school so he has a better chance of getting more play time. He is my athlete after all.
I want to make the right choice for him. What are the advantages verses the disadvantages of letting your son's play pee wee football? So, I would love to hear anyone and everyone's opinions. What do you think?

My SS Family

2010-02-21T14:20:00.001-06:00

Jeremy and I have been blessed beyond measure with our Sunday School class. We all feel like we are "family". When Jeremy and I first joined our church almost 8 years ago, there was only one young married class to go to. We didn't exactly feel like we fit in at first. We couldn't find anyone else that we "clicked" with. But we joined the church anyways because we loved the pastor and we felt that was where God wanted us to be.
A few years went by and some changes were being made in our age groups SS classes and the church was growing especially in our age group. A few of us from our class split off to start a new class. We stayed small for a while but eventually we grew. Then about 5 years ago our church decided to do, The Purpose Driven Life, through out every SS class. They asked for people to step up out of each class to help lead a smaller group with in your class through the whole book. We ended up in a group that eventually branched off into our own class because of the growth in our department again.
This time we found lots of couples that we "clicked" with. We became a very social class spending time with one another outside of church. I think that's when our love and respect for one another started growing. We have been through some struggling times together, not only personal struggles but struggling together not glorifying the Lord. ( mostly the men lol) (and nothing that bad really, just not focusing on God) The women decided that since the men did so much socializing outside of church then we should have our ladies nights once a week. We did that for a while and then decided we needed to get into the word more, so we started doing bible study every other week and ladies night every other week. That's when I feel the Lord really started working in our class. He allowed us time to grow relationships with each other before his real work began.
With in the last year we have become even closer. The men started realizing they weren't honoring God in their social activities and made some changes. What's exciting is once we all got our priorities straight our class has grown quite a bit just with in the last 6 months. Our class had pretty much stayed the same size for about 4 years, and now we are growing! And every new couple that has joined has fit right into our "family". I truly feel like the ladies in our class are my "sisters". We learn so much from one another and have fun together. We pray for one another and minister to one another. If a family welcomes a new member, has a major illness or a family crisis we bring them meals, collect money for them or even at times have taken in their children for a few days to help them out. We love and support each other no matter what.
We are definitely a laid back group. We understand that no one is perfect, everyone is a sinner that's just how God made us, so we don't condemn one another for our faults. Instead we encourage one another, pray for one another and if it needs to happen, we will call one another out when we aren't honoring God.
I definitely know that God had a plan for us. He knew that eventually we would find just what we were looking for in our church. He knew that we would make lifetime friends in a SS class that just wasn't there yet when we first joined. We love our class so much, we don't want to miss church, we look forward to going to sunday school. We want to join in on all of our social activities because we know we will always have a good time. It is a good feeling knowing God wanted us to be part of such a special group of people. Yep, Jeremy and I are definitely blessed to be able to call these people our "family".

Typical Monday

2010-02-15T07:38:00.007-06:00

Ashlyn " Do I have school today?"

Me " No, you don't have school on Monday's"

Ashlyn " Man, I wanted to go to school today!"

Me " Why do you always tell me that you want to go to school when there is no school and on school days you always tell me you don't want to go to school and that you don't like school?"

Ashlyn " That's because there aren't any parties. I only like to go when there are parties."

Me " But then why did you say you wanted to go today?"

Ashlyn " Because I want to go see what pretty clothes they are wearing today, that's why."

Seriously!? Do I have a girly girl or what?! Lol Hope she changes her mind about liking school next year!

A Texas Winter Wonderland

2010-02-13T08:49:00.000-06:00

The weather man predicted snow when we went to bed. We woke up the next morning to snow outside of our windows!

And we woke up to a sick boy.

School wasn't canceled so we bundled up and off to school we went in snow, in Texas!
It snowed some more.
And snowed some more!
It was still snowing when we got home from school!
We had snowball fights.
We made snow angels.
And built a snowman.
We went to bed that night hoping school would get canceled the next day. When we woke up the next morning it had snowed even more! Weather reports, reported between 10 to 12 inches of snow, in Texas! School was canceled!!!
Everything was covered with more snow than we had ever seen before in Texas!
Our home covered in snow the second day.
The sick boy was now well enough to go out and play in the snow!
Big brother and little sister ready to play in the snow.
Ashlyn tried to build her own snowman.
Austin learned and built his first snowman. Unfortunately, we didn't come prepared to dress our snowmen.
Big brother helping his little sis out with her snowman.... makes my heart melt to see him taking care of her. She loves him so much!
Justin couldn't be pulled away from having snowball fights all day with his friends, so no cute snow pics of him this day. Austin finished the day off with two more snowmen in our front yard. He definitely made up for no snow play the day before.

We ended the day by our nice warm fire that Jeremy made before he left for work.What a wonderful, beautiful gift, God gave us. It was so much fun playing in the snow all day with our family and friends. I wish it would snow like this at least once every year. Until next time we will cherish the memories we made from our winter wonderland, in Texas!

Smackdown

2010-02-05T13:34:00.003-06:00

I have gotten fed up with the attitudes, disrespect and disobedience from the boys around here, so I declared a smackdown. I decided to do what's necessary to put an end to it all! 2 weeks ago I sat the boys down and had a discussion with them about their behavior. I let them know what was unacceptable and what I expected of them and the consequences they would suffer if they crossed that line. They weren't very happy about the change being made. It's my fault really, I let it get out of hand. I gave them too many warnings and not enough follow through.

I decided for the most part that spankings aren't all that effective now at their age. Now I'm not ruling them out all together, there are still certain circumstances that would bring out the big paddle. But for what I am asking of them, spankings aren't the right form of punishment. I am taking privileges away until they have no privileges left! I am going to stand my ground and not put up with anything! They get one warning and that's it! I also decided that they will have to earn their privileges back by abiding by the expectations I laid out for them.

The first weekend of this was filled with lots of whining and crying, arguing and fit throwing. ( you can only imagine which did which ) They managed to lose ALL of their privileges! Every last one! With in only 2 days. Austin soon realized I meant business and by Monday I was getting "yes mames" and he was doing what I asked of him. He earned his first privilege back by Tuesday. Justin on the other hand planted his feet, stood his ground and just plain out didn't want to abide by my expectations. He has a mind of his own. He's my child who thinks he knows everything and thinks he can do things I ask of him on his own time. He thinks I have no brain and often rolls his eyes. He also gets a major attitude with me when he doesn't want to listen to what I have to say. He seems to think he already knows what I am going to say and doesn't want to waste his time listening to his mother.

I was a little worried about how the boys would get along since they were both grounded at the same time for a long length of time. You see, the last time they were both grounded at the same time for more than 4 days, they decided to occupy their time by talking poor little Ashlyn ( who was only 2) into letting them cut her hair, with Justin as the ring leader of course. They also fight a lot because they get sick of being around each other with nothing to do. But they did pretty well at first. About 5 days in on a Wednesday afternoon before we were to go to church they got into it! I was in my bathroom fixing mine and Ashlyn's hair when all of a sudden I heard this BANG! and BUMP! and a THUD! right over us through the ceiling. I quickly rushed out to see what was going on and both the boys come down the stairs crying. It only irritated me and I had no compassion for either boy. I'm still not sure what they were fighting about but Austin lost his one and only privilege he had and Justin recieved a black eye from his little brother.

They are getting better. I am finally starting to reap the benefits of putting my foot down and not putting up with it anymore. Austin has now earned back almost all of his privileges and Justin has earned back one privilege, lost one privilege and earned it back again. I need serious prayers for that boy. My goal is to have him under control before the teen years hit. I actually see a lot of me in him, but there is also a lot in him that I would have never done as a kid. That Justin is bold and not afraid to try and "pull one over on me". He is a sneaky kid, always trying to get his way wether it's honest or not. He seems to have a one track mind on a mission to get what he wants and to see what he can get away with. I don't know what my mother went through with me but I feel Justin is much worse than I was. At this point I wonder if he will ever earn all his privileges back. I so bad want this to be over, for Justin to "get it" and not fight me so hard through this. For it not to be miserable around here anymore. For everyone to have mutual respect for one another and to be able to have a pleasant time together. Why can't we all just remember the golden rule?!

Matthew 7:12 Do unto others as you would have them do unto you for this is the law and prophets.

Funny Story

2010-01-28T16:21:00.002-06:00

Justin came home from school the other day all in a huff ready to tell me what happened at school. The 4th grade classes had some sort of competition against each other. There were two teams. He was on one team and his friend was on the other. Well, whatever they were doing, Justin's team won and his friends team lost. Now, if any of you know Justin, he is VERY competitive and when he wins he lets everyone know it. His friend is also competitive and doesn't like to lose. Well, his friend had had enough, he was tired of listening to Justin gloat! So he told Justin that he was going to kick him in the balls if he didn't stop and if he did that then Justin wouldn't be able to have babies. So then, Justin tells me " Mom, that's stupid! He's just dumb! Doesn't he know that men don't have babies, women do!" Ha! Son, if you only knew. I laughed so hard at that later. Had to share with you all.

Skate for 8

2010-01-15T18:29:00.000-06:00

Austin turned 8! When I asked what he wanted to do for his birthday he said he wanted to go ice skating. It was the first time he didn't tell me he wanted to have a swimming party, in January. So of course, I figured out how to make it happen. I let him invite 2 friends and our closest cousins. I found an ice skating rink in downtown Dallas at the Plaza of Americas building. On Friday nights it's family night and you can get 4 people in with skates for only $10! And what's even better is we got 9 people in for only $20. What a great deal! And the kids had a blast!

They had their stumbles and falls at first.
But soon got brave and ventured out to the middle on their own.

Austin with his cousin, they have been such good friends since they could walk and talk.
My niece is so sweet, Ashlyn wanted to hold her hand because she loves her so much, and she skated around with Ashlyn going slow as can be for quite a while.
All the boys! Don't they all look so happy? They had such a good time! Austin has another birthday under his belt. Happy 8th Birthday!

Looking for a Change

2010-01-08T09:18:00.002-06:00

I want to get back on the saddle and start back updating my blog. Jeremy finally changed his comp. program back to a more user friendly program for me but in the process of all his comp. program changing, he has lost a lot of my pictures. So I have been very frustrated and discouraged every time I think about blogging. I have all my pics saved in the world of the web, I just need to figure out how to copy all of them and get them back into my photo files on the comp. Sounds very time consuming and time is precious these days.

I have been inspired lately by 2 different stories. The first is about a family in my SS class at church. They have had such a rough year and a half, but it all seems to have just been God's plan to bring them back closer to him. They have such great attitudes about the situation they are in. If you have a FB please go to this page and check it out.

http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/group.php?gid=236504007217&ref=mf

The Group is called Pray for Brent Clement if the link doesn't work. You can just search for it or find it on my page.

The second story is about a couple who God has called into the mission field. She recently posted a blog about her story of how she received the calling. Her husband was our SS teacher for a brief time years ago when changes were being made in our SS age group. They then left our church to go pastor another church. I hadn't seen or heard about them in several years until Ashlyn started WDS at 2 and one of their adopted daughters was put into Ashlyn's class. Then a couple of years after that when I entered the blog world I discovered her blog. She writes about the journey God has them on as missionary's and as adopted parents. She is an awesome woman of faith and her story is def. worth reading. So go to her blog and check it out. Read her story and be encouraged.

http://lottiegracebyrd.blogspot.com/2010/01/my-calling.html

My New Year's resolution is to try and have a better attitude and try not to be so negative. I have always been a bit of a pessimist. I can't help but focus on all the negative things instead of trying to find the positve. These 2 stories have helped me to try and focus on all the postive things God is doing in my life. So to all of my friends, I don't think I can do this on my own. I need postive encouragement from everyone. It def. goes against my nature to focus on the postive rather than the negative. I can remember being this way as a kid. So it's a lifetime of negativity I'm trying to transform into the rest of my life of positivity. Here are the 2 verses I plan to use and read every day this year.
Phil. 4:13 I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
Jer. 29:11 For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, " plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

A passage to read Hebrews 10: 19-39 specifically 10:25 God lead me to this verse this morning.

Winter Wonderland

2010-01-03T15:51:00.014-06:00

We skipped a summer vacation last summer so that we could go on a ski trip. We have gone as a family (minus Ashlyn) once before so the boys got on their skis and skied like it was yesterday the last time they skied. It was Ashlyn's first time and Jeremy decided that he could teach her how to ski and save a little money. She did great! Once she got over the fear she took off like it was nothing. I think she really had a good time because she has asked me over and over "Mommy, when can we go skiing again?" We went to NM and skied at two different ski resorts, Sipapoo for 2 days and Taos for one day. The night we drove in they got 13 inches of snow! We had a blast and were exhausted everyday. It's really a lot of work to ski, especially when you have a little one who can't carry her own skis and goes slow. Hopefully, the next time we go it will be easier because everyone will be a couple years older. The above picture was the view from the walmart parking lot. How cool would that be to see the beautiful mountains every time you went to walmart? The rest of the pictures below are our views from our drive to the ski resorts and of us skiing.

Down the Chimey He Came

2009-12-25T13:51:00.015-06:00

Can you believe we had a white Christmas in Texas?! My first one ever! And probably my last. The first sign that Santa came are all the eaten cookies and milk. I bet Santa loved the cookies the kids made for him.
Here's the goods the big guy left for the kids. It looks like they got everything they asked for!
Ashlyn was so excited to see her barbie doll house. And her Belle and Ariel barbies.
Austin and Justin were excited to see their new mini laptops, digital cameras and wii games.

Ashlyn went crazy while opening her present when she got her first glimpse that it was littlest pet shop. She is a very happy girl!

Silly Jeremy!

Ashlyn loves her new silver tutu!
Justin very excited about getting a longhorns sweatsuit.
Of course Austin gets all camo.
Silly Ashlyn could not wait to put her new tutu on.
Another year of many blessings! I am so grateful God has provided so much for us that we can have the privilege to spoil our kids with so many things. Now, the countdown till next year begins! Only 364 days to go!

Christmas Eve at Grandma's

2009-12-24T13:10:00.015-06:00

We spend Christmas Eve at my mom's every year. It's tradition. She rotates italian and mexican food for our dinner every year. This year was mexican so we had tamale casserole and a taco bar. My boys favorite food, all 3 of them. We opened presents first this year because the kids always have a hard time getting through dinner because they can't wait to open presents.

After dinner we had cupcakes and sang Happy Birthday to Jesus! This was my favorite tradition growing up as a kid at the Harden's Christmas parties every year.

My mom, the interior designer, always has her home decorated so beautifully. Wish I could have this gift.

It snowed all evening while we were at Grandma's house. This is all the snow we came home to find!

Cookies and Milk ready for Santa. The kids all decorated their own cookies earlier in the day and they each saved one to leave out for Santa.

Halloween

2009-10-31T11:53:00.005-05:00

This year I took the kids to Target and let them pick out what ever they wanted to be, because no one knew what they wanted besides Ashlyn who had known for months that she wanted to be Ariel. Justin picked out some skull biker dude costume and Austin picked out an army commander costume, surprise, surprise! We went trick-or-treating around the neighborhood for almost 2 hours. Between our church fall festival and trick-or-treating the kids end up with soo much candy!
Ashlyn as Ariel

The boys, don't they look tough?

Double Digits

2009-10-15T10:19:00.001-05:00

Look at my chubby boy! That was Justin 9 1/2 years ago. He is 6 months old in those pictures. Today Justin turned 10 years old! He moved up into the double digits! You never really realize how time flies until you look back on it. While I was looking back through the photo albums this morning trying to find baby pictures of Justin, I was looking at pictures of Jeremy and I and realized just how young we were when we had Justin. Jeremy was 20 and I was a young 19. We look like babies ourselves in those pics. I always knew we were young parents just never realized how young until I looked back. I can remember when Justin was just a baby wondering what kind of boy he would be. I remember thinking it impossible to imagine what he would be like at the age of 5, and here we are 10 years later. Justin was such a happy baby. I mean, who wouldn't be happy with all those rolls? He was always smiling and looking to be the center of attention. Not much has changed. He is still always looking to be the center of attention, whether it be good or bad, he'll take any attention he can get. He's super competitive and athletic so he is great at sports! So far, every sport he has played he has excelled in. He also loves to learn. He is so smart and really enjoys school. I remember when he was 4 and I taught him the letter of the week, he would beg me every morning to do it. And when he finally started school, he loved it! When school lets out each summer break he always tells me that he misses school and wishes he could go back. Crazy kid! I have no idea where he gets that from?! It's been a long but short 10 years. The teen years are upon us. It's crazy to think in just a short 3 years we will be parents of a teenager! I am not looking forward to that! We have the uncomfortable "talks", all the "changes" and who knows what else coming up in the next few years. Things I am not prepared for nor do I have a clue about, seeing as I am a girl with no brother. So, if any of you out there have been through it, write me a book so I know what's coming and how to handle it. Happy Birthday Justin!

Technical Difficulties

2009-09-23T09:32:00.002-05:00

I'm getting a bit frustrated around here. My husband, Jeremy, has re-done his computer in his office which does not allow me to upload any pictures or videos that I have taken and my laptop isn't picking up any wireless connection in our house so that I can upload to my web sites. There has been so much I wanted to blog about and haven't been able to because of technical difficulties around here! I've tried to be patient because I know Jeremy is busy but it seems like it's been forever! There are things about this new computer program that I can't stand and I've become very frustrated about them. Hopefully Jeremy will get this all figured out for me and I can be on my way to blogging about my life again. Hopefully it will be soon!

Jeremy's Surprise 30th

2009-09-19T07:40:00.003-05:00

We had a surprise Fiesta for Jeremy's 30th birthday! I started thinking about what to do for his birthday back in the summer and got our friends to help me out. Planning the party was the easiest part, getting him out of the house and back in time for his surprise was the hardest. After several attempts and failures by our good friend, Russell, he finally managed to get Jeremy to agree to come over for awhile, while I cooked and prepared for the party all day. It all worked out just right. I think Jeremy was truly surprised when he pulled up to the house and walked in to find all of our close friends and family there for his 30th!

Jeremy's cake
I made cupcakes for him b/c he is always telling me he likes those better than the store bought cakes.

We also had a pinata so the kids would have something fun to do.

Dance! Dance! Dance!

2009-09-14T14:00:00.000-05:00

Ashlyn starts her first day of dance! I think I may be more excited about this than Ashlyn. After 2 boys and all the sports that comes with boys, I'm sick of it. So ready for something girly! I had so much fun shopping for her dance clothes. Finally I'm on a search for a leotard, tights, tutu, tap shoes and ballet shoes. It was great to not have to look for shin pads, soccer ball, baseball bat, cleats, baseballs, basketball shorts, and basketballs! I have been talking to her about dance for a long time now, convincing her that she wanted to do it and watching her get excited about the idea. Today when she woke up she was so excited about going to dance that she asked me all morning when she could put her dance clothes on. I think she would have worn them all day if I had let her.

When the time came to finally put her dance clothes on she got so excited and told me to go get my camera so I could take pictures. So, of course I did, and she did a great job at posing.
She is going to a dance company started by some friends at church called Girls of Grace. Their goal is to not only teach the girls dance but they try to teach the girls about God, manners and how to be a lady. I'm really looking forward to seeing what all she learns this year and watching her dance!

Ashlyn's First Day of Pre-K

2009-09-08T09:48:00.000-05:00

Ashlyn is starting her last year of pre-school. It's bitter sweet. She's the last one to go to our church for "school". She's my last pre-schooler. She's the last one to stay home with me. After this year I can never say again that I am a mom of a pre-schooler. She is at my favorite age, 4! She's big but still little. She wants to be "big" like her brothers. 4 is the year they say the cutest things, like " mom, am I grounded?" me "no, just in time-out" her " man! when am I ever going to be grounded?!" me " fine, your grounded. go to your room!" her, lips puckering, tears welling up in her eyes " no fair! I don't want to go to my room. I don't like being grounded!" me " fine! then just sit in time out!". Frustrating but so cute and funny at the same time.

This year I am working at her "school" as a teacher's aid in a pre-k class. I am a little nervous about it. Not sure how I will find time for everything and never getting a break from miss priss. I planned on waiting until Ashlyn started kindergarten but they have been asking me to come back ever since I had Ashlyn and they had a position opening in a pre-k class as a teacher's aid, just the spot I wanted. I get to be with the age group I love and in a position where I don't have to plan. I can just show up, do what I'm told, and help out, all the while making some extra cash and getting half off Ashlyn's tuition. It's going to be a rough year, but hopefully I'll make it through.

Yep, this year is bitter sweet. It's a year of last time's, endings and new beginnings. It will be a year of frustrations and excitement. It will be a year of learning and loving. My last year to cuddle with her on the couch in the morning after the boys have left for school and she has woke up. My last year to teach the abc's, how to recognize, write and sounds each letter makes. My last year to get to watch her everyday all day, grow and learn and bloom into a big girl. Every time I look at her precious little face with all those beautiful freckles, cute little dimples and sweet little smile I am reminded of how much God loves me, that he gave me the daughter that I longed for, that I prayed for, pouring my heart out to God almost every day for years. What a blessing he has given me.

Boy Mom

2009-08-27T08:05:00.005-05:00

I am a boy mom. I have 2 boys. Which is weird for me, I never imagined myself with boys. Never knew anything about boys. I grew up an only child, so no brother. All of my friends in the neighborhood were girls and I didn't grow up with any boy cousins. I really feel like I'm wingin it all the time with my boys. They are a foreign world to me. I am not competitive. I don't like sports. And who likes to get dirty? Now I can relate with them on being outside. I loved to play outside as a kid, and I still like to be outside as an adult as long as it's not too hot. And I had a love for frogs, lizards and turtles! I still pull over on the side of the road if I see a turtle crawling across it. But it seems there are so many other things about boys that I don't understand. Girl drama I can handle but boy drama is weird to me. Why do boys want to get so physical with one another? Why do they pick on one another and threaten to cause harm to one another? Why would they even want to put themselves into a position that might cause themselves physical pain? All this comes to mind because the days of fighting have begun with my boys. Although I don't think they have actually gotten into a fight with someone else besides their brother, I have seen their peers fighting after school and they have talked about someone threatening them to a fight. This morning actually my younger son cried b/c a boy who I thought was his friend apparently has been picking on him. But then his older brother speaks up and tells us of some of the things his younger brother has done or said to the other boy. So it sounds to me like they have just been egging each other on. Which is weird to me b/c they used to play a lot. Boy drama. I haven't figured out yet, what questions to ask and what digging around to do to figure out the truth of situations like these. How do you catch your kids in a lie? What words do I use to teach them how they should handle these kind of life lessons? I want them to handle things well and be able to hold their heads up high and show the love of God to their friends. I know God sent these boys to me for a specific reason. I have learned a lot from them but I feel like I haven't learned enough yet. By the time they are grown and on their own, then I'll have it figured out, right? This parenting thing is hard, and for me seems even harder with boys. I pray for these boys everyday, they they will grow in the love of the lord. That they will grow into strong christian men and they they will marry strong christian women. What I haven't figured out exactly yet is how to help teach and mold them into these strong christian men I so desire them to be. So for now, I will continue to pray for them, take them to church and teach them of God's expectations and love. I will try my best to teach them to handle things as well as Christ did. And hope I make it out of this parenting boys thing alive and stronger than I was before God blessed me with them.

Off to School They Go!

2009-08-24T07:56:00.007-05:00

Today the boys are another year older, another grade higher! Justin is officially a 4th grader and Austin is officially a 2nd grader! It was the first year I didn't walk either one of them in! They both wanted to walk in by themselves. So I didn't even take them! Ashlyn was still asleep so Jeremy took them. I feel a little like I missed out on something. But really how much can I miss out on if they were just being dropped off at the front of the school? They grow up so fast! It seems just like the other day when they were both at home neither one of them were old enough to go to school yet and they were driving me crazy!! A lot like this summer. lol I have learned a lot from these boys, and they have made me grow and stretch beyond what I ever thought possible. Thanks to Justin I have 20 times more patience than I had before, and it still doesn't seem enough sometimes. And thanks to Austin he made me realize that boys can be fun. Not to say that Justin isn't fun, but he puts a lot of challenges out there for me so it takes a while longer to get to the fun with him. They are both such handsome boys and I'm proud of the accomplishments each one has made. They are both so smart and amaze me all the time! As a SAHM I'm am so excited about the first day of school but at the same time I'm going to miss the sweet hugs and "I love you" 's from Justin and I'm going to miss seeing Austin stay so busy and come up with so many fun ideas to play outside. It has been fun watching them grow and change and learn new things everyday. But for the most part, I am relieved they are at school and the amount of time-out's, spankings and groundings shrink. I think that every summer the boys alone add 5 more years to my age. And now that I think about it, I think I'm going to have a party today! Woo Hoo!! They are off to school!!!

What?????

2009-08-20T10:21:00.008-05:00

I finally got my mail yesterday! The people building the house next to me have been blocking my mailbox for almost a week and yesterday they finally didn't park in front of it! So I excitedly go and get my mail! I am thumbing through all of it, sorting out what needs to go straight to the trash and what needs to be opened. So I come to this envelope that is addressed to the parents of Justin Lloyd. It's a little odd but not too odd. We get things in the mail addressed to the parents of... but usually from our church or the kids school. This was from neither. So I open it up and read that they are extending him an invitation to travel abroad next summer with their group! My first thought is " what the heck?! He's only going to be 10!" Then my next thought is, " What has that boy been signing up for on the internet?!" A little scary. My kids play on the computer and they know just about every kids site there is out there. Everything they play is on the bookmarks and I have checked them each out and made sure they are fine for the kids. But, Justin is getting older and is more tech friendly than the other kids. There is no telling what he could have given his information to. On the other hand I thought, well, maybe he didn't give his information out, maybe somebody else gave it out. Who knows?! But who in their right mind would invite a 10 year old to travel abroad? They say it's a once in a lifetime opportunity, they only extend the invitation out once. I wonder if it's a scam? Sounds a little fishy. Hmmm. Maybe I should take them up on their offer? :) A whole summer with no bickering and fighting! Sounds to good to be true.

Just like Family

2009-08-18T07:54:00.014-05:00

I'm a little behind, but 2 weeks ago Ashlyn and I made a trip down to Austin to visit "family". I grew up an only child but my parents had some very close friends that we spent a lot of time with and every holiday was spent with them. Their friends had 2 children. Katie and Adam. Growing up with them they seem more like family than close friends. I always considered them closer than cousins but not as close as sister and brother. Kate lives in Austin now along with her mom, Rita and her brother, Adam. So while the boys in my family went to Llano the girls went to Austin for a short visit. While we were there, Kate and Rita, decided to take me to places I had never been and insisted they were wonderful places. First stop, Ikea! I have never been to Ikea. It was huge! Ashlyn loved the kids rooms and Lyla Grace loved standing in the basket. I didn't buy anything but it was fun to walk around and look at everything. Next stop, Salado. I've heard about the shopping in Salado but I have never stopped there. We always just pass it by on our way to Llano to visit Jeremy's grandparents. I did buy something there! I bought a huge, really neat cross to hang in the house. It was just what I had been looking for. There is a random picture of Ashlyn on here that she insisted I take of her while we were shopping in Salado. Hey anything to keep her occupied and not too bored during our shopping excursion. By the time we got done there we were exhausted! Shopping is tiring. While we were there Kate's brother, Adam, came for late night visit's that we couldn't stay up for. That boy has his days and nights mixed up. And her dad came for a visit. I loved hanging out with all of them and they make me feel just like family. It was nice just to catch up with everyone. Ashlyn and I can't wait for our next trip back down!

A Secret Surprise

2009-08-04T09:13:00.008-05:00

Last week, Justin, left for his second camp this summer. We decided that while he was gone we wanted to re-do his room and make it a surprise for him when he got back. It was a huge project but I was excited to do this for Justin. I think the best part about the whole week was having my very good friend and neighbor, Nicole, come and help! Painting is so much more fun when you have a friend helping you. So while we spent the week painting and touching up and shopping and hanging everything up, our kids sort of had free reign. Now we checked on them quite a bit but there was a lot of running back and forth from our house to theirs and a lot of playing in the rain since we were sort of locked up working on his room and it rained most of the week. We had one day that we couldn't do anything that threw us off of our schedule because Austin got sick with a stomach bug! That's twice this summer for him! And both times were while Grant was here. But we got it done just in time. I had visions of Justin's reaction, I was going to video his reaction when he walked into his room. I just knew he would be so excited and jump up and down and give me a great reaction that would make all of my work that week totally worth it! And I was going to share his reaction with everyone! It was going to be just as exciting for me as it was for him. Unfortunately, when we got him back Saturday night, he was sick and wasn't feeling well. I had the camera recording his reaction anyways, but it was a sad reaction. Not the one I had anticipated. Oh, well. He's better now and LOVES his new room! And I know that it made him feel special. Now I have Austin asking me when am I going to do his room, and he actually thinks that I can paint all of his walls camo!! He's got another thing coming. I'll come up with something cute for his room that has camo in it, but I don't think I'll be painting it camo. Here are the before and after pictures of Justin's room.

BEFORE

AFTER

My Stylin Girl

2009-08-03T14:47:00.004-05:00

Look at my rock star girl rockin it out after she fixed her own hair! Isn't she a great hair stylist?

A week of Heaven

2009-08-02T16:38:00.005-05:00

My oldest son, Justin, left last Saturday to go to camp with my brother-in-laws church. So when he goes with them their son, Grant, comes with us. Austin and Grant are not only cousins but best buds to the core! They have had a special bond since they were so little when we all lived next door to each other. When Grant comes to stay, Austin, thinks he is in heaven! And it's heaven for me because they keep each other pretty well entertained the entire time he is here! Since we have moved here, Austin has made a new best bud, Matthew. They spend quite a bit of time together and amazingly enough all three of them seemed to get along great while Grant was here. They had all kinds of adventures all week long! One night we tried to let them have a campout in the backyard. They made it until 10:30, then we had to pull them in b/c it looked like more storms were coming in. They loved it! Maybe we can try it again another time when there isn't so much rain in the forecast.
There was also lots of playing in the rain getting drenched with all the rain we got while he was here! I heard of all kinds of water fights. There is nothing like playing in the rain when you are a kid.

There was also a wedding on our block. Some of the older neighbor girls who like to play silly games and use their wild imaginations decided to put on a wedding. So Grant got to marry an older 11 year old woman named, Emma, this week and Ashlyn got to marry Austin's bud, Matthew. All the girls got dressed up and they performed a wedding right in their front yard. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to get any pictures of the special occasion due to Ladies night inside. I didn't have my camera with me. When Grant comes I never know what those boys will be getting into. But I love to see them together! They are soo happy when they get together! It's too bad they moved so far away. It would be nice if they could spend more time together. But for now, these couple of weeks they get together every summer is enough for them to make memories to last a lifetime. He is so lucky to have a cousin he loves so much. I never had that growing up. I always wished I could of had a brother or sister, heck I just wished I could have had a cousin I could have been friends with. And Austin has both! And I'm lovin every minute I get to see them together!

My Wondeful Talented Neighbor

2009-07-28T15:59:00.015-05:00

I have had a wonderful opportunity to have my neighbor "practice" taking pictures of my kids lately. I am so excited about all the great pictures I have now of my kids! My wonderful, very talented neighbor took these amazing pictures of my kids and I wanted to share a few of my favorites! There are soo many more that I wanted to post but I am already posting quite a few. So, here I am not only bragging on my beautiful children but my most talented neighbor! Thanks Nikki!

First Year Camper

2009-07-15T13:15:00.004-05:00

Justin took off Monday for his first time at church camp! He was so excited, and his friend Avery got to go with him! So, I loaded him up on the bus, and sent him off to what I hope will be a fantastic week! He's been gone now for 2 days and it's so weird not being able to talk to him. I want to know how he is doing and what all he has done. I want to check in with him and make sure he is taking care of his things the right way. I want to make sure that he's figured out how to get everything to the shower and not forget his towel! All of my mothering instinks are kicking in and they are being suppressed by not being able to talk to him! It's been harder on me than I ever thought it would be!I've been so ready to let go that now that it's time to start letting loose a little, it's hard!

The camp has a place on their web site where they post pictures of the campers all week and we finally found one of him and his friend getting ready to play paintball! They also have a place where you can send e-mails and the camp prints them off, gives them to the counselors and the counselors then read them out loud in front of everyone! So I was told to write something funny or embarrassing.

I am so glad that he is finally old enough to get to go do cool things and make some fun memories that he will never forget! Going to camp seems like such a vital thing for young people. It's where they can get away from home, from mom and dad, brothers and sisters, and have some time to grow. And not only grow in themselves but to grow in the spirit and learn about their christian faith. And learn responsibility with out mom and dad harping at them. Camp for me was heaven! I was an only child and home was boring and lonely. I remember going to church camp every summer and coming home begging my parents to find me a camp to go to for 2, 4, 6 weeks long! One week was never long enough.
I am also secretly hoping that camp gives him a new appreciation of me and his family. And that he comes home with a better attitude about his responsibilities. Yeah right! That would take a miracle!

Sugar and Spice and Everything Nice

2009-07-12T14:13:00.012-05:00

I can't help it but I take more pictures of Ashlyn than I do the boys. She's just too cute and it's fun to take pictures of her. But on the other hand, could you imagine the boys actually having a good time posing and taking pictures for me? They are beginning to sound like Jeremy when I mention taking pictures. It's so frustrating! I love the camera and I love taking pictures of the ones I love! So why can't the ones I love all love to get their pictures made? Ashlyn came down the stairs the other day with her tutu on and she just happened to be wearing a shirt that matched, so I ran and grabbed the camera and just started snapping away. She was having a good time and giving me all kinds of cute poses.

I thank God every day for blessing me with a daughter! I never thought I would be lucky enough to get one. Especially after I married a man that was one of four boys! I thought I was destined to have all boys. But I prayed and prayed and prayed all the time for a little girl, for a daughter that I could do fun things with since Jeremy already had boys to do manly things with. I so desperately wanted a daughter to bond with. Don't get me wrong, I love my boys but we just don't have anything in common with that we can bond over.

Ashlyn is such a fun little girl! She can be a handful at times but I seem to enjoy her more than I am frustrated with her. She's growing up so fast into a big little girl. She's been changing lately, trying to act more grown up. She is making her bed, dressing herself, brushing her own hair, accessorizing with her outfits. It's sad we are moving beyond that little girl that depended on me for everything, but it's also exciting to see her become more independant. Figuring out who she is.
Ashlyn came back from her cousin, Alli's house, and said " I sure wish I could get my ears pierced and have real earings like Alli's" and when I informed her that she would have to wait until she was five she said " but mommy that takes to long, 5 is too long" So, now she is obsessed with turning 5 and she just turned 4. Oh, my this is going to be a long year.

It is going to be fun watching this little girl grow up with two big brothers. They are making her tough, and she loves to wrestle with them. She can hold her own for sure, which usually gets her into trouble but at least she doesn't just sit there and take it. But she still has her girly side, and I am sure when she is a teenager she will love having big brothers. All those cute boys they will bring home. Oh, I can just imagine the crushes she will have.

I pray for her everyday. That God will keep her strong, that she will stay strong in her faith and that she finds a strong christian man to take care of her. As a mother, I just want the best for her. I want her to know what love is and to know the love of God. So pray for me as I help mold and shape this little girl into who God wants her to be, and that she grows up happy and healthy and into a strong Godly woman. I know God has great plans for her and plans on using her for his good. I just can't wait to see it all!