Dog Days of Summer Giveaway

Updated - This contest is now over. I will not be accepting any more comments. Please come back later to see who won. I will also be emailing all winners. Thanks for playing along!

Woohoo... it's that time already. Shannon is hosting the Dog Days of Summer Bloggy Giveaway. I figured I might as well join in and give away a couple things. They're not big but hopefully two lucky people will enjoy them!

See below for the items I'm giving away and the rules...

Hallmark Expressions Votive Holders (brand new in box)

Avon Naturals Body Wash in Peach and Raspberry

Rules...

~ You do not have to have a blog to win however you must have an email address where I can contact you.

~ You must be a U.S. resident.

~ The only way to enter is to leave a comment by Thursday night.

~ Please be clear if you would rather win the body wash or the candle holders.

~ Friday morning my boys will each pick a name out of a hat, one for the Avon and one for the candle holders.

Adventures with Boys

On Wednesday night I decided I was sick and tired of not having food in the house and went to Walmart. It was kind of crazy thinking since Jeff was at the hospital with his parents and I had all three boys by myself! Anyway, the whole shopping experience was overall pretty good. We didn't have too many issues in the store. It was outside where somehow it all went downhill...

I opened up the van and put the two older boys in. I left Jacob on the cart and started loading groceries. All of a sudden Josh yells "Seth is peeing!" I ran around the van to see Seth with his pants down to his ankles peeing out the van door. Unfortunately, I had flip flops on and stepped in it... not good! I spanked his bottom, got his pants back on and made it very clear that we never ever pee in the parking lot like that!

Later I'm telling the story and I said "I was just thanking the Lord that it didn't get on the car next to us. I would have stayed around to apologize to the people!" Josh said "Well, Seth isn't big enough to spray his pee that far but I am." I told him he better not even think about it!

Oh, the joys of living with and raising boys!!

A New Generation

About a week ago we had a potluck/preschool meeting at my friend Brooke's house. Several of us brought our families along. It was a great time of fellowship while we ate.

Then it was time to get serious and into our meeting. So the 4 guys took all 13 kids and went to another room. Three of the men are Dads and the other one hasn't had any children of his own yet. I have to tell you that they did such a good job. We only had a couple of interruptions but overall they kept them quiet and entertained. I was so proud of them and the way they handled everything! Great job Jeff, Dustin, Wes and Kenny... you guys are awesome!!

When I was growing up my Dad loved to play with us and help take care of us. Once in a while my Mom would have a girls night and Dad would keep us home. I remember a few summers when Mom went to women's camp and my Dad even did our hair! He was a truly amazing and caring Father to my sister and I. We loved hanging out with him and thought he could do no wrong!

However, some of my friends just didn't have this kind of relationship with their fathers. The Moms did most everything for them and that's just the way it was. Dad's just didn't take the time for their kids.

I've also heard my husband and my Mom talk about their Dads. That generation was completely different. They were seriously in the mind frame of "children are to be seen and not heard!" Dads just didn't spend quality time with their kids.

Now I look around and see Dads (and Grandpas) in the mall, at church, on playgrounds, at school... I could go on and on. It makes my heart so glad when I see these Dads playing with their children, teaching them lessons and tenderly showing direction in these little lives. What a great way to show our children God's love in action!

So Dads, thank you for all your hard work! We couldn't do it without you guys!!

Cool new giveaway...

Kelley is doing a fun giveaway over at her blog. You only have until tonight at 10:00 to get in on it.

What are you still doing here?? Get over there and get registered already!!

Being content

Lately I don't know if I have the baby blues or what. I've decided that I should make a list of things that are getting me down and then try and see the positive in each of them. Maybe it will help me to be a little more content and thankful for my life!

Negative ~ Medical Bills

My prayer ~ Thank you God for providing me with health insurance that at least covers most of the cost. Also, thank you for providing the doctors to care for my family!


Negative ~ Kids driving me nuts

My Prayer ~ Thank you Lord for giving me these wonderful gifts. Some women may never get the chance to experience having their own children. Please give me the strength and wisdom to raise them the way you would want!


Negative ~ Summer Heat

My prayer ~ Thanks God for giving me a home and car with AC so I can keep my family cool!


Negative ~ Rude People

My prayer ~ Lord, please help me to remember that you created each of us and you love us all the same. Help me be patient with those around me and always show your love!


I'm feeling much better already! What's getting you down lately??

Seth's Birthday Pictures...

Here are the pictures from Seth's Birthday Party that I promised. Let me explain that it was a cowboy party so some of the pics make sense. He had an absolute blast and so did we!

The Birthday Boy with his cake

This is a rocking horse my Uncle made for him

We're talking human hair, a real saddle and fur to make it more real

His cake said "Happy Birthday Cowboy!"

Yummy cake and ice cream!

Hitting the pinata in the backyard

Checking out his new bath toy with Natalie

Our Melting Pot Date

Way back in April Shalee asked us to join her in the Sadie Hawkin's Date Night. I told her I would willing participate since I already had a date planned that same night.

We went to the melting pot with my BIL and SIL. It was a celebration of our 7th Anniversary and their 8th. What a fun and exciting night for us. We also did our personal goodbye gifts that night since we knew they would be leaving soon for South East Asia as missionaries.

Here are a few of the pictures I took that night. I'm so glad we got to spend that time with them before they left. What wonderful memories we made!!

Jeff and I getting cozy in the booth

Jon and Tina getting in some snuggle time, too

Mmmmm, sure looks tasty

Hey... no public displays of affection you two!!

Happy Birthday Seth

Seth turned 3 last Friday and I wanted to write a post about him. Unfortunately I never got around to it with all the party planning and birthday stuff going on. He is an amazing child and I thought it would be fun if I just listed some words that pop in my head when I think of him...

1. Energetic
2. Fun
3. Loving
4. Sweet
5. Mischievous
6. Silly
7. Imaginative
8. Happy
9. Friendly
10. Ornery

Just an example of our life with Seth. The other night we told the boys to get their PJ's on and head to bed. Here's the conversation we then had with Seth...

Seth ~ "I had a dream."
Daddy ~ "Oh yeah, what was your dream?"
Seth ~ "The angel told me to watch a movie before bed."
Me ~ "Wow, he did, huh?"
Seth ~ "He did tell me that!"
Daddy ~ "Did he have a name?"
Seth ~ "The angel's name is George Bush."

It was all I could do from rolling on the floor laughing! He's is so silly and has such an imagination these days!!

I'll post some pics from the party in the next post :-)

Adventures In Nursing...

It's been such a joy to nurse my third child. The first two just never got it but Jacob just seems to have no problem. I just love feeding him and looking at his precious face! It's amazing that God created such a special bond between a Mommy and her baby!

Here's where it gets interesting though... Josh and Seth! It's been funny to see their reactions to the whole nursing thing. I don't try to hide any of it from them because I don't want them to feel like it's a secret or naughty thing. It's just a wonderful and natural part of life and one day they'll understand that.

Here's a conversation I had with Josh (almost 6) recently...

Josh ~ Wait a minute!
Me ~ What?
Josh ~ You mean to tell me that both of those things work?!
Me ~ Yeah.
Josh ~ Ugh, I thought only one of them worked!

He just cracks me up some days!!

Lots going on...

I feel like it's been forever since I posted anything on here. I'm so sorry! I've been busy taking care of three kids, a house and a husband which is more important.

Today is the two week mark since Jacob was born. It's already going too fast! We're both doing great and haven't had to make too many adjustment in the house. Seth and Josh are great big brothers and just want to love on him for the most part. We just have to remind them of how small he is still. I know they are just trying to figure it all out for themselves!

Here are some pictures of what's been going on...

Here Jacob is at about 8 days old

This is him getting washed up. Not his first bath but just washing up.

He loves laying in his boppy all snuggled up

Big Brothers in the hospital bed with him

Josh's shirt says "biggest brother" and Seth's says "big brother."
Thanks Grandma for those cute shirts!

Caught Seth trying to sneak strawberries out of the fridge...
not sure where his pants were??

It's A Boy!!

It's a boy and he's finally here!!

Jacob Austin
June 5th at 1:23pm
7 lbs 13oz

He surprised us all with his weight! We were expecting around 6 lbs.

He's a very good baby and is doing great already!!

His brothers sure are having a blast with him...

No Baby Yet

Well, I still haven't gone into labor. I know what you're thinking... "Well your due date isn't until the end of June!" Now to some of you that may seem about right but I'm spoiled. With both boys I had them 3-4 weeks early and got used to it. I'm getting to the point where they were born and am getting impatient. I know it will happen in God's timing but I'm getting anxious!

Please pray for my patience... not that God would teach me patience because I learned my lesson when praying that prayer :-) But that God would provide me with patience! I'm getting hot and tired and just want to be done. I can't wait to meet this new little guy!!

I know several of you have asked and no we still don't have a name for him yet. For some reason we just can't get it together and choose the name! I think maybe we're all going to be surprised!!

Any ideas?

We would really like to have this baby on May 29th. It just seems to fit our schedule and works out well with the other birthdays in the family. Seth is June 29th and Josh is July 29th, so see it would just flow. My doctor already said if I went into labor she's on call that day and would not stop me. So we're looking into ideas on how to get labor started. I've been having contractions for the last few weeks but nothing that's the real deal. If anyone has any ideas leave them in the comment section. Can't wait to hear what you've got to say!!

Ain't no probably about it!

Yesterday we were driving along and the boys were listening to the Kindergarten Bible CD we have. A song about Noah's ark came on. It's goes something like this...

"Who built the Ark? Noah, Noah. Who built the Ark? Brother Noah built the Ark."

All of a sudden from the back seat I hear Josh say "There ain't no probably about it... Noah did build the Ark!"

I started cracking up laughing. He thought where the song said "Brother Noah built the ark" that it really said "Probably Noah built the Ark." He doesn't play around with his Bible stories people!!

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

This morning as he was walking into class I heard his teacher ask if he had done the pledge yet. He said no and she said "you're on this morning." So I stuck around to hear him. He got to go to the principals office and say the pledge over the PA system for the whole school to hear. There were two other kids saying it with him but of course I only heard him :-)

Crazy Accident

Earlier today my Mom, sister, the boys and I were all driving down the freeway. All of a sudden my Mom is slamming on the breaks and my sister lets out this awful yell. I wasn't sure if we were going to hit another car or what was happening. It really scared me. Then I saw it... a man in a small SUV had rolled right off the the freeway at lease three times my Mom said. The SUV then started just rocking back and forth in the middle of the freeway until it came to a complete stop. When we got up to where it was you could tell the man had hit his head on the front window and looked to be unconsious at that point.

Unfortunately, we were unable to stop and assist him because of the lane we were in and the fact that we were on the way to a doctors appointment that was pretty serious. Several others jumped out and were headed over to help the man.

My boys were very upset about what they had seen and I could tell they wanted to do something. I asked them if they wanted to each say a prayer and they said yes. Here's how they prayed...

Josh (almost 6) "Dear Jesus, please be with that poor man who just had that horrible accident on the freeway. Bring the paramedics to help him right away. Amen."

Seth (almost 3) "Dear God, please take care of the guy who crashed. Help him with his fishing pole. Make him better. Get the police. Help him get back to the road. Jesus name, Amen."

Now, I'm not sure where the fishing pole part comes in but it was important for him to mention that to God and I didn't question it. It's amazing how they pray and how they say whatever is on their little hearts!! I'm glad God listens and hears all of our prayers... big and small!!

Is it the heat or what??

Several things I've noticed since the heat started rising around here...

~ I'm loosing my patience with my children more often than usual

~ My boys are eating like crazy

~ I can't get enough ice in my cup to satisfy my cravings

~ I can't stop thinking about how good Cherry Lime-aids are

Have you guys been noticing changes along with the summer weather??

Things I want to do meme...

Brooke has tagged me for another meme. It's all about things I want to do before my life is over. They can be big or small. So here goes...

1. White Water Rafting
2. Go on a cruise
3. Visit Hawaii
4. Take the family to Disney World
5. Learn a new language (it would probably be Spanish)
6. See Seth and the new baby accept Christ as their Saviour
7. Do something unexpected and shock everyone!
8. Read more
9. Trust more
10. Not worry so much about what others think of me
11. Loose 30 pounds and keep it off
12. Help hurting children... not sure exactly how yet
13. Own my own successful business

Some of these probably seem really weird to you but I guess that's all I could come up with.

If you haven't done this one yet, consider yourself tagged for it!!

Praying for my Mother-n-law

Today was my Mother-n-law's gamma knife procedure. She came through it without any problems. Now we'll just have to wait and see what God has planned. We're praying that it will help her facial muscles, swallowing, eating and breathing. Thank you all for your continued prayers for our whole family! We know God has a plan for what's happening!!

Happy Birthday Mom

I wanted to give you a shout-out yesterday Mom but didn't get a chance.
Hope your birthday was wonderful and lots of fun!!

Happy Mother's Day

I've been trying to decide what to write about my Mom. There were a few things that popped into my head and I think I'll share. First of all, my Mom is a blast to be around! When we were growing up we always had fun and laughter in our home. Don't get me wrong, we had our very serious moments and it wasn't all fun and games. Everyone learned to pitch in and help out.

One thing I can think of is a saying she used to use... "I will trust you until you give me a reason not to. When you break that trust, you will have to work hard to earn it back." It really made me stop and think when I had to make a choice in life. Not only would I have to live with the consequences of my actions but I knew my Mom would be disappointed. Plus, it taught me to trust those around me.

Another thing I remember is talking with her about whether or not God was God and why we believed what we do. I accepted Christ as my Saviour at the age of 5. I grew up in church and around Christians but as kids do at some point, I questioned our Faith. I remember her saying "I believe with my whole heart that God is very real and His son died on the cross to save us. If I get to the end of my life and find out that it was all for nothing, then what have I really lost? I've been a great person, followed rules, treated others well, had Faith in something I couldn't see and just lived life with a wonderful perspective. I have absolutely no doubt about what we believe though!" That was powerful for me and I don't think I've questioned it since!

One other thing I remember is her love and heart for others. No matter what others were dealing with, she was there! She is an excellent listener and gives wonderful advice. However, if you choose not to take her advice she is never offended and continues to pray for the situation.

Now that I watch her with my kids I'm amazed all over again. She's never too busy to get on the floor and play or run around in the grass with them. She takes time to listen to their stories. Reads as many books as they can listen to. Talks with them about Jesus. Helps with the purchases of their clothes, shoes and overall needs without me ever asking. Watches them so we can have date nights once in a while and never expects anything in return!

I'm sure you can tell but I think she's one special Mom and I can't imagine living life without her by my side!! Thank you Mom for all you do for me and all those around you!!

Tagged for a Meme... 7 things about me

Shalee was chasing me and I couldn't get away fast enough. She caught me and tagged me for this meme. Hope you enjoy reading a little more about me...

1. I have never put any kind of coloring in my hair! It totally scares me to think about what could happen to my blonde hair!!

2. I never thought I would have three boys... ever... in... my... life!! I always dreamed of having girls. Don't get me wrong... I love my boys!!

3. Growing up my nicknames were Snuggle-Bug, Curious George, Stace, and Stacer-Dacer.

4. I can touch my tongue to my nose. Maybe someday I'll actually post a pic of this : )-

5. It just hit me the other day that my husband and I have been together for 10 years. Married for 7 of them!

6. I love Mexican food and could probably eat it every day of the week!

7. The other day I decided to try on my pre-pregnancy capri pants. I tried on two pairs and actually got them buttoned. I'm not saying it wasn't tight. Plus, I would never actually wear them like that but I got them on people!! Hopefully that's a good sign that I'll be back in them quickly after the pregnancy is over.

Now I'm supposed to tag some friends to play along... Jennifer, Brooke, Boomama, Jodi and Holy Mama.

My friend Julie already posted 34 wonderful things for her birthday. Happy Birthday Julie!!

Say What??

The other day I heard my almost 3 year old saying something when he got upset...
"Dand it!"

I asked him what he had said and he gladly repeated it "Dand it!"

He was saying "Dang it!"

I then realized that I had let it slip out a few days before that and hoped he hadn't caught it.

Seriously, they are always listening, aren't they??

50 days to go...

Did you see that? Did you see the little pregnancy ticker at the top?? It says only 50 days to go!!

I'm really hoping it doesn't take that long but 50 days doesn't really seem that bad!!

I wanted to update and let everyone know that I saw the endocrinologist yesterday. He said my levels are off but not bad enough that he wants to treat me right now. In fact, treating me at this point could put the baby at more risk than not treating me. He did say he wouldn't be surprised if I end up with Graves disease or Hoshimoto's after giving birth. I also have a goiter on my thyroid that he wants to ultrasound after I've delivered.

I'm not real worried about it because I know it's in God's hands! In fact, I'm praying that maybe the whole thing will amazingly go away after I deliver the baby!!

Updates

Just wanted to take a minute and update everyone on a few things...

~ Jeff's Mom is seeing a doctor today to talk about the feeding tube they will be putting in. Please pray for her in this area. She's very uncomfortable with the idea but I think it's the best thing they can do for her right now.

~ I saw my OB today and we talked about all the contractions I've been having. She checked me and thank goodness I have not started dilating yet! She just wants me to keep an eye on it and take it easy.

~ The endocrinologist's office called and said there was a cancellation and they could get me in tomorrow morning at 10:15. That's an answer to prayer because they originally said it would be June 6th before I could get in!

~ My little sister is back in the hospital with her thyroid condition and graves disease! Her heart rate was up as high as the 140's! They have finally gotten it down around 110 today. They ordered a new kind of treatment that includes potassium and iodine and will last for about 24 hours. She will have to stay in the hospital until she's doing better overall. Please pray for her!!

Cool Mommy Contest and Giveaway!

Addie sent me over to this site where they are giving away all kinds of cool prizes for Moms!! Go check it out and see if there's anything you're interested in participating in! Top prize includes an ipod nano and some chocolate. Sounds pretty cool if you ask me!!

Stepping out in Faith and Watching God Provide

I'm not sure if I have mentioned it or not but we're in the middle of a building/giving campaign at Church. It's been an awesome experience to see God working in people's lives! Last week we had a Church leadership event. Each of the leaders were asked to prayerfully consider giving big and stepping out in Faith, trusting God will continue to provide. Jeff and I felt called to a certain amount and we went with it. It is going to be a stretch but we know when God calls you to give you better do it! We can never out give Him!!

Earlier this week the air conditioner in my van went out. Let me just tell you that no AC at the beginning of summer in AZ is NOT a good thing! A friend suggested we call the dealership and see what kind of warranty we still have. I hadn't even thought of that because we bought the van used from a private party not the dealership. So Jeff called and they said "Yes, you're still covered up to 60,000 miles!" We took it in on Tuesday and they not only fixed the AC but several other things as well. The total we had to pay at pick up... $00.00. Isn't God good??

Also, this week our freezer stopped producing ice and was making a horrible noise. Again, ice is very important here in AZ. Especially being pregnant... I have to have lots of ice in my drink! We talked about it and decided that we probably didn't still have a warranty on it since we bought it in 2005 but Jeff called to check anyway. We found out that we have a warranty until 2010! They are coming out at the start of next week to fix it for us. The cost will be... $00.00!

I'm so amazed that God is providing. I know I shouldn't be because He's never let us down before. I'm convinced it's because we stepped out in faith and trusted Him!!

Okay People, Let's Name This Baby...

That's right, we still don't know what to name this new little baby boy!

I remember when I was pregnant with our first son, Joshua. We just knew that was his name and we called him that for months before he was born. It was so exciting!

When I was pregnant with Seth we just couldn't decide. His name was going to be Benjamin or Bradley. Then after he was born I couldn't make up my mind. I remember someone from the hospital calling our room and saying "You do realize if you want to take this baby home today we have to know his name." I just laughed at them. Somehow the name Seth came up and it stuck.

This time I just can't figure it out. We've started a pattern that now we can't break though. All of our names either start with 'J' or 'S'. If that's not bad enough we all have a middle name that starts with 'A'. It wasn't until the other day it hit me that all of our middle names end with 'N'. What were we thinking??

So here are the names we're considering and I'd like to take a vote.
First Name...
~ Jacob
~ Joseph (Joey)
~ Jordan
~ Jesse

Middle Name...
~ Aiden
~ Arthur (after my Dad)
~ Andrew
~ Austin

So leave your vote in the comment section. If you have any other ideas feel free to leave them as well. I can't wait to see what everyone thinks!!

Baby Update...

I thought I would give everyone another baby update. Yep, it's been another month already! I saw my PA yesterday. As you can see by the ticker above, I'm 31 weeks and 1 day. I feel pretty good and have only gained 11 pounds total. My doctor said the baby seemed to be head-down. The heart beat was in the 150's.

I did however find out that my thyroid counts are all messed up again, indicating hyperthyroidism. She want me to see a specialist soon. Also, she said it would be nice if I could have another ultrasound to make sure everything looks great with baby. I see my regular OB next Thursday and we'll see what she thinks about the whole thing.

Pray for baby and I as we go through these next few weeks of pregnancy!! I'll keep you updated.

Birthday Meme...

I found this fun and interesting meme on Kelley's Blog...

Go to Wikepedia.com and enter your birthday (month and day only)

List 3 Important Events that occurred this date...
~ 1976 - British Pound falls below $2 U.S. for the first time
~ 1991 - Iraq releases all Gulf War prisoners
~ 2006 - Three 6 Mafia become the first African-American hip-hop group to win and Academy Award and play at the ceremony.

List 3 Births that took place on this date...
~ Marsha Warfield - American Actress (I only remember her from reruns of Night Court)
~ Teena Marie - American Singer (Don't know if I actually know any of her songs)
~ Jake Lloyd - American Actor (Played in Star Wars Episode 1 as Anakin Skywalker)

List 3 Deaths that took place on this date...
~ John Belushi - American Actor
~ Richard Kuklinski - American Hit Man "The Iceman"
~ Patsy Cline - American Singer

List 1 Observance or Holiday that takes place on this date...
~ Learn from Lie Feng Day in China

Tag a few friends to play along...
~ Jodi
~ Jen
~ Brooke

So long, Goodbye, See ya later, Until next time...

How do you say goodbye? Today was one of the hardest days of my life. Yep, it was the day I had to say goodbye to my sister-n-law. It was tough saying goodbye to my BIL, Jon and the four kids but it was especially hard to say goodbye to Tina! We have been sisters now for 7 years and we've become best friends! I don't know how many times we've been told we're like Lucy and Ethel.

I know God has called them to reach the people in South East Asia and I know He has a plan for their lives! I'm trusting Him to watch over them and protect them as they start this new journey! I'm reminded of a couple verses...

Mark 16:15 ~ Go into all the world and teach the good news to all creation.

What a wonderful example of following God's orders as Christians. I know He doesn't call each of us to go into all the world because some of us are just called to go into our own neighborhoods. He has a plan for each of our lives.

Genesis 31:49 ~ May the Lord watch between you and me when we are absent from one another.

I actually found a really cool necklace that says this verse. It's like those friendship necklaces that split in the middle. I kept half and she took the other half as a reminder of our friendship and the love the Lord has for each of us.

Please be in prayer for them as they follow God's calling! We trust that He is going to use them in a mighty way to reach people that don't know Him!!

Win a purse contest...

I know all of you ladies love purses out there! While I was at Shalee's today I found this little bit of info about a contest to win a purse. Go here, check it out and enter to win. We'll see who the lucky girl will be!

Updates...

Well, I've got some updates on things that were going on around here...

Josh saw the orthopedic specialist and they said everything is completely normal. He's just got the brains and wants to be an inside kid. It doesn't really matter how he's running and eventually he'll decide whether or not it's important to be involved in sports. The only thing they saw was that he's flat-footed and double jointed. Praise God nothing is seriously wrong!

My MIL saw her oncologist on Thursday and got some good news and bad news. The good news is the top half of the tumor has not grown since the last MRI. The bad news is the bottom half has. That is why she is talking so weird right now, having such a hard time swallowing and her face is drooping. The want to do a gamma knife radiation treatment to see what will happen. They are tentatively planning that for Thursday of this week. Pray that all will go well with that.

The Goodbye party was a big hit. The weather was so beautiful... must be because I prayed about it all week! We had a great turn out of 50 adults and 33 kids. We had a chest set-up for cards and donations and people were very loving and generous in their giving! I don't know if I have permission to say how much was raised but it was a nice amount! We can't wait to see what God is going to do through them in South East Asia in the coming years!!

Well, that's about it for now. Hopefully I'll have time to post more this week. I have a few things planned but just have to find that camera/computer connector thing!

Not what I wanted to blog about but oh well...

I really wanted to do a post about Josh loosing his first tooth but I can't find the camera cord thingie that you use to download them from your camera to your computer.

So we'll just go with this silly story that popped in my head this morning. When we were first married we lived in an upstairs apartment. It wasn't super nice but it was home and at that point we didn't really care.

One night while cooking dinner I saw a tail sticking out from under one of the cabinets. I freaked out and screamed. Jeff came running in and here's the conversation we had...

Me ~ "There was a huge tail sticking out right there."

Him ~ "Oh, you found our pet lizard, huh?"

Me ~ "Pet lizard... are you insane? You knew that thing was living in here and you didn't say anything or try and get him out?"

Him ~ "Well, I just figured he wasn't really hurting anything so he could stay."

Me ~ "It needs to go like now! You have to catch it and get it out of here!!"

Him ~ Tries for a while and then says "I can't get to him right now but he'll be out as soon as I can find him."

Me ~ "Fine!!"

The next morning I get done with my shower and grab my towel. I start drying off and then all of a sudden that stupid lizard jumped off into the shower. He was hanging out on my towel!! I screamed and all but there were no conversations to be had because Jeff had already left for work. You better believe I called him though and told him all about it.

Well, I trapped him under a box and taped it to the floor. Jeff took care of him when he got home and we never saw that thing again!

Let me just make it clear... we will never have a "pet lizard" in our home!!

I can't keep up any longer...

I just feel like my life is going crazy!! Here's a few of the things rolling around in my head today...

First of all, I want everyone reading to know I do like men. That last post was not something I personally wrote but was an email I got and thought was funny! Sorry to any men (Wes) out there that I may have offended :-)

The next thing is the departure of my BIL and SIL to South East Asia. They leave in two weeks... two weeks people!! Can you imagine all the stuff we're trying to cram into the next two weeks?? We've got a goodbye party on Saturday. I still need to do all the shopping for that! We're also trying to figure out how to celebrate four of our kid's birthdays before they take off. What would you do if you had only two weeks left with someone special in your life??

Also, I know I mentioned Josh's feelings about school lately. I took him to the doctor last Wednesday and they took blood and did x-rays. He was pretty brave about it. The funny part was, he thought the vile that held the blood was the needle that would draw the blood... can you imagine? The test results came back and he has a high level of red blood cells and his soft tissue is swollen. They are sending us to a Orthopedic specialist as the next step. We also have to find a pediatric psychologist so we can talk about his anxiety issues. Pray that we can get to the bottom of all of this soon!

My MIL is still not doing well. Although she was up and at our house on Saturday to celebrate Easter with us. I can't believe she's still getting around with as much pain as she's having. She will have an MRI done on Wednesday and the results will be back Thursday. We are all waiting to see what it shows. I think we all kind of know what to expect but we're not trying to get ahead of God. He knows what the future holds for her and all of us!!

Oh yeah, and my thyroid levels are off again this month. My doctor is concerned and wants me to retest so we know what's going on. So far I've had two bad tests and one normal one. I can't figure out what's going on : )

Also, today is my Grandpa's birthday so I wanted to say "Happy Birthday Grandpa!!"

This was probably all really boring but I just had to get it out... this is my place to say what I need to say, right??

Training for Men...

Fall Classes for men...
Registration must be completed by Monday August 6 , 2007
Note: due to the complexity and difficulty level of their contents, class sizes will be limited to 8 participants maximum.

Classes begin Monday, August 20 , 2007

Class 1 ~ How To Fill Up The Ice Cube Trays
Step by Step, with Slide Presentation.
Meets 4 weeks, Monday and Wednesday for 2 hours beginning at 7:00 PM.

Class 2 ~ The Toilet Paper Roll -- Does It Change Itself?
Round Table Discussion.
Meets 2 weeks, Saturday 12:00 for 2 hours.

Class 3 ~ Is It Possible To Urinate Using The Technique Of Lifting The Seat and
Avoiding The Floor, Walls and Nearby Bathtub?
Group Practice.
Meets 4 weeks, Saturday 10 :00 PM for 2 hours.

Class 4
Fundamental Differences Between The Laundry Hamper and The Floor.
Pictures and Explanatory Graphics.
Meets Saturday at 2:00 PM for 3 weeks.

Class 5 ~ After Dinner Dishes - Can They Levitate and Fly Into The Kitchen Sink?
Examples on Video.
Meets 4 weeks, Tuesday and Thursday for 2 hours beginning at 7 :00 PM.

Class 6 ~ Loss Of Identity -- Losing The Remote To Your Significant Other.
Help Line Support and Support Groups.
Meets 4 Weeks, Friday and Sunday 7:00 PM.

Class 7 ~ Learning How To Find Things -- Starting With Looking In The Right Places And Not Turning The House Upside Down While Screaming.
Open Forum .
Monday at 8:00 PM, 2 hours.

Class 8 ~ Health Watch -- Bringing Her Flowers Is Not Harmful To Your Health.
Graphics and Audio Tapes.
Three nights; Monday, Wednesday, Friday at 7:00 PM for 2 hours.

Class 9 ~ Real Men Ask For Directions When Lost -- Real Life Testimonials.
Tuesday at 6:00 PM Location to be determined.

Class 10 ~ Is It Genetically Impossible To Sit Quietly While She Parallel Parks?
Driving Simulations.
4 weeks, Saturday noon, 2 hours.

Class 11 ~ Learning to Live --- Basic Differences Between Mother and Wife.
Online Classes and role-playing .
Tuesday at 7:00 PM, location to be determined.

Class 12 ~How to be the Ideal Shopping Companion
Relaxation Exercises, Meditation and Breathing Techniques.
Meets 4 weeks, Tuesday and Thursday for 2 hours ! Beginning at 7:00 PM.


Class 13 ~ How to Fight Cerebral Atrophy -- Remembering Birthdays, Anniversaries and Other Important Dates and Calling If You're Going To Be Late.
Cerebral Shock Therapy Sessions and Full Lobotomies Offered .
Three nights; Monday, Wednesday, Friday at 7:00 PM for 2 hours.

Class 14 ~ The Stove/Oven -- What It Is and How It Is Used.
Live Demonstration.
Tuesday at 6:00 PM, location to be determined.

Upon completion of any of the above courses, diplomas will be issued
to the survivors.

Off to the Zoo

Not much to say except that we're headed to the Wildlife Zoo on a field trip today. The teacher, the assistant, 29 kindergarten kids and seriously 20 parent volunteers! This class has some great parents that want to be involved. I was shocked when I first saw the list. In fact, there are so many parents that want to help that we can't ride the bus with our kids because there's not enough room. Isn't that wonderful? I think it's great that parents are showing so much of an interest in their kid's lives!

Anyway, when we're done, I'll have to come back and post some pictures! I'm sure it's going to be a beautiful day outside. Our weather has been so nice lately!!

Hope you all have a wonderful adventure planned today, too!!

Happy Anniversary Honey!

Sunday was our 7th Anniversary! We didn't really do much to celebrate because we have two little ones now and you know how that goes. However, in a couple weeks we will be heading to the Melting Pot to celebrate with my BIL and SIL. They will celebrate 8 wonderful years together!

I had something special in my mind about what I would say to Jeff and how I would tell him I love him more now than ever before. I was going to use some kind of silly metaphor like "life is a puzzle and he's the piece that completed me." Now all of that sounds a little silly and all.

So anyway Honey, I love you very much! I'm so glad God gave me such a wonderful husband and I can't imagine life without you!!

Lots going on...

We've got lots going on right now...

First of all, I know I mentioned my MIL last week and the fact that she has been fighting cancer for a while. Yesterday she started having more complications and is not doing well. Her blood pressure has been extremely high, she's vomiting, is numb on the left side of her face and has severe head pain. It really doesn't sound very good. So if you could please say a prayer for her and the family today... I would really appreciate it!! I thought I would attach a picture so you would know who you were praying for...



Second, I did see my doctor again yesterday and she said all looks great. We heard the baby's heart beat loud and clear. She said as far as she's concerned I'm probably going to go a few weeks early and have another small baby... Fine with me : )

Third, I have a son who does not want to go to Kindergarten and thinks I'm a horrible Mom for making him! I know he's got lots going on in his little life right now with a new baby and Grandma and all but I don't know what to do with him! Pray that he will figure it out in his little heart and mind and be prepared for the weeks and months to come!!

Shaving 101

So a couple weeks ago we had the girl's night out for my birthday. Somehow we got on the topic of shaving our legs and armpits! I know it might seem weird but whatever! Here's what we talked about...

How often we shave your legs...

How often we shave your armpits...

I know I've got to put my answer out there for everyone who will read this. So, I shave my legs once every 4 or 5 days. I know that might seem gross but really my hair doesn't grow that fast! I shave my armpits every other day. Seriously, it just doesn't grow that fast!!

My sister-n-law shaves her legs and armpits every single day!

My sister shaves her legs every couple days and her armpits every day!

My Mom can go about as long as I can or longer with both.

So now the question we all need to know... how often do you shave??

Did you see that?

Did you see I only have 98 days left of this pregnancy?? Since it's getting closer we did the family tradition where we each take guesses on date, height, weight and time of day. We did it with both of the other boys so we had to keep it going.

With Josh my husband guessed 4 weeks early and we all laughed. He won!

With Seth I guessed 3 1/2 weeks early and we all laughed. I won!

So this time we'll see who comes in closest. It was fun to have the boys take guesses though...

Seth's favorite # right now is 2, it must be because he's 2 1/2. So when we asked him the date he said "June 2." Height "2 inch." Weight "2 pound." Time "2 o'cwock." (His words, not mine)

Then Josh took his guesses and at the end said "Oh, oh let's guess what his name will be!"

I had to explain that they don't come out with their name stamped on their bottom or with a tag around their neck. We have to give him his name. Although at this point it might just be easier if God could work that out for me!!

Saying Goodbye...

In just a few short weeks we will say goodbye to my brother-n-law, sister-n-law and their four young kids. They will be leaving for the mission field in South East Asia! As much as we are excited for the new journey God will be putting them on, we're very sad that we won't see them for 4 years!

It's been a tough couple of weeks as we start the goodbye process. Josh keeps asking if maybe they made a mistake and it's only 4 months instead of 4 years. I think he's really starting to understand the fact though because he's said "So I'll be almost 10 when we see them again?" Another hard thought is that they won't get to meet our new son until he's 4 years old!

I know God has given them this special gift in their heart to serve Him in ways I can never imagine. I don't think I could leave me home and family to move clear across the world and work in a country that I don't know anything about. I am so proud of them for taking this leap of faith and trusting God to take care of them! I think they are amazing people!!

We will be having a goodbye party for them in April. I'm sure there will be lots of laughing, crying and hugging going on! Please pray that God will soften all of our hearts as we prepare to say goodbye. Please pray for our kids because this is going to shake up their world!

Probably the hardest part has been the fact that my mother-n-law has cancer and isn't doing well. We can't tell what part of the process she's in exactly but she is in hospice care now. Things just don't seem good as far as we can tell. So it's been hard to have to deal with all the emotions that come with that along with the thought of them possibly not being here when she passes away!

My New Excuse...

A couple weeks ago Josh's teacher called and asked if I planned on letting Josh go on the upcoming field trip with the class. I guess I forgot to turn in the paperwork and money (big surprise). I told the teacher I was very sorry and brought the money that day when picking him up. I also explained that she just got my son at a very weird time since I'm pregnant and can't remember anything!

When I explained this to my sister-n-law she however didn't fall for it. She said "Well, what will your excuse be next year?"

I really do think pregnancy makes you loose part of your mind. So I've decided from now on in this pregnancy when I do something dumb or out of the ordinary I'm just going to look people right in the eye and say "I'm sorry, I seem to be suffering from a mild case of pregnancy." I really think it just might work!

Another thought that has me worried is my friend Amy at church thinks mothers with three boys go crazy at some point in life! I talked with her again on Saturday in church and she assured me that I would never be one of these moms. I'm know she was just trying to make me feel better though. Will I really go crazy??

It's All About Me

Well, shouldn't it be on your birthday?? Yesterday was my 26th birthday but I didn't get around to posting anything so now I'll just post 26 interesting facts about me...

1. I've never tasted alcohol in my life

2. I've always wanted to go white water rafting

3. I don't like hot dogs

4. I once had two boys fight (like physically fight) over me... what an ego booster, huh?

5. I cheated on tests several times in the 4th grade and felt really guilty about it!

6. I've never gotten an F in my life

7. I got a D once in the 7th grade because my attitude was horrible

8. My first kiss was at 14

9. My last kiss was this morning when my hubby left for work : )-

10. I've never cut my hair shorter than a bob

11. I've never once put any coloring in my hair

12. I love cooking and baking and dream someday of doing catering

13. I grew up wanting to be a teacher

14. I love my DVR because I hate commercials

15. My favorite drink is Iced Tea or water with lemon

16. When I go to the movies I think it would be really cool if one of the managers came up and asked to see my ticket... then I would whip it out and make them feel really dumb (don't ask)

17. I don't eat eggs

18. I fall asleep much easier when the TV is on

19. I love driving my mini van... makes me feel like a real Mommy : )

20. People usually think I'm either 20 years old because I look young or they think I'm 30 because I'm so settled in life already.

21. The only veggies I will eat... carrots, celery, corn, green beans and sometimes bell peppers

22. I love hanging out with my family

23. I can say the Pledge of Allegiance in English and Spanish

24. I've always loved children and pictured having lots of them

25. My Mom has always called me a frustrated perfectionist and I totally agree!

26. I am now the age that my husband was when we got married : )

Not real interesting but at least it's 26 things, right??

Taste Buds

Last week I picked Josh up from school and he asked me what taste buds were and why we even have them. I explained and I guess he liked my answer because he then added this...

"Did you know your eyes have look buds?"

"Did you know your ears have hear buds?"

"Did you know your mouth has talk buds?"

"Did you know your hands have touch buds?"

"Did you know your nose has smell buds?"

I was just cracking up laughing by the end of his little explanation... He's a nut!!

Baby Update

I thought I would update everyone on my progress. I saw the doctor yesterday and she said the baby and I are both doing great! His little heart beat is very strong, in the 160's. She's said "that's one hyper little boy!" Not what I wanted to hear : )

I have been experiencing braxton hicks which she said is fine but wants me to keep a close eye on. At the end of April I'll be at 31 weeks which is when most women start visiting every two weeks but she's going to have me come in every week. She wants to watch me closely since I delivered the other boys early.

I asked about my weight gain and she said I've gained a whopping 3.6 pounds the whole pregnancy! I don't mind that at all. I know the next couple months are when I'll probably gain more since that's when the baby will really start adding weight! I guess it pays to get really sick with morning sickness in the beginning and loose some of those already unwanted pounds!

I'm getting very excited and have started doing a few things in the baby room. Can't wait to start painting and getting the crib set-up! I'll have to post pictures when I'm done.

I think for some reason I'm already nesting because I have been organizing and cleaning all week long!! I can't help myself!!

We're finally there!!

After lots and lots of time spent in the bathroom and using the potty seat... We're there!!

Seth has been wearing his big boy undies for three days straight without any accidents at all (even through nap time). It's amazing and I can't believe he's doing so good.

I'm very excited that he's got it down before baby #3 gets here! What a blessing!

Feeling violated at my own house

I feel I like I just can't keep up with this blog but I'm trying to post when I can...

Yesterday morning we went out to get in our van and I realized something wasn't right. I asked my husband if he had gotten into the van that morning or the night before for anything. He said he hadn't been in there for a couple days. Someone had come up on our driveway, opened our van, and looked through all our private stuff in the glove box!

We can't remember for sure but we think there was a bank receipt from my earlier trip to the bank. They also saw and possibly took car insurance info. Plus, we had $25 worth of IMAX tickets in there! I'm so thankful we didn't have a garage remote in there!

Right away it makes you feel dirty and violated. I hate that! We contacted the local police department, our bank and insurance company just to be sure.

We're praying that nothing will come of it and that God will deal with this person in His timing.


Plus, from now on... that van will remained locked at all times!!

The Big Test

Today was my son's first school test ever! Now remember, he's in Kindergarten. They have been learning their "spelling words" all week long. Today I was helping in the classroom and enjoyed watching them take their test.

One little girl raised her hand before it started and said "Nobody panic now. If one of us panics, we will all panic."

Here are the three words that were on the test... Cat, Sat, and Mat. Plus, the bonus word... Hat.

I'm pleased to say Josh got 100%! In fact, all but two of the kids got 100%!

I love watching him learn to spell and read... it's so exciting!!

One Hot Valentine...

Happy Valentine's Day to all of you!!

I wish I could say we've had a wonderful day full of lovin' but that's just not the case. Josh has been home from school all week with a fever. I thought today was the last of it and he would be fine to go back tomorrow but it just spiked again! Wow, 3 days off of school is too much!!

To add to my frustration... yesterday Seth squeezed blue craft paint in several places on the playroom carpet. Jeff and I were up last night scrubbing that carpet and trying to clean it until 8:30. At one point we both realized our fingers were bleeding due to the scrubbing!

Then today while I was organizing all the paint and putting it up high on a shelf in the scrapbook room, he somehow found a bottle of black paint. He went into his room and squeezed that on the floor. I started crying and stuck him in the tub. Then went to find all the rags I could find and started blotting that up. I called Jeff and he came home right away to help get it out. I also called my friend Julie to see if she could bring her carpet cleaner over here right away. She did and we got so much of it up but I think we're still going to need a professional!

Pray that nothing else will happen the rest of the night because I just don't think I can handle it!

The Ultrasound...

I know I talked about the ultrasound a little and told you all how they said it was a boy. Plus, all was healthy and growing fine. What I didn't tell you was the funniest thing Josh said...

J - "When are they going to see if it's a boy or girl, Grandma?"

My Mom - "Well, they'll get to that part in a minute, buddy."

J - "I know they have to look at the head for the hair."

My Mom - "What do you think they are looking for?"

J - "If it has any ponytails or not."

My Mom - "Oh, is that how you thought they did it?"

J - "Where else would they look, Grandma?"

We waited until after it was all done to go into the whole thing but we all sure got a good laugh out of it. He continues to crack us up!

Weird little meme...

I found this on Kate's blog, The Tate School.

THE RULES: Each person tagged must state 6 weird things about themselves. Next, those who are tagged are to write a blog of their own 6 weird things as well as state this rule clearly. In the end, you need to choose 6 more people to be tagged and list their names. Don’t forget to leave a comment that says you are tagged in their comments and tell them to read your blog.

1. I love pickles dipped in nacho cheese sauce

2. I sometimes temporarily forget I'm pregnant in the shower and think to myself "Wow, I'm getting a belly." Duh!!

3. I put my condiments on my sandwiches from left to right like I'm writing something.

4. When checking my email I have to click the send/recv button two times in a row for some reason

5. I love giving gifts and little things to people but I have a really hard time accepting gifts!

6. I often remember weird things I have said in a conversation with someone and worry that they remember them. I'm talking about even things from when I was a kid!

Now I'm tagging Tina, Jodi, Julie, Shalee, Boomama, and My Mom.

A 2 year old's job

Most kids that are two probably don't have a job but mine does. In fact, he has four jobs. At some point each day he comes in with a hat on, keys in his hand and says goodbye. When I ask where he's going he says "I go work, Mama." When I ask where he works he has one of four answers...

1. "I work at Wa-mat."
2. "I work at Ta-get."
3. "I work at Hone Depot."
4. "I work at the Mail." (I think he delivers mail these days)

So then I ask how much they pay him and he replies "Two."
Next I ask him how he gets to work and he says "I dive my tuck yike Papa."
Then I ask him what color the truck is and he says "It buuuu Mama."
He then says "Hab a good day. I see you atter work."

It's pretty cute and I enjoy the fact that he using his imagination. Someday he will probably dread going to work and I will remind him of this age and all the fun jobs he had!

Ultrasound results are in...

It's a boy!!

He looks very happy and healthy in there.
She was able to see the legs, arms, toes, and fingers.

Four chambers of the heart, the kidneys, stomach, lungs, brain and all the good stuff.

She said he definitely had outdoor plumbing : )-

We are very happy and excited. We're taking suggestions for names!

My New Title

I found this on Kate's blog (The Tate school) and thought it was pretty funny. Check it out and see what your name is...

My Peculiar Aristocratic Title is: Her Most Serene Highness Lady Stacey the Carnivorous of Goosnargh Leering Get your Peculiar Aristocratic Title

Life is short

Josh made a great observation this morning... "A day just seems so much faster than 24 hours."

If only he knew just how fast life does pass us by! I look back and realize just how fast things in my life have happened. It feels like just a couple years ago I was planning my wedding. In reality it's been almost seven years of marriage for Jeff and I.

Then I look back and think about being in labor with Josh and it seems not too long ago. In reality it's been 5 1/2 years. Before I know it this baby I'm carrying will be in Kindergarten!

It just flies by and we don't even catch half of the good stuff because we're so focused on other things. I want to stop today and this week and just enjoy my kids, my husband, my family and my life. Because before I know it, I'll be an old lady looking back wondering where the time went!

Ecclesiastes 3:1 ~ There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under Heaven.

Josh strikes again...

Okay, is everyone tired of hearing the silly stuff Josh says? He just cracks me up and I can't help but write it down.

The other day I was puking my guts up in the trash can and he says "Mom, it must be a girl because girls make me sick, too!"

Another day I couldn't even get to the trash can or toilet and started throwing up in the kitchen sink (don't worry, I sterilized it afterwards Mom). He says to me "I realize you're sick and all but I'm going to be late for school if we don't hurry up."


I love the way he looks at life and the silly things he's says so humor me as a proud Mama.

Dealing with my anger

The last two weeks our Pastor has talked about being angry and given us great ways to deal with it. He gave us this verse to think about...

"Be angry, and yet do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger." Ephesians 4:26.

He told us how lots of times this verse is used with couples and that's great but it's not just in marriage. We need to let go of the anger and bitterness we're holding onto.

Do I have some anger and bitterness in my heart? You bet I do. There was the time I had a boy at school fondle me right in the classroom. Another time I had a boy force himself on me in an empty classroom at school. I had a manager I worked with make a couple passes at me and then once kissed me on the cheek. I had a cousin who tried to rape me when I was 17. This has caused major problems with my security in life. I'm a nervous person who feels like lots of men want the wrong thing. It really hurts that these men and boys have taken me to a place like this. I don't like it and want to get over it!

So there you go, I just laid it all out there for everyone to see. I don't want to hold onto these things any longer. Because really they are only hurting me now. I doubt those guys ever even think about me and the things they did to hurt me. Somehow though because I haven't forgiven them and really let it go, I have still been hurting all these years. It's time! I need to do this for me and the people around me today.

Here's another verse that has really helped...

"Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you." Ephesians 4:31-32

I'm letting go of this today and I feel great! Personally, one of the best ways of letting go is to share it with people around me. This will encourage me to stick with it and stay strong. So thank you for listening! Please pray for healing in my life.

Also, I would like to start helping girls in my community who have been hurt or are dealing with the same issues. I think it's a great way to heal me and also help them. So pray that God would bring those opportunities my way.

Thoughts in my head

I haven't posted for some time now. Not really much to talk about. Here are some things that have happened lately...

~Tonight we were out for a walk and Josh yelled "There's the Big Scooper!"

~Wednesday I heard the baby's heart beating for the first time. It was nice and strong in the 170's. I scheduled the ultrasound appointment for January 30th. We'll know soon if we should paint pink or blue in the nursery!

~Wednesday I also had blood work done. I took my nephew, Kaleb, and my son, Josh, with me. Josh kept saying "Don't look Kaleb, it's gross." Kaleb kept saying "Cool, I can see your blood running through the tube!"

~Friday my doctor called to let me know my thyroid levels are off. Not sure what to think about that but I have to go have more blood work done this week.

~Friday my parent's started moving into their new house. Very close to us and it's beautiful!

Hope all my blogging friends out there haven't given up on me. I'll be back soon.

Solving the world's problems at bedtime

The other night while putting Josh to bed we had this conversation...

J - "Mommy, why are there people and kids who can't eat and they're hungry?"

Me - "Well buddy, I'm not sure why. There are other countries that don't have as much as we do. That's why we're so blessed and should help others out."

J - "I think we should go over to those other lands and get all the hungry people and bring them here so we can feed them. They'll have all the food they can eat!"

Me - "That's a nice idea buddy but what are we going to do when our country gets too crowded?"

J - "I've been thinking. What if we get all the bad guys together, load them into a cannon and shoot them over to the bad lands where we got the people that were hungry?"

Me (trying not to laugh) - "Actually Josh, that might just work!"

J - "Yeah, I thought it might."

Ho, Ho, Ho... Oh No, No, No

When did Christmas sneak up? I didn't realize it was so close!

I don't have all my presents yet! I don't even have a single role of wrapping paper!!

I guess I better get out there and get shopping, huh? You'll see me in line this week with all the men who are still trying to shop at the last minute! What was I thinking??

Don't expect to see my around for a while... I've got stuff to do!!

Hot Moms

Oh c'mon, you know the ones... they show up to get their kids from school in their tight jeans, name brand t-shirts and designer shoes. It's so funny to see them look around at the other moms. You wonder what they are thinking.

I'm looking like a different kind of hot... you know the one where you're sweating because you just chased your two year old all the way from the parking lot hoping he wouldn't pop into the wrong classroom.

I don't have "it" like those other moms but that's okay with me. I'm satisfied with the way I look and I know my kids love me. It's not about what I'm wearing or the way I look. It's about the values I'm teaching my children and the love I'm showing them!!

So much has happened...

Well, it's been a long while since I've been on here. We have had so many things going on in our family over the last few weeks. Here's a look into our lives...

Jeff's Mom ~ On Sunday the 26th my Mother-n-law fell and broke her hip. She was taken to the ER by ambulance and admitted. They did the hip repair on Tuesday the 28th. Later that week we found out that her cancer had spread and was basically throughout her body. It's been so hard on all of us, especially my husband! Last week they placed her in hospice care. I think this week they are talking about letting her go home and having a hospice nurse come each day to help take care of her. We don't really know what the future holds as far as her prognosis but we know God has a plan in this whole situation! We are spending as much time as possible to make the most of what we do have. Her birthday is tomorrow and she will be 65 years old. We plan on having a celebration at the hospice facility for her. Please be in prayer for the whole family!!

My Pastor ~ I found out on Saturday night that my Pastor and his wife have been reading my blog and keeping tabs on me! This kind of freaked my out at first because I wasn't sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing. Then I got to thinking about it and realized that I don't have anything to hide or be ashamed of on here or anywhere in my life. He really put it all out there this weekend while talking about guilt. I was really touched by it and enjoyed the service! I want to live for God and the convictions he places in my life not for people and the guilt they place on my life! We should be more focused on an audience of One!! Thanks Pastor Greg : )

My Son, Seth ~ Fell at church yesterday and smacked his head on a rock. I wasn't sure what to think at first... there was quite a bit of blood but he's okay. It seems to be healing up on it's own just fine. Thank goodness we didn't have to make another ER trip! We should get some kind of card that you get the 10th visit free!!

My Grandpa ~ Is having surgery today to have a mass removed from his breast. Please be in prayer for him today around 1:30. Thanks to my friend Patti picking up Josh from school I get to go down to the hospital and be with my family while the surgery is taking place.

My Crazy Neighbor ~ Yelled at me and my children for breaking a light that was in his yard. He said "How dare you let your children play in my yard!" They were playing with his daughter who was the one that actually did break the light. We tried to show God's love and offered to give him some cash to fix it. Just recently I took his family a plate of cookies and a Christmas card to let them know I was thankful to have them as neighbors. It really is true because I know God is teaching me something in all of this!! We'll see what happens next.

My Sister ~ I talked long ago about my sister who was in a wheelchair and we didn't really expect her to walk again. She is Walking!! It's so amazing to see her up and going. The doctors have taken her off of several meds and she is out of the wheelchair! What a blessing!!

My Son, Josh ~ Has been doing so well in school that the teacher is now sending home extra homework for him to complete. She says he needs a challenge. He's done 53 book reports since the beginning of school. It's so amazing to see him writing now. When school started he had no interest in writing and it was very sloppy. He knew all the letters and the sounds they made but just didn't want to write them down. Now he's writing all the time. He leaves special notes for Daddy and I. We're so proud of him and the accomplishments he's making!!

My Grandma ~ Celebrated her 76 birthday yesterday. She looks wonderful... I hope someday when I'm 76, I'll look just as good as she does. I've always looked up to her and will always cherish the times we've had together! I love you Grandma!!

Church ~ I've switched positions at church. I'm not the 2nd and 3rd grade teacher any more. Now I'm the Saturday night preschool manager. I pretty much walk around the classrooms and make sure everyone and everything is running like it should. Fill in when a coordinator can't make it. It's been such a blessing in my life. I'm so glad the director came and asked me to switch. I feel so much less stressed out now!

Pregnancy ~ I got to see the baby for the first time! It was so neat to see the little heart beating and watch it move around. I talked with my doctor about my MIL's condition and she is going to have me go in around 16 weeks to have the fun ultrasound done. We'll know if God has blessed us with a little boy or girl. I'm very excited and will let you all know as soon as we find out. It should be in just about 4 weeks!!

Okay, I know this post has been super long and if anyone is still reading they are probably way too tired to actually comment but just be in prayer for our family!! Thanks for sticking with me!