The name.

My niece has a name.
Her mommy finally decided on Ava Paziana O____.
I think it is beautiful and I positively cannot wait to meet her!

The day has come.

One of my co-workers pointed out a way too long, blonde hair on my cheek today.
A whisker. Yes, La. A whisker.
Only it wasn't whisker-y at all. It was really fine and soft and long - virtually undetectable - except that it wasn't undetectable... Someone saw it.
So now you know.
I had a cheek whisker. Or was it peach fuzz?
Either way, I have learned that someone at work loves me enough to spare me the embarrassment of schlepping a whisker around.

Gripe session.

My sense of humor is without taste or direction tonight. You should leave this post knowing little more than you arrived with.

• Do I have stinky armpits?
• Why does everyone feel it's necessary to move hours, or even states, away from here? Oh you know who you are... *wink*
• Do you have any deodorant suggestions?
• I am 28 years old. I have acne. Honestly. What. is. up?
• I will not even kinda see the Cowboys play tomorrow night, we are not getting the NFL season ticket package on Satellite because IT IS OVERPRICED!
• My baby-est baby will be 3 years old on Friday. I can't even think about it. Such a hard thing, to let them grow up. Not to mention how much more unacceptable my 'baby weight' has become...
• Why have I not thrown all those pre-baby jeans away? Oh - you all have them - Don't act like you don't... :)
• I would like to officially complain about the fact that in all of history, NO ONE has ever come up with a way to feed me egg nog intravenously.
• Let's combine the last three bullet points and begin referring to my unlost 'baby weight' as egg nog weight.
• I have refused to do any Christmas shopping until about a week and a half before Christmas. My theory: It will save us money. I'll let you know how that pans out.
• I have recently come to the realization that this blogging network comprises roughly ALL of my social life. What did I do without you?
• I need a playdate. With or without children. Gwen, meems, somebody- have mercy on me. Come over already. Yeah, like you want the phantom plague we've been passing around...
• Is my phone finally working?
• Oh and please, please put the Christmas Tree thingy on your blog so I can return to you the joy that has been mine!

My Christmas Tree.

bgcolor="ffffff"

It's one stop shopping! You can give generously - it's free!! :)

It's a Girl!

I am proud to tell you that today I became the proud new owner of a niece!
My sister-in-law, Nikki, had a little girl by Cesarean this morning!
She weighed in at 8 lbs. 7 oz. - we like 'em big in our family!
She was over a week early!

Momma hasn't yet zeroed in on a name for her - but I am sure it will be something very unique!! I can't wait to find out what it is - she asked me for help finding a name for her on Thanksgiving.

I was supposed to travel to Abilene today to meet her and visit her mommy after the delivery - but instead I had to stay home from work with Avery. She was up a majority of the night with a very high fever. The kind that the thermometer practically screams, "Take this baby to the doctor NOW!!"
The weirdest thing about it was that there really were no other symptoms besides a big kahuna headache and high fever.
She just whimpered and shook for hours.

So I decided not to go infect my precious new NIECE with our goopy germs.
I already know I love her - she is a very special little girl!
Please keep mommy and baby in your prayers.

Hilarious layout!!

At first glance this layout was kinda sweet to me.
Ahhhh... Wishing on a star...

Upon further inspection, I saw the giant bunny/mouse/snow creature with beady red eyes ready to pounce on its unsuspecting victim.

HILARIOUS!!

Santa Conversation - Part 2.

I never have been able to feel completely ok with telling your kids there IS a Santa Claus. I try instead to focus on the Jesus -HELLO - aspect of Christmas.
But J. is in preschool and even at a Christian preschool, Santa talk is inevitable.

So we had another discussion about Jesus's Birthday being Christmas and thus, the reason we celebrate Christmas.
J. asked about what the Bible said about Santa.

I again told him that Santa is NOT in the Bible.

He asked, "Why?"

I thought I would take the easy road and say, "Well, because Santa isn't holy."

J's response, "Then why does he say, 'Ho Ho Ho!'"

I give up!!

Long-winded.

All my recent posts seem like a commitment to a book series.

"Does that post come in hardback?"

Yeah - so here's a short one for all you comic strip lovers out there.
(Without the comic.)


;-}

To a dear friend on a difficult day.

I had nine days off.
Most of them were hard.
I am not complaining. Not at all. What could be better than hanging out all day with your two sweethearts?
I just forgot how difficult it is to keep 2 pre-schoolers entertained.

There is so much to be said for the structure that pre-school has added to our lives. When I was a full-time stay-at-home mom - we literally stayed in our pj's almost all day! Now it's get up, get ready, and go! Go! GO!

This morning, I was enveloped with feelings of dread. I was not really ready to give up on the idea of a whole week off. I honestly thought about not going back. (Plus we're a bit sick so it was almost permissible.)
I started to feel sorry for myself.
I decided to pull up some blogs.
And there it was - my big fat kick in the pants.

It came in the form of a post written by a new momma who is facing going back to work full time. Today.
I was ashamed of myself for being so whiny.
I only have to work about 25 hours a week, MAYBE 30.
If ever I get lonesome for my babies, I can pop in their classrooms and hug them - or just peek in from the doorway and watch while they are unaware.
There are people I know and really love that are going through things that are far more difficult and painful than me.

I have had her in my prayers all day long.
And staying in that atmosphere of prayer for someone else seemed to make my day go by more quickly.
I guess when you pull your head out of your plunger-shaped navel for long enough, you really can't help but feel better.
So J. your heart has ached an ache that only mothers know. My heart ached for you today.
And your candor in thoughts, although heart-wrenching to read, showed your great love for your family.

I hope the boys did wonderfully today.
And I hope your day went by as smoothly as could be expected.
Much love to you, my friend - you are a true hero.

A couple of firsts...

Today the kids and I, (along with Uncle boogeda and his girlfriend for a little while)
enjoyed our very first fire in our fireplace!!
We set it all up and kept it going for hours!
I know that's not a big deal for everyone - but for me it was cool. It was my very first grown up fire in the fireplace. All the others were always set by my mom or dad at their house.
The kids hadn't ever been around a fire before. They were very attentive for the most part when asked to back away or be careful.

Another first today for the kiddos was they got to taste s'mores. I guess you never forget the cute little faces your kids make when they taste something wonderful for the first time.
They were also amazed that you could put chocolate, marshmallows, and graham crackers together and make a 'sandwich' that tasted so good.
They were very cute with their chocolate-covered everything!
As we roasted the marshmallows, J. kept saying, "Mom, I don't burn them like you do. I'm a professional marshmallow toaster."

The kids got to decorate their tree. We call it the fun tree. It is so fun!
I even broke down and let them have the... hold back your applause and laughter... fiber optic tree they kept beggin for. They were so impressed by its beauty when I plugged it in, I think A. sucked all the air out of the room and said, "Oh! It's Beautiful!"

I also made chili for the first time all by myself. It was edible. Only just.

I got to go to Hobby Lobby for a little Mommy Rehab when Chris got home from work.
I guess I feel so frivolous buying things like ornaments - but I did it anyway. My tree was still kinda bare. And the ornaments were 50% off.
I spent my entire $50 Christmas decorating budget on ornaments.
They really are beautiful though, frivolous or not.

According to J.

The Bible says that Santa can only come at SECRET TIMES - like at 4:30 in the morning.


I have my work cut out for me.

Abundantly Thankful.

Warning: Long post. ;)

I wrote a blog, which I chose not to post, the day before Thanksgiving. It was about how sad I was to have to share my Holidays with my other family. Whom I have grown to love in a special way but still cannot replace being with your own momma on Thanksgiving. (Selfish... I know)
I am glad I didn't post it because most of what was in there was contrary to the whole point of Thanksgiving.

I have not truly been thankful for my new family, gained by love.
I have not really embraced their differences as beautiful in their own way.
I have not been confident enough to reveal to them who I am or why.
I have not pursued a relationship with those people who have shaped the life of the man I love.

This Thanksgiving was one of little to no anticipation on my part. I dragged my feet in every way possible before finally getting in the van to go.
Part of my dread could be best rationalized by the knowledge that those we were going to spend time with have been at odds with each other for a few months now. And the only catalyst that the pot-bellied stove needed to erupt was the slightest misspoken word. (Enter me. The girl with foot in mouth disease.)

I baked all day before we left. And that, all by itself, put me in the holiday spirit.
We got in the car around 10:30am Thanksgiving morning and reluctantly drove toward what I knew was going to be an awful experience. I kept telling myself, "We owe our children a reasonably good Thanksgiving memory - so if it's bad - I'm going to leave..."

About halfway there, I began to call my relatives. My Grandmother, my Mimi, my mom.
I cried like a baby after talking to my mom. I so wanted to be with her.
Then it started snowing.
And snowing.
And snowing.

By the time we got to Big Spring, it was a virtual blizzard!!
The kids were ecstatic! I was ecstatic!
I have never seen such snow!! It literally snowed until it began to grow dark.
We rolled in it. We built a colossal snowman. J. kept saying our snowman had to be 5 layers tall!!
It was.
It was truly a sight to behold!
I have never built a snowman that wasn't mostly mud and leaves.
This one was pure white, fluffy snow.

Everything was great. We all had a great time.
Food was great. Company was great. Cowboys won. Chris parents even gave up their bed for our family - of course I didn't ask them to - but it was very generous of them.
This morning when we turned on the tv - CNN had Big Spring on a special segment talking about how we got over 8 inches of snow on Thanksgiving Day!!

The kids made some great memories!
I am so Thankful for the Thanksgiving that I so dreaded.
Thank you God for helping this knucklehead see the opportunity that is before me in being Jesus to my in-laws.
Thank You for leading me down the path that brought me to my wonderful husband.
Thank you for the family that raised him. Without their love, he wouldn't be the man he is.
Thank you Father for your foresight into our lives. You truly do order our steps, though we may not always see it.
Thank You Father for all the things You provide; whether it be clothing or food, healing or friendship, laughter or family. Thank You for always creating an atmosphere of bounty for those who are looking for it- and even for those who aren't...

I so appreciate being able to see things with a Thankful heart.

I need opinions, PEOPLE!

Imagine, if you will, that there are four - not three - chairs around my dining table. Now imagine that the table has been sanded and the top surface stained a medium spicy maple with the legs and underpinnings painted black.

If you are still with me, are the chairs too big for the table?

Proportionally speaking.

Now, if I were Wendy, I'd add light to that photo. But Wendy I am not.

Why is it that clear lights look like multi-colored lights in photos? (Chris would have some light-refraction lesson for me here...)

Here's my completed Christmas tree - a day early. I needed to have this image marked in time because I am almost never early anymore!!

So for those of you who lost the Christmas tree competition that you were unaware you were participating in - nanny-nanny-boo-boo!!!!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Every time you cross my mind, I break out in exclamations of thanks to God. Each exclamation is a trigger to prayer. I find myself praying for you with a glad heart.

Philippians 1:3 (The Message)

autumn scents.

I guess a lot of my posts have been about smells lately.
I don't think there is any other time of year that, in my own mind, is defined and encapsulated by smells.

• I have a perfume that is only worn during a cold spell in the fall and winter. Because any other time of year would not do it justice. So I'm cracking it open...
• I have been baking all afternoon. I am bringing dessert and pea salad to Chris's family Thanksgiving. So the smell of apple pies, pumpkin pies, punkin bread, and butter pecan spice cake have permeated my home. I love it! Makes all the effort well worth it!
• I actually burned up the small Yankee candle that I bought to match the one I got for La's house when it went up on the market. I had to go buy a bigger one today. Yankee Autumn Wreath - yummy, sweet spices.
• The smell of crisp cold air as it whips across your face.
• The faint smell of smoke whistling from crackling fireplaces lit for the cold snap.
• There is no better companion for the smells that are fall than the warmth that accompanies baking.
• The only smell that is going to be missing from our holiday home is the smell of a fresh Christmas tree - allergies are too prevalent in my family to subject our loved ones to the real thing.

Those smells have become a part of the magic of the holidays for me. Today, the holidays are alive and well in our home! I just love it!

We're home.

We really should get big points for trying so hard to go places and do things.
That being said, here are our trip highlights:

I packed and loaded up the van with unusual ease. I even remembered extra batteries for the camera! I packed the necessary chargers. Q-tips. Even adequate theme park supplies.
I was at the top of my game.

We rolled into San Antonio without incident around 3:30pm on Sunday afternoon. We found our hotel with exceeding finesse.
We watched the Cowboys barely win.

It was around this point that I began to have the types of thoughts I should have had the NIGHT BEFORE...
I said, "Babe, did you get the tickets?"

That comment preceded the end of fun.

Him: "What do you mean?"
Me: "I mean our rain checks to Sea World."
They had been in his wallet since we went and got rained out in July. I bought him a new wallet for our anniversary in November. Naturally, to avoid hearing me gripe, he straight-away changed his wallet and its contents over to the new one. Well, most of the contents anyway.
Him: "This is not a funny joke."
Me: " I wish I were joking."
Him: "Come on.... You're being serious... oh man..."
Me: "It's ok, surely they'll have a record of our purchase..."

The Next Morning at Sea World Guest Services Desk

"We have no way to trace our rain checks, you are responsible for them once they are issued."
Me: (facing the very real possibility that we will have to tell our kids who are currently chanting 'Shamu! Shamu! Shamu!' that they may not be seeing Shamu today) "Is there nothing else we can do here?"
Employee left and returned a few minutes later with the option of repurchasing Half-price tickets. Stab me through the heart.
I turned to Chris and told him to call the shots. I am way too cheap to swallow THAT pill.
He agreed to pay 1/2 price for the tickets - it was, after all, completely our fault and very nice of them to accommodate us that way.
We then entered the park and had a miraculously great time. We made lots of wonderful memories! One of which was getting to ride a roller coaster for the first time with my hubby!
If you have never had the opportunity to ride a roller coaster with your spouse, I highly suggest it! It was very eye-opening. That's all I can say about that!!

A very O. vacation.

Smells like...

We were on our way to San Antonio.
I had made up a basket of the kids' less annoying/favorite small toys to take on the road with us.
One of those toys happened to be a Buzz Lightyear and Woody car that I bought at the JBF sale about a month ago.

Sidenote: At the JBF sale, local people consign their items and share a cut with the organization. I had an armful of goodies and noticed that all the items I was going to buy had Consigner #86 marked on them. By the time I got to checkout, I realized that #86 belonged to none other than La!! I guess we could have skipped the middle man and just traded junk... ;)

Anyway, J. was playing with his Toy Story racecar and stopped and said,"Hey, this toy smells like John David's house."
I said, "Nuh-uh, Lemme smell it."
Then little A. requested a sniff.
She exclaimed, "It's Julia!!!"
It really DID smell like John David's house, and Julia's house, and Lori's house.
The Oh-so-familiar smell was wonderful. It made me happy at first, then sad.
That plastic toy caused a rush of unexpected emotions to enter our van.
I so miss that smell. I am sure Lori misses it too.
I have cried what feels like silly tears over that racecar. I have even snorted the car a few more times since then. My hearts so aches to see her.
Many have tried to duplicate the heavenly smell of 'home' but it belongs to La.

For Christmas, La, would you sign me up for one of those monthly deliveries?
Not a wreath, or the cookies of the month.
Would you send me 'the smell' - I miss the beautiful smell of YOU!
Have a Happy time with your family!
I love you!

Public restrooms.

Worse than the filth,
Far worse than other people's germs,
Worse than your children touching every square inch of the dernd pot before you can get away from them...
I have, in my late 20's, discovered the absolute worst reality of public restrooms.
I was washing my hands in a public restroom and I turned to the infamous blowy thing to dry them - this is where my disgust with public restrooms turned to horror.
The skin on my not-so-taught hands rippled like an ocean of skin when I slid them underneath the blowy thing!!
How horrifying!

From this point on, if you smell a slightly odd scent on me, you can bet it will be the generous slathering of wrinkle cream I applied just before leaving my house.
This marks a new day for me.
Goodbye youth, goodbye...

Sea World.

I was hoping to get the opportunity to post today, if for no other reason than to spare you all the annoyance of seeing a mythical creature each time my page popped up...
I guess there is so much going on that I have nothing to say. Nothing of life-changing value anyway.
Thanks to those of you who helped with crystal's baby shower. And thanks to those who got to come, it was good to see you. And if you couldn't come but really wanted to - thanks to you as well. :)
It was a darling shower. All the girls on the decor team did a fabulous job. (I can say that because I had nothing to do with THAT part of the shower.)
___________________________________________
We're going to take the kids to Sea World San Antonio this weekend. I am glad to get to use the tickets we already bought. The first time we went - about 30 minutes after we bought our tickets, the park was shut down due to bad weather.
So here's round 2.
I am excited!

Moments of note:

Vacation begins tomorrow at 2pm.
That is synonymous with
HAL-LE-LU-JAH!



Addendum:

Frolicking Unicorn.

tidbits.

• Open enrollment for Chris' insurance ended today. I went through the options. None were financially do-able for us. I regret to tell you that I am going to go without health insurance for another year. The only way around that is if I get a full-time job with benefits before next November. That would mean not being a part-time stay-at-home mom. The whole situation really presents itself as lose/lose right now. So for now, Lord, shield me.
• My easy-going daughter seems to think that bedtime is a negotiable event.
• I began to research Cowboys/Packers tickets at Ticketmaster two nights ago. The cheapest ones were over $300. The upper end tickets were essentially a middle income family of 4's tax return per ticket. My source told me that our family group that was going together was intact and tickets were secured at under $100. My gut told me something different. I began to feel uneasy about the potential that my husband's last minute family may have waited til the last minute to buy tickets. They have. We will not be going to the Cowboys game as a result. I am absolutely so bummed out about it that there are no words. The only words I have are: If we cannot afford health insurance, we probably cannot afford NFL tickets. Well put.
• I wanted to stay at home so badly on Wednesday night from church that it practically took a tractor beam to get me in the pew. I am glad I went, but now I have to deal with something. God revealed to me what currently is my main stumbling block on Wednesday night. It is a difficult thing to verbalize but it is something that I have been warring with for a long time. John Reynolds spoke so succinctly. It was thought-provoking. It was what I needed to hear. So once again, I need you Lord. Please help me be the me You placed me here to be.
• Not prime reading tonight. Just real, grown-up stuff.

Coughed up an Alligator today.

So it's over.
What? You ask.
This day.
I guess deep down I have been dreading this day for quite some time.
We had our Thanksgiving Feast today.
It entails, in a few words, the purpose for my job.

1. Put on a program for the parents.
2. Include singing and dancing.
3. Make it entertaining and organized.
4. Use only 3, 4, and 5-year olds.
5. 85 of them, to be exact.
6. Synchronized.

Ultimately, I feel like the piper leading the lemmings out to sea.

The kids do whatever they are gonna do. Some sing. Some roam. The parents love it because it is their 'baby.' And I get to keep my job. Crisis averted.

__________________________________________

The REAL thing that has been weighing on me is my mom's surgery. She had a cyst removed from her hand/wrist today. It was day surgery and proved not to be a very big deal.

But I worry.

So that is over. We can all breathe a sigh of relief because it looked as though it was a harmless cyst.

Thank you Jesus!

Day 5 and counting.

ok.
seriously.
the eye twitch.
day 5. yes, five of 'em.
i thought it was gone.
not so.
it did stop for a few hours this evening, but has since returned.

my coworker was talking to me today.
she stopped mid-sentence and said, "that's just creepy."
i said, "what?"
she said, "your eye is jumping all around."
i shrugged, "oh...yeah..."

the best part?
i hadn't mentioned it before that.
it is apparently just that noticeable.

aaaaaaaaaarrrrrggghggghhhhh!
make it go away!!

The Mystery of Man.

I was afforded the extreme pleasure of getting to watch my son interact with his peers at playtime yesterday.
He is so great. He's 4, so his social prowess is, well, awkward at best.
I loved it though - such insight -from the vantage point of a fly on the wall.
He's a thinker. An impulsive thinker. An oxy-moron to some, but for him, it just works...

He was building something wonderful with Tinker Toys.
I could tell just by the intermittent giggle mingled with that rascally smile that he was drawing up some grand plans for his build.
It was huge.
It was at least 6 feet long.
It had many barrels and gears.
I could see the cogs turning in his head as he unravelled his devious plan...
He kept lodging one long skinny stick into a slot only to decide that it wouldn't do, then quickly switched it out for a longer one, to match the rest.
So meticulous.

He was just about finished with his fabled contraption, when a fellow schemer and builder turned his attention to what J. was assembling and admired it.
Eyes big, they both heaved this beast of a machine up off the floor.
It took two of them it was so enormous.

I had watched the whole mystery unfold without saying a word,
but I couldn't take it anymore....
I HAD to know...

I said, "Hey sweet doll, what are you building there?"
It was magnificent, even to an adult.
I was expecting a title fitting this extravagant machine, in all its complexity-
Like a krypton beam or something...

He half-snorted his response.
"It's a snot rocket! heheehehe!"
Then he raised it up and aimed it at me.
This was followed by the snot/spit shower of a lifetime as he demonstrated how this fanciful beast works...

How very boy!
Who could be mad after stepping into the baffling mind of man and walking away relatively unscathed?
After all, I practically begged him to shoot me with it, right?

Sweet me.

I like to spend a little time alone with each one of my kids at bedtime.
Talking about their day and just telling them sweet things.
"I'm so proud of you."
"I love the person God made when He made you."
Stuff like that.
I was finishing up with A. while Chris was talking with J. - I was beginning to walk out of A's room and she said, "Is daddy gonna sweet me now?"
How cute is that?!?!
I just love the way their little minds work!

Afternoon Playdate.

I am going to bite the bullet.
Playdate at my house on Tuesday.
Maybe starting around 2:30 or so.
That way we could be wrapping it up around 5-ish when most daddies are getting off work.
Let me know if you think you'll be coming. I may plan an art activity or something...

The Rest of the Story.

Well, the last post I wrote was on the heels of a weekend without the little ones.
They came home Saturday evening and life has been going, going, going.

I have spent the afternoon with them in our cozy little house. We did art projects and read books. I helped J. with his homework and I had to invent a pretend homework assignment for little sister. They are so serious about their 'assignments.' Very cute.

All the while, the Cowboys romped the giants in the background.
I guess, if I had to choose, although the weekend shop-stravaganza was nice - I prefer being near their warm little bodies and hearing all the inexplicably adorable things they think of.

Today, J. asked if we could glue butter to one of his art projects.
That is just so creative and funny.

I love, love being with them.
I am beginning to tire of all the extra home-owner and domestic engineer junk that prevents me from giving them every minute of my time.
I have all the work done now though.
Even the laundry is put away.

Tomorrow will be cuddles and snuggles for sure.
I can't wait!

What a great weekend!

I have had a glorious weekend filled with all things perfect!
The kids got to go spend time with my parents - which left me kid-less.
I got to hang out ALONE with La!
I went on a super romantic date with my husband to celebrate our anniversary!
Our meal turned out to be FREE!
I got to go shopping without 2 preschoolers! Even though my kids are wonderful, I think shopping alone trumps shopping with kids!
I got to hang out and go shopping some more with Crys!
I got to hang out with meems, cg, no_iffer, kj, and SEPH!!
Seph's one of us now! It was nice to get to SEE you!
Oh and by the way, no_iffer - thank you so much! I think I forgot to thank you profusely and tell you how much I love your super house (because of all the drama when I was leaving with my way-too-tired kids).
So Thanks a bunch! We had a really great time. You are far more brave than I was with a brand new baby! I loved your evening playdate!
All I can say is, I can't believe that it's only Saturday night!
I still have Sunday to look forward to - church and the Cowboys!!
What could be better?

and gwen, yes - I miss you too! I think we should make it happen (like say Monday or Tuesday)for sure!

bullets.

• The marriage seminar was cancelled. It that a sign? I have been trying to get to one for, oh 5 years, and for the first time, it all fell so perfectly into place... Go figure. I know there must be something terribly wrong for the speakers to cancel, so I have been praying for them.
• I had to do some 'professional development' course tonight. Blah. Blah. Blah. I work at a preschool. I don't understand why it's so necessary for me to listen to 3 hours of pool safety in November...
• I made this awesome spaghetti tonight. At the onset, I thought it would be disastrous. I almost never make spaghetti, but I bought a spaghetti squash. (Which I totally recommend) Then I realized that I didn't have any jars of sauce... So I ended up making the sauce from scratch. Now I'm hooked. I don't wanna brag but everything is better from fresh... :)
• I am soda-free today. OY! I just want a diet 'anything carbonated' right now.
• I was able to do something that meant a lot to me today. I lent my wedding dress to a girl who is pregnant and getting married. I cannot tell you how wonderful it was to see her face light up and to hear her say she felt like Cinderella. She said it took some of the sadness out of her big day - I may be one of the only people she could have said that to who completely understood what she meant. A girl's wedding day is supposed to be the most wonderful moment of her life - But when you are keenly aware that everyone is informed of your situation... The happy thoughts take a backseat to the shame. I just have to believe that my experience with those types of circumstances will add to whatever ministry I have. Today was really a good day because of that smile on her face. I am so thankful for that opportunity to, in some small way, minister acceptance to her. Thank you Father!

That's pretty much my day in nutshell.

Oh and - tomorrow is Friday!!

Thanks.

To all of you who wrote lovely posts, emails, called, came by my house - it really made me feel special.
I was taken to lunch by my parents. I got lots of hugs and sweet wishes from my students.
I was able to do something for my husband that I have been trying to find the time to do for over 2 weeks. I had been wanting to take his car and get new tires, which he needed so badly.
I got his tank filled to the brim. I got his car washed. I cleaned out the inside. Threw away a bunch of trash and detailed it myself. Well, I had the help of two very cute little people.
Then I took it back up to his work before he got off so he'd be surprised!
He was so happy!!
Also I got to hang out with my brother for a little while - he's been very busy lately, as have I, so it was nice to just 'chill.'
I got to roll around on the floor with my munchkins.
We went on a bug hunt in our front yard and that was tons of fun!
My friend, Wendy, came over and brought me a very cool and thoughtful gift.
I won't tell you what it is because it is so very thoughtful she might just want to do it again for someone else.
I read a book to my babies that I bought for them today called, "Hushabye Bearcub"
So sweet.
I skipped church because we are just plum tuckered out from our week.
All in all, it was a very ordinary, much-needed, low key day.
Thanks for wishing me well!

I, I, I, I, I - The I's have it.

I want so badly to have something to say.
I miss my sister.
I miss my la.
I miss being a stay at home mom.
I guess I'm fighting being bummed out.
That must mean I need to spend some time just crazy praising Jesus.
I'll get right on that.
Could I possibly type the word "I" a few more times in this post?
I have an incurable case of navel gazing tonight.

Silpada.

For any of you who are curious,
I will be hosting a silpada jewelry party for meems tomorrow evening (Tuesday) at my house.
The times are from 5:30pm- 7:00pm.
This is a come and go event.
Childcare will be provided.
You can come sip on hot tea and chat with some friends.
Can't wait to see you!

Uncle and a wire hanger.

Where does one begin?

I have had this day.
I think crystal rubbed her crazy week virus on me!

I went to work this morning, nothing too out of the ordinary.
I went grocery shopping after work, then to a voice lesson.
I grabbed the kids a Happy Meal. (Still vying for that "Mom of the Year" Award)
And proceeded to make a return to one of my favorite stores.
After that, we decided to walk to the other end of the shopping center and look for some cloth napkins and rings for my table.
I got some extremely cute stuff and paid for it.
When I replaced my wallet and grabbed my keys out of my purse,
I realized that there were NO KEYS.
(It would be valuable to note that there is ONE key to my van, which I had come to realize was safely locked in my van.)
I didn't even skip a beat.
We just schlepped our purchases down to the other end of the shopping center where we were parked, er, locked and made a few phone calls.
I thought I would have to call a locksmith, but my husband reminded me of his awesome brother, Jeremy, who is really good at lock-picking.
I called him and he came up to the store within about 30 minutes.
The kids and I sat in the parking lot. Lots of fun....
You have no idea how filthy parking lots are...
Jeremy got there and we strained ourselves for a good 20 minutes. Prying and tugging and shoving long, stick-like objects in through the tiny slot in my door jamb, but no luck.
He drove to the restaurant and got Chris' car and brought it back to me so I could get the kids home and in bed.
(By this point, it was a good bit after their bedtime.)
Then I realized that Chris wouldn't have a way to get home if I took his car and left mine locked up in the other parking lot. He was now afoot.
I was beginning to think about waking the kids up at midnight to go get Chris from work.
Those types of crazy thoughts should never enter a mother's mind.
Jeremy said we should give unlocking the van one last try.
We drove back over to the van.
There were several times that I just knew that window was gonna shatter under the pressure we were putting on it.
But Jeremy was determined and Voila!
It was like magic!! He did it!
Unlocked it with a wire hanger.
I was one happy momma!
Thanks Uncle Jeremy!

We got home and as I got unloaded after the fiasco, I set my purse and my purchases on the dining room floor.
I took two steps and began to barrel-roll toward the kitchen counter.
My feet had gotten wound up in my purse straps.
I could see what was about to happen. I couldn't stop it.
My head slammed into the kitchen counter on the mile-long journey to the floor.
A fitting end to this really irritating evening.

The weekend.

Alright, seriously.
Has this not been the craziest week in history?
Just think, I have 4 friends moving right now.
I have family coming in and out.
Almost everyone I know has been sick at some point in the last week.
Halloween. Thanksgiving. Food, food, food.
Birthdays. Anniversaries. Party after party.
Is there no end?
I am really not stressed out at all.
I'm just stressed out for all the people around me.
You poor, poor people. You know who you are.
Err... Maybe you don't know who you are. There may be too much going on...
If you need anything that I can help with, please don't be shy.
Consider yourself poked and prodded.
Please list any and all desires or needs in the comment section of this post.

Funny thought.

Today I saw my handwriting and was shocked that it did not even remotely resemble my blog font. I have grown so accustomed to seeing 'my writing' in post form, that my own handwriting looks odd.

5 years ago.

Part of me cannot believe that it's been five years.
Most of me, after taking a few steps back to see the broad spectrum, realizes that inside these five short years so much has happened.
SO much, in fact, that it feels more like a lifetime.
In the last five years, we have finished college, gotten married, bought a house, had a baby, dealt with a very sick child, been more broke than we could imagine, oops, had another baby, survived an impossible work schedule, remodeled a house, struggled through our marriage, sold that house, bought a new house, juggled two work schedules, raised two very sweet babies into preschoolers...
I really could go on and on. You know how life comes at you.
But through it all, there was a constant, we had each other.
Our marriage has not been filled with everything either of us ever dreamed of.
It has had a bunch of hiccups along the way.
We have been through more together than, I am sure, we even realize.
But here we are, after 5 years of marriage, by the grace of God, still together.
I ponder into what the future holds and I obviously don't know what is there.
But I can see fragments of it because of the foundation that we now stand on.
I think we are entering a period of time in our lives that is more fruitful than any time that preceded it.
I am excited about what the future holds.
I look forward to what the next five years have to offer us, or rather, what we have to offer the next five years, 10 years, 50...
I feel more equipped than ever to walk through this life with you by my side.
And to love you.
Happy Anniversary, my love.