Well...duh....

Haha...I titled that b/c it is "Thanksgiving Eve" and all of Facebook is a flutter with everyone's things they are thankful for!  Yes - I am truly thankful.  I am thankful for the big things as well as the small things.  For a job that even though I might not always like...I am blessed to have.  Thankful for 4 HEALTHY kids that are all under my roof tonight.  As the years go by, there is no telling where God will lead them.  Thankful for an amazing husband...guys like him are few and far between.  Thankful for food in my fridge and clothes in my closet.  So many people are not so lucky.  Thankful I have a vehicle to take me where I need to go.  Thankful for little arms that hug my neck and little voices that say, "Mom, I love you."  Seriously...I don't need any more than that.  Really, I don't.  I listen to the news and realize (again) that these kids are merely on loan to me.  God has blessed me with them and He could choose to call them home any day.  For tonite, they are with me.  Years from now they might be across the country or even on the other side of the world.  Who knows?  My quiver is very full...and for that I am very thankful!

Hmmmmm????

Again...it has been FOREVER since I blogged.  I think I start all my blogs out this way!   I used to be so good about it, but now it seems I just don't have time.  That "life" things seems to constantly get in my way.  Then there is the whole "what should I blog about?" thing.  Sometimes at night when I am supposed to be sleeping, my mind is racing with ideas for blogging.  Does it ever come to fruition?  Ha - obviously not!  That's okay -- this blog is just going to be random - because that is pretty much the way my life feels right now -- random!  :-)

Sooooo...I like to "blog-stalk" if there is such a term.  I love to read other people's blogs!  Many blogs I read or follow are written by people I don't know in person, but I love to read what they write.  I can usually relate to them on some level, and love to see what golden nuggets of wisdom I can take away from their posts.  Sometimes it is learning how to deal with chaos, sometimes it is great spiritual insight.  One thing I have noticed though, some people tend to share waaay too much with the world!  (These are usually the people I don't know!)  If Charles and I had a knock-down-drag-out fight last night, I sure would not be writing about it on my blog!  Okay -- if you know me and Charles, then you have to know that us having a "knock-down-drag-out" really is out of the question...we aren't exactly "fighters".  Don't get me wrong -- we have our moments, but we are more of the "silent" fight types..ya know?  Okay - maybe I should stop now...haha!  Point is, I guess if we were the types to just put it all "out there" for everyone to read about, then it wouldn't matter.  I'm just not that type.

Oh well -- we hade new family pics made...do you like them?  Our ah-MAZING photographer friend took them.  He is so talented!  My wonderful hubby is pretty good too with the computer side of it...he can swap out faces...whatever you need to make the pic turn out, he can most definately do it!

In other news....I realized the other day how much things have changed once I had kids.  Well -- I guess I should say how much I have changed.  Before kids, my house was cleaned top to bottom once a week.  I was able to maintain for a while once Zachary was born, but fast-forward to today and -- well -- that's totally out the window!  I do remember dusting last week...and I did run the vacuum cleaner...one day.  Now, I do stay on top of my laundry -- which is a MUST with 4 kids!  [Insert side bar here: with 6 people living in the house, "staying on top" of laundry for me means that the laundry basket is "fairly" empty.  If I do get an empty basket, it only stays that way for about 3 minutes!]  And I do not let dishes pile up in the sink -- just can't deal with that.  I also do pick things up throughout the day and at night when the kiddos are in bed, so my house is at least NEAT....just not Cloroxed on a regular basis.  (Is it wrong that the smell of bleach in the bathrooms gives me great satisfaction?)  I had great plans one day last week to do some serious cleaning when Ava asked me ever-so-sweetly to sit with her and watch Dora (or Little Bear...or Max & Ruby...or Pinky Dinky Doo...or something like that.)  I had a sudden change in plans and did just that.  We sat on the couch doing nothing but chatting and watching tv...the whole time she was curled up with her blanket in my lap.  Who cares what got done that day?  At one time it would have eaten away at the anal-rententive side of me, but not anymore.  Maybe it is because Sarah and Ava are "it"...no more little ones for me.  I've seen Sarah start school this year and it breaks my heart to hear her tell me every day she missed me (but she is totally in love with school too - don't get me wrong.  I think she is schmoozing me!)  I figure Ava will be in school soon enough and then it will be just me at home during the day.  Believe it or not, I actually am NOT looking forward to that.  There are some positive things about it...like actually being able to go to the grocery store and focus on what I am buying....lunch with a friend on my days off...being able to clean the whole house at once...stuff like that.  They just won't be my babies any more.  :-(  I do have to say, even though Zachary and Josh are older, they will come curl up next to me and watch a movie or a tv show.  At least they haven't reached the age of not wanting to be around me yet (I don't think!)  But my girls....my baby girls.  They are getting to the fun stage of wanting to play in make-up and wanting their fingernails and toenails painted.  I can't wait for the manis and pedis!  So, all this to say...if you drop by my house and think, "ewwwww.....I could write my name on her mantle!  And look at those ceiling fan blades!"  I really don't care!  That means I have dropped what I was doing to love and hold and snuggle with those kiddos.  The other stuff just doesn't matter - not now anyway!  :-)  Don't get me wrong....I am far from perfect!  I say things I don't mean....have to apologize (something I think parents should do).  Everyone makes mistakes and each day starts with a clean slate ~ take advantage of it!

It's ALMOST Friday....Close Enough!

Haha!  I'll take what I can get...but I am ready to call an end to this week!  When school is in session, it seems like getting to Friday is like a race to the finish line.  If I can get thru the usual morning chaos and everyone out the door on time for school Friday morning, then I have broken thru the tape and can breathe a HUGE sigh of relief!  You all know how abnormal my schedule is, now Zachary has play practice several nights and on Saturdays, Josh is doing JBQ at church (meaning he has to be there at 5:30), Ava has ballet 2 mornings a week...but poor Sarah has nothing extra!  (I'll just keep her home and work with her on writing her name!  She is actually doing very well in school and loves it!)  Anyway, throw into the mix I have a current car "issue" that is probably going to leave me without a vehicle for several - well , probably more than just "several" -- days.  A tractor trailor backed into me so my front bumper needs a little TLC!  It could have been alot worse, so I really can't complain.  Makes me shudder to think what would have happened if I had been in Charles' car.  His car is so low to the ground, it probably would have come thru the windshield!
So anywho....tomorrow is Friday and then Saturday Sarah has a birthday party, Zachary has practice, friends for dinner, Josh is spending the night at my mom's new digs...yea her!  She finally moved out of her house and into her own little apartment!  She is sooooo thrilled!  Her old house held lots of bad memories for her, and the neighborhood just isn't safe for a single woman (at least I don't think so).  Now, instead of being 30 minutes away, she is only about 5 minutes away.  It is a "win-win" situation for all of us...ha!

You know, I really am just rambling nonsense here....just kind of the mood I am in I guess.  Waiting for the last 30 minutes of my day to pass so I can clock out and head home.  We got a new kitchen table today and I can't wait to see it!  Finally...after all these years...we have a kitchen table all 6 of us can sit at!  Before, the only way could all sit together was to sit at the dining room table, and we just are not "dining room" people...you know?

So - speaking of dining room (which makes me think of meals -- which makes me think of Ava -- stay with me people)...I was thinking the other day...my little Ava ~ God love her ~ Ava is my spirited strong willed child.  I find myself saying things to her I don't remember having to say to any of the other three.... "Ava, get your feet off the table", "Ava, don't pick your feet at the table", "Ava, get your fork out of your nose", "Ava, get off of Bernie [our Shih Tzu puppy]", "Ava, go put your underwear on NOW!"  I promise, I am not making any of this up.  There is always something to laugh (or cry) at at our house!  I hope ya'll have an "Ava" you can relate to, because she sure makes life more interesting.  Well, all my kids do really.  I love them so very much, and am so proud of the people they are becoming.  I listen to Zachary and as he relates the events of his day and conversations he had with his friends, it really makes me proud that he is so strong in his beliefs and so confident in himself.  That is pretty awesome for a 6th grader!  Josh still reigns supreme in his own little world - population "1"!  He is so funny, so sweet, and so cranky when he doesn't get enough sleep.  Sarah is my little princess who has transformed from "toddler" to "little girl" in just a couple of months.  I'm so amazed by her!  I miss her so much now that she is in school all day.  Now, it is just me and Ava - each of us getting some well-deserved one-on-one time with each other.  It probably is a good thing it is just the two of us, because she WEARS ME OUT!!!!  Haha...

So did I lose you?  Did you stay with me til the end?  I told you I was in a rambling kind of mood!  More later...not sure when...so just be ready!

Re-Runs Are Good Too!

(I am seriously behind on my blogging...having the computer upstairs makes it much harder to just stop and blog my thoughts for a minute.  Then there is the puppy...and of course Ava...point being I just don't have much time these days, but I promise to do better!  It is my therapy you know!  Now on to the blog.......)

I love re-runs...heck....if it weren't for re-runs (or DVR) I would never see anything on tv.  I love to watch"Friends", "The Office", "Everybody Loves Raymond", "Home Improvement", "That 70's Show"... I would be in heaven if there was a channel dedicated to to nothing but re-runs of these shows (my own choosing you understand).  I saw a glimpse of a recent "Two and a Half Men" and nearly choked when I saw how grown Jake is now!  I am REALLY behind!

Anyway, the point of all this is....I originally posted this blog in November 2008 (has it really been that long?  WOW!)  My husband is pretty special, and I had written this to just fill ya'll in on some of the things you don't get to see.  He is amazing in so many ways and I am so very blessed to have him as my husband.  We have a crazy life, yet he takes it all in stride.  I decided to re-post it because it is WAY overdue, and to tweek it just a bit.  He deserves to hear it...more often than every 2 years too!  So here you go....just a few reasons why I am so in love with my husband:

1) He loves his family. Charles is 100% hands-on with the kids. With my work schedule, I am gone 3 nights out of the week, so that is 3 nights he is home alone with 4 kids and a puppy and having to manage homework, dinner, baths, and bedtime. There aren't many men who would do that - or can do that - much less be good at it!



2) He does little things to show me he thinks of me. On days he knows I am driving his car the next day, he'll set the CD player to my favorite CD, or he'll send me an e-card for no reason. He doesn't hesitate to make me feel special.


3) He is always quick to compliment if he thinks I look nice, or even on dinner (when I am able to cook!)  And he is a pretty good grillmaster if I do say so myself!


4) He voluntarily helps out around the house. He will give the girls a bath while I do dishes or vice-versa. I never have to ask him to help me.


5) He has no problem with me having a "girls night" every now and then - even when I am gone other nights of the week.  I don't do it very often because that is another night away from home, but if I do.....


6) He has a tender heart and is soft-spoken. He never yells and never talks down to me.

7) He has the best arms in the world! When he hugs me, it is the best part of my day...aaahhhhh!


8) His attitude in a stressful situation is so comforting. He is my rock for sure.


9) He is great at making me see the "other side of the story". If I get upset about something he'll say, "Well, from their perspective, they probably meant......"  Sometimes it makes me want to slug him...but I know he is right.


10) I love how he hums in the shower.


11) He'll bring home Nestle Tollhouse ice-cream cookies when he has to make a night trip to Wal-Mart!  Or make a batch of Girhadelli brownies...YUM!


12) He will sew his own button or iron his own shirt.


13) He makes the BEST lasagna, the BEST cheesecake, and the BEST home-made oatmeal-chocolate chip cookies!


14) He still opens my door for me.


15) We ALWAYS end a phone conversation with "I Love You". Even if he is miffed with me, he'll still say it! :-)


16) He'll bring me flowers "just because".


17) He works hard. He has a full-time job and still works for his dad. It stinks sometimes -- okay -- lots of the time, but he still does it.


18) His family comes first.

19) If you are lucky enough to be his friend, then you have a friend for life.


20) He is the most patient person I know. I don't know how he does what he does!

21) He'll give me his "crispy" part of his fish and take my "thicker" part. (I don't like thick fillets!)


22) He knows that I like honey mustard with my onion rings, lemon in my tea/water, no jalepenos on my " Spud Ole", my eggs hard scrambled, and he knows (better than I do I am ashamed to admit), how I like my coffee!


23) He'll arrange for someone(s) to watch the kiddos so we can have a "date" every now and then.  It doesn't happen often, but we try!

24) He decorates an amazing Christmas tree. I am not the creative one here...he is so good at that kind of stuff! Thank goodness the kids have him around to help with projects and stuff!

25) He is faithful ~ enough said.

I could go on and on.  This is just the tip of the iceberg people!  He is the perfect example of Christ's love for the church.  There are so many times I can't understand why he puts up with my craziness, moodiness or stubborness, but it is all because he loves me ~ unconditionally.  It's just that simple.  Just like God's love for us ~ it's unconditional!  Yeah...it's pretty awesome! :-)

Time Does Fly!

Obviously...because it has been almost 2 months since my last blog! We have moved, celebrated birthdays, had sleepovers, slept in, loved summer, and so much more. I know the evil school stuff is looming around the corner, but I just can't bring myself to think about it just yet...lalalala!

So first, we moved to an amazing neighborhood. So many kids, so many nice families! The girls would stay outside from dawn to dusk (which I wouldn't mind if it weren't 120 degrees outside!), and the boys pretty much do! Well -- they spend alot of time swimming. In the evenings when it cools down, we all emerge from our cool caves and ride bikes, go for walks, or talk. I seriously can't tell you how happy we are with our new neighborhood! I don't care if they tore down my old house and replaced it with a 4,000 square foot house for less money. The people who had moved in next door brought their 2 pit bulls. Nice. They had to be chained up when they were out because the yard was not gated all the way around. They barked like crazy any time we were outside (and that was lovely since I get home at 11:30 at night on the days I work.) Sometimes I just walked back there to get them all worked up just to be mean -- oops! I didn't care ... our bedrooms were on the other side of the house. I was so afraid for the girls to even go in the backyard (we had a chain link fence on that side). Those jokers are strong and if they got mad enough, I was afraid they would break their chain and come over that fence in a millisecond! Anyway....there were no neighborhood kids for the boys to play with either (except one - long story). All that and the obvious growing of our family called for a new place to call home! So fast forward...here we are! The biggest change is that Zachary and Josh each have their own room. Zachary (my OCD child) is sooooo happy! He has a place for everything and everything is in its place. Josh ,however, (as I have stated before) is NOT OCD about things....his philosophy is "let the chips [or stuff] fall where they may." You get the idea. See why Zachary is so happy?

Now, the drawbacks to our present situation. 1) The girls can reach the locks and can escape out the front door anytime. So far, this hasn't been a HUGE issue...but it still is an issue. 2) Twice I have come home from work and nearly had a panic attack because I literally could not find one of my kids (and suprisingly, neither time it was Ava!) The first time it was Josh. He had fallen asleep in an overstuffed chair in the corner of the living room. The lights were out, so I couldn't see him. The second time it was Zachary. The girls were afraid of the fireworks the neighbors behind us were shooting off, so he had fallen asleep in the girl's room. Ava was in our bed curled up next to Charles. My heart was racing that night!

So anyway....here we are...in the throws of summer...aaahhhhh...so nice! Sarah and Ava both had birthdays. They are now 4 and 3. Wow! How does that happen? Sarah is obsessed with wearing clothes that are purple, and Ava clomps around the house all day in her princess shoes. She is quite the diva! We've been playing in the little blow-up pool. Well, the girls have. I just supervise! We would love to have a pool....maybe in a couple of years. Goodness knows we would use it! We'll see...rumors of a dog are brewing....

I had to change my pictures on my blog. I just realized it's summer and in the old pics, all my kids are wearing sweaters! Ha! The beach pics are from last year. Everyone still looks the same - except taller - and Josh does have a buzz cut! That's okay...they're still cute...even if they are mine! :-)

I Could STILL Use That Starbucks!

It may be 6:30 p.m., but I still wish I had me a White Chocolate Mocha -- non-fat -- with whip from Starbucks. I had wanted to stop on my way into work this morning, but I ran out of time (the story of my life!) My sweet Sarah had a nasty bug that hit her about 1:30 this morning (just as Charles and I were getting in bed after working on some house stuff. The couple buying our house was coming back for a final walk-thru Sunday), and she and I were up til almost 4. I had to get up at 7 to get ready for work so....well...you do the math. I have wracked my brain and for the life of me, I have no idea where she could have gotten it. All I know is she was one sick, pitiful little girl ~ but such a trooper! Unfortunately, when she got sick the first time, she happened to include Ava in her "shower of blessings", so Ava woke up crying and upset that "Sissy frew up on me!" Charles got busy cleaning them off and I changed the sheets. After everyone was clean, Sarah and I moved to the couch and daddy calmed Ava back to sleep. As I was getting Sarah a change of clothes, Charles asked if I wanted to put her in bed with me and he could lay down with Ava in her bed. I told him no, that it was easier for me to keep her on the couch with a wastebasket nearby. I went back into the bathroom and Sarah had the most forlorn look on her face and asked "But who's gonna take care of me?" I asked her what she meant and she said, "If you are in your bed and Daddy is with Ava, who is going to take care of me?" Well - if that doesn't cut you at the knees, then you my friend, do not have a soul! Once I told her I was taking care of her - that we were sleeping on the couch together - she perked right back up. That poor angel! It breaks my heart that she even thought - if only for a few seconds - no one was going to take care of her!

So, by 4 her little body finally gave up and she feel asleep and we spent the rest of the night on the couch. When she got up, she was all bright eyed and bushy tailed and ready to start her day ~ for which I am thankful. Considering Charles was just as exhausted as I was, I know he was glad she felt better. It is one thing to be dog-tired, but to be dog-tired and have a sick child...that is a totally different story!

So -- we are ready start our week ... looking forward to the move (well - not actually moving, but the end result!), hopefully the boys will find out what is going to happen with karate (Prairie Life closed and their instructor has to find a new place to practice), maybe my car will be fixed so I can get it out of the shop (transmission issues - but covered under warranty!) and maybe I can actually see Josh play baseball! His game Saturday was rained out, so I have yet to see him play a game!

We are only a couple of weeks away from June my friends...summer is fast approaching! :-)

I Hate Titles!

I do...coming up with a title is worse than writing the blog! I looked at the date I last blogged and could not believe how long since it has been since I wrote anything. Goodness knows I could use some writing therapy! Maybe this will make my eye stop twitching...ha! No really, my left eye has been twitching for about 2 weeks. I actually googled it and causes can be tiredness or stress. So either way I lose! The change in my work schedule means I am always tired, and just the thought of the impending move makes me want to reach for a little brown bag to breathe in.

Yes, since my last blog, we put our house up for sale..sold it in 4 days...then found an AH-MAZING house for ourselves. Seriously...Charles and I had decided if we did not get this house, we would probably move into an apartment and consider buying a lot and building. But that was not to be! This one is so perfect for us. Strange thing is, the only reason we even looked at it was just to kill time while someone else looked at our house. I had seen the pics on the internet, but wasn't really "wowed" by them. When we walked thru it though, Charles and I both had "that feeling"...you know...it had the "it" factor. We couldn't put our finger on it...we just knew this was "our" house. It's kind of like when you know you have met "the one"...the one you are meant to spend the rest of your life with. It's beautiful...and will take many many years to decorate the way we want. That's okay tho...we have the time..I just don't have the patience (or the $$..ha!!) It's only a couple of minutes (literally) from where we are now, so the move should be easy. I just dread the packing...and the unpacking. I was hoping to be able to slip into some sort of coma for a few days and wake up and it all be done...yeah...right......where is that little brown bag again?

So that's what's going on for us. The kids are sooooo excited! The boys are looking forward to having their own room...I'm looking forward to the big kitchen and reclaiming an actual master bath...and the closet space! Charles is pumped about having a 3rd car garage...and we are all looking forward to the new friends to be made! I hear the cove is full of kiddos, so lots of playmates for everyone!

Oh~and let's not forget the most important event coming up.....the LAST DAY OF SCHOOL! Seriously, I don't know who is looking forward to it more, me or the boys! No schedules, no tests, no forms to fill out, no lunches to make, no backpacks, no uniforms....aaah! I've been looking forward to this since spring break....2 months of bliss (well -- for the most part -- until the fighting begins! :-)