There's Nothing Like.......

.....an innocent face!

We Had A Great Day...It Was A Super Way....

....to spend....some time together. (FYI....for those of you without little ones, those lines are from a song they play at the end of "Fresh Beat Band" - a show watched numerous times daily at my house!) It WAS a great day....kids out of school....beautiful sunshine and warm air....aaaahhhh! Just a taste of spring, which unfortunately is still a couple of months away (sigh!) That's okay...it will be here before we know it. We hung out at home in the morning, then after lunch I took the brood to Sonic for ice-cream (gotta love the Butterfinger blast - YUM!), came back home and put the girls down for a nap - which I hated to do because the weather was awesome, but considering they did not have naps yesterday, I thought it to be in EVERYONE'S best interest that they sleep (and they did - for almost 3 hours, so I think I chose wisely!) That's okay - while they snoozed, they boys and I cleaned up some limbs from the backyard and then played some baseball. Good thing we were playing with a rubber ball or Zachary would have taken out a window from the house next door - the kid can hit! Charles came home and it was Chick-fil-A for dinner (I made bbq chicken tenders and corn for lunch and spent my afternoon outside so there was no time to cook dinner too) and off to karate. The boys are now BLUE BELTS - woo hoo! They passed their belt test last Saturday. They have only 3 more colors until they reach their black belts. I am so proud of them! I'm guessing maybe this time next year or maybe even next summer they will reach black belt....hard to say though. It has taken 2 years just to get to this point. That's okay though - the process has been well worth it.

So anyway - we are in the midst of normal chaos, which is a good thing. I just can't wait for summer now....pool days...just being able to be outside more. The natives are getting restless over here! The boys also auditioned for play here in Collierville called "Dear Edwina" - and both got parts, so they will have rehearsals for that too. I've wondered "What was I thinking?" several times since they got the parts because that means 2 nights a week is karate, 1 or 2 nights a week will be play practice (til the show in March), then church on Wednesday. Have you done the math yet? Yeah - I thought the same. Yes - it will be chaotic again...but they will enjoy it - and they will still have reasonable bed times (unlike Christmas!) It's all good. All I care about is that they are doing something they want to do. I've grilled them several times and they assure me they are - soooooo......here we go again!

What Do You See????

What do you see in the above picture of our mantle that could possibly stress out a 3 year-old? Once the decorations were all put together, Sarah was very concerned.....about her stocking! How was Santa going to reach her stocking? I was asked this question over, and over, and over, and over soooo many times. I tried to reassure her that Santa had his own way of getting down stockings, that he would be sure to fill it and leave it where she could reach it Christmas morning. She still needed that reassurance though - constantly - one answer was not sufficient. Thankfully, come Christmas morning, she saw that I was right and all was well. She is most definitely a child who only believes by seeing...maybe it is an age thing!

Our Christmas was exhausting and exciting....and as I have said on my Facebook page, I am ready to trade all the "Christmas Chaos" for our "Normal Chaos"! However, I am not looking forward to the boys going back to school and having to deal with homework and backpacks and lunches...yuck! There is something to be said for those who homeschool! How much longer til summer break? Spring break is only a couple of months away...then there is Easter....then school will be out for summer...woo hoo!

I am looking at the sea of toys in my house and am thinking that there has to be some serious changes in how we do Christmas next year. For once we actually bought early, but I'm thinking that wasn't such a good idea. We kept thinking of just "one more thing" the closer Christmas got! I'm just thinking that our Christmas is going to change next year. I already have some ideas...hmmmm......

So anyway -- hope you had a fabulous New Year and that 2010 brings you an abundance of God's love and peace and most importantly His many blessings! I pray especially that He will reveal Himself to you in so many ways...big and small...so that you will always be reminded that He is forever by your side. Don't be like Sarah.....you don't HAVE to see in order to believe!

Happy Birthday Zachary!!!!

Wow! It's hard to believe the guy in that picture will be "officially" 11 years old in about 20 minutes! Exactly 11 years ago tonight, I was in a hospital room at Methodist Germantown, waiting to be induced. I remember it very well...it was a Wednesday night...Charles and I went to Buntyn for dinner, then checked into the hospital by 9 p.m. I remember putting on the hospital gown and feeling scared out of my mind! I felt like I was on a runaway train....all I could do was close my eyes and brace myself for what was about to happen. The next day went on forever (at least for me it did!). He wasn't born until 9:15 the next night. Our family still jokes that everyone else in the waiting room came and went and our family was the last to leave! I was so tired....they had just come in and "boosted" my epidural. I was feeling so nice and warm and numb....and then I had to push! Thirty minutes later I had my first little Christmas angel! I had spiked a fever just before he was born, which meant he had a fever too -- so he had to be whisked away for a bit to be seen about, but he was okay. In the midst of all that, my sweet nurse brought me a "lunchable" sandwich and a Diet coke. That was the best food EVER! I was famished! To this day, a Lunchable has never tasted so good!

We became a family of three that day, and the dynamics of our marriage changed forever -- for the good of course! We immediately were at the mercy of this tiny little person, who let us know when we could sleep, when we could eat, where we could go, and when we could go! At the same time, we learned that it really was possible to love someone else with all your heart...to be in awe of another human being was an incredible feeling! This was our tiny little miracle...yes...a miracle. I had a smooth pregnancy, but in my eyes, EVERY baby is a miracle of God and His handiwork...all the little fingers and toes and sighs and coos are amazing every day!

In eleven years, Zachary has grown into an incredible young man. I love his sense of humor, his gentle heart, his compassion, his love for the Lord and willingness to serve Him. He is a really cool kid...and I love spending time with him. I am so proud to call him my son.....I love you Zachary - and I pray you will continue to follow the Lord and grow stronger in your walk with Him. Happy Birthday Bud!

LOTS To Be Thankful For!

I really do....I have a happy healthy family ("happy" might be questionable depending on who you ask...ha!), I have a job (even though I might not like all aspects of it - I am still quite thankful for it!), I have a devoted husband and father (which seems to be a rare thing these days), a roof over my head, food in my fridge, a vehicle to drive, $$ in the bank (not a lot, but enough for us!). Yes, things are very good. Even though I might look at my glass as "half-empty" sometimes, in reality it is very much full. We do have much to be thankful for again this year.

Things have taken a different turn this year, which does make me sad. This this the first holiday season without my grandmother. It really won't be the same. Even though she really wasn't able to cook for a couple of years, I still miss all her cooking. She made the BEST dressing (although Uncle Terry and Aunt Jan can duplicate it!), and at Christmas she would make all kinds of treats....peanut brittle (so glad she taught my mom how to do it!), "Trash" as she called it -- just some Chex mix, but still good -- divinity, and other assortments of chocolate covered items. Then, we usually go to Charles' grandmother's for Thanksgiving, but that was cancelled this year b/c she went into the hospital yesterday. She is having to have her medicines regulated....she has been having problems with them all "working against each other" as her dr. put it. Supposedly it will only be for a couple of days....lets hope so! EVERYONE loves to go to her house for Thanksgiving....Zachary has been talking about it for weeks! He handled it okay....we will get together in a few weeks for Christmas, so it's all good!

I hope you all have a blessed holiday...and remember all you have to be thankful for - because you DO have LOTS to be thankful for!

Bummed......

yeah....I am......and I hate it. I want a change and it is not happening. I don't know...I guess maybe I am restless? Aaaagh! I need more time and it just is not there. This time of year is pure insanity in our house what with crazy schedules and all. I guess it is my schedule that I get so frustrated with. I do love my job - and I especially love the people - but I am getting burned out on the hours. I work three 12-hour days a week. We close at 8, but it is usually closer to 9 when I leave, which means the kids are in bed when I get home. That is 3 days a week I am not there for dinner or bedtime and I really don't like that. That means when I have a night off when I could go to a women's bible study, I don't want to go because I don't want to be away from my family for another night. I hate that anytime something comes up, I can't commit because I need to check my work schedule first. My days change every 2 weeks, so there is no consistency. I can't commit to things on a regular basis...like classes at the gym or activities at church because I would be there for 2 weeks and then have to be gone for 2 weeks. Not to mention I work one weekend a month.

There are good things though. I do enjoy being off all day the days I am off. I've been able to spend time with the girls, and during the summer, I can spend days with all of the kids. That part is nice -- I must admit. I can schedule dr. appts. on my days off and not have to take off. So really -- there are perks.

I am just focusing on the things I don't like. That is sooooo easy to do sometimes. I guess my glass is "half empty" right now. That is why I am bummed. I like consistency at home and I want my kids to have that, but they really don't right now. We don't have normal family meal times and at times things are so "helter-skelter"....it drives me nuts.

There is no solution....this is just how is has to be right now...but that doesn't mean I have to like it! :-( grrrrrrrrr.......

Thanks for "listening" to me vent! It's nice to do that sometimes!

Hmmmmm....

I don't know if any of you read any of the blogs that are on my blog list on the left side of my blog, but I do encourage you to read "My Charming Kids" by "McKmama". I don't know her personally, but I have been following her blog for about 7 months now. She too has 4 kids, and her youngest - Stellan - was born with SVT (rapid heart rate). It's a long story, but the short of it is he has had several bouts that have required several hospital stays....some lengthy. This little guy has lived through more than the average adult will ever see - he truly is a miracle baby!

Anyway - Stellan was rushed to the hospital last Tuesday night with a severe bout of SVT -- in fact, they could have easily lost him had his parents not checked on him. He spent his first birthday fighting for his life in the PICU (pediatric intensive care unit) where he is currently residing in a hospital in his hometown. McKmama is a Christian, and one of the things I love about her blog is that she is soooo very real. She bares her soul on her blog. She talks about struggles with family, finances, faith...you name it! All this to say, a couple of days ago, she wrote a very lengthy blog about the point of praying. I loved it, and I encourage you to click on her link and scroll thru the sweet pics of Stellan and his first birthday "party" he had in the PICU to read it yourself. She brought to life many questions that I - and I am sure many of you - have had about prayer. More specifically...."What is the point?" I feel God knows the outcome anyway, so why bother? I pray because I feel led to, but in the back of my mind sometimes I think, "God isn't going to change his mind, so why do this?" I will take one quote from her..... I think it is very insightful:

"Maybe the point of prayer, if it isn't to get God to do what we want, is instead to bring ourselves into alignment with God so that we can be close enough to Him to be okay with what He decides instead of feeling like we need to try to get our way. "

Anyway....I'd be curious to know your thoughts....ever feel like that too? Ever get frustrated? Silly question...I'm sure you do!