Merry CHRISTmas!!!

From our house to yours.....Merry CHRISTmas!!! and a very BLESSED new year!!!

Halloween 2011

So we visited everyone's Fall Festival's or Fall Family Gatherings this Halloween.  It was different for sure, but we had a B.L.A.S.T.!  yes, I am behind on posting but it is for our memories so sue me!!! 

I believe my kids were:

 a Magician

a Green Ranger

a Cowboy

A Jester

A kid in a magicians hat

and a doughboy but I didn't get a good picture of that!!!



We hope that you had an awesome Halloween, but remember to still shine your light for Jesus, and that you got lots of yummy candy too!!  (We are still working on our stash :])

Our Eldest 12th Birthday!!

We are SO excited that it is Big D's birthday and at the same time SO sad that we cannot give him the party he so rightly deserves & wants.  It is all ok though & he is so sweet about it all, he knows that we are in a tight (but ok) spot at the moment and he understands.  He is one of the most kind spirited kids EVER!!!

We did celebrate though :) What type of parents would we be if we didn't, hummmm?!? 

His birthday was on Sunday and normally the birthday person gets to pick where we go have lunch (he was still able too) but his Daddy had to work today so we decided to go have a birthday dinner.  His Aunt was still in town at the time when we decided but we thought of it too late and they'd already gotten something for dinner. 

So our little family of four went to Chili's to eat.  Big D told us that he was branching out and having something different to eat than his normal meal (he kept his usual side though,lol) and then he got FREE icecream that we all shared a little of.  We then went home because we had a big day at church and knew we needed all the sleep we could get. 

I think it is SO awesome that we got to celebrate Big D's birth and worship the One who made him all in the same day!!  I must be the only one that thinks it is cool because nobody commented on my post on Facebook, sigh: oh well, I thought it was cool ;) 

After church, we went to Milo's to eat lunch and then to Wal-Mart to get a cake and a few other items.  He then got to do his favorite thing the Wii for the rest of the day :)

& just for good measure a baby pic :)

Happy Birthday to my Tween yikes did I really just say that!!!

The Splash Pad

We visited our "local" Splash pad recently; & can I say that we just L.O.V.E. it there!!  We always have so much fun.  Of course, Joey and I get into the fun as well (why should just the boys have all the fun? ;P) we are after all just big kids. 

The one we go to is free for everyone who wants to come, hopefully for a long time, and it has a playground along with the splash pad part.  The boys like being able to go from the water to the playground and back again.  I think that is why they enjoy this particular one so much. 

I didn't get any pictures of the playground part this time, but we are supposed to go to a special little girl's birthday party there soon and so I'm sure I'll capture some then. 

5th Grade Recognition

Today (Wednesday) was the 5th grade "graduation" for my oldest son!! 

I am so proud of him and he was so proud of himself.

He got his 5th grade Diploma, the Presidential Award, all A honor roll for this year, an A-B honor roll trophy for the last 5 years, and another certificate which he has so happily taken off with & I can't remember what it was now ( someone please agree with me that this is still "mommy/post-prego" brain). 

His Daddy, Pop, Nana, & other family members unfortunately could not make it because they all had to work, but we were SO pleased that Mimi was able to come and share in the festivities. 

Keep up the good work Big D and always remember that Mommy may be hard on you on things about school but this right here is why...you so can do it and you are capable of it!!! 

I am one proud Momma!!!

Being a "SAHM"

Let's get one thing straight, this post is NOT to knock on being a stay at home Mom or anything like that nor to be down about our each own personal circumstances.  We each live different circumstances & each live different lifestyles that has made us choose the situation we are currently in. This post IS about how MY views on the subject has changed over the course of the last 10 or so years. 

When I had my first son, I was ready to go,go,go with my little precious bundle of joy.  I could NOT stand to be in the house any longer with him- not because he was bad, just because I had cabin fever.  I wanted everyone to see my sweet faced baby & I showed him off to anyone who would let me.  By the time 6 weeks was up I was ready to go back to work & be with my friends, but I wasn't really ready to give up my baby.  Luckily, our family worked together to allow us to pay only my S-I-L and the rest of the time my Dad, Step-Mom, or Mom watched him.  I feel so incrediably blessed that they were willing to watch him during these special months.

By the time I found out I was pregnant again, I wanted needed to stay at home or at least be a WAHM!!  My second baby ended in a still born birth & you can read some of the story over on the right hand side where it says "Her Story".  I stayed home for 4 weeks after the death of my baby, but I still had the need and want to be at home for our next little miracle.

By the time our second son arrived, I was a homebody.  I liked meeting friends and hanging out but I also like the time I got to spend at home.  Our "Angel Baby" & Lil D brought something out of me that I didn't know I ever had, it was contentment.  Contentment to stay at home and be happy.  I was happy to spend time at home with the males of my household, but I was also happy to go on vacations & spend time with family & friends away from home too.  I wanted it to last forever.  It was pure joy & honestly I liked not having to be anywhere at a certain time or keep up with dates or anything.  I was enjoying the life God had given me.  The joy didn't last long, I only had a 6 week maternity leave and I was back at work. 

I wasn't happy, but I couldn't quit working completely so finally when my husband sortof agreed I quit my night time job and started to work at a local Mom's Day Out program.  It helped, it really did and the kids seemed to really enjoy that I was home more at night and all.

Then about two weeks ago I got to experience something that has brought me PURE JOY!! We actually had an ice storm (no that isn't what brought pure joy!) to our area & I got to experience complete stay at home-ness with my boys!  I even thought that it would be very easy for me to be a sahm and have the house sparkly clean and the laundry completely done and even another thought came into my head...homeschooling the boys!  I am not sure where I was going with that thought completely because if anyone knows our boys one of them will be great for me to homeschool, the other not so much!  I am Mommy, to that child..the one who cooks, cleans, cares for, etc but when it comes to teaching him things from outside of the home & of course God I am not supposed too.  

I think the older I get and the more I see my kids getting older I know I want to be in their lives as much as possible.  I also want to be able to love on them & give them the things that the need or want.  So for now being a SAHM is only a dream & it may never come true.  That is ok though for I know that going to school and then finding a job & working is what I am meant to do.  Who knows, the good Lord may find favor on me & if He ever gifts us with another child I may...just may get to be a sahm :) 

More Ice Pictures 2011

Wow, we've been out of school 2 days now & the kiddos are out again tomorrow!  My new school (more on this later) reopened for tomorrow so I am hoping fingers crossed that the kids will go back to school by Thursday. 

1 1/2 " of snow by the house

3 1/2" in our parking lot

They have been very good these past few couple of days.  We have mostly stayed inside played video games & watched TV, but the boys have gone out to play with the snow ice. 

What Rascal & I did most of the day on Monday!

The hubster also had to go to work this morning too & after our team won the National Champions!!  He fell asleep (poor guy) at around 10p.m. so he didn't get to see the winning kick, and niether did Lil D, but that is okay because I was w.i.d.e. awake after the game!

I am enjoying being a SAHM, but I know it isn't going to last so I am trying not to get too settled in & we are going to have to work on our sleeping habits.  During the holiday break we didn't get off our sleeping habits too bad but this week they have.  I'm not sure what happened and only Lil D is still in his sleeping habits.

And now for the rest of the pictures....

Getting the snice off the car

Snice on Mom's new roof

the crazy peoples that drove on icey covered ground-YIKES!

yes, they are on a 4WD, but they started doing circles on it

The only way to travel in ice!!!

Wordless Wednesday: Like Father, Like Son

Spending the night

We had a vistor this past week, our other nephew came over to spend the night with us on Monday night & the boys had so much fun.

Big D did what he does...play the Wii of course.  He let the two younger boys play some Just Dance Kids & the MarioKart wheel thing-y. 

Lil D did what he usually does too, but he graciously & sweetly let his cousin play along with him.  Like playing on the scooters outside.

The cousin wasn't too thrilled with the Wii (but that is ok) he wanted to dress up & run around to have some fun (which Lil D gladly did with him) and when it was WAY past bedtime he was frightened by the big scary dragon furnace that makes a horrible noise if you are not used to it.  He made it thru & so did we & in the end he got a sweet reward...at least for two boys that are 8 & 5.  A trip to the park, a picnic lunch, & going to the library!

The Boys' Christmas Parties at school

Both of our boys now go to the same school, for this year only-this school only, and I am SO happy about that.  What am I sad about? The fact that both boys' Christmas parties were on two different days (might I add two different WORK days for me) I am the "backup" room mother for one class and the room mother for the other one.  I enlisted Joey to help me with the party that I am the room mother in because I couldn't stay for the entire party.  The teacher appreciated our help I think, but she would have been OK if we'd just brought the items & left too.  I will remember that next time.

I only took some pictures of my boys because my blog is open to all readers at the moment & I do not know if some of these children can be "seen" on the Internet or not.  So for securities sake-I only have a few pictures.

Little D's class ate just some finger snack foods-i.e. cookies, chips, Capri suns and they also made jingle bell necklaces.

Big D's class had pigs in a blanket, sausage & biscuits, doughnuts, coke/cherry Pepsi, & cupcakes after Children's Theatre (Can I add here that I LOVE Children's Theatre & if I could have gone I would have!).  They did not do a craft because of the field trip that day.  They went to see The Best Christmas Pageant Ever and Big D said that, "many of things kids were unappreciative and didn't like it, but he did".  I am glad that he did not act ugly whether he liked Children's Theatre or not.

Snow flurry days

Lately we have had flurries, snow flurries that is!  I know it is no big deal to 90%+ bloggers that I read (who say they are in the south) BUT I am in the s.o.u.t.h. (as well as 90% of people who read this blog) and we have been having-snow!!

It sarted on Sunday morning very early.  Our family was heading to church for the musical that we were all in.  I opened up our front door to go start the car so it could be warming & saw little white specks falling from the sky.  It then got harder and harder-it was SO beautiful!

"How wonderful & beautiful!", I thought when I saw it blowing about & coming down.  Also I thought about the Gift of Love program that was going to be put on in a couple of hours & thought about the treat of the snow and the program.

It snowed off & on all day Sunday and even some during the early hours of Monday morning before the kids got on the bus.  Then the sun came out & made all the pretty snow flurries go away...until this weekend when we see you again :)!
*pictures were all taken on Monday morning 12/13/2010 & of course, you can't see the flurries :(

Thankful Jar: Eyes

(Yes, I do realize that it is no longer November)

Remember when I did the post on the Thankful jar?  Well we did a couple of other things with it that I was waiting for something to come in and show everyone about.

This time it is our Eyes.

We are so.very.thankful for our eyes and that God has blessed us with sight!  So since we are so thankful for our eyes the kids had very belated eye appointments one day in November.  I got them from school earlier & we trekked, in the rain (I might add), to a not so  local Children's Hospital to see their eye doctor. 

Dr. Cogen is a VERY good eye doctor that we have had the privilege to know for the past 10 years!  He is excellent with infants & children so if your insurance takes him than take them to him!

We found out during our latest & very needed eye visit that both of our boys are going to need glasses due to nearsightedness (it's heredity, sorry boys!).  Big D needs them now and so Mom was so very generous in taking/buying him his new glasses!  THANKS MOM!! YOU ROCK OUT LOUD!  The eye glass place said they had called us on Nov 30th telling us they were in, but they failed to call either of us on our cells so we were not aware.  So finally on Dec 6th Big D got his new glasses and has NOT taken them off since they were put on his face (again thanks Mom for taking him!)