Before Christmas can truly begin....

our boy & girl has to turn ten! It is hard to convey the emotions that these few days hold. If I had posted this before Tuesday I'm sure some of it would've held different emotions - maybe not. This week was not an easy one for us for multiple reasons. However, my love for these sweet children is still the same.

Our first celebration started Sunday night after church with Aunt Lisa & Uncle Roger. When the "birthday desert" came, the singing began. Aunt Lisa sang desperately out of tune on purpose and poor Abbi could barely contain herself - note the bright shade of red and plugged ears.


I don't know that I've ever seen her face this red (the blushing seems to be a new thing) but it was funny for us to watch.


"Old" friends surely make the best friends - I love you Lisa!

We celebrated the actual day with a dinner to Outback - they opened gifts, ate, and enjoyed more birthday dessert.

The poor girl had been salivating over black nikes ever since her Daddy and Brother got a pair - finally her new "kicks"

Of course, the video game makes this one all smiles.

I love this sweet boy but sometimes it's not easy. The next day was truly one of the worst days I've had parenting him. Who knows how one child can be so different from the others in the home. I am writing this more as a release for me than for your benefit (of course) I never want him to question how much I love him, I want to be able to show him that, help guide him in the right paths, use his gifts to the fullest of potential. I pray that we have both learned from this week. I know I've said this before but being a parent is beyond words the hardest job on earth! I will never understand it all I just pray the Lord helps me to be the best mother to him I can. Thank you to every person who has ever encouraged us, prayed for us, or just been our friend. Thank you so much!

May this next year hold great joy and peace for all of us as we struggle to please the Lord and walk in His perfect will!

Happy New Year!

Finally...

a crafty post! I haven't taken much time lately to do anything crafty but the closer Christmas gets there are a few cards necessary - so I get to make them and this one was inspired by a very simple card but I like the geometric nature of it none-the-less.

Two version:
This is just cardstock and jewels. Don't worry - these are the kind that come in a strip so I didn't sit and put each one on individually - HA!


Version 2:
I can't decide which I like best - this one is going to Braden's teacher who LOVES some bling - hope she likes it (of course she'll probably enjoy the handwritten note by him on the inside saying she is a cool teacher the most)


And to finish off this post - a rare shot with all 3 looking the same direction, at the same time, with a version of a smile - a true Christmas miracle!


If I don't get to blog again before then, MERRY CHRISTMAS and enjoy all your blessings - thre greatest being our Savior Jesus Christ!

"Thank You Daddy. . . .

for bringing us here!" were the sweet words spoken by Braden on the evening of our arrival to "The Happiest Place on Earth" They were overwhelmed with it all and I was so excited they were - didn't want them to be bored by it all - this world has a tendency to do that to us.

We had a long drive (longer than usual as we suppose that everyone who traveled North for Thanksgiving decided to travel back South the same day as us) Stand still traffic on I-75! Anyway, by the time we got there it was dark but just in time to watch the fireworks across the lake from the Castle.

I love these two boys explaining things to one another!


Here is that castle lit up for Christmas - GORGEOUS!!!


Day One - pre-trip photo - they were super excited!


There were times in this trip I wanted to pull my hair out and other times I just smiled at the sweet love - this one makes me MELT! Love the two heads together and the arms wrapped tight:)

Another spontaneous show of love to help the little guy along - at this stage these are rare but oh how sweet when they do it on their own!

Toy Story Interactive game - Daddy was serious!

Even brought out the tongue for concentration - so glad to have captured this even if it wasn't on purpose.

We met a few characters along the way - was surprised that the big kids were interested in autographs but also grateful when they weren't interested enough to wait in a few of the mile long lines - gotta have balance right?

Can't leave the magic kingdom without riding Dumbo!

Thank you again Daddy for this fun adventure - we really did share some fun times and we are so blessed to be able to do this type of stuff with our children.

Where Dreams Come True!

Around the House

I would LOVE for pottery barn to come and decorate my house for Christmas. However, since that won't work out anytime soon - I try to imitate the magazines. Here is the dinner table centerpiece - it isn't perfect - I need a runner but it'll work until I get back.


Here are one of my fav things - some trees I got from Michaels a few years ago - they are in a simple clean line of three on the side board. With a nice clean gold runner. Easy to move when it's time for the food to take over.


Have a happy Monday!

We did it!

We got the tree up and decorated before leaving for vacation - WHEW! I wondered if we could and we did. Here is a little run down of how this worked this time in our house:

Mama went for a run early with Aunt Melissa while Daddy put the tree up - he is clearly more efficient in that dept. than me.

However, I then spent what felt like a solid hour "fluffing" the parts that had been smushed from being in a box for 11 months or so. While I'm doing this I'm listening to Christmas music as well as the "music" children make when you're not moving fast enough for their liking - they were sooo anxious to help but weren't interested at all in the fluffing.


Here is glimpse of one of my fav ornaments - it sparkles so well in the night with just the tree lights on.


The front of the tree is clearly decorated more heavily by 9 and 6 yr olds. They didn't quite understand that the whole tree must be decorated as close to evenly as possible.


Abbi was distracted thankfully when we remembered they had their own tree with their own ornaments - sweet!

This little guys tells us that "God is really happy with us because we put out alot of decorations to celebrate His birthday!" Love the way he thinks.

The almost final product as we need a new topper - star or angel - not sure yet.

Thanks for looking and I hope your Holidays were Thankful and Bright!

No crafty - just crazy fun!

So, I'm a bit frustrated with my crafty motivation lately - not the ideas - just the desire to execute. Everything seems to be more important at the moment - even if it actually isn't. Even wound up not getting the "Thank You" cards done for my children's teachers - at least they weren't expecting them!

Looking forward to a few days off work but here is a flashback of the last few hours & days!

A trip to The Swamp to see the Mighty Gators play - they were at least mighty for one day! Which was all I could ask for my little girl. I surprised her with the Tebow Jersey as an early birthday present so she could wear it to the game - she was pretty excited and clearly ready to get the show on the road as exhibited here where she left us grown-ups in the dust.


Pre-game pose - thanks Aunt Teresa!


Post game exhaustion - poor girl was feeling so bad she slept through part of the 3/4th qtr. You know she's sick when she can sleep in a stadium filled with 90,000 of your best friends!


So today was a 1/2 day which at most schools are useless - NOT at DPES! We used it to bond as a family and I mean that. It was teachers vs. kids in a kickball game - SUPER FUN! Tho Mr. Willis is in this shot Mason scored a run - those are his legs bent backwards as he slid into home plate. This was such a fun experience for everybody. Teachers won by a single point but that's o.k. - I hear a rematch is brewing for the 1/2 day before Christmas:)

I think Abbi has the classic runner's stride - wonder if track might be in her future?

Hope you have a great Thanksgiving and are able to take a look back over the year and see your many blessings - even in the midst of crazy, busy, hectic lives, we surely are a blessed people!

Where we've been- (if you were wondering)

We (I mean me) have been over our head! I think maybe the Lord is using this to teach me to be a "one-day-at-a-time" kinda girl. I am such a planner but right it's coming at me so fast I can't hardly breathe. We have had canned food drives, Thanksgiving lunches, piano recitals to practice for, soccer tournaments, and the lists go on - I know you have those list too so i'm not saying mine is busier than yours, just busier than mine has EVER been.

My kids drive me crazy but in the same breath, keep me laughing so I don't literally go crazy. Thought I'd share this with you. The other day while David was working, Mason came and asked if they could give Abbi a pedicure. huh? yeah, i guess, where? in your bedroom, NO, but in my bathroom I said. A few minutes later I had the "wisdom" to take a photo - this is what I found:

They are all clearly enjoying themselves - Abbi, of course. I say, "why r u doing this?" just wondering what promptly such a lovely gesture. They say, "she's gonna buy us something at Disney World" ahh, the real motive is revealed! (hint* another reason why I'm crazy is that I have to pack for FIVE people to go to Disney for six days just three days after Thanksgiving and trying to figure out when to shop for Christmas, decorate my house, and put up a tree!)

Another place we were pleased to go (though it took up a bit of our Saturday) was a 3V3 tournament Abbi was asked to play in. She loved it (except when she lost of course) but it was great experience - she got to play along side of the traveling team girls and learn a new version of soccer - pretty cool!

I keep saying I hope to be to normal real soon but that ain't happening - probably never - which means I need a new reality. i want to scrap but absolutely don't have the time. the fabric i bought to make thanksgiving placements is still sitting on the table neatly folded like the fabric lady folded it. fortunately thanksgiving is at the in-laws so no one will miss them!

just a glimpse of where we've been! happy weekend:)

Miracle Strip Reborn!

So, it's not that we went there alot when I was a child - we had no extra $ - we did go occasionally when relatives or friends took us. So what is totally cool is that now my children are able to enjoy a few pieces of this Panhandle History.

We went on Veteran's Day for a bit with the cousins and here are some shots of the day:

Taylor loved this obviously:)


Boys are trying to figure out how it works - no surpirse here.


Aunt Melissa and the girlies.


Justin waving to our adoring fans.

Abbi chasing Tori - this is probably my fav foto of the day:)

Please take me to Vera Bradly? No, why not? Please???

The sweet smile after Aunt Melissa said they wouldn't leave without a Vera Bradley stop. R.O.T.T.E.N!

The family pyramid - I try this everytime and sometimes it works and sometime it doesn't.

The future inhabitant of the Butterfly Pavilion.

Taylor being brave and checking it all out.

so sorry some of my pics are grainy - I think I have determined it is the cheapo memory card I had to buy "on the fly" recently when I left my other one at home. Hope you enjoy and Happy Weekend!

Fall - yep, it's just about to pass me by!

so I am gonna schedule another post just so it won't be forever before I do this again. I do feel like life is passing me by. Subbing, PTO'ing, Wed. nite class, wife-ing, and mothering, whew, I can barely keep my head above water - if you see tiny bubbles, come in after me!

I don't have my fall decor out because I hate doing it before Halloween because I wouldn't want anyone to think I was celebrating that - so, this little arrangement (and my ribbon wreath) are the only real signs of fall at our house. I hope to change that this weekend which almost seems worthless and I should just skip to the Christmas ones! I used large waltnuts and other assorted nuts for filler because I kinda get tired of the rocks or the marbles or whatever else we always put in there.


Another sign of fall is canned food drives - they are wonderful teachers to our children. We pray they will always realize how blessed they are and here's what mine decided to do. The school is doing a food drive. they have asked for like 20 cans EACH nearly EVERY day. I told them we would need a food drive if they kept that up. Their idea ... panhandle the neighborhood for cans. So with wagon in tow (and a sheet of paper to keep track of donations) they proceeded. I was proud of them for their willingness to get "cans for the needy" and they came back with just over 20 items. If you're counting that's 7 more each to take to school tomorrow. Teachable moments!


And one random that David and I just loved. We couldn't find Mason, called and called but no answer. When David finally looked out the back, there he was, READING, comfortably with dog in tow - some days you just see that you will survive and that he has the potential inside him to be an AMAZING man.

Hope this will feed your need of photos for my kiddos until next time. Probably not tomorrow but soon.

Almost 2 Weeks...Really????

So I didn't realize it had been TWO weeks - was thinking more like one or so - sorry!

I have worked at the school in the first grade everyday this last week and just getting used to that is quite an exhausting task - Love the kids but man it is hard to be with 18 all day long and then come home to three of my own with very much patience at all - gotta work on that.

On to more exciting (and cute) things - our first grade won a field trip and chose Rock-it Lanes. Super cute to have 60 or so 6 year olds bowling and skating.

Here is my man and his friend Zachary - can't have the pics without the bunny ears right?


Look how much fun she was having - she is our neighbor and Braden's new best friend.


And these little prisses in the making are just too much. Poor Abby is about to throw out her hip in that pose and the one with the yellow headband has captured Braden's little heart - she is Alli. I think she may show up somwhere on this blog in times to come.


Hope to be back tomorrow with some crafty stuff. Have a great week!