Happy Anniversary

Wow! I can't believe it has been eight years. In some ways it feels like it has been a lot longer and in other ways it doesn't seem like it has been nearly that long. Eight years ago today my husband and I were married. What a lucky girl I am to be married to such a wonderful man for eight years!

Eight years ago I made the craziest decision I have ever made I jumped into a car with this wonderful boy that I was completely head over heels in love with. He took me back to Seattle with him. I had no place to live, no job, pretty much no money but, I had him and I was beyond happy with that. Some friends of ours let me stay with them (thank you!). It was barely two weeks later (12 days to be exact) and we were saying our "i dos". It all happened so fast! People all around us were saying it would never last, that we were being too crazy and impulsive. The funny thing is, though, that it didn't seem like it was happening so fast to us. In fact, it was like time slowed down and I am still amazed when I think about how it was only 12 days later that we were married. It feels like it was at least a month! We spent hours and hours discussing the possibility of our getting married and what that would mean and if it was the right thing to do. It was the right thing and I don't regret it for a second. I would married him again in an instant. Wouldn't change it for the world. You get the point. :)

There are regrets about the fact that certain people were left out of the ceremony and even the decision to get married. We deeply regret and are so sorry that those people were hurt by our actions. If we could go back and do that part of it over again we absolutely would. But, the part where we ended up as husband and wife, there are no regrets there.

My husband is a wonderful person and the perfect man for me. I love him very much and appreciate every little thing he does for me more than he knows. He is incredibly intelligent and loving and sweet and a wonderful father. He makes me want to be a better person, to be the best wife and mother that I can be. He is the greatest gift from God. I am so very grateful that he is my husband and I look toward our future with great anticipation.

I love you, husband.

What Was He Thinking?!

I sit down at the computer. The house is quiet. The two little ones are napping and the two bigger ones are outside jumping on the trampoline. Suddenly, the peacefulness is shattered by the screaming cries of kiddo number 2. My heart races as I jump up to run outside expecting to find blood and or broken bones. Kiddo number one gives kiddo number 2 a hug and says she's sorry before beginning to help him climb down from the trampoline. Aside from his screaming, everything seems okay. No blood, no obvious broken bones, no big bumps or bruises forming on his head, he's walking just fine. But, he is holding his mouth and screaming something about a lose tooth.
"What on earth happened here?" I must hollar to be heard over kiddo number 2's screaming.
"Mom! I kept telling him no but, he kept telling me to do it so, finally I did!" was kiddo number 1's cryptic reply.
"What is it that he wanted you to do?" I was completely perplexed.
"Swing at him, punch him in the face." she replied, hanging her head.
Oh my goodness! Why would he want her to do that?! I never did get an answer to that question.
Well, once he was calmed down and assured that he was in no immediate danger of losing any teeth I asked him, "So, do you think it was a good idea to have her punch you?"
"Noooo!!!" was the sniffly answer.

I am sure there was some sort of lesson learned. But, even if there wasn't, it sure did give the mom and dad a big laugh! :)

She's Mobile!

Oh my! Over the last week the baby has begun crawling. Not only does she crawl but, she also pulls herself up to stand using anything she can get her hands on; this includes people, toys and furniture. I think that what she really wants is to walk and it won't be incredibly long until she figures out how that works. She's a fairly determined little girl!

So, now she is crawling around. Everywhere. All over the house.

We are now presented with a host of new challenges. We must baby proof, we must make sure the older kiddos keep their small toys out of the baby's reach, we must keep the poor thing from getting stepped on.

Some new challenges but, oh my goodness is it ever a cute sight to see her crawling along, following her big brothers and sister wherever they go. :)

What a Sweetie

A picture of kiddo #4 taken a few days ago. Just way too cute not to share. That's her, always full of smiles and laughter. :)

The Adventure Begins

They gathered at the airport at 5:45 this morning. The plane was scheduled to leave at 7:50. Day one has begun. This group of 10 people have begun their journey to Haiti. I know that at least two of them have never been on a mission trip before. I wonder what it will be like for them. Will this be the first of many? I hope the experience is a great one for them all.

Their adventure has begun. So has mine. 9 days alone with 4 kids. Some people think that is no big deal. Some people have done this many times themselves. Well, it is a big deal for this little family. I have never been on my own with them like this before. Of course, Gram is still around to lend a helping hand if needed but, I am on my own in a way that I have never had to be before. I must admit that it is a little overwhelming. I am feeling a little lonely right now.

It is about 1:30 in the afternoon right now and so far we have managed just fine on our own. There is a full schedule for the rest of the day in front of us and I am quite sure that we will get through day one fairly well. The remaining 8 days are a mystery.

I am a little excited that I will have this time to develope the routine and schedule that is severly lacking in our household. I hope that by the time the daddy comes home we will be in the swing of things integrating schooltime, clean-up time, and playtime in our days. I actually started with this plan on Monday and we have faired rather well so far. We still need to figure some things out though, and this will be a good time for the kids and me to do that. We already miss the daddy so very much, though!

So, the adventure has officially begun. I am interested to see what the next 8 days will bring.
Please pray for the group of 10 who are headed to Haiti. Pray that they stay safe and that they are able to accomplish what they are headed there for. It is a very exciting time for them, I am sure!

Prayer Hands

Maybe he picked it up from church. Maybe he picked it up from watching his big brother and sister. Maybe it came from the Mom or Dad. Whatever it is, child number three has become a little boy who loves to pray. It is the cutest thing in the world!
Praying is something that has become important to him. It is something that is part of his daily routine. He will not lay down for naptime or bedtime without first saying a prayer. When he sees other people praying he wants to pray too. Sometimes he comes to me wanting to pray for no obvious reason. He would rather have somebody praying with him although, I have seen him praying on his own. The other day he saw the cat sleeping and he went over and said a little prayer with her.

Child number three is only two years old. He does not talk as well as most two year olds (probably just because he doesn't want to). When he prays the majority of his words are not unerstandable. I wonder what he prays about in those sweet little prayers. My guess is that he is just repeating things he has heard those of us around him say when praying but, maybe not. Maybe he has come up with his own things to say to God. Whatever it is that he is actually saying, it warms my heart to see those little hands go together to make "prayer hands" and to hear that sweet little voice babble away some message to God.

Back to the Real World

Well, we have been home for 3 whole days now. I am still disappointed that our flight made it out Sunday evening. The husband and I had such a fantastic time. I can't even decide what my favorite part of our little mini-vacation was. Was it the just the time alone with the husband? The cold weather? The snow? The hockey game? The snowy walk down to the river? The fantastic food? I think experiencing all these things with the husband is the winner.
Our trip started off wonderful and never stopped. It was bit hard leaving the baby behind and not knowing how she was going to handle it but, as the plane took off I said a little prayer and felt the weight of worry leave me and the excitement of the trip settle in.
The flight was uneventful and felt short. I was extremely tired and tried to sleep but, as always, was unable to sleep on the plane. I did enjoy some uninterupted reading, though. When we got to Des Moines we found ourselves sharing the shuttle to the hotel with some scouts who work for the Dallas Stars and a hockey player who I think was on his way to play for the Iowa Stars. That was pretty fun. We ended up at the wrong hotel but, the 3 block walk to the correct one was worth it.
Lunch Friday afternoon was at a brewery which I can't remember the name of. The food was absolutely wonderful, the waiter was very good, and the private tour of the brewery was very interesting. I did learn that there is probably not a single beer on this planet that I will like, though. Overall it was a very interesting, educational, and pleasant lunch. A good way to spend our first afternoon in Des Moines.
I won't bore you all with a detailed description of the whole trip. Here are a few of my favorite highlights, though:
-lunch at the brewery
-taking a guilt free nap
-hockey game number one
-walking out in the cold
-drinking mint mochas from Java Joes
-waking up to snow on Saturday
-sitting on the glass for hockey game number two
-walking in the snow
-the yummiest tuna melt in the world for lunch on Sunday
-all that time to spend with husband

Due to the weather in Dallas our noon flight was cancelled on Sunday so, we got to spend a little extra time together. That was a nice suprise. As the snow began to fall in Des Moines Sunday afternoon we hoped that our 6 o'clock flight would be cancelled as well but, no such luck. We ended up being the last flight out. It was a long and bumpy flight but, we made it back to Dallas safely. I don't think we were gone long enough, though because the kiddos hardly noticed our return. Well, except for the baby. She began to cry accusingly almost as soon as she saw us. I hear that she was just fine all weekend, though. Pappy's little girl the whole time.
It was a fantastic weekend and we will have to do it again.
Now we have gotten back into our routine of no real routine. Back to work and back to parenting.

Iowa Bound

It is so hard to wrap my mind around the concept of going away for a couple days without the children. Just the husband and me for the weekend. Friday morning we get on the plane and don't return until Sunday afternoon. Did I mention no children? I just can't get my mind around it! Yet, at 11:00 (or so) we will be getting on that airplane and they will be under the supervision of the Gram and the Pappy. Whoa! All I can say is THANK YOU to Gram and Pappy! Thank you for the trip and thank you for keeping the kiddos.
Why Iowa you might ask. To go see a hockey game, of course. :) The husband and I are big Stars fans. The Stars has their minor league team up in Iowa. It is going to be so fun watching the players at that level play! Players that may end up in the NHL and some who have been up and down from the NHL. I am pretty excited to see the game. Games, actually, we have tickets for Friday and Saturday nights. Once again, thank you, Gram and Pappy.
This is a much needed vacation for me. I have been totally overwhelmed since the birth of our youngest child. She is almost 6 months old already and I still haven't figured out how to manage life with 4 children and I am really feeling the effects of all the related stress. So, thank you!
Wow, two whole nights that I don't have to get up with any kids at all. One morning that I can sleep in as late as I want. A whole couple days without dragging children around everywhere I go. All this time to spend with the husband. Lucky me!
I have been worried about the baby and how she will take this. I have been worried about the grandparents and how the kiddos will behave for them. I have been assured by the Gram that they can handle two days of anything and that I really just need to get over my worries. So, this is me getting over it. I will just go and have a good time. I will not call 16 times a day to check on them. Once, or twice is okay, though. Right? :)

I Need A Friend

I never really thought of myself as a person who is in need of social interaction. There are those out there in the world who just have a need to be around other people, doing the social thing. I have always been a quiet person in need of my "alone" time. Maybe it's because I grew up with two sisters who did not like me very much and preferred activities that included just the two of them so, I have been trained to appreciate time on my own. Maybe there's no real reason for it and that's just the way I am. Now, don't get me wrong. I do enjoy spending time with people and socializing. I just never really felt like it was a priority in my life. I always had friends growing up, though. Friends that I could call and chat with, or go to the movies with, or whatever crazy thing we could come up with. Lately though, I find myself lacking in friends. It has been a pretty lonely time.
About a year ago a friend of mine moved down here from Idaho. I was so excited to have her here. To have somebody close by whom I have known since first grade. Somebody to talk to and do things with. I have since learned that the paths of our lives are going in completely different directions and don't cross very often anymore. She is still single and I am married with four kids.....not a lot in common right now. Not the same priorities either.
I do have my husband. We are very close. He is truely my very best friend in the world. I am very grateful for him. Where's the "but", you ask. He's a guy. There is a difference there. He is also a home-body. He would rather hang out at home most days and I would rather get out, especially since I spend so much time here.
There are the women that I work with. There are many of them that I like very much. It's a joy to work with them. Not much has developed outside of work, though.
Honestly, I am just no good at this whole making friends thing. I often wonder what's wrong with me. How come I don't know how to make friends? I am not entirely sure but, I think I am a relatively nice and likable person. There is something lacking, though. Where have my social skills gone? Did I ever actually have any? Maybe it's just this stage in life....four small children take up a lot of time. Well, it's a pretty lonely stage right now.
I have learned of a mini-church that a lady I met through working at the church runs with her husband. I like this lady very much and our kids get along very well so, I am really excited to go and check out this mini-church and I really hope that my family fits in and we can do something about this friend situation. Unfortunately they meet on the same day my husband has his mission meetings so, we cannot go together until the mission is over. Maybe I should go without him? I have been considering it.
Anyway, enough of my whining. I hope that this new year brings new friends with it. :)

Happy New Year

Well, 2006 had it's good times and hard times and a few surprises for us. Looking back on it there is so much that I am thankful for. My sweet baby girl definitely tops the list. There are moments that make me sad as well. Like Uncle Bill being diagnosed with cancer. And, as always, our Lord was there with us every step of the way, watching over us, taking care of us, and providing for us. I am so thankful for a loving Father full of grace!

As for 2007 there are already so many plans that will make for an adventurous year for us. The year starts with the husband and the Pappy heading to Haiti on a mission trip and continues with the daily adventure of life with four little ones and an actual family vacation this summer (a first for this little family). My biggest hopes for the year is that I will continue to grow spiritually and as a wife and mother. There are many little things that I hope for for the next year. It is pretty exciting to see what the Lord has planned for this little family.

Happy New Year, everybody. May yours hold some adventure for you.

Just Boys Being Boys?

I did not have any brothers. Just the two sisters and me. We only had one boy cousin who lived close by when we were growing up. The result of this is that I don't really know a whole lot about little boys. I have been learning about them as my two boys grow up. Fortunately for them, they have their dad around to guide them in the ways of being a boy.
So, in not knowing much about little boys I often wonder if the things that these boys do are just normal little boy things or if they are unique to my little guys. One of those things that has been just driving me nuts these last few weeks, or so, is their apparent innate need to destroy things. Maybe there are mothers all over who are struggling with the same issue. Maybe I just have two destructive little boys who need to learn a lesson about taking care of things. Oh my goodness it drives me nuts!
It is not uncommon for us to be walking through the house or even through a store and boy number one will go out of his way to step on something on the floor. If boy number two is actually walking he will follow suit. There have been a number of toys broken by little hands and feet. There have been a number of things broken from being thrown or run over or whatever method they come up with at the time.
As I watch boy number one go out of his way to be destructive in some way shape or form and boy number two follow suit, I wince and wonder, "is this actually normal?"

Been Awhile

Wow, I hadn't realized that it has been so long since we posted anything! I guess the business of the days leading up to Christmas got the better of us. That last week was pretty exhausting! I have not been online very much and missed reading all of the posts on my favorite blogs. I hope all my friends out there in blog world had a great holiday!

Well, Christmas at our house was chaotic, of course. There is no way around that with 4 small children! It was a wonderful couple of days of celebration, though. The husband ended up with an extra day off work because of an injury I suffered to my knee (there's a whole blog entry to that story!) so, we had him home for a 4 day weekend. That was nice, even with the painful knee!
Christmas Eve service at our church was fantastic. It was a bummer for the husband who missed much of it when he had to take the screaming boy out to the lobby. The older two kiddos really enjoyed the music and the story. It was funny that they didn't recognize Gram's voice as the cow. Everyone involved with the whole production did a wonderful job, we thank you. It was a great service, especially for the children.
The tradition in my husband's family is to open stockings in the evening on Christmas Eve so, we all got together at the Gram and Pappy's house after they were finished with their work at church; with the addition of one very dear friend. I do believe there was a great time had by all. We have a simple dinner with appetizer type foods that we can all "graze" on throughout the evening and, as usual, Gram had some very yummy things for us all to eat. It was so fun watching the kiddos. They ended up opening their stockings after all the adults and they were so excited about watching each one of open our little presents. They were so excited, it was as if they were getting the gifts themselves. Those kiddos are way too much fun! The Gram and Pappy put together some pretty fun stockings for us all. Thanks much. :)
After the Gram and Pappy's house we headed home to do our stockings at our house as the husband couldn't stand to wait until the morning. The kiddos were just as enthusiastic at home even though it was getting insanely late. My favorite comment of the evening was when Maverick opened a little bug magnifier container on a necklace, he said "Hey! I got a girl thing! Why did you get me a girl thing?!" Yes, because when one thinks of playing with bugs they always think of girls. Silly boy! After the opening of stocking gifts at our house the kiddos finally headed to bed. It was midnight, and I hadn't even opened mine yet! I waited for them to go to bed. The hubby and Miss Chris did an excellent job putting together a stocking for me, as usual.
Some pretty fun and useful stuff, thanks guys.
Christmas morning. The kiddos slept in until 10:30 or so. THANK YOU! We opened presents at home and then headed over to the Gram and Pappy's house. We got there much later than planned due to the sleepy little children and those two were very ready to get to the gift giving. :) It is so much fun to watch those kiddos open their gifts and get so excited about what they were given. Mr Maverick was a hoot when he opened "Mine very own scooter!" You should have seen the look on his face. And Sir Kannon with all his books, he was in heaven. Miss Teya loved her pretty little purse and has been carrying it around all day. :) Baby Faith was content to sit with Mommy and doze through the festivities. I can't even begin to describe what a wonderful gift the new computer monitor was for the hubby and me ! WOW! Love it! Thanks a million!
Gram made a wonderful ham dinner for us. I think that is always my favorite part of the day. Sitting down to eat together. There is always delicious food at Gram's house and it's so nice to have that time to just be together and talk and laugh.

So, Christmas and Christmas Eve were very fun days for this little family. We all enjoyed our time together and had so much fun giving out the gifts we had for each other. We also did not forget the reason for the celebration and were so thankful for the birth of our Savior.

I hope those of you out there in the world had wonderful holidays too.

Dear Maverick,

Yesterday was your birthday. You are four now! I can't believe you are four! It seems like a very short time ago that I was holding you as we walked through the apartment singing your "sleepy Maverick" song as you cried and cried in the middle of the night. That was our routine every night for many, many nights. Weeks of nights. I think the neighbors were very happy when we moved out! So, here we are four years later and you still don't sleep through the night!

Maverick, I am so glad you are here. We have a lot of rough times and I often wonder if we will ever make it through an entire day without time outs and such. But, I am so glad you are here. You have a very strong personality and you are so smart and friendly I can't wait to see where it takes you in life!

Here are some things I love about you:

-Your big blue eyes that sparkle when you are happy.

-Your cool surfer dude hair. It really suits your personality! I love the way you look when you have been swimming.

-How loving you are with your little brother and sister.

-How you want to include your big sister in everything you do.

-How you refuse to let anything get you down. You bounce back to your happy self so quickly when things go wrong!

-The stories you tell!

-There is little in this world that scares you. You think you can do anything and you can because you won't let anything stop you. (this drives me crazy sometimes! sometimes? maybe a lot. I believe it will get you somewhere, eventually, though.)

-You have the cutest smile.

-Your fashion sense cracks me up! :)

Maverick, you are such a bright, happy, caring little boy. The people who get to know you are truely blessed. You drive me crazy and you know exactly which buttons to push to make me frustrated or angry but, you also make me smile and laugh and want to hug and kiss you until you can't stand it anymore. Life with you has been an adventure. I can't wait to see what year four will bring.

This makes me sad

I have a friend. A very dear friend whom I have known for many years. This very dear friend of mine is a Christian. This very dear friend of mine hates Christmas. Not only Christmas but this entire holiday season. You see, this friend of mine grew up with parents who were divorced, like me, and, for her, the holidays were about getting passed around from one family to the other and eating more holiday dinners than one person could possibly digest. This friend also has a step-mother who's Christmas focus seems to be purely about the gift giving and this upsets my friend, understandably as that is not what the holiday is really all about.
All that is sad. But, what really makes me sad is that this dear friend of mine doesn't seem to want to get over her dislike for the holidays. She is now out of the situation where she must continue to have the same holiday experiences she had growing up but, she is not over her feelings of dislike for this time of year. I guess it's because it's only her second Christmas away and she has not had enough time to get past it yet. I feel sad for her that she is not able, or maybe not willing yet, to just enjoy the reason for the holiday and celebrate. There is such joy in celebrating the birth of our Savior with friends and family, people that you love. There is such joy using this time to show the people you love how special they are to you and sharing our love for Jesus with each other. I am so sad for her that she is missing out on that joy. I pray that this year she will start to experience it and maybe begin to enjoy her self just a little bit. I wish that there was something that I could do to help her but, I have tried and nothing has worked, she still feels miserable and insists she doesn't like it. I will pray for her.

Happy Birthday to You!

Happy birthday my most wonderful husband!

If I had the time and a hand that wasn't broken I would have made you a way cool Stars or Raiders cake for your birthday. You deserve it!

You are the greatest of husbands and Daddy's. We appreciate all that you do for us, how hard you work for us!

Let it snow!

I love snowflakes! I mean LOVE them. I think they are incredibly beautiful and fascinating. One of God's spectacular creations.






A bouquet of snowflakes would make a beautiful gift. As beautiful as any flowers, to me.

I mean look at them. How could one not be amazed and thrilled at the beauty He created in the snowflake? And think, no two are exactly alike. No two in the countless number that fall to the earth in just one snowstorm. The scientists say that is true because of all the factors that go into making just one snowflake such as temperature, humidity, wind, where they form in the cloud, etc. How awesome is it that He created the complex conditions to make each beautiful snowflake unique?

How awesome is it that He created each one of us to be as unique and beautiful in His eyes? He has an endless imagination, doesn't He? :)

I not only love snowflakes themselves. I just love snow! I always have. I can remember always wanting it to snow on my birthday when I was growing up. Snow is so much fun! There are so many things that a person can do in the snow. There's skiing, downhill or cross-country, there's snowball fights, snow angels, snowman building, sledding. The possibilities are endless! :) I love getting all bundled up in scarves and gloves, coats and hats, and boots to go out and play in the snow. I love coming back inside and drinking warm cocoa or coffee. Snowy days are my favorite!

The snowy days are rare here in Texas. Maybe one a year. I miss the snow!

I say "let it snow'"! And the next time it does snow, pause for a moment and enjoy the beauty God gave us in the snowflake. :)

HAPPY THANKSGIVING, FRIENDS!


(bummer, couldn't get the picture to post. imagine a country road with trees full of beautiful fall colors.)

:)

Thank You, Mom

January 3, 1977 was a snowy day in Salt Lake City. It was also the day that Mom gave birth to her first born daughter, my older sister. Mom says that that day was the worst snowstorm of the year so far. As far as I know, everything went well and my sister was a healthy, beautiful baby girl. She is healthy and beautiful now, anyway. :)

Roughly six weeks later, much to her suprise, my Mother became pregnant again. Six weeks, or so, is not nearly enough time for the body to heal after childbirth. My Mother's doctot told her that it was too soon. He told her that her body would not be able to take it. He told her that it was a risk. He told her that she needed to end the pregnancy.

Mom said absolutely not.

November 20, 1977 was another stormy, snowy day in Salt Lake City. Mom says this day was the worst snowstorm that they had had so far for that winter season. She says the drive to the hospital was pretty scary. This was the day I was born. 10 1/2 months after my sister.

I don't know exactly why my Mom made the decision to go through the pregnancy and have me. I never asked, I think I will. She says she doesn't remember what the pregnancy itself was like, or the delivery. She does tell stories about how hard it was to have two babies that close in age, though.

Thank you, Mom for ignoring the doctors. For taking that risk. For making the decision to let me live. For putting it in God's hands.

I know that I was not the easiest daughter to have. We sure did have some rough times. But, we sure do have a wonderful relationship now. :)

Thank you, Mom that I have a birthday to celebrate today.

Thank you, Lord for a Mom who would make such a hard choice and put herself at risk just to have me. Thank you, Lord, that I have a birthday to celebrate today. Thank you, Lord for this blessed life!

Random Late Night Thoughts

It's late and I have a feeling that it is going to get much later before I am able to get to bed. The baby is sick and is not sleeping well. Actually, not sleeping at all at the moment! Last night I managed about 2 1/2 hours of sleep, hopefully we'll do better tonight.
So, anyway, it's late and I am exhausted. If I sit down and do some mindless TV watching I will fall asleep. I have a feeling that it would not be a good idea to fall asleep and leave the baby awake, and sick, all by herself. So I will sit here and share the random thoughts of a tired Mommy and hope that she gets bored or, miraculously gets better and goes to sleep. And sleeps the rest of the night? No, that's asking too much at this point.

-Once again, just about everyone in our little family has been sick over the last two weeks. It frustrates me that this happens so often and lasts so long.

-Insurance from the Daddy's new job doesn't kick in for about another month. It's not a comfortable feeling, having 4 sick kids and no insurance.

-Wow, is it WINDY tonight! Glad the Husband cut down the dead tree in the backyard this past weekend.

-I really love being a member of my church!

-I feel a bit disconnected from said church lately. Maybe it's because we have missed much of our normal time there over the past couple weeks due to the sickies. Maybe it's because everybody I meet have already been there and known each other for years. Maybe it's because I am a pretty shy/quiet person and I don't really know how to make friends.

-It's pretty sad that a person my age doesn't know how to make friends!

-I find it interesting that everytime I start thinking about giving up the blog somebody tells me that they enjoy reading. Then, I think, maybe I should keep writing?

-We were going to be able to get the foundation on the house fixed in a few weeks. Probably not, now. Disappointed.

-Got to talk to Mamma the other day. Still miss her. I am so very happy for her that she is loving her new business of breeding Persian cats, though. She has even gone international with one of them heading to England!

-Mom turns 50 this year! Little sister is 26 now! Big sister will be 30 in a couple months! Somehow all that makes me feel old. :)

-My birthday is Monday. Hubby's is 9 days later. Wish I could think of something special to do for him. Creative brain cells fled with the rest of them.

-Baby asleep now. Will give her a few minutes to make sure she stays that way before I attempt heading to bed.

-Hurt my hand this weekend. REALLY hurts now. Wonder if something is broken? Think so. Maybe not. Wish I could find out for sure without a no-insurance run to the x-ray machine!

-Can't believe it's the middle of November and the air conditioner was running today. I am really hating the warm weather this year. Mom says "Maybe you should move to Idaho? I hear it's nice there." She lives in Idaho. :) Funny, Mom.

-It is so cute that when you tell Kannon that it is naptime or bedtime he runs to get his juice cup and climbs into the crib to wait for me, or Dad, to tuck him in.

-I was watching early, and I mean early, news when I was up with the baby sometime last week. They had a story about the invention of the year. Youtube.com beat out the cancer (is it cervical cancer or ovarian cancer?) vaccine for invention of the year. That's crazy. The news anchors thought so too.

Okay, I think she will stay asleep long enough for me to lay down for at least a few minutes so, it's time for me to go. Besides, all this typing is killing my hurt hand! Hope everybody out there in the world is staying healthy! Please pray for the baby that she gets better instead of worse. Thank you.

I Miss My Mommy!

I haven't seen my Mom in almost 2 years. That doesn't really

seem like a long time when I write it but, it feels like forever!

My Mom and I are a lot alike. We haven't always been able to get along.
Probably because we are so much alike. But, we have a very close relationship
now. We talk often.

Mom was not able to come down and visit when the baby was born because she
needed to take care of her brother who is going through chemotherapy treatments
for cancer. She wasn't here when the boys were born either but, I really missed
her this time. Maybe because this was the last baby. I know she was where she
was really needed but, it sure would have been nice to have her here.

Mom. How funny that I keep calling her that in my writing. I have always called
her Mamma or Mommy. I occasionally call her "Lady" as well. She
thinks that is funny. Mom has a pretty good sense of humor. I remember laughing
with her often as we grew up.

Well, I don't really have anything deep or enlightening to say (not that I
usually do). Just that I really miss my Mom and that I hope that I can see her
soon.