Happy New Year!

I wish everyone a wonderful and safe New Years Eve!  I will not be posting for a year soooo...  Well I guess thats tomorrow.  Again Happy New Year.

Sick Sunday

Guess what we are doing.  Watching Meet the Robinsons.  I am still amazed at our over flowing DVD collection, and as we continue to follow our tradition of watching new movies received at Christmas for New Years Eve Eve and New Years Eve and New Years Day.  Did I mention the kids received a ridiculous 27 movies for Christmas yes you read that right 27 still not a mistake 27.  I woke up at around 3am with a pain in my throat feeling like someone was trying to tenderise a steak with my uvula.  Motrin did no good....  At 5 baby girl came into bed with Daddy and I. She was coughing and said "I on fire fire" and guess what - she had a fever again this makes day 3 for fever and she has now so graciously given her illness to Me, Me the one who is supposed to take care of the kids clean the kitchen make the food and so on...  Around 6 Luke strolls in and informs us I am sick really sick, soon to follow a sneeze boy Bo who really never gets sick.  I begged Daddy PLEASE DO NOT GO TO CHURCH PLEASE DO NOT LEAVE ME WITH THESE SICK AND I KNOW SOON TO BE WHINY CHILDREN PLEASE OH PLEASE TAKE CARE OF ME MAKE ME COFFEE I THINK I AM WHINING....

Sooooo  he stayed home and is now cuddling the sicklings as I type this.  

I am going to make a pot of greens today and some BBQ chicken, even the sick must eat so I must push on beyond the stuffy nose and sore thoat, it's a hard job but I LOVE IT!  

Protection

So I am not real sure how I feel about giving out your real name on the Internet...

I always have given my real name being careful not to give my last name or my city or state.  I had a friend ask me today if I really felt safe giving my  children's real names...  I said I don't tell where we live, they said if you read long enough you can figure it out.  So in light of this conversation and after checking a few other blogs I see it's about 50/50 some give names others don't.  I will be editing and changing up this blog in the next few days and will no longer be giving real names.  I would like to air on the side of caution.  I think I have the most beautiful children in the world and I want to protect them at all cost so that's that.  Husband will be called "Daddy" I will be Happy Mommy and my oldest son will be called" Luke" My second son will be called "Bo" and My daughter will be called "Daisy" Because she is our little flower. Do you see a theme here????

If you know me personally this may confuse you at first, but if you know me, you know my children come first and so we are making some changes.

We Did It!

Ok today was so big!  Really Really Big!  We refinanced our home in order to buy the land we want to build our new home on.  We have owned 3 homes now and will be building our 4th...  The greatest part about the whole thing is we have found a wonderful Christian Doctor in TX to do Daddy's vasectomy reversal.  It looks like we will be able to close on the refinance in late January and hopefully have the reversal done in February.  We have never had a get away like this before or at least since we have had children.  We will go for a long weekend starting on a Thurs-Tues.  I am just so excited!  What seemed like might take forever is coming together quite quickly!  I am so thankful to Daddy for first of all being able to contract and build our new home he is just The most handy smart and handsome man I have ever known!  I am Thankful he loves me enough to forgive me for asking and pushing him to have a vasectomy in the first place!  I am Thankful he wants more children and is willing to go through a not so pleasant experience to have one with me!  I am just very pleased today Very Blessed....

Christmas Day

Pictures are of Christmas day,  I was unable to get a picture of Reese and Dasiy together but as you look through you will see they have matching dresses and I hope someday they think it is as cute as Dana and I do!  Merry Christmas!

Only 364 days until Christmas...

I am joyous yet just a little sad, excited yet a little apprehensive.  I am so Thankful for a wonderful year but it is over and I am excited about the possibility's of next year but I am not crazy about change.  See in 2007 Dana my Aunt and bestest friend and if you have ever heard Jennie Robertson you will know that in the South you call your one very Best friend your BESTEST... Anyway  Dana had her twins early and if you have been a reader for very long you know what a time she has went through!  What started so sad and scary is now beautiful.  I was in amazement at how awesome our God is as I held fed rocked and sang to these beautiful babies.  In 2007 my Grandparents sold there home of 51 years to move to the town we live in...  For me to go and help pack and find my grandma really sick she had colon cancer stage 3....  They moved here and then Grandma fell broke her hip and arm was really sick I thought she wouldn't make it but again God is great and he spared her life she went on to have her cancer surgery and then make a full recovery,  my grandma and grandpa now live in their own home and are doing so well.  God has blessed and answered so many prayers this year, I am truly reminded that he is always listening and he cares he loves us so much...  I prayed for so long for God to show Daddy the loss we accrued by having a vasectomy and I prayed daily for God to forgive me for convincing Daddy to have one in the first place, Daddy did come to me and tell me he would have a reversal and I am so thankful, I am looking forward to being pregnant again and the excitement of following God.  We will be putting our house on the market and this will be exciting and challenging in its self.  So much to look back with a smile and so much to look forward to as I smile again.  

Happy Birthday Jesus!

These pictures where taken yesterday at my Grandparents.  We opened presents and ate lots of goodies for our Christmas eve party!!!!!  I will post more Christmas pictures later.

Merry Christmas!

And We Bake Fa La La La La La La La La

I have made about 23 Dozen Cookies assorted Candy and much more...

4 Dozen Snickerdoodles

6 Dozen Old Fashion Molasses Cookies

6 Dozen Potato Chip Cookies

3 Dozen Thumbprint Cookies

2 Dozen No Bake Cookies

2 Dozen Peanut Butter Cup Cookies

50 Ritz Cracker Candies

60 Buckeye Candies

45 Chocolate Covered Pretzels with Peppermint Candy Candies

We are now getting ready to make and decorate Sugar Cookies as our Family Tradition...  And I will also make Peanut brittle and Candy Pizza today and also some Sausage balls Oh My.....

Top 10 Christmas Lists

These are my Favorite Christmas Movies in Order.

10. Miracle on 34Th Street

9. Its a Wonderful Life

8. A Christmas Carol

7. Home Alone 1, 2, and 3

6. A Charlie Brown Christmas

5. The Grinch (with Jim Carrey)

4. National Lampoons Christmas

3. The Grinch who Stole Christmas (cartoon Classic)

2. A Christmas Story

1. Prancer

These are Favorite Christmas Foods or things we eat at Christmas.

10. Turkey

9. Candy Canes

8. Chocolate covered Cherries

7. My Grandmas Banana Punch

6. Sausage Balls

5. Potato chip Cookies

4. Jess's Ritz Cracker Candy

3. Peppermint Chocolate Covered Pretzels

2. Buckeye Candy

1. Egg Nog (with or without Rum I just love the stuff!)

Favorite Christmas Songs.

10. Blue Christmas (Elvis)

9. 10 Cats of Christmas (Trout Fishing in America)

8. Silent Night

7. Away In A Manger

6. Jingle Bells

5. Silver Bells

4. o' Holy Night

3. Joy To The World

2. I'll Be Home for Christmas

1. Hark the Herald Angels Sing

Snickerdoodle Cookies

We decided to make some snickerdoodle cookies tonight.  Bo is still taking a little nap so just Luke, Dasiy and I baked.  The first and second picture is of Luke and Dasiy rolling the cookies into balls the third and forth pictures are of them tasting the cookies.

*Snickerdoodles*

1cup shortening

1 1/2 cups sugar

2 eggs

2 1/2 cup flour

2 tea cream of tartar

1 tea soda

1/2 tea salt

(2 tb sugar and 2 tea cinnamon)

Cream together the sugar, shortening and eggs.  Next mix all of the dry ingredients together.  Roll into walnut size balls and roll in cinnamon and sugar.  Bake at 400 for about eight minutes and then press down with a fork and bake for two more minutes.

Halloween

In looking through old posts I realize I never added any halloween photos, and my little guys were so cute here we are!

A Few of My Favorite Things

The ornament on the top was given to Jay and I our first year of marriage we love it and place it on the mantel with white lights all around.  The third ornament  was on my grandmas tree when I was a little girl. It is one of my favorites so a few years ago she gave it to me to enjoy,  Dana has the little one to match.  I think it is from the sixties.  The second ornament  is a new addition this year.  We are a frog family how cute is that!

52

I  have now wrapped all the gifts for our children that can fit in a box only 7 more to go with gift bags...  I actually wrapped 52 presents Yes you read right I spent about 4 hours just wrapping and wrapping and wrapping some more!  I now have a back ache from you know where. I really thought they would have a problem and I may be jumping the gun but they have just looked and oooohed and aaaahed so far.  They may actually believe I would take it back it they see or open it.

And yes that is a gate around our tree, I would never place a gate around the tree so my sweet little children would be unable to touch, handle, play or brake all of my special memories no not me!  I simple placed the gate around the tree in case it tried to run away!

Only 7 days till Christmas

I just can't believe it's only 7 days till Christmas and I am just now starting the holiday baking!!!!

I will set in today to bake a few dozen cookies and maybe some candy too.  The kids want to eat cookies but for baking them they are more into rolled cookies not the drop kind...  

This last weekend was just wonderful, We enjoyed every minute with our friends we did very little cookie baking but we sure did alot of talking!  Susan and I stayed up until 1am on Friday night and until 2 am on Saturday night...  We really burned the midnight oil.  We laughed and we cried and we had a wonderful time.  I am truly thankful for my friendship with Susan she is the best of the best and I love her very much!

On Sunday we went to Focal Point Church in Chesapeake Virginia and we were very pleased with the new building (cinema cafe) the new faces were very welcoming and as always Tally's preaching still is great we never cease to learn from or be amazed by his take on things.  Tally broke down the song Mary Did You Know in such and awesome way Daddy and I walked away still thinking and have referred to the lesson and song several times since.  We then enjoyed lunch with Tally and Kristy there absolutely adorable little boy Caleb and two other church family's.  It was a nice get away long over due.

I have been amazed this week about how different Dasiy is compared to our boys, she is only 2 and she is now potty trained.  I should be really happy I should be thankful no stinky diapers not to mention the price of diapers and the savings to our family, but she is my baby wearing panties is not a baby thing, she does not nurse she is getting bigger she is wearing a 3 (Daddy is 6'4 ) I am daily reminded by her fluent vocabulary that she is no longer a baby but a little girl...

I am excited to enter into this new faze with our sweet girl but I do miss the little baby she was just yesterday...

My woman's small group had a small party last night at Kim's house, we had a wonderful time and I am so Thankful for each one of the woman in the group!

And now I need to go make cookies ITS ONLY 7 DAYS TILL CHRISTMAS!!!!

Top 10

I will start by saying I have never done a top ten list and until a few days ago never even thought about it but a few of the mom blogs I read have been posting top ten lists so I will add to the world a few of my favorite things.

10. Reading a whole book in one day

9. A real fireplace 

8. Roasting marshmallows in the house in a real fireplace

7. New Baby smell

6. Little boys/girls laughter

5. Feeling a baby kick 

4. Cooking for my family

3. Waking up with all 3 kids snuggling Daddy and I

2. The minute Daddy walks in the door each day

1. Daddy, Luke, Bo and Dasiy

Blood Blood Everywhere

This morning not long after Daddy left, I hear screams from the kitchen...  I had only been hanging up clothes for a few minutes and what could be going on, these were not screams of anger like you took my toy or screams of happiness like little boys often do, this was a blood curdling someone is hurt really bad scream the kind that make momma run 100 miles an hour to find the source of the scream.  Upon entering the kitchen I see blood everywhere I really mean everywhere, on the counter on the bar all over the floor, on the dog...  And Luke with half a roll of paper towels trying to stop the blood.  I ran to him and all I could understand was his nose is bleeding I move the towel and blood sprayed everywhere he them started to spit up blood I couldn't tell if his teeth where bleeding or just his nose.  It took 10 minuted to stop the bleeding and almost a whole roll of paper towel.  We finally stopped it by rolling a cotton ball up under his top lip like professional boxers do when they get blasted in the nose.  It took another 10 minutes to clean up all the blood from the kitchen to the family room it was all over the place.  My poor little boy has a very swollen nose and I think he might actually be getting a bit of a black eye.  He is a tough guy but this really hurt, apparently he was chasing the dog and fell the dog jumped on him and Luke fell onto the hardwood floor and his own knee slammed into his nose ouch!

I'm not sure what was the scariest part of this mishap the shock me to my bones scream the bloody kitchen or the fact that Daddy had our van today and if I was in a real emergency I am 20 miles to the hospital in the middle of no where with no car...  I guess the car situation bothered me the most after I knew Luke was ok.

14 Days till Christmas

Have you finished your Christmas shopping?  I am all done except for the last few things for Daddy's stocking...  I always have a hard time getting all the stuff in those little stockings so last year and 'Daddy has informed me was really tacky I hung a Walmart bag behind the stockings filled with all the extra stuff I thought would fit and didn't.

We are going away this weekend back to Suffolk Va, it is really hard to believe we have been gone for almost 4 years.  We will spend the weekend with some of our very best friends, Daddy will go hunting with Wayne and us girls and kids will make some Christmas cookies which Susan and I really enjoyed doing before we moved away.  I am really disappointed that our former Pastor will be out of town this weekend and we can't go to our old church.  We have not been back since we moved and I wanted to hear Tally preach and spend a little time with his family. 

Yesterday we had our last woman's bible study of 2007...  We are going to start back the first week  after new years and will be reading the book "She's gonna Blow"  I am really looking forward to reading this book.

I must say being the leader of a small group can really be tricky with woman and all the hormones and feelings...  I have noticed that one of our ladies who I love dearly and who I am sure is very unaware of the fact that she gives unwanted opinions when other people are asking for prayer.  I am still unsure how God wants me to handle this i am continuing in prayer about her feelings but also I want to consider the feelings and needs of the others in the group, giving an unwanted and not holy spirit inspired comments and opinions can cause damage to friendships close the walls of comfort to open up to others and brake the small group apart so I am trying to figure this out. 

Yesterday the comment was with one person asking about prayer for more faith and the other woman telling her that the request was silly and unwise  Hello Gods word says have faith like a mustard seed and you can move a mountain.  I can only overlook so much and I pray I can have Grace in all the relationships with Christian woman in my life.

I am hoping to get some Christmas cards done tonight so I can send them out this weekend.  

Almost Christmas

It has been quite some time since I last blogged...  I find myself having a hard time just getting through the day sometimes.  I am well into my second year as a school teacher to my son Luke who I might add is smart as can be for his 6 years.  Bo is doing very well with his pre-k work we are doing although he has a bit more of a hard time sitting still than I remember Luke having.  Daisy is potty training and growing so much.  It is so hard to believe that this is the longest in 6 years we have been with out a new baby.  Daisy still seems like a baby to me.  We just stopped nursing the first week of Nov.  which was so hard for me but she did not seem bothered by it at all...

Thanksgiving was wonderful, our first holiday with my family here in The South with us...  Daddy's Aunts came from CA to be with us and Daddy's brother Zack, wife Jess and kids Ryley and Cora, my Aunt Dana her husband Joe and the babies all came I was in my element with the house full and plenty of food to make!  I love holidays!  

And now it's almost Christmas, We are going in to this Christmas season with new feelings and new experiences, Daddy and I decided when Luke was born that we wanted to play Santa and until about 2 months ago we were fine with our decision, even though Christian friends vary in opinion some loving the idea and others thinking is just awful.  About 2 months ago Luke asked me is Santa real and instead of telling the truth I asked him a question in response the question being "what do you think" He answered well I guess so but I don't think the mall Santa is real,  I quickly changed the subject not wanting to tell Luke the truth.

Now playing Santa I never felt was wrong just pretend and until then I never questioned our decision but when he asked and I lied and avoided I felt wrong.  When Daddy came home from work we had a long talk about it and felt like we needed to tell Luke the truth but wanted more than anything to inform him of all the facts to explain why we have a Santa and who he was, funny thing happened that night as I was reading a blog I read frequently,  Tally posted a blog about Halloween and his views on Santa and the Easter Bunny, well in Tallys opinion he felt like he did not want to try and fool his son into believing in a pretend character he said something along the lines of as a parent we would not try and make our children believe Elmo was real so why Santa and he also brought up a great point that it kind of sucks of a make believe character to get all the credit for the gifts we work so hard to provide... I had Daddy read the blog as well and it was very enlightening we as well as Tally want very informed children and we knew we need to tell JJ, James and Hannah the truth...  So we went out and got the book The Legend of Saint Nick.  We read the story and explained to the kids why Santa came about and who he was and why he started giving gifts.  The boys understood and they were fine with it, Luke was a little surprised that we had played like we were Santa...  It opened up the opportunity to explain that alot of people only celebrate the gifts and Santa and leave Jesus out of the whole thing.  

So we are going in to this Christmas with a new out look an out look I wish we would have really been expressing from the start we are looking at the next few weeks like it's only 20 days until Jesus Birthday not its only 20 days till Santa comes...

I am looking forward to waking up on Christmas morning and exclaiming it here is Jesus Birthday and I am giving you these gifts to show the love I have for you just like God showed his love for us by sending his son Jesus.