A Friend out on a BIG boat

I have an old friend from HS that is out on a aircraft career right now and I have been thinking about him and his family today. He has been out there for more than 5 months and has another few to go. 

I am so thankful for him and his unit for giving their lives for us and their country.

 Along with other things (that I am not aware of) he is protecting other troops that are on the ground. I am not sure about all of the dangers he is in daily, but I do know that landing a big aircraft on a strip in the middle of the ocean can't be easy. 

So, today I am thankful for:

the men and women who protect our country (and the many other countries where they are protecting innocent people)

On a daily basis I forget about all of the families that are affected by having family members serving. I am sorry. I AM thankful for them all because the family members that are left behind are serving us too. So, thank-you family members for your very high sacrifice that you give on a daily basis. 

Thank you, Ian and Joelle for your service. We look forward to the next time that our paths cross. 

You are all in our prayers. 

Thankful for:

the quiet of the night. 

I know that all you moms out there know that in the dark of the night, when all is quiet, is a sacred time 

both kids are sleeping and it is a beautiful thing. It is so nice to have the kids awake to laugh with, to watch them grow and learn. Once they are tucked in their beds and asleep I feel as though I can finally relax a little bit and catch my breath. This time goes by so quickly and I know tomorrow will go just as fast so tonight I am thankful for a few minutes of silence before another day of laughter, smiles and a little bit of runny noses. 

Day #9

I am thankful for laughter.

I seem to laugh throughout the day with my daughter and son. 

It is so funny to see her dancing around and playing pretend with almost everything that she touches. 

M2 is making me laugh daily too.  Just take a look at what was happening tonight in our living room. 

Day #8

I am thankful for child's play

We have had a fun day today; not all that exciting..just fun. 

This morning we were surprised by our friends that stopped by to see if we wanted to play. Matt was going to go blow leaved with Isabella and jump in the leaves. So, the boys decided to play here. They seemed to have a fun time together and it was a beautiful clear morning. I was just thankful that I got to watch them be kids and have fun. Sometimes I think I need to do more of that; 

just stop and play and have fun with my kids. Should we all be doing a little more of that?

Day #7

I am thankful for a full nights sleep

This might seem simple but I realized today after 4 nights of solid sleep that that has not happened for about 9 months or so. I can not believe I have gone the better part of 3/4 of a year without sleeping thru the night. 

WOW! That is amazing for me; for one who loves to sleep. So thank you, Lord, for giving this gift to me. I just pray that it doesn't end and that M2 continues to sleep well at night. 

It makes for a happier, more rested mama. 

F.R.I.E.N.D.S

I am thankful for FRIENDS. 

Friend = watching your kids when you are having a particularly bad week
Friend = playing foosball until your wrists hurt
Friend = telling you the truth even when you don't really want to hear it
Friend = knowing when to listen and when to talk
Friend = getting you some chocolate just because
Friend = walking through the fire with you
*these are just a few*

Friendship has always been very important to me. I value it more and more as we move from place to place. God has always provided people where ever we have lived that I can connect with and live life with.  There are some friends that come and go. I realize that those friendships are important; there are many I remember with a smile and even a laugh.  Then there are some special ones that you know will stick it out with you no matter where you live. Thank you to all of my friends are past to present.

Sibling Fun

We don't get to hang out with my brother and sister-in-law very much and so when it does happen it seems very special. My brother, Brian and his wife, Jen, came up to speak at a "Weekend to Remember" conference in St. Louis. So, we got to see them on Friday and then Sunday-Monday evening. We were sad that they did not have their kids with them..but it also seemed as though we were able to actually talk and get some real conversation time in. I have always looked up to my brother and it is nice that even though we are 8 years apart our relationship seems to get closer as we get older.  

And Jen is the sister I never had. 

We took them to the Budweiser Brewery and surprised them with how much fun it is. 

Don't they look so cute?

I realize the picture is not good... I am still learning about photography. Help me!

This are some of the brewery buildings. The place is huge!

They even enjoyed a little free beer at the end. 

M2 did great! What a trooper...he didn't get much sleep at all this whole day. 

I

Something a little silly

Today I took to Isabella to Chick fil a for a special lunch. It was a nice time together and Sam was even really good. If it is not a toy that we like then we exchange it for an ice cream. If you know me at all  you know that I LOVE ice cream. That is what I am thankful for today. 

I realize it is a little bit weird to be thankful for ice cream..but these pretty simple ingredients (sugar, cream, and flavoring) just make such a creamy, yummy, goodness that I can not resist. 

It is true that sometimes I abuse this treat but who doesn't on occasion? 

Day #4

Yes, I forgot to do a post yesterday; I am sorry. My brother and sister-in-law were in town and I completely forgot about it. But I digress.

Matt and I have been thinking a lot about our future and what God is trying to do. It has been very difficult.
BUT it has gotten me thinking...God has never moved us anywhere that we have not enjoyed and grown from. HE has given us a lot of opportunities along the way that we are very thankful for.
something a little different:

I am thankful for all of our moves (all 5 of them)!

We have made some amazing friends along the way that I can't imagine my life without them. 

Isn't it amazing how God puts you in a place for a certain time and you have no idea what the blessing are that are coming your way? God is so good. So, to you friends that we have made along our journey--you know who you are..thank you! Thank you for making these "chapters" of our lives special.

We have also gotten to experience so many different things with where we have lived. 

Philadelphia--got to live in a huge city where there was so much to do (even though we were poor and really couldn't do as much as we wanted). I loved taking the train into work everyday and walking around downtown everywhere; it was just so full of life. Plus the cheesesteaks--Yummy!
Than to Harlingen, Texas--the bottom of the country as we called it. Who would have thought we would grow to love that place? The residency is a special place and we met some of our closest friends there. It was  a hard three years but God was there and we knew He was leading us even when we had to sell our house after just a year of owning it. That move wasn't too fun but we ended up living down the street from some really good friends.
Our 2nd move in Harlingen was to a 2 br apartment where we lived for 2 months before we moved to St. Louis. It wasn't ideal but we lived next to the pool where we went everyday.
And again...the food was amazing. I feel in-love with mexican food there and BBQ.
The last move to St. Louis was refreshing. It was nice to be back in seasonal weather (even though winter is NOT fun), there is so much to do for free here and we love our church.
God is good and he knows the next step for us and I just need to remember our past and that HE always knows better than we do. 

Hard Night

Today started out pretty good. Except that Sam woke up early so I ended up being a "bad" mom and putting on a movie for M1 so that I could nap on the couch. I always feel bad doing that, but at the same time I know I will be in a better mood the rest of the day if I get that hour and halfish nap.  M2's morning nap was the only one he ended up getting today so tonight was rough. Needless to say I am trying to figure out what I am thankful for today. I will go with something simple:

I am VERY thankful that my children are healthy!

Realizing that not everyone has healthy children it is hard not to mention that at least once in these 30 days of gratitude. I feel very blessed that neither of my children are sick, in the hospital for days or weeks at a time. I honestly do not know what I would do in a situation like that. I would hope and pray that I would have the faith in my Father to get me through each day. This is sounding like of morbid, but I just wanted to thank Jesus for this blessing that I have because I realize that they are in God's hands and I am just keeping an eye on them for Him. 

After writing that and thinking about that I am feeling a lot better and will probably not eat "as much" ice cream tonight. 

Psalm 127:3 "Sons are a heritage from the LORD, children a reward from Him."

Yes, M2 is eating a leaf. As I said in his last monthly update....EVERYTHING goes into his mouth. 

Day #3

I am thankful for beautiful weather

We have been having beautiful weather this week! It has been so nice to wake-up in the morning come down the stairs and look outside and see the beautiful colors that are outside of our door. Then Isabella and I thank God for the beautiful trees and to hear Isabella say "God made that pretty" is so special. 

I love fall especially since we did not have fall for three years while in Texas. What a gift to see the changing of seasons..not really looking forward to winter but it has been holding off which is a blessing.

Day #2:

I am thankful for these:

I can no believe that God has given me these two little people to care for. What a blessing!

M1 is becoming a little girl instead of toddler.  I think it has already happened...but I am just starting to believe it.  She makes us laugh all the time with the new things she is saying and doing. 

M2 is our little man what more is there to say? I mean look at him.  He is my cuddle bug and he loves to laugh at his sissy. It is just priceless to watch them together. I am so glad that God has blessed us with at least two. It is just so fun to see them interact; I might not be saying that in two years when they are annoying each other and fighting.  I will just be thankful for now and come back to this blog post two years from now and remember. 

30 Days of Gratitude

I found this on a blog and thought it was great idea. So, I am going to start this now and go until the middle of December. This goes along with a challenge that my husband gave me last night. He "suggested" that I not look at magazines, websites, emails that are trying to sell me things. I thought this was probably a good idea. I think that it goes along perfectly with this 30 days of Gratitude. It will hopefully get me focused on what I do have opposed to what I don't.

Day 1: I am thankful for my dear husband

My hubby is my best friend who is a great encouragement to me. We have had many transitions in our marriage (Philadelphia for med school, Texas for residency where we moved 3 times in 3 years, and St. Louis for fellowship). So, these last four months have been very special for us because he is doing shift work. This means that he is home 3-4 days a week. This was a little bit scary for me to think about because he has NEVER had this much time at home and I was worried about the transition. 

He is a wonderful, fun, happy, and loving father. Playing "rough" with M1 never seems to get old for him. This is a big blessing because that can get old for me pretty quickly. We are still growing as a couple after 7 years and are just starting to figure each other out. God is so good and I know that God put us together so that Matt can help me become the woman of God that I am trying to be. Thank you, babe!

I was so proud of him this day! 

here is what nutwood (the blog) says about "30 days of Gratitude":

30 days of gratitude ::
during the month of november, i invite you to join me in a daily ritual of expressing gratitude. 

what it means ::

for thirty days, i will focus on the people i love, the talents i have been given, the lessons i have learned, the things that make my life most fulfilling. i challenge you to do the same.

when it occurs ::

november 1 - november 30. (but you can begin anytime)

how you can participate :: 

write a sentence, tell a story, take a photo...

blog it, tweet it, facebook it, journal it, scrapbook it...
share your gratitude daily or summarize it weekly...

invite your friends, your family, your neighbors...

post your intention to participate in the comments below...

follow my progress here and link me to yours...

S is 7 Months!

I can not believe another month has gone by. M2 is doing very well and growing as he should be. Just today I realized how much he is laughing and "talking." What a cute stage!  M1 was asking last night when her birthday is and we told her that there are other people that have birthdays before hers : Palmer (next month), daddy (Jan) and then it will be hers. She then asked about her brother's and we told her it was a few months after hers. I then realized that he is closer to being one than being born. 

My little man: 

Some things he has done this month:

~ still not sleeping through the night. I am feeding him at least once. 

~ taking two - three naps a day that range between 1 to 2 1/2 hrs long

~ sitting up without falling over (unless his sissy nocks him over)

~ eating veggies (peas, green beans, carrots, and squash)  at night with dinner

we have not moved onto fruits yet. 

~ loves his johnny jump!

~ he is starting to enjoy reading with his sissy
~ his favorite way (seems like only way) of discovery is thru his mouth. he puts everything into it!
this is new for me...M1 was not oral in any sort of way, so I will have to be on guard when he starts moving..not looking forward to this.
looking forward to what the next month holds

Sam looks a little funny in this picture, but I still like it. 

ahhh

Thank you Lord, for giving us this little man who has given our family so much joy. 

Happy Halloween

I had a fun weekend getting the kids dressed up to go to the zoo and trick-or-treating tonight.  We went over to our friends house to go house-to-house. It actually felt like fall..which has been a nice change for us because it has been so warm here. The kids looked so cute..see for yourself:

Litte cute bunny; she loved her costume!

This was at our zoo. I found this spot in the craziness.  The place was packed! I probably will not be doing boo at the zoo again (especially by myself). 

I love this little lion! M1 gave him a little black make-up when giving him a kiss. 

Some of M!'s best friends! What hansom sailors.

Some of their loot.