Time for Bed

I look at 2010 as the year I am going to remember the most. I plan on making lots of changes but I have one resolution request that outstands the rest. Just one.
It has nothing to do with fitting into a smaller jean size or eating less carbs. It is a rather selfish resolution because it doesn’t involve working towards world peace or saving the environment. But at the same time, one of the reasons I am making it is that I am pretty sure that it will hugely benefit my family, my friends, and other people around me.
My resolution has to do with something we all do, every single day, so partly it feels silly to even be making it. But I’ve failed miserably at sticking to it for the past several years and I can think of nothing better than to write about it so it can stare me in the face and remind me that it’s something I need to do.
So here goes, my one and only resolution for 2010:
Get. More. Sleep.
That’s it. Specifically, I am aiming to get at least 7 hours of sleep on most nights. If you know me, you know that this is a major achievement for me. On an average night I sleep about 5 hours and while experts say that each of us has a different sleep requirement, let me tell you that I don’t sleep that little because that’s all I need. I need a lot more and I am going to need to re-prioritize to make sure that it happens. I am sure I will fail often but seeing how lack of sleep has affected me this year – I am so much more tired, cranky, anxious, exhausted, and short-fused than before, and I’m fairly certain that I am eating more crap and more in general to compensate for the lack of energy. I don’t need experts to tell me about health risks of not getting enough sleep, I am now well aware of them on my own.
So 2010, here I come, better slept, if nothing else!

s(NO)w fun

Today was the third time it snowed this month. The snow gives us good reason to bundle up as a family to watch a movie, turn on the fireplace, and have hot drinks. I love this time of year. Although the cold and snow is nice, personally, I miss living in Florida. I miss being able to wear flip flops all year, wearing only a light jacket over a t-shirt, and not having to warm the car in the morning. I tortured myself and looked up their weather today...high of 66, low of 55. I could really use some of that right now.
Don't get me wrong, I love having seasons but I don't like the cold! If the wind hits you just right, it stings. Not to mention the layers of clothes I have to put on and the pile of cold wet clothes that get piled by the door as the kids come in and out. I would much rather take a hot and humid summer day over this!
But my kids love it. The minute they see a fresh snowfall, they bundle up and head outside. I've appointed myself the official hot chocolate maker which is an indoor job.

Here are some photos of today.......

Merry Mommy

My kids have been home from school for a week now. I've personally loved the chance to sleep in and be lazy in the morning. It's nice not having to get up and get the kids ready for school. And the kids have been great so far. Almost every morning, they've left little surprises for me to find! Once they left a gallon of milk out on the table. Another day, they left all the couch cushions scattered throughout the house. They've left a roll of toilet paper unwound across the bathroom floor and a dozen plates with melted cheese on them sitting on the counter. They left me a snow boot sitting on the kitchen floor and every single toy they got for Christmas on the family room floor.
It's a toss-up as to which is worse - cleaning up the messes or getting up early.
But, today was different.
Today, when I got up, I stumbled into the kitchen to make some coffee and when I rubbed my eyes to focus, there I found it....NO mess. Just three little children palying video games and coloring with each other. For a minute, I thought I might be in the wrong house but instead I grabbed my cup of coffee, and counted blessings.
My kids are great!!!

Merry Christmas

Today could not have been any better.

We had our first white Christmas and it was wonderful.

We woke up this morning to the kids running down the stairs with excitement. Santa had come and they were ready to tear open the gifts that I so carefully wrapped.

We had a big family breakfast in our pajamas.

Then we went to my sisters house where the kids spent the day playing with all their new things and the adults tried to relax from all the pre-Christmas activities.

I talked to my parents and in-laws, it really made me miss Florida. I wish I could be with everyone back home this time of year.

Let it snow......

It's Christmas Eve and it's snowing outside!!!!
If you happen to live in a part of the country that isn’t blessed with this powdery, white miracle, (like us) you know why I am so excited. And of course, snow this time of year is always the best!

I have been anticipating its arrival since I first saw the forecast and there I sat, in the living room by the window just waiting, and waiting. By the time the first few flakes started floating down it was well past 11am and the kids had already accepted the fact that it may not snow.

Today would have been a perfect day for me to bake cookies and stay in my jammies, but I just couldn't, I had to enjoy this wonderfulness.
Me and Melissa had Carmel lattes at Starbucks while the snow fell. Coffee with a great friend is always a good thing. Thanks, Melissa.
The kids loved playing outside as the snow piled on their heads and kissed their noses, it was a lot of fun!
We had Christmas Eve dinner at my sisters house,made by the hubbies who did a really good job, we all left the table absolutely stuffed.
It was still snowing outside.....so we let the kids play in the snow again at night, since it could be gone by morning.

Brrr, it was sooo cold!!!! The kids little fingers and ears were rosy and chilly.
Coffee and dessert by the fireplace wrapped up a beautiful day!
I know I often complain that Texas is a never ending land of cornfields and cows, but it's changing seasons and my great friends are things that make it worth living here.
It's been snowing for more than 10 hours now and we have a couple inches of snow. No signs of it stopping anytime soon.
Today was a great day, I wouldnt change a thing!

Don't Open Until Christmas.................

I hunted everywhere to make sure that Ethan got what he asked for from Santa. He wanted an electric motorcycle or scooter. Ofcourse, everyone is running out of them. So I ordered his online and even paid the extra shipping to assure that it would get here in time for Christmas.
I tracked it three times a day to make sure it was in route. I even arranged a play date for him during the time it was supposed to arrive. I ran to the door everytime I thought I heard a delivery truck. When it finally arrived I thanked the FedEx driver over and over and asked if he could help me hide it in the garage, he did. When Mike came home, he made sure to hide it in our closet because the kids NEVER go in there.
Well today when I was getting my clothes put away in my closet, Ethan needed to ask me a question. So there we stood in my closet talking, I totally forgot it was in there. It hit me once Ethans little eyes wandered over to it and his face lit up, while he pointed and laughed. My heart melted, the look on his face was one that he should have on Christmas morning not tonight and not in my closet!!!!
I did all that hard work and now it was ruined!

Fa la la la la

Christmas is almost here, and like most people I have a lot off stuff to do and I'm not close to finishing it yet.

My kids are going to be shocked when they grow up and find that it's not a "thing" to wait until the middle of the night on Christmas Eve to wrap gifts. I may have grown a few extra white hairs over the past few days!!!!

I have a little bit less to do since my parents are not going to be able to make it this year, but Ethan's gift still hasn't arrived and I need to stock my pantry. The kids have been home, on winter break, eating all day.
So, I still have to go to the grocery and get a few odds and ends today. I found it hard to run my errands today when the weather is was so gorgeous! It was 70 degrees and I couldn't help but force the kids to play outside while I supervise with my large glass of tea. So that is what happened, no grocery, no errands, nothing just a lazy day. It was perfect, except tomorrow will be a crazy day ;(

Bah Hum Bug

I've been really busy the past couple weeks. Running around, trying to do Christmas shopping, baking cookies, making Christmas cards, printing pictures to put in the cards, mailing packages, decorating, and trying to keep up with all the usual stuff is wearing me out. Every year, it seems I get farther away from the true reason we celebrate Christmas and I get sucked in farther to the commercialism of the whole thing. I'm about ready to tell the kids all about Santa and start a new tradition of not decorating and not buying presents and not baking cookies and not sending out cards. It's all just so overwhelming.

I went to the mall today. Well, I went to the parking lot of the mall anyway. After driving around for 20 minutes in search of a parking space, any parking space, a parking space 4 1/2 miles away even, I gave up and tried to make my way out of the entire mall-parking-area. That took another 20 minutes. By the time I made my escape onto a main road, I was cursing all of humanity. I really try to stop and think "What would Jesus do?" before reacting. But, then again, Jesus never had to drive among idiots in the Woodfield parking lot on December 21st.

Anyway, I'm trying to reclaim my laid-back, happy, joyful self this week. I'm trying to put all the ridiculouse expectations I put on myslef, and instead prepare for Jesus's birth instead of Santa's arrival.

Another Sweater Party

Last night one of the doctors threw a Ugly sweater party so a bunch of the L&D staff went. This marks the third, Michael and I have attended this December. I actually really like them. There are so many UGLY/TACKY sweaters out there and I feel like it puts people in holiday mode.
Shopping for a tacky sweater, borrowing it from grandma, or making one yourself, is the best part. People can be so creative: Nikki took tinsel garland and sutured it to her neighbors sweater then she took window cling reindeer and stapled it to Wades sweater, Sam had to outbid people on eBay for hers and I found ours at the Gooodwill.
With every person that walked in the door, I think we all laughed harder and harder.
It was a GREAT night!

Happy 11

Today is my 11-year wedding anniversary!
In some ways it seems like just yesterday that I was nervously glancing at my watch every few minutes while my mom and sister attempted to calm my nerves. I was admittedly nervous about the wedding ceremony itself, hoping all would go smoothly. I was not nervous about my choice in husband at all.
Mike and I were best friends for the two years we knew each other prior to engagement. We had many things in common, from similar family backgrounds (both sets of parents never divorced), to sharing a love of college football (how could I go wrong!).
Experts agree your choice of spouse has a lot to do with your ultimate success. In my case, that could not be more true. My husband supports me with everything I do, like my decision to stay home to raise our three children, then my decision to return to school to pursue my nursing degree, something I had given up on in order to make a home. He understands the need for a girls night out every now and then and doesn't even raise a brow when he has to watch the kids, he ENJOYS it.
This year, instead of getting all dressed up, hiring a sitter, and spending $$$$ on dinner....we celebrate with take out, a bottle of wine, and our children all cuddled up on the couch. I couldn't be any happier =)
Here's to another 11 years, honey. I wouldn't change a thing!

Just For You

Call me crazy but, even when the year has me flying by the seat of my pants, I find it hard not to take the time to make my traditional Christmas cards. You knowthe ones I am talking about.... the handmade ones that I start making in October, that take forever to make, need extra postage because of all the embellishments, and look just as nice as bought ones.....yeah, those!

Well with the help of my good friend Nikki, I've been working on them little by little everyday and I can gladly say that they will be mailed on Monday. What a relief!

Enjoy, my friends...these cards were made just for you!

Christmas Sweater Party

It's become a bit of a tradition to go to invite a group of our friends to our house for a dinner party in December to celebrate the holidays together...this year did not disappoint. Mike and I are hosted our first official UGLY CHRISTMAS SWEATER PARTY last night. We decided to go with a theme of Festive/Cheesy Christmas Sweater Party to make it a little funny and it was great! It ended up being really really fun. We definately are going to have to carry on this tradition! Here are some pics of the tackiness......

I even got to wear my sweater to another party!!!!

Happy Birthday, Little Man

Today is Ethan's birthday!

He is 6 years old and feels like such a big boy.

Ethan has played t-ball, soccer, and football in all his six years and has done great in all of it. I don't push him by any means, I would NEVER be one of those parents but, I am glad to see that he is quite the athlete.
Truly life is flying by at such a fast rate the past few years I feel like I can't keep up. I just ordered our Christmas photos yesterday and I still haven't put last years photos in our Christmas album yet and I didn't put those in the album yet because the year before's aren't completely done yet! (Insert scream here.)
I just put away the Halloween stuff and now I am digging through the attic getting all my Christmas decorations out.

I still have shopping to do and even though Christmas is weeks away, I am way behind.

I am looking down at my calendar as I type and there is not ONE day for the rest of December that we don't have something scheduled. Then I flip to January and it isn't much better!
I am overwhelmed! I am behind the game and the game hasn't even started yet.
So, I just wanted to sneak on the computer and acknowledge my little man's birthday!

Happy Birthday Ethan!

It's Snowing in Texas

Yes! It snowed in Texas today. It was a beautiful day for it, the kids almost convinced me to let them stay home to play in it but, instead I dropped them off at school then rushed home to open all the blinds and watch while I sipped my morning coffee.

It was great........for the hour and a half that it lasted =(

Rain,extension cords, and lights....oh my!

Today was a cold rainy Sunday but, we put up the Christmas lights on our house anyway. I love decorating! I think it is so much fun to start the process of decorating the house for Christmas. It is exciting to see how it will look this year, what things will work, what won't. I am often heartbroken each year by the things that broke over the year or things that have mysteriously disappeared since last year. But, each year I purchase a couple new things that add to our display and sigh, our house just looks so sweet. All we need now is snow to really look good. Snow always completes the look to make it all perfect.The really nice thing about this year is that we were able to put everything up in 50 degree weather!!! The weather has been so nice this Fall. It is due to change soon, maybe even this week but, putting up Christmas lights in 50 degrees was great, even though it was raining a bit.

Christmas is such a magical and miracle part of the year! I love this season but, I think it is often over done, over commercialized and under done about the true meaning of Christmas……..it’s ALL about Jesus people!
Decorating your home is a symbolic of what we, as Christians, need to do all year round
It is nice to drive down my street and see the spirit of Christmas shining bright.

It's Not Just an Hour

Change is not always a good thing.
This whole daylight saving time change thing bites! I don’t like it at all!
The only good thing about "falling back" is the extra hour of sleep I get one day a year. Oh wait a minute, now that I have children, that doesn't happen. So really there are no rewarding qualities about the winter time change.
Since the time change, I feel like it is time for bed as soon as hubby gets home from work. There's no more going outside for a walk after we get home, no more chatting with the neighbors as we unload the car because no one is out working in their yard or hanging out in the dark. There is no going to the park to play for a few minutes after dinner and before bed.
The Winter Daylight Savings is dividing. I wish we didn't have to turn the clocks back in the Fall. I would prefer it to be dark in the morning when I am rushing around getting the kids ready for school, and to have a few extra moments of sunshine to enjoy in the evening when I get home.

Thank You

I am grateful for many things this Thanksgiving...
Especially my own little turkeys, who have brought me so much joy this year.
Since moving to Texas I had to get used to not having the traditional house full of family and friends, moms good cooking, and watching my cousins burn off that dressing with a little afternoon football.
Nope, the past few years have been a bit less eventful.
But, I try my best.
This year was probably the best (Texas) Thankgiving yet.
We had Thanksgiving dinner on Wednesday night at a good friend & neighbor's house. She invited all of her friends and families over for a traditional Thanksgiving dinner. Gwen made mulled wine, I made the green bean casserole, and Melissa brought stuffing. The kids watched Harry Potter and the adults had time to unwind. It was very nice.
Today I spent Thanksgiving at my sisters house. We made everything from scratch. The kitchen was a mess but the food and company were great!
Ethan & Jacob are old enough now to enjoy a game of footbal, and so they did. They played for hours.
We had plenty of leftovers enough to feed us thru the weekend.
It was a wonderful day.

In Thanksgivings past, I used to be thankful that I had great children, a wonderful healthy family, and really good friends.

This Thanksgiving, I want to say thanks to everyone in my life for giving me something to be thankful for =)

Cookie Time

Whether it's a holiday, special occasion, or just a long, boring afternoon and a way to pass the time is needed, baking cookies is a great activity anytime. It is also one of the easiest ways I spend quality time with my children. Baking cookies gives them the chance to get their hands dirty while making something fun, and tasty together and cherish some irreplaceable moments in the kitchen.

The kids are home this week for Thanksgiving break. I try to keep them busy so, today we made cookies. The kids each had friends over and I needed something to keep them all from getting bored. I made gingerbread cookie dough last night so it was ready for rolling and cutting. My kids love to cut the dough into fun shapes, and later cover the cookies in colored frosting or sprinkles.


Baking together has become a tradition in our home. Not only is it a sweet treat, but baking together is always makes fun filled happy memories and simple math lessons for children.
We all had a great time.

Team Jacob

Yes I'm one of those crazy Twilight Moms who is anxiously waiting to see New Moon. I have to admit that when i first started reading Twilight I wasn't hooked, but once I watched the movie, my attention shifted. The first time I watched Twilight I thought the acting was a little akward. But now everytime I watch it, I see something diffrent that I missed the time before.

So I went to see New Moon today with 8 friends today and we all loved it!!! Pre and Post movie, we all were chatting about the movie and movie vs. book. I felt lost being one who has not read it.

I am convinced that I will have to read the books just to understand some of the things that I didn't quite get from the movie.

Just To See You Smile

I’ve been avoiding the orthodontist for months!! I knew that at least one of my children would need them but I thought that time was years ahead. At the kids last dental appointment, we were told that Naty needed an Orthodontic consult. So, my dream that my kids would have perfect teeth was gone.
And I was more nervous about which dentist to choose. To say the least, I am a bit picky. I want the best for my kiddos. After a couple of months of searching, asking around, and pretty much stalking on the internet. I chose one. I am very pleased with him. His friendly staff and beautiful office made both Naty and I very much at ease. One staff member even brought me a freshly brewed Starbucks holiday blend coffee!!!!
Anyway, being here with Naty made me realize how she’s growing up way too fast. When the assistant came out to the waiting room to get Naty for her x-rays, she asked if I wanted to come back with Naty, of course I do. But Naty looked at me and said “mom, you don’t have to, I will be okay.” It took all of me to hold back my tears. I sipped on my hot Starbucks coffee and took my mind of by chatting to another mother in the waiting room. She has a daughter in high school that wears braces and can’t wait to get them off!! I told her how surprised I am that Naty actually WANTS them. I have no idea where the interest in braces is coming from. When I was called into the consult room, I knew the time had come….my daughter needs braces!!!! A huge smile came across Naty’s face as a frown came across mine. Especially when he was describing how her face is going to change :(
Naty had impressions of her teeth taken and spacers put in both upper and lower molars. She will get an expander in two weeks that she will wear for six months. Hopefully that will give her more room for her teeth to spread out! She'll get braces eventually.
Now, I don’t know what makes me more miserable, watching Naty’s beautiful smile change or paying these bills!!!!

Let Them Have Pie

My kids picked out pies for their teachers to share with their families over Thanksgiving break. We were originally going to buy one 9 inch pie for theier entire family to enjoy but, I could not decide what kind to get. Just then, my kids stubled across these (adorable) individual pies. What a great idea to send the teachers a variety to choose from. They turned out pretty cute!

Hello There...neighbor

You know how it usually happens. The moving van pulls up across the street. You peer through the slats of the window blinds. You don't want them to see you checking out the new neighbors. Who are they? In goes the fancy furniture...as I wonder, will we be friends and share dinners? In goes a child-size bike...and I wonder how many kids they have?
New neighbors are always fascinating.
I hope they forgive me for disrupting their moving process to run over and meet them but, the worry of who our new neighbors would be, was still pondering. I have had my share of BAD neighbors and could not handle another but, what a relief that a lovely family has moved in.
And the kids.....three girls!!!! YAY!
How wonderful for my girls to have new friends on the street.

Super(mom)stitions

So, it's Friday the 13th and it feels like any other day.
I laugh at the belief that Friday the 13th brings bad luck. In fact, I open umbrellas indoors, walk under ladders, and occasionally I break a mirror. See, I'm not superstitious at all!
But then I got to thinking(which usually spells trouble)and realized that if I'm brutally honest with myself, I do have some superstitions of my own.
The bed has to be made before I get in it or I won’t be able to sleep. Makes sense, right?

My kids clothes have to be put away neatly or we will run late. That’s a given. I must change the toilet paper roll or before it gets completely empty or the next person (????) will not be able to change it. And my VERY favorite.....if you ignore the problem, it will NOT go away.
Happy Friday the 13th everyone =)

Weight a Minute!

I think I found the problem.......

I have been using my treadmill as a temporary hanging closet. It works really well. I can hang my entire weeks wardrobe on it and it is right there conviently located in my bedroom.

Getting in shape has always come with difficulty for me and this is not helping. So, I decided to put my clothes in my actual closet and say goodbye to this wonderful apparatus. It's a good thing too because, I am starting to feel the jiggley effects of this wonderful idea.

Not in My Shoes

Me and my girls watched the movie, Freaky Friday, the other day. They totally understood the concept of the movie, switching lives with someone else so, we have been pretending to switch places with each other. This can be a little dangerous. It really puts me in my place when they imitate me...am I really that mean???? It is pretty funny though and it is all in FUN.
Sometimes I wonder what it would be like to switch places with someone and have them live my life just for a day. I guess it's like walking a mile in someone else's shoes, it's good practice that I need to consider more often.
So today, that is MY goal: to think about how OTHERS might be feeling and why they do the things they do.
This could get interesting!!!!!

I want candy!

What is it about this time of year that turns us all into sugar giving and sugar seeking maniacs? We have enjoyed 3 different Halloween parties, and have left each party with 3 kids each carrying a huge sack of various bite sized (and sometimes full sized) bits of candy. We celebrated a birthday or two with more sugar, and have essentially stuffed ourselves silly with various sweet concoctions.
I’m not only worried about broad health issues. I’m also trying to preserve my sanity. My efforts to limit my kids to only a few pieces of candy per day have put us in a war of their constant pleading and begging and my constant frustration and surrender. When I let them have their way and eat what they want, big surprise, they are cranky, tired, and generally little hellions. Am I the only one who sees food as a direct influence on behavior?
Have you heard about the Switch Witch? The Switch Witch is a great way to deal with all of that Halloween Candy.
The story goes like this: a child gets to eat all the candy they want up through Halloween night. On Halloween night, before the child goes to bed, s/he lays out all their candy for the Switch Witch. The Switch Witch comes when they are asleep and takes the candy and switches it for a toy. Cavity-creating candy is gone and desirable new toy is there instead!
A few of my friends told me about it last year and said that their kids LOVED the idea of the Switch Witch and eagerly put out all the candy. Apparently, none of them even mentioned the candy again as they were so happy to have a new toy. It is a brilliant idea, and I plan to do it next year.
Now I just have to figure out what to do with the hidden bite sized candy sitting in the top of my closet. Right now it is contributing to my personal adult obesity. Anyone want to switch witch me and leave me a new toy in exchange?

Fall Back

Many people get excited about the Fall time change, because it means gaining an extra hour of sleep. I used to feel the same way. But now, I actually dread the fact that we have to turn the clocks back an hour, because though we may get adjusted to it pretty quickly as adults – children are a different story!
I try to keep a tight ship when it comes to staying on schedule. We have a regular daily routine from the time we get up in the morning to the time we go to bed at night. All the kids (ages 10,8, and 5) go to bed at the same time – by 8:30pm. They also wake up at the same time everyday – by 7:00am. And as most of you moms know, children oftentimes have this internal clock inside of them that tells them when to get up. It doesn’t matter what time they go to bed either. They usually always get up at the same time.
So, this morning, instead of getting up at the usual 7:00am in the morning, everyone, including me, was up at 5:00am in the morning.
Today I am just plain tired.
By 7am the sun came shining through my bedroom windows forcing me out of bed. I like to sleep in on the weekends but today the stinkin' time change ruined everything!!!!

Little Lies

Don’t EVER lie to me.
I’m serious.
All of us have our pet peeves but lies are something I won’t tolerate.
You can hurt my feelings, forget a lunch date, or change plans at the last minute and I’ll forgive you but I have a long memory and a deep distrust when it comes to someone who has lied. That’s a biggie in my book. Now before you think I’m a little too “holier than thou”, hear me out.
I’m not talking about those little lies everyone tells. Those polite words that make things nicer or make someone feel better. I’ll admit to telling a few of those myself.
My kids know that lying is the big no-no. They know if I ask “What did you do?“ they know they better fess up because the punishment they’ll get for whatever they’ve done is FAR preferable to the trouble they’ll be in if they lie and I find out about it.
Of course, you don‘t have to tell everything. Every parent knows there are some things that we’d prefer our kids not ever know about us. Mistakes we’ve made, things we’ve tried. I could fill a book with things I’ve done over the years to keep my secrets without telling out and out lies to my kids. But that’s because I’m imagining the looks in their eyes if they ever caught Mom in a lie. The disappointment of finding hypocrisy in the one place they thought they could always trust. I’m not saying they think I’m perfect, they know me far too well, but they know I tell them the truth. Honesty is my policy. Not much sugar coating around here.
It is very important to me that my kids know they can always trust me. As their parent, I hope they will always come to me for guidance and advice. I won’t always know all the answers, and I try to be honest about that as well. One lesson that I want them to learn and to carry throughout their lives:
Trust is hard won, terribly easy to break, and once broken, is never quite what it was. I can’t stress that enough!!!!!
So why am I blogging about honesty and trust…..I’m not entirely sure.
Call it, therapeutic blogging. Sometimes I need to be completely raw and honest with my frustrations, my fears and my questions. And sometimes just reading what others are dealing with and how they feel can be strangely empowering.

It's the Great Pumpkin tradition

Sunday was our annual pumpkin carving party.
The kids were so excited and wild all afternoon waiting for people to get here.
We had a good turn out. Our friends and neighbors were here.
Ethan didn't stop running around all day.
This year we added a Halloween pinata to our festivities.
The kids lined up and were so excited!!!
That poor little ghost pinata didn't stand a chance when the kids started in.
Shortly after, it was in two big pieces. the kids looked like chickens pecking all over the ground for candy.
How FUN!
After all was said and done, it was a great success.
I wanted to take so many more pictures, but instead just enjoyed the beautiful weather with our friends.
We had a really good time.

A big thanks to everyone who came and helped us continue our tradition.
We enjoyed every minute of it.
Happy fall y'all.

Home Sweet Home

I came across some old photos of our last house. I can still remember buying it just to totally remodel it. Unfortunately I have no before pics, just the after ones. It was everything Mike and I wanted.....

This was my home, and I loved it.

It’s where all the people I love are.

I loved my red door, that many friends have entered, I love my flowers, and I even love that old graveled driveway that held the smell of rain.

This was the first house Mike and I remodeled together.

This was the house my kids couldn’t wait to “explore” when we finally got to move in.

This is the home where we laughed, talked, and played.

This is the house that has seen more tears than any other and the one where hearts have been mended.

This is where I feel at peace. When I see my old house I don’t just see a house, I see my home. I see my family… I see the man that I love and our three amazing children. We live in Texas now and we are loving it but, every now and then, I wish I was back home.