10 Years Strong

Today Michael and I celebrate ten years of marriage.

What I see when I look at Micheal.......

I see a great father: one who through the years never hesitated to change a diaper, do a midnight feeding, or babysit so I could get a little break. He always rushes home to be with us and more than anything has always shown the children how much he loves them and how much he loves me.

I see a great Friend: He is not judgmental, he looks at people for who they are inside and never takes people for granted. When you become a friend of his, you have a true friend for life. He knows how to make me laugh, is there when I need a shoulder, and calls me everyday during the day just to say hello.

I see myself: Mike brings out the best in me. He makes me feel like a good mother, a good wife, and a good friend.

I'd be lying if I said we never fight and to pretend our marriage is perfect would be silly, the past ten years have been a challenge, but I wouldn't change a thing. I am so grateful for our three wonderful children and the home we have made. As I look to our future, I know only good things will come, because we have each other and that is all we need.

A Mommy Day For Ethan

Today was a great day. Ethan came up to me this morning, with huge tears in his eyes, and said that he misses me when he is at school, then gave me the biggest hug ever. With his little arms wrapped so tightly around my neck, I couldn't help but think of what a wonderful job I am doing. It is always a great feeling when you are reassured, not that ever doubted myself.

So because today is one of Ethan's normal school days, I had to decide whether or not to let him miss. So I sat Ethan down on my bed and attempted to tell him what a busy day I had planned but instead I looked into his big brown eyes and my heart melted.

So our day started having coffee with a friend, and my yearly physical at my OB/GYN's!!! Doesn't sound like much fun for Ethan so far but it gets better.....

We came home got back into our pj's and just hung out tgether. I got caught up on power rangers, connect four, and story time. My attention was on only him. After school a good friend and I took all the kids to the park where they ran and played. Once we got home, the house was filled with the voices and laughter of six little children, which I don't mind at all, my kids have good friends, and it's nice to see them playing so well together. We all made gingerbread cookies and hot chocolate. I wish everyday could be like this, filled with pure happiness. I realized today how fast my kids are growing up, I wish that I could slow them down. Since I have no control over it, I'll take days like today and just cherish every moment.

Ethan turns 5

Today is Ethan's birthday. He is now five years old!!! I can't believe how time flies. Since he had surgery yesterday, we didn't do much to celebrate other than let him eat all the ice cream he wanted. He was so happy and so proud to be FIVE!
We will celebrate his birthday next weekend.
Happy Birthday Ethan!!!

No More Tonsils

Just wanted to update everyone on Ethan's tonsillectomy today. His doctor came up to me after surgery and showed me what he removed, his tonsils were extremely huge!! It was a good thing we got them out when we did. Ethan's only complaint when he woke up, was that the gown they made him wear had polka dots and was 'girly'. He is doing great! He came home around 9:30 am and slept until almost 1pm. When he woke up he said he was hungry. He had a Popsicle and applesauce and said he was still hungry!! He also said he felt no pain. We gave him his pain meds around 3pm (6 hours after his initial dose), but only because we felt he should have them before he started to feel any pain. When the girls came home from school, he proudly announced that he got his tonsils out and wanted to show everyone. He was running around the house as normal as on any other given day. He played a little outside and wanted to do more. I'm glad he is doing so well. The doctor called us tonight to check on him and said it was a good sign that he wanted to play. He will probably get worse before he gets better, but for now is doing extremely well.

Thanksgiving Road Trip.....It's a long one

Day 1: November 25
We hit the open road from Texas and headed toward Florida. We loaded the minivan and left about 7am. We thought the kids would sleep for a few hours but they didn't. They were just as excited as we were. But I came prepared; I had ipods, Nintendo DS's, and a handful of good movies to keep them entertained. Next time I won't let Mike pack them because when Etan was ready for his ipod, he got all the cords knotted!!

I got a great idea from Debbie to get the bright colored pipe cleaners for the road, so I did and they worked very well. Just when the kids thought they had enough of the electronic entertainment, out came the pipe cleaners. The kids loved them and helped each other make flowers, animals, and letters out of them, and the best thing about them is the easy clean up! Thanks Debbie!

Day 2: November 26
Our little adventure landed us in Orlando around midnight and we were tired!!! I was so happy when we pulled into our hotel and got into bed.

Disney World

The kids jumped out of bed at the sound of the alarm clock because they knew what lied ahead!Yes, we had a date with a mouse! I have to admit that I was excited too. What made this Disney trip even more special is that we met up with some really good friends from Texas.

The weather was nice, the park wasn't very crowded, and the kids rode every ride they wanted to with hardly any waiting at all. I learned that Ethan loves roller coasters, he even rode space mountain and loved it. He wasn't afraid of the haunted mansion either, he was so funny. Naty absolutely loved getting soaked on splash mountain. We had so much fun.

Day 3: November 27 THANKSGIVING DAY

I won't speak of the huge spread of food that we had, it's pretty much typical: turkey, stuffing, pumkpin pie, etc. The people around us is what made this Thanksgiving extra special. Our day filled with family and friends. Something has to be said about having a large family and good old friends around you on the holidays. I was surrounded with love and it felt great, the day was spent laughing and enjoying each others company. I am so thankful for the family and friends that I have, I am truly blessed.

Day 4: Novembe 28 BLACK FRIDAY

Yes I hit the sales with my mom. There was nothing I had to absolutely have but I enjoyed the chaos and the great deals. Later in the afternoon, we visited some old friends and spent the day at the park.

Our Story....Mike was a new grad working in a new firm where he met Darrell. They both became really good friends and it was funny that both Darrell's wife, Kathrine, and I were pregnant and due around the same time. We started spending time together and ended up doing everything together, they bacame a naural part ofour holidays. Even all our parents ar friends. Sydney and Andrew gre up together and became best friends.

About 15 months later out to dinner, Katherine didn't order her typical glass of wine or Midori sour and I looked at her and said well I'm not drinking tonight either and we both started laughing, becase that's how we both informed each other about our second pregnancies. Ryan & Naty were born a month apart!!

When Kathrine told me she was pregnant again, Mike and I were contemplating a third so we decided to just do it, Ethan & Jared are 5 months apart.

Our friendship stayed strong and the kids have become like brothers and sisters.

Day 5: November 29

This day was a relaxing day. I stayed home with my parents and Mike went to visit his parents. We ate leftover Turkey and Stacy and I ran to CVS, where we got some really good deals. Stacy filled a cart and paid less than $3!!!

I enjoyed my scenery. It was nice to be back in an area where a lake surrounds you, everyone knows each other, lots of mom and pop stores, old fashioned ice cream man pushing a cart goes down the street, and the town still has a Christmas parade. I miss having all those little things. The weather was so nice that the kids got to play outside all day! And they absolutely loved spending time with aunt Stacy.

Day 6: November 30

A sad day. We had breakfast with my family and lunch with Mike's family and then were on the road gain heading for home. None of us wanted to leave. It was really hard saying goodbye to all our family and friends, but we had a great time. I value all the things I have and the people in my life.