I 'm NO super Mom but I'm LOVING it!

WW: The Best Thing

2010-04-14T15:16:00.005-05:00

The best sight ever is the first smile you catch on camera of your baby!

To join in the Wordful Wednesday fun visit Angie.

If I Hear Another Word About General Lee........

2010-04-09T08:11:00.004-05:00

Three years ago at Christmas I got Joe a box set of Season 1 Dukes of Hazard. It was his favorite show growing up, so I figured it would be a fun gift and once in a while he could pull it out and watch an episode or two. The day he got it he sat down with Joe Braden and watched a few episodes, had a few good laughs, and it was put on a shelf and not thought of again.

About 3 months ago, about the time I went on bedrest, Joe Braden saw it on the shelf and asked to watch it for his Friday night movie time. I was feeling bad, so Joe set it up in the boys room for them to watch as I slept on the couch.

BIG MISTAKE, BIG, HUGE!

We are both regretting that day and wondering why we thought this was a good idea. Since then all Joe Braden ever talks about is General Lee, he is BEYOND obsessed and we don't know how to stop this. He WANTS, and I don't mean a little, WANTS with all his heart, to own a General Lee. He has talked to Joe about how much money it would take to buy an old dodge and fix it up like the General! He asks questions on a daily basis about how much it will cost and how to go about it, he even has asked that we begin to call local junk yards looking for the body so that we have it by the time he is 16! Have I mentioned he is only 7?!?!?!?

About a month after he started watching, he and Joe took a road trip together, and the main topic of discussion was of course General Lee. He asked Joe how much money a day it would take, until he is 16, to make his dreams come true. Joe figured it out to be about 12 dollars a day, but explained that he could just save all he got and then go from there, because he can't make that much a day. When they got home Joe Braden emptied his piggy bank into glass Mason Jars so that he could "see" his money. He had close to 200 in there and man was he excited. Since then he has put every bit of money he gets into those jars, he even put the 100 dollars he got for his birthday in there. I have to guard the change in my car like a hawk because he will try to take any loose change he can get his hands on. Oh he asks first but I don't want to listen to the begging so I hide it!

This child is OBSESSED to say the very least! What are we going to do? Can this really last until he is 16? I would think not, and if it does someone may want to commit me because if I continue to have to listen to every fact about General Lee, I may just go INSANE!!

WW: Do I look like Mommy?

2010-04-07T08:30:00.007-05:00

Join WW fun by visiting Angie for Wordful Wednesday or Five Minutes for Mom for Wordless Wednesday.

After you have a baby everyone wants to know who they look like. Well to me, with Isabella, it is obvious! What do you think?

My Mom is in the black and white photo and I am the one in pink.

Isabella

Isabella's Baby Story

2010-04-06T12:05:00.004-05:00

So I have said that I would catch you all up to speed on the arrival of my sweet Isabella, so today is the day that is shall be done. I am going to try to keep it short, but we will see if I actually stick to it!

If you have followed my blog for a while you will know that my pregnancy was rocky from the beginning and was very scary up until week 16. I quit blogging around that time due to lack of energy and my sanity and have recently just picked back up. January 25th I was 33 weeks pregnant and sitting at my desk at work and started contracting. They were very mild, but they were there and I was just not feeling good. I monitored them for some time and they were coming very regularly at about every 10 min. At this point I called my doctor to make an appointment, but told them I wanted to drink water and lay on my left side first in case they went away. You see I had my first baby shower planned at school for that afternoon and I certainly did not want to miss it. Well it didn't work so off my husband and I went to the doctor. When we arrived my Blood Pressure was dangerously high and I was having regular contractions so he sent me to the hospital to be monitored and receive fluids, all of this worked so I went home on modified bedrest.

Skip ahead to the 27th, so only 2 days, I was laying on the couch at about 10:30pm when I started having severe rib pain. When I say severe I mean tears pouring down my face, doubled up in a ball, wanting to die P-A-I-N! I did everything I could to lessen the pain and it did ease but not much so I paged my doctor. I seriously thought it was anxiety because it kind of felt like what I have heard a panic attack feels like. When talking to my doctor we decided to keep my appointment the next morning unless a few things happened in the night, of which he told me to watch for. Well I made it through the night and got sleep but woke up extremely nauseous at 3:30 and vomited which made me feel better. I got to the doctor at 10 the next morning and he did a U/S and found that I had a 15% abruption. Thank GOD I have the doctor I have because I didn't have any concrete signs of an abruption but because he knew me, he knew something was wrong. We talked about our options and I chose to try to wait 24-48 hours and have the steroid injections for her lungs, because now I was just 34 weeks. My doctor wanted to discuss this with the neonatologist before he approved it but said we were of course going to be admitted right away. While taking me over to the hospital he told me that they were not going to wait but do the c-section in the next few hours, which actually turned into 30 minutes, because I was contracting when they hooked me to the monitors. So our baby Isabella was born at 11:35am on Thursday January 28, 2010 weighing 5 pounds and 18 inches long. When she came out her Daddy and I both had to double check that she was really a girl! I was so anxious, but when I heard that sweet cry, there was nothing like it, such sweet relief!

She did have some issues breathing when she was born and was on an IV instead of being fed for the first 72 hours. She was in NICU for 1 week exactly and I was allowed to board after my discharge all but 1 night. We were very blessed that she did so well and that we had so many great doctors and nurses taking care of her. We truly fell in love with several of the nurses, they just made it all so much easier to handle. God blessed our lives with her and her safe arrival. You see had we been home and had a complete abruption she would not have made it, and I might not have either. We live 45 minutes away from the hospital and she would have suffocated before we could arrive. How blessed we are that my doctor took me seriously and checked us out.

Here are some pictures of our time in NICU:

The first picture before all the tubes

My hand on her head, how tiny!

Me holding Isabella for the first time, She was 36 hours old.

Joe and Isabella

Finally going home!

My Husband Gets Pranked

2010-04-05T08:11:00.004-05:00

Thursday I blogged about all our April Fools fun for the morning, little did I know the fun was only beginning...........

You Have to start this post by learning a bit about my Husband, you see he is a funny, joking kind of guy. He is always trying to pull something over on someone or make someone laugh. It is hard to get him though because he is the Master, or so he thought!

JOE:

So Thursday night we were catching up on some shows on DVR when Joe's phone rings. Now it is 10:45 at night, so I am assuming it is my BIL Scott. That doesn't end up being the case, the man on the other end is speaking rather loudly and in a thick Spanish accent and I can hear every word. Let me tell you it I started laughing so hard that I cried, here is the conversation:

Joe: (A little hesitant) Hello?
Man: Yes, I am calling about your goats
Joe: Goats?
Man: Yes, Goats
Joe: I think you have the wrong number
Man: Is this Joe?
Joe: Yes, but I don't have Goats
Man: Is this 555-5555?
Joe: Yes, where did you get my name and number?
Man: On Craigslist, It says you have 6 goats a friend gave you and you are giving them away.
Joe: I think it must be a misprint.
Man: Ummmmm OK

So Joe gets off the phone and I am still just rolling with laughter. He, of course, is puzzled by the whole ordeal, but before he can get to the computer to check it out he gets another phone call about said goats! This goes on and on 20 calls in like 30 mins. Once Joe gets on the computer we find that not only is it listed he has goats, but there is also a post for a Wii for sale so he can "MAKE RENT CALL TONIGHT!" We automatically assumed that the culprit was his brother Scott, because everything was listed on the Dallas area Craigslist and we no longer live in that area, but he denied everything. Joe was so sure it was Scott that he posted a craigslist ad that he too was giving away animals, only to find out it wasn't him.
I also have a brother that lives in the area too, so I called him to see if he may be the culprit. This conversation is also funny:
Me: Hey do you have any Goats for sale (Mind you he is a college student so of course he wouldn't have goats)
Tim: Do WHAT?
Me: Do you have any Goats for sale?
Tim: Goats? Like G-O-A-T-S?
Me: Yeah like Goats?
Tim: ummmmm NO!
Me: What about a Wii do you have a Wii?
Tim: You know I don't have a Wii!
Me: But do you have a Wii to sale?
Tim: NO, you are really confusing me!

I then tell him the full story also, and he gets a huge laugh! Joe by this point is getting call after call, all apologizing for calling so late but they knew he just posted it! After a while his brother gives us a clue to who it may be, and it all comes together. You see, Taylor was a kid in our youth group when we lived in the Dallas area, and he is another guy big on playing jokes, and he has pulled some rather funny ones. He pulled a great one on my Dad that my family still talks about! He is just a fun boy with a great sense of humor, but little does he know because of this prank Joe WILL get him back and it WILL be good! Joe takes revenge and he doesn't take it lightly!

TAYLOR

Taylor: I hope you are watching out and are on guard because I promise you won't see it coming. Joe got 40-50 calls and will probably pay you back for each! To me though, you are my HERO I have always wanted to pull a good one over on Joe and I have tried many times, but it hasn't worked, so I wish I would have thought of it! You are too funny, and thanks for a GREAT laugh!

Just Call Me a Fool......

2010-04-01T09:14:00.002-05:00

Fool, you say, Why would I want to be called a fool? Well, let me explain my exciting morning! As we all know today is the day for pranksters to have a good laugh at all of us who are foolish enough to fall for their little pranks, and today I have been gotten 3 times and it is only 9:30am! Does that say anything about who I am? I feel like the most foolish person out there today!

It all started this morning as I was getting ready for work and went to put on my deodorant. Last night I took my shower so I of course applied deodorant before bed, and because Isabella started screaming mid application, I took it with me to my bedroom and I put it on the side of my bed when I was done. I actually remembered this when it was time to reapply this morning, which is saying a lot for me! So, I go to the bedroom and there is no deodorant to be found, I look on the bed, under the bed, back in the bathroom everywhere and Nope nothing. After about 15 minutes I decide I am just going to have to smell like a man all day because I can't use not being able to find my deodorant as an excuse for being late to work. I go into Joe's bathroom and the following conversation was had:

Me: Hey can I use your axe?
Joe: WHY??
Me: Well, ummmmmm I can't find my deodorant!
Joe: (Laughing histarically)
Me: I am SERIOUS!
Joe: (Looking for his deodorant) Wait Where is MY DEODORANT

While all of this is transpiring our 7 y/o Joe Braden is standing outside the door and begins snickering, and once we notice it breaks out into full blown belly laughs. Automatically we know that he is our culprit and I promptly tell him that I need it back, to which he responds, "APRIL FOOLS!!"

Needless to say Joe and I were both telling him we were going to get him back and when we did it would be GOOD! OK well I should have been paying attention, but I was busy with Isabella and the phone rings, Joe answers and when he gets off he announces that school, which is also work for my husband and I, was canceled due to the need for more rooms at the UIL meet being held today. I totally fall for it, when it was meant for our 7 year old! Joe just gives me this look and I realize OHHHHHHHH April fools! I did play along for a while and we got Joe Braden really well.

The third time was on Facebook where a friend posted she was pregnant and it was with twins, yep once again I fall for it and congratulate her. So, now we all know how foolish I am and how I fall for anything! Now to just think of a way to get my 2 guys back!

Happy April Fools!

Wordful Wednesday: I am back and with a new addition!

2010-03-31T11:04:00.005-05:00

Well I have taken a leave of absence from the blogging world, and have decided to make my return. I went through a rough pregnancy with no energy to do anything, much less blog about my inadequate body and mind! My Isabella made her entry into this world 6 weeks early and fairly small, but she was a tough little cookie and had no major issues. After a week in NICU she came home and we have been loving her up for the last 9 weeks! She is growing like a champ and is now the size of an average newborn. She was born at 5.0 and is now at 8.8. I will fill you all in on the birth story in another post soon. I have been noting things I want to share on my blog the last few months so you will all have some good reading, at least I hope, in the very near future. Now I would like to introduce:

Isabella LaRue

If you would like to join Wordful Wednesday visit Angie at

A Word that begins with B!

2009-11-06T10:28:00.002-06:00

I will probably be called a mean Mom for telling this story at some point in Joe Braden's life, but it is too good not to have on the books for our memory. I must say that sometimes kids are just funny and seriously say the funniest things!

Tuesday we had a parent teacher conference with Joe Braden's teacher, Mrs. Hopping. I had told Joe Braden we were having this and he didn't seem to worry, and there was no need. It was a mandatory conference that they have with each parent in the first semester. Well Joe and I got there as they got out of school and Joe Braden was waiting with a smile on his face, until the moment he found out that he wouldn't be allowed to come into the classroom with us. You should have seen the look of sheer horror! He looked at me seriously and said.............

"OK Mom I HAVE gotten in trouble ONE time and I FORGOT to tell you!"

Me.... "It's OK son we aren't here to talk about anything bad only the good."

That seemed to calm him down and he got settled to start his homework. The conference went great and I was excited that he is doing really well and is scoring high in all areas. She complimented his behavior and didn't have anything negative to say, so this of course made me wonder what was it exactly that he had done that one lone day this semester to get in "trouble".

The following is the conversation that we had on the way to the car after the conference, (nothing has been changed and I didn't change names to protect the innocent)!

Joe Braden: "So how did it go?"
Me: "It went great!"
Dad: "From all she had to say, I am proud of the way you are doing in school."
Me: "Joe Braden, I am just curious, exactly what did you do the one time you got in trouble this year?"
Joe Braden: "I don't want to talk about it."
Me: "You aren't going to get in trouble."
Joe Braden: "Really Mom, I don't want to."
Dad: "Joe Braden, you may get in trouble if you DON'T tell us!"
Joe Braden: "OK, Well Mrs. Hopping told us to write a word that started with a B, so I did."
ME: "What exactly did you write?"
Joe Braden (holding his head down and mumbling): BIG BOOTY!!!!"
Me and Dad (laughing hysterically): "WHY?"
Joe Braden: "I don't know it is just the first thing I thought of, but I won't do it again because I had to sit out at recess for 7 minutes!"

It was just classic! I can't imagine WHY he did that, except that he is a 6 year old little boy, but whatever the motive I must say it was funny. It was one of those times where you think, "Gee I probably shouldn't have laughed in front of him, but it was just so dang funny!"

Joe Braden just know your brother has a funny, maybe embarrassing when he is older post, coming this way too!

News Flash

2009-11-04T09:13:00.002-06:00

I have been out way too long now! I don't know why but I haven't been motivated to blog in some time. Some of it is pregnancy related, because I am tired and just unmotivated in general because of it. I have also kind of been in a funk for a while and need to get out of that! So here goes a new blog, where I will catch you up with the latest and greatest in my world.

IT'S A...............

GIRL

We will be welcoming Baby Isabella in about 16 weeks, and I am soooooo excited. We were in no way "trying" for a girl but it is a little blessing God has thrown my way and for that I am very Thankful. Her room is already coming along and I am super excited to finally get to use pink! I wouldn't trade my boys though, and I think it is super cool that she will have 2 older brothers to help protect her.

Joe Braden is doing wonderful in the first grade and loving every minute of school. He loves his teacher and I must say she is really good for him. She holds him to a very high standard, as do I, so it makes my job easier at home. He is so excited about having a sister. He prayed so hard that this baby would be a girl and God heard and answered yes.

Joshua is going through a phase right now, and I think some of it may have to do with the idea of no longer being the baby. He is coming and climbing in our bed around 4AM every morning and crying when I drop him off at daycare every day. Poor boy, this is going to be quite an adjustment for him.

I have a few more blogs planned for this week and one is quite hilarious so stay tuned!

Please Pray

2009-09-22T14:02:00.001-05:00

OK I have been horrible lately with the blogging! It seems that I just don't have the energy most days between, work, kids, housework, Joe Braden's homework, Judo and Youth Group I am just running on close to empty! Today, I didn't feel like blogging again, but I have to. I happened across this blog today and had to have all the prayer warriors I could get to pray for Sarah. Go read up on their story, it is heartbreaking and they desperately need a miracle. May God bless this family!

PSF: Family Reunion Photos

2009-09-11T08:33:00.003-05:00

Monday we had a family reunion and it was wonderful! Here are a few pictures!

Thankful Thursday!

2009-09-10T08:37:00.002-05:00

I am linking up once again with Sonya to participate in Thankful Thursday. It is easy enough, just list the 5 things you are thankful for this week.

1) I am so thankful that I get to once again start up the Lady Bug class tonight and study God's Word with wonderful ladies.

2) I am blessed to have wonderful friends that I can laugh with, vent to, and cry with. What would I do without them!?!

3) My house is starting to get back in shape, from the 2 months where I couldn't do much!

4) That I got to spend much needed time with my family on the Labor Day weekend! We needed that time to reconnect!

5) Finally I am thankful that I got to see my Memaw's joy while she listened to her Children, Grandchildren, and Great Grandchildren sing Hymns of praise to the Father! I must say it was priceless and I am so blessed that I was there to enjoy that time!

WW: Me

2009-09-09T14:40:00.002-05:00

I don't seem to take many pictures of myself, so I thought today I would share! We had a baby shower honoring my cousin this weekend and these were taken there.

Thankful Thursday!

2009-09-03T08:54:00.003-05:00

I am linking up with Sonya from Truth 4 the Journey today for Thankful Thursday. It is easy to do, you just share the 5 things you are thankful for this week!

I must say this has been a GREAT week and I have many things to be thankful for. God has truly blessed our lives and I can't thank him enough, to God be the Glory.

The first thing I am thankful for as always is the fact that God chose ME! He made ME in his image and chose to SAVE ME! Now that will always be on the top of my list, because without the sacrifice of his son we wouldn't have the life we have.

Secondly I am so thankful that my Baby is safe! I have been so scared and afraid with this pregnancy. I as a human worry, though I try very hard not to, it isn't easy. God has granted me peace throughout this time, and Tuesday the sight of my baby moving and active in my womb, I was elated! The blood clots are gone and all looks GREAT, but please continue to pray that all goes well.

The third thing I am thankful for is my family. They are such a great support and loving. We have all been put through the ringer with this pregnancy, but now we can all relax a bit. I am thankful that Joe and the boys pitched in to make my life easier and that they even did it without complaint. My husband is showing my boys what a real Man of God and Father should be!

The fourth thing would be the fact that my Sister in Law is doing some better. She was put in the hospital yesterday and gave us all quite a scare, but hopefully she is on the road to a full recovery! I was honored to spend yesterday evening with her boys and loving on them while Mommy was away. I know they will all be happy when Mommy is home! We love you Val!

The fifth thing this week is that I get to spend the weekend with family! I am so excited to see my parents and brothers tomorrow night! I am also excited to be able to go to a baby shower honoring my cousin on Sunday, and then a family reunion on Monday. God has truly blessed me with an amazing Christian Family and I am so thankful to have them in my life!

I hope all of you have many things to be thankful for this week also!

WW: My little crazy boy

2009-09-02T11:09:00.003-05:00

Joshua is my CRAZY boy, he has been since birth! He is into everything, acts like a monkey, and has more energy than any one child I have ever seen! He for sure keeps his Daddy and I running most of the time. Since he turned 3 he is also getting a lot less shy around other people, which surprises me, but I am happy that he is finally beginning to open up. He is a bright spot in my day and I pray that we are raising him up to be a God fear little man. These pictures just show how much "spunk" my little man has.

For more Wordful Wednesday

Nerf Gun War

2009-09-01T09:30:00.002-05:00

The beginning of every school year, we have a BACK TO SCHOOL BASH for our youth group. Last year, Joe thought it would be fun to have a Nerf Gun war, and boy was it a HIT! The kids loved it and really got into the game. We do a capture the flag theme so they are in teams and using nerf as their weapons. Last year the boys didn't go, so we didn't have to worry about them wanting to participate, because they were at my parents. Well this year my boys were home and were convinced they were big enough to play with the High School kids! I fought them on this for a while, but finally I just gave in and told everyone to please be careful with them. They ended up doing GREAT! Joshua ended up being the official guy to tag his team back in, (once you are hit you have to stay where you are until a team member tags you in). Joe Braden actually won a game for his team slipping through the kids unnoticed to grab the other teams flag. It was a great experience for the boys and it was so good of the teens to allow it. I mean seriously these kids get so into it they modify the guns and buy machine nerf! It is just CRAZY!! Here are a few pictures, excuse the quality, I used my phone because I didn't dare take my camera into that WAR!

Making my Home Sing Monday

2009-08-31T08:23:00.003-05:00

Where I have been!

2009-08-25T12:04:00.002-05:00

Well it has for sure been a while since I blogged! I NEVER thought I would go this long, but things happen and I just got busy, and had a lot happen! Let's see when I left you guys last we were about to head to our first vacation adventure at Great Wolf Lodge! It was a blast, and I will eventually post pictures! Also we had camp and with all that summer just got CRAZY, not to mention the fact, that I was feeling BAD! I didn't know what was wrong for a while and then finally took a pregnancy test and come to find out I am PREGNANT!! I thought that I found out at 4 weeks, but apparently at the time I was 8 weeks! I went into the doctor for complications a few days later and he did an U/S and found out we were 8 weeks, so that explained a LOT! I mean I knew I had been without energy for quite sometime, but thought maybe it was from all of our traveling! Well yesterday I was 12 weeks, still having some complications, but the baby looks great! So I can use all the prayers I can get! I want to update more on the summer and will do that soon, but I wanted to share my news, and why I have been missing in action.
I know many of you are thinking, "Weren't you suppose to have a Hysterectomy this summer?" The answer is yes, I was, but insurance denied it because it was a "pre-existing" condition and I hadn't been on my new insurance for a year so they wouldn't cover it. So needless to say, I am so happy I didn't have it done! I may even wait a few years now, since pregnancy is the best thing for endometriosis! Isn't God an AWESOME God?!?!?!

WW: Water Fun

2009-06-10T12:12:00.004-05:00

While Joe Braden was recovering from his tonsillectomy we let Joshua have some water time! He had a blast playing in the water and was thrilled to watch the balls shoot into the air!

For more Wordful Wednesday visit Angie!

Making My Home SIng!

2009-06-08T15:32:00.003-05:00

Welcome to the Making Your Home Sing Monday meme! Every day you are doing something to make your house into a home for yourself and your family (if you have one). My point with each Monday post is, what are you doing or going to do today to make your home sing?

It can be an attitude or an action. Motivation, our attitude, baking, encouraging our husband or children (if we have either one), organization, cleaning, saving money....the opportunities are endless. To join in this great meme go visit Mom's the Word

To make my home sing this week, I am getting things ready for our first family trip of the summer. We are not going far away, but we have a very fun trip planned. We are going to Lake Grapevine to camp for a few days, then on the Joe's brother to visit his new home for a night, and we will cap it off with a two night stay at Great Wolf Lodge. The boys are super excited. We have several outings planned like the Ft. Worth Zoo and the Dallas Aquarium, eating at the Magic Time Machine, and a special trip to Build a Bear.
I am working on our menu for the week so that we know what we need to buy and what we already have. We try to eat out only one time a day, if that, and with the camper, it makes it super easy to cook. I am making goodies that we don't have around the house to take with us. We will have Joe's favorite Chocolate cake, Joe Braden's favorite Chocolate Chip cookies, my favorite Banana Bread, and for Joshua, well he is a chocoholic so he will love any of it, and is too young to really have a favorite. We will have his favorite store bought snacks along for the ride though.
I am also washing all the bedding from the camper and getting it cleaned and organized, which is a job within itself! We are all getting super excited! We will be leaving Thursday and returning the following Thursday. I hope to blog and share some pictures from time to time, so watch for fun to come!

PSF: Is that there a Farmer?

2009-06-05T11:00:00.003-05:00

Hosted by Cecily and MamaGeek

Joshua LOVES to dress as a cowboy and ride his John Deer Tractor. I think his is just precious! He wears his boots every where we go and most of the time his hat too! Sunday night after Church I captured a few pictures!

WW: Recovery

2009-06-03T10:28:00.002-05:00

Well we have been without internet, so I haven't blogged. It is too hard from my phone so I just put it off. Today was Joe Braden's surgery! He had to have his tonsils and adenoids removed. He went back at 7:00 and the Doctor came out of surgery at 7:17! It is just amazing how fast it all was. He had a really hard time in recovery though! He couldn't get comfortable and was fighting sleep. He cried and cried for his "Mama" so they finally decided that they better get us to see if that would help. Typically they don't let the parents back until phase 2 but we were able to calm him down. We found out that he has a high tolerance to pain meds, and it takes A LOT to work on him! Thankfully he also has a high pain tolerance! Here are some pictures of him recovering!

PSF: Goodbye Kindergarten, Hello First Grade!

2009-05-29T09:04:00.005-05:00

Hosted by Cecily and MamaGeek

Joe Braden is now officially a 1st grader! He was so impressed when the teacher told them, that when they walk across to get their award, they were then in 1st grade! He is so EXCITED!! I couldn't be more impressed by the things that his teacher had to say, it made me extremely proud of MY BOY!

Wordful Wednesday: Born Again

2009-05-27T08:36:00.003-05:00

We have had an amazing experience the last few weeks in our youth group. As many of you know my Husband, Joe is the Youth Minister for our congregation. Well in the last week there have been 5 Baptisms! We are just so excited! These kids have been taught at home and at Church, and made the decision to put their Lord on in Baptism. It has been an EXCITING time in our lives. We are so proud of all of them and the choice they have made, to GOD be the Glory! I have permission to share pictures of one of them, so here you go! This is Joe Baptizing Jaylon at 10:30 on a Wednesday night2 weeks ago.

For more Wordful Wednesday visit Angie!

Out of the Mouth of Babes

2009-05-26T08:18:00.006-05:00

I am doing my Monday Post on Tuesday this week, because of our long weekend!
I am linking up with my friend, Mom's The Word to participate in her Monday meme, "Making Your Home Sing Monday." It's a day when we share what we are doing to bless our families in our home. If you would like to join in, click here.

Friday we left town to head for a weekend of Family, camping, and fun. Every Memorial Day we have a family reunion at my Papaw's house on Lake Palestine. It is always a BLAST! On the way there it was pouring rain and just yucky weather. We were pulling in to a place to stop for a minute to discuss where the campgrounds we were staying at could be and there was a BEAUTIFUL rainbow. I immediately got my phone ready for a picture. I was so mad that we had forgotten to grab my camera! So I take a picture and start talking to Joshua about this rainbow.
He looks at it and says, "He put a rainbow in the sky!"
I looked back at him and said, "Who Honey, who put it there?"
He quickly responded, "GOD"!
It was such a touching moment! I mean my 2 year old had just given credit, where credit was due!
Don't you wish it was that easy for us to give God the glory? Sometimes I have a hard time making sure to say Thanks or give him credit. Leave it to my 2 year old to teach me a much needed lesson! So for this week I will work on applying this lesson to make my Home sing!

Summer Here We Come!

2009-05-21T08:58:00.003-05:00

If there is one MAJOR perk to working in the education world it is SUMMER OFF! I am so excited that we have 5 days of school left and I will once again be a SAHM! I have enjoyed being back at work this year, and I have actually balanced it all fairly well. I must say I have impressed myself with how easy the transition has been, but I am ready to have only 1 full time job over the summer. It is amazing how much harder I feel like I have worked this year with having a job and being a Mommy and Wife. Having to still keep up with the daily tasks and work is not easy, but I have managed to keep it done most of the time. I love being home with my boys though, so I am going to LOVE this summer. We are going to be super busy, but it is TOTALLY worth it!

Happy Birthday Joe

2009-05-19T08:25:00.003-05:00

My husband Joe's birthday is today! He is 2 years from catching me, but hey he is 2 years from 30! I love you with all my heart Joe and I hope your day is amazing!

Making my Home Sing Monday: Race

2009-05-18T08:02:00.002-05:00

I am linking up with my friend, Mom's The Word to participate in her Monday meme, "Making Your Home Sing Monday." It's a day when we share what we are doing to bless our families in our home. If you would like to join in, click here.

Friday night the boys and I took Joe out for his birthday, his birthday isn't officially until tomorrow, but we took the weekend to celebrate. While we were out we saw a man riding a bike, and he just happened to be African American. Well Joe Braden stopped to inform us of the "black" man on a bike. So this made me ask the question, "What do we tell our children to call people of different races?"

I do not want my children to see people for color, gender, body type or any other thing that we label people with. I want them to look at people and see God's handy work. I want them to love everyone no matter their race, ethnicity, social status. I want them to simply love everyone, because that is what we are called to do.

So when this happened I just looked at Joe Braden and said, "Who does Mama tell you we love?" He looked at me puzzled and said, "everyone?". I then said, "yes, and because we love everyone we don't see color." Then he wanted to know, "well what do I say?" This brought me to the above question. So to make my home sing this week I am going to re-enforce the fact that we love everyone, and try to come up with what I should have them say! Any suggestions?

Slide Show

2009-05-15T11:48:00.001-05:00

Here is a slide show of my new Nephew Hunter. We had a shower 2 weeks ago and he is so precious! I just had to share!

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Sick Kid Fun

2009-05-11T08:10:00.004-05:00

While Joshua was sick we had a TON of free time! We had to be home from Sunday until Friday per Doctor orders. Well the first few days were OK, I cleaned while the Little Man watched movies or slept, that is all he felt up to. Well as he started feeling better he was getting bored, you see he is an outside boy! He could live outside if his parents would let him! He was pitiful standing by the patio door crying, watching his brother play and Daddy grill, and I just couldn't take it anymore. My poor baby didn't feel good and he couldn't do what he so wanted to do. So I started thinking about something fun to do. I thought about the rice, beans, or noodles with cars or his dump trucks, but I didn't have enough of any of the dry goods to make it fun. So I decided we would wash cars, I went and got a box of his cars, 2 buckets of water, one with soap and one without, and a blow up toy. I used the blow up toy as a tarp, gave him a dish towel and let him have free reign! He had a blast and soon forgot why he had been upset! Of course he had to change clothes afterwards and I did have a bit of clean up afterward, but he had so much fun that is was for sure worth it! He is doing really well now, thanks to some powerful antibiotics and a prescription decongestant. Today is his first day back with his sitter so we shall see how that plays out! Thank you all so much for the sweet thoughts and prayers, it is nice to know people are thinking about your family!

Excuse the poor quality of the pictures, but I left my camera at my in-laws so I had to use my phone!

Sick, Sick, Sick

2009-05-06T10:02:00.002-05:00

My little Joshua is so very sick! He has either severe Bronchitis or Pneumonia, we are still waiting on chest x-ray results. They are treating him already and the fever is only low grade now. He has been sick since Saturday night/Sunday morning and we were misdiagnosed on Sunday at Urgent Care. He is one sick boy, that doesn't think he is sick, so it makes it extremely hard. He is super clingy, so I haven't had time to blog. He has to be home all week, and so I have been off work, but my Mom will be here Friday and I can work that day. I will probably not be back on until then or Monday. I would appreciate prayer for his healing and my sanity! It is so hard to have sick babies!

Anniversary and Apologies

2009-04-30T06:25:00.003-05:00

Well I must say, I feel guilty for missing my blog this week. I wish I had some wonderful excuse for what has been occupying my time, but I don't! I have been reading "Twilight", I seriously thought I would not be interested in this set of books, because I hate vampire type things, but boy was I wrong! I am engrossed in them! So every free minute I have I am reading!
I am so into reading that I did not post about my anniversary yesterday! So I am trying to catch up today.
Joe and I celebrated 9 years of marital bliss yesterday! We both felt about the same, "Has it only been 9 years!" and "Has it really been 9 years!" We both feel like we have spent a life time together, because we were so completed once we were married, and it has all gone by so fast! We have had our ups and our downs but both have made us stronger and more in love with each other. We are certainly more in love now than we were the day we said, "I do!"
We celebrated this weekend with a fun and very memorable weekend. We spent Friday night hanging out with wonderful company, and then headed for a hotel, downtown Bryan. No, we didn't go far to celebrate! The hotel is the oldest around and was cute with lots of character, BUT lets just say, fire alarms at 4 am, roof leaks, and banging from fixing the leaks, made it lose its charm VERY quick! Saturday we shopped, had a couples massage, and ate at Christopher's World Grille, a WONDERFUL place! Overall it was a very fun anniversary and we will always remember it! Of course who could forget "Allen". OK sorry I just had to post that, even though only 4 people will even get it! I may just have to do a post on "Allen" just because he was so darn FUNNY! I hope everyone is having a great week and maybe I won't be MIA too long!

WW: Dirty Boy

2009-04-22T10:24:00.003-05:00

*Wordful Wednesday is for those of us that like to showcase a photo(s) but that just can't seem keep our mouths shut about it(them). If you'd like to play along, visit Angie!

I love to know my boys are having fun or have had fun! I think these pictures so Capture how much fun Joshua had in the dirt! Isn't it fun how dirty boys get!

Media Time: What does your family do?

2009-04-21T09:32:00.004-05:00

How do you regulate Media time? This is an ongoing question in our family. I want to make sure my boys are not over-stimulated by multi-media of any sort. This has not really been an issue up to this point. Joe Braden has always liked TV, but he has never minded turning it off, when I say it is time. I have typically allowed one hour a day and that has been fine. Well at Christmas he got a DS and now wants time for it also. We have been letting him have 30 min. of DS and 30 of TV, but now all he cares about is the DS so it is an hour of it, for the most part. The problem is that he is becoming obsessed! It is crazy! He talks about games constantly and even dreams about them, he tells us what all he can do, and has beat several of the ones he got for Christmas. I am glad that he enjoys it, but is it normal for him to love it this much? Is one hour an acceptable amount of time? I just don't know if we are doing the right thing! Oh and I guess I should mention when we get home it is homework, playing outside, then DS. I make him play outside because I think he needs that time too. Oh the trials of being a parent!

Making your Home Sing Monday

2009-04-20T10:58:00.003-05:00

I am linking up with my friend Mom's The Word to participate in her Monday meme, "Making Your Home Sing Monday." It's a day where we share what we are doing to bless our families in our home!! If you would like to be blessed, encouraged, or would even like to share how you are making your home sing.

Today to bless my family I am going to finish the laundry that got behind this weekend and cook a nice healthy dinner. Last week was such a busy one that we were off routine a lot, our meals were home cooked most of the time, but not as good and healthy as I like. This is my main focus today for my family! I am truly blessed to have 2 beautiful sons and 1 amazingly awesome husband and I just want to make my home sing for them, and more importantly our Almighty Creator! Hope you all make your homes sing today!

PSF: Joe Braden Turns 6!

2009-04-17T09:37:00.002-05:00

Hosted by Cecily and MamaGeek

Getting ready for a game!

Joe Braden light saber fighting at the end of the obstacle course.

Defeating the death star!

Pinning the Light Saber on Yoda!

Blowing out the candles on his personal cakes. The other cakes were cupcakes arranged to look like light sabers with grey being the last two to look like the handle. I didn't get a good picture!

Opening the gift from Uncle Tim!

This fort was used in the obstacle course but they played in it after too!

Dressed as a clone trooper!

Had to be like Bubba!

WW: God Grant me Peace

2009-04-15T08:44:00.002-05:00

These are pictures of my precious baby boy when he was hours old and when he was a day old. I miss those baby days. A few weeks ago, I would have told you that I was perfectly content not having another natural born child. We feel that we will be called to adopt at some point in our lives. I have talked about it with family and a few friends and was totally for it, that is until Monday I was told I needed a Hysterectomy.
OK lets back up a bit, I have been dealing with a lot of issues caused by severe endometriosis since the age of 16, yes that is 14 years of my life, so almost half of it. I have known for a very long time that this day was coming, did it make me any more prepared? Well of course not! 9 years ago I had surgical extraction of the endometriosis and it was a severe case, but the doctor got all that she could. She didn't get it all, and we knew it was a temporary fix. My left ovary is severely damaged, but they left it in, hoping that maybe if they left both for a few more years I would have a chance for a child. Well I had one very easily, and we were so excited. Then it came time to try for number 2 and it wasn't quite as easy, but it did eventually happen! God then gave me a third, but it ended all too soon, and I was never able to hold that baby in my arms. After that I decided along with my husband, that I just couldn't go through a loss of that magnitude again, so opted to not try to get pregnant.
Like I said this is a battle that I have been facing since 16! I have had 2 surgeries, the last being 9 years ago. I KNOW that I am BLESSED to have 2 beautiful children and I am blessed that I have been able to go 9 years without much problem. I am still not looking forward to the finality of it all.
I know that God will guide my life in the way it needs to go, I know he has a plan for my future to prosper me and not harm me (Jeremiah 29:11), but now I am just praying for peace. Peace in knowing and accepting this is the plan he has for me. Peace in the fact that adoption may or may not be in my future. Peace and contentedness in the 2 precious boys that I have the honor of raising. I just need to "Let go and let God."
I am so excited that the pain will be gone, but so sad that my chance to bear another one of God's beautiful creations is over. Thank you all for listening and may God bless each of you richly!

For more Wordful Wednesday visit Angie

Easter Pictures

2009-04-14T08:44:00.003-05:00

The table all decorated since we couldn't have a hunt.

The Easter Bunny did leave a fun note about the weather and how the boys were getting off easy not having to hunt! They thought it was cool!

Joe Braden walking out to see his loot!

Joshua was so sleepy, that he didn't know what to think!

A Bubble wand, how fun!

"Look Bubba I got one too!"

All dressed and ready to go.

Brotherly love!

Growing Up Is Hard To Do

2009-04-13T09:23:00.002-05:00

Joe and I have been married for 9 years this month, and in all that time we have never spent Easter alone. Well there is a first for everything because yesterday we were alone. Oh we had church with our Christian family which was wonderful, but it was so sad to come home with just us and the boys. Nothing turned out right, the bread I baked wasn't as flavorful as usual, the deviled eggs were missing something, the potatoes were blah. I am usually a good cook, but I think my heart just wasn't in it yesterday. I was gloomy and so was the rest of my family. We were all just BLAH. The Easter Bunny didn't hide our eggs because it was raining and so that just was the icing on the cake! Why is growing up so hard sometimes?
Of course there was some sunshine behind all of those gloomy clouds, my boys were with me and healthy. God has blessed our lives and it was a great Lord's Day as is every Sunday. I had to have a bit of a pity party, but realize that I am very blessed. There are many without family, without a nice Easter dinner, but mainly without the HOPE of Jesus Christ. How wonderful it is to have hope! We can all hope because he has over come the world, and we will have eternal life! I pray you all had a blessed Easter, and pray that every day you think of his gift and the fact that he indeed LIVES!

Potty Time Tuesday: Success!

2009-04-07T12:26:00.002-05:00

I am so happy to announce that Joshua is 100% trained! He tells me when he needs to go, and hasn't had an accident in over a week! I must say that I am VERY proud of him! He was for sure easier to train than my first, and I am sure that comes from having an older sibling to watch. We are doing the happy dance in our house that we are DONE with diapers!

Becoming Like Children!

2009-04-06T08:17:00.003-05:00

The following picture has been posted once before, in a post about our vacation. For some reason my mind keeps racing back to it, and how much it captures. I look at it and automatically think of the innocence of children! We get so caught up in life sometimes that we forget that we are supposed to have the hearts of little children.

Matthew 18:3
And he said: "I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.

I challenge all of you to look into this verse and see what it means to you! I hope that we all become like Little Children!

Aloha Friday

2009-04-03T11:17:00.002-05:00

In Hawaii, Aloha Friday is the day that we take it easy and look forward to the weekend. So I thought that on Fridays I would take it easy on posting, too. Therefore, I’ll ask a simple question for you to answer. Nothing that requires a lengthy response.

If you would like to play visit Kailani

Are you a "yes" or "no" person?

I would love to say that I am a NO person in a way, because I am always saying yes, when I should probably say NO. I will say I have gotten better this year at saying "NO" for the sake of my family, and my sanity.

OH the drama!

2009-04-02T18:14:00.003-05:00

I have had very little time to blog this week, or the energy, to be real honest. I just thought I would give an update as to what all is going on. Well while we were in Tulsa the in-laws called and said that Joe Braden had a rash on his chest. I really thought little of it, since he tends to get one with allergies quite often. Well he was scheduled to see the ENT on Monday because he has had strep 5 times since August, snores CONSTANTLY, and has brief periods of apnea, all of which are good causes for the tonsils and adenoids to take a hike. Well while we were there I told the doctor about the rash, thinking that sometimes that is a sign for strep. His tonsils looked good and the doctor really didn't think he had it, but went ahead and checked anyway. Well it was positive once again! Oh my goodness 6 times since August. He really didn't feel too bad, but did have a horrible headache and just was very clingy as was the 2 year old. Well yesterday we all seemed back to normal and had a normal day up until time for church, where Joshua decided it was time to show us he was sick and started throwing up. At first I thought maybe strep, but then he never ran fever and was good today, so after a day off and lots of rest he seems 100%. So that is what I have been up to, and why I haven't blogged like usual. Oh and we did schedule June 5th for Joe Braden to have his surgery. We don't want him to miss a week of school right at the end, so we are trying to hold off and PRAYING there won't be any more cases of strep between now and then!

WW: Snow in Tulsa

2009-04-01T12:01:00.001-05:00

OK so I must be honest and say that I cheated this week, so I won't link to anyone! I didn't take these pictures, because I ran off and left my camera at home. What was I thinking? Well basically that my children weren't going to be with me so no need to cart the extra stuff. Little did I know it would snow anywhere from 9-14 inches of snow! Our hotel had 9 inches, but it was rumored that there was 14 somewhere in the area. It was BEAUTIFUL though!

I am BLAH!

2009-03-31T16:05:00.003-05:00

I am in a major BLAH mood. One of the reasons may be that I have an ill child, but I don't know. I am just not in the mood to blog or anything! Sorry, hopefully tomorrow will be a better blogging day in my world!

Can We say, ON THE BALL?

2009-03-25T15:37:00.002-05:00

If you remember my post from yesterday you may remember me making a brief comment that the Collin Street Bakery's service, "wasn't the best," well today I got an e-mail from a partner who had found my blog through a search. In the e-mail was an apology and a dozen free cookies for me to claim! Now I don't know about you, but that to me is AMAZING! In less than 24 hours they took the complaints of little ole' TX girl me, and tried to make amends. Now let me tell you, this IMPRESSED me! You know anything can happen, and anyone can have a bad day, but to see a company have this kind of OUTSTANDING follow up and concern for their company, for sure makes me want to go back. In fact I probably won't even use the coupon, because businesses like these DESERVE my business. I must say I am HIGHLY IMPRESSED, and will recommend the Collin Street Bakery to ANYONE! Oh and my I suggest the Cherry Icebox Cookies? They are out of this WORLD!

Wordful Wednesday: New Hair

2009-03-25T09:03:00.003-05:00

*Wordful Wednesday is for those of us that like to showcase a photo(s) but that just can't seem keep our mouths shut about it(them). If you'd like to play along, post a photo on your blog, and let the words roll. For more Wordful Wednesday visit Angie at Seven Clown Circus.

I rarely do a post with a picture of me, so I thought I would change that! My hubby took a picture of my new hair this morning as I was leaving for work. I got it high-lighted and cut last Thursday and LOVE the way it turned out. A friend of mine Courtney found the style for me, and it worked so well! Thanks Courtney!

Spring Break Part 2!

2009-03-24T08:38:00.002-05:00

Here is part 2 and there will be a part 3 tomorrow! Bear with me, but there are so many pictures to share!
Monday of our Spring Break we visited Corsicana, Tx. It looked like it had lots of cool places, but most were a bit disappointing. We made the most of it though and the boys had a blast! Russel Stover factory was sad because there were no tours or anything, just a store! Collin Street was neat but the service wasn't very good, and Pioneer Village was not what we thought. We thought there would be some re-enactments, but nope! It was fun though, because we were with our boys, and that is all that matters!
Our family at Pioneer Village!

Look it's Uncle Joe!

Nana and Poppy showing Joe Braden how to get water!

Joshua found a tractor and the rest was history!

The boys in a buggy!

Making a wish!

Walking into Russel Stover!

Everyone Minus me at Collin St.

Collin St.

Yummy cookies!!

Back from Spring Break!

2009-03-23T09:14:00.002-05:00

So maybe I am deluding myself by thinking that somebody in the blogging world missed me, but just give me the honor of feeling that way! I thought over the next few days I would share with you all what we did over Spring Break! I will be gone part of the week this week also, but I am back for a few days!

Saturday of Spring Break we bought a new camper! It was so exciting and we are in love with it. So of course we had to take a camping trip so we headed to a State Park about an hour away to spend part of our week. We did a lot of things while we were there! We spent a lot of time in the park enjoying nature, fishing, and doing scavenger hunts. Every morning when we woke up we had breakfast and then Joe Braden and his Nana made a list of things in nature we must find for our hunt. It was not always a fair match up, but they loved it! They put Poppy and Joshua on a team, Nana and Joe Braden, and Joe and I. Well lets just say Mommy and Daddy won all but one day! It was all in fun though. We also did a lot of fishing, and exploring. It was a lot of fun and we got a lot of relaxing in!

OUR CAMPER

JOE BRADEN FISHING

This is his homemade rock chair!

JOSHUA "FISHING"

My boys

2009-03-13T11:55:00.002-05:00

Thankful Thursday

2009-03-12T11:01:00.002-05:00

1. I am so thankful that Mom's test came back good and that she came through it without complication.
2. I am thankful that Joe is on his way to recovery from this nasty sinus infection that has now taken 3 rounds of antibiotics!
3. I am thankful that we don't always get what we want, and that God knows best.
4. I am thankful that we haven't been effected too much from the economy.
5. I am thankful that we have such great family and friends.
6. I am thankful for little surprises.
7. I am thankful for the way things always work out the way GOD wants them to.
8. I am thankful that I have the family I have, and that even though none of us is perfect we love each other!
9. I am thankful for the RAIN we are getting!
10. I am thankful Spring Break starts tomorrow at 3!!

f you would like to share why you are thankful today, please visit Lynn & Laurie and What a Trip and sign up :)

Potty Time Tuesday!

2009-03-10T08:15:00.003-05:00

Well my boy in training is Joshua and man is he doing good! We are only having one issue and that is always pooping in the potty! He has NO issues with urine, but poop is another story. He did go one day at day care last week, but he doesn't want to go there, because he doesn't want help. At home I make him sit on the potty in the morning and afternoon, sometimes this helps sometimes it doesn't! Does anyone have a suggestion?

Not Me Monday

2009-03-09T08:26:00.003-05:00

Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This blog carnival was created by MckMama. You can head over to her blog to read what she and everyone else have not been doing this week.

-I did NOT threaten my child with chocolate all week to keep him going to the potty!

-I was NOT so very sad when my in-laws got to go on Joe Braden's field trip and I had to stay and work.

-I did NOT do the happy dance when I found out that Joshua actually went poop in the potty at daycare!

- I did NOT almost freak out when I had to sit with people I didn't know at Shogun's.

- I did NOT try to act brave when sitting with strangers because my 5 year old was so uncomfortable. (Can you see he is his Mama's child?)

- I did NOT try my hardest to stay in bed until 9am Saturday!

- I did NOT allow my Husband to con me into getting up and cooking breakfast!

- I did NOT take a full 3 hour nap Saturday afternoon.

-Joe Braden did NOT almost have a melt down when Target, Wal-Mart, and our Party Supply Store didn't have Pokemon decorations. His Mama did NOT feel terrible because I could have ordered them a month ago.

- I did NOT get tired of listening to the drama about the birthday and look at my 5 year old, soon to be 6 and say, "You are blessed, there are little boys out there who NEVER get Birthday Parties!" Should I feel bad?

Aloha Friday

2009-03-06T09:21:00.004-06:00

In Hawaii, Aloha Friday is the day that we take it easy and look forward to the weekend. So I thought that on Fridays I would take it easy on posting, too. Therefore, I’ll ask a simple question for you to answer. Nothing that requires a lengthy response.

If you would like to play visit Kailani

What is the sweetest thing your spouse has ever done for you?

I think mine would have to be when he surprised me on a Valentines Day when we were BROKE with a basket of goodies that included a message in a bottle with this very sweet poem, and candy, and a candle. It was just so sweet and creative! Of course it meant more that he did something, even though we couldn't afford much!

PSF: Thinking of You

2009-03-05T21:09:00.001-06:00

Hosted by Cecily and MamaGeek

Many times in a day my husband and I tell each other we love each other. Many times a day we smile, hug, kiss, or cuddle. Rarely though do we do something just to say, "I am thinking of you".
Yesterday I was sitting in my office, having just an average day, when our secretary appeared in my office with a beautiful bouquet of roses. She asked, "Is it a special day?" I said, "no", and quickly took the card. It simply said, "Thinking of you" on the outside and "Love, Joe" on the inside.

It was very unexpected and brought such joy to my day! I am very blessed to have my husband in my life and God for sure knew what he was doing putting him in my life! He is AMAZING!

WW: My cute Joshua!

2009-03-04T11:23:00.003-06:00

Joshua got a boo boo on his little face Friday, and Saturday he wanted to take pictures! This boy NEVER wants to pose and be sweet for me to do a mini photo shoot, but of course since they wouldn't be perfect he must have decided it would be fun to "torture" Mama! He still looks sweet though!

For more Wordful Wednesday visit Angie

I heart faces: Beginner

2009-03-03T08:30:00.003-06:00

I am for sure a beginner, since I have only had my camera since December and I am still so LOST! Here is one I took of my messy Joshua who got into washable, thank goodness, marker at nap!

Saturday Drive

2009-03-01T21:45:00.004-06:00

Saturday Joe worked most of the day, but early evening when he got home he realized the boys and I were stir crazy. Seeing as we live 35 miles from anything to do, we didn't have a lot of options. We thought about driving the 35 miles, but I really wasn't up to driving for 1/2 an hour, and then end up getting home late. Not to mention we couldn't think of anything there to do that was kid friendly unless it was movies and there wasn't anything to see. None of us wanted to shop and the weather was too cold for anything outdoors. So after some contemplating we decided to go on a Country Drive, or as Joshua would say a "Crunchy" drive!
Being that we live in an extremely small town it didn't take much driving to get into the country, oh it was maybe a whole 3 minutes or so! We had to make a few stops first and then we were off.

Our first stop was to Good Ole' Dairy Queen for drinks and Daddy a sandwich since he missed lunch. The boys had a Strawberry Arctic Rush to split which is a real treat!

Then we had to have gas so that just in case we got lost or something!

Then we were off! We decided to go down a little road not far from home. We had never been down this particular road so it made it seem like a true adventure. Our first 2 miles we were chased by several dogs. It was hard to get a good picture, but this was the best I could do from the car and not having to get out and risk being bitten!

Then we came to this kind of ugly little creek, but it was a cool little place and the boys enjoyed looking so we decided it was picture worthy.

Next we came to our first fork in the road. We stopped for a minute to decide which way we should go. We decided from that moment that we would take a right at every fork in the road.

We saw tons of cows, horses, dogs, and red birds which we all thought was neat! We were driving along though and saw this precious baby calf and it was right next to the fence so we stopped and rolled down the windows and the boys talked to it! It was too cute, but he didn't quite like the camera and ran when we started shooting.

After a long drive we decided at the last fork and go to the left. We were fairly certain the Highway was right down the road and we had a 5 year old that had had too much in his bladder, and by this time Joshua had fallen asleep. We ultimately woke Joshua up shortly after we returned home so that he would sleep through the night. After eating breakfast for supper we put the boys to bed, and since it was the weekend we allowed them to sleep together. When I went to check on them, this is the sight I found. Aren't they CUTE and peaceful!

Remodel Complete!

2009-02-28T12:25:00.003-06:00

It is time to relax! Our remodel was completely finished on Monday! I am so excited to have my house back and have it looking fresh! If you will recall I blogged about the impending remodel
a while back, and now I have the finishing pictures! There are a lot of decorating issues I still want to change but it looks TONS better!

Here is my finished Kitchen, before there wasn't an oven under the range there was a cabinet.

The cabinet here was where my oven was. It now serves as a pantry area so that I don't have to use my laundry room for a pantry too!

Here is a look at the new flooring!

Here is the paneling painted and one of the many fans/fixtures.

Bathroom tile!

New sink!

Aloha Friday

2009-02-27T11:01:00.003-06:00

Clean

2009-02-26T09:30:00.002-06:00

I love a clean house, don't you? I love the sight and smells of my house all fresh and sparkling clean. I have a routine that I go through during the work week to make sure it all stays orderly, and then on the weekend I clean like a mad woman. Usually I have to deep clean the boys bathroom in the middle of the week also because, well, they are BOYS! On Fridays as soon as I get home I get BUSY! I clean one room at a time starting with the living room, then the kitchen, den, bathrooms, and bedrooms. Of course I do straighten the boys bedrooms throughout the week or it would take me all day. I also do at least 2 loads of laundry most days, so that I don't have to kill myself on my days off. I try not to clean on Saturdays but it is usually inevitable. Why am I blogging about this you ask?
Well for starters I am home today with Joe Braden, who has strep once again, so I am using today as my cleaning day. Secondly I have one HUGE cleaning issue that I would love some advice on. If one room constantly suffers it is MY room. Seriously the whole house will look neat and orderly until you open my door and it is just scary! I find myself running out of time so I neglect that room. I am constantly putting overflow stuff in there and it just gets overwhelming. I clean it usually once a week, but sometimes it is every two. So my question is this, How do I stay disciplined in making my room a priority too?

Wordful Wednesday

2009-02-25T08:36:00.002-06:00

This has always been one of my favorite pictures! He was soooooo excited to see the Dolphins!

For more Wordful Wednesday visit Angie

What a weekend!

2009-02-24T09:34:00.002-06:00

Well I didn't blog yesterday because I was down with a Sinus and Upper Respiratory infection. I felt horrible, but thanks to some high powered antibiotics I feel much better today. I really didn't feel good all weekend! I guess due to that I had little patience with anyone, especially my family! Poor Joe and the boys probably thought that Mama had lost her mind! Joshua was certainly a 2 year old this weekend! He threw more fits than I could count, and because of being out of routine he had several accidents, when Potty Training had been going so well. We went to my in-laws on Friday night for Joe's nephew's birthday party and all I wanted to do was climb in bed. I did do that for about an hour but then decided I should at least try to be social. They all knew I didn't feel well, so I am sure they understood. Saturday I was good in the morning but as the day wore on the worse it all was! It was just one of those weekends where you can't wait for the week to start!

Busy Times

2009-02-19T10:12:00.001-06:00

Sometimes I wish that I could slow my life down a bit! I feel so busy and like we are so involved in so much, that I don't want to change, but sometimes it starts to get hard. We have so much going all the time that we sometimes miss things with family that I hate missing. We have to miss events that are important to extended family and I feel horrible. I know most of them understand, but remember I am that "people pleaser", and hate the thought of hurting feelings or disappointing others. I just wonder how many other people feel this way!

WW: Me and My Boys

2009-02-18T10:03:00.002-06:00

I just love these pictures, because they really capture the stages of life my boys are in with me. They show the love that we have for each other and they are so innocent!

For more Wordful Wednesday visit Angie

Do I know you?

2009-02-17T08:58:00.004-06:00

America's Favorite Pizza!

America's Favorite Pizza. We don’t make this stuff up. Independent national taste tests confirm this honored distinction. We brought Pan Pizza and Stuffed Crust. And now we bring pizza to the internet with online ordering at pizzahut.com. America’s favorite pizza is now America’s most convenient pizza! (This is from the Pizza Hut website and will be important later in the blog!)

Last night we decided to take the boys out to eat, and it had nothing to do with the fact that we need to go grocery shopping! It was a tough decision but we finally decided on Pizza Hut because I just needed hot wings and the boys will ALWAYS eat pizza. It was a nice dinner, with very little chaos, which is rare for my Joshua! We ordered the family meal deal so we got cinnasticks with our meal. We had just gotten them and were beginning to enjoy our savory little treat when a group of people walked in. I took notice, but didn't know them so went on enjoying my treat. All of a sudden I felt someone close to me and looked up. One of the ladies who walked in with the group was walking up next to me. She bent down and got her face about 2 inches from mine, and literally screams in a cackle screeching voice, "THIS IS ONLY A TASTE TEST... CACKLE CACKLE CACKLE." I know the look on my face had to be like, WHO ARE YOU? I immediately looked down at my plate when she walked away and continued eating for fear that I would start laughing and not be able to stop. After a minute or two had past Joe goes, "I am waiting!" I knew he meant waiting for me to tell him who that was, because he never remembers faces or names, so I just looked up and said, "so am I!" It was at this point that he realized I had NO CLUE who this crazy lady was. It was the strangest encounter and almost frightening. Needless to say after he found out that I didn't know who the lady was we were out of there. It was just a very odd conclusion to our meal!

Joshua is leaving!

2009-02-16T12:25:00.002-06:00

Joshua is so determined he is going to go to school. He is fascinated by the fact that his brother goes and he wants to be just like him. He loves to wear backpacks so I found a cars one that we had that was small and started calling it his backpack. Well he was wearing it when we were visiting my brother and his family and I captured these pictures. He kept telling us all goodbye, he was going to school. It was so adorable!

PSF: Kyle's B-day

2009-02-12T21:55:00.008-06:00

Hosted by Cecily and MamaGeek

A few weeks ago my oldest Nephew turned 10! I can't believe it! He has gotten so big and mature this year it is just so amazing. What happened to that 2 year old that called me Aunt L???? It has been an honor to be part of his life and to watch him grow into the young man he is becoming.

Kyle playing Wii

Wearing his b-day hat!

Drew couldn't wait for his Bubba to open presents!

Opening the Wii Fit

Sarah Beth with Drew and Joe Braden

Joshua was so excited for his "present" AKA goody bag!

WW: Family Portraits

2009-02-11T17:26:00.000-06:00

I am a bit late on WW, but hey better late than never! We had some family portraits taken back in November, and I have yet to post any! So here are a few!
For more WW see Angie

Here it is!

2009-02-10T19:00:00.000-06:00

Well ladies here it is! My new wedding set! Isn't he the BEST?!?!?!?!?

What a week!

2009-02-09T18:06:00.000-06:00

So I am sure you are all curious as to where I have been hiding. Well I had a school conference and was out of town from Tuesday to Friday. I learned a lot and have lots of new ideas for technology classes so it was a win for me. Not to mention I had great company while I was there. We all had a great time! Oh did I mention I got a new wedding set? That is right I sure did, and pictures will come soon. I missed my boys soooo much, but I came home to Joe Braden having the flu!! FUN! While getting him seen at the doctor there was a break down of Joshua, but that is another blog all in itself. I am so glad to be off to a good start to a normal week, if that is possible for my life!!

Wordful Wednesday: Did I do that?

2009-02-04T09:24:00.000-06:00

I love these pictures. This was when Joshua was barely 2 and decided to get into the craft closet, while I made lunch. It was quite a funny moment and the look on his face was priceless!

Not Me Monday

2009-02-02T09:17:00.000-06:00

Well it is that time of the week again, where I get to tell you all the things my family and I did NOT do.

I DID NOT sit and watch my toddler pick a chip up off the floor at the Mexican Food dinner we were at. I absolutely did NOT laugh, and think "well maybe it will help his immune system." I do assure all of you though if it would have happened, it would have only happened because I couldn't reach him without knocking over the sweet little lady walking by.

My son DID NOT lie to his friends Mom and tell her he had a shower before he came, because he was afraid to take a shower in a strange place!

I DID NOT tell my husband, "since I let you watch the Super Bowl could you organize the laundry room?" He DID NOT just look at me and laugh and say "since when did I ask!"

I DID NOT listen to a CD so many times this weekend that I thought Joe and the Boys may break it if I left it lying around the house.

I DID NOT make my chorus group listen to a song on that CD just because I like it! I mean really why would I waste practice time on a song we aren't singing!!

I DID NOT spend 40 dollars at the dollar store out of sheer boredom, I mean really who gets so bored they go to the dollar store, and buy pointless junk. In my defense if I would have gone I would have for sure gotten a few things we needed!

PSF: My boy is growing up

2009-01-30T09:00:00.000-06:00

Hosted by Cecily and MamaGeek

This week I have been in full swing Birthday Party planning. I know that those who know us are thinking, "isn't his birthday in March?", and you are right. In my defense, I am a OCD party planner. I want things to be PERFECT, and I want to order his cake early, due to the fact I want the best! We have a lady in town that makes PERFECT cakes, but she is so booked that I try to order 2 months in advance to make sure I get it. She is so worth it too! OK so in the midst of this planning I am overwhelmed with the fact that Joe Braden is turning 6! I mean really that is so BIG to me. I was looking at pictures this morning and came across pictures of his 3 year old party. I thought I would share these!

Look I am 3!

Come on Mom leave the camera alone and let's eat!

PRESENTS!!

So sweet!

WARNING: A VENT INSIDE!

2009-01-29T08:13:00.000-06:00

I really try to keep this blog upbeat, but I am sorry today I need to vent. It has just been one of those weeks! We are so busy I can't see straight, the house is in full remodel mode, the boys are all out of sync because of the house, and I am on edge. We have been late leaving the house EVERY morning this week! Nobody is getting on the ball and everyone is dragging. I am sure a lot of it has to do with the cold weather and not wanting to get out of the house, but come on people MOVE IT! On top of it all my washing machine went out! At least our repair man is a friend and super sweet because he is lending us one now while he fixes mine. Of course I went 2 days without one, and all of you know that means I am behind already. Of course Joshua hit the terrible 2's full force the last few weeks, and is saying NO to everything. He is terribly cute, but we are having to get this under control. OK I know there are tons of problems I could have, and I am extremely blessed, but I just needed to VENT! Hope you are all having a GREAT week!

Wordful Wednesday: Cousin time

2009-01-28T08:33:00.001-06:00

Joe Braden and Colton get drug to a lot of youth events since their Daddy's are both youth ministers, but they usually don't mind. At least a lot of the time they are together and get to enjoy that time. A few weekends ago we went to a winter retreat and they spent their time playing with their DS and running around outside. They had such a blast. My children are so blessed to be close to cousins on both sides of the family!

For more Wordful Wednesday visit Angie

Not Me Monday

2009-01-26T08:03:00.000-06:00

I love this post because I can enjoy all the imperfect moments of my week!

I DID NOT feel like a complete fool when I went to take my final and was the oldest person by probably 10 years!

I certainly DID NOT jump up and down like an idiot when I passed, I mean I knew I would pass so why would I be so excited!

I DID NOT freak out one night I the way home because I hadn't talked to Joe. I so DID NOT call my Dad to see when he had talked to him last.

I DID NOT cry at Grey's and Private Practice this week, that would be silly, and I am not silly.

I DID NOT almost bust my Rear yesterday walking in the Church parking lot after just making the statement, "I don't know if I can do heels this high in Austin." OK yeah if I can't do them for Church I won't make it to vendor dinners while in Austin!

I DID NOT laugh when my Joshua decided to only eat the chocolate syrup off his ice cream Sunday and say how cute it was! I certainly was not secretly happy that he avoided the ice cream because I didn't want to deal with the diapers.

I DID NOT have a fit over my kitchen floor last night that is being replaced this week because it was so dirty. I so DID NOT sweep and mop where they are going to be ripping cabinets out today!

I DID NOT try to do homework in the car for 4 hours with 2 screaming kids! That would be CRAZY of me and I wouldn't do that!

I DID NOT think I would use YOUTUBE for my hair and watch videos for over an hour Saturday night researching how to do different things to my hair. Not including the Pouf ponytail, a messy bun, and no heat curly hair.

I DID NOT think I would try the no heat curly hair, only to wake up and look like I had a scrunched hair day gone bad.

I DID NOT let my Bible Class meet in my demolished house in the middle of the remodel. That would be uncomfortable and messy.

For More NOT ME MONDAY visit MckMama

Prayers Needed

2009-01-22T08:28:00.000-06:00

I need to reach out to my blogging community for prayers, strength, and support. I got news yesterday that my Memaw has been hospitalized and isn't doing well. She has CHF and it has gotten bad. We are going to see her on Friday so that if something happens we have opportunity to say one final goodbye. Just please pray that if it is her time that she goes peacefully without pain or suffering.
She is a great Christian woman and I greatly admire her. We have always had a close relationship and I have always look to her as a beacon of strength and faith. God will be gaining a faithful servant when he calls her home.

Wordful Wednesday: Crying Eyes

2009-01-21T08:02:00.001-06:00

My children are very routine children, they crave routine. We have a very strict bedtime routine along with a routine throughout our day. When Joshua isn't on routine it is not a fun experience for anyone involved. This last weekend we went to a Winter Retreat for our youth group and both boys had to attend, due to the fact all our family was there helping out. Of course we were WAY off routine and had a MUCH later bedtime than normal, but they also had to get up much earlier. So Joshua ended up having several crying fits. Of course the mean Mom that I am I have to get pictures of the crying eyes. Doesn't he just look absolutely pitiful????

For more Wordful Wednesday visit Angie

Boots

2009-01-20T08:26:00.000-06:00

Joshua wears one pair of shoes and that is all we can get on his precious little feet. He wears boots, as you can see from the picture they are getting rather worn. They are in desperate need of being replaced, but he doesn't care in the least. He wants to wear them at all times, even with his little foot PJ's! I have to beg and plead to get him to wear tennis shoes if he is wearing athletic pants or sweats, and even then it is a fight, so I keep that down to a minimum of 1-2 times a month. We have to get him a new pair, because these are worn and getting snug, but i think this pair will always have a special place in our hearts and home, because they were the first. His first obsession! I know we will have many memories of Joshua's childhood and milestones but this one to me is sad, because when he got them he seemed like a baby, and growing out of them he seems so big. So thank you boots for taking my son the places he has gone the last few months and being there for all the fits we have over shoes!

PSF: Nap Time at Marmee and Papa's

2009-01-15T22:40:00.000-06:00

Over Christmas Break we spent 6 days with my parents. We had a wonderful visit, but as we all know, Grandparent houses aren't always child proof. I am actually one of those Mom's who believes house proof the child, not child proof the house, but that is for a different post. Of course even though I feel that way there are obvious temptations I do keep put away, so that my curious little Joshua doesn't get himself into a mess that I have to clean up!
So on Friday of our visit I decide that he can just take a nap without me, I mean he was exhausted and I was cooking, so really he would be out in 10 min, what could happen??? Well first he got into a gray marker! Thank the Lord it was Washable!

So of course I learn my lesson and decide to put him back down, but in the pack-n-play instead of just on the full bed. Well I go back to check on him and he had found my over-night bag with my BRAND NEW Beauty Control Moisturizer, and decided to use it as hair gel! What was I thinking you ask, well that I had a Peach Cream Tart that had to be finished in 2 hours to leave for a family gathering. So needless to say he got a quick bath, and a very late nap that day, and ended up not sleeping well that night. What was I thinking?????????? At least we have good memories and pictures!

Hosted by Cecily and MamaGeek

I've Lost Joe Braden

2009-01-14T20:56:00.000-06:00

Due to the remodel our house is a WRECK and I do mean WRECK! Our furniture is all in the middle of the room and all the stuff off the walls is piled here and there. (This really will be important later in the story.) Every night I wake Joe Braden and take him to the bathroom, before I go to bed. Last night I went and woke him, and guided him into the bathroom, he never wakes up really so you have to literally hold his arm and take him and put him right in front of the potty. We get in there and he actually starts talking to me, which is unusual, so I thought he was awake and sent him back to bed when he finished. I still had a few things to do so went into the kitchen and did a few things, and on my way back to my room I grabbed some of Joe Braden's clean laundry to put away. I get to his room, put it all away, and notice he is NOT in bed!! I was a bit frightened because he could be anywhere since he sleepwalks. I start looking everywhere and finally found him.

So he ended up on the couch in the remodel MESS! The bad part is that I walked past him 2 times, and I NEVER even noticed! He is soooooooo cute though all cuddled up! I guess next time I will not assume he is awake!

Wordful Wednesday: The Remodel Begins!

2009-01-13T23:01:00.000-06:00

As many of you know my husband is the Youth Minister at our church. As part of our pay they provide us with a place to live. It is a nice house with 3 bedrooms, 2 1/2 bath, living room, dining room, and den. Well we have been here a year and a half and we love it, but it has needed a few things done. Well the time has come and we are getting a remodel! Here is a list of what we are having done.
1. New Wood Floors, we currently have off white carpet and we use our home for entertaining teenagers, so you can imagine how nasty it gets!
2. We have paneling on our walls in the den, dining, and kitchen and it is all going to be painted!
3. All new light fixtures and some with fans.
4. A new floor, sink, and shower door for my bathroom.
5. A new built in microwave
6. And the icing on the cake a double oven!!!!!!!!!
There are a few other little things, but these are the main things and I am SOOOOO excited!!! Thank you to our elders for taking amazing care of us!
The painting begins today, so wish us a Happy Remodel!!!

Bathroom TileMy sink

Current oven

One of the OLD fans and paneling

For more Wordful Wednesday visit Angie

Picture Tag

2009-01-13T11:33:00.000-06:00

I was tagged by Alicia at More Than Words. It's so easy and fun! This is all you have to do!

Go to your 4th folder where you store your photos.
Select your 4th picture (no exceptions)!
Post the picture with an explanation and link it back to your tagger.
Tag 4 people to do the same!!

Here is my picture!

This picture was taken at the Rangers game that Joe and Joe Braden went to this summer. Doesn't he make that snow cone look GREAT!
So Now I tag my 4 People:
Candi at Loving Motherhood
Monica at A Day in the Life
Valerie
Maggie at Life with Boys

"Don't touch my BoBo."

2009-01-11T22:22:00.001-06:00

I was awakened Saturday morning to the horror of horrors for most Moms,it was the dreaded 2 year old throwing up! Yep he was one sick puppy, again! Well I had started feeling bad Friday night after dinner but I just figured it was exhaustion, oh how wrong I was. Joshua and I have been sick all weekend, although he has bounced back much quicker than me. For some reason when I get the stomach bug it holds on for days, always has, so I am guessing it always will.
Poor little Joshua though has had the yucky diapers and his poor little "bobo" as he calls it is just so yuck. So last night I am rocking him, trying to get him to relax and maybe sleep for a bit. Well usually when I rock him I pat his bottom, so I am rocking and he is sitting flat on his bottom. I try to reposition the little guy so he is more comfy and he just starts whining and says, "Mama don't touch the bobo!" I asked several time for him to repeat it because I was in shock, but nope that is really what the baby was saying! Poor boy I had to promise I wouldn't pat if he would reposition! OH for the joys of sickness with toddlers!
Poor Joe and Joe Braden were stuck all weekend inside making sure we were taken care of. Joe was such a trooper and even cleaned up where Joshua got it all on the floor. He fixed all the meals and sometimes that was 3 different things, since Joshua and I did the BRAT diet. Joe Braden was such a sweet heart! He came and would try to love on me, and I kept having to tell him that I didn't want him to get sick, so he went in and got on the other end of the couch with another blanket and just kept blowing me kisses and saying how he couldn't wait till I was well so that we could cuddle.
I am so blessed to have sweet boys and a loving sweet husband! God has blessed me beyond comprehension!

PSF: Trying for good pics

2009-01-08T22:26:00.000-06:00

So we went to my parents last weekend for our Christmas celebration, and of course we wanted good pictures of our boys! How in the world do people do it? I thought I would share our pictures because they are just too funny!

For more PSF:
Hosted by Cecily and MamaGeek

Potato Soup

2009-01-08T09:56:00.000-06:00

Due to the nature of yesterday's post I have decided that today I will post a recipe. Joe Braden's favorite meal is meat loaf, mashed potatoes, and salad. His second favorite meal is Potato soup and since I am making that for dinner tomorrow night, I thought I would share the recipe! The picture above is NOT my picture it is a random one I googled!

1 package of bacon thin sliced (I usually just buy the cheap stuff, since it is just for flavor really)
5 lbs. of potatoes
1 16 oz. can Cream of Chicken Soup
1 16 oz. can Cream of Mushroom soup
1 8 oz. tub of sour cream
2 cups of milk
1 lg. onion
3 stalks of celery
2 tbsp. of butter
water
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste
1 1/2 tsp. minced garlic

Cook your bacon until crisp, and drain well. Sautee your onions and celery in the butter, you can also sautee them in the bacon grease if you would rather. While you are doing step one and two boil your diced potatoes (skins can be left on or you can peel if you prefer). Drain the potatoes well and add the bacon, onion and celery. Add your milk, soups, garlic, sour cream, and water (enough to cover potatoes well about 4-5 cups). Add in your salt and pepper and simmer for at least 30 min. Of course the soup is better the longer the flavors have to mix!

We always have a ton of left overs, we keep half out to eat and 1/2 we freeze. It freezes wonderfully and is great for a quick warm meal!

Wordful Wednesday: My Chef

2009-01-07T08:43:00.000-06:00

I love the fact that my son loves to cook! Hubby and I love it also so one day soon, maybe it will be a family affair. Joe Braden got the cutest little apron and chef hat with all the utensils from my MIL this year for Christmas. She even had it monogrammed, "Chef Joe Braden"! He was still in his PJ's but he was making Christmas cookies is this picture!
For more Wordful Wednesday Visit Angie!

Mission Accomplished, Well Almost....

2009-01-06T08:09:00.000-06:00

Back in August, when Joshua turned 2, I decided it was time to at least introduce the toddler bed. Thanks to my husbands brother and his wife, we had a big Step 2 Fire Truck bed. You would think that a bed like this would be any little boys dream, but not mine! Nope, he didn't like that bed not one little bit. Oh he enjoyed playing in it but not sleeping, not even a short little nap. When we would try to get him in it he would scream and point to the crib and say, "my bed, my bed" over and over again. It was a pitiful sight, to say the least.
So over break, while we were at my parents, I of course cart along the trusty Pak-n-play. Well he wasn't going to have that, he wanted to sleep with us in the big bed, I mean after all it was in the same room. So we gave in, kind of, we let him start off in the big bed, but that meant falling asleep on his own. I am not a fan of keeping my boys up until we go to bed, especially if it is after 1am most nights while visiting. So we would put him in the bed to start and he did GREAT! I mean he was such a champ, falling asleep and everything!
On the way home I decided that we probably shouldn't even allow the crib, since he was doing so well. I was afraid that going back to the crib would make it even more difficult to master the Toddler Bed at some point. I told him when we were almost home and he cried just a wee bit. When we got home I left him playing and ran to his room to do the mattress and lovey switch. At bed time we did it with very little crying! The first night he began crying after about 10 minutes and Joe was able to comfort him, and he was asleep in 20 min. Last night was a bit rougher. He got up 2 times and cried 3 times, but each time was short lived. He just needed to know we were still there and to be comforted! He is doing so GREAT and I am very proud of him. Such a big boy! I just hope he keeps it up!

Not Me Monday

2009-01-05T08:13:00.000-06:00

This is my Holiday Break addition of "Not Me Monday"

I DID NOT gain 4 pounds over break, I mean how would that even be possible, I would have had to have stuffed my self the whole time! I would NEVER do that!

I DID NOT let my boys stay completely off schedule for 2 weeks, even when they were GRUMPY!

I DID NOT almost cry this morning when I had to take Joshua to day care and see Joe Braden off to school.

I DID NOT take a nap almost every day of break, that would be just plain LAZY!

I DID NOT neglect my studies for most of the break!

I DID NOT turn 30 over break!!!! (If I could make one of my NOT's true this would be the one!)

I DID NOT get to have a couples massage with my hubby and leave the kids for a whole day to try to get over turning 30! That would just be CRAZY!

I DID NOT get totally spoiled by my Hubby for Christmas!

I DID NOT get the greatest gift ever from my Mom for Christmas this year!

If you would like to join in this NOT ME MONDAY go over and see Mckmama

Christmas Pictures!

2008-12-27T23:30:00.000-06:00

Well I hope that all of you are enjoying your holidays! We are not finished with our celebrations, but I thought I would get on and share just a few pictures. We will be celebrating my birthday, yes the big 30, on Monday and head off for my parents on Tuesday. I am sure I will not post much again next week. I am going to have a TON of catching up to do!

Merry Christmas

2008-12-24T09:16:00.000-06:00

As much as I am missing blogging, I am enjoying some much needed family time, and a BREAK! I won't be on much the rest of this week and next week. I hope that all of you have a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

I've been avoiding the unavoidable

2008-12-18T08:16:00.000-06:00

I have avoided talking much about my fast approaching birthday, yes it is the BIG one and I am a bit nervous! I am going to be the big 30! I know that doesn't seem old to some of you, and it doesn't really seem old to me, but more the end of a great era. I LOVED my 20's, they were full of life changing events and I can't believe they are over! So I thought since I have a week and 4 days before the big day I am going to list all the BIG events that happened in my lovely 20's.
20-Met my wonderful Husband
21- Married my Husband
22- Graduated from Nursing School
23-Began my first pregnancy
24- Gave birth to my first born Joe Braden
25-Started my career in the Education world
26- Moved to F-town where Joe started in the administration end of his job, a HUGE step up for us.
27- Gave birth to my second born Joshua.
28- Joe got the youth minister job at the church
29- Came back to work.
So see these are just the big events! There are a ton of other things that are awesome about my 20's but I will spare you all the tears, and fit throwing I would do if I had to go on. Really 30????

Wordful Wednesday: PUT THAT CAMERA DOWN

2008-12-16T23:25:00.000-06:00

My dear sweet Husband got me a Cannon Rebel XSI for Christmas! I LOVE it! He decided that since it was a time of year for lots of pictures to give it to me the 5th so I would have it for all of our festivities. I have been taking pictures of EVERYTHING.... CAN YOU TELL?

For more Wordless Wednesday see Angie

And They're Off

2008-12-16T08:11:00.000-06:00

The Christmas race has truly begun. We are having our first family Christmas of the year this weekend and I am frantically trying to prepare. I have gifts to wrap, food to cook, and bags to pack. Plus of course there are our parties for Joe and I at work and Joe Braden for his class at school.
We get so busy this time of year that sometimes we forget how important this time is. While I think we should celebrate Christ's birth year round there are a ton of people who only think of Christ this one day of the year and it means a lot to me that people stop and see Christ, even if just for a day. Oh it does sadden me that it isn't more than the one day, but hey I take what I can get.
More than anything though I feel like it is a time of the year when transgressions are to be put away and we are to have peace. Family is an important part of our lives and I think Christmas is a wonderful time to celebrate our families and the blessings that we have through Christ, in our families. I hope that all families can come together through the Holiday Season and forget hurts and wrongs of the past year. I pray that all man kind can put aside their differences if only for a moment and experience the Joy of Family.
May your Holiday Season be BRIGHT!

2008-12-15T08:25:00.000-06:00

Well it is that time once again to share with you all the things I did NOT do last week! I am actually proud of a few this week!

I did NOT learn to say NO this week, and it did NOT feel SUPER good!

I did NOT decide that cleaning could wait until the very last minute, and then panic and decide to Mop before Sunday Morning church in my Church clothes and all.

I did NOT sleep in a suburban on the debate trip while my students were in a round and I was on a judging break.

I did NOT make my family drive 30 miles just because I wanted to go to Michael's and Target for no REAL reason.

I did NOT let my 5 year old eat pancakes in the living room floor 3 days last week just so he could watch TV and be still while Mommy got ready for work.

I did NOT cry watching 2 shows this last week when they weren't that sad thinking back on them.

I did NOT hit the snooze way to many times EVERY morning last week, even causing myself one day to be 10 min late to work. I would NEVER do that!

I did NOT get spoiled by my hubby doing the laundry so much so that I haven't touched it in a week, and it is not over flowing in my laundry room! (Hubby did it up until Thursday, so from Thursday-Sunday hasn't been done!

PSF: Vacation

2008-12-12T08:30:00.000-06:00

This summer we took a vacation to see my Nana in TN. She had never met my boys so this was a very special trip.

There were many tears when we arrived, and it was such a moving experience to see her embrace my children.

One day while we were there we took the boys to a neat little park and then out to dinner where we were serenaded by a Mariachi band.

Then it was off for a day in Nashville! We spent the day with my Aunt Babie and her children, James, Julia, and Jennifer. It was a blast, we went downtown and then to Opry Mills Mall where we shopped and ate at the Rain Forest Cafe. The boys really enjoyed that!

Here the boys are with Elvis!

Joe Braden in Coon skin!

Julia trying out purple boots!

Julia and "The Jacket"

On the train in the mall.

On the Carousel.

Hosted by Cecily and MamaGeek

Mommy got the boot!

2008-12-10T22:44:00.000-06:00

Here lately we have been having issues with Joshua going to bed.

(This is his NOT ME face!)

Yes, but I do believe it stems from the fact that we were off schedule due to Thanksgiving and then illness. He has been throwing absolute fits at bedtime, and just being difficult.
Last night during a fit, Joe had enough and went into the room. He apparently told Joshua that he would pick him up but he wasn't leaving the room. Well I didn't KNOW this doesn't work because it is what I have been doing! Don't you know though it worked for him! He picked him up and held him and then put him down, Joshua was out in like 10 minutes with NO crying.
Fast forward to tonight. I am reading Joshua books when Joe walks by to go help Joe Braden, Joshua takes one look and starts screaming, "I want Daddy put me Nigh Nigh!" So I calm him and finish reading and try to lay him down, and again he screams and says, "I want Daddy Nigh Nigh!" So we go get Daddy and he takes over, and once again NO screaming. I guess my "Nigh Nigh" days are gone for now! Kind of sad for me, but I know that Joe really enjoys it, so Yay for Daddy getting some much deserved attention!

Wordful Wednesday: A Tribute to My House Husband

2008-12-09T22:46:00.000-06:00

Today in light of Joe Braden having Strep, for the 2nd time in 4 weeks, Joe stayed home. I knew he would go insane, because he HAS to work, so I wasn't in total shock when I came home to this scene in my house.

Can he be a house husband more often? He completely caught up from when I was sick! It was GREAT! I wonder what he will do tomorrow on his second day home?

For more Wordful Wednesday see Angie

Shopping with Kids

2008-12-09T08:24:00.000-06:00

I love taking my children shopping most of the time, yes I know I am in the minority, but it is usually so fun to watch them take in all the new sights and sounds. Last night however was a mix of love and hate. We have been planning for a while to take the youth group Christmas Shopping so even though we had just gotten over our bought of illness we decided to go on with the excursion. It is an event we do every year and that the girls truly love. So we loaded up the van and off we went to the mall. Now mind you our nearest mall is 45 min away so it makes for a long trip just to get there. Joshua is in a not so great mood and is crying most of the way there because he wants his Daddy. Who can blame him, his Daddy is AWESOME! Well we should have known then it would be a LONG night.
We get to the mall and instead of getting out our stroller Joe said, "hey boys do you want to get a double fire truck stroller?" We thought that surely this would make the trip far easier, but oh no not happening tonight! Joshua SCREAMED any time that we entered a store, and Joe Braden just griped about everything, he didn't whine but just complained. We did manage to finish up our last few Christmas gifts though, so it was worth it all, I guess. At one point Joe was so frustrated he got both boys dipping dots, which just made matters worse for Joshua because he was DETERMINED to feed himself!
We finally leave the mall and head to eat and to Target both of which went somewhat smoother except the fact that Joe Braden was begging to go home and go to bed, what is wrong with him was my first reaction. Well turns out it should have been! I checked him all evening for a fever and nothing, so I thought maybe just a long day since he started after school care yesterday, WRONG. After getting home he went to get ready for bed and when he came out he was GLOWING! Yep FEVER of 102! So needless to say I am guessing Strep since his only complaint is a sore throat, AGAIN. Oh will this sickness never end for us? Joe was sweet and let me come to work since I have had to take off 5 days in the last month! Oh the fun! So I will not be taking my boys shopping again until after the holidays, it seems it is all too much for their little minds to handle, and I forgot to mention the FIT that was thrown to see Santa for the 3rd time this year and wait in an hour line, yeah Mommy didn't cave, but man later I was wishing I would have!