God Is GREAT

It is 8 pm and I sit here listening to Maroon 5 while my family sleeps. My daughter is sounds asleep in her crib. My husband was just praying with our son in his bed and now there is silence coming from that room. We are all exhausted. It has been a very busy day in our home. I was up to wish my husband well on his first day of school and have been going non-stop. I feel such a sense of accomplishment tonight that I can't decide whether to go for a walk or have a beer and relax. I am really leaning toward the later of the two but my body really needs a walk and not a beer. Decisions, decisions. . .

So, God is GREAT. Today he answered so many prayers.
1. I signed up 200 2nd graders for a free field trip to the Shark Reef at Mandalay Bay.
2. I faxed my requests for transcripts from 3 universities for my pay raise.
3. I completed health care paper work so my husband can be insured under Teachers Health Trust.
4. I vacuumed, overwhelming dog hair GROSS.
5. I played with the kids and built enormous towers.
6. Finished semi-organizing my craft closet and put all of Raine's hanging clothes into one closet not 3.
7. Got my plane ticket to Buffalo; thanks to Jennifer, my angel who gave up her free southwest rewards ticket so I could go home!
8. Dove into my reading program and got some plans made for my 2nd grade class.
9. Printed out library titles for my classroom library; something I have wanted to do for 2 years!
10. Took the kids swimming and visited with some friends.
11. Got a phone call about Reece being accepted into the typical peer preschool program at my school. He gets to go with his friends Riley & Ellie. My dear friend Jess with take Reece home with her, feed him & watch him nap. HUGE answer to prayer there! HE IS AMAZING :)
12. Cooked a delicious meal for my hard working man along with some yummy 1st day of school chocolate chip cookies.

After such a productive day I believe my body deserves to have a beer and relax. Maybe I'll read a magazine or watch a cheesy TV show. PRAY & PRAY often cuz God will answer your prayers and you will find peace and joy in your life. Thank you Lord for all the blessings you have provided me with today.

Daddy's First Day Of School

Mo went off to school this morning as a fifth grade Reading/Language Arts & Geography/History teacher. He had to purchase a new wardrobe for this new position. After countless shopping trips with two kids here is first day of school outfit.

Reece's potty training success story

Today we were getting ready to go see the dolphins at the Mirage. I told Reece he would have to stay dry all day if he wanted to see the dolphins. I also mentioned that he would need to go pooh pooh before we left. I was upstairs dressing Raine and noticed Reece went missing. I yelled,"Reece, where are you?" and he yelled back," I'm going pooh pooh!" I was so stinking proud of him! He rarely puts himself on the potty and has never hopped up there to drop the kids of at the pool.

He loves bubble gum so I bought a whole jar of gum balls from Walmart. He gets one gum ball every time he goes pooh pooh on the potty. He loves them! I finally found something that has stopped him from sneaking off to hide and poop in his undies. I also have three Pez dispensers in the bathrooms all around the house. He loves to get candy out of Shrek, Hammy & Tigger's heads!

I keep telling him he needs to go pee pee on the potty if he wants to go to school like his friends. He even found a backpack he wants to take to school. I didn't dare take it away from him when we were at Kohl's cuz I just didn't want to fight that battle. I hid the Thomas backpack and told him we never bought it, that it's at the store. I also plan on having him come to the store with me and pick out a few favorite pairs of underwear. Maybe if he picks them out then he won't pee them. Who knows?

It's been a pretty successful experience the past two weeks we've been home. If only I could get him to stay dry during his naps and through the night.

Raine eats blueberry pancakes

We forgot to buy milk for our breakfast, so I decided to make pancakes. I had some fresh blueberries to use up, so Reece & I added those to the mix. Reece helped me mix the batter and then when I turned my back to get something, he was dumping the whole bag of blueberries into the bowl. I hadn't planned on using so many but it worked out to be perfect! Reece loved his and ate about 4 of them. Raine wasn't to sure about them.

Here she is very hesitant, wondering what is this stuff in my pancakes. My other pancakes don't come with these. The blueberries all over her and the tray are from her pulling them out of her mouth in disgust.

Here she is eating just a little piece that didn't have any blueberries in it.

Now she is mad because all that's left are the pieces with squishy blue stuff that she hates!

In the sink is where she ended up! I didn't dare take her through the house with all of that blueberry on her. Just when I thought my baby was getting so big, I was so glad to see she could still take a bath in the kitchen sink. Look how happy she is!

In two weeks, this little angel will be celebrating her 1st birthday. I can't believe how fast this year has gone by. Don't blink guys; she will be starting to walk and talk in no time. For now it's a couple of steps at a time and a few words we can recognize with lots of babble in between.

I love watching my baby girl grow.

All in one day

This past Saturday, I attended a memorial service for a dear friend's grandmother. Then later that evening went out to celebrate another dear friend's 30th birthday. In the matter of 12 hours, we were celebrating for two very momentous occasions. A woman who has lived her life to the fullest has gone on to meet Jesus. Another women has just started the third chapter of her life...

The service was one of the most beautiful church events I have ever attended. I haven't been to very many funerals or memorials. One day I hope mine can be this amazing! Grandma Jane was extremely well loved. I heard some wonderful stories and learned about her awesome qualities; some I hope to exhibit one day. She has instilled some really neat traditions within her family too. I hope to do that as well. The family created a bookmark with lessons they have learned from Grandma Jane. All of them were great, but one that made me think was "Don't be afraid of change. Rearrange your furniture often."

Why would I pick that? I am totally ready for some changes in my home. Member all of the great homes I visited this summer?

So, I got a hair up my booty and started this mass collect and purge on the first floor of my home. I just started collecting stuff to go through and then give away or throw away. I set our hand-me-down high chair on the curb with a FREE sign on it, it's gone! I divided 10 goldfish in 3 large vases and spread them around my home; getting rid of this horrible looking aquariumn. I cleaned my living room, put Mo's hand-me-down recliner on the curb and REARRANGED the furniture. It was so great to declutter my living & dinning room. I still have tons of piles of papers to go through, closets and drawers, my scrap/craft closet and all of our files. I am on a quest. No, I'm not pregnant and nesting! I just feel overwhelmed with so much junk. Plus, I am headed back to school in a week & a half; where there is a classroom full of stuff to go through, five grade levels worth of stuff. I figure, if I can get my house in order then one of my workplaces will be enjoyable.

The woman starting the third chapter of her life had an outstanding birthday. We headed to the movies to see Hairspray. Her and I sat next to each other and laughed right out loud a whole heck of a lot. It was so stinking funny; my face hurt from laughing. I highly recommend this flick if you need a good laugh! Next we moved onto the Cheesecake factory for drinks and dessert. We had so much fun drinking, eating and sharing funny stories. Have I ever mentioned what great friends I have? It was fantastic spoiling Erin on such a special birthday. I hope she enjoyed it as much I did. If you haven't been out with your girlfriend lately, plan a night and go. I have been doing it more this past week than I have all summer and it is really go for a mommy's soul.

All in one day I learned:
~I want to leave a legacy behind for my family.
~I love change and need to do it more often.
~I have a wonderful husband who knows how important it is for mommy to go out with the girls.
~I have the best girlfriends a girl could ask for.

Thankful

But thank God! He gives us victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ. 1 Corinthians 15:57 NLT

So this was my daily verse today and am I ever so thankful lately. Here are a few things that make me realize I am truly blessed...

... summer vacation
... friends who let us crash at their houses at the drop of a hat
... cute kids who bring a smile to my face more times in a day than I can count
... an unbelievable husband who pushes through tough times and rises to every challenge our life brings us
... oceans and beaches
... friends
... hot dogs & mac n cheese
... family on the east coast and friends who are our family on the west coast
... connections that make life seem somewhat simpler
... smiles and giggles of children playing
... shade so I can sit outside and watch my kiddos swim
... friends with the same problems as me so I can vent :(
... a good book
... great music that makes my son say "let's dance mama"
... dublin dog who puts up with kids crawling all over her
... being alive to experience all this and more

I think this list could go on and on. What are you Thankful for?