My Little Helper!

Addi loves to help mom with all activities around the house. This was her helping with dinner a few weeks ago.



This is the finished product....mmmmm!!! They were good.

She is a big helper with the making cookies, dishes, sweeping etc. I sure hope she continues to enjoy helping as she gets older.

I guess I just need to keep making things fun - right!!!

She loves to wear her new found dress up shoes --- funny thing they are too small.... I have to find some bigger ones.... she is going to be all GIRL soon.....

I sure love this Little Princess of mine.

Thinking Back!!

Ok!!! It all started at this rock 6 years ago! TODAY!! No April Fools Joke!!

This is were my husband proposed to me -- a beautiful evening and also very romantic spot..... with life begining all around us leaves beginning to bud/blossum. He tried to make it as romantic as possible but I was not as willing I was soo tired that evening and just wanted to go home. It all turned out great because 5 months later we were married and look at us now.....

Two Wonderful Children {Austin and Addison} and a black lab named "Moose". Life is good. Life is not always easy and marriage has its ups/downs. The challenges we face are sometimes fun, sometimes frustrating, and sometimes just plain crazy. I love you Forever and Always Tony {even when your sick and being a whimp -LOL}, thanks for making a wonderful change in my life... I love where we have been and look forward to where we are going... hand in hand and loving each other raising our Children the best we can.

While we were at the Nature Trails.... Austin and Addison were so intrigued with the fisherman... they were having such fun just watching.

Heart Full of Thankfulness!

Today was not as gorgeous or as nice as yesterday, but I am thankful I was able to get so much done yesterday as we did.

Sore from all the hardwork yesterday, but thankful I am able to feel the muscles in my body and move around where I want to independently.

Spent all day inside, but thankful I was able to clean up some things that were bugging me {I really need to get organized}.

My kids were loud, fighting, wanting attention, but thankful that my ears could hear them, thankful I could see them, thankful I could hold them, and thankful I have them.

My husband frustrated/irritated me, but thankful I have a wonderful husband that is willing to say "I'm sorry" and willing to help out with and without asking. I do love you honey with all my heart.

Didn't get my kitchen cleaned, but thankful a dear friend brought me an apple fritter and she drank coffee and I had a diet pepsi just enjoying an hour together this morning.

Even if the things we bring to the LORD are not going our way, we still need to be Thankful for the many blessings we do have in our lifes.... there is always a brighter way to look at your hour, day, week, month and year. Remember to give PRAISE to the LORD don't just petition for your wants, needs and desires..... remember your friends that are griefing, stressed over lifes issues, who don't have a healthy child, or a healthy body. Don't sweat the small stuff---- that stuff will still be there at the end of the day.
My Heart is full of Thankfulness today, I hope yours is too.

It's been awhile.....

Ok! I am not doing very well with Blogging & yes Shirl you warned me -- Facebook is very addicting... So here is a little update on me.

I am officially on Spring Break.... Yahoo!! Gotta love the school schedule!

Monday - spent most of the day organizing my 'stuff' to get ready for our tax appointment - yes I made it for later this week. Mowed and weeded at our rental home-- I just wanted to give our renter a jump start on the Spring work.

Tuesday - spent a little time with my little guy unloading all the grass clippings etc at the dump. Then took our time to go back to Daycare {gotta keep them on a schedule}. Went back to the rental to trim some shrubs, pull some weeds, etc. and back to the dump to empty the load. Had lunch with Tony at the hospital -- first time in along time we have done that.... we didn't even have to chase kids or anything... It was nice just sit and vist with him all to myself {well except for the other 50+ other people in the cafeteria}. Sat down to watch Days of Our Lives !!! I don't even have a clue what is going on.... what a waste of time. Got a call from DayCare - Austin PUKED!!! Had to pick him up early. Tony picked up Addison later.... spent the next 5 hours cleaning up PUKE!!! What an evening.

Wednesday- Hung out with Austin all day-- he's feeling better. Our only outing was to go get the dog that ran off to the neighbors so a good excuse for me to go get a Fountain Diet Pepsi!! Worked on organizing my Tax Info -- I sure hope Kristie appreciates all this work... I really am so unorganized. Had left over soup for dinner, gave the kids a bath, read a book to them, watched cartoons {whatever they wanted to watch}.

Well that is my Spring Break soooo far.... Tomorrow may be different.

CHOICES --- This or That????

This evening I had a CHOICE---- I could lay with my daughter and cuddle while she fell asleep, rubbing her head or I could let her lay in bed and cry herself to sleep to go downstairs to do the several things that needed to get done (which still need to get done ie dishes, laundry picking up toys, paperwork etc). Well the choice was easy.... I stayed and cuddled - which also made my day.... there she is laying on her back in her bed beside me feet in hands, and singing -- twinkle twinkle, itsy bitsy spider but the one that really cracked me up was her singing Patty Cake and her throwing the cake (her feet up) for mommy, daddy.... she was slapping her feet together and rolling her feet with her hands.... I just wish I could have grabbed the video camera and she would have continued to sing or at least go to sleep after I interrupted..... she finally fell asleep.... it is such a peaceful sight to see your baby resting so quietly.

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It has been an on going thing over the past several months with my little man making CHOICES....some good and some not so good. We have had to give him choices of This or That??? I guess the choices thing starts really early in LIFE!! Some choices he has made have not been a This or That --- just a bad decision to do something, say something or even just Not doing something.... CHOICES!!

As in Deuteronomy 11: 26- "...the blessing if you obey... the curse if you disobey."

The lessons he has had to learn from his 'choices' the consequences have been difficult for me- grading appropriateness for the misbehavior, etc. I am learning, I know that I have many lessons to learn myself..... I have CHOICES as well. I hope that I am making the right choices to raise a wonderful son who appreciates GOD, me, his family, his things, and himself.
CHOICES---

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So over the past several months Tony and I have had to make CHOICES!!! Choices about our future, our finances, choices about our words, choices about work, choices about our family situation, just plain choices. I sometimes wonder are we really making our Choices as GOD would want us to make or are we influenced by the enemy......

Sometimes LIFE has some difficult and painful choices we need to make; having FAITH that GOD is helping guide us throught these tough decisions.

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We as individuals are making choices daily..... don't you ever just want to run away from responsibilities, take a break, veg out, do nothing, avoid the consequences etc. There have been times when I have to realize I cannot make a CHOICE for anyone else-- I can try to influence good behavior, good choices but when it comes right down to it.... the CHOICE is not mine to make it is up to the individual.
Being there for someone who is going thru a "CRISIS" (a tough time) is a CHOICE -- I just need to make sure I am not judging them for their CHOICE -- hopefully they are able to seek forgiveness from their choices.

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I also see that CHOICES are being made at many levels in LIFE!!! Not only personally, not only at work, or on a local level, a state level, but at a National level.... decisions to be made and choices they have to make between THIS or THAT and the consequences for each have to be weighed. Today several people in Pendleton lost their Jobs, with FLEETWOOD closing.... I think about the things that would go thru my mind --- the stress, oh, the stress. How are we as a Nation going to get out of this MESS!!! What are the CHOICES--- are we really going to get out of this recession.

Faith and Trust --- we have to have both..... Making good CHOICES is a not always easy and sometimes when we make the decision to do something, say something etc.... wouldn't it be nice to be able to rationalize or look into the future regarding each option and be able to miss out on the tough consequences --- but then how would we learn!!!!

Lessons in LIFE -- CHOICES we have to make good, bad and indifferent. EMBRACE them all.