30 Days of Thanks 18

Today I am thankful to be near my family. I don't take this for granted. I have lived several hours from them, and it was really hard. I am also very aware of the probability that this is not permanent. John's company could move us at any point in time. So, while we are here, I will enjoy and be thankful for every impromptu dinner together, every lunch with my mom, every family birthday party, every shopping trip out with my nieces and sister, and every chance Hope gets to go to my parents' house to spend the night (and watch Dancing With The Stars!) Because while I know that the love will stretch over the miles, it is just so nice to see them so very often.

Thank You God for Hope Louise

Today and everyday, I am thankful for Hope Louise. 5 years ago was the most special day. I thanked God for her that night, and every night since. How anyone can hold their newborn baby and not believe in God is something I will never understand. She was just so perfect. The answer to our prayers. The fulfilment of God's promise to us. I am not sure if I have ever told the story of how we named her or not. We named her after Jeremiah 29:11. "For I know the plans I have for you says the Lord...plans to give you a future and a hope." I took the verse to heart as God's own promise to us that we would have a baby, despite doctors saying it might not ever happen. God has indeed given us a future with Hope.

Today, Hope has grown into a fun, sweet, intelligent girl, with plenty of sass to spread around. She can push my buttons, but man, she can make me smile. I love her with all that I am, and I am so proud that she is mine. Happy Birthday Lulu!!!

One of My Favorite Pictures Ever

11 10 09_Disney World_4681, originally uploaded by dyer622.

Walk to Cinderella's Castle Breakfast

11 10 09_Disney World_4659, originally uploaded by dyer622.

Thanks 16

Today I am thankful for my friends Deni and Shauna. Our weekly lunches are something I look forward to every week. It has been really hard to not see these girls everyday since leaving the church. They are just friends that I can be real with. We laughed so hard at lunch today and it just felt good! I won't tell you about all the stories revealed today, but if you know my friend Deni, please ask her where the Twelve of Twelve store is. :-) Love you girls!

Do you know that my baby girl is going to be 5 tomorrow? I just don't understand where the time has gone. Want to know what was going on 5 years ago tonight? Craziness. I had been on bed rest, gone to the doctor where my blood pressure was through the roof. I was 37ish weeks pregnant. Dr. Wyatt came in the room and said, "Let's have a baby tomorrow." Dis.Be.Lief. I was so ready, and sooo not ready. We had moved into a new house just 2 weeks earlier. The nursery was not finished. John and I went home and packed my bags, and through my panicky tears, John, my mom and my sister and I finished the nursery.

30 Days of Thanks- Day 15

We are back from our Disney Trip! It was so much fun. Really, I just can't even tell you how great it was. I am working on a big post to wrap up days 8-14 in my 30 days of Thanks blogs. Not tonight though! 8 days of Disney fun = 1 tired Mommy!

Today I am thankful for my sweet sister, my mom and my awesome niece, Julia cleaning my entire house while we were gone! Isn't that crazy? Last weekend was bonkers with packing, and my house was just absolutely destroyed. I was dreading walking back into the disaster zone, but instead, my house was clean! My sister has always been known for doing surprise clean ups, and there is just nothing better in the whole world! Thank you, thank you, thank you! It just made me feel so good!


More on the Disney trip soon! I loaded all my iphone pics onto facebook, but no real pictures are up yet. I am working on it!

30 Days of Thanks Day 7

Today I am thankful for some QFT. Growing up, my mom and dad called family time "QFT." Which means "Quality Family Time." We hated the term. I can see my sister's eyes rolling when I think of my parents telling us no one was going anywhere because we were going to have some QFT. We are about to take off on our Disney Trip for some QFT for our little family of four. So excited. We desperately need some QFT. Some real, quality time together. SO fun. And my kids are still little enough to enjoy the QFT. I know the eye rolling is coming soon!

I also had a fun surprise in the mail today! The girl who took my job in Texas when we moved found a CD of pictures that April had taken of Hope when we lived there and sent it to me! Thanks Kim! Here are a few that were on there! It was fun to reminisce! This was my favorite time for our little family of three. Such good memories of this year of Hope's life!

Hanging out with the kitties at April's House!

Chuck E. visits the preschool

April and Susan took Hope on her first real (and only!) train ride!

Doodlebops!

30 Days of Thanks Day 6

Today I am thankful for John being home. After he has been traveling, it is just a huge weight lifted off of me when he walks in the door. This morning he got right up with Noah, fixed breakfast, got Noah to school, kept Hope home with him while he worked from home, let my mom's dog out, fixed dinner, gave baths, put both kids to bed. It is nice to have the second parent home! Plus, he is home for a while this time. Yeah! I feel like I can breathe again. I do give him a hard time about not helping out sometimes, but just having him here makes me feel so much better. He is a pretty good guy. I think I will keep him. Ha! Love you, Presh.

Tonight we were entertained by Hope singing "God Bless the USA." I will have to record it soon. It was awesome! She definitely has my (lack of) singing ability, but that doesn't stop her from belting it out. Hilarious!

30 Days of Thanks Day 5

I have much to be thankful for. More than I will be able to write about in 30 days, for sure! While I do plan on writing about the big things I am thankful for, I am also thankful for little things that happen every day. Thinking about what has made me happy today, I just can't help but to write about this "little" thing.

Oh Man. Yep, that's it. I am thankful for those two words, "Oh Man!" This morning when Noah fell down, I said, "Oh man!" He repeated "Oh man" in his oh too adorable voice. From then on, he has "Oh man"-ed everything. Every bumped noggin (There were many!) "Oh man!" Every dropped cup, goldfish, toy... "Oh Man!"And then, lastly, I put on his pjs, found his pacifier, turned off the lights, thanked God for him, got ready to close the door... and what did I hear as I closed the door... "Oh man!"

30 Days of Thanks Day 4

Today I am thankful for some "stolen moments" I have had with each of my kids the past 2 days. Just a little bit of unexpected special 1 on 1 time I have had with each of them. On Mondays and Tuesdays, I teach a special class for the older kids at Noah's school called "Learning Lab." Tons of fun. Messy, hands on, science stuff which is just right up my ally. One thing I love about being there, is that I usually get some extra time with Noah. I can play with them on the playground for a few minutes, or take him for a walk, etc. But the best has been that right after I finish up the morning classes, I clean up and then go down to Noah's room where they are getting ready for a nap. I get to lay with Noah on his mat, pat him for about 5 minutes, get a good snuggle, then go to lunch. I love it. Well, Tuesday, everything changed! I went down there at nap time, and he was crazy! I patted him for 30 minutes and he was just not going to sleep! He was giggling, talking, pulling my nose, flipping around... I was getting no where! By that point, every other sweet child was asleep, and Noah's teachers' had started eating their lunch. I had some errands I had to take care of at lunch, so I just took him with me. He sang all the way to the bank and home, and finally fell asleep right before we got back to the school. I carried him in and just sat with him for a few minutes while he slept in my arms. Sweet, sweet baby. I loved it. Pretty sure that is the end of me going down to his room for naptime though!

Then, this morning, I had to get Noah up and delivered early so I could make it to my Wednesday job at Hope's school (confused yet?) Hope and I had about 40 minutes to spare, so we stopped at the donut shop. She talked the entire time, mostly about our Disney trip, but other important things too, like who she is going to play with, how some boy made fun of her clothes yesterday saying they looked like pj's, who is friends with who and who is NOT friends with who, and how to sing the p-i-n-k song. Good times. She always makes me laugh.

I know I have said this before, but I will say it again. This is what John and I say to the babies when we put them to bed:

"Thank you, God for Hope Louise."

"Thank you, God for Noah Red."