I am so blessed!

I have been kissed by the sun each morning
Put my feet on a hardwood floor
I get to hear my children laughin'
Down the hall through the bedroom door
Sometimes I sit on my front porch swing
Just soakin' up the day
I think to myself, I think to myself
This world is a beautiful place

I have been blessed
And I feel like I've found my way
I thank God for all I've been given
At the end of every day
I have been blessed
With so much more than I deserve
To be here with the ones that love me
To love them so much it hurts
I have been blessed

Across a crowded room
I know you know what I'm thinkin'
By the way I look at you
And when we're lying in the quiet
And no words have to be said
I think to myself, I think to myself
This love is a beautiful gift

I have been blessed
And I feel like I've found my way
I thank God for all I've been given
At the end of every day
I have been blessed
With so much more than I deserve
To be here with the ones that love me
To love them so much it hurts
I have been blessed

When I'm...
When I'm singing my kids to sleep
When I feel you holding me
I know

I am so blessed
And I feel like I've found my way
I thank God for all I've been given
At the end of every day
I have been blessed
With so much more than I deserve
To be here with the ones that love me
To love them so much it hurts
I have been blessed oh yes
i have been blessed, oh yeah yeah
(i have been blessed, i have been blessed
i have been blessed i have been blessed)
This is truly one of my favorite songs ... it's by Martina McBride and I have always listened to it and thought it was exactly how I feel about my own life. It's like Martina wrote it just for me. I am SO blessed. Sometimes I forget just how blessed I am. I get cranky or I wish I had more things, or I just fail to recognize just how very blessed I really am.

Then a day comes along that helps me to remember - a day like yesterday. My birthday. I have always loved my birthday, ever since I was a little girl. Even the year I turned 8 when we had to postpone my birthday party because I had the chicken pox. My birthday has a different 'feel' to it. Kind of like the way I feel on Sundays. Where it seems like the sun is just shining a little bit brighter and I just feel happy all over. It feels like you want to walk around town and shout "It's my BIRTHDAY!!" even though you know people would look at you like you were crazy.
Yesterday I was totally blown away by all the emails, phone calls and cards from so many caring people. It reminds me how lucky I am to have so many special family and friends in my life. I feel like I'm so spoiled too. I had 4 different birthday celebrations! 4!!! It's like I'm a kid all over again.
#1 Last week Bob, the girls and I went out for a birthday dinner.
#2 My scrapbook friends came over and we celebrated. (that was so much fun!)
#3 Dinner and dessert at Mom's house Tuesday night to celebrate both Mom's and My birthdays.
#4 Birthday lunch / pool party with my in laws yesterday.

Oh, and the girls and I also splurged on going to Friendly's last night. Bob was working and we didn't feel like cooking so we went to Friendly's. YUMMY! The girls were so excited to get big candy shop sundaes!

So thank you, thank you, thank you to everyone who made me feel special and loved yesterday. It feels good to be celebrated, it feels like being a kid again!

I am so blessed ... and I feel like I've found my way ... I thank God for all I've been given, at the end of every day ... =)

The Big SQUISH!

Today I had my very first mammogram. I just turned 32 yesterday (more about that later) so I am still a bit young for this test. I had a little spot that was questionable to me and since I have a family history of breast cancer my DR thought it wise to have things checked out.

I have to say, it wasn't nearly as bad as all those horror stories you read. After all ladies, we survive pap smears, childbirth and c-sections so if you consider those - it doesn't even compare! It was a piece of cake compared to those things!

I won't lie and tell you that it doesn't hurt, but it's quick and simple and then you are done. So now I have to wait for results. The lady told me that she didn't see anything - which is a good thing - but I still have to wait for the official word from my DR. I was encouraged when she said she didn't see anything.

So, on to the waiting thing. I'm having a really hard time with the thought of waiting lately. I have been waiting for over two weeks to hear news about the funding we are hoping to get for the Christian school we want to send the girls to. I know, two weeks is nothing, but I keep wanting to plan our school year and keep finding all these great homeschool ideas and I just NEED TO KNOW!!

Those that know me know that I'm a planner, I am a list maker, I always plan things, I always want to organize and well I guess I just simply want to be in control! It's hard to give up control and know that it's not up to me. God is in control. He knows how the girls will be educated next year, He knows the results of my mammo, He knows everything! Why is it so hard for me to just give up control??!!

I keep coming back to this verse ... "For I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord. Plans to prosper you and not to harm you. Plans to give you a hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11

This week my goal is to take that verse to heart. To stop worrying about the future, or waiting anxiously by the mailbox everyday, and simply learn to trust in God and wait on Him.

Our plan for the summer

Yes we are done with homeschooling for the year ... and yes we plan to take the summer off to enjoy the pool, the beach and lots of time with friends and family. BUT, as we all know, kids do seem to need some structure, some sense of a daily schedule or at least a little bit of learning time.

So for right now I have a few plans that I'm working on.

1. The first would be weekly playdates with friends. At least one day a week (maybe more depending on the week) to get out of the house and spend time with other friends. I think the girls will really look forward to it and it will also give me some "Mom" time with other friends.

2. Summer reading is number two. We plan to read at least one children's book every day, and I myself have a list of books I'd like to get through as well. And if we decide to homeschool again I will also be spending a bunch of time reading the new materials and planning our 08-09 year. I added a list to the sidebar if you'd like to follow what we're currently reading. I gave H 4 new Junie B. books as a end of the school year gift and she already completed one in the first day!

3. Creative writing. This is something I loved as a child and the girls have really gotten interested in this past year too. They have booklets where they can draw a picture and then write about it, or simply write a story if they wish. I also have some story starters for those days when they just can't seem to think of something to write about. This is not something that we will sit and do everyday, but maybe once or twice a week.

4. They recieved a great Bird book today from my in laws along with bird feeders and journals. They are very excited about looking out the windows for birds and finding them in the book, then journaling about them. In fact, they could find birds everywhere we go, the beach will be a great place to see birds!

5. Then of course we'll need to squeeze in weekend trips out on the in laws boat and days at the beach ... weekend campfires with family and friends ... possibly an overnight camping trip or two ... and lots of hours in the pool. Looks like we'll have plenty to keep us busy!

For those that live close, don't be shy -- we are planning to be home most weekdays to save on gas so if you want to come over to swim and play we will almost always be here. Please feel free to call us up and come over - we WANT you to come!

New look!

I found this awesome site for free blogger templates and was THRILLED to find this flip-flop design! I LOVE summer and LOVE flip flops!

I still have a little tweaking to do to add back in all my little blinkies, so bear with me! Thanks!

If you click over there on that pink box ------> you can check out more free blogger templates!

My Special Mom

Yesterday was my Mom's birthday. It's always been so fun to have our birthdays so close. (Hers yesterday, mine today.) My mom is one of my best friends and such a special person. She has a wonderful heart and has always been such a great example to me. I remember a couple of years ago when I taught Sunday school we did this little activity where we wrote down the best thing about our Mom. I wrote: The best thing about my Mom is that she loves God. I know there are so many other wonderful things about her, but I believe most of what makes her wonderful, and the person she is, is because she loves God, and seeks to follow Him.

The girls and I went over to her house for dinner and dessert last night. I wanted to bring Mom flowers but while I was at work on Monday got an even better idea ... we have these flower cakes that we make completely out of fresh flowers. They are so pretty they look good enough to eat - which of course you can't do because they are flowers!

Here are some pictures from last night:
J with her chocolate face helping blow out the candles!

Me and My Mom, we have a very special bond and a wonderful friendship. I'm so thankful for her!
Yes we look a little ragged, the girls and I were in the pool all day and didn't really spruce up before pictures!
Grandma's girls ...

I LOVE YOU MOM!!!

Daddy ~ Daughter Dance

Last Friday the Girl Scout troop held a Daddy ~ Daughter Dance. Bob was supposed to work but was able to rearrange his schedule to work an earlier shift so he could go with H. She was SO excited! All day long she kept talking about it, singing funny little songs about it and just bubbling over with excitement.

I was SO glad that Bob made the effort to go with her, it meant so much to her. As you can see in the pictures, her little face is just beaming! These pictures were taken right before they left. After the dance they went out for ice cream with H's friend and her Dad. When they came home H was just bouncing off the walls and talking non stop about how much fun they had.

Since it was just J and I at home, we watched a movie, painted nails, and just relaxed. We had a really nice time together too! I included a couple cute pictures of J near the end.

Bob doesn't like to show his braces, this is about the best smile I can get out of him!


Picking out which color of nail polish she wants ...
She wanted her hair in a fancy ribbon just like H had ...

Last day of school

This year has been a whirlwind. I have truly and completely enjoyed homeschooling H and am SO thankful that we made the decision to give it a try. We've had some very rough days, days when I was ready to send her straight back to school ...but in the end it was all worth it.

I felt like I learned so much this year too. I re-learned many things that I learned in school as a child ... but even more than that I learned how to relate better to my kids, how to be a better Mom, how to teach and still have fun, and so many more things! I learned that it's more important to spend time together than it is to get the best grades and complete every last math problem. I learned that it's wonderful to have students who will climb up in your lap for snuggles. I learned that you can "do school" at any hour of the day - it doesn't have to be from 9-3. I learned that doing school in your pajamas is OK. I learned that kids have bad days too, days when the last thing they want to do is learn or do seatwork, and that's OK.

It's really been a wonderful year, one that I will always remember. Next year is STILL up in the air, but I'm trusting that the Lord has a plan which He will show us in due time.

Congratulations H, you have officially passed the first grade and are now ready to move on up to second grade! I LOVED teaching you sweet girl! You make Mama so proud.
Love, Mommy

Early Birthday dinner

Tonight Bob surprised me by taking me out for an awesome birthday dinner on this gorgeous yacht. I was so stunned that he would think of doing such a thing ... (my b-day isn't till next week).



HAHA, Just kidding! Had ya going for a minute there, didn't I?? =) Actually, we went to one of my favorite restaurants, Margaritas. Yummy Mexican food, yummy, fruity drinks, yummy 'fried' ice cream ... it was so much fun!
The girls decided to 'dress up' for going out ...

One of the best desserts EVER! {And certainly not recommended while on Weight Watchers!} It was a little embarrassing, Bob and the girls conspired against me and had the staff come sing Happy Birthday to me and brought the dessert out with a candle. We were able to take home FREE hats! Yippee! We then walked around downtown ... the girls 'window shopped' for Webkinz - thankfully the stores were already closed. =)

Heading back to our car I saw this cute restaurant with the steps all painted with chalkboard paint -- it was so cute how the menu was written out on the steps as you were walking up.
We walked around the docks looking at huge yachts and sailboats, we looked in all the expensive shop windows, we laughed and had fun as a family. I love my family and I'm so thankful they chose to take me out tonight. What a wonderful (early) birthday surprise.

Preschool "Graduation"

My 'baby' is now done with preschool. How is this possible? Last week she had a closing program which was themed the Mother Goose parade. Each child chose a favorite Mother Goose rhyme to dress up as and the whole class presented the rhymes they have learned. J chose Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star. This is her whole class, she's on the far left in the yellow.

With her 'diploma'.
Sweet sisters.
We are so extremely grateful for the wonderful years that each of our girls have spent in preschool. My Mother in law is the Director, and the school is part of our church. H went there for 2 years and so did J. They have both grown so much and we are so proud of the wonderful little girls they are becoming.

Precious Arrival

My friend Sandy gave birth to her precious 3rd child on may 15th. Here are a few pictures of beautiful little Rachel Ann. She is SO tiny!!