Monday, December 31, 2007

Joshua's 2nd Birthday


Yesterday, my little boy turned 2. I can't believe how fast they're growing up on me. I love the ages that my boys are right now. It's so much fun. A two year old is a challenge at times, but I love him more and more everday. I don't know what I would do without my boys....I am blessed.

Saturday, December 29, 2007

Back from Virginia


We're finally home and unpacked and back to real life again. We had a great time in VA visiting Ronnie's parents. It was very relaxing and refreshing to feel some cooler temps. It didn't get too cool, mostly in the 40's and 50's. The boys got spoiled by their grandparents and will be receiving some of their bigger Christmas presents by mail some time soon! Their favorite is defintely their cars that are in the picture above! Josh really likes that the car plays music ! My sister, Megan and her husband Chris came to visit on Friday and we spent the day watching movies, eating, talking, playing games and we also went to Jadon's gravesite. The boys also got to ride on Grandpa's tractor and we took a little ride behind the tractor down some trails. They also met Buddy, their new dog. Check out my Family pictures for new pics from Christmas!
Today, we took down our Christmas tree and all our decorations and all the lights outside. Again, it was weird taking down Christmas lights in 80 degree weather! I love Christmas decorations, but it's always nice to get the house back to normal when it's over! Now, we're ready for a new Year. I can't believe it's going to be 2008! It seems like it wasn't too long ago that everyone was worrying about the year 2000! I'm looking forward to seeing what God has in store for us all in this new year! Have a happy New Year everyone!

Tuesday, December 18, 2007

Christmas clothes



Ok, I let my boys wear their Christmas clothes last Sunday because we would be gone from our church and at Ronnie's parent's church next week, so I wanted them to wear them two weeks in a row. So, check out our pics under the Family pic link! They look adorable!

Early Christmas with parents





This week we had Christmas with my parents. Over the weekend we went to Lake Wales where my grandparents live during the winter, so Ronnie could go fishing with my dad and we also went swimming in Davenport at the Regal Palms condos - I know that's crazy for my friends in IL to think about swimming in December, but it was heated water too! No swimming this week, the temps have been much lower. The past two days have been highs in the 60's and lows in the 40's so we actually had the heat on during the night. But, today the windows are open and it's beautiful at 65 degrees.


So, last night my aunt and uncle, my cousin, Jonathon, my grandparents, my cousin Josh and his wife Lindsey and my parents and our friend Mike were all at our house and we had a big Christmas dinner - Bbq Ribs, cheese potatoes, corn, bisquits, whipped cream salad, cherry salad, pumpkin pie and banana cake!!! Yummy! Then we opened presents and the boys got a haul of things! They both got a drum with cymbals - (thanks to my aunt!) They are our little drummer boys! They are known at church for playing drums! I loved having everyone at our house - we are so blessed to have such a wonderful family! (Check out the Christmas 2007 pics under our Family pic link!)

Now, on Thursday we're off to VA to have Christmas with Ronnie's family. My sister, Megan and her husband Chris will drive down on Friday to be with us for the day. We'll be in VA for 8 days, so it'll be a nice get away. And we'll be able to visit Jadon's gravesite again. Since Jadon went to be with Jesus, my parents have purchased Christmas ornaments with his name and the year on them from "Things Remembered" and put them in his stocking and this year they also got us a beautiful snow globe becaue this would be his 5th Christmas. It says, "We never lose the ones we love, they live on in our hearts." We will never forget Jadon. We love you Jadon and can't wait to see you again.

Saturday, December 8, 2007

Carnival



Last night we took the boys to the Pinellas Park carnival and let them ride a few rides. They had a blast, so I posted some pictures in our Family Pictures link. My big boys are riding carnival rides! Scary!

Wednesday, December 5, 2007

Bike Helmets



We took the boys to a festival land parade last weekend and they were handing out bike helmets at one of the booth, so I had to share my cute pictures of the boys in their new bike helmets. They want to put them on every time they ride their bikes, especially Josh, which is a huge surprise! Josiah didn't want to smile for the camera!

Monday, December 3, 2007

Opps!

So, yesterday I did a very bad thing. I left my husband at the church. Some Sundays we drive separtely if one of us has to be there a lot earlier than the other and as I was leaving the church and Ronnie was locking up, I thought we had drove separately that day. But, when I got home and saw that Ronnie's truck was in the driveway, I realized I had done a very bad thing. So, I immediately checked my cell phone and saw I had three voicemails. I wasn't hearing my phone ring because it was still on vibrate and of course I always have loud music on. So, Ronnie ended up bringing a church van home. I just have to go and pick him up from work today. I blamed it on my blonde highlights that I just got and apologized!

Tuesday, November 27, 2007

Hershey


We've been keeping my aunt and uncle's dog, Hershey for about a week now while they're out of town. The boys love it and are having a ball. Hershey on the other hand is probably getting more attention than he really wants! Josiah hugs him all the time and Josh just crawls all over him and messes with him. Thankfully, Hershey is very patient and doesn't nip or bite, so that's good. He probaby will be ready to get back to his home with some peace and quiet. A couple times I've been making my bed and all of the sudden find this little lump inside and it's Hershey sleeping in our bed. The first night we had her she kept juming up in bed to sleep with us. Ronnie didn't go for it, so she had to sleep in her cage.


This week, I have discovered that dog poop smells worse than human poop! And while we're on the poop subject, Josiah has been pooping in the potty this week 3 or 4 days in a row! I pray he continues this and doesn't go back to pooping in this underwear! I think he's finally getting the hang of it.

Saturday, November 24, 2007

Relieved

Well, my first turkey turned out great! It was a 19.5 pounder so we defintely had plenty left over! Now, I'm glad I finally made my own Thanksgiving meal all by myself - thanks to some instructions from my mom! It was lonely not having all our family with us but in a few weeks we'll see everyone for Christmas! So, today we got our tree up and started on the outside decorations. It's the first time I didn't freeze putting decorations up outside. It is a weird feeling having 70-80 degree temperatures during November and December. In some ways I like it, but I also miss seeing the snow and it actually feeling like Christmas time.

Wednesday, November 21, 2007

How Sweet

Ronnie got to come home at noon today because of Thanksgiving and Josiah had gotten up from his bed after I layed him down, so Ronnie took him back into his room and told him he would lay by him. Well, time kept going by and I kept thinking, "Josiah must not be going to sleep." So, more time goes by and then I get up and go and look in Josiah's room and they're both asleep on the bed. How sweet is that!

Monday, November 19, 2007

Not feeling too great

Well, Thursday I had my usually first symptom of a sinus infection - sore throat. Then, Friday the congestion came - so while we were at Youth convention I couldn't go to the dr. so I was just taking over the counter meds, which do nothing for me. On Sunday afternoon I went to the walk-in clinic to get an antibotic - got some amoxicilian. Today, the coughing started which is accompanied with bad chest pain and making it painful to swallow. Why do we have to get these bacterial infections? I just had one like 3 months ago!

This morning I went to Super Walmart to get my essentials for Thanksgiving. This is the first year I will be cooking my own turkey. We were given a free turkey, which is a huge blessing! Thank you Jesus! Of course my mom sent me instructions for the stuffing and all. I hope it all turns out ok or we'll be heading over to Cracker Barrell instead! It's sad we can't be with our family for Thanksgiving, but at least we'll see them all soon for Christmas!

Thursday, November 15, 2007

Better Day

Today was a better today. I woke up feeling much better instead of feeling like I was about to burst into tears. Funny how you can wake up that way. Once I put some worship music on yesterday and took some time to spend with Jesus I began to feel better and I thanked God for changing me when I'm acting ugly. Today was a good day, I made money from selling my jogging stroller, which I had hardly used. I just didn't enjoy it like I do just running on my own. So, I finally sold it.

We have youth convention this weekend and a cold front is coming through tonight. The low is 50 degrees tomorrow and a high of 67. Long sleeves for the weekend!

Wednesday, November 14, 2007

Bad day

Today is one of those days that needs to end quickly!

Monday, November 12, 2007

Date Night

I had a wonderful evening with my hubby last night. First, we went to the beach, got there about 5:30 right before sunset and walked for a while. We saw a half eaten tiny shark washed up on the shore - kind of scary! I had never seen one before! Anyway, we walked for a while and then sat in the sand and watched the sunset. It was beautiful, then as we watched the last little dot of sun go away, we stood up and watched it go away again! I know we're dorky! Then, as it was getting dark, we left and went to Applebees and split a Sampler...yummy yummy!! On our way home we rented "Evan Almighty" and watched that after we put our boys to bed. Good movie!! Date nights are never often enough!

Sunday, November 11, 2007

Funny

On the way home from church I usually ask Josiah what his lesson was about in his class and most of the time he'll say, "We learned about Jesus" or something general like that. Well, today he says, "Jonathon and David." And I looked at his papers and he was right. At least he's listening! So, then we get home and he's singing songs that they must've sang in class and he sings, "Jericho, Jericho, Jericho, Joshua fell asleep at Jericho!" Too funny!

On another note - Tonight I get to go out with my hubby!!! Hooray!!

Friday, November 9, 2007

New Power Wheels Jeep




This morning we surprised the boys with a new Power Wheels Jeep. We found it on Ebay last week in our area for really cheap! So, yes, it's an early Christmas present, but we were having some problems because the boys across the street have one and my boys are always wanting to ride their car, so now we both have one and we don't have to fight over it anymore. Josh really can't drive it yet, but Josiah is doing great! They were so excited! Josh just chases Josiah around and has a ball doing it! Thank God for Ebay!

Thursday, November 8, 2007

Cooler days

So, the past few days it has been cooler - lows in the 50's and highs in the lower 70's - I love it! Now, that doesn't mean tomorrow it cant' be 85, but I'm so enjoying this wonderful weather and it's perfect for running! I got through the humid summer only now to love Nov-April for the first time in my life! But, this is presenting a little bit of a problem for Josh. It's been quite awhile since he's worn jeans and long-sleeves, so he couldn't stand it. He kept trying to pull them off, but I left them on because he has to get used to it especially sine we'll be in VA for Christmas. Then, this morning the boys went outside to play and Josiah is asking for a jacket - and puts his hood up - he's already a little FL boy, but it's defintely cold enough for one. As I put a jacket on Josh, he's screaming and crying the whole time. But, eventually, he forgot about it. I hope Josh can adjust to wearing a heavy coat and gloves while we're in VA or it'll not be fun!

Thursday, November 1, 2007

Harvest Fest 2007


We took the boys to the church's Harvest Fest last night and they had a lot of fun! Josh wasn't sure what was going on, but at least I got him to wear his costume! He hadn't been feeling well the last couple days, so he looks kind of out of it in some of the pictures! Of course we collected more candy than needed and Ronnie helped picked out some of the ones he wanted! We even won a homemade cake! So check out all the pics by clicking on my pics link on the right!

Tuesday, October 30, 2007

Gonna be a long day

Last night I discovered that Josh was running a temperature. I'm guessing it's due to some more teeth that are coming in. This morning he still had a temp, but much lower. So, I'm not able to go to Bible study this morning, which takes up a lot of my day and always makes the day go much faster. So, we're stuck at home today, gonna be a long day! I hate it when my boys are sick, you feel so helpless to make them feel better besides giving them medicine. So, here we are at home all day until dad gets home and then I'm off to piano lessons for the majority of the night.

Thursday, October 25, 2007

New pics

Lots and lots of new pics of all the exciting things we did while our family was here....Fort Wilderness pics, Wet-n-Wild pics, Lakes Wales fishing pics, swimming pics, etc. Click on my pics link on the right to check them out!

Disney's Fort Wilderness Campground






Over a hundred people from our church went camping at Disney's Fort Wilderness Campground last week and we drove up there with my parents and my brother's family while they were here for the outdoor movie one night. Before the movie starts they have fires for you to roast marshmallows and then Chip and Dale come out to greet all the kids, so I wanted to share the pictures with you. We used to go here when I was growing up and camp out in my grandparents motor home. I can't believe I actually have kids now to take to places like that. Time is going fast even when it feels like it's going slow.

Monday, October 22, 2007

Wedding


This past Saturday, my cousin, Jeremy Helms got married. He had a beautiful wedding and Josiah and Johnathon, his cousin, were ring bearers. They looked adorable! It was a busy weekend and lots of family came down here to St. Pete for the wedding, so it has been so much fun being with everyone. Now I must catch up on my laundry and cleaning!! Check out our pics from the wedding!!

Monday, October 15, 2007

New Playset



The boys are finally able to play on their new playset that daddy built. We still have one more swing to put on and need to lay some mulch, but other than that, it's ready to go! So, the boys played on it last night for the first time and I took some pics this morning. Now, it's finally a little cooler outside too, so it's perfect for the boys to play outside and not be soaked with sweat! I posted some new pics of them playing on their playset under my pics link. Check em out!

Monday, October 8, 2007

Bowling



Our staff and board went bowling last night. Everyone's kids came too, so it was quite the adventure! It was Josiah and Josh's first time to go bowling, so it was very cute! Josiah wanted to do it all by himself after the first few times and of course they had bumpers, so they scored in the 60's! Of course Ronnie beat me pretty bad both times, but at least I got 102 the first game! That's pretty good for me! Check out the new bowling pics on my pics link. There's a few new folders to look at!

Friday, October 5, 2007

Playset

We've been tearing out tress, bushes, plants and all kinds of stuff in our backyard to clear space for a new playset. Today, Ronnie rented a stump grinder to take care of all the stumps and now we get to put up the playset. Everything is always more work and money than you intended, right? The people we bought our house from planted every kind of tree and plant you can imagine in the backyard, so there's been a lot of clearing and there's still more that needs done - but that'll come later. They just loved to be surrounded with green! It's beautiful, but we don't have time to take care of it all! So, I'm so excited for the boys to get their own playset. I've been waiting for a while for this and I can't wait to see them have the time of their lives on it! I'm grateful for a hard-working husband who knows how to do these kinds of things and enjoys doing it. Thanks Ronnie for all your hard work!

Thursday, September 27, 2007

Josh's first black-eye


My little Josh managed to give himself a black-eye on Tues. morning while I was in Bible study at the church. (It doesn't show up much in the picture, so it looks a little worse in person.) The baby-sitter had the kids out on the playground and he was pushing a swing and it came back and the chain hit him in the eye. So, I was told he screamed for a few minutues, but it happened just minutes before I came to pick him up, so I came at a good time to console him. It was swollen and starting to turn colors. I don't like to see my boys get hurt, but I know they have so many more bumps and bruises to come! Josiah managed to get a black-eye this past August by running into a doorknob, but I didn't get a picture of it with my camera. So, two black-eyes in 2 months! One for each boy! Guess it'll toughen them up! I've got boys, what more can I expect?

Sunday, September 23, 2007

Time away

This weekend has been a long one! We left Thursday for a staff retreat and I had to drop the boys off at someone's house for 2 nights! I don't like leaving them over night and plus this was the first time they had ever stayed with this family. Thankfully, the daughter had watched the boys several times during our Tuesday morning bible study and they already knew her and her brothers! As I called them while we were gone, I could tell they were having so much fun and loving every minute of it! They got to sleep in a tent together and seemed so content. They acted like they were doing much better than me! So, we picked them up on Sat. afternoon and I will never get tired of their excitement when they see us after being away from them. They still get excited when we pick them up after church and I love that! So, today we had to leave them again from about 3-10 pm. I hated being away from the today, but our youth band was doing worship for the SYATP Rally, which was 45 min. away. The rally went great and I was glad our youth band could be used in worship. I was anxious to get back and pick up my sleepy boys though! Being gone so much this weekend was hard for me. I'm just not used to being away from them much and when they're so many thing going on so close together, it's hard. All this to say, "I love being a mom more than anything!" I have a passion for ministry and worship, but nothing supercedes my passion for being a mom. I know childhood goes fast and as my boys grow older they won't need me as much and I'm not looking forward to that time, so I want to cherish this young age they are now and cherish this time that they do need me. They are so precious and I am so thankful to God for them.

Monday, September 17, 2007

Non-stop

Last week was a non-stop week. There was something every night of the week. Youth Worship practice on Monday night, I do piano lessons every Tues. night, Youth service on Wed. night, went out with girls from youth on Thurs. night, and Friday night was with my family - finally! That was not a good week. This week isn't much different except for the fact that on Thurs. we leave for our staff retreat. So, I'll be away from my boys for 2 nights. I don't like that, but it's also good to have a break. Usually a few hrs. is a good enough break for me. I'm sure it'll be easier when they get older. I just don't like being away from them at night.

On top of that, Josiah's been wetting his bed almost every night. So, it's back to the pull-ups for night time. I'm getting tired of washing sheets and bedspreads everyday. Sometimes I think he pees in his bed just so he can come sleep in our bed with us. It seems there is always some kind of stage to get through with your kids no matter how old they are. First it's nursing/bottle-feeding, sleeping through the night, then baby food, then learning how to eat solid food, then potty-training, what comes next???? Next fall, I'll be putting Josiah into Pre-K, so I guess that's my next stage for him.

Well, last night we let the boys run through the sprinkler for a while. So, I posted some pictures up for ya'll to look at!

Monday, September 10, 2007

Long weekend

This past weekend we took our youth to Rock the Universe which is held at Universal Studios in Orlando. You can enter the park at 4 pm and ride whatever or go to the christian concerts that are on all night until 1 am!!! I thought I'd die being up that late, but I actually did pretty good! If you're at Universal, be sure to ride "Twister" - very good ride! A little scary for the junior highers! Then, we went to Wet-N-Wild the next day - and that was a blast! I love water parks! Apart from looking nasty all day, I had a great time! Don't go to Orlando w/o visiting Wet-N-Wild! So, today for the first time in a long time I took a nap while the boys were sleeping! Wow, I must've slept for over an hour!!! So, back to real life, but I'm so glad to be back with my boys again!!!

Wednesday, September 5, 2007

Storytime

I make it a habit to take my boys to the Mother Goose program at our local library every Wed. morning. I enjoy going and love seeing the boys sing the songs and interact, but it seems my boys are always the rowdiest. (did I spell that right? It looks funny...) Anyway, I noticed today that all the little girls were sitting quitely in their mommmy's lap and not running around the room like my boys were. The only time they're paying attention and doing what they're supposed to is when we're singing a song and there's music playing. (it's in their blood - my fault!) But, to sit down and listen to a story??? No way!! At least there was a puppet show today and they liked that, so I was grateful! So, I ignore the glances as Josh runs from one place to the other and I just let him have fun...it's a big room, so why not let him go? I want them to have fun, not be miserable the whole time. So, I let my boys be boys. I'm gaining a lot of insight from reading "Bringing up Boys" by James Dobson. I'm learning why boys are so different from girls and learning it's not my fault!

Saturday, September 1, 2007

Jadon's 5th Birthday



Today, September 1 is Jadon David's birthday. Jadon was born Sunday, Sept. 1, 2002 (25 wks along) and weighed 1 lb and 13 oz. He could not survive longer than 2 weeks. He had severe and unrepairable bleeding in his brain and underdeveloped lungs due to his prematurity. He was born in Baltimore, MD at the University of MD hospital and stayed in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit for those 2 wks. Jadon went to be with Jesus on Sunday, Sept. 15, 2002. That was the only day we held him due to being hooked up to a ventilator and his body and skin being so fragile. But, when we see him in heaven, we will be able to hold him and tell him how much we love him. I'm grateful that Jadon did not have to suffer here on this earth. If he would've lived, we were told he would've most likely had cerebral palsey and would've had to fed through tubes. I'm so grateful to have the hope that we will see him again in Heaven and I'm grateful to know that he is healed and completely well in the presence of Jesus. Jadon, we remember you today and thank God for your life. We love you.

Thursday, August 30, 2007

Officially TOTALLY potty trained

I'm declaring today that Josiah is officially totally potty-trained. We've been having trouble with him going poop in the potty and now he's done it several days in a row all on his own without us trying to get him to! Today he said, "Mom, I gotta go potty!" So, he goes in the bathroom and a few mintues later he yells, "Cool! I pooped in the potty Mom, come look at it!" I've never gotten so excited about looking at poop in the potty!! I'm so relieved and feel like it's time to throw a party!!! ( I didn't think you needed to see a picture of it!!)

My Little Rainbow in the Big Rainbow t-shirt




Last night Josiah received his Rainbow t-shirt at church - he couldn't wait to show me! Of course it's too big, but it's the smallest one they can order. It'll probably still be big on him once he's out of Rainbows! Now, why do they make them so big? Guess they think they'll want to wear them when they get into Royal Rangers? Yeah, right! Well, for now, he's thrilled about his new rainbow t-shirt and insisted on wearing it today. The other day he probably said his Rainbow pledge 25 times! So, as we're in Walmart this morning, my little rainbow wasn't quite following his Rainbow pledge. I kept thinking, "What happend to - 'As a Rainbow I will be a good helper, pleasing Jesus everyday'?" So, once we got home I asked him, "Josiah, are you a rainbow?" And he says, "Nah! I just a got a rainbow shirt!"


On another note, I'm having Josiah takes naps again. He couldn't make it through the entire day without crashing by 5 pm. Then, he'd be cranky and wouldn't want to eat dinner, so we're going back to naps. Life is so much more pleasant when they both have a nap! He's not resisiting either, so I'm glad for that! And Josh is so excited about his new big boy bed that he laughs when he gets in it! What more could I ask for?

Monday, August 27, 2007

A memory




Last night we took the boys to the beach and we were writing their names in the sand when I remembered writing Jadon's name in the sand when I was pregnant with him. (for those of you who may not know, Jadon was our first son and he lived for 2 weeks due to being premature) I was reminded again how blessed I am to have Josiah and Joshua and what miracles they are to us. Jadon's birthday is coming up on Sept. 1 and he would be 5 yrs. old this year. So, I took pictures of Josiah and Joshua sitting by their names in the sand so I can remember the day Ronnie and I wrote Jadon's name in the sand. God has been very good to us and I can't wait to see Jadon again and introduce him to his little brothers. We love you Jadon David.

Saturday, August 25, 2007

Adventure Island



Yesterday we took the boys to Adventure Island waterpark in Tampa. We had a blast! You need to check out all our Adventure Island pics on My pics link. I loved watching Josiah go down the slides all by himself and holding Josh in our laps listening to him giggle the whole way down! We could hardly keep up with Josiah. He went down one slide and practically ran up the steps to do it all over again! Ronnie and I took turns going down one slide by ourselves, but the real fun in it all is watching the boys have the time of their lives! We didn't even get out of the parking lot before they both fell asleep.

And Josh's crib went down last night. He's been sleeping great in his new big boy bed - good-bye crib!!!

Saturday, August 18, 2007

Transistions

Yesterday we put a big boy twin bed in Josh's room along with his crib. When Josiah transitioned to a big boy bed, we had him sleep in the bed for naps and in his crib at night for a week or so or until we felt like it was "ok" to take the crib down. So, today is Josh's first time to sleep in his twin bed for a nap. When I laid him down, he started to get up and I thought he was going to get down off the bed, but he didn't and I just laid him back down and off to sleep he went. I checked in on him later to make sure he was asleep and there he was cuddled up in that big bed sucking his thumb! Yes, he still sucks his thumb when he goes to sleep!

At the same time, Josiah seems to be growing out of his nap time, so it seems. Last night he kept getting up out of bed and he never does that. He even got up once we were in bed and asleep and was looking in the refrigerator! Guess he just wasn't tired or he didn't eat enough for dinner! So, today I'm allowing him to skip naptime. We'll see how it goes! I'm not going through what we did last night though again tonight! He's going to be really tired tonight!

So, today is a kind of sad day b/c I see my boys growing up too fast. Before I know it, they'll be having girls over and driving! Lord, come quick!

Sunday, August 12, 2007

Going Home

I'm glad to be going home to my husband tomorrow. He got home today and me and the boys are still in Indy. And once again I get to make that flight with the boys by myself! But, I'll be soooo anxious to get home to see Ronnie. I got to see him almost every day, but not really spend quality time with him. Being away from home is hard and I give props to all those single moms out there. I don't think I could do it without literally going insane! I managed to get sick yesterday with a cold, but I did enjoy my time away from normal routine. I'm always ready to get back to normal life.

Our youth AIM teams did an awesome job working in the city of Indy. I'm proud of them and look forward to the testimonies they have. I know God worked in their lives this week and I pray that what they received this week will spread throughout our youth group and that our group will be stronger because of what God has done this week! God is so good!

Monday, August 6, 2007

Flight

Last Friday I took the boys on a plane by myself. First time to ever tackle it on my own...so I wasn't really looking forward to it. We flew to Indy to visit my family and Ronnie is driving some of our youth down on Tues. for the AIM missions trip here in Indy and Convoy of Hope.

As we were getting our tickets, the guy at the counter asked Ronnie if he'd want to go with me to the gate. I was so relieved! Security is not fun with little ones and a stroller. Having to take everyone's shoes off and hold Josh while you fold up the stroller and get all your things in the bins and back out again. It's hard enough with both of us, I don't know how I would've survived it w/o Ronnie. So, I was very grateful that he could share the load with me! An airline guy helped carry Josiah's car seat on the plane since I was carrying Josh and the diaper bag, so that helped too and then a flight attendant held Josh while I fastened in Josiah's car seat. The ride was going pretty good until the last 15 min. when we had to put the DVD player away and Josh did not want anything to do with sitting in my lap. At least we had an extra seat in between us thanks to the guy who ended up moving to another seat! At least he was kind about it. Can't say that for the people in front of us who kept getting their seats kicked by the boy's feet. A little embarrassing, but people should try to be a little more understanding. Finally after Josh stopped crying he stuck his thumb in his mouth and went to sleep for the last 5 min. Poor guy was pulling on his ears as we were heading down, I knew he was hurting, but no one else did. I just wanted to shout out, "my kids ears are hurting, that's why he's crying!!!" But, I refranied from doing such a thing. So, I waited till everyone was off the plane so they could help me carry my car seat and we got off. Praise Jesus, it was over! So, I get to do it all over again next Monday - please put me on your prayer list!!! The whole thing just made me grateful that I have a wonderful husband who helps me whenever I need it and helps share the load with me. Just like our heavenly father will take the load off of us, if we just ask and allow Him to help us when we just have too much to handle. We're not supposed to handle it all - He wants to take it from us, but we don't always give Him that option. I'm so grateful that I can lean on Him at any time and He will come and rescue me.

Wednesday, August 1, 2007

Thunder

So, the last few thunderstorms we've had in the middle of the night have woken up our son, Josiah. He's never been afraid of thunder until now. He came in our room at 5 AM scared and wanting to get in the bed with us. My heart melts b/c he wants us to protect him. And every time it thunders he gets closer and holds his little teddy bear tighter. So, a little later we put him back in his bed and he says, "Will you lay by me?" How sweet.

That's how Jesus is with his children. He wants to protect us from harm and keep us safe and he loves when we get closer to Him. He wants to provide our every need if we would just trust Him. It's true when we are going through trials or are afraid we tend to get closer to Jesus, but I want to be close to Him at ALL times.

Saturday, July 21, 2007

Remodeling

So, my inlaws have been with us for 2 weeks now. We've remodeled our master bathroom and we're putting in a new front door. Everything looks great and I love it! I'll have to take pictures when it's all done. I haven't had much time to blog, b/c we've been so busy. Right now I'm taking a break from painting the door while it drys. And I'm so excited that new neighbors have moved in right across the street and they have 3 boys! My boys now have neighborhood playmates! I was hoping for that!! Remodeling is a lot of work, but I'm just thankful to have family to help us!!!

Thursday, July 19, 2007

getting older

This past Tuesday we took some youth to Busch Gardens in Tampa. Most of them have season passes b/c it's so close, so they go pretty often. I hadn't been to an amusement park in a while b/c I've been either pregnant or nursing, so I was excited to be able to finally go and ride rollar coasters again! But, I did notice this time that the rollar coasters seem to have more of an effect on me now! I came off of one rollar coaster barely being able to walk straight of all the hoops and twists - I was dizzy and nauseated. I don't remember being affected like that before I had kids! So, either I'm getting old or having babies messed up my equilibrium or something. But, overall I had a blast! I was overly exhausted by the end of the day since we were there from 10-9, and was still tired when I woke up the next morning. I just can't seem to hack it as easily as I could before! Kind of depressing! But if you're ever at Busch Gardens, Sheikra is the rollar coaster not to miss out on! I love the floorless rollar coasters!

Monday, July 16, 2007

Who needs toys?


My in-laws are staying at our house right now, so they've been sleeping on an air mattress in the living room. Well, when they blow up the air mattress, the boys go at it! I mean, why did we buy all these toys? Who knew an air mattress was all they ever needed?

Monday, July 9, 2007

Josh's shots


So, this morning Josh got his last shot until Kindergarten. Wow! I remember when Josiah was at this point - 18 months - and I thought, "We've been coming to get shots every few months and now we don't have to do it again until Kindergarten!" Makes me feel like they're growing up too fast! And my little Joshua didn't even cry today! One poke isn't as bad, usually the second or third poke makes him scream, but I was proud of his bravery! Josiah was with me and he was looking really close to see what was going on. When he saw that long needle go into Josh's thigh, he reached to grab the nurses arm - like he thought she was hurting him. And then he said, "Does Josh have an owie?" I saw a couple occasions today where Josiah was trying to watch out for his little brother. When we were in the waiting area and Josh was running around and Josiah was trying to help him back to our seats guiding him by putting his hand on his back. And he kept saying, "I've gotta get Josh, mom!" And later they're chasing each other and then Josiah says, "Josh, come give me a hug!" They were all the entertainment everyone needed in the waiting area. I just love that even at an early age, Josiah wants to watch out for his little brother and help take care of him and love him. I know it's not always that way, but I'd rather dwell on the happy memories.

Friday, July 6, 2007

4th of July Fireworks

So, I've learned that watching fireworks now is so much more enjoyable when you have little ones. To see how amazed and fascinated they are makes it so much fun. So, we went down to the pier downtown and it was beautiful. Josiah and Josh were in their stroller and Josiah kept saying, "Cool fireworks, Good job fireworks, Kerpow!" And Josh would just yell out and jump up and down in his seat. They loved it and I was glad Josh wasn't scared of the loudness of it! Josiah did start singing the B-I-B-L-E at one point, I'm not sure what triggered that, but it was funny. So, I sat there in my beach chair watching the boys more than I watched the fireworks. They just make everything so much more memorable.

Tuesday, July 3, 2007

My 29th Birthday

Well, I thought I'd be a little depressed about getting so close to 30, but actually I'm not. I don't feel 29, so that's good. When you're a teenager, 30 always seems so old, until you start to get near it. And when you realize how young you still are and how young you still feel, it's not near as bad as you thought it'd be.

This morning Ronnie and the boys came to the bed and woke me up singing "Happy Birthday" with a cake made out of legos. What a sweet way to wake up. We make Lego cakes a lot around here. I love it when my boys sing to me. Of course Josiah does most of the singing!

So, tonight Ronnie took me out - no kids. That was the freeing part! Not often do us moms get out of the house w/o the kids, so we went to Cheddars (we had a gift card!) That makes it even better! I love Cheddars mostly b/c they have Cookie Monsters - huge warm chocolate chip cookies with warm chocolate syrup and vanilla ice cream on top! We shared it of course! But, the funny thing was I ordered the beer battered shrimp, so Ronnie was giving me a hard time about it being 'beer battered' and of course we all know it cooks out - and he was only joking. So, we're leaving the restaurant and I was in a silly, giggly mood and Ronnie walks in front of me to go open my car door and stops and starts to hold me back and I'm not really paying attention and he noticed that thepeople in the car right beside us were getting ready to get out and I never saw them and someone pops up out of the backseat and I screamed and jumped right in front of them! I didn't expect anyone to be getting out of the car b/c I never saw them pull up. And I'm kind of jumpy - I can get scared easily. So, I bust out laughing and run over to the other side of the van b/c I was so embarrassed and laughing hysterically. So, we get in the van and I'm still laughing and then Ronnie really starts to think my 'beer battered' shrimp was having an effect on me. But, then I settled down and got back to normal. So, we end the evening by going to Super Target, which is one of my favorite stores!

I just want to thank my hubby for taking me out tonight. I had the best time and I cherish the times we get to spend together. I'm blessed to have a husband who enjoys spending time with me and who likes to make me feel special. I don't need anything big or expensive - time is much more valuable to me than anything. But, don't get me wrong, I love some new clothes every once in a while!!! ha ha!

But, there's more to this night before we go to bed....we watch The Cosby Show....the best show ever made!!!

Monday, July 2, 2007

Josh's 18 month Dr's appt.


As I look at these two pictures, it's hard to believe that they're the same boy. Where has time gone?

Today Josh went to a new pediatrician for his 18 month appt. I'm always anxious to see how much he weighs and how tall he is. I'm not too into the head measurement, but I know it's important! He's always been on the high end of the percentages with his height - he's just like his daddy. My little baby who was born at 8.1 lbs now weighs 25 1/4 lbs which was only 36% and was 33 3/4 in his height, and that was 84%. My little baby is not a baby anymore. He's a toddler. They grow so fast! Of course it was a difficult morning b/c daddy could not be with us. So, I had both boys going crazy in the dr's office while I'm filling out paperwork and waiting for the Dr. And when things go a little rough you tend to feel overwhelmed and that I was. But, now as the boys are asleep and I take a little time out, I'm feeling much more relaxed and grateful that both of my boys still take naps!! And I want to thank God that I have a healthy and strong little boy who is growing and learning new things every day! I love you Joshua Andrew!
Thanks to Dana for the adorable baby outfit in the first pic! - I loved that outfit on him! Pictures like that make me want to have another!

Sunday, July 1, 2007

Don't worry, just trust God

Ok, so today during church (before offering) Ronnie leans over and says, "Hey - you need to write out our tithe check." I had forgotten to write it out when I was paying bills. I immediately thought, "now we're really going to be low on money this week!" So, I wrote out the check telling God as I'm writing, "God, I have the money to pay my tithe, but I'm writing this check out in faith that I'll have enough money for the rest of the week! I know you're faithful, you always have been" Then, our Pastor preaches on money and being faithful in your tithes and being content with what you have, spending your money wisely and living within your means. So, as I sitting there listening, I"m thinking, "Ok, I can be more content with the things I have and not think I need something better, forgive me God for being selfish. " So, we've been in the process of selling some furniture since we've moved. We had two couch sets and only need one now. I thought, "Well, I'll sell them both and get something new." We've already sold a dryer, aphgan racks, and my coffee table and end tables, so I was down to two couch sets. So, this afternoon I get a call about one set of couches. We normally have gotten lots of calls on Sundays b/c of the Sunday paper. And she actually came and looked at them and bought them! Thank you Lord!!! I sure didn't expect God to move that fast!!! God is so faithful! Why do I worry?

Just like in Luke 10:41 and Jesus says, "Martha, Martha, "you are worried and upset about many things." I tend to be like Martha sometimes and lie awake in bed and worry. But in Matt. 6:25 it says, "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more imporant than food, and the body more important than clothes? (v. 27) "Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?" (v. 33-34) "But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."

Saturday, June 30, 2007

The beach




Ok, so now that I live in FL it's so weird to be able to go the beach whenever we want. It's 15 min. away depending on which beach you go to and it's so beautiful! And our youth events are so different here! Like today, we have a BBQ at the beach! How cool is that? With beach volleyball on a "real beach!" That's youth ministry, huh? Ha ha! Well, I'm just thankful to be able to go and have a get away whenever we need it. It's like you're in a different world when you're there and the boys love it! When they're with us, there's no laying out time, so we chase the birds, feed the birds, build sandcastles and Josh eats sand. They don't seem to be bothered by the salt in the water. They just make funny faces when it gets in their mouth! Josiah just puts his little water wings on and swims his heart out in the gulf! I never thought I'd be living here and I never thought I'd ever look forward to or not mind winter time!

And my hubby is home from camp and life is good!!!

Friday, June 29, 2007

Ok, here we go....

Ok, I'm still learning how to set up this blogspot. But, I finally did this for you Bethany! Today, I get to pick up my husband who has been at Youth camp all week! I'm so ready to have him home again! Life just isn't normal when he's gone. But, unfortunately I have to go back to cooking real meals again.

So, if you have any tips for a first timer on blogspot, let me know!