Wow!

I am soooooo far behind in my blogging world, but the real world does come first.

Just wanted to say hello, and let you all know I am alive.

Will post soon...

My parents...

I am so grateful for godly parents. I really have such amazing parents.

My dad has such a great sense of humor...I like to think I get my sense of humor from him (along with my Groucho Marx eyebrows). He is one of the hardest working people I know...I think he only has two speeds he runs on...turbo and stop. If he isn't working hard, then you'll find him snoozing on the couch. :)

He is such a great Grandpa, too. He calls Jonathan every day after school to see how his day went. He spoils him rotten, too.

I love my dad so much! I think I'll always be Daddy's girl.

Now my mom is so adorable...I just love her to bits! She is smart and hard-working. Everyone depends on her. She is a rock.

She is also such a prayer warrior. I remember when I lived at home, seeing my mom on her knees first thing every morning. Her love for God shines from her face.

Now, my dad's sense of humor comes in handy with my mom. It's like having an instant laugh track. She just thinks almost everything he does is funny!

I am truly grateful to have such wonderful parents who would do just about anything for any one. I am truly blessed!

(...and I have a new appreciation for them now that I am a parent. Sorry for all I put you through...and for using permanent marker to decorate the walls...and for coloring underneath the dining room table...and for ripping my wallpaper down...and for talking back...and....)

The Military Wife

Today, I want to say how thankful I am for my freedom. I am thankful for those who are serving our country currently and those who have served in the past. Your sacrifice and service enables me to live the life I live today. THANK YOU!!!!

But, there is one group I am really grateful for...the military wives. Their sacrifice often goes unnoticed. Read this letter below. It was passed on to me from a military wife. What it says is so true.

Dear Military Wife,

I am an American woman that has no idea what is going on in the military other than what I hear on the news.

I have never had to let go of someone so that they could go fight for people that they didn't know, people that sometimes do not appreciate or understand what they are fighting for. I have never had a sleepless night of worry because of a report that another bomb has exploded and I still haven't heard from my husband. I have never had to wait for months on end to hold the one that I loved so.

I have never had to tell my children that daddy wasn't coming home tonight because he was so far away fighting for something that they aren't yet old enough to understand. I have never had to hold my head high and suppress the tears as I hear that it will be at least another six months of separation before my loved one gets to come home.

I have never had to deal with a holiday away from the one that I thought I would share every day of my life with.

And I have never had to feel the panic rising in my heart at the sound of a ringing phone or knock at the door for fear that it is the news that everyone is terrified of getting.

For the reasons listed above, I can not tell you that I understand how you feel. I can not tell you that you must be strong. I can not say that you shouldn't be angry, because you "knew what you were getting into when you married a military man". I can not say these things because I have never had to walk in your shoes.

What I can say for certain is that because of your unselfish acts of bravery and your husbands willingness to stand up for those who see him as "just another soldier" - I will never have to walk in your shoes.

I do understand that as a military wife you are expected to uphold a certain amount of control, but I never understood how you could do it, until now. I have figured out that you are not like other women. You are of a special breed. You have a strength within you that holds life together in the darkest of hours, a strength of which I will never possess. The faith you have is what makes you stand out in a crowd; it makes you glow with emotion and swell with pride at the mention of The United States of America.

You are a special lady, a wonderful partner and a glorious American.

I have more respect for your husband than I could ever tell you, but until recently I never thought much about those that the soldier leaves at home during deployment.

Until this moment I could never put into words exactly what America meant to me.

Until this moment, I had no real reason to.... Until I heard of you.

Your husband and his military family hold this nation close, safe from those who wish to hurt us...but you and those like you are the backbone of the American family. You keep the wheels in motion and the hearts alive while most would just break completely down. Military families make this nation what it is today.

You give us all hope and you emit a warming light at the end of a long dark tunnel.

Because of you and your family...I am able to be me. I am able to have my family. I am able to walk free in this great land. Because of you and your family, I can look ahead to the future with the knowledge that life is going to be okay. Because of you and your family, I can awake to a new day, everyday.

I realize that you are a stronger person than I will ever be because of these things and I just wanted to take the time today to say thank you to you and your family for allowing me that freedom.

I will never be able to repay this debt to you, as it is unmatchable. However, I hope that you know that no matter where you are...what you are doing...what has happened today...or what will happen tomorrow...Your husband will NEVER be "just another soldier" to me.... And you, dear sweet lady, will never be forgotten.

You are all in my prayer's everyday and I pray that God will bring you back together with your loved one safely.

May God Bless You!

How Could I Be Anything But Thankful?

When I look back at some of this pics over the years, I can only say how grateful I am that God gave J to us when He did. He is such evidence of God's best for our lives. My mama heart is overwhelmed and my eyes are brimming with tears of gratefulness.

From the day you were born,

to first teeth and first Thanksgivings,

to first birthdays,

to the first time pitching with Daddy's old glove,

and to first trophies...

to the many, many more memories we are so blessed to have. My heart is overwhelmed with gratefulness for my son with the loving heart, the adorable belly laugh, the competitive spirit, the best hugs and this amazing amount of potential. I cannot wait to see what God has in store for J.

It has been eight wonderful years...sure there have been trials. And yes, there was that time you put stickers all over the closet door, cut your brand new shirt at preschool, broke one of my favorite figurines, or that day when you came home from school crying because of the bullies... but son, the blessings way outweigh those trials. I hope that Daddy and I will always seek God's wisdom as we help mold you into a man of character.

I love you, J. And I am so very thankful to be your mommy!

Better Late than Never

So I have been pretty sick the past couple of days and haven't had the energy to blog. So here is the next thing I am thankful for....



I am grateful to have such a wonderful husband. He has been such a great help these past couple of days...taking care of J, cleaning the house (because he knows I can't stand it to be dirty!), and just being there for me.

This coming year will be our 10th anniversary. We have definitely had our ups and downs, but God is faithful. I am so blessed to have a man like Tim in my life. Here are some of the things I love most about him (in no particular order):

His positive outlook
The way he laughs at himself when he makes a clever remark
His passion for people
His determination to be a good husband and provider
How loud he sings at church
The way he loves to help people...any time, any day
How he is still a kid at heart
How he desires so greatly to be used of God

I could go on and on and on...but I am truly thankful for Tim.

I love you, Honey!

I've Got Plenty to be Thankful For!

I love the old movie Holiday Inn...where Bing Crosby sings the song with the above title. Anyway, I do have so much to be thankful for, so I am going to spend a little time this month writing some of those things down.

First and foremost, I am thankful for my Lord Jesus who gave His live for me. I am grateful for His word and how he speaks to me through it. I am grateful that I am His child...and nothing can ever take that away.

My Achy, Breaky Heart

Before you get on to me for using the title of a one hit wonder Billy Ray Cyrus song, it really does sum up how I am feeling today.

Do you ever just have those days where you just don't know what to do as a parent? Well, today was one of them for me.

Poor J had a rough day at school. His class was supposed to work on a diorama of Ramona Quimby, Age 8. Now if you know J, you know that art is not his gift, but we always encourage him to do his best to use the creativity that God has given him. But somewhere along the line, this "attitude" comes out when it comes to doing art. Anyway, the diorama had to come home with him to work on this weekend. This was just the beginning.

After several near meltdowns, we hit the final straw...cleaning up the playroom. A simple task, but not so simple tonight. The "attitude" came back for a visit.

Somedays, it seems like no matter what you do or say as a mom, you just can't get through. By the end of our conversation, he hit the melting point.

After trying to get through to him, it was just time for bed. He was exhausted; we were exhausted. We prayed with him and tucked him in with lots of hugs and kisses.

But still I wonder how I am going to get through to him tomorrow. For him to know that he is smart, and fun, and a beautiful child of God.

Sometimes I miss those baby days...where you can just hug them and kiss them and they know they are loved and they are special.

I know I'll be doing lots of praying tonight...praying for J, praying for wisdom for us as parents, and praying that God would heal a few achy, breaky hearts.