Laughter is soooo good for me

Check this out. For those of you who share my love for Chick-fi-la will relate.

It was really a vacation.

A week ago today we got back from our vacation to Orlando. Now, my hubby and I have come to realize that vacations with young kids are unpredictable. We have learned the hard way several times. We finally know to have low expectations because you never know who's sick, who's cranky, who's cutting new teeth, etc. Well....WE HAD A WONDERFUL TRIP!!!!!!! Thank you all who prayed for us. The kids did great! Of course it's not relaxing when you vacation with 3 young kids. But, I did honestly come back refreshed. I have truly been blessed throughout my path of life with wonderful friends. You know who you are. On this trip, 2 special families joined us. G & B invited us and the L's to come and share their vacation with them for the week. It was so refreshing to be with long time friends. We relaxed at the resort everyday except the day we went to MAGIC KINGDOM! Again, we went with low expectations and it turned out to be an awesome day! We got there when it opened and pretty much left when it closed. A great day to see life through the eyes of a kid. Here are some pictures of the trip.




The pool area was great! So beautiful. You also felt like you were at the beach because of an area with hammocks and sand where the kids loved to play!



*Since Magic Kingdom was a day of lots of pictures, I decided to do a separate post of our day there. Stay tuned....

A weekend getaway

Jon and I were blessed to have a weekend away without the kids last weekend. Thank you to my WHOLE family who pitched in and each had a kid. We could not have done it without them. Our church had a Marriage retreat at Winshape. We were pleasantly surprised with how beautiful the place was. Jon and I never really thought we would do a marriage retreat, but let me tell you it is great to do. Marriages need to be focused on. It is so easy to put aside your husband or wife while you are raising kids. You don't even realize it's happening. It was great to just spend time together and talk. Who'd a thought....communication. These days, communication is tough when 3 kids are fighting for your attention. The weekend highlights for me were
1. riding bikes all afternoon with Jon
2. yummy cookies
3. food was wonderful
4. tranquil room with great music
5. laughing with Jon
6. star gazing (don't get to see stars anymore since moving here)
7. FULL and complete conversations with friends
8. sleeping for 7 hours straight and not waking one time!!!!!
9. taking walks/hikes

It was constructed after French architecture.

*notice something about the picture of Jon and I? I was trying to get a nice picture of us. After several tries with him making some obnoxious face, I gave in.

It's been a while...

It's been a while since my last post. Honestly, by night time, when O is finally in bed for the night, the last thing I want to do is use my brain. I just want to be comatose in the recliner. Is it weird that sometimes I stay up late just so I can be awake with a quiet house? No one is crying, no nose to wipe, no diaper to change, no snack to get, no sippy cup to fill, no shoes to put on, and I could go on. BUT even though they are long days, I do cherish these long days. I hear they go by quickly. As my brother says, "little kids, little problems, big kids, big problems". I'll take the little problems for now. Does anyone remember that commercial "It's 9 o'clock, do you know where your children are?" It was a NY commercial when I was a kid. Anyway, right now I DO know where my kids are and for that I'm thankful for this stage.

O is growing!!! It's hard to believe she will be 4 months next week. She's a happy baby. It's amazing how all three of my kids have been completely different babies. You'd think they'd be the same, but no...of course not. She's sleeping through the night - Praise the Lord! But naps are inconsistent. She's kind of a cat napper. I'm trying to just go with it.

And of course, my almost 4 month old is trying to cut her first tooth. AND my almost 2 year old's molars are coming in. Oh, what joy! Today was just one of those days. God is good and his grace ABOUNDS in my life. His grace makes up for all my weaknesses. And I thank God for that daily.

We head for Orlando tomorrow!!!! Yippee! We are meeting friends there and are so excited. We'll be going to Disney one day! J does not know yet. I know he's going to LOVE it. M on the other hand will probably be scared of everything. I'M SO EXCITED! I'll post pictures when we return.

Pictures of our week...


At Dekalb Airport picnicing at the playground. So fun to watch the planes coming and going.


After J's face plant into our cement patio. Turned into a nice black eye.

Happy Valentine's Day Grandma and Grandpa!!!!

This post is dedicated to Jon's parents. The kids want to ask them a question...Will you be our Valentine's?

Jon has not lived close to his parents since he lived at home during high school. Last year, they lived 2 hours from us for about 5 months. It was great!!! We were able to spend many weekends with them including J's 3rd Bday, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and M's dedication. It was a really special time with them and we are so thankful for it. They now live in North Dakota and we miss them so much. Happy Valentine's Day Ma and Pa! Here are some pictures of your grandkids...and M is not left out. Dad, I know she's got a special spot in your heart.

We're just calling to say we love you!!!

A CHILDHOOD DREAM COME TRUE

J's great tricks

Jon showing us his moves from his cheer leading days

So, as a kid I always wanted a trampoline. Well, at the age of 32 I finally get one. That reminds me, I also would always ask for a "snoopy snow cone machine". For years I had asked for one for Christmas. Well, my parents decided to get me one when I was in the 7TH GRADE. I'm sure they thought they were pretty hilarious. I actually still loved it. I'm pretty sure it's still in their basement too. Seriously.

A family that we know gave us this great gift! As you can see there is no net. My mother probably prays for J's safety every night. We love it and J's having fun with it.

Look at my "sweet skills".

She's gettin old

O was 2 months old yesterday!!! She is doing well. Letting mommy sleep at night!!! Praise the Lord. It's amazing how a full night of uninterrupted sleep can make for a better mommy. We do have some tummy issues. So it has been a continuous guessing game of what is going on. J and M are adjusting to their new baby sister. We had a rough month or so in December. Things are much better. It's amazing how when my kids go through "tough phases" that I think it may never end and this is the new kid. But they eventually come out of it. I've wondered how a chart would look if I kept a record of what is going on in all of our lives during these growing pains that my kids have. I'm sure when I am struggling with things or major change is going on or J is not around as much, would show a jump in the growing pains chart. Hmm, I wonder. But, we survived another phase. God is good.

By the way, who does she look like?