Blessed by Friends

I have been reminded lately how truly blessed I am to have friends in my life. Over the years I have been so priviledged to have made some of the best friendships and have been priviledge to have stayed in contact with so many. This week I have been blessed to spend some one-on-one time with a couple (as one-on-one can be with kids around, but quality, none the less), and have had a some friends bless me with her willingness to help me out.

Sunday, I was able to bring my friend, Melanie, to church with me. Nothing makes me happier than sharing that part of my life with someone that I care about. Melanie and I met while I was teaching at Sheely Farms. She was a second grade teacher and I taught kindergarten. We just hit it off and I was so lucky to have her there with me. Obviously, I moved on from teaching and Melanie went to another school, but over the past 3 years we have stayed in contact and recently have been able to see and talk more. Noelle and her son, Noah are only 5 days apart, so it's nice to have that in common. It has been great to spend some time with her and her boys. On Monday, we met at Tot Town and then had lunch. The kids played great together and we were able to catch up. We have so much in common and I look forward to spending more time together in the future.

Wednesday, my great friend Lisa was a blessing. I have been so tired lately and this week was a little hectic. She was so wonderful to offer to watch the girls for me. I was able to rest, take a bath and get a little organized during the couple hours that the girls got to play with their friends and have lunch. It was so nice to have a little time to myself during the day and it was so nice to have such a thoughtful friend!

Thursday, I was able to meet up for lunch with another friend of mine, Nicole. We graduated from the teaching program at ASU West together. She is still teaching kindergarten and is going on her 5th school year. I am so proud of her for continuing. I am so glad that we have stayed in touch, but unfortunately don't get to see eachother as often as we would like. I hope to change that. I had to bring the girls with me, so our conversation was interupted frequently, but we were able to catch up on life. She is a true inspiration and such an amazingly positive person.

I also have to mention another friend of mine, Alison. We went to high school together and I feel so lucky that she is back in my life. She recently moved closer to me and we have been able to spend more time together and I couldn't be happier. She has been a lifesaver on several occasions, watching the girls for me and recently letting me borrow ALL her maternity clothes. I got a whole new wardrode and am actually looking forward to getting big so I can wear them. What a blessing!

God has been so good to me and I am so thankful for the friends He has given me. These are just a few that have made a difference this week! Thank you!

Daddy's Day Off

Joe has Fridays off and we like to do something fun with the girls. The day started out like most of our days, Noelle gets up first. We snuggle for a little while and then she is ready for the day to start. She hops up heads to the kitchen points to the refrigerator and says "juice" (meaning milk, basically anything in a cup), then goes to the cupboard gets a bowl, and then opens up the pantry points to the cereal she wants and says "cerealll" repeatedly. What can I say she knows what she wants. Anywhere from a few minutes to an hour, Joleigh rolls out of bed. It takes her much longer to start the day. She needs to cuddle first and immediately have the TV on. She will eventually ask for some milk and maybe some breakfast. She is not quite a morning person, but her mood is usually good, just needing a little time to veg out. Anyway, after a few disney channel shows, Joe and I decided we needed to plan something before the day got away from us and we were sitting in front of the TV all morning. We decided to head to Desert Ridge and bring the girls to play in the water fountains. It sounded like something fun and new to do. I had brought the girls once before, Noelle was too little but Joleigh had a great time. Once we got there the girls wanted to have nothing to do with it. They would walk slowly up to the fountains and then run right back to us. It didn't help that after just a few minutes of being there, two kids collided and one little boy was screaming and blood was literally gushing from his mouth. Turns out he knocked a tooth loose. So watch your kids and be careful.



I'm glad we were persistant and didn't turn around and leave. We stayed for about an hour and then grabbed some lunch at Rubios. We came home and everyone took a very long nap! Hallelujah! The late afternoon, we spent playing as usual, then Joe went and rented Meet the Robinsons to watch as a family. We got the girls in their pjs early, popped some popcorn and enjoyed the rest of our evening.

I love that the simplest things can make for such a great day together. The girls absolutely adore their dad and can't spend enough time with him. They were all smiles all day long!

Happy Birthday Mom!

Today was my mom, Beth's, birthday. The girls and I made cookies for her and they decorated a special card. We went to her work to surprise her with our special delivery. My mom had fun showing off her girls to all her friends at work. Later, we went to celebrate at Olive Garden for dinner, with my mom, dad, sister and my family. It was a wonderful time and delicious food. Afterwards, we went back to their house for cake and ice cream. We had a great time celebrating with her and celebrating her! I hope she had a wonderful day, she deserves it!

Another Fun Day

Today was a great day with our little family. We started by getting ready for church and Grandma Linda (Joe's mom) came over to go to church with us. It was her day off and she wanted to spend it with the girls. She brought over a present for them, an inflatable giraffe pool. The girls were excited, but the box it came in didn't do it justice. It wasn't until later in the day, after church, lunch in the cafe, playtime with Grandma and Uncle Joshy, and naps that they really got to see just how cool their new present really was. We decided to blow the pool up in the living room, beofre bringing it outside. You can see from the pictures how excited they were. Joe decided to fill it up with water so it could warm up and they could use it tomorrow. Some how Joleigh and Noelle convinced him that it was warm enough to get play in. They had fun in the freezing cold water, until their lips turned blue, so we made them get out. Oh well, it will be another day of fun tomorrow.

Mamma Mia

I just got home from a date with my mom. We see eachother all the time, but don't get to spend a lot of one on one time together, without the kids. I picked her up this morning and went to have breakfast and chat. Then we went to see Mamma Mia together. I usually go see girly movies with my girlfriends, but thought how much fun it would be to see it with my mama. It was such a fun movie and I couldn't have seen it with a better person. I love my mom and I hope she knows how much! If you are reading this and are of the female gender you will absolutely love this movie and make sure to give your mama a great big hug!

Our Trip to the Cabin

The girls and I just got back from at trip up north. We spent a couple days at my Granny and Papa's cabin at Mormon Lake. Joe had to work, so my sister, Jamie, came with us. We had a great time! The weather was amazing...we actually got to wear jeans and sweatshirts. We went for walks, sat on the porch, rode around in their Ranger, took the girls to the tire swing, petting zoo, played games and just relaxed. My Granny fed us the most delicious food!!! I don't know what she does, but EVERYTHING that she makes tastes better, especially up there. It seems like all we do when we are at the cabin is relax, eat, nap and eat some more. We didn't stay long, but the time we were there was great. We missed Daddy and I missed my bed. Here are some pictures, so you can see just how much fun we had. Thanks Granny and Papa!

Swimming Lesson

On Sunday the girls had their last swimming lesson. They have been going since the middle of May to a friend of mine, Tricia, who I met at our CCV Women's Bible Study. The girls have loved it! Joleigh absolutely loved Teacher Trish, but is still overcoming some fear of the water. She is going through a phase where everything scares her, hopefully it will pass soon. But Joleigh loves to be in the pool and I have definately seen more confidence in her. We will keep practicing. Noelle on the other hand is a little fish. She has no problem getting in the pool and going underwater, she can really hold her breath, as long as she can't see me. If she saw me, she wanted me to hold her so I learned to stay out of sight. Swimming lessons were a great experience and I look forward to them again in the future. If anyone is wanting more information, let me know. Tricia will be having a baby anyday now, so she is done until next summer, but I would totally recommend her to everyone!

Movie Nights

We have had Family movie nights the past two Fridays in a row and it has been so fun! We have rented movies the girls have picked, The Bee Movie and Ratatouille, popped popcorn and stayed up past bedtime. It is so great to start some family traditions. I don't know how often we will do them, but at least now Joleigh will know what we are talking about when we say, we are having a Movie Night. The picture of Joe and Joleigh is them dancing to the movie credits, too cute!!!

My sweet little niece

My family is very excited to introduce baby Tatum Lucille. My brother, Jason, and his fiance, Tammy, welcomed their precious little girl on Wednesday, June 18, three weeks early. Everyone is doing good. We love having a new little girl in the family, Joleigh and Noelle especially. Noelle is currently obsessed with babies and all she wants to do is stare at, touch, kiss baby Tatum and repeatedly say "baby." It's really cute! They will be even more excited when she can start playing with them. But until then we will just admire her!

I've Been Challenged...

My friend, Lisa, challenged me. The rules are; List 3 joys, 3 fears, 3 goals, 3 current obsessions, 3 random surprising facts about yourself.

JOYS
1. My husband. He is unbelievably amazing! I couldn't ask for a better partner, provider, protector, encourager, best friend, father, companion, someone to make me smile. He is a man of integrity, compassion, someone I respect more than anyone. He would do anything for me and I am the luckiest woman in the world that he is mine!
2. My beautiful daughters, Joleigh and Noelle. I dreamed of being a mother since I was a little girl and my dreams pale in comparison. I never imagined I could love so much and already feel the love in return. Everyday brings new joy to my life! Their laughs, smiles, voices, singing, dancing, playing together is indescribable. They truly are the light of my world!
3. This new baby. I have gone so back and forth about having a 3rd child. There are have been so many questions in my head and so many emotions. That is why this baby is such a gift from God and an answer to our prayer. I can't wait to see how our new addition will blend in and be a part of the is wonderful family of mine!

FEARS
1. Losing someone that I love, especially my husband and children. I think that is self-explanatory. It would be a nightmare.
2. Someone in my family not knowing what they mean to me. It is so easy to take each other for granted and assume that the feelings we have for one another is evident. I love my family more than I can express and them not knowing how completely would devastate me.
3. Disappointing someone that I care about. I am definitely a people pleaser, and I have a hard time when someone is upset with me. I try really hard to be genuine and honest, but when I let someone down, it is really hard on me.

GOALS
1. To be organized in my house. At work I have always been extremely organized, but at home I struggle so badly. I want to have a place for everything but get so lazy. I really want to have a clean and organized house.
2. To go back to teaching. I'm not sure when, but eventually. I keep having kids, so that date gets further and further away, but eventually. I will have to take some classes to get certified again. I can't wait to be back in the classroom.
3. To make some extra money. I want to help Joe out anyway I can. I have been working part time from home, very part-time, but also think that I will start subbing in the fall.

OBSESSIONS
1. The internet. I stay home a lot so I depend on the internet to be my outlet to the outside world. This is why I have a facebook and myspace account, now this blog. I am constantly checking these, as well as my email and checking in to see what everyone else is up to. It is a bad habit, but I can't help it.
2. Hollywood gossip. I love magazines, television shows and the internet. I can't explain it, it's just curiosity. It's definitely not a lifestyle I desire, I just find it so interesting, I guess.
3. Taking pictures of my girls. I literally have taken thousands of pictures. There have been weeks at a time that I have taken a picture every single day of the girls and all their randomness. I don't know what I will do with all of them, but it is nice to know that their entire childhood will be captured in photographs. Someday they will thank me, even though now Joleigh runs away from me and the camera.

FACTS
1. If I could go anywhere in the world, I want to go to Africa on a missions trip and work with orphaned children. I would choose this trip above any vacation. I feel this on my heart and pray one day it will become reality.
2. I am ambidextrous. I can write with both hands, but prefer my left, but I do everything else right-handed. Lisa and I have this in common.
3. I have deformed ear lobes. One is connected, the other is not. It is definitely an insecurity of mine, Just kidding, but kind of weird.

This was fun and insightful. I don't know who reads this, but if you do you should try it!

Tot Town

So we did something fun today. I took the girls to Mountain Ridge Baptist Church this morning for their Tot Town. It's great!!! They are open almost every Monday from 9:30-11:30 for toddler and preschool age kids. It's free for the summer and they have $10 fee per family for the year starting in the fall. They have a bounce house, bikes, scooters (Joleigh's favorite), slides, puzzles, play kitchens, tables, baby dolls (Noelle's favorite), etc. As you can see from the pictures the girls had so much fun. We met our friends there and also saw some other friends that we knew there. Who knows maybe next week we will see you!

Swaziland

So, I just have share how sweet and adorable my little Joleigh is. She loves church, especially since she turned 3 and gets to go to Good Times Kitchen, the preschool program at CCV. She is like a little sponge, soaking up all she can. She has memorized every Bible verse that has been sent home, since she turned two. It has completely blown Joe and I away, I think she knows more than me. I love that she can tell me about her Bible stories and teaches us all her new songs. But I think the thing that has made my heart smile the most is her recent interest in the church's summer mission project. After service we picked Joleigh up and asked her if she wanted to get the M&M container, thinking we would have to tell her what the project was all about. Instead, we go pick out a purple container (her favorite color) and she begins to tells us that Miss Shauna told her that she has to "give monies to help the kids in Swaziland. That they needed help." Being a proud parent and extremely emotional pregnant lady, I got tears in my eyes that at such a young age she had the understanding of helping people. Well, after we got home and ate dinner, Joleigh had her M&m treat and shared with her sister. So we talked about ways she can earn quarters to fill the container. By the way, I can't tell you how many times I heard her saw "M&M container." She was so excited and I am so excited for her! She is already half way there, just by being a good girl, making good choices and asking her uncles for some money. Smart girl! I love her!

Our Family 4th of July

We have had the best time the past few days. Joe has been working a lot lately, so he was very intentional about taking a long 4-day holiday weekend. So on the actual 4th we went to Joe's dad house for a family BBQ and pool party. Tom, Paula, Josh, Justin, Jeri and Shelby were all there to celebrate. We had a delicious lunch, then took Joleigh swimming, while Noelle took a nap. I usually dread holidays, I know that sounds bad, but they are always jam-packed with places to go, but we didn't have anywhere else to be. After naps and hanging out, we went home and had our first family movie night. We popped popcorn, got in our comfy clothes (we made the house so cold we could wear our sweatshirts), and watched the Bee Movie. It was so much fun and one of the best 4th of Julys I can remember. Even though it was the first one in along time we didn't see fireworks. Oh well maybe next year.