23/30

Today I am thankful for a wonderful, loving God.  I am thankful for the free-will he gives us all, allowing us the opportunity to take our own paths in life, with him by our sides.  Our world is a scary, dark place that grows worse every second of the day.  Knowing God is who he is makes living bearable in today's times.  Instead of living in fear, I know who I belong to, who my life belongs to, and I am able to feel secure in his arms. 

22/30 - 11/15

Today I am most thankful for my sister and her little family.  The cool thing about having a sister is God gives you a best friend for life.  She and I are 13 months apart.  We aren't as close as twins, but about as close as non twins can be.  I haven't always been the perfect sister to her, but she has always kept up her share of the deal.  Regardless of the unnecessary pain I caused her growing up, she has a heart of gold for me.  It always amazed me that when I would get in trouble (it happened a lot) and would have to get punished, she would cry right there with me.  Guess when I physically felt the must deserved spankings on my behind, she felt them in her heart.

It makes me smile to know I played a small part in her meeting her soul mate, her husband.  They have been married 9 years and have been together 12 years.  Her husband is the perfect fit to our family and I am proud to call him my brother. 

Thanks to them, I am a proud aunt to the sweetest, prettiest little country gal around.  Being a mother is a pretty awesome job and right there underneath is the job of being an aunt.  My niece brightens my day every time I see her or think about her.  She and my son are 19 months apart and are already the best of friends.  Shoot Little Man adores her so much when he sings his ABC's he leaves out J and adds another K for his KayKay.

21/30 - 7/10

Today I am thankful for honesty from a child.  Sometimes the truth isn't easy to hear, but I want my kids to understand, as long as they are honest, I'll always have a ear for them.  My Daddy taught my sister and I to not lie and I plan on passing this on to all our boys. 

20/30 - 2/3

Today I am thankful for books and my love to read.  Give me a book and tell me I have to read it and I probably won't.  Let me discover a book on my own and I'll read it and enjoy every second.  Books are fun because you can use your imagination, relate to the characters, and jump in like you are living the story yourself.  The best books are the ones you can't put down, they follow you everywhere.  I'm also thankful for my Sony ereader.  This allows me to carry around my whole library in my bag.  I can pull it out and commence to ignoring the world.

19/30

Today I am thankful for a husband that allows me to sleep in when he is off of work. 

18/30 - 3/5

Okay...I admit it.  I am doing horrible regarding remembering to post every day for this month what I am thankful for.  Instead of trying to catch up, I'm just going to continue today.  This doesn't mean I am not thankful for something every day, b/c I am and I do think about posting, just forget.  If you know me, you totally understand.  At any rate...

Today I am thankful that my entire family is home.  We went to NC today to pick up the boys and just got home about an hour ago.  I know the love I have for our boys, but just seeing it radiating from Little Man just melts my heart.  I think his cheeks will be sore tomorrow from smiling so much tonight. 

I am also thankful God kept us safe on our journey today.  Coming home we had a tire blow out in Charlotte.  Of course we were against the wall in bumper to bumper traffic.  Talk about scary!!  I think we all were shaking, except Little Man...he was napping.  :)

The boys will be here for a week so I'm kinda hoping it will draaaaaaaaaaaaaag by.

11/30

Today I am thankful for our Veterans, most especially those who gave the ultimate sacrifice and those who have experienced combat firsthand.  I'm sure their isn't a day that goes by where, either they or their loved ones, left behind, aren't haunted by the things they have seen or the void in their lives.

10/30 - 1/3

Today I am thankful for our boys.  All three of them hold a very special place in my heart.  Thanks to the two oldest ones, I was able to experience what being a mother was all about before we were blessed with Little Man.  The two oldest, use to live in IL a couple of years ago, and we were only able to see them during the summer.  It was a huge bummer but given the miles and the fact we aren't millionaires, we took what we could get.  Now that they live in NC, about 4 hours away, we are able to spend the summers, springbreak, Thanksgiving & Christmas with them.  No, it doesn't compare with every other weekend or every day but some things are beyond our control.  I am also thankful, things are not what they were 2 or more years ago.  I'll just leave it at that to prevent bitter feelings. 

We will be getting the boys next week for almost a week and I can't wait.  When they Hubby is at work, they are with me...another perk of staying at home, and we always seem to have a good time.  Little Man is so excited his "broders" are coming!  He talks about them all the time and says they live far away with their mama.

9/30 - 3/10

Today I am thankful for the opportunity to further my education.  I am pursuing, at this time, my bachelor's of science, special education & elementary education from Western Governor's University.  I might not be the best student, meaning I am a huge fan or victim of procrastination, but I am enjoying the opportunity to turn a childhood dream into a reality.  I have a passion for teaching and the yearning to learn all I can about special education, since this really hits home.  Our oldest boy has Asperger's Syndrome, so understanding this syndrome is a huge priority to me and my family. 

8/30 - 4/15

Today I am thankful for my mama.  No relationship with anybody is ever the same.  Meaning, my relationship with my mama might not be like your relationship with your mama, and heck, it might not even be the same as my sister's relationship wither our mama.  But at any rate, I am thankful for my mama and our relationship.  I'm not going to knock her childhood, but let's be honest, it wasn't ideal for any child.  She had to grow up fast, too fast, and experienced trauma I don't even want to think about.  No matter who you are, you can't always shake your past.  It is going to impact you.  Everyone is impacted in different ways.  With that said, my mama might not be perfect, but again, she is perfect for me.  God gave her to me for a reason and I thank him for that, daily. 

Our relationship hasn't been perfect, at times we might not even talk to one another, but the love I have for my mama is unending.  We might not tell each other often but I know she loves me.  She has proved it countless times.  I remember having a week or two old colicky baby and suffering from post-partum depression.  The hubby was working the night shift and here I was all alone with a non-stop crying baby at about 2 in the morning.  I was in tears myself, probably crying just as loud, and I didn't know what to do.  I called my mama and without asking she came.  She rocked Little Man and I fell asleep.  She saved me!
That moment will always stick out to me.

Oh yeah, I get my sense of humor from her too. That might not always be a good thing, but I enjoy it. 

7/30

Today I am thankful for my friends from High School.  We don't see each other much these days, some I haven't seen since we graduated in 1999, but even still they hold a special place in my heart.  I won't name names, b/c even at our age I know feelings can be hurt, but I know who you are, and you know who you are. 

I even ran into one of you guys last week at Wal-mart.  I smile as I am reminded of our youth.

6/30 - 1/5

Today I am thankful for the unity of marriage.  Yesterday, my cousin's daughter married her best friend.  It was a beautiful ceremony.  My cousin is a HUGE animal lover and it was neat to see her "best friends" incorporated into the wedding.  One of the bridesmaids wheeled her dogs in on a wagon.  They had dresses and everything! 

The wedding reminded me, once again, of my love for my marriage.  Hubby and Little Man spent their time, during the wedding, in the bathroom.  Little Man is now potty trained, so when he has to go, it is a race!  At any rate, sitting there I couldn't help but reminisce back to our wedding day and every day since then.  A smile, of course, was planted on my face.

5/30 - 1/6

Today I am thankful for my husband.  I knew he made my soul complete the day we met.  I prayed for God to send me the man he made for me, and I knew the first time I saw Hubby that my prayer had come true.  Our relationship has never been perfect, meaning without bumps in the road, but is any relationship?  I know that together, we are perfect for one another, and together we will make it through anything.  After being diagnosed with major depression and ptsd, I have been a struggle to be around.  I know this b/c lots of times I struggle to be around myself.  Maybe that is part of the illness.  Through it all, my Hubby has been by my side, behind me, and at times he has even had to carry me.  I'm not a light load these days, but he has stepped in and has never let me down.  He is my Super-Man and every day I am thankful he is mine.

4/30 - 2/15

Today I am thankful my husband has a job that allows him to provide for all 4 of his family members.  Because of his dedication to us, we are able to have our basic needs met along with even some of our wants.  :)  In today's times too many people stand around with their hands out waiting on the government instead of working to help themselves.

3/30 - 1/10

Today I am thankful for my ability and love to read.  I love to learn new things and what better way than curling up with a good book.

2/30 - 1/15

Today I am thankful for a Daddy who loves our Lord.  If you ask me, I think my Daddy is the greatest man alive.  Who better for this earthly man to love than Jesus Christ?  Because of his devotion to the Lord, my son will be able to have a grand-father who is always in church and in the Word.  This is important to me, because I had a grand-father who was the same way.  Without Jesus we are nothing. 

As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. - Joshua 24:15

1/30

Today I am thankful for the opportunity to spend the past 16 months as a stay at home mom. This has allowed me the privilege to watch my son grow, teach him to count, the colors, shapes, ABC's, and even to use the potty. Every day is a chance for us to learn. He teaches me something new every day as well.

Potty Report

 After going through countless pairs of underwear since Saturday, we are finally seeing some huge progress with Little Man’s potty training mission. Today is the first day he has actually recognized the “urge” to go. I was cleaning our carpet in our bedroom today. Since the path to the potty in the master bathroom was in ruins I put his potty in the kitchen…closer to him, playing demolition derby in the living room. While changing out the water in the carpet cleaner I looked up and noticed him pulling down his underwear and assuming the position on his potty. Score! During supper tonight, we hear, “I gotta pee pee” and off he went running for the bathroom. I know we are far from winning the battle with strictly using only the potty, but we will be there soon if he keeps this up!

Living la vida loca

Here are some things that ground me that I encounter on a regular basis:
• I love to open the utensils’ drawer and discover everything in disarray. Little Man has been in there trying to find the perfect utensil for his yogurt.

• I love to trip over my “work” shoes that have barely been worn since I resigned. They are out of their normal spot because Little Man just loves tromping through the house saying, “I got yous shoes!”

• I love finding our pillows all over the floor along with our bedding. Little Man calls our pillows his bed. He loves to lie on the floor and pretend to “go night-night” with the dogs if he can lure them in. He will even put his “guys” to bed. (guys-his little toys)

• I love to get up from the couch to do something only to come back and discover a little blonde sitting there. “My couch! My couch, Mama!” laughing at his achievement.

• I love to sit down at my desk to write something and discover the pen holder completely empty. I know Little Man loves to draw and my pens are probably tucked safely under the couch or bed, where he forgot them.

• I love to find writing and stickers on the wall. I am reminded, Little Man, has a knack for being creative.

• I love to walk around looking like I didn’t brush my hair all day…because I didn’t. Couldn’t find the brush. The dogs, on the other hand, look outstanding since Little Man brushed their hair, with my brush.

All of these things and many, many more could drive a person crazy, including myself, if we let them. As a family we chose to ignore these things. You could surprise us and come for a visit to find our house in pure chaos cosmetically. There will be toys on the floor, there will be dogs running around, there will be a little blue-eyed blonde running around in a t-shirt and underwear, there will be me, hair a mess, and you will have to move a book or two to sit on the couch, you might even have to stand if Little Man decides to “get yous seat”, but what you won’t find is a child scared to move because he might mess something up. You will find a happy, entertaining little guy that wants nothing more than to get you to smile or laugh at him.

See at our house we live. Yes, we clean up, but five minutes later and it looks like it did the five before. We live and we are happy with that.

Potty Training

Well, Little Man will be 2 1/2 years old in a couple of weeks and I figured it was high time we let Wal-mart, Wal-greens, and Target find new customers for their Huggies.  Maybe some will think I'm jumping on the bandwagon too late or too soon, but heck I can't rely on any of you to do it for us so keep your opinions to yourself. 

At any rate, we are on day two of, Josie's Potty Camp.  And, I may add, Little Man is in the same pair of underwear that he put on this morning when he pottied after I took last night's diaper off.  Not too shabby.  Now I am basing our method on my gut instinct...no books...nobody else's opinion.  After all, this is my child, not some cookie-cutter-child out of a book. 

We are spending a lot of time in the bathroom...every 30 mins or so...and have even spent a little time outside.  He pooped in the commode at my mama's yesterday using his potty lid, but so far today we haven't encountered this "job".  Hopefully, we will end this day on another successful note. 

Little Man sure is looking cute in his big boy underwear.  Right now he is sporting Faded Glory Brand undies from Wal-mart.  I'm not a fan of Faded Glory Clothing but we got a big pack of these undies for pretty cheap so they will work for now. 

Well, enough bathroom talk.  I've got a chocolate cake in the oven.  I'm making Pumpkin Cake Pops (minus the stick) to send the boys in NC for Halloween. 

Here is the idea:

Except I am using chocolate cake and icing.

Click here for picture source!

We are back!

Well 2010 was not my year. As you can tell from my lack of blogging on this blog. We are back. Back to continue what the blog was begun for...updates on my wonderful family.

I am still a stay at home mommy, best job ever, but I regret to say, I am seeking employment in a job where I can earn a paycheck. Little Man and Hubby pay me daily but I feel it is time I contribute again to our family financially. Now I know I will be starting all over again...at the bottom of the corporate ladder, but that is okay. I'm not afraid of heights and will progress wherever God guides me.

I'm still in school full-time and I'm thinking about changing my major to Accounting from Special Education, Elementary. I REALLY don't want to change it b/c I have always wanted to be a teacher. I keep having thoughts that I should start a preschool at my church but this seems out of the question since right now we are not active in our church. Lots of teachers I know have been complaining teaching isn't what it use to be. The economy is horrible and lots of teachers have lost their jobs so the hiring outlook is pretty grim. Accounting would go along w/my previous experience and I love numbers and working with numbers. I think I would have a better chance finding a job in accounting than teaching but gosh I don't know...

I am currently looking for employment, as stated previously, but haven't had any luck so far. I did get a call for a phone interview for Hallmark but it was only for like 3 hrs a week or so at $7 an hr. I figure after taxes I would bring home $60 or so bucks a month. Thats not even a tank of gas!! So you can see why I changed my mind.

The hubby is still working his 12 hour shifts at said (maybe not for privacy reasons) job. He has been there for 2 years now. He did a one year stint in the Army Reserves (why did we get out of the Marine Corp??) and discovered the Army is no place for a Marine. Maybe active duty is different, but for him it was a whole different ballgame.

The boys are in their 2nd year at East Wilkes County, NC school system. For a while there, before summer, we thought the boys were going to move away again. First said place was FL, then it was changed to IL, and finally back to NC. The choices some people make...I'll hush there b/c as a mother, as their step-mother, I am bitter about the whole situation. Needless to say, we are glad they are now 3-4 hrs (depending on traffic and who is driving) away from us instead of 16 hrs.

The boys will be back with us the weekend before Thanksgiving. Little Man can't wait. He loves his brothers. He ask about them all of the time. It is an ajustment when they are here but we are grateful for every second we are able to spend with them. It rocks that we get them for the summer, the holidays, and go see them when we are able to. Really beats seeing them for only 4 weeks, if that, in the summer only, like it use to be.

The rabbits are doing great! They have their own blog, which you can find here and if you would like to inquire about available rabbits feel free to email us by clicking here.  High tech, huh?  We started working with just wire cages and kept the rabbits in the barn but know we have build new outside cages for all of them.  The great thing is, we are able to move them back into the barn if we need to.  They really seem to enjoy being out in the fresh air.  Happy rabbits are always a plus!

Here are some recent pictures - Enjoy!

Our 4 year wedding anniversary

This kid loves slides - 9'11

The Merry-Go-Round is a family favorite!