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Thursday, May 27, 2010

You Are Captivating


Last week I was given a little book by my Step-Father, John. The title is You Are Captivating: Celebrating A Mother's Heart by Stasi Eldredge. She is Coauthor of the Bestseller Captivating. It is an uplifting book about being a Mother. I have not had time to read it cover to cover yet, but I have scanned through each chapter. One in particular speaks to me. Chapter 6--God Sees the Good that is Hidden. It points out every day things that ring true to me...read below...

A woman's life, lived in intimate partnership with God, is a beautiful thing to behold. Often, however, the only one who seems to be doing the "beholding" is God himself.

Whether we work full-time outside of the home, full-time within the home, or some creative gymnastic combination of the both, so much of a woman's life is lived in secret; hidden from the eyes of the world and the accolades of others. So much of it feels mundane. You don't get an award for doing your 100,000th load of laundry. Your family expects to eat dinner. So much of what women do feels thankless, unappreciated, unseen. But God sees. And he esteems most what is done away from the eyes of others. He loves hidden, secret, small places. He does his best work there-in the home, in the womb, and in the heart.

Then it touches on personal sacrifice that we all as mothers know about...

Every choice you make to love, to serve, to offer, to sacrifice, God sees and is so very pleased. You are joining him in the amazing work of bringing forth life every time you say yes because it's the loving thing to do. Every single time we choose to put our children first, before our needs and wants, before our dreams and our desires, before our rights and what we deserve, a little bit of our selfishness dies and a little more holiness takes root in our hearts.

"Being a mother has brought out the best and the worst in me"....that's a quote from the book. It could not be more true! It truly brings out the best in you....how many times have I responded to my husband with "I can't do that....I'm a mother."?

And yes, it will bring out the worst as well. You still have an urge deep down to at times still want to be your "old" self. Wanting to do things that you used to be able to do never goes away. It's just a matter of choosing how often you will choose those things over your children. There is the occasional slip. BUT...it does not make you a Bad Mother! Sometimes you need a little time to yourself to do things for yourself...pamper yourself...in order to be re energized and rejuvenated in order to be a better parent. ......and NEVER let anyone tell you any different. This could be a day trip with a friend, a vacation with friends or family, a weekend spa getaway or even just a simple shopping trip to town without the kids in tow. Dad's...listen up....Moms need alone time, too!

So, if you have not picked up this little book....please do. It will help you feel more emotionally secure as a mother. And thank you to my Step-Father for the kind gesture.

Wednesday, May 26, 2010

LOST Finale....did you watch yet?


Ok, well, I have two small children, so it's very hard to get uninterrupted tv time around our house. Tuesday night after I put Adysen to bed and Jonathan went to bed himself...Ethan (our 4 year old) and I finally watched the Sunday night finale of Lost. Well, Ethan fell asleep on the last 20 minutes, but he was a trooper anyway! He has not been alive to see it from start to finish, but I promise he has watched every episode with me since he's been old enough to watch tv. He loves it...and will miss is, too! Anyway, for the ones of you that have watched...did you find yourself crying for the last 30 minutes non-stop without really knowing why you were crying? Well, that was ME!!! I had 20 different theories floating around in my head. Once the final 10 minutes came it all made sense to me, but either way it was very emotional. I can remember back to 2004 when the series was being advertised on tv and there were promotional shots of the Pilot episode being shown of the crash site I told Jonathan...this is going to be a good one....I cannot miss this show, so I marked it on my calendar and in 6 years have not missed an episode...that may sound sad, but I have LOVED every second of it! I am a TV ADDICT!!!....so for me to say this is the BEST show I have ever watched I think it says a lot about the show. Heck, I even missed some episodes of Sex and the City and Friends when they were on and had to catch them later. Well, not Lost! When we were building our house and bouncing back and forth from my In-Laws house to the land in Bartow on the weekends I found myself sitting in my Sister-In-Law's room at night catching Lost before she came home at night...

It will be a greatly missed show and after 6 years it still had the viewers to keep it on the air for a few more seasons, but everything has to come to an end. I was happy to see who everyone seemed to end up with in the end and how the writers tied them all together through their lives. I was happy to see that Kate and Jack had no problem in the end making the decision that they DID in fact LOVE each other. I was happy to see that after all that Jack went through he was able to see that the plane got off of the island in the end and that he was smiling knowing that Kate was on it and going to be able to go back home...she and Claire, to be with Aaron.


I was sad to see that Hurley did not get off the island. I love Hurley and I wanted him to get home, but there was something about him...he wasn't going to leave Jack if he didn't have to.

I was SAD to see that Jack did in fact end up dying on the island....Vincent, the dog was laying beside him so that he would not die alone, but there were no other people with him, so he did die ALONE, but satisfied. Jack was always the one who wanted to fix everything/everyone, so I think he died happy/content knowing that he fixed the island. I was also sad to see that he died in the same place that he started on the island after the crash....in the bamboo grove. 6 years ago he woke up in the bamboo grove with a close up camera shot of his eye popping open....followed by the frantic run to the beach to help survivors. At that moment he was....a broken man...he was LOST! 6 years later he layed down in the same bamboo grove with a close up camera shot of his eye closing when he died....and he was FOUND!


Adysen is getting sooo BIG!!!


T-Ball Season is over!!


Last night was the last t-ball game. Athletics vs Orioles. It was real and it was fun....but I am glad it's over now! It was so cute to watch them get their participation trophies. They were all so excited!

Monday, May 24, 2010

Enter the Mixing Bowl Dessert contest...rules in link below

Ryan Adams releases new album....limited pressing...Vinyl Only!


Shrek Forever After


On Saturday, Ethan and I went to see the last Shrek movie. It was a nice day considering that Ethan and I NEVER get to go anywhere alone now that Adysen has arrived. We had lunch at Locos and then went to see the movie. I was probably more pumped about seeing it than Ethan was, but he still says he wanted to see it more than I did. Either way...it was really good! LOVED IT! Funny, entertaining, a little tear here and there and very sad since there will be no more Shrek movies made. I saw Eddie Murphy on the Ellen Degeneres Show Friday and he made a comment that he wished they could make Shrek movies until there was a Shrek 12....so do we!!!!


Adysen has four teeth!!!

Well, we have been waiting for the top teeth to come in. Adysen has been pulling her ears every day for over a week. Well, yesterday while sitting in my lap I could hear her griding her teeth so I looked and for sure, she has both top teeth coming in together. Now she can eat corn on the cob...as my sister says. LOL!!!

Wednesday, May 19, 2010

Ethan's End of Year Program with Pre-K

Ok, this was a really cute program. I'm sad to see it go. There will be very little fun things like this anymore. Once they start Kindergarten it is more like what we remember from 1st Grade!! I don't remember many fun programs like this once we started "real" school. Anyway, I just wanted to share a few photos from the program.
First is Adysen watching her big brother on stage. She was amazed by everything...until she fell asleep right in the middle of it all!!


Now, on with the show! No, Ethan is not a HAM at all!!!
Here they are being WILD! They are actually singing a song that says "I'm Wild!"

Then they show their claws, beat their chests, and roar!!!


Then the next song is called Get Happy! First they Get Funky, Do the Monkey, Get Clappy and Get Happy!!!! So sweet!

Each class had a little presentation to give and then they showed a really long slideshow of the kids throughout the year. Of course, Ethan was one eating BBQ Chicken and had it all over his face! It was a really cute ending to a fun year!

Tuesday, May 18, 2010

OMG...Did you watch One Tree Hill's Finale??? SPOILERS!!!

First of all, I did not know what to expect when Lucas and Peyton left last season, but I am happy to say that I loved the new season without them. Not that I don't miss them on the show, but I was pleasantly suprised on how quickly I became attached to Clay and Quinn's characters. Nathan and Haley have been a favorite since the series began, so it's always nice to still have them around...glad to see that Haley is finally moving past her mother's death...life goes on, right? BUT.....I know that OTH has been picked up for another season, but I will be biting my nails until we find out what happens to Clay and Quinn....can you believe that crazy Katie girl who wants Clay actually shot he and Quinn last night??? I guess if she couldn't have him then no one could!! CRAZY...DRAMA!!!!

http://www.cwtv.com/shows/one-tree-hill

Monday, May 17, 2010

Hilton Head, SC weekend






We decided to take a short beach trip this past weekend. This was Adysen's first trip to the beach. I was hoping that she would be crawling before we went, but it turns out that sitting up was all she needed!!! Ethan always enjoys running in and out with the tide. He says it makes him feel like he's moving when he stands in the edge and watches the ride roll. We had a blast and we could not have chosen a better weekend for the weather!








After playing in the sand and water...and flying kites until the wind broke them everyone was ready for a bath and a nap. Adysen had dirt in every crease and fold of her little chubby body!!






After the naps were over Ethan wanted to go and see some boats so we went up to Shelter Cove Harbour and ate dinner outside at a neat Mexican restaurant that I grew up going to called San Miguel's. Adysen was happy to sit in her little high chair and watch us eat. She finally decided she did want her bananas and then a guy began to play guitar and sing at the bar area and she was very into that scene! She froze like a little statue....she stared at him for over five minutes without moving. I think she was trying to figure out where all the sounds were coming from.







After dinner we walked around the Marina and ended up at a little park and let Ethan play for a while. Adysen was perfectly content in a little swing all to herself.










After this Ethan said he wanted to play games so we went to Adventure Cove Arcade and played a few games and got some ice cream and headed back to the room for a little rest!








The next morning Ethan and I got up and went back out on the beach to let him pick up seashells like he always does. We ran into a little visitor on the way who was hissing and trying to bite everyone who walked past him.






Ethan let me take a few pictures of him, but not many. He was too interested in getting more wet that the day before when he actually had on a swimsuit. I ended up having to blow dry his shorts so he could wear them home once we left. LOL!


Then it was time to head home. We started out through the Resort and as we wound through the little curvy roads Jonathan noticed something in one of the little waterways between tennis courts and a golf course. Of course, we had to get out and get a closer look!






Then we were finally able to leave. Everyone had a great time and we will go back again soon. It's always too much fun to not go back!



Monday, May 10, 2010

Mother's Day weekend

This weekend was a busy one! Saturday we spent the day with my Mom for Mother's Day. My sister, TeaLisa, and I took Mama (GG...to the kids) and our children (Ethan, Adysen & Braydon) to the park. We wanted to make sure the boys were entertained while we were together, so there was no better option than to go to the park. Within 10 minutes the boys were so sweaty they looked like they had been playing in a sprinkler!! Adysen sat on my knee and destroyed the tablecloth Mama brought to cover the picninc table...I finally had to tear it away...out of her reach so she would stop trying to eat the paper!! Mama was very suprised to see that we had taken the kids to Free Spirit Pottery and made a large plate with the Ethan & Braydon's handprints...and Adysen's footprint on it. Right before they all left we got a phone call from Allison (who owns Adysen's daycare) and her son Cameron (who is Ethan's age and was in preschool with him) asking for us to come to their house to go swimming, so the rest of the afternoon was spent at their house down the street playing in the pool. Ethan cannot swim yet, so it was nice to see that with a life vest and floaties that he was brave enough to go down the slide into the water. He fell off of a float twice and we had to pull him out...but he was fearless!




Sunday was a special day for a few reasons. First, it was Mother's Day and I received my sweet gifts from the kids. Ethan made a picture frame with a photo of himself in it, bookmark with a sweet little poem on it, and best of all a flower pot with little ladybugs, flowers, etc on it made out of his fingerprints in paint and it came with potting soil and flower seeds. Sweet! Then, I was even more suprised to see that Jonathan had been hiding Adysen's gift from daycare from me. Who expects a gift from an infant?...well, I got one. Daycare made a card from her with a photo of her inside, a poem in a frame, and a little wooden hanging ornament with her footprint in paint on it...too cute!

Then we went off the church....it was baby dedication day!...and Adysen's 7 month birthday! This was an event that we will never forget. There were 9 children being dedicated of all ages, yet our daughter was the loudest one up there! She was laughing, making her "dinosaur" sounds, and spitting everywhere. We could not stop laughing and neither could the people in the congregation. Before it was all over Jonathan pointed out that she had spit soooo much that the bible on the alter table was wet in spots where her spit had reached!





After church it was back home to spend the afternoon with Nana (Jonathan's Mom) for Mother's Day. She does not like to make moments about her, so she still cooked and everything. She grilled hamburgers and hotdogs and Ethan was so excited to give her her gift that he would not even wait until she was finished digging through the freezer to open it herself. When we made the plate for my Mom we also made a pitcher for Nana with Ethan's handprints and Adysen's footprints on it. Next thing you know she had taken her vase of flowers off of the kitchen table and put them into the pitcher right in the middle of the table.

After lunch it was back home to do housework since we had not really been home all weekend. Then nap time!!

Happy Mother's Day to all the Mothers who read this!

For a look into the pottery shop click here...
http://www.freespiritpottery.com/

Wednesday, May 5, 2010

LaLa is closing down....

Just for your information, LaLa...my favorite music streaming site is closing down May 31st!!!