Get Away

I was talking to one of my best friends today and we are both going on a trip without our kids starting this weekend. She is going on a cruise to the Bahamas and I'm so sad that we aren't going with them. The plan was for us and them to go together but some thing happened at hubby's work and he is no longer allowed to have that week off<sigh> Thank God for travel insurance so we got 100% of our money back but still.....so sad. Anyway, we were talking about how much work is involved in going away either with the kids or without. I had to take my oldest to the ortho this am and I decided to see if I could find some new bras on the way home. It was not a good thought out idea, as I had all three kids with me and I didn't go to VS. Got home from all that and we got school done and now I'm wiped out...seriously, wiped out. I need to do laundry and pack but its just not happening and we leave, or supposed to,  in the morning! We have church tonight and I really, really want to go because its a new church and I want to see how Wed nights go. I just don't know how to get it all done. I didn't plan this out good enough and now I'm overwelmed. I'm bummed we aren't going on the cruise and bummed I couldn't find some new bras(totally my fault). So, we will see if myself and the kids actually leave tomorrow or if we will get up early on Friday to go.

But....dinner is in the crockpot and smells delish.....homemade spaghetti! So, thats one good thing!

Out of sorts....

I feel totally out of sorts lately. I'm not sure if its the fact that its a PMS week or if I'm just dealing with some emotions that I've kept at bay for a while. But, I know that I am PMSing and my kids are totally getting on my nerves. Everything is pretty much amplified right now and all the bickering and yelling is really getting to me. I love those kids of mine, I do. I wanted each one of them and I look at them sometimes in amazement that God choose me, little 'ol me to raise them. Some days, I desperately want to turn back time and do it all over again but I love that they growing up into what God made them. It truly is amazing.

My hunk of burning love and I are going away this weekend!!! My dad and stepmom want to keep the kids for 4-5 days so we are going to make the most of it. The kids and I are going to leave on Thurs and go visit one of my bestest friends, who just had a sweet baby boy, and then head to my dads that afternoon. They both live about 1hr and a half away.  I have a few errands to run with my dad on Friday and the hubby is going to meet me at my dads and we will start our fantastic weekend away. I do not know what is all in store but I do know that on Sat. night we are going out with some of our bestest couple friends from back home!! Its going to be so much fun!

And can I just say that I've lost about 10pds in the past 2mths!!! I'm super proud. I just need to lose another 5pds and its all in my chest! I'm almost to where I want to be!

9-11

I know exactly what I was doing that day......Do you? I was turning on a TV show for our oldest son to watch while I cleaned up a bit and I saw the footage from the 1st plane going into the twin towers. I thought, at that time, that is was an accident so I turned the show on for Josh. A few minutes later, my sister called me and told me we were being attacked so I flipped the channel back and saw the 2nd plane hit the other twin tower. I was paralyzed and terrified. I was afraid for myself, our two boys and my hubby. I wanted my hubby to leave work and come home to be with us. I remember being afraid to turn the tv off but was afraid to keep watching. And I kept watching for days, weeks. I felt so safe to hear President Bush that night. I knew we would respond with war and I was grateful for that. Made me feel better about our future. Its been 10yrs and we should NEVER forget! We are......."one nation under GOD"

I am so thankful for out military and the sacrifices, that I know all too well, that they and their families make! They are the reason that our country is safe!!

Busy, busy, busy

We have been extremely busy around here! Its been a good busy but I feel like I haven't had a moment to sit down and rest for weeks!! Heres what we have been up to for the last month....

*went to my hubby's USMC reunion......had a TON of fun but I need to do an entire post on that!

*survived an earthquake.....I, honestly, thought it was my washing machine full of towels!

*survived hurrican Irene.....lots of debri in the yard and one large branch fell on the house but a gust of wind blew it off!

*started school...which is going much better than last year and I accredit that to organization

*finished all my lesson plans and experiments for my science class that I teach at our homeschool co-op

*spent Labor Day weekend at the lake with our bestest friends

*made 24 tie dye t-shirts at the lake with friends

*started co-op....it was a success!

Things are beginning to get back to normal around here. We have no plans other than regular stuff until Oct when hubby and I go on a cruise with bestest friends!

So thankful for friends

I am so blessed to have the friends that I have. They are the best! They are sticking by our sides, holding us up in prayer and just being there for us during this time of uncertainty. Two of my best friends and co-workers in our homeschooling co-op came over to our house last night to plan the co-op for the year and it turned into an impromptu girls night! We planned from 2:30pm until about 7pm and then went out to dinner. It was a great day/night filled with sharing what was on our hearts, praying about those things, getting everything ready for the co-op, laughter, food and more laughter! It was a great day yesterday and I am so thankful to have these friends!

Today, we are headed to the lake, after school, of course, with these same friends and their families to join in on some water fun! Its going to be so much fun for all! I just cannot be more thankful for our friends!!

Changes and Earthquake

We are going through a major change here and while we have peace about it, its just really sad. We have been attending church at the same place since we moved here almost 2yrs ago. We love the people, they are some of the nicest people I have ever been around, and we love the pastors. We became involved in the youth bc we know thats where we are supposed to be and it was great! Then, some changes happened within the leadership and its been a hot mess every sense. We have talked to our pastor 3 times about it all and it just wasn't working for our family anymore. So, we made the decision Sat to move on and find another church. Our pastor did come out to our house on Sat night and talk with us but we just can't do it anymore. Now, that being said, if God told us to go back, we would. We are praying and just being quiet and listening right now. Its the only thing we can do. We are asking God for guidance. We know that He has already ordered our footsteps so we are relaxing in that. But, is it ever sad. Our friends that we have made there....well, they will always be our friends. I'm going to miss the youth so badly. I love them so much...its just hard. But, we have to do what is best for our family and trust God to lead us.

In other news...lol....we felt the tremors from the earthquake that happened in VA! We are in NC and Hannah came downstairs a little while ago and told me her room was shaking and it was scaring her. I didn't think much bc the kitchen was shaking a little but I figured it was from the rinse cycle on the washing machine....nope, it was from the earthquake! Weird, huh?

We made it

We made it through our first week back at school and with ease, I might add! Its been wonderful to be back on a schedule and the kids are not fighting as much or bored. When we start out, we start out small. Like this week, we did math and grammar. Next week, we will add history then science then foreign language. I don't want to overwelm the kids all at once. This pattern seems to work for us so we just stick with it! Because of the schedule, we have been done around 10am each day(started around 8:30am-9am) so we've been going to the pool until around 1pm. Its been so nice to get started yet still have some time for fun while the weather is still nice and warm!

I'm praying that each week after this one will be just productive!

Happy Birthday

My sweet baby girl turned six today! I just blinked and six years are gone. Sure, I was present for each moment in her life, she is a momma's girl, but it just happened so fast. I remember being pregnant with her and didn't know how I could handle 3 children and what it would be like and how would I do it but then she was born and all those worries flew out the window. I got all new worries but she was here and healthy and perfect. It was a rough labor and delivery with complications for me afterwards but I'm so glad that I had her. She is amazing! God knew exactly what He was doing when He gave her to us to raise. She has been such a blessing and its so easy to be thankful around her.

I just want to know when did she go from this......

to this......

Happy Birthday, my sweet girl! I'm so glad that I have you!

So here I am once again.....

And I'm starting all over. I'm not so good at this blogging thing and I really think its because I think too much and about what I should blog about. So, I'm just going to come here and just "talk" about our days and the going ons.

We started school yesterday and it went wonderfully! I got all three doing what they needed to do and they did it without any complaint, well thats not true, Hannah didn't want to do handwriting but she did it in the end. They got up with their alarms and just did what needed to be done! I'm hoping that the majority of the school year continues to be like this.

Hubby and I have started exercising. We ride bikes in the evening when its not so hot out. I feel wonderful and have lost about 2pds but have toned a bunch! I would like to lose about 8 more pounds and I'll be happy.

Well....I'm off to get the three moving so we can get done with school and move on to other things! H's 6th bday is tomorrow so I have some shopping to get done today!

I had this post all figured out in my head

I really did. I was driving my oldest to the DMV to get his learner's permit and I was going to get all sentimental and lots of pictures of him growing up and how I couldn't believe he was old enough to be driving BUT we get to DMV. J is all nervous about taking his test and knowing all the signs and I'm reassuring him as we wait that it'll be fine, he'll do great. We get our turn and I hand over all the papers we are supposed to have and she informs me that the birth certificate that Maryland issued us and that we have used for EVERYTHING, is not a real birth certificate. And I'm like.."what?". But, she was very nice and helped me get all the info that I needed to get J's "real" certificate. So, we are in a waiting period. I did tell J that this was the best opportunity for him to study some more, not that he was happy about it but he was so calm throughout all this. He is the calmest and has the best attitude(most of the time). I'm just in awe that we have been using that birth certificate for 15yrs and this is the first time its been denied. The new one is on its way and I sure hope its different than the one we have bc if its not, I'm not sure I'll be calm :o)

What a weekend

Friday night we didn't do much of anything, except sit in front of the tv and the sad thing is I don't even remember what we watched.....must have not been too good or funny. Saturday, I cleaned up a bit and then hubby and I and H went shoe shopping. We took H to stride rite and got her 2 pairs of shoes and they were even 25% off!  She got these.....

and these

 

We think she did a good job picking them out. Took hubby and got him a new pair of sneakers and then we headed to Lowes to get tomato, pepper, watermelon and canteloupe plants to plant in the garden. Had a great lunch at a deli and then went to Walmart for the seeds for zuchinni, squash, lettuce and cucumbers. I also got some flowers for the pots on our front porch and back deck.   

The weather, at this point, was getting rather nasty so we headed home to hunker down with the boys too. Thank God we did. A tornado hit around 3pm a mile up the road. We have since seen the path it took and it literally went all around our neighborhood! A neighbor said when it got real quiet he went outside to look and he saw it just beyond our tree line behind our house. The damage around here is unreal. I've only seen this on tv but when it happens in your town and you see it in person, it is unreal. We lost power for 6hrs Sat night and it was off and on yesterday. There ended up being 62 tornadoes in 20 counties here on Sat! I've just been thanking God that is faithful ..."For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways."Ps 91:11. 

Sunday we went to our former church that we attended before we moved to hear Evangelist Joel Hitchcock. He is an anointed man of God. He is from South Africa and just a blessing! We have known him for about 6yrs and he talked to us for a while before service started. It was a great service, it was a full house too, and at the end when it was ministering time, he called J and C up to minister with him!! It was a honor for our boys to be able to do this! He totally believes in raising youth up to walk in the calling. The boys went out into the crowd and prayed for people, it was quite amazing!

We came home and I got my flowers planted and hubby got his plants in the garden. We will have to get the seeds planted some time this week. It was a great, scary, productive weekend! I did learn one thing this weekend....God has us in His hands no matter what is going on. He is so faithful!

Renassance Fair

On Monday, we went with our homeschool co-op to a Renassance Fair. We have been studying Medieval Times in our writing group so we thought this would be alot of fun! When I woke up Monday morning, I wasn't sure how this was going to turn out because it looked like it was going to rain all day...soo cloudy and windy. It was a bit more muddy than we would have liked but it was alot of fun and it didn't rain! They got to see all kinds of different things from that period in history. Sword fighting, jousting, a blacksmith, jewelry and food! The jousting was probably the hit from the day. We got to hang out with some great friends and see some neat stuff!

H meeting Queen Elizabeth

H's face painting that she declared "beautiful"

The jousting

It was definately a great field trip for all of us!!

What I'm Loving Wednesday

Linking up with Jaime for What I'm Loving Wednesday

I. I am totally loving this spring weather. It has been incredibly nice(68-75F) here for over a week. 

2. I'm loving that our kids have been able to go outside and play. They are getting a ton of energy out and makes for less arguments that I have to break up.

3. I'm loving that all the spring/summer clothes are out. No more layers!!!

4. I'm loving that my hubby goes to work everyday and works hard so that I can stay home and homeschool our kids. He is the bestest!!

Top 2 Tuesday

 

Link up here

Top 2 Drinks

1. Water.....I love some water. I drink atleast 48oz a day, mostly more, especially if it is hot.  I usually drink it just plain but when I'm sick of that I add a slice or two of lime, lemon, or orange. Yummy!

2. Pepsi....If I'm wanting something carbonated...hands down, its Pepsi! Love it in a glass with a ton of ice! 

Now go link up and share your 2 favorite drinks!!

So...I'm terrible at this blogging thing

I haven't blogged since Jan. Not that I didn't want to but I just didn't know what to say...LOL! I'm usually full of words and stories but I was drawing a blank when I would sit down to blog.

We have been extremely busy in this house...with homeschooling, Josh's practices and playing guitar, church activities, going out of town and then hubby's office moved so there was alot going on. It was extremely overwhelming at times but we came together as a team and got through it all!

The hubby and I celebrated our 16th wedding anniversary this past Friday. I can't believe its been 16yrs. Such good times and a few bad times but we made it!!! We went out to this nice Italian restaurant and then came home and watched the new Narnia movie with the kids, which, we LOVED! We have almost been together longer than we weren't. So exciting to me!! 

Here we are on our wedding day

And here we are now

Drivers Ed and weather

I took my oldest to his drivers ed class today! I cannot believe that we are already here at this place in our lives. In just a few *short* weeks, he will be driving us around.....yes, he will become my personal driver so he can get in as much practice as he can! Seriously, how did we get there sooooo fast? It feels like we went from this

to this......

It all passes by in a blink of an eye or so it feels like.

And what is up with snow all AROUND us but we're getting ice!?! This is just cruel, people, its cruel! The coast got slammed with snow and so did west of us and we get ice. This is so not fair...LOL!

Resolutions....

I have never, ever made New Years resolutions but I figured this year I would and see how it goes. It takes 30 days to create a habit and I'm hoping to just do that with some of these. So, here are my 2011 resolutions.....

1. Read my bible DAILY! I have totally slacked doing this in the past year but there are no excuses why I cannot make 20mins out of my day to read His word...its is our LIVING bread! *So far so good, I've been getting up early to read and its actually, not that I doubted, made my day go so much smoother!

2. Make my family my priority! I am usually the first person to get involved with things and my family has felt it in many areas...so I have stepped down doing some things and I will make better decision as to what to get involved with and if it suits our family!

3. Make homeschooling my #1 thing! As I stated above, I've been involved in so many things that while my kids are doing great in school, I've always wanted to dig deeper with them. And I am doing just that!

4. Make better decisions as to what the kids are involved with. We made a rule once our second was born, that each child could pick one thing to be involved with and thats it. With, now, three kids, having them in one activity is enough running for both my hubby and I!

5. Eat better.....we generally eat very well but I'm going to add more organic and preservative free things into our diets. As well as, better snacks, such as fruits and raw veggies instead of junk!

So, there you have it...my resolutions. There aren't that many but its a start for me and those are the things that I wanted to do this year!