They deserve to be honored and respected

     This is a bit out of character for me but after reading so many posts placed on "Facebook" I wanted to share what was on my mind. It is not ment to offend.

      9, 11....alone these numbers mean little but together their meaning is endless. I never lost anyone in the 9/11 attack and I thank God for that but that does not exclude me from the many to think of it almost daily. As I read through facebook this morning I was not surprised to see so many references to that tragic day; however what I would have liked to see is less hate. All of the men and women who died that day deserve more respect than an argument of what and how it happen. Some believe it was a governmental conspiracy while some do not. Ten years later this is still a fight and the reality of the event still causes grief and sorrow in many. Any other day politically and personally dispute your opinion but today just honor and respect those who died and those brave enough serve in all respects, for not only our country but all who deserve freedom. No matter the cause they didn't ask to die that day and they deserve to be remembered.

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Pinteresting...Pictures...and "When I grow up"

        I have been “pinteresting” (yes….I just deemed that a word) for what seems like hours now, you sure can get lost in there! If you do not know what it is you MUST check it out www.pinterest.com.  My mom and I have finally gotten Bentley’scrib together this week (thanks mom) and now his room will begin to take shape.I have so many ideas and luckily each one is fairly cheap and can be made by me (and all of those who I have voluntarily volunteered) J. The house will get put together eventually room by room. Andrew’s has a Colt’s theme and Leland…well,Leland changes his mind A LOT (just like his momma) so by the time we get tohis we shall see. All my ideas are “pinned” on pinterest if you care to see these ideas.

        We hung out withfamily this holiday weekend which included a lot of barbequing (which my husband is a master of) and swimming.  Swimming with my family brought back memories of when I was younger and we used to swim quite often. I would swim with my dad and race him…I still can’t beat him but I still do enjoy trying. Reminds me of all the fun times we had as a family. I hope that when my boys get older they have as many happy memories as I do.

Had Bentley’s 6 month photos taken today He has mastered the art of sitting up...a skills he is very proud of.

Leland came home

with his very first library book yesterday and was so proud. He has to make sure it is in its spot every night before bed.  Told me he loves the book so much he is going to ask if he can keep it longer and was ecstatic when I told him you are able to re-check books out.  His new “when I grow up” is a teacher but only if he can help Mrs. Punnell (his teacher). I love that he loves learning so much!

        Andrew is being tested for a few things regarding his limitations in learning.  I am actually looking forward to them as I would rather have an answer than sit in the dark watching the issues get worse.  Despite the struggles he still loves to learn. His favorite subject is science and has decided to become a marine biologist. I don’t care what my children end up doing in life as long as they are happy.

       We don’t always know where we are supposed to be in life or that if where we are is the right place. We were never given a GPS (believe me I wish we were). There are days when I feel like I am on the right path and days that I feel like I've been walking miles in the wrong direction. I am graduating in April with my Bachelors in Psychology, a field I have a passion for. However, what I will do after this I don’t know and part of me feels that I have already failed for not knowing. My sister recently told me maybe where I am is where God wants me to be, a mother of 3 beautiful boys and a wife to a loving husband. I worry so much about the future that the present is the past before I even knew of its presence.  I have vowed to change….how, I do not know but I do know it will be for the better.



Family...School...6 months!!

     I went to Illinois to celebrate my Grandpa's 80th birthday, he had no idea of the party or that his family was coming in town. It was a great surprise and I loved seeing his face. I also got to spend a lot
 of time with my sister, Lois. We've had our rough times when we were younger but now that we've grown both of us have realized how close we have become. I truly feel that I have gained a best friend in her and miss her to peices. Her and her husband plan to come for Christmas...I cannot wait! I will also get to see my nephew Clayton. He is such an awesome little guy and I miss him; however, I don't think I miss him nearly as much as Leland does! They are about 10 months apart but get along so great! They're favorite past time was catching frogs and playing cars. Clayton called Leland on the phone recently and Leland's face lit up like it was Christmas time...melted my heart. I love that they are so close and hope, despite the distance, it remains that way.

   Andrew and Leland started school last week and I am not sure who was more ready...

or them! It will be a rough year; however, as we have learned that Andrew is nearly one year behind in his reading and language skills.  I cannot say that this is a huge surprise as I could tell  he struggled a bit througout Kindergarten and 1st grade but I did not know he was struggling this bad. It was never brought to my attention to this extent and I now feel that it is my fault, that I should have done more. All I can do now if move forward and help him as much as possible. I just fear that Andrew will think he is different, in a bad way, and I never want him to think that.

    Bentley is 6 months! I cannot believe how time and just flown by! I love to see him grow and learn new things but sad to see it happen so fast. He is really developing his own personality and is such a happy little guy. He is now eating solids which I am proud to say are made by me. I througly enjoy making his baby food and plan to do so for as long as possible.

I am part of a group of mom's whogave birth around the same time and it is neat to see how each of our little one's are developing and such different rates. I have never met these ladies but we share such a special common bond and hope that our friendships last.

   Whew...so much has happend. This year has been a crazy ride so far and I am sure it is just going to get more wild...better put on my seatbelt!

Time flies...

       This morning I met with a couple ladies for breakfast at Krispe Kreme (love that place) and we got to talking about school.  This year Andrew will be in 2^nd grade and Leland will be going into Kindergarten.  It is so hard for me to wrap my head around the fact that Leland is ready for Kindergarten…in my eyes he is still my little baby. He just seems so small and little that all the older kids are going to trample him.  I was super sad when Andrew started Kindergarten but oddly enough not as worried. I think maybe it was because Andrew is bigger; he looks a grade older than he is. Leland; however, look like a 5 year old (to me anyways) and is such a sweet kind hearted little boy I just don’t want him to be bullied.    Last year, before Bentley was born and Andrew was in 1^st grade Leland and I were a team. We went everywhere together and I will cherish those memories, he was my little sidekick.  I am so proud of who my little boy is growing up to be.  The first day of school is going to be hard…I can barely get through this.  I am so glad that I got a little one on one time with each of my little guys. Andrew was 2 ½ when Leland was born and Leland was 5 when Bentley was born…those moments are so special in my heart. I think school would be much harder if I didn't have Bentley to focus on and am thankful for the one on one time we will have.

The hunt is over...

Well, the house is over…finally. We received notice yesterday that our loan has cleared and we will be signing the closing papers next week.  This has been quite the journey; one I think we thought would have gone so much smoother. 

The hunt began about a year or so ago with a different realtor than we have now.  We met him at a random open house that we went to (and totally regret going to now).  **I would like to add a little something here. When your mom suggests something very logical and sounds right….listen to her. Even when you are 27 years old…your mom is still right!** My mom mentioned a woman from church who is a realtor who they work with and are pleased with but no we went on our own (guess it was another life lesson).  We started the house hunt immediately and it immediately went downhill…actually I am not sure it ever went up.  First of all, if you ever see a man in a black suit driving a gray minivan drive away! This man would drive, hold his laptop (for GPS and other information) and talk on the phone all at the same time….yes, same time. Needless to say we started driving ourselves. Seriously, get a GPS or at least print out the maps prior to. He also talked very loudly as if we were deaf (well, we kind of were after talking with him for long periods of time). While working with this realtor we lost 2 homes because of his lack of knowledge and inability to communicate. However, some good comes from just about everything…

We now work with Debbie Good (the woman from church recommended by my mom…see, should have listened (boy, if I had a nickel for every time I said that). She worked hard and diligently to get us into a home of our own, in fact the home we are purchasing is one she found and said “This one is for you.” She knows us so well. We are lucky to have chosen to work with Debbie; otherwise…we would still be looking. Thanks Debbie for ALL your hard and dedicated work.

So here we are a year and a half later packing and getting ready for the next chapter in our lives.  It’s been a journey and; although, we wanted it to happen faster I know that it all happened exactly when it was suppose to.

Out With the Old

          Another lazy day…sort of. Been going through my closet getting rid of things that I never wear (and for good reason…wow).  I’ve come to the realization that I will not fit into many of the jeans I once did and I am surprisingly ok with that.  Also picking out a few heels for my little sister, she loves to wear them while she is here so I thought I’d let her have a pair (your welcome mom). Bentley finally fell asleep after a long hard fight ( I think he is teething) and so I am taking a moment to sit down before I get back to organizing and cleaning. I cannot imagine the revenue of the companies who sell items relating to organization (book, magazines, and gadgets).  I buy a new planner like every 6 months cause I feel more on top of things and organized when I do (don’t ask why). When I know I need to clean and have NO motivation I will buy a new cleaning agent or air freshener, for some reason this totally puts me in the mood (seriously…try it!). I love the idea of an organized house but for some reason no matter how hard I try can never accomplish one. My hope for the new house is a new beginning. I want an organized and beautifully decorated home. Get ready friends…I am going to need help!
        I am so proud of my friend Chrissy who has begun her own photography business.  Her determination, hard work, and TALENT have gotten her so far. In just a few short months she has developed a large client list and it could not have happened to a sweeter person. Chrissy was the one who took Bentley’s very first pictures at only a days old, coincidental this was her first photo shoot. It is now a little tradition that she takes his photos each month to capture is growth in pictures.  I love to see how much he has grown and it is amazing to see the professional growth as well. Thanks Chrissy for capturing the moments I want to remember forever.

Surprises, house hunting, and baby food...FUN!

    Today I woke up to the best surprise ever. Ryan bought tickets for my boys and I to fly to Illinois to visit family and be there for my Grandpa's 80th surprise birthday party. This means the world to me and I love him dearly for it. We are going with my mom, thank goodness I will have her there to help me with my little guys!  I am excited; however, a bit nervous as I am a little afraid of flying (again, thankfully my mom will be there).  

    Almost as soon as I am thankful I also feel a little bit of guilt. I will be missing Ryan's birthday, he says its no big deal but it is to me. I really plan to go all out for his 30th...should probably plan that now. 

    We are just days away from finding out whether the house we put an offer in for is ours.  House hunting has been quite the process and has taken a little over a year to get to this point. First we started out with what has to be the world's WORST realitor! Seriously...the guy always got lost and while driving he would hold his laptop in one hand and the stirring wheel in the other. So many times I wanted to ask "Hey, ever heard of a GPS system??" We lost out of three houses we had interest in but every time we would say its only because there is a better one around the corner and there was.  We are in love with this home and fingers crossed by the end of August will be our to move in.  I will miss the area we live in and the school Andrew goes to but it is time to move on, this is a step we have been wanted to take for while. 

    Bentley has turned into a little rolly polly as of 3 days ago. So I was thinking....I can take tummy time away, right? I mean less tummy time equals less strength to crawl. I am not ready for the milestone as it will just make the fact that he is no longer an infant more real. His growth is bittersweet as I love to watch him develop and learn new things (things just as simple as grasping his toys) but it makes me sad to see him grow so fast.  He is eating cereal now...not on a regular basis but mainly in the morning (breakfast is the most important meal). His cereal is actually steel cut oats (I make his food and I find more joy in it than I thought I would) which take so long to make! I recruited Andrew to help me yesterday...he thought is was fun!

Lazy Days

        Today was a lazy kind of day for us. The boys decided it was a good day to have a water fight, can't blame them...they had a blast.

    

       Ryan works long hours 6 days a week so the boys and I like to take dinner to him sometimes and eat together (I think the boys like the awesome tractors more but we won't tell Ryan). Ryan probably wishes I had came a different day as dinner included sweet potatoes, he isn't a big fan.  I really like to try new recipes and my new fave method to cook is the crockpot, I basically cook everything in that thing! Tonight was Chipotle Chicken with Sweet Potatoes. It was not as good as I thought it would be (it smelled amazing) but was still not to bad, needed more flavor, tomorrow is Corn Chowder (yum)!

Mom, Movies, and Memories

     Yesterday my mom came over and spent the whole day, I love those days.  We were suppose to be organizing Bentley's would be room; however, as usual we never did get to it.  Instead we just hung out and ended up watching the Lincoln Lawyer. Pretty good movie but I have to say I liked the book better.  Mondays are the days my mom and I spend together, it has been this way since...well, I can remember. These are the moments I will remember forever and ones I will always cherish. We can spend all day doing absolutely nothing yet it will be the best day.  I then spent the evening doing homework (I tried to talk my mom into a sleep over but I guess we are to old for that stage) as it was finals day.  I will be done with my Bachelors in April and let me tell you that time could not come soon enough!
   
     

I Finally Jumped

So I have jumped on the blog-wagon, finally. I have thought about it for some time now but to tell you the truth the idea was intimidating.  What if my blogs are boring? What if I offend someone? What if everyone realizes that I cannot write? In the end, I am doing this for myself and while I am still trying to accept my flaws I understand that I do have them.  I may be 27 years old with 3 boys but I am still trying to find my place in this world, where do I belong and who am I.  My blog will be a series of randomness and anyone who knows me knows that I am one big pile of randomness.  I am excited about starting this new journey and voicing it through words and sharing it will…well, anyone who will read it. Well, here goes nothing…my first blog post (there is a delete button….right??)

Oh, and to forewarn you I use my periods (…) a lot!