SOOO Cute

Since Collin's stay in the hospital in October, Noah and Collin have been in LOVE with each other.
They love to wrestle and play with each other.

My favorite is...
when they love on each other.

What a tremendous blessing to be the mother to such beautiful boys.

Thanksgiving

I am so thankful this year for my family! God is good. He is gracious! He is faithful! He is my everything!

Praise God from whom all blessings flow.

Happy Thanksgiving! Have a wonderful time gearing up for the Christmas season, but make sure not to get too busy to reflect on the reason we celebrate!!

A thankful moment

How beautiful!
My beautiful boys! These pics were taken when we were on a hike in the Smoky Mountains.
Noah called this a "secret passage way".
My parents and boys! We had a wonderful time! I am truly blessed to have such great parents who love their grandkids!

I can't go to bed tonight without writing about how thankful I am for my wonderful boys! I am so thankful God has richly blessed me with a husband and two beautiful boys. I am thankful for a wonderful family and an amazing group of friends.

I was thinking about Collin and how almost an entire month has already passes since his hospitalization. WOW! Unbelievable. Last week my parents and I took the kids to Tennessee for a quick 5 day vacation. My, once close to death, sweet Collin was able to hike, run, play, splash in the waterpark. There was no sign of his recent pneumonia. NO SIGN! Praise God!

Halloween 2009 part 3

Here is the last post on Halloween 2009.This is the only pic I have of the 4 of us from the night. Collin is a cute, I mean, "scary" spider. Noah I a pirate. They looked adorable! At this point they were eyeballing our street to see who was outside with candy. Collin was not allowed to be outside to long, so we decided to only go a couple of blocks.
This is our neighbor's house. He told the boys to take as much as they wanted and that the best candy was at the bottom of the bowl. Noah and Collin took his offer and each snagged several handfuls.
ARRRGGGG Matey!
The itsy bitsy spider.
Noah and Daddy ready to hand out the last of the candy.
The Mickey Mouse pumpkin Collin and I carved.

The cakes. You get to decide which one I made and which one Collin made.
My homemade carmel corn!! This is my mom's recipe, but now it is MINE! A new tradition for sure. YUMMY!
Brain! Okay really it is a Pampered Chef recipe from the 90's for steamed cauliflower.

After we trick-or-treated, we enjoyed dinner and games with my parents, Uncle Josh, and Aunt Megan. It was a wonderful evening.

Halloween 2009 part 2

PUMPKIN TIME!





A wonderful time! We had a great time!

Halloween 2009 part 1

We decided to kick off the weekend with a little one-on-one time with the boys. Aaron took Noah to the garage to service our van for our upcoming Tennessee trip next weekend. This picture was supposed to show just how dirty their hands got during the work, but it doesn't show much. Trust me, Noah's hands have never been more dirty.
Aaron and Noah told Collin and I all about their experience. Checking the brake pads and changing the oil. Noah's favorite part was getting to go underneath the van.

Meanwhile, Collin and Mommy were inside the house getting ready for the party. We each decorated a pumpkin cake. We thought it would be best if I made "devils food" cake. ;)

Collin loved using the piping bag!! So fun!! He did a fantastic job!

SPRINKLES!

SO proud!

More to come keep checking!

I was just thinking...

I am sitting in my living room. The boys are watching a Mickey Mouse Clubhouse DVD. I am tired, but rested. (Is that possible?) Roxi the Pug is on the floor vent for our heater, the most coveted spot in our entire home when it is cold out. My mind is racing from one thing to the next and I am struck by how much of my time is spent thinking about stuff that doesn't matter. I am constantly re-working situations in my mind. You know, the "what if I would have", "I should have", "I can't believe I" thoughts that are not used for learning, but for tearing oneself down. I am stuck in this rut, again, of feeling like an utter failure. I am not saying that for pity, but because this is my blog and I can say whatever I want to get off my mind. I think with each passing year I am getting more and more discouraged with some area's of my life. I feel so emotional at times, much like the CRAZYirrationalhormoneinducedemotional rollercoaster I rode during my junior high school years. It is so strange. I remember times of discouragement in my youth. Times of feeling like no matter what I did, no matter what my intention or how hard I tried, things seemed to fall flat. I don't know how to explain it exactly. I am just frustrated I guess. I feel selfish for these thoughts and feeling this way. I am so richly blessed. I have a devoted, hard working fhusband. Two wonderful, healthy and amazing boys, pretty much everything but the white picket fence. Why should I feel unsatisfied? Why? I have more than I ever wanted, yet I feel sad a lot of the time. I know a lot of these feelings have to do with knowing winter is fast approaching and I will be stuck inside for 5 months and that is very difficult for me. Also, Saturday is the 5th anniversary of my due date for our first child. It will be a difficult day. A day where the rest of the world moves along at a normal pace, but my world comes to a stop throughout the day when I think about this precious child I never got to hold.

I know I need to rest in God, I am trying, but it is a struggle. So, if you are like me and you need to find peace search for answers in the Bible. Seek his wisdom and comfort. Rest in Him. I know I am going to try to.