Last Day of Soccer

Tonight was the last night for soccer for the fall season! They did parents versus kids and it looked like everyone was having a great time. Even though, I think the daddies were standing around a little more than the kiddos! :)

The First 15: Thankfulness

So, today of November 15th. A lot of people I know have been listing things they are thankful for each day. I decided to do it today and then again on November 30th. So here it goes:

1. I am thankful for my God and His presence in my life

2. I am thankful for my husband who shows me multiple times a day how much he loves me

3. I am thankful for sweet Savannah and her loving and giving spirit

4. I am thankful for my Parker and his little words and hugs

5. I am thankful for Chloe and how wonderful it feels to open the door and be greeted by her wagging tail

6. I am thankful for my family and their unwaivering love for us

7. I am thankful for getting to go to Knoxville and Atlanta and be "home" for the holidays in only 40 days

8. I am thankful for my friends who live all over the world and some of which I miss so dearly

9. I am thankful for yummy Thanksgiving food (even though it is going to make me fat)

10. I am thankful for the babysitter who takes care of Parker each Monday, so I have four hours to myself to get things done

11. I am thankful for quiet days at home spent relaxing with the kids

12. I am thankful for the rare occasions that Brent and I get to be alone on a date

13. I am thankful for my camera so I can take pictures of my sweet babies

14. I am thankful for all the men and women who are serving our country to keep us safe

15. I am thankful for my understanding boss who is sympathetic when I can't work for weeks because I have a needy baby at home

I am sure I will have some more good ones at the end of the month, but these were the first to pop in my head.

Happy Blogging.

Short Post

Saturday, I took Savannah to the Festival of Trees. It was fine but not quite what I am used to. Fantasy of Trees is WAY better, but Savannah had fun. While we were out doing that, Parker helped Daddy mow the yard for small group tonight. Here are a couple of pictures from those two things!

The Last Few Days

So, the last few days have been full of excitement. On Wednesday, I picked Savannah up early from school so that we could go get Brent from the airport in route to Tampa. After she got in the car she said, "Mommy, do you know what happens when two words blend?" "What Savannah," I said. "Well, they become a compound word," she said, "you know like bathroom. Bath is a word and room is a word, so that makes a compound word." WOW...my child is learning so much. Then later that night, we are leaving to go to dinner and she sees some guys playing football across the road. So, she goes, "Mommy they're playing football. Football is a compound word." She is so smart and it is so cute seeing her get so excited about learning. She went on to tell us all about how the pilgrims came from England because they didn't want the same religion as the king. So cute.

So, then on Thursday, we went to Busch Gardens. Although we were unable to ride quite a bit of the rides because we had the kids, we found lots of fun things to do. And, hey, it was free.....so we weren't complaining!! Here are some pictures from our trip!

I let Brent take Savannah on a very scary roller coaster that went down a steep hill and had a loop. Savannah said she liked it but didn't want to do it again. Here are a few pictures of them making the big hill!!! I was a nervous wreck.

WAAAAY up top. They are in the next to the last row and Brent is waving.

And down!

This ride shot you WAY up then WAY down to the ground. Savannah just laughed the whole time. It was so cute!

Sweet Savannah and Daddy.

The kids REALLY loved playing in the tree house things!

Savannah and daddy on a much safer ride.

Savannah meets Big Bird

This cute little dog was pumping the water into the bucket.

Savannah and Parker meeting the biggest rabbit I have ever seen.

Hello there!

Brent was supposed to go to a sleep study, so I was prepared to have the kiddos all night tonight and tomorrow by myself. However, he called to say that was canceled, so we got a babysitter and went out on a date! Very nice to get away.

Whew, I'm exhausted just thinking about what all we have done and it is not even the weekend!! Hope everyone enjoys their weekend! Happy Blogging!

First Post-Facebook Update!

Wow...Facebook is like a drug....I feel so out of the loop without it. However, this is going to work...I just know it!

So, I was updating my weight loss on Facebook. My goal was to lose 19 pounds before December 22. I have been doing this for five weeks now. As of last week, I had lost 6 lbs and 3 inches off my waist and 1.5 inches off my hips. Unfortunately, I have gained a pound back after all of this Halloween candy! And gained an inch back on my waist :( Better luck this week, I hope!!

We are headed to Tampa for today and tomorrow and going to be visiting Busch Gardens tomorrow with the kiddos. Should be a fun day! Now, off to be productive! Happy blogging!

Simplify

I heard recently that happiness is not a destination, it is a mood. I think I have been searching for happiness in all the wrong places, recently. My goal here is to get back down to basics and really treasure the things in my life that make me the happiest.

The verse that keeps echoing in my head is this one: "Be still and know that I am God." Psalms 46:10. Be still...take in the day....relax and cherish the little things...Be still....ahhh...How refreshing it is to be still and let God lead me in my day and in my decisions and activities.

So I asked, "What are the most important things to me?" Or, "Where should my priorities lie?" Of course, I would say in this order:

God

Brent

Savannah and Parker

These are my responsibilities. I do not believe I am a bad parent or wife or Christian, for that matter. However, I do believe that I have filled my days with so much that it has gotten chaotic and in turn, I do a lot, but do nothing well. Some moms can go go go all day long and everything they do, they can put in 100%, or so it seems. I tend to judge myself on how I perform based on how well they handle the tasks of their day. I'll be honest. I do not have tons of energy. If I fill my day with two play dates, school drop off, bible study, preparing dinner, cleaning the house, spending time with the kids, and spending time with the husband, there is NO way all of that is getting done....well, not the way it should anyway. I tend to find myself flaking out on responsibilities because I am overwhelmed with the number of thing I try to accomplish during the day.

I know a lot of moms go through this, but I have decided to make some changes so that I can be better at the things that are most important to me. I want to lessen commitments, lessen social distractions, and focus my energy into my marriage and kids.

So, how am I doing this? Well, I am really just starting, but I have some ideas. I am quitting Facebook, so I can dedicate more of my attention to my house chores, to Savannah, to reading the Bible, etc. Instead of spending my "free" time while Parker is napping on Facebook, I want to spend it doing something that matters. I have tried to limit myself, but I am not very good at it. I figured the only way to really stop getting on is to get rid of it. I am also going to start limiting our social gatherings to two or three a week. One extracurricular activity and a couple of play dates is more than enough stimulation for these kiddos. I want to do more fun activities at the house like crafts and reading, etc. I want to spend my day getting the house in order and chores, etc. taken care of so that when the kids go to bed and Brent is home, we can spend quality time together. If I can successfully master those responsibilities, then I will give what I have left to everything else. I feel like it has been the opposite for a while. I feel like many things have come before my family and my walk with Christ. There are several things that I have been so consumed with and I am so ready to release them and focus on what really matters to me. At the end of the day, I have four people (God included) in this house that love me unconditionally, so why wouldn't I want to give them my best? I often times find myself giving my best to everyone else, and often times find myself getting hurt or being disappointed when any less is given to me.

I was reading something the other day and it was talking about memories your children have of you. One thing that really stood out to me was that I NEVER want my children to look back at their childhood and think, "My mommy was too busy for me." It made me think of all the times I am in the middle of something and one of them will come up to me and say, "Mommy, will you do ________ with me?" and I will respond, "Not right now. I will in a few minutes." Then, the end of the day comes along and I hadn't ever gotten around to doing those things they had asked me to do.

Things are going to change around here. I am going to be still. I am going to simplify.

Because I love to write and share our lives with you, I am going to work really hard to narrate our story with you on this blog instead of Facebook. It is so fun telling the stories of our days with all of you.

What an exciting time this will be!!