"Threes" Thursday...

I remember when my oldest Matthew turned 3, Dave and I said "Terrible Two's? It's a scam...the twos are a "breeze". Now the threes on the other hand......
So now here I am again with my Michael, who is my "spirtited" child. According to my Dad(who just laughs at me every time he is around), I am kind of getting paid back :) He also says that he wishes my Mom were here to see it....So do I, then I would have her wisdom and maybe more of her patience......Ha!
Here are some pictures from this week of my favorite three and a half year old!

Who, Me?
"Shooting" the painter working on the basement with a LOUD laser "gun"

He really is cute :)

A leaf, for Mom......

Your wish is my command........


And patience, experience; and experience, hope
Romans 5:4

This picture is one of my favorites....it was taken the day that Michael was born, when Matthew came to the hospital to meet him for the 1st time.

* I got the idea for this post from Gwendolyn's blog, you should visit her sometime....she is a great writer and her posts really make me laugh!

Tuesday "Trivia"....

I "stole" this idea from a fellow blogger Jen http://taleoftwocoins.blogspot.com/.
It looked like fun....
You should visit her blog sometime, she just recently lost her husband and her baby, and blogs about the tremendous amount of grief that she is experiencing. I find her to be a true inspiration and she could really use our prayers!
*Please take a minute to visit this blog and say a prayer for this family:
http://our-journey-to-parenthood.blogspot.com

they really need them........

8 TV Shows I Love to Watch:

1. Desperate Housewives
2. Brothers & Sisters
3. Extreme Home Makeover
4. Criminal Minds
5. Grey's Anatomy
6. Criminal Minds
7. How I Met your Mother
8. American Idol(I know)

8 Favorite Restaurants:
1. Stir Crazy
2. Cafe Provencal
3. Culvers
4. Red Robin
5. Pei Wei
6. DD's Pizza
7. Las Fuentes Mexican
8. Bear Creek Lodge

8 Things that Happened Today:
1. Had lunch at school with Matthew
2. Visited with Natalie, Jacob, Sophia & Liana
3. Picked up my 18 pies from school
4. Brought Delaney & Antonio home with us after school
5. Blogged
6. Went to Bev's jewlery party for Diane

7. Prayed for MANY people

8. Made savory crescent chicken squares for dinner(one of our favorites)

8 Things I Look Forward To:
1.Christmas morning with my boys!

2. Christmas break

3. Shopping day after Thanksgiving with Nat
4. Growing "old" with Dave and watchng my boys grow up....
5. Starting to work out again
6. Dinner next Friday with Vicki & Hunter
7. Baking christmas cookies
8. My 10 year anniversary in May

8 Things on My Wishlist:

1. Good health for me & my family

2. To have my Mom back(selfish, but true!)

3. Peace for our nation going forward
4. Cure for Cancer
5. A daughter someday......
6. For the house t0 be finished

7. NO major surgery for Matthew in the near future

8. A blog makeover!

Layla Teresa

This post is about giving the glory to God!

I am sure you remember these posts about Vanessa, Steve, Isabella & their precious baby girl Layla. Well Layla has been doing excellent and should be home before Christmas!!! This is amazing for a "26 weeker"! My friend Natalie is heading to Florida to see her this week.

I received this email from Vanessa yesterday, and wanted to share it with all of you.....

Thanks for your prayers!

You are all going to wonder what I am doing composing an email at 5am. Well I am in the bathroom at the Yacht Club in Disney pumping. But more than that God has been on my mind and in my heart about sending this email since 2am. I have to give God the glory and praise! First for seeing Layla through everything He has. I will probably never fully understand why Layla came as early as she did. But God gave me such peace the night I have delivered her and I knew then all would be okay. He told me this over and over through many different people. Some here in Tampa with me and others a whole state away. Some people haven't even met me personally yet. Today we came over to Orlando to do something special with Bella Girl. We know Layla will be home soon and things will just get crazier. Tonight at 7:58 I called the Nicu and a nurse I've never met before had Layla. The instant she answered the phone I knew to my core something was wrong with this person and she had no business taking care of Layla. First she was rude and extremely abrupt. Second she couldn't tell me anything about my daughter or her afternoon. The nurses give full detailed reports to each other at shift change & the nurse that had Layla today has had my girl from day one. I know Ida told this person what she needed to know. But more than that this lady just made my guts turn. Layla has had a rough 36 hours. Her blood count was very low and she just came off her caffiene so her O2 sat has been very erratic. Today for example she dropped to 18 and Ida had to give her oxygen to help her recover. I was nervous as it was to leave town. But as soon as I hung up the phone I knew that nurse needed to be removed. We called the charge nurse, Lisa, who was in the delivery room with me. She knows us by now. Knows I'm not an hysterical parent and took my concerns seriously. She changed Layla's nurse for me with no questions asked. But more than that, I knew, just knew in those moments that Satan was after my girl. The funny part, well not so funny, was at the exact moment to the second that I was talking to Lisa, Beth had God place Layla upon her heart and she was already praying for my girl too. It's funny because I had to send a text to Sandy to ask her to call Beth for prayer and I had no idea Beth was already praying. (had to do this thru text bc Bella was crying and trying to go to sleep) long story short the prayers are working. My girl has had a perfect night for the first time in two long nights. God has been so great and merciful in this time. My girl is sailing through the Nicu with her only problems being her immaturity. We have had to brain bleeds, no NEC, no eye problems, her hearing was tested and came back above average. She was evaulated last week for the need for physical therapy and my girl tested were she should be or above average for a preemie. God has indeed made her perfect. He gave Beth's pastor a message when Layla was first born. He said that she would not suffer from her prematurity or suffer delays in anyway in her life. God is fulfilling this before my very eyes. Miracles still happen!!! I've got one to prove it!! God's love is perfect, even when we don't understand why our life is taking the turn it is. I have been humbled through this. We have a few more weeks to go before Layla is home but she is most certainly coming home! I apologize for this being so long. But I had to share what God has done, what He is doing. Why my love and faith have been put through the fire these last years I feel it has really come full circle. I encourage you to hold fast to the promise's God has made. He loves you too and has a plan! It won't be what we have planned I have proof of that! :) but He is in control.

I love you very much!

Hugs!

Vanessa

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous! Do not tremble or be dismayed for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.

Joshua 1:9

We had a good weekend! Friday we saw Madagascar 2(great movie) with my cousins Sarah, Kristin & Laurel and their kids. It was to celebrate Kristin's daughter Janelle's 7th Birthday! Happy Birthday Sweet Girl!!

Saturday started with the Scout for Food Bag delivery, Dave took Matthew and his friend Josh around neighborhoods to drop off the empty bags at peoples houses. It was pretty cold, but the boys seemed to have fun.
Next week is pick-up... .

Our last soccer game was canceled on Saturday from too much rain, but we had our pizza celebration anyway. It was fun and the boys really seemed to have a good time. We had soccer ball cookies for the boys and a few other treats. Saturday night, the boys spent the night with their friend Antonio and his mom Cathie. YEP, they made it ALL night at their 2nd official sleepover :) THANK YOU SO MUCH Cathie! Dave & I had TWO 30th birthday parties to go to, it worked out well, because both parties were in the same area of town. So we went to the 1st one for a couple of hours, which was Dave's step-sister Kim's and then headed to our friend Liz's. Happy 30th Birthday to two awesome woman!!!! We love you guys :)

Today was my Sunday to teach Sunday school. I teach the 1st graders, and I love it! I am always touched and amazed about what I learn from them. They are a really special group of kids, that I am blessed to be able to work with.

After church, we went to lunch at The Elephant Bar, it was awesome! Then I went over to Harry & David to spend my new gift certificate(thanks soccer team). I bought all kinds of YUMMY treats :) Then to Trader Joe's, which I LOVE, to stock up on my favorites....
After that we checked out a few furniture stores, looking for our new kitchen table......still deciding.....

For dinner I made the boys new favorite, A meatloaf using this awesome seasoning mix and recipe. We had a great dinner and visit with Pa Pa & Penny(Dave's Dad & Step-mom).

Well I am TIRED! I hope everyone has a blessed week!

I have included a fun post below for the CHRISTmas season:

The Christmas edition of getting to know your friends....

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? Always Paper for kids, sometimes bags for others...

2. Real tree or artificial? Artificial usually, but might be real this year, because we had to throw our artificial one way last month(it got wet in the basement)..

3. When do you put up the tree? The weekend after Thanksgiving

4. When do you take the tree down? New Years
5. Do you like eggnog? Yes, especially mine homemade
6. Favorite gift received as a child? Victoria my Madam Alexandria doll
7. Do you have a nativity scene? Yes, it is my favorite Christmas thing!
8. Hardest person to buy for? ?
9. Easiest person to buy for? My boys
10. Worst Christmas gift you ever received ??
12. Favorite Christmas Movie? It's a wonderful life
13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? All year, and the last month
14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? Probably
15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? My Grandmas Jello salad and sugar cookies that I now make, and my Aunts fudge.
16. Clear lights or colored ? Clear on tree, colored outside

17. Favorite Christmas song? I have too many! Christmas Shoes, Away in a Manger, Silent Night, Joy to the world, Mary did you know?
18. Travel at Christmas or stay home? All within 30 minutes
19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer? DASHER, DANCER,PRANCER, VIXEN,COMET,CUPID, DONNER, & BLITZEN & OF COURSE THE MOST FAMOUS OF ALL, RUDOLPH!
20. Angel on the tree top or a star? Star
21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? We get new p.j.'s to open on Christmas Eve the rest is Christmas AM

22. Most annoying thing about this time of year? Bad weather and the over commercialization of the holiday that is really about CHRISTmas....
23. Do you decorate your tree in any specific way? Different every year

You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance.

Psalm 32:7-8