It's almost over.... :(

We have been very busy the last month of summer! I am obviously wayyyy behind in my blogging :( Spending lots of time together as a family. We have finished lots more around the house(finally). The boys played baseball until middle of July. They had swimming lessons every day for 3 hours, for TWO weeks! Then we spent two weeks at our condo at the Lake, the boys had a blast swimming, fishing, tubing and boating! We started August by celebrating Matthew's 8th Birthday last week! I can hardly believe that my baby is 8!!! It also would have been my Mom's 62nd birthday.
We added a new member to our family: We bought Matthew a Russian Tortoise for his birthday...he named him Rockey. Just another boy and another mouth to feed..lol :) Matthew had A Reptile Experience for his birthday party. He had a blast and his friends seemed to have fun too. We are cramming stuff in and sadly counting down the days until school starts. Matthew's teacher came for a home visit last week. We also got all of our school supplies this weekend. Matthew will start 2nd grade and Michael will be in Pre K. 3 days a week. I feel like the summers and the years are going by WAY to fast for me! I love school , but I miss my "baby" and our "down time".
I am going to leave you all with some highlights of our July! Hope I will be caught up on my blogging soon!

Pray for me...Pray for others

I participate in "Pray for Me... Pray for Others" on the Riggs Family Blog. Check out their blog to add your prayer request. Wednesday(I am a day late) is now known as "Pray for me...Pray for others" on the Riggs blog - and they want blog authors to post their prayer request and then post a prayer request that they have for another person/family/situation.

Pray for Others

I have been following this blog for some time now....Ryan and his mother Missy are both dying of cancer. What the precious family is going through just breaks my heart. Please visit their blog and caringbridge site and PRAY! PRAY! I have such a heavy heart right now thinking of their situation.

(***I just found out that Missy died today...PLEASE pray for this family! I cannot imagine the loss they are feeling!)

Baseball & Fireworks...

We have been continuing to have a wonderful summer! I have been working out at the gym almost every day, I feel good and I love having that hour by myself in the morning. Last week we took the boys to the Cardinal game. They had so much fun! Matthew is VERY in to baseball right now, and is so much fun to go to the game with. Michael loves it to, but his attention span is much shorter. Plus he got so tired! The game was actually tied and went into extra innings. The Cardinals won in the bottom of the 10th with an AWESOME home-run, fireworks and all! I will never forget the look on Matthew's face! He was so excited! I was so happy for him and glad that we stayed till the end!!!

We celebrated the 4th of July on Friday with our good friends The Muellers. Had an awesome dinner and shot off some great fireworks!

We woke up on the 4th of July to LOTS of rain! We hung out at home, and then headed over to our friends for their HUGE annual 4th of July party. They had the most incredible fireworks that I have ever seen at someones home! It was awesome! The kids hung out with their friends, and so did we...lots of yummy food and drinks. Michael ended up getting hit in the head by a baseball bat. He had a BAD bump, but was okay. I was so grateful that it was a plastic bat and NOT aluminum!

We have had another wonderful week! I am so grateful for the life that I have been blessed with! God is so good to me!

Fun in the Sun....

:)

Jet ski time....

Good times....

Go Karts...



Happy Father's Day to my wonderful husband!!

We spent Father's Day weekend at the Lake with some friends...I missed spending the day with my Dad and Dave's Dad. We actually spent Monday evening with Dave's Dad, went to dinner and to see Annie at the theater. We got to see my Dad for a little while today(he watched the boys while I got my hair cut) and I still owe him dinner :) I know Dave had a great time celebrating Father's Day at the Lake. I think he really liked his gift too! I decided to surprise him and got him the portable Bose system for our IPOD. He is such a wonderful Father & Husband and I am so blessed!

Summer break is flying by...way too fast :(

We have been swimming quite a bit and the boys have had LOTS of baseball games.

It has been SOO HOT here, Saturday is predicted to be 100 degrees :( YUCK!

I hope everyone is having a great summer! I am trying to catch up on my blogging.....

Race For The Cure...

I participated in the Race for the Cure this weekend. I have ran/walked the race for several years; even before my Mom was diagnosed with breast cancer. This was only the 2nd year that I had my own pledge page and raised money to honor my Mom's memory. I was actually one of the top 100 fundraisers in my area for the 2nd year. I am SO blessed to have such wonderful family and friends who contributed to my cause! I actually ended up running the race by myself yesterday....last minute things came up for my brother and best friend. Well actually me and about 67,000 other people ran and walked it. I ran the 5K(3 miles) in 35 minutes..not bad :)

It is such an AMAZING thing to see; women and men and children of ALL ages. I was near tears so many times. I do miss my Mom, and she was too young to die; but I was blessed with almost 35 years with her. Yes, I raise money and race to honor the memory of my Mom, but I also do it for ALL of the other women who are diagnosed every day! I want this disease to be cured, so that no one else had to lose their Mom!

Wore this on my shirt.....
Some pics....

Pieces for a puzzle that the boys and I decorated ....

It's here!

Summer is finally here! Matthew's last day of school was Friday. It was a 1/2 day so we went to lunch and then to a go-kart place, finished off the day with some yummy Maggie Moo's ice cream :) We went with four other Moms and their kids. It was so much fun. We spent the weekend playing a couple of baseball games and swimming. Today we went to the zoo. It was so much fun. I like just being able to do what we "want" to do :) I also letting the boys sleep in. We have a couple of fun things planned the rest of the week. I will try to update more now..... I hope everyone is having a great summer so far!

I am alive........

I am way behind in my blogging. I have been babysitting for my friends two girls(15 months & 4 years) fro the last 6 weeks, and I am WAY to busy to keep up with my blogging! My last day is tomorrow! I will be glad to be back to just the boys, but will miss Katie & Sophie too!

Here is a quick update...Matthew has his last day of school on Friday, and boy are we ready...ALL of us! The Moms from school and I keep counting down the days!!! I am ready for summer :)

Matthew had his "Flat Stanley" party this week. Such a cute thing you send your Flat Stanley to a friend that lives out of town and they take Stanley on adventures with them, take pictures and document it in a little book. Then it gets mailed back to school and shared with the student and all of their classmates. Matthew chose to send his to our friends in Wisconsin. He was so excited to read about all of the adventures that Stanley  had while on his trip to Wisconsin. Thanks to Lucy, George & Magnolia for taking care of Stanley for Matthew :)

We had a great Memorial Day weekend, a fun dinner out with friends, several BBQ's with friends, Dave, Matthew & Michael, put flags on the graves of soldiers with the cub scouts; and we went to a carnival with some friends. We even found time to relax :)

Dave's Mom had a routine procedure done last week that ended up putting her in the hospital, having a major surgery and scaring us to death! She is better, still in ICU, but surgery showed minor things, NO CANCER!! An answer to our prayers! 

I wish I had more time, but I have way to much to do. Hopefully I will be back on track soon!

Grow Old Along With Me....

David and I celebrated our 10 year anniversary on Friday. My best friend Natalie and her husband Brent, along with our parents, threw us a wonderful party. It was at this cute "house" at one of the parks here. Natalie and Brent made all the food themselves, and we had a bartender too. We had the best time, celebrating with family and old and new friends too.....It meant so much to Dave & I that they went to so much work and we love them for it :) I am so blessed & thankful to be married 10 years to such an awesome man! 

Life had been crazy around here(again) and I am so far behind in my blogging. We have 7 days of school left and I have 6 days of babysitting left. I hope to "slow" down more, once summer comes. I also just want to spend some time with the boys. The last few months have been so busy and I really miss them!

I hope to catch up on blogging some this week!

Happy Monday!

4Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. ⁵It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. ⁶Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. ⁷It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

1 Corinthians 13

A wonderful "Mutter's Day" !

I had such a great day with my boys! When we woke up this morning the boys gave me a new plate that they painted for me at the pottery place with Daddy and Matthew gave me a beautiful picture that he made for me at school! We actually went to church yesterday for our church/school pcinic, so this morning we headed off to brunch at one of our favorite coffee houses. Yummy bloody mary's, biscuits and gravy, omlets and french toast! Then we headed downtown and ended up taking a helicopter ride, it was a first for me & Matthew & Michael....we had soo much fun, it is something that I will remember always! Then we went up in the arch, and finished the trip with ice cream on the arch steps! Michael was saying "Mutter's Day" all day, it was SOOO cute!

We came home and planted the new flowers that Dave & the boys bought me and then had Dave's Mom over for dinner. Dave grilled and I made sweet potato fries, baked beans, salad and homemade blackeberry crisp(ala mode).

I am so blessed to have my two precious boys and to be their Mommy!

This was the 2nd Mother's Day without my wonderful Mom, and I miss her so much! She was the best Mom, I have ever known and I only hope that I can be even half the mom she was!

Happy Mother's Day to all you wonderful Mom's!

Happy Mothers Day!

BEFORE I WAS A MOM

Before I was a Mom;
I made and ate hot meals,
I had unstained clothing,
I brushed my hair every day,
I had quiet conversations on the phone,
I slept as late as I wanted and I slept all night long.

Before I was a Mom;
I cleaned my house each day,
I never tripped over toys or forgot lullabies,
I didn't worry whether or not my plants were poisonous,
I had never been puked on, pooped on, spit on, chewed on, peed on, or
pinched by tiny fingers.

Before I was a Mom;
I never thought about immunizations,
I never held a screaming child so the doctors could give shots,
I never looked into teary eyes and cried,
I never felt my heart break into pieces when I couldn't stop the hurt,
I never got gloriously happy over a simple grin.

Before I was a Mom;
I never held a sleeping baby just because I didn't want to put it down,
I never sat up late hours of the night watching a baby sleep,
I never got up in the middle of the night to make sure everything was okay,
I didn't know how special it could feel to feed a hungry baby.

Before I was a Mom;
I had complete control of my mind, my thoughts and my body,
I didn't know the feeling of having my heart outside of my body,
I didn't know that having something so small could make me feel so
important,
I had never known the warmth, the joy, the love, the heartache,
the wonderment, or the satisfaction of being a mom.

Before I was a Mom;
I never knew that something so small could effect my life so much,
I never knew that I could love someone so much,
I never knew I would love being a Mom,
I didn't know the bond between a Mother and her child,
I didn't know I was capable of feeling so much.

Sharon Twichell

I hope everyone has a blessed Mothers Day!!!

 He maketh the barren woman to keep house and to be a joyful mother of children. Praise ye the Lord 

Psalms 113: 9

Missed them......

We are back from our 3 day trip to Chicago! It was awesome, much needed alone time with my wonderful husband(and our friends Kristen & Dave). The weather was amazing! We had two incredible dinners and lots of shopping! I hope to post pictures tomorrow, but it is my birthday :) So we will see.......

This was the 1st time we ever left the boys for more than an overnight(thanks Uncle David, Diane, PaPa, Penny, and Cathie). Lots of awesome help that made it happen :) 

The collage is from when we picked the boys up tonight, we did have a great trip, but we also really missed our sweet boys! They were very excited and wanted to see their "treats" and souvenirs. Good thing we made it to the Leg@ store, and found Chicago t-shirts and more......

I am so thankful for my wonderful life........

Pray for Me...Pray for Others

I participate in "Pray for Me... Pray for Others" on the Riggs Family Blog. Check out their blog to add your prayer request. Wednesday is now known as "Pray for me...Pray for others" on theRiggs blog - and they want blog authors to post their prayer request and then post a prayer request that they have for another person/family/situation.

Pray for Me
I can ALWAYS use more patience-especially since I babysitting two extras for the next few weeks :)

Also I will be leaving the boys for the first time....... :(  Pray for us to have a safe trip....

Pray for Others

Our friends from church/school Joe & Cindy, his Mom was 

 diagnosed with Stage 4 cancer. Praying for successful treatment!

I follow this blog: http://superryan.blogspot.com/ 

Sweet Ryan is a real hero! He is losing his fight (way to young) with cancer and needs our prayers! His sweet Mom-Missy also has cancer. PLEASE pray for them to have the peace that all deserve...

All of the people affected by the Swine Flu....

My SMIL she has been sick all week and now has poison ivy!

Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you."
Deuteronomy 31:6

Wordless Wednesday

Michael & his friend Caleb

(we told them to hold hands crossing the street)

What's up.......

Matthew's Game
Michael's Game

Our school auction-80' theme

I am so far behind in my blogging :( Things are winding down here for the end of the school year. May is so crazy, my birthday is next week, we are going away for a few days for our 10 year anniversary(1st time), we have several school events and our friends & parents are throwing us a 10 year anniversary party. Not to mention, baseball game mania.....

Our weather here was beautiful this weekend, almost hot. Our allergies are going crazy! Poor Michael has an ear infection, we went all winter without him seeing the Dr. and now it is the end of April, and he needs an antibiotic.

I will be watching my friends two girls until the end of May. Katie and Michael love each other, but fight like brother & sister. Sophie is a really good baby (17 months).

I made it through the 1 year anniversary of Mom's death. Natalie took me to lunch, two sweet friends sent me flowers and I had dinner that night with by brother. I was worried about my Dad, but he is doing great! I know that it is because of his incredibly strong faith!

Strange the boys had been mentioning Mom a little less, but this week Michael had brought it up several times.....

Our school auction was Friday night, the theme was 80's, we had a blast! I feel so thankful to have Matthew( and soon Michael) in a school where he learns about God and where we are surrounded by wonderful kids and parents.

Remodeling is coming along, our counter tops are in , the floors are done, our new stainless appliances will be in this week :) (Pictures to come...) Now I just need to pick a paint color! I am driving David nuts, it is so hard to find the "right" color!!!

I hope to be able to keep updating on a more regular basis :)

Happy Monday!!!!!!!!!

Wish you Were here....

Wish You Were Here.....

I wanted to tell you how closely I've kept

The memories of you in my heart

And all of the lifetimes that we've had to share

Live even though we're apart

But don't cry for me'

Cause I'm finally free

To run with the angels

On streets made of goldTo listen to stories of saints new and old

To worship our Maker

That's where I'll be

When you finally find me

No don't you be weary cause waiting for you

Are wonders that you've never known

Just hold on to Jesus, reach out for

His hands

And one day they'll welcome you home

And that's when you'll be

Finally free

Finally free

I wish you were here

I wish you were here

And all of the dreams that you treasure

Will soon come together

And that's when your sorrow will find tomorrow

And you will rise again

I wish you were here

I wish you were here

I wish you were here

By

Mark Harris

Mom's last Christmas 2007
Michael's Baptisim 2007

As I write this, I find it so hard to believe that my Mom has been gone for 1 year....In some ways it seems just like yesterday and in others like a lifetime ago. To say that I miss her, well that would be an understatement. She was not only MY Mom, she was one of the BEST moms ever! Even though I am SO sad that my Mom did not have more time here on earth with me(us)(especially my boys), I feel so blessed knowing that she is heaven! It would be selfish of me to wish that she could be here, when she was in so much pain and now she is free.....I am so thankful for the 34 3/4 years I was able to spend with my Mom!
Happy 1 year in heaven Mom & Grammy!
We all miss you so much and will see you again someday....

But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.
Isaiah 40:13

Love,