It's Never A Good Thing When...

-You lean against the shower wall and it feels like the wall pushed in.

-The tile is really coming off and the drywall behind it is soggy.-There are ants behind some of the tiles.

-Mel can't fix it.

-Things like this happen, but I know God is teaching me that He is control of everything and I need to surrender my plan to His! This is just not the way I want to learn:)

Mother's Day 2011

Before I was a Mom I slept as late as I wanted and never worried about how late I got into bed.
I brushed my hair and my teeth everyday.

Before I was a Mom
I cleaned my house each day.
I never tripped over toys or forgot words to a lullaby.
I didn't worry whether or not my plants were poisonous.
I never thought about immunizations. Before I was a Mom I had never been puked on.
Pooped on. Spit on.
Chewed on.
Peed on.
I had complete control of my mind and my thoughts.....
I slept all night.

Before I was a Mom
I never held down a screaming child so that doctors could do tests.
Or give shots.
I never looked into teary eyes and cried.
I never got gloriously happy over a simple grin.
I never sat up late hours at night watching a baby sleep.
Before I was a Mom
I never held a sleeping baby just because I didn't want to put it down.
I never felt my heart break into a million pieces when I couldn't stop the hurt.
I never knew that something so small could affect my life so much.
I never knew that I could love someone so much.
I never knew I would love being a Mom.

Before I was a Mom
I didn't know the feeling of having my heart outside my body.
I didn't know how special it could feel to feed a hungry baby.
I didn't know that bond between a mother and her child.
I didn't know that something so small could make me feel so important and happy. Before I was a Mom
I had never gotten up in the middle of the night every 10 minutes to make sure all was okay.
I had never known the warmth, the joy, the love, the heartache, the wonderment or the satisfaction of being a Mom.
I didn't know I was capable of feeling so much before I was a Mom.

*I always wanted to be a mom, but nothing compares to actually being one. What a privilege and blessing God has given me. The best part of this Mother's Day is that Jackson could actually say "Happy Mother's Day" and "I love you, Mommy!" Let me tell you those words can change any bad day into a great one and bring tears to my eyes.

To My Mom

Let me start by saying I love my mom deeply, I really do! But, there are times I have and still am completely and utterly embarrassed by her.

For example she is not afraid to:
-talk to anyone, anywhere and usually start telling them all about our life
-let others know how she feels
-scream loudly at a sporting event, school assembly, or anything else I was involved in
-question and harass your boyfriend or friends
-cut your hair or dress you the way she thinks is cute

However, there are way more times when she showed me she loved me and I felt so lucky to have her as my mom!

For example she is not afraid to:
-open her home to all my friends and let us destroy it and keep her up all night
-change her plans to make sure she can attend anything that involved my sister or I
-drive/fly hours on end to see me
-forsake nicer things to stay home with her children
-open her home up even if it is not "spotless"
-give up sleep to take care of foster babies
-teach Sunday school or us about Jesus
-stand up for me and do what ever it takes to make me feel better
-spank or ground me for the things I did wrong (she once even broke a wooden spoon on
my bare bottom:)
-go on field trips or help out at school
-be my biggest cheerleader
-cook meals each night for our family
-change the lives of 2 kids for the better

I could go on and on about the things my mom did/does to show me she loves me. She does have a big mouth, but she has an even bigger heart!

Every now and then I stop and think, "Oh, man. I sound just like my or that is something my mom would do." The older I get the more I realize that is not such a bad thing. Mom you gave me the greatest gift of love and showing me how to be a mother! I love you! Happy Mother's Day!
And since I shared a picture of my mom and me when I was young, I thought I would share one of Brian and his mom. I think he looks sooo cute!

Sharon, Thank you for being a wonderful mother-in-law and making me feel apart of your family. Thanks also for pouring your heart and love into your little boy.

Swim Lessons

Jackson had his first swim lessons this week. Wendy's daughter Kylie agreed to teach him during the month of May in between studying for finals and getting ready to graduate. We appreciate her being so willing to work with him. I'm just not sure she will want to come back next week!

Day One: Jackson answers the door and meets Miss Kylie. He is excited to swim with her and walks her out back to the pool. Jackson starts crying as soon as it is just him and her in the pool. He walks over to me and whines/cries to me. I go get his pool toys in effort to get him to show Miss Kylie and warm up to her. Eventually he goes with her to retrieve his fishes that he has thrown. She tries to get him to kick and he does 1 out of 3 times. He is much more comfortable with his arms around her neck than when she puts him in the water and holds him. About every 5 minutes you hear Jackson say "I wanna go over there." He is referring to the steps where he likes to sit and play. By the end of the first session he started to warm up to Miss Kylie. He loved jumping off her legs and grabbing on to the side of the pool and jumping into her.

After Miss Kylie left Brian got in the pool with Jackson so he could stay in and play on the steps:) Two minutes later Brian is out of the water and asks me how I could have made her get in that water. Sorry if you were freezing Kylie! Day Two: Jackson runs faster to open the door when I tell him it is Miss Kylie. He walks her right outside, gets right into the water with her, and starts fetching his fishes. I was thinking, "yay he is doing so much better, I am glad I bribed him with M&M's." And then what happens .2 seconds later he starts whining and crying. Oh it gets better, he even sat down on the side of the pool and wouldn't do anything for a few seconds and then again he sits against the garage. Miss Kylie got him back in by showing him how to jump in. Jackson LOVED this! He kept asking for her to do it again and again and got so excited it time. After swim lessons today I asked Jackson if he had fun. He said, "Yeah, Kylie jumped in!" Well at least he knows her name, know if only he would like the kicking and swimming part of swimming:) We do rush home after school and get ready right away for lessons so maybe he is already a little bit tired. (Just listen to my excuses. Typical parent, right?) As you can see, Jackson is clearly have a grand time at certain parts of swim lessons. Miss Kylie is great with him and all his whining/crying and impressed me with how she could tread water while holding Jackson above the water!

I am curious to see what he will be doing at the end of May!

My Boys

Jackson likes to dress like his daddy. On Sunday the only way I could get him to wear any other shirt besides Mickey to Church was if Daddy had on the same one. Jackson is already following in his dad's footsteps:) Not a bad idea!
These two boys make me smile, laugh, and love more than I knew possible. I thought they looked pretty cute, I mean handsome!

Lord, thank you for blessing me with the life of balls, trains, and stinky feet!

Fun Outside

Saturday morning we took Jackson out to Naturefest. He was in heaven! They had all of his favorite things and thank goodness it wasn't as hot as last year.


Ponies- Jackson did a great job riding the horse all by himself.
More animals- They had a little petting zoo with ducks, bunnies, turtles, and horses. Jackson made himself right at home and sat down right next to them.
Train- Jackson rode the train all by himself as well, actually two times! I am so glad we went right when it started because there was no lines for anything yet.

Firetrucks- "Hi, Papa. I hear you used to drive one of these big trucks!"

Ambulance-

Smiles all around from Jackson while we were at Naturefest, the rest of our day was a different story:) I am so glad we live in an area that offers a lot of free fun community events!

Memorizing Scripture #9

I am continuing on in Philippians with prayer that God will continue to speak to my heart and mold it to be more like him.

Philippians 2:14-15 "Do EVERYTHING without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe."

I do not necessarily complain out loud about things, but I know I do not always do them with the right heartfelt attitude. I want to shine brightly for God that others see Him in me through my actions and words.