Doubting Thomas

When I was in middle school I met the love of my life, but I NEVER would have admitted it then! Come on, don't give me a hard time, we were in middle school! His name is Tom, my husband!

He said last night in a conversation, that he wants to be the topic of one of my blog posts! So, here it goes.... (I have his permission!)

I'm not sure where to begin honestly!

I guess I'll start at the beginning, middle school! We met at our local church youth group and became friends right away. We slowly got to

know each other and had lots of fun making memories through our high school years. The summer before our senior year in high school we decided that we should try dating. Why not? We had lots of fun together and we were great friends. (well, I guess he was also head-over-heels in love!) I wasn't quite ready to have such a serious relationship, so I broke up with him! WHAT? You're probably thinking what a cruel girl... well, the story isn't over... give me a chance to explain! I was your typical high school senior that wanted to "see the world," "live my life," "explore my options..." etc.

When we graduated from high school we went off to college and both went our own ways. It wasn't until our Sophomore year in college that he caught my eye again! (I'm leaving out all the awful details of the relationships I was in and out of through those few years!) Tom and I started hanging out quite often and eventually began dating once again. In that span of time, he never dated another girl. This humbles

me and makes me appreciate his loyalty all the more! He always said that he knew I was "the one" from the beginning!

He proposed in November of my senior year of college. We were married that summer after and the rest is history! We have now been married for 5 years and have 3 beautiful children! We own our own home, have a minivan, but no white picket fence! ;-) But those things are not what makes our marriage so wonderful...

Tom is so much more to me than all of those things combine! Our marriage isn't based on our home, children or personal belongings... it's based on our commitment to each other and to our God. Tom is an amazing provider and works so hard for our family, and I love him for all of that, but I love him for much more than his paycheck and hard work!

He is a Godly man that guides and directs our family, he is always honest with me, he is an amazing father to our children, he sacrifices so much to give us everything we need, and he makes our family his priority! And if I ask, he also will do the dishes,

bathe the kids, vacuum the floor, take out the trash, and any other little chore that needs to be done (without complaining!) In my opinion we make the best team!!! (over my kitchen sink I have a sign that says, "Real Men Wash Dishes!" and I believe every word of it!)

Those are a FEW reasons why I love him! He has been a gift from

God and I could go on for hours of why and how he has made my life more complete! I love you Tom and

I hope our love continues to grow and grow and grow until way after we are rocking our grandchildren on our front porch!!! (and even after that!)

p.s. The only reason I titled this post "Doubting Thomas" was because he couldn't believe I started a blog! I think he doubted that I had the time, energy and smarts to create one! And part of that is true, he has been a huge help with the tech part of it! (he's my I.T. man!) I didn't even know what a hyperlink was until he told me! Thanks for your help Tom!!! I hope you still aren't "doubting" me!!! :-)

Giggle recipe

A recipe for pure joy and total happiness...

1. First place 2 toddlers into very grubby clothes that you don't care about!
2. Don't comb their hair or make it look nice (it makes the pictures much more interesting!)
3. Add sugar to the toddlers (optional)
4. Take large bowl or container that will hold enough ingredients (water) for lots of splashing and messiness!
5. Place all objects (toddlers) and ingredients outdoors... your kitchen can't handle this recipe!
6. Begin with warm water in the large container (I say begin, because it won't be there for very long!)
7. Add food coloring to make it even more amazing in toddler's eyes!
8. Step back and allow the giggles begin! Yes it's true if you mix toddlers and water you will achieve maximum giggle levels!
9. If you're brave join in on the fun, but don't complain or say one negative word or all giggles will stop!

WARNING~ This recipe is only for parents that are willing to have fun and don't mind the mess! Don't attempt if you have a weak heart or a grinch by nature! May cause sudden tears of joy or belly aches due to the increased laughing. Please consult a toddler before attempting any other alterations to the recipe... other wise, have fun!!!!

If all goes well, you should get the following reaction!

Jack - 8 weeks old

This is my beautiful (yes I said beautiful) new baby boy! He is the most adorable baby boy I've ever seen! I might be biased, but I don't care!!! My Aunt has some amazing photography skills and she does a great job with my kids! Here are a few of my favorites from a recent photography shoot this weekend!

Princess Invasion!

When I was pregnant with our first daughter, I used to have discussions with my husband about things we would and wouldn't do with our kids. One of the topics of discussion was often about the Disney princess garb and toys that are out there. We did not want our daughters to be obsessed with the fairy tale world that would only harm them by planting unrealistic expectations in their little minds!!!

Well, I have to formally apologize to all the moms out there that I have secretly criticized for letting their daughters be "princesses!" You're probably wondering what exactly that means? Because I used to look at the Disney Princesses as evil beings, I thought any mother that let their daughter own any piece of princess clothing or toys were awful parents!

Now... I have to admit that those very Princess characters have completely invaded our home! You cannot look at my two girls without seeing a princess tiara, high heel shoes or a Cinderella t-shirt on them!!

Especially my oldest daughter Bailee, who just turned 3, is obsessed with being

a princess! She runs around putting "spells" on her siblings and dolls with her magic wand saying, "mirror mirror on the wall" just like in Snow White. Every time she dances in the living room, she insists that her little sister Mia is "her man" (aka the prince) and that she is Cinderella and that they are getting married. And my favorite, yesterday she told me that she was the mean stepmother, not the fairy good mommy! (She has shown concern for Cinderella in the movie, but apparently likes to be the evil step mother instead of a nice fairy God Mother! yikes!!!)

For Bailee's 3rd birthday I actually bought 5 Disney Princess books, some new dress up high heel shoes and threw her a "princess" party! Talk about going over-board with a theme! She had pink plates and napkins, she had princess balloons, and was allowed to wear

her favorite dress (that she calls her princess dress!) This photo is of Bailee at her birthday party! She had gotten some princess jammies from her grandparents, she was thrilled!

So, as you can see I've changed my mind about the Disney Princess obsession that some little girls have! I love my daughters and I guess that means they can play princesses if that's what they like! Instead of viewing them as evil, I now see it as a magical pretend experience. So, this is my public apology to all those moms out there that I once saw as insignificant, because I am now on your side!!! :0)

25 Things I DON'T want you to know about me!

It's really easy to be "perfect" and "have it all together" online when no one can see the real you! I could easily fill my blog with all the fun "Brady Bunch" moments we have as a family, but then I wouldn't be honest and real with you! So here are somethings I don't want you to know about me! This will just prove to you that I'm real and this blog will not be filled with perfection!

1. I spend way too much time on facebook and my new blog!

2. I am terrified of chickens!

3. I don't regularly floss my teeth!

4. There is a pile of laundry next to me that needs to be folded, but I'm too busy on the computer to care!

5. I tend to be a very jealous person!

6. I cringe when my children wake up in the morning because I hate getting up!

7. My favorite part of the day is my children's nap time!

8. I compare myself to other mothers all the time!

9. I hate cleaning the bathtubs so much that I usually wait until there is something growing before I wash it!

10. I let my children watch too much tv!

11. I am addicted to facebook!

12. I hate to say "I'm sorry!"

13. I don't like to shave my legs!

14. I can be extremely judgmental, but would ever tell you that!

15. I am afraid of the dentist!

16. I eat way too much candy!

17. I hate to exercise!

18. I am extremely selfish with time spent with my husband! I don't like it if he's not with me!

19. I am usually lonely even though I have 3 kids at home all day!

20. When my kids are awake my house is usually a mess!

21. I get frustrated with my kids daily, sometime hourly!

22. I don't like to clean, but I pride myself on a clean house!

23. I can be manipulative!

24. I usually don't get dressed during the day unless I have to because I'm leaving or someone is coming over! I live in my pj's!

25. I'm having a hard time doing this, because I feel vulnerable!

Now I'd love to hear what you have to say about this and maybe some of your own "flaws" that are hidden from most people!

Swing Set Fun!

My amazing husband spent 6 hours today finishing our swing set for the kids! Lets just say that they LOVE it and so do we! Here you can see Tom swinging with the girls! He had just as much fun on it as they did!

The kids love playing outdoors and this is just going to add to their fun! Bring on the summer!

A blog?

So this whole blogging experience is a new one for me! I have several friends that have started blogs, so I said, "why not me?" I'm not sure how faithful I'll be to posting or how involved this will get, but it sounded like fun.

I'm not sure why I'm attempting this... I have little free time, my house is always a mess and I have three young children that are always demanding my attention. OH, wait, maybe that's why I need to journal my life to the public! Maybe it will be a wonderful outlet for me to connect with someone else besides my children. Maybe I can think and write with other adults in mind instead of just a cranky toddler!

Don't get me wrong, I love my children A LOT! But every mother of young kids needs something else in their life besides diapers, laundry and dishes all day long! So... ready or not, here goes nothing! Start blogging........