Abundance

A few years ago, David went to Cuba on a mission trip. When he got there, he found in his suitcase a letter for each day of the trip. Each letter focused on a different aspect of God's protection and provision. One of the letters was about abundance, and his assignment was to make a list of all of the things that he was thankful for. Being in a country where there was so much poverty made the tiniest of blessings seem so much more significant!! So, today, may we not foget to thank God for those blessings that seem insignificant or small!!

Abundance is.......

Getting a hug from your child
Not setting the alarm clock
A hot shower
A Sonic Dr. Pepper
Listening to your kids laugh
Hearing your two year old say, "I yu you"
Sleeping when it's raining outside
A fire in the fireplace
A bouquet of fresh flowers
The sound of the ocean
An unexpected phone call from a friend
Licking the beaters
Laughing til you cry
Someone to kiss goodnight
The first day of vacation
A full tank of gas
The courage to try something new
A crisp salad
The smell of apple pie in the oven
Anything chocolate
The smell of a bakery
Christmas lights
A friend to laugh with
Good memories
Kids in Halloween costumes
Sand between your toes

And God is able to provide you with every blessing in abundance, so that you may always have enough of everything and may provide in abundance for every good work. II Corinthians 9:8
May we all take time to stop and thank God for ALL of his many blessings.....the big and the very small!!!!!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!!

Someone got bit by the Christmas bug today. I don't think I have ever decorated for Christmas BEFORE Thanksgiving! My kids have been asking if we could put the tree up since the day we brought it home from the store. They were all troopers! Even Rhett did his best to hang the ornaments, although every one he picked up he was sure they were "boken." Then, it was on to our "mini-trees." Reiley put up her pink and silver tree in her room, while Ryker put up his cowboy tree (all by himself!!) Then, it was on to Rhett's room for his surfer tree. It was one fun memory filled day!

How do you say no to this??? Looks like we've got some Christmas decorating to do!

Brotherly Love

I love watching my boys play. Rhett is now at the age where he and Ryker can play and have a great time together. Tonight, Rhett was in a very silly mood. Ryker was getting really tickled by the things Rhett was saying. As he was giggling, Ryker said, "Mom, Rhett is so funny! I think we should keep him forever." I agree Ryker. I wouldn't trade that little guy for anything in the world!

Our New Furry Friend

You can imagine my surprise when I opened my car door at the bus stop, and in jumped this cute little fur ball! It was so cold outside, I couldn't bare to leave him there. So, I did what any mom with three kids screaming, "Can we keep him? Can we keep him?" would do. I took him home. For one hour (until we got ahold of the real owners), this little cutie got lots of lovin!

Lovin Fall

Nothing says "Fall" more than a good ole romp in the leaves! Can you tell these kids are lovin every minute of it?

A Pain in the Foot!

Do you ever have those days when one of your kids says something to you that just strikes you as so funny, but you can't laugh out loud?? Well, I had one of those today. I picked Ryker up from school, and on the way home, he said in a very whiny voice, "Mom, both of my big thumbs on my feet are really hurting!" I tried really hard to not lose it, and told him I would take a look when we got home. Well, the poor boy had worn his shoes on the wrong feet all day! Last I checked, that can cause some serious pain to those big thumbs!

Let it snow!!

Can you tell that someone is anxious for cold snowy weather at our house?? Reiley came downstairs ready for school with her winter garb on. She looked so cute, I didn't have the heart to tell her it was not going to be a cold day today! Oh well....maybe one day soon, old man winter will come knocking on our door!

What was I thinking???

Ok......so maybe I spoke too quickly, or maybe I was just under the influence of my pain medication when I said it wasn't that bad. Today wasn't such a good day. Thankfully, once again, Ellen came to my rescue! She whisked my kids away for the day, prepared a wonderful meal for me and my family, and brought me a goody basket with all kinds of food and a great magazine to read. Wow!!! Now that's what I call a huge blessing!!! Then, my sweet mother took my kids for the evening, fed them, bathed them and brought them home......ASLEEP! I am thankful everyday for my friends and family. What would I do without them!?

My Tooth Fairy Rocks!!

I didn't think anything good could come from having an impacted wisdom tooth extracted, so much so, that I put it off for about 10 years. But yesterday, I finally did it, and I realized that it wasn't so bad after all. Here are a few good things that came out of it!!!
First of all, I had lots of help from the little people in my home! Reiley was constantly waiting on me. "Mom can I bring you more soup? More to drink? More cheesecake??" That would be check, check, and double check!
Ryker didn't want to leave my side, so he spent the evening cuddled up on the couch with me. We read "Star Wars, Clone Wars" many times, and I got lots of kisses out of it! My sweet friend Ellen came by with, you guessed it, a Sonic Dr. Pepper! Woo Hoo! Then, I found out that the Tooth Fairy exists after all!! Under my pillow last night was (big sigh) an IPOD!! I have been in mourning since my sweet little green ipod was found drowned in a puddle of Dr. Pepper. So, you can only imagine my excitement when the tooth fairy decided to skip the dimes and quarters this time!! Yes, that's right! My Tooth Fairy Rocks!!! Thanks Tooth Fairy!!

Star Wars Invasion!!

Somehow we keep getting this "theme" thing going with halloween costumes. Last year, they were Superheros, this year, Star Wars. After Ryker decided to be Darth Vader, Reiley decided she wanted to join in the fun and be Princess Leia. So.....we had no choice but to add Chewie to the mix. Rhett loves Star Wars just as much as the others. You know it's bad when your two year old walks around the house humming the Darth Vader theme song!!! Well, at least there are no worries about a pesky "sith" invasion around our house this year!

Vote!!

One day last week, Reiley decided to draw a picture for me. I was so surprised that her picture didn't consist of flowers, our home, or our family like it usually does. Instead, this is what she drew.....a reminder for me to vote! As you can see, "Broke Oebomu and Jone Mukane" are both running for President. (ya gotta love that inventive spelling!) Although the election didn't turn out the way I had hoped, history was made. And, for the first time, more people actually voted in the presidential election than the American Idol Finale!! So, if young kids, teenagers, college kids, and adults of all ages are actually interested and concerned about our country, I think we're already taking a step in the right direction.

Happy Birthday Ryker

My sweet Ryker turned 4 on Sunday.  When he woke up that morning, David said, "Ryker, happy birthday!  You're 4!"  Ryker looked so confused.  He said, "You mean.....right now? Like I'm 4 right now??"  That just didn't seem to make much sense to him seeing that he went to bed a 3 year old.  Our day was filled with pirates and treasures and fun with friends.  I was quickly reminded that it's the simplest things in life that often bring the most joy.  Happy happy birthday my sweet boy!