Life As Lesley

Date with Luke

2011-10-01T18:11:00.000-07:00

Today Lauren was with a friend all day so Tim and I went to Luke's soccer game and then I promised Luke we would do something fun together. We had some gift certificates to a local lazer tag place and Luke has been dying to go. When I mentioned to him the two of us could go he instantly became so excited. He started telling me all the techniques to being a good lazer tag player and how much fun it will be being on a team together. As we drove over to the establishment I listened as he went on and on about lazer tag techniques and took in the joy in his eyes and had to fight back a tear as I realized how excited he was to be spending an afternoon with his mom. I cherish these moments and how he still loves to hang out with me. As I dawned my laser tag gear he talked me through the entire battle and we both did pretty well (as the teenage group of boys we were against ganged up on us).
After that I got him some tokens and instead of chosing his favorite racing game and playing by himself, he wanted to play air hockey with me (his choice, I swear). We played 4 rounds of air hockey (and that was 3 tokens per game, again his choice out of the limited amount of tokens I gave him for the day). The game was intense and he said at one point "you've got skills mom, I can't deny it" I had to laugh : ) I was enjoying the moment so much I had him stop at one point so I could take a picture of him so I would never forget these precious moments together:

As you can tell, he had his game face on : ) Well out of 4 rounds Luke would tell you HE beat ME 2 out of the 4 rounds, but I'm here to tell you that I beat HIM 2 out of the 4 rounds : ) Then we headed over to the basketball hop a shot game and went head to head and he did beat me there by 2 points. As we walked to the car and he reached for my hand and thanked me for a great afternoon my heart skipped a beat. I am so blessed to have a son like Luke and I cherish every single moment with him - wish I could freeze time, o.k, now I'm starting to cry so I'll sign off.................LOVE YOU LUKE!!

The Tent

2011-08-07T06:42:00.000-07:00

Our amazing summer is coming to a close. We enjoyed a trip of a lifetime to Disney beginning at the Boardwalk resort, spending 5 glorious nights on the Disney Dream and then ended with concierge level at Animal Kingdom Lodge. We came home and it seemed like in a matter of days we were packed up and back in the car headed to Grand Haven where we stayed a fun filled week enjoying quality family time together. The day after we returned from Grand Haven some friends from New Jersey stayed with us a week- it was nice showing them around the Cincinnati area and taking in a REDS game as a tourist.
Tragedy struck right by us last week with a local teenager being shot and killed by her ex boyfriend. This occurred two streets over from us where we take our dog Mickey to doggy day care. The ex boyfriend ended up going home and commiting suicide as the police surrounded his home. This is such a tragedy and our hearts go out to both famlies during this difficult time. The poor girl was gunned down on her 17th birthday. Another tragedy occured that same day, a 3rd year old girl from my school died from cancer - so the reality that life is fragile was quite apparant to us.
It made Tim and I realize once again how precious life is and that we need to cherish every minute with our babies. Now we only have a few dwindling days of summer left and we are trying to enjoy some family time. The kids had been bickering back and forth, typical sibling stuff and it was driving Tim and I crazy. We decided some family time was in order. We went to Kings Island water park just the four of us, the kids werestled with Tim and I played board games with them, and then we built a "tent" in the living room:

We had built tents like these in the past, but this time we put the air mattress inside and layered it with blankets and pillows inside and told the kids they could sleep in it. They were over the moon excited. They slept soundly inside of there the first night and Tim and I were shocked they wanted to sleep in it again on night #2. Well, then night #3 they STILL wanted to sleep inside of it, I couldn't believe it. So, we let them crawl inside for night #3:

They enjoyed eating snacks and watching a movie in there before falling asleep. I even crawled in there with them to read them a bedtime story together. We had a thunder storm on night #3 and Luke came upstairs a little scared and said he wanted to sleep in his own bed upstairs by us. I said "o.k., but I worry about Lauren down there by herself, she might wake up a little scared wondering where you went". He said "I know, me too." Then he retreated to his bedroom and I rolled back over and continued my slumber. I awoke around 8:30 a.m. and went to Luke's room and saw he was no longer in there. I went downstairs and he was back inside the tent with Lauren, he said he woke up early and snuck back inside of the tent to make sure she wouldn't be frightened in the morning. Awwwwwwwwwwwwwww. The tent brought my kids together and showed me once again that deep inside they care for one another and enjoy spending time together. This is the first school year that the kids will be in different schools. Luke is headed to the Intermediate School for 5th grade and Lauren will be a 2nd grader, the time keeps slipping away. I know it's the beginning of the end and Luke will start being too cool for me soon enough, but for now, I will cherish these times and lock them away in my mind because they mean the world to me!

The Little Things

2011-05-29T05:28:00.000-07:00

It's the little things in life that make my motherly heart proud. Yesterday Lauren had a friend spend the night and they slept on our pull out couch downstairs. The couch remained in the "out" position and when I came downstairs this morning I found Luke and Lauren snuggling together:

This just made my heart skip a beat. They love eachother! They really love eachother : )
I love my babies!
-Lesley

Lemonade Stand Joy

2011-05-22T06:37:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we FINALLY had sunshine here in our part of Ohio and we put on a Yard Sale to raise some money for our upcoming Disney getaway. The kids had been BEGGING to have a lemonade stand forever so we figured since we'd be having traffic anyway it would be the perfect day to do it.

They had fun decorating the sign together and it was such fun to watch the joy on their faces as each customer would approach. Lauren was halarious at first, determining how much change she would give back based upon how nice the people were- giving a few customers free lemonade (until Luke found out about it and insisted on their need to turn a profit : ). They earned $10.00 to split for the trip which they were thrilled about. Thanks to all who came out to buy a "refreshing glass of lemonade for only .25 cents!
I hope you enjoyed some sunshine this weekend too!

Not as Planned

2011-04-10T05:11:00.000-07:00

We had our Spring Break a few weeks ago and we headed to Kiawah Island South Carolina for a week on the beach. In years past we always had wonderful weather full of sunshine, bike rides around the island and tons of beach time- this year it didn't go quite as planned. There was rain in the forecast every single day, one day they broke a record low temperature of 40 degrees and on the sunny day we had at the end of our vacation there were 40 mile per hour wind gusts on the beach.
When life gives you lemons, you make lemonade. We enjoyed some good family time despite the weather, taking in a Children's Museum:

(My adorable nephew Ben)

(They had the coolest grocery store)

(Tim prisoner on the pirate ship)

(Luke performing a puppet show for us)

We had fun exploring Charleston's bakeries on the rain and found some incredible cupcakes and keylime pie to keep us happy despite the 40 degree temperatures and pouring down rain that day. We had an amazing lunch at Poogan's porch in Charleston, which if you are ever there I HIGHLY recommend, YUM!

We still were able to get 2 days in on the beach, although freezing and cloudy, we enjoyed watching the kids play and explore and having our feet on the sand and looking from treasures from the ocean:

(our sand castle creation, decorated with shells by Lauren)

(Tim showing Ben how to dig in the sand)

(a father daughter dance on the beach)

(mom and dad on the beach)

(super Luke)

(My brother Dave, his wife Barbie and son Ben strolling on the beach)

(Ben exploring)

We got to spend a lot of family time together in our beach house, and it was nice time that I know I will always cherish. Was it the most ideal situation? No! Was the vacation all we had invisioned, NO! but did we have great family memories together despite what mother nature handed us, ABSOLUTELY!

My favorite memories of the trip were the Amazing Race Scavenger hunts we created as a family. We would set out on bikes on the cloudy drizzly mornings in teams of 2 (my mom and my kids were always on one team, sometimes my dad joined them) and then Tim and I were on the other team with Dave, Barbie and Ben. We would take turns being the clue leaver and the clue finder and the team who was searching had to text pictures of the clues found in order to get the next clue. The hunts took us all over the island and we all had fun doing it- I especially loved the thrill it gave Luke and Lauren.

On the last day, the sun came out and although it wasn't a beach day, we enjoyed some time in the sun on the back patio:

(Luke and I enjoying the sunshine)

(Tim and Luke soaking in some rays)

(Ben)

So, Spring Break 2011 will always go down in history as a wet and soggy beach vacation, but for me it will be one that I cherish on a different level because of the creativity it involved and the family bonding that ensued................good times : )

Things are going GREAT!

2011-02-19T05:53:00.000-08:00

So it's been about a month now since aligned with Pixie Vacations and became an independent travel agent. www.destinationmagic.com (my own personal travel agent website) is going strong. I am LOVING planning Magical vacations for people. I've only been with the company a month and I have already booked several vacations for people to Disneyworld and even my first Disney Cruise Line booking. Tim has been such a help and support helping me get the website up and running, I think it just looks great and am so thankful to have such a supportive husband by my side. He was so encouraging during this entire process and was like my own personal cheerleader!
I just love working with my clients to do their personalized itineraries, dining reservations, entertainment reservations, etc. I had a lot of questions when promoting my business these past few weeks - no one seems to believe that I do all of this for free at no cost to them- but I do. It has been such a fun outlet for me.

The other exciting thing is that my new column at DisneyDispatch.com has been doing well. It runs every Friday and I now have 3 columns under my belt. Here is a direct link to my column home page: http://www.disneydispatch.com/content/columns/happiest-tips-on-earth/ I've had a lot of people approach me at work encouraging me saying how great it is that I stepped out of the box and finally acted on my dream- I must say I am thrilled this time has come too- it is a very rewarding feeling.
As a family we are anxiously awaiting our first sailing on the DisneyDream in June and our first stay at Animal Kingdom Lodge concierge- can't wait to experience new Disney things ourselves, especially after planning so many fun trips for others these past few weeks.
Thank you to all of my friends and family who have helped me promote destinationmagic and my services these past few weeks and who have read my column and posted replies- thank you your support means SO very much to me!

-Lesley

Follow Your Dream!

2011-02-02T18:25:00.000-08:00

So....... a few weeks ago at church there was a sermon on following your passions in life and instead of sitting by to actually come up with a plan and act on them.........I was INSTANTLY inspired.
As those of you who know me are fully aware, Disney is a huge passion of mine. I enjoy our Disney trips, planning others trips and writing trip reports more than words could express. I have been planning so many trips for people lately and always ask myself (and Tim), why don't I do this for a living!?! Now, I am fully aware that my true gift is education and teaching my students on a daily basis and I have NO intention of quitting my day job but I wanted to pursue something on the Disney front. I am SO happy to report that not only have I followed my Disney planning dreams but I have taken it a step further.
I have aligned with a travel agency and have taken online courses and Tim helped me design my new website: http://www.destinationmagic.com/ The site has only been up one week and I've already booked my first vacation and it's just gotten more exciting from there.
Starting on Friday I will have my OWN COLUMN on http://www.disneydispatch.com/ entitled "The Greatest Tips On Earth". This will be a weekly column and the owner of the site will also reference my personal travel website within it. I can't tell you how exciting this is for me. I am so excited that instead of standing by and hoping for things I have actually started taking action to watch my dreams come true. I hope you will tell others about http://www.destinationmagic.com if you have friends/family who are planning Disney travel (or ANY travel) and that you will also check out my column this Friday on http://www.disneydispatch.com/ .
Thanks!!!!
Lesley

Iron Chef Luke

2011-01-08T08:12:00.000-08:00

Luke's latest obsession is with the Food Network. If you ask Luke about any show on that channel he could go on for hours talking about the latest Iron Chef, Diners Drive In's and Dive's,Chopped, Man vs. Food, etc. He watches the channel when he first wakes up and as he falls asleep at night. He dreams of going to culinary school and learning the tricks of the trade. We decided since hs is so passionate about it we should start teaching him the physical skills of the kitchen.
A few nights ago the guys decided to prepare a meal for us and Luke was the chef, here are some pictures of him in action:

He had Tim as an OUTSTANDING teacher:

Luke was so excited during the entire process and was soaking in every bit of information Tim gave him. They did a great job preparing a yummy Italian dinner, they even finished it with a delicious desert. Here are my Iron Chef's:

Luke took great pride in setting the table (notice the candle to make it romantic : )

Tim created score cards for Lauren and I to rate him on presentation, taste and originality - I think he was pleased with his scores . This will just be the first of many adventures in the kitchen with Luke (we have some more fun cooking challenges planned). I am a firm believer in going with your child's interests and helping them to build those skills in order for them to gain confidence. I realize he is only 9 (almost 10) and his interests will definitely change over the years. Maybe Luke will end up being a chef some day, only time will tell, but he will remember that he got his start as an apprentice of Chef Tim in our kitchen : )

-Lesley

Happy New Year!

2010-12-30T18:53:00.000-08:00

Life is good.................... no......... REALLY good ! I am truly blessed and so thankful for all that 2010 has brought to me and my family. I am thankful for too many things to put into this blog, but let it be said that I am one happy girl. I am so thankful to the good Lord for all that 2010 has brought us and anxiously await all that 2011 will bring. I will admit it is a little scary to think I will be a mom to a 10 and 8 year old in 2011, where has the time gone!?!

Here is a bit of a year in review via pictures for you as we say goodbye to 2010 and hello to 2011.

I hope that 2011 brings you health and happiness, live each day as if it is your last,soak it all in......I know I do.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

-Lesley

Changes

2010-12-10T10:17:00.000-08:00

We have had a BIG change in our household this week........... Tim has gone back to work. The economy finally hit us with all of my courses cancelling at the University I teach at. I am SO thankful that my children and myself have benefitted from the years of hard work and dedication Tim put into running our home and taking care of the kids. This time also allowed him to dedicate time and energy into establishing his successful DJ and DVD production businesses as well.
As with any new venture anxiety did ensue at first but I am so proud of him for his smooth transition back into the work force outside of home. I did have to hustle and try to find after school care for the kids (he went in for a hiring conference on Wednesday and his first job was Thursday!) and found it through an amazing neighbor who is going to watch them from the time they get off of the bus until Tim or I get home from work.
I am so thankful and feeling so blessed right now, this could have been a difficult transition for all of us,but it has been so smooth. It's incredible how the Lord provides for us ALWAYS.
-Lesley

"I want to help!"

2010-11-22T05:34:00.000-08:00

The other day Lauren and I were watching t.v. together and an infomercial to help starving children across the world came on and Lauren looked at me and whole heartedly said "I WANT TO HELP!"
Well, we have a local organization called kidsagainst hunger - our Vacation Bible School donated pallets of food to them this summer. I remembered they asked for volunteers to come to their factory in Milford to pack food. I sent an email to them this morning - I am hoping that I can show Lauren that if she wants to help and does help she can make a difference..........I will let you know how it all turns out.
-Lesley

I would do it again!

2010-11-20T06:55:00.000-08:00

Tim and I had such a fantastic time on our getaway to Disney.

I did feel guilty when we left at first but that faded quickly as Tim and I just enjoyed one another's company, were able to relax and enjoy without worrying about meeting the kids needs. It was wonderful reconnecting with Tim and just having fun together.

We enjoyed Food and Wine Festival, drinking and eating our way around the World Showcase, laughs with eachother and our friends, shopping, and some great couple moments, like going out to a fancy restuarant we have never been to before with the kids - just the two of us. It reminded me how much fun Tim and I have together just the two of us and how lucky I am to be married to Tim.

We got to experience Osborune Lights together, it was AMAZING!

I am not one to cry at events like this, but when those lights came on, the snow fell down and the Christmas music started, I teared up - words can't describe it, it is truly magical!

That was honestly the only moment of the trip that I wished the kids were there to experience that with us- but I reminded myself that I can easily bring them back to experience it for themselves at another time and just to enjoy this time with Tim.......... and I did!

I absolutely loved our time away together. It was nice to see that the kids did indeed survive without us (had a good time with their grandparents actually). I love my kids and we did miss them and were showered with hugs and kisses the entire evening we returned which was wonderful!

I would definitely do it all over again, and can't wait to plan our next getaway.......just the two of us.

-Lesley

Second Honeymoon

2010-11-09T03:25:00.000-08:00

Well, tomorrow it is!!!! Tomorrow night Tim and I head up to a hotel at the Columbus airport for our second honeymoon to Disney World. Tim and I haven't been to Disney without the kids since our honeymoon over 12 years ago. We are heading down for 3 nights at the Disney's Boardwalk resort to enjoy Food and Wine festival together:

Don't get me wrong, we will both miss the kids desperately, especially since we are going to Disney where we have vacationed together as a family since the kids were babies. BUT I need to keep reminding myself that this is for our family- to keep our marriage strong and fresh, to enjoy time just the two of us, to renew ourselves and thinking about it like that makes me SO EXCITED! I am thankful for Tim's mom and my parents for taking care of the kids in our absence, it helps so much knowing they will be in safe/fun/loving hands while we are away. Please pray for our safe travel, for the kids to be fine without us and for Tim and I to make some wonderful memories together.................I'll report back on how it all went : )
-Lesley

Is it that time ALREADY!?!

2010-10-22T17:52:00.000-07:00

Can you believe we are only 62 days away from Christmas!?! My goal this year is to stay on top of things and get shopping and cards done early so I can sit back and enjoy the season instead of last minute rush and wrapping as in previous years. Although, I will admit, I'm already logged in to the various black Friday websites, I just can't resist that early morning shopping rush and I do anticipate being one of the crazies out at 4 a.m. for the deals.
The Christmas budget list is made and the shopping has begun, I SO love this time of year!
Last year was the first year that I didn't do the traditional store bought Christmas cards. I found it so easy to personalize my cards on Shutterfly with our favorite family pictures from the year then all I had to do was stuff envelopes and address them- LOVE it!
I have already made a trip over to shutterfly to check out their new holiday styles : http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery They even have photo gift tags this year: http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/christmas-gift-tags ................. tempting.......
My favorites are the "peppermint bliss" and the "many memories tree" styles- I'm trying to decide if I want a style with 3 pictures or 6. Now I need to search through our family pictures from the year and decide which ones will "make the card cut". Wish me luck ; ) Enjoy your own holiday preparations............. let the fun begin!
-Lesley

Celebrating Our Family

2010-10-19T17:26:00.000-07:00

Today was the 2 year anniversary of my student Elli's death at the young age of 8. I loved Elli, she was so smart, and her laughter was contagious. She was at school on a Friday and passed away in her sleep that Saturday night - a very tragic time for all. On today, the anniversary of her death her father Scott wrote an amazing blog honoring her life:
http://joyinthisjourney.com/2010/10/hello-my-daughter-died/

I read the blog this morning before I went to work and I had left it up on my laptop. I got a call from Tim this morning at work and he told me with tears still in his eyes that he had read it, and as a result he made the decision that today he was planning some fun/memorable activities for us celebrate our family and boy did her EVER!
The kids and I came home to a house decorated with balloons and streamers. Tim and I sat the kids down and reminded them about Elli and we told them about the blog (briefly) and how we wanted to celebrate being alive together as a family- they were so excited. Tim had a fun game planned for us. He filled up balloons in the corner:

I won't go into the details of the game, but just know that it was fun and involved us running with balloons between our legs and popping the balloons for prizes. We ALL had fun getting into the action:

We had such fun together laughing and playing the game. Tim made us our favorite dinner of spaghetti, meatballs, garlic bread and salad. We enjoyed a wonderful dinner together and enjoyed our prizes. We wrapped up the evening looking at some old pictures (I am amazed daily how fast my children are growing up). What a great night celebrating our family and our love for one another.
As a Christian I know that my time with my family here on earth is a blessing and is temporary, Elli and other precious loved ones from my past are constant reminders of this. I am thankful for my loving family and our precious time together. Tim and I do the best we can within our family to enjoy all of our times together and to make memories that we can cherish- tonight was definitely one of those nights............I truly thank the Lord for my family! I am blessed beyond measure.................

Happy Birthday Dear Lauren!

2010-10-10T10:23:00.000-07:00

Happy 7th Birthday to my baby girl!

It seems like only yesterday I was holding your four pound preemie body in my arms in the NICU surrounded by beeping wires, my have you grown into a WONDERFUL young lady. I am so proud of your zest for life that sails you skipping and dancing through grocery stores, your caring and giving heart that allows you to stop everything and lend a helping hand to others, your ability to light up a room with your smile and radiance, your sense of humor that takes us off guard and sends us into wails of laughter.

I am so proud to be your mom!

WE LOVE YOU LAUREN!!!

Outrage!

2010-09-30T16:52:00.000-07:00

I am just outraged by the death/suicide of 18 year old Rutgers University student Tyler Clementi.

(Tyler is in the center, his roommate Dharun on the left, and the other accused Molly on the right)

When is our world going to stop judging others lifestyles and bullying one another with these types of crimes? We should not tolerate this! Our world views need to change and I pray it is sooner rather than later! His roommate Dharun Ravi's punishment will never suit this crime. What on EARTH would posess you to set up a webcam (without your roommates knowledge) to stream LIVE when you knew your roommate would be having sexual relations with another? Could you IMAGINE if someone did this to you in the privacy of your own bedroom!?! Would he have set up the webcam and ran a live stream if Tyler wasn't gay? Would Tyler feel he should take his life due to the embarassment of this video if he wasn't outed as a result? I do not think so and that is what saddens me even more. I am just so incredibly upset and saddened that the life of this gifted young man was taken due to ignorance, hate, and blatant stupidity!
Rest in peace Tyler, my prayers are with your family and friends.

Welcome Daisy!

2010-08-22T05:31:00.000-07:00

We have been working with the Golden Retreiver Rescue of Cincinnati since June trying to find the perfect new dog for our family and yesterday that all came to fruition.
We traveled down to Louisville to meet two potential dogs yesterday. We got out of the car at the first house and it got ugly really fast. The other dog was very aggressive towards Mickey and we had to go put him in the car fast, calm down the kids and wipe their tears and we headed over to the other house. I was joking with Tim saying: "Mickey must be thinking, thanks a lot guys, you drive me two hours to meet a dog that kicks my butt, thanks a lot!!!" : )
Well, the next house was a household with two children and a beautiful Golden Retreiver with curly hair who is now our new baby........ Daisy.

Isn't she the cutest!?! She and Mickey look like brother and sister, only she has the curls (just like Lauren in our family). Lauren thinks she has found her soul mate with another curly haired girl in the house. Luke LOVES her because she is so friendly and constantly drops a ball at your feet to have you throw the ball for her, and Tim is happy because he finally has "his" dog (Mickey is definitely my dog, always attached to my side). Daisy is getting along great with Mickey and even with our cat which I didn't expect to happen to soon. She has fit in tremendously already and we feel so blessed to have her!

It's Time To Get Real

2010-08-14T07:31:00.000-07:00

I was reflecting on old pictures of myself today (from my 30th birthday) and I started getting very upset with myself......... I have let myself go. No, I'm not obese by any stretch of the imagination but I am a lot heavier than I was on my 30th birthday. I attribute that to lack of consistent exercise, lack of a healthy diet most of the time, not drinking enough water and my recent obsession with wine. I was not one who drank in high school or college, but about 3 years ago when my job got stressful I started indulging in wine and lots of it. I have a large glass with snacks EVERY single night. That can't be good for weight loss.
So...... it's time to GET REAL. I'm going to be brutally honest here so I can update you all on my progress because I feel I need some accountability right now.
When I started this weight loss adventure I was at 151 pounds (I only started this two days ago by the way). I am currently 150 pounds, my goal is 135 pounds.
For the record I have always been blessed with "good genes" so I have NEVER stuck to an exercise and diet regimen in my ENTIRE life, so this will be tough for me.
My guideline is my "Lose It" application on my Iphone. I input my goal of losing 15 pounds and it is giving me 1500 calories per day. It allows me to input everything I'm eating and my exercise/calories burned. I am also going to cut out wine during the weekdays, weekends only for now - if I find I am hitting a plateau then I will re evaluate and cut it, I'm THAT serious.
So............... wish me luck.............. I really want the "old" Lesley back, it's time!!!!

Happy Anniversary!!!

2010-07-14T14:48:00.000-07:00

This Saturday Tim and I will celebrate our 12 year wedding anniversary.

I think back to our wedding day 12 years ago and think how little we knew. When you are young and in love you don't truly understand what it takes to have a happy marriage. We are selfish human beings, always looking out for "number one". You don't know how to argue effectively and love unconditionally. You don't know how to be a parent, how to balance your time so that you can be a loving spouse and a great parent at the same time.

We had to learn a lot and I am so proud of where we are today. In a world filled with divorce I am so proud that Tim and I not only are still together after 12 years but that our marriage is stronger now than it has ever been.

I realize there are certain things that have gotten us here. First and foremost our love for the Lord and putting him first in our marriage has been our glue. Having the faith to know He will provide for us during difficult times has always been our rock.

Here are some others:

LAUGHTER!!!!

Ever since our marriage Tim has made me laugh each and every day (often many many times per day) and I try and do my part to keep him smiling as well. We have (as you can tell from the photo above) taught that love of laughter and finding humor in life to our children. Having a family who is always laughing together makes you one strong happy family unit.

UNSELFISHNESS:

Having been married now for 12 years we know what one another needs and likes. Being unselfish in marriage is just picking up someones laundry when you know they have had a long day. It's picking up wine or drawing a bath for your wife when you know she's had a hard day at work. It's surprising your husband with something he has wanted for a while for no reason. It's arranging a date night spontaneously so you can spend some quality time together. Allowing your spouse to sleep in while you get up and take care of the kids. It's a constant give and take and predicing what the other one needs and meeting that need without being asked to do so and the important step here, is doing so WILLINGLY and out of LOVE for the other person, not because you want something in return or feel obligated to do so, just doing so out of LOVE

COMMUNICATION/FRIENDSHIP:

My husband is my best friend in the whole world. I can tell him anything and he knows that he can tell me anything. I love having a relationship in this world that I know I can depend on no matter what. I know he has my back and will always be there for me. Our friendship has developed over the years and has made our marriage stronger.

TIME ALONE:

This was EASY when we first got married and didn't have kids, but it took me some time to understand the TRUE importance of this once the kids arrived. As a working mother I always felt guilty scheduling date nights since I never saw my kids during the week. Tim would sometimes book a hotel without telling me just to get me to go away. Now that the kids are older we enjoy frequent date nights and I just love that time alone. Even when we go on vacation to Disney each year we make sure we utlize the child care services to get away and have a night or two just "us". I had to come to the realization how important this time for us to connect is and what kind of parents would we be if our marriage isn't strong for our children? For our ten year anniversary we went away for an entire weekend and it was wonderful! I look forward to future adults only weekends we have planned, I just love getting away just the two of us.

Tim, Happy 12 year anniversary. Thank you for being the most amazing best friend, companion, father, and husband a girl could ever ask for. I am truly blessed to call you my husband. I look forward to many many more years and good times together in the years to come. I love you!!!

Ending on a POSITIVE note

2010-07-07T13:50:00.000-07:00

It was a ROUGH baseball season for Luke this year. His team had a wonderful year in our Kings league last year so they were bumped to a VERY competetive Knothole league this year. We were playing teams that were hand selected with the best players, using big barrelled bats and teams that travel to other tournaments. Our team is full of boys who have been playing with one another since t-ball, no hand selection, no big barrel bats, just good old fashioned baseball for fun.

Well, it wasn't fun this year. It's not fun being run-ruled EVERY single game. It's not fun striking out against great pitchers. It's not fun to FINALLY get a hit but playing against teams who are so perfect in the field you don't have a prayer of getting to first. It was a LONG season for the boys AND the parents.

We were THRILLED that when it was tournament time the league took a look at our record this year and bumped us down into a bracket we could actually compete at..... and we WON the championship game last night.

Luke found out it is FUN playing in the outfield knowing you aren't going to get KILLED:

He found out that it is FUN to get a hit, make it to first and get ready to steal second with your dad as your first base coach:

He found out it's FUN to make it to third and then STEAL home and score for your team as your family and team cheers you on!

Baseball can be FUN, and it doesn't hurt to go home with a big trophy either : )

GRATEFUL!

2010-07-01T14:06:00.001-07:00

I have so much to blog about and don't want to go on and on forever so I decided instead to just make this into a grateful journal of sorts.
Right now in my life:
-I am grateful for a strong and healthy marriage, being married to my best friend who makes me laugh, take deep breaths and appreciate life daily.
-I am grateful for my two lovely children who are growing up (against my wishes to stop time) into wonderful human beings.
-I am grateful for the Lord blessing us so we are able to go on many wonderful vacations together and create memories to last a lifetime.
-I am even grateful for going to Girlscout camp, enduring 95 degree temperatures and sleeping on the floor on an empty stomach to look over and see my daughter smiling and hearing her say "thank you so much for taking me here with you momma!"
-I am grateful to have summers off with my family.
-I am grateful for the beautiful days without humidity. The blue skies, cool breezes and birds chirping arent lost on me, I love every minute of it!
-I am grateful for the ability to lounge by the pool, and put goggles on and play games under water with my kids.
-I am grateful for my family, living close to my family and Tim's family and all of the blessings and memories we have made together and the wonderful effects it has had on Luke and Lauren.
-I am grateful for ice cream.
-I am grateful that my kids still reach out and hold my hand as we are walking ANYWHERE together, even in front of their friends.
-I am grateful for great friends both old and new.
-I am grateful for the way my dog loves me and is my faithful friend, and for a purring cat who rubs lovingly on my forehead as he sits on my chest.
-I am grateful that God created wine : )
-I am grateful for Luke winning a baseball game!!!!
-I'm grateful for movies like Toy Story 3 that let me experience a full range of emmotions including crying like a baby knowing my babies are growing up.
-I am grateful for summertime bonfires under the stars in our backyard, and of course Smores.
-I am grateful for the Lord, my salvation and knowing that I will see loved ones again.
I am just so blessed, so GRATEFUL, and enjoying life.......... so GRATEFUL! I encourage you to make your own "grateful" list, I think you will be amazed at how truly blessed you really are.

Off to our Happy Place!!!!

2010-06-06T11:44:00.001-07:00

It's my FAVORITE time of year, school is almost out and we are going to get in the car and head to the Happiest Place on Earth in 7 days!!!!
I'm so excited because we are actually pulling off a surprise for the kids this year. We are staying one night at the Nick hotel and they have NO idea, can't wait to pull into the parking lot and surprise them. We are also going to the Blue Man Group show, we scored 2nd row PONCHO section and we are going to the show on my birthday, can't wait!
More than anything I can't wait to just make Disney memories with my family:

It has become more and more apparant to me lately how quickly my kids are growing up. Luke actually held my hand on a long walk the other day in our neighborhood and I was thinking to myself that my soon to be 4th grader won't be caught dead holding his mom's hand soon. Lauren is entering 1st grade and I just can't believe how fast they are growing up. So I am ready to escape with my family and enjoy some good old fashioned family bonding in the Happiest Place on Earth.........

BRING IT!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm Freaking Awesome!!!!!!!!!!!!

2010-05-22T07:49:00.000-07:00

I am a huge Jason Mraz fan and read his blog daily. Something he posted this past week has stuck with me and I have been showing it to others and watching them smile and decided I had to post it here.
Why is it in this life it is so easy to put ourselves down, and think negatively of ourselves. What happened to our innocent selves in our youth who LOVED ourselves!?! Imagine what it would do for your life and your self esteem to start your day off like this young lady in this Youtube video, JUST LOVE THIS... I think she has it all figured out (sooooo reminds me of Lauren):

So.................. start singing your own praises...............

HOUSE

2010-05-14T15:30:00.000-07:00

Our church (River Hills Christian Church) started a new series this past Sunday called "HOUSE". What a wonderful series and I am so excited about it already. I learned so much at the first service that I wanted to share the outline for you here.

Essential Investments From God's Word to Build a Blessed Life at Home............

1). Invest in Mutual Acceptance
- This is HUGE isn't it. None of us are perfect, we each have our own quirks. My favorite thing they shared was "stop judging each other". In our families we need to accept and love one another for who we are, not hoping to change them into something they are not.
Accept one another just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God. Romans 15:7
2). Invest in Effective Communication
-You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry James 1:19
That's a HARD one isn't it. Do you know that the AVERAGE couple talks to eachother alone only FOUR MINUTES per day!?! AND they watch an average of 47 hours per week of television together. What a sad and startling statistic. I will make sure that our home does not ever live out this statistic.

3). Invest in Considerate Behavior
-Show your love by being helpful to each other Ephesians 4:2
SO important. This was such a touch one in the beginning of our marriage as we had to let go of the "I" and concentrate on the feelings of the other person. I think Tim and I have grown so much in this area and I'm proud of how strong our marriage has become as a result, NOW the struggle is getting our children to learn these lessons and apply it to their lives as well.

4). Invest in Deliberate Surrender
-Love does not demand its own way 1 Corinthians 13:5
-Love one another deeply, from the heart 1 Peter 1:22

5). Invest in Encouraging Words
-This one really struck home with me and Tim and I talked about it and we have really concentrated on encouraging one another this week as well as encouraging the children. We have always done a decent job at this, but we know it can be better and it WILL be better.
-Ephesians 4:19 "Don't say anything that would hurt another person"
-"Encourage one another and build each other up" 1 Thessalonians 5:11

6). Invest in Real Affection
"Love one another with genuine affection" Romans 12:10
"Let the husband render to his wife the affection owed her, and likewise also the wife to her husband" 1 Corinthians 7:3
Tim and I do not hide our affection from our children. Luke and Lauren have grown up in a home where their mom and dad hug and kiss eachother daily and they see this. I kiss my kids and hug my kids and tell them "I love you" every chance I get. I think it is important for them to be surrounded by love and for them to have the example of what a loving marriage is, that should not be hidden from them.

7). Invest in Ongoing Forgiveness(this one of course can ALWAYS be a struggle).
-"Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you." Colassians 3:13
-Forgive one another as quickly and thoroughly as God in Christ forgave you. Ephesians 4:32.WOW, that can be a tough one, but I will be working on it.

I want to have a strong marriage and to have a positive relationship with my kids. I am taking these steps to invest in our HOME by following these biblical principals that will make our HOME BLESSED.

-Lesley

Beautiful Inside and Out

2010-05-10T17:28:00.000-07:00

My sister n' law took this picture of Lauren on Mother's Day, when I opened it I was just taken aback by her beauty:

What I love about my daughter is that she is just as beautiful (if not more so) on the inside than on the outside. What a blessing she is to me.............
-Lesley

Happy Mother's Day

2010-05-09T16:31:00.000-07:00

I hope you have had a wonderful Mother's Day today.

I spent it with my two wonderful children who the Lord has blessed me with and my amazing husband. I was able to spend time with my own mother who I am fortunate enough to live close to and we shared a fun day together as well. I also was with my brother and his wife and got some cuddle time in with my nephew.

Today I spent a lot of time reflecting on how fast my children have grown. It seems like only yesterday I was carrying each of them in my belly,bringing them home from the hospital for the first time. I just can't wrap my mind around how blessed I am by my amazing children, I just love them so very very much! I cherish these days where I am still the center of their universe. They still say "mom, will you play with me?" "Mom, can you snuggle with me?" Ohhhhhhhh how I cherish that and I know that it will be gone all too soon and it makes me cry.

I am thankful for my own mother and for her example to me over the years of how to be a mother.

I hope that one day my own children will grow up and view me as a true friend as I view my own mother.
Happy Mother's Day! I hope it was a great one for each of you, I know it was for me!
-Lesley

Feeling Free

2010-04-27T14:55:00.001-07:00

We recently took a wonderful trip to Kiawah Island South Carolina. Being able to sit on a beach with my family and soak in the rays is something I will never take for granted. My favorite picture from the trip is this one:

I love how the beach allows my kids to just be kids and be FREE! There is way too much technology in this world and I am just as guilty as all of the other parents out there with the portable DVD players, Nintendo DS's, and I have two kids (well one more than the other) obsessed with online games such as Club Penguin. That is why I cherish these FREE moments, when it is just "us" being a family. Those are the experiences in our family that will mold my children into who they are in this world, it is what brings us together as a family and bonds us. I hope you get away some this year with your family and experience some freeing moments and make memories, it's what our life here on earth is all about!
-Lesley

So... You are going to Disney... Where should you stay??

2010-04-19T05:21:00.000-07:00

So…… you are going to Disney World, where should you stay?
The big debate when planning your Disney vacation is should you stay ON property or OFF property? We have weighed these in our minds over and over and on property has always won for us, but I do understand why those who are more budget minded would opt for the off property locations. In this Disney planning installment I will discuss ON property and the next I will discuss OFF property.
The PRO’S for staying on property are:
-If you are flying free Disney Magical Express bus service to and from the airport to your Disney resort.
-Location Location Location, you are RIGHT on property so you don’t have to fight traffic, you simply get on your Disney convenient transportation bus at your resort and at the park and are at your destination in no time.
-The other LOCATION perk is being able to hop on a Disney bus (or boat depending on the resort) and go back to your resort easily and quickly for afternoon pool breaks or naps (this has been HUGE for us over the years).
-You will have the option to use the Disney Dining Plan
-You will have a “Key to the World Card” which serves as your room key, if you are on the dining plan your “dining key”, your park tickets (if you book a package that includes tickets), and you can use it for room charges.
-Any purchases you make at the parks or Downtown Disney can be sent back to your room at no charge so you don’t have to lug them around with you.
-The theming – you are on Disney property so the theming of these hotels are great.
-The customer service, when you stay on Disney property you are surrounded by Disney cast members, I have not seen customer service like this in any other hotel we have stayed in, Disney just knows how to do it right.
-You can make your dining reservations 180 days in advance PLUS 10 days, so all of your reservations can be made in one phone call for your entire trip when staying on property.
I’m sure I am leaving some perks out, but these are the biggies.
Now, if you decide you will be staying on Disney property for your vacation then you need to determine where you would like to stay. Disney has several levels of hotels: The Disney Campground, Value Resorts, Moderate Resorts, Deluxe Resorts, and Vacation Villas.
Before I go into the resorts I want to tell you to check out www.mousesavers.com GREAT site that is always updating the current deals on Disney including the discount codes, this is where I found my first discount code years ago for only $124 a night at Wilderness Lodge and we were hooked on deluxe resorts and NEVER looked back.
MY FAVORITE Disney website is www.disboards.com if you are planning a trip to Disney you MUST visit this website, look around and post questions, they answer you quickly, GREAT forum!
O.K, onward to the on property resorts:
The Disney value resorts range from 82.00-130.00 per night depending on the time of year you travel, type of room you request (you can request a preferred room that is closer to the food court and bus stops, I do NOT recommend doing this, I recommend saving your money and putting a specific location request on your reservation instead). These are the RACK rates for this room and often throughout the year Disney will give public discounts that really knocks the price down per night.
Value resorts are the smallest room size, come with two double beds and have outside access to your rooms so if it is raining and you get off of the bus and you have a hike to your room you WILL get wet. We stayed in a value our first year and we had a great stay and the kids LOVED it!
If you decide on a value resort our FAVORITE is the POP Century Resort.

It is the newest of the Value’s, has great larger than life icons, a nice main pool and pool bar with pools in each “era”. You can stay in the 50’s, 60’s, 70’s, 80’s, or 90’s locations. Each decade has it’s own theme, icons, and music to go with the theme, just LOVE that about this resort, and it’s own POOL! Pop has a nice big food court, doesn’t share buses with any other resort (which is a huge plus for us), and a nice arcade which our kids loved. Value resorts are the smallest room size, come with two double beds and have outside access to your rooms so if it is raining and you get off of the bus and you have a hike to your room you WILL get wet.
The next step up are Disney’s Moderate resorts. The average price for moderate resorts are $149-$249 per night (again these are the RACK rates, often they come out with discounts). You still have the exterior access to your room, but the rooms are a tad bit bigger, beds are bigger (queen sized), and the pools have slides and hot tubs. Our favorite moderate resort is Port Orleans French Quarter.

The theming here is great, kids love the pool with the huge serpent slide, and they have a boat that takes you to Downtown Disney. The other reason we love this moderate is it is BY FAR the smallest Disney moderate resort so your walk to the food court and bus stops is minimal, the other moderate resorts are SO spread out. We also love Port Orleans French Quarter because it does share transportation with Port Orleans Riverside but French Quarter is picked up first and dropped off first so we have always gotten a seat to ride on (I don’t like standing and riding on Disney buses). The food court here is good, and the arcade was nice as well, we really enjoyed our stay at this resort.
Also included in the Moderate category for the same rates listed above are the Fort Wilderness Cabins. This is a great option for larger families and it includes a full kitchen as well. We have not stayed at these but have heard wonderful things about them.

The NEXT step up are Disney’s Deluxe Resorts. There are two big differences in prices of the deluxe resorts. If you stay on the monorail you will pay a LOT more. Our favorite deluxe resorts that are not on the monorail so are in the lower tier of pricing are Wilderness Lodge:

or the Animal Kingdom Lodge:

These resorts are VERY similar (the all under one roof concept and so you have covered walkways from the bus into the nicely air conditioned lobby – this is GREAT in the summer). They have sit down restaraunts as well as food courts at the deluxe resorts, they have the pool slides, etc. The difference between Animal Kingdom Lodge and Wilderness lodge is the theming, obviously there are Animals at the Animal Kingdom lodge and that is just AWESOME! Both resorts are incredibly beautiful and have wonderful pools with pool slides. Wilderness Lodge is VERY close to the Magic Kingdom and offers a boat to and from the Magic Kingdom which is a GREAT perk. These two resorts range in price from $240-400 per night (depending on room size, view, etc). Both of these resorts do offer a bunk bed option so you can have 2 queens in your room or a queen and a bunk bed which is great for families with kids. All deluxe resorts also offer a balcony which we loved because when the kids were falling asleep we could step outside from some privacy.
So those are the Disney ON property locations in a nutshell (that was hard to summarize and it was STILL wordy) . Next Disney blog I do will be on OFF property perks and locations, then I will do one on our favorite tips and tricks to getting around the parks and avoiding crowds.

Don't worry, I did NOT ignore the other part of the survey results that said many of you still want to hear about my family, I am NOT abandoning that either, more updates on our family will be continuing on this blog as well. Thanks for reading!
Lesley

Votes are In!

2010-04-11T06:26:00.001-07:00

So, the votes are in (thanks for those who voted) and Disney Planning won with 74% of the votes cast, I didn’t get a single comment telling me what you want me to discuss in Disney planning, so I will just start blindly but PLEASE if you have anything Disney Planning related you would like me to discuss from Hotels, itinerary planning, budgets, Disney dining (including meal planning, our favorite places to eat, making reservations), favorite tips, etc. PLEASE post a comment.
I’m off to work on my first installment “So you are going to Disney, where should you stay?”, stay tuned!
-Lesley

Cast Your Vote!!!

2010-03-31T17:05:00.000-07:00

I have added a poll to the blog, (it is located to the left of this post). Please take a moment to vote, this will be open the next few weeks. I am curious to see what you would like me most to blog about. So far Disney planning is winning, I do have a LOT to share in that arena so I look forward to blogging about that, if there is something SPECIFIC about Disney planning or the other topic you vote for please post that as a comment in response to this poll.
Thanks!
Lesley

What are you doing this Mother's Day??

2010-03-30T12:39:00.000-07:00

This Mother's Day I am REALLY hoping my family will take me to see the movie "BABIES" that comes out. Have you seen the previews for this movie? I CAN'T WAIT to see it, looks AMAZING! (and makes me miss the precious moments when my kids were babies)
BEFORE YOU VIEW THIS YOU WILL WANT TO STOP THE SONG PLAYING ON MY PLAYLIST, BE SURE TO HIT THE PAUSE BUTTON ON THE MUSIC:
When you click on this it will take you to a publicity page, click on the "play trailer" :

So............ what do YOU think??

-Lesley

Holly

2010-03-28T16:01:00.000-07:00

I have an aunt named Holly, Holly happens to have Down syndrome. Holly has always been a big part of our lives. She is my mother's younger sister and when I was little she lived with my grandmother and grandfather in Indiana and then they made the move to Florida. My grandfather was an amazing man and planned for the days when he and my grandmother wouldn't be around to take care of Holly anymore. He put a lot of money aside to make sure that Holly's every need would be taken care of. Now that my grandparents are gone my mother has to make sure that all of Holly's needs are taken care of. I don't think that people realize that when you have a child with special needs the siblings of that child will eventually need to take up the reigns and take on the role of parent in that relationship.
Of course Holly is a part of our family and we all love her very much. Holly is around for most major holidays (Thanksgiving, 4th of July, Christmas time,etc.), weekend visits, goes on family vacations with us throughout the years, and for frequent visits- typically long weekends. Holly was a bridesmaid in my wedding, it was important for me to have her be a part of it.
Holly shaped me at a young age and I believe I am in the field of special education as a result of my relationship with her.
I have enjoyed watching Luke and Lauren with her as they have grown up. It is great to see how much they enjoy being around Holly, and how Holly makes them laugh and brings out the inner child in her:

Tim has really bonded with Holly over the years as well, in fact I think he is her new favorite. She always bypasses us to get a hug from "her Tim" first, it is funny to watch them giggle together.
Holly has taught all of us patience, acceptance and unconditional love. I am happy to have Holly as an aunt and an important part of our family unit.

The blessings of Grandparents

2010-03-23T12:10:00.000-07:00

My kids enjoyed some quality grand parent moments lately. Every time that I think of moving south towards Florida (which beileve me crosses my mind a LOT) I think of all my kids would miss out on not being surrounded by family.
We had a family getaway to Clifty Falls Indiana for my mom's birthday, it was a WONDERFUL getaway with our family, my mom and dad and my brother, his wife and their new baby.
I was happy the kids spent some quality time with their grandparents:

We took a walk in the woods and this snapshot of my dad walking with Lauren flashed me back to when I was a kid, walking hand in hand with my dad when I was her age, so glad she has these memories now too:

My mom and Luke have this incredible bond, and it is so fun to watch them goof around together:

The getaway was wonderful family bonding time at it's best!

Then this week Tim's mom came into Luke and Lauren's school and did a wonderful demonstration about their Ukranian heritage, her great grandfather's journey to America as an immigrant from the Ukraine, and all of his successes when he arrived in America. Here she was talking to the kids:

She did an amazing job teaching the Ukranian heritage to the kids and really holding their attention. Then she demonstrated how to make Ukranian Easter Eggs. The kids were happy to have their grandmother come to school and speak:

Funny that BOTH my mom AND Tim's mom are named Georgia, that is why we chose it for Lauren's middle name.
I would be remiss not to mention Tim's dad here as well. He is a wonderful grandfather to my children, comes up with fun and creative games with the kids which they BEG to play. Here is Luke playing his favorite "left right" game at our recent family night. Tom (Tim's dad) yells out "left foot, right foot, right arm" etc. and the kids have to do it quickly and when they get it wrong they are squirted with water, HUGE hit with the grandkids.

Today I am thankful for loving grand parents, my children are blessed to have two very loving sets of grandparents and for that I am TRULY thankful!

My Bologna ........

2010-03-04T15:52:00.000-08:00

So, I am going to try and due this "inside joke" a little justice.
To understand this you must understand two things:
1). I am ALWAYS going around singing "my balogna has a first name, it's O-S-C-A-R" at the top of my lungs goofing around the house with the kids, just something I've ALWAYS done.
2). My middle name is Marie
So........ I had a stressful day at work today and Tim knew I needed a smile so he bought me some beautiful flowers and this AWESOME card:

Does it GET any better than that???
Isn't it great when someone you love does something special that puts a HUGE smile on your face and let's the worries of the day just melt away instantly.
That card will go down in emphamy, LOVE it!

Lucky

2010-02-25T16:18:00.000-08:00

Have you heard that song by LUCKY by Colbie Caillat and Jason Mraz? (I put it in my song list in case you haven't).
Well.......... I am LUCKY to be in love with my best friend.
In this world we live in, having a strong family is definitely a rariety. I see people so unhappy in their marriages just going through the motions, constantly fighting, not connecting, it's sad really. I feel that investing in my marriage and making sure it is strong is not only healthy for us, but so very important for our children, their well being and emmotional stability.
Of course, just like all strong marriages, Tim and I have had our up's and downs, but we are stronger for it and, after 11 1/2 years of marriage, we are stronger than we have ever been. I am indeed LUCKY to be married to my best friend. Tim makes me laugh daily, keeps me strong, is my motivation, is my coach, and more importantly my very best friend. I am so blessed that the Lord has given me such a wonderful partner in life.

A part of keeping our marriage strong is getting away, just the two of us sometimes. This weekend (as my Valentine's Day gift to Tim) we will escape to a VERY nice hotel in the Downtown Cincinnati area, enjoy a nice dinner together, movie night and hotel getaway, I CAN'T WAIT!

-Lesley

It continues

2010-02-24T16:22:00.000-08:00

So.......... we went to the grocery store last night and SAVED............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................DRUMROLL PLEASE...................................................................................................................................................................
A WHOPPING $78.00 off of our grocery bill, that was 30% off of our bill. I am so excited, talk about motivation!!!!
I also scored BIG TIME on a deal on graveyardmall.com They had a deal for 10 pairs of women's sunglasses for 9.99 and I took a risk, well it paid off BIG TIME! I got 10 pairs of AWESOME "MUDD" brand sunglasses with price tags still on them for $20.00 each, UNBELIEVABLE!!! They publicised the same deal for men's glasses, so we're waiting for Tim's to arrive. I LOVE mine, every one is super fashionable and I love each and every pair!
As far as my working out, I have switched to working out before work. It isn't easy getting up a 1/2 an hour earlier but I find when I do it, it's nice because it's done for the day, it doesn't take time away from the kids when I get home from work, and it does give me more energy in the mornings. I'll keep you updated.
I'm thankful the days are getting longer, I love driving to school in the sunlight and am enjoying the extra hours of sunshine, now if it could only get warmer!
Hope you are enjoying life

-Lesley

Still Plugging Away

2010-02-18T03:31:00.000-08:00

Since I last wrote you I am STILL doing my exercise routine and watching my calories, it definitely takes the dedication I mentioned in my previous post. Isn't it funny how the habits and lifestyles of others that you live with influence you in major ways. When Tim wasn't watching what he was eating or working out I was perfectly content just to be a couch potato but now that we are both doing it together we motivate one another. Tim is down to the lowest weight ever, he looks amazing and his dedication is inspiring to me. I've lost a total of 10 pounds since my adventure began in January, I'm still 10 pounds off of my goal weight. I reached a plateau and was getting discouraged and Tim found a workout called "INSANITY" for me to try. OMG this workout truly is INSANE. I did it for the first time yesterday and literally thought I was going to die, but at the same time so was proud of myself for doing it. I'll keep you updated on if I continue with that level of "insantiy" to achieve my results.
We continue to coupon and use couponing blogs to help save us an average of 55 dollars per trip to the grocery store. I found a blog "couponing my way to Disney" that motivated me to try a writing campaign. She emails 5 companies per week with either complaints or detailed compliments on their products and she said 9/10 they will mail you coupons. I decided to give it a try for one week and 3/5 companies that I wrote sent me REALLY good coupons for a signifigant discounts. Purina sent me 5 2.00 off coupons, Dole sent me 5 .75 off coupons, and Fruictis shampoo products sent me 2 coupons for free products. So, I think I'll continue to give that a try.
We have been diluged with snow here and enjoyed some days playing in it. We walked to our local park and enjoyed sledding time with the park to ourselves the first day of snowfall:

We ended up with about 12 inches of snow. We also enjoyed some snow days too which was a nice surprise and allowed us more snow playing time. We also enjoyed a quick weekend getaway to Gatlinburg which was fun.
Here's something a little random to leave you with. We've been enjoying the Olympics and during the shows have been laughing hysterically at our new favorite commercial, this one gets us EVERY time, sOOOOOOOOOO funny!

Saving Money and Dedication

2010-01-31T14:42:00.000-08:00

I am so excited about two major things that is going on with me right now:
1). Saving tons of money using coupons and local coupon blogs
2). Sticking to a diet, weight loss and exercise plan and starting to see changes.

Tim and I are kicking ourselves that we didn't start clipping coupons sooner, but now that we are we are serious about it. We bought a coupon organizer, bought our Sunday paper and got organized, just based upon that we saved 30.00 our first time out of the gate.
That was great......... but I wanted more!
I scoured the internet for even more coupons and our trip online. So, two weeks ago (our second try at this) we went out armed with our Sunday paper coupons AND our printed out online coupons and saved a whopping $50.00 off of our bill... AWESOME feeling!................ but I wanted more!
So......... I scoured the internet more and found some great coupon blogging websites. My favorite one is www.coupongeek.net They made it SUPER easy for me because they go through the Kroger circular and suggest the best deals for you as well as link those deals with coupons from the paper and have links to online coupons to further the savings and show you what the final price would be.... this was WONDERFUL! So........ I took great notes from the site, paired them with Sunday coupons they suggested and with the printable coupons and we went to the store yesterday and were able to save $75.00 off of our grocery bill!!! I just LOVE this! I am so excited to see how much we can save over this upcoming year, we just need to stay dedicated to it (but the wonderful motivation of extra money in our pockets will make that easy).
Speaking of motivation......... I have stuck to a dieting and exercise regiment since the beginning of January. I am down 7 pounds (a total of 15 pounds is my goal by Spring Break). I feel better than I have in years. I have cut down my wine drinking to one glass per week (which for those of you who know me, know that is a sacrifice: ) I am starting to see results and I am LOVING it! It is a great feeling to have your pants get loser and see more definition in your body. I will keep you updated on the progress of both of these things as the year progresses..... wish me luck!
-Lesley

Trials in Parenting

2010-01-16T16:24:00.000-08:00

The Lord has blessed me with two amazing and healthy children. I remember when I was pregnant with each of them I always prayed for their health. I can vividly recal sitting in their nurseries at night after they had been born rocking them slowly and praying to the Lord to keep them safe and healthy and in turn I promised Him I would raise up my children to know and love Him. Well, the Lord has kept his promises and now I am trying my best to do my part.
I can close my eyes and see my son at the very young age of 1 1/2 as a new walker, trying his best to maneuver up and down curbs outside in our neighborhood. I can still see the determination in his eyes as he would try over and over again to put one foot up on the curb and not topple over during his balancing act. It took him about 15-20 attempts, but he continued to do it until he mastered it - and that look of pure joy and accomplishment on his little face brought a smile to my own.
As my children have grown older I have watched their personalities develop in much different ways. My son who used to be the determined confident one has recently become more self conscious, frustrated and frightened to try new things. This personality trait also then evolves into bad sportsmanship because he can not handle losing or failing once he has tried at something - an uphill battle for sure. I don't know how you go from being a 1 1/2 year old with such drive and determination to an almost 9 year old who lacks that confidence and ability to try, but I am trying to get to the bottom of it with him. I've had talks with him today, and had him give me a list of 10 things he is great at (which he could easily come up with). He is a wonderful person inside and out, I want him to have that confidence that he deserves so he can be the successful man that I know he can be in life. I try to teach him to be Christ like in everything he does, I know it is a stiff order, but I am trying.
I have a six year old who is confident and wise beyond her years. She will dance and strut her stuff in front of complete strangers smiling from ear to ear. She will talk your ear off to no end and when she walks into a room she radiates it with her positivity and good nature. I am praying that as years go by she doesn't loose that self confidence within herself and her Christ like nature to serve others. I pray her ability to always want to please others won't be taken advantage of. I pray that I can be the mother that I told the Lord I would be, and that my children deserve.

Motherhood is more than I ever thought it could be. I literally wear my heart on my sleeve daily. All I can do is continue to pray that not only they will be healthy, but they will be happy and have a wonderful quality of life that they deserve. Please Lord.......... give me the strength!

-Lesley

Boy did I need this today

2010-01-13T17:55:00.000-08:00

As a working mother it is a DAILY struggle with mothers guilt for me, someone sent me this and I am so glad they did, I REALLY needed this today........ I couldn't have said it better myself:

An open letter to my working mother’s guilt
You, sir, are a liar and a thief.

You lie about the quality of my mothering and you steal the joy of time spent with my children by making me worry about the time we spend apart.

You are self important and self involved.

You trick me into thinking that I can control the well being of my boys. You make me out to be god and center of the universe of my family. And that when I am absent the earth stops revolving and the sun struggles to shines. You whisper, deserter.

You are sneaky sneaky, setting yourself up where the God who built my children shin-bone-to-thigh-bone-to-hip-bone should be.

I will call you out.

And when the crackly static of your nagging dies down I can hear the voice of my Father. And He whispers, provider.

He sings over me.

He is waiting for me in the morning as I struggle to wake up. When the glare of the bathroom lights blind and tired eyes fight the lenses they need to face the day, He is there.

He sings,

She gets up while it is still dark;
she provides food for her family.

Proverbs 31:15

I cling to that chorus all day, five days a week. Here, listen, you lying, stealing guilt. I will spell it out for you:

I love my sons deep.

I love my sons wide.

I love my sons enough to sacrifice what I want so that I can give them what they need.

I am no less and no more than the mothers who get to stay home. God did not give them a pass and me a punishment. I do not need to apologize for the fact that I work. I do not need to be embarrassed.

I practice dying to my own desires every day with each good-bye, each desperate hug, each meal prepared and left to be eaten in my absence. I walk the hard path of trust. Trusting that the God who built my boys will parent them in my absence, will grow them in courage, and teach them over time that this is what love looks like.

Gritty, committed, and determined to do what is necessary.

So, take that Liar.

And if you come back tomorrow, I will be ready to read this to you again.

Signed, Lisa-Jo
mother to her boys in every way that matters
Her blog:http://ow.ly/WfzE

Thank you Lisa-Jo, I REALLY needed that today!
-Lesley

Year In Review... Farewell 2009, Hello 2010

2010-01-02T13:06:00.000-08:00

Wow, I can't believe another year has just whizzed by. I guess the old saying is true "time flies when you are having fun!" 2009 was another fun filled year for our family full of blessings for which I am truly thankful. Let's look back on them together shall we.....
I rang in the New Year by getting a brand new Iphone and haven't looked back since, LOVE the technology this wonderful phone has to offer!

January also gave us our very first major snowfall of the year and we had TWO snow days in a row and enjoyed lots of time playing in the snow together:

Out with the OLD, in with the NEW..... fortunately RIGHT before that major snowfall we had gotten rid of our old living room and family room furniture and got brand new sofa's and loveseats, one of which was a pull out couch which we allowed the kids to spend the night on after snow day #1 which they were THRILLED about!

After we dug out from the snowfall in January my baby boy Luke turned EIGHT years old in February and we celebrated at Krazy City with friends and family and he had a sleepover with cousins:

Shortly after Luke turned eight we packed up the family (including our dog Mickey)
and headed for a long weekend in Gatlinburg, it was HEAVENLY getting away together

There is nothing like soaking in a hot tub in the mountains:

February of 2009 also brought a wonderful occassion for us, Lauren accepted Jesus into her heart and asked to be Baptized, so she was baptized by her grandfather at Fellowship Bible Church:

March brought my mom's birthday and our family got together to a cabin in Brown county for the celebration (I can't for the life of me locate pictures of this wonderful time right now) but it was a wonderful time with my family (my mom, dad, brother, his wife, and of course Tim and the kids) it was unseasonably warm and we enjoyed some outdoor hikes, shopping and swimming (indoors) at Brown County State park.
March also brought Easter and fun outdoor egg hunts (although cold) and all of the festivities that typically brings:

Then came April and a WONDERFUL escape to the beaches of Kiawah island South Carolina for Spring break (ahhhhhh, I can feel the sand on my toes just thinking about it!) I just love those Spring Break getaways with my family (again a great trip with my mom and dad, brother, his wife and Tim and the kids).

The sunshine makes you excited about the summer that is quickly approaching and when I return to school there is less than 2 months before summer vacation.

Then the warmer weather that April and May bring to the Ohio area and we enjoyed setting up movie nights outside for the neighborhood, we popped popcorn, set up Tim's projection equipment and enjoyed the movies under the stars in our shorts:

Then came May, wonderful May. The sun was staying lit longer, temperatures were starting to feel summer like and we enjoyed playing outside after I came home from work. Lauren had a Mother's Day Tea at her preschool in May:

These tea's are so precious and always make me cry. She made wonderful crafts for me and the class sang to me, wonderful memories.
The kids and I traveled down to Krohn Conservatory for the Butterfly show and enjoyed holding many butterflies, what a wonderful display:

May also brought Spring soccer for Lauren and we watched her enjoy it more than ever and really run up and down that field agressively. Spring baseball for Luke was wonderful, his team did outstandingly well and landed a top spot for the 2010 team placement rankings.
Then came June, OH HOW I LOVE June! June to me means school is wrapping up for the year, soon I will be spending time with the kids by the pool and taking a stroll down Main Street U.S.A in Disney with the family.
We kicked it off in grand style in 2009 by traveling to Indianapolis to see WICKED with my sister n' law, LOVE THAT SHOW!
Then we transformed our bedroom into a "haven" for ourselves, after having hodge podged furniture from our childhood we finally had our own wonderful haven to escape to:

I also turned 33 in June surrounded by my family:

Then came my FAVORITE time of year, DISNEY TIME!!!! This was going to be the trip of a lifetime. We recently bought into the Disney Vacation Club and as an incentive for joining received a TON of developer points that must be used quickly so we were booked for 18 heavenly Disney days, I couldn't wait!!! I'm not going to re-cap the entire trip here (you can read my ENTIRE 18 day Disney Trip Report here:http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2224335
But it TRULY was the trip of a life time. Tim injured his knee for some of it but overall it was MAGICAL, MEMORABLE and will go down in history as one of my favorite trips, one of the reasons it was so magical was because we met some WONDERFUL friends on the trip and spent a lot of the vacation with them and it made it all the more special. Here are a few of my favorite shots from the trip:

Ohhhh, I could go on and on with the Disney memories and pictures, but I digress....
Then after our wonderful 18 days in Disney we were home for less than 2 weeks and were on our way to our annual trip to Grand Haven Michigan in July. LOVE Grand Haven (have I mentioned how blessed I am to be able to travel so often with my family!)
Grand Haven did not disappoint, we had a wonderful trip (even though Tim was on crutches and in a knee cast for most of it, we made the best of it and had a great time in the sun):

We joined a new church in 2009 and became Crew Leaders for Vacation Bible School in July, it was a wonderful experience both for us and the kids:

As July came to an end we enjoyed many pool filled days and day trips to Kings Island. Then came August and I was sad the summer was coming to a close. I started setting up my classroom and we began a project in our backyard.... a fire pit:

Then it was back to school time. Luke had his first day of third grade:

Lauren had her FIRST DAY OF KINDERGARTEN!

I went back to school and it was a very rough and stressful start to the year for me, so my mother and Tim got together and decided we needed an impromptu getaway in September to Grand Haven for the Labor Day weekend to get me away from it all, boy did that help! (so thankful for my loving husband and wonderful family who always has my best interest at heart). Being able to get away from it all, stick my feet in the sand once again and unwind surrounded by those who I love made the stress melt away, (and those gorgeous sunsets on the pier by the lighthouse didn't hurt either):

September also brought Tim's 34th birthday, we went to Montgomery Inn to celebrate. The start of cheerleading season for Lauren and fall soccer for both Luke AND Lauren, which meant a lot of running around and squeezing in homework for the kids when we could.
October came and that meant Lauren was 1 year older. She turned 6 years old surrounded by friends and family at our house (and a juggler and balloon artist too: )

Then we had another much needed getaway planned in October to our favorite place on earth, Disney World in October. You can read THAT trip report here:http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2322588
We enjoyed dressing up with Mickey for his Halloween bash;

This went down in history as my favorite Disney getaway yet, being able to travel that time of year and experience so many new things was an awesome experience!

November of 2009 brought lots of Christmas shopping, Thanksgiving spent with Tim's family. Girl scouts started up for Lauren. Before we knew it December was here.
In December we had our first snow and enjoyed quality family time playing in it together:

Tim took a once in a lifetime guys only trip to Disney for Disapalooza, he had the time of his life hanging out with friends old and new from our Dis boards contacts through my years of trip report writing. He enjoyed Osborne Lights, the Candlelight processional, and riding Toy Story Mania 11 times in a row without getting off at the Disapalooza party and meeting and hanging out with members of the Dis unplugged Podcast crew that we listen to weekly- he had the time of his life.
In late December I took Lauren to the Nutcracker and Luke to his first theatrical performance at the Playhouse in the Park, he LOVED the Christmas Carol.
Right in time for Christmas on December 21st my nephew Ben was born:

We had a wonderful Candlelight Service on December 23rd at church:

We enjoyed Christmas Eve with Tim's family:

Christmas morning here with our family:
Then mom and dad came over to share in the celebration:

We then moved the celebration to my brother's house to celebrate with my brother, his wife and baby Ben.

We wrapped up 2009 by having our new Disney friends come and stay with us for 5 days. We made wonderful memories with their family,laughed more times than I can count, showed them Cincinnati and rang in the New Year together.

What a WONDERFUL blessed year 2009 was for our family. I hope that you take this time to reflect upon all of your blessings in 2009. HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! I pray that each of us have a wonderful, healthy, memory filled 2010!
-Lesley

Christmas Blessings

2009-12-27T05:56:00.001-08:00

The kids were full of anticipation Christmas morning to see if Santa had come in the middle of the night- here they are waiting (not so ) patiently on the stairs:

He came, Santa came and ate the cookies!

We sang Happy Birthday to Jesus to keep in mind that he is the true reason for the season of giving and the first Christmas gift, then the gifts were opened one by one. I just love the look of pure joy and excitement in my children's eyes as the presents they have so desired are slowly revealed:

We had a wonderful Christmas as a family this year, we were truly blessed by all of the gifts we were able to give and receive this year. Then we moved the celebration over to my brothers house to celebrate with them and spend time with my new nephew, what a Christmas blessing. There's nothing like snuggling with a newborn on Christmas:

I think Ben enjoyed his first Christmas surrounded by those who love him and the twinkling lights of the Christmas tree:

I hope that each of you had a very Merry Christmas, see you in 2010!

Christmas Joy!

2009-12-23T11:53:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow is Christmas Eve, I just LOVE this time of year. The first snow fell a few days ago and we had fun playing in it:

We stayed outside for an hour and a half just playing, building, throwing snowballs at eachother and laughing. Nothing like coming inside and warming up to a nice warm cup of hot chocolate.
All of our gifts are wrapped and we are ready for fun with our families this week. The most wonderful surprise came EARLY on Monday morning when I got a phone call that my sister n' law (my brother's wife) was in labor. This is their first child, and my first time being an aunt for my own sibling's child so VERY exciting times.

He is so handsome, the birth went well and he is healthy as can be, such a Christmas blessing, so now on Christmas day we will get to visit with our new member of the family, love him so much already!

Yesterday we spent all day baking 5 different varieties of Christmas cookies and we went to visit my grandma and grandpa in their nursing home today and brought them cookies and Christmas Joy and they were so happy to have us visit (and eat some cookies: ) We go to Christmas Eve service candlelight service tonight and I can't wait to celebrate Jesus' birthday with my family.

I hope that each of you have a very Merry Christmas and enjoy this time with your families.

Spreading Christmas Love

2009-12-17T03:32:00.000-08:00

Last night I went Christmas caroling with Lauren and her girl scout troop to a local retirement community. They had a list of residents who rarely or never receive visitors (which broke my heart). We knocked on doors and the residents eyes just lit up with the sight of little girls singing carols. They would bob their heads to the music, sing along (sometimes loudly) and complimented the girls after every song.
This lady was asleep when we knocked but roused quickly at the thought of having girls sing Christmas carols (can't you just see the joy in her eyes):

In one couples apartment, they asked us to come in and the girls surrounded his recliner before we noticed he was sitting there in his underwear.... oops! The nurse got him a blanket and the show went on : ) He LOVED the music and was singing so loudly with them. When the girls were done his wife said "where are you going?" and we explained we had a lot of other rooms to visit, to which she replied "ohhhh I would just love it if you could stay longer"..... heart wrenching.
Our final destination brought us to this lovely womans apartment:

She was so sweet and enjoyed them singing so much. As the girls turned to go she said "can I please have a hug", each girl lined up and hugged her one by one. She asked each girl their name and told them how beautiful their names where and to have a very Merry Christmas. Lauren was THRILLED because the lady told her "I have a grand daughter named Lauren, such a beautiful name."
What a wonderful experience and a great lesson for our girls. It did my heart good to spread love this Christmas season, especially to those who needed it most.

I love my dog!

2009-12-10T17:28:00.000-08:00

Every December in Cincinnati they have an annual Reindog parade, it is such fun!
If you want to see what it's like, check it out:

We picked up Mickey's outfit today...............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
I think he likes it : )

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

2009-12-05T14:19:00.000-08:00

I don't know about you, but I LOVE this time of year. I love looking at the Christmas tree glowing in our living room at night. I love shopping for presents for loved ones, and wrapping them. I love walking to the mailbox and getting Christmas cards. I love driving around with the family at night in search of pretty houses all decorated with lights (we did this last night). I love all of the wonderful things that the Cincinnati area has to offer this time of year.
This morning I went with the kids and my mom to the Shriner's Hospital Gingerbread House Display Contest, it was wonderful. Here are some pictures of our favorites:
They had a Gingerbread house in the Culinary Arts Competition area that was the "UP" House, loved it!

This was a pretty one:

This one was of Findlay Market, the attention to detail was amazing. It was in the professional category.

There were sooooo many houses, they blew me away. If this blogger photo upload was any quicker I would upload them all, but I digress.........

We had such a great time looking at all of the houses and voting for our favorites. Then we got back into the car and headed over to another Cincinnati treasure, Krohn Conservatory. The pointsettas were just beautiful!
The kids and I in front of the pretty flowers:

Mom and the kids in front of the pointsetta tree:

The live nativity scene they have outside wasn't open today,they said it will be on the 11th so we'll have to return.

So much more things to look forward to and displays to see. On our list are the downtown displays, Holiday in Lights drive through at Sharon Woods, Festival of Lights at the Cincinnati Zoo, the Reindog parade (gotta look for an outfit for Mickey for this one), seeing a Nutcracker performance and a live Christmas Carol performance at the Aronoff center, and a new one to try: Neiderman farm. Another tradition of ours is sitting around the Christmas tree and sipping on hot chocolate with the kids while we tell Christmas stories. You can't forget all of the holiday baking and decorating to come too, just LOVE this time of year. I hope you are enjoying it with your families too!
-Lesley

Answering Life's Difficult Questions

2009-12-04T03:35:00.000-08:00

Tonight Lauren and I went to a local pottery store to create a special gift for someone who will remain nameless in fear they may read the blog. On our way there Lauren talked my ear off in typical Lauren fashion (no radio is required when you are in the car alone with Lauren). As we drove around she started talking about how much she missed preschool. When I asked her why she missed it she of course mentioned her teacher and then she said "I also miss talking about Jesus at school, why can't we talk about Jesus in Kindergarten". Wow, that question blew me away....... I started talking about the difference between public and private school to my inquiring 6 year old (most of which I thought would go over her head) and explained to her that is why we go to church on Sunday, so she can learn about and talk about Jesus because they don't do that in a public school. She did not seem satisfied by my answer, and more questions kept arising.
I didn't want to tell her yet in her young mind that not all people are believers, seems a difficult subject to broach with your 6 year old when she still believes in Santa Claus and what a huge bottle of worms that will open up when she questions that, will she automatically question her belief in Jesus as well?
These are the subjects I wish I had a parenting manual for. Anyone want to write one?

It costs HOW much!?!

2009-12-02T16:23:00.000-08:00

This year, my school district switched from traditional medical insurance to a Health Savings Account. We have a 4000 dollar deductable we have to meet (the district threw in 2000 towards that deductable). Up until the deductible is met we pay for EVERYTHING at cost. After the deductible is met you pay for nothing.
This is an interest bearing account and it is YOUR money, so what you don't spend rolls into the next year, etc. I was hoping I wouldn't meet our deductible this year so some money would roll into the account next year since the district isn't putting as much in towards the deductable next year. Well....... now I'm thinking that isn't going to happen. I've gone to the doctor a few times, kids a few times, and each appointment has averaged around $125. Well, today I took Luke to the eye doctor and it was $375!!! WOW!!! I didn't anticipate that. Tim has prescriptions to fill next month and I've been calling around and it's averaging around $375 for ONE months supply. It's funny in this country how when we have health insurance we just blindly hand over the card and don't have a clue what the medical professionals and medication companies are charging us........ well, my eyes have been opened and I don't like what I see.

Thanksgiving 2009

2009-11-25T16:32:00.001-08:00

Thanksgiving is tomorrow and as I sit here my head is spinning with all I am thankful for this year........... isn't that a WONDERFUL feeling.
I am most thankful for my relationship with my Lord and savior and my salvation and his undying GRACE. I know that it is because of him that I so thankful and blessed.

I am thankful for my wonderful marriage of 11 years. Being married to my best friend is an awesome feeling. I am thankful for his constant support and love, for always making me laugh even when I want to cry, his devotion to me and our children, and for just being the outstanding man that he is- LOVE my husband!

I am thankful for my two outstanding children.

I am truly thankful for their health and well being and their individual personalities that make me smile and proud to be their mother on a daily basis. They are AMAZING children and make my job as their mom an easy one.

I am thankful for my parents.

I was blessed by having two incredible parents growing up and they now have turned into friends and there isn't anything better than that. I talk to my mom almost every single day and I am thankful for that friendship and her support and for dad's listening ear and advice whenever I need it. More than that, I am thankful for the examples they gave to me of parenting, marriage and struggles that were life lessons for me that have molded me into the person that I am today.

I am thankful for my brother and his wife (my sister n' law) and the baby that they will have here in the next month or so.

I am already an aunt to many nieces and nephews on Tim's side whom I love dearly, but am SO incredibly excited to meet my first blood nephew for the very first time. I hope a lot of babysitting is in my near future, I desperately need a baby fix!

I am thankful for my extended family. Tim is one of seven children and that is a lot of family, nieces and nephews, brothers and sisters in law and parents n' law, or as my mother n' law puts it "Mother n' Love, not law". They are wonderful to me and have always excepted me into their family as one of their own and for that I am truly thankful. (there are so MANY of them, I chose one picture of Tim's mom with Lauren to represent the whole crew below):

I am thankful for all of the friends that I have, the old and the very new. It is funny how with time friends change because your interests change and how some stay true and how you cherish those relationships. We have made very new friendships this past year and it has been wonderful watching those develop and I am truly thankful for what they have already become and how much they will grow in years to come.

I am thankful for the wonderful children that the Lord has blessed me to work with on a daily basis. I am not going to lie, being a special education teacher is a STRUGGLE on a daily basis and takes a every single bit of my time and energy at work every day but I LOVE those children with all of my heart. I know the Lord blessed me with a gift and I am thankful for that. I am thankful for my staff that works with me every day - they are not paid much and they are the most dedicated bunch of women I know and I love them for that and am truly thankful for their hard work daily!

I am thankful for our home, shelter, Christmas presents that are purchased and ready to be given downstairs, our family pets who bring me joy (and headaches at time) I do love them so! Thankful for our cars to drive, money in our bank account and job security.
I am extremely thankful the various trips we have been able to take this past year and have planned to take in the upcoming year.
Disney:

Gatlinburg:

Kiawah Island:

Grand Haven Michigan:

Disney for Halloween:

It boggles my mind every time I think about it.

So yes, I have a LOT to be thankful for in 2009. Thank you for being a part of our lives. I pray that you have a wonderful, magical, memorable Thanksgiving this year and that you take time to remember everything you are thankful for!

MIA

2009-11-20T18:29:00.001-08:00

Wow, I have been MIA for a while, life has been speedily passing me by lately. A lot has occured since I last posted.
We enjoyed Lauren's cheerleading season, and Luke and Lauren's soccer seasons, those have quickly wrapped up and now Lauren has started girl scouts (which she is THRILLED about) and Luke is starting Upwards basketball.
Minnie has adjusted to her new home nicely:

We just got back from a FANTASTIC trip to Disney World where we were able to enjoy Disney in the cooler temperatures of October and experience new things. Tim and I LOVED Food and Wine Festival for the first time:

And as a family we enjoyed Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween party, that was WONDERFUL!

We then came back to the reality of school and work and life, but are enjoying the unseasonably warmer temperatures this year, lots of time outside and sunshine which has been nice for this time of year.
Tim and I have become more active in our new church in the Children's ministry so that has been wonderful.
The kids are both having great years in school and learning a lot, they have a great school with excellent teachers and for that I am truly thankful.
Lauren celebrated her 6th birthday:

I can't believe how fast they are growing. I still cherish every single hug from them and remind myself daily how lucky I am to be their mom. I know the days too soon will be gone where Lauren says "mommy, wanna play with me!?" or Luke begs me to snuggle with him (which now happens daily with both of them). I just feel so blessed to be their mom.
So, life is marching on in our household and we are excited for the upcoming holiday season, so much to look forward too, trying to get the most out of each and every day.

My husbands incredible creativity

2009-09-21T16:39:00.000-07:00

My son Luke is OBSESSED with all things Mario Brothers right now. It is fun for my husband to watch because it reminds him of himself growing up with his video game obsessions. I LOVE HOW CREATIVE MY HUSBAND IS.
He told Luke that they would create a Mario Brothers Board game together, and that is exactly what he did. I came home from work today to this:

He even created the two Main characters (Mario and Luigi) so he and Luke could play:

They are playing the game as I type this and it is so cute to hear them talking over the rules of play and to watch the game come to life. These are the days that I'm sure Luke will look back on his childhood and remember......... what fun!

Fun..... Right in our Backyard!

2009-09-19T14:19:00.000-07:00

We are blessed to live in a wonderful area of God's country. We live very close to the Little Miami river, although ever since we moved here I had just driven by. I used to canoe on the Little Miami as a child and have great memories there.
Well today was a busy day of running around from game to game for the kids but in between the madness the beautiful sunny day was calling my name. I wanted to take Mickey swimming in the Little Miami. We piled into the car and were there in less than 2 minutes, and it was BEAUTIFUL!

Mickey had the time of his life swimming out into the deep waters to retreive sticks we would throw at him (he is QUITE a good swimmer!)

It was just so beautiful! I can't believe all the time we've wasted at dog parks this summer when this was practically in our backyard - we will definitely be back..........often!

New Family Member

2009-09-16T03:29:00.000-07:00

Last Friday night we had friends over for a camp fire, as we were sitting around the fire eating Smore's our dog was franticly doing laps around the yard. Then about a half an hour later Luke yelled from the house to come quick - a kitten was on our back deck staring into the house. When we ran up we startled her so she ran away. For the rest of the night it was constant meowing coming from this freightened TEENIE calico cat. I snuck over to her (she didn't let me get too close) and put a can of wet food on the ground which she immediately devoured.
My friend who is as huge an animal lover as I started in on Tim with me, we both were wanting to let her inside. He kept saying "no way Lesley, no way" : )
The next morning Kitty was back. I fed her again (of course) and then she kept getting closer to the screen, even Mickey (our Golden Retreiver) was begging us to let her in:

The kids and I spent the morning outside petting her and feeding her and the three of us starting working on Tim. About 2 hours after all of this I was almost successful when Tim stated "the only way that cat is coming into this house is if you get her checked by the vet" YES....... PROGRESS!!! This excited me and the kids.
Both kids had soccer games so we left and came back about 2 hours later and we immediately rushed to the back yard to find kitty. Well, we kept hearing meowing but couldn't find her. We look up in the direction of the meows and she is VERY high up in a tree in our backyard. You could tell she was panicked and didn't know how to get down. Tim got out a ladder and we rescued her from the tree..... at this point I could tell Tim realized how vulnerable she was and he officially gave in : )

So we brought her inside and we decided (after a few phone calls from friends with suggestions) that her name MUST be Minnie : ) So now we had a Minnie and a Mickey. We spent the rest of the weekend getting to know her, watching her explore the house and interact with our other cat and dog. All is going as well as can be expected.
Lauren and I took her to the vet last night for an FIV (feline AIDS) test, LUCKILY she tested negative but she had everything else you could imagine: ear mites, flea eggs, and worms. Here she is lounging in the vets office (she is such a diva):

A hefty vet bill later (and I haven't even gotten her shots yet) we came home with a clean kitty. The vet said she is already 4 months old even though she is so small which is a result of malnutrition. We are fattening her up and showering her with love. The kids have never had a kitten before. I came home from school yesterday to see Lauren carrying her aruond the house like a baby. Tim and I are being reminded how cute, cuddly, and EASY kittens are (especially compared to puppies).
I sure am glad we found her, WELCOME HOME MINNIE!

Back to School Tomorrow!

2009-08-26T18:51:00.000-07:00

I can't believe the summer is over, it was a great summer! Tomorrow is my first day with students.For those of you who are unfamiliar- I am a multi handicapped teacher in a public school system for 2nd and 3rd graders. It is a very difficult and challenging yet rewarding job. To say it has been stressful getting things ready for the first day of school is an understatement. I found out YESTERDAY that I have a move in with very intense needs and here's hoping I have the aide support that I need to help my stress level, that's to be determined which is probably why I am sitting here typing instead of sleeping as I should be to get ready for tomorrow.
I do insanely love the students that I work with and I feel it is my calling to be with these tremendously wonderful individuals every day, teach them, grow with them, laugh with them, and love them! I wish I could take away the politics, the drama, the STRESS that comes with my job - wouldn't that be ideal! I just pray that tomorrow is a good day. That all of my students have a wonderful and safe first day of school and that I don't come home in tears. Unfortunately my son, who is now wise beyond his years said : "mommy, tomorrow is the day you always come home crying saying you don't know how you can do this anymore!" How sad! I hope tomorrow is a great day!
Lesley

WHAT'S THAT SMELL!?!?!

2009-08-22T17:53:00.000-07:00

For the past 2 weeks in our house we have had a HORRIBLE smell coming from our finished basement. We researched things online, poured bleach down every drain, we even had a Roto Rooter plumber come out and they couldn't find anything (fortunately they didn't charge us to come out). Out side of our house our water main had a sink hole of sorts so we had the water company come out and check it out, they repaired it and we were praying that would solve our problems- but that night, the SMELL WAS BACK!?! AUGH!!! We just didn't know what to do. We called our local sewer treatment facility to see if it was a potential backup, they came down and couldn't find the source either.
This has been the topic of our conversations daily for the last 2 weeks, after we had done everything we knew what to do we honestly didn't know what the next step would be and it was causing a great deal of stress.
WELL TODAY I FOUND THE SOURCE OF THE SMELL!!!!! We had gone to yard sales this morning and Lauren had cleaned up with a HUGE new Polly Pocket and Barbie stash for super cheap. I was downstairs helping her clean things up, get rid of old things and organize the new. Well, in our toy bin right by the sewage line in our basement that we had the plumber look at, the sewage company look at, etc. was a baggie and it was MOVING! I looked closely, smelled "THE SMELL" strongly and SCREAMED for Tim to come quickly. The kids had dyed Easter eggs at Easter time and apparantly one of the baggies of eggs had ended up in the toy bin and the egg had cracked and THAT was the source of the smell........... UNBELIEVABLE!!! We were entirely grossed out AND relieved at the same time. I am so thankful that is all it was and even more thankful that we didn't pay for another plumber to come out and were spared the expense. If I would have found the egg AFTER I had paid big bucks for a plumber I wouldn't have the smile on my face that I do now : )

Is it really THAT time already!?!

2009-08-17T15:33:00.000-07:00

The summer is winding down.... what a WONDERFUL summer it has been. This summer we spent 18 glorious days in Disney, made new friends,lost several teeth (Lauren's first included), spent endless days at the pool, Lauren learned to swim in the deep end (YEAH!), enjoyed a wonderful vacation on Lake Michigan, days at Kings Island and at the water park,and the zoo,Vacation Bible School,campfires with Smore's,sleepovers; lots of GREAT family times.
I hate this time of year. I love spending the summers with my family SO much, and seeing that come to an end is always so hard for me.
I can't believe I'll have a third grader and a Kindergartener this year. Here is a picture of Luke on his first day of Kindergarten that seems like only yesterday:

I am so sad that I won't be able to put Lauren onto the Kindergarten bus this year - it literally breaks my heart. Her first day is only my second day of school and right in the middle of when I see students so there is no way I'll be able to break away. She's so awesome though - doesn't seem to phase her. Here is my baby girl on her first day of preschool last year:

I am really enjoying this stage of parenting- helping them learn to swim in the deep end, having them fight over who gets to cuddle with mom first, but watching them grow is also just so difficult, I blink and they are another inch taller, their loosing teeth, their entering KINDERGARTEN and THIRD GRADE! Wow!
I am so blessed being their mom, I will soak in every single hug, every moment, I just love them so very much!

Going to the Zoo Zoo Zoo!

2009-08-06T07:56:00.000-07:00

I took advantage of a rainy/cloudy day AND our zoo membership yesterday and took the kids to the zoo - WHAT FUN we had!
They have re done the Cincinnati Zoo Vine Street Entrance and it is BEAUTIFUL! They have a nice bridge walkway over to the new entrance, it made my kids who have been to the Cincinnati Zoo a trillion times say: "have we been to this zoo before mommy".
We immediately went to feed the giraffes, what a cool experience - it was worth the $1.00 a cracker they charge:

Being eye to eye with a giraffe is an awesome thing!

We enjoyed the moderately cool temperatures and the light drizzle which effected the crowds and just had a wonderful zoo day. I don't remember the last time we were at the zoo where the kids were BEGGING to stay longer at each attraction!
We went into the nursery in the childrens zoo area and saw the most ADORABLE 1 month old baby cheetah, oh my goodness, SO CUTE!

There was even a baby kangaroo a lady was carrying around in a pouch and feeding watermelon- the kids really got a kick out of that.
Then we headed to my favorite exhibit in the zoo - the polar bears, luckily he was going for a swim:

It is always amazing to me just staring at this enormous creature swimming under the
water, the kids of course loved it too.
Then we headed to parakeet landing and fed the parakeets. The kids had fun feeding them and they were landing on people like crazy:

Poor Lauren FREAKED out when one landed on her head:

But she recovered quickly and went right back to feeding them. We enjoyed a train ride, a carosel ride, the petting zoo where they fed the billy goats. A nice leisurely lunch, the insect house and of course jungle trails to see the monkeys and the gorilla house to see the huge gorillas. We made the whole day out of it, what a wonderful zoo day!

LIVE YOUR DREAMS!

2009-08-04T18:36:00.000-07:00

So today I was watching the Price is Right with Lauren. I have always loved that show. I remember watching it as a kid and always dreaming of getting my chance to be on stage and win the big prizes. In the summer when we happen to be home when it airs at 11:00 I always say "turn it to channel 12 Price is Right is On!" They have grown to love it along with me. Well, today when I was watching it with her I said "I have always wanted to be on that show Lauren" her response absolutely CRACKED me up! She said "MOM, you need to LIVE YOUR DREAMS, everyone lives their dreams but you, you've done your dream to be a mom but you need to do ALL your dreams." Silence for a minute and a HUGE smile from me thinking of what a deep thing my FIVE year old daughter had just said......... then she continued by saying:
"I've had all my dreams come true, I have a good family and a great mom"
Wow, talk about making a mom's day. What a sweet sweet girl I have been blessed with.

Both of my children are such a blessing to me, such good kids. I want to put them in a bubble on some days and just freeze time, freeze their purity, freeze how much they love me at this moment in time, just FREEZE. they are growing up so quickly, time is slipping through my fingers. Lauren lost her FIRST tooth this weekend, and Luke lost his seventh tooth. Lauren enters Kindergarten this year and Luke enters 3rd
grade. WOW, it seems like only yesterday I was holding my preemie Lauren in a nursery or Tim was rushing me to the hospital after my water broke with Luke.
How do I freeze time?

Why are girls so mean to one another?

2009-07-29T13:11:00.001-07:00

As a girl, growing up I had some terrible encounters that I can remember QUITE clearly of girls at school just being downright mean, cruel and nasty to me. I remember many times being in tears explaining to my mom what the girls had done and her always doing her best to calm me down and console me. Well, now unfortunately for me the role has been revearsed and I'm trying to explain to my dear daughter at the age of 5 why girls can be mean. She came home crying today because a neighborhood girl had been mean to her and was making fun of her - Luke was an awesome big brother and came to her defense and brought her home in tears. Boy, my heart just aches for her. WHY ARE GIRLS SO MEAN???
Boys don't do this. Now, of course there are boy bullies out there and "not so nice" boys, but girls I have found (some girls) just do anything they can to cut other girls down, insult them, and just level them- why is this? I know our school counselors office is always full of second and third grade girls due to this fact, always having to squelch one incident after another.
I tried my best to explain to Lauren that this girl will not have many friends because of her actions (this girl has a history of this) and that she doesn't want friends like this anyway. I told her to stand up for herself when girls do this, don't just hide away and cry, say "stop treating me like that!", etc. if she feels that she can, or just ignore them the best that she can- don't give them the justification of seeing you upset. BOY that is a HARD lesson to try and teach to a 5 year old. I told her that Jesus made her a special little girl with a special heart and he will give you wonderful friends that will treat her the way she wants to be treated (she of course instantly came up with an example of a sweet little girl who is her friend).
Don't you just want to put your kids in a bubble and shelter from all of this!?! Why can't all kids just be nice to one another ... .oh yeah, that stupid sin nature in all of us.......... lovely!

I don't want to grow old!

2009-07-15T11:50:00.000-07:00

We just returned from a wonderful 2 1/2 week Disney vacation - we had an amazing time.
While we were away my grandmother was rushed to the hospital where she stayed for awhile and is now in a nursing facility in the local senior citizen facility that she and my grandfather had an apartment in. The kids and I went to visit her today and I just don't think I was prepared for what I saw. Physically she looked pretty good, not too different from when I had last seen her, but mentally she is not the same and it was just so darn sad. She is in a wonderful facility - but you just can't sugar coat things like that - I would NEVER want to be where she is and reality tells me that someday I probably will be. She is in a small room with a roommate. She basicaly spends her entire day (other than when they pick her up for therapy) sitting in a recliner in her room starring at the wall or dozing. I offered to turn the t.v. on for her, to get her something to drink, if she wanted us to wheel her outside - to all of which she replied "no, I'm fine". How sad, how very very sad. This once vibrant woman, who I have seen pictures of when she was my age- and the woman was gorgeous - it just breaks my heart. As I watched my kids cling to her and give her hugs and tell her how much they loved her, it was wonderful to see the joy on her face. She said "sometime soon you won't have to visit this dreadful place". Luke later said : "I think she meant she will be in Heaven". I think that's what she meant too, I think she is ready to go . . .and you know what. . .I don't blame her.
When we were leaving I asked her if there is anything that we could do for her and she said "no, just get out there and enjoy life." WOW, I certainly will. I will cherish every moment of this life that is mine and be greatful for each blessed day.

33 Years.......... Wow!

2009-06-15T18:50:00.000-07:00

Well, today is my 33rd birthday. I was awakened by wonderful presents from Tim and the kids and had a wonderful birthday full of shopping, a pedicure as a gift, lunch with my mom and dad and dinner out with Tim and the kids - it was a wonderful day.
I can't believe I am 33 years old, there was a lot going through my head as I blew out my candles this evening:

First of all I was thinking "I am truly blessed" in every single way a person can be blessed. Most importantly I have my health, thank the Lord for my health and the health of my family. The Lord has blessed me with a loving husband who is my best friend, two wonderful children, a great extended family, a steady income, wonderful friendships both old and some new, a beautiful house over our heads, a great church to worship in, a neighborhood full of caring people, a job that I do indeed love (although stressful at times), and the blessing of our financial security that allows us to travel so many times to our beloved Disney World and other multiple travel destinations throughout the year.
As the positives rush through my mind, of course negatives always creep in too. My 33 year old body is not the body I had as a teenager, a twenty year old, or even a 30 year old. It is my own fault, I love to eat and hate to exercise - I know that needs to change. I am working on embracing my 33 year old body and the changes that have come with it. When I went to get my drivers lisence today that had expired the lady asked me if my weight had changed since my last lisence and I laughed out loud and said "yes, unfortunately you can ad 30 pounds onto that number : ( " But in times like those I need to focus on the positives again, knowing that in reality - is my body THAT bad? Do I need to be so focused on what jiggles and not just embrace who I am? I know that I need to work out more and eat better and I realize that more than ever because my metabolism has caught up with this 33 year old body, but I'm also realizing there are worse things in life and not to let it get me down.
So, in my 33rd year of life I will try and find a new sense of self and confidence and embrace the changes. I will commit to exercise more and eat better overall and try and focus on what matters MOST in my life: the love of my family and the blessings the Lord has bestowed upon me which are honestly to many to count.

SANCTUARY!!!!!!!!!!!!

2009-06-12T18:46:00.000-07:00

Ever since Tim and I have been married we lived in cramped bedrooms full of mis matched furniture from our youth, barren white walls with kids pictures taped to them, junk everywhere, just not your ideal bedroom that you think you will have as a married couple.
I am happy to report that after almost 11 years together we FINALLY have our SANCTUARY!
We ordered new furniture and that inspired Tim to paint. We picked out paint colors together, light fixtures, art work, it all came together so nicely. Here are some pictures of the final product:

It all came together so nicely and Tim and I are so happy. Nothing like stepping into your bedroom and having a giddy smile over take your face.

Rainy Day Fun

2009-06-10T19:07:00.000-07:00

Today was one of those dreary rainy days. I had promised Lauren we would make a tent on the next rainy day,so when she looked outside this morning and saw the rain drops she was excited.
Here is my excited girl in her tent:

I took my first long peaceful nap of the summer today,it was wonderful! Just hearing the rain against the window, the nice darkness of the bedroom, ahhhhhhh it was wonderful!

Then tonight for dinner we each made our own pizza. The kids really got into it and they tasted REALLY good :

I thank the Lord for this wonderful lazy rainy day together as a family, it was a great one!

Being The Best Mom I Can Be

2009-06-06T18:35:00.000-07:00

I feel very fortunate that the Lord has blessed me with two wonderful healthy children who LOVE to spend time with their mom. I get overwhelmed at times because when school is in the MINUTE I hit the door exhausted from work I am bombarded with their desire for undivided "mom time". They try and squeeze in all of the snuggles, all of the tales of their day, make-believe games, begging for an airplane ride, just undivided attention every single second. I must say, it is hard at times when I just want to sit down and relax and have some "me time', but I realize as a mother, especially a working mother, my job is never done.
I have that horrible mothers guilt when I am at work away from my kids and any second that they ask me to do something and I legitimately can not for one reason or another, that "Can we play Mommy?" and my response of no and the look in their eyes keeps re playing in my mind over and over again.
I know I must cherish these days, they will be gone way too fast.
Now that school is out Lauren is SO excited to have me at home. Today we got some girl time, just she and I. We were in the kitchen getting breakfast and she said "this is great mom, I get you all to myself today!" PRECIOUS!

So, I will take time this summer, away from the hustle and bustle of school and just ENJOY my children and be the best mom that I can possibly be. I will take time to cuddle in the morning, take time to dive into the pool with them, take time for tickles, airplane rides, board games, hopscotch, airplane rides, quality time - what they crave more than anything, to simply be the best mom that I can be- because I know I am building the foundation and influencing my childrens lives and helping them turn into the remarkable individuals that I know they will be some day. When they look back on their child hood I want them to think they had a cool mom who loves them VERY much - I sure hope they do.

Appreciation

2009-06-03T17:10:00.000-07:00

Today was the final day of school. This was a difficult year on many levels. I had a student pass away in October who was so very dear to my heart and I miss her terribly. The room hasn't been the same since her passing and she is remembered in little things we do daily which is so painful to bare. There were some other intense issues I won't get into - overall just a stressful year that I must say I am glad to see come to an end so that I can look forward to a new year next year. That is the great thing about teaching, if a year goes badly it doesn't keep dragging on, you always get a do-over.
The mother of the student of mine who passed away came in to visit today and wrote me the sweetest card of appreciation and that meant so much to me, it is wonderful to feel appreciated. It was so nice of her to take the time to do that, to go out of her way like that and allow us to remember her daughter on the last day of school with her, together.
I work so hard all school year, pour my heart out to these students, go to training to become a better educator, change diapers, get spit on, hair pulled, bit, scratched,manage para professionals (which can get VERY stressful at times), deal with the paper work and politics, shed tears of frustration, it goes with the territory. I also get hugs, kisses, love, admiration of my students, and most importantly I get to watch them grow as people academically and socially. Being a special education teacher it is all about baby steps, but it is awesome to see my students take those baby steps.
On the last day of school it is always so wonderful to see all of the teachers get showered with gifts, get cards from the students and parents showing how much they are appreciated. I go to the store with my children and always pick out nice gifts for their teachers and most importantly write a nice letter about how much I appreciated all they did for my child. As a special educator I often feel unappreciated. It isn't the gifts that mean anything to me, it is the cards, the "thank you's", that is what I eat up. This year I got one card, just one. Sometimes you just need that pat on the back, especially after a hard year like this one has been. I am so thankful for the mother that came in today and took the time to thank me for caring for her daughter and the things I taught her, I cherish those, they mean so much, they make me feel my job is appreciated, and isn't that what all of us need at times?

Family Traditions

2009-05-30T17:34:00.000-07:00

I must admit it, I always thought my mom was crazy for her obsession with picking fresh fruit. You honestly haven't seen a woman more excited than my mom in a strawberry field, apple field, blueberry field or rasberry field, bucket in hand plucking fresh fruit to take home and make into pies, put over cereal and just enjoy.
Here she is in Grand Haven last summer in the middle of a blueberry field, in pure heaven:

Here she is passing down the tradition of fruit picking to my children (who LOVE it by the way):

Well today was no exception, the strawberries were in!
I got a call last week and it was my VERY excited mother who said to me as soon as I picked up the phone "ALERT ALERT, the strawberries are ready for picking" I had to laugh. We made a date for next Saturday (today) to head out to the fields with the kids and pick strawberries. So today we all loaded in the car and my mom led us literally into the middle of no where to find her glorious strawberry fields. I must say that I was getting a BIT inpatient as the kids were arguing in the backseat and we were 45 minutes into the drive and in the middle of no where with no end in sight. But I forgot all of that when we got there.
The kids were so excited. We got our baskets and headed for the fields. It was row upon row of beautiful strawberries (I didn't have my camera, but here is a visual for you):

Luke had been picking with my mom before and was so excited to be the "expert" and he jumped ahead with Lauren explaining "I'll show you how this is done Lauren". Mom picked with the kids a row over from me and I just smiled from ear to ear as I heard the exchange between them. My kids were just LOVING this and my mom was LOVING that they were LOVING this : ) They went on and on about how many they were, how juicy they were, what fun this is, it really was awesome to see. My kids had strawberry juice dripping from their chins, a bin full of strawberries, and had a wonderful time picking strawberries with their grandmother in the strawberry fields. My mom said to me " I now am convinced these children are connected to me genetically" : )
I know longer think my mom is crazy................and I am excited that her love for this picking of fresh fruit and sharing these experiences together is being passed down to my children. My fresh strawberry pie is in the fridge and we have more strawberries than you can imagine and I have a smile on my face remembering those good times we had today in the fields. Thanks mom!

It's so close I can taste it!

2009-05-28T15:04:00.000-07:00

Can you smell it, feel it............... I can almost taste it.........
SUMMER!!!!!!!!!!!!

It's almost here. I only have 4 more days of school, then a summer full of pool time, Disney and Grand Haven, CAN'T WAIT!
I can't wait for times like these:

and these:

Man....... Minnie hugs are the best hugs : )

........and times like these:

Then I can't wait to be out on the pier at Grand Haven looking out at the water (I took this one last summer - LOVE this picture):

As things get stressful these next four school days wrapping things up I am sure I will find myself closing my eyes and getting these images in my mind. SUMMER IS SO CLOSE I CAN TASTE IT and that makes me............ smile!

Being a Thoughtful Spouse

2009-05-23T05:13:00.000-07:00

Boy have I been stressed out lately. I think the word "overwhelmed" would describe it best. I have just been swamped at work, dealing with some very intense meetings lately, and it's been (and will continue to be) time consuming trying to wrap up everything from this school year and get ready for next school year. On top of that whirlwind while I am at work I still have my University of Phoenix online teaching and trying to stay on top of it all at times (especially times like these) can be a bit overwhelming. Well, unfortunately when we are stressed we tend to take it out on those close to us- I hate that! Why is it that we do this to the ones that we love? I am very fortunate to have a loving and understanding husband. I had lashed out at him when he called me at work and then that conversation quickly turned to tears as I poured my heart out about how stressed I was feeling and how I was in a bit of a panic to get it all done and meet deadlines I was facing. A few hours later I was called to the front desk at work and this was awaiting me:

The most beautiful arrangement of flowers that have ever been sent to me.
The attached card read:
TAKE A DEEP BREATH, SCHOOL'S ALMOST OVER, LOVE TIM
I can not begin to describe to you what this did for my soul. My spirit was lifted, I was filled with love and a smile overtook my face.
I pray to be a loving wife to Tim, to treat him as wonderfully as he treats me. This is a partnership, we need to uplift eachother and boy did he uplift me this week and I am EVER so thankful!

Where did the time go???

2009-05-12T17:41:00.000-07:00

My baby Lauren who was born October 2003 2 months early because her 2 1/2 year old playful brother jumped on my belly, not knowing what he had done, just playing with his mom but caused EARLY labor - my precious premie who left the hospital at a mere 4 pounds 1 ounce is growing up and I'm trying to figure out where the time went.

We had her Mother's Day Tea at her school last week:

Tomorrow is her graduation from preschool and I can't believe it. Tim and I are having a hard time with this one, our baby girl, our little premie is graduating preschool and growing up. Today she told me: "Mommy, I'm getting older, and soon I will be married, I'm five you know" : )

Mother's Day 2009

2009-05-10T16:40:00.000-07:00

I think Mother's Day 2009 will go down in my history as one of the best ever. I know I need to cherish these wonderful days when my two children truly love me (not that they won't always love me I hope, but the precious way they do now in their young age). Tim had to DJ late last night and both of us were sound asleep in bed this morning when I got a tap on my shoulder, looked up and my two wonderful children were standing there and said "Happy Mother's Day". What made it super special was what they were holding. Luke was holding a plate with jelly toast and Lauren was holding a glass of orange juice. The toast was made out of the heal of the bread and the jelly was hap-hazardly spread across the bread but it brought tears to my eyes. Luke had woken Lauren up, they had tip-toed downstairs and he had problem solved how to make his mother breakfast. Lauren proudly boasted that she got the cup, held the glass and got Luke the knife. PRECIOUS!!! I just love my babies!!!

Tim showered me with wonderful gifts, Disney shirts, Disney plates and glasses, and a digital keychain loaded with pictures of the kids. We met my parents and my brother and his wife at our new church, WHAT A WONDERFUL SERVICE! I can't describe the way these services, the music, the messages make me feel. AMAZING!!!! So glad to have found our new church home. Everyone enjoyed the service, then we headed to an incredible brunch at a local restaraunt - it had more food than you could imagine, and my favorite: a chocolate fountain with strawberries for dipping - YUM! I even was able to get a nap in today.
I am so blessed and I thank the Lord for my children and my wonderful husband. I will always remember this Mother's Day when my two babies got up and made breakfast for me all on their own. I never thought that jelly toast made with a heal of bread would go down in history as my favorite breakfast of all time.

Stranger Danger!

2009-05-06T16:48:00.000-07:00

Luke came home with an alarming letter in his backpack today warning us of an incident that happened a neighborhood over from ours. A man in a white van approached an 11 year old boy while he was waiting at a bus stop, asking the boy to come inside the van and play video games, thankfully the school bus approached scaring the man away. What is so scary about this is how close it was to home obviously but also that the very same day this occured I foolishly let the kids walk a street over together to play with some friends. I don't let them do this often and have always found comfort when I did allow it that they were together but NEVER AGAIN! I had a serious conversation tonight with both kids about stranger danger tonight. I didn't want to scare them to death but also wanted them to understand the seriousness of it. Luke broke my heart by asking, "what if you say no and run away but the man keeps coming at you". Fear and chills ran through my head as the thought of my poor baby ever being caught in this situation overwhelmed me.
I did a quick Youtube search trying to find a stranger danger video that I could show them, I found this one:

The kids listened attentively. Luke nervously said "I'd just punch the guy and run", and "he looks wimpy, it'd be no problem" While he was saying this he was red in the face and he looked nervous, I could tell the effect it was having on him and knew these comments were just his nervous reactions to what he was seeing. Lauren asked to watch it several times and kept asking good questions. Luke and I also had a good discussion about what he learned and how he felt. What a rough night this was, I hate that we live in a world where these terrible things happen to precious children. I pray the Lord will protect my babies and they will never EVER have this happen to them, but I feel better that I have prepared them and educated them about the evils of this world.

Movie Night!

2009-05-03T16:41:00.000-07:00

You can tell the nights are getting warmer when Tim breaks out his DJ equipment and projection equipment and we invite the neighborhood to a movie night. The kids were SO excited. We selected Hotel for Dogs, invited everyone over, popped popcorn and got candy ready and the movie night began:

The kids had so much fun, we had fun socializing with the neighbors as all of our kids watched the movies. I pray that when my kids look back on their childhood these are the small things that they remember and puts a smile onto their faces.

Guardian Angels

2009-04-28T17:50:00.000-07:00

Thank God for Guardian Angels watching over my babies and keeping them safe. The other night Lauren came running downstairs and I could tell by the panic in her face she had done something wrong and was upset. She kept saying "I didn't mean to do it, I didn't mean to do it". What she "didn't mean to do" was push her foot onto her open window by her bed thus popping the screen out and landing it on the lawn 2 stories below. She had obviously leaned out of the window (gasp) to see that the screen was down below (again, TWO stories below) because she informed us the screen was fine and it wasn't ripped. At first I was angry with her for pushing on her window but then as reality sunk in we thanked the Lord for watching over our baby girl, for sending his Guardian Angels to protect her as she leaned her little body out of that 2 story window inspecting the screen below. HOW SCARY. As I climbed the stairs and put her screen back in I told her how serious this was, that in leaning over she could have fallen out and been seriously hurt or even died from the fall. I explained to her that we wouldn't have heard her (we were in the basement watching t.v.) and wouldn't have known until we would have come up to check on her before we went to bed. I could see the fear in her eyes as she was listening to me as I was trying to put the fear of God into her. One more reason I believe that the Lord has his angels here on earth protecting us. Guardian angels have protected me before. I was so excited to jump in the Polar Bear Plunge for Special Olympics after raising close to 900 dollars for this worthwhile charity! The crowd was ROWDY and I was nervous. I had never done this before, friends and coworkers were there to support me on this VERY cold day. I was the only one "going it alone" on that day as other teams and coworkers jumped together. There were backflips being done, belly dives, etc. The M.C's of the event were making fun of those who simply jumped in and didn't get their hair wet. I made a split second decision to dive in fearing the mocking of the M.C's. STUPID MOVE! Here I am on that fateful day:

Yes, that was me bleeding on the ladder as I exited. I swear you can feel/sense the guardian angels pulling up on my ankles that day and saving my life. The medical crew on the scene and at the hospital that day that had to put the stitches into my skull swore to me at that angle and velocity I should have been paralized at best. Again, thank you Lord for your Guardian Angels!

Searching for a new home

2009-04-23T17:42:00.000-07:00

When you decide that you want to move it can be a very difficult decision in life. You have neighbors close who you consider family that mean the world to you and you know you will miss dearly. You have fond memories that resonate in your head that will be hard to replace. You have ties and connections and so do your children. It's hard to uproot your kids and you want what is best for them in all of this as well. You do a lot of research to ensure that the place you will be moving to will meet your needs and be a wonderful place to raise your family.
We are going through all of the above right now but not with our regular home, but our church home. We have a very strong church family that we love VERY much and consider our family (some is family) but we have a VERY long commute and it has been very hard on us especially as the kids get older and we have more activities going on. We want to find a church home that is not only closer but that is biblicaly sound, a Bible teaching church is SO important to us. Not only do the beliefs (most importantly) have to be there but as mentioned in the opening paragraph, we want it to be a place where our children will be nurtured in the Word. We want it to be a place where they will have a lot of kids their own age, have great programs for them to attend and where they can build life long friendships with children close by so when they are teenagers and those tough decisions come their way in life they will have a solid set of Christian friends around to help them make good choices.
We think we have found a new church home and would appreciate your prayers as we continue our "moving" process. We still want to have ties with our old church, it would hurt to much NOT to. Before we "sign the mortgage" to or new church home so to speak we want to educate ourselves even further by continuing to attend their services, attend their new members class to gain information and we continue to pray about it so we have a peace about our new home. We appreciate your prayers as well during this "moving process" and adjustment phase in our lives.

Happy Earth Day

2009-04-22T17:10:00.000-07:00

Happy Earth Day everyone! Our family celebrated by going to see Disney's new movie Earth.

I was worried that the kids wouldn't sit still for a 1 1/2 hour documentary but we all LOVED IT!!!!! Watching movies like these makes me so proud to be a Christian and makes me once again realize what an AMAZING Earth our Lord has created for us. I watched in awe at the incredible film. It went into full depth following tons of animals over the course of a year, our effects the earth has on them and them on it, their migrations, births, deaths, and fights for life. WOW!!!! There were some intense scenes for the kids during some hunt scenes but fortunately Disney didn't show any of the actual killings, just some of the captures.
We laughed together, got sad together, and were on the edge of our seats during a DOCUMENTARY, it truly was amazing. I still can't get the father polar bear out of my head - I won't ruin it for those of you who haven't seen it yet.
I am glad that we took our kids to see this movie and have exposed them to the wonderful circle of life that the Lord created. They enjoyed it and I could tell by the discussion and questions following that they have a deeper appreciation of it all.

REFRESHED!!!

2009-04-18T15:07:00.000-07:00

As I sit here writing this I feel REFRESHED! As a working mother those are words that seldomly come out of my mouth but that trip to the beach has left me feeling that way. If you have never been to Kiawah Island South Carolina,I highly recommend it.
They had a kids carnival that was free for the kids that was full of live entertainment, fire jugglers, climbing walls, craft stations, inflatables, all for free.
We enjoyed a great Easter on the island, the kids had fun with their baskets and hunting for eggs around the house:

It was a great time with family. My mom and dad, my brother and his wife came and it was nice relaxing with them, riding bikes around the beautiful island, exploring the beach gathering all kinds of sea life and shells (AMAZING jelly fish, star fish, crabs and shells all over the beach each day to explore), playing games and just enjoying quality time.
The island was just so beautiful. Here is a picture of Lauren exploring the islands bike paths, so pretty:

The beaches were great too. It was chillier than normal for this time of year in South Carolina but we had a few sunny beach days. Here is the view from my chair, ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh:

So, after a week on the beach, even though the car ride was long I am feeling REFRESHED! I thank the Lord for safe travels, and memories that will last a life time, that's what life here on earth is ALL about!!!

Spring Break!

2009-04-10T05:27:00.000-07:00

Today is my official first day of SPRING BREAK!!!!! The car is all packed up and we are headed to Kiawah Island South Carolina, I can't wait to feel this:

Inspired!

2009-04-05T18:35:00.000-07:00

April 2nd was autism awareness day. Did you know that in the 1980's 1 in 10,000 children were were diagnosed with autism, now it is 1 in 150- STAGGERING.
I had heard good things about the documentary (that you can rent on DVD) "Autism the Musical" Well, Tim and I rented it and watched it this week and it is TRULY amazing. I laughed, and I cried and most of all I was INSPIRED! Not just as a special educator, but as a human being, as a proud human being at these wonderful children, they are amazing, TALENTED, curious, smart, funny, honest, raw, and just inspiring. Here is a clip of the kids in the movie I found on You Tube (be sure to press pause on my Jason Mraz music to the left before watching the clip)

All of them were an inspiration to me but Lexi just MOVED me. She was amazing. The interviews of her and her mom, how she would type what she was feeling instead of being able to say them made me realize how much she understood in her mind and couldn't express - like many of my students can. When Lexi sang it made me well up with tears, you have to listen to this she is INCREDIBLE. Who would know by listening to this beautiful voice that she suffers from autism. Here she is singing:

Please take the time to get this movie and watch it, even if you have no experience with children with autism it will move you and inspire you. Tim loved it just as much as I did, I look forward to hearing what you thought of it!
Lesley

Busy March

2009-03-29T14:49:00.000-07:00

The month of March is wrapping up and I can't believe it. This year is just whizzing buy which makes me excited for all we have on the horizon.
Both kids spring activities have started: Luke has soccer, baseball and continues in cubscouts, Lauren has soccer and we sign her up for cheerleading this week too.
Our good friends had a baby boy this month, here I am holding their precious baby David:

Here is Lauren taking a turn:

Luke had a big cubscout event this month: the Pinewood Derby. We were all nervous wrecks because we knew this was an intense event and were worried after the sailboat regatta disaster of his performance. Luckily a DEAR friend of mine at work has a son who is a boyscout, they had Luke over and helped him use the tools and get his painted. Luke and I got it decorated, Tim and Luke got the wheels and weights on and we knew we gave it our best shot.
Here he is on the big day:

They really go all out, Tim DJ'd so they had appropriate music and Tim did the announcing which made it a fun event for all the boys. I was just praying we wouldn't have tears this time, I was a nervous wreck. Here is the set up:

The race actually went very well and he won two of his heats, here he is celebrating his victory:

Overall Luke did a great job for his first showing winning 2 of his 4 heats and got 13th overall in his pack of about 50 boys so we were excited for that and even MORE excited that he left the event with a smile on his face.

We went out of town to a cabin in Nashville Indiana to celebrate mom's birthday, that was a nice getaway with my side of the family.

Today we had a big Easter Egg Hunt for the kids, why in the world are planned Easter Egg hunts outside so darn cold!?! Here is a view of the cold/miserable day but the kids still had a BLAST:

We went with my parents, here is Luke with my mom:

They had so many activities, a petting zoo, jump house, the Easter bunny, decorate your own cookie section, airbrush tattoo's, craft station, games, dying Easter eggs, etc. the kids had so much fun, here are a few shots:

So as March winds down I am SO ready for April, hoping for sunnier days ahead and looking forward to our vacation at Kiawah for Spring Break. I have jury duty the entire month of April and call tomorrow night to see if I have to report, so I'm sure I'll have some posts about that coming up so stay tuned. . ..

Rough Times

2009-03-27T17:28:00.000-07:00

It has been a rough week this week. Just rough all around- not just for me and for my family but for others around me as well and that just makes it even harder. I feel sometimes as though I am walking through molasses and won’t ever have the ability to make it to the end. I keep praying for strength, for me, for my family, for others in my life going through similar challenges – for changes that need to happen to make happiness return – for many things. It’s so hard to watch those you love going through difficult times, all you can do is be there for them and hold their hand, and continue to give out hugs and uphold them in prayer, but it is also a powerless feeling .
In times like these I try to remind myself of the many blessings that the Lord has bestowed on me, and bestowed on those I love. I run a constant tally in my head of all of the positives and they ALWAYS far outweigh the negatives and for that I am TRULY thankful!
I try to remind others of what they have in their lives too and be a sounding board and help them through the rough times. I feel like a counselor many days going from one person with a problem and need to the next, my heart just bleeds for them and sometimes I feel like I have nothing else to give but just when I feel that way the Lord gives me more strength, determination and care to give encouraging words to one more weary soul.
I thank the Lord for these many blessings, and pray for his strength and guidance in the moments, days, weeks, months, and years to come as we continue to make tough decisions and remain strong. I know the light is at the end of the tunnel, it ALWAYS is, I just can’t wait to reach it!

Spreading Awareness, ending the "R" word, and President Obama on Leno

2009-03-24T17:23:00.000-07:00

As a Special Education teacher and a niece of a WONDERFUL woman with Down syndrome and the advocate for my many wonderful students over the years, their parents who have become my friends and all of their triumphs that inspire me every day I am SO HAPPY to see awareness spreading to stop the use of the "r" word (retard).

If you would like to be more informed of next weeks events please click on this link:
http://www.specialolympics.org/stw_resources.aspx
I encourage you to pass it along to others and hopefully these members of our society will start gaining the respect that they so rightfully deserve. I hope that the "r" word will start to fade away from our mouths, what a hurtful word that is used way too casually.
I don't know about you, but I CRINGED when I heard our new president make a snide comment on the Jay Leno show comparing his bowling skills to the Special Olympics, how disappointing, disheartening and upsetting:

I had just been at a Special Olympics event that very day and I swear, if President Obama would have seen the smiles and tears of joy in those athletes faces as they were awarded their medals I bet that never would have been said. I await the day when all of us treat one another equally and with the respect that we deserve.
Please join me and spread the word about March 31st.

Lauren and Luke's Interviews about Me

2009-03-19T15:52:00.000-07:00

Some friends of mine on Facebook were interviewing their kids and posting their honest responses, it inspired me so I interviewed Lauren and Luke their responses are below, I just LOVE their innocent responses.

Lauren's Interview:

1. What is something mom always says to you?
I love you

2. What makes mom happy?
giving me hugs and kisses

3. What makes mom sad?
when it’s rainy outside

4. How does your mom make you laugh?
tickle me

5. What was your mom like as a child?"
play soccer and stuff

6. How old is your mom?
16 or something : )

7. How tall is your mom?
almost as tall as daddy

8. What is her favorite thing to do?
play with me and go on trips to Disney World to see Mickey Mouse, I know he’s your favorite

9. What does your mom do when you're not around?
work

10. If your mom becomes famous, what will it be for?
singing or a fashion model

11. What is your mom really good at?
giving zerberts on my belly

12. What is your mom not very good at?
doing circles, spinning and jumping because you get dizzy

13. What does your mom do for her job?
getting money

14. What is your mom's favorite food?
spaghetti or steak

15. What makes you proud of your mom?
when you work and get us money to go to Disney World

2. 16. If your mom were a cartoon character, who would she be?
a cartoon princess

17. What do you and your mom do together?
play dollhouse and make crafts

18. How are you and your mom the same?
we both have brown hair

19. How are you and your mom different?
both of us don’t have curly hair

20. How do you know your mom loves you?
because I’ve been listening to you ; )

21. Where is your mom's favorite place to go?
Disney World

Lauren age 5

Luke's Interview:
1. What is something mom always says to you?
Hey Buddy

2. What makes mom happy?
Jason Mraz “I’m Yours” song

3. What makes mom sad?
When Loomis died

4. How does your mom make you laugh?
tickle me

5. What was your mom like as a child?"
happy, excited, hyper

6. How old is your mom?
32

7. How tall is your mom?
about 5 foot

8. What is her favorite thing to do?
Nap

9. What does your mom do when you're not around?
go to work

10. If your mom becomes famous, what will it be for?
singing

11. What is your mom really good at?
teaching

12. What is your mom not very good at?
running

13. What does your mom do for her job?
teach

14. What is your mom's favorite food?
fish

15. What makes you proud of your mom?
planning good Disney trips

2. 16. If your mom were a cartoon character, who would she be?
Marge from the Simpsons

17. What do you and your mom do together?
Snuggle

18. How are you and your mom the same?
Both have brown eyes

19. How are you and your mom different?
I’m shorter

20. How do you know your mom loves you?
Because she’s my mom
3.
21. Where is your mom's favorite place to go?
DisneyWorld

Luke age 8

Thank God for Beautiful Days!!!

2009-03-17T17:27:00.000-07:00

It just doesn't get any better than today! It was mid seventies here today, sunny and just plain GORGEOUS! After work I came home and we packed Mickey into the car and took him to the park and let him run and run and run, such fun. Then we came home and had hot dogs off the grill (well, since Tim and I are still on our weight loss plans they were turkey dogs for Tim and low calorie Metts for me, but still, on the grill anything is yummy). After dinner we headed over to the park for Lauren's first soccer practice, while she practiced I did the exercise trail around our park. It makes exercise fun when you are out enjoying the fresh air, it was just a wonderful workout. After Lauren's practice we took the kids to get ice cream. To cap off a perfect night I had bought a HUGE bubble kit with over 20 different bubble type of things (pipes, blowers, etc.) and Luke and Lauren along with several other kids from the neighborhood played outside with bubbles, sidewalk chalk, riding bikes, scooters and the Power Wheel while we socialized with the adults out on the culdesac until it turned dark. WHAT A GREAT DAY! Thank you Lord for beautiful days to enjoy with my famliy.............. I am soooooooooooo thankful!

I love my husband!

2009-03-12T17:45:00.000-07:00

Tim and I have been married now for 10 years and I'm happy to report that our marriage has gotten even better and better over time - I am truly married to my best friend. A marriage definitely has it's roller coaster hills of ups and downs. You have the honeymoon period, the getting to know and trust one another periods, the having kids and losing your sense of self and ignoring the "us" period, and then - fortunately for us you get to the point of putting the "I" to the side and it changes to the "us". You start to self lessly put your spouses needs ahead of your own and love to just make that other person happy. You learn to know what makes the other person tick and what the other person needs. What a great feeling to have a strong marriage, a happy and healthy marriage and to have a best friend for a mate.
That being said . . . .Tim did an amazing thing for me this week (he always is doing little amazing things that make me thankful that I am his bride).
It was your average day, it had been a long day and I wasn't feeling 100%. I was getting ready to play a board game with the kids and Tim called me upstairs. I was so excited when I saw this:

amidst the toys in our tub he had placed candles and lit them, dimmed the lights and
drawn a nice warm bubble bath for me. He brought me some wine, and closed the door and told me to take my time and enjoy it. It was amazing!!!!!!
What a blessing to have a husband who can do these little things for you, I am truly blessed : )

Dancing In The Rain

2009-03-08T16:13:00.000-07:00

We had an INCREDIBLE weekend of unseasonably warm weather. We enjoyed a day outside of sunshine and mid 70 degree weather. Each of the kids had friends over to play, we got much needed yard work done and I took Mickey on a long walk around our local lake. We even enjoyed grilled hot dogs on the grill for lunch, it was WONDERFUL.
Today was another unseasonable warm day but it started raining this evening.
When the Lord gives you lemons, make lemonaide right??? : )
Well, the kids decided the rain wasn't going to ruin their fun, they decided to dance in the rain:

What fun!!!!

Thank you Lord for beautiful sunny days and EVEN the rain!

Hide and Go Seek

2009-03-03T15:59:00.000-08:00

Being a mom brings me so many small little blessings it is hard to put into words. I am really having a hard time coming to the realization that this year I will be the mom of an 8 and a 6 year old. WHERE HAS THE TIME GONE!?!?! I am so fortunate that my two "babies" still love to just PLAY with me! I cherish those times when they come to me and beg me to play and know in my heart that I better take full advantage of those times while they still think playing with mom is fun.

Tonight the kids came to me and wanted me to play hide and go seek with them. What a great time it was. We chased eachother around the house, we screamed as we found one another.
As I hid crouched down in the closet while I heard the kids run by me and Lauren say "Wow, mommy is a REALLY good hider" my eyes welled up with tears. I wanted to freeze that moment in time so badly, to just capture it in my mind forever and not let it go. My babies............. their love for me................... playing together and making memories together...................... I am so truly blessed!

Just Keep Swimming. . .. . . . .

2009-02-28T16:37:00.001-08:00

Well, as I mentioned in my blog earlier, Lauren came home with a fish from a b-day party as a favor about a month ago. We came home from Luke's school carnival today and I'm sad to say the fish was laying on it's side, it was still alive but this poor guy looked pitiful. I prepared the kids that he may not be alive very much longer. I cleaned out his bowl and put food in and he didn't even attempt to eat it (this fish could EAT). Poor Luke (my sensitive little guy) started freaking out about it. Tim came up with a great idea that we should flush him down the toilet and let him go to a creek since our bowl must not be big enough for him. The kids loved this idea. Lauren was the one who did the flushing. Luke was still upset and I said "Luke, remember in Finding Nemo when Nemo got flushed down the toilet and ended up in the ocean, I bet Goldie is loving his new water", that's all the kids needed. PHEWWWWWWWWWWW, that ended more peacefully than I ever could have thought.

Lose it

2009-02-24T16:19:00.001-08:00

I am ashamed to say, that in my 32 years of life I have never really and truly been on a diet or an exercise program. In my younger years I was a great swimmer and tennis player and was pretty active. I was blessed with INCREDIBLE metabolism. Well. . .. .now I am in my 30's and my metabolism has slowed a little and when I look in the mirror I see about 10 pounds I would love to shed to have my old body back (doesn't every woman). I didn't know how to begin to be honest.
My husband Tim has struggled with his weight throughout our marriage and I've watched his exercise and diet payoff immensely, it has been awesome to see his results. He introduced me to a great program on our iPhone's called "Lose it", it is my new "best friend"
This little icon is on my phone:

When I clicked on it the first time I entered my personal information and my goals. My goal is to drop ten pounds by Spring Break. That goal only allows me a calorie budget of 1300 calories. I love how easy this program is. Every day I plug in what I've eaten and how much I've exercised/calories burned and it shows how I am doing for the day.
As far as working out I:
1). Walk the dog as often as the weather allows
2). Do Jillian's 30 day shred level 1 and level 2
3). Do Jillian Michaels Wii workout
My favorite is the 30 day shred. It has 3 circuits: strength, cardio and ab's and it rotates you through the 3 circuits 3 times. It is a great workout.
I've also dropped my Mt. Dew and Regular coke habit and replaced it with ALL water and 1 diet coke per day. I am not a coffee drinker to begin with so I don't worry about that.
It has really opened my eyes keeping track of my calories, boy was I doing a lot of things wrong before : )
So............ I'll update you on my progress. I'm so excited about the "Lose It" program and how user friendly it is - it really is brainless and I can't wait to see the results.

Lauren's Baptism

2009-02-22T16:32:00.000-08:00

About a year and a half ago my very curious 4 year old told me she wanted to talk to me about asking Jesus to come into her heart. I will never forget that moment. We were at the park for her soccer practice and on the way over we stopped on a bench by the lake and had a talk and at that very moment my beautiful, trusting, honest, God loving daughter asked the Lord to come into her sweet little heart. That moment leads me to today, Lauren's Baptism.
She has been taught about Baptism and ever since she was saved she has been inquiring as to when it will be her turn. I asked our Pastor (who is also Lauren's grandfather - Tim's dad) if we could have a baptism service soon, and it was scheduled for today.
She was very nervous and excited at the same time this morning. I got her all ready and my parents came to watch as well, it was great to have them there. When she and I went back to get her changed she BROKE DOWN. I couldn't get her to stop crying. She was so nervous to do this in front of everyone. I didn't think I was going to go through with it. I prayed with her and was able to calm her down and she went through with it. Here are some pictures from today:
Answering the questions about salvation:

Getting ready to be imersed to identify with Christ's death and burial:

Coming back up to identify with Christ's resurection:

I am so proud of her for calming down and going through with this, and that it was all initiated by her. Tonight when I told her I was proud of her she said " I just wanted to make Jesus happy Mommy" What a proud mommy I am : )

Good Times and Spiders

2009-02-17T16:22:00.000-08:00

So we had a FABULOUS trip to Gatlinburg this weekend. Words can't describe how good it was to get away. We pulled off Luke's valentines party and then headed out in the car and made great time. We got to Gatlinburg around 9:45 ish on Friday night. FUNNY STORY.
We get to the cabin and are SO excited to check things out. We run from the car and like little kids (well two of us are little kids technically ; ) start running from room to room. As a family we go up the staircase to the top bedroom to explore and as we come down there is a huge bear on the wall:

As we are going by the bear I look at it and saw a HUGE, I mean HUGE hairy spider on the bears eye. I freak out a bit and call Tim up to show him, and he freaks out. O.K., I'm going to try an fast forward this story, but NO LIE it was like 15 minutes of Tim and I throwing things at the spider to determine if it is alive (the kids meanwhile are freaking out crying saying they don't want to stay at the cabin and want to go home AND we haven't even seen 1/4 of the cabin yet). After this drags on and I continue to see my kids getting more and more worked up and my husband unable to get it from the wall I grabbed a broom and tackled the spider. I stabbed it, it went flying and................................... it was FAKE!!!!! We couldn't believe it.

So we calmed the kids down and explored. Tim and I ended the night in the hot tub, what a great night.
The next day we explored, it was such fun. Some highlights:
Tim and Luke went to the car museum while Lauren and I went to Wacky bear and let her build a bear.
We headed to the village, our favorite part of Gatliinburg and watched them make candy:

After we were tired from shopping we headed back to take a nap and get ready for dinner, it was Valentines Day. We did call ahead seating for the Park Grill. Here are the kids dressed up for dinner;

We had a great meal out, the food and service was great. Then we enjoyed an awesome night of mirror mazes and miniature golf, shopping and walking around.
The next day we decided to hike to Laurel falls.
Here are the kids and I on the way up.

These signs were posted ALL over the place, there were STEEP drop offs so we had to be careful with the kids, I love this picture though:

It was a LONG hike up but the falls were BEAUTIFUL, here we are in front of them:

After that we headed to the Outlet malls. They have a Disney outlet there and it was PURE HEAVEN! We got a lot of stuff there, and at the Old Navy Outlet and the Nike outlet, great shopping. Then we took the kids to the Nascar Speedpark, they both got to race, they had so much fun!

After that dinner at our favorite place: Applebarn, Y-U-M-M-Y!!!
Had fun relaxing fire side in the cabin and hot tub that night, sad it was our last night. Our last day we got late checkout, and the kids enjoyed the hot tub as we packed up. We headed into town and shopped some more and enjoyed the sunshine:

What a great trip. Thank you Lord for the money provided to make it possible and for safe travels there and back. What a wonderful weekend of great times with family and memories to last a lifetime, even the spiders ; )

I WANNA GET AWAY!!!

2009-02-12T08:08:00.000-08:00

I am truly blessed. I mean that. Every morning I wake up and thank the good Lord for all he has blessed us with. Our two wonderful children, our happy marriage, both of our loving families and living so close to both of them, my stable jobs, and our home and financial stability. Lately the Lord has blessed us even more with extra income coming in so we have many travels scheduled. To Tim and I travling is living life to it's fullest. Our time on earth is SO short that to buy material things to me is just not important. I want to spend my time experiencing life with my family and making memories.
We have planned this year: 1 week in Kiawah South Carolina for Spring Break, 6 nights at the Animal Kingdom Lodge (our new Disney Vacation Club "home), 9 nights at Saratoga Springs Resort in Disney (using our Developer points incentive we got for joining the Disney Vacation Club), 1 week in Grand Haven Michigan, and 2 nights in Disney just Tim and I in November for Food and Wine Festival, as I said - truly blessed!
This weekend we are GOING TO GATLINBURG!!!!!! I can't wait to pull up here tomorrow night:

Spend the night in this big cozy bed

(we have a 3 bedroom cabin so we EACH get our own king size bed, cable t.v. AND bathroom . . .HEAVEN here on earth : )

Enjoy some family quality time here:

But more than ANYTHING, Enjoy some relaxing time here!!!!

Tomorrow can't come fast enough!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! On the road with my family, there jus it NOTHING ELSE like it!

Room Mom and My Baby is Eight!

2009-02-10T17:21:00.000-08:00

Well, this year I volunteered to be room mom for Luke's 2nd grade class. Being a working mom brings a TON of guilt so this was one way I could be involved in Luke's education in a positive way. I have already planned and organized Luke's fall party, and winter party as well as organized the class gift for Christmas for his teacher as well. Tim and I have had fun running the parties but this has been a lot more time consuming than I had realized it would be. For the Valentine's party I decided instead of trying to organize volunteers to send everything in, (which was so time consuming) I would have them donate a few dollars each. The money has been trickling in and Tim and I went shopping for things tonight.
I also found a cute idea in Family Fun magazine that I was excited to try. I had each student cut out 3 construction paper hearts and write something they loved about their teacher. The idea was for the teacher to have enough hearts that for the rest of the school year she can pull a heart out and start her day off right with a compliment from one of her students. I thought it was a cute idea.
My daunting task was trying to make it look presentable. Those of you who know me well know that I do not have a SINGLE creative bone in my body. I was proud of the final result though;

Here is a closeup of the card I made to attach to it:

Not too shabby, I hope she likes it. Now just wish me luck. Trying to organize a Valentines party for 27 kids, work full time, work for University of Phoenix online (I have a CRAZY busy schedule right now) AND organize things to go out of town to Gatlinburg on Friday RIGHT after the party is starting to cause a teenie bit of anxiety : )

On another note, my baby Luke is 8. I can't believe it. . . .I feel so old. We found some old home movies and were watching them as a family today. It brought tears to my eyes watching my two little babies inside the screen. It made me want to reach right through the t.v. and back in time and hold their little bodies. Lauren with her little teenie emerging curls and cute lisp as she tried to pronounce big words for the first time - Luke's first day of Kindergarten, oh the time goes by soooooo fast.
We ended up having his party at an indoor amusement park in a local mall. The kids had a blast.
We started at the table with pizza, presents and cupcakes:

Then it was off to UNLIMITED rides:

They had such fun on the rides:

They even had carnival squirting game that they enjoyed:

Then they had all kinds of activities too, Lauren enjoyed the glow bowling and a mining activity (which was so cool, she was mining for gems and got to keep the ones she found):

Luke enjoyed glow bowling, go karts and glow golf with his friend, here he is enjoying glow bowling:

Then after 3 hours there (really, it was 3 hours) we were exhausted and hungry. Luke had two of his cousins spending the night. We took them out to dinner, they had such a good time:

So. . .party is over, my baby is 8 years old. I praise the Lord for my healthy and happy babies. I can't wrap my mind around the fact that by the end of this year I will be the mother of an 8 and a 6 year old, where has the time gone and how do I get it back?

Why I Love My Family

2009-02-06T18:24:00.000-08:00

There are a MILLION reasons why I love my family but yesterday and today gave me a few more reasons why:
Yesterday I looked at the calendar and realized Valentines Day Weekend ALSO is Presidents Day Weekend so we have Monday off. I sent a quick email to Tim and asked him what he thought about taking the kids and Mickey (our dog) down to Gatlinburg for the weekend, I got an email back within minutes saying "WHY NOT, we love to travel, let's do it, heck yes!!!" So we booked a BEAUTIFUL 3 bedroom cabin in Gatlinburg for 3 nights that is pet friendly. We will leave Friday afternoon and return Monday night. I love my families love for travel and how important it is to us. For us, it is all about making memories that last a lifetime for us in our marriage and our kids, which actually leads me to the next point. . . . . . .
FRIDAY NIGHTS IN OUR HOUSE! It has become our tradition that on Friday nights we go out for dinner which is awesome (tonight we went out and celebrated Luke's b-day and they sang to him which he loved) and then we usually hit Target or Walmart for a bit to get stuff for the weekend or for Family Night (candy, snacks, etc.). Then we head home, put on comfy clothes and play a family game. These games usually consist of made up things like foil baseball, etc. Tonights game:

That's right, a TEENIE TINY baseball bat and a nerf football- we used it to play homerun derby. Tim and I took turns pitching to the kids and to eachother:

The rules were, if you hit the back wall of the dining room HOMERUN. We put a laundry basket on the dining room table: if you made it in there a bonus 5 runs : )

The kids stayed pretty even the whole game, and enjoyed the game emensely:

Tim was schooling me until the final round where I got TWO in the basket. Tim then came back in the final round and beat me by 2! Bummer, but what a fun night.
This is one of the MANY reasons why I love my family!!!!!
So....... this time next week we will be in a beautiful cabin in Gatlinburg, wonder what games we will think of for family nights there!?!?!

Tomorrow............ my baby turns 8 years old, I can't believe it!!!!!!

I'll update with his big day later on this weekend, I'm sure it will be great. I am so blessed to be his mother!

Dinner Gone Wrong and the Small Things in Life

2009-02-04T16:30:00.001-08:00

So Tim, being the wonderful husband that he is was going to prepare dinner for us tonight when I got home from work. He was so proud of the recipe he had found on his iPhone for blackened chicken. Well, I noticed the kitchen filling with smoke as he cooked:

Then the whole house filled with smoke and we had to open windows and cover our noses and mouths due to the overpowering smell of spices, poor Tim:

Needless to say we ended up getting dinner from LaRosa's : ) After the smoke cleared we did taste the chicken however and it wasn't that bad, I think he saved it for his lunch tomorrow.

THE SMALL THINGS IN LIFE:
My best friend Kristen who I grew up with married an airforce lifer and they currently live in Germany. Several years ago when they were stationed in Washington D.C. Tim surprised me with a ticket to go visit Kristen for a weekend in D.C. long story short we got lost on the way to the airport and I missed the flight. Luke was 4 at the time and VERY upset I was leaving without him and we ended up buying him a ticket and the two of us went to visit Kristen. It was such a wonderful and memorable trip. One thing that is funny is Kristen had the most UNBELIEVABLE soft towels EVER!!! Luke and I talked about them forever and we told Kristen that in every store we are in we feel the towels and say "nope, not as soft as Kristen's". We honestly do this ALL the time, in EVERY towel section in EVERY store.
Well.................... Kristen sent Luke a present for his b-day and since he wasn't feeling well this week we let him open it early:

She bought him his own set of towels : ) Have you ever seen a kid so excited to receive a towel for a b-day present in his life.

He immediately wanted to shower. He has set the towels aside and has instructed us that they are "his towels" and no one is allowed to use them.

You HAVE to love GREAT friends, good memories, and the simple things in life!!!!

Superbowl and an uninvited new pet

2009-02-03T15:49:00.000-08:00

Well, we hosted this years Superbowl party at our house. We ended up having FORTY PLUS people over. Tim and I worked hard to get the house ready, here are some of the decorations I put up:

This doesn't even touch it because I didn't take pics of the basement with the big screen where we showed the game or all the food after it was all put out, but it looked pretty good.
Here are Tim and Luke before the big game:

We had an incredible time, I think we hosted a pretty good party : ) and fun was had by all. I still can't believe the amount of people crammed in here but it was very fun. I wouldn't mind hosting again actually, it was kind of nice having it on our home turf. The Steelers won which made Tim (a HUGE Steelers fan) VERY happy!

Then onto our "uninvited new pet" part of this post. . . . .. . . . . . . .. .
Lauren went to a birthday party on Friday. Now maybe I am "out of touch" but normally when you go to a birthday party and party favors are handed out they aren't living things........................... not this b-day party. My daughter arrived home from the party absolutely thrilled that EVERY SINGLE CHILD AT THE PARTY was given one of these:

Lauren and Luke have named him (if it is a him : ) "Goldie" and they are thrilled with their new pet. I really don't mind that much, he's obviously pretty darn easy to take care of but COME ON!!! If you were giving out fish as a party favor wouldn't you ask first???? I've never owned a fish before but am hoping he doesn't last until Spring Break when we go out of town for a week, I don't want to have to manage "fish sitting", I already have a dog and a cat to deal with on that end.
As I type this we are in the middle of another HUGE snow storm, it is snowing 2 inches per minute and my poor mom is stuck in it trying to get home, this weather is crazy! I'm ready for the beach, come on Spring Break!!!!

Snow Day #2 and #3!!!

2009-01-29T17:03:00.001-08:00

Well, this has been an interesting week. We had THREE snow days. We had a great time hanging out together and doing fun things together. I just love being with my family and this week was fun having "us" time.
We let the kids sleep on the pull out couch after snow day #1 and we knew snow day #2 was a done deal:

Tim and Luke headed out on a long hike in the ice and snow to the park to sled while Lauren and I stayed inside and watched a movie on the pull out couch. Here are the boys venturing out:

Then we made snow ice cream, that was fun to do too. Here is Luke gathering a bowl of snow for our creation:

Here are the kids mixing up the ice cream:

Then last night we got a call that I was on a delay and Luke and Lauren were cancelled for day #3. My call for today came early this morning. Our streets are still like thick skating rinks - they just can't get the ice off. We did venture out together today though for a nice lunch at McAlisters and we saw Paul Blart Mall Cop, that was a funny movie - I love Kevin James- he reminds me of Tim : )
Then today I was soooooooooooo excited because this came:

MY iPHONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am sooooooooooo excited! Tim got one a few weeks ago and I slowly was sucked in and saw it's potential and wanted one of my own. I was so thrilled when Fed Ex pulled up tonight and I have one of my own now.
Well, we have a 2 hour delay tomorrow so back to school for a 1/2 day and then a weekend, gotta love teaching : )

SNOW DAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2009-01-27T13:20:00.000-08:00

Today was such a wonderful day, I just looooooooooooooove snow days.
We had big plans to go to a neighborhood school and sled, but when we got all dressed and looked outside we realized that our street hadn't been plowed and it was still coming down pretty hard so we just walked up to a neighbors house to sled down their hill in their front yard:

We each took turns sliding down, it was a fun time:

It was Mickey's first time out in the snow and he LOVED it. I remember Loomis (our Golden Retreiver we had to put to sleep in May) absolutely loving the snow so I was happy to see Mickey enjoying it as well:

Luke continued to sled and Tim, Lauren and I headed back the house to start shoveling. Lauren started complaining she was cold so she headed inside and Tim and I finished up the driveway. We kept piling snow on Mickey as we shoveled:

Then some neighborhood kids came out and Luke was thrilled to have kids to sled with. Lauren, Tim and I headed inside for warm hot chocolate and soup, ahhhhhhhhhhhh, talk about your comfort foods : )
Luke lasted outside for another hour and a half outside with the neighborhood kids before he came in for his soup and hot chocolate.
I enjoyed a nap this afternoon, and playing "dance class" with Lauren.
We just took the garbage out but now we are being pelted with tons of freezing rain so our driveway will be a skating rink. Looks like we may get ANOTHER snow day out of this storm, incredible. I just love this time of year!

The "R" Word

2009-01-26T05:34:00.000-08:00

Most of you who read this know that I am a special education teacher. I also have an aunt who is very close to my heart who has Down Syndrome. This is me with Holly:

In 2008 a WONDERFUL senior honors student, Soeren Palumbo gave a speech during Writers Week at Fremd High School in Wheeling, Illinois. He has a sister with special needs and was offended when his friends used the word "retard" or "retarded" so casually.
Here is a news clip from it: (take a moment to hit "pause" on my music player to the left before viewing this clip so you can hear it properly)

After I viewed his speech for the first time, it gave me a higher awareness of the "r" word and I have vowed to remove it from my vocabulary and spread the word about how hurtful this word can truly be. Please take the time to watch this incredible speech:

I hope this will change your awareness a bit about how important these members of our society are, how we should try and watch our use of this word that is used too often flippently in our society. I hope that maybe, just maybe this post has opened your eyes a bit, I know this speech opened mine : )

Not as we had hoped

2009-01-22T15:17:00.000-08:00

So Luke and Tim worked hard on his boat for the big Raingutter Regatta for Cubscouts this week. They decided on the S.S. Yankee and the boat looked sharp! Here is Luke before leaving for the event (see how happy and excited he is):

We headed to the event with high hopes- this was our first time ever at a boy scouting event like this so we didn't know what to expect. Luke did a few trial runs with his boat and everything was going great, his boat seemed to do well and he understood how to make it go, he even beat a boy in a fake race.
Then it was time to begin. Luke was in the first race for his den. Here he goes:

Well, he was doing great and then he kept looking at the boy next to him and his boat got behind and he lost (it was a close race, but he lost). Tears welled up in his eyes as he realized he was losing and he grabbed his boat after the finish and was so upset. The den leader, seeing how upset he was assured him he had 3 more races. We all breathed a sigh of relief knowing he would get another chance.
Well, poor Luke then lost the next three races. It is hard to blow and cry at the same time:

It was one of those moments as a mother that you just want to protect your children from. I wanted him to have some sort of success on this night so badly and it was ripping my heart out to watch him have to go through this.
A WONDERFUL woman came up to him at the end and said "Luke, your boat may not have been the fastest but it sure was the best looking." That put a smile on his face. Thank God for encouraging people in this world, that really made his day. We treated him to ice cream after and that also brought a smile on his face. We will definitely be enlisting help when it comes to the soapbox derby in March ; )