Love day

There are many reasons I love LOVE day...

Here are just a few...


Flowers from my sweetie...

 Card from my Samuel

 A reason to spoil my kids...

 Heart shaped food...

 A very special valentine...look how skinny I look...

and a pile of loot to look at together...

I have always loved Valentine's Day...I guess this shows you why...

In God's hands

I just had another "slap in the face" moment!  Really the only person who has your child's best interest is God.  Because all of us are sinful we cannot unselfishly make decisions for our kids!  Even Brian and I can't unselfishly make a decision.  That's why we need God's wisdom.  Especially for my Bubs. He has Bubs in his hands.

We had another mind numbing IEP on Friday and it has taken until now to really process all that was said.  So we have to make a decision about placement for next year.  Crazy folks from the county tried to tell me that he should move to a self contained Special Ed. class. They casually changed a  draft copy to reflect that decision and then told us the team decided on this placement.  Aren't HIS PARENTS part of this team.  Well maybe we shocked them when we didn't sign the IEP and needed to think and pray about it.  I don't really know or care for that matter.

I won't really bore all of you with what is actually happening but would like it if you would pray for our wisdom in this situation.  My gut tells me that he would love to stay at Gordon  where he is. They are telling us there may be no program for him next year.  And guess what there wasn't one two years ago until we fought for it!   So here we are trying to decide what is best for my kid.   

Guess what...we aren't going to just sit quietly and take your "sentence. "  My God has Bubs best interest and we are going to prayerfully consider what that is....

Would you pray for us???  Bubs and I thank you!

My Samuel

Today my Samuel turned nine!  Nine seems so old.  He doesn't even look like a baby anymore.  He is all boy and I love it.

For his birthday he had FIVE yes five boys sleep over.  It was pure BOYDOM...I mean bonfires, nerf wars, wrestling, forts outside, flashlight tag...it smelled like boy in my house last night.  But I love it.  There is something awesome about little boys.  They fill your life with noise, dirt, and destruction but you can't help but appreciate their honesty!  I was also impressed reading some of Samuel's cards.  He is really well liked.  Awesome to hear what his friends really think about him.  He does take his friendships seriously and I love that.

He really has become stronger in his faith.  You know you pray that your kid will grown up to love God, to not be ashamed to be a witness and to be open about what he believes.  He has told me that he asks kids in his class if they are Christians and tells them how they can believe Jesus.  He has encouraged some of his friends to go to church.

He is really smart.  Recently he has some standardized tests at school to prove it.  I have always knew he was smart.  I just wish he could enjoy school more.  He says he only likes PE and recess...as a mom that makes me sad...as a teacher I understand...most boys I taught were like that.

Samuel's answers to his questions  were just as I had thought they would be...

Here they are...
What is your favorite color?Blue
What is your favorite animal? Beagle
What is your favorite book? Diary of a Wimpy Kid
What is your favorite TV show?  Minute to Win It
What is your favorite song? Lead Me
What is your favorite food?  Tacos
What is your favorite drink?  water
What is your favorite breakfast food?  cinnamon rolls
What is your favorite snack? popcorn
What is your favorite clothes? shorts and short sleeves
What is your favorite game?  soccer
What is your favorite toy?IPOD
What is your favorite thing to do?  Play soccer or video games
What is your favorite thing to do outside? soccer, tag, build forts
Where is your favorite place to go?  TN football game
What is your favorite restaurant?  Taco Bell
Where do you want to go on vacation?  England...guess why???  to watch a soccer game
What do you want to be when you grown up?  a soccer player

Yes...the common thread right now is SOCCER...that is the favorite sport for now although we are going to play baseball in the spring.

Samuel was the miracle we prayed for.  When he was born I had just been through a miscarriage and I child with special needs. He scared me to death coming six weeks early...spending days in the NICU but  he has been more than I could hoped or dreamed for.  I love my boy so much and I am excited to see how God continues to lead him in his life!!



Happy Birthday Sweet Samuel.  I love you!

Yes we survived a sleepover with seven little boys!!!

 Crazy picture...that is wrapping paper he is throwing...

Breakfast...pancakes and cinnamon rolls...

Building a fort in the backyard

 More craziness...

Birthday lunch at Inter China.

Important things

It is sometimes in the hustle and bustle of life we lose sight of the important things.  Yesterday during communion was on of those moments we might get to busy and ignore.  Something that makes you stop and realize what truly matters in this life.

Not really sure how many of you have tried to take communion with three squirmy kids, where only one is taking communion. Most communion Sundays I sit alone with the three of them because Brian distributes the communion.  The communion usually goes something like this.  Gracie climbs into my lap which makes it so much easier to try to manuever the bread and cup plates around me.  Still not sure how the deacon/elder doesn't really think that just giving us at the end of the pew the plates and taking them back would be easier but most every week I have to somehow get the plates from one end of the pew to the other without spilling any bread or juice. Samuel has tried to do it but I nearly have a heart attack picturing the grape juice all over the front of some ladies beautiful sweater.  So after the bread which usually isn't really terribly tricky except reminding Samuel to choose the first one he touches and then reminding Gracie that she cannot take it yet and then telling Bubs that we only have about ten more minutes...comes the juice.  That is even more fun because since we sit close to the front, Samuel has to hold his cup a ridiculously long time WITHOUT spilling it as Gracie squirms and moves from seat to seat and Bubs continues to ask how much longer.

So how is this a post about important things (besides the fact that communion IS very important).  Well it is about how sometimes important things take you by surprise.

So...yesterday in the chaos of our normal communion experience Bubs points to my cup and tells me it is "blood." Wow...he actually said that.  Then I asked him whose blood it was supposed to be.  He tells me "God's blood."  Then I asked him who he died for and he said "Ben"

Not sure if that really seems like much to some of you.  But really it was the most important conversation with him I have had.  He said all the right things.  Of course we need to add some more details to that conversation but it is a really good start and really reminded me that even in the chaos of our crazy lives God is still at work and working in my kids!

Bubs is ELEVEN!

Where did the time go?  I don't know who seems older...my big boy who is eleven or his mom who has been a parent for eleven years.  These past years have most definitively been a roller coaster with some valleys but thankfully the mountaintops are that much sweeter.  He has amazed his mom this year with his talking.  He can now form sentences with two and three words and finally tell me he loves me!  He is truly a gift and I  cannot imagine my life without him in it! God has been good.  He has always been there to give me just the amount of patience and love I needed for him at the right time.  He has known how to give me the strength for IEP meetings and the will to fight for him when I needed to.  He has also given me the wisdom to know when to be quiet and let Bubs go on his own!

I decided this year to start a BIRTHDAY questionairre with each child on their birthday.  Here is what Bub said...

What is your favorite color?  Green
What is your favorite animal? elephant (Paul)
What is your favorite book?  Spiderman
What is your favorite show?  Team Umizoomi
What is your favorite movie?  Spiderman
What is your favorite food?  Chick fil a
What is your favorite drink?  water
What is your favorite breakfast food?  yogurt
What is your favorite clothing item?  Spiderman shirt
What is your favorite toy?  Spiderman
Who is your favorite friend?  Skyler
What is your favorite thing to do?  play Spiderman
What is your favorite holiday?  Christmas
Where would you want to go on vacation?  BEACH (love my boy!)
What would you like to do when you grow up?  Work at Chick fil a



This year he wanted a bowling party so we had some friends for a bowling party and a very special friend to go to lunch with us at Chick fil a! The common theme for the party was....guess what???  Spiderman!

Here are some photos of my sweet boy and his friends... These kids are truly a blessing to my kid (and his momma!)

MERRY CHRISTMAS

This Christmas has been marked as the "sick Christmas!"  As we speak Bubs is recovering from the flu after a week of recovering from an infected thumb.  Samuel started running a fever just a few hours ago and coughing.  Thankful for TAMIFLU and the hope that it will make Christmas at least a few minutes of fun!  ( I say that because in my house it only takes a few minutes to rip open the presents!)

So along with the events of the last few weeks in our nation (Sandy Hook) and the events in my household it has made me grateful for every day I have with  my three beautiful children ( and my wonderful husband).  The fact that they are here and with me this Christmas is something I should be thankful for every minute!  

The other thing striking me today is thinking how sad those parents in Sandy Hook are today.  Presents for those children unopened and empty stockings...A reminder of how much they lost.

There was another father who knew when his son was born that he would die. He knew the loss when he sent him as a baby.  He gave up his son to die and to die for me.  It hit me...how much of a sacrifice that was that first Christmas.  God sent his only son to the earth to be born so that he could die for me.  WOW.  The joy that comes with Christmas is not in the fact that we all have the perfect Christmas and that all our kids are well or even that we have presents under our tree.  The joy is that the father who loved his son so much to send him to pay a price for sins that I could not even come close to repaying.  He loved me so much he told me that if I just only trust and believe that He did come to die for me he would be gracious enough to cover my sin and give me his gift of eternal life. It is God's gracious love for me that is to be celebrated this Christmas.

MERRY CHRISTMAS.

P.S...this past week was so crazy I am not sure if I sent cards to all of you or maybe even some of you might get two...if so I apologize and if not the kids picture is here for you to see.  We love you all!

It's beginning to seem a lot like Christmas...

except for the weather.  75 degrees here today.  But just like Richmond, by Friday it will probably be in the 30's.  Anyways...trying to do some fun stuff with the kids.  Here is a nativity scene we made together.