Happy Anniversary!

So, my Travis and I have been married now 8 years today. It seems so short and yet so long. All good of course. I would write a lot more, but we have had a family of sickies and I'm not feeling too swell. So, here's a few pictures.

Single Mom Week

I am glad last week is over. My husband was gone all week to a job site out of state and thus I was the single parent. The only upside to this event was that I got to hang out with my sister and her cute kids more than usual...and thus, my cute kids played with hers and life was much better than them nagging at me. :) Any how, my man is home now and life is much better with 2 parents around.

I thought these pictures of the kids were cute...hunter loves his little "ipod" it's from the dollar store a little radio....saved me loads - Tyler got the potty top stuck on his head, I got the picture just before he broke free.

We are gearing up to trek the long 16 hour drive to see Travis' family for Thanksgiving. It should be a fun/exhausting road trip with the little ones, but we are excited.

Last night we were able to visit with a few of Travis' cousins and the kids played with their kids. It was fun to see them all and hang out for a little bit. We used to (before we had kids) visit and play games and go on trips to see them and hang out...Now we all have kiddos and we still have fun getting together.

I am so shiny and blurry in this picture...oh well, I'm still nice.

So, as it is thanksgiving week, I thought it would be appropriate to make a list of things I am thankful for. Now, you may be thinking - whoa! she has a freaking long list (50 - I was going to do 100, but I didn't have time)...however, in my opinion you can never be too thankful considering what you get in return.
So, I am thankful for-

1. My Husband
   
2. My kids
3. My Parents
4. My Husband's Parents
5. Sisters
6. Sisters in Law
7. Brothers
8. Brothers in Law
9. My friends
   
10. My neighbors: Nancy and Bill
11. Church / Gospel
    
12. Sunbeams
13. Nursery
14. Seasons
    
15. My House
16. My functioning vehicle
17. My health
18. My bathtub and hot tub (I tend to have a sore back a lot)
19. My Chiropractor
20. My Digital Camera
21. My cleaning supplies
22. Scrapbooking
23. Mine and My husband's jobs
24. Washer and Dryer
25. Trash Day
26. Panda Express
    
27. Dating my Travis
28. Vacations
29. Mint Hot Chocolate from Starbucks or Moxie Java
30. Weight Watchers
31. Turbo Jam
32. Tae Bo
33. Reeses Pieces ( I am not sure how to spell that exactly)
34. A 5th Wheel to camp in
35. Service
36. Challenges
37. Toilets
38. Lysol
39. Computers
40. Piano
41. Good music (Chopin tends to be a favorite)
    
42. Hot Shower
43. Random Dancing (in the car, in the kitchen, with my husband, with my kids)
    
44. Kindergarten
45. Preschool
    
46. Hawaii
47. Flowers
48. Gardening
49. Smell of fresh cut grass
50. Modern Medicine
51. Diet Soda
52. Dairy Queen

Fun Adventures

My sweetest Gwennie girl is not feeling so well today. We went to the fabric store to get a few things this morning and she kept saying her tummy hurt and she needed to poop...so we got the key to the bathroom like 4 different time to try to poop, but to no avail. Anyway, we make it out of the store and into my new car (lucky for me it's leather- so it wiped up easier) and she puked all over. It all made sense now....her tummy hurt....she puked....ugh! So, I exhausted the supply of wet wipes in my car to clean up the mess - she drove home in her underwear and socks. I put the blanket over her to keep her from getting too cold. She rode home with a bag close by in case she needed to puke again.

We got home and she started eating some Pringles and then got out a plastic grocery bag and said she needed to do it again. I tried to tell her to go to the toilet, but she said no, the bag was better. So here' s a picture of her literally 3 seconds after she puked....she's eating again. I love that little kids are so innocent...she knows she's sick - but not quite sure how it works.

I am including a few pictures of the new ride....(which by the way is much easier to get my kids in and out of with the bucket seats). So, yes, I am now the "suburban" driving mom....except it's not a real suburban. :) I like it though.

And just so they aren't left out, here's a few of Hunter and Ty. Hunter looks like he's ...I'm not sure, but he doesn't usually look like that. He's cute anyway.

SHARK BOY AND LAVA GIRL . . .

Recently I became aware of a movie called Shark Boy and Lava Girl. Hunter wanted to record it and watch it...so we did. Tyler fell head over heels for the show and now I can turn it on and he won't move. He's like a porcelain doll. Tricia came over and almost stepped on him once because she thought he was a doll. It's nice because I can get a bathroom cleaned or dishes done etc. and he won't move. I have tried to capture it on film, but it doesn't do it the justice it deserves...here's an idea though. And just fyi...it's good like the first 21 times, but it's definitely on the 22nd that it gets old- the movie that is.

Life's Little Surprises.

So, there are no pictures for this post, but more of an emotional release for me. I just found out yesterday that one of my dear friends has cancer on one of her kidneys. I don't know all of the details except that the recommendation is to have the kidney removed along with several other spots that are present on her lungs and liver. As I sat and listened to her say this I cried with her on her couch and wondered ( as I always do when life throws these things at us) why there is so much pain and suffering. However...she is so upbeat and positive about everything and there are so many things to be grateful for that pain and suffering can't really be the focus. I haven't known her very long and we are at total opposites of the spectrum of life. I am 28 with 3 small children and she is retired with 2 grown daughters and 5 grandchildren. But of this I am certain - we were friends in the pre-existence. I love her and I pray for her daily. The one thing that killed me, other than that fear of the unknown is that she was concerned about not being able to watch my children grow up. She is not a member of the church, but such a good person! So, today as a tribute for November and being thankful- I am thankful for life's little surprises that make me grateful for things I often take for granted. I am especially grateful for her and her upbeat positive attitude on life - why can we not all be that way?