LOVE

This morning Breslyn, Owen and I watched home videos....it was so wonderful to catch up on some sweet memories!!  We watched Finley as an adorable 2 year old sing to his newly born baby sister.  We watched a precious 6 year old Aidan dance to "Get Your Head in the Game."  And we watched beautiful B learn to crawl!  It makes me appreciate all that free time I had with each of them.  I HAVE to consciously remember to continue to MAKE that free time with Owen and B.

I LOVE my wonderful, beautiful, crazy, sweet family!!

{above picture is an item we sell at Rags to Riches!  $8}

34 in 34...

Welp, today is my birthday...I am all of 34 years old.  I must admit that I do not like getting closer to 40, but I love and appreciate the maturity that comes with each passing year. :)  I've seen this done all over blog world...so why not jump in and do it too!!  Teehee! 

34 Random Facts...Enjoy!! 

#1...I have a problem with textury (yes, my own word) foods.  I.e. coconut (tastes like I'm eating paper), strawberries (too many seedlets get stuck in my teeth), peanuts...not always, but I don't want to be eating something creamy, only to bite into something crunchy..yuck!

#2...I love my dog...like lots!!  She loves me and I appreciate her company!

#3...I love 90's music.  I set up a Pandora channel with 90's music and every time I listen memories just come flooding back to me!  Luckily when I was growing up on these songs I pretty much didn't understand most of the words...I just loved the beat, rhythm and rhyme!!  But now I hear AND understand the words and I am embarrassed by a lot of the songs. ;(

#4...I dream of living in Georgia, Tennessee, Virginia...they just seem like beautiful states, full of friendly Southerners, fall foliage and lovely sights!

#5...I see gray hairs popping up on my head...and I loathe them!  I see blonde highlights in my future- fo sho!!

#6...I love Paula Deen.  I especially love her drawl...except for when she says, "awwlll" {yes, that would be "oil"} and "bawwlll" {"boil"}!  

#7...I cringe when people pronounce especially wrong!!!  It's not 'eck'specially!!  Another word that gets my feathers ruffled is when people say "acks" for ask.  Yikes!!

#8...I was very lucky not to have bad acne as a teenager...so WHAT IS UP with having such a problem in my 30's?!!  Ugh!!

#9...more pet peeves...not knowing the difference in there, their and they're; to, two and too; AND your and you're!!  

#10...I love sweets and bread and REAL sodas!!  

#11...I have been on a weight-loss journey since Jan 1st....and I so miss the above things!! ;)

#12...I'm only a good 30 stomach bugs away from my ideal weight- if I lose as much as I did last weekend when I was suffering from a tummy attack!  :))

#13...I would secretly love a little tattoo...like a tiny heart on my ankle...just to say I have one.  ;)

#14...I wish my entire house had hard wood floors!  

#15...I really want to take my kids to Disney.  Do you know how much it costs for a family of 6 to go to Disney?  I do...it's ridiculous!! :(

#16...My favorite restaurant is Mexican Inn.  They have the whole package...yummy chips and dip, delicious cheese enchiladas and it's close to my house.  If we are going on dip alone...Chuy's is by far #1!!!  Creamy Jalepeno...to.die.for!

#17...I rededicated my life to God last year...it was an amazing experience.  

#18...I have a problem being judgmental, but I ask God daily for help with this sin.

#19...I want a Dooney & Bourke, Coach or Louis Vuitton purse.  Yes, they are expensive, but I still want one...shameful I know!

#20..I am obsessed with reading blogs!

#21...I so badly want my house to be clean and cozy.  

#23...I don't dwell on the loss of our babies, but I do take time to think about them often.

#24...I hate fish!

#25...I have been blessed with great friends.

#26...I'm scared to fly on a plane...I've done it, just scared to do it again!!

#27...I like planning parties, but actually putting the ideas together the day of is SO STRESSFUL!

#28...I love having a big family!!  Some days I feel overwhelmed by it, but I would not have it any other way!

#29...I need {or really want} a new computer.

#30...Pretty Little Liars...can't wait till June!!

#31...I am excited about what God has in store for our family!! :))

#32...I enjoy leading Bible studies at church...but my tummy fills with butterflies every Wednesday night around 6:30 {just in time for my 7:00 class!! Haha!}!  

#33...I desperately want to get my college degree.  I don't even care what I major in, I just WANT THAT DEGREE!

#34...It took a ridiculously long time to write this post...and I am one crazy, boring person!!  :))

Well, if you are still reading you are a true friend!!  Ha!  ;))  

Happy Birthday Owen!

 I can't believe my little man turned 2 today!!  He is a crazy, silly, wild and wonderful rugrat!!

 Enjoy pics from Owen's photo shoot!!

Happy Birthday sweetheart!!  You are an incredible little boy and we LOVE YOU TO PIECES!!!  You have completed our family, and we wouldn't have it ANY OTHER WAY!!  Big hugs and kisses!!

Good Friday?

I have always wondered why "they" would call today Good Friday....in my eyes it was a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day.  But oh, so much good came from this day.  In fact the best came from this day....although to hear the details it would rock your world, and leave you awed and speechless.

A few years ago, when Passion of the Christ came to the theaters, Joey and I went to watch it.  I knew it would be hard...I knew it would probably be graphic....what I was not prepared for was how I would react to the movie.  Played out in front of my eyes...Jesus beaten, battered, bruised, bullied, harassed...tortured is the best way to describe it.  I couldn't handle most of the movie...I hid my face in Joey's shirt and clung to him as I unashamedly wept...BIG tears.  I cried through most of the movie...my eyes burned, my heart ached and my head pounded.  I had finally seen on the big screen a close rendering to what happened to my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  He was tortured and hung on a cross....and we can't forget the nails hammered into his hands and feet, a sword thrust in his side.  There hanging on a cross he was facing my sin, your sin, ALL SIN.  And willingly he took on ALL SIN so we could go to Heaven. We are forgiven because he was forsaken.  We are accepted because he was condemned.  
When Joey and I returned home from the movie I had to sleep the rest of the afternoon.  I was so spent...so much emotion, so MANY tears, my heart was in pieces and my head hurt so much I couldn't keep my eyes open to the light.  I will never be the same.....whenever I reflect on what Jesus did for us, my mind drifts towards that movie.  Although not every single detail in the movie is correct, it's still a great depiction of the events that happened so many years ago.

As I sit here crying BIG tears again, I can't help but cry out to my Lord and say THANK YOU.  Thank you for giving your life for my sins, my guilt, my shame, my FAULTS!!  I LOVE YOU LORD with all my heart, with all my soul, with all my mind.  I am FOREVER CHANGED.  What a GREAT Friday!!     

Wordless Wednesday...

 {my baby had his first EVER haircut...sniff, sniff}

A Sneak Peek...Eeek!

I am so excited to share Breslyn's new big girl room...but it's not quite complete.  In the mean time I am gonna share a few of the projects we've done in a few different posts.

 Here are the embarrassing BEFORE photos....I know...Y.I.K.E.S!!  In my defense...we have a million kids, and these pics were taken shortly after ALL my kids rearranged rooms!  Everything just got chunked in here with no rhyme or reason.

{please please ignore the naaaasty carpet....yucko!  Thanks to leaking sippy cups all of my carpets have little dirty dots all throughout the house!}

Yep...I don't even have words for the mess going on here....shameful. :(

I searched for a long time on Craigslist for the perfect armoire, but it was never meant to be.  :((  I wanted this exact one...

Source: 1.bp.blogspot.com via Ashley on Pinterest

....although I didn't get the exact one, I was so blessed that my Grandma got this one for $50.  I can't wait to show you the AFTER photos!!  Once it was painted white and sanded...oooh, gracious, it is a beauty!!

 

Well....I hope you aren't greatly disturbed by the images you have seen!!  Haha!!  Sadly I let her room go on looking like this for a ridiculously long time, but I just didn't know what I wanted to do in her room.  Once I finally nailed down the theme I wanted to go with (thanks Ashlee), and got our tax return money (to pay for the changes), we started working hard to transform her little living quarters!  I cannot wait to show all the work we have done to this room!!! :)

Happy Birthday Grandma!!

I have to take a minute to say HAPPY BIRTHDAY GRANDMA!!!  Today she turns...a year older than last year {teehee}!!  

I'm sure many people out there think they have the best Grandmother, but they are wrong!!  I have the bestest Grandma EVER!!  Now that that is clear, I can go on to praise her!!  Actually, I praise God for her!  

Thank you God for allowing me to have such a great Gma.  You made her so special....many qualities that make her so endearing!  She is loving, generous, caring, selfless, a great listener, a doer with a servants heart.  

I know how blessed I am to have her in my life...and I am thrilled that my kids get that same blessing!!  

Isn't she absolutely precious?!!!  I love her to pieces. 

Grandma, thank you for being my friend, my confidant and such a wonderful example!!  I love you so much!