Wall Quote

Today while out wine tasting with my mom in law, there were some fun quote signs in one of the tasting rooms/shops. Some made me laugh..."I am smiling because I have no idea what is happening"...some made me giggle..."Have you had your Merlot today?"...and others made me go aaahhh..."FAMILY is forever and ever"

But the one that I am going to hang in our home is...
"Live with passion, Laugh out loud, Love deeply"

I think this says it all...

Aaahhh Vacation

We are having a wonderful time spending the week with family at a house on Clearlake.

I am uable to post photos from here but promise to do so when we return home..so for now here are a few highlights :

• Dad caught a big bass fish
• we have frogs, fish, turtles, ducks and birds on our property
• a few water gun fights to cool us off
• a dip in the spa each night
• picnic & swimming at the lake

I am so thankful that we are able to have this time together...see you soon !!

Limited Access

This week has been a busy week for our family..so I have had limited time and access to take the time to put down my thoughts. Even now..I sit here knowing I should be cleaning or doing laundry or packing for our upcoming trip to the lake.
I may not be on here much the next week as we'll be enjoying family time together and relaxing and having too much fun.
So know that I'll be back in full force in a week or so with pictures and stories of our fun adventures. I can't wait to share this and our summer stories with you...until then...

where did the time go ???

I just don't understand how the time escapes me. I have this list of things I want to accomplish in the day and then next thing I know...someone bumped his head...a dirty diaper is waiting to be changed...a cup has spilled juice or milk on the floor...and there goes the day.
I had this plan to do some sewing projects the last 2 days, to get the house organized before vaca, to make my meals menu for June and to get to my blog more...and none of them have even been started...UGH !
I know I just need to let go of this Obsessive need to be in control of the situation when I know full well that life just won't let that happen.
My prayer for the night..Lord, give me the peace, understanding and patience that I need in order to be ok with the twists and turns the day will bring. Help me to know that what I need to get done will get done and that the "list" can wait if it must. So long as I am enjoying all the goodness that You bring to this new day..that is what really matters..Amen

a good read...

This year has been a year of reading for me. I love to read..it is something I have liked to do since I was a little girl. A big goal for me this year is to read my Bible all the way through. I must admit I get a little behind when we have some illness in our home, but I am still reading strong.
Here is a list of the ones I have enjoyed this year and in the past...feel free to pass along any you think are read worthy :)

• The Other Boylen Girl by Philippa Gregory
• The Queen's Fool by Philippa Gregory
• The Reader by Bernhard Schlink
• A Thousand Voices by Lisa Wingate
• The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
• Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett

(the list could go on and on, but I didn't want to make it too long..these are definite favs)

Mini St. Joe's Reunion

Thanks to the wonderful world of Facebook, I have been able to catch up with friends from high school, friends from the church I grew up in, friends in general. Today I got to meet up with 2 friends from high school and it was so fun ! The kids played at the park while we sat and caught up on one another for a few hours. And it's all thanks to Facebook..what would we do without it...LOL

Cara, Me & Erin
(photo taken by Ryan)

An afternoon of Fun

Last week on Friday afternoon the weather outside was BEAUTIFUL ! The boys and I enjoyed being together and enjoying all of God's beauty in nature. We found several ladybugs, only one would pose for a photo though, the boys made their "beds" on the patio, Ryan tucked all of his bedtime friends in and took a pic of them himself..and then of course Matthew crashed on the couch after so much fun. We are enjoying another nice afternoon today..this time with Popsicles and a little bike riding..still all good fun. Thank you Lord for these beautiful days !

Seeing Results

It has been 13 days since I last weighed and measured myself...and with good results today. I took off 1.5 pounds and an inch off my waist ! Those are results I can enjoy and be proud of.
I was concerned that I may not have lost anything since I had a setback in going to the gym last week. But when your kids get sick and you have to stay home there isn't much of an option.
Now that I have seen what I can do with a "setback" who knows what I can get done in the next 2 weeks...just in time for vacation..so I had better get a movin' !

Mother's Day Brunch

A Mom's Day Tradition (for the past 6 years I think) has been to go with my Mom to a brunch at her church celebrating Mom's. We enjoy a delicious meal, a fun skit, give a ways (we didn't get any this year) and listen to a speaker. This year was no exception on the yummy food or anything else for that matter. It was a lovely afternoon to spend with my Mom and the other ladies I've come to know over the years.

Here we are enjoying the day.

(I made my dress this year)

Happy Mother's Day .. to me

This Mother's Day was a great day ! There were so many ways that my men spoiled me on Sunday..it was so nice to have a relaxing day as a family. (although Darren was not able to be here, I had a nice phone call from him that completed the day)

The boys helped me with our Mom's Day dessert..apple betty.

They wished Debbie Grandma Happy Mom's Day and Happy Birthday !

My mom and I..this is the bag I made her for Mom's Day.

Me excited about my massage..can't wait to go and enjoy it !

Me and the 2 little ones at the end of the day.

I am so blessed to have 3 handsome sons, a loving husband, great parents, great in-laws, 3 fun loving brother in-laws, a niece and nephew and the best sister in the world ! To be able to feel their love on this special day is what made it a fantastic day.

ER Visit

Tonight we took a trip to the ER ! Ryan hurt his knee the other day and has a bruise or two..we still aren't sure what exactly happened, but it has been bothering him off and on this week.
Then this afternoon he started complaining of it hurting, just while he was sitting down on the couch. Then the fever came on and wasn't going down..so after a call to the advice nurse, we were off to the ER. (a good friend came to be with matthew so we could both go)
They were very quick in getting us in..come to find out they were worried about a septic infection in his knee that would have required surgery tonight. PTL..that is not the case..he just has a badly bruised knee and a fever that might be turning into the flu..we are watching that closely.
I am just so thankful tonight for the power of prayer. This could have easily turned into a long and scary situation for us, but God was watching over our little man. I know we had prayers going up that the pain would be gone and his fever to drop..I am so thankful to be going to sleep in my own home instead of being up half the night while my 5 yr old was in major surgery. It is now time for me to go and crash with the rest of the family on the living room floor..we are having an impromptu camp out together. There's nothing like the feeling of being all together in the same room and knowing that your children are safe.

A special Treat

Monday night after swim lessons, in the cold wind, we thought the boys would enjoy a nice hot chocolate before going to bed. So they sat down on their stools and were ready for a treat. As I turned to warm the milk, I hear the whip cream can squirting. I turn to find Dad filling the boys mouths with whip cream! BUSTED ! So to keep in the fun..I had Dad do it one more time in order to catch a photo moment. It completed the night and they forgot all about being cold. It gave us all a good laugh and a fun memory.

Swimming lessons...

Last week we had the boys take a spring swim lesson to get them back in "water" mode. With the warm weather getting closer we thought this would be a great plan. Well it was...sort of.


The first day was so windy that Ryan was shaking like a leaf
on the edge of the pool and Matthew didn't want to do any
of the skills for the day.



Day 2 was a little better. The weather improved and both boys
had a blast in the water..jumping in..
staying under and blowing bubbles.


Day 3 I got a turn to be in the pool with Matthew.
I couldn't keep him above water.
He took well to breathing and blowing bubbles under water.
He has become our little fish.



Day 4..only Ryan and I went. Matthew crashed at dinner and
stayed asleep until 6 am the next day. Ryan had a good lesson
though..he enjoys splashing around.





The last day..swim lessons in the rain! Oh my..we weren't even sure we were going to take them, but the Aquatic center said they'd be there rain or not. Everyone in the water had fun..Mom who was on the side lines getting wet isn't too sure about lessons in the rain.




It was a good week for them and now they keep asking when we can go swimming. Tomorrow is supposed to be in the mid 80's..we might just have to try out what we learned then.

May is Here

Aaahhh...May is here. This is a busy month for us..we have Mom's day, 4 family birthdays, Darren coming home from college, preschool bbq, Ryan graduating from preschool, me throwing a baby shower, and getting ready for vacation ! So many fun things happening for us as a family..I am excited and yet there are just enough events to make me want to go..WOW !
I am just planning on taking it one event at a time, so that I'll remember to make the most of the journey and not get caught up in the planning. When I let that happen, I don't enjoy myself like I should. So...I'll keep you posted on all these exciting things...it's going to be a fun month !