eight years of sweetness...

happy birthday little miss mae! you are such a treasure and have brought so much joy to our lives and we are so happy to celebrate you turning eight today!

happy birthday!
daddy, mommy and ethan

it is so clear that he totally loves her! (before opening presents at home)

first time on the ice and she rocked it! (ice skating party with 6 friends!)

yes, her smile can light up a room!

family party at home
my brother and em have this "you owe me a dollar" thing going on and have for years... when I was pregnant with ethan they bet on what the baby would be (we didn't know), and she said a girl, mike said a boy. the wager was a dollar. her card from them said "we were going to give you $20 for your birthday, but you still owe me a dollar... here's $19!" she loved it!

of course, a hannah montana card :)
em with papa (my dad) and his gift. i take no credit for the socks or the fact that she is wearing heelys while on an electric scooter (i made her take the wheels out pronto)... at least she has a helmet on!
us four and our nephew carson

there are days...

days that i feel like all i'm doing is laundry, tripping over toys that i just put away, feeding little people that i just fed, breaking up fights, saying "close the refrigerator", "no, you can't have fruit snacks for breakfast", repeating myself, going to another birthday party, attending another playdate, repeating myself, singing the song from mickey mouse clubhouse, repeating myself and wondering when my last shower was, all while dreaming of lying stretch mark free on a beach somewhere.

we all have those days, right?
please tell me you have those days.

i've been swallowed by those days lately. me and my kids haven't been getting along too well lately. translation: i have had no patience lately and i haven't been the kind of mom that i want to be. i haven't been the kind of mom that i know God wants me to be. that's tough to swallow and it's hard to admit. even more, it's not a fun place to be as a mom.

yesterday lysa terkeurst wrote a great post (like always) and urged her readers to leave a verse that encourages us in times when we are acting less than encouraged. times when we snap at our husbands. times when we want to put a for sale sign around our kids necks and stand them on the corner.

as i read through the comments and verses left by others, i was struck with the realization that the recent struggle between me and my kids has little to do with my kids behavior and more to do with me. the comments and verses reminded me that i can't try and go this alone or my life will be filled with "those days". i don't want that. i don't want that for my kids.

i am a reactor. too often i react to something my kids say or do without thinking about my actions that follow, and too often i end up wishing i would have acted differently.

i want to be a responder. i want to stop, see what God is teaching me and what He wants me to teach my kids. i want to pay attention to what my kids are really saying to me and when i kiss my kids goodnight i want to be thankful, not regretful.

i encourage you to read the post and comments here. lysa was kind enough to quote me here, but more importantly, she reminded us that we are all in this together.

if you're having one of those days and you need a good laugh, go see "confessions of a shopaholic". it is a great movie with a dancing scene that made us laugh so hard we cried! somebody in the theater even snorted and that made us laugh even harder!

happy wednesday!
a

makin' mama cry...

today emily brought home a lot of work from the past quarter, including some projects that they did for christmas.

i cried when i read this...

i think the true spirit of christmas is...
"beleiving the Holy Spirit. spending time with your family. praise the lord. know that Jesus died on the cross. know God will forgive our sins. merry christmas! emily kahler"

she gets it.

happy friday (again)
a

economic stimulus

i heard something on the radio today that shocked me beyond belief and i am still astonished.

it has been determined that if our country spent one million dollars every day since the birth of Jesus that we still would not have spent as much as congress is spending on the economic stimulus.

that blew me away. i pray that it actually makes a difference. that is a lot of debt for my children to carry.

happy friday
a

and please, i didn't write this to start a political comment wars, just some facts and my own little opinion.

wordless wednesday

...is a pretty lucky guy to have a sister that loves him

enough to make his name out of legos.

happy wednesday

a

NBA Jam Session

nick took emily to the nba jam session in phoenix on saturday. they had a blast (thanks aunt linda), and both agree that it was the perfect way to spend valentine's day! it's so sweet that they go on fun little "dates" like that, she's such a lucky little gal!

here are some pictures of the day; you can definitely tell that they had fun!

i love that it looks like she has thrown the large decorative ball... so funny!

white girls can jump (i know, i know, but i couldn't resist)

lebron james' shoes

happy tuesday-ish
a

ps... i'm digging the lowercase, even thought it's not entirely intentional... i think i may need a new keyboard (or my kids need to figure out what they did to make only certain letters capitalize and my control button not work). who knows. and yes, i typed the title before the fateful round of computer time for my kids.

Who are you people?!

I'm sure that a lot of you out there, especially bloggers (because almost all of us have one!), know of this little thing that I love called Sitemeter. It is a site that has the capability to track who visits my blog, what pages they look at, how long they visit, where they are, what page they exit to, etc.

So, my question... who are you? I know who some are; if you check from work your company name shows up and the locations sometimes give it away too (I only have two friends in Chile!). Technology is amazing to me!

Anyway, leave me a comment, I would love to know who's dropping by. And I know there are a lot of you... the numbers don't lie!

Oh, and now that I mentioned technology it reminded me of a video that totally blew my mind. I'll have to post it later. Right now I have a little guy with ear infections that needs some snuggling!

Happy Monday!
A

Wordless Wednesday

My favorite flower in my yard right now.
Happy Wednesday!
A

The "No" Alternative

Ethan and I just had a little "chat" about him not telling me "no" when I ask him to do something. He agreed... success!
Just a couple of minutes ago I asked him to do something. He looked at me and shook his head. Shook his head. I gave him "the look" and said "Eeeeethan" you know, I had to draw out the name to give myself a little more time to figure out what I was going to do next. Kind of like when you're counting and you say "before I get to three"... "one, two, two and one eighth, etc".
He looks at me, shrugs his shoulders, arms out in front, palms up (I wish I would have snapped a picture!). "Me not SAY no, me just shake my head." Then walks away.
Lord help me. He's only three.

Happy Monday!
A

Prayer request for friends... Update

Updated: Matt and Niki are doing well and there are talks of them going home today! Please continue to pray for their recovery and no complications. Thanks!

We have some friends, Matt and Niki (whom we met through our friends the Andersons!), that will be undergoing serious surgery tomorrow and we ask that you remember them in your prayers.
Niki is in need of a liver transplant and Matt, her husband, is a donor match.
This is a very serious surgery and we pray that Matt and Niki both come through the surgery free of complications.
Please pray for the medical teams as they operate on both husband and wife tomorrow.
Please pray for peace and comfort for family and friends, especially their two very young daughters.
Please pray that Matt does not experience any complications as it is known that the donor may have a more difficult time than the recepient.
Please pray that Niki's body does not reject Matt's liver and that she heals completely so that she may live a long, healthy life free of the pain and complications that have gripped her for so very long.
I will update when I hear how they are doing.
Thank you for praying!
The Kahler Family

Right Now...

Out of my window: It is sunny and beautiful outside; a crisp cool day that started out with rain, one of my favorites.
I am wearing: Jeans, a long sleeve shirt, sweatshirt, going to put socks on because the tile is cold and I have been freezing all day long!
I am hearing: The after school chatter and my kids crunching tortilla chips, the healthy afternoon snack of choice!
I am thinking: That there is still some fudge in my fridge that is just calling my name. That I am going to make some chocolate chip banana muffins with the bananas going brown on the counter, or I may just toss them like usual.
I am thankful for: Emily being so happy to go back to school today! My God, my family, my friends, my warm home, the hundreds of thousands of dollars that our church collected for Darfur and clean water over Christmas, the decorations nestled all snug in their bins until November, and the overflowing bin of things to take to Goodwill (where does all of this stuff come from? Seriously, we take a bin to Goodwill at least every month).
I am creating: Project 365, the idea of taking a picture every day and journaling just a little bit, so that I will have a record of an entire year with little work... really great idea! A plan for taking pictures of my friend's one week old son tomorrow. I have so many ideas, I have to get them all on paper so I don't forget!
I am going: To fold the sheets that just finished drying and get Em started on homework.
I am hoping: That Game Crazy still has the Rock Band 2 game for Wii, we've gotten through all of Rock Band 1 and can't wait to play the new songs.
I am reading: Magazines that were passed on to me. I didn't get involved in any books over the holidays and the library changed hours and was closed today.
Around the house: There are signs of the happy family that lives here and the love that we share!
One of my favorite things: Drinking hot chocolate on a cool day like this, snuggled inside with my family!
A few plans for the rest of the week: Photoshoot tomorrow of sweet Jack (maybe some of Max too!), hopefully re-painting Emily's room, maybe re-painting master bath, more sorting and purging, creating, playing with the kids, taking my mom to the ortho for her check-up (she broke her humorous bone (the ball of her shoulder) in three places on Dec. 19 and isn't able to drive or work; finish Christmas thank yous, relax and enjoy the start of 2009!

I saw this idea on one of the blogs that I read and thought it was a great way to post without putting much effort into thinking of a subject!

Happy Monday!
A

Happy New Year's Eve!

Be safe and enjoy your family, friends, or whomever you will be spending the evening with.
Us... we'll be playing Rock Band until the wee hours of morning, no doubt!

Happy New Year!
The Kahler Family

Merry Christmas!

May you and your family be blessed this Christmas and may you remember what Christmas is about, the real reason. May you remember the baby, the Savior sent to our earth to live among us, to save us. May your heart be filled with His love, now and always.
You will need to pause the music at the bottom when you play the video.
Merry CHRISTmas!
Love,
The Kahler Family

Some people have mentioned that the video will not load on their computer. Click here and it will take you to the site.

The Sweetest of Anniversaries...

Five years ago today, my courageous husband returned home from Iraq!

It was such a wonderful day and I can't even begin to describe the excitement that we felt! It was kind of like one of those scenes from a movie, the ones where they show the kids running up and being scooped up by Daddy. I was crouched down next to Em waiting for him and she ran into the jetway the second I saw his boots and said "There he is!"; there was no stopping her!

These pictures were taken a bit after we had already seen him. Thankfully we were able to be alone at the gate because it was very overwhelming.

That little munchkin went through a lot missing her daddy for nine months

and she was amazing the whole time!

I love how Em was hugging me too... so cute!

Happy Friday!
A

Picture Tag

The object of the picture tag is to:

1) Choose the 4th folder where you store your pictures on your computer

2) Select the 4th picture in the folder

3) Explain the picture

4) Tag 4 people to do the sameNO CHEATING! (cropping, editing, etc)

April 22, 2006. Emily on the Bug's Life ride in Disney's California Adventure. We went to Disneyland/ California Adventure for Nick's birthday (April 23!), and we had a blast! She looks so little, doesn't she!? Funny thing is that I just gave that shirt away last spring, it fit her for two years, the little peanut! I love all of the pictures from that trip, the kids were at such fun ages then. Well, Ethan didn't really care too much, he was six months old. He cut his first tooth on that trip, our last night there. We got back into our hotel room after midnight; of course, we always stay at the parks open to close, we are hard core. About 45 minutes into a crying session Nick headed out to get more ice for the second try of the cold washcloth on the gums, and when he got back to our room there was a security guard there about to knock on the door. The neighbors called with concern. Apparently they thought we would leave our 6 month old alone in the Disneyland Hotel in the middle of the night... seriously!? Anyway, once the Tylenol kicked in, we all slept soundly and were able to enjoy a little time at the beach the next day.

I went off on a tangent, and I'm going to cheat. I have to post pictures of the trip now that I've talked about it so much. Warning, there are a lot of pictures!

By the Teacups... love this picture of her

Note the sign on the pedastal says no climbing... she couldn't read yet!

They have cartoon drawing classes. They both rock.

Mickey at the top of the Matterhorn

Aren't they so cute!?

Emily was very excited by the parade
So was Ethan

This is the sad, teething face that I looked at the whole way home. It was such a long drive, we felt so bad for him. I was in tears, Em was in tears, Nick had headphones on. Not really, but I bet he wished he did. Man.

Happy Wednesday. Again.
A

Relax, it's going better now

We were just having a couple of rough days, nothing to worry about.

It's a mom thing... "If you don't quit telling me 'no', I'm going to have to call Santa." "If you don't take your medicine, although I know it's terribly disgusting and you're tired of being bribed with mini chocolate chips (or teeny baby kisses as Ethan calls them), I'm going to call Santa." That kind of thing. We've all had THOSE days of our own, adding small kids that are also having one of THOSE days makes for stress, especially when assembling 28 small gingerbread houses to be decorated by second graders at the Christmas party on Friday.

Funny thing is, right after I told him that I might have to call Santa, the phone rang. That was the only time I've said it, it was dramatic enough. Funny, but dramatic.

I'm off... making dinner for a friend that had sweet baby Hudson on Friday. He's adorable, and don't you LOVE his name!? We also have coloring to do... the Sesame Street Christmas coloring book is a little bare.

Happy Wednesday!
A

ps... anybody have about 500 extra gumdrops lying around? We're all out here in Gilbert, have been for a couple of weeks; must be a lot of gingerbread house making going on.

It's been one of those weeks (already)...

I may have to call Santa.

Three year old perspective

Ethan was talking to my dad on the phone this morning, telling him what we were doing.

Dad asked if we had taken Em to school yet.

Ethan: "Yep. We just did. We drop her down."

I guess he figures since we "Pick her up", that the logical opposite is dropping her down! Whoever came up with "drop-off" anyway!?

Happy Wednesday!
A

This video was played in church today. It is amazing how your perspective can change once something is put so simply. We are going to be helping with water in Darfur and with the AIDS pandemic. My first thought was 'Why don't we get involved in something less visible?' because it seems like everybody is giving money to Darfur... it's everywhere. Then I started to think about it and realized that the leadership of our church has been praying about this for a long time and the decision was not made lightly, I'm sure of it. I also started to think of the other changes that will come from the possible elimination of these two devastating issues.
I can't imagine what it would be like if I didn't have the chance to give my children clean water, and it's something that we take for granted every single day. We are so blessed to have all of the luxuries that we have... seriously. I can't stop thinking about it.
This video is worth watching. You'll need to pause the music at the very bottom of this page.

Happy Sunday!
A

A big day at our house (updated)...

GO ARMY! BEAT NAVY!
Well... maybe next year

Award

Thanks to my friend Hollie, I have received my first ever blog award!!!

Instructions: On your post of receiving this award, make sure you include the person that gave you the award and link it back to them. When you post your five winners, make sure you link them as well. Also, don't forget to let your winners know they won an award from you by emailing them or leaving a comment on their blog.

5 of my favorite things:
1. Family and Friends
2. Sonic drinks and ice, also the only ice I ever have at home!
3. My Canon Rebel xti
4. Chilly, rainy days (like Thanksgiving Eve last week... perfect!)
5. Baking and cooking, anything crafty

I'm passing this blog award on to 5 fabulous blogs I love to read:
1. Hollie... she gave me this award, but she would have been on my list anyway!
2. Amy Sue... love ya!
3. Tootie... miss them!
4. Heather... such a sweetheart
5. Lindsey Mae... if you know her, you know she's fabulous!

Thanks Hollie!
A

Happy December!

This is my absolute favorite time of the year and we are in full Christmas mode... tree up, house decorated, cards out, presents bought (most of them)... loving it!

Happy December!
A

Happy Thanksgiving!

Have a wonderful, Happy Thanksgiving!
We are looking forward to a day spent with family!
May your day be blessed.

Love,
The Kahler Family

Zach

Zach's procedure is at 12:00 AZ time. Please pray that all goes well.
Thanks!
A

I won an award!

I'm so excited! My sweet "friend" Hollie gave me an award!
Check back later tonight (hopefully) for the details!
Thanks Hollie!
A

Family Pictures

Last Saturday we took our family pictures for our Christmas card and some of them turned out really great (must have been the fantastic photographers... thanks Pat and Mom!). Our Christmas cards will be here Wednesday and will be in the mail over the weekend... I'm getting those puppies checked off of my list early!

Hope you're staying well this week. I am just at the tail end of a really bad week long bug that I have had. I literally felt like my head had been run over by a truck and was achy all over... not so much fun at this time of the year. I'm just happy that I was able to smile enough to get a few good pictures in!

Happy Monday!
A

This was a test shot and there are people in the background, but it turned out nice!

Note the darker hair!

WOW!

I love his eyes in this one!

He is such a goof ball!

To all of you with "fancy" cameras...

Did you know that if you use the USB cord that came with your camera (hopefully), and plug your camera into your computer, that your pictures download in a fraction of the time it would have taken had you put your flash card in the computer?
I cannot believe how fast it is! Just make sure that you turn your camera on... that helps, as my wonderful husband pointed out!

Happy, Happy Saturday!
A

ps... I have a ton to blog about, but I don't have to sit here as long as I thought I would waiting for the pictures, so check back again tomorrow... hopefully!

Prayer for Zachary

Sweet Zachary and his family are in need of prayer as they are encountering another trial with Zach's heart. He is quickly outgrowing his new pulmonary artery, and while it is great that he is growing so much, this is leaving his body with too little oxygen and is in need of another procedure.
They will do a balloon catheterization next Tuesday.
Please pray for guidance of the doctors, a speedy recovery for Zach, and for peace for Ray and Amy.

Thank you.
A

My future daughter in law...

might not be very happy with me if Ethan keeps it up.
Last Saturday we were going to Target and we had a little exchange.

Me: Ethan, get your shoes please, we're going to Target.

Ethan: Me* not want to go to Target, me stay here.

Me: Well, when we are at Target you can do the laundry and iron and have it all put away when we get home.

Ethan: Me not a girl.

Me: I couldn't repond, I was too busy running down the stairs to tell Nick.

The other night my mom was over with the kids while I was getting my hair done (thanks Mom!), and she and Ethan had a little chat.

Ethan: Gaga you sleep over here?

Gaga: No, I have to go to work in the morning.

Ethan: Girls don't work.

I KNOW... I'm going to have to have a talk with him and explain to him that just because his mommy does all of the laundry (I'm a little too particular to let anybody else near it), and I iron some (Nick does MOST of his own), doesn't mean that a boy can't do that kind of thing. Actually, Nick is ironing right now, only Ethan is asleep... I'm not waking him up for this teachable moment.

I have a feeling he's going to be the "Let's have a talk" kid.

*We're working on "I", but it really is a bit cute and I'm having a hard time correcting him. Like when Nick taught Em how to say animal instead of "aminal" without me knowing and I cried for days... yeah, like that.

Happy Sunday!
A

11.11

Today we honor each and every one of the veterans of our nation, past and present, including my courageous husband, my dad and several other family members.
Thank you... one day is not enough.

Our deepest gratitude,
The Kahler Family

"This will remain the land of the free only so long as it is the land of the brave." Elmer Davis

Finally... Halloween Pictures

I know, I know, I said I was going to add them later Halloween night... I'm not going to say "I've been busy". Everybody is always busy... it's a lame excuse.

Enjoy!
Happy Sunday
A

He really is smiling!

She couldn't hold it for long, right after I snapped this she started laughing!

My husband has MAD pumpkin carving skills... he free-handed these!

Happy Halloween!

Little Miss before going to school today! It was crazy hat day because they are not allowed to wear costumes, but Em didn't want to wear a hat, so I did her hair a little crazy! She looked adorable and she LOVES it!

More pictures of Vampiretta and Spiderman to follow!

Happy Halloween!
The Kahler Family

Save the wolves...

Emily drew a wolf scene in school, on the back it reads...

"Wolves are getting shot.
They are making rugs out of wolves.
In our opinion they should stop making rugs out of wolves.
People should stop shooting wolves.
People should make rugs out of bears instead."

I'm still laughing and I can't wait to have an in depth conversation about this!
Stay tuned for a picture of the drawing!

Happy Saturday!
A

Three

Today is Ethan's third birthday!

He is so excited that it is his birthday and that we had some people over to celebrate! Of course, the entire party was Spiderman with a little bit of Hulk, Captain America and Ironman thrown in!

For weeks Ethan has been saying "My birthday come on!" We think he meant that his birthday was coming up, but he may have just been saying that he wanted his birthday to "come on" and get here... like "hurry up birthday"! He says "My birthday October nineteenth" and was so excited when he woke up this morning!

I can't believe how quickly three years has gone by. Three sweet, precious years filled with "firsts", milestones, accomplishments and joy! My eyes fill with tears at the thought of how happy Ethan is about his birthday, because it truly was one of the very best days of our lives! Every day since then has been filled with tremendous joy for all of us!

Ethan, we are so blessed to be your family! We love you so much little guy, and we are so happy that you are so excited about being three! We had a blast celebrating you today!

I'm off to read Dr. Seuss' Happy Birthday to You book, it's a tradition in our family that we read it on our birthdays, even Nick's and mine! Such a treasure!

Sneaking a taste!

While we were singing... look how happy he is!
The following pictures make me a little teary ;)

"Happy Birthday Ethan" Sunday!
A

Please pray...

Barb, Nick's step-mom, whom we are dearly close to, lost her mom, Martha, on Friday. Martha became suddenly ill and was admitted to the hospital on Wednesday, so Barb flew out to MO Thursday on the first available flight and was able to see her mom and be with her when she passed.

Please pray for the family as they are so very sad during this difficult time.

The funeral is tomorrow.

Thank you,
A

Wordless Wednesday

Em super jumping with Auntie Lindsey (aka Blossom... see 8/18 post). I love the expressions on their faces!

Happy Wednesday!
A

Girl Scouts

Emily started Girl Scouts last night! She was so excited to go to the meeting that she could barely eat her dinner! Since we signed up, she's been counting down the days until the first meeting and she and the other girls (they're all at the same school, and most of them are in the same class), talked about it all of the time.

One of the moms stayed at the meeting last night. Her daughter, Olivia, is one of Emily's friends and they have a blast together! They are like two peas in a pod, they are both so energetic and exciting... we even met them at Disneyland last Thanksgiving (talk about excitement... Disneyland is so much fun as it is, but add one of your best friends and it gets even better)! The mom told me that at the beginning of the meeting the girls were in a circle and took turns introducing themselves and saying something that they like. Emily said "My name is Emily and I like Olivia!" Isn't that sweet!?

She's already selling something... if you want to buy a nut assortment or candied "fruit" slices, let me know, we'll hook you up! If you'd rather save your pennies for the cookies, I'm with you... I started craving Thin Mints the minute we ran out last year!

Happy Saturday!
A

Happy Birthday!

Pat, Ethan, Mom, Em
Me & Mom

Happy birthday Mom!
My mom is such an amazing person! If you know my mom, you know how wonderful she is and what I'm talking about! My mom and I are so close and we talk every day, most of the time more than once! She is the most giving, selfless person that I know and she has the biggest heart!
We love you Mom/ Gaga!

Today is also Amy's birthday... we love you too Amy Sue!

Happy Friday!
A

Sweet thing...

Tonight while Em was at her Wednesday evening Bible study at church, I went to the store. I had to return some things and I wanted to get some Infusium 23 leave in treatment for Emily's hair. She always steps out of the shower looking like she is attempting to grow dreads... I have no idea how she manages to tangle her hair as much as she does in the 8 minutes she's in there, but it's nearly impossible to comb out without a fit of tears from both of us.

I used Infusium 23 growing up, especially because I spent so much time in the pool. We get home and I open the bottle and smell the oh so familiar liquid. I hold the bottle out for my mom to smell and say "Doesn't it bring back memories?" She smiles and agrees.

A few minutes later Emily grabs the bottle and looks at it, then looks at me. "What's this stuff for anyway, is it to bring back memories?"

She's definitely paying attention.


Earlier today:

Emily comes running out of school today "I got flubber! Miss Hannah gave me the flubber from science class!" Em was so excited that Miss Hannah had chosen to give the flubber to Emily. Flubber is a goopy, gloppy, sticky substance that is made from Elmer's glue and I'm not sure what else. It's right in between silly putty and the glue itself. It's fun to play with and feels cool in your hands, but I think it's disgusting. Especially because I haven't got a clue how many kids Miss Hannah passed this flubber around to... I wasn't as excited as Emily.

Another little girl in Em's class was standing by her mom and her mom said "Oh Madison, you got flubber today, you thought you would (her sister had science yesterday and came home with flubber), are you so excited?" Madison buries her head in her mom's side and starts to cry... she didn't get flubber. They started to walk out the gate and we were following. Emily had noticed that Madison was upset that she didn't get flubber so Emily runs up and gives Madison the bag.

Madison's mom says "Emily, you are so sweet. Are you sure you want to give away your flubber?"

Emily answers... I smile to myself knowing she's going to do me proud and say something like "Yes ma'am, I will be happier knowing that Madison enjoyed playing with the flubber than had I kept it for myself".

No such luck. My sweet daughter that I love more than life itself, the apple of my eye, the child that I spent like 56 seconds pushing from my womb, she says this: "My mom's just going to throw it away when we get home anyway."

I had to laugh... she couldn't have been more right. She couldn't have been any sweeter either. She could have kept the flubber for herself knowing that she wouldn't get to play with it longer than it took to get home where I always make her go straight to the bathroom and wash her hands the minute we walk in the door. She didn't though, she recognized that her friend was sad and considered her friends feelings over her own. I am really proud of her and the decision that she made.

Even though she totally threw me under the bus.

Tonight...

Ethan (while Em was in the shower): "Mommy, me take baaaaaaaaaath."
Me: "No buddy, you just took a bath a couple of hours ago."
Ethan: "Mommy, my feet dirty."
Me: "Your feet are clean buddy, you just took a bath."
Ethan: "Uh-uh, my feet not clean, my feet dirty. Reawy dirty, reawy."

I'm in the scrapbook room/ office/ "Angie's Garage" as Nick likes to call it because I stash anything and everything in here that I don't feel like putting away, and I may have done the same thing in the garage once... just once. Really though, in my own defense, it's hot out there. And the floor, although painted and speckled a nice garage floor appropriate color, is dusty. I don't always want to go get shoes and put them on to walk over to the cabinets and put such said item in it's place. This has only happened once. Reawy.

Ok... back to tonight, sitting at the computer in what I'll call the middle room... Emily is reading to Ethan and I can hear them. She's reading about Elma sn Ethan points to the book and says "Look Em, that Zoe, Elmo's friend!" Emily keeps reading as if she didn't hear him and interruptions don't bother her a bit... "EM! Looooooook, that Zooooooooeeeeee, Elmo's FRIEND." Emily kindly responds "Ahem... Ethan, I'm reading to you and you're interrupting me. It's rude to interrupt. If you want me to keep reading you need to stop talking. Do you want me to keep reading?"
I don't know where she ever would have heard that.

Ok... I had just hit published this post and put Ethan to bed. He came out of his room a couple seconds later. "Mommy, me go potty." He does the potty thing and I take him back in his room to put his diaper (he still wears one just at night), and pants back on and instead of lying on his back, he lies on his tummy, closes his eyes and says "Me wuv you." I giggled and told him that I needed to put his diaper and pants on. He says "Oh crap." and rolls over. Um, I just had a talk with my almost three year old about using the word crap. Maybe I need to have a talk with myself, I know it came out of my mouth at least once this morning as I realized that I'd forgotten about five things as we were walking out the door. I'll be watching that.

Happy Thursday!
A

This Little Piggy

Tonight on the way home from dropping my dad off after dinner (at about 7:40), Ethan was whining saying that his toes and legs hurt. This is something that he's started saying whenever he gets really tired and I think that he may have that antsy feeling that you can get in your feet and legs when you're ready for bed (I know it happens to me). He'd been saying "My toe hurt" for about 15 minutes and we kept saying "We know you're tired buddy, just close your eyes." All of the sudden he held his foot in the air and pointed to one of his toes saying "This toe take a break. This toe (pointing to another) hurt now." One good round of laughter is enough to make the toes stop hurting just long enough to fall fast asleep!

Happy Tuesday!
A

Curve balls

Sometimes life throws you a curve ball that changes your plans, your outlook, and hopefully your attitude.

Friday, July 18, we were thrown a curve ball when Nick was part of cut-backs at work and we were forced to look at other employment opportunities. We were shocked and a little bit scared at first because we had never been in this position before and it wasn't something that we had anticipated.

Nick has been home for nine weeks now, and we have learned so many things from this experience...
We have learned that there are things in life that you will be afraid to do because of circumstances (like a slowing economy), but God has bigger plans and isn't afraid to speed up the process!
We have learned that trusting in God's promise brings an overwhelming sense of peace and comfort.
We have learned that an emergency fund that covers 3-6 months or more of living expenses may seem like a lot of savings, but we are so thankful that we have that and weren't stressing about finances on top of finding a job. Having the savings in place enabled Nick to accept the position that is right for him/us and we didn't just settle for a paycheck.
We have learned to take a look at what we spend and plan to be a little more aware of the things that we buy. A friend and I were talking about how easy it is to walk into Target for tortillas and walk out with $200 worth of stuff.
We have learned that we are all affected by things that "won't happen to us." It's so easy to think that something won't happen because of position, education, qualifications, etc., but when it comes down to it, nobody is immune.
We have learned how scary a position like this can be and we have a new respect for the trials that others are going through. Even the "little" things can seem so huge when you're in the middle of them and that anything can be somebodies "mountain".

We were given a huge lesson in perspective through this. On July 19, my friend Kirsten lost her dad Scott. He was an incredible man and he lived a life that was sold out for Christ. Their family has been a part of my life since I can remember, as they have been going to the same church as us for over 20 years and I can't remember a time that they weren't around. Scott and his wife Betty have been friends with my mom and Pat for years and have had an enormous impact on their lives, which has also impacted me. At the same time, sweet Zach was in ICU fighting for his life after a major heart surgery. Amy called me to tell me of Scott's passing and told me that Zach was also not doing well and I got off the phone and just cried and cried. I was filled with sadness for the loss of a great man, sadness and fear for Ray, Amy, Bella and Zach, and I was filled with gratitude because even though Nick had lost his job, it was something that we could handle. A job was so small in comparison to what our sweet friends were going through and very quickly an uncomfortable situation became a blessing.

About a month ago, I attended a conference through my church and Lysa TerKeurst was the speaker. She told a story of a seed that was the perfect analogy to what we have gone through, and I felt that God was speaking directly to me through Lysa.
She told the story of a seed that lives in it's little seed packet, happy with it's surroundings. One day the farmer reaches in and picks out one seed... that one little seed that was content where he was and didn't really want to change his circumstances. The seed didn't ask for this change, and wasn't entirely comfortable with what was happening. Then the seed was planted... plunged into the dirt, surrounded by darkness, and it just seemed to be at a complete low. Looking to the farmer, asking "why me?" and questioning the farmer's plans. Over the course of time, the seed was watered and fed and given the opportunity to grow, but still was questioning the farmer's plan. One day, the seed looked around and realized that it was coming into the light and that it had turned into a flower that had that most brilliant bloom. The flower then realized that even though it wasn't clear during the process, the farmer's plan was perfect for that one little seed. That seed was never meant to live forever in it's little packet, it was meant for so much more. The same goes for us... sometimes God takes us from a situation that we are all too comfortable in and we go through some yucky things, but His plan is perfect for us. In order to become what He has planned for us, we have to go through change and trial and we have to be given the opportunity to grow. I was greatly touched by this story and I have been reminding myself of this over and over as I look back and see Gods moving in this situation long before Nick lost his job.

I am happy to say that Nick was offered a fantastic position at a great company and he has accepted! This position will provide great growth opportunities for Nick and it will be a challenge for him as well, which is great and is something that he is super excited about!

Thank you to our family and friends that have been through this with us, and that have been so supportive through prayer and conversation. We have had many family meetings and are so thankful and appreciative for the great advice that we have received, for both business and personal considerations! We love you guys!

Please pray for us as Nick begins his new job and faces some of the expected challenges. Please pray for Ethan, as I'm sure he will go through Daddy withdrawals.

If you've stuck with me this long, thanks... you deserve a prize! Have a fantastic day, I'm off to paint Emily's room!

Happy Monday!
A

Restaurant Lingo

We had a super yummy dinner at Texas Roadhouse tonight. I ordered my sweet potato "loaded"... no, the calories in the peanuts and butter covered rolls are not enough for my liking. I need the butter, brown sugar and marshmallows to drown out any vegetable flavor that may be hiding in the sweet potato.
They bring our food... I dig in to my potato before anything else and take a big ol' bite.

It's not a sweet potato.

I show the kind little waitress my potato. "That is not a sweet potato. They just pimped out a regular potato instead of a sweet potato."

"Pimp out" your regular baked potatoes with butter, sour cream, chives, cheese, chili, brocolli, anything your little heart desires, but please, don't try brown sugar and marshmallows.

Take my word for it.
Please.

Happy Thursday!
A

7 years

My prayers today are with those affected by 9/11.
To those who lost their lives or were injured, to those who lost a loved one, and to those who selflessly gave of themselves to the suffering, we will never forget you.
To those who are serving to protect the priceless freedom that we are so blessed to have, and to their families, we can never thank you enough. You are true heroes.

Welcome Fall!

Right.

The forecast for this morning went exactly like this "We're a bit cooler at the beginning of the week with a high of 98."

I don't even have to light my pumpkin candle... it melts all on it's own!

Enjoy the Fall that I hear is going on all over the rest of the country, I'm still working on my tan here!

Happy Wednesday!
A

Happy Friday

The other day when Ethan and I went to pick Em up from school, we saw a lady walking a duck... on a leash. Ethan was a little surprised and looked up at me, pointing to the duck. "That duck walking her? Hmm." Then went about his business drinking juice and playing with the Thomas he had brought along.

I get a daily devotional from Proverbs 31 Ministries. There are days that I feel that the devotions are written specifically for me, especially today, as this verse was at the head of the page...
“Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life.”
Proverbs 13:12 (NIV)

Have a wonderful weekend!
Happy Friday!
A

More of the same

The other day Em was sitting at the table, making a card and we had the radio on. A song came on (I think it's called "Back When ", but don't take my word for it). On of the lines in the song says "Back when the world was flat..."

Em: "The world was never flat, I just don't understand this song."

Driving home the other night in the pouring rain (I really mean buckets of rain. If you've never been in a rain storm in AZ, you have NO idea what I'm talking about)...

Em: "The rain just sounds so hard because we're driving into it and it makes it hit harder on the windshield and hood. If we were driving backwards, it wouldn't be so loud because the back of the truck is straight up and down."

So now to Ethan... he LOVES to type at the computer and usually does this over at my mom's house. They'll open Word for him and he'll spend quite a bit of time holding down buttons, watching the letters crawl across the page. Lately he's been hanging pretty close to Nick or I when we're at the computer and he's paying close attention to our fingers and the letters that we push. He loves the letter "E"... he knows that's the letter that his name starts with. Every time we push the "E", he will push our hands away and say "No push E, No push E". He's totally serious and doesn't understand that "E" is used for words other than his name, he thinks it's exclusive to him!

I don't know where they come up with these things, but I'm sure happy that they do!

Happy Sunday!
A

Keep me laughing...

Both of the kids have the sniffles and a cough. We only had one humidifier, but needed two, so the kids and I stopped to get a second one. I was taking the new humidifier upstairs and Ethan was walking with me, asking me what I was doing. I told him that we needed two humidifiers and he said "Why?" I said, "We have two kids, Emily and you, and sometimes you both need the humidifier at the same time." He said "Oh, otay." Then a second later, he said "Us both boogers?" I had to laugh because sometimes yes, they really are both boogers... but I knew that he was really asking if it's because they both have the sniffles.

Happy Monday!
A

I'm so excited!

I'm going to a woman's conference this weekend through my church! Woman's conference... meaning just me and some friends (and a couple hundred other women), no husbands, no kids! Ok, ok, I know that some of you are going to think that I'm looking forward to being away from my family... nope... just looking forward to the fellowship and growth that is sure to happen this weekend, and I'm hoping there's chocolate too!
Lysa Terkeurst is speaking at the event and I am super excited to hear her! Some of you may have seen her on Oprah, telling her amazing story of adopting.
Nick's getting his share of golf out of this weekend too, don't you worry about him!

Have a wonderful weekend (in case I don't post again before Friday)!
Happy Wednesday!
A

Happy Birthday Lindsey!

Today is Lindsey's birthday. Lindsey is Nick's sister and she is such a sweetheart and a ray of sunshine in our lives! I couldn't have married a guy with a sweeter sister.

Or a more fashionable one...

Happy Birthday Lindsey, we love you!
A

Picture taken in the early 90s

Family Fun

We went camping last weekend and we had a blast! I'm working on a slideshow to post, but thought I'd put up a couple pictures until then.

Happy Sunday!
A

08.08.08

I meant to post this Friday, but accidentally saved it instead.

My eyes will be on the pool during this Olympics. Michael Phelps has the opportunity for eight gold medals, making him the most decorated athlete in history. Will he do it?

Along with Katie Hoff, Dara Torres is also one to watch, as she is competing in her fifth Olympics at 41 years old. Have you seen the muscles on that woman!?

I literally sit on the edge of the couch biting my nails watching the events, or I'm up on my feet pacing... like it makes a difference to the outcome!

I admire all of the athletes and the work that they have done to get to this point. I used to be exhausted swimming for two teams in high school and I'm sure what I did then is only a warm-up to what these athletes do.

Did you know that there is a swimmer named Hannah Miley!? How funny is that with Miley Cyrus/ Hannah Montana craze!? Emily thinks it's pretty cool!

Today is 08.08.08. I think it's pretty cool that the Olympics start today. I've always liked dates like this. Emily was born on 03.02.01, and she started Kindergarten on 08.07.06, at exactly 5 years 5 months and 5 days old. I figured that out when I was doing the scrapbook page of her first day of school.

Have a fantastic weekend! Hopefully you can enjoy some of the Olympics, they are history in the making!

Happy Friday! Go USA
A

Second Grade

Today is the first day of school and Emily is oficially a Second Grader now! We had a wonderful morning and Em was so excited to get to school and see her friends and start a new year!

We bought a bike trailer to make it easier to get to and from school since the school is in our neighborhood and there are no buses (all of the kids at the school live in the neighborhood and are in walking distance). This makes for quite a mess with cars and parents driving kids to and from school, and since we don't have the golf cart anymore, we decided this would be the way to go. The kids love it and I know that I'll benefit from riding a bike four miles a day... hopefully! When it cools down, Em will ride her own bike, which will be so much fun for her since she loves to ride to school! Luckily it's not crazy hot this morning and we have a bit of cloud cover to shield us from the sun.

We have several beginning of the year traditions... on of them being going to McDonalds for ice cream after the first day of school, and we plan to hold to it today... I love that we have a "plan" for the first day, and it really cuts down on the stress and the hectic-ness that sometimes happens.

Oh, and I didn't shed a tear... seriously!

Happy Monday!

A

Here are some of the pictures... I can't get the others to load right now.

Looking so grown up!

Every year we measure Em... she's grown 3 1/4 inches in a year!