Praise

Psalm 65

1  What mighty praise, O God, belongs to You in Zion.  We will fulfill our vows to you, 

2  for You answer our prayers.  All of us must come to You.  

3  Though we are overwhelmed by our sins, You forgive them all.

4  What joy for those You choose to bring near, those who live in Your holy courts.  What festivities await us inside Your holy temple. 

5  You faithfully answer our prayers with awesome deeds, O God our Savior.  You are the hope of everyone on earth, even those who sail on distant seas.

6  You formed the mountains by Your power and armed Yourself with mighty strength.

7  You quieted the raging oceans with their pounding waves and silenced the shouting of the nations.  

8  Those who live at the ends of the earth stand in awe of Your wonders.  From where the sun rises to where it sets, You inspire shouts of joy.

9  You take care of the earth and water it, making it rich and fertile.  The river of God has plenty of water; it provides a bountiful harvest of grain, for You have ordered it so.

10  You drench the plowed ground with rain, melting the clods and leveling the ridges.  You soften the earth with showers and bless its abundant crops. 

11  You crown the year with a bountiful harvest; even the hard pathways overflow with abundance.  

12  The grasslands of the wilderness become a lush pasture, and the hillsides blossom with joy.

13  The meadows are clothed with flocks of sheep, and the valleys are carpeted with grain.  They all shout and sing for joy!

The boys and I started watching the 10 part series on the Discovery channel called Life.  And the whole time I'm watching it, I'm thinking, "What a creative God we serve!"  To make animals so smart that they have to think and plan their course of action to get their next meal, to the beauty that surrounds us~I am in awe of Him.  All of it was formed by His mighty hand, and He has given us this bounty to rejoice in.  

I'm feeling blessed this morning, as I read this passage of Scripture.  I am thankful for all He has given us to relish in on this beautiful earth that we live on.  If it's this beautiful here, I cannot even imagine what my home in Heaven will be like.

  

He wraps Himself in light {Psalm 104:2}.  Do you see Him?  Look for Him today.  He's everywhere.

37 More Days Cannot Pass Fast Enough

Nope.  They can't.  I remember this time of year from last year.  It's not a fun time in the world of school.  It's just not.  The cute little kids all of a sudden turn into monsters.  And do dumb things that they know they're not supposed to do.  Unless of course, we decided to change the rules for the last few weeks of school.  Why not, right?  I mean, that would be fun.  For the sake of confusion and just mass chaos. 

Sigh.

It was DEFINITELY a Monday.  I'm hoping that I was as nice as I prayed I would be.

Oh, but wait.  There was that one kid who threatened to tell the police officer on me.

Whoops.  Maybe I wasn't so nice.

Oh, well.  Never in my life have I witnessed such disrespect from such a young kid.  I would be appalled if my kid...oh, but wait.  One of mine wouldn't do that.  Unless they enjoyed not being able to sit for a few days.  Nevermind, then.

How was YOUR day?!  A Monday?  A great day?

Mine was still good.  I just walked away from the rude kid and tried not to lose it over statements like, "She won't stop looking at me!", "He's making me think bad words!", "Did you SEE what he just did?!?!", "I didn't know we couldn't do that!", "Oh, I'm sorry.  You said for me to wait?", or one hundred and sixty four billion "I forgot my fruit {ketchup/mustard/baked beans/napkin/spork/straw/milk/water/special treat} Mrs. Goodwin, can you go get it?"

Sigh.

I'm kinda glad the hubs is working late.  At least we can eat chicken nuggets and macaroni for dinner and I won't feel guilty over not preparing a "REAL" dinner.

AND at least I'll have Dancing With The Stars to console my wearied self.  

Yup.  37 days cannot pass fast enough. 

Happy Monday.  Almost Tuesday. 

a tale of twin brothers

I got a phone call as were backing out of the driveway last night.  Ben, one of Jonah's friends from school, was wanting to know if Jonah wanted to spend the night.  Jonah got really excited and said yes.  We were going to my sister's house for dinner, and he already had pajamas with him, so off we went.

I dropped him off at his friend's house and got back in the car and looked back at Noah.  He looked like he was about to cry as we pulled out of the driveway.  I need to admit here that I almost cried, as well.  I knew that Jonah wanted to do this, but I was sad at having them split up. Anyway, we tried to get one of Noah's friends to spend the night, but he couldn't. 

We went to Tricia's house, and once we got there, he seemed okay.  We ate and he played with his older brothers.  But he wasn't quite himself.  He seemed sort of lost without Jonah around, and the whole night just wasn't the same without Jonah's chatty little self there to keep us entertained. 

We left to come home and had just walked in the door when I got a phone call from my friend.  Jonah and Ben were going to bed, and Jonah came back in the living room crying.  He asked my friend if she would call me to come pick him up. 

I have to admit that my heart got all happy again.  It was really sad without him around all night.  And eerily quiet.  Todd and Graham went to pick him up {Graham had to navigate}, and when Todd asked Jonah why he wanted to come home, he said, "Because I missed Noah."  And almost started crying. 

He came in the door and Noah ran to him and gave him the biggest hug.  They kept on hugging~and on their way to the shower, they told each other how much they'd missed each other and that they loved each other. 

***Insert happy sigh here.***

The joys of twins.  There is nothing quite like them. 

Healthcare Smealthcare

I know that last night's news was very disturbing for lots and lots of people.  Myself included.  I am seeing signs that the end of the world as we know it is drawing near, and it is a scary time to live in.


But then as I was lying in bed, waiting on sleep to claim my troubled heart, I started praying. 

God is in control of all things~things that are good and things that are not so good.  I prayed that God would take this burden off of me~like He says in His word, He makes my yoke easy and my burden light.  As I continued to pray, I experienced a peace that washed over me.

The healthcare bill may happen, or it may get repealed.  But even in the midst of it all~He is in control.

I continued to pray about it this morning, and I started to pray that God would remind of the joy that I should have~in all times, because He has saved me. 

Even in the midst of these troubling times. 

I took comfort from His word this morning, and I thought I would share some of what I read.

How like Him to give me confirmation after confirmation after confirmation that I should look to Him and ONLY TO HIM.  Even in today's world.

The first thing I woke up to was an email from Klove, and their encouraging word of the day.

"My heart is confident in You, O God; my heart is confident.  No wonder I can sing Your praises!"  Psalm 57:7

Then as I caught up on last week's {NOT THIS WEEK'S, LAST WEEK'S} devotion I read this:

"Those who look to Him for help will be radiant with joy; no shadow of shame will darken their faces."  Psalm 34:5

Then this one:

"Taste and see that the Lord is good.  Oh the joys of those who take refuge in Him!"  Psalm 34:9

And then:

"And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing.  Fix your thoughts on what is true and honorable and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable.  Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.  Then the peace of God will be with you."  Philippians 4:8 and 9

"Don't be dejected and sad, for the joy of the Lord is your strength!"  Nehemiah 8:10

Isn't God mind blowing?  How like Him to have me read these devotions this week instead of last week.  While I'm not proud of the fact that I was a week behind in my morning devotions, how like Him to arrange that timing to this week!

His word tells us not to worry about anything, but to pray about everything.  EVERYTHING.  He cares about it all.  Big and small, He cares. 

I hope these words are an encouragement to you today.  I know they were to me.  Love to all.

Hello Again!

How I've missed you.

Oh, wait.  It was Spring break.  And I was busy hanging out with the most awesome of awesome boys EVER.  So, nevermind.  I really didn't miss you.  I was too busy having fun!

***Insert happy, contented sigh here.***

It's been an ahhhhhhmaaaaazing week.  Seriously.  We started our week in Spring Hill, visiting some fantabulous people there~aka "The Nashville Goodwin's".  The boys played and laughed and played some more.  It was great.  And I got to catch up with my sweet sister in law, Tracy.  It's really sad that we never really get the chance to catch up.  She's busy with her 2 boys and homeschooling, and I'm busy with my 4 and running myself ragged.

I know.  Adorable~ness.

BUT, isn't it always wonderful to just pick right back up where you left off?

That's the way it is with her and me.  We just click when we're together, and we may go months without talking on the phone, but then it's like we never were apart when we're together again.  I love how that happens.

Needless to say, we're caught up good now.  We had lots and lots of time to talk while all the boys played, and we got to drink some really yummy coffee at the same time.  :-)  So yummy, in fact, that I went and bought a bag of the same kind.

We came back home on Tuesday, and the boys all spent the night with some friends.  Of the same family, it just so happens.  My wonderful {crazy???} friend, Marcia, took them all for the night.

Todd and I went out to eat, grabbed some coffee, then went to a movie.  The coffee was so~so, and the movie choice was...well, I'll just say "interesting".

We should have gone to see the other one we wanted to see.  Oh, well.  At least it didn't cost us anything.  The tickets were free! 

Wednesday I picked up the boys and we went to my Dad's.  We ate hot dogs outside, and the boys drove the John Deere.  Oh happy day!  That is their most favorite thing EVER.  Ever, ever, ever, ever.  Give them a tractor, some land, and maybe a few horses, and they're good to go!   

These are the horses that live next door to my Dad.  Graham took these pictures.  Aren't they pretty?  The horses, I mean.  Although, I guess the pictures could be, too.  The horses let them feed and pet them forever.  The one that Jonah is petting is "his", he said.

Anyway, back to our glorious week off.

Thursday we stayed home.  For a much needed rest.  They all slept late and they had fun at home playing in the backyard.  It was nice.  And I got caught up on laundry and house stuff.  You know.  The fun stuff.

Friday dawned bright and early and we went to the zoo with Nana and Big Daddy.  Along with everyone else in Memphis.  It was the perfect zoo day.  It really was. 

I know, I know.  Aren't we precious???  He was the only one who wanted to walk along the Teton Trek with Big Daddy and me.  The other ones stayed with Nana and played hide and seek.  And she sat by the fire, warming her back.  :-)

I love this one of my sweet Noah.  He's looking at his brother, the monkey.  Because you know I think he is one.  

This would be Jonah's all time favorite exhibit ever at the zoo.  The Northwest Passage.  I He could sit for hours and enjoy the loveliness of the sea lions' pool.  And yes, we know them all by name.  Andre is the boy and the biggest {600 lbs}, Callie, Skimmer and Chloe are all the girls.  I think Skimmer is the oldest {like as in 23 years old} and Chloe is the baby.  

And yes, we've been known to play "sea lions" in the pool.  Jonah is always Skimmer, but he's a boy Skimmer.  

He even bought a stuffed one yesterday.  Wanna see??

And Noah bought a timberwolf.  Named Snowball.  

Drew bought a water bottle.

Graham bought a necklace with a bear claw.  Sorry, no picture.  But I'll give you another one of him.

He really needs his own straw hat.  Isn't he cute?!

Noah was taking advantage of Big Daddy's lap behind him.  Imagine that.  

This is my beautiful mom.  Isn't she?!?!  We loved that she came along with us.

We love them.  As in Nana and Big Daddy.  I'm loving the fact that my Mom is retired now so she can enjoy this all with us.  Not sure if SHE feels that way, but I sure do enjoy it!!  Lol. 

We all crashed last night.  Todd, Graham and Drew worked at our friends' campaign headquarters last night making frames for signs and painting them.  See Graham's shirt above???  GO DALE!!!

I personally fell asleep and didn't move until 7:30 a.m. and THAT was to poke at Todd telling him to shut off his alarm. 

It was lovely.  And a little unusual nowadays, but lovely all the same.

Today Jonah, Noah and I stayed home again {they played, I organized!!!}, and we ended the night at my Mom's.  Yummy dinner that I didn't have to cook!  Woohoo!

It's been a fantabulous week.  I am ready for school/work to start again and am equipped to handle the rest of the year!  43 days and we are DONE!!! 

And so am I.  With this post, that is.  Love to all.  I hope you get to experience some Jesus tomorrow.  I know I will!   

Fun With Mom and Boys

I'm so excited about today~we're leaving to go see Tim, Tracy, Nathan and Joseph.  They live in Spring Hill, which is right outside of Nashville, and since it's our Spring break...well, to be honest, I invited ourselves to their house!  I'm glad I'm totally comfortable doing that! 

We are packed and loaded and ready to go~I'm waiting another hour, maybe hour and a half, and we're hitting the road.  It's our first road trip without Todd.  I am armed with fun stuff for the kids to do in the car, and very specific directions.  I have no idea what we're going to do while we're there, but we don't really care.  We're just excited to be getting away.  It's like a little mini vacay for the boys~and they LOVE their Nashville cousins! 

You won't see or hear from me in a few days, probably.  I'll take lots of pics and will do something fun with them when we get back in town.  I think we're coming back on Tuesday.  That'll give us the rest of the week to enjoy with their friends.  We might go to my Dad's one day so they can fish, and on Friday we're going to the zoo with Nana and Big Daddy.

Fun times!  I hope you all enjoy your week~even if it's not your Spring break.  Love to all!

These are the cute little guys we'll be seeing, by the way.  And hopefully we'll get to do some of what they're doing in the pics!

For Your Enjoyment...

I thought I'd post some pics from our week.

This would be my awesome 11 year old acting all goofy with his birthday poster I made.  

And Noah with his FIRST poster I made.  Because I left out the "d" in birthday.  I had to redo it.  I couldn't stand it.  I love his expression.

And Jonah with his.  He was the one who requested that I make him a birthday poster.  And then one because thee, because Noah and Graham each wanted one.  Drew does too, but his birthday isn't for 3 more weeks.  One day when one of the boys needed a poster, my mom and I were at Hobby Lobby and couldn't find JUST ONE, we bought a pack of like 578.  Not that I'm complaining, because it's brought hours of entertainment for me them.

We've had them hanging on our mantle all week for their pleasure.  And everyone who has come by to celebrate with us has signed it.  We'll keep them forever, Jonah said.  I asked that all the boys use their best handwriting, and they did.  And then Aunt Trish signed.  And she goofed up.  LOL, I can't resist teasing her a little.

Jonah wanted to know if I was some sort of a famous handwriter.  And then Todd and I cracked up because I should have said, "Well, yes, as a matter of fact I am."

They're cute.

Some brotherly love.

And goofiness.

And one of all 4 of them.  My heart is happy.

The end.  Happy Saturday.

43 More Days of School and Spring Break has begun!

We are having an amazing Friday night.  If you just read my facebook status, you see why.  If not, it's because Graham is having a sleepover with 2 really great kids.  Brayden and Jared are really good, loyal friends~and we have had a blast sitting at the kitchen table talking, laughing, telling "ghost" stories, singing the Barney theme song {with my ears plugged}, eating brownies.  

*Sigh.* 

Life is good.

Todd called me this afternoon asking me what I would think of him taking Jonah and Noah somewhere special.  He is working on a campaign for a good friend of ours, and that's where they are tonight~at the headquarters, working on some signs.  So, of course, I told him that they would LOVE to go with him~especially his little mini me, Jonah. 

So to ice that cake, not only did they go with Todd, but a cool young kid in a truck came to pick them up.  With Todd, of course.  But still.  I thought Jonah's eyes were going to bug out of his head.  

They've had fun hanging out riding their bikes just being with Daddy.  

And I've had fun entertaining some cool kids.  

Did I happen to mention that there are only 43 days of school left in this school year?!?!?!?!  

Well, I just did.

And we are officially on Spring break.  Hallelujah!!!  I am so ridiculously excited it is not even funny.

And, we just so happen to be going to see some cool peeps in Spring Hill, TN this weekend, which makes it even better.  :)

Life is good.

Oh, yeah.  I already said that, didn't I?  

I am blessed and I am thankful.  

Love to all you in bloggy world. 

HaPpY bIrThDaY gRaHaM!

I will never forget the moment I first looked into Graham's beautiful blue eyes.  I fell in love with him immediately.  Some magazines I'd read warned that this emotion might take a while, but it was opposite for me.  They placed him in my arms and I thought, "So THIS is what my mom was talking about." 

The poor child couldn't even sleep peacefully in his own bed~my arms would long to hold him, so I'd scoop him up and hold him while he slept. 

These days, he's too much to hold.  It's sad how that happens without you realizing it. 

I thought I would share some about him, like I did with Jonah and Noah yesterday.

He loves creative arts.  He loves all the singing that he gets to do in church, and during Christmas we found out he can dance.  His class at school gave us a musical performance and when they did a quick step dance, turns out most of the kids were looking at Graham to guide them.

He is borderline genius.  Seriously.  I have the paperwork from his IEP meeting at school to prove it, and I'm pretty sure his IQ is higher than mine.  When he actually "tries" with his school work, he's been known to make all 100's.  When he just does the work without applying himself, it's B's. 

He LOVES to read.  It's like candy to him.  He's been known to start a 300 page book one day and finish it the next. 

When he was in first grade, he read a series of books we have on all the presidents.  There were probably 20 in the series and he read them all within a couple weeks.  I asked why he picked those and he said just because he wanted to.  Which made his pappaw very proud.

He loves sports~any and all and is good at all of them.  {I used to hate kids like that.}  His favorite is baseball, then football, then basketball.  Those are his words, not mine.

He can rollerblade really good.

He loves to read his Bible.

He doesn't like movies, except for in the theatres. 

He prefers adults over kids and he LOVES older people!

His favorite breakfast food is orange rolls. 

His favorite dinner is roast beef sandwiches with au jus. 

Sometimes when he prays I cry because it's so amazing to me that a kid can pray like that.  He reduces adults to tears too.  I'm glad to know it's not just me being emotional!

We are blessed to have him in our lives~he's a very responsible, kind young man.  I couldn't be more proud of a son than I am him. 

Thanks for taking the time to read about my sweet Graham.

Love

Loving One Another

1 John 4:7~12

7  Dear friends, let us continue to love one another, for love comes from God.  Anyone who loves is a child of God and knows God.  

8  But anyone who does not love does not know God, for God is love.

9  God showed how much He loved us by sending his one and only Son in to the world so that we might have eternal life through Him.

10  This is real love~not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His son as a sacrifice to take away our sins.

11  Dear friends, since God loved us that much, we surely ought to love each other.  

12  No one has ever seen God.  But if we love each other, God lives in us, and His love is brought to full expression in us.

HaPpY bIrThDaY jOnAh & NoAh

I can't believe my "babies" are 7 years old today!  

I thought I would share a little bit about them and the things that make them fun.

Jonah has been passionate since the day he was born and still is.  He obsesses over things~fire trucks, sheriff's department vehicles...you get the drift.

Noah has been a climber since he learned how at 10 months of age.  First object to climb over: the baby gate at the bottom of our stairs.  Next thing: out of his crib and into Jonah's for some cuddle time.

Jonah told me when he was 4 years old that he didn't want to be "twins" anymore.  

Noah asked me a year later if they would be twins forever.

Lately they've obsessed over dressing up as "twins" again.  And it makes my heart so happy!

They love school and they love to hang out with their friends.

Jonah doesn't like toys that much~he tends to go electronic.  He HATES movies and tv shows.  Call him antsy or whatever, the child despises sitting still for anything longer than 30 minutes.

Noah loves all things superhero.  He hates having all of his toys upstairs and often brings them downstairs to enjoy with the fam.  

They love to sing and dance.

Jonah loves to sing and has a good voice.

Noah loves to breakdance and is becoming quite good.

Jonah hates being in front of a crowd and is shy.

Noah asked me at my stepbrother's reception this: "Mom, do you think I should show them all my moves?"  And proceeded to do just that~with people gathered around him, cheering him on.

They love animals.  

They still love stuffed animals and sleep with so many every night that I can hardly find them.  I know, I know, Mom.  I'm getting paid back from when I did that.

They love each other desperately and are the best of friends.  They can be with a room full of kids their age and they still prefer to play with each other.  :)

We are blessed to have them in our lives~I feel sorry for people that don't get to experience the fun of having twins.  They are still so different than single kids~I love how close they are and the bond that they have.  

Happy birthday to my sweet "babies", Jonah and Noah!

The Power of Prayer

James 5:13~18

  13 Are any of you suffering hardships?  You should pray.  Are any of you happy?  You should sing praises.  

14  Are any of you sick?  You should call for the elders of the church to come and pray over you, anointing you with oil in the name of the Lord.  

15  Such a prayer offered in faith will heal the sick, and the Lord will make you well.  And if you have committed any sins, you will be forgiven.  

16  Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed.  The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.  

17  Elijah was as human as as we are, and yet when he prayed earnestly that no rain would fall, none fell for three and a half years!  

18  Then, when he prayed again, the sky sent down rain and the earth began to yield its crops. 

What do you have that you need to pray about?  Give it to Him today, and He will make your burden light.

Love to all of you, in the sweet Name of Jesus.

Busy, Busy Week!

Have I mentioned that this week, 3 of my kids celebrate birthdays?  Tomorrow the tenth is Jonah's and Noah's 7th birthday.  I cannot believe that my "babies" are going to turn 7.  I really don't understand how time goes by so fast.  It seems like just yesterday when they were 2 years old scooting down the stairs holding hands.  I asked why they were holding hands and Jonah said, "We love each other."

Or when they told me they didn't want to be "twins" anymore.

Or when the thought of Kindergarten made Jonah cry at the mere mention of going to school.

Or when I cried for THREE MONTHS before their first day of school. 

And nowadays they barely get the words, "I love you, Mom" out of their mouths before they're eagerly jumping out the door, all but running into school.

It sucks when your kids get older.  It hurts a lot, too.

But it's also fun watching them grow into such sweet young men.  I love their manners~there is something so sweet about a child saying the words "yes, ma'am".

I love how kind they are.  One day one of the teaching assistants was in Jonah's class, hanging artwork.  She was using this little boy's chair and he asked for it back.  Jonah just took her his chair and said, "Here you go, Mrs. Peggy, you can have mine."

I love how Noah is still so soft and cuddly.  I love his love for all animals.  You can guarantee that if we're at a park and there is a dog nearby on a leash, he will be over there asking if he can pet it.

*Sigh.*

My sweet Graham turns eleven on Thursday.  ELEVEN.  That just seems so...so...almost teenager~ish.  I don't feel old enough to have a kid that old.  I am also pretty sure that I am not ready for the issues that come along with having a boy that age.

I pray that he stays like he is~he is definitely a different child.  He prefers adults over kids his age.  He always has.  The problem with this is that he has trouble making friends.  The ones that he has are loyal and have been his friends forever.  They are nice to him and they don't mind his quirkiness.

I love how he is always the first to jump up and help someone~not at home, necessarily, but at other places.  I love how he talks to this sweet older man at dinner at church every single Wednesday night.  I love how he takes the time to make friends with the sweet man that works in our church's kitchen.  I love how he gives up his stuff to help one of the special needs friends at our school.

I love how he prays like God is sitting right beside him.  The boy has prayed like a preacher ever since he was 6 years old, and I think he's anointed.  I call him my little preacher man.  I love how he shares his faith with anyone that listens to him and how he is unabashed in it.

He has all these qualities that just make my heart melt.

This is a great week.  It's a busy one, but it's a great week.  We'll celebrate their birthdays countless times.  I'll take cookies {or something else} for their class to have as a special treat at lunch, and I'll make them all special lunches at school.  I'll read to Jonah's and Noah's classes tomorrow after lunch, whatever they want.  Well, except for Dr. Seuss.  :)

My heart melts a little at the thought of another year gone by.

But it leaps with joy at this next upcoming year.  I know God has big things in store~I can't wait to find out what they are.

I hope your day is blessed.

Hello, Spring!

Well.  I hope so, anyway.  I am counting down the days until we are out for spring break.  I'm praying the weather is just as lovely as it is today.  Dear Lord, let it be!!  We need some outdoors time desperately!

Today is a gorgeous Monday here in the Ville.  I thought the kiddos would be restless {and I hope I'm not jinxing myself here}, but they were nice. 

They all came into the cafeteria out of breath and red~faced.  A couple of them complained about how HOT it was outside.  Girls, of course.  ;)

I am longing for summer, peeps.  And baseball!  I truly am.  I cannot wait for those long summer nights {sounds like a song!} when we sit outside and watch the boys play ball.  Or when we hang out with the neighbors while being entertained by who has the best jump off the diving board.  Or when we have no set routine, no set schedule.  Sounds like Heaven.

Unfortunately, before all THAT comes, we have to finish out the school year.  The last couple of months can be the roughest.  Tcaps, not as many breaks, lost interest over work, am I speaking anyone's language?

This weather makes me reminiscent. 

Does it you?

Love to all. 

#607?

That is the number of posts I've written.  Holy cow.

I wonder how many pages of a book that would be???

Either I have a lot to say or I'm borderline obsessive about this here blog.

I'm just sayin'.

Well, that and the fact that there is one more week of school and then it's Spring Break!  WOOHOO!!!!!

Okay.  G'night. 

Dinner and Bloggy Giveaway

We had the yummiest dinner.  Homemade pizza~2 kinds~pepperoni and macaroni and cheese.  Yup, that's what I said: mac'n'cheese, done CiCi's style.

Nana and Big Daddy are celebrating their anniversary tonight and I was forced to stumble around in my kitchen on a Saturday night.  It's a wonder I even know how to prepare a meal on a weekend.

But I managed.  I would show you a picture, but it doesn't look very pretty.  To uphold my Martha~like qualities, I will refrain from letting you see it.

LOL.  I am SO kidding.

Remember a couple weeks ago when I mentioned a bloggy giveaway?

Well, the time has come.  I've never done this before, so bare with me here.  I'm going to open this up to receive comments until Thursday at 11:59 pm.  {The date of my oldest son's birthday.}  I have 2 requirements~one {and this one is just fun for me!!  :)} click on "follow" to the right side of my blog.  Two~leave a comment telling me a little about yourself and how you found me.

***AND, and this is a biggie, if you are reading this on FaceBook, I'm not counting those comments.  Hop on over to my REAL blog~all4boys.blogspot.com~and follow above instructions.*** 

:)  I'm excited!  I love blessing people with gifts!

This is what you will be receiving~a copy of Liz Curtis Higgs' latest novel, Here Burns My Candle.  This is a retelling of the story of Naomi and Ruth in the Bible, which just so happens to be one of the most amazing books in the Bible ever.

 

 I've read the back cover and I've flipped through it a little already, and it looks like a great read.

Are you ready?  

I will open comments at the publishing of this post and will close all comments on Thursday March 11th at 11:59 pm.  I will randomly select a winner on Friday March 12th and will mail it out {if you're not local to me, that is} early the following week.  Once the winner is selected, I will post an entry on here~my REAL BLOG~and have them email me privately with their information for shipping. 

Okay, peeps.  I hope you shock me with huge quantities of comments!  I can't wait to see how it goes! 

Oh, and just a little f.y.i., if this goes well, I will begin doing this on a more regular basis.  So, stay tuned~check back often and regularly for more of these!

Ready...Set...GO!

The Calm After The Crazy

Silence. 

That is what I'm listening to.  Well, that and HGTV.

Ahhhhhhhh.

Last night was Jonah's and Noah's birthday sleepover with their friends.  Jonah had Ben from his class over, and Noah had Caleb and Garrett from his class.  Andy was their shared friend.  Not the WonderDog, but the boy Andy.  Just to clarify any confusion.

When I was asking them who they were going to invite, Jonah said, "Mom.  I only have 1 friend that I want to invite from my class."  So that was all he invited.  :)  And what a cute lil friend he has in sweet Ben.

 

See?  And those manners~oh my goodness.  Those are the icing on the cake.  I love me some good~mannered little boys, even if they are sportin' MS State clothes!

It was fun.  I rushed home after work yesterday to make their cakes~their most favorite~butter golden with chocolate icing.  Nothing fancy, but perfect for them.  They wanted to decorate them, so I let them put the sprinkles on.  And yes, I made 2 cakes because there are TWO of them.  :)  They each have to have their own!

This was Jonah's cake.  Noah's was still cooling off.

They had a great time~the trampoline was a hit, and that's pretty much where they stayed until they played flashlight tag in the backyard.  Fun times.

I can't believe these cuties will be turning 7 on Wednesday.  Where does it all go?

They ran and played and laughed and ate and repeated until around 11:00 when they all crashed.

 

Aren't they sweet?  These are their peeps.  

We had fun.

And now I'm sitting in silence.  Jonah and Noah went to their friend, Andy's party at Chuck E. Cheese to celebrate HIS birthday.  Todd, Graham and Drew are putting up campaign signs for a friend of ours and I am all by myself.  

Enjoying every blessed moment.  

I actually took a really long, really hot shower.  I fixed only MYSELF something to eat {and not 5 other people}, and now I am watching what I want to watch.  

Bliss.  

I almost feel a little guilty.  

Almost. 

But not quite.

I hope your Saturday is as amazing as mine!! 

Priceless

A family trip to Costco~complete with Graham the fortune teller

Sampling the best fudge EVER

Running into a high school friend and almost introducing her with her maiden name

The stares, the laughter, the many many trips to the bathroom, the sharing of food

Laughing the ENTIRE way back

Seeing Andy the WonderDog's happily wagging tale over his new bag of bones

Listening to the boys CRACK UP as they are "falling asleep" together tonight in Jonah's and Noah's room~yup, they're all sleeping together tonight because it's HaPpY tHuRsDaY

Watching The Marriage Ref in somewhat silence

Having that silence broken by Andy's devouring of the bone

...........

priceless

What were they/was I thinking...

when the doctor's office asked me if I ever tired of filling out all the paperwork for my kids?  Um, no.  I enjoy it. 

when Graham asked me, "Can I wear shorts?  It's getting up to 45 today."?

when they left the house looking like THAT?!

when I thought keeping my sanity with 4 boys would be easy?

when I actually thought, "Hmph.  I'll never have to face THAT."?

when I told the boys they could invite 4 or 5 friends for a sleepover?  Each???

when I turned down the chance for a 1 week cruise alone with my hubby? 

when she said WHAT?!?!?!



Just thought I'd ask. 

They Bring Me Joy

 

Just thought I'd share.

the top 10 reasons why spring should come NOW

My toes are tired of being closed in and are ready for some flip flops.

I'm tired of the boys coming in because it's too cold to play outside in long segments.

Baseball!

picnics at the park

I want to go to the zoo really bad.

Spring means summer is just around the corner!

I am ready to see some green stuff on the ground and on our trees...and some other colors too.

The boys have more fun at Nana's and Big Daddy's house when it's warmer outside, and last year Jonah discovered he was pretty good at shoveling.

Spring means the boys get to help our neighbor, Mr. Paul, with his veggie garden again~this time from the very beginning.  And THAT means yummy tomatoes and cucumbers for us.

Did I mention baseball? 

disappointment & then happiness

I will keep the comments about tonight's The Bachelor to myself.  That being said, guess what show is about to start again???

 

And guess who is going to be a star dancer???

Yup, that would be Kate Gosselin, who according to ABC is in production on a new show that will be airing on TLC.

Shut up.  The mood that Jake's choice put me in tonight just got a whole lot better.

3 weeks, people.  3 weeks.  

Did I mention that I love tv?