Bad, Bad Blogger!

Okay, so I've been a really bad blogger lately. I had been doing pretty well at posting something every weekday on my own blog, until late last week...but I feel like I've really neglected my friends. I haven't been visiting my blogger friends, I haven't been commenting on other blogs, I haven't even gone on a search for new bloggy friends. Crazy I know. Maybe next week, after Max starts school, I'll have a little more time to reconnect. So if you out there wondering where I've been...I'll be back, I promise.

16 days! Join my team!

** First off, thanks again for all the kind thoughts and prayers yesterday about my sweet girl. She did so much better yesterday and today is going to be an even better day. She told me that the family picture that I posted inside her pencil box helped her a lot. She's going to be just fine. But boy, talk about one stressed out momma.....glad she's feeling better, now I can fell better too!**

My first MS Walk is just around the corner and I'm getting really excited about it. There are only 16 days till the walk and I have a great number of family and friends already signed up to walk with me that day. It's not too late, please join me....I would LOVE to have you on my team. You can register online by clicking here!

Even if you're not sure, please let me know if you are thinking about joining us. I'm planning to order Traci's Troops t-shirts and I want to make sure I have enough for all my walkers! Shoot me an email and let me know if you think you might be there!

It's going to be a fun-filled day...join me as we walk for a great cause!

A great big "Thank You!" to all of you who have already signed up to walk with me and also to those of you who have made a donation to my team! I can't thank you enough! Your love and support means so much!

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

Bumpy Road!

So the first few days of first grade went off without a hitch. Maggie did great! She said she had a lot of fun. She also commented on how long the day was. It's a HUGE adjustment going from 2 1/2 hours of Kindergarten to 6 hours of first grade. I knew it was going to take so time to adjust, but seeing how well she did the first few days, got me really hopeful.

Yesterday, it all kicked in. She started to cry as she was getting into the carpool car. She made it to school, but they ended up calling me about 10:45 to talk to her. She was crying so hard that I couldn't even understand her. I ended up going to the school to try to calm her down.

She just wants to be with me. And it totally breaks my heart!

Her teacher has been fantastic and is willing to do whatever it takes to help Maggie. I took a family picture in last night at "Meet the Teacher" and placed it in her pencil box....hopefully that will help.

We also made a deal that if she can make it through today and tomorrow without any tears, I will come eat lunch with her on Friday!

I know that it's just going to take time....it's a huge adjustment, but my heart is aching and I wish there was something I could do to help her. She's my baby and sitting back and watching her go through this is hurting me too!

I got out my favorite little book, have I told you about this book lately?!? (hehe!)

Here's what it said:

~~Courage~~

You never know where courage will pop up in your life, because you never know what you'll face that will require it. You can be sure, though, that God will give you courage when you need it. God is both your protector and your strength. So be confident that whatever you face, you do not face it alone. You face today with resources both from your own soul and the Spirit that dwells within you!

Lord, you are my shield, my wonderful God who gives me courage.
Psalm 3:3

As Joy would say, "This too shall pass!"
(oh, how I miss the comfort she could provide me with!)

Please keep my sweet girl in your thoughts as we try to get through these next few weeks.

Super Saturday!

Maggie had her first "real" soccer game Saturday morning. She had so much fun! She loves soccer and will hopefully have some of her Daddy's talent. I have a feeling we will be seeing lots of pictures in the future similar to the one above.


We then headed to a nearby city that was celebrating their sesquicentennial (150 years!) The weather was perfect and the festival was a lot of fun!

The giant slide...this ride alone was totally worth buying the wrist band!

Max isn't so happy that Maggie won the "race" to get down!

Getting ready to spin with Sophie and Pete in the apple/strawberry, or whatever the big red fruit is!

Max on the Safari Train...I think he was riding alone...

Max got to ride with Maggie...this was a flash forward to the driving years...yikes!

Sofie and Pete....these poor boys and their older sisters.

Look at that smile!

Paca, this one's for you!

Daddy letting Max drive....a lot more fun than with his sister!

My "first" child is such a goof ball...I love this picture!

Maggie...she still needs to grow a few inches to be able to reach the petal better!

Being at the festival with good friends, soaking in all the beautiful weather and enjoying the festivities, really makes me look forward to the upcoming festival here in our town. Bring on the pumpkins!

Maggie-Mommy Moment!

Yesterday was great! Maggie's day at school went well. Since it was only a half day, it seemed to go by pretty fast. Max went with Papa and Jane to Farm Park yesterday, so after school was out, I was able to take Maggie to lunch. Just the girls! It was a nice treat for both of us. There were several moments when I looked across the table at my little girl and recalled the times when she was a baby and I couldn't wait for her to talk to me, to tell me about her day, to tell me she was a little nervous or scared. Then as I sat there, I thought about how long she would want to do this...go to lunch with her mom. I thought about how long she would want to hang out and tell me things about her day. I decided not to think about all that stuff and just enjoy the moment we were in. It was a great Maggie-Mommy moment.

Today is the first full day. Today is going to be the hard one for me. I packed her lunch this morning and she was so excited. I was not as excited...but I tried very hard to hide it. She is going to be just fine. I know that! But it just doesn't seem to make it any easier.

At least I have Max to keep me company for a few more weeks till he starts school. I think we will be doing a lot of praying today, and a lot of cleaning today to help the time go by faster. I'm sure after a few weeks of this new routine, I will be loving it!

My baby girl is a 1st grader!

Today is the first day of school!

My, how the time flies!

I love you sweetie! Hope you have a wonderful day!

Last Day!

It's the last day to sleep in late. And by late, I mean 8:00 am

It's the last day to make pancakes for breakfast...(at least on a weekday...who has time for that?!)

It's the last day to stay in jammies till, let's say 10:00ish

It's the last day to veg out and watch cartoons in the morning.


Today is filled with many "lasts!" Tomorrow starts a new day and we are all excited for it to come!

Back to school Poem!

Our summer is quickly coming to an end,
It's time for school to start up again!

We've had lots of fun this summer indeed,
Soccer and t-ball and swimming with speed!

All good things must come to an end,
Relaxing days of playing and of course, sleeping in!

A new schedule will start, a new routine begin,
Packing lunches and homework, as grade 1 she goes in.

My emotions are there, feeling happy, yet a bit sad,
As my big girl moves on, thinking of all the fun times we've had.

This new routine won't be easy, but it's time for it to start,
Lunchtime will be the hardest for me, for we've never been apart.

The days will be busy, with Max gone every afternoon,
I'm sure I'll be blogging, or resting, or cleaning a bathroom!

The time has come, the school year is about to start,
Thinking how fast the time has gone kinda hurts my heart.

My kids are growing up before my eyes, the time as gone so fast,
But I know we've created traditions and lots of memories that will last.

She just gets it!

Since my kiddos have become "expert" beginner swimmers this summer, we have spent a lot of time at my uncle's pool. Usually it's the kids and I during the day while Andy is working, but last Saturday, we were able to go as a family.

While we were driving to get to the pool, I said to the kids, "Boy, we sure are lucky to have a Uncle John with a pool!"

Maggie quickly replied, "Mom, we're just lucky to have a Uncle John."

It melted my heart!

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

Andy's winter project!

If you know my man, you probably know he's a stickler when it comes to home-improvement projects.

He has very strict rules.

Like he will only paint a room once a year. So if I painted the kitchen last November, I would have to wait a year before I could change it to another color. Oh, and he will only do "house projects" when day-light savings time ends. That means that all summer long, I compile a list of all the jobs he will need to complete before day-light savings time starts again.

And he is tough. I admit that once, I had to bring out the tears because I hated the bathroom paint that much....it worked, he repainted it, but he wasn't happy about it.

So when the Family Handyman magazine came in the mail the other day, I got a tad bit too excited when I came across this picture.....

A back door storage center...personally, I think it looks like heaven.

I didn't say anything to him about it, but when he was thumbing through the magazine...he stopped and said, "hey check this out...pretty nice, don't ya think!"

I am so rubbing off on him!

I think I'll be adding this to the top of Andy's winter project list!

Garage Sale Girls!

I promise, there was no memo sent out about "garage sale attire!" We all just showed up this way! Kinda freaky if you ask me!

Another first place winner!

Andy rode another mountain bike race on Sunday. It was 95 degrees outside with a heat index warning of over 100. Let me just say, that you would never in a million years catch me on a bicycle in that kind of heat. Never!

But being the supportive wife that I am...the kids and I packed the cooler and headed over to watch the race. Well, I really wouldn't call it watch....cause he's like in the middle of the woods and all, but we were there, and that's all that matters.

There was a kids race about a half hour before Andy's race and so Maggie got in on the fun. There were only about 5 kids...and I think 3 of them were on training wheels. But there was another "big girl"...she might have been 7 or 8 years old. The other girl was in the lead the entire time....and then out of the blue, my girl passed her up and won the race. She was so excited.


She was so proud of herself. Oh, and did you notice....she won the race while wearing a skirt! You go girl.

Andy didn't do too shabby either. He finished first in his age group and second overall in the sport division. Pretty awesome for riding 15 miles in 95 degree weather. I truly think the kids and I are his lucky charms.

Great job to both of my bikers! I'm so proud of you!

What I've learned!

I'm a very emotional person.

Oh yeah baby..I'm a crier.

I cry at the smallest things. A Hallmark commercial on tv, a song on the radio, oh and movies, watch out. I have come out of several movies red-faced and puffy-eyed. What a sight I am. Just a warning if you ever want to see a movie with me.

This is nothing new, I've always been this way.

Women are complex beings. Our emotions are our greatest strength, but they can also be the most unstable aspect of our character......
(from my favorite little book!)

So over the past week many old and new emotions have popped up.

I have relived the many questions of why. I have wondered how things could have been. I have learned that there is no going back to all the whys? and hows?. I have to feel confidante that the past, my past, was all part of God's plan for me. I know that I am the person I am today because of the things that have happened in my life.

You may tend to think of God gratefully in the good times and ask for His help in the bad. But sometimes you have to consider that God brings good out of both.....
(more from my favorite little book!)

I wish I could have known Dave better. I wish we could have had a different kind of relationship. Unfortunately, we can't go back, we can't change the past. But what I can do, is move on knowing deep in my heart that his love for me was unconditional and that he was proud of this very emotional girl.

The Highlight of Max's Entire Summer!

Nice boots! (They are his "work boots" and it looks like they might be on the wrong feet!)

(My arm started getting a little tired about the 3 minute mark, sorry for the shaking camera!)

Awesome! Thanks Paul!

Fun on the Farm!

Thank you!

I can't even begin to thank you all for the prayers, comments, calls, texts and emails over the past week. All the love truly warms my heart.

As I open up my little book yet again....(can you tell that I really LOVE this little book? Go out and get you one, you'll love it too!) it reads this!

Future:

I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope.
Jeremiah 29:11

Your age doesn't matter. Your looks don't matter. Your circumstances don't matter. For every individual, every life, God has a plan for the future. Even if you are reading this book from a hospital bed from which you never expect to leave, God has given you a future. Don't drop out of life for any reason. With Him, your best days are yet to come-better than your can think or imagine.

Services have been set for Thursday and they have turned into a celebration of his life...a party per se....he would have loved that. You can read Dave's obituary here!

Thanks again for all love and support. You are the best!

Peace at last!

Dave passed away peacefully this morning surrounded by family. His battle is over, his race, won.

Jesus said, "God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."
John 3:16

Please continue to pray for sweet Bonnie. She has been through so much and has been so strong. Please lift her up and pray for peace and comfort.

Giveaway winner!

True Random Number Generator Min: Max: Result: 2 Powered by RANDOM.ORG

So, I can't get the pretty random number generator box to look pretty on the blog, and no I didn't put 100 in the Max number selection. It was 1 to 12....but really none of that matters....what matters is that number 2 was the number chosen and that means that Wendy is the winner!

Wendy,
Check out the site again and let me know all the details of your lunch tote....I'll try and get them ordered today!

Congratulations....I'm so excited that you won!

See what happens when you stop by and say hello at the park....you just might win free stuff!