Happy Anniversary Sweetie!

I can't believe it's been eight years. I've been thinking about you a lot today and feeling very nostalgic. So, in honor of you and our life together, here are the top 10 reasons I would marry you all over again.


You are just as handsome as you were when we started dating.

You make me laugh, even when I don't want to.

You will sit through a stupid tv show just to sit next to me for an hour.

You are an amazing dad and always have time to play with the kids.

You never make the kids feel like they have to work to get your attention.

You don't complain when I serve you peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for dinner, again.

You're idea of the perfect date is a trip to the mall (so is mine so this works great!).

You spend time listening to me, even though I know you're tired and have a million other things on your mind.

You bathe and get the kids ready for bed every night so I can have a break.

You let me stay up reading and never complain that the light keeps you awake.

You have a tender heart and put other people's needs before your own.

You have a heart for God and have been an incredible spiritual leader of our home.


Okay, so that's actually 12, but who's counting. I could go on but I'll stop there. I'm so glad you're my husband and my sweetheart. I'm glad to share my life with you and couldn't ask for a better partner.

Happy Anniversary Sweetie!
xoxoxo

Thursday was Luke’s last day of pre-school. I knew it was coming, but I didn’t expect it to hit me so hard. We really enjoyed the past four years of Mothers Day Out/Preschool and it seems like a whole chapter of our life has ended.

The funny thing is, we were never supposed to go to the Heights in the first place. When I quit work, I enrolled Luke in a different Mothers Day Out program. But halfway through the summer, they called to tell me that they closed his class and I would have to find somewhere else. I panicked. School was starting in 5 weeks and I had to find a program. After calling all over town, the Heights was the only place with a spot for him. Obviously, we took it.

What a great decision. Max goes there now and a year and a half ago, we became members of the Heights. Sometimes I am amazed that we found a church home that we love, all because they had a spot open in their CDC back in the summer of 2004. I shouldn’t be amazed, God works like that.

Here are a few pictures taken by a sentimental mother on her son’s last day. They remind me of such a sweet time in his life.

Night Moves

Max has trouble sleeping. Every night we tuck him in and he pretty much stays in his room. He doesn't cry or beg to get out or extend his bedtime. But when I check on him before I go to sleep, I discover that he's been busy. Often very busy.

Sometimes it's just a few (or a dozen) animals he brings into his bed. Sometimes he empties the entire contents of his closet. Other times he takes everything off his bookshelves or opens his windows. We don't know why he does this, but it's turning into a running joke around our house.

Here are some recent pics of his nighttime activities.

Look At This

About a month ago, I was working in the yard and found a bunch of bulbs in the bottom of an old pot. I was actually going for the dirt (you get desperate when you run out of potting soil) and found them by accident. I didn't know what they were but planted them anyway. I thought it would be a fun surprise.

Well, all that came up was leaves. Big, tall leaves. No flowers or identifying marks. Just leaves. I finally gave up and resigned myself that I planted leaves in my back yard when I saw this:


Look at that. There really is something in there after all. I just hadn't waited long enough. We all know there's a lesson in there, but I'll let you think on that yourself. For me, I'm going to go outside and spend some time with my leaves.

Hairspray

I was putting my hair into a ponytail today when I discovered that I needed hairspray. Not much, just a little to keep the shorter pieces out of my face. So I begin my search. I was pretty sure I had some, even though I hadn’t used it for several years.

After about 15 minutes, I realized it was probably lost forever. Because I was somewhat desperate, I decided to check Merk’s side of the bathroom. Voila! Not just hairspray but the economy size.

It pays to have a husband who is interested in his appearance. But one who uses more hairspray then me? I have to think about that one.

Big Mistake...Huge!!!

Warning! Don't read if you have a sensitive stomach! However, if you like to hear about gross stuff happening to people like me, by all means, read on.

I learned a very important lesson today. We've had trouble before with our water efficient toilet and Max, the 3 year old who loves to use half the roll when he takes care of business. This is a combo I'm aware of and solved with the permanent addition of a plunger in the bathroom.

However, today I failed to consider a fairly significant change in the above routine...Augmentin. Yep. You guessed it. My Max has the D word. Add in the previous two factors and you have me, screaming at the top of my lungs for the toilet to please, please, please not overflow. Max is standing next to me crying because I'm screaming at the toilet and then at him to GET OUT OF THE WAY. Max made it in time. I was not so lucky. Neither was my bathroom, which was flooded. At one point it was so bad that I caught myself thinking, "If only he had thrown up on me. I'd be out of the shower by now and this would be over."

Everything is cleaned up now and thoroughly sanitized. If you come to my house in the near future, you will notice the complete lack of anything in my bathroom. There's no longer a basket with reading material (you know you have that too). No spare rolls of toilet paper or even a plunger. I threw it all away. I would have burned it, but I don't think the city lets you do that anymore.

Max is now banned from my bathroom and I will be having nightmares about this day for a long, long time.

Mothers Day

Yesterday was Mother's Day and it was great. Pretty typical really, beautiful flowers, gifts, lots of hugs and kisses.

But the whole time, I kept thinking about how lucky I am and that Mother's Day is not a day to celebrate me but a day for me to be thankful and celebrate the gifts that I have been given. And I've been given a lot of them.

A husband who is sweet and who treats me like I'm special all the time. Who lets me sleep in when I need it and is happy to make a peanut butter sandwich on those nights when I just can't pull dinner together. Who never lets a day pass without telling me he loves me - I couldn't ask for more than that.

And yet, there is more. Two boys who, though challenging, make me smile on a daily basis. Who amaze me with their growing minds and sense of wonder and humor. Who are always there with a hug, even when I didn't know I needed one. Who let me relive the beauty of life through their eyes and let me see that there is joy in the simple things.

So yesterday was beautiful and I am thankful. Thankful to be reminded that no mater how rocky my life gets, I have more blessings than I will ever know.