Merry Christmas!

Today was a blessed day! I was excited that Christmas was on Sunday this year! It was a wonderful time of singing and joining my family and a few others celebrating Christ's birth in his home. The kids were up at 6:30a.m. today and spent an hour or so opening gifts. I love that they get into giving each other a gift and watching them open it! It is such neat thing to watch with Joy on their face! We played with the new toys for a short while, then got dressed and went to church. While there were a few in church the spirit of Joy and Thankfullness was strong! We came home where Josh yes, JOSH helped in the kitchen getting ready for Christmas dinner! I think having him in the kitchen HELPING me prepare a big meal was so romantiac! LOVED IT!!!!! We ate, and after eating way too much William and I took a nap as Josh visited with a few clients from his job and then took them back home. We LOVE having people over for meals with us! After nap time, I got up and spent the rest of the day putting together Lego Sets and Trio sets! They are time consuming but fun. It has been a neat time of putting the Lego's together for me as there have been many improvments since my brother and I had Lego's! They sure have come along way! I hope that you and your family had a blessed Christmas!

Timmy YOU ARE 6!!!!!

Timmy,
I remember it just as you were born yesterday! The night before you were born we had gone to Mommy's favorite little resturant called Kecly's. Mommy had Prime Rib!! Yummy!!! Well, it was yummy until I had gotten sick and could not eat or drink anything after midnight! We got up the next day ready to head to the hospital at 10a.m. We arrived and got checked in. We got to go back into the OR early and you were born with a flood of water all over everyone at 11:57 a.m. Dr. Rebelsky said "It's a BOY!" Daddy did not believe her until he saw it! He was very excited to have his FIRST SON!!!!! We stayed in the hospital until after church on Christmas day. You were such a good baby. You had a hard go of life in the begining but are doing amazingly well now! You are aspiring to be a "Race Car" driver! You enjoy reading about racing and maybe in the next year you will get to go to your first NASCAR race!! I am very excited for you! I love watching you grow! You are 110% all boy! You love to chase your sister around and gross her out! I know she really enjoys it even though she screams the whole time! You are in all day kindergarten and doing great! As a matter of fact today for the first time you colored IN the lines! Your teacher and I were very impressed with that!!!! I Love You!
MOM!

Jennifer's Person of the Year!

As I was listening to the radio while driving this past week. KLOVE's DJ was talking about the person who was on the cover of the TIME magazine Person of the Year issue and asked who would be YOUR person of the year. If your still following me YEAH!!!!!

As we go through different seasons of life I think that there will be different people who qualify as the "Person of the Year" in our lives. As I think about that "Person of the Year" for me my mind races of people who have touched my life, challenged me, streched me out like Silly Putty, encouraged me, and have been there for me during the HIGH's and LOW's over the past year. Yes, there is my Heavenly Father who knew ever detail of my life before it happened, there is my earthly father, there is my husband, my kids and on and on. These are all people deserving of this honor. This year though for me the person who has been there and listened to me cry when I was scared, laughed with me, ran through Disney World with me EVERY DAY we were there, sat with Josh while I was in the OR for 8 hours the first time last year and 12 hours this time, the person who spent countless hours driving me to and from Indy for doctors appointments when I could not drive, the person who helped pack and move our lives to the other side of the state in a short 4 weeks, the person who I am honored and blessed to call FRIEND is KIM GODBEY!!!!!! Thank you for being the older sister I never had. Thank you for listening and being there over the phone or in person. Thank you for YOU!!!!!! I am going to try to high light other people in my life over these next few days too! Blessed INDEED I am!!!

When all else fails....

Use William to get the clothes out of the washer that you CAN NOT reach by putting him in the washer! He thought it was great fun and helped me out! I have lost my "Grabber" that allows me to pick up stuff w/o bending over. I am in LOVE with this little guy!

Thankful for this person!

Grandma Trish! Josh's mom! We have not always had the best of times but she has been very very helpful during this season of life and I am very appreciative for her! Without her I would not have clean clothes, dishes or house! My kids love their Grandma Trish and I am grateful for her!

Thankful Thursday!

As we are in the full midst of the season of Thanksgiving these are some things I am thankful for!

1) God's Grace- I am thankful for the underserving 2nd chance at a lot of things in life!

2) God's Mercy- I am so underserving!

3) For a doctor who is not afraid to ask around for opinions on my back.

4) For a brand new straight beautiful back with NO PAIN!

5) To be home for Thanksgiving! I missed my kids alot and was a source of alot of tears!!!

6) I am grateful for my dad! He is AMAZING!!! He and my 95 year old grandma drove all the way out to Indiana the day before my surgery to see me and spend all day Friday with the kids! He also spoils us in lots of ways too!

7) I am grateful my husband has a job that provides warmth, a roof over our head and money for food and gas!

8) I am grateful for all of our health! I very grateful that Timmy is with us! He says the most sweet and sincere prayers at meal time!

9) I am grateful for the opppotuities we have been given this year such as an amazing trip to Flordia and Beaver Island!

10) I am thankful for WOF!!! I have been blessed each I have gone and continue to be blessed by social networking with the speakers!

If Yesterday is History than why.......

Do we let it affect us now? As I have talked to friends, the common factor is well that was what I grew up in so that is why I do this now. I am guilty of this too! I have a very hard time spanking my children because as a child that was overly used for punishment. I remember it but did not feel loved because of it. I need to work on finding another way to displine them that is out of love but not hurtful. Just to make them think! I think it is interesting. We do love to go back and remember the good times which is great! I love to do that too but no one wants to go and trace back those bad times to why we do something a certain way today. I admit it is harder to face those hurts head one rather than shove them deep down and try to put them out of my mind. One of the things that I struggle with on a daily basis is that I tell my husband that I am going to the store for only a few items but really I know I will be spending more but if I tell him the truth than I won't get to go. This is from growing up and not being able to spend the money I earned on things I want. Yes, I need to work on communicating this with my husband and YES this will be a HUGE turning point for us. I am working on but it's hard to let that old way go!