My 30th

Life Lessons

Photo courtesy of Kristin's facebook page :) She is the 2nd from the left. Surrounded by her sisters!

Many of you will be tempted to skip this post because it will look long and boring, but bear with me.

Last night I was at a GNO (Girl's night out) and it was a blast! (So, 1st Life Lesson, spend some time with great friends and good times to lift burdens and forget about unimportant things for a few hours)

While at my friend's house, her little boy was coming up to us and giggling and talking and being absolutely adorable...it's not hard, he is a doll (plus, he reminds me of a boy version of livi:) Anyway, whenever he came by, I made sure to acknowledge him and talk with him. Did I mention he is a doll? He is.

Later, my friend said," thank you so much for acknowledging him and making him feel special. I really appreciate that." And this is where I went on to explain WHY I am like that.

Photo courtesy of Kristin's facebook page. Kristin is in the middle.

Several years ago my dear friend, Kristin, showed me (by example) how ALL children should be treated, EVEN WHEN THEY ARE NOT YOUR OWN! Whoa! What a concept. (add a bit of sarcasm here) It's not rocket science. I noticed that when she acknowledge not only her children, but my children also, things changed. Nothing too big, but I noticed that because she loved my children, I loved HER even more. I respected her even more than I had before (pre-kids).

I really feel that if you show love towards other peoples' children, then your relationship/friendship with the parent will grow and become even better. If you ignore their children, even without noticing it, or sort of 'shove' them off..you aren't doing your friendship any favors.

And even more importantly, how do you think those kids feel? Do you want to be the one responsible for making them feel bad and down? Every child deserves respect and acknowledgement. (Yes, I am speaking from experience...through my own children's eyes.)

So, life lesson #2: Treat not only your friends, BUT their CHILDREN with respect and love and your friendship will become that much stronger. It did with me. Kristin is one of my very best friends. Not only because she is funny, kind, a mean card player, confidante, and a great person all around, but because she also loved MY kids.

*Just a note: I am not perfect. Fact. Sometimes I am in a bit of a fog. So, if I don't acknowledge you or your kids...forgiveness is the best thing to do! ;) Sometimes it's hard for me to pay attention to my own! hehe!

Gund Fun Cowley

I have been searching for the perfect 'extra' birthday gift for Mac.  He is going to be 2 in a few  months (WOW!) and besides the average toy, I wanted to get him something that helps establish the "phase"  he is going through right now.

After checking out, Huggable Teddy Bears, I knew that the Gund Fun Cowley was the perfect one.

There are few things that Mac loves besides Puppies, his blanket and his binky...and it is cows, but not just cows, but saying "moooo".  Adorable.

I received this toy in a timely manner and was very impressed by the quality.  I know how hard my boy can be on toys, but I am confident that this will be a great addition.

In the spirit of the season...are you looking for a birthday gift?  Mother's day?  Check out some of these other sites and try out Huggable Teddy Bears.  You'll love the quality!

Mother's Day Gift http://www.huggableteddybears.com/mothers-day-teddy-bears/
Easter Gifts http://www.huggableteddybears.com/easter-gifts/
Birthday Gifts http://www.huggableteddybears.com/teddy-bear-birthday-gifts/

March 2011

So, I never finished our visit from the WITHERS!  What?  Here are some pictures from Amish Country and going home.  And yes…there is a picture where I was locked out of the house.  The Withers were leaving, Luke had taken Livi and Spencer to a birthday party….I went outside to say goodbye and take some pictures, when I turned around and Mac had closed the front door.  At least I was fully dressed…Closer to the end, you’ll noticed all of the kids are in green=St. Patty’s Day.  Fun, but muddy day!

We miss and love you guys!  Come back and visit anytime! 

		The Visit of March 2011 VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

Having Issues with Blogger

I have been trying to get things on to blogger for the past few days and nothing has been posting..or even saving…big pain!

Hopefully I can get things up with Windows Live Writer (which I like better anyway!) and start posting again.

In other news:

Livi and Luke were able to go out on a date last night!  It was much needed for the both of them and they had a great time.

Spencer and I hung out yesterday.  He had a major nightmare around 6 a.m. and came to bed with us.  He woke up and his stomach hurt, so he stayed home.  We played and made granola.  IT WAS SO GOOD!  (and yes, I shouldn’t have had ANY, but I couldn’t help it!   It was a major success with all of the kids.  We also cleaned his room and Livi’s room.  It was fun spending some time with him.

Mac is seriously KILLING ME!  Hehe!  He is in to EVERYTHING and anything that he can get his hands on.  It is a bit ridiculous, but I am learning to handle it.  Yesterday, Spencer cleaned the family room 3 different times (cleaning up the toys), when Mac would walk in and dump the entire bin.  It was a bit frustrating for Spencer, but he was a champ and would clean it up over and over again.  Mac has also discovered that he can pull out the drawers in his dresser and use them as stairs.  THAT is scary.  He also climbed up to the top of the hall closet..using the shelves as a ladder.  THAT was scary.  Phew!  This kid is wearing me out!  Oh, and he is sick..again.  Surprised?  I’m not. 

Livi and Spencer are playing soccer..and really enjoying it.  We had their first games on Saturday and to say that it should have been cancelled would’ve been an understatement.  It started sprinkling during Livi’s 10 a.m. game, BUT it quickly turned in to some major rain.  They played the entire game, the last half she was goalie, and then we walked over to Spencer’s game.  It wasn’t really raining, just sprinkling again, but about 15 minutes in to it, it started DOWN POURING.  I ran Mac and Livi to the car, while Luke stayed out with Spencer.  They finally cancelled all games 40 MINUTES IN TO THE GAME!  Come on people…they shouldn’t have even been playing at all…ugh!  Anyway, it was awesome to see our kids out there playing.

Luke and I are doing really well.  Between work, school (he just finished up another class), kids, and church callings, life is busy.   We are patiently, PATIENTLY waiting for our “lake” aka our backyard to dry up so we can put up the tramp.  Patience, patience. 

In other news..we are super excited for Easter this weekend!

Soccer Spring 2011

There was a ton of rain this ENTIRE year…so no surprise that most of the soccer games and practices were either cancelled or moved to the sportsplex. It was beyond ridiculous!

Spencer team was the Leopards with Coach Bob. He had a good time. 

Livi was on the Lady Dynamos with Coach Jennifer.  Both Livi and Spencer wore Hunter Green for their jersey colors.
Like I mentioned.  Lots of rain:

My view through the car window. 

Foot skills:

Playing in the Sportsplex: