Merry Christmas 2012

 Merry Christmas from our home to yours!! We hope you all have found peace, love , and joy this holiday season !!

 Unto us a child is born...His name is Jesus... 

 Sharing some of our happinings for the month of December- Very hard to believe Christmas came so fast. and soon very soon another year will begin!!

Here is Gracie with her cousin Rylan visiting Great Grandma Hope's house..She is the most amazing grandma..makes all the most amazing goodies and sends us all home with sum ..thank you Grandma for a great time at your house. We miss you so much, wish we saw you more..

 Gracie loves Nanna's puppy "Bear". I see me buying one this spring..saving now... "-) thanks mom !!

 Gracie had her very first Christmas program. She sang her little heart out and was very cute to see. She is really blessed with a great teacher who absolutly loves her job. It is a great feeling when I drop her off to school knowing that she is learning so much and loved and adored!!

A yearly tradition...Pop Corn ball night!! 

My mom ..kids nanna and papa bought a second home near us..we were blessed to spend some time with them before christmas ..it's always fun to see the cousins spend time together and open gifts!! 

this isAmanda and her cousin Dillan

 My little sister with her sweet baby girl ..my sweet neice Eira..Such a sweetie!!

 Amanda, with cousins, Dillan and Rylan, my brothers kids..

 Bailey...finally a photo of my son..love him like crazy...growing up too fast. Hard to believe he will be going to college in two years...

 Sweet neice Eira!!

 My table set for Christmas Dinner!!

From us to you...Merry Christmas!!!

Tiss the season?

It seems that this Christmas there is so much caos going on in our world that it has made it hard for me to really get into the spirit of things. It certainly does not feel like it has in the past. Life, stress, hearing the terrible violence and tragedy in all the lives lost in CT. So much pain in our world and even just around the people that are close to me. It seems many are going through stresses & challenges in life at what ever level it may be...
God has been taken out of schools, the commandments have been taken down in our country and really ever since then it seems our country has been going to pot. When you listen to the news you hear nothing but negative and seems things are going to just get worse before they get better. I fear for the generation of my children and what this world may be like as they get older.
How do I find it in me to get the Christmas spirit going? Right now , I really do not know the answer to that. All I know is that I hug my children tighter and cherish every day!

My Gramps

My Gramps has not been feeling well for a while now. He has struggled with Emphysema for many years. But he never really let that stop him from working as a contractor and doing the things he wanted to do. He just celebrated his 90th birthday and just a few weeks ago finished a few more homes to be sold. Yeah he is witty, smart, strong willed and still working Anyway the past few months he has really struggled with bronchitis infections and his breathing of course gets affected. He has had to have blood transfusions, and they don't really know why his body won't keep producing enough blood. Sad to say, he is just not doing very well, and not recovering or popping back like he has in the past. I still pray for healing on him, but I know that God knows the plan for him. Seeing him in pain and struggling is heart breaking!!

I drove home this week to spend time sitting with him and talking to him. and my time with him was priceless. I am so glad that I went to see him. My grandpa is so special to me. My mom gave birth to be at the age of 17, so a very young mother I had my grandparents that helped with me a lot to raise me. I can say that my grandpa is the one male in my life who has always been here for me. I cherish many many memories! When I was little our thing was to always sit at the kitchen table at night and have chocolate pudding. The other night him and I sat at the table and had chocolate ice cream. Felt the same and we talked about when I was little.

Before I had to go I had this huge weight on me...(that was God). I needed to ask him if he was right with God.  Finally I got a few minutes alone with him and I had to ask. I am happy to know he is :-))
Later when I left my home town and said bye to gramps...I said I"ll see you in a couple weeks when I come back..I layed my head on him crying while telling him good bye ...in my heart not knowing if I would see him again or not.  I told him that I love him , he told me he loves me too kid!  I said keep fighting gramps, but I know you are tired too. He said "be careful of the deer when driving..and you go live your life ok, go do the things you want to do". He told me earlier that 90 years goes way too fast, he still had things to do. I cried my eyes out leaving . Feeling I had so much more Id wanted to tell him, or talk to him about. On the ride home I shed many many tears too. I was all alone, but maybe that was a good thing. My heart breaks right now for him. I can not imagine him not here. Non of us can. ..I love you Gramps!

 this was last summer..

 Gramps is my buddy !! 

Happy Thanksgiving

There really is nothing like always going home for Thanksgiving. The traditions of getting 40+ people together, sharing stories, and catching up on our lives, playing games, eating way too much food. I even got in a couple workouts to help off set all the junk I had. You definetly go away from mom's with a full stomach.    Great memories this Thanksgiving.

Here are my siblings...brother in law Jason, sister Mandi, sister in law Lindsey, brother Jason , me and Mr. storff!

Both Grandmas and My Grandpa who just celebrated his 90th bday. Here are some of us grand kids and great grand kids with them. 

Cousins

Visiting the trees at the state capitol.. so beautiful to see every year. Puts you in the Christmas spirit

 

 Gramps!! Showing us the barn!! This is the one man who has been in my life since I was born. He and I share a very special bond. I'm so happy I got to spend some time with him. He is not feeling the best. Struggles with emphysema, and this year has been a challenge for him. I can't imagine loosing him. I love him so much.

Amanda's B-Day Party/FriendsParty..

Amanda's birthday is coming up on November 20th...But this weekend she wanted her friends party. So Friday night one by one my house filled up with 13 other teenage girls for the night. It was a sooper party. Amanda told us today that is was her best bday party EVER!! ~ always nice to hear when you are a parent right. Happy Early B-Day Angel Face!! 

Anyway here are a few pics from her party!!

 She loves Harry from One Direction!!

How many times can you do a bon fire and roast marshmellows in November!! We were so lucky to have such great weather..

 I had a challenge with the cakes..Yes cakes. Did two other round ones with great intensions and they stuck to pans..What can I say...I am not the Cake Boss here!! LOL.

Celebrating the big one...

This weekend I celebrated my 29th birthday ...again!! LOL, yep , it was the big one this year and to be honest with you the hardest one of all. Most the day I was down in the dumps...don't ask me why, I guess just something about that certain number. A feeling like oh my gosh I think I am old. I remember my mom turning this age and having a special party for her. I thought then how old it was, and now I am that age. Ok yes I would rather be this age than the alternative. But I am just saying I was not ready to leap into it quite yet. Oh well right..Live it to the fullest and treasure every moment! I am grateful for so many things I know that. Most of all for the people that really love me! 

thanks family and friends for making my day a good one!!

 Good thing they remembered my age for the cake....29!! LOL!!

 New sweatshirt!

We are blessed by Adoption

Our family has been so blessed by the gift of adoption...Gracie is the light in every day. What a joy and blessing for us all. 

Happy Halloween

my Beautiful little butterfly!!! Gracie could not wait to trick and treat around our neighborhood. She was totally counting down the days for the past week..finally it go here! Too much candy, but alot of fun..I hope you all had a great night too!!

 Bailey is too big to dress up I guess, but not too big to eat a whole box of pizza left over from our Middle School Pizza party!! My growing 6foot 2 Teenager!! lol

 Gracie with her buddy Tenley!! Two cute little sweeties

 Terry greeted all the middle schoolers with this disgusting mask..totally grossed us all out!!

 Amanda with her Middle school friends..and sporting one of my very old dance costumes from when I was her age...at our first boy/girl gathering at the house. ...yes a big deal for this mama!!

 Gracie proud packing her snacks for her preschool class!!