Color my Skye

Drum rollllll pleease!!

2011-01-01T23:27:00.000-08:00

Told you i would think of a cute creative name for my project:) k, actually Ryan thought of it!!!!!!!

So drum roll pleeeeease:)))))))
shutter (insert heart here) struck!!!!!! So cute!!!!!! I am in love......

Visit me at http://shutterstruck143.blogspot.com/ and follow me for the next 364 days!!!! xox

one.frame.a.day.

2011-01-01T20:55:00.000-08:00

I came across the creative mama blog earlier this year. I seen her entry about one.frame.a.day and immediately pasted it into my inspiration folder. I have been waiting for Jan 1 so I can finally start! For now, I'm coping her title just cause creativity isn't flowing tonight:(. Must admit, I'm already little stressed out about this project. ohhh the pressure to have the best pic and then to decide which one to use AND what to say about it!!!! Some days I just may post a pic of dust and say nothing cause I dont know what else to do for my frame that day... stay with me though!:) Oh, incase u did'nt click on the link to read what one.frame.a.day. is. Basically, every night I'll choose a picture of the day and write the idea behind it or story that goes... I'll post it on my one.frame.a.day. blog that will not be called that and isn't yet created:)

Then, at the end of 2011 I"ll put all my entires into a blogbook like this one here at http://www.blurb.com/make/flip/. I'm looking forward to slowing down long enough each night to reflect on my beautiful life that God lets me live with my incredible husband, ryan and amazing little girl, Micah! xox

School Talk

2010-04-13T15:47:00.000-07:00

A good friend at http://justanightowl.com/and a woman I seriously admire for soo many reasons asked several moms to tell their story of why they chose homeschool and what their days look like. It's been encouraging to read everybody's story and see the uniqueness (i made that word up I think :) of how each family operates. So, here is our story.:)

Honestly, I have typed out this blog probably a dozen times and deleted it, started over, delete again and so on... I feel there's not much really for me to contribute besides our story and how we got here.
Hopefully, somebody can walk away feeling encouraged or not alone as we all dive in!!

Almost 12 years ago, husband and I had the conversation about kids and schooling. I claim the word"homeschool" never came up and he says it did:)) The one thing we have always agreed on though was that we wanted our kids to receive a solid Christ-based education. The picture in my head was me dropping our 3 kids off at this really quaint little Christian school and me just doing mom stuff until it was time to go pick them up and listen to the day's events!!!. :) Now, as the season approaches I realize "me dropping our 3 kids off at this really quaint little Christian school" just isn't reality right now in more ways than one:))) I have never thought of me capable of homeschooling our child, but God has placed me in a family that is experienced, have alot of resources, and full of love, patience and grace. I know I don't have to do it by myself which has always been a fear with schooling my child.

The word "homeschool" has always intimidated me,, the thought that my child's education lies in my hands seriously makes me stop breathing for a minute. Here are a few examples why....
1. I really believed Chicago was a state up until about 10 years ago:)
2. I recently misled my daughter in what a baby horse was called.
3. This past Sunday, I was sounding out the letter "F" for my daughter and husband had to correct me:)
4. and just now while typing this blog, Ryan was reading it and telling me where to put my commas and correcting my grammar!!!!!!!!!
So, I am always constantly dramatically saying "see that's why I should'nt be homeschooling!!!!!!":))
I'm not really that patient and have never had the desire to teach, especially children. Just being for real--I have no problem doing anything non strutured, like playin in the hose or painting or play doh,,, but to teach.. huh!!!!! I'd rather do something else:) I have'nt even started homeschool yet and while I'm very very excited about my little girl starting school, feeling selfish is already a HUGE challenge and I'm feeling inadequate and overwhelmed thinking are'nt there any other options????????????, I have always been reluctant to cast myself in the role of a "homeschool mom."
So, I'm pretty thankful for my sister in law Danette opening up her schoolroom for Micah. We don't have all the details ironed out just yet, but I do know that Micah and I will go to Danette's for school where we will join her cousins, Lydia, Abigail, Calvin, and Lincoln. Lincoln and Micah will be doing preschool together as well as another little friend, Kaia. Micah is ecstatic, she adores her aunt Nette Nette. Some days, my other sister in law Misty http://findingmyway9598.blogspot.com/ and rest of the cousins will probably join us. Between myself and my sister in laws, we all have strengths where the other may lack skill or interest, so I have a feeling the kids probably will not be the only ones to learn something this next school year! :)
I know the days ahead will bring challenges, Micah's sunday school teacher just reminded me of that yesterday at church. :) sigh:))))) I wanted to be a Mom years before God finally brought Micah to us so I've had alot of time to imagine and daydream about the firsts of the school years. Here is just a few.. these are sooo not in order:))))
1. 1st day of school eve:)-I think I'll be more excited than Micah.... and again, I know we are just traveling to Aunt nette nette's house, but that's like Disneyland to Micah.:)
2. Hearing Micah repeat the Pledge to the American Flag, Christian Flag and the Bible after me. I have no idea how I'll get through that without sobbing.
3. Singing all the silly songs with Micah to help us learn our letter sounds.
4. Watching her sit still with her cousins as she just soaks it all up.......... I know.. the sitting still part needs to be worked on...
5. the excitement of learning something new and completing it and being proud of herself and hearing over and over "Mommy I did it!!!!!!!!!!"

Parenting is undoubtedly one of the biggest challenges for most of us, I think :) at least for me it is. I constantly worry, am I doing it right, is she going to remember everything she has been taught and apply it,, is she going to always pursue God, is homeschooling the right thing for her,, is she missing out and it going to affect her in a negative way, is what I'm doing going to JACK her up?????????????
Seriously, I constantly have to give her up to God. I have been reading a book called Revolutionary Parenting and I looooooove it. This next paragraph is from that book, and while the book has nothing to do with homeschool-I find it reassuring that God has it all in His hands.

God tells us that if we have surrendred our lives to Him and are listening for His guidance, then we may give Him and our children the best effort we can muster and confidently leave the results to Him. The Scriptures remind us that while we have free will, we do not possess control over reality.
Nothing drives that point home harder than our experience raising children. Our job is not to succeed but to be obedient to God's calling and principles and allow Him to produce the outcomes according to His perfect will. With that in mind, perhaps we can take a deep breath and relax. As much as you love your children, God loves them more. As deeply as you desire to do what is best for your children, God wants it even more urgently. As we rely upon Him rather than our own ideas and wisdom, we can be assured that our young ones will experience the best that God has to offer, through us and others.

xox
Jada

Love via Blog

2010-03-18T13:41:00.000-07:00

Love from Darcy@ justanightowl.com.
Just another way to receive love.. love via blog... Thx Darcy! xox

You are to tell 7 things about yourself and pass it on to 5 other Blogging Queens…

1. I LOVE the ocean!
2. This year is all about forgiving and restoration for me!
3. I still hate Walmart :)
4. I love good ole hostess cherry pies
5. I just bought a sewing machine, used but new to me. We'll see what happens:)
6. I can't be without chapstick EVER!
7. I got the worst pedi this week ever:( sorry I was getting desperate what else to say:)

Passing this along to…
1. Gina@ beyondtheplanner.com
2. Tiffiny@ anthandtiff.blogspot.com

3. Shawna@ Crazy, Devoted Mama, Say What?
4. Leah@ My Great Adventure
5. Misty@ Finding My Way

xox

Spontaneous Photoshoot

2010-03-15T16:35:00.000-07:00

Yesterday's weather was amazing!!!!! Perfect picture taking day and a drive down the river with my family in the Land Rover. I never want to ride in that thing:) but, Ryan cleaned it out really good so off we went with the sunroofs and windows down and Micah singing "all the single ladies" combined with "O happy day"???????? crazy girl, have no idea where she gets that from!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:)))))
Our first stop is this property that has a whole side of their garage painted an American Flag.........We had seen it before, but every time Ryan stops to ask if we can use it for a background, nobody answers and usually there are 3-10 cars piled in front.. not kidding:) Today there was only one car and the owner said we could snap away. Flags waving in the air make me tear up, and now this huuuuuge at least 10x18 site of a flag was overwhelming!!!!! My sister in law commented that my brother was very proud of the pic, but it was missing a few things (a nascar hat and some guns) nice bubby:)))hahaha
It turned out to be a very relaxing day, all day long I just kept noticing how big Micah seemed to me particularly yesterday. She looked older, we were having conversation, she was actually doing what I told her to do, she laughed with me and at me as I climbed some rugged old ladder.
Even though I am with her everyday, every hour, every minute, every second:))))))))), there are just some moments that I can't believe she's my little girl!! I'm her mommy and she looks up to me.. YIKES, and she's not a baby anymore, this day will only come once!!!!!!! it's crazy to me!!! and I'm sooooo crazy in love with her!!!

fur, paisleys, and chandeliers are some of my fav things

2010-03-15T15:29:00.000-07:00

California houses and their layouts make no sense at all whatsoever.. Actually, there is alot about Cali in itself that does'nt make any sense, but that's another blog for another day!:) Back to my house, somebody asked me the other day how many bedrooms do you have. I answered 3 bedrooms, 3 bath and 4 living rooms!!!!!!!!!???????? I mean really,,,, most california homes go like this. You walk through the door, there's a room to the right, there's a room to the left, you walk down the hall a couple of feet, and there is your real living room/kitchen if it's like ours and u become confused cause you remember just passing 2 rooms that could be living rooms????????????????????. Then we walk up the stairs and there is another room besides the bedrooms and bathrooms. The problem with all these rooms are they are wide open and most of the time the size is an issue. We are'nt formal people at all, so no need to have a formal dining room, their are only 3 of us, so need to have more than 1 living room. So, while i'm kinda re-doing each room, mainly moving things from this room to that room with a fresh coat of paint and that kind of stuff, I become frustrated with the arrangement of our house... I hate spreading out, ryan having his own office, me having my own for I have no idea why, but we have the extra room so why the heck not, Micah has her own huge loft playroom, and there is still a wide empty room that sits alone with just a rocking chair. Oh and don't forget about Micah's room of course there are toys in there too........AND NOW MICAH HAS ANOTHER PLAY AREA, becauuuuuuse:) a 12x14 room just isn't enough apparently. Another common feature of the newer 2 story cali homes is the huge upside down L shaped closet downstairs. Ours has always sat pretty empty and Micah likes to go in there and first of all walks straight into the ledge that sticks out, comes out screaming and then returns to her normal happy self and says "mom, pshhh" (u know the whispering come here kind of "pshhh".) and she loves to tell me secrets in there and always asks if she can nap in there and all that fun stuff. I love the color red although it's nowhere to be found in my house now that I look around,, humm weird:) I actuallly don't even like to wear red anything, it looks horrible on me. Not sure why I like red, but I do. I had a red kitchen years ago thinking it would make me want to spend more time in there slaving over hot meals for my family:), but after a while I felt like my walls were screaming at me and they were going to attack me. Seriously, it's kinda over stimulating maybe....but anyhow, me and my love for lots of fabric all over the walls drove ourselves to joanne's and found some cute RED and pink paisley material and RED fur trim. Found wall decals for 70% off... HALLELUJAH FOR CLEARANCE!!!! Used Micah's chandelier from her very first room and Daddy gave the room a face with this wood, I threw a few coats of a pale pink paint I found for cheap cheap:))) and threw together a little secret place for Micah and her friends. Pulled down some of her dress up baskets from her playroom and jewelry boxes and now we have this:))))

Monday cuteness

2010-03-08T21:51:00.000-08:00

So many blogs, so many ideas, so many options, so many projects I want to accomplish TODAY....:)))))) awwwwwwwwwwwww it's inspiring, but a little itsy bitsy overwhelming for me!!!! This morning I woke up, cleaned a little and got spray paint happy. Seriously, if you have a few dollars you can turn blah into "retarded" in just a few minutes... Oh, retarded means amazing, cute, gorgeous, beautiful, etc....

Here is what the spray paint attacked,,, nothing major at all.. My turquoise spray paint is still sitting there all lonely just waiting to be used.... very soon turquoise, very soon:))

this was black,,,,Micah requested pink, so I said,, ok pale pink:) and I seen the idea of using it to hold bows on another blog.. can't remember which one though... I know,,, HUGE blog no no:)

Candle Holder was silver, used to be black a long time ago and I made it black again.. I know,, real original huh??? light blue crystal candle holders hold my earrings....

Their already spilling out, but I thought it was a good temporary place until I think of something better.:)

Burlap Flowers-my latest obsession... Trust!!!!!!!..... Micah will be wearing one daily, she's in love with them too as I've been letting her pick out fabric she likes.... First one i'll use as a pin, obviously second one is attached to a headband, but I used an alligator clip so it's totally removable and I can stick it on anything,,, scarf, clutch, clothing, etc....... I seen these on this cute blog and "OMG THOSE ARE RETARDED" loudly:) I plan on playing around with different fabrics and different ways to set mine apart from tidy nest,, I hate to copy copy:)))) but these are worth it for now!!!!

Seriously, I'm constantly searching for ways to keep Micah's toys all in one place, but in pretty boxes, containers, cans, buckets, whatever has a bottom really:) These baskets are from dollar store, and i glued the ribbon on just to "doll" them up some. They are perfect for these dolls and their magnetic clothing which happens to be Micah's latest obsession:) so yeah for cute baskets!!! xox

"Your the devil"

2010-02-24T22:53:00.000-08:00

I have one brother, Derrick and we are 22 months apart. He's older:) We were not together every day growing up because he lived with our precious Grandpa and Grandma and I went back and forth from their house to my mom and step dad's place. Big mistake, HUGE mistake on my part I must say:)
I have absolutely admired and adored my brother since I can remember. I never ever wanted to be apart from him. He made me feel safe, he kept me cracking up all the time, he protected me when strange men at amusement parks tried to pick me up:) played the weirdest foot game with me which he probably does'nt remember:), and he urged my now husband to make a move the minute after I ended another relationship!!!!!!! ohhhh and I can't forget all the time spent in the backyard playing cowboys and indians or cop and robber,, ohhhhhhhhh or the time when he wanted to tie me up around the tree and I did'nt want to be tied to the tree, so he threw his rifle at me, straight on the right side of my forehead. Aww I remember that day well, Grandma came running out with her good ole house shoe:) sat me on the couch with a rag to soak up all the blood. and while laying there in pain, I heard my brother get the worst spanking of his life!!!!!!!!!! So, i laid there applying pressure on the wound and just smiled:)))
If you know me well, u know that I am pretty much obsessed with him. I once asked him, "Derrick, if I was'nt your sister, would u want to marry me?????" " cause I would totally want to marry you".... I'm still waiting for an answer actually:)))))
I am so overwhelmed with emotions when I think of my brother and our life together as 2 kids who did'nt have the whole mom and dad thing going for us. My brother probably without knowing absolutely filled the many empty parts in my heart in so many ways. He's so much more than a brother to me. Besides my husband of course, I can with all my heart say he is my best friend, he's that "no matter what" person. No matter what happens, no matter what I've done, no matter what is done, no matter how unfair and ugly things are he never sways, He is always strong and confident, encouraging, supportive, understanding, compassionate, accepting and an incredible man of God-he is always there.
Tomorrow, he and his wife Vanessa will be welcoming their first baby, Jamisen into this beautiful world. My heart is ready to burst for them because I know what is in store for them. They have so much love and laughter to give, Jamisen is one blessed little girl to get to grow up with my brother as her Daddy!!!!!!!

Derrick- There are not many days that go by that I don't think of you, miss you, miss your big butt dancing, miss laughing with you. I feel like the luckiest girl in the world to have a brother like you and I just want you to know I love you and wish nothing but God's best on you this new year.
xox

I was 14 months and Derrick was 3 years old...

Look at him placing his hand on my cheek and givin me kisses:)))) March 1979

Sept. 1979.. I was 20 months and Derrick was almost 3 and a half.. again he wanted to hold my hand:))

me, Derrick, Janae and Blake with our Uncle Larry... This face is totally my brother's laugh still today!!

Easter of 1982,, I think.... hahha I get this face more NOW as an adult when I say something inappropriately:))))

and I don't expect anybody else to think this is funny, but one of my best memories was seeing this skit with Derrick and we both thought it was soooooooo funny... and just laughed forever....and this was where we started saying "your the devil"

http://s190.photobucket.com/albums/z1/sambazz07/?action=view&current=SNL-PhillipTheHyper-HypoKid-MikeMye.flv

What a wonderful world

2010-02-24T13:10:00.000-08:00

Our family is blessed to have the opportunity whenever we want, well most of the time anyway to go to Oregon and stay in Uncle Wayne and Aunt Judy's cabin. We don't go often enough, but every vacation spent there is fabulous. There is no radio, no tv, and sometimes you can get a signal on your phone for a few seconds. The nearest smallest little grocery store where they have one of everything which "everything" to them is not much :))) is about 45 miles away.... it's just splendid silence all around and there are no city lights to block the hundreds of stars! It's breathtaking! The cabin sits on about 300 acres (I think) :) and a huge pond sits to the side of the cabin. This last trip in November of 2009, the pond and the little creatures inside it became quite popular with the adults, not just the kids anymore. The kids since the first time we ever visited would spend days catching salamanders, fill their buckets up with water and take care and play with them... They are cute little things. It's a sad last day when we all have to say goodbye and the kids release them back to their home, the pond.
WELL, this year was a little different. While the kids were trying to rescue the salamanders, we (the adults:) were shooting at them. We had a 12 gauge shotgun, a 22 caliber and a couple of glocks!!!! Richie, Ray and Ryan were yelling "Pull" as salamanders are being thrown in the air and Ray just nailing them... Way to go Ray!!!!!!! :)

Misty, Danette and I both became pretty excited about the whole gun thing too, finger on the trigger ready to go, zoning in on the pond just waiting for a glimpse of one to come to surface and then BAM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! If u are reading this and thinking,,, omg how cruel.. well just remember the last time u stepped on a spider, or caught a fish and took it home and knifed it to death, or u swatted that annoying little fly, or slapped the mosquito on your shoulder,, i could go on for a while:))))))))))))) Whew, i'm sorry that was the midwest talking:))

Danette shootin on tin cans..

Let me warn u! First shot and this is what happened.............

:))))) I can't help my talent!

Here is a video of me shooting the 12 gauge which about knocked me off my feet!!!!! facebook.com/video/video.php?v=

Overall, our days there are so relaxing, alot of bonding time and before we leave, we usually are making plans to already come back. Looks like May of 2010, hopefull we will be going back!!

Dutch Bros, Coffee.. Its the best!!!

Shore Acres. Breathtaking!

Girls getting ready to hit the trails!!! There is always a fun story to tell after we are done:)

little salamanders in a temporary home...:)

alot of coloring happens while at the cabin

Noah got an early Christmas gift while there! and here he is in action!!

and who does'nt love a bonfire and roasted marshmallows????? :)

Ryan while taking care of sick me on Sunday and put together this video of this trip. It's a beautiful reminder of our time there and the love in our family!!!

Tv guide of the day

2010-02-21T21:39:00.000-08:00

UGK. the bug has hit me HARD.. Not sure if its bronchitis or what,, we'll see the dr. tomorrow. So, its 9:07, my pj's are still on, my hair looks like a bird nest and my makeup from last night (cause that's when it hit) looks disturbing:) Micah has a little cold too, so Ryan got to play Dr. Hottie and our own personal slave:))) Our Tv time was interesting today,, very interesting.....

I watched 20 minutes and Ryan just was'nt having it :(

Love the Olympics, but I can only watch people scoot, ski and race on white stuff for a short amount of time.;)

This man IS insane!!!!!

LOVE LOVE LOVE these kids, Ryan does'nt laugh out loud unless its really really funny and even he was laughing... Micah knew everybody's name and I have no idea where she learned that, it's our first time watching it:) I'm curious though, where are Carly's mom and dad?????? just wondering:)

Was able to sneak in an episode of one of my fav's while hubby went and got us lunch...

Makes me want to work in a toy store full of color and live zebras walking around:)

Repeats... love them.. Taking down one drug lord at a time:) This is how we closed our night,, well my night anyway:) Theraflu is about to kick in:) night. xox

Rehab created for me by me

2010-02-19T14:46:00.000-08:00

Time to be a little transparent and vulnerable.......ugk here it goes.......

April 2009- I remember the first day it all started. Micah was down for a nap, I flipped on the tv and just wanted to relax on the couch. But my body was not having it! I sat there and became so restless, i felt like everything was going black, my heart was pounding, felt confused and my breathing became shallow and a deep breath was no where to be found. These helpless feelings continued for weeks and eventually started hitting me at night. Most of the time I felt anxious, horrified, overwhelmed, irritable, confused, exhausted, sad, depressed.. soo many emotions and I felt I had lost total complete control over my body and mind...There were a few days where I remember thinking, I'm going to die today, this feeling has to be what people feel right before they just collapse and stop breathing..... Long story short, after about 10-12 visits to my dr and an ER visit, my actual Dr. not just the Physicians assistant looked at me and when she saw me in the state of mind I was in, she knew immediately I was having panic attacks. This is where it gets yuck. So, how do they control panic attacks?? Like any other illness or disorder, their answer is medication....... I absolutly love my Dr. Vails, she was very assuring to me that I was not going crazy, that I was going to get better and this was not the end for me! I can't say I'm 100% because most days I find myself reaching for at least one pill. I feel much better than I did, but i feel anxiety creeping up alot still. I'm trying my best to take it to God instead of my pill bottle, but thats difficult when that evil orange bottle holds a very quick "fix" and in all honesty it's an easy fix too. So, the sick part of me says, awww yes, pop that pill and everything looks good.... but I have this person in my life called a HUSBAND and he knows alot:) He is everything I'm not, I wish I could have a little of his strength, out look on life, ability to just put one foot in front of the other and trust we will be okay....... and then I have these God sent people called FAMILY & FRIENDS...who want the very best for me and have been amazingly supportive in my good and bad moments and picked me up many many times. I'm done with this season, I'm ready to punch anxiety and panic attacks in its throat.. (quote my good friend Cory) I'm out!!! It's time for rehab. Rehab created for me by me:) Many changes are coming with my eating habits, vitamin intake, etc. however I believe these top 4 are crucial and will jumpstart my heart, mind and body.

1. Quiet time- God says... Draw near to Him and He will draw near to us. That's what I'm going to do, I know it's simple, but I have never clinged to God with all my strength and not let go no matter what.

2. Golds Gym- Yeah I'm back in a real gym and these trainers are no joke. It's amazing to me what a hour of cardio, whether it's kickbox, zumba, or step does for my mind. Throw pilates in there where I am focusing on correct breathing and learning body awareness and I am starting to feel alive again.

3. Dr. Lee an acupuncturist is about to become my best friend..:))) I heard about him from Samantha, owner of Blue Tangerine Spa,,, He came here from China 20+ years ago to practice and seems to be very successful. We also will discuss some herbs that can assist in my coming off medication. Very excited!!! My first appointment is Monday, I will let you know how that goes:)

4. Blue Tangerine Spa-I got this very cool opportunity to start working for this spa right after Christmas. I get to play mrs. secretary everyday and I really love it. Samantha is the owner and genuinely super sweet! I get to receive facials every 3-4 weeks,, what's NOT TO LOVE about that????? So anyhow, Samantha is being very supportive and helpful as I begin this rehab journey and offered to do some detox wraps for me. I'm a little afraid my body is about to not know what is about to hit it!!!!!

My goal is by June 1st. I would love to hear any advice from anybody who has walked this road. Also, prayers would be great too.. Just tell God, I'm the one attached to his leg holding on and not letting go:)))

one of my talks with God..

2010-02-17T20:27:00.000-08:00

So, last wednesday I was driving back from having lunch with Ryan downtown. We had'nt even talked about Ryanblackfilms over lunch, but my mind became overwhelmed at just thinking of all there was to do, all the decisions to make,etc. I immediately took it to God out loud and every few minutes had to answer Micah questioning me "mommy, who are you talking to?" "I'm just talking to God, babydoll"... "Where is he?" she asked me.... and then I threw back my iphone to entertain her :))
I just prayed a simple prayer to God, we want you to ultimately be glorified in every project, that we would be wise and be able to discern when to say yes and when to say no (which is not easy for Ryan)... I asked God to send clients that are professional, legit:) and would pay my husband what he's worth,, pretty much that we not be taken advantage of:))) and asked God to give Ryan the confidence he lacks that only can come from Him. There were alot of requests going up:))
Later, that afternoon Ryan received 3 calls for work, an advertising Firm and 2 Pastors wanting to set up meetings with Ryan to discuss business!!!!!! AND THEN a few days ago Ryan informs me an intern position has opened up underneath Phillip Bloom, director/filmmaker...........http://philipbloom.co.uk/ The intern is not a long term thing, just so u know we are'nt moving away or anything....The experience Ryan would gain from this would be just incredible and I think fuel Ryan and his talent even more!!!! It is very safe to say Ryan is OBSESSED with this man and his work. So, anyway, we don't know yet if its a go, but I think it's cool the opportunity is there. We'll see where it takes us.... I'm just very excited for my husband and anxious to see what God does!!!
Romans 11:33-Message Translation--- says Everything comes from Him; Everything happens through Him; Everything ends up in Him. Always glory!! Always Praise!!
Website is in the works.. So far, here is the logo..

Goodbye cousins:(

2010-02-17T20:00:00.000-08:00

We just said goodbye to Aunt Jackie, Adrianna, Elijah and sweet baby Elaina this morning. They spent a good 4 weeks here so Micah pretty much had just thought they were here for good. She constantly played mommy to baby Elaina and a pretty good one too, I think, minus the part where she slightly bends down, pats her knees and "calls" elaina like she is our puppy;))) Elijah was a perfect partner in crime and seemed to just naturally fall into that title:)) and Micah found a new "best cousin" in Adrianna. Where Adrianna went, there was Micah choking her into a hug:) So, needless to say Micah is sad today and can't understand why they are'nt here to watch Monster or why she's having to jump off the couch all by herself:)
Of course, a house with a 6 year old, 4 year old, 3 year old and a 1 year old, there was plenty of crying, whining and not sharing!! There was alot of that, some days too much but it was fun and I loved seeing Micah have playmates and use her imagination with her cousins. I can't wait for the day when she has her own sister and brother. awwww ***sigh
While cousins from Italy were visiting, we had Ryan just shoot a few pics of the kids in their jammies. It has been a few years since we have pics of all of them so papa and grammie are loving these.

Happy Birthday Micah

2010-02-10T22:01:00.000-08:00

You're my life's one miracle
Everything I've done that's good
And you break my heart with tenderness
And I confess it's true
I never knew a love like this 'til you

You're the reason I was born
Now I finally know for sure
And I'm overwhelmed with happiness
So blessed to hold you close
The one that I love most
Though the future has so much for you in store
Who could ever love you more

The nearest thing to heaven
You're my angel from above
Only God creates such perfect love

When you smile AT me I cry
And to save your life I'd die
With a romance that is pure in heart
You are my dearest part
Whatever it requires
I live for your desires
Forget my own, your needs will come before
Who could ever love you more

There is nothing you could ever do
To make me stop loving you
And every breath I take
Is always for your sake
You sleep inside my dreams
And know for sure
Who could ever love you more

...Celine Dion

Surrender

2010-02-01T16:06:00.000-08:00

I can't believe a year has passed already. It kinda feels like it was just last week. There are'nt many weeks that go by that I don't think about what the baby would have been like, wonder the crazy name we would have ended up going with, would the baby have my husband's big head, my big ears, Dear God would he or she have my laugh, or how wonderful it would have been to see Micah be the big sister???????

It's still hard to understand, actually somewhere along the way I just stopped questioning and asking "God, why?" He says in several different ways throughout His word, that His ways are higher than ours, He gives and He takes away.............. I have to trust Him and know He has HUGE plans for my adorable cute little family. We desperately pray that soon,, any day now God, that He would bless me and my womb!!:) and right now we just surrender our desire to the one who makes it even possible for life to exist!!!

I was reading a devotional today and I'm not even lying when I say it touched on the story of Isaac, how he was born to Abraham and Sarah who, according to natural law, they could not bear children. And the author says God did that to make this point.............. No one joins My story in his or her own Power.

Taking my breath away..

2010-01-25T00:01:00.000-08:00

I love moments when God takes my breath away!! He did this morning during worship time and yep even when it involves the ugly cry face thingy that happens:) Seriously, though a song that I had'nt heard before was passionately sang and I just wept and let the words sink into my core. The worship leader shared a little of her own pain with having to grieve the absence of something in her life and how we all have had our circumstances in life that have caused us to grieve a loss. As I stood there, a movie played out in my head of all of the things I have grieved and continue to grieve over and then came the tears......I realize that grieving my losses in unhealthy ways has caused even more pain for me along with loneliness, isolation, depression, insecurities......well, it's a pretty long ugly list.
Not much more to say because this song is straight from the Word!!!!!!!! Song is "Made me Glad" by Hillsong and without a doubt has moved to the top of my ipod playlist!!!!!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Py4tgG-VteQ

I will bless the Lord forever
I will trust Him at all times
He has delivered me from all fear
He has set my feet upon a rock
I will not be moved
And I'll say of the Lord

You are my shield
My strength
My portion
Deliverer
My shelter
Strong tower
My very present help in time of need

Whom have I in heaven but You
There's none I desire besides You
You have made me glad
And I'll say of the Lord

You are my shield
My strength
My portion
Deliverer
My shelter
Strong tower
My very present help in time of need

And then God did it again,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,Yes, I am referring to the Colts winning today's game and now they are Superbowl bound baby!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I can't help it, I get soooooooooooooooooooooo very homesick when I watch them play and see all the blue and white sweatshirts, faces painted blue and white, all the fans cheering them on and that absolutely gorgeous stadium on the tv. This should be where I start impressing you with my football talk and sounding like I know what I mean when I say interception, huddle, kickoff, punt, field goal, safety, onside kick....... but seriously, i talk about a football game like Madea tells a Bible story!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! btw, please see I can do bad all by myself by Tyler Perry!!!!! It will make you, laugh, cry and laugh some more:)
Born and raised in Indianapolis was nothing exciting at all whatsoever! There is more than corn in Indiana and they have given downtown Indy circle a modern makeover the past few years and it's actually becoming a beautiful city. Does'nt matter though, cornfields on every side, horrific winters, tornadoes in spring, humidity as hot as u know where in the summer it will ALWAYS be my home and my heart will ALWAYS skip a beat when I see Manning and Colts on the big screen! GO COLTS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sweet Dreams

2010-01-23T18:20:00.000-08:00

Saying I'm sooooooo in love with everything about this bedroom is such an understatement... It is absolutely breathtaking. You may look at it and cringe, but this is sweet dreams to me.

Funny how...

2010-01-23T18:16:00.000-08:00

Sept.16, 2008

Funny how things work out. Never thought when we moved out of our first home we purchased in 2002 would we be moving back in, this time with my little girl. It's only a 2br 1 bath (yes, I said 1 bath). very quaint little home. When we lived there 4 years ago, we were in the middle of some of the most intense invasive infertility treatment. Desperation, Fear, Loneliness and Hopelessness surrounded me in this house. There was this one night that I remember. My dr. had called said nothing took and I again felt let down and was left questioning God. I sat in the 2nd bedroom and just cried my eyes out thinking I'll never know what it's like to have a crib in this room. I'll never be able to fall asleep in the room RIGHT next door knowing that should my child have a bad dream, I can be there in a second at their side. The closet was empty and always would be was my fear. I could go on and on, but most of you know our story already. So,
long sob story short,, here we are 3 and a half years later with our beautiful daughter moving back in to our charming little home. but no crib and I'm okay with that right now. :)

Also, we decided there was quite a bit that needed to be made over, so I've been taking before and after pictures as things get done........

The greatest show on earth

2010-01-23T18:14:00.000-08:00

Sept 13, 2008

CIRCUS DAY!!! It's my 1st time at the circus. Seriously, I know sad huh?
Omg, amazing. There was soo much going at the same time. Men twirling in ways they should'nt, elephants bowing, dogs leaping, motorcycle on a wire about 100 ft. up with a lady dangling below it, people bouncing around on these gigantic inner tube tire like things, omg, did I mention the munching of popcorn around me was INSANE!!!!!! :) Almost sent me to my dark place. We had a fun time though, Micah was amazed and I think picked up on some new acrobat tricks.. little scared bout that..

Happy Birthday USA

2010-01-23T18:03:00.000-08:00

July 4, 2008

July 4,, seriously one of my favorite days. I forget often how frekin blessed I am to live in America and able to enjoy what it has to offer! We as we do every year went to Elk Grove Park with all the family to watch fireworks.. Danette made all the girls patriotic skirts this year and Micah paraded around in hers very proud!!!!! and thanks to my husband, we have pre-show entertainment. We usually get seats right at the gate, smack dab underneath the fireworks.... Omg this year, it's like they were going to burn us as they fell! It felt like we could almost touch them. They had the Lee Greenwood song playing, "Proud to be an American" during the fireworks and I became soooooo emotional. The tears were fallin and I thought my heart was going to explode with happiness!! Everybody was clapping, people were shouting, I could hear whistles.. I just have never been more proud to be an American than that night!
Thank you to all who have served our country in uniform, especially those in my life. Dad, Richie, Jeff and of course my husband-thank you for all your sacrifices! You are loved (yes, even you dad) :)

If tomorrow all the things were gone,
I’d worked for all my life.
And I had to start again,
with just my children and my wife.

I’d thank my lucky stars,
to be livin here today.
‘ Cause the flag still stands for freedom,
and they can’t take that away.

And I’m proud to be an American,
where at least I know I’m free.
And I wont forget the men who died,
who gave that right to me.

And I gladly stand up,
next to you and defend her still today.
‘ Cause there ain’t no doubt I love this land,
God bless the USA.

From the lakes of Minnesota,
to the hills of Tennessee.
Across the plains of Texas,
From sea to shining sea.

From Detroit down to Houston,
and New York to L.A.
Well there's pride in every American heart,
and its time we stand and say.

That I’m proud to be an American,
where at least I know I’m free.
And I wont forget the men who died,
who gave that right to me.

And I gladly stand up,
next to you and defend her still today.
‘ Cause there ain’t no doubt I love this land,
God bless the USA.

And I’m proud to be and American,
where at least I know I’m free.
And I wont forget the men who died,
who gave that right to me.

And I gladly stand up,
next to you and defend her still today.
‘ Cause there ain’t no doubt I love this land,
God bless the USA.

His Grace is Enough

2010-01-23T18:02:00.000-08:00

March 14, 2006
His grace is enough!!!!!! How Great is Our God.. These songs have never been more true in my life than they are today. God worked a miracle and Micah is back home in our arms. God-YOU ROCK!!!! How could anybody deny His power and love and grace and mercy? He's incredible and I'm in awe.
This is the happiest day of our life, talking of daddy and I. Micah-we thought we had lost you forever and our hearts were crushed. I pray that you never never have to experience the physical pain I felt last night as I sat in your room and just wept. I held your blanket close to my face all night and just sobbed and prayed. I physically ached to hold you. I love you with every breath….but it's amazing to think that God loves you even more and He is using you to touch soooooo many hearts.. You would'nt believe all the people across the United States that are praying for you Micah, Kendra your birthmom and your daddy and I. So many people spent the whole night on their face before God asking him for a miracle to bring you back home to daddy and I. You are a testimony of the Power of prayer and your daddy and I will never forget it. We dedicated you to God with your papa and grammy before we took you to Kendra on March 13th. We knew that you were in the hands of God which are much bigger than ours. As much as I hoped and trusted God that I would hold you again,, it's very surreal at this moment to have you back in your bassinet besides mommy and daddy's bed. I get to see you first thing in the morning and my heart is bursting with happiness. Your daddy and I love each other more than we ever have, Your dad is an incredible man of God and he has been a rock for me. We have drawn closer to each other in the past 24 hours and have prayed together more than we ever have. We committed to each other tonight to pray every night with you before bedtime and together when we go to bed. And to pray with the same passion that we have the past 24 hours. Micah, never underestimate the power of prayer. God is listening and your living proof that God is Almighty and is in control of all!!!!!
I can't type anymore, because I just want to lie next to you and feel you breathe and watch you sleep. I love you precious baby! We give you to God and trust Him and His will for your Life!!!!!!xoxoxoxo Sweet dreams

Such Love

2010-01-23T17:56:00.000-08:00

March 13, 2006

My heart has been shattered into a million pieces. Micah, we may have had to place you back in the arms of your birthmom, but I am still your mommy in my heart and you are my baby girl! I miss you,, I can smell you and everytime I close my eyes I can see you and your smile that melts my heart. I want you in my arms Micah….. This is killing me and your daddy. I don't know why Kendra is doing this, but your daddy and I gave you to God and His hands are bigger than ours. It's hard to imagine, but he loves you more than we do. We are praying for a MIRACLE Micah, a miracle that God would change the situation. Not for us, but for His glory. So that people may see that in the midst of somebody's nightmare, God is working and HIS plan will come to pass. I pray with all my heart and every breath that I hold you again Micah. This hurts soo much I can't describe it, I feel like I'm dying a little bit each minute without you. Please know that if I never see you again, i have never experienced such love as this. xo

Re-do!!

2010-01-23T17:49:00.000-08:00

So, somehow I locked myself out of my old blog account and apparently, the help center can't help me retrieve my login and password... Sooo strange, makes me feel crazy that I can't figure out my login and password.. I just know it's what I'm typing... Sooo anyway, I will re posting blogs from the past......

Dear blog, I love you then I hate you!

2010-01-23T17:47:00.000-08:00

So, it's true.. I have a love/hate relationship with my blog. Why?????? Here are a few reasons.....

1. I think I'm really a bad writer.

2. I just spent a whole hour trying to get a very cute black and white damask background up and obviously it's not there. I can't figure out gadgets, widgets or any of the blog language. Oh, and I can't get my previously blogs all the same font color!!!! FOR THE LOVE!!!!!!!

3. I HATE being a copycat, so I'm trying to not duplicate any of my friend's blog material:)

4. What am I trying to say again in a blog anyway??????????????????

So, those are just a few reasons why i'm breaking out in hives right now as I type this. However, I'm going to push through and just express myself through my keys... I'm hoping this will be therapeutic,, I could use some free therapy:)