Thursday's Things

Today's Thursdays Things list is dedicated to my wonderful husband. Really, he doesn't get the credit he deserves. In her book, Multiple Blessings, Kate Gosselin talks about how many women are impressed with men who treat them to fancy dinners, jewelry, etc. while she loves her husband because he willingly bathes all 8 of their children after a full day of work himself. To that I say, AMEN! I may only have half as many kids, but I am equally impressed by my man! so here's the list

Things I love about Donnie:

1.He puts God first in his life, our marriage and in front of our children.
2.He prays daily for all of us.
3.He loves me completely, without wishing I was different in any way.
4.He is patient and gentle, careful not to hurt feelings, but not sparing them when it comes to what is right.
5.He is a man of integrity. What he does is not always popular, but it is always right.
6.He is a great story teller.
7.He will drop everything to take care of me when I'm sick.
8.He complements me well. Where I will rush into a million tasks at once, he will make me step back and examine what I'm doing. In essence he is protecting me and our family.
9.He is a wonderful son. He checks on his parents daily and values their opinion.
10.He has afforded me the privilege of staying at home with our children by working extra hard and sometimes, extra long.
11.He never complains, 'nough said.
12.He is funny and makes me laugh til I cry or pee myself, usually both.
13.He is a very hands on dad. He will jump in and do homework, help with baths, tuck them in, whatever needs doing.
14.He likes things neat and orderly but is not demanding about it and doesn't fuss when it is not.
15.He cleans, too.
16.He rebuilt our house, while having to do 2 others to generate income, ran a campaign for local office, welcomed a third child into the world, all this in addition to day to day stuff.
17.He has always gotten up at night when the kids were babies and did whatever he could to help - every night.
18.He shares insight with me from things he has read or heard to help in my spiritual growth.
19.He talks - turns the TV off, gets away from the computer - and talks.
20.He listens.
21.He is God's gift, a fleshly reminder of His love for me.

I could go on and on, but I'm not sure anyone would have time to read it all if I kept going. You get the picture. He is awesome! Love you, babe!

The Best Way to Spend a Rainy Wednesday

9:30 am Still in pajamas and making cupcakes in the Cupcake Maker!


Stirrin' it up!



Add icing...



...and sprinkles!



Enjoy cupcake...



...and a few extra sprinkles!



all the while baby bubba watches!


Side note: If you are going to cheat on your diet, the microwaved cupcake is not be the way to go, but at least we had fun!

Thursday's Things

I am starting a new thing on here, at least, I'm trying to. Thursday's Things will be posted, if all goes well, each Thursday and will be a list of things that I've thought about throughout the week. Today Thursday's Things is Things Heard 'Round the House both funny and sweet.

Regarding friendship
A conversation between Corey and Hannah while playing outside in the snow-
Corey: C'Mon, Hannah, slide down and I'll be your friend.
Hannah: We're already friends.

From Allie to Rayden: Hey, Buddy! I missed ya!

From Corey to Jon Tyler: You're my best buddy ever!

And one funny to finish out the day -
Corey's reaction to having to wear a sweater to school: I can't wear that. All my friends will say, "Hello, He's got on his dork costume!"

Snow Days Past and Present

We woke up to this wonderful sight this morning! School was, of course, cancelled.


So the children quickly assumed this position and began demanding to go out in it.



After a quick pose just to say we capture Jon Tyler's first snow, the fun began.


There was joy and glee for some who don't really remember getting to play in the snow,


attempts to build a snowman,


and plenty of snowballs.


What snow day would be complete without snow angels, which each attempted to make. They turned out more like snow-grass angels, but they were still fun!



All this snow made me nostalgic for snowfalls of the past. I lived here several years before getting a taste of a large snowfall. It was a crazy week of ice and snow, the week before and of Hannah's due date. School was cancelled for 6 days! SIX! We had snowball fights, neighbors over - it was glorious! We even had to shovel snow with a shovel that was left when we bought our house. I wondered then why we kept it, but here's why.



Here's how I looked during that snowfall. And not one to miss out on the fun, I participated in the neighborhood snowball fight even then.



A few years later it snowed heavily again. The most snow I'd seen. Period. I stuck a ruler in the yard and took a picture which I can't find now, of course. I'll probably run across it in August and I'll post it then just for fun. Here are a few pics of that snowfall, but the best memories I have of that are not in photographs. It is of taking a then 4 year old Hannah sledding - a first for both of us. Thankfully she still remembers it, too, and I hope she always will.

Today I am blessed

I've struggled with how to start this today, but I have been blessed today to have healthy, happy kids. One of my best friends had her baby Monday a few weeks early and she started out on a ventilator. She is doing much better now and off the vent. Her parents have gotten to hold her and I praise God for answered prayers on her behalf. Another family in our area is grieving the loss of their newborn to a heart condition. I do not know the couple personally, only some of the family members, but my heart hurts for them. I can't help but think, because Jon Tyler is only a few months older than she was, of the times our paths could possible have crossed. Would they have attended preschool together, been in the same class in grade school, or played sports together? I also ran across this blog today, the story of Magdalena at http://noahandjulieroberts.blogspot.com, another precious baby who died far too soon. She had Trisomy 18 and her parents knew her chances of survival were almost none outside the womb. It was heartbreaking to read a post entitled "Happy 120 days" because they knew most likely, they would never get to post one entitled "Happy 1st Birthday." To me that seems like the cruelest of things for a mother to go through - to know that her child is safe within her, alive and moving, but will not survive on the outside and yet be powerless to stop that baby from being born. When it comes down to it, though, we are all essentially powerless to really protect our children. We can teach them to stay away from dangerous situations, guard them from accidents, and pray for their health and safety, but ultimately God is responsible for them. What a relief that it's not all up to me! I don't know why He chooses to take some children home before they ever get to live, and I don't question that. Today I was just reminded that everything pales in comparison to having healthy, happy kids and I never again want to take that for granted.

Laundry Ponderings

I am having issues with my laundry and the amount of it, particularly in winter. I know I shouldn't complain, after all I live in the South, so winter clothes here are probably scoffed at my some Northerners. But they take up too much space in the laundry room and by the time I get them all washed and put away, it is time to start again. In fact, most of the time, I have to clean my laundry room before I can wash clothes.

I think I'm on to something so big, I'm afraid to post it. I'm afraid someone will steal my idea. What the heck, I don't care. Because this is really to help my fellow laundry doers anyway. So here goes.

There is something wrong with laundry rooms across America. They are too small. I noticed in some houses I've been in lately that mudrooms are bigger and closets are enormous. I've seen some houses where the closets were as big as the bedroom. In fact, at a friends house recently I noticed that with furniture in the bedroom, the closet actually had more floor space. Meanwhile, laundry rooms barely have enough room for the washer and dryer. I think this is the solution. Bigger laundry rooms. I know you think I'm a genius. I mean REALLY big laundry rooms. Each person in the family would have their own dressing area (partitioned off just like a store) with a dresser and a hanging rod. Think of the potential. The kids come down in the morning, take off their jammies and get dressed. At night before bathtime, kids take off their clothes, get a bath, return to the dressing room and get dressed for bed. Other than a small amount of streaking from dressing room to bathroom, the plan is brilliant. Never again would I have to journey upstairs, dig clothes from under beds and behind doors. Never again would I have clothes folded for days and not put away. I could put them away right there in the same room. I can't believe nobody has come up with this, especially crazy people who have lots of kids (not that I have been accused of this). It's freakin' genius. Remember, you heard it hear first.