I Was Tagged :)

Okay, so here I go, posting twice in one day again... I was tagged though and figured I better do this before I forget. lol. Jamie T. tagged me and I have to post six random facts about myself... do I know myself that well?! haha.

okay here i go.

1. My right foot is a half size BIGGER than my left foot... it's VERY noticeable and sometimes causes problems when I try to buy shoes... somehow they always notice when I put different sizes in the box though ;) j/k, i never really tried that, but have thought about it! maybe i could join the circus....

2. The only time I've ever weighed over 100 lbs is when I was pregnant w/ Brycen and I got up to 112, before you all go hating me though, it's b/c I'm only FOUR FEET NINE INCHES TALL. that's almost a legal little person!

3. I laugh at totally random things during movies. My husband gets sooo embarrassed to go to the theater w/ me or very annoyed watching movies at home w/ me b/c I don't actually laugh that much at the REALLY funny parts but somehow double over w/ laughter at the parts other people just chuckle at or don't even smirk! haha. I have no idea why this is, guess it's just how I'm wired. Ryan actually got up and went to the bathroom at the theater once b/c I could not stop laughing and he was so embarrassed! The harder I try to stop the more I laugh!

4. I remember dates and phone numbers like it's my job, but I'm not too good at math... I remember phone numbers of people I haven't called since 3rd grade and everyone's birthday I think I've ever known! Sometimes I wonder why this totally useless information is still taking up space in my brain (when I really need that space these days!).

5. I always wanted to be a nurse, from the time I was a little girl all through school and I completed a year and half of nursing school... I was a semester away from being done when I quit... Now I realize how stupid that was! I should of finished but decided for some reason that I wanted to do something else. I now have my degree in Criminal Justice/Paralegal and actually really love my job, but would like to finish up my last semester sometime b/c I still love nursing and would actually like to do something to combine my law & medical knowledge!

6. I love love love to read and get totally into the books! My family always called me a nerd b/c I loved to read so much & Ryan still makes fun of me! It's okay though, I really feel like I have learned a lot from reading so much! Since my senior year in high school I've been reading inspirational fiction. There was a girl in my class who also loved to read, we didn't have much else in common but we always talked books and she introduced me to Beverly Lewis and my love for inspirational fiction has grown from there! I love Karen Kingsbury and a few others, but am always looking for new books or authors so leave me your suggestions :)

I Tag... Brianne D., Courtney O., Kristen D., Tera K., Desiree K., and Shannon Smith (sorry, I know your blog is about cooking, but I still want you to do it :))

Forgiveness

Did anyone watch Oprah yesterday? I'm not normally a big Oprah fan, but yesterday it got turned on while I made supper and I quickly became absorbed into it. It started out by talking about this wonderful little family of four. It consisted of the two parents (married for, I believe 26 years) and two brothers. It described them as a close family & their house being the house to hang out at for all the neighborhood kids. Sounds like your ideal little American family... It then went into the eldest son was graduating from college and they all went out for a family dinner & his parents gave him a Rolex for his graduation gift they all come home and when they walk in the front door there were 4 shots fired. Each family member was hit by one shot. The eldest boy called 911 saying he had been shot. The mother and youngest son later died at the hospital. The father and eldest son survived. (I promise I'm going somewhere w/ this!). The father, that very night, after learning his wife and son didn't survive, vowed to forgive whoever had done this. WOW. That's a pretty big statement to make when you're amidst a crisis like that. Those are also easy words to say, not as easy to live out. Anyway, to make a long story shorter, come to find out, the eldest son had been the mastermind behind killing his family. That gives me chills just thinking about it. They did not say that he was guilty until about (don't quote me on this) a year after the murders. He lived w/ his father for seven months after it took place. He was arrested and found guilty of both the murders of his mother and brother. Now remember, his father had vowed the very night of the murders to forgive whoever had done this... not knowing it could be his very own son that had plotted and planned and been behind this. I can't imagine and don't really want to how tough that would be on the dad. He said that of course he went through the stages of grief and that he was angry at his son after he found out, but ultimately he was a man of the Lord and he knew that God CALLED HIM to forgive whoever it was, yes, even his son. I just thought this was such a powerful message. I know that we all struggle with forgivness and holding grudges at times and I just think that if this man can forgive his son, who murdered his wife and other son, why should I be mad at the person who cuts me off in traffic or a family member who hurts my feelings... those things are so trivial, even if at the time, it seems like a big deal. This dad was right, God does call us to forgive each other and not to hold grudges. I'm not sure if I'm making a lot of sense in this post... His story just really touched me, b/c I can't imagine if someone murdered my son or my husband how I could forgive the person. He also stated that he didn't forgive him on his own that only w/ God's help was he able to forgive. I think that is where we get off track a lot of times is when we try to solve the problem on our own or take all the hurt and hide it inside ourselves instead of just giving it all to Him, handing it over to God and letting him deal w/ it and asking for His help. I want to be the person who can give it ALL to Him. I know that I want and need and should do this, but I also know that I catch myself pulling certain things back and trying to solve problems on my own. Daily, hourly even I have to remind myself to give things to the Lord. This man is such an awesome example of that. He does have a book, titled "Murder by Family" and his name is Kent Whitaker. His last comment on the show was something like, "I had to forgive him b/c there is freedom in forgiveness. While I'm still here, I have living left to do, and I'm excited about life!" That was such a powerful statement. We never know when our last moment here on Earth so I challenge you, that if you have forgiveness to give to someone, do it today! There was also a statement made on the show about how forgiveness is actually for the person doing the forgiving, it's how they find the freedom they need. It's not about saying you agree or what the person did was right, but it's just about saying you forgive them and you're free of that burden now.

The Weekend

So I'm not big on posting twice in one day, but if I don't then I'll probably forget what we did over the weekend! Some days I think the baby is sucking my brains out! :) Friday night Ryan's sister and her husband and their three kids came over. We had pizza & just hung out. The kids love playing together. Miss Mya Faith is 6 1/2 months old now and she is too cute! She's a petite little thing and she looks so cute crawling and sitting up! I love my nieces and nephew so much! Saturday morning we got up and Ryan was determined to get something done around the house (which I was fine with, but just nervous about what he had up his sleeve!). I had bought the paint like two months ago for our family room and it's just been a project we've put off and put off b/c we didn't want to tackle it, I knew it was going to be a mess... The room is a disaster now b/c everything is in the middle of it & Brycen played out there while we were painting sooo... anyway, we got it painted.... Ryan decided in the middle of our project that we need new trim and crown. I'm all for this, b/c what is in there is dated, BUT, I also know how my wood working projects always get put LAST, since I'm the non-paying customer! This one is going to have to get done soon though, b/c we can't put everything back in place until it's put back up! ANyway, I love love love the color of the paint! It makes the room look more homey & it really needed it! I want to get it all done b/c poor Brycen is getting kicked out of his toy room & since we find out what we're having next week I want to get the baby room started! I'm getting so excited to start on it! Anyway, the painting and everything was an all day project! That evening we went to my mom's to tell my Uncle Dan & Aunt Barb bye. They've been here for over a month, but it never seems long enough! Brycen was really sad to see them go! He says we have to go to Arizona soon to see them! :) Yesterday we went to church & then to eat at Mr. Gatti's (I was craving Taco Bell, but I was out voted!). After that we had to go to Wal-Mart... Ewww! I know, I say that EVERY week! We came home and all took naps and then just hung out last night. The weather was beautiful and it was fun to just sit outside and watch B play.

Sad news from the weekend is that our dog, Aggie (the one I ran over and then was fine...) yah, well she got ate by a coyote.... poor thing. Poor Brycen has been so upset. The got the corn out of the field Thursday night and that's when it happened. We knew those dumb coyotes came up really close to our house, and Aggie was the fiesty one of the two dogs, but it's just so sad :(. Izzie, is really a "clingy" dog now. She was already the quiet one & now she is terrified to be left alone and will hardly leave the front porch. Brycen has been giving her extra loving though!

Oh How He Makes Me Laugh!

So, as we were sitting on the couch on Saturday looking at Brycen's VeggieTales coloring book and talking about the stories each picture portrays and talking about all the characters on VeggieTales. We have a couple of the movies and he always really likes them... Either I'm deaf or I've just never noticed what he has been calling them. I said, "Brycen do you like the VeggieTales?" And Brycen said, "Yes, Mama, I loooovvvvveeeeee the WedgieTales!" I thought to myself, surely I heard him wrong. So I said, "You love the what?" And he said, "THE WEDGIETALES!" Oh, trying to contain my laughter was hard work! I said you mean the V-V-Veggie tales? And he said, "That's what I said!!" Soooo sweet! :)

How Do We Get To Heaven? And My Book Reviews...

On the way to school this morning Brycen asked me, "How do we get up to Heaven?" While I was thinking about what he meant, he answered his own question.... He said, "Hey Momma, I bet God has a big huge race car that goes really fast and a hundred people can fit in it, and that's how we get up to Heaven!" All I could say was, "Wow... you think so?!" while I hid my smile.

P.S. The new books last night were a hit! One is called "The New Bear At School." It was really good, fun to read, and great pictures, but it also had a great story line. It was about a new bear coming to class and how the kids treated him not very nice, b/c he was different, but in the end they all ended up being great friends b/c they gave him a chance. This story was great to talk about w/ Brycen b/c a couple new kids started at his pre-school and has made some comments like, "Me & Joey, or Me and whoever are already friends and play together so we didn't want ____(insert new kids name here) to play." I tried talking to him about how this wasn't very nice, but I think the book did more good for him to see how that hurt the new kids feelings (it had a picture of the big bear crying!). The other one is "Three Little Fishies and The Big Bad Shark"... we didn't order this one but they were out of the one we did so this was the replacement. It's a different version of The Big Bad Wolf! Brycen liked it and it had good pictures! Okay, enough of my book reviews! Hope ya'll have a great weekend!

Our Week So Far...

This week has been pretty relaxed around our house! It has been a nice slower pace for a change! We have been playing outside every evening, for most of the evening. Brycen lovesss riding his battery powered Hummer so he's been getting a lot of that in! Tuesday night I made supper for my friend Megan at work. She had her baby last Thursday and got home from the hospital on Monday. Ryan mowed and then we went to take them supper. I got to love on Baby Aaron a little bit while the guys talked hunting :) Brycen surprised us while we were there, by saying, "We live in the United States of America, and other people live in Mexico." (his first week of pre-school they did a unit on Mexico). His teacher is a huge on missions and she goes to Mexico quite a bit, he learned so much! He then started reciting the Pledge of Allegiance! Of course he doesn't know the whole thing, but he does know quite a bit! I was giddy w/ excitement, that yes, he is actually learning something at school! When I push him and try to get out of him things they have learned he is very open and doesn't seem to want to talk about it, I was beginning to wonder if he was learning anything at all! Lately, it seems if I just don't ask him too much, later on in the evening he starts sharing a lot more! I love it! I get all excited over everything he tells me! I'm just sooo proud of him! I think Ryan thinks I'm a bit of a nut at times! Anyway- I haven't been putting much on here about what B is learning at school and his funny stories so I want to do that more! At school they also earn a toucan bird when they can spell their name audibly and then they earn feathers on it for learning other things such as birthday, phone number, counting to 12, shapes, colors, address, etc... They just started on the bird last week and focus on one thing a week I think... (adjusted for each child's pace, b/c some of the kids are only 3 and some are 4 and some are even 5!). Brycen got a feather this week for knowing his birthdate! He should earn his fairly quickly b/c he already can count to 12, knows his shapes, colors, and phone number... it's the address and writing his name we have to work on! He has no interest what so ever in actually writing his name! I've tried to work w/ him, but he just doesn't want to do it at all! I asked his teacher what she thought and she said, "Let him be a kid, he's only 3, he will learn it by the time he needs to!" She made me feel much better about it, knowing she thought I was doing the right thing by not pushing him... kids already have to grow up so fast! Of course we want him to do well and excel, but I want him to ENJOY learning too. Yesterday was my day off. I didn't get too much done... just some laundry & then I ate out for lunch at the Chinese restaurant w/ a friend. Actually, Brycen's best friend, Joey, his mom. She is having a baby on Saturday, so we wanted to eat lunch out together one last time before the baby makes her debut! Then I went shopping for a baby gift for little Jessa Marie and also had to get Joey a monster truck... we'll call that, "a big brother gift!". I'm glad that him and Brycen will get to share the whole "being a big brother" thing too! They are like twins I think. They are only 2 1/2 weeks apart and they are inseparable! They go to daycare/preschool together every day and if one of them misses the teacher said the other one mopes around all day like a lost puppy! Yesterday I also pulled out the maternity clothes. Not sure I'm real happy about that, being able to wear them at only 4 months along, but I guess it does give me a bigger wardrobe then what I've had the past month or so! Ryan started calling me "mommy butt" b/c he said maternity pants give you a "mommy butt".... he isn't nearly as funny as he thinks he is! haha. Oh yah, and Tuesday Brycen poked my back (guess I'm getting back/hip fat, eewww) and said "hey mommy, you're getting a baby back here too." Yah, not what I wanted to hear at 7am! It was so innocent, but man, hard on my self esteem! haha. Last night mostly consisted of playing, playing, and playing some more w/ Brycen! It was fun and relaxing, he never fails to make me laugh! Today was picture day at B's school. When I went to take something by there this afternoon before lunch they said he did good for his pictures! Also, his books came in from scholastic so I was able to pick those up. I'm looking forward to reading those w/ him tonight! I'm a huge fan of reading, but I get tired of reading the same books to him all the time! Hopefully, he will like the new ones he picked out and we can read them for awhile! I'm looking forward to tomorrow being Friday. Tomorrow night my sister in law and her hubby and my nieces and nephew are coming to visit, that will be fun! We don't see them nearly as much as we'd like to and B has been missing his cousins! The rest of the weekend is pretty open and I'm hoping to get stuff done around the house... we'll see! haha.

Update On My Papaw

I have a longer post coming to update you on our week so far, but wanted to let everyone know that my Papaw is doing better. He did get released last night and made it home safely. The found out that the bleeding was being caused by a bleeding ulcer. They were able to get it stopped and will just continue to monitor that. The poor guy just can't seem to catch a break! We are thankful that he is already feeling much better after a blood transfusion (he had lost quite a lot of blood). Thank you all so much for your prayers! If I can ever return all the favors for all the praying you guys have done for me (i.e. baby, papaw, etc...) PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE let me know!