Christmas pics

Here are some Christmas pics...I can't figure out how to make the pics go below the words dangit!! So there are no captions....sorry :(

Wiped out

We had our last Christmas gathering tonight and I am exhausted! Tomorrow should be a nice relaxing day...but not happening. I am going to psych myself out to get everything all cleaned up nice like it was Christmas Eve. Before the chaos happened....well, before Santa appeared, and we had numerous items strewn about the living room and I started cooking for Christmas with my mom...my kitchen is such a disaster...and I hate cleaning the kitchen....wish me luck. I will hopefully finish early enough to download my pictures tomorrow :)

Luckily, if I don't finish completely tomorrow like I plan, this week is a short week so yippee!! I am off Wednesday, Thursday and Friday again this week for New Years. I am getting spoiled with the short weeks ;)

My best Christmas ever.

I needed a holiday like today. When I think about the last 48 hours, I literally want to cry because it makes me so happy.

I am fortunate in that my office is only working Monday and Tuesday of this week and next week and I have so looked forward to it.

Christmas Eve we had so much rain that it shut alot of places around here down. It was ridiculous. My kids stayed with their aunt the night before so hubby and I were alone all day. We got the house cleaned up and ran a few errands.

That night the kids got home right at dark. We packed up and went to Wendy's and got drive thru and rented a movie from RedBox. We came home and watched our movie and tracked SAnta. The kids went to bed and of course Santa came by and left them exactly what they wanted. Playstation 2 for my son and baking stuff for my daughter. :0)

Today was so wonderful. We all got everything we wanted for Christmas and we spent today relaxing and having fun. Shanna and I spent most of the afternoon in the kitchen baking and cooking for dinner tomorrow with my mother. Those are memories I will take with me forever.

Merry Christmas everyone!!

Best. Friday. Ever.

Not many people are blessed enough to have a boss like mine. Or coworkers. Today, instead of going to work, we met up at 8:00 a.m. and drove to Texarkana to do some shopping. All day. I got home at almost 10:00 p.m.!! I had an absolute blast. We ate breakfast on the way out, had lunch (which included the largest margaritas ever and neither my boss nor myself are much of a drinker so we had a pretty good buzz) and we laughed and talked and goofed off and shopped and had the best time. We are planning on doing it next year but it will be probably be somewhere else and we will likely stay the night. We will see. It will be like a girls time out. Loved it. It was very very much needed.

Oh, and in case you didn't get the memo...CHRISTMAS IS A WEEK AWAY!! WOO HOO!!

So this is Christmas...

Christmas is almost here!! YAY!! I love this time of the year. The magic, the miracles, the happiness, the general feeling of the Season. God is good. Its just so important to me that my children understand its not about the presents, even though we do get into that, but more importantly about celebrating life. We are celebrating the most important birthday in our lives. The birth of Jesus Christ. We are celebrating the most miraculous things in our live and spending time with our families and that is the most important thing in the world to me. I have so many people I know suffering and I have seen miracles happen this holiday season to those that mean so much to me. So remember to remember THE REASON FOR THE SEASON. Merry Christmas all!!

Happiness.

I came home today to a mostly clean home...and the sound of CCR blaring on the stereo and my husband and kids squealing and laughing and running around and Toby, who was groomed today and looking so fab and smelling wonderful, running all spastic everywhere.

The scene could not be more perfect. I am so thankful for my wonderful, happy family. We have our moments, but I wouldn't trade one of those moments for all the material things in the world.

Oh, and what makes today even more perfect? I got a cute new purse ;0)

Well, theres been alot...

I know I have a lot of catching up to do. There has been so much going on.

I know I didn't do my list of thankfuls for Thanksgiving so I think I am going to spend my next couple of posts listing what I am thankful for.

For this post, I am going to focus on health. There is so many bad things going on around me with people in my life I truly care about that I have realized this year, I have so much to be thankful for regarding the health of my family.

My Grandmother, who is very very near and dear to my heart is in bad health. To the point that my mother left almost a month ago to take care of her. It has been very wierd with my mother gone, but I am glad she is there in California taking care of her. My Grams is one of my best friends and I don't think I could handle anything happening to her.

My cousin, Ashley, had a baby November 7th. When Carly was 10 days old she was rushed by ambulance and admitted into the hospital. They found a blood clot in the center of her brain. She had several teams of doctors taking care of her and after many many prayers and about 2 weeks (or more) in the hospital she is now finally home. They are hoping that the blood clot will dissolve on its own. She is not completely out of the woods and has some issues but hopefully will pull through all of them. This is Ashley and Jason's first child and she is so beautiful. Ashley and Jason are truly beautiful people, both inside and out, and I hate that they have experienced this. No mother or father should ever have to deal with the reality of possibly losing their child. I am a firm believer in that, but I am an even firmer believer that God has a reason for everything and all works out according to his plan. This is the season for miracles and rejoicing and I hope that their first Christmas with their daughter is a magical one and a happy one and the first of many many wonderful holidays with their new family. PLease remember this family in your prayers.

A good friend of mine, also named Ashley, has spent the last 11 days in the hospital with her husband. He had pneumonia, lungs full of fluid, a hole in his lung and other issues. They spent Thanksgiving in the hospital and it looks like their anniversary will be spent there as well. They have three small children, two of which are friends of my children. I hate that they have started the holidays there and I ask that you remember their family as well in your prayers. They are a beautiful family and truly special people who have had so much to deal with this year. I am positive and hopeful that they will be out of the hospital soon and Scotty will make a full and complete recovery.

Tonight, I spent about an hour and a half in the Emergency Room with my brother, sister and their baby girl, Braylee, who is eleven months old. Braylee has pneumonia and she was so extremely fussy. She did not feel good, was weezing and having trouble breathing. Jake and Deslee were so frustrated that they could not calm her down and you could tell they were both just so so exhausted. The doctors gave her a breathing treatment and an inhaler to take home. They also gave her some medicine to help her sleep so that Jake and Deslee could get some sleep as well. I was so happy to be there to be able to hold Braylee and tend to her so that Deslee and Jake could just take a break. You know how frustrated you tend to get when you can't fix your child and all they do is scream and cry and I was happy to be there to alievate some of the frustration. Braylee will be fine but for now the poor baby is miserable and her parents are in need of some rest. It still broke my heart to see my baby girl so fussy and I felt so bad for my brother and sister. I remember when my kids were babies and that overwhelming feeling that you were not doing something right because you could not fix it immediately and I hated seeing them experience that themselves.

I know that there is more than this, but for now, these are the main things that come to mind. For these reasons, I am so thankful that the most I have had to worry about is my daughter getting a persistent cough and runny nose. Nothing that a little cold n cough tylenol and mucinex couldn't fix. With Carson's chronic asthma, this time of year is usually pretty tough on us. Luckily, we have him on a strict and very effective asthma regimen that seems to be working extremely well.

With all the health issues I had from May to August, I have honestly never felt better. I am so happy that the surgery I had in August was so successful. If I had realized that was my problem sooner, I would have had it all done immediately.

Derek's neck doesn't seem to be bothering him as much lately either, and for that I am extremely grateful. I have been nervously awaiting the day when they come back and say that there is no longer any other option except surgery. I dread the day that decision is made and I pray that the good Lord keeps Derek out of the operating room for a little while longer.

I am so grateful and thankful for the health of my husband and children, especially when so many people around us are suffering. Please please please remember my grandmother, my cousin, my friend, and my brother's family in your prayers. I know they could each use prayers in the worst way right now.

I have learned so much this year about the power of prayer. I was blessed to see the power of prayer first hand when my dad passed away in February. His kids were around him and we all said our goodbyes. His sisters came in and said their goodbyes. His mother came in and said her goodbye and for as long as I live I will always remember the last words of her prayer. She asked the Lord to assure him that we were okay and we were ready. She asked him to take him so that he would no longer suffer. She said Amen. I walked out and grabbed a tissue and walked back in. As soon as I walked back in the room he took his last breath. It was literally as if the Lord said okay. In less than three minutes from when she asked the Lord to take away his pain, he did. It was the most amazing thing I have ever seen.

So, again, please remember these wonderful and special people in your prayers and be thankful for the wonderful gifts that you have in your life. Even if you don't realize that you have them.

We all have so much to be thankful for that we all take for granted too often.