100 things i'm thankful for....

how can you limit thankfulness...here are just a few :)

100. starbucks
99. reality tv
98. cute heels
97. babies with chubby legs
96. friends with a great sense of humor
95. yearbooks
94. google
93. chocolate cake
92. movies that my kids will sit through entirely
91. fuzzy bathrobes
90. a cute pair of jeans
89. dimples
88. pasta of any kind
87. puppies
86. jane's addiction
85. twilight
84. summer walks
83. a long bath
82. wifi
81. "the holiday"
80. my keurig
79. a good baby sling
78. more books than i could ever list
77. blogs
76. texting
75. photos
74. the smell of clean laundry
73. lip gloss
72. hugs from little boys
71. low maintenance hair
70. a cute tattoo
69. a husband who's a morning person
68. not being pregnant
67. baby Einstein
66. hoodies
65. scrapbooks
64. doritos
63. sweatpea lotion
62. a great church
61. the right to vote
60. grilled chicken salads
59. painting little girl's toenails
58. scented candles
57. the memorial day parade
56. having a best friend in my mom
55. surround sound
54. facebook
53. home movies
52. the ocean
51. nieces and nephews
50. lists
49. penn station
48. the library
47. did i mention twilight?
46. laughing with my husband
45. bob marley
44. inside jokes
43. watermelon
42. fairy tales
41. having all of our parents in town
40. back to school supplies
39. black shirts
38. giving generously
37. having four low maintenance brothers
36. vacations
35. esme saying "bye bye" when i put her to bed
34. flip flops
33. cozy PJ's
32. cute coffee cups
31. reminiscing about the good ole days
30. "the breakfast club"
29. black and white photography
28. second chances
27. christmas music
26. rechargeable batteries
25. early potty training
24. cinnamon rolls
23. kids who are old enough to clean the bathroom
22. sledding
21. hip hop
20. a husband who works hard
19. magazines
18. a good parking space
17. playing jeopardy on the playstation
16. sleeping in
15. long weekends
14. paid holidays
13. having many good friends
12. sunshine
11. christmas trees
10. spending holidays with family
9. living in a country where i'm free from persecution
8. being blessed beyond measure
7. the bean
6. zaza
5. the princess
4. the little guy
3. miss esme2. theMr
1. a savior who died so i can have life!

happy thanksgiving all! hug your loved ones, eat lots of food and never lose sight of how how blessed we are in this country!

say cheese!

i've never sent out a christmas card... every year i plan to but it never seems to happen! so this year, i really planned ahead! i bought the kids christmas outfits last year and kept them in my closet for easy access. i had their christmas picture done in the beginning of october.... then i saw how much christmas cards cost! uh, not in the budget! not to mention when i realized how many cards i would actually need! (can i help it we have so many friends??) so along comes this great deal from shutterfly, who i've never used before! pick a card i like, write a blog post about it, get them free! i'm in! those who know me know that i love to give photo gifts for christmas anyway! in years past i try to make a yearly calendar for each of our mothers full of pictures of their beautiful grandkids! i also love making photo coffee mugs and such. what grandpa can resist a mug with their favorite granddaughter's picture on it?? so now the biggest problem is which card to pick????

flashback friday...

two days early! i'm combining my birthday post for the little guy with flashback friday for two reasons: one, i want to share his birth story for him to read someday! two: friday i will be frantically shopping... no time for posting! without further ado, the story of the little guy's birth, four years ago!




dear little guy,

today you turn four years old! i can hardly believe it's been that long! i would be tempted to believe it's not true if not for the two new wrinkles i've acquired since your birth! i was due on thanksgiving day.




since your three older siblings were all born on their exact due date, i assumed you would be also! i ate lots of food, just fueling up for your birth of course :) but you were in no hurry! i went home from grandma's that night very grumpy and very full.




i woke the next morning to contractions, all though i had been having those for weeks! finally, by dinnertime your dad decided we probably better head to the hospital, just in case.



aunt marcie came to stay with the other kids and we headed to the hospital. i was only 3cm dilated when we got there. within 20 mins i was feeling that things were progressing way faster than my previous births.



we asked the nurse to check again, i was 7cm! they rushed me to a room and tried to get me admitted. while everyone rushed around trying to start IV's and call the doctor, i focused on breathing and not ripping anyone's head off! within 40 mins i was almost fully dilated and ready to push. no time for any drugs!




suddenly your heart rate dropped dramatically and chaos broke out in the room. all i remember clearly is the doctor telling me i had to push you out now or she was going to have to get you out herself. i reminded her i was only 8cm dilated but they weren't too concerned (easy for them to say!)



i closed my eyes and pushed and inside feared that neither one of us were going to come out of this ok. in the background, all i could hear was your little heart on the monitor, getting slower and slower. you see, even though i didn't know you yet, i already loved you fiercely! even though i had not yet seen your face, you were already my son. after a few (very painful!) pushes, you came screaming into the world, healthy and breathing and just fine! well, with the cord tangled around your body. you were not only perfectly fine, you were my biggest baby at 8'9 lbs and 22 1/2 inches long! you had a head full of dark, thick hair and looked like you were wearing a toupee :)



you cried for the first six months of your life and have been terrorizing our household since then! you have no fear and no bounds to your love. you are a cuddler and a wrestler and a helper and a not so very helper. you are my youngest son, now and forever. happy birthday little man. mommy loves you!

flashback friday!

this needs no intro... if you have kids you know these to be true!

the murphey's laws of mothering!

~if you have your carpets cleaned for the first time in five years- someone will vomit, urinate or spill chocolate milk on it within 48 hours.

~ if you mop the kitchen floor, someone will throw their plate on it.

~ if you tell people, firmly, that you are not having any more children- you will be pregnant within six months.

~if the baby is sleeping, the toddler is having a tantrum. if the toddler is sleeping, the baby is crying.

~if you are actually in the mood for some "lovin"- your baby is teething and will wake up to cry every six minutes.

~if you have a baby and a toddler, you can accomplish "lovin" in six minutes.

~if you dress your children in adorable, coordinating christmas outfits- the baby will blow up in her diaper, the toddler will slide down the wet and muddy hill and the school age children will somehow also get dirty by the time you get to the car.

~if you finally manage to fit into your pre-baby skinny jeans- they will get spit up on.

~if you plan a long, romantic evening with your husband- you will either have a sick child or get in a fight on the way to the restaurant.

and last but certainly not least...

~if you have children, they will do all the things you swore your kids wouldn't do before you had children. and you will still think they are the cutest, smartest, most well behaved children you've ever met!

we're not that kind of family...

remember when i told you that i'm not that kind of mom? now that that is all cleared up.. there are few things you should know about our family...

we are not a family that sees the necessity of matching socks...

we are not a family that has room for extra people in our pew in church...




we are not a family that is above eating pretzels for breakfast...

we are not a family that is still growing (hopefully!)...



we are not a family that thinks cleanliness is next to godliness (at least as far as our rooms are concerned!)...

we are not a family that likes to get up early and start the day...




we are not a family that is picture perfect...


HOWEVER...

we are a family who likes to laugh!



we are a family who's primary love language is sarcasm!

we are a family who makes up nicknames for everyone!



we are a family who loves Jesus!

we are a family who fights over the bathroom!



we are a family who dances and sings to silly music!

we are a family who enjoys the first two hours of any holiday and then drives each other crazy for the rest of the day!

we are a family who sticks together, no matter what!!



so now you know!

what kind of family are you?

what will i be today?

i'm having one those days... you know the ones i'm talking about! sick baby, disaster of a house, toddler who keeps sneaking off with the sugar bowl, sleep deprivation... you get the point. when i have days like this, it's tempting to be short and irritable and just frustrated. i have every right to be, don't i? while i may have a right to be at my worst in these situations, i also have the opportunity to be at my best. in fact, these are the scenarios where the core of who we really are comes to the surface. will i succumb to yelling and stomping and convincing myself i deserve to eat some chocolate snack (that i really don't need!) because i'm having a rough day? or will i choose to take many deep breaths, calm the sick child by constant holding and letting her nurse instead of eat her lunch, distract the unruly toddler with a story and a hug and eat a healthy lunch to keep me fueled for the remainder of the day? it's my choice. will i show my kids how to be calm and rational under pressure? will i be the hands of Jesus to them when they are at their worst? will i love them unconditionally with my actions and my words? it's my choice. every minute of every day. bad days will come and go but the unspoken lessons i'm teaching will last a lifetime. it's my choice what they will be.

flashback friday

i think this one still irks me... stupid celebrities...


i love magazines, love them. i used to buy one a week and have come to a point where i can't bring myself to spend the $4-$6. so my dear sister in law brings me hers when she's finished with them (thank you:) anyway, i'm reading one of them today and there's an article about celeb moms and how fast they lose their baby weight. of course, i have to read this because, lets be honest, i have ALOT of experience in the baby weight battle! it starts talking about christina aguilara and her (adorable) ten month old son. it says that she is happy with her post baby figure and that her husband is thrilled because he prefers full figured women. here's what made me about choke on my hazelnut iced cappaccino..... she weighs 120lbs! are you hearing this ladies?? 120 lbs is now FULL FIGURED! are you kidding me? this chick is probably 5'4 and she weighs 120 lbs and according to the media, she is full figured! i could not believe it. i don't know any real women who would be too upset about seeing that on the bathroom scale. i think i'd do some kind of crazy happy dance if i saw that. that's how much i weighed when i got married nine years and three kids ago... not to mention i was 22! see, this is the stuff that really ticks me off. this is the kind of journalistic (and that's a stretch) crap that women all over america read and then starve themselves because USweekly tells them they are overweight. this is why women are killing themselves at the gym two weeks after giving birth because angelina jolie had twins and she looks good three days later. here's the difference, those women have personal chef's that cook them healthy meals three times a day. they have a personal trainer and spend hours a day working out, most likely much sooner after birth than is healthy. they have a nanny to watch their sweet little newborns while they're doing all this and who gets up for all those night feedings (hey, i could work out four hours a day after giving birth if i wasn't so sleep deprived i would sell my next born for a nap) so even though we know all those things to be true, we still hold ourselves to the same standard and hate ourselves when we can't reach it. ladies, if 120 lbs is full figured then i'm clinically obese. but you know what? i got this body giving birth to four children. these breasts are stretched and deflated because i nursed those four babies. my once bright eyes may look haggard and tired to an outside observer, but to those who know me they are filled with joy at those little lives i have the honor of raising. and at the end of the day, my husband is always trying to get me naked, so i must not look that bad!

top ten ways you know your husband is out of town...

theMr is chaperoning the bean's overnight field trip tonight! so it's just me and the little people tonight~

the usual routine changes somewhat when theMr is not here...

10. i can wear my comfy underwear.. you know which ones i'm talking about!

9. i'm eating taco dip for dinner instead of cooking

8. twilight will be on by 9

7. it will be ten degrees colder in our room tonight

6. i'll wear my ugly (less scratched) glasses instead of the cute ones

5. i'll sleep in the middle of the bed

4. i'll only be awoken by esme, not by him thrashing in his sleep

3. i'll have to get up with the school kids :(

2. there will be no morning people present in this house tomorrow!


1. i'll miss him terribly... even though it's only 24 hours!

beauty from ashes

awhile back i talked about perspective, remember the wide angle lens? if you don't remember, it was about seeing past what is in front of our eyes and trusting that God has it under control, for our greater good. as i shared then, our family has been in one of the hardest seasons yet for the past three years. i can't share too many details, as it's not wholly my story to tell. but it's been long, frustrating and at times brutal. but underneath all of that~ beauty. contradictory, huh? i know. see, the more life throws me that brings me to my knees, the more i have be in complete dependence on my God. i can't do it alone. i simply can't. the more i depend on Him, the more peace in the midst. i would love to tell you this peace is constant. it's not. because where i have to continue growing is my constant dependence on Him. but what i keep coming back to is that in the last few years, as many of the things i held tightest to have slipped away, He has never forsaken me. when those i needed the most couldn't be there, He held me. when i was afraid that my head would never stay above water, He carried me. when i can't see what good can possibly come, His Word promises it.

and in the midst of struggle, beauty emerges.
peace beyond understanding
joy replaces sorrow
thankfulness overcomes desperation
love overcomes bitterness
the past is washed away
the future is hope

and when we don't know the answers or the reasons or when the road will get a little less bumpy, we stand on the promise...

"To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he might be glorified." Isaiah 61:3

and that is all we need to know.

true confessions part whatever

all of my daughters are five years apart and both of my sons are

eli and i went to the same preschool, middle school and high school but didn't meet until later

my first three children were born on their exact due dates

my biggest phobia is fire. i have smoke detectors everywhere in my house.

i seriously wash my windows only a few times a year!

i love kittens but i hate cats

this is the first time i've tried to lose the baby weight without smoking.

sometimes i hide in the pantry to cry

inside my head is a terrible potty mouth

i never like to rewatch movies but i can watch sitcoms all day

i'm allergic to soap

i love shoes. lots and lots of shoes

theMr loves shoes as much as i do. our closet is out of control

i love to see babies born. hopefully will someday be a doula

i love to have babies. (surprising, huh?)

i'm easily swayed by infomercials. i never order but i always want to!

i hate when someone's toenail color doesn't match their fingernails

i really hate when people don't put their phone on vibrate in meetings, etc

i realize blogs are somewhat narcissistic but mine is a great release for me

i'm anti twitter

i'm pro-wearing-your-PJ's-all-day

i have a deep seated desire to make everyone feel wanted and loved. it sometimes is my downfall

i can't stand to see kids picked on. it makes me really upset.

i get on compulsive organizing kicks and drive my family crazy by throwing everything away

i have a nasty temper that i'm working hard to control better

i'm down to only four piercings which is the least since i was 15

i am guarded with my heart but once you're in- i love fiercely!

i want to be a better version of who i am

i married out of my league

i should be loading the dishwasher right now

i'm wondering if anyone else will think i have too much time on my hands!

ten signs of true love

theMr and i have been together for 13 years, married for ten. when we got married, we said the same vows everyone else does. in sickness and in health, for richer or poorer (when is the richer coming?), etc. while all of those are great ideas, the reality of marriage is much more basic. deep, abiding love is in the everyday. here are ten signs you truly love someone...

10. you don't strangle him when you find out he used one of your white towels from your wedding to clean up chocolate milk.

9. he is patient with you when (once again) you let the kids pile trash on top of the trash can instead of just changing the bag yourself. (therefore causing it all to fall out when he tries to empty it)

8. you are willing to see the new airbender movie in the theater on your 10th anniversary.

7. he thinks that wrinkle between your eyes is cute :)

6. you understand that although he gets to sleep through every night, uninterrupted, he still needs to sleep in occasionally.

5. he brings home your favorite kind of sushi instead of the kind he wants.

4. you go shopping to get yourself an outfit for a speaking engagement but end up buying him two shirts.

3. he knows how to make your coffee exactly how you like it.

2. you may occasionally go to bed mad, but you never wake up that way.

1. you both realize that while the journey can be hard, exhausting, complicated and sometimes downright frustrating, you are in this together. you are on the same team. you are the president of each other's fan club. and all the little idiosyncrasies are just bumps in the road.

flashback fridays!!

this flashback friday is a flashback of photos!

the year was 2007...




we were only a family of 6...





the princess was only 4...



Za was in kindergarten...





we had a blizzard...





the girls seemed so big... (but they weren't :)





i became an aunt for the first time...





twice






theMr and i went away alone for the first time ever!





the little guy really was a little guy...





it was a good year!

i'm theMrs and i approved this message!

get out and vote today folks! let's get this country in gear! put up or shut up!

trip to the science museum

this past weekend my kids had four days off for teacher inservices. on thursday we went to a science museum that is close to our house. i had my five kids plus the two year old that i babysit!



i'd love to play the supermom card and tell you it was a piece of cake...
uh, not so much!



the kids were all well behaved and had fun...



but it's still six kids with one adult in a very crowded place!



actually, in the interest of full disclosure... a friend came with us...

with her five kids!



if you're not so good with math, that's 2 moms + 11 kids under 11



when all was said and done, it was a good day




the nice thing about these outtings is that the kids are totally worn out when it's over!


maybe not quite as worn out as i was!



but it was worth it :)