no sleep

I have been having trouble sleeping for MONTHS.... It either takes me hours to fall asleep (going to bed at 11:30 and not falling asleep until 3:00 or so!) or I fall asleep pretty quick and then I am up five and six times in one night. I never realized how much not having a good night's sleep can affect a person! There have been times where I thought, "If I could just fall asleep and stay asleep, I'd need a full week, just to catch up!" Someone suggested Benadryl 4 days ago~and I think I may have found my new best friend!! Tuesday night I took it about a half hour before bed and when I woke up Wednesday morning, I realized that it was the first time I had slept through the night in about 3 months!! I can't seem to shack the "hangover" feeling I have in the mornings though. But, I'll take an hour of walking in a daze over no sleep anyday!! For all of those that are going to suggest that I see my doctor, don't worry.... I'm making an appointment for this coming week!
But, for now, Benadryl at bedtime for me:)

tithe rap

This outta make your morning:) You're welcome!

my baby is 8!

I have very mixed feelings about the birthdays of my children.... Every year they celebrate another candle on their cake, I realize that they are growing closer to the time when I will have to let them go. Some days it seems as though I will just blink and they will be adults and the decisions and choices they make will be completely their own. It creates a huge sense of urgency in me.... there are so many things I want to do with them, do for them and teach them to do for others. I want them to truly believe that their heavenly Father loves and knows what's best for them. Seems like such a simple truth, but one I know every decision they make on their own needs to be filtered through. Their birthday is a marking point to me that another year has slipped by.... way too fast. Then there are days where I feel like time stands still. Sitting across the table from the three precious children God has entrusted me with for such a short amount of time, makes me feel like the luckiest mom on Earth! Happy Birthday Carter-Man! Momma loves you <3

that was sweeet!

Carter's first run on the sled!

snow day!!

I finally got him!

Paige sledding (or at least attempting to!)

Carter catching snowflakes!

We woke up this morning to find a blanket of white snow covering everything! The best part is that it's still snowing! Last year, when the kids saw their first snow, it had come down during the night and by the time they got got up in the morning, it was melting and pretty nasty. They were so excited to get bundled up and head out this morning to play in the snow:) Here are some pics and video of our fun this morning!

happy birthday to me!

17 years ago today, I asked Jesus to come into my life as my Lord and Savior. At that time, Rusty was the audio engineer for a southern gospel group called "The HIS Quartet". One of the perks of that friendship was that we were lucky enough to travel with them to Boca Raton on January 18th, 1992 to see a group called, "The Cathedrals". I had felt the Lord tugging on my heart for quite a while before that night, but finally my stubborness gave way and I asked (no, begged) Him to take my heart and make it whole. I am so grateful for the people the Lord put in my life that laid the path to that night. That night it all became so clear and there was no use in fighting that "tug" any longer!

So, when is your birthday??

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16

how many layers do I need???

Charlotte, N Carolina

20°F

Current:Mostly Cloudy
Wind: N at 0 mph
Humidity: 35%

Fri

29° | 9°

I don't remember signing up for this!! Holy cow~It's freezing!

addicted

I bought Paige a copy of the book "Twilight" for Christmas after hearing some really good stuff about it from some friends. While we were vacation, Paige and her cousins all went to see the movie in the theater. Although she loved it, and her own words, "It was the best movie ever!!" she wasn't interested in reading the book when she had already seen the movie. When we got back home and finally unpacked all the Christmas gifts, I stumbled on the book again. I'm one of those people who will read anything I can get my hands on.... cereal boxes and Rusty's trade magazines will usually do if I can't find anything else! I picked up the book and before I knew it I was hopelessly trapped in Forks, Washington:) I read the first book in 2 days and the second in 2 more... I was so absorbed in this story that when I finished the 2nd book, I jumped in the car and headed to Wallie World to pick up the 3rd book! Couldn't find it, borrowed it from a good friend, and been reading this one for three days. I am ashamed to admit that I am addicted! I carry the book everywhere I go! I read it in the car line while I pick up the kids, I read it at a long stop light, and from the time I put the kids to bed until I fall asleep, my nose is stuck in this book!! Anyone else out there hopelessly addicted?? Please tell me I'm not the only 35 year old loving the idea of a werewolf and a vampire fighting for her love??? lol

yummy and educational!

My husband rocks! I say this for many, many reasons, but today I am going to focus on his culinary skills. Almost every Saturday morning, for as long as I can remember, Rusty makes breakfast for the five of us. It's almost always pancakes and bacon....and a fried egg for me. Believe it or not, he will throw the eggs away, one by one, until he feels like he's made the "perfect" one just for me! I'm not sure he has any idea how special that makes me feel! He is amazing! I love these Saturday mornings:-) I know this is a memory the kids will treasure and it means so much to me that he has kept up this tradition. A few weeks ago, he went above and beyond and made all the planets out of pancakes.... Carter thought this was the coolest thing ever!

Here's a pic of our planetary pancakes!!

I miss this....

Sofie making a castle

Rusty and Carter working on their volcano

Gaby Rose prancing in the sunset:)

the cousins

awww.... heaven

Abby building her "Aloha resort"

It has been raining pretty much non-stop since 4:30 Sunday morning and I'm about to have a meltdown....(check out here and here to see how the storms impacted Ridge Church) I'm not a big fan of rain, especially the cold, continuous, soaking the bottom of my jeans, kind of rain. My feeling is that rain is really only good for 1 thing ~ staying in bed in my jammers with a good book (Twilight:-). Since that option wasn't available this morning, I'll have to admit that I'm a tad bit cranky:) I miss this........ This was one of our family's favorite places to go when we lived in Florida. The day after Christmas we spent the entire day there. Lunch at "The Cottage" with my dad on Ft Myers Beach and then on to Bonita to Lovers Key. It was a gorgeous 75 degrees! We spent the day making sandcastles, walking the dunes and ended with a perfect sunset stroll. I am counting the days until summer break!

pot of turtles

This is one of things I miss most.... She was like my own personal iPod.
Here is Gaby's rendition of Feliz Navidad.
Enjoy:)

could she get any cuter??

Here's my little cover girl! Gabriela was so excited about seeing herself on the cover of this months Parent & Child Magazine:) So were we... we raided all the copies of the magazine we could find!!