When I grow up

There is so much I want from my life. I want to be so much more than I am. I am doing that by choosing to examine the past so I can heal and grow through it. I am choosing to rethink my responses and actions towards certain people and situations and I am choosing to respond differently. And I gotta admit, at times it's a bitch. At times it feel so overwhelming, but yet I continue. I want to be more..so much more.
When I grow up...
I want to be beautiful, on the inside and the out
I want to be strong
I want to strive for more but be content.
I want to feel joy and freedom
I want to be selfless.
I want to be generous with my life.
I want to contribute to the world as a whole through my everyday living.

Trying Again

I tried posting this before and I'm not sure where it went..somewhere in cyberspace I guess. I am getting such a thrill, knowing my family and friends across the world are checking in on me to see how we are doing here in Boise. Hi everyone!
So today I wanted to give you some quotes that have been said over the past few weeks in our house.

"Mom, Do you know why I love myself?"
"No, Ethan, Why do you love yourself?"
"Because, you see this big glass of milk, I can drink down in one big gulp, that is why I love myself!"

"Guys, you have to open the door for mom, she's got Dad's beer!" - Ethan

"Mom, guess what? I didn't get sick! I prayed to God that I wouldn't get car sick and it worked! I told him that I was tired of getting car sick all the time and I he let me sleep instead..I knew he could do it!" - Nathaniel on the way home from McCall, a very winedy road that Nathaniel has gotten sick on numerous times!

"Mom, can I have a Liammint?"
"A what?"
"You know a Liammint"
"I'm sorry Ethan, what is it you want?"
"Mom, you know those mints in the jar with the plane on it from Liam's baby thing You know a Liammint" - Ethan talking about a mint candy favor from our nephew's baby shower 6 months ago!

I have no quotes from Ash this week. She is just keeping us on our toes! We have changed from having a home phone, can't stand Qwest, and now we have three cell phones. Tom, mine and the HOME one! Ashling has quickly adopted it as her own. With her ipod nano in the other..I feel ancient.

More Stitches

I really hope we aren't starting a trend! Monday evening, Ethan and Nathaniel were playing golf out on the front lawn. Ethan swung back the club and hit Nathaniel square in the jaw! Blood everywhere, Nathaniel's screaming, Ethan's crying, Tom's trying to gain control of the situation and I'm running around trying to get a towel that I don't mind getting blood all over. I am desperate to find an urgent care open (no such luck) so that we didn't have to make a trip to the emergency room. Poor Nathaniel, they ended up giving him some anti-anxiety medicine to calm him down, which caused him to act drunk! Poor kid couldn't even walk straight! Ethan was a mess and has dedicated the rest of his spring break to serving his brother because he feels so bad. I still haven't figured out if he did it on purpose. I do hope we aren't starting a trend, every other month stitches. Oh and my thanks to my Dad for the wonderful gift of the golf clubs in the first place!

Don't Call Me Ma'am

I am 32 years old.
I don't feel old on a regular basis....yet!
I feel old a when certain things hits me like I have a 10 year old that is turning into a young lady right before my eyes! Or my 5 year old is such a big boy pouring his own milk and putting away his own laundry.
But on a regular basis I feel young and in my prime!
But one thing that makes me feel 90 is when those polite "young people" call me Maam!
I swear I want to turn around and deck them!
Do I look like a ma'am? (That was a retorical question!!)
I know people are only being polite, but maybe they could call me "Miss"
Have a good day, Miss
Do you need any help Miss?
I swear I have been called Ma'am 20 times in the last week!
So, thank you for all of you wonderful polite people....but listen
DON'T CALL ME MA'AM!!!!!!!!

Goofing Off

I have a ton to do. I am supposed to be working on our church retreat..that's this Friday. But I'd rather goof off on the internet instead. I also need to work on my Doula certification paperwork. I have until May 13th to submit it. I have done all the requirements except write my essays. In theory this shouldn't be that hard but I am really intimadeted since I haven't written anything formal since college. So the goofing off continues. I also need to work on my passport paperwork since I will be going to England to see my grandmother for her 90th birthday in October my passport expires in April. Since I am not a citizen I need to go through the British Embassy in Washington D.C.. Which reminds me I would like to go ahead and work on my American citizenship paperwork which should take 9 months to 1 year. According to the Boise Immigration Office they are processing applications that they received last July. It's gonna be awhile. Since the United States allows dual citizenship I will be able to keep my British passport.
Enough for now. I've guilted myself back into working.
I'll goof off more later

Home Sweet Home

We only a block away from the kids school and a really nice park that backs up to the school.
I'll post more later!

YEAH!!!!

We have a new home! I am so excited!
The sellers didn't accept our original offer but we accepted their counter offer.
WE are looking to move at the end of April but are hoping we can move in earlier than that.
Thanks to all of you who have prayed.
I will post pictures tomorrow
Tonight I am off to relax with Tom since I didn't get much sleep last night
Later

Happy Birthday

Happy Birthday Gareth!
I hope you have a great day and we wish you another wonderful year!
We miss you and wish we could be with you to celebrate your big day, 31 getting older.....
Love ya little bro,
Love the gang in Boise

New Offer

Since it's after midnight I guess we put in an offer on a house yesterday. And they have until today at noon to respond. It is the first house we looked at this week but weren't sure about it. It's room set up is a little different than I hoped for but I have now fallen in love with it and hope it works out. It's a block away from the kids school, and it's in walking distance of their middle school and high school. I am so excited.
I'll post as soon as I hear.

No Go

No go on the house. Someone made a better offer this afternoon. Bummer.
So for now, we are having our agent check the MLS listings everyday and we pray that God opens up another house. There isn't anything on the market right now that we like and that is in our school district.
I'll keep you posted

My heart's desire

As I sit and write this I have tears in my eyes and my heart is bursting with love.
My God loves me.
He truly cares about the little things I care about.
And I feel so loved.
I have been praying for over a year now that we could have the opportunity to move into a house that has a bedroom for my middle son. My middle child is a soft spoken, introverted, loving soul that is bookended by a brother and sister, that at times, can be as obnxious as all get out. He keeps to himself, is so kind hearted he brings me to tears all the time and loves his own space. But he has never had the luxury. Now that he is getting older, homework is a little harder to concentrate on at the kitchen table and it's getting down right frustrating to share a room with a person who doesn't respect your boundaries! So I started to pray. I have done this before when I have a desire that only God can fulfill or gently nudge me to let go of.
So I have been praying. This past fall Tom and I decided to go ahead and put our house on the market but the stress almost broke us and we decided that selling the house wasn't worth our family. But, still the desire was there but now when I approached God I knew I didn't have the strength to put it back on the market. So I kept praying. Well two weeks ago we get a call from a real estate agent representing a family that had seen our house in the Fall and wanted to know if we were still interested in selling! WOW! Once Tom and I got over the shock of the phone call and talked honestly about if we were, as a family and as a couple, in a place to embark on the adventure, we told them yes. So we got a call on Sunday that they wanted to come look at it, Tuesday morning we had an offer in writing, we counter offered that afternoon and as of 11:00am this morning we sold our house! God is awesome. My hearts desire has been answered one step at a time. The next step as been finding another place by April 27th, closing! We found a house this afternoon and await a response to our offer by 5:00pm tomorrow (Thursday) So I will keep you posted.......................

My Baby

My youngest son is so much fun. At 5 years old he is and always will be my baby. He is so cute and fun and funny. Not that my other two kids weren't at this age it's just I think I was to busy to pay attention. Here are some of the cute things he has said in just the last couple of days.

"Mom, we can't move...How will we find Disneyworld!"

"Mom I want to give away my blanket. So that the poor people can have it. We can cut it into little pieces and then more poor people can have some and then they can be rich too."

"Mom, when I get home I want to take a bashower. You know when you take a bath and then turn on the shower!"


I love my little guy!

Tom

I love my husband!
He is awesome!
He is the best!
He is working his ass off in so many areas.
And I love him even more for it.
He has so much on his plate right now and handling it so well.
He is a good husband and father.
And the bestest friend I could ask for!

Dam Dog

When something is missing in our house you look for it, then you blame someone for taking it, then you look some more while cursing under your breath then you turn to the dog! Our almost one year old yellow lab eats everything! Now my dear husband is still under the delusion that it's just puppy behavior, I on the other hand know better. That's like saying a two year old toddler doesn't know the meaning of the word "No"!
Our dog has eaten food right off the counter, she has chewed garden hoses, rubber bands, sneakers, baseball caps, electrical cords, even the hose that connects the gas to our BBQ!
Four days ago we couldn't find the cordless phone..guess what happened to it?
Tonight Tom wondered outload if Barley had eaten his missing keys..
DAM DOG!

Stuff

Lot's seems to be going on in life these days. I just started a new job which I love. I am an administrative assistant for an adoption agency. Their office is only a 1/2 mile way from my home so I have enjoyed coming home for lunch this week and leaving 2 minutes before I have to be there. I have only been there 3 days and I already received the compliment "Please don't ever leave!"
I have felt really gross over the past four days (And still do). I can handle headaches, colds, etc. but if my stomach is queasy I just want to go to bed and not get out until it passes.
Our dog ate our phone. We couldn't find it for a couple of days and finally found it out back with the battery gnawed on. So if you have been trying to call, try one of our cells!
My daughter just turned ten. That's right I am officially old..except I don't feel old enough to have a ten year old.
My mother in law is coming to visit tonight. So instead of cleaning like a mad woman so she doesn't get grossed out with our filth I am sitting here typing this....because I feel so gross!
Well that's it for know
Tootles!

My Daughter

I am so proud of my daughter. She is 10 and has more confidence in herself than I have in my pinky. She is funny, and smart and creative out the wazoo. She is loving and caring and is a leader. She takes charge like no ones business.
I know the next few years could be tough as we enter into a different phase of life but I am excited to see how God is going to bless my little girl, and grow her into a godly young woman.
I love you Ashling, and I am so proud of the young woman you are and will grow to be.
Happy Birthday, sweetheart.