Moving on

As we all know life moves on even while we are in sad times and that is especially true in our house. With our crazy kids we don't get much time for personal reflection and just have to start running to catch up to the slowest kid. We have been pretty busy lately with chess, school, webelows, gymnastics, church and a variety of other things and I have to tell you I need a break!!!!!! Time is moving so fast that I feel like my kids are growing faster than I can notice.

Speaking of kids growing, Princess had a birthday this sunday and turned 6 years old. That is right, our little girl now needs two hands to count her age. I can't believe how fast the past 3 years have been with her and seeing how much she has changed in that time. It is amazing just seeing the girl that she is becoming.

She had a Strawberry Shortcake tea party and had several friends from church over to help her start her 6th year out right. Her favorite thing was the cake pops that I made for the party and she even sat and watched as I decorated all 30 of them. If I forgot to put sprinkles on one she would quickly remind me so that I could correct the error. She woke up this morning and Thanked me again for the wonderful party she had and asked when her next birthday would be. I think I need to maybe set up a little sleep over for her before then because she was not happy when I told her 12 months!

I hope that in this new year I will be able to slow down just enough that I can watch my kids growing. That I will feel that I have noticed every milestone big and small as they grow into the wonderful kids that they are.

Willie Marie Thomas

So....... my grandma died the week before Christmas and her birthday. I was there for her last breath and got to say goodbye to her one last time. This hasn't made it any easier and I know that I will see her again one day and that she is with those who have passed before but again.... that does very little for the hole that was left in my heart. I was very close to my grandma and went to her for everything from when I was a kid and needed to vent about my mom to being a grown woman wanting to learn everything about her grandma before it was too late. She was always there waiting with a smile and a hug for when her grandkids would come and visit. She kept me strong through infertility, cysts and adoptions and she taught me that women could be just as strong as men. She showed through example what faith and compassion really look like and she helped teach me about family history and why it was so important. It has been two weeks but when I was sick this past weekend I reached for my phone to call her and let her know I would not be by for a visit. That was a little rough. I also got a christmas present from her that she had knitted earlier in the year for me. A beautiful scarf from the yarn that I had picked up for her this summer. I am much better than I was two weeks ago and even a week ago but I am still trying to find balance again. She was the support in so much of my life and I can tell she is gone for now.

I am Thankful for Family History

I grew up watching both of my grandmothers working on family history and even remember spending time in front of a microfiche or film machine looking at old records. I have always been fascinated with family history but never knew where to start since so much of my work was done and I didn't think starting where they left off (centuries ago) would be a good starting point. I got married and learned that only one side of Mike's family work has been worked on so I knew that his line would be where I got my toes wet. The only problem was time. I have a very busy life and going to a research center was not in my schedule. A month ago I decided to start using the churches online family history pages to start working on it. The fact that it is on a computer and easier to start and stop grabbed my attention. I found plenty of how to guides and I have really gotten into it. I love the puzzle work that is involved but most of all I love getting to see that these are real people. Farmers, Doctors, Mothers and most of all family. My grandma is letting me use her ancestry.com account to help me out too. I really am thankful that I am able to work on this and discover our roots.

Here are the links if anyone is wanting to work on family history.
https://new.familysearch.org/en/action/unsec/welcome

https://www.familysearch.org/

http://www.ancestry.com/

I am thankful that the Science Project is done

Sigh, that was a long weekend. I now know more about how light bends and travels than I ever wanted to know. Why can't they have Music fair projects. I could rock that so hard. I do enjoy getting to see just how smart Beau is and learn with him as we put everything together. THis year was on why the sky turns colors during the sunrise and sunset and it was really cool getting to recreate that with just a tub of water and a few tablespoons of milk. I hope he does well with the project but even if he doesn't I know that we have a good time.

I am thankful for........

The look my husband gives me when I stand up and he just looks me up and down and exhales while winking. I only say this because it happens a lot and in fact happened just an hour ago when he stopped by my office. A girl can never see that look in her mans eye enough. You know the one I am talking about. The twinkle that only he has for you and it makes you see yourself for just that moment the way that he does and you feel like a queen. That is what I am thankful for today.

I am thankful for the internet

Cheesy I know but I really am. Today alone I have used the internet to organize my budget, look at my bank stuff, check pricing on pull ups for better price, Coupons, pinterest, connecting with friends, preparing for our youth activity tonight and to waste time. I also use the internet to relax, research, have fun, become enlightened and to build my mind. Lots of possibilities for this great thing. I hate that it gets such a bad rap because people choose to use it for darker purposes and to tear themselves down but I am thankful that it was created and that I use it for the purpose God intended.

I am thankful for my level head

It came in handy when I came home and found my entire food storage supply of seasonings and powdered creamer all over the kids playroom. I won't lie, a child was harmed in the making of this picture and he was them made to help clean it and then sent to bed. However, he did not get nearly the crap that I was feeling. I am still not at the laughing at it part but I am able to see the humor. Sigh, it was a long night.