Holiday Weekend

We had a GREAT Memorial Day weekend! I really have told myself that I have to get back on the picture bandwagon and remember to pull out my camera and snap more pictures. My phone camera is not good but it's always right there so I grab for it. Friday night we ate at Suzie Q's and then hung out with Mike, Nicole and Addyson - the kids just played and wrecked the place (literally) and we hung out and visited. Saturday morning the boys went with MiMi to get swim passes for Hawaiian falls and it ended up being a big old mess but we worked it out and got the passes after three attempts! Saturday afternoon Starla and Astraea we scheduled to come over for some swim time but our pool was missing the plugs so it was a BYOP event and Uncle Dell brought over Straea's kiddie pool until I got replacement plugs for our pool on Sunday! Starla and I just sat in the sun and got our starter burn for the summer. Saturday night was Nolan's sleepover and Christi came over. We took the boys to Mellow Mushroom for dinner and we got in a good visit once we were back home. Hudson spent the night with Nana so that he wouldn't be there to fight with Nolan which was so nice! Sunday we got up drop off and picked up boys and went to church. After church we went to buy replacement plugs for the pool and got it all set up and filled for swimming. Geoff, Jenny and Emlyn came over to see our house and ended up spend the the whole day and evening with us. We went to In and Out for lunch, took the kids to BassPro Shops then Bubba stayed home with the kids and we went to get pedicures! The kids swam and we brought home Chicken Express for dinner. Easy day and a lot of fun. The boys love it when they get to hang with Geoff. Nolan used his birthday money to get an i-Touch and was SOOOOOO happy to have Geoff help him get it all set up and talk to him about games and apps. Speaking of the dumb i-touch...Nolan also had a shadow all weekend. I am thinking there will be another one purchased in the near future at this rate. ugh. Roxy relaxed on the beds all weekend and stayed away from the water filled backyard - she hates to get wet. Monday the boys were up early and dead serious swimming by 7am! I read my new smut novel 50 Shades of Grey all weekend and stayed up way to late each night.  By Monday I was exhausted from lack of sleep three night in a row.  I painted the $5 coffee table that Mom found for me (turned out cute) and then laid on a raft in the pool for a few hours.  It was nice, even if it's just three feet of water!  Monday afternoon my life group had a cook-out so the boys and I made yummy baked bean dip and headed over for the party.  Love that group - they have become such a big part of my life over the past six months.  We are blessed to have such an awesome church family and a neat new group of friends.  Today is Nolan's b-day so we ended our fun friend filled weekend with presents and started the new work week with donuts for his class.  SO MUCH LOVE and FUN for our little family of three. 

My PaPa came over to see the house and took these of us and I love them!

Birthday Time!

With the move and all the craziness from the past month I just decided to do the boys' birthdays together and very small this year. Nolan wanted to have a couple of friends spend the night in his new room so why would I push for a party if that's all he wanted?!? Ha ha! It was so weird to celebrate their birthdays separately for the first time. Scott took the boys camping at Joe Pool. His family and girlfriend went out there for the day to celebrate. Nolan and Hudson both said they had a really good time but it was really hard for me to miss out on something like that and to know that someone else was there celebrating my children's birthday and I wasn't. I know that time will make all of this easier but while we are in the thick of it, it's awful for me. For my side of the family, I just invited everyone over on Thursday night to do cake and presents for both boys. I made homemade ice cream and Aunt Cindy made cupcakes - YUM. It was an easy fun filled night and I was glad that everyone got to see the house. Another hurdle crossed - it's getting a little easier everyday.

Doesn't my mom look great?!?

 

These two cheesers were in hog heaven with their cans of rootbeer. Hudson thought this was such a big deal to drink from a can cause we never have sodas for them in the house.

Hudson's Pre-K Graduation!

What a special day! My sweet baby is all done with preschool. What a milestone! Going to miss RCCA - such a sweet little school that we loved so much.

Heart Songs

I am loving two Jason Mraz songs right now but could only find one of them on the music player for the blog – “Details in the Fabric” and “Living in the Moment”. Both are SO good. And seem to be the perfect soundrack for my life right now. It has been brought to my attention (more times than I can count) how emotional and sensitive I am over things big and small. It’s true – I own it. I know I am. It’s a good thing most of the time, but not always. Sometimes it makes people uncomfortable. You always know EXACTLY what I am thinking or my opinion on a situation. I need to work on my filter. It’s not fair to put others in that position when I openly share my opinions/emotions and expect it in return. Maybe they can’t share their thoughts because of the relationship they hold to others, maybe they can’t share their thoughts because they aren’t emotionally able. That’s not fair for me to put those expectations on them. I end up disappointed and that’s on me – not them. I just don’t know how to be anything else but I am truly working on it. My life is really hard and complicated right now and there is still more of that to come. I have to continue to let go of things and to stop expecting things from others that just aren’t possible. I also need to work on my patience. Trying to peel back the layers and get someone to let me in is probably the most frustrating situation in life for me. I am an open book and I have to remember that others are not built that way. It tests me and makes me crazy. I don’t have those type of emotional layers so to have to work through them with others is SO HARD for me. Kinda like peeling an onion… it stinks and makes me cry sometimes. I want to know everything and I want to know it now. That is when my patience is tested and my boundaries are pushed. I have to stop and remember that things are not on MY time they are on His time and God’s timing is always perfect. Healing, relationships and life all take time to evolve and change; I can’t rush it. This week has been an emotional week for me. I am thankful for these “new” songs to carry me through another phase. Music is such a blessing, such a gift, such a part of my heart and my soul. Heart Songs - I love them. I have many. They tell the story of my life. When I hear them my mind instantly returns to a memory, a feeling, a phase in my life. There aren’t words to describe how passionately I feel about music. I am not a musician in any way. I can’t carry a tune to save my life. But I “heart” music like nobody’s business. It’s therapy, counseling and worship all rolled into one – it’s so many things to me and definitely in my prayers often. Is that weird? I thank God all the time for little things like hearing an old song on a store intercom or for a new favorite song that I heard for the first time on a commercial. (And don’t get me started on how grateful I am for Shazam!!) I think of music as a gift - straight from Him to me.

My favorite part from Details in the Fabric is these first three lines (so true):

If it's a broken part, replace it
If it's a broken arm, then brace it
If it's a broken heart, then face it

And hold your own
Know your name
And go your own way
Hold your own
Know your name
And go your own way

And everything will be fine
Hang on Help is on the way
And stay strong I'm doing everything

Hold your own
Know your name
And go your own way
Hold your own
Know your name
And go your own way

And everything, everything will be fine
Everything

Hudson Is FIVE YEARS OLD!

I asked Hudson if I could take a picture of him with his presents before he started opening them and this is how he posed. Such a mess!