LOVE these kids of mine!

Life as I know it is about to be insanely crazy... Natalie graduates from high school June 2, we plan to move back to Cincy/NKY soon after, and Krysta gets married September 3 in Texas! These are all happy times, events, milestones in our lives and I just hope that in the business of it all, I can enjoy them and keep the balance with everyone. To do all this, I know I need to keep my focus on Him! Continue to improve in my prayer life and give it to Him. Afterall, He is in control and everything is in His time. So thankful to Him for these kids of mine... they are my biggest accomplishment in this life and I pray I do the job of being their mother to best of the ability He has given me.

The thoughts of a child...

I suppose I'm blogging this because it's something I want to look back on and remember the sweet, sincere thoughts of my 8 year old son. Jake is such a typical boy... all about sports, especially baseball, annoys his sisters, so very happy to be outdoors playing until he absolutely has to come inside. He does have his moments of not the very best behavior, but there are moments when I know his little mind is thinking and wondering and he knows what is right and what is wrong. He told me one day that he really thinks that he is the only one at his school who goes to church. He has also told me that there is a boy on his bus who is Indian, and he's really cool, be we don't worship the same God. When I asked him who does his friend worship, he said he thinks King Tut! :) I do my best to say prayers with Jake every night. He lets me know if I've drifted off after reading a book, that we didn't pray yet. I have tried to get better in my daily walk with God and pray more throughout the day for things that weigh on my heart, or for others who have requested specific prayers. Or for thankfullness for all He has blessed me with. This is definitely a continual area of my life that I need to improve. We had some really bad storms come through last night... and I honestly kept waiting for Jake to come in our room, but he never did. This morning as he was getting ready for school, he wrote me this note. It's one of those that is a keeper. And such a good reminder that no matter what storm we are going through... whether its really bad weather, or the storms in life we are certain to face, all we have to do is pray! No, we are not guaranteed they will stop immediately as Jake's note indicates, but the inner peace we can find by giving it to HIM, can calm the storms in life. Oh, to have the mind and heart of a child.

This Girl....

This girl is my firstborn... and was my little buddy when I needed one. I am a Florida girl, born and raised... and when this girl was two, her daddy got a job that moved us north, to Cincinnati, Ohio and I had no idea what living in an area that would actually have seasons and have snow and at times very cold temperatures would be like. I had no idea what it would be like to live away from family because I had never lived more than five minutes away from my mom and dad. But, this girls dad got a job with Procter & Gamble, so off we moved to the great unknown. And let me say, it was the best thing we did. The three of us learned change and unknown together and when this girls daddy went off to his job, I can remember watching him drive off and during the day, me and this girl were on our own.

This girl became a big sister the first time when she was five years old, then again at 9, and then surprisingly again at 14. There has been some typical sibling rivalries and fights along the way... but at the end of the day, this girl has been a great big sister.

Because of this girls daddy's job, she has moved four times and move number five brought her full circle when she moved back to Florida, where she was born, to attend college. Moving has its ups and downs. One of the ups is the friends and memories you make along the way, and this girl has made many lifelong friends. No doubt, Louisiana friends will always hold a special place in her heart. And her Ohio/Kentucky friends are some of her best! Not to mention, this really great guy who came into her life over two years ago.

This girl has done well in her 21 years. Since she is my firstborn, I have learned along the way with her. I suppose as I look back, there are things I might do differently. But, this girl has been away from home for three years now and as I watch her, I know that her daddy and I did a pretty good job. She has worked since she was 15 (almost 16) and this last year of college has been able to hold down a waitressing job, while finishing up her Bachelors degree in Business, graduating with honors and working hard for every A she got. This girl is going to have an internship with the Girl Scouts this summer and then... well, we will put our trust and faith in God, and pray this girl will be able to get a job in the "real world".
And even though she will always be "this girl" to me, she has grown into a beautiful lady on the inside as well as on the outside and I couldn't be more proud. Best wishes to this girl, Krysta Lauren, as she begins this next phase of her life. I am thankful that God gave me this girl... I have truly been blessed.

Baseball Care Package

Our family loves Baseball. We love football and basketball too, but there's just something about the crack of a bat, being at a stadium and enjoying a baseball game. Here's the thing... our family is a house divided... with all sports teams. We have lived in five states and all of us are fans of different teams. Because we have lived in Cincinnati for the majority of our time since having children, we became Cincinnati Reds fans... until almost three years ago when we moved to St. Louis, and the head of the house and my little man, became Cards fans! The girls and I have remained loyal to the Reds. Krysta, our oldest who lives in Tampa now, is a fan of a few teams. Reds first and foremost, then the Tampa Bay Rays and her all time favorite player is Josh Hamiton of the Texas Rangers. I LOVE... love, love, love to put care packages together for Krysta. I wish I could do one every week for her, but the cost of shipping is ridiculous, so every few months (usually a holiday) I send her and some of her friends essentials that she needs, snacks of different kinds, gift cards, holiday decorations, etc. So...I decided to surprise her with an Opening Day care package filled with baseball goodies. I got a text this morning from her that said, "COOLEST PACKAGE EVER!!!!" Made me smile. So... here's to a great baseball season for the Reds! oh and maybe the Cards... or Rays... or Rangers... or whatever team you are pulling for.

Care package in the making... Snickerdoodle White Chocolate Popcorn & White Chocolate Popcorn... Yumminess!!

The finished product: Peanuts, Cracker Jacks, Yummy Popcorn, Baseball Fun Facts, Reds schedule and plates, Baseball tin pails filled with baseball cards and snacks. :)

Spring Snow Shower

A lot of people like snow. I find it to be an unnecessary freezing of water. ~Carl Reiner (Especially at the end of March... michelle woolf)

Welcome Spring...

... hoping you will stay around for a bit. :)

Spring Break 2011

We usually go to Florida...last year it was Orlando and the past few years before that we went to Destin and enjoyed the beautiful beach. This year, because of some other trips coming up that we are taking... we opted for a long weekend in Cincinnati. We spent the first part of the week here in STL and on the first morning, this is what we woke up to...

Thankfully, it warmed up within the next day and melted... because we ARE OVER IT!!!
We did have a quick trip to Cincinnati... spent time with friends and went to the zoo. A visit to Cincy always go by too fast for me... hope to be back for good one of these days.