Do you know what it means to have joy?

Dictionary.com defines joy as "The emotion of great delight or happiness caused by something exceptionally good or satisfying"

Some days I definitely am not experiencing joy. Other days I can feel the joy radiating from the tips of my toes...

God tells us in Psalm 35:9 "And my soul shall be joyful in the Lord; it shall rejoice in His salvation".

All of those days that I'm not experiencing the joy - well those are the days that I'm not focusing on the truth - God gave His only son for OUR salvation! How can we not find the joy in that!

Remember that.

I know, it's easier said than done on a day when the baby has tracked dog poop throughout the house and you have to smell your way around each room to find where it has been smashed into your new carpet. And it's easier said than done when you realize you mailed out all of your bills without postage on them. And it's definitely easier said than done when you are dealing with a very sick child or a terrible migraine.

You have to find the joy in it all.

God Bless!

Last Friday we received a letter in the mail from our childrens' school district.

I won't read it to you word for word - I'll save you the gory details...

It basically read that due to budget cuts all of the schools in our district would have 4 less school days this year.

Unbelievable.

I know my kids were ecstatic when they heard the news, but for me, not so much.

I feel like our kids are getting short-changed as it is...less hours of instruction, overcrowded classrooms, dropping arts programs left & right. Now they just want them to sit at home and do nothing all day. Really? Seriously?

I'm sad that I'm seeing this happening. I'm sad because while my kids are pretty good while left to their own devices (they are really good boys)...there are plenty of parents out there that have children that should not be left alone - and that are TOO YOUNG to be left on their own.

And don't even get me started on what this does to the teachers! They aren't getting paid for these days off of course. It's just really, really sad.

I think on those extra 4 days off, I'm going to spend half of the day challenging my boys to do something educational and the other half loving on them.

Something positive has to come out of this right?

Thanks for listening to me vent.

Rain Rain Go Away...Come Again Some Other Day!

That's the chant little guy and I have been repeating over and over again this entire day.

While we are thankful for the much needed rain - to quench the dry ground, water our lawns and such, we are TIRED
of being stuck inside. It's been 6 days! 6 days people - of a child anxious to get outside and run around in his backyard. He needs to run wild - play in his sandbox, slide down his slide. Play baseball. Golf.

Right now we are pretending that its summer inside - beach sandals, baseball caps, bermuda shorts. It helps us forget the sloshy rain outside. The dreary skies.

Even the dog is weary of it. Stuck inside unless he has to go to the bathroom - poor pup. I'm sure he can't wait to get his little paws muddy too!

Joyfully, I hear there is reprieve on the horizon. We can see light at the end of this tunnel! Hopefully Saturday will be sunny and we can enjoy the (probably) muddy backyard once again.

Hooray!

Happy January friends...

My little man turns two today.

Two years ago today I was hanging out downstairs wondering when I would ever go into labor. I had just finished a two-hour marathon of Guitar Hero (yes, I know its a silly game, but it kept my mind off of things) and decided to take a shower and freshen up. No labor pains, no signs of ANYTHING. The Dr. said it could be two weeks before it happened so I wasn't prepared for the sharp cramps I started to have the second I got into the shower. All the sudden, (and I'm talking within 10 minutes) I was having contractions that had me doubled over. I couldn't believe that I could go from zero to sixty so fast, but it was happening that way regardless.

I got out of the shower, managed to get dressed and downstairs and told my honey it was time to go. He looked at me like I was crazy, but I think once he saw my eyes he knew I was serious. We threw our stuff in the car, and we were off like a dirty shirt.

We live about 10 minutes (with traffic) from the hospital, but I'm not lying when I tell you that if there had been a train that day, little Ayden would've been born right there in the car!

We made it to the hospital and I think that I managed to get onto the table and talked to the nurse for about 10 minutes before I was ready.

So don't hate me, but Ayden Joel took an entire 30 minutes to make his appearance. That's start to finish ladies. Yep, God is good.

He is so beautiful. And Sweet. And funny. And Rambunctious. And I have a feeling he is going to be a sports fanatic. He loves any sport that involves a ball and has an arm like a star pitcher.

He loves to play the drums and listen and dance to music.

He has an amazing vocabulary and his voice is like a sweet little angel, especially when he is telling me "I love you mommy!"

I love watching him play with his older brothers. He gets such joy out of just being with them.

He is tough and loves playing hard. Dirty and sweaty (and like the picture below, sometimes he is bleeding!) at the end of the day, every day.

He can count to 10 and is quickly learning his ABC's.

I know this new year will bring many new discoveries and adventures - I look forward to them all.

Happy 2nd Birthday Ayden Joel.

This is Oswald.

He's 12 weeks old, and as adorable as they get.

Ayden and Oswald became fast friends...

Of course Ayden thinks that Oswald's house is HIS new playground...silly boy!

Daniel is happy to finally have a jogging buddy too...

And Ayden has someone to share his toys with...

Now I just have to hide all the shoes, clean up pee & poop, stop him from putting things in his mouth...wait, I already do that with Ayden.

Yes, I know, I just complicated my life twice over...but what I'm looking forward to will come soon enough. The companionship. The guard dog. The buddy that stands by me no matter what!

A sister is a gift to the heart, a friend to the spirit, a golden thread to the meaning of life.  ~Isadora James

As I mentioned in my last post, I spent this last Friday with my sweet sister.

We've been trying to plan a day together for months, but "stuff" has been getting in the way until now.

You know the "stuff' I'm talking about...children's commitments, illness, financial stresses, blah blah blah.

My sister and I have such a strong bond (as I'm sure most sisters do) so time spent together is a treasure.

We don't live close enough to see each other weekly but we do attempt to get together for a "sisters day" about once a month.

It doesn't even matter what we do when we're together, it always ends up as time well spent.

Sharing stories about our kids latest adventures, mishaps and accomplishments...telling each other about personal struggles & triumphs, and of course laughing so hard we almost pee our pants (we're just a couple of comedians underneath it all).

This time we decided to meet at her house first and chat for awhile. She was eager to spend some time with little guy.

If you know little guy, he is hard to get a good photo with - this was the best photo we snapped of him and sissy together...so funny!

After little guy and Sissy had a chance to bond over crackers, we headed over to the mall to bond over clothes and accessories.

It just doesn't get any better than shopping with your sister. Of course little guy had to tag along, but thankfully he had a great time too.

He kept us on our toes and helped us eat our fries at Red Robin (which has THE best chicken-guacamole burgers EVER. yum!)

I decided we both HAD to have matching sweat suits (or I guess they're called lounge outfits now) from

So cute - gunmetal grey with jewel embellishments on the hoodie and sides of the pant legs.

Since they're matching, we had to make a plan that she will wear hers on Christmas Eve Day and I can wear mine on Christmas Day.

(we didn't want to look all "twinsy") Hee Hee.

Once we'd had a chance to shop and eat and cruise through Brighton (and if you haven't been there lately, you've GOT to check out their latest collection of handbags - they are so cute!), we headed on back to her place so I could spend a little time with her girls before I headed back home.

Doesn't this picture just scream "We're having a GREAT time!"

of course the girls had to get in on the action too and snap a shot with their little cousin...

I can't really put into adequate words what it means to spend time with her and her family. I look up to them for so many things - they are a wonderful spiritual family, close and loving....I am so thankful for them.

I hope that all of my blog friends have someone in their lives that is this precious to them!

I'm off to San Diego to visit my sister...oh I'm so super DUPER excited!

I feel like it's been FOREVER since we've spent time together - actually I think it was wayyyyy back in September when we met up for the Women of Faith convention here in Orange County.

So early in the morning, I'm getting up with an extra special purpose!

I've got my morning all planned out - you know I got everything prepared the night before (cuz that's how I roll)

I'm getting myself and the little guy ready, tossing the other kids out the door for school (no offense "other kids") and I'm on the road! Woohoo!

We plan on spending the entire day enjoying each other's company over a nice shopping trip, some great food, and the hilarious antics of little guy.

Maybe we'll even find a small project to do together.

No matter what happens, I'll be sure to post about our fun day together and share a few pictures of us to too!

Have a Happy Weekend...

Do you know what it feels like to be weightless? To be free, fearless?

For my little guy in the picture, he gets to experience that feeling all the time.

He has two big brothers who toss him up in the air daily just for fun. If you look closely, you can see the sheer joy on his face. Priceless.

GOD WANTS US TO FEEL LIKE THAT...weightless, free & fearless!

I feel it when I am reading The Word of God.

I feel it when I'm in prayer like I should be...

And I feel it when I'm living the life He designed for me.

I'm thankful for the little things that remind me of God's grace & love because honestly,

I am not always Reading the Word, praying OR living as I should be...

So these reminders help to put me back on track.

Please join me and others over at Chatting At The Sky with Tuesday's Unwrapped...

I am so thankful for these little feet.

They grace our hallways every day.

They are typically dirty - and leave muck and mud on once-clean floors.

They are usually moving faster than the little mind that controls them...causing trips and falls and "ouchies" and "boo-boos"...

They love to kick things and push things over (like poor Lola the cat)...

They are young and full of energy - they're ready to move at a moments notice, and they don't quit until night has come.

They want to run and move and swing and slide.

They are precious to me - attached to one of God's perfect creations...

A little boy. My little boy.

(this is him running at me full-throttle ready to tackle me)

Wonderful, healthy and beautiful!

Today  I am linking up to Tuesdays Unwrapped over at Chatting At The Sky...

Please hop on over and enjoy everyone's Tuesday  musings.

Thursday, October 22nd is our anniversary...four amazing years.

God brought us together...and blessed us with more than we could ever imagine.

Daniel was so young back then...he was SO excited for us to get married.

And Christian was calling me mom even before we walked down the aisle...

(Little AJ you were a prayer in the back of our minds at that time...)

There have been so many good times together...

And I know so many more in our future...

I'm looking forward to the good...and I know we will persevere through the bad...

Because we were brought together for a purpose...

Thanks for being the Father our children need, and the Husband I've always wanted...

Here's to many more fantastic years together!