Fa ra ra ra ra ra ra ra ra

Just like Christmas every year, I blinked and it was over. It seems like it takes forever to get here and then poof it's gone. I hate that empty feeling after its all over, especially when you look around and see the HUGE mess that everyone has left you to clean up haha. This year like every other was busy yet exciting. I am blogging from my new iPhone for the first time and the pictures seem to upload blurry so bear with me!
First came Christmas with my brother and sister in law. Since they live in Alabama they came up to do Christmas a little early. Colby thinks his uncle Justin is a boxing bag.  He wears him out from the time we see him until the moment we leave. This may be why they only visit a few times a year ;-)



                                       He got a new glow in the dark racetrack that we all had fun with.






Flying daddy's new toy...






Then I got to visit with two very special people in my life who I rarely get to see. It was a short visit but always great to catch up.



The next few pics are from Christmas Eve.








At our church candlelight service



I managed to watch it four times this year. I love that Colby loves it just as much as me.



A tablet from my parents. By far the best gift ever! Now I can have my phone back!



A rare family portrait where we are ALL smiling. It must have been a Christmas miracle because Jason's was not even forced or bribed.



My best friend. She will never fully grasp how much she means to me!



Putting out reindeer food....



Putting out Santa some Oreo balls and milk...
Christmas morning was so much fun. He tore into each gift with excitement and an earnest thankful attitude which is rare for Colby.



Finally Santa brought the Wii. We have already logged many hours on the Wii.



You can tell by his eyes he is half asleep.



I instantly regretted this purchase.



He asked Santa for a 32 but Santa left him a note telling him that a 32 was a rather big gun for such a small boy but that this BB gun was just right! He had the best time!
Now the joys of getting my house back in order, taking the tree down and finding room for all of the new stuff we acquired. I hope each of you had a Merry Christmas. I savored every precious minute with my family. You never know when it may be your last!

Playing catch up!

Well it has been a hot minute since I have took the time to write a blog. Most times when I sat down to do it my frame of mind was not in the best place and most of what got wrote down was crap! So to bring you up to speed on everything I missed documenting, I will give you the quick re-cap.

We went to the beach in September and had a great relaxing time. Colby enjoyed the beach but he LOVED the pool at the condo. For one reason it had a waterpark slide and second there was a large group of 15 year old girls who kept telling him how cute he was. 

October my lil man turned 6. We let him invite a few of his friends from church and soccer to kids rule for a jump party. By far the easiest party I have ever done. We basically showed up with a cake and there was nothing to clean or tend to the entire time. We also had Halloween where I surprised Colby with a red power ranger costume. To say the least he was ecstatic. At the end of the month we took him to the fair. Every year he gets braver! He was FINALLY tall enough to ride most of the rides. Jason talked him into getting on the wipeout (an adult ride) and I had to stand there helplessly for what seemed like 30 minutes while my child had a full on panic attack. I found myself screaming to the little carny to turn it off. Granted this is our, I mean Jason's fault for allowing him on it in the first place but it did make for a funny story for later. 

November was slam packed with birthday parties ! We were managing two if not three a Saturday. The weather was great though so it gave us something fun to do. Colby has done so well in school. He has So far received all 100's. I  am completely amazed each day he comes home. I must admit that I still tear up just about every morning watching him walk into school. Most days I try looking the other way but most of the time I can't help but watch. The First night he read me a book I cried for almost an hour. That kid makes me want to pull out every hair on my head most days but there is more love in my heart for him than stars in the sky. Thanksgiving was fairly quiet but We did get to enjoy eating lunch with him at school. The most memorable moment of November for me was the last breaking Dawn movie came out. My old self with Melanie and Paige in tow camped out For the midnight premiere. What I took away from that experience is I am entirely too old to stay up that late and entirely Too impatient to put up with teenyboppers in glitter ugg boots! I also hit my goal of losing 65 pounds this month. Who knew running was actually enjoyable??? 

Now Christmas is upon us and hopefully I will do a better job at documenting that (with photos) than I have the last few months. I have learned that life can change in the blink of an eye and a completely new meaning of dont sweat the small stuff. I have learned that I have amazing friends and family and most importantly that my God never ever ever fails. Never. I have been reminded to talk to Him just as much during the good times as the bad, to keep a thankful and humble attitude and to just whisper His name at any given moment for help on times of chaos. 

I hope you have a VERY Merry Christmas. Love on your family and count your blessings. 

I know right!

I have several different verses on post its around my desk but there is one directly in my line of view at all times! I find myself having to look at it daily, sometimes hourly to remind me that worrying about the uncontrollable is pointless.

"So don't worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."    Matthew 6:34

Why stress and worry about things we do not know, things unforeseen, things we make bigger in our heads than what they really are, things that we can't change even though we desperately want too, things that are not in OUR plans, or things that simply frighten us? What does that accomplish? I will tell you what it accomplishes..... it steals and robs you of TODAY'S joy! Ever went through a rough day where you were stressing something coming up in your life and before you went to bed realized you let the entire day go by without enjoying one breath you took that day? I am guilty of this. It is the very reason I need the verse with me at all times. Like the verse says, today brings enough trouble of its own so why combine that with stressing about the uncontrollable?

 Easier said than done, I promise I know that, but for those of you who are worry warts, I challenge you to write this verse down, put it somewhere where you can see it at all times, and the moment you start to feel that anxiety, read it, re read it, chant it aloud, speak it to Jesus and let it go! Remember you will never get a minute of your life back, no do-overs, no coulda woulda shoulda's.... so try to find your joy even in the midst of chaos and only dwell on one day at a time. Remember that Jesus holds our tomorrows and quite frankly He doesn't need our help. He has got this. Everything we go through is a lesson learned, faith renewed and we come out a changed person. If we didn't have these things to happen and life just always went our way, what kind of people would we be? The word FAITH wouldn't need to exist.

Hope you are having a great day. I'd love to see a picture of your verse if you choose to write it down. Remember to put it somewhere that is easily accessible. Aren't you thankful for scriptures like this? I know I surely am!

The BEST WORST day of my life

Well, the time finally came. I knew it was coming, and knew that I would be sad but often (silently of course) mocked people who seemed so distraught about their children starting school. I might have even rolled my eyes at a few people carrying on about how it was heartbreaking and the hardest thing they have ever done. I also use to do the same thing to the mother in walmart who had a child out of control thinking "She needs to get it together and spank that kid" until I became that mother and left walmart (and a full buggy sitting in the aisle) sobbing with a child having a complete meltdown in tow. I should have learned from this right? I remember the day it hit me.....like a ton of bricks. It was this day... in walmart coincidentally....

We were buying school supplies and he got to pick out his own backpack. The second he put it on I felt my throat start to close up, pools of wet stuff starting to gather in my eyes and the sudden urge to grab him up and give him the biggest hug I had ever given him. The complete and utter sadness that began to set in was completely overwhelming and also very surprising. I do consider myself an emotional person but only usually to sick or dying children. Romantic movies, weddings, pet commercials etc... usually have me imagining holding my finger down my throat during overly mushy parts. I did cry once at a peanut butter commercial where the kid fixed his mom who was staying up late to study a sandwich..... ok I have gotten off subject. Anywho I didn't expect to feel this depth of sadness.

The days that followed only seemed to get worse. His last days at his daycare that he has been at since he was 6 months old were coming to an end. I was struggling with this more than the thought of him starting school. His last three days there I cried when I dropped him off and again when I picked him up. It was not only closing a chapter in his life but mine also.

 Colby and Mia on his last day.

(gotta love the kid in the backgrounds face)

 The teachers he loved the most were Mia, Kerry and Raimey. They loved him too despite his tendency to cause complete and utter chaos.  

Saying goodbye to her was the hardest. Mrs. Marty had helped raise my child for almost 6 years. She spent more time with him on most days than I got too. She loves every one of her children at her daycare with her whole heart and always treated me as well as him with the utmost respect. I will never forget Colby had just turned 2 and came home one day and recited the entire pledge of allegiance. Mrs. Marty taught her kids what it truly meant to be an American and to always take pride in their country, their flag and their freedom. The last day was brutal for me, especially when Colby finally realized he wasn't ever going back there again. He was most concerned that they would miss him too much and cry all day.

Then the big day came. Colby has never jumped out of bed that easily before. After breakfast, packing his lunch and brushing his teeth he was MORE than ready to hurry up and go.

He was patient enough to let me get a few pictures. 

 Jason wasn't emotional in the least. He was so excited for him he said he couldn't be sad.

 While I still had eye makeup on....

The moment where I had to just breathe. Seeing his desk with his name on it made it so real to me. He was no longer my baby but my little man all grown up. Once we walked him to his classroom, got his supplies and backpack stored away, we spent some time talking and checking out his room again. I noticed a lot of the parents were already leaving. I wasn't ready but I knew I couldn't stay all day. Jason finally gave me that look as in "bite the bullet it's time to go." Jason leaned down and gave him a kiss and a strict order to mind his teacher. I wasn't sure if he would give me a kiss or not but as I knelt down he gave me a very excited yet nervous hug and kiss and he didn't care if anyone saw him. It is a moment I will never forget. I held it together until we got outside. Once in the car, I let the tears come and accepted our new adventure. I was impatiently waiting all day to pick him up and hear all about his first day. I mostly got stories about recess and lunch (which seems to be a recurring theme each day) but he did tell me a few things he learned. The second day I had to drop him off instead of walking him in. He gave me a swift kiss on the cheek, jumped out of the car and not once did he look back at me. That was a rough drive to work!

We are now in week 2 of kindergarten and already he has learned how to spell red, blue, yellow, green and orange. He can also LEGIBLY write his letters, name and numbers as well as some problem solving and rhyming. I am so impressed with how much he has learned in 7 short days. It didn't take him too long to learn that big school wasn't as fun as he thought it was going to be but each morning he is still as excited as the first to go.

Now that the sadness has subsided, I am very excited for what is in store for Colby! To all of you who have went through this already, I humbly apologize for thinking you were absurd and a basket case. For those of you who haven't yet, cherish every single day that your child is small. In the blink of an eye they will be grown.



One word.... Patience

Yesterday in my daily devotion I read this verse:

"Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying" Romans 12:12

Doesn't the word patience immediately make you uneasy? I know it does me. It churns something deep down in my stomach.  I am having a hard time finding the patience even writing this blog right now with Colby traumatizing the poor cat as well as everyone else in this house. We live in a right now kind of world and patience is a virtue lost on most people including myself. To be patient in the best of circumstances is hard enough so to be patient in TROUBLE feels almost impossible right. I was taught at an early age to never pray for patience. It was almost a grounded rule such as clean your plate and brush your teeth.

After reading this verse this week, I immediately stopped and re read the verse. Praying and Patience in the same sentence? Really? How can we get patience in times of trouble? First we rejoice in our confident hope. That really goes back to my last blog. It is hard to rejoice in times of trouble but when we do, we find a peace that honestly does pass all understanding. We are renewed in our hope that God holds our futures and we know that He is in control.

I have found especially recently that in times of trouble the best place to find yourself is on your knees bathed in prayer. Sometimes when we find ourselves in trouble we find it easier to shut out the world, shut out people and ultimately shut out God. We try to fix things ourselves, just throw our hands in the air and give up or take our own path rather than search out what God would have us to do. The verse tells us that in order to be patient in times of trouble we must keep on praying. When we find our self in constant communication with God, our problems may not go away but the burden that comes with them will lighten.

So although you may not pray directly for patience in times of trouble, it is important to not cease praying for your troubles. Thank God for them, ask God to help you to work in HIS time and not your own, and as the verse says Keep on Praying. We must also not fail to continue to pray for each other. We never know what others are going through so even if it is a smile, a friendly gesture or a quick prayer, go out of your way this week to show God's love to someone. It may make all the difference in the world to them.

"Lord even know amidst all the chaos that surrounds me, I thank you. Thank you for the hope, the peace and the understanding that You give me. Even now I ask that you help me rest in your peace, calm my anxiety and help me to trust in YOUR timing and not my own. May I find myself in constant communication with You, even if it is just whispering your name in a moment of weakness."

A little STAY-cation

I decided to take a few days off to spend some time at home and with my family being Colby will start big school in a very short 2 weeks. I needed it very much!I would have liked to take a vacation somewhere tropical but decided to do several fun things around here with him instead.

Friday I took Colby and his friend Blair to the children's museum in Gulfport. Although the one in Jackson is better to me, we still had a fun time. Here are a few pics from the day.

 Take 1....

 Take 2

 Colby as a Conductor....

 Blair fishing for crabs

 I don't think this one even needs a caption

 They had a "little" grocery store that the kids could either work or shop at. Colby did both.

 Checking out his items

 Learning how to be on camera

 Watching themselves on camera....

 He was pictured out at this point

 To say Blair hates to take a picture is an understatement so when she actually asked me to take this one I jumped right on it!

 The rain held off long enough for us to play on the beach for a bit.

 Wish I could run in the sand like that....

 Cheese.... not sure what this pose is

 The above and following are completely unscripted....

 Isn't that sweet? Colby gets on Blair's nerves but she still loves him.

 Their attempt at "Don't get your clothes wet"

 I think Paige would legally claim her if she could...

 Man I love that kid

 I think he may love me a little too...

He gives her a hard time but don't they say boys are only mean to you if they really like you?

Saturday we awoke to a limb the size of a tree laying across our entire front yard. This was not how we planned to spend our Saturday but what are ya gonna do right.... It ended up being a learning experience. I got 3 hours of skill on a hand saw while Jason did the same with a chain saw. Thankfully we had a neighbor come by and offer to help us finish up. He was a life saver. 1000 calories shed later, we were able to continue with our regular Saturday plans. We took Colby to Jackson. Since we were late leaving we didn't get to take him to the museum there but we did do a little shopping. He loves the "fish store" so we spent the bulk of our time at Bass Pro.

Can you believe he starts Kindergarten in 2 weeks? Neither can I. I know we all as parents say this but realistically....where did the time go?

Today I am having a ME day starting with sleeping late, a little laundry, a massage and a pedicure. Who said you have to go anywhere on vacation anyways?