Life! What A Blessing

2009-12-26T12:41:00.000-08:00

These were taken when Elijah was 4 days old

A few more pictures of our baby boy

2009-12-26T12:40:00.001-08:00

Our big boy looking a bit like a dear in the headlights right after meeting Elijah for the first time!

Elijah is here

2009-12-26T12:18:00.001-08:00

Well I am mostly posting this for my friend Stacy who always asks me to update and I never ever do.

Our baby boy Elijah John Edwards arrived on December 16th at 7:53 a.m. He weighed in at a whopping 9 pounds 15 ounces. He was 19 inches long. He looks so so much like his brother. Elijah has lighter hair and blue eyes unlike Tommy but other than that I could barely tell them apart from Tommy's early pictures. Big brother Tommy is doing great. He loves his baby brother and always wants to help.

The birth itself could not have gone any better. I absolutely love the staff at Mercy San Juan. We checked in at 5 am they pumped me full of fluids via IV Tony and I had some time to pray and I was in the opperating room by 7:15. They had a bit of trouble inserting the spinal. That was the worst part. My anesthisiologist (ok I have no idea how to spell that) was a very very kind man (unlike the jerk that did my spinal with Tommy!!). He was very appologetic that it was taking so long and was sympathetic to how painful it was. Once I was numb my awesome husband was allowed in the room and my tiny little OB/GYN got busy on getting this big boy out. Once she had my all opened up it took her and two other doctors to help push him out. I tell you I felt like I was a human punching bag. All the while Tony snapped away with his camera. We have some disgusting pictures that I certainly will not be posting. Elijah starting crying even before they got him out. His little head was out but they had issues getting his shoulders out so he cried while they worked on that. After he was completely out he cried just a bit. Tony snapped many more pictures and I was able to touch and kiss him. I love that they never took the baby and Tony away from me. AFter Tommy was born I was separated from them both for a long long time and it was so sad.

They wheeled me into recovery and then I was able to be a part of the introductions to the rest of my family. Tommy looked a little scared when he came in to meet his brother and saw momma all hooked up to machines and such but it did not take him long to warm up to it at all. The pictures certainly show his anxiety. He looked like a dear in the headlights.

We only had to stay in the hospital for two days. Elijah was born on Wednesday and we were home on Friday. I have been very very sore but have chosen to stop using the pain meds because they were having some nasty affects on my body. We have had many visitors and have been blessed with some amazing meals. We just celebrated a great Christmas. Although Elijah has his days and nights mixed up (so we are getting VERY little sleep) it has been an absolute joy to get to know him on the outside. So their you go dear friend Stacy and anyone else that may check out this post. I hope you all have had a Merry Christmas!!

Blessings

2009-01-22T15:04:00.000-08:00

In My Lifetime!! Enough Said

Prayer for Molly's baby brother and sister

2009-01-15T15:13:00.001-08:00

Hello fellow prayers. For those of you that don't follow Amy's blog, she is preparing to have twins and she is need of prayer right now. She got a less than normal report back from her doctor yesterday. Amy is 34 weeks pregnant and hopes to at least make it to 36 weeks. Please pray for baby Paige. She does not seem to be growing while baby Garrett seems to be fine. Please also pray for Amy's continued peace and knowledge that she is being cared for.

2008-11-11T14:52:00.000-08:00

Here are a couple of pictures from our family photo shoot with DeAnna on Saturday.

A Picture that just melts me

2008-10-22T16:22:00.001-07:00

Please pray for Matani Shakya

2008-10-07T21:59:00.000-07:00

Please pray for Matani Shakya. She is a 3 year old girl that lives in Nepal. She was just tested and approved to be the new "Kumari" or living goddess. The testing included seeing if she had perfect hair, perfect teeth, perfect eyes, with out any scars on her body, and lives without any fear of the dark. To prove that she is not afraid of the dark she had to sleep in a room alone with the heads of ritually slaughtered goats and buffalo. Now that she is approved she will live in almost total isolation in a temple with out her parents only to have people come in and bow at her feet and place their foreheads on her feet. Until the time she starts to menstruate and then she is sent home to most likely never marry because of Nepalese folklore states that any man that marries a former Kumari will die young (not to mention the irreversible damage done to a child being completely isolated without her family) I read this and just felt lead to ask people to pray for her. She is 3 years old for goodness sake!!! To also pray for the continued work that is happening in Nepal to increase the rights of children

Pray for Dede and Ray

2008-09-28T16:52:00.000-07:00

Hi Friends
I am sending out a prayer request via blogspot for my dear friend Dede and her awesome husband Ray. Dede is off to Iraq for at least six months. She would love prayers that she can survive without her husband for six months. I am going to pray for that but also for her safety where she is. If you would join me in prayers for her I would appreciate it. If you are interested in checking out her blog feel free to check it out http://agirlinthesandbox.blogspot.com/

A funny little something from my boy

2008-09-14T20:32:00.000-07:00

Well this might be a post that is way to much information but I found it hilarious. Tonight Tommy and I were eating dinner and we had the boob tube on while eating (I know I know thats terrible but whatever) at least we were watching an educational show. We were watching something on the Discovery Channel. It was a show about this tribe in Australia. They were not wearing any clothes. That did not bother Tommy at all because he has absolutely no issue with nudity at all (in fact he was naked twice at church today ok a story for another time) so on this show they showed the breasts of the women in the tribe and even some of the fronts but for whatever reason they blocked out their bums shal we say ( not a black out of the bum but just shaded are you following me here? so the butts kind of blended in). Tommy had several questions about these people. He asked why do they have bones coming out of their faces? Why do they talk funny? and Why do they eat monkeys? Well then he got quiet and I am always a little nervous when he gets quiet. Then a few minutes later he said "Momma how come they don't go pee pee and poo poo" I said "Well they do they are just not showing it right now" Then he responded with, " Well it must come out of somewhere else because they don't have poo poo holes" He thought that they didn't have them because the shading that the network did you could not see the whole bum. I thought it was hilarious. Then when I explained to him that it was just the TV that had their bottoms shaded he responded with "I think we need to get a new TV momma like the one my Uncle Johnny has (big screen) I am sure he can see their butts at their house" hahahahahahahaha. I am sure when I tell Tony this is will be a ploy for getting a big screen. Maybe I will let Tony find this story if he ever reads my blog hahahahha

What Tommy loves about today

2008-09-02T14:24:00.000-07:00

These are some things Tommy said about what he loves today

1. "Helping You Momma"

2. "Playing with Ty."

3. "I loved my cheeseburger"

4. "I love my new toy"

5. "I loved the place that we goed that was Rose and Eric's bible store because I love the place that you watch movies and play"

6. "I love the book that momma read today that she bought at the Rose and Eric bible store"

7. "I likedted the french fries too from my cheeseburger"

Here is Tommy's song that he wanted me to post here
" If you know what's inside, really really really you will know what I love so much. Look look look but don't touch but you will know I want it so much. and you know whats inside but don't open it up you wil lknow I want it so much because it is not for you. What can you do with what God put inside but don't be so blue blue." (man I wish I was recording this instead of just the words, it is hilarious how he is singing it, you will just have to imagine).

What I Love About Today

2008-08-26T13:30:00.000-07:00

I have been feeling a bit down in the dumps lately. I have personally known four people over the last three weeks or so that have died. All four of these people were under 35 years of age and it was separate incidents. My heart has been sad. So I have been trying to think of some things that I love about today so here goes

What I love about today

1. Tommy saying "Momma I had the best sleep last night"
2. Talking to an old friend Patti and hearing her say I am sorry for what you are going through and I am here for you.
3. Being completely honest with another human being
4. Ty Kubicek saying "Um excuse me Miss Kristina but I love you"
5. Hearing four children exchange " I love you's" without any prompting
6. Watching four children totally submerge themselves in shaving cream (well it was three children Ty thought we were nuts for doing it)
7. Waking up with a man that wants nothing more than a kiss goodmorning from me (even if I am a total crank)
8. I live in a happy home that is filled with God
9. That I have relationships today that are not based on what I can get out of them but instead what I can contribute (little did I know that when it comes from that I get so so so much in return)
10. I have a job that I feel good about
11. That I love so much about today and it is only 1:43 in the afternoon

I hope that those that are reading this will share with me somethings that they love about their day.

Thank you for your prayers

2008-08-12T09:49:00.000-07:00

We are happy to report that Tommy is doing much much better when it comes to his night terrors. He has not had one in over a week now. We changed his nighttime routine around and he says a prayer each night that includes asking God to help remind him that he is always protected by him. So far that is doing the trick he has also lost most of his fear of falling asleep. He asks for music when he sleeps so he can think of his happy thoughts when he goes to sleep. We just wanted to say thank you for the prayers and concerns from everyone. We feel so blessed to have so many of you praying for us. Prayer is so Awesome!!

Feeling Sad

2008-07-30T23:45:00.000-07:00

I know I know it has been a long time since I posted. I sincerely think that this will be the start of just about every post. Anyway, I will start with saying I am tired so please forgive me for any typo's and such. Our boy is having night terrors. I am so so sad that he seemed to inherit this from me. I remember so vividly what it felt like to wake up in the middle of the night simply terrified and having my parents come in and then they would leave to go back to bed while I sat and tried to figure out how I could get them to come back in the room to make me feel safe without getting in trouble. My mom said I asked for water ALOT.
Tommy is saying things like "Momma I am afraid to go back to sleep because some of the bad stuff will happen again" or "Momma I want to be in a room where you can see me" so I am torn between should I let him come to bed with us and risk starting a habit I swore I would never start but running the risk of terrifying my son if I don't help him work through this by feeling safe???? Darcy gave me a website to check out that was helpful but also a bit scary. My parents had to install locks that were high up on the doors so I would not escape when I was a child. My mom said she did once catch me going out the door (which of course is what made the high lock decision for them). Is that in my future with my son? It is all so sad to me. I feel somewhat responsible for passing this on to him. I know that is silly but it is truthfully how I feel. He wakes up to a full on scream that seriously makes you think in our own sleep that someone is killing or trying to steal my son out of his room. So Tony and I are left exhausted during the day. Tonight he was crying before going to bed of fear that he would have a night of the "bad stuff happening" So here I am asking for your prayers. Prayers for peaceful sleep for our boy. Prayer for mine and Tony's continued patience and compassion during what hopefully will just be a temporary condition that comes and goes quickly. Things I have tried so far are quiet time before bed, music in his room, letting him sleep on the floor in our room, laying with him for awhile talking about happy things. If you have any other suggestions I would love to hear them. Tommy has had nightmares in the past but nothing like what we are experiencing now.

Our Friend Drew

2008-05-23T09:48:00.000-07:00

This morning our four year old friend Drew is having his third open heart surgery. He went in for surgery at 8:30 this morning and the doctor was scheduled to begin around 9:30 or 10:00 which is right now actually. We together as a family are just praying for smooth sailing. So far everything has gone as smooth as it possibly can. Drew was able to do his CT scan without any anesthisia (ok I don't know how to spell that) he was also a very brave boy going back to the operating room without any tears. He is a pro at this point. For those of you that don't know Drew and his family, he is an amazing little boy who loves dinosaurs. He has a very spirited funny 2 year old sister Ava and his parents, oh my goodness his parents are the most amazing couple I know. They are full of faith and truth and honesty about this journey God has chosen for them. They show me what it is like to truly have faith. I am just asking all of you to pray for them this morning and continue to all day. If you want to check out their blog it is http://himmelberger.blogspot.com . Surgery is suppose to go until 3 or so today. Please keep them in your prayers

Isn't it too early for this??

2008-04-10T22:08:00.000-07:00

Ok so tonight it happened!! The question I knew would come but definately thought it would come way down the road. I also owe it all to channel flipping. This is precisely why I DVR everything and do not watch commercials. A commercial came on and in the commercial someone used the word sex. Well of course Tommy says to Tony and I "What is sex?" I look at Tony he gets up and leaves the room and promptly says "Ask your mother (the punk)" So then I say "Maybe daddy didn't hear the question so go ask him" So he runs back to our room shouting at the top of his lungs "SEX SEX SEX daddy what is SEX?" The sound out of his mouth oh it took every fiber of being not to yell out "Tommy Tommy you are going to give your momma a heart attack don't ever say that word again" Of course creating shame and then even making the word more tantalizing for him. I am a firm believer that you should not lie to your kids and when they ask a question you should answer it honestly. I have had many questions from my way to big for his britches boy like "What happens when you die? When will I die? Can we all die at the same time? Why do we poop? Why don't you have a penis? I can handle all of those questions but the sex one floored me a bit. So anyway, I sent my boy back to his daddy thinking that surely this is a question daddy can take on. Well no not exactly daddy said "That is a great question for your momma, she loves these kinds of conversations with you. So my son comes skipping down the hallway saying "Momma you get to tell me what sex is" Ok so I tell him "Tommy sex is something that two adult people do together when they have been in love for a very very long time, it is also the way God lets us make babies" So he looks at me a little puzzled and then I said to him "Now why don't you go tell daddy what sex is" You see I am very curious as to how it will translate for him. So he runs back and says "Daddy guess what sex is? Sex is when two people stick together and it is because of love and then God gives you a baby". I love it did I say I thought it was a good idea to be honest with our kids? Oh and then the last thing he said (and I have no idea where he heard this) "Momma another good word is SEXY SEXY SEXY (shouting it of course)" I said "Buddy where did you hear that word and he said "it is just a word that I think is funnier than just plain old sex. " I gracefully redirected him from that and we started talking about his day tomorrow with his Poppy (which I am sure he will be sharing with my father what he learned about sex GREAT) While he was yammering on about what he was going to do with Poppy I had this flash forward thought of me getting to have all those fun talks because Tony "knows" how much I love them. One more time who said it was a good idea to be honest with your kid? I think the little birds and the bees story may not be so bad afterall. Pray for me will ya

Tommy the deep thinker!!

2008-02-24T21:47:00.000-08:00

I know, I know it has been a really long time. I figured since our friend Todd finally posted that it was about time that I do the same.

Here is a sweet little story from our deep thinker Tommy. The other night we were driving in the car and Tommy was very quiet in the car (which is VERY rare). After some quiet time he said "Momma, when I go to bed tonight I am going to pray to God that you, me and daddy die at the same time." Tony and I looked at each other a bit stunned. Tony asked him why he was going to pray for that and he replied "I don't want to be on this planet all by myself."
He is such a deep thinker. He has recently had many questions about death and where he will live when he grows up. In fact he fell apart recently when I told him that when he is 18 he moves out and gets his own house. He kept crying and saying "But Momma I am always going to live with you." I finally had to tell him that he could live with us as long as he wanted.
He is also VERY eager for another baby. I think he is more eager than I am actually. He asks everyday when we will have a baby and he is constantly making her gifts (he calls her a her, I love that because I want a her so bad I can taste it!!).
The wedding plans are coming along. I am enjoying every minute of it. I finally got my dress on Tuesday and I put it on again of Friday night for my maid of honor and I still love it so it is a good sign.
My preschool is going well. I am happy to have two new students. Molly Van Reisen comes one morning a week and Ty Kubicek comes two to three days a week. They both are a welcome addition.
Our most recent news is we have had a very tragic death in the family on Wednesday February 20th. It will be a day that I will never be able to forget. He was in our family for almost 20 years. He was a constant companion to Tony and I am just not sure how to walk through this with him. I will definately need your prayers. Although he was hot when you wanted him cold and cold when you wanted him hot and he was also known to disappear without letting us know from time to time we loved him just as he was. We do know that he is in a better place now where all old Nissan pick ups go when they have taken there last putt putt down the highway. Tony's truck has died!! Funeral information to come. We replaced him on Friday with a White Chrysler Town and Country Mini-Van. AHHHHHHH WE ARE MINI VAN DRIVERS!! There is nothing Rock-n-Roll about a mini van. We will have to dress her up with some cool stickers or something, and maybe transfer the old "Ebba" license plate in memory of the old truck. Prayers will be appreciated to get us through this difficult time.

It seems like yesterday

2007-10-03T14:49:00.001-07:00

Tommy on his first birthday. He was so excited about his John Deere

2007-10-03T14:44:00.000-07:00

2007-10-03T14:40:00.000-07:00

I can't believe he is 4!!

2007-10-03T12:55:00.000-07:00

Our boy is 4 today!! It is quite baffling to me how fast the time has gone. It feels just like yesterday that I held him in my arms and rocked him to sleep. Now bed times are full of wrestling and tickling which I also enjoy. I remember playtimes of pouring out all of my plastic containers from the kitchen and now it is a huge elaborate scene full of every toy he owns. I remember his first steps, his first big boo boo, his first words, and now he is full of running, many boo boos and days full of many many many many words. All in all I am enjoying every step of his life but I do find myself today longing for the baby in him. I do get to see glimpses of it when he crawls into bed with me in the morning and just can't seem to get close enough to me. Sometimes I think of how lucky we are to have such a healthy happy little boy!! A temper tantrum here or there is nothing compared to what many parents have to endure today. Thank you God for that reminder.

It has been a long time

2007-09-14T20:50:00.000-07:00

I know I know it has been a long time. I started to wonder if many were reading this and now I have heard from a few people (Hi Stacy and Carolyn)that you wondered why I had not posted so here is a post. We have been busy, yes but the biggest reason why I have not posted is that we desperately need a new computer!! I get so frustrated with this thing taking so long. I can only handle it for so long.
The preschool is up and running. I have been doing interviews with kids. I am trying to one day at a time leave it up to God. I know the school will fill if I leave it up to him and just listen to my intuitive thoughts on what actions I should be taking. Today my action was to show it off to two prospective kids.
Wedding plans are coming along. We had the paperwork drawn up for the reception site yesterday. We have our eyes on a caterer. So the date is set for sure. We are getting married on June 28th 2008. I do have to say this I woke up yesterday with the chill in the air. I want a September wedding!! I am just so afraid I am going to bake on my wedding day in June!! So the truth is I might bake on my wedding day but I will have a lifetime of options with vacations because Tony and I will both have the time off as oposed to September when both of us will be begining a school year. So I am praying to find contentment with June.
Tommy started riding his bike this week that his Aunt Dede bought for him on his second birthday from Germany I do believe. I think she had to cart this little bike all the way back from Germany!! He is finally big enough to ride it. It is pretty darn cute watching his serious face trying to figure it out. He has had a couple of spills. Daddy calls them war wounds. He got right back on but now he appreciates his knee and elbow pads much more!!
Well I suppose that is all for now. I would love all of your prayers that I can continue to let go and let God make the decisions in regarding my school. I know that I will be much happier if I can do that daily and the people that love me that live with me will be even happier! God Bless you all

A few words from Tommy

2007-08-06T14:10:00.000-07:00

gthhttttttttt tmmmmmmm mmmmmmmmmmm mmmmmmmmmmmmmmm bbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbb bbbbbbbbbbbbb bbbbbbbbbbbbbb bbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbb xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxooooo oooooooooooo jfghfjccjhtxhfcjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjj oooooooooooooo oooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooooooooooooooo hbjjjjhhhhggghytreewfuututuuttuuyututuuyhhuuyttriii
iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiijhg tgehbfhgfhhbfgjjngbjngbjnvb jmgbfvjngvbb bhyhy7yfdnnbnbcccccccccccccnsjnnsr uhsrhjrryuhiiy yseyhsiiiiiioooooo4wu 86hutkhoooooooooooryh hkhkjo oooo oooo

Ok here is todays exact translation (even down to the laughter):
Todd I love you because you are my best friend. Daddy I love you because you are my best friend. You are my best friend because your new (LOL that's funny huh?) Jonah I love you because you are my best friend and you play the guitar much (LOL much is a funny word huh?momma) Adriana I love you and your my best friend and e..i..e..i..o (LOL I am very funny) Nana and Poppy I love you your my best friend, you play with me and put movies on for me. Momma has to say no sometimes its the law (right momma?) I love everybody. Ok I am all done daddy is watching TV and momma can't say no.

Engagement Pictures

2007-07-24T20:17:00.000-07:00

Well it seems really official now. Tony and I had our engagement pictures taken today. Our dear friend Deanna snapped some pictures of us in the the McKinley Park Rose Garden. What a great experience. Here is a sneak peak at one of the pictures.

2007-07-17T18:52:00.000-07:00

A few thoughts from Tommy

2007-07-17T18:38:00.000-07:00

xcnnty dudfghgh hfgyt6t7t666ttr tttttttttttttttt yyyyhh tttttuuuuu uuuuuuu uunnnk bj bn njh jnnbi jgxfgx xytkibibibii gununujjijmuu u8,,kjn bvbjh bhvhbgvgvgg gbggggvvggvg ggcrfx rxrccrr cxdzxzd ddczdd zedzzwso.

Translated (actually word for word)
I love Poppy. Lee is my best friend cousin. TTTTTTTT is for Tommy. Momma and Daddy are getting married and they still love me. June is a fun month. Amen Tommy is the best guy cuz I am nice. I love myself. I am my best friend. I like to talk to Bella. I want to be a big star and a singer. and I am not suppose to say poop.

2007-07-10T08:46:00.000-07:00

He Has Always Been Worth Waiting For!!

It has been awhile since I have posted. Tony, Tommy and I just spent the last week in South Lake Tahoe. It was an amazing trip. My dad, Tommy and I went up last Monday and spent the evening and the next day together. We went to the beach and hung out. It was something I don't get to do very often. I appreciated the time with my dad.
Tony and my mom came up the next day (Tuesday). On Wednesday we all went out for a boat ride on the lake. This was Tommy's first boat ride. He was a little nervous at first (as you all know he is a very cautious little boy), but then he loved it. It was another great day together.
On Thursday my dad and Tony played golf together while Tommy, my mom and I spent the day at the pool. On Thursday night my brother, his wife, and two kids showed up to spend the rest of the week with us. The boys got up early to play golf on Friday morning while the girls and all the kids worked our way to the beach (we slowly worked our way, it is tough getting three kids out of the house). We all enjoyed our day at the beach. The guys joined us after golf and then we all had dinner together.
Saturday the grandparents took all three kids so that the parents could get a little break. Tony and I spent some time at the casinos. It was 7-7-07 so everyone seemed to be getting married. Well I was certainly not going to let the opportunity pass me up so I harrassed Tony about getting married. I kept saying "Well you know it would be really easy to just get married and not worry about a wedding" He just laughed in his Tony way. After a day of making contributions to the Lake Tahoe Casinos we headed back home (no I did not convince him to marry me there). My parents spent the night out on the town and we headed back to the house with all the kids. After we got the kids to bed, my brother, his wife, and Tony and I continued our Yahtzee tournament that had been taking place all week. I was not lucky there either. I regularly got my butt kicked there too.
Sunday morning my brother and his wife and kids left and my parents left with Tommy, leaving T0ny and I two days and one night alone together. It was a much needed break from all the fun noise. The house was so quiet it was almost a little bit scary. After some much needed time alone in the house we decided that maybe we should try to earn back some of our money at the casino's. Well that did not work out so well. We ended up making a larger donation. We had a great time laughing together while playing the Wheel Of Fortune slot machines. I am sure you can imagine me yelling "BIG MONEY, BIG MONEY". We both had some good laughs. We went back to the house and had dinner together while watching the sunset. We stayed up super late enjoying the alone time, playing more yahtzee and watching the boob tube. I think we finally went to bed around 2 or so.
So, Tony got up very early the next morning anticipating me waking up as well. Well, I slept in until 10:30!!! I don't remember the last time I did that. I sat up in bed and saw that he was in the chair in the living room staring at me. I said goodmorning and what time is it. He said it was 10:30. He had this look on his face. I turned to get out of bed and I noticed that there was a tiny little box on the pillow next to me. I thought to myself "No, now Kristina if you have learned anything in the almost 6 years that Tony and you have been together, don't count your chickens before they hatch. It is probably something in Tahoe that he saw and wanted to give to you to remember the trip. It is not a ring!!" Well I was WRONG!! I opened the box and then dropped the ring and said "Tony what is this". He came into the room and said well what do you think it is? He got down on one knee and said some amazing things ( I had to have him repeat them later because I was so floored I could not even remember what he said) and then he said "Kristina will you do me the honor of becoming my wife" I think I said yes!! I did have to ask him later if I did. It was perfect!! The ring is perfect. The way he did it was perfect. I have to believe that what he said was perfect (since I can't remember hehehe)!! It was all FINALLY perfect!! He even called my daddy to ask permission. I feel like I am on cloud nine. I just can't wait to celebrate with all of you. I have had a huge smile on my face since yesterday and I told Tony WOW you might get at least a whole week of this goofy smile and maybe even longer of no pouting about anything!! Once I get my pictures put on a cd I can post some pictures of us that morning. Love to all of you!!

It has been awhile

2007-07-01T22:40:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone,
I had such an awesome experience last night. I hosted an event in my home last night for our womens ministry called "be". This time it was "be Pampered" It was so powerful to just be with women and share while being pampered. We all had massages, we all did pedicures and manicures, we all got our make up done. Wow Tony was pretty excited about that when he got home at midnight. I was quite transformed. I once again just feel so blessed to have so many strong, beautiful, powerful women in my life. It was a great night.

We are off to Lake Tahoe for a week starting tomorrow. Tony, Tommy, and I will be going as well as my mom, dad, my brother John and his wife Leslie and the two little ones Adriana and Lee. I am looking forward to getting away as it is definately something that I have needed for quite some time.

I have many life altering changes going on that many of you know about but I am holding off from sharing them here until all interested parties have been informed. I will just say this, for the first time in my life I full heartedly believe I am on the path God has chosen for me. I am not running from it or hiding from it. I am on the path and although it is challenging and hard alot of the time I am enjoying every moment of it. I will tell more as time goes on. Love to you all.

Trying to be forgiving

2007-06-09T22:42:00.000-07:00

I was in a lock down at school this week because their was a loose gunman in the area. It was the first "real one" we had. I was very proud of myself for the ability to keep it together for the kids. All the while I was plagued with "This is what my friend Rodney had to go through 15 years ago". You see, at my high school 15 years ago someone came into my school and shot several people, killing four people I knew and two I considered friends. Rodney was on a 12- 15 hostage situation. He was locked up in a room with a few other people one being an injured person from the gunfire. 12 - 15 hours can you imagine? I took a small child to use the restroom in the complete darkness and thought of how scary it must have been for him. It leads me to confusion over the last few days. All I can think to do for today is to pray. Pray for Eric Houston (the shooter at my school), Pray for my friend Rodney, Pray for the man that shot and killed his own father this week, Pray for the father that was killed, pray for myself so that I can find it in my heart to forgive. I do know this, that the lack of forgiveness only injures my own soul and heart and gets in the way of my ability to be of service to others.
I had an excellent opportunity to be of service today. I had a graduation party for a very dear friend of mine today. I was honored to be a part of it all. Forgiveness in all areas of my life granted me the ability to do so.

Feeling really lucky today

2007-06-03T17:32:00.000-07:00

Well Tony and I went to a fundraiser luncheon today and I have to tell you I am feeling pretty darn lucky today. This event was held in efforts to raise funds for a local community center that our friend Kacie is the executive director of (as many of you already know). She spoke today about how it takes a village to raise just one child. She also spoke about after the recent birth of her twin boys that she is a firm believer in it. Then she posed a question, If it takes a village to raise one child how many does it take to raise over 500 (this is how many the Greenhouse helps) kids that may only have one parent living in a one bedroom apartment with multiple families? It really got me thinking that whenever I may feel a bit frustrated because my three year old is exerting all of his will at least I am surrounded by an amazing village. I am sending many thanks to my village today. Even if you are a villager that lives far away you make an amazing difference. Love to you

Watching my boy get bigger

2007-06-02T23:40:00.000-07:00

Today I watched Tommy play soccer for the third time in a few weeks in the class that he is in. It is very bitter sweet to see my baby playing soccer, listening to a coach, becoming so independent. I love all of his milestones but I can't help but think what happen to my little baby?

Anger is no longer my dubious luxury

2007-06-02T23:23:00.000-07:00

I had a realization today that I am sure many of you have had already, anger harms everyone who I aim it at but MOSTLY the anger hurts myself. Most of my anger I hold inside so not to harm others, that harms me. Some of my anger I display passive aggressively, that harms other but also harms me. So just for today I will pray to find the answers to diffusing unnecessary anger.

I think I am figuring this all out

2007-05-31T11:26:00.001-07:00

Good Morning World
I think I am figuring it all out?!! I have never fancied myself as being super computer savvy. Tommy and I are enjoying our morning playing pirates and playing old video games that I found in a box. It is pretty funny to watch him play pac-man. I also found some very old pictures that absolutely warmed my heart today. I found pictures of my brother and I as kids, my friend Dwayne and I at a Christmas dance in 1988 (OOOHHHH I had big hair) and some pictures of kids that I used to nanny for. I also found some old journals that I read through and was able to celebrate how far I have come in life. Wishing everyone peace today!!

We Are On Our Way!!

2007-05-30T21:53:00.000-07:00

Well, here I am finally entering the blog world. I love the idea of being able to just tell people where to check out our life rather than having to send out so many individual emails. I will give it a shot anyway. Let's see LIFE, it is truly a blessing. I have a wonderful life filled with so many loved ones. Tommy is over 3 1/2 now and he truly is a very bright light in my life. Tony being the other very bright light and my new relationship with God being the brightest!! I look forward to sharing my everyday life with any of you that want to know