12.25.06

Merry Christmas!!!  What a great day.  I must say that this Christmas ranks in the top 5 of best Best Christmas' ever.  I would like to say it's the best, but since I am sure there are plenty of Christmas' that I can't remember, I didn't feel it would be fair.  It really was great though.  I wanted to post the video...so that way you could all see how our holiday went, but as it turns out the file is too large for any website to handle.  I tried YouTube, Photobucket, and also tried to upload it to MySpace...none of them can hold that big of a file.  I suppose it's understandable, the video is an hour and forty minutes long.  lol  That's the edited version.  lol  So instead I am just going to put it on a cd and mail it out to certain family members who I know really want to see the kids open their gifts.  How disappointing though huh?  You would think that at least YouTube could handle a large video like that.  Anyway, so the kids woke up fairly early, but instead of opening gifts first, we decided to eat first.  We made a big deal out of it and had fried potatoes, eggs, bacon, sausage, and juice.  It was great and felt like the perfect way to start the day.  Then, after that we went upstairs to all get showered and dressed, because there was no way I was going to be on video tape in my bathrobe.  lol  Finally....after all of that, we came down to open presents.  It took FOREVER!  And I mean we even had to stop the video at one point so we could clean up, because at the half way point there was so much "stuff" and trash that we had no more room.  In the end, and I am including two different clean up times, it took 3+ hours to get everything opened and then cleaned up.  By that time, it was about lunch time!  We let the kids play though and I helped my mom clean up the kitchen.  Then we decided it was time for the birthday cake for Jesus.  After all, it is his birthday.  So we put a bunch of candles in it (since he is old) and we all stood around the table and sang the Happy Birthday song.  Then we blew the candles out and ate a bunch more.  lol  I am not going to weigh myself for a week!  Horrible.  Too much candy and cake.  After that it was a day full of organizing toys, throwing some old ones out, washing new clothes and hanging them up....etc.  We did discover that Evelyn is now in desperate need of a toy box.  We plan on going to buy one today.  Probably at Toys R Us, since they will have the best selection.  My parents got me a shirt, and then a gift card to the place they bought it at, and James' mom and dad got me a beautiful hand painted Pasta Dish set.  Beautiful bowls and such that I will really love using for spaghetti.  I also got lots of gift cards through out the last week or so and spent those on clothes and stuff.  James didn't get much, but he never does.  He got a few gift cards, and my mom and dad got him The Godfather DVD box set.  He liked that.  Luckily James isn't one of those people who cares at all about getting presents.  lol  What' wrong with that man???  lol

Anyway, so like I said, I thought that we had a great Christmas.  I was very happy with how good Isaiah was in regards to saying thank you to everyone...even saying thank you to the camera so when people watched it they could hear it as well.  The kids loved all the stuff they got, and they certainly did get a lot of stuff.  So...that was my day, and I better go now so I can get Isaiah and Evelyn all ready to go to Toys R Us...Isaiah is still in his pj's and we are supposed to leave very soon.  lol  So, I hope you all had a great Christmas, check out the blog that I wrote before this one too so you can see a bunch of pictures.  ttyl.  Bye.

12.22.06

"Hurting is part of healing."  James said that today.  He compared it to when you have to re-set a broken bone so it can heal.  I forget exactly why it got said, but it stood out enough that I wanted to remember it.  It is a very true statement.  If you are hurting...odds are you will have to hurt some more so you can begin to heal.  I have had a few examples of that in my life.  One in particular was with a friend that I had a very long time ago...she hurt me VERY badly.  In a very personal, and horrible way.  I held that pain inside of me for what seemed like ages...I never forgave her...even though I needed to.  One day I saw her at a store...she worked there.  I made the choice to approach her.  We started off with the awkward hello's, but eventually I said, "I just wanted to let you know, that I forgive you."  I didn't say what I forgave her for, because she already knew.  She just looked at me and got some tears in her eyes, and then said, "Thank you."  We hugged and chatted a little bit more, but then it was over.  I have seen her quite a few more times since then.  Saying those words to her, the simple "I forgive you." did bring up that pain, it did cause my heart to ache and feel all that pain again, but once I said it, it was lifted.  I felt so much better.  Now when I think of the things that happened with her I don't get as upset and I can handle the memories better. 

I think that if you have unresolved problems...things that you haven't worked through yet, it makes it all that much harder to think about the event, and to talk about it.  Nobody wants to bring up bad memories when they haven't been resolved.  On the other hand, when they have been resolved, people are more likely to talk about it, since it usually has a happy ending and sometimes even a lesson has been learned.  Anyway, so there you go...my lesson for the day.  lol

I took the kids shopping today for some Christmas gifts with some Christmas money that they were given.  Isaiah got some toys, and Evelyn got some Dora the Explorer toys.  Everyone was happy and we had fun even before we went to Wal-Mart.  First, we went to McDonald's and I bought the kids lunch.  Just some happy meals but they enjoyed themselves.  We all sat together at a booth.  I really enjoyed just sitting with them, talking, watching them eat.  It was fun and I think that going out like that and sitting together has got to be one of my favorite things to do.  After that we went to the shopping center where the Wal-Mart is and I took them to where my mom works so we could all say hello to her and visit.  Luckily, she was on her lunch break and so we also got to sit in the back and chat for awhile.  The kids really enjoyed the visit and Evelyn didn't want to leave.   After that we just went into Wal-Mart and did our shopping...came home and then I had to actually decide what to make them for dinner.  I couldn't think of anything that seemed good, so they had cereal.  lol  I had cereal too.   Personally, I think that cereal is good anytime of the day.  I love cereal.  Here are some of my favorites.  Fruit Loops, Lucky Charms, Life,  & Captain Crunch.  I like other ones too, but those are my favorites.  Anyway, so there is my day.

Tomorrow is Saturday, and as you know I don't write on the weekends...so the next time you hear from me will be on Monday ~Christmas Day~ I WILL be writing about it and I will also have some pictures to post.  I am sure it will be a wonderful day of celebrating The Lords birth.  So...to everyone who is reading this, Merry Christmas, and God Bless!!!

 

12.20.06

Good Morning.  I feel kind of bad.  I have been sneezing like crazy, my nose is stuffy, my eyes have been watering, and my throat; although not sore, does feel funny.  Obviously I have caught the cold that Isaiah brought home from school.  That is the bad thing about the kids being in school.  When kids go to school all they do is bring home germs.  Schools are just one big germ factory.  They have God only knows how many diseases in them everyday.  It is impossible for my child to NOT bring one home.  The worst part is that when your kid is sick, you feel like out of common courtesy you should keep your kids home...but then there is that part of you that doesn't want to deal with explaining why your kid was home, and then having to deal with your kid being home anyway when you expected them to be gone.  So...you send them to school, which in the end you figure is ok since you know that every other parents does the exact same thing.  lol  And it's true, they do.  When you first become a mom, and other parents bring their sick kids around your new one, you get very upset and complain about it.  You are like, "What the heck! Don't they know any better?"  But once you are a seasoned mom...you stop caring.  :)

Yesterday ended up being pretty good.  Isaiah went to school and Evelyn had her nap.   Instead of napping along with her I decided to hang with James.  After her nap though, I took her with me to get some groceries...it literally took all my strength to not buy a candy bar.  I have been struggling to stay on my diet in a strict fashion.  I keep giving myself excuses, reasons that it is ok to snack...it's hard on the holidays, there are snacks around and right now we have cookies.  My Aunt Shari sent a bunch of Spaans cookies in the big box of presents that she sent.  Sadly, the kids and I have already finished off the ones I love the most...so at least they are gone. lol  It's hard, I mean I am not addicted to food...I am addicted to the taste of food.  I love tasting food.  Every kind of taste...especially chocolate.  lol  I am going to have to step it up, really do good until Christmas Day comes...and then get right back on the ball again.  I am not gaining more weight, I just haven't lost those last 3 pounds that I gained back from Thanksgiving still.  It makes me feel sort of down on myself...but I have to try to not let myself do that...it will make tings harder on me.  I need to keep a positive outlook.  

Anyway, that is all I have to say so far.  Nothing is really happening at the moment and I suppose that I should do something other than being on the computer.  Like feeding my daughter lunch, as James just told me.  lol  So anyway, I will talk to you all later.  Have a great day! 

 

12.19.06

Christmas is coming up so quickly.  I feel like it will be here in no time.  As it is this week will fly by because Isaiah only has school til Thursday, and then he starts his vacation.  I must admit that even though I enjoy the time with one less kid in the house, I will also like not having to get him ready in the morning and go outside to wait for the bus.  Evelyn just wants to tear open the gifts...she is always going over to them and picking them up, trying to play with them, and of course pushing on them.  A couple of times we have had to tape some of them up, because by pushing on them she ripped them open.  Luckily she is too young to know what they are and to tell anyone.  :)  At the rate she is learning stuff though, next year will be a whole different story.  I think she will be talking up a storm by then.  Isaiah had gotten a paper sent home with him that was all about him getting signed up for Kindergarten.  I was supposed to fill out the paper work and sign him up.  We (James and I) had already discussed that we planned on waiting until he was six years old though.   We really want to make sure that he is ready for Kindergarten, instead of just hoping.  I know that he has made LOTS of improvement since he started school, but I can not be sure that he will be ready by next year and I don't feel comfortable signing him up if I am just hopeful.  So I called the school a little while ago and informed them and they said that was fine...the lady I talked to said she would inform his current teacher for him.  I really feel like this will be for the best. 

James went to court this morning about his speeding ticket that he got a month and a half ago.  He made a court appointment because he wanted to fight the ticket so that way he wouldn't have to go to traffic school.  He was hoping that the cop just wouldn't show up, and that they would then have to get rid of the ticket.  Turns out that in Michigan you have to have been driving a certain amount over the speed limit (who knows what that amount is) for it to count as a point against your record.  Since the cop only wrote him down as going 5 mph over the speed limit (even though it was more) the ticket isn't a "point ticket", as they called it, and so it won't go on his record!  James just decided to pay it then.  The ticket only cost him $150.00 which I figured was pretty good.  Luckily we have been doing pretty good with money lately, and my mom and dad have been able to give us about $200.00 a month.  So we should be ok. 

Last night went by so fast, which was a switch from Sunday which seemed to drag on forever.  Next thing I knew it was 12:30am and we were ready for bed.  James had worked pretty late, and so while he was doing that we just watched more of Smallville and I played Scrabble online.  I won a few games, and lost a couple.  I am getting better at scrabble...now I win more often.  There are so many odd words that I would swear could not possibly be real words, but then I challenge them and lose.  For instance....here are some words that I bet you didn't know existed.   suq, aa, ai, xi, qua, qat, el, ka, ef, el...and many more that I just can't think of right now.  The point is that these all seem like crazy words, and if you look up the definition on www.dictionary.com you will be even more amazed.  lol  It's just dumb. 

In a blog that I wrote a couple days ago I talked about what would happen to the kids if I died.  A friends posted a comment to me about it and talked about how someone close to her had known they were going to die and made preparations and such for the children.  I was thinking...if I didn't die suddenly, but was very sick and knew that I was going to be dying...what would I do then?  I think that I would make a video for sure.  I would two of them.  One of each kid.  Talking about different things that were bound to happen in their lives that I would not be there for...giving advice on them, and of course telling them how much I love them.  I would also get all my journals ready for them, so they could read them later, and I would make sure their memory boxes were all done, and that every letter I had ever written them was in there and in order by date, so they could read those as well.  It is crazy to think that with the exception of making a video, I am very prepared for my possible death while they are young.  There will be no reason for them to not feel like they know me, for them to not be able to feel close to me.  All they will have to do is grab a letter that I wrote, and know that my hand was there, right where theirs is.  Those things are very important to me, I don't want them to forget me.  I wish that James would get on the ball and write them some letters.  He won't though and it drives me crazy.  He just sees things differently...he always says that the kids will remember him fine, and even if they didn't I will be here to tell them about him.  I think that isn't good enough, but I can't change his mind.  Hopefully, all of this will be a pointless thing though, and we will both live to be in our late 90's.  Yep, that's right, I want to live as long as possible.  Don't get me wrong, I also want to die and go to heaven and all that good stuff, but I just want to make sure that I have seen as many grand-kids and great grand-kids as possible. 
I pray often that God will wait to take me until I am nice and old.  Don't know if he will wait...but I hope so.  lol  Anyway, I guess I have written enough for now.  And here I started out thinking that I had nothing to say today!  lol  ttyl.  Bye.
 

12.16.06

Why am I writing again?  I probably won't even post this until Monday when I usually will.  I don't even know what to write.  I just felt like typing.  I want to be doing something.  Something besides sitting here watching the 17th episode of Smallville.  lol  Isaiah is awake also...he has a bad cough, and can't sleep.  Evelyn also just started screaming too, like all of 30 seconds ago.  It's James' night for her though and so he went upstairs to check on her.  She is coughing too.  I hate it when my kids are sick.  It just makes for a bad night for everyone.  You can't calm them down at all.  When kids get upset, and I mean really upset from being sick...they don't wake up good.  Thankfully that is not the case right now.  But it has happened before, and you can not console them, you can't even get them to let you help them feel better.  A prime example of this would be a few days ago when Isaiah was coughing so badly he thought that he was going to throw up, I knew that if he just took some medicine, or had a drink, it would semi help him feel better.  He refused, no matter what I said, or did, he would not take anything.  It was very frustrating, and in the end I had to do something that I haven't had to do in a very long time...force the medicine down his throat.  I figured that would be the end of it...but no, he wouldn't even swallow it.  He just held it in his mouth the whole time and wouldn't swallow it!  After a couple minutes of begging, I finally had to grab his chin and just tip his head far back, making him swallow it.  I felt bad, but the kid was being impossible.  I have had to force Evelyn to take some medicine a couple times also.  I just hate doing it.  You know, kids can be so stubborn.  lol  When do they grow out of it???  Probably once they have kids of their own.  lol

12.17.06

Well, it is the next day now, I am home from church and we are now watching the first episode of the second season.  It is pretty good too.  I can tell that I am going to get addicted to yet another show.  Whenever I spend too much time on one show/book, it starts to take over my whole mental state and I think on nothing else.  As a matter of fact, it usually happens when I am reading the Harry Potter series.  Whenever a new book comes out I start reading them all over again, at this point, we are at book 6, so that is a lot of Harry Potter to be reading.  The last time James and I were reading it non stop, and James and I started calling Isaiah, Harry!  It was crazy.  We would always end up laughing though.  It's such a great book.  lol  I can't wait until the last one gets published.  But then again, I certainly don't want it to end either.  lol 

12.18.06

Well, now it is Monday.  Last night James and I were both feeling so "blah", that we decided that we needed to get out!  The day seemed to be dragging by, and so we figured that going out and just doing something outside of the house would help.  So after the kids were asleep we headed out.  We went to StarBucks and got a drink and snack, and then we headed over to Borders Books and Music to check out what they have and enjoy the atmosphere.  I LOVE BEING THERE.  Every time I am in that store and I see the people working there, I realize how much I resent all of them because they get to work there and I don't.  lol  I guess you could say that even though I hate working...I never considered that job to really be work...it was so fun, that I just loved being there and if I had to get another job someday I would go back there first.  I am always hapy in book stores.

So anyway, I walked around all over that store and I finally decided that I was just going to go a head and buy these 3 books that I have wanted for awhile but always tell myself that I will just get them later.  I got the paper back version though to save on money.  Generally, I prefer hardcover.  But, I got those plus one extra book which made me feel great.  I think that James will love the books too, so I plan on making him read them as well.  The more the kids see us reading, the more likely they are to read.  They see me plenty, but I think it is good if they see James reading something other than the computer screen.  :) 

After we got home though we just hung out here in the living room and watched some movies and stuff.  Nothing too special.  Currently I am babysitting Tammy and Nino's little one while they are out together doing some church stuff.  I think they will be back around 12:30pm or 1pm.  He is being good, and usually is, so I don't mind having him here.  Once he is gone I will put Evelyn down for a nap though, and myself too!  Might as well enjoy it while I can, this is Isaiah's last week of school and then he has 2 weeks Christmas vacation.  So anyway, that's all for me.  I guess I will get back to watching everyone play and be crazy.  lol  ttyl.

 

 

12.15.06

I talked on the phone to Tiffany for a while today.   She still has no electricity, this is going on the second day now.  While we were talking we got on the subject of our children, and what would happen to them if they died, who would take care of them, and why we would pick who we picked.  I mentioned that we had already decided long ago that my parents would be the ones to take care of my kids.  Everything else that was of importance, goes to our children, the house, all our money, James' life insurance, etc.  The life insurance should be enough to pay off the house.  So that is good.  All of our belongings will be handled in other ways...we will select people to get certain things, and people who will be in charge of making sure they get what we are giving.  It is hard to decide who is "getting" your kids in the event of your death.  There are so many things to consider. 

1.)  Can they financially support your children?  (This is very important, if they can't...that is a big problem.)
2.)  Do they love your kids already? (Also very important, duh.)
3.)  Would they be willing to take on the very large commitment of raising your kids?
4.)  Does the person(s) you choose share the same beliefs as you; in regards to ethics, religion, discipline?  (These are important, but of course no matter what you try to teach a kid, they may or may not share what someone believes anyway.  However, I think it is still good to have someone raising your kids that will teach your children the same things you would want to be taught.)
5.)  Will they treat your kids as their own?
6.)  Will the people you choose respect your wishes if you were to leave any?
7.)  Will they keep your children in touch with the rest of your family?

There are of course many other things that come into consideration.  But I won't bore you with more of them.  The whole point is that your kids and their well being is very important...NO ONE KNOWS when they might die.  It can happen at any time...people in your life need to be aware of your wishes.  Otherwise, well...people may fight over it, and that is never good.  Now that Evelyn is with us, we will be making out a new one.  When we first made one, it was while I was pregnant.  So in the end we didn't get it notarized or anything, since we realized that we needed to have our daughters name on it, and at the time, we didn't even have a name picked out.  lol  Did you know we had considered naming Evelyn Harley.  We also liked, Haley, Holly, and I think we thought about a few others also.  Do you think that what we are named has an affect on our personality?  If I had been given a different name...would I be somewhat different?  After all, my name has a lot to do with parts of me.  Especially the part of me that gets annoyed everytime someone mispronounces my name.  lol  Who knows. 

Well, I just felt like writing another blog today...but this will be the last one til Monday.  I love taking the weekends off.  Gives me so much more time to do other things.  This weekend James and my dad are going to start working on fixing the basement.  It is going to cost a lot of money, but it will still cost less than hiring someone.  I will just be happy to have the whole problem solved.  Anyway, so I hope you all have a great weekend.  I think I will. 

 

12.15.06

I just wrote a huge blog, and then I deleted it because after reading it I decided that it was stupid.  lol  I don't feel like going to bed right now.  This is possibly due to the four and a half hour nap that I had today.  Crazy huh?  I was tired this morning, and so after the kids were all fed and settled I told James I was heading up stairs to lay down...it was a little after 8am.  James never woke me up, and when I did wake up, it was 12:24pm!!!  Wow, I haven't had a nap like that in God knows how long.  Lorenda says that when I nap for 2 hours or more, that I am not napping...she says that is called sleeping.  lol  I say that anytime you have already slept all night, and then you sleep again when it is daylight, that is a nap.    For me to be happy with a nap, I need to have more than an hour, at least...my preference though is 2+ hours...then I wake up feeling great. 

I am really feeling like Christmas is going to be great this year.  Having it in our new home is very exciting, and since we are going to be using the web cam to video tape all the present opening we will be able to send the video out to everyone so people can watch the kids open the gifts that they sent.  I plan on making sure that Isaiah says thank you to the camera too...it will just make things more personal...I feel like the whole day is going to have a good "vibe".  I have different scattered memories when it comes to past Christmas'.  I remember the worst gift I ever got...one year James had no idea what to get me...and since I like surprises, I wouldn't give him any ideas...when I opened my gift I was shocked to see a GIGANTIC candle, with 5 wicks.  I am serious; it was huge...like a 13 inches tall, and a circumference of 20 inches.  Crazy big candle that I DID NOT WANT.  I said a polite thank you, but after a little while I admitted that I didn't like the gift.  We had a good laugh at it...and I continue to make fun of him for it to this day.  The best gift he ever gave me was my leather trench coat...which I LOVED.  But eventually I had to give it away (sold actually) because I had put on too much weight and it didn't fit anymore.  I was sad about that.  I have many memories at my Grandma Wright's house...we always opened gifts after dinner when I was young.  Everyone arrived first, and then we ate, and then we opened gifts.  I loved that and I was disappointed when that eventually changed.  I liked the feeling that the gifts weren't the most important part of the day, being together was.  Of course memories are strange, i don't remember much else from my childhood Christmas'.  I fee like I should.  Most of my memories are of other things, doing things with people.  I always loved it when my Grandma Sheila would take me with her on Saturday's to do all her errands.  We would go to where she worked and have breakfast with all her friends, and while we were there I would go and look at all the stuff the store had, and I especially loved checking out all the birds and hamsters.   I have lots of memories of going bowling with my Grandma and Grandpa Wright.  My Grandpa was very good and I loved how hard he would throw the ball.  The pins seemed to explode.  He also used to always watch golf on TV, I guess it grew on me because I also love to watch it.  I don't seek it out, but if I happen upon it, I always watch. 
I have lots of memories of school.  I can remember being in Pre-school and blowing a kiss to a not so popular boy because I felt sorry for him that he had gotten picked on.  Of course one of the girls saw me do it, and started to make fun of me...I wasn't brave enough and so I lied, I actual said that I was blowing a kiss to my dog and we lived in that direction.  lol  lame.  I think me lying about it made the boy feel worse too.  I don't even know why I remember that, and it is possible it was Kindergarten...I am not sure. 
Anyway, lots of memories...we all have so many.  Those are just a few of the ones I have from being very young.  It makes me wonder what memories my kids will have from their younger years.  I have a feeling Isaiah will always think of playing video games with James.  It is indeed his ultimate favorite thing to do.  I also think that Isaiah will have big memories of sitting with his Grandma on Thursday nights and watching Smallville with her.  I have no idea what Evelyn will keep in her head...after all, she is only 18 months old right now.  I hope though that they both have great memories of family, spending time together.  I really hope that when they think of me they don't instantly visualize me as always "cleaning" something.  I mean what do kids picture when they think of their parents?  Does Isaiah see me as always cleaning...always in the kitchen wiping down the counters?  Or does he simply see me as a caring mom, someone who is there to hold him when he is hurt?  How does he picture James?  Although I am sure he thinks of daddy and sees video games, and the computer...I also know that he thinks of wrestling, fighting, and gun fights.  They do that everyday.  When the kids are older, I hope that they think of me as a caring mom...someone who did her best.  I hope that the respect me, and love me...and I hope that above all they know that I always tried my best.  Lots of questions today...lots of thoughts.  Got any memories you want to share?   How do you think your kids view you?  If you have a thought on it, leave a comment.  That's all for me today.  Since I am finishing this when it is now 8:21am...I guess I will end this by saying that I am planning on taking the kids to the library today...should be interesting if I bring Evelyn along.  lol  ttyl.  Bye.
 

 

12.14.06

     Good Morning.  I had Evelyn this morning, and unlike yesterday, she woke up at 7am for me.  I was very happy about that.  I had a good nights sleep and woke up feeling good.  Also, after stepping on the scale, I realized that I am only 2 more pounds away from where I was before Thanksgiving.  Almost there.  Tammy has started losing weight too.  She is just cutting down on calories, and no more snacks...so far she has lost 6 pounds.  It is very exciting.  Last night I mentioned to my mom that we hadn't even talked about Christmas dinner.  Were we even having one?  I didn't know if I even cared if we did.  Personally, I don't even think that I need a big dinner.  But my mom and I decided to have a dinner, but just to not make it as huge as Thanksgiving was.  A few good items, and of course lots of deserts, but other than that it will be a basic dinner, and instead of a turkey like I would normally make, we will have a big Ham.  Should be fun.  I am also making my cake for Christmas, a birthday cake for Jesus.  Isaiah will help me to make it and I was thinking we could have it for lunch, since there will be other deserts for dinner. 
     The rest of yesterday was fine.  I had planned on napping, but after James woke up from his I figured that I might as well just clean up and then relax while Isaiah was gone.  Evelyn took a very long nap and it was so nice to sit down, and do nothing.  Although I think that today I might take that nap...depending on what my mom is doing.  She has the day off and wants to go to the mall, but has to wait for someone to come and fix her car windshield.  So it all depends on when she can leave.  Oh, and before I get to the main topic of my entry, I wanted to say how much I really appreciate all the gifts that people have been sending the kids for Christmas.  Just yesterday we got some more from my cousin and her husband.  It is great to know that so many people love and miss the kids.  Our tree is so full, and there are still more gifts coming...I am so grateful though that Isaiah seems to really understand that Christmas is about Jesus, and not the gifts.  He doesn't make a big fuss about the gifts, actually, he only mentions them once and a while.  I hope that this is a trend that continues.  I know that if there ever comes a day when our children become greedy at Christmas, and seem to only focus on "what they will get", that will be the year when we tell everyone that the kids can only get one gift each.  I don't think we will have to worry about it though, I have great kids...and I just can't even visualize them acting that way.  
Ok, now what I mainly wanted to talk about was something that I just read in the news this morning.  Here it is:

(CBS/AP) Assisted suicide advocate Jack Kevorkian will be paroled in June, state corrections spokesman Leo Lalonde said Wednesday.
Kevorkian has served more than 6 1/2 years of a 10- to 25-year sentence for second-degree murder in the death of Thomas Youk after a video Kevorkian made of Youk's death was aired on 60 Minutes, reports CBS News.
Youk was suffering from ALS, the fatal ailment also known as Lou Gehrig's Disease.
As part of special conditions imposed by the Michigan Parole Board, Kevorkian agreed not to assist in or attend any euthanasia or assisted suicide. He also agreed not to provide any care for the elderly or disabled.
Lalonde did not reveal any other details and directed calls to Russ Marlan, another spokesman for the department.
Mayer Morganroth, Kevorkian's attorney, said in July that his client had less than a year to live. Gov. Jennifer Granholm ordered corrections authorities to carry out an independent medical evaluation of Kevorkian, but did not commute the retired pathologists sentence, as Morganroth had hoped.
Morganroth said in June that Kevorkian's weight had dropped to 113 pounds and that he was suffering from hepatitis C and diabetes.
Michigan banned assisted suicides in 1998.

     So...there you have it.  After only such a short time this man is being released.  Is that bad or good?   I think it is hard to say.  I suppose that if you are looking at it from the side of the "victims" family (the man who he helped to die) then it is an injustice.  I am sure they think that their family member did not want to die, nor wanted help with it.  They may even think that Jack Kevorkian should be put to death himself.  I am sure that they will also try to sue him now in some way or another, to take more from him.  Because after all, if the "victim" was so sick, and possibly pumped with drugs how could he have been in a good state of mind to make medical decisions for himself? 
     On the other hand, is what he did so wrong?  If indeed this man who died DID want to end his life but was unable to due to his illness and the pain he was in...is it really so wrong of Jack Kervorkian to help this man?  Could assisting in the death merely be considered being merciful?  Could you relate it to a family pet that has been hurt badly, and you have to put it out of it's misery?  That may sound like a crude example...but to many people a family pet is simply that, family.  No one wants to see someone they love in such pain, especially when you know THEY ARE GOING TO DIE.  What would you do?  What would you do if someone you loved, someone who was in such pain and WAS going to die, asked you to help them do it sooner?   Would you help?  I think that this is a tough question...I don't know what I would do.  I would like to think it depends on the situation...but who knows.  The only thing I am sure about is that you never know how you will react to something, until it happens.  

      So, there you have it.  I found this to be interesting and wanted to share.  Please feel free to leave a comment and tell me what you think.  I think the rest of my day will be good...I hope you have a great day too.  ttyl.  Bye.
 

12.13.06

     Well, I am not writing this as early as I usually do, and odds are Evelyn will wake up very soon.  But, I will give it a shot.  lol  Ok...so James helped me to set up the domain that I purchased...sadly, and kind of my own fault...the package deal that I purchased does not allow me to design the page by myself.  They only provide a web builder, which has lots of designs that you can choose from, and you can change the template and add only 4 different sections...basically it stinks that I can't design anything myself.  I was really looking forward to it.  But James says that after 60 days I can switch over to another provider, and the one he wants me to use (registerfly.com) provides much more stuff for free.  So...for now, I am just using it as a page for me, and not with my book that I am using...and when the 60 days is up I will transfer the domain over and then I can use my book the right way. 
Until then I will just go through the book as best I can.  I am very excited about all the stuff I will learn.  I took a peek at the back of the book and the stuff that I am going to be learning is very very cool.  I mean I am gonna be making things like....well, sadly I don't even know how to say it properly.  lol  Isn't that great.  I bet Jenn knows though.  :) 
     Anyway, so yesterday was pretty good.  I was able to get lots of things done.  Kept the house clean and even spent some quality time with the kids.   I have been pretty happy about the time I have been spending with them.  I have been making an effort to stay off the computer more and I have also been trying to re-instate the no tv rule.  Not that we got rid of the rule, but it certainly is more lax now.  So I have been trying to once again get back into the habit of simply turning it off when there is no reason for it to be on.  Which has been working out well.  Isaiah has been really into playing with his Play-Doh, and Evelyn seems to love it too.  She sat at the table today for about 40 minutes and just poked and pushed on the Play-Doh.  It was very cute.  I can't get over how very smart she is.  And I am not just saying that because I am her mom...I am saying that because it is crazy how quickly she is learning stuff.  Now she is saying the word "Ball", "No", "Please", almost saying "Love", and...if you ask her where her eyes are...she will point to them, and she can also point to he nose, mouth, hand, feet....etc.  It is really exciting.  Although I am sure it is partly due to the fact that Isaiah has a speech delay, he never spoke like that at the age that Evelyn is...the most we could get out of him was Mama, and Dog.  lol  It is wonderful to see her growing like this, learning so much...I can't wait to see how she develops in the next 6 months or so.  I just want to hear more of her voice.  That is one of the best things about your baby becoming a kid....You get to hear what their voice sounds like.  :)
     Anyway, so today is Tiffany's Birthday.  She is getting OLD!  lol  But I am getting old with her.  My birthday comes in February, and lucky me, it is on a Friday!  Which means that I can hopefully convince James to do some stuff with me.  I would like to go on a road trip for a day or two, just go drive around Michigan, explore, see all the beauty here.  And of course, take pictures.  I love taking pictures of nature, especially interesting trees.  Can you believe that I am going to be 27 years old?  Agh, I don't like the idea of being so close to 30.  The closer I get the more I don't like it.  I like being in my young twenties, and I hate the idea of not being in them.  lol  Of course, I am sure that one day I will be in my semi late thirties complaining about almost being 40.  Why is it so hard for some people to age?  And why do I have to be one of them?  Agh.  whatever.
     Well, I think I actually made it through a whole journal entry with out complaining about anything...seems like lately I have been.  If I am not annoyed I am uncomfortable!  lol  Odd how I am like that.  Tiffany just commented on how many odd quirks I have...It is true...I do.  So many things bother me...I can't even count them.  lol  Maybe someday someone else will count them all up for me.  :)  ttyl.  Bye.
     

12.12.06

     I am sitting here at my gigantic dining room table with my laptop, html book, and wet hair from the shower.  I like keeping my laptop on this table.  It is big enough that I have an abundance of space to put anything I want on here, but still not feel crowded.  I don't like feeling crowded.  And that goes for lots of situations.  Here is an example.  Sitting on the couch with someone else.  If I sit on the couch, it is usually all the way on one end...not in the middle.  I can not stand it when someone then comes over and sits right next to me, when they have a whole different couch end they could sit on.  Now, don't get me wrong, sometimes, I like it, like when James and I are watching a movie and sitting close with a blanket...or when my kids want to sit with me.  But on the general level I don't want people sitting right next to me when there is simply no reason to do it.  I don't like people touching me for no apparent reason.  Why does my arm need to be pushed up against your arm??  It doesn't!  lol  I just end up feeling squished and uncomfortable (that is a trend for this week I guess) and then I feel bad for telling the person to please move over.  I am so strange huh?  I have way too many things that bother me for no real reason. 

     Anyway though, so this morning is starting off pretty good.  I am losing that weight that I gained back and it seems to be happening semi quickly.  I have to go to the grocery store soon also, once Isaiah goes to school, and so I will be able to buy some Diet Coke and other things that I need.  I hate not having my Diet Coke.  I can drink water, I know that is the best thing, but I really prefer to have something with flavor and fizziness to it.  Water is just so blah.  I do much better on my diet when I can open up a can of soda anytime I want and drink that.  I have also noticed that I do better on my diet when I take naps...because I sleep through any hunger pains I might be having.  lol  James gained back 4 pounds just from that dinner we took my mom and dad to.  Crazy how quickly the body can put on weight, and how long it can take to lose it.  Must be some kind of cruel joke.  lol

     Yesterday I was still tired.  I had wanted to go to bed early but I ended up waiting for James to get back from the bible study that he went to.  Then, I asked him to help me with the set up of the new website I purchased.  It took forever...because of different things, and he still has to work on it some more today.  I just want to get it up and running so I can continue in my book.  Plus...I really want to be able to use it for whatever I want later.  Agh, on a side note...I am watching Evelyn go down the stairs only useing one hand.  I wish that she woud use two hands like she used to, but she only wants to hold on to the banister with one hand now like we all do.  Don't get me wrong, she is very good at it and has not had an accident yet, but eventually everyone does, I have had a small fall, Isaiah has had two, and so has James.  So I know it is only a matter of time before she does too.  I just don't like the idea of her walking down like that and then only having that one hand to grasp on to the banister in the event that she does fall.  But then again, how will she ever learn what to do and how to use the stairs if we don't let her learn?   It's a very frustrating and scary job, being a parent.  All parents do is worry all the time.  And from what I can tell, the worry never ends...even when they are older. 

     So besides going to the grocery store today, I don't have anything else planned.  Boring boring day.  Wanna make my day more exciting?  Write me and tell me what your kids do that worries you to death.  I always love hearing about everyone else's worries.  lol   No...really I do.  :)  ttyl. 

 

12.11.06

Good Morning!  This weekend was busy and quite fun.  To start...Saturday was my Mom's birthday.  She is now 48 years old, yet still looks very young.  We took my Mom out to dinner that evening and we went back to the Texas Roadhouse because she really wanted to try it out.  It was pretty cold that day but we all packed up in the truck (yes, even the kids) and off we went.  I sat in the back with the kids, amazingly enough, I didn't feel squished at all.  Isaiah actually fell asleep on my arm.  It was sweet.  We had a great dinner though, the food was awesome and we stuffed ourselves silly.  lol  I realized that I have not been able to get back on my diet fully yet since Thanksgiving.  I keep trying, but I also keep giving myself a lot of excuses.  So far since that Thanksgiving week through now, I have gained back 7 pounds.  AGH.  Yesterday I decided that I can not keep putting it off, I needed to get back on the ball and really stick to my diet.  I did good yesterday, and I lost a couple of those pounds already.  I am sure that by the end of the week, I will be back to my lowest point, and maybe even lower.  I KNOW I can do that.  I have to.  But anyway, so we had a great time that night, James even went to a Christmas party after we got home and even though he was very tired he went and said he had a pretty good time. 

Sunday though was hard on us both.  We were both so exhausted.  I don't even know why.  At church James was practically falling asleep, and I was trying to keep my self busy with other things.  I actually came to another realization while I was there.  I am still not comfortable there.  I just don't feel that safe comfortable feeling yet.  I don't feel like I can be myself, even in the slightest bit.  One thing I hate, and it may be due to the fact that I am an only child, is getting in a group to work on something.  I have never liked it, all my life.  I feel like anything that a teacher/authority figure wants me to do in a group, I can do just as well if not better by myself...but of course, for about the 3rd or 4th time, Nino had us break into groups and discuss some questions that they put up on the screen.  I was instantly annoyed and even contemplated leaving the area just so I wouldn't be caught up in the group that was bound to form right around me.  I didn't though, I stayed there writing in my book and as expected, everyone who was in front of us turned their chairs around and formed a "group" with us.  I felt so uncomfortable, I didn't know what to do...that sounds dumb, but that is how I felt.  I just don't do well in groups of people who I don't know.  Anyway, after making a comment in regards to one of the questions and then realizing that it didn't come out AT ALL like I wanted...I stayed silent except for the occasional laugh.  I don't know yet why I don't feel comfortable there.  I have no idea...I can only think that it is because everyone there is my age and so I feel that certain "pressure" to be cool, and to say the right thing.  Anyway, so that was my church day...obviously not to great.

In other news, I am very excited about how far I have come in learning HTML.  I mean I am only on page 131 in the book, but everything that they have taught me so far I have remembered fairly well and can do well.  I am very excited.  The next part of the book involved me actually purchasing a domain name and having someone host it on a server.  Luckily, I only had to purchase the domain name, because James has a server and can host it for me.  I purchased this one:  www.wellwhateva.com   James is supposed to set it up for me today and then I will start the work that the book wants me to do.  It is for a fictional company.  So if you decide to check out that page, you will be seeing my progress and everything that I am making.  Afterwards, when I finish this book, I will be able to do whatever I want with that webpage.  I can make it my own, and have this journal on there even.  How awesome would that be?  And I can even have James help me learn stuff that this book may not have.  All of the possibilities are very exciting.

Also...on a side note.  My dad went up in the attic today (the entrance is in our closet) because we were told by the guy who fixed our satellite stuff that we had some mold in there.  Well, there isn't much mold, and we are gonna fix it, but the big deal was just how big our attic is.  I mean it is HUGE.  You have plenty of room to stand, and it spans almost half of the house.  I mean you could have another house up there.  If we put sheet rock along all the walls, and then added a floor, well, we could do anything with that area.  Especially if we made a different entrance to it...like maybe made an entrance through the dining room ceiling or something.  There is even a light up there.  It is SO cool.  Anyway, none of that would happen though until we had lots of extra money. 

So anyway, that is my last 2 days.  I hope you had it just as good.  I will talk to you all tomorrow!  Bye.

 

12.8.06

Sometimes I think that I really have my routine together.  And then other days I turn into a completely different person and I am as lazy as can be.  Which one is really me?   Honestly, I think it is a mixture of both.  It is the same way with my personality.  A couple years ago I took an extensive personality test, like an hour long, and it was given by a person who had been certified to administer it.  It would have been nice to say that my personality was all one sided, or at least semi one sided...but no.   I am smack in the middle on a couple areas.  It's almost like I have two different sides to me...and I don't mean in a nutty crazy person way...I just mean that I am not the kind of person that feels just one way about something, I can have multiple opinions on just one thing.  Now...I am gonna try to explain my score to you since I still happen to have my test and all the info about my score.   There are two areas to score in after you finish answering all the questions.   The sections look like this:

 

E____  I____

S____ N____

T____ F____

J____ P____

 

Each letter stands for something. 

E= extroverted

I= introverted

S= sensing

N= intuitive

T=thinking

F= feeling

J= judging

P= perceiving

When you score, you take what 4 letters you scored the most in and those are what you are.  Here is my score.

E=10

I=11

S=13

N=13

T=5

F=18

J=15

P=7

As you can see, I am very close with a lot of them...Most people aren't so close with their E and I, and I tied with my S and N....that is odd.  So if I take my top scores for each section  then I am an I, S, F, J, or  I am a E, N, F, J...or....I could be the I, N, F, J.   Who the heck knows but that is my point....I am EVERYWHERE when it comes to my personality. 

If you wanna know what my personality is...here are some links to read up on me....

For ISFJ http://typelogic.com/isfj.html

For ENFJ http://typelogic.com/enfj.html

For INFJ http://typelogic.com/infj.html

Anyway, I don't know why I am writing all this, I just found it interesting.  I mean you figure that my brain functions on so many odd levels...I am very spread out.  It's no wonder that James always says that he would hate to be able to read my mind because it would just be traumatizing.  lol  I bet he is right.  Where as James is very logical, and has hardly no creative side to him.  He is a thinker, and can figure stuff out.  He doesn't let anything both him, and I am not kidding...when bad things happen, he doesn't stress, he just deals with them calmly.  Agh, isn't that annoying?  :)

Ok, so I just went to this website http://bloginality.love-productions.com/index2.php  and took their personality test, a very short one that is supposed to give you the same type of results...the problem was that they only gave two choices when asking questions...but I fit in to both of the answers on a couple occasions, and didn't like having to pick just one.  I did though, and they say I am a INFJ.  Which they say means:

 

You are an INFJ!

 

12.7.06

Ok, so I have a question...How many of us could pass the test to become legal citizens of the USA?  I never realized how hard that test was before until I was reading somenews online yesterday and read an article about how they were changing some of the questions on the test.  Evidently, they no longer want just simple Yes or No answers...they want some written out answers.  Well, after reading the questions and realizing that I had no clue what the answers were...I thought that I would share them with you all and see what you think.

Here are a few that they choose to list.

1.How many amendments does the Constitution have?

2.Do non-citizens living in the United States have the right to bear arms?

3.Who becomes president if both the president and the vice president can no longer serve?

4.How many members does the House of Representatives have?

Ok, so you see what I mean?  I have no idea what these answers are...I know that I used to know the answer to the 3rd one, but I have since forgotten.  What does this say though about me and the rest of the general population?  I know it's not just me...I know that the general population also does not know the answers to these questions.  That is not to say that lots of other people do know, I am sure they do, just not in general.  I can't help but feel like I do not know enough about the world.  James certainly know a lot more than I do.  I do try to keep up with the major happenings by going to cbsnews.com but I guess I am not learning enough. 

If people who are trying to become citizens of the USA are required to know these things...shouldn't we know them as well?  Shouldn't this be something that they teach our kids in elementary school, and again in highschool.  This "test" should be given to them as well, they should have to study for it, and pass with a decent grade, just like any other test.  I mean it's all important information, so it wouldn't be a waste of time.  Teaching these things once isn't enough...I mean I am sure that I was taught this at some point...but it obviously didn't stick.  It should be taught...and it should be considered important I think that all students know the basics of American History when it comes to our laws, our government, how the government works, who makes those laws, and so forth and so on.  I personally hate the fact that I do not know this stuff.  It just seems like it should all be common knowledge.  I know that my Great Grandma knows this stuff, or at least most.  Anyway...are you curious what the answers are to these?  Be curious no longer......... 

1.  The Constitution has a total of 27 amendments. The first ten, collectively known as the Bill of Rights, were ratified simultaneously. The following seventeen were ratified separately.

2.  Everyones rights are guaranteed, citizens and non-citizens alike.

3.  SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

4.  435

If you are interested in reading more of the questions from this test, and reading the answers, please go here.... http://www.hooyou.com/naturalization/exam.html

Anyway...there you have it.  I know that I had other stuff to tell you about yesterday but I can hardly think of any of it right now.  So I guess since nothing important happened, I will just end with that.  Today I am going to go buy some stamps, and maybe go to Target. I want to find something that Isaiah can make James for a Christmas present.  So, I hope you all have a great day.  I think mine will be. 

 

12.6.06

Ok...so last night I was up late with Tiffany on the phone because we were reading each other entries from our journals.  Not recent ones, but old ones from when we were like 12-15 years old.  It was fun to learn different things about each other, but even better to be learning them from the Tiffany of that age.  We laughed more than anything the whole time because at that age you think everything is so dramatic, everything bad that happens is VERY important and it of course feels like the end of the world.  When I look back at the ones that I wrote, I figure that I can start letting Isaiah and Evelyn read those at the same age that I was.  I wonder though if Isaiah will even care.  After all he is a boy, and most of that stuff he is not going to care about...I can't really see him reading them until I am dead and gone and he just reads them so he can be close to me.  Evelyn on the other hand, I suspect that she will be interested in them and that she will be eager to read them.  I feel like her having those to look at will make her feel more secure as a young woman, knowing that she isn't alone in feeling a certain way about one thing or another.  Especially about boys...my god did I write a lot about boys...one in particular when I was very young...I almost got bored reading them...I felt like telling myself to shut up. lol  The 13 year old me was so dumb sometimes.  lol

Anyway though, yesterday I did get out and about some.  I took Evelyn with me to the store because I needed to go grocery shopping.  Prior to that though...well, let me start even further back...the day before yesterday I was given some red nail polish by my mom.  I thought it would be a cute idea to see if Evelyn would let me paint her toe nails.  After showing her what it looked like on one of my nails and that it was ok to have she let me and she totally loved it.  She kept sticking her feet out and showing everyone her toes.  Really cute.  Anyway, so then yesterday I painted my nails, so we could kind of match.  But then when I showed them to her she started pointing to her nails and then mine which was her telling me that she also wanted hers done.  So...even though I was a little bit worried since she does suck on her thumb, I put some on her.  She let me do it and they turned out really cute.  She didn't suck on her thumb or anything.  She did so good.  She keeps showing people her nails now too and so I was excited that she liked it...well, while we were at the grocery store we had to go down the makeup/hygiene area because I needed to buy shampoo.  I saw that there was some nail polish on sale and so I grabbed a pink one for her and showed her.  She LOVED it and carried it for the rest of the time in the store...super cute.  How did I end up with such a girly girl?  lol  I guess I don't mind though, as long as she is still semi tough though you know, I don't want her to be a little prissy girl who can't get her hands dirty.  I would like for her to hang out with her daddy and brother, and be more of a rough housing kind of gal.  That is of course unless she ends up being like me and just wants to sit around and read a good book...I have no problem there.  So long as she still gets in some physical activity at some point.

We have decided to fix the basement problem ourselves. James and my dad are going to work on it during the weekends, just a little bit at a time, that way my dad won't hurt himself.  He has so many aches and pains all the time...especially in his knees and back.   It will take a lot longer this way, but at least we will save some money and it isn't like they have to get back downstairs right a way, they are fine in the guest room.  And we aren't expecting any company right now either...not until next Fall.  Hopefully though they can fix it before June comes, when we go on our trip to California.  I would hate for it to not be done and then we lose all that time on it, especially since after that, during the Fall Season, is when James' mom and dad are hoping to come and visit us.  Ugh, I am starting to hate basements.  lol  :)  Why do they all have to leak?  I guess it's something like 90% of all basements will get water in them at some point.  Crazy huh?  I swear though that we got the worst basement of the bunch.  Well maybe not the worst.  Our next door neighbors woke up one morning, and when they opened their basement door they opened it only to find 3 and a half feet of water!!  And they had just finished painting the walls, putting in new carpet...etc.  Now that would be horrible...I can't even imagine trying to clean that up.   I guess all you can do is wait for it all to go down...or grab a bucket.  :(

Anyway, so that is all I think from me this morning. (yes, I am trying to write these in the morning now so I have more time at night to do other things.)  Later on I am going to the store to get a prescription, and buys some stamps...but that is about it.  Such an exciting day huh?  lol  Oh well, it's my life and I love it.  ttyl.  Bye.

Food For Thought:

Philippians 4:4-7
"Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."
 

12.5.06

Last night I did something very different for dinner.  I cooked a Salmon!  See, while at Costco Sunday with Tammy I noticed her buying a big Salmon, and we started talking about whether it was good or not.  She said that Salmon is very good and very good for you...and that even her kids loved it.  I grabbed on of the Salmon's that was already seasoned and ready to cook just to be on the safe side since I had never cooked one, or ate one, before.  Then...low and behold there was a lady at one of the aisles who was sampling salmon.  So I had a taste and wow was it good.  So I felt much better about buying it and they also gave us advice on how to cook it.  The main reason why I have never purchased fish for our family is that James says he hates fish.  He doesn't like the texture it has when you eat it, and in reality the only fish type thing he will eat is breaded fried shrimp.  I made it for dinner last night though and it turned out great.  Isaiah loved it!  I was so happy about that, he thought it was cool to be eating a fish.  James didn't like it so much, I think he had about 4 bites before he quit...he tried.  Evelyn, well, I have no idea what she thought, some bites she ate, some she spit out.  lol  Either way though it was nice to know that there is now something different that I can cook for the family, even if James won't eat it.

Yesterday we did finish putting some lights outside the house.  They looked really nice and we even laid some out on the ground around the plants...well, it snowed a lot yesterday, maybe a couple inches, and so now this morning the ones on the ground are covered up, not all the way mind you, but half way...I think we will just leave them on all night next time, to help melt the snow around them.  lol  I noticed a lot of other people around us leave theirs on as well.  It is nice having lights outside, but I know that they are not as great as I would like.  Sadly, with the style roof we have, it would be VERY hard to do.  It is incredibly steep...and so there is no way we are getting up there unless it is an emergency.

Another thing that I wanted to mention today is chap stick.  Yes, chap stick.  I believe that chap stick is addicting.  Not for me, but for my lips.  All my life I have noticed that if I do not use chap stick semi regularly they will get chapped, and I think this is because I started out with using it for fun when I was do young.  My dad uses it, my mom...etc.  And now with the winter up here really drying out your skin it seems to be a necessity.  The problem that I am having is that I always forget to take it out of my pants before doing laundry, and then it gets washed, and then dried...which melts it.  agh.  So I have really bad chapped lips right now but no chap stick and so I have been having to rely on Vaseline.  I don't like using that but it is better than nothing.  If someone wants to buy me a Christmas gift you can make it a case of chap stick...that way even when I put t in the dryer, I will still have plenty more.  lol

This morning when we all woke up there was a beautiful think blanket of snow on the ground.  I took some pictures and I will post those today.  It is so beautiful.  It wasn't enough that the trees stayed covered yet, but once it is I will be going for a drive and taking some pictures of different landscapes.  It is so wonderful to have a white Christmas.  I love how every season here looks different.  What a wonderfully beautiful state.  Anyway, so as of right now I am showered and ready for my day (although I would still love a nap) and James is sitting on a chair with Isaiah falling asleep, while Isaiah plays his video game.  We are done with all our Christmas shopping and wow did we do a good job with our money.  I was so proud of us.  I think we even spent under budget.  Now I am trying to think of something that Isaiah can make as a gift for James...maybe my mom and dad too.  Something that I can maybe buy and he has to help put together or something.  I will figure it out.  Anyway, so that is all from me.  I hope you all have a great day.  Bye.

 

12.4.06

December is here.   As Tiffany said in her blog that I read this morning...I can't believe it is here already.  How did I end up living here for one year already?  I think that part of the time problem is that when you have kids the days go by very quickly because there is so much to do.  Then, that makes the weeks go by quickly, and then the months, and then the whole dang year.  It is very frustrating.  I hate the idea that my kids will not always be the sweet little innocent angels that I know right now.  It is true that in no time at all, my kids will be in high school and I will be left sitting on my couch looking at old pictures wondering where all the time went.  Actually, I was practically doing that yesterday.  Yesterday I went to Costco with Tammy and I picked up some food and the pictures that I had ordered.  We took the Christmas pictures and I also had some enlarged for just us.  We were hanging them up last night and James took all the older ones out that were behind the current pictures and it was so nice to look back at Isaiah when he was Evelyn's age, and then at the age of 2, and 3.  He was so adorable, sweet, and I can't believe what a sweet little man he has become.  There were also younger portraits of Evelyn, and wow has she changed in such a sort amount of time.  Her hair length and color especially.  It was so dark when she was only a couple months old...almost black.  If so much can change in a few years...what will happen in 10?  It's a scary thought, especially when I think about the fact that in ten years I will be 36 years old!!!  36...agh...I don't even want to think about. 

What I do like thinking about right now is Christmas.  We bought our Christmas tree this weekend also and wow is it great.  So tall, between 9-10 feet at least.  We decorated it beautifully, and I am so excited.  I can feel the vibes of Christmas already and I have even been listening to Christmas songs.  lol  We all have our gifts wrapped up and under the tree, they look great and the kids are excited.  I have been talking to Isaiah at semi great lengths about Christmas.  What Christmas is all about, why we celebrate it, why we give gifts.  Now when I ask him, "What is Christmas about?"  He answers with, "Jesus, and he be born."  He is very excited and he seems more so about the fact that we get to celebrate Jesus' birthday.  It is very cool.

We finally were able to finish our Christmas cards today.  We worked on them last night, stuffing the envelopes with the pictures, writing the addresses, signing the cards, and then this morning we printed up the Christmas letter, and stuffed those into them.  They are getting mailed off today and people should get them this week...probably at the end of the week.  I also sent Tiffany a little something extra special...since it is her birthday on the 13th.  I wish that I could see her for her birthday, or that she had the money to come here.  But none of those things are an option and even if she did have the money to fly here, she wouldn't...because she gets nervous and then she might have a panic attack while on the plane.  She didn't used to have panic attacks like that while flying, I guess she has just been having them more often in the last 5-6 months.  But the nice thing is that I will still see her when we go to Ca in June, and Lorenda and I take a road trip up there to visit her.  That will be great.

So anyway, right now the day is going well.  I am listening to my soap operas, and Evelyn has been very good and very quiet the whole time just playing with a toy and enjoying herself.  I am gonna put her down for a nap very soon and then go to the store to buy some more Christmas lights.  We were putting some out in the front of the house this morning, but we didn't have enough and so I am gonna go and buy some more.  We have never put lights up outside of any of our homes before...so this is a first and I hope that it looks ok.  I am very picky about how Christmas lights look.  Anyway, that is all for now from me.  I will write to you more tomorrow.  Bye.

Food For Thought:
John 11:25-26 

 25Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; 26and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?"