Headed Toward Bears

Progress Report for the house... All but one load of laundry done! Bathrooms cleaned except for being swept and mopped and that is just because I want to do all floors at the same time. Living Room cleaned all bust vacuuming. I did not get to the scrapbook chaos but I will get there.

Progress Report for Photography...I was able to start editing the Q and U wedding pictures. Got all of the boys, prewedding anyway and started on the girls. YAY!

I am very happy to have completed so much today and I hope that tomorrow is just as productive. It is my deadline for deciding what to do about class, we shall see how the dice roll.

I had promised the boys a root beer after school. Actually I promised them I would have it when I picked them up. On my way to make my afternoon school pick up circle I stopped at the gas station and was so excited to find a 1 liter diet mountain dew! I love me some diet dew and was super pumped to have found these in the cooler might I add. I might have to get a stock pile going. Hmmm...A 1 liter and a cup of ball park ice would make a very happy momma!

John Michael had practice tonight but I could not be there. Danny's cub scouts also had a den meeting so I went with him and was the den leader tonight since that is typically Brandon's job. It was fun. We signed off 3 more pages and only have 2 to make it to Bear cubs, so that is definitely a plus! Tonight was game night, and we talked about cooperation. Next week is the pack meeting and we will be having an Easter Egg Hunt, it should be a lot of fun. I am pretty excited about that one! Then May is our last month as Wolf Cubs, we will be Bear Cubs. WOW! I seriously cannot believe that we have been scouting for 2 years, it just does not seem right.

Well, I am off to bed. I am really tired and it is going to be a busy day tomorrow. Hoping that we all get up on time maybe even a little early so the day can get off to the right start! Before I go to bed I will be saying a prayer for all of my friends and family. We all have so much going on, but it has been a nice reminder to myself that Mother Teresa accomplished all that she did in the same 24 hours that I have. I have been working hard on staying positive and this is one of those little thoughts that is definitely a big help!

Spaghetti with a Sprinkling of Love

Dinner tonight was spaghetti. I made enough to freeze some and to make some baked ziti and freeze it as well. John Michael decided that he wanted to add sprinkles to the spaghetti and of course Danny followed suit. Well, adding it too all of the spaghetti was not going to happen so we let them add it to their plates. It was pretty humorous. Danny added a few too many, and he fixed another plate, but John Michael said that his was perfect! They definitely made dinner time even more enjoyable than usual. I love our family dinners, they mean so much and I hope that the boys will continue this when they have families of their own.

We have another early basketball game, but it is a lot of fun. Danny is loving it. I am a little sad that they only have tomorrow's game and then one more.

Time seriously seems to pick up a little each year. They get older, busier, and the clock speeds up. I wish that it would slow down some. The blog is allowing me to make sure that I enjoy each day though. Everyday is a blessing and this allows me to really think about all of the blessings that I have.

Well, I started on laundry catch up this afternoon. The heater/ac man assures us that the leak is not coming from there, but we went through this a few years ago, and after paying 2 plumbers guess what it was...the AC. I swear I do not know what to do. If money were not an issue it would be easier, but money is a HUGE issue. I will just wait and see I guess. I will keep you all posted.

Tomorrow after the game, before the birthday party that is before the UAB game....seriously going to be a busy Saturday I am hoping to get Danny's room done. I am making it a project that he tackles with me, whatever we do not get done tomorrow will be done Sunday! I am determined, that means next week after the Valentine's festivities I will be able to tackle the den (which is also the playroom) and the office (which is also the catch all. I worked on it some to get all of my taxes done, but there is a lot to go!

Well, it is still not before 9, but it is all good. I will be remembering all of my friends and family in my thoughts and in my prayers. I hope that everyone has a great night. A friend of mine's husband left at noon today for Afghanistan. I am praying for his safe return and for her and her son. They are amazing people and have faith, but prayers also give them added strength so please remember them and all our troops and their families. These men and women put their lives on hold for America and should always be respected!

Paw Prints

So over the past few days I have noticed more and more how much my little babies are turning into little men. They have always had such amazing personalities. They are truly growing by leaps and bounds. I was told that time flies, but lately that has a whole new meaning to me. I am determined to give my children the best of everything that I can. I know that I want them to be happy and healthy and I want them to love life and most importantly I want them to live it.

So many times I look back and think about the things that I should have done differently when I was very young. While I truly think that my childhood was perfect, I also know how much one relatives mistakes totally took over my life and changed everything. I try not to look at it as a negative, but even as I am older there are so many more negatives than positives when referring to this situation. I want my boys to be exposed to the positives and I want to keep them away from the negatives. While I know that I cannot shelter them, I also know that I can protect them from certain things.

I was sitting here with Danny and he was holding my hand and I knew that was my picture for today! He is almost eight and it does not seem like it has been that long ago that he was just coming home from the hospital.

Well, I am obviously still not in bed before 9:00, maybe one night this week, but I doubt it since this was the calmest night that we had for the week. There is so much going on this week, but it will all be a lot of fun! I cannot wait to see how amazing this week turns out.

Before I go to bed I remember all of my friends and family in my prayers. I also ask you all to remember we all have people in our past and there are usually reasons they are not in our present. Stay positive and stay with positive people, they will take you the furthest in life. I do ask for a prayer from all of you. I am working on a pretty big quote for my photography business and I really want and need this opportunity! Thank you all!

WOW! That is all I have to say

So here it is folks. I am really trying to be positive, but seriously some good news and positive feedback would be a great assistance. I am just continuing to pray. Sometimes I am the needle and trying to get out of the haystack is just not easy.

So I did have some blessings. I was able to see my Danny man practice basketball, and spend some time with my boys. I love having time with them. They both snuggled with me before they fell asleep and then I tucked them in. That is a rarity, as more often then not they think they are too big to snuggle with mom.

Children growing up is the most bittersweet thing that I think I have been a part of. One day they are so small, sweet, fragile, and completely dependant on mom and dad, then you turn around and they are walking and talking, and then they are too big for kisses in front of their friends or a cuddle on the couch. Anytime I am around a younger child or a friend who is expecting I simply tell them to hang on and enjoy the ride. This is really part of what really drove me to make a career out of photography. I love being a part of the special moments and catching them and better than that preserving them for many generations. While I have my memories and they come flooding back a lot I love taking a trip through the past via pictures.

So today has ended on a note with the newest profanity that has been added to my vocabulary....the S word...snow. And this is my picture for today's blog. I hope that you can see it and if you feel like I do, I am sure it has your head pounding! And yes, that is still the Christmas decorations. Maybe they will be gone this weekend, maybe not.

Before I go to bed as always I say a prayer for all of my friends and my family. Time is truly an amazing gift that we all have and should never take for granted! Treasure all of it.