All Saints Day

We all have a favorite Saint, or Saints.  I know that I have several I ask to pray for me almost everyday.  I think it is great to have as many Saints in Heaven on our side as we can get. 
Today is All Saints Day and it is one of my favorite school Masses of the year.  After Mass each grade gets up and gives a presentation on the Saint that they have chosen to be their class Saint.  It is awesome and just another one of those things that reminds me that my boys are exactly where I want them and more importantly where God wants them. 
I have to admit though it is hard to believe that it is November, this year has gone by way to quickly and it is not showing any signs of slowing down.  I am just holding on and enjoying the ride that is life!

The last summer day for 2012

Well, today started early with a photoshoot at Aldridge Gardens.  It was a great session with an adorable 1 year old little boy.  Watch the blog at www.monicaannephotography.com for more on this session.  I have to get that caught up, I will make it one of my many goals.  Before we left the gardens I took advantage of having the boys there and got a few pictures.  They were not dressed up but it was fun to document the last day of summer.

We headed to the Network after the photo shoot and ended up having lunch with Brandon.  It was nice sitting outside for lunch with the family.

Then we headed to the school.  I had to get an application filled out so that I can start work!  It was a seven page application, and I felt like a fool it has been so long since I filled one out.  Again I am so thankful for this opportunity, it is definitely an answer to many many prayers.  I also talked to Debbie again and it looks like I will start tomorrow with the boys. 

The boys had their open house at the school today so after I finished my application we headed in to turn it in and to go say hello to the teachers, see their seats, and get their supplies in order!  I cannot believe that they are going to be 1st and 4th graders tomorrow.  WOW!  Time flies, of course we will have to make sure we have enough time in the morning to make our pictures.  The first day pictures are always important. 

We came home and I cooked dinner, and after we all sat down to eat Brandon and I took the boys swimming for about 45 minutes.  I managed a few laps, but it was cold!!!

Well, we are all headed to bed now.  Tomorrow is going to be a big day.  I am so excited and I know that they are too!  Today was so great, and such a fun ending to summer, I do wish that we had a little more time though.  I love my time with the boys.

December....Here we Go!

So I got up this morning in complete disbelief that it was December. Even Danny has talked about how fast this year has gone by. It seems like yesterday we were getting ready for the first day of school and now we are halfway done with the school year. WOW! Yep, it is what I say each month and I mean it each time.
This morning was not as smooth as I prefer it, but we were on time so I am most definitely not complaining. I do wish it was warmer though. This cold mornings make we want to stay in bed. Super excited that the sun was out all day though.
Danny had a field trip today, to Samford to see White Christmas. I was so glad to be able to go with the class to see this. I love being home for this reason more than any other. I love to be able to truly be a part of my boys' lives. They have so much going on and while it might be hard to keep up sometimes I also know that sooner than later they will be grown. I treasure each venture with them. Now for the play, it was excellent. If you have a chance this weekend it is definitely worth it to head out to Lakeshore and check it out. Very talented performers and just an all around great show. It seemed to me that all of the kids had a great time. They were also very excited that they got to ride a bus to the show. It is the small things that mean so much. I am just so thankful that they enjoyed themselves and that I was able to be a small part of their day. It was great!
John Michael ended up with another yellow face. Tonight we wrote a note to Miss Ghossein. Starting today this is the new practice when he gets anything other than a green face. We shall see what happens tomorrow. Hopefully green will be what comes home.
Danny had basketball practice tonight. They did great. It is amazing the difference between 5-6 year old basketball and 8-9 year old basketball.
Well, the boys are in bed I am trying to get this session edited. It has been a long week with so much to do. I have been busting it though. Will keep it up! Peace out and prayers to you all.

Do You Know What Time It Is?

So I am writing tonight for several reasons.

1. I am having the hardest time getting the boys in bed at a decent hour. We did great for a while, but we are so off and school starts next week. If you have some suggestions I am open to them. I am getting them up earlier each morning but it does not seem to matter. They do not nap so that is not it, and it does not matter what we do during the day. We can do nothing or we can swim all day and the end result is still the same. Again I need to be in bed earlier than this so I really need them in bed earlier.

2. I feel like time is seriously slipping away from me. Maybe I am walking down memory lane a lot or maybe it is just looking at my to do list that has me scared. I do not know what it is but I know that I feel like I am being left behind. My boys continue to grow each day. They teach me something new everyday too. I miss them laying in my arms on my chest and going to sleep. I miss them depending on me for everything. While I know that I must be doing something right because they are getting more and more independent, which is good, I still feel like time has just gone by too fast. The song Don't Blink means so much to me right now. I need to listen to it, and I will probably get a good cry out, which I could really use. Cry Therapy can be the best. I will save it for their first day of school though, when I know I will be a blubbering fool. Kindergarten and Third Grade are going to be here in a few days. I cannot believe it!

Well, I hope that you all have an amazing night tonight. Know that you are all in my thoughts and prayers. It is time to look at the clock and take control of it. I am going to do better and be better!

April is Gone?!

It is really hard to believe that April has come and gone. I cannot believe that we have passed 4 months already in 2011. WOW is about all I can say.

I have decided to use my photography business to help the victims of the tornadoes that ripped through the state on April 27. I will be donating all my profits to these victims. I will also give a free session to all people who were affected. I wish that I could do more, but I have nothing extra to give monetarily, but I can give what I make to those who need it more than I do. Towns are gone and I hope that I can do something to help them rebuild.

We were going to take some of our cub scouts down to help tomorrow, but we will be waiting until next weekend when we can plan a little more at our upcoming meetings. I am not sure if we will take donations of items or if we will be taking donations of money and purchasing food to take to everyone. Hot dogs, or sandwiches, or something of that nature. Something that the boys could take down and pass out to help people. Stay tuned to my blog as I announce when and where we will collect and what we will be collecting.

Both boys had games today. John Michael played Pinson at Clay and Danny played Pinson at Pinson. Now let the rant begin. John Michael's team lost, but Brandon said fielding they had down, but they could not hit. Hopefully we will get it all together soon and these boys can get a win under them. Danny's team lost, but it was such a crooked game. The umpires at Pinson are anything but fair. They obviously are in need of glasses and a reminder that they are paid to be fair. It was seriously nuts. The ballpark was about run down and it is sad since it is not that old...the bathroom well let's not even go there. The water was brown...seriously brown! Scary stuff. I was just glad to go home. Looking forward to playing at Clay next week. I hated that I had to miss John Michael he got a hit and made it to base! Anyway, sorry I needed to vent for a few minutes.

We came home and watered the plants and played outside for a while then came in and ate and then Brandon went to cut his hair. The boys decided that they wanted their hair cut too and well it is SHORT! Brandon did not change the guards. They like it an fortunately it will grow back. ;)

Now I am headed to bed! I am praying for all of my friends and family as well as the tornado victims. I heard tonight that 11 tornadoes have been confirmed to have hit down. One stayed on the ground from state line to state line. It is absolutely devastating.

March....Seriously?!

WOW! I cannot believe that today is March 1. This year is seriously flying by. So many amazing things have happened already and so many amazing things to go. I can remember thinking that it took forever to get from Christmas to my birthay, now it comes too quickly after Christmas. The strange thing is the date has not changed for either of these.

We had Boy Scouts tonight. I forgot my camera which I hate since tonight we combined the Tiger's Den and the Wolf Den and watched a magic show. Dawn did a great job showing the boys some tricks and then letting them try their hand at magic. Danny even took a few tricks of his own, and showed them some skills. It was so cute and a lot of fun. It is great to watch these boys grow up and realize just all that they have done in such a short time. They will all be advancing soon, and I know that they are very excited about this.

John Michael had a fun day today. Tomorrow is Dr. Suess's birthday so today they made Cat in the Hat hats, bow ties, and even tails! I love it! It made my morning when I saw the 4K teachers already in costume, and then to see the kiddos come out this afternoon was what I needed.

So we had someone come out and look at the lovely leak at the bottom of our stairs. Thank you so much for coming. If you need anything done at your house call Shelby Box! Well, the good news, the wall should be okay. The bad news is it seems to be the water heater. He could have repaired it, but said a plumber can give us the extended warranties and maintenance and the price would be the same. We have Wilbur's coming out Friday and we are looking into going tankless. We will see what that price is first. Shelby did get the carpet up right there so that the drying can happen. I will keep you all posted on the repairs.

So it is not 9, but only an hour later and I am off to bed! Before I go to bed I will say a prayer for all of my friends and family. I hope that March brings many blessings to all of you!