What about the good things..................

Did you ever stop and wonder how much we gripe about our kids sometimes? I mean when friends ask or we talk to our friends, it seems that sometimes it is just about "what they did" as opposed to "what they DID". Like, " he STILL isn't sleeping all night" or " he has been such a brat lately" or " he still isn't potty trained" or " he has been so defiant lately, I am going crazy" I wonder how much our kids hear us tell other people that, what we think is normal kid stuff, that just slowly chips away at their sweet little soul.
Our children are amazing and as frustrated as I get on some days, I thank God everyday for them and I feel so blessed to have healthy children, more so to even have children. I think sometimes we feel like we can't brag about them, we might hurt someones feelings or make it seem like we are trying to out do someone, or be better than other kids. Just because sometimes we want to talk about the good things, it doesnt mean we are doing it to one up somone else, or make it seem like we are better. ( well I know some people do, but not all)
I do not know why we cant just sing praises about our kids...........It is OK if my 3 year old knows the alphabet and yours doesn't, it is OK if my 2nd grader is phenomenal in school and hers doesn't do so well. In talking with JD about some issues we have had with Tyler, I realized that he IS A KID. He is going to be defiant, disrespectful and sometimes rude. Is it OK, well no, but not everything they do requires judgement.
How often are we rude, disobedient and disrespectful to our Father. I would say everyday, but yet He doesn't judge us, He loves us unconditionally and continues to extend His Grace to us no matter how much we mess up. We want our children to know that we love them no matter what they say or do, and to feel comfortable enough to mess up, knowing we will be there to pick up the pieces.
Having said all of that, I want to post a few things about Tyler that I am so proud of. He is on the front page of out school website with his Science project- The Asteroid Belt, in which he got a 100%
He is the first one in the orange shirt.
http://www.rcisd.org/
He was on the front page of the Royse City newspaper with his Destination Imagination team, he is the one holding the gun with the raccoon hat.
http://www.roysecityheraldbanner.com/homepage/images_sizedimage_115162539/resources_photoview
And last week he had a Social Studies project that required him to do a presentation about what he wanted to be when he grew up, why and how long he would have to go to school. He has talked about wanting to be a Scientist, so in researching that he decided the field he liked was Biochemistry. He got to use props, which he has so it was easy, his teacher was very impressed.



So, in honor of Tyler, who will be 8 on Friday May 2, I am so proud of him and all he has accomplished. He is such a hard worker and dedicated student, he loves school and I love that about him. I am so excited to see what God has in store for him and what he will be able to do as he continues to grow into such a wonderful little man ! We love you Tyler and we are so very proud of who you are !!!!!

It is finally done !!

Well after almost 3 year long years of absolutely nothing, we finally did it. We did not do any landscaping when we built our house because it was an added cost.(bad choice) We finally decided that this year was the time to do get it done. Thanks to some wonderful friends and after 2 long days of back breaking work, we finished. It is amazing and I am so excited to sit on my front porch and look at all of the beautiful new plants and flowers . Thank you Andi, Michael, Dustin and Donelle! ( and of course JD and I) The pictures dont even do it justice.....

Bitter Sweet !

Bittersweet refers to a combination of the standard tastes of sweetness and bitterness, and is often used as a metaphor for experiences which have elements of both happiness and sadness.

Well, this week has been very bittersweet for me. I found out for sure, that one of my best friends(which is my sister in law), and family are moving. I have known for quite some time that it was a possibility, but of course I was in denial. I have tried to help them get the house ready this week to put it on the market, I didn't think it would be so hard. We have been so blessed to have such great friends within our own family.
While I am very excited for Michael to have the cool job and to be going in the direction that he has wanted so badly, I am also very sad. It is really hard to be so sad yet happy at the same time. Not only is my best friend moving, but JD's best friend (his brother) and Tyler's best friend (his cousin). Tanner will also feel it, because he is very attached to all of them. So, needless to say there will be a very big void in our lives. We will not see them every Sunday morning at church smiling, singing , or playing guitar, nor will we get to have our Sunday lunches together at Taco Bueno, Dickeys or Chilis. I will not have my friend to hang out with on weekdays, to do coffee with, to do bible study with or just to call and say "hey lets go eat lunch". Nor will I have my friend that says " get out of your slump and get dressed, you and the kids meet at the pool now" !!
Tyler will not have his best friend Carson to talk to at church, to come over after church and play or to have sleepovers. JD will will not have his best friend to go to cool concerts with, ride motorcycles with, or to have him help paint or whatever else guys do together.
We will not have our rock that we call and say " hey we are on our way to the emergency room, we need you", or " I am sick and I have no bread and milk, can you bring me some"
or "we need a date night, can you watch the kids".
It is bittersweet because we love them so much and we are so close. As sad as we are, we support them 110%. I am so impressed to see that they are stepping out there and trusting God to lead them, they know this is where God wants them, their Faith is unshakable. I am excited that they are happy and that it will be a wonderful new world for them, a great adventure. They get to live in sunny California, where there are beautiful flowers, mountains, beaches, Disneyland and etc. But, it is like Tyler asked me last week, "but Mom, how can I be happy for them when I am so sad"?
So, I figured now that the cat is out of the bag , I will blog about it. I have to write it down somewhere, just to get it out. I think that I have almost run out of tears this week. Although I am sure I will replenish in time to start over next week. Please say a prayer for Micheal, Andi and especially the kids, that this transition will go as easy as possible. Also pray for everyone to have a safe trip as we move furniture, drive and fly to get there. Oh and dont forget me...... please pray that I can continue to support my friend in a positive way, and that God gives me the strength I need to be here without them !!!!
There was onr positive aspect to this week, watch for next post.

PS- pray that their house in Rockwall sells and QUICK !

What did you do today??

This post is inspired by my 4 year old niece Calleigh. I get the privilege of going to eat lunch with Calleigh and Andi, every now and then, which I LOVE !! :) As we are sitting and eating, Calleigh always starts with " So, Aunt Kimmy what did you do today"? Then we have to go around the table and all tell what we have done so far today. Of course we usually end up back at Calleigh, sometimes a few times, and sometimes even Myrtle ( her stuffed bunny)
Here it is, and after my list I will get to my reasoning behind this post.
Get Tyler up for school
Get Tyler fed and dressed for school
Drive Tyler to school
Drive back home with Tanner SCREAMING in the backseat "I WANT DONUTS, I WANT DONUTS"
Get home and pour BIG cup of coffee
Feed Tanner
Tanner watches Mickey Mouse Clubhouse
Check Emails
Tanner wants to Color, so we sit and we color, (doesnt last long)
We play letters and alphabet ( leapfrog letters magnet, from Celeste I believe)
I pour a bowl of cereal
Tanner wants to play playdoh, I eat and he plays
Tanner watches Handy Manney while palying play doh
I finish eating and get up to move on with the daily activities
I get an IM, respond to that and go back to the kitchen
Tanner is done with playdoh
Tanner wants to play his drums, he proceeds with that
I start putting up laundry, 3-4 loads that I washed on Sunday, I KNOW !!!
Get Tanners clothes put up, he is done with Drums
We go to Tylers room, I put up clothes, clean off his desk, pick up some misc. items
Tanner wants to play a game, he "plays" Aggrivation and Connect Four
We leave Tylers room, against Tanners will
I start a new load of laundry
Tanner wants to eat again, He says " I want Angel Cake" (angel food cake) I say no, he screams
I tell him he can act like a big boy or he can go to time out. He straightems up and settles for yogurt
I find Curious George on TV, hasnt seen TV show, may keep his attention, YEAH he likes
I start unloading the dishwasher, Tanner comes and wants to help, he gets out 3 dishes for every one that he puts up, I send him away
I finish unloading and reload
I go and clean off the crumbs and etc from the table
We read a book
Tanner is now watching Clifford ( really he doesnt watch that much TV, he leaves and plays :)
Tanner spills his yogurt, I clean it up and that is when I feel it.........................................
Ok, well we were productive, it MUST be time for lunch and nap, sigh !!! So with a smile I look at the clock and my smile slowly fades. 9:20am. HOW CAN IT ONLY BE 9:20, SERIOUSLY, YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME.
At that moment I was either going to cry or laugh hysterically. So I decided to put it out there to all of you. Ok, what do you do at this point, it is to late to get ready and go anywhere and be back for nap. It is way to early to take a nap, we have colored, done play doh, books, drums, TV etc etc. Luckily, Super WHY came on TV, which Tanner loves, so right now he is watching that while playing his drums. Very shortly he will lose interest, as he is not one to sit at one activity for long. What do I do, how can I keep his attention, how can I keep him busy and out of trouble and stay sane... hehehe Sometimes I feel more like a Day Laborer, than a Stay at Home Mom. I mean have you ever really thought about those words. It really implies that we do nothing but stay at home and we happen to be a mom. We should come up with a better job description. I think they put our job duties (moms) in salary.com at one time and if we actually got paid to do what everything we do in a "work"day, we would make somewhere around $138,000.00 a year. I would have to agree with that, wouldnt you ??