Great Awards bestowed upon me

I received these two lovely blog awards from my blog friend Sandy over at One Day At A Time and I would like to thank her so much. It has taken me a while to post them because I just haven't been posting very much the last few months. I definitely need to get back on my blog wagon here and get caught up.

This blog award I would love to pass on to some truly great blogs that you can get really great inspiration from.

1.) Dana @ From chaos to Grace

2.) Kahri @ Our Peculiar Life
3.) Megan @ It's Not Megan it's Megan

This award is bestowed on to blogs that are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers. Deliver this award to how ever many bloggers you choose and include this cleverly-written text into the body of their award.

I would like to pass this along to a couple my blog friends.

1.) Kristen @ No Small Thing

2.) Megan @ It's Not Megan It's Megan

3.) Dana @ From chaos to Grace

4.) Melinda @ Bloggin' It From The 'Burbs

Thank you ladies, so much and I hope you enjoy!

Pictures from Father's Day

I thought I would share a few pictures from Father's Day and what the boys did after we got home from church. This is exactly what all three boys do once we are done with lunch and before Nic's nap. They all change into their NASCAR shirts, wearing their respective drivers, Eli likes #9 Kasey Kahne, Nic likes #88 Dale Earnheardt Jr. and dad puts on #14 Tony Stewart. They all then lay on the couch and watch the start of the race. It was too cute to not take a picture of all of them relaxing.

This picture frame is what the boys and I made for Doug. The boys held up letters spelling Daddy individually and together, I then edited the pictures into a version of black and white from picnik.com. We then framed them into a long black frame. Dad absolutely loved it and the boys hung it up the next day.

Nine Years Ago Today...

Nine years ago today, my wonderful husband ask me to marry him. It doesn't seem like it has been nine years and at the end of December we will be celebrating our ninth anniversary. Matter of fact, Doug is quite sneaky, he told me we were going to watch fireworks, knowing that I love watching them. He took me to the Rose Garden at Woodward Park in Tulsa and we were setting, talking and enjoying our time together. And the next minute, he was asking me to marry him. He jokes that I never said yes. Well obviously I did, because the next six months were a whirlwind of planning, ordering and preparing. We paid for every aspect of the wedding, not an easy task but we did it and I would do it all over in a heartbeat. Now, after almost 8 1/2 years of marriage it keeps getting better and better and I look forward to many more. Sweetheart, thank you so much for all of the joy have brought into my life and I can't wait to see what our future holds.

Happy Father's Day to a Great Dad & Husband

I like to say Happy Father's Day to a great father and husband. It is hard to believe this is your fifth Father's Day since Eli has been born and it gets better every year. The boys and I love you so very much and we hope you enjoyed your day of relaxation. There is nothing like sleeping in, going to church and coming home to watch golf and NASCAR the rest of the day. We enjoyed spending time with you today and hope you were able to relax and rest. You do so much for us and take care of us beyond belief, we truly love you and look forward to many more Father's Day's. The boys really enjoyed making your gift and they could tell you really liked it and you know they want to help you hang it up, when you find the perfect spot! So, here's to you honey, hope you enjoyed your day! I love you!

Father's Day Gift Ideas

It has been a little crazy around here lately and I haven't read any blogs in six days. I did get a chance to read up on them late last night, while Doug and I watched the CMT Music Awards (we recorded earlier in the week). Nic has hand foot and mouth, but his fever appears to have broken and he is starting to eat and drink again, so hopefully we are over the worst. At least he likes gatorade, but only after he has had his tylenol or motrin in him for an hour, then his throat doesn't hurt as much. I have been meaning to post this but with a cranky baby it is hard to get anything done let alone set at the computer and type. I thought I would share a couple of things we have done for Father's Day the past few years, just in case anyone doesn't know what to get, do or has waited until the last minute.

We have gotten a shirt that said "World's Greatest Dad" and I had Eli put his handprints right in the middle of the shirt and we then put the year (I was pregnant with Nic at the time). In 2007, the boys and I got a picture album and I printed select pictures of the boys from birth to right up until then. We then decorated the album with scrapbook supplies and sayings throughout, Doug loved it and he looks at it quite often, it is fun to see how much the boys have changed and grown over the last few years. Last year, Doug was out of town and the boys and I went down to Picture People and had a few poses of us taken and we ordered a couple of 5 x 7's and an 10 x 13 and had them framed for him, good deal as well when you use a 15-20% off coupon. These are just a few of the things we have done and I will let eveyone know what the boys have done for this year next week. The fun part is letting the kids help decorate or make their own projects and you know dad's love that the most.

Witness of Road Rage

While riding I do not always pay attention to the road. I talk to Doug and the boys and look around, which was the case last night on the way home from taking the boys getting haircuts. Doug noticed a car and truck driving fast and cutting each other off. Why? You've got me, there is no reason for it other than to take your anger out on someone who is minding there own business until you present your attitude. I have to admit I do not experience road rage but on occasion if someone is sitting in front of me at the stoplight and talking on the phone, pretty much not paying attention, I will say, "get off the phone and drive", not mean in any way just talking to myself. That is until I heard Eli repeat it one day when we were setting and waiting for the car in front of us to go and he repeating, "Lady, get off the phone and drive". Hilarious definitely but you always have to make sure what you say and especially how you say it. Anyway, back to the road rage we observed last night. This car and truck were driving fast back and forth and they go over into the slow lane and then the truck pulled into the fast lane and stayed even with the car the whole time making very obscene gestures. The car then speeds up and moves over into the fast lane, the truck moves over into the slow lane and then speed up and stays even with them. The truck then moves over into the fast lane, sticking his arms out the window and you know what those gestures entailed this all the while pushing the car further over to the side of the road driving down the highway. Luckily the car slowed down and was able to get back on the road, otherwise the would have ran into the bridge (this happened at 106th to 116th street north). They both continued to speed up but the car was now following the truck and I am assuming on the phone with police, I would have been if it happened to me. We then noticed the truck get off the highway near Collinsville and the car turning around to possibly follow. I would have only if I were on the phone with the police and they were nearby. But these days you have to be careful because you never know what could happen, they could have a gun in the car with them or even follow you to where ever you are going. It is like I said to Doug last night, why can't people just mind there business and drive home in peace the world would be a better place if everyone wouldn't be so uptight out everything and taking their anger out on the nearest person or car beside them or driving down the road.

(photo courtesy: http://blogs.kansascity.com/photos/uncategorized/road_rage_logo.jpg)

Journey of Life

Life's journey.. Where will it take you? Where have you been and where did you come from? All poignant questions in this journey we call life. Life is all about making choices, the way you choice to live, worship and how you proceed down the road. But what does it really mean? When you reflect on your life there are probably things you want to get rid of and others you wish you had experienced more of. I would love to pick and choice my journey but it is not up to me, my journey has been planned and there is only one person who knows where I am going. Do you put up a fight? You could, but would that really get you any further in life than sitting there kicking and screaming about missing out? I wish I could go back in my journey and toss out the bad and replace them with good but I have to accept that for some reason my journey is for a purpose and all will be revealed once the time comes. My journey and that of my family is on a path to someplace we know is good and we feel led to follow it. Questions, doubt, anxiety and peace all cross your mind but in your heart you know this is the right decision of you and your family. After church yesterday, Doug said to me, if that sermon wasn't talking directly to us then I don't know what is? There are Sunday's that I hear and understand the sermon and then there are those that hit right to your heart and are being directed right to you. What do you do with that? Follow, you better believe it. Whether it is something small, as volunteering or a life changing big move, follow and trust in the Lord as your guide. There is a reason for this journey and you will know what to do once you get there that is the reason they call it a journey in the first place.

Yesterday was the day of Pentecost or as many say the Birthday of the Church as read in Acts 2. There is something awe inspiring about reading Acts and how the apostles were speaking in tongue. I am a visual person and as I am reading and listening to the scripture being read I could picture Peter standing in front of the crowd delivering his message. As you go on to finish the chapter, I can also picture Peter giving the conclusion of what the people have done to Jesus and how the people ask what they can do to make it right. It is awe inspiring to read that three thousand people that very day repented and were baptized in the name of Jesus for the forgiveness of their sins.

It does my heart good to know that our children are learning by example. If we give them their dinner and we haven't sit down yet with ours, they say prayer and grab each other's hand and wait for us to sit down and pray before they start eating. Yesterday after church, Eli said prayer in the car and he and Nic grab hands and Eli started saying a prayer in the back seat. I am not sure what he was saying but it made us smile to know that the Lord is in their lives and leading them, along with guidance from us to be little men of GOD.