MOTHER'S DAY 2008

One of my favorite things about Mother's Day is the things the kids do at school. No gift compares to the sweet things they make and the time they put into it just for me. I'll share a few things each one of them said about me.

Matthew: Gave me a card the says on the front"Nothing is stronger than a mother's love...(open) except maybe one of dad's farts!!! Happy Birthday..oops, wrong card. He crosses that out and writes Happy Mother's Day, Mom. He was so funny about getting the wrong card, but I loved it anyway.

Ashlee: Wrote a book about me. She says that I'm the best mother because of my cranberry chicken that I make(Marcia Heim's recipe)that I take her to school everyday to get an education, and that I help her find her karate belt! She had to describe why I was special..she wrote" My mom is very special because she works hard at everything, she supports me at karate, and she knows that I love her".
She also did a poem using the letters on Mother
M=making me happy
O=outstanding work you do
T=time we spend together
H=helping me
E=everlasting love
R=right here beside me
Isn't that the sweetest. She was very busy in her class.

Lauren; Wrote a sentence about me in a book all the kids did. Hers said" My Mom is an awesome, sweet, lovely, kind, and wonderful mom. She is a good cook. My favorite is chicken. I love my mom. Happy Mother's Day. She made a tile with a flower on it. It was so sweet.

Lyndsey: Wrote ten reasons why she loves me; 10. she reads me hard words 9. helps with homework 8. she makes me laugh by singing funny 7. she taught me how to bake cookies 6. I love to hear my mom sing at church 5. she finds time to take me to a friends house 4. she cares because she tells me she loves me 3. she's smart because she helps me with my homework 2. she works hard at taking care of me 1. she is the Best Mom Ever!!

I am so blessed to have such wonderful kids. When I feel like a terrible mother, I just look at what they have done for me and it makes me smile. They gave me this stuff and I bawled through it all. That thought that was funny!

I posted a page I did for the scrapbook with my new cricut machine. I LOVE that thing! It was my Mother's Day present from all the kids and Marvin too.

Marriage is Forever

This September, Marvin and I will be celebrating 13 years of marriage! I have been blessed with a Christian man that I know, without a doubt, loves me as Christ loves the church and I know our marriage has been ordained by Him and He has blessed us beyond anything I would have ever dreamed. Marvin has been a wonderful husband and the best father I could have ever asked for, for my children(his too!)Our marriage is not perfect, we have our differences and strong opinions, but we went into our marriage knowing the Christ comes first and we come second. Marriage takes work, no matter how many years you have been married and I appreciate every day with Marvin and I love him more and more everyday. I am one of the lucky ones and I thank God for that.

One of my friends is hurting right now. Her husband came home from work the other day, and out of the blue said he wants a divorce and that he has been miserable! What a JERK!! How can you tell your spouse one day that you love them, and the next day, tell them you want a divorce? I don't get it! She has been a good wife, because I have seen it and takes care of the "housewife" stuff and now he is causing her heartache and shock. She is devastated and is trying to make sense of it. I don't even know what to say to her or have any good advice to give. I have never been in that position. But, I have gone through it with my best friend and I know the pain and hurt it causes. I will be there for her if she needs me. I will sit with her, cry with her, talk with her, support her and do whatever she needs to get her through this difficult time.

When I see people's marriages around me fall apart, it makes me sad. I hurt, when my friends hurt and I look at my own marriage and I think how did I get so lucky? I went into my marriage with fear because my whole family has been divorced, except my grandparents, and I decided that whatever happens in my marriage, divorce is not an option. I will fight for it and protect it with all that I have. I will break the divorce cycle in my family.

Pray for my friend. Pray the God will reconcile their marriage. Pray for protection for their child. Pray that I can give her comfort and support. Pray for your own marriage and thank God for your spouse. I know I will hold my husband closer and love him with all that I am...forever.

SO MUCH ALIKE, YET SO DIFFERENT

Lauren and Lyndsey are sometimes so much alike it makes me laugh! As they get older, they start doing things different from each other and they both have very different personalities.They still have alot of similarities, such as eye and hair color, weight, and clothing sizes. They are different in alot of ways too. Lauren is taller, has bigger feet, has a dimple and is right handed. Lyndsey is shorter with smaller feet,has a scar,and is left handed. Well, up until this past Friday, Lauren wore glasses and Lyndsey didn't. Not anymore! Lyndsey complained that she couldn't see at school, and I just thought that she was saying that because Lauren got glasses and when one kid gets something the other one wants something too. So Friday, I took her to the doctor and sure enough, she can't see good either! So now, she will have glasses too. Hers are blue and Lauren's are pink.

Since preschool, I choose to have them in separate classes because, even though they are twins, they are not attached at the hip. Each one has their own personality and they need their own friends and to spend some time away from each other. It was a good decision. I remember picking them up from preschool, and they would run to each other and hug and kiss like they have been separated forever. Sometimes now, even in second grade, they walk to the car holding hands. They definitely have a twin bond that cannot be broken. I am so proud to be a Mom of twins. They are so special and unique. When my friends were all pregnant, I wanted them to have twins too, but none of them have yet!(maybe next time, Stacey!!)

Our plan was to have two kids, but God had other plans and I am so glad He did. I cannot imagine not having them in my life. It was hard when they were born, having four kids under three, but with God's help and the support of family and friends, I made it through the hard times. The next big hurdle will be the teenage years, when all three girls reach puberty!!! Poor Marvin and Matthew!

Well, that's all for now. Have a great week:)

Selah

My favorite group for the last few years has been Selah. The group was originally Todd Smith, his sister Nicole, and their friend Alan. Nicole got married and had a baby and left the group and they got a new girl in the group. Anyway, they are sooo awesome. The sing mostly praise and worship and Todd has a wonderful voice. i just love to hear him sing. I have seen them in concert a few times and I listen to all their songs on my ipod.

I just read today on MySpace, that Todd and his wife, Angie, had a baby girl on Monday that passed away within a few hours of being born. He had a link to Angie's blog that I read from beginning to end and cried the whole time. I truly felt a part of their lives by the way she talked to people reading her blog. She poured out her heart to so many people and I was blessed by some of the things that she shared. I can not imagine losing a baby that I carried for nine months or even one of my kids now. I have been so blessed to have four beautiful, happy, healthy, kids. I was also blessed to carry twins for 37 weeks without too many complications and that they were big and healthy. Yet, people who I don't even know go though such loss and yet they can share with strangers how God has carried them through. What a testimony she has. Please pray for this family and the sadness that they are going through at this very hour. Now, every time I hear my favorite group, I will remember their sweet baby girl, Audrey Caroline.

Read her blog and see if it touches your heart like it did mine.
www.audreycaroline.blogspot.com

INTRODUCING....

The new Lauren!!!!



She was having trouble seeing at school and we went and got an eye exam, and sure enough, she is nearsighted just like the rest of us in the family. Now, nobody should confuse the twins! She looks so cute!

This is the last week of school for them before spring break. I am hoping that the weather is nice when they are off so we can be outside. I'm tired of snow and cold. I want to sit on my porch and relax. We all want to sleep in too! Marvin's going to take a few days off and we might do some spring fishing and go to Kensington and walk the trails.

I am getting ready to do some redecorating in the kitchen and the living room. I'm getting fired up to make my house a little more visitor friendly. the kids are old enough to keep this house looking nice without all their stuff laying around. I'm going to be looking at some paint colors and flooring for the kitchen. It's time to get busy!!

It's supposed to be a nice week and I am looking forward to better walking days. Since I started walking, I have lost 10 pds. I am doing well on WW again and I am totally looking forward to summer because I am going to look and feel better. I am still going to be at Heritage Park during the week at 11a.m. so you know where I am so get the kids and some walking shoes and get moving!!!!

My mom is having some tests this week so please keep her in your prayers. I'm a little worried about this.

Have a great week!

SNOW DAY

Here are the kids playing in the snow and having a blast. They all played outside for hours WITHOUT fighting. I like days like that.

A pain in the back:(

Ok, on Wednesday, the kids had a snow day! Fine, while they played, I snow blowed and shoveled. Everything was fine. We built forts and igloos and had a good time. The kids played outside longer in the snow than they do during the summer...go figure! The next day, I get up, get the kids ready for school, and then I take them to school, everything is still fine. I come back home, eat some breakfast, and watch some TV. Now the fun begins! I go downstairs to wash my hair and as I am bent over the sink, my back just doesn't feel right. After I finish my hair and stand up..BAM it hits me hard, I pulled something in my lower back.

I try to go back up the stairs, which takes a long time and I tell my mom somethings not right. I go and sit down on the couch. It's uncomfortable but tolerable at this point. I go to rub my eyes and what happens? My glasses break!! Great, now not only can I not walk well, I can't see either! These are the only glasses that I have, so I slowly get ready to go to the eyeglass place and see about getting them fixed.

When I get to the store, I barely make it across the parking lot. I walk like a grandma, but I make it and they can only super glue my glasses and tell me how much it costs to get new ones. great, what a pain!. I finally make it back to the car and when I get home I cry because it hurts so bad. So, for the rest of the day, I lay on the couch with two heating pads on my back and try to get comfortable. The story gets better, so stay with me.

Around 6pm, I can't take it anymore and I ask my mom if she has anything that might help. She gives me a low dose muscle relaxer. So, I take it. About a half hour later, I get up to go to the bathroom and when I get to the door, my legs give out and I yell for my mom as I hit the floor. I pass out(which happens to me alot) for a few mins and when I wake up, my mom talks to me and ask if I'm okay. For some reason, I can't feel my legs, which freaks me out and makes me cry harder and my mom freaks out and calls an ambulance. As many times as an ambulance has come and got me, I should own my own! Anyway, they cart me off on a backboard and I leave my house screaming all the way, because they are jerking me all over and the pain is horrible and I still can't feel my legs. They feel like weights! I was scared to death. Turns out, I had a bad reaction to what my mom gave me. When I got to the er they gave me morphine, which made me feel wonderful and forget about my back! They tell me it's my siatic nerve being pinched. Boy it hurts!!

So, now for the last three days, I have been laid up on the couch, on pain meds and trying to get better. So, thanks for hanging in there for my story for today.

Don't forget to spring forward tonite.

The Reunion Part 2

Well, the reunion was fun. I'm not sure how many were there but I know it wasn't even half our class. The same people got together in their groups just like the old days. The skinny got fat and the guys got bald and some had receding hairlines. Some people are very successful in their careers and some are SAHM's. Some are divorced and remarried, the high school sweethearts are still married, and almost all of them that were their have children. Maybe at our 30yr. reunion some will have grandchildren!

Three of our classmates have passed away. Two were by suicide and one was by illness. Alot of our classmates are MIA. I wish a few more would have showed up. Five people in our class have served our country and have made it back. I thanked them for their sacrifice.

All in all it was a good night and I enjoyed it. Here are a few pictures.


Melissa, Leslie, and Amy

Kelly Kent

Amy Hodge(my BF in HS and Marvins cousin)

My Sweetheart!!

Twenty Years 1988-2008

Okay, tonight is my 20 year high school reunion! I can't believe that I have been out of school for that long. I hate the fact that I'm getting older. I wish I could go back and be that kid again, younger. High school was not really important to me at that time. I blew it off and never worked to my potential. I barely made it to graduation because my grades were so bad. I have report cards from way back and I can't believe I was that stupid. If I was given the chance to go back in time and change one thing I would go back to high school and work hard and get the grades I needed to go to college.

I am looking forward to tonight to see people that I graduated with. I haven't seen most of them since our 10 yr. reunion. We were still finding our place in this world. Some of the people that are coming our people that caused me hurt and pain. But, as a Christian, I am forgiving and if God sees that I need to talk to these people, I pray that he gives me the strength.

I will post tomorrow and let you know how it went. Here is my graduation picture.

My 8yr. old babies!

My Twins turned 8 yrs old on Feb. 16th. It's hard to believe that they have grown that much. It really does seem like yesterday that we brought them home. When they were born, we could hardly tell them apart and now they are so different. We are so blessed with 4 beautiful, happy, and healthy children and we are doubly blessed to have twins. It's so cool to be a mom of twins! They are the last of my children and even though it was really touch at times, I would not trade it for anything. They have helped me grow as a mom and have given me so much. They are still buddies and sometimes have seperation anxiety when they are away from each other. They are so different in their personalities. Lauren is very passive and caring and compassionate. She loves to clean and really loves High School Musical. Lyndsey on the other hand is very dominate and is part girly-girl and part tomboy. She likes to be alittle bossy but Lauren puts her back in line by telling her SHE is the oldest.



So, Happy 8th. Birthday Girls! We love you very much.

PRAISE THE LORD!!!!!!

Tonight was one of the best nights I've had in a long time. My daughter, Ashlee, has been going through some rough times over the last month. When she goes to bed, she comes back to me crying, and not knowing why. For those of you that know Ashlee, know that is not like her. She has always been a happy kid but something was going on and it was very frustrating. She was a mess and I was so scared because I didn't know what to do. It was like she was being tormented. I would pray with her at night and she would be able to calm down and fall asleep.

Well, tonight was the same thing. She was crying really hard and telling me she hated what was happening so we went into my bed and I laid down with her and I told her I would pray for her again, so I did. After I prayed, I began to talk to her about how much Jesus loved her and that He is there with her and after a few minutes of talking to her, she said she wanted Jesus to save her! So right there in bed together, she prayed to receive Christ! She hugged me tight and said thank you mom, I feel so much better and I feel Jesus. After we talked a little more, she fell asleep.

Praise the Lord for his answer to prayer! At church on Sunday morning, we prayed for family that was not saved and I said my girls and two days later, Ashlee was saved. I am so happy!

Before and After

Today, Matthew got his braces off! He wore them for almost a year(11 1/2 months) His teeth look so good. Their straight and white and look awesome. He now has to wear two retainers for 2 years. Here are the before and after pictures.

Welcome to 2008

Wow, another year is here! I am a little behind in my blogging but I'm back and ready to go.

Let me back track to Christmas Eve...First, about a week before Christmas my family was thrown for a loop when some news was shared with the family and trust was broken. So, I did a lot of crying that week and asked God for some wisdom and direction and He came through for me and the situation is being worked out and I hope that the trust can be rebuilt. So fast forward to Christmas Eve. My Mom, and sister, and I with Matthew, Ashlee, and Lauren went to my Sister-in-law's, mother's house to have dinner.(Marvin was home with Lyndsey, who was sick)It was a great time with alot of good food. Our church was having its first "baptist mass" at midnight, so we started to head home so we could go to the service. It was cold and icy as we were walking to the truck and I told Matthew to walk with "Memaw" so she wouldn't fall. So, everyone was in the truck, and I was getting in the truck and I had one foot in and my other foot slipped out from under me and I fell backwards, I couldn't grab on to anything so I fell right down on my back and my head hit the pavement and I knocked my self completely OUT!!! Everybody freaked out and came running to me. My brother said I was out for at least 5 minutes, so they called an ambulance and I woke up strapped down to a backboard with all these firemen around me and I was taken to the hospital. Did I mention that I was in Sterling Heights and was taken to some hospital in the boonies? My mom rode in the ambulance and my brother took the kids home and gave Marvin his GPS so he could get to me. It was CRAZY!!! I didn't have any of the kids presents wrapped so my sister did it all for me. So, I ended up with a concussion, and I slept alot the next few days.

It's always something with me. I have ridden in an ambulance so many times I should drive one! So, New Years Eve was uneventful except for the HUGE snowflakes. We went to Malinda's for some DDR, and Guitar Hero competitions. It was alot of fun.

So, I am not making any resolution's this year. It's a waste of time. I am on the weight watcher plan again and I am once again working hard to get in shape. My 20 year high school reunion is at the end of Feb. and I refuse to go looking the way I do now!

During the kids' Christmas break, my dad took all of us to the FRIDGE. It's in Oakland County and it's a outdoor, frozen toboggan run. The kids had a blast, so here are a few pictures of the fun.

Kimberly Marrs Vincent..one year later

This is my cousin, Kimberly Marrs Vincent. On Sunday, it will be one year that she passed away tragically from an accident in her home. When I see her picture, I still can't believe someone so pretty and young and full of life is gone. Her twin boys, Brett and Dylan, have had their 4th birthday since she died and her husband, Terry has faced all the "firsts" since she has been gone. I know that he is still grieving and will grieve for along time so remember him and the boys this week and pray for strength. I catch up with Terry on the computer every now and then and he seems to be doing as well as he can but I know he misses her terribly.

Remember to cherish your loved ones during this CHRISTmas and love them and hold them close, because we don't know what tomorrow may bring. And remember too that is "Merry CHRISTmas", not Happy Holidays. Keep CHRIST in CHRISTmas!!!

Alzheimer's SUCKS!!!

I believe, without a doubt,that one of the worst disease's you can get is Alzheimer's.

Imagine waking up one day and not remembering your loved one's name, how to tie your shoe, how to talk, how to walk, how to go to the bathroom, how to communicate what you want...that's what Alz. does. It robs you of everyday things we take for granted. I have experienced Alz. first hand when it reared it's ugly head at my in-laws. Marvin's parents were struck by this dreaded disease and it eventually took their lives. It sucked! They were the best people you could have met. Marvin's children, Vivian's children, and Kenneth's children were robbed of the best grandparents in the world, who would have loved them and spoiled them. Everyday, I wish they were still here, so they could see them grow up and to make memories with them. But God needed them more and I know they are walking with their Lord right now, and that's what makes me smile.

So, today at church, it was announced that one of our beloved members, is in the first stage of dementia and Alz. That SUCKS!!!! He is one of the sweetest, kindest, nicest men in the world. He would do anything for anybody and is very well loved and respected. He is a Godly man, husband, father and deacon. He has always been an encourager and helper and rock.It tears me up to know that someone so special is struggling now. I ask myself why? Why does this happen to good people? Why does it have to happen at all? Why? Why? Why? I am going to ask God that when I see Him face to face. I'm angry! Cancer is treatable, Diabetes is treatable, weight problems are treatable! Why can't this be treatable? Nothing can be done to stop this from happening and it makes me mad!

So, please pray for my friend, Dale and his family, as they deal everyday with this and they will put all their faith and trust in the Lord and that He will care for them and their needs.

Remember too, to tell your loved ones how much you love them and make happy memories and love and forgive and be kind to one another.