Oh the Bliss!

Our lovely house! Before it all comes down I have to share how awesome our house looked this year! Ben took an extreme liking to "cool bike" and has talked about it multiple times everyday since Thanksgiving. It's a bit traumatic for him because every morning when we unplug it because it falls down. This is a very big deal for Ben who continues the of his day saying "cool bike fall!" until we put it back up again. It's been fun having him love something so much So thankful for... ~ Mark surprising me with his lawn decorating skills, and desire for that matter. ~ my amazing friend Lolly who watched Ben for me for 6 hours on Friday so I could have a break and get some things done. She even put him down for a nap at her house. Her kindness and sensitivity to me blows me away - she saw I was losing it due to Mark being sick and out of commission and me being, oh, 8 months pregnant. 6 hours is a lot to offer, especially when she has 2 kids o her own at home, so...

Happy Birthday Ben! He's 2, is that even possible? We celebrated with a few friends and family on the 23rd, and today Mark and I have been giving him little presents here and there. He's a bit on "present overload" so we're rationing. :) Here are a few pictures from his party and I'll post more from Christmas and whatnot when I get them up and running. So thankful for... ~ two years ago today... when I gave birth to my baby boy. This year has been such a fun one and I am so thankful for Ben in my life. ~perfect weather for Ben's party ~ getting to have our San Fran crew here for the celebrations ~ 5 resting kids during Christmas lunch. The adults were able to all sit down and eat the same time. A rarity and something I don't think has happened in 3 1/2 years. Love the kids, but love eating warm food too. ~ the very wonderful and generous gifts from everybody. ~ getting to spend Christmas Eve with Howie and Nonny and more of the Kuebler family. That wa...

Ben as a monkey.

Our trip to "Candy Cane Lane" ***(There's a new blog below, too.)

I had a brush with bed rest yesterday, and some today. After a couple of hours of too many contractions (more than 4 in an hour is considered too many), and talking with my nurse and doctor a couple of times I was put on "modified bed rest". This means, in their words, "when given the option - sit, better yet lay down." So that's what I did and it helped. They only would start up again if I got up. And today I've only had a couple braxton hicks, which is normal. So that was my brush with bed rest. I'm still going to take it a bit easy (mom) so my plans to go to D-land are put on hold for a couple of weeks, and I won't be joining Sarah for our 3 mile walk around the lake, but I'm ok with that. As long as this little remains calm and stays put everything will be just fine. So today I am thankful for ~sweet Leslie, who had two preemie babies encouraging me to heed my doctors orders. ~ getting to see The Nativity with Mark last Friday. We haven't...

The view from where I sit... First off... a very happy anniversary to my bro Jason and Carrie - celebrating 6 years of marriage. Over those years I've watched them exemplify what a Christ centered marriage should look like. Sacrificing for one another while each took a turn completing training for and starting new careers, Carrie as a nurse and Jason an officer. They've completely shared the rolls of primary care giver to their kids. They've supported each others interests, Jason's soccer and Carrie's running. All the while making each other, and all who are around them, laugh and have a good time like no other. They are the perfect match for each other. Jason found his lobster and her name is Carrie. :) Lot's of love to both of them today. So thankful for... ~ a fire in the fireplace! Wasn't sure if/how it worked so we've left it alone all these months. Today Mark bravely turned the gas on and lo and behold a beautiful, working fire lit right up. It...

So thankful for... ~silly bathing Ben ~ (multiple) people pointing out that Ben has become much more interactive and playful with others. He has so much fun now playing with his friends, he gives hugs and laughs all the time... it's good to see him developing friendships and getting excited to see people. ~ my time with my mom decorating their tree. It's fun to hear the same old stories about the different ornaments. (or or d ments, as I've consistently called them my entire life.) ~ getting to "see" my new niece via the web-cam today. She's so precious! ~ Mark hanging out with me and Ben while we watched the Caurana's kids the other day. Mark is always a hit with kids, they love him because he's so fun and he doesn't try to be. He took them for crazy wagon rides, they built a fort... he's the best. *My favorite line of the day from Mark was after 4 year old Hannah made the suggestion to get stuffed animals and have a tea party in the fort Mar...

IT'S A GIRL!!!! Not me, not me... my sis-in-law Amy had her baby girl, Elizabeth Claire! Her birthday is actually the 12 th , she was born at 12:01am in North Carolina. I haven't talked with Amy yet but I heard that everything went great. Elizabeth is 7 lbs 5oz and beautiful. I'm very excited to have another niece! And I can't wait to hear the details and also see some pictures. I hear she has some red hair, just like her mama. So right now I'm just very thankful for all the blessings of having a new little baby in our lives, for a healthy mom and daughter, for the miracle of childbirth and for my new little niece. I love her already! Congratulations Todd, Amy, Michael and Daniel! You're now a party of 5. I plan on sharing a sweet little bond with Elizabeth, since I'm the youngest of three and only girl. I LOVED and still love that position in my family. She is one lucky girl! :)

* the spell check seems to not be working, and ya'll know how desperately I rely on that... so sorry about any and all mispellings* So thankful for... ~ a very nice last day of MOPS. ~ the opportuntiy to volunteer in Ben's mops childcare room on Friday (he wasn't there, I was just helping out). I got to see what he does for the two and a half hours he's in there each week. It's much more than one big play session! I was so impressed with all the activities and evertyhing. We are very blessed to have great ladies working in his room. ~ time with Leslie after WEEKS of schedualing and re-schedualing playdates. ~ our health at this moment is very good. ~ Mark staying home with Ben so I could run a few errands this afternoon. ~ ONLINE SHOPPING! I did most of my Christmas shopping on-line this year and let me tell you it was WONDERFUL! Most sites have free shipping deals right now, so it actually SAVED me money (and sanity) to buy it all that way. I love it. ~ three nigh...

Here's a good email I got today I thought I'd share... Dear children, If you want to give Me a present in remembrance of My birth, here is my wish list. Choose something from it. 1. Instead of writing protest letters objecting to the way My birthday is being celebrated, write letters of love and hope to soldiers away from home. They are terribly afraid and lonely this time of year. I know, they tell Me all the time. 2. Visit someone in a nursing home. You don't have to know them personally. They just need to know that someone cares about them. 3. Instead of writing President Bush complaining about the wording on the cards his staff sent out this year, why don't you write and tell him that you'll be praying for him and his family this year. Then follow up. It will be nice hearing from you again. 4. Instead of giving your children a lot of gifts you can't afford and they don't need, spend time with them. Tel l them the story of My birth, and why I came to live...

So thankful for... ~ a really great time up in Simi with Mark's parent's and friends. It was like a miny vacation. ~ Christmas was early since Tina's off to NC, so I'm thankful for our wonderful Christmas presents. ~ the time Mark spent with Ben so I could get a mani/pedi with Tina. ~ Tina's sweet treat of a manicure and pedicure. Since the winds were so crazy strong in Simi the pampering with lotion felt so good! ~ our time with Ali and Anthony. Always good to see those sweet friends. ~ getting to catch up with CAsey at Coryn's shower on Saturday. I love our valley friends! ~ two gorgeous days and playing outside a lot with Ben. ~ the hugs and kisses Ben planted on me this morning without any prompting or asking for them. He just came right up to me and threw his arms around me. I won't lie, tears filled my eyes. He's such a sweet boy and moments like that just make my heart sing.

Sort of looks like he's being electrocuted , doesn't it? No, no, this is his "cheese" face.

So thankful for... ~ waking up to the sound of rain. ~ getting to surprise and celebrate Lolly on her birthday Saturday . ~ a gorgeous Sunday morning at church and breakfast out at the beach with my dad joining us. It was so awesome, filled my love tank. ~ having such a great weekend with Mark and Ben and friends. ~ getting to talk with Lolly's parent's for awhile and getting to know that family in a neat way. ~ a riveting game of Settler's last night, I almost won, but Mark brought the title to the Fitzpatrick house for the first time since playing the Caruanas . It felt good. ~ Mark's four day weekend, and that he only works three days this week until he has more days off. ~ Joe's really good pasta bake that he left on our doorstep for us. Food that's free and delivered is a wonderful thing. ~ getting to see Nick, Lisa and baby Kian last night. Kian is growing so fast! Nick and Lisa and doing a GREAT job of adjusting to parenthood. They are a beautiful fami...

A year of Thankfulness. It's been one year since I started keeping a list of things I'm thankful for. The everyday thing didn't quite work out for me, and the number of "things" has dwindled from time to time, but overall I would say this last year I was much more aware of what I am thankful for. Basic things I tend to take for granted; like water, shelter, food good health care. Big things like no tragedies in my immediate circle of friends and family. Little things too; like the kindness of strangers at the grocery store, flowers, unexpected and thoughtful gifts. I even became more aware of the silly things I'm thankful for; like garage sales and can openers and I think a variety of food items have made the list. I have begun to be thankful for things through Ben's eyes, in which case I am thankful for Blue's Clues, VeggieTales and "D". Going back through the lists its interesting to see what was making an impression on me each particular d...

Me, 30 weeks, just so you know. So thankful for... ~ new baby monitor. No more crazy static outbursts in the middle of the night scaring me half to death. ~ time with family at Ez's birthday party. ~ Joe making dinner for us last night. ~ Jason and the boys joining us for Joe's dinner. ~ Ben and Gavin becoming playmates, and seeing them include Ez every now and then. ~ a great night sitting out front, watching all the neighbor kids play together while the guys, including neighbors, sat around and chatted, and drank wine. It was so nice. ~ Ben great attitude today while running errands with me. I can see him really trying to understand me and communicate with me, and I'm constantly being blown away by him. What a gift. ~ Mark cleaning the kitchen after he made himself breakfast. ~ all the joy I have in my life. ~ real estate activity.

Today I took Ben on a nature walk on a trail near our house. We just happened to start walking about the same time as another mother and her two girls, roughly the same age as Ben -one a little younger, one a little older. It was very funny for that mom and me to watch the three of them walk; Ben was such a boy and those girls were so girly! Ben refused to stay on the path (Jason Prince), the closest I could get him was one foot on the path - one foot in the dirt. He ran ahead, fell behind, took every detour possible, and collected sticks and pine cones. The girls, however, never veered off the path, stayed near their mom and collected flowers. I think it's great that God made boys and girls so different, even from such an early age. So thankful for... ~a GREAT check-up at the OB yesterday. I passed my gestational diabetes test so I won't have to take the 3 hour one like I did with Ben. This is a big answer to prayer for me. ~ having such an active baby inside me, keeps me feel...

My book reviews: For those of you who've seen the movie "What's Eating Gilbert Grape" and liked it, you're getting ripped off if you don't read the book. The book is SSSSSSSSSOOOOOOOOOOOOOO much better! I read, and rather enjoyed, the book then saw the movie and was left sadly disappointed. Although Leo does a great job, the character development in the book is outstanding. So if you have the time and the inclination pick up the book and give it a go. Jury is still out on The Alchemist . While being a quick and semi-enthralling read, the subject is borderline questionable. A lot of "follow your personal legend" and "we are all one" talk. However, the ending is one of the better finishes to a book I've read in a long time, and the interview with the author redeems any skepticism I have about the book. Now I'm book-less again... any suggestions?

Happy Birthday Ezekiel!!!! He is ONE today! Already? Already. Where did the time go... he is such an adorable baby and is growing up so fast. Soon he won't even be considered a baby at all. Although I think his cute chubby cheeks will keep him young looking for awhile, but alas, even those will fade with time. He has the most brilliant blue eyes and infectious smile. This next year will be fun to see him develop even more into the little boy God made him. I'm excited to see his personality come out more and see just who this little child is. Here's to another GREAT year Ez ! Today I am thankful for... ~ Ez's life and everything he is and is becoming. ~ the best husband ever who cleaned up Ben's vomit ( tmi ? sorry.) knowing that I don't do well at all with that sort of thing. (But I did clean up some tonight, so I'm baby steppin '.) Mark even offered to stay home from work tonight. He's so good to me. ~ sweet Leslie who was very understanding when I...

So thankful for... ~ MOPS yesterday, and probably the BEST food ever. I ate so much it hurt! ~ a beautiful afternoon ~ spending the evening celebrating Johnny's birthday with all of Lolly's family. I was the only one there who wasn't related, but you never would've know. They were so warm and welcoming to me and Ben. ~ the legacy of love I got to hear all about from Lolly's grandparent's. First, I love that they're from Alabama, so they have a wonderful southern accent. Then they tell me how they ran off together when she was 16 and he was 19 and have been in love ever since; 65 years! He still calls her his bride. Precious. They kept saying over and over "The Lord has been good to us." Indeed he has. ~ the bible study on Monday night, and getting to know the mop leaders a little bit better. ~ all the "Martha" type women who give balance and direction to us "Mary" types. ~ Mark's drive in a business that's easy to get lo...

It's the middle of November and we we've turned the AC on three days in a row! This is craziness! I am thankful for... ~ our visit with Nick, Lisa and baby Kian yesterday. It was neat to hold a newborn and feel him all squirmy and remember what Ben was like... and think about what the new baby will be like. ~ our single story house ~ this wonderful memory I have of my Grandpa Smith going to the corner store to get Frosted Flakes whenever us kids were there. I was young when he died and because we lived so far from them I don't have too many memories, but this one is so vivid - I don't see a box of frosted flakes without thinking of him. See, it's the little things... ~sweet Mark who got up with Ben this morning so I could go get my gestational diabetes test done this morning. (Praying I passed!) ~ the hour I had to sit on a bench in the warm sun while I waited for the sugar drink to do it's part so I could get my blood drawn. They let me leave the building, so I...

Then... Now... Today I am so thankful for... ~ beautiful flowers from my sweet neighbor. ~ a very fun block party, with plenty of food and good conversations. I love my neighbors! ~ the morning Mark spent with Ben yesterday so I could get our house ready for the party. Mark took Ben to the dog park, Joe's house and the beach! I think it was Ben's favorite day of his life thus far. ~the vision for reaching the youth (ages 12-22) our church has. I'm excited to be apart of something big. ~ my parent's coming over Friday night, and getting to go shopping with my mom. ~ Ben and Cole getting along so well last night. They've had a few falling outs. ~ this gorgeous weather. ~ my favorite father in law's birthday was on the fourth!!!! Happy birthday to him!!! I'm thankful for his fun attitude, love for each of us, passion for his wife and excitement towards life. He's very fun to be around and we love him very much. ~ all of Ben's silly words these days, e...

We spent Monday and Tuesday in Simi Valley and had such a great time! Ben and I got to see Taylore, Thompson and baby Owen on Tuesday. We took them to the mall and they went trick-or-treating, they were the cutest kids there by far! :) Tuesday night we went to the harvest carnival at Shepherd of the Hills church. It was so fun! Just like the church carnivals I went to growing up. Ben had a blast playing all the games and indulging in his new found love for bounce houses. We also got to spend the evening with some good friends playing Settlers, so really, what more could we have asked for? Today I am so thankful for... ~ safety driving to Simi and back. ~ Ben wearing his costume (thank you Carrie!) ~ seeing Tay and the kiddos. Sort of a trip to see her with two kids! That'll be ME soon! ~ Mark getting to spend time with his guys from the valley. ~ all the volunteers who worked the carnival and made it so fun for Ben. Thanks to my very own father-in-law for volunteering too, we felt ...

Some pictures from our weekend. Please note: Ben had an adorable Elmo costume for each event, but it was tucked away nicely in my diaper bag, just where Ben wanted it. :)

My birthday dinner. (And new doo.) (Hallelujah! Pictures!) Here's dinner with the Caruana's... *There's a new list down below, too. :)

Today I am so thankful for... ~my sis-in-law Amy's parenting encouragement. I so love talking with her! ~ time with my parent's on Thursday. Good food and fun, and they helped me finish Ben's photo board. ~ my dad supporting my MOPS fundraiser. ~ plans to go to the harvest carnival with Carrie and the kids tonight. ~ Lolly and her kids coming over last night. I like that she's a friend I can can laugh hard with and also have some serious moments with. ~ all the really cute clothes Amanda is letting me borrow. ~ my birthday flowers that are still so pretty. ~ the fires being 40% contained. Still, it's so awful, but hopefully they're getting a handle on it. ~ our fun adventure last night with our neighbors cat, Frank, and a huge RACCOON! Lolly and I had a lot of laughs over us trying to save the cat, and the kids got a kick out of us getting all worked up. It was quite a silly sight. ~ Jason & Carrie letting Ben wear Gavin's last year's costume, he...

It's officially over, my birthday that is. For two days now I received no cards in the mail. So that's a sure sign it's done. I had another great one, can they be this good forever? :) Thanks everybody! Today I am thankful for... ~one of the best chicken and dumpling dinners my mom has ever made. ~ one of the best chocolate-cherry cake desserts my mom has ever made. ~ finally meeting the last neighbor on my block. I cornered her and made her talk to me. :) Well, not really, but she did admit to taking advantage of her corner house as easy access to avoid much contact . Hmm , maybe if I bake her a pie she'll warm up to me. She did say she'd come to the block party though. ~ Heather's realness in such a shady world. ~ spur of the moment play-date with Amanda & Sophia this morning. That Amanda, she's so great to be with. And she gave me a bunch of maternity clothes! ~ Jason enjoying his job and getting to be in interesting areas of LA. ~ Ali's phone cal...

I would just like to point out that for all the reasons people told me not to get my belly button pierced "because it'll cause a stretch mark when you're pregnant " wasn't one of them, and I think it should've been. I didn't listen to "it's trashy", "it's suggestive", "it's painful", "it'll look lame when you're older". Of course I didn't hear the "because I said so" or "what would Jesus do?" But maybe, just maybe, if I had known that the ONLY stretch mark I'd get on my entire body (they don't just happen on your belly, folks) would stem from the tiny incision where a tiny hole used to be, that may have stopped me. So for all you belly ring haters out there, one of which I have become, drop all the reasons you think are worthy and just stick to the stretch mark case. It's a good one. That's all from me, for now.

(I switched something on this site and now I can't post pictures. But if I can figure it out again I will post them asap.) Today I am thankful for... ~ a very wonderful birthday yesterday! It was such a great day ~ spending time with sweet friends, getting bombarded with cards and phone calls, I loved it! So many people did the sweetest things and made me feel so special. I'm not going to name off each person and thing, but I am very grateful for everything!! ~ the BEAUTIFUL bouquet of flowers Ben and Mark gave me yesterday. Mark said Ben really did pick them out, so they are very special. I love them. ~ visits from two friends today. ~ out time at the pumpkin patch at our church tonight. They shipped in over 1,000 pumpkins and sold them 2 for $5, that's such a steal! We met up with Jason and Carrie and Ben had a BLAST playing with Gavin. It's fun that they're at that age now where they can rough house a bit more. They were very fun to watch. Gavin was probably thin...

Then... and Now. Wow. Today I am thankful for... ~being able to post pictures again, it was giving me some trouble before. ~ very interesting MOPS this morning, and fun discussion afterwards. ~ all the sweet birthday cards! Sweet Lisa sent one to me and she had a baby a week ago! My dad sent me a special birthday card too since he and my mom will be away for my big day. :) ~ Carrie's understanding and nonjudgmental ways. She always listens so well to me and knows good things to say. I really appreciate and value her heart. ~ time with Jason, Carrie and the boys at the pumpkin patch yesterday. ~ the sweetest little story Darren put on his blog of something Jesse said. I'll have to ask if I can post it on here because it's worth even more people reading. ~ the friendship between Lolly's husband and Mark. It's an added bonus for me and Lolly, and they are quite funny together. ~ oh, this is so cute... today Mark was sitting with Ben just before Ben went down for a nap ...

Today I am so thankful for... ~my mom's homemade birthday cards. ~ my cousin Amy calling me. I couldn't talk long, but it was so nice to hear her sweet voice. It'll be fun to talk with her again soon. ~ the time I spent at my parent's house on Sunday with Ben. He had so much fun with them. Plus they both helped me work on a project I've been wanting to do for Ben's room. At one point I was talking on the phone with a friend while they worked on my project for me, brought back memories of high school. :) ~ all of Ben's words. His growing ability to communicate amazes me. Today he asked for a ball but I didn't know what ball was talking about. The he told me "green ball." Still no clue. Then he said, "green ball trees there." So I walked over to the nearby trees and sure enough there was a green ball laying there. He knew exactly what he was talking about. All day long this sort of thing happens. I love it! ~ time with Amanda and Sophia...

Gma was here! We had great time with Gma, Ben especially. It is one of my favorite parts of life; spending quality time with family. It builds into our heritage and is so meaningful. Whether our family visits for an hour or a week, I love being together. One true blessing. I am so thankful for... ~ our clean garage (thank you Mark and Tina) :) ~ Tina's organization skills and desires. ~ a chunk of quality time with mark yesterday. ~ time with friends last night. ~ a church that I truly believe uses it's many resources for Christ's intended purpose. ~ Lauren's dedication to our friendship in life's busyness. ~ today marking the first day of my birthday week. :)

We've always known Ben is special. Today I am thankful for... ~ baby Kian Gomez being born on Monday morning. So healthy and perfect, yea Nick and Lisa!! ~ one of the best speakers I've ever heard today at MOPS. She is a parenting coach, like Super Nanny, and she had such great insight and wisdom. ~ Tina being here and spending the night. I ran a bunch of hard-to-with-kid errands while Ben played and had a blast with her. It was so nice. ~ my new hair cut! Short, but not too short. Mark likes it too. I'll have to post a picture soon. ~ Mark's three days off. ~ our sweet friends coming over tonight just because. It's nice to have friends that live close enough to come over last minute like and feel comfortable just being here. ~ Barbara's thoughtful gift of banana bread, chocolate chip no less, left on my doorstep the other morning. It made my day! ~ Howie's Birthday!!! He's 84 today and I think he had a good week celebrating in Sacramento. ~ Pam's bi...

Papa Dan's turn... Nana's turn... Your turn!!!! Ben and I met my parents at Disneyland tonight and Ben had a sucker for the first time, he loved it! He ate the whole thing, which occupied him for over 30 minutes. We got to go on some of Ben's favorite rides and we caught a parade too, we had a very fun time. I love having passes! Today I am so thankful for... ~ Mark being able to go to the men's conference at church this weekend and that enjoyed his time. ~ memory making times with my parent's at Disneyland. ~ a great sermon last night at church. ~ time to read everyday. I feel like I say that a lot, but I really am thankful for it. ~ getting to talk with Lisa a little today and find out she's having contractions!! Hopefully her already-over-due baby will make an appearance very soon!! ~ time with Lolly and her kids yesterday while our men were at the conference. ~ this time of year. I am a huge fan a spring, but fall is really growing on me. ~ being able to gi...

Christmas came early here at the Fitz household. Ben found a present from last year, a VeggieTales nativity scene and carried it around the house - in the package - for a couple of days until I finally opened it up and he dove right in. So instead of Halloween decorations we have Jr. Asparagus as baby Jesus and a carrot dressed as an angel singing "O Little Town of Bethlehem" to put us in the holiday mood. Ben is discovering that he has a lot of choices everyday and that power has taken a hold of his sense of style. For three days, in very warm weather, he chose to wear his rain galoshes. This picture shows him in his beloved hat, pj tops, no pants and his "boots". If I wore this I'd probably be questioned by the police. Aww to be a toddler again. :) Today I am thankful for... ~ D-land with my mom, Carrie and the boys! The weather was so nice, and it was very fun to be there with them. ~ realizing that Ben hasn't had to spend time in his room while throwing...

The count-down has started... 17 days until my birthday. :) I have a lot to be thankful for this week, I'm giddy just thinking about it. Here are just a few... ~ getting to visit with Mark and Debbie Hawn for a little while on Sunday. It meant a lot that they drove WAY out of their way to come and see Mark, Ben and me. When I think of the long lasting friendship they have with my parents, even though they haven't lived in the same town in over 26 years, I am encouraged to keep up with the friendships Mark and I have made with sweet couples. Friendships I'm praying will travel the distance and last our lifetime. ~ Mark's new schedule. Getting to go to church on Saturday nights has been so great. ~ all of the clothes Heather brought to me to wear while I'm pregnant. Maternity clothes just don't do it for me, so Heather gave me a TON of regular clothes that are a couple sizes bigger than what I usually wear, so they are perfect. I'm also thankful for our time t...

This is Ben's new resting box. He asks to get in it at least once a day and then just lays there. :) He also likes too play peek-a-boo in it too. Silly little guy. :) We had a nice visit from Nana a couple of nights ago and she read Ben's favorite book to him - Goodnight Gorilla. I highly recommend it, it's my favorite too. Today I am thankful for... ~ my mom's visit the other day. Ben was missing her! ~. the loooooooong but very fun day at Disneyland on Wednesday with some of my sweet friends and their kids. It was so much fun we didn't leave until 8:30pm, crazy! ~. Carrie's fun emails and blogs that keep me close to her even when we're both pretty busy. ~. talking with Amanda all the time, multiple times a day, it's fun. ~. Leslie's little boy Tyler who loves Ben AND me and always asks about us, makes me feel like the cool mom friend I've always hoped to become. :) ~. a really good first day at MOPS and a very diverse table which I think will...

So thankful for... ~Taylore's birth 25 years ago, yesterday ~ Wonderful evening with friends, two nights in a row. ~ Lolly calling at the perfect time yesterday. ~ Trader Joe's gift card well spent from Paul and Tina ~ cooler weather. ~ the mini apples that make Ben so happy.

One wedding and a funeral... That was the theme of my life yesterday as Mark and I celebrated our 4 years of marriage. It was sobering to be at Craig's funeral last night and hear about the years of marriage/memories he shared with his wife. Sitting next to my groom, holding his hand and knowing he's right here with me made me so incredibly thankful. I'd like to say Mark is 100% God's property, not mine at all, but I can't help but cling to a little bit of him and believe he'll always be mine . But seeing the empty chair next to Sheila and knowing what the wooden box in center stage was holding made me hold Mark's hand a little tighter and just be in that moment, praying for many, many more. I am so very, very blessed to be married to Mark. I sometimes think of who or what I'm sure I deserve and it blows my mind that God thought better and gave me Mark. But isn't that just the way God is with his children? What we think we deserve and what we are giv...

I served my first ever homemade pecan pie tonight, to a bunch of southerners no less. As I sat it down on the island in my neighbors kitchen I pulled a Cressie Prince and said "well, it's a little more brown than I'd like it to be, but I reckon it'll be alright." Most people laughed but I'm pretty sure I saw the 80+ year old women raise their eyebrows and nod in slight agreement. I also made my first dinner for 16, thanks to some timely advice from Nonny and Tina, because it was my night to bring dinner over and it just happened to be the day most of the family arrived. I think I pulled it off and they showed much thankfulness. Their semi-over enthusiastic response to my dinner may partly be due to the fact that I showed up arms loaded, my swelling belly obvious, barefoot with a not-so-happy toddler (also barefoot) in tow. Or it could've been their sweet southern nature to be so gracious with me. Either way I'm good, just happy to be part of the neighb...

Is that how it happens? Death, that is. Just a blink of an eye and it's over? Whatever time you put in on this earth - gone, just like that? How is that one man can lay in a hospital bed for years, agonizing over that day , saying goodbye to family and friends over and over, and yet another man can spend all day working in his yard, like the ox he's always been, feel a little woozy and excuse himself to the restroom only never to come out again? How is that decision made, Lord? And why? My neighbor died yesterday. My happy, healthy, horse of a neighbor. One of the very firsts to greet me and mark and welcome us when we moved in. The very one who made my plate at the 4th of July bbq, held in his backyard that he had just finished remodeling with his two sons. Craig. The rock of his family, and friends for that matter. A dad with a dad still living, with two sons thriving and a grandson turning one next week. Gone, within minutes, in his own house. You don't expect that, you ...

What happens when I turn my back for one second and someone is a little too enthusiastic about bath-time. :) Today I am thankful for... 1. walk around the lake with the girls followed by the kids getting to play at the park followed by bagels. All of which Ben had a GREAT attitude for!! (Thanks for your prayers.) 2. a fun talk with Darren last night and our potential online Settlers game. 3. Leslie's chattiness, reminds me of me. :) 4. chili cheese dogs. I think the baby loves them. 5. Ben using more and more words everyday, and putting some together. Yesterday he handed me his shorts and said " hee ya go, mommy." So cute. 6. oh, this is even cuter... I'm thankful for the Veggie Tales cd in my van because Ben has started to try and sing along. And that boy sings at the top of his lungs, it's so funny! The best is when the song Alleluia comes on (you know, "shake a friends hand, shake a hand next to ya, shake a friends hand and sing...) Ben can't really ...

Today I am thankful for... 1. all the time Mark and Ben spent together today, I could see a good change in Ben's mood. 2. running some errands on my own. 3. Heather and Shalleen taking time out of their day to drive down and see me and Ben. 4. I didn't say this the other day, so I'm saying it now... I'm so thankful that I got to meet Owen Joel last Friday! Taylore looked wonderful; full of peace and joy holding her little boy. It was nice for me to get to hold that little one too, brings back such memories. Thompson and Ben were cute together too, so that was fun. It was really neat just to see my friend and share an hour or two with her. 5. my new idea for a photo board for Ben's room. I'm excited to start this new project! 6. Mark, for hanging some art in Ben's room. There are few things in life that Mark actually abhors and hanging things on walls is probably #1 on that list. So it meant a lot to me. 7. sitting down to three meals in a row with Mark and ...

Today I am thankful for... 1. time with my mom this weekend, and Jason + family on Sunday. It was really good to be with them, even in the midst of Ben's foul mood. 2. a trip to Disneyland! It's been a while so we had a good time. 3. Mark home safe and sound. I try to keep in perspective how fleeting life is, but I really love Mark and I really love life a lot more when he's with me. 4. the leaders meeting for MOPS today, first one of the season and it made me look forward to the start of the Thursday morning gatherings. 5. Amanda's sweet hug when she saw my discouragement/frustration towards Ben's attitude today. I'm praying it's a quick phase but I feel like shouting "I still have four more months till he turns two, throw me a bone here!" 6. Mark's reinforcing the discipline I've had to crack down on these past few days. (hmm, is there a theme here?) 7. Hawaii because my parents love being there and it's good to see them able to rel...

Our last night we made it to Mama's and it was goooooood! As a special treat to us my parent's had phoned in and taken care of our bill! What a surprise and an act of love to us. It was great! I had to throw in just one last sunset shot. But should you fill the need to see more... just say the word! I tried straight up sushi with Mark at Mama's! Didn't love it, but I'd eat it over onions any day. We drove to the tail of the island which pretty much ends up in a huge pile of lava rocks. And when I say huge, I mean as far as the eye can see. Pretty interesting. Today I am so thankful for... 1. our safe return to our happy baby! 2. Ben having a great time and never really getting upset about us being gone. However, over the last 2 days of us being home he has told me off in his 97% Ben-language 3% actual words ranting which goes something like this, " da ha do a too a MAMA ah do to da da a GO a duh da too ha DADA ahd wa haa doo to Go!!!" 3. Taylore having ...

Gorgeous sunset picture #248, but it's just so pretty! Loving it - loving it!! What's a trip to Hawaii without a picture of a gecko?

Here's the first rainbow we've seen here... so pretty! We spent the morning snorkeling in our favorite spot. We both had been here before but just not together. I thought it would be funny if we were actually here at the same time and Mark said he did see a cute girl here. That Mark... :) Mark went back in while I took a little break on a quest to find a sea turtle, he was successful! I wish I would have gone with him! This is his second time seeing one, he must have a gift.