"I want to be a lion when I grow up!"

If you spend much time in my home you couldn't help but notice that my youngest son, Ethan, tends to spend more time on all fours than walking around on two feet; and more time speaking with a roar than speaking with words. This is something that we have tried to get him to stop doing because it totally sounds like he is going to hurt his throat and we have already had one black eye because of his feet getting out from underneath him which caused a chain of events that lead to a 1 on 1 battle with the carpet. The fact that he had a black eye lets you know who won the fight. We found this all to be a little frustrating to say the least until recently. . . Ethan was having a rather serious conversation with his dad when he made the following announcement, "Dad, when I grow up I want to be a lion!” Wow! I am a firm believer that you should let your kids dream as big as they want, and encourage them that they can be anything that they want if they put their mind to it and work hard. However, I don't feel like this particular scenario applies to my philosophy. Chris spent the next few minutes with Ethan explaining that God created him to be the very special little boy he is and he probably will not be able to become and lion, but if he uses his imagination he can be the biggest and bravest lion we have ever seen!

Challenging BUT REWARDING!!

Well, today my small group finished our bible study by Beth Moore on the book of Daniel. The study focused on living lives of integrity and words of prophecy. It was incredibly challenging but very rewarding. I have enjoyed really digging into the scripture; it is absolutely amazing how it all weaves together and applies to our lives today. I have also really enjoyed getting to know the ladies in the group. I am so thankful that they have dedicated their Friday mornings to this bible study. I am learning so much for them and I appreciate their friendships and the prayers. So as Beth Moore said in our final lesson, "May we go our ways like Daniels"!

Helping Grana

While my Grana is away on a warm vacation to Texas (I so wish I was with her!) we went down to check on her house and water her plants. While we were there we decided to move her office around for her. She needed to make room for a different filing cabinet that will make it a lot easier for her to get to all of her files. I think that we accomplished our goal, but the real test will be if it works for Grana! I am blogging about this because she said that while she was away she would check our blogs to keep up on what is going on here at home. This particular blog will quite literally do just that. I hope she likes it!

It can't be possible!

Last week I received a letter from the Ozark Jr. High School stating that Chase would be touring the facility on March 3rd and begin the scheduling process for next year. I paused while I read this and thought to myself "Are you kidding me! My son couldn't possibly be going into the 7th grade!" It has always seemed like Jr. High was an eternity away and now it is literally just around the corner. Where has all the time gone with my precious little boy who is now taller than his Grammy and wearing the same "size 11" shoe as his dad? He is growing into quite a young man and I am so proud of him. If you are reading this Chase, your mom and dad love you so much and we will always be here for you!!

Picky Eaters

Chase came home from school today and made a declaration that he is going to start eating healthier. You see, Chase is a very picky eater! So he proceeded to go to the refrigerator and see what I had for him to try. You see he eats lunch every day with a friend on his baseball team named Jack. Jack eats very healthy according to Chase, and according to Chase he has quite a bicep. (I think it is the bicep muscle that is motivating this sudden change in diet!) Anyway, he decides to first try carrots and then some red grapes. My poor child spent 10 minutes psyching himself up for his very first bites followed by another 5 minutes over the kitchen sink gagging in such a manner that you thought he might lose a lung. I told him he should be proud of himself for trying -- that is more than his father would ever be willing to do.

Little Builders

On Friday evening one of my girlfriends called and asked if me and the boys would like to go with her and her son to the "Build and Grow" at Lowes on Saturday. So Saturday morning I took Garrett and Ethan to Lowes. It was the coolest thing!! Each little builder gets their very own carpenter's apron, goggles, and a project to build. This time they could choose to make a Jewelry Box or a Valentine Mailbox. The boys both thought they were really big stuff when they had their very own hammer, nails, sand paper and blueprint of their project to build with. After they completed their project they each received a badge for their accomplishment that they will sew onto their carpenter's apron. I am so glad that Emily and Alex thought to invite us along!! This is something that Lowes does twice a month for FREE. The boys can't wait to go back on February 28th to make their own Race Car. I would highly recommend this to parents and children of all ages. Here is the link if you would like to check it out for yourself: https://www.lowesbuildandgrow.com/

Happy Valentine's Day

This morning at about 8:45 I received a very special delivery. Every year on Valentine's Day I receive a single long stemmed rose from my Dad. It always means so much to me!! But it is not the beautiful rose that I treasure most, it is the person that delivers the rose to me with a hug and a kiss along with the priceless reminder of how much he loves me. Thank you, Dad, for always making me feel so special and so loved. I am truly blessed to have you as my Dad!!!

A special "Thanks!" to my Mom

I do not know what I would do without my Mom. Tuesday nights are absolutely crazy for my family and when Chris is out of town it only adds to the craziness. But my mom always comes to my rescue! I am not the greatest person about asking for help, so when she calls and asks if she can fix us dinner and help get one of the boys to practice, it is so appreciated. It not only makes life easier for me but the boys really enjoy this time with their Pop and Grammy. Thank you Mom, your love and support means so much to me and my family.

Mommy's Little Helper

I have such a good little helper when it comes time to clean the house. Ethan is always ready to help in anyway that he can (or maybe I should say in anyway that Mommy will let him). He was right beside me as usual today when I began cleaning. I just had to snap a few pictures of all his hard work.




Isn't he just the most adorable little guy! Ethan is definately mommy's little helper and I will miss him so much when he goes to school. Thankfully he still has another year of preschool before I have to worry about that!!

Just For You, Grana!

This past Tuesday I was invited to my Mom's to have dinner in honor of my baby sister's 30th birthday. While I was visiting with my Grana we had her get on the computer and check out these blogs that everyone has been talking about. She really enjoyed catching up on everthing my sister had been blogging and that's when it hit me ... I need to get in on this too! I have never been great about picking up the phone and just catching up with family and friends. So here it is my online journal in which I will Savor Life's Moments We're Going to Miss.