4 for a Month...

And I am just now blogging her birthday. I am so slow.. I know.

Randy took the day off to help Little Miss truly celebrate her birthday.. and to help me with her party. She had a great day.. waking up and getting some new clothes. And then anxiously passing the time swinging as she waited for her party to begin.

Her friends arrived and the played outside for a while, and Randy went to the garage to put together the secret surprise for her! We made fun crafts, visors and door hangers. We used glitter glue and foam pieces and the kids had a great time. They ate pizza and giggled like crazy. Little Man decided the garage was a better spot for him rather than hang around with a bunch of GIRLS. Little Miss however was loving having so many little girls around..and finally not all of Little Man's friends around.

We had cake.. Delicious Cherry Chip cupcakes with Pink Cherry Frosting.. she was in HEAVEN! They devoured every morsel.

And then off to the gifts. She received many wonderful girly gifts much to her delight. And then she received a package of dishes from her brother. She looked around and said I don't have a kitchen I don't need dishes. (All she had asked for for her birthday was a kitchen.) We could see the disappointment in her face. So we led the kids outside and into the garage where she found a great present waiting for her. Just what she had asked for a kitchen, with a BBQ on the other side so her big cool brother would play with her. Because it wasn't just girly... Boys can BBQ it is cool. She was so thrilled! And so were we. Especially her Daddy who had worked so hard on getting it put together. Her birthday was wonderful! We enjoyed every minute and I still can't believe my Princess is 4.

State Special Olympics 2007.. The Swim Meet

Sadly this happened the first weekend in June.. and it is almost July and I am just now blogging about it. Life has been busy busy.

We arrived for opening ceremonies at Mc Chord Air Force Base. Walking in there and seeing all of the athletes there was an amazing Spirit. It was overwhelming.

I loved seeing the soldiers standing their with the flags and so still. I asked if I could take their picture and it was fun to see them make sure everything was just so. And then there was the Flag.. which represents our freedom. I was truly overwhelmed with emotion. I meant to blog about this on the 4th of July, but I was gone and didn't. Since September 11th, 2001.. I have a new found appreciation for this great country I live in. How grateful I am to live in the Land of the Free, and the Home of the Brave. I am grateful for the men and women who serve in our military. Who lay down their lives to protect our country. I cannot hear the Star Spangled Banner and not have tears in my eyes. I am truly grateful to live in the USA. To have these great freedoms bestowed upon us. Being on the Air Force Base and seeing all of the many soldiers my heart was overwhelmed with gratitude. And then seeing the great kids in Special Olympics the tears came. And I had such an overwhelming feeling of love. Love that our Heavenly Father has for us. And Love that He has for each of those there with a disability of some sort. They are such great Children of His. And for those that raise them and were entrusted with their sweet spirits... and for the love He has for each of us. What a true blessing.

The evening continued with Opening Ceremonies.. each team was announced as they walked in. They were positively thrilled to be there. It was a great event to watch.

The next morning we went to watch the swim meet. My sister was among the younger of the athletes. She did a great job in her first race. Then the second and third I think she got scared.. no one is really sure. She swam part way on the 2nd and on the 3rd decided it really wasn't for her and didn't get in. Oh well.. she will do more another year. It is great to go and watch everyone cheering one another on. With excitement and vigor. To see them uplifting one another and the true joy. They are truly excited for one another and for the successes. I think a great lesson can be learned watching the athletes. It was a feeling I won't forget. A feeling of love and gratitude. And I really think if you ever have the chance to attend a Special Olympics event of any kind you should. You will be a better person because of it.

Occupied...

It's not that I don't want to blog more.. update more. It's that I have things occupying my time. From my photo shoots which keep me busy.. Reading Harry Potter 7. My wonderful delightful kids.. soccer games, swimming, being Mom.. and running around on fun little trips.


And waiting no patiently for UPS. I LOVE it when I get a call from them saying I need to sign for a package and they tell me it will arrive between 8AM-7PM. I gee.. all day. Thanks dude.


But I waited not-so-patiently and finally my flash for my camera came. Yeah I am so excited.. And then the next day my new lens came. So I am busy playing with those.

And then there is the Lupus Walk... I am working on it. And just not really sure how this is going to all pull together.. but hopefully it will. I am crossing my fingers and everything else I can possibly cross that it will go smoothly. I think I like the chaos and the spreading myself thin or something.. because I am certainly good at it. I will get updates up soon.. I promise.

ER X 2

ER visits.. they always happen in the wee hours of the night. When you really should be sleeping but instead you are driving to the Hospital and signing your kids in. Hoping that it won't be an eternal visit and that you will be "lucky" and quickly out of the ER and back home to catch a few Zzz's... But that rarely happens. We went to the ER early early Monday morning.. and if that wasn't lucky enough we went back 12 hours later. Yes that is right two ER visits in 12 hours. For the same kid. Jealous? Everyone should be.

Poor Little Miss has croup. Not fun. She started with the horrible breathing and coughing and she couldn't catch her breath. After hours there they sent us home. As the day progressed she got worse again. I finally called the Dr, who told me to go back to the ER. Seriously in the day? Who does that? Apparently very few people. I got there and no one else was in the waiting room. Apparently night time is the hot time. A lot of people were that in the middle of the night, but we skipped ahead of them all because of her breathing. (Side note if you must go to the ER, breathing issues get you a proceed to GO pass.) She had her treatments and he sent us home with the strict orders if she is worse bring her back. Night time came and I really thought I would be making yet another trek down there in less than 24 hours. But she slept through the wheezing and her breathing was not nearly as labored as it had been. I got more sleep than the night before.. but I woke often to check on my sleeping princess. She is hoarse and has a cute little raspy voice, but I think she is on the mend... finally.

On a side note.. I realize I have neglected to blog about a few neat events from the past two months.. that will be quickly rectified in the next week. I know people are DYING to see all of the pictures and the fun things that we have been doing. So don't put too much on hold.. but check back soon.

Woman to Woman: Keeping you marriage alive

"Whether you've been married for 38 years, 8 years or are a newlywed, you've probably picked up a few of the keys to a happy marriage, one which is nurturing and continues to grow. Maybe your marriage has struggled, but you've found a road back to each other and have insights for those in similar situations. What would you say are the three most key elements in your marriage that keep the romance alive and the heart aflutter? "

In just a few weeks we will celebrate our 8th Anniversary. I can hardly believe that I have been married to this wonderful man for 8 years. It has flown by so quickly but somethings seem like ages ago. I feel as if I have known him forever. I gush about Randy a lot. I am head over feet in love with him. I never knew I would love someone this much. I never knew that marriage would be so joyful day in and day out.

Rule number 1 in our marriage if you are going to fight, fight naked. This rule is harder as our kids our older and no quite to the age to really be unsupervised, but it does work well. Who can be that mad when you are naked?

This rule also applies to keeping the "romance alive" in our marriage. For obvious reasons.

Another thing we do is get away at least once a year for a few nights away. Last year it was Las Vegas, this year it is Las Vegas again. Cheap flights and lots of fun! I book our tickets then my stomach churns.. and goes into knots. Do I really want to leave the kids for 4 night? Can I handle it? What if the plane crashes and I die? What if, what if, what if????? Thankful my wonderful husband kindly says dear, book the kids tickets they can come. And I come to my senses before any such thing happens, and we go enjoy our time and remember life before kids. And remember how much joy they bring to us. And the unity they bring to us. And yeah it keeps the romance alive, and it just keeps us closer and connected.

We don't go to bed angry, we talk about it. Sometimes we talk until 2AM, but we get on the same page and are 100% okay. It is important to talk about what is wrong rather than just ignoring it. And the small things really don't matter. We are both learning still to let things roll off. If it doesn't matter in the eternal scheme of things it really doesn't matter. This is something I really try to live by.. but there are those moments that well.. I don't. But each day I try to do better.

We laugh.. a lot. We joke we have fun. We know how much fun it is to laugh together. To love together, to be together. We try not to be too serious.. light heartedness and laughter keep us going and more and more in love.

Join in! Leave a comment and leave link at Mr. Linky at Morning Glory's and Lei's blogs.

THROUGH THEIR EYES AFRICA

Go to the through their eyes africa blog at: Through Their Eyes Africa Be a part of history! Today I am participating in the first ever“blogathon” to raise funds for the Through Their Eyes Africa project. Please go to their blog and give generously today. You can make a difference to some of the neediest people on earth in a very unique way, and we need your help. This project will be sending a group of well known photographers into a remote part of Africa that has not received any help yet. The photographers will be mentoring young adults on how to take pictures so that we can get a look at their society “through their eyes”. The funds raised from this project will go right back to the needs of these people. So, please go now and give at www.throughtheireyesafrica.typepad.com . They need your donations to make this happen. Remember, what you give will make a difference in the lives of some of the neediest people on earth. Be a part of history. Be part of the solution. Thank you for your generosity.

This is a great way to make a difference.. to help those in need. I hope that we can all unite together for a great cause.

Thanks Jessica Claire for putting this out there for so many people and helping to bring awareness.