Thursday, February 26, 2009

Thankful Thursday

I've been thinking about starting to write a praise report on Thursday's and after having a really really rough day at work today I feel led to end the day being thankful. Here goes, a list of what I am thankful for in no particular order.

1. My commute to & from work; On the way to work I enjoy the prayer time, & worship time and on the way home it gives me time to wind down from the day and pray some more.

2. No traffic during my commute; Oh the joys of living in the country.

3. LeAnne has started to give me hugs in the morning, when I leave for work and when I come home from work. She has even started to rub my shoulder how I rub her back when I hug her.

4. Tonight is John's last night shift for 3 whole months! This means when he won't have to sleep the first day he's off, I won't have to sleep alone for 3 months, 3 months of being able to kiss him good-morning, 3 day weekends ROCK and he doesn't have to be nocturnal for 3 months. I love my guy!!

5. Co-workers who support, encourage and help find solutions. Working with a special needs student can be challenging and I am thankful for these amazing ladies.

6. God is bigger than any obstacle I might face and He for sure will see me through to the other side.

7. God's provisions! We are an incredibly blessed family! Thank-you Lord for your amazing provisions! I am thankful for our jobs, thankful for our house, and the food that nourishes our bodies, the family who surrounds us with love.

8. Thankful for the great care my mom takes of LeAnne. She loves her grand-daughter so much and LeAnne loves her.

9. We are all healthy.

10. God blessed me with a learning challenge. My dyslexia had a huge part in defining who I am and the direction of my life. There is no one way to do something. It's okay to take the 2nd channel to learning. God created has a plan for each one of us. We should not be defined by our limitations rather learn to work with them and thrive.

I could go on and on and on but I am on exhausted mama who needs her sleep. Now what are you thankful for?

Monday, February 23, 2009

Outside & Toys that make noise...

Showing me the dogs balls. It looks like she's say ickkkkkk Isn't this jacket adorable! It sure keeps her nice and warm.



Who needs a sandbox when you have rocks under
your porch? :-)


Is she adorable or what! :-)


Oh! Excited about her rocks!! :-)



LeAnne loves being outside so lately we've been bundling her up and out we go. She now says "out" and knows she needs to put her coat on and then heads for the back door. She loves to collect the dogs balls and put them into her wagon, and one of her favorite past times in putting rocks in her bucket. She knows the dog pooh is ick and wen she sees me picking up she can be heard say "ickkkkkkkkkkk"! Mom has a swing for her at her house that I will get some pictures of too. I look forward to taking her to the park, and playing in our backyard lots. Daddy is going to build her a swing set. :-) Spring can't get here soon enough for any of us.

On a side note I am quite sure toys that make noise at Midnight should be BURNED! Last night was the 2nd time LeAnne was woke up by a toy going off. Grrr! I woke up to Itsy Bitsy Spider and then a crying baby! Of course then she had a rough time going back to sleep and I was very upset. Daddy is threatening to take all the batteries out of her toys. I don't know that we need to go that far but I for sure will be turning them off at night. From now on I am all for traditional toys with no batteries required. :-)

Sunday, February 22, 2009

A year has flown by...









This time last year we were just getting settled into our new home. John & I were still sleeping in LeAnne's room because our King size bed was too big for the movers to get upstairs. Thankfully my sister's family helped us move it upstairs on Easter Sunday. It's been an eventful year full of firsts and new adventures in home ownership. In the pictures above notice the drawer was painted red, and the porch is different. The porch will need to be redone again, the tile just can't handle the harsh weather.

I've been asked by a few "am I happy we moved"? I say yes for the most part. I do miss my family & friends and the church we loved! I pray in time I'll meet new friends and find a church were we feel at home. I love our house, I am very thankful for the time I had to spend with LeAnne, and I love our backyard. It's neat being able to walk to town in 10 minutes, to the park in 15 minutes, and it's peaceful here. It is beautiful here and I love that LeAnne will grow up learning about farming and nature. I am thankful John is very happy with his job and I am thankful for my job. A wise person from Boeing (Kathy V.) told me that I would more than likely find myself doing something completely different and sure enough she was right.

We had an awsome visit with my lil bro and sister in law this weekend. LeAnne was very apprehensive of Uncle Greg but it didn't take her long at all to warm up to both her Aunt & Uncle. Those 2 are going to make terrific parents when they think they're ready. :-)

Have a blessed week!!

Tuesday, February 17, 2009

Wonderful Weekend

We had a wonderful weekend! John & I had a fun trip to the Tri-Cities but were very glad to leave the traffic behind. It was nice to be able to talk with him and explore carefree. LeAnne had a fun day with Grandma. On Sunday daddy changed out the front door and finished putting baby safty locks on all our drawers and cupboards. This should cut the times we have to say no to LeAnne down by half. LOL!! I went shopping on Monday with mom. LeAnne had a blast carrying an Easter basket around JoAnne's. She must practice for the wedding.

It was very nice to have a few days in a row with LeAnne. It really makes me look forward to this summer. She's definitely busy and now she's trying really hard to make words. This weekend she said "Shoe". She also started saying what kinda sounds like "out". :-)

On Monday I took her down stairs to play while I cleaned up my scrap room. She had a blast, and kept busy enough I was able to scrap book one page. It's pretty simple but it's done and cute.


Here she is laughing while playing fetch with Gracie



Here she is enjoying her Valentine's Day card
from Auntie Katie! :-)




Yahooo! I finally got this video to upload to Youtube! It's a cute one of her having a blast on her pony Lucky! :-)

Friday, February 13, 2009

Love in our house

Our Precious Valentine


This lil girl absolutely loves looking at magazines! Today when I was finished looking at my Better Homes & Gardens mag I gave it her. She promptly walked over to her bean bag chair, sat down and proceeded to page throught the magazine saying "pretty pretty", and "oh".



Isn't this what toy boxes are for?




I love listening to LeAnne giggling while sitting in daddy's lap reading a book. :-) Our Valentines weekend got off to a beautiful start even though mama bear was home sick. Thank God her headache went away Friday evening. She can cope with the sniffles, coughing and a sore throat. LeAnne was a great girl on Friday. She took a 2 1/2 hour nap and then woke up in a fantastic mood. Then went to bed at 7:30pm. SWEET! Things have sure changed since last Valentines day for sure.

LeAnne will spend Valentines day with G-ma Marcia so mama & daddy can spend the day together. We can't remember the last time we were alone so it's definitely time for us to get away. We are going to drive to Tri-Cites to do some shopping, exploring and top the day off with a yummy dinner at Olive Garden. I feel incredibly blessed to have such an amazing husband. I thank God for brining us together, for guiding us through our life together and blessing us with a family.

I love these verses below because they speak beautiful truths about love.

1 Corinthians. 13:4-13

Love is patient, love is kind.
It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.
It is not rude, it is not self-seeking,
it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.
Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.
It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
And now faith, hope, and love abide, but the greatest of these is love.

Here is a video of LeAnne with her Valentine card from Auntie Katie! Thank-you Auntie!!


Sunday, February 8, 2009

A mellow weekend

It has been a very mellow weekend at our house. Daddy is working. I declared a mellow weekend. Saturday I did some house work, laundry and we went to dinner to celebrate my youngest nieces birthday. LeAnne was on her best behavior at the restaurant. Then Sunday has been very laid back. I've done some house work, finished up preparing an V-day art project, have spent lots of time hanging out with our little girl and now here updating our blog while LeAnne naps. I am feeling a bit guilty for not finishing up the house work but it will still be their later this week right. I have to let myself relax sometimes and just spend time with our girl.

Check out the adorable outfit Grandma Nana sent LeAnne all the way from Texas! It's fits her perfect and she looks so cute. Here she is rocking her Valentines day puppies this morning. They sing a cute little tune when she presses the foot.



LeAnne was so happy to see daddy when he came home this morning. They played and oh my you should have heard her laughing as he tickled her. Then it was time for some cuddling with daddy right before he went to bed. I am so thankful LeAnne has an awesome daddy.



Here is a peak at the art project mom and I came up with for my student at school. His picture will be centered on the front, then he will decorate the front & back with embellishments of his choice and once it opens he will write a greeting.



This week will be a busy week at school with swimming lessons, basket ball games, and A Valentines Day part on Thursday. I am going to make heart shaped sugar cookies to take for him to frost for the party.

Then next Saturday LeAnne is going to spend the day with Grandma Marcia and John & I are off to Tri-Cities for the day. I am going to spend my birthday money, we may pick up some prepared dinners to freeze, do some more window shopping, maybe catch a movie and top the day off with dinner at Olive Garden. I am really looking forward to some alone time with my guy!

Do you remember what we were doing this time last year? Click on the links to take a trip down memory lane. The big announcement, firsts & official dates, and rolling over on Valentines day. Oh boy how life has changed.

Have a blessed week!

She keeps us on our toes

LeAnne certainly keeps all of us on our toes. She is so smart, watches & listens to everything and quickly figures out how to do it on her own. YIKES!

Earlier this week she figured out how to open our front door & was about to walk out to go see daddy. Thankfully I was watching her to see if she could do it. The front door is now locked at all times. Very soon daddy will replace the door handle to a knob that we can put a baby proof handle on.


She figured out how to open the cupboard
with our lady susan in it this week too.



We have child proof locks on some of the drawers of the desk
but it looks like we need to buy more to do the rest.

Thursday, February 5, 2009

LeAnne's 1st finger painting experience









I covered our table with newspaper, daddy put some red finger paint onto a paper plate and I had great expectations of getting LeAnne to make a Valentines Day art project. It only took me a short time to realize she's not ready for this art project. I deiced to let her create her own mater piece. Family & friend, I will be sure to keep this idea in mind for next year. :-) She wasn't so sure what to do with the paint but soon got the hang of it. :-)

Wednesday, February 4, 2009

I love Jesus but I drink a little...

I know 2 post in one morning! But I had to share this with ya'll. If you need a morning laugh click this LINK and watch a clip of the Ellen show. Oh man I was laughing so hard I was crying. What a precious lady Gladys is.

Up up up and over the hump of the week we go! Happy Hump day! I am just about to head for another interesting day at school. Today the kids start swimming lessons at the YMCA in Walla Walla. My lil guy is very afraid of the water so we won't be participating. Instead he will be practicing his hand writing and then we'll play a game of Hi Hi Cherry-O. We played it yesterday so I could figure out how to play it and he proclaimed "You're the best teacher because we play games, have math & snack (a lil motivation to learn subtraction, hey the boy loves cashews), bring me cool prizes, and let me have free time". Mind you later that afternoon I was the worst teacher EVER because I was ruining his day AGAIN. LOL!! Oh the joys of teaching!

Litte girl please throw that ball !!

LeAnne is interacting with our fur babies a lot more these days. She knows which one is Gracie & which one is Bella. She pets them very nicely, well most of the time. She loves it when the girls come into see her while she is taking a bath, jump up on the side of the tub so she can give them kisses. She also loves to play fetch with them, well more like keep away. Both dogs are VERY patient and gentle with her. They will follow her around, and gently try to take the ball away from her. Gracie especially loves to lick her face when she's laying on the floor, but she is the dog that can't control her licker. (liquor). LOL! Of course the dogs love parking out under her high chair when she's eating, just waiting for her to throw them a treat and most meals she is happy to share.





Tuesday, February 3, 2009

Newbie needs experienced moms & teacher's help!

I am a teacher's aide to a 1st grade boy with some special challenges. As ya all know Valentines Day is coming up and I would like to make something special with him to give to his mom, dad, and 2 sets of grandparents (so 4 of the same project). I want something that isn't too challenging but is creative, makes him work his fine motor skills and that his family would LOVE. Keep in mind he has a vision impairment, so bigger and bold is helpful to him.

What was the best Valentines Day gift you received from your elementary school aged child?

I've been going through my scrap booking stash, looking at projects online, and talking to my mom but nothing is really jumping out at me. I am already going to make sugar cookies in the shape of hearts, have him frost them and put conversation hearts on them. These will be given to his classmates.

On a side note; I feel like since becoming a parent I have a severe case of Attention Deficit Disorder or I am just scatter brained. I felt I was pretty organized, task oriented and I was a mad woman when it came to getting things done off a to do list. These days though my thoughts are ALL over the map ALL the time. Watching me clean house would be like watching a clown trying to perform in all 3 circles at a circus! It's wacky. I have so many things I want to do, I have many things started but few completed. Am I alone here? Moms out there, does it get any better? Will the spinning in my head ever slow down?

Well I must be off to work. If I hurry I'll have a few minutes to read my daily guidepost and a bit in my new bible study, which I LOVE, thank-you Auntie Katie! I've just started it but so far I highly recommend is to ALL women. It's called The King's Daughter by Diana Hagee . I'll try to blog about it in more detail. I would love to go to one of the classes.

Have a blessed day! Please comment or e-mail me your ideas ASAP. Thank-you!!!

Monday, February 2, 2009

Pictures from the weekend

Squealing with delight because her chair made
music!



She loves to be outside! She spent an hour outside
with daddy on Friday. Here she is trying to pull
her wagon.



Sitting on the bench in our backyard with Gracie.
She got up on the bench all by herself



How does this monkey puppet work?


Sitting in her new rocking chair from Auntie Katie.
Of course Bella isn't too far way. :-)


Good Morning! Happy Monday! This will be a quick update since for whatever reason my alarm didn't go off at 4am so I woke up to my cell phone alarm at 5am. EEKS! We had a surprise visit from my Auntie Katie this weekend! It was so great to see her, though I wish we had more time to hang out. My auntie sure knows how to spoil a girl though, and this time that girl was ME! Happy birthday to mama! She got me some very nice shirts, a few great Christian books (Daily Guide posts 2009 & The King's Daughter), and lotion, body spray, shower gel and a defuse of my favorite relaxing scent...that would be none other than Lavendar mixed with vanilla. Thank-you so much auntie!! :-) Oh and we can't forget the rocking chair...LeAnne loves when it makes music! In other news we had a nice weekend with daddy home! Daddy & LeAnne had a wonderful day on Friday, we went grocery shopping on Saturday, and Sunday we did a bunch of cleaning. LeAnne has been full of winks and kisses! Check out her adorable new shoes -- size 5 Winnie the Pooh! Oh just gusse what she figured out how to do this weekend? Were in trouble now... She opened our front door! AHH We will be keeping the dead bolt locked and installing a lock up high very soon. Okay onto the pictures and then I must get going. I have more to say but I've run outa time! I'll post more later this week. Have a marvelous Monday!!!