The little things =0)

Brandon made this in pre-k with his handprint.. it says:
This isn't just a turkey
As anyone can see
I made it with my hand
which is a part of me
It comes with lots of love
especially to say
I hope you have a very
Happy Thanksgiving Day

A sweet little smile =0)

My boys... all snuggling under blankets watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.. oh so much to be thankful for

Our little miracle ;0)

What I've REALLY learned...

Sharing my heart on this one... wearing it oh.. pretty much on my sleeve...

What I've learned...
1. The REAL definition of mommy and daddy is not a "GENETIC" or "BIOLOGICAL" term..

2. The REAL word daddy does not always mean you got someone pregnant.

3. The REAL word mommy does not always mean you came from my tummy.

4. REALLY you can love a child with all of your heart and soul without any "GENETIC" or "BIOLOGICAL" connection.. they steal your heart before they even come into our world.

5. Every little girl REALLY wants to be "Daddy's little girl"... even if she is a "tomboy" when she is little or even at the age of 38 years old, and thank you Lord for giving me a husband who REALLY understands this.

6. The REAL connection between mommy and daddy and baby ... can easily be seen when they look in each other's eyes.

7. I REALLY can't imagine life without my daughter...

Thank you Heavenly father for REALLY teaching me all about the way that you love us...

Grandpa from Arizona =0)

We had a very blessed visit with Sheldon's Dad and his Aunt Kitty.. WAY too short, but full of lots of love! His Dad is just the most doting and adoring Grandpa you could ever ask for... he steals my heart when I see how gentle and patient he is with the kids.

Grandpa and Hollynd

Aunt Kitty and Hollynd

Grandpa and Brandon chatting

ALL of us together =0)

***PRAYER REQUEST***

Tonight my cousin's little 3 month old son Owen Jackson was flown to OSF in Peoria with serious RSV. He has a twin sister named Jaylyn Christine ...oh yes.. the Christine is after me.. that's my middle name ;0) Please pray for our little Owen who just hit 9 pounds!! He was born 4 lbs. 11 oz. and his sister was 5 lbs.1 oz.on August 10th when they came into this world. His sister just hit 12 lbs!! They are growing SO FAST and getting bigger.. FINALLY!! Owen has had some battles already because of being so tiny when he was born, so please keep him, his momma and the WHOLE family in your prayers. Children are such a gift from God, and Owen is in the best medical hands possible in Peoria, and in the safest place in the world, which is God's hands!
Owen Jackson Ross (the day he was born... soooooo stinkin tiny)

Katrina and Owen (maybe this shows a little better how SMALL this little guy was)
H-A-N-D-S-O-M-E!
Owen and his twin sister Jaylyn

Please pray for that peace that passes ALL UNDERSTANDING.. as parents we all know how hard it is when it's our babies that are sick! Pray for Katrina and the rest of the family to draw close to God and find His COMFORT, His PEACE, His LOVE, and His Rest... AND OF COURSE... His HEALING =0) Thanks in advance for the prayers everybody!

The Reunion Heart Necklace

Momma, I miss you... I still remember when you found this necklace in the Christian bookstore with me, and showed it to me crying... it reminded you of my Daddy in Heaven. Neither of us had the money to get it at the time, but just a few days later, Leslie asked me for ideas of what to get you for Christmas... oh I knew in my heart what it was!!!!! I knew you would cry when you opened it (it's a secret we as daughters seem to know that if we can draw tears, we've chosen the perfect gift..lol) Since you've passed 3-1/2 years ago.. I have had the necklace and wear it all the time. A few weeks ago when Aunt Pauline (your TWIN) was so very sick.. I felt the Lord telling me to give her the necklace. She knew the story, she knew you never took it off.. oh man... I was like WHAT???? LORD REALLY??? This is one thing I have of my momma's that she wore, that she loved, that had such special memories belonging only to me from the moment she saw it, to the moment she opened it. Knowing that if I am not obedient, I will not have peace, I told my Unie (that's what I call my Aunt Pauline.. her middle name is UNA after my grandma, but I call her UNIE, short for UNIQUE.. I've always felt she was a very unique gift that God gave me as an Aunt) anyway.. I told her since she was in the hospital that the next time I saw her, the Lord told me to give this necklace to her... she started to cry. She told me how much she loved me, how much she knew it meant to me, and how much it meant to momma. To make a long story short... actually, it's already long, so ... lol.... ANYWAY, A couple of days after she got out of the hospital, I went to her house, and placed in on her neck. She hugged me HUGE, told me how much she loves me, and we got to spend some good quality time together. I felt at peace.. I didn't have that feeling that I struggled with initially. I knew I had been obedient to the Holy Spirit, and I knew HE had a purpose. About a month later, I stopped in to see my favorite Aunt.. once again, she wasn't feeling well, but she was at home, on her oxygen, and just trying to rest. We spent more great time together drinking coffee and talking about every subject from Obama to my baby girl Hollynd who was just loving on her "Grandma" as all my kids call my Aunt Pauline. Right before I got ready to leave, she said she had something for me... She took the necklace off, told me to bend down, and placed it back on my neck. I cried.. I told her NO, the Lord told me to give this to you.. and she told me that her reunion with my momma will be sooner than mine, and I needed to keep it, wear it, and remember that I did what God told me to do... and that's all that mattered. To sum all of this up, I guess I just wanted to say... sometimes letting go of something that means the world to you, does not mean that it is gone forever... God knew what he was doing.. I DECIDED to be obedient, and yet I got my treasure back... now with the memory of my momma wearing it and my UNIE wearing it... the 2 women I love most on this earth.....

The necklace comes with this poem:

Since Heaven has become your home
I sometimes feel I'm so alone
and though we now are far apart
you hold a big piece of my heart

I never knew how much I'd grieve
when it was time for you to leave,
or just how much my heart would ache
from that one fragment you would take.

God lets this tender hole remain
reminding me we'll meet again,
and one day all the pain will cease
when He restores this missing piece.

He'll turn to joy my every tear
and when I wear this necklace near
it will become my simple way
to treasure our Reunion Day.



The tender hole that remains is in the shape of a tear drop... which reminds me of God's promise that HE will wipe away EVERY TEAR =0)

Thankful

As Thanksgiving approaches, I find myself thinking about ALL of the many wonderful blessings God has given us over the 12 years Sheldon and I have been married.. and even longer.. just the time I've experienced on this earth since birth. It kinda makes me feel a tad guilty that I'm not more thankful more often... especially in the hard times. Found this poem.. thought it kinda fit my mood:

More Than A Day

As Thanksgiving Day rolls around,
It brings up some facts, quite profound.
We may think that we're poor,
Feel like bums, insecure,
But in truth, our riches astound.

We have friends and family we love;
We have guidance from heaven above.
We have so much more
Than they sell in a store,
We're wealthy, when push comes to shove.

So add up your blessings, I say;
Make Thanksgiving last more than a day.
Enjoy what you've got;
Realize it's a lot,
And you'll make all your cares go away.

By Karl Fuchs

Mind/Body/Soul

I was thinking today.. as I often do when my mind is sooo distracted by physical pain. Funny how something can take such utter control of all of your mind.. changing your daily habits, routines, duties, sometimes just little things like holding your princess for a few minutes... can still create in you a revelation that can become oh say "a light bulb went off moment" or an "A-HA" moment.. or as more correctly put, a small glimpse into the heart of our savior.

I've had neck issues for way too long to remember, to be quick.. it's dumb but hurts, is degenerative, is hereditary, and can be for some a nagging ache, and others.. a harsh reality of daily serious pain in your neck.. which of course can go up to head pain, down to shoulder/hand muscle blah blah blah... like I said DUMB. Anyway.. today I had another fun shot, sometimes they're "annoying" sometimes they're "YOUCH" but today was one of those that rank up with .. hmmm.. ok, not giving birth, but you get my point...lol!!

The great thing is, I cannot be alone for 24 hours (because of the fun stuff through IV) so my dear sweet hubby HAD to take the day off =0) Even in the middle of suckish pain, I find a yippppee..lol. I love a day with Sheldon.. just having him around. So we go to the hospital by 7:30 this morning, miss Hollynd and Brandon in tow.. do our thing.. and sprung and at home by 10 a.m..

As the day went on, the pain STUNK, my entire head/neck/arms/hands/upper back and injection site were SCREAMING at me... but I had this sweet tender voice of my hubby that was making a little princess laugh, who was getting our young preschooler ready for school, who was being very gracious to his sissified wife..lol (I say that with humor..laughing at myself.. because pain stinks, period.. I'm human!!) I came to realize it's an endurance thing.. you endure labor, you endure sorrow, you endure pain...
Endure: in the dictionary you come up with...
1. to hold out against; sustain yielding; undergo
2. to bear without resistance or with patience; tolerate
3. to allow; to bear:

And as I was laying there, I though of our savior's pain... his innocence, something I do not have... his purity, not found here.... his perfection, not in a million years could I claim that one...his willingness to obey, sacrifice, and never say no to God "Not my will but yours"... something that brings tears to my eyes when I think of my own life.. yet another quality I lack in. Yet the pain he went through.. for someone who he knew did not posess a single quality that he had.

And the one verse that the Holy Spirit laid HARD on my heart was...

Hebrews 12:2
Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

I CAN do this... with him all things are possible.. and as I enure this physical pain, I thank you Lord that even in this... You bring me closer to you... to your heart.... and as the author and finisher of MY faith... TO YOUR PLAN.

38

So today I turn 38 years old... seems like a big number, but honestly I have to say these years have FLOWN by! I can't help but wish my momma was here.. to hear her say Happy Birthday, to get that hug and kiss only she can give that warms you from the bottom of your feet to the tip of your head.. to hear her voice, to see her smile, but most of all to hear I LOVE YOU BABY!

I know on your birthday it's usual to focus on your own life.. but I've always thought about what my mom was going through the day she had me... Just 21 days before my birthday my momma and daddy were celebrating my brother Randy's 1st birthday and awaiting my arrival.. my daddy JUST KNEW I was going to be a girl, and he picked out the name Angela (meaning Angel or messenger of God) Christine (meaning Christian or follower of Christ)...mom always told me about how he talked to me, sang to me, kissed her tummy and told me how much he couldn't wait to hold his precious baby girl and how I would be daddy's girl for the rest of my life)... then, 4 days later, he was killed by a drunk driver and momma lost the love of her life, her soulmate, her best friend.. 2 days later she buried the father of her children, her 1 year old baby boy, and soon to be born little one... 15 days later, here I come... I can only imagine the joy and sorrow she felt that day... I was a baby girl, just like he said, and she gave me the name he had picked months earlier (remember this is before sonograms and technology to tell you what you were having).

Words can't explain how blessed I always felt to hear her tell the story of my daddy's love for me.. of course those that know me, know I would cry like a baby, yet at the same time, the love I have for the daddy I never knew became so deeply rooted in my soul that I could feel his love all the way from Heaven every day of my life.

As I grew up and married my soulmate, the love of my life, my best friend.. AND became a mommy.. her strength through this tragedy always made me realize that I could make it through ANYTHING that life could throw my way. It made me hold tighter to those I love, made me love deeper and never let anger or bitterness build in my heart.. realizing that you just never know when someone you love can be taken from you.

It is something I think of often when thinking about losing my momma just 9 days after giving birth to Brandon. I think about how excited my mom was when I found out I was pregnant with our "SUPRISE" little guy.. even though I myslef was in SHOCK! How she so sweetly washed and folded all of the clothes that we had for our newest son, how she talked to my tummy and rubbed on it and told Brandon how she couldn't wait to become a Grammie again...

I have to admit that in that time of losing momma and having Brandon, I have never in my life felt the Lord's presence in such a tangible way.. He was my ROCK, my comforter, my shelter, He wiped away soooooo many tears, He whispered to me that everything would be ok, He wrapped me in his loving arms in a way I had never felt before... I was so broken, and it proved true the verse that says God draws near to the broken hearted, those who are broken in spirit. It's then I realized that he did that exact same thing for my momma the day I was born.

So I count all of my blessings each day.. another year I have lived and loved, my boys, my baby girl I never dreamed would be in my life, my family, my church family, my friends, and those I try and show the love of God to each and every day hoping they can see even just the smallest glimpse of him in me.

My handsome Daddy
Me and my BEAUTIFUL Momma

Life

To: YOU
Date: TODAY
From: GOD
Subject: YOURSELF
Reference: LIFE

This is God. Today I will be handling All of your problems for you.. I do Not need your help. So, have a nice day.

I love you.

P.S. And, remember...

If life happens to deliver a situation to you that you cannot handle, do Not attempt to resolve it yourself! Kindly put it in the SFGTD (something for God to do) box. I will get to it in MY TIME. All situations will be resolved, but in My time, not yours.

Once the matter is placed into the box, do not hold onto it by worrying about it. Instead, focus on all the wonderful things that are present in your life now.

If you find yourself stuck in traffic, don't despair. There are people in this world for whom driving is an unheard of privilege.

Should you have a bad day at work; think of the man who has been out of work for years.

Should you despair over a relationship gone bad; think of the person who has never known what it's like to love and be loved in return.

Should you grieve the passing of another weekend; think of the woman in dire straits, working twelve hours a day, seven days a week to feed her children.

Should your car break down, leaving you miles away from assistance; think of the paraplegic who would love the opportunity to take that walk.

Should you notice a new gray hair in the mirror; think of the cancer patient in chemo who wishes she had hair to examine.

Should you find yourself at a loss and pondering what is life all about, asking what is my purpose? Be thankful. There are those who didn't live long enough to get the opportunity.

Should you find yourself the victim of other people's bitterness, ignorance, smallness or insecurities; remember, things could be worse. You could be one of them!

Now, you have a nice day....And always remember... I LOVE YOU
~ GOD

Teething

So my sweet sweet little princess has not been too happy at all =0( She has been a cranky pants lately, and after some searching... mommy and daddy discovered she has two little teeth poking through! It's nice to know why she has been so "NOT HAPPY" but at the same time, baby orajel can only do so much!! There have been times I didn't even answer my phone because I knew the person on the other end would not hear ME at all...lol!!! One of those things where you wish you could make it all better, but you know your job is to PRAY PRAY PRAY for the pain to ease, and to try and make her as happy as possible! She has been super attached to mommy.. and I once again have to say THANK YOU LORD for my amazing husband who understands that there are many things that pay the price for her crankiness... the house, the laundry, the dishes... my attitude...lol (YA, I know.. but constant crying can wear on even the most patient of us...lol!) yet he comes in from working all day, and has done some dishes, done some laundry, swept some floors, or just held our crying little Angel and gave her those "magic kisses" that Daddy has! I take for granted soooooo many times that I have such a wonderful husband. I love you baby!!!! I don't tell you often enough how much I appreciate YOU... just being YOU! I am blessed WAY beyond what I deserve when it comes to the hubby area ;0) You are my rock, you are the man most women would love to have, and I'm soooo glad you're ALL MINE!!!!!!

JesUs

Before U were thought of or time had begun,
God stuck U in the name of His Son.


And each time U pray, you'll see it's true,
You can't spell out JesUs and not include U.


You're a pretty big part of His wonderful name,
For U, He was born; that's why He came.


His great love for U is the reason He died.
It even takes U to spell crUcified..


Isn't it thrilling and splendidly grand
He rose from the dead, with U in His plan?


The stones split away, the gold trUmpet blew,
And this word resUrrection is spelled with a U.


When JesUs left earth at His upward ascension,
He felt there was one thing He just had to mention.


'Go into the world and tell them it's true
That I love them all - Just like I love U.'


So many great people are spelled with a U,
Don't they have a right to know JesUs too?


It all depends now on what U will do,
He'd like them to know, But it all starts with U.

Halloween =0)

Hallelujah Night was a success!!! Lots of candy, lots of fun.. and some ADORABLE pics!

Brandon =0) What a cutie!!


G.I. Joe... oops, I mean G.I. Gavin


Two happy brothers =0)


Cutest lil Cowgirl in the WORLD!!! Miss Ellie


Forrest Fire Chief Gabe.. and Fairbury Fire Chief Brandon


Hold on to those hats boys... those Firetrucks go FAST!!!!!!!!!!!!


Lil Cowgirl Ellie holding on to Daddy.. not sure what to think of Brandon the Fireman


How cute are they!


Lil Ellie warmed up to the young blue-eyed Fireman


Brandon was eating it up!!! He ADORES Miss Ellie!!!!