And a Happy Mother's Day it was

Mother's Day was just like Goldilocks nestled in the smallest bear's bed, just right. It wasn't this big hoop de doo with expensive gifts and crowded restaurants or no gifts with cards purchased the day of. Today was what I always wanted my Mother's Day to be. Matt bought his card in advance and then helped the kids create a giant homemade card for me. Breakfast was on the table (courtesy of IHOP, I think) ready for me to eat when I got out of bed. Along side my yummy meal was my cards and present that Ryan made me in school.

After we ate, it was off to Church wearing my new handmade bracelet from Ryan. During Church, Ryan sang with his choir a sweet song called "A Mother's Love". He said it would make me cry and it just about did.

Afterwards, I was off for a Mom's only movie and dinner date with my Mom and sister. I really enjoyed the ease of this Mother's Day. Job well done Matt and my little loves, thank you for making this Mother's Day just right!

Ode to Mom

You made my childhood a wonderful place where it was ok for me to be different.

You taught me to share and that selflessness is a strength.




You always have a good time even when confronted with a grumpy teenager.



You rarely complain and always make a bad situation seem not so bad.



You are an amazing Grandma!
Mom, thank you for loving:
an adventurous, creative, strong-willed child
a moody, strange looking, distant teenager
a nervous, needy newlywed
and a overwhelmed, tired, joyful new mom.

You are who I strive to be!

8, 8, 8 is Great!

Ryan...

• loves that his birthday is on St. Patricks Day. He will deck himself out in all things St. Patty's from head to toe. This year I found a shamrock tie to add to his collection.
• is one of a kind. Even if this means being the only one on the dance floor showing his moves to Michael Jackson.
• sees himself as an adult who just hasn't reached the government's ideal age. Parents and other fellow adults merely give suggestions on how to live not commands.
• has unlimited confidence. If he has not already mastered it, he will soon.
• will help out any chance he gets. His sister sometimes gets frustrated with all of his "helping" but it does come in handy for Mom from time to time.
• is great at spelling. Thank goodness he inherited his Dad's mad spelling skills and not his Moms.
• is a lover and not a fighter. He has been in love with girls since the age of three. He is counting the days until he is sixteen and can finally kiss one.
• has a compassionate heart. He will take care of you when you are sick or hurt. You can see it in his sympathetic smile, just how much he cares.
• uses his words well. He has always paid attention to the words people use, big and small, and adds them to his bank of vocabulary. You have to watch out though, because you never know when he will make a withdrawal.
• hates art projects. The faster he can get them over with the better.
• treats his sister like she's a princess (most of the time). We are so proud of how much love he gives her and attention. There are many times when Matt and I will find him sitting in the rocking chair with her on his lap watching TV.
• loves to perform. Whether it's at a wedding showing off his dance moves or singing in our Church's children's musical, Ryan will give quite the show.
• is super funny. He has a wonderful wit about him. We crack up at least once a day from the things he says.
• is a great son. Matt and I are blessed to have him and he enriches our lives daily. Happy 8th Birthday Ryan, we love you for all that you are.
  

Pay It Forward

The Rules

1. Be one of the first Three (3) bloggers to leave a comment on this post, which then entitles you to a handmade item from me.

2. Winners, you must post this challenge on your blog, meaning that you will Pay It Forward, creating a handmade gift for the first 3 bloggers who leave a comment on YOUR post about this giveaway!

3. The gift that you send to your three Friends can be from any price range and you have 365 days to make/ship your item. This means you should be willing to maintain your blog at least until you receive your gift and have shipped your gifts. And, remember: It’s the Spirit and the Thought That Count!

4. When you receive your gift, please feel free to blog about it, sharing appropriate Linky Love! If you are not one of the 1st Three Commenter's on this post, you can still play along. Post it on your blog; start your own Pay It Forward chain, and encourage your blogging friends to do the same!

Picture Perfect

There are two things that Eryn has decided she doesn't want to do anymore: get her picture taken and have her hair done. Just in case you may not believe that our sweet, little princess can be difficult, here is the evidence.

At first, she just scrunched herself up.

The she tried to scoot away.

When that didn't work, she just laid on the floor.

Finally she pulled out the tears.

Then moved onto screaming!

Oh Eryn, I love your almost two year old self.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Best In Show

Ryan went to his very first Pinewood Derby this weekend. He was so excited to race his boat car that he and grandpa worked so hard to make. The only glitch of the day was the sails on the boat car were too tall and had to be shorted which messed up Ryan's great paint job. That didn't matter to him though, once the racing began. I loved watching look of excitement and anticipation on Ryan's face each time his car came flying down the track. Even though his car wasn't the fastest that day, it was the best looking. Ryan was so proud to receive his Best In Show metal. So proud that he couldn't stop smiling all day. By the time we got home, Ryan already had thought of designs for next years race. Great job Ryan, we are proud of you and your boat car!

A boy, his turtle and a sweet goodbye

Our beloved turtle Lucky died today. This broke Ryan's sweet, little heart. You see, Lucky was Ryan's turtle that he got last March as a birthday present. When I told him that Lucky had died, he burst into tears then replied, " but he was my best friend". There is nothing more heart breaking than having to tell your child that their pet died. I take that back, there is nothing more heart breaking that having a turtle funeral for your son's "best friend". Ryan wanted to give Lucky a touching send off by having a funeral with a eulogy and all. As we gathered in the back yard, words were spoken about the food he ate, how he would tuck his head into his shell and how he was going to missed greatly. We ended with a prayer and went inside to make root beer floats. It is amazing what a little ice cream can do for a broken heart.

Rest in Peace Lucky Mayberry

February 2008 to January 2009

Microchip, Friend or Foe?

I ask my self this question everyday now. On one hand I feel blessed that Matt still has a job, especially when so many Americans do not. This makes them our FRIEND. They also provide us with decent health insurance which makes Microchip FRIENDLIER than most companies. However I am becoming convinced that Microchip will not rest with their income cuts until we are financially ruined.

Today they have announced that they will be adding a fourth week to their quarterly shut down. This makes them our FOE. I don't know how the CEO can sleep at night knowing that he will be taking away another months worth of pay from his employees. How does he expect people to get buy when you remove a total of 4 months of income from his workers. Microchip also falls into the FOE category because their CEO has yet to announce that he himself is taking a 33% pay cut. I hope his millions are keeping his cold heart warm at night. (Bitter, I know but I can't help it)

In the end, I know that we are lucky because Matt still has a job. It doesn't remove the tremendous stress we are both under and the huge amounts of debt we are collecting in order to make it through this year. So in conclusion, is Microchip our Friend or Foe? We will have to wait and see what they do next. Ask me in December.

Potty Talk

For Christmas we got Eryn a potty chair with the idea that we would gently introduce this future milestone. To our amazement, she went potty in it today, twice. It all started last night when Eryn was in the Church's nursery while I took down Christmas decorations. When I came to pick her up, Pat informed me that Eryn wanted to sit on the potty. She has done that before, but this time she actually went pee. I couldn't believe it and thought maybe it was a coincidence. Well, I was wrong because while my mom was watching her today she went again. My little potty champion came up to my mom pulling on her diaper and then lead her to the bathroom, sat d0wn and went. I was shocked when my mother told me what she had done. My princess then did it again later today, for me after her nap.
I find myself having a mixture of emotions pertaining to this big event. Excitement that she is figuring out what to do and when to do it. Dread because going anywhere with a child who is potting training is a nightmare. Disbelief with the ease and fast pace that this is going. Hope that we don't hit a wall and lose the momentum and fun of going on the potty. Last, pride for my little superstar of a girl. You go girl!